enough to prevent the making and therefore by consequence have no force to alter or disanull it then it is certaine that this latter law must be understood in some other sense and admitte of some other subordinate use which may well consist with the being and force of the former covenant and not in that which primâ facie seemes to contradict and by consequence to abrogate it Now in the next words verse 18. For if the Inheritance bee of the Law it is no more of Promise but God gave it to Abraham by Promise The Apostle shewes what the purpose of the Covenant to Abraham was namely to give life and salvation by Grace and Promise and therefore what the purpose of the latter covenant by Moses was not neither could bee namely to give the same life by working since in those respects there would be contradiction and inconsistencie in the Covenants and so by consequence instability and unfaithfulnesse in him that made them The maine conclusion then which hitherto the Apostle hath driven at is this that the comming of the Law hath not voyded the promise and that the Law is not of force towards the seede to whom the promise is made in any such sense as carries contradiction unto and by consequence implyes abrogation of the Promise before made Therefore if it be not to stand in a contradiction it followes that it must in subordination to the Gospell and so to tend to Evangelicall purposes This this Apostle proceedes to shew verse 19. Wherefore 〈◊〉 serveth the Law It was added because of transgressions till the seede should come to whom the Promise was made and it was ordained by Angels in the hand of a Mediator To what enâ—… saith the Apostle should there be a publication of a Law so expresly contrary to the Covenant formerly made In his Answere to this doubt there are many things worthy of especiall observation First 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It was added or put to It was not set up alone as a thing ingrâ—…sse by it selfe as any adequate complete solid rule of righteousnesse as it was given to Adam in Paradise much lesse was it published as a thing to voyde and disa ull any precedent covenant but so farre was it from abrogating that it was added to the Promise Now when one thing is made an Appendant or Addâ—…ament to another it doth necessarily put the being of that to which it is Appendant and presuppose a strength and vigor in it still But how then was it added not by way of Ingrediencie as a Part of the Covenant as if the Promise had been incomplete without the Law for then the same Covenant should consist of contradictory materials and so should overthrow it selfe For if it bee of workes it is no more of grace else grace is no more grace but it was added by way of Subserviencie and Attendance the better to advance and make effectuall the Covenant it selfe In Adams heart the Law was set up solitary and as a whole rule of righteousnesse and salvation in it selfe but though the sâ—…me Law were by Moses revived yet not at all to the same purpose but onely to helpe forward and introduce another and a better Covenant Secondly It was Added because of Transgressions To make them appeare to awaken the Consciences of men who without a Law would not impute nor charge their sinnes upon themselves and make them acknowledge the guilt of them and owne the condemnation which was due unto them to discover and disclose the venome of our sinfull nature to open the mouth of the sepulcher and make the heart smell the stinch of its owne foulnesse Thirdly Till the seede should come unto whom the Promise was made There were two great promises made to Abraham and his seed The one In thy-seed shall all the Nations of the earth be blessed and this Promise respects the Person of Christ which yet seemes to bee a Promise not so much made to Christ as in him to Abraham and all nations who were Abrahams seed by Promise though not after the flesh as Saint Paul distinguisheth Rom. 9 The other I will be a God unto thee and to thy seede after thee which respecteth all nations who should beleeve Now whâ—…ch way soever we understand these words they confirme the point which wee are upon that the Law hath Evangelicall purposes If we understand by seede the Person of Christ theâ—… this shewes that the Law was put to the Promise the better to raise and stirre up in men the expectations of Christ the promised seede who should deliver them from that unavoidable bondage and curse which the Law did sâ—…ale and conclude them under If we vnderstand by seed the faithfull which I rather approve then the Apostles meaning is this that as long as any are either to come into the unity of Christs body and to have the Covenant of Grace unto them applyed or to be kept in the Body of Christ when they are comâ—… 〈◊〉 so long there will bee use of the Law to discover Transgressions both iâ—… the unregenerate that they may sâ—…e â—…o Christ for Sanctuary and 〈◊〉 those that are already called that they may learne to cast all their faith and hope and expectations of righteousnesse upon him â—…ull For the same reason which compels men to come in is requisite also to keepe them in else why doth not God utterly destroy sinne in the Faithfull Certainely hee hath no delight to see Christ have leprous members or to see sin in his owne people Only because he will still have them see the necessity of righteousnesse by faith and of grace in Christ he therfore suffers concupiscence to stirre in them and the Law to conclude them under the curse This then manifestly shewes that there was no other intention in publishing the Law but with reference to the seede that is with Evangelicall purposes to shew mercie not with reference to those that perish who would have had condemnation enough without the Law Fourthly It was ordained by Angels who are Ministring Spirits sent forth for the good of those that shall be saved in the Hand or by the Ministery of a Mediator Namely of Moses with relation unto whom Christ is call'd Mediator of a better Covenant for as Christ was the substantiall and universall Mediator betweene God and Man So Moses was to that people a representative typicall or national Mediator Hee stood betweene the Lord and the people when they were afraide at the sight of the fire in the Mount and this evidently declares that the Law was published in mercy and pacification not in furie or revengâ— For the worke of a Mediator is to negotiate peace and treate for reconcilement betweene partiâ—s offended where as if the Lord had intended death in the publishing of the Law hee would not have proclaimed it in the hand of a Mediator but of an Executioner Verse 20. Now a Mediator is not a Mediator of one but God is one
wrath which his sinnes have deserved Therefore it is called the ministery of death and condemnation which pronounceth a most rigorous and unmitigable curse upon the smallest and most imperceptible deviation from Gods Will revealed Thirdly by awakening the Conscience begetting a legall faith and spirit of bondage to see it selfe thus miserable by the Law hedged in with Thornes and shut up under wrath For the spirit first by the Law begetteth bondage and feare prickes the Conscience reduceth a man to impossibilities that hee knowes not what to doe nor which way to turne before it worketh the Spirit of Adoption or make a man thinke with the Prodigall that hee hath a Father to deliver him And by these Gradations the Law leadeth to Faith in Christ so that though in all these respects the works of the law be works of bondage yet the Ends and Purposes of God in them are Ends of Mercie Secondly The Law hath Rationem Fraeni and regulae to cohibite and restraine from sinne and to order the life of a man And in this sense likewise it is added to the Gospell as the Rule is to the hand of the workeman For as the Rule worketh nothing without the hand of the Artificer to guide and moderate it because of it selfe it is dead and the workeman worketh nothing without his Rule So the Law can onely shew what is good but gives no power at all to doe it for that is the worke of the Spirit by the Gospell yet Evangelicall Grace directs a man to no other obedience then that of which the Law is the Rule Now then to make some use of all this which hath beene said This shewes the ignorance and absurdity of those men who cry downe preaching of the Law as a course leading to despaire â—…nd discontentment though we finde by Saint Paul that it leadeth unto Christ. To preach the Law alone by it selfe wee confesse is to pervert the vse of it neither have we any power or commission so to doe for we have our power for edification and not for destruction It was published as an appendant to the Gospell and so must it be preached It was published in the hand of a Mediator and it must be preached in the hand of a Mediator It was published Evangelycally and it must bee so preached But yet wee must preach the Law and that in its owne fearefull shapes for though it were published in Mercy yet it was published with Thunder Fire Tempests and Darkenesse even in the hand of a Mediator for this is the method of the Holy Ghost to convince first of sinne and then to reveale righteousnesse and refuge in Christ. The Law is the forerunner that makes roome and prepares welcome in the Soule for Christ. I will shake all nations and the desire of all nations shall come saith the Lord to note unto us that a man will never desire Christ indeede till he be first shaken As in Elias his vision the still voyce came after the Tempest so doth Christ in his voyce of Mercy follow the shakings and Tempests of the Law First the Spirit of Eliah in the preaching of repentance for sinne and then the Kingdome of God in the approach of Christ and evidences of reconcilement to the Soule And the reason is because men are so wedded to their sinnes that they will not accept of Mercy on faire termes so as to forsake sinne withall as mad men that must bee bouâ—…d before they can be cured so are men in their lusts the Law must hamper and shut them up before the Gospell and the spirit of liberty will bee welcome to them Now this is Gods resolution to humble the soule so low till it can in truth and seriousnesse bid Christ welcome upon any conditions His Mercy and the blood of his Sonne is so pretious and invaluable that hee will not caâ—… it away where no notice shall bee taken of it but hee will make the heart subscribe experimentally to that Truth of his That it is a saying worthy of all acceptation that Christ Iesus came into the World to save sinners And we know a man must bee brought to great extremities who can esteeme as welcome as life the presence of such a man who comes with a sword to cut of his members or cut out his eyes and yet this is the manner of Christs comming to bring a Crosse and a Sword with him to hew off our lusts which are our earthly members and to Crucifie us unto the world But what then Mâ—…st nothing be preached but damnation and Hell to men God forbid We have commission to preach nothing but Christ and life in him and therefore we never preach the Law but with reference and manuduction unto him The truth is Intentionally wee preach nothing but Salvation wee come with no other intention but that every man who heares us might beleeve and bee saved wee have our power onely for edification and not for destruction but conditionally we preach Salvation and Damnation He that beleeveth shall be saved he that beleeveth not shall be damned that is the summe of our Commission But it is further very observable in that place that preaching of the Gospell is preaching both of Salvation and of Damnation upon the severall conditions So then when we preach the Law we preach Salvation to them that feare it as the Lord shewed mercy to Iosiah because his heart trembled and humbled it selâ—…e at his Law and when we preach the Gospell wee preach Damnation to them that despâ—…se it How shâ—…ll we escape if we neglect so great Salvation The Gospell is Salvation of it selfe but he that neglects Salvation is the mâ—…re certaine to perish and that with a double destruction Death unto Death to that wrath of God which abâ—…deth vpon him before will come a sorer condâ—…mnation by trampling under foote the blood of the Covenant and not obeying the Gospell of our Lord Iesus Christ. Here then are two rules to be observ'd First by the ministers of the Word that they so preach the Law as that it may still appeare to be an appendant unto the Gospell and â—…ot suffer the ministrie to be evill spoken of by men who watch for advantages We must endeavour so to manage the dispensation of the Law that men may not thereby be exasperated but put in minde of the Sanctuary to which they should flie The heart of man is broken as a flint with a hard and a soft together A Hammer and A Pillow is the best way to breake a flint A Prison and a Pardon A Scourge and a Salve A Curse and a Saviour is the best way to humble and convert a sinner When wee convince the hearers that all the teâ—…rors we pronounce are out of compassion to them that wee have mercy and balme in store to powre into every wound that we make that all the blowes we give are not to kill their Soules
but their sins that though our words bring fire and fury with them yet they are still in the hand of a Mediator that the Law is not to breake them unto desperation but vnto humiliation not to drive them unto furie but unto Faith to shew them Hell indeede but withall to keepe them from it if we doe not by these meaneâ—… save their Soules yet we shall stop their mouths that they shall be ashamed to blaspheme the commission by which we speake Secondly The people likewise should learne to rejoyce when the Law is preached as it was published that is when the Conscience is thereby affrighted and made to tremble at the presence of God and to cry unto the Mediator as the people did unto Moses Lâ—…t not God speake any more to us lâ—…st we die Speake thou with us and we will heare For when sinne is onely by the Law discovered and death laid open to cry out against such preaching is a shrewd argument of a minde not willing to bee disquieted in sinne or to be tormented before the time of a soule which would have Christ and yet not leave her former husband which would haue him no other king then the stump of wood was to the frogges in the fable or the moulten Calfe unto Israel in the Wildernesse a quiet idol whom every lust might securely provoke and dance about As the Law may be preached too much when it is preached without the principall which is the Gospell so the Gospell and the mercie therein may bee preached too much or rather indeede too little because it is with lesse successe If wee may call it preaching and not rather perverting of the Gospell when it is preached without the appendant which is the Law This therefore should in the next place teach all of us to studie and delight in the Law of God as that which setteth forth and maketh more glorious and conspicuous the mercy of Christ. Acquaintance with our selves in the Law wâ—…ll First keepe us more loâ—…ly and vile in our owne eyes make us feele our owne pollution and poverty and that will againe make us the more delight in the Law which is so faithfull to render the face of the Conscience and so make a man the more willing and earnest to be cleansed Their heart saith David is as fat as grease but I delight in thy Law The more the Law doth discover our owne leannesse scraggednesse and penurie the more doth the Soule of a Holy man delight in it because Gods mercie is magnified the more who filleth the hungrie and refrâ—…sheth the weary and with whom the fatherlâ—…sse findeth mercie Secondly It will make us more carefull to live by Faith more bold to approach the throne of Grace for mercie to cover and for Grace to cure our sores and nakednesse In matters of life and death impudence and boldnesse is not unseasonable A man will never die for modesty when the Soule is convinc'd by the Law that it is accursed and eternally lost if it doe not speedily pleade Christs satisfaction at the Throne of Grace it is emboldned to runne unto him when it findes an issue of uncleanenesse upon it it will set a price upon the meanest thing about Christ and be glad to touch the hemme of his garment When a Childe hath any strength beautie or lovelynesse in himselfe he will haply depend upon his owne parts and expectations to raise a fortune and preferment for himselfe but when a Childe is full of indigence impotencie crookednesse and deformity if he were not then supported with this hope I have a father aâ—d Parents doe not cast out their Children for their deformities he could not live with comfort or assurance so the sense of our owne pollutions and uncleanenesse taking off all conceits of any lovelynesse in our selves or of any goodnesse in us to attract the affections of God makes us râ—ly onely on his fatherly compassion When our Saviour cald the poore woman of Syrophenicia Dogge a beastly and uncleane Creature yet shee takes not this for a deny all but turnes it into argument The lesse I have by right the more I hope for by mercy even men afford their Dogges enough to keepe them alive and I aske no more When the Angell put the hollow of Iacobs thigh out of joynt yet hee would not let him go the more lame hee was the more reason hee had to hold The Prodigall was not kept away or driven of from his resolution by the feare shame or misery of his present estate for he had one word which was able to make way for him through all this the name of Father He considered I can but be rejected at the last and I am already as low as a rejection can cast me so I shall loose nothing by returning for I therefore returne because I have nothing and though I have done enough to bee for ever shut out of dores yet it may bee the word Father may have rhetoricke enough in it to beg a reconcilement and to procure an admittance amongst my fathers servants Thirdly It will make us give God the Glory of his mercy the more when wee have the deeper acquaintance with our owne miserie And God most of all delighteth in that worke of Faith which when the Soule walketh in darknesse and hath no light yet trusteth in his Name and stayeth upon him Fourthly It will make our comforts and refreshments the sweeter when they come The greater the humiliation the deeper the tranquillitie As fire is hottest in the coldest weather so comfort is sweetest in the greatest extremities shaking settles the peace of the heart the more The spirit is a Comforter as well when he convinceth of sinne as of righteousnesse and judgement because he doth it to make righteousnesse the more acceptable and Iudgement the more beautifull Lastly acquaintance with our owne foulnesse and diseases by the Law will make us more carefull to keepe in Christs company and to walke according unto his Will because he is a Physitian to cure a refiner to purge a Father and a Husband to compassionate our estate The lesse beautie or worth there is in us the more carefully should we studie to please him who loved us for himselfe and married us out of pittie to our deformities not out of delight in our beautie Humilitie keepes the heart tractable and pliant As melted waxe is easily fashioned so an humble spirit is easily fashioned unto Christs Image whereas a stone a bard and stubborne heart must bee hewed and hammered before it will take any shape Pride selfe-confidence and conceitednesse are the pâ—…nciples of disobedience men will hold their wonted courses till they be humbled by the Law They are not humbled saith the Lord unto this day and the consequent hereof is neither have they feared nor walked in my Law If you will not heare that is if you will still disobey the Lords messages my Soule shall weepe in
his favour reconciled unto us nor reunited by his Blessing unto the Creature but onely in and through Christ. So then the minde of a man is fully and onely satisfied with the Creature when it findes God and Christ together in it God making the Creature suteable to our inferior desires and Christ making both God and the Creature Ours God giving Proportion and Christ giving Propriety These things thus explained let us now consider the Insufficiencie of the Creature to conferre and the Vnsatisfiablenesse of the flesh to receive any solid or reall satisfaction from any of the workes which are done under the Sunne Man is naturally a proud Creature of high projects of unbounded desires ever framing to himselfe I know not what imaginarie and phantasticall felicities which have no more proportion unto reall and true contentment then a king on a stage to a king on a throne then the houses which children make of cards unto a princes palace Ever since the fall of Adam he hath an itch in him to be a god within himselfe the fountaine of his owne goodnesse the contriver of his owne sufficiencie loth hee is to goe beyond himselfe or what hee thinkes properly his owne for that in which hee resolveth to place his rest But alas after hee hath toil'd out his heart and wasted his spirits in the most exact inuentions that the Creature could minister unto him Salomon here the most experienc'd for enquirie the most wise for contrivance the most wealthy for compassing such earthly delights hath after many yeeres sitting out the finest flowre and torturing nature to extract the most exquisite spirits and purest quintessence which the varieties of the Creatures could afford at last pronounced of them all That they are Vanitie and vexation of spirit Like Thornes in their gathering they pricke that is their Uexation and in their burning they suddenly blaze and waste away that is their Uanitie Vanitie in their duration fraile and perishable things and Vexation in their enjoyment they nothing but molest and disquiet the heart The eye saith Salomon is not satisfied with seeing nor the eare with hearing Notwithstanding they be the widest of all the senses can take in more abundance with lesse satiety and serue more immediately for the supplies of the reasonable Soule yet a mans eye-strings may even cracke with vehemencie of poring his eares may be filled with all the varietie of the most exquisite sounds and harmonies and lectures in the world and yet still his Soule within him be as greedy to see and heare more as it was at first Who would have thought that the favour of a prince the adoration of the people the most conspicuous honours of the court the liberty of utterly destroying his most bitter adversaries the sway of the sterne and universall negotiations of state the concurrency of all the happinesse that wealth or honour or intimatenesse with the prince or Deity with the people or extremitie of luxurie could afford would possibly have left any roome or nooke in the heart of Haman for discontent and yet doe but observe how the want of one Iewes knee who dares not give divine worship to any but his Lord blasts all his other glories brings a damp upon all his other delights makes his head hang downe and his mirth wither so little leaven was able to sowre all the Queenes banquet and the Kings favour Ahab was a king in whom therefore wee may justly expect a confluence of all the happinesse which his dominions could afford a man that built whole cities and dwelt in Ivorie palaces and yet the want of one poore Vineyard of Naboth brings such a heavinesse of heart such a deadnesse of countenance on so great a person as seemed in the judgement of Iezabel farre unbeseeming the honour and distance of a prince Nay Salomon a man every way more a king both in the minde and in the state of a king then Ahab a man that did not use the Creature with a sensuall but with a criticall fruition To finde out that good which God had given men under the sunne and that in such abundance of all things learning honour pleasure peace plenty magnificence fortaine supplies roiall visits noble confederacies as that in him was the patterne of a compleat prince beyond all the plat-formes and Ideas of Plato and Zenophon and yet even he was never able to repose his heart upon any or all these things together till he brings in the feare of the Lord for the close of all Lastly looke on the people of Israel God had delivered them from a bitter thraldome had divided the sea before them and destroied their enemies behind them had given them bread from heaven and fed them with angels foode had commanded the rocke to satisfie their thirst and made the Cananites to melt before them his mercies were magnified with the power of his miracles and his miracles crowned with the sweetenesse of his mercies besides the assurance of great promises to bee performed in the holy land and yet in the midst of all this wee finde nothing but murmuring and repining God had given them meat for their faith but they must have meate for their lust too it was not enough that God shewed them mercies unlesse his mercies were dressed up and fitted to their palate They tempted God and limited the holy one of Israel saith the Prophet So infinitely unsatisfiable is the fleshly heart of man either with mercies or miracles that bring nothing but the Creatures to it The ground whereof is the Vast disproportion which is betweene the Creature and the soule of man whereby it comes to passe that it is absolutely impossible for one to fill up the other The soule of man is a substance of unbounded desires and that will easily appeare if wee consider him in any estate either Created or Corrupted In his Created estate he was made with a Soule capable of more glory then the whole earth or all the frame of nature though changed into one Paradise could haue afforded him for he was fitted unto so much honour as an infinite and everlasting Communion with God could bring along with it And now God never in the Creation gave unto any Creature a propercapacitie of a thing unto which hee did not withall implant such motions and desires in that Creature as should be some what suteable to that capacitie and which might if they had beene preserved intire haue brought man to the fruition of that Good which he desired For notwithstanding it be true That the glory of God cannot be attain'd unto by the vertue of any action which man either can or ever could haue performed yet God was pleased out of Mercie for the magnifying of his name for the Communicating of his glory for the advancement of his Creature to enter into Covenant with man and for his naturall obedience to promise him a supernaturall reward And this I say was even then out of Mercie in
as much as Adams legall obedience of workes could no more in any vertue of its owne but onely in Gods mercifull contract and acceptance merit everlasting life then our Evangelicall Obedience of faith can now Only the difference betweene the mercie of the first and second Covenant and it is a great difference is this God did out of mercie propose Salvation unto Adam as an Infinite Reward of such a finite Obedience as Adam was able by his owne created abilities to have performed As if a man should give a Day-laborer a hundred pound for his daies worke which performe indeed hee did by his owne strength but yet did not merit the thousandth part of that wages which he receives But Gods mercy untous is this That he is pleased to bestow upon us not onely the reward but the worke and merit which procured the reward that he is pleased in vs to reward another mans worke even the worke of Christ our head as if when one onely Captaine had by his wisedome discomfited and defeated an enemie the prince notwithstanding should reward his alone seruice with the advancement of the whole armie which he led But this by the way Certaine in the meane time it is that God created man with such capacities and desires as could not be limited with any or all the excellencies of his fellow and finite Creatures Nay looke even upon Corruptednature and yet there we shall still discover this restlesnesse of the minde of man though in an evill way to promote it selfe whence arise distractions of heart thoughts for to morrow rovings and inquisitions of the soule after infinite varieties of earthly things swarmes of lusts sparkles of endlesse thoughts those secret flowings and ebbes and tempests and Estuations of that sea of corruption in the heart of man but because it can never finde any thing on which to rest or that hath roome enough to entertaine so ample and so endlesse a guest Let us then looke a little into the particulars of that great disproportion and Insufficiencie of any or all the Creatures under the sun to make up an adequate and suteable Happinesse for the soule of man Salomon here expresseth it in Two words Vanitie and Uexation From the first of these wee may observe a threefold disproportion betweene the Soule and the Creatures First in regard of their nature and worth they are base in comparison of the Soule of man When David would shew the infinite distance betweene God and man in power and strength he expresseth the basenesse of man by his vanitie To be laid in the ballance they are altogether lighter then vanitie Psal. 62. 9. And surely if we waigh the Soule of man and all the Creatures under the Sunne together we shall finde them lighter then Vanitie it selfe All the Goodnesse and honour of the Creature ariseth from one of these Two grounds Either from mans coining or from Gods either from Opinion imposed upon them by men or from some Reall qualities which they have in their nature Many things there are which have all that worth and estimation which they carry amongst men not from their owne qualities but from humane institution or from some difficulties that attend them or from some other outward Imposition When a man gives monie for meate we must not thinke there is any naturall proportion of worth betweene a piece of silver and a piece of flesh for that worth which is in the meate is its owne whereas that which is in the monie is by humane appointment The like we may say for great titles of honour and secular degrees though they bring authoritie distance reverence with them from other men yet notwithstanding they doe not of themselves by any proper vertue of their owne put any solid and fundamentall merit into the man himselfe Honour is but the raising of the rate and value of a man it carrie nothing of substance necessarily along with it as in raising the valuations of gold from twenty shillings to twenty two the matter is the same only the estimation different It is in the Power of the king to raise a man out of the prison like Ioseph and give him the â—â—xt place unto himselfe Now this then is a plaine argument of the great basenesse of any of these things incomparison of the Soule of man and by consequence of their great disability to satisfie the same for can a man make any thing equall to himselfe can a man advance a piece of gold or silver into a reasonable a spirituall an eternall substance A man may make himselfe like these things he may debase himselfe into the vilenesse of an Idoll They that make them are like unto them hee may under-value and uncoyne himselfe blot out Gods Image and Inscription and write in the image and inscription of earth and Satan he may turne himselfe into brasse and iron and reprobate silver as the Prophet speakes but never can any man raise the Creatures by all his estimations to the worth of a man we cannot so much as change the color of a haire or adde a cubite to our stature much lesse can we make any thing of equall worth with our whole selves We read indeed of some which have sold the righteous and that at no great rate neither for a paire of shooes Ioel 3. 6. Amos 2. 6. but we see there how much the Lord abhorr'd that detestable fact and recompenc'd it upon the necke of the oppressors How many men are there still that set greater rates upon their owne profits or libertie or preferments or secular accommodations then on the Soules of men whose perdition is oftentimes the price of their advancements but yet still Saint Pauls rule must hold For meatâ— destroy not the worke of God for money betray not the bloud of Christ destroy not him with thy meate with thy dignities with thy preferments for whom Christ died We were not redeemed with silver and gold from our vaine Conversation saith the Apostle 1. Pet. 1. 18. and therefore these things are of too base a nature to be put into the ballance with the soules of men and that man infinitely undervalues the worke of God the Image of God the bloud of God who for so base a purchase as monie or preferment any earthly and vaine-glorious respect doth either hazard his owne or betray the Soules of others commended to him And therefore this should reach all those upon whom the Lord hath bestow'd a greater portion of this Opinionative felicitie I meane of money honour reputation or the like First not to Trust in uncertaine Riches not to relie upon a foundation of their owne laying for matter of Satisfaction to their Soule nor to boast in the multitude of their riches as the Prophet speakes Psal. 49. 6. for that is certainely one great effect of the Deceitfulnesse of Riches spoken of Matth. 13. 22. to perswade the Soule that there is more in them then indeed there is and the Psalmist
quoad Regnum in regard of the dominion and government of it in regard of the vigorous operation which is in it First sinne is condemn'd Rom. 8. 3. and therein destinated and design'd to death It shall fully bee rooted out Secondly in the meane time it is disabled from a plenarie Rule over the conscience though the Christian be molested and pester'd with it yet he doth not henceforth serve it nor become its instrument to bee subject in every motion thereof as the weapon is to the hand that holds it but Christ and his love beare the sway and hold the Sterne in the heart Rom. 6 6. 〈◊〉 Cor. 5. 14 15. 1. Pet. 4. 1 2. Thirdly the sentence of the Law against sin is already in execution But we are to note that sinne though condemnd to die yet such is the severity of God against it it is adjudg'd to a lingring death a death upon the Crosse and in the faithfull sin is already upon a Crosse fainting struggling dying daily yet so as that it retaines some life still so long as we are here sinne will be as fast to our natures as a nailed man is to the Crosse that beares him Our Thorne will still bee in our flesh our Canaanite in our side our Twinns in our wombe our counterlustings and counterwillings though we be like unto Christ per primitias spiritus yet we are unlike him per Reliquias vetustatis by the remainders of our flesh not to sinne is here onely our Law but in heaven it shal be our Reward All our perfection here is imperfect Sinne hath its deaths blow given it but yet like fierce and implacable beasts it never le ts goe its hold till the last breath Animamque in vulnere ponit never ceaseth to infest us till it cease to bee in us Who can say I have made my heart cleane Cleanse thou be saith holy David from my secret sinnes Though I know nothing by my selfe yet am I not thereby iustified saith the Apostle and the reason is added He that iudgethme is the Lord which Saint Iohn further unfolds God is greater then our hearts and knoweth all things Which places though most dangerously perverted by some late Innovators which teach That a man may bee without secret sinnes that he may make his heart cleane from sinne and that Saint Paul was so doe yet in the experience of the holiest men that are or have been evince this truth that the lusts of the flesh will be and worke in us so long as we carry our mortall bodies about us And this God is pleased to suffer for these and like purposes First to convince and humble us in the experience of our owne vilenesse that wee may be the more to the prayse of the glory of his great grace As once Theophilus Bishop of Alexandria dealt with the Egyptian Idols after the embracement of Christianitie most he destroyed onely one of their Apes and Images he kept entire not as a monument of Idolatry but as a spectacle of sinne and misery that in the sight thereof the people might after learne to abhorre themselves that had liv'd in such abominable Idolatries Secondly to drive us still unto him to cast us alwayes upon the hold and use of our Faith that our prayers may still finde something to aske which hee may give and our repentance something to confesse which he may forgive Thirdly to proportion his mercy to his justice for as the wicked are not presently fully destroyed have not sentence speedily executed against them but are reserv'd unto their Day that they may be destroi'd together as the Psalmist speakes even so the righteous are not here fully saved but are reserv'd unto the great day of Redemption when they also shall be saved together as the Apostle intimates 1. Thess. 4. 17. Fourthly to worke in us a greater hatred of sinne and longing after glory therefore we have yet but the first fruites of the spirit that we should grone and waite for the Adoption and Redemption therfore are we burdened in our earthly tabernacle that we should the more earnestly groane to be cloathed upon with our House which is from Heaven Fiftly to magnifie the power of his Grace in the weakest of his members which notwithstanding that inhabiting Traytor which is ready to let in and entertaine every temptation shall yet make a poore sinfull man stronger in some respect then Adam was himselfe even able to overcome at last the powers of darkenesse and to be sufficient against all Satans buffets Lastly to commend the greatnesse of his mercy and salvation when we shall come to the full fruition of it by comparing it with the review of that sinfull estate in which here we lived when we were at the best without possibility of a totall deliverance Thirdly consider the great Contagion and pestilentiall humour which is in this sinne which doth not onely cleave unseparably to our nature but derives venome upon every action that comes from us For though we doe not say That the good works of the Regenerate are sinnes and so hatefull to God as our adversaries belie and misreport us for that were to reproach the spirit and the grace of Christ by which they are wrought yet this we affirme constantly unto the best worke that is done by the concurrence and contribution of our owne faculties such a vitiousnesse doth adhere such stubble of ours is superinduc'd as that God may justly charge us for defiling the grace he gave and for the evill which we mixe with them may turne away his eyes from his owne gifts in us Sinne in the facultie is poison in the fountaine that sheds infection into every thing that proceeds from it Ignorance and difficultie are two evill properties which from the fountaine doe in some measure diffuse themselves upon all our workes Whensoever thou art going about any good this evill will be present with thee to derive a deadnesse a dampe a dulnesse an indisposednesse upon all thy services an iniquitie upon thy holiest things which thou standest in neede of a priest to beare for thee Exod. 28. 38. and to remove from thee In the Law whatsoever an uncleane person touched was uncleane though it were holy flesh to note the evill quality of sinful nature to staine and blemish every good worke which commeth from it This is that which in thy prayers deads thy zeale fervencie humiliation selfe-abhorrencie thy importunitie faith and close attention this like an evill sauour mingleth with thy sacrifice casteth in impertinent thoughts wrong ends makes thee rest in the worke done and never enquire after the truth of thine owne heart or Gods blessing and successe to thy services This is it that in reading and hearing the Word throwes in so much prejudice blindnesse inadvertency security infidelity misapplication misconstruction wresting and shaping the word to our selves This is that which in thy meditations makes thee roving and unsetled
Law for Lawes are made to binde and hold men fast and therefore the Apostle cals lust a Law because it commands and holds under all our members to the obedience of it Therefore wicked men are call'd the Servants of sinne and the best of us are Captives that is unwilling servants Which notes such a strength of sinne as cannot ex toto be altogether withstood So much flesh and uncircumcisednesse as a man hath in him so much disabilitie likewise hath he to withstand sinne In the wicked it hath an absolutenesse an universall and uncontroled power First they cannot but sinne they can doe nothing but sinne Without faith it is impossible to please God and to the impure and uncleane every thing is uncleane His mercies cruell his prayers abomination his offerings the sacrifice of fooles Secondly if they seeme to forsake any sinne 't is not of hatred to that as a sinne for he that said Thou shalt not commit adultery said also Thou shalt not kill but it is because they preferre others before it A man that hath many concubines may so dote upon some particulars as that the rest haply may goe untouch'd or but cursorily saluted and yet that is no argument of hatred to them but of preferring the others So a mans hart may be so takē up with the pursuit of some Herodias some darling lust as that others may seeme utterly neglected and scorn'd when the truth is The hart that playes the adulterer with any sin doth indeed hate none Thirdly if by the power of the Word they be frighted from the sinne they most love yet lust will carry them to it againe as a Sow returneth to the mire or a man to his wife Fourthly if they should be so fir'd and terrified away that they durst never actually returne againe yet even then lust will make them wallow in speculatiue uncleannesse their thoughts their delights their sighs their byas would still hanker the other way As lust may dog and pester and overtake a holy man that hates it and yet hee hates it still so the Word may frightand drive a wicked man from the sinne hee loves and yet still hee loves it Fifthly this sinne as it keepes men in love with all sinne so it keepes men off from all good duties It is as a chaine upon all our faculties an iron gate that keepes out any good thought or poysons it when it comes in In the faithfull themselves likewise it is exceeding strong by antiperistasis from the Law to deceive captivate sell as a slave to make him doe that which he hated and allowed not and not doe that which he would and lov'd It may seeme a paradoxe at the first but it is a certaine truth Originall sinne is stronger in the faithfull then those very Graces which they have received Vnderstand it thus A man giveth to a prodigall sonne a great portion into his owne hands and then gives over the care of him and leaves him to himselfe iin this Case though the money of it selfe were sufficient to keepe him in good quality yet his owne folly and the Crowes that haunt the carkasse those sharking companions that cleave to him will suddenly exhaust a great estate So if the Lord should give a man a stocke of Grace as much as David or Paul had and there stop and furnish him with no further supplyes but give over the care and protection of him his lusts are so strong and cunning as they would suddenly exhaust it all and reduce him to nothing For this is certaine that to be preserved from the strength of our owne lusts we have not onely use of the good graces which God hath given us already per modum principij inhaerentis but of a continued support and under propping per modum principij adsistentis of those daily succours and supplies of the Spirit of Grace which may goe before us and leade into all truth and teach us the way which we are to walk in which may stil say to our lusts in our bosome as he did to Satan at the right hand of Iehoiada The Lord rebuke thee that may still whisper in our eares that blessed direction This is the way walke in it Though a man were able to devoure as much at one meale as was spent upon Bel the Idoll yet he would quickly perish without further supplyes so though a man should have a great portion of Grace and then be given over to himselfe that would not preserve him from falling againe Grace in us is but like the putting of hot water into cold it may warme it for the time but the water will reduce it selfe to its wonted temper cold is predominant even when the water scalds with heate but that which keepes water hot is the preserving of fire still about it so it is not the Graces which the best of us receive if God should there stop and leave us to them and our selves together that would overcome sinne in us but that which preserves us is his promise of never failing us of putting under his hand of renewing his mercies daily to us of healing our back slidings of following us with his goodnes mercy all the dayes of our life of keeping us by his power unto saluation through faith that same which Fulgentius excellently calls Iuge Auxilium the daily ayde and supply of Grace For Grace doth not onely prevent a wicked man to make him righteous but followes him least hee become wicked againe not onely preuent him that is fallen to rayse him but follow him after he is risen that he fall not againe Consider further what a multitude and swarme of lusts and members this body of sinne hath and how they concurre in the unitie of one body too For this is worth the nothing that sometimes they are cald in the singular number sinne to note their unitie and conspiration and sometimes in the plurail number lusts and members to note their multitudes and serviceablenesse for severall purposes And what can bee stronger then an Army consisting of multitudes of men and weapons reduc'd all to a wonderfull unitie of mindes ends and order So then both in regard of its regall authoritie of its edicts and lawes of government of its multitude of members and unitie of body originall sinne must needs be very strong Ninthly consider the madnesse of this sinne The heart of man saith Salomon is full of evill and madnesse is in his heart while he lives Insania is a generall word and hath two kinds or species of madnesse in it madnesse or unsoundnesse in passions which is furor rage and fiercenes and madnesse or unsoundnesse in the Intellectuals which is Amentia folly or being out of ones right mind And both these are in originall sinne First it is full of fiercenesse rage precipitancy when ever it sets it selfe on worke the driving thereof is like the driving of Iehu very furious This disposition
in one night able to stay so many thousand men had been able to remove More violence and injustice against God in a wandring thought in an idle word in an impertinent and unprofitable action then the worth of the whole Creation though all the Heavens were turned into one Sunne and all the earth into one Paradise were able to expiate Thinke we as meanely and slightly of it as wee will swallow it without feare live in it without sense commit it without remorse yet be we assured that but the guilt of every one of our least sins being upon Christ who felt nor knew in himselfe nothing of the pollution of them did wring out those prodigious drops of sweat did expresse those strong cryes did poure in those wofull ingredients into the Cup which he dranke as made him who had more strength then all the Angels of Heaven to shrinke and draw backe and pray against the worke of his owne mercy and decline the businesse of his owne comming Secondly if the least of my sinnes could doe thus O what a guilt and filthinesse is there then in the greatest sinne which my life hath been defiled withall If my Atomes be Mountaines O what heart is able to comprehend the vastnesse of my mountainous sinnes if there bee so much life in my impertinent thoughts how much rage and fury is there in my rebellious thoughts In my thoughts of gall and bitternesse in my contrived murthers in my speculative adulteries in my impatient murmurings in my ambitious projections in my coverous worldly froward haughty hatefull imaginations in my contempt of God reproching of his Word smothering of his motions quenching of his spirit rebelling against his grace If every vaine word be a flame that can kindle the fire of Hell about mine eares O what vollies of brimstone what mountaines of wrath will be darted upon my wretched soule for tearing the glorious and terrible name of the great God with my cursed oathes my crimson and fiery execrations What will become of stiâ—…king dirty carrion communication of lies and scornes and railings and bitternesse the persecutions adulteries and murthers of the tongue when but the idlenesse and unprofitablenesse of the tongue is not able to endure this consuming fire 3. If one great sin nay one small sin be so full of life as not all the strength nay not all the deaths or annihilations of all the Angels in heaven could have expiated O how shall I stand before an army of sinnes So many which I know of my selfe swarmes of thoughts steames of lusts throngs of sinfull words sands of evill actions every one as heavie and as great as a mountaine able to take up if they were put into bodies all the vast chasmâ—… betweene earth and heaven and fill all the spaces of nature with darkenesse and confusion and how infinite more secret ones are there which I know not by my selfe How many Atomes and streames of dust doth a beame of the Sunne shining into a roome discover which by any other light was before imperceptible How many sinfull secrers are there in my heart which though the light of mine owne conscience cannot discover are yet written in Gods account and sealed amongst his treasures and shall at the day of the revelation of all things bee produc'd and muster'd up against me like so many Lyons and Divels to flye upon me Fourthly if the number of them can thus amaze O what shall the roote of them doe Committed out of ignorance in the midst of light out of knowledge against the evidence of conscience out of presumption and forestalling of pardon abusing and subordinating the mercies of God to the purposes of Satan not knowing that his goodnesse should have led me to repentance out of stubbornnesse against the discipline out of enmitie against the goodnesse out of gall and bitternesse of spirit against the power and purity of Gods holy Law Fifthly not the roote onely but the circumstances too adde much to the life that is in sinne See how notably Saint Austen aggravates his sinne of robbing an Orchard when he was a Boy that which others lesse acquainted with the foulenesse of sinne might be apt enough but to laugh over First it began in the will and the members follow'd I had a minde and therefore I did it Secondly I did not doe it for want of the things but out of the naughtinesse of my heart and my inward enmitie to righteousnesse Thirdly I did it not with any aime at fruition of the fruite but onely of the sinne it was not my palate but my lust which I studied to satisfie Fourthly the apples I stole were very unapt to tempt no rellish no forme in them to catch the eye or allure the hand but the whole temptation and rise of the sinne was from within Fifthly I did it not alone there were a troope of naughty companions with mee and wee did mutually cherish and provoke the itch of each others lust Sixthly it was at a very unseasonable time of night when at least for that day we should have put a period and given a respite unto our lusts Seventhly it was after wee had spent much time before and should now at least have been tired out in pestilent and foolish sports Eighthly wee were immodest in our theft we carried away great loades and burdens of them Ninthly when wee had done we feasted the Hogs with them and our selves â—…ed upon the review and carriage of our owne lewdnesse Lastly the chiefe sport and laughter which wee had was this that we had not only robb'd but deceiv'd the honest â—…en who had never so bad an opinion of us as that wee should doe it and thus another mans losse was our jest And after all this his meditations upon it are excellent with David hee goes to the roote Ecce cor meum Deus meus ecce cor meum O Lord what a nature and heart had I that could commit sinne without any 〈◊〉 without any incentive but from my selfe and againe What shall I returne unto the Lord that I can review these my sinnes and not be afraid of them Lord I will love thee I will prayse thee I will confesse to thy Name it is thy Grace which pardoneth the sinnes which I have committed and it is thy Grace which prevented the sinnes which I have not committed Thou hast saved me from all sinnes those which by mine owne will I have done and those which by thy Grace I have been kept from doing If every man would single out some notable sinnes of his life and in this manner anatomize them and see how many sinnes one sinne containeth even as one flower many leaves and one Pomegranate many kernels it could not but be a notable meanes of humbling us for sinne Sixthly not evill circumstances onely but unproâ—…ble ends adde much to the life of sinne when men spâ—…d mony for that which is not bread and labour for that which satisfieth not when
naturall man there is a power and prevalencie of sinne which yet may lie undiscovered under some generall moralities Thus as the Serpent in the fable had a true sting while it lay in the snow though it shewed not it selfe but at the fire so there may be a regall power in sinne when upon externall reasons it may for a time dissemble it selfe Ahab and Ieroboams wife were as truely Princes in their disguise as in their robes and a Sow as truely a Swine when washed in a spring of water as when wallowing in a sinke of dirt The heart of man is like a beast that hath much filth and garbage shut up under a faire skinne till the Word like a sacrificing sword slit open and as it were unridge the Conscience to discover it All the wayes of man saith Salomon are cleane in his owne eyes but the Lord weigheth the spirits He is a discoverer of the secrets and inâ—…rals of every action For the more paâ—…ticular opening of this point it will be needefull to answere some few questions touching the raigne of some particular sinnes which haply are seldome so thought of And the first is Touching smallsinnes whether they may be said to be raigning sinnes unto which I answere That it is not the greatnesse but the power of sin which makes it a king We know there are reguli as well as reges kings of Cities and narrow territories as well as Emperours over vast provinces Nay many times a sinne may be great in Abstracto as the fact is measured by the Law and yet in Concreto by Circumstances it may not be a raigning sinne in the person committing it and on the contrary a small sinne in the nature of the fact may be a raigning sinne in the commission as in a Corporation a man not halfe as rich as another may bee the chiefe magistrate and another of a farre greater estate may bee an underling in regard of Governement As a small stone throwne with a strong arme will doe more hurt then another farre greater if but gently laid on or sent forth with a fainter impression so a small sinne committed with a high hand with more security presumption and customarinesse then others will more waste the conscience then farre greater out of infirmitie or sudden surprizall As wee see drops frequently falling will eare into a stone and make it hollower then some few farre heavier strokes could have done or as water powred into a Sieve with many small holes or into a bottomlesse vessell is equally cast away A Ship may as well perish upon sands as rockes Dayly small expences vpon lesser vanities may in time eate out a good estate if there be never any accompts taken nor proportion observ'd nor provision made to bring in as well as to expend so a man otherwise very specious may by a course of more civill and moderate sinnes runne into ruine The second Question is Whether privy and secret sins which never breake forth into light may raigne To which I answere That of all other sinnes those which are secret have the chiefest rule such as are privy pride hypocrisie selfe-justification rebellion malitious projects against the Word and worship of God c. The Prophet compares wicked mens hearts to an Oven Hos. 7. 6 7. As an Oven is hottest when it is stopp'd that no blast may breake forth so the heart is oftentimes most sinfull when most reserv'd It was a great part of the state and pride of the Persian kings that they were seldome seene by their subjects in publicke and the kingdome of China at this day is very vast and potent though it communicate but litle with other people so those lodging thoughts as the Prophet cals them which lie stifled within may be most powerfull when they are least discover'd First Because they are ever in the throne for the heart is the throne of sinne and every thing hath most of it selfe and is least miâ—…ed and alter'd where it first riseth Secondly because they are in the heart as a stone in the Center freest from opposition and disturbance which breaking forth into act they might be likely to meete withall And this may bee one of the depths and projects of Sathan against the soule of a man to let him live in some faire and plausible conformitie for the outward conversation that so his rule in the heart may be the more quiet both from clamours of conscience and from cure of the Word The third Question is Whether sinnes of ignorance may be raigning sinnes To which I answere That it is not mens knowledge of a king which makes him a king but his owne power Saul was a king when the witch knew not of it For as those multitudes of imperceptible stars in the milkie way doe yet all contribute to that generall confused light which wee there see so the undiscernâ—…d power of unknowne sinnes doe adde much to the great kingdome which sinne hath in the hearts of men A letter written in an unknowne language or in darke and invisible Characters is yet as truely a letter as that which is most intelligible and distinct so though men make a shift to fill their consciences with darke and unlegible sinnes yet there they are as truely as if they were written in capitall Characters Saint Pauls persecution was a sinne of Ignorance that was the only thing which left roome for the mercy of God so he faith of himselfe I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly through unbeliefe Which words we are not to understand causally or by way of externall motive to Gods mercy as if Saint Pauls ignorance and unbeliefe had been any positive and objective reason why God shewed him mercy but only thus I was so grievous a persecutor of the Church of Christ that had it not beene for my ignorance onely I had beene a subject uncapable of mercy If I had knowne Christs spirit and beene so conuinc'd as the Scribes and Pharises to whom hee used to preach were and should notwithstanding that conviction have set my selfe with that crueltie and rage against him as I did there would have beene no roome for mercy left my sinne would have beene not onely against the members but against the Spirit of Christ and so an unpardonable sinne His persecution then was a sinne of ignorance and yet we may know what a raigning sinne it was by the description of it That he made havocke of the Church and haled men and women into prison And indeed Ignorance doth promote the kingdome of sinne as a thiese with a vizard or disguise will be more bold in his outrages then with open face For sinne cannot be reproved nor repented of till some way or other it be made knowne All things that are reproved are made manifest by the light The fourth Question is Whether naturall concupiscence may be esteemed a raigning sinne To which I answere That as a
with his skirt doth touch fl◅sh shall it be uncleane saith the Lord in the Prophet and the Priest answered no. But if one who is uncleane by a dead body touch any of these shall it be uncleane and the Priest answered it shall be uncleane So is this people and so is this nation before mee saith the Lord and so are all the workes of their hands before me they are uncleane They thinke because they are the seed of Abraham and dwell in the land of promise and have my worship and oracles and sacrifices not in their hearts but only in their lips and hands which are but the skirts of the soule that therefore doubtlesse they are cleane but whatever they are before themselves in their owne eyes and estimation yet before me neither the priviledge of their persons Abrahams seede nor the priviledge of their nation the land of promise nor the priviledge of their meere outward obedience the workes of their hands nor the priviledge of their ceremonies and worship that which they offer before me can doe them any good but they and all they doe is uncleane in my sight Offerings and sacrifices in themselves were holy things but yet unto them saith the Lord to a revolting and disobedient people they shall be as the bread of mourners that is uncleane and the Prophet elsewhere intimate the reason I hate I despise your feast dayis I will not smell in your solemne assemblies though yee offer me your meate offerings I will not accept them neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts Your burnt offerings arae not acceptable nor your sacrifices sweete unto me Though the things done be by institution Gods yet the evill performance of them makes them Ours that is sinfull and uncleane Mercie it selfe without Faith which ought to be the roote of all obedience is a sinfull mercy mercy in the thing but sinne to the man Sixthly the sway and bias of selfe-love and particular ends When a mans disposition lookes one way and his ends carry him another that motion is ever a sinfull motion because though it be sutable in outward conformity to the Rule yet it is a Dead motion like that of puppets or manimate bodies which have no principle of motion in themselves but are carried about by the spring or weight which hangs unto them for a mans ends are but his weights and so the Obedience which comes from them is but a Dead obedience which the Apostle makes the attribute of sinfull workes and Saint Iames of a diabolicall saith The act of Iehu in rooting out the house of Ahab and the Priests of Baal was a right zealous action in it selfe and by God commanded but it was a meere murther as it was by Iehu executed because hee intended not the extirpation of idolatry but onely the erecting and establishing of his owne throne To preach the Word is in it selfe a most excellent worke yet to some there is a Reward for it to others onely a Dispensation as the Apostle distinguisheth and he gives us as there so else where the reasons of it drawne from the severall ends of men some preach Christ out of envie and others out of good will To give good counsell for the prevention of approching danger is a worke of a noble and charitable disposition as we see in Ionathan towards David but in Amaziah the priest of Bethel who disswaded Amos from preaching at the Court because of the kings displeasure and the evill consequences which might thereupon ensue of all which himselfe was the principall if not sole author this was but a poore curtesie for it was not out of love to the Prophet but onely to bee ridde of his preaching To seeke God to returne to enquire early after him to remember him as a Rocke and Redeemer are in themselves choice and excellent services but not to doe all this out of a straight and stedfast heart but out of feare onely of Gods sword not to doe it because God commands them but because he slayes them this end makes all but lying and flatterie like the promises of a boy under the rod. To feare God is the conclusion of that matter and the whole dutie of man but not to feare the Lord and his Goodnesse but to feare the Lord and his Lions as the Samaritans did this is indeede not to feare the Lord at all Lastly the very Antipathie of sinnes must necessarily keepe a man from many For there are some sinnes so dissident and various that they cannot consist together in the practice of them Though the same Roote of originall corruption will serue for both yet the exercises of them are incompatible As the same roote will convey sap to several boughes which shall beare fruits so different as could not grow out of the same branch The Apostle gives a distinction of spirituall and fleshly filthinesse betweene many of which there is as great an opposition as betweene flesh and spirit Ambition pride hypocrisie formality are spirituall sins drunkennesse uncleannesse publike sordid notorious intemperance are fleshly sinnes and these two sorts cannot ordinarily stand together for the latter will speedily blast the projects disappoint the expectations wash of the dawbe and varnish which a man with much cunning and paines had put on Pilat and Herod did hate one another and this one would haue thought should haue advantaged Christ against the particular malice of either of them against him as in a case something paralell it did Saint ' Paul when the Pharises and Sadduces were divided but their malice against Christ being not so well able to wreake it selfe on him during their owne distances was a meanes to procure a reconciliation more mischievous then their malice Ephraim against Manasseh and Manasseh against Ephraim but both against Iuda one sinne was put out to make the more roome for another Many men have some master sinne which checks and abates the rest The ancient Romans were restrain'd from Intemperance Iniustice violence by an extreame affection of glorie and an universall soveraigntie As many times men cure heates with heates and one flux of blood with another so some sins though not cur'd are yet forborne upon the predominancy of others The Pharises hated Christ and feared the people and many times this feare restrain'd the manifestatiō executiō of the other The Third and last Exception is this Vnregenetate men of a more calme and civill temper may conceive themselves delivered from the raigne of sinne because they have many conflictes with it and reluctancies against it and so afford not such a plenarie and resolved Obedience to it as so absolute a power requireth To this I answere That this is no more sufficient to conclude an overthrow of the raigne of sinne then the sudden mutinie of Cesars souldiers which hee easily queiled with one brave word could conclude the nullifying of
occasion to get as much of it as he may together Notably doth Saint Paul set forth this purifying propertie of hope in the promises I follow after if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Iesus I am already apprehended of Christ he hath in his body carried me in hope vnto Heaven with him and made mee sit together in Heavenly places and this hope to come to him at last to attaine to that price of the high calling of God in Christ Iesus makes me presse and pull and strive by all meanes to attaine to perfection to expresse a Heavenly conversation in earth because from thence I looke for a Saviour the Lord Iesus Christ Hope as we said is an Anker Our Anker is fix'd in heaven our vessell is upon earth now as by the Cable a man may draw his vessell to the Anker so the Soule being fixed by hope vnto Christ doth hale and draw it selfe neerer and neerer unto him Thirdly Promises are the efficient causes of our purification as they are the objects of our Faith For we dare not beleeve without Promises Therefore Abraham stagger'd not through unbeliefe but gave glory to God because he was fully perswaded that what he had promised he was able to performe It is not Gods power simply but with relation to his Promise which secures our faith So Sarah is said through faith to be deliver'd of a child being past age because she judg'd him faithfull that had promised Now by being Objects of faith the Promises must needs cleanse from filthinesse for faith also hath a cleansing property It purifieth the heart and worketh by love and looketh upon the things promised as desireable things rejoyceth in them and worketh homogeneall and sutable affections unto them Againe we must note That sinne comes seldome without Promises to pollute us begets vast expectations and hopes of Good from it Balaam was whet and enliven'd by promises to curse Gods people The Strumpet in the Proverbes that said to the young man Come let us take our fill of loves conceiv'd most adequate satisfaction to her adulterous lusts by that way This was the delusion of the rich foole in his Epicurisme Soule take thine â—…ase eate drinke and be merry for thou hast much laid up for many yeeres Of the Iewes in their Idolatries to the Queene of heaven because that would afford them plenty of victuals and make them see no evill Of Gehazies foolish heart who promised to himselfe Olive-yards and Vineyards and sheepe and Oxen and men-servants and maide servants by his officious lie And this was one of the divels master pieces when he tempted Christ All these will I give thee if thou wilt fall downe and worship me Thus we see sinne seldome comes without promises to seduce and pollute the soule And yet the Truth is these promises cannot hold up the hope of any man When a man hath wearied himselfe in the pursuit of them yet still there is lesse hope at last then at first But now faith fixing upon sure mercies upon promises which cannot be abrogated or disannull'd being made iâ—…eversible by the oath of God who after hee hath sworne cannot repent and seeing not onely stabilitie but pretiousnesse in the promises and through them looking upon the great goodnesse of the things contained in them as already subsisting and present to the soule and by this meanes overcomming the world whose onely prejudice and advantage against Christ is this that the things which hee promiseth are long hence to come whereas that which it promiseth it likewise presenteth to the view of sense which difference faith destroieth by giving a subsistence and spirituall presence of things hoped for to the soule by this meanes I say faith doth mightily prevaile to draw a man unto such holinesse as becommeth the sonnes and heires of so certaine and pretious promises Till a man by faith apprehends some interest in the promises he will never out of true Love endeavour a conformitie unto God in Christ. By them saith Saint Peter we are made partakers of the divine nature and doe escape the corruption that is in the world through lust What is it to be made partaker of the divine nature It notes two things first a fellowship with God in his holinesse that puritie which is eminenter and infinitely in Gods most holy nature is formaliter or secundum modum creaturae so farre as the image of his infinite holinesse is expressible in a narrow creature fashioned in and communicated unto us by our union with Christ. Secondly a fellowship with God in his blessednesse namely in that beatificall vision and brightnesse of glory which from the face and fulnesse of Iesus Christ who as a second Adam is made unto us the Authour and Fountaine of all heavenly things shall at last in fulnesse and doth even now in flashes and glimmerings shine forth upon his members And all this we have from those great and pretious promises which are made unto us of Holinesse and of Blessednesse For as we say of the Word in generall so more especially of the Promises they are operative words and doe produce some reall effects being received by faith As a man when he receiveth a deed signed sealed witnessed and delivered doth not onely take parchment or waxe or emptie words but hath thereby some fundamentall right created unto the things in the deed mentioned to be convey'd so that the deed is declaratorie and operative of some Reall effects so in the word and promises of God sealed by the bloud of Christ ratified by the oath of the Covenant testified by the Spirit of Truth deliver'd by the hand of Mercy and received by the hand of Faith there doth not onely passe emptie breath and naked words but also some Reall effects by the intendment of God are thereby produc'd namely the cleansing of our sinfull nature from the pollutions of the world and the transforming thereof into the image and purity of the divine nature Fourthly Promises are the efficient causes of our purification as they are the Raies and Beames of Christ the Sunne of Righteousnesse in whom they are all founded and established They are All in him Yea and in him Amen Every promise by faith apprehended carries a man to Christ and to the consideration of our unity with him in the right whereof we have claime to the Promises even as every line in a circumference though there never so distant from other doth being pursued carry a man at last to one and the same Center common unto them all For the Promises are not made for any thing in us nor have their stability in us but they are made in and for Christ unto us unto Christ in our behalfe and unto us onely so farre forth as we are members of Christ. For they were not made to seeds as many but to seed namely to Christ in aggregato as
inheritance by the Right of Christs purchase and by Covenant in him Not onely things present but things to come are theirs they have the Truth of God pawn'd for their preservation and supplyes so long as they continue in his way A way of Piety industrie and honestie And they have them for themselves and their seede The promises were to Abraham and his seede I never saw the righteous forsaken nor his seede begging their bread The wicked have earthly things onely as dâ—…ensations and employments nay as vexations and toyles of life as idols snares and thornes things that eâ—…tangle their hearts and take them of from God As a cloud exhal'd by the Sunne hides the light of the Sunne which drew it up as a Worme eates out the wood and rust consumes the Iron which breeds it as water in a vessell raised by the fire puts out the fire which raised it so the great estates and temporall blessings of God unto evill men serve but to intercept the thoughts and to blot out the notions and remembrance of him that gave them I spake unto thee in thy prosperitie but thou sata'st I will not heare And this hath beene thy manner from thy youth saith the Lord Ier. 22. 21. But the faithfull have earthly things as rewards of their righteousnesse as an accession advantage and overplus unto the Kingdome of God as testimonies of Gods Love and care of them as exercises of their thankefulnesse charitie mercie c. But it may be obiected why then have not the faithfull more aboundance of these things then worldly men I answere first A little that the righteous hath is better then greate possâ—…ssions of the ungodly For first they have the maine substance of these things as well as the other they live and eate and are cloathed as well as they and secondly they have the comforts more lesse anguish of heart vexation and contention of minde then the others have And to them it is all one whether they goe into heauen through the gate or through the wicket As a Bird with a little eye and the advantage of a wing to soare up withall may see farre wider then an Oxe with a greater so the righteous with a little estate ioyned with faith tranquillity and devotion may have more pleasure feele more comfort see more of Gods bounty and mercie then a man of vast possessions whose heart cannot lift it selfe aboue the earth Secondly As nature when shee intendeth a farther and more noble perfection is lesse curious and elaborate in inferior faculties As man is exceeded by the Eagle for sight and the Hound for sent and the hare for swiftnesse because nature intending in him a more spirituall and divine Soule chose to be lesse delicate and exact in the senses so God intending to bestow upon the faithfull a farre more exceeding and aboundant weight of heavenly glory doth not alway so fully enlarge his hand towards them in these earthly things as to those who have no other portion but in this life We see then how much it concernes us to looke unto the ground of our Tenure to observe in what service wee hold our estate whether as appurtenances to Gods kingdome or as meerely the pastures of a beast which doe only fatten against the day of slaughter Seventhly and lastly Gods Promises to us must be the grounds of our prayers to him When ever God makes a promise wee must make a prayer And there are two things in this Rule to be observed First that wee can make no prayer in boldnesse faith or comfort but for things promised For if we will have God heare us wee must pray according to his will we must aske in faith we must see the things we aske made Ours in some promise and engagement before we must presume to aske them This as we have before observed encouraged David Iehoshaphat and Daniel to pray unto God because hee had made promises of the things they desired and therefore they were certaine that they prayed according to his will This was Nehemiahs ground in his prayer for the reparation of Ierusalem Remember I beseech thee the word which thou commandedst thy servant Moses saying if ye trangresse I will scatter you abroad But 〈◊〉 you turne unto me and keepe my commandements and do them though there were of you câ—…st out unto the uttermost part of the heaven yet will I gather them from thence c. Now these are thy servants and thy people whom thou hâ—…st redeemed by thy great power and by thy strong band O Lord I beseech thee let now thine â—…are be attentive to the prayer of thy servant and to the prayer of thy servants who desire to feare thy name c. Secondly that God will not performe promises till by prayer they be sought for from him till in our humble desires we declare that we accompt his promises exceeding great and preâ—…ous things The Lord had promised deliverance unto Israel yet saith the Lord For this I will be enquired of by the house of Israel to doe it for them Thus saith the Lord After seventie yeeres be accomplishâ—…d at Babylon I will visit you and performe my good word towards you in causing you to returne to thâ—…â—…lace For I know the thoughts that I thinke towards you thoughts of peace and not of evill to give you an expected end But how shall this excellent promise of God be effected It followes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 upon me and ye shall goe and pray unto mâ—… â—…nd I will hearken unto you c. So againe The Lord maketh a promise of forgivenesse of sinnes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 blotteth out thy transgression for mine owne 〈◊〉 and will not remember thâ—… sinnes But for the execution of this promise God will be sought unto Put mem remembrance saith he and let us plead together for when we pray unto God to fulfill his promises we testifie first that they are promises of Mercie and not of dutie or debt because God is not bound to tender them unto us but we to beg them of him Secondly we declare our need and by consequence estimation of them and dependance upon them And lastly we subscribe to the truth and acknowledge the wisedome power fidelity and wayes that God hath to make good all his owne words unto us We have no reason therefore to esteeme any thing a blessing or fruit of Gods Promise which we doe not receive from him upon our knees and by the hand of prayer As promises are the Rule of what wee may pray for in faith so prayer is the ground of what wee may expect with comfort Thâ—…s we see what use we are to make of the promises to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fâ—…om all filthinesse of flesh and spirit and the 〈◊〉 we may make of them likewise to perfect our 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the â—…eare of God For as the exceeding great â—…d pretious promises of God doe cleanse our natures and make us â—…scape the corruptionâ—…
Two expositions I conceive may be given of these words both which tend to cleare that use of the Law which wee are upon First where there is a Mediator there must be parties at variance that are two by their differences and disagreements and not one This then shewes first for what reason the Law was promulgated namely to convince men of their offences which had separated between them and God who were at the first one in peace and mutuall affections towards each other Secondly the words following shew why the Law was published in the Hand of a Mediator because God is one Though the law serve to convince men thus of their sinfull variance with God yet they should not thereupon despaire and sinke under the feare of his wrath for as he made a Covenant of Promise to Abraham and his seede so he is the same God still One in his Grace and Mercy towards sinners As a Mediator doth shew that men by sinne are at variance with God so doth he shew likewise that God by Grace is at unitie with men For when the party offended sends a mediator to him who had done the offence to parly and make tender of a reconcilement two things doe herein manifestly appeare First that before this there was a breach or else there would have beene no neede of a Mediator Secondly that notwithstanding that breach yet the party offended from whom the Mediator comes is at unitie and peace againe so that though a mediator is not of one but of disagreeing parties yet God is one that is He in sending this Mediator doth declare to mankinde that Hee is at peace and unity with them againe if they will accept of the reconcilement A second exposition may be thus A Mediator is not of One. By One here may haply bee understood not one Party but one matter businesse or Covenant And then the meaning runnes thus As the Lord hath published Two Covenants A Promise to Abraham and a Law to Israel so hee hath appointed Two Mediators of those covenants or businesses which hee had to communicate to men Moses the Mediator of the Law for the Law came by Moses and Christ the Mediator of the Promise or better covenant For Grace came by Iesus Christ Moses the representative and Christ the substantiall and reall Mediator But now though there be two Covenants and two Mediators and they so much in appearance contrary unto one another as that God may in them seeme inconstant and to have by one cancell'd and repented for the other yet all this while God is One that is He is the same in both Covenants carries the same purpose and intention both in the Lawe and in the Gospell namely a benevolence and desire of reconcilement with men Vers. 21. Is the Law then against the Promises of God God forbid for if there had beene a Law given which could have given Life verily Righteousnesse should have beene by the Law Here wee have an Objection of the Iewes If God be One then Hee doth not speake one thing and meane another pronounce the Law in some words and require them to be otherwise understoode And then it will follow that the Law is against the Promises for in the common construct on and sense of the words it is manifestly contrary This Objection the Apostle doth retort upon them In as much as the Law would be against the Promise if it should stand for a rule of Iustification by it selfe and not for a maâ—uduction unto Christ therefore God being one and the same constant in his Promise for Righteousnesse which he made to Abraham therefore they were in a manifest errour who sought for righteousnesse from the Law because that would evidently inferre one of these two things either inconstancie in Gods Will or inconsistencie in his acts The substance and strength of the Apostles answer I take to be this Contrariety is properly in the Nature of things considered by themselves Now though there bee in the Law an accidentall contrariety to the Gospell by reason of the sinne of man which hath brought weaknesse upon it so that the Law now curseth and the Gospell blesseth the Law now condemneth and the Gospell justifieth yet of it selfe it is not contrary For if any Law would have given life and righteousnesse this would have done it That which is Ex se considered in it selfe Apt to carry to the same end whereunto another thing carries is not of it selfe contrary thereunto but the Law is of it selfe apt to carry unto Life and Righteousnesse as now the Gospel doth therefore of it selfe it is not contrary to the Gospell but that difference which is is from the sin of mâ—…n which hath weakned the Law But now the Law in the hand of a Mediâ—…tor is not onely not against but it is for the Promises Suppose we two wayes unto one Citie whereof the one is Accidentally either by bogges or inclosures or some other reasons become utterly unpassable the other smooth and easie these are not contrary wayes considered in themselves for of themselves they point both unto one place but onely contrary in respect of travellers because the one will de facto bring to the Citie which the other by accident is unable to doe So heere the Law is one way tâ—… Heaven the Gospell another but sinne hath made the Law weake and unpassable which otherwise of it selfe would have sufficed unto righteousnesse And yet even thus the Law is not against the Promise for the impossibilitie which we finde in the Law enforceth us to bethinke our selves of a better and surer way to bring us unto righteousnesse and salvation And this the Apostle shewes in the next words Vers. 22. But the Scripture hath concluded all under sinne that the Promise by Faith of Iesus Christ might bee given to them that beleeve Though Sinne have made the Law contrary to the Promise in that it curseth and condemneth and concludeth men under sin and wrath yet such is the mercy of God that he hath subordinated all this and made it subservient unto the Gospell that the Promise thereby may be applyed and advanced For it is all ordered to no other purpose but that men might beleeve and inherite the Promises But what Doth the Law make men beleeve or beget Faith Formally it doth not but by way of preparation and manuduction it doth As when a man findes one way shut up he is thereby induc'd to enquire after another To summe up all that hath beene spoken touching the use of the Law in a plaine similitude Suppose wee a Prince should proclaime a pardon to all Traitors if they would come in and pleade it and after this should send forth his officers to attach imprison examine convince arraigne threaten and condemne them Is hee now contrary to himselfe hath he â—…epented of his mercy No but hee is unwilling to lose his mercie hee is desirous to have the honour of his mercy acknowledged unto him
principall discovery that Faith makes in Christ and that it fixeth upon is His love to us and this is a most soveraigne and superlative love Herein saith the Apostle God commended God heaped together His Love toward us in that while wee were yet sinners Christ died for us Rom. 5. 8. Secondly Faith having thus revealed to our hearts the Love of God in Christ doth kindle in them a reciprocall Love towards Christ againe working in us the same minde that is in Christ Phil. 2. 5. and enflaming our spirits to a retribution of Love for Love We have beleeved the Love that God hath to us saith the Apostle and therefore saith he we love Him because He loved us first 1. Ioh. 4. 16 19. Thus Faith worketh Love But now thirdly there is a further power in Faith for it doth not onely work Love but it worketh by Love as the text speakes that is it maketh use of that Love which it hath thus kindled as of a goad and incentive to further obedience for that Love which we repay unto Christ againe stirreth us unto an intimate and Heavenly communion with Him unto an entire and spirituall conformitie unto Him And the reason is because it is a conjugall Love and therefore a fruitefull love for the end of marriage is fructification Yee are become dead to the Law saith the Apostle by the body of Christ that yee should be married to another even to Him who is raised from the dead and the end of this spirituall marriage is added That we should bring forth fruite unto God which is presently after expounded That wee should serve in newnesse of Spirit Rom. 7 4 6. If a man Love mee saith our saviour he will keepe my Words and this obedience is the childe of Faith as it is set downe in the same place yee shall know that I am in my Father and you in me and I in you and immediately upon this Faith it followes He that bath my Commandements and keepeth them hee it is that loveth me and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father and I will love him and will manifest my selfe unto Him Ioh. 14. 20. 21 22 23. In which place there are these things of excellent observation First the noble objects that Faith doth contemplate even the excellencie of Gods Love unto us in Christ. You shall know that I am in my Father in His bosome in His bowels in His dearest affection One with Him in mercie in counsell in power That He and I both goe one way have both one decree and resolution of Grace and compassion towards sinners And that you are in mee your nature in me your infirmities in me the punishment of your sinnes upon me that I am bone of your bone and flesh of your flesh that you are in my heart and in my tenderest affections that you were crucifiâ—…a together with me that you live togâ—…ther with 〈◊〉 that you sit together with mee in Heavenly places that â—… died your death that you rose my resurrection that I pray your prayers that you were my righteousnesse and that I am in you by my merits to justifie you by my Grace and Spirit to renew and purifie you by my Power to keep you by my wisedome to leade you by my Communion and Compassion to share with you in all your troubles these are the mysteries of the Love of the Father and the Sonne to us Now this Love kindleth a Love in us againe and that Love sheweth it selfe in two things First in having the Commandements of Christ that is in accepting of them in giving audience unto them in opening our eyes to see and our hearts to entertaine the wonders of the Law And secondly in keeping of them in putting to the strength of our Love for Love is as strong as Death it will make a man neglectfull of his owne life to serve and please the person whom he loves that so wee may performe the duties which so good a Saviour requires of us And now as our Love was not the first mover we loved Him because He loved us first So neither shall it be the last as the Father and the Son did by their first Love provoke ours so will they by their second Love reward ours And therefore it sollowes He that loveth me shall be loved of my Father and I will love him This is not ment of a new Love but of a further declaration of their former Love namely in a more close and familiar communion and Heavenly cohabitation with them wee will come unto Him and make our abode with Him we will shew Him our face we will make all our goodnesse to passe before Him wee will converse and commune with His Spirit we will Suppe with Him we will provide Him a feast of fatted things and of refined wine wee will open the breasts of consolation and delight Him with the aboundance of Glory Excellent to the purpose of the present point is that place of the Apostle 2. Cor. 5. 14 15. The Love of Christ saith he constraineth us that is either Christs Love to us by Faith apprehended or our Love to Christ by the apprehension of His Love wrought in us doth by a kinde of sweete and lovely violence winne and overrule our hearts not to live henceforth unto our selves but unto Him that died for us and rose againe and the roote of this strong perswasion is adjoyned namely because wee thus â—…udge because we know and beleeve that if one died for all then all are dead to the guilt and to the power of sinne and ought to live a new life conformable to the resurrection of Christ againe Therefore in two paralell places the Apostle useth promiscuously Faith and a new Creature In Christ Iesus neither Circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but Faith which worketh by Love neither circumcision nor uncircumcision but a new creature The reason of which promiscuous acceptation the Apostle renders the inseparable union between faith and renovation If any man be in Christ he is a new Creature Secondly Faith gives us all good things requisite to our condition Adam was created Lord of his fellow inferiour Creatures invested with proprietie to them all In his fall hee made a forfeiture of every good thing which God gave him In the second Covenant a reconciliation being procur'd Faith entitling a man to the Covenant doth likewise re-invest him with the Creatures againe All things saith the Apostle are yours and hee opens the title and conveyance of them you are Christs and Christ is Gods 1. Cor. 3. 23. So elsewhere hee saith that the living God giveth us all things richly to enjoy that is not onely the possession but the use of the things 1. Tim. 6. 17. where by all things wee may understand first the libertie and enlargement of Christians as it stands in opposition to the pedagogie and discipline of Moses Law which distinguished the Creatures into cleane and
or holinesse so that the meaning is The spirit shall convince men that they are unrighteous and unholie men held under by the guilt condemnation and power of sinne shut vp in fast chaines unto the wrath and iudgement of the great Day unauoidably cast and condemned in the Court of Law because they fled not by faith unto that office of mercie and reconciliation which the Father hath erected in his beloved Sonne All sinnes do of themselues deserve damnation but none doe de facto inferre damnation without infidelitie This was that great provocation in the Wildernesse which kept the people out of the Land of Promise and for which God is said to have beene grieved fortie yeeres together How long will this people provoke mee How long will it bee ere they beleeve in me they despised the holy Land they beleeved not his word they drew backward and turned againe in their hearts into Egypt The Apostle summes vp all their murmurings and provocations for which they were excluded that type of heauen in this one word They entred not in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because of their vnbeliefe If there bee but one onely medicine against a deadly disease and when that is offered to the sicke person he refuse it and throw it vnder his feete the state of that man is infallibly desperate and remedilesse There is but one name but one sacrifice but one blood by which we can be saved perfected and purged for ever and without which God can have no pleasure in us how can wee then escape if we neglect so great salvation and trample under foote the blood of the Covenant It is a fruitlesse labour and an endlesse folly for men to use any other courses be they in appearance never so specious probable rigorous mortified Pharisaicall nay angelicall for extricating themselues out of the maze of sinne or exonerating their consciences of the guilt or power thereof without faith Though a man could scourge out of his owne bodie rivers of blood and in a neglect of himselfe could outfast Moses or Elias though he could weare out his knees with prayer and had his eyes nail'd vnto heaven though he could build hospitals for all the poore on the earth and exhaust the Mines of India into almes though hee could walke like an Angell of light and with the glittering of an outward holinesse dazle the eyes of all beholders nay if it were possible to be conceiv'd though he should live for a thousand yeeres in a perfect and perpetuall observation of the whole Law of God his originall corruption or any one though the least digression and deviation from that Law alone excepted yet such a man as this could no more appeare before the tribunall of Gods Iustice then stubble before a consuming fire It is onely Christ in the bush that can keepe the fire from burning It is onely Christ in the heart that can keepe sinne from condemning 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without mee that is separated from mee yee can doe nothing towards the iustification of your persons or salvation of your soules or sanctification of your lives or natures No burden can a man shake off no obstacle can hee breake through no temptation can hee overcome without faith shake off every thing that presseth downe and the sinne which hangeth so fast on and runne with patience namely through all oppositions and contradictions the race that is set before you saith the Apostle But how shall we do such unfeasible works Hee shewes that in the next words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 looking of from our selves unto Iesus the Author and finisher of our faith When a man lookes inward upon his owne strength hee may as justly despaire of moving sinne from his soule as of casting downe Mountaines with one of his fingers but he who is able to give vs faith is by that able to make all things possible unto vs. The world tempts with promises wages pleasures of sinne with frownes threats and persecutions for righteousnesse If a man have not faith to see in Christ more pretious promises more sure mercies more full rewards more aboundant and everlasting pleasures to see in the frownes of God more terror in the wrath of God more bitternes in the threats of God more certainty in the Law of God more curses then all the world can load him withall impossible it is that he should stand under such assaults for this is the victory which overcommeth the world even our faith Satan dischargeth his fierie darts upon the soule darts pointed and poysoned with the venome of Serpents which set the heart on fire from one lust unto another if a man have not put on Christ do not make use of the shield of faith to hold up his heart with the promises of victory to hold out the triumph of Christ over the powers of death and darkenesse to see himselfe under the protection of him who hath already throwne downe the Dragon from Heaven who hath Satan in a chaine and the keyes of the bottomlesse Pit in his owne command to say unto him The Lord rebuke thee Satan even the Lord that hath chosen Ierusalem rebuke thee impossible it is to quench any of his temptations or to stand before the rage and fury of so roaring a Lion Whom resist saith S. Peter stedfast in the faith Our corruptions set upon us with our own strength with high imaginations with strong reasonings with lustfull dalliances with treacherous solicitations with plausible pretences with violent importunities with deceitfull promises with fearefull prejudices with profound unsearchable points and traines on all sides lust stirs workes within us like sparkles in a dried leafe sets every faculty against it self The mind tempts it self unto vanity the understanding tempts it selfe unto error and curiosity the will tempts it selfe unto frowardnesse and contuinacie the heart tempts it selfe unto hardnesse and security If a man have not faith impossible it is either to make any requests to God against himselfe or to denie the requests of sinne which himselfe maketh It is faith alone which must purifie the heart and trust his power and fidelity who is both willing and able to subdue corruptions In vaine it is to strive except a man strive lawfully In prayer it is faith which must make us successefull in the word it is faith which must make us profitable In obedience it is faith which must make us cheerefull in afflictions it is faith which must make vs patient in trials it is faith which must make vs resolute in desertions it is faith which must make us comfortable in life it is faith which must make vs fruitfull and in death it is faith which must make us victorious So that as he said of water 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so may I of faith It is of all things the most soveraigne and pretious because it is of universall use in the
of holinesse and grace which in Christ wee haue receiued For as sense of sin as a cursed thing which is legall humiliation doth arise from that faith whereby wee beleeve and assent to the truth of God in all his threatnings which is a legall faith so the Abominating of sinne as an uncleane thing and contrary to the image and holinesse of God which is evangelicall repentance doth arise from evangelicall faith whereby we look upon God as most mercifull most holie and therefore most worthie to bee imitated and served Secondly Renovation and that two fold First inward in the constitution of the heart which is by faith purified Secondly outward in the conversation and practice when a man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth good things and as he hath received the Lord Iesus so walketh in him Now in all our obedience wee must observe these three Rules First that binding power which is in the law doth solely depend upon the authority of the Lawgiver who is God Hee that customarilie and without care of obedience or feare of displeasure or antipathy of spirit breaks any one Commandement ventures to violate that authority which by one and the same ordination made the whole law equally binding by consequence is habitually in praeparatione animi a transgressor of the whole Law And therefore Obedience must not bee partiall but vniversall as proceeding from that faith which hath respect equally to all Gods will and lookes upon him as most true and most holy in all his commands Secondly As God so his Law is a spirituall and a perfect Law and therefore requires an inward universality of the subject as well as that other of the Precepts which wee walke by I meane such a spiritual and sincere obedience of the hart as may without any mercenary or reserv'd respects uniformely sway our whole man unto the same way and end Thirdly In every Law all matter Homogeneall and of the same kind with the particular named every sprig seede originall of the Dutie is included as all the branches of a tree belong unto the same stock And by these rules wee are to examine the truth of our obedience Before I draw downe these premises to a particular Assumption and Applycation I must for Caution sake premise that faith may be in the heart either habitually as an actus primus a forme or seede or principle of working or else actually as an actus secundus a particular Operation and that in the former sense it doth but remotely dispose and order the soule to these properties but in the later it doth more visibly and distinctly produce them So then according as the heart is deaded in the exercise of Faith so doe these properties thereof more dimly appeare and more remisly worke Secondly we must note that according as faith hath severall workings so Satan hath severall wayes to assault and weaken it There are two maine workes of Faith Obedience and Comfort to purifie and to pacifie the heart and according unto these so Satan tempts His maine end is to wrong and dishonour God and therefore chiefly hee labours to disable the former vertue of Faith and tempts to sinne against God But when hee cannot proceede so farre hee labours to discomfort and crush the spirits of men when hee prevailes in the former he weakens all the properties of Faith when in the later onely he doth not then weaken all but onely intercept and darken a Christians peace For understanding this point we must note that there are many acts of faith Some direct that looke outward towards Christ others reflexive that looke inward upon themselves The first act of faith is that whereby a man having beene formerly reduced unto extremities and impossibilities within himselfe lookes upon God as Omnipotent and so able to save as mercifull and in Christ reconcileable and so likely to save if he be sought unto Hereupon growes a second act namely a kinde of exclusive resolution to be thinke himselfe of no new wayes to trust no inferiour causes for salvation or righteousnes to sell all to count them all dung not to consult any more with flesh or blood but to prepare the heart to seeke the Lord To resolve as the Lepers in the famine at Samaria not to continue in the state he is in nor yet to returne to the Citie to his wonted haunts and wayes where he shall be sure to perish and from this resolution a man cannot by any discomforts bee removed or made to bethinke himselfe of any other new way but onely that which hee sees is possible and probable and where he knowes if he finde acceptance hee shall have supplyes and life enough and this act may consist with much feare doubt and trembling The Syrians had food and Samaria had none therefore the Lepers resolve to venture abroad Yet this they cannot doe without much doubting and distrust because the Syrians whom they should meete with were their enemies However this resolution over-rul'd them because in their present estate they were sure to perish in the other there was roome for hope and possibilitie of living and that carried them co Esters resolution If we perish we perish such is the Act of Faith in this present case It is well assured that in the case a man is in there is nothing but death to bee expected therefore it makes him resolve to relinquish that It lookes upon God as plenteous in power and mercie and so likely to save and yet it sees him too as arm'd with Iustice against sinne as justly provoked and wearied in his patience and therefore may feare to bee rejected and not saved alive Yet because in the former state there is a certainty to perish in the later a possibility not to perish therefore from hence ariseth a third act a conclusive and positive purpose to trust Christ. I will not onely deny all other wayes but I will resolve to trie this way to set about it to go to him that hath plenty of redemption and Life If I must perish yet He shall reject me I will not reject my selfe I will goe unto Him And this act or resolution of faith is built upon these grounds First because Gods Love and free Grace is the first originall mover in our salvation If God did beginne His worke upon prevision of any thing in and from our selves we should never dare to come vnto Him because wee should never finde any thing in our selves to ground His mercie towards us upon But now the Love of God is so absolute and independant that it doth not only require nothing in us to excite and to cal it out but it is not so much as grounded upon Christ himselfe I speake of His first Love and Grace Christ was not the impulsive cause of Gods first Love to mankinde but was Himselfe the great gift which God sent to men therein to testifie that Hee did freely love them before God so
and unitie of natures with him in his spirit and having this Spirit of Christ He thereby worketh in us the will and the deed and thus our sealâ—… is put unto Gods covenant and wee have a constat of it in our selves in some measure whereas jnfidelitie makes God a lyer by saying either I looke for life some other way or I have nothing to doe to depend on Christ for it though God have proposed Him as an all-sufficient Saviour Now then when man hath experience of Gods working this will in him when he findes his heart opened to attend and his will ready to obey the call when hee is made desirous to feare Gods Name and prepared to seeke His face ready to subscribe and beare witnesse to all Gods wayes and methodes of saving That Hee is righteous in His Iudgements if He should condemne wonderfull in His patience when He doth forbeare mighty in His power wisedome and mercie when Hee doth convert unsearchable in the riches and treasures of Christ when he doth Iustifie most holy pure and good in all His commands the soveraigne Lord of our persons and lives to order and dispose them at His will on the sense and experience of these workes doth grow that conclusion and resolution to cleave to Christ. Lastly because this act of Faith is our dutie to God As we may come to Christ because we are called so wee must come because wee are commanded For as Christ was commanded to save us so we are commanded to beleeve in Him From these and the like considerations ariseth a purpose to rely on Christ. But yet still this purpose at first by the mixture of sinne the pragmaticalnesse and importunitie of Satan in tempting the unexperience of the heart in trials the tendernesse of the spirit and fresh sight and reflexion on the state of sinne is very weake and consisteth with much feare doubts trepidation shrinking mistrust of it selfe And therefore though all other effects flow in great measure from it yet that of comfort and calmenesse of spirit more weakly because the heart being most busied in sprituall debatements prayers groanes conflicts struglings of heart languishing and sighing importunities of spirit is not at leisure to reflect on its own translated condition or in the seeds time of teares to reape a harvest of Ioy. As a tree new planted is apt to be bended at every touch or blast of winde or children new borne to crie at every turne and noyse so men in their first conversion are usually more retentive of fearefull then of more comfortable impressions The last act then of Faith is that reflexive act whereby a man knoweth his owne Faith and Knowledge of Christ which is the assurance of faith upon which the joy and peace of a Christian doth principally depend and hath its severall differences and degrees according to the evidence and cleerenesse of that reflection As beautie is more distinctly rendered in a cleere then in a dimme and disturbed glasse so is comfort more distinct and evident according to the proportions of evidence and assurance in faith So then to conclude with this generall rule according as the habits of faith are more firme and radicated the acts more strong constant and evident the conquests and experiences more frequent and successefull so are the properties more evident and conspicuous For the measure and magnitude of a proper passion and effect doth ever follow the perfection of the nature and cause whence it proceedes And therefore every man as he tenders either the love and obedience he owes to God or the comfort he desires in himselfe to enjoy must labour to attaine the highest pitch of Faith and still with Saint Paul to grow in the knowledge of him and his resurrection and sufferings So then upon these premises the heart is to examine it selfe touching the truth of faith in it Doe I love all divine truth not because it is proportionable to my desires but conformable unto God who is the Author of it Can I in all estates without murmuring impatiencie or rebellion cast my selfe upon Gods mercie and trust in Him though He should kill me Doe I wholly renounce all selfe confidence and dependance all worthinesse or concurrence of my selfe to righteousnesse Can I willingly and in the truth and sinceritie of my heart owne all shame and condemnation and acquit God as most righteous and holy if He should reject me Doe I not build either my hopes or feares upon the faces of men nor make either them or my selfe the rule or end of my desires Doe I yeeld and seriously endeavour an universall obedience unto all Gods law and that in the whole extent and latitude thereof without any allowance exception or reservation Is not my obedience mercenarie but sincere Do I not dispense with my selfe for the least sprigges of sinne for irregular thoughts for occasions of offence for appearances of evill for motions of concupiscence for idle words and vaine conversation for any thing that carries with it the face of sinne And when in any of these I am overtaken doe I bewaile my weaknesse and renew my resolutions against it In a word when I have impartially and uprightly measured mine owne heart by the rule doth it not condemne mee of selfe-deceite of hypocrisie of halting and dissembling of halfing and prevaricating in Gods service I may then comfortably conclude that my Faith is in some measure operative and effectuall in mee Which yet I may further trie by the nature of it as it is further expressed by the Apostle in the Text That I may know him Here we see the nature of faith is expressed by an act of knowledge and that act respectively to justification limited to Christ This is eternall Life to know thee and him whom thou hast sent where by knowledge I understand a certaine and evident assent Now such assents are of two sorts some grounded upon the evidence of the object and that light which the thing assented unto doth carrie and present to the understanding as I assent to this truth that the Sunne is light by the evidence of the thing it selfe and this kinde of assent the Apostle contradistinguisheth from faith by the name of sight Others are grounded upon the authoritie or authenticalnesse of a narrator upon whose report while wee rely without any evidence of the thing it selfe the assent which we produce is an assent of faith or credence Now that Faith is a certaine assâ—…nt and that even above the certaintie of meere naturall conclusions is on all hands I thinke confessed because how ever in regard of our weaknesse and distrust wee are often subject to stagger yet in the thing it selfe it dependeth upon the infallibilitie of Gods owne Word who hath said it and is by consequence neerer unto him who is the fountaine oâ—… all truth and therefore must needes more share in the properties of truth which are certainty and evidâ—…nce then any proved
had no holdfast at all of Him When Lazarus was raised It is said that Hee came forth bound hand and foote with Grave cloathes to note that Hee came not out as a victor over Death unto which He was to returne againe but when Christ rose Hee left them behinde because death was to have no more power over Him Thus by His resurrection He was declared to have gone through the whole punishment which Hee was to suffer for sinne and being thus justified himselfe that hee was able also to justifie others that beleeved in him This is the reason why the Apostle useth these words to prove the resurrection of Christ I will give you the sure mercies of David for none of Gods mercies had been sure to us if Christ had been held under by death Our faith had been vaine we had been yet in our sinnes But his worke being fully finished the mercy which thereupon depended was made certaine and as the Apostle speakes sure unto all the 〈◊〉 Thus as the Day wherein Redemption is victorious and consummate is cald the day of Redemption so the worke wherein the merits of Christ were declar'd victorious is said to have been for our justification because they were thereby made appliable unto that purpose The second worke of the Power of Christs Resurrection is to overcome all death in vs and restore vs to life againe Therfore he is cald the Lord of the living and the Prince of life to note that his life is operative unto others wee are by his Resurrection secur'd first against the death and Law which wee were held under for euery sinneâ—… is condemn'd already Now when Christ was condemned for sinne hee thereby deliver'd us from the death of the Law which is the curse so that though some of the grave cloathes may not be quite shaken off but that wee may be subject to the workings feares of the Law upon some occasions yet the malediction thereof is for ever removed Secondly we are secured against the death in sinne regenerated quickned renued fashioned by the power of godlinesse which tameth our rebellions subdueth our corruptions and turneth all our affections another way Thirdly against the hold-fast and conquest of death in the grave from whence wee shall bee translated unto glory a specimen and resemblance of this was shewed at the resurrection of Christ when the graves were opened and many dead bodies of the Saints arose and entred into the Citie As a Prince in his inauguration or sosemne state openeth prisons and unlooseth many which there were bound to honour his solemnitie so did Christ do to those Saints at his resurrection and in them gave assurance to all his of their conquest over the last Enemy What a fearefull condition then are all men out of Christ in who shall have no interest in His resurrection Rise indeed they shall but barely by his power as their Iudge not by fellowship with him as the first fruites and first borne of the dead and therefore theirs shall not be properly or at least comfortably a Resurrection no more than a condemn'd persons going from the prison to his execution may be cald an enlargement Pharaohâ—… Butler and Baker went both out of prison but they were not both delivered so the righteous and the wicked shall all appeare before Christ and bee gathered out of their graves but they shall not all bee Children of the Resurrection for that belongs onely to the just The wicked shall be dead everlastingly to all the pleasures and wayes of sin which here they wallowed in As there remaines nothing to a drunkard or adulterer after all his youthfull excesses but crudities rottennesse diseases and the worme of Conscience so the wicked shall carry no worlds nor satisfactions of lust to hell with them their glorie shall not descend after them These things are truths written with a sunne beame in the booke of God First That none out of Christ shall rise unto Glorie Secondly That all who are in him are purged from the Love and power of sinne are made a people willingly obedient unto his scepter and the government of his grace and spirit and have eyes given them to see no beauty but in his kingdome Thirdly Hereupon it is manifest that no uncleane thing shall rise unto glory A prince in the day of his state or any roiall solemnitie wil not admit beggers or base companions into his presence Hee is of purer eyes then to behold much lesse to communicate with uncleane persons None but the pure in heart shal see God Fourthly that every wicked man waxeth worse and worse that hee who is filthy growes more filthy that sinne hardneth the heart and infidelitie hasteneth perdition Whence the conclusion is evident That every impenitent sinner who without any inward hatred purposes of revenge against sinne without godly sorrow forepast and spirituall renovation for after-times allowes himselfe to continue in any course of uncleannesse spends all his time and strength to no other purpose then onely to heape up coales of Iuniper against his owne soule and to gather together a treasure of sins and wrath like an infinite pile of wood to burne himselfe in Again this power of Christs resurrection is a ground of solid and invincible comfort to the faithfull in any pressures or calamities though never so desperate because God hath power and promises to raise them up againe This is a sufficient supportance first Against any either publike or privat afflictions However the Church may seeme to be reduc'd to as low and uncureable an estate as dried bones in a grave or the brands of wood in a fire yet it shall be but like the darknesse of a night after two daies he will revive againe His goings forth in the defence of his Church are prepared as the morning When Iob was upon a dunghill and his reines were consumed within him When Ionah was at the bottome of the Mountaines and the weedes wrapped about his head and the great billowes and waves went over him so that he seemed as cast out of Gods sight When David was in the midst of troubles and Ezekiah in great bitternesse this power of God to raise unto life againe was the onely refuge and comfort they had Secondly against all temptations and discomforts Satans traines and policies come too late after once Christ is risen from the dead for in his resurrection the Church is discharged and set at large Thirdly against Death it selfe because wee shall come out of our graves as gold out of the fire or miners out of their pits laden with gold and glory at the last Lastly wee must from hence learne to seeke those things that are above whither Christ is gone Christs Kingdome is not here and therefore our hearts should not be here Hee is ascended
on high and hath given gifts unto Men as absent lovers send tokens to each other to attract the affections and call thither the thoughts If Christ would have had our hearts rest on the earth He would have continued with us here but it is his Will that we be where He is and therefore we must make it the maine businesse of our life to move towards him Things of a nature encline to one another even to their prejudice A stone will fall to his center though there be so many rubbes in the way that it is sure to bee broken all to peeces in the motion The same should be a Christians resolution Christ is his Center and Heaven is his Country and therefore thither hee must conclude to goe notwithstanding he must be broken in the way with manifold temptations and afflictions Saint Paul desired if it had been possible to be clothed upon and to have his mortalitie swallowed up of life and to get whole to Heaven But if he may not have it upon so good termes hee will not onely confidently endure but desire to be dissolved and broken in pieces that by any meanes he may come to Christ because that being best of all will be an aboundant recompence for any intercurrent damage It is not a losse but a marriage and honour for a woman to forsake her owne kindred and house to go to a husband neither is it a losse but a preferment for the soule to relinquish for a time the bodie that it may goe to Christ who hath married it unto himselfe for ever And the fellowship of his sufferings This fellowship notes two things First A participation in the benefits of his Sufferings Secondly A Conformity of ours to his First His Sufferings are Ours we were buried and Crucified with him and that againe notes two things First we communicate in the Price of Christs Death covering the guilt of sinne satisfying the wrath of God and being an Expiation and propitiation for us Secondly in the Power of his Death cleansing our Consciences from dead workes mortifying our earthly members crucifying our old man subduing our iniquities and corruptions pulling downe the throne of Satan spoiling him of all his armor and destroying the workes of the Divell And this power worketh first by the propheticall office of Christ Revealing secondly by his Regall office applying and reaching forth the power of his bloud to subdue sinne as it had before triumphed over death and Satan But here the maine point and question will be what this mighty power of the Death of Christ is thus to kill sinne in us and wherein the Causality thereof Consisteth To this I answere that Christs Death is a threefold Cause of the death of sinne in his members First It is Causa meritoria A meritorious Cause For Christs death was so great aprice that it did deserve at Gods hand to have our sinnes subdued All power and Iudgement was given unto him by his father and that power was given him to purchase his Church withall And this was amongst other of the covenants that their sinnes should be Crucified He gave himselfe unto Gods Iustice for his Church and that which by that gift he purchased was the sanctification cleansing of it Now as a price is said to doe that which a man doth by the power which that price purchased so the bloud of Christ is said to cleanse us because the office or power whereby he purifieth us was Conferd upon him Sub intuitu pretij under the condition of suffring For it was necessarie that remission and purification should be by bloud Secondly it is Causa exemplaris The death of Christ was the Exemplar pattern and Idea of our Death to sin He did beare our sinnes in his Body on the tree to shew that as his Body did naturally so sinne did by analogie and legally dye Therefore the Apostle saith that he was made sinne for us to note that not onely our persons were in Gods accompt Crucified with him unto Iustification but that sinne it selfe did hang upon his Crosse with him unto monification and holinesse In which respect Saint Paul saith That he condemned sinne in the flesh because he died as sinne in Abstracto And in this regard of morâ—…ification wee are said to be planted in the likenesse of Christs Death because as when an Ambassador doth solemnize the marriage of his king with a forraine princesse that is truely effected betweene the parties themselves which is transacted by the agent and representative person to that purpose and service authoâ—… so Christ being made sinne for us as the Sacrifice had the sinnes of the people emptied upon him and in that relation Dying sinne it selfe likewise dieth in us And there is a proportion betweene the Death of the Crosse which Christ died and the Dying of sinne in us Christ died as a Servant to note that sinne should not rule but be brought into slaverie and bondage He died a Curse to note that wee should loke upon sinne as an accursed and devoted thing and therefore should not with Achan hide or reserve any He Dranke vinegar on his Crosse to note that wee should make sinne feele the sharpnesse of Gods displeasure aginst it he was fast naild unto the Crosse to note that wee should put sinne out of ease and leave noe lust or Corruption at large but crucifie the whole body thereof Lastly though he did not presently die yet there he did hang till he died to note that wee should never give over subduing sinne while it hath any life or working in us Thus the Death of Christ is the patterne of the death of sinne Thirdly It is Causa Obiectiva an Impelling or moving cause as Obiects are For Obiects have an Attractive Power Achaâ—… saw the wedge of gold and then Coveted it David saw Bathshâ—…ba and then desired her Therefore the apostle mentions Lusts of the Eye which are kindled by the Things of the world As the strength of imagination fixing upon a blackemooâ—…e on the wall made the woman bring forth a blacke child so there is â—… kinde of spirituall Imaginative power in faith to crucifie sinne by looking upon Christ Crucified As the Brasen Serpent did heale those who had been bitten by the fierie serpents 〈◊〉 obiectum fides meerly by being looked upon so Christ Crucified doth heale sin by being looked upon with the eyâ—… of faith Now faith lookes upon Christ crucified and bleeding First as the gift of his fathers love as a token and spectacle of more unsearchable and transcendent mercie then the comprehension of the whole hoast of Angels can reach unto And hereby the heart is ravished with love againe and with a gratefull desire of returning all our time parts powers services unto him who spared not the sonne of his owne love for us Secondly It looketh on him As a sacrifice for Sinne and Expiation thereof to