Long-Suffering should lead Sinners to Repentance Rom. 2.4 especially considering the proper tendency thereof For though eventually per accidens through Mens wickedness that despise and abuse Divine Patience and Long-Suffering many a man's Condemnation is increased and aggravated thereby yet per se in its own nature the Long-suffering of the Lord is Salvation 2 Pet. 3.15 This gives us time and space for Repentance and for working out our Salvation as there v. 9. The Lord is long-suffering to us-ward not willing that any should perish but that all should come to Repentance As also it is a Motive to Repentance God's forbearance and long-suffering preacheth and presseth to Repentance proclaiming God's unwillingness to punish his waiting to be gracious his waiting for the Sinners return Thus I say God's common Goodness and Patience exercised towards Sinners is to lead them to Repentance And much more should his special Grace and Favour vouchsafed to his People promote their Repentance See Ezek. 16.60 61 62. And when it is thus that the greater Sense and Experience we have of God's Goodness Grace and Mercy the better thoughts we have of God and the worse thoughts we have of our Sins and of our selves for Sin When we blush and are humbled and ashamed greatly to think how we have requited the Lord evil for good when by God's mercies we are brought to a loathing of our selves for our Iniquities this is child-like and ingenuous this is a comfortable Evidence that our Sorrow is after a godly sort 5. Do we mourn for Sin as that for which Christ suffered In Zech. 12.10 Where the Spirit of Grace and Mourning is promised to be poured out upon the Church and People of God It is said And they shall look upon me whom they have peirced and they shall mourn for him as one mourneth for his only Son c. That these Words have reference to Christ is evident from John 19.37 The Garden where Christ was in his bitter and bloody Agony and Mount Calvary where he was crucified are Schools whither we should go in our serious Meditations to learn to mourn for Sin Now are our Hearts softned in the Blood of Christ Do the thoughts of a bleeding crucified Saviour set our Hearts a bleeding for Sin A gracious Soul sees more of the evil of Sin in what Christ suffered than in all that ever he himself suffered or can suffer by it 6. Do we mourn for Sin as defiling as the deformity of the Soul As it is contrary to God's Image the Beauty of the Soul that which was and would be Mans chiefest excellency as it renders us unlike to an Holy God Many can be troubled in respect of the guilt of Sin as it exposeth to Wrath bindeth over to punishment who are not troubled for the Pollution and filthiness that is in Sin As Pharaoh could cry out of the Plagues that his Sin had brought upon the Land yet was not sensible of the Plague of his own Heart A gracious Soul groaneth under and is sadly burthened with his corruptions and sinful imperfections even when he may know that in and through Christ he is freed from Condemnation He is sick of Sin weary of it as one would be of filthy noisom Cloaths about him He cannot but with the Leper cry out Vnclean Vnclean And as Job Behold I am vile 7. Do we grieve for Sin as the Disease of the Soul as that which disableth us from serving God as we ought that greatly indisposeth us to that which is good Are we weary of Sin as the Prisoner of his Shackles as the sick Man of his Disease 8. Do we mourn for Sin as the partition-wall betwixt God and Souls as that which estrangeth us from God and God from us Carnal Men can be troubled when their Iniquities separate betwixt them and good things here but such as sorrow after a godly sort see far more evil in Sin as it separateth betwixt God and Souls They are oft thinking how they might enjoy more of God's gracious Presence were it not for their Sins As what is it but Sin that hinders our Communion with God Gracious Souls oft think how they might be refreshed with the Light of God's Countenance but that their Iniquities like Clouds are still interposing And this is Godly Sorrow when indeed Souls are lamenting after the Lord. Thus let us examine what are the Grounds and Motives of our Sorrow 2. Godly Sorrow may be known by its extensiveness and adequateness unto the Object if we do not make light of any Sin that we know and are convinced of There are many Sins which others lightly pass over and make nothing of which a gracious Heart is deeply sensible of and truly humbled for 1. A gracious Soul is humbled for original Sin as well as for actual Transgressions Such an one lays to Heart the Sin of his Nature as well as his personal Sins Indeed his actual Sins lead him to take notice of and mourn over original Corruption As when David came to confess his great Sin of Blood-guiltiness he traced it to the Fountain-head his being shapen in Iniquity Psal 51.5 As Paul cryed out Rom. 7.24 O wretched Man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of Death Such see their birth-Sin to be the Womb of all other Sins They cannot make light of natural Corruption the Fountain from whence so many impure Freams of actual Transgressions issue the Root of Bitterness which bringeth forth so much poisonous and deadly Fruit. Now what should such think of themselves who were never humbled for that sinning Sin were never sensible of the Corruption of their Natures Who will not believe that their Natures are so bad Who bear up themselves with this that they have as good Hearts towards God as the best while yet their Hearts were never changed And how little are they sensible of the evil of Natural Corruption who when Sin hath shamefully broken out when they have been unreasonably transported with Passion Revenge c. think to excuse the matter saying Alas they cannot help it it is their Nature But was Nabal ever the better for being of such a churlish Nature that a Man could not speak to him Sure they are not duly humbled for the Corruption of their nature who take this for an Apology or excuse Is it not so much the worse that the Nature of the Wolf is ravenous and the Nature of the Toad or Serpent is poisonous So that we are naturally prone to Sin it is no extenuation but an aggravation of our sinfulness 2. A Gracious Soul is for laying load of Sorrow upon its special Sin Such Sins whereby the Spirit is most grieved and Communion with God most obstructed and growth in Grace most hindered must needs be most grievous to a gracious Heart as they are found out Others may be ready to confess and seem troubled for common failings such Sins as the best of Men in this state of imperfection are not
erando contra se indulgentiae ostium clauserit Fulgent Epist 7. Despair is quite overmuch a dreadful extreme When Souls are taken off from those general Grounds of Hope scil God's abundant Goodness and Mercy the Fulness and All-sufficiency of Christ's Satisfaction and Merits the Freeness of the Offer of Grace to all that will accept it what can be expected but that such should be overwhelmed and swallowed up of Sorrow As a Man falling into a deep River perisheth if he let go and lose his hold A despairing Sorrow is an Extreme opposite to godly Sorrow True Humiliation for Sin as against God is a giving glory to God but Despair of ever finding mercy though we should seek to him this is a great dishonour to God a denial of his Goodness Grace and Truth as it is also a great dishonour unto Christ a denial of his Willingness or of his Ability and All-sufficiency to save all that come unto God by him 6. When Sorrow is more than Nature can bear hazarding Health and Life or clouding Reason crazing the Brain This is plain over-doing Thus indeed one should become unfit for the right discharge of this or any other Duty yea become a stumbling-Block in others way and prejudice many against serious Godliness as if it tended to Melancholy or Distraction Thus far of Sorrow for Sin I might also have laid down the Concomitants of godly Sorrow by which it may be known but because I would not over-burden the Reader and I have exceeded the bounds of my first Intentions I shall let them pass Only one I must take notice of because a main essential Part of true Repentance viz. A forsaking of Sin and real Reformation As one says well Mr. B. Christian Directory pag. 317. §. 17. I had rather be that Christian that loaths himself for Sin Nunc autem cùm abundantiùs otiosa verba scurrilia profluant quà m prius lachrymae Bern. de Adventu Dom. Ser 4. resolveth against it and forsaketh it though he cannot weep for it than one of those that can weep to day and sin again to morrow and whose sinful Passions are quickly stirred as well as their better Passions So I come to that other Part of Repentance which is Turning from Sin unto God As in the Testament the Word schubh is commonly used for which the Seventy have 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to which the Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is most * In N.T. quinquies in universum occurrit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chamter used in the New Testament doth answer as the Latine resipiscere There is more in Repentance than Sorrow for Sin We read 2 Cor. 7.10 Godly Sorrow worketh Repentance 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In Graeco sono poenitentiae nomen non ex delicti confessione Tertul. adv Marcion l. 2. sed ex animi demutatione compositum est So Trouble of Mind without a Change of Mind is not sound Repentance And a real Change of Mind there cannot be but there will also be a Change of Life To repent and turn are again and again joyned in Scripture as Synonyma's or one exegetical of the other Ezek. 18.30 Repent and turn your selves from all your Transgressions so Iniquity shall not be your Ruin Ezek. 14.6 Repent and turn your selves from your Idols Acts 3.19 Repent ye therefore and be converted that your Sins may be blotted out And compare 1 Kin. 8.47 with 2 Chron. 6.37 In the former we read If they shall bethink themselves and repent In the latter thus If they bethink themselves and turn There is no Repenting without Turning This Turning hath two Terms as all Motions and Mutations have A quo ad quem The Term from which a repenting Sinner turneth is Sin It is from dead Works Heb. 6.1 From Idols Ezek. 14.6 From his evil Way Jonah 3.8 From all his Transgressions Ezek. 18.30 Sin is a Turning from God Repentance is a Turning from Sin to God again Jer. 8.6 No Man repented him of his Wickedness How did that appear thus Every one turned to his Course as the Horse rusheth into the Battel When a Sinner repents he makes a stand asking his Soul What have I done yea he faceth about wherein he hath done Iniquity he would do so no more The Term unto which a repenting Sinner turneth is mediate or ultimate The mediate Term is God's Testimonies Psal 119.59 I thought on my ways and turned my feet unto thy Testimonies It is but an half turn to be turned from the practice of Sin but not to the practice of Holiness The ultimate Term is God Hos 5.4 12.6 Acts 26.20 That they should repent and turn to God This in general But hence it is a plain Case that such Sinners remain impenitent Ubi Emendatio nulla Poenitentia necessario vana Tertul. de Poenitentia who still continue as bad as ever if they do not wax worse and worse more profane and debauch'd As Moses said to that froward People Deut. 9.24 You have been rebellious against the Lord from the day that I knew you How many are there of whom one may say the like They that knew them many years since knew them to be profane Swearers Pot-Companions Scoffers Haters of them that are good Enemies to God and Godliness and they are the same at this day Now without such an extraordinary Spirit of Discerning as the Apostle Peter had one may plainly perceive such to be yet in the Gall of Bitterness and Bond of Iniquity as he said of Simon Magus Acts 8.22 And what will become of such if they repent not of their Wickedness it is easy for any one that looketh into his Bible without a Spirit of Prophecy to soretell You read their Doom Psal 11.6 Vpon the wicked he shall rain Snares Fire and Brimstone and an horrible Tempest this shall be the Portion of their Cup. Psal 68.21 Our God shall wound the Head of his Enemies and the hairy Scalp of such an one as goeth on still in his Trespasses So see 1 Cor. 6.9 10. Rev. 21.8 22.15 But because some are outwardly reformed who are not inwardly renewed or throughly changed let us come to the Question Quest How may a Man know that he truly forsakes Sin and turns from it so as will evidence a sound Repentance Answ 1. When it is from a right Principle As 1. From a right Fear of God from a child-like Fear of offending and not a meer slavish Fear of suffering Prov. 3.7 Fear the Lord and depart from evil Prov. 16.6 By the Fear of the Lord men depart from evil As we read of Job he was one that feared God and eschewed Evil Job 1.1 And Nehemiah Neh. 5.15 So did not I because of the fear of God Are we careful to eschew Sin with respect unto God and not only to Men or to our selves Indeed there is a lawful and good use to be made of Divine Threatnings to restrain us from Sin they are
from them Without doubt the wicked and impenitent are bound to believe God's threatnings denounced against such in his holy Word and so to conclude themselves at present in a miserable state subject to God's wrath and curse and final condemnation that if they die in their present state they are sure to be damned And certainly they that are bound to believe and conclude thus of themselves ought thereupon to be moved with fear Can there be any greater fool-hardiness than this for any to see Hell before them to see themselves ready to drop into that Lake that burneth with fire and brimstone for ever and yet not fear and tremble only indeed such are not to despair to conclude there is no hope There is hope yet upon condition and supposition that if they repent and turn they shall live they shall not die 4. There is a penal Fear not only a fear of punishment but a fear inflicted as a punishment Terror and consternation of mind is threatned as a punishment Lev. 26.16 I also will do this unto you I will even appoint over you terrour And v. 36. and if Men sin sin wilfully after they had received the knowledg of the truth there remains nothing for them but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation which shall devour the adversaries Heb. 10.27 This penal fear in its full strength and perfection is upon the Devils and the Spirits of disobedient ones in Prison with them They cannot but tremble Jam. 2.19 Horrour hath taken full and fast hold of them which they can no more any ways shake off This is one part of the punishment and misery of the Damned that they can never think of God and of his Wrath without Horrour and while they lie under the fierceness of his Wrath while they feel the weight and heat of it while they are scorching in the flames of his Wrath how is it possible to put off such thoughts 5. There is also a gracious holy filial Fear A Godly Fear and a Fear proper to the Godly Which is not only a fear of God as a Judg but as a Father not only a fear of Punishment but of the Offence a fear proceeding from Love An humble and reverent respect to his Presence Majesty and Excellency a careful shunning of what we know to be displeasing to him not only in regard of his Greatness Power Holiness Justice but also in regard of his Goodness and Mercy Psal 136.4 Hos 3.5 There is a Natural Fear as we have heard but this is a Spiritual Fear A Grace a choice fruit of the Sanctifying Spirit who is therefore called the Spirit of Fear Isa 11.2 There is a Sinful Fear which is forbidden as the Fear of Man c. but this is a great Duty commanded A special means to keep from sin Exod. 20.20 There is a Servile Fear but this is a Fear of Sons not of Slaves it well agrees with the Spirit of Adoption There is a Penal Fear but this is no Punishment but a special Blessing a rare and excellent gift of God As that is a precious Promise Jer. 32.40 I will put my Fear in their hearts Now I shall apply these things to the Text objected in these following Conclusions 1. It is not to be expected that the highest degree of love found in any Saint upon Earth should quite expel and cast out all natural Fear Christ's Love was absolutely perfect yet was he not without a natural fear of Death only that natural passion was in a perfect subjection to his Reason and Will the higher powers of his Soul and these in perfect subjection to the will of God his Father Note it is the work of Grace here not to extirpate natural Passions but to rule and govern them And the Self-denial Faith Love Patience Constancy of the Saints would not be tried by their sufferings if these were things that they had no fear of no natural reluctancy unto 2. So far as the love of God prevails so far carnal fear is expelled And some very learned Men think Quem timorem intelligi praestat nisi negation is auctorem quam dilectionem perfectam adfirmat nisi fugatricem timoris animatricem confessionis Tertull advers Gnostic the Apostle John speaketh of this kind of fear So Grotius and Dr. Hammond As the Fearful that are joyned with the Vnbelieving Rev. 21.8 may well be understood of such as are overpowrâ—d with carnal fear Such as are possessed with that spirit of fear 2 Tim. 1.7 of such a base cowardly timerous spirit that they dare not own the truth and ways of God when any danger may attend it Much might be said for this exposition It cannot well be denied but carnal fear is a tormenting thing But such is the power of holy love that it will raise the Soul ordinarily above such fear It will endue a Christian with a spirit of fortitude to bear the greatest torments Men can inflict as was seen in the Martyrs But as love in the Saints is not absolutely perfect here so neither are they wholly freed here from carnal fear nor are they wholly under the power of it It riseth sometimes and puts them into great disorder and confusion for a time but it is quelled and suppressed again 3. As the love of God gets ground in the heart servile fear is giving place The more vigorous and lively our love to God is the clearer evidence we have of his love to us that ordinarily we shall be more freed from that tormenting fear of being under his wrath And while we act from love it is certain we are not only or chiefly irrepelled by fear If love to God and his service be the chief moving principle then fear of punishment is not the chief And further the more we love God the more unwilling we shall be to entertain hard and black thoughts of him The more we love him the more lovely he appears to us And while our hearts are united and cleave to him in love we are secured from that fear which drives Souls from him 4. A true filial Fear of God is so far from being contrary to that it is a good evidence of love to God As on the contrary if we do not stand in awe of him if we care not to offend and displease him it is an argument that we do not love him True love to God will make us tender of his Honour and most sollicitous to keep in his Favour Res est solliciti plena timoris amor Thus if we have the Love of God in us we shall fear and shun what we know to be displeasing and a dishonour to him And when we fear sin more than punishment it argues that we love God above our selves that his Honour is dearer to us than our own ease or interest Yet all fear of punishment is not contrary to the love of God nor will prove one of a slavish spirit A Child of God is
only form Self-love but from the Love of God and Christ and Holiness Now do we grieve for Sin not only out of a Sight and Sence of the Danger but also of the Filthiness and Odiousness of it as contrary to the holy Nature and righteous Law of God Do we indeed grieve for Sin as Sin More particularly 1. Do we mourn for Sin as a Breach of God's holy Law As it is a thing forbidden and not only as it has set us under the threatnings of the Law Do we heartily approve of the Law of God as holy just and good Do we delight in the Law of God in the inner Man Is it our earnest Desire that our Hearts and Lives were in all things conformed to it and our great grief to find the contrary Many that sometimes have storms raised in their Consciences but instead of being offended and displeased with themselves and their Sins they are offended at the Word that discovers and condemns their Sins and as Ahab hated Micaiah they cannot endure faithful Ministers that tell them plainly of their Sins If it be thus with thee and if thy Heart riseth against and repines at the strictness and purity of God's Laws if they are grievous to thee as crossing thy beloved Lusts grievous as the Light to a Thief or as Chains are to a Malefactor Though thou mayest be full of Trouble and Perplexity yet certainly it is quited different from true Repentance and godly Sorrow 2. Do we mourn for Sin as a Dishonour to God Herein lieth the greatest Evil of Sin that it is against God It is a practical Denial Contempt Affronting or Abusing of God and of all God's Attributes a Denial or Contempt of his Sovereignty and Authority of his Holiness and Justice of his Wisdom Truth Power and Greatness of his Omnipresence Omniscience of his Dominion and Propriety in his Creatures an abuse of his Goodness It is a denying him that Honour Service and Subjection which is due from us as we are his Creatures Indeed it cannot be expressed what a wrong and dishonour to God Sin is And this a gracious Soul takes notice of in his sad Reflections upon his Sins As David 2 Sam. 12.13 I have sinned against the Lord. Psal 51.4 Against thee thee only have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight Though he had sinned against others too had sinned against Bathsheba depriving her of her Chastity had sinned against Vriah depriving him of his Life had sinned against the World setting it so ill an example and giving Enemies such occasion to blaspheme these wrongs did all terminate upon God the supream Lawgiver and the Injury done to Creatures though great in it self was a small matter to the Wrong and Dishonour therein done to God As the Lord to magnify his Grace in pardoning the Sins of his People goes over with it again and again against me against me Jer. 33.8 I will cleanse them from all their Iniquities whereby they have sinned against me and I will pardon all their Iniquities whereby they have sinned against me and whereby they have transgressed against me So that Sin is against God this is the burthen of every gracious Heart 3. Do we grieve for Sin as it displeaseth God as it is the abominable thing which he hateth Ezek. 6.9 They that escape of you shall remember me among the Nations because I am broken with their whorish Heart which hath departed from me c. Doth this Consideration of Sin break our Hearts Are we vexed at our selves that we have fretted him as we have the Expression Ezek. 16.43 that we have provoked and disquieted him Doth it grieve us to think how we have grieved his Spirit Is it the burthen of our Souls to think how he is pressed under our Sins how we have wearied him with our Iniquities It is nothing for us to be troubled when God afflicteth and putteth us to grief A Slave will roar and cry out under the Lash But an ingenuous Child is grieved when he hath displeased his Father though he be not scourged and corrected for it So though we are not chastened by God yet do we afflict our own Souls for Sin Or if the Lord doth lay Affliction on our loyns yet are we more troubled for having offended God than for our own smart and suffering 4. Do we grieve for Sin as against God's mercy as an ill Requital of his Goodness Doth the Goodness of God lead us to Repentance Godly Sorrow is ingenuous And the Mercy and Goodness of God is a special means of exciting to Repentance and of promoting it That there is Mercy with the Lord that there is Hope of finding Mercy this is a special means of working Repentance at first without which the Soul would be swallowed up in despair The Law discovering Sin and Wrath displaying God's Holiness and punitive Justice may in one sence break the Heart of a Sinner But it is the Gospel revealing God's free and infinite Grace and Mercy in Jesus Christ his willingness and readiness to pardon and to be reconciled to Sinners that repent and turn that is the means of melting the Heart into kindly Sorrow The great Motive to sound Repentance is God's Mercy As you find it laid down Joel 2.13 Rent your Heart and not your Garments and turn unto the Lord your God for he is gracious and merciful slow to anger and of great kindness When a Man considering his many and great Provocations on the one hand and God's gracious and merciful Offers on the other hand As Thou hast played the Harlot with many Lovers yet return unto me saith the Lord. 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 Turn ye turn ye from your evil ways for why will ye dye 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 for he will abundantly pardon When thus a Man hath his Heart relenting it is kindly When the thoughts of God's Goodness of his gracious Nature and his gracious Offers cause a Man to loath himself to be ashamed of his own baseness and vileness in offending so gracious a God this is godly Sorrow Indeed it is an hopeful Sign when the Heart is melting under common Mercies A Stone-wall will seem to weep in moist weather So the Hearts of many that are as hard as Stone will seem to give again under Judgments But David was brought to Repentance by Nathan's recounting God's favours vouchsafed to him and not only his denouncing judgment 2 Sam. 12.7 8 with v. 13. And so some paraphrase upon Psal 51.4 Against thee thee only have I sinned Against thee who hast done so much for me against thee who hast so raised me so oft delivered me O I have ill requited thee The common Goodness of God his Patience and
wrought and working in me Therefore this perswasion that I shall be saved cannot be the first Act of Faith If it be a perswasion grounded on the Word true Faith is presupposed to go before And the Apostle hath barred Mens expectation of special immediate Revelation here Rom. 10.17 where he concludeth that Faith cometh by hearing of the Word of God 4. Many have this confident perswasion that their Sins are pardoned that they shall be saved who have not true justifying Saving-Faith and therefore surely this cannot be the proper formal Act of true justifying Saving-Faith Many Hypocrites and meer out-side Professors yea many a wicked Man hath this perswasion How hard a thing is it to take down Sinners confidence Mr. Baxter We have need as one says to lay all our Batteries against this Bulwark of Presumption How many that will say they hope to be saved by Christ yea they never doubted of their Salvation in all their Lives They can argue that Christ died to Save Sinners and they are Sinners therefore he died to Save them If this be Faith the case of many a Presumer is not so dangerous but very happy 5. Many have true Faith and are justified and in a State of Salvation yet have not this perswasion that their Sins are pardoned dare not conclude that they are in God's Favour and such as shall be saved Therefore this cannot be the formal Act of Faith Faith could not be without its formal Act. If you make this the formal Act of Faith then you must say there is no true Believer but hath it Then there is no true Believer that walketh in Darkness But certainly a Soul may trust in the name of the Lord and stay upon his God while yet he walketh in Darkness and can see no Light Isa 50.10 Is it not the condition of many a dear Child of God to be in great doubts and full of fears about their Spiritual and Eternal Estate Should we not condemn the Generation of his Children many yea the greatest part of them as Children that have no Faith if we define Faith to be a believing that our Sins are pardoned and that we shall be saved Many a holy humble Christian goes on drooping even to his dying day and it is well if he come to this comfortable conclusion at last As one giveth this as part of the Character of a Christian H. Palmer Paradoxes p. 64. §. 73. He thinks sometimes God hath no Mercy for him and yet resolves to die in the pursuit of it And to tell poor troubled afflicted Consciences that they cannot have Faith who do not believe their Sins are pardoned is not the way to comfort them but to set them more on the Rack This would make the Hearts of many sad even such as God would not have made sad 6. Such a particular perswasion that my Sins are pardoned c. if it be sound and well-grounded is Knowledg and not Faith As the Apostle John hath it I think some nine or ten times Hereby we know Observe well 1 Joh. 5.13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God that ye may know that ye have Eternal Life and that ye may believe on the Name of the Son of God Where he clearly distinguisheth believing on the Name of the Son of God from their knowing that they had Eternal Life or that they should be saved What follows that ye might believe on the Name of the Son of God is not spoken of the first Act or beginning of Faith but of continuance and progress in it And it is plain that this particular perswasion of which I am speaking if it be sound and have any good bottom depends on two several Propositions one of which is laid down in Scripture as this Proposition He that believeth shall be saved The other is of a Man 's own Conscience or from the knowledg a Man has of himself But I believe From whence this Conclusion follows therefore I shall be saved So that it is not an Act of Faith properly but a rational Conclusion presupposing these two things 1. That all true Believers shall be saved 2. That I know my self to be a true Believer Now can that be a right description of Saving-Faith which necessarily presupposeth a Man to have Saving-Faith before and to know that he hath it Thus I have indeavoured to remove these unsound and false Notions of Faith Now I come to shew what it is Indeed you may meet with diverse sound descriptions of Faith something differing in words that yet agree in the thing I would not be one of those that make differences where there are none or make differences wider than they are With the Learned Placeus Faith is tenax atque efficax persuasio veritatis eorum Thes Salmur Par. 1. p. 32. §. 36. c. An holding and effectual perswasion of the truth of those things which are revealed to us in the Word of God and particularly of the Gospel-Promise of Remission and Salvation by Christ And as he addeth it is so in the Vnderstanding that it affects and determines the Will Le Blanc that Judicious Writer describes it to be Thes Theol. in Folio p. 210. §. 89. Assensum firmum practicum atque fiducialem adhibitum omnibus c. A firm practical and fiducial Assent given unto all things which are revealed of God but especially to the Promises of the Gospel In the late Confession of Faith this account is given of Saving Faith Chap. 14. §. 2. By this Faith a Christian believeth to be true whatsoever is revealed in the Word for the Authority of God himself speaking therein and acteth differently upon that which each particular passage thereof containeth yeilding obedience to the Commands trembling at the Threatnings and embracing the Promises of God for this Life and that which is to come But the principal Acts of Saving-Faith are accepting receiving and resting upon Christ alone for Justification Sanctification and Eternal Life by vertue of the Covenant of Grace In the shorter Catechism Faith in Jesus Christ is a Saving Grace whereby we receive and rest upon him alone for Salvation as he is offered to us in the Gospel Notwithstanding a difference in Expression yet here is an agreement in sense That I run not out too far I shall only note something of the Object of Faith and of the Acts of Faith The Object of Faith is thus distinguished There is the general and common or according to others the full and adaequate Object of Faith and that is the whole Word of God the Word of Truth so Faith assenteth to the whole Word of God as true Again there is the special Object of Faith and that is the Word of Promise so Faith consenteth to the terms or condition of the Promise and in this way relyeth on God and Christ for performance The Promise of Remission and Salvation by Christ Faith takes special
Life REpentance is not a more common than necessary Subject It is part of the Foundation of Christianity Heb. 6.1 And without true Repentance Mens hopes of Salvation are built on the Sand. I do not say that any Man is saved for his Repentance yet speaking of the Adult we must say that none are or can be saved without it Except ye repent ye shall perish Luk. 13.3 5. Repent and be Converted that your Sins may be blotted out Act. 3.19 without Repentance no Pardon no Remission and consequently no Salvation But what is this Repentance unto Life And how may it be known In the late Confession of Faith chap. 15. a good and full account is given of it viz. By it a Sinner out of the sight and sense not only of the danger but also of the filthiness and odiousness of his Sins as contrary to the Holy Nature and Righteous Law of God and upon the apprehension of his Mercy in Christ to such as are penitent so grieves for and hates his Sins as to turn from them all unto God purposing and endeavouring to walk with him in all the wayes of his Commandments The Subject of Repentance is a Sinner Mat. 9.13 I am not come to call the Righteous but Sinners to Repentance In Paradise while Man retained his Innocency which indeed was but a while he had no need of Repentance In Heaven the Saints are made Perfect in Holiness and so have no more occasion for Repentance The Subject of Repentance is a Sinner Yea a Sinner of some hopes In Hell a place full of Sin as ever it can hold there is no hope of obtaining Pardon or finding Mercy and so no place for Repentance Hell that is full of Despair has no place for Repentance Only upon Earth as there is no Man that liveth and sinneth not and as God hath graciously promised pardon to all that truely Repent here is both an engagement upon Sinners and encouragement for Sinners to Repent Some go further and make the Subject of Repentance a believing Sinner Supposing that Faith in order of Nature goes before Repentance As I conceive the principle or habit of Faith and of Repentance and other Graces are infused together But by the special help and operation of God's Spirit the Soul is first inabled to put forth a gracious act in consenting to the terms of Gods Covenant actually closing with and accepting of Christ as he is there offered upon which the Spirit of Grace is given to dwell in the Heart gracious habits are implanted in the Soul as a new nature inclining it to such acts Which I could wish added to what I have written in a former Treatise scil of the Covenants p. 224 225. Now though the general assenting Act of Faith must necessarily be supposed to go before Repentance as it is in the Will Cathol Theol. lib. 1. par 2. p. 84. as Mr. B. noteth yet a Man cannot truly accept of Christ as a perfect Saviour without a sense and feeling of the burthen of his Sins and being humbled under it nor can he accept of Christ as Lord and King without a resolution and hearty purpose of turning from all Sin unto the Lord. That in the very first act of Faith as saving there is Repentance also included Repentance may be thus distinguished 1. It is either initial or continued Initial Repentance at a Man's first Confession Continued that which follows through the course of ones Life afterwards 2. There is an habitual and virtual Repentance a Disposition or Inclination to mourn for and turn from all our Sins as we come to have our Sins discovered to us And actual formal Repentance actually grieving at loathing resolving and striving against the Sins we have found out and are convinced of 3. There is an ordinary Repentance daily practised for daily ordinary failings and a special extraordinary Repentance exercised upon some foul Fall sad Declining or Backsliding as in David's and in Peter's case Renewed Repentance as some call it in regard of some sad Interruption before Yet these Distinctions do not imply various kinds of Repentance but only different degrees There are two main essential constitutive Parts of true Repentance viz. Humiliation and Reformation or Contrition and Conversion A mourning for Sin after a godly sort 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and a turning from Sin unto God Now first Of godly Sorrow for Sin The Hebrew Word nacham and the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the Latine * Poenitet me quod poena tener me Poenitet est idem quod â—edet vel piget Poenitet all shew Repentance to have Grief and Sorrow in it A Man that grieves not for what he hath done amiss repents not Yea there is no right forsaking of Sin without an hearty Sorrow for it There is a Rending of the Heart for Sin before it is rent from Sin Quest But how shall a Man know whether his Sorrow for Sin be right 1. Right Sorrow for Sin is upon right Grounds As the Lord says Hos 7.14 They have not cried unto me when they howled upon their Beds And Zech. 7.5 Did ye at all fast unto me even unto me So there are many that cry out of their Sins are troubled about their Sins that yet do not sorrow after a godly sort but have respect only to themselves Many are troubled for Sin not as contrary to God but only as mischievous or injurious to themselves not as it dishonoureth God but as it brings shame and disgrace upon themselves not as it displeaseth God but as it subjecteth them to his Wrath and Curse not as God is offended by it but as they are like to suffer for it Many only respect the Shame or Punishment felt or feared Now that Humiliation which comes only from Pride cannot be sound Humiliation And that Sorrow which is meerly from self-respect cannot be godly Sorrow Hard-hearted Pharaoh would sometimes confess his Sin under the sence of an heavy Plague so wicked Ahab could humble himself under the fear of Judgment threatned while far enough from true Repentance And as there is a Principle of self-love planted in all Men the wickedst Man on Earth would not be miserable for ever is not willing to be damned And so when a Sinners Conscience is awakened that he sees himself obnoxious to God's everlasting Wrath and to the torments of Hell for ever no wonder if he be full of horror Nature only without the least dram of Grace would teach one under such terrors to cry out with Judas Oh! I have sinned Thus a Sinner under Convictions may have stronger passionate Workings of Grief than gracious Souls have ordinarily The Passion of Grief may be very much stirred when yet there is no godly Sorrow Though I grant it is lawful to be troubled for Sin as it is against our selves But if we are troubled for Sin only as against our selves not as against God such Trouble is privatively sinful Godly Sorrow is not
would not that any way of Wickedness should be found in him Psal 139.24 It is not enough to put Iniquity out of our hands while we regard Iniquity in our Hearts What is it to be like the Pharisees that were only for making clean the outside of the Cup and Platter We must not only cleanse our Hands but see to the purifying of our Hearts Jam. 4.8 You would think such worthy of derision that sweep before their Doors while they care not how sluttish the House is within A Wound may have its course of bleeding outwardly quite stopt and yet be deadly if it bleeds inwardly Oh how many whose Spiritual Wounds bleed inwardly Many whose Consciences tell them the Act of Uncleanness would be too gross that yet allow themselves in speculative Wickedness And what streams of unclean thoughts of proud thoughts of envious and malicious thoughts What streams of carnal covetous thoughts are continually issuing from their Hearts without any check 3. It is a good sign indeed that a Man truly forsakes Sin when he especially setteth himself against his special sin Psal 18.23 I was upright before him and I kept my self from mine Iniquity When a Man is for getting down and keeping down those Sins to which he is most inclined this shews he is no longer in league with Sin If we are not great Strangers to our own Souls we shall find our selves more prone to some one Sin than to other One to Pride another to Covetousness another to sensual Pleasure another to Passion c. And though where there is true Grace no known Sin is suffered to reign is fully and quietly obeyed yet some Sin may tyrannize A Master-Sin is not always a reigning Sin Mr. B. Cathol Theol. Part. 2. p. 108. Though a Learned and Judicious Divine questioneth whether some particular Sin in a Child of God may not be stronger than the particular gracious habit that is opposite unto it And as he says That they err who tell us that all Sin is equally mortified in the habit common experience fully proveth Yet such Sin is so far from having absolute command and dominion over one truly gracious that the more he finds its stirring and prevalency ordinarily the more he bends the strength of his Prayers and Resolutions against that Sin That Sin is wont to cost him most Sighs and Tears And though he be sorely foiled by it sometimes yet he is still for renewing his Conflict with it He does not yeild up himself unto it It is the evil he would not it is a thing which he hates Rom. 7.15 19. And that Sin which is more the matter of our Grief and Sorrow than of our Delight which is more hated than loved which we are not for keeping but would gladly part with and would account it a special Mercy a deliverance indeed to be freed from that Sin is not reigning however for sometime it may tyrannize and sadly oppress the Soul One thing more I must add here That sometimes Sinners are for changing They sometimes fall out with one Lust they had been in league with to fall in with another with which now they are more pleased A Sinner that was formerly devoted to Voluptuousness and cared not what he spent about his sensual pleasures may now be more taken with worldly Riches Covetousness may have got hold on him whereupon he may be so changed in his course as if his Voluptuousness was mortified One that hath been profane may leave his profane courses and turn into a way of studied Hypocrisy to get a Name and make a Show in the World When Alas this is but a fairer and smoother way to Hell To turn from one Sin to another is not to forsake Sin This is but like the turning of a Door upon its Hinges movetur sed non promovetur or like the Sluggards turning from side to side on his Bed It is nothing to decline and put away some Sins because they stand in the way of some other Lust to which a Man is more addicted But indeed this is something for a Man to set against that Sin which yet of all his Sins hath most Power and the greatest Interest when a Man cannot rest till he has also got this Sin subdued it shews there is no Sin reserved though he have Sin still remaining in him while here So 4. Then a Man-truly forsakes Sin when he setteth against all known Sin This evidenceth ones opposition to be against Sin as Sin And that Man who would not allow himself in any close way of Wickedness would not harbour any secret corruption who would not spare any darling-Sin who is engaged and heartily strives against his Master-Sin surely that Man will as well resolve and strive against any other known Sin When the main strength of Sin is broken then there 's hope of its falling more and more And indeed if Repentance be sound there is not a partial but a thorow-reformation Jer. 7.5 If ye throughly amend your ways and your doings Ezek. 18.28 Because he considereth and turneth away from all his Transgressions he shall surely live he shall not dye Quest But who can say I have made my Heart clean I am pure from my Sin Prov. 20.9 Does not the Apostle James say chap. 3.2 In many things we offend all And will you not grant that the best upon Earth have Sins of daily incursion How then do they turn away from all their Transgressions Answ 1. There are no Sins so small but the deliberate licentious resolved practice of them is sufficient to prove a Man in a graceless and damnable Estate Thus a Man may be condemned even for idle words Mat. 12.36 37. So a Man may go to Hell in earnest for foolish jesting and the like And if any Man seem to be Religious and bridleth not his Tongue this Man's Religion is vain Jam. 1.26 Small Crevices not lookt unto may let in Water enough to sink the Ship A little prick at the Heart is deadly A little Poison without using means against it may give a Man enough may be his Bane Not only gross Sins but such as many count venial matters being indulged and allowed of may sink Souls into Hell 2. One that hath true Grace makes not so light of those Sins of daily incursion as the Unregenerate are wont to do He is humbled and grieveth for them condemneth himself for them and according to the degree and measure of Grace he hath attained unto he is watching and striving against them In some measure he is turned from them both in Heart and Practice too Vain thoughts abound not so much in him his idle words arise not to such a reckoning as before while he was insensible of the evil of them 3. There is a great difference betwixt gross wilful Sins and Sins of Infirmity Wilful gross Sins ordinarily committed shew the utter absence of Grace Psal 36.1 The Transgression of the Wicked saith within my Heart that there is
to fear disinheriting and an everlasting separation from God upon supposition of apostacy and falling off from God And this fear of Hell and Condemnation upon supposition if he should fall away is a means to keep him in the love of God Such a fear is no enemy to Grace but very much befriends it is a preservative of Grace So likewise a Child of God may and ought to fear Divine chastisements And such a fear Faith will work As a sound Faith gives credit to the whole Word of God to Threatnings as well as Promises And see concerning this Psal 89.30 31 32. with a multitude of other texts And such a fear tendeth to promote Holiness and spiritual Watchfulness And we have need to make use of all means and Arguments that the Lord hath given and thought meet for our quickning And indeed when afflictions would not be so greatly dreaded though grievous to sense but as they are expressions of God's fatherly displeasure surely this is Child-like Would it not argue that the Child has a loving and dutiful respect to his Father when he could better bear the smart of the Rod than his Fathers angry looks in laying it on It 's true a fear of punishment and suffering only or chiefly is the note of a slave Yet an ingenuous Child will fear the Rod too But there is this difference a slave fears his Masters displeasure chiefly because he is like to smart for it and to suffer by it whereas a loving Child feareth the Rod most as it declares his Fathers displeasure 5. An holy reverential admiring and adoring Fear being moved and sutably affected with God's transcendent Greatness and infinite Excellencies is never cast out but continues when love is made perfect in Heaven This part of filial Fear well becomes Angels and Saints in Heaven How do they for ever reverence and adore him To this fear of reverence we may apply that expression of the Psalmist The Fear of the Lord is elean enduring for ever There is no penal Fear in Heaven no Fear that has any torment in it there is no fear of God's anger or of Gods hiding his face any more yet when love is perfected an holy reverential fear shall be perfected together with it Obj. 2. Fear is of some evill but God is the cheifest Good and therefore no proper object of fear Ans 1. As Moralists speak of Fear it is of evil and evil to come for if the evil be present then not the passion of fear but sorrow is exercised about it But though thus God be not properly and directly the object of Fear he is the object of Fear indirectly as one that may inflict evil yea greater evil than others can So we should fear him who is able to destroy both Body and Soul in Hell Mat. 10.28 yea as he is the cheifest Good we should fear the loss of him as the greatest evil Thus we should fear the Lord and his Goodness Hos 3.5 That he is Goodness it self infinitely good it is best for us to enjoy him it is the Creatures highest felicity to be united to him and admitted to a blessed fruition of him and consequently it is the greatest misery to lose the favour and fruition of God The loss of infinite Goodness is certainly the greatest loss that ever befell us What we love and prize we fear to lose As we love our lives and therefore fear Death Thus if God ought to be loved above all as the chiefest Good the loss of him is to be feared above all losses as the greatest evil 2. The Grace of Fear is a more free ingenuous thing than the passion of Fear The Grace of Fear includes reverence as hath been said And that which excites reverence is an apprehension of God's infinite Excellencies and his soveraign Authority Job 13.11 Shall not his Excellency make you afraid Job 25.2 Dominion and Fear are with him For his Majesty and Dominion he is to be feared God is to be feared as infinitely above us though we should not apprehend him to be against us Now I come to the Question How the true Fear of God may be known 1. By the ground of it 1. The true fear of God ariseth from a sound Knowledg of God Spiritual Knowledg as I have shewed before is the ground-work of all saving Grace And they that know not God aright cannot fear God aright Pro. 15.33 The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom Junius and Tremel read it thus anteit reverentiam Jehovae eruditio sapientiae The instruction of wisdom goes before the fear of the Lord. So Solomon prayed 1 King 8.43 That all the people of the Earth may know thy Name to fear thee So there must be a Knowledg of God in his Attributes The Name of God is dreadful Deut. 28.58 That thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful Name the Lord thy God He is to be feared for his absolute Soveraignty Mal. 1.14 I am a great King saith the Lord of Hosts and my Name is dreadful among the Heathen Jer. 10.7 Who would not fear thee O King of Nations for to thee doth it appertain For his Immensity That he fills Heaven and Earth with his Presence and the Heaven of Heavens cannot contain him Surely the Lord most high is terrible For his Almighty Power None can stay his hand or say unto him What dost thou Those that walk in Pride how high soever he is able to abase Dan. 4.35 37. And should we not fear him which after he hath killed hath power to cast into Hell Luk. 12.5 For his Omniscience That all things are naked and open unto his eyes with whom we have to do For his Infinite Holiness and Purity Rev. 15.4 Who shall not fear thee O Lord for thou only art holy For his glorious Justice Job 37.23 24. Men do therefore him fear Yea for his abundant goodness and rich Mercy As in those Texts fore-cited Psal 130.4 Hos 3.5 Should we not fear to offend and displease so good and gracious a God! Here take notice the fear of the most is from very short and inadequate conceptions and apprehensions of God One while they conceit him to be made up all of Mercy and then they fear him not at all but only presume on his Goodness Another while they conceit him to be made up all of Justice and severity and then they can do nothing but fear then they meditate nothing but terrour Further The Relations God stands in towards us his Creatures are a ground of his fear He is our Lord and Master Mal. 1.6 Our Father Mal. 2.10 Have we not all one Father hath not one God created us And they that are not come to own him as their Lord and Master and see their whole dependance on him as their Father cannot fear him aright Further The Works of God are a ground of his fear The work of Creation Psal 33.8 9. Works of Providence Jer. 5.22 particularly works of
no signs of an humble heart 7. Humility would not suffer us to be led away with predominant self-conceit The humble have low thoughts of themselves their Gifts Abilities and Performances The proud are contrary over-valuing themselves thinking highly of themselves and of what they do 1. Humility will not suffer one to be conceited of his Wisdom and Knowledg Pro. 26.12 Seest thou a Man wise in his own conceit there is more hope of a fool than of him He is a proud fool and worse than a fool that is in any measure sensible of his foolishness and willing to acknowledg and to be cured of it There is more hope of such a one who would be more teachable more tractable The humble Soul is more ready to take notice of its darkness its ignorance than of its knowledge is very sensible of its short-sightedness and sees the need it hath to learn When proud spirits though very shallow think they know enough already Like young Scholars that when they have got a little smattering of Learning fancy themselves taller by the head than others when seven years more spent in diligent study might help them to see how little they know how much they are still in the dark Novices that know least are commonly most puffed up with a conceit of their Knowledg And hence it is that such are most subject to fall into errours They think themselves wiser than their Teachers And the conceit they have of their own knowledge will not bear a contradiction from any nor suffer them to question or suspect their own Opinions to take things into sober consideration Yet I would not plead for Scepticism or perswade you to doubt of every thing Nor would I have Christians deny the knowledg that God hath given them As Knowledge is a gift of God we ought to reflect on what he hath given to be thankful for it And indeed Knowledge in the very nature of the thing is manifest to them that have it You may as well go about to perswade a Man out of his senses that he does not see or hear what he sees and hears as that he does not know what indeed he knoweth He that is awake knows he is awake and you cannot make him think that he does but dream He that is enlightened with the sound knowledg of God and Christ is assured of the truth of those things which were but notions and fancies to him before And it highly concerneth Christians to be so grounded in the knowledg of the Truth that they may hold fast the profession of it without wavering that they may be ready to give a reason of their Faith and Hope to any that shall ask and demand it of them and that it may not be in the power of the most learned and subtile Jesuite or Sophister to wrest it from them and that they may be able to keep their ground to stand fast though there should be never so great and general Apostacy and falling away from the Truth though they should be censured as singular proud and self-conceited that took themselves to be wiser than all the World besides It is neither pride nor obstinacy but stedfastness and constancy to hold fast known Truth though we were left alone had none about us that would own it or own us in the profession of it As was said of Athanasius Vnus Athanasius contra totum Mundum the whole World against Athanasius and Athanasius against the World But this is Pride when one conceiteth himself to be knowing while he is very ignorant It is Pride that makes one seem to himself more knowing than he is So also when one hath high thoughts of admires himself for what he knows he is proud knowning nothing as he ought They that know most of God and the things of God have no such ground to be conceited of themselves for what they know as they have indeed to be humbled to blush and be ashamed that they know no more 2. Humility will not suffer one to be conceited of his abilitiy and sufficiency An humble Soul dares not encounter Temptation in its own strength dares not undertake and set upon Duty in its own strength As Paul though an eminent Apostle says of the Work he was called unto Who is sufficient for these things 2 Cor. 2.16 And chap. 3.5 not that we are sufficient of our selves to think any thing as of our selves but our sufficiency is of God The humble Soul is really sensible of its Infirmities and of an absolute need of the Spirits assistance to help its infirmities as Rom. 8.26 Humility and self-confidence do not agree 3. Humility will not suffer one to be highly conceited of his best services It will teach a Man to have low thoughts of all he does This takes away the Grace of any performance when a Man is proud of what he has done Who so active for God as Paul was yet he was not puft up with his services but served the Lord with all humility of mind Act. 20.19 He arrogated nothing to himself I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me Gal. 2.20 I laboured more abundantly than they all yet not I but the Grace of God which was with me 1 Cor. 15.10 Not I but Christ in me not I but the Grace of God with me And did not his face shine more for this veil on it And 1 Tim. 1.12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord says he who hath enabled me So 1 Cor. 7.25 he speaks of himself as one that had obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful had obtained mercy to do his Duty The more he was enabled to do for God to serve God faithfully the more he saw himself obliged to God's Mercy Humble Souls will acknowledg their own righteousness to be but as filthy rags Isa 64.6 As rags that are not sufficient to cover them as filthy rags that have so much sin in them as would render them more polluted still if the Lord should behold them with the strict eye of his Justice only The truely humble can see more evil in their best Duties than natural Men are wont to discern in their plain and gross transgressions When Nehemiah had been most active for God yet he saw need of pardoning Grace and Mercy Neh. 13.22 Remember me O my God concerning this also and spare me according to the greatness of thy Mercy Ita fiduciam ponit Wolph non in meritis suis sed in misericordia Dei Thus Humility is opposit to self-conceit 8. Humility is opposite to a predominant affectation of humane applause and vain-glory It will teach us to say as in Psal 115.1 Not unto us O Lord not unto us but unto thy name give Glory The Humble Soul would not set up for it self Laert. in Biam l. 1. p. 61. Bias could say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 what good thou dost refer it unto God let God have the praise He sets his heart as the heart of God as
2.14 15. God useth to bring his People into the Wilderness before he speaketh comfortably to them He makes the Valley of Achor a door of Hope As in reference to their outward Condition he suffers them many times to be brought into great Straits and Troubles before he gives Enlargements and works Deliverance for them So in reference to their Spiritual Estates they are brought into a Wilderness see themselves lost and are full of trouble as the Israelites were by Achan's means Josh 7.24 25 26. before Hope comes in Tarnov in M. Pol. Synop. Vt illa perturbatio in gaudium conversa est ita tristitia secundum Deum spem parit The Spirit of Bondage useth to go before the Spirit of Adoption Rom. 8.15 As it is Lam. 3.29 He putteth his Mouth in the Dust if so there may be Hope It is the common Order and Method of God's Grace and Spirit to cast down before a lifting up usually Souls are laid low even in the dust before they are raised to a lively Hope Such as will tell us they hope well and never doubted of their Salvation in all their lives such as were never humbled never made sensible how miserable they are by nature how obnoxious to God's Wrath how liable to everlasting Condemnation we have Reason enough to conclude they have not a sound Hope Their confident spirit must be broken before it be set right 2. Sound Hope is a fruit of the Spirit Presumption is natural to Sinners they have it of themselves Or if they have their Consciences awakened their Eyes opened to see their Sin and Misery then they are more prone to entertain hard and black thoughts of God than to hope aright in his Mercy Like those that said There is no Hope Our Hope is lost we are cut off for our parts It is the mighty work of the Spirit to raise up Souls to a lively Hope who had received the sentence of Death in themselves Rom. 15.13 That ye may abound in Hope through the power of the holy Ghost Gal. 5.5 We through the Spirit wait for the Hope of Righteousness by Faith Now have such any ground to think the Hope they have is the fruit and work of the Spirit who may know they have not the Spirit who are not led by neither walk after the Spirit who will not follow the motions of the Spirit who are so desperately wicked as even to scoff at the operation of the Spirit 3. Sound Hope is an Hope in God through Christ according to his Word On what is our Hope bottomed The ground and foundation of true Hope is in God not in creatures nor in our selves It is Hope towards God Act. 24.15 As our Faith and Trust must be terminated on God only so our Hope 1 Pet. 1.21 we must look to God as the Author of all Good We must not expect any good from others as the Authors or original but only as means or instruments Psal 39.7 Now Lord what wait I for My Hope is in thee It is a peice of Idolatry to make Gold our Hope Job 31.24 we may not look for so much as any temporal benefit from means wealth friends c. without God All our expectation must be from him Psal 62.5 But further True Hope is bottom'd upon God in and through Christ Therefore it is called Hope in Christ 1 Cor. 15.19 1 Thes 1.3 There is no Hope for Sinners that a most Just and Holy God should be favourable and propitious toward them but in and through Christ 1 Pet. 1.3 We are begotten again to a lively Hope by the Resurrection of Christ proving God's Justice satisfied and the enemies of our Salvation vanquished by him But without Christ we were without Hope So if we be strangers to Christ we are strangers to true Hope And yet further True Hope is bottom'd on God in Christ according to his Word As the Psalmist oft professeth his Hope in God's Word That is not a sound Hope which is not a Scripture Hope That Hope which is not built on God's Promises which is not warranted by his Word will fail Men in the end It is groundless Presumption Now how many whose Hope is built on God's Providence and their present outward Prosperity without any word of promise to support it They hope God loves them because they prosper in the World But the Word tells us All things come alike to all here that no Man knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before them Eccles 9.1 2. The Hope of many is grounded on God's Patience and their present impunity Because Sentence is not speedily executed But forbearance is no acquittance Do we not read that though the Lord is slow to anger yet he will not acquit the wicked Nah. 1.3 And God endureth with much long-suffering the Vessels of wrath fitted to destruction on whom yet at last he will shew his Wrath and make his Power known Rom. 9.22 Many build their Hopes on God's general Goodness to his Creatures That because he made them he will save them Though the Lord by his Prophet hath told them the contrary Isa 27.11 It is a people of no understanding therefore he that made them will have no mercy on them Some Hope in this that they are not so bad as others They are neither Extortioners nor Drunkards nor Adulterers c. But it is evident in the Word that the highest degree of Morality and Civility will not serve any Mans turn That except a Man be born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God Joh. 3.3 That without Holiness no Man shall see the Lord Heb. 12.14 Some build their Hopes on a form of Godliness and an outward shew of Holiness But without the truth of Grace in the heart and without the Life and Power of Godliness all Men do in Religion is done in Hypocrisie So what may be highly esteemed among Men may be of no account yea may be abomination in the sight of God Luk. 16.15 And what will be the Hypocrites portion at last the Word plainly tells you Some build their Hopes on their own Righteousness and Merits conceiting they deserve highly of God for what they have done Peter Lombart says Sent. l. 3. dist 26. Sine meritis aliquid sperare non spes sed presumptio dici potest That to hope for any thing without precedent merits cannot be called Hope but presumption Yet to do him right immediately before he joyns the Grace of God with those merits of which he speaks And otherwise if by merits are understood proper Legal merits it were Presumption for the best Men in the World to expect any thing this way from God The best of God's Saints must acknowledg with Jacob that they are less than the least of God's Mercies That which Believers hope for comes by way of free gift it is not of debt Eternal Life is the gift of God Rom. 6.23 The gift of God through Jesus Christ So Believers are to
willing and desirous of Christ and his Grace that he would have them above all things that may stand in competition above all the pleasures or advantages of Sin and the World Yea he would have Christ though he was to beg with him to suffer with him He is willing to deny himself for Christ And so 4. He consents resolvedly and firmly Before Faith a Man is at shall I shall I He may sometimes have a sudden motion towards Christ but the Flesh and the World soon draw him quite another way But Faith quite turns the Scale Temporary Believers have some mind towards Jesus Christ they are a little in love with him by fits but their Minds soon change especially when they are threatned with persecution they are wont to take offence at the Cross and draw back they go not thorow with him But the true Believer is married unto Christ hath taken him for better for worse for richer for poorer to Love Honour and Obey him even until Death As the Apostle Phil. 3.8 For whom I have suffered the loss of all things Have suffered but did he not hereupon repent his bargain O no! he had as high an esteem of Christ as much affection for Christ as ever After all his Losses after his Sufferings for Christ he was still of the same Mind I have suffered the loss of all things for him says he and as it follows I do count them but dung that I may win Christ But you may ask here Who can tell whether he shall hold out or no Have not some gone a great way and yet fallen off again Answ 1. However this note is of use so far as to discover the unsoundness of their Faith who fall away As they that draw back are opposed to them that believe Such did never truly believe were never truly resolved for Christ Had they taken Christ without any sinful reserve they would have stuck to him A Believer falleth sometimes yet does not fall away He falleth forward not backward Still his Heart is towards Christ and his settled habitual prevailing resolution for Christ and so he riseth from his falls And therefore 2. If indeed we cleave to Christ with full purpose of Heart we may thence conclude that we shall keep to him Then we shall be kept by the Power of God through Faith unto Salvation 1 Pet. 1.5 And shall not be tempted above that we are able 1 Cor. 10.13 Having God's Promise here we should rest upon and not distrust his Power or Faithfulness Indeed to run ordinarily and wilfully upon Temptations is a thing contrary to Grace contrary to such an habitual resolution for Christ A Sound and Holy resolution to stick to Christ armeth the Soul and sets it on its watch against Temptations that would draw it from Christ and which is more sets the Soul under a Promise of a gracious Divine Protection Now let us see whether we thus consent unto Christ and to the terms on which Salvation is offered in and with him Do we consent entirely not partially seriously and deliberately heartily and willingly firmly and resolvedly So I come to a third Act of Faith which is 3. Affiance Faith is a firm Assent it is a practical Assent such as draws the will to consent and it is a fiducial Assent Of this I am next to speak The word Fiducia or Trust is oft used by Divines for confidence and full perswasion which is separable from true Faith But it may also be taken for resting or relying on God and Jesus Christ and being so taken it is an Act of Faith ordinarily put forth and however always included in Faith as to the habit of it A Believer resolves to venture and cast himself upon Christ how much soever he be in doubt of the event and issue As it was with Job Chap. 13.15 Though he slay me yet will I trust in him This Affiance relyance and recumbency upon Christ seemeth to be pointed at in the phrases of believing in and believing on him Which some would have translated trust in or trust on him As v. g. Joh. 14.1 Ye do trust or Do ye trust in God or on God trust also in me or on me As the word trust or hope is used Mat. 12.21 In his Name shall the Gentiles * That the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is used for to Trust or Confide even in Exotick Authors Melancthon hath gathered many Instances to prove it In Loc. Com. de vocab Fidei Apud Chemnit loc Theol. par 2. p. 256. Vide etiam Chemnit Ib. p. 262. trust And Eph. 1.12 who first trusted in Christ Believing and Trusting are used as equivolent Psal 78.22 Because they believed not in God and trusted not in his Salvation Psal 2.12 Blessed are all they that put their trust in him qui se recipiunt ad eum that betake themselves to him The word properly signifies protectionis causâ aliquò confugere as Mollier to flee some whither for Protection As Chickens in danger run to the Hen. Christo mirè congruit verbum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hic enim congregat Filios suos instar gallinae Mat. 23.37 Hic est umbraculum nostrum Isa 25.4 Riv. in Pol. Synop. There is another word used Psal 22.8 He roled or let him roll himself his concerns his burthen on the Lord. Which is rendred He trusted in God Mat. 27.43 And Cant. 8.5 The Faith of the Spouse is expressed by her leaning or recumbing upon her Beloved Vid. I. de Dieu vel M. Pol. Synop. Faith is a relying and staying on the Lord. 2 Chron. 16.7 Isa 50.10 Let him trust in the name of the Lord and stay upon his God Et innitatur c. Tanquam fulcro Calv. Muscul in M. Pol. Synop. nè labatur omnem curam in illum velut pondus importabile conjiciendo Faith is a looking to the Lord Isa 45.22 Psal 123.2 Like the Israelites looking up to the Brazen Serpent Joh. 3.14 15. Faith is a committing our Souls with all that is dear unto us unto Christ to keep 2 Tim. 1.12 A depositing our greatest Concerns with him The believing Soul casts it self upon Christ ventures its All with him And no doubt but they that give us this description or they that put this into the definition of Faith scil that it is A resting upon Christ alone for Salvation no doubt I say but they were aware of that great errour and mistake formerly so common making Faith a full perswasion of the Heart c. As if Assurance was of the very nature and essence of Faith And so was that French Divine before cited that describes it Jo. Mestrezar to be A penitent Sinner's fleeing for succour to the Mercy of God in Christ Indeed it was very needful to correct that errour which both gave the Papists such advantage against us and gave such a wound to weak Believers who would conclude they had not Faith because they had not a full
perswasion that their Sins were pardoned for Christ's sake Which is a quite different thing from Faith as I have before shewed And yet Alas how many poor Souls that are still under the same mistake Many that complain they cannot believe when their meaning is they cannot but fear that they are not such unto whom God hath promised the benefits of Remission and Salvation And yet if they be asked Do you not believe the truth of whatsoever God hath spoken or promised And are you not willing to have Christ as he is offered to sanctify as well as justify you to rule as well as redeem and save you And do you not believe both his Power and Willingness to save all that heartily accept of him on his own terms and that Salvation can be no other way obtained And therefore notwithstanding all your doubts and fears about the sincerity of your acceptance of him yet do you not resolve to cast your selves on him and do you not look to him alone for Salvation This they could not deny without bearing false Witness against themselves Now this is Faith though all that have it cannot see it in themselves and therefore many true Believers doubt whether they are pardoned and shall be saved In Faith there is a believing application of Christ and the Promises As those Believers spoken of Heb. 11.13 were perswaded of the Promises and embraced them They did not only assent to them as true but embraced them as good not only as good in themselves but as good and proper for them they clave to them Indeed the holy Angels assent to the truth of the Gospel fully and are marvellously taken with admire and delight in the glorious Mysteries of Divine Grace therein contained but it is not their duty and concern to apply these things to themselves But Believers apply these things as most nearly concerning them Though there be not always a sensible application of Christ and the Promise with Faith which one calleth an Axiomatical Application so as to say and conclude that Christ is mine and the Promise or promised benefits are mine yet there is a real application a willing acceptance of Christ and resolved adherence recumbency and dependance on him And yet I grant that this Affiance and Recumbency on Christ though it is certainly in the habit and in Truth where Souls truly accept of Christ on his own terms it is but weak yea sadly clouded with doubts and fears in many true Believers As Cruciger on his Death-Bed Invoco te quanquam languidâ imbecillâ fide sed fide tamen c. When a Soul hath let go its hold elsewhere to take hold on Christ yet many times it takes hold on him but with a trembling hand That it is with a Believer as with the four Lepers 2 King 7.3 4. Why sit we here till we dye Let us go to the Syrians if they save us we shall live As with Esther Chap. 4.16 I will go to the King If I perish I perish As with the poor Prodigal Luk. 15.18 I will arise and go to my Father Though he knew not whether his Father would look on him and bid him welcome when he came As one says There is a Faith that is called a coming to Christ Vines is a motion a strugling to the Rock as well as a Faith resting and setling upon him Nec qui Serpentis aenei aspectu sanabantur pariter erant perspicaces P. Molin They that were cured with looking up to the Brazen Serpent were not all alike quick-sighted Aliud est luctarifiduciam cum dubitatione Chamier Panstrat tom 3. l. 13. c. 8. §. 11. p. 416. aliud nullam esse fiduciam True Faith may be with many doubtings And when one doubteth not of the truth of God's Word and Promises but only whether he be such an one to whom the promised benefits belong this is not the Sin of unbelief And commonly the doubtings of Believers are of this sort viz. not a distrust of God but a mistrusting themselves a suspition of themselves a jealousy of their own hearts that they are not right Surely most Believers are troubled with doubtings of this kind And indeed they have great cause to doubt of the truth of their Faith that as they say never doubted of their Salvation in all their Lives Yet further to lay down a few notes whereby you may judg of your Affiance and trust in Christ whether it be sound or no. 1. A Sound Affiance in Christ is not without a self-distrust and self-despair Haec vera hominis fiducia à se deficientis innitentis Domino suo Bern. Have we received the Sentence of Death in our selves not to trust in our selves Do we let go all broken Reeds and forsake all false props are we taken off our own bottoms that we put no confidence in the Flesh Indeed Sinners are not so well inclined towards Christ as to come to him before a sense of their necessity drive them They come not till they see they have none else to go unto that all other refuge fails them And so long as any are for establishing their own Righteousness they are it's true like Paul while he was a Pharisee as the Pharisees were Men that trusted in themselves that they were Righteous Luk. 18.9 but contrary to Paul after he was a Convert a Christian who then would be found in Christ not having his own Righteousness c. Phil. 3.9 In Hab. 2.4 A Soul that is lifted up is opposed to one that lives by Faith And I remember One observes a more direct opposition betwixt self and Christ than betwixt Sin and Christ for says he Sin does accidentally drive us unto Christ but Self does altogether draw us from Christ It is indeed a fatal mistake for Men to ascribe and attribute that to their own works or to any thing in themselves which is proper to God's Grace or to Christ's Righteousness Satisfaction and Merits If ever we be saved we must see our selves lost and undone in our selves and that we cannot be saved but by Grace in and through Jesus Christ that there is Salvation in no other It is true most certain and unquestionable that without Holiness no Man shall see the Lord Heb. 12.14 The unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God 1 Cor. 6.9 So we cannot be saved without an inherent Righteousness yet we are not saved for it This is a necessary qualification unto not the procuring cause of Salvation It was the carnal Jews overthrow as we see Rom. 10.3 that they set up their own Righteousness confronting God's free Grace and Christ's Merits Mr. A. Disc of the two Covenants p. 124 125 126. gives a threefold account why it might be called their own Righteousness in opposition to the Righteousness of God 1. Because they sought the pardon of their Sins by that only which was their own their own Sacrifices 2. Because they did not think Regeneration or