7.22 He delighteth in the Law of God after the inward man Q. What other Grace doth the Gospel require besides faith A. Repentance Mat. 3 2. and 4.17 Q What is Repentance A. Repentance is such a change of the heart as causeth a new Life Repentance chiefly consisteth in the change of the mind and heart of a man As for the new life it is an effect and evidence of the new heart A new heart causeth a new life The outward change and renovation of a mans life is necessary For Repentance must be in the whole man and this latter giveth evidence to the truth of the former And where the former is there the latter will also be where there is a renewed heart there will be a reformed life For the soul hath an absolute command over the body and the body is wholy governed by the soul. Q Whence ariseth Repentance A. 1. From a sight and sense of sin with sorrow for it 2. From a faith of the pardon of sin I. By sight of sin is meant both a general and also a paricular knowledge of sin First A general knowledge of the nature of it what it is and of the loathsome properties of it how ugly and odious it maketh us in the pure eyes of God and of the fearful effects of it which are all miseries in this life a cursed death and eternal damnation Secondly A particular knowledge of our own sins Not only of those sins which are common to the nature of all men as Original corruption proneness to evil dulness to good c. But also of such particular Lusts as we feel warring in our members and such actual sins as we have committed in our lives As he that said I was a blaspheamer and a persecutor and an oppressor 1 Tim. 1.13 By sense of sin is meant a spiritual feeling of the wofull plight and condition wherein we lye by reason of sin When inwardly in our souls and consciences we are touched and wounded for our sins II. Faith concerning the pardon of sin is that which most kindly and effectually bringeth a man to Repentance The forementioned sight and sense of sin and sorrow for sin are excellent means to work in a man an hatred of sin and to make him wish he had never committed it yea and to make him think of turning from sin But faith in the pardon of sin whereby the soul is perswaded that all sins past shall be fully forgiven to him that repenteth and turneth from sin is a strong Motive to draw him from his former wicked courses And the Repentance that is by faith in Gods mercy wrought is most kindly wrought For faith as it apprehends pardon of sin most freely through Gods mercy in Christ Jesus so it works repentance by way of gratitude because it is pleasing and acceptable to God to turn from sin and because the good God is displeased and dishonoured by committing sin and continuing therein Q What are the outward Means appointed by God for the working and strengthning of faith repentance and other graces in us A. The Ordinances of God especially the Word Sacraments and Prayer The Ministry of the Word is the most necessary both for the working and encreasing faith and other graces That which the Apostle saith of faith That it cometh by hearing may bâ— applyed to all other graces They come by hearing the Word Preached And to shew that by it grace also is nourished The Apostle Peter exhorteth To desire the sincere milk of the Word that they may grow thereby 1 Pet. 2.2 How doth it then concern us as to give diligent heed to the Ministry of the Word So to mix faith with our hearing as by giving credence to what is delivered out of the Word of God so by applying to our selves those truths which the Word revealeth Q. What is a Sacrament A. An holy Ordinance instituted by Christ wherein by outward signs inward grace is signified and sealed So that there are three things necessary to the making up of a Sacrament 1. An outward sign 2. An inward or spiritual grace 3. Christs Instituiton Q. How many Sacraments are there A. Two only Baptism and the Lords Supper As the Jews of old had two ordinary Sacraments which were circumcision and the Passeover So Christians now have two such as answer to them Baptism to Circumcision Col. 3.11 12. The Lords Supper to the Passeover Luk. 22.15 c. Q. What is Baptism A. A Sacrament wherein by the washing with water in the name of the Faâ—her the Son and the Holy Ghost our Regâ—neration is signified and sealed In that Baptism is a Sacrament of our Regeneration it sheweth 1. That by nature we are born in a cursed condition who have therefore need to be new-born assoon as we are born Regeneration is so absolutely necessary to our Salvation as without it we cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven Iob. 3.3 2. That Baptism is a means of our Regeneration Gods Spirit in and by that Ordinance worketh this great work In which respect we are said to be born of water and of the Spirit Joh. 3.5 yet is not every one that is baptized really and inwardly regenerated It is not the bare washing with water but the working of the Spirit thereby by which we are Regenerated And the Spirit is a free agent and worketh when and upon whom it listeth Ioh. 3.8 Q. What is the outward sign in Baptism A. Water Act. 8.36 There is nothing so fit to set out our cleansing from sin as Water whereby that which is filthy is clean Q What is the inward thing signified by Water in Baptism A. The Blood of Christ. In relation hereunto Christ is said to have washed us from our sins in his blood Rev. 1.5 As Water hath a cleansing vertue so also hath Christs blood The blood of Iesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin 1 Joh. 1.7 Q. What is the Lords Supper A. A Sacrament of our spiritual nourishment wherein by receiving Bread and Wine according to Christs institution our communion with Christ is reprâ—sented and sealed The Lords Supper is addâ—d to Baptism as a needfull means to maintain that life of God which is begotten in us Q. What are the outward signs in the Lords Supper A. Bread and Wine Mat. 26.26 Q. What doth the Sacramental bread set out A. The body of Christ. This is evident by Christs own words who holding bread in his hands saith of it This is my body Matth. 26.26 that is by way of representation as if he had said This bread representeth my body Q. What doth Sacramental Wine set out A. The blood of Christ. This is evident by the words of institution where Christ holding the Cup that had the Wine in it and speaking of the Wine therein he saith This is my blood Mat. 26.27 Q What is signified by the Ministers breaking the bread A. That Christ was broken with torments for our sins The Apostle in 1 Cor. 11.24 Thus
praise and the glory of his happy change saying Not unto us not unto us but unto thy name be the praise and the glory of this great work Quest. Doth Regeneration admit any degrees Answ. Yes verily For Regeneration may be considered in the beginning and progress of it or in the consummation and perfection of it It is begun and increaseth in this life it is consummate and perfect in the life to come In this life there is spirit mixed with flesh that is grace with some corruption of nature as is evident by the Apostles complaint in these words When I would do good evil is present with me For I delight in the Law of God after the inward man But I see another law in my members warring against the law of my mind and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my mâ—mbers So that sin and corruption doth remain in all the regenerate as long as their souls remain in their mortal bodies it remains though it doth not raign in them It is in this life cast down but not cast out And this God in great wisdom is pleased to permit to keep us humble and low in our selves and to drive us unto Jesus Christ that as long as this flux of blood runneth we should alwayes be desirous to touch at least the hem of his garment But at death that corruption will be utterly consumed and body and soul clean freed from it insomuch as at the resurrection when body and soul shall be again united the regeneration begun in this World will be manifested to be most perfect Whereas in this life the most regenerate are imperfect through the Reliques of sin and remainder of corruption which will abide in them so long as they abide and continue in this World Now seeing the work of Regeneration is imperfect in the very best here in this life and that there remains flesh and corruption in them so long as they remain in this World Do not thou look too high I mean after a greater measure and degree of grace than here is to be had Many there are who being regenerate by the spirit of God and so brought out of the state of nature into the state of grace presently look for a freedom from all sin and corruption which because they find working and stirring in them thereupon question the work of Regeneration and truth of grace in their souls But let such know that they look for more than here is to be found or than God expects from them For God doth not expect or require of us here freedom from sin and corruption but that we should endeavour to subdue and mortifie it more and more according to the measure of grace and strength which we have received from him He doth not require of us that we be without sin but that sin do not rule nor raign in our mortal bodies according to that of the Apostle Let not sin raign in your mortal bodies Neither doth the Lord require of us exact and perfect righteousness which is impossible to our corrupt nature but only that we strive and labour after it that we sincerely endeavour to serve him after the directions of his Word And that for our failings and imperfections we do in an humble confession bewail the same and then beg the pardon and forgiveness of them in and through the merits of Jesus Christ. And this God will accept of for he esteemeth more of our affections than of our actions and accepteth the will for the deed according to that of the Apostle If there be a willing mind it is accepted according to that a man hath and not according to that he hath not CHAP. IV. Of the Parts of Regeneration and Causes concurring thereunto HAving shewed you what regeneration is and how it doth admit degrees I shall shew you the Parts of Regeneration which are two 1. Mortification 2. Vivification Mortification is implyed under the phrases of casting off and crucifying the old man and destroying the body of sin This is a duty expresly enjoyned in these words mortifie your members which are upon the earth By members on the earth he meaneth all sorts of lusts and sins whereunto a natural man is given as is evident by the particular instances which he himself reckoneth up in the words following as fornication uncleanness c. These must be mortified that is put to death It is not enough to curb and hold in sin but the life of it must be let out And indeed it is not possible to put on the new man till the old man be cast off Therefore there is a necessity of mortification first before vivification For the bringing in of one form presupposeth the putting out or destroying of the other Wherefore after Mortification followeth Vivification 2. Vivification is the begetting of the life of grace in us whence we live in holiness and righteousness It is set forth in Scripture by Gods quickning us and by our walking in newness of life Vivification then implyeth a new spiritual life which God by his spirit worketh in us which is clean contrary to our former natural corrupt course of life For the effects of this life are holiness and righteousness and all manner of good works Now it is absolutely necessary that this part of regeneration namely Vivification be added to Mortification which is the other part even as necessary as that Christ being dead should be raised Where had been the benefit of Christs death if he had not risen from the dead And what can be imagined to be the profit of mortification without vivification It is therefore the accustomed course of Sacred Scripture to infer the following of holiness upon the flying of sin the doing of good upon eschewing of evil Now the things which God hath joyned together let no man put asunder Let us therefore prove our regeneration not only by ceasing from sin but following holiness and working righteousness Content not thy self to say I am not what I was unless thou canst also add I am what I was not It will be but little boot to thee to say I am no drunkard nor swearer nor covetous nor a walker after the flesh unless thou canst also say By the grace of God I now walk after the spirit in faith and love and holy obedience watchfull unto and endeavouring after a fruitfulness in every good work Thou art not unjust thou sayest but doest thou shew mercy Thou art no longer earthly but art thou heavenly minded Thou art no longer contentious or quarrelsome but art thou a peace-maker Thou hast no longer fellowship with the ungodly but art thou a familiar of the Saints Thou wilt not now curse or swear or lye or scoff but dost thou pray and bless Dost thou hear and read and meditate on God Dost thou study thine heart and govern thy thoughts and affections Dost thou bridle thy tongue set a watch
though your sins be never so great and hainous yet upon your repentance through the mercy of God in Christ they shall be so abolished as if they had never been committed 3. They exclude no time for the sinners coming unto God but whensoever sooner or later first or last so that he come in truth he shall find mercy and forgiveness Ezck. 33.12 The promise lyeth in the day that the sinner turneth Seeing therefore oh sinner God hath not excepted thy person nor thy sins no thy time of coming do not thou except thy self saying thy sins are greater than can be pardoned and thy day of grace is past Oh do not so great an injury to God as to set any bounds or limits either to his mercy or to his promises 3. The power of God to save the worst of sinners appeareth from his actual receiving the most heinous sinners to mercy The greatest sinners that we read of in Scripture have obtained mercy Who greater than Mannasseh who was a Sorcerer an Idolater a Murtherer and what not and yet was received to mercy And who greater in the New Testament than Paul who was a Blasphemer and a Persecutor of the Saints and People of God and yet was received to mercy Now what God hath done formerly he is still able to do he is still the same God his power is no whit lessened nor diminished Oh sinner what ground hast thou then to question the mercy of God to thy soul if thou dost in truth turn from thy sins unto him and earnestly beg the pardon and forgiveness of them I know indeed that before God giveth a sight and a sense of our sins we are too too apt to presume but our understandings are no sooner inlightned to see our sins and our consciences awakened to feel the burden of them but we are very apt to despair it being the great design of our adversary the Devil either to make us dye in a senseless calm or else to perish in a desperate storm Oh saith the awakened sinner my sins are many for number and heinous in their quality having aggravated them by many amplifying circumstances Certainly there is no hope of mercy for such a wretched sinfull creature as I am whose sins are greater than can be forgiven But take notice I beseech thee of these two things 1. Though in thy self there is nothing but ground and matter of despair yet in the mercy of God through the merits of Jesus Christ there is ground enough of comfort and encouragement 2. How many and heinous soever thy sins have been yet if thou canst find an heart to turn from them unto God and in good earnest set upon the practice of an holy life and so become a new creature God will receive thee to mercy But still beware thou abuse not mercy by making it thy encouragement to sin turn not this cup of Salvation into a cup of deadly poyson let not the doctrine of infinite mercy be thy damnation abuse not mercy as thy encouragement to sin but improve mercy as thy encouragement to repentance 2. For the Willingness of God to save poor sinners even the worst of them it doth appear 1. From Gods description of himself Exod. 34.6 7. The Lord God merciful and gracious long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth keeping mercy for thousands forgiving iniquity transgression and sin Why should the Lord proclaim himself merciful and gracious to forgive all manner of sins but for the encouragement of poor penitent sinners to come unto him with hope of acceptance There is not a letter in this name of God not a word in this description of him but fully and adequately answers all the objections which may be made by poor sinners against their own souls Obj. 1. Wilt thou say that thy condition is as bad as the worst having been as great and hainous a sinner as ever lived upon the face of the earth A. To answer this God here declareth himself to be the Lord merciful The Lord therefore able to save thee to the utmost Though thy sins be never so many and hainous yet he is able to save thee from them all And he is merciful therefore willing to save thee for in him there are bowels of mercy pitty and compassion and he delights in mercy Obj. 2. Wilt thou say thou art in thy self most unworthy to partake of any mercy from God having nothing in thee to commend thee to him or to move him to extend his mercy unto thee A. To this the Lord answers in the next place that he is gracious and therefore what he doth he will do freely without any respect of works or worthiness in us for grace is to shew mercy freely The mercy God ever shewed to any of his people was originally founded in himself alone in his own goodness and loving-kindness The Apostle therefore calleth it the good pleasure of his goodness Whereupon saith the Lord himself I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy Obj. 3. Wilt thou further object and say thou hast mispent the flower of thy youth and the strength of thy age in vanity and pleasure thy whole life hath been a continued course of sinning against God so that thou hast cause to fear that God hath given over looking after thee and that his patience towards thee is expired and thy day of grace past A. To this the Lord answers in the following words that he is long-suffering Not only merciful and gracious but likewise long-suffering to thee-ward not willing that thou shouldst perish but that thou even thou shouldst come to repentance He still waiteth for thy repentance and reformation that he may be gracious unto thee Obj. 4. Wilt thou say that though the Lord hath shewed himself merciful gracious and long-suffering unto others yet thou art so destitute of all grace and goodness that thou hast little hope of partaking thereof A. To this the Lord answers in the next words that he is abundant in goodness as he hath extended his grace mercy and patience unto others so he hath enough and enough for thee his store is no whit diminished by what he hath given out but as he is an ever-flowing so an over-flowing Fountain of all grace mercy and goodness for the supply of his people he is abundant in goodness Obj. 5. Wilt thou say that though the Lord be abundant in goodness yet thou art fearfull whether he will extend his goodness unto thee A. To this the Lord answers that he is abundant as in goodness so in truth God having in his word promised to receive all poor penitent sinners unto mercy who will in truth turn from their sins unto him his truth and faithfulness ingageth him to shew mercy unto thee and to receive thee into the arms of his free grace upon thy true and unfeigned repentance Obj. 6. Wilt thou say God is indeed
worketh faith to close with Jesus Christ. For untill thou beest truly humbled under a sense and apprehension of thy sins and misery it is not possible thou shouldst heartily desire Christ much less cordially embrace him as thy Saviour and redeemer Oh therefore labour in the use of all means God hath sanctified to get thine heart kindly humbled and broken for thy sins To this end 1. Look back into thy life and call to mind as many of thy sins as possibly thou canst the sins of thy youth as well as of thy riper years thy sins of omission as well as thy sins of commission yea the sins of thy holy services Especially call to mind the greatest and grossest of thy sins though they were committed long ago Thus did the Prodigal begin his humiliation and repentance by a serious examination of his former course of life calling to remembrance his departure from such a gracious Father his own wandrings in the wayes of wickedness in which he had lost himself and then as the text noteth He arose and came to his Father and with tears said unto him Father I have sinned against Heaven and against thee and am no more worthy to be called thy Son To acknowledge thy self in the general to be a sinner works but a formal kind of repentance and humiliation if any at all But if thou wouldst be truly humbled thou must descend to thy special and particular sins saying this evil have I done and that good have I left undone 2. Consider together with the number the hainousness of thy sins To this end call to mind the aggravating circumstances of them as how thou hast sinned against the motions of Gods Spirit the admonitions of his Ministers the checks of thine own conscience against the light of nature against the patience and long-suffering of God which should have led thee to repentance 3. Seriously consider the fearful threatnings against sin and sinners which are all judgements and plagues here and eternal death and condemnation hereafter and apply them to thy self reasoning thus If the least transgression of the Law deserveth the curse of God yea all judgements and plagues here and eternal condemnation hereafter then how many curses and plagues what and how great condemnation have I deserved who have committed sins innumerable for number and hainous in their quality And withall consider the truth and faithfulness of God in making good his threatnings as well as his promises 4. Beg this great Mercy of an humbled heart from God For it is he who must strike our stony hearts these hard Rocks of ours before they can yield any water of true repentance it is he who must pour out of the spirit of grace upon our hard hearts before we can pour out any penitent tears or lament as we ought for our sins It is he that must thaw our frozen hearts before they can dissolve into kindly sorrow To him therefore alone thou must go for this great work of humiliation And that thy prayers may be the more prevalent 1. Confess unto God the hardness of thine heart how it is grown to such an adamantine hardness that neither the thundrings nor threatnings of the Law nor the sweet showers the promises of the Gospel can make it relent or dissolve Confess unto God that Though thou hast broken his holy and righteous Laws ten thousand thousand times yet the consideration thereof hath not broken thine heart Oh this rock this rock when shall it be pierced Oh this hard heart I cannot break it I would melt I would mourn but cannot I can mourn for a lost friend for a lost estate but I cannot mourn for a lost soul. Oh what groanings and sighings and lamentations will afflictions press out of me but my sins my sins how little do they move me The pains of my body I can feel and roar under but O what a stock am I under the plague of my heart Lord smite this rock My plaints are before thee mine eyes are towards thee I cannot weep but I can cry for a broken heart Lord hear me 2. In thy Prayers plead that gracious promise of God to take away the stony hearts out of our flesh and to give us hearts of flesh Hath God promised and is there no hope in the promise Is there hope and wilt thou not lay hold on that hope plead with thy God upon his own word Is not this thy Word O Lord Hast not thou said thou wilt make this stone flesh will it ever be done if thou dost it not wilt not thou do what thou hast said Is it not thy will that I should believe thou wilt Oh perform thy word unto thy Servant wherein thou hast commanded me to put my trust 3. Be importunate in this request of thine unto God often renewing thy prayers and never give over till thou find thine hard heart brought into a mourning and melting frame Though God for a while seemeth deaf to thy prayers yet be not thou dumb many petitions he cannot deny IV. Resolve to give a present bill of divorce to all thy sinful lusts and pleasures utterly to renounce and forsake thine old sinful course of life and to set upon a new course to serve God in holiness and righteousness all the remaining part of thy life It s vain for thee to lament and bewail thy past sins if thou wilt not give over thy sinning trade For as the Apostle adviseth Thou must first put off the old man with his corrupt-lusts before thou put oâ— the new man Thou therefore who hast accustomed thy self to swearing and cursing to whoring and drinking to scoffing and railing against the people of God resolve to swear and curse no more to whore and drink no more to scoff and rail no more but cast them away with detestation avoiding the places and occasions of these sins For it is a vain thing to think thy self strong enough to abstain from any sin when thou canst not withdraw thy self from the occasions thereof Ah sinner if thou hast any regard to thy precious soul it will be thy wisdom speedily to resolve to leave thine old course of life and to turn over a new leaf Think not of peace with God whilest thou art at peace with sin Think not that thine old scores are crossed whilest thou art so freely scoring up a new Deceive not thy self thy divorce from sin and thy marriage with Christ must be both on the same day And count not thy self divorced till thou and thy sins be parted Resolve this day to have done with thy old wayes for ever At once give Christ his welcome and thy lusts their farewell There is no true humiliation for sin where there is not a resolution against it Say not thou art not humbled enough how little soever thy sorrow be if thou art sincerely resolved against iniquity And say not thou art humble enough how deep soever it hath been if there follow not this resolution
sinner as himself was to stir up and encourage other great and heinous sinners to go unto Christ and that with hope of acceptance casting themselves and the burden of their sins upon him Yea questionless the conversion of so many notorious sinners is recorded in Scripture not only as a memorial of what God hath done for others but also as a sign and token what he is now ready and willing to do for the greatest sinners upon their turning from their sins unto him by unfeigned repentance and closing with Jesus Christ by a true and lively faith Oh therefore let those admirable and sâ—upendious patterns of mercy held forth in Scripture be encouragements unto thee to abandon thy sins to turn over a new leaf and to close with Jesus Christ upon the terms of the Gospel II. The Occasion of the conference betwixt Christ and Nicodemus followeth in verse 2. and that was his coming unto Christ which is farther amplified by the time when he came and that was by night The same came to Iesus by night Nicodemus his going unto Christ for farther instruction in the way and means of salvation did evidence the truth of his faith but his going by night did evidence the weakness of his faith He believed upon the hearing Christ Preach and seeing the miracles which he wrought that he was a Teacher sent from God Yet because he was a Pharisee and a Ruler thought it a disgrace to go openly unto Christ to be instructed by him but went by night and thereby discovered the weakness of his faith whence we may observe Observ. True Faith may be exceeding weak This title O ye of little faith wherewith Christ often upbraideth his Disciples is an evident proof thereof So likewise that expression of the poor man who cryed out unto Christ Lord I believe help thou my unbelief The former word I believe sheweth the truth of his faith but the latter word unbelief sheweth the weakness of his faith which was so weak that he calls it unbelief Art thou conscious to thy self of the weakness of thy Faith 1. Be thankfull unto God for that measure and degree which thou hast though it be but as a grain of mustard-seed for quantity for the least dram of true faith is of greater value than Mountains of Gold and Silver 2. Content not thy self with a small measure of faith for contentedness with a weak faith is an argument of no faith and besides the greater and stronger thy faith is the greater and stronger will be thy comfort and consolation For the stronger thy faith is the clearer will thy apprehension be of thine interest in Christ and of the pardon of thy sins in and through the merits of his death and passion The more vertue and strength wilt thou draw from Christ for the mortifying thy lusts and for the quickning thy graces yea with the greater cheerfulness wilt thou go on in thy Christian course 3. Labour and strive after a greater measure and degree of faith to grow from faith to faith from one degree of faith unto another till thou attain unto the highest degree thereof even to a full assurance To this end be earnest with God in prayer for the increase of thy faith For every grace depends upon him not only for birth but also for growth and increase but of this grace of faith he is in a special manner stiled as the author so the finisher thereof Though thy faith at present be weak yet know for thy comfort That the weakest faith if true and sincere is sufficient to salvation For though God giveth not to all believers a like measure and degree of faith but to some more to others less yet he giveth to none of his less than may suffice to their salvation So that the least faith hath this in it that it is sufficient to salvation in that it doth interest us in Christ and in all the promises of the Gospel III. The Conference it self follows which is a Dialogue between Nicodemus and our blessed Saviour wherein Nicodemus begins saying Rabbi we know that thou art a Teacher sent from God for no man can do these miracles that thou doest except God be with him Wherein we may Observe I. The Title be giveth to our Saviour Rabbi which signifieth Master and so our Evangelist expoundeth it Ioh. 1.38 It is a compound word and signifieth my Master For RAB implyeth a man of excellency one that excelleth others in knowledge and learning and therefore may well be accounted a Master or Teacher This being a title of great esteem and renown the Pharisees did exceedingly affect it whereupon their flattering followers to please them would double the word and call them Rabbi Rabbi Hence it is that Christ upbraids to them thâ—s their ambitious affectation and reckons it amongst the badges of their pride Matth. 23.7 where speaking of the Pharisees he saith they loved to be called of men Rabbi Rabbi The truth is that this title rightly taken in its proper sense is due only to Christ who is the great Prophet and Teacher that came from God as Nicodemus here acknowledgeth Whence we may observe Observ. That Iesus Christ is the great Prophet and Teacher of his Church being alone able to declare his Fathers will and to open the mysteries of the Gospel And indeed all other Prophets were but types of this great Prophet He lay in the bosome of his Father and so understood the mind and will of God and was thereby enabled to make known the Oracles of God and the mysteries of Salvation Yea as the Apostle expresseth In Christ are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge Not only wisdom and knowledge are hid in him but treasures of wisdom and knowledge yea all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hid in him And all these graces he hath in the highest degree in which respect he may well be termed the great Prophet and Teacher of his Church To him let us give ear and hearken preaching unto us both in his Gospel and by his Ministers who make known unto us the mysteries of the Gospel II. The next thing that followeth in the conference is the profession which Nicodemus maketh of Christ we know saith he that thou art a teacher come from God for no man can do these miracles that thou doest except God be with him In which we may observe 1. The Profession it self we know that thou art a Teacher come from God 2. The reason thereof in the next words For no man can do these miracles that thou doest except God be with him As if he had said whosoever worketh Miracles cometh from God but thou workest miracles therefore thou comest from God This clause these miracles that thou doest carryeth a great Emphasis and sheweth that they were very great miracles which Christ did and so confirm the argument the more This reason is sound and affordeth this point of doctrine
over thine eyes and ears and steps Is it thy care to please and in all things to walk worthy the Lord Look to thy self that thou be not deceived Cast off the works of darkness and put on the armour of light Cast off the old man and put on the new man which as it is created after the image So will it carry thee on according to the will of God in righteousness and true holiness Having shewed the Nature of Regeneration and the parts thereof I come now to shew what Causes concurr to the work of Regeneration 1. The efficient Cause or primary Author is God For in this respect we are born of God God hath begotten us Jam. 1.18 Even God the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ. 2. The procuring causes are Gods will and Gods mercy There could be nothing out of God to move him It must needs therefore arise from his own meer will So faith the Apostle Iames Of his own will begat he us And there could be nothing in man to move God hereunto for man by nature is most miserable It must needs therefore arise from Gods meer mercy For misery is the proper object of mercy On this ground it is justly said that God according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again 3. The immediate worker of Regeneration is Gods Spirit In this respect we are said to be born of the spirit and regeneration is stiled the renewing of the holy Ghost For it is a divine work above humane ability 4. The ordinary instrumental cause is Gods Word Of his own will begat he us by the word of truth whereby is meant the Gospel In this respect the Word is stiled incorruptible seed The Gospel is that part of Gods Word which is most effectual hereunto and it is thereupon stiled the Gospel of salvation And the power of God unto salvation 5. Ministers and preachers of the Gospel are Ministerial causes of Regeneration who are in relation to their Ministery said to beget us and stiled Fathers All these are comprised under the Efficient cause and are so far from thwarting one another as they sweetly concurr to produce this divine work of Regeneration being subordinate one to another and may in this order be placed together It being the will of God to shew mercy to man he ordained Ministers to cast the seed of his Word into mens souls which being quickned by the Spirit men are thereby born again II. The material cause of Regeneration is the parts whereof it doth consist which are two I. Mortification 2. Vivification of both which I have spoken in the fore-going Chapter III. The formal cause of Regeneration is Gods Image planted in us which consists in holiness and righteousness After this Image we are said to be renewed This makes an essential difference betwixt a natural and a regenerate man IV. The final causes next and subordinate to the glory of Gods free-grace and rich mercy are especially two 1. To make men able to do good namely such good as may be acceptable and honourable to God profitable to other men and truly advantageable to themselves The Apostle therefore speaking of Regeneration which we have shewed to be a kind of Creation thus expresseth this end we are created in Christ Iesus unto good works 2. To make men fit for glory For corrupt flesh cannot partake of Coelestial glory Whereupon faith Christ Except a man be born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God So far shall he be from being admitted into it as he shall not come so near as to see it God will not take a sinner reeking in his lusts and presently invest him with a Crown of glory And therefore that we may be fitted for Heaven the Lord is pleased by his spirit to regenerate us making us new-creatures and thereby making us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light Behold the Riches of Gods mercy and goodness that he not only created us at first in a most happy estate even after his own image and likeness But when we wittingly and willfully fell from the same and plunged ourselves into misery wherein he might justly have left us as he did the evil Angels Yet he hath not only restored us again to that former estate by renewing his image in us but thereby fitted us for a more glorious and excellent estate wherein his goodness appeareth to be as his greatness infinite incomprehensible Who can sufficiently set it forth For as the Heaven is high above the earth so great is his mercy towards them that fear him CHAP. V. Sheweth the Reasons why Regeneration is necessary to Salvation HAving spoken of the point by way of explication I come now to speak of it by way of confirmation To this end I shall shew you the reasons of the point why Regeneration is necessary to Salvation Reas. 1. From the immutability of Gods purpose God who hath chosen us to life hath chosen us also to holiness as our way to it We are bound to give thanks to God for you brethren beloved of the Lord because God hath from the beginning chosen you to Salvation through the Sanctification of the Spirit Whoever will pass into glory must take grace in his way You ask why may I not be saved unless I be regenerated Why because God is resolved on the contrary This is the will of God your sanctification first and then your salvation Now the purposes of God shall stand With him is no variableness nor shadow of turning All the world shall sooner be damned then the purpose of God shall be made void The Lord God must cease to be the unchangeable God if thou ever be saved who wilt not be sanctified Reas. 2. From the stability of Gods Word God hath said Except a man be born again he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God Is the word of God yea and nay doth he say and unsay Heaven and Earth shall pass away but his word shall not pass away Count upon it sinner as sure as God is true thou shalt never see the salvation of God unless thou be first made partaker of the renewing of the holy Ghost Reas. 3. From the respect that Regeneration hath to Salvation Regeneration is a degree and part of Salvation Grace is glory begun holiness is the beginning of blessedness the perfection whereof will be in Heaven hereafter where the image of God which consisteth in knowledge holiness and righteousness will be perfected in our souls where we shall perfectly love God and delight in him and be ever praising him with the Heavenly host Now how canst thou expect the participation and enjoyment of this blessed estate without regeneration and renovation here Unless the image of God be renewed upon thee in holiness and thou dost truly love God and delight in communion with him here Canst thou expect the consummation without
how uncertain thou art of being out of Hell till the next morning Surely this consideration is enough to amaze any poor Christian who is indeed Regenerate but maketh some question thereof in himself How much more should it amaze and startle thee who art yet in thy carnal and sinfull estate and stir thee up without any farther delay to escape for thy life and make out in hast after thy Redemption from this dreadful condition I would ask thee this question Whether if thou shouldst put off thy seeking after the great work of Regeneration and conversion till another year week or day thou art sure to be then on this side the grave or on this side hell Certain it is thou hast no assurance of thy life for one day longer Nay I dare boldly say thou thy self knowest and believest as much Ah sinner what folly yea what madness is it then for thee wilfully to live one day longer in such an estate in which if thou shouldst dye thou art without hope of recovery undone for ever Obj. Haply thou wilt say though I am not sure to live another day yet I am likely being in good health and strength of body Answ. How many as strong and healthfull as thy self have suddenly by death been snatched away And why maist not thou be as soon taken away having no Lease of thy Life who then but a fool or a mad-man would adventure his eternal happiness upon such an hazard Oh therefore as thou tenderest the everlasting good of thy precious soul put not off this great and weighty work a day longer for who knoweth what a day may bring forth Hadst thou been taken away in the state thou art in how sad had thy case been where hadst thou been at this hour Certainly thou art not able to conceive the dreadfulness of that misery thou shouldst now have been in And hast thou lived all this while in so great danger and wilt thou live in it still God forbid Hath a miracle of mercy kept thee out of hell so long and wilt thou yet continue securely in such danger of it Oh ungratefull wretch Questionless if thou hadst any ingenuity in thee thou wouldst be ashamed thus to abuse the patience and long-suffering of God towards thee which should have led thee to repentance Thou shouldst rather take up a resolution and say though I have hitherto abused the patience and long-suffering of God I will abuse it no more Though I have often slighted and rejected the gracious invitations of Jesus Christ yet through the grace of God I will reject them no more but close with them and give up my self unto Christ from henceforth to be ruled and governed by him God hath allotted to every man who lives in the bosome of the Church a certain day of grace and time of repentance which whosoever neglects can never be saved Ah sinner as therefore thou wouldst not neglect thine own Salvation neglect not the day of grace neither let slip the season of mercy but as the Apostle exhorteth To day if you will hear his voice harden not your hearts Behold now is the accepted time now is the day of Salvation if that be once past there is no recovering it CHAP. VII Sheweth the miserable and dreadfull condition of the Vnregenerate in their life-time HAving given you some Motives to quicken up your desires and endeavours after the work of Regeneration I come now to shew you the Means on your part to be performed for the better attaining thereunto which may be brought to these two general heads 1. The Embracing some truths 2. The Practising some duties The Truths to be embraced are these 1. That every man in his state of unregeneracy is in a miserable state and dreadfull condition 2. That there is hope of mercy for the greatest sinners That you may the better understand the miserable condition of men in their state of Unregeneracy I shall shew you their miseries 1. In this life 2. At death 3. After death Their miseries in this life are briefly these I. They are Servants to sin and slaves to their lusts making it their main work and design to serve their sinfull flesh with its affections The baseness of this slavery under sin will appear the more if we shall consider 1. What it is we do inthrall thereby even our precious souls which at first were created after the Image of God and fitted for his noble service and communion with himself Now for this immortal Being to be a drudge to base pleasures and profits to the vain and vile things of this World is a most sad degeneration 2. What are the fruits of this spiritual bondage and slavery 1. At the best a little seeming pleasure or profit that lasts but for a moment which the Apostle calls the pleasures of sin for a season they are but of little worth and but of short continuance And sure it must needs be a point of folly eagerly to pursue these sinfull lusts and pleasures which are but light and temporary which do but appear and vanish to the hazard of those durable riches and eternal pleasures which are at Gods right hand 2. Another fruit which usually follows upon our slavish subjection to our lusts is death eternal according to that of the Apostle the wages of sin is death and that eternal as appeareth by the opposition of eternal life for saith the Apostle The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life So that as eternal life followeth an holy life so eternal death followeth a sinfull life This is the reward sinner that thy God whom thou servest will pay thee at last thou must dye the death Oh the folly and madness of this sensual enslaved World Surely were there nothing in sin but the present slavery it were enough to disswade any ingenuous spirit Who would be a slave a slave to a lust at the command of every unclean motion at the beck of every brutish affection But if the vileness of the work will not deterr thee will not the dreadfulness of the wages neither which is eternal death and condemnation Oh consider this you who make so light a matter of sin and take such pleasure in obeying the lusts thereof II. All men in the state of unregeneracy are servants and slavos to the Devil Which necessarily followeth upon the former for such as are in subjection to their lusts must needs be under the bondage and slavery of Satan in that the chief power he hath over us is by lust to allure us unto sin I know all men are apt to say that they hate and defie the Devil and abhor to be his slave or servant but yet in the mean time they obey his sinfull commands and thereby declare themselves to be his servants for as the Apostle speaketh Know ye not that to whom ye yield your selves servants to obey his servants ye are to whom ye obey And saith the
his countenance was changed his thoughts troubled him so that the joynts of his Loyns were loosed and his knees smote one against another How much more shall the wicked tremble and quake and their knees smite one against another for fear at the great day when they shall hear the sentence of condemnation pronounced by Jesus Christ How will they then run like men distracted to the Mountains and Hills for covert and shelter How will they then beg and yell again for mercy to a judge that is justly inexorable I say justly inexorable to them having scornfully rejected his many loving invitations and earnest beseechings by his Ministers to accept of that peace and reconciliation which he hath purchased by his blood Oh that men would consider that one tear or sigh of a penitent heart will now more prevail for attainment of mercy than all their bitter and importunate yellings in that day of Gods wrath VII After the promulgation of the sentence followeth the execution and sending of the persons judged to their everlasting estate as it is written And these shall go away into everlasting punishment So that now comes the eternal separation from Christ and possession of those torments which are easeless and endless For then shall they be hurried by the Devils as their Iaylors out of Christs presence and dragged into the bottomless lake of outer-darkness that perpetually burneth with fire and brimstone Oh the hellish cryes and horrible shrieks that then will be heard no heart can conceive or imagine what an hideous cry it will be When the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah felt the fire and brimstone falling from Heaven upon their heads And when the earth opened her mouth to swallow up Corah and his company and they saw themselves going down quick into the pit Oh the cryes which were then heard Oh the shrieks which then filled the air But alas what were these to the outcryes which will be made and to the scrieches which will be heard when the Devils and reprobate men and women shall be violently driven into Hell never never to return again For though they houl and cry to the judge for mercy and redemption pitty and compassion yet will they find no answer but too late too late Mercy and pardon and peace have been preached to thee but thou wouldst not hearken thou wouldst not accept Thy day is over the things of thy peace are hid from thine eyes henceforth no more for ever Ah sinner hadst thou now an heart to turn from thy sins unto God by true and unfaigned repentance and to pray unto him for mercy in and through the merits of Jesus Christ there were hope of mercy But at the day of judgement thy repentance and thy prayers will nothing avail The judge will not then be intreated by thee and no marvel seeing thou wouldst not hearken to him in the day of his merciful visitation But though he sent unto thee messenger after Messenger Ambassadour after Ambassadour to woe and beseech thee to abandon thy sins and to accept of him for thy Lord and Saviour yet wouldst thou not leave one beloved sin nor deny one fleshly lust for all his intreaties And therefore on that day will he not be intreated by thee notwithstanding thy manifold cryes and prayers If thou wilt not believe me hear Christs own words to this purpose Because I have called and ye refused I have stretched out my hand and no man regarded But y e have set at nought all my counsel and would none of my reproof I will also laugh at your calamity I will mock when your fear cometh as desolation and your destruction as a whirlwind when distress and anguish cometh upon you then shall they call upon me but I will not answer they shall seek me early but they shall not find me Ah sinner time was when he called to thee turn from thy sins cast away thy transgressions accept of grace submit to mercy be wise be happy thou maist if thou wilt but thou wouldst not but hast sold thy mercy and thy peace and thy Saviour and thy soul for thy lusts and the pleasures of sin And therefore though in thy greatest extremity thou cry unto him for mercy he will tell thee that thy day of mercy is past and gone and the day of vengeance is come wherein he will no longer entreat nor no more be entreated Ah sinner how will it then wound thy very soul to remember thy folly in neglecting thy season and refusing so great salvation How will it make thee with anguish of heart to cry out Ah silly wretch where was thine understanding to sleight such gracious invitations to preferr every base lust before the Lord of life to turn aside from him that spake unto thee from Heaven and to turn after thy companions and the pleasures of this earth to put off the turning from thy sins and making thy peace with God till it was too late Oh now would I give a World if I had it for one offer of Christ more for one Sabbath more to make my peace with God and to make sure of Christ but alas it is now too late Oh the fears and distractions the tearing of the hair and wringing of the hands the gnashing of teeth and dashing of knees the weeping and wailing the crying and roaring that this will produce especially when thou shalt consider how God every Sabbath called upon thee by his Ministers to turn from thy sins unto him but thine ear and thine heart were shut against him And how Jesus Christ was offered and tendred to thee only upon these terms that thou wouldst cast away thy sins and cast thy self into his arms and yet thou wouldst not go unto him but refusedst and rejectedst him and his grace This sad reflection of thy soul upon its own wilful folly in neglecting and outstanding thy day will be the everlasting worm that will gnaw on thy heart World without end Oh the folly and madness of all wicked men who go on securely and impenitently in their sins till they drop into hell-fire Is this thy Wisdom to sin awhile and burn for ever to laugh a while and howle for ever for a little momentary pleasure here to suffer the vengeance of eternal fire Ah sinner that thou wouldst now forethink of this dreadful time and woful misery which hangs over thine head that when thou art alone thou wouldst seriously consider with thy self as the certainty and dreadfulness of this day so what thy condition is like to be that thou mightest thereby be stirred up to make out after Christ by whom thou maist escape the wrath to come Now whilest Christ is Preached to thee in the Ministry of the Gospel mercy and salvation is offered and now if ever is the time to accept it Oh therefore that now even now in this thy time and day of grace thou wouldst know the things that belong to thy peace that thou wouldst now
Lord turn me Lord sanctifie me Lord help me that I come not into this place of torment But when will the folly of fools depart from them Oh the stupendious brutishness of this mad and sensual World though they know these things and have been forewarned of them yet they have not the heart to fly from the wrath to come Thus much for the clearing and setting forth of the first truth to be embraced towards the working of regeneration in mens souls namely That every man in his state of unregeneracy is in a miserable and dreadful condition Wherein I have the longer insisted that thereby I might startle and awaken unregenerate men out of their carnal security unto a lively sense and apprehension of the dreadful danger they are in so long as they live and lye in their unregenerate estate and so countermine the great design of the Devil against their souls which is to keep them blindfold and ignorant of their wretched miserable state by perswading them that their condition is as good and safe as the best For certainly were they but sensible of their present condition how they were lost and undone for ever if they should dye in their natural and unregenerate estate the Devil with all his skill and cuning would be hard put to it to perswade them to live another day therein left they should suddenly be snatcht away to hell would they then turn such a deaf ear to the Voice of the Gospel would they then make such excuses and make such delayes when Christ calls them to repentance I cannot be at the pains I cannot bear the labour and the sorrow of a penitent life I cannot part with mine ease my pleasures my friends and companions at least not yet awhile Oh the sense of an hell would silence all such excuses and shake off all such delayes To day to day O my soul hearken to thy Lord left it be too late by to morrow Now stand sinner stand and pause awhile on what hath been hitherto spoken Look back and consider Is this thy state Is this thy portion which hath hitherto been described Art thou a sinner a willfull and impenitent sinner and doth not all this belong to thee search the Scriptures believe the Scriptures and then say if this be not the place of them that know not God and obey not the Gospel of Christ. But what saift thou is it good for thee to be here Is this a state to acquiesce in to be at ease and secure to be so merry and jolly in Is this the state thou art so loth to be delivered from Dost thou hang over the burning furnace by the small thread of thy life which as soon as it is snapt off thou tumblest headlong into this bottomless gulf and dost thou scoff and scorn at the poor Ministers and Ambassadours of Christ that come to thee only to snatch thy soul out of this amazing danger But hearken sinner wilt thou escape wilt thou the redeemed wilt thou be delivered from all this would he be a messenger of good tydings wouldst thou bid him welcome that should bring thee news of redemption from all this why is there any hope of that hope of deliverance hope of salvation what for such a sinner what from so great destruction what is there any hope for such a great sinner such an hardened sinner such an old sinner that hath even one foot already in hell why wilt thou hearken consider consider what shall further be spoken and thou shalt see that there is yet hope for thee even for thee concerning this thing As great as thy sins are as great as thy danger is if thou wilt yet hearken there is hope that thou maist be saved CHAP. XII Sheweth that there is hope of Mercy for the worst of Sinners II. ANother truth to be embraced in order to thy Regeneration is this That there is hope of mercy for the greatest sinners Though the condition of men in their state of unregeneracy be very deplorable yet it is not desperate there is hope of mercy for the worst of them which will appear from a due consideration 1. Of Gods powers and willingness to save the worst of sinners 2. Of the all-sufficiency of Christs Sacrifice 3. Of Christs readiness to embrace all poor sinners who will but come unto him and receive him upon the terms of the Gospel I. For the Power of God to save the worst of sinners it doth appear 1. From the infiniteness of his mercy which is compared to the depth of the Sea Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depth of the Sea saith the Prophet Micah The Sea is of such a vast capacity that it can swallow up the highest mountain as well as cover the lowest mole-hill In like manner the mercy of God is of such a boundless extent that it can pardon the greatest and grossest sins as well as the least In which respect he is said to be plenteous in mercy and rich in mercy admire it we may but no man is able to express how great the mercy of the Lord is being as himself infinite without any limits or bounds Ah sinner far be it from thee either to straighten the mercy of God or so to aggravate thy sins as to conclude that thy sins are greater than can be forgiven do not so aggravate thy mighty sins as thereby to derogate from infinite mercy Is not the mercy of God infinite Is it not the mercy of a God thy greatest sins are but finite as being the sins of a creature but his mercy is infinite being the mercy of a God As there is no proportion between that which is finite and that which is infinite So neither is there any proportion between the greatest of thy sins and the mercy of God 2. The power of God to save the worst of sinners appeareth from the unlimited extent of his promises What ever God promiseth sure he hath power to perform Now the promises of God exclude no sinner nor any sin except the sin against the Holy Ghost nor any time of coming unto him for in all these respects are the promises of God wondrous large and of great extent 1. They exclude no sinner For they run for the most part in the generality promising mercy and forgiveness to all who turn unto him in truth and sincerity as Isa. 55.7 Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord and he will have mercy on him and to our God and he will abundatly pardon Here the Prophet speaks to the wicked and unrighteous indefinitely even to all and every one of them and assures them that upon their repentance they shall be received to mercy 2. They exclude no sins no not scarlet and crimson sins as Isa. 1.18 Though your sins be as scarlet they shall be as white as snow though they be red like crimson they shall be as wool that is
abundant in mercy and goodness but it is only for a few A. To this the Lord answers in the next words That he hath mercy for thousands yea he keeps it by him for all that will but come in and partake thereof for so it is expressed keeping mercy for thousands Where a finite number thousands is put for an indefinite multitudes innumerable multitudes Therefore if thou with thousands wilt come in truth unfeignedly hating thy former lewd courses and resolve for the time to come upon new courses company and conversation know that God hath mercy in store for thee yea as large a portion as ever any found or were made partakers of Obj. 7. Wilt thou say Thy sins are both many and hainous more for number than thou canst possibly reckon up and more hainous than thou canst sufficiently aggravate A. To this the Lord answers in the next words That he is a God forgiving iniquity transgression and sin that is sins of all sorts from the least to the greatest As if he had said That he would pardon as all sinners who truly turn from their sins unto him and close with Jesus Christ So all their sins of what kind or degree soever For the learned generally conceive that under these three terms iniquity transgression and sin all manner of sins are comprehended Thus much for the opening and applying the fore-mentioned description of God which sets forth his willingness to save poor lost sinners 2. Gods willingness appeareth from his commands to the worst of sinners to repent and believe For the former that God commands them to repent and turn from their sins unto him we have abundant proof in Scripture As Isai. 1. we read that they who are stiled Rulers of Sodom and pâ—ople of Gomorrah v. 10. being like them for all manner of abominable wickednesses even as bad as they or rather worse and whose sins arâ— called scarlet and crimson sins v. 18. yet in v. 16. are they called upon to repent Wash ye make ye clean put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes cease to do evil learn to do well Which are exhortations to repentance And Ier. 3.1 We read that they who had committed spiritual Adultery having forsaken the true God and worshipped Idols even stocks and stones yet are they called upon to repent and turn unto God Though thou hast played the Harlot with many Lovers yet return again to me saith the Lord and I will be reconciled to thee again and receive thee into my grace and favour And for the latter that God commands poor sinners to believe in Jesus Christ we have a clear proof 1 Joh. 3.23 This is his commandment that we should believe on the name of his Son Iesus Christ. Now Gods commanding all poor sinners even the worst of them to repent and believe is a clear demonstration of his willingness to have them saved by putting them upon the use of those means he hath appointed and sanctified thereunto Ah sinner how should this prevail with thee to abandon thy sins and to adventure on Jesus Christ as thy Lord and Saviour The command of God to repent and believe should me-thinks out-weigh all the suggestions of Satan and carnal reasonings of thine own heart it should swallow up all scruples fears and doubts Abraham we read upon the command of God was willing to offer up his own Son his beloved Son Isaac us a Sacrifice And wilt thou refuse to Sacrifice thy beloved Lust and to embrace the beloved Son of God with the arms of thy faith when thou hast the command of God for both Oh therefore resolve as to cast away thy sins so to cast thy self into the arms of Jesus Christ and to give up thy self unto him and his Laws to be ruled and governed thereby and thou shalt live 3. Gods willingness to save poor penitent sinners appeareth from his many gracious promises to receive the very worst of sinners upon their repentance Let the wicked foâ—sake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and lâ—t him return unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon Or as the Original word signifieth he will multiply pardon and forgiveness Though the wicked multiply their sins yet if they turn from them unto God by true and unfaigned repentance he will multiply pardon and forgiveness And saith the Prophet Ezekiel If the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed and keep all my Statutes and do that which is lawfull and right he shall surely live he shall not dye All his transgressions that he hath committed they shall not be mentioned unto him in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live These and such like gracious promises of God in his Word for the encouragement of poor sinners to turn from their sins unto him cannot but strongly argue his willingness to have them saved 4. As if this were not enough to set forth Gods willingness to his promises he hath added his â—ath As I live saith the Lord God I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked but that the wicked turn from his way and live Here the Lord sweareth by himself there being no greater to swear by As if he had said As sure as I am the true and living God so certainly I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked but that he should turn from his wicked wayes and embrace my mercy in Jesus Christ. Because wicked men are so hardly perswaded of Gods willingness to save them therefore to convince them thereof and to encourage them to turn from their sins unto him he takes his oath on it that he is infinitely more willing that wicked men should repent and be saved than that they should perish in their sins and be damned 5. The Lord to shew his willingness to save poor sinners pleads with them in the words following Turn ye turn ye from your evil wayes for why will ye dye O house of Israel Here the Lord condescends to reason the case with poor sinners Why they will dye and perish and not rather turn from their sins unto him that they may live in bliss and happiness to all Eternity And then exhorts them with all earnestness to repentance saying turn ye turn ye which ingemination denoteth the vehement affection and desire of God to have sinners turn from their sins unto him that they may not perish but have everlasting life 6. Gods willingness appeareth from his free offer and tender of Christ to all who will but receive him by the hand of faith as none are named so none are excluded The Angel that brought from Heaven the tydings of Christs birth saith that it was for all people Behold saith he I bring you tydings of great joy which shall be to all people And saith our Saviour God so loved the World that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever
accepted for us and imputed unto us as if we our selves in our own persons had kept the whole Law of God and perfectly fulfilled the same Indeed personal obedience is required under the Gospel of believers but not as the matter of our justification but as an evidence and fruit of our justification I say as an evidence of our justification that we may make it manifest both to our selves and to the World that we are justified and made righteous by Jesus Christ. And also as a fruit of our justification that by our good works we might glorifie God for God is much glorified by the good works of his people Now in that God hath made the way of salvation so easie to poor sinners accepting of their sincere endeavour to keep his Commandements for perfect obedience And of the obedience and righteousness of Jesus Christ their surety for personal obedience it must needs evidence his willingness to have poor sinners saved 11. Gods willingness to save the very worst of sinners is most lively represented in the Parable of the Prodigal as it is recorded Luke 15.20 c. where we read how the Prodigal no sooner resolved to go to his Father and acknowledge his offences but his Father prevented him for when he was yet a great way off his Father saw him and had compassion and ran and fell on his neck and kiss'd him Where there are several passages very observable in the Father of the Prodigal 1. His quick observation For when he was yet a great way off his Father saw him Before he espyed his Father his Father saw him Though God is many times unwilling to see the sinner yet is he at all times very willing to espy the penitent Yea no sooner doth a sinner resolve to turn from his sins unto God but he spyes him and pittyes him 2. His present commiseration His Father saw him and had compassion on him Though God looks on obstinate sinners with indignation yet he looks on the penitent with commiseration When the heart of a sinner is penitentially touched then the bowels of Gods mercy are moved within him When Ephraim repented and turned the Lord saith My bowells are troubled for him I will surely have mercy on him 3. His spâ—edy readiness to embrace him It is said the Son went to his Father but the Father ran to meet his penitent Son shewing how ready and swift the Lord is to shew mercy to a penitent returning sinner There is a great difference betwixt Gods coming to punish a sinner and his coming to shew mercy to a penitent He is said to be slow to wrath but he is fâ—ist to shew mercy As soon as ever Ephraim said I repented instantly it follows I will surely have mercy upon him saith the Lord. David had no sooner said I have sinned but Nathan had commission presently to reply the Lord hath done away thy sin A sinner no sooner turnes from his sins unto God by repentance but God turns unto him in mercy 4. His wonderful tenderness The Father fell on his neck To have taken him by the hand had been much but to fall on his neck and embrace him and that as he was in his loathsome stinking rags was a greater favour than could be expected How open are the arms of mercy to embrace a penitent returning sinner 5. His strong affection expressed by kissing his penitent Son for as it follows He kissed him He did not only embrace him but he likewise kissed him And as St. Austin observeth Before the Son had spoken one word unto his Father the Father falleth upon his neck and kissed his ragged and deformed Son which sheweth Gods willingness to receive and embrace all poor penitent sinners that have but a thought of turning from their sins unto him Yea the Fathers kissing of his returning Son was to make him know that he was truly reconciled to him notwithstanding his former wicked and lâ—â—d courses and to shew that he rejoyced as much at his penitential return as he had grieved at his sinfull departure Oh sinner What an encouragement should this be unto thee to turn from thy sins unto God who hath as an eye of mercy to espye a returning sinner so an heart full of mercy and compassion to pitty a returning sinner and feet of mercy to meet a returning sinner and arms of mercy to embrace a returning sinner and lips of mercy to kiss a returning sinner in token that he is reconciled to him Oh therefore let me prevail with thee whosoever thou art how many and hainous soever thy sins are to turn from them unto God by true and unfained repentance and that with hope of mercy and acceptance in and through the merits and intercession of Jesus Christ. CHAP. XIII Of the all-sufficiency of Christs Sacrifice III. THat there is hope of mercy for the worst of sinners appeareth froâ— the all-sufficiency of Christs Sacrifice offered upon the Cross and the fulness of satisfaction that was therâ—by made to the justice of God for the sins of the whole World So much the Apostle expresseth where he saith He is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him The word translated able doth impâ—y power to do a thing And the word translated uttermost is of a very large extent it extends so far that we cannot look beyond it no not in our â—houghts for let a mâ—n imagine his case to be never so desperate his sins to be never so many and hainous yet Christ by his death is able to save him from them all And therefore this we must lay as a foundation-truth that Christs Sacrifice was a full saâ—isfaction to the justice of his Father for the sins of the World it being the Sacrifice of the Son of God even of him who was God as well as man For this is that which added an infinite value to what Christ did and suffered for our redemption that it was the obedience and the sufferings of the Son of God of him who was God equal with the Father whereupon the blood of Christ whereby we are redeemed is called precious blood being of infinite price and merit able to countervail and answer for all our sins and to free us from the punishment due unto us for the same Bâ—sides Christs resurrection from the deaâ— is an eviâ—â—nt demonstration that his death was an all-sufficient Sacrifice and full satisfaction to Gods justice for our sins For God having seized on Christ as our Surety and cast him into the prison of the grave for the debt of our sins he could not have come forth till he had payed the uttermost farthing But by his rising out of the prison of the grave we are assured that Gods justice is abundantly satisfied by the death of Jesus Christ. Labour therefore to get thine heart truly satisfied in the all-sufficiency of Christs Sacrifice that his death was a full satisfaction to
the Sons of God Certainly that Christ should come out of Heaven to keep us out of hell that he should uncrown himself to Crown us must needs argue a wonderful willingness in him to have poor sinners saved 5. Christs Willingness appeareth by his rejecting of none who sincerely go unto him though never so weak and worthless in themselves Never did any sinner go to him but he accepted of him as himself expresseth All that the Father giveth me shall come to me and him that â—ometh unto me I will in no wise cast out but receive him to mercy Hath Christ promised this and will he not be as good as his Word Did he ever break his word with any poor soul though never so unworthy Did he ever cast away any who came unto him And is he not the same yesterday to day and for ever Go sinner fear not go upon the credit of this word which he hath spoken I will in no wise cast them out Though the Devil say go not though thy misgiving heart say go not he will not regard thee he will never look on such a vile wretch he will cast thee out yet since he hath said He will not go and thou shalt find mercy Thus have I by several demonstrations proved as God the Fathers willingness to save the worst of sinners So Christs readiness to embrace all poor sinners who will but come unto him for life and salvation Wherein I have the longer insisted because I know no better argument to prevail with sinners to turn from their sins unto God by true and unfeigned repentance and to close with Jesus Christ by a true and lively faith than a serious consideration as of Gods readiness to save the worst of sinners upon their turning unto him so of Christs Willingness to embrace all poor sinners who will come unto him and receive him as their Lord and Saviour I have read a story of a Gentle-woman who was condemned to dye for killing her own child whereupon divers Ministers came to visit her and perceiving her little affected with her sin and sad condition they laboured to set before her the hainousness of her sin and the dreadfulness of her condition without hearty and deep repentance All which little moved her seeming rather the more hardened in her sin But at last another Reverend Divine hearing of her obdurate hardness notwithstanding all that was said unto her went and preached to her the abundant riches of Gods mercy in Christ how ready he was to embrace with the arms of his free-grace every penitent sinner and how willing Christ was to receive all poor sinners who would go unto him and cast themselves into his arms how many and hainous soever their sins were and thereupon told her there was hope of mercy for her if she were heartily sorry for her sins and would adventure her soul upon Christ notwithstanding the greatness and hainousness of her sin What! mercy for me said she that is impossible c. Whereupon the Minister proceeded further to set forth the freeness of Gods grace and riches of his mercy to all penitent and believing sinners declaring unto her how God delighted in mercy and that where sin had abounded there his grace and mercy would much more abound or to that purpose And thereupon she presently fell a weeping wringing her hands and cryiâ—g for mercy and dyed very comfortably as it is related having had the mercy of God abundantly revealed to her before her death And truly sinner as it was my design so my hearts desire in sâ—tting forth Gods willingness to save the very worst of sinners upon their repentance and Christs readiness to embrace them with the arms of his mercy that it might have the same effect in thee as it had in the forementioned Gentle-woman And oh that the consideration thereof would melt thine heart into tears of unfeigned sorrow for thy sins past and stir thee up to turn from them unto God by hearty repentance and to close with Jesus Christ upon the terms of the Gospel Oh that I could prevail with thee as to give a bill of divorce to thy lusts and corruptions so to give up thy self unto Christ and to adventure thy soul upon him resting upon his perfect righteousness and all-sufficient Sacrifice for the pardon of thy sins here and for eternal life and salvation hereafter If Christ be so willing to receive thee why shouldst not thou be willing to go unto him and that with confidence of acceptance Salvation is this day offered unto thee the golden Scepter is held out unto thee Oh stretch forth the hand of faith to lay hold and embrace the Lord Jesus Christ so shalt thou be happy to all Eternity For whosoever believeth in Iesus Christ shall not perish but have everlasting life Thus much of the truths to be embraced in order to your Regeneration CHAP. XIV Sheweth the Duties to be Practised in order to your Regeneration HAving shewed you the truths to be embraced in order to your Regeneration I come now to the Duties on your part to be practised and performed I. From the consideration of the dreadfulness of thy condition so long as thou continuest in thine unregenerate estate and of the hope thou hast of a blessed change stir up in thy self an earnest longing restless desire after the new birth that thou maist in truth say O that I were Regenerate and born anew Oh that the Image of the Devil might be razed out and the Image of God imprinted in me O that a blessed change were wrought in my soul a change from nature to grace from darkness to light from the Kingdom of Satan to the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Oh that I might become a new creature renewed throughout in all the faculties of my soul and all the parts of my body As Rachel cryed Give me Children or else I dye So do thou cry out and say Give me this new birth let me be born again by the spirit or else I shall dye not only the first but likewise the second death and be undone for ever And know for thy comfort if thou canst find any such longing desire in thy soul thou art not far from this new birth from the work of Regeneration in thy soul. For this longing desire after this new birth will put thee upon the use of all ordinances and means God hath sanctified for the attaining thereof II. Labour to get thine heart deeply and throughly affected with a sense of thy miserable condition by nature It is not sufficient to know thy condition to be sad and deplorable so long as thou continuest in thine unregenerate estate but thy care and endeavour must be to get thine heart throughly affected therewith If you look into the Scriptures you shall find this qualification required in the persons whom Christ came to save and whom he invites to come unto him Our blessed Saviour speaking to Zacheus saith The Son
yet was he received to mercy Hast thou been a Blasphemer or a Persecutor of the Saints and servants of God So was Paul and yet he obtained mercy Hast thou been a Filthy unclean person wallowing and delighting like a Sow in the filth of sin and mire of sinfull filthiness So did Mary Magdalea and many of the Corinthians yet were they washed with the blood of Iesus Christ justified and sanctified Hast thou been an Oppressor and Extortioner who hast got thine estate by over-reaching thy neighbours and grinding the faces of the poor So did Matthew and Zacheus who yet found mercy Why then is there not hope of mercy for thee when grace hath embraced such great and heinous sinners Q. Wilt thou say thou art a greater sinner than any of these forementioned A. 1. This is scarce credible But suppose thy sins do exceed the proportion of any one thou canst find pardoned in Scripture yet this were no just ground of despair because the depth of Gods mercy was never yet fathomed God never acted his mercy so far but he is able to act it farther Greater sinners than ever yet were pardoned may be pardoned And therefore though thy sins were more and greater than the sins of others yet there is hope of mercy for thee unless by thine infidelity thou dost exclude thy self from the same 2. Consider that there was no more in Manasseh Mary Magdalen Paul nor any of the Saints now in Heaven to move God to have compassion on them than there is in thee The Apostle saith that there is no difference for all have sinned The true cause of any mans Regeneration is the free grace and love of God For saith the Apostle we were all by nature the Children of wrath even as others But God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us even when we were dead in sins hath quickned us And immediatly addeth By grace ye are saved Now seeing the free grace and love of God is the true cause of mans Regeneration and Salvation why shouldst thou imagine there is less love in God for thee than there was for them Obj. 5. Others object they fear their time and day of grace is past and gone having long stood out and rejected many offers of grace and that it is now too late to seek after the grace of God A. To this I answer that the slighting and rejecting the many offers of grace is very sad yea an heinous sin which calls for thy deepest sorrow and humiliation This made our Saviour to weep over Ierusalem because they neglected the day of their visitation But yet know 1. Though thou hast often refused and rejected the offers of grace yet is not thy condition hopeless in that it is not the sin against the Holy Ghost which alone cannot be pardoned but it is a sin though heinous yet pardonable Many have obtained mercy even for this and so mayest thou upon thy true humiliation and repentance For such is the mercy of God as he both can and will pardon even sins against mercy 2. It 's a question whether there be any Saint on Earth or in Heaven who before their closing with Christ by faith did not stand out against and reject many of his gracious invitations excepting such as were sanctified from the Womb. 'T is the Devil that puts it into thy mouth to say I have slighted many offers of grace therefore my day of grace is past and gone Do we not see by daily experience how Christ brings home some to himself in their old age who questionless in their youth and riper years turned many a deaf ear to his gracious invitations And that Christ is still willing and ready so to do appeareth by this that he continues his offers of grace though formerly neglected How oft would I have gathered thee saith Christ of Ierusalem 3. Christ hath several seasons of Conversion and Regeneration all come not in at the first hour of the day nor at the sixth hour Christ brings home some to himself in the latter end of their lives who have all the former part slighted and rejected his gracious invitations And therefore he will have them often renewed and tendred to poor sinners because though the time of some be to come in at the first offer yet the time of others is to come in upon renewed and multiplyed offers so that often renewing thy refusals is not an eternal prejudice 4. If thou art heartily sorry for thy former refusals and dost now unfeinedly desire to close with Christ I may with confidence say thy day of grace is not past For those affections wrought in thee by the Spirit of God are gracious hints that he intends thee good if yet thou wilt accept Such who have outstood their day are usually given up to a feared Conscience and reprobate mind and are hurried by the Devil to the committing of all manner of sin and wickedness and that with greediness and delight 5. Thou who fearest thy day of grace is past know this that if thou now findest in thy self a willingness to abandon thy former lusts and corruptions and to become a new creature to cast off the Devils service and to become the servant of the Lord Jesus thy day of grace is not past 6. It is evident thy day of grace is not past because the Lord hath not yet given over to strive with thee Is he not yet woing and beseeching thee by the Ministry of his Word by the motions of his Spirit to accept of the reconciliation purchased by the blood of his Son And doth not Christ himself stand knocking at the door of thine heart telling thee that if thou wilt open to him he will come in and sup with thee and thou with him It is yet the acceptable time and day of Salvation if thou wilt accept thou maist be accepted Say not foolishly my day is past but prove it is not so by coming in this day Harden not thine heart this day and thou shalt find God will not harden his ear against thy cry 7. Though thou hast long stood out yet know that God will not presently take the forfeiture of thee neither will Christ suddenly take his advantage against thee If the Lord were as hasty to punish sinners as they are forward to commit sin there would suddenly be an end of all And if Christ should be as forward to reject sinners as they are to reject him what hope of mercy were there But Christ is not so severe he is of great goodness and of great patience he makes tenders of grace and peace over and over again and waits our acceptance In which respect he is said to stand at their door and knock As knocking is usually a repetition of strokes so standing at the door and knocking implyeth his waiting for our opening Ah sinner doth Christ continue to renew his offers of grace and mercy unto thee and wilt
depriveth a man of the comfort of what he hath and possesseth For the having of all is as nothing to him that hath an immoderate desire after more Ahabs Crown and Kingdom yielded him no comfort after he had set his heart upon poor Naboths Vineyard The want of this did more molest and vex him than the enjoyment of his whole Kingdom did solace and comfort him For this he came heavy and displeased to his house laid him down upon his bed turned away his face and would eat no bread V. Covetousness exposeth men to manifold temptations making them ready to yield to Satans wicked suggestions They that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish and hurtfull lusts which draw meâ— into perdition As if he had said They who set their hearts upon their riches whose hearts run after their covetousness are fit for any temptation ready to yield to any of Satans wicked suggestions for the satisfying their covetous humour Iudas as Tertullian thinks was pretty honest till he carryed the bag and that gave him occasion to discover the rottenness that was in his heart CHAP. XXIII Of living by faith in Gods promises ANother singular duty incumbent upon the regenerate is To live by faith casting themselves upon God in Christ and upon his gracious promises in all their straights and dangers for such needfull and usefull things as they stand in need of To live by faith is not only to believe in Christ for salvation but also firmly to rest and rely upon God and his gracious promises expressed in his Word for support under all our tryalls for succour in all our distresses for assistance against all assaults for deliverance out of all our dangers and for supply of all our wants whether temporal or spiritual Thus did those ancient Worthies mentioned Heb. 11. Where we read that into whatsoever trouble or straight they were brought they so lived by faith in Gods promises that nothing could dismay them much less overthrow them And if thou in like manner couldst but quietly rest upon God and his gracious promises thou wouldst in thy greatest tryals and troubles be more than Conquerour as the Apostle speaketh When therefore thou art troubled for thy sins groaning under the weight and burden of them then throw thy self upon the merits and righteousness of Jesus Christ and there let thy soul rest it self in hope of the pardon of thy sins here and of eternal life and salvation hereafter venturing upon that comfortable promise Come unto me all ye who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest When thou art assaulted with the temptations of Satan and fearest left thou shouldst be overcome by them then look up unto God trusting in him for deliverance in due time and for support in the mean time relying upon that gracious promise God is faithfull who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able but will with the temptation make a way to escape that ye may be able to bear it When thou art under any spiritual desertion sitting in darkness without any spark of comfort thâ—n look up unto God with the eye of faith for the light of his countenance and the assurance of his loving favour resting and refreshing thy drooping soul with that comfortable promise In a little wrath have I hid my face from thee but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee saith the Lord thy Redeemer When thou apprehendest thy self weak and insufficient for the performance of duties then look up unto God who hath promised to help the weaknesses and infirmities of his Servants and trust upon the power of Jesus Christ then wilt thou be able to say with the Apostle I can do all things through Christ which strengthneth me When thou feelest thy corruptions strongly working and stirring in thee then look up unto God who is able and hath promised to subdue thine iniquities and to keep down the power of thy lusts laying hold on that good word Sin shall not have dominion over you for ye are not under the Law but under grace When thou art reviled and persecuted by wicked and ungodly men then look up unto God with the eye of faith trusting in him for help and strength comforting thy self with that gracious saying of our Saviour Blâ—sse are ye when mâ—n shall revils you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evill against you falsely for my sake Rejoice and be exceeding glad for great is your reward in Heaven When thou art streightned in these outward things and thereupon art full of Worldly fears and cares what to eat and what to drink and what to provide for Wife and Children then look up unto God and by faith cast all thy care upon him who careth for thee resting upon that comfortable promise The young Lyons do lack and suffer hunger but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing Though thou maist not have that abundance and affluency which some others do enjoy yet thou shalt not want that which God seeth good for thee who will supply all thy need according to his riches Thus in all thy streights and distresses thou maist by the Soveraign power of faith working upon the gracious promises of God exceedingly revive and refresh thy troubled Spirit For all the promises of God set down in his Word for thy comfort and support being sealed with the blood of Christ are all yea and Amen as true as truth it self and therefore shall assuredly in their due time be accomplished For thy better encouragement to this Christian duty of living by faith seriously weigh these few things I. The Properties of God more especially 1. His Almighty power whereby he is able to strengthen thee in all thy weaknesses to support thee under all thy tryals and temptations in a word to perform whatsoever he hath promised This made Abraham with strong confidence to rest upon the promise of God which the Apostle thus setteth forth He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief but was strong in faith being fully perswaded that what he had promised he was able to perform Abrahams eying the power of God was it that made him so confidently to rest upon his promise The power of God is often in Scripture mentioned to move Saints to live by faith in Gods promises and to rest upon them When Sarah made some doubt of Gods promise concerning Abrahams having a Child by her this question was by way of exprobration propounded to her Is there any thing too hard for the Lord To like purpose said God to his Prophet Ieremy for the strengthening his faith Behold I am the Lord of all flesh is there any thing too hard for me implying there is nothing too hard for God 2. His truth and faithfulness in performing what he hath promised For faith the Apostle to the Hebrews