vs to labour to be entertained into his seruice whose seruants after a little obedience here performed are made Kings and Quéenes in Heauen for euermore Who would not be willing through fire and water and all the miseries of this life to goe to that Heauenly Ierusalem the Citty of Saints to haue eternall fellowship with the Angels Patriarkes Prophets Apostles Martyrs and all our deare friends which haue beléeued yea with Iesus Christ our Princely Redéemer in the glory of the Father If thou hast prophanely said or thought what profite shall I haue if I serue God See here and be ashamed for such as serue God shall partake of the swéetnesse of Abrahams bosome of the delights of Paradise of the melody of their Fathers house of their Maisters Ioy that fulnesse of Ioy of the Riuers of pleasure for euer of an Inheritance that neuer fadeth but is immortal in the Heauens where whatsoeuer we can loue we shall haue and wee shall desire nothing which wee haue not where there is so much happinesse as neither the eye hath séene nor heart can thinke What mayest thou thinke of thy selfe which liuest so as if heauen and the ioyes thereof were not worth the while Doest not thou loue labour for this transitory miserable life Why not then much more for that which is permanent in happinesse vnconceiueable Oh! if thou knewest the good that followeth piety and the terror of that death that followeth sin it would make thée willing to redéeme that life though it were with a thousand yeares torment euen in Hell which now is offered to thée by a short cōtinuance in holy obedience Thou séest the way of life and death There is great difference betwéene Heauen Hell betwéene endlesse ioyes and endlesse torments betwéene the fellowship of Christ his holy Angels and the society of the damned and the Diuels Bée wise and chuse the way of life c. Quest But doe you thinke indeede that there shall be such a day of generall Ludgement which you seeme to speake of Ans Yes I verely beleeue that God hath appoynted a day wherein hee will iudge the world in righteousnesse by the man whom hee hath appoynted that is by Iesus Christ who shall seperate the Elect from the Reprobate Act. 17.31 2. Cor. 5.10 Ro. 14.10 12. Hebr. 9.27 Iud. 14.15 adiudging them to eternall life these to eternall death Explic. As the Scriptures doe infallibly teach that there shall be such a day of Iudgement wherein the Church shall be crowned with eternall and full glorie and the Diuels and wicked men sentenced vnto eternall condemnation so also by an inuincible Argument drawne from the Iustice of God the same may be concluded It is iust the the promise of God should be made good to the righteous and his threatning to the vngodly which because it is not here must néedes euen for the iustice and trueth of God be executed in another world Doubtlesse there is a reward laid vp for the righteous Psal 58.11 Doubtlesse there is a GOD which iudgeth the earth The Iudge shall be the whole Trinity in regard of the decrée and authority but Iesus Christ the Mediatour in regard of the visible act promulgation and execution of the Sentence who shall come from heauen in maiesty and great glory attended vpon with innumerable Saints and Angels and in his Humane Nature wherein he suffered performe the same pronouncing the definitiue sentence according to Saint Mathews Gospel Iohn 5.22 27. Mat. 25.34 41. The effect of which two Sentences are euen now to be discerned in the Court of Conscience for the godly doe receiue here absolution and certainety and the wicked haue their mortall sentence euen in their owne breasts but this is secret and the equity of it appeares not Tit. 3.11 and the profane thinke themselues wrongd but then the mouth of all wickednesse shall be stopped and it shal be openly manifested that the Elect are iustly saued and the wicked iustly damned their workes being scanned by the Bookes and their faith and infidelity thereby appearing The persons to be iudged are all mankinde small and great who by the dreadfull sound of a Trumpet Iude 15. 〈◊〉 12 14 Rom 2.16 2 Cor. 5.10 shal be summoned to appeare neyther is it possible not to appeare yea the very Diuels are reserued in cheines vnto the Iudgement of this great Day The matters to be tried are Déedes Words yea Thoughts whatsoouer wée haue done in our bodies good or ill And for a preparation the heauen and earth shall be consumed with fire the heauens passing away as a scrole 2. Pet. 3.7 10. the elements melting with feruent heat th earth burning with the works that are therein whereby is not meant that the substance of the heauen and earth shall be annihilated but only the figure changed and the vanity purged out The comming of the Iudge shall be sodaine The signes of his comming many The particular day and time not knowne nor to be inquired Rom. 8.21 1. Cor. 7.31 1. Thess 5.2 3. Mat. 24.20 Mat 24.36 Acts 1.7 Iohn 6.39 40. But the day wherein this shall be shall be the last day Vse 1. This is a singular comfort to the Elect that there shall be a day wherein they shall haue righteous Iudgement though here they be despised and condemned before men Then also shal appeare to the confusion of the wicked their labour hath not béene in vaine And certainely what can be more comfortable then to be iudged by him who is our Aduocate and hath redéemed vs by his blood Let vs therefore lift vp our heads with trust in him because our redemption draweth neare Let vs loue looke for and haste to his appearing saying and praying with the Church Reu. 22.20 Come Lord Iesus come quickely Vse 2. This is a terrible and blacke day to the wicked who haue not repented for they must appeare before the tribunall seate of Iesus Christ there to answer for all their sinnes euen such which the eie of man could neuer discerne all shall be laied open then and they shall smart for all Knowing the terrour of this day we should be perswaded Surely whome the remembrance of that day of that fire and of that wrath which shall be throwne vpon the wicked will not moue nothing will moue The day of Sodom was a grieuous day but nothing to this day which shall be grieuous to drunkards vsurers whoremongers c. but specially to contemners and enemies of the Gospel 2. Thes 1.8 If thou hast béene such a one how wilt thou indure the countenance of the Iudge which is euen hee whose bloud word sacraments ordinances thou hast despised deriding the professors of his Gospel O let not this day take thée vnawares Preuent the wrath which shall be then reuealed Then it wil be too late to cry for mercy for that is a time of Iudgement Now is the day of Saluation If
deliuered foin the power of darknesse where the word signifieth by fine force to deliuer or plucke away Euen as Dauid pulled the Lambe out of the Beares mouth so hath Christ by his Almighty power reskued vs out of the mouth of the Roaring Lyon So also hée hath destroyed the deuill Heb. 2.14 not by abolishing his substance but by weakening his power as the word there importeth Christ then payeth his Bloud as a price to his Father and so forcibly deliuereth vs from the deuill Who hath the power of death as the Hang-man hath the power of the Gallowes not absolute but by commission from God for the tormenting of the wicked This Redemption wée speake of is so the worke of God that wée exclude all creatures from any power or possibility of redéeming vs. Psal 49.7 And wée acknowledge it to bée the worke of the whole Trinity deliuering vs in the person of the Sonne who redéemeth vs by his Merite and by his Efficacy by his Merite deseruing Redemption for vs by his Efficacy effectually applying it vnto vs by his Spirit through Faith Vse First héere wée may sée the wonderfull misery in the which wée are all till wée haue our part in the Eternall Redemption purchased for vs by Iesus Christ For first we are vnder the power of sinne and the tiranny of the deuill very Bond-slaues more miserable then euer were the poore Iraelites in Egypt or now are the poore Christians vnder the Turke for the bondage of these is onely bodily ours more bodily and spirituall also our bodies and very Spirits being subiect to obey his filthy will in all things Ephe. 2.2 Secondly we are all our life time in feare of death euen as is the case of one condemned to the Gallowes hee alwaies trembles and quakes at the approach and remembrance of the houre of his execution So wee if God make vs sensible of our estate in regard of sinne are alwaies haunted with the terrours of an euill conscience as with Furies and Fiends of hel as Caine Saul Iudas Thurdly wee are fire-brands of hell subiect to eternall condemnation for our sinnes c. This is our misery which who so vnderstandeth not nor considereth he neuer esteemeth this wonderfull mercy of God in redeeming of vs as he ought For as hee that supposeth himselfe to bee mortally sicke highly reckoneth of the Phisition which cureth him and he which is troubled but with some light infirmity not so Euen so to him to him onely is the tydings of the Gospell welcome the Promise sweete the Bloud of Christ vnualuable the Loue of God vnspeakeable yea without measure and passing all knowledge which seeth his misery and seeleth his heart wrung with the fetters and bolts of sinne and which considereth of those eternall torments due to the same Vse 2. Here we ought also to consider of the Price whereby wee are ransomed and of the exceeding Loue of God For the Price it was neither gold nor siluer nor any corruptible thing but the pretious Bloud of the Lambe vnspotted Iesus Christ Marke thou which readest 1. Pet. 1.18 19. It cost the very Heart Bloud of Iesus the Sonne of God who was without sinne to saue thee a vile wretch from eternall damnation which thou deseruest by thy sinnes The Loue of God herein appeared to be most wonderfull in that he spared not his owne Sonne but gaue him to death euen for vs and in our stead who were not his friends but his very enemies See what loue the Father hath shewed Rom. 6.7.8 that thou an Imp of the deuill by sinne shouldst haue the Bloud of Gods owne Sonne shed to make thee his son or daughter Let me speake vnto thee in the words of Ezra Ez. 9.13.14 which words he spake from the occasion of a meaner deliuerance Seeing God hath kept thee from being beneath for thine iniquities and hath granted thee such deliuerance shouldst thou continue in sinne shouldst thou rebell and returne to breake the Commandement of such so mercifull a God by drunkennesse blasphemy lying pride whoredome or any profanenesse Shouldest thou despise the Saboaths Word Sacraments Bloud of such a Sauiour Shouldest thou refuse to sacrifice thy Body and Soule to his glory that refused not to sacrifice his precious life for thy Saluation Shouldest thou be a Niggard of thy duty to him yea of thy best bloud who was prodigall to expend and shed his Bloud to redeeme thee Now God forbid Luk. 1.74.75 Tit. 2.14.15 c. Nay this inexcusably bindeth vs all to all thankefulnesse and true obedience Quest But you said that Man was created according to the Image of God in a most holy and happy estate how then comes bee to stand in need of a Redeemer Ans I beleeue that Adam and Eue being created by God according to his Image in singular happinesse and placed in Paradise did notwithstanding willingly and by the enticement of the diuell fall away transgressing Gods commandement giuen vnto them and so made themselues and their posteritie Gen. chap. 2. and 3. subiect both to sinne and death the wages of the same Expli Though it be farre better to indeuoure to come out of the misery we are in then curiously to inquire how wée came into the same yet because many necessary points depend on this and wee neuer séeke the heauenly Physition till we vnderstand and féele our disease and the danger Therefore it is necessary that wee should haue some good measure of knowledge hereof Which we shall attaine if we consider these two things First what Adams state was in his Innocency and vpon what conditions it did stand Secondly the manner of his fall We will héere intreate of his happinesse Genes 3. and the conditions thereof The happines of our first parents may bee referred to these heads First that they were created in the Image of God together with the manner of their creation but of this before Secondly that they were placed in the Garden of Eden translated by the Septuagint Paradise and commonly so called because it was a place of singular delight and pleasure Gene. 2.9 to 15. a most pleasant place in regarde both of the variety of all pleasant fruits the Trées also of knowledge and life in the middest thereof and also in regard of the pretious riuers watering the same Vnto this our Sauiour alludeth when he saith to the Thiefe This day thou shalt be with me in Paradise not that Paradise wherein Adam was put which was defaced in the flood but Heauen so called for the happinesse ioy and riuers of pleasure which are there for euermore Thirdly the happines of our first parents is set downe from their fréedome from all things which might hurt their bodies or disturbe their mindes They were both naked and were not ashamed Gen. 2.25 They were naked Hereby is signified that their bodies had a kinde of Impassibilitie so that though they were neither hairy nor woolly
which also afterwards will breake out into the second act in time to come Euen as therefore we kill an old Wolfe or Snake for the hurt it hath done or is ready now to do and also all the yong ones for the hurtfull nature they haue which in time will shew it selfe So God may iustly cast euen Infants into Hell for the corruption of their nature and will all such of them which he hath not by election of grace ordained to eternall life Vse 2. Seing there is in euery one an inclination through corruption vnto all sinne euen that vnpardonable one then if thou haue receiued grace and power to maister thy corruptions acknowledge him who hath discerned thée and when thou séest a Drunkard or any other sinner wallowing in his sinne praise God for thou art of the same Mould and Mettall and if thou doest not the like it is not the goodnesse of thy nature but the mercy of God restraining or sanctifying thy corrupt heart Also let it teach thée not to despaire of thy neighbour or rashly to condemne him that yet hath not obtained grace For as thou being by nature in the same condemnation hast obtained mercy so what knowest thou how God will deale with him Rather pray for him and endeuour to bring him to the partaking of that grace which thou hast receiued which is indéed a property of true grace Vse 3. This also teacheth a singular point of Wisedome namely in the practise of repentance to strike at the roote to crucifie the flesh and the affections and to destroy the body of Sinne As Physitions which in the curing of a disease remoue the cause or as a man that would destroy Wéeds pluckes them vp Roote and Rinde bend all thy force study and sorrow in repentance first this way For from whence are Drunkennesse Whooredome Idolatry Blasphemy Lying c. euen from this bitter root this vncleane fountaine of Originall sinne 2. Reg. 2.21 As therefore Elisha healed the bitter Waters by seasoning them at the Spring So he that would haue a sound and holy life must labour to be sound within and that his heart be truely seasoned with grace else all is to no purpose And here is the difference betwéen Hypocrites and such as are truly renewed they cut off the branches these the roote they reforme the action these the affection of sinne Therfore as Sara will haue Ismael put away and the Bond-woman his mother also so are we also to put from vs all euill actions and to mortifie euen the affection of sinning if we would soundly repent Q. You speake of Actuall and Originall sinne what is sinne Ans Sinne is the transgression of the Law 1. Ioh. 3.4 Q. What is the Law you speake of Ans The Law which I meane is the eternall Rule of Righteousnesse in God manifested to man first in the Creation afterward repeated by the voyce of God and written in two Tables of stone by the finger of God containing diuine precepts what we should be doe and leaue vndone requiring perfect obedience vnder the hope of life Esay 8.20 Exo. 20.1 c. Psal 19.11 119.105 Leui. 18.5 Deu. 27.27 and punishing the least disobedience with eternal death Exp. The law is taken sundry waies in the Scripture héere we take it for the Morall law contained in the ten Commandements we call it an eternall Rule of righteousnesse in God because it is a bright beame issuing from the Father of Lights containing the summe of his wil concerning his worshiip and the duety of man vnto him and to his neighbour For Gods wil is the rule of all righteousnesse the Law the Copy of it Math. 6.10 and 7.21 therefore obedience of workes is called diuerse times doing of Gods will in his word This Law is an eternall rule because it was alwayes in God and shall for euer continue euen vnto all eternity perfectly to be kept in heauen and also to distinguish it from the Ceremoniall and Iudiciall Lawes which are abrogated The Ceremoniall in regard of Vse and Obseruation and the Iudiciall in regarde of Obligation So that as wee may at no hand bring into vse the Leuiticall Ceremonies so we are not bound to the same forme of Lawes Politicall which were giuen to the Common-wealth of the Iewes And yet the generall equitie of both remaines of the Iudicialls that sinne is to be punished by the Magistrate of the Ceremonialls that God is to bee worshipped in the comelinesse himselfe hath commaunded besides the substance of these Ceremonies which remaines for euer Iesus Christ This Law was at the first printed in Adams heart the knowledge and loue thereof being a part of the Image of God in him A glimmering whereof God in his singular wisedome continued in the heart of man after the fall namely so much as might serue for the continuing of fellowship and society amongst men Rom. 1.19.2.15 and which might leaue them without excuse This remnant we vsually call the Law of Nature not that mans nature is the Author of it but because it is imprinted in the same Afterward the Lord repeated that Law on Mount Sinai and writ it in two tables of stone to conuince the stony hearts of men Quest What are the words of this Law Ans The words of this Law are these Then God spake all these words and said I am the Lord thy God which brought thee c. as it followeth in Exodus chap. 20. from the beginning of the first verse to the end of the sixteenth Expli These tenne Lawes or Lawe Sentences are the ground and rule of all righteousnesse with the which whatsoeuer agréeth is good Whatsoeuer disagréeth is euill containing the generall heads of al duties to God and man which can be required Diuided into two Tables the first containing our duety to God the summe where of is Thou shalt loue the Lord thy God with all thy heart c. The second our duety to our neighbour the summe whereof is Matth. 22.37 38 39. Thou shalt loue thy neighbour as thy selfe Also it is diuided into tenne Precepts The manner of giuing this law was very solemne and terrible Deut. 10.4 Exod. 19. worthy to be often read and marked of all For the meaning of these Commandements these generall Rules are to be obserued First they are to be vnderstood as the Prophets and Apostles haue expounded and taught them Secondly In all affirmatiue Precepts the negatiue and in all negatiue the affirmatiue are to be vnderstood Thirdly the maner of speach is to be obserued as first concerning persons by Thou shalt and shalt not is meant euery one none are exempted Secondly concerning things forbidden or commaunded vnder one particular named all of that nature and kind with the signes causes and effects are vnderstood Fourthly the Lawe is spirituall not onely brideling the hands but the heart and first motions thereof Fiftly No creature can fully sée into the depth of the doctrine and
the obiect shewne by the vnderstanding yet so that we hold not this frée will to be independent but that as the wills of all creatures it dependeth on God to be inclined and moued either immediately by him or mediately by good or euill instruments as he please Neither doth this dependencie hurt or diminish the frée dome of the will because God inclineth the will so that the will doth by the Iudgement of its owne reason fréely and willingly moue it selfe so that to doe a thing fréely in the Creature is not to be frée from the gouernement of another but to doe that which it doth willingly voluntarily and deliberately though it be ruled by another Before the fall this was in Adam both to good and euill that he might if he would either stand or fall the dependencie before spoken of still reserued Since the fall the case is altered according to the saying of Augustine That man abusing his frée will lost both himselfe and that whereby as also when we say that man hath no free will we doe not vnderstand that the faculty is lost but the goodnesse whereby it was able freely and willingly to chuse that which is good For man lost no essentiall part or faculty of his nature by his fall euen the vnregenerate hauing a power freely to will or nill the obiect shewne by Reason though they haue not power to wil and chuse spiritual good things both because their wil is wholy depraued and turned from good and inclinable only to euill and also because Reason being blind doth not shew to the will the spirituall good or if it doe it is not vnder the likenesse of good but vnder the likenesse of euill For the naturall man vnderstandeth not the things of God 1. Cor. 2.14 but accounteth them foolishnes Wherefore we confesse that man hath stil free wil in ciuill and outward things and vnto euill but not vnto good And this freedome vnto ciuill things must bee so vnderstood that he hath power to chuse or refuse the obiect but to do this well he hath no power Also he hath free will vnto euill not that he can will or nill euill at his pleasure but that without any violence he onely chuseth euill so that as it may be called free will because it is free from coaction so also bond will because it freely willeth onely that which is euill And hence it is that the reprobate sinne necessarily and yet freely necessarily because they haue no power to goodnes freely because they chose euill without compulsion Yea by how much the more necessarily they sinne by so much the more voluntarily they doe it in as much as their will hath brought vpon them this necessity Now when this worke of Sanctification or Repentance or Conuersion is wrought then we haue free will both to good and euill to good as farre as we are regenerate by the Spirit to euill as far as we are vnregenerate and flesh And in the state of Glorification our will shall be free onely to good immutably as the will of the damned shal be immutably free vnto euill as Augustine saith The first Will was to haue power not to sinne the last shall be to haue no power to sinne Then for our purpose this is to be holden that till the spirit worke new grace we haue no power of our selues being vnto the worke of conuersion meere patients though in the worke when the Spirit hath changed and inclined vs we are co-workers with the Spirit Before conuersion we resist In conuersion the Spirit inclineth our wills and of vnwilling makes them willing to be conuerted and to repent God not working in vs as in stockes or stones but as in reasonable creatures Vse 1. If thou be truly conuerted ascribe al the glory of it to God for as soone can an Ethiop change his skinne Iere. 13.23 c. or a Leopard his spottes as we doe that is good till we be changed and enabled by the Spirit Vse 2. Beware thou neglect not the present meanes of grace offered to thee as though thou couldest repent and doe well when thou wouldest No no it is the meere gift of God For if thou canst not make one haire of thy head white or black much lesse canst thou change thy vile and corrupt heart But thou wilt say Doth not GOD promise that at what time soeuer a sinner doth repent he will be mercifull Yes the Lord most comfortably blessed be his name saieth so but he saith not that a sinner can repent when he list or that he will giue repentance whensoeuer a sinner shall but whistle for it As Augustine excellently He that hath promised to all repentants pardon hath not promised to all delinquents repentance c. Quest What are the parts of this Sanctification or Repentance Ans The parts are two First Mortification of the old man or Hatred of sin and turning from euill Secondly Viuification or Quickening of the new man or loue of goodnesse and Turning to God Quest What meane you by Mortification of the old man Ans I meane that grace wherby there is wrought in vs by little and little a detestation of sinne and an extinguishing and weakening of corruption in vs that it should not bring forth fruit vnto death Quest What meane you by the new man Ans I meane that Grace whereby by little and little we are raised to a new and spirituall life to be able in some measure to liue in knowledge holinesse and righteousnes Eph. 4.22 23 24. Col. 3.5.8 10 11. The summe of all these answers prooued by Rom. 6. from the first verse to the twelfth Explic. When we reade that the olde man or the body of sinne or our earthly members by which and the like names the corruption of our nature is called are are to be mortified that is made to die We are not to vnderstand it of the life of our bodies but of the life of sinne in our bodies So when our Sauiour saith If thine eie offend thee plucke it out c. he meaneth not that we should maime our bodies but that by all meanes wee should purge out corruption which manifests it selfe in such members yea then as wee estéeme our corrupt affections as deare as our eyes These two parts of repentance are also called putting off the olde man and putting on the new man c. whereby is signified that as willingly as a man puts off his old filthy ragges to bee clad in sweete and rich attire so should we willingly put away sin whereby we are deformed and labour to follow righteousnes which is a part of our Beauty in the sight of God Whereas some make thrée parts of repentance first Contrition secondly Confession thirdly Satisfaction they deceiue the simple For a man may haue all these and yet be damned as is manifest in Iudas who grieued confessed his sinne Matth. 27.3 3. and brought againe the thirty pieces of siluer and
yet was a reprobate These may be necessary partes of Discipline enioyned to sinners to testifie their repentance as in ancient times but the essentiall parts of repentance are perpetually mortification of the olde man and viuification of the new If you shall desire to know the maner how God works repentance vnderstand that first by preaching of the Law and sometimes by crosses punishments c. the conscience is terrified for sinne and is sorrowfull but in a worldly manner for feare of wrath for the Law can worke no otherwise Then by the promise of the Gospel the conscience is chéered through the gift of GOD in assurance of mercy the sense whereof bréeds an other sorrow different from that wrought by the Law called godly Sorrow which is when we are grieued for sinne not so much because of the wrath following as because thereby we haue offended so gratious a father and then followes repentance which is a changing of the heart and purpose vnto a continuall care and indeuour to hate all euill 2. Cor. 7.10 and to auoyd it to loue all goodnes and to follow it So that repentance properly is the effect of the Gospel not of the Law though the Law be necessary to prepare vs thereunto And hence we say it is an effect of Faith which purifies the heart Concerning the practise of repentance Sée the Booke called the Nature and Practise of Repentance written by our worthy Maister Perkins Vse 1. Beware of a wonderfull subtilty of the Diuell whereby he carries multitudes to hell which is when men and women are perswaded that if they can sigh sorrow and wéep for their sins that then they truly repent When Ahab and Iudas did thus much and yet frie in hell There is a sorrow caused by the Lawe which may bee in a Reprobate whose sorrow is like vnto the sorrow of a thiefe and whose teares are whoorish teares for as these being taken in the maner many times hang downe their heads and wéepe and waile for feare of the present punishment which when it is ouer they returne to their former courses their hearts not being changed so many grieue by the preaching of the Lawe and yet their hearts remaine as corrupt and as willing if it were not for the Lawe to sinne as euer before whereas the Godly Sorrow which commeth from the Gospel changeth the very inclination and purpose of the heart to hate sinne and loue goodnes and to continue increasing in such grace though there were no Law to condemne nor hell to torment 2. Cor. 7.11 c. Examine then thy repentance hereby and by the notes Vse 2. Remember that the summe of of a Christians duty is to Eschew euill Psal 34.14 Esa 1.16.17 and to do good and deceiue not thy selfe with those same halfe Christians whose furthest obedience is to kéepe themselues not vnspotted for they regard not spots but vndetected of grosse euils such for the which men are carried to the Iayle who though they abound with small faults as they tearme them hauing prophane hearts and destitute of loue to the truth and do no good thinke themselues among the forwardest of such who shall be saued But soft the first step to heauen in the practise of obedience is to depart from euill but he that sets but one step and that an ill-fauoured one too is neuer like to come there mend that step and depart from all euill and step againe doing the good and so walk on then the reward is thine If thou holdest not vp thy hands to any strange God but if thou worshippest not the true God thou canst not be saued If thou plowest not and goest not to cart on the Sabaoth day it is well but if thou doest not the duties of the Sabaoth in the publique and priuate worship of God thou maist be damned As therefore we doe not content our selues that no wéeds be in our Gardens vnlesse there bée good Hearbes and Flowers so we must not onely be void of euill but filled also with the fruits of righteousnesse Phil. 3.11 being not priuatiue onely but positiue Christians But alasse what then shall become of them which haue not yet learned to set the first stép to leaue their Drunkennesse Swearing Lying Whooredome how farre are these from true Christians How farre from Heauen How néere to Hell c. Vse 3. Note that Repentance and true conuersion is a worke of great difficulty for sinne cleaues so fast vnto vs sitting as close as our skinne and is so familiar to our nature that till God perswade the heart by the worke of his Spirit it is as easie a matter to perswade a man to leaue his sinnes as to get him to endure his eyes to be pluckt out of his head and his limbes to be torne from his body Therefore called Mortification and crucifying the flesh with the lusts c. It is not a sigh and away and now and then a few sorrowfull words will serue the turne No sinne is impudent and will neuer out till it be kild and cast out If thou makest account that Repentance is an easie worke thou hast not yet repented as thou shouldst do Go to Remember thou must mortifie sinne and destroy it It is a Serpent in thy bosome kill or be kild if thou kilst not it it will kill thée euen thy Soule c. Q. What is the measure of sanctification which we attaine to in this life Ans This grace is not perfectly finished in this life Rom. 7.18 19. 1. Cor. 13.9.12 Phil. 3.13 but here it is only in part Expl. There are two sorts of benefites which we receiue by Christ One of such which are out of our selues as Redemption Iustification Another of such which are in vs as Sanctification Conuersion The first sort are perfected in this life as Now we are the sonnes of God So now wee are elected 1. Ioh. 3.1.2 iustified redeemed The second are not perfected in all their degrées but onely begun Wee are perfectly redeemed vnderstand in regard of the price for we looke for the redemption of our bodies We are perfectly iustified in regard of Christs righteousnesse and the sentence for we pray for more féeling of it and these shall bée more fully declared at the last day We are imperfectly sanctified there remaining euen in the best a great deale of corruption which lusteth against the Spirit and often maketh them bitterly to mourne as in the example of Paul Vse 1. Our sanctification cannot iustifie vs Rom. 7. because imperfect Vse 2. The life of a godly man is a continuall repenting to his dying day As a man that buyes an old house is alwayes mending so the true Christian because he discouers alwaies new corruptions is alwaies mourning repairing and mending somwhat Do with thy conscience as women do in dressing vp their houses they swéepe and rub and brush euery day because euery thing gathereth dust and euer and anon they are renewing