upon Act of atonement and free redemption in Christ standeth uncancelled and firme being once received by faith the justified soule ought not so to be troubled for sin as to mis-judge the Lords by-past work of saving Grace 1. Because the beleever once justified is to beleeve remission of sins and a payed ransome If now hee should beleeve the Writs once signed were cancelled again hee were obliged to beleeve things contradictory 2. To beleeve that the Lord is changed and off and on in his free love and eternall purposes is a great slandering of the Almighty 3. The Church Psal. 77. acknowledgeth such mis-judging of God to be the soules infirmity Psal. 77.10 I said This is my infirmity Asser. 2. Yet de facto David a man according to Gods heart 1 Sam. 12.12 13. fell in an old feaver a fit of the disease of the Spirit of bondage Psal. 32.3 When I kept silence my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long V. 4. For day and night thy hand was heavie upon me my moisture is turned into the drought of summer So the Church in Asaph's words Psal. 77.2 My sore ran in the night and ceased not either his hand was bedewed with teares in the night as the Hebrew beareth or a boyl of unbeleefe broke upon me in the night and slacked not Vers. 7. Will the Lord cast off for ever will hee be mercifull no more Then faith and doubting both may as well be in the soule with the life of God as health and sicknesse in one body at sundry times and it is no argument at all of no spirituall assurance and of a soule under the Law or covenant of works to doubt as sicknesse argueth life no dead corpse is capable of sicknesse or blindnesse these are infirmities that neighbour with life so doubting with sorrow because the poore soul cannot in that exigence beleeve is of kin to the life of God the life of Jesus hath infirmities kindly to it as some diseases are hereditary to such a family 2. The habit or state of unbeleefe is one thing and doubtings and love-jealousies is another thing Our love to Christ is sickly crazie and full of jealousies and suspitions Temptations make false reports of Christ and wee easily beleeve them Jealousies argue love and the strongest of loves even marriage-love 3. By this all acts of unbeleefe in soules once justified and sanctified should be unpossible Why then the Lords Disciples had no faith when Christ said to them Why doubt yee O yee of little faith It happily may be answered that the Disciples Mat. 8. doubted not of their son-ship but of the Lords particular care in bringing them to shore in a great sea-storme To which I answer It s most true they then feared bodily not directly soule-ship-wrack but if it was sinfull doubting of Christs care of them Master carest thou not for us the point is concluded That doubting of Christs care and love may well inferre a soule is not utterly void of faith that is in a doubting condition 4. The morning dawning of light is light the first springing of the child in the belly is a motion of life the least warmings of Christs breathings is the heat of life When the pulse of Christ new framed in the soule moveth most weakly the new birth is not dead the very swonings of the love of Christ cannot be incident to a buried man 5. When Christ rebuketh little faith and doubting hee supposeth faith hee who is but a sinking and cryeth to Christ is not drowned as yet 6. The Disciples prayer Lord increase our faith Christs praying that the faith of the Saints when they are winnowed may not faile the exhortation to be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might prove the Saints faith may be at a stand and may stagger and slide 7. The various condition of the Saints now it s full moon againe no moon light at all but a dark ecclipse evidenceth this truth The beleever hath flowings of strong acts of faith joy love supernaturall pâ—ssions of Grace arising to an high spring-tide above the banks and ordinary coasts and â—gain a low-ground ebbe The condition in ebbings and flowings in full manifestations and divine raptures of another world when the wind bloweth right from heaven and the breath of Jesus Christs mouth and of sad absence runneth through the Song of Solomon the book of the Psalmes the book of Job as threeds through a web of silke and veines that are the strings and spouts carrying bloud through all the body lesse or more Asser. 3. The justified soule once pardoned receiveth never the Spirit of bondage Rom. 8.15 to feare againe eternall wrath that is This Spirit in the intension of the habit such as was at the first conversion when there was not a graine of faith doth never returne nor is it consistent with the Spirit of Adoption Yet happily it may be a question if a convert brought in with much sweetnesse and quietnesse of Spirit shall fall in some hainous sinne like the adultery and murther of Dâ—vid have not greater vexation of Spirit then at his first conversion but more supernaturall But yet this must stand as a condemned error which Libertines doe hold That frequency or length of holy duties or trouble of Conscience for neglect thereof are all signes of one under a Covenant of Works And that which another of that way saith in a dangerous medicine for wounded soules Where there is no Law as there is none in or over the justified soule there is no transgression and where there is no transgression there is no trouble for sinne all trouble arising from the obligement of the Law which demandeth a satisfaction of the soule for the breach of it and such satisfaction as the soule knowes it cannot give and thereby remaines unquiet like a debtor that hath nothing to pay and the Law too being naturally in the soule as the Apostle saith The Conscience accusing or else excusing It is no marvell that such soules should be troubled for sinne and unpacified the Law having such a party and ingagement already within them which holding an agreement with the Law in Tables and Letters of stone must needs worke strongly upon the spirits of such as are but faintly and weakely inlightned and are not furnished with Gospel enough to answer the indictments the convictions the terrors the curses which the Law brings And a third And indeed Gods people saith he need more joyes after sinnes then after afflictions because they are more cast downe by them and therefore God useth sinnes as meanes by which he leades in his joyes into them in this world and alâ—o in the world to come their sinnes yeeld them great joyes Indeed in some respects they shall joy-most at the last day who have sinned least But in other respects they have most joy who have sinned most for sinne they little or much they all
when England had often before and have now opportunity they will not lift Christ up on his throne nor put his Crowne Royall on his head but doe put it on their owne head but the judgement is not yet at an end Scotland hath not walked worthy of the Gospel but have fallen from their first love We take not a deliberate list of every limbe thigh legge and member of this nationall wrath and we neither see wherefore we are afflicted nor how For this cause came I to this houre There is some peculiar act of Christs will here holden forth and that is Christs peculiar intention to die for his people in which we are to consider the activenesse of Christs will in dying for man which may be seene 1. In his free offering of himselfe and his service to the Father Psalm 40.6 Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire mine eares hast thou opened Heb. 10.5 A body that is the office house and instrumentall subject of obedience to the death as the eare is of hearing and obeying the commandements of God thou hast prepared me Vers. 7. Then said I loe I come in the volumne of thy booke it is written of me to doe thy will ô God In these words Christ is brought in as a servant with three excellent quallities 1. Physically he is fitted with a body and a soule to offer to God for us as in a servant there are required strong limbs and armes to endure drudgery in this he was borne of his mother for this sad service his Master furnished him for this even the seed of mans flesh and bloud for suffering 2. There were morall habilities in him promptitude of of will So the Lord is brought in as a Lord and Master in justice crying servant O Sonne and servant Jesus I have a businesse for thee of great concernment At the first word as all good servants doe Christ takes him to his feet and compeares before his God his Master and Lord Loe I come here am I so servants of old answered their Master What service wilt thou command so hard which I will not undergoe Master here 's a body for thy worke here be cheekes for the nippers a face for those that will plucke off the haire a backe for smiting a body for the crosse and the grave Christ as a servant uncovered standing on feet would say Lord send mee thy seruant to the Garden to worke under the burden of thy wrath till I sweat blood bid me goe to shame to scourging and spitting is it thy will I goe up on the cursed crosse and bee made a curse for sinners that I be crucified and die that I goe lower in to the utter halfe of hell the grave which is a sad journey loe here am I willing to obey all 3. There was in Christ not onely willingnesse but delight Psal. 40.8 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 My God I delight to doe thy will every servant cannot say this to his Master thy Law is in the midst of my heart 2. His willingnesse to die was a part of his Testament and last Will he dyed with good will and left in Legacy his death and the fruits of it his blessing his heart his love his peace his life to his bride in Testament confirmed by Law to all his poore brethren and friends Heb. 9 17. and John 14.27 Peace I leave in testament with you But the Orphane and the poore friend gets not all that his dying Father and friend leaves in Testament but Christ gives possession himselfe ere he die My peace I give to you but to the point His latter Will was willingnesse to die 3. No externall force could take his life from him against his will John 10.18 No man taketh my life from me but I lay it downe of my selfe I have power to lay it downe and I have power to take it againe Yet lest it should seeme a will-action in Christ and â—o not obedience he addeth This Commandement that is the will of a Superiour have I received of my Father Compelled obedience is no obedience exact willingnesse was a substantiall and essentiall ingredient in Christs obedience Acts of Grace cannot be extorted can yee teare a shoure of raine from God in an extreame drouth or bread from him in your hunger against his will Farre lesse since Christs dying was an act of pure grace can any compell him to dye for man Love arrested his holy will and that made him runne apace to dye for us O blessed be his good will who burned himselfe in the Bush in a fire of free love 4. Though dying be a passion yet Christs dying was both a passion and an action Will added as much perfume and strength of obedience as nature and paine shard-ship shame and abasement could doe his life was not so much plucked from him as out of his owne hand As an Agent he offered his bloud and soule yea himselfe to God through the eternall Spirit Hebr. 9.14 Love was the coard the chaine that did bind Christ to the Altar 5. Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 on this intention came to this houre so is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 often in Scripture Not onely his will but the floure of his will his intention was to die for Christs eye and his heart and his love was on his Bride the intention is the most eminent act that Love can put forth Christs eye and his heart being upon his Spouse he made our salvation his end and measure of his love to compasse this end the Lord laid many Oares in the water his rising earely his night watching his toyling his sweating his soare and hard Soule-travell as being heavy with Child of this end O might I have a redeemed people was all his care and his soule was eased when dying bleeding crying he went thorough hell and death and slept in deaths blacke and cold prison and his Redeemed ones in his armes When hee came to the end of this sad journey and found his Ramsomed ones he said I have sought you with a heavie heart faire and foule way sad and weary and all is well bestowed since I have gained you Let us up together to the hill of Spices to our Fathers house to the highest mountaine of Frankincense All that Christ did was for this end That he might deliver us from this present evill world Galat. 1.4 That he might be a ransome for many Matth. 20.28 That we might have life and have it more abundantly Joh. 10.10 That he might seeke and save the lost Luke 19.10 That he might present his wife a glorious Church to himselfe not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing but that she should bee holy and without blemish Ephes. 5.26 27. that wee being dead to sinne should live to righteousnesse 1 Pet. 2.24 Christ came to seeke and travelled ever till he found his desire a redeemed and saved people and then hee rested Even as hee journyed through
doth not suffer but is rather enlarged by exhalation Yet is there great halting in these comparisons because though the soule cannot be sick when the body is distempered for there is nothing of the Elementary nature nor any contemperation of Physicall humours in it because of a more sublime and pure constitution yet there is such alliance and intire society between the soule and the body that the soule through concomitancie and sympathy does suffer as the In-dweller is put to the worse if the house be rainy and dropping The soule findeth smoke and leakings of paine in that it s pinned in a lodging of sick clay and so put to wish an hole in the wall or to escape out at doore or window as often our spirits are over-swayed so with distaste of life because of the foure accidents that doe convey it that they think the gaine of life not so sweet as it can quit the cost But the blessed God-head united to the Man-hood cannot so much as for companies cause be sick pained or suffer nor can the God-head be weary of an union with a troubled soule Wee conceive in the grave and death that glorious fâ—llowship was never dissolved Secondly Many things may suffer by invasion of contraries as shoot an arrow against a wall of brasse some impression may remaine in the wall to witnesse the violence that has been there and wee know that They shall fight against thee but they shall not prevaile But the blessed God-head in Christ is uncapable of an arrow or of repercussion there is no action against God hee is here not so much as a coast a bank or bulwurke capable of receiving one spitting or drop of a sea-wave onely the Man Christ the Rose of heaven had in his bosome at his root a fountaine Oh how deep and refreshing that kept the Flower greene under death and the grave when it was plucked up it was faire vigorous green before the sunne and thus plucked up and above earth blossomed faire Thirdly Not onely the influence and effects of the glorious God-head did water the Flower and keep strength in Christ so I think God can keep a damned man in the doubled torments of everlasting wrath with strength of grace courage faith the love of Christ for ever as hee could not be overcome by hell and devils but there was the fulnesse personall of the God-head that immediatly sustained the Man Christ it was not a delegated comfort nor sent help nor a message of created love nor a borrowed flowing of a sea of sweetnesse of consolation but God in proper person infinite subsistence the personality of the Sonne of God bottomed all his sufferings the Man-hood was imped and stocked in the subsistence of the tree of life It s true God is a present help to his Saints in trouble but his helping is in his operation and working but hee is not personally united to the soule It s abominable that some Famulists teach that as Christ was once made flesh so hee is now first made flesh in us ere wee be carried to perfection Because not any Saint on earth can be so united personally to God as the Son of Man for hee being made of a woman of the seed of David the Son of Man hee and not any but hee is the eternall Son of God God blessed for ever The Child born to us is the mighty God the Father of age the Prince of peace Isai. 9.6 Rom. 9.5 Gal. 4.4 There is a wide difference between him the second Adam and all men even the first Adam in his perfection 1 Cor. 15.47 If Christ suffered without dissolving of the union God keeping the tent of clay and taking it to heaven with him in a personall union then God can in the lowest desertion dwell in his Saints We complaine in our soule-trouble of Christs departure from us but hee is not gone our sense is not our Bible nor a good rule there is an errour in this Compasse The third Particular was the Cause What cause was there Papists say there was no reason of Christs soule-suffering except for sympathy with the body Wee beleeve that Christ becoming Surety for us not his body onely but his soule especially came under that necessity that his soule was in our soules stead and so what was due to our soules for ever our Surety of justice behoved to suffer the same Isai. 53.10 Hee made his soule an offering for sinne Sure for our sin Nor must wee restrict the soule to the body and temporary life seeing hee expresseth it in his owne language And now is my soule troubled Secondly There was no reason of Christs bodily sufferings when in the garden hee did sweat bloud for us nor had any man at that time laid hands on him and all that agonie hee was in came from his soule onely Thirdly Nor can it be more inconsistent with his blessed person being God and Man and the Sonne of God that hee suffered in his soule the wrath of God for our sinnes then that his soule was troubled and exceeding sorrowfull heavie to the deaths in an agonie and that hee complained My God my God why hast thou forsaken me And the cause of this soule-trouble was for sinners this was Surety-suffering The choicest and most stately piece that ever God created and dearest to God being the Second to God-man was the Princely soule of Christ it was a Kings soule yet death by reason of sinne passeth upon it and not a common death but that which is the marrow of death the first-borne and the strongest of deaths the wrath of God the innocent paine of hell voyd of despaire and hatred of God If I had any hell on me I should chuse an innocent hell like Christs Better suffer ill a thousand times than sinne Suffering is rather to be chosen than sinne It was pain and nothing but paine Damned men and reprobate devils are not capable of a godly and innocent hell they cannot chuse to suffer hell and not spit on faire and spotlesse Justice because Christs bloud was to wash away sin hee could not both fully pay and contract debt also But if it be so that death finding so precious a Surety as Christs Princely and sinlesse soule did make him obey the law of the Land ere hee escaped out of that Land what wonder that wee die who are born in the Land of death No creature but it travelleth in paine with death in its bosome or an inclination to Mother-Nothing whence it came God onely goeth between the mightiest Angel in heaven and Nothing All things under the Moone must be sick of vanity and death when the Heire of all things coming in amongst dying creatures out of dispensation by Law must dye If the Lords soule and the soule of such a Lord dye and suffer wrath then let the faire face of the world the heavens look like the face of an old man full of trembling white haires
why there is not among troubles any so grievous as the want of the presence of God to a soule fattened and feasted with the continuall marrow and fatnesse of the Lords house No such complaints read you so bitter so patheticke and comming from deeper sense then the want of the sense of Christs love It 's broken bones and a dryed up body to David it 's bitter weeping and crying like the chattering of a Crane to Ezechiah it 's more then strangling and brings Job to pray he had been buried in the wombe of his mother or that he had never been borne or his mother had beene alwaies great with him it is swoning and the soules departure out of the body sicknesse and death to the Spouse Cant. 5. vers 6.8 it 's Hell and distraction to Heman Psal. 88.15 It is to Jeremiah the cursing of the Messenger that brought tidings to his Father that a man-child was borne and a wishing that hee never had being nor life it 's death to part the lover from the beloved and the stronger love bee the death is the more death But in all that we yet have said Christs greatest Soule trouble as a Sonne for that he was essentially was in that his holy soule was sadded and made hâ—avie even to death for sinne as sinne and as contrary to his Fathers love The Elect sinned against the Lord not looking to him as either Lord or Father but Christ payed full deare for sinne eying God as Lord as Father Wee looke neither to Lord to Law nor to Love when we sinne Christ looked to all three when hee satisfied for sinne Christ did more then pay our debts it was a summe above price that he gave for us it is a great question yea out of all question if all mankind redeemed came neere to the worth to the goodly price given for us So according to the sense of any happinesse so must the Soule-trouble for the losse of that happinesse be in due proportion First as we love so is sorrow for the losse of what we love Jaakob would not have mourned so for the losse of a servant as of his Sonne Joseph Now no man enioying God could have a more quicke and vigorous sense of the enjoyed God-head then Christ so his apprehension and vision of God must have been strong 2. Because the union with the Godhead and communion of fulnesse of Grace from the wombe must adde to his naturall faculties a great edge of sense his soule and the faculties thereof were never blunted with sinne and the larger the vessell be the fulnesse must be the greater What or who of the highest Seraphims or Dominions or Principalities among Angels had so large and capacious a a spirit to containe the fulnesse of God as Christ had When Salomons heart was larger theâ— the sand in the Sea-shore and he was but a shaddow of such a soule as was to divell personally with the fulnesse of the Godhead bodily O how capacious and wide must the heart of the true Salomon be it being to containe many Seas and Rivers of Wisdome Love Joy Goodnesse Mercy above millions of Sandes in millions of Sea-shoares What bowels of compassion and love of mâ—â—â—â—nesse gentlenes of free grace must be in him Since all thousands of Elected soules sate in these bowels and were in his heart to die and live with him and withall since in his heart was the love of God in the highest Love must make a strong impression in the heart of Christ and the stronger purer and more vigorous that Christs intellectuals are the deeper his holy thoughts and pure apprehensions were and more steeled with fulnesse of Grace his fruition sense joy and love of God must be the more elevated above what Angels and Mâ—n are capable off Hence it must follow that Christ was plunged in an uncouth and new world of extreame sorrow even to the death when this strong love was Ecclipsed Imagine that for one Spring and Summer season that all the light heat motion vigour influence of life should retire into the body of the Sunne and remaine there what darkeness deadness whithering should be upon flowres herbs trees mountaines valleys beasts birds and all things living and moving on the earth Then what wonder that Christs Soule was extreamly troubled his blessed Sunne was now downe his Spring and Summer gone his Father a forsaking God was a new World to him and I shall not beleeve that his complaint came from any error of judgement or mistakes or ungrounded jealousies of the love of God As his Father could not at any time hate him so neither could he at this time actu secundo let out the sweet fruits of his love the cause of the former is the nature of God â—s the ground of the latter is a dispensation above the capacitie of the reason of Men or Angels We may then conclude that Jesus Christs Soule-trouble as it was rationall and extreamely penall so also it was sinneless and innocent seldome have we Soule-trouble sinneless but it iâ— by accident of the way For our passions can hardly rise in thâ—ir extremity except when God is their onely object but they goe over score yet Soule-trouble intrinsecally is not a sinne Then to be troubled for sin though the person be fully perswaded of pardon is neither sin noâ— inconsistent with the state of a justified person nor is it any act of unbeleefe as Antinomians falsely suppose For 1. To be in soule-trouble for sin which cannot to the perfect knowledge of the person troubled eternally condemne was in Jesus Christ in whom there was no spot of sin And Antinomians say Sin remaining sin essentially must have a condemnatory power so as its unpossible to separate the condemnatory power of the Law from the mandatory and commanding power of the Law 2. Because as to abstaine from sin as it offendeth against the love of God shâ—wing mercy rather then the Law of God inflicting wrath is spirituall obedience so also to be troubled in soule for sin committed by a justified person against so many sweet bonds of free love and grace is a sanctified and gracious sorrow and trouble of soule 3. To be troubled for sin as offensive to our heavenly Father and against the sweetnesse of free Grace and tender love includeth no act of unbeleef nor that the justified and pardoned sinner thus troubled is not pardoned or that hee feareth eternall wrath as Antinomians imagine no more then a sons griefe of mind for offending a tender-hearted father can inferre that this griefe doth conclude this son under a condition of doubting of his state of son-ship or filiation or a fearing hee be dis-inherited Wee may feare the Lord and his goodnesse Hos. 3.5 as well as wee feare his eternall displeasure 4. Sanctified soule-trouble is a sonlie commotion and agonie of spirit for trampling under feet tender love spurning and kicking against the lovely warmnesse of the flowings of the
the Society mixed with the godly they thinke it a worke of the flesh to confesse their owne sinnes this is to steale the word of the Lord from his people So David Psal. 25.7 Remember not the sinnes of my youth nor my trangressions The sinnes of his youth as touching obligation to eternall wrath were pardoned I question it not but in regard God was turned from him in the flamings of love and his sinnes sealed up in a bagge in regard of innumerable evils that lay on him he prayeth Vers. 16. Turn thee unto me Hebr. Set thy countenance on me Gods favour in the sense of it was turned away and Vers. 18. Looke upon mine affliction and paine and forgive all my sinnes the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with a point in the left side of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is to carry away Jerome aufer take away all my sinnes Isai. 53.4 hee carried or did beare as a burden our iniquities Vatablus portavit Pagnin parce condona Spare or pardon all my sinnes then sinne heere is pardoned onely according to the present paine and griefe of body and soule that was on David Psal. 3â— 4 For mine iniquities are gone over mine head as a heavy burden they are too heavie for me Wee have no reason to beleeve that David thought himselfe already a condemned man and now in hell though some sparkes of hell's wrath and fire not in any sort as satisfactory to divine justice or as a fruit of Gods hatred and enmity can fall on the children of God yet it s not imaginary but reall anger God was really angry with Moses at the waters of strife The thing that David did against Vriah displeased the Lord not in David's opinion onely And though the hell for a time in the soule of God's children and the hell of the reprobate differ in essence and nature in that the hell of the reprobate is a satisfactory paine 2. and that iâ— floweth from the hatred of God but the hell of the godly not so yet in this materially they are of the same size that the one as well as the other are coales and flames of the same furnace and neither are imaginary Then againe Sinnes of youth long-agoe pardoned though sometimes dearly beloved are like the ghost of a deare friend some yeares agoe dead and buried that re-appeareth to a man as dead Samuel did to Saul look how loving and deare they were alive they are now as terrible and dreadfull when they appeare to us living out from the land of death so are sins of youth when they rise from the dead and were pardoned in Christ long-agoe they appeare againe to David and Job and the Saints with the vaile and mask or hew of hell and sealed with temporary wrath Psal. 99.8 Thou wast a God that pardonedst or forgavest them though thou tookest vengeance of their inventions The same word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is given to God when hee taketh vengeance on his enemies Num. 31.2 Esay 1.24 I will be avenged of mine enemies 2 King 9.7 That I may avenge the bloud of my servants the Prophets So is the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vengeance used Deut. 32.43 Hee will render vengeance to his adversaries And if one and the same temporary judgement in the two Theeves that were crucified with Christ be so differenced that mercy is stamped on the same death to the one and wrath to the other wee may well say there is a temporary vengeance and wrath that befalleth both the Saints and the Reprobate in this life and the difference is in the mind and intention of God in both And that God pardoneth sin when hee removeth temporary wrath So 2 Sam. 12.13 Nathan saith to David The Lord also hath caused thy sinne to passe away why Thou shalt not die This is meant of temporall death especially as the context cleareth V. 10. The sword shall not depart from thine house And V. 14. The child borne to thee shall surely die Then the Lords putting away of Davids sin was in loosing him from the sword in his own person not in his house and children for by proportion of divine justice though tempered with mercy the Sword was punished with the Sword I doe not exclude relaxation from eternall punishment but remission going for relaxation of punishment Then as there be two sorts of punishmenâ—s one temporary and another the eternall wrath to come so there are in Scripture two sorts of remissions one from the temporary another from eternall punishment Therefore sin is put for punishment Gen. 4.13 Mine iniquity saith Cain is more then I can beare or My punishment is more then I can bear Levit. 24.15 Hee that curseth his God shall beare his sinne Ezek. 23.49 And yee shall beare the sinnes of your Idols Num. 9.13 The man that is cleane and forbeareth to eat the Passe-over that man shall beare his sinne So when God layeth sin to the charge of the sinner in punishing it hee is said to lay a burden on the sinner 2 King 9.25 And to remove this burden is to pardon the sin 2 Chron. 7.14 If my people humble themselves then will I heare from heaven and will forgive their sinne and will heale their land by removing the locusts and the pestilence See the pardoning of their sin is exponed to be the removing of the locusts and pestilence And to call sins to remembrance is to punish sin The Shunamite saith 1 King 17.18 Art thou come to me O man of God to call my sin to remembrance and to slay my sonne Job complaineth c. 13.26 Thou makest me to possesse the iniquities of my youth Now though out of unbeleefe hee might apprehend that hee was cast off of God and a man rejected of God and that his sins were never pardoned and hee himselfe never delivered from the wrath to come these legall thoughts might keep Job in a distance from God to his owne sinfull apprehension yet it shall be unpossible to prove that Job in all these complaints had no other but a meere legall esteeme of Gods dispensation and that 2. God stamped not temporary wrath and the paine of a hidden and over-clouded God the substraction of the sense of divine manifestations of love the Lord standing behind the wall in all these afflictions Now it s known that as these are often trialls of the faith of the Saints yet are they soure fruits of our fleshly indulgence to our carnall delights and of our not opening to our Beloved when hee knocketh Cant. 5.2 3 4 5 6. And though the godly doe stedfastly beleeve their salvation is in a Castle above losing yet in reason sin bringing broken bones Psal. 51.10 a sad cloud the damming up of a spring of Christs love spread abroad in the heart a temporary hell in the soule it must be sorrowed for hated mourned for confessed and yet in all these there is no necessity of such a law-Law-spirit of bondage to work these
to pure justice but fire-flashes or flamings of hell on the deserted Saints are medicinall or exploratory corrections though relative to justice and punishments of sin yet is that justice mixed with mercy and exacteth no Law-payment in those afflictions 3. Despaire and blasphemous expostulating and quarrelling divine Justice are the inseparable attendants of the flames and lashings of wrath in reprobates in the godly there is a clearing of justice a submission to God and a silent Psalme of the praise of the glory of this justice in this temporary hell no lesse then there is a new Song of the praise of free grace in the eternall glory of the Saints perfected with the Lamb. Nor should this seem strange that God punisheth the sins of his children with such spirituall plagues of unbeleefe and jealousies and lying mis-judgings of God in their sad desertions more then that the Lord punished the lifted-up heart of Hezekiah with leaving him to fall on his owne weight and Davids idlenesse and security with letting him fall in adultery and Peter's selfe-confidence with a foule denying of his Lord. But it s a sad dispensation when God cleaveth a Saint with a wedge of his own timber and linketh one sinfull mis-judging of God in this feaver of soule-desertion to another and justice seweth in a permissive providence one sin to another to lengthen the chaine if free Grace a linck of Gold did not put a period to the progresse thereof Now wee are not to look at this as an ordinary calamity Job's expressions are very full chap. 6.4 For the arrowes of the Almighty are within me the poyson whereof drinketh up my spirit the terrours of God doe set themselves in aray against me An arrow is a deadly weapon when it s shot by a man or by an Angel but its soft as oyle in comparison of the arrow of the Almighty 1. It s the arrow of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Almighty did frame and mould and whet it in heaven 2. The arrow was dipt in poyson and hath art from hell and divine justice One Devill is stronger then an hoast of men but legions of Devills are mighty strong when such Archers of hell are sent to shoot arrowes that are poysoned with the curse and bloudy indignation of heaven 3. What a sad stroke must it be when the armes of Omnipotency draweth the bow The armes of God can shogge the mountaines and make them tremble and can move the foundation of the earth out of its place and take the globe of heaven and earth and can cast it out of its place more easily then a man casts a slung stone out of his hand When hee putteth forth the strength of Omnipotency against the creature what can the man doe 4. Every arrow is not a drinking arrow the arrowes of divine wrath drinke bloud Suppose a thousand horse-leeches were set on a poore naked man to drink bloud at every part of his body and let them have power and art to suck out the marrow the oyle the sap of life out of bones and joynts say also that one man had in his veins a little sea of bloud and that they were of more then ordinary thirst and power to drink the corpse of the living man as dry as strawes or flaxe what a paine would this be Yea but it were tolerable 5. Arrowes can but drink bloud arrowes are shot against the body the worst they can doe is to drink life out of liver and heart and to pierce the strongest bones but the arrowes of the Almighty are shot against spirits and soules The spirit is a fine subtile immortall thing Isai. 31.3 The horses of Egypt are flesh and not spirit The spirit is a more God-like nature then any thing created of God The Almighty's arrowes kill spirits and soules There 's an arrow that can pierce flesh joynts liver heart bones yea but through the soule also Never an Archer can shoot an arrow at the soule but this the Almighty can doe Say your arrow killed the man yet the soule is saved 6. Many love not their life to death as the Witnesses of Jesus Death is death as clothed with apprehensions of terror no man is wretched actu secundo within and without but hee that beleeveth himselfe to be so here are terrors selfe-terrors Jeremiah could prophesie no harder thing against Pashur The Lord saith hee hath not called thy name Pashur but Magor-missaâ—ib Jer. 20.3 Thou shalt be a terror to thy selfe Compare this with other paines Job would rather chuse strangling or the dark grave and the grave to nature is a sad a black and dreadfull house but a beleever may get beyond the grave What doe the glorified spirits feare a grave now or are they affraid of a coffin and a winding-sheet or of lodging with the wormes and corruption or is burning quick a terror to them No not any of these can run after or over-take them and they know that But selfe-terrors are a hell carried about with the man in his bosome hee cannot run from them Oh! hee lieth down and hell beddeth with him hee sleepeth and hell and hee dreame together he riseth and hell goeth to the fields with him hee goes to his garden there is hell It s observable a Garden is a Paradise by art and Christ was as deep in the agonie and wrestlings of hell for our sins in a garden a place of pleasure as on the crosse a place of torment The man goes to his table O! hee dare not eat hee hath no right to the creature to eat is sin and hell so hell is in every dish To live is sinne hee would faine chuse strangling every act of breathing is sin and hell Hee goes to Church there is a dog as great as a mountaine before his eye Here be terrors But what one or two terrors are not much though too much to a soule spoyled of all comfort 7. The terrors of God God is alwayes in this sad play doe set themselves in battell array against me Or Chap. 16.13 His archers compassed me about round Hebr. his great ones or his bow-men because they are many or because the great ones did fight afarre-off have besieged me So 2 Chron. 17.9 1 Sam. 7.16 Samuel went in a circuit to Bethel and Gilgal and Mispeh And Josh. 6.3 Yee shall besiege Jericho The wrath of God and an army of terrors blocked up poore Job and stormed him Now here be these sore pressures on the soule 1. The poore man cannot look out â—o any creature-comfort or creature-help Say that an Angel from heaven would stand for him or a good conscience would plead comfort to him it should solace him but the man cannot look out nor can hee look up Psal. 40.12 The enmity of God is a sad thing 2. A battell array is not of one man but of many enemies Say the man had one soule it should be his enemy and that hee had a hundred soules hee should
soule and then a bush moved with the wind is an armed man every conviction of conscience is condemnation 2 Cor. 1.8 Wee were pressed out of measure above strength in so much that we dispaired even of our life Ver. 9. But we had the sentence of death there were loads and weights laid on us above strength darkned soules put on Christs deepe representations of wrath and blacknesse of indignation and change him in their apprehensions in another Christ. 4. Satan can drinke up at one draught a grieving and sorrowing spirit 2 Cor. 2.7 and he hath accesse to the phancie and out-workes of the soule of the child of God so hee can enlarge the species to a double bignesse let it be considered if the Grammer of Heman be not a little swelled in more then ordinary Rhetorick Psal. 88.4 I am counted as these that go downe to the pit as a man that hath no strength Vers. 5. free amongst the dead like the wounded that lie in grave whom thou remembrest no more and they are cut off by thy hand Ver. 7. Thy wrath lyeth hard on me and thou hast afflicted mee with all thy waves If God forgot him as a buried man and not a wave of Gods wrath but was gone over his soule what could God doe more And Jobs words are a little beyond the line Chap. 1â— 24 Wherefore hidest thou thy face from mee and takest me for thine enemy Words arise up to Mountaines Job was not holden of God to bee an enemy Sathan can make every pinne in the Crosse an hell and put a new sense on Gods dealing other then ever he meaned When Christ opens a veine to bloud a conscience Sathan if hee may have leave shall shut in his Lyon-teeth to teare the veine and make the hole of the wound as wide as heart and life may come out and therefore hee raiseth up apprehensions and sowes strife and pleas with Christ and waters his owne seed Can love kill thee Were it Christ that doth all this would he not once come to the bed-side of a sicke Sonne Can Christs love throw a poore friend into hell and leave him there He hath forgotten thee Sathan can argue from dispensation and trialls to the state Which is false Logicke This thou sufferest ergo thou art not in the state of adoption It 's not good that such a Mineon as Sathan have the eare of a disserted soule he can carry tales between Christ and the soule to separate between friends Never beleeve ill of Christ Love thinks no ill If yee love Christ two Hells may cast water on your fire of love but cannot quench it Christ will beleeve no ill of you let Sathan speake his will 5. Even the love of a Saint to Christ under an hard dispensation is sicke with jealousie and travelleth in birth with phancied suspitions of Christs love Our love is swayed with mis-givings it 's full of cares and feares and doubtings because it 's not alwaies edged with heavenly wisdome It takes life from sense and felt embracings from presence and reciprocation of warmenesse from Christs bowels and when face answereth not face and Christs love doth not eccho and resound to our love then it fainteth we too often measure Christs love by our foot wee calculate Christs love by our owne elevation not by his and Christs mysterious dispensation should not point the houre nor is the full Moone nor the noone-day Sunne of Christs love the compasse that our affections and love should saile by Yea having not seen Christ 1 Pet 1.8 nor felt him yet wee love him and beleeve in him and this is most spirituall love and has most of love in it the more jealousie without ground the lesse love of Christ at least the lesse solid constancie of love 6. Unbeliefe is a speciall cause of Soule-trouble 1. In bodily diseases paine doth not create it selfe but sinnefull passive dissertion does create it selfe Christ cannot owne unbeliefe as comming within the compasse of his creation though by him all things were created Unbeliefe spinning out new calumnies of Christ addeth oyle to the fire and maketh desertion a thousand talent weight heavier then it would bee This may be evidenced in all the complaints of the Saints under dissertion in which more is laid on Christs name then is true Unbeliefe is a querulous thing Isai. 49.14 But Sion said unbeleeving Sion said the Lord hath forsaken me and my Lord hath forgotten me this was an untruth and is confuted in the next verses Mary Magdâ—len thought they had taken away her Lord and he was as neere her as the turning about of her body and shee within speaking to him face to face and when unbeliefe doth raise such thoughts as Christ hath forgotten to be mercifull Christ is changed he loveth not to the end What paine must be at the soules bottome where such mis-judging of Christ and his love is in the brimme and yet there is a coale of the love of Christ smoaking in the bottome of the soule A loving opinion of Christ is hardly expelled Especially one particular mis-report should not make me receive a mis-understanding of Christ I never heard ill of Christ before but much of his excellency and sweetnesse and why should I admit an untried impression that the Sunne that giveth light to all is darke that fire is cold it 's not true-like that Christ is an enemie if once a friend Had we a store-house and a high-bended habit of honourable sublime and high thoughts of Jesus Christ his excellencie the weight of his preciousnesse eminencie wee should the more hardly give way to the lies that our unbeleeving heart raiseth against him 2. Our second mis-giving from unbeliefe is in beleeving our state Psal. 31.22 I said in my haste I am cut off from before thine eyes I am none of Christs is a too ordinary mimistake as he is changed and not mine often goeth before We often find more fault and first blame in Christ if not only ere we see our owne provocations Hence the complaints of Job chap. 6. chap. 13. chap. 16. chap. 19. and of Jeremiah chap. 20. chap. 15. of Ezechiah Esai 38. of Asaph Psalm 77. of Heman Psal. 88. of the Church Esay 49.14 15. Esay 63. chap. 64. Psal 102. Psal. 6. Psal. 42. Psalm 31. runne more on the straine of complaning of God and his unkind dispensation then of the Plaintiffes sinnes and provocations and where there is one mistake of our selves under dissertion the reader may find out ten mistakes of Christ and when the disserted soule mis-judgeth his owne state it issueth from and reflecteth on the mis-judged apprehension of Christ. 3. From unbeleefe issueth the mis-judging of our own actions I doe no good or if I doe it s not bene on the right motives and for the right end the good that I doe The antecedent is true but not the consequence There is a cloud in our fairest sun and
bellowes and brought forth the flame 2. Because wee willingly joyne and love to have it so 3. Because the act of sinning commeth formally from free-will which cannot be forced but may keep out the siedge without violence but yet basely rendreth If Satan be the Prince of the aire and can raise mighty stormes and winds that can smite the foure corners of an house which is not like an ordinary wind that bloweth from East or West or North or South but rather right down Job 1.19 If hee have power of flouds and seas and be a roaring Lyon and by reason of his sagacity and skill in the secrets of nature can doe wonders though no miracles as to raise the dead by applying actives and passives together no question the Lord letting loose some links of the chaine hee is fettered withall hee can work curiously and strongly on the walls of bodily organs on the shop that the understanding soule lodgeth in and on the necessary tooles organs and powers of fancie imagination memory humours senses spirits bloud so nearely joyned with the soule as will understanding conscience and affections sit in dangerous neighboured with such malignant Spirits It is no question hard enough to give an exact delineation of the length and breadth of the borders of the Princedome of Satan nor is it necessary for our edification to know all the secrets and mysteries of the Devils Power how hee assumeth a body what hee can doe in the sphere of nature how he acts upon men Sure hee hath some in his snare as poore birds who are taken captives by him at his will 2 Tim. 2.26 and that hee sitteth at the helme as it were of some and acts and stirreth them so the wind and tyde of their lusts complying with him that they cannot chuse but saile and walk according to the course of this world according to the Prince of the power of the aire the Spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience Ephes. 2.2 And that hee can borrow tyde and faire wind at his nod and woe the soule by the shop and office-house the body the flesh the senses and reciprocally act indirectly by forraigne Embassies and missive Letters on the will and understanding and the lusts that are domestick friends within to draw in the senses and the fancies and imagination to joyn with him as is cleare in his first dealing with Evah It is not his way to deale with the senses onely or with reason onely or to keep such a method as peremptorily to begin at one before another but in Satans first temptation of Evah hee acteth collaterally and reciprocally hee acteth on the eare by speaking and on the mind by speaking reason Hath God said yee shall not eat of every tree Doth hee so strictly tye you Is that reason and justice to put a Law on an Apple Then you may not eat of every tree which God hath made for eating And Satan worketh on the sense by reason Gen. 3.5 For God doth know that in the day yee eat then your eyes shall be opened and yee shall be as gods knowing good and evill And this wrought upon the sense for it s added Vers. 6. And the woman saw that the tree was good for food And againe by the sense of seeing Satan wrought on the will to bring out the consent Vers. 6. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was pleasant to the eyes and a tree to be desired to make one wise shee tooke of the fruit thereof and did eat So Satan can make the body a tempter to the soule and the soule and reason a tempter to the body As when the husband is leprous and the wife infected with the pestilence hee rendereth her a leper and shee rendereth him sick with a running botch When the body is pampered and the vessels full it draweth the soules consent to fleshly lust and the soule findeth reason but corrupt reason why the body should be a member of an harlot And there is mutuall help between concupiscence and conscience the one tempting with strong acts of lusting the other tempting with lustfull reason shewing it should be so and may be so As in a waâ—er-work drawing water from such a place twenty empty buckets come downe and twenty full buckets come up and every one serveth another for one common work Nor is it a wondâ—r that one Devill doth kisse and embrace another Cast out world 's casting out leadeth us to a further consideration of Satan's punishment As there is a double sin in Satan so a double punishing and casting out The ill Angels first sinne I determine not They abode not in the truth They kept not their first and proper station God made all things good and placed them all in due and fit houses and stations and God was the station and house of the Angels the Devils first I 〈◊〉 God and left their owne house its like they would have been highâ—r and affâ—cted a God-head They would not sit contentedly in the place God set them in Shifting Spirits climbing men that would be higher then God hath placed them and would be without their owne skin and above their owne element and proper sphere have this as a graine of the ill seed that the old Serpent spewed in Evah The Devill knew how to goe out of his owne house and to climbe above his own proper station and hee would lead Evah up the staires whither he did climbe himselfe to seek to be like God knowing good and evill Gen. 3.5 The whole Creation was like a well-ordered Army at the beginning all kept rank and martched in order the Devils were the first Souldiers in the Army that spilt the comely rank and marred the first order the Prince of darknesse that great Lord of confusion made the first jarring and Sampler and prime discord in the sweet musick and song of the praises of the Creator that all creatures did sing Therefore God the Creator in his justice spared not him and his fellow-mutiners but cast them down to hell and delivered them unto chaines of darknesse to be reserved unto judgement 2 Pet. 2.4 Christ as Medâ—ator did not inflict this punishment on the falne Angels Now there is a second sinne of the Devils and that is not onely the casting down of man but the continuing without retreiting in the first sin 1 Joh. 3.8 Hee that committeth sin is of the devill for the devill sinneth from the beginning Joh. 8.44 Satan was a murtherer from the beginning and abode not in the truth because there is no truth in him What is not Satans first sin a transient act gone and past Is Satan this day in the very act of murthering all mankind and of murthering Adam and Evah who many thousand yeares agoe are dead It s true the act physically considered is gone but morally Satan is yet on that same sin 1. Because hee
legall humiliation hath no more any Gospel-title or promise that saving grace shall be given to him even of meere grace upon condition of his humiliation or externall hearing or desire of the Physician then the proud Pharisee Yet as the body framed and organized is in a nearer disposition to be a house to receive the soule then a stone or a block so is an humbled and dejected soule such as cast-down Saul and the bowed-down Jayler and those that were pricked in their hearts Act. 2. in the moment before their conversion were nearer to conversion and in regard of passive and materiall dispositions made by the Law-worke readier to receive the impression and new life of Christ formed in them then the blaspheming Jewes Act. 13. and the proud Pharisees who despised the counsell of God and would not be baptized Luk. 7.30 There be some preparatory colours in dying of cloth as blue that dispose the cloth for other colours more easily so is it here And a fish that hath swallowed the bait and is in the bosome of the net is nearer being taken then a fish free and swimming in the Ocean yet a fish may break the net and cut the angle and not be taken A legally-sitted man may be not farre from the Kingdome of God Mar. 12.34 and yet never enter in And those same dispositions in relation to Gods â—nd in saving the elect are often means and disposing occasions fitting soules for conversion though some be like a piece of gold lying in the dirt yet it is both true mettall and hath the Kings stamp on it and is of equall worth with that which goeth currant in the market So in regard of Gods eternall election many are in the way of sin and not converted as yet notwithstanding all the luster of fore-going preparations though they be as truely the elect of God as either those that are converted yea or glorified in heaven yet their preparations doe lead them in regard of an higher power that they see not to saving grace And for any thing revealed to us God ordinarily prepares men by the Law and some previous dispositions before they be drawne to Christ. I dare not peremptorily say that God useth no prerogative Royall or no priviledges of Soveraignty in the conversion of some who find mercy between the water and the bridge yea I thinke that Christ comes to some like a Roe or a young Hart skipping and leaping over hills and mountaines and passeth over his owne set line and snatcheth them out of hell without these preparations at least hee works them suddenly And I see no inconvenience but as in Gods wayes of nature hee can make dispensations to himselfe so in the wayes of grace wee cannot find him out However sure of crabbed and knotty timber hee makes new buildings and it is very base and untoward clay that Christ who maketh all things new cannot frame a vessell of mercy of To change one specie or kind of a creature into another a lyon into a lamb and to cause the wolfe and the lamb dwell together and the leopard lie down with the kid and the calfe and the young lyon and the fatling together and a little child to lead them is the proper work of Omnipotency whatever be the preparations or undisposition of sinners Asser. 7. Not any Protestant Divines I know make true repentance a worke of the Law going before faith in Christ. 1. The Law speakes not one word of Repentance but saith either doe or die Repentance is an Evangelike ingredient in a Saint 2. Christ was made a Prince and exalted to give repentance Act. 5.31 and the Law as the Law hath not one word of Christ though it cannot contradict Christ except we say that there bee two contradictory wills in Christ which were blasphemy but some dispositions before conversition I conceive Antinomians yeeld to us For one saith speaking of the manner of his conversion One maine thing I am sure was to get some soule-saving-comfort that moved mee to reveale my troubled conscience to godly Ministers and not in generall to allay my trouble Yet I can make good from Scripture that this desire can be in no unconverted soule a Physitian that mistakes the cure doctrinally will prove a cousening comforter And another saith The persons capable of justification are such as truely feele what lost creatures they are in themselves and in all their workes this is all the preparative condition that God requireth on our part to this high and heavenly worke for hereby is a man truely humbled in himselfe of whom God speaketh saying I dwell with him that is of an humble Spirit c. To make persons capable of justification here is required a true feeling that they are lost in themâ—elves and in all their workes But this can be no preparative condition of justification as Eaton saith Because true feeling must follow Faith not goe before it And 2. true feeling is proper to justified persons nothing going before justification and so which is found in unjustified persons can be proper to justified persons onely 3. Antinomians say Sinners as Sinners and consequently all sinners are to beleeve justification in Christ without any foregoing preparation This man saith Prepared and feeling persons that are sensible of sinne are onely capable of justification 4. To truely feele a lost condition cannot be all the Preparative condition for the word hath annexed no promise of justification to the unjustified who shall feele his lost condition For the place Esai 57. speaketh of a justified sinner not of an unjustified who is onely prepared for justification 1. Because God dwels in this humbled soule then he must be justified and converted Ephes. 3.17 That Christ may dwell in your heart by faith 2. This is a liver by faith and so justified the just shall live by faith Habak 2.4 Rom. 1.17 Gal. 3.11 Hebr. 10.38 And he must live by Faith whom the high and loftie One revives Object 1. But to bid a troubled soule be humbled for sin and pray and set upon duties and speake nothing of Christ to them whereas poore soules cannot pray in that condition is to teach them to seeke righteousnesse in themselves Answ. 1. Satan cannot say that wee teach any to set on duties and to silence Christs strength and grace by which onely duties may bee done 2. To bid them set on duties as their righteousnesse before God and as the way to find rest and peace for their soules and that speaking nothing of Christ we disclaime as Antichristian and Pharisaicallâ— 3. It is no argument but the Arminian objection against free Grace not to bid a troubled soule pray because he cannot pray without the Spirit for Peter Act. 3. bids Simon Magus who was in the gall of bitternesse pray yet without the Spirit he could not pray Antinomians exhort troubled soules though not converted to beleeve in Christ Yet they
New man mentioned in the Gospel is not meant of Grace but of Christ and by love 1 Cor. 13.13 and by the armour mentioned Ephes. 6. are meant Christ. So said that vile man Pocquius that we and Christ are made one as Evah was formed out of a rib of Adams side he meaneth one person 3. Man following his lusts and committing all sin with greedinesse is made spirituall and mortified by Christs death so also Pocquius who said to sin without sense is the Spirituall life we are restored to in Christ So Antinomians aime at this that what ever the regenerate do they are as free of sin before God as Christ or the Elect Angels and this is the begun Spirituall Life 4. Libertines in Calvins time said that life eternall was in this life and that the resurrection was past as Hymeneus and Phyletus who made shipwrack of the faith because a man knowes his soule is an immortall Spirit living in the heavens and because Christ hath taken away the opinion and sense of death by his death and so hath restored us to life Mistris Hutchison and her Disciples the Familists of New England denying the immortality of the soule and the resurrection of these our mortall bodies affirmed all the resurrection they knew was the union of the soule with Christ in this life I never could observe any considerable difference between the foule Heresies of the Familists of New England and of Old England either by the writings of or conference with them nor of either from the damnable Doctrine of Hymeneus and Phyletus and the old Libertines who said The Resurrection was past Vse 3. The drawing of sinners to Christ if he draw so sweetly and with such a loving condiscension cannot be a violence offered to free will by which the naturall and concreated liberty of the creature is destroyed for there remaines a naturall indifferency by which reason and judgement proposeth to the elective faculty divers objects that have no naturall connexion with will so as the will should be bowed to any of them as the fire casteth out heat and the Sun light and the stone falleth downward its true in drawing of a sinner Christ is carried into the heart with a greater weight of love and a stronger sway of grace then any other object whatsoever and with so prevailing a sway as masters the elective power that it cannot will to refuse yet it destroyes not the elective power because this non posse repudiare impotencie or unwillingnesse to reject Christ to speak so is a most free vitall kindly voluntary and delighting impotency and comes from the bowels and innate power of will and this is the Virgin-liberty and power of will But againe because Christs drawing is efficacious and strong and carries the businesse with a heavenly and loving prevalency the Arminian and Jesuiticall indifferency that New Pelagians ascribes to free will as an essentiall property of it by which when God and the pull and nerves of the right arme of Jesus Christ in his free grace have done what they can to draw a free Agent neverthelesse the man may refuse to be drawn if so it please free will though it displease God and crosse his decree and most hearty and naturall desire is a wicked fancie 1. Because by this dream God hath not a dominion and soveraign power over the created will of man to determine it for his own ends and to make use of it for the glory of his grace though the Lord with his soul desire so to doe but the creature hath an absolute free and independent power to crosse the desire of the Lords soule for its own destruction and a far other end which God intends but at the second hand and contrary to his naturall and essentiall desire as they teach to save his creature to wit that revenging justice may be declared in the eternall destruction of the most part of mankind whereas it was his desire that not only the most part but that all and every single Man and Angell the fallen Devils not excepted should be eternally saved 2. We beleeve that God the first cause as he decrees to all things that were from eternity in a state of poor possiblity so as of themselves they might be or might not be a futurition or a shall be or a non-futurition or a shall never be So he is midwife to his own blessed decrees and determines all created causes to bring forth these effects that were in the wombe of his holy decrees for all things that were to be and doe fall out in time were births from eternity that lay in the wombe of the decree of God evils of punishment or sins as permitted Acts 17.30 are not excepted So Zephaniah willeth the people to flee to God before the decree that is with child bring forth the birth Then God must in time open and unlock free will for all its actions Isai. 44.7 And who as I shall call and set it in order for me since I appointed or decreed the ancient people and the things that are coming or shall come let them shew unto them So God taketh this to him as proper to appoint things to come and no supposed God nor power what ever can share with him in it and let any man answer and give a reason why of ten thousand possible worlds of infinite things actions of Men and Angels that from eternity of themselves were only possible and might be or not be so many of them not more not fewer received a futurition that they shall come to passe and so fall out in time and others remained only possible and came never further to being and never fall out but from the only free decree and will of God who conceived in that infinite wombe of his eternall counsell and wisedome such things shall be such things shall only remaine possible and shall never be nor never come to passe As it was decreed that wicked men should break the legs of the two Theeves crucified with Christ and that they should not break Christs legs yet the breaking of Christs legs was in it selfe and from eternity no lesse possible then the breaking of the legs of the fellow-sufferers with him but Gods only decree gave a futurition and an actuall being to the one not to the other So are all the actions the chusings refusings â—illings willings of free will determined to be or not be and come to passe or not come to passe according as they were births conceived in the mother-decree of God from eternity Psal. 139.16 In thy booke were all my members written which in continuance were fashioned when as yet there were none of them 3. Hee that works all things according to the counsell of his will as Ephes. 1.11 Hee of whom and through whom and for whom are all things as Rom. 11.36 Hee that made all things for himselfe Pro. 16.4 even the
with all the fulnesse of God Of this fulness 1. A word of the measure of it 2. Of the meanes of it 3. Of the sufficiency of it in the kind and nature Randall in his Epistle before the Treatise called The Bright Star I have therefore observed the ever to be bewailed Non-proficiency of many ingenious Spirits who through the policy of others and the too too much modesty and temerity of themselves have precluded the way of progresse to the top and pitch of rest and perfection against themselves as being altogether unattainable and have shortned the cut with a Non datur ultra and are become such who are ever learning and never come to the knowledge of the truth But for the measure sure it is not as Antinomians and Familists dream compleat and full in this life 1. Because according to the manner and measure of the manifestation of Christ and knowledge so is love and the perfection of beleevers This is a truth in it self undeniable and granted by the Author of the Bright Star cap. 5. p. 52. For Christs excellency and drawing beauty in love goeth in to the soul by the port and eye of knowledge But 1 Cor. 13.9 We know in part and we prophesie in part 2. Paul disclaimeth perfection as being but in the way and journeying toward it Phil. 3.12 Not as though I had already attained either were already perfect but I follow after if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Jesus Christ. Now this perfection which Paul professeth he wanteth is opposed v. 13.14 To his pressing toward the garland For the price of the high calling of God in Iesus Christ Heb. 11 40. 3. Perfection such as wee expect in heaven is in no capacity to receive any farther addition or accession of grace or glory nor is there a growing in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ enjoyned us there as is expresly here in the way to our Countrey 2 Pet. 3.14 and to runne our race to the end Heb. 12.1 and be carried on to perfection Heb. 6.1 It s true our good works are washed in the Fountaine opened for Davids house in which our persons are washed but that washing removeth the sinfull guilt and Law-obligation from them but not the inherent blot and sinfull imperfection of our works to make them perfect for then might wee be justified by our good workes if Christs bloud make them to leave off to be sins but that bloud hindereth them to be imputed to us only but removeth not their sinfull imperfections as Antinomians say that so they may make us perfect in this life nor doth that bloud as Papists say adde a meriting dignity and vertue to them by which wee are justified by workes made white and meritorious in Christs bloud and merits God hath so portraicted and chalked the way to heaven that all the most supernaturall acts even those that have immediate bordering with the vision of glory should need a passe of pardoning grace and to beleeve that Christs grace shall work in us acts voyd of sin is not faith Therefore wee are to beleeve the pardon of such ere they have being and not sanctifying grace to eschew them It seemeth to me unbeleeving murmuring to be cast down at these sins in such a way as to imagine wee can eschew them or that grace sanctifying is wanting to us in these for grace is not due to sinlesse acts Nor doth the growing in grace which lieth on us by an obligation of a command stop the way to the journeying toward perfection and heaven nor shorten the cut to heaven because heaven is not attainable in this life but by the contrary if perfection were attainable in this life the man that attaineth it might sit down rest there and goe not one step farther for except hee should goe beyond the crown and to the other side of heaven and over-journey Christ at the right hand of God whither should hee goe And those that are ever learning and never come to the knowledge of the truth are 2 Tim. 3.5 lovers of pleasures more then lovers of God such as wee are to turne away from as have a forme of godlinesse and have denyed the power thereof and are led away with divers lusts and are never entered into one onely degree or step of the way of the saving knowledge of the truth of which Paul speaketh and not the truly regenerate who beleeve witâ— Paul and the Scriptures that our greatâ—st perfection is to sweat and contend for the highest pitch of perfection even that which is beyond time 4. Those that are perfected as wee hope we shall be in heaven feed not with the Beloved among the lillies till the day breake and the shadowes fly away but the perfectest the Spouse of Christ so feedeth on Church-ordinances Cant. 2.17 The perfect ones have the fullest pitch of the noon-day Sun of glory it shall never be after-noon nor the evening or twy-light sky with them nor shall any night-shaddow nor cloud goe over their Sun 5. In the Kingdome of perfect on there shall be no in-dwelling of a body of sin no sin no uncleannesse of heart no turning of the love and liking of the soule off God but the perfectest in this life sin and carry an in-dwelling body of sin with them Pro. 20.9 Eccles. 7.20 Job saith chap. 14.4 The perfectest that beget children are unclean Rom. 7.17 18 19 20 21 2 23. 1 Joh. 1.8 9 10. 1 Joh. 2.1 All that have need of an High Priest at the right hand of God to intercede for thâ—m have sin and in so far are imperfect as all the Saints are Hâ—â— 7.25 4.15 1.17 18. 8.1 2 â— 9.23 24 25 26. And 1 Cor. 13.8 Love never faileth 〈…〉 abundantly and is filled to satisfaction that tâ—e 〈◊〉 I can containe no more of God and is transformed in 〈…〉 of transcendent light and highest love as it were lâ—st in the deep fountaine of universall and immensurable love and light and the creatures soule and love liveth and breatheth resteth in the bosome in the heart in the bowels of him who is an infinite masse of love is wrapped in the sugared flouds in the honey-brooks and over-flowing waves and rivers of pure and unmixed joy sleepeth and solaceth it selfe in the innocent embracings of the glory that shineth rayeth and darteth world without end out of Christ exalted farre above all heavens all principalities and powers the soules there are sweetned more then sweetned over-solaced with the noone-day-light of the Bridegromes glory having in it the sweetest perfections of the Morning-Sun they flee with Doves-wings of beauty after the Lambe they never want the actuall breathings of the Spirit of gloâ—y they can never have enough of the chast fruition of the glorious Prince Immanuâ—l and they never want his inmost prâ—sâ—nce to the full thâ—y â—uck the honey the flouds of milke of eternaâ—l consolations
CHRIST DYING AND DRAWING SINNERS TO HIMSELFE OR A survey of our Saviour in his soule-suffering his lovelynesse in his death and the efficacie thereof In which Some cases of soule-trouble in weake beleevers grounds of submission under the absense of Christ with the flowings and heightnings of Free grace are opened Delivered in Sermons on the Evangel according to S. John Chap. XII Vers. 27.28.29.30.31.32.33 Where also are interjected some necessary Digressions for the times touching divers Errors of Antinomians and a short vindication of the Doctrine of Protestants from the Arminian pretended universality of Christs dying for all and every one of mankind the Morall and fained way of resistible conversion of sinners and what faith is required of all within the visible Church for the want whereof many are condemned By SAMUEL RUTHERFURD Minister of the Gospel and and Professor of Divinity in the University of S. Andrews in Scotland Prov. 30.4 What is his name and what is his Sonnes name if thou canst tell Esai 53.8 He was taken from Prison and from judgement and who shall declare his Generation LONDON Printed by J. D. for ANDREW CROOKE at the Green-Dragon in Pauls Church-yard 1647. TO THE IVDICIOVS AND Godly Reader IF in this luxuriant and wanton Age of proud and ranke wits any should write of this kind and bee wanting to the exalting of the Plant of renowne the flowre of Issai Jesus Christ and to the dew of his youth the free grace of God his heart may censure his pen and he who is greater then the mans heart should challenge him The weake and low ayme of a sinner writing of a Saviour and such a Saviour should be that Faith and sense may goe along with tongue and pen but how short most men come of reaching such an end who cannot but confesse The minde may bee calmed a little in this that though to speake highly of Christ bee in poore men who are so low under and unequall to so great a Province a marring rather of his dignity and a flattering of Christ then a reall praysing of or pointing him out in all his vertues and lovelinesse in regard that the foulenesse of the breath of a sinner may blacken the beauty of such a transcendent and incomparable flowre that Esaiah a high eminent and Gospel-Prophet is at his wits end at a non-plus a stand and giveth over the matter as a high question Who shall declare his generation And another What is his name and what is his Sonnes name if thou canst tell All that ever wrot lye down under this load and though many now a dayes give out they have so much of the Lord Jesus that they are Christed and swallowed up in his love yet should I think it all happinesse if I could but tell Christs name and were so deep learned as to know how they call him In truth in regard of any comprehensive knowledge we but speak and write our guessings our far-off and twy-light apprehensions of him and in regard of comming up to the cleare vision of a Gospel-noon-day light as wee are obliged wee but cast the blind mans club and but play as children doe with the golden covering and silken ribbens of an Arabicke Bible that they cannot read about the borders and margent of the knowledg of Christ O how rawly do the Needle-headed Schoole-men writ of Christ O how subtile and Eagle-eyed seeme they to be in speculations Grave-deepe or rather hell-deep touching his grave-linnens what become of them when hee rose from the dead and the chesse-nut cullour of his haire and the wood of his Crosse and the three nailes that wedged him to the tree and the adoring of any thing that touched his body either wood iron or nailes of the holy grave And how farre from that Cant. 8.6 Set mee as a seale on thy heart as a signet on thine arme There be volumes written of Christ Sermon upon Sermon and not line upon line onely but Booke upon Book and Tombe upon Tombe And ah we are but at the first side of the single Catechisme of Christ spelling his first elements yea Salomon was but at What is his Name I feare too many of us know neither name nor thing nay in this learned Age when Antinomians wriâ—e book after book of Christ I should say for all their crying O the Gospel-spirit the Gospel-straine of Preaching the Mystery of free grace which few of them know that one ounce one graine of the spirituall and practicall knowledge of Christ is more to bee valued then talent-weights yea Ship-loads or mountaines of the knowledge of the dumbe Schoole-letter They say the Saints are perfect and their works perfect I slander them not read Master Towne M. Eaton and Saltmarsh But how ignorant are they of the Gospel how ill read and little versed in Christ Yea as Luther said Take away sinne and yee take away Christ a Saviour of sinners how little acquainted with and how great strangers to their owne hearts are they in writing so There is a fulnesse I confesse and an all-fulnesse and all-fulnesse of God Ephes. 3.19 But I much doubt if this compleat all-fulnesse of God be in this side of eternity sure it cannot stand with our halfe-penny candle nor can it be that in our soule with the darkenesse of an in-dwelling body of sinne should shine the noone-day-vision of glory called Theologia Meridiana visionis 'T is true Pauls ravishment to the third heavens Johns being in the Spirit and seeing the heavens opened and beholding the Throne and him that sate on it and the troupes cloathed in white that have come out of great tribulation do clearely evidence Saints may in this life be in the Suburbs of heaven but the Suburbs is not the City God may and doth open a window in the new Ierusalem and let them see through that hole the young morning glances of the day-light of glory and a part of the Throne and the halfe of his face that sits on the Throne and the glorious undefiled ones that stand before the Throne but this fulnesse doth not overflow to brimme and banke the Vessell is in a capacity to receive many quarts and gallons more of the new Wine of glory that growes in that new Land of Harmony Now Antinomians lay all our perfection on Jâ—stification and Remission of sinnes yet pardon of sinnes except in the sense which is a graduall accident of pardon and not pardon it selfe is not like the new Moone that receives fuller and more light till it bee full Moone for Remission is as perfect and full a freedome from the Law guilt and wrath to come at the first moment of our justification as ever it shall be they ascribe not our perfection in this life to Sanctification which yet they must doe if sinne in its nature and being dwel not in us And for our ingagement to Jesus Christ for the price and ransome he hath payed for us we have nothing to say but
first morning and dawning of election ibid. The Arminian hope and comfort and their wild Divinity not in Scripture 428.429.430 The Lords generall good will to save all and every one comfortlesse 432.433 The fountaine good will of God separateth elected persons from others 4â—2 433 Arminians resolve all in mans will and merits 434.435 Paulâ—s out-cry O the depth opened 435.436 Onely free grace not freewill maketh one to differ from another 437.438 The abundance of grace 439 440 All love especially a three fold effectuall in God no lip love in him 440 441 Christs love cannot mis-carry ibid. Very active 442 Ten objections from feare of Reprobation and sinne that seâ— me to hinder beleeving removed 4â—3 â—44 445 Christ can draw as guilty as thou art 447.448 The person to whom we are drawne most considerable from severall excellencies in him 449.450.451.452 Christ a home and rest 451 Three parts of Christs compleatnesse 1. His fulnesse 453 2. His primacy 453.454 3. His excellencie 454.455.456 Resisting of Christ a high sinne 457 Christ good at drawing of sinners ibid. 458.459 Resisting a great sinne 459.460 Marks of a meere Moralist 461.462 Errours of Libertines touching Free will 462.463.464 What activitie we have in our conversion 464 The faculties of the soule not destroyed 464.465 Grace inherent in us not the person of the Holy Ghost 464.465.466.467 The Blasphemy of the Libertine H. Nicholas who said he was Godded ibid. The union of the Holy Ghost with the Saints not personall 467.468.469 Grace and Free will joyned in acting in a fourefold sense 468 469.470 The covenant of grace how conditionall 471.472.473 Crispe refuted 472.473.474 Differences betweene Law and Gospel 472 Grace in the Old Testament and Justification the same in Nature with that in the New Testament 474 47â—.476 How faith is a condition of the Covenant 476.477 How grace acteth in all Christs Members 479. â—80 Christ onely not any creature Man or Angel can calme a disquieted soule 480.481 The Lords deniall of grace falleth under a three-fold consideration 481.482.483 The freedome of grace evidenced in Angels 482 In the conversion of men 483 48â— We are to pray when under indispositions we cannot ibid. Flesh and Spirit in their up's and downes 485.486 In what cases God usâ—th to withdraw ibid. We are to stirre and blow grace our selves 486.487 How we sinne in not doing though actuall predâ—terminating grace be not in our power 487.488.489 How we leave God ere he leave us 489 How we are to beleeve that God will joyne his influence of actuall grace 489.490 Grace not a Morall sparkle 490.491 Mens impotencie to come to Christ wilfull ibid. The condition of Christs drawing 492.493 Christs and our leaving of the earth and the reasons 493.494.495 Christs dying a speciall ground of Mortification 496. â—97 To be crucified to the World what it is 497.498 How base the earth is to a Saint ibid. Antinomian Mortification fleshly and refuted 490.491.492 Libertines and Antinomians compared together from some passages of Calvine Instruct. advers Libertinos 500 501.502.50â—.504.505.506 Sinnes of the Justified to Antinomians no sinnes 502.503 Sense and feeling of sinnes to Antinomians 503.504 How a Convert cannot fall in the same sinne againe 506.507 Sorrow for sinne habituall in the Saints contrary to Saltmarsh 507.508.509 Mortification not an act of Faith 509.510.511 Mortification personall Physicall reall not the Antinomian imputative and apprehensive Mortification refuted 509.510.511 Antinomians deny sinne to be in the justified 512.513 The fleshly distinction of Denne and other Antinomians of sin in the conscience and sinne in the conversation refuted 513.514 Mortification is in abstaining from sinne and in the remissenesse and faintnesse of the powers of the soule to act sinne 516.517.518 To live by Faith includeth sanctification ibid. A sinner as a sinner not humbled is not to beleeve applicatorily 518.519.520 Holinesse and Morall vertues much different 520 521 To adde to Antinomian Mortification is to adde to Christ. 521.522 Eight Queries propounded to Antinomians touching the Law Enthysiasmes Gospel-commands sinnes of the justified c. 522.523 Divers Manifestations of Christs deadnesse to the world 524.525 The Lords various dispensation in leading some to heaven in flowings of free grace others in low desertions 525.526 Christ strong to save 528 Minded us much in death 528.529 The World a weake thing to Christ. 529.530 Christ strong on the Crosse. ibid. Providence most speciall in excellent things 530.531 A three-fold excellency of the working of Christ on the Crosse. 531.532 Christ drawes sinners 1. Lovingly 532 2. Suffering paine ibid. 3. Strongly 532.533 Compleatly Ibid. 5. Finally dying and drawing 533.534 What it is to be lifted up from the earth 534.535 The Scriptures deepe plaine not obscure why wee accuse them 535.536 Christs dying ibid. The kind of his death 537.538 Seven considerations of Christs dying 537 538.5â—9 Christs love went to death with him ibid. Christ willing to die and must dye ibid. A wondring that Christ should dye ibid. Reason would say Christs body should be precious as the Sunne ibid. It s much that Christ should part with life 5â—9 Three ingredients in Christs death 1. The curse 2. Merit 3. Divine acceptation 540.541 Foure sad conditions in the ransome that Christ payed 541 1. A man given for a man 2. A King for a servant 3. A King handled as a slave ibid. The ransome given must die 542 Death the end of Christs labours ibid. Christs victory in dying 543 His welcome 544 Comforts to dye from the dying of Christ. 544.545 Christ had good hap to the Crosse. ibid. Death perfected Christ. 546 547 Life lame without the life hid with Christ. 547.548 Reall Mortification pressed from Christs death 545.546 Comfort of pardon from Christs death 549 Sinne sweet suffering for sinne sad 550 In the kind of Christs death three Characters 1. Paine 2. Shame 3. A Curse 550.551 In the paine of Christs death three 1. Violence ibid. 2. Slownesse of dying ibid. 3. Many degrees of life taken from Christ. 550.551.554 How Christ was capable of shame ibid. 555 How not 555.556 How shame penall might stand â—ith the dignity of his person 557.558 How Christ was a curse 558.559.560 Death naturall and violent 561 Indifferent accidents of death 562 How a man is ripe for death 562.563 Our errors and fancies touching the Crosse. 564.565 The bloud not dryed off Christ while he was in heaven ibid. We condemne the wisdome of God in our murmuring under the Crosse. 566 How farre we may chuse our owne Crosse. 567 The circumstances that fall in our crosse dressed by infinite wisdome 567.568 That a blessed Spirit take on him to bee a cursed sinner admirable 571.572 Wee are not freed from the Law as a rule of righteousnesse 572.573 Neither Law nor Gospel obligeth a beleever to Sanctification by the Antinomian way 574.576 We are no more under the Gospel nor under the Law by the Antinomian way 574.575 Antinomians enemies to close walking with God 575.576 Men naturally are not
peace 2. How with the personall union 3. What cause there was 4. What love and mercy in Jesus to be troubled for us 5. What use wee must make of this 1. Pos. This holy soule thus troubled was like the earth before the Fall out of which grew roses without thorns or thistles before it was cursed Christs anger his sorrow were flowers that smelled of heaven and not of sinne All his affections of feare sorrow sadnesse hope joy love desire were like a fountaine of liquid and melted silver of which the bankes the head-spring are all as cleare from drosse as pure Chrystall such a fountaine can cast out no clâ—y no mudde no dirt When his affections did rise and swell in their acts every drop of the founâ—aine was sinlesse perfumed and adorned with grace so as the more you stirre or trouble a well of Rose-water or some precious liquor the more sweet a smell it casts out Or as when a summer soft wind bloweth on a field of sweet Roses it diffuseth precious and delicious smells through the aire There is such mudde and dregs in the bottome and banks of our affections that when our anger sorrow sadnesse feare does arise in their acts our fountaine casteth out sinne Wee cannot love but wee lust nor feare but wee despaire nor rejoyce but wee are wanton and vaine and gaudie nor beleeve but wee presume wee rest up wee breath out sin wee cast out a smell of hell when the wind bloweth on our field of weeds and thistles our soule is all but a plat of wild-corne the imaginations of our heart being onely evill from our youth O that Christ would plant some of his flowers in our soule and blesse the soyle that they might grow kindly there being warmed and nourished with his grace If grace be within in sad pressures it comes out A Saint is a Saint in affliction as an hypocrite is an hypocrite and every man is himselfe and casts a smell like himselfe when he is in the furnace Troubled Christ prayes Tempted Job beleeves Job 19.25 The scourged Apostles rejoyce Act. 5.41 Drowned Jonah looks to the holy Temple Jonah 2.4 2. Christs affections were rationall reason starts up before feare reason and affection did not out-run one another Joh. 11.33 when Christ sees his friends weep hee weeps with them and that which is expressed in our Text by a Passive Verb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 My soule is troubled is there expressed by an Active Verb Hee groned in the Spirit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and hee troubled himselfe Hee called upon his affections and grace and light was Lord and Master of his affection's There was in CHRIST three things which are not in us First The God-hâ—ad personally united with a Man and a Mans soule had an immediate influence on his affections This was Christs personall priviledge and to want this is not our sinne to have it was Christs glory But the nearer any is to God the more heavenly are the affections Secondly When God framed the humane nature and humane soule of Christ hee created a more noble and curious piece then was the first Adam It is true hee was like us in all things except sinne and essentially a man but in his generation there was a cut of the art of heaven in Christ more then in the forming of Adam or then in the generation of men suppose man had never sinned as Luk. 1.35 The power of the most High shall over-shadow thee never man was thus to be borne Whence give me leave to think that there was more of God in the humane nature of Christ as nature is a vessel coming out of the Potters house then ever was in Adam or living man though man had never sinned And so that hee had a humane soule of a more noble structure and fabrick in which the Holy Ghost in the act of sanctification had a higher hand then when Adam was created according to the image of God though hee was a man like us in all things sinne excepted 3. Pos. Undeniably Grace did so accompany Nature that hee could not feare more then the object required Had all the strength of men and Angels been massed and contemperated in one they should have been in a higher measure troubled then Christ was So how much trouble was in Christs affections as much there was of reason perfumed and lustered with grace Hee was not as man in his intellectualls wise or desirous to be wise as Adam and Evah and men now are taken with the disease of curiosity above what was fit So neither were his affections above banks hee saw the blackest and darkest houre that ever any saw suppose all the sufferings of the damned for eternity were before them in one sight or came on them at once it should annihilate all that are now or shall be in hell Christ now saw or fore-saw as great sufferings and yet 1. beleeved 2. prayed 3. hoped 4. was encouraged under it 5. suffered them to the bottome with all patience 6. rejoyced in hope Psal. 16.9 Now our affections rise and swell before reason 1. They are often imaginary and are on horse-back and in armes at the stirring of a straw 2. They want that clearnesse and serenity of grace that Christ had through habituall grace following nature from the womb 3. Wee can raise our affecâ—â—ons but cannot allay them as some Magicians can raise the Devill but cannot conjure or command him or some can make warre and cannot create peace It is a calumnie of Papists that say that Calvin did teach there was despaire or any distemper of reason in Christ when as Calvin saith Hee still beleeved with full assurance And this extremity of soule-trouble was most rationall coming from the infallible apprehension of the most pressing cause of soule-trouble that ever living man was under 4. Pos. Christ had now and alwayes Morall peace or the grace of peace as peace is opposed to culpable raging of Conscience First Hee never could want faith which is a serenity quietnes and silence of the soule and assurance of the love of God Secondly Hee could have no doubting or sinfull disturbance of mind because hee could have no conscience of guilt which could over-cloud the love and tenderest favour of his Father to him But as peace is opposed to paine and sense of wrath and punishment for the guilt of our sinnes so hee wanted Physicall peace and was now under penall disturbance and disquietnesse of soule So wee see some have peace but not pardon as the secure sinners 1 Thes. 5.3 Secondly Some have pardon but not peace as David Psal. 38.3 who had broken bones and complaineth vers 8. I am feeble and sore broken I have roared by reason of the disquietnesse of my heart And the troubled Church Psal. 77.1 2 3 4. Some have both peace and pardon as some like Steven that are so neare to the Crowne as they are above any challenges of Conscience
shall enter into joy at last c. Now all this is but a turning of Faith into wantonnesse whereas Faith of all graces moveth with lowest sayles for Faith is not a lofty and crying but a soft moving and humble grace for then Davids being moved and his heart smiting him at the renting of King Sauls garment should be under a covenant of works and so not a man according to Gods owne heart for a smitten heart is a troubled soule David Abraham Rom. 4. and all the Fathers under the Law were justified by the imputed righteousnesse of Christ apprehended by Faith as we are Rom. 4.23 Now it was not written for Abrahams sake onely that it was imputed to him Vers. 24. But for us also c. David ought not to have been troubled in soule for sinne for his sinnes were then pardoned nor could the Spirit of the Lord so highly commend Josiahs heart-melting trouble at the reading and hearing of the Law nor Christ owne the teares and Soule-trouble of the Woman as comming from no other spring but much love to Christ because many sinnes were pardoned if this Soule-trouble for sinne had argued these to bee under the Law and not in Christ nor can it be said that the Saints of old were more under the Law then now under the Gospel in the sense we have now in hand that is that we are to be lesse troubled for sinne then they because our justification is more perfect and the blood of Christ had lesse power to purge the Conscience and to satisfie the demands of the Law before it was shed then now when it is shed or that more of the Law was naturally in the hearts of David Josiah and the Saints of old and so more naturally unbeliefe must be in them then is in us by nature under Gospel manifestations of Christ. Indeed the Law was a severer Pedagogue to awe the Saints then in regard of the outward dispensation of Ceremonies and Legall strictnesse keeping men as malefactors in close prison till Christ should come But imputation of Christs righteousness and blessedness in the pardon of sinne and so freedome from Soule-trouble for eternall wrath and the Lawes demanding the Conscience to pay what debts none were able to pay but the Surety onely was one and the same to them and to us as Psal. 32.1 2. compared with Rom. 4 1 2 3 4 5 6. and Psal. 14. with Rom. 3.9 10 11 12 13 14.19.20 and Gen. 17.9 cap. 22.18 Deut. 27.26 with Gal. 3.10 11 12 13 14. Heb. 6.13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20. Who dare say that the beleeving Jewes dyed under the curse of the Law Deut. 27.26 For so they must perish eternally Gal. 3.10 For as many as are of the works of the Law are under the curse Then there must be none redeemed under the Old Testament nor any justified contrarie to expresse Scriptures Psal. 32.1 â— Rom. 4.1 2 3 4 5 6. Gal. 3.14 Act. 15.11 Acts 11.16 17. Rom. 10.1 2 3. Now Acts 15.11 We beleeve that through the grace of the Lord Jesus we shall be saved as well as they And as they were blessed in that their transgression was forgiven and their sinne covered and that the Lord imputed no iniquity to them Psal. 32.1 2. our blessedness is the same Rom. 4.6 7 8. and Christ as he was made a curse for them so for us that Gal. 3.14 the blessing of Abraham might come on us the Gentiles through Jesus Christ that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith And God sent forth his Sonne made of a Woman made under the Law for the Jewes who as heires were under Tutors as we are under the Morall Law by nature that we might be redeemed by him That wee who are under the Law might receive the adoption of Sonnes Gal. 4.1 2 3 4. And God gave the like gift to the Gentiles that he gave to the Jewes even repentance unto life Acts 11.16 17. Then the Law could crave them no harder then us and they were no more justiâ—ied by works then we are Yea following righteousnesse they attained it not because they sought it not by faith but as it were by the works of the Law for they stumbled at the stumbling stone that was layed in Sion Rom. 9.31 32 33. And they being ignorant of Gods righteousnesse and going about to establish their owne righteousnesse have not submitted themselves to the righteousnesse of God Rom. 10.1 2 3. and so came short of justification by Grace so doe we If then to the justified Jewes There was no Law no transgression and so no trouble for sinne all trouble of Conscience arising from the obligement of the Law as it must bee because they were freed from the curse of the Law and justified in Jesus Christ by his Grace as we are then were they under no smiting of heart nor wounding of Conscience more then we are which is manifestly false in David and in Josiah and many of the Saints under the Old Testament Hence what was sinnefull and unbeleeving Soule-trouble for sinne to them must be sinnefull Soule-trouble to us in the same kind The Law did urge the Jewes harder then us in regard of the Mosaicall burden of Ceremonies and bloody Sacrifices that pointed out their guiltinesse except they should flee to Christ 2. In regard of Gods dispensation of the severer punishing of Law-transgression and that with temporarie punishments and rewarding obedience with externall prosperitie 3. In urging this Doctrine more hardly upon the people to cause them not rest on the letter of the law but seeke to the promised Messiah in whom onely was their righteousnesse as young heires and minors are kept under Tutors while their Non-age expire but 1. Who dare say that the Saints under the Old Testament who lived and dyed in the case of remission of sinnes of salvation and of peace with God Gen. 49.18 Psal. 37.37 Psal. 73.25 Prov. 14.32 Isai. 57.1 2. Hebr. 11.13 Psal. 32.1 2. Micha 7.18 19. Isai. 43.25 Jerem. 50.20 Psalm 31.5 and were undoubtedly blessed in Christ as we are Psal. 119.1 2. Psalm 65.4 Psalm 1.1 2 3. Psal. 144.14 15. Psal. 146.5 Job 5.17 Psalm 84.4 5. and dyed not under the curse of God or were in capacity to be delivered by Christ after this life from the wrath to come and the curse of the Law 2. That they were to trust to the merit of their owne works or seeke righteousnesse in themselves more then we 3. Or that they beleeved not or that their Faith was not counted to them for Righteousnesse as it is with us Gen. 15.5 6. Rom. 4.3 4 5 6 7 8. Psal. 32.1 2. 4. Yea they beleeving in the Messiah to come were no more under the Law and the dominion of sinne then wee are Rom. 6.6 7 8 9. Rom. 7.1 2 3 4 5 6 7. Rom. 8.1 2. Micha 7.18 19. Isai. 43.25 Jer. 50.20 Psal. 32.1 2. but under grace and pardoned and
saved by Faith as we are Heb. 11.1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13. Gal. 3.10 13. Acts 11.16 17. Rom. 9.31 32 33. 5. Yea the Law was no lesse a Letter of condemnation to them then to us Rom. 8.3 Rom. 10.3 Deut. 27.26 Gal. 3.10 13. 2 Cor. 3 7 8.13.14 15. 6. They dranke of the same spirituall Rocke with uâ— and the Rocke was Christ 1 Cor. 10.1 2 3 4. Heb. 13.8 and were saved by grace as well as we Acts 15.11 2. It 's true Josiahs tendernesse of heart Davids smiting of heart the Womans weeping even to the washing of Christs fâ—et with teares Peters weeping bitterly for the denying of his Lord as they were woundings and Gospel-affections and commotions of love issuing from the Spirit of adoption of love grace and nothing but the Turtles love-sorrow so it is most false that they were no soule trouble for sinne as if these had beene freed from all Law of God and these soule-commotions were not from any sense of the curse or the Law or any demands of Law to pay what justice may demand of the selfe-condemned sinner yet were they acts of soule-trouble for sin as sin and it shall never follow that the parties were under no transgression and no law because under no obligement to eternall wrath for such an obligation to eternall wrath is no chain which can tye the sons of adoption who are washed justified pardoned and yet if the justified and pardoned say they have no sin and so no reason to complaine under their fetters and sigh as captives in prison as Paul doth Rom. 7.24 nor cause to mourne for in-dwelling of sin they are liars and strangers to their owne heart and doe sleep in deep security as if sin were so fully removed both in guilt and blot as if tears for sin as sin should argue the mourning party to be in the condition of those who weep in hell or that they were no more obliged to weep yea by the contrary to exercise no such affection but joy comfort and perpetuated acts of solace and rejoycing as if Christ had in the threshold of glory with his owne hand wiped all teares from their eyes already 3. Nor see I any reason why any should affirme That the Law is naturally as a party in the soule of the either regenerate and justified or of those who are out of Christ. 1. For the Law 's in-dwelling as a party ingaging by accusing and condemning is not naturally in any sonne of Adam because there is a sleeping conscience both dumbe and silent naturally in the soule and if there be any challenging and accusing in the Gentile-conscience Rom. 2. as stirring is opposed to a silent and dumb conscience that speaketh nothing so the Law-accusing is not naturally in the soule a spirit above nature I doe not meane the Spirit of regeneration must work with the Law else both the Law and sin lie dead in the soule the very law of nature lieth as a dead letter and stirreth not except some wind blow more or lesse on the soule Rom. 7.8 9. 2. That the Law wakeneth any sinner and maketh the drunken and mad sinner see himselfe in the sea and sailing down the river to the chambers of death that hee may but be occasioned to cast an eye on shore on Jesus Christ and wish a landing on Christ is a mercy that no man can father on nature or on himselfe 3. All sense of a sinfull condition to any purpose is a work above nature though it be not ever a fruit of regeneration 4. It s true Christ teacheth a mans soule through the shining of Gospel-light to answer all the enditements of the Law in regard that Christ the Ransomer stops the Law 's mouth with bloud else the sinner can make but a poore and faint advocation for himselfe yet this cannot be made in the conscience without some soule-trouble for sin 5. It s strange that Gods people need more joy after sinne then after affliction and that in some respect they have most joy who have sinned most Sure this is accidentall to sin this joy is not for sin but it s a joy of loving much because much is forgiven Forgivenesse is an act of free grace sin is no work of grace Sin grieves the heart of God as a friend's trouble is trouble to a friend the beleever is made the friend of God Joh. 15.15 and it must be cursed joy that lay in the womb of that which is most against the heart of Christ such as all sin is Yea to be more troubled in soule for sinnes then for afflictions smelleth of a heart that keeps correspondence with the heart and bowels of Christ who wept more for Jerusalems sins then for his owne afflictions and crosse As some ounces of everlasting wrath in the Law with a talent weight of free Gospel-mercy would be contempered together to cure the sinner so is there no rationall way to raise and heighten the price and worth of the soule-Redeemer of sinners and the weight of infinite love so much as to make the sinner know how deep a hell hee was plunged in when the bone aketh exceedingly for that the Gospel-tongue of the Physician Christ should lick the rotten bloud of the soules wound speaketh more then imaginable free-love Nor doe wee say that Gospel-mourning is wrought by the Law 's threatnings then it were servile sorrow but it s wrought by the doctrine of the Law discovering the foulnesse and sinfulnesse of sin and by the doctrine of the Gospel the Spirit of the Gospel shining on both Otherwise sounds breathings letters of either Law or Gospel except the breathings of heaven shine on them and animate them can doâ— no good Asser. 4. Sinnes of youth already pardoned as touching the obligation to eternall wrath may so rise against the childe of God as he hath need to aske the forgivenesse of them as touching the removing of present wrath sense of the want of Gods presence of the influence of his love the cloud of sadnesse and deadnes through the want of the joy of the Holy Ghost and ancient consolations of the dayes of old Psal. 90.7 Wee are consumed in thy wrath and by thy hot displeasure we are terrified Vers. 8. Thou hast set our iniquities before thee and our secret sinne in the light of thy face This was not a motion of the flesh in Moses the man of God Antinomians may so dreame the furie of the Lord waxed hot against his people so saith the Spirit of God nor is this conceit of theirs to be credited against the Text that Moses speaketh in regard of the reprobate party Moses by immediate inspiration doth not pray for the beauty and glory of the Lord in the sense of his love to be manifested on a reprobate partie Antinomian Preachers in our times confesse sinnes in publike but it s the sinnes of the reprobate and carnall multitude that are in
nor is faith in any sort diminished but put to a farther exercise And the same sad fruits follow from the sins of the Saints under the New Testament as may be cleared from Revel 2.5 16 22. Revel 3.3 17 18. 2 Cor. 1.8 9 10. 2 Cor. 2.7 2 Cor. 7.5 6 7. Revel 3.20 Joh. 14.1 Nor can wee thinke that the strictnesse of the Law gave those under the Law an indulgence not to be a whit troubled in soule for sin as it over-clouded the influence and slowings of divine love suppose they had assurance of freedome from the wrath to come as is evident in the Spouse Cant. 5.1 2 3 4 5 6. and chap. 2.16 17. chap. 4.7 Nor is it true that Gospel-grace and liberty entitleth the Saints now to such wantonnesse of peace as that persons fully assured of deliverance from the curse of the Law are never to be troubled for sins committed in the state of free justification nor are they any more to mourn nor grone under sins captivity nor to confesse sin in regard that Christs bloud hath washed soul eyes and faces from all tears and the salvation of the Saints in this life is not in hope onely as wheat in the blade but actuall as in the life to come and therefore holy walking and good works can no more be meanes or the way to the Kingdome as M. Towne and other Antinomians say then mâ—tion within the City can be a way to the City in regard the man is now in the City before hee walk at all Asser. 5. If Jesus Christ had soule-trouble because of divine wrath for our sin and was put to a sweat of bloud God roasting Christ quick in a furnace of divine justice though every blobe of sweat in the Garden was a sea of free grace not his eyes onely but his face and body did sweat out free love from his soule Luk. 22.44 Heb. 5.7 what must soule-trouble be in a fired conscience It s no wonder that wicked men wrestling with everlasting vengeance cannot endure it The Devill 's predominant sin being blasphemous despaire hee tempts most to his owne predominant sin the issue and finall intent of all his temptations is despaire because Devills are living and swimming in the sphere and element of justice they cannot beare it they cry to Christ the whole company and family making the despiting of Christ a common cause Art thou come hither 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to torment us before the time Mat. 8.29 Pro. 18.14 The spirit of a man will beare his infirmity the spirit is the finest mettall in the man but a wounded spirit who can beare that So the Hebrew readeth Any thing may be borne but breake the mans soule and breake the choycest peece in the soule the conscience who can then stand As conscience is the sweetest bosome-friend of man so it is the sorest enemy David is persecuted by his Prince and hee beareth it Jeremiah cast in the dungeon by the Rulers Priests and Prophets and hee overcometh it Job persecuted by his friends and hee standeth under it Christ betrayed and killed by his owne servants and kinsmen and hee endureth it the Apostles killed scourged and imprisoned by the Jewes and they rejoyce in it But Judas is but once hunted by a Fury of hell in his owne brest and hee leaps over-board in a sea of infinite wrath Cain Saul Achitophel cannot endure it Spira roareth as a Beare and cryeth out O that I were above God though wee may hope well of his eternall state Nero after to his other blouds hee had killed his Mother Agrippina hee could not sleep hee did often leap out of the bed and was terrified with the visions of hell Eternity the resurrection and the judgement to come are virtually in the conscience 2. What is feare A tormenting passion To hang a living man by an untwisted threed over a river of unmixt pure vengeance and let the threed be wearing weaker and weaker what horrour and palenesse of darknesse must be on the soule 3. What sorrow and sadnesse when there is not a shadow of comfort But 4. positive despaire rancour and malice against the holy Majesty of God when the soule shall wish and die of burning desire to be above and beyond the spotlesse essence of the infinite Majesty of God and shall burne in a fire of wrath against the very existence of God and blaspheme the Holy One of Israel without date Job saith of such chap. 27.20 in this life Terrors take hold of him as waters and a tempest stealeth him away in the night But consider what it is to the Saints Job complaineth chap. 14.16 Doest thou watch over my sinne V. 17. My transgression is sealed up in a bag and thou sewest up mine iniquity Vatabl. Thou appearest to be a watchfull observer of mine iniquity and addest as Ari. Monta. punishment to punishment sewing sin to sin to make the bag greater then it is Now though there be a mis-judging unbeleefe in the Saints yet it is certaine God doth inflict penall desertions as reall peeces of hell on the soules of his children either for triall as in Job or punishment of sin as in David whose bones were broken for his adultery and murther Psal. 51.10 and whose moisture of body was turned into the drought of summer through the anger of God in his soule till the Lord brought him to the acknowledgement of his sin and pardoned him Psal. 32.3 4 5 6. But some will say Can the Lord inflict spirituall punishment or any of hell or the least coale of that black furnace upon the soules of his owne children To which I answer It s but curiosity to dispute whether the paines of hell and the flames and sparkles of reall wrath which I can prove to be really inflicted on the soules of the Saints in this life be penalties spirituall different in nature Certaine there be three characters sealed and engraven on the paines of the damned which are not on the reall soule-punishments of divine wrath on the soules of the Saints As 1. What peeces of hell or broken chips of wrath are set on upon the soules of deserted Saints are honied and dipped in heaven and sugared with eternall love Gods heart is toward Ephraim as his deare child and his bowels turned within for their misery even when hee speaks against them Jer. 31.20 21. But the coals of the furnace cast upon reprobates are dipt in the curse of God yea so as in a small affliction even in the mis-carrying of a basket of bread and the losse of one poore oxe there is a great Law-curse and intolerable vengeance Deut. 27.26 Chap. 28.17 31. And againe in in the in-breaking of a sea and floud of hell in the soule of the child of God a rich heaven of a divine presence Psal. 22. V. 1 89. Psal. 18.4 5 6. 2. The hellish paines inflicted on reprobates are Law-demands of satisfactory vengeance and payment
have a hundred enemies but as many millions of thoughts as in his wearisome nights escape him hee hath as many enemies yea as many creatures as many stones of the field as many beasts so many enemies Job 5.23 Hos. 2.8 Christ gave to the Father Propositions of peace and to the poore soule under sense of wrath they are nothing The feare of hell is a part of reall hell to the man who knowes no other thing but that hee is not reconciled to God Creatures behind him and before him heaven above and earth below and creatures on every side within and without stand with the weapons of heaven and of an angry God against him friends wife servants acquaintance have something of wrath and hell on them the man in his owne thought is an out-law to them all and the Leader of all these Archers is God God God is the chiefe party See Job 19.12 13 14 15 16 17. And there you see brethren acquaintance kinsfolke familiar friends man-servant maid-servant wife young children bone skin flesh are all to Job as coals of the fire of hell And Isai. 8.21 22. Men in this shall curse their king and their god Asser. 6. These being materially the same soule-troubles of deserted and tempted Saints and of plagued and cursed Reprobates doe differ formally and essentially according to Gods heart his dispensation and intentions his mercy and his justice regulating them So I shall speake of the difference betweene Christs troubled soule and the Saints trouble 2. Of some wayes of Gods dispensation in the soule-trouble of the Saints Touching the former there was in Christs soule-trouble 1. No mis-judging of God but a strong faith in that hee stâ—ll named God his Father and God 2. In that as this trouble came to a height and more fewell was added to the fire of divine wrath Luk. 22.44 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hee prayed with more extension of body and spirit hee extended himselfe in fervour of praying And Heb. 5.7 Hee offered prayers and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 humble supplications of the poore or oppressed that make their addresse to one who can help them hee put in to God an humble Petition and a Bill to his Father as an overwhelmed man and hee offered this Bill 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with an hideous cry and tears Revel 14.18 The Angel cryed with a loud voyce To cry with a full and lifted up voyce or with a shout so is the Verb used Joh. 18.40 When men cry and cast away their clothes and cast dust in the aire 3. His soule-trouble and death was satisfactory to divine justice for our sinnes hee being free of sin himselfe which can agree to no soule-trouble of the holiest Saint on earth But touching the second These Positions may speak somewhat to cleare the way of the soule-trouble of Saints 1. Position Conscience being a masse of knowledge and if there be any oyle to give light it s here it s then likest it self when it most beares witnesse of well and ill-doing Now we are more in sinning then obeying God and because of the corruption of nature the number of naturall consciences that are awake to see sin are but very few And when the renewed conscience is on the worke of feeling and discerning guiltinesse in its best temper The more life the more sense Sick ones in a swoon or dying persons that doe neither heare see nor speak are halfe-gate amongst the dead The conscience sick of over-feeling and so under over-sense of sin is in so farre in a feaver for often a feaver is from the exsuperancy of too much bloud and ranknesse of humours the vessels being too full and therefore it s like a river that cannot chuse but goe over banks the channell being a vessell too narrow to containe it all 2. Pos. Therefore often the time of some extreme dissertion and soule-trouble is when Christ hath been in the soule with a full high spring-tyde of divine manifestations of himselfe And if wee consider the efficient cause of dissertion which is Gods wise dispensation when Paul hath been in the third heaven on an hyperbole a great excesse of revelations God thinketh then good to exercise him with a messenger of Satan which by the weaknesse and spirituall infirmity hee was under wanted not a dissertion lesse or more what ever the messenger was as it seems to be fleshly lust after a spirituall vision Paul was ready to think himselfe an Angel not flesh and bloud and therefore 2 Cor. 12.7 hee saith twice in one Verse This befell me 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That I should not be lifted up above ordinary Comets up among the starres But if wee consider the materiall cause it may be that extreme and high overflowing of Christs love brake our weake and narrow vessells Cant. 5.1 there is a rich and dainty feast of Christ I am come into my garden my Sister my Spouse I have gathered my myrrhe with my spices I have eaten my honey-comb with my honey I have drunk my wine with my milke eat O friends drinke yea drinke abundantly O beloved Yet in that Song the Spirit of God speaketh of a sad dissertion in the next words I sleep but mine heart waketh it is the voyce of my Beloved that knocketh c. There is not onely impiety but want of humanity that the Church had rather that wearied Jesus Christ should fall down and dye in the streets in a rainy and snowie night when his locks were wet with raine then that he should come in and lodge in the soule And let us not thinke that the threed and tract of the Scriptures coherence one Verse following on another as the Spirit of God hath ordered them is but a cast of chance or an humane thing When the Spouse rideth on the high places of Jacob and saith Isai. 49.13 Sing O heaven and be joyfull O earth and break forth into singing O mountaines for God hath comforted his people and will have mercy on his afflicted Yet this was nothing to the afflicted people Verse 14. But Sion said The Lord hath forsaken me and my Lord hath forgotten me When the Lord's Disciples Mat. 17. are in the sweetest life that ever they were in at the transfiguration of Christ when they saw his glory and Peter said Master it is good for us to be here even then they must appeare to be weak men and Christ must forbid and rebuke their faithlesse feare Vers. 6. They fell on their faces and were sore affraid I leave it to the experience of the godly if Jeremiah his singing of praise in one Verse Chap. 20.13 and his cursing of the day that hee was borne on in the next Verse vers 14. the order of Scripture being of divine inspiration doe not speak Gods dispensation in this to be such as to allay and temper the sweetnesse of the consolation of a feast of Gods high manifestation with a sad dissertion So John his
glorious soule-ravishing comforts in seeing the seven golden Candlesticks and the Sonne of man in such glory and majesty Revel 1.12 13 14 15. Yet it appeares to be a dissertion that hee is under when Christ forbiddeth him to feare and when hee must have the hand of Christ laid on his head and when hee falleth down at Christs feet as dead V. 17.18 And when Isaiah saw the glorious vision Chap. 6. The Lord sitting on his throne high and lifted up it must be a throne higher then the heaven of heavens that he siteth on and his traine filling the Temple It 's a dissertion he falleth in vers 5. Then said I woe is me for I am undone because I am a man of uncleane lips and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips for mine eyes have seene the King the Lord of Hoasts he was a pardoned man before It 's so with us while the body of sin dwelleth in us that we cannot being old bottles beare new wine and therefore the fulnesse of God breaketh crazie lumps of sinfull flesh and blood as a full tide is preparatorie to a low ebbing and full vessels in the body to a feaver Would Christ in his fulnes of the irradiations of glory breake in upon us he should breake the bodily organs and over-master the soules faculties that all the banks of the soule should be like broken wals hedges or clay channels which the inundation of a river has demolished and carried away from the bottom Flesh and blood is not in a capacitie of over-joy and can hold but little of heaven no more then earth cold beare such a glorious creature as the Sunne we must be both more capacious and wider and stronger vessels before we be made fit to containe glory wee are leaking and running-out vessels to containe grace Manifestations and rays of Divine love are too strong wine that grew up in the higher Canaan for our weake heads Asser. 3. Dissertion commeth under these considerations 1. As it 's a crosse and a punishment of sinne 2. As a triall from meere Divine Dispensation 3. As it 's a sinne on our part full of sinfull mis-representations of Christ. In the first consideration wee are to submit to any penall over-clowding of Christ 1. Because the eye cannot water to looke on any Crosse of Christ where Faiths aspect goeth before and saith Though I sit in darkenesse yet I shall see light 2. There is required a sort of patience under sinne as ' its either a punishment of an other sinne as David was submissive to the sinfull railing of Shimei and the wicked treasons and incestuous pollutions of his Concubines by his son Absolom Or as sinne dwelleth in us and in Divine Dispensation must be our Crosse as well as our sinne we are to bee grieved at our sinnes as they crosse Gods holy will but as they are our owne crosses and thwart our owne desires and now are committed by us or dwell in us we are not to bite at and utter heart-raylings against Divine providence who might have prevented and efficaciously hindred these sinnes and yet did not hinder them 3. This Dispensation should be adored as a part of Divine wisdome that broken soules are not wholly cured till they be in heaven Sinne is a dis-union from God Jesus doth not so compleatly soder the soule to God but the seame hath holes and gapings in it by reason of the in-dwellings of sinne Rom. 7.17.18.19.22.23 And since Libertines will confound Justification with Regeneration we say ther Justification they speak off is never perfected in this life And because sinne as sin which remaineth in our flesh must make God and the soule at a distance there cannot be such perfect peace as excudeth all soule-trouble the blew scarre of the wound remaineth so and the dreggs of that domestick falling-ill that we have of our first house of Adam are so sâ—ated in us that as some diseases recurre and some paine of the head when an East-wind bloweth so the disease wee have in our head the first Adam sticketh to us all our life and when temptations blow wee find the relicts of our disease working and foaming out the smell of the lees and sent that remaineth Christ has need to perfume our ill odours with his merits for our begun Sanctification is so unperfect as that yet our water smelles of the rotten vessell the flesh and we cannot but have our ill houres and our sicke daies and so a disposition to sinful dissertions 4. Unbeliefe naturally stocked in the body of sin is humerous and ill minded to Christ there is a lyar in our house and a slanderer of Christ that upon light occasions can raise an ill fame of Christ That he is a hard man and gathers where he did not sow that Christ is nice and dainty of his love that he is too fine too excellent and majestick to condiscend to love me and take this as the mother-seed of all sinnefull desertions to blame Christs sweet inclination to love us as well as his love I knew thou wast a hard man it 's dangerous to have ill thoughts of Christs nature his constitution actu primo The next will bee to censure his waies his saveing and his gathering which I take to bee the currant objection of old Pelagians and late Arminius O he must gather where he did never sow if he command all to beleeve under the paine of damnation and yet he judicially in Adam removed all power of beleeving so hee putteth out the poore mans eyes and cutteth off his two leggs and commandeth him to see with no eyes and walke with no leggs under paine of damnation men beleeve not they hate Christ by nature and hatred hath an eye to see no colour in Christ but blacknesse as the instance of the Pharisees doth cleare who saw but devilry in the fairest works of Christ even in his casting out of Devils Asser. 4. Dissertions on the Lords part are so often meere trials as we may not thinke they are greatest sinners who are most disserted Dissertion smelleth more of Heaven and of Christ disserted for our sinnes then of any other thing it 's the disease that followes the Royall seed and the Kings blood it 's incident to the most heavenly spirits Moses David Heman Asaph Ezechiah Job Jeremiah the Church Psal. 102. Lament chap. 1. chap. 2.3.4 it is oare that adhereth to the choisest gold But how is it say some that you read of so little soule-dissertion in the Apostles and Beleevers under the New-Testament and so much of it under the Old-Testament Is it not because it belongeth to the Law and the Covenant of Works and to the Spirit of the Old Testament and nothing to the Gospel of Grace So Antinomians dreame I answer We read indeed of heavier and stronger externall pressures laid on men to chase them to Christ under the Law then under the Gospel Because the Gospel
speaketh of curses and judgement in the by and the Law more kindly and more frequently because of our disobedience and of the preparing of an infant Church under none-age for Christ. But though the Gospel speake lesse of Gods severitie in externall judgements as in killing so many thousands for looking into the Arke for Idolatrie yet the Apostle saith that these things were not meerely Pedagogicall and Jewish so as because the like are not written in the New-Testament it followeth not they belong not to us for saith he 1 Cor. 10.6 Now these things were our examples vers 11. Now all these things happened unto them for examples and they are written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come Ergo the like for the like sins do and may befall men under the Gospel Moreover never greater plagues then were threatned by Christs owne mouth never wrath to the full came upon any in such a measure as upon the City of Jerusalem and the people of the Jewes for killing the Lord of glory And though no such dissertions be read of in the Apostles as of Job who yet was not a Jew and yet more disserted then David Heman or any Prophet Ezechiah the Church Lament Chap. 2. and 3. Yet we are not hence to beleeve that there were never such dissertions under the New-Testament For as externall judgements so internall soule-trials are common to both the Saints under the Old and New-Testament as is evident in Paul 2 Cor. 1.8 9. 2 Cor. 5.11 2 Cor. 7.4 5 6. 1 Pet. 1.6 7. and as both were frequent under the Old-Testament so were they written for our learning And if it were to the Jewes meerely Pedagogicall to have terrors without and feares within and to be pressed out of measure or to afflict their soules for sinne were a worke of the law then to be afflicted in conscience were a denying that Christ is come in the flesh And simply unlawfull whereas the Lords absence is a punishment of the Churches not opening to Christ Cant. 5.4 5 6. And Gods act of with-drawing his lovely presence is an act of meere free dispensation in God not our sinne For this would be well considered that the Lords active dissertion in either not co-operating with us when wee are tempted or 2. his not calling or the suspending of his active pulsation and knocking at the doore of our soule or 3. the not returning of a present comfortable answer or 4. the with-drawing of his shining manifestations his comforts and the sense of the presence of Jesus Christ cannot be formally our sinnes indeed our unbeleefe our sinning which resulteth from the Lords non-co-operating with us when wee are tempted our mis-judging of Christ as if it were a fault to him to stand behind the wall which are in our dissertions passive are sinnes Asser. 5. Saddest dissertions are more incident to the godly then to the wicked and naturall men as some moth is most ordinary in excellent timber and a worme rather in a faire rose then in a thorne or thistle And sure though unbeleefe fears doubtings be more proper to naturall men then to the Saints yet unregenerate men are not capable of sinfull jealousies of Christ's love nor of this unbeleefe which is incident to dissertion wee now speak of even as marriage jealousie falleth not on the heart of a Whore but of a lawfull Spouse 2. According to the measure and nature of love so is the jealousie and heart-suspitions for the want of the love whence the jealousie is occasioned The soule which never felt the love of Christ can never be troubled nor jealously displeased for the want of that love And because Christ had the love of God in another measure possibly of another nature then any mortall man his soule-trouble for the want of the sense and actuall influence of that love must be more and of an higher and it may be of another nature then can fall within the compasse of our thoughts never man in his imagination except the man Christ could weigh or take a lift of the burden of Christ's soule-trouble The lightest corner or bit of Christ's satisfactory Crosse should be too heavie for the shoulders of Angels and Men. You may then know how easie it is for many to stand on the shore and censure David in the sea and what an oven and how hot a fire must cause the moisture of his body turne to the drought of summer The Angels Joh. 20. have but a theory and the hear-say of a stander-by when they say Woman why weepest thou Shee had slept little that night and was up by the first glimmering of the dawning and sought her Saviour with teares and an heavie heart and found nothing but an empty grave O they have taken away my Lord and I know not where they have laid him And the daughters of Jerusalem stood but at the sick Spouses bed side and not so neare when shee complaines I am sick of love To one whose wanton reason denyed the fire to be hot another said Put your finger in the fire and try if it be hot Some have said All this soule-trouble is but melancholy and imagination Would you try whether the body of an healthy and vigorous man turned as dry as chaffe or a withered halfe-burnt stick through soule-paine be a cold fire or an imagination and what physicke one of the smallest beames of the irradiation of Christ's smiling countenance is to such a soule you would not speake so Asser. 6. Why some of the Saints are carried to Abraham's bosome and to heaven in Christ's bosome and for the most feast upon sweet manifestations all the way and others are oftner in the hell of soule-trouble then in any other condition is amongst the depths of holy Soveraignty 1. Some feed on honey and are carried in Christ's bosome to heaven others are so quailed and kept under water in the flouds of wrath that their first smile of joy is when the one foot is on the shore and when the morning of eternities Sunne dawnes in at the window of the soule Some sing and live on sense all the way others sigh and goe in at heavens gates weeping and Christ's first kisse of glory dryes the tears off their face 2. Christ walkes in a path of unsearchable liberty that some are in the suburbs of heaven and feele the smell of the dainties of the Kings higher house ere they be in heaven and others children of the same Father passengers in the same journey wade through hell darknesse of feares thrones of doubtings have few love-tokens till the marriage-day 3. There be not two sundry wayes to heaven but there are I doubt not in the latitude of Soveraignty hundreds of various dispensations of God in the same way Jerusalem is a great City and hath twelve and many ports and angles and sides to enter at but Christ is the one onely way hee keeps in all
over-Sea-hop farre off Not far off saith Faith A very present help in trouble or a help easily or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Exceedingly found in troubl◠So Psalm 44 9. Thou hast cast us off Hebr. Thou art farre from us thou hast put us to shame What lower could the people be Vers. 19. We are in the dungeon in the place of dragons We are in the cold grave beside the wormes and corruption and thou hast covered us with the shaddow of death a cold bed Yet then see what Faith saith Vers. 20. Wee have not forgotten the name of our God Our God is a word of great faith And to come to Christ his Soule was troubled He was at What shall I say In a great perplexitie Yet he hath a strong faith both of his Father and of his owne condition He beleeved God to bee his Father and calleth him Father Yea in this hell hee applyeth the relation of a Father to himselfe Matth. 26.39 O my Father this is the warmest love-thought of God and when his comfort was ebbest his confidence in the Covenant strongest My God my God c. It s much glory to our Lord that Faith sparkle fire and bee hot when comfort is cold and low O what an honour to God the man is slaine and cold dead yet he beleeves strongly the salvation of God Christ kills the poore man and the mans faith kisseth and hangeth about Christs neck and sayes If I must dye let Christs bosome be my death-bed Then hee must beleeve if God was his Father by good Logick he must be the Sonne of God and if God was his God then the heire of all must claime the priviledges of all the Sons of the house in Covenant God I may say was more then Christs God and more then in covenant with God as he was more then a servant so more then a Sonne then a common one and Christs faith is so rationall and so binding with strength of reason that he will but use such a weapon as we may use even the light of Faith and hee will claime but the common benefit of all the Sonnes in covenant when he saith My God my God What ever Papists say if ever Christ was in hell it is now but see hee hath heaven present with him in hell If God could be apprehended by faith in hell as a God in covenant then should hell become heaven to that beleeving soule Christ tooke God and his God and his Father as Jonah a type of him downe to the bowels of hell with him and as we see some dying men they lay hold on some thing dying and dye with that in their hand which wee call the dead-gripe so Christ died with his Father by faith and his Spouse in regard of love stronger then the grave in his arms this was Christ's death embracings his death-kisse and Job professeth so much Lower hee could not be then hee complaineth hee is chap. 19. in all respects of body which was a clod of bones and skin in regard of wife servants deare friends of the hand of God in his soule Yet vers 25. I know that my goel my kinsman Redeemer liveth and that hee shall stand the last man on the earth This leadeth us in our forlorn perplexities to follow Christ's foot-steps both under evills of punishment and sin The people in their captivity in Babylon Ezek. 37. were an hoast of dead and which is more dry bones the Churches in Germany in Scotland are dry bones and in their graves the Churches in England and Scotland in regard of the sinfull divisions and blasphemous opinions in the worship of God are in a worse captivity and lower then dry bones and our woes are not at an end yet the faith of many seeth that deliverance and union there must be and that our graves must be opened and that the wind of the Lord must breathe upon the dry bones that they may live God hath in former times opened our graves when strange lords had dominion over us I would wee were freed of them now also but our yoke is heavier then it was but God shall deliver his people from those that oppresse them Again as you see in great perplexity Christ beleeved God to be his Father and that hee himselfe was a Son so are wee under pressures of conscience and doubtings because of sinne to keep precious high and excellent love-thoughts of Jesus Christ. Object 1. But what if a soule be brought to doubt of its conversion because hee findeth no good hee either doth or can doe true faith is a working faith Answ. Some so cure this as they prove Physicians of no value to poore soules I mean Antinomians For say they This is the disease that you in doubting of your faith because you find not such and such qualifications in you therefore seek a righteousnesse in your selfe and not in Christ. I should easily grant that man's inherent righteousnesse is in his carnall apprehension his very Christ and Redeemer but in the mean time These are two carnall and fleshly extremities and faith walketh in the middle between them 1. It s a fleshly way to say that because I find sinne reigning in me I have killed my brother saith a Cain I have betrayed the Lord of glory saith a Judas yet I am not saith a Libertine to question whether I beleeve or no for this putteth fleshly and prophane men on a conceit Be not solicitous what you are take you no feare of serving sin and divers lusts but beleeve and never doubt whether your faith be a dead or a living faith though you goe on to walk after the flesh but beleeve and doubt not whether you beleeve or no. The other extremity is of some weak Christians who because they find that in them that is in their flesh dwelleth no good and they sinne daily find much untowardnesse and back-drawing in holy duties therefore say they Christ's This is a false Conclusion drawn from a true Antecedent and springeth from a root of selfe-seeking and righteousnesse which wee naturally seek in our selves for I am not being once justified to seek my justification in my sanctification but being not justified I may well seek my non-justification in my non-sanctification as Libertines say this is the fault of all when it is the fault onely of some weak mis-judging soules so doe they take the Saints off from all disquietnesse and griefe of mind for neglect of spirituall duties as if all godly sorrow and displeasure for our sinfull omissions were nothing but a legall sorrow for want of selfe-righteousnesse and a sinfull unbeleefe but it s formally not any such thing but lawfull and necessary to make the sinner goe with a low sayle and esteem the more highly of Christ and it s onely sinfull when abused to such a legall inference I omit this and this I sinne in this and this ergo God is not my Father nor am
absence to say nothing of everlasting huggings and embracings Asser. 7. Nor is this a good reason I find sinne rottennesse and so a deserved curse in all my workes of sanctification therefore why should I make them any bottome for assurance but I must take in Christ heere for Sanctification for if workes of this kind be not done in Faith to the knowledge of the doer they can witnesse nothing but beare a false testimony of Christ nor doe we ever teach that Christ is to bee decourted from our workes of Sanctification but even faith it selfe which is a bottome of peace to Antinomians by this reason must be cashiered for as the love of Christ our prayers humility are not formally sinnes but onely concomitantly in regard that sinne adhereth to them as muddy water is not formally clay and mudde but in mixture its clayie and muddie so our Faith is concomitantly sinnefull both because often its weake and so wanting many degrees and mixed with sinne deserves a curse as well as works of Sanctification but it apprehendeth Christ and righteousnes in him and so it bottometh our assurance If by apprehending you meane to bring to you certaine knowledge and assurance that Christ is made my righteousnesse then you beg the question if you deny this to works of Sanctification For 1 John 2.3 Hereby we know that we know him if we keep his commandements Ver. 5. And who so keepeth his word in him verily the love of God is perfected hereby that is by keeping his word called twise before vers 3.4 The keeping of his Commandements and vers 6. Walking as he walked Hereby saith he know wee that we are in him in Christ our propitiation and righteousnesse and thus are we justified by keeping the Commandements of God because by this we apprehend and know that we are justified 2. But then all that are justified must bee fully perswaded of their justification and that faith is essentially a perswasion and assurance of the love of God to me in Christ it s more then I could ever learne to bee the nature of Faith a consâ—quent separable I beleeve it is 3. If by apprehending Christ and his righteousnesse be understood a relying and fiduciall acquiescing and recumbencie on Christ for salvation It is granted in this sense that Faith is a bottome to our assurance of our being in Christ but that it breedeth assurance in a reflect knowledge alwaies that a beleever is in Christ is not true for 1. I may beleeve and be justified and not know yea positively doubt that I beleeve and am justified as thousands have pardon and have no peace nor assurance of their pardon and have faith in Christ and in his free love and have no feeling of Christ and of his free love For we beleeve more truth of our owne graces and so of our faith and assurance of our pardon then we can see or feele which is Gods dispensation that our life should be hid with Christ in God Ergo the life of Faith by which the just doth live is hid and above the reach of feeling at all times 2. As Faith which is the direct act of knowing and relying on Christ for pardon is a worke of the Spirit above the reach of reason so also the reflect act of my knowing and feeling that I beleeve and am in Christ which proceedeth sometime from Faith and the immediate Testimony of the Spirit sometime from our walking in Christ 1 John 2.3 4. 1 Joh. 3.14 is a supernaturall work above the compasse and reach of our Free-will and is dispensed according to the spirations and stirrings of the free grace of God and as the keeping of his Commandements actu primo and in it selfe giveth Testimony that the soule is in Christ and justified even as the act of beleeving in it selfe doth the same yet that wee actu secundo efficaciously know and feele that we are in Christ from the irradiation and light of Faith and sincere walking with God is not necessary save onely when the winde of the actuall motion and flowing of the Spirit concurre with these meanes just as the Gospel-promises of themselves are life and power but they then onely actually actu secundo animate and quicken whithered soules when the Lord is pleased to contribute his influence in the shininâ— of his Spirit Otherwise I may walke in darkenesse yea bâ—â—eeve pray love die for paine of love and have no ligh◠〈◊〉 reflect knowledge and feeling that I am in Esayâ—0 â—0 10 I may be sicke of love for Christ call knock pray conferr with the watchmen and daughters of Jerusalem and be at a low ebbe in my own sense yea the beloved may to my feeling and actuall assurance have withdrawne himselfe Cant. 3.1 2 3 4 5. Cant. 5.5 6 7 8. and all my inherent evidences cannot quicken me in any tollerable assurance It 's true Sanctification may bee darkned yea and Faith also when there is nothing to the faith-failing and outer dying but this onely of Christ the head all the life of a Saint retyring not to his faint heart but to his strong head I have prayed for you that your faith faile not but the darke evening of Davids both Faith and Sanctification and of Peter in his denying of his Master and his Judaizing Gal. 2. When he and others ver 14. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 do crook and halt betweene Grace and the Law as the people did between Jehovah and Baal their profession of Jehovah and Christs grace being long and their practise short and inclining too much to Baal and salvation by the Law as halting is a walking with a long and a short legge the body unevenly inclining to both sides of the way this darkening I say was in the second acts of Faith and Sanctification but life and sap was at the roote of the Oake-tree when it was lopt hewed and by winter stormes spoyled of the beauty of its leaves Wee doe not say that Sanctification doth at all times actually beare witnesse or a like sensibly and convincingly that the soule is justified is in Christ there be degrees and intermission and sicke dayes both of Faith and Sanctification But we say roses and flowers have been ever since the creation and shall be to the end of the world because though they vanish in winter yet in their causes they are as eternall as the earth so is Faith and the bloomings and greene blossomings of Sanctification alwaies but there is a Sommer when they cast forth their leaves and beautie Asser. 8. To presse duties out of a principle of Faith is to presse Christ upon soules nor can the seeing of beames and light in the ayre or of Wine-grapes on the tree be a denying of the Sunne to be in the firmanent or of life and sap to be in the Vine-tree to see and feele in our selves grapes and fruits of righteousnesse except we make the grace of Christ a bastard
shall be saved Knocke and it shall be opened Hee that overcometh shall inherite all things actu secundo to a beleever who under a distemper doth doubt of them infallible So The love of the brethren 1 Joh. 3.14 The keeping of the Commandements and the word of Jesus is infallible in it selfe That I know Christ savingly and that hee dwelleth in me 1 Joh. 2. vers 3.5 but that it infallibly concludeth so to me actu secundo is not sure except the wind blow faire from heaven and the Spirit act in me So the love-tokens and testimoniall rings and bracelets of the Husband my love to the Saints my keeping of his word my holy walking in Christ being the works of his Spirit which dwelt in Jesus Christ are actu primo in themselves as infallible signes of the Bridegromes love to me as the Beloved's word who spake and said Arise my love And if the spirations and breathings of the Spirit goe not along both the voice and the love-bracelets for Christ is no more counterfeit in his love-tokens then in his word when hee speaks as a Husband are alike ineffectuall to perswade the soule I see no reason to call the workes of Sanctification inferiour helps in the Manifestation more then the voice of the Beloved for both without the Spirit are equally ineffectuall and if the Spirit breathe and move with them both are effectuall actu primo secundo and they infallibly perswade It is then a weake Argument None can simply perswade Japhet but God ergo The word of the Bridegrome onely can infallibly perswade or therefore love-bracelets cannot infallibly perswade for the word not quickned by the Spirit of Jesus cannot simply perswade and the Lords perswading of Japhet is the Lords work of converting Japhet not his enlightening of Japhet to know his faith to be true faith Hence for that which infallibly perswadeth us I say 1. Our act of beleeving doth no more perswade of it selfe that wee doe beleeve except the Spirit breathe with the act of beleeving for actuall illumination and perswasion then any other act of loving Christ his Saints or universall intention or sincerity of heart to obey doth prove to us that wee beleeve for many beleeve who know not yea doubt of their beleeving because the Holy Ghost maketh not the light of faith effectuall to perswade that they truly beleeve 2. Asser. The testimony of the Holy Spirit is the efficacious and actuall illumination and irradiation of the Sunne of righteousnesse and his Spirit assuring us that wee are the sonnes of God This light cometh from inherent acts of grace in us 1 Joh. 2.3 4 â— chap. 3.14 2 From the testimony and rejoycing which resulteth from a good conscience 2 Cor. 1.12 2 Tim. 4.6 7 8. 1 Tim. 6.17 18. Heb. 13.18 3. From the experience they have had of the Lords dealing with their soules and the love of God spread abroad in the heart by the Holy Ghost Rom. 5.3 4 5. 4 From a sincere aime and respect to all the Commandements of God Psal. 119.6 Acts 24.16 1 Joh. 3.20 21. 1 Thess. 5.23 Phil. 4.12 Revel 22.14 15. 5. From the positive marks that Christ putteth on his Children as markes of true blessednesse Math. 5.3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11. Psal. 119.1 2. Psal. 32.1 2. 6. From the judgement that the Saints maketh of themselves and their owne begunne communion with God Psal. 73.25 Psal. 18.20 1 22. Psal. 26.3 4.8 Psal. 40.9 10.7.8 Job 31. Job 29. Esayâ—8 â—8 3 Psal. 42.1 2. Psal. 6â— 1 2 3 4 8. Psal. 84.2 3 4 5. Psal. 119. â—0 31 40.46.50.57.60 62 63.81.82.97.98 99.101 103 111 112.125.127.128.136.139 145.148.162.164 Cant. 1.5 chap. 2.4.5.6.16 chap. 3.1 2 3 4 5. chap. 5.6 7 8 9 10 11 12. All which were needlesse floorishes if they had neither peace consolation nor assurance from these as from marks and signes which do infallibly convince the light breathings and irradiations of the Holy Ghost concurring with them that they are in a saving condition who have these qualifications in them 7. Because by holy walking the Saints make their calling and election sure and firme not to God but to themselves 2 Pet. 1.10 11 12. vers 5.6 7. Asser. 3. As there is in the eye lumen innatum in the eare aer internus a certaine inbred light to make the eye see lights and colours without and a sound and aire in the eare within to make it discerne the sounds that are without So is there a grace a new nature an habituall instinct of heaven to discerne the Lords Spirit immediatly testifying that we are the Sonnes of God Rom. 8.16 1 Cor. 1.12 Grace within knoweth Christ speaking without the voice of my beloved As the Lambe knoweth by an internall instinct the mother but for wakening and quickening of the instinct to apprehend this there is neede of opened eyes and the presence of the mother to the eye or of the bleating of the mother to a waking eare for instincts cannot worke in the sleepe if the Spirit speake and the voice behind be heard the soule knoweth what sound it heareth but not otherwaies it is but curiositie so to compare the evidence by signes and markes of Sanctification with that evidence that commeth from the Spirits immediate voice or testimonie so as the former should be lesse sure fallible conjecturall and the latter infallible sure and efficaciously convincing For the evidences are both supernaturall certaine divine and strongly convincing if there bee any deception in either it is because of the dulnesse of our apprehension or our imagination which fancieth we see what we see not or from our unbelief who will not be convinced For the Holy Ghost speaketh the same thing by his operations of grace in holy walking that he speaketh by either the Word preached or by the Word and immediat voice of the Spirit witnessing to our Spirit and there is the same authority revealing to us a thing hid and the same thing revealed it maybe there be a variation of the degrees of light and divine irradiation Or the one may cary in to the soule a more deepe impression of God then the other and the radiation of light in the subject may be more strong in the one then in the other but of themselves they are both infallible supernaturall and convincing It is doubted which of these evidences bee more free and partake more of the nature of Grace Antinomians conceive that an evidence by marks in our self is more selfie lesse free and neerer to a seeking of assurance in our selfe then that evidence which resulteth from the immediate testimony of the Spirit But the ground they build on is false and the superstructure is lesse sure If it were a matter of giving and receiving or of wages and worke it were something but it s a matter of meere knowledge God reveiling our condition to us one way not another Possibly the more
the Papists circle because workes to my sense and spirituall discerning may and doe adde evidence and light to faith and faith addeth evidence and light to works as wee prove the cause from the effect and the effect from the cause especially under desertion without the fault of circular arguing but Papists beleeve the Scripture to bee the word of God because the Church saith so else it should be no word of God to them more then the Turkes Alcaron and they beleeve that the Church saith that Scripture is the Word of God because the Scripture saith that the Church saith so This is no proof at all and a vaine consequence without Faith its unpossible to please God no worke can bee proved solidly Gods without faith but how then followeth it Ergo we cannot prove faith to bee true from good works Saltmarsh can make no Logicke out of this nothing followeth from this antecedent but ergo by hypocriticall works done without faith we cannot prove our faith to be true faith valeat totum the conclusion is not against us Wee acknowledge except good works carry the stampe and image of faith they are not good works but if they carry this stampe as we presuppose they do in this debate because works are more sensible to us then faith it followeth well then we may know our faith by our workes and a beleever doing workes in faith and out of warmenesse of love to Christ and a sincere sense of his debt he may bee ignorant that he doth them in faith but a coale of love to Christ smoaking in his soule and the sincere sense of the debt that love layeth on him to doe that yea and to swimme through hell to pleasure Christ are ordinarily more sensible then faith and led us to know there must be faith where these are 3. Nor are ours litigious and disputable marks except when our darknesse raiseth disputes more then the Gospel it selfe is litigious for men of corrupt minds raise doubts against the Gospel and weake beleevers sometime would argue themselves out of faith Christ out of imputed righteousnesse election of grace and effectuall calling yet are not these litigious points and say that the evidence of the Spirit be as light and evident as the Sunne light in it selfe so is the Gospel yet are we to seeke evidences for our faith and peace in such markes as the Holy Ghost has made way-markes to heaven by this we know c. but we build our knowledge and sense on these markes as on secondary pillars and helps which a divine and supernaturall certitude furnisheth though without the influence of the Spirit they shine not evidently to us but our faith resteth on the testimony of the Spirit witnessing to our hearts and this is not to bring a candle to give light to the Sunne but to adde the light of supernaturall sense to the light of divine faith else they may as well say that the confirming evidence that comes to our sense from the Sacraments addeth some thing to the Word which is a light and a Sunne-light to our eyes if we did confide in them as causes of our justification it were Pharisaicall but divine motives and secondary grounds though they bee mixed of themselves with sinnefull imperfections may be by divine Institution helps and confirmatory grounds of our faith and joy and the Scripture saith so as we heard alledged The question proposed by F. Cornewell I shall not father upon that learned and godly Divine Master Cotton Whether a man may evidence his justification by his Sanctification hee should have added whether he may evidence to himselfe or his owne conscience his justification for that so he may evidence i◠in a conjecturall way to others no man doubts 2. The question is mistated as if Sanctification did formally evidence Justification as Justification in abstracto and Faith in its actuall working it s enough against Antinomians if it evidence to the sense of the person that he is in the state of justification and that hee hath faith to lay hold on Christs righteousnesse when he esteemes the Saints precious and placeth his delight in them Sanctification doth not as Libertines would imagine evidence justification as faith doth evidence it with such a sort of clearenesse as light evidenceth colours making them actually visible now light is no signe or evident marke of colours Love and workes of sanctification doe not so evidence justification as if justification were the object of good works that way faith doth evidence justification but sanctification doth evidence justification to be in the soule where sanctification is though it doth not render justification actually visible to the soule as light maketh colours to be actually visible or as faith by the light of the Spirit rendreth justification visible for even as smoake evidenceth there is fire there where smoake is though smoake render no fire visible to the eye and the moving o◠the pulse evidenceth that there is yet life though the man be i◠a swoone and no other acts of life doe appeare to the eye an◠the morning starre in the East when its darke evidenceth tha◠the Sunne shall shortly rise yet it maketh not the Sunne visibl◠to the eye and the streames prove there is an head-spring whence these streames issue yet they shew not in what part of the earth the head-spring is so as to make it visible to the eye so doth Sanctification give evidence of Justification onely as markes signes and gracious effects giveth evidence of the cause as when I find love in my soule and a care to please God in all things and this I may know to bee in mee from the reflect light of the Spirit and from these I know there is faith in me and justification though I feele not the operation of faith in the meane time yet the effect and signe makes a report of the cause as acts of life eating and drinking and walking in me doth assure me that I have the life of nature So the vitall acts of the life of Faith doe as signes and effects give evidences of the cause and fountaine yet there is no necessity that with the same light by which I know the effect I know the cause because this is but a light of arguing and of heavenly Logick by which we know by the light of the Spirits arguing that we know God by the light of Faith because wee keep his Commandements and know arguitivè by Gods Logick that we are translated from death to life because wee love the Brethren in effect we know rather the person must bee justified in whom these gracious evidences are by heare-say report or consequence then we know or see justification it selfe in abstracto or faith it selfe but the light of faith the testimony of the Spirit by the operation of free Grace will cause us as it were with our eyes see justification and faith not by report but as we see the Sunne
hoasts came against Christ Heaven Hell Earth any Adversary but God the enimity of men cannot make me or any man formally miserable There be great edges and Emphasis in these words My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Not a point not a letter of them can be wanting they are so full and Emphatick 1. My God my God the forsaking of Angels is nothing that Men all men friends all my inward friends forsake me is not much they doe more then forsake they abhorre Job their friend Job 19.19 that father and mother and all my mothers sonnes forsake me is hard yet tollerable Psal. 27.10 Psal. 31.11 Psal. 88.18 Yea that mine own heart and flesh forsake me is an ordinary may bee amongst men Psal. 73.26 But Gods forsaking of a man is sad 2. If he bee a God in covenant with me both God and then my God that is a warme word with childe of love if he forsake me it is hard When our owne leave us we forgive all the world to leave us 3. In forsaking there is a great Emphasis any thing but unkindnesse and change of heart and Love is well taken this speaketh against Faith though Christ could not apprehend this the Lord cannot change Christs could not beleeve such a blasphemy yet the extremity of so sad a condition offered so much to the humane and sinnelesse and innocent sense of Christ a change of dispensation 4. Me Why hast thou forsaken me the sonne of thy love thy onely begotten Sonne the Lord of glory who never offended thee but the relation of Christ to God was admirable hee was as the sinner made sinne for us in this contest the enimity of a Lyon and a Leopard is nothing Hos. 13.7.8 the renting of the caule of the webbe that goeth about the heart is but a shaddow of paine to the Lords running on a man as a Giant in furie and indignation 2. Hell and all the powers of darkenesse came against Christ in this houre Col. 2.14 15. 3. All the earth and his dearest friends stood aloofe from his calamity there was no shoare on earth to receive this ship-broken man In regard of that which was taken from Christ it was a sad houre which I desire to be considered thus 1. The most spirituall life that ever was the life of him who saw and enjoyed God in a personall union was vailed and covered 1. Possession in many degrees was lessened but in jure in right and in the foundation not removed 2. The sense and actuall fruition of God in vision was over-clouded but life in the fountaine stood safe in the blessed union 3. The most direfull effects in breaking bruising and grinding the Sonne of God betweene the millstones of Divine wrath were heere Yet the infinite love and heart of God remained the same to Christ without any shaddow of variation or change Gods hand was against Christ his heart was for him 4. Hence his saddest sufferings were by divine dispensation and oeconomy God could not hate the Son of his love in a free dispensation he persued in wrath the surety and loved the Sonne of God 5. It cannot bee determined what that wall of separation that covering and vaile was that went between the two united natures the union personall still remaining intire how the God-head suspended its divine and soule-rejoycing influence and the man Christ suffered to the bottome of the highest and deepest paine to the full satisfaction of divine justice As it is easie to conceive how the body in death falleth to dust and ill smelling clay and yet the soule dieth not but how the soule suffereth not and is not sadned is another thing How a Bird is not killed and doth flee out and escape and sing when a window is broken with a great noise in the cage is conceivable but how the bird should not suffer or be affected with no affrightment is harder to our apprehension and how ship-broken men may swime to the shoare and live when the shippe is dashed in an hundreth pieces is nothing hard but that they should be nothing affrighted not touch the water and yet come living to shoare is not so obvious to our consideration Yea that the soule should remaine united with the body in death and the Ship sinke the passengers remaining in the ship and not bee drowned is a strange thing The Lord suffered and dyed the Ship was broken and did sinke the soule and body seperated and yet the God-head remained in a personall uinion one with the Man-hood as our soule and body remaine together while we live and subsist entire persons Vse 1. Christ hath suffered much in these sad houres for us hee hath drunken Hell drie to the bottome and hath left no Hell behind for us Heb. 12.2 Jesus the Author and finisher of our faith he hath not onely suffered so much of the Crosse but he hath suffered all the crosse he hath endured the crosse despised shame In the originall the words are without any Article 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It is as much as he hath left no crosse no shame at all to be suffered by us and Phil. 2.8 He was obedient to the Father he saith not to the death but to death even death of the Crosse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It holdeth forth to us that Christ suffered so much for us as hee hath taken up to heaven with him the great Crosse and hath carried up with him as it were the great death and hath left us nothing or very little to suffer and indeed Christ never denyed but affirmed he himselfe behoved to dye but for the beleever he expressely denieth hee shall dye and that with two negations Joh. 11.26 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He shall never in any sort dye and for our sufferings Paul calleth them Col. 1.24 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the remnants the leavings the dregs and after-drops of the sufferings of Christ the sips and dew-drops remaining in the bottom of the cup when Christ hath drunken out the whole cup so are our affections and being compared with what Christ suffered they are but bitts fragments and small pieces of death that we suffer for the first death that the Saints suffer is but the halfe and the farre least halfe of death it s but the lips the outer porch of death the second death which Christ suffered for us is onely death and the dominion Lordship and power of death is removed Why doe you then murmur fret repine under aflictions when you beare little wedges pinnes and chips of the Crosse Your Lord Jesus did beare for you the great and onely Crosse that which is death shame and the Crosse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by way of excellencie so called It is true the Spouse of Christ since the beginning of the world and since Christs time these 1600. Yeares hath been crying as a woman travelling in birth of a Man-childe and the Dragon neare persuing her and is not yet
brought to bed Lord Jesus when will the Man-childe be borne and thy Spouse be eased of the birth Yet is not this disease deadly Sion as soone as shee travelled brought forth her child Isai. 66.8 All her shaddowes of sufferings shall be quickly gone The Spouse cannot die of child-birth paine Christ will save both the Mothers life and the Babe 2. Sinne is a deare and costly thing In heaven in the Count-book of Justice it goeth for no lesse then the bloud of God the shaming of the Lord of glory Justice for the request of all the world and the prayers of Christ could not abate one farthing A mans soule is a deare thing Exchange of commodities of silkes purple fine linnen is much exchange of Saphires Diamonds Rubies and other precious stones for baser commodities is much more and that ships-full of the gold of Ophir should bee given for bread and things obvious is a rich traffiquing but the market and value of soules as it hath not since God made man on earth fallen or risen so it is ever above a world Mat. 16.26 What hath a man profitted if hee lose this God will not take Silkes nor Purples nor Saphires nor Rubies nor Navies loaden with fine gold nor any corruptible thing 1 Pet. 1.18 for soules The price is one and the same soules were never bought nor sold nor exchanged nor ransomed but once and the price is one and as high as the soule and bloud of the Lord of life Job 27.8 What is the hope of an hypocrite though hee hath gained when God taketh his soule from him let him cast up his accounts and lay his charges hee stands a poore man a man without a soule What mad men are wee who sell soules daily for prices so farre below the Lords price A man that would wood-feet a Lord-ship of many thousands yearly for a base summe some pence or for a nights sleep in a straw-bed and bind himselfe not to redeeme it what a waster were hee how worthy to begge Satan is going through the world and hee gives some pence in hand O how sad a reckoning when the Devill the cozening Creditor comes at night with his back counts Pay mee for your sweet lusts I gave you answer my Bill for your idle oaths your lies oppressions cozening Covenant-breaking your unjust judging your starving and murthering of the widdow and the fatherlesse by detaining of the wages of the Souldier your sleighting of Christ and reformation and the price is referred to God and the market knowne Sathan can abate nothing thy soule he must have and within few dayes the body too is this wisdome to earne hell and to make away a noble soule for a straw 3. What are wee to give for Christ what bonds of love hath he layd on us who earned our Heaven for us at so deare ◠price I desire onely these considerations to have place in our thoughts 1. As God had but one Sonne and one onely begotten Son and he gave him for sinners so Christ had two loves one as God and another as man he gave them both out for us and two glories one as God one as Man and Mediator the one was darkened for us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he emptied a Sea of glory for us he powred it out for us and for his other glory he laid it downe as it were in hell endured infinite wrath for us 2. He went to death and the grave made his testament and left his love grace and peace in legacie to us 3. Greater love then this hath no man but he saith not greater love then this hath no God That God did let out so much love to men is the wonder of the world and of heaven Wee may find words to paint out creatures and the garment may be wider then the thing but should Angels come and helpe us to find out expressions for Christs love words should bee below and in this side of Christ. 4. Behold the man saith an enemy of Christ but behold him more then a man behold the Lord in the Garden sweatting out of his holy body great blobs and floods of Love trickling downe upon sinners of clay Men and Angels come see and wonder and adore 5. Love was Christs cannon-Royall he battered downe with it all the forts of hell and triumphed over Principalities and powers Christ was judgement-proofe he indured the wrath of God and was not destroyed he was hell-proofe and grave-proofe hee suffered and rose againe but hee was not love-proofe to borrow that expression he was not onely love-sicke for his Church but sicke to death and dyed for his friends Cant. 2.4 His banner over his Church was love Saints bee sworn to his collours die and live with Christ and take Christ in the one arme his cause and Gospell in the other and your life betweene both and say to all enemies take one take all The midst of Christs Chariot is paved with love for the daughters of Jerusalem Cant. 3.10 Christs royall seat both in the Gospel in which he is carried through the world as a Conquerour Revel 6.2 and in the soules of his children is love From the sense of this it were our happiest life to live and love with Christ for hee hath carried up to heaven with him the love and the heart and the treasures of the sonnes of God so as all ours are with him above time 6. Wee are not to feare death extreamely nor hell at all Christ feared both for our comfort hee hath taken away the worst of death In that 1. He hath subdued hell and sinne and there remaineth to us but the outer side of death 2. The beleever but halfe dies and swoneth or rather sleepeth in the grave 3. He dyeth by will because he chooseth to be with Christ Phil. 1.23 rather then by nature or necessity 4. As dying and sufferings are the cup that Christ dranke so are we to love the cup the better that Christs lip touched it and left the perfume of the breathings of the Holy Ghost in it In common Innes by the way side Princes and common travellers and thousands lye in one bed the clothes may be changed but the bed is the same Christ tasted of death Heb. 2. for us but there was gall in his cup that is not in ours Christs worm-wood was bitter with wrath ours sweetned with consolation 7. All the Saints are in Christs debt of infinite love When we grieve the Spirit purchased by Christ we draw blood of his wounds a fresh and so testifie that wee repent that Christ suffered so much for us The Father hath sworn and will not repent that he is an eternall Priest and stands to it that his bloud is of eternall worth and when the Father sweareth this Christ is the same one God with him and sweares that he thinketh all his bloud well bestowed and will never give over the bargaine his Bride is his Bride though
they are wise as the Devill is They are wise to doe evill but to doe good they have no knowledge They go for heads of wit and wise men who are deep politick profound State-Atheists who can with their contrivances roul about the wheeles of two Kingdomes and can stirre the helme of Europe and yet know nothing of God but all their wit runneth in the Devils channell to plot brew and hatch wickednesse lies subvert the cause of the just crush the Widdow and murther and starve the Fatherlesse beare downe Religion set up a humane earthly civill structure of Government in Christs Kingdome Let them goe for wise men but they are wise for the Devill Let the Lord speake to such Jerem. 8.8 How doe yee say we are wise and the Law of the Lord is with us Vers. 9. Loe they have rejected the Law of the Lord and what wisdome is in them Can these bee wise men and great State-wits and not rather State-sots who reject the Wisdome of God It s now counted State-wisdome in Scotland to patch up a false peace with Amaleck contrary to the Covenant of God though Saul give the Amalekits and their Kings peace God will give them no peace Vse 3. If Satan be so understanding and subtile so active a Spirit Then the Familists erre not knowing the Scriptures For they say the Devill is nothing yea not the creature any thing but God as saith the Bright-starre cap. 8. pag. 68. 69. Nothing is but God and his will pag. 77. There is nothing in the creature which is not the Creator himselfe and therefore the Sunne is no sooner hid but the beames cease to be So if God hide himselfe and withdraw his hand from the creatures they suddenly returne to their nothing But as the beame and beat though they containe nothing but Sunne and Fire yet lookt upon essentially as they are in themselves they are not Sunne and Fire but onely a certain dependant or a Spark of those right so the creature though all it consisteth of is God yet considered in the owne proper nature depends upon God it s consequently somewhat And that Blasphemous peece called Theologia Germanica written by a Priest in High Dutch and Englished by Giles Randall Printed at London 1646 by tolleration saith Sinne and the Devill is nothing but when the creature will challenge any good to it selfe as to live know briefly to be able to doe any thing that can bee termed good as though that good thing were appertaining to it then the creature averteth it selfe from God and that aversion is sinne And the Devils sinne was that he did arrogate this to himselfe that he was some thing and would bee some thing and that some thing was his and in his right and power this arrogancie to bee I to my selfe to bee mee and to bee mine was Satans aversion and fall and this is still in use So this Author Hell and the Devill cannot devise subtiller and vainer blasphemie for so the creature is not the creature the Devill is not a creature not a Spirit not a tempter not the Prince of the ayre not a roaring Lyon not a lyar and the Holy Ghost in terming the Devill an Angel created in the truth should sinne It s true nothing hath being of it selfe and independently and as the cause of all being but onely God the cause of causes and prime fountaine of being goodnesse and actions but hence it cannot follow that creatures are not true beings by participation of and dependance from the first Ocean fountaine and cause of all being and that goodnesse and actions may not be ascribed to them from their derived being they have from God 2. Christ-man in ascribing to himselfe that hee is man that he doth the will of his Father that hee loved his owne to the death should sinne Which is blasphemy 3. It is false for Men or Devils and sinnefull arogancy to say they can subsist or doe keepe their being without a dependance on God the onely first essentiall being but it is contrary to all truth that they sinne when they say they are the creatures of God and the dependent rayes and beames that flow from God and the good creatures of God though by created and dependant goodnesse they neither lye nor sinne not commit any act of arogancie then should it bee sinne to say that there were any creatures in the world which is to belie the Scripture 4. It s the cursed selfe-deniall of Familists to say when they doe good or ill righteousnesse or sinne It s not I but God in me that doth all And so that there is but one Spirit of life that acteth and working in all things in heaven and in earth and that is essentially God and the will of God which is all one with God 5. That vaine annihilation and nothinging of our selves in being and working yea to the annihilating of the man Christ under pretence of extolling God because God worketh immediately all good and evill in us say they and wee but suffer Gods will and when wee thus are mere patient and suffer Gâ—d to worke his will in us we are God himselfe perfect as God conforme to his will nothing in our selves we being no creatures but the Creator That God manifested in the flesh is God manifested in the flesh of all men that the passion of Christ in it selfe is imaginary but Christ crucified is our paines and tribulation which we should welcome as Jesus Christ and so cast all our afflictions into the furnace and flames of Christs torments As it is said Let that minde bee in you that was in Christ. Bright starre cap. 18. pag. 205. This I say is the dreadfull blasphemy now Printed and Preached at London without controlement for the which the judgements of God sad and heavie cannot bee farre from the Land I crave the Readers pardon that I named such non-senses and fooleries Vse 4. By all meanes beware of sinnes against light such as the Devils first sinne was 1. To sinne with a witnesse in the breast and a witnesse in heaven is to laugh at Christ in his face 2. It s the Devils backe fall he by such a sinne fell first from heaven by staring God on the face and out-dating light God Conscience and actuall conviction the Devill no question by himselfe was warned of his sinne and how deare it would cost him before he sinned Suppose wee that there is a way in a mountaine of yee where thousands in former times have slidden and fallen and bruised all their body and 〈◊〉 to powder would we willingly climb the same rocks and dreame we should escape the same danger Legions and millions of Devils fell and bruised their soules to dust on sinnes against light and knowledge yet doe we too daringly climbe the same rocks and sinne dayly against the Sunne-light of the Gospel-grace of God teaching us to deny ungodlinesse and worldly lusts and the warnings of our owne
not wearied thee with incense Jer. 2.5 What iniquity have your fathers found in me Micah 6.3 O my people what have I done unto thee and wherein have I wearied thee testifie against me It is strange that sinners can see a black spot on the Lords faire face or that their will that is nearer of kin to reason then the affections that are in beasts should be averse to God yet it is said of wicked men that they are haters of God Rom. 1.30 His citizens hated him Luk. 19.14 Joh. 15.24 And especially these speeches carry allusion to Ps. 81.11 Israel would have none of me 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Israel had no liking of me no will of me So that weakenesse simply is not the nearest cause of our not comming to Christ but wilfull weaknesse or rather weak-wilfulnesse 1. Because in agents that cannot worke there impotencie or lownesse of nature is the cause as the reason why a horse cannot discourse as a man is because his nature is inferiour to the reasonable nature of a man and not because the Horse will not but because he cannot discourse The cause why a lump of clay casts not such light in the night as a candle or a starre in the firmament is the basenesse and opacitie of the nature of clay to produce such an action as to give light there is not such a thing as will in the clay which intervenes between its nature and the no-giving light in the night But men hearing the Gospell doe not beleeve not only because they cannot for beasts cannot beleeve but because as Christ saith They will not beleeve Joh. 5.40 They will have none of Christ. Psal. 81.11 They will not have Christ to reigne over them Luk. 19.14 And will intervenes betweene the impotencie of their will and their disobedience 2. Because that hatred of God and of Christ ascribed to unregenerate men Rom. 1.30 Luk. 19.14 Joh. 15.24 is the birth that lay in the wombe of Will and comes from Will as Will and not onely from Will as weake so mens delighting and their loving to be estranged from Christ and to satisfie themselves with other lovers beside Christ are high bended acts of the Will Which argueth that not onely weaknesse but wilfulnesse hath influence in mens unbeliefe 3. The Lord chargeth men with this Matth. 23.37 I would yee would not 4. Conscience taketh it on its will and fathers disobedience on the will 1. Sam. 8.19 Nay but we shall or we will have a King Jer. 44.16 The people avow their will and peremptory resolution is we will not hearken to thee 6. But for the ground reason and cause on Christs part of drawing it is free grace and only free grace which are holden forth in these Positions Pos. 1. As there is no merit good deserving worke or hire in the miserable sinner dying in his bloud dead in sinnes out of his wit and disobedient deceived and serving divers Lusts Ezech. 16.4 5 6 7 8. Ephes. 2.1 2 3 4. Tit. 3.3 4. So there is as much love mankindnesse and free grace in heaven in the breast of Christ as would save all in hell or out of hell I speake this in regard not of the Lords intention as if he did beare all and every one of mankind a good will purposing to save them But because their lyes and flowes such a Sea and Ocean of infinite love about the heart and in the bowels of Jesus Christ as would over-save and out-love infinite worlds of sinners so all could come and draw and drinke and suck the breasts of overflowings of Christs free grace in regard of the intrinsecall weight and magnitude of this love that if you appoint banks to channell or marches to bound this free love God should not bee God nor the Redeemer the Redeemer Pos. 2. Could any created eye of Men or Angels reach or compasse the thousand thousand part of this love with one look such an act of adoration and admiration must follow thereupon as should breake the soule and breast of this creature in a thousand pieces but Christ in heaven and out of heaven is hid Infinitenesse is a secret that Angels or Men never did never shall comprehensively know there is a secret of love seene in heaven but never seene how little of the Sea doe our naturall eyes behold Onely the superfice We see but a little part of the skinne or hide of the visible heavens with our bodily eyes but so much as is seene is of exceeding beauty No eye bodily can see the bottome of the Seas or the large in-fields in the visible heavens If the infinite lumpe of the boundlesse love of Christ were seene at once what a heavens wonder what a worlds miracle would Christ appeare to bee But as much of Christ is seene as vessels of glory though wide enough can comprehend But if Angels and glorified Saints see much of Christ and so accordingly as they see and know doe praise him and yet cannot over-praise and out-sing so much as they see and if the in-side of infinitenesse of love free grace mercy majesty dominion be an everlasting Mystery Angels and Men are below merit even in heaven and Angels and Saints must be ashamed of and blush at the imagination of merits for an infinite lovely Majesty seen and not praised nor loved in any measure of equality or commensuration to his dignity and worth must lay infinite though sinlesse debt for eternity on all the Citizens of glory whether home-borne or natives of that Countrey as elect Angels or adopted strangers as glorified Saints Pos. 3. The manner of graces working on Saints is gracious and so essentially free as is evident in our first drawing to Christ when many sins are forgiven and so the soule loves much and the sweetest burden in heaven or out of heaven is a burden of the love of Christ All debt must be a burden to an ingenuous spirit but the debt of free grace that lieth from eternity on Angels and Men is a lovely and a desireable paine That men before they were men and had being and before all eternity were in the bosome of Christ the ingaged debters of the Lambe in the purpose of free grace loved with an everlasting love is a deepe thought of love and that being was gratious being before actuall being speaketh and cryeth much love and it s the floure the glory the crowne of free grace that Gods free love in Christ casteth forth the warming rayes and beames of the Redeemers kind heart on men who are enemies darkenesse haters of God dead in sinne dying in blood and pollution And how broad how warme and how ranckly must the faire and large skirts of Christs love smell of admirable grace when they are spred over the bleeding the loathsome the blacke and unwashen sinner is not every word a heaven Ez. 16.8 Now when I passed by thee and looked upon thee behold thy time was
are as unable to beleeve without the Spirit as to pray without the Spirit 4. To bid them set on Evangelike duties without trusting in them that is to feele their lost condition to despaire of salvation in themselves to looke a farre off to Christ to desire him are the set way that Christ walkes in to fit us for saving Grace Object 2. Dispaire of salvation in my selfe is a part of Faith so you exhort the troubled in minde at first to beleeve Answ. Not so Judas and Cain both dispaired of salvation in themselves yet had they no part of saving faith It s unpossible that any can rely on Christ while they leave resting on false bottomes Faith is a saying and a swimming Ships cannot sayle on mountaines its â—npossible to swim on drie land as it is impossible to have a soule and not to have a love so we cannot have a love to lye by us as uselesse but a lover we must have and Christs worke of conversion is orderly as first to plow and pluck up so then to sow and plant and first to take the soule off old lovers We are on a way of gadding to seeke lovers Jer. 2. â—6 On a high and loftie mountaine to set our bed Esai 57.7 God must straw thornes and briars in our love-bed and take Ephraim off his Idols Hos. 14.6 and from riding on horses and make the soule as white and cleane paper that Christ may print a new lover on it Therefore its young mortification in the blossome to give halfe a refusall to all old lovers this is Christs ayme Cant. 4.8 Come from the Lyons dens and the Mountaines of Leopards with me Object 3. Desires to pray and beleeve being sometimes cold sometimes none at all cannot satisfie a troubled soule I must have besides desires indeavours And desires to desire and sorrow because I cannot sorrow for sinne are but Legall works not such as are required in a broken heart Answ. Desires going before conversion are nothing lesse then satisfactory nor are they such as can calme a storming conscience he knowes not Christ who dreames that a wakened conscience can bee calmed with any thing lesse then the bloud of Jesus Christ that speakes better things then the bloud of Abel Never Protestant Divines promise soule-rest in preparations that are wrought by the law 2. If Antinomians can give soule-rest to troubled consciences by all the promises of the Gospel and raise up the Spirits of Judas or Cain to found comfort let them be doing yea or to weake afflicted soules while the Spirit blowes right down from the Advocat of sinners at the right hand of God we much doubt Sure there is a lock on a troubled conscience that the Gospel-letter or the tongue of Man or Angel can be no key to open Christ hath reserved a way of his owne to give satisfaction to afflicted Spirits But the question is now supposing yee deale with unconverted men whether or no yee are not First to convince them of the curses of the Law to come on them to humble them and so to chase them to Christ and if to bid them be humbled and know their dangerous condition the state of damnation and set to these preparatory duties be to teach them to seeke righteousnesse in themselves Wee answer no. Object 4. If we preach wrath to beleevers we must either make them beleeve they lye under that wrath or no if they be not under that wrath we had as good hold our tongues if we say if they commit these and these sinnes they are damned and except they performe such and such duties and except they walke thus and thus holily and doe these and these good works they shall come under wrath or at least God will be Angry with them what doe we in this but abuse the Scriptures We undoe all that Christ hath done we bâ—ly God and tell beleevers that they are under a covenant of workes I would have wrath preached to beleevers that they may abstaine from sinne because they are delivered from wrath not that they may be delivered from wrath for God hath sworne Isai 54. as the world shall be no more destroyed with waters so he will be no more wrath with his people Answ. 1. Wee are to make beleevers know if they beleeve not and walke not worthy of Christ in all holy duties their faith is a fancie and a dead faith and the wrath of God abides on them and they are not beleevers 2. Though they be beleevers wrath must be preached to them and is preached to them every where in the New Testament as death Ro. 6.21.22 damnation Ro. 14.23 the wrath of God Ephes. 5.6 condemnation 2 Thes. 1.8 perdition flaming fire eternall fire 1 Cor. 3.17 1 Cor. 11.32.34 Jude 7.8 1 Tim. 6.9 1 Cor. 16.22 to the end they may make sure their calling and election 3. What is this but to make a mock of all the threatnings of the Gospel For by this argument the threatnings are not to bee preached to the Elect before their conversion except wee would make them beleeve a ly that they are reprobats and under wrath when they are under no wrath at all but from eternity were delivered from wrath nor should the Gospel-threatnings be preached to reprobats Why shew mee one word where Pastors are bidden tell men they are to beleeve they are reprobats and under eternall wrath peremptorily except wee know them to have sinned against the Holy Ghost 4. Nor is deliverance from wrath to be beleeved as absolutely by us whether we beleeve and walke worthy of Christ or doe no such thing but walke after the flesh as we are to beleeve the world shall never be destroyed with waters that is a comparison to strengthen the peoples weak faith Else I retort it thus whether the world beleeve in Christ or not they shall never be drowned with water and that we are to beleeve absolutely Then by this reason whether men beleeve on Christ or no there is no condemnation or wrath to be feared The contrary is expressely Joh. 3.18.36 I take the mystery to be this Antinomians would have no morall no Ceremoniall Law preached at all and therefore one of them writeth expressely 1. That there be no commandements under the Gospel 2. No threatnings or penalties at all 3. That the whole Law of Moses Morall as well as Ceremoniall is abrogated under the Gospel That is a merrie life Object 5. Other Preachers bid the troubled soule be sorry for sinne lead a better life and all shall be well Answ. Such as lead not men to Christ with their sorrow for sin or to any good life that is not or fits not for the life of faith are none of ours but the Antinomians Object 6. But others bid the troubled soule beleeve but he must first seek in himselfe qualifications or conditions but this is to will them to walke in the light of
destroyed and made to cease Yea saith the Bright Starre cap. â— pag. 20. The naked influence of God annihilates all the acts of the soule Cap. 4. pag. 28. Boyling desires after Christ savours too much of action hindereth the soule to be perfectly illuminated and to arise to the rosie kisses and chaste embraces of her Bridegrome See Theolog. German cap. 5. pag. 9 10. and In place of them the Holy Ghost works And this Author saith The Spirit of adoption works not freely when men are in bondage to some outward circumstances of worship as time place or persons that thâ—y cannot pray but at such houres or in such places c. Protestant Divines teach no such thing But his aime is to set on foot the Familists Doctrine That wee are not bound to keep a constant course of prayer in our Families or privately unlesse the Spirit stirre us up thereunto Saltmarsh saith hee thought hee could have spent a whole night in prayer but 1. whether hee did so or no hee expresseth not lest hee should contradict his Brethren the Familists of New-England who teach That to take delight in the service of God is to goe a whoring from God 2. It would be asked Whether this sit was on him before or after his conversion To say before would seeme a delusion or a preparation of eminency if after conversion it s to no purpose except to be a mark of a converted man And Antinomians have no stomack to Marks nor belongs it to the way of his conversion which hee relates It is true wee cannot tye the Spirit to our houres but then all the Lords-day-worship all set houres at morn or at night in private or in families set times and houres for the Churches praying preaching heating conference reading were unlawfull for wee cannot stint the Spirit to a set time nor are wee tyed to time except to the Christian Sabbath Some may say It s no charity to impute Familists errors of New-England to Antinomians here Answ. Seeing Saltmarsh and others here doe openly owne Antinomian Doctrine as the way of Free grace they are to be charged with all those till they cleare themselves or refute those blasphemies which they have never done to this day Object 9. I seldome desired pardon of sin till I were fitted for mercies but now I see wee are pardoned freely O rest not in your owne duties Answ. To desire pardon of sin before we be sitted for pardon by no Divinity is contrary to free pardon though such desires be fruitlesse as coming from no gracious principles Asser. 8. To beleeve and take Christ because I am a needy sinner is one thing and to beleeve because I am fitted for mercy and humbled is another thing This latter wee disclaime Preparations are no righteousnesse of ours nor is it our Doctrine to desire any to rest on preparations or to make them causes foundations or formalia media formall meanes of faith they hold forth the meere order and method of graces working not to desire pardon but in Gods way of fore-going humiliation is nothing contrary but sweetly subordinate to free pardon And to cure too suddenly wounds and to honey secure and proud sinners and sweeten and oyle a Pharisee and to reach the Mediators bloud to an unhumbled soule is but to turne the Gospel into a charme and when by Magick you have drawne all the bloud out of the sick mans veines then to mixe his bloud with sweet poyson and cause him drinke and swell and say you have made him healthie and fat Now Peter Act. 2. poured vinâ—ger and wine at first on the wounds of his hearers when hee said Yee murthered the Lord of glory and they were pricked in their heart This is the Law 's work Rom. 3. to condemne and stop the sinners mouth And you cannot say that Peter failed in curing too suddenly because hee preached first the Law to wound and prick them for that they crucified the Lord of glory before hee preached the Gospel of beleefe and Baptisme And the Lord rebuking Saul from heaven convincing him of persecution casting him downe to the ground striking him blind while hee trembled And the Lords dealing with the Jayler was fourer work then proposing and pouring the Gospel oyle and honey of freâ—ly imputed righteousnesse in their wounds at the first and a close unbottoming them of their own righteousnesse And the Lords way of justifying Jews and Gentiles is a Law-way as touching the order Rom. 3. Having proved all to be under sin Vers. 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18. hee saith Vers. 19. Now wee know that what things soever the Law saith it saith to them who are under the Law that every mouth may be stopped and all the world become guilty before God Indeed if they be convinced of sin by the Spirit and so converted and yet under trouble of mind a pound of the Gospel for one ounce weight of the Law is fit for them But Antinomians erre not knowing the Scriptures in dreaming that converted soules are so from under the Law that they have no more to doe with the Law no more then Angels and glorified Saints so as the letter of the Gospel doth not lead them but some immediate acting of the Spirit And that 2. there is no commandement under the Gospel but to beleeve onely That 3. mortification and new obedience as M. Town and others say is but faith in Christ and not abstinence from worldly lusts that warre against the soule 4. That the Gospâ—l commandeth nothing but perswadeth rather that we may be Libertines and serve the flesh and beleeve and be saved 5. That God hath made no covenant with us under the Gospel the Gospel is all promise that wee shall be carried as meere patients to heaven in a chariot of love 6. That the way is not strait and narrow but Christ hath done all to our hands 7. That its Legall not Gospel-conversion to keep the soule so long under the Law for humiliation contrition and confession and then bring them to the Gospel whereas wee teach that the Law purely and unmixed without all Gospel is not to be used as a dyet-potion onely to purge never to let the unconverted heare one Gospel-promise It is true Peter preached not Law to Cornelius nor Philip to the Eunuch nor Ananias to Paul but these were all converted afore-hand Wee think the unconverted man knowes neither contrition nor confession aright But I was more confirmed that the way of Antinomians is for the flesh not for the Gospel when I read that M. Crispe expounding Confession 1. Joh. 1. maketh it no humble acknowledging that the sinner in person hath sinned and so is under wrath eternall if God should judge him but hee maketh it a part of faith by which a sinner beleeveth and confesseth that Christ payed for his sin and hee is pardoned in him Sure Confession in Scripture is no such thing
though no penall power was above Christs head to punish him if he should not dye Joh. 10.18 Nor was there need of any power to force him sub penâ or to awe him if hee should not obey so doe Angels with wings of most exact willingnesse obey God yet are they under the authority of a Law and command but yet under no compelling punishment Psalm 103.20.21 Psalm 104.4 So in the Saints love hath changed the chaines not the subjection Love hath made the Law silken cords and whereas corrupt will was a wicked Landlord and lust a lawlesse tyrant and the Law had a dominion over the sinner in regard of the curse Now the Spirit leades the will under the same commanding power of the Law-giver frees the sinner from the curse and turnes forcing and cursing power in fetters of love so that the Spirit draws the will sweetly to obey the same Lord the same law onely Christ hath taken the rod out of the Lawes hand and the rod was broken and spent on his own back The fewd betweene the Law and the sinner is not so irreconcilable as the Antinomians conceive so as it cannot bee removed except the Law be destroyed and the sinners free will loosed from law It standeth in blessing and cursing salvation and damnation that are effects of the Law as observed or violated Now Christ was made a curse and condemned to die for the sinner all the rest of the Law remaines It is most false that M. Towne saith To justifie and condemne are as proper and essentiall to the Law as to command 2. It is false that wee are freed from active obedience to the Morall Law because Christ came under active obedience to the Morall Law for the Law required obedience out of love Antinomians cannot say that wee are freed from obedience out of love for it is cleare Antinomians will have us oblieged by no Law to love our brother to abstaine from worldly lusts that warre against the soule but in so doing wee must seek to be justified by the works of the Law This consequence wee deny To keep one Ceremony of Moses drawes a bill on us of debt to keep all the Ceremoniall Law because now its unlawfull in any sort But to doe the duties of the Morall Law as by Christ wee are enabled layes no such debt on us but testifies our thankfulnesse to Christ as to our Husband and Redeemer The other considerable thing here is the way and manner of Christs drawing Asser. 1. The particular exact knowledge of the Lords manner of drawing of sinners may be unknowne to many that are drawn 1. In the very works of nature the growing of bones in the womb is a mystery farre more the way of the Spirit Eccles. 11.5 Know yee the ballancing of the clouds Job could not answer this And who knowes how the Lord patched together a peece of red clay and made it a fit shape to receive an heavenly and immortall spirit and at what window the soule came in 2. How God with one key of omnipotency hath opened so many millions of doores sinâ—e the Creation and hath drawne so many to him must be a mystery There be many sundry locks and many various turnings and throwings of the same key and but one key 1. Some Christ drawes by the heart as Lydia Matthew Love sweetly and softly bloweth up the doore and the King is within doores in the floore of the house before they be aware Others Christ trailes and draggeth by violence rather by the haire of the head then by the heart as the Jayler Act. 16. and Saul Act. 9. who are plunged over eares in hell and pulled above water by the haire of the head sure thousands doe weare a crowne of glory before the throne who were never at making of themselves away by killing themselves as the Jayler was A third sort know they are drawne but how or when or the Mathematicall point of time they know not some are full of the Holy Ghost from the womb as John Baptist. Yee must not cast off all nor must Saints say they are none of Christs because they cannot tell you histories and wonders of themselves and of their owne conversion some are drawne by miracles some without miracles the word of God is the Road-way Arminians have no ground to deny that wee are irresistibly converted because wee know not the particular way how Omnipotency conspireth strongly but sweetly to win consent without internall violence of our will which so wills as it may refuse Joh. 9. diverse times the Jewes aske the blind man What did hee to thee how opened hee thine eyes Hee gives them one sure and true Answer One thing I know once I was blind now I see All can give this testimony early or late I know I am drawn It s good the soule can say Christ is here I find him and feele him but whether hee came in at the doore or the window or digged a hole in the wall I know not All may know they were blind as well as others and by nature the children of wrath as yee know Adam hath had a building in you though now yee be renewed in the spirit of the mind by the old stones and rubbish in the house and by the stirrings of the old man When yee see the bones of a halfe dead man and his grave and find some warmnesse of life and heat yee know there hath been life and strength in the man so though yee cannot tell when Christ was first formed in you yet yee find the bones and some warme bloud and some life-stirring of concupiscence in the old man though Christ have made his grave and hee be well neare compleatly buried and his one foot in the grave God hath appointed a time for the coming of the Swallow a season when flowers shall be on the earth and when not an houre when the sea shall be full tyde but there is no set day not a determinate and set summer known to us when the wind shall blow up doores and locks of the soule and Christ shall come in But yet they are not Christs who neither know how they are drawn nor can give any proofs that they are drawne The Apostle saith 1 Cor. 2.12 Now wee have received not the Spirit of the world but the Spirit which is of God that wee might know the things that are freely given to us of God The converted can say I was such a man 1 Tim. 1.13 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but I obtained mercy or I was all be-mercied filled with mercy As Ezek. 16. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thy time was a time of loves As a constellation is not one single starre but many so the converted soule observeth a confluence a bundle an army of free loves all in one cluster meeting and growing upon one stalk As to be borne where the voyce of the Turtle is heard in the land its free love to heare such
ninety nine beside because this is the Master wheele that stirreth all the rest Now the Lord knoweth how to reach down his hand to the bottome of the elective faculty and that wheele being moved without more adoe it drawes all the affections as subordinate wheels If the key be not so fitted in the work wards and turnings of it as to remove the crosse-barre it cannot open the doore Omnipotency of grace is so framed and accommodated by infinite wisdome as that it can shoot aside the dissenting power without any violence and get open the doore If free will be the workmanship of God as wee must confesse it is a needlesse arguing of Arminians and Jesuites to say that free will is essentially a power absolutely loosed from predeterminating Providence so as whatever God doth on the contrary it may doe or not doe it may nill will chuse refuse or suspend its action for such a creature so absolute so soveraigne and independent as hee that made it cannot without violence to nature turn move bow determine and master it in all its elective power for his own ends and as seemeth good to the Potter for the manifestation of mercy and justice is to say Hee that made the free will cannot have mercy on it hee that framed the clay-vessel cannot use it for honour or dishonour as hee pleaseth hee that moulded and created the horologe and all the pins pieces and parts hath not power to turn the wheels as hee pleaseth 4. Christ in externall meanes accommodates himselfe so in the revealing of himselfe as hee thinks good 1. In accommodating his influence with his word 2. With externalls of providence The breathings of the Holy Ghost goe so along with the word as the word and the Spirit are united as if they were one Agent as sweet smells are carried through the aire to the nose The word is the chariot the vehiculum the horse the Spirit the Rider The word the arrow the Spirit steeleth and sharpeneth the arrow The word the sword the Spirit the steel-mouth and edge that cutteth and divideth asunder the soule and the spirit the marrow and the joynts Heb. 4.12 It is the same Christ in all his lovelinesse and sweetnesse that is preached in the word and conveyed to the soule not God or Christ as abstracted from the word as Enthusiasts dreame And though the Preacher adde a Ministeriall spirit to the word to cause Felix tremble yet hee is not Master of the saving and converting Spirit Golden words though all Gospel and honeyed with heaven and glory planting and watering without the Spirit are nothing In externals of providence God chuseth 1. Meanes 2. Time 3. Disposition 4. Anticipation of the sinners intention 5. Fit words 1. In meanes God appeares to Moses acquainted with mountaines and woods in a bush which burnt with fire to the Wisemen skilled in the motions of the heaven in a new starre to Peter a fisher in a draught of fishes 2. He setteth a time and takes the sinner in his month Jer. 2.24 In his time of love Ezech. 16.8 When he is ripe like the first ripe in the figge-tree Hos. 9.10 3. Often he chuseth in the furnace Hos. 5. Last verse I will returne to my place Hebrew till they make defection or be guilty for the most part man is not guilty in his owne eyes while hee bee as Manasseh was in the bryars the fire melting the silver portrait of a horse causes it losse the figure of head feet leggs and turnes all in liquid white water and then the metall is ready to receive a farre other shape of a man or any other thing the man is ductill and bowable and â—npartiall when God seales and stamps the rodd he is not so wedded to himselfe as before it may be also that mercies and great deliverances and favours melt the man and bring him to some gracious capacity to be wrought on by Christ. 4. Christ anticipates the current of the heart and intention When Saul is on a banquet of blood Christ out-runnes him and turnes him all men are converted contrary to their intentions thousands are in a channell and current of high provocations and they are in the fury of swelling over the banks and Christ gets before them to turne the current to another channell Christ is swift and they are all chased men that are converted Sure Mathew that morning he came to the receipt of custome minded nothing but money and his count book and had not a forset purpose of Christ and because intentions purposes counsels are as it were essentiall to rationall men as men and the refined'st acts of reason and their noblest and most Angel-like works and Christ catcheth sinners contrary to their intentions and in this sense saves the sinner blesses him and gives him Christ and heaven against his will whether he will or not that is whether he spiritually will or no or whether he savingly intend his owne conversion or not 5. There is one golden word and God is in the word one good word that is fit and dexterous hic nunc Prov. 25.11 A word fitly spoken Heb. a word spoken on his wheeles is like apples of gold in pictures of silver Sure Christs words to a sinner ripe for conversion moves on wheeles that is in such order as two wheeles in one cart they answer most friendly one to another in their motion because Christ observeth due circumstances of time place person congruency with the will and disposition As Hos. 2.14 and Salomons Ecoles 12.10 The Preacher sought to find out acceptable words Hebr. words of will or of good will Christ was greater then Salomon and is a higher Preacher then he and seeks out words to the heart that burns the heart Luk. 24.32 Sure there is more of heaven more life and fire in these words to Mathew Follow me and to dying Jerusalem Live then in ordinary words the Hebrews call vaine words Esai 36.5 A word of lips Prov. 14.23 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 these be words of winde that are empty and have no fruit the words of the Lord fitted for converting are words of the heart and words of power which want not the effect they are words fit for the heart Esai 40.2 Hos. 2.14 Such words as teach the heart Esai 54.13 Joh. 6.45 there is an uncreated word sutable for the heart that goes along with the word spoken and that meets with all the byases turnings and contradictions of the heart and takes the man and no word but that onely can doe the businesse there is a word that is with child of love a word commeth from God and its a coale from the Altar that is before the Lords throne and it fires up all yron locks in the soule that the will must yeeld The woman of Samaria heareth but these words I am he that talketh with thee and her will is burnt with a strong necessity of love
and great day of the feast Jesus stood and cryed saying If any man thirst let him come to me and drinke 2. Not a drink onely is offered but a well a fountain Psa. 36.9 For with thee is the fountain of life a fountain is more then a drinke because the whole is more then the part But 3. every thirsty man cannot have a fountain within him but yet it is so here Joh. 4.14 But the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up to life eternall And 4. the Scripture riseth higher even to a river and abundance of fatness Psal. 36.8 They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatnesse of thy house Hebr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they shall be drunke with the fatnesse of thy house It s a river of sweet oyle and fatness that over-joyeth the soule thou wilt give them to drinke of the river of thy pleasures A river of which every drop is joy and a whole well of pleasures must be a Sea of delights But grace must make the soule a capacious vessell when not a fountaine but a whole river yea rivers of life are within the soule So Christ Joh. 7.38 He that beleeveth on me as the Scripture hath said Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living waters Yea 5. That no expression might be wanting The peace and righteousnesse of beleevers is as the waves of the Sea the Sea is more then a River it s the lodging that receives all fountains and rivers in it Isai. 48.18 Pos. 8. There must bee much sense of God in the fruition of Christ because beleeving though we see him not as wee hope to see him causeth joy unspeakeable and full of glory 1 Pet. 1.8 Thus a high tide a floud of joy and glory a rich portion of an antedated heaven cometh downe on the heires of heaven before hand Psal. 63.5 My soule shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatnes a rich feast of only marrow and fatnes and a satisfying table holdeth forth a great banquet abundant and glorious such as is made at the mariage of a great Kings Son Positi 9. And this is not a ceasing from all actings of the soule because there is an acting and living in Christ. 2 Cor. 3.18 But we all with open face beholding as in a glasse the glory of the Lord are changed into the same image from glory to glory as it were by the Spirit of the Lord. 1. The vaile that by the laws ministrie which can darken but not inlighten in the gospel is removed and we with uncovered face see God revealed in Christ in the brightnesse of the gospel-day 2. We see behold and enjoy glorie heaven darteth in the rays and beames of God in Christ at our soule 3. This is a changing glorie precious stones in the night-darkenesse cast out light but bring them before the Sunne and the beames and light of the Sunne changeth them into a greater measure of resplendencie and shining irradiation we seeing the unspeakeable resplendencie and heavenly glancing of divine majestie in the mediatour Christ are transformed and changed into the Lord Jesus his beautie of holinesse the Gospel-light maketh us holy as he is holy as there is beautie in the feathers of a Dove but when the Sun illuminateth and shineth on them they carie the glanceing of silver and golden feathers yet it is but a show And so red and white roses of themselves have excellent beautie but set them between you and the Sun and they are far more beautifull And the eastern skie of it selfe is but a darke thin formlesse air that yee can scarcely behold and see but when the Sun riseth and shineth upon that skie it doth create and beget the fairest and most beautifull colour of red and aizure that is possible for no bodily creature casteth a fairer and a sweeter resplendencie and colour then the morning-red and purple-skie So when the glorious Son of righteousnesse Christ shineth on Saints in the morning day-light of the Gospel he createth the image of the glory of God in the soule and changeth them into a luster and beautie fairer to Christs eye then the Sun or the red morning skie now the Sun by beholding any creature cannot change that creature into another Sun but Christ beholding his bride and the bride beholding with the eye of knowledge and faith in the rayes and beames of the Gospel-light is changed into the glorious image of Christ. Cant. 6.10 Who is she that looketh foorth as the morning as Aurora the first birth of the young day when the Sunne casteth golden beames faire as the Moon cleare as the Sunne 4. We live and act in Christ and are changed from glory to glory it s but a growing change by degrees Then the kingdome of heaven and glory is not in this life nor hell in this life as these dreamers say the conditions of happinesse and misery that followeth Lazarus and the rich glutton after they die and are buried Luke 16.22 23 24 25 say the contrary 2. There is such a gulfe between heaven and hell that there is no passage no sayling nor posting between the one and the other Luke 16.26 as Familists imagine 3. That Saints should beleeve they can never be delivered nor comforted in the hell they are pained with all in this life when yet God hath promised to them in their saddest nights deliverance and comfort is against the faith and lively hope of the Saints and a sinfull unbeliefe and the man in sin cannot be as safe in a hell of sin as if he were in heaven 4. Hell is a condition of sinning and blaspheming of God but to desire nothing but the eternall good and to understand the eternall good to be above measure good is not a condition of sinning but of happinesse and holinesse and so cannot be hell 5. These two conditions sort not with the everlasting fire prepared for the Devill and his Angels and life eternall prepared for the blessed of the Father Mat. 25. But to return if life be the greatest perfection of being the beleever in Christ must enjoy an intellectuall life in Christ and live see know injoy God and though the injoying of Christ bee the highest degree of selfe-deniall and the man loose himself in Christ that is his sinfull and fleshly I egoitie and selfinesse in Christ yet he loseth not but findeth in in Christ his sinlesse created selfe his selfe perfected with that high and supernaturall ornament of Christ living in him It is also most true selfe as all created beings are but meere dependencies on God as the beames of the Sun are but fluxes results and issues that have no being but in the Sun sure creatures depend more in their being and working on God then accidents depend on their subject but it is nothing lesse then blasphemy against all reason and common sense and subverteth all the Scriptures of God to say that
Open my sister c. My head is full of dew and my locks with the drops of the night there is no dumbe and silent violence so strong so piercing as Christs love 3. When the soule in any measure comprehendeth this love the Soule is filled with all the fulnesse of God Ephes. 3.19 Hence must follow a stretching out of the soule to its widest capacity and circumference being filled with God and the fulnesse of Christ that all created objects because of their littlenesse and lownesse and the soules stretched out and wide capacity looses proportion with the soule as if a man were in the top of a Castle higher then the third region of the ayre or neere the sphere of the Moone should hee looke downe to the fairest and sweetest meddowes and to a garden rich with roses and floures of all sweet colours delitious smels he should not see any sweetness in them all yea the pleasantnesse colour and smell of all these could never reach his senses because he is so farre above them So the soule filled with the love of Christ is high above all created lovers and they so farre below the soules eye that their loveliness cannot reach or ascend to the high and large capacity of a spiritualized soule as the light of a penny-candle put in a house of some miles in length in breadth and height in a darke night should not be able to illuminate all the house and render the ayre of a mile in quantity lightsome and transparent as the day-light Sunne would doe 4. Because the glory of Christs beauty seene and loved changeth the soule into a globe or masse of divine love and glory as it were by the Spirit of the Lord. 2 Cor. 3.18 Therefore the soule seeth Christ so neere in his love-embracements and close inchaining of Christs left arme under the soules head and the right hand embracing it that it cannot see it selfe it cannot see another lover it can see nothing but Christs faireness heare nothing but the beloved's voice taste nothing but his Aples of love his Flagons of wine can smell nothing but his Spicknard and precious oyntments so that the soule is cloathed with Christ and his love and can but breath out love to him againe and Christ infuseth himselfe in his sweetnesse and excellencie so as the beleever is apprehended by Jesus Christ Phil. 3.12 violently but sweetly and strongly drawne in and holden in the Kings house of Wine Cant. 2.4 Sickned and overcomed with love Cant. 2.5 Cant. 5.8 chained and compelled 2 Cor. 5.14 wounded with the arrowes of love so as death the grave Hell Angels things present or to come cannot licke these wounds nor embalme or bind them up or cure them Psal. 45.5 Revel 6.1.2 Cant. 8.6.7 Rom. 8.38.39 Yea the soule must yeeld over it selfe as a Spouse under the power of her husband and lose her self and her fathers house in such a deepe Ocean of delights of Love's stronger then wine Psal. 45.10 Cant. 5.1 Cant. 1.2 As melted dissolved and fallen a swoune in Christ Cant. 5.6 and therefore needeth in that swoune to be recovered with the flagons of the wine and aples of his consolations Cant. 2.4 5. Nor can Jesus Christ but tenderly lovingly and compassionately deale with his beloved for Christ must draw them Joh. 6.44 sweetly allure them Hos. 2.14 Esai 40.1 Take them by the two armes and teach them to walke as the mother doth the young childe who hath not yet leggs to walke alone Hos. 11.3 Beareth them in his armes and dandleth them on his knee Esai 46.3 4. Exod. 19.4 They are carried on Christs warme wings as the young Eagles by the Mother Devt 32.11 they are laid in Christs bosome and nourished with the warmness and the heate of life that commeth from Christs heart Esai 40.11 caried on the shoulders of Christ the good Shepherd Luk. 15.5 and yet neerer Christ as a bracelet about Christs armes so hee weares his Church as a favour and a love-token Jer. 22.24 Cant. 8.6 and ingraven in letters of bloud upon Christs flesh stamped and printed on the palmes of his hands Esai 49.16 and yet nearer him set as a seale upon the heart of Christ so precious to him as to lodge in his bowels and heart Cant. 8.6 and they dwell in Christ 1 Joh. 4.13 and dwell in God and God is love and so they dwell in the love of Christ 1 Joh. 4.16 are kissed with the kisses of Christs mouth Cant. 1.2 and lye betweene the right and left arme of Christ Cant. 2.6 Yet all these taketh not the soule off but inflameth it to duties for Christs sake who is so highly loved nor are these raptures inconsistent with sinfull infirmities 6. As love moveth swiftly to the soule as a Roe or a young Hart for that is Christs pace to his Church Cant. 2. so it acts upon the soule co-naturally as being a price to it selfe apprehending the dignity and excellency of Christ the beloved Love is not irrationall as a fury and a fit of madnesse that hath no reason but it s owne fire Therefore the secrets of Christ the deepe and hidden things of his treasures of love and wisdome must be opened up to the soule The soule seeth new gold mines new found-out Jewels never knowne to be in the the world before opened and unfolded in Christ. Here is the in-commings of the beames of light inaccessible the veins of the unserchable riches of Christ as if yee saw every moment a new heaven a new treasure of love the deepe bottomlesse bottomes of an ocean of delightes and rivers of pleasures the bosome of Christ is opened new breathings and spirations of love that passeth knowledge Ephes. 3.19 are manifested nor hath the eye seene nor the eare heard nor hath it entered in the heart of man to conceive the things that God hath prepared for them that love him 1 Cor. 2.9 yet are they revealed in some measure in this life 7. And it is most considerable how the soule in loving Christ is not her owne and in regard of loving Christ is not his owne but every one makes over it selfe to another and propriety or interest to it selfe in both sides as it were ceaseth Hos. 3.3 And I said unto her thou shalt abide for mee many dayes thou shalt not play the harlot and thou shalt not bee for another man so will I also be for thee so the Mariage covenant of grace saith I will be your God and yee shall be my people And the Spouse Cant. 2.16 My well-beloved is mine and I am his It is true Christ leaveth not off to be his owne or to be a free God when hee becomes ours but hee demeaneth himselfe as if he were not his owne and putteth on relations and assumeth offices of engagement a Saviour an Annointed a Redeemer a King a Priest a Prophet a Shepherd a Husband a Ransomer a Friend a Head a guide and leader of the people all
with the blood of Buls and Goats which was offered for the reconciling of men to God not of God to men 2. Because that blood is said to sanctifie and purge the conscience from dead works to serve the living God which cannot be said of God but clearly holdeth forth that Christ having offered himselfe without spot to God through the eternal Spirit those for whom he offereth himself cannot eternally perish as M. Moor saith p. 5. but that their consciences by this blood are purged from dead works to serve the living God And the place 1 Pet. 2.24 doth not prove that Christ bare the sinnes of many on the tree who are not actually saved by his death 1. The place saith the contrary and no such thing as that the Lord layd on Christ the iniquities of all and every one of mankinde 1 Peter restraines it to beleevers elect according to the fore-knowledge of God the Father through the sanctification of the Spirit begotten again unto a lively hope who are kept through the power of God by faith unto salvation 1 Pet. 1.2 3 4 5. And there is no colour that Peter speaketh of all Adams sonnes of all the heathen because hee saith Christ bare our sinnes Which bee these The sins of these that be called to patient suffering for well doing who are to follow Christ who left us an example of patient suffering who when he was vers 23. reviled reviled not again Now what is this the Indians and Tartarians patient suffering after Christs example to whose eares the name of Christ and his suffering never came by a dream or imagination 2. The sinnes of these which Christ bare on his own bodie on the tree are these that are healed with Christs strips and these that are returned to the Shepherd and Bishop of their soules and are to live to righteousnesse being dead to sin by the death of Christ who bare their sins v. 24 25. now these are the All that Isai speaketh of c. 53. when he saith 53.6 The Lord layd on him tâ—e iniquities of us all That is if we beleeve Arminians of all Moab Ammon Egypt Philistims Caldeans Ethiopians and all Adams Children who never heard of Christ for the thousand part of Adams Sons never heard of Christ then are they not obliged to beleeve in him of whom they never heard nor is it their sinne that they beleeve not Rom. 10.14 Ioh. 15.22 Ergo they are not obliged to live to righteousnesse being dead to sinne through Christs death because they never heard of Christs death Far lesse are all Adams sonnes healed with Christs stripes and returned to the shepherd and Bishop of soules nor was the chastisement of all the heathens peace upon Christ. And Esaiah expoundeth who be these all 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whose iniquities were laid upon Christ v. 8. for the transgressions of my people was he stricken and v. 12. he bare the sins of many as Matth. 20.28 and 26.28 The blood which is shed for many and he made intercession for sinners What doth he beare stripes for all the heathen and is he entred as High Priest for all Adams sons into the Holy of Holiest to plead and Advocate for such as Cicero Regulus Scipio Cato such as Pharoah Cain Judas Julian If he bare their iniquities he must beare their apostacie and finall infidelity or doth hee intercede for all and every one of mankinde 1 Ioh. 1.2 compared with 1 Ioh. 1.6 7 8 9 10. and Hebrew 9. He appeareth for us ver 24. for those that are sprinkled 13 14 15 16 17. and looke for him the second time vers 28. He maketh intercession for them that come to God through him Heb. 7.25 Who have a High Priest over the house of God Heb. 10.20 21 22. All these and many other places sheweth the contrary And the redemption that is in Iesus Christ Rom. 3.24 is not a Redemption which might have been confined within Christ to reconcile God to himselfe and which might consist with the finall totall and utter perishing of all mankind 1. We are justified through this redemption and not by the works of the law 2. V. 25. God set forth Christ this redeemer to be a propitiation through faith in his blood 3. That Christ might appeare the justifier of the ungodly vers 26. and exclude boasting by the law of faith ver 27. and bee the God of Iews and Gentiles ver 30.31 so that it was never Gods minde to imprison a reconciliation within the Father and the Sonne and leave our heaven at such a dead and cold venture as the discretion of indifferent free will so as it might fall out if men pleased that the suretie Christ should die and all his poore broken friends die eternally and suffer the second death also Arminians turne the Gospel in the sadest and bloodiest bargaine that ever was and yet the new English Arminians worse then their fathers say they preach not the Gospel of grace nor Christ who preach not their universall attonement in a grosser way then ever Arminians did for 1. Arminians durst not say Christ died vice loco omnium singulorum sed tantum in bonum eorum he died not in the person place and roome of all mankinde but onely for their good as Socinus taught them But Master Moore saith this right downe pag. 3. 2. Arminians durst not say Christ died and rose again and pleadeth as high Priest and Advocate for all but onely for beleevers Mr. Moore saith that for all he rose and acquiteth us of all our sins pag. 4. The place 2 Cor. 5.14.15 doth not prove a Reconciliation of all within God as Mr. Moore dreameth 1. The All that Christ died for if one died for all then were all dead by no reason must bee in number equivalent to all that died in the first Adam Nor is there any reason in the text to make all those that are actually made alive in Christ and live not to themselves but to Christ equall in number to all that died in Adam 1. God gave not Christ to die for heathen who were never to hear of Christ that they might live to Christ. 2. These words hence forth know we no man not Christ after the flesh nor for the outward priviledge of Jewish dignitie circumcision or a temporall kindgome which fleshlie dignity the Apostles sometime knew Christ for and expected in him but now this is taken away and Christ hath died for all that is for Iews and Gentiles without respect of any such differencie for Christ gave his life for the Gentiles as well as for the Iews 3 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for All is a word of efficacie and holds forth the Lords effectuall intention but if Mr. Moores glosse stand there is no effectuall intention in Christ to save all and every one Nor doth the place 1 Tim. 2.4.6 signifie any reconciliation not applyed to persons for his being given a ransome for all noteth clearely an
con-naturall end of Christs death is Joh. 10.10 That his sheepe may have life and have it more aboundantly he suffered the just for the unjust that he might bring us to God 1 Pet. 3.18 and in the very act of suffering to speake so or in that he was stripped and dyed The chastisement of our peace was on him Esai 53.5 This cannot bee such a possible heaven a fowle sleeing in the aire a may be as farre off as a never may be which may consist with an inevitable hell So as Christ dyed not but on a poore hopelesse venture and a forlorne contingencie that might as soone fill Hell with the damned soules of all the world as grace Paradice with redeemed ones 6. His comming in the world hath no such Arminian end that we reade of as a possible saving or an obtained salvation that thousands yea not one in the world may ever enjoy but he came to seeke and actually and intentionaly to save that which was lost Luk. 19.10 to save sinners 1 Tim. 1.15 and Paul the first of sinners and not for wrath but that we might obtaine salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ 1 Thes. 5.9 7. Nor did he so die that we should not live to our selves but unto Righteousnesse but that we might be 1 Pet. 2.24 redeemed from this present evill world Gal. 1.4 from our vaine conversation 1 Peter 1.18 That hee might redeeme us from all iniquitie and purifie to himselfe a peculiar people zealous of good workes Titus 2.14 That wee should glorifie God in our bodies and Spirits which are Gods 1 Cor. 6.20 That hee might present to himselfe a glorious Church not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing but that it should bee holy and without blemish Ephes. 5.27 Now Christ may obtaine the native and intrinsecall end of his death though all the Redeemed ones say the Arminians Live to themselves and never be redeemed from the present evill world nor from their vaine conversation and live and die to themselves and walking in their lusts 8. And upon what ground Christ is made Lord hee is made also a husband to the Church for the husband as an husband is made head of the wife Now the intrinsecall end and so the specifick acts of this husband who is joyned to us by the marriage-covenant of free grace must bee free love to his Spouse as Paul expoundeth it Ephes. 5.25 and the native fruit and end of Marriage is that the Spouse might have interest in the righteousnesse glory spirit wisdome and sanctification the kingdome and throne of the Husband and Lord not that hee might condemne and destroy his Spouse 9. It is a reasonlesse conceit that after Christ dyed hee hath a freedome to transact for our actuall saving and glorifying in what termes he will Law or Gospel Grace or Works because he dyed the surety of the covenant of grace Hebr. 7.2 and made his Testament and last will and confirmed it by his death as our friend and bequeathed to his poor friends the promise of an eternall inheritance Heb. 9.15 and so he died as the Mediator of the New Testament and sealed the Covenant with his blood which is therefore called the blood of the eternall covenant Heb. 13.20 Zach. 9.11 And therefore neither the first Testament was dedicated without blood Heb. 9.18 19 20 21. and Christ by his blood entred into heaven as a Priest to intercede for us v. 23 24. And this Arminian way over-turneth the whole Gospel which is a bargaine of blood between the Father and the son Christ and Christ dying and justifying pardoning the iniquities of his people making them heires of the same Covenant and Kingdome with himselfe is in this Indenture of free Grace the chiefe man Now unpossible it is that this can be an effect of Christs death that he may set up a covenant of grace and a Gospel-way to Heaven or set up another way when as by the Gospel-covenant only God gave Christ a body indented with him to doe the worke to make his soule an offering for sin and God promised to him if he would die a seed and that the pleasure of the Lord should prosper in his hand that his soule should be satisfied that he should justifie many intercede for many Isai. 53.10 11 12 13. Now if all might eternally perish notwithstanding that Christ died for them and it were free to Christ to make such a Covenant after his death in which not one man possibly may be saved Christ then should doe his work and yet not have his wages nor have a seed nor justifie his people nor have a willing people to serve him yea then should Christ offer the sacrifice of his body as our Priest on earth in sheding his blood and yet not enter into Heaven and the Holy of Holiest to intercede for us as our High Priest there also 10. All the offices and relations of Christ and comfortable promises of the Gospel shall be overturned for it is in the free will of man that Christ be King or no King Head or no Head of the Church a Husband or no Husband Clear it is Christ is a Gospel King now if his death might stand and attain its intrinsecall end and effect which is a meer possible reconciliation and a salvation to his people standing only in a may be or a may never be then Christ is a Gospel-King without a Kingdome of Grace the fruits whereof are righteousnesse joy of the Holy Ghost and peace Rom. 14.17 He is a King but Iudah shall never be saved in his dayes there shall be no righteousnesse no peace no joy in his Kingdome he is a Redeemer and a Saviour but his people all are eternally lost and die in bondage and misery and in their sins he is a Saviour but saves not his people from their sins he is the chief corner stone but no other living stones are built on him he is a head but hath not a living body quickned by his Spirit nor a body that is the fulnesse of Christ he is a Husband but the essence of his maritall and husbandly power standeth in that he hath power to destroy his Spouse eternally That he hateth his own flesh he is a Shepherd and a good Shepherd and layeth downe his life for his Sheepe but the roaring Lyon devoureth all his Flocke he carrieth not the Lambes in his bosome he feedeth them not in the strength of the Lord he causeth them not lye downe safely he leadeth them not to the living waters they hunger and starve eternally he is the vine-tree but no man bringeth forth fruit in him He is an eternall Priest but the sins of all he offereth for remaine in heaven before the Lord for ever hee is the promised seed and by death triumpheth over Devils and Principalities and powers but the Serpents head is not bruised Satan is not cast out Satan reigneth and ruleth in all mankinde He hath much in Christ
all the world of Elect and Reprobate all Adams Sons live and die in sin and are tormented with the Devill and his Angels eternally such a thing as life eternall and the Kingdome of heaven is for no use offered or purchased to the redeemed who stand before the Throne and sing praises to the Lambe He is the Lord and builder of his house the Church but he hath no Church but that which cannot be called a Church I know no Article of the Gospel that this new and wicked Religion of universall attonement doth not contradict 11. To beleeve in Christ is to beleeve that omnipotency can save Judas Pharaoh and all every mortall man so they beleeve in Christ But Christ hath purchased sufficient grace to no mortall man because in the obtaining of eternall life to all the world as Arminians say neither faith repentance or grace to beleeve and repent hath any place God might after Christs death have required nothing for our actuall salvation but abstaine from eating the fruit of such a tree and yee have life eternall in Christ. 12. How can Christs satisfaction be imputed to any man seeing it is a meer possible salvation or a power to save that may and doth stand with the damnation of millions that Christ died for 13. Christs dying had in his eye the Sanctification the giving of the Spirit the raising to life the eternall glory of not one man more then another not of Peter of Moses more then of Cain or Judas though he said Joh. 17.19 For their sakes sanctifie I my selfe And v. 24. Father I will that those whom thou hast given me should be where I am that they may behold the glory that thou hast given me 9. I pray not for the world but for them that thou hast given me 14. Christ hath died yet he must by the Arminian way make no Testament appoint no certaine heires but win the dead mans Legacy by free will and have it who will 15. Christ obtained by his death that the Gospel should no more be preached then the Law or faith in an Angel that men may be saved Vse All the doctrine contrary to universall attonement doth highly advance Christ for by it the Lord Jesus as Mediator and our High Priest must be essentially grace and essentially an Ambassador of Grace It is kindly to Christ to save salvation belongeth to Christ as Christ injoy him as a Saviour and yee cannot perish be joyned to him as a Husband and he cannot but love and save his Spouse submit to him as a King and ye must share with him in his Throne his Kings royall Crown was never ordained for another end but that the lustre of the precious stones in that Crown should shine on the face and soules of his Redemed ones Christ came not to destroy but to seek and to save the lost get in union with Christ by faith and the Spirit of the Lord Jesus and he will save you to speak so whether you will or no yee complain of corruption he is a King over the body of sin he is a Priest to sacrifice lusts to preach Christ a dying Redeemer of all and every one of mankind when millions redeemed doe eternally perish is to steal away Christ from the people as thieves in Ieremiahs dayes did steal the word of the Lord it is to make the Lord Jesus as weak and powerlesse a Priest as ever any son of Aaron for his blood no more can take away their sins then the blood of Bullocks or Goats could doe it it s to enthrone free will and dethrone the grace of Christ and to put shame on the Lord Iesus and his blood and though these enemies of the crosse of Christ now croud in in England under the Name of the Godly party yet it was a good Observation of that Learned and gracious servant of Christ Doctor Ames who conversed with Arminans that he could never see a proof of the grace of Christ in the conversation of such men as in doctrine were declared enemies of the grace of Christ. Now for the world All and the World and all Nations it may be demonstrate from Christs will in the Scriptures that if universall attonement and Redemption of all and every one can be proved from these Grammattications Then with the like strength I can prove 1. The conversion of all and every mortall man to saving Faith 2. The eternall salvation of all and every man 3. The eternall perishing of all and every one which must be infinitely absurd and blasphemous And if the good will of God cannot be extended to the end and the efficacious and onely saving meanes tending to this end which are salvation and saving faith with no colour of reason can it be extended to one means of redeeming all and every one rather then to another 1. There is an universall conversion and saving illumination which is called in the Text A drawing of all And I when I am lifted up on the crosse will draw all men to me Here is a drawing of all men and so an effectuall conversion but not of all and every man as Mr Den saith 1. Because v. 33. This drawing is by the power of Christ lifted up on the Crosse and by the Holy Spirit given by Christ Joh. 7.39 and 14.16 7. and 15.26 â—7 and 16.7 1â— 14. Now it can bee no Gospel-truth that Christ draweth by the lifting of himselfe on the Crosse and by his death all and every man to himselfe even thousands and millions of the sons of Adam that never heard one letter or the least sound of the Gospel or of his lifting up on the Crosse for sure Christs death-drawing must be by proposing the beauty and lovelinesse of Christ crucified which thousands never heard of 2. This drawing must be all one with the drawing which effectually produceth running Cant. 1.4 after Christ. And which is Ioh. 6.44 Now when Christ saith No man can come except he be drawn He clearly sheweth that the drawing of the Father is a peculiar priviledge of some and not common to all as the other two expressions beside of being taught of God and hearing and learning of the Father 3. Because all the drawn are raised up by Christ their life and head at the last day v. 44.4 The Adversary cannot show any drawing of Christ or to Christ that is common to all and every one of mankind So All Israel shall know the Lord as its Heb. 8.10 for this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel saith the Lord I will put my lawes into their minde and write them in their hearts and I will bee to them a God and they shall bee to mee a people vers 11. And they shall not teach every one his neighbour and every man his brother 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They shall all know me from the least of them even to thâ— greatest When was this covenant made under the Mesiah when
both the Iews to whom this Apostle wrote and the Gentiles came in After those dayes Arminians cannot deny but the putting of the law in the minde and writing it in their hearts and this knowing of the Lord not by the ministerie of man but by the inward teaching of the Spirit must be saving conversion and there is no more reason to expound Israel all Israel both Iews and Gentiles of all of every kinde and some few except they flee to our universalitie of the elect in the matter of conversion then in the matter of redemption by Christ when it is said Christ gave himselfe a ransome for all 1 Tim. 2. Bâ—cause it is their constant doctrine to make all and every one of Adams Sonnes as many as Christ died for to be the parties with whom the covenant is made so in the same covenant it is said Ioh. 6. 45. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They shall bee all taught of God as Ieremiah saith Chap. 31.34 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Because they shall all know me for I will forgive their iniquity and remember their sinne no more except they admit an universalitie of the redeemed of God then as they contend for an universall redemption and all and every one of mankinde in Christ to bee taken in within the covenant of grace for they expound all those of the visible Church there is as good reason that wee prove from the Grammar of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 All. An universall Regeneration and an universall justification of all as they can prove an universall redemption so is the same promise Isai. 54.11 and clearly Rom. 11.26 All Israel shall bee saved He meaneth Iews and Gentiles when the fulnesse of the Gentiles shall come in here is universall salvation of all So by Iohn Baptists ministry all and every one of his hearers must bee converted why As Arminians expound many that Christ died for Matth. 20.28 To bee all and every man without exception 1 Tim. 2 6. Heb. â— 9 1 Ioh. 2.1 so they are debters to us for the same liberty Mal. 4. He shall turne the hearts of the fathers to the children Luke 1.16 Many of the children of Israel shall hee turne to the Lord their God these wee must expound by the Arminian Grammar of the conversion of all and every one that heard â—ohn preach contrary to Luke 7.29.30 for Pharisees and Lawyers were not converted Yea it is said Isai. 40. Every valley shall bee exalted and every mountaine shall bee made low and the crooked shall be made straight and the rough places plain and the glory of the Lord shall bee revealed and all flesh shâ—ll see it together Matth 3. expoundeth it of the preaching of repentance and the coming of the kingdome of God by the ministrie of Iohn so doth Mark 2.3 and Iohn 1.2 And the filling of vallâ—yes and making straight crooked things is sure the humbling of the proud and the exalting of the humble and the conversion of the disobedient But who can say that all and every mountaine was made low and by Iohns ministrie or Christ either Was the Gospel preached to all and every man or the heart of every sonne converted to the father or did all flesh see or injoy the salvation of God Then they must flee to our exposition yea the seeing of the salvation of God is no lesse the saving of all which Arminians cannot say Mr. Den saith That the seeing of God is in that when they knew God they glorified him not as God Rom. 1.21 And they liked not to retain God in their knowledge as that is they have both seen and hated both me and my Father and Mat. 13 1â— And seeing they see not but saith he it is not to bee understood of saving knowledge Answ. 1. This is contrary to the scope of the Prophet Isaiah and of the Evangelists who aime at holding forth the fruits of the Gospel in John Baptist his Ministery which was the conversion of soules as Malachy saith and the bringing down the proud and in tuâ—ning many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God and in going before Câ—riâ—t in the Spirit and power of Elias to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the disobedient to the wisedome of the just and to make ready a people prepared for the Lord Luke 1.16 17. Which is a cleer Exposition of laying every proud Mountain levell to Christ and of fitting soules for the Messiah Which no man can say by teaching such a knowledge of Christ as Idolatrous Heathen had of God as Creator or blinde and obstinate Pharisees had of Christ and his Father whom they both saw and hated Joh. 15. Rom. 21. That seeing of the salvation of God is neither conversion nor preparation of a people for Christ. 2. The phrase of seeing God and the salvation of God being set downe as a powerfull fruit of the Gospel hath never in Scripture so low a meaning as is not wanting to naturall men and Atheists and Pharisees But is meant of an effâ—ctuall knowledge of God and the injoying of God as Job 19.25 I shall see God Psal. 106.5 That I may see that is inioy the good of thy chosen Isai. 33.17 Thine eyes shall see the King in his beauty Isai. 52.10 The ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God Matth. 5.8 Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God Joh. 3.3 Except a man be born againe he cannot see the Kingdome of God Acts 22.14 Then Ananias said to Saul the God of our Fathers hath chosen thee that thou shouldest know his will and see that just one Heb. 12.14 Follow holinesse without which no man shall see the Lord. But if Mr. Den and others will contend that this seeing of the salvation of God is the revelation of the literall knowledge of Christ that saving thing which is bestowed on the Nations by the Ministery of John and the coming of the Messiah they must with us confesse a large Synecdoche and figure in this when it is said All flesh shall see the salvation of God because there are thousands that live and die in the region and shadow of death to whom the least taste of literall knowledge of Christ or of his Name nâ—ver came Psal. â—9 9 In his Temple shall every one speak of his glory not every one but converts only can utter the glory of God savingly in the Temple of the Lord otherwise many speak and doe in his Temple to his dishonour Jer. 7.4.10 11. Ezech. 23.38 39. Acts 2.4 They were all filled with the Holy Ghost 17. And it shall come to passe in the last dayes saith GOD I will poure out my Spirit upon all flesh Now it is clear This is a prophecying of all flesh within the Church Your sonnes and your daughters shall prophecie your young men shall dreame dreames c. Now all flesh did never prophecy nor was
Redeemer that bought us our Saviour O free grace O free Redemption as Libertines now doe and yet they that deny sanctification deny Christ who in their profession bought them and its ordinary for Scripture to affirme things of men as they speak and professe as the Scripture calleth wolves Prophets Jer. 23. because they so professe themselves Christ called Judas friend but he was but a face friend and a reall enemie so Pharises are stiled by the Holy Ghost Matth. 9.12 13. whole and righteous just persons that need no repentance Luke 15.7 such as need not the Physician Marke 2.17 because they are such only in their own conceit and vain opinion not really if any man say Christ bought these in regard that by his death he purchaseth a dominion over Elect and Reprobate that all knees should bow to him Men and Angels Rom. 14.8 9 c. Isai. 45 2â— Phil. 2.9 10 11. Joh. 5.27 Acts 17.31 So that there is a difference between buying as conquerours and buying from our vain conversation I thinke it hath truth in it Christ by his death hath acquired a dominion but I much doubt if in that sense Scripture say Christ hath bought the Reprobate by his blood for so by his blood he hath bought Angels Devils all things and all knees in heaven and earth and under the earth for by his death and resurrection he hath acquired this dominion Rom. 14. God is the Saviour of all men 1 Tim. 4.10 It s not spoken of Christ as Mediator but of the living God the Saviour of all men Psal. 106.8.10 Matth. 8.25 Nehem. 9 27. Psal. 36.6 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is here and the living God is given indefinitely to God as one with all the three but God in Christ is specially the Saviour of beleevers Other places for Universall grace and the Apostacy of the Saints I passe here Article 5. The fifth Particular is touching the Faith required of the Elect and of the Reprobate within the visible Church which ere I enter in let this one necessary doctrine clearing that point much be observed That if Christ draw all men to him Doct. He must have a singular and speciall good will and liking to save sinners in that strongly and seriously he draweth all sorts of men to himselfe 1. The promises and goodwill of Christ are not concluded or locked up as touching the revealed damnation of any sort of persons Christ is no ingrosser and never loved to make a Monopoly of Grace he sets down his will in positive comfortable positions Ioh. 6.39 This is the Fathers will which hath sent me that of all which he hath given me I should loose nothing but raise it up at the last day Joh. 5.24 Verily verily I say unto you he hath heareth my word and beleeveth in him that hath sent me hath everlasting life and shall never come to condemnation 2. Christ had so good mind to save That 1. He did not send only but the King came in person 1 Tim. 1.15 Luke 19.10 The Son of man came to seeke and to save c. 2. He cryed not afar off but came near hand to draw he came so neer as within the reach of his arme to save us 3. When a rope is cast downe to prisoners in a pit if it come not within the compasse of their reach and if it bee too farre for a short arme it can doe no good for the helpe of the prisoner therefore he came below us and under all our infirmities to put his shoulders under the lost sheep Luke 15.5 Love must sweet and stoop low to save 3. Christs good will is held forth in as large termes saving the Lords liberty of Election and Reprobation as can be and that in sixe wide expressions that no man should complaine Oh I am a drie tree because we are inclined to forge forced quarrels against the Lambe of God as if he loved not us and it s an answer to those that naturally complain of absolute Election As 1. The weakest are readiest to move doubts Object 1. I am sinfull and sinfully sicke and I have jealousies of the Physitian Ans. The Physitian came to force himselfe on the sick Mat. 9.12 13. sick of body are often sick of mind and passions of the soule rise with humours of the body the sick are soon angry and jealous Christ saith he hath a tender soule for a sick sinner Object 2. But I have little grace or goodnesse Ans. I can ye have lesse saith Christ then a reed its far below a Tree and a Cedar and I will not break a reed but a broken reed is out of hope it cannot doe any more good a reed is weak but a broken reed sure can never grow yea but he cannot breake the bruised reed but powres in oyle at the root of the broken reed and makes it green and causeth it to blossome So the fire or light in flaxe must be lesse then the fire in timber or wood but he will not throw water on flaxe that hath fire yea nor on smoaking flaxe that seems to have fire and hath but smoak Object 3. A broken bone in a living man may be splinted and cured but the heart is ultimum moriens the last thing of life if it be broken the man is gone he dyes when the last seat of life the heart is broken Yea but saith Christ I can bind uâ— the broken in heart Esai 61.1 Psal. 147.3 Object 4. If the man be dead and buried then farewell he there is an end no more of him Yea but Christ 2 Cor. 1.9 Ioh. 5.25 raiseth the dead and giveth life to drie bones Ezech. â—7 2. Some feare they have nothing but an empty profession Answ. Then the Scripture holdeth forth the promises to visible Saints 2 Cor. 7.1 Can ye come in among the crowd of visible Saints this is preached to all within the wide Gospel-Nett and Christs visible court Whosoever beleeveth shall be saved Joh. â— 16 Rom. 10.9 Ioh. 5.24 3. Say thou canst not come so neere as visible Professors but thou art nothing but a Publican and a sinner and that may be thought to be without Christs line of mercy Yet 1. Tim. 1.15 This is a faithfull saying and worthy of all acceptance that Christ Jesus came into the world to save Sinners Bee what thou wilt as unbeliefe estrangeth a sinner farre enough from Christ thou maist claime bloud and kinne to a sinner then Christ came to call sinners and to save sinners canst thou deny thy selfe to be a sinner 4. Canst thou crowd in amongst the We that are the godly party there is hâ—re roome for thee not to cast off Christ but that thou maist let out a warme looke and halfe an hope thou maist bee one of his the Gospel-grammar is faire and sweet art not thou amongst an Vs that there may be hope 1 Ioh. 4.9 In this was the love of God toward us because God sent his
righteousnesse and life then other strangers to Christ and Gentiles Rom. 9.30 31 32 33. Rom. 10.1.2 3 4. Rom. 11.1.2 3 4 5 6 7 8 c. rejected and there should be others as good as these by nature that the Lord should have mercy on now in both these first God is free in his grace secondly just in his judgements though he neither call nor chuse accoâ—ding to works thirdly the damned creature most guilty and fourthly the Lord both jâ—stly sâ—vere and graciously meâ—cifull fifthly none have cause to complaine or quarrell with God and yet God might have carried the matter a farre other way sixthly the head cause of this various administration with Nations and persons is the deep high soveraign innocent holy independent will of the great Potter and Former of all things who has mercy on whom he will hardneth whom he wil and this is the depth without a bottom no creature Angel or Men can so behave them selves to their fellow-creatures yet be free just holy wise c. but sure one creature can deal with his fellow creature according to the rules and road-way of an antecedent consequent will so may the King deal with his people the Governour with those he governes the Father with his children the Commander with his souldiers the Lord of a Vine-yard with his hired servants all these may order their goodnesse mercy rewards punishments in a way levill with the use industry improvement of free-will or the rebeâ—lion unjustice wickednesse and slothfulnesse of their underlings but no Master nor Lord can call Labourers to his Vine-yard and exhort obâ—est beseech them all to labour and promise them hire and yet keep from the greatest part of them the power of â—â—â—rring armes or legs of free consenting to labour and suspend his so acting on the greatest part of them as they shall willingly be caâ—â—ied on to wilfull disobedience and to be the passive objects of his revenging justice according to the determinate counsell of the Lord of this Vine-yard because so he willed out of his absolute soveraignty to deal with some and deale a just contrary way with the least part of the labourers because hee pâ—â—posed to declare the glory of his grace on them either there is here an unsearchable depth or Paul knew nothing and this calmes my minde and answereth all that reason can say for universall atonement and the 1. Vse I aym at is that no Doctrine so endeareth Christ to a soule as this of particular redemption and free-grace separating one from another Psal. 147 1â— Prayse the Lord O Ierusalem and amongst manâ— groundâ— here is one vers 19. he sheweth his word unto Iacob his Statutes and his judgements to Israel ver 20. he hath not dealt so with any Nation and he speaketh not of the measure as if God had revealed the same grace in nature but in an inferiour degree to other Nations for hee saith as for his judgements they have not known them and thâ—n being full of God for this separating mercy he addeâ—h prayse yee the Lord Christ esteems this the floure of grace the grace of grace and blesseth his Father for it Matth. 11.25 I blesse thee O Father Lord of Heaven and Earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them to babes now because Arminians say the pride of the self-wise and the humility of babes are the causes separating the one from the other and so free-will is to share with the Father in the praise of the reveiled glory of the Gospel and the discovered excellency of Christ to babes rather then to wise men a literall revelation no doubt was common to all babes and prudent the swelled Pharisees and humbled sinners Christ praiâ—eth the eminency the blossom of grace the bloom of free-love in that the free-wil of the humble and the proud made not the separation but the good pleasure of God ver 27. No man knowes the Son but the Father and he to whom the Son will reveale him 2. That which is common to all shall never leave an impression of wonder and thankfull admiration I and we are swelled lofty and proud things and the Spirit of God commends grace highly in that it falls upon pronowns and persons and not on others 1 Cor. 15.9 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I am the least of of the Apostlâ—s vers 10. By the grace of God I am that I am and his grace 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 toward me was not in vaine but I laboured more abundantly then they all 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but not I but the grace of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in me Tit. 3.3 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for we our selves also were sometime out of our wits disobedient c. ver 4. but when the kindnesse and man-love of God our Saviour appeared ver 5. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he saved us 1 Tim. 1.15 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I am the chief of sinners ver 16. but for this cause I obtained mercy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that in me first Iesus Christ might shew forth all long suffering Gal. 2.20 I am crucified with Christ but I live 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yet not I but Christ lives in me 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the life that I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God who has lovâ—d me and given himself for me 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ephes. 2.1 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and you who were dead in sins and trespasses hath he quickned ver 4. for his great love wherewith he loved us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 v. 5. even when we were dead in sins and trespasses he hath quickened us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 together with Christ ver 13. But now in Christ Iesus yee who somtimes were farre off are made neare by the blood of Christ the passing by my Father and mother and brother and sister neighbour and friend and taking me is a most indearing favour 3. Of all in Scotland and England all in Europe all Adams seed that ever were masters of a living soule in the womb or out of it the Lord passed by so many thousands and millions and the lot of free-grace fell upon me precisely by name and upon us and not upon thousands besides no lesse eligible then I was what thoughts will you have of the fâ—â—e lot of love that fell upon you ever since God was God when Christ shall lay such a load of love such a high weight and masse of love on you ye shall then think O how came I hither to sit in heavenly places with Christ that body that is trimmed cloathed and doubly embroydered with pure and unmixed glory is just made of the same lump of earth with the body of Judas or Cain that are now flaming and sinking to the bottom of the black and sad river of brimstone the Lord saith Ezek. 18.4 behold all souls are mine and
such a temple and seat of Majesty mâ—ght be named it should not be above every name nor a glory above every glory that can be named either in this world or in the world to come To me Conversion is the drawing of a sinner to Christ it s a supernaturall journey it s not a common way to come to this eternall wisdome of God as saith Iob 28.7 A path which no fowle knoweth and the vultures eye hath not seen where is the place of understanding ver 21. seeing it is hid from all living and kept close from the fowls of the aire v. 22. destruction and death say weâ— have heard the fame thereof with our â—ares ver 23. where is it then Natures dark candle cannot show it ver 23. God undâ—rstandeth the way thereof and he knoweth the place thereof Prov. 15.24 The way of life is on high the way of the life of all excellent lives is an high and an exalted way every man knows it not 2. Christ saith by way of exclusion that hee getteth not one soule to him but by strong hand and violence never man comes to Christ on his owne clay-leggs and with the strength of his owne good-will Ioh. 6.44 No man can come to me except the Father which hath sent me draw him 3. There be other acts of God of an high reach in these that come to Christ as there must be resigning over a making over of the Father to the Sonne v. 39. All that the Fatheâ— giveth me shall come The Fathers making over of any soule or his giving one to Christ is not by way of alienation as if the man belonged no more to the Father or were no more under the tutorie and guidance of the Father but under the sonne Familists teach us That there be distinct seasons of the working of the severall persons of the Trinitie so as the soule may bee said to be so long under the fathers and not the Sonnes and so long under the Sonnes work and not the Spirits Wee know no such destinct posts to heaven nor such shifting from hand to hand the Saints have many bouts in their way to glory but all the three joyntly at the same season help at the lifting of the dead out of the graves Ioh. 6.39.44.45 Ioh. 5 24.25 All the three in one dead list openeth blinde eyes and converteth lost sinners Matth. 11.25.26.27 Eph. 1.17.18 Mat. 16.17 Ioh. 12.32 2 Cor. 3.14.15.16.17 Ioh. 14.23 Ioh. 16.7 8.9.10 Ioh. 14.16 Eph. 2.1.2.3.4 1 Iâ—â— 2.27 1 Ioh. 5.6.7 Grace mercy and peace cometh that the same season to the seven Chuâ—ches from all the three From him which is and which was and which is to come and from the seven Spirits that is before the throne and from Ieâ—us Christ who is the faithfull witnesse c. 2 Cor. 13.14 Revel 1.45 Then the Father so giveth the elect to the sonne as I should not desiâ—e to be out from under the care and tutory of the Father the Father maketh them over and keepeth them in his own bowels and in the truth Ioh. 17.2.10.11 So there is the Fathers teaching and the hearing and learning from the Father Ioh. 6.15 It is written in the Prophets and they shall all be taughâ— of God Every man therefore that hath heard and hath learned of the Father cometh to mee In the uses of the doctrine I have three things to speak of 1. What a sinne they bee under who resist the right arm of the Father 2. What free-will and morall honestie can do or how nothing they are to work a communion with God 3. These are to be refuted who think we are neiâ—her to pâ—ay nor to doe nor to work out our salvation in fear and trembling but when the Lord by saving Grace acteth in us and draweth irresistibly Now to the end that this common Gospel-sinne may be the better seene in all its spots consider 1. What is in Christ the drawer 2. What is in Grace by which sinners are drawn 1. In Christ the drawer There bee many drawers suiting us the world is the taile of the great red Dragon and his taile drew the third part of the starres of heaven and did cast them downe to the earth Revel 12.4 Glorious professours like glistering starres up in heaven are drawn away after the dirty world should there bee more power in Sathans taile to draw down stars from heaven then there is beauty and sweetnesse in Christs face to ravish hearts and Deut. 30.17 Some turn away their hearts and are drawn away and worship other gods and serve them yet they are but bastard gods Christ has a true reall God-head in himselfe Why will you not be drawne after the smell of his precious ointments and Act. 5.37 Iudas of Galilee arose and drew away much people after him and they were destroyed and Iam. 1.14 every tempted man and who is not tempted is drawn away of his own lust and this is a mother with child of death and hell supposed goodnesse is an angle a vast net that drawes millions of souls to eternall perdition every man has a soule-drawer about him divels and false teachers are pulling at and hailing soules O bee drawn by Christ he is the rose without a thorne the Sunne without a cloud the beauty of the Godhâ—ad without a spot hee drawes his Fathers heart to love him and delight in him Christs love and the art of free grace are good at drawing of soules there is not a soule-drawer comparable to him Ah our hearts are as heavy as hell suppose that hell were of the bignesse of ten worlds all of Sand yron or the heaviest stones in the world nay all fancies that pretend lovelinesse are but lyes and Christ true every peece of fair clay is hell and Christ heaven every beauty blacknesse and he all loves Cant. 5.16 2. For alluring souls in a morall way nothing like Christ in the Gospel David is called by the holy Ghost the sweet singer of Israel when Christ speaketh to hearts he sings like heaven and like the glory of a new unseen world Deut. 3â— 16 Ioseph was blessed of the Lord for the good will of him that dwelt in the bush It s most alluring in Christ that he is the bird in the bush the bird of Paradise the Turtle in our Land Can. 2.12 that singeth the sweet Gospel-hymnes and Psalms of good tidings from Sion peace peace from heaven to the broken-hearted mourners in Sion all the Gospel is a love-song of Christ dying for love to enjoy sinners of clay and to have them with him in heaven are not these love-songs of the bird whose nest was in the bush If any man thirst saith Christ let him come to me and drink and whosoever will let him take of the water of life freely if this cannot draw to Christ the law curses rewards cannot draw Christ pipeth a spring of joyfull newes but few dance Matth. 11.16 3. The lower
12.10 and of the Spirit on the thirsty ground Esai 44.3 is a work of creation Ephes. 2.10 Psal. 51.10 a quickning of the dead Ephes. 2.1.2.3.4 Ioh. 5.25 2 Cor. 4.6 and the wildernesse is not here a coagent for the causing roses to blossome out of the earth 2. The effect is not wholly denyed of the collaterall cause and ascribed wholly to another If Peter and Iohn draw a ship between them with joynt strength you cannot say the one drew the ship not the other But Christ said flesh and blood maketh no revelations of Christ but his father only Mat. 16.17 Mat. 11.25.26.27 Iam. 1.18 Ioh. 1.18 Then neither blood nor the will of man contribute any active inâ—â—uence to the first framing of the new birth nor can clay divide the glory of regeneration with the God of grace who maketh all things new Asser. 2. The soule or its faculties are not destroyed in conversion Peters will which he had when he was young was the same when converted but renewed Ioh. 21.18 the Saints that Peter writeth to are not to â—unne to the same excesse of ryot as of old they wrought the will of the Gentiles 1 Pet. 4.3.4 Paul and Titus were the same men when dâ—sobedient and serâ—ing divers lusts and when converted and now washen regeneratâ—d and justified heirs Tit. 3.1.2.3.4 Paul the same man a persecuter and an Apostle but Grace made a change 1 Cor. 15.9.10 the same minde and spirit remaineth in nature but they are renewed in the spirit of the minde Rom. 12.2 Eph. 4.23 It is the same heart but turned to the Loâ—d 2 Cor. 3.15.16 Christ but removeth the scum and the drosse and the false metall and frames the man a new vessell of mercy Asser. 3. The person of the holy Ghost is not united to the soul of a beleever nor are there two persons here united or made one Spirit by union of person with person but the person is said to come to the Saints and to dwell with them and to be in them Ioh. 14.16.17 and God hath sent the Spirit of his son in our hearts crying Abba Father not that the holy Ghost in propper person doth in us formally and immediately beleeve pray love repent c. We being meer patients in understanding will affections memory as Libertines teach But the holy Ghost cometh to the Saints and dwelleth in them in the spirituall gifts and saving graces and supernaturall qualities câ—eated in us by the holy spirit and acted excited and moved as supernaturall and heavenly habits to act with the vitall influence of our understanding will and affeâ—â—ions I prove the former part 1. Because such a union of the person of the holy Ghost in us beleeving loving joying praying and immediately in us were that blasphemous dei-fying and Goding of the Saints so as beleeving loving praying were not our works but the immediate acts of the holy Ghost and either the faint manner of beleeving or the cold slacked loving and praying of Saints or their not beleeving and sinfull omission of the acts of faith love praying rejoycing could not be more imputed to Saints as their sinfull defects and transgressions but must be laid on the holy Ghosts score then we can impute the splitting of a ship to the ship it self and not to the negligent and willfull pilot who of purpose dashed the vessell on a rock but we must not in reason blame the ship but the Pilot for the losse of the ship is the onely and proper fault of the man that stirred the ship and the ship is innocent and harmlesse timber Now what sinne can be in the Saints in these supernaturall acts if the holy Ghost immediately in his owne person stirre the helme and only without us act these in us we might with as good reason say the shop that a man worketh in doth make the portrait which is a great untruth since the artificer in the shop doth it as say that the Saints doe pray beleeve rejoyce if the holy Ghost immediateâ—y doe all these in them as in a shop 2. Vpon the same ground the Lords coming down and filling Iohn Baptist from his mothers womb and the Apostles and Steven full of the holy Ghost should be the holy Ghosts personall filling of them and his immediate acting in them without any action of them in preaching praying and their heavenly bold confessing of Christ before men and there should be no difference betweene the Ark and Temple of Ierusalem filled with the immediate presence of God in the Lords manifestation of his glory there and these Saints filled with God in these works of free grace I shall not beleeve that the person of God can be said to be united to either Ark Temple Apostle or Martyr all the union is in the effects and manifestations of graces or tokens of Divine presence which are creatures rising and falling with time 3. That excellent and living â—rk the most gloâ—ious and admirable thing that heaven hath the Lord Iesus is God and man two natureâ— united in one person But both the word of God making that He that same Holy thing borne of the virgin Mary the Son of God Luke 1.5 and that same He and person who came of the Iewes according to the flâ—sh to be God blessed for ever Rom. 9.5 Hâ—br 7.3 Matth. 16.13.16 and the third generall Councell called that of Ephesus and after the counsell of Chalcedone ver 4. and 5. doe evidence to us that Christ cannot be two persons as Nestorius dreamed and one person Paul spread the Gospel from Jerusalem to Iliricum about ten hundreth miles I know not he but the Grace of God that was with him 1 Cor. 15.9.10 not hee but the Lord True but the question now is whether Paul and the holy Ghost in all these works of grace were two persons become one Spirit by union as some dreamers affirme because both did the work I beleeve not God and cloudâ— rained down Manna to Israel O but Christs father Ioh· 6. gave the Manna but the question is if the person of God were united with the clouds or any second caâ—ses producing Manna so the Lord maketh rich and poore killetâ— and maketh alive maketh snow froast fair weather dâ—outh and raine the Sunne to rise and go downe and that in his owne person Father Sonne and Spirit He he onely made Heaven Earth Sea and all creatures and the world 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Acts 17.25 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Psal. 33.9 doe prove him to be a person who doth all these But we cannot say that the person of God must be united with Clouds Ship Sea Sunne Heavens Men fighting and Men Saving and Killing and that God personally filleth all creatures only God in the immensitie of â—is nature is all these and every where and is in them by his operation so the holy Ghost is with the Saints and dwelleth in 〈◊〉 not by union of his person to them or the immensitie
predeterminating grace did keep the Saints and stirre them to every act 3. Who is the Author and finisher of our faith Christ and who perfecteth the good work once begun but Christ and who but he bringeth many children to glory Not we when the soule is distempered under desertion the soule is so tender and excellent a piece love so curious and rare a work of Christ that let all the Angels in heaven Seraphims and Dominions and Thrones set their shoulders and strength together they cannot with Angell-tongues let them speak heaven and Christ and glory calme a soul-feaver and words of silk and oyle dropped from the clouds cannot command the love-sicknesse of a sad soule Will ye look to heaven while your sight faile and weep out two eys while Christs time come you cannot find ease for a broken spirit when Christ breaketh can Angels make whole The conscience is a hell-feaver the comforter is gone can you wiâ—h a nodde bring the physitian back againe can golden words charme and calme a feaver of hell can you with all the love-waters on earth quench a coale of fire that came from heaven Send up to heaven a Mandate against the decree and dispensation of God if you can if the gates of death can open to thee or if thou hast seâ—ne the doores of the shaddow of death or can doe such great works of creation as to lay the corner-stone of the earth or hang the world on nothing which Iob could not doe chap. 37. chap. 38. But who can command soule-furies onely onely Christ. The soule is downe amongst the dead wandering from one grave to another Can you make a dead Spirit a Gospel-harp to play on of the springs of Zion the songs of the holy Ghost Christ can doe it Can you cry and finde obedience to your call O North O South winde blow upon the Garden Christ hath his owne winde at command hee is master of his owne mercies Can you prophecie to the winde to come and breathe on dead bones Christ onely can Can you breathe life soule and five senses on a coffin could you make way for breathing in the narrow and deep grave when clods of clay closeth the passage of the nostrils Christ can Isai. 26.19 Thy dead men shall live together with my body they shall arise awake and sing ye that dwell in dust for thy dew is as the dew of herbs and the earth shall cast out the dead Can you draw the virgins after the strong and delitioâ—s smell of the ointments of Christ but if he draw the virgings â—unne after his love Cant. 1.3 Christ indictes warre are you a creator to make peace he cryes Hell and wrath can you speak joy and consolation are you an anti-creator to undoe what Christ does Christ commandeth fury against a people or person can men can angels can heaven countermand Position 3. The Lords suspending of his grace cometh under a twofold consideration 1. As the Lord denyeth it to his own children 2. As to wicked men also As he witholdeth grace especially actuall and predeterminating It falleth under a threefold respect 1. As it is a work of the free and good pleasure and Soveraignty of God 2. As it is a punishment of former sinnes 3. As from it resulteth our sinne even as the night hath its being from the absence of the Sunne Death from the removall of life 4. The Lords denyall of Grace is seene most eminently in two cases 1. In the parting asunder of the two decrees of election and reprobation 2. In Gods with drawing of himselfe and his assistance in the case of â—â—ying the Saints In the former the Lord has put forth his soveraigntie in his two excellentest creatures Angels and men if wee make any cause in the free-will of Angels I speak of a separating and discriminating cause whâ— some Angels did stand and never sinne some fall and become divels wee must deny freedom of Gods grace in the predestination of Angels now the Scripture calleth them Elect Angels how then came it that they fell not from fre-will No Angels are made of God and for God and to God then by the Apostles reason they could not give first to God to ingage the Almighty to a recompence they could not first set their free-will to work their owne standing in Court before God did with his grace separate them from Angels that fell Rom. 11.36 Esai 40.13 2. Make an election of Angels as the Scripture doth when some are called Elect Angels and some not then it must bee an Election of grace an election of works it cannot be because Angels must glory in the Lord that they stand when others fell Rom 4.2 as men do Proverb 16.4 Ier. 9.23.24 2 Cor. 10.17 Rom. 11. â—6 for no creature Angels or Men can glory in his sight for Angels are for him and of him as their last end and first Authour Rom. 11.36 then they gave not first to God to ingage the Lord in their debt vesr. 35. for if so then glory should be to the Angels but now upon this ground that none can ingage the Lord in their debt Paul vesr. 36 saith to him be glory for ever because none can give to him first and all are for him and of him then so are Angels 3. Angels are associated in the Element and orbe of free grace to move as men with graces wings to fly over the Lake prepared for the divel and his Angels whereas others fell in otherwise Christ the Lord Treasurer of free grace cannot bee the head of Angels Col. 2.9 as of men Col. 1.8 Ephes. 1.20.21.22 23. for as art not nature can prevent a dangerous feaver by drawing blood or some other way even as the same art can recover a sick man out of a feaver whereas another sick of that same disease yet wanting the helpe of art dieth So the same free grace in nature speece and kinde not free will hindeâ—â—â— the elected Angels to fall where as by constitution of naâ—uâ—e and mutabilitie being discended of that first common poâ—r 〈◊〉 â—ase house the first spring of all the creation of God meere and simple Nothing the mother of change and of all defects naturall and morall in every the most excellent creature thâ—y were as an humorous grosse body in which the vessells are full and in a neerest propension to the same feaver that devils fell into even to the ill of the second death if the grace of God had not prevented them 2. In men God has declared the deep Soveraignty and dominion of free grace in calling effectually one man Iaakob not Esau Peter not Iudas in having mercy in time on whom hee will and hardening whom hee will I humbly provoke all Arminians all Libertines who dash themselves the contrary way against the same stone to show a reason why one obeyeth and actively joyneth with the draught and pull of the right arme of Iesus Christ Ioh. 12.32 and his father
voyce and more 3. When the axe or the saw boasteth it selfe against him that lifted it the Lord may use his liberty So to come to the second consideration when Peter proudly trusteth in himselfe I will dye with thee ere I deny thee the Lord to punish his pride must deny his assisting grace when Peter is tempred that he may know that natuâ—e is a sâ—rry undertaker that the man rideth to heaven on a whithered reed who aymeth to climbe that up-hill-city one his own flesâ—y and clay strength and God to show a black spot on a faire face in heaven will have it said there standeth David before the Throne who once committed adultâ—ry and to cover the shame of it from men killed most treacherously an innocent godly man God here out of the ashes of our sin will have a rose of free grace that filleth the foure corners of heaven with its smell to grow green up in the higher Paradise for a summer of eternity and will have no Tenants in heaven but the free-holders of grace it is a question wâ—ithâ—r there be more grace or more glory in heaven for the crown of glory is a crown of grace that vaâ—ie sea of the redemption of grace issued from under our sâ—nfull falls 7. Yea upon this reasonlesse and fleshly ground if we may omit prayâ—ng and so believing loving repenting mortifying our lusts when the Spirit stirres us not to these acts and say if God will suffer me to sinne let him see to it then upon the same ground all the justified Saints I should think them Devils not Saints might sin muâ—ther blaspheme whore oppresse commit Sodomy Incest as Lot deny Jâ—sus Chrâ—st as Peter did and say as wâ— are not to pray nor obliged to a constant course in prayer when Christ draweth not and when the Spirit moveth us not as Antimonians say with Mr Crispe and others error 49. pag. 9.10 Rise Reign so neither are we to abstaine from murther denying of Christ blasphemy Sodomy when the spirit of Christ draweth us not and moveth stirreth not our soule to abstinency and a holy feare and circumspection that we commit not such abominations and Peter might say I am not obliged to a constant course of confessing Christ before men unlesse the Spirit stirre me thereunto and David or any Saint might say If the Lord will suffer me to murther the innocent let him see to it for the Lords drawing and the Spirits stâ—â—â—ing is as necessary in a holy eschewing of sinnes â—f commission as in sins of omission and by as great and an every way equall necessity if the Lord withdraw himself and the Spirit stirre not we must fâ—llâ—n such abominations when tempted by Sathan and the flâ—sh as in the sins of sinfull omitting of praying praysing believing when the Spirit stirres us not thereunto but the truth is this necessity can neithâ—r lay the blame on the holy spotlesse dispensation of God nor free us from guiltinesse because between Gods withdrawing influence and the sin there doth interveen an obliging Law that forbids sin and our free-wâ—ll and reason acting the sin freely But we are commanded 2 Tim. 1.6 To stirre up the grace of God in us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it s on allusion to the Priests who were to keep in the fire that came from heaven grace is resembled to fire under ashes which with blowing of bellowes is made to revive and burn again it is the Prophets complaint Esa. 64. â— There is none that calleth upon thy name or stirres up himselfe to lay hold on thee the habit of grace may be warmed â—lown upon and kindled that as fire makes fire so grace may put forth it self in acts of grace and the seed of God in the Saints 1 Joh. 2.9 may bring forth births like it selfe motion here produceth heat Object But the actuall predetermination of grace is not in your hand and without this acts of praying and believing are unpossible to me Answ. If this were a sufficient reason then all works of nature whatever the creature doth were unpossible for the plow-man should not goe to till sow and reape because without the blessing of the common and naturall influence of the first cause he could do none of these things 2. Because the Saints know not the counsell and minde of God in his decree of joyning of his supernaturall influence or his suspending of the same to this or this act of praying beleeving hoping loving of Christ c. Therefore upon all occasions the Saints what ever be their present deadnesse and indisposition are to pray beleeve and to stirre up themselves to lay hold on God 1. Because as in naturall and morall actions men are not to neglect plowing earing journeying eating drinking sleeping buying and selling upon this ground because they are ignorant whether in the work the Lord shall be pleased to joyne his influence as the first cause without whom all inferiour causes can doe nothing So are not the Saints to neglect to pray because they are dead and indisposed upon the ground of their doubting and not knowing whether the Lord of grace will be pleased to adde his actuall assistance of grace to worke in them to will and to doe for the Lord may be pleased to adde his supernaturall influence in a moment his winde bloweth when it listeth his grace moveth swiftly when and where he pleaseth our good disposition is neither rule condition worke nor hire to move him to work 2. It is all one as if we willfully neglected to pray and resisted the predeterminating grace of God when wee know not whether the Lord shall deny his influence or no Yet we disobey the Lord commanding and so obliging us to pray for as if wee had his influence at our elbow attending us so wee are to pray and set to work yea our voluntarie refusing to pray wee onely conjecturing evil of God and of his free grace without ground must come from sinnefull wickednesse not from impotency and weaknesse for who told you that Christ would bee wanting in his influence You knew it not from any word of God and shall you fancie a jealousy against Christs love without any warrant even as a servant commanded to lift a burthen upon a sluggishnesse should say It came thither in a Cart and two horses when hee would never move an arme to take a tryall what he could doe though the burthen were above his strength when he will not doe as much as he can his disobedience is wilfull Therefore wee may say if wee speake of a voluntary willfull and groundlesse forsaking of God in order of time we first forsâ—ke God ere hee desert us but in order of nature God first forsaketh us that is he withdraweth his heavenly influence from us but so as before and after the act of withdrawing wee are willing that God should withdraw and be gone for we love in all the acts of sinning to havâ— a world
of our own 3. Wee are to beleeve in the generall we being within the covenant the Lord will keep his promise Deut. â—0 6 And the Lord thy God will circumcise thine heaâ—t and the heart of thy seed to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soule that thou mayest live Ezech. 11.19 And I will give them one heart and I will put a new Spirit within you 20. that they may walke in my Statutes Ezech. 36.27 then are we so to set to these duties of waâ—king in the Lords way as wee are to beleeve he will nor deny actuall grace necessary for our perseverance because it is his expresse promise Ier. 31.33.34.35.36 Ier. 32.39 â—0 Esai 59.19 20 21. Esai 54 10.11 Ezech. 36.26.27 1 Ioh 2.1.2 Matth. 16.18 Luk. 2â— 3â—.32 though in acts not fundamentall and simply nâ—cessary for our being in the state of grace the Lord hath reserved a latitude of independent Sovâ—raigntie to act the soule in these and these particular aâ—ts as seemeth good to him that every new breathing of the Spirit of â—esus may bee a new debt and obligation of free grace to Christ. We are absolutely to pâ—ay for the breathings of Christs Spirit to goe aâ—ong wiâ—h us in all the particular acts of a gracious and spirituall walking but we know the Lords absolute good pleasure is his rule hee walks by so here our desires may bee absolute in seeking where the Lord gives upon condition of â—is owne good will nor are our desiâ—es in prayer to bee conformable to Gods decree or free pleasure but to his revealed will Grace is the culours of the inhabitants and citizâ—ns of the house of the lower and higher roomes of the new Ierusalem all the way and all the home the Sainâ—s walk in this white Christ keeps not his Spouse in a close chamber it is not one great act of free grace onely when all were in one day redeemed on the crosse but dayly Christ weareth his Church as a bracelet about his neck as a seal on his heart as his Royall diadem and a crowne of glory on his â—ead as his love-ring on his hand this day grace to morrow new and fresh supply of grace the next houre grace hee has strowed all the way to heaven with new grace every day new wine new Spiknard new peâ—fume new ointments When will Christ grow old and gray-haired Never Will his heart evâ—r grow cold of love No Will hee tyre of love will he weare out of delight in the Spouse that lyeth for eternity betweene his breasts No no The love of â—hrist is alwaies greenâ— as young-like as fair and white today as from eternity this rose is not altered a whit Who knowes how grace and love in Christs breast solaced themselves in these infinite revolutions of ages before the creation how Christs heart was cheering it selfe and rejoycing to have the first day of the creation dawning that he might enjoy the love of the sonnes of men not then created Proverb 8 3â—.31 as if grace and love had thought long to finde a channell with wide banks to flow in as if Christ having infinite love within him in that long long age to borrow that expression should say when shall time begin and sinfull men and my mysticall body and desired spouse my Church have being in the world that I may out that grâ—ce on her I have love within me and lying beside me I rejoyce to have a lover as if grace in Chriâ—t hâ—d been in too naâ—row banks in the inâ—â—nite acts of the infinite minde of God and the heart of Christ and longed to have Men and Angels to give a vent to his love And that long avum the ages that were before the world was brought it green to us that long long endlesse and vast duration when time shall bee no more cannot make Christs love change the colour or grow lesse or root one Saint out of his heart When God leaveth off to bee God â—râ—ce will leave off to bee Grace Make Christ repent of Grace if you can as Christ has washen his Spouse and in regard of the guilt of sin has made her all fair and spotlesse so doth he dayly lick and purge and cleanse her in regard of the inherent bâ—ot while shee bee faire as the Sunne and all a new heaven Asser. 7. In the third consideration from this suspension of divine influence cometh our sinne as a necessary consequent and result yet so as the Lords suspension and our transgression fall both in the bosome of divine providence The Lord knoweth why be withdraweth his grace that we mâ—ght know how weighty a thiâ—g grâ—at heaven is laid upon our poor shoulders and that we would make foule woâ—k out of all wee have received and the flock the second Adam has given is if we had not Christ to stirre the ship to lead the minors to heaven to keepe the inheritance to the little heirs of Christ should evanish to nothing Poâ—tion 9. If wee consider the Lords denyall of Christ from wicked men they câ—nnot turne to God but that impotency lay in the womb of will it is not weaknesse onely but also wilfulnesse Matth. 23. verse 37. I would have gathered you saith Christ yee would not Ioh. 5.6 Christ saith to the sick man wilt thou bee made whole Then there was a stop in his will as well as in his weaknesse er 44.16 As for the word that thou hast spoken to us in the Name of the Lord we will not heaâ—ken to thee 2. Love and delight to do ill is from the strength and marrow of the will not from weaknes only the seruant that would not leave his master because he loved him is a slave for ever through love to slavery rather then through impotency to bee free In those that dâ—light to doe eâ—il Will hath a strong influence in the evil they doe every sinner esteemes his prison of hell a heaven hiâ— fetters of sinne on his legs as a gold chain about his neck 3. It is a journey of a hundreth miles to Christ it is unpossible to the naturall man to compasse it yet he may walk two of these hundreth miles though not as a part of the way he will not so much as cast a sad look after Christ the will not bestow one sigh after Christ nor know his own weaknesse nor dâ—spair of his own hability nor lie at the water-side and câ—y Lord Iesus come carry me over he positively hates Christ were it possible that the unrenewed man had the two eyes of a renewed man to see the beauty and high excellenâ—y of Iesus though he had still his own lame legs he would weep out his eyes for a Chariot to carry him to Christ hee would send sad love-challenges after Christ could these that ' are scortched in hell-fire and hear the howling of their fellow prisoners and see the ugly Devils the bloody Scorpions with which
is being planted together in Christs death in our union with Christ. So as a believer is to consider himselfe dead to sinne only in the fellowship of Christs death mystically and to consider himself only dying to sinne in his own nature spiâ—itually so as in Christ he is only compleat and in himselfe imperfect at the best I finde saith Saltmarsh no promise made against the never committing such a particular act or sinne which a man lived in in his unregenerated condition there are differences made but it puzzles both Dâ—vines and the godliest to finde a difference between sinnes committed before and after regeneration for take a man in the strength of naturall or common light lâ—ving under a powerfull word or preacher by which his candle is better lighted then it was such a man shall sinne against as seeming strong conviction as the other if not more This to me is that which the Libeâ—tines of New-England say That there is no differencs between the graces of hypocrites and believers in their kind And now in the Covenant of works a legalist may attaine the same righteousnesse for truth which Adam had in innocency before the fall And a living faith that hath living fruits may grow from the living law I see not but all these must follow if a regenerate David or Peter may commit the same act of relapse and falling in the same sinne of adultery and murther after conversion which he committed before conversion then he must commit the same sin with the like intension hight of bensill of wil after as before conversion he muâ—t now after he is converted fall again in the same act of murther denyall of Christ being now converted which he committed before conversion that is as the unconverted man with the rankest and highest strength of lust unrenewed will in its fervor of strength and rebellion did murther dâ—ny Christ without any reluctancy and prâ—testation on the contrary from the renewed will or the Spirit he may being converted fall in the same sinne yea with a higher hand and without any reluctancy from the regenerate part this to me must inferre necessarily the Apostacy of the Saints as that believers may fall againe in these same sinnes with as high and up-lifted hand against God with as strong full and high bended acts of the will after as bâ—fore conversion so as the battell of the Spirit against the â—lesh in this wicked relapse does utterly cease for Perkins who denyeth a man can fall in the same sinne of which he once syncâ—rly repented and whom Saltmarsh judgeth a Legalist and Anti-Christian in this point denyeth that a Convert may fall in the same sinne that he committed in his unregenerated state or that a Convert can fall in the same sinne every way the same with the like strength of corruption that this Convert before acted in his unregenerated condition yea or regenerate he having a further growth of habituall renovation in the second fall and so a higher habituall reluctancy of the renewed part then when he formerly fell in thâ— same sinne and so it cannot be the same sinne but a lesser otherwise he never sincerly repented of the former sinne if this bee more grievous and committed with a higher hand Now Saltmarsh his ground is different fâ—om all Proâ—estant Divines to wit That the wound pricking or sorrow for sinne in an enlightned soule leaveth no such habituall impression of remorse as the man dare never adventure to commit the like again for saith he thâ— gales and breathings of the Spirit of sorrow for sinne are like the winde that makes a thing move or tremble while the power of the aire is upon it but as that slackens or breaths so doth it But this is to say right down that the Spirit of Grace that causeth sorrow according to God and repentance which is never to be repented of is but an evanishing and transient act like the blowing of the wind on a tree the Scripture maketh the spirit that produceth mourning and remorse for sin when the sinner sees him whom he has pierced an habituall in-dwelling Spirit and calls him Zach. 12.10 The Spirit of grace and supplication if then the Spirit of Adoption be no transient but an habituall and inbiding grace as is evident Rom. 8.23 24 25 26. It is a received spirit abiding in us helping our infirmities teaching us what to pray it is Esa. 44. â— 4 5 6. Water poured on the thirsty making us confesse and subscribe the Covenant if it be as it is the New heart Ezech. 36.26 27. The Law in the inner parts Ier. 31.33 the seed of God 1 Ioh. 3.9 the annointing abiding in us 1 Ioh. 3.27 A well of water of an everlasting spring within us Ioh. 4.14 I seâ— not how a Spirit groaning in us when we pray Rom. 8.26 sighing sorrowing for the in-dwelling body of sin Rom 7.14 23 27. can be but a passing away motion like a blast of ayre but this is the mystery of Libertines that theâ—e is no inherenâ— grace in-biding in the Saints no spring of sanctification all grace is in Christ and his imputed righteousnesse and so they destroy sanctification 2. The ayme of Sal. is here that if we sorrow once and scarce that at the beginning of conversion wee are never more to confesse or sorrow for sinne when that transient motion like a fire-flaught in the ayre is gone But for mortification against all contrary blasphemies we say Asser. 1. Mortification is not as Mr Denne saith An apprehension of sin slâ—in by the body of Christ 1. Because this apprehension is an act of faith in the understanding faculty believing that Christ has mortified sin for me and so Mr Denne saith vivification is to live by faith that is to believe that I am justified and have life and righteousnes freely in Christ. Now mortification is not formally any such apprehension it doth flow from faith as the effect from the cause but mortification denominates the man mortified not in his apprehending and knowing that Christ waâ— mortified and dyed for him but in that he really himself is dead when it is said â—ol 3.3 for you are dead Gal. 6.14 by Christ I am crucified to the world and the world crucified to me by this fancy the world and the sinfull pleasures crucified must be the faith and apprehension that is in the fleshly pleasures and lawlesse-lusts by which these lusts apprehend and know that Christ dyed for them for Paul saith as well that the world is crucified to him as he unto the world 2. Mortification is a deadnesse in will and affections and the abaiting halfe death the languor and dying of the power of our lusts to sinne as a believer is dead to vaine-glory when contentedly he can be despised have his name trampled on be called a Deceiver a Samaritan and when the Apostles went out from the Councell Act. 5.41 Rejoycing
to Christs Spirit that yee are the sonnes of God Now if the â—ommands of the Gospel urge us not to personall obedience but to beleeve that Christ as S. saith has obeyed for us and that in the Gospel way they cannot oblige us in a law-way as they teach so by law and Gospel wee shall bee freed from all personall obedience and mortiâ—â—cation Saltmarsh and Libertines bid us bee merry and beleeve that Christ has done all these for us 5. A fleâ—â—ly presumer walking after his lusts may beleeve that Christ mortified sin for him obeyed the Law repented for him so if a hypocrite as an hâ—pocrite a presumer vainly puffed up void of all down-casting and conscience of sin beleeve that Christ has repented and mortified sinne and beleeved for him though he live as the devil beleeving and trembling hee is not to doubt his faith If they say that men beleeving savingly and sincerely cannot goe on in a constant walking after their lusts never humbled for sinne never dispairing in themselves never out of love constraining them to please God and strive to walk in Christ as they have learned him for if they be such their faith is but wilde oats and empty presumption then they say 1. Men know their faith to be found by holy walking 2. Men may call in question their faith if their works bâ—lie their faith 3. They deny that a fleshly man as such and never humbled can beleeve this is our doctrine Asser. 2 Never any of our Divines said that pure mortification is the not acting of sinne or the not conceiving of lusts nor that it is the meere absence of the body of sinne this is a foule slander which if willfull Antinomians though in their owne eyes perfectly holy in the sight of God must answer to God for nor is that any argument of weight to prove that mortification is not the absence of the body of sin because then saith hee dead and sick men were mortified persons except wâ—e admit such new vaine divinitie that a bodily ague or sicknesse does extirpate the body of sinne out of the soule which mad or frantick men would not say and if it bee truth that the body of sinne dwelleth in us in this life this body of sinne is either sinne or no sinne if it bee no sinne lâ—t Libertines speak plaine truth wee deceive our selves if wee have no sinne If it bee sinne Then let Libertines resolve us how Crispe and Eaton and Denne say we are all as holy and cleane from sinne being once justified as our surety Christ is and as spotlesse on earth as the Angels and glorified that are in heaven that stand before the throne now certaine neither in Christ nor in Angels is there any spot of sinne or any indwelling body of lust and Crispe gives this reason why sinne dwelling in the Saints is no sinne It cannot sink saith he into the head of any reasonable person that sin should be taken away by the Lambe of God Ioh. 1.29 and yet be left behind it is â— flat contradiction if a man be to receive money at such a place and he doth take this money away with him is the money left in that place when he hath taken it away Mr â—enne has a fine 〈◊〉 for this hee saith there is sin in the conscience and sinne in the conversation Christ hath taken away sin out of the conscience of his called people 1 Pet. 3.21 Heb. 10.22 The whiâ—e rayment wherewith the Saints are cloathed â—â—gnifieth not only cleannesse before God but also purity and cleannesse of conscience confiâ—ing in the apprehension of that glorious estate and â—ondition in Christs death so there is no sin at all in the Saints 1 Ioh. 1.8 and the blood of Iesus Christ shall purge you from all sin in the conscience does joy and gladnesse dwell and there is no more place for sorrow and sighing and there is sin in the conversation or hands now a man may be strict in conversation and yet not pure and cleane in Conscience So its possible a man hath beene an exceeding sinner and yet is not wholy cleansed from all wickednesse in conversation if this seeme a mystery to you that sinne in the flesh in the body outward man or conversation should stand wiâ—h puritie of conscience take these reasons if purity of conscience could not be found but where there is purity in the flesh a pure conscience could not at all be found on earth for there is none that doth good no not one Rom. 3.12 2. Puritie of conscience ariseth not from puritie of conversation but the original of purity of conversation is from the consciences apprehension that all our impurities and sins were laid on Christ and in regard of sin in the conversation if we say we have no sin we deceive our selves 1 Ioh. 1. and 1 Ioh. 3.9 He that is born of God doth not commit sinne Answ. 1. Sinne in the conversation and outward man is essentially sin to â—ill my neighbour with my hands to speak with an unbridled tongue to the Apostle Iames argueth a vain religion and must be pardoned else such sins condemn for he that offends in one is guilty of the breach of the whole law Ergo sinne in the conversation must be sinne in the conscience and the distinction must be vaine for the one member is essentially affirmed of the other Now when John saith if wee say wee have no sinne wee deceive our selves hee must mean of sinne in the conscience and of sinne before God and not in the flesh and conversation only because if sinne in the conversation bee no sinne then when wee commit sinne in the conversation we faile against no Law of God and doe nothing that can bring us under eternall condemnation and if in committing sinne in the conversation we do nothing contrary to Gods Law wee may well say wee sin not and yet not lye in saying so 2. Iohn must understand sinne in the conscience and in the sight of God when he saith if wee say wee have no sin wee lye because that of that same sinne of conversation of which Mr. Den supposeth Iohn to speake hee addeth in the next words 1 Ioh. 2.1 If wee sin wee have an advocate but the sinne which has need of an advocate has need also of a pardon and is a sinne against the Law and in the sight of God and in the conscience 3. By this wee may bee pardoned pure in conscience justified in Christs blood and yet before men in the flesh outwaâ—d man and conversation under sinne and yet not bee guilty before God so drunkennesse murther Sodomy incest denâ—ing of the Lord Iesus Christ before men shall bee no sinnes before God for that which is pâ—rdoned is no more sinne then if it never had been committed as Libertines say and is no more sin then any thing that ever our Saviour Christ did or the elect Angels now the sinnes which
and committing of fornication 2. Because for not mortifying of fornication the wrath of God comes on the children of disobedience ver 6 Now wrath comâ—s not on wicked men because they believe not that Christ abstained from fornication for them many walk in uncleannesse covetousnesse who are therefore under wrath who are not obliged to believe that because they never â—eard the Gospel 3. Such an abstinence from fornication is here commanded as the Colossians and other Gentiles walked in ver 7. and which they had now put off with the old man ver 8. But the Colossians while they were Gentiles and heard not of the Gospel did not walk in this as in a sin that they believed not that Christ abstained from fornication for them and satisfied divine justice for their fornication but their sin was that in person they committed these sinnes 1 Pet. 2.11 Dearely beloved I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims abstain from flâ—sâ—ly lusts that warre against the soule ver 24. Who his own self bare our sinnes in his own body on the tree that we being dead to sinnes should live to righteousnesse Rom. 8.11 And if the Spirit of him that raised Iesus from the dead dwell in you he that raised up Christ from the dead shall alsâ— quicken your mortall bodies ver 12. Therefore brethren we are debters not to thâ— flesh to live after the flâ—sh vers 13. for if yee live after the flâ—sh yee shall die But if yee through the Spirit do mortifie the deeds of the body ye shall live ver 10. If Christ be in you the body is dead because of sin Gal. 5.24 They that are Christs have crucified the flesh with the affections lusts Gal. 2 1â— For I through the Law am dâ—ad to the Law that I might live unto God all Gospel-commands to subdue the lusts of flesh not to serve the flesh as debters paying rent thereunâ—o to mortifie the deeds of the body not to live to our selves c. were meer precepts for justification not for sanctification and mortification of lusts and should â—urn the Saints into meere Solifidians Gnosticks empty Professors and fruitlesse trees if ouâ— mortification were not in the weakning of lusts â—bstinence from sin service and living to him who is our ransomner There is nothing more false then that ever our Divines taught to mortifie sinnes by vowes promises strictnesse and severity oâ— duties watchfulnesse scarce rising so high for mortification as Christ For its Christ and faith in his death that is the spring and fountaine of mortification yet is mortification formally in holy walking and not formally in belâ—eving for then should we be justified by mortification for sure we are justified by faith 2. Faith is a duty of the first Table respecting God in Christ as its object mortification to uncleannesse vaine-glory or the like is a duty of the second Table respecting men Asser. 4. The living of the just by faith is as well the life of sanctification as of justification its true the life of justification is the cause more compleat and perfect and the other the effect and unperfect but our spirituall condition is not only in sanctification but also in justification And only enemies of free-grace separate the one from the other and highten the one to feed men on the East wind and lessen the other as if sanctification were an accident and some indifferent Ceremony that men walk after the flâ—sh and believe that Christ for them walked after the Spirit and that is enough nor doe wee teach men to weigh their state of Grace in the scales of mortification or simple not acting of sin as mortification commeth from morall and naturall principles but as it floweth from faith apprehending Christ crucified and from the Spirit of the Father and the Son drawing the sinner to Christ and our blessednesse is no lesse in that corruption is subdued and the dominion removed then in that the curse is taken away Saltmarsh when he willeth the sinner as a sinner a Parricide a Man-slayer a slave to his lusts to beâ—ieve and apply Christ as his Redeemer without any sense of sin or humiliation at all and then saith the mans blessednesse is more to have the curse of sin then the corruption of sinne removed clearly concludeth that a man that walks after his lusts in actuall lusting against the Lord Iesus and the Gospel proud vaine selfe-righteous is as such a man to believe and so blessed and may promise to himselfe peace though he walk after the imaginations of his own heart Nor is arguing against the tentation with spirituall reason frâ—m the word as Ioseph did Gen. 39.8.9 and Job ch 2.9.10 and David 2 Sam. 16.7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14. our own power or contrary to the fighting by the shield of faith the Word of God as Saltmarsh imagineth Assert 5. It is to be reputed as a most blasphemous assertion that we know we are Christs not because we crucifie the lusts of the flesh but because we do not câ—ucifie them Pet 1. Crucifying of our lusts is a mark of our being in â—hrisâ— Gal. â— 24 Rom. 8.13 This maketh walking afâ—er the Spirit and a parting from iniquity and being pure in Spirit and dying to an 〈◊〉 of no interest in Christ contrary to Rom. 8.1 2. 2 Tim. 2.19 Math. 5.8 1 Pet. 24. Gal. 1.4 1 Pet. 1.18 and contrary to the whole Gospel which was that blasphemy of David George who taught mortification was to act all uncleannesse without shame or sense of sinne â—nd the more men are vâ—yd of the common passion that follows sin the more mortified and spirituall they are and this is very like â—â—e Libertines way who teach That to take delight in the holy service of God is to goe a whooring from God and that they are legally biassed that would mortifie the flâ—sh by watchfulnesse and strictnesse of walking whereas to put our duties on the Throne with Christ and to put Christs crown on our mortification as if we were thereby justified is the Idolatry But the delighting in the Law of the Lord and taking of the Lords testimonines for our heritage a serving the Lord with chearefulnesse and fervor of Spirit Psal. 1.2 Psal. 119.111.262 Isai. 58.13 Psal. 112.1 Rom. 7.22 Rom. 12.8 2 Cor. 9.7 Phil. 4.4 Act. 20.24 Iaem 1.2 are marks of a blessed condition If any teach that wee mortifie the flesh by watchfulnesse and strictnesse of walking as if these did merit mortification we judge it cursed doctrine but if Libertines deny as they doe that acts of mortification doe formally consist in watchfull strict and accurate walking with God in being not taken nor madly drunken with the lusts of sin but dead to pleasures as these acts flow from the Spirit of Christ we curse their fleshly doctrine also It s no consequent to say because Regeneration is not a work of nature but of the Spirit of God and the way of the
Spirit is not so grosse and carnall as the Divinity of former times it being hard to trace and find the impressions of the Spirit therefore we are not to take experience so low and carnally by the feelings of flesh and blood and signs not infallible as to write of Regeneration as Philosophers do of morall vertues Answ. 1. Regeneration is above nature every way but in this its most sutable to nature That as a man come to age doth not at all times even when he is sick in a swon in a deep sleep know that he liveth yet ordinarily life hath reflect acts on it self so as a living man may know that he lives by many signes of life so a regenerate man except hee be deserted may know that he lives the life of God 2 If Antinomians find out new Divinity lesse cernall more spirituall then in former times how is it that Christians are to live from under all rule of life and not to pray forgive us our sinnes when they pray for daily bread and that none justified are to confesse their sins and to sorrow for them that new obedience mortification repentance is to believe that Christ has done these for us that we are not to pray continually but only when the Spirit stirreth us an hundreth of these false wayes may be shown is this more spirituall Divinity then in former ages is it not the most carnall divinity that we read of for when D. Taylor objecteth to Antinomians as a limbe of their fleshly divinity No action of the Believer after justification is sinne Mr Town answereth nothing at all but of the way no action is sin the disorder and ataxie of the action is the sin But D. Taylor meaned that there is no disorder in the actions of a justified man by their way to this Mr Town replyeth not one word but saith unto faith there is no sin because there is not one spot in a justified person and he citeth Rev. 1.5 Eph. 5.26 Cant. 4.7 and 6.9 1 Cor. 6.11 because Christ hath washed Rev. 1.5 purged Heb. 1.3 abolished Heb. â— 26 all our sinnes and hath made us holy and unblamable and unrebukable in the sight of God we are like Christ voyd of sin which is not the removall of sinne but of the guilt that is of the obligation to eternall wrath and the curse of the Law for if we say we even though justified as Iohn the Apostle was have no sin we are lyars can this be any but a divinity of the flesh that Antinomians teach 3. Sanctification is a farre other thing then morall vertues 1. A moralist that is â—emperate chast is never so over-clouded in his faith as to doubt whither he be a temperate man or not a sanctified soule will often doubt if â—e have any sanctification at all 2. A sanctified man must â—â—ve the use of the light of the Spirit to know his â—tare and these things that are freely given him of God 1 Cor. 2.12 A Moâ—â—liâ—â— knoweth with the light of his own sparks what he is does Saltmarsh know of any desertions or overcloudings of the Spirit in a morall Seneca Aristides Plato 3. The Moralist dreames of justification by his vertues 4 He needs only naturall reason not the breathings and stirring of the Spirit to act according to his morall habits 5. Nor are his habits infused from heaven but his own conquest 6. Nor knowes he an absence or a presence of the Spirit all which are peculiar to sanctified and justâ—fied persons We are not compleatly saith Saltmarsh or perfectly mortified to sin by our being planted into Christ and the fellowship of his death Answ. But if mortification bee the faith and apprehension that Christ mortified sinne for us then as we are perfectly justified so are wee perfectly mortified now Antinomians teach the former Let not saith he mortification of sin in Christ tempt any to a neglect of mortification of sinne in the body no more then the free-grace of God in forgivenesse of sinne ought to tempt any to take liberty to sinne Answ. 1. Surely as to adde an thing to justification so to advance in mortification must be as wicked and blasphemous according to the way of Antinomians for if mortification be the believing that Christ has slaine the body of sin as Mr Den saith and Saltmarsh seconds him as a brother â—hen our neglecting of mortification is no sinne for we are to believe that Christ has removed all neglects of mortification if mortification bee faith and beliefe that Christ mortified sinne for us 2. I cannot neglect justification or apprehension that Christ mortified sinne for me any otherwise but by a remisse act of believing or neglect of a higher measure and a more intense and strong act of faith and not by an abstinence from fleshly lusts such an abstinence is no faith or apprehension that Christ has slaine and mortâ—fied the body of sinne for me for non-sinning cannot formally bee believing that were non-sense 3. If the meaning be that we are not to abstaine from fleshly lusts that is from sinnes that the flesh or the body of sinne acteth in us this is neither mortification nor any part thereof to Antinomians But I desiâ—e and provoke Antinomians to satisfie us in these if Salmarsh one of their Patrons can 1. Whither or no sins of the body or in the body as Saltmarsh calleth them here or sins of conversation as Mr Den saith or sinnes as Mr Town speaketh arising out of these earthly members of our flesh he sinnes agaiâ—st the Law of God if so they involve tâ—e justified under a curse and so tâ—ey aâ—e sins formally and the justified either cannot sin aâ— all which I feare is the fleshly way of Libertines a way that my soul abhorreâ— if I be not deceived or then the sinnes the adultery oâ— a justâ—fied man the mâ—rther the denyall of Christ in Peter is no lesse a breach of the Law of God then the denyall of Christ in Iudas it may be the one with a greater bensill of will denyes Christ then the oâ—her sed magis minus non variant speciim and so the jusâ—ified doe as truly and essentially sin against the Law as the unregenerate doth then they are not as clean from sin as Christ the surety is 2. If murthers adulteries committed by the justified bee sinnes of their flesh and body that is such sinnes as they are not by any Prophet or Nathan to be rebuked for because the Spirit that is not in their power in his actions and motions did assist not them to abstaine and they are under no other Law but the only irresistible action of the Spirit to hinder them physically in all sinnes to abstain from any sin this must be Antinomians spirituall divinity to make no Rule no Law of ordering the life and conversation of an justified man but only the motions of a Spirit separated from the world 3. Whither or not when Paul
wept O what a sad world Psal. 69.11 I made sackcloth my garment O pretious Redeemer cloth of gold is too conâ—fe foâ— thee v. 20. Reproach hath broken my heart I am full of heavinesse he was a man made of sorrow Esa. 53.3 and had experience and familiar acquaintance with grief there be a multitude that goes laughing harping piping and danceing to heaven as whole and unbroken-hearted Christians mysticall mortification say they is only faith and joy we have nothing to doe with weeping coâ—fessing sorrow for sinne that is a dish of the Law Vinegar and Gall it belongs not to us we are not under the Law but under grace that soure sauce is the due of carnall men under the bondâ—ge of the Law but will Christ wipe away teares from the eyes of laughing men whâ—n they come to heaven believe 〈◊〉 there goes no unbroken and whole professors to heaven that is farre from mortification heaven will not lodge whole soules with their Iron sinnew in the neck never cracked by the death of Christ. Object But godlinesse is not melancholy but joy of the holy Ghost Answ. 1. True but whom does Christ with the bowels and hand of a Saviour binde up but the broken-hearted mourners in Zion and such as lie in ashes Esa. 61.1.2.3 sorrow and joy may lodg in one soule 2. Christ feasts some in the way to heaven and dyets them daintily some feed ordinarily on the fat and marrow of the Lords house Psal. 63.5 And there is a feast of fatte things a feast of wines on the lees of fat things full of maâ—row of wines on the lees-well refined Esai 25.6 and has not the King a banqueting house a wine-celler Cant. 2.4 for some and doe they not feed upon the hony-comb and the wine the spiced wine and the milk Cant. 5.1 Cant. 8.2 But these that drink wine at some time must at another time bee glad of a drink of water 2. And if there bee varieties of temperature of Saints some rough and stiffe some milde some old men and some babes 1 Ioh. 2.13 and as there be some Lambs some fainting weak and swooning tender things that Christ feeds like Kings sonâ— with wine of heaven so there bee others that are under the care of the steward Christ who are heifers and young bullocks like Ephraim not well broken yet Ierem. 31.18.19 and there be hoping and waiting Saints that must bear the yoake in their youth Lament 3.26.27 and sundry kindes and sizes of children every one must have their owne portion and diet 2 Tim. 2.15 Matth. 24.45 One mans meat is anothers poyson and yet they are both the sonnes of one Father 3 Can every head that shall weare a crowne in heaven bear this wine on the earth being clothed with such a nature and must every one be taken into the Kings house of wine and sit betweene the Fathers knees at the high table and eat marrow and drink spiced wine are there not some set at the by-board that must bee content with browne-bread and small drink or water 4. Though the word should be silent it is easie to prove that Saints have not the like fare of Christs dainties at all times for the Church Cant. 2.4 is taken into the banqueting house and feasts on fatnesse of free love and yet againe Cant. 3. crys hunger and seeks and findes not and Cant. 5.1 feasts with Christ on wine and honey and milk but vers 5.6 there is a dinner of gall hunger and swooning my soule saith the Spouse went out of me 5. How many Saints goe to heaven and you never heard another word from them but complaints want of accesse straitning of Spirit deadnesse absence withdrawings of the beloved at every slippe scourged chastised every morning their complainings cannot be praised yea till they land they are ever sea-sick till they bee at shoare never see a faâ—re day nor one joyfull houre â—sal 88.15 I am afflicted and ready to die 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from my youth I suffer thy terrors and am distracted sore for the Lords dispensation wee mâ—y â—ay who hath been upon his counsels and who hath instructed him Antinomians allow dayly feasts and the strongest of the Gospel wine for dayly food to all that are sinners this weâ— dare not doe but as we judge it a sinne to stand aâ—oâ—fe from free grace because wee have no monâ—y nor hire so to fill out the wine of tâ—e the Gospel more largely and pâ—ofusely then the King of the feast allowes even to sinners as sinners and all unhumbled and high minded Pharisees is to be stewards to mens lusts and to turn the Gospel in to the doctrine of licence to the flesh and not to extoll Free grace 4. Chriâ—t in his way had no reason to glory in friends 1. How was hee dispised of them Esai 53.3 Wee did hide our faces from him all his friends thought shame of him aâ—d fled the way for him they refuse to give him one looke of their eye 2. Psal. 31.11 I was a reproach amongst all mine enemies but especially among my neighbours and a feare to mine acquaintance they that see me without fled from me this is more to be aâ—pproach and a feare to neighbour and friend 3. Nature and blood went against it self Psal. 69.8 I am become a stranger to my brethren and an alien to my mothers children All the Saints Idols are broken to the end God may be one for all this is a good ground of mortification men shall bee cruell brethren and redeemed ones shall have the yron bowels of an Ostrich a Lion to kill you and to consent to make war against you that Christs meekenesse may appeare friends must be sowre that Christ may bee sweet and you may bee deadned in love to brethren and friends yea to a forsaking father and mother Psal. 27.10.5 No lust had any life or stirring in Christ this cannot be in us the old man that has lived five thousand yeers and above is not so gray haired as to dye in any Saint while he dy his deceiveable lusts at best come to a staffe and trembling and gray hairs in the holiest and most mortified but expire not till dust returne to dust If I bee lifted up I will draw When Christ is weakest and bleeding to death on the crosse he is strongest Col. 2.15 he triumphed over principalities and powers there is more of strength and omnipotency in Christs weaknesse then in all the power and might of Men and Angels the weaknesse of God is stronger then men 1 Cor. 1.25 there is more of life in Christs death then in all the world hee was a graine of wheat cast in the earth and sowen in the grave and there sprung out of dead Christ a numerous off-spring of children aâ—l the redeeâ—ed ones grew out of the womb of his grave his Catholicke Church was formed out of the side of the second Adam when hee was fast asleepe
his death yet in all these he acted the part of a triumphing redeemer Col. 1.19 For it pleased the Father that in him all fulnesse should dwell ver 20. and having made peace through the blood of his crosse by him to reconcile all things to himselfe whither they bee things in earth or things in heaven Vse Yea we see Christ has never loosed any thing by the crosse but has gained much Rom. 8.37 in all these we are more then conquerours in death we die not a dead man is more then a conquerour and if he should not live and triumph he could not be capable of conquering farre lesse could he be more then a Conquerour Revel 12.11 The Saints overcome but it s a bloody victory They overcame by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their Testimony Then if the word be an overcomming and prevailing thing the cause overcame but what if the persons be killed then they are overcome No for the victory is personall the followers of the Lamb overcame by dying because they loved not their lives unto death Triumphing in the grave is admirable Things work in a threefold consideration 1. According to excellency of their being modus operandi sequitur modum essendi mens operations flowing from reason are more excellent then actions of beasts And Angels excell men in their actions It s a noble and excellent being that is in Christ being the only begotten Son of God what excellency of working is this that not only the dead but death should live and shame should shine in glory the dumb may speak and the deafe hear but that dumbnesse should speak and deafnesse heare is more then a miracle here Christ causeth death shame cursing be immediate organs and instruments of life glory immortality and honour 2. Christ was never weaker and lower then now and never more gloâ—ious in his working Esai 63.2 Wherefore are thou red in thy apparell and thy garments like one that treadeth in the wine fat Râ—v 19.15 he himselfe was trodden on in the wine-presse and fiercenesse and wrath of Almighty God but Esa. 63.1 he is glorious in his apparell and travelleth in the greatnesse of his strength so in his lowest condition when he is shamed he is glorious when he is weak and lying on his back he walketh and walketh in the greatnesse of his strength from the basenesse of the instruments in excellent works we collect that there must be a high noble and excellent cause who acteth on these instruments 3. Agents work according to the distance they are to that they woâ—k upon a shot afarre off is weaker Now on the crosse 1. Christ is nearer to us and so getteth a heartier lift of us death and blood are neare of kindred to us 2. Christ comming so near death hath a fairer shot and visie of death and the grave and Hell and all our enemies Heb 2.14 15. Hee dyed that by death he might destroy him that had the power of death 1. Drawing when he is on the Crosse doth most extoll Christs love death parteth company amongst men and often parteth loves but Christ dying draweth his Church into his bosome and heart as not willing that the grave should part them and him Ioh. 14.1 Christ having loved his own that were in the world to the end he loved them Christ dyed loving and dyed drawing 2. The cords of love with which he draweth sinners were woven and spunne in all their threds and twistings out of the bowels and heart of Christ out of his blood death and paine though it be sweet to Christ to draw yet its laborious and and painfull to Christ. It cost Chrâ—st a pained back and holed sides and pierced hands and feet an head harrowed with thornes and a bleeding body and a bruisâ—d soule to draw sinners he drew while hee did bleed againe he dyed under the work 3. All the bones of all mankinde that have been are or shall be all the strength of Angels in one arme could not have drawn one sinner out of Hell But O the strength of the merits of his lifting upon the Crossâ— one sinner is as heavie as hell as a mountaine of Iron what burthen must it be to Christ to have millions of soules and all their sins hanging on him He carried on his body on the tree so many millions of sinners and drew up after him so many thousand redeemed ones as would have made the world to crack the whole earth to groan and cry for paine like a sick woman in child-birth paine 4. The white and red in a flower or rose contempered together make up a beautifull colour and pleasant to the eie 1. Love in Christ 2. Lowlinesse 3. And singular care to save made up a sweet mixture â—n Iesus that flower of Iesse to draw strongly sinners to him See a Father carrying seven or eight children on his back through a deep river he binds them all in his garment that none of them fall in the water he leanes on his staffe how doth he with advised choyse and eleâ—â—ion order every step that he sâ—eme not to them to slip or fall and he cryes comfort over his shoulder to them Fear not be not dismayed I will present you safe on dry land so Christ with all his children great â—esus Christ had his off-spring laped up in his merits and did wade through the floods of death and hell and the curse of the Law with redeemed ones in his armes crying Feare not worm Iacob be not dismayd I will help thee the flâ—nds shall not drown thee and for his own condition his faith was that he should safely swim through the Sea and the mighty waters of all his deepest sufferings and that he and his mysticall body for Christ was a publick surety not one private man in this case should shoar on the land of prayseâ— and this is above all doubting when he saith Esai 50.7 For the Lord God will help me therefore shall I not bee confounded therefore have I set my face like a flint and I know that I shall not be ashamed and then Christ had a most watchfull and prudent care Esa. 52. that not one pinne not one wheele in the work of our salvation should miscary but all should goe right nothing neglected in doing comforting preaching praying suffering sweating weeping believing hoping in patience in being shamed spitted on scourgâ—d accused railed on traduced condemned belyed pained crucified between two Theeves buried in a sinners grave there was not one hole one want one stumble one slip in all or any thing but the work was whole entire and perfectly finished to Gods satisfaction Esa. 53.11 Luk. 22.37 Ioh. 19.30 5. That drawing of sinners to Christ was his last work in his death-bed and departure out of this life cryeth â—hat he was desirous to lie in one grave with his Spouse the Lambs wife and dyed inclosed in an union with Saints it saith also
the blew stripes and scarlet wounds on innocent Iesus back and sides his head and hands and feâ—t will ye young men Eccles. 11.9 laugh and sinne and must Christ weep and shout and cry for paine when he suffers for sinne Sinners yee have merry dayes in your lusts O but it was a dolefull and a wearisome time to Christ to pay for sinne The drunkard sings and drinks when Christ answers his bill he sighes Salomon Eccles. 2. in the dayes of his vanity sought to give himselfe to wine ver 3. to lay hold on folly and ver 10. and what ever his eyes desired he with-held not from them he kept no joy from his heart But Christ had a sad night in the garden O but he had a heavie soul when with teares and strong cryes he prayed when justice squeazeth a sweat of blood out of Christs body and hee looks like sorrow and sadnesse it selfe dying and bâ—eeding and crying My God my God why hast thou forsaken me never mothers sonne after this make a sport of sin or sinne with good will and delight What death 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 what quality or kinde of death he was to dye The quality and kinde of Christs death is most remarkable for three characters were printed and engraven on the death of the Crosse which Christ dyed 1. Paine 2. Reproach and shame 3. The Curse of God and man The paine in Christs death comes under a twofold consideration 1. Naturally 2. Legally the nature of the death was painefull for death of it self is painfull no man payes that debt with ease and nature smiling and sporting die who will it will cost you of your flesh when Asa dies he cryes ah my feet when David dies he complaines O my cold body the Shunamites child ah my pained head Vzzah Oh my lepâ—ous skin do not pamper nor idolize your body if wicked men have not one band or coard in their death but steal down to the grave in a moment beside deaths knowledge yet they pay deare for it Iob 24.20 The wormes shall feed sweetly on them life is a great pearl But there bee three things besides that made the death of Christ painfull 1. Violence 2. Slownesse of dying 3. Many degrees of life taken from him Violence it is to die of any disease or of paine 1. But when five or six deaths do all start equally at one land-port and at one race and strive which of them shall dispatch the poore man soonest the paine is the more yee know the complaint of our blessed Saviour Psal. 22.16 They pierced my hands and my feet and Ioh. 19.34 one of the souldiers with a spear pierced his side and forthwith came there out bloud and water here by Scripture be five deaths that invade a living man death on every hand and death on every legge and death on his side though this last came a little too late the Souldiers had no law to pierce his side but to make sure work he should be dead by a sort of chance to men which yet sweetly was subservient to the decree of God and the Prophecies Christ was thus served 2. Now a violent death it must be when strong and great nailes did pierce the most nervous parts of his body his hands and his feet one Iron wedge thrust in at his left pape to pierce his heart or to pierce through the temples of the head would quickly have dispatched him 2. As for the slownesse of his death foure leasurely and slow violent deaths to cause him to bleed to death were hard the word saith the bloud is the life of the living creature then look how long his bloud was comming out his life was dropping out as long They say the death of the Crosse will keep a man aliv with his life in on the Crosse above three or foure hourese the man dying and yet cannot die these languishing deaths procuring a cruell favour such as is deaths slow pace and yet quick torment are images of hell where men seek death but cannot finde it because death sleeth from them 2. The lentnesse of death is much when death is divided into foure quarters death at every hand and at every foot makes the paine greater when the weight and trunck of Christs living body lifted up from the earth hangeth upon four paining and tormenting pillars the Lords pierced hands and feet as if death had delighted to hold Christ long at Sea and denyed him the last sad service 3. And Christ had been before dying a terrible death in the garden when he had been seeâ—hed and boyled in a bloud of sweat and two circumstances evidence that the two Theives death was nothing in slownesse of torment comparable to Christs death 1. The sad and direfull Prefaces and preparatories to Christs death as he was in the night before in a soule death in the garden and in a sweat of bloud there trickled out of his body down upon the ground 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as it were drops great hail-stones of blood frozen or hâ—ardened together as Stephanuâ— thinks through extreame terror he was scourged against all Law and crowned with thornes 2. And so was he weakened in body as he was not able to beare his own crosse it was his own complaint Psal. 22.17 I may tell all my bones what ever the story of passion say how Christ could have been so lean in twenâ—y and foure houres its evident he complaines his â—â—rength was dryed up like a pot-sheard and that death was more painfull to Christ then to these thaâ— dyed the same death yea Christ began to die the night before he was then under violent death of soule and body above the houres that hee was on the Crosse when others are long tormented with paine that paine is rather the fore-runner of death then death for death stayes but a moment in doing that sad service in bringing the soule out but death all this time twenty foure houres was acting upon Christ both the second death the Lords anger and curse being on him and then bodily paine with the curse of the law all this time wrought upon him Some say gall and vinegar were given to men to be crucified to make them lesse sensible of that extream paine And consider his death legally may we not say as Christ in bearing the paines of the second death did suffer that which all the Elect should have sustained in their souls for ever so Christ did bear many millions of bodily deaths it may be a question if Christs suffering for Peter be Christs suffering for David for sure Peters sins and Davids sins together are more then Davids sins alone and if on Christ the Lord laid the iniquity of us all â—sai 53.6 it must be a greater punishment then if the Lord had laid the iniquity oâ— some few one or two upon Christ say that the Elect were three millions of redeâ—med ones as we cannot deâ—ermâ—ne the number
punishment The ill Angels created good as the elect Aâ—gels Ill angels saw God before their fall as did the elect The ill Angels before their fall knew nothing of the incarnation of Christ. Satan knoweth not the thoughts of the heart Satan hath no immediate power over free-will nor tempteth he to aâ—l sins that are committed in the in-most Court of the heart Satans knowledge naturall and acquired Satan hath a lâ—gall power over man It s not certain by Scripture that Beelzebub loseth the Princedome over his fellow-Angels at the last judgement How Satan keepeth still and exerciseth his power of tempting though he hath lost his Princedom by Christs death Satan a prince for his power over other Satan an enâ—mie not to be dâ—spised for his lownesse What it is to tempt and how Satans power is put forth in tempting Gâ—l Paâ—isiens tâ—act 〈◊〉 Chaâ—twright Catâ—â—h c. 4â— Satan can not fire the wil against our will Every tempted creâ—ture is a sufferer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Perforo tento It s good to know when we are tempted and what God and Satan ayme at Every temptation cometh under the vaâ—â— of good Things are â—ligiblâ— ratâ—er because lawfull and honest then because good and pleasant How temptations teâ—d to sinne Satans power on the outward man It s no good argument we can dâ—e and all this on our selves therefore Satan can doe it We have a greater power over our owne uâ—dâ—â—standiâ—g and will then â—iâ—her good or bad Angels can have Devils have power over our naturals â—â—t our morals God onâ—ly knoweth the â—eart and thoughts and acts thereof considerable gâ—ounds thereof The true reason why God onely knoweth the hâ—art the reason of Suarez refused Suarez tom de Dâ—o Angelâ—s lib 2 de potentia inteâ—lectiâ—a Angeloâ—um natura câ—p 23. n 17. Satan hath no power over our â—ill but whâ—t leaveth guiltinesse on us Satans power over the creatures Satan acteth at one time on sense and on reâ—son Saâ—an worketh on the soul throâ—gh the body and on the body throâ—gh the soule A double sin and a double punishment of Satan Climbing men-like the devil Satan first marâ—ed the comâ—ly order of creation Satanâ— second sin and how hee is yet in acting his first sinne Satans sin the sâ—nne in nature with the sin against the holy Ghost Punishments inflâ—cted on Satan What sadnesse is in Satan Satans naturall knowledge hurt his practicall knowledge that was found is lost The devill a foole Satan hath no infused grace What faith Satan hath Satans despair without all hope Satans obduration Christ is Satans Judge and caster out Christ Satans Iudge and how Satan foiled man as a tempter a Man destroyeth Satan as a Iudge Viâ—â—oâ—y over the Dâ—vils by thâ— man Chrâ—st mâ—râ— gloriâ—us thâ—n â—f Gâ—od aâ—soâ—utâ—ly haâ— sâ—bdueâ— hâ—m Hâ—â—ven not cuâ—â—ered by a surprisall or wilâ—s but â—y open warrâ— 5. Vse 1. The Lords knowing the hearts should teach us sâ—ncerity Vse 2. State-wit against Christ jolly Vse 3. Theolog. Germanica chap. 2 p. 5. Vse 4. It s to jâ—â—low the Devill to sinne against light Vse 4. Oâ—dâ—ration Vse 5. The good fight The reall expressions of our obligation to the conqueror of Devils â—ix considerable points touching Christs drawing of sinners Foure considerable points touching drawing Drawing is by either violence wiles or persâ—asion He draweâ—â— No proper violence in drawing the will How there is no violence in being drawn and yet a necessity from new principles A twofold consideration of dispâ—sitions going before conversion Men have reason why they will perish Hen tam dulce est perire Will the nearest cause not weaknesse only why men are not drawn to Christ. We naturally hate Christ but we see it not Men naturally hate Christ more then the Saints Men have no stirrings of desires for a life above them No similitude between the naturall mans dâ—sires and Christ. The place Ioh. 6.44 No mâ—n can come to me c. opened Will most averse to Christ. Will not weakenesse the nearest câ—â—se of our not comming to Christ. Free grace the strong and only cause why men are drawn Christs love can over-save and out-live the world The magnitude of free grace The way of Graces working gratious and free The place Ezech 16.8 And when I passed by thee c. Opened Articles of free love Thâ—t Christ is gratious for hire is an abasing of Christ. Christ superlative How like free gracâ— is to God The wonder of grace in heaven Whâ— grace in Christ now glorified Grace the onely birth of heaven What preparations goe before conversion A fourefold consideration of preparations before conversion No preparations from nature No preparations can have effective influence in our being drawne to Christ. Preparations before conversion no formall part of conversion There be no Moâ—all precepts before conversion to which any promise iâ— annexed No promises out of Christ. (a) Saltmâ—rsh â—ree-grace c. 2. pag 1â— 18. (b) M Denne Coâ—fâ—renâ—e â—etwâ—eâ—e the Sick man and a 〈◊〉 p 3. In what seâ—se a desire to pray and to bâ—leeve is prayer and faith Materiall 〈◊〉 so more in some 〈…〉 Dispositions 〈…〉 conversion God may use a prerogativâ— Royall in coâ—verting without dispâ—sâ—tions or in working them most swiftly Not any Protestants ever taught that Evangelike Repentance is a previous preparation to conversion Antinomians salumniate us in this Antinomians yeeld preparations which is refuted a Saltmarsh Free grace cap. 2. pag. 16. b Eaton Honey-combe â—a 2. pag. 7.8 True and lively feeling of sin 〈◊〉 not goe before but must so low after conversion Objections of Antinomians especially of Saltmarsh Free grace c. â— pag. 1 20. c. removed To doe duties without relying on them is not to seeke righteousnesse in our selves They are coâ—mandâ—ed to 〈…〉 have nâ—t the Spiriâ— without which they cannot pray Dispairing of salvâ—tion in our selfe no part of such but wâ—â—ught by the Law in â—â—ry never converted Christ take us in our 〈◊〉 before we â—eleeve Saltmarsh Christ onely 〈…〉 to 〈…〉 Crisp Vol. â— Ser. 1 130.1â—1.132.1â—3.134.135 Wrath is to be preached to bâ—leevers and how A namâ—lâ—sse pamphlet of Antinomian answered â—y N. Hiâ—de Saltmarsh Saltmarsh Sâ—lâ—marâ—hes owne experience Thâ—â—zspanâ— prâ—sumpption aâ—d to beleeve a lye Faith is not formally the apprehension of Gods eternall love of election A contradiction in Salâ—marsh All come to Christ with foule faces that ordinarily come Notâ—ing in our selves can â—itâ—y 〈…〉 â—or 〈◊〉 No waâ—t of qualifications should binder us to come to Christ. The order of redemption and of drawiâ—g sinners to Christ not one How many wayes we are justified Antinomians make the Saints blocks in all the good they â—oe (a) Râ—se reign and 〈…〉 4 pag 19. (b) Er. 6â— pag. 13. (c) Er. 52. pag 10. (d) Er. 57.11 (e) Er. 59. (f) Er. 43. (g) Er. 1. Er. 2. (i) Saltmarsh Free grâ—câ— cap 4â— p. â—79 (k) Rise reign c. er 49. pag. 9. What place we give to preparations before conversion Divers flâ—sâ—ly
and by law and yee are Sonnes in him The Law was a bloudy bond and our names and soules were inked with the blood of the eternall curse but blot out saith Christ my brethrens names out of the bloody bond and writ in my name for blood and the curse of God and there was a white Gospel-bond drawn up and the Elects names therein Then the two writs runne this in the new Covenant Christ was made a curse and lyable to pay all our debts and law-penalties to the blood and death and the poore sinner eternally blessed in Iesus Christ even to perfect imputed righteousnesse and everlasting life Christ changed your bleeding even to the second death and made it blessings for evermore to new and everlasting life Vse 1. If Christ dyed such a violent and painfull death then death violent or naturall is not much up or down 1 Sweet Iesus had it to his choice hee would choose the sowerest of deaths to go to the grave in blood Christs winding-sheet was blooded a good prince a reformer of the house of God Iosiah dyed in blood Many of the worthiest that dyed in faith dyed not in their beds were Heb. 11.35.36.37 tortured had tryall of bonds and imprisonment they were stoned they were sawne asunder were tempted were slaine with the sword The first witnesse in the Christian Church after the Lords ascension Steven a man full of the holy Ghost and of faith was stoned to death Psal. 79.2 The bodies of thy servants have they given to be meat to the foules of the heaven the flesh of thy Saints to the beasts of the earth Many thousand Martyrs have been burnt quick extreamly tormented with new devised most exquisite torments as to be rosted on a brander to be devoured with Lyons and wilde beasts 2. Violence more or lesse is an accident of death as it is the same hand folded in or the fingers stretched out violent death is but death on horse-back and with wings or a stroak with the fist as the other death is a blow with the palmes of the hand Naturall death is death going on foot and creeping with a slower pace violent death unites all its forces at once and takes the Citty by storme and comes with sowrer and blacker visage Death naturall divides it selfe in many severall bits of deaths old age being a long spun out death and nature seemes to render the Citty more willingly and death comes with a whiter and a milder visage the one has a salter bite and teeth of steele and yron the other has softer fingers and takes asunder the boards of the clay-tabernacle more leasurely softly tenderly and with lesse din as not willing that death should appeare death but a sleep the violent death is as when apples greene and raw are plucked off the tree or when flowres in the budde and young are plucked up by the rootes the other way of dying is as when apples are ripened and are filled with well boyld summer-sap and fall off the tree of their own accord in the eaters mouth or when flowers wither on the stalk Some dying full of days have like banquetters a surfet of time others are suddenly plucked away when they are greene but which of â—he wayes you die not to dâ—e in the Lord is terrible yee may know yee shall dye by the fields yee grow on while ye live a beleever on Christ breaths in Christ speaks walks prayes beleeves eateth drinketh sickens dies in Christ Christ is the soyl he is planted in hee groweth on the banks of the paradise of God when hee falleth hee cannot fall wrong some are trees growing on the banks of the river of fire and brimstone when God hâ—ws downe the tree and death fells them the tree can fall no otherwise then in hell O how sweet to be in Christ and to grow as a tree planted on the banks of the river of life when such dye they fall in Christs lap and in his bosome be the death violent or naturall its all one whether a strong gale and a rough stormie shoar the childe of God on the new Ierusalems dry land or if a small calme blast even with rowing of oars bring the passenger to heaven if once he be in that goodly land 2. To dye in faith the righteous has hope in his death is the essentiall qualification to be most regarded that is the all and sum of well dying make sure work of heaven and let the way or manner violent or naturall be as God will it s amongst the indifferents of death Saints have dyâ—d either way to dye in Christ in the hope of the resurection is the fair and good death to die in sinne Ioh. 8.21 that is the ill death and the black death 3. To dye ripened for eternity is all and some it s said of some they dyed full of dayes Object How is a man full and ripe for death Answ. In these respects 1. When the man is mortified to time and is satisfied with dayes he desires no more life he lies at the water side near by death waiting for winde and tide like a passenger who would fain be over the water so dying Iacob in the midst of his testament Gen. 49.18 Lord I have waited for thy salvation Lord when shall I have fair passage Iob saith chap. 14.14 All the time I am on the sentinell or the time of my warfare I will wait till my lasâ— change come So Paul saith Phil. 1 2â— having a desire to be dissolved and to bee with Christ which is farre better the man desires not to stay here any longer 2. He would goe to Sea when all his land-busines is ended the Courts are closed and if the Sunne bee low and near his setting loe the way ends with the day see the lodging hard at hand 2 Tim. 4.7 I have finished my course I have kept the faith 8. henceforth is laid up for mee a crowne of righteousnesse Sweet Iesus ere he dyed said It is finished all is done hee is on the skaffold and nods on his executioner Death friend come doe your office I pray you see your task be ended 3. The man seeth the crowne hee is come to the stone wall or the hedge of Paradise and seeth the apples of life hanging on the tree and hears the musick of heaven Steven Acts 7.50 I saw heaven opened 4. He goes not away pulled by the hair but willingly gladly Heb. 11.8.15 They desire a better country Iob 5.26 Like a shock of corne in his season it would bee the losse of the corne to bee longer out of the barne death shall not come while it be welcome Iob. 7.3 As the hired servant panteth for the shaddow so hee for death All these four were in Iesus Christ. Had Christ so much pain in his death that his death and the crosse were all one so as hee had five deaths on him at once foure on his body death on every hand death on
every foot and a death on his soule ten thousand millions of pounds weightier and sadder then let us correct all our errours and mis-judgings touching the crosse Errour 1. We love to go to Paradise through a Paradise of roses and a land-way to heaven and a dry fair white death wee would have Christ and the crosse changed which saith who ever would follow Christ let him take up his crosse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dayly and follow him Luke 9.23 2. We forget that heaven is fenced with a huge great wood of thornes we must croud through though our skinne be scratched even to blood and death life eternall is like a faire pleasant rich and glorious Citie in the midst of a waste wildernesse and there lies round about this City at all the corners of it a Wood of Briats and Thorns Scorpions and Serpents and Lyons abounding in it and the Wood is ten thousand miles of bounds on all hands of a journey of threescore years at some parts there no high road-way in the Wood no back entry about wise Professors seek away about the crosse God has given wings to none to flie over the wood or it s like a fair Kings Pallace in an Iland of the Sea it s a most pleasant Isle for all kinde of delights but there is no way to it by dry land Would yee have valley ground Summer medows fields and gardens of flowers and roses all your way and how is it that the Lord will not give peace to his Church nay but there is not a way to heaven on this side of the crosse or on that side of the crosse but directly straight through we must goe when the Apostles went through the Churches confirming the brethren Act. 14.22 they preached that the crosse was Gospel and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 through the midst of affliction or under flailing and threshing we must goe there is not a way about to shift the crosse but we must enter into the Kingdome of God this very way and no other 3. The blood was not dryed off Christs hands and feet and his winding sheet till he was in the flower of the higher Pallace of his Fathers Kingdome and within the walls and so his Church must not think hard of it if she goe not a dry death to heaven Error 2. We tacitely condemn the wisdome of God in our murmuring under the crosse cannot Christ lead his people to heaven a better way then through the swords speares and teeth of malignants and must new Armies of Irish murtherers land on us againe these would bee considered 1. Paul encouraging the Thessalonians saith 2 Thess. 3.3 no man should be moved by these afflictions why for your selves know we are appointed thereunto from eternity the wise Lord did brew a cup of bloody sufferings for his Church and did mould and shape every Saints crosse in length and breadth for him our afflictions are not of yesterdayes date and standing before the Lord set up the world as it now is he had all the wheels pinnes wedges works and every materiall by him in his eternall minde all your teares your blood all the ounces and pounds of gall and worm-wood yee now drink they were an eternall design and plot of Gods wise decree before the world was they were the lot God did appoint for your back they are no sourer no heavier this day then they were in the Lords purpose before time your grave O Saints is no deeper then of old the Lord digged it your wound no nearer the bone then mercy made it your death is no blacker no more thorny and devouring then Christs soft hands framed it ere God gave you flesh and skinne and heat in your blood Christs doome and the Churches doome of the black crosse was written in Heaven So Christ smiles and drinks with this word Ioh. 18.11 shall I not drink the cup that my Father hath given me 2. Rom. 8. Predestination is the first act of free-grace and ver 29. in that act a communion with Christ in his crosse is passed this we consider not will ye not think good to set your shoulders and bones under the same burthen that was on Christs back we fear the crosse lesse at our heels and behind our back then when it s in our bosome the Lord Iesus speaks of his suffering often afore-hand and its wisdome to make it lesse by antidated patience submission before we sâ—ffer it were good would we give our thoughts and lende some words to death as Christ here doth ere it come Opinion which is the pencill that drawes the face armes and legges of death and sufferings might honey our gall if a Martyr judge a Prison a Pallace and his Iron chaines golden bracelets sure his bonds are as good as liberty if a Saint count death Christs master-usher to make way to him for heaven then death cannot be a Mill to grind the mans life to powder faith can oyl and sugar our worm-wood and if Christ come with the crosse it has no strength the believer has two skinnes on his face against the sâ—ittings of storme and haile-stones Christ can make a Saint sing in hell as impatient unbeliefe could cause a man sigh and weep in heaven 3. We forget that the Church is the Vine-yard of the Lord of hoasts and that the owner of the Farm must hire Satan and wicked men to be his Vine-dressers and his Reapers but the crop is the Lords not theirs they are plowers but they neither know the soyl nor the husband-man Psal. 129.2 Error 3. When we see we must suffer we tacitely are offended that Christ will not give us the first vote in our own jury and that he would not seek our own advise in this kinde of crosse not this except to one man David God never referred the choise of a crosse but then grace made the choyse sure Scotland would have chosen famine or the Pestilence rather then the sword of a barbarous unnaturall enemy but it must not bee referred to the wisdome of the sick what should be his physick we often say any crosse but this especially if there be any letter of reproach on the crosse a shamefull death or distraction of mind but the Lord seeth nothing out of heaven or hell so good for you as that that and no other 2. We would have the pound weights of affliction weighted in our ballance oh this is too heavie hence Davids and Iobs over-complaining Oh my calamity is heavier then the sand of the Sea Iob 6.3 and am I a Sea or a Whale that thou setest a watch over me chap. 7.12 Should God deale with a man as with a fish or a beast 3. Wee desire to be creators of such and such circumstances of our own griefe So wee storme often at the circumstances as at the very poyson of the crosse as if God had through forgetfulnesse and a slip of wisdom left that circumstance out of his