due to us in full measure but also because that which Christ suffered in the point of torment and vexation was in some respect of the same kind with the torment of the damned for in the punishment of the damned we must necessarily distinguish these three things 1. the perverse disposition of the mind of the damned in their sufferings 2. the duration and perpetuity of their punishment and 3. the punishment it self tormenting soul and body The first two are not of the essence of punishment albeit by accident they are turned into a punishment for the wickednesse vilenesse and unworthinesse of the damned who neither will nor can submit themselves to the punishment and put the case they should submit are utterly unable to make satisfaction for ever do make them in a desperat dolefull condition for ever though obstinat sinners do not apprehend nor believe this but go on in treasuring up wrath against themselves pleasing themselves in their own dreams to their own endlesse perdition Of these three the first two could have no place in Christ Not the first because He willingly offered Himself a sacrifice for our sins and upon agreement payed the ransom fully Not the second because He could no longer be holden in the sorrows of death then He had satisfied Justice and finished what was imposed on Him and His infinit excellency made His short suffering to be of infinit worth and equivalent to our everlasting suffering The third then remaineth which is the reall and sensible tormenting of soul and body in being made a curse for us and to feel it so in His reall experience And what need we question hellish pain where pain and torment and the curse with felt wrath from God falleth on and lyeth still till Justice be satisfied Concerning which it is as certain that Christ was seased upon by the dolours of death as it is certain in Scripture that He could not be holden of the sorrows of death Acts. 2. 24. Quest. But what interest had Christ God-head in His humane sufferings to make them both so short and so precious and satisfactory to Justice for so many sins of so many sinners especially when we consider that God cannot suffer Ans. Albeit this passion of the humane nature could not so far reach the God-head of Christ that it should in a physicall sense suffer which indeed is impossible yet these sufferings did so affect the person that it may truly be said that God suffered and by His blood bought His people to Himself Acts 20. 28. for albeit the proper and formall subject of physicall suffering be only the humane nature yet the principall subject of sufferings both in a physicall and morall sense is Christs person God and man from the dignity whereof the worth and excellency of all sort of sufferings the merit and the satisfactory sufficiency of the price did flow And let it be considered also that albeit Christ as God in His God-head could not suffer in a physicall sense yet in a morall sense He might suffer and did suffer for in as much as He being in the form of God and without robbery equall to God did demit His person to assume humane nature and empty Himself so far as to hide His glory and take on the shape of a servant and expose Himself willingly to all the contradiction of sinners which He was to meet with and to all railings revilings contempt despisings and calumnies shall it seem nothing and not enter in the count of our Lords payment for our debt Obj. But how could so low a downthrowing of the Son of man or of the humane nature assumed by Christ consist with the Majesty of the person of the Son of God Ans. We must distinguish in Christ these things which are proper to either of the two natures from these things which are ascribed to His person in respect of either of the natures or both the natures for infirmity physicall suffering or mortality are proper to the humane nature The glory of power and grace and mercy and superexcellent Majesty and such like are proper to the Deity but the sufferings of the humane nature are so far from diminishing the glory of the divine nature that they do manifest the same and make it appear more clearly for by how much the humane nature was weakned depressed and despised for our sake by so much the love of Christ God and man in one person toward man and His mercy and power and grace to man do shine in the eyes of those that judiciously look upon Him Obj. But seing Christs satisfaction for sinners doth not stand in any one part of His doings and sufferings but in the whole and intire precious pearl and compleet price of His whole obedience from His incarnation even to the death of His crosse how cometh it to passe that in Scripture the whole expiation of our sins is ascribed so oft to His passion and particularly to His blood Ans. This cometh to passe 1. Because the certainty and verity of His assumed humane nature and the certainty of His reall suffering and the fulfilling of all the leviticall sacrifices did most evidently appear unto sense in the effusion of His blood 2. Because the expression of His sufferings both in soul and body appeared in the effusion of His blood for in the garden while His body was not as yet touched or hurt by man from the meer pains of His soul drops of blood fell down out of all His body to the earth 3. Because His blood-sheding and death was the last act of compleeting the payment of the ransom to the Father for us which payment began in His humble incarnation and went on through all His life and was compleeted in His bloodshed and death whereof our Lord gave intimation on the crosse when He cryed as triumphantly victorious it is finished The use of this article of the covenant of Redemption WE have at some length spoken of the price of Redemption and of Christs defraying the debt by His passion 1. That hereby the merit of our sins may the more clearly be seen 2. That the sublimity and excellency of divine Majesty offended by sin may appear 3. That we may behold the severity of Gods justice till He have satisfaction and reparation in some sort of the injuries done to Him 4. That the admirable largenesse of Gods mercy may be acknowledged and wondered at For in the price of Redemption payed as in a mirror we may see how greatly the Lord hateth sin how great His love is to the world in sending his Son Christ amongst us how heavy the wrath of God shall lye upon them that flee not to Christs satisfaction for their delivery how great the dignity and excellency of the Lord our Redeemer is for whose cause reconciliation is granted to all that take hold of the offer of grace through him how great the obligation of believers is to love God and serve him and how
fellowship of God promised to him if he continued fast in obedience and what terror could be so great to afright and skar him from sin as the threatning of death bodily and spiritual if he transgressed Quest. But the profane curiosity of man dareth to ask a reason why God did not make man both good by nature and immutably good also Ans. It is indeed proud curiosity to enquire for reasons of God's holy will which hath its own most sufficient reason in its self and may satisfie all his subjects who will not devilishly prefer their own wisdom and counsel to his But we shall content our selves soberly to answer the question thus To be both originally or by nature good and unchangeably good also beseemeth God himself only as his property and prerogative which it became his Majesty to reserve to himself as the fountain of all goodness and not to communicat this glory either to Man or Angel in their creation that the due distance between God and the natural perfections of the creature should not only be provided for but made manifest to the creature also It 's true Christs humane nature was so sanctified in his conception that there was no possibility that sin should be in it but let us consider that Christs person which did assume the humane nature into personal union with his God-head is not a creature and to assume the humane nature into a personal union with his divine nature is the proper priviledge of God over all blessed for ever And what the humane nature of Christ hath of holiness it hath it not of it self but of grace from the second person of the God-head who did assume it And the Angels that stood when the mutability of angelical nature was manifested in the fall of many of them did stand by the grace of free confirmation of them in their station Fifthly God in covenanting with man made way for the demonstration of his most holy Justice in the execution of punishment which was not only the natural wages and deserved reward of sin but also by paction and covenant appointed by mutual consent of parties if man so much obliged to God should break so equitable and easie a command as was given to try him by being fore-warned of his danger Sixthly this way of covenanting with man was a most holy and fit mean to manifest the vanity and instability of the most perfect creature except in the exercise of all its abilities and habits it do acknowledge God and in every thing less and more constantly imploy him and depend upon him Last of all this was a most holy mean to bring forth to light the grace and mercy of God in Christ providing a remedy for fallen man before he fell and to open up the decree and covenant of Redemption in due time to be brought about by Christ to the glory of God in Christ by whom and for whom all things were made Col. 1. 16. Quest. Had this Covenant of works no Mediatour no Surety ingaged for Adam and all his posterity Ans. No Mediatour was in this Covenant for the party on the one hand was God and on the other hand was Adam and Eve our common parents standing upon the ground of their natural abilities representing and comprehending all their natural off-spring and according to the condition of the Covenant in their own name and name of their posterity promising obedience and receiving the condition of life if they continued and of death in case they failed Gen. 2. 17. In whose sin we all have sinned Rom. 5. 12. Now the necessity of a Mediatour did not appear in this Covenant so long as it stood that afterward in the making of another Covenant it might more timously appear First because man being created holy according to the image of God was the friend of God while he had not sinned and again his service while he stood in obedience was very pleasant and acceptable to God because so long freely and sincerely he served God according to the command and rule written in his heart Quest. After that his Covenant was broken was it not abolished altogether seing it could not now be any longer perfectly obeyed nor save us who are sinners Ans. Albeit this Covenant being broken on mans part did become weak and utterly unable to produce Justification by works or eternal life to us by our inherent righteousnesse yet on Gods part the bond of this Covenant doth stand firm and strong against all men by nature for their condemnation who are not reconciled to God Wherefore all that are not renewed and made friends with God by another Covenant of faith in God incarnat the seed of the woman who destroyeth the work of the devil do lye bound under the bond of this Covenant of works as Christ testifies Ioh. 3. 18. He that believeth on me is not condemned but he that believeth not is condemned already to wit by the force of the Covenant of works violated by them and are nor delivered from the curse by Christ the Son of God till they fly to him And this doth the Apostle confess speaking of himself and other elect Jews before their regeneration Ephes. 2. 3. We also were children of wrath even as others for whosoever is not reconciled to God by Christ against him doth the sentence of the Law and curse for violation of the Covenant stand in force for sinning against the Covenant doth not loose the man from the Covenant neither from the obligation to obey it nor from the punishment of breaking it Obj. But seing a man is utterly unable to obey the Law or to keep that Covenant doth not his utter inability excuse him and dissolve the bond Ans. No wayes Because that inability is the fruit of our sin and is drawn on by our selves nor doth God lose his right to crave the debt due to him because the Bankrupt is not able to pay what he oweth For even among men such as have mis-spent their patrimony are not absolved of their debt because they are not able to pay the debt yea even the children of the mis-spender of his goods do stand debtors so long as the debt is neither payed nor forgiven The Covenant of works therefore being broken the obligation standeth to make us give obedience so much the more in time to come and because of the curse pronounced for the breaking of the Covenant in time past the obligation to under-lye the punishment for by-gone sins doth stand and so both the obligation to underlye the punishment and the obligation to give obedience do stand together while a man is not absolved from the Covenant of works by entring in a new Covenant whereby the debt is payed and the sinner absolved Whosoever then conceive that they may be justified from by-gone sins by their own obedience in time to come either by way of doing or of suffering they but deceive themselves dreaming they can do impossibilities for the punishment to
conclusions drawn there-from and by holy reasoning tye themselves to believe and obey the Word of God Rom. 6. 11. Likewayes saith he by reasoning reckon ye your selves to be deal unto sin but alive unto God through Iesus Christ our Lord. And giveth an example of this reasoning 2 Cor. 5. 14. 15. The love of God constraineth us because we thus judge c. 11. Because the Lord divers wayes according to his own wisdom exerciseth men that sometime by his long-suffering patience he leads them unto repentance sometime also by his word and rods he doth drive them thereunto therefore let the use of all exercises all temptations and afflictions and the use of all benefits and divine dispensations of providence be carefully made use of that men may so look upon Gods bounty and long-suffering on the one hand and upon their own sins and ill deservings on the other hand as they may be led and constrained in love to seek after so gracious a God and to flee for refuge unto Christ mourning for their provoking of justice so oft against themselves and in whatsoever condition of prosperity or adversity to submit themselves to God however he shall be pleased to dispose of them 12. The doctrine of reprobation must not be determinatly applyed to any particular person how wicked soever he shall for the present appear neither must the suspicion which any man may have of his own reprobation be â—ostered because particular reprobation of this or that person is among the secrets of the Lord not to be medled with whereof a man may not give out sentence before the Lord hath revealed his own decree But on the contrair all the hearers must be warned and pressed to be wary to entertain any hostile thought of God or to foster suspicions of him as implacable but rather think of him as their faithfull Creator just indeed yet mercifull long-suffering and bountifull both to the kind and the un-kind as they shall find if they will seek him for Sathan will press this temptation hard enough and foster the suspicion which he hath suggested against God in the minds of them whom God hath afflicted albeit he get no assistance by any imprudent and un-just application of the Lords Word unto this or that particular person to conclude their reprobation 13. The scope of all doctrine must be this that sinners may be humbled in the sense of their unrighteousnesse indigence infirmity and unworthinesse and being humbled may be led unto Christ believe in him and be more and more glued unto him and grow in the love of him and rest their souls upon him as God one with the Father and holy Spirit worshiping him in spirit and truth endeavouring according to their vocation to advance his Kingdom in themselves and others And to this end let neither on the one hand his incarnation nor humiliation in the dayes of his flesh wherein he was in paying the promised price of our Redemption derogat any thing to the estimation of his person who is one God with the Father and holy Spirit God over all blessed for ever Nor on the other hand his Majesty make sinners stand off or be afraid to make their adresse to him but by the contrair that the personall union of the divine and humane nature in him and his cloathing himself with the offices of Prophet Priest and King may allure all sinners who hear of him to come to him as Media-tour who will not deal with them who come unto him as a judge against them but as an advocat Surety and intercessor for them and who will save to the uttermost every one that come unto God through him Heb. 7. 25. 14. For tryall of a mans regeneration and coming rightly to Christ and growing in grace the exercise of these three duties are necessarily required to wit 1. The exercise of repentance or the entertaining in himself of the sense of his naturall sinfulnesse and infirmity to do good and of the power of inherent corruptions whereby he may be made more and more to renounce all confidence in himself and walk humbly before God 2. The exercise of faith or the daily renewed imploying of Christ for grace and actuall help in all things as his case requireth 3. The exercise of love or the endeavour of new obedience flowing from love to God and his neighbour through Christ. CHAP. IX Of the more speciall application of divine covenants for removing the impediments of regeneration VVE have spoken of the prudent application of divine covenants in generall it followeth that we speak of the curing of the sicknesses of the conscience concerning regeneration more specially Some of these sicknesses do tend to hinder regeneration that it be not wrought at all whereof we shall speak God willing in the rest of this first book Other sicknesses do tend to obscure the work of regeneration begun and to foster questions in the regenerat man and make him doubt whether he be regenerat or not or whether he be in the state of grace or not and of these we shall speak somewhat in the second book And last of all some cases and sicknesses of the conscience do tend toward the deceiving of the regenerat man about his present condition wherein he is without calling his state in question at the first and of these we shall speak in the third book 2. As for the first sort these cases which impede and altogether marr regeneration cannot easily be numbered because of the multitude of deceits whereby the unregenerat are deluded but it shall suffice for our purpose to name some of them only for examples cause in handling whereof the way of curing other like cases may be observed In handling of these cases it is not to be expected we should follow any exact method or accurat distinction of one case from another partly because many faults may be variously interwoven one with another partly because in all these cases the same faults are found after divers wayes to put forth their poyson We therefore that we may follow the easiest course shal divide all unregenerat men impeding their own regeneration in three ranks The first rank shall be of those who eshew so far as they can all examination of their own conscience least it should pronounce sentence of their state and disquiet them The second rank shall be of those who do judge themselves indeed according to the law of God but after examination do despair of any remedy The third rank shall be of those who make a slight examination of themselves and upon some slight pretence give our sentence of absolution of themselves which God will not allow 3. As to the first rank to wit of those that eshew all examination of their own conscience we shall name only seven sicknesses or impediments hindering their self-examination and passing sentence on themselves The first is gross ignorance of their naturall sin and misery and of deliverance to be had through Christ
grace of God the man made a believer in Christ then the absolute promises of making a new heart and of writing the Law of the Lord therein Ier. 31. 31. and Ezek 11. 19. and all the promises of saving graces set down in holy Scripture do all of them belong to the believer in Christ in whom all the promises are yea and amen as if his name were set down 4. As to his doubt arising from his weak and infirm application of the promises let the afflicted consider what God hath already wrought and is a working in him by way of application for first God hath granted to him the use of the meanes with others in the visible Kirk so that it may be said unto him in this respect as it is Esa. 5. 4. what could be done in outward means and offer-making of grace which is not done Secondly God hath drawn more near unto him and hath illuminat his mind about his sinfull state in nature and about the way of delivery by faith in Christ and yet more hath inclined his heart to accept of the offer of Christ and make answer to the call as David did When thou saidst seek my face my soul answered thy face O Lord will I seek Psal. 27. 8. Thus God hath applyed Christ and the promises of the Gospel to the afflicted and hath made the afflicted to flye unto Christ offered in the Gospel and to apply him unto himself that hitherto the afflicted hath no reason to complain of not application of Christ and his promises on Gods part nor yet of begun-application on the afflicted's part Where is theâ— in-lake then I answer the defect is first in the afflicted who hath not duly considered the passages of Gods gracious approaching to him and drawing of the man to himself in Christ another defect is that the afflicted upon groundlesse mistakes doth not lay claim to Christ and to all the promises of grace for righteousnesse and salvation in him and that because he is not so clear of his right unto and interest in Christ as he can lay claim confidently unto the same 5. For clearing of the afflicted in this his right and warrant confidently to apply Christ and all the promises of the Gospel let him consider first the dreadfull sentence of the curse and condemnation of all them that do not believe on Christ Ioh. 3. 18. He that believeth in Christ is not condemned but he that believeth not is condemned already because he hath not believed in the only begotten Son of God Secondly let him consider the largenesse of the Gospel wherein grace is offered to all and every believer Ioh. 3. 16. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life He saith whosoever without exception lest any man who desireth to believe in Christ should doubt that he shall be received and made welcome Thirdly let him mediate upon the wonderfull mystery of the incarnation of the Son of God who that he might ransom and redeem his people from sin and misery hath assumed humane nature into the union of person with his divine nature and given a perpetual pawn and pledge of his hearty willingnesse to reconcile justifie sanctifie and save to the uttermost every one who shall come unto God through him whereunto his mediatory Office and cloathing himself with most sweet relations of Prophet Priest and King to all his followers doth hear abundant witnesse Fourthly let him hearken to the quickening and comfortable invitations which by his Spirit speaking in Scripture he uttereth in the ears of all to whom the Gospel cometh with a joyfull sound Ho every one that thirsteth Isa. 55. 1. to 10. Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy loaden Mat. 11. 28. We are Embassadors for Christ as though God did beseech you by us we pray you in Christs stead beye reconciled to God 2 Cor. 5. 20. And whosoever will let him take the water of life freely Rev. 22. 17. Fifthly let the afflicted consider what answer he will give to the expresse command of God 1 Ioh. 3. 23. This is his comandment that we should believe in the name of his Son Iesus Christ and love one another as he hath commanded us For this commandment being directed to all the hearers of the Gospel chargeth every one without exception first to examine seriously their life by the rule of Gods Law that thereby they may be convinced of their damnable state in nature and made to acknowledge their sin and misery and inability to help themselves Secondly having examined and acknowledged their natural lost condition they are commanded to flye to Jesus Christ that by faith in him they may be delivered Thirdly that having fled to Christ they should evidence their faith by love to Christ or God in Christ and their neighbours especially such as are of the household of faith In which commandment both the order of applying Law and Gospel is set down and the necessity of believing in Christ upon the warrant of this clear command so that whosoever is a hearer of the Gospel and doth not in this order flye unto Christ he is inexcusable even the wicked and worst of men And much lesse excusable is the afflicted convert of whom we are now speaking who already hath acknowledged his lost condition without Christ and knoweth that there is no hope of relief except by faith in Jesus and hath fled to Christ and dare not depart from him if this man shall stand here and not relye on Christ and rest his soul upon him confidently what excuse can he make If he do object that his name is not written in this command 1 Ioh. 3. 23. it hath no force to impede his faith for neither is his name written in any of the ten commands of the morall Law and yet he findeth himself tyed to the obedience of every one of them and why is he not tyed also to this sweet command of the Gospel of grace as well as to other commands this command being given forth as the last declaration of Gods will for relief of them who acknowledge that they by the law are condemned wherefore let not the afflicted any more pretend the difficulty of applying Christ and his graces offered in the Gospel seing it is presupposed he hath fled to Christ and dare neither depart from him nor for the pretended scruple draw confidently in unto him but let him check and chide himself for not haunting Christ and conversing with him in heaven in that humility and confidence which the Word of the Lord doth allow unto him and commandeth him to take up and hold fast CHAP. XXII Wherein is solved the doubt of the true convert concerning his conversion arising from the observation in himself of presumption and security in his prosperity and of his misbelief in adversity THere are some true converts who albeit they are neither idle nor
danger we were in but it was poured into him and not only on him that he for the sins of his redeemed should suffer it sensibly and as it were drink it that the bitternesse thereof might affect all the powers of soul and body for the Scripture testifies that not only upon the sight and apprehension of this wrath and curse coming on him the holy humane nature did holily abhor it but also that he submitted to receive it upon the consideration of the divine decree and agreement made upon the price to be payed by him and that upon the feeling of this wrath this agony in his soul and bloody sweat of his body was brought on Obj. But how could the pouring forth of the Fathers wrath upon his innocent and dear Son consist with his Fatherly love to him Ans. Even as the innocency and holiness of Christ could well consist with his taking upon him the punishment of our sins for even the wrath of a just man inflicting capitall punishment on a condemned person put case his own child can well consist with fatherly affection toward the child suffering punishment therefore it is not to be doubted but these two can well consist in God in whom affections do not war one with another nor sight with reason as it falleth forth among men for the affections ascribed unto God are effects rather of his holy will toward us then properly called affections in him and these effects of Gods will about us do alwayes tend to our good and blessednesse at last however diverse one from another in themselves 9. Among the degrees of the sufferings of Christs soul we may number not only the perturbation of his mind and thoughts but also the perturbation of his affections and especially his fear for his humane nature was like unto ours in all things except sin and was indeed feared when it saw and felt the wrath of God least it should have been swallowed up by it and of this fear the Apostle Heb. 5. 7. beareth witnesse saying who in the dayes of his flesh when he had offered up prayers and supplications and strong cryes and tears unto him that was able to save him from death and was heard in that he feared Now albeit this seemeth the saddest passage of all his sufferings that he was feared for being swallowed up yet this his fear is not to be wondered at nor is it inconsistent with his holinesse for when Christ assumed our nature as hath been said he assumed also all the common and sinless infirmities passions and perturbations of our nature Now it is kindly that the creature at the sight of an angry God should tremble for we read that the rocks and mountains have trembled before God when he did let forth his terrour and it is naturall to man at the sight of a terrible object at the sight of a perill and evill coming upon him but much more already come upon him especially if the evill and perill be above all his naturall strength to tremble and fear the worst and this becometh holy nature very well to fear present death off-cutting perdition and swallowing up in the danger when God appeared angry and was hasting to be avenged on sinners in the person of their Surety what could the humane soul of Christ gather from this terrible sight but that which sense and reason did teach In the mean time there was no place here for his doubting of the issue and his escapeing from being swallowed up for naturall fear of the manly nature arising from the infirmity of the creature differs very far from the fear arising from the infirmity of faith in Gods faithfulnesse and power and naturall fear of the worst can very well stand with the strength of faith to overcome the naturall fear for as the sensitive appetite may abhor a bitter cup of medicine and cause all the body tremble for fear to take it while in the mean time the man by reason is resolved to drink that bitter cup of medicine because he confidently hopeth to help his health thereby so naturall fear in Christ to taste of the cup of wrath could very well consist with strong faith and assurance to be delivered therefrom for it is very sutable that faith should as far overcome the naturall apprehension of sense and reason naturall as reason doth overcome sense in drinking a loathsom and bitter cup of medicine And to clear this yet further that extream fear to be swallowed up of wrath could well consist in Christ with strong faith to overcome and bear out that terrible wrath Let it be considered that as it was needfull Christ should be subject to the infirmity of naturall strength that he might suffer death so it was needfull that he should have strong faith to inable him to bear out in a holy way that which he behoved to suffer for if on the one hand Christ had not been weakned and emptied of all humane strength in his flesh he could not have been humbled enough for us he could not have suffered so much as Justice did exact for satisfaction for us and on the other hand if he had not stood firm in faith and love toward Gods glory and our salvation he could not have satisfied Justice nor been still the innocent and spotlesse lamb of God nor have perfected the expiatory sacrifice for us Obj. But was he not tempted to doubt by Satan Ans. We grant that he was indeed tempted by Satan to doubt yea we shall not stand to grant that he was tempted to desperation But we altogether deny that he was tainted with sin by temptation in the least degree for the Scripture saith he was tempted in all things like unto us but yet without sin in him or yielding in any sort to any temptation And seing by the Evangelist Matth. 4. we understand that he was tempted in the wildernesse by the devil unto the most horrible sins that Satan could devise and yet was not stained or polluted in the least degree with the least measure of yielding to the sinfull temptations we need not stand to grant that he might be tempted or that he was tempted unto doubting and desperation for this was among the most notable and prime temptations whereby Satan in his impudent boldnesse sollicited the Son of God very God and man in one person even to doubt of that what Satan knew he was If thou be the Son of God saith he It is true indeed that we who are sinners by nature and corrupted in all the powers of our soul cannot be tempted tossed and troubled but therein our sinfull nature in some measure may appear and be polluted But the mater was not so with our holy Lord the God of glory who was separat from sinners for our impure nature is like to water in a pudle which being stirred doth presently become muddy and foul but the holy humane nature of Christ was altogether pure like unto clear and pure fountain
THERAPEUTICA SACRA Shewing briefly The method of healing the diseases of the Conscience concerning REGENERATION Written first in Latine BY DAVID DICKSON Professor of DIVINITY in the Colledge of Edinburgh And thereafter Translated by him Matth. 9. 12. They that be whole need not a Physician but they that are sick EDINBVRGH Printed by Evan Tyler Printer to the King 's most Excellent Majesty 1664. TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE AND VERY NOBLE The COUNTESSE Dowager of GLENCAIRN MADAM AFter the Author had written and published this Treatise in Latine for the use of young Students in Theology by the earnest and frequent entreaty of friends he was induced and perswaded to translate it into our vulgar Tongue for the benefit of these who understood not the Latine and for preventing the labour of others who more forward then skilfull were about the doing of it and had once so far proceeded as to offer it to the Press without acquainting him therewith When he had finished the Translation his purpose was to have dedicated it to your Ladyship and to have sent it abroad into the world under your protection but weakness and sickness the ordinary companions of age and after them death whereby God Almighty and Gracious called him from his labours to enter into his Master's joy seasing upon him before he could write an Epistle Dedicatory it was his will that your honourable Name should be prefixed unto it In pursuance whereof it comes now as an Orphan to kiss your noble Hands fraughted with hopes of favour and shelter for the Parent 's sake and of acceptance as a testimony of the sincerity of the respects he carried to your Ladyships vertues It hath the stronger plea for a tender reception that it is the child of his age being his last labour and being brought forth in his seventy and second year and that it comes arrayed in a sute of Country-cloath which himself put upon it being published according to the Copy written with his own hand That it may be as it was designed by him usefull for the good of souls and that God may comfort you under your present sad affliction and make up the loss of your noble Husband the late Lord high Chancellour of Scotland is the prayer of MADAM Your Ladyships most humbly devoted Servant Alexander Dickson Edinburgâ— 13. Iune 1664. THERAPEUTICA SACRA Translated by the Author Shewing shortly The method of healing the diseases of the Conscience concerning Regeneration CHAP. I. Of Conscience in general SEing our purpose is to speak of the curing of sundry ordinary cases or diseases concerning Regeneration by a prudent application and use-making of divine Covenants made about and with man for his coming to eternal life it is needfull to speak in the entry a little first of the nature of the Conscience and use thereof in general next of the cases of the conscience in general thirdly what Regeneration is and who is the man regenerat fourthly of divine Covenants relating to everlasting happiness and fifthly of the orderly and prudent application of these Covenants in general that thereafter we may descend to speak of application thereof in particular Cases the more clearly 2. As to the first what conscience is It hath pleased God the soveraign Lord and Judge of all men in the Creation to put in mans soul a natural power or faculty whereby he might not only understand the revealed will of God the only Lord of and Law-giver to the Conscience not only concerning what he should believe and perform but also might judge of his own faith and obedience whether performed or not performed yea and might judge also of the faith and obedience of others in so far as evidences may be had of their conformity unto or dis-agreement from the revealed rule of faith and maners This power of the soul of man whether it be considered only in its natural aptitude and fitness to judge though not as yet or for the time actually judging or whether it be looked upon as it is putting forth it self in exercise we call it by the name of Conscience 3. The word Conscience is divers wayes taken for sometime by it is meaned the natural power of the mind to judge both of our own and others conformity to the rule and in this larger acception we say Every man hath a Conscience that is every man whether male or female whether old or young whether sleeping or waking hath a faculty which may and sometime shall judge of their own and others behaviour towards God Sometime it is taken for that natural power of the mind putting forth it self actually in exercise by judging of others So doth the Apostle take it 2 Cor. 5 11. I trust saith he we are made manifest in your consciences But here in this Treatise we take Conscience more strictly as it examineth and judgeth of our selves for in this sense it is most properly called Conscience or joint knowledge partly because it supposeth that God and we know our obedience or disobedience to the rule prescribed to us by Him partly because Conscience imports first our knowledge of the rule and next our knowledge of our behaviour in relation to the rule and our comparing of these two together and passing of sentence of our selves answerably 4. Conscience as it doth respect our selves is no other thing in effect then the understanding power of our souls examining how maters do stand betwixt God and us comparing His will revealed with our state condition and carriage in thoughts words or deeds done or omitted and passing judâ—ment thereupon as the case requires So that in the court of Conscience which is Gods Depute in us as it were these five things are to be considered 1. the duty of self-examination 2. the thing we are to examine 3. the rule whereby we are to examine 4. the process of the Conscience unto sentence giving and 5. the execution of the sentence so far as the Conscience may 5. As to the first the duty of examination of our selves and juâ—ging our selves it is required of us lest we be judged of God and chastised with sharp rods 1 Cor. 11. 31. 32. and hereunto we are exhorted Ps. 4. 4 Commune with your own hearts upon your beds and be still 6. As for the second the thing which we are to examine concerning our selves it is one of three or all the three in their order to wit either our estate whether we be in the state of nature under wrath or not or whether we be regenerat and in the state of grace through faith in Jesus Christ or not Of this speaketh the Apostle 2 Cor. 13. 5. Examine your selves whether ye be in the faith Or it is our condition whether being in the state of grace our present disposition or inclination of heart and affections be such as becometh a man reconciled or not To this point of examination Christ doth call the Angel of the Church of Ephesus Rev. 2. 5. Remember therefore
water in a glasse which howsoever it be troubled and tossed remaineth most pure and free of all muddinesse Obj. But at least was there not a conflict in our Lord between his faith and the temptation to doubting Ans. We grant not only a conflict of Christs humane naturall strength with the burden of affliction but also a conflict and wrestling of his faith against the temptation to doubting for wrestling doth not alwayes argue the infirmity of the wrestler for the Angel who is called God Hos. 12. wrestles with Iacob and in God was no infirmity Again wrestling doth not argue alwayes infirmity but doth only evidence the wrestlers power and the importunat obstinacy of an adversary who being repulsed and cast down doth not at first leave the field but riseth up again insists and presseth on so long as it pleaseth the most powerfull party to suffer the adversary to make opposition Obj. But you must grant that in the conflict of Christs humane naturall strength with the affliction and burden of the punishment laid upon him by the Father he was overcome and succumbed and died Ans. Yes indeed but we must put a difference between the conflict of naturall strength with the burden of affliction and the conflict between faith and a temptation unto sin in the conflict of holy humane nature in Christ with the punishment of our sins laid on Him it was not a sin to have his naturall strength overpowered and to lye down under the burden and to lay down his life and die but it was a main part of His obedience it was the performance of His promise and undertaking to yield himself to Justice and to die for us that we might be delivered from death eternall But in the wrestling of His faith with the temptation unto doubting it had been a sin to have yielded in the least degree and that which could not consist with the perfect holinesse of the Mediatour Surety for sinners Obj. But did not the perplexity of His thoughts and the anxiety of His mind diminish something of the vigour and constancy of his faith Ans. It did diminish nothing of the vigour and constancy of His faith for there is a great difference between the troubling of the thoughts and the hesitation or weakening of faith as there is also a great difference between the perturbations of the mind and the perturbation of the conscience For as the mind may be troubled when in the consideration of some difficulty it cannot at first perceive an outgate mean-time the conscience remaining sound and quiet so may the work of the mind 's discoursing be interrupted and at a stay for a time faith mean time remaining untouched wholly sound and quiet For example upon the sudden receiving of a wound or upon an unexpected report of some great losse such as befell Iob the wheels of the reasoning faculty may be at a stand for a time and the conscience in the mean time be quiet yea and faith in the mean time remain strong as we see in Iobâ— first exercise Now if this may be found in an holy imperfect man in any measure why shall we not consider rightly of the exercise of the holy one of Israel suffering in His humane nature the punishment of our sin Let us consider but one of the passages of our Lords exercise Ioh. 12. 27. 28. Now saith He My Soul is troubled wherein behold the perplexity of His mind smitten with the horrour of the curse due to us coming upon Him then cometh forth what shall I say wherein behold reason standing mute and altogether silent only He lets forth the confession of His perplexity presently after this He subjoyneth Father save Me from this hour wherein behold Holy nature trembling and shrinking to fall into the wrath of the Father and according to the principles of holy nature testifying the simple abhorrency of His soul from such an evill as is the wrath of God His Father which had it not been for love to save our souls He could not have yielded his humane nature to endure or bear it therefore He considering that we were but lost for ever if He should not suffer wrath for us He repeats the sum of the Covenant of Redemption agreed upon But for this cause came I unto this hour And last of all shuts up His speech and exercise in the triumphing voice of victorious and untainted faith Father glorifie thy Name and here He resteth wherewith the Father is so well pleased as that from heaven He speaketh to the hearing of the multitude standing by I have both glorified it and will glorifie it again 10. Among the deepest degrees of the suffering of Christ in His soul we reckon that desertion whereof Christ on the crosse giveth an account crying out My God My God why hast Thou forsaken Me By which speech He doth not mean that then the personall union of the natures was in him dissolved nor yet that God had withdrawn His sustaining strength and help from the humane nature nor that the love of the Father was taken off him nor that any point of the perfection of holinesse was taken from him but his true intent is to shew that God for a time had taken away sensible consolation and felt joy from His humane Soul that so justice might in His sufferings be the more fully satisfied And this is the forsakeing of Him here given to us to understand In which desertion Christ is not to be looked upon simply as He is in His own person the Son of the Father in whom He is alwayes well pleased but as He standeth in the room of sinners Surety and Cautioner paying their debt In which respect He behoved to be dealt with as standing in our name guilty and paying the debt of being forsaken of God which we were bound to suffer fully and for ever if He had not interposed for us 11. The last degree of Christs sufferings wherein He may be said to have descended into hell so far as Scripture in the old Testament or the hystory of Christs passion in the new will suffer us to expound that expression is that curse wherein the full wrath of God and the dregs of that horrible cup was poured forth upon His holy humane nature while heaven and earth and hell seemed to conspire to take vengeance on Him and fully to punish our sins in the person of Him our Surety by that cursed death of the crosse which was the evidence foretold of the malediction of God lying on Him in so far as was necessary to compleet the punishment of losse and feeling both in soul and body And therefore not without ground have Orthodox divines taken-in Christs suffering in His soul and the detaining of His body in the grave put in as the close and last part of Christs sufferings as the true meaning of that expression He descended into hell not only because these pains which Christ suffered both in body and soul were
to prove a man to be regenerat but he must be proven also a true believer in Christ a man reconciled to God a man justified and an adopted child 2. It is necessary therefore for proving a man to be regenerat to know the right description of the regenerat man which is given by the Apostle Phil. 3. 3. We are the circumcision which worship God in the spirit and rejoyce in Iesus Christ and have no confidence in the flesh Wherein the Apostle holdeth forth the truly regenerat circumcised in heart 1. He is not sinlesse but so sensible of his sinfulnesse as he hath no confidence in himself nor any thing else in himself 2. He is not free of accusations or tentations and doubts but he flyeth to Christ for righteousnesse 3. He is not an idle and unfruitfull branch but a worshiper of God in spirit and truth 1. He is burdened with sin 2. He cometh to Christ for relief 3. He puts on Christs yoke Math. 11. 28 29. If a man have these three properties joyntly in him he is a regenerae man and may defend his interest in the state of grace and right to righteousnesse and eternall life through Jesus Christ. 3. Divine operations and saving graces which accompany salvation such as are faith repentance unto life hope Christian love to God and men for Gods cause effectual vocation justification reconciliation adoption go together in time by Gods gift but one of them goeth before another in order of nature for effectual calling goeth before faith and faith goeth before hope and before charity or love Again these graces which are given to the redeemed child of God joyntly in respect of time do not shew themselves in their evidence alike soon in time nor do they equally manifest themselves when they do appear in time And so the evidences of repentance may be discerned in not a few converts before faith in Christ do shew it self in them clearly So also love to God and his Saints oft-times may be discerned in a regenerat man before he himself dare affirm any thing of his faith in Christ. 4. Albeit there be many regenerat persons who for the present time cannot perceive in themselves any undoubted signs of their conversion yet it is certain also that there be many who to their own unspeakable comfort are assured of their regeneration and that they are translated from death to life and that they have received the spirit of adoption and earnest of eternal life as is pointed out in the experience of the Ephesians chap. 1. 14. And this is certain also that all who are fled to Christ for refuge should by all means labour to make their calling and election clear and certain to themselves 2 Pet. 1. 10. And to this purpose we are commanded to examine our selves and try whether we be in the faith or not whether Christ by his Spirit be in us or not 2 Cor. 13. 5. for otherwise except a convert know certainly the blessednesse of his own state and that he standeth in grace and favour with God it is not possible for him to give hearty thanks to God for the change of his state from being an enemy to be made a reconciled subject and child of God It is not possible for him to rejoyce in the Lord or set chearfully himself to serve God or comfortably call on God as a father to him in Christ Wherefore all who in the sense of their sins and fear of deserved wrath are fled for refuge unto Christ should deal by prayer earnestly with God that he would graciously grant unto them his Spirit by whose operation in them they may know the saving graces which he hath freely bestowed upon them of which gift of the holy Spirit the Apostle doth speak 1 Cor. 2. 12. 5. The knowledge of a mans own regeneration hath many degrees of clearnesse and assurance by reason of the variety of conditions wherein a man truly converted may be For many doubts may arise in the man regenerat which may darken his sight and hinder the assurance of saving grace granted unto him whereof sundry causes may be found and in special these four among others 1. In a man illuminat and renewed by the holy Spirit there remains a great deal of ignorance much doubting mixed with faith by reason of unskilfulnesse of the convert to examine and discern this blessed change made in him where through that cometh to passe in many young converts which will be seen in infants who have a soul indeed but do not know or perceive that they have a soul till they come to some years of discretion yea many sound Christians are oft-times at a stand about their regeneration and know not what to make of their faith or repentance especially when they feel the power of the body of death the strength of natural corruption in themselves and great indisposition for any spiritual exercise they are forced with the Apostle to cry miserable man that I am who shall deliver me Rom. 7. 24. mean time for weaknesse of their faith they are not able at the first to wrestle against discouragment and to come up unto the Apostles thanking God through Christ. 2. By the tentation of Sathan oft-times the perswasion of holy men is darkened so as they cannot see the evidences of their own regeneration clearly for Sathan sets himself to vex the Saints who are delivered from his kingdom and bonds whom albeit he know that he cannot destroy them yet he will not cease to trouble them that at least he may make them some way unfit for Gods service and marr their cheerfulness in his service and because he feareth harm from them unto his kingdom by their dealing with the unconverted to repent their sins and to turn unto God therefore he finds them work at home in their own bosome and puts them to defend themselves and to forbear to invade his subjects till they be setled themselves 3. Oft-times the Lord is offended by the sins of the regenerat and specially by their grosse transgressions for which his Spirit being grieved doth for a time cease from comforting them and doth not bear witnesse with their spirits that they are the children of God as he hath formerly used to do 4. Oft-times the Lord by suffering doubts to arise in their hearts useth to try and exercise the faith of his children and thereby to stir them up to the pursuing of the duties of piety and righteousnesse more vigorously and sincerely that after victory obtained over these tentations they may be more confirmed in their faith and more diligent in his obedience 6. It may come to passe that while the true convert doth most doubt of his own regeneration that the work of Gods special grace may be observed in him and clearly seen by others more experienced in the wayes of God and indued with the spirit of discretion The reason whereof is because howsoever the weak convert and child of light walking
for removing of our guiltinesse and saving us from condemnation but also hath undertaken to the Father to write his law in our heart and at last to present us perfect without spot or blemish for which end he hath taken by appointment the threefold office of Prophet Priest and King Thirdly it imports that it is our duty to lay hold upon this rich gift and right intimat unto us judicially from God and whatsoever commanded duty we are to go about we do it in the name of Christ sucking by faith sap and vertue from him to bring forth good fruits holy and acceptable to God through him Because Christ the second person of the God-head incarnat is made unto us and judicially intimat from God to us our sanctification The fourth sentence is this Christ is made of God unto us redemption which importeth first that we who have fled from sin and wrath unto Christ and are justified by faith and begun to be sanctified are yoked in a warfare with our sinfull flesh the world and Sathan being subject to many miseries in this life and to death natural and the grave In which warfare we are not of our selves able to stand nor to deliver our selves from the miseries whereunto we are subject except by divine power we be supported brought thorow and saved Secondly it imports that Christ not only hath payed a satisfactory price for our redemption and is able to deliver us from all sin and misery against the power of whatsoever adversary but also that he hath undertaken the work and hath by compact with the Father obliged himself to deliver us powerfully from all sin and misery and to overcome to our behoove all our enemies and tread them underfoot and that he is judicially established in his kingly office and made over to us for our assurance by decreet intimat to us Thirdly it importeth our duty that by vertue of the right and gift of Christ God-man made over unto us by Gods decreet now intimat we should rely by faith on him as the pledge of perfecting our salvation throughly and fight out our battels against all adversar powers and all miseries in his strength rejoycing in his victory over all our enemies for God hath made him unto uâ— redemption CHAP. II. Wherein the regenerat mans doubt of his being in the state of grace by reason of his felt unworthinesse is answered THese premised considerations may serve for the more easie solution of doubts and particular cases wherein the regenerat man may be troubled about his being in the state of grace For which end it is needfull also by way of example to propound some usual questions in particular the answering whereof may serve to answer all questions which do arise from the like original For 1. Howsoever it be certain from Scripture that the regenerat shall noâ— peâ—ish and that their state in grace is unchangeable and that their perseverance in the faith is established by Christs undertaking to make them persevere according to the charge given unto him from the Fâ—ther Ioh. 6. 39 40. yet it iâ— true also that every regenerat man is noâ— clear about his regeneration and many regenerat persons have only a conjectural opinion that they are regenerat who are not come up as yet to an assurance and perswasion of their blessed estate And the number is not great of these who alwaies or any long time together do injoy that serenity and tranquility of conscience that they can confidently triumph and glory with the Apostle Rom. 5. 3 4. 5. because of desertions and tentations raising doubts in their conscience concerning their estate oft-times holy persons are disquieted With such persons while they are in that case a Pastor or a prudent friend must deal so as he would deal with the infirm and with them who think themselves not converted because the same remedies will serve to strengthen a weak believer and to draw a soul sensible of sin and under the pangs of the new birth unto faith in Christ. 2. But let us come more particularly to examine the doubts of some that are regenerat and their pretended reasons for their doubting Some are so sensible of their own unworthinesse that they question if themselves or any like unto themselves can be in the state of grace mean time their carriage is such a becometh a Christian blamelesse I Feel in 〈◊〉 saith ouâ— such strength of inward corruption as doth dâ—file every best action I go about I see what holinesse is required in thoâ—e that approach unto God that I do utterly loath my self as unworthy to be admitted into the fellowship of God or Christ the holy one of Israel yea saith another I think it no small presumption to draw near unto Christ or count my self among his Saints and followers This for a short time was the case of Isaiah when in a vision he saw the glory of Christ in the Temple and heard the Seraphims proclaim him thâ—ee holy Isa. 6. 5. Wo is me said he for I am undone because I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips for mine eyes have seen the King the Lord of hostes This also was the case of Peâ—er who in the sense of his own unworthinesse wakened up by the shining of the glory of Christs God-head in the miraculous tack of fishâ—s Luk. 5 8. falling down at Christs knees he cryeth depart from me O Lord for I am a sinfull man which is as much as if he had said I am utterly unworthy to be admitted unto fellowship with thy holy Mâ—jesty The like also was the case of the Publican in the parable Luk. 18. 13. out of which case after some wrestling of saâ—th he cometh forth toward God yet standing a far off nor daring to life up hiâ— eyes to heaven wherein is pointed out to us the sense of his unworthinesse hindering him to approach confidently to the throne of grace 3. For removing of this doubt five or six considerations may be represented to the party afflicted with this proviso that the sense of his unworthinesse be not discharged or diminished but wisely entertained in him rather for it is not to be presupposed that any man can esteem himself so unworthy and far from meriting any good at Gods hand as he is indeed But yet his doubt how he dare or may draw near unto Christ because of his felt unworthinesse may be solved 1. If he consider the nature and offer made of the covenant of grace whereby these that are sensible of their own unworthinesse are so far from being debarred from the covenant of grace that the covenant of grace doth not admit any person to be received into it but such only who do renounce all confidence in their own works and worthinesse and do flye unto the offer of the free grace of God in Christ for our Lord hath said Mat. 9. 13. I came not to call the righteous but
sinners to repentance And the promises of the Evangel are made to the poor in spirit to the hungry and thristy for the righteousnesse of Christ which only can satisfie a hungry soul Mat. 5. 3 6. yea the sense of unworthinesse is in effect that self-loathing whereof Ezek. speaketh chap. 36. 31. which sense of unworthinesse may be seen in Iob as a special act and evidence of his repentance Iob. 42. 6. Secondly let him consider that because by reason of sin no worthinesse can be found in us therefore God hath freely loved the world and provided grace in Christ that all that flye to him may out of his fulnesse receive grace for grace Ioh. 1. 16. Thirdly the three sold office of a Mediator wherewith Christ hath cloathed himself doth obviat and meet the doubts of the humbled soul under the sense of unworthinesse for albeit he be ignorant and slow to understand and believe the revealed will of God about mens salvation and his prescribed service yet upon 〈◊〉 flying to Christ he hath Christ offered and given to him for his wisdom a Prophet able to inform him to open his eyes and perswade him to imbrace by lively faith all saving doctrine Albeit he be exceeding sinfull and worthy of condemnation yet he hath Christ aâ— Priest made of God unto him righteousness and sanctification upon his flying to him for refute from sin and wrath undertaking also powerfully to sanctifie him by mortifying his corruptions and perfecting at last the Image of God in him And albeit he have the world and his own flesh and the power of all principalities and spiritual wickednesse with many miseries in this life to wrestle with yet he hath Christ Jesus as King made of God unto him redemption upon his flying to Christ for refuge against all his enemies So that he may be sure to be found among them whom he hath redeemed by price-paying and for whom he hath undertaken powerfully to sustain them in all this warfare whatsoever misery they may be in and at last to bring them out of all sin and misery to a perfect rest in everlasting glory And to what end hath our Lord taken on the office of a Mediator and Redeemer if not to open the eyes of the blind that flye to him for eye-salve to cover the naked flying unto him with the precious garment of his imputed righteousnesse and to enrich the poor needy and unworthy out of the store house of his unsearchable riches of grace Rev. 3. 18. Fourthly let him consider the constant course of grace and practical dispensation thereof in all ages toward all the converted Are not all they to whom the Gospel cometh in the state of corrupt nature when God cometh to convert them For never was there any person called unto the state of grace but he was found in his sins and in the state of lost sinners by nature none but children of wrath and enemies by nature are reconciled none but they who by the law are condemned are justified none but they that in their own sense are lost do obtain salvation for Christ doth plainly tell us I came to seek and to save them that are lost Did he ever reject any that fled unto him because they were unworthy No for it is said Ps. 9. 10. They that know thy name will trust in thee for thou never forsook them that sought thee And Ioh. 6 37. he saith These that come unto me I will in no case cast out 2 Tim. 1. 9. Not according to our works but according to his own purpose and 〈◊〉 hath he called us Fifthly let him consider the worthinesse of Christs person and merits who because he being God and man in one person hath paid a price of infinit value for redemption of sinners who flye unto him is worthy for whose cause the unworthy sinner flying to the throne of grace should be received in favour and made fit for eternal life by the sanctification of his Spirit Sixthly let him consider that if he stand a-back from Christ and do not flye unto him how unworthy soever he think himself he remains under wrath and the condemnatory sentence of the law Ioh. 1. 8. but let him rather remember that he is warranted by a command of God the Father to flye to Christ 1 Ioh. 3. 23. This is his commandment that we should believe on the name of his Son Iesus Christ and love one another as he hath commanded us And therefore let him say of his own soul with thâ— Centurion speaking of his servant to Christ Luke 7. 6 7. I am not worthy that thou should come under my roof but say the word and my servant shall be healed The word is said frequently in Scripture let the afflicted rest himself on it CHAP. III. Wherein the regener at mans doubts arising from the multitude and weight of his sins against the Law and the Cospel and against the light of his conscience are answered AS in the pangs of the new birth this doubt hath much weight to keep a soul a-back from imbâ—â—â—eing Christ and receiving pardon through him So after a man is regenerat and made quiet in his conscience when through sad affliction and sore temptation these wounds of his conscience begin to bleed again his pardon and peace is called in question Of this exercise there are three degrees the first is when sins against the law are mustered and led in an hoste against a soul which was the case of the afflicted Psalmist for a time till by faith he over-came the doubt Ps. 40. 12. Innumerable evils have compassed me about mine iniquities have taken hold on me so that I am not able to look up they are more then the hairs of mine head therefore my heart faileth me The second degree is when beside the mans sins against the Law his sins also against the Gospel against Christ and the means of salvation do arise in battel against him and do drive him to cry out with these not yet converted sinners Act. 2. 37. men and brethren what shall we do The third degree is when the regenerat man for some grosse sins against the light of his conscience is given up for a time to be scourged with the temptations and accusations of Sathan as if he had sinned against the holy Ghost and no more mercy were reserved for him and this was the case of the Prophet Ionah when being guilty and conscious to his late rebellion against God he is pursued and apprehended by God and casten in the sea he falleth in a â—it of desperation till God gave him victory by faith Ion. 2. 4. Then I said I am cast out of thy sight yet I will look again to thy holy Temple which was the trysting place of God with sinners in a Mediator This was also the case of David for a time after that his conscience is wakened by the message of God sent unto him in the mouth of Nathan the Prophet when he
do acknowledge that they deserve death for their sins do confesse they stand in need of Christ do thirst for his righteousnesse do desire earnestly to be united unto him by faith do follow the exercise of Religion and do endeavour to keep their consciences undefiled in all things and yet for all this do not only doubt whether they be renewed but also do esteem it a presumptuous rashnesse in them to approach unto Christ or to cast themselves over on him by faith before they be more seriously humbled before they feel a more hearty sorrow and grief before they feel the pangs of the new birth more sharp before they be more pressed with the burthen of their sins and do feel in themselves the spirit of fear and trembling and bondage in a higher measure From whom if you ask a reason of their doubt they shall answer that they are not yet called to come unto Christ because these are only called to come unto Christ who are weary and loaden in the superlative degree and are so born down with the weight of sin as they cannot be more and not despair for so do they interpret that saying of Christ Matth. 11. 28. Christ is sent only to the contrite and broken in heart who sit in the dust under the spirit of bondage that is to say as they take it to them who are under grief unspeakable as they expound Isa. 61. 1 2 3. So in their opinion Christ came to save only those who in their own sense are lost that is who are on the brink of desperation wherefore in respect they are not gone down deep enough as they think into this gulf and hell of anguish and sorrow they dare not approach or look toward Christ. Mean time they lye daily mourning and weeping and will not grant that their grief is worthy of the name of grief which sorrow they cannot dissemble or hide but do bewray it in their countenance habite walking and frequent sighing and will professe that they can hardly think they have right to eat or drink of Gods creatures and were it not for fear of adding yet more sin to the former they would not eat or drink at all oft-times they chatter as swallows and sigh as the turtle dove and oft-times their bowels sound out as if their parents or children or nearest relations were dead and yet for all this do not satisfie themselves in sorrow but do complain that they are stupid and senslesse of their sinfull and miserable condition wherein they do lye bound and though they do confesse that sometimes they mourn yet they alledge their mourning is but like the early dew or morning cloud that goeth soon away All the while it is in vain to offer to the afflicted consolation in Christ because saith he I am not one of the mourners in Sion whom he will comfort and in this their mistake they do confirm themselves by another error saying that the measure of repentance and sorrow should answer unto the measure of sin my sins saith he go far beyond the sins of others This and the like objections they cast in whereby they do obstruct their own way unto Christ and keep themselves aback from him till they be satisfied with their own prescribed measure of sorrow which case indeed deserveth much compassion for who would not commiserat their case who being in a very miserable condition dare not seek relief from their own misery which they do feel and all because they are not yet more miserable and when they are asked cannot determine what measure of affected humiliation they would stand at as sufficient 2. In the cure of this case as much must be yielded to the afflicted as reasonably can be and first it must be confessed that it is the duty of all who approach unto Christ to come in the sense of sin and acknowledgment of their miserable condition and that the due deserving of their sin is everlasting death It must be confessed also that the measure of compunction contrition and lamentation for sin may possibly be exceeding great as we see in the experience of Heman the Ezrait Psal 88. 11. I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up while I suffer thy terrors I am distracted And David Ps. 38. This also further must be yielded unto him that the operation of the spirit of conviction by the law doth ordinarily and of its own nature go before the spirit of adoption or the operation of the spirit of the Gospel according to the covenant of grace so that no man can in earnest embrace Christ as a Physician as Mediator and Saviour of his soul except he be sensible of his disease acknowledge his natural enmity against God and his own lost condition being by nature under the curse of the Law Secondly when these things are agreed upon the afflicted person may be posed concerning the measure of the sorrow for sin whether it must be the same in every convert to wit in that extremity and superlative degree which he doth miss and desiderat in himself and how long that sorrow in this eminent measure must continue By this question he cannot choose but be at a stand and unable to answer with Scripture-warrand for the Scripture doth indeed require serious repentance but the measure of sorrow and sadnesse it doth not prescribe for Matth. chap. 3. v. 2. 6. many upon the hearing of Iohn Baptist preaching were convicted of their sins and did confesse their sins in the general and forthwith were baptized by him And Act. 2. 37. 41. three thousand souls at the hearing of one sermon of Peter were convinced of their sin pricked at the heart repented and fled to Christ for grace were converted baptized and entered members of the Christian Church all in one day Again the afflicted may be posed with another question seing he desiderats such a measure of sound hearty sorrow in himself before he can make his addresse unto Christ out of what fountain mindeth he to draw this sorrow of himself he hath it not and from Christ by his grounds he cannot seek it for he saith for want of his imagined measure of sorrow for sin he dare not approach unto Christ because as he alledgeth none are called to come unto Christ except such only as are in a superlative degree weary and loaden and so full of the spirit of heavinesse that he must be at the point of desperation near by But the Scripture doth teach us that Christ is that exalted Prince to give repentance unto Israel in what measure of sorrow he pleaseth and that therefore such as are convinced of and in any measure sorrowfull for offending God should run unto Christ that he may give them a better measure of repentance Thirdly the evils and danger which accompany and follow upon this practical error may be represented unto the afflicted for first by this his error he giveth way to Sathans tentation who when he perceiveth the
the present And in this sense an unrenewed man is said to be in a better or worse condition for the present in comparison with other unrenewed men or with himself at another time In which sense Mark 12. 34. Christ speaking to the Scribe who answered him in all things discreetly saith thou art not far front the kingdom of heaven The condition for the present of this Scribe was better then his fellows and better then his own at another time and yet his person was in the state of wrath because he was not entered in the state of grace or in the kingdom of heaven howsoever he was not far from it In this more strict sense the judicial state of the mans person is fixed so long as the judicial sentence of the Judge binding the unconverted to the curse that is pronounced in the Law or in the Gospel lousing the converted from the curse doth stand But the morall disposition and the condition of the man whether in the state of grace or nature is variable and changeable to the better or worse in comparison with others or himself at another time Whence it is that one and the same person may be in a better or worse condition his state remaining the same to wit good if he be renewed and evil if he be still in nature unrenewed 2. But here we are about the condition of the renewed man only which may be better at one time and worse at another time as his disposition and caâ—â—age in order to the duties of religion and righteousnesse falleth out to be better or worse according as his actions and behaviour are more or lesse conform to the revealed will of God and as his conscience doth its duty more or lesse commendably Sometimes his conscience upon good grounds speaketh good to him while he studieth to walk before God unto all well-pleasing and then he may say with the Psalmist Ps. 26. 12. My foot standeth in an even place in the congregation will I blesse the Lord. To this good condition we need not say much because there is no present disease which calleth for cure of this case Only it is for the child of God in this case necessary to observe dyet and exercise to maintain his good condition and to watch over his heart and wayes that he may continue and go on therein All that we have to deal with is the ill condition of the true convert when his conscience doth deceive him or doth not discharge its duty for in this case only remedy and cure is called for 3. As that condition wherein the convert is best pleased with himself is not alwayes the best So neither is that condition wherewith he is worst pleased alwayes the worst But that is the best condition wherein the holy Spirit doth most bear down the power of sin and advance the work of sanctification of the man and that condition is the worst wherein sin most prevaileth And as the goodnesse of a mans condition is is not to be estimat by any eventual accident but by its own nature and proper effects So the illnesse of a mans condition is not to be estimat by any eventual accident but by its own nature and proper effects as God in the Scripture giveth grounds of judgment of a good or ill condition for otherwayes by the default of the renewed man the best condition may degenerat in a very ill condition As when a man doth abuse divine consolations and after receiving of the renewed earnest of the inheritance from the holy Spirit groweth carnally secure and negligent in his duties or when after some grosse pollution of himself in body or soul having grieved the holy Spirit he doth not humble himself as became him but by Sathans suggestion of wicked thoughts against God and his former work in him doth fall in suspicion of all former gracious operations of the holy Spirit in him and mis-calleth all these former experiences and in his tentation esteemeth and nameth them among Sathans delusions or else at least suspecteth and feareth they shall prove no better then such On the other hand the worst conditions of the renewed man by the wisdom mercy and power of God may be turned to advantage in order to Gods glory and the renewed mans salvation as the experience of the Psalmist doth shew us Psal. 116 3 4. c. 4. An evil condition is so called either 1. in respect of the evil which the convert not only feeleth really but laments it seriously or 2. in respect of the converts estimation only who laments his good condition without cause or 3. in respect of a reall evil which the convert lamenteth not at all but lyeth under it securely Of the first sort is the condition of the convert when he seeth his own blindnesse nakednesse and misery the hardnesse of his own heart and the deceitfulnesse of it and doth flye for remedy thereof to Christ the true Physician to cover and cure all his diseases This condition is evil only in respect of felt evil but in respect of the converts making the right use of the discovery of these evils and flying unto Christ for relief therefrom it is a good condition because the diseased convert carryeth himself well and wisely in this exercise Of the second sort is the converts condition when his faith is put to tryall by manifold afflictions and tentations and he conceives himself to be in a very evil condition wherein he ought not to afflict himself but to judge this condition to be a good condition according to the Apostles exhortation Iam. 1. 2 3. My brethren count it all joy when ye fall in divers tentations knowing that the tryall of your faith worketh patience Of the third sort is the condition of the convert who when for example he feels himself unapt and unable to pray or praise or discharge any duty heartily doth not trouble himself with this his ill case but either layeth-by the doing of the duty or doth the work negligently and perfunctoriously and pleaseth himself in so doing for a time This condition is evil indeed both in respect of his spiritual diseases and of his sinfull slighting the duty of seeking relief thereof 5. For rectifying the judgment of the conscience in any or all of those conditions first let difference be put between the sinfull diseases and distempers of our spirit which are evil indeed and the discovery thereof unto us which is a benefit in it self and a gift of eye-salve bestowed by Christ upon us and the right use of that discovery by flying unto Christ which is yet a greater blessing even the work of God drawing us to the Saviour of souls the remedy of every evil Secondly let difference be put between tentation or tryal of faith and yielding to tentation under affliction The observation of tentation offered to make us depart from the truth in tryal is a matter of joy but yielding is a sin and mater of
contrary thereto This we call the first and principal sign or mark of delusion because except this sign be found other signs albeit they point forth a perilous condition yet without this effect and sign be joyned they do not prove delusion in the strict sense wherein we take it here This sign the Apostle doth point at in the Galatians Gal. 3. 1. O foolish Galatians who hath bewitched you that you should not obey the truth where he challengeth them for rejecting the truth and obedience unto it The second effect and mark of delusion is a bastard perswasion whereby the person deluded layeth hold on a most false error as if it were a most solid truth and without hink or doubt rests upon it as if it were a divine truth This sort of perswasion we call a bastard and illegitimat perswasion 1. because it is not wrought by the Spirit of Christ for which cause the Apostle makes the Galatians perswasion not to be right and legitimat Gal. 5. 8. Secondly because this perswasion neither leans upon upon Gods Word rightly understood nor upon any firm reason deduced reasonably from the Scripture Thirdly because this perswasion of the deluded that his tenet is true is stronger then his perswasion of many articles of his faith for which he hath clear Scripture and yet this perswasion of the deluded is not so strong when it cometh to tryal as weak faith well grounded is which when the force of tentation and persecution cometh is more able to bear out then the deluded mans perswasion wherein he glorieth Upon which ground the Apostle doth not doubt but the Galatians beign true converts shall renounce this false perswasion and return to the truth which they had forsaken Last of all we call this a bastard perswasion because it draweth its original and strength not from clearnesse of Gods revealed truth but from the agreement which the error hath with some carnal affection whereunto this error doth service for which respect carnal and corrupt reason is easily drawn to maintain it pertinaciously The third effect and sign of delusion is the causing division and schisme in the visible Church needlesly and this effect doth readily follow on the former two for where error in doctrine and in the rule of practice getteth up the head it falleth out inevitably that the defenders of the truth and spreaders of the error shall fall in contention and division In which case the Apostle doth exhort the Romans howsoever they should pity the misled multitude yet carefully to mark the causers of the division Rom. 16. 17. I beseech you brethren mark them which cause division and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned and avoid them which presupposeth they deserve excommunication if they be obstinat The fourth effect and sign of delusion is foolishnesse or a sort of madnesse which appeareth partly in the inconsiderat embracing of the error and partly in the defending and promoving of it for if the error in it self be considered it is a falshood and deceit or if we look to the hasty receiving of it when no sound proof can be had of it it is foolishnesse or if we consider the damage which followeth the defending and spreading of it which the party deluded did not fore-see and guard against it is a madnesse and cannot but be so for a false doctrine albeit at first it may carry the appearance of piety and prudence yet when it is compared with Scripture and rule of right reason led by Scripture it is found nothing but vanity falshood cosening and deceit as the Apostle doth insinuat concerning the errors which in his time were sprouting forth in the Church Col. 2. 23. which things have a shew indeed of wisdom in wil-worship and humility and neglecting of the body not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh that is they are not worthy of any estimation for they serve only to satisfie fleshly corruption of nature as he observeth in the authors of Angel-worshiping of whom he averreth that they intrude themselves into those things which they have not seen vainly puft up by their fleshly mind Col. 2. 18. And he calleth the Galatians foolish or mad for their embracing of the error Gal. 3. 1. and for hasty embracing of it Gal. 1. 6. I marvel that you are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another Gospel for there are many who after much time spent and pains taken upon them by faithfull Pastors do not come up to the understanding of the heads of the doctrine held forth in the Catechise and proofs given thereof by Scripture and yet will very readily imbrace an error and seem to themselves so well to understand it and to be able to argue for defence of it whose folly and madnesse may be seen in this that they do not consider the bitter fruits of their error to make a schisme in the Church they think nothing of it to rent the body of Christ they care not for it and for this very cause the Apostle reproveth the Corinthians that falling in contest and contention among themselves about the excellency of their teachers they rent the Church the body of Christ did despise his dominion and government and gave his glory unto men and did not regard the lamentable consequences of the schisme no not when they were admonished and rebuked by the wiser sort of their brethren 1 Cor. 1. 11. and 2 Cor. 10. 2. The fifth effect and sign of delusion is the pride of the deluded and vain gloriation in their error for the Corinthians gloried in men and made it a matter of praise to themselves to have such and such men heads of their schisme 1 Cor. 3. 21. and upon this ground did despise and contemn one another And the Apostle giveth this mark of Schismaticks and Sectaries 2 Tim. 3. 2. Men saith he shall be lovers of their own selves covetous boasters proud c. and the followers of the false Prophetesse Iezebel did despise the Orthodox as ignorant dolts uncapable of the high mysteries and spiritualities of the Gospel which indeed were nothing but the deepâ— of Sathans delusions Rev. 2. 24. The sixth effect or sign of delusion is rash preposterous and bastard zeal This the Apostle did mark in the mis-believing Jews Rom. 10. 2. They have a zeal of God but not according to knowledge saith he This preposterous and rash zeal is far more firy and hot then true zeal in the godly for the error for which the deluded do strive is the native brood of corrupt nature and therefore it hath corrupt reason and affection stout for it and no wonder that corrupt nature be strong to defend and advance its own birth But true zeal is much more moderate partly because it is carried on with knowledge and prudence doth fear to offend God by yielding to passions and hath to strive against corrupt nature which cloggeth and hindereth
every grace in the convert and this amongst the rest 2. This preposterous and bastard zeal doth render the deluded person too pertinacious in the defence of the error wherewith he is overtaken that rather then he will quite his error he will imbrace another error to maintain the former error for which he doth contend And this cometh to passe partly by a sort of necessity and partly by corrupt willfulnesse Partly of necessity I say because one absurd error being received draweth after it many other errors for it is impossible to defend one error in religion but by broaching and maintaining moe errors I say partly by corrupt willfulnesse because when the deluded person findeth himself in dispute intangled so as he must either renounce the error which he hath imbraced or receive and maintain another error which followeth thereon he chooseth rather to imbrace the error which followeth upon his first error wherein he was first insnared 3. Holy zeal loveth every truth yea loveth other points of truth as much as it loveth that particular doctrine of truth which discovers the error neither will it suffer a believer for the defence of any point of doctrine to passe from another truth but preposterous and bastard zeal is contrair for if many points of truth come in comparison and competition with the error which the deluded man hath drunken in he will mis-regard them all rather then forsake his error albeit he professe other truths to be more precious and necessar then his erroneous tenet A proof of this we have in the Pharisees who made the great things of the Law of none effect for upholding of their own traditions Mat. 15. 6. And the same power of delusion may be seen among Papists who will not so hotly pursue or punish so severely the breach of Gods commandments as they do pursue and punish the neglect of superstitious ceremonies 4. Preposterous and bastard zeal is very busie to spread and propagat an error by all means venting false doctrine And such mens speeches do spread as a gangren 2 Tim. 2. 17. and a little leaven of this kind is ready to leaven the whole lump Gal. 5. 9. In which case Christ advertised and exhorted his disciples to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees whereby they were about to leaven the whole Church And this furious zeal as experience hath taught doth spare no pains or labour to draw on moe and moe to the profession of the zealots errors as may be observed in Pharisees who compassed sea and land to make proselyts Math. 23. 15. 5. This bastard zeal of deluded persons carrieth them to have respect unto and estimation of them that embrace their error and to seek respect and estimation from them who are overtaken with their error This was evident in the schisme of the Corinthians of whom some did choose to be called such mens disciples other some did choose to be called the disciples of another man and all did glory in their leaders 1 Cor. 3. 5. 21. And on the other hand the heads of the schisme did glory in the multitude and excellency as they conceived of their disciples This the Apostle observed in the seducers of the Galatians and in them that were seduced by them Gal. 4. 17. They zealously affect you but not well yea they would exclude you from communion with God us his Apostles that you might affect them 6. This bastard zeal of the deluded doth drive them to disdain and contemn all them who oppugn their error yea and to hate them as experience did shew among the Corinthians for so soon as schismes did arise in Corinth dissentions also did arise 1 Cor. 3. 3. and 2 Cor. 12. 20. and of this â—vil the Apostle doth complain Gal. 4. 16. Am I become your enemy because I tell you the truth And this much may serve for our purpose concerning the effect and signs of delusion Quest. 3. The third question is what are the causes of delusion For answer the causes are many and various for some causes are principal causes some subservient some meritorious causes and some promoveing and helping forward of this evil And which causes and instruments God doth so over-rule in his justice power and wisdom that he turneth all to his own glory and welfare of his Church This we learn from the Apostle 1 Tim. 4. 1 2. Now saith he the Spirit speaketh expresly that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith giving head to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils speaking lies in hypocrisie having their conscience seared with an hot iron forbidding to marry and to abstain from meats which God hath created to be received c. Where first he foretells that there shall be a departing from the doctrine of the Apostles whereof he giveth an instance of that which might seem furthest from suspicion of delusion to wit a putting of a religious restraint upon the use of things lawfull in themselves as marriage and meats The authors of this delusion 1. he points forth to be lying spirits and men seduced by a lying spirit 2. The way of seduction he foretells shall be by lyes spoken in grosse hypocrisie 3. Left any should wonder how this could come to passe that any man against his conscience should dare to speak lyes he points at the cause procuring to wit the stupidity and senslessenesse of the conscience they have their conscience seared with a hot iron And 2 Cor. 11. 14 15. speaking of deluded seducers of the people Such are false apostles saith he deceitfull workers transforming themselves into the Apostles of Christ. And no marvel for Sathan himself is transformed into an Angel of light Where among sundry wayes of deceiving he points forth one of Sathans stratagemes to tempt men to make a shew of piety and counterfeit appearance of holy zeal and to pretend the authority of God to delude the simple By which delusion whosoever are insuared they are ready to put on the same coat for being deceived they deceive others pretending Scripture that they may fight against Scripture and pretending holinesse and piety that they may hinder in others the true exercise of holinesse As to the causes of ready embracing of errors 1. there is propension aboundant in the natural corruption of the heart to lay hold on any error offered Ier. 17. 9. The heart is deceitfull above all things and desperatly wicked who can know it Another cause is pointed forth by Christ Mat. 22. 29. You erre not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God A third cause is the want of mortification for the Apostle doth reckon heresies and schismes among the works of the flesh and in particular 1 Tim. 6. 10. The love of money is the root of all evil which while some have coveted after they have erred from the faith And concerning the instruments of delusion and division in the Church the sentence of the holy Spirit doth stand sure for he knoweth the evils