to making up of the match vers 9. Then I washed thee with water yea I throughly washed away thy blood from thee and I anointed thee with oyl I cloathed thee also with embroidered work and shod thee with badgers skins c. That is when Christ comes to cast his affections on us and to wed us unto himself he finds us polluted and naked not with a rag on us Full of filth just nothing have we he takes us with nothing nay we are worse than nothing So that here is the point what ground is there whereby a man that is dead and hath no goodness in him mâ—ke him as ill as can be imagined what ground hath he to receive Chriâ—t Yes To as many as received him to them he gave the power to become the sons of God First The receiving of Christ and then comes Believing It is the receiving of this gift that is the means whereby Christ is offered to us The Apostle joyning the first and second Adam together makes the benefit we have by the second to lye in the point of receiving Rom. 5.17 Object If it be a free gift why is faith required Sol. Because faith takes away nothing from the gift If a man give a beggar an Alms and he reach out his hand to receive it his reaching out the hand makes the gift never the less because the hand is not a worker but an instrument in receiving the free gift Rom. 5.15 If through the offence of one many be dead much more the grace of God and the gift by grace hath abounded unto many in Jesus Christ. And vers 17. If by one man's offence death raigned by one much more they that receive abundance of grace shall raign in life by one Jesus Christ Here 's the point then God is well pleased and therefore sends to us Wilt thou have my Son with him thou shalt have abundance of Grace and everlasting life and my love too There 's no Creature in this place but this shall be made good unto if he can find in his heart to take Christ thou shalt have a warrant to receive him Now to receive Christ is to believe in his name and to draw near unto him The word Receiving is a taking with the hand with free entertainment as vers 11. immediately before the Text. It 's not so properly Receiving as Entertaining He came to his own and his own received him not they were like the foolish Gaderens that preferred their pigs before Christ they would rather have his room than his company and so when Christ comes and thou hast rather be a free man as thou thinkest and wilt not have him to raign over thee then thy case is lamentable Then self-will self-have Tâ—e only point is whether we come to Christ or he come to us there is a drawing near If thou comest to Christ he will not put thee back if Christ come to thee by any good motion if thou shut not the door against him thou shâ—lt 〈…〉 him Râ—v 3.20 Behold I stand at the door and knock iâ— aâ—â— man heaâ— mâ— vâ—ice and open the door I will come in unto him and â—up wiâ—h hâ—m and he wiâ—h me Rev. 1.16 The Lord by the knock of his mouth by the sword that comes out of his mouth would fain come in and be familiar with thee If thou wilt not let him in is it not good reason that as in the Canticles Cant. 5.6 he withdraw himself If he see thy sins and would fain come in what an encouragement hast thou to open Joh. 6.37 He that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out Canst thou have a better word from thy Prince than this When he holdeth out his golden Sceptre if thou takest hold on it thou art safe otherwise thou art a dead man thou canst not have a greater security all the point is Faith is a drawing near unto Christ and Unbelief is a going from him The Gospel is preached to those that are afar off and to those that are near Eph. 2.17 He came to preach peace to you that are afar off and to them that are nigh Who were they that were afar off they were those that had uncircumcision in the flesh without Christ Aliens to the Commonwealth of Israel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 those that had no hope to these Christ came these that were afar off by faith drew near that expression is a singular one Heb. 10.38 Now the just shall live by faith What is that but if any man draw back that is if any man be an Unbeliâ—ver my soul shall have no pleasure in him Faith makes a man come and draw near to Christ. It 's a shame-faced bashfulness that makes a man draw back its unbelief if any draw back and to believe is to go on with boldness We are not of them which draw back unto perdition but of them c. What an excellent encouragement is this to come with boldness unto the Throne of Grace that we may find help in time of need So that now let thy estate be what it will if thou wilt not hold off but dost entertain Christ though thy sins be as red as scarlet be not discouraged they shall be made as white as wool Isa. 1.18 The very sinner against the Holy Ghost is invited and why is that unpardonable Can any sin be so great as to over-top the value of Christ's blood There is not so much wretchedness in the heart of man as there is Grace Goodness and Mercy in Christ But then it is unpardonable Why Because it is the nature of the disease that will not suffer the plaister to stick on It counts the blood of the Covenant wherewith we should be sanctified an unholy thing Heb. 10.29 If this sinner would not pluck off the plaister and tread it under foot he should be saved but this is it when God is liberal and Christ is free we have not the heart to take him at his word and come To open this Word this is the point of all this is the free preaching of the Gospel indeed when a man hath nothing desirable in him but is stark naught and stark dead and is not worth the taking up that yet he may challenge Christ and be sure of all Unless thou hast Christ thou hast nothing by Promise not so much as a bit of bread by Promise if thou hast it it is by Providence All the Promises of God are in him 2 Cor. 1.20 that is Christ yea and Amen Ye are the Children of the Promise in Christ Gal 3.29 and 4.28 but you have nothing till you be in Christ. The Question is What must I do in this case What encouragement shall I have in my rags when I am abominable worth nothing There are certain things that are preparations to a Promise such as are Commands Precepts Entreaties which encourage them to it and then comes a proposition I being a Believer shall have eternal life If Christ
Christ Now when the spirit hath wrought this will in me and I come and take God at his word and believe in Christ laying hold by degrees on the other promises of life winding and wrapping my self in them as I am able it is faith But that perswasion only which many have that they shall go to heaven is not faith but rather a consequent hereof The promise is made unto those that believe in Christ For in him says the Apostle all the promises are yea and Amen If a man weep much and beg hard for the remission of sins he may weep and be without comfort unto the end of his life unless he have received Christ and applyed his vertues home unto his trembling soul. A man must first receive Christ and then he hath a warrant to interest himself in all the promises So that now this being done if such a man were asked hast thou a warrant to receive Christ Yes I have a warrant says the soul for he keeps open house unto all that come wellcoming all and I have a will to come this is a good and sufficient warrant for me to come if I have a will wrought in me and then if I do come this is the first thing to be observed in the witness of our Spirit Now if a man do stagger for all the King keeps open house so as he will not or does not come then in the second place comes Invitation because we are slow to believe therefore God invites us as in Matthew 11.28 Come unto me all ye that Labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest Many object O I am not worthy to come but you see here is invitation to encourage me to come yea the sorer and heavier my load is I should come so much the rather So that in this case if the question should be asked of such a one friend how came you hither What warrant had you to be so bold Then he shews forth his ticket as if he should say Lord thou gavest me a word of comfort a warrant of thy invitation in obedience to thy word and faith in thy promise I come hither Now this invitation is directed to them who as yet have no goodness in them when then my Spirits warrants this much unto me that upon this word of promise and invitation I have come in for releif and ease of may miseries unto Christ Jesus the great Physician relying on him for cure and lying as it were at his feet for mercy this is the testimony of my Spirit that I do believe and a ground for me to rest on that now I am in the way of life and justified by his grace Thirdly sometimes Christ meets with a dull and slow heart lazy and careless in a manner what becomes of it not knowing or weighing the dangerous state it is in making excuses here Christ may justly leave us for is it not much that the King should invite us for our good as he did these in the Gospel who for refusing to come to his Supper were excluded from ever tasting thereof strangers being fetched in in their places God might so deal with us but you see in 2 Corinth 5.20 God sends as Embassage to entreat us erects as it were a new office for our sakes saith he Now then we are Ambassadors for Christ as though God did beseech you by us we pray you in Christ's stead to be reconcile unto God This may seem to be needless we being weaker than he Ambassadours for the most part are sent unto those that are stronger The Apostle reasons the matter are we stronger than he do we provoke the Lord to anger But here we see and may admire his infinite rich goodness that he comes and sues to us to be reconciled as we see it is a kind of indignity for a great Monarch to sue for peace to them that are far below him and his inferiours This dishonour God is willing to put up at our hands and sues unto us first when it rather became us upon our knees to beg and sue first unto him The effect of the Embassy is that we would be friends with him and receive that which is so highly for our advancement when therefore I see that this quickens in my heart so that as S. James speaks of the engrafted word that is able to save our souls I can bring it home having some sweet relish and high estimation of it in my heart that it begins to be the square and rule of my life then I am safe If this or any of these fasten upon the soul and thereupon I yield and come in it is enough to shew that I am a justified person And from hence our spirit may witness and that truly this is a third thing in the witness of our spirit Fourthly if none of all this will do then comes a farther degree a command from the highest you shall do it as in 1 Joh. 3.23 And this is his commandment that we should believe on his Son Jesus Christ and love one another as he gave us commandment In the Parliament of Grace there is a Law of Faith which binds me as strictly to believe as to keep any of the commandments Says the Apostle Rom. 3. Where is boasting then it is excluded by what Law of works nay but by the Law of Faith So that if I will not believe on the Lord Jesus who eases me of the vigour of the Law and so is my righteousness I must perish for ever What may one object must I needs believe Yes thou art as strictly bound to believe as not to murder or not to be an Idolater not to steal or commit adultery nay I will add more that thy infidelty and contempt of that gracious offer thy disobedience to the Law of Faith is greater than thy breach and disobedience to the Law of Works when thou dost fling God's grace in his face again and as it were trample under foot the blood of the Covenant See for this John 16.9 What is that great sin which Christ came to reprove even this infidelity saith he because they believe not in me which in two respects is a great sin First because it is a sin against God's mercy Secondly because it is a chain which links and binds all sins together Thus our Faith is sure when it relies on the word otherwise all other thoughts are but presumption and will fail a man in the time of need for what is faith but my assent to believe every word of God he hath commanded me to believe and so endeavour the practice of it Fifthly if none of these prevail there comes threatning then God swears that such as refuse shall never enter into his rest If a Prince should sue unto a Beggars Daughter for marriage and she should refuse and contemn him do you think he would be well pleased So it is with us when the King of Heavens Son sends unto us Will you
is to let slip this time This is the acceptable day Esay 55.6 Seek the Lord while he may be found call on him while he is near When a man refuses God's day God will not hear his prayer all his sighs and sobs his groans and cries shall not prevail Esay 66. I will choose their delusions and will bring their fears upon them because when I called none did answer when I spake they did not hear When men will needs be choosers of what God would not have God will have his choice too and it shall be that which will be displeasing to them I will choose their delusions and will bring their fears upon them HEBREWS 4.7 Again he limiteth a certain day saying in David to day after so long a time as it is said to day if you will hear his voyce harden not your hearts THe last day I entred on the opening of this place and shewed How the Lord had proposed a limited time for our conversion unto him in which we should hear and obey his voyce We shewed farther how it was Satan's policy to make men seem wiser than God that when God proposes a certain time and limits us a day wherein he will be found we will not have his but our own True say we God calls on us and it 's fit and convenient to hearken unto him but yet I 'll stay for a more seasonable opportunity There is nothing provokes God so much against us as when we will thus scorn that acceptable time he hath proposed Nor can there be a greater hinderance to repentance then to stop our ears at his counsels and to suffâ—r him to call and cry unto us so long and yet to abuse his patience by a foolish neglect It accuses us of Rebellion and high presumption on such infirm grounds to put from us the day of salvation Folly it is in the highest degree to trust on the future when as in our own hands we have neither space nor grace for such a business God is the Lord and owner of them both and will not part with his Prerogative Go to you that say to day or to morrow we will return unto the Lord You add to presumption both folly and Rebellion Jezebel had space to repent yet she repented not for she had not the grace that without this will not benefit Seeing then these are not in your power harden not your hearts as in the provocation nor offer despight unto the Holy Ghost by whom you are sealed to the day of redemption Ephes. 4.3 If we embrace not God's day we despise the riches of his goodness long suffering and patience Rom. 2.4 Despisest thou the riches of God's grace not knowing that the long-suffering of God leadeth to repentance There can be no higher presumption then this to bid defiance to the Spirit of God Nor can there be greater contempt of mercy then to set light of the time of our repentance and returning unto God making that the greatest argument of our delay which God uses to draw us to him God gives us space that we may repent and we repent not because he gives us space He gives us life that with fear and trembling we may set about the business of salvation and we through strong delusions put from us the proffers of his grace as if they were unseasonably offered What madness is it to frustrate the Almighty of his ends and purposes The Lord is not slack touching his promise 2 Pet. 3.9 It 's a great stop and hinderance to our progress in goodness and the work of repentance when we distrust God and take him not at his word He sends abroad his Embassadors who proclaim This is the accepted time this is the day of salvation to day if you will hear his voyce harden not your hearts 2 Cor. 6.2 Psalm 95.7 8. yet we put this day from us and say hereafter is a more acceptable time I have this delight this Pleasure to take first in the World I am not so weaned from it as I would be As if God would take it well from our hands that we should then return to him when there is no remedy I le first use all the pleasure the World affords me and then Lord have mercy on me will serve the turn This is the very stifling of the beginning and proceedings of Christianity Let this be well and speedily weigh'd as we tender our good and comfort Obj. But may some say what needs this hast may we not use leisure Soft and Fair goes far Sol. True Soft and Fair goes fairly in the way In this case though thou go but softly thou mayst come to thy journeys end but the doubt remains still there is a question whether thou art in the way or not Happy are we if we are although we can but halt and limp on in this way although this should be no ground for us to content our selves therewith We must not trifle in the wayes of holiness It 's that concerns our life and must be seriously thought on and that speedily too Mat. 5.25 Agree with thine Adversary quickly while thou art in the way with him God is thine Adversary unless thou agree with him speedily his patience will break forth into his fury Psal. 2.12 Kiss the Son lest he be angry and thou perish from the right way Thou hast no assurance of thy life thou mayst be snapt off whilst thou thinkest it time enough to repent and return As long as we go out of the way of repentance we are in the way to Hell and the farther a man goes in a wrong way the nearer is he to Hell and the greater ado to return back and in this regard Soft and Fair may go far but 't is far out of the way far in the way to perdition and destruction As long as we are out of the right way to Heaven and happiness we are in the path that leads directly to the Chambers of death But let me in this particular rip up the heart of a natural man What 's the reason that when God gives men a day and cries out This is the day of salvation this is the accepted time what in the name of God or the Devils name rather for he is the adversary who maligns our Salvation should cause them to put salvation from them To defer and desire a longer time Thus a natural man reasons with himself I cannot so soon be taken off from the Profits and pleasures of the World I hope to have a time when I shall with more ease and a greater composedness of mind bring my self to it or if it be not with so much ease yet I trust in a sufficient manner I shall do it Wherefore for the present I le enjoy the Profits and Delights of the State and Condition where I am I will solace my self with the pleasures of sin for a season I hope true repentance will never be too late This is well weighed
settest thy self against God and dost many things which others that have not received the same grace would not have done know then that thou receivest this grace in vain and thy case is lamentable 4. Consider God's great goodness which ought to restrain thee from sin upon a double account 1. First his goodness in himself should keep thee from offending him There 's nothing but goodness infinite goodness in him and canst thou find in thy heart to sin against so good a God To offend and wrong a good disposition'd person one of a sweet nature and affection it aggravates the fault 't is pity to wrong or hurt such a one as injures no body Now such a one is God a good God infinite in goodness rich in mercy very goodness it self and therefore it must needs aggravate the foulness of sin to sin against him But now he is not only thus in himself but 2. Secondly He 's good to thee Rom. 2. Despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance c. What hast thou that thou hast not received from his bountiful hand Consider of this and let this be a means to draw thee off from thy sinfulness When David had greatly sinned against God and when God brings his murther home to him he pleads thus with him When thou wert nothing in thine own eyes I brought thee saith God to the Kingdom I took thee from the sheep-fold and exalted thee and brought the to a plentiful house Vid. 2 Sam. 12.7 8. And may not God say the like to us and do you thus requite the Lord O you foolish people and unwise Deut. 32.6 that the more his mercy and goodness is to you the higher your sins should be against him 5. Besides consider more than all this we have the examples of good men before our eyes God commands us not what we cannot do If God had not set some before our eyes that walk in his ways and do his will then we might say that these are precepts that none can perform But we have patterns of whom we may say such a man I never knew to lye such a one never to swear and this should be a means to preserve us from sinning Heb. 11.7 Noah was a good man and being moved with fear set not at nought the threatning of God but built the Ark and thereby condemned the world His example condemned the world in that they followed it not although it were so good but continued in their great sins So art thou a wicked deboist person there is no good man but shall condemn thee by his example It 's a great crime in the land of uprightness to do wickedly Isa. 26.10 to be profane when the righteous by their blameless lives may teach thee otherwise 6. And lastly add to all the consideration of the multitude and weight of thy sins Hadst thou but sinned once or twice or in this or that it were somewhat tolerable But thy sins are great and many They are heavy and thou continually encreasest their weight and addest to their number Jer. 5.6 A lyon out of the forrest shall slay them and a wolf of the evening shall spoil them a leopard shall watch over their Cities and every one that goeth out thence shall be torn in pieces Why Because their transgressions are many and their back-slidings are encreased If thou hadst committed but two or three or four sins thou mightest have hope of pardon but when thou shalt never have done with thy God but wilt be still encreasing still multiplying thy sins then mayst thou expect to hear from Gods mouth that dreadful expostulation in the Prophet Jer. 5.7 How can I pardon thee Thus David sets out his own sins in their weight and number Psal. 38.4 Mine iniquities are gone over my head as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me The continual multiplying of them adds to their heap both in number and weight Thus I have shew'd you what the Law does in respect of sin the benefit of being under the Law that it makes sin appear in its own colours and sets it forth to be as indeed it is exceeding sinful But the Law does not yet leave sin nor let it scape thus But as the Law discovers our sinfulness and accursedness by sin its wretchedness and mans misery by it till his blessedness comes from the hand of his Jesus so it lays down the miserable estate which befals him for it If he will not spare God with his sins God will not spare him with his plagues Let us consider of this accursedness sin brings on us God will not let us go so but as long as we are under the Law we are under the Curse and till we are in Christ we can expect nothing but that which should come from the hand of a provoked God Assure thy self thou that pleasest thy self in thy abomonations that God will not take this at thine hands that by so base a creature as thou art so vile a thing as sin is should be committed against him But of the woful effects of sin which is Gods wrath we will speak the next time LAM 5.16 Woe unto us that we have sinned I Declared unto you heretofore what we are to consider in the state of a natural man a man that is not new fashioned new moulded a man that is not cut off from his own stock a man that is not ingrafted into Christ he is the son of sin he is the son of death First I shewed you his sinfulness and now Secondly I shall shew you his accursedness that which follows necessarily upon sin unrepented of I declared before what the nature of sin is And now I come to shew what the dreadful effects of sin are I mean the enevitable consequence that follows upon sin and that is woe and misery Woe unto us that we have sinned A woe is a short word but there lieth much in it Doct. Woe and anguish must follow him that continueth sinning against God And when we hear this from the Ministers of God it is as if we heard that Angel Rev. 8.13 flying through the midst of Heaven denouncing Woe woe woe to the Inhabitants of the earth The Ministers of God are his Angels and the same that I now deliver to you if an Angel should now come from Heaven he would deliver no other thing Therefore consider that it is a voice from Heaven that this woe woe woe shall rest upon the heads upon the bodies and souls of all them that will not yield unto God that will not stoop to him that will be their own masters and stand it out against him woe woe woe unto them all Woe unto us It 's the voice of the Church in general not of one man but but woe unto us that we have sinned That I may now declare unto you what these woes are note by the way that I speak not to any particular man but to every man in general It is not
that we must forsake all the sinful lusts of the flesh This is that which makes Baptism to be Baptism indeed to us The other thing required is that we forsake all Rom. 6.2 It is not confined to the very act but it hath a perpetual effect all the dayes of thy life I add it never hath its full effect till the day of our death the abolition of the whole body of sin That which we seal is not compleat till then till we have final grace The water of Baptism quenches the fire of Purgatory for it is not accomplished till final grace is received We are now under the Physicians hands then shall we be cured Baptism is not done onely at the Font which is a thing deceives many for it runs through our whole life nor hath it consummation till our dying day till we receive final grace The force and efficacy of Baptism is for the washing away of sin to morrow as well as the day past the death of sin is not till the death of the body and therefore it s said we must be buried with him by Baptism into his death Now at our death we receive final grace till when this washing and the vertue thereof hath not its consummation Let no man therefore deceive you with vain words take heed of looking on your selves in these false glasses think it not an easy thing to get Heaven the way is strait and the passage narrow There must be a striving to enter there must be an ascending into Heaven a motion contrary to nature And therefore it 's folly to think we shall drop into Heaven there must be a going upward if ever we will come thither EPH. 2.1 2 3. And you hath he quickned who were dead in trespasses and sins where in times past you walked according to the course of this World according to the Prince that ruleth in the Air the Spirit that worketh in the Children of disobedience Amongst whom also c. THE last time I declared unto you the duty that was necessarily required of us if we look to be saved that we must not onely take the matter speedily into consideration and not be deluded by our own hearts and the wiles of Satan but that we must not do it superficially or perfunctorily but must bring our selves to the true touchstone and not look upon our selves with false glasses because there is naturally in every one self-love and in these last and worst times men are apt to think better of themselves then they deserve If there be any beginning of goodness in them they think all is well when there is no greater danger in the World then being but half-Christians He thinks the half-Christian I mean that if he hath escaped the outward pollutions of the world through lust and be not so bad as formerly he hath been and not so bad as many men in the World are therefore he is well enough Whereas his end proves worse then his beginning This superficial repentance is but like the washing of a Hog the outside is onely wash't the swinish nature is not taken away There may be in this man some outward abstaining from the common gross sins of the World or those which he himself was subject unto but his disposition to sin is the same his nature is nothing changed there is no renovation no casting in a new mould which must be in us For it is not a little reforming will serve the turn no nor all the morality in the World nor all the common graces of Gods Spirit nor the outward change of the life they will not do unless we are quickned and have a new life wrought in us unless there be a supernatural working of Gods Spirit we can never enter into Heaven Therefore in this case it behoves every man to prove his own work Gal. 6.4 A thing men are hardly drawn unto to be exact examiners of themselves Coelo discendit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Heathen himself could say to know a mans self is a heavenly saying and it 's an heavenly thing indeed if we have an Heavenly Master to teach us The Devil taught Socrates a lesson that brought him from the study of natural to moral Philosophy whereby he knew himself yet the Devil knew morality could never teach him the lesson indeed All the morality in the World cannot teach a man to escape Hell We must have a better instructor herein than the Devil or our selves the Lord of Heaven must do it if ever we will be brought to know our selves aright St. Paul was brought up at the feet of Gamaliel one of the learnedst Doctors of the Pharisees and yet he could not teach him this When he studied the law he thought himâ—elf unblameable but coming to an higher and better Master he knows that in him that is in his flesh dwells no good thing Rom. 7. By self-examination a man may find many faults in himself but to find that which the Apostle afterwards found in himself to see the flesh a rottenness the sink of iniquity that is within him and to find himself so bad as indeed he is unless it please the Lord to open his eyes and to teach him he can never attain it Now we come to this place of the Apostle wherein we see the true glass of our selves the Spirit knows what we are better then our selves and the Spirit shews us that every man of us either was or is such as we are here set down to be We are first natural before we can be spiritual there is not a man but hath been or is yet a natural man and therefore see we the large description of a natural man before he is quickned before God which is rich in mercy enlivens him being dead in sins and saves him by grace in Christ. Thus is it with us all and thus must it be and we shall never be fit for grace till we know our selves thus far till we know our selves as far out of frame as the Spirit of truth declares us to be In this place of Scripture consider we 1. Who this carnal man is what they are which the Apostle speaks of to be dead in sins and that walk after the course of the World led by the Devil and have their conversation after the flesh Children of wrath These are big words and heavy things Consider first the subject of whom this is spoken Then follows the Praedicate or 2. What that ill news is which he delivers of them We begin with the first 1. Who they are of whom this is spoken and that is you You hath he quickned who were dead and ye in the words following that in times past walked after the course of the world and in the third verse more particularly Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past He speaks now in the first person as before in the second so that the subject is we all and ye all Not a man in
it to hurt and wound us So that we may look on sin as the Barbarians looked on the viper on Pauls hand they expected continually when he would have swollen and burst Sin bites like a Snake which is called a fiery Serpent not that the Serpent is fiery but because it puts a man into such a flaming heat by their poyson And such is the sting of sin which carries poyson in it that had we but eyes to see our ugliness by it and how it inflames us we should continually every day look when we should burst with it The Apostle James 1.15 useth another metaphor Sin when it is accomplished bringeth forth death 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith the Original sin goeth as it were with child with death The word is proper to Women in labour who are in torment till they are delivered Now as if sin were this Woman he useth it in the faeminine gender 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So it is with sin sin is in pain cries out hath no rest till it be delivered of this dead birth till it have brought forth death That is sin grows great with child with death and then it not only deserves death but it produceth and actually brings forth This is generally so Now consider with your selves death is a fearful thing When we come to talk of death how doth it amaze us The Priests of Nob are brought before Saul for relieving David and he saith Thou shalt surely die Ahimelech And this is your case you shall surely die death is terrible even to a good man As appears in Hezekiah who though he were a good man yet with how sad a heart doth he entertain the message of death The news of it affrighted him it went to his heart it made him turn to the wall and weep How cometh it to pass that we are so careless of death That we are so full of infidelity that when the word of God saith Thou shalt die Ahimelech we are not at all moved by it What can we think these are Fables Do we think God is not in earnest with us And by this means we fall into the temptation of Eve a questioning whether Gods threats are true or not That which was the deceit of our first Parents is ours Satan disputes not whether sin be lawful or not Whether eating the fruit were unlawful Whether Drunkenness c. Be lawful he 'l not deny but it is unlawful But when God saith If thou dost eat c. Thou shalt die he denies it and saith ye shall not die He would hide our eyes from the punishment of sin Thus we lost our selves at the first and the Floods of sin came on in this manner When we believed not God when he said If thou dost eat thou shalt surely die And shall we renew that Capital sin of our Parents and think if we do sin we shall not die If any thing in the World will move God to shew us no mercy it 's this when we sleight his Judgments or not believe them This adds to the height of all our sins that when God saith if thou dost live in sin thou shalt die and yet we will not believe him That when she shall come and threaten us as he doth Dâ—ut 29. v. 19. When he shall curse and we shall bless our selves in our hearts and say we shall have peace though we go on c. v. 20. The Lord will not spare that man but the anger of the Lord and his jealousie shall smoke against him It is no small sin when we will not believe God This is as being thirsty before we now add Drunkenness to our thirst That is when God shall thus pronounce curses he shall yet bless himself and say I hope I shall do well enough for all that There are two words to that bargain Then see what follows The anger of the Lord and his jealousie shall smoke against that man c. We are but now entred into the point but it would make your hearts ake and throb within you if you should hear the particulars of it All that I have done is to perswade you to make a right choice to take heed of Satans delusions Why will ye die Ezek. 33.11 Therefore cast away your sins and make you a new heart and a new spirit for why will you die Ezek. 18.31 Where the Golded Candlestick stands there Christ walks there he saith I am with you Where the Word and Sacraments are there Christ is and when the Word shakes thy heart take that time now choose life Why will you die Consider of the matter Moses put before the people life and death blessing and cursing Deut. 30.15 19. We put life and death before you in a better manner He was a Minister of the letter we of the spirit 2 Cor. 3.6 Now choose life But if you will not hearken but will needs try conclusions with God therefore because you will choose your own conclusions and will not hearken unto God because you will needs try conclusions with him will not obey him when he calls therefore he will turn his deaf ear unto you and when you call and cry he will not answer Prov. 1.28 I press this the more to move you to make a right choice But now to turn to the other side as there is nothing but death for the wages of sin and as I have shewed you where death is So give me leave to direct you to the Fountain of life There is life in our blessed Saviour if we have but an hand of faith to touch him we shall draw vertue from him to raise us up from the death of sin to the life of righteousness 1 John 5.12 He that hath the Son hath life he that hath not the Son hath not life You have heard of a death that comes by the first Adam and sin and to that stock of Original sin we had from him we have added a great heap of our own actual sins and so have treasured up unto our selves wrath against the day of wrath Rom. 2.5 Now here is a great treasure of happiness on the other side in Christ have the Son and have life The question is now whether you will choose Christ and life or sin and death Consider now the Minister stands in Gods stead and beseeches you in his name he speaks not of himself but from Christ. When he draws near to thee with Christs broken body and his blood shed and thou receivest Christ then as thy natural life and strength is preserved and encreased by these Elements so hast thou also spiritual life by Christ. If a man be kept from nourishment a while we know what death he must die If we receive not Christ we cannot have life we know that there is life to be had from Christ and he that shall by a true and lively faith receive Christ shall have life by him There is as it were a pair of Indentures drawn up between God and a
speak so brutish were they to be led away by stocks and stones I think the Papist Gods cannot do it unless it be by couzenage yet such is their senselesness that though Gods fury be revealed from Heaven against Papists such as worship false Gods yet are they so brutish that they will worship things which can neither hear nor see nor walk They that made them are like unto them and so are all they that worship them as brutish as the stocks themselves They have no heart to God but will follow after their puppets and their Idols and such are they also that follow after their drunkenness covetousness c Who live in lasciviousness lusts excess of riot 1 Pet. 4.2 that run into all kind of excess and marvel that you do not so too They marvel that ye that fear God can live as ye do and speak evil of you that be good call such Hypocrites Dissemblers and I know not what nick-names This I say is a most woful condition it 's that dead blow When men are not sensible of Mercies of Judgments but run into all excess of sin with greediness And this is a death begun in this life even while they are above ground But then comes another death God doth not intend sin shall grow to an infinite weight His Spirit shall not alwayes strive with man but at length God comes and crops him off and now cometh the consummation of the death begun in this life Now cometh an accursed death 3. After thou hast lived an accursed life then cometh an accomplishment of curses First a cursed separation between body and soul and then of both from God for ever and this is the last payment This is that great death which the Apostle speaks of Who delivered us from that great death 2 Cor. 1.10 So terrible is that death This death is but the severing of the body from the Soul This is but the Lords Harbinger the Lords Serjeant to lay his Mace on thee to bring thee out of this World into a place of everlasting misery from whence thou shalt never come till all be satisfied and this is never First Consider the nature of this death which though every man knoweth yet few lay to heart This death what doth it First it takes the things which thou spentst thy whole life in getting It robs thee of all the things thou ever hadst Thou hast taken pains to heap and treasure up goods for many yeors presently when this blow is given all is gone For honour and preferment it takes thee from that pleasure in idle company-keeping it bars thee of that Mark this is the first thing that death doth it takes not onely away a part of that thou hast but all it leaves thee quite naked as naked as when thou camest into the World Thou thoughtst it was thy happiness to get this and that Death now begins to unbewitch thee thou wast bewitched before when thou didst run after all wordly things Thou wast deceived before and now it undeceives thee it makes thee see what a notorious fool thou wast it unbefools thee Thou hadst many plots and many projects but when thy breath is gone then without any delay in that very day saith the Psalmist all thy thoughts perish Psal. 146.4 all thy plottings and projections go away with thy breath A strange thing to see a man with Job the richest man in the East and yet in the evening we say as poor as Job He hath nothing left him now Now though death takes not all things from thee yet it takes thee from them all and so in effect them also from thee though they remain in thy house and grounds yet they are as far removed from thee is ahou from them All thy goods all thy books all thy wealth all thy friends thou mayst now bid farewel now adieu for ever never to see them again And that is the first thing 2. Now death rests not there but cometh to seize upon thy body It hath bereaved thee of all that thou possessedst of all thy outward things they are taken away Now it comes to touch the wicked mans person and see what then It toucheth him it rents his soul from his body those two loving companions that have so long dwelt together are now separated It takes thy soul from thy body This man doth not deliver up his spirit as we read of our Saviour Father into thy hands I commit my spirit or deliver their spirits as Stephen did But here it 's taken from them it 's much against his mind it 's a pulling of himself from himself This it doth 3. But then again when thou art thus pulled asunder what becomes of the parts separated 1. First The body as soon as the soul is taken from it hastens to corruption that must see corruption yea it becomes so full of corruption that thy dearest friend cannot then endure to come near unto thee When the soul is taken from the body it 's observed that of all carkasses that are mans is the most loathsome none so odious as that Abraham loved Sarah well but when he comes to buy a monument for her see his expression Gen. 23.8 He communes with the men and saith if it be your mind to sell me the field that I might bury my dead out of my sight Though he loved her very well before yet now she must be buried out of his sight It is sown in dishonour and it 's the basest thing that can be Therefore when our Saviour was going near to the place where Lazarus lay his Sister saith Lord by this time he stinketh Joh. 11.39 I have said to corruption thou art my Father saith Job and to the worm thou art my Mother and my Sister Job 17.14 As in the verse before The grave is my house I have made my bed in the darkness Here then he hath a new kindred and though before he had affinity with the greatest yet here he gets new affinity He saith to corruption thou art my Father and to the worm thou art my Mother and my Sister The worm is our best kindred here the worm then is our best bed yea worms thy best covering as Esay 14.11 Thus is it thy Father thy Mother and thy Bed nay it is thy consumption and destroyer also Job 26. Thus is it with thy body it passeth to corruption that thy best or dearest friend cannot behold it or endure it 2. But alas what becomes of thy soul then Thy soul appears naked there 's no garment to defend it no Proctor appears to plead for it It is brought singly to the bar and there it must answer It is appointed for all men once to dye but what then And after that to come to judgmâ—nt Heb. 9.27 Eccles. 12.7 The body returns unto the earth from whence it was taken but the Spirit to God who gave it All mens spirits assoon as their bodies and souls are parted go to God to be disposed
God It 's a saying of Moses Psal. 90.11 for 't is Moses Psal. Who knoweth the power of thine anger The power of Gods anger is unknown And so in his Song Deut. 32.22 he sets it out in some measure A fire is kindled in mine anger which shall burn unto the lowest Hell c. Mat. 25.41 So that the King being thus provoked is provoked to curse thee Mat. 29. It 's put into the form of thy sentence this cursing shall be thy lot in hell it shall be thy very sentence Go ye cursed into everlasting fire There is nothing but cursing As Job cursed himself and the day of his birth so then shall cursing be all thy song thou wilt curse thy self that thou didst not hearken to the Preacher that thou wouldst not accept of Christ and the means of mercy and grace when it was offered thee And thou wilt curse the time thou wert acquainted with this man and that man and others will curse thee for drawing them to sin God curses thee and man curses thee and God curses not in vain when he curses Others will curse thee and thou thy self and others and think then how cursed will be thy condition All the curses that cannot be thought on shall rest on the head of an impenitent sinner to shew Gods terrible and just indignation against him O beloved to deliver us from this curse Christ the Son of God was made a curse for us the curse is so great nought else can free us from it But now that I may rank these punishments of the damned and bring them for memories sake into some order although there be no order there for it 's a place of confusion Job 11.22 you may consider that the penalties of Gods enemies are penalties partly of loss and partly of sense 1. Of loss And that consists in the deprivation of every thing that might administer the least comfort to him and for this cause Hell is termed utter darkness Now darkness is a privation of all light so is Hell of all comfort to shew that there is not the least thing that may give thee content nor is the poorest thing thou canst desire to be had there Darkness was one of the plagues of Egypt though there were no kind of sense in it yet we may think what a plague and vexation it was to them to sit so long in dâ—rkness The darkness of Hell is darker then darkness it self They shall never see light Psal. 49.19 saith the Scripture they shall not have so much as a glimpse of it To be cast into this utter darkness where shall be nothing to administer the least comfort what an infinite misery will that be Were it only the loss of the things we now possess and enjoy of all which death robs us as pomp honour riches and preferment this were grievous to a wickâ—d man These are things death dispossesses a man of these cannot follow him nought but thy works accompany thee Thy friends may follow thee to the grave but there they shall leave thee To have been happy and to be miserable is the greatest woe to have lived in good fashion and to be wretched is the greatest grief How will this add to the sinners misery when he shall say to himself I had once all good things about me but have now for my portion nothing but woe I had a bed of down but it is now exchanged for a bed of fire I was once honourable but now I am full of shame and contempt this will greatly add to his misery But all this is nothing these are but the beginnings of his sorrow in regard of loss for a man to be rich and wealthy to day and to morrow to be stript of all and left not worth a groat to have all swept away this is a woeful case 2. But if this be so grievous what is it to lose Heaven Certainly to lose the highâ—st and greatest good is the greatest evil and punishment that can be inflicted upon a creature Which makes many Divines think that the penalties of loss are far greater then those of sense though they seem not to make that imprâ—ssion It 's another thing to judge of things by sense then by loss As for example a man is greatly troubled with the tooth-ach and he thinks his case more miserable then any and thinks no man ever endur'd so much misery as himself he judges of his misery by sense Another man is in the consumption and he hath little or no pain at all yet if a man come with a right judgment he will judge his condition far worse then the others So take all the pains in Hell though sense may say they are the greatest that can be yet discreet judgment can say that the loss of God the greatest good is the worst of evils Now if thou be a firebrand of Hell thou must be for ever banish'd from Gods presence Thou base wretch dost thou think Heaven a place for thee Not so ' Tis. without are dogs and sorcerers c. Revel 22.15 Thou art a damned dog therefore thou must out from God and from the company of the blessed Saints and Angels When Peter saw Moses and Elias with Christ in his Transfiguration though he had but a glimpse of glory yet he saith It is good for us to be here Mat. 17.14 But oh how infinite good will it be to be in Heaven How shall we be then rapt up with glory when we shall be for ever with the Lord 1 Thes. 4.17 in whose presence is fulness of joy and at whose right hand there are pleasures for evermore Psal. 16.11 On the contrary how exceeding terrible will it be to be shut out from the presence of God When God shall say avaunt hence whip out this dog what doth he here Let him not defile this room this is no place for such a filthy dog Oh the unspeakable horrour and dread Oh the infinite shame of that man who is in such a case But this is not all There is yet one thing more the wicked shall not only be banished from Gods gracious presence and cast into Hell but this shall be done in the sight of Heaven The glorious Saints of God have continually a sight of Gods justice upon sinners that they may glorifie his mercy the more The Scripture runs much to this purpose Rev. 14.10 If any man worship the beast and his image the same shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of God and of his holy Angels This in the 9th verse is the portion of them that worship the beast that is the Pope and receive the mark of his name That is if any will be an express publick or private Papist if any one will be a slave to the Pope see his portion he shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God and be banished from the society of holy Angels and be tormented with hell fire in their presence Oh what a
it was part of his Priest-hood to offer up himself The Sacrifices in the old Law that typified him were only sufferers The poor beasts were only passive but our Saviour he must be an Actor in the business He was active in all that he suffered He did it in obedience to his Fathers Will yet he was an Agent in all his Passions John 11.43 He groaned in Spirit and was troubled the Greek is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or as it is in the Margent He troubled himself With us in our Passions it is otherwise we are meer sufferers Our Saviour was a Conqueror over all his passions and therefore unless he would trouble himself none else could trouble him unless he would lay down his life none could take it from him unless he would give his cheek to be smitten the Jews had no power to smite it Isa. 50.6 I gave my back to the smiters and my cheeks to them that pluckt off the hair and hid not my face from shame and spitting In all these we should consider our Saviour not as a Sacrifice only but a Sacrificer also an Actor in all this business their wicked hands were not more ready to smite then he was to give his face to be smitten and all to shew that it was a voluntary Sacrifice He did all himself He humbled himself unto the death Phil. 2.8 And now by all this we see what we have gotten we have gotten a remedy and satisfaction for sins That precious blood of that immaculate Lamb takes away the sins of the world because it is the Lamb of God under which else the World would have eternally groaned Object But doth this Lamb of God take away all the sins of the world Sol. It doth not actually take away all the sins of the world but virtually It hath power to do it if it be rightly applyed the Sacrifice hath such vertue in it that if all the World would take it and apply it it would expiate and remove the sins of the whole World but it is here as with medicines they do not help being prepared but being applied Rhubarb purgeth choler yet not unless applied c. Exod. 39.38 there is mention made of a Golden Altar Christ is this Golden Altar to shew that his blood is most precious We are not redeemed with silver and gold but with the precious blood of Jesus Christ 1 Pet. 1.18 19. Rev. 8.3 9.13 He is that golden Alter mentioned in the Revelation which stands before the Throne He was likewise to be a brazen altar for so much was to be put upon him that unless he were of brass and had infinite strength he would have sunk under the burden Its Jobs Metaphor Job in his passion saith Is my strength the strength of stones or is my flesh brass Job 6.12 If Christs flesh had not been brass if he had not been this brazen Altar he could never have gone through these now he is prepared for us a sacrifice for sin Rom. 8.3 For what the Law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin for sin make a stop there condemned sin in the flesh This same for sin hath not reference to condemned To condemn sin for sin is not good sense but the words depend on this God sent his Son that is God sent his Son to be a Sacrifice for sin 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the word is translated Heb. 10.6 a sacrifice for sin It was impossible the Law should save us not because of any imperfection or failing in the Law but because our weakness is such as that we could not perform the conditions therefore God was not tyed to promises by reason then of the weakness of our flesh rather than we should perish God sent his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and in that flesh of his condemned all our sins we need not look that sin should be condemned in us when he bare our sins on the tree then were our sins condemned therefore it 's said Isai. 53. When he had made his soul an offering for sin that is in the Original when he had made his soul sin then he saw his seed Isa. 57. We come now to the second thing if Christ be offered for us yet unless he offer him to us unless any man may have interest in him it 's nothing worth Here then stands the Mystery of the Gospel Christ when he comes to offer himself to us he finds not a whit in us that is to be respected nothing And that is the ground of all disturbance to ignorant consciences for there is naturally in men pride and ignorance they think they may not meddle with Christ through Gods Mercy unless they bring something unless they have something of their own to lay down This is to buy Christ to barter betwixt Christ and the soul but salvation is a free gift of God As the Apostle speaks Christ is freely given unto thee when thou hadst nothing of worth in thee Faith when it comes empties thee of all that is in thee To whom is the Gospel preached to the dead Now before Christ quicken thee thou art stark dead rotting in thy sins Here 's the point then when there is no manner of goodness in thee in the world In me saith St. Paul that is in my flesh there is no good thing When I have been the most outragious sinner I may lay hold on Christ. Christ comes and offers himself to thee Now when Christ offers the other part of the relation holds we may take We have an interest to accept what he proffers Consider it by an example If one give me a million and I receive it not I am never the richer and so if God offer me his Son and with him all things I am nothing the better if I receive him not That he is born and given what is that to us unless we can say To us a child is born to us a Son is given Isa. 9.6 Faith comes with a naked hand to receive that which is given we must empty our selves of what is in us Consider thy estate the Lord sets dowâ— how it is with us when he comes to look upon us Ezek. 16.6 And when I passed by thee and saw thee polluted in thy blood I said unto thee when thou wâ—rt in thy blood live Why is this â—et down It 's to shew how God finds nothing in us when he comes to shew Mercy He finds nothing in us that is lovely when he comes to bestow his Son upon us For it is said Rev 1.5 That Christ loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood He doth first cast his eyes upon us when we are unwashed as I may say unwashed and unblessed When no eye pittied thee and thou wast cast out in the open fiâ—ld when thou wast in thy blood I said unto thee live when he comes
unto it By the way then take notice of the filthiness of sin how filthy is it that the Lord compares it to the vomit of a dog Then there follows another comparison of it It is as the Sow that is washed and returns to her wallowing in the mire See another loathsome resemblance of this temporary faith the Sow was washed but how her swinish nature was not washed from her as long as the Sow is kept from the mire in a fair Meadow with the Sheep she looks as sleek and clean as they she was washed there is an external change but her nature remained bring the Sow and the sheep to a puddle the sheep will not go in because it hath no swinish nature but the other retaining its swinish nature though before in outward appearance as clean as the sheep was yet she goes again to her wallowing in the mire There may be the casting away of a man's sins and yet no new creature wrought in him That I may shew this to you take this example A man known to be as covetous a man as liveth he loveth his money as well as his God yet perchance this man is brought in danger of the Law and must be hanged for some misdemeanor committed this man to save his life will part with all he hath What is his disposition changed no not a whit he is as covetous as before he is the same man he doth it to save his life and to this end he is content to part with his money The same mind had those in the Acts of the Apostles who in a storm cast their wares into the Sea with their own hands Act. 27. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 willingly and yet half unwillingly for the saving of their lives they would part with these things yet it was with a great deal of repining and reluctancy As we read of Phaltiel when his wife was taken from him he followed behind weeping 2 Sam. 3.16 till they bid him be gone and return back So these men forsake their sins and hate them but it is but imperfectly they part with them but they part weeping Well at this parting there may be a great deal of joy it may taste not only the sweetness of the Word of God but because they are in a disposition and way to salvation they may have some kind of feeling of the joys and taste of the powers of the world to come as the Apostle speaks Heb. 6.4 It is impossible for those who were once enlightned and have tasted of the heavenly gift and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost c. There is a supernatural work wrought in them and they have tasted the good Word of the Lord they begin to have some hope and rejoyce in the glory of the world to come What is the difference then here is a tasting but as it is Joh. 6.54 it is not said he that tastes my flesh and tastes my blood but he that eats my flesh and drinks my blood hath eternal life There is a difference betwixt tasting and drinking there may be a tasting without drinking and the Text saith Matth. 27.34 When they gave Christ Vinegar he tasted thereof but would not drink He that can take a full draught of Christ crucified he shall never thirst but shall be as a springing fountain that springeth up to everlasting life but it shall not be so with him that doth but taste The Vintner goes round the Cellar and tastes every Vessel he takes it into his mouth and spits it out again and yet knows by the tasting whether it be good or bad the wine goeth but to his palate it reaches not the stomach So a temporary believer tastes and feels what an excellent thing it is to have communion with Christ and to be made partaker of his glory but he does but taste it Look in Hosea 5.15 where we have another instance of this temporary Believer Ye would think they sought in God in a good sort and in as good a manner as one could desire well but how did they seek him It was only upon occasion in time of affliction I will go and return to my place until they acknowledge their offence and seek my face in their affliction they will seek me early and again Hosea 6.4 The Lord complains of them notwithstanding They will in their affliction seek me early Was not this a fair returning Come say they let us return unto the Lord for he hath torn and he will heal us c. What a deal of comfort did they seem to gather from the wayes of the Lord But see what follows Hosea 6.4 O Ephraim saith the Lord what shall I do unto thee O Judah what shall I do unto thee For your goodness is as the morning cloud and as the early dew it goeth away that is it is but a temporary thing wrought by affliction which will not abide As when a wicked man on his death-bed desires that God would spare him and restore him to his health and that he would become a new man all this comes but from the terrours of death for it oft proves that if God restores him he becomes as bad if not worse than ever he was before But that I may not hold you too long 2. Take this for another difference That Gods children can as earnestly desire grace as mercy The temporary desire mercy but never desire grace The believer desires grace to have his nature healed to hate his former conversation The temporary never had nor never will have this desire should one come to the temporary believer and tell him God will be merciful unto him you may go on and take your fill of sin you shall be sure of mercy he would like this well and think it the welcomest news as could be because he only fears damnation and self-love makes him only desire freedome from that but now the child of God hates sin though there were no Hell Judge nor Tormentor he begs as hard of God for grace as for mercy and would do so were there no punishment His nature being chang'd he desireth grace as well as mercy which the temporary never does 3. The last mark is from the words of the Apostle Neither circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but faith which worketh by love Love and the new creature puts Gods children on work their hearts are first altered and changed by being made new creatures As the Scripture saith his flesh is circumcised he is a dead man dead not as formerly in trespasses and sins but dead unto them Ephes. 2.1 Rom. 6.11 Deadness argueth impotency of doing those things which a living man doth he cannot walk c. The temporary will not sin for fear of after-claps but this man cannot sin his heart is changed he is dead to sin we see how both abstain from sin but the temper and disposition is not alike The temporary believer perchance commits not the sin but he could find
to him for righteousness But doth God justifie the ungodly that 's a hard speech we read in the Proverbs 17.15 He that justifieth the wicked and condemneth the just even they both are abomination to the Lord. But here we must understand this as we do some other Scriptures we read in S. Luke 7.22 that the blind see the lame walk the dumb speak It 's impossible for a man to be blind and see to be dumb and speak all at once yet take the chief of sinners suppose Paul and he was so in his own account but the act of justification alters him God justifies the ungodly that is him that was even now so but by the imputation of Christ's righteousness he is made righteous that is righteous in God's account And indeed justification in S. Paul's acception importing the remission of sins the person justified must of necessity be supposed to have been a sinner otherwise remission of sins would no more concern him than repentance doth the holy Angels which never offended But in proceeding in this point I did reflect a little back God finds a man with a number of sins full of sin and forgives these sins now I demanded this how far doth this justification and forgiveness extend to sins past alone or to sins past and to come And I answered that we must consider this matter two ways First to justifie a mans person simply and then to justifie a man from this or that particular act The phrase is used in Scripture Acts 13.39 And by him all that believe are justified from all things from which ye could not be justified by the Law of Moses There is justification from this or that thing There is first Justification of a man's person he that was an enemy is now made a friend he is now no longer a stranger at home but is in the list of God's houshold Now this we say no sooner doth a man receive it but the self-same hour that he receiveth it the bond is cancell'd the evidence is torn and fastened to the Cross of Christ and hangs up among the Records whereas before it was an evidence against us and would have lain heavy on us at the bar but now it is fastened to the Cross as a cancell'd Record the bond is become void Secondly but now when we consider justification from this or that particular act I declared that so a man is only justified from sins past for it is contrary to reason and Scripture that a man should be justified from sins to come For Scripture the Apostle hath it Rom. 3.25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past through the forbearance of God and it is clear also from the nature of the thing A thing cannot be remitted before it be committed nor covered before it had an existence nor blotted out before it be written Therefore justification from such or such a fault must have relation to that which is past but for justification for the time to come I will speak anon there I left the last time I have now faith and I believe in Christ I have now relation to him and remission of sins past But why then do I pray for it to what end is that Bellarmine objects that it is an act of infidelity to pray for it afterwards but we do it and we ought to do it see Psal. 51. David made that Psalm after the Prophet Nathan had told him his sin was pardoned See the title of it and we must know that the title is a part of God's word as well as the rest A Psalm of David when Nathan came unto him after he had gone in unto Bathsheba Nathan told him that God had took away his sin Yet he cryeth here throughout the whole Psalm to have his sin pardoned and blotted out so that though there were faith and assurance yet he still prays for it Now Bellarmine saith this cannot be but doth he dispute against our opinion no he disputes against the Holy Ghost for David having received a message of forgiveness yet prays Therefore if the Jesuit had grace he would joyn with us to salve the matter rather than through our sides to strike at God But it is a Fallacy to joyn these two together for a man to pray for a thing past it is an act of infidelity as to pray that God would create the world and incarnate his Son I answer there is difference between an act done and an act continued when the World was made by God God had finished that work And when Christ took our flesh upon him the act was done but the forgiveness of sin is a continued act which holds to day and to morrow and world without end God is pleased not to impute thy sins but cover them Now this covering is no constant act but upon a supposition of constant indulgence which ought to be solicited by constant prayer I may cover a thing now and uncover it again now forgiveness of sin being an act not complete but continued and continued world without end and therefore we say the Saints in Heaven are justified by imputative righteousness God's continuance of his act of mercy The point then is this As long as we continue in the world and by contrary acts of disobedience continue to provoke God to discontinue his former acts of mercy and our sins being but covered therefore so long must we pray for forgiveness When the servant had humbled himself before his Lord it is said The Lord of that servant loosed him and forgave him the debt Mat. 18.27 But though he forgave him yet he did another act that caused his Lord to discontinue his pardon Matth. 18.33 Shouldst not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow-servant as I had pity on thee He had pity on him yet since he doth another act which turns his Lord's heart against him therefore he is now cast into prison and he must not come out thence till he hath paid the utmost farthing He had forgave him to day and to morrow and would have continued his forgiveness if he had not thus provoked him we must pray to God to continue his acts of mercy because we continually provoke him by new acts of rebellion Add to this The King grants a pardon to a man In all Patents of pardon there is a clause that the man must renew his Patent If forgiveness may be renewed then those things are to be renewed again by which the renovation of my remission may be wrought God would have me renew my acts of faith and if of faith why not of repentance and of prayer There is a singular place in Ezek. 36.29 35 37. that makes it plain That though God intends to do the thing yet he appoints this to be the means Thus saith the Lord God I will yet for this be enquired of by the house of Israel to
can there be any better news than to say All is peace all your sins are done away I have blotted as a thick cloud thy transgressions as who should say it is the tydings of such good things as all within thee is too little to praise the Lord and therefore it is not a thing to be slighted over blessed is the man whose sins are forgiven Psal. 32. which is no Noun Adjective nor of the singular number neither it signifieth blessednesses as it were an heap of blessings They commonly call it the eight beatitudes it is but varied upon divers subjects were there eighty eight that were all one To have thy sins forgiven thee is the comprising of all happiness and he whose iniquity is covered hath interest in them all Again when a man sets his eyes too much upon his sins more upon his sins than upon the mercies of God freely offered in Christ this is a wonderful hinderance of the peace Thou lookest on the wrong object looking too much on thy sins when thou shouldst look on Christ that brazen Serpent offered unto thee then 't is no wonder that thou seest not Christ though he be near thee Mary Magdalen complains and weeps as she thought to the Gardener that they had taken away her Lord and she knew not where they had laid him when as he stood at her elbow her eyes were so full of tears that she could not behold her Saviour Now therefore stand not in thine own light but look upon Christ as well as upon thy sins observe though there be a peace and a calm yet presently all turmoils will not cease after humiliation When there is a great storm at Sea which lasts perhaps twenty four hours and then ceaseth what are the waves presently quiet as soon as the storm is over no there will be tossing and rolling many hours afterwards because there must be a time of setling and so though there be peace between God and thee and the storm over yet there must be a time of setling I should now shew you the difference between the peace that wicked men have and this other peace theirs is not peace There is no peace to the wicked It 's a truce only and we must make a great difference between a truce and a peace A truce when it is expired commonly ends in more bitter War With them there is a cessation of trouble their consciences do not accuse them but when the time limited is over and conscience again breaks loose it will be more unquiet and unsetled than ever before it will be at open war against them ROM 5.1 Therefore being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand and rejoyce in hope of the glory of God HAving out of these words declared unto you the Mother-grace justification by faith I proceed to the consideration of her Daughters those fruits or graces which spring from a true justifying faitb So that here we have the great Charter and Privilege that a justified man is indowed withal First He hath peace with God Secondly Free access unto him Thirdly Vnspeakable joy and that joy not only in respect of that delectable object the hope of the glory of God in heaven hereafter but here also that which spoils the joy of a natural man afflictions c. are made the matter of this mans joy Now concerning peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ the first of â—hese I considered three parts in it 1. What the peace was which the justified man enjoyeth 2. The parties between whom this peace was made 3. Who was the peace maker Concerning the peace I declared unto you what it was that it was an unconceivable thing The peace of God that passeth all understanding a thing which our shallow understandings cannot reach unto we cannot apprehend the excellency of this grace Consider itâ— excellency by the contrary there is no misery in the world like that as when a man stands at enmity with God Do we provoke the Lord Are we stronger then he 1 Cor. 10.22 If a man sin against a man saith Eli the Judge shall judge him another man may take up the quarrel but if a man sin against God if the controversie be between God and us who shall intercede for us 1 Sam. 2.25 Were it not for this our peace-maker Christ Jesus we should be in a woful condition unless he put to his hand and took up the matter Now it is a great matter to come to the fruit of peace the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace Jam. 3.18 We have this fruit of peace from righteousness we do not sow fruit but seed the fruit comes afterwards It is not so with a Christian he is as sure as if the thing where in hand he soweth not only the seed but the fruit of peace in righteousness that is in that application of Christs righteousness to his justification as soon as he is justified at that instant he hath the fruit of peace So we have peace but with whom is it it is between God and us God and a justified man is at peace through Jesus Christ at the very same instant that a man is justified he is at peace with God This peace as I declared unto you is a gift of an high nature which belongs not to every man but to the justified man only he who is justified by faith he only hath peace In the Ephesians and Isaiah there are general proclamations of peace Peace be unto them that are near and unto them that are afar off and Isa. 57.19 The word the Apostle useth in the Ephesians hath allusion to this in Isaiah vers 19. I create the fruit of the lips peace peace to them that are afar off and to them that are nigh saith the Lord and I will heal them but the wicked are like a troubled Sea that cannot rest There is no peace saith my God to the wicked Though the proclamation be never so general to Jews and Gentiles yet it belongs only to those who have peaceable minds towards God those who will not stand on terms of rebellion against him What madness is it to think that if I stand in point of rebellion against God I should have peace with him But I must cast down my arms renounce my treasons and I must come with a subject's mind then there will be peace otherwise no peace When Jehu came to revenge the quarrel of God Joram asked him Is it peace Jehu he answers What peace so long as the whoredoms of thy mother Jezabel and her witch-crafts are so many 2 King 9.22 As long as thou continuest in a course of rebellion what hast thou to do to talk of peace Why thinkest thou on peace when thou art the chief rebel As long as wickedness continues in thy heart thou hast no peace of God by
his Word and therefore I will not let go Such a strong faith had Abraham contrary to reason God's Word is true he gives me his Word and I will trust him So a child of God will not be put off though God write bitter things against him he will not forego him We have an excellent example in the woman of Canaan the end of it is O woman great is thy faith Matth. 15.28 But how doth the greatness of it appear Lord have mery upon me my Daughter is grievously afflicted c. Why not rather Lord have mercy on my daughter the reason is because she was afflicted in her daughter's affliction By the way we may hereby understand the meaning of the Commandment where it is said he will visit the iniquities of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate him But why to the third and fourth generation because I may see the third and fourth generation and may see the judgment of God on them and may remember my sin for which they are plagued the case is mine and not theirs only Lord have mercy upon me for my daughter is diseased I see my own sin is punished by the judgment on her in my sight Poor woman Christ will not hear her she might have been dashed out of countenance the Disciples were weary of her clamorous cryes and say Send her away for she troubleth us What saith Christ Is it fit to take the children's bread and cast it unto dogs This was enough to dash her quite before she was discouraged by silence but to be called dog it were enough quite to discourage her but see the fruit of faith she seeks comfort of that which would have undone another What am I a dog under the table there I shall get a crum others of the children that are better let them have the loaves I account my self happy if I may but get a crum O woman great is thy faith This is great faith when it goes contrary to all sense that when God calls me dog when he spurns at me and frowns on me I will not be put off Faith is of the nature of the Vine if it have but the least hold on the wall it makes use of it and climbs higher and higher So out of the least thing that drops from her Saviours mouth she raiseth her faith higher So though we have this peace with God yet oft times he with holds the notification of it to us 3. The last thing is to note the difference between the peace of a carnal and a spiritual man carnal peace is mixed with a great deal of presumption and pride but the more spiritual peace thou hast the more thou art dejected in thy self the more cast down see it in Ezekiel Ezek. 16.60 61 62 63. I will establish with thee an everlasting Covenant then shalt thou remember thy ways and be ashamed when thou shalt receive thy sisters thy elder and thy younger and I will give them unto thee for daughters but not by thy Covenant and I will establish my Covenant with thee and thou shalt know that I am the Lord that thou mayest remember and be confounded and never open thy mouth any more because of thy shame when I am pacified towards thee for all that thou hast done saith the Lord When God is pacified yet they hold down their heads and are ashamed when a man knoweth that God hath pardoned his sins he is ashamed that he hath carried himself so wickedly against God of whose mercy he hath now such experience When God is pacified a man remembers his former sins and is confounded as it is Ezek. 36.31 Then shall you remember your own evil ways and your doings that were not good and shall loath your selves in your own sight fer your iniquities and for your abominations in that time when I am pacified toward you That which would work in a carnal man security and pride for he never thinks himself better than when there is peace within will work in the child of God the grace of humiliation In the last Chapter of Job God had manifested himself wonderfully to Job and however before he had very sharp afflictions his sufferings in soul were next to the sufferings of Christ. I believe never any man suffered so much as Job did insomuch that the arrows of the Almighty stuck in him the poyson whereof saith he drinketh up my spirit Job 6.4 This was the case of Job and he stood upon terms of justification he wished that God would dispute with him that God would either be the Opponent or the Answerer If God would answer he would oppose or if God would oppose he would answer God comes as he would have him and Job is not at that point that he was before when God draws nigh unto him he saith I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear but now my eye seeth thee Job 42.5 Well this may make thee a proud man and elevate thee no saith he now I abhor my self in dust and ashes The nearer God draws unto us and the more merciful he is unto us by that light we the more discern our own abominations That which would make another man proud brings Job to the knowledge of his vileness Therefore I abhor my self and repent in dust and ashes 3. Now another thing is Who is this peace-Maker This I shall but touch We have peace with God But how Through our Lord Jesus Christ he is our peacemaker and interposeth between his Fathers wrath and us Ephes. 2.14 For he is our peace who hath made both one and hath broken down that partition wall between us we have not only peace with God through Christ but Christ is the very peace not only the peace maker but the peace There was a middle wall of partition between the Jews and the Gentiles and between God and us Christ breaks it down sin shall no longer be a wall of partition Having abolished in his flesh the enmity even the Law of Commandments contained in Ordinances for to make himself of twain one new man so making peace and that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the Cross. There was hatred between God and us Christ hath crucified that hatred with the nails wherewith he was fastened to the Cross he hath kill'd it by his crucifixion and now enmity being slain peace must needs be alive there is peace and reconciliation made You are come saith the Apostle to the blood of sprinkling Heb. 12.24 whereas the blood of Abel cryed for vengeance against Cain the murtherer This blood cries for peace it out-cries all our sins sin hath a voice it s said The cry of Sodom and Gomorrah went up into the ears of the Lord Every sin thou committest hath a voice to cry but the blood of Christ hath a shriller voice and out-cries the cry of thy sins it is so preheminent it speaks for peace and doth
that very spirit which is in Christ being in us thereby we are united unto him grow in him live in him and he in us rejoyce in him and so are kept and preserved to be glorified with him He is the second Adam from whom we receive the influence of all good things showring down and distilling the graces of his spirit upon the least of all his members That look as it was said of Aaron who was a type of the second Adam and of that holy Oyl representing the graces of his spirit Which did not only run down his head and beard but the skirts of his garment also and all his rich attire about Psal. 133.2 So when I see the Oyl of Christ's graces and spirit not only rest upon the head but also descend and run down upon the lowest of his members making me now as one of them in some sort another man than I was or my natural state could make me by the same spirit I know I am united unto Christ. To this purpose is that which Christ to stands upon in Joh. 6. unto the Jews where speaking of the eating of his flesh and that bread of life which came down from heaven lest they should be mistaken he adds It is the spirit that quickneth the flâ—sh profiteth nothing the words that I speak unto you they are spirit and they are life So that we see it is the spirit that gives a being to a thing And therefore the Apostle proceeds to shew As many as are led by the spirit of God they are the sons of God Rom. 8.13 That look as Christ is the â—â—ue natural Son of God so we as truly by conveyance of the same spirit into us are his Sons by Adoption and so heirs with God yea and joynt heirs with Christ this he begins to shew vers 13. So that being in this excellent estate they were not only servants and friends a most high Prerogative but they were now the Sons of God having the spirit of Adoption whereby they might boldly call God Father In which Verse the Apostle opposeth the spirit of bondage which doth make a man fear again unto the spirit of Adoption which frees a man from fear Now two things may be observed hence 1. The order the spirit of God keeps e'er it comforts it shakes and makes us fear This the Apostle speaks to Heb. 2.14 where he shews that the end of Christ's coming was That because the children were partakers of flesh and blood he also himself took part of the same that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death that is the Devil and deliver them who through fear of death were all their life time subject unto bondage The first work then of the comforter is to put a man in fear 2. Here is shewed that until the spirit doth work this fear the heart will not stoop The Obstinacy is great yea so great that if hell gates were open ready to swallow up a man he would not yield until the spirit set in to convince the heart Therefore St. John tells us Joh. 16. That when the spirit it come he will reprove the world of sin that is he will convince and shew a man that he is but a bond-man and so from this sight he makes us to fear No man must think this strange that God deals with men at first after this harsh manner to kill them as it were before he make them alive nor be discouraged as if God had now cast them off as none of his For this bondage and spirit of fear is a work of God's spirit and a preparative to the rest yet it is but a common work of the spirit and such a one that unless more follow it can afford us no comfort But why then doth God suffer his children to be first terrified with this fear I answer That in two respects this is the best and wisest course to deal with us or else many would put off the matter and never attain a sense of mercy First in respect of God's glory Secondly in regard of our good First in respect of God's glory and that first because as in the work of Creation so in the work of Redemption God will have the praise of all his attributes for as in the work of Creation there appeared the infinite wisdom goodness power justice mercy of God and the like so will he in the work of our Redemption have all these appear in their strength and brightness and when we see and acknowledge these things to be in Gâ—d in the highest perfection hereby we honour him as on the contrary when we will not see and acknowledge the excellency of God's infinite attributes we dishonour him yea and I may safely add that the work of Redemption was a greater work than the work of Creation for therein appeared all the treasures of Wisdom and Knowledge in the conveying of it unto the Church Herein appeared first infinite Wisdom in ordering the matter so as to find out such a way for the Redemption of Mankind as no created understanding could possibly imagine or think of And secondly for the Mercy of God there could be none comparable to this in not sparing his own Son the Son of his Love that so he might spare us who had so grievously provoked him And thirdly there could not be so much Justice seen in any thing as in sparing us not to spare his Son in laying his Son's head as it were upon the block and chopping it off indeed the death unto which he gave his Son was not only more vile than the loss of his head but far more painful and terrible to nature the death on the Cross in renting and tearing that blessed body of his even as the Veil of the temple was rent which was a type of him so was he rent and tore and broke for us when he made his soul an offering for sin This was the perfection of Justice And thus was he just as the Apostle speaks and the Justifyer of him him that believeth in Jesus God would have Justice and Mercy meet and kiss each other and that for two reasons for the magnifying of his Justice and for the magnifying of his Mercy First For the magnifying of his Justice The spirit must first become a spirit of bondage and fear for the magnifying of God's Justice Thus the Prophet David having sinned was driven to this practice Psal. 51.4 Against thee thee only have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest and be clear when thou judgest Thus he a holy man was brought to confess his sin to give God the glory of his Justice And so to this end that a man might pass through or by as it were the gates of hell unto heaven the Lord will have his Justice extended to the full for which cause lessening or altogether for a time abstracting all sight of mercy he turns the
under a double respect viz. 1 as a true Word 94. 2 as a good Word 95 Works spiritually good cannot be performed by an unregenerate man and why 29 30 In what sense we are said by James to be justified by Works 124 Wrath a Consequence of sin 40 Y. YOuth the fittest time to Repent and break off sin in 9 10 13 A Catalogue of some Books Printed for and Sold by Nathanael Ranew at the King's Arms in St. Paul's Church-yard Folio's THe Works of Josephus with great diligence revised and amended according to the excellent French Translation of Monsieur Arnauld d' Andilly Also the Embassy of Philo Judaeus to the Emperor Caius Caligula never translated before with the references of the Scripture A new Map of the Holy Land and divers Copper Plates serving to illustrate the History The Principles of Christian Religion with a large Body of Divinity or the Sum and Substance of Christian Religion Catechistically propounded and explained by way of Question and Answer Methodically and Familiarly handled Whereunto is added Immanuel or the Mystery of the Incarnation of the Son of God Composed by the Right Reverend James Vsher Arch-bishop of Armagh To which is now added twenty Sermons preached at Oxford before his Majesty and elsewhere With the life of the Author containing many remarkable passages and an Alphabetical Table never before extant Quarto's The Harmony of the Divine Attributes in the Contrivance and Accomplishment of Man's Redemption by the Lord Jesus Christ Or Discourses wherein is shewed how the Wisdom Mercy Justice Holiness Power and Truth of God are Glorified in that great and blessed Work By William Bates D. D. Of Wisdom three Books written in French by Peter Charron Doctor of Law in Paris Translated by Sampson Lennard A Sermon preached at High Wickham in the County of Bucks wherein the Minister's Duty is Remembred their Dignity Asserted Man's Reconciliation with God urged By Samuel Gardner Chaplain to his Majesty The Norfolk Feast A Sermon Preached at St. Dunstan's being the day of the Anniversary Feast for that County By William Smythes Minister in that County The Speech of Sir Audly Mervyn Knight His Majesty's prime Serjeant of Law and Speaker of the House of Commons in Ireland delivered to his Grace the Duke of Ormond Lord Lieutenant of Ireland the 13th of Febr. 1662. in the Presence Chamber in the Castle in Dublin Octavo's A Worthy Communicant or a Treatise shewing the due order of Receiving the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper By Jeremiah Dyke The Way to Salvation or the Doctrine of Life Eternal laid down from several Texts of Scripture opened and applyed fitted to the capacity of the meanest Christian and useful for all Families By John Hieron Solitude Improved by Divine Meditation or a Treatise proving the Duty and demonstrating the Necessity Excellency Usefulness Nature Kinds and Requisites of Divine Meditation First intended for a Person of Honour and now published for general use By Nathanael Ranew some time Minister of Felsted in Essex Moral Vertues Baptized Christian or the Necessity of Morality among Christians By William Shelton of Bursted Magna in Essex The Burning of London in the Year 1666. Commemorated and Improved in an hundred and ten Meditations and Contemplations By Samuel Rolle Minister of the Gospel and sometime Fellow of Trinity College in Cambridge Natural Theology or the Knowledge of God from the Works of Creation Accommodated and Improved to the Service of Christianity By Matthew Barker Christ and the Covenant the Work and Way of Meditation God's Return to the Soul or Nation together with his preventing Mercy Delivered in Ten Sermons by William Bridge sometime Minister of Yarmouth The Sinfulness of Sin and the Fulness of Christ Delivered in two Sermons by the same Author The Vanity of the World By Ezekiel Hopkins The Soul's Ascension in the state of Separation By Isaac Loeffs An Explication of the Assemblies lesser Catechism By Samuel Winney Iter Boreale with other select Poems Being an exact Collection of all hitherto extant and some added never before Printed By Robert Wild D. D. A Synopsis of Quakerism or a Collection of the Fundamental Errors of the Quakers By Thomas Danson A Poetical Meditation wherein the Usefulness Excellency and several perfections of Holy Scripture are briefly hinted By John Clark Twelves Correction Instruction or a Treatise of Affliction first Conceived by way of Private Meditation afterwards digested into certain Sermons and now published for the help and Comfort of humble suffering Christians By Thomas Case The Poor doubting Christian drawn to Christ. By Thomas Hooker of New England Ovid's Metamorphosis in English Verse By George Sandy's Aesop's Fables in Prose with Cuts The Principles of Christian Religion with a brief Method of the Doctrine thereof Corrected and Enlarged by the Reverend James Vsher Bishop of Armagh A plain Discourse of the Mercy of having Godly Parents with the Duties of Children that have such Parents By M. Goddard 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Novum Testamentum huic editioni omnia Difficiliorum vocabulorum Themata quae in Georgii Passoris Lexico Gramatice resolvuntur in Margine apposuit Carolus Hoole in eorum scilicet gratiam qui primi Graecae Linguae Tyrocinia faciunt Lord in special forgive my sins of commission see Dr. Ber. Life and death of the Arch-Bp of Armagh p. 110. * Sheffeild in York-shire 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 James Meath Anagram I am the same See Dr. Bernard pag. 52. See Dr. Ber. Epist. to the Reader in his life and death c. * See the Reduction of Episcopacy to the form of Synodical Government Received in the Ancient Church published by Doctor Bernard * 2 Sam. 1.22 * Isa. 50.4 * 2 Cor. 3.2 * Acts 11.21 * Dan. 12.3 * Heb. 2.13 * Tim. 4.12 * Mark 6.20 * Acts 1.1 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * Mat. 7.29 * 1 Cor. 2.4 5. * 1 Cor. 14.24.25 * Acts 18 24· Collatis scripturae locis Probans nempe sicuti solent artifices aliquid Compacturi singulas partes inter se comparare ut inter se alia aliis ad amussim quadrent Bez. In Act. 9.22 Efficere condescensionem ut sic dicam id est argumentis propositis efficere ut aliquis tecum in eandem sententiam descendat Mr. Leigh Critic sacr In verb. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * Ser. before K. James Wansted June 20. 1629 page 34 35. * Ecl. 12.10 1◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * John 16.5 * Psal. 16.3 * Acts 13.22 * Psal. 119.63 * Math. 11 29 * Mal. 2.4.5 6 7 8 9. * Esay 43.27.28 * 1 Sam. 2.30 * Deut. 33.11 * Math. 5.12 and 10.25 * Math. 21.44 * Rev. 11.11 * 2 Sam. 6.22 * Calvino illustri viro nec unquam sine summi honoris praefatione nominando non assentior Bp. Andrâ—ws De Usuris 3 John 12. Observation Observation Observation Obj. Sol. Obj. Sol. 1. Order of outward things 2. The nature of sin Sin is compared to cords To defer repentance hardens the more The folly of those that defer their repentance till death Obj. Sol. Trust not to death-bed repentance I will be hard to prove death-bed repeâ—tance to be sound Gen. 6.3 It s our wisdom to arm against Satans fallacy and hearken to God in his accepted time 1 Glass Self-love 2 Glass Others good opinion 3. Glass When a man compares himself with others 4. Glass Partial Obedience Obj. Sol. Another false Glass The Devil transforms himself into an Angel of light Superficial repentance will not change the nature of a man No morality nor external change of life will do without quickning grace and a new life wrought Quest. Ans. Obj. Sol. Doct. Obj. Sol. No natural man doth judge himself so bad as he iâ— The best works of a natural man cannot please God Look to the original of duties Look to the end of duty It 's necessary to preach the Law before the Gospel This is the 1 Instance 2 Instance 3 Instance Note well Our Remedy or our Redemption by Christ Christ's humiliation in iife and death The second degree of his humiliation that he might he might become a servant Christ accounted as a bond-man Exam. Joseph fot the calcu 14400000 drachms (x) Which were 120000. (z) Have the quotient 120 Drachms Four Drachms went to a Shekel so divide 120 by 4 your quotient is 30 shekels for each man which was the ordinary rate c. Now this Obedience is twofold 1. Active 2. Passive 1. For his active obedience in the whole course of his Life 2. For his active obedience after his Death