for his Work trust him he is surely faithfull but never trust his Enemies you may gain your own personal Foes by Favours but never think to make God's Foes your Friends if you intend to act for God you may sooner lose ten Friends than gain one of them all your Favours will only make them Ridicule you if not put them in a Capacity to Injure you Not only may the things expected but the Expectation it self encourage you in the Administration of your Office for they who truly hope for such things at your hand will be constant Supplicants at the Throne of Grace for Piety Prudence Patience Candor and Courage for you That you may not only have a Power Faithfully to discharge your Trust but with Ease Pleasure and Success you may perform every Duty of the Station and at last descend from the Chair with an Honour greater than the Hope and Joy of your Friends at your Ascension to it in this Catalogue he counts it his Honour to be who is Your Humble Servant Walt. Cross THE HYPOTYPOSIS OR Schematical INDEX ROM 4.1 1. THe Supposition all Sinners are Justified one way whereof Abraham was a famous Pattern Page 1. 2. The Prerogatives of Abraham Prince of the Fathers p. 2. 3. The Grammatical Syntax asserted and proved viz. That according to the Flesh belongs to finding not to Abraham p. 5. 4. The Comprehensiveness of the word Flesh and sense of finding as to the Flesh 5. The Importance of the Rhetorical way of expressing this sense What shall we say then p. 12. ROM 4.2 I. An Introduction from the Momentuousness of the Doctrine of Justification p. 15. II. The Proposition that Abraham was not Justified by Works which contains four Material Parts 1. The Subject Abraham before spoken to the other three are in the Predicate or Attribute 1. Justification 2. Works 3. By. As to the first 1. The Forensical Sense of the word Justifie is asserted and proved p. 20. 2. The Correlative Priviledges are explained 1. Redemption p. 24. 2. Reconciliation p. 25. 3. Adoption p. 26. 3. The Sentence or Index of Justification viz. 4. Regeneration p. 28. 4. The Time of Justification p. 36. As to the second part Works 1. The Nature and Properties of Evangelically good Works are explain'd p. 37. 2. The Erroneous Limitations of Works refuted p. 39. As to the third part By in every Causal or Meritorious sense Works are affirm'd to be excluded p. 42. III. The Discourse on the first Argument because no Matter of Glorying has three principal parts 1. The Formation of it p. 45. 2. The Minor or Truth of it prov'd from 1. Man's Being p. 49. 2. Man's Nature Free-will p. 55. 3. Man's Guilt p. 77. 4. Man's Impotence p. 87. 3. The Major or Strength of the Argument that all Works affords ground of Glorying p. 99. ROM 3.27 I. The Litteral Explication of the Text. p. 107. II. The Supposition or Axiom the Justification of a Sinner must be in such a way as excludes boasting III. The Negative Proposition that Boasting is not excluded by the Law of Works contains 1. The Nature of the Evangelical Law p. 110. 2. The Pharisaical sense of the Law when Christians p. 116. 3. That all Laws requiring Works of us are excluded from Justification because they exclude not Boasting therefore there is excluded 1. The Nature of a Law in general p. 126. 2. The Natural Law p. 129. 3. The Moral Law p. 132. 4. The Mosaical p. 134. 5. The Evangelical p. 136. IV. The Affirmative Proposition that the Law of Faith excludes Boasting and therefore by it we are Justified contains 1. The Nature of an equal Interpretation or Exposition of a rigid Law p. 142. 2. That Christ was under a Law p. 149. 3. The Nature of that Law and its Righteousness p. 152. 4. That he Obeyed it in our room p. 155. 5. That the Law of Faith is this Mediatorial Law p. 157. Correct Page 1. line 21. for when justified r. who was justified Pag. 165. line 23. in some Copies for it 's right r. taught ADVERTISEMENT A Compend of the Covenant of Grace By Walt. Cross M A. Sold by H. Barnard at the Bible in the Poultrey Price 6 d. ROMANS IV. 2. For if Abraham were Justified by Works he hath whereof to glory but not before God THe Doctrine contain'd in this Verse is of great Moment and requires our most earnest Attention and most narrow search and enquiry into its Nature and all its Circumstances for it is How shall we be Justified before God how shall we behave our selves before such an awful Tribunal When he riseth up what shall I do and when he Visiteth what shall I answer says Holy Job Wherewith shall we come before the Lord and bow our selves before the most High will he be pleas'd with thousands of Rams or ten thousands of Rivers of Oyl shall I give my First-born for my Transgression the Fruit of my Body for the Sin of my Soul That God would plead with Isâ—ael made her Mountains tremble and the Foundations of her Earth to shake Mic. 6. It 's David's Deprecation Enter not into Judgment with thy Servant for in thy sight shall no Man living be justified Psal 143. How can Man be just or Justified with God for if he will Contend with him he cannot answer him one of a thousand Job 9.3 But it is a most certain thing That we must all appear before the Judgment-seat of Christ 2 Cor. 5. Rom. 14.12 Psal 139. and that every one of us must give an Account of himself to God We cannot decline it Darkness cannot hide from his sight nor Distance remove from his Presence We cannot flye from his Spirit tho' we had the Wings of the Morning He is higher than the Heaven what can we do lower than Hell whether can we go from the Depth of the Sea or the uttermost End of the Earth his Hand can bring us back He has appointed a Day Act. 17. wherein he will judge the World in righteousness Eccl. 12. and he will bring every Work into Judgment with every secret thing whether it be good or evil 1 Cor. 4. He will bring to light the hidden things of darkness and will make manifest the Counsels of the Heart Heb. All things are naked and open to the Eyes of him with whom we have to do If there be a God there is a Governour and if there be a Governour there must be a Judgment Can we be his Creatures and his Subjects and will he be so Careless as not to take an Account of us Humane Government is but an Image of his There can be no Shaddow without a Substance Doth a Summons from Man fright us Doth the very Name of an Arraignment a Court a Judge an Appearance at a Humane Barr shake off our Security and rouse our Phlegmatick Constitution and put us into a most serious thinking frame and shall not the certain Warning of this
Sin has a Continuedness of Sin in it and this is highly provoking to God As Continuedness in Prayer prevails with him for Blessings Continuedness in sinning provokes him to Anger 5. We are hainously guilty This accompanies every Sin it s a property of its Nature thô few see it When the Apostle had his eyes open to see it the sight struck him dead Rom. 7.9 When Sin revived I dy'd The Effects of it discovers this it debases the Soul to slave on Earth and live on Husks it defiles the Soul so that no Nitre can wash it clean it made the Angels who sparkled like Morning-stars fall to the ground like a shot spent Meteor It disorder'd Divine Government eclips'd his Glory destroy'd his Imnge it ruin'd this World and laid the Foundation of Hell It 's the Root and Abstract of all other Evils they live and move by it they all serve to give it Names it 's Poyson Vomit Mire Darkness Blindness Folly Madness Death Poverty Shame and Nakedness God glories to be the Author of all things but abhorrs this as a Bastard Jam. 1.13 never had any hand in its production Our Lord Jesus Christ glories that he has born all Evil that he was able and willing to drink the Cursed dregs out of the Cup of our Afflictions but he would never taste of this The Saints who but see it 's Evil as with one Eye through a Cranny prefer the bitterest of Sufferings to the pleasures of Sin Heb. 11.24 1 Tim. 5.6 She that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth The Devil is not worse than Sin has made him there is no Evil in him but Sin and it's Fruits The Divine Attributes have Variety of Objects but Wrath Hatred is all engross'd on this one Object Sin and there it acts with such Vigour as that where it is only imputed and the Person his only begotten Son he will not spare him Rom. 8.32 And its Evil is seen more in its being as contrary to God as God is to it Rom. 8.7 It 's against his Existence Rom. 1.30 it hates him wishes he were not it 's against all his Attributes all his Laws all his Favourites We cannot say it 's as bad as God is good because he can forgive it ruin it sanctifie from it but as he is only good it is only evil he is to be Loved for himself it is to be Hated for it self and by being against him directly and only Psal 5.1 Against thee thee only have I sinned it puts on an Infiniteness of Evil Acts being denominate from their Objects So we have a twofold Infiniteness in Sin The Number of Sin and the Nature of Sin No wonder there needed an Infiniteness in the Ransom 6. There are great Aggravations accompany the guilt of every Sinner beside the Essential Hainousness of every Sin and besides the particular aggravations that distinguishes one Sinner from another there are three Circumstances that much swell the guilt of sin as a tripple addition of Venom to a Toad that no adult Persons want in some degree 1. Sin against Knowledge Luke 12.47 of this Pagans were guilty Rom. 1.18 21. 2. Against Mercies of this the Pagans were guilty too Rom. 1.21 and 2.4 5. Acts 14.17 Formation in the Womb Integrity of Mind Senses and Members safe Deliverance a furnish'd World to come into a time of Reprieve and space of Repentance to stay in it 3. Voluntariness bent of Mind Some would have an Indifferency necessary to the Voluntariness that makes Man guilty and what wants this is no guilt A Drunken Mans Murder is no sin in their sense nor an Infants Inclinations Passions no sins nor an Adults thoughts except the prevalency and consent of the Will be to it but this is very contrary to Scripture For 1. It makes Lust a Sin which is an Inclination before an Act. 2. The Apostle owns sin where the I or prevalent Will is not Rom. 7.7 17 18. Not I but Sin in me 3. It makes willingly an Aggravation Heb. 10.26 Rom. 1.28 32. 4. If there are Sins of Ignorance there are Sins without Free-will for no Freewill without Knowledge 5. We are Originally Guilty but the Apostle leaving this industriously out of his Argument in the first second and third Chapter and treating of it in the Fifth Chapter by it self I shall omit and pass to the last Topick I come to the fourth and last Argument to prove that Man has no Matter of Glorying before God and that is from his Impotency of doing any good as he is guilty by sinning for the time past so it is not in his Power to abstain from sinning still And this Impotency is two-fold Natural and Moral Moral Impotency is an Aversion and Antipathy in the Will from a thing but a Natural Impotency is a Defect in some other Faculty that hinders the Action Mat. 8.2 the Leper says Lord if thou wilt thou canst make me clean He doubts not the Natural but the Moral Power Joseph's Brethren they hated Joseph and could not speak peaceably unto him the Defect of Power was in the Will not in the Tongue That there is this Moral Impotency in Man to any Spiritual Good is generally granted amongst Protestants and is founded upon these reasonable grounds 1. Because the Scripture lays our Disobedience at the Door of our Wills Joh. 5.40 You will not come unto me that you might have Life How often would I have gathered you but you would not 2. Because the Scripture calls this Impotency an Enmity Romans 8.7 The Carnal Mind is enmity against God therefore it is not subject to the Law of God neither indeed can be So Luk. 11.7 The Parable says of the Friend that the Children were in Bed and he could not rise And another Parable Luk. 14. says of the several Rejecters of Christ That they could not receive him I have Married a Wife and therefore cannot come 3. Christ tells the Pharisees that they had a Natural Power to know that he was the Messias because they imployed it about other things that Needed more Skill to know them Mat. 16.3 Ye can discern the Face of the Skye can ye not discern the Signs of the Times 4 This Impotency towards Holiness is like the Impotency in God towards sinning but that is only a Moral Impotency for Omnipotency is Uncapable of a Natural Weakness Habak 1.13 Thou art of purer Eyes than to behold Evil and canst not look on Iniquity Titus 1.2 God that cannot lye This Impotency is a high Perfection and when the Saints are Regenerate in a likeness to God they partake of this Aversion to Sin also Whosoever is born of God doth not Commit Sin for his Seed remaineth in him and he cannot sin A Potency to sin is an Imperfection but an Impotency by which one cannot forbear sinning is the greatest Perfection that can be Rom. 8.7 Ephes 4.24 5. Our Natural Indisposition or Natural impotency is a farther Proof of this for things are
he will and when he will though he doth not so always which is called his Permission it doth discourage the Duty of Prayer and emasculate our Faith and Hâ—pe how faintly and hopelesly should we beg Counsel of God for success in our Affairs our choice of Means for attaining our End if this be true For the answer that we expect is God's inclining our Wills to choose methods that he will prosper or inclining the Hearts of others to favour us as Abraham's Servant prayed Gen. 24.14 that the Damsells Words and Actions and his own Words too and Thoughts towards her might be determined of God To how little purpose should the Church pray Draw me and we will run after thee turn us and we shall be turned and David Incline my Heart to thy Testimonies if it were not in the Power of God to answer their Desires In what a Despairing Condition should poor Souls be who know the Deceitfulness of their own Hearts the Brittleness of their Resolutions and their own Impotency for removing of that Prejudice and Antipathy they have against that Necessary Work of a thorough Repentance and Universal Mortification or Self-Denyal It is therefore ill Divinity of the Molinists who as they say God did not foreknow sin before it came to pass so they also assert He could not have prevented it if he had foreknown it because Establishing Grace must follow an Habit. 3 Prop. The Will of Man is not free from the Guidance and Conduct of the Understanding Limborgh the now great Corypheus of the Arminians asserts the Will of Man after all Deliberations of the Mind and fixed Purposes of the Judgment remains free to follow those Dictates or brutally and unreasonably to forsake their Conduct by suspension or acting the quite contrary but the contrary of this has been the Opinion of Ancient Philosophers who say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 All Men do all things because they seem good to them pleasant or profitable And as Dr. Lock says A Man cannot but choose what he likes best and what likes him best that he calls the best Good and what displeaseth him most that he calls the greatest Evil and a thing only can appear pleasing or displeasing Good or Evil by the light of the Understanding It 's true the Disposition of our Mind or Bodies have great Influence upon the Intellect as a Glass of Spring-water to one in a Feavour appears the pleasantest thing in all the World But 2. A greater Authority than Humane asserts this Point 1 John 2.9 He that saith he is in the light and hateth his Brother is in darkness even 'till now Ch. 4.8 He that loveth not knoweth not God There the Spirit of God asserts the Will and consequent Practice necessarily to follow an enlightned Understanding and on the contrary Eph. 4. Alienation of our Minds from God necessarily does follow Darkness in the Understanding and elsewhere If they had known the Lord of glory they would not have Crucified him If Jerusalem had known what had belonged to her Peace she would have pursued it if the God of this World did not blind Mens Minds they would obey the Gospel 3. Preaching Exhortation Counsel and Advice would be improper Means for Reforming of Men the Ministry would be an useless Ordinance if Men were not guided by their Understandings for suppose that Fort was gain'd nothing at all was gain'd for the Will would remain in its freedom whether to be guided by it or no a Man might be thus spiritually a wise understanding Man and yet a wicked unconverted Man but the usual Phrase of a wicked Man in Scripture is a Fool. 4. This would allow of another Variety of Creatures the World has not known to wit a Creature with a Free-Will without an Understanding for if they can act separately they may be separate 5. The Unity between the Will and the Understanding they being both the same indivisible Soul does not admit of the Inclinations of one part contradicting the Inclinations of the other they are but two different Denominations from different Objects The Soul conversing about Truth is call'd Vnderstanding about Good is call'd Will they are so linked and interwoven that there is a Will in the Understanding and Understanding in the Will for there is an Inclination to Truth that is Will and there is a Sense of Good an impression of it self upon the Mind this is Intellect the Will is a rational Appetite and the Understanding is an Appetizing Reason How can therefore one act independently from the other We may see it in this Instance of Hope and Joy Hope is the Opinion of a future Good in the Understanding Rejoicing is the Disposition of the Will that this Idea or Appearance works Now is it possible for us not to fear on the appearance of a future Evil or to rejoice on the appearance of a future Good and what are all these Affections and Passions that do variously arise upon the various appearance of Good and Bad but the various Motions of the Will the Will is the Soul's Inclination the Soul's Inclination is Love the Passions are Love's different Postures like the variegated Light in the Rain-bow embracing Beauty fainting under Despair of Fruition taking Courage in its wrestling with the Impediments that lye in the way to its End when it finds them Conquerable and begins to surmount them The strongest of Objections against this seems 1. to be Experience Video meliora proboque deteriora sequor I see better things and approve them but I cannot but follow my old ill Course In such Instances the Inclinations of the Will seem to fight against the Dictates of the Understanding Resp Solomon observed the Nature of this Experience more narrowly than a Medea or a Virgil and he expresseth it thus Prov. 13.4 The Soul of the Sluggard desireth and hath nothing Hath is added by the Translators if we let the Text supply it self it is thus The Soul of the Sluggard desireth and not to wit desireth The Opposition is in the same faculties a Desire and not a Desire a Will and not a Will There is the Vacillation of the Judgment as well as the Velleity of the Will The Contention is about the Object not about the Faculty So far as our Judgment is for the thing so far our Will is for it If there be a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there will be a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is a true Repentance when the Judgment is so far alter'd to see the Evil of the former Actions whereas there may be great Deceit in Grief and Sorrow rais'd upon the consequent Circumstances of some evil Action 2. Object Then we should seem to need no Grace but that of Light to our Understanding Resp This Objection is founded on a false Supposition that the Will and Understanding of the Soul are like different parts of the Body Head Hands and Feet it is impossible for the Soul to receive any Grace but what
perform c. Rom. 7. Ye cannot do the things that ye would Gal. 5.17 A second Limitation is that the Will is accepted according to what a Man hath he must do what he can else the Will will not be accepted for the rest From these Texts the fault is not laid on the weak degree of the Will but on other Powers A Fifth Argument for Natural Impotence is from the Oneness and Unitedness of Soul The Soul is a Natural principle in the Man and there is Impotence in every part therefore if in one If Impotence in the Will is call'd Moral from the Subject the Will being so why not Natural by being in the Understanding or whole Soul If that be Natural which is born with us this Impotence is so If the Texture and Frame of Essential Properties be Nature as we say Nature will do the Cure Nature is strong or weak this is Natural if that be Natural which is Universal this is so Universal in every Man and part of Man if all be polluted all is weak Sin is a Rust and Dust in the Wheels Gal. 3.22 All under Sin 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Thes 5.23 Soul Body and Spirit need Sanctification Spirit is Judgment Conscience and Soul Affections or Passions Heb. 4.12 Soul and Spirit are compar'd to Joynts and Marrow the Animal Spirits are seated in the Marrow but gross Joynts and Bones of the Body are without from this Oneness of the Soul the Argument for Moral Impotence alone appears strong if a Mans Will were right all were right This is true because it cannot be sanctified or cured alone It is as true if a Mans Understanding were Cur'd all were Cur'd therefore its Cure is reckon'd the greatest Mercy Col. 1.12 13. 2 Tim. 2.25 It 's the summ of Conversion Eph. 5.8 14. Jam. 1.18 to open their Eyes and turn them from Darkness to Light is the summ of the Gospel It 's the summ of the Covenant Jer. 31.34 They shall all know me A sixth Argument for Natural Impotency is from the Devils Potency over our Souls he uses a Natural or Physical Efficiency to hinder our Conversion Eph. 2.2 he works effectually with an Energy and there is need of such an Energy to remove him and his influence Moral Swasion will not Chain Satan he would become very good if perswasion would make him leave off tempting Gal. 2.8 He that wrought effectually in Peter the same was mighty in me Before Man's Fall Satan stood without and used only Moral Swasion which Man could have resisted and dissented from but now his Operation is of a superior Kind than by Humane Converse Eph. 6.12 it s called Heavenly We wrestle against wicked Spirits in heavenly's so the Marginal reading is the Text shows its the manner of Operation that is call'd heavenly as well as the subject about which he sits on the Imagination as a Spider on his Web he can bridle our ruling Faculties as a Man a Horse and spur him in the most tender and unguarded part as a Mans way of Conduct is superiour to that of a Horse another Horse cannot do so so Satan is in a superior Order and Rank of Creatures to us he knows where our Helm stands and can lay his hand upon it and turn us at pleasure we may see it in Lunaticks whom the Scripture calls possess d and yet Possession is a more External way affecting more the Body for I believe possess'd Persons may be in a State of Grace it 's more an Affliction and Punishment than a Sin Heb. 2.14 Satan has the Power of death Heb. 2.14 for any thing I know that Scripture intimates that he has an active Influence on the Death of every Man We call it a Natural Death but it is the Devil with as active Causality as if the Executioner cut our Throat And if Man could resist him either in punishing Soul or Body he were not a fit Executioner of Divine Wrath Tho' his influence is inferior to the Operation of the Holy Spirit for Eph. 6.12 13. in the power of his might we can resist him tho' in that only and tho' Temptation is by way of presenting Objects yet since he is a powerful Spirit abides and works within us we cannot limit it to Objective Influence nor deny all Physical Influence to Objects since Satan can even paint them upon the Imagination and from thence throw his Bombs into the very Soul and prevent our attending any thing that may divert our Thoughts If one more strong than I set an Object before my Eye or Ear and keep my Eye-lids open or not suffer me to stop my Ear I cannot prevent the Influence of the Object it 's got within the guards but when Satan is in our imagination he is much nigher and intimate 7. The Naturalness of this Impotency may be drawn from the Object or necessary Way of Divine Operation in Curing this Distemper which is by presenting the true Image of God and Divine things to the Understanding before ever the Will can be affected with them If the Free-will of Man were advanced as high as the Pelagians would have it that is without receiving the least crack or flaw from Man's Fall it 's Power is only to admit or reject choose or refuse what 's brought within it's ken or what Objects are proposed in the Understanding Now no Man can have any Knowledge of heavenly things except a Heavenly Being proposeth the Idea of them to the Mind No Man can learn any thing by meer words and those Metaphorical too and such are the Scriptural Expressions of heavenly things Our Mind must be some way acquainted with the thing it self before it can know it A Book cannot make a Man an Astronomer without his Globe nor the Globe either without an immediate contemplating the Stars If a Traveller had learnt his Geographical Map with the greatest Accuracy and Exactness he finds his Idea of the Countrey a meer mistake as soon as he views it with his Eye God has made our Souls a Mirror wherein his own Image may be represented as a Looking-glass Water or polished Brass represents the Image of Bodies but they can never do it except the Person immediately approach before them So God must draw nigh to the Soul before it can discern him He by his presence produces his own likeness on the Soul Psalm 17.15 When I shall awake I shall be satisfied with thy likeness David knew this by some earnest of it this made his Soul pant and thirst so for it under the want of it Psalm 42.2 My Soul thirsteth for God for the living God when shall I come and appear before him This Likeness or Spiritual Image is what the Apostle Paul so much travelled for Galat. 4.19 Of whom I travel in birth again until Christ be formed in you For it seems to be the Knowledge of Christ from Verse 9. After that ye have known God or rather are known of God Our Knowledge saith