to crediting what God propounds by these means 1. The spirits represents the expressions of the Lords love to the soul in the latitude and fulness of them It makes it appear to be so full so compleat and perfect a love as there is not the least imaginable cause of jealousie And surely this is the very intention of the Spirit of God in so often heaping up expressions upon expressions in setting out the love of God in Christ the Spirit of God doth even rise to the highest kind of expressions that is possible in this way for this end seldom names the grace of God that is to say the love of God but he calls it riches of grace nay abundant riches and the exceeding riches of his grace 2. The Spirit in this case reveals the Lords strong confirmation of all those expressions of his love The Spirit reveals how the Lord hath bound himself to the performance of all those expressions of love in the latitude and fulness of them to every Iota and point to the least tittle 1. The Spirit reveals the Lords promise of faithfulness in the expression of his love Then in Hos 2.19 God tells the Church I will betroth thee unto my self in righteousness and judgment and in loving kindness and in mercies 2. The Spirit reveals the Lords confirmation of it by his own hand writing All the Scriptures are given as the hand writing of himself only for the manifestation of the sincerity and integrity of the heart of God in the love he intends to Souls The very end of writing all the Scriptures is primarily to draw Souls to believe and secondarily to believe gradually more and more to perfection till they come to this full assurance of Faith The whole Scriptures of the Lord and New Testament are but one blessed letter of love sent from heaven by God written by the blessed Secretary of heaven the blessed Spirit of God The Inscription is nothing else but this My love to poor loveless rebellious souls through my dearly beloved Son the Lord Jesus The whole matter is nothing else but this Come in and embrace my love 3. The Spirit reaveals that the Lord hath added his oath to it Heb. 6.17 And this he doth that the soul may receive the strongest consolation from the Lords intentions in the reality of his love 4. The Spirit reveals the Lord hath confirmed it by Witnesses 1 John 5.7 8 9. The glorious Trinity the three persons in one Essence they are Witnesses to it Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost are Witnesses in Heaven and the Water and Blood are Witnesses on Earth 5. The Spirit reveals that the Lord hath confirmed it by Seals The common broad Seals I mean the Sacraments that are outward Witnessing signs or Confirming signs of the Lords intentions of love to Souls in the Lord Jesus What is the Lords Supper but a meer confirming sign to confirm the Soul in believing the Faithfulness of God and his loving Souls in Jesus Christ To witness to the Soul thus much that as surely as he seeth the Bread broken as he seeth the Wine poured out so surely did the glorious God of Heaven and Earth send the Dearly Beloved of his own Soul cloathed with an humane nature to have his Body broken and his Blood poured out that thereby there might be an union with himself for such a rebellious Soul Nay the Lord hath given his privy Signet which is the Seal of his own Spirit that his Spirit should assuredly Witness and Seal up unto Souls his love in receiving them into Union with the Lord Jesus 3. The Spirit reveals the nature of God himself to the soul It is not the knowledge of what God hath said but the knowledge of what God is in himself that causeth the soul to trust in him Psal 9.10 They that know thy name will trust in thee That is they that know the Lord indeed while the nature of God is unknown unbelief of necessity bares rule in every Soul 4. The Spirit of God reveals the Lords removal of all causes of suspition or Jealousie whatever concerning the Lords faithfulness and love There are but two general grounds of Jealousie First Some experience of the unfaithfulness of God Now the Spirit hath prevented the least imaginary ground this way in regard the Lord hath never failed in performing to the uttermost all the love he expressed hitherto Secondly The second ground of Jealousie must be some fear of the Lords taking dislike of the Soul because of the Souls unfaithfulness to God Now the Spirit of God reveals to the Soul the Lords removal of all grounds of suspition by shewing the Lord intends not to take any mislike from loving of souls whatever imaginary wickedness the Soul should commit against him That is the Spirit reveals the Lords declaration of passing by the treachery and filthiness of the Soul or remembring its iniquity no more That is the Spirit reveals the Lords constant acceptance of Souls after treachery without respect to the treachery to diminish his love for it Jer. 3.1 5. And lastly The Spirit of God reveals the Lords pressing urgent perswasions invitations and commands to a fulness of confidence of all the love to poor Souls that he hath expressed to them Thereupon the Spirit comes to argue thus Wilt thou not trust the Lord that knows his own love and compassions best of all He alone knows himself and thou art not able to comprehend him The light that thou hast is but a small spark saith the Spirit of God to that great light that dwels in him and wilt thou trust to thine own spark of light rather then to the fountain of light Hereby in all these ways the Spirit of God removes this Jealous Distemper plucks out this Beam from the Souls Eyes and brings the Soul into a precious believing frame This is the First part of the Fourth Distemper that the Spirit of God must remove and that is the Jealousie of God There is a second Branch of this Jealousie or a second way how this Distemper of Jealousie works and that is as it works towards the Souls own heart The Devil endeavours to make the Soul Jealous of his own heart and would have him suspect that his own wicked heart cannot receive the will of God rightly and to make it fear it should close falsly if it should think of receiving the blessed will of God This Distemper of Jealousie is hardly healed because it hath so strong a hold it comes under the shape of Godliness It hath a pretence of the greatest sincerity and integrity that is possible it tells the Soul it is a sign of sincerity to be jealous of its own deceitfulness it tells the Soul it were a sign of presumption if it were not jealous This Distemper we shall endeavour to discover and for the clearing of it you must conceive that I do not condemn all jealousie in a Soul There are divers kindes of Jealousie that the
sinner that would give him entertainment as his Mediator This you shall see in John 6.37 38. whoever cometh unto me saith Christ I will in no wise cast him out that is whoever receiveth me through believing I will in no wise reject him or cast him off or refuse to be a Mediator between God and him I will in no wise cast him out that is under no respect no notion or consideration that can be imagined Now observe what 's the reason of this you shall see vers 38. For I came down from Heaven not to do mine own will but the will of him that sent me and this is the Fathers will that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing that is of all that he should draw to believe on me I should lose none but should raise him up at the last day and this is the will of him that sent me that he that seeth the Son and believeth on him should have everlasting life So John 10.15 to 18. 2. The Spirit reveals God the Fathers infusion of a disposition of love into the Heart of Jesus Christ purposely that he might embrace every lost sinner that would entertain him as his Mediator Saith he Psal 40.7 8. Lo I come to do thy will O my God thy Law is within my Heart that is a disposition to yield obedience to this thy will and in effect it was a disposition of love the Law of being a Mediator was nothing but a Law of love and this Law was written in the Heart by God the Father 3. That the Father prepared a sutable body for the second person in Trinity to become Mediator in Heb. 10.4 A body hast thou prepared me that is thou hast prepared me a Body fit to be offered up for sin that is fit to become a ready willing sacrifice for poor lost sinners that I might redeem them 4. In that God the Father did engage the Lord Jesus by his own love to him to love every such lost undone sinner as should embrace him This you shall see if you compare John 10.17 18 with John 15.10 Saith Christ therefore doth my father love me because I lay down my life that I may take it again And saith Christ to his Disciples If you keep my commandments you shall abide in my love even as I have kept my Fathers Commandments and abide in his love Hence Christ intimateth not only that his Father loved him for his undertaking that work of mercy and pitty to poor lost undone sinners but that his Father did lay the engagement of his love upon him So that as he respects his Fathers love and desires the continuance of it to him so he should be pittifull to every lost sinner that embraceth him II. The consent of the Son the Lord Jesus himself is revealed by the Spirit for the clearing of this And that the Spirit may and doth reveal in two things 1. In the free ready consent of the Lord Jesus to the blessed will of his Father The Lord Christ made no objection against the blessed command though take it in all the latitude of it it was the hardest command that ever was imposed upon any creature in heaven or earth a command to spend his dearest innocent blood a command to become a curse a command to deprive himself of the ravishing vision of his Fathers face yet this command he never stuck at but saith in the Volumn of the Book it is written Lo I come to do thy will 2. In that he took infinite delight in the yielding obedience to this his Fathers will Psal 40.8 I delight to do thy will O my God He took pleasure in it and was straightned in his Spirit till it was accomplished III. The Spirit reveals the consent of the blessed Spirit proceeding both from God the Father and God the Son in this blessed design And that 's in this that the spirit freely and in the very fulness of it took up his habitation in the Lord Christ thus constituted to be Mediator to fill him with grace and love and pitty for the accomplishment of this blessed work of gathering in lost sinners into union with himself This the Spirit reveals in two things 1. In the manner or form of the Spirit descending down upon Christ Luke 3.22 It came down in the shape of a Dove to shew it came on purpose to furnish the Mediator with mercy and pitty to poor despicable loveless sinners that he might be nothing but a lump of love wrapped up in flesh 2. The Spirit reveals the end for which the Spirit was thus poured out upon him in the fulness of it The end is revealed Isa 61.1 2 3. To preach good tidings to the meek to bind up the broken hearted that is poor captivated inslaved souls under the power of their hellish enemy and the opening of the prison to them that are bound that is deliverance of them that are held fast in the chains of darkness under the power of the Prince of darkness to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. Secondly The Spirit reveals the sutable Office that is established upon the Lord Christ purposely to engage him to shew mercy and pitty to every lost sinner that should embrace him The Spirit manifests that he is ordained by God the father to be an High Priest to sacrifice for the sins of the people Here the Spirit reveals two things 1. That the qualifications that God looks upon in Christ in ordaining him to be the High-Priest were sutable dispositions to shew mercy and pitty to poor undone Sinners This you shall find in Heb. 5.2 He can have compassion on the ignorant and on them that are out of the way Therefore Heb. 4.25 That 's made a special qualification in Christ as High Priest that he was one who had a fellow feeling of those that he was High Priest to that he had a sweet sympathy rolling in his bowels to them under the infirmity of Sin and misery 2. The Spirit reveals that the end of that Office of the Priest-hood that was established upon him was to shew mercy to poor despicable undone sinners You shall see in Heb. 5.1 what are the ends of an High Priest First he is ordained to come to the Mercy-seat for man that is for the good of poor miserable men Secondly that he might offer gifts and sacrifice for sins that he might pacifie the angry God that was incensed against sinners that he might reconcile perishing lost undone sinners to God the father Thirdly For evidencing that unquestionable willingness of the Lord Jesus to accept every sinner that will embrace him the spirit reveals the exact and exquisite care the Lord Jesus hath taken to reveal himself to prevail with poor undone sinners to gather them into union with himself This the spirit evidenceth in five things 1. By revealing the provision of Officers that Jesus Christ hath made to allure and beseech souls to accept the Lord Christ to
himself to be a poor despicable useless wretch a low contemptible worm not having any thing wherein to be serviceable for the Lords honour as others have yea being far deeper drenched into sin than other Souls are Here is a pattern the Lord hath made to stand upon sacred Record of his fulfilling a promise of mercy and love notwithstanding all unlikelihood that can be imagined 2. Under this comes in that particular case of the Souls inability and insufficiency to receive and embrace that mercy and love the Gospel reveals according as the Lord requires That is when the Soul in gazing upon those blessed tenders of love and mercy begins to say within it self I am so dead in sin that I have not the least ability to receive that mercy and love tendered according as God requires and therefore I shall never be the object of Gospel mercy and love seeing I cannot receive it Now in this case also this pretious pattern that the Lord hath given of Abraham may be brought to the Souls remembrance by the Spirit to testifie that the Lords promise of mercy and love to Abraham was fulfilled when he was in the same case when he could do nothing had not the least ability and power to effect what was necessary to be effected by him for the fulfilling of the promise 3. Under this comes in that particular case of the Souls beholding nothing but opposition in his Heart against that mercy and love that the Gospel reveals So that if the Soul should begin to say within it self it cannot be that he should be admitted by God to be an object of that Gospel mercy and love seeing his Heart nothing else but speaks against it Then the Spirit may bring to the Souls remembrance that which the Lord gave as a promise of mercy and love unto Abraham He against hope believed in hope There was not only no hope but all things against hope of that promise being fulfilled to him that he might be a pattern of believing VIII There is an eighth case of wretched treacherous backsliding from God after mutual closures and embraces between God and the Soul In this case the Lord hath given pretious presidents of his Gospel love and mercy that have been communicated unto Souls so backsliding You may first look upon Aaron's case who was none of the least backsliders Exod. 32.2 3 4 5. Aaron that had made choise of God alone to be his God here became a wretched backslider from the pure worship of God according to his own will to an Idolatrous worship to make a graven Image an Idol after the manner of Egypt and to make an Altar too still all contrary to the way of the Lords worship And yet if you look into Exod. 40.12 13. you shall find this very Aaron notwithstanding this backsliding taken to be an object of that love and mercy so as to be chosen Minister of the Lords Sanctuary to be of the very highest office of the Lords worship here below to be made the most immediate type of representing Jesus Christ that blessed true High Priest Another pattern of backsliding you may behold in Solomon in 1 King 7.11 He built an high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab yet this backslider notwithstanding was an object of his special Gospel love and mercy as appears Psal 89.32 33. My love will I never take from him I need not name Peters case and Davids case it is known to you all You see it is apparent the Lord hath given eminent patterns in this case of the Souls backsliding So that herein many particular cases of Souls come in as the case of negligence and slightness of Heart towards God the case of estrangeness from God after it once tasted of communion with him The case of all kind of wretchedness that the Soul can call to remembrance against it self or that possibly the Soul can be guilty of after the injoyment of the discovery of the Lords love and mercy in the Lord Jesus to him So that in case upon any such ground as the Souls wretched wicked dealing with God after union and communion with him and its turning aside from God the Soul should suffer its Confidence to waver concerning the will of God to accept his loveless backsliding Soul into the bosom of his love and mercy then the Spirit may bring to its remembrance those precious parterns that the Lord hath given concerning his acceptance of such backsliding wretches after such discoveries of himself That 's the seventh Particular that the Spirit may reveal and bring to Souls remembrance to shew that the Lord hath given Security upon Security abundance and superabundance of Security to assure Souls of what the Gospel reveals Eighthly The last particular that the Spirit brings to the Souls remembrance or doth or may reveal to it is this That there are peculiar near invaluable Engagements upon God himself in respect of himself to fulfil those precious Gospel-Discoveries to every Soul that shall embrace or accept them The Lord out of his incomprehensible wisdom hath so curiously contrived that Gospel-love to loveless Sinners that he hath sweetly interwoven his own interest with their interest And certainly the Lord hath revealed his own interest thus to be in the compleating of his Gospel-love and mercy to loveless Sinners that shall embrace him on purpose to secure their wavering unstable Spirits and to settle them in a more fulness of confidence in Christ that their Spirits might be filled with joy and peace through believing The engagements that are upon God himself in respect of himself to fulfil Gospel-love and mercy to Sinners that shall embrace him are divers 1. The first Engagement upon God himself in regard of himself from whence Souls may have security is this That the Lord hath chosen every such particular loveless Sinner as shall accept of his Gospel-discovery to be one of his own Family and his own Houshold Hence you shall find in Eph. 3.15 That all Believers are called but one Family And they are called the Houshold of God Eph. 2.19 And in Heb. 3.6 The whole Church is called The House of Christ Now what abundant security may the believing Soul receive concerning fulfilling Gospel-discoveries from the Spirits bringing to remembrance this Engagement of God in respect of himself to fulfil Gospel-discoveries 1. From hence the Soul may behold through believing God himself to be engaged to remove all Jars Differences Breaches and Disagreements from himself and every Soul that shall accept those Gospel-discoveries From thence the Soul may argue sweetly within his own Spirit against all Objections and Scruples concerning its Rebellion and Disobedience and say thus Will not the God of Peace have peace in his own Family in his own Houshold 2. From thence the believing Soul may behold the Lord engaged to compleat and perfect a work of Sanctification in his own Soul if he will embrace the Gospel-discovery though he be altogether unclean though he
certainty of the actings of faith raised by the power of the Spirits working to discover to the soul its union with Christ the soul enjoys all that Heaven affords at present So that needs must a superlative degree of joy possess the believing soul when he in a manner sits in Heaven as enjoying the sweetest communion of the Lords love as gazing upon that precious face of God in Christ and blessing himself also in the contemplation of it to all eternity II. The second means by which the believing soul practically declares that there is all perfection and glory contained in the love of the Lord in Christ to unlovely sinners whereby the name of God is exalted through him is the souls despising and disregarding all difficulties for the enjoyment of that love of God in Christ That is also the necessary the infallible effect of a beam of light proceeding from the spirit of light to discover to a soul his union with Christ This you may observe Rom. 8.34 35. There you find the assuring act of faith concerning the souls union with Christ who is he that condemneth it is Christ that died and ver 37. You shall find the Apostle triumphing over all kind of difficulties trampling under foot persecution necessity famine nakedness piril and sword and professing we are more than Conquerors over all to overcome them so as they are no impediment or hindrance to us but we are able to be more than Conquerors to make advantage even of those difficulties whereby we shall the more closely pursue after Jesus Christ Yea such is the power of that light that discovers to the soul its union with Christ that it doth necessarily cause the soul thus to despise all difficulties for the enjoyment of the love of God in Christ 1. In regard that light enobles and raises the spirit of every one to whom the spirit of light communicates it Heirs views of their great Possessions greatens their Spirits likewise do the believing souls vision of those glorious things prepared for them heighten and elevate their Spirits above all things below 2. In regard the pretious light from the fpirit of light doth present such unparalled such incomprehensible glory to the believing souls view that all things appear as nothing in comparison of that glory that is revealed Now thence it cannot be but difficulties must appear as nothing upon the sight of such glory hence Moses Heb. 11.26 disregarded Pharoahs wrath because he saw God that was invisible and the Apostle calls the afflictions they met with light afflictions because they looked at things that were not seen 2 Cor. 4.17 18. 3. In regard it doth necessarily produce enlarged enlivening actings of love Every believing act produces a proportionable act of love Therefore certainly that high noble act of faith that act of certainty that is drawn forth by the spirit of light at such a time doth produce enlarged acts of love it proportionably doth send out the strength of the soul in love towards God in Christ as well as the strength of the soul goeth out in believing 3. A third means whereby the soul practically declares that there is a fulness of the Lords love whereby the Lord is exalted in the soul is the souls pursuance with his utmost strength the enjoyment of the clearest visions of that love and the sweetest freedom of the actings and workings of that love into and towards the soul Now this also is the necessary effest of a beam of light coming down from Heaven to evidence or reveal to a soul his union with Christ You shall observe in 2 Cor. 5.1 2 4. That Souls certainty of their union with Christ which was the effect of the spirit of light shining into their hearts it did produce such groaning and longing with the strength of their Souls 〈◊〉 the sweetest and clearest enjoyment of the fulness of that love We know saith he there is the act of certainty that if our earthly House of this Tabernacle be dissolved we have a building of God an House not made with hands eternal in the Heavens Mark for this we groan earnestly desiring to be cloathed upon with our House which is from Heaven So ver 4. we groan being burdened and so ver 1. they were willing to absent from the body and to be present with the Lord The strength of their Souls so pursued after the fullest the clearest enjoyment of that love that they desired to breath out their lives to be dissolved that they might have the clearest vision of that love of God in Christ and the sweetest enjoyment of it Neither can it possibly be otherwise considering 1. In that things appear in their despicable nothingness by such a beam of light shining from the blessed Spirit into a believing Soul to discover its union Thence it is that the strength of the soul pursues after the enjoyment of the love of God in Christ only seeing no other object appears worthy to be desired in comparison to the enjoyment of the love of God in Christ 2. In regard the love of God in Christ discovered by that light appears in such a manner as takes up the whole intention of the believing Soul and implies every faculty of it Such a mystery appears in that fulness of the love of God in Christ to unlovely sinners as takes up all the strength of the Souls capacity to view and meditate upon yea it at last appears to be a depth never to be fathomed and so drowns the understanding in a depth of admiration yea that fulness of the Lords love appears so to comprehend all beauties and glories and all things desirable as it is the object of every desire of every motion or reaching forth of the Spirit So that thence it takes up all the intentions of all the faculties of the Soul IV. A Fourth means whereby believing Souls do declare the Lords love to be according as the Lord reveals whereby the Name of God is exalted in the Soul is the deadness of the Heart to every thing in comparison to that love of the Lord in Christ Now even this crucifying of the Heart to all things else in comparison of that love is the infallible effect also of such a beam of light from the Spirit of God to reveal to the Soul its union That 2 Cor. 5.8 is enough to manifest it Their certainty of their acceptance with God produced a willingness in them even to be absent from the body it self a readiness in their Hearts to part with every thing for the enjoyment of that love it choaked and quenched all desires of earthly objects of beauty or excellency so as their Spirits were so dead so void of desire so empty of all thirstings and endeavours after earthly objects as they rather deny to be dissolved to be dead indeed that they might have the full benefit of their union even the full presence of God in Christ And certainly it cannot be but such a light from
whence to draw a conclusion of his contrary state to the state of other Christians that he beholds to excel him in so a high a measure When it riseth to this it becomes a sinful dark distemper and that will appear in divers things 1. This may prove a measuring of Gods love by the acts of his love 2. It may be an arguing meerly from a Souls want of light to discern Gods good will to him in Christ 3. It makes the Soul draw a conclusion of the total want of the being of Grace while a Soul thus concludes because he seeth no Graces shining forth in himself as he doth in others that therefore he is not beloved of God in Christ it may come to argue in this manner because I see my Soul is not such a burning and shining light as such a Christian therefore I am not so much as smoaking flax 4. This argument from the defect of Grace may be an argument from the Souls infirmity It may be but an argument from the Tyranny that some lust hath exercised over the Heart to the concluding it is under the voluntary service of his lust 5. It may be a reasoning from the want of fruitfulness in Christianity to the want of Christianity it self and the want of all fritfulness whatsoever Now when the Soul is about to draw such conclusions as these from its measuring it self by other Christians let these things be observed 1. He must first assure himself that the defect he beholds in his own Soul is a sinful defect Four things the Soul must be assured the defect comes not from before he can be assured the defect is Sin First That it is not barely through the suspension of the influence of the comforting Spirit of Christ Secondly It must be assured that the defects he beholds in his own Soul of the Graces of others be not through the Lords suspending the arbitrary influences of the quickning Spirit of Christ You must conceive there are influences that are for the Souls Being and influences that are for the Souls well Being These influences of the quickning Spirit of Christ that are for the Souls Being are never withdrawn But the influences that are for the Souls well Being are communicated in various degrees to various Souls which therefore I call arbitrary influances of the Spirit of Christ that is such as God disposes of according to his meer pleasure to the Soul in divers degrees at divers times and to divers Souls in divers times Thirdly The Soul must be assured that the defect he beholds in his own Soul in respect of the Graces of other Christians proceeds not only from the defects of gifts thar others furnished with the same Graces injoy above him Gifts are like a pretious cundit-pipes that the Lord hath appointed to let out the streams of the Spirit of Jesus Christ through Now if another Soul hath more abundance of those kind of gifts more readiness of Capacity quickness of Understanding greater depths in the apprehension of the things of Christ clearness of light more readiness of expression Then thy Soul may be deceived in judging a greater degree of Grace in such a Soul than in thy Soul in regard he hath a greater opportunity of expression of Grace and a greater aptness to hold forth Grace received than thou hast Fourthly The Soul must be assured that it is not from the defect of the means and opportunity only without any negligence of any means by the Soul that his defect of Grace proceeds from 2. The Soul must be assured that those defects that he beholds in himself are such defects as are altogether inconsistent with the state of the union of the Soul with Christ Whatever gives a true and sufficient demonstration of its cause must be an effect that proceeds properly from such a cause only that cannot proceed from another cause 3. The Soul must be also sure that Spiritual Rashness and Wilfulness or Ignorance or Temptation do not overcloud his Judgment in his searching out and trying the defects in the Soul Therein I shall advise to three things 1. The Soul ought to be sure that he trust not his own light alone 2. The Soul ought to bring all things both in their substance and in their circumstances that are worthy to be weighed to the rule of the Word alone 3. A Soul must endeavour that his Judgment be settled by God That 's thus The Soul that hath his Judgment past upon his own defects and the nature of them to be such as is inconsistent with the state of union with Christ must endeavour to draw near to God to bring himself into the presence of the Heart searching God with a serious apprehension and meditation that all the secrets of his Spirit are open before God and then and there in this frame to view over again and meditate upon that Judgment that he finds himself ready to pass against his own Soul and then observe whether his Spirit then dare pass this conclusion against himself III. When a Soul in measuring himself by others makes the defect of Grace in himself to be the matter of discouragement of his Soul and matter of impediment to the exercise of his Faith in Christ That is when the Soul by looking upon some other Christians and beholding many pretious gratious holy dispositions shine forth like so many Stars in the lower orb when he sees much holy fire drop down from Heaven into their Hearts that drop forth in their Conversations and looks upon himself and sees a defect in all Sees his own Heart overgrown with dulness stupidness blockishness carelesness forgetfulness of God regardlesness of Communion with God in Christ and the Soul makes these defects of Grace apprehended in himself matter of discouragement to his Soul to beat it off and to keep it back from the exercise of Faith Then this distemper of Judging themselves by others prevails too far 1. It is a joyning with the wretched corrupt opposit Heart against Christ and the furnishing the Soul with matter of cavil and scruple against the blessed tenders of receiving the love of Jesus Christ 2. By this the Soul maketh that part of his duty that he seems to perform to be nothing but disobedience The Soul by looking upon the Graces that shine forth in any Christian seems to do a part of his duty because it is one thing commanded and in reflecting upon his own Heart in the sight of those Graces seems to do another part of his duty but both these are made disobedience when the Soul makes the defect of Grace he finds in himself when he looks upon the Graces of others discouragements to himself in exercising Faith 3. The Soul crosses God in his highest end which is to make the excellencies of Jesus Christ shine forth in the Souls of his People IV. The fourth case wherein a Soul doth measure himself too much by others so as it becomes a sinful distemper is when the
to make his Love glorious in those objects Therefore the End must in order of Nature according to our conception be before the Means though all things are at once and by one Act done by God so that according to our conceptions the Love must be first fixed and setled upon Souls in order of nature I mean the intention of Love must be first unto Souls before the conveyance of that Gift of Love through Christ Thence 't is that the Scripture speaks of Christ not only as given but also called out to the work of Mediatorship Heb. 5.1 He was ordained to be the High Priest by God the Father to offer Sacrifice for Souls 3. There can be no End of the Lords being at that high charge for the effecting of the Love and Mercy that the Gospel discovers to Souls that will embrace him but his own praise and his peoples comfort Seeing there was no necessity I speak of absolute and indispensable necessity all this while I would not be mistaken in a thing of so high a nature I say seeing there was no absolute simple necessity for the Lord to be at such high cost in respect of himself and in respect of Souls to partake of this Mercy but it is done freely of God according to his own wisdom Thence it appears there can be no higher End than the Lords own praise the manifesting the Beams of the Lords transcendent Glory more abundantly in the Eyes of Saints and Angels And this you shall find to be the very End of it Eph. 1.4.6 Saith the Apostle He hath chosen us in Christ That is He hath chosen us as the Members of Christ the first Elect of God and that Head of the Mystical Body that God hath glorified himself in This he hath done saith he before the foundation of the world and therefore he destinated us to the adoption of Children by Jesus Christ Here is the Fathers Love in the Means and in the End v. 6. To the praise of the Glory of his Grace that is of his own Love wherein that is in which Love he hath made us acccepted in the Beloved that is in Christ Now this may be taken rwo wayes Either for his praise actively to be given to him by the Soul that partakes of that Love and Mercy that the Gospel discovers Or else passively to be manifested through this way unto those that partake of that Love and Mercy that the Gospel discovers In both ways the Lord intended to have his glorious Love admired and adored and himself sanctified in the beholding of it through the effecting and conveying of that his Love and Mercy unto Souls through such cost and charge in giving his dearly beloved Son Now observe it There are especially two wayes how the partaker of that Love and Mercy the Gospel discovers doth actively give the Lord the praise of the glory of his Love 1. In admiring the unmeasurable dimensions of his Love in gazing upon the height and depth and length and breadth of his Love so as to see it unmeasurable and bottomless and to adore God in beholding it 2. In their Souls relying with a fulness of confidence upon God for that his Love in Christ It is alwayes in the same degree wherein a Soul takes up its rest in God for any thing that a Soul sanctifies God in his heart therefore Is 8.13 when the Prophet exhorts them to sanctifie God he saith Fear not their fear but make him your fear and your dread as if he should say therein you shall sanctifie him when your spirits take up their rest in him alone Now as God is thus sanctified in the heart in general so he is sanctified in the heart in respect of every particular Attribute of his in this way only when a Souls confidence is in him alone And thus in particular in respect of his Love God hath the praise of the glory of his Love from the Soul when the Heart takes up its full rest in God with a fulness of confidence for all Love through Christ Now observe these being the two special wayes how the Lord hath the praise of his glorious Love from Souls that partake of the Love that the Gospel discovers and then both these proceeding from a Souls apprehension of the certainty and infallibility of the Lords Love in Christ thence it must needs appear that the Lords being at the high cost to effect all that Love and Mercy discovered in the Gospel for Souls through the death of that dearly beloved of his Soul that this must be on purpose done by God for the making that his Love and Mercy that the Gospel discovers more sure and certain unto Souls embracing it in their own apprehensions Thirdly The Spirit discovers the Lords own Bond given out to the persons themselves that shall embrace the Gospel for their assurance of all that the Gospel discovers All the Promises written in the Lords Blessed Book are but as so many Bonds of Gods own writing by the hand of the great Secretary of Heaven the blessed Spirit of God on purpose to confirm and assure Souls of all that the Gospel discovers The Spirit reveals Promise upon Promise to seal to and confirm the same thing as you may see Heb. 6.12 13 14 15. The Promise is said to be given there as a Discovery of the Immutability of the Lords Counsel that is of the infallible and unchangeable certainty of all that the Gospel discovers Fourthly The Spirit riseth higher he adds the confirmation of his own Oath the highest Oath that was possible for God to swear which was by himself that the Soul might have security upon security to his weak apprehension Fifthly The Spirit reveals the adding of the Blood of Christ as the Seal to the Bond. The Spirit manifests the Lord to have employed Jesus Christ to be the Testator to Souls that by the Death of the Testator the Testament or the Will of God revealed in the Gospel might be made unquestionably certain that the Soul might have fulness of security to his poor scrupulous Spirit now security comes in upon security to a superabuddance of it Sixthly The Spirit reveals the Lord to have engaged the Honour and Credit of his ever-blessed Name for the better securing Souls and fuller assuring them of all that the Gospel discovers to them This you shall see in Exod. 33.19 I will proclaim the Name of the Lord before thee saith God to Moses and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious and will shew mercy to whom I will shew mercy which doth both include a disposition to be gracious and a free disposition to be gracious and it includeth that Grace of his to be ordered only according to his own will Now did not the Lord freely love loveless sinners upon no other ground but his own will which is the very Sum of all that the Gospel saith then this Title of Gods Honour should be defaced and blemished But God saith
reveal'd a fulness of all goodnes and so strength it self to the Soul but he may behold the Lord to have called himself by that Name of Abundant in Goodness 2. The Soul is secured by the Credit of the Lords Name against all fears of his not prevailing with God in Christ to be partaker of that Mercy and Love and Goodness that the Gospel discovers He may behold the Lords Name to be Abundant in Goodness not only goodness but abounding having more than a fulness so that it should run over into empty Souls like Rivers abounding with water freely overflowing his Banks 5. The Credit of the Lords Name is engaged to a compleat perfect fulfilling of his revealing mercy and goodness towards loveless Sinners His Name you see is Abundant in Truth So that God must lose that Beam of the glory of his blessed Name which is Abundant in Truth should the least Tittle the least Iota of any word revealing Mercy and Love to loveless Sinners fall to the ground 6. The Credit of the Lords Name is engaged for the accepting every Soul into grace and favour discovered in the Gospel without making any exception against any one Soul whatever The Lords Name you see is the Lord keeping Mercy for thousands that is for infinite numbers That is to say his Name is he that is ready to shew mercy to every Soul without exception 7. The Credit of the Lords Name is engaged to secure Souls that no kind or degree of wickedness can be a prevention of his acceptance of a Soul into his favour and love His Name you see is the Lord forgiving iniquity transgression and sin that is forgiving all kinds and degrees of sin 8. The Credit and Honour of the Lords Name is engaged that the ground of his receiving Souls into love and favour shall be only his own precious will His Name is He will have mercy upon whom he will have mercy Exod. 33.9 So that when the Souls confidence begins to waver about the Lords willingness to accept him into love and favour because he beholds no ground or argument of love then the Soul may behold the blessed Name of God that hath mercy upon whom he will have mercy looking for no Arguments of his love and mercy but his own Will Thus you see that the Credit of the Lords blessed Name is engaged for assuring Souls of whatever the Gospel discovers And that 's the Sixth Particular Seventhly The Spirit reveals the Lord to have given in his blessed word Presidents Examples and Patterns sutable to the Case and State of every Soul upon whom the Lord hath already effected whatever mercy and love the Gospel discovers to forlorn despicable loveless Sinners The Lord hath so abounded and superabounded in the riches of his own love that out of the bowels of those his compassions towards loveless Sinners he hath condescended beneath himself and his own super-excellent Majesty to give all kind of securities whatever are possible to be given to poor doubting Spirits concerning his Gospel-love There are eight particular Cases wherein the Lord hath given Paterns and Examples unto Souls which Cases comprehend all kinds of Estates and Tempers that it is possible for any Soul to be under I. In the case of the superlative height of Souls wickedness the being plunged into a bottomless Ocean of all kind of abominations and pollutions that are imaginable In this case the Lord hath given eminent patterns First If you look into that place 1 Cor. 6.9 10. and read over the black bill of almost all kind of abominations that are there reckoned up Fornicatours Idolaters Adulterers Effeminate abusers of themselves with mankind Theeves Covetous Drunkards Revilers Extortioners And you shall see v. 11. that some that are contained in the black bill of all pollutions were Washed Sanctified Justified in the name of the Lord Jesus all Gospel mercy and love was discovered unto them for saith the Text Such were some of you Another pattern the Lord left 2 Chron. 33.11 12 13. of Manasseh who heaped up wickedness upon wickedness yet the Lord made him a pattern of Gospel-love and mercy Another you have in Paul in 1 Tim. 1.15 One drinking up the blood of Saints like water one blaspheming Jesus Christ offering all kind of injuries and indignities to the name of Christ and yet the Lord did shew forth all long-suffering that is all kind of love manifested in patience and forbearance and admitted him into union and communion with himself through Christ and this he did on purpose that he might leave it as an experiment of his Love and Mercy to them who should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting So Act. 2.30 those that had washed their malicious and envious Hands in the innocent blood of the Lord Jesus were not excluded from Gospel Mercy and Love So if you look into the doleful story of our first fall by Eve who did first provoke the anger and indignation of God yet she was made a pattern of Gospel Mercy and Love Gen. 3.15 II. The second case wherein God hath given patterns is in the case of unbelief the potency and prevalency of unbelieving dispositions I shall propound but two patterns to you in this case First of David who under the rage of unbelief Psal 116.11 said in his hast all men are liers that those Prophets that had revealed to him from the mouth of God that he should inherit the Kingdom were but dissemblers notwithstanding he had been satisfied of the truth of the message coming from God The second pattern is in unbelieving Thomas John 20.24 25 26. that would not believe the resurrection of Christ except he should see in his Hands the print of the nailes and thrust his Hands into his side yet Gospel Love and Mercy was discovered to him vers 27. under this case come in these two cases of Souls wherein they are much perplexed 1. In case of the Souls not feeling the Lord by his Almighty power drawing their Hearts to believe Saith the poor perplexed Soul surely the Lord draws all that he intends should come to Christ through believing but alas saith the Soul I do not see that God hath drawn my Heart therefore surely God hath not chosen me to be an object of Gospel Grace and Love now the Spirit may witness from hence that there hath been a Soul as much under the dominion of unbelieving dispositions as his unbelieving Spirit yet the bowels of Love and Mercy revealed in the Gospel were not restrained from them 2. Here comes in that case of the weakness of affections and desires towards believing and of the strong inclination of the Spirit to receive security of the Lords willingness to make him the object of Gospel Mercy and Love from something that should be visible and sensible to the Soul That 's also a common case of Souls that they cannot discern any disposition in their Hearts to believe the Lords willingness to receive them into the bosom
of his Mercy and Love revealed in the Gospel from the bare word of God alone but if they could see any fruit of that Love and Mercy in their bosoms then they think they should believe You see the Spirit hath here in this case also evidenced the Lord to have afforded a real experiment of his Mercy and Love to a Soul in the case of unbelieving Thomas who was not only inclined to see ground of believing in a visible way from the sight of his Eyes and the feelings of his Hands but he was resolved to have it that way or no way unless I see thus and thus I will not believe III. A third case wherein the Lord hath given presidents is in the case of loathsom horrible dreadful and most hateful imaginations working in the Heart against God In this case the Lord hath not left himself without some experimental witness of the discovery of his Mercy and Love Now the case being very high I find an experiment of Gospel Mercy and Love discovered in a case that is as high In this case the Lord hath left Jesus Christ himself as a pattern his Heart and Spirit was perplexed and troubled with as hateful horrible imaginations propounded to him as ever were propounded to any Soul in Matth. 4.6 9. the Devil propounded to him that he should murder himself If thou be the Son of God cast thy self down Secondly That he should presume upon his Fathers promise to him and be careless of walking according to his Fathers will saith the Devil He hath said that his Angels should have charge over him least he should dash his foot against a stone There is a third sort of thoughts propounded to his imagination worse then these and that is that he should worship the Devil What more hateful and horrible thoughts could be injected into any bosom than this to worship the Devil himself Now under this general are comprehended these two particular cases 1. There is comprehended the cases of all blasphemous thoughts that are wont to perplex distressed Souls That if a Soul should say within himself sure never any object of the Lords Love ever had such hellish thoughts as are presented to my mind such thoughts as my Heart trembles to name the Spirit may then bring to the Souls remembrance this pretious pattern of Christ the Devil injecting into his pure mind thoughts that were as dreadfully derogatory to the honour of the Lords highest Majesty thoughts that had as much of the poison of Hell in them as ever thought that was injected into thy cursed Heart 2. Under this comes in all kind of Temptations concerning self murder or self destruction In this case the Spirit may bring to remembrance the Lord Christ himself as the Souls president or pattern the Lords letting him be perplexed with temptations of the same kind IV. A fourth case is the want of all sensible manifestations of God to the Soul either in quickning and reviving or in comforting In this case you may take the dearly beloved one of God David Psal 22. wherein indeed he speaks typically relating to Christ especially yet also speaks but the thoughts of his own Spirit at that time too saith he v. 1. My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Why art thou so far from helping me and from the words of my roaring And v. 14. so Psal 77.3 4. I remembred God and was troubled I complained and my Spirit was overwhelmed c. Another pattern the Lord gives us of the Holy man Job he cries out Chap. 6.4 The arrows of the Almighty are within me the poison whereof drinketh up my Spirit c. So Chap. 13.24 25 26. Wherefore hidest thou thy face and holdest me for thine enemy c. Now under this come in two particular cases of the Soul 1. The case of the defect of all the workings of the quickning Spirit into the Soul 2. Under this comes in the case of the Souls wanting the manifesting light of the Spirit to reveal the Gospel in its beauty and glory to its Soul So that if any Soul wanting this manifesting light of the Spirit should begin to cast off all confidence and to waver and stagger and doubt least the Lord should not be willing to accept it to be an object of Gospel love then the Spirit may and doth sometimes bring to remembrance these eminent patterns of those who were in the very same temper under the same wants and yet they were really the objects of that love and mercy that the Gospel in Christ reveals V. A fifth case is the case of fruitlesness inefficacy of the breathings of the Soul after God in prayer In this case also the Lord hath given eminent patterns Those two forenamed ones both Job and David you shall find to have been in the same case Job 23.8 9. Behold I go forward but he is not there and backward but I cannot perceive him on the left hand where he doth work but I cannot behold him c. His meaning is he used all kind of means the utmost diligence in seeking after God but he would not be found So if you look upon David Psal 22.2 O my God I cry in the day time but thou hearest not and in the night season I am not silent So that here God shews Souls an experiment of some who were in the same case and yet objects of his love and mercy VI. A sixth case is the inability of the Soul to pour out requests That in Isa 63.17 will shew the Lord to have left his whole Church as a pattern in that case Why hast thou made us to err from thy ways and hardned our hearts from thy fear These Souls complain of the Lords suffering such senslesness and blockishness of Spirit to be upon them as made them unsutable for every duty of the Lords worship and yet notwithstanding these were objects of mercy and love VII A seventh case is the beholding all arguments that are possible to be imagined in a Soul against those promises of love and mercy that the Gospel tenders In this case the Lord hath given that pretious pattern of Abraham whom he chose to be the pattern of all believers Rom. 4.18 19. He against hope believed in hope that is against all ground and reason and arguments of hope that could be imagined Though he saw all possibility against that promise of love and mercy that the Lord had given him concerning the Messiah to come through his loins to be his lawful seed by Sarah yet notwithstanding he believed though he saw his own body dead and the deadness of Sarahs womb yet it is said v. 20. he staggered not at the promise through unbelief his Spirit did not so much as waver Under this general may be comprehended these three particular cases of the Soul 1. The case of the Souls thinking himself to be the most unlikely under Heaven to be an object of Gospel mercy and love The Soul considering
them 1. Thereby God is engaged by his dearest love to his own delight and contentment in the ministration of all his holy things here below to make the person of every Soul that shall accept Gospel-discoveries to be compleatly acceptable and well pleasing in his own eyes The delight of the Lord in every act of his own Worship hath its primary dependence upon the delight that the Lord takes in the Worshippers as in Mal. 1.10 Saith the Lord to them I have no pleasure in you neither will I accept an offering at your hand Their persons were not amiable in Gods eyes and therefore their offering could not be acceptable And so it is said The Lord had respect to Abel and to his Offering It was through the respect the Lord had to Abel's person that he had any respect to his Offering So that now seeing the Lord hath predestinated every such Soul accepting Gospel-discoveries to be a Priest to minister to himself in all his holy things should not the Lord make the person of every such Soul compleatly acceptable in his own eyes he must rob himself of all his Contentment and delight he should take in all his holy things here below 2. Hereby the Lord is engaged by his tender care of preserving his holy things from pollution to purifie cleanse and sanctifie the most unclean polluted Soul that shall accept those Gospel-discoveries Every approach to God with an uncircumcised heart was accounted by God a pollution of his own Sanctuary Ezek. 44.7 And likewise the Lord accounts every approach to himself by an unregenerate and unsanctified heart now in Gopel-times to be a pollution of any Ordinance whatever that the soul maketh his approach to God in This the Lord typically signified to his Church in its minority in the manner of the consecrating the Priests to himself that were to offer those Legal Sacrifices Lev. 1.6 When Moses consecrated Aaron and his Sons he washed them which signified the cleansing of them from pollutions the Lord intending to reveal this that they were only sanctified cleansed purified hearts who were sutable to offer any Spiritual Sacrifice that should be acceptable in his eyes Neither must you conceive this to be a bare revelation to Souls of what their hearts ought to be in their approach to God but it is also a revelation what the Lord intended they should be through his mighty power working in their hearts Now hence the Spirit may give the Soul full security concerning the fulfilling Gospel-discoveries to it in its embracing and accepting them 1. When the heart is staggering and wavering in regard of the want of all holy enlivened heavenly dispositions in his Spirit and finding uncleanness and filthiness The Spirit may here reveal the Lord to be engaged that in case the polluted unclean heart of his shall accept Gospel-Discoveries it shall be sanctified cleansed purified 2. When the strength and tyrannizing power of any cursed Lust is causing the Soul to question whether love and mercy revealed for loveless sinners that will accept it should be made out to his Soul in his embracing it The Spirit may here discover the Lord as well to be engaged in the Souls reliance upon him to make him the Object of that love and mercy to cleanse his Soul from that cursed pollution to deliver it from under the tyranny of such a hellish disposition as well as to be engaged to make out love and mercy to the Soul in any other kind whatever 4. A Fourth Engagement the Lord hath laid upon himself for the fulfilling Gospel-discoveries is this That every Soul accepting those Gospel-discoveries is the peculiar chosen Vessel of the Lords most superlative mercies and compassions This you may see in Rom. 9.23 That he might make known the riches of his Glory on the vessels of mercy which he had afore prepared unto Glory You may observe that every called Soul that is every Soul answering those sweet Soul-melting invitations of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus is here affirmed to be a Vessel of mercy prepared by God himself from eternity for that very end Now from hence the Spirit may give abundant security to the questioning scrupulous Soul of the infallible fulfilling of all the Gospel-discoveries to every Soul that shall embrace them 1. Herein the Spirit may manifest the Lord to be engaged by his intire and infinite love to his own glory and mercy to redeem and deliver every Soul that is plunged into the most bottomless depth of sin and misery if he will and shall accept those pretious Gospel-discoveries to it So that the Lord through his own admirable contrivance of his design of love towards loveless forlorn sinners hath so interested himself in the perfecting of that pretious design that he stands engaged as strongly and powerfully to give perfect redemption and deliverance to lost sinners that shall embrace Gospel-discoveries as he stands engaged to maintain and support the honour of those his glorious Attributes of his own mercy and compassion Now there are three things wherein the honour of the Lords mercy consists First In the free workings of it towards the most miserable objects that are the most unworthy of any pitty and compassion that can be imagined Secondly In the transcendency of its operations or motions Thirdly In the infinite Almighty power of its workings towards such unworthy objects of it That 's thus it hath such an Almighty power in it not only to succour and relieve those perishing undone ones in their misery but also to confer the highest degree of all happiness upon them Now the honour of the Lords mercy and compassion consisting in this hence the Lord stands engaged by his dearest love to that honour of this his mercy to give perfect redemption to the Soul that is plunged in the most unfathomed depth of sin and misery if the Soul shall and will embrace those Gospel-discoveries 2. Hence the Spirit may manifest the Lord to be engaged by the inseperable properties of his Divine nature to communicate a fulness of all mercy and compassion to every Soul accepting those Gospel-discoveries The Essential property of the Divine nature is to be issuing forth the bottomless depths of perfection that are included in it into the bosom of poor needy empty penurious ones It is as natural to the Divine nature to be communicating of its own perfections as it is natural for the Sun to send forth its own pretious raies And then this being the very nature of the Essence and being of any good by how much the higher the goodness of any thing is by so much the more strongly is it inclined and disposed to the communicating of himself So that goodness it self in its perfection being in the Divine nature thence it is that it is the inseparable property of the Divine nature to be communicating all its perfections so far as they are communicable Now thence the Spirit may cause the Soul to conclude that seeing it is
the property of the Divine nature to communicate all its perfections so far as they can be communicable and also seeing every Soul embracing Gospel-discoveries is the proper object to which that perfection of the Lords mercy and compassion is to be communicated thence the Spirit may cause the Soul to conclude that the Lord stands engaged by the inseparable property of his Divine nature to make every such Soul accepting Gospel discoveries to be the object of the highest mercy and compassion Now from hence the Spirit may give the Soul full security of the fulfilling the Gospel discoveries into his bosom whatever objections it is possible for the wisdom of Hell and the corrupt Heart to make against it All the objections that are possible to be imagined by the extract and quintessence of all Wisdom that is enmity against God say no more but this concerning the Soul that it is a miserable lost undone Soul If the Soul objects the superlative height of his own wickedness if Iâ— object the long continuance in its wickedness if it object the wretched contempt of mercy and love tendered if it object the want of holiness the want of every good disposition imaginable if it object the most cursed crookedness and enmity of Heart against the blessed tenders of love and begin to draw these conclusions from these premises therefore surely Gospel discoveries cannot be fulfilled into my bosom if I should rely upon the Lord for the fulfilling of them yet the Soul in all these objections says but this one thing I am a poor miserable despicable wretch in the depth of misery Now then the Spirit may manifest to the Soul that in its accepting those Gospel discoveries it shall be the proper object of all mercy and compassions So that God shall be engaged by the inseparable property of his own nature to let out his transcendent bowels of mercy and compassion in their freedom of working towards the Soul so as to fill it with the fulness of mercy and compassion And thence the Spirit may convince the Soul that either he must conclude that his finite misery exceeds the infiniteness of the Lords mercies and compassions or else the Soul must conclude that notwithstanding all objections that can be imagined yet in his accepting the Gospel discoveries they shall infallibly be fulfilled to the utmost into his bosom 3. Hereby the Spirit may manifest the Lord to be engaged by all his sweetest contentments his most pleasing delight that he naturally takes in beholding the workings of his own perfections towards poor imperfect creatures to supply every want that can possibly be imagined to be in any Soul As it is the property of the Lords nature to be dispensing of his fulness to empty ones so it is the Lords infinite delight to behold those streams of his fulness running down in a sutable way into their Souls Now the Spirit may manifest the Lord to be engaged by that his own contentment that he naturally takes in beholding his own perfections communicated unto others to communicate all sutable succour relief help and comfort to every such Soul as shall embrace those Gospel discoveries 5. A fifth engagement the Lord hath laid upon himself to fulfill Gospel discoveries is That every particular Soul that shall and will embrace Gospel discoveries is the peculiar chosen object of the Lords highest most unspeakable everlasting delight and contentment Thence it is that the Word reveals that the Lord taketh such infinite pleasure in his own as in Psal 147.11 The Lord taketh pleasure in those that fear him in those that hope in his mercy I pray observe it in this is comprehended every Soul that doth in the lowest degree embrace Gospel discoveries This manifests that the Soul that doth in the most trembling timerous way but reach out a feeble Hand of hope to lay hold upon that rich mercy tendered in the Lord Jesus to it is the object of the Lords pleasure and contentment even those Souls that are far from drawing any conclusion only they cast out the anchor of hope and venture their lost perishing Souls upon the rock of mercy that is discovered in the Lord Jesus 1. The Spirit may reveal them to be the object of the highest most superlative everlasting delight and contentment that is the object of the highest delight that God takes in any object out of himself The same superlative delight that the Father takes in Jesus Christ as Mediator he takes in the Soul united to him 2. Every such Soul is destinated to be the object wherein the Lord would as it were concenter together in one all the blessed motions of his own delight and contentment Jesus Christ mystically considered that is considered with his Body of holy Angels and Souls of those that were lost sinners united to him is the very center wherein all the lines of the Lords delight and contentment meet perfectly together in one Now every Soul embracing Gospel discoveries being taken into the perfect unity of the mystical Body becomes through its union into the mystical Body as it were a part of the center wherein all the lines of the delight of God meet together There are four kinds of the Lords delight that every such Soul that embraceth Gospel discoveries is the chosen object of 1. Every such Soul is the chosen object of all the highest everlasting delight of God that he takes in the letting out his love in its perfection towards any thing without himself The Lords most natural peculiar delight is in love because his Essence and being is love Now every such Soul is the chosen object of the highest perfection of love considered as one of that mystical Body Hence it is said Zeph. 3.17 He will rejoyce over thee with joy he will rest in his love that is to say he will take satisfaction and contentment to his own Soul in loving of thee for indeed delight is nothing else but love in rest as desire is love in motion 2. Every such Soul so considered is the object of all the most superlative delight of God that he takes in the actual communication of his goodness It is so natural for God who is goodness it self to be communicating his goodness to others that his Soul is filled with pleasure and contentment in the letting forth of his goodness 3. Every such Soul embracing Gospel discoveries is the object of all the delights and contentments that the Lord takes in himself in the contemplation of the transcendent glory of his own supereminent excellency Now there are no other objects than that mystical Body of Christ that are the objects of any of the delights of God that he takes from the contemplation of his own superlative glory seeing his own excellencies that he contemplateth upon are no other then he communicateth to that mystical Body So that all the delight pleasure and contentment that the Lord can receive from the pretious views of the brightness of his own glory
act of believing is made sweetly conscious to it self that it doth rightly believe whence the renewed Conscience determines boldly that the soul is everlastingly one with Christ That I might the more perspicuously unfold this work of the spirit we shall take the description in peices and open it in parts First You are to understand in the description the act of the spirit in this testimony unto sense The act is an act of irradiation a cloathing the Believers soul with a transparent glory and brightness In a word it is but a precious beam of Heavenly light that the spirit casts upon the act of believing for indeed it is nothing else but light to faith and light to sense that is the original of all the comfort to believing souls There are three acts to be observed concerning this irradiating work of the spirit I. It is an immediate irradiation Nay it proceeds from that blessed spirit so immediately that nothing can concur with the spirit in casting that pretious light upon the souls believing act 1. It is so immediate as none of the precious Ordinances of the Lord can properly be said to effect or produce instrumentally this precious manifestation of the souls believing act to it self Though it is frequently yea constantly through some precious Ordinances that the spirit doth vouchsafe thus to irradiate or manifest to the believing soul the truth of his own believing act yet it is not by vertue of any of these Ordinances 2. It is such an immediate work of the spirit upon the soul that demonstrations either from the antecedent or consequent from the cause or from the effect of believing hath no place here Though it is certain there may be infallible demonstrations drawn by a believing soul from the effect of his believing that his heart was true sincere and upright in believing yet the Spirit doth so immediately manifest this believing act in the truth sincerity and uprightness of it to the believing soul that it doth not send the soul to this or that work to see what holiness or strength of love or affection unto Christ nor what readiness of heart to all obedience to the will of God were the consequence of his believing but the blessed spirit doth immediately in the very moment of the souls acting that believing act cast a beam of Heavenly light upon that very act that there is evidence enough in the act it self that the act is a true believing act according to the evidence of the Lords revealed will 3. This act of the spirit is such an immediate act that the spirit useth not the assistance of the discursive power of the mind to collect from the description of true Believers in the word that his act of believing is upright and sincere according to the Lords will It is certain that in the spirits irradiation of the souls believing act it doth discover clearly infallibly and unquestionably all the properties whereby believers are described in the word to be in the soul also yet in this that is properly called the witness of the spirit unto sense in its manifesting the believing act of the soul it doth not make the discursive power in the mind the instrument whereby the soul should compare together his own believing act and the description of the true believing act that the Lord requireth in the word so as thence to collect by discourse that the believing act is true 2dly It is a clear act full of perspicuity and transparency The spirit in this irradiation casts as clear a light upon the souls believing act to make it discover it self as the rational soul doth cast a natural light upon its own natural act so that it is proportionably evident to the soul that his soul doth believe as it is evident that the soul liveth or that the soul wills or that it hath a being 3dly The act of the spirit in irradiating the souls believing act is authoritative irresistibly powerful This beam of light that the Spirit casts upon the believing souls act hath such a commanding power included in it that it even commands the beâ—… yea it commands undeniably so as it is not possible for the believing soul to shut its eyes but it must see II. The second thing to be observed is the object of this act of the spirit in its testimony unto sense The object named in the description is the souls believing act or confidence That is to say the very act of credit that the soul giveth to the blessed word of God testifying that it is his will that that particular loveless souls should adhere cleave to the Lord Jesus to be one with him to have communion with him and likewise testifying that in the souls giving credit to that word oâ— God it shall everlastingly enjoy union and communion with the Father and the Son and Spirit Now there are 4. things observable under this to prevent mistakes I. You must observe that it is only the present believing act that is the object of the Spirits manifestation or irradiation The Spirit doth not cast those beams of Heavenly light upon the souls former and past acts of believing though they have been multiplied but only upon the present momentany act of believing that the Spirit hath drawn forth from the soul by its manifesting of the Gospel and revealing the tender of union and communion with Jesus Christ to the despicable sinner in its Glory and Brightness II. You are to observe that the believing act of the soul is only the principal and primary Object of the spirits irradiation or manifestation So that the spirit casts beams of Heavenly Light upon no other act in the believing soul at present but only upon that act commonly the spirit doth at the same time so cloath the act of Love with such a Glorious splendor and brightness as that 's also visible in the same moment to the believing soul that it seeth unquestionably his Arms of Love grasping the Lord Jesus as well as he sees the truth of his own confidence in the Word of Christ that he will admit him into union and communion with him III. You must observe the vertue of the spirits irradiating or manifesting this believing act to the soul The Vertue of it is to discover the Truth Sincerity and Uprightness of the heart in believing 1. The Truth and Sincerity To make it unquestionable and Undeniable to the believing soul that his Wretched Corrupt heart doth not delude nor deceive him but that his heart doth rely with some degree of strength and embrace the Lord Jesus tendring union and communion to the soul 2. It makes apparent the uprightness that is the strait Conformity of the heart in some degree to the rule and command of believing IV. You may observe here how the spirit is the earnest of the souls everlasting inheritance or of the souls everlasting union and communion with Christ It is only as the spirit doth irradiate the souls believing
cursed dispositions in his own heart more abased thoughts of himself as he is in himself more distrustful of himself and his own heart being less confident in himself and in the strength of the power of holiness as yet communicated to him And thus those very falls or slips of that believing soul shall tend to their last end to make the soul partaker of more holiness causing the soul to hang more intire with a more precious constant dependance upon the Lord Jesus for the constant influences of the sanctified spirit and so shall exalt the name of God more in that heart and so shall cause the soul to grow more into a conformity to that mystical Head of his the Lord Jesus and so through that conformity to his Head and that mystical glory of Christ the glory of the Father shall be exalted Thus likewise you must consider again that the communication of God himself unto believing souls are secret invisible and insensible and also they are visible and sensible Now those communicarions of God himself unto the believing soul that are visible and sensible those do commonly immediately tend to the accomplishment of the believing souls glory that is to the perfection of the likeness of Jesus Christ in the soul and so consequently it tends also to the perfecting of Christs mystical glory and to the manifestation of the Fathers glory But those communications of God unto a believing soul that are invisible secret and insensible those commonly do tend only mediately to the accomplishment of those fore named blessed ends So that hence also you may collect that whenever any communication of God unto a believing soul doth demonstrate it self to come from God when it is sensible communication then it doth immediately tend to the accomplishment of these three ends This then being considered and it being apparent that all the dealings of God with believing souls are for the accomplishment of those his three blessed intendments from before the foundation of the world was laid then it must be through discerning of one of those three intendments of God effected in the soul that the believing soul must prove that such a beam of light as discovers to him his union with Christ did proceed from God himself Now we shall begin with the highest and so proceed to the lowest All are yours and ye are Christs and Christ is Gods that is for God And from thence we may conclude that the prime and principal reason taken from the effects of a souls union with Christ where by it may be proved that souls evidence proceeds from God is this that the beam of heavenly light that shines into the soul to discover its union with the Lord Jesus doth exalt and magnifie the name of God in the hearts Gods exaltation of himself in the Believers heart was the great design of God from all eternity it was as it were the Alpha and Omega as I may so speak the very beginning and end of the Lords intention only his intention reached further to exalt himself through believing souls before all other Therefore then may the soul prove infallibly the light that discovered to his soul his union with Christ to proceed from God himself when it effects the prime intendment of God from eternity to the believing Soul when it erects a higher Throne from the Majesty of Heaven in its heart when it fills the heart with higher lowder more zealous acclamations of praise and honour and glory and worship to be given for ever to yonder God that the light carries the stamp and impression of Heaven upon it when it begins the work of Heaven in a believing way here then it is an earnest of Heaven when it implys the Soul in the work that it is destinated to from Eternity Pro. 19.6 God hath made all things for himself that is for the manifestation of his own transcendent glory so for the magnifying of his ever blessed name Now when the light that discovers to the soul its union do thus effect Gods general his ultimate end in the believing Soul the Soul may certainly conclude this beam of light did descend down from the Father of Lights Now there are four or five acts in the believing Soul wherein it exalts the name of God 1. Then the Soul exalts the name of God when it is filled with such sensible apprehensions of such transcendent brightness of glory shining sorth from God as the Soul is utterly unable to conceive of or apprehend Now this first act of that believing Soul to exalt God in his heart is the certain and infallible effect of every beam of light that proceeds from God to discover to his Soul his union with the Lord Jesus Indeed every act of the Lords mercy and goodness towards believing Souls is a Precious Christal Glass wherein believing Souls do see an incomprehensibleness of the beauty glory and unspeakable perfection of God and therefore much more unconceivable glory do the believing Soul apprehend in such an high act of the Lords mercy and love as is the discovery of his precious eternal love to the believing Soul through Christ This you shall see apparent in David upon the Lords discovering of his promises made unto his Soul in Christ and made unto his House also in 2 Sam. 7.18 19 20 21. Then went King David in and sat before the Lord then that is after the Prophet had declared the precious promise to his Soul in Christ and he said who am I O Lord God and what is my House that thou hast brought me hitherto Thou art Great O Lord God there is none like thee neither is there any God besides thee ver 22. Mark what sensible high apprehensions of a transcendent glory in God dwelt in Davids heart upon the discovery of such precious promises made to him and his House likewise upon a smaller mercy comparatively though indeed typifying the same mercy upon the deliverance of the Israelites from the hands of Pharoah and drowning their cruel Task-masters in the Red Sea the hearts of the Saints were filled with high apprehensions of the glory of God Exod. 15.11 Who is like unto thee O Lord yea they repeat their admiration twice as if they could not admire him enough who is like unto thee glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wonders you may behold the same workings of the believing heart 1. John 3.1 Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us that me should be called the Sons of God There are three or four special beams of the glory of Heaven that a Believer apprehends as unspeakable unconceivable incomprehensible when a beam of light shines from God to discover to the Soul its union with Christ 1. There is then such a glorious brightness of the presence of God appears to the believing Soul as it stands amazed to behold it When the Lord lets such a beam of light shine into the dark Soul that it sees the Lords will
is indeed to be one with him in Christ yea that his Soul is already lodged in that precious bosom of the love of the Lord Jesus then the Soul beholds such an unspeakeable preciousness in the Majesty of Heaven that he waited upon such an unbeliever such a crooked opposite wretch so long that the Soul sets down silently to admire and is swallowed to the depth in admiration 2. There is a Soul amazing brightness appears in the Souls eye in the independance of the Lords love When that bright Beam of light shines from Heaven to discover to the Soul its union with the Lord Jesus the Soul seeth that there was nothing that moved the heart of God to have thoughts of love towards him nothing that enclined his blessed will to admit him into union with Jesus Christ but only his precious disposition only his eternal thoughts of kindness that old loving kindness of his from Eternity then the Soul says as David in 1 Sam. 7.21 for thy words sake and according to thy own heart hast thou done all these great things to make thy Servant know them then the believing Soul says though my wretched unbelieving heart could not trust thee yet for thy words sake thou hast fulfilled it according to thine own heart thou hast done it O Lord what could thy purest eye behold in this forlorn Soul of mine What could have moved the Lord thinks the Soul but his own blessed will to chuse such an useless such an unserviceable such an unprofitable such a barren such a foolish yea such a cross hearted wretch as I 3. The glorious irresistible power of the Lords eternal love in Christ to the loveless Soul shineth gloriously When once the light shineth from Heaven that discovered to the believing Soul his union with Christ how many cursed contradictions thinks a believing Soul did the love of Christ suffer from my Soul How often did my vile believing heart give the Majesty of Heaven the lye How many years did I sleight this I stopped my Ears I hearkned to none of his blessed tenders yet then he bored mine Ear and constrained me to hear O think the Soul what a froward perverse hearted Wretch have I been to this dear God of mine Certainly thinks the Soul if rebellion if enmity if the working of a Devils heart could have opposed it it had been turned away from me Fourthly The orient brightness of the Lords infallible truth shines before the Soul These Beams of the Lords glory shines in a peculiar manner before the Souls Eye but there are multitudes of the 〈◊〉 of the Majesty of Heaven that also with these shine in the same moment into the same Soul when a light proceeds from God to discever to a Soul its union then the wisdom of the Lord in contriving the design of Redemption by Christ appears then do the very beauty of justice it self appear in the Lords contriving the Redemption of loveless Souls in such a way wherein justice and mercy might meet together and kiss each other so that indeed a light shines from Heaven that incompasseth the Soul round about that the Soul stands amazed and astonished gazing upon those beams of glory that appear shining forth from the Majesty of Heaven into his Soul II. A second act of a believing Soul wherein the name of God is exalted in the Soul is a sensible apprehension and estimation of the Lord to be infinitely worthy to receive all prefection of glory and honour and praise for ever Now this precious God sanctifying act is also the infallible necessary effect of such a precious beam of light as doth truly shine from the Father of Lights into any Soul to discover his union with the Lord Jesus This was effected in Davids heart upon the Prophets discovering of the Promises made in Jesus to him in 2. Sam. 7.26 Let thy name be magnified for ever saying the Lord of Hosts is the God over Israel yea this act is infallibly produced in a believing Soul by every visible motion of the Lords mercy or love towards the Soul So you may observe in Exod. 15.20 Miriam cried to the rest of the Daughters of Judah sing ye to the Lord for he hath triumphed gloriously So Rev. 4.10 11. The four and twenty Elders fell down that sat before him upon the Throne saying thou art worthy O Lord to receive glory and honour and power Now there are two things that follow upon the Souls vision of his union with the Lord Jesus by the light of the Spirit of Christ that do necessarily produce this apprehension or estimation in the believing Soul 1. Upon the Souls discovery its union with the Lord Jesus there are lively enlarged actings of love produced in the Soul Every renewed vision of love inflames the Believers heart with love again correspondently Now from those quickned and enlarged actings of love do arise necessarily high estimations and glorious conceptions of the Majesty God that thence the Soul apprehends him infinitely to receive honour and glory for ever 2. Upon the Souls discerning his union with the Lord Jesus there follows an apprehension of the souls union with the Lord Jesus there follows an apprehension of the Souls owing all that he is and enjoys unto God by way of retribution Now from a Souls apprehension that he ows more then he is or have unto God he conceives him infinitely worthy to receive honour and glory for ever and ever from all the creation he himself can never render glory sufficient therefore he esteems it to be but equal that the whole Creation should joyn together to exalt this blessed Majesty III. The third act in a believing Soul wherein the name of God is exalted is a sensible apprehension of the dispicableness worthlesness and nothingness of the Soul it self and all that the circumference of the earth affords without God and in comparison of God Now this God-exalting act in the believing Soul is also the necessary effect of such a precious beam of light shining from the Father of Lights to discover to a Soul its union with Christ then indeed is the Soul a worm and no man then is he empty and poor yea absolutely nothing without communion with that his God yea then is all the Creation but meer shadows flying vanities without that God in Christ then do the quintessence of all the beauty of the whole Creation if it could be abstracted appear but as the drop of the bucket as the dust of the ballance yea as vanity without that God in Christ Thus in Psal 8.4 upon the Psalmists apprehension of the infinite glory of God he immediately cries out into admiration of the nothingness of man Lord what is man IV. The fourth act of the believing Soul wherein the name of God is exalted is the Souls actual prostration or subjections of all its powers and possibilities at the foot of the Lords glorious Majesty Now this precious God sanctifying act in the believing Soul is the
Martyrdom for the Name of Christ is accounted such an high honouring of Jesus Christ and that the Lord testifies such respect to those that do suffer for his Name in regard by those their sufferings wherein they seem to slight their Estates their outward Liberty their Lives for the sake of Christ they declare there is all fulness of contentment in him that there is happiness enough for them that all outward contentments the confluence of all the happiness that the Earth doth afford is not to be compared to the enjoyment of the love of God in Christ and to the pretious manifestation and sweetest operation of it Thirdly When the Soul sends forth the whole strength of his soul in his pursuit of the enjoyment of the sweetest discovery of that love and the most pretious operations of it into and upon his soul Fourthly When there is a deadness in the Heart towards all things else in comparison of the love of God that is in Christ Fifthly When the soul can take its fulness of contentment in that love in the absence of all things else When a soul can actually drink such full drafts of the love of God that is in Christ that is to say promise himself such happiness contentment unspeakable perfection of glory in the enjoyment of that love that the Heart says practically it is enough though the Heavens should withdraw their light and the Earth all her advantages that ever she can afford seeing there is the love of my God in Christ that I shall actually enjoy Now further we are to shew you that this manifestation or declaration practically by the believer that all perfection and glory is eminently contained in God in Christ to unlovely sinners is the necessary certain infallible effect of a beam of light shining from God to a believing soul to discover its union with the Lord Jesus So that whenever any beam of light is cast down from Heaven into the dark soul of any believer to manifest certainly its union with the Lord Jesus then certainly also that ever blessed Name of God is exalted through the believing in that that pretious beam of light doth necessarily cause that believer to manifest and declare practically the fulness of the Lords love in Christ that there is all perfection excellency and glory that can possibly be suitable for the believing soul contained in that love eminently transcendently infallibly as will appear further by opening every particular way and means how the believing soul doth practically manifest that there is fulness in the Lords love in Christ to such unlovely sinners as the Lord declares As I. The kind of fulness of joy and rejoycing which is a prime and principal means how the name of God is exalted by a believing soul is the necessary and infallible effect of a beam of light shining from Heaven into a soul to discover its union with the Lord Jesus That you may observe from 1 Pet. 1.8 whom having not seen ye love in whom though now ye see him not yet believing ye rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory With joy unspeakable Joy that cannot be uttered either by the Tongue of men or Angels Joy it is full of glory that is full of excellency and sweetness delight and contentment Their believing produced this effect an unspeakable joy in their Hearts Then much more a beam of light from the spirit of light discovering unto faith the Lords blessed will to admit the soul into union with Christ and thereby powerfully enabling the believing soul to believe afresh and also a beam of light from the blessed spirit manifesting the souls believing act unto the soul it self and so discovering both unto faith and sense such unspeakable matter of joy and rejoycing much more must this fill the believing soul with joy unspeakable and full of glory According to that in Eph. 5.22 The fruit of the Spirit is peace and joy Mark it the proper effect of the spirit of Jesus Christ dwelling in the believing soul is joy then certainly that joy that possesses a believing soul must needs be exceedingly eminently raised to a high strain to a superlative degree when the spirit of Jesus Christ shall dwell so plentifully as it doth when it thus bears testimony to faith and testimony to sense of the Souls union with Jesus Christ Yea such is the nature and power and vertue of a beam of light sent down from God to discover to a soul his union with Christ that it cannot but infallibly produce such a superlative degree of joy and rejoycing in that love of God that is in Christ I. In regard through that beam of light from the spirit and discovering to the Soul its union the enlarged longing restless breathings of that believing soul are in some measure accomplished Now Solomon tells us Prov. 13.12 that the accomplishment of the desire is a tree of life There is such infinite sweetness contentment and satisfaction in the souls attaining his desires that from thence the soul seems to gather Apples of life from a Tree of life II. In regard that light gives the believing soul a pretious taste of his mutual Communion with his God through Christ Every believing act doth occasion some Communion to be between God and the believing soul but much more in that believing act that is heightned by the power of the spirit of Christ to a certainty Then there are large degrees of life and holiness communicated from God to the believing soul and a kind of full communication of all the powers and possibilities of the believing soul to God again then God delights himself in the believing soul sweetly and the soul reciprocally delights himself in God Now the very taste of the communion which is the earnest of the souls full inheritance which is eternal communion with God in Christ that cannot but fill the believing soul with joy and peace III. In regard that light occasions the believing soul to enjoy all that Heaven it self can afford through hope It causes the soul to sit together with Christ by hope Eph. 2.6 It causeth the soul to discern certainly through believing the Lord Jesus as his blessed head to be gone before as an Harbinger to prepare a place for him that the soul by hope sits there already and is saved already 4. That light draws out the actings of faith in such certainty that all the glory of Heaven it self is presented also to the believing soul Faith saith the Apostle in Heb. 11.1 Is the evidence of things not seen That is it is such a disposition as by its pretious working gives things not seen an evident certainty unto the believing soul yea it is the substance of things hoped for The word in the original is very emphatical it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It is that which gives a substantial being to things hoped for a being already that the soul not only enjoys all that Heaven affords by hope but through the
the Lord to discover to the Soul its union with Christ must necessarily thus Crucifie the Heart to all things so as to be alive to God in Christ only both in regard the Soul apprehends the doleful sinful miscarriages of his Heart about every of those things what sad snares they are to his Spirit and also he beholds the emptiness and nothingness by comparing things temporal with things eternal and he beholds a full object of all contentment wherein all the desires of his Soul may be concerned together in one wherein is all happiness that his Spirit can breath after and he may bless himself in the full enjoyment of it V. The Fifth means whereby the Soul experimentally manifests the fulness of the Lords love so as the name of God is exalted through him is the fulness of contentment that the Soul takes in the enjoyment of the love of God in Christ only in the absence of all things else Now even this also is produced by such a light evidencing to the Soul his union with the Lord Jesus yea so powerful is this contentment of the Heart in the love of God in Christ in the absence of all things else effected by such a light of Heaven discovering to the Soul his union with Christ that the Soul while the beauty and lustre of that light remains takes not only its full contentment but even more than contentment even glorying in his God in Christ in the want of all things That you may see Rom. 5.1 2. Being justified hy faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ and not only so but we glory in tribulation also We glory that is we make our boast of God we bless our selves in him we are able to set the love of God in opposition to all things else and even in tribulations themselves to triumph and glory to conceive our selves so filled with excellence that we even boast our selves of him So that thus all those precious acts of a believing soul whereby he declares and manifests the fulness of the Lords love in Christ to unlovely sinners so as the Name of God is exalted through the Soul by that means all those acts are necessarily and infallibly produced by the power of that light from Heaven that doth discover to any Soul his union with the Lord Jesus And so it appears that this may be a second reason from whence a believing Soul may prove that the evidence of his union with the Lord Jesus received is really from God because it causeth the Name of God to be exalted through him Thus we have opened the first way of the Souls manifestation of that glorious love to be in God that God hath revealed to be in himself that is by the Souls manifesting that unspeakable fulness to be in the love of God in Christ to despicable sinners that all perfections and glorious excellencies whatever that could be suitable to a Soul is compleatly contained in it 2. Secondly A Soul doth manifest that glorious love to be in God which God hath revealed to be in himself unto despicable Sinners By discovering or manifesting such an absolute perfection to be in that love of God in Christ to unlovely Sinners as nothing can prevent and hinder or turn away that love When a Soul shall declare that the infinite multitudes of wickedness that his Soul heaped up before his knowledge of God in Christ and all the infirmities and imperfections that abound in his Soul now yet are no hindrance to the working of the Lords love in Christ to his unlovely Soul yea when the Soul shall triumph against imperfections as Paul did against tribulation and say apparently who shall separate this loathsome Soul of mine from that pretious love of God that is in Christ Jesus Shall my deadness hardness vanity looseness Shall my stubborn opposite backsliding disposition my hopocritical false treacherous disposition separate this loveless Soul of mine from the love of God that is in Christ Nay in all these infirmities and imperfections the love of the Lord in Jesus Christ never ceases its working Nay so glorious is the freedom of that love of God in Christ that it breaks through all such oppositions as my vilest Heart makes against it Then is the Name of God exalted in the glory of his love through the Soul Thus did Paul exalt God when he had been acknowledging that in him that is in his flesh dwelt no good thing Rom. 7.8 That not a spark not a disposition not an inclination to comply with the Lords blessed will dwelt in him and declares the mighty operation of the Law of his members which were the cursed dispositions of his Heart against the Law of his mind which was the blessed disposition in his Heart to comply with God when thus I say he declared that the Law that was in his members was so full of power and might that it maintained a strong battel against Jesus Christ yea that it wounded him and made him a Slave and Vassal to that cursed disposition yet then he exalts God by this occasion breaking out thus Rom. 8.1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus Mark that word now Now seeing the vile rebellious disposition of my vilest Heart cannot turn away the workings of the Lords free love now seeing though my Heart maintain War against the Spirit of Jesus Christ yea such War as leads my Soul Captive also and even enslaves and enthrals and vassalageth me under the power of sin though it be thus yet the love of God in Jesus Christ can never cease it workings He thus declares to the whole World in a kind of triumphing way that the freedom of Gods love is so absolute and perfect that even now though there be such opposition made against the workings of it by the vilest crooked Heart yet there can never be a turning away of that love never a Sentence of Condemnation drawn out by God against any Soul that accepts that his love in Christ This manifestation that there is such an absolute perfection of freedom in the love of God in Christ that nothing can prevent and turn away that love from any soul that embraceth it this is manifested three ways through which the name of God is exalted through the Soul 1. This is manifested by the souls sensible free acknowledgement of its abhorred vileness and loathsomness when the Lord tenders his love in Christ to it yea when the Lord receives his unlovely Soul into the dearest sweetest embrace of his love When the soul shall readily and freely declare nothing but enmity opposition contradiction to the blessed God of Heaven to have been in his vilest heart when that blessed news came down from Heaven to his hopeless Soul that the Lord was ready and willing to admit of reconciliation peace and agreement and love to be between his soul and himself This indeed is a high exaltation of the name of God
actings of saith there cannot also but be constant veiws of the Souls most abhorred wickedness the Soul by an act of faith veiwing the reconciliation wrought by Christ for him it cannot also but veiw the enmity of his Soul against God in Christ so that from the constant veiw of the Souls vileness there cannot but be sensible abhorrence of that vileness 5. In regard the admiration of the glory of the Lords love in Christ fills the Soul with a constant sense of its own baseness The Soul cannot be ravished in the admiration of that love but it must sit down and admire and wonder now the Soul can never wonder at that love as it is manifested but it must take in it self as the object of that love whereby it is that the glory of that love shines forth so infinitely the Soul cannot but say who am I what could the Lord discern in me that such riches of love should work towards me So that thence the heart during the continuance of that light that shined from Heaven to discover its union is kept constantly working against his own vileness and from the consideration of his vileness the Soul proceeds to a sensible acknowledgement thereof 6. In regard such a precious beam of light doth necessarily produce a dear tenderness in the heart towards the honour of God yea it produceth an infinite contentment and delight in the Soul to be exalting God Now the Soul cannot be exalting the name of God in that way of his mercy towards him but he must begin with the sense of his own abhorred wretchedness towards whom such mercy hath been discovered he can never speak of the glory of the Lords love in Christ but he must also speak of the wretchedness and wickedness of himself towards whom that love works otherwise the Soul vails the glory of the love of God in Christ So that hence also necessarily proceed sensible acknowledgements of the Souls accursed wretchedness whenever a a beam of light shines from Heaven to discover to a Soul his union with Christ Secondly The second way of manifestation of the perfection of the freedom of the Lords love which is by the Souls manifesting an unwavering confidence in the faithfulness of the Lord to vouchsafe the sweetest embraces of love to the loveless Soul notwithstanding all its wretchedness Even this is the constant certain and infallible effect of a beam of light shining from Heaven to discover to the Soul its union with Christ This you may observe in 2. Cor. 5 6 7 8. The Apostle declares they had received the earnest of the Inheritance they had received a pawn from Heaven a pledge of everlasting communion with God in Christ saith he we are always confident willing rather to be absent from the Body and present with the Lord. So likewise in Rom. 8.23 Those that had received the first fruits of the spirit did groan after the full redemption of their Bodies in the mean time being filled with holy confidence as you may observe ver 33.34 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect speaking in the Persons of those that had received the first fruits of the spirit who is he that condemneth It is Christ thas died who shall separate us from the Love of Christ And indeed this cannot but be the necessary effect of the spirit of light revealing to the Soul its union with Jesus Christ seeing the rock of everlasting certainty whereupon the Soul may build the hopes of the riches of the Lords love in Christ towards him is revealed by the spirit of light revealing to the Soul its union For you know the prime way of the spirt of light revealing to the Soul its union is by revealing to the Souls faith that it is the will of the Lord to admit that particular Soul into union with Jesus Christ yea the spirit of Jesus Christ should not execute its office in revealing to the Soul its union should it not establish the Soul in an unwavering confidence while that light remains of enjoying the sweetest embraces of the Lords love notwithstanding all its vileness Thirdly The third act of the Soul whereby it manifests the perfection of the love of God to unlovely sinners which is by the souls manifesting its stedfastness in the same confidence of the fulness of the Lords love in Christ working towards it under the sense of new infirmitie imperfection crookedness even that is also the certain necessary effect of the spirit of light discovering to the Soul its union with Jesus Christ This you may observe in that 2. Cor. 5. They were sensible of their imperfection while they were in the Body yet they were nevertheless confident having received the earnest of the spirit So Rom. 7.23 compared with Rom. 8.1 Paul though he fought new Combates though he were never led captive by the law of his members yet notwithstanding he was confident that there was no condemnation no sentence of vengeance or dictate of justice that could pass out against his Soul that was now admitted into union with the Lord Jesus And this indeed cannot but be the necessary effect of a beam of light shining from God to manifest unto the Soul its union with Jesus Christ seeing that beam of light first discovers the Lords blessed unchangeable will to be the only foundation of that love of God in Christ Thus when the glory and lustre of the light continues the sense of the Souls weakness sinful disposition imperfection cannot shake the Souls confidence in regard of that clear apprehension that then possesses the Soul that there is nothing in that Soul that is the foundation of that love of God in Jesus Christ that he hopes for and in regard also a dear apprehension possesses the Soul that there are the same motives and arguments in the bosom of that ever blessed God of love yet to love that unlovely Soul notwithstanding his new infirmities his new backsliding disposition or proneness to backsliding Now such a manifestation of the stedfastness in the confidence of the Soul under the sense of new infirmities cannot but be the effect of such a beam of light in regard the unchangeableness of the will of God that is revealed to admit the Soul into union with God in Christ is clearly revealed by the power of that light so that while the beauty and glory of that light continues though new corrupt dispositions arise in the believing Soul yet the confidence of the Soul shakes not because it is built upon the faithfulness of God in fulfilling his blessed will to the Soul which will of his is unchangeable So that then it is apparent that the name of God is exalted through every believing Soul in the glorious freedom of his love that is in Jesus Christ to unlovely sinners by and through the spirits discovery to the Soul certainly his union with Jesus Christ III. A Soul doth manifest the glorious perfection of the Lords love in Christ to
actings till this mortal shall have put on immortality Fourthly There is a want of an absolute nothingness in the Soul in the precious holy actings of the Soul That vile principle of Self-confidence is so firmly rooted in our natures that when the sanctifying Spirit of Jesus Christ hath had a blessed work upon the unholy heart yet then the bitter root of Self-confidence will be sending forth some cursed sprigs be will sprouting forth in some unholy actings even in the midst of the Souls actings the Soul being never perfectly and absolutely nothing in himself in his holy actings Thence you may observe from your experience an infinite difficulty that you find after great enlargements of heart in a holy duty then to think no better of your selves for the duty It must be a mighty power of the spirit that must draw forth from a Soul at such a time that voice in sincerity saying not I but the grace of God that was in me Now that Light that discovers unto a believing Soul those unholinesses of his whereof the believing Soul is constantly guilty in some degree in all his holy actings is an unseparable attendant upon the Spirit of Light evidencing to the Soul its union with the Lord Jesus There is only the light of the Lords Love in Christ to the worthless nothing-like Soul that discovers the want of pure Love in the Souls actings of holiness It is the vision of the Lords Love unto the Soul that excites and stirs up actings of Love in the Soul unto God So likewise the vision of the Lords Love in Christ unto the Soul enables the Soul to discern the want of pure perfect Love in his Soul unto God It is then when a Soul sees that Love of God in Christ unto his unlovely unspeakable soul that he apprehends deeply that the most superlative actings of his Love are due from him unto God again and then doth the Soul discern the great evil of the imperfection of the actings of his own Love so as to answer the actings of the Lords will out of pure Love only Thence it is when the Spirit of Jesus Christ doth evidence unto it his union with Christ then any slavish workings of fear are tedious and burdensom unto the Soul whereas before the Soul thought those actings of fear if they brought sorth but some Tears to be precious actings but now it loaths them So likewise it is only the Light of the Lords Love in Jesus Christ to the worthless soul that discovers clearly the want of freedom and liberty in the heart in its holy actings Then indeed the soul groans not only for the want of his heart answering the Lords will in obedience and so for want of holy actings but he groans under the want of freedom of spirit in those holy actings also So likewise the want of perfect rest and complacency of the Soul in his holy actings is made manifest only through the light of the glorious Love of the Lord in Jesus Christ to the loveless Soul No Soul can discern matter wherein he may take up a fulness of rest only in obedience to the Lords will till he discerns God as he is in Jesus Christ to his unlovely Soul and therefore the want of the Souls fulness of contentment in the actings of holiness can never be made clearly manifest till the light of the Lords love in Jesus Christ shines upon it yea the lively beauty excellency and glory that is in the bare fulfilling of the Lords holy will only shines clearly to the Soul through the light of the Lords love in Jesus Christ Yea the want of an absolute nothingness in himself in his holy actings is made apparent to the Soul through the light of the Lords Love in Jesus Christ shining upon him Never can a Soul apprehend that all that he is and all that the powers and possibilities of his Soul can perform and infinitely more is due from his Soul unto God till the glorious light of the Lords love in Christ shine upon him It is only when the light of that love shines that the heart says in sincerity to it self what thinkest thou O my heart is due to thee though now thou hast been enlarged by the assistance of the Spirit of Christ in this holy duty Art not an unprofitable Servant not having given to the Lord the hundred thousandth part what thou dost owe to him IV. When the Spirit evidenceth unto any Soul his union with the Lord Jesus sensible free acknowledgements of an infinite disproportion in the most holy actings of the Soul to the Lords holy blessed will are necessarily drawn forth in regard the unholiness that constantly attends in some degree the actings of holiness in Souls are at the same time most cross and opposite to the Souls desires The desires of the soul being but the reachings forth of love and the highest actings of love being the necessary effect of those highest discoveries of the Lords love to the soul thence necessarily the highest desires of the soul are raised to a superlative height after fulness of unity and perfect communion with God in Christ when the spirit evidenceth to the soul his union with Jesus Christ V. When the spirit evidenceth to the soul its union with Christ the spiritual sense of the soul is then most lively The spirit of Jesus Christ being constantly a quickening spirit where he is a comforting spirit the soul being filled with comfort cannot but be filled with life and when the soul is filled with life sense is also lively so that thence the soul at that time is most sensible of his own unholiness and thence necessarily is constrained to acknowledge sensibly the disagreement of his will in his most holy actings to the Lords most holy blessed will 2. The spirit evidencing to any soul its union with the Lord Jesus doth certainly draw forth free declarations from the soul that the least transgression of the Lords blessed will is just occasion of incensing the wrath of God infinitely and eternally against the soul and just occasion of unspeakable perplexipy and grief to the soul So that through this a soul declares that blessed will of God to be so absolutely so perfectly holy that the least opposing of that blessed will might justly deprive him of acceptance Thus you may observe when the spirit of Jesus Christ stirred up the heart of the Church to precious believing Acts Lament 3.22 23 24. then did the same spirit draw from their mouths sensible declarations that the least of their transgressions did justly expose them to the everlasting burning to be consumed in the fire of the Lords Indignation then she cries out It is of the Lords mercies that we are not consumed because his compassions fails not So likewise in Psal 130.3 when the heart of the Psalmist was up in believing actings then saith he If thou shouldest mark iniquity who shall stand The least iniquity that remains in the most sanctified souls
A TREATISE OF THE Souls Vnion WITH CHRIST Wherein is Declared What this Vnion with Jesus Christ is And many False Grounds of Vnion Discovered In which these Two weighty Quest are largely handled viz. I. How Souls do attain the first certain infallible Evidence of their Vnion with Christ II. How Souls that conceive themselves to have received certain and satisfying Evidence of their Vnion with the Lord Jesus may know certainly and infallibly that their Evidence of Vnion with Christ received is really from God and not a Diabolical Enthusiasm or Inspiration or a Delusion from the Devils Translation of himself into Angelical Glory By J. L. Examine your selves whether ye be in the Faith prove your own selves know ye not your own selves how that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be Reprobates 2 Cor. 13.5 London Printed for J. Hancock at the Three Bibles in Popes-Head-Alley in Cornhil 1680. The Contents The occasion of the words and opening of them Doct That the purpose and intetns of God in discovering the truths of the Gospel of Jesus Christ unto the Sons of men is that he might gather together their Souls into union with Jesus Christ that by vertue of their union they might be one with the Father as he and Christ are one p. 5. Three Questions answered Quest What is this union with Jesus Christ What is it to be one with Jesus Christ Answered 1 Negative 2 Affirmatively p. 6. Quest 2. How can the revelation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ bring the Soul into union with him Answered 1 Negatively 2 Affirmatively p. 9. Quest 3. Why the Lord intends by the revelation of the Gospel to bring Souls into union with Jesus Christ Two premises and 4 answers p. 14. Use 1. Of information in 9 particulars p. 19. Use 2. By way of admonition p. 23. Wherein three great miscarriages of Souls in attending upon Gospel Ordinances are opened Quest Is union with Christ the first intent of God in revealing Gospel truths Doth not the Lord require there should first be a mortifying of corruption a drawing the heart from sin that there should first be a mortifying of corruption a drawing the Heart from sin that there should be a cutting off from the old stock that it might be magnified into the New Vine Jesus Christ Two Premises the Answer p. 24. Use 3. Of Examination Whether we be united to Jesus Christ Four things to urge the necessity of knowing it p. 29 This great Question propounded Quest How shall I know whether I be united to Christ or no Or what is it that may evidence the Souls Vnion Answ 1. Negatively The Souls Vnion with Christ cannot be evidenced these ways 1. Not from any work of the Spirit of God that is effected in or upon the Soul p. 32. 2. Not by any thing inherent in the Soul p. 34. 3. Not by any thing done or effected by the Soul or that can be effected and done p. 38. 4. Not from the outward Revelation of the nature and manner of the union of the Soul with Christ cleared in Three particulars p. 45. Some Questions Answered before the Affirmative Answer Quest 1. Whether all those Evidences from something thus inherent in themselves and done them by the Spirit of God be rotten and unsound and no Evidences p. 47. Answered 1. Negatively 1. They are no Evidences of Faith p. 49. 2. They are no Evidences of Knowledge p. 49. Answ 2. Affirmatively those may be improperly called Evidences are Evidences of Opinion p. 50. Five things to be noted about Evidences of Opinion Quest 2. Why doth the Scripture propound the Souls obedience unto God and its love unto God as Signs and Evidences of the Souls union with Christ p. 56. Quest 3. To what purpose are all the Promises made to Qualities inherent in Souls and to the workings of the Spirit of grace in hearts seeing union with Christ cannot be evidenced from it Answered p. 60. Quest 4 Are not the Promises made to Faith and believing as believing that through Faith only a Man can claim right to the Promises Answered p. 66. The use of conditional Promises opened in Four particulars p. 69. Answ 2. The affirmative Answer How a Soul may know his Vnion with the Lord Jesus Four Premises p. 71. The Question must be concerning assurance of Faith and not of knowledge It divideth it self into two Questions 1. How Souls do obtain the first certain infallible Evidence of their union with Christ 2. By what means 3. In what manner Quest From whence do Souls obtain infallible Evidences ef their Vnion with Christ Answ There is but one only proper ground substantially and that is the Lords own free promise cleared in Three particulars p. 80. Quest But it is not from the sight of a Condition to which the Lord hath made some Promise of Christ that a Soul receiveth the infallible evidence of his Vnion p. 82. Vnder what notion the Promises that seem to be made to Conditions are to be understood in 5. particulars p. 87. Two things to clear those Texts that seem to make the Promise run upon Conidition opened in many particulars p. 91. Quest But doth not the Lord reveal first these Graces that he describes his own People by to be in such Souls and then through the sight of them clear to Souls that he hath given them the Lord Christ out of his own good will alone through the Promise from p. 96. to 105. Quest How can the Lords absolute Promise be the ground from whence the Soul can have the first infallible evidence of his Vnion seeing there is no absolute Promise of God wherein he discovers his own will to accept any one particular Soul into Vnion with the Lord Christ Answer p. 105. Quest 2. By what means doth a Soul receive the infallible evidence of his Vnion Four Premises the positive Answer p. 113. 118. Three joynt concurring Causes and what they are p. 119. That the Spirit of God is the principal most immediate cause of the Promises evidencing to the Soul his Vnion with Christ p. 123. Cleared in 4. particulars Quest 3. In what manner doth a Soul receive the first infallible evidence of his Vnion with Christ 5. Premises p. 130. The Positive Answer in opening Five Effects that the Spirit of God doth produce in every Soul to whom it doth manifest his Vnion with Christ from the Promise 1. The Spirits Illumination 2. The Spirits Irradiation of the Gospel to the Soul 3. The Spirits conviction of the Conscience 4. The Spirits excitation 5. The Spirits Attestation or Witness unto the Soul p. 132. 1. The Spirits Illumination p. 133. This consists 1. In the infusion of greater degrees of Divine light into the Soul 2. In the removal of all Impediments these are of Two sorts I. Principles of Darkness of which there are 8. opened in many particulars p. 136. to 178. II. Dark Distempers Six of them opened p. 178. to 233. 2. The spirit
first embracing of Christ had strange conceits of a temporal kingdom of Christ and yet no question the union between Christ and their souls was real only through want of clearness of light many disorderly affections were in them which were set in order afterwards Premise 3. Thirdly I must premise also That there is a vast difference to be observed between arguments or confirming signs of union with Christ and evidences of union with Christ Those properly are called evidences that do in their proper nature discover union whenever they are present So that when such things are present the soul cannot question his union with Christ And those cannot properly be called evidences that are not able to clear up union with Christ whenever they are present in the soul Now of that nature are many holy dispositions and holy qualities in the soul that may be present in the soul and not able to clear up the souls union yet these are evidences that may and do clear unquestionably whenever the Lord discovers them The Question you ask is a great question The question is how we shall know our union with Christ That is how we may attain evidences of union our union either being dark or doubtful or else never had clear evidences You that have it do not ask how you shall have it confirmed more and more but how you shall have evidences of your union Now I shall answer First Negatively how you may not Secondly Affirmatively how you may Neg. First negatively how you may not in three or four things Ans 1. First the souls union with Christ cannot be evidenced from any work of the spirit of God that is effected in or upon the soul That is neither by his Illumination Humiliation or Reformation Neither by a restraining work from sin or preventing work of sin or alluring work from sin that the spirit of God hath effected upon the soul All these works are too weak to clear up union to the soul and that upon three grounds 1. In regard all the works of the Spirit upon the Soul that do go before Union may be and are wrought upon Souls that never obtain Union with the Lord Christ As Humiliation sorrow for Sin restraint from Sin some kind of turning the Heart away from Sin some kind of love to the Ordinances of God All those that go before the very instant wherein the Soul is United to Christ may be effected in many Souls that never obtain Union Nay they may be and appear greater in many Souls that never obtained Union than in Souls that attain unto Union with Christ And in regard those works of the Spirit upon Souls are common to Souls that are not United as well as to Souls United thence they are no Evidences of a Souls Union Whatever must evidence Union to a Soul must be proper and peculiar to Souls United that it may be properly said that no Souls that are not compleatly United to Christ can have such a work upon their Hearts Now no such work goes before immediate union but may be common to a Soul never United to Christ For Conviction of Sin and Sorrow for Sin I might instance in Judas In reformation and desire to Ordinances we need go no further than a Wretched Herod Mark 6.20 He heard John Baptist gladly and reformed many things For a Souls Mourning after God apparently we may see it in Esau A Soul out of the sense of want of Union may Mourn most bitterly Now in regard of rhe Commonality of the works to Souls not United as well as unto Souls United they can be no Evidences of Union 2. In regard these works of the Spirit upon the Soul can yield no Divine Witness or Testimony unto the poor doubting Soul Indeed all the works of God Originally are Divine Works and Works of Divine Power yet they have no Power to yield a Divine Testimony Now nothing can be a sufficient ground for the Soul to believe its Union with Christ unless it be a Divine ground The proper object of all Divine Faith must be a Divine ground If it be a Fallible Ground it is a Fallible Faith if an uncertain Ground it is an uncertain Faith if a Humane Ground it is a Humane Faith Now in case upon those grounds as the sight of such works of the Spirit of God the Soul should believe its Union with Christ it should not believe it with a Divine Faith because there is no Divine ground to believe it upon 3. In regard there is no promise of Union with Jesus Christ made by God unto Souls that have these works of the Spirit of God upon them That is no promise to the Soul that is Burdened with Sin or the like I mean thus the Lord doth not engage in any of these promises to Souls that had such and such Works of the Spirit of God upon them that those he would bring into Union and none but those That is because my Soul is burdened with Sin or because the Spirit of God hath now convinced my Soul in this or that manner that therefore I have right to such and such a promise No these Promises are made to Souls in reference to Union with Christ that by Union with Jesus Christ I might have right to these Promises and to the effecting those Qualifications in the Soul too Ans 2. Secondly we cannot evidence our Union by any thing inherent in the Soul That is not by any gracious Quality Habit Inclination or Disposition that is infused from God into the Soul The Graces of the Spirit Communicated to the Soul and dwelling in it are as insufficient to manifest and evidence this interest in Christ as the workings of the Spirit upon the Soul I mean all holy Dispositions and Inclinations that are Communicated to any Soul And that upon these grounds I. In regard of the neer similitude and likeness of Counterfeit Qualities and Graces to all those Holy Qualities and Graces and Habits that can be discovered in a Soul The Devil hath his Artists at work as well as the Spirit of God is at work and there is no precious Jewel of Grace the Spirit frames in the Soul but the Devils Artists can Counterseit a Jewel of as neer Similitude as possible only to delude poor Souls Yea there is such a neerness of likeness in those false Dispositions to those True Precious Holy Qualities as the imperfect sight of the Soul cannot possibly discern the difference when the Union of the Soul is dark As to instance in Poverty of Spirit which is an emptiness of the Soul of all Confidence in it self being nothing in its own eyes Mark what a neer Counterfeit the Devils Artists can make cursed Pride of Spirit so as it can scarce be discerned nay so neer as the Soul commonly mistakes A Soul is convinced of Sin and moved to accept of the Lord Christ tendred Now comes the Devil What such a Cursed Wretch as thou art receive the Lord
fulfill whatever can intervene Therefore I will not make such a Covenant as I made with your fathers which my Covenant they brake observe that but I will make such a Covenant as they shall not be able to break For saith God I will write my law in their hearts and put my fear in them As if he should say I will do all things for them So that there is not one promise that can properly be called a conditional promise Indeed improperly I grant the promises of the Covenant of Grace may be divided into conditional and absolute promises Some promises of the Covenant of Grace may be called conditional in this respect that there are some limits and bounds set to the promises as these two great bounds his own glory and his peoples good And only in three sorts of promises those limitations hold As 1. In all temporal promises of temporal blessings and favours to his own The Lord hath not absolutely promised riches and honour and prosperity to all the Subjects of the Covenant of Grace though godliness hath the promise of this life and that which is to come And though he hath tyed his own sufficiency to supply them yet not so as it admits of no limitation but these two come in the Lords glory and his peoples own good And likewise in dispensing all blessings privatively that is the freeing the soul from all temporal evils from afflictions distress and burdens this freedom is promised in the Covenant of Grace yet it admits of this limitation so far as it may concern the Lords glory So that so far as the glory of God is advanced in his peoples groaning under burdens and sufferings for a time the Covenant is nevertheless fulfilled 2. The promise of Gods giving the common gifts of the spirit God is not bound to them in the Covenant without limitation Therefore in 1 Cor. 12. Those common gifts of the spirit God dispenseth them variously one he fills with them and leaves another poor and weak void almost of any of those gifts of the spirit that the glory of God may be advanced in that dispensation and certainly every soul is not sutable to manage such a treasury of common gifts therefore the other limitation comes in also the souls own good 3. Those conditions or limitations hold only in the promises concerning the measure and manner and order of Gods dispencing himself to souls in privative or positive things All spiritual mercies privative as well as positive that is the preservation of the soul from all temptations and buffettings of Satan the preservation of the soul from all desertions this is also included in the Covenant of Grace But it is in this sence but a conditional promise a limited promise so far as may be for the Lords own honour the soul shall be free from temptations Yet now though in this sence under all these three heads there be continual promises yet that which is absolutely necessary for the soul cannot be said to come under any of these limitations Life and Salvation and everlasting Communion with the glorious Trinity and with the glorious Saints and Angels are so absolutely promised as they come not under these limitations but that which is absolutely necessary for the soul the Lord hath bound himself absolutely to convey to the soul Yet these limited promises cannot properly be called conditional but are absolute in themselves as will appear in three particulars 1. These limited promises thus bounded are not left in the limitations of them unto the persons to whom they are made So that they are improperly called conditional promises in regard conditional promises do imply some condition to be performed by the parties to whom the promises are made Now these limitations of such promises are not in the power of persons to whom they are made that they should judg and determine when for their own good and for the Lords glory they should have such and such promises made good to them but they depend upon the sole wisdom of God 2. These promises bounded with these extents are simply and absolutely determined by God to be fulfilled according as they are propounded Now then is a promise absolute when without respect to any thing whatever that can possibly intervene or be interposed it is undertaken to be fulfilled to the person to whom it is made according to the full extent wherein it is propounded Now in the full extent of the propounding of those promises wherein God may have glory and the soul advantage the Lord hath as absolutely engaged to give all common gifts of the spirit all outward blessings whatever possibly can intervene as he hath also any part of the Covenant of Grace 3. These promises pertaining to the Covenant of grace bounded with limitations are by the infinite wisdom of God bounded with such limitations only as make them to be absolute love and Grace from God to the soul For indeed those limitations are no other than preventions of what might make such promises to have evil interwoven with them as well as good and then should they not be absolutely love For observe all Gods promises of temporal mercy to the soul therein come to be love to the soul because God hath bounded with that limitation so far as shall be for the souls own good and advantage So that from these considerations even those limited promises prove as absolute as all the other promises of the Covenant of Grace So that you see there are no promises belonging to the Covenant of Grace but what are meerly Grace No condition may come in to challenge any thing in the Covenant of Grace Prem 3. Thirdly I must premise That all those promises that seem to be made to conditions in souls they are included under one of these five heads 1. They are made to persons having such conditions in them as put them into a case of want and poverty and so the Lord propounds refreshment to them sutable to their wants and poverty Of this nature are the promises made to thirsty and burdened souls 2. Those may be no promises but revelations of the glorious priviledges that God doth freely bestow upon his own people As to instance in those promises that seem to be made to love to God and Christ John 14.21 He that loveth me shall be loved of my father and I will love him and will manifest my self to him Here seems to be a promise made to love whereas it is only a revelation of the precious priviledg that belongs to the people of God and a discovery of the precious purpose of God concerning his own out of the meer disposition of his goodness towards them If any promise should be made to that precious grace of love methinks this should it runs every way in the nature of a promise But yet hence it appears it is no promise made to loving Christ as a condition upon which the promise should be fulfilled in regard that disposition
I shall desire to clear from divers particulars 1. In regard the immediate ground of the certainty of the promise or of the Covenant of Grace unto the Soul can be nothing else but the gift of God Therefore saith the Apostle Rom. 4.16 It is of faith that it might be by grace to the end that the promise might be sure to all the seed And that the immediate ground of the certainty of the promise must be gift alone appears in two things First In regard the foundation of all must be Grace Eph. 1.6 7. That we might be to the glory of his Grace Therefore in Ezek. 16.62 63. I will establish my Covenant with thee and thou shalt know that I am the Lord There 's the absolute promise What is the end That thou mayest remember and be confounded and never open thy mouth any more because of thy shame when I am pacified towards thee for all that thou hast done saith the Lord. This is strange one would think that they should be ashamed and consounded when God is pacified and reveals himself to be pacified But here is the mystery of it The Lord lays Grace as the foundation of all his ways towards them purposely that the glory of all that God communicates to Souls might be to himself alone Secondly In regard there can be nothing else the object of faith There are but two things that can be grounds of certainty It must be either Grace in God or Grace in the Soul Either the love of God or the effects of the love of God in the Soul Now the effects of the love of God in the Soul are things seen ad therefore not the objects of Faith Heb. 11.1 2. The discovery of the absolute will of God must be the only ground of assurance in regard faith can discern no certainty of Gods differencing one soul from another but what the Word of God reveals Now the Word of God reveals no other ground of the Lords differencing one soul from another but only his own will Rom. 9.12.18 3. In regard the sight of the certainty of the souls right of receiving Christ into union with himself doth wholly depend upon a sight of the certainty of the Lords will to recieve the soul into union with Christ Though the Spirit of God hath secretly allured the heart from those dark Visions of Christ to embrace him truly so as there is a real union between Christ and the soul yet the soul cannot judg aright of his receiving the Lord Christ so tendred to be given to his soul till he sees that he did receive the Lord Christ upon the right ground 4. In that it is the souls duty to receive the gifts of God in that order wherein the Lord manifests his giving of his gifts Now the order wherein the Lord propounds his gifts is first the gift of the Lord Christ and then the gift of all graces as the adjunct of the gift of the Lord Christ And thence the Lord invites the soul and commands the soul first in order to receive Christ that so it might partake of all the graces of Christ and all those dispositions of Holiness the soul longs for 5. In that the Lord judgeth it sufficient for assuring the Wavering Trembling soul of a poor sinner fearing the indignation of God against him for his sin You shall read Gen. 3.15 That all the promise that God gave to Adam when out of question the poor man was in great distress was only this That the Seed of the Woman should break the Serpents Head A meer discovery of his absolute free will without respect to any thing in souls themselves that he would deliver solely by a way devised by his own Wisdom by a Mediatour by taking upon him the humane nature and conquering the powers of Hell that did then hold poor souls captive Could Adam have received no evidence nor no assurance of the Lords accepting his soul into union with himself again in Christ from that promise the soul of Adam had been left altogether comfortless there being no description given by God of any graces that his own spirit did communicate to the souls of such that he had accepted into union with himself 6. In regard the patterns holden forth in Scripture of such as have received their union with Christ received the evidence of their union from the Lords absolute promise from the discovery of his will alone to do good unto their souls In Gen. 15.6 7 8 compared with Rom. 4.18 19. you shall see Abraham the Father of all believers he received the evidence of the Lords blessing him in Christ which is all one with taking into union with Christ only by the discovery of the Lords absolute will towards him Another pattern you see Isa 6.5 6 7 In the sense of his own wretchedness crying out Wo is me I am undone c. A Seraphim flew unto him having a live coal in his hand which he took off the Altar and laid it upon his mouth you must conceive it was done in a Vision and said loe this hath touched thy lips and thine Iniquity is taken away and thy Sin purged Here is an absolute promise of the Lords free love to Isaiah It gives him no Characters at all but tells him his Iniquity is taken away and this satisfied the soul of Isaiah as you may see v. 8. by his readiness to obey the command of God here I am send me And the case is every way parallel only this particularizeth the person of Isaiah whereas other promises are holden forth generally but yet every particular soul is as fully included and the promise is as absolutely spoken to every soul receiving it as it was unto Isaiah And it is the light of the Spirit that shines forth in the promise that doth put as much particularity and doth as much particularize the promise to any one soul as this promise was particularized to Isaiah in a Vision So that it is from the Lords absolute will alone that the soul receives a full ground of his union with Christ That 's the first branch of the 5th Conclusion The second branch of the fifth Conclusion was That it was not the discovery of the graces of the scrupulous soul doubtful of his union that did thus evidence unto the soul his union Now the discovery of graces in the soul still dark in his union cannot be in order the first ground from whence the soul doth receive the evidence of his union Though at the very same instant the soul may by the discovering of those graces see his union and conclude his union from the sight of those graces yet in order of nature this is not the immediate ground that gives the certainty to the soul And that will appear I. In regard the gift of the Lord Christ cannot be first received of a soul by Faith as a soul is gratious or by the soul being considered under the notion of a soul that
guide you into all truth and observe why for he shall not speak of himself but whatever he shall hear that shall he speak He shall have a Commission from Heaven as it were to lead them into all truth Now in this guiding the soul into all truth there are two offices that the Spirit of God is designed to First the making known of truth to the soul Secondly the application of truth made known First The making known of truth to the soul It is the office of the Spirit to cast in the precious principles of Spiritual knowledge whereby the soul should be any ways apprehensive of any truth This making known of truth to the soul consists in three things 1. In the communicating of Spiritual light to the soul or in giving the soul a Spiritual eye of discerning We are all like poor Bartimeus born Blind The Natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit for they are Foolishness to him neither can he know them because they are Spiritually discerned 1 Cor. 2.14 Now it is the office of the Spirit alone to make a precious Eye Salve that may restore spiritual sight to the soul and make it capable of discerning truth Therefore it is said in 1 John 5.20 In Conversion we are said to receive a mind to know him that is a disposition to know him an understanding capable of knowing him 2. The Spirit presents truth to that Spiritual eye tâ—â—t that he hath communicated Therefore in Eph. 1.17 The Apostle prays for a spirit of wisdom and revelation Not only a spirit of wisdom that is an internal spiritual habit of spiritual light to discern truth But a spirit of revelation also that is of manifesting the truth unto the Soul 3. In making known spiritual truths the spirit of God removes all impediments that do prevent the discerning of truths presented Though the spirit gives eyes and presents truths there may be such impediments between the Souls eyes and the truth that may prevent the Souls discerning There may be some films or some corrupt humours some film of lust or selfishness that may hinder the sight of the truth Secondly The Spirit makes application of the truth known The first truth that God discovers to a Soul which is his own sin his guilt and danger of condemnation must as well be applied to the Soul by the Spirit as revealed to the Soul by the Spirit Therefore John 16.8 The office of the Spirit is to reprove or convince the world of sin of righteousness and of judgment to make it clear to the conscience of every particular man that there is a judgment for him that he is one of those sinful wretches that believe not That the Spirit also must make this application will appear in two things 1. In that there should be an equal and proportionable sense of the effects of Sin and Wrath according to the measure and degree of every sinners understanding sin and wrath If it were not the Spirit alone that did make application of the truth made known it could not be then but so far as every Soul did understand what Sin and Wrath was the effect both of the knowledge of Sin and of Wrath would remain in such a heart But alas experience enough teacheth us that many sinners that have large knowledge of the nature of sin and of the consequences and effects of sin which is Wrath and condemnation yet have not the knowledge of this effect in the least manner The effects are two Condemnation in the Souls Judgment Horrour and anguish in the sense of condemnation He that understands sin rightly in the least degree understand it to be damnable therefore the effects of it must needs be condemnation in his own Soul But nothing is more common than for men to confess every sin to be damnable and to confess themselves to be sinners but far off from drawing a sentence of condemnation They will be sure enough of the conclusion though they conclude sin to be damnable yet they will not conclude themselves to be in a damnable condition So if you look upon the second effect that follows the knowledge of Sin and that 's Horrour and Sense of the dreadfulness of that Condemnation Though it may be sometimes a soul goes so far as almost to conclude it self to be in a Damned condition yet far is it from letting it take effect upon his heart so as to lie heavy upon his heart as an intolerable burthen Therefore it is plain not only the revealing of the truth but the application of truth revealed depends upon the Spirit of God The Spirit must say here is thy Sin and yonder is the Pit of Misery before a man can apply those truths to his own soul 2. It must be the Spirit of God that makes the applicationâ— in regard the Terrours and Horrours for Sin are appropriated by the Scripture to the Spirit and to his work alone Whence you shall see Rom. 8.16 Fear is said to be the work of the Spirit of Bondage You have not received the Spirit of Bondage again to fear that is the Spirit of Bondage again working Fear and Anguish and Vexation of soul in respect of the guilt of Sin 2. The Spirit alone must be the principal efficient cause in evidencing to the soul from the promise his union with Christ in regard of the Spirits particular and peculiar office that it is appointed unto by Jesus Christ The Spirit hath its office and that is to Comfort and Refresh the souls of the peculiar ones of Christ Hence the name of the Spirit is the Comforter John 16.17 Now this being the peculiar office of the Spirit of Christ to comfort those that are the the Members of Jesus Christ it must needs be that that must needs be the principal Instrumental efficient cause in revealing to the soul his union with Christ in the promise And that will appear in two things 1. In regard the Word of promise alone is the ground of all Consolation unto the souls Faith Now the Spirit should give souls but small comfort could he not give them Comfort unto Faith did not the Lord reveal the everlasting Inheritance to be theirs everlasting Union and Communion with Christ to be theirs and then let them see Holiness in them to be a drop of the Inheritance that the soul shall feed it self with to Eternity the Comfort were but small 2. In regard it must be by appropriating the thing promised that the promise is able to afford any Consolation There must be two things for the soul to receive comfort from the promise Propriety and Security The Soul must see propriety or else no love at least no satisfaction to the heart and while there is not the satiating of the soul there is no comfort Comfort is the content the soul hath in beholding his desired satisfaction Now whatever the soul sees it satisfieth not till it hath a propriety in it And till there be a security
the union Between the act and the object there must be a Similarity a kind of likeness and neer Similitude and Relation 2. Jesus Christ considered in his personal excellency in his precious Beauty and Glory is rather the object of Love than the object of Faith that is the object of Assiance and Dependance Christ is not properly to be depended upon as he is Holy but as he is appointed by God as a Rock to lay the hope of Salvation upon that is as a Mediator and Saviour II. It appears it is a Principle of Darkness In regard the most special access of Souls unto Christ is as he is a Saviour unto souls The most pressing arguments that are prest upon souls to constrain them to come to Jesus Christ are that they might come for Salvation You shall see it in that Declaration of the Commission of the Apostles themselves 2 Cor. 5.19 20. Now we are Embassadours for Christ as though God did beseech you by us we pray you in Christs stead be ye Reconciled to God As if he should say thus God hath appointed his Gospel that we should go out to poor rebels to invite them to come and accept of propositions of peace And you see the reason of this v. 21 For he hath made him to be sin for us that knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him That is that we might have the righteousness that God doth convey through him And in Heb. 7.25 you shall see what is held forth to be the office of Jesus Christ now in heaven He is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them I pray observe it here is the lowest act of faith expressed coming to God by Christ and you see the coming is for Salvation 3. Christ considered as a Saviour is primarily sutable unto souls Christ in his personal excellency is sutable unto Angels and Angels will count it their glory to have him their Head and be married to him as a Spouse But it is only as he is considered as a Saviour that he is primarily sutable unto Souls here below in regard the first thing that is necessary for such Souls is Salvation And thence you shall see it is the name that God puts upon him his name shall be called Jesus a Saviour and the reason is why For he shall save his people from their sins Mat. 1.21 So that it appears this is another principle of darkness to perswade souls not to come to Jesus Christ for Salvation Yet there are two things to be observed here 1. That many excellencies that are contained in the person of Jesus Christ by vertue of the hypostatical union of the humane nature with the second person in the Trinity may have efficacy upon a soul to allure him to come God may let the beams of his beauty so shine forth as may ravish the heart in his coming and though primarily the Souls faith is established upon him as a Saviour yet his love may at the same time close with all the excellencies of Jesus Christ 2. The love of the personal excellency of Jesus Christ is an infallible consequence of the Souls coming to Christ and flows and proceeds from the Souls receiving the Lord Christ as a Saviour though there be no such true love before coming to Jesus Christ for Salvation The fifth Principle of Darkness is That there must be a proportion between the Souls sorrow for sin Principle of darkness and sin it self before it may apply the promise of Jesus Christ Saith the Soul it is common among Divines to lay down this principle That a Soul must drink so many buckets full of the tears of repentance as he hath drank of the stoln waters of sin And to this purpose saith the soul you shall see that great sinners had always great sorrow Those that were the murderers of Christ Act. 2.36 37. were pricked at the heart they were much wounded before they had a promise applyed to to them So it is observed saith the Soul that Paul that was formerly Saul being a notorious sinner a blasphemer a murderer of the Saints he was filled with abundance of sorrow before God applyed comfort to him Act. 9. compared with Rom. 7.11 Sin taking occasion by the commandment deceived me and by it slew me So Luke 7.36 37 The woman that was a great sinner and called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the sinner the woman that was a sinner Say Divines every one is a sinner but this woman is called a sinner by way of eminency passing the ordinary degree of sin now this woman had great sorrow v. 38. before she received any word of pardon from Christ she wept and washed his feet with her tears As she drank in buckets full of sin so she wept buckets full of tears Now that this is a principle of darkness I shall make it clear thus 1. That there is an impossibility that there should be any proportion between a souls sorrow for sin and a souls sin Every iniquity is a transgression that hath a kind of infiniteness in regard of the object against whom it is committed which is against the infinite God Now the sorrow of the soul can never rise thus high because it can never be so sutable to the will of God as the other was directly contrary to his will So that you must understand the meaning of all Divines to be this as some of them distinguish it not that there should be an Arithmetical proportion but a Geometrical proportion between sin and sorrow That is not that there should be a proportionable sorrow to sin but the greater sorrow where there have been the greatest sins 2. It appears In that the Lord hath left himself to his liberty in the afflicting Consciences for sin before and in and after Conversion God is a free agent and according to his own pleasure he fills one soul with greater degrees of honour and terrour and lets him lie longer under woe and anguish before he give him any quiet of spirit He strikes one soul to death with the keen arrow of compunction shoots at the heart of him whereas he lets another sinner be set upon the rock higher than himself some souls God doth prick their hearts with a needle and others he puts a sword to them like a Chyrurgion that lanceth one sore above another and yet brings both to a perfect cure You read of nothing in Lydia but only the Lord opened her heart And Paul was struck with trembling and astonishment You read of nothing in the Jaylor but crying out what to do to be saved being in fear of perishing and presently God gives him joy in believing and calms his spirit 3. In regard there is no command nor injunction from God that a soul should attain the least degree of sorrow for sin before he should dare to apply the Lord Jesus and
receive him tendered to his poor rebellious worthless soul The first command that God lays upon every rebel is to accept of a Mediator God in order of nature first enjoyns the soul to receive Jesus Christ tendered before the doing any thing whatsoever before the sending up one sigh to God or breathing out one petition in regard the Lord commands all poor sinners at enmity with him to come near to him only through a Mediator and no coming by a Mediator till they apply the Mediator to be a Mediator And therefore it is said in 1 John 3.23 It is the command of God that ye believe in the Lord Jesus whom he hath sent And so again John 6.29 This is the work of God that ye believe on whom he hath sent As if there were no other work of God but this But the meaning is that this is the prime principal work without which all other are but works of darkness 4. In regard the Lord takes no pleasure nor delight in the person of any sinner most dejected and plunged into the deepest gulf of sorrow for his sin before he applys the Lord Jesus tendered to his soul more than he did in that soul before there was any of that sorrow Do not mistake me I do not say that the Lord does as much abhor a sinner that is now forbearing the acts of his enmity against God and is faln to cry after God as much as the acts of sin before gradually But yet I say there is as true an abhorrence in the bosom of God of all those prayers mournings and tears as there was of those acts of sin the difference is only in degree Saith he Tit. 1.15 To the impure all things are impure whilst the mind and conscience is defiled And who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean whilest the soul is altogether unclean it is impossible a clean desire and motion or a clean tear can come from thence So that now the soul is looked upon as an enemy as a Rebel a Traitor to the Crown of the Lords glory whilst he remains a refuser of the Lord Jesus tendered though he be brought to great degrees of mourning 5. In regard the nearest proportion of sorrow that can be attained unto for sin must proceed from applying the Lord Jesus tendered The soul can never discern what the degree or the heinousness of his sin was till he beholds the Lord Jesus accepting his poor despicable rebellious loveless soul Therefore it is worthy your observation that the same woman that is called the sinner by way of emphasis and eminency Luke 7.37 drank deeply of the cup of sorrow whose tears flowed forth in abundance that she could wash the feet of Jesus Christ This womans sorrow did not proceed from a sight of her sin before her applying the Lord Jesus tendered but from a sight of the Lord Jesus accepting such a despicable desperate sinner as she was The depths of sorrow were never broken up in her heart till she saw the arm of the Lord Jesus reached out to embrace her poor despicable soul You shall see it plain if you compare v. 37 38. with v. 47 48. The whole discourse between Jesus Christ and the Pharisees concerning her is worth our observation for the explaining of it when Jesus sees this woman come and wash his feet he knew the Pharisees hearts rose against her because she was a sinner Now Jesus put forth a parable or similitude Simon saith he there were two debtors the one ought five hundred pence and the other fifty and when they had nothing to pay the creditor frâ—nkly forgave them both Tell me therefore which of them will love him most Simon answered and said I suppose he to whom he forgave most saith he thou hast rightly judged Now observe it when Jesus Christ had opened to the Pharisees this parable it amounts to this The cause of her mourning is from the sense of the Lords forgiving her for she loved much And he said unto her thy sins are forgiven This he opens to be the cause of her sorrow that she saw Jesus Christ had exercised compassion to her She saw the love of Christ so infinite so unspeakable his compassions so incomprehensible that though she had been such a desperate wretch that Satan had had his Throne in her heart though she had been the Ring-leader of sinners in a City yet he was ready to wash her forlorn soul and make her clean and this made her she knew not how to express her love but she wept So that the cause of her tears was not so much the sense of her sin but the having so much forgiven her So it is observed of Peter when he could deny Christ thrice and forswear him and not Weep when Christ looks upon him his Heart melts and he Weeps bitterly What Peter dost deny me what me that left the Throne of my Glory to stand here before the Judgment Seat saith the look of Christ to the Conception of Peter this melts his Heart The sixth Principle of Darkness is this Principle of darkness That it is very Dangerous for any soul to apply to himself the Lord Jesus too soon It is commonly illustrated by this Similitude If a Chirurgeon applies some healing Salve to a dangerous sore before the Corrosives have had their proper effects if he doth not by Corrosives first eat out all the dead Flesh and by Tents ransack the Wound to the very bottom though the Wound be skinned over it will Fester and Ranckle again and that to the danger of the Patients Life Likewise faith the soul it is thus in regard of the Wound of Sin If any spiritual Physician should apply the Lord Jesus too soon to the soul to heal the souls Wounds before the Corrosive of Terrour and Fear and Horrour have had their proper effects upon the soul it may be dangerous to the Destruction of the soul Or thus saith the soul there may be nutritive nourishment to several Patients that may be destructive to some sick Bodies in regard there ought first to be some Purgations before there be a sutableness to the giving such Cordial Potions Likewise if the pretious Cordials of Comfort that are in the Bosom of Jesus Christ should be applyed to the soul before there hath been the bitter Pill of Terrour of Sorrow and Anguish and Horrour for his Sin given they may be rather destructive to the soul So that this is very dangerous saith the soul to apply the Lord Jesus too soon This Principle of Darkness hath commonly three Grounds or three Foundations upon which it stands and the soul conceives a three-fold Foundation is not easily shaken and therefore conceiveth the Principle to be very firm I. It is built upon this ground That all Divines generally have concluded that it is dangerous to apply Comfort to afflicted Consciences too soon and that it is destructive to give Comfort before the soul be fitted for it
Principle of Darkness there is first something to be premised First that the soul understand what is meant by comfort Secondly What is meant by applying comfort to the soul By comfort is meant only that strength and that Life and Refreshment that a soul receiveth from the apprehension of the good of any object And to apply the Lord Jesus for comfort the soul is to receive the Lord Jesus with all his Glorious Priviledges that are sutable for the Poor Needy Despicable Loveless soul according as God the Father tenders him to the soul To speak more plainly to receive the Lord Jesus as he is offered freely to be given by God to the Poor Despicable soul to make up a League and Amity and Love between the Father and the soul to break in sunder those Chains wherewith the soul was clogged by Sin to everlasting Destruction and in a word for the perfecting of the souls Happiness both here and for Eternity Now I shall answer directly to that first Foundation upon which this first Principle of Darkness is built And I say it is impossible that the applying of the Lord Jesus for the comforting of the soul should make the soul in danger to miscarry through Presumption but rather the contrary it is the greatest preservative against Presumption And that will appear in three or four particulars I. In regard the more the comforts of the soul are enlarged through the application of Christ the more clear is that cursed Root of Self-Confidence rooted out of the Heart The Comforts of Jesus Christs in their own nature do empty the soul of it self and all Self-Confidence in regard it removes the soul from all imaginary dependance upon its self either for Comfort here or for Mercy and Happiness to Eternity The souls perfect nothingness in it self is only by beholding the Lord Jesus as the Father hath given him to the soul Therefore it is said in 1 John 3.2 3. We know not yet what we shall be but then we shall be like him for we shall know him as he is And Eph. 3.19 The Apostle prays that they may comprehend with all Saints what is the Height and Bredth and Length and Depth of the Love of God which passeth knowledge That is to know this to their own souls And what is the end of all That they may be filled with the fulness of God This fulness of God can be wrought by nothing but by the full comprehension of Jesus Christ and all his Comforts II. In regard it raiseth the souls thoughts of Jesus Christ in a transcendent manner and fills the Heart with a high estimation of him When the soul applies most incomprehensively the Lord Jesus in all his Priviledges for the refreshing of his soul then doth the soul see most largly into the Incomprehensive Gulf of the excellency of Jesus Christ and when the soul seeth Jesus Christ most clearly as altogether incomprehensible then is the Heart filled with the highest thoughts that can be of Jesus Christ III. The application of the Lord Jesus for the comforting of the soul in the largest manner that can be doth beget a more precious fear in the heart than all the Terrours Sights and Visions of the Indignation of God against the soul for Sin can possibly beget All the Reason that can be given why it should endanger the soul to Presume is only this that the applying Christ in two large a measure in his comforts should make the soul without fear Now the soul is never so filled with Holy Fear as when it hath the largest comprehension of Jesus Christ The Reason is plain The larger comprehension the soul hath of Jesus Christ the more natural is the love to Jesus Christ Now love is extended upon Jesus Christ when it rests upon him or fetcheth in Joy through beleiving And according as love is extended so is fear extended Love and Fear go hand in hand you cannot divide them a man of large love is a man of large fear The reason is plain The more dear any object is to the soul the more a man feareth to lose it IIII. When the Lord Christ is applied most for Comfort then doth a Holy Jealousie rise high in the heart When Love rises high Jealousie rises high Jealousie is compounded of Love and Anger or Love and Hatred Where Love runs out largely in Zeal there is a Zeal of Hatred against all that should deprive us of it Put a Fearful man and a Jealous man together to Watch over a Beloved object and you need not fear their Sleeping Thus Fear and Jealosie meeting together in the soul will make it Watchful least there should be the least outgoing of the Heart from Jesus Christ Secondly Neither can it dry up the Repenting or Penitent Tears too soon It is as impossible that the Springs of Godly Sorrow should be sealed up by the application of the Lord Jesus in the largest measure for the comforting of the soul as it is impossible it should make the soul Presume The Foundation of this Principle of Darkness is laid upon a two-fold mistake First that the discerning eye of the soul whereby Sin should be discerned should be closed up with the sight of the apprehension of large comfort from Jesus Christ Secondly that the sight or apprehension of a defect of comfort in the Lord Jesus for his soul for the present should be the Original of true Godly Sorrow and so that Godly Sorrow should Perish when the comforts of the Lord Jesus sutable to his needy soul appear Now it is apparent that the eye of the soul whereby he may see his own Wretchedness Merit and Desert is more clear by the sight of enlarged comfort from Jesus Christ I. The eye of the soul receiveth more Divine light to discover Sin in the nature of it by how much in a greater degree the soul apprehends enlarged comforts through the application of the Lord Jesus This is that precious eye-salve spoken of Rev. 3. that Christ inviteth souls to come and buy of him That 's the reason Mary wept so much and washed the feet of Jesus Christ with her tears Christ tells you it was because she loved much And what was the cause of that love but only the apprehension of the glorious priviledges to her in Jesus Christ 2. The apprehension of a defect of comfort in the Lord Christ sutable to the Soul for the present cannot be a spring or head from whence the stream of Godly sorrow flows Godly sorrow must arise from the clearest most spiritual sin Now you see the clearest discerning of sin in a Spiritual manner doth arise from the clear discerning of those enlarged comforts through the application of the Lord Jesus And indeed as those increase so doth Godly sorrow increase The greatest comforted Soul is the greatest mourning Soul Now you see the foundation is too weak to bear up this principle and also that it will appear to be a principle of darkness
poor trembling soul about the cause of his fear and distemper of heart The spirit cometh and expostulateth with the soul why art thou so afraid thou trembling soul why dost stand shaking like a leaf in the forest shaken with the wind why is thy heart so perplexed Saith the spirit Christ will receive thee if thou beest willing to receive Then it may be the passion of fear is allayed and the soul brought to close with the tender of love in Jesus Christ and the soul is brought to a holy fear and trembling laying his mouth in the dust before God thinking himself worthy to go into the pit of wo for ever yet yielding to receive what the Lord propounds in Christ A fourth Distemper is Over much Jealousie Jealousie of God and Jealousie of his own heart Dark Distemper The soul is exceeding prone out of measure to a strange unheard of Jealousie of God to have evil surmisings of God Look to some prophane ones 1. They have such evil surmisings as they suspect God in his being Psal 14.1 The fool hath said in his heart there is no God 2. A Second sort surmise that God regards not the commission of sin so as others would perswade them Like those Psal 50 21. that think the Lord to be such a one as themselves they think there need be no such strictness to go to heaven as others would make toem believe That 's the meaning of that thou thoughtest I was such a one as thy self thou thoughtest I would admit thee into heaven notwithstanding all the transgressions thou livest in 3. Others surmise that God is a hard master one that puts heavy yokes upon the neck of his people that they cannot be able to bear They think it a heavy yoke that they can take none of their cursed pleasures and delights and therefore they had as good be out of the world should they come to that near closing and joyning with God in Christ to be one with him 4. A Fourth sort surmise that God will accept of them though they go on in the way of iniquity if they repent at last 5. A Fifth sort are the formal civil ones who think God will be satisfied if they pay every man his own and do none any wrong and perform the duties of Gods worship he requireth at their hands 6. A Sixth sort are those that are detained from God by a distemper of unbelief Unbelief cannot think that the love of God should be extended to the worst of sinners Nay saith the soul the word of God hath declared the contrary All shall not be the objects of the loving-kindness of God in Christ therefore those expresions of his love belongs not to me saith the Soul Now there are two ways how this distemper comes thus to prevail and there are two or three sad effects it hath in the heart 1. This distemper proceeds from another distemper even as bad and that is from a sensual Judgment maintained in the Soul The glorious things of the Gospel being inevident unto the eye of sense yea to the eye of reason being things the eye of man as man never saw nor the ear of man as man never heard nor the heart of man as man never conceived a man must needs pass a false Judgment upon them when he Judgeth by a sensual Judgment and say with Nicodemus how can these things be what to have such iniquities and rebellions cast by into the bottom of the Sea and never remembred any more To have my polluted Soul looked upon as righteous as an Angel it self by the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ how can it be Now by judging the glorious Mysteries of the Gospel thus by a sensual judgment the soul cometh to be jealous and supicious of God that it cannot be that God intends such love towards his soul as he manifests in his expressions 2. This Jealousie ariseth from the souls measuring Gods way by its own way According to this principle the soul thinks if any man should offer such injury to me as I have done to God I might profess love but I could never forget him Therefore he concludes the Lord can never forget those injuries his soul hath offered to him But God tells us Isa 55.7 His ways are above our ways and his thoughts above our thoughts As if he should say do not conceive because it is impossible for man to pardon so abundantly that therefore I will not Now in judging Gods ways according to our ways this jealousie prevails and doth produce these sad effects in the heart that prevent the souls discerning its union with Christ in the promise 1. By this Distemper there are groundless conclusions drawn up by the soul against it self The soul once entertaining jealous thoughts of God seldom stays there but jealousie like a Canker eats off more and more the good thoughts it should have of God till at last it draws full conclusions that the Lord hath no good thoughts at all towards it The soul commonly proceeds from care to fear from fear to jealousie and from jealous suspitions to hard conclusions 2. This distemper causeth an evil eye in the soul I mean this he draws an evil conclusion from all Gods works Let God vouchsafe precious revelations of the mystery of his will through the Gospel of Jesus Christ to him while the heart remains under this distemper What says the heart I am afraid it is but to harden me I am afraid it is to increase my condemnation Let God take away his ordinances again and there is as ill a construction made of that the soul under the jealousie presently concludeth iâ— if the Lord intended any good to his soul he would let him use the means but saith the soul I have abused the means and now am deprived of it and therefore now I fear there is no hope Again if you look upon the Lords dealing with the soul outwardly if the Lord lay affliction upon him now I may see indeed saith he that the Lord is angry the Lords indignation is kindled against me for my sin and I know not but it may be a beginning of my everlasting torments and the soul never searcheth whether it may out of faithfulness that the Lord comes thus to chastise outwardly according to that in Ps 119.95 Or let the Lord vouchsafe prosperity outwardly to such a soul ten to one as sad constructions are made of such dealings of God too 3. It causeth the soul to rely upon sight and sense alone in its searching and seeking for the manifestation of his union with Jesus Christ The jealous heart will trust God no further than he sees him So that hereby the soul remaineth under an impossibility of attaining any assurance to his faith of his union with Christ in regard by this the soul doth even renounce the use of faith Now the spirit seeks to remove this distemper and to bring the heart into a sweet confidence of God and
Scripture speaks of 1. There is a Jealousie over others least they should miscarry Which is a holy supition mingled with a holy fear of their departing from God and also joyned with a strength of desire of their keeping close unto God This kind of jealousie was in the heart of Paul 2 Cor. 11.2 I am Jealous over you with a Godly Jealousie that I may present you as a chast Virgin unto Christ 2. There may be a jealousie in the heart that is occasioned upon the sight of good in others and the excellency they have attained to That 's a kind of emulation That you shall read of Rom. 11.11 Paul tells the Jows that God had not cast them off altogether out of a purpurpose that they might fall but that through their fall the Gentiles might be called that the Jews might be provoked to Jealousie that is that they might be provoked to a kind of emulation to envy to go beyond the Gentiles Thus a Christians heart may be Jealous least another go before him and attain to a greater degree of holiness then his Soul attainneth to This is a Godly Jealousie 3. There is a Jealousie over the deceitfulness of the heart least the cursed heart should delude it and prove treacherous and joyn hand in hand with the Devil in some cursed Plot against the Soul This is a Godly Jealousie if it be kept within bounds This Jealousie over the heart if it be right is a compounded affection made up of two simple affections of the zeal of love and the zeal of hatred Or rather it is a kind of third thing that ariseth from both these that is a zeal of love to God and the ways of God and a zeal of hatred against whatever is contrary to the will of the blessed God so that there arises a kind of suspition of every thing that may possibly step in to dishonour God This Jeaiousie hath but two objects to which it can work 1. All things that may step in to be corrival with God That is whatever might strive to insinuate into the heart to steal away the heart from God or to be co-sharer with God to be a fellow beloved one with God himself Thus the world and all the world afords comes in to be the object concerning which the Soul exerciseth this Jealousie the lust of the flesh the lust of the eye and the pride of life these strive with all their strength to be corrivals with God in the heart to have as equal a share in the heart as God and to be as highly loved and honoured as God Now over these things the heart may be exceeding Jealous and ought to maintain a constant Jealousie 2. The second object of Jealousie is the Souls own act towards God That is whatever working there may be towards God there may be a disposition in the heart to deal fainedly and hypocritically Now in that regard because the heart is treacherous against it self a heart false to God filled with enmity against God therefore all the actions and motions of the heart are the objects upon which this Jealousie may be exercised in a right holy godly way There may be five acts of Jealousie in every Soul lawfull nay that ought to be 1. The Soul may be so Jealous of it self as to call his heart to a strict account concerning all the motions of it throughout all the whole course of his conversation He may be so suspitious as never to give credit to his heart in any thing any further than it can give a good account to him in all the motions of it First It may call its heart to account in what degree it hath wrought towards any of those objects To call the heart to account whether the affections did not run out too much after the world Secondly It may call its heart to account concerning the occasions it hath had to deal with any object whatever 2. The Soul may discover the danger and spread forth all the evil before the treacherous heart The Spirit of Jealousie may work so far that it may strive to put a bit and bridle into the wanton heart to restrain it It may strive to propound principles that may prevent its treachery 3. A soul may cry mightily to God with all his strength to prevent the wretched deceitfulness of his own heart To discover all the hidden by-paths that his own heart hath to walk in to give him light from heaven to see every step that his heart sets 4. The Soul may summons his own deceitful heart to appear before the Lord to act as in the sight of the heart-searching God in its closing with the Lord Christ tendered 5. It may so work as to cause the soul to renounce all confidence in it self of an uprightness in his own heart in its closing with the Lord Christ tendered So that thus far you see there is a Holy Jealousie of Spirit over the cursed deceitful heart that may possess yea ought to possess any Godly Soul But there is a distempered Jealousie too that darkens the Soul and prevents the Souls receiving assurance to his faith from the promise of his union with Christ and that is when this Spirit of Jealousie works in these four or five ways 1. When the Spirit of Jealousie prevails so far as to obtain the sole command of the heart Now this Jealousie cometh to be the rage of a man so as it becomes a distempered passion in stead of a holy affection So as instead of putting the soul into a precious way of searching out the deceit of his own heart it rather draws conclusions against it self without weighing and examining what the deceits of the heart are that are suspected 2. When this Jealousie makes the Soul negligent or careless of the use of the means to find out the truth of what it suspects So that in stead of this the heart sits down under those fears and suspicions crying out my wretched heart will deceive me I dare not think of receiving the Lord Jesus tendered 3. When the Soul is so overcome with Jealousie that it takes no account of it self of the ground of the working of the Jealousie It is the ordinary distemper of Souls that are overcome with this Jealousie that they never look out to the precious promises wherein the Lord engages himself to prevent the deceitfulness of the heart and its departing from God 4. When this Jealousie so prevails as it is taken up by the Soul as a sufficient Plea against the Souls present believing and receiving the Lord Jesus tendered When the Soul sets this Jealousie over his own deceitfull heart like a bulwark against all that can be propounded to him to make him give credit to the will of God and to yield obedience to the Lord Christ tendered when the heart thinks it is enough that he is able to say truly the very desire of my Soul is to yield obedience to the command of God in
either in his heart or life 1. To convince him of all his voluntary defects By discerning how the principles of other Christians are improved to the honour of God the soul may convince himself of his wilfull defects that he that hath received the same principle should walk so far contrary to God 2. The Soul may indeavour to convince it self of all his unsuitable walking to his Profession by gazing upon the brightness of that principle of Christianity professed by other Christians that shine forth in their Conversations 3. The Soul may indeavour to convince it self of his own unsutableness in his walking to his engagements unto God 4. And lastly of his unsuitableness to the rest of the Members of the Body of Christ V. Every Soul ought to endeavour to break his own Heart for any disproportion he can discern between his own Life and the Lives of other Christians between his own Grace and their Graces There are many pretious Soul-melting arguments that a Soul may help it self to towards the breaking of his own heart for any unsutable walking towards Jesus Christ by measuring his own Life and Graces with the Graces of other Christians 1. The Soul may be helped to a clearer sight of the transcendency of the riches of the Lords Grace in Christ to his Soul 2. The Soul may have a discovery of the superlative degree of the perverseness of his Heart to God Seeing the disproportion between himself and other Christians he may say Lord what a cursed crooked hellish perverse Heart have I 3. The Soul may have a discovery of the height of dishonour done to Jesus Christ by him when he shall see that those that he professes himself to be fellow members with so bearing up the brightness of the Image of Jesus Christ in their Conversations and then reflect upon himself and see scarce so much as any spark of that glorious Image of Christ to shine forth in him 4. From thence the Soul may have an inward holy shame to seize upon it to see the growth and increase of the Members of Christ his Brethren and see himself so barren so empty and poor VI. Every Soul may and ought to pass the sentence of condemnation against his own Soul from a discovery of any unsutableness in his Heart and Life to the Hearts and Lives of other Christians VII A Soul may measure himself so far by the Graces of others as to draw quickning arguments from thence to awaken his Heart to more watchfulness diligence and circumspection 1. From the sight of the Graces of other Christians excelling his own a Soul may and ought to propound to himself the Lords separation of his Soul as only peculiar to himself as well as the Souls of those that so much excel him in Grace 2. A Soul may from thence propound to himself the Lords predestination of him to as full a a participation of the fulness of Christ as any of those that he sees excel him in Grace From thence the Soul may argue with God why should others have such a large spark of Grace from Christ when I am so empty and poor and have scarce any thing of Christ 3. A Soul may from hence find out this argument that the glory and honour of Jesus Christ as much depends upon his Soul as upon the Souls of other Christians that so far excel him in Grace 4. The Soul may from thence propound to himself a necessity of conformity between all the members of Jesus Christ and thereby awaken his Heart to strive for the height of perfection or Grace that he discerns in any Christian VIII And lastly the Soul may and ought to keep a constant view of the Graces of all other Christians within his sight with a constant reflection upon his own Heart so as to provoke him to Jealousie to a kind of Emulation least other Christians should magnifie and exalt the name of Jesus Christ by a sutable conversation more than he Thus you see how far it is lawful for any Christian to measure himself by other Christians by their Hearts and Lives their Graces and Duties The second thing to be opened is when a Soul measuring himself by other Christians becomes a dark sinful distemper or when a Soul measures himself too too much by other Christians so that by measuring himself by others he keeps himself from that blessed heavenly light that should shine into his Heart whereby he might receive satisfaction of his union with Christ There are four ways how this measuring a mans self by other Christians becomes a dark distemper I. When a man makes his conformity to the Graces and Duties of other Christians to be the ground of his Faith either in the first act of Faith in consenting to the blessed will of God revealed or else in the renewed exercise of Faith again upon any occasion That is thus when the Soul conceives himself to have good grounds to hope that the Lord is willing to accept his Soul into union with Christ when he sees the same holiness and activity of Spirit for God the same Heavenliness and Spirituality the same pretious Dispositions working in their strength in his Soul to God that he discerns to be in other Christians And on the contrary the Soul conceives himself to have no good ground to believe the Lords willingness to accept his loveless Soul in Christ when he discerns a great disproportion between his Heart and other Christians when he beholds his own Heart dead and other Christians lively his own Heart shut up and others inlarged in all their faculties towards God This distemper is both exceeding sinful and exceeding dark when it grows once to this 1. It is a proportioning the love of God towards poor loveless Souls according to the proportion of Grace and Holiness in that Soul Yea the Soul by this makes the Eternal unchangeable love of God to be alterable various and changeable according to the alterations and variations of Mans Heart 2. It is a vailing and eclipsing at least if not a nullifying the freedom of the Lords love in Christ to poor loveless despicable Souls It is a making the Lords love to depend upon the Graces and Holiness in Souls and to be conveyed into Souls upon that ground 3. It makes the Soul nullifie undervalue and wretchedly disparage all the pretious promises in Gods blessed Book The Soul makes those unchangeable Words of God insufficient to support and uphold a poor sinking troubled laden Soul and to satisfie it concerning Gods will to receive it into union with himself in the Lord Jesus 4. It is a departing from the pretious Springs of Consolation digged by the Omnipotent God for thirsty Souls and a choosing a poor empty dry brook II. When a Soul in making a just parallel between himself and others makes every defect that he beholds in the proportion of his own Graces and Duties to the Graces and Duties of other Christians to be a sufficient ground
the full salvation of Souls through his pleading The Father ordained him to be a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedek hence he as an high Priest is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him Then the Spirit reveals the things done by Christ in his intercession as a surety Two things there the Spirit reveals First That by Christs intercession as a surety for Souls there is a vertual continuation of the sacrifice of the Blood of Christ for the satisfaction of the Fathers Justice Now from thence the Spirit brings in full evidence for taking away all sin from every Soul that shall embrace Christ in regard the satisfaction is continued in the Fathers Eye Thence it is observable Heb. 8. comparing vers 2 3. with vers 12. That the Apostle from the meditation of the continued Priesthood of Jesus Christ ministring in Heaven doth conclude the firmness and stability of the new Covenant there mentioned in the latter end of the Chapter and concludes from thence Gods remembrance of sins and Iniquities no more Secondly The Spirit evidenceth that through Christs interceding as a surety there is a continual suing out of the benefit of the satisfaction of the Father by his death for sinful Souls according to their necessities Hence you may observe in 1 John 2.1 That the Apostle directs those believers that should sin to be acting of Faith upon Jesus Christ as he was a present advocate with the Father 4. The Spirit manifests to the Soul's Faith from that beam of light in the Gospel that the Lord hath everlastingly removed all sin from all that shall embrace him That the Lord Christ in his intercession with the Father for the perfect Salvation of those that shall embrace him doth plead for nothing but what the Father himself and of himself is as willing to give to those Souls as Jesus Christ is willing to ask it at his Fathers Hand Therefore in Isa 53.10 The whole work of Salvation that Jesus Christ was to accomplish for Souls is called nothing else but the Fathers pleasure The pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his Hands Now this the Spirit clears up convincingly and satisfyingly that the Father is altogether ready yea that the Fathers bowels do as much yern after the full Salvation of those that embrace the Lord Jesus as the bowels of Christ himself who is the Head of those Souls Now the Spirit may and doth sometimes evidence this parallel willingness of the Father in these three things First The Spirit clears it that an amity and oneness comprehends all kind of near relation in it and manifests that those that embrace Christ are admitted into unity with the Father himself to be one with the Father According to that in John 17.21 22. That they may be one as thou and I are one and that they may be one in us as thou Father art in me and I in thee Secondly The Spirit may evidence that the relation between the Father and Souls is the very foundation of all relation between Christ and those Souls And therefore there must needs be as great willingness in the Father to accept Christs pleading for perfect Salvation as there is in Christ to plead for it So that though Christ have those that embrace him ingraven as it were upon his Heart yet it was there ingraven by the Hand of his Fathers love John 17.6 Thine they were and thou gavest them me They were made mine because they were first thine Thirdly The Spirit may manifest here that the willingness of Christ to plead for them proceeds from the willingness of the Father that he should so plead that he should become an intercessor Christ in all his pleadings is but a Priest which Priesthood is but an office to which God the Father had ordained him Heb. 5.5 The Spirit evidenceth that Christ in his intercession with the Father for the perfect Salvation of those Souls that shall embrace him pleads for nothing but what he hath power to command to be effected As in Psal 2.6 7. He hath set his King upon the holy hill that is as he that God the Father hath appointed in his own stead and room as Mediator to dispence all things communicable to dispose of all according to his will only God the Father will be acknowledged as a Father to him and he to be a Son therefore the Lord saith in the next verse Ask of me and I will give thee it shall be by intercession yet John 5.22 All judgment is committed to the Son still and he hath the power and command of all Therefore you shall read John 17.24 in that prayer that is the pattern of his intercession in Heaven for Souls he prays thus Father I will that those that thou hast given me be with me he prays as it were in a commanding way Second beam of Divine Light There is a Second beam of the same Spiritual Heavenly light that the Spirit doth necessarily also cause to shine resplendently before the enlightned Souls Eye before Faith can receive such full assurance as to work by way of fulness of confidence and assurance and that 's this The Spirit doth evidence from the Gospel or from the promise The Lord Christs unquestionable willingness to embrace every poor lost sinner that is willing to embrace him Indeed the Lord Christ doth primarily embrace lost sinners into the bosom of his love and joyns them everlastingly to himself yea and compleats the relative union between himself and their Souls whilst they are meer patients altogether under an impossibility of any such Spiritual action or so much as any concurrence with the Lord Jesus in the compleating of the relative union But this union remains invisible till by the vertue of this passive or this relative union the dead Soul is inabled by actual believing actively to close in union with the Lord Jesus and to embrace him to be one with him And therefore to the least degree of the knowledge of a Souls union with Christ of necessity the Spirit must present the Lord Christ with his pretious everlasting arms of love to embrace such loveless sinners as will embrace him that thereby the Soul may be satisfied concerning the object that he believeth and may close with the Lord Christ propounded and make application of that union tendred in the Lord Jesus with himself Now for the Spirit evidencing this to the Soul satisfyingly and to make the Soul in believing to triumph the Spirit is wont to evidence divers particulars 1. The Spirit is wont to evidence the consent and agreement of the blessed Trinity from all eternity in that glorious design of the Lord Jesus entertaining every lost despicable sinner that will embrace him I. The Spirit reveals the consent of God the Father to that glorious design and that in divers particulars 1. In that God the Father imposed a command upon the Lord Jesus to embrace every such despicable lost
and the same essence and so the same essential glory with himself should take upon him that frail vile despicable nature of Man 2. In regard the Father deprived himself for a season of his highest delight his most infinite contentment for the effecting those Gospel mercies The Fathers delight is in Communion and the higher degree of Communion the higher is the delight of God Therefore it is said Prov. 8.31 That he delights in the habitable parts of the Earth and with the Sons of Men that is because there are Creatures capable of Communion with God there are empty Vessels that he may be pouring out of his transcendent fulness into Now God deprived himself of his own highest delight in withdrawing the communications of himself from that his dearly beloved Son that he was forced to complain My God my God why hast thou forsaken me 3. It cost the Father the very death yea the accursed death of the most dearly beloved of his Soul the Lord Jesus He delivered him up to death for us saith the Apostle Yea it cost the Father the suffering the execution of his full wrath and indignation upon the dearly beloved of his Soul Secondly It must be opened that the Father was at the highest cost and charge in effecting that mercy for Souls that shall embrace the Lord Christ tendered on purpose to make it the surer to Souls apprehensions to give them the fuller security of all that the Gospel discovers This will appear in three things I. In regard there was no absolute necessity in respect of God himself to effect that which the Gospel discovers for Souls embracing Christ in that way at such high cost and charge to himself That will appear in two things 1. In regard there was a fulness of power in the Lords mercy to give absolute pardon unto sinners irrespectively to satisfaction The Lord being the high Soveraign of Heaven and Earth whose sole incommunicable property is that his will is the original of all Law the original of the being of all goodness he hath an absolute power in his own mercy to have given an absolute pardon to every transgression committed against his own Law The Lords Will being the only rule that he walks by and that Will of his being altogether independent hath a power within it self to have given an absolute pardon to every transgression against his Will 2. In regard the Lord in the effecting of the love and mercy that the Gospel discovers to Souls did not proceed according to the exactest rule of Justice Do not mistake me I mean not according to the height and rigor of Justice as Justice which of necessity must have been had the Lord been bound to his Justice to proceed that way That appears in two things First The highest exact rule of Justice admits of no surety in capital Crimes It requires the individual person to be the sufferer of the evil threatned for the breach of the Law that was the transgressor of the Law The voice of exact Justice was only in this wise The Soul that sinneth shall die without any admission of any Surety Now it is apparent that the Lord himself in the bringing about or effecting the Love and Mercy that the Gospel discovers unto Souls he propounds this way to admit of a Surety Those that were the offenders of Justice were not sufferers under Justice but another steps in and bears the stroke of Justice that in regard of his own personal transgression was not guilty of the breach of the Law or of the Offence against Justice Secondly Were it possible for exact Justice to admit a Surety yet not possible for exact Justice to find out a Surety working still as Justice Justice never looks further than the Transgressor himself to exact Justice upon unless it be to lay the merit and desert of the transgressor in some degree upon all that have dependance upon him Never came a thought into Justice as Justice of remitting the least degree of punishment of the Transgressor yet you see in the way that he proceeds he casts about in his own thoughts to find out one sufficient to bear all the burden of wrath and indignation that is due to Transgressors themselves The Lord in his design of glorifying his Justice in effecting Love and Mercy for Souls discovered in the Gospel he proceeds only according to Love it self yea according to nothing else but Love in respect of Souls it being an act of simple absolute pure Love to impute the transgression of the poor guilty Spirit to the spotless Lamb the Lord Jesus as if he had been to have pardoned those Transgressors and to have delivered them clearly from Sin without the imputation of those Transgressions to another Therefore observe the whole Work of Salvation though contrived by the infinite Wisdom of God that Mercy and Justice might meet together and kiss each other it is attributed to Love alone Eph. 2.5 By Grace or Love ye are saved So Tit. 3.4 5. Not by Works of Righteousness which we have done but according to his Mercy he saved us Still the whole Work is attributed to the Fathers Love 2. There was no absolute necessity of Gods being at that cost and charge to procure Love and Mercy for Souls that would embrace him in respect of the Souls themselves that were to be partakers of it That will appear in two things 1. In regard Souls partaking of that Love and Mercy that the Gospel discovers were not the Objects of that Love and Mercy primarily by that cost and charge that the Lord was at in the Death of Christ to effect that Love and Mercy If you observe the whole Current of the Scripture it runs thus God so loved the World that he gave Christ To us a Child is born to us a Son is given So that Christ being a Gift of Love unto the Soul it could not be that they should be made objects of Love primarily by that Gift that is originally in the first place Christ was therefore given because they were first beloved not they beloved because Christ given seeing the Love of God was fixed upon all its peculiar objects that ever it should be fixed upon in that Gift and then Christ himself came forth as a Gift of that fixed Love it could not be that they should be primarily made objects of Love by the Lords effecting that Love and Mercy for them through his great Cost of giving the dearly beloved of his Soul for them 2. Those Souls that shall embrace Christ tendered in the Gospel were the Objects of that Gospel-Love and Mercy discovered in order of nature before the Lords intention to effect that Gospel-Love and Mercy for them by that his own cost in giving his own Son The Lord Christ is discovered as the Means by which God brings about the conveyance of his Love unto his beloved ones and the End is discovered in the Gospel to be the Glory of his own Love
be rendred thus forgiving Iniquity Transgression and Sin and in purifying he will not purifie or in absolving will not absolve not mentioning either wicked ones or guilty ones or any person whatever For indeed it seems to be a kind of contradiction should the words run thus The Lord forgiving Iniquity Transgression and Sin and will by no means clear the guilty therefore I shall hold to the words as they may be most nearly rendred that is forgiving sin and cleansing from sin he will not cleanse visiting the Iniquitie of the Fathers upon the Children And then if you observe this title of the Lords Honour is only thus much That he is the Lord forgiving Iniquity Transgression and Sin and upon whom he will visiting the Iniquities of the Fathers upon the Children including thus much that the Lord doth and will exercise his Mercy his Grace his long-suffering and his abundant goodness unto Souls only upon the motions of his own will upon no other ground but because he will and to no other persons upon no other respect but only to those whom himself freely will And then that includes the last Beam of the Gospel-light after all the other formerly discovered which indeed is the very Mystery of the Gospel it self and that is that all those Gospel-dispensations are only to those persons whom the Lord will and upon no other ground but the Lords Will though they be so tendered to every loveless Soul in general that will embrace him So that thus now you see the first thing cleared That all Gospel-discoveries are at least virtually included in the Lords own Name Secondly It must be cleared That the Soul may behold by believing the Credit and Honour of this blessed Name of God engaged for his security and for the fuller assurance of the Soul of all that the Gospel discovers to it This may be opened two wayes 1. In general 2. More particularly discovering the particular security the Soul may have against all fears and scruples that is possible for the Soul to apprehend in its security First In general it appears That the Soul may behold the Credit of the Lords Name engaged for his security and assurance in regard there is nothing that the Gospel discovers unto Souls but the same is included in the blessed Name of God Two things follow from hence 1. The Soul may be assured that there is an impossibility of the Lords changing that his ever blessed Name The Word is gone out of the mouth of God that that 's his Name for ever and that is his Memorial to all Generations Thence the Soul may assure it self that though Heaven and Earth pass away and melt like wax yet not one Title of what the Gospel discovers can possibly fall to the ground seeing it is impossible that the highest Majesty of Heaven and Earth can change 2. From thence the Soul may conclude That thete is a Necessity for the blessed God to deny himself and to trample under his feet his dearest Glory if the least Title of whatever the Gospel reveals should fail seeing all is included in his Name for ever Secondly The Soul may behold through believing the Credit of the Lords Name to be engaged for his security of what the Gospel discovers in particular against all fears and scruples 1. The Credit and Honour of the Lords Name is engaged That there can be no depth of misery so deep as relief and succour should not be in Christ for the poor perishing sinking Soul That 's the very first Title of the Lords Honour that concurs to make up his Name He is merciful that is he hath bowels of mercy for Souls in the depth of the greatest misery Thence the Soul may conclude that the honour of that blessed Title of the Lords Name must fail that Link in the Golden Chain must be cut asunder should the most unspeakable depth of misery that ever Soul was plunged in be a case hopeless or helpless 2. The Credit and Honour of the Lords ever blessed Mame is engaged that there may be a free receiving of the most loveless Soul into love and favour that hath nothing but what is abominable to the blessed pure eyes of God within him You see the second Title of his Honour is The Lord Gracious that is receiving into favour freely undeserving wretches undesired wretches without respect to any thing in them So that when the poor scrupulous Soul shall begin to fear that there is not ground enough in the Gospel of Jesus Christ for him to roll himself into that blessed open bosom of the Lords love in Christ with a confidence of the willingness of the Lord to accept his loveless Soul into favour then he may behold the Credit and Honour of his Name to be engaged for the Souls security to assure it that the most forlorn Soul that is nothing else but Sin that can do nothing else but sin may be freely admitted into that bosom of his love to be an object of all favour and all kindness whatsoever 3. The Credit and Honour of the Lords blessed Name is engaged for the bearing with the most crooked Soul in his crookedness for a season and his waiting to receive the most crooked Soul into favour and love The Name of the Lord you see is Long-suffering that is he that bears long before he executes any wrath Hence the Credit of the Lords Name is engaged to secure Souls of what the Gospel reveals in three particulars 1. To secure the Sinner of acceptance into favour that hath most desperately and rebelliously for a long time neglected Grace and Mercy 2. Hence the Credit of the Lords Name is engaged for the continuance of his Favour towards the most crooked perverse heart notwithstanding his crookedness So that the Gospel reveals an impossibility for Sin or all the Powers of Hell to force the Soul from the blessed bosom of the Lords love in Christ where it hath once taken up its rest 4. The Credit of the Lords Name is engaged to secure the empty Soul of all fulness of Grace and Mercy that is sutable to his necessity to be contained in the bosom of God in Christ for the Soul embracing him The Gospel saith Eph. 3.8 there is unsearchable riches in Christ and the Lord calls his Name Abundant in goodness what is the difference between these two Riches is nothing but goodness or good things considered as they are in abundance and you see the Lords Name is called Abundant in goodness So that here the Credit of the Lords Name is engaged to secure the Soul against all that can possibly be objected in regard of his own emptiness poverty and nothingness So that 1. In case the Soul fears it hath no strength to yield obedience to what the Lord commands and thereupon begins to fear that all the Gospel discovers to him shall be made of no effect presently through believing the Soul may behold not only that the Gospel hath
be polluted in the most superlative degree The Soul may argue within its own Spirit thus Seeing every Soul that will embrace Gospel-discoveries is chosen to be one of the Lords Houshold his own Family surely the Lords Family shall be all sutable to himself 3. Thence the Soul may discern the Lord to be engaged to communicate all sutable love and mercy to his poor needy Spirit The Soul may say within it self Seeing every Soul that shall embrace or accept Gospel-discoveries is chosen to be one of the Lords Family surely there can be no provision wanting for the Family of God himself 4. Hence the Soul may discern through believing God to be engaged to accomplish perfect and compleat the whole work of Salvation against all impediments whatever if his Soul will embrace those Gospel-discoveries The Soul may say within it self Seeing every Soul that will embrace the Gospel-discoveries is chosen to be of the Family and Houshold of God it is beyond the power of Hell and the corrupt heart to deprive the Lord of any of his own Family 2. A Second Engagement that is laid upon God in respect of himself to fulfil Gospel-discoveries unto loveless Sinners embracing him is That every particular despicable Sinner accepting Gospel-discoveries is chosen by God himself to be one of his peculiar Children According to that in John 1.12 As many as received him to them gave he power to become the Sons of God They are called Christs Brethren John 20.17 Now what full compleat Security may every Soul through believing receive from thence And here first I shall open to you what full Security Souls may have for the fulfilling every Gospel-discovery to them Secondly What security they may have of these Gospel-discoveries being fulfilled to them in every case that it is possible for them to be in when the Gospel-discovery shall come to them First We shall shew you what security Souls may have for the fulfilling every Gospel-discovery to them from the Engagement 1. From hence the Soul through believing may discern the Lord to be engaged to accept every forlorn Sinner that will accept these Gospel-discoveries into the nearest union and conjunction of Love that is possible 2. Hence it may behold the Lord engaged to receive its forlorn Soul into that near union of Love though there is nothing that is amiable in it 3. Hence it may behold the Lord engaged to communicate all fulness of love and mercy that the poor empty Soul shall be capable of if it will accept these Gospel-discoveries If the Soul be chosen to be one of the Lords Children it is chosen to be an Heir Rom. 8.17 4. The Soul may behold the Lord engaged to an everlasting unchangeable continuance of all love and favour to it in its embracing these Gospel-discoveries Secondly Hence the Soul may have a fulness of Security for the fulfilling those precious Gospel-discoveries to it in whatever case it is possible for any Soul to be in to whom these Gospel-discoveries come 1. In case of desperate wickedness and great unworthiness In this case the Soul may have Security and behold the Lord engaged in respect 〈◊〉 himself to fulfil those Gospel-discoveries to it notwithstanding his superlative degree of wickedness and highest unworthiness The Soul may argue thus Will not a tender-hearted Father accept a poor rebellious Child to Amity Love and Agreement with himself though he have been rebellious in the highest degree 2. In the case of the most horrible Temptations The worst the Soul can imagine of it self in this case is this That through some accursed wickedness it should wilfully cast away its own Soul and join in League and Amity with those infernal powers and suppose this yet from hence the Soul may discern the Lord engaged to fulfil all his Gospel-discoveries of love and mercy to his particular Soul in this case if he will accept those Gopel-discoveries 3. Hence it may have Security in the saddest damps straitness and deadness and indisposedness that ever possessed any Soul in Prayer The Soul may say Suppose a tender-hearted Father should have a beloved Child that is sick and distempered that he cannot so much as speak to him for succour but look upon his Fathers face with watery eyes with sighs and groans what thinkest thou O my Soul would not the dearest pangs of compassion in the Father be working towards the Child 4. Hence the Soul may have full Security for fulfilling Gospel-discoveries into his bosom though he be in that doleful state of captivity to an unbelieving heart void of all sensible visible dispositions in his Spirit The Soul in this case may and ought to argue within it self thus O my Soul it is true indeed thou hast neither power nor disposition in thee to yield obedience to the precious Command of the ever blessed God who commands thee to accept of love and mercy tendered to thy loveless Soul in the Lord Jesus but dost thou think it possible that thy want of power to believe should prevent the Lords acceptance of thee into the bosom of his fatherly affection Yea I may add more in this case from this engagement of God to fulfil Gospel-discoveries the Soul may behold him engaged to contribute believing dispositions 5. The Soul may have full Security concerning the fulfilling the Gospel-discoveries to it self though it be in the case of slavery and vassallage to the most crooked untoward perverse heart that ever dwelt in any Son or Daughter of Adam It may thus say O my Soul is it possible for thy crookedness to have an influence upon the heart of the immutable unchangeable God to blot out the Name that is written there from eternity if thou wilt accept Gospel-Discoveries 6. The Soul from hence hath full security of the fulfilling all Gospel-discoveries into his bosom though it be in the saddest backsliding case from what his Spirit was once allured to that ever any was guilty of since the first Apostacy from God in the Loins of Adam Now may it say O my backsliding Soul hath not the blessed Redeemer of poor loveless Sinners said in Luke 15. That the Blessed Father will run to receive such a backsliding wretch as thou art He will fall on his neck and kiss him and call to the Angels to rejoyce at his Return And then may the Soul add and shall not he that dwelt in the bosom of the Father from eternity be credited by thy Soul 3. A third Engagement upon God the Spirit may or doth remember the Soul of is That every Soul that will and shall embrace the precious Gospel-discoveries is chosen from eternity into the Order of Royal Priesthood whereof Jesus Christ himself is Head or High Priest Thence we are said to be Kings and Priests unto God Rev. 16. And to be a Royal Priesthood 1 Pet. 2.9 Now from hence the Soul through believing may discern God engaged to fulfill to the uttermost all the precious Gospel-discoveries to every Soul that shall accept
when he looks out of his own bosom it must arise only from that mystical Body and so consequently the mystical Body being looked upon but as one with one single Eye every Soul in that mystical Body may in the same sence be said to be the object of all the delight of God 4. Every such Soul as shall and will accept Gospel-discoveries is the peculiar object of all the delights and contentments of God that he takes from the contemplation of the result of the mystical workings of his own wisdom in the disposing of all things from the creation of the World to its final dissolution It is the property of God to reflect as it were upon the workings of his own attributes as he did upon the whole world when he had made it to behold how good it was that he might delight himself in beholding the workings of his own excellency Now the Lord only beholds the result of the admirable workings of all his attributes in that mystical Body of Christ And so consequently the mystical Body only is the object of his delight that he takes in the result and issue and consequence of the working of all his attributes Now the Spirit may and doth reveal from hence that there are firm engagements laid upon God himself to fulfil whatever the Gospel discovers to every Soul that shall embrace him I. Hence God is engaged by his express Love to the content and satisfaction of his Soul to let out his Love in the most absolute compleat perfect divine unspeakable workings of it to every loveless sinner that doth embrace and accept Gospel-discoveries So that from hence consequently the Lord stands engaged First To let out his love to work freely with out motive incentive or argument inclining his love to work towards every such Soul embracing Gospel Discoveries The freedom of the working of his love towards souls is one of the Divine Glorious Perfections of love and should that be wanting some degree of the Lords own delight and contentment that he hath resolved to receive from every such soul to himself must also be wanting Secondly Thence the Lord stands engaged to let out his love wonderfully beyond the comprehension of Men and Angels Thirdly Thence he is engaged to let out the Discoveries of his love to such souls as shall embrace Gospel Discoveries fully and compleatly to the satisfaction of the soul Fourthly From hence also the Lord is engaged to let out his love to work infinitely without measure to every soul that shall embrace these Gospel Discoveries The love of God is but God himself and therefore works not according to its perfection till it works infinitely Now from hence 1. Here is full security that the spirit may give any doubting Soul concerning the fulfilling of the Gospel Discoveries into his bosom in his embracing of it when the soul doth doubt because of the indisposedness of his spirit to any duty that the Lord requires of him and because of his inability to those duties 2. Hence the spirit may give full security to the Wavering Unstable soul who stands trembling least he should presume in casting his Forlorn Loveless soul into those everlasting arms of Love because of the abominable Perverseness and Crookedness of his Heart against God in all things 3. Hence the Spirit may give security to any wavering Soul whose hands as it were shake and quiver and dare not with any confidence grasp the blessed tender of Union and Communion with the Lord through Christ because of his wretched abuse of the precious working of the Lords love towards him in Christ already II. Hence also the spirit may reveal the Lord to be engaged by the same dearest love to his own delight and satisfaction to dispose every soul that shall embrace Gospel Discoveries into a capacity for the injoyment of neerest most absolute intire Communion with himself Under this particular the Spirit may reveal the Lord to be engaged to these three things 1. To remove all the opposition unto Communion with him that remains in any heart to Suppress Overpower yea to Heal all the Crookedness and all the Averseness of any Heart embracing Gospel Discoveries 2. Hence the spirit may reveal the Lord to be engaged to infuse into the Soul such Dispositions as shall be fully compleatly sutable to his own nature so as to make so blessed a concurrence between his own purest nature and the Souls Corrupt nature as that there should be nothing in the nature of God himself opposite to the Souls Disposition nor nothing in the Souls Disposition or nature opposite unto God 3. In this the Spirit may reveal the Lord to be engaged to heighten or elevate and enlarge the faculties of the Soul that are to receive those Communications and Influences from God Now what abundant security may the Spirit give to any soul that trembles to embrace Gospel Discoveries against fears 1. What security may the Spirit give to Souls fearing to give credit to those Gospel Discoveries because of the Averseness and Contrariety of their Spirits unto Communion with God! Hence the Spirit may say to every Soul without exception that shall embrace Gospel Discoveries it is a chosen object of the highest eternal delight of God in the Communication of his goodness 2. Hence the Spirit may give full security unto the Soul against all fears because of the Unstableness and Fickleness of his Heart in any degree of Communion once attained 3. Hence the spirit may give security fearing that the Gospel Discoveries may not be Grasped and Embraced by the soul because of the Straitness and Narrowness of his Heart void of all Thirstings and Longings yea of all Desires The Spirit may hence declare the Lord to be engaged by his love to the pleasure of his own Soul to enlarge every such Heart to a kind of infinite Capacity for Communion III. Thence the Lord is engaged by his infinite Valuation and Estimation of the delightful Contemplation of his own Transcendent Excellencies as they sparkle forth from the creatures to effect the neerest most intire Union of likeness that is possible between himself and every such Sinner that shall embrace Gospel Discoveries The Lord stands engaged by this to make every such Soul a Partaker of his own spotless Purity and Holiness yea to make it Participate of his Divine Nature of his own life so as the same life that dwells in himself and that himself lives by should also dwell in every such Sinful Soul embracing those Gospel Discoveries Nay the Engagement is so Invincible that if the Lord should not Communicate the highest degree of his Communicable Perfection to every such Loveless Forlorn Sinner as shall and will embrace Gospel Discoveries he should bereave himself of that sweetest Pleasure and Contentment that his Soul takes in the Contemplation of the Beams of his own Glory seeing every such Soul is the chosen object in whom the Lord determins from eternity to delight himself by the
agent an outward agent upon the Soul in the first act of Believing and then take up its Habitation in the Soul through the Souls Believing in the Lord Jesus But reason it self is sufficient Confutation of those Imaginations Reason will tell us of an Impossibility of a man meerly Unregenerate to put forth an act meerly Spiritual Reason will tell us an Habit or Disposition must go before there be an act a Tree there must be before there can be fruit And then also the Spirits Sealing of the Believing Soul being declared to follow at least in order of nature the Souls Believing it cannot be that by the Spirits Sealing spoken of in these Scriptures should be meant the Infusion of the Spirits Graces into the Soul it must be something besides the Graces Infused II. All kind of Holy Habits or Dispositions that are Infused into any one Believing Soul are Infused in order of nature before the Souls Believing Now if the Spirits Sealing were only the Infusion of the Spirits Grace then every Believing Soul should have the same Seal of the Spirit whereas experience brings Testimony enough to the contrary III. The Spirits Sealing mentioned in those former Scriptures is Attributed in a particular manner to the person of the Spirit The Spirit it self beareth Witness with our Spirits It doth not say only the Spirit which might have been meant the Graces of the spirit but the spirit it self even by a personal act the spirit attests to us that we are the Sons of God So it is also in Eph. 1.13 14. In whom also after ye Believed ye were Sealed with the Holy Spirit of Promise which is the earnest of our Inheritance It is Translated Which but it is most agreeable to the Original to say Who is the earnest of our Inheritance The relative being in the person of the spirit not the Gifts of the spirit So that it stands as an Undoubted Truth that the Lord doth add unto Believing souls for their abundant Consolation even a Witness from his own Blessed spirit of their admittance into Union and Communion with the Lord Jesus in their cleaving to him besides all those other Blessed necessary works of the Blessed spirit upon their souls Now I must further Observe that this Attestation of the spirit doth not pertain peculiarly and solely unto Faith as having reference unto Faith only and to the begetting of assurance of Faith But by Divine Appointment this Witness of the spirit pertains also to sense to spiritual sense or spiritual Knowledge and doth beget assurance of Sence and Feeling as well as it begets assurance of Faith Yet there is such a sweet Mixture in this Blessed work of the Spirits Attestation that it doth at one and the same time raise the soul to assurance of Faith and Assurance of Sense and Feeling And indeed such is the nature of the spirits Attestation that it never bears Witness to the souls Faith in any measure of clearness that the soul in its Cleaving to the Lord Jesus shall be admitted into Union and Communion with Christ but the spirit bears Witness at the same time to the souls sence that it is actually admitted into Union and Communion with Christ Yet because we are speaking at present of the manner how the spirit doth first reveal to the souls Faith certainly and infallibly his Union with Christ and so assure the souls Faith of Union we must first speak of the spirits Attestation unto the soul in reference unto Faith Though we must also for opening the full work of Attestation open the manner of the spirits Attesting to the souls Sence and Feeling For the opening the first the spirits Attestation in Reference unto the souls Faith to assure Faith of its Union The Spirits Attestation unto Faith I shall open to you two things First Those Respects in which the Lord doth appoint the spirits Attestation to be added to all the former works as a Redundancy of his Mercy and Love to the Despicable soul Secondly We shall open what the spirits Attestation to the souls Faith is For the first There are four or five Respects why the Lord adds this work of Attestation to the souls Faith after he hath perswaded the soul to believe thus powerfully with Confidence I. In respect of the Multitude of fears that remain in the Believing Soul after the clearest Evidence of the Gospel unto the soul and the most full perswasion of the soul by the spirit to Believe There are three kinds of fears that still remain in some degree both in the Seed of them and in the Fruit of them though none of them remain in their absolute Dominion 1. There is both the Seed and Fruit of Slavish Fear Though through the Mighty Exciting Power of the spirit following the spirits Irradiation and Manifestation of the Gospel to the soul it is raised to a fulness of Confidence of the Lords Acceptance of his soul into Union and Communion with the Lord Jesus in his Cleaving to him yet there is not a perfection of Confidence And it is only perfect Confidence that begets perfect love and only perfect Love that casts out Slavish Fear 2. There is a pure natural fear that still remains The matter of Believing is of such high concernment that the very remembrance of it strikes the soul with some natural fear It is the venturing the pretious Immortal soul for Eternity and unless there were a Perfection of Confidence a soul cannot be void of fear 3. There is a Spiritual Holy fear that remains also in the Believing soul after the strength of Believing The souls Vision of Union and Communion with Christ Inflames the Believing Souls Heart with Love unto Union and Communion And proportionable to the degree of the Souls Love so is the Souls fear That is to say the Soul fears the loss of Union and Communion in the same degree wherein he loves Union and Communion and this fear is exceeding prone to go beyond its Bounds and to suspect the loss of it where there is no cause of Suspition II. The Lord adds this Attesting work of the spirit to souls In regard there is a natural Distrust that in some degree remains in every Believing soul though raised to a fulness of Confidence There is not only an Indisposition naturally in the soul to give Credit to the Blessed Word of the Majesty of Heaven by reason of its Inability fully to comprehend the reason of the Lords fulfilling such a Word into his Bosom But also there is a natural Disposition in dwelling in every soul that Inclines the Heart strongly to give the Blessed Majesty of Heaven the Lye to distrust that Blessed Record that the Lord bears of his own Son III. There is a Holy Jealousie that possesseth every Believing Soul least his Corrupt Deceitful Heart should Delude him Every Believing soul is so conscious to himself of a Multiplicity and Variety of Couzening Deluding Tricks that his Corrupt Heart hath put upon
his Union with Christ without sufficient ground from the Lords Blessed Word Now the soul apprehending the danger of Miscarrying is filled with Fear yea prone to fear where no cause of fear is Every thing makes a man already in fear to be more afraid Fear clouds the Understanding with Darkness and maketh every thing seem black and dreadful So that thence believing souls are sutable Objects for the Devil to work upon by that Perswasion that the Evidence of their Union is a Delusion V. Every believing soul doth prie and search into the Rottenness and Unsoundness and Hypocrisy of his own Heart and discerns some degree both of Unsoundness and Rottenness and Hypocrisy And thence it is that the Devil Imploys his Power against the believing soul in regard he hath a foundation whereupon to build his cursed suggestions that the soul is deluded Now on the contrary the depth of the Devils policie is employed to perswade unbelieving souls of their certain reconciliation with God in Christ upon these grounds I. Because self-flattery hath a high Throne erected in every unbelievers heart There is a cursed Principle of self-self-love that naturally possesses every heart and from thence proceeds this wretched principle of self-flattery a powerful inclination to speak pleasing things to our own souls Now from the power of self flattery in unbelievers hearts 1. There proceeds an inward aversion or turning their hearts away from all fears and doubts of their own acceptation of God in Christ It is a Thorn in their sides and a Thistle in their Eyes that the Spirit of God should but cast in a doubt whether they be joyned to the Lord in Christ or be still in the state of nature 2. From the power of self-flattery proceeds also an indisposition in every unbelievers heart to examine the ground whereupon he builds his confidence and hope of his union with Christ 3. From the power of this self-flattering proceeds also a readiness in the heart to give credit to all vain hopes and cursed suggestions from Hell to his unbelieving soul Now in regard of the strength of self-flattering in unbelieving souls as it is backed with these three attendants the depth and policie of Hell is employed to perswade unbelieving Souls that they are unquestionably accepted of God in Christ and shall everlastingly be saved by him II. The depth of the policie of Hell is concerning unbelieving souls to delude them with false hopes of their union with Christ in regard there is a dreadful spiritual blindness fallen upon every unbelieving soul whereby the Prince of darkness hath his advantage to lead the blind soul to those cursed paths of darkness First There is a privative blindness fallen upon unbelieving souls Secondly A positive blindness First There is a privative blindness that is various Privative blindness I. There is an inability in the unbelieving Soul to discern the nature of the caelestial mystery of a Souls union with the Lord Jesus All the things of God are but dark to a Soul who is under the power of the Prince of darkness 2 Cor. 4.4 The God of the World hath blinded the minds of them that believe not And 1 Cor. 2.14 The natural Man cannot discern the things of God because they are spiritually discerned But there is a more peculiar blindness upon an unbelieving soul in the mystery of the Souls union with Christ than in most of the things of God besides because the mystery of union with Christ hath supernaturalness in it and is more contrary to carnal reason Thence it is no great difficulty to perswade the soul that a false groundless qualification is the true believing act that the spirit of God requires that this blind confidence is that strength of assurance that the Lord commands the soul to receive through faith II. There is such a privative blindness in an unbelieving soul that there is an inability an insufficiency to discern in any degree the infinite transcendent excellency of their souls union with Christ The most Eagle-eyed carnalist that ever proceeded from the loyns of Adam the most accurate disputant the most deep sighted politician never saw the least glimpse of the transcendent excellency of a divine union with the Lord Jesus likewise the multltude of unbelievers they conceive of union with Christ in a carnal way apprehending that it should save them from torment and that it should bring them to some kind of joy they know not what nor how Now thence the depth of Satans policie is active in perswading their souls that they are certainly one of Christs III. There is such a privative blindness in unbelieving souls as disenables them to conceive of the infinite danger of the loss of union The multitude of unbelieving souls apprehend nothing but some restless torment that will seize upon them in case they fail of union with God in Christ Now from their ignorance of the danger of the loss of union thence it is that their thoughts are little taken up about their union IV. Such a privative blindness is fallen upon unbelieving souls that there is an inability in their souls to discern the matter and ground of suspition that the Lord should not receive their souls into union with Christ The souls enmity against God and the nature of the enmity is the ground whereupon suspitions are built that the Lord will not accept their souls into union with the Lord Jesus Now unbelieving souls discern not that enmity wherewith their hearts are filled gainst the blessed majesty of Heaven Thence the policie of Hell is employed to perswade them that they are certainly joyned unto the Lord Jesus V. There is such a privative blindness fallen upon unbelieving souls as that there is an utter inability in them to discern the ground and occasion of suspition that their hopes of union with the Lord Jesus are delusions Commonly the experience of that wretched guile and deceitfulness of the corrupt treacherous false heart is the original of those suspitions that their union is but a delusion This unbelievers cannot discern and thence it is that the depth of the policie of Hell work against unbelieving souls in perswading them of their certain union with the Lord Jesus when as they are utterly strangers to him Positive blindness Secondly There is a positive blindness also That is a multitude of false Principles and notions of darkness doctrine of Devils possess the minds of every unbelieving soul commonly unbelievers minds are possessed with wretched Principles that surely God will damn none of those whom himself created Or with that Principle that if Men do what they can surely God will accept them the Lord will take the will for the deed Or else that Principle that such strictness severity and austerity of life such a height of holiness constantly in all their ways is not required of God men may be saved without such strictness of holiness Now from this positive darkness there is some suitableness in
very fallacy whereby the Devil deceived those poor foolish Virgins Mat. 25.8 9 10. They had Lamps like unto the Lamps of the wise Virgins they had a profession agreeable and suitable unto the profession of sincere Christians and thence they never imagined but their estate was sure enough till they felt by dreadful experience that the Lord abhorred such a heartless formal external profession as theirs was 6. The Devil suggests to other Souls their change and alteration from what they were formerly and thence insinuates into them their spiritual safety their reconciliation with God in Christ This the Devil did suggest in some degree to Herod Mark 6.20 That his hearing John Baptist gladly and his reforming many things was a certain ground of the goodness of his own estate 7. The Devil may and doth suggest to some other Souls the death of the Lord Jesus though generally brokenly and confusedly and from thence he deceivingly insinuates into many souls their certain and infallible union with Christ when the high Wall of enmity stands between Christ and them There is much difference between the blessed Spirits insinuation of the death of Christ brought to remembrance that a Soul shall be admitted to the Lord Jesus and this insinuation that thâ—n proceeds from the Prince of darkness 1. The Devils suggestion of the death of Christ unto Souls whom he intends to delude with false hopes of union with Christ it is only in a general notion and apprehension of it It is a constant maxim Dolus latet in universalibus that deceit lies under universals and generals Therefore the great Master of deceit chiefly endeavours to keep his poor deluded souls in general notions of all the truths of the Gospel of Jesus Christ Though the Devil suggests the death of Christ unto some understandings and minds whom he intends to delude yet he avoids the suggestion of it in any particular manner He brings to the souls remembrance that Jesus Christ died for sinners but he hides as much as possible the quality of sinners for whom Jesus Christ died I mean the quality that is intended by the Lord from eternity to be effected in those sinners to whom the death of Jesus Christ is and shall be applied Commonly the notion is so universal they rather think Jesus Christ died for all sinners whereas the spirit in suggesting the death of Christ to any soul suggests it particularly to be for every unlovely sinner who shall receive and accept of the vertue and efficacy of his death as it is tendered to them so that by its suggesting the death of Christ it begets a holy confidence in the soul of the truth and faithfulness of Jesus Christ according to the tender of his death to make up union and communion between God and his Soul and so indeed that very act gives the soul evidence to his faith of his admission into union 2. The Devil presents the death of Christ brokenly at peecemeals It may be he minds the Soul that Christ died for sinners but he brings not one of the precious heart-breaking invitations of Jesus Christ inviting his forlorn despicable soul to partake of union and communion with the Father by the vertue of his death Whereas the blessed spirit brings the death of Jesus Christ to remembrance in a most sweet pretious orderly and distinct way It presents not only the death it self but it presents the person to whom it is offered the sweet heart-breaking invitations to that particular soul to accept that tender 3. The Devil suggests the death of Christ darkly with as much obscurity as it is possible The Devil studies obscurity in the presenting the death of Christ to his deluded souls that he might hide and vail that precious heart ravishing love that would shine forth by a clear view of the death of Christ to any loveless sinner Yea he suggests the death of Jesus Christ to the sinful soul so darkly that the very end of the death of Christ shall not come to the souls remembrance they shall never have a thought that the death of Jesus Christ was on purpose to bring their cursed rebellious hearts and God into a state of amity and love again Should the least spark of this Heavenly light break forth in his suggesting the death of Christ their own Consciences would soon pass the sentence of condemnation upon themselves and positively declare them to be farr from any right or possession or interest in the death of Christ 4. The Devil suggests the death of Christ confusedly in a distracted disorderly manner so as the soule whom he intends to delude shall have no kind of distinct orderly knowledge of the death of Christ He suggests immediately the death of Jesus Christ for them and perswades them with all his power that Jesus Christ died for them in the first place without any reference to any ground whereupon the Soul should build that perswasion Thence it is that the multitude of your poor deluded souls will tell you immediately they believe but they know not what they believe they know no other notion of faith than to believe that Jesus Christ died for them II. The second act of power that the Devil exerciseth upon the minds and understandings of souls to delude them with vain hopes is a discerning power into the minds and understandings of souls It is one of the principal and grand employments of all the spirits in the region of darkness to study mens tempers and dispositions and mens notions and apprehensions that he may observe what false reasonings what rotten Argument is suitable to delude that soul with and what rotten argument is suitable to delude another soul with Object But here is an objection to be answered before we proceed But you will say can the Devil look into the understandings of men the workings of the minds of men to know what the inward actings of their minds are Answ I answer negatively that the inward acts of the mind and understanding cannot certainly and infallibly be discerned by all the wisdom and policie of all the spirits in the region of darkness especially the inward thoughts and workings of the mind and understanding cannot in and by themselves immediately be discerned by all the wisdom of Hell notwithstanding their strictest scrutiny It is the incommunicable property of the blessed Majesty of Heaven to be the searcher of the heart and the knower of the thoughts Thence in Heb. 4.12 13. It is attributed to the word of God only as its peculiar property to divide between the joynts and marrow and search into the secrets of the heart So in 1 Cor 4 5. Christ is said in the day of Judgment to bring to light all the secrets of the heart But though the Devil cannot discern immediately certainly and infallibly the working of the mind and understanding or the secret Thoughts as they are in themselves and by themselves yet the Devil can by other means have neer guess at
the most inward working of the mind and understanding he can find out the very secret workings of the understanding in a very probable way 1. The Devil can discern much of the thoughts and different workings of the minds and understandings of men by their outward actions Actions are but the birth of thoughts as all actions are the births of habits they are the original of all outward actions that are deliberate and rational And thence the Devil can discern very narrowly into the thoughts by the outward actions he can guess both by the gesture of persons and by the very motions of the body what the inward thoughts of the mind are especially when he discerns such and such to be the constant way and manner of the conversation of a person then he understands well what the Principle must needs be that leads such a person to order his conversation in that manner 2. The Devil can immediately discern what the Images and Species of things are in the fancies of Men. Images of things in the fancy of Man are but like a shadow to the Body whatever the workings and inward motions of the mind and understanding are the images of the same things are in the fancy As the shadow accompanies the Body so do these fancies accompany the understanding Now the Divel being also immediately to understand these from thence he can collect and gather what the notions of the understandings are 3. The Devil can discern all the motions of the affections and passions The passions always working in the blood by the motion of the animal spirits to the heart and from the heart thence the Devil can immediately behold the first rise of any passion and affection passions of fear or passions of love or joy and grief and hatred and displeasure Now these passions and affections always attending the will of the soul and the will of the soul always attending and following the understanding or the practical Judgment thence also the Devil can collect by the practice and affections what the inward notions or thoughts and workings of the mind and understanding are 4. The Devil can observe diligently what the issue and event of his own suggestions are upon the fancies of Men. He observes whatever false reasons that he himself propounds do produce â—n the person and from thence also he hath a near discerning from the â—ffâ—â—t that he discerns what the workings of the understanding and mind are 5. He hath a large and long time of experience of all the several and various acts that various principles and various thoughts have produced For though he be not able to discern the thoughts while they are locked up in the mind and understanding yet afterward when they are either revealed by a passion or when they are brought apparently into action he then understands them Now he for Five thousand years and above treasuring up all observations he hath observed when one hath confessed these and these were his thoughts what the effect of those thoughts were when another hath confessed these and these were his thoughts he hath observed what the effect of those thoughts were Now by his long and constant experience he can declare the actions of one Man with the actions of another Man what such and such thoughts have produced and thence can probably conclude what the workings of the thoughts and mind and understanding of any person is Now in all these ways he exercises his utmost skill his most exquisite act to discern into the understandings and minds of persons whom he intends to delude by any false reasonings concerning the certainty of their union with Christ so that the false reasonings that he shall suggest to them may be suitable that they may take at the very first suggesting of them There are three things in the understanding that he endeavours to understand by all his skill and art 1. He endeavours to discern the depth or shallowness of the mind and understanding of the person whom he intends to delude by some false Argument or other from whence he would fallaciously perswade the soul of his union with Christ Now according to what he discerns in the understandings of persons so he suites his reasons and arguments may be he discerns a shallowness in some understandings thence he suites his reasonings proportionable to their understandings many poor shallow souls he can perswade that their good meaning is enough to carry them to Heaven Another shallow soul he can perswade his good Prayers his deeds of Charity his paying every Man his own and dealing justly is enough Likewise when he discerns a greater depth of understanding in any person he lays out more of his curious skill and art he covers over his false reasons more speciously he lays his fallacy more indiscernably and deeply There is no low Argument that will satisfie a deep understanding though a natural one that he shall be saved yea no lower fallacy will be sufficient to delude such an understanding but a false apprehension and notion about the nature of faith some mystical fallacy about the mystery of believing in Jesus Christ 2. The Devil searches into the notions and principles that are most settled and fixed in the understandings of persons There are various notions that every understanding is filled with which according to the imaginations of the several persons are truth some understandings are filled only with gross and carnal and sensual notions they conceive of God only in a carnal and sensual manner and of the mystery of the Gospel carnally Others understandings are filled with notions that have a kind of spirituallity in them Now the Devil makes an exact search to find out these that thereupon he may propound lying arguments of the union of Souls with Christ suitable to those notions So that when he perceives an understanding only to be filled with carnal notions of God he can propound his carnal outside appearances of worshipping of God as a ground to that soul of his peace and union and reconciliation with God he need seek for no higher depth to delude such a Soul But when he perceives an understanding to be filled with higher notions of God and of the mystery of the Gospel he then propounds not only bare material outward acts of divine worship as the lying ground to delude such a soul concerning his union with Jesus Christ but he propounds inward actings of transcient slightly affections yea may be to such understandings he propounds the death of Christ a speculative faith and an historical faith in the death of Jesus Christ and from this historical and speculative faith he insinuates into them their peace and reconciliation with God and certain salvation by the Lord Jesus 3. The Devil makes a scrutiny into the mind and understanding to discern its occasional notions and apprehensions upon the providence of God that the person meet with He pries into the understanding to discern what Judgment it passeth upon the
through a clear evidence hath begotten such a precious confidence in the Soul The believing Soul ought to say concerning that his confidence as Job said concerning his Job 27.5 I will not remove my integrity from me I will not let go this my confidence till I have proved and examined the evidence of my union with the Lord Jesus from whence this confidence did arise This also may appear in two things 1. In regard the diminishing of this confidence in the believing soul before the trial of the evidence of his union with Christ received is an infinite injury to the sweetest Comforter the blessed Spirit who through the manifestation unto the Soul that he is united to the Lord Jesus establisheth the Soul in that pretious confidence The rejecting of that confidence so wrought by the blessed Spirit is a slighting of the spirit in his most precious Office and a disparagement of the very witness of that blessed Spirit 2. It is a most sinful unconstancy and fickleness to reject any thing received before clear demonstration of the errour of the soul in receiving It is contrary to the order rhat the Lord requires should be in all the motions of the soul which is that they should be subject to the power of holy sanctified reason So that this confidence before trial ought to be maintained in its full strength in case such a confidence was begotten by an evidence formerly received that he is actually united to the Lord Jesus Quest But here is a question then by the way would be opened But will the Soul say wherefore then are the commands given by God to prove and examine our selves whether we be in the saith and so consequently to examine the evidence of our union with Christ if we must not be dubious and anxious whether the evidence of our union with Christ received be true or no before we proceed ro the trial and examination of them Answ 1. For answer to this question by the way briefly I answer first that these Commands of Souls examining themselves whether they be in the faith are given universally to all Souls on purpose that deluded souls by the trying and proving themselves might discover their own delusions and discern their lying confidence of their acceptance into union with the Lord Jesus 2. These commands are given on purpose to believing souls to maintain the life of the confidence of the Lords will to admit them into union with Christ and the confidence that they are admitted into union with the Lord Jesus These commands are occasions to Souls truly united to the Lord Jesus to review over the grounds of their confidence of the Lords will to admit them into union with Christ and of the Lords actual admission of them into union Now the more the Soul views the ground of his confidence the more it views that blessed word of God that reveals the Lords will to admit even his Soul into union with the Lord Jesus in case he accepts it and by the Souls gazing upon that blessed word it discerns more of the truth and certainty infallibility and unchangeableness of that word and the more frequently and fully the Soul discerns that the stronger is its confidence in the will of the Lord that he will admit even that his Soul into union with the Lord Jesus and thence there is more occasion for the blessed Spirit to irradiate rhe souls believing act to enable the soul to see and feel it self to believe aright by which means the actual confidence of the souls admission with Christ lives and is maintained in its strength 3. These commands are given that there might be more preparedness against all assaults that are made from Hell against those souls Through this examination believing souls have their confidence maintained in its life and strength and so are fortified against temptation because it discerns clearly the foundation upon which his own confidence stands 4. The Lord gives these commands on purpose to draw forth into exercise all manner of holy dispositions in the believing soul This is done by the renewed view of that light that doth evidence unto the souls faith or unto the souls sense its union with the Lord Jesus Thenâ—… is the pretious subjection of the Heart to the will of God in all things acted then is the correspondent love of the soul answerable to the Lords love to the soul drawn out in its strength then are all the thirstings after near communion with God in Christ acted Pre. 3. Thirdly a third thing to be premised is this That there are many sinful distempers incident to believing souls in the times when they are doubtful of the truth of the evidences of their union with Christ which whenever they do prevail in any soul during their prevalency they do incapacitate those souls for a just trial and true examination of the evidences of their union There are especially four of those sinful distempers incident unto believing souls at such a time 1. There is an impatiency and frowardness of spirit under the obscurity of that truth of their evidence of union with the Lord Jesus incident to every believing soul Indeed our spirits are naturally impatient under every burden but when any Arrows from the Almighty are shot into the Conscience or any Arrow from Hell stick fast there I mean any doubtfulness any terrors and fears of the fulness of their conceived evidence of their union with the Lord Jesus then are their spirits in a superlative manner prone to fret and vex and fume by the prevailing of unruly passion Thus David under the doubtfulness of the Lords fulfilling a promise made to him breaks out into most dreadful impatience in 1 Sam. 27.1 I shall one day perish by the hand of Saul So in Psal 116.11 I said in my haste all men are liars So Psal 31.22 I said in my haste I am cut off from before thine Eyes So the holy man Job Chap. 3.3 and Chap. 6.8 9. Now during the prevalency of this distemper of impatiency and frowardness of spirit under doubting the truth of their evidence their spirits are made uncable of a just trial and examination of the truth of the evidence of their union with the Lord Jesus There are two ways how this sinful distemper doth incapacitate souls for the just examination of the evidence of their union 1. It doth prevent a serious deliberate view of the evidences of their union with Christ that they have received by drawing out the intentions of their Spirits to look upon the grounds of their fears of the falseness of the evidence of their Union When any passion prevails in any Spirit it draws out the whole strength of the Soul that way Now the intention of the soul being drawn out to look upon the object of his fears the grounds of his doubts and the matter of the suspition of the falseness of his union by this the soul is made unsuitable to take any right deliberate
Soul that shall accept him Gaze again and again upon the blessed tender say to thy unbelieving mind O my crooked and unbelieving mind Wilt thou not consent to the truth of yonder Majesty of Heaven yonder God of truth it self that cannot lye say O my soul if thou wilt accept yonder union with the Lord Jesus behold what transcendent glory thy soul shall be filled with O my Soul wilt not thou trust to the truth and faithfulness of the Lord when he makes such an offer wil't not be content to subject all thy reasons and sensual Arguments to his Authority Still strive again say O my Heart though thou hast been an Hypocrite though the Devil hath couzened thee these many years though thou hast dealt falsly with the Lord all this time yet the transcendent love of yonder God ceases not to work towards thee O take up thy rest O my Soul credit the Lord upon his word and wait O my Soul for the fulfilling of his word to thee This is the prime effectual infallible means of the deliverance of your poor perplexed tortured Souls by the tyranny of fear that your evidences are delusions And this is the never failing means of discovering to your poor dark obscure souls the truth and reality of these your evidences that your Souls cannot discern Truly Souls of all the directions that ever I commended to you I must set a probatum est upon this remedy It is a tried one Soul it is an approved one an experienced one I beseech you follow it Let your Souls be held no longer poring upon your former evidences as though you had no spring of refreshment but in those Suppose your Heart to be as bad as the Devil possibly can make it yet strive with your unbelieving Mind and Heart to accept anew of union tendered to your poor lost perishing Souls in the Lord Jesus Pre. 5. In the fifth place I shall further premise this That an impartial just and righteous examination of the evidences that any soul hath received of his union with the Lord Jesus can only be taken while those evidences remain in their perspicuity clearness and satisfying power The evidences of a Souls union with Christ being only precious orient beams of Heavenly light sent forth from the blessed spirit of light into the obscure Soul joyned also with a precious exciting power sent forth from the same Spirit to stir up the light inherent in the same Soul too while the evidence is gone it cannot be that any Soul receiving such evidences should justly try weigh examine and prove the reality of those evidences no longer than those evidences do continue There must be light without and light within to enable a Soul to make an examination of any thing And both the light without and the light within being the evidence it self to the soul of its union thence it is there is a necessity of the examination to be prosecuted or followed only while the Soul enjoys those evidences in their brightness clearness and satisfying power The evidences of the Souls union are beams of Heavenly light sent down from the Father of light on purpose to bear testimony to a Soul of union with the Lord Jesus And thence indeed it is necessary that these Witnesses should be heard speak for themselves before any trial of the truth and reality of their testimony can be made by any Soul Now these Witnesses never speak for themselves but while they are actually bearing Witness that is while those precious beams of Heavenly light do actually shine into the obscure soul Now when once those beams of light are withdrawn the soul is now in question whether the Lords will be to admit his Soul into union with Jesus Christ or no. Now that those righteous examinations of the evidences of union can be only taken while the evidences do thus continue actually in the soul this I conceive may be collected from John 7.17 If any man will do his will he shall know nf the Doctrine whether is be of God or whether I speak of my self The words are an Answer to a question that the Jews propounded to Jesus Christ or they are a prevention to a Question that the Jews might have propounded Christ had affirmed that the Doctrine that he taught was not his own but his Fathers that sent him v. 16. Now it might be objected But how can you prove that your Doctrine is your Fathers and not your own How will you manifest it to those that deny your Doctrine to be divine that it is Divine Christ answers If any Man will do his will he shall know of the Doctrine whether it be of God As if he should say whosoevers Heart shall be in a precious readiness actually to obey my Fathers will he shall actually know the Doctrine whether it be of God So that two Propositions are laid down in the words the one expresly the other implicitly The first is affirmed by Christ that the discerning of the truth and divinity of pretious Gospel truths is only peculiar to obedient Souls Secondly It is implicitly affirmed That whatever soul is disobedient to the Fathers blessed will cannot during his disobedience discern truth divinity and infallibility of Gospel Truth Now thence may be collected that believing souls do enjoy the spirit of discerning in their way of obedience and do best and most perspicuously and clearly understand the Lords blessed will and see the reality of every truth of the Gospel and the infallibility and certainty of its coming from God Now mark then only believing souls do yield obedience to the Fathers will and do actually obey Gospel truth when their souls receive through believing some evidence at least in some degree that the Lord will receive their souls into union with himself in Christ through their believing in him Every believing act is but the consent of the believers heart to the truth of what the word bears witness of which is in effect nothing but a believers receiving the evidencing light of the blessed word that the Lord will admit his soul into union with himself in the Lord Jesus in his accepting of him So that the believing soul being then only obedient to the will of the Father in the prime way of obedience which is Faith when he is receiving some evidence of his union with the Lord Jesus thence it appears that a just and impartial a righteous examination of the evidences that the soul hath received of his union with the Lord Jesus can only be taken while those evidences do actually continue in their clearness and power For the further clearing of this take these two reasons I. In regard then only the soul is sutably disposed to take the examination That will appear in divers particulars 1. It is only then when the Evidence unto a soul of his union do actually remain that the understanding of the soul is enlightned by the blessed spirit and inabled to conceive of and
to apprehend aright any truth from the blessed Word of God propounded to him Even when the understanding of the soul is renewed and some pretious beam of Heavenly Light Communicated to the poor soul so that in a Metaphorical Sence the blind soul became a seeing soul yet there is a necessity also that the same spirit that Communicated the seeing eye to the understanding should also Communicate the seeing of the eye It is necessary that the same spirit that Communicated the Habit should Communicate also the Act the same spirit that gave a Principle of Divine Knowledge to the soul must also act the same Principle of Spiritual Knowledge to make the soul actually know or understand any Spiritual Holy Mystery aright Now then when the Evidences to the soul of its union with the Lord Jesus actually remains then is the mind and understanding of the soul thus actuated by the Blessed Spirit then is the Principle of Holy Knowledge drawn forth into exercise so that the mind is then inabled to discern into the Mystery of the Gospel of Jesus Christ thence it appears that the soul can only then take a Righteous Examination of the Evidences of his union 2. In regard it is then only that the soul is Conquerer over the natural Enmity of the Mind that oppose the Minds consent to the truth that doth evidence unto the soul its union The Carnal Mind is Enmity against God Now in the same degree the believing soul remains unregenerate enmity still possesses the believing mind and then only hath the Believer conquest over those reliques of enmity that possess the mind when he hath actual evidence of his union with the Lord Jesus now it is only then when the enmity of the mind against God is brought into captivity to the Law of faith that the Soul is suitable to take the examination of the truth of his own evidences of his union with Christ in regard the mind now is disposed to accept or agree unto those truths of the Gospel from whence the Spirit doth manifest unto the soul its union with Christ 3. In regard it is then only that the Soul understands and believes what the true Celestial Star is from whence those beams of light that do really come from Gods evidence unto a Soul his union with Christ must flow and arise The pretious word of the ever-living God to every lost sinner declaring that his will is to admit every of those Souls that will to be reconciled to himself in Christ is that precious bright orient Star from whence those beautiful beams of light that do or may discover unto a soul his union with Christ must arise Now it is then only when the beams of light shine from the Word perspicuously and clearly unto a soul declaring his will to admit of reconciliation with them through the Lord Jesus that they understand and believe this to be the true Heavenly Star from whence the light that evidences unto them their union must flow 4. In regard It is then only that the irresistible power that those precious beams of light contain in them that do evidence unto any soul really from God its union with Christ is ready to take impression upon the heart The irresistible power that the beams of light contain in them is the Authority of the blessed Majesty of Heaven They are nothing but the discovery unto the Soul that the Lord hath spoken it that it is his will to receive the soul into union with Christ Now this irresistible power of these beams of light only take impression upon the Heart according to the lively actings of holiness in the heart And the lively actings of holiness in the heart are only according to the degree of light the soul enjoys discovering unto it the Lords will to receive him into union with the Lord Jesus So that when those beams of Heavenly light shine most clearly in the most transcendent beauty then is the heart filled with the most lively holy actings then do love and fear and joy and delight working their power and strength And therefore it is only that the Authority of God speaking or declaring any thing to the soul take the deepest impression upon the soul 5. In regard the believing disposition in the will of the soul is only then in exercise in its power and strength The prime evidence unto a soul of his union hath been discovered to you to be only an evidence unto faith and in like manner the prime demonstration of the truth of that evidence must be a demonstration given to faith only Reason must not aspire so high to be the Judge of faiths action Still it must be another act of faith that must pass a security upon the former act of faith So that thence when the believing disposition infused into the will of the believing soul is strongest in exercise then only is the soul suitable to take a righteous examination of the evidences of his union with Christ 2. It is only then when the evidences of the souls union with Christ are clear and perspicuous that it is suitable to take examination of his evidences rightly in regard of the evidences themselves which then only appears in their native self-discovering glory It is the inseparable property of those beams of Heavenly light that shine from the word of God to discover themselves really to be from God even by their own native lustre and glory Those beams of light come forth with the name of God written upon their foreheads so that the believing soul no sooner beholds them but he reads the name of God written upon them now this their native self-discovering glory never appears to the soul but when these beams of light actually remain in the soul in their perspicuity and clearness and therefore when the spirit suspends its influences then the soul cannot behold those beams of light what they are Quest There is another Question that here interposeth it self which must of necessity be answered Believing souls will now reply in this manner If an impartial examination of any souls evidences of his union with the Lord Jesus can be only taken while the splendor and brightness of his evidences remain in the soul then what use should souls make of the evidences they conceive they had received of their union with Jesus Christ when the lustre and orient brightness of their evidences be eclipsed and their commanding power enervated or wounded that their evidences cease to witness unto them their union with Christ In order to the satisfaction of souls in this scruple we shall lay down divers Propositions Prop. 1. First whenever the celestial glory of those pretious beams of light that the Lord vouchsafes to cast into any believing soul to evidence his union with Jesus Christ be dark and those invincible and impregnable demonstrations that the blessed spirit gives unto the souls faith to prove and demonstrate its union with Christ be weakned yet it is
suitable for believing Souls that there is a Night and a Day as well in the Spiritual life as in the natural life ought to be a ground to maintain a lively hope that when it is Night Day may break and therefore it is his Duty unquestionably to nourish and cherish such a lively hope 3. From the remembrance of its former evidence the Soul ought to obstruct it self in the obscurity darkness and dreadful blindness of his own mind The believing Soul ought to say within himself O when the Spirit of Jesus Christ irradiated the blessed word of God how clear how unquestionable was it to my Soul that it was the Lords blessed will to receive my Soul into union with Jesus Christ if I will embrace him and though I have now the same word to testifie the same thing to my Soul yet how dark is it to my Soul for the present how hard is it for my poor blind Mind to receive and apprehend that the Lords will is to receive this my Soul into union with Jesus Christ 4. From the remembrance of the Souls former evidence the Soul ought to instruct it self in the mystery of the Lords way towards believing Souls From hence the Soul may learn that the Lord carries on the Soul towards full Communion with himself through Christ as well by sensible decays in Communion as by sensible encreases in Communion And from thence the Soul might instruct it self that joy and peace ravishment of Spirit triumphing acts of faith are not so inseparable from believing Souls but that they may be wanting that they are not absolutely necessary to be constant at least to the Souls attaining unto perfection of Communion so that thus the Soul may learn to adore the Lord in apprehending the unsearchableness of his ways even towards believing Souls the unsearchableness of his Wisdom that neither Man nor Angel can measure 5. From the remembrance of the Souls former evidences whose brightness and glory is now ecclipsed the Soul may instruct it self in the absolute necessity of an intire constant uninterrupted dependance upon Jesus Christ for the Spirit of light and manifestation The Soul ought in remembrance of that full satisfaction that it enjoyed when that blessed Spirit of light gave beams of light to his dark mind to clear up the will of God revealed in his precious word to say O how infinite is the necessity of hanging upon Jesus Christ continually for the constant operation of the Spirit of light into this my dark Heart 6. From the remembrance of the Souls former evidence of his union with Jesus Christ the Soul ought to collect holy Pleas and pretious Arguments to intercede with the Majesty of Heaven for the return of the blessed Spirit of light and manifestation unto his Soul This was the constant practice of all the Saints who had enjoyed any experiences of the Lords mercy and kindness they did endeavour to engage the Lord to return when he seemed to be absent Many are the Arguments that a believing soul may collect from the former enjoyment of evidences of union with Christ to plead with the Majesty of Heaven to return with the same spirit of light and manifestation again to his Soul 1. From the remembrance of the Souls former evidence the soul may remember the pretious suitable disposition that possessed his Heart for the worshipping of the Lord in every Ordinance Now from thence the Soul may raise a pretious Argument wherewith he may go boldly to the Throne of Grace and cry to the blessed Majesty of Heaven when shall that blessed Spirit of light return to this darkned Soul of mine 2. The Soul may remember the readiness the quickness the activity of the Heart in all manner of obedience to the Lords blessed will Now from hence the Soul may fetch a strong Argument wherewith to come before the Throne of Grace O my God may the believing Soul say When thy blessed Spirit of light had the pretious operation upon my Heart what a blessed concurrence was there in this my crooked opposite will to this thy holy will O what an union of love was there between this thy Majesty and my opposite Heart how impatient then was my Soul of any disagreement between my will and thy will how readily was my heart disposed for any thing thy blessed Majesty commanded But now alas Lord now the workings of the Spirit of light are suspended what a disagreement is there between thy Majesties will and my will how strait and narrow and weak and feeble are the inclinations of my Heart now to obedience to thy blessed will Lord may the Soul say Have respect to thine own honour send down the Spirit of light into this dark Heart 3. The Soul may remember how highly the blessed Name of God was exalted and magnified in his Heart when that blessed Spirit of light continued its blessed operation to evidence actually its union with the Lord Jesus Now from thence the Soul from whom the lustre and glory of these his former evidences of union with Christ is now Ecclipsed may argue with the blessed Majesty of Heaven to send down the same Spirit of light and manifestation again to his dark Soul 4. Even when the orient brightness and Heavenly lustre of the Souls former evidences is Ecclipsed and darkned yet then the Soul may remember the capaciousness and enlarged openness of his Heart towards communion with God while the orient lustre of the evidences of his union with Christ did actually remain Now from hence the Soul may gather strength of Argument to appear before the Lord to Petition the return of the blessed Spirit of light and manifestation again to his Soul The Soul may plead that the suitableness and right disposition of the Heart for Communion with the Lord depends upon the enjoyment of the Spirit of light and manifestation 5. Even when the orient brightness of the Souls former evidences are ecclipsed and obscured yet then the Soul may remember how gloriously the lovely beauty and Soul enamouring brightness of the way of holiness was transparent through him when the Heavenly lustre of his former evidences did actually remain in the Soul Now from hence the Soul may gather a pretious Argument whereby he may lay an engagement upon the Majesty of Heaven to send down the Spirit of light again Thence the Soul may plead that the lustre and Heavenly beauty of the ways of holiness to be manifested through him depend upon his enjoyment of the Spirit of light and manifestation 6. When the cammanding power of the evidence of a Souls union with Christ is ceased for the present to evidence to the Soul its union yet then the Soul may remember that the tender compassionate bowels of God have moved within him and yearned toward his Soul formerly Now from thence the feeble almost fainting drooping Soul may still gather more strength and lift up its Head again to claim the Spirit of light and manifestation to
necessary infallible effect of a true beam of light shining from the father of lights into the believing soul to discover its union with the Lord Jesus Indeed there is a necessity of such a discovery to a believing Soul of its union with Jesus Christ preceeding the sweetest act of subjection of himself wholly at the foot of God 1. In regard then when such a light shines into the soul to discover its union with Christ the soul apprehends an infinite disproportion between that which he ows to God and his ability and capacity to pay to him He apprehends Men and Angels are never sufficient to render to the Lord according to his benefits bestowed upon his loveless soul 2 It appears to that soul while there is such a discovery of that his union with Christ to be an infinite injury to the Majesty of Heaven that a thought of his heart should not be subject to his blessed will The heart saith within it self so sweetly hath the Lord passed over himself and all his fulness to this empty loveless soul of mine that it were such an accursed requital as might incense the Lord to be incomplacable should my heart be withheld from giving one subjection to him that thence the soul is constrained by an irresistble power by ineffable bands of love to yield all precious subjection to the blessed will of God V. The fifth and last act that must concurr together with all the Four former to the exaltation of the Name of God is the souls taking up a full acquiescense or rest and contentment in God alone It is an infinite unspeakable injury to the Majesty of Heaven that one desire one inclination in the heart should be a Vagrant to wander hither and thither to seek for its satisfaction out of God Now this precious God-exalting act in the believing soul is necessarily certainly and infallibly produced by a true beam of light shining from Heaven into any believing soul to discover its union with the Lord Jesus Thus you shall observe it was in David Psal 63.3 4 5. Thy loving kindness is better than life My Soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness It should be contentment enough for him to enjoy his love only Thus these Five acts which concur together to the exalting of the Lords blessed Name are all the necessary and certain effects of a true beam of light shining from Heaven into the believing soul to discover to it its union with the Lord Jesus So that whatever Soul is partaker of such a blessed beam of the light of Heaven as do truly discover from God to him his union with the Lord Jesus he hath these pretious God-exalting acts necessarily produced in his soul whereby that light that shines into his Soul discovers it self to have its original from God There is a second branch of this great end of God from eternity from whence a Soul that conceives he hath received satisfying evidences of his union with Christ may gather another evidence of his union and that is the exaltation of God through those believing souls This is that you read of Eph. 1.4 5. He hath chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the World that we should be holy having predestinated us unto the adoption of Children through Jesus Christ to himself to the praise of the glory of his grace That is to the end that his glorious love in Jesus Christ might be made manifest through us to give praise to the Lord to declare the excellency of God to publish and tell abroad the glory of God Now the very end unto which God predestinated believing Souls was to the glory of his love to the end they should be like Silver Trumpets to sound aloud and proclaim his glory So that then this being the great end of God from eternity in his love to believing souls that they might be like so many Golden Pillars whereupon the Lord might write the glorious excellency of his love in great Characters that others might read it thence of necessity this must be the effect and consequence in some degree of the Lords Communications of love unto believing souls all the workings of his love necessarily tending in order to their ultimate end So that then a second reason from whence the Soul may demonstrate to himself that the light that himself hath received to discover to him his union with Jesus Christ is really from God is this that the pretious light that shined into his dark soul to reveal to him his union with Christ did necessarily and certainly effect the exaltation of God through him Now that exaltation of God consists only in this in the Souls declaring or manifesting the brightness and perfection of those excellencies to be in God that God hath revealed to be in him in his pretious word But herein we must descend down into particulars First God is exalted through the Soul when the brightness the lustre the perfection that the Lord discovers in that his love in Christ to unlovely sinners is manifested through the believing soul and made conspicuous before others by the believing soul Thence it is you shall observe in Psal 50.23 saith God who so offereth praise glorifieth me Now the offering praise is nothing else taken strictly but a sincere humble declaration of the glorious workings of the Lords love and mercy to poor despicable worms it is but a publishing the glorious works of God and speaking of the excellency and perfection of God Thence in Isa 43.7 The Sons and Daughters of God are said to be Created for the Lords glory which they accomplish by shewing forth his praise v. 21. It is by making manifest what the excellencies of God in himself are Now then God is exalted in a believing soul when the excellency and glory of the Lords love in Christ revealed to Sinners is made manifest through the Soul This is done Three ways 1. When the Soul doth give a real practical testimony to the fulness and perfection of that love of God in Christ to an unlovely Sinner Now this the believing soul doth practically declare in Four or Five things First By rejoycing fully and gloriously in that love When the Heart can rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory in that love of God that is in Christ then is the blessed Name of God exalted through the soul in regard the soul then declares practically and gives a real testimony to other believing souls and to the World too that the blessed God of Heaven is true that his love is according to what he declared in his blessed word that his love to unlovely sinners contains all kind of happiness contentment glory and excellency that is desirable by a believing soul so far as is suitable for him Secondly When the Soul can despise and disregard all kind of difficulty whatsoever for the enjoyment of the sweet fruit and working of that love of God that is in Christ Thence it is that
in respect of the glory of that his love that he reveals to be in himself to such unlovely sinners when thus the soul shall declare to the everlasting honour of God that true and faithful is his word he loves upon his own will only and shews mercy to whom he will and because he will And thence you may observe that it is a high dishonour to the name of the blessed God for any soul to make any claim to that love of God that is in Jesus Christ by vertue of any quality or disposition whatever that is in their own souls whereby they are differenced as they conceive from other souls and they have right to claim that love of God in Christ when other souls may not claim it this is a pollution of the name of God by its vilifying the absolute perfection of freedom in the love of God in Christ to unlovely sinners 2. The manifestation of the glory of the Lords love to the exaltation of God through the soul is by the souls unwavering unshaken confidence in the truth and faithfulness of the Lord according to his word to admit the soul into the sweetest Bosom of his love in Christ notwithstanding all the loathsomness and forlornness of the worthless soul When the soul manifests his confidence in that faithfulness of God in the highest degree then is the name of God exalted through the soul when the soul says with Paul 2. Tim. 1.12 I know whom I have trusted notwithstanding all this the wretched and most accursed wickedness of my vilest heart I know he is true and faithful he will let his love that is in Jesus work according as he hath discovered it freely from the disposition of his own will only notwithstanding all my wickedness And mark it iâ— this one of the prime reasons why Jesus Christ in that pattern of all prayer that he hath freely given us commonly called the Lords Prayer hath commanded all souls and so believing souls to pray constantly for forgiveness of their Trespasses for pardon of sin because through that act performed according to the will of Jesus Christ the name of God is constantly exalted through the believing soul I do believe that pleading for pardon of sin by believing souls is much mistaken some souls darkly and blindly I had like to have said superstitiously plead for the use of those very words forgive us our trespasses as though no believinng soul could perform his duty without the repetition of those words and other souls from an abhorrency of the blindness and darkness of those that thus plead for the use of the bare words utterly reject that Petittion that Jesus Christ hath given us as a pattern whereby to frame our Petitions determining it utterly unlawful to make such a Petition or such a Request but certainly were the reason of making the request rightly considered it might give light both to the one and to the other to give them to conceive aright how and why a believing soul may pray and beseech the Lord to pardon his Transgressions though understanding through believing that they are already pardoned There are two things that must concur together for the making of that request The first is a remembring the Lord of his precious promise wherein he offers reconciliation peace and love in Christ to the sinful despicable soul There must be in the thoughts of the believing soul making the request aright an actual apprehension that God hath offered unto his soul reconcliation by Christ and so remission of all his sins freely by Christ and questionless there ought to be some declaring of that promise also before the Lord though sometimes more briefly sometimes more largely sometimes in one manner sometimes in another yet a remembring of the Lord of that his precious word Secondly there must be a sincere desire in the believing soul that his heart and mind might consent to the truth of the Lords word as spoken to his particular soul and consequently a desire to trust to the truth and faithfulness of the Lord to fulfill that his precious word even to his particular soul fully So that the soul that presents the request a right must upon the apprehension of his own most accursed vileness turn his eye to that sweetest tender of reconciliation and peace to his soul in Christ saying secretly at least O Lord thou hast spoken it that thy will is to remit the sins to pass by the enmity of every rebellious soul that will accept the reconciliation thou dost tender in Christ and then the heart must proceed farther saying O Lord seeing thou hast spoken it fulfill that thy word to this rebellious sinful soul of mine my soul desires to trust to thy truth to fulfill it O let it be fulfilled let that enmity be removed and that reconciliation be established between thee and my soul 3. The third way of the souls manifestation of the perfection of freedom that is in the love of God in Christ to despicable sinners by which the name of God is exalted through the soul is by the souls maintaining the same confidence of his in the Lords truth to vouchsafe to be in love with his unlovely soul through Christ notwithstanding all infirmities weakness imperfections and perverse crookedness that his heart shall discern a fresh to be in himself Now when the soul after humble acknowledgement of those cursed dispositions in his corrupt heart shall still act and manifest that precious confidence then doth the soul give glory to the Lord in respect of the freedom that is in his love then doth the soul declare that nothing can turn away or cause to cease the workings oâ— that infinite free love of God in Christ then the soul declares that the love of God in Christ was built upon no other foundation but his precious will and that it was nothing in the soul that was lovely and amiable in the eyes of God that ever inclined the heart of God to six his love upon the soul And on the contrary thence it is that those souls pollute the name of God in their hearts and before others also whose confidence shake and waver upon the sight of every new infirmity and imperfection whose confidence is cast away upon the sight of every new crooked disposition working in their hearts upon every disposition to deadness vanity loosness by this they vail the absolute perfection of the riches of the freedom of love that is in God through Christ to unlovely sinners and declare in effect the love of the Lord in Christ to be built upon the holy actings of the foul towards God yea the soul declares in effect vertually at least that the riches of the Lords love that is in Christ increase and diminish according to the holiness or unholiness that he discerns in his own heart Hence the Apostle exhorts believing fouls upon the account of Christs intercession to come boldly to the Throne of Grace Heb. 4.15.16 That the
name of God might be exalted through believing souls by holding forth the glorious freedom of that riches of love that is in Christ Jesus Now we shall shew you that this exaltation of God in this manifestation of the perfection of freedom of his love in Christ to unlovely sinners is the necessary inseparable infallible effect of a true beam of light shining from Heaven into any dark heart to reveal to that soul his union with the Lord Jesus This must be opened by shewing you those three acts of believing souls whereby they do thus manifest the glorious freedom of the Lords love to the exaltation of God through them that these three acts are necessarily and certainly produced in souls by discerning a beam of light from Heaven to discover to them their union with Jesus Christ First That sensible and free acknowledgement of the souls abhorred vileness even when the tender of the Lords love in Jesus Christ is made to it yea when the Lord grasps it in the everlasting arm of his love that was in Christ even this sensible and free acknowledgement of the souls most cursed wickedness is the necessary effect of a souls receiving a light from Heaven to evidence its union with the Lord Jesus Christ this you may see 1 Tim. 1.14 Paul tells us that he was before a Blasphemer and a Persecutor and injurious yet to me the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant not only abundant having more than a fulness of love but exceeding abundant abounding in the most superlative degree in the most inconceivable manner So the third and fourth Chapters to the Romans seem to be written for that very purpose in a great measure to prove nothing but vileness to have been in those souls whom the Lord accepted into the Bosom of his love in Christ Thus the Apostle endeavours to draw forth free acknowledgments of their abhorred vileness while he is remembring them of the riches of the Lords love in Christ to them We shall make it appear in some particulars that the free sensible acknowledgement of the souls abhorred wickedness when the Lord tenders his love in Christ is the necessary effect of receiving a beam of light from Heaven to discover to the soul his union 1. In regard there is an actual view of the most accursed wretchedness of the soul by the power of a beam of light that shines from Heaven to discover to a soul his union with Christ Any beam of true light that shines into a soul is but a discovery of the Gospel message in its clearness extent and latitude it is but an opening and expounding clearly and satisfyingly to the souls capacity the message of glad tydings that Christ sent to poor despicable sinners now that glad tydings is nothing else but the message of reconciliation to every soul that will accept it and thence it cannot be but the same light must present to the souls view the sight of his enmity and opposition of heart it can not be but at the same moment when the soul apprehends his own reconciliation to God in Christ he must apprehend his own enmity formerly to God in Christ Thence it is that in Ezek. 36.31 In the Prophets foretelling the blessed Covenant of Grace that should be established between God and Souls he doth also prophecy that those with whom the Covenant of Grace should be established they shall remember their own evil ways and doings that were not good and shall loath themselves in their own sight for their iniquities and abominations Now any beam of precious light from Heaven thus necessarily presenting to the soul an actual view of its own abhorred vileness thence it cannot but dispose that believing soul for sensible and free acknowledgement of that unspeakable vileness of his when the tender of that love came to him 2. In regard every beam of light enables the soul to comprehend his sinfulness and most accursed wickedness more largely and fully it causeth him to behold the height and depth and length and breath of his own wickedness according to the glory of God apprehended against whom the soul have sinned so are the souls apprehensions or comprehensions of the height of his own vileness now the glory of the light never shines so clearly and transparently upon any soul as it does when such a beam of light comes from the spirit of light and manifestation to discover the glorious riches of love in Christ to the dispicable unlovely soul admitting the loveless worthless soul into the nearest union so that thence there can never be such full comprehensions of his own sinfulness as there is in the very moment when such a beam of light shines from Heaven upon the soul 3. In regard the affections are all drawn forth to work in their strength against the souls sinfulness by such a beam of light shining forth That manifestation of the riches of the Lords love begets answerable correspondent workings of love in the soul towards God again now those workings of love in the soul towards God draws forth the workings of all the other affections against the souls sinfulness Love and Hatred works towards their contrary objects in like degree In the very same measure that the actings of love are drawn out towards God in the same measure is the hatred of the soul the loathing and abhorring of the sinful disposition drawn out This David declares Psal 119.103 That upon his tasting the sweetness of the Lords words which were the actings of love in the soul of David to the word of God he hates every false way ver 104. and vain thoughts ver 13. His love and hatred wrought equally alike towards their object his love to the Law of God made him hate whatever was contrary to it Now the love of the soul towards God is drawn out in its superlative degree of acting by that clear discovery from Heaven that Jesus Christ and the Soul are one and thence likewise all the affections cannnot but work in their highest degree against all the sinfulness of the Soul both hatred of the sinful disposition sorrow and melting and breaking of heart in remembrance of it anger displeasure and indignation against it fear and dread of those iniquities having power over it Now thence it cannot be but the same beam of light discovering to the Soul his union with Christ should necessarily produce sensible and free acknowledgement of the Souls abhorred vileness seeing it fills the heart with the working of strong affection against his own sinfulness apprehended 4. In regard there are constant actings of faith in the believing Soul while the glory of such a beam of light from Heaven shines into the Soul There are such renewed operations of saith continues while that light shines into a Soul that discovers his union with Christ that there seems during the continuation of that light into the Soul to be but one extended drawn forth act of faith Now seeing there are those constant
worthless unlovely sinners by manifesting such an absolute perfection of the love of God in Christ to sinful Souls as that love is subject to no variation alteration or shadow change When the Soul so walks as he declares practically that the rich love of God in Christ to his unworthy Soul is the same yesterday and to day and the same for ever the foundation thereof standing firm and unmoveable like Mount Sion that cannot be moved then doth the brightness of the Lords glorious love shine through the Soul so as the name of God is exalted through it Thus God glorified himself before the eyes of Balak through the mouth of the false Prophet Balaam to give testimony to the unchangeableness of the love of God in Christ to his People Israel by sending that message to Balaam Numb 23.19 God is not a man that he should lye neither the son of man that he should repent that is not like the sons of men that his thoughts should change what he hath spoken shall it not come to pass His words concerning his People shall certainly be fulfilled So likewise when the Lord by the mouth of the Prophet Malachie intended to lift up his name in his Peoples hearts Mal. 3.6 he discovers to them his precious thoughts of love concerning them in declaring the coming of Jesus Christ with the blessed effect of it and saith he I am the Lord I change not therefore the Sons of Jacob are not consumed So the Church exalts the name of God by bearing witness to the unchangeableness of his love to her Lament 3.22.22 It is of the Lords mercy that we are not consumed because his compassion fail not Now a Soul manifests the unchangeableness of the Lords love in Christ to his unworthy Soul by its constancy and unmoveableness in that precious confidence of his union with the Lord Jesus that was once raised in his heart by the power of that evidence of his union And doubtless it is for that end that believing Souls might thus exalt the name of God in the unchangeableness of his love towards them that the Lord hath prepared unchangeable Grounds unmoveable Rocks for the feet of their Faith to stand upon he hath added his oath to his word Heb. 6.17 18. That by two immutable things by which it is impossible that God should lye they might have strong consolation that receive Jesus Christ tendered It is for this end that he hath given those unchangeable grounds for faith to build upon 1. That those Ecclipses of the glory of Gods love in Christ in its unchangeableness by the constancy of the actings of Faith might be prevented Surely it was the bowels of the compassions of our tender God in Christ that wrought towards the unlovely Soul that caused him to stoop down so low as to add an oath to his word which gives no security in it self to a Soul more but only a fuller security to our unbelieving hearts in our low apprehensions of God that thereby the precious consolations of his People might not change and it was the ultimate end of God in the workings of those compassions that the glory of his own love might not be vailed by the unconstancy and fickleness of the actings of faith so as Souls should declare by believing when their hearts are filled with holy actings that there was a glorious love in God through Christ to unlovely sinners and when the apprehension of the liveliness of those holy actings in their hearts should cease that then they should again declare that the love of God in Christ is withdrawn again from them 2. That the glory of his love in its unchangeableness might shine forth in its brightness with transparent glory so as the Soul under the saddest defect of holy actings and workings in his own heart might still declare the precious love of God in Christ to his unlovely to be the same sounded upon his own will only which can never be moved The constancy and unmoveableness of the Soul in his confidence of his union with Christ that the evidence of union with Christ begets is always the effect of such a beam of light from Heaven to reveal to a Soul his union so long as the light continues shining into the Soul in its lustre and glory This you may observe of Paul in 2 Cor. 5.5 6. Having received the earnest of the spirit what then we are always confident of everlasting communion with God that is we are confident at all times constantly our confidence is unmoveable Yea doubtless seeing the spirit of light from the spirit of light shining into any Soul is but an act of the conforming office of the Spirit of Jesus Christ it cannot be but that light shining from the Spirit of light to evidence to the Soul its union must necessarily establish the heart in that confidence of his union with Jesus Christ that so long as that light remains the confidence must remain also and that in its power and strength Thus you have the first way opened how the name of God is exalted through a Soul which is by the Souls bearing testimony to the truth of the record that the Lord hath given to his love in Jesus Christ by the souls manifesting the same glory of the love of God in Christ to sinful souls that God himself hath revealed to be in him Secondly God is exalted through the Soul by the souls manifestation that an incomprehensible perfection of purity and holiness dwels in God God hath revealed himself in his word not only to be holy but holiness it self Amos 4.2 The Lord hath sworn by his holeness that is he hath sworn by himself He hath discovered such absolute perfection of holiness to be in him that he hath an absolute unspeakable abhorrency of all that is cross and contrary unto holiness in its perfection Hab. 1.13 yea the brightness of the perfection of holiness dwell in him Exod. 15.11 Now then is the name of God exalted through a Soul when the Soul conceives of God as thus excellent and wonderful in holiness when the Soul declares before the world that his God in Christ is purity and holiness it self Hence it is that the holy Angels are said to cry to the Lord Holy Holy is the Lord of Hosts Isa 6.3 and also the office of the dispencers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is described Rev. 4.8 9. by their crying Night and Day without ceasing Holy Holy Holy Lord God Almighty it is for this reason because the name of God is exalted when there are such manifestations and declarations of an absolute perfection of holiness to dwell in God Now a Soul may manifest this absolute perfection of holiness to dwell in God these three or four several ways I. By a precious sensible acknowledgement of an infinite disproportion and disagreement in his most holy exact exquisite actions when the Soul is most mightily assisted by the spirit of God to the Lords blessed holy
we are all as an unclean thing and all our righteousness all our duties and performances our most holy actings they are but as filthy raggs Likewise it is observable in the holy man Job who stood much upon his own uprightness and integrity Chap. 23.11 12. and Chap. 27.5 6. Till I die I will not remove my integrity from me that is I will not deny my innocency and righteousness I have walked before God with a perfect heart I will never reproach my self till I die so Chap. 31.6 Let me be weighed in an even Ballance that God may know my integrity yet in Chap. 4.3 4. this Job that could declare so many righteous acts of his own begins freely to acknowledge that all his righteousness was as vileness though those actions of righteousness had been performed by him with much integrity yet there was an infinite disproportion between the holy actings of the Lords blessed will then saith Job behold I am vile what shall I answer thee I have laid my hand upon my mouth once have I spoken but I will not answer yea twice but I will proceed no further I will not call to God to weigh me in a Ballance any more that he may know my integrity so Chap. 42.5 6. I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear but now mine eye seeth thee wherefore I abhor my self and repent in dust and ashes repent that is the thoughts of my self now change I am so ashamed I loath and abhor my self in the sight of all my integrity and righteousness that I so much stood upon And certainly there is an infallible necessity of a Souls exalting the name of God through those sensible free acknowledgements of the infinite disproportion between the holy actings of his will and the holy actings of the Lords will whenever the spirit of Christ do reveal to any Soul his union 1. In regard the faculty of the Souls spiritual sight was then lively active and ready for exercise The eye of the Soul is as it were open and in every duty that he performs to God he can behold the least inward sluggishness and indisposedness so as the least of those infirmities is burdensom and mark that is the reason that believing Souls once decaying in the life of holiness lose the sense of the evidence to their Souls of their union with Christ because every day their own formality hardness blockishness insensibleness is less burdensom to them because the faculty of spiritual sight is out of exercise And that 's the reason also that under the clearest sight of the Souls union with Christ there is the largest confession of the Souls own vileness the spiritual faculty of sight in the believing Soul is then drawn up in its strength that 's one of the great reasons why those Souls that enjoy the clearest revelations of the Lords love in Christ are the most abased Souls 2. When the spirit reveals to the Soul its union with Christ then the precious heavenly light that discovers all the unsutableness of the Souls will to Gods will shines clearly and actually The transparent light of the Lords love in Christ to so unlovely a Soul is like a blessed heavenly Lamp lighted up within the Believers heart through the light of which the Soul may see every unsutableness in his will to the Lords blessed will and that in its vileness in its most odious native colours yea that light of the Lords Love in Christ to the loveless Soul causes the infinite right that the Lord hath to claim all the powers and possibilities of the Soul to be subject to him to shine clearly in the Soul it makes the heart say within it self O how infinitely due is every acting of my Soul to God to be employed only for his blessed pleasure so that now there is light without to enable the Soul to see the unsutableness of its will to Gods will as well as there is light within that the Soul seeth not only like a man having a perfect sight but as a man with a perfect sight in a clear Sun-shine day that shall discern every more in the Sun Beams that a man with a clear sight in a dark day cannot behold and thence it is that the evidence unto the Soul of its union with Christ cannot but draw sorth an acknowledgement of the infinite disproportion of the Souls actings to the Lords holy will in regard the Soul is then enabled to discern the smallest unsutableness that is in his will to the Lords will 3. In regard that light that shines into the Soul at that time discovers those unholinesses in the holy actings of the Soul whereof a believing Soul is most peculiarly guilty in all his holy actings There are four wants of holiness in all the actings of believing Souls in some measure and degree First The want of pure Love in all the holy actings of the Soul The want of the Souls aiming meerly at the exaltation and glory of his dearest Father in the Lord Jesus and so acting in obedience to the Fathers blessed will from a pure Child-like disposition working in the heart that disposes him to comply with the Fathers will only only because his Fathers will This is pure Love when the Soul out of Love to God himself without relation to any benefit or advantage that the Soul enjoys without relation to any fear of any loss or dammage that the Soul should suffer through disobedience to aim at and intend only the fulfilling of his blessed Fathers will now this in every holy duty the Soul performs is in some degree of its perfection wanting Secondly There is the want of freedom of Spirit or liberty in their holy actings in their wills agreeing with the Lords blessed will When the Spirit of Jesus Christ breaths upon the holy disposition and inclination infused into Believers wills most sweetly and powerfully and assist them strongly in their exercise yet then while they dwell in these Bodies of Clay while the old man remains not wholly crucified there wants some perfection of Liberty in their Spirits in these holy actings the soul is not wholly void of some inclination and disposition acting secretly that bends the soul from those holy actings that yet the Soul is exercised in Thirdly In the holy actings of believing Souls there is a want of fulness of complacency delight and contentment in those holy actings The flesh mutters and murmurs against the actings of the Spirit this made Paul say with my mind I serve the Law of God and with my flesh the Law of Sin and I delight in the Law of God according to the inward man still there is an opposite party that is not satisfyed in those holy actings the Spirit is willing saith Christ concerning his Apostles but the flesh is weak the flesh will never answer the spirits readiness perfectly so as all the whole powers and possibilities of Soul and Body should run parallel with one another in their holy
were enough to cast them down into the everlasting Lake of burning if the Lord should act in justice with them Hence it is that when Jesus Christ draws forth the sweetest believing actings in the hearts of Believers then they are most ready to accept of any chastisement that the Lord inflicts upon them in respect of their transgressions Lament 3.39 So that thence souls enjoying the clearest beams of light from the spirit of light revealing unto them their union with the Lord Jesus are commonly most filled with acclamations against themselves and all their prayers filled with self-judgings and abhorrings Yea likewise hence it is also that believing souls enjoying the evidences of their union with Jesus Christ are filled with those high admirations and that their souls conceive of the love of God in Jesus Christ to them as a mystery unsearchable past finding out either by Men or Angels because then they apprehend the infinite worthiness of those thousands and ten thousands and Millions of iniquity that they have committed to incense the anger of the Lord against their Souls Yea likewise hence also proceed those enlarged desires after the sweetest meltings of heart for sin from those Souls to whom the spirit of Jesus Christ hath certainly evidenced their union with him But as the Scripture testifies to the truth of this so reason testifies that there cannot but be a connexion between the spirits evidencing to the soul its union with Jesus Christ and the souls sense of worthiness for the least transgression to be punished with everlasting indignation 1. In regard the spirits evidencing unto the soul that it is united to Jesus Christ doth declare and manifest to the soul the equity of a perfect subjection of every soul to the Lords blessed holy will When the spirit bears witness to the soul that the blessed Majesty of Heaven is willing to be reconciled and united to poor despicable rebellious wretches to those whose hearts swell with enmity against the Crown of his glory yea when the spirit testifies that the Lord even seeks and sues for the reconciliation with the soul thence it cannot but be clearly manifested to the Soul that is but infinitely equal that a poor rebellious wretch yea such a desperate enemy to his blessed Majesty should consent to what the Lord propounds Now from this manifestation of the infinite equity of a perfect subjection to be given by every soul to the Lords blessed will from thence there is necessarily such deep apprehensions of the infinite injustice and unsearchable depth of unrighteousness and wickedness that is in the least contradicting that blessed will that the Soul conceives every such transgression or disobedience to that blessed will to be infinitely worthy to be punished with infinite and everlasting indignation 2. The Spirits evidencing unto the Soul that it is united unto Jesus Christ doth declare the absolute perfection of goodness in the Lords blessed will so as it manifests every motion of that will to be absolutely transcendently good When the spirit bears witness unto any soul of its union with Jesus Christ it represents God only as a mass of love in Jesus Christ It represents God willing all kinds and degrees of good unto every Soul that will accept it and thence every act of the Lords blessed will is represented to the Soul as absolutely good now by that means every transgression of the Lords will is represented as in opposition to infinite goodness and thence every transgression cannot but be apprehended as a just occasion for infinite wrath and indignation to burn in its fierceness and extremity against the Soul 3. The Spirits evidencing unto a Soul his union with Christ doth necessarily occasion the soul to declare to the honour of God that the least degree of communion with God causes any Soul to participate in some degree of his holiness This the Apostle testifies in 2. Cor. 3.18 That while they did with open-face behold as in a glass the glory of the Lord they were changed into the same in age from glory to glory that is they are conformed into the likeness of God while they see the beams of his excellency glitter upon them through the great truths of the Gospel of Jesus Christ yea that gradually according as they behold the glory so they are changed also by degrees from glory unto glory from one degree of likeness unto God to another degree Thus likewise the Apostle testifies 1 John 1.5 6. That God is light that is to say that he is holiness itself purely holy nothing but holy and then bears witness that it is impossible for any soul to have the least fellowship with him but we must be partakers of that holiness if we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness we lye and do not the truth as if the Apostle had spoken in these words The Lord is so infinitely transcendently holy such an infinite perfection of holiness dwells in him and an infinite averseness to any thing that is unholy that it is impossible any soul should dwell with him but he must participate of his holiness So in 1 John 2.6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also to walk even as he walked So likewise he testifies the same thing again in 1 John 3. 6. Whosoever abideth in him that is united to Jesus Christ hath union and communion with him sinneth not that is he sins not according to the manner that he sinned before his union with Jesus Christ there are other disposition infused into his heart there are some drops of the holiness of Jesus Christ communicated to his Soul through his union with Jesus Christ whosoever sinneth hath not seen him neither knows him that is whoever sins in the same manner that he did when he was void of the knowledge of Christ void of union and communion with him whatever he professeth he had not the experimental knowledge of the love of God that joyned his heart to Christ he never had the true vision of the glory of Jesus Christ he hath not so seen him whereby his Soul was transformed into the likeness of Christ And in regard of this that the spirits evidencing unto the Soul that he is united unto Jesus Christ doth necessarily cause such a declaration that the least degree of communion with God cause the Soul to participate of the holiness of God Thence it is First That the sin and transgression of a Soul enjoying the evidence of his union with Christ is so intollerably burdensom This is the reason why souls enjoying the evidence of their union with Christ melt and break so sweetly under the remembrance of any sin that they are confounded in themselves that they loath and abhor themselves in regard the glory of God is so ecclipsed and thence the remembrance of his own sin wounds so deeply because in effect he by sensual formal unworthy walking doth declare that communion with God doth not make him partaker
of his holiness Secondly This is the reason why the sins of those that are united to Jesus Christ do stir up the displeasure of God in a superlative manner though his displeasure works but in a fatherly manner against their Persons because by their sins the glory of his holiness is ecclipsed they profess God not to be so absolutely holy but a Soul may have fellowship with God and yet be unholy and this casts a black cloud upon the Lords perfect holiness Hence it is that the Lord complained so bitterly against the chosen Nation of the Jews when they walked unholy and unsutably because they caused his name to be polluted among the Heathen Ezek. 36.21 22 23. Thence the displeasure of God was incensed so high against the holy man David because of his unworthy walking 2. Sam. 12.14 Thou hast caused the enemies of God to blaspheme that is to speak against God to have unworthy thoughts of God and thence it is that the Lord testifies an higher degree of abhorrence of his Peoples sins than he doth of the sins of those that are not joyned to him and remitted into union with him in Christ thence the Lord commands the Apostle to profess more displeasure against the sins of them that profess themselves to be one with God then against the sins of any other 1. Cor. 5.9 10 11. If any man that is called a Brother be a Fornicator or covetous or an Idolater or a Railer or a Drunkard or an Extortioner with such a one no not to eat It is not meant eating at the Lords Table but to sit down in a civil way of eating at the Table with him he vails Gods glory and professesâ—â— God is not so absolutely pure but he can behold iniquity or not so absolutely holy but there may be communion with him and yet be unholy Thirdly This is the reason that Souls enjoying the evidence of their union with Christ declares such ardent desires after and such a constant necessity of attending upon the Lords appointments for communion because hereby they declare that converse and communion with God doth necessarily make a Soul partaker of his holiness And it is from hence that Souls are always longing and breathing after communion with God through his ordinances that they might be partakers of his holiness so it is through the manifestation of those breathings after communion with him that their Souls declare practically that still further every degree of communion with God doth make the Soul further partaker of his holiness seeing they declare it is for that end they attend upon the Lord in ordinances and long after ordinances that they might go on to perfect holiness Fourthly This is the reason that the spirit of God doth so vehemently press and urge believing Souls to manifest holiness to walk worthy of God and worthy of their high calling that is in Christ because hereby they declare that communion and converse with God doth necessarily make a Soul partaker of the holiness of God And thence it is that walking holily is call'd a walking holy of their high calling Eph. 4.1 And it is called a walking worthy of God Col. 1.10 Thus the Scripture evidenceth that 〈◊〉 spirits revealing his union with Christ doth necessarily occasion the Soul to declare that the least degree of communion and converse with God doth make a Soul partaker of the holiness of God And likewise even reason it self testifies it 1. In regard the spirits evidencing unto the Soul its union with Jesus Christ gives the Soul such large and sweet experience that communion with God doth make the Soul participate of the holiness of God that thence the Soul cannot but declare what he sees and knows by his own experience When once the spirit of light reveals to the Soul his union with Christ both to faith and sense a Soul is made to discern so clearly such precious dispositions of holiness to be infused from the spirit of Jesus Christ into his heart that thence he hath such undeniable experience that the least vision of the glory of God in Christ the least communion of wills between God and the Soul in Christ doth make the Soul so partake of the holiness of God that the Soul cannot but manifest it upon all occasions practically he cannot but declare it proverbally upon every call he hath to give such a testimony according to that in Acts 4.20 We cannot but speak the things we have seen and heard 2. The spirits evidencing unto a Soul his union with Christ gives the Soul such affecting experiences of the sanctifying vertue of communion with God that the heart is even fired with affection and thence it cannot but declare the glorious sanctifying-vertue in communion with God in Christ The soul receiving light from the spirit of light to declare to his union with Christ doth not only enjoy the experience of the vertue of communion but at that time that experience so takes and ravishes the heart stirs up such rapture of love and delight in those acts of holiness that thence fire may as soon keep in the Bosom and the Cloaths not smell as Solomon speaks aâ— the experience that the soul enjoys be kept close unrevealed 3. The spirits evidencing unto any soul his union with Christ begets such ardent such superlative actings of love towards the honour of God and such an high degree of abhorrence of all dishonour unto God that thence the manifestation of the absolute perfection of holiness that dwells in God by declaring that the least communion with him makes a soul holy doth necessarily grow in that soul It is the great Maxim of the Covenant that the vision of the Lords love to the soul begets love in the soul to God again so that then the glorious testimony of the Lords Love in Christ in admission of the soul into union with Christ cannot but raise the highest actings of love to God in the soul and those actings of love towards God do and will take the honour and glory of God for their object as well as any other attribute that can be conceived in God 4. The spirits evidence unto any soul of his union with Christ doth cause all the engagements that are laid by God upon a believing soul to exalt the name of God in his holiness to return upon the Soul with power and irresistible strength There is indeed constantly some degree of sense in every believing soul of infinite engagements laid by God upon him to oblige and engage him to exalt God in his holiness but those engagements are weaker or stronger according to the clearness or darkness of the spirits evidence to the Soul of its union with Christ And those engagements that the Soul apprehends to be laid upon him to exalt God in his holiness are also actually brought to the souls remembrance and prest upon the Soul according to the frequency of the spirits giving actual evidence unto the Soul of his union with