entitle them to the Fruition of the Messiah Christ corrects this Mistake of theirs and instructs them of the necessity of Regeneration A Soul-sanctifying Work of the Holy Ghost must pass upon you here if ever you hope for the Glory of Heaven hereafter The same Truth is reiterated ver 5. that Nicodemus and all others concerned might take the more special notice thereof till it be impressed upon their Hearts and till they know it in their own Experience Verily verily I say unto thee except a Man be born of Water and the Spirit i. e. ex Spiritu exerente vim Aquae he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God There is nothing short of the Divine Power and Efficacy of the Spirit of the Lord can cleanse Souls polluted with Sin Ezek. 36.25 They that are Spiritually dead and in an unregenerate Estate can no more change their Natures than they that are in the Grave can give themselves a Resurrection from the dead Eph. 2.1 2 3 4 5 6. There are such Acts of Omnipotence exerted and put forth in the Work of Regeneration as was put forth in raising Christ from the dead Eph. 1.15 16 17 18 19 20. Tit. 3.3 4 5. XI Even after the Spirit of God hath been effectually at work upon the Soul and hath infused Supernatural Habits of Saving Grace there is that which may still keep him humble and low in his own Eyes Many particulars might be mentioned under this Head but I shall content my self with mentioning only a few 1. Notwithstanding the Spirit of God hath been effectually at work upon the Soul there is not presently an utter extirpation of Sin Grace is not without some mixture of Nature there is Flesh as well as Spirit Gal. 5.17 1 Joh. 1.8 10. Eccles 7.20 Prov. 20.9 Jam. 3.2 2. Though where true Grace is it will make resistance against in-dwelling Sin yet sometimes the latter may have the better of the former Grace may be over-poured by Corruption and that does often create no small disturbance to a gracious Person Rom. 7.21 22 23 24. I see another Law in my Members warring against the Law of my Mind and bringing me into captivity to the Law of Sin O wretched Man that I am 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cerumnosus i.e. perpetuis in ista lucta angoribus divexatus The Combats and Conflicts which I have with the Corruptions of mine own Heart do create me a continual Vexation and Anguish of Soul Persistet in Metaphora Athletae qui post gravem luctam tandem nolens volens captivus ducitur He persists in the Metaphor of a Wrestler who after a great Contest is at last carried away captive by force and sore against his Will 3. Even they that have true Grace may in an hour of Temptation and when left to themselves fall into some hainous and scandalous Sin whereby the Spirit of God is grieved peace of Conscience interrupted Communion with God lost Religion wounded and all sorts good and bad scandalized Noah Lot David and Peter are sad Instances for the Exemplification of this Assertion Gen. 6.9 with Gen. 9.21 2 Pet. 2.7 8. with Gen. 19.30 31 32 33. 2 Sam. 11. and 12. Chap. Matt. 26.69 to the end of the Chapter 1 Cor. 10.12 Wherefore let him that thinks he stands take heed lest he fall Rom. 11.20 Because of unbelief they were broken off and thou standest by Faith be not high-minded but fear 4. When a Man hath fallen into a scandalous Sin it is not all the Grace he hath that will recover him to Repentance or restore to him the Holy Joys and Spiritual Comforts which he once had There must be some fresh Manifestations of Sin-pardoning Grace together with some fresh Influences of the Spirit accompanying the same It will be like to cost him many a Tear and Prayer before he re-enjoy that sweet Communion which once he had there must be a renewed exercise of Repentance Read Psal 51. throughout Have mercy upon me O Lord according unto the multitude of thy tender Mercies blot out my Transgressions Wash me throughly from my Iniquity and cleanse me from my Sin For I acknowledge my Transgression and my Sin is ever before me Make me to hear joy and gladness that the Bones which thou hast broken may rejoice Restore unto me the joy of thy Salvation and uphold me with thy free Spirit 5. Though some may have a great deal of Grace yet they may be exercised with divine Desertion to that degree that the most comfortable Considerations that can be suggested to them from the Scriptures by the most Holy and Learned Ministers and most experienced Christians can administer no Consolation to their Spirits till the Lord himself come and do it Psal 77.2 3 My Soul refused to be comforted ver 7 8 9. Psal 88 throughout ver 3 4 5 6 7 13 14 15 16. Job 6.4 The Arrows of the Almighty are within me the Poison whereof drinketh up my Spirit The Terrors of God do set themselves in array against me Job 34.29 Psal 90.11 Isa 50.10 and 61.1 2 3. Luke 4.17 18. Isa 50.4 and 42.1 2 3. Matt. 12.18 19 20. Isa 40.11 Ezek 34.15 16. John 21.15 6. Though Grace is a great Excellence it does not exempt persons that have it from Afflictions during their Pilgrimage here the great Sovereign afflicts the Good as well as the Bad Job 9.22 He destroys the Perfect and the Wicked Jer. 18.6 Dan. 4.35 Job 9.12 Eccles 9.1 2. Nay many times they that are God's peculiar ones his special Favourites are afflicted more than others Amos 3 2. Hos 4.17 Dan. 12.10 Hos 14.9 Rev. 22.11 They have that in them which may procure the Rod now and then and it is needful they should have it 1 Pet. 1.6 7. It is to humble them under a Sense of some Sin or other not throughly repented of Job 36.7 8. Jer. 31.18 Luke 15.14 15 16 17 18 19. It is to purge out some peccant Humours that have been predominant in their Souls Isai 27.9 and 4.4 It is to make them walk more close with God for time to come Psal 119.67 71. and to make them partakers of his Holiness in some further measure and degree Heb. 12.10 11. It is to make them pray oftner and better than they were wont to do Hos 5.15 Isai 26.16 and 38.1 2. Psal 107.5 6 and 116.1 2 3 It is to endear the Word of the Lord to them to make them study the Covenant of Grace and the Promises thereof to make sure their Interest therein and that they may live the Life of Faith more than ever Psal 1 9 49 50 72 92. Job 13.15 Hab. 1.17 18 19. 1 Pet. 1.6 7. Afflictions of the Godly are Evidences of Divine Love Prov. 3.11 12. Heb. 12.6 7 8. Rev. 3.19 It is to wean them more from this World to fit them for Death and prepare them for Eternity 2 Cor. 4 17 18. Rom. 8.18 Jam. 1.2 3 4. Rom. 5.3 4 5. Rom. 8.35 36
that in the Wisdom of God the World by Wisdom knew not God it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe 1 Cor. 2.9 10 11. The whole of Supernatural Revelation that is needful for us to know believe and practise is contained in the Sacred Scripture 2. Tim. 3.14 15 16 17. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for Doctrine for Reproof for Correction for instruction in Righteousness that the Man of God may be perfect throughly furnished unto all Good Works And we have no ground to look for any gracious Acts and Operations of the Spirit on us but by the Scripture Joh. 16.13 14. When the Spirit of Truth is come he will guide you into all truth For he shall not speak of himself but whatsoever he shall hear that he shall speak He shall glorifie me he shall receive of mine and shall shew it unto you Joh. 14.26 But the Comforter which is the Holy Ghost whom the Father will send in my Name he shall teach you all things and bring all things to your Remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you The Spirit brings no new unscriptural Revelations only makes us to understand Scripture-Truths which we understood not before and as there is occasion brings such Scripture-Truths to our remembrance as we had forgotten VIII When Man is told what God hath done in order to his Recovery and what he is to do in order to his reaping the benefit and advantage of the Redemption wrought for him by the Messiah such is the blindness of his Mind and perverseness of his Will that if left to himself he chuses rather to continue in Sin than to be saved from it and to rest upon his own poor Services Sacrifices and Duties for Justification and Salvation than upon the Righteousness of Christ Let this or some such Doctrine as this be preached to the Apostate Posterity of Adam Great was the Breach that Sin had made between God and you If you had stretch'd your Intellectuals to the utmost you could never have found out a way how an Accommodation could have been accomplished between the Most High and you a Law being established with a Sanction threatning Death Temporal Spiritual and Eternal to the Transgressors He being Just and Righteous how could Mercy be shewed to them without impeachment to Justice No Created Being was able to make satisfaction for the Wrong and Injury that was done therefore a Sacrifice would not have been accepted from Angels nor from Man who having Guilt upon him could not have stood before the Wrath of the Almighty who when Angry but a little tears in pieces and there is no delivering out of his Hand And if neither Angels nor Men can make Atonement for Sin much less can the rest of the Creation A Thousand of Rams and Ten thousand Rivers of Oil signifie nothing in this Case The offended Party finds out a Ransom and accepts of the same Rom. 3.25 26. 1 Joh. 2.2 Matth. 3.17 2 Cor. 5.19 Eph. 1.6 Col. 1.20 21 22. Tell them that in and through Christ there is Grace and Mercy with God for the greatest of Sinners if they are found truly repenting of Sin and believing on the Lord Jesus Isa 1.16 17 18. and 55.7 1 Joh. 1.9 Joh. 3.16 1 Tim. 1.15 Act. 3.19 and 10.43 and 13.38 39. Tell them if they say they have no power to repent or believe Act. 5.31 God hath exalted his Son to be a Prince and a Saviour to give Repentance and Remission of Sin and Faith is the Gift of God Eph 2.8 Phil. 1.29 Heb. 12.2 Isa 45.22 Look unto me all the Ends of the Earth and be saved Grace is in your offer be not so foolish as to refuse your own Mercies this is the accepted time this is the day of Salvation 2 Cor. 6.2 Consider the things that belong to your Peace while your day of Grace lasts least afterwards it be too late Luk. 19.42 Who would think but rational Beings indued with immortal Souls which will be eternally miserable or happy will effectually mind that which is indisputably both their Duty and Interest having all this and much more laid before them Sure they will now for ever abandon every known Sin and resign up themselves entirely to the Conduct of Christ But alas alas here is matter of Lamentation the King of Glory knocks at our Door Rev. 3.20 but who opens for him to come in He stretches out his Hand all day long to a rebellious stiff-necked People Isa 65.1 Rom. 10.21 Isa 49.4 and 53.1 Cant. 5.2 3. Prov. 9.1 2 3 4 5 6 Matth. 22.2 3 4 5. Joh. 5.40 2 Cor. 4.3 4. IX When Sinners are left to the Corruptions of their own Hearts they are not only so foolish as to slight the offers of Grace but also so desperately wicked as to set themselves with all their might against the Gospel and the propagation of it They will by no means admit that Christ should reign over themselves Luke 19.14 As far as in them lies he shall not reign in others They enter not into the Kingdom of Heaven themselves they suffer not others to enter Matth. 23.13 They persecute them that preach profess and practise the Gospel with any Seriousness Act. 7.51 52 57 58 59. Act. 8.1 2 3. Act. 9.1 Act. 17.1 2 3 4 5. 1 Thes 2.14 15 16. X. Nature is now so deeply depraved in all that nothing short of an effectual Work of the Holy Ghost can renew sanctifie and change it This is a Work too high for Nature improved to the utmost Nature cannot produce a Supernatural Effect Joh. 3.6 Art and Education can considerably accomplish Nature but they cannot new make it When there is no more than mere Humane Institution and Instruction they cannot cause all old things to pass away and all things to become new This is too high for the most refined Philosophy ancient or modern taught by Socrates Pythagoras Plato or Aristotle It is not Academical Learning can reach this It is not being under the most powerful and Spiritual Ministry It is not the most Argumentative Moral Swasions made use of by Men It is not a Man 's own Desires Endeavours Resolutions Promises Vows Covenants and Engagements to forsake all and every Sin It is not being in the external Practice of all Religious Duties It is not being of this or t'other Persuasion submitting to this or t'other Ordinance being of this or t'other Church and receiving the Sacrament that changes Nature For all these things may be where there is no Heart-Renovation Joh. 3.3 Verily Verily I say unto thee except a Man be born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God The Jews especially the Pharisees had a Notion Vniverso Israeli est portio in mundo futuro hoc est in fruitione Messiae nec omnino necessariam esse animi renovationem They thought their being the Children of Abraham without being renewed in the Spirit of their mind would
super bi ambitiosi solent qui sibi videntur plus sapere quam revera sapiant Let no one be immoderately tickled with a fancy that he hath more in him than really he hath Let no one think himself wiser than really he is but to think soberly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sed sapiat ad sobrietatem but let him be wise to sobriety Sobrietatem hic intelligit non corporis sed animi i. e. modestiam quâ sibi nec arrogat quod non habet nec de eo quod accepit gloriatur quâ etiam vitat ea quae curiositas stultitia scire avent Let every one of you think modestly of himself Modesty will not suffer a Man to say he hath that which he hath not or to boast of what he hath and it restrains him from seeking after and studying such things as Curiosity and Folly covets to know That this may be as a Nail driven to the head and fastened by the great Master of the Assemblies I judge it neither impertinent nor unuseful to present you with some weighty Considerations which by the Blessing of God may keep every Man low in his own eyes as long as he lives I. When Man was in his best estate at first endowed with Knowledge Wisdom and true Holiness there was even then a possibility of his Apostasie Impeccability was no part of his Essence that is essential only to God As Adam had a posse non peccare so also there was a posse peccare He was not placed so high but he might fall and that low enough This should have kept him low and so it should us to this day II. As often as we call to mind that that possibility was reduced into act that 's enough to humble us as long as the World lasts That may remain a standing Demonstration to the Universe That the best of Creatures is but a Creature at best liable to sin and to brâ—â—â—â—nisery upon it self Our Proto Parents did sin in eating the forbidden fruit and that sin of theirs did virtually and interpretatively carry all sin in it It was monstrous Ingratiâ—â—â—â—e it was the Creature 's lifting up it self against its Creator it was questioning the Truth of God's Word and hearkning unto the Dictates of the Devil the great Enemy of Mankind and a Lyar from the beginning rather than unto God who is a great Lover of Mankind and who is Veracity and Truth it self It was not only tampering with the Temptation but also complying therewith and yielding thereunto It was the hazarding the loss of all Temporals Spirituals and Eternals for a Trifle for a matter of Nothing for an imaginary not a real pleasure It was discontent with their present Condition without any colour or shadow of Reason their Sin was intolerable Pride The Worm that was newly crept out of the Dust aspired after a Deity they must forsooth be like God knowing good and evil but by climbing too high they got a fall Curiosity was their Sin they must pry into the Secrets of God and meddle with matters too high for ' em Wantonness was their Evil though they had all the choice that Paradise afforded yet their over-dainty Palates lusted after the forbidden Fruit. Sacrilege was their Sin the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was of a sacramental and significant Use and to alienate Things sacred to another use than what they were instituted for is a great profanation of the Ordinance of God They were guilty of Murder in the highest degree in murdering not only their own Bodies and Souls but also the Bodies and Souls of the whole Race of Mankind Presumption was their Sin they ventured to violate an express divine Precept presuming that God would shew Mercy to them when they had so done III. The first Man became not only guilty of eating the forbidden Fruit but also that act of his was imputable and to be imputed to all that were in his Loins by natural Generation Rom. 5.12 By one Man sin entered into the World and death by sin Vers 19. By one Man's Disobedience many were made Sinners Muscul In Adamo omnes fuimus in lumbis ejus We were all in the Loins of offending Adam As Levi is said to have paid Tythes in Abraham before he was born Heb. 9.10 So we sinned in Adam before we had a Being Omnes in Adamo peccaverunt August quia omnes unus ille fuerunt All were entangled in Adam's Sin because all were folded up in Adam's Person Adam was one Non tantum in individuo sed in specie He was not only an Individual or single Person but also the common Root Parent Head and Representative of Mankind As soon as his Issue are in a Capacity to commit sin they do by their actings approve of what he did The Language of their Lives if not of their Lips is this If that which Adam did were to be done again we would do it and if we had been in his place we should have done the same as he did IV. As in one all sinned and became liable to Death so now we have sin in our Nature by propagation from our more immediate Parents We come now from the Womb not only divested of the Image of God which we had in Adam before the Fall but also invested with the Image of the evil One which Adam and all our Parents have had ever since the Fall No Toad is more full of Venom nor Serpent of Poison than our Nature is now of Sin O how should this cause us with the Leper to cry out Unclean unclean we do even loath and abhorr our selves that our Nature is so prone to that which is evil and so averse from that which is good Gen. 5.3 Gen. 6.5 Job 14.4 Psal 51.5 Jer. 17.9 Matth. 15.19 V. Nature being so deeply depraved in all and Sin being propagated by Parents to Children from Generation to Generation it must necessarily follow from hence That Sinners in their lapsed estate can do nothing towards their Restoration or Redemption from that unfathomable Abyss and profound depth of Sin and Misery into which they have plunged themselves When Man comes from the Womb he is the most helpless of all Animals as to things of this Life much more as to the things of a better Life Rom. 5.6 When we were yet without strength in due time Christ died for the ungodly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pol. Syn. cum essemus infirmi morbo peccati variis peccatorum languoribus detenti When we were sick of Sin that was the sad spiritual Disease which had siezed om Souls when by reason of so many Sins that had taken hold of us we were in a Consumption and languishing Condition Cum essâ—mus nullis viribus Spiritualibus donis viribus penitùs destituti sicut cadaver dicitur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Cor. 15.43 when we are wholly destitute of Spiritual Gifts and Strength as a Carcase or dead Body is