therefore it belongs to me yea and say with PAUL I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himselfe for mee Hee saw in mee sayth Luther on the Text nothing but wickednesse going astray and flying from him yet this good Lord had mercy on mee and of his meere mercy hee loved mee yea so loved mee that hee gave himselfe for mee who is this mee even I wretched and damnable sinner was so deerly beloved of the Son of God that hee gave himselfe for mee ô print this word me in your heart and apply it to your own self not doubting but that you are one of those to whom this me belongeth Neo. But may such a vile and sinfull wretch as I am be perswaded that God commands me to believe and that hee hath made a promise to me Evan. Why doe you make a question where there is none to be made Goe sayth Christ and preach the Gospel to every creature under Heaven that is go tell every man without exception whatsoever his sins be whatsoever his rebellions be goe and tell him these glad tydings that if hee will come in I will accept of him his sins shall bee forgiven him and hee shall bee saved if hee will come in and take mee and receive mee I will be his loving husband and hee shall bee mine owne deare Spouse let mee therefore say unto you in the words of the Apostle Now then I as an Ambassadour for Christ as though GOD did beseech you by mee I pray you in Christs stead be yee reconciled unto God for hee hath made him to be sin for you who knew no sin that you might be made the righteousnesse of God in him Neo. But doe you say Sir that if I believe I shall bee espoused unto Christ Evan. Yea indeed shall you for faith coupleth the soul with Christ even as the Spouse with her husband by which means Christ and the soule are made one for as in corporall marriage man and wife are made one flesh even so in this spirituall and mysticall marrriage Christ and his Spouse are made one spirit and this marriage of all others is most perfect and absolutely accomplished betweene them for the marriage between man and wife is but a slender figure of this union wherefore I beseech you to believe it and then you shall be sure to enjoy it Neo. Surely Sir if David sayd seemeth it to you a light thing to be an earthly Kings son-in-law seeing that I am a poore man and lightly esteemed then surely I have much more cause to say seemeth it to you a light thing to bee a heavenly Kings daughter-in-law seeing that I am such a poor sinfull wretch surely Sir I cannot be perswaded to believe it Evan. Alas man how much are you mistaken for you look upon God and upon your self with the eye of reason and so standing in relation to each other according to the tenour of the Covenant of Works whereas you being now in the case of Justification and Reconciliation you are to looke both upon God and upon your selfe with the eye of faith and so standing in relation to each other according to the tenour of the Covenant of grace for sayth the Apostle God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himselfe not imputing their sinnes unto them as if hee had sayd because as God stands in relation to man according to the tenour of the Covenant of works and so out of Christ hee could not without prejudice to his justice be reconciled unto them nor have any thing to doe with them otherwise then in wrath and indignation therefore to the intent that justice and mercy might meet together and righteousnesse and peace might embrace each other and so God stand in relation to man according to the tenour of the Covenant of Grace hee put himselfe into his Son Jesus Christ and shrowded himself there that so hee might speake peace to his people Sweetly sayth Luther because the nature of God was otherwise higher then that wee are able to attayne unto it therefore hath hee humbled himselfe to us and taken our nature upon him and so put himselfe into Christ here hee looketh for us here he will receive us and hee that seeketh him here shall finde him This sayth God the Father is my well beloved Sonne in whom I am well pleased Mat. 3.17 whereupon the same Luther sayth in another place We must not thinke and perswade our selves that this voice came from heaven for Christs own sake but for our sakes even as Christ himselfe sayth John 12.30 This voyce came not because of mee but for your sakes the truth is Christ had no need that it should be sayd unto him this is my well beloved sonne he knew that from all eternity and that he should still so remain though these words had not beene spoken from heaven therefore by these words God the Father in Christ his Sonne cheereth the hearts of poore sinners and greatly delighteth them with singular comfort and heavenly sweetnesse assuring them that whosoever is marryed unto Christ and so in him by faith hee is as acceptable to God the Father as Christ himselfe according to that of the Apostle Hee hath made us acceptable in his beloved wherefore if you would bee acceptable to God and bee made his deare childe then by faith cleave unto his beloved Sonne Christ and hang about his neck yea and creepe into his bosome and so shall the love and favour of God be as deeply insinuated into you as it is into Christ himselfe and so shall God the Father together with his beloved Sonne wholy possesse you and be possessed of you and so God and Christ and you shall become one entire thing according to Christs prayer That they may bee one in us as thou and I are one and by this means may you have sufficient ground and warrant to say in the matter of reconciliation with God at any time whensoever you are disputing with your selfe how God is to be found that justifieth and saveth sinners I know no other God neither will I know any other God besides this God that came dow from heaven and clothed himselfe with my flesh unto whom all power is given both in heaven and in earth Who is my Judge For the father judgeth no man but hath committed all judgement to the Sonne so that Christ may doe with mee whatsoever him liketh and determine of mee aecording to his own minde and I am sure hee hath sayd Hee came not to judge the World but to save the World and therefore I doe believe that hee will save mee Neo. Indeed Sir if I were so holy and so righteous as some men are and had such power over my sins and corruptions as some men have then I could easily believe it but alas I am so sinfull and so unworthy a wretch that I dare not presume to believe that
your own accusing conscience joyning with him hinder you any longer from Christ for what though they should accuse you of pride infidelity coveteousnesse lust anger envie and hypocrisie yea what though they should accuse you of whoredome theft and drunkennesse and many the like yet doe what they can they can make no worse a man of you then a sinner or the chiefe of sinners or an ungodly person and so consequently such a one as Christ came to justifie and save so that in very deed if you rightly consider it they doe you more good then hurt hereby and therefore I beseech you in all such cases or conflicts take the counsell of Luther who saith when thy conscience is throughly affraid with the remembrance of thy sins past and the Devill assayleth thee with great violence going about to overwhelme thee with heaps floods and whole seas of sins to terrifie thee and to draw thee from Christ then arme thy selfe with such sentences as these Christ the Sonne of God was given not for the holy righteous worthy and such as were his friends but for the wicked sinners for the unworthy and for his enemies wherefore if the Devill say thou art a sinner and therefore must be damned then answer you and say because thou saist I am a sinner therefore will I be righteous and saved and if he say nay sinners must be damned then answer you and say no for I flie to Christ who hath given himselfe for my sins and therefore in that thou saist I am a sinner thou givest me armour and weapon against thy selfe that with thy own sword I may cut thy throat and tread thee under my feet and thus you see it is the judgement of Luther that your sins should rather drive you to Christ then keep you from him Nom. But Sir suppose he hath not as yet either humbled himselfe or repented for his great and many sins hath he any warrant to come to Christ till he hath done so Eva. I see you have not yet quite thrown down your tottering building you still conceive that man himselfe must doe somthing in the case of justification you thinke he must bring some money in his hand to buy his salvation but I beseech you consider that as I have often told you Gods Covenant in Christ is a Covenant of Grace and so every way a free Covenant and therefore he makes a generall proclamation saying Ho every one that thirsteth come ye to the waters and he that hath no money come ye buy and eat yea come buy wine and milke without money and without price This you see is the condition buy wine and milke that is grace and salvation without money that is without any sufficiencie of your own and the Lord saith in his Word in divers places that he justifieth his children before they repent or truly humble themselves or doe any work of righteousnesse the truth is it is onely required that a man come with the hand of faith and receive Christ without any thing else at all Nom. But Sir Though I conceive that we are to bring this money of humiliation and repentance to Christ yet doe I not conceive it is to tender unto him for a price but onely for him to look upon as that with which he hath appointed those to be qualified withall that come unto him Eva. I but yet so long as Christ hath said you must come without it and onely encline your eare and heare and your souls shall live and that by hearing that he will make an everlasting Covenant with you even the sure mercies of David me thinks you should perceive that Christ doth thereby call you from the ways of repentance and humiliation and works of righteousnesse in the case of justification and to pitch directly and immediately upon the free Covenant of Grace Nom. But Sir as I conceive the Scripture holds forth that the Lord hath appointed repentance to goe before faith for is it not said Marke 1.15 Repent ye and believe the Gospel Evan. Indeed somtimes the name of repentance is given to those preparatory beginnings and introductories thereof which are those legall fits of fear and terrour which are both in nature and time before faith and truly all that repentance that goes before faith in Christ can be no other for evangelicall repentance being a fruit of faith in Christ cannot be before faith in Christ. Nom. Then Sir it seems you hold that he that believes in Christ doth also truly repent Evan. Yea indeed though I hold not that evangelical repentance is an antecedent of faith in Christ yet I hold it is a consequent though I hold not that it goes before faith yet I hold that it follows after Nom. But yet Sir it seemes you hold that those preparatory beginnings of repentance which you call legall fits of feare and terrour do goe before faith in Christ. Evan. Yea indeed I doe conceive that ordinarily and in some measure they do Nom. Ordinarily say you Sir why are they not in all Evan. No indeed for some doubtlesse are like unto Zachous and Lydia who received Christ and were received of him as it is verily thought without any measure of them Nom. And have not all those that have them a like measure of them Evan. O no there is a great difference in the measure for some do but as it were sip of the cup and others doe as it were drinke the very dregs whereby wee may perceive that though it be necessary that these Legall fits of feare and terrour be in some before their comming to Christ yet is there no absolute necessity of them on Christs part wherefore I pray take notice that those who have them have them not because Christ would not bid them welcome and receive them without them but because they will not come to Christ except they be by this means driven unto him Nom. But Sir that which you call Evangelicall repentance and follows after faith is in all that do believe is it not Evan. Yea indeed it is more or lesse in every believing soule according to the measure of his faith and so of his receiving the spirit of Christ as all other true fruits of Christs spirit are Nom. Well Sir I am answered Neo. And truly Sir you have so declared and set forth Christs disposition towards poore sinners and so answered all my doubts and objections that I am now verily perswaded that Christ is willing to entertaine mee and surely I am willing to come unto him and receive him but alas I want power to do it that is Sir I want faith Evan. But tell me on thing truly are you resolved to put forth all your power to believe and so to take Christ. Neo. Truly Sir me thinks my resolution is much like the resolution of the foure Lepers which sate at the gate of Samaria for as they sayd If wee enter into the Citie the famine is in
lost in losing God yea and mans soul is a spirit and therefore cannot communicate with any corporall thing so that all creatures not being that infinite and spirituall fulnesse which our hearts have lost and towards the which they do still re-aspire they cannot give it full contentment Nay let mee say more howsoever a man may in the midst of his sensuall fulnesse be convinced in his conscience that he is at enmity with God and therefore in danger of his wrath and eternall damnation and be thereupon moved to reforme his life and amend his ways and endevour to seek peace and rest to his soul yet this being in the way of works it is impossible that he should finde it for his conscience wil ever be accusing him that this good duty hee ought to have done and hath not done it and this evill he ought to have forborne and yet hee hath done it and in the performance of this duty he was remisse and in that duty very defective and many such wayes will his soul be disquieted But when a man once comes to believe that all his sins both past present and to come are freely and fully pardoned and God in Christ graciously reconciled unto him the Lord doth hereupon so reveale his fatherly face unto him in Christ and so make known that incredible union betwixt him and the believing soul that his heart becomes quietly contented in God who is the proper element of its being for hereupon there come◠into the soule such peace flowing from the God of peace that it fils the emptinesse of the soule with true fulnesse in the fulnesse of God so that now the heart ceaseth to molest the understanding and reason in seeking eyther variety of objects or augmentation of degrees in any comprehensible thing And that because the restlesse longing of the minde which did before cause unquietnesse and disorder both in the variety of mentall projects and also in the sensuall and beastly exercises of the corporall and externall members is satisfied and truly quieted for when a mans heart is at peace in God and is become truly full in that peace and joy passing understanding then the Devill hath not that hope to prevaile against our souls as hee had before hee knows right well that it is in vaine to beat his hooke with profits pleasures honour or any other such like seeming good to catch such a soule that is thus at quiet in God for he hath all fulnesse in God and what can be added to fulnesse but it runneth over indeed empty hearts like empty hogsheads are fit to receive any matter which shall be put into them but the heart of the believer being filled with joy and peace in believing doth abhorre all such base allurements for that it hath no roome in it selfe to receive any such seeming contentments so that to speak as the truth is there is nothing that doth truly and unfainedly root wickednesse out of the heart of man but only the true tranquility of the minde or the rest of the soul in God and to say as the thing is this is such a peace and such a rest to the creature in the Creatour that according to the measure of its establishment by faith no created comprehensible thing can eyther adde to it or detract from it the increase of a Kingdome cannot augment it the greatest losses and crosses in worldly things cannot diminish it a believers good works doe all flow from it and ought not to return to it neyther ought humane frailties to molest it howver this is most certain neyther sin nor Satan law nor conscience hell nor grave can quite extinguish it for it is the Lord alone that gives and mayntains it Whom have I in heaven but thee sayth David and there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee it is the pleasant face of God in Christ that puts gladnesse into his heart Psal. 4.7 and when that face is hid then he is troubled Psal. 30.7 But to speake more plainly though the peace and joy of true believers may be extenuated or diminished yet doth the testimony of their being in nature remayne so strong that they could skill to say yea even when they have felt God to be withdrawing himselfe from them My God my God why hast thou forsaken me yea and in the night of GODS absence to remayne confident that though sorrow be over night yet joy will come in the morning Nay though the Lord should seeme to kill them with wickednesse yet will they put their trust in him knowing that for all this their Redeemer liveth so strong is the joy of their Lord these are the people that are kept in perfect peace because their minds are stayed in the Lord. Wherfore my deare friends and loving neighbours I beseech you take heed of deeming any estate happy until you come to find this true peace and rest to your souls in God ô beware lest any of you doe content your selves with a peace rather of speculation then of power ô be not satisfied with such a peace as consisteth eyther in the act of oblivion or neglect of examination nor yet in any brain-sick supposition of knowledge theologicall and divine so frame rationall conclusions to protract time and stil the cryes of an accusing conscience but let your hearts take their last farewell of all false felicities wherewith they have been all of them more or lesse detained and kept from their true rest ô be strong in resolution and bid them all farewell and neyther stay in Egypt by the flesh-pots of Sensuality nor yet in the wildernesse of religious and rationall formality but strip your selfe of all putten on contentments eyther in sensuall honours profits or pleasures or religious exercises and become truly poore miserable and naked Nom. But stay Sir I pray you would you have our senses to be no longer exercised about any of their objects would you have us no longer to take comfort in the good things of this life Evan. I pray you doe not mistake mee I would not have you Stoically to refuse the lawfull use of any the Lords good creatures which he shall be pleased to afford you for I right well know that the minde of man hath a naturall motion towards its own delight and recreation in these things and that this motion still remains in the minde of him that is the most mortified and hath taken his truest farewell of them but yet in such a man that motion which before was violent from the cry of the heart is now restrained so that his appetite is not so forcible nor so unruly as it was before the unrulinesse thereof being subdued in the peace of the heart and and brought into a very comely decorum and order so that now the sensuall appetite can with much more easiness and contentednesse be denyed the object of its desire yea the sensuall appetite can in a good measure be
of it or being at all affected with it so far are wee from comming out of it And if the Lord be pleased by any means to open our eyes to see our misery and we doe thereupon begin to step out of it yet alas wee are prone rather to goe backwards towards the first Adams pure estate in striving and strugling to leave sinne and performe duties and doe good works hoping thereby to make our selves so righteous and holy that God will let us into Paradise againe to eat of the tree of life and live for ever and this we do untill we see the flaming sword at Edens gate turning every way to keepe the way of the tree of life Is it not ordinary when the Lord convinceth a man of his sin eyther by means of his Word or his Rod to cry after this manner O I am a sinfull man for I have lived a very wicked life and therefore surely the Lord is angry with mee and will damne me in hell ô what shall I do to save my soule And is there not at hand some ignorant miserable comforter ready to say yet doe not despayre man but repent of your sins and aske God forgivenesse and reforme your life and doubt not but he will be mercifull unto you for hee hath promised you know that at what time soever a sinner repenteth of his sins hee will forgive him And doth hee not hereupon comfort himself and say in his heart at least ô if the Lord will but spare my life and lengthen out my days I will become a new man I am very sorry that I have lived such a sinfull life but I will never doe as I have done for all the world ô you shall see a great change in me believe it And hereupon he betakes himself to a new course of life and it may be becomes a zealous professour of Religion performing all Christian exercises both publike and private and leaves off his old companions and keeps company with religious men and so it may be goes on till his dying day and thinks himselfe sure of Heaven and eternall happines yet it maybe all this while is ignorant of Christ and his Righteousnes and therefore establisheth his own Where is the man or where is the woman that is truly come to Christ that hath not had some experience in themselves of such a disposition as this if there be any that have reformed their lives and are become Professours of Religion and have not taken notice of this in themselves more or lesse I wish they have gone beyond a legall Professour or one still under the covenant of works Nay where is the man or woman that is truly in Christ that findeth not in themselves an aptnes to withdraw their hearts from Christ and to put some confidence in their owne works and doings if there be any that do not find it I wish their hearts deceive them not Let me confesse ingeniously I was a professour of Religion at least a dozen yeeres before I knew any other way to eternall life then to be sorry for my sins and aske forgivenesse and strive and endeavour to fulfill the Law and keepe the Commandements according as Master Dod and other godly men had expounded them and truly I remember I was in hope I should at last attain to the perfect fulfilling of them and in the mean-time I conceived that God would accept the will for the deed or what I could not doe Christ had done for me And though at last by meanes of conferring with Master Thomas Hooker in private the Lord was pleased to convince me that I was yet but a proud Pharisee and to shew mee the way of faith and salvation by Christ alone and to give mee as I hope a heart in some measure to embrace it yet alas through the weaknesse of my faith I have been and am still apt to turne aside to the covenant of works and therefore have not attained to that joy and peace in believing nor that measure of love to Christ and man for Christs sake as I am confident many of Gods Saints do attain unto in the time of this life the Lord be mercifull unto mee and increase my faith And are there not other though I hope but few who being enlightned to see their misery by reason of the guilt of sin though not by reason of the filth of sinne And hearing of justification freely by grace through the redemption which is in Jesus Christ do applaud and magnifie that doctrine following them that doe most preach and presse the same seeming to be as it were ravished with the hearing thereof out of a conceit that they are by Christ freely justified from the guilt of sin though still they retain the filth of sin these are they that content themselves with a Gospel knowledge with meere notions in the head but not in the heart glorying and rejoycing in free grace and justification by faith alone professing faith in Christ and yet are not possessed of Christ these are they that can talke like believers and yet do not walke like believers these are they that have language like Saints and yet have conversations like Devils these are they that are not obedient to the Law of Christ and therefore are justly called Antinomians Now both these paths leading from Christ have been justly judged as erronious and to my knowledge not onely a matter of 18 or 20 years agoe but also within these three or foure years there hath been much a doe both by preaching writing and disputing both to reduce men out of them and to keep them from them and hot contentious have been on both sides and all I fear me to little purpose for hath not the strict professour according to the Law whilst he hath striven to reduce the loose professour according to the Gospel out of the Antinomian path intangled both himselfe and others the faster in the yoke of bondage and hath not the loose professour according to the Gospel whilst he hath striven to reduce the strict professour according to the Law out of the legall path by promising liberty from the Law taught others and been himselfe the servant of corruption For this cause I though I be nothing have by the grace of God endeavoured in this Dialogue to walk as a middle-man betwixt them both in shewing to each of them his erronious path with the middle path which is Jesus Christ received truly and walked in answerably as a means to bring them both unto him and make them both one in him And oh that the Lord would be pleased so to blesse it to them that it might be a means to produce that effect I have as you may see gathered much of it out of known and approved Authours and yet have therein wronged no man for I have restored it to the right owner again in the margent some part of it my manuscripts have afforded me and of the rest I hope
now heare of his performance of it Evan. Touching this point the Scripture testifieth that God according to his purpose before time and his promise in time Did in the fulnesse of time send forth his Sonne made of a woman made under the Law to redeeme them that were under the Law c. That is to say looke how mankinde by nature are under the Law as it is the Covenant of works so was Christ as mans suretie contented to bee so that now according to that Eternall and mutuall agreement that was betwixt God the Father and him he put himself in the roome and place of all the Faithfull and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquities of us all Then came the Law as it is the Covenant of Workes and said I finde him a sinner yea such a one as hath taken upon him the sinnes of all men therefore let him die upon the Crosse. Then said Christ Sacrifice and Offering thou wouldest not but a bodie hast thou prepared mee In burnt offerings and sacrifice for sinne thou hast no pleasure Then said I loe I come to doe thy will O God And so the law proceeding in full scope against him set upon him and killed him and by this meanes was the justice of God fully satisfied his wrath appeased and all true beleevers acquitted from all their sinnes both past present and to come so that the Law as it is the Covenant of workes hath not any thing to say to any true beleever for indeed they are dead to it and it is dead to them Nom. But Sir How could the sufferings of Christ which in respect of time were but finite make full satisfaction to the Justice of God which is infinite Eva. Though the sufferings of Christ in respect of time were but finite yet in respect of the person that suffered his sufferings came to be of infinite value for Christ was God and Man in one person and therefore his sufferings were a sufficient and full ransome for mans soule being of more value then the death and destruction of all creatures Nom. But Sir you know that the Covenant of workes requires mans owne obedience or punishment when it saith Hee that doth these things shall live in them and cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the Law to do them how then could beleevers be acquitted from their sins by the death of Christ Evan. For answer hereunto I pray you consider that though the covenant of workes requires mans owne obedience or punishment yet it no where disalloweth or excludeth that which is done or suffered by another in his behalfe neither is it repugnant to the Justice of God for so there bee a satisfaction performed by man through a sufficient punishment for the disobedience of man the Law is satisfied and the justice of God permitteth that the offending partie be received into favour and acknowledge God after such satisfaction made as a just man and no transgressor of the Law and though the satisfaction be made by a surety yet when it is done the principall is by the Law acquitted But yet for the further proofe and confirmation of this poynt wee are to consider that as JESUS CHRIST the second Adam entered into the same Covenant that the first Adam did so by him was done whatsoever the first Adam had undone so then the case stands thus that like as whatsoever the first Adam did or befell him was reckoned as done by all mankinde and to have befallen them even so whatsoever CHRIST did or befell him is to bee reckoned as to have been done by all believers and to have befallen them so that as sinne commeth from Adam alone to all mankinde as he in whom all have sinned so from Jesus Christ alone commeth righteousnesse unto all that are in him as hee in whom they all have satisfied the justice of God for as by being in Adam and one with him all did in him and with him transgresse the Commandement of God even so in respect of faith whereby believers are ingrafted into Christ and spiritually made one with him they did all in him and with him satisfie the justice of God in his death and sufferings and whosoever reckons thus reckons according to Scripture for in Rom. 5.12 all are sayd to have sinned in Adams sinne In whom all have sinned sayth the Text namely in Adam as in a publike person all mens acts were included in his because their persons were included in his so likewise in the same Chapter it is sayd that death passed upon all men namely for this that Adams sinne was reckoned as theirs even so Rom. 6. the Apostle speaking of Christ sayth In that he dyed he dyed unto sinne once but in that hee liveth hee liveth unto God so likewise sayth he in the next verse Reckon ye your selves to be dead unto sinne but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. And so as touching the resurrection of Christ the Apostle argues that all believers must and shall arise because Christ is risen and is become the first fruitâ— of them that sleepe CHRIST as the first fruits ariseth and that in the name and stead of all believers and so they rise in him and with him for CHRIST did not rise as a private person but hee arose as the publike head of his Church so that in his arising all believers did virtually arise and as CHRIST at his resurrection was justified and acquitted from all the sinnes of all believers by God his Father as having now fully satisfied for them wherefore the obedience of Christ being imputed unto believers by God for their righteousnesse it doth put them into the same estate and case touching righteousnesse unto life before God wherein they should have been if they had perfectly performed the perfect obedience of the covenant of works Doe this and thou shalt live Nom. But Sir are all believers dead to the Law and the Law dead to them Evan. Believe it man as the Law is the Covenant of works all true believers are dead unto it and it is dead to them for they being incorporated into Christ what the Law or Covenant of works did to him it did the same to them so that when CHRIST hanged on the Crosse believers after a sort hanged there with him and therefore the Apostle Paul having sayd I through the Law am dead to the Law addes in the next verse I am crucified with CHRIST which words the Apostle brings as an argument to prove that hee was dead to the Law for the Law had crucified him with CHRIST upon which Text Luther sayth I likewise am crucified and dead to the Law Forasmuch as I am crucified and dead with CHRIST and againe I believing in CHRIST am also crucified with CHRIST In like manner the Apostle sayth to the believing Romanes So yee my brethren are dead also to the Law
known unto them the doctrine of the Covenant of grace yet after his departure through the seducement of false teachers they were soon turned to the Covenant of works and sought to be justified either in whole or in part by it as you may see if you doe seriously consider that Epistle nay what sayth Luther it is sayth he the generall opinion of mans reason throughout the whole world That righteousnesse is gotten by the works of the Law and the reason is because the Covenant of works was ingendred in the mindes of men in the very creation so that man naturally can judge no otherwise of the law then as of a Covenant of works which was given to make righteous and to give life and salvation this pernitious opinion of the Law that it justifieth and maketh righteous before God sayth Luther again is so deeply rooted in mans reason and all mankinde are so wrapped in it that they can hardly get out yea I my selfe sayth hee have now preached the Gospell almost twenty years and have been exercised in the same daily by reading and writing so that I may well seeme to bee rid of this wicked opinion yet notwithstanding I now and then feele this old filth cleave to my heart whereby it commeth to passe that I would willingly so have to doe with God that I would bring somthing with my selfe because of which hee should give me his grace nay it is to bee feared that as you sayd many amongst us who have more means of light ordinarily then ever Luther or any before him had who yet notwithstanding doe either wholy or partly expect justification and acceptation by the works of the Law Ant. Sir I am verily perswaded that there be very many in this City of London that are carryed with a blinde preposterous zeale after their own good works and well doings secretly seeking to become holy just and righteous before God by their diligent keeping and carefull walking in all Gods Commandements and yet no man can perswade them that they doe so and truly Sir I am verily perswaded that this our neighbour and friend Nomista is one of them Evan. Alas there is a thousand in the world that make a Christ of their works and here is their undoing c. They looke for righteousnesse and acceptation more in the precept then in the promise in the law then in the Gospel in working then in believing and miscarry many poor ignorant souls amongst us when we bid them obey and doe duties they can thinke of nothing but working themselves to life when they are troubled they must lick theÌ„selves whole when wounded they must run to the salve of duties and stream of performances and neglect Christ. Nay it is to be feared that there bee divers who in words are able to distinguish between the Law and the Gospel and in their judgements hold and maintain that man is justified by faith without the works of the Law and yet in effect and practise that is to say in heart and conscience doe otherwise rhere is some touch of this in us all otherwise we should not be so up and down in our comforts and believing as we are still and cast down with every weaknesse as we are But what say you neighbour Nomista are you guilty of these things thinke you Nom. Truly Sir I must needs confesse I begin to be somwhat jealous of my selfe that I am so and because I desire your judgement touching my condition I would intreat you to give me leave to relate it unto you Evan. With a very good will Nom. Sir I having bin born brought up in a Countrey where there was very little preaching the Lord he knoweth I lived a great while in ignorance and blindnesse and yet because I did often repeat the Lords Prayer the Apostles Creed and the ten Commandements and in that I came sometimes to Divine Service as they call it and at Easter receive the Communion I thought my condition to bee good but at last by means of hearing a zealous and godly Minister in this City not long after my comming hither I was convinced that my present condition was not good and therefore I went to the same Minister and told him what I thought of my selfe So hee told mee that I must frequent the hearing of Sermons and keepe the Sabbath very strictly and leave off swearing by my faith and troth and such like oaths and beware of lying and all idle words and communication yea and sayd hee you must get good books to read on as Master Dod on the Commandements M. Boultons directions for comfortable walking with God Mastâ—â— Brinsleys true Watch and such like and many such like exhortations and directions he gave me the which I liked very well of and therefore endeavoured my selfe to follow them so I fell to the hearing of the most godly zealous and powerfull Preachers that were in this City and wrote their Sermons after them and when God gave mee a Family I did pray with them and instructed them and repeated Sermons to them and spent the Lords day in publique and private exercises and left off my swearing and lying and idle talking according to his exhortation in few wordes I did so reforme my selfe and my life that whereas before I had been onely carefull to performe the duties of the second Table of the Law and that to the end I might gain favour and respect from civill honest men and to avoid the penalty of mans law or temporall punishment now I was also carefull to performe the duties required in the first Table of the Law and that to gaine favour and respect from religious honest men and to avoid the penalty of Gods Law even eternall torments in hell Now when professors of Religion observe this change in me they caâ—â— to my house and gave unto mee the right hand of fellowship counted me one of that number And then I invited godly Ministers to my table and made much of them then with that same Mica mentioned in the book of Judges I was perswaded the Lord would be mercifull unto me because I had gotten a Levite to be my Priest in a word I did now yield such an outward obedience and conformity to both Tables of the Law that all godly Ministers and religious honest men that knew me did thinke very well of mee counting me to be a very honest man and a good Christian and indeed I thought so of my selfe especially because I had their approbation and thus I went on bravely a great while even untill I read in Master Boultons works that the outward righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisees was famous in those times for besides their forbearing and protesting against grosse sins as murther theft adultery idolatry and the like they were frequent and constant in prayer fasting and almes deeds so that without question many of them were perswaded that their doings would purchase
from putting any confidence in our own works and doings and exhorted us by faith to lay hold upon the righteousnesse of Jesus Christ onely at the hearing whereof it pleased the Lord so to work upon mee that I plainly perceived that there was no need at all of my works and doings nor nothing else but only to believe in Jesus Christ indeed my heart did assent unto it immediately so that I went home with abundance of peace and joy in believing and gave thanks to the Lord for that he had set my soule at liberty from such a sore bondage as I had been under and I told all my acquaintance what a slavish life I had lived in being under the Law for if I did commit any sin I was presently troubled disquieted in my coÌ„science could have no peace til I had made humble confession thereof unto God craved pardon and forgivenes promised amendment but now I told them that whatsoever sins I did commit I was no whit troubled at them nor indeed am not to this day for I do verily believe that God for Christs sake hath freely and fully pardoned all my sins both past present and to come so that I am confident that what sin or sins soever I commit they shall never be layd to my charge being very well assured that I am so perfectly clothed with the robes of Christs righteousnesse that God can see no sin in me at all And therefore now I can rejoyce evermore in Christ as the Apostle exhorts mee and live merrily though I be never so vile or sinfull a creature and indeed I pitty them that are in the same slavish condition that I was in and would have them to believe as I have done that so they may rejoyce with mee in Christ And thus Sir you see I have declared unto you my condition and therefore I would intreat you to tell me what you think of me Evan. There is in this City at this day much talk about Antinomiaus and though I hope there be but few that doe justly deserve that title yet I pray give me leave to tell you that I feare mee I may say unto you in this case as it was once said unto Peter in another case Surely thou art one of them for thy speech bewrayeth thee And therefore to tell you truly I make some question whether you have truly believed in Christ for all your confidence And indeed I am the rather moved to question it by calling to minde that as I have heard your conversation is not such as becommeth the Gospell of Christ Ant. Why Sir do you think it is possible for a man to have such peace and joy in Christ as I have had and I thanke the Lord have still and not to have truly believed in Christ Evan. Yea indeed I think it is possible for doth not our Saviour tell us that those hearers whom hee resembles to the stony ground immediatly received the word with joy and yet had no root in themselves and so indeed were not true believers And doth not the Apostle give us to understand that as there is a forme of godlines without the power of godlinesse so there is a forme of faith without the power of faith And therefore he prayes that God would grant unto the Thessalonians the worke of faith with power And as the same Apostle gives us to understand there is a faith that is not fained so doubtlesse there is a faith that is fained And surely when our Saviour sayth Marke 4.26 27 28. The kingdome of God is as if a man should cast seed into the ground and sheuld sleepe and rise night and day and the seed should spring up and grow hee knoweth not how first the blade then the eare after that the full corn in the eare he giveth us to understand that true faith is produced by the secret power of God by little and little so that somtimes a true believer himselfe neither knows the time when nor the manner how it was wrought so that we may perceive that true faith is not ordinarily begun increased and finished all in a moment as it seems yours was but groweth by degrees according to that of the Apostle Rom. 1.17 The righteousnesse of God is revealed from faith to faith that is from one degree of faith to another from a weake faith to a stroâ—g faith from faith beginning to faith increasing towards perfection or from faith of adherence to faith of assurance but so was not yours and again true faith according to the measure of it produceth holinesse of life but it seems yours doth not so and therefore though you have had and have still much peace and joy yet that is no infallible signe that your faith is true for a man may have great raptures yea he may have great joy as if he were lift up into the third heaven and have a great and strong perswasion that his estate is good and yet be but an hypocrite for all that and therefore I beseech you in the words of the Apostle Examine your selfe whether you be in the faith prove your own selfe know you not your own selfe how that Jesus Christ is in you except you be a reprobate And if Christ bee in you the body is dead because of sin but the Spirit is life because of righteousnesse Ant. But Sir if my friend Nomista went wrong in seeking to be justified by the works of the Law then me thinks I should have gone right in seeking to be justified by faith and yet you speake as if wee had both gone wrong Evan. I remember Luther sayth that in his time if they taught in a Sermon that salvation consisted not in our works or life but in the gift of God some men took occasion thence to be slow to good works and to live a dishonest life and if they preached of a godly and honest life others did by and by furiously attempt to build ladders to heaven And moreover hee sayth that in the year 1525 there were some fantasticall spirits that stirred up the rusticall people to sedition saying that the freedome of the Gospel giveth liberty to all men from all manner of Laws and there were others that did attribute the force of justification to the Law Now sayth he both these sorts offend against the Law the one on the right hand who would be justified by the Law and the other on the left hand who would be clean delivered from the Law Now I suppose this saying of Luthers may bee fitly applyed to you two for it appears to me friend Antinomista that you have offended on the left hand in not walking according to the matter of the Law and it is evident to mee neighbour Nomista that you have offended on the right hand in seeking to be justified by your obedience to it Nom. But Sir if seeking of justification by the works
justified by faith it is a very needless thing for him to endevour to keep the law and to do good works Evan. I remember Luther sayth that in his time there were some that did reason after the like manner if faith say they do accomplish all things and if faith be onely and alone sufficient unto righteousnesse to what end then are wee commanded to doe good deeds we may go play us then and work no working at all to whom hee makes an answer saying not so ye ungodly not so And there were others that said If the law do not justifie then is it in vaine and of none effect yet is it not therefore true saith he for like as this consequence is nothing worth money doth not justifie or make a man righteous therefore it is unprofitable the eyes doe not justifie therefore they must be plucked out the hands make not a man righteous therefore they must be cut off so is this nought also the law doth not justifie therefore it is unprofitable we do not therefore destroy and condemne the law because wee say it doth not justifie but we say with Paul the law is good if a man do rightly use it and that this is a faithfull saying That they which have believed in God might be carefull to mayntaine good works these things are good and profitable unto men Neo. Truly Sir for mine own part I do much marvell that this my friend Antinomista should be so confident of his faith in Christ and yet so little regard holinesse of life and keeping of Christs commandements as it seemes hee doth for I give the Lord thanks I doe now in some small measure believe that I am by Christ freely and fully justified and acquitted from all my sins and therefore have no need eyther to eschew evill or do good for feare of punishment or hope of reward and yet me thinks I finde my heart more willing and desirous to doe what the Lord commands and to avoid what hee forbids then ever it was before I did thus believe surely Sir I doe perceive that faith in Christ is no hinderance to holinesse of life as I once thought it was Evan. Neighbour Neophytus if our friend Antinomista do content himself with a meere Gospell knowledge in a notionary way and have run out to fetch in notions from Christ and yet is not fetcht in by the power of Christ let us pitty him pray for him and in the mean time I pray you know that true faith in Christ is so far from being a hinderance from holinesse of life and good works that it is the onely furtherance for onely by faith in Christ a man is enabled to exercise all Christian graces a-right and to performe all Christian duties a-right which before he could not As for example before a man believe Gods love to him in Christ though he may have a kind of love to God as he is his creatour and preserver and gives him many good things for this present life yet if God do but open his eyes to see what condition his soul is in that is if he do but let him see that relation that is betwixt God and him according to the tenour of the conant of works then he conceives of him as an angry Judge armed with justice against him and must be pacified by the works of the law whereunto he finds his nature opposite and contrary and therefore hee hates both God and his law and doth secretly wish and desire there were neyther God nor law and though God should now give unto him never so many temporall blessings yet could hee not love him for what malefactour could love that Judge or his law from whom he expects the sentence of condemnation though he should feast him at his table with never so many dainties But after that the kindnesse and love of God his Saviour hath appeared not by works of righteousnesse that he hath done but according to his mercy hee saved him that is when as by the eye of faith he sees himselfe to stand in relation to God according to the tenour of the covenant of grace then he conceives of God as a most mercifull and loving Father to him in Christ that hath freely pardoned â—nd forgiven him all his sins and quite released him from the covenant of works and by this means the love of God is shed abroad in his hart through the Holy Ghost which is given to him and then he loves God because he first loved him for as a man seeth and feeleth by faith the love and favour of God towards him in Christ his Son so doth he love again both God and his law and indeed it is impossible for any man to love God till by faith hee know himself loved of God Secondly though a man before he believe Gods love to him in Christ may have a great measure of legall humiliation compunction sorrow and griefe and be brought down as it were to the very gate of hell and feele the very flashings of hell fire in his conscience for his sins yet is it not because hee hath thereby offended God but rather because he hath thereby offended himself that is because hee hath thereby brought himselfe into the danger of eternal death and condemnation but when once he believes the love of God to him in Christ in pardoning his iniquity and passing by his transgression then he sorrows grieves for the offence of God by the sin reasoning thus with himselfe and is it so indeed hath the Lord given his own Sonne to death for me who hath been such a vile sinfull wretch and hath Christ borne all my sins and was hee wounded for my transgressions ô then the working of his bowels the stirring of his affections the melting and relenting of his repenting heart then he remembers his own evill ways and his doings that were not good and loaths himselfe in his own eyes for all his abominations and looking upon Christ whom he hath pierced he mournes bitterly for him as one mourneth for his onely sonne thus when faith hath bathed a mans heart in the bloud of Christ it is so mollified that it quickly dissolues into the teares of godly sorrow so that if Christ doe but turn and look upon him ô then with Peter hee goes out and weeps bitterly and this is true gospel mourning and this is right evangelicall repenting Thirdly Though before a man doe truly believe in Christ he may so reforme his life and amend his ways that as touching the righteousnesse which is of the Law he may be with the Apostle blamelesse yet being under the covenant of works all the obedience that he yields to the Law all his leaving of sin and performance of duties all his avoyding of what the law forbids and all his doing of what the law commands is begotten by the law of works of Hagar the bond-woman by the force of self-love
and so indeed they are the fruit and works of a bond-servant that is moved and constrained to doe all that heâ— doth for fear of punishment and hope of reward For saith Luther The Law given on mount Sinai which the Arabians call Agar begeteth none but servants and so indeed all that such a man doth is but hypocrisie for he pretends the serving of God whereas indeed hee intends the serving of himselfe and how can hee doe otherwise for whilst he wants faith he wants all things He is an empty vine and therefore must needs bring forth fruit unto himselfe till a man bee served himselfe he will not serve the Lord Christ nay whilst he wants faith he wants the love of Christ and therefore he lives not to Christ but to himselfe because he loved himselfe And hence surely we may conceive it is that Doctor Preston saith all that a man doth and not out of love is out of hypocrisie wheresoever love is not there is nothing but hypocrisie in such a mans heart But when a man through the hearing of faith receives the Spirit of Christ that spirit according to the measure of faith writes the lively law of love in his heart as Tindall sweetly sayth whereby hee is inabled to work freely and of his own accord without the coaction or compulsion of the Law for that love wherewith Christ or God in Christ hath loved him and which by faith is apprehended of him will constrain him to doe so according to that of the Apostle the love of Christ constraineth us that is it will make him to doe so whether he will or no hee cannot choose but doe it I tell you truly answerably as the love of Christ is shed abroad in the heart of any man it is such a strong impulsion that it carries him on to serve and please the Lord in all things according to the saying of an evangelicall man The will and affection of a believer according to the measure of faith and the spirit received sweetly quickens and bends to choose affect and delight in what ever was good and acceptable to God or man the Spirit freely and cheerfully moving and inclining him to keepe the law without feare of hell or hope of heaven for a christian man saith sweet Tindall worketh onely because it is the will of his Father for after that he is overcome with love and kindnesse he seeks to doe the will of God which indeed is a christian mans nature and what he doth hee doth it freely after the example of Christ as a naturall sonne aske him why he doth such a thing why sayth he It is the will of my Father and I doe it that I may please him for indeed love desireth no wages it is wages enough to it selfe it hath sweetnesse enough in it selfe it desires no addition it pays his own vvages and therefore it is the true childe like obedience being begoten by faith of Saraah the free-woman by the force of Gods love and so it is indeed the onely true and syncere obedience for sayth Doctor Preston to doe a thing in love is to doe it in syncerity and indeed there is no other defâ—inition of syncerity that is the best way to know it by Evan. But stay Sir I pray you would you not have believers to eschew evill and doe good for feare of hell or hope of heaven Evan. No indeed I would not have any believer to doe either the one or the other for so far forth as they doe so their obedience is but slavish and therefore though when they were first awaked convinced of their misery and set foot forward to goe on in the way of life they with the prodigall would be hired servants yet when by the eye of faith they see the mercie and indulgence of their heavenly Father in Christ running to meete them and embrace them I would have them with him to talke no more of being hired servants I would have them so to wrastle against doubting and so to exercise their faith as to believe that they are by Christ delivered from the hands of all their â—nemies both the Law sin wrath death â—he devill and hell that they may serve the Lord without feare in holinesse and righteâ—usnesse all the dayes of their lives I would â—ave them so to believe Gods love to them â— Christ as that thereby they may be conâ—trained to obedience Nom. But Sir you know that our Saâ—iour sayth Feare him that is able to destroy â—oth soule and body in hell And the Apostle â—yth We shall receive of the Lord the reward 〈◊〉 the inheritance is it not sayd that Moses â—ad respect unto the recompence of reward Evan. Surely the intent of our blessed â—aviour in that first Scripture is to teach all â—elievers that when God commands one 〈◊〉 and man another they should obey â—od and not man rather then to exhort â—â—em to eschew evill for feare of Hell And as for those other Scriptures by you alâ—â—aged if you mean reward and the means 〈◊〉 obtayn that reward in the Scripture sense 〈◊〉 it is another matter but I had thought 〈◊〉 had meant in our common sense and not 〈◊〉 the Scripture sense Nom. Why Sir I pray you what diffeâ—â—nce is there betwixt reward and the means to obteyn the reward in our common sense and in the Scripture sence Evan. Why reward in our common sence is that which is conceived to come from God or to be given by God which is a fancying of Heaven under carnall notions beholding it as a place where there is freedome from all misery and fulnesse of all pleasures and happinesse and to be obteyned by our own works and doings But reward in the Scripture sence is not so much that which comes from God or is given by God as that which lyes in God even the full fruition of God himselfe in Christ. I am sayth God to Abraham thy shield and thy exceeding great reward And whom have I in heaven but thee sayth David And there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee and I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likenesse And the means to obteyne this reward is not by doing but by believing even by drawing neere with a true heart in the full assurance of faith and so indeed it is given freely And therefore you are not to conceive of that reward which the Scripture speaks of as if it were the wages of a servant but as it is the inheritance of sons and when the Scripture seemeth to induce believers to obedience by promising this reward you are to conceive that the Lord speaketh to believers as a father doth to his young son doe this or that and then I will love thee whereas we know that the father loveth the sonne first and so doth God and therefore this is the voice of believers Wee love him because
believer and creates and infuseth into him new principles of actions so that what a treasure of all graces Christ hath stored up in him faith dreyneth and draweth them out to the use of a believer being as a conduite cocke that watereth all the herbs in the garden yea faith doth apply the bloud of Christ to a believers heart and the bloud of Christ hath in it not onely a power to wash from the guilt of sin but to clense and purge likewise from the power and stain of sin and therefore sayth godly Hooker if you would have grace you must first of all get faith and that will bring all the rest let faith goe to Christ and there is meeknesse patience humility and wisdome and faith will fetch all them to the soule therefore sayth he you must not look for sanctification till you come to Christ in vocation Nom. Truly Sir I doe now plainly see that I have been deceived and have gone a wrong way to worke for I verily thought that holinesse of life must goe before faith and so be the ground of it and produce and bring it forth whereas I doe now plainly see that faith must goe before and so produce and bring forth holinesse of life Evan. I remember a man who was much enlightened in the knowledge of the Gospell sayth there be many that thinke that as a man chooseth to serve a Prince so men choose to serve God so likewise they think that as those who doe best service do obtain most favour of their Lord and as those that have lost it the more they humble themselves the sooner they recover it even so they think the case stands betwixt God and them whereas sayth hee it is not so but clean contrary for hee himselfe sayth Yee have not chosen me but I have chosen you and not for that we repent and humble our selves and doe good works hee giveth us his grace therefore wee repent humble our selves doe good works and become holy the good thief on rhe crosse was not illuminated because hee did confesse Christ but he did confesse Christ because hee was illuminated for sayth Luther the tree must first be and then the fruit for the apples make not the tree but the tree maketh the apples so faith first maketh the person which afterwards bringeth forth works therefore to doe the Law without faith is to make the apples of wood and earth without the tree which is not to make apples but meer fantacies wherfore neighbour Nomista let me intreat you that whereas before you have reformed your life that you might believe why now believe that you may reform your life and doe not any longer worke to get an interest in Christ but believe your interest in Christ that so you may work and then you will not make the change of your life the ground of your faith as you have done and as Master Culverwell sayth many doe who being asked what caused them to believe they answer because they have truly repented and changed their course of life Ant Sir What thinke you of a Preacher that in my hearing said he durst not exhort nor perswade sinners to believe their sinnes were pardoned before he saw their lives reformed for feare they should take more liberty to sin Evan. Why what should I say but that I think that Preacher was ignorant of the mystery of faith for it is of the nature of soveraign waters which so wash off the corruption of the ulcer that they coole the heat and stay the spreading of the infection and so by degrees heale the same neither did he know that it is of the nature of cordials which so comfort the heart and ease it that they also expell the noxious humours and strengthen nature against them Ant. And I am acquainted with a professor though God knows a very weak one that sayth if he should believe before his life be reformed then he might believe and yet walk on in his sins I pray you Sir what would you say to such a man Evan. Why I would say with Doctor Preston let him if he can believe truly and doe this but it is impossible let him believe and the other will follow truth of beliefe will bring forth truth of holinesse for who if he ponder it well can feare a fleshly licentiousnesse where the believing soule is united and maryed to Christ the law as it is the covenant of works and Christ are set in opposition as two husbands to one wife successively whilst the Law was alive in the conscience all the fruits were deadly Rom. 7 5. but Christ taking the same spouse to himselfe the law being dead by his quickning spirit doth make her fruitfull to God and so raiseth up seed to the former husband for materially these are the works of the Law though produced by the Spirit of Christ in the Gospell Ant. And yet Sir I am verily perswaded that there be many both Preachers and professors in this City of the very same opinion that these two are of Evan. The truth is many Preachers stand upon the prayse of some morall vertue and doe invaigh against some vice of the times more then upon pressing men to believe but sayth a learned writer it will bee our condemnation if we love darknesse rather then light and desire still to be groping in the twy-light of morality the precepts of morall men then to walke in the true light of divinity which is the doctrine of Jesus Christ and I pitie the prepostrous care and unhappy travail of many well affected who study the practice of this and that vertue neglecting this cardinall and radicall vertue as if a man should water all the tree and not the root faine would they shine in patience meeknesse and zeal and yet are not carefull to stablish root themselves in faith which should maintain all the rest and therefore all their labour hath been in vain and to no purpose Nom. Indeed Sir this which you have now sayd I have found true by mine own experience for I have laboured and endevoured to get victory over some corruptions as to overcome my dulnesse and to performe duties with cheerfulnesse and all in vain Evan. And no marvell for to pray to meditate to keep a Sabbath cheerfully to have your conversation in Heaven is as possible for you your selfe to doe as for Iron to swim or for stones to ascend upwards but yet nothing is impossible to faith it can naturalize these things unto you it can make a mole of the earth a soule of Heaven wherefore though you have tryed all morall conclusions of proposing promising resolving vowing fasting watching and self-revenge yet get you to Christ and with the finger of faith touch but the hem of his garment and you shall feele vertue come from him for the curing of all your diseases Wherefore I beseech you come out of your self unto Jesus Christ
be perswaded to it before this day nor indeed should not have been perswaded to it now had not you so plainly and fully handled this threefold law and truly Sir I doe now unfainedly desire to renounce my self and all that ever I have done and by faith to adhere onely to Jesus Christ for now I see that hee is all in all ô that the Lord would enable me so to do and I beseech you Sir pray for me Ant. And truly Sir I must needs confesse that I have erred as much on the other hand for I have been so far from seeking to be justified by the works of the law that I have neyther regarded law nor works but now I see mine errour I purpose God willing to reform it Evan. The Lord grant that you may but how do you neighbour Neophytus for me thinks you look very heavily Neo. Truly Sir I was thinking of that place of Scripture where the Apostle exhorts us to examine our selves whether we be in the faith or no whereby it seems to mee that a man may think he is in the faith when he is not therefore Sir I would gladly heare how I may be sure that I am in the faith Evan I would not have you to make any question of it since you have grounded your faith upon such a firme foundation as will never fail you for the promise of God in Christ is of a tried truth and never yet failed any man nor never will therefore I would have you to close with Christ in the promise without making any question whether you are in the faith or no for there is an assurance which ariseth from the exercise of faith by a direct act and that is when a man by faith directly layes hold upon Christ and concludes assurance from thence Neo. Sir I know that the foundation whereon I am to ground my faith remayneth sure and I think I have already built thereon but yet because I conceive a man may thinke hee hath done so when hee hath not therefore would I fain know how I may be assured that I have done so Eva. Wel now I understand you what you mean it seems you do not want a ground for your believing but for your believing that you have believed Neo. Yea indeed that is the thing I want Evan. Why the next way to finde out and know this is to looke backe and reflect upon your own heart consider what actions have passed through there for indeed this is the benefit that a reasonable soul hath that it is able to returne upon it selfe to see what it hath done which the soul of a beast cannot do Consider then I pray you whether the free and full promise of God in Christ hath not beene so cleered unto you that you had nothing to object why it did not belong particularly to you and whether you have not seen a readinesse and willingnesse in Christ to receive and embrace you as his beloved Spouse And whether you have not thereupon consented and resolved to take Christ and to give up yourselfe to him and whether you have not since that found in your heart a love to Christ and his law and a readinesse and willingnes to doe your duty to God as a childe to his father freely without feare of hell or hope of Heaven now tell me I pray you truly whether you have not found these things in you Neo. Yea indeed I hope I have in some measure Evan. Why then I may say with the Apostle John You are of the truth and may assure or perswade your heart before God Wherefore sayth Christ to you I say unto thee that thy many sins are forgiven thee for thou lovest much Ant. But Sir shall he not in so doing turne back from the Covenant of grace to the covenant of works and from Christ to himselfe Evan. Indeed if he should looke upon these things in himselfe and thereupon conclude that because he hath done thus God hath accepted of him and justified him and will save him and so make them the ground of his believing this were to turn back from the Covenant of grace to the Covenant of works and from Christ to himselfe But if he look upon these things in himselfe and thereupon conclude that because these things are in his heart Christ dwels there by faith and therefore he is accepted of God and justified and shall certainly be saved and so make them an evidence of his believing or the ground of his believing that he hath believed this is neither to turn back from the Covenant of grace to the Covenant of works nor from Christ to himselfe so that these things in his heart being the daughters of faith and the of-spring of Christ though they cannot at first produce or bring forth their mother yet may they in time of need nourish her Nom. But I pray you Sir are there not other things besides these that he sayth hee finds in himselfe that a man may looke upon as evidences of his believing or as you call them as grounds of his believing that hee hath believed Evan. Yea indeed besides these inward qualifications that are in the heart there are outward qualifications in the life as having respect unto all Christs Commandements which a man may look upon as an evidence provided that hee be sure it flow from those within Nom. But Sir how should a man know that Evan. The sure and best way to know this is for a man to examine himselfe whether he did first believe in Christ and then reforme his life and so made his faith the cause of the change of his life or whether he did first reforme his life and then believe and so made his reformation of life the cause of his faith if he be sure he did the former then may he be sure that his outward qualifications proceeded from his inward and so are right and true but if hee did the latter then may he be sure that they are wrong and false evidences Nom. Then truly Sir I have not as yet any right and true evidences of faith Evan. If you have not then as I tell you it is time to believe that so you may have them that are right and true Neo. But Sir I pray you let me ask you one question more touching this point and that is suppose that hereafter I should see no outward evidences and question whether I had ever any true inward evidences and so whether I did ever truly believe or no What must I do then Evan. Indeed it is possible you may come to such a condition and therefore you doe well to provide aforehand for it Now then if ever it shall please the Lord to give you over to such a condition first let mee warn you to take heed of forcing and constraining your selfe to yield obedience to Gods Commandements to the end you may so get an evidence of faith again or a ground to lay
mans soule doth re-aspire towards God the Creator when as it is evident that every mans soule naturally is bent towards the creature to seeke a rest there Evan. For answer hereunto I pray you consider that naturally mans understanding is dark and blinde and therefore is ignorant what his own soul doth desire and strongly aspire unto it knoweth indeed that there is a want in the soule but till it be enlightned it knoweth not what it is which the soule wanteth for indeed the case standeth with the soule as with a child new born which child by naturall instinct doth gape and cry for nutriment yea for such nutriment as may agree with it tender condition and if the nurse through negligence or ignorance eyther give it no meat at all or else such as it is not capable of receiving the childe refuseth it and still cryeth in strength of desire after the dug yet doth not the child in this estate know by any intellectuall power and understanding what it self desireth even so mans poore soule doth cry to God as for its proper nourishment but his understanding like a blind ignorant nurse not knowing what it cryeth for doth offer to the heart a creature instead of a Creatour thus by reason of the understanding together with the corruption of the will and disorder of the affections mans soule is kept by violence from its proper centre even God himselfe ô how many souls are there in the world that are hindred if not quite kept from rest in God by reason that their blinde understanding doth present unto their sensual appetites varieties of sensuall objects Is there not many a luxurious persons soule hindred if not quite kept from true rest in God by that beauty which nature hath placed in feminine faces especially when Satan doth secretly suggest into such feminine harts a desire of an artificiall dressing from the head to the foot yea and sometimes painting the face like their mother Jezabel And is there not many a voluptuous Epicures soule hindred if not quite kept from rest in God by beholding the colour and tasting the sweetnesse of dainty delicate dishes his wine red in the cup and his beer of amber colour in the glasse in the Scripture we read of a certain man that fared deliciously very day as if there had been no more but one so ill disposed but in our times there are certain hundreds both of men and women that do not only fare deliciously but voluptuously twice every day if no more And is there not many a proud persons soul hindered if not quite kept from rest in God by the harmonious sound of popular prayse which like a load-stone draweth the vain-glorious heart to hunt so much the more eagerly to augment the eccho of such vain windy reputation And is there not many a covetous persons soule hindred if not quite kept from rest in God by the cry of great abundance the words of wealth and the glory of gain And is there not many a musicall minde hindered if not quite kept from sweet comfort in God by the harmony of artificiall concord upon musicall instruments And how many perfumed fools are there in the world who by smelling their sweet apparell and their sweet nose-gayes are kept from souls sweetnesse in Christ. And thus doth Satan like a cunning fisher beat his hooke with a sensuall object to catch men with and having gotten it into their jaws he draweth them up and down in their sensuall contentments till hee hath so drowned them therein that the peace and rest of their souls in God be almost forgotten and hence it is that the greatest part of mans life and in many their whole life is spent in seeking satisfaction to the sensuall appetite Nom. Indeed Sir this which you have sayd we may see truly verified in many men who spend their days about these vanities and will afford no time for religious exercises no not upon the Lords day by their good will Neo. You say the truth and yet let mee tell you withall that a man by the power of naturall conscience may bee forced to confesse that his hopes of happinesse are in God alone and not in these things yea and to forsake profits and pleasures and all sensuall objects as unable to give his soule any true contentment and fall to the performance of religious exercises and yet rest there and never come to God for rest and if we consider it either in the rude multitude of sensuall livers or in the more seemingly religious we shall perceive that the religious exercises of men doe strongly deceive and strangely delude many men of their hearts happinesse in God For the first sort though they be such as make their belly their best God and doe no Sacrifice but to Bacchus Apollo or Venus though their conscience doe accuse them that these things are nought yet in that they have the name of Christians put upon them in their baptisme and for as much as they doe often repeat the Lords Prayer the Apostles Creed and the ten Commandements and in that it may be they have lately accustomed themselves to goe to Church to heare divine service and a preaching now and then and in that they have divers times received the Sacrament they will not be perswaded but that God is well pleased with them and a man may as well perswade them that they are not men and women as that they are not in a good condition And for the second sort that ordinarily have more humane wisdome and humane learning then the former sort and seeme to bee more holy and devout then the former sort of sensuall ignorant people yet how many are there of this sort that never passe farther then the outward court of bodily performances feeding and feasting themselves as men in a dreame supposing themselves to have all things and yet indeed have nothing but onely a bladder full or rather a brainfull of winde and worldly conceptions Are there not some who give themselves to a more speciall searching and seeking out for knowledge in Scripture learnednesse and Clerklike skill in this Art and that Language till they come to bee able to repeate all the historicall places in the Bible yea◠and all those texts of Scripture that they conceive doe make for some private opinion of theirs concerning Ceremonies Church-government or other such circumstantiall points of Religion touching which points they are very able to reason and dispute and to put forth such curious questions as are not easily answered Are not some of these men called Sect-makers and begetters or devisers of new opinions in Religion especially in the matter of worshiping God as they use to call it wherein they finde a beginning but hardly any end for this religious knowledge is so variable through the multiplicity of curious wits and contentious Spirits that the life of man way seeme too short to take a full view of this variety for though all Sects say
they will bee guided by the word of truth and all seeme to bring Scripture which indeed is but one as God is but one yet by reason of their severall constructions and interpretations of Scripture and conceits of their own humane wisdome they are many And are there not others of this sort of men that are readie to embrace any new way of worship especially if it come under the cloake of Scripture learning and have a shew of truth founded upon the letter of the Bible and seeme to bee more zealous and devout then their former way specially if the teacher of that new way can but frame a sad and demure countenance and with a grace lift up his head and his eyes towards heaven with some strong groane in declaring of his newly conceived opinion and that hee frequently use this phrase of the glory of GOD ô then these men are by and by of another opinion supposing to themselves that God hath made known some farther truth to them for by reason of the blindnesse of their understanding they are not able to reach any supernaturall truth although they doe by literall Learning and Clerklike cunning dive never so deepe into the Scriptures and therefore they are ready to entertaine any forme of Religious Exercise as shall bee suggested unto them And are there not a third sort much like to these men that are excessive and mutable in the performance of Religious Exercises Surely Saint PAUL did perceive that this was the very GOD of some men in his time and therefore hee willeth TIMOTHY to instruct others that bodily exercise profiteth little or as some read it nothing at all and doth oppose thereunto godlinesse as being another thing then bodily exercise and sayth that it is profitable c. And doe not you thinke there are some men at this day that know none other good then bodily exercise and can hardly distinguish betwixt it and godlinesse Now these bodily exercises are mutable and variable according to their conceits and opinions for all Sects have their severall services as they call them yet all bodily and for the most part onely bodily the which they performe to establish a rest to their soules because they want rest in God and hence it is that their peace and rest is up and down according to their working better or worse so many Chapters must be read and so many Sermons must bee heard and so many times must pray in one day and so many dayes in the weeke or in the yeare they must fast c. or else their soules can have no rest but mistake mee not I pray in imagining that I speake against the doing of these things for I doe them all my selfe but against resting in the doing of them the which I desire not to doe And thus you see that mans blinde understanding doth not onely present unto the sensuall appetite sensuall objects but also to the rationall appetites rationall objects so that mans poore soule is not onely kept from rest in God by means of sensuality but also by means of formality if Satan cannot keep us from seeking rest in God by feedeing our senses with our mother Evahs apple then he sets us to seeke him in away where wee shall never finde him if he cannot doe it more grosely then hee attempts to doe it more closely Nom. But Sir I am perswaded that many men that are so religiously exercised and doe performe such duties as you have mentioned doe finde true rest for their souls in God Evan. Ineeed I am perswaded there are some men that are carefull to performe such duties in obedience to the will of God in Christ as conceiving them to be the way wherein he is accustomed to meete his people and give them an extraordinary visit as also conceiving them to be the meanes whereby hee doth ordinarily beget and increase faith whereby they are enabled to draw neer to God in Christ and so to have peace and rest in him and therefore if they doe omit any of these duties when they conceive that God calls them thereunto they are troubled in their mindes and vexed at themselves for being disobedient to the will of God and for missing his kinde visit and omitting the meanes of increasing their faith now such men as these may and doubtlesse doe finde true rest to their soules in God in the performance of Religious Exercises But alas I feare me that the most part of such men as are so religiously exercised and are of such dispositions as I have shewed doe rather conceive that as they have offended and displeased God by their former disobedience so they must pacifie and please him by their future obedience and therefore they are carefull to exercise themselves in this way of duty and that way of worship and all to that end yea and they conceiving that they have corrupted defiled and polluted themselves by their falling into sin they must also purge clense and purifie themselves by rising out of sin and walking in new obedience and so all the good they doe and all the evill they eschew is to pacifie God and appease their own consciences and if they seeke rest to their soules this way why it is the way of the Covenant of works where they shall never be able to reach God nay it is the way to come to God out of Christ where they shall never be able to come neere him he being a consuming fire Neo. Then Sir it seemeth to me that God in Christ apprehended by faith is the onely true rest for mans soule Evan. I there is the true rest indeed there is that rest which David invites his soule unto when he sayth Returne unto thy rest ô my soule for we which have believed have entred into his rest saith the Authour to the Hebrews And come unto me sayth Christ all yee that labour and are heavie laden and I will give you rest And truly my neighbours and friends believe it wee shall never finde a hearts happinesse and a true soules rest untill we finde it here for howsoever a man may thinke if hee had this mans wit and that mans wealth this mans honour and that mans pleasure this wife or that husband such children and such servants his heart would be satisfied and his soule would be contented yet which of us hath not by our own experience found the contrary for not long after that we have obtained the thing we did so much desire and wherein we promised our selves so much happinesse rest and content we have found nothing but vanity and emptinesse in it Let a man but deale plainly with his own heart and hee shall finde that notwithstanding he hath many things yet there is ever one thing wanting for indeed mans soule cannot be satisfied with any creature no not with a world of creatures And the reason is because the desires of mans soule are infinite according to that infinite goodnesse which it once
Christ will accept of me so as to justifie and save me Evan. Alas man in thus saying you doe seem to contradict and gainsay both the Apostle Paul and our Lord Jesus Christ himself and that against your owne soule For whereas the Apostle Paul saith That Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners and doth justifie the ungodly Why you seem to hold do in effect say that Christ Jesus came into the world to save the righteous to justifie the godly and wheras our Saviour sayth The whole need not the Physitian but the sick and that hee came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance Why you seem to hold and do in effect say That the sick need not the Physitian but the whole and that he came not to call sinners but the righteous to repentance And indeed in so saying you seem to conceive that Christs Spouse must be purified washed and clensed from all her filthines adorned with a rich robe of righteousnesse before he wil accept of her whereas hee himselfe saith unto her As for thy nativity in the day that thou wast born thy navel was not cut neither wast thou washed with water to supple thee thou wast not swadled at all nor salted at all no eye pitied thee to doe any of these things unto thee but when I passed by thee and looked upon thee behold thy time was a time of love and I spread my skirt over thee and covered thy nakednesse yea and I sware unto thee and entred into covenant with thee and thou becamest mine And I will marry thee unto me for ever yea I will marry thee unto me in righteousnes and in judgment and in mercy and compassion Wherefore I beseech you revoke this your erroneous opinion and contradict the word of truth no longer but conclude for a certainty that it is not the righteous and godly man but the sinfull and ungodly man that Christ came to call justifie and save so that if you were a righteous and godly man you were neyther capable of Calling Justification or Salvation by Christ but being a sinfull and ungodly man I will say unto you as the people sayd unto blinde Bartime Be of good comfort arise he calleth you and will justifie and save you goe then unto him I beseech you and if he come and meet you by the way as his manner is then do not you unadvisedly say with Peter Depart from me for I am a sinfull man O Lord but say in plain terms O come unto me for I am a sinfull man O Lord yea go on further with your speech and say as Luther bids you Most gracious Jesu and sweet Christ I am a miserable poor sinner and therefore do judge my self unworthy of thy grace but yet I having learned from thy word that thy salvation belongeth to such a one therefore do I come unto thee to claime that right which through thy gracious promise belongeth unto me assure your selfe that Jesus Christ requires no portion with his spouse no verily he requires nothing with her but meere poverty the rich he sends empty away but the poore are by him enriched and indeed sayth Luther The more miserable sinfull and distressed a man doth feele himself and judge himself to be the more willing will Christ be to receive him and relieve him so that sayth he In judging thy self unworthy thou doest theredy become truly worthy and so indeed hast gotten a greater occasion of coming unto him Wherefore in the words of the Apostle I do exhort you and beseech you to come boldly unto the throne of grace that you may obtain mercie and finde grace to help in time of need Neo. But truly Sir my heart doth as it were even tremble within mee to thinke of comming unto Christ after such a manner and surely Sir if I should come so boldly to Christ and speake after such a manner it would be but pride and presumption in mee Evan. Indeed if you should be incouraged to come to Christ and speak thus unto him because of any godlinesse righteousnesse or worthinesse that you conceive to be in you that were proud presumption indeed but for you to come to Christ by believing that hee will accept of you justifie and save you freely by his grace according to his own gracious promise this is no proud presumption at all for Christ having tendred it and offered it unto you freely believe it man it is neyther pride nor presumption but true humility of heart to take what Christ offereth you Nom. But by your favour Sir I pray you give mee leave to speake a word by the way I know my Neighbour Neophytus it may be better then you do yet do I not intend to charge him with any sin otherways then by way of supposition as thus Suppose hee hath been guilty of the committing of grosse and grievous sins will Christ accept of him and justifie and save him for all that Evan. Yea indeed for there is no limitation of Gods grace in Jesus Christ except the sin against the holy Ghost Christ stands at the doore and knocks and if any cruell murdering Manasses or any persecuting and blaspheming Saul or any adulterous Magdalen will open unto him he will come in and bring comfort with him and will sup with him seeke from one end of the Heavens to the other sayth Evangelicall Hooker turne all the Bible over and see if the words of Christ be not true him that commeth unto me I will in no wise cast out Nom. Why then Sir it seems you hold that the vilest sinner in the world ought not to be discouraged from believing in Christ because of his sins Evan. Surely if Christ came into the world to seek and call and save sinners and to justifie the ungodly as you have heard and if the more sinfull miserable and distressed a man doth judge himself to be the more willing Christ is to receive him and relieve him then I see no reason why the vilest sinner should be discouraged from believing on the name of Christ because of his sins nay let me say more the greater any mans sins are eyther in number or nature the more hast hee should make to come unto Christ and to say with David for thy name sake ô Lord pardon mine iniquitie for it is great Ant. Surely Sir if my friend Neophytus did rightly consider these things and were assuredly perswaded of the truth of them me thinks hee should not be so backward from comming unto Christ by believing on his name as he is for if the greatnesse of his sins should be so far from hindring his coming to Christ that they should further it then I know not what should hinder him Evan. You speak very truly indeed and therefore I beseech you Neighbour Neophytus consider seriously of it and let neither Satan the accuser of the brethren nor