may haply wooe her but cannot win her to leave her first Love For she findes that he reproved that lightnesse in the angel of the Church of Ephesus Reve. 2. 4. She cannot do such desperate wickedness and sin against her blessed Saviour who hath betrothed her unto himself in righteousness and ratified his contract by the sweet and precious ingagements of his Gospel And therfore her Love is so deeply rooted in the center of her soul that she cannot be tossed to and fro and carried away with every wind of Doctrine c. Ephes 4. 14. But being sincere in love she groweth up into him in all things which is her head vers 15. My righteousnesse I hold fast and will not let it go my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live saith Job Job 27. 6. This was a notable sign that he loved righteousness with much constancy Thirdly her love to righteousness is confident It will not be daunted nor discouraged Though proud Haman despiseth poor Mordecay and projecteth the destruction of himself and all his people As Esther 3. 6. Yet Mordecay will not give divine reverence to that ambitious upstart Ester 5. 9. Though Nebuchad-nezzar the mighty king of Babylon maketh an idolatrous decree and threatneth a burning fiery furnace to such as shall be disobedient thereunto Dan. 3. 10 11. Yet Shadrach Meshach and Abednego the servants of the most high God will not serve his gods nor worship the golden image that he hath set up Dan. 3. 18. Though Darius by the policy of his presidents and councellers establisheth a royall statute That whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty daies save of the King himself he shall be cast into the den of lions Dan. 6 7. Yet Daniel though he knows that the writing is sealed will kneel upon his knees three times a day and pray and give thanks before his God as he did aforetime Dan. 6. 10. See here how confident these godly men appeared in their love to righteousness And read yet further how the Lord succeeded their confidence with strange deliverances Cast not away therefore your confidence which hath great recompence of reward for ye have need of patience that after ye have done the will of God ye might receive the promise for yet a little while and he that shall come will come and will not tarry Heb. 10. 35. 36. 27. Fourthly her Love is very comprehensive It comprehendeth owneth and imbraceth all righteousness where ever it resideth She is not hypocritically proud so as to say Stand by thy self come not neer me for I am holier then thou like rebellions Israel Isa 65. 5. But in lowliness of minde she esteemeth each other better then her self As Phili. 2 3. Nor gainfully superstitious to cry out Great is Diana of the Ephesians with Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen As Acts 19. 34. But she acknowledgeth That godlinesse is profitable unto all things As 1 Tim. 4. 8. Nor is she insolently factious To despise dominion and speak evil of dignities with the Apostle Judes filthy dreamers As Jude 8. But she endeavoureth To keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace According to Saint Pauls preswasion Ephes 4. 3. I am a companion to all them that fear thee Saith good David unto his God Psal 119. 63. To all them that fear thee without any exception or limination And the Apostle Paul commends the Ephesians for their love to all the Saints Ephes 1. 15. But you will say 't is very difficult for us to know a sinner from a saint in times of tolleration wherein profession usurps the forme and undermines the power of godliness Thererore we shall do wisely to consider what David saith concerning this particular My Lord saith he my goodnesse extendeth not to thee but to the excellent in whom is all my delight Psal 16. 2 3. Or thus according to the vulgar reading All my delight is upon the Saints and upon such as excell in virtue A morall vertue shall not misse of a suteable reward if it be cordiall though it be constrained This we may see in the example of Ahab 1 Kings 21. 29. But wo be unto you ye hypocrites saith Christ eight times in one and the same chapter Mat. 23. Neverthelesse they that are truely godly lest they should be or partial or prejuditious in their love to righteousnesse do not forget to pray with our Apostle that The Lord would make them to increase and abound in love one towards another and towards all men As in 1 Thessa 3. 12. And as the virgin soul doth thus professe her fervent love unto her dearest Lord by loving righteousnesse which he doth love So on the other side she doth expresse the like unfained Love by hating sin and wickednesse because he hateth it But haply you will say the very name of wickednesse is harsh and odious Is there a man that hates not wickednesse 'T is true indeed 't is hard to finde a man so vile or gracelesse but that he would seem to be an enemy to wickednesse But yet in practice there are very few but do allow commit defend or love it And therefore first let me demand this question when thou art set upon by any sin dost thou resist it by the power of faith and fight against it under Gods command Canst thou sincerely say with godly Joseph How can I do this great wickednesse and sin against God as Gen. 39. 9. This is a signe thou hatest sin indeed Or doest thou otherwise refrain from sin for fear of shame reproach or punishment Verily thou hast thy reward But this is fear proceeding from self-self-love No love to God no hatred against sin Ye that love the Lord hate evil saith the Prophet Psal 97. 10. And therefore secondly let us consider the nature and the properties of hatred This hatred is no giddy frantick passion but a mature deliberate affection Such a notorious opposite to Love that they can never be so reconciled as to imbrace or favour the same object They are agreed ever to disagree Yet they are Twins both strugling in one wombe not to be parted not to be atoned consent begets and emnity preserves them For hatred lives by love love thrives by hatred Love first gives hatred an occasion and hatred prosecutes loves adversaries And therefore whosoever loveth God must hate all sin as grievous unto God Thou hast made me to serve with thy sins thou hast wearied me with thine iniquities saith the Lord to Israel Isa 43. 24. Now we must know that many men do much mistake themselves in this particular A man may be inraged against sin and yet not hate it Yea he may protest and vow against it very seriously and yet not hate it really and rightly And therefore we may do well to consider that hatred which is perfect and compleat hath these three properties First it is impartial Secondly it is impetuous And thirdly it is implacable
their Justice they can do no lesse than confound and destroy him for ever together with all those excellent dignities and dominions wherewith they are resolved to indow him But least by this means their glorie should be buried in the untimely ruines of such a promising fair enterprise The Son supports it with the pillar of his grace the Monument of a most dear Redeemer Father saith he I will not undertake to keep the Rebel from his cursed fall least happily he boasts himself to stand by his own strength But in his fall I will keep him from the curse yet satisfie thy Justice to the full Be pleased to deliver to my hand his Covenant so forfeited return him over debtour unto me and leave him wholly to my custody I 'le be his surety In the interim O my Father to magnifie the riches of our Grace let thou and I contract a Covenant A preventing Covenant to take effect just at the very instant of his fall wherein I 'le rise a Mediatour between thy Justice and his weaknesse which if he or any of his lost posterity shall willingly receive and seal unto I will not onely save him from thy wrath but likewise I 'le restore him to thy love in which I will establish him for ever To this the Father gives his free consent And thus the Father and the Son conclude to ratifie this Covenant of Grace And truely I doubt not but all such as are truely godly will very well admit of this supposed conference provided that it be with holy reverence For we read That Jesus Christ through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God Hebr. 9. 14. And that God received him with this congratulation In an acceptable time have I heard thee and in a day of salvation have I helped thee and I will preserve thee and give thee for a Covenant of the people to establish the earth to cause to inherit the desolate heritages That thou mayest say to the prisoners go forth to them that are in darknesse shew your selves And they shall feed in wayes and their pastures shall be in all high places c. Isa 49. 8 9. c. I beseech you let us take these words of God the Father unto God the Son into our further consideration For verily we cannot conceive at the first view how punctually they may be applied to that eternal Covenant In an acceptable time have I heard thee on the worlds behalf And I have helped thee to work salvation in a day most proper for that purpose And I will preserve thee and give thee for a Covenant of or concerning the people or on the behalf of the people to establish the earth which otherwise would be destroyed To cause to inherit the heritages which otherwise would be made desolate Adam and Eve together with their whole posterity in them shall be prisoners to my Justice But thou shalt inlarge them That thou mayest say to the prisoners Go forth they shall hide themselves from my presence as in darknesse but thou shalt make them confident saying shew your selves And they shall live safely pleasantly and plentifully They shall feed in the wayes and their pastures shall be in all high places c. By this conclusion between God and Christ their Creation is finished furnished Man their great Governour is constituted by Commission and confirmed by Covenant which he rebelling breaks and tumbles headlong towards condemnation But in that very point of time the Son by virtue of this Covâ—nant of Grace redeems him from destruction Restores him to his Fathers favour And re-estates him in his first Command Where he with all of his elect posterity persisting in the faith of Jesus Christ are mounted from the degree of servants to the dignity of Sons according to the Tenor of eternal truth For as many as received him to them gave he power to become the sons of God even to them that believe on his name John 1. 12. And thus we see that Jesus Christ gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purifie unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works According to that of St. Paul Tit. 2. 14. And God so loved the world that he gave his onely begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life According to the words of our Text. PRoceed we now to the second point or Member contained in this Copy of the Covenant of Grace Being the Consideration or motive that invited the Lord to contract this Covenant which we finde to be his Love God so loved the World So loved A vehement forcible expression So So abundantly So infinitely Indeed we may not conceive that any other but an infinite Love should proceed from an infinite God For Love in God is not accidental but essential And therefore it is attributed unto him in the abstract by that beloved Disciple God is Love saith he 1 Joh. 4. 8. Love it self It is impossible for any creature sufficiently to commend the Love of God because we are not able to comprehend the love of God Yet we may commend it for a great love wherewith he loved us even when we were dead in sins According to St. Pauls expression Ephes 2. 4. And according to the Lords own example For God comemndeth his love towards us in that when we were yet sinners Christ died for us Rom. 5. 8. Neither doth this commendation of the Love of God the Father from the mouth of God the Son fall any thing short of either of the former God so loved the world that he gave his onely begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life But you will say how doth it appear that the Love of God was the onely Consideration or motive that procured him to conclude this Covenant of Grace We must understand and consider That God being Love it self As having the very pure and perfect substance of love in himself essentially He loveth himself by the necessity of his nature And his Creatures by the liberty of his will And so resolving to create the World with every particular therein contained he looked on them with a general love as being his good Creatures Gen. 1. 31. But on man he looked with a more peculiar affection First In respect that man was the onely Creature by whom the Lord intended to advance his own immortal glory Isa 43. 7. Secondly For that the Lord intended to create him in his own Image As well in regard of the substance of his Soul being immortal and immaterial Gen. 2. 7. As also in regard of the perfections of his Soul consisting of Righteousnesse and true Holinesse Eph. 4. 24. But then foreseeing mans accursed fall procured wholly by his own default The God of goodnesse looks upon him then even with the love of pity and compassion which so prevailed in his Son Christ Jesus That He gave himself for us an offering
Leaf greenness In the blossom sweetness and in the Fruit juice So faith draws vertue from the Lord Christ Jesus and send it through the blessed soul in love to all the powers and faculties thereof thereby inriching every spirituall grace according to its proper use and action It maketh and preserveth faith unfained Hope unwearied charity open-hearted Humility undisguised Patience undistracted Prayer delightfull Thanksgiving cheerfull and obedience fruitfull To every grace it giveth life luster and sincerity which without Love are dull deceitfull and hypocriticall I cannot well tell where I should begin or how to end in the just commendations of this incomparable blessing There are many affections or strong and powerfull motions of the minde as joy grief Hope Fear Hatred and the like But when affection is simply and singularly nominated without any other addition you know we take it usually for Love By which we may conceive and understand that Love is the absolute affection It is also said that a good thing the more common it is the better it is And love is common unto every creature that onely hath the benefit of sense They do all generally love themselves their seed their food their fellows and their friends or whatsoever is most precious to their instinct or inclination Yet Love in man is of a nobler strain in regard that it proceedeth or should proceed from reason and discretion But when this Love extracted by true faith from God the onely substance of pure Love is placed upon God in Christ and the image of God in man The onely sound and unsuspected Objects Mat. 22. 37 38. Then verily it is of wondrous use First it becomes the nourse of pregnant faith to cherish and improve her precious fruit strengthening decking and beautifying every infant grace which would otherwise grow crooked deformed and contemptible 'T is faith that seales our interest in Christ But such a faith as works by Love saith Paul Gala. 5 6. Faith if it hath not works is dead saith James Ja. 2. 17. Yet Faith with works is nothing without Love as saith believing working loving Paul 1 Cor. 13. 2 3. True faith and Love have such a strict relation they cannot live the one without the other And therefore if our Love be not sincere we have great reason to suspect our faith And in the second place we finde that Love is Christ his cognisance or livery whereby he will have his Disciples known By this shall all men know ye are my Disciples saith he if ye have love one to another Jo. 13. 15. And it is a most compleat robe it hideth all our infirmities and deformities yea all our sins and transgressions Love covereth all sins saith Solomon Pro. 10. 12. And therefore blessed is the man that weares it Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven and whose sin is covered Psa 32. 1. This in all likeness is that wedding garment for want of which the Intruder was cast out of the bride chamber into utter darkness Mat. 22. 12 13. And it is an everlasting Ornament It never faileth 1 Cor. 13. 8. Our faith and Hope will help us into heaven and there they leave us but our endless Love will enter with us where it shall surpass in strength in sweetness and perfection as much as having exceedeth hopeing or injoying excelleth believing But every one that loves himself will say though Love be such a precious livery yet it is not so costly as 't is common I hope we are not so ungracious or so ungratefull but we love the Lord. Neverthelesse wise Solomon informs us That he that trusteth in his own heart is a fool Pro. 28. 26. And therefore let not us delude our selves in matters of such infinite concernment by trusting to our own deceitfull hearts without a serious examination We shall not finde it so easie a matter to lovc God really as most men unadvisedly imagine For first our Love is as narrow as Gâ—ds election Gods election is the first wheel that moveth in this great work It is he That hath chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before him in love Ephes 1. 4. And therefore untill we have given diligence to make our election sure by inquiring into the soundness of our faith we have great reason to suspect our Love Secondly if we have not the Spirit of God we have not the love of God For Love is a prime fruit of the Spirit Gal. 5. 22. Thirdly if we do not love the children of God we do not love God For every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him 1 John 5. 1. Fourthly if we do not keep Gods words we do not love God For if any man love me he will keep my words saith the Son of God John 14. 23. Fifthly if we be not carefull to keep Gods commandments we do not love God For this is the love of God that we keep his commandments 1 John 5. 3. Sixthly if our hearts be not circumcised if our hearts be not broken and humbled for sin so that our carnall corruptions are mortified and our sinfull lusts and affections subdued in some good measure we cannot love God For the Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart and with all thy soul saith Moses that man of God Deut 30. 6. And Seaventhly if we do love the world we do not love God If any man love the world the love of the Father is not in him 1 John 2. 15. Now it will be necessary for us to examine our selves in order to these seaven particulars And if we shall then presume that we love God we are in the next place to consider what manner of Love it is wherewith we do love him For we must know that there is a false Love as well as there is a true Love the love of an harlot as well as the love of a virgin The love of an harlot is First mercenary secondly hypocriticall thirdly inconstant and fourthly contemptible First I say the love of an harlot is mercenery when Tamar deceived Judah by playing the harlot she said unto him what wilt thou give me Gen. 38. 16. And probably there may be many that do seem even unto themselves to love God very dearly when as yet the secret inquisition of their heart is what shall we get by it what pleasure what profit what preferment They say with the wicked what can the almighty do for them Job 22. 17. Naaman the Syrian will go to the Prophet in Samaria 2 Kings 5. 9. But it shall be to be cleansed of his outward leprosie And being cleansed he will thenceforth offer neither burnt-offering nor sacrifice unto other gods but to the Lord vers 17. But in this thing the Lord pardon thy servant saith he that when my master goeth into the house of Rimmon to worship there and he
instructeth disposeth removeth reneweth and receiveth First it instructs the new-inlightened soul in those hereditary imperfections which pride would never suffer her to look on so as to own them with a free consent as the onely off-spring of her cursed nature But being humbled she can plainly see sin and corruption in every corner defiling all her thoughts and words and deeds And thereupon she willingly confesseth That every imagination of the thoughts of her heart is onely evill continually as Gen. 6. 5. That her tongue is an unruly evill full of deadly poyson as James 3. 8. Insomuch that she hath wearied the Lord with her words as Mala. 2. 17. And that she loveth darknesse rather then light because her deeds are evil as John 3. 19. And looking back upon her sinfull courses she feelingly complaineth with St. Paul what fruit had I then in those things whereof I am now ashamed for the end of those things is death Rom. 6. 21. Again humility instructeth her in her own wants her spiritual poverty for whereas pride endeavours to perswade her That she is rich and increased in goods and hath need of nothing humility informs her That she is wretched and miserable and poor and blinde and naked as Revel 3. 17. So that in her there dwelleth no good thing Rom. 7. 18. And having shown her that she is full of evil and void or empty of all grace and goodness humility proceedeth to instruct her in her own weakness which is so extream that she hath neither power to suppress her wickedness nor to supply her wants we are not sufficient of our selves to think any thing as of our selves but our sufficiency is of God saith Paul 2 Cor. 3. 5. Thus the poor soul learns to be sensible of her own wickedness and wants and weakness And from this feeling sense humility disPoseth her to seek relief whereby her sins may be supprest her wants supply'd and her much weakness pitied and supported O how she struggles in this three-fold snare how she endeavous to release her self But all in vain until a voice from heaven directeth her to take the little book out of the great and mighty angels hand Rev. 10. The Gospel in the hand of Jesus Christ wherein by his directon she findeth That he is that Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world John 1. 19. That the bloud of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin 1 John 1. 7. And that He hath loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood Revel 1. 5. Here she sees how her sins are washt away and how she is so clearly cleansed from them that she is freed for ever from that bondage Again she reads That in him dwelleth all the fulnesse of the Godhead bodily Colo. 2. 9. And that of his fulnesse we have all received and grace for grace John 1. 16. Here she perceives her wants are all supplyed and that in him she 's fully furnished And to sustain her in her present weakness she hears him say to her as to St. Paul My grace is sufficient for thee for my strength is made perfect in weaknesse 2 Cor. 12. 9. Until she comes experimentally to triumph with that mighty man of God I can do all things through Christ which strengheneth me Phil. 4. 13. And having tasted of these heavenly comforts she ruminates upon this little book from whence she sucketh such exceeding sweetness that now she singeth with the Prophet David How sweet are thy words unto my taste yea sweeter then hony to my mouth Psal 119. 103. But yet before she fully can disgest this book she findes it bitter in her belly For looking back upon her sinfull wayes she sees how ill she hath requited these incomparable favours How she hath grieved the Spirit of her Lord and crucified the Son of God a fresh And looking upon him whom she hath pierced she mourneth for him as one mourneth for his onely son and as is bitternesse for him as one that is in bitternesse for his first born According to that of the Prophet Zechar. 12. 10. Now sin appeareth in its proper colours foul filthy beastly and abominable So that the soul begins to hate her self for loving such a base deformed monster so spightfull treacherous and damnable that nothing can be more pernitious And being thus incensed against sin there 's nothing can content her but her Saviour She doth not cry with Rachel give me children but give ne Jesus Christ or else I die She is extreamly sick of her corruptions and none but Jesus must be her Physitian she seeks no other Physick but his favour no antidote but his affection no balsom but his blood and therefore she will entertain him upon any tearms though never so offensive to the flesh for she hath found that There is none other name under heaven whereby we must be saved Acts 4. 12. And now by vertue of humility that most obedient child of Faith and Love the careful soul endeavours to remove all such impediments as may obstruct the sweet approach of her beloved Lord. And knowing sin to be the onely thing that causeth their unhappy separation as Isa 59. 2. She cries unto her strength and her Redeemer for help against that false infernal foe that seeks to keep her still in his displeasure And being ayded by her Saviour and armed with his well approved armour Ephes 6. 13 c. She setteth first upon those crying sins that are of greatest obloquie and scandal and having routed those prodigions rebels she ransacks every corner of her conscience and haling forth her more concealed crimes she sends them packing she condemns her self of sloath self-saving and hypocrisie she crucifies her own corrupted nature and mortifies her most beloved lusts she suffers not a peevish thought to pass without a serious examination and a severe impartial reproof For the weapons of her warfare are not carnall but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth it self against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ According to that of the Apostle 2 Cor. 10. 4 5. But for as much as pride rebellious pride is evermore her mortal enemy The child of ignorance the Divels darling the soul of schism the strength of heresie the food of spight the fuell of contention the fools affiance and the wise mans fear the bane of godliness the death of grace hateful to Christ and hurtful to his members Therefore this humble soul constrains her self to cast out this destructive adversary and hold him in perpetual defiance And thus that she may gain her gracious Lord she labours mightily to take away the evil of her doings from his eyes To which she cannot yet conceive her self to be a pleasing Object For though she could cleanse her self from all filthiness of flesh and spirit according to Saint Pauls incouragement 2 Cor. 7. 1.
this we wait upon the Lord our God without repining murmuring or offence even in the greatest tryals or distresses Ye have heard of the patience of Job saith Saint James and have seen the end of the Lord that the Lord is very pitifull and of tender mercie Jam. 5. 11. This patience expecteth no reward but what the Lord is pleased to allow and she as willingly will wait his leisure for the performance of his gracious favour If we hope for that we see not then do we with patience wait for it saith St. Paul Rom. 8. 25. Be of good courage therefore and he shall strengthen your heart all ye that hope in the Lord as Psal 31. 24. I will not say but patience may miscarry And hope deferred may make the heart sick But this Patience of Hope in our Lord Jesus Christ who is the God of patience and of hope Rom. 15. 5 13. This verily is such a threefold cord as never can be broken And thus according to this patience we must continue and conclude the work begun by faith and laboured in by love For let this patience have her perfect work and ye shall be perfect and entire wanting nothing According to that of the Apostle Ja. 1. 4. And when our actions shall be undertaken by such a faith as onely respecteth Gods Commands and laboured in by such a love as onely affecteth Gods glory and continued by such a patience as onely expecteth Gods favour Then we may certainly assure our Souls they have brought forth the fruit of godlinesse And to confirm you further in this Rule I shall present you with some few examples Behold it first in father Abraham In that great work of offering up his son He undertakes it first by Gods command Gen. 22. 1 2. And therefore in the obedience of faith And Secondly his labour is of love of love to God For in comparison of that his love to God he loved not his Son his onely Son Thirdly his willingnesse did manifest his patience his patience of hope who against hope believed in hope saith the Apostle Rom. 4. 18. See it again in Josephs abstinence His Mistris courts him to commit a sin odious to God injurious to his Master and thereupon he could not but believe it was the minde of God he should refuse her Gen. 39. 7. 8. And here his love to God was evident How can I do this great wickednesse saith he and sin against God verse 9. And was it not a sign of Patience that he would rather suffer then accuse his lustfull Mistris or excuse his own abused innocency as verse 20. We likewise find this power of godlinesse in the three children as we use to call them In Shadrach Meshach and Abednego The king injoyns them to fall down and worship his golden image Dan. 3. 14 15. A thing quite opposite to Gods command Exod. 20. 4 5. And therefore in obedience to faith they disobey his heathenish injunction For they answered and said O Nebuchad-nezzar we are not carefull to answer thee in this matter our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace and he will deliver us out of thine hand O King But if not be it known unto thee O King that we will not serve thy gods nor worship thy golden image which thou hast set up Dan. 3. 16 17 18. In which reply it likewise may appear they loved God more deerly then their lives Nor is their patience lesse observable in that they went to their intended torture without recanting murmuring or repining As verse 21. Yet one example more and that from Paul The author of this Rule this Golden Chain and in relation to his Ministery unto the which he was commissionated by God in Christ Acts 9. 15 16. Which is yet more exactly set forth Act. 26. 15 c. And set his matchlesse love unto his Lord in his undaunted resolution Act. 20. 22. to 26. And with what patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ he suffered the afflictions of the Gospel it may most perfectly appear unto us in that he gloried in such tribulation We glorie in tribulation also saith he knowing that tribulation worketh patience and patience experience and experience hope and hope maketh not ashamed c. Rom. 5. 3 4 5. Now these and every work of the like nature whether it be of doing or of suffering of speech of action or of abstinence begotten by God in the womb of faith and born unto God by the hand of love and nursed for God at the breast of patience This is the sweet fruit which the teeming Soul doth usually bring forth unto her husband to God in Christ her husband And therefore it may very well be called according unto Gods name Godlinesse or after Christs name Christianity I will not say that ever any man except the Son of God both God and Man did fully and exactly steer his course according unto these points But I say that he which failes in any one of these so far he falleth short of godlinesse And yet 't is not denied but he may be a godly man that oftentimes doth misse to shape his actions to these principles Provided that his heart be well disposed that his desires be orderly and good and his endeavours vigorous and constant A Ship at Sea may sometimes be becalm'd and sometimes weather-beaten by a storm so as she cannot keep a steady course Sometimes the winde may set so sore against her that you would think her sailing to a Coast far distant from the Port that she intendeth And yet the Pilot is a skilfull man and brings his Vessel to his wished Haven in a good hour Even so the precious Soul may sometimes want Divine assistance sometimes such a storm of strong temptations may circumvent her as may inforce her from her good desires or Satan in his malice may beset her with some such difficulties as may drive her far distant from the course of her endeavours And yet the body joyned with this Soul is a good godly person and so full both of the seed and fruit of godlinesse That he may lay a warrantable claim unto the title of eternal life as a joynt Heir with Jesus Christ his Lord through the obedience of faith and love by vertue of that Covenant of Grace For God so loved the world that he gave his onely begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life FINIS The chief Heads contained in and pertaining unto this Copy of the Covenant of Grace  Page Page THe Covenanters 1. to 25. The Consideration 25. to 29. The Gift 29. to 38. The Provisoe 38. to 55. The Prevention 55. to 65. The Inheritance 65. to 93. Several Pretenders to the said Inheritance together with their Actions their Allegations and their Evidences 93. to 125. The right Heir discovered 125. to 133. His Evidence examined 133. to 200. His rich Plantation 200. to 243. His Souls affection 243. to 258. Her Profession 258. to 270. Her Inquisition 270. to 288. Her Confirmation 288. to 371. Her Satisfaction 371. to 388. Her gracious marriage 388. to 397. Her godly seed 397. ad finem Errata PAge 23. l. 3. r. in the wayes p. 54. l. 3. r. and of the gift p. 103. l. 6. r. of the Lord p. 14. l. 15. r. yet it p. 152. l. 11. r. me to do 193. l. 6. r. but in de p. 199. l. 16. r. such as p. 201. l. 4. r. find it in p. 204. l. 6 r. yet this p. 210. l. 4. r. strange flesh p. 206. l. 5. r. must not be p. 251. l. 13. r. 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and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour Eph. 5. 2. In whom our gracious God was fully pleased Math. 3. 17. Which so increased and confirm'd his love that he concludes this Covenant of Grace And certainly there being no possibility to be expected from decayed mankinde for the repairing of themselves either by desert satisfaction intercession or any other way or means whatsoever we must needs conceive consider and assure our Souls That whatsoever God or Christ or God in Christ or God for Christ his sake either did do or shall do in order unto Mans salvation or whatsoever else may truely be called a blessing They did do and shall do it meerly by virtue of that undeserved Love which they vouchsafed in this Covenant Had not that prevailed man had been destroyed and God had lost the glory of his grace which shines most clearly through mans Redemption Without doubt it is in reference to this eternal Covenant That our Redemption is said to be eternal Hebr. 9. 12. our Salvation eternal Hebr. 5. 9. And our Inheritance eternal Hebr. 9. 15. And the onely Consideration or Motive that procured all this was Gods eternal or everlasting Love wherewith he loved us Jer. 31. 3. He loved us generally as his Creatures He loved us particularly as those Creatures by whom he intended chiefly to advance his glory He loved us more especially as bearing his own Image He loved us compassionately as foreseeing our fall in Adam our old Grand-Father But he loved us most effectually upon the intercession of Christ his own dear Son And thus God so loved the World But that this truth may gain our full belief let us surveigh his gift his onely Son For God so loved the World that he gave his onely begotten Son This is the next branch which in the third place sets forth it self unto us in this Copy of the Covenant of Grace Being the Gift or Grant conveyed assigned and set over by the said Covenant or Deed of Gift WHerein I am to shew unto you these three particulars First That Jesus Christ the onely begotten Son of God was the Gift conveyed in that eternal Covenant Secondly What manner of Son he was And thirdly How and to what purpose God did so assign him For the first be pleased to remember what I have formerly delivered concerning this Precontract How God the Father and his blessed Son fore-seeing mans destruction by his fall Least by that means their purpose concerning the Creation should miscarrie The Son Christ Jesus gives himself to God a surety for the Creature And in case of mans default to satisfie the law on mans behalf And thereupon the Lord returns his Son by designation debtour to the law which he must to the uttermost discharge by suffering death which man of right must suffer Not presently for yet there was no cause why he should answer what was yet undone Nor at the very instant of mans fall The Lord was pleased to take his single Bond And to deferre the execution untill his own appointed time should come Neverthelesse by virtue of this Covenant God gave his Son for mans Redemption intentionally and by way of preordination before all time 1 Pet. 1. 19. effectually in the beginning of time Rev. 13. 8. And actually in the fulnesse of time Gal. 4. 4. Now albeit these several times were farre distant the one from the other in our apprehension Yet they were not so in Gods repute and acceptation for with him all times are present Eternity is evermore Gods present Tense And thus it may appear that the Gift which God the Father gave in this eternal Conant was his onely begotten Son And that he then gave him not onely intentionally according to our discretion But effectually and actually according to his own purpose and satisfaction Moreover if we consider the occasion why God and Christ did make this Covenant Namely to save man from that wofull curse which he did voluntarily incurre And yet to clear Gods Justice so ingaged us in the Covenant of works Then we shall finde that nothing could avail to bring to passe that intricate designe but the onely Son of God both God and Man Gods Justice seiseth upon every sin from which nor men nor Angels were quite free Prov. 28. 9. and Job 4. 18. And none but onely God might stay Gods hand But man hath sinned and man must suffer for 't And therefore in Mans Nature Christ must die and Christ as God and Man must satisfie Gods violated Justice And very punctual to this purpose is that of the Prophet Isaiah Vnto us a childe is born unto us a son is given and the government shall be upon his shoulder and his Name shall be called wonderfull Counseller The mighty God The everlasting Father The Prince of peace Isa 9. 6. These glorious expressions were too high for any but the eternal Son of God who was then or at that time neither born nor given otherwise then by way of promise and prevention And that by this eternal Covenant Now that we may be the more sensible of that incomparable Love which Almighty God vouchsafed us in this most precious Gift Let us consider for what kinde of Son the word of truth hath set him forth unto us He is Gods own Son Rom. 8. 32. His onely begotten Son which is in the bosome of his Father John 1. 18. His beloved Son in whom he is well pleased Mat. 17. 5. His dear Son or the Son of his Love Col. 1. 13. Whom he hath appointed heir of all things Heb. 1. 2. In whom his Soul delighteth Isa 42. 1. Who never displeased him John 8. 29. Did God give this near dear delightfull Son of his to suffer death a cursed death to save accursed rebels from destruction Truely the though thereof if any thing serious will inforce us to conclude with that beloved Disciple Herein is Love the very power efficacy and excellency of Love Not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins 1 John 4. 10. But happily 't will be demanded how and to what purpose did God give his Son in this eternal Covenant of Grace I answer thus God being simply and essentially one considering mans eternal separation both from his presence and his favour too occasioned by mans rebellion The same one God did graciously decree to take upon him in the Person of the Son of God the Name and Nature of the Son of Man By that mysterious meanes to reconcile mankinde unto himself And thus as God the Father in his Justice opposeth mans contempt so God the Son in mercie intercedes and pacifies Gods wrath for Mans offence And therefore very much to this purpose is that of the Apostle Paul There is one God saith he and one Mediatour between God and men the man Christ Jesus who gave himself a Ransome for all to be testified in due time 1 Tim. 2. 5 6. In
otherwise grace is no more grace saith Saint Paul Rom. 11. 6. It is the nature of grace to be free we are justified freely by his grace saith the same Apostle Rom. 3. 24. If we shall look upon Gods words and works we shall finde that it is the will of God to give us his onely begotten Son Christ Jesus together with all his benefits and blessings altogether freely without cost without desert without assistance and without seeking First without our cost or charge Thou hast not brought me the small cattel of thy burnt-offerings neither hast thou honoured me with thy sacrifices I have not caused thee to serve with an offering nor wearied thee with Incense Thou hast bought me no sweet Cane with money neither hast thou filled me with the fat of thy sacrifices but thou hast made me to serve with thy sins thou hast wearied me with thine iniquities I even I am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake and will not remember thy sins saith the Lord Isa 43. 23 24 25. Now this obliteration or remission of sins is part of Christs purchase and we cannot receive the one without the other No Christ no forgivenesse of sins In him we have redemption through his bloud even the forgivenesse of sins saith St. Paul Eph. 1. 7. Neither did Christ himself set his own graces to sale when he stood cried saying If any man thirst let him come unto me and drink he that believeth on me as the Scripture hath said out of his belly shall flow Rivers of living water But this he spake of the spirit which they that believe on him should receive John 7. 37 38. 39. Secondly God giveth his Son with all his benefits c. without our desert We our selves also were sometimes foolish disobedient deceived serving divers lusts and pleasures living in malice and envy hatefull and hating one another But after that the kindnesse and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared Not by works of righteousnesse which we have done but according to his mercy he saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the holy Ghost which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour saith St. Paul Tit. 3. 3. 4 5 6. And to the Ephesians God who is rich in mercie for his great love wherewith he loved us even when we were dead in sins hath quickned us together with Christ by grace ye are saved And hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindnesse towards us in Christ Jesus Eph. 2. 4. 5 6 7. All this he did for us when we were dead in sins And alas what can sinfull dead men deserve Thirdly he vouchsafeth us his Son Jesus Christ with all his graces and blessings without our assistance For if by one mans offence death reigned by one much more they which receive abundance of grace and the gift of righteousnesse shall reign in life by one Jesus Christ Therefore as by the offence of one judgement came upon all men to condemnation even so by the righteousnesse of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life Rom. 5. 17 18. And if freely and meerly by one then without our Assistance Fourthly and lastly God gives us Christ without our seeking When we shall see him there is no beauty that we should desire him He is despised and rejected of men a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief and we hid our faces as it were from him he was despised and we esteemed him not saith the Prophet Isa 53. 2 3. The lost sheep sought not the Shepheard but the Shepheard sought his lost sheep Luke 15. 4. c. I am found of him that sought me not saith the Lord our Redeemer Isa 65. 1. Thus you see that it is the nature of grace to give altoger freely And therefore it is of faith that it might be by grace Rom. 4. 16. For to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace but of debt Rom. 4. 4. By grace are ye saved through faith and that not of your selves it is the gift of God Eph. 2. 8. And this I conceive to be a second and a solid reason why God requireth nothing but Faith Because whatsoever had been required with or besides Faith it would have been destructive to the very nature of this Covenant of Grace THe fifth branch growing in this Paradise this Eden of the Covenant of Grace is the prevention freedom from destruction should not perish should not be destroyed I conceive it will not be denied by any sound Christian but that Adams transgression against the Covenant of works did draw an universal guilt and punishment over the face of the whole earth Insomuch that every man woman proceeding from Adam after a natural generation is become guilty of his sin and by that means liable to his penalty First we are all polluted by his sinne Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean not one saith Job Job 14. 4. Behold saith David I was shapen in iniquity and in sin my mother conceived me Psal 51. 5. And St. Paul tells us That the children of God by grace were the children of wrath by nature Eph. 2. 3. And it is onely sin that subjecteth us to Gods wrath Col. 3. 5 6. And secondly as Adams corrupted nature hath ingaged us in his damnable sin so hath his sin likewise exposed us to his deadly punishment For as by one man sin entred into the world and death by sin so death passed upon all men for that all have sinned or in whom all have sinned saith St. Paul Rom. 5. 12. Thus we see that the contagion or the infection of Adams sin and likewise the certainty of his punishment are both become universal And therefore this Hereditary corruptition hath put us into a perishing condition although we had no sin of our own to answer for But then if we shall consider all our sins both original and actual our sins of omission and our sins of commission together with their several circumstances and aggravations Who can forbear to cry out with Saint Paul O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death Rom. 7. 24. The body of this death or the power of this death And verily we shall perceive the power of this death to be far more dangerous then ordinarily it is conceived to be If we shall consider it according to the several sorts or degrees of death Which we finde to be four viz. The spiritual death the cordial death the natural death and the eternal death The spiritual death is that whereby we are said to be dead in sin Eph. 2. 1. And therefore St. Paul tells us The widow that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth 1 Tim. 5. 6. And thus the Spirit to the Angel
full of cursing and deceit and fraud under his tongue is mischief and vanity verse 7. Indeed it is a rare thing to hear a wicked man speak well For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh saith our Saviour Mat. 12. 34. But when the recollected Christian becometh so speechlesse That no corrupt communication will proceed out of his mouth but that he putteth away all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamour and evll speaking with all malice And that he cannot suffer fornication and uncleanness and covetousness to be once named neither filthiness nor foolish talking nor jesting which are not convenient According to the severall exhortations of the Apostle Ephe. 4. 29. 31. and 3 4. I say the loss of this and the like ungodly language is another evident symptom whereby we may pronounce such a one to be dead unto sin A third sign is loss of memory It is a sad thing to consider what an everlasting memory a carnall man hath concerning those things that are evill He can sooner forget a thousand great benefits then one small offence And so in all other particulars his memory may be called the ready Register by whom all his flesh-pleasing vices are entered upon record And when his opportunity will not license him to commit them it is no little recreation for him to remember them The children of Israel wept and said we remember the fish which we did eat in Egypt freely the Cucumbers and the Melons and the Leekes and the Onyons and the Garlick Numb 11. 4 5. But the children of Belial laugh and say we remember since we could have satiated our lusts with variety of strong flesh commanded the tongues and hands of so many tall fellows purchased so many acres by meer policy sate so many dayes and nights together at gameing caroused so many cups to a health and spent so many crowns at a sitting Thus they delight their memories in the contemplation of their own mischiefs As enemies to the crosse of Christ whose end is destruction whose God is their belly whose glory is their shame who mind earthly things According to that of the Apostle Phil. 3. 18 19. But when any one of these unhappy heads shall so lose his memory as that he shall forget those delights which he conceived in the time of his former lewdness when the remembrance of all his fore-passed sins is become so grievous and offensive unto his soul that he can cordially and constantly cry out with the Apostle What fruit had I then in those things whereof I am now ashamed for the end of those things is death Rom. 6. 21. Truely we may be confident to say concerning such a man that he is dead unto sin The fourth and last is a most infallible sign And that is loss of motion When a man hath so utterly forsaken the love of sin that he can by no means be reduced or restored thereunto The divell can no longer seduce him The world cannot win him neither can the lusts of the flesh allure him so far forth as to afford them any hope of his future obedience I will not say but they may inforce their charming drugs upon him as if one should force drink into the mouth of a dead man But his soul doth so extreamly abhor all means of recovery that nothing will stay with him nothing can work upon him Haply the loss of Appetite may be restored by a skilfull Physitian so may the loss of speech and the loss of memory too Provided that the patient be willing to receive the medicine and that his body is able to assist it But when the patient will not obey or if his body cannot cooperate we say that such a man is absolutely a dead man Doubtless in every spirituall conflict the divell is very industrious to preserve his declining patient And to that purpose he presenteth him with his guilded pills and his perfumed potious his cordials and his restoratives in expectation of a speedy cure But when the soul perceiving his pretence so sets it self against his blind Receipts that nothing can move it nothing work upon it so as to return it to its former vomit Then that happy body that is the cabinet or companion to such a blessed soul may chearfully give thanks unto the Father which hath made him meet to be partaker of the inheritance of the Saints in light having delivered him from the power of darknesse and translated him into the kingdom of his dear Son In whom he hath redemption through his blood even the forgivennesse of sins As in Collo 1. 12 13 14. This man is undoubtedly dead indeed unto sin And so consequently he is planted into Christ according to the likeness of his death And whosoever is planted into Christ according to the likeness of his death he is likewise planted into Christ according to the likeness of his resurrection as we have formerly observed out of those words of the Apostle Rom. 6. 5. But it may be demanded when a man may be said to be planted into Christ according to the likeness of his resurrection I answer when he is alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. For as by the vertue of Christs death we are dead unto sin so by the vertue of his resurrection we are alive unto God Therefore we are buried with him by baptisme into death that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father even so we also shâ—uld walk in newnesse of life Rom. 6. 4. And whosoever walketh in newness of life upon the true account of a new creature he onely is alive unto God in or through Jesus Christ our Lord. Again it may be demanded How a man may know and assure himself that he is planted into Christ according to the likes ness of his resurrection To which I answer That this he shall finde by his resemblance or likeness to this Tree of righteousness by which the Lord sets forth a true Beleever And therefore let him first consider if he be well rooted You know that when a tree is removed it may be said to be dead as in relation to that ground out of which it is taken And therefore that it may live again it is necessary that it be replanted And for that purpose the husbandman doth commonly make choice of a better and a more fertile soyl then that from which it did Naturally or Originally proceed That so it may be the more inriched and the better inabled to spread forth its root and to bring forth fruit accordingly And that it may appear to thrive and prosper the principall care to be taken is this That it be well rooted For the life of the plant consisteth in the root We are all by nature unprofitable shoots sprung from old Adam that degenerate shrub and have neither roote nor fatness nor fruit in our selves And therefore it is needfull that we be plucked from our corrupted stock and that
First if it deserveth the right name of hatred it is impartial And therefore he that truely hateth sin he doth hate all manner of sin and in all manner of persons He must hate all manner of sin He may not hate riotousnesse and love covetousnesse hate swearing and love lying hate publick prophanesse and love private perfidiousnesse or the contrary I hate every false way saith good David Psal 119. 128. And to that purpose he prayeth unto his God saying Incline not my heart to any evil thing Psal 41. 4. Doubtlesse 't is hard to finde a man whose heart is not inclin'd to many evil things But wher 's that Soul amongst us that is not so wedded unto some bewitching lust some Dalila one bosom sin or other of which we are inclineable to say as Lot did sometime say concerning Zoar Is it not a little one Gen. 19. 20. Yet every sin is a transgression of the Law 1 Joh. 3. 4. And cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the Law to do them Gal. 3. 10. And therefore the Prophet David Search me O God saith he and know my heart try me and know my thoughts And see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting Psal 139. 23 24. And the Apostle Paul Let us cleanse our selves from all filthinesse of the flesh and spirit perfecting holinesse in the fear of God 2 Cor. 7. 1. And likewise St. Jude exhorteth To hate even the Garment spotted by the flesh Jude 23. Alluding haply to those forbidden things of the Law whereby their very Garments were defiled And intimating to us under the Gospel That we ought to abstain even from all appearance of evil according to that of Paul 1 Thes 5. 22. And as we must hate sin in general so we must hate all sinne in every person A man would think there had been no great cause of offence for Jehosaphat to assist Ahab in the recovery of Ramoth Gilead They were both of the stock of Abraham joyned in affinity professed the same Religion the cause was just and the enemy an idolatrous Heathen Neverthelesse Jehu the Seer said unto Jehosaphat the King Shouldest thou help the ungodly and love them that hate the Lord Therefore is wrath upon thee from before the Lord 2 Chron. 19. 2. And are there not too many amongst us that do professe much detestation against the miscarriages of such as are either averse or unprofitable to our designs whereas a little affinity or friendship or faction or the like carnal complyance will easily over-rule us to approve and patronize the most abomiâ—able actions Like wicked Ahab who hated the saving truth in the mouth of Micaiah because it was contrary to his intention and imbraced a pernitious lye from the mouths of his false Prophets because it was agreeable to his present resolution as in the 2 Chron. 18. Yea such is the damnable deceitfulnesse of self-self-love that many of us are thereby bewitched to censure those sins most severely in others which we our selves are ten times more notoriously guilty of And thinkest thou this O man that judgest them which do such things and dost the same that thou shalt escape the judgement of God saith Paul Rom. 2. 3. Verily this carnal self-love must of necessity be turned into spiritual self-hatred either temporal or eternal For we are sure that the judgement of God is according to truth against them which commit such things as saith the same Apostle Rom. 2. 2. Nothing is so offensive unto God or so destructive to our selves as sin The pestilence in our bloud the poyson in our bowels and the sword in our sides all these together can but kill the body according to a temporary death But sin is of so desperate a strain that it destroyes both soul and body too and hurries them into eternal torments And therefore he that hateth not all sin and in all persons chiefly in himself his seeming hatred is Hypocrisie and his love to God and his own Soul is nothing bettter Therefore be not deceived God is not mocked Gal. 6. 7. Secondly hatred if 't is true and perfect it is impetuous or violent nothing will satisfie it but the death or the destruction of every thing whereon it resteth We finde that Esau hated his brother Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father had blessed him And Esau said in his heart the dayes of mourning for my father are at hand then will I slay my brother Jacob Genes 27. 41. And doubtlesse he had done as he intended had not the Lord his God preserved Jacob according to his power Gen. 32. 11. We likewise finde how that the sons of Jacob did hate their brother Joseph Gen. 37. 4. And they consulted together to slay him verse 20. And if we deal more kindly by our sins it is a sign we are but angry with them we do not hate them with a perfect hatred like that of David wherewith he did hate the haters of his God Do not I hate them O Lord saith he that hate thee And am I not grieved with those that rise up against thee I hate them with a perfect hatred Psal 139. 21 22. There are two great evils in and belonging unto every sin to wit the evil of iniquity Psal 32. 5. And the evil of punishment Lam. 3. 39. Whereof the first is essential and offensive to the spirit the second is accidental and offensive to the flesh And from hence it proceedeth that the spiritual man hateth sin for the iniquity thereof In reference to God But the carnal man is angry with sin onely because of the punishment thereof in relation to himself God is not in all his thoughts saith David Psal 10. 4. And therefore because he hateth not the iniquity which he ought to hate the punishment which he hateth shall fall upon him unto his confusion Gen. 4. 13. Whilest he which hateth that which God doth hate shall surely be approved of by God Rev. 2. 6. And therefore it will be of special use unto us to consider with what vehemency the Prophet David endeavoureth to aggravate the violence or the severity of his hatred against sin and sinners in his 101. Psalm Wherein he maketh divers protestations or promises unto this very purpose saying I will see no wicked thing before mine eyes I hate the work of them that turn aside it shall not cleave to me verse 3. A froward heart shall depart from me I will not know a wicked person verse 4. Who so privily slandereth his neighbour him will I cut off him that hath an high look and a proud heart will not I suffer verse 5. He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my hâ—use he that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight verse 7. I will early destroy all the wicked of the land that I may cut off all wicked doers from the citie of the Lord verse 8. Thus
David as a King and thus do thou according to thy power or do not say that thou hast any hatred against sin And as that hatred which is warrantable is both impartial and impetuous So in the third place 't is implacable never to be appeased or reconciled This is not hatred to fall out with sin or quarrel with it at some special time or for some extraordinary cause For thus the most ungracious Reprobate may sometimes hate his best-beloved sin And yet return with the Dogge to his vomit and the Sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire If thus the unclean spirit goeth out of a man it is but onely to recruit his forces he will return and take unto himself seven other spirits more wicked then himself and they will enter in and dwell there and the last state of that man is worse then the first According to that saying of our Saviour Luke 11. 26. But when a man in expectation of Gods eternal Love by Jesus Christ doth dedicate his love to God in Christ the violence and perpetuity of his impartial hatred will be such against all sin and every transgression That he will chuse to suffer the afflictions of Joseph Psal 105. 17 18. Much rather then he will be reconciled to any sin or become serviceable unto the Prince of darknesse though with Ioseph he be solicited thereto day by day as Gen. 39. 10. And thus the Soul that is in love with Christ declares it by her Christian profession especially In loving righteousnesse because he loves it and hating wickednesse because he hates it And having thus throughly endeer'd herself by manifesting her affections and fixing them upon their proper objects In the next place she doth prepare herself to seek and entertain her princely lover For as the Tree that is planted in a fruitfull soyl doth not onely increase her sap in her self and send it forth in flourishing green leaves but likewise by the vertue of that sap she putteth forth her beautifull fair blossoms whereby we are induced to conceive that she will bring forth fruit accordingly Even so the Soul that by a lively faith is planted into Christ doth not onely improve her love by Contemplation and manifest it by Profession But likewise she most earnestly endeavoureth to fit and confirm it by Preparation ANd this her hopefull preparation sets forth it self in seeking her beloved It is a principal part of Iehoshaphats commendations That he prepared his heart to seek God 2 Chron. 19. 3. And Hezekiah one of his successours both in his Kingdom and his piety having proclaimed a solemne Passeover He besought the Lord saying The good Lord pardon every one that prepareth his heart to seek God the Lord God of his fathers though he be not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary 2 Chr. 30. 19. And the Lord hearkened to Hezekiah and healed the people verse 20. And in this search the loving Soul considereth when where and how she may so seek her Lord that she may soon safely and surely finde him And to that purpose she doth call to minde that the holy Ghost sets forth a threefold prescription in order to the time when she 's to seek him First early Prov. 8. 17. Secondly continually Chron. 16. 11. And thirdly evermore Psal 105. 4. Early in regard of opportunity Continually in reference to constancie And evermore in relation to perpetuity First early without delaying In the morning of her youth Remember thy Creatour in the dayes of thy youth saith that kingly Preacher Eccles 12. 1. And thus good Obadiah to Elijah I thy servant fear the Lord from my youth 1 Tim. 18. 12. Secondly continually without wavering For he that wavereth is like a wave of the Sea driven with the winde and tossed Let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord James 1. 6 7. And thirdly evermore without revolting or apostatizing He that endureth to the end shall be saved saith the Son of God Mat. 10. 22. It is registred of Asa That he did that which was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God 2 Chron. 14. 2. Neverthelesse it is a notable blemish to his integrity that towards his latter end In his disease he sought not to the Lord but to the Physicians 2 Chr. 16. 12. And thus the love-sick Soul will seek her Lord early least having withdrawn himself she seek him but cannot finde him and call him but he gives her no answer as Cant. 5. 6. She will seek him continually least he cometh in a day when she looketh not for him and in an hour that she is not ware of Mat. 24. 50. And she will seek him evermore least she be unprovided at his last coming and the door be shut against her as it fared with the foolish Virgins Mat. 25. 10. And in the second place she doth consider where she may safely seek for her beloved And is resolved that this must be in his Ordinances and especially in his word which is sometimes called the Scriptures according as he himself hath taught her saying Search the Scriptures for they are they which testifie of me John 5. 39. And therefore the Prophet David professeth unto the Lord That he rejoyceth at his word as one that findeth great spoiles Psal 119. 162. And the faithfull spouse in the Canticles desireth to hear the voice of her dear Lord saying Thou that dwellest in the gardens the companions hearken unto thy voice cause me to hear it Cant. 8. 13. But I conceive it may be Objected That we may hear severall voices speaking in the holy Scriptures and therefore how shall we know the voice of Christ from other voices I answer it is true indeed the Scripture do discover unto us severall voices especially the voice of God in his law and the voice Christ or of God in Christ in his Gospel And they are so frequently and so diversly mixed or intermingled the one with the other according to the wonderfull wisdom of the Spirit and that both in the old and new Testaments that it requireth a good and a willing understanding to distinguish rightly between them For all that is contained in the new Testament although we do generally call that the Gospell is not to be understood as the voice of the Gospel or the voice of Christ according to his Gospel Every idle word that men shall speak they shall give account thereof in the day of judgement There is the voice of the law in the midst of the Gospel Mat. 12. 36. Neither may we think that whatsoever is found in the old Testament which is commonly called the law is to be referred to the voice of the law For the Scripture foreseeing that God would justifie the Heathen by faith preached the Gospell before unto Abraham Gal. 3. 8. Saying In thee shall all nations be blessed Gen. 12. 3. And the like we finde many very many times both in the old
when the Soul deliberately findeth she is confirmed she hath found her Lord. ANd now the chiefest thing that she desireth is to be sure of his affection And to that purpose she indeavoureth to satisfie her self in these three Queries whereof the first is this whether the Lord who is of purer eyes then to see evil and cannot look upâ—n iniquitie Habak 1. 13. Can notwithstanding set his love upon such simple Creatures as the sons of men Seeing we are all as an unclean thing and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags as Isa 64. 6. Therefore to be resolved in this point she turns her self towards the word of God and sets her self to search the holy Scriptures where her dear Lord directeth her to these and many the like precious promises The mountains shall depart and the hills be removed but my kindnesse shall not depart from thee saith the Lord that hath mercie on thee Isa 54. 10. Can a woman forget her sucking Childe that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb Yea they may forget yet will I not forget thee saith the same loving Lord Isa 49. 15. But I saith the Soul am very sinfull exceeding subject to transgresse True saith the Lord thou hast made me to serve with thy sins thou hast wearied me with thine iniquities But I even I am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake and will not remember thy sins Isa 43. 24 25. I knew that thou wouldest deal very treacherously and wast called a trunsgressour from the womb but for my name sake will I defer mine anger c. Isa 48. 8 9. Again the Soul objects against her self But I have felt the goodnesse of my God and sometimes tasted something like his favour whereby I have been seriously resolved to give my self for ever to his service And yet as one forsaking her first love I have returned to my former courses and lost the hold of all my precions hopes Why I will heal thy back-sliding and will love thee freely saith her good Lord Hos 14. 4. Thus comforted the weary Soul proceeds to ruminate upon her Lords performances The wonderfull works that he hath done for the Children of men The glorie which thou gavest me I have given them that they may be one even as we are one I in them and thou in me that they may be made perfect in one and that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them as thou hast loved me saith our Lord in his prayer to his father on the behalf of his Apostles together with all other believers John 17. 22 23. I lay down my life for the sheep saith our good shepheard John 10. 15. No man taketh it from me but I lay it down of my self saith he again verse 18. And greater love hath no man then this that a man lay down his life for his friends Jo. 15. 13. Most true it is no man hath greater love But our dear Lord both God and Man hath greater for he did lay down his life for his enemies when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his son Rom. 5. 10. These are excellent arguments of his more excellent affection Yet to confirm her faith beyond all scruple she will examine some of his chief witnesses And first St. Paul who testifieth that our Lord hath purchased his spouse with his own bloud Take heed therefore unto your selves saith he and unto the whole flock over the which the holy Ghost hath made you overseers to feed the Church of God which he hath purchased with his own bloud Acts 20. 28. Again Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law being made a curse for us Gal. 3. 13. And ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold c. But with the precious bloud of Christ as of a lamb without blemish and without spot saith St. Peter 1 Pet. 1. 18. c. his own self bare our sins in his own bodie on the Tree that we being dead to sin should live unto righteousnesse by whose stripes we are healed saith the same Apostle 1 Pet. 2. 24. Now hereby perceive we the love of God because he laid down his life for us saith that beloved Disciple 1 John 3. 16. And therefore unto him that hath loved us and washed us from our sins in his own bloud and hath made us Kings and Priests unto God and his father to him be glorie and dominion for ever and ever amen Rev. 1. 5 6. Scarcely for a righteous man will one die saith our Apostle Rom. 5. 7. But that the onely begotten Son of God whom he hath made Heir of all things should die a cursed death to redeem the foul Souls of filthy despicable sinners Hear O Heavens and be astonished O earth This is an unconceiveable love a bottomlesse affection But now the Soul having perused his promises considered his performances and examined his witnesses till she is well resolved in this truth In the next place she asks to what intent did Christ redeem us at so deer a rate And learned Paul informs her Eph. 5. Husbands love your wives saith he even as Christ also loved the Church and gave himself for it that he might sanctifie and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word That he might present it to himself a glorious Church not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing but that it should be holy and without blemish c. Eph. 5. 25 c. But can so great a Lord vouchsafe such grace as to betroth or marry to himself such wretched weak and undeserving creatures As Paul in that place seems to intimate This is the second question in which the Soul desireth to be satisfied And thereupon she runs to his Records and there by his assistance findes it written I will betroth thee unto me for ever Hosea 2. 19. And by his Prophet Jeremy Turn O back-sliding Children for I am married unto you Jer. 3. 14. Having considered these testimonies Then from his word she frames such arguments as may confirm her in this blessed truth First it appeareth that the Lord doth marry his Church unto himself In that he ealleth her his spouse Cant. 4. 8. Come with me from Lebanon my spouse And in the four next ensuing verses of that Chapter he extolleth her beauty her affection her profession and her ehastity four several times under the title of his spouse his sister his spouse His sister in regard that he had taken unto himself her flesh And his spouse in regard that he had joyned her unto himself in the spirit Secondly it is evident that the Lord marrieth his church unto himself For that he will have her call him husband Thou shalt call me Ishi that is in the Originall my husband and shalt call me no more Baali that is my Lord saith he to his church of the Jews Hos 2. 16. Thirdly it