in the use of this Doctrine Object But you will say by these words of yours you do seem to deny that there are conditional promises in the Gospel as is clear in that you strike at such practices as are conditional and commanded to be done upon the same Answ. The thing that I strike at is this that a man in or with a legal spirit should not â—ay cannot do any conditional command of the Gospel acceptable as to his eternal state because he doth it in an old Covenant spirit No man putteth new Wine into old Bottles but new Wine must have new Bottles a Gospel command must have a Gospel spirit or else the Wine will break the Bottles or the principle will break the command Object Then you do grant that there are conditional promises in the New Testament as in the moral Law or ten Commands Answ. Though this be true yet the conditional promises in the New Testament do not call to the same people in the same state of 〈◊〉 â—â—neracy to fulfill them upon the same conditions The Law and the Gospel being two distinct Covanaâ—â—s they are made in divâ—rs ways and the nature of the conditions also being not the same as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Apostle The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the Law saith one thing and the righteousness of Faith 〈◊〉 â—â—â—ibeâ— Rome 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is the great condition in the 〈◊〉 is If you do these things you shall live by them but the condition even the greatest condition said down for a poor 〈◊〉 do as to salvation for it 〈◊〉 that we speak of is to believe that my 〈◊〉 be forgiven me for Jesus Christs sake without the works 〈◊〉 righteousness of the Law on my part to help forward Rom. 4. 5. To him that worketh not such the Apostle for salvation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 on him that justifieth the â—â—godly his faith mark his faith is counted for righteousness So that we saith he 〈◊〉 that a man is justified by faith without mark again without the deeds of the Law Rom. 3. 28. But again there is never a condition in the Gospel that can be fulfilled by an unbelieveâ— and therefore whether there be conditions or whether there be none it makes no matter to thee who art without the Faith of Christ for it is unpossible for thee in that state to do them so at to be ever the better as to thy eternal state therefore lest thou shouldest 〈◊〉 thy soul upon the conditions laid down in the Gospel as thou wilt do if thou go about to do them only with a Legal spirit but I say to prevent this see if thou canst fulfill the first condition that is to believe that all thy sins are forgiven thee not for any condition that hath been or can be done by thee but meerly for the mans sake that did hang on Mount Calvary between two Thieves some sixteen hundred years ago and odd And I say see if thou caâ—st believe that at that time he did when he hanged on the Cross give full satisfaction for all thy sins before thou in thy person hadst committed ever a one I say see if thou canst believe this and take heed thou deceive not thy self with an historical notional or traditional acknowledgement of the same And Secondly See if thou canst so well fulfill this condition that the very vertue and efficacy that it â—hath on thy soul will ingage thee to fulfill those other conditions really in love to that man whom thou shouldest believe hath frankly and freely forgiven thee all without any condition acted by thee to move him thereto according to that saying in the 2 Cor. 5. 14. 15. and then thy doing will arise from a contrary principle than otherwse it will do that is then thou will not act and do because thou wouldest be accepted of God but because thou hast some good hope in thy heart that thou art accepted of him already and not on thine but wholly and alone upon another mans account for here runs the Gospel Spirit of Faith mark We believe and therefore speak So we believe and therefore do 2 Cor. 4. 13. Take heed therefore that you do not that you may believe but rather believe so effectually that you may do even all that Jesus doth require of you from a right principle even out of love to your dear Lord Jesus Christ which thing I shall speak to more fully by and by Object But what do you mean by those expressions Do not do that you may believe but believe so effectually that you may do Answ. When I say do not do that you may believe I mean do not think that any of the things that thou canst do will procure or purchase faith from God unto thy soul for that is still the old Covenant Spirit the Spirit of the Law to think to have it for thy doing They that are saved they are saved by Grace through faith and that not of themselves not for any thing that they can do for they are both the free gift of God Eph. 2. 8. Not of doing or of works lest any man should be proud and boast verse 9. Now some people be so ignorant as to think that God will give them Christ and so all the merits of his if they will be but vigilant and do something to please God that they may obtain him at his hands but let me tell them they may lose a thousand souls quickly if they had so many by going this way to work and yet be never the better for the Lord doth not give his Christ to 〈◊〉 upon such conditions but he doth give him freely that is without having respect to any thing that is in thee Rev. 22. 17 Isa 55. 1 2. To him that is a thirst will give he doth not say I will sell but I will give him the water of life freely Rev. 21. 6. Fow if Christ doth give it and that freely then he doth not sell it for any thing that is in the creature but Christ doth give himself as also doth his Father and that freely not because there is any thing in us or done by us that moves him thereunto If it were by doing then saith Paul Grace is not Grace seeing it is obtained By works but Grace is Grace and that is the reason it is given to men without their works Rom. 11. 6. And if it be by Grace that is if it be a free gift from God without any thing foreseen as done or to be done by the creature then it is not of works which is clear therefore it is grace without the works of the Law but if you say â—ay it is of something in the man done by him that moves God thereunto then you must conclude that either Grace is no Grace or else that Works are Grace and not Works Do but read with understanding Rom. 11. 6. Now before I go any further it may be necessary to speak a word or two to some poor souls that are willing to
close in with Jesus Christ and would willingly take him upon his own terms only they being muddy in their minds and have not yet attained the understanding of the terms and conditions of the two Covenanss they are kept off from closing with Christ and all is because they see they can do nothing As for example come to some souls and ask them how they do they will tell you presently that they are so bad that it is not to be expressed If you bid them believe in Jesus Christ they will answer that they cannot believe if you ask them why they cannot believe they will answer because their hearts are so hard so dead so dull so backward to good duties and if their hearts were but better if they were more earnest if they could pray better and keep their hearts more from running after sin then they could believe but should they believe with such vile hearts and presume to believe in Christ and be so filthy Now all this is because the Spirit of the Law still ruleth in such a soul and blinds them so that they cannot see the terms of the Gospel To clear this take the substance of the drift of this poor soul which is this If I was better than I think I could believe but being so bad as I am that is the reason that I cannot this is just to do something that I may believe to work that I may have Christ to do the Law that I may have the Gospel or thus to be righteoua that I may come to Christ. O man thou must go quite back again thou must believe because thou canst not pray because thou canst not do thou must believe because there is nothing in thee naturally that is good or desireth after good or else thou wilt never come to Christ as a sinner and if so then Christ will not receive thee and if so then thou mayest see that to keep off from Christ because thou canst not do is to keep from Christ by the Law and to stand of from him because thou canst not buy him Thus having spoken something by the way for the direction of those souls that would come to Christ I shall return to the former discourse wherein ariseth this objection Object But you did but even now put souls upon fulfilling the first condition of the Gospel even to believe in Christ and so be saved but now you say it is alone by Grace without condition and therefore by these words there is first a contradiction to your former sayings and also that men may be saved without the condition of faith which to me seems a very strange thing I desire therefore that you would clear out what you have said as to my satisfaction Answ. Though there be a condition commanded in the Gospel yet he that commands the condition doth not leave his children to their own natural abilities that in their own strength they should fulfill them as the Law doth but the same God that doth command that the condition be fulfilled even he doth help his children by his holy Spirit to fulfill the same condition For it is God that worketh in you mark in you believers both to will and to do of his own good pleasure Phil. 2. 13. Thou hast wrought all our works in us and for us Isa. 26. 12. So that the condition be fulfilled it is not done in the ability of the creature But Secondly Faith as it is a gift of God or an act of ours take it which way you will If we speak properly of salvation it is not the first nor the second cause of our salvation but the third and that but instrumentally neither that is it only layeth hold of and applieth to us that which saveth us which is the love of God through the merits of Christ which are the two main causes of our salvation without which all other things are nothing whether it be faith hope love or whatever can be done by us And to this the great Apostle of the Gentiles speaks fully for saith he God who is rich in mercy loved us even when we were dead in our sins Eph. 2. 4. that is when we were without faith and that was the cause why we believe for he thereby hath quickned us together through the meritorious cause which is Christ and so hath saved us by Grace that is of his own voluntary love and good will the effects of which was this he gave us faith to believe in Christ read soberly that second of the Ephesians at the 4 5 6 7 8 verses Faith as the gift of God is not the Saviour as our act doth merit nothing Faith was not the cause that God gave Christ at the first neither is it the cause why God converts men to Christ but faith is a gift bestowed upon us by the gracious God the nature of which is to lay hold on Christ that God afore did give for a Ransom to redeem sinners this faith hath its nourishment and supplies from the same God that at the first did give it and is the only instrument through the Spirit that doth keep the soul in a comfortable frame both to do and suffer for Christ helps the soul to receive comfort from Christ when it can get none from it self beareth up the soul in its progress heaven-wards but that it is the first cause of salvation that I deny or that it is the second I deny but is only the instrument or hand that receiveth the benefits that God hath prepared for thee before thou hadst any faith so that we do nothing for salvation as we are men But if we speak properly it was Gods Grace that moved him to give Christ a Ransom for sinners and the same God with the same Grace that doth give to the soul saith to believe and so by believing to close in with him whom God out of his love and pity did send into the world to save sinners so that all the works of the creature are shut out as to justification and life and men are saved freely by Grace I shall speak no more here but in my discourse upon the second Covenant I shall answer a hell-bred Objection or two to forewarn sinners how they turn the Grace of God into wantonness And thus you see I have briefly spoken to you something touching the Law First What it is and when given Secondly How sad those mens conditions are that are under it Thirdly Who they are that be under it Fourthly How far they may go and what they may do and receive and yet be under it which hath been done by way of answers to several questions for the better satisfaction of those that may stand in doubt of the truth of what hath been delivered Now in the next place I should come to some application of the truth of that which hath been spoken but I shall in the first place speak something to the second Doctrine and then afterwards I shall speak
sin-offering which is for the people and bring his blood within the vail and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat and before the mercy-seat verse 11 12 13 14 15. Now this was for the priest and the people all which doth signifie that Jesus Christ was after his death to go into heaven it self of which this holy place was a figure Heb. 9. and there to carry the sacrifice that he offered upon the Cross into the presence of God for to obtain mercy for the people in a way of justice And in that he is said to take his hands full of sweet incense it signifies that Jesus Christ was to offer up his sacrifice in the presence of his Father in a way of intercession and prayers I might have branched these things out into several particulars but I would be brief I say therefore the office of the Priests was to carry the blood into the holy place and there to present it before the mercy-seat with his heart full of intercessions for the people for whom he was a Priest Luke 1. 8 9 10 11. This is Jesus Christs work now in the kingdom of glory to plead his own blood the nature and vertue of it with a perpetual intercession to the God of mercy on the behalf of us poor miserable sinners Heb. 7. 24. Now in the intercession of this Jesus which is part of his priestly office there is these things to be considered for our comfort First There is a pleading of the vertue of his blood for them that are already come in that they may be kept from the evils of heresies delusions temptations pleasures profits or any thing of this world which may be too hard for them Father I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world saith Christ but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil John 17. 15. Secondly in case the devil should aspire up into the presence of God to acuse any of the poor Saints and to plead their back-slidings against them as he will do if he can then there is Jesus our Lord Jesus ready in the Court of Heaven at the right hand of God to plead the vertue of his blood not only for the great and general satisfaction that he did give when he was on the Cross but also the vertue that is in it now for the cleansing and fresh purging of his poor Saints under their several temptations and infirmities as saith the Apostle For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son much more then being reconciled we shall be saved by his life that is by his intercession Rom. 5. 10. Thirdly The maintaining of grace also is by Jesus Christs intercession being the second part of his Priestly Office O! had we not a Jesus at the right hand of God making intercession for us and to convey fresh supplies of Grace unto us through the vertue of his blood being pleaded at Gods right hand how soon would it be with us as it is with those for whom he prays not at all John 17. 9. But the reason why thou standest while others fall the reason why thou goest through the many temptations of the world and shakest them off from thee while others are ensnared and intangled therein it is because thou hast an interceding Jesus I have prayed saith he that thy saith fail not Luke 22. 3 2. Fourthly It is partly by the vertue of Christs intercession that the elect are brought in there is many that are to come to Christ which are not yet brought in to Christ and it is one part of his work to pray for their salvation too Neither pray I for these alone but for all those that shall believe though as yet they do not believe on me but that they may believe through their word John 17. 20. And let me tell thee soul for thy comfort who art a coming in to Christ panting and sighing as if thy heart would break I tell thee soul thou wouldest never have come to Christ if he had not first by the vertue of his blood and intercession sent into thy heart an earnest desire after Christ and let me tell thee also that it is his business to make intercession for thee not only that thou mightest come in but that thou mightest be preserved when thou art come in Compare Heb. 7. 25. with Rom. 8. 33 34 35 c. Fifthly It is by the intercession of Christ that the infirmities of the Saints in their holy duties are forgiven Alas if it was not for the priestly office of Christ Jesus the prayers alms and other duties of the Saints might be rejected because of the sin that is in them but Jesus being our high Priest he is ready to take away the iniquities of our holy things perfuming our prayers with the glory of his own perfections and therefore it is that there is an answer given to the Saints prayers and also acceptance of their holy duties Rev. 8. 3 4. But Christ being come an high Priest of good things to come by a greater and more perfect Tabernacle not made with hands that is to say not of this building Neither by the blood of goats and calves but by his own blood he entred in once into the holy place having obtained eternal redemption for us For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh How much more shall the blood of Christ who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God purge your consciences from dead works to serve the living God And for this cause he is the Mediator of the New Testament or Covenant that by means of death for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first Testament they which are called notwithstanding all their sins might receive the promise of eternal inheritance Heb. 9. 11 12 13 14 15. The third thing now to be spoken to it is to shew where and how Jesus Christ out-went and goes beyond these priests in all their qualifications and offices for the comfort of poor Saints First They that were called to the priest-hood under the Law were but men but he is both God and Man Heb. 7. 28. 3. 2. Their qualifications were in them in a very scanty way but Jesus was every way qualified in an infinite and full way They were consecrated but for a time Heb. 7. 23. but he for ever more ver 24. 4. They were made without an oath ver 20 21. but he with an oath 5. They as servants but he as a Son Heb. 3. 6. 6. Their garments were but such as could be made with hands Ez. 28. but his the very righteousness of God Rom. 3. 22. 7. Their offerings were but the body and blood of beasts and such like Phil. 3. 8. but his offering was his own body and soul Heb.
Man for being their Lord and Saviour and in that it is called the Sin against the holy Ghost It is a Name most fit for this Sin to be called the Sin against the Holy Ghost for these Reasons but now laid down for this Sin is immediately committed against the Motions and Convictions and Light of that Holy Spirit of God that makes it its business to hand forth and manifest the Truth and Reality of the Merits and Vertues of the Lord Jesus the Son of Man And therefore beware Ranters and Quakers for I am sure you are the nearest that Sin by profession which is indeed the right committing of it of any Persons that I do know at this day under the whole Heavens for as much as you will not venture the Salvation of your Souls on the Blood shed on Mount Calvary Luke 23. 33. out of the side of that Man that was offered up in Sacrifice for all that did believe in that his offering up of his Body at that time either before he offered it or that have do or shall believe on it for the time since together with that time that he offered it though formerly you did profess that Salvation was wrought out that way by that Sacrifice then offered and also seemed to have some comfort thereby yea insomuch that some of you declared the same in the hearing of many professing your selves to be believers of the same O therefore it is sad for you that were once thus enlightned and have tasted these good things and yet notwithstanding all your Profession you are now turned from the simplicity that is in Christ to another Doctrine which will be to your destruction if you continue in it for without Blood there is no Remission Heb. 9. 22. Many other Reasons might be given but that I would not be too tedious yet I would put in this Caution that if there be any Souls that be but now willing to venture their Salvation upon the Merits of a Naked Jesus I do verily for the present believe they have not sinned that Sin because there is still a promise holds forth it self to such a Soul where Christ saith He that comes to me I will in no wise for nothing that he hath done cast him out John 6. 36. That promise is worthy to be written in Letters of Gold Object But alas though I should never sin that Sin yet I have other sins enough to Damn me Answ. What though thou had'st the sins of a thousand Sinners yet if thou come to Christ he will save thee Joh. 6. 36. see also Heb. 7. 25. Object Alas but how should I come I doubt I do not come as I should do my Heart is naught and dead and alas then how should I come Answ. Why bethink thy self of all the sins that ever thou did'st commit and lay the weight of them all upon thy Heart till thou art down loaden with the same and come to him in such a Case as this and he will give thee rest for thy Soul Mat. 11. the three last Verses And again if thou wouldest know how thou shouldest come come as much undervaluing thy self as ever thou canst saying Lord here is a Sinner the basest in all the Country if I had my deserts I had been damned in Hell Fire long ago Lord I am not worthy to have the least corner in the Kingdom of Heaven and yet O that thou wouldest have Mercy Come like Benhadad's Servants to the King of Israel 1 Kin. 20. 31 32. with a Rope about thy Neck and fling thy self down at Christ's feet and lye there a while striving with him by thy Prayers and I 'll warrant thee speed Mat. 11. 28 29 30. John 6. 37. Object O! but I am not sanctified Answ. He will sanctifie thee and be made thy Sanctification also 1 Cor. 6. 10 11. 1 Cor. 1. 30. Object O! but I cannot Pray Answ. To Pray is not for thee to down on thy Knees and say over a many Scripture words only for that thou may'st do and yet do nothing but babble But if thou from a sense of thy baseness canst groan out thy Hearts desire before the Lord he will hear thee and grant thy desire for he can tell what is the meaning of the groanings of the Spirit Rom. 8. 26 27. Object O but I am afraid to Pray for fear my Prayers should be counted as sin in the sight of the great God Answ. That is a good sign that thy Prayers are more than bare words and have some prevalence at the Throne of Grace through Christ Jesus or else the Devil would never seek to labour to beat thee off from Prayer by undervaluing thy Prayers telling thee they are Sin for the best Prayers he will call the worst and the worst he will call the best or else how should he be a Liar Object But I am afraid the day of Grace is past and if it should be so what should I do then Answ. Truly with some men indeed it doth fare thus that the day of Grace is at an end before their Lives are at an end Or thus the day of Grace is past before the day of Death is come as Christ saith If thou had'st known even thou at least in this thy day the things that belong unto thy Peace that is the word of Grace or Reconciliation but now it is hid from thine Eyes Luke 19. 41 42. But for the better satisfying of thee as touching this thing Consider these following things First doth the Lord knock still at the door of thy Heart by his Word and Spirit If so then the day of Grace is not past with thy Soul for where he doth so knock there he doth also proffer and promise to come in and Sup that is to Communicate of his things unto them which he would not do was the day of Grace past with the Soul Rev. 3. 20. But how should I know whether Christ do so knock at my heart as to be desirous to come in That I may know also whether the day of Grace be past with me or no Consider these things First doth the Lord make thee sensible of thy miserable state without an interest in Jesus Christ and that naturally thou hast no share in him no faith in him no communion with him no delight in him or love in the least to him If he hath and is doing of this he hath and is knocking at thy Heart Secondly doth he together with this put into thy Heart an earnest desire after communion with him together with holy Resolutions not to be satisfied without real communion with him Thirdly doth he sometimes give thee some secret persuasions though not scarcely discernable that thou mayest attain and get an interest in him Fourthly doth he now and then glance in some of the promises into thy Heart causing them to leave some heavenly savour though but for a very short time on thy Spirit Fifthly dost thou at some time see some
little Excellency in Christ and doth all this stir up in thy Heart some breathings after him If so then fear not the Day of Grace is not past with thy poor Soul for if the day of Grace should be past with such a Soul as this then that Scripture must be broken where Christ saith He that cometh unto me I will in no wise for no thing by no means upon no terms whatsoever cast out John 6. 37. Object But surely if the day of Grace was not past with me I should not be so long without an answer of Gods love to my Soul that therefore doth make me mistrust my state the more is that I wait and wait and yet am not delivered Answ. Hast thou waited on the Lord so long as the Lord hath waited on thee it may be the Lord hath waited on thee this twenty or thirty yea forty years or more and thou hast not waited on him seven years cast this into thy Mind therefore when Satan tells thee that God doth not love thee because thou hast waited so long without an assurance for it is his temptation for God did wait longer upon thee and was fain to send to thee by his Ambassadors time after time And therefore say thou I will wait to see what the Lord will say unto me and the rather because he will speak Peace for he is the Lord thereof But secondly Know that it is not thy being under trouble a long time that will be an Argument sufficient to prove that thou art past hopes Nay contrariwise for Jesus Christ did take our Nature upon him and also did undertake deliverance for those and bring it in for them who were all their Life Time subject to Bondage Heb. 2. 14 15. Object But alas I am not able to wait all my Strength is gone I have waited so long I can wait no longer Answ. It may be thou hast concluded on this long ago thinking thou shouldest not be able to hold out any longer no not a year a month or a week nay it may be not so long It may be in the morning thou hast thought thou shouldest not hold out till night and at night till morning again yet the Lord hath supported thee and kept thee in waiting upon him many Weeks and Years therefore that is but the Temptation of the Devil to make thee think so that he might drive thee to despair of Gods Mercy and so to leave off following the ways of God and to close in with thy Sins again O therefore do not give way unto it but believe that thou shalt see the Goodness of the Lord in the Land of the Living Wait on the Lord be of good Courage and he shall strengthen thine Heart wait I say on the Lord Psal. 27. 23 24. And that thou mayest so do consider these things First If thou after thou hast waited thus long shouldest now give over and wait no longer thou wouldest lose all thy time and pains that thou hast taken in the way of God hitherto and wilt be like to a man that because he sought long for Gold and did not find it therefore turned back from seeking after it though he was hard by it and had almost found it and all because he was loth to look and seek a little further Secondly Thou wilt not only lose thy time but also lose thy own Soul for Salvation is no where else but in Jesus Christ Acts 4. 12. Thirdly Thou wilt sin the highest sin that ever thou didst sin before in drawing finally back insomuch that God may say my Soul shall have no pleasure in him Heb. 10. 38. But secondly consider thou sayest all my strength is gone and therefore how should I wait why at that time when thou feelest and findest thy strength quite gone even that is the time when the Lord will renew and give thee fresh strength The youths shall faint and be weary and the young men shall utterly fall but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength they shall mount up with Wings as Eagles they shall run and not be weary they shall walk and not be faint Isa. 40. 30 31. Object But though I do wait yet if I be not elected to eternal Life what good will all my waiting do me For it is not in him that willeth nor in him that runneth but of God that sheweth Mercy Therefore I say if I should not be elected all is in vain 1 Answ. Why in the first place to be sure thy backsliding from God will not prove thy election neither thy growing weary of waiting upon God 2 Answ. But secondly Thou art it may be troubled to know whether thou art elected And sayest thou if I did but know that that would encourage me in my waiting on God Answ. I believe thee but mark thou shalt not know thy election in the first place but in the second That is to say thou must first get acquaintance with God in Christ which doth come by thy giving credit to his Promises and Records which he hath given of Jesus Christ his Blood and Righttousness together with the rest of his Merits That is before thou canst know whether thou art elected thou must believe in Jesus Christ so really that thy faith laying hold of and drinking and eating the Flesh and Blood of Christ even so that there shall be life begotten in thy Soul by the same Life from the condemnings of the Law Life from the guilt of Sin Life over the filth of the same Life also to walk with God in his Son and wayes the Life of Love to God the Father and Jesus Christ his Son Saints and Wayes and that because they are Holy Harmless and such that are altogether contrary to Iniquity For these things must be in thy Soul as a forerunner of thy being made acquainted with the other God hath these two ways to shew to his Children their election First by Testimony of the Spirit That is the Soul being under trouble of Conscience and grieved for Sin the Spirit doth seal up the Soul by its comfortable Testimony perswading of the Soul that God for Christs sake hath forgiven all those Sins that lye so heavy on the Conscieâ—ce and that do so much perplex the Soul by shewing it that that Law which doth utter such horrible curses against it is by Christs Blood satisfied and fulfilled Eph. 1. 13 14. Secondly By consequence that is the Soul finding that God hath been good unto it in that he hath shewed it its lost state and miserable condition and also that he hath given it some comfortable hope that he will save it from the same I say the Soul from a right sight thereof doth or may draw this conclusion that if God had not been minded to have saved it he would not have done for it such things as these But for the more surer dealing with thy Soul it is not good to take any of these apart that is it is
not good to take the Testimony of the Spirit as thou supposest thou hast from the fruits thereof so as to conclude the Testimony thou hast received to be a sufficient ground without the other not that it is not if it be the Testimony of the Spirit but because the Devil doth also deceive Souls by the workings of his Spirit in them pretending that it is the Spirit of God And again thou shouldest not satisfie thy self though thou do find some seekings in thee after that which is good without the testimony of the other that is to say of the Spirit for it is the Testimony of two that is to be taken for truth Therefore say I as thou shouldest be much in praying for the Spirit to testifie assurance to thee so also thou shouldest look to the end of it when thou thinkest thou hast it which is this to shew thee that it is alone for Christs sake that thy sins are forgiven thee and also thereby a constraining of thee to advance him both by Words and Works in Holiness and righteousness all the Dayes of thy Life From hence thou mayest boldly conclude thy Election 1 Thes. 3 4 5 6. Remembring without ceasing your Work of Faith and Labour of Love and Patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of God our Father Knowing Brethren saith the Apostle beloved your Election of God But how why by this For our Gospel came not to you in word only but also in Power and in the Holy Ghost and in much assurance And ye became followers of us and of the Lord having received the Word in much affliction with Joy of the Holy Ghost So that you were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia And to wait for his Son from Heaven whom he raised from the dead even Jesus which hath delivered us from the wrath to come ver 10. Object But alas for my part instead of finding in me any thing that is good I find in me all manner of Wickedness Hard-heartedness Hypocrisie coldness of Affection to Christ very great unbelief together with every thing that is Base and of an ill Savour What hope therefore can I have Answ. If thou wast not such a one thou hadst no need of Mercy If thou wast whole thou hadst no need of the Physician doest thou therefore see thy self in such a sad Condition as this Thou hast the more need to come to Christ that thou mayest be not only cleansed from these Evils but also that thou mayest be delivered from that Wrath they will bring upon thee if thou do not get rid of them to all Eternity Quest. But how should I do and what course should I take to be delivered from this sad and troublesome Condition Answ. Dost thou see in thee all manner of Wickedness The best way that I can direct a Soul in such a case is to pitch a stedfast Eye on him that is full and to look so stedfastly upon him by Faith that thereby thou mayest even draw down of his fulness into thy Heart for that is the right way and the way that was typed out before Christ came in the Flesh in the time of Moses when the Lord said unto him Make thee a Serpent of Brass which was a Type of Christ and set it upon a Pole and it shall come to pass that when a Serpent hath bitten any Man that he may look thereon and live Numb 21. 8. Even so now in Gospel times when any Soul is bitten with the fiery Serpents their Sins that then the next way to be healed is for the Soul to look upon the Son of Man who as the Serpent was was hanged on a Pole or Tree that whosoever shall indeed look on him by Faith may be healed of all their Distempers whatsoever John 3. 14 15. As now to instance in some things First is thy Heart hard why then behold how full of Bowels and Compassion is the Heart of Christ towards thee which may be seen in his coming down from Heaven to spill his Heart-Blood for thee 2. Is thy Heart slothful and idle then see how active the Lord Jesus is for thee in that he did not only die for thee but also in that he hath been ever since his Ascension into Heaven making Intercession for thee Heb. 7. 25. 3. Dost thou see and find in thee Iniquity and Unrighteousness Then look up to Heaven and see there a Righteous Person even thy righteous Jesus Christ now presenting thee in his own Perfections before the Throne of his Fathers Glory 1 Cor. 1. 30. 4. Dost thou see that thou art very much void of right Sanctification then look up and thou shalt see that thy Sanctification is in the presence of God a compleat Sanctification representing all the Saints as Righteous so sanctified ones in the Presence of the great God of Heaven And so whatsoever thou wantest be sure to strive to pitch thy Faith upon the Son of God and behold him stedfastly and thou shalt by so doing find a mighty change in thy Soul For when we behold him as in a Glass even the Glory of the Lord we are changed namely by beholding from Glory to Glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord 2 Cor. 3. 18. This is the true way to get both Comfort to thy Soul and also Sanctification and right Holiness into thy Soul Poor Souls that are under the Distemper of a guilty Conscience and under the workings of much Corruption do not go the nearest way to Heaven if they do not in the first place look upon themselves as cursed Sinners by the Law and yet at that time they are blessed for ever blessed Saints by the Merits of Jesus Christ. O wretched Man that I am saith Paul and yet O blessed Man that I am through my Lord Jesus Christ for that is the Scope of the Scripture Rom. 7. 24 25. Object But alas I am blind and cannot see what shall I do now Answ. Why truly thou must go to him that can make the Eyes that are blind to see even to our Lord Jesus by Prayer saying as the poor blind Man did Lord that I might receive my Sight and so continue begging with him till thou do receive Sight even a sight of Jesus Christ his Death Blood Resurrection Ascension Intercession and that for thee even for thee And the rather because first he hath invited thee to come and buy such Eye-salve of him that may make thee see Rev. 3 18. Secondly because thou shalt never have any true comfort till thou dost thus come to see and behold the Lamb of God that hath taken away thy Sins John 1. 29. Thirdly because that thereby thou wilt be able through Grace to step over and turn aside from the several stumbling-blocks that Satan together with his Instruments hath laid in our way which otherwise thou wilt not be able to shun but wilt certainly fall when others stand and grope and stumble when
the nature of a Saviour This is proved John 8. 31 32 33 34 35 36. ver This People were Professors and yet did not knovv the Truth the Gospel and the reason was because they did not knovv themselves and so not the Lavv. I vvould not have thee mistake me Christian Reader I do not say that the Lavv of it self vvill lead any Soul to Jesus Christ but the Soul being killed by the Lavv through the operation of its severity seizing on the Soul then the man if he be enlightened by the Spirit of Christ to see vvhere Remedy is to be had vvill not through Grace be contented vvithout the real and saving Knovvledge through Faith of him If thou vvouldest then vvash thy Face clean first take a Glass and see vvhere it is dirty that is If thou vvould'st indeed have thy Sins vvashed avvay by the Blood of Christ labour first to see them in the Glass of the Lavv Jam. 1. and do not be afraid to see thy besmeared Condition but look on every Spot thou hast for he that looks on the foulness of his Face by the halfs vvill vvash by the halfs even so he that looks on his Sins by the halfs he vvill seek for Christ by the halfs Reckon thy self therefore I say the biggest Sinner in the World and be persuaded that there is none vvorse than thy self then let the Guilt of it seize on thy Heart then also go in that case and condition to Jesus Christ and plunge thy self into his Merits and the vertue of his Blood and after that thou shalt speak of the things of the Lavv and of the Gospel experimentally and the very Language of the Children of God shall seelingly drop from thy Lips and not till then Let this therefore learn thee thus much He that hath not seen his lost Condition hath not seen a safe Condition he that did never see himself in the Devils Snare did never see himself in Christ's Bosom This my Son was dead and is alive again Was lost and is found with whom we all had our Conversation in time past But now are so many of us as believe returned to Jesus Christ the chief Shepherd and Bishop of our Souls I say therefore if thou do find in this Treatise in the first place something touching the Nature End and extent of the Lavv do not thou cry out therefore all on a sudden saying Here is nothing but the Terror Horror and thundering Sentences of the Lavv. Again If thou do find in the second part of this Discourse something of the freeness and fullness of the Gospel do not thou say then neither here is nothing but Grace therefore surely an under valuing of the Lavv. No but read it quite thorovv and so consider of it and I hope thou shalt find the tvvo Covenants vvhich all men are under either the one or the other discovered and held forth in their Natures Ends Bounds together vvith the state and condition of them that are under the one and of them that are under the other There be some that through Ignorance do say hovv that such men as preach Terror and Amazement to Sinners are besides the Book and are Ministers of the Letter the Law and not of the Spirit the Gospel but I would answer them citing them to the 16. of Luke from the nineteenth Verse to the end and the 1 Cor. 6. 9 10. and Gal. 3. 10. Rom. 3. from the ninth Verse to the nineteenth only this Caution I would give by the way how that they which preach Terror to drive Souls to the obtaining of Salvation by the Works of the Law that preaching is not the right Gospel-preaching Yet when Saints speak of the sad state that men are in by Nature to discover to Souls their need of the Gospel this is honest preaching see Romans 3. the 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 c. and he that doth do so he doth the Work of a Gospel-Minister Again there are others that say because we do preach the free full and exceeding Grace discovered in the Gospel therefore we make void the Law which indeed unless the Gospel be held forth in the Glory thereof without Confusion by mingling the Covenant of Works therewith the Law cannot be established Do we through Faith or preaching of the Gospel make void the Law Nay stay saith Paul God forbid We do thereby establish the Law Rom. 3. 31. And verily he that will indeed establish the Law or set it in its own place for so I understand the Words must be sure to hold forth the Gospel in its right colour and nature for if a man be ignorant of the nature of the Gospel and the Covenant of Grace they or he will be very apt to remove the Law out of its place and that because they are ignorant not knowing what they say nor whereof they affirm And let me tell you if a man be ignorant of the Covenant of Grace and the bounds and boundlesness of the Gospel though he speaks and makes mention of the Name of the Father and of the Son and also of the Name of the New Covenant and the Blood of Christ yet at this very time and in these very Words he will preach nothing but the Law and that as a Covenant of Works Reader I must confess it is a wonderful mysterious thing and he had need have a wiser Spirit than his own that can rightly set these two Covenants in their right places that when he speaks of the one he doth not justle the other out of its place O to be so well enlightned as to speak of the one that is the Law for to magnifie the Gospel and also to speak of the Gospel so as to establish and yet not to idolize the Law nor any particular thereof it is rare and to be heard and found but in very few mens Breasts If thou should'st say what is it to speak to each of these two Covenants so as to set them in their right places and also to use the terror of the one so as to magnifie and advance the Glory of the other To this I shall answer also read the ensuing Discourse but with an understanding Heart and it is like thou wilt find a Reply therein to the same purpose which may be to thy satisfaction Reader if thou do find this Book empty of fantastical Expressions and without light vain whimsical Scholar-like terms thou must understand it is because I never went to School to Aristotle or Plato but was brought up at my Father's House in a very mean condition among a Company of poor Country-men But if thou do find a parcel of plain yet sound true and home Sayings attribute that to the Lord Jesus his Gifts and Abilities which he hath bestowed upon such a poor Creature as I am and have been And if thou being a seeing Christian dost find me coming short though rightly touching at some things
attribute that either to my Brevity or if thou wilt to my Weaknesses for I am full of them A word or two more and so I shall have done with this And the first is Friend if thou do not desire the Salvation of thy Soul yet I pray thee to read this Book over with serious Consideration it may be it will stir up in thee some desires to look out after it which at present thou mayest be without Secondly if thou do find any stirrings in thy Heart by thy reading such an unworthy man's Works as mine are be sure that in the first place thou give Glory to God and give way to thy Convictions and be not too hasty in getting them off from thy Conscience but let them so work till thou do see thy self by nature void of all Grace as Faith Hope Knowledge of God Christ and the Covenant of Grace Thirdly then in the next place fly in all haste to Jesus Christ thou being sensible of thy lost Condition without him secretly perswading of thy Soul that Jesus Christ standeth open armed to receive thee to wash away thy Sins to cloath thee with his Righteousness and is willing yea heartily willing to present thee before the Presence of the Glory of God and among the innumerable Company of Angels with exceeding Joy This being thus in the next place do not satisfie thy self with these secret and first Perswasions which do or may encourage thee to come to Jesus Christ but be restless till thou do find by blessed experience the glorious Glory of this the second Covenant extended unto thee and sealed upon thy Soul with the very Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ. And that thou mayest not slight this my Counsel I beseech thee in the second place consider these following things First if thou do get off thy Convictions and not the right way which is by seeing thy Sins washed away by the Blood of Jesus Christ it is a question whether ever God will knock at thy Heart again or no but rather say Such a one is joyned to Idols let him alone Hos. 4. 17. Though he be in a natural state let him alone Though he be in or under the Curse of the Law let him alone Though he be in the very hand of the Devil let him alone Though he be a going post-haste to Hell let him alone Though his Damnation will not only be Damnation for Sins against the Law but also for slighting the Gospel yet let him alone My Spirit my Ministers my Word my Grace my Mercy my Love my Pity my common Providences shall no more strive with him let him alone O sad O miserable who would slight Convictions that are on their Souls which tend so much for their good Secondly if thou shalt not regard how thou do put off Convictions but put them off without the precious Blood of Christ being savingly applied to thy Soul thou art sure to have the mispending of that Conviction to prove the hardning of thy Heart against the next time thou art to hear the Word preached or read This is commonly seen that those Souls that have not regarded those Convictions that are at first set upon their Spirits do commonly and that by the just Judgments of God upon them grow more hard more sensless more feared and sottish in their Spirits for some who formerly would quake and weep and relent under the hearing of the Word do now for the present sit so sensless so feared and hardned in their Consciences that certainly if they should have Hell-fire thrown in their Faces as it is sometimes cried up in their Ears they would scarce be moved and this comes upon them as a just Judgment of God 2 Thess. 2. 11 12. Thirdly if thou do slight these or those Convictions that may be set upon thy Heart by reading of this Discourse or hearing of any other good man preach the Word of God sincerely thou wilt have the stifling of these or those Convictions to account and answer for at the Day of Judgment not only thy Sins that are commonly committed by thee in thy Calling and common Discourse but thou shalt be called to a reckoning for slighting Convictions disregarding of Convictions which God useth as a special means to make poor Sinners see their lost Condition and the need of a Saviour Now here I might add many more Considerations besides these to the end thou mayest be willing to tend and listen to Convictions as First consider thou hast a precious Soul more worth than the whole World and this is commonly worked upon if ever it be saved by Convictions Secondly this Soul is for certain to go to Hell if thou shalt be a slighter of Convictions Thirdly if that go to Hell thy Body must go thither too and then never to come out again Now consider this you that are apt to forget God and his Convictions lest he tear you in pieces and there be none to deliver Psal. 50. 22. But if thou shalt be such a one that shalt notwithstanding thy reading of thy Misery and also of God's Mercy still persist to go on in thy Sins know in the first place that here thou shalt be left by the things that thou readest without excuse and in the World to come thy Damnation will be exceedingly aggravated for thy not regarding of them and turning from thy Sins which was not only reproved by them but also for rejecting of that Word of Grace that did instruct thee how and which way thou should'st be saved from them And so farewel I shall leave thee and also this Discourse to God who I know will pass a righteous Judgment both upon that and thee I am yours though not to serve your Lusts and filthy minds yet to reprove instruct and according to that proportion of Faith and Knowledge which God hath given me to declare unto you the way of Life and Salvation Your Judgings Railings Surmizings and disdaining of me that I shall leave till the fiery Judgment comes in which the Ostender shall not go unpunished be he you or me yet I shall pray for you wish well to you and do you what good I can And that I might not write or speak in vain Christian pray for me to our God with much Earnestness Fervency and frequently in all your Knocking 's at our Fathers door because I do very much stand in need thereof for my Work is great my Heart is vile the Devil lieth at watch the World would fain be saying aha aha thus we would have it and of my self keep my self I cannot trust my self I dare not if God do not help me I am sure it will not be long before my Heart deceive me and the World have their Advantage of me and so God be dishonoured by me and thou also ashamed to own me O therefore be much in Prayer for me thy Fellow I trust in that glorious Grace that is conveyed from Heaven to Sinners by which they are
the Law command thee to love the Lord thy God with all thy soul with all thy strength with all thy might c. and can the natural man do this Jer. 13. 23. How can those that are accustomed to do evil do that which is commanded in this particular Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the Leopard his spots Doth the Law command thee to do good and nothing but good and that with all thy soul heart and delight which the Law as a Covenant of Works called for and can'st thou being Carnal do that But there is no man that hath understanding if he should hear thee say so but would say that thou wast either bewitched or stark mad Sixthly they that are under the Law are in a sad condition because that though they follow the Law or Covenant of Works I say though they follow it it will not lead them to Heaven no but contrariwise it will lead them under the Curse It is not possible saith Paul that any should be justified by the Law or by our following of it for by that is the knowledge of sin and by it we are condemned for the same which is far from leading us to life being the ministration of death 2 Cor. 3. and again Israel that followeth after the Law of righteousness hath not attained to the Law of righteousness wherefore because they sought it not by faith but by the Law and by the Works thereof Rom. 9. 30 31 32. Seventhly they that are under the Law are in a sad condition because they do not know whether ever they shall have any wages for their work or no they shall have no assurance of the pardon of their sins neither any hopes of eternal life but poor hearts as they are they work for they do not know what even like a poor Horse that works hard all day and at night hath a dirty Stable for his pains so thou mayest work hard all the days of thy life and at the day of death instead of having of a glorious rest in the Kingdom of Heaven thou mayest nay thou shalt have for thy sins the damnation of thy soul and body in Hell to all eternity for as much as I said before that the Law if thou sinnest it doth not take notice of any good work done by thee but takes its advantage to destroy and cut off thy soul for the sin thou hast committed Eighthly they that are under the Law are in a sad condition because they are under that administration upon whose souls God doth not smile they dying there for the administration that God doth smile upon his Children through is the Covenant of Grace they being in Jesus Christ the Lord of life and consolation but contrariwise to those that are under the Law for they have his frowns his rebukes his threatnings and with much severity they must be dealt withal For they break my Covenant and I regarded them not saith the Lord Heb. 8. 9. Ninthly they are in a sad condition because they are out of the faith of Christ they that are under the Law have not the faith of Christ in them for that dispensation which they are under is not the administration of faith The Law is not of faith saith the Apostle Gal. 3. 2. Tenthly because they have not received the Spirit for that is received by the bearing of faith and not by the Law nor the Works thereof Gal. 3. 2. Eleventhly in a word if thou live and die under that Covenant Jesus Christ will neither pray for thee neither let thee have one drop of his Blood to wash away thy sins neither shalt thou be so much as one of the least in the Kingdom of Heaven for all these priviledges come to souls under another Covenant as the Apostle saith For such are not under the Law but under Grace that is such as have a share in the benefits of Jesus Christ or such as are brought from under the first Covenant into the second or from under the Law into the Grace of Christs Gospel without which Covenant of Grace and being found in that there is no soul can have the least hope of eternal life no joy in the holy Ghost no share in the priviledges of Saints because they are tied up from them by the limits and bonds of the Covenant of Works For you must understand that these two Covenants have their several bounds and limitations for the ruling and keeping in subjection or giving of freedom to the parties under the said Covenants now they that are under the Law are within the compass and the jurisdiction of that and are bound to be in subjection to that and living and dying under that they must stand and fall to that as Paul saith To his own master he shall stand or fall The Covenant of Grace doth admit to those that are under it also liberty and freedom together with commanding of subjection to the things contained in it which I shall speak to further hereafter But now that the former things may be further made to appear that is what the sad condition of all them that are under the Law is as I have shewn you something of the nature of the Law so also shall I shew that the Law was added and given for that purpose that it might be so with those that are out of the Covenant of Grace First God did give the Law that sin might abound Rom. 5. 20. not that it should take away sin in any but to discover the sin which is already begotten or that may hereafter be begotten by Lust and Satan I say this is one proper work of the Law to make manifest sin it is sent to find fault with the sinner and it doth also watch that it may so do and it doth take all advantages for the accomplishing of its work in them that give ear thereto or do not give ear if it have the rule over them I say it is like a man that is sent by his Lord to see and pry into the labours and works of other men taking every advantage to discover their infirmities and failings and to chide them yea to throw them out of the Lords favour for the same Secondly Another great end why the Lord did add or give the Law it was that no man might have any thing to lay to the charge of the Lord for his condemning of them that do transgress against the same You know that if a man should be had before an Officer or Judge and there be condemned and yet by no Law he that condemns him might be very well reprehended or reproved for passing the Judgment yea the party himself might have better ground to plead for his liberty than the other to plead for the condemning of him but this shall not be so in the judgment day but contrariwise for then every man shall be forced to lay his hand on his mouth and hold his tongue at the Judgment of God when it is passed
righteousness of faith that is by believing in Jesus Christ cannot please God Now the righteousness of the Law as a Covenant of works is not the righteousness of faith Therefore the righteousness of the Law as acted by us being under that Covenant cannot please God The first is proved in Heb. 1â— 6. But without faith it is impossible to please him mark it is impossible The second thus The Law is not of faith Gal. 3. 12. Rom. 10. 5 6. compared with Gal. 3. 11. But that no man is justified in the sight of the Lord by the Law it is evident for the just shall live by faith and the Law is not of faith But for the better understanding of those that are weak of apprehension I shall prove it thus First That soul that hath eternal life he must have it by right of purchase or redemption Heb. 9. 22. Eph. 1. 7. Secondly this purchase or redemption must be through the Blood of Christ. You have redemption through his Blood Without shedding of blood there is no remission Now the Law is not in a capacity to die and so to redeem sinners by the purchase of Blood which satisfaction justice calls for read the same Scriptures Heb. 9. 22. justice calls for satisfaction because thou hast transgressed and sinned against it and that must have satisfaction therefore all that ever thou canst do cannot bring in redemption though thou follow the Law up to the nail-head as I may say because all this is not shedding of blood for believe it and know it for certain that though thou hadst sinned but one sin before thou didst turn to the Law that one sin will murther thy soul if it be not washed away by blood even by the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ that was shed when he did hang upon the Cross on Mount Calvary Object But you will say methinks that giving up you selves to live a righteous life should make God like better on us and so let us be saved by Christ because we are so willing to obey his Law Answ. The motive that moveth God to have mercy upon sinners is not because they are willing to follow the Law but because he is willing to save them Not for thy righteousness or for thy uprightness of heart doest thou possess the Land Deut. 9. 4 5 6. Now understand this if thy will to do righteousness was the first moving cause why God had mercy on thee through Christ then it must not be freely by grace I say freely but the Lord loves thee and saves thee upon free terms having nothing before-hand to make him accept of thy soul but only the Blood of Christ therefore to allow of such a principle it is to allow that grace is to be obtained by the works of the Law which is so gross darkness as lies in the darkest dungeon in Popery and is also directly opposite to Scripture For we are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ not through the good that is in our selves or done by us Rom. 3. 24 〈◊〉 No But by faith without mark that without the deeds of the Law verse 28. Again not of vvorks lest any man should boast Eph. 2. 9. No no saith he Not according to our vvorks or righteousness but according to his ovvn purpose mark according to his ovvn purpose and grace which was a free gift given us in Christ Jesus not lately but before the world began 2 Tim. 1. 9. Object But you will say then why did God give the Law if we cannot have salvation by following of it Answ. I told you before that the Law was given for these following reasons First That thou mightest be convinced by it of thy sins and that thy sins might indeed appear very sinful unto thee which is done by the Law these ways First By shewing of thee what a holy God he is that did give the Law and secondly By shewing thee thy vileness and wickedness in that thou contrary to this holy God hast transgressed against and broken this his holy Law therefore saith Paul The Law was added that the offence might abound Rom. 5. 20. that is by shewing the creature the holiness of God and also it s own vileness Secondly That thou mayest know that God will not damn thee for nothing in the Judgment day Thirdly Because he would have no quarrelling at his just condemning of them at that day Fourthly Because he will make thee to know that he is a holy God and pure Quest. But seeing you have spoken thus far I wish you would do so much as to shew in some particulars both what men have done and how far they have gone and what they have received being yet under this Covenant which you call the ministration of condemnation Ansvv. This is something a difficult question and had need be not only warily but also home and soundly answered The question consists of three particulars First What men have done Secondly How far men have gone Thirdly What they have received and yet to beunder the Law or Covenant of Works and so in a state of condemnation As for the first I have spoken something in general to that already but for thy better understanding I shall speak yet more particularly First a man hath and may be convinced and troubled for his sins and yet be under this Covenant and that in a very heavy and dreadful manner in so much that he may find the weight of them to be intollerable and too heavy for him to bear as it was with Cain Gen. 4. 13. My punishment saith he is greater than I can bear Secondly A man living thus under a sense of his sins may repent and be sorry for them and yet be under this Covenant and yet be in a damned state Mat. 27. 3. And when he Judas saw what was done he repeated Thirdly Men may not only be convinced and also repent for their sins but they may also desire the prayers of the Children of God for them too and yet be under this Covenant and Curse Exod. 10. 16 17. And Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and said I have sinned intreat the Lord your God that he may take away from me these plagues Fourthly A man may also humble himself for his offences and disobedience against his God and yet be under this Covenant see 1 Kings 21. 24 25 26 27 28 29. Fifthly A man may make restitution unto men for the offence he hath done unto them and yet be under this Covenant Sixthly A man may do much work for God in his generation and yet be under this first Covenant as Jehu who did do that which God bid him 2 King 9 25 26. and yet God threatneth even Jehu because though he did do the thing that the Lord commanded him yet he did it not from a right principle for had he the Lord would not have said Yet a little while and I will aâ—enge the blood of Jezreel
conditions betwen the Father and Christ. Wherefore when he cometh into the vvorld he saith Sacrifices and Offerings thou wouldest not that is the Old Covenant must not stand but give way to another Sacrifice vvhich thou hast prepared which is the giving up my Manhood to the stroaks of thy Justice for a body hast thou prepared me Heb. 13. 20 21. This doth prove us under Grace Secondly On the Mediators side that he should be put to death and on God the Fathers side that he should raise him up again this was concluded on also to be done between God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ. On Christs side that he should die to give the justice of the Father satisfaction and so to take away the curse that was due to us wretched sinners by reason of our transgressions and that God his Father being every ways fully and compleatly satisfied should by his mighty power revive and raise him up again He hath brought again our Lord Jesus that is from death to life through the vertue or effectual satisfaction that he received from the blood that was shed according to the terms of the everlasting Covenant Heb. 13. 21 22. Thirdly On the Mediators side that he should be made a curse and on the Fathers side that through him sinners should be inheritors of the blessing what wonderful love doth there appear by this in the heart of our Lord Jesus in suffering such things for our poor bodies and souls Gal. 3. 13 14. This is Grace Fourthly That on the Mediators side there should be by him a victory over Hell Death and the Devil and the curse of the Law and on the Fathers side that these should be communicated to sinners and they set at liberty thereby Zech. 9. 12. Turn to the strong hold saith God ye prisoners of hope even to day do I declare that I will render double unto thee Why so It is because of the blood of my Sons Covenant verse 11. which made Paul though sensible of a body of death and of the sting that death did strike into the souls of all those that are found in their sins bold to say O death where is thy sting O grave where is thy victory The sting of death is sin that is true and the terrible Law of God doth aggravate and set it home with unsupportable torment and pain but shall I be daunted at this No I thank my God through Jesus Christ he hath given me the victory so that now though I be a sinner in my self yet I can by believing in Jesus Christ the Mediator of this New Covenant triumph over the Devil Sin Death and Hell and say do not fear my soul seeing the victory is obtained over all my enemies through my Lord Jesus 1 Cor. 15. 55 56 57. This is the way to prove our selves under Grace Fifthly that on the Mediators side he should by thus doing bring in everlasting righteousness for Saints Dan. 9. 24. and that the Father for this should give them an everlasting Kingdom 1 Pet. 1. 3 4 5. Eph. 1. 4. 2 Tim. 4. 18. Luke 22. 28 29. But in the next place this was not all that is the Covenant of Grace with the conditions thereof was not only concluded on by both parties to be done but Jesus Christ he must be authorized to do what was concluded on touching this Covenant by way of Office I shall therefore speak a word or two also touching the Offices at least some of them that Christ Jesus did and doth still execute as the Mediator of the New Covenant which also was typed out by the Levitical Law for this is the way to prove that we are not under the Law but under Grace And first His first Office after the Covenant was made and conâ—â—ded upon was that Jesus should become bound as a Surety and stand ingaged upon Oath to see that all the conditions of the Covenant that was concluded on between him and his Father should according to the agreement be accomplished by him And secondly that after that he should be the messenger from God to the world for to declare the mind of God touching the tenor and nature of both the Covenants especially of the New one the Scripture saith that Jesus Christ was not only made a Priest by an Oath but also a surety or bonds-man as in the 7 of Hebrews at the 21. 22. verses in the 21. verse he speaketh of the priesthood of Christ that it was with an Oath faith in the 22. verse By so much also was Jesus made the surety of a better Testament or Covenant Now the Covenant was not only made on Jesus Christs side with an Oath but also on God the Fathers side that it might be for the better ground of stablishment to all those that are or are to be the children of the Promise Methinks it is wonderful to consider that the God and Father of our souls by Jesus Christ should be so bent upon the salvation of sinners that he would covenant with his Son Jesus for the security of them and also that there should pass an Oath on both sides for the confirmation of their resolution to do good as if the Lord had said My Son thou and I hâ—â—e here made a Covenant that I on my paâ—â— should do thus and thus and that thou on thy part shouldest do so and so now that we may give these souls the best ground of comfort that may be there shall pass an Oath on both sides that our children may see that we do indeed love them Wherein God willing more ABUNDANTLY to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel in making of the Covenant confirmed it by an Oath That we might have strong consolation who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us Heb. 6. 13 14 15 16 17 18. Heb. 7. 21. Mark the sixth Chapter saith God confirmed his part by an Oath and the seventh saith Christ was made or set on his Office also by an Oath Again Once saith God have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David Psal. 89. 34 35. nor alter the thing that is gone out of my mouth as was before cited Herein you may see that God and Christ was in good earnest about the salvation of sinners for so soon asever the Covenant was made the next thing was who should be bound to see all those things fulfilled which was conditioned on between the Father and the Son The Angels they would have no hand in it The world could not do it The Devils had rather see them damned then they would wish them the least good thus Christ looked and there was none to help though the burthen lay never so heavy upon his shoulder he must bear it himself for there was none besides himself to uphold or so much as to step in to be bound to see the conditions before mentioned fulfilled neither in whole
down and to take it up again and this commandment have I reecived of my Father John 10. 15 16 17 18. even this commandment hath my Father given me that I should both do this thing and also tell it unto you Thirdly He was not only sent as a Messenger to declare this hit Fathers love but also how dearly he himself loved sinners what a heart he had to do them good where he saith All that the Father hath given me shall come to me and let me tell you my heart too saith Christ He that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out As my Father is willing to give you unto me even so am I as willing to receive you As my Father is willing to give you Heaven so am I willing to make you fit for it by washing you with my own blood I lay down my life that you might have life and this I was sent to tell you of my Father Fourthly His Message was further he came to tell them how and which way they should come to enjoy these glorious benefits also by laying down motives to stir them up to accept of the benefits The way is laid down in John 3. 14 15. where Christ saith As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness even so must the Son of Man be lifted up or caused to be hanged on the Cross and die the death That whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life The way therefore that thou shalt have the benefit and comfort of that which my Father and I have covenanted for thee I am come down from heaven to earth on purpose to give thee intelligence and to certifie thee of it know therefore that as I have been born of a woman and have taken this body upon me it is on purpose that I might offer it up upon the Cross a Sacrifice to God to give him satisfaction for thy sins that his mercy may be extended to thy soul without any wrong done to justice and this thou art to believe and not in the notion but from thy very whole soul. Now the motives are many First If they do not leave their sins and come to Jesus Christ that their sins may be washed away by his blood they are sure to be damned in hell for the Law hath condemned them already John 3. 18 19. Secondly But if they do come they shall have the bosome of Christ to lye in the kingdom of Heaven to dwell in the Angels and Saints for their companions shall shine there like the Sun shall be there for ever shall sit upon the Thrones of Judgment c. Here is Grace Methinks if I had but time to speak fully to all things that I could speak to from these two heavenly Truths and to make application thereof surely with the blessing of God I think it might perswade some vile and abominable wretch to lay down his arms that he hath taken up in defiance against God and is marching hell-wards poste haste with the Devil I say methinks it should stop them and make them willing to look back and accept of salvation for their poor condemned fouls before Gods eternal vengeance is executed upon them O therefore you that are upon this march I beseech you consider a little What shall Christ become a drudge for you and will you be drudges for the Devil Shall Christ covenant with God for the salvation of sinners and shall sinners covenant with Hell Death and the Devil for the damnation of their souls Shall Christ come down from Heaven to Earth to declare this to sinners and shall sinners stop their ears against this good tidings Will you not hear the errand of Christ although he telleth you tidings of peace and salvation How if he had came having taken a command from his Father to damn you and to send you to the Devils in Hell Sinner hear his message he speaketh no harm his words are eternal life all men that give ear unto them they have eternal advantage by them Advantage I say that never hath an end Besides do but consider these two things 't is like they may have some sway upon thy soul. First When he came on his message he came with tears in his eyes and did even weepingly tender the terms of reconciliation to them I say with tears in his eyes And when he came near the City i. e. with his message of peace beholding the hardness of their hearts he wept over it and took up a lamentation over it because he saw they rejected his mercy which was tidings of peace I say wilt thou then slight a weeping Jesus one that so loveth thy soul that rather then he will lose thee he will with tears perswade with thee 2. Not only so but also when he came he came all on a goar blood to proffer mercy to thee to shew thee still how dearly he did love thee as if he had said sinner here is mercy for thee but behold my bloody sweat my bloody wounds my cursed death behold and see what danger I have gone through to come unto thy soul I am come indeed unto thee and do bring thee tidings of salvation but it cost me my heart blood before I could come at thee to give thee the fruits of my everlasting love But more of this anon Thus have I spoken something concerning Christ being the messenger of the New Covenant but because I am not willing to cut too short of what shall come after I shall pass by these things not half touched and come to the other which I promised even now which was to shew you that as there was Levitical Ceremonies in or belonging to the first Covenant so these Types or Levitical Ceremonies did represent the glorious things of the New Covenant In those Ceremonies you read of a Sacrifice of a Priest to offer up the Sacrifice the place where and the manner how he was to offer it of which I shall speak something First As touching the Sacrifice you find that it was not to be offered up of all kind of beasts as of Lions Bears Wolves Tigers Dragons Serpents or such like To signifie that not all kind of Creatures that had sinned as Devils the fallen Angels should be saved but the Sacrifice was to be taken out of some kind of Beasts and Birds to signifie that some of Gods Creatures that had sinned he would be pleased to reconcile them to himself again as poor fallen Man and Woman those miserable Creatures God the God of Heaven had a good look for after their fall but not for the cursed Devils though more noble Creatures by Creation than We. Here is grace Now though these Sacrifices were offered yet they were not offered to the end they should make the comers to or offerers thereof perfect but the things was to represent to the world what God had in after ages for to do which was even the salvation of his Creatures by that offering
own free gift and not a qualification arising from the stock of nature Eph. 2. 8. Phil. 1. 28 29. So that here is the love unchangeable here is also the condition given by him whose love is unchangeable which may serve yet further for a strong argument that God will have his love unchangeable Sinner this is better felt and enjoyed then talked of Object But if this love of God be unchangeable in it self yet it is not unchangeably set upon the Saints unless they behave themselves the better Answ. As Gods love at the first was bestowed upon the Saints without any thing foreseen by the Lord in them as done by them Deut. 9. 4 5 6. So he goeth on with the same saying I will never leave thee nor forsake thee Heb. 13. 5. Object But how cometh it to pass then that many fall off again from the grace of the Gospel after a profession of it for some time some â—o delusions and some to their open sins again Answ. They are fallen away not from the everlasting love of God to them but from the profession of the love of God to them men may process that God loves them when there is no such matter and that they are the Children of God when the Devil is their father as it is in John 8. 40 41 42 43 44 Therefore they that do finally fall away from a profession of the grace of the Gospel It is first because they are Bastards and not Sons Secondly Because as they are not Sons so God suffereth them to fall to make it appear that they are not Sons not of the houshold of God They went out from us for they were not of us for if they had been of us no doubt mark that no doubt saith he they would have continued with us but they went out from us that it might be made man fest that they were not all of us 1 John 2. 19. And though Hymeneus and Philetus do throw themselves headlong to hell Nevertheless the Foundation of God standeth sure having this seal the Lord knoweth them that are his 2 Tim. 2. 17 18 19. Object But the Scripture saith that there are some that had Faith yet lost it and have made shipwrack of it Now God loves no longer than they believe as is evident For he that believes not shall be damned So then if some may have Faith and yet lose it and so lose the love of God because they have lost their Faith it is evident that Gods love is not so immutable as you say it is to every one that believeth Answ. There is more sorts of Faith than one that is spoken of in Scripture First There is a Faith that men may have and yet be nothing none of the Saints of God 2 Cor. 13. 1 2 3 4. and yet may do great things therewith 2. There is a Faith that was wrought meerly by the operation of the miracles that was done in those days by Christ and his followers And many of the people believed on him How came they by their Faith Why by the operation of the miracles that be did among them for said they When Christ cometh will he do more miracles than this man hath done The great thing that wrought their Faith in them was only by seeing the miracles that he did John 7. 31. John 2. 23. which is not that saving Faith which is called the Faith of Gods Elect as is evident for there must not be only miracles wrought upon outward objects to beget that that being too weak a thing but it must be by the same power that was stretched out in raising Christ from the dead yea the exceeding greatness of that power Eph. 1. 18 19. So there is a believing being taken with some marvellous work visible appearing to the outward sense of seeing and there is a believing that is wrought in the heart by an invisible operation of the Spirit revealing the certainty of the satisfaction of the merits of Christ to the soul in a more glorious way both for certainty and for durableness both as to the promise and the constancy of it Mat. 16. 17 18. 3. There is a Faith of a mans own of a mans self also but the Faith of the operation of God in Scripture is set in opposition to that for saith he You are saved by Grace through Faith and that not of your selves of your own making but that which is the free gift of God Eph. 2. 8. 4. We say there is an Historical Faith that is such as is begotten meerly by the History of the Word not by the Co-operation of the Spirit by the Word 5. We say there is a Traditional Faith that is to believe things by Tradition because others say they believe them this is received by Tradition not by Revelation and shall never be able to stand neither at the day of Death nor at the day of Judgment though possibly men while they live here may esteem themselves and states to be very good because their heads are filled full of it 6. There is a Faith that is called in Scripture a dead Faith the Faith of Devils or of the Devil they also that have only this they are like the Devil and as sure to be damned as he notwithstanding their Faith if they get no better into their hearts for it is far off from enabling of them to lay effectual hold of Jesus Christ and so to put him on for eternal life and sanctification Jam 2. 19 26. which they must do if ever they be saved But all these are short of the saving Faith of Gods elect as is manifest I say First Because these may be wrought and not by that power so exceedingly stretched forth Secondly Because these are wrought partly first by the sense of seeing namely the miracles not by hearing and secondly the rest is wrought by a traditional or historical influence of the words in their heads not by an heavenly invisible almighty and saving operation of the Spirit of God in their hearts 7. I do suppose also that there is a Faith that is wrought upon men through the influence of those gifts and abilities that God gives sometimes to those that are nor his own by election though by creation my meaning is some men finding that God hath given them very great gifts and abilities as to the gifts of preaching praying working miracles or the like I say they therefore do conclude that God is their Father and they his Children the ground of which confidence is still begotten not by the glorious operation of the spirit but by a considering of the great gifts that God hath bestowed upon them as to the things before mentioned As thus First The poor soul considering how ignorant it was and now how knowing it is Secondly Considering how vain it formerly was and also now how civil it is presently makes this conclusion surely God loves me surely he hath made me one of his and will save me
sins of Thousands and Thousands and all at once This also is one means to make souls tender of sin it is the burned child that feareth the fire to make them humble in a sense of their own vileness to make them count every thing that God giveth them a mercy to make much of the least glimpse of the love of God and to prize it above the whole world O sinners were you killed indeed then Heaven would be Heaven and Hell would be Hell indeed but because you are not wrought upon in this manner therefore you count the ways of God as bad as a good man counteth the ways of the devil and the ways of the devil and hell as good as a Saint doth count the ways of God Fourthly Again God is fain to go this way and all to make sinners make sure of Heaven So long as souls are senseless of sin and what a damnable state they are in by nature so long they will even dally with the Kingdom of Heaven and the Salvation of their own poor souls but when God cometh and sheweth them where they are and what is like to become of them if they miss of the Crucified Saviour Oh then saith the soul would I were sure of Jesus what shall I do to get assurance of Jesus And thus is God forced as I may say to whip souls to Jesus Christ they being so secure so senseless and so much their own enemies as not to look out after their own eternal advantage Fifthly A fifth reason why God doth deal thus with sinners it is because he would bring Christ and the Soul together in a right way Christ and Sinners would never come together in a beloved posture they would not so suitably suit each other if they were not brought together this way the sinner being killed O when the sinner is killed and indeed struck dead to every thing below a naked Jesus how suitably then doth the Soul and Christ suit one with another Then here is a naked sinner for a righteous Jesus a poor sinner to a rich Jesus a weak sinner to a strong Jesus a blind sinner to a seeing Jesus an ignorant careless sinner to a wise and careful Jesus O how wise is God in dealing thus with the sinner he strips him of his own knowledge that he may fill him with Christs he killeth him for taking pleasure in sin that he may take pleasure in Jesus Christ c. Sixthly But sixthly God goeth this way with sinners because he would have the glory of their salvation Should not men and women be killed to their own things they would do sacrifice unto them and instead of saying to the Lamb THOU ART WORTHY Rev. 5. 9. Job 40. 14. Rom. 3. 27. Ephes. 2. 8 9. Tit. 3. 5. they woul say their own arm their own right hand hath saved them but God will cut off boasting from ever entring within the borders of eternal glory for he is resolved to have the glory of the beginning the middle and the end of the contriving and saving and giving salvation to them that enter into the joys of everlasting glory That they may be called the trees of righteousness the planting of the Lord that he may be glorifyed Isa. 61. 3. I might have run thorow many things as to this but I shall pass them and proceed Now Secondly The soul being thus killed to it's self its sins its righteousness faith hope wisdom promises resolutions and the rest of its things which it trusted in by nature In the next place it hath also given unto it a most glorious perfect and never-fading life which is first a life imputed to it yet so really that the very thought of it in the soul hath so much operation and authority especially when the meditation of it is mixed with faith as to make it though condemned by the Law to triumph and to look its enemies in the face with comfort notwithstanding the greatness of the multitude the fierceness of their anger and the continuation of their malice be never so hot against it This imputed life for so it is is the obedience of the Son of God as his righteousness in his suffering arising ascending interceding and so consequently triumphing over all the enemies of the soul and given to me as being wrought on purpose for me So that is is there righteousness in Christ that is mine Is there perfection in that righteousness that is mine did he bleed for sin it was for mine Hath he overcome the Law the Devil and Hell the victory is mine and I am counted the Conqueror Nay more than a conqueror through him that hath loved me and I do count this a most glorious life for by this means it is that I am in the first place proclaimed both in Heaven and Earth guiltless and such a one who as I am in Christ am not a sinner and so not under the Law to be condemned but as holy and righteous as the Son of God himself because he himself is my holiness and righteousness and so likewise having by this all things taken out of the way that would condemn me Sometimes I bless the Lord my soul hath had the life that now I am speaking of not only imputed to me but the very glory of it upon my soul For upon a time when I was under many condemnings of heart and feared because of my sins my soul would miss of eternal glory methought I felt in my soul such a secret motion as this Thy righteousness is in Heaven together with the splendour and shining of the spirit of grace in my soul which gave me to see clearly that my righteousness by which I should be justified from all that could condemn was the Son of God himself in his own person now at the right hand of his Father representing me compleat before the mercy-seat in his own self so that I saw clearly that night and day where ever I was or what ever I was a doing still there was my righteousness just before the eys of divine glory so that the Father could never find fault with me for any insufficiency that was in my righteousness being it was compleat neither could he say where is it because it was continually at his right hand Also at another time having contracted guilt upon my soul and having some distemper of body upon me supposed that death might now so seize upon as to take me away from among men then thought I what shall I do now is all right with my soul have I the right work of God on my soul Answering my self No surely and that because there were so many weaknesses in me yea so many weaknesses in my best duties for thought I how can such a one as I find mercy whose heart is so ready to evil and so backward to that which is good so far as it is natural Thus musing being filled with fear to die these words came in upon my soul Being
justified freely by his grace through the redemption which is in Christ as if God had said Sinner thou thinkest because thou hast had so many infirmities and weaknesses in thy soul whilst thou hast been professing of me therefore now there can be no hopes of mercy but be it known unto thee that it was not any thing done by thee at the first that moved me to have mercy upon thee neither is it any thing that is done by thee now that shall make me either accept or reject thee behold my Son who standeth by me he is righteous he hath fulfilled my Law and given me good satisfaction on him therefore do I look and on thee only as thou art in him and according to what he hath done so will I deal with thee This having stayed my heart and taken off the guilt through the strength of its coming on my soul anon after came in that word as a second testimony He hath saved us and called us with an holy calling not according to the works of righteousness which we have done but according to his own purpose and grace which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began And thus is the sinner made alive from the dead being justified by Grace through the righteousness of Christ which is unto all and upon all them that believe according to the Scriptures And the life that I now live it is by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me Gal. 2. 20. I lay down my life for my sheep John 10. 10 15. I I am come that you might have life and that you might have it more abundantly For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son much more then being reconciled we shall be saved by his life Rom. 5. 10 21. That as sin reigneth unto death even so might Grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. Secondly This life is not only imputed to him that is wrought on by the spirit of Grace that is not only counted his but also there is put into the soul an understanding enlightened on purpose to know the things of God which is Christ and his imputed righteousness 1 John 5. 20. which it never thought of nor understood before 1 Cor. 2. 9 10 11. which understanding being enlightened and made to see such things that the soul cannot be contented without it lay hold of and apply Christ unto it self so effectually I say that the soul shall be exceedingly revived in a very heavenly measure with the application of this imputed righteousness for thereby it knoweth it shall find God speaking peace to its self and with a fatherly affection say Be of good chear thy sins are forgiven thee the righteousness of my Son I bestow upon thee For what the Law could not do in that it was weak through the thy flesh I have sent forth my only Son and have condemned thy sins in his flesh Rom. 8. 3. 4. And though thou hast gone astray liste a lost sheep yet on him I have laid thine iniquities and though thou thereby didst undo and break thy self forever yet by his stripes I haue healed thee Thus I say the Lord causeth the soul by faith to apply that which he doth by grace impute unto it for thus every soul more or less is dealt withal the soul being thus inlightned thus quickned thus made alive from that dead state it was in before or at least having the beginnings of this life it hath these several vertuous advantages which they have not that are dead in their sins and trespasses and under the Law First It seeth what a sad condition all men by nature are in they being in that state which it self was in but a while since but now by grace it is a beginning to scrable out of it now it seeth the whole world lieth in wickedness 1 John 5. 19. and so liable to eternal vengeance because of their wickedness Ah friends let me tell you though you may be ignorant of your state and condition yet the poor groaning hungering Saints of God do see what a sad woeful miserable state you are in which sometimes makes them tremble to think of your most lamentable latter end you dying so and also to flie the faster to their Lord Jesus for very fear that they also should be partakers of that most doleful doom and this it hath by vertue of its own experience knowing it self was but a while ago in the same condition under the same condemnation O! there is now a hearty blessing of God that ever he should shew to it its sad condition and that he should incline its heart to seek after a better condition O blessed be the Lord saith the soul that ever he should awaken me stir up me and bring me out of that sad condition that I once with them was in It makes also the soul to wonder to see how foolishly and vainly the rest of its neighbours do spend their precious time that they should be so void of understanding so forgetful of their latter end so senseless of the damning nature of their sins O that their eyes was but inlightned to see whereabouts they are 〈◊〉 surely they would be of another mind then they are now in Now the soul wonders to see what slender pins those poor creatures do hang the stress of the eternal salvation of their souls upon O methinks saith the soul it makes me mourn to see that some should think that they were Born Christians and others that their Baptisme makes them so others depending barely upon a traditional historical faith which will leave their souls in the midst of plerplexity O that they should trust to such fables fancies and wicked slights of the Devil as their good doings their good thinkings their civil walking and living with the world O miserable profession and the end thereof will be a miserable end But now vvhen the soul is thus vvrought upon it must be sure to look for the very gates of hell to be set open against it vvith all their force and might to destroy it Novv hell rageth the devil roareth and all the world resolved do be the best they can to bring the soul again into bondage and ruine Also the soul shall not want enemies even in its own hearts lust as covetousness adultery blasphemy unbelief hardness of heart coldness half-heartedness ignorance with an innumerable company of attendants hanging like so many blocks at its heels ready to sink it into the fire of hell every moment together with strange apprehensions of God and Christ as if now they were absolutely turned to be its enemies which maketh it doubt of the certainty of its salvation For you must understand that though a soul may in reality have the righteousness of the Son of God imputed to it and also some faith in a very strong manner to lay hold upon it yet
at another time through temptation they may fear and doubt again insomuch that the soul may be put into a very great fear lest it should return again into the condition it once was in Jer. 32 40. O saith the soul when I think of my former state how miserable it was it makes me tremble and when I think that I may fall into that condition again how sad are the thoughts of it to me I would not be in that condition again for all the world and this fear riseth still higher and higher as the soul is sensible of Satans temptations or of its working of its own corruptions Ha! these filthy lusts these filthy corruptions O that I was rid of them that they were consumed in a moment that I could be quite rid of them they do so disturb my soul dishonour my God so defile my conscience and sometimes so weaken my hands in the way of God and my comforts in the Lord O how glad should I be if I might be stripped of them Rom. 7. 24. Which fear puts the soul upon flying to the Lord by prayer for the covering of his imputed righteousness and for strength against the Devils temptations and its own corruptions that God would give down his holy spirit to strengthen it against the things that do so anoy its soul and so discourage it in its way with a resolution through grace never to be contented while it doth find in it self a triumphing over it by faith in the blood of a Crucified Jesus Secondly The soul that hath been thus killed by the Law to its things it formerly delighted in now O now it cannot be contented with that slender groundless faith and hope that once it contented it self withal No no but now it must be brought into the right saving knowledge of Jesus Christ now it must have him discovered to the soul by the spirit now it cannot be satisfied because such and such do tell it is so No but now it will cry out Lord shew me continually in the light of thy Spirit through thy word that Jesus that was born in the days of Cesar Augustus when Mary a Daughter of Judah went with Joseph to be taxed at Bethelâ—m that he is the very Christ. Lord let me see it in the light of thy spirit and in the operation thereof and let me not be contented without such a faith that is so wrought even by the discovery of his birth crucifying death blood resurrection ascension intercession and second which is his personal coming again that the very faith of it may fill my soul with comfort and holiness and O how afraid the soul is lest it should fall short of this faith and of the hope that is begotten by such discoveries as these are For the soul knoweth that if it hath not this it will not be able to stand neither in death nor judgment and therefore saith the soul Lord whatever other poor souls content themselves withal let me have that which will stand me instead and carry me through a dangerous world that may help me to resist a cunning Devil that may help me to suck true soul satisfying consolation from Jesus Christ through thy promises by the might and power of thy Spirit And now when the poor soul at any time hath any discovery of the love of God through a bleeding dying risen interceding Jesus because it is not willing to be deceived O how wary is it of closing with it for fear it should not be right for fear it should not come from God Saith the soul Cannot the Devil give one such comfort tro Cannot he transform himself thus into an Angel of light So that the soul because it would be upon a sure ground cries out Lord shew me thy salvation and that not once or twice but Lord let me have thy presence continually upon my heart to day and to morrow and every day for the soul when it is rightly brought from under the Covenant of Works and planted into the Covenant of Grace then it cannot be unless it be under some desperate temptation contented without the presence of God teaching comforting stablishing and helping of the soul to grow in the things of the Lord Jesus Christ because it knoweth that if God hath but with-drawn his presence in any way from it as he doth do sometimes for a while that then the Devil will be sure to be near at hand working with his temptations trying all ways to get the soul into slavery and sin again also the corrupt principle that will be joyning and combining with the wicked one and will be willing to be a Co-partner with him to bring the soul into mischief which puts a soul upon an earnest continual panting after more of the strengthening preserving comforting and teaching presence of God and for strong supplies of faith that it may effectually lay hold on him Thirdly The soul is quickned so that it is not satisfied now without it do indeed and in truth partake of the peace of Gods Elect now it is upon the examination of the reality of its joy and peace Time was indeed that any thing would serve its turn any false conceâ—ts of its state to be good but now all kind of peace will not serve its turn all kind of joy will not be accepted with it now it must joy in God through Jesus Christ now its peace must come through the vertue of the blood of Christ speaking peace to the conscience by taking away both the guilt and the filth of sin by that blood also by shewing the soul its free acceptance with God through Christ he having compleatly fulfilled all the conditions of the first Covenant and freely placed it into the safety of what he hath done and so presents the soul compleat and spotless in the sight of God through his obedience Now I say he hath peace through the blood of his Cross and sees himself reconciled to God by the death of his Son Col. 1. 20 21. or else his comfort will be questioned by him It is not every promise as cometh now upon his heart that will serve his turn no but he must see whether the Babe Jesus be presented to the soul in and through that promise now if the Babe leap in his womb as I may say so say it is because the Lords promise sounds aloud in his heart coming to him big with the love and pardoning grace of God in Jesus Christ I say this is the first and principle joy that the soul hath that is quickened and brought into the Covenant of Grace Fourthly Now the man finds Heavenly sanctification wrought in his soul through the most precious blood of the man whose name is Jesus Christ. Jesus that he might sanctifie the people with his own blood suffered without the gate Now the soul finds a change in the understanding in the will in the mind in the affections in the judgment and also in the conscience through thâ—
them and so I think should we Answ. This comparison is wrongly applied if you bring it to shew us how we must do when we come to Christ. He that can make himself clean hath no need of Christ for the whole the clean and righteous have no need of Christ but those that are foul and sick Physicians you know if they love to be honoured they will not bid the Patients first make themselves whole and then come to them no but bid them come with their sores all running on them as the woman with her bloody issue Mark 5. And as Mary Magdalen with her Belly full of Devils and the Leppers all scabbed and that is the right coming to Jesus Christ. Reply Well I hope that Christ will save me for his promises and mercy is very large and as long as he hath promised to give us life I fear my state the less Answ. It is very true Christs promises are very large blessed be the Lord for ever and also so is his mercy but notwithstanding all that there is many go in at the broad gate and therefore I say your business is seriously to enquire whether you are under the first or second Covenant for unless you are under the second you will never be regarded of the Lord for as much as you are a sinner Heb. 89. And the rather because if God should be so good to you as to give you a share in the second you shall have all your sins pardoned and for certain have eternal life though you have been a great sinner But do not expect that thou shalt have any part or share in the large promises and mercy of God for the benefit and comfort of thy poor soul whilst thou art under the Old Covenant because so long thou art out of Christ through whom God conveyeth his mercy grace and love to sinners For all the promises of God in him are yea and in him Amen Indeed his mercy grace and love is very great but it 's treasured up in him given forth in him through him But God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us that he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace But which way In his kindness towards us through Christ Jesus But out of Christ thou shalt find God a just God a sin revenging God a God that will by no means spare the guilty and be sure that every one that is found out of Jesus Christ will be found guilty in the Judgment day upon whom the wrath of God shall smoke to their eternal ruine Now therefore consider of it and take the counsel of the Apostle in 2 Cor. 13. 5. Which is to examine thy self whether thou art in the faith and to prove thy own self whether thou hast received the Spirit of Christ inâ—â— thy soul whether thou hast been converted whether thou hast been born again and made a new creature whether thou hast had thy sins washed away in the blood of Christ whether thou hast been brought from under the Old Covenant into the New and do not make a slight examination for thou hast a precious soul either to be saved or damned And that thou mayest not be deceived consider that it is one thing to be convinced and another to be converted one thing to be wounded and another to be killed and so to be made alive by the faith of Jesus Christ. When men are killed they are killed to all things they lived to before both sin and righteousness as all their old faith and supposed grace that they thought they had Indeed the Old Covenant will shew thee that thou art a sinner and that a great one too but the Old Covenant the Law will not shew thee without the help of the spirit that thou art without all grace by nature no but in the midst of thy troubles thou wilt keep thy self from coming to Christ by perswading thy soul that thou art come already and hast some grace already O therefore be earnest in begging the spirit that thy soul may be enlightned and the wickedness of thy heart discovered that thou mayest see the miserable state that thou art in by reason of sin and unbelief which is the great condemning sin and so in a sight and sense of thy sad condition if God should deal with thee in severity according to thy deservings do thou cry to God for faith in a Crucified Christ that thou mayest have all thy sins washed away in his blood and such a right work of grace wrought in thy soul that may stand in the Judgment-day Again secondly In the next place you know I told you that a man might go a great way in a profession and have many excellent gifts so as to do many wondrous works and yet be but under the Law from hence you may learn not to judge your selves to be the children of God 1 Cor. 1. because you may have some gifts of knowledge or understanding more than others no for thou mayest be the knowingest man in all the Countrey as to head-knowledge and yet be but under the Law and so consequently under the â—urse notwithstanding that Now seeing it is so that men may have all this and yet perish then what will become of those that do no good at all and have no understanding neither of their own sadness nor of Christs mercy O sad Read with understanding Isa. 27. 11. Therefore he that made them will have mercy on them and he that formed them will shew them no favour See also 2 Thes. 1. 8 9. Now there is one thing which for want of most people do miscarry in a very sad manner and that is because they are not able to distinguish between the nature of the Law and the Gospel O people people your being blinded here as to the knowledge of this is one great cause of the ruining of many As Paul saith While Moses is read or while the Law is discovered the vail is over their hearts 2 Cor. 3. 15. that is the vail of ignorance is still upon their hearts so that they cannot discern either the nature of the Law or the nature of the Gospel they being so dark and blind in their minds as you may see if you compare it with Chap. 4. 3 4. And truly I am confident that were you but well examined I doubt many of you would be found so ignorant that you would not be able to give a word of right answer concerning either the Law or the Gospel Nay my Friends set the case one should ask you what time you spend what pains you take to the end you may understand the nature and difference of these two Covenants would you not say if you should speak the truth that you did not so much as regard whether there was two or more would you not say I did not think of Covenants or study the nature of them I thought that if I had lived honestly and did as well as
I could that God would accept of me and have mercy upon me as he had on others Ah friends this is the cause of the ruine of thousands for if they are blinded to this both the right use of the Law and also of the Gospel is hid from their eyes and so for certain they will be in danger of perishing most miserably poor souls that they are unless God of his meer mercy and love doth rend the vail from off their hearts the vail of ignorance for that is it which doth keep these poor souls in this besetted and blindfolded condition in which if they dye they may be lamented for but not helped they may be pittied but not preserved from the stroak of Gods everlasting vengeance In the next place if you would indeed be delivered from the first into the second Covenant I do admonish you to the observing of these following particulars First Have a care that you do not content your selves though you do good works that is which in themselves are good in and with a Legal Spirit which are done these ways as followeth First If you do any thing commanded in Scripture and in your doing of it do think that God is well pleased therewith because you as you are religious men do do the same upon this mistake was Paul himself in danger of being destroyed for he thought because he was zealous and one of the strictest sect for Religion therefore God would have been good unto him and have accepted his doings as it is clear for he counted them his gain Philipians 3. 4 5 6 7 8. Now this is done thus When a man doth think that because he thinks he is more sincere more liberal with more difficulty or to the weakning of his estate I say if a man because of this doth think that God accepteth his labour it is done from an Old Covenant Spirit Again Some men they think that they shall be heard because they have prayer in their families because they can pray long and speak expressions or express themselves excellently in prayer that because they have great enlargements in prayer I say that therefore to think that God doth delight in their doings and accept their works this is from a Legal Spirit Again Some men think that because their Parents have been religious before them and have been indeed the people of God they think if they also do as to the outward observing of that which they learned from their fore-runners that therefore God doth accept them but this also is from a wrong spirit and yet how many are there in England at this day that think the better of themselves meerly upon that account I and think the people of God ought to think so too not understanding that it is ordinary for an Eli to have an Hophni and a Phinâ—has both sons of Belial Also a good Samuel to have a perverse off-spring likewise David an Absalom I say their being ignorant of or else negligent in regarding this they do think that because they do spring from such and such as the Jews in their generations did that therefore they have a priviledge with God more than others when there is no such thing John 8 33 34 35. Mat. 3. 7 8 9. but for certain if the same faith be not in them which was in their fore-runners to lay hold of the Christ of God in the same spirit as they did they must utterly perish for all their high conceits that they have of themselves Secondly When People come into the presence of God without having their eye upon their Divine Majesty through the flesh and blood of the Son of Mary the Son of God then also do they come before God and do whatsoever they do from a Legal Spirit an old Covenant Spirit As for instance you have some people 't is true they will go to Prayer in appearance very fervently and will plead very hard with God that he would grant them their desires pleading their want and the abundance thereof they will also plead with God his great mercy and also his free promises but yet they neglecting the aforesaid Body or Person of Christ the righteous Lamb of God to appear before him in I say in thus doing they do not appear before the Lord no otherwayes then in an old Covenant Spirit for they go to God only as a merciful Creator and they themselves as his Creatures not as he is their Father in the Son and they his children by Regeneration through the Lord Jesus I and though they may call God their Father in the Notion not knowing what they say only having learned such things by tradition as the Pharisees did yet Christ will have his time to say to them even to their faces as he did once to the Jews Your father for all this your profession is the Devil to their own grief and everlasting misery John 8. 44. The third thing that is to be observed if we would not be under the Law or do things in a Legal Spirit is this to have a care that we do none of the works of the holy Law of God for life or acceptance with him no nor of the Gospel neither To do the works of the Law to the end we may be accepted of God or that we may please him and to have our desires of him is to do things from a Legal or old Covenant-Spirit and that is expresly laid down where it is said To him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace but of debt that is he appears before God through the Law and his obedience to it Rom. 4. 4 5. And again though they be in themselves Gospel-Ordinances as baptism breaking of bread hearing praying meditating or the like yet I say if they be not done in a right Spirit they are thereby used as a hand by the Devil to pull thee under the Covenant of Works as in former times he used circumcision which was no part of the Covenant of Works the ten Commands but a Seal of the righteousness of Faith yet I say they being done in a Legal Spirit the Soul was thereby brought under the Covenant of Works and so most miserably destroyed unawares to it self and that because there was not a right understanding of the nature and terms of the said Covenants And so it is now Souls being ignorant of the nature of the old Covenant do even by their subjecting to several Gospel-ordinances run themselves under the old Covenant and fly off from Christ even when they think they are a coming closer to him O miserable If you would know when or how this is done whether in one particular or more I shall shew you as followeth 1. That man doth bring himself under the Covenant of Works by Gospel-Ordinances when he cannot be persuaded that God will have mercy upon him except he do yield obedience to such or such a particular thing commanded in the Word this is the very same spirit that was in
the false brethren spoken of Asts 15. Gal. the whole Epistle whose judgement was that unless such and such things were done they could not be saved As now a days we have also some that say unless your Infants be baptized they cannot be saved and others say unless you be rightly baptized you have no ground to be assured that you are believers or members of Churches which is so far off from being so good as a Legal Spirit that it is the Spirit of Blasphemy as is evident because they do reckon that the Spirit Righteousness and Faith of Jesus and the confession thereof is not sufficient to declare men to be members of the Lord Jesus when on the other side though they be rank hypocrites yet if they do yield an outward subjection to this or that they are counted presently communicable members which doth clearly discover that there is not so much honour given to the putting on the righteousness of the Son of God as there is given to that which a man may do and yet go to hell within an hour after nay in the very doing of it doth shut himself for ever from Jesus Christ. 2. Men may do things from a Legal or Old Covenant-Spirit when they content themselves with their doing of such and such a thing as prayers reading hearing baptism breaking of bread or the like I say when they can content themselves with the thing done and sit down at ease and content because the the thing is done As for instance some men they being persuaded that such and such a thing is their duty and that unless they do do it God will not be pleased with them nor suffer them to be heirs of his kingdom they from this spirit do rush into and do the thing which being done they are content as being persuaded that now they are without doubt in a happy condition because they have done such things like unto the Pharisee who because he had done this and the other thing said therefore in a bragging way Lord I thank thee that I am not as this Publican for I have done thus and thus when alas the Lord gives him never a good word for his labour but rather a reproof 3. That man doth act from a Legal Spirit who maketh the strictness of his walking the ground of his assurance for eternal life Some men all the ground they have to believe that they shall be saved it is because they walk not so loose as their neighbours they are not so bad as others are and therefore they question not but that they shall do well now this is a false ground and a thing that is verily Legal and savours only of some slight and shallow apprehensions of the Old Covenant I call them shallow apprehensions because they are not right and sound and are such as will do the Soul no good but beguile it in that the knowledge of the nature of this Covenant doth not appear to the Soul only some commanding power it hath on the Soul which the Soul endeavouring to give up it self unto it doth find some peace and content and especially if it find it self to be pretty willing to yield it self to its commands and is not this the very ground of thy hoping that God will save thee from the wrath to come If one should ask thee what ground thou hast to think thou shalt be saved wouldst thou not say truly because I have left my sins and because I am more inclinable to do good and to learn and get more knowledge I endeavour to walk in Church order as they call it and therefore I hope God hath done a good work for me and I hope will save my soul. Alas alas this is a very trick of the Devil to make Souls build the ground of their salvation upon this their strictness and abstaining from the wickedness of their former lives and because they desire to be stricter and stricter Now if you would know such a man or woman you shall find them in this frame namely when they think their hearts are good then they think also that Christ will have mercy upon them but when their corruptions work then they doubt and scruple untill again they have their hearts more ready to do the things contained in the Law and Ordinances of the Gospel Again such men do commonly chear up their hearts and encourage themselves still to hope all shall be well and that because they are not so bad as the rest but more inclinable than they saying I am glad I am not as this Publican but better than he more righteous than he Luke 18. 11. 4. That is a Legal and Old Covenant-Spirit that secretly persuades the Soul that if ever it will be saved by Christ it must first be â—itted for Christ by its getting of a good heart and good intentions to do this and that for Christ I say that the Soul when it comes to Christ may not be rejected or turned off when indeed and in truth this is the very way for the Soul to turn it self from Jesus Christ instead of turning to him for such a Soul looks upon Christ rather to be a painted Saviour or a Cipher then a very and real Saviour Friend if thou canst fit thy self what need hast thou of Christ If thou canst get qualifications to carry to Christ that thou mightest be accepted thou doest not look to be accepted in the beloved Shall I tell thee thou art as if a man should say I will make my self clean and then I will go to Christ that he may wash me or like to a man possessed that will first cast the Devils out of himself and then come to Christ for cure for him Thou must therefore if thou wilt so lay hold of Christ as not to be rejected by him I say thou must come to him as the basest in the world more fitter to be damned if thou hadst thy right then to have the least smile hope or comfort from him come with the fire of hell in thy conscience come with thy heart hard dead cold full of wickedness and madness against thy own Salvation come as renouncing all thy tears prayers watchings fastings come as a blood-red sinner do not stay from Christ till thou hast a greater sense of thy own misery nor of the reality of Gods mercy do not stay while thy heart is softer and thy spirit in a better frame but go against thy mind and against the mind of the Devil and Sin throw thy self down at the foot of Christ with a halter about thy neck and say Lord Jesus hear a sinner a hard-hearted sinner a sinner that deserveth to be damned to be cast to hell and resolve never to return or to give over crying unto him till thou do find that he hath washed thy Conscience from dead works with his blood vertually and clothed thee with his own righteousness and made thee compleat in himself this is the way to
thou must believe that in the days of Tibereas Caesar when Herod was Tetrarch of Galilee and Pontius Pilate Governour of Judea that in those days he was crucified or hanged on a tree between two Thieves which by computation or according to the best account is above sixteen hundred years since Thirdly thou must also believe that when he did hang upon that Cross of Wood on the Mount Calvary that then he did dye there for the sins of those that did dye before he was Crucified also for their sins that were alive at the time of his Crucifying and also that he did by that one death give satisfaction to God for all those that should be born and believe in him after his death even unto the Worlds end I say this thou must believe upon pain of eternal Damnation that by that one death that when he did dye he did put an end to the curse of the Law and Sin and at that time by his death on the Cross and by his Resurrection out of Joseph's Sepulchre he did bring in a sufficient Righteousness to clothe thee withall compleatly For by one offering he hath for ever perfected them that are sanctified not that he should often offer himself for then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the World but now ONCE in the end of the World hath he appeared to put or do away Sin by the sacrifice of himself Namely when he hanged on the Cross. For it is by the offering up of the Body of this blessed Jesus Christ ONCE for all Indeed other Priests may offer oftentimes Sacrifices and Offerings which can never take away Sins but this Man this Jesus this annointed and appointed sacrifice when he had offered ONE sacrifice for sins for ever sat down on the right hand of God But because thou in thy pursuit after the faith of the Gospel wilt be sure to meet with devils hereticks particular corruptions as unbelief ignorance the spirit works animated on by suggestions false conclusions with damnable doctrines I shall therefore briefly besides what hath been already said speak a word or two more before I leave thee of further advice especially concerning these two things First How thou art to conceive of the Saviour Secondly How thou art to make application of him First For the Saviour thou must look upon him to be very God and very Man not man only nor God only but God and Man in one Person both natures joyned together for the putting of him in a capacity to be a suitable Saviour suitable I say to answer both sides and parties with whom he hath to do in the office of his Mediatorship and being as a Saviour Secondly Thou must not only do this but thou must also consider and believe that even what was done by Jesus Christ it was not done by one nature without the other but thou must consider that both natures both the God-head and the man-hood did gloriously concur and joyn together in the undertaking of the Salvation of our Bodies and Souls not that the God-head undertook any thing without the Man-hood neither did the Man-hood do any thing without the Vertue and Union of the God head and thou must of Necessity do this otherwise thou canst not find any sound ground and footing for thy Soul to rest upon For if thou look upon any of these asunder that is to say the God-head without the Man-hood or the Man-hood without the God-head thou wilt conclude that what was done by the God-head was not done for man being done without the Man-hood or else that that which was done with the Man-hood could not answer Divine Justice in not doing what it did by the Vertue and in Union with the God-head for it was the God-head that gave Vertue and Value to the suffering of the Man-hood and the Man-hood being joyned therewith that giveth us an interest into the heavenly glory and comforts of the God-head What ground can a man have to believe that Christ is his Saviour if he do not believe that he suffered for Sin in his Nature And what ground also can a man have to think that God the Father is satisfied being infinite if he believe not also that he who gave the satisfaction was equal to him who was offended Therefore Beloved when you read of the offering of the Body of the Son of Man for our Sins then Consider that he did it in Union with and by the help of the eternal God-head How much more shalâ— the Blood of Christ who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God purge your Consciences from dead Works c. And when thou readest of the glorious Works and â—plendour of the God-head in Christ theâ—â— consider that all that was done by the God-head it was done as it had union and communion with the Man-hood And then thou shalt see that the Devil is overcome by God-man Sin Death Hell the Grave and all overcome by Jesus God-man and then thou shalt find them overcome indeed They must needâ—â—e overcome when God doth overcome them and we have good ground to hope the Victory is ours when in our Nature they are overcome 2. The second thing is how to apply or to make application of this Christ to the Soul And for this there is to be considered the following particulars First that when Jesus Christ did thus appear being born of Mary he was looked upon by the Father as if the sin of the whole World was upon him â—ay further God did look upon him and account him the Sin of Man He hath made him to be Sin for us 2 Cor. 5. 21. That â—â—is God made his Son Jesus Christ our Sin or reckoned him to be not only a Sinner but the very bulk of Sin of the whole World and condemned him so severely as if he had been nothing but Sin For what the Law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh God sent forth his Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for Sin condemned Sin in the flesh That is for our Sins condemned his Son Jesus Christ as if he had indeed and in truth been our very Sin and yet altogether without Sin 2 Cor. 5. 21. Rom. 8. 3. Therefore as to the taking away of thy Curse thou must reckon him to be made Sin for thee And as to his being thy Justification thou must reckon him to be thy Righteousness for saith the Scripture He that is God hath made HIM to be SIN for us though he knew no Sin that WE might be made the RIGHTEOUSNESS of God in HIM Secondly Consider for whose sakeâ— all this glorious design of the Father and the Son was brought to pass and that you shall find to be for Man for sinful Man 2 Cor. 8. 9. Thirdly The terms on which it is made ours and that you will find to be a free gift meerly arising from the tender-heartedness of God You are justified freely by his
things that we have heard and not in any wise to let them be questioned and the rather because you see the Testament is not only now made but confirmed not only spoken of and promised but verily sealed by the death and blood of Jesus which is the Testatour thereof My Brethren I would not have you ignorant of this one thing that though the Jews had the promise of a sacrifice of an everlasting high Priest that should deliver them yet they had but the Promise for Christ was not sacrificed and was not then come an High Priest of good things to come only the Type the Shadow the Figure the Ceremonies they had together with Christs engaging as Surety to bring all things to pass that was promised should come and upon that account received and saved It was with them and their dispensation as this similitude gives you to understand Set the case that there be two men who make a covenant that the one should give the other ten thousand Sheep on condition the other give him two thousand pound but for as much as the Money is not to be paid down presently therefore if he that buyeth the Sheep will have any of them before the day of payment the Creditor requesteth a Surety and upon the engagement of the Surety there is part of the Sheep given to the Debtor even before the day of payment but the other at and after So it is here Christ covenanted with his Father for his Sheep I lay down my Life for my Sheep saith he but the Money was not to be paid down so soon as the bargain was made as I have already said I yet some of the Sheep were saved even before the Money was paid and that because of the suretiship of Christ as it is written Being justified or saved freely by his Grace through the Redemption or purchase of Jesus Christ whom God hath set forth to be a Propitiation through Faith in his Blood to declare himself righteous in his forgiving the Sins that are past or the Sinners who died in the Faith before Christ was crucified through Gods forbearing till the payment was paid to declare I say at this time his Righteousness that he might be Just and the Justifier of him that believeth in Jesus Rom. 3. 24. 25. 26. The end of my speaking of this is to shew you that it is not wisdom now to doubt whether God will save you or no but to believe because all things are finished as to our Justification The Covenant not only made but also sealed the Debt paid the Prison Doors â—lung off of the Hooks with a Proclamation from Heaven of Deliverance to the Prisoners of Hope saying Return to the strong hold ye Prisoners of Hope even to day do I declare saith God that I will render unto thee double Zech. 9. 12. And saith Christ when he was come The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because be hath anointed me to preach the Gospel that is good Tidings to the Poor that their Sins shall be pardoned that their Souls shall be saved He hath sant me to bind up the broken hearted to preach deliverance to the Captives and recovering of the Sight of the blind to set at liberty them that are bruised and to comfort them that mourn to preach the acceptable Year of the Lord. Luke 4. 18 19. Therefore here Soul thou may'st come to Jesus Christ for any thing thou wantest as to a common Treasure house being the principal Man for the distributing of the things made mention of in the New Covenant he having them all in his own custody by right of Purchase for he hath bought them all paid for them all Dost thou want Faith then come for it to the Man Christ Jesus Heb. 12. 2. Dost thou want the Spirit then ask it of Jesus Dost thou want Wisdom Dost thou want Grace of any â—ort Dost thou want a new Heart Dost thou want strength against thy Lusts against the Devils Temptations Dost thou want strength to carry thee thorow afflictions of Body and afflictions oâ— Spirit through Persecutions Wouldest thou willingly hold out stand to the last and be more than a Conquerour then be sure thou meditate enough on the Merits of the Blood of Jesus how he hath undertaken for thee that he hath done the work of thy Salvation in thy room that he is filled of God on purpose to fill thee and is willing to communicate whatsoever is in him or about him to thee Consider this I say and Triumph in it Again This may inform us of the safe state of the Saints as touching their Perseverance that they shall stand though Hell rages tho' the Devil roareth and all the World endeavoureth the ruine of the Saints of God tho' some through ignorance of the vertue of the offering of the Body of Jesus Christ do say a man may be a child of God to day and a child of the Devil to morrow which is gross ignorance for what is the Bloud of Christ the Death the Resurrection of Christ of no more vertue than to bring in for us an uncertain Salvation or must the effectualness of Christs merits as touching our Perseverance be helped on by the doings of Man surely they that are predestinated are also justified and they that are justified they shall be glorified Rom. 8. 30. Saints do not doubt of the salvation of your Souls unless you do intend to undervalue Christs Blood and do not think but that he that hath begun the good work of his grace in you will perfect it to the second coming of our Lord Jesus Phil. 1. 6. Should not we as well as Paul say I am persuaded that nothing shall separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus Rom. 8. O let the Saints know that unless the Devil can pluck Christ out of Heaven he cannot pull a true Believer out of Christ. When I say a true Believer I do mean such a one as hath the Faith of the Operation of God in his Soul Lastly Is there such Mercy as this such Priviledges as these is there so much ground of Comfort and so much cause to be Glad Is there so much store in Christ And such a ready heart in him to give it to me Hath his bleeding Wounds so much in them as that the Fruits thereof should be the Salvation of my Soul Of my sinful Soul As to save me sinful me rebellious me desperate me what then Shall not I now be holy Shall not I now study strive and lay out my self for him that hath laid out himself Soul and Body for me Shall I now love ever a Lust or Sin Shall I now be ashamed of the Cause Wayes People or Saints of Jesus Christ Shall I not now yield my Members as Instruments of Righteousness seeing my end is everlasting Life Rom. 6. Shall Christ think nothing too dear for me And shall I count any thing too dear for him Shall I grieve him
doest apprehend that thou art defiled and also thy best Duties annoyed with many Weaknesses let that Scripture come into thy Thoughts which saith Of him are ye in Christ Jesus who of God is made unto us Wisdom Righteousness Sanctification and Redemption And if thou shalt understand that what thou canst not find in thy self thou shalt find in Christ. Art thou a Fool in thy self then Christ is made of God thy Wisdom Art thou Unrighteous in thy self Christ is made of God thy Righteousness Doest thou find that there is but very little sanctifying Grace in thy Soul still here is Christ made thy Sanctification and all this in his own Person without thee without thy Wisdom without thy Righteousness without thy Sanctification without in his own Person in thy Fathers presence appearing there perfect Wisdom Righteousness and Sanctification in his own Person I say as a publick Person for thee So that thou mayest believe and say to thy Soul My Soul though thou doest find innumerable Infirmities in thy self and in thy Actions yet look upon thy Jesus the man Jesus he is Wisdom and that for thee to govern thee to take care for thee and to order all things for the best for thee He is also thy Righteousness now at Gods right Hand alwayes shining before the Eyes of his Glory So that there it is unmovable though thou art in never such a sad Condition yet thy Righteousness which is the Son of God God-man shines as bright as ever and is as much accepted of God as ever O this sometimes hath been Life to me And so whatever thou O my Soul findest wanting in thy self through Faith thou shalt see all laid up for thee in Jesus Christ whether it be Wisdom Righteousness Sanctification or Redemption Nay not only so but as I said before he is all these in his own Person without thee in the presence of his Father for thee Object But now if any should say in their Hearts O but I am one of the Old Covenant-men I doubt that is I doubt I am not within this glorious Covenant of Grace And how if I should not Answ. Well thou fearest that thou art one of the Old Covenant a Son of the Bond-woman In the first place know that thou wast one of them by Nature for all by Nature are under that Covenant but set the case that thou art to this day under that yet let me tell thee in the first place there is hopes for thee for there is a gap open a way made for Souls to come from under the Covenant of Works by Christ For he hath broken down the middle Wall of Partition between us and you Ephes. 2. 14. And therefore if thou wouldest be saved thou mayest come to Christ. If thou wantest a righteousness as I said before there is one in Christ. If thou wouldest be washed thou mayest come to Christ and if thou wouldest be justified there is justification enough in the Lord Jesus Christ. That 's the first Ans. 2. And secondly thou canst not be so willing to come to Christ as he is willing thou shouldest come to him witness his coming down from Heaven his Humiliation his spilling of his Blood from both his Cheeks Luke 23. 44. by sweat under the burden of sin and his shedding of it by the Spear when he hanged on the Cross. It appears also by his Promises by his Invitations by his sending forth his Messengers to preach the same to poor Sinners and threatneth Damnation upon this very account namely the neglect of him and declares that all the thousands and ten thousands of sins in the World should not be able to damn those that believed in him that he would pardon all forgive and pass by all if they would but come unto him moreover promiseth to cast out none no not the poorest vilest contemptiblest Creature in the whole World Come unto me all every one though you be never so many never so vile though your Load be never so heavy and intollerable though you deserve no help not the least help no Mercy not the least compassion yet cast your Burthen upon me and you shall find rest for your Souls Come unto me and I will heal you love you teach you and tell you the way to the Kingdom of Heaven Come unto me and I will succor you help you and keep you from all Devils and their Temptations from the Law and its Curses and from being for ever overcome with any evil whatsoever Come unto me for what you need and tell me what you would have or what you would have me do for you and all my Strength Love Wisdom and Interest that I have with my Father shall be laid out for you Come unto me your sweet Jesus your loving and tender-hearted Jesus your everlasting and sin-pardoning Jesus Come unto me and I will wash you and put my Righteousness upon you pray to my Father for you and send my Spirit into you that you might be saved Therefore Consider besides this what a priviledge thou shalt have at the day of Judgment above thousands if thou do indeed and in truth close in with this Jesus and accept of him for thou shalt not only have a Priviledge in this Life only but in the Life Everlasting even at the time of Christs second coming from Heaven for then when there shall be the whole World gathered together and all the good Angels bad Angels Saints and Reprobates when all thy Friends and Kindred with thy Neighbours on thy Right-hand and on the left shall be with thee beholding of the wonderful Glory and Majesty of the Son of God then shall the Son of Glory even Jesus in the very view and sight of them all smile and look kindly upon thee when a smile or a kind look from Christ shall be worth more then ten thousand Worlds then thou shalt have it You know it is counted an honour for a poor man to be favourably looked upon by a Judge or a King in the sight of Lords Earls Dukes and Princes why thus it will be with thee in the sight of all the Princely Saints Angels and Devils in the sight of all the great Nobles in the World then even thou that closest in with Christ be thou rich or poor be thou bond or free wise or foolish if thou close in with him he will say unto thee Well done good and faithful Servant even in the midst of the whole World they that love thee shall see it and they that hate thee shall all to their shame behold it for if thou fear him here in secret he will make it manifest even at that day upon the House top Secondly not only thus but thou shalt also be lovingly received and tenderly embraced of him at that day when Christ hath thousands of gallant Saints as old Abraham Isaac Jacob David Isaiah Jeremiah together with all the Prophets and Apostles and Martyrs attending on him together with many thousands of
glittering Angels ministering before him besides when the ungodly shall appear there with their pale Faces with their guilty Consciences and trembling Souls that would then give thousands and ten thousands of Worlds if they had so many if they could enjoy but one loving look from Christ. I say then then shalt thou have the hand of Christ reached to thee kindly to receive thee saying Come thou blessed step up hither thou wast willing to leave all for me and now will I give all to thee here is a Throne a Crown a Kingdom take them thou wast not ashamed of me when thou wast in the World among my Enemies and now will not I be ashamed of thee before thine Enemies but will in the view of all these Devils and damned Reprobates promote thee to Honour and Dignity Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the Foundation of the World Thou shalt see that those who have served me in truth shall lose nothing by the means No but ye shall be as Pillars in my Temple and Inheritours of my Glory and shall have a place to walk in among my Saints and Angels Zech. 3. 7. O! Who would not be in this Condition Who would not be in this Glory It will be such a Soul-ravishing Glory that I am ready to think the whole reprobate World will be ready to run mad Deut. 28. 34. to think that they should miss of it then will the vilest Drunkard Swearer Liar and unclean Person willingly cry Lord Lord open to us yet be denied of entrance and thou in the mean time embraced entertained made welcome have a fair Mitre set upon thy Head and clothed with immortal Glory Zech. 3. 5. O therefore let all this move thee and be of weight upon thy Soul to close in with Jesus this tender-hearted Jesus And if yet for all what I have said thy Sins do still stick with thee and thou findest thy hellish Heart loath to let them go think with thy self in this manner Shall I have my Sins and lose my Soul Will they do me any good when Christ comes Would not Heaven be better to me then my Sins And the Company of God Christ Saints and Angels be better then the Company of Cain Judas Balaam with the Devils in the Furnace of Fire Canst thou now that readest or hearest these Lines turn thy Back and go on in thy Sins Canst thou set so light of Heaven of God of Christ and the Salvation of thy poor yet precious Soul Canst thou hear of Christ his bloody Sweat and Death and not be taken with it and not be grieved for it and also converted by it If so I might lay thee down several Considerations to stir thee up to mend thy pace towards Heaven but I shall not there is enough written already to leave thy Soul without excuse and to bring thee down with a Vengeance into Hell-fire devouring Fire the Lake of Fire eternal everlasting Fire O! to make thee swim and roul up and down in the Flames of the Furnace of Fire The End If thou wouldest have a more full discourse hereof Read Dâ—d upon the Commandments * But only in tongue * Some professors take them at the best they are but like Dogs spuing out their filth for a time The last part of the Objection * I beseeth you do not think that because I say this therefore I am against the Ordinances of the Gospel for I do honour them in their places yet would not that any of them should be idolized or done in a wrong spirit I touched upon this in the first Doctrine * But it is impossible that the righteousness of man by the Law should save him * Besides the reasons already given * The word David in this place signifieth Christ as also in these Scriptures I might give you more Scriptures but pray consider the second thing Did I think this would â—â—ect with any opposition I should be in this more large Yet the second Adam was before the first and also the second Covenant before the first This is a Riddle David here is to be understood Christ. Christ is put into office by the Father to do all things contained in the New Covenant His Surtiship However it is in other ingagements yet it is thus in this Though the debtor together with the surety is liable to pay the debt by the Law of man yet Christ our surety only by the Covenant of Grace As Christ did not suffer in his body without suffering in soul nor yet in soul without his suffering in body it was because not the body without the soul but both the body and soul of the Saints should be for ever saved These things have I spoken to shew you that Saints are under Grace These things are more fully laid down in that part of the book which containeth the discourse of the priviledges of the New Covenant You must not understand that love in God is a passion as it is in us but the love of Gâ—d is the very essence or nature of God 1 John 4. 16. Come to the touchstons sinner Six reasons of this discourse That soul that hath the right work of God upon its heart is not only killed to its self but also made alive to Christ. * Like as the Children of Israel who fled for fear when the ground opened its mouth to swallow up Corah and his company Ps. 103. 1 23. * But this may be its temptation taking place through the timerousness of the soul. * This conviction seized on my soul one Sabbath day when I was at play being one of the first that I had which when it came though it seared me with its terrour yet through the temptation of the devil immediately striking in therewith I did rub it off again and became as vile for some time as I was before like a wretch that I was Do not think that I am against the order of the Gospel Dan. 9. 24 25. 1 Cor. 15. 55 56 57. * This is the Doctrine that I will live and dye by and be willing to be damned if it saves me not I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ for it is the power of God to Salvation therefore I preach Christ Crucified to the Jews a stumbling-block and to the Greeks foolishness Rom. 1. 1 Cor. 1. Heb. 10. 14. Heb. 9. 24 25. * Shall not we then that see all things already done before us make it a strong Argument to increase out Faith * For they were 〈◊〉 so many sure promises with a remembrance in them also for the better satisfaction of them that believed them You that are resolved to go on in your Sins meddle not with this
inward man a change and through the outward man a change from head to foot as we use to say For he that is in Christ and so in this Covenant of Grace is a new Creature 2 Cor. 5. 17. or hath been twice made made and made again O now the soul is resolved for Heaven and Glory now it crieth out Lord if there be a right eye that is offensive to thee pluck it out or a right foot cut it off or a right hand take it from me now the soul doth begin to studdy how it may honour God and bring praise to him Now the soul is for a preparation for the second coming of Christ endeavouring to lay aside every thing that may hinder And for the closing in with those things that may make it in a beloved posture against that day Fifthly And all this is from a Gospel Spirit and not from a Legal natural principle for the soul hath these things as the fruits and effects of its being separated unto the Covenant of Grace and so now possessed with that spirit that doth attend yea and dwell in them that are brought into the Covenâ—nt of Grace from under the Old Covenant I say these things do spring forth in the soul from another root and stock then any of the actings as other men do for the soul that is thus wrought upon is as well dead to the Law and the righteousness thereof as the first Covenant as well as to its sins Sixthly Now the soul begins to have some blessed experience of the things of God even of the glorious mysteries of the Gospel 1. Now it knoweth the meaning of those words My flesh is meat indeed and my blood is drink indeed John 6. 55. and that by experience for the soul hath received peace of conscience through that blood by the effectual application of it to the soul. First by feeling the guilt of sin dye off from the conscienceâ— by the operation thereof Secondly by feeling the power thereof to take away the curse of the Law Thirdly By finding the very strength of Hell to fail when once the blood of the man Jesus Christ is received in reality upon the soul. 2. Now the soul also knoweth by experience the meaning of that Scripture that saith Our old man is crucified with him that the body of sin might be destroyed Rom. 6. 6. Now it sees that when the man Jesus did hang on the tree on Mount Calvary that then the body of its sins was there hanged up dead and buried with him though it was then unborn so as never to be laid to its charge either here or hereafter and also so as never to carry it captive into perpetual bondage being it self overcome by him even Christ the head of that poor creature And indeed this is the way for a soul both to live comfortably as touching the guilt of sin and also as touching the power of the filth of sin for the soul that doth or hath received this indeed and in truth finds strength against them both by and through that man that did for him and the rest of his fellow sinners so gloriously overcome it and hath given the victory unto them so that now they are said to be overcomers nay more than conquerâ—rs through him the one man Jesus Christ Rom. 8. 33 34 35 36 37. 3. Now the soul hath received a â—aith indeed and a lively hope indeed such a one as now it can fetch strength from the fulness of Christ and from the merits of Christ. 4. Yea now the soul can look on it self with one eye and look upon Christ with another and say indeed it is true I am an empty soul but Christ is a full Christ I am a poor sinner but Christ is a rich Christ I am a foolish sinner but Christ is a wise Christ I am an unholy ungodly unsanctified creature in my self But Christ is made of God unto me wisdom righteousness sanctification and redemption 1 Cor. 1. 30. 5. Now also that fiery Law that it could not once endure nor could not once delight in I say now it can delight in it after the inward man now this Law is its delighe it would always be walked in it and always be delighted in it being offended with any sin or any corruption that would be any ways an hinderance to it Rom. 7. 24 25. And yet it will not edure that even that that Law should offer to take the work of its salvation out of Christs hand no if it once comes to do that then out of doors it shall go if it was as good again For that soul that hath the right work of God indeed upon it cries not my prayers not my tears not my works not my things do they come from the work of the spirit of Christ it self within me yet these shall not have the glory of my salvation no it is none but the blood of Christ the death of Christ of the man Christ Jesus of Nazareth the Carpenters Son as they called him that must have the Crown and Glory of my salvation None but Christ none but Christ and thus the soul labours to give Christ the preeminence Col. 1. 18. Now before I go any further I must needs speak a word from my own experience of the things of Christ and the rather because we have a company of silly ones in this day of ignorance that do either comfort themselves with a notion without the power or else do both reject the notion and the power of this most glorious Gospel therefore for the further conviction of the Reader I shall tell him with David something of what the Lord hath done for my soul and indeed a little of the experience of the things of Christ is far more worth than all the world It would be too tedious for me to tell thee here all from the first to the last but something I shall tell thee that thou mayest not think these things are fables Reader when it pleased the Lord to begin to instruct my soul he found me one of the black sinners of the world he found me making a sport of Oaths and also of Lies and many a soul-poysoning meal did I make out of divers Lusts as Drinking Dancing Playing Pleasure with the wicked ones of the world The Lord finding of me in this condition did open the glass of his Law unto me wherein he shewed me so clearly my sins both the greatness of them and also how abominable they were in his sight that I thought the very clouds were charged with the wrath of God and ready to let fall the very fire of his jealousie upon me yet for all this I was so wedded to my sins that thought I with my self I will have them though I lose my soul O wicked wretch that I was but God the great the rich the infinite merciful God did not take this advantage of my soul to cast me away and say then take
him Devil seeing he cares for me no more no but he followed me still and won upon my heart by giving of me some understanding not only into my miserable state which I was very sensible of but also that there might be hopes of mercy also taking away that love to lust and placing in the room thereof a love to religion and thus the Lord won over my heart to some desire after the means to hear the word and to grow a stranger to my old companions and to accompany the people of God together with giving of me many sweet encouragements from several promises in the Scriptures but after this the Lord did wonderfully set my sins upon my conscience those sins especially that I had committed since the first convictions temptations also followed me very hard and especially such temptations as did tend to the making of me question the very way of salvation viz. whether Jesus Christ was the Saviour or no and whether I had best to venture my soul upon his blood for salvation or take some other course But being through grace kept close with God in some measure in prayer and the rest of the ordinances but went about a year and upwards without any sound evidence as from God to my soul touching the salvation as comes by Jesus Christ. But at the last as I may say when the set time was come then the Lord just before the men called Quaker's came into the Countrey did set me down 〈◊〉 blessedly in the truth of the Doctrine of Jesâ—s Christ that it made me marvail to see first how Jesus Christ was born of a Virgin walked in the world a while with his Disciples afterwards hanged on the Cross spilt his Blood was Buried Rose again Ascended above the Clouds and Heavens their lives to make intercession and that he also will come again at the last day to judge the World and take his Saints unto himself These things I say I did see so evidently even as if I had stood by when he was in the world and also when he was caught up I having such a change as this upon my soul it made me wonder and musing with my self at the great alteration that was in my spirit for the Lord did also very gloriously give me in his precious word to back the discovery of the Son of God unto me so that I can say through grace it was according to the Scriptures 1 Cor. 15. 1 2 3 4. and as I was musing with my self what these things should mean methought I heard such a word in my heart as this I have set thee down on purpose for I have something more than ordinary for thee to do which made me the more marvel saying What my Lord such a poor wretch as I yet still this continued I have set thee down on purpose and so forth with more fresh incomes of the Lord Jesus and the power of the blood of his Cross upon my soul even so evidently that I saw through grace that it was the blood shed on Mount Calvary that did save and redeem sinners as clearly and as really with the eyes of my soul as ever methoughts I had seen a penny-loaf bought with a penny which things then discovered had such operation upon my soul that I do hope they did sweetly season every faculty thereof Reader I speak in the presence of God and he knows I lye not much of this and such like dealings of his could I tell thee of but my business at this time is not so to do but only to tell what operation the blood of Christ hath had over and upon my conscience and that at several times and also when I have been in several frames of spirit As first sometimes I have been so loaden with my sins that I could not tell where to rest nor what to do yea at such times I thought it would have taken away my senses yet at that time God through grace hath all of a suddenâ— so effectually applied the blood that was spilt at Mount Calvary out of the side of Jesus unto my poor wounded guilty conscience that presently I have found such a sweet solid sober heart comforting peace that it hath made me as if it had not been and withal the same I may say and I ought to say the power of it hath had such a powerful operation upon my soul that I have for a time been in a straight and trouble to think that I should love and honour him no more the vertue of his blood hath so constrained me Again sometimes methinks my sins have appeared so big to me that I thought one of my sins have been as big as all the sins of all the men in the Nation I and of other Nations too Reader these things be not fancies for I have smarted for this experience but yet the least stream of the heart blood of this man Jesus hath vanished all away and hath made it to flie to the astonishment of such a poor sinner and as I said before hath delivered me up into sweet and heavenly peace and joy in the holy Ghost Again sometimes when my heart hath been hard dead slothful blind and senseless which indeed are sad frames for a poor Christian to be in yet at such a time when I have been in such a case then hath the blood of Christ the precious blood of Christ the admirable blood of the God of Heaven that run out of his body when it did hang on the Cross so softned livened quickned and inlightned my soul that truly Reader I can say O it makes me wonder Again when I have been loaden with sin and pâ—stâ—red with several temptations and in very sad manner then have I had the trial of the vertue of Christs blood with the trial of the vertue of other things and I have found that when tears would not do prayers would not do repentings and all other things could not reach my heart O then one touch one drop one shining of the vertue of the blood of that blood that was let out with a spear it hath in a very blessed manner delivered me that it hath made me to marvel O â—methinks it hath come with such life such power with such irresistible and marvellous glory that it wipes off all the slurs silences all the out-cries and quenches all the fiery darts and all the flames of hell fire that are begotten by the charges of the Law Satan and doubtful remembrances of my sinful life Friends as Peter saith to the Church so I say to you I have not preached to you cunningly devised â—ables in telling you of the blood of Christ and what authority it hath had upon my Conscience O no but as Peter saith touching the coming of the Lord Jesus into the world so in some measure I can say of the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ that was shed when he did come into the world There is not only my single testimony