his fulness have we all received and grace for grace Col. 1. 9. And this the Saints cannot be deprived of because the Covenant made with Christ in every tittle of it was so compleatly fulfilled as to righteousness both active and passive that justice cannot object any thing holiness now can find fault with nothing nay all the power of God cannot shake any thing that hath been done for us by the Mediator of the New Covenant so that now there is no Covenant of Works to a Believer none of the commands accusations condemnations or the least tittle of the Old Covenant to be charged on any of those that are the Children of the Second Covenant no sin to be charged because there is no Law to be pleaded but all is made up by our middle man Christ Jesus O blessed Covenant O blessed Priviledge Be wise therefore O ye poor drooping souls that are the sons of this second Covenant And stand fast in the liberty wherewith CHRIST hath made you free and be not again intangled not terrified in your consciences with the yoke of bonbondage neither the commands accusations or condemnations of the Law of the Old Covenant Gal. 5. 1 2. Object If it be so then one need not care what they do they may sin and sin again seeing Christ hath made satisfaction Answ. If I was to point out one that was under the power of the Devil and going poste haste to hell for my life I would look no further for such a man then to him that would make such a use as this of the grace of God What because Christ is a Saviour thou wilt be a sinner because his grace abounds therefore thou wilt abound in in O wicked wretch rake hell all over and surely I think thy fellow will scarce be found And let me tell thee this before I leave thee as Gods Covenant with Christ for his Children which are of faith stands sure immutable unrevokable and unchangeable so also hath God taken such a course with thee that unless thou can'st make God forswear himself it is impossible that thou shouldest go to heaven dying in that condition They tempted me proved me and turned the grace of God into laciviousness Compare Heb. 3. 9. 10 11. ver with the 1 Cor. 10. Chap. from the 5. verse to the 10. So I sware mark that So I sware and that in my wrath too that they should never enter into my rest No saith God if Christ will not serve their turns but they must have their sins too take them devil if Heaven will not satisfie them take them hell devour them hell scald them fry them burn them hell God hath more places than one to put sinners into if they do not like of Heaven he will fit them with Hell if they do not like Christ they shall be forced to have the Devil Therefore we must and will tell of the truth of the nature of the Covenant of the grace of God to his poor Saints for their encouragement and for their comfort who would be glad to leap at Christ upon any terms yet therewith we can tell how through grace to tell the hogs and sons of this world what a hogsty there is prepared for them even such a one that God hath prepared to put the Devil and his Angels into is fitly prepared for them Mat. 25. 41. Object But if Christ hath given God a full and compleat satisfaction then though I do go on in sin I need not fear seeing God hath already been satisfied it will be injustice in God to punish for those sins for which he is already satisfied for by Christ. Answ. Rebell rebell there are some in Christ and some out of him they that are in him have their sins forgiven and they themselves made new creatures and have the spirit of the Son which is a holy loving self-denying spirit And they that are thus in Jesus Christ are so far off from delighting in sin that sin is the greatest thing that troubleth them and O how willingly would they be rid of the very thoughts of it Psal. 119. 113. It is the grief of their souls when they are in a right frame of spirit that they can live no more to the honour and glory of God then they do and in all their prayers to God the breathings of their souls is as much for sanctifying grace as pardoning grace that they might live a holy life they would as willingly live holy here as they would be happy in the world to come Phil. 3. 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21. they would as willingly be cleansed from the filth of sin as to have the guilt of it taken away they would as willingly glorifie God here as they would be glorified by him hereafter 2. But there are some that are out of Christ being under the Law and as for all those let them be civil or profane they are such as God accounts wicked and I say as for those if all the Angels in Heaven can drag them before the Judgment-seat of Christ they shall be brought before it to answer for all their ungodly deeds Jude 15. and being condemned for them if all the fire in Hell will burn them they shall be burned there if they die in that condition And therefore if you love your souls do not give way to such a wicked spirit Let no man deceive yoâ— with such vain words as to think because Christ hath made satisfaction to God for sin therefore you may live in your sins O no God forbid that any should think so for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience Ephes. 5 6. Thus have I Reader given thee a brief discourse touching the Covenant of Works and the Covenant of Grace also of the nature of the one together with the nature of the other I have also in this Discourse endeavoured to shew you the condition of them that are under the Law how sad it is both from the nature of the Covenant they are under and also by the carriage of God unto them by that Covenant And now because I would bring all into as little a compass as I can I shall begin with the Use and Application of the whole in as brief a way as I can desiring the Lord to bless it to thee And first of all let us here begin to examine a little touching the Covenant you stand before God in whether it be the Covenant of Works or the Covenant of Grace and for the right doing of this I shall lay down this proposition Namely that all men naturally come into the world under the first of these which is called the Old Covenant or the Covenant of Works which is the Law And were all by nature the children of wrath even as others which they could not be had they not been under the Law for there are none that are under the other Covenant that
to their eternal state but he heareth them as to several streights that they go through in this life I and gives them case and liberty from their trouble Here this poor wretch was almost perished for a little water and he cryed and God heard him yea he heard him out of Heaven Read also the 107 Psalm 23. 24 25 26 27 28 29. Psal. 106. 15. He gave them their desire and sent leanness to their souls But some may say methinks this is yet more strange that God should hear the Prayers the cries of those that are under the Law and answered them Answ. I told you before he doth not hear them as to their eternal state but as to their temporal state For God as their Creator hath a care of them and causeth the sun to shine upon them and the rain to distill upon their substance Mat. 5. 45. Nay he doth give the Beasts in the field their appointed food and doth hear the young Ravens when they cry Psal. 147. 9. which are far inferiour to man I say therefore that God doth hear the cries of his Creatures and doth answer them too though not as to their eternal state but may damn them nevertheless when they die for all that Secondly They may receive promises from the mouth of the Lord. There are many that have had promises made to them by the Lord in a most eminent manner and yet as I said before are such as are cast out and called the Children of the Bond-woman which is the Law see Gen. 21. 17 18. And the Angel of the Lord called out of Heaven to Hagar that was the Bond-woman saying fear not for God hath heard the voice of the Lad where he is Arise lift up the Lad and hold him in thine hand FOR I WILL MAKE OF HIM mark there is the promise For I will make of him of the son of the Bond-woman a great Nation Thirdly Nay they may go further for they may receive another heart than they had before and yet be under the Law There is no man I think but those that do not know what they say that will think or say that Saul was under the Covenant of Grace yet after he had talked with Samuel and had turned his back to go from him saith the Scripture God gave him another heart 1 Sam. 10. 9. another heart mark that and yet an out-cast a rejected person 1 Sam. 15. 26 29. Friends I beseech you let not these things offend you but let them rather beget in your hearts an enquiring into the truth of your condition and be willing to be searched to the bottom and also that every thing which hath not been planted by the Lords right hand may be rejected and that there may be a reaching after better things even the things that will not only make thy soul think thy state is good now but that thou mayest be able to look sin death hell the curse of the Law together with the Judge in the face with comfort having such a real sound effectual work of God Grace in thy soul that when thou hearest the Trumpet sound seest the graves flie open and the dead come creeping forth out of their holes when thou shalt see the Judgment set the books opened and all the world standing before the Judgment seat I say that then thou mayest stand and have that blessed sentence spoken to thy soul Come ye blessed of my Father wherit the Kingdom prepared for you from before the Foundation of the World Mat. 25. 34. Object But you wil say for all this we cannot believe that we are under the Law for these reasons As first because we have found a change in our hearts Secondly Because we do deny that the Covenant of Works will save any Thirdly Because for our parts we judge our selves far from legal principles for we are got up into as perfect a Gospel order as to matter of practice and discipline in Church Affairs as any this day in England as we judge Answ. First That mans belief that is grounded upon any thing done in him or by him only that mans belief is not grounded upon the death burial resurrection ascension and intercession of Jesus Christ for that man that hath indeed good ground of his eternal salvation his faith is settled upon that object which God is well pleased or satisfied withal which is that man that was born of Mary even her first-born Son that is he doth apply by faith to his soul the vertues of his death blood righteousness c. and doth look for satisfaction of soul no where else then from that neither doth the soul seek to give God any satisfaction as to justification any other ways but doth willingly and chearfully accept of and embrace the vertues of Christs death together with the rest of his things done by himself on the Cross as a Sacrifice and since also as a Priest Advocate Mediator c. And doth so really and effectually receive the glories of the same That thereby mark that thereby he is changed into the same image from glory to glory 2 Cor. 3. 18. Thus in general but yet more particular First To think that your condition is good because there is some change in you from a loose prophane life to a more close honest and civil life and conversation I say to think this testimony sufficient for to ground the stress of thy salvation upon is very dangerous First Because such a soul doth not only lay the stress of its salvation besides the man Christ Jesus that died upon the Cross But Secondly Because that his confidence is not grounded upon the Saviour of sinners but upon his turning from gross sins to a more refined life and it may be to the performance of some good duties which is no Saviour I say this is very dangerous therefore read it and the Lord help you to understand it for unless you lay the whole stress of the salvation of your souls upon the merits of another man namely Jesus and that by what he did do and is a doing without you for certain as sure as God is in Heaven your souls will perish And this must not be notionally neither as with an assenting of the understanding only but it must be by the wonderful invisible invincible power of the Almighty God working in your souls by his Spirit such a real saving holy saith that can through the operation of the same Spirit by which it is wrought lay hold on and apply these most heavenly most excellent most meritorious benefits of the man Christ Jesus not only to your heads and fancles but to your very souls and consciences so effectually that you may be able by the same faith to challenge the power madness malice rage and destroying nature either of sin the Law death the Devil together with hell and all other evils throwing your souls upon the death burial resurrection and intercession of that man Jesus without Rom. 8 32
sins of Thousands and Thousands and all at once This also is one means to make souls tender of sin it is the burned child that feareth the fire to make them humble in a sense of their own vileness to make them count every thing that God giveth them a mercy to make much of the least glimpse of the love of God and to prize it above the whole world O sinners were you killed indeed then Heaven would be Heaven and Hell would be Hell indeed but because you are not wrought upon in this manner therefore you count the ways of God as bad as a good man counteth the ways of the devil and the ways of the devil and hell as good as a Saint doth count the ways of God Fourthly Again God is fain to go this way and all to make sinners make sure of Heaven So long as souls are senseless of sin and what a damnable state they are in by nature so long they will even dally with the Kingdom of Heaven and the Salvation of their own poor souls but when God cometh and sheweth them where they are and what is like to become of them if they miss of the Crucified Saviour Oh then saith the soul would I were sure of Jesus what shall I do to get assurance of Jesus And thus is God forced as I may say to whip souls to Jesus Christ they being so secure so senseless and so much their own enemies as not to look out after their own eternal advantage Fifthly A fifth reason why God doth deal thus with sinners it is because he would bring Christ and the Soul together in a right way Christ and Sinners would never come together in a beloved posture they would not so suitably suit each other if they were not brought together this way the sinner being killed O when the sinner is killed and indeed struck dead to every thing below a naked Jesus how suitably then doth the Soul and Christ suit one with another Then here is a naked sinner for a righteous Jesus a poor sinner to a rich Jesus a weak sinner to a strong Jesus a blind sinner to a seeing Jesus an ignorant careless sinner to a wise and careful Jesus O how wise is God in dealing thus with the sinner he strips him of his own knowledge that he may fill him with Christs he killeth him for taking pleasure in sin that he may take pleasure in Jesus Christ c. Sixthly But sixthly God goeth this way with sinners because he would have the glory of their salvation Should not men and women be killed to their own things they would do sacrifice unto them and instead of saying to the Lamb THOU ART WORTHY Rev. 5. 9. Job 40. 14. Rom. 3. 27. Ephes. 2. 8 9. Tit. 3. 5. they woul say their own arm their own right hand hath saved them but God will cut off boasting from ever entring within the borders of eternal glory for he is resolved to have the glory of the beginning the middle and the end of the contriving and saving and giving salvation to them that enter into the joys of everlasting glory That they may be called the trees of righteousness the planting of the Lord that he may be glorifyed Isa. 61. 3. I might have run thorow many things as to this but I shall pass them and proceed Now Secondly The soul being thus killed to it's self its sins its righteousness faith hope wisdom promises resolutions and the rest of its things which it trusted in by nature In the next place it hath also given unto it a most glorious perfect and never-fading life which is first a life imputed to it yet so really that the very thought of it in the soul hath so much operation and authority especially when the meditation of it is mixed with faith as to make it though condemned by the Law to triumph and to look its enemies in the face with comfort notwithstanding the greatness of the multitude the fierceness of their anger and the continuation of their malice be never so hot against it This imputed life for so it is is the obedience of the Son of God as his righteousness in his suffering arising ascending interceding and so consequently triumphing over all the enemies of the soul and given to me as being wrought on purpose for me So that is is there righteousness in Christ that is mine Is there perfection in that righteousness that is mine did he bleed for sin it was for mine Hath he overcome the Law the Devil and Hell the victory is mine and I am counted the Conqueror Nay more than a conqueror through him that hath loved me and I do count this a most glorious life for by this means it is that I am in the first place proclaimed both in Heaven and Earth guiltless and such a one who as I am in Christ am not a sinner and so not under the Law to be condemned but as holy and righteous as the Son of God himself because he himself is my holiness and righteousness and so likewise having by this all things taken out of the way that would condemn me Sometimes I bless the Lord my soul hath had the life that now I am speaking of not only imputed to me but the very glory of it upon my soul For upon a time when I was under many condemnings of heart and feared because of my sins my soul would miss of eternal glory methought I felt in my soul such a secret motion as this Thy righteousness is in Heaven together with the splendour and shining of the spirit of grace in my soul which gave me to see clearly that my righteousness by which I should be justified from all that could condemn was the Son of God himself in his own person now at the right hand of his Father representing me compleat before the mercy-seat in his own self so that I saw clearly that night and day where ever I was or what ever I was a doing still there was my righteousness just before the eys of divine glory so that the Father could never find fault with me for any insufficiency that was in my righteousness being it was compleat neither could he say where is it because it was continually at his right hand Also at another time having contracted guilt upon my soul and having some distemper of body upon me supposed that death might now so seize upon as to take me away from among men then thought I what shall I do now is all right with my soul have I the right work of God on my soul Answering my self No surely and that because there were so many weaknesses in me yea so many weaknesses in my best duties for thought I how can such a one as I find mercy whose heart is so ready to evil and so backward to that which is good so far as it is natural Thus musing being filled with fear to die these words came in upon my soul Being
them and so I think should we Answ. This comparison is wrongly applied if you bring it to shew us how we must do when we come to Christ. He that can make himself clean hath no need of Christ for the whole the clean and righteous have no need of Christ but those that are foul and sick Physicians you know if they love to be honoured they will not bid the Patients first make themselves whole and then come to them no but bid them come with their sores all running on them as the woman with her bloody issue Mark 5. And as Mary Magdalen with her Belly full of Devils and the Leppers all scabbed and that is the right coming to Jesus Christ. Reply Well I hope that Christ will save me for his promises and mercy is very large and as long as he hath promised to give us life I fear my state the less Answ. It is very true Christs promises are very large blessed be the Lord for ever and also so is his mercy but notwithstanding all that there is many go in at the broad gate and therefore I say your business is seriously to enquire whether you are under the first or second Covenant for unless you are under the second you will never be regarded of the Lord for as much as you are a sinner Heb. 89. And the rather because if God should be so good to you as to give you a share in the second you shall have all your sins pardoned and for certain have eternal life though you have been a great sinner But do not expect that thou shalt have any part or share in the large promises and mercy of God for the benefit and comfort of thy poor soul whilst thou art under the Old Covenant because so long thou art out of Christ through whom God conveyeth his mercy grace and love to sinners For all the promises of God in him are yea and in him Amen Indeed his mercy grace and love is very great but it 's treasured up in him given forth in him through him But God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us that he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace But which way In his kindness towards us through Christ Jesus But out of Christ thou shalt find God a just God a sin revenging God a God that will by no means spare the guilty and be sure that every one that is found out of Jesus Christ will be found guilty in the Judgment day upon whom the wrath of God shall smoke to their eternal ruine Now therefore consider of it and take the counsel of the Apostle in 2 Cor. 13. 5. Which is to examine thy self whether thou art in the faith and to prove thy own self whether thou hast received the Spirit of Christ inâ—â— thy soul whether thou hast been converted whether thou hast been born again and made a new creature whether thou hast had thy sins washed away in the blood of Christ whether thou hast been brought from under the Old Covenant into the New and do not make a slight examination for thou hast a precious soul either to be saved or damned And that thou mayest not be deceived consider that it is one thing to be convinced and another to be converted one thing to be wounded and another to be killed and so to be made alive by the faith of Jesus Christ. When men are killed they are killed to all things they lived to before both sin and righteousness as all their old faith and supposed grace that they thought they had Indeed the Old Covenant will shew thee that thou art a sinner and that a great one too but the Old Covenant the Law will not shew thee without the help of the spirit that thou art without all grace by nature no but in the midst of thy troubles thou wilt keep thy self from coming to Christ by perswading thy soul that thou art come already and hast some grace already O therefore be earnest in begging the spirit that thy soul may be enlightned and the wickedness of thy heart discovered that thou mayest see the miserable state that thou art in by reason of sin and unbelief which is the great condemning sin and so in a sight and sense of thy sad condition if God should deal with thee in severity according to thy deservings do thou cry to God for faith in a Crucified Christ that thou mayest have all thy sins washed away in his blood and such a right work of grace wrought in thy soul that may stand in the Judgment-day Again secondly In the next place you know I told you that a man might go a great way in a profession and have many excellent gifts so as to do many wondrous works and yet be but under the Law from hence you may learn not to judge your selves to be the children of God 1 Cor. 1. because you may have some gifts of knowledge or understanding more than others no for thou mayest be the knowingest man in all the Countrey as to head-knowledge and yet be but under the Law and so consequently under the â—urse notwithstanding that Now seeing it is so that men may have all this and yet perish then what will become of those that do no good at all and have no understanding neither of their own sadness nor of Christs mercy O sad Read with understanding Isa. 27. 11. Therefore he that made them will have mercy on them and he that formed them will shew them no favour See also 2 Thes. 1. 8 9. Now there is one thing which for want of most people do miscarry in a very sad manner and that is because they are not able to distinguish between the nature of the Law and the Gospel O people people your being blinded here as to the knowledge of this is one great cause of the ruining of many As Paul saith While Moses is read or while the Law is discovered the vail is over their hearts 2 Cor. 3. 15. that is the vail of ignorance is still upon their hearts so that they cannot discern either the nature of the Law or the nature of the Gospel they being so dark and blind in their minds as you may see if you compare it with Chap. 4. 3 4. And truly I am confident that were you but well examined I doubt many of you would be found so ignorant that you would not be able to give a word of right answer concerning either the Law or the Gospel Nay my Friends set the case one should ask you what time you spend what pains you take to the end you may understand the nature and difference of these two Covenants would you not say if you should speak the truth that you did not so much as regard whether there was two or more would you not say I did not think of Covenants or study the nature of them I thought that if I had lived honestly and did as well as
little Excellency in Christ and doth all this stir up in thy Heart some breathings after him If so then fear not the Day of Grace is not past with thy poor Soul for if the day of Grace should be past with such a Soul as this then that Scripture must be broken where Christ saith He that cometh unto me I will in no wise for no thing by no means upon no terms whatsoever cast out John 6. 37. Object But surely if the day of Grace was not past with me I should not be so long without an answer of Gods love to my Soul that therefore doth make me mistrust my state the more is that I wait and wait and yet am not delivered Answ. Hast thou waited on the Lord so long as the Lord hath waited on thee it may be the Lord hath waited on thee this twenty or thirty yea forty years or more and thou hast not waited on him seven years cast this into thy Mind therefore when Satan tells thee that God doth not love thee because thou hast waited so long without an assurance for it is his temptation for God did wait longer upon thee and was fain to send to thee by his Ambassadors time after time And therefore say thou I will wait to see what the Lord will say unto me and the rather because he will speak Peace for he is the Lord thereof But secondly Know that it is not thy being under trouble a long time that will be an Argument sufficient to prove that thou art past hopes Nay contrariwise for Jesus Christ did take our Nature upon him and also did undertake deliverance for those and bring it in for them who were all their Life Time subject to Bondage Heb. 2. 14 15. Object But alas I am not able to wait all my Strength is gone I have waited so long I can wait no longer Answ. It may be thou hast concluded on this long ago thinking thou shouldest not be able to hold out any longer no not a year a month or a week nay it may be not so long It may be in the morning thou hast thought thou shouldest not hold out till night and at night till morning again yet the Lord hath supported thee and kept thee in waiting upon him many Weeks and Years therefore that is but the Temptation of the Devil to make thee think so that he might drive thee to despair of Gods Mercy and so to leave off following the ways of God and to close in with thy Sins again O therefore do not give way unto it but believe that thou shalt see the Goodness of the Lord in the Land of the Living Wait on the Lord be of good Courage and he shall strengthen thine Heart wait I say on the Lord Psal. 27. 23 24. And that thou mayest so do consider these things First If thou after thou hast waited thus long shouldest now give over and wait no longer thou wouldest lose all thy time and pains that thou hast taken in the way of God hitherto and wilt be like to a man that because he sought long for Gold and did not find it therefore turned back from seeking after it though he was hard by it and had almost found it and all because he was loth to look and seek a little further Secondly Thou wilt not only lose thy time but also lose thy own Soul for Salvation is no where else but in Jesus Christ Acts 4. 12. Thirdly Thou wilt sin the highest sin that ever thou didst sin before in drawing finally back insomuch that God may say my Soul shall have no pleasure in him Heb. 10. 38. But secondly consider thou sayest all my strength is gone and therefore how should I wait why at that time when thou feelest and findest thy strength quite gone even that is the time when the Lord will renew and give thee fresh strength The youths shall faint and be weary and the young men shall utterly fall but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength they shall mount up with Wings as Eagles they shall run and not be weary they shall walk and not be faint Isa. 40. 30 31. Object But though I do wait yet if I be not elected to eternal Life what good will all my waiting do me For it is not in him that willeth nor in him that runneth but of God that sheweth Mercy Therefore I say if I should not be elected all is in vain 1 Answ. Why in the first place to be sure thy backsliding from God will not prove thy election neither thy growing weary of waiting upon God 2 Answ. But secondly Thou art it may be troubled to know whether thou art elected And sayest thou if I did but know that that would encourage me in my waiting on God Answ. I believe thee but mark thou shalt not know thy election in the first place but in the second That is to say thou must first get acquaintance with God in Christ which doth come by thy giving credit to his Promises and Records which he hath given of Jesus Christ his Blood and Righttousness together with the rest of his Merits That is before thou canst know whether thou art elected thou must believe in Jesus Christ so really that thy faith laying hold of and drinking and eating the Flesh and Blood of Christ even so that there shall be life begotten in thy Soul by the same Life from the condemnings of the Law Life from the guilt of Sin Life over the filth of the same Life also to walk with God in his Son and wayes the Life of Love to God the Father and Jesus Christ his Son Saints and Wayes and that because they are Holy Harmless and such that are altogether contrary to Iniquity For these things must be in thy Soul as a forerunner of thy being made acquainted with the other God hath these two ways to shew to his Children their election First by Testimony of the Spirit That is the Soul being under trouble of Conscience and grieved for Sin the Spirit doth seal up the Soul by its comfortable Testimony perswading of the Soul that God for Christs sake hath forgiven all those Sins that lye so heavy on the Conscieâ—ce and that do so much perplex the Soul by shewing it that that Law which doth utter such horrible curses against it is by Christs Blood satisfied and fulfilled Eph. 1. 13 14. Secondly By consequence that is the Soul finding that God hath been good unto it in that he hath shewed it its lost state and miserable condition and also that he hath given it some comfortable hope that he will save it from the same I say the Soul from a right sight thereof doth or may draw this conclusion that if God had not been minded to have saved it he would not have done for it such things as these But for the more surer dealing with thy Soul it is not good to take any of these apart that is it is
the nature of a Saviour This is proved John 8. 31 32 33 34 35 36. ver This People were Professors and yet did not knovv the Truth the Gospel and the reason was because they did not knovv themselves and so not the Lavv. I vvould not have thee mistake me Christian Reader I do not say that the Lavv of it self vvill lead any Soul to Jesus Christ but the Soul being killed by the Lavv through the operation of its severity seizing on the Soul then the man if he be enlightened by the Spirit of Christ to see vvhere Remedy is to be had vvill not through Grace be contented vvithout the real and saving Knovvledge through Faith of him If thou vvouldest then vvash thy Face clean first take a Glass and see vvhere it is dirty that is If thou vvould'st indeed have thy Sins vvashed avvay by the Blood of Christ labour first to see them in the Glass of the Lavv Jam. 1. and do not be afraid to see thy besmeared Condition but look on every Spot thou hast for he that looks on the foulness of his Face by the halfs vvill vvash by the halfs even so he that looks on his Sins by the halfs he vvill seek for Christ by the halfs Reckon thy self therefore I say the biggest Sinner in the World and be persuaded that there is none vvorse than thy self then let the Guilt of it seize on thy Heart then also go in that case and condition to Jesus Christ and plunge thy self into his Merits and the vertue of his Blood and after that thou shalt speak of the things of the Lavv and of the Gospel experimentally and the very Language of the Children of God shall seelingly drop from thy Lips and not till then Let this therefore learn thee thus much He that hath not seen his lost Condition hath not seen a safe Condition he that did never see himself in the Devils Snare did never see himself in Christ's Bosom This my Son was dead and is alive again Was lost and is found with whom we all had our Conversation in time past But now are so many of us as believe returned to Jesus Christ the chief Shepherd and Bishop of our Souls I say therefore if thou do find in this Treatise in the first place something touching the Nature End and extent of the Lavv do not thou cry out therefore all on a sudden saying Here is nothing but the Terror Horror and thundering Sentences of the Lavv. Again If thou do find in the second part of this Discourse something of the freeness and fullness of the Gospel do not thou say then neither here is nothing but Grace therefore surely an under valuing of the Lavv. No but read it quite thorovv and so consider of it and I hope thou shalt find the tvvo Covenants vvhich all men are under either the one or the other discovered and held forth in their Natures Ends Bounds together vvith the state and condition of them that are under the one and of them that are under the other There be some that through Ignorance do say hovv that such men as preach Terror and Amazement to Sinners are besides the Book and are Ministers of the Letter the Law and not of the Spirit the Gospel but I would answer them citing them to the 16. of Luke from the nineteenth Verse to the end and the 1 Cor. 6. 9 10. and Gal. 3. 10. Rom. 3. from the ninth Verse to the nineteenth only this Caution I would give by the way how that they which preach Terror to drive Souls to the obtaining of Salvation by the Works of the Law that preaching is not the right Gospel-preaching Yet when Saints speak of the sad state that men are in by Nature to discover to Souls their need of the Gospel this is honest preaching see Romans 3. the 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 c. and he that doth do so he doth the Work of a Gospel-Minister Again there are others that say because we do preach the free full and exceeding Grace discovered in the Gospel therefore we make void the Law which indeed unless the Gospel be held forth in the Glory thereof without Confusion by mingling the Covenant of Works therewith the Law cannot be established Do we through Faith or preaching of the Gospel make void the Law Nay stay saith Paul God forbid We do thereby establish the Law Rom. 3. 31. And verily he that will indeed establish the Law or set it in its own place for so I understand the Words must be sure to hold forth the Gospel in its right colour and nature for if a man be ignorant of the nature of the Gospel and the Covenant of Grace they or he will be very apt to remove the Law out of its place and that because they are ignorant not knowing what they say nor whereof they affirm And let me tell you if a man be ignorant of the Covenant of Grace and the bounds and boundlesness of the Gospel though he speaks and makes mention of the Name of the Father and of the Son and also of the Name of the New Covenant and the Blood of Christ yet at this very time and in these very Words he will preach nothing but the Law and that as a Covenant of Works Reader I must confess it is a wonderful mysterious thing and he had need have a wiser Spirit than his own that can rightly set these two Covenants in their right places that when he speaks of the one he doth not justle the other out of its place O to be so well enlightned as to speak of the one that is the Law for to magnifie the Gospel and also to speak of the Gospel so as to establish and yet not to idolize the Law nor any particular thereof it is rare and to be heard and found but in very few mens Breasts If thou should'st say what is it to speak to each of these two Covenants so as to set them in their right places and also to use the terror of the one so as to magnifie and advance the Glory of the other To this I shall answer also read the ensuing Discourse but with an understanding Heart and it is like thou wilt find a Reply therein to the same purpose which may be to thy satisfaction Reader if thou do find this Book empty of fantastical Expressions and without light vain whimsical Scholar-like terms thou must understand it is because I never went to School to Aristotle or Plato but was brought up at my Father's House in a very mean condition among a Company of poor Country-men But if thou do find a parcel of plain yet sound true and home Sayings attribute that to the Lord Jesus his Gifts and Abilities which he hath bestowed upon such a poor Creature as I am and have been And if thou being a seeing Christian dost find me coming short though rightly touching at some things
attribute that either to my Brevity or if thou wilt to my Weaknesses for I am full of them A word or two more and so I shall have done with this And the first is Friend if thou do not desire the Salvation of thy Soul yet I pray thee to read this Book over with serious Consideration it may be it will stir up in thee some desires to look out after it which at present thou mayest be without Secondly if thou do find any stirrings in thy Heart by thy reading such an unworthy man's Works as mine are be sure that in the first place thou give Glory to God and give way to thy Convictions and be not too hasty in getting them off from thy Conscience but let them so work till thou do see thy self by nature void of all Grace as Faith Hope Knowledge of God Christ and the Covenant of Grace Thirdly then in the next place fly in all haste to Jesus Christ thou being sensible of thy lost Condition without him secretly perswading of thy Soul that Jesus Christ standeth open armed to receive thee to wash away thy Sins to cloath thee with his Righteousness and is willing yea heartily willing to present thee before the Presence of the Glory of God and among the innumerable Company of Angels with exceeding Joy This being thus in the next place do not satisfie thy self with these secret and first Perswasions which do or may encourage thee to come to Jesus Christ but be restless till thou do find by blessed experience the glorious Glory of this the second Covenant extended unto thee and sealed upon thy Soul with the very Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ. And that thou mayest not slight this my Counsel I beseech thee in the second place consider these following things First if thou do get off thy Convictions and not the right way which is by seeing thy Sins washed away by the Blood of Jesus Christ it is a question whether ever God will knock at thy Heart again or no but rather say Such a one is joyned to Idols let him alone Hos. 4. 17. Though he be in a natural state let him alone Though he be in or under the Curse of the Law let him alone Though he be in the very hand of the Devil let him alone Though he be a going post-haste to Hell let him alone Though his Damnation will not only be Damnation for Sins against the Law but also for slighting the Gospel yet let him alone My Spirit my Ministers my Word my Grace my Mercy my Love my Pity my common Providences shall no more strive with him let him alone O sad O miserable who would slight Convictions that are on their Souls which tend so much for their good Secondly if thou shalt not regard how thou do put off Convictions but put them off without the precious Blood of Christ being savingly applied to thy Soul thou art sure to have the mispending of that Conviction to prove the hardning of thy Heart against the next time thou art to hear the Word preached or read This is commonly seen that those Souls that have not regarded those Convictions that are at first set upon their Spirits do commonly and that by the just Judgments of God upon them grow more hard more sensless more feared and sottish in their Spirits for some who formerly would quake and weep and relent under the hearing of the Word do now for the present sit so sensless so feared and hardned in their Consciences that certainly if they should have Hell-fire thrown in their Faces as it is sometimes cried up in their Ears they would scarce be moved and this comes upon them as a just Judgment of God 2 Thess. 2. 11 12. Thirdly if thou do slight these or those Convictions that may be set upon thy Heart by reading of this Discourse or hearing of any other good man preach the Word of God sincerely thou wilt have the stifling of these or those Convictions to account and answer for at the Day of Judgment not only thy Sins that are commonly committed by thee in thy Calling and common Discourse but thou shalt be called to a reckoning for slighting Convictions disregarding of Convictions which God useth as a special means to make poor Sinners see their lost Condition and the need of a Saviour Now here I might add many more Considerations besides these to the end thou mayest be willing to tend and listen to Convictions as First consider thou hast a precious Soul more worth than the whole World and this is commonly worked upon if ever it be saved by Convictions Secondly this Soul is for certain to go to Hell if thou shalt be a slighter of Convictions Thirdly if that go to Hell thy Body must go thither too and then never to come out again Now consider this you that are apt to forget God and his Convictions lest he tear you in pieces and there be none to deliver Psal. 50. 22. But if thou shalt be such a one that shalt notwithstanding thy reading of thy Misery and also of God's Mercy still persist to go on in thy Sins know in the first place that here thou shalt be left by the things that thou readest without excuse and in the World to come thy Damnation will be exceedingly aggravated for thy not regarding of them and turning from thy Sins which was not only reproved by them but also for rejecting of that Word of Grace that did instruct thee how and which way thou should'st be saved from them And so farewel I shall leave thee and also this Discourse to God who I know will pass a righteous Judgment both upon that and thee I am yours though not to serve your Lusts and filthy minds yet to reprove instruct and according to that proportion of Faith and Knowledge which God hath given me to declare unto you the way of Life and Salvation Your Judgings Railings Surmizings and disdaining of me that I shall leave till the fiery Judgment comes in which the Ostender shall not go unpunished be he you or me yet I shall pray for you wish well to you and do you what good I can And that I might not write or speak in vain Christian pray for me to our God with much Earnestness Fervency and frequently in all your Knocking 's at our Fathers door because I do very much stand in need thereof for my Work is great my Heart is vile the Devil lieth at watch the World would fain be saying aha aha thus we would have it and of my self keep my self I cannot trust my self I dare not if God do not help me I am sure it will not be long before my Heart deceive me and the World have their Advantage of me and so God be dishonoured by me and thou also ashamed to own me O therefore be much in Prayer for me thy Fellow I trust in that glorious Grace that is conveyed from Heaven to Sinners by which they are
not only sanctified here in this World but shall be glorified in that which is to come Unto which the Lord of his Mercy bring us all JOHN BUNYAN These are the several Titles which are set over the several Truths contained in this Book for thy sooner finding of them The First Part. 1. THE Words of the Text opened and the Doctrines laid down 2. What the Covenant of Works is and when it was given 3. What it is to be under the Covenant of Works 4. Who they are that are under the Covenant of Works 5. What men may attain to that are under this Covenant of Works The Second Part. 1. The Doctrine proved 2. The New Covenant made with Christ. 3. The Conditions of the New Covenant 4. The Suretiship of Christ. 5. Christ the Messengerof the New Covenant 6. Christ the Sacrifice of the New Covenant 7. Christ the High Priest of the New Covenant 8. Christ compleatly fulfilled the Conditions of the New Covenant 9. The Covenant of Grace unchangeable the Opposers answered 10. Who and how men are actually brought into the New Covenant 11. A Word of Experience 12. The Priviledges of the New Covenant 13. Two Hell bred Objections answered 14. A Use of Examination about the Old Covenant 15. A Legal Spirit 16. The Use of the New Covenant 17. The unpardonable Sin 18. Objections answered for their Comfort who would have their part in the New Covenant THE DOCTRINE OF THE Law and Grace unfolded OR A Discovery of the Law and Grace the Nature of the one and the Nature of the other as they are the two Covenants c. Rom. 6. 14. For ye are not under the Law but under Grace IN the three former Chapters the Apostle is pleading for the salvation of sinners by Grace without the Works of the Law to the end he might confirm the Saints and also that he might win over all those that did oppose the truth of this Doctrine or else leave them the more without excuse and that he might so do he taketh in hand First to shew the state of all men naturally or as they come into the world by Generation saying in the third Chapter There is none righteous no not one there is none that understandeth there is none that doth good c. As if he had said It seems there is a Generation of men that think to be saved by the righteousness of the Law but let me tell them that they are much deceived in that they have already sinned against the Law For by the disobedience of one many yea all was brought into a state of condemnation Rom. 5. 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19. Now in the sixth Chapter he doth as if he had turned him round to the Brethren and said My Brethren you see now that it is clear and evident that it is freely by the Grace of Christ that we do inherit eternal life And again for your comfort my brethren let me tell you that your condition is wondrous safe in that you are under Grace for saith he Sin shall not have dominion over you that is neither the damning power neither the filthy power so as to destroy your souls For you are not under the Law that is you are not under that that will damn you for sin But you are under grace or stand thus in relation to God that though you have sinned yet you shall be pardoned For you are not under the Law c. If any should ask what is the meaning of the word UNDER I answer it signifieth you are not held kept or shut up by it so as to appear before God under that administration and none but that or thus you are not now bound by the authority of the Law to fulfil it and obey it so as to have no salvation without you so do or thus if you transgress against any one tittle of it you by the power of it must be condemned No no for you are not so under it that is not thus under the Law Again For you are not under the Law what is meant by this word LAW The word Law in Scripture may be taken more ways then one as might be largely cleared There is the Law of Faith the Law of Sin the Law of Men the Law of Works otherwise called the Covenant of Works or the first or old Covenant Heb. 8. 13. In that he saith a new Covenant which is the Grace of God or commonly called the Covenant of Grace he hath made the first old that is the Covenant of Works or the Law I say therefore the word LAW and the word GRACE in this sixth of the Romans do hold forth the two Covenants which all Men are under that is either the one or the other For ye are not under the Law that is you to whom I do now write these words who are and have been effectually brought into the faith of Jesus you are not under the Law or under the Covenant of Works He doth not therefore apply these words to all but to some when he saith But ye mark YE ye Believers ye Converted persons ye Saints ye that have been born again Ye for ye are not under the Law implying others are that are in their natural state that have not been brought into the Covenant of Grace by faith in Jesus Christ. The words therefore being thus understood there is discovered these two Truths in them Doct. 1. First That there are some in Gospel times that are under the Covenant of Works Doct. 2. Secondly That there is never a Believer under the Law as it is a Covenant of Works but under Grace through Christ For ye you Believers you Converted persons Ye are not under the Law but under Grace or for you are delivered and brought into or under the Covenant of Grace For the first That there are some that are under the Law or under the Covenant of Works see I pray you that Scripture in the third of the Romans where the Apostle speaking before of sins against the Law and of the denunciations thereof against those that are in that condition he saith What things soever the Law saith it saith to them that are under Mark it saith to them that are under the Law That every mouth may be stopped and all the World become guilty before God Rom. 3. 19. That is all those that are under the Law as a Covenant of Works that are yet in their sins and unconverted as I told you before Again Gal. 5. 18. He saith But if you be led by the Spirit you are under the Law implying again that those which are for sinning against the Law or the works of the Law either as it is the old Covenant these are under the Law and not under the Covenant of Grace Again Gal. the 3. the 10. Verse there he saith For as many as are of the Works of the Law are under the Curse that is they that are under the Law are under the Curse for
the Law command thee to love the Lord thy God with all thy soul with all thy strength with all thy might c. and can the natural man do this Jer. 13. 23. How can those that are accustomed to do evil do that which is commanded in this particular Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the Leopard his spots Doth the Law command thee to do good and nothing but good and that with all thy soul heart and delight which the Law as a Covenant of Works called for and can'st thou being Carnal do that But there is no man that hath understanding if he should hear thee say so but would say that thou wast either bewitched or stark mad Sixthly they that are under the Law are in a sad condition because that though they follow the Law or Covenant of Works I say though they follow it it will not lead them to Heaven no but contrariwise it will lead them under the Curse It is not possible saith Paul that any should be justified by the Law or by our following of it for by that is the knowledge of sin and by it we are condemned for the same which is far from leading us to life being the ministration of death 2 Cor. 3. and again Israel that followeth after the Law of righteousness hath not attained to the Law of righteousness wherefore because they sought it not by faith but by the Law and by the Works thereof Rom. 9. 30 31 32. Seventhly they that are under the Law are in a sad condition because they do not know whether ever they shall have any wages for their work or no they shall have no assurance of the pardon of their sins neither any hopes of eternal life but poor hearts as they are they work for they do not know what even like a poor Horse that works hard all day and at night hath a dirty Stable for his pains so thou mayest work hard all the days of thy life and at the day of death instead of having of a glorious rest in the Kingdom of Heaven thou mayest nay thou shalt have for thy sins the damnation of thy soul and body in Hell to all eternity for as much as I said before that the Law if thou sinnest it doth not take notice of any good work done by thee but takes its advantage to destroy and cut off thy soul for the sin thou hast committed Eighthly they that are under the Law are in a sad condition because they are under that administration upon whose souls God doth not smile they dying there for the administration that God doth smile upon his Children through is the Covenant of Grace they being in Jesus Christ the Lord of life and consolation but contrariwise to those that are under the Law for they have his frowns his rebukes his threatnings and with much severity they must be dealt withal For they break my Covenant and I regarded them not saith the Lord Heb. 8. 9. Ninthly they are in a sad condition because they are out of the faith of Christ they that are under the Law have not the faith of Christ in them for that dispensation which they are under is not the administration of faith The Law is not of faith saith the Apostle Gal. 3. 2. Tenthly because they have not received the Spirit for that is received by the bearing of faith and not by the Law nor the Works thereof Gal. 3. 2. Eleventhly in a word if thou live and die under that Covenant Jesus Christ will neither pray for thee neither let thee have one drop of his Blood to wash away thy sins neither shalt thou be so much as one of the least in the Kingdom of Heaven for all these priviledges come to souls under another Covenant as the Apostle saith For such are not under the Law but under Grace that is such as have a share in the benefits of Jesus Christ or such as are brought from under the first Covenant into the second or from under the Law into the Grace of Christs Gospel without which Covenant of Grace and being found in that there is no soul can have the least hope of eternal life no joy in the holy Ghost no share in the priviledges of Saints because they are tied up from them by the limits and bonds of the Covenant of Works For you must understand that these two Covenants have their several bounds and limitations for the ruling and keeping in subjection or giving of freedom to the parties under the said Covenants now they that are under the Law are within the compass and the jurisdiction of that and are bound to be in subjection to that and living and dying under that they must stand and fall to that as Paul saith To his own master he shall stand or fall The Covenant of Grace doth admit to those that are under it also liberty and freedom together with commanding of subjection to the things contained in it which I shall speak to further hereafter But now that the former things may be further made to appear that is what the sad condition of all them that are under the Law is as I have shewn you something of the nature of the Law so also shall I shew that the Law was added and given for that purpose that it might be so with those that are out of the Covenant of Grace First God did give the Law that sin might abound Rom. 5. 20. not that it should take away sin in any but to discover the sin which is already begotten or that may hereafter be begotten by Lust and Satan I say this is one proper work of the Law to make manifest sin it is sent to find fault with the sinner and it doth also watch that it may so do and it doth take all advantages for the accomplishing of its work in them that give ear thereto or do not give ear if it have the rule over them I say it is like a man that is sent by his Lord to see and pry into the labours and works of other men taking every advantage to discover their infirmities and failings and to chide them yea to throw them out of the Lords favour for the same Secondly Another great end why the Lord did add or give the Law it was that no man might have any thing to lay to the charge of the Lord for his condemning of them that do transgress against the same You know that if a man should be had before an Officer or Judge and there be condemned and yet by no Law he that condemns him might be very well reprehended or reproved for passing the Judgment yea the party himself might have better ground to plead for his liberty than the other to plead for the condemning of him but this shall not be so in the judgment day but contrariwise for then every man shall be forced to lay his hand on his mouth and hold his tongue at the Judgment of God when it is passed
in Gods account than the sounding of a Drum Brass or the tinkling of a Cimball which are things that notwithstanding their sound and great noise are absolutely void of life and motion and so are accounted with God as nothing that is no Christians no Believers not under the Covenant of Grace for all that See 1 Cor. 13. 1 2 3 4. Secondly Men may not only do this but may also be changed in reality for a season from what they formerly were and yet be nothing at all in the Lords account as to an eternal blessing Read 2 Pet. 2. 20. the Scripture which I mentioned before for indeed that one Scripture is enough to prove all that I desire to say as to this very thing for if you observe there is enfolded therein these following things first that reprobates may attain to a knowledge of Christ. Secondly This knowledge may be of such weight and force that for the present it may make them escape the pollutions of the world and this by hearing the Gospel For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowled 〈◊〉 of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ they are again entangled therein and overcome the last end of that man is worse than his beginning Now that they are Reprobates Dogs or Sows Read further But saith he it is happenened to them according to the true proverb the Dog is turned to his own vomit again and the Sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire verse 21. 22. But say you our practices in the worship of God shall testifie for us that we are not under the Law for we have by Gods goodness attained to as exact a way of walking in the ordinances of God and as near the examples of the Apostles as ever any Churches since the primitive time as we judge Answ. What then do you think that the walking in the order of the Churches of old as to matter of outward worship is sufficient to clear you of your sins at the judgment day or do you think that God will be contented with a little bodily subjection to that which shall vanish and fade like a flower when the Lord shall come from Heaven in flaming fire with his mighty Angels 2 Thes. 1. 7 8. Alas alis how will such professors as these are fall before the Judgment-seat of Christ then such a question as this Friend how camest thou in hither not having on thy wedding garment will make them be speechless and fall down into everlasting burnings thousands on a heap for you must know that it is not then your crying Lord Lord that will stand you in stead nor your saying We have eat and drunk in thy presence that will keep you from standing on the left hand of Christ. It is the principle as well as the practice that shall be enquired into at that day Quest. The principle you will say what do you mean by that Answ. My meaning is the Lord Jesus Christ will then enquire and examine whether the Spirit from which you acted was Legal or Evangelical that is whether it was the spirit of adoption that did draw you out to the thing you took in hand or a meer moral principle together with some shallow and common illuminations into the outward way of the Worship of God according to Gospel rule Quest. But you will say its like how should this be made manifest and appear Answ. I shall speak briefly in answer hereunto as followeth First then that man that doth take up any of the ordinances of God namely as Prayer Baptism breaking of Bread Reading Hearing Alms-deeds or the like I say he that doth practice any of these or such like supposing thereby to procure the love of Christ to his own soul he doth do what he doth from a Legal and not from an Evangelical or Gospel Spirit as thus for a man to suppose that God will hear him for his Prayers sake for his Alms-sake for his Hamiliation sake or because he hath promised to make God amends hereafter whereas there is no such thing as a satisfaction to be made to God by our Prayers or whatever we can do I say there is no such way to have reconciliation with God in And so also for men to think because they are got into such and such an Ordinance and have crouded themselves into such and such a Society that therefore they have got pretty good shelter from the wrath of the Almighty when alas poor souls there is no such thing No but God will so set his face against such professors that his very looks will make them to tear their very flesh yea make them to wish would they had the biggest Mill-stone in the world hanged about their necks and they cast into the midst of the Sea For friends let me tell you though you can now content your selves without the holy harmless undefiled perfect righteousness of Christ yet there is a day a coming in which there is not one of you shall be saved but those that are and shall be found clothed with that righteousness God will say to ALL the rest Take them bind them hand and foot and cast them into outer darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth Mat. 22. 13. for Christ will not say unto men in that day Come which of you made a profession of me and walked in Church-fellowship with my Saints no but then it shall be enquired into who hath the reality of the truth of grace wrought in their hearts and for certain he that misseth of that shall surely be cast into the lake of fire there to burn with the devils and damned men and women there to undergo the wrath of the eternal God and that not for a day a month a year but for ever for ever for ever and ever there is that which cutteth to the quick therefore look to it and consider now what you do and whereon you hang your souls for it is not every pin that will hold in the judgment nor every foundation that will be able to hold up the house against those mighty terrible souldrowning floods and destroying tempests which then will roar against the soul and body of a sinner Luke the 6. the three last verses and if the principle be rotten all will fall all will come to nothing Now the principle is this not to do things because we would be saved but to do them from this namely because we do really believe that we are and shall be saved but do not mistake me I do not say we should slight any holy duties God forbid but I say he that doth look for life because he doth do good duties he is under the Covenant of Works the Law let his duties be never so eminent so often so fervens so zealous I and I say as I said before that if any man or men or multitudes of people do get into never so high so eminent and clear
practices and Gospel-order as to Church-discipline if it be done to this end I have been speaking from this principle they must and shall have these sad things fall to their share which I have made mention of Object But you will say can a man use Gospel-ordinances with a Legal spirit Answ. Yes as easily as the Jews could use and practice circumcision though not the Moral or Ten Commandments For this I shall be bold to affirm that it is not the Commands of the New Testament administration that can keep a man from using of its self in a legal spirit for know this for certain that it is the principle not the command that makes the subjecter to the same either Legal or Evangelical and so his obedience from that command to be from Legal convictions or Evangelical principles Now herein the devil is wonderous subtle and crafty in suffering people to practice the ordinances and commands of the Gospel if they do but do them in a Legal spirit from a spirit of works for he knows then that if he can but get the soul to go on in such a spirit though they do never so many duties he shall hold them sure enough for he knows full well that thereby they do set up something in the room of or at the least to have some though but a little share with the Lord Jesus Christ in their salvation and if he can but get thee here he knows that he shall cause thee by thy depending a little upon the one and so thy whole dependance being not upon the other that is Christ and taking of him upon his own terms thou wilt fall short of life by Christ though thou do very much busie thyself in a suitable walking in an outward conformity to the several commands of the Lord Jesus Christ. And let me tell you plainly that I do verily believe that as Satan by his Instruments did draw many of the Galatians by Circumcision though I say it was none of the commands of the moral Law to be debtors to do upon pain of eternal damnation the whole of the moral Law So also Satan in the time of the Gospel doth use even the commands laid down in the Gospel some of them to bind the soul over to do the same Law the thing being done and walked in by and in the same spirit For as I said before it is not the obedience to the command that makes the subjecter thereto Evangelical or of a Gospel Spirit but contrariwise the principle that leads out the soul to the doing of the command that makes the persons that do thus practice any command together with the command by them practised either Legal or Evangelical As for instance prayer it is a Gospel command yet if he that prayes doth it in a Legal spirit he doth make that which in it self is a Gospel command an occasion of leading him into a Covenant of Works in as much as he doth it by and in that old Covenant spirit Again giving of Alms is a Gospel command yet if I do give Alms from a Legal principle the command to me is not Gospel but Legal and it binds me over as aforesaid to do the whole Law For he is not a Jew not a Christian that is one outwardly that is one only by an outward subjection to the ordinances of prayer hearing reading baptism breaking of bread c. But he is a Jew a Christian which is one inwardly who is rightly principled and practiseth the ordinances of the Lord from the leadings forth of the spirit of the Lord from a true and saving faith in the Lord Rom. 2. 28 29. Those men spoken of in the 7. of Matthew for certain for all their great declaration did not do what they did from a right Gospel Spirit for had they no question but the Lord would have said Well done good and faithful servants but in that the Lord Jesus doth turn them away into Hell notwithstanding their great profession of the Lord and of their doing in his name it is evident that notwithstanding all that they did do they were still under the Law and not under that Covenant as true believers are to wit the Covenant of Grace and if so then all their duties that they did of which they boasted before the Lord was not in and by a right Evangelical principle or Spirit Again saith the Apostle Whatsoever is not of faith is sin Rom. 14. 23. but there are some that do even practise baptism breaking of bread together with other ordinances and yet are unbelievers therefore unbelievers doing these things they are not done in faith but sin now to do these things in sin or without the faith it is not to do things in an Evangelical or Gospel Spirit also they that do these things in a Legal spirit the very practising of them renders them not under the Law of Christ as head of his Church but the works they do are of so much contradiction to the Gospel of God or the Covenant of Grace that they that do them thus do even set up against the Covenant of Grace and the very performance of them is of such force that it is sufficient to drown them that are subjecters thereunto even under the Covenant of Works but this poor souls are not aware of and there is their misery Quest. But have you no other way to discover the things of the Gospel how they are done with a Legal principle but those you have already made meâ—tion of Answ. That thou mightest be indeed satisfied herein I shall shew you the very manner and way that a Legal or old Covenant converted professor bear with the terms doth take both in the beginning middle and the end of his doing of any duty or command or whatsoever it be that he doth do First He thinking this or that to be his duty and considering of the same he is also presently perswaded in his own conscience that God will not accept of him if he leave it undone he seeing that he is short of his duty as he supposeth while this is undone by him and also judging that God is angry with him until the thing be done he in the second place sets to the doing of the duty to the end he may be able to pacifie his conscience by doing of the same perswading of himself that now the Lord is pleased with him for doing of it Thirdly Having done it he contents himself sits down at his ease untill some further convictions of his duty to be done which when he seeth and knoweth he doth do it as aforesaid from the same principle as he did the former and so goeth on in his progress of profession This is to do things from a Legal principle and from an old Covenant spirit for thus runs that Covenant The man that doth these things shall live in them or by them Levit. 18. 5. Ezek. 20. 11. Gal. 3. 12. Rom. 10. 5. but more of this
in the use of this Doctrine Object But you will say by these words of yours you do seem to deny that there are conditional promises in the Gospel as is clear in that you strike at such practices as are conditional and commanded to be done upon the same Answ. The thing that I strike at is this that a man in or with a legal spirit should not â—ay cannot do any conditional command of the Gospel acceptable as to his eternal state because he doth it in an old Covenant spirit No man putteth new Wine into old Bottles but new Wine must have new Bottles a Gospel command must have a Gospel spirit or else the Wine will break the Bottles or the principle will break the command Object Then you do grant that there are conditional promises in the New Testament as in the moral Law or ten Commands Answ. Though this be true yet the conditional promises in the New Testament do not call to the same people in the same state of 〈◊〉 â—â—neracy to fulfill them upon the same conditions The Law and the Gospel being two distinct Covanaâ—â—s they are made in divâ—rs ways and the nature of the conditions also being not the same as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Apostle The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the Law saith one thing and the righteousness of Faith 〈◊〉 â—â—â—ibeâ— Rome 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is the great condition in the 〈◊〉 is If you do these things you shall live by them but the condition even the greatest condition said down for a poor 〈◊〉 do as to salvation for it 〈◊〉 that we speak of is to believe that my 〈◊〉 be forgiven me for Jesus Christs sake without the works 〈◊〉 righteousness of the Law on my part to help forward Rom. 4. 5. To him that worketh not such the Apostle for salvation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 on him that justifieth the â—â—godly his faith mark his faith is counted for righteousness So that we saith he 〈◊〉 that a man is justified by faith without mark again without the deeds of the Law Rom. 3. 28. But again there is never a condition in the Gospel that can be fulfilled by an unbelieveâ— and therefore whether there be conditions or whether there be none it makes no matter to thee who art without the Faith of Christ for it is unpossible for thee in that state to do them so at to be ever the better as to thy eternal state therefore lest thou shouldest 〈◊〉 thy soul upon the conditions laid down in the Gospel as thou wilt do if thou go about to do them only with a Legal spirit but I say to prevent this see if thou canst fulfill the first condition that is to believe that all thy sins are forgiven thee not for any condition that hath been or can be done by thee but meerly for the mans sake that did hang on Mount Calvary between two Thieves some sixteen hundred years ago and odd And I say see if thou caâ—st believe that at that time he did when he hanged on the Cross give full satisfaction for all thy sins before thou in thy person hadst committed ever a one I say see if thou canst believe this and take heed thou deceive not thy self with an historical notional or traditional acknowledgement of the same And Secondly See if thou canst so well fulfill this condition that the very vertue and efficacy that it â—hath on thy soul will ingage thee to fulfill those other conditions really in love to that man whom thou shouldest believe hath frankly and freely forgiven thee all without any condition acted by thee to move him thereto according to that saying in the 2 Cor. 5. 14. 15. and then thy doing will arise from a contrary principle than otherwse it will do that is then thou will not act and do because thou wouldest be accepted of God but because thou hast some good hope in thy heart that thou art accepted of him already and not on thine but wholly and alone upon another mans account for here runs the Gospel Spirit of Faith mark We believe and therefore speak So we believe and therefore do 2 Cor. 4. 13. Take heed therefore that you do not that you may believe but rather believe so effectually that you may do even all that Jesus doth require of you from a right principle even out of love to your dear Lord Jesus Christ which thing I shall speak to more fully by and by Object But what do you mean by those expressions Do not do that you may believe but believe so effectually that you may do Answ. When I say do not do that you may believe I mean do not think that any of the things that thou canst do will procure or purchase faith from God unto thy soul for that is still the old Covenant Spirit the Spirit of the Law to think to have it for thy doing They that are saved they are saved by Grace through faith and that not of themselves not for any thing that they can do for they are both the free gift of God Eph. 2. 8. Not of doing or of works lest any man should be proud and boast verse 9. Now some people be so ignorant as to think that God will give them Christ and so all the merits of his if they will be but vigilant and do something to please God that they may obtain him at his hands but let me tell them they may lose a thousand souls quickly if they had so many by going this way to work and yet be never the better for the Lord doth not give his Christ to 〈◊〉 upon such conditions but he doth give him freely that is without having respect to any thing that is in thee Rev. 22. 17 Isa 55. 1 2. To him that is a thirst will give he doth not say I will sell but I will give him the water of life freely Rev. 21. 6. Fow if Christ doth give it and that freely then he doth not sell it for any thing that is in the creature but Christ doth give himself as also doth his Father and that freely not because there is any thing in us or done by us that moves him thereunto If it were by doing then saith Paul Grace is not Grace seeing it is obtained By works but Grace is Grace and that is the reason it is given to men without their works Rom. 11. 6. And if it be by Grace that is if it be a free gift from God without any thing foreseen as done or to be done by the creature then it is not of works which is clear therefore it is grace without the works of the Law but if you say â—ay it is of something in the man done by him that moves God thereunto then you must conclude that either Grace is no Grace or else that Works are Grace and not Works Do but read with understanding Rom. 11. 6. Now before I go any further it may be necessary to speak a word or two to some poor souls that are willing to
by the Law but by imputation and is really the righteousness of another namely of God in Christ 2 Cor. 5. 21. Phil. 3. 8 9 10. Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ which is unto all and upon all that is imputed to them that believe Rom. 3. 22. But if they were under the Old Covenant the Covenant of Works then their righteousness must be their own or no forgiveness of sins If thou do well shalt not thou be accepted but if thou transgress sin lieth at the door saith the Law Gen. 4. 7. Fourthly In a word whatsoever they do receive whether it be conversion to God whether it be pardon of sin whether it be faith or hope whether it be righteousness whether it be strength whether it be the Spirit or the fruits thereof whether it be victory over sin death or hell whether it be heaven everlasting life and glory unexpressible or whatsoever it be it comes to them freely God having no first eye to what they would do or should do for the obtaining of the same But to take this in pieces 1. In a word are they converted God finds them first for saith he I am found of them that sought me not Isa. 65. 1. 2. Have they pardon of sin They have that also freely I will heal their back-slidings and love them freely Hos. 14. 4. 3. Have they faith It is the gift of God in Christ Jesus and he is not only the author that is the beginner thereof but he doth also perfect the same Heb. 12. 2. 4. Have they hope It is God that is the first cause thereof Remember thy word unto thy servaut wherein THOU hast caused me to hope Psal. 119. 49. 5 Have they righteousness It is the free gift of God Rom. 5. 17. 6. Have they strength to do the work of God in their generations or any other thing that God would have them do that also is a free gift from the Lord for without him we neither do nor can do any thing John 15. 5. 7. Have we comfort or consolation We have it not for what we have done but from God through Christ for he is the God of all our comforts and consolations 2 Cor. 1. 8. Have we the spirit or the fruits thereof It is the gift of the Father How much more shall your heavenly Father give the holy Spirit to them that ask him Luke 11. 13. Thou hast wrought all our works for us Isa. 26. 12. And so I say whether it be victory over sin death hell or the devil it is given us by the victory of Christ But thanks be to God which hath given us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ 1 Cor. 15. 57. Rom. 7. 24 25. Heaven and glory it is also the gift of him who giveth his richly all things to enjoy Mat. 25. So that these things if they be duly and soberly considered will give satisfaction in this thing I might have aded many more for the clearing of these things At first when God came to man to convert him he found him a dead man Eph 2. 1 2. he found him an enemy to God Christ and the salvation of his own soul he found him wallowing in all manner of wickedness he found him taking pleasure therein with all delight and greediness 2. He was fain to quicken him by putting his Spirit into him and to translate him by the mighty operation thereof 3. He was fain to reveal Christ Jesus unto him man being altogether senseless and ignorant of his blessed Jesus Mat. 11. 25 27. 1 Cor. 2. 7 8 9 10. 4. He was fain to break the snare of the devil and to let poor man poor bound and fettered man out of the chains of the enemy Now we are to proceed and the things that we are to treat upon in the second place are these First why it is a free and unchangeable grace Secondly Who they are that are actually brought into his free and unchangeable Covenant of Grace and how they are brought in Thirdly What are the priviledges of those that are actually brought into this free and glorious grace of the glorious God of heaven and glory For the first Why it is a free and unchangeable grace and for the opening of this we must consider First How and through whom this grace doth come to be first free to us and secondly unchangeable This grace is free to us through conditions in another that is by way of Convenant or Bargain for this Grace comes by way of Covenant or Bargain to us yet made with another for us First That it comes by way of Covenant Contract or Bargain though not personally with us be pleased to consider these Scriptures where it is said Psal. 89. 3. I have made a Covenant with my chosen I have sworn unto David my servant And as for thee also by the blood of thy Covenant speaking of Christ have I sent forth the prisoners out of the pit wherein was no water Zech. 9. 9 10 11. Again You have sold your selves for nought and you shall be bought without money Ezek. 34. 23 24. Chap. 37. 24 25. Blessed be the Lord therefore saith Zacharias for he hath visited and also REDEEMED his people And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David As he spake by the mouth of his holy Prophets which have been since the world began that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hands of all that hate us To perform his mercy promised to our Fathers and to remember his holy Covenant or Bargain Luke 1 68 69 70 71 72. And if any should be offended with the plainness of these words as some poor souls may be through ignorance let them be pleased to read soberly that 49. Chapter of the the Prophet Isaiah from the 1. verse to the 12. and there they may see that it runs as plain a Bargain as if two should be making of a Bargain between themselves and concluding upon several conditions on both sides But more of this hereafter Now secondly This Covenant I say was made with one not with many and also confirmed in the conditions of it with one not with several First That the Covenant was made with one see Gal. 3. 16. Now to Abraham and to his seed was the promises made he saith not to seeds as of many but as of one and to thy seed which is Christ ver 17. And this I say the Covenant which was confirmed before of God in Christ c. The Covenant was made with the seed of Abraham not the seeds but the seed which is the Lord Jesus Christ our head and undertaker in the things concerning the Covenant 3. The condition was made with one and also accomplished by him alone and not by several yet in the nature and for the everlasting deliverance of many even by one man Jesus Christ as it is clear from
whether they be things in earth or things in heaven And you who were sometimes alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works yet now hath he reconciled how in the body of his flesh through death to present you holy mark holy and unblameable and unreprovable in his sight Colos. 1. 21 22 23. And thus it is Grace unchangeable Grace to us because it was obtained yea compleatly obtained for us by Jesus Christ God-man Object But some may say how was it possible that one man Jesus by one offering should so compleatly obtain and bring in unchangeable grace for such an innumerable company of sinners as are to be saved Answ. First in that he was every ways fitted for such a work And secondly in that as I said before he did every ways compleatly satisfie that which was offended by our disobedience to the former Covenant And for the clearing of this First Consider was it man that had offended He was man that gave the satisfaction For as by man came death even so also by man did come the resurrection from the dead 1 Cor. 15. 21. Secondly Was it God that was offended he was God that did give a satisfaction To us a Child is born to us a Son is given And his name shall be called the mighty God Isa. 9. 6. He thought it no robbery to be equal with God but for our sakes 2 Cor. 8. 9. he made himself of no reputation c. Phil. 2. 5 6 7. Thirdly For the further clearing of this to shew you that in every thing he was rightly qualified for this great work see what God himself saith of him he calls him in the first place man and secondly he owns him to be his fellow saying Awake O sword against my Shepherd against the man mark the man that is my fellow saith the Lord of Hosts Zech. 13. 7. So that now let divine and infinite Justice turn it self which way it will it finds one that can tell how to match it for if it say I will require the satisfaction of man here is a man to satisfie its cry and if it say but I am an infinite God and must and will have an infinite satisfaction here is one also that is infinite even fellow with God Fellow in his essence and being Prov. 8. 23. Fellow in his power and strength 1 Cor. 1. 24. Fellow in his Wisdom see again the same verse Fellow in his mercy and grace Tit. 2. 10. compared with ver 11. together with the rest of the attributes of God so that I say let justice turn it self which way it will here is a compleat person to give a compleat satisfaction thus much of the fitness of the person Secondly For the compleatness of the satisfaction given by him for us And that is discovered in these particulars First Doth justice call for the blood of that nature that sinned Here is the heart blood of Jesus Christ. We have redemption through his blood Ephes. 1. 14. 1 Pet. 1. 18 19. Zech. 9. 10 11. 2. Doth justice say that this blood if it be not the blood of one that is really and naturally God it will not give satisfaction to infinite justice then here is God purchasing his Church with his own blood Acts 20. 28. 3. Doth justice say that it must not only have satisfaction for sinners but they that are saved must be also washed and sanctified with this blood Then here is he that so loved us that he washed us from our sins in his own blood Rev. 1. 5. 4. Is there to be a righteousness to cloath them with that are to be presented before divine justice then here is the righteousness of Christ which is even the righteousness of God by faith Rom. 3. 22. Phil. 3. 8 9 10. 5. Is there any sins now that will fly upon this Saviour like so many Lions of raging Devils if he take in hand to redeem man he will be content to bear them all himself alone even in his own body upon the tree 1 Pet. 2. 24. 6. Is there any Law now that will curse and condemn this Saviour for standing in our persons to give satisfaction to God for the transgression of man he will be willing to be cursed yea to be made a curse for sinners rather than they shall be cursed and damned themselves Gal. 3. 13. 7. Must the great and glorious God whose eyes are so pure that he cannot behold iniquity I say must he not only have the blood but the very life of him that will take in hand to be the deliverer and Saviour of us poor miserable sinners he is willing to lay down his life for his sheep John 10. 11. 8. Must he not only dye a natural death but must his soul descend into hell though it should not be left there he will suffer that also Psal. 16. 10. and Acts 2. 3. 9. Must he not only be buried but rise again from the dead and overcome death that he might be the first fruits to God of them that sleep which shall be saved He will be buried and also through the strength of his God-head he will raise himself out of the grave though death hold him never so fast and the Jews lay never such a great stone upon the mouth of the Sepulchre and seal it never so fast 1 Cor. 15. 2. Luke 24. 34. 10. Must he carry that body into the presence of his Father to take possession of Heaven Heb. 9. 24. John 14. 2 3. And must he appear there as a Priest Heb. 6. 20. as fore-runner ver the same as an Advocate 1 John 2. 1 2. as Prophet as a Treasure-house as an Interceder and Pleader of the Causes of his people he will be all these and much more to the end the grace of God by faith in Jesus Christ might be made surer to all the seed Who then can condemn it is God that justifieth because Christ hath dyed yea rather that is risen again Who now seeing all this is so effectually done shall lay any thing the least thing who can find the least flaw the least wrinkle the least defect or imperfection in this glorious satisfaction Object But is it possible that he should so soon give infinite justice a satisfaction a compleat satisfaction for the eternal God doth require an eternal lying under the Curse to the end he may be eternally satisfied Answ. Indeed that which is infinite must have an eternity to satisfie God in that is they that fall into the prison and pit of utter darkness must be there to all eternity to the end the justice of God may have its full blow at them But now he that I am speaking of is God Isa. 9. 6. 2. Tim. 1. 16. Heb. 1. 8 9. Phil. 2. 4 5 6. and so is infinite Now le which is true God is able to give in as litttle a time an infinite satisfaction as Adam was in giving the dissatisfaction Adam himself might have given satisfaction
now is killed to his own righteousness and counts that but dung but dross not worth the dirt hanging on shoes O then says he Thou filthy righteousness Isa. 64. 6. how hast thou deceived me How hast thou beguiled my poor soul How did I deceive my self with giving of a little alms with abstaining from some gross polutions with walking in some ordinances as to the outside of them How hath my good words good thinkings good meanings as the world calls them deceived my ignorant soul I want the righteousness of faith the righteousness of God for I see now there is no less will do me any good Fourthly It is also killed to its own faith its notion of the Gospel it s own hope it s own repentings it s own promises and resolutions to its own strength it s own vertue or whatsoever it had before now saith the soul That faith I thought I had it is but fancy that hope I thought I had I see it is but hypocritical but vain and groundless hope now the soul sees it hath by nature no saving faith no saving hope no grace at all by nature by the first Covenant Now it crieth out How many promises have I broken and how many times have I resolved in vain when I was sick at such a time and in such a streight at such a place Indeed I thought my self a wise man once but I see my self a very fool now O how ignorant am I of the Gospel now and of the blessed experience of the Work of God on a Christians heart In a word it sees it self beset by nature with all evil and destitute of all good which is enough to kill the stoutest hardest hearted sinner that ever lived on the earth O Friends should you be plainly dealt withal by this discovery of the dealing of God with a sinner when he makes him a Saint and would seriously try your selves thereby as God will try you one day how few would there be found of you to be so much as acquainted with the work of God in the Notion much less in the experimental knowledge of the same And indeed God is fain to take this way with sinners thus to kill them with the Old Covenant to all things below a crucified â—hrist First Because otherwise there would be none in the world that would look after this sweet Jesus Christ. There is but a few that go to Heaven in all comparatively and them few God is fain to deal with them in this manner or else his Heaven his Christ his Glory and everlasting Happiness must abide by themselves for all sinners Do you think that Manasseh would have regarded the Lord had he not suffered his enemies to have prevailed against him 2 Chron. 33. from the 1. verse to the 16. Jer. 31. 18. Do you think that Ephraim would have looked after salvation had not God first confounded him with the guilt of the sins of his youth What do you think of Paul Acts 9. 4 5 6. What do you think of the Jailour Acts 16. 30 31 32. What do you think of the Three Thousand Acts 2. 36 37. Was not this the way that the Lord was fain to take to make them close in with Jesus Christ Was he not fain to kill them to every thing below a Christ that they were driven to their wits ends insomuch that they were forced to cry out Whbat shall we do to be saved I say God might keep Heaven and Happiness to himself it he should not go this way to work with sinners O stout hearted rebels O tender hearted God! Secondly Because then and not till then will sinners accept of Jesus Christ on Gods terms So long as sinners can make a life out of any thing below Christ so long they will not close with Christ without indenting but when the God of Heaven hath killed them to every thing below himself and his Son then Christ will down on any terms in the world And indeed this is the very reason why sinners when they hear of Christ yet will not close in with him there is something that they can take content in besides him The prodigal so long as he could content himself with the husks that the swine did eat so long he did keep away from his Fathers House but when he could get no nourishment any where on this side of his Fathers House then saith he and not till then I will arise and go to my Father c. I say Ths is the reason therefore why men come no faster and close no realier with the Son of God but stand halting and indenting about the terms they must have Christ upon for saith the drunkard I look on Christ to be worth the having but yet I am not willing to lose ALL for him all but my pot saith the drunkard and all but the world saith the covetous I will part with any thing but lust and pride saith the wanton but if Christ will not be had without I forsake all cast away all then it must be with me as it was with the young man in the Gospel such news will make me sorry at my very heart But now when a man is soundly killed to all his sins to all his righteousness to all his comforts whatsoever and sees that there is no way but the Devil must have him but he must be damned in hell if he be not clothed with Jesus Christ Oh! then saith he give me Christ on any terms whatsoever he cost though he cost me friends though he cost me comforts though he cost me all that ever I have yet like the wise Merchant in the Gospel they will sell all to get that pearl I tell you when a soul is brought to see its want of Christ aright it will not be kept back Father Mother Husband Wise Lands Livings nay life and all shall go rather then the soul will miss of Christ. I and the soul counteth Christ a cheap Saviour if it can get him vpon any terms now the soul indents no longer Now Lord give me Christ upon any terms whatsoever he cost for I am a dead-man a damned man a cast away if I have not Christ. What say you O you wounded sinners Is not this true as I have said would you not give Ten thousand worlds if you had so many so be you might be well answered that your sins shall be pardoned and your souls and bodies justified and glorified at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Thirdly The Lord goeth this way for this reason also that it might make the soul sensible what it cost Christ to redeem it from death and hell When a man cometh to feel the sting and guilt of sin death and hell upon his conscience then and not till then can he tell what it cost Christ to redeem sinners O! saith the soul if a few sins are so terrible and lay the soul under such wrath and torment what did Christ undergo who bare the
justified freely by his grace through the redemption which is in Christ as if God had said Sinner thou thinkest because thou hast had so many infirmities and weaknesses in thy soul whilst thou hast been professing of me therefore now there can be no hopes of mercy but be it known unto thee that it was not any thing done by thee at the first that moved me to have mercy upon thee neither is it any thing that is done by thee now that shall make me either accept or reject thee behold my Son who standeth by me he is righteous he hath fulfilled my Law and given me good satisfaction on him therefore do I look and on thee only as thou art in him and according to what he hath done so will I deal with thee This having stayed my heart and taken off the guilt through the strength of its coming on my soul anon after came in that word as a second testimony He hath saved us and called us with an holy calling not according to the works of righteousness which we have done but according to his own purpose and grace which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began And thus is the sinner made alive from the dead being justified by Grace through the righteousness of Christ which is unto all and upon all them that believe according to the Scriptures And the life that I now live it is by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me Gal. 2. 20. I lay down my life for my sheep John 10. 10 15. I I am come that you might have life and that you might have it more abundantly For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son much more then being reconciled we shall be saved by his life Rom. 5. 10 21. That as sin reigneth unto death even so might Grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. Secondly This life is not only imputed to him that is wrought on by the spirit of Grace that is not only counted his but also there is put into the soul an understanding enlightened on purpose to know the things of God which is Christ and his imputed righteousness 1 John 5. 20. which it never thought of nor understood before 1 Cor. 2. 9 10 11. which understanding being enlightened and made to see such things that the soul cannot be contented without it lay hold of and apply Christ unto it self so effectually I say that the soul shall be exceedingly revived in a very heavenly measure with the application of this imputed righteousness for thereby it knoweth it shall find God speaking peace to its self and with a fatherly affection say Be of good chear thy sins are forgiven thee the righteousness of my Son I bestow upon thee For what the Law could not do in that it was weak through the thy flesh I have sent forth my only Son and have condemned thy sins in his flesh Rom. 8. 3. 4. And though thou hast gone astray liste a lost sheep yet on him I have laid thine iniquities and though thou thereby didst undo and break thy self forever yet by his stripes I haue healed thee Thus I say the Lord causeth the soul by faith to apply that which he doth by grace impute unto it for thus every soul more or less is dealt withal the soul being thus inlightned thus quickned thus made alive from that dead state it was in before or at least having the beginnings of this life it hath these several vertuous advantages which they have not that are dead in their sins and trespasses and under the Law First It seeth what a sad condition all men by nature are in they being in that state which it self was in but a while since but now by grace it is a beginning to scrable out of it now it seeth the whole world lieth in wickedness 1 John 5. 19. and so liable to eternal vengeance because of their wickedness Ah friends let me tell you though you may be ignorant of your state and condition yet the poor groaning hungering Saints of God do see what a sad woeful miserable state you are in which sometimes makes them tremble to think of your most lamentable latter end you dying so and also to flie the faster to their Lord Jesus for very fear that they also should be partakers of that most doleful doom and this it hath by vertue of its own experience knowing it self was but a while ago in the same condition under the same condemnation O! there is now a hearty blessing of God that ever he should shew to it its sad condition and that he should incline its heart to seek after a better condition O blessed be the Lord saith the soul that ever he should awaken me stir up me and bring me out of that sad condition that I once with them was in It makes also the soul to wonder to see how foolishly and vainly the rest of its neighbours do spend their precious time that they should be so void of understanding so forgetful of their latter end so senseless of the damning nature of their sins O that their eyes was but inlightned to see whereabouts they are 〈◊〉 surely they would be of another mind then they are now in Now the soul wonders to see what slender pins those poor creatures do hang the stress of the eternal salvation of their souls upon O methinks saith the soul it makes me mourn to see that some should think that they were Born Christians and others that their Baptisme makes them so others depending barely upon a traditional historical faith which will leave their souls in the midst of plerplexity O that they should trust to such fables fancies and wicked slights of the Devil as their good doings their good thinkings their civil walking and living with the world O miserable profession and the end thereof will be a miserable end But now vvhen the soul is thus vvrought upon it must be sure to look for the very gates of hell to be set open against it vvith all their force and might to destroy it Novv hell rageth the devil roareth and all the world resolved do be the best they can to bring the soul again into bondage and ruine Also the soul shall not want enemies even in its own hearts lust as covetousness adultery blasphemy unbelief hardness of heart coldness half-heartedness ignorance with an innumerable company of attendants hanging like so many blocks at its heels ready to sink it into the fire of hell every moment together with strange apprehensions of God and Christ as if now they were absolutely turned to be its enemies which maketh it doubt of the certainty of its salvation For you must understand that though a soul may in reality have the righteousness of the Son of God imputed to it and also some faith in a very strong manner to lay hold upon it yet
at another time through temptation they may fear and doubt again insomuch that the soul may be put into a very great fear lest it should return again into the condition it once was in Jer. 32 40. O saith the soul when I think of my former state how miserable it was it makes me tremble and when I think that I may fall into that condition again how sad are the thoughts of it to me I would not be in that condition again for all the world and this fear riseth still higher and higher as the soul is sensible of Satans temptations or of its working of its own corruptions Ha! these filthy lusts these filthy corruptions O that I was rid of them that they were consumed in a moment that I could be quite rid of them they do so disturb my soul dishonour my God so defile my conscience and sometimes so weaken my hands in the way of God and my comforts in the Lord O how glad should I be if I might be stripped of them Rom. 7. 24. Which fear puts the soul upon flying to the Lord by prayer for the covering of his imputed righteousness and for strength against the Devils temptations and its own corruptions that God would give down his holy spirit to strengthen it against the things that do so anoy its soul and so discourage it in its way with a resolution through grace never to be contented while it doth find in it self a triumphing over it by faith in the blood of a Crucified Jesus Secondly The soul that hath been thus killed by the Law to its things it formerly delighted in now O now it cannot be contented with that slender groundless faith and hope that once it contented it self withal No no but now it must be brought into the right saving knowledge of Jesus Christ now it must have him discovered to the soul by the spirit now it cannot be satisfied because such and such do tell it is so No but now it will cry out Lord shew me continually in the light of thy Spirit through thy word that Jesus that was born in the days of Cesar Augustus when Mary a Daughter of Judah went with Joseph to be taxed at Bethelâ—m that he is the very Christ. Lord let me see it in the light of thy spirit and in the operation thereof and let me not be contented without such a faith that is so wrought even by the discovery of his birth crucifying death blood resurrection ascension intercession and second which is his personal coming again that the very faith of it may fill my soul with comfort and holiness and O how afraid the soul is lest it should fall short of this faith and of the hope that is begotten by such discoveries as these are For the soul knoweth that if it hath not this it will not be able to stand neither in death nor judgment and therefore saith the soul Lord whatever other poor souls content themselves withal let me have that which will stand me instead and carry me through a dangerous world that may help me to resist a cunning Devil that may help me to suck true soul satisfying consolation from Jesus Christ through thy promises by the might and power of thy Spirit And now when the poor soul at any time hath any discovery of the love of God through a bleeding dying risen interceding Jesus because it is not willing to be deceived O how wary is it of closing with it for fear it should not be right for fear it should not come from God Saith the soul Cannot the Devil give one such comfort tro Cannot he transform himself thus into an Angel of light So that the soul because it would be upon a sure ground cries out Lord shew me thy salvation and that not once or twice but Lord let me have thy presence continually upon my heart to day and to morrow and every day for the soul when it is rightly brought from under the Covenant of Works and planted into the Covenant of Grace then it cannot be unless it be under some desperate temptation contented without the presence of God teaching comforting stablishing and helping of the soul to grow in the things of the Lord Jesus Christ because it knoweth that if God hath but with-drawn his presence in any way from it as he doth do sometimes for a while that then the Devil will be sure to be near at hand working with his temptations trying all ways to get the soul into slavery and sin again also the corrupt principle that will be joyning and combining with the wicked one and will be willing to be a Co-partner with him to bring the soul into mischief which puts a soul upon an earnest continual panting after more of the strengthening preserving comforting and teaching presence of God and for strong supplies of faith that it may effectually lay hold on him Thirdly The soul is quickned so that it is not satisfied now without it do indeed and in truth partake of the peace of Gods Elect now it is upon the examination of the reality of its joy and peace Time was indeed that any thing would serve its turn any false conceâ—ts of its state to be good but now all kind of peace will not serve its turn all kind of joy will not be accepted with it now it must joy in God through Jesus Christ now its peace must come through the vertue of the blood of Christ speaking peace to the conscience by taking away both the guilt and the filth of sin by that blood also by shewing the soul its free acceptance with God through Christ he having compleatly fulfilled all the conditions of the first Covenant and freely placed it into the safety of what he hath done and so presents the soul compleat and spotless in the sight of God through his obedience Now I say he hath peace through the blood of his Cross and sees himself reconciled to God by the death of his Son Col. 1. 20 21. or else his comfort will be questioned by him It is not every promise as cometh now upon his heart that will serve his turn no but he must see whether the Babe Jesus be presented to the soul in and through that promise now if the Babe leap in his womb as I may say so say it is because the Lords promise sounds aloud in his heart coming to him big with the love and pardoning grace of God in Jesus Christ I say this is the first and principle joy that the soul hath that is quickened and brought into the Covenant of Grace Fourthly Now the man finds Heavenly sanctification wrought in his soul through the most precious blood of the man whose name is Jesus Christ. Jesus that he might sanctifie the people with his own blood suffered without the gate Now the soul finds a change in the understanding in the will in the mind in the affections in the judgment and also in the conscience through thâ—
inward man a change and through the outward man a change from head to foot as we use to say For he that is in Christ and so in this Covenant of Grace is a new Creature 2 Cor. 5. 17. or hath been twice made made and made again O now the soul is resolved for Heaven and Glory now it crieth out Lord if there be a right eye that is offensive to thee pluck it out or a right foot cut it off or a right hand take it from me now the soul doth begin to studdy how it may honour God and bring praise to him Now the soul is for a preparation for the second coming of Christ endeavouring to lay aside every thing that may hinder And for the closing in with those things that may make it in a beloved posture against that day Fifthly And all this is from a Gospel Spirit and not from a Legal natural principle for the soul hath these things as the fruits and effects of its being separated unto the Covenant of Grace and so now possessed with that spirit that doth attend yea and dwell in them that are brought into the Covenâ—nt of Grace from under the Old Covenant I say these things do spring forth in the soul from another root and stock then any of the actings as other men do for the soul that is thus wrought upon is as well dead to the Law and the righteousness thereof as the first Covenant as well as to its sins Sixthly Now the soul begins to have some blessed experience of the things of God even of the glorious mysteries of the Gospel 1. Now it knoweth the meaning of those words My flesh is meat indeed and my blood is drink indeed John 6. 55. and that by experience for the soul hath received peace of conscience through that blood by the effectual application of it to the soul. First by feeling the guilt of sin dye off from the conscienceâ— by the operation thereof Secondly by feeling the power thereof to take away the curse of the Law Thirdly By finding the very strength of Hell to fail when once the blood of the man Jesus Christ is received in reality upon the soul. 2. Now the soul also knoweth by experience the meaning of that Scripture that saith Our old man is crucified with him that the body of sin might be destroyed Rom. 6. 6. Now it sees that when the man Jesus did hang on the tree on Mount Calvary that then the body of its sins was there hanged up dead and buried with him though it was then unborn so as never to be laid to its charge either here or hereafter and also so as never to carry it captive into perpetual bondage being it self overcome by him even Christ the head of that poor creature And indeed this is the way for a soul both to live comfortably as touching the guilt of sin and also as touching the power of the filth of sin for the soul that doth or hath received this indeed and in truth finds strength against them both by and through that man that did for him and the rest of his fellow sinners so gloriously overcome it and hath given the victory unto them so that now they are said to be overcomers nay more than conquerâ—rs through him the one man Jesus Christ Rom. 8. 33 34 35 36 37. 3. Now the soul hath received a â—aith indeed and a lively hope indeed such a one as now it can fetch strength from the fulness of Christ and from the merits of Christ. 4. Yea now the soul can look on it self with one eye and look upon Christ with another and say indeed it is true I am an empty soul but Christ is a full Christ I am a poor sinner but Christ is a rich Christ I am a foolish sinner but Christ is a wise Christ I am an unholy ungodly unsanctified creature in my self But Christ is made of God unto me wisdom righteousness sanctification and redemption 1 Cor. 1. 30. 5. Now also that fiery Law that it could not once endure nor could not once delight in I say now it can delight in it after the inward man now this Law is its delighe it would always be walked in it and always be delighted in it being offended with any sin or any corruption that would be any ways an hinderance to it Rom. 7. 24 25. And yet it will not edure that even that that Law should offer to take the work of its salvation out of Christs hand no if it once comes to do that then out of doors it shall go if it was as good again For that soul that hath the right work of God indeed upon it cries not my prayers not my tears not my works not my things do they come from the work of the spirit of Christ it self within me yet these shall not have the glory of my salvation no it is none but the blood of Christ the death of Christ of the man Christ Jesus of Nazareth the Carpenters Son as they called him that must have the Crown and Glory of my salvation None but Christ none but Christ and thus the soul labours to give Christ the preeminence Col. 1. 18. Now before I go any further I must needs speak a word from my own experience of the things of Christ and the rather because we have a company of silly ones in this day of ignorance that do either comfort themselves with a notion without the power or else do both reject the notion and the power of this most glorious Gospel therefore for the further conviction of the Reader I shall tell him with David something of what the Lord hath done for my soul and indeed a little of the experience of the things of Christ is far more worth than all the world It would be too tedious for me to tell thee here all from the first to the last but something I shall tell thee that thou mayest not think these things are fables Reader when it pleased the Lord to begin to instruct my soul he found me one of the black sinners of the world he found me making a sport of Oaths and also of Lies and many a soul-poysoning meal did I make out of divers Lusts as Drinking Dancing Playing Pleasure with the wicked ones of the world The Lord finding of me in this condition did open the glass of his Law unto me wherein he shewed me so clearly my sins both the greatness of them and also how abominable they were in his sight that I thought the very clouds were charged with the wrath of God and ready to let fall the very fire of his jealousie upon me yet for all this I was so wedded to my sins that thought I with my self I will have them though I lose my soul O wicked wretch that I was but God the great the rich the infinite merciful God did not take this advantage of my soul to cast me away and say then take
him Devil seeing he cares for me no more no but he followed me still and won upon my heart by giving of me some understanding not only into my miserable state which I was very sensible of but also that there might be hopes of mercy also taking away that love to lust and placing in the room thereof a love to religion and thus the Lord won over my heart to some desire after the means to hear the word and to grow a stranger to my old companions and to accompany the people of God together with giving of me many sweet encouragements from several promises in the Scriptures but after this the Lord did wonderfully set my sins upon my conscience those sins especially that I had committed since the first convictions temptations also followed me very hard and especially such temptations as did tend to the making of me question the very way of salvation viz. whether Jesus Christ was the Saviour or no and whether I had best to venture my soul upon his blood for salvation or take some other course But being through grace kept close with God in some measure in prayer and the rest of the ordinances but went about a year and upwards without any sound evidence as from God to my soul touching the salvation as comes by Jesus Christ. But at the last as I may say when the set time was come then the Lord just before the men called Quaker's came into the Countrey did set me down 〈◊〉 blessedly in the truth of the Doctrine of Jesâ—s Christ that it made me marvail to see first how Jesus Christ was born of a Virgin walked in the world a while with his Disciples afterwards hanged on the Cross spilt his Blood was Buried Rose again Ascended above the Clouds and Heavens their lives to make intercession and that he also will come again at the last day to judge the World and take his Saints unto himself These things I say I did see so evidently even as if I had stood by when he was in the world and also when he was caught up I having such a change as this upon my soul it made me wonder and musing with my self at the great alteration that was in my spirit for the Lord did also very gloriously give me in his precious word to back the discovery of the Son of God unto me so that I can say through grace it was according to the Scriptures 1 Cor. 15. 1 2 3 4. and as I was musing with my self what these things should mean methought I heard such a word in my heart as this I have set thee down on purpose for I have something more than ordinary for thee to do which made me the more marvel saying What my Lord such a poor wretch as I yet still this continued I have set thee down on purpose and so forth with more fresh incomes of the Lord Jesus and the power of the blood of his Cross upon my soul even so evidently that I saw through grace that it was the blood shed on Mount Calvary that did save and redeem sinners as clearly and as really with the eyes of my soul as ever methoughts I had seen a penny-loaf bought with a penny which things then discovered had such operation upon my soul that I do hope they did sweetly season every faculty thereof Reader I speak in the presence of God and he knows I lye not much of this and such like dealings of his could I tell thee of but my business at this time is not so to do but only to tell what operation the blood of Christ hath had over and upon my conscience and that at several times and also when I have been in several frames of spirit As first sometimes I have been so loaden with my sins that I could not tell where to rest nor what to do yea at such times I thought it would have taken away my senses yet at that time God through grace hath all of a suddenâ— so effectually applied the blood that was spilt at Mount Calvary out of the side of Jesus unto my poor wounded guilty conscience that presently I have found such a sweet solid sober heart comforting peace that it hath made me as if it had not been and withal the same I may say and I ought to say the power of it hath had such a powerful operation upon my soul that I have for a time been in a straight and trouble to think that I should love and honour him no more the vertue of his blood hath so constrained me Again sometimes methinks my sins have appeared so big to me that I thought one of my sins have been as big as all the sins of all the men in the Nation I and of other Nations too Reader these things be not fancies for I have smarted for this experience but yet the least stream of the heart blood of this man Jesus hath vanished all away and hath made it to flie to the astonishment of such a poor sinner and as I said before hath delivered me up into sweet and heavenly peace and joy in the holy Ghost Again sometimes when my heart hath been hard dead slothful blind and senseless which indeed are sad frames for a poor Christian to be in yet at such a time when I have been in such a case then hath the blood of Christ the precious blood of Christ the admirable blood of the God of Heaven that run out of his body when it did hang on the Cross so softned livened quickned and inlightned my soul that truly Reader I can say O it makes me wonder Again when I have been loaden with sin and pâ—stâ—red with several temptations and in very sad manner then have I had the trial of the vertue of Christs blood with the trial of the vertue of other things and I have found that when tears would not do prayers would not do repentings and all other things could not reach my heart O then one touch one drop one shining of the vertue of the blood of that blood that was let out with a spear it hath in a very blessed manner delivered me that it hath made me to marvel O â—methinks it hath come with such life such power with such irresistible and marvellous glory that it wipes off all the slurs silences all the out-cries and quenches all the fiery darts and all the flames of hell fire that are begotten by the charges of the Law Satan and doubtful remembrances of my sinful life Friends as Peter saith to the Church so I say to you I have not preached to you cunningly devised â—ables in telling you of the blood of Christ and what authority it hath had upon my Conscience O no but as Peter saith touching the coming of the Lord Jesus into the world so in some measure I can say of the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ that was shed when he did come into the world There is not only my single testimony
Grace through the Redemption that is in Christ whom God hath set forth to be a Propitiation through Faith in his Blood c. Fourthly How men are to reckon it theirs and that is upon the same terms which God doth offer it which is freely as they are worthless and undeserving Creatures as they are without all good and also unable to do any good This I say is the right way of applying the merits of Christ to thy Soul for they are freely given to thee a poor Sinner nor for any thing that is in thee or done by thee but freely as thou art a Sinner and so standest in absolute need thereof And Christian thou art not in this thing to follow thy sense and feeling but the very Word of God The thing that doth do the People of God the greatest injury it is their too little hearkning to what the Gospel saith and their too much giving credit to what the Law Sin the Devil and Conscience saith and upon this very ground to conclude that because there is the certainty of guilt upon the Soul therefore there is also for certain by Sin Damnation to be brought upon the Soul This is now to set the Word of God aside and to give credit to what is sormed by the contrary but thou must give more credit to one syllable of the written Word of the Gospel than thou must give to all the Saints and Angels in Heaven and Earth much more than to the Devil and thy own guilty Conscience Let me give you a Parable There was a certain man that had committed Treason against his King but for as much as the King had Compassion upon him he sent him by the hand of a faithful Messenger a Pardon under his own Hand and Seal but in the Countrey where this poor man dwelt there was also many that sought to trouble him by often putting of him in mind of his Treason and the Law that was to be executed on the Offender Now which way should this man so honour his King but as believing his Hand-writing which was the Pardon certainly he would honour him more by so doing than to regard all the Clamours of his Enemies continually against him Just thus it is here thou having committed Treason against the King of Heaven he through Compassion for Christs sake hath sent thee a Pardon but the Devil the Law and thy Conscience do continually seek to disturb thee by bringing thy Sins afresh into thy remembrance But now wouldest thou honour thy King why then He that believeth the RECORD that God hath given of his Son hath set to his SEAL that God is true And this is the Record that God hath given to US eternal Life and this Life is in his Son 1 Joh. 5. 11 12. And therefore my Brethren seeing God our Father hath sent us damnable Traitors a Pardon from Heaven even all the Promises of the Gospel and also hath sealed to the certainty of it with the heart-blood of his dear Son let us not be daunted though our Enemies with terrible Voices do bring our former life never so often into our Remembrance Object But saith the Soul how if after I have received a Pardon I should commit Treason again What should I do then Answ. Set the case thou hast committed abundance of Treason he hath by him abundance of Pardons Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return to the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon Sometimes I my self have been in such a straight that I have been almost driven to my Wits ends with a sight and sense of the greatness of my sins but calling to mind that God was God in his Mercy Pitty and Love as well as in his Holiness Justice c. And again considering the ability of the satisfaction that was given to Holiness and Justice to the end there might be way made for Sinners to lay hold of this Mercy I say I considering this when tempted to doubt and despair I have answered in this manner Lord here is one of the greatest Sinners that ever the the ground bare A Sinner against the Law and a Sinner against the Gospel I have sinned against Light and I have sinned against Mercy and now Lord the guilt of them breaks my heart the Devil also he would have me despair telling of me that thou art so far from hearing my Prayers in this my distress that I cannot anger thee worse then to call upon thee for saith he thou art resolved for ever to damn and not to grant me the least of thy favour yet Lord. I would fain have forgiveness And thy word though much may be inferred from it against me yet it saith If I come unto thee thou wilt in no wise cast me out Lord shall I honour thee most by believing thou canst pardon my Sins or by believing thou canst not Shall I honour thee most by believing thou wilt pardon my Sins or by believing thou wilt not Shall I honour the Blood of thy Son also by despairing that the vertue thereof is not sufficient or by believing that it is sufficient to purge me from all my blood-red and crimson Sins surely thou that couldest find so much Mercy as to pardon Manasseh Mary Magdalen the three thousand Murderers persecuting Paul Murderous and Adulterous David and blaspheming Peter thou that offeredst Mercy to Simon Magus a Witch and didst receive the Astrologers and Conjurers in the nineteenth of Acts thou hast Mercy enough for one poor sinner Lord set the case my Sins were bigger than all these and I less deserved Mercy than any of these yet thou hast said in thy word that he that cometh to thee thou wilt in no wise cast out And God hath given comfort to my Soul even to such a Sinner as I am and I tell you there is no way so to honour God and to beat out the Devil as to stick to the truth of Gods Word and the merits of Christs Blood by believing When Abraham believed even against hope and reason he gave Glory to God Rom. 4. And this is our Victory even our Faith Believe and all things are possible to you He that believeth shall be saved He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting Life and shall never perish neither shall any man pluck them out of my Fathers Hands 1. Joh. 5. 4. And if thou dost indeed believe this thou wilt not only confess him as the Quakers do That is that he was born at Bethlehem of Mary suffered on Mount Calvary under Pontius Pilate was Dead and Buried Rose again and Ascended 〈◊〉 For all this they confess and in the midst of their confession they do verily deny that his Death on that Mount Calvary did give satisfaction to God for the Sins of the World and that his Resurrection out of Josephs Sepulchre is the cause of our Justification in the sight
that is by a final knowing wilful malicious trampling under foot the Blood of Christ which was shed on Mount Calvary when Jesus was there crucified And though it be called the Sin against the Spirit yet as I said before every Sin against the Spirit is not that for if it was then every Sin against the Light and Convictions of the Spirit would be unpardonable but that is an evident untruth for these Reasons First because there be those who have sinned against the movings of the Spirit and that knowingly too and yet did not commit that As Jonah who when God had expresly by his Spirit bid him go to Nineveh he runs thereupon quite another way Secondly because the very People that have sinned against the movings of the Spirit are yet if they do return received to Mercy Witness also Jonah who though he had sinned against the movings of the Spirit of the Lord in doing contrary thereunto Yet when he called as he saith to the Lord out of the Belly of Hell the Lord heard him and gave him deliverance and set him again about his work Read the whole story of that Prophet 2 Answ. But secondly I shall shew you that it must needs be wilfully knowingly and a malicious rejecting of the man Christ Jesus as the Saviour That is counting his Blood his Righteousness his Intercession in his own Person for he that rejects one rejects all to be of no value as to salvation I say this I shall shew you is the unpardonable Sin And then afterwards in brief shew you why it is called the Sin against the Holy Ghost First That man that doth reject as aforesaid the Blood Death Righteousness Resurrection Ascension and Intercession of the man Christ doth reject that Sacrifice that Blood that Righteousness that Victory that Rest that God alone hath appointed for Salvation John 1. 29. Behold the Lamb or sacrifice of God We have Redemption through his Blood Ephes. 1. 7. That I may be found in him to wit in Christs Righteousness with Christs own personal obedience to his Fathers Will Phil. 3. 7 8 9 10. By his Resurrection comes Justification Rom. 4. 25. His Intercession now in his own Person in the Heavens now absent from his Saints is the cause of the Saints Perseverance 2 Cor. 6 7 8. also Rom. 8. 33 34 35 36 c. Secondly They that reject this Sacrifice and the Merits of this Christ which he by himself hath brought in for Sinners hath rejected him through whom alone all the Promises of the New Testament together with all the Mercy discovered thereby doth come unto poor Creatures For all the promises in him are Yea and in him Amen unto the glory of God 2 Cor. 1. 20. And all spiritual Blessings are made over to us through him Ephes. 1. 3 4. That is through and in this Man which is Christ we have all our spiritual Heavenly and eternal Mercies Thirdly He that doth knowingly wilfully and despitefully reject this man for Salvation doth sin the unpardonable Sin because there is never another sacrifice to be offered Heb. 10. 26. There is no more offering for Sin there remaineth no more sacrifice for Sin Heb. 10. 18. namely than the offering of the body of Jesus Christ a Sacrifice once for all Heb. 10. ver 10. and 14. compared with ver 18. and 26. No but they that shall after light and clear conviction reject the first offering of his Body for Salvation do Crucifie him the second time which irrecoverably merits their own Damnation For it is impossible for those who were once enlightned and have tasted of the Heavenly Gift and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost and have tasted the good Word of God and the powers of the World to come If they shall fall away to renew them again unto Repentance seeing they Gruâ—â—fiâ— to themselves the Son of God afresh and put him to an open Shame If they fall away to renew them again unto Repentance And why so seeing saith the Apostle they do crucifie to themselves the Son of God afresh and do put him to open shame O then how miserably hath the Devil deceived some In that he hath got them to reject the merits of the first offering of the Body of Christ which was for Salvation and got them to trust in a fresh Crucifying of Christ which unavoidably brings their speedy Damnation Fourthly they that do reject this Man as aforesaid do sin the unpardonable Sin because in rejecting him they do make way for the Justice of God to break out upon them and to handle them as it shall find them which will be in the first place Sinners against the first Covenant which is the Soul-damning Covenant and also despising of even the Life and Glory and Consolations Pardon Grace and Love that is discovered in the second Covenant forasmuch as they reject the Mediator and Priest of the same which is the Man Jesus And the Man that doth so I would fain see how his Sins should be pardoned and his Soul saved seeing the means which is the Son of Man the Son of Mary and his Merits is rejected For saith he If you believe not that I am he you shall mark you shall do what you can you shall appear where you can you shall follow Moses Law or any holiness whatsoever you shall dye in your Sins Joh. 8. 24. So that I say the Sin that is called the unpardonable Sin is a knowing wilful and despiteful rejecting of the sacrificing of the Son of Man the first time for Sin And now to shew you why it is called the Sin against the Holy Ghost as in these Scriptures Mat. 12. Heb. 10. Mark 3. First Because they Sin against the manifest light of the Spirit as I said before it is a Sin against the light of the Spirit That is they have been formerly enlightened into the nature of the Gospel and the Merits of the Man Christ and his Blood Righteousness Intercession c. And also professed and confessed the same with some life and comfort in and through the profession of him Yet now against all that Light maliciously and with despite to all their former Profession turn their backs and trample upon the same Secondly It is called the Sin against the Holy Ghost because such a Person doth as I may say lay violent hands on it one that sets himself in opposition to and is resolved to resist all the motions that do come in from the Spirit to persuade the contrary For I do verily believe that men in this very rejecting of the Son of God after some knowledge of him especially at their first resisting and refusing of him they have certain motions of the Spirit of God to disswade them from so great a Soul-damning Act. But they being filled with an over-powering measure of the Spirit of the Devil do do despite unto these Convictions and Motions by studying and contriving how they may answer them and get from under
the convincing nature of them and therefore it is called a doing despite unto the Spirit of Grace Heb. 10. 29. And so Thirdly In that they do reject the beseechings of the Spirit and all its gentle intreatings of the Soul to tarry still in the same Doctrine Fourthly In that they do reject the very Testimony of the Prophets and Apostles with Christ himself I say their Testimony through the Spirit of the Power Vertue Sufficiency and Prevalency of the Blood Sacrifice Death Resurrection Ascension and Intercession of the man Christ Jesus of which the Scriptures are full both in the Old and New Testament as the Apostle saith For all the Prophets from Samuel with them that follow after have shewed of these days That is in which Christ should be a Sacrifice for Sin Acts 3. 24. compared with Ver. 6. 13 14 15 18 26. Again saith he He therefore that despiseth despiseth not man but God who hath also given unto us his Holy Spirit 1 Thes. 4. 8. That is he rejecteth or despiseth the very Testimony of the Spirit Fifthly It is called the Sin against the Holy Ghost because he that doth reject and disown the Doctrine of Salvation by the man Christ Jesus through believing in him doth despise resist and reject the Wisdom of the Spirit for the Wisdom of Gods Spirit did never more appear than in its finding out a way for Sinners to be reconciled to God by the death of this man and therefore Christ as he is a Sacrifice is called the Wisdom of God And again when it doth reveal the Lord Jesus it is called the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation in the Knowledge of him Ephes. 1. 17. Object But some may say the slighting or rejecting of the Son of Man Jesus of Nazareth the Son of Mary cannot be the Sin that is unpardonable as is clear from that Scripture in the twelfth of Matthew where he himself saith He that shall speak a Word against the Son of Man it shall be forgiven him but he that shall sin against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven him neither in this World nor in the World to come Ver. 32. Now by this it is clear that the Sin that is unpardonable is one thing and the sin against the Son of Man another that Sin that is against the Son of Man is pardonable but if that was the Sin against the Holy Ghost it would not be pardonable therefore the Sin against the Son of Man is not the Sin against the Holy Ghost the unpardonable Sin Answ. First I do know full well that there are several Persons that have been pardoned yet have sinned against the Son of Man and that have for a time rejected him as Paul 1 Tim. 1. 13 14. Also the Jews Acts 2. 36 37. But there was an ignorant rejecting of him without the Enlightning and Taste and Feeling of the Power of the things of God made mention of in the sixth of the Hebrews the 3 4 5 6 Verses Secondly There is and hath been a higher manner of sinning against the Son of Man which also hath been and is still pardonable as in the case of Peter who in a violent temptation in a mighty hurry upon a sudden denied him and that after the Revelation of the Spirit of God from Heaven to him that he Jesus was the Son of God Matth. 16. 16 17 18. This also is pardonable if there be a coming up again to repentance O rich Grace O wonderful Grace that God should be so full of Love to his poor Creatures that though they do sin against the Son of God either through ignorance or some sudden violent charge breaking loose from Hell upon them but yet take it for certain that if a Man do slight and reject the Son of God and the Spirit in that manner as I have before hinted that is for a Man after some great measure of the enlightning by the Spirit of God and some Profession of Jesus Christ to be the Saviour and his 〈◊〉 that was shed on the Mount without the Gates of Jerusalem to be the Attonement I say he that shall after this knowingly wilfully and out of malice and despite reject speak against and trample that Doctrine under foot resolving for ever so to do And if he there continue I will pawn my Soul upon it he hath sinned the unpardonable Sin and shall never be forgiven neither in this World nor in the World to come or else those Scriptures that testifie the Truth of this must be scrabled out and must be looked upon for meer Fables which are these following For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the World through the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ which is the Son of Man Matth. 16. 13. and are again intangled therein and overcome which must be by denying this Lord that bought them 2 Pet. 2. 1. the latter end is worse with them than the beginning 2 Pet. 2. 20. For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened and have tasted of the Heavenly Gift And have tasted the good Word of God and the powers of the World to come If they shall fall away not only fall but fall away that is finally Heb. 10. 19. it is impossible to renew them again unto Repentance and the Reason is rendred seeing they have crucified to themselves the Son of God which is the Son of Man afresh and put him to an open shame Heb. 6. 4 5 6. Now if you would further know what it is to Crucifie the Son of God afresh it is this For to undervalue and trample under foot the Merits and Vertue of his Blood for Remission of Sins as is clearly manifested in the tenth of the Hebrews 26 27 28 Verses where it 's said For if we Sin wilfully after we have received the knowledge of the Truth there remaineth no more Sacrifice for Sins But a certain fearful looking for of Judgment and the fiery Indignation which shall devour the Adversaries He that despised Moses Law died without Mercy of how much sorer Punishment suppose ye shall be thought worthy that have trodden under foot the Son of God there is the second Crucifying of Christ which the Quakers think to be saved by and hath counted the Blood of the Covenant wherewith he was sanctified an unholy thing And then followeth And hath done despite unto the Spirit of Grace Verse the twenty ninth All that Paul had to keep him from this Sin it was his ignorance in persecuting the Man and Merits of Jesus Christ Acts 9. But I obtained Mercy saith he because I did it ignorantly 1 Tim. 1. 14. And Peter though he did deny him knowingly yet he did it unwillingly and in a sudden and fearful Temptation and so by the Intercession of Jesus escaped that Danger So I say they that commit this Sin they do it after Light knowingly wilfully and despitefully and in the open view of the whole World reject the Son of
not good to take the Testimony of the Spirit as thou supposest thou hast from the fruits thereof so as to conclude the Testimony thou hast received to be a sufficient ground without the other not that it is not if it be the Testimony of the Spirit but because the Devil doth also deceive Souls by the workings of his Spirit in them pretending that it is the Spirit of God And again thou shouldest not satisfie thy self though thou do find some seekings in thee after that which is good without the testimony of the other that is to say of the Spirit for it is the Testimony of two that is to be taken for truth Therefore say I as thou shouldest be much in praying for the Spirit to testifie assurance to thee so also thou shouldest look to the end of it when thou thinkest thou hast it which is this to shew thee that it is alone for Christs sake that thy sins are forgiven thee and also thereby a constraining of thee to advance him both by Words and Works in Holiness and righteousness all the Dayes of thy Life From hence thou mayest boldly conclude thy Election 1 Thes. 3 4 5 6. Remembring without ceasing your Work of Faith and Labour of Love and Patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of God our Father Knowing Brethren saith the Apostle beloved your Election of God But how why by this For our Gospel came not to you in word only but also in Power and in the Holy Ghost and in much assurance And ye became followers of us and of the Lord having received the Word in much affliction with Joy of the Holy Ghost So that you were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia And to wait for his Son from Heaven whom he raised from the dead even Jesus which hath delivered us from the wrath to come ver 10. Object But alas for my part instead of finding in me any thing that is good I find in me all manner of Wickedness Hard-heartedness Hypocrisie coldness of Affection to Christ very great unbelief together with every thing that is Base and of an ill Savour What hope therefore can I have Answ. If thou wast not such a one thou hadst no need of Mercy If thou wast whole thou hadst no need of the Physician doest thou therefore see thy self in such a sad Condition as this Thou hast the more need to come to Christ that thou mayest be not only cleansed from these Evils but also that thou mayest be delivered from that Wrath they will bring upon thee if thou do not get rid of them to all Eternity Quest. But how should I do and what course should I take to be delivered from this sad and troublesome Condition Answ. Dost thou see in thee all manner of Wickedness The best way that I can direct a Soul in such a case is to pitch a stedfast Eye on him that is full and to look so stedfastly upon him by Faith that thereby thou mayest even draw down of his fulness into thy Heart for that is the right way and the way that was typed out before Christ came in the Flesh in the time of Moses when the Lord said unto him Make thee a Serpent of Brass which was a Type of Christ and set it upon a Pole and it shall come to pass that when a Serpent hath bitten any Man that he may look thereon and live Numb 21. 8. Even so now in Gospel times when any Soul is bitten with the fiery Serpents their Sins that then the next way to be healed is for the Soul to look upon the Son of Man who as the Serpent was was hanged on a Pole or Tree that whosoever shall indeed look on him by Faith may be healed of all their Distempers whatsoever John 3. 14 15. As now to instance in some things First is thy Heart hard why then behold how full of Bowels and Compassion is the Heart of Christ towards thee which may be seen in his coming down from Heaven to spill his Heart-Blood for thee 2. Is thy Heart slothful and idle then see how active the Lord Jesus is for thee in that he did not only die for thee but also in that he hath been ever since his Ascension into Heaven making Intercession for thee Heb. 7. 25. 3. Dost thou see and find in thee Iniquity and Unrighteousness Then look up to Heaven and see there a Righteous Person even thy righteous Jesus Christ now presenting thee in his own Perfections before the Throne of his Fathers Glory 1 Cor. 1. 30. 4. Dost thou see that thou art very much void of right Sanctification then look up and thou shalt see that thy Sanctification is in the presence of God a compleat Sanctification representing all the Saints as Righteous so sanctified ones in the Presence of the great God of Heaven And so whatsoever thou wantest be sure to strive to pitch thy Faith upon the Son of God and behold him stedfastly and thou shalt by so doing find a mighty change in thy Soul For when we behold him as in a Glass even the Glory of the Lord we are changed namely by beholding from Glory to Glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord 2 Cor. 3. 18. This is the true way to get both Comfort to thy Soul and also Sanctification and right Holiness into thy Soul Poor Souls that are under the Distemper of a guilty Conscience and under the workings of much Corruption do not go the nearest way to Heaven if they do not in the first place look upon themselves as cursed Sinners by the Law and yet at that time they are blessed for ever blessed Saints by the Merits of Jesus Christ. O wretched Man that I am saith Paul and yet O blessed Man that I am through my Lord Jesus Christ for that is the Scope of the Scripture Rom. 7. 24 25. Object But alas I am blind and cannot see what shall I do now Answ. Why truly thou must go to him that can make the Eyes that are blind to see even to our Lord Jesus by Prayer saying as the poor blind Man did Lord that I might receive my Sight and so continue begging with him till thou do receive Sight even a sight of Jesus Christ his Death Blood Resurrection Ascension Intercession and that for thee even for thee And the rather because first he hath invited thee to come and buy such Eye-salve of him that may make thee see Rev. 3 18. Secondly because thou shalt never have any true comfort till thou dost thus come to see and behold the Lamb of God that hath taken away thy Sins John 1. 29. Thirdly because that thereby thou wilt be able through Grace to step over and turn aside from the several stumbling-blocks that Satan together with his Instruments hath laid in our way which otherwise thou wilt not be able to shun but wilt certainly fall when others stand and grope and stumble when
others go upright to the great Prejudice of thy poor Soul Object But alas I have nothing to carry with me how then should I go Answ. Hast thou no Sins If thou hast carry them and exchange them for his Righteousness because he hath said Cast thy Burthen upon the Lord and he will sustain thee Psal. 55. 22. and again because he hath said Though thou be heavy laden yet if thou do but come to him he will give thee rest Mat. 11. 28. Object But you will say Satan telleth me that I am so cold in Prayers so weak in believing so great a Sinner that I do go so slothfully on in the way of God that I am so apt to slip at every Temptation and to be entangled therewith together with other things so that I shall never be able to attain those blessed things that are held forth to sinners by Jesus Christ and therefore my trouble is much upon this account also and many times I fear that will come upon me which Satan suggesteth to me that is I shall miss of eternal Life 1. Answ. As to the latter part of the Objection that thou shalt never attain to everlasting Life That is obtained for thee already without thy doing either thy praying striving or wrestling against sin If we speak properly it is Christ that hath in his own Body abolished Death on the Cross and brought Light Life and Glory to us through this his thus doing But this is the thing that thou aimest at that thou shalt never have a share in this Life already obtained for so many as do come by Faith to Jesus Christ and all because thou art so slothful so cold so weak so great a Sinner so subject to slip and commit Infirmities 2. Answ. I answer Didst thou never learn for to out-shoot the Devil in his own Bow and to cut off his Head with his own Sword as David served Goliah who was a Type of him Quest. O how should a poor Soul do this this is rare indeed Answ. Why truly thus Doth Satan tell thee thou prayest but faintly and with very cold Devotion answer him thus and say I am glad you told me for this will make me trust the more to Christs Prayers and the less to my own also I will endeavour henceforward to groan to sigh and to be so fervent in my crying at the Throne of Grace that I will If I can make the Heavens rattle again with the mighty Groans thereof And whereas thou sayest that I am so weak in believing I am glad you mind me of it I hope it will hence forward stir me up to cry the more heartily to God for strong Faith and make me the more restless till I have it And seeing thou tellest me that I run so softly and that I shall go near to miss of Glory this also shall be through Grace to my advantage and cause me to press the more earnestly towards the mark for the price of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus And seeing thou doest tell me that my Sins are wonderous great hereby thou bringest the remembrance of the unsupportable Vengeance of God into my mind if I dye out of Jesus Christ and also the necessity of the Blood Death and Merits of Christ to help me I hope it will make me fly the faster and press the harder after an interest in him and the rather because as thou tellest me my state will be unspeakable miserable without him And so all along if he tell thee of thy Deadness Dulness Coldness or Unbelief or the greatness of thy Sins answer him and say I am glad you told me I hope it will be a means to make me run faster seek earnestlier and to be the more restless after Jesus Christ. If thou didst but get this art as to out run him in his own Shooes as I may say and to make his own Darts to pierce himself then thou mightest also say now doth Satans Temptations as well as all other things work together for my Good for my Advantage Rom. 8. 28. Object But I do find so many weaknesses in every Duty that I do perform as when I pray when I read when I hear or any other Duty that it maketh me out of conceit with my self it maketh me think that my Duties are nothing worth Answ. I answer It may be it is thy Mercy that thou art sensible of Infirmities in thy best things thou doest I a greater Mercy then thou art aware of Quest. Can it be a Mercy for me to be troubled with my Corruptions Can it be a Priviledge for me to be annoyed with Infirmities and to have my best Duties infected with it How can it possibly be Answ. Verily thy Sins appearing in thy best Duties do work for thy Advantage these wayes First in that thou findest ground enough thereby to make thee humble and when thou hast done all yet to count thy self but an unprofitable Servant And secondly thou by this means art taken off from leaning on any thing below a naked Jesus for eternal Life It is like if thou wast not sensible of many by-Thoughts and Wickednesses in thy best Performances thou wouldest go near to be some proud abominable Hypocrite or a silly proud dissembling Wretch at the best such a one as would send thy Soul to the Devil in a bundle of thy own Righteousness but now thou through Grace seest that all and every thing thou doest there is sin enough in it to condemn thee This in the first place makes thee have a care of trusting in thy own doings And secondly sheweth thee that there is nothing in thy self which will do thee any good by working in thee as to the meritorious cause of thy Salvation No but thou must have a share in the Birth of Jesus in the Death of Jesus in the Blood Resurrection Ascension and Intercession of a crucified Jesus And how sayest thou doth not thy finding of this in thee cause thee to flie from a depending on thy own doings And doth it not also make thee the more earnestly to groan after the Lord Jesus Yea and let me tell thee also it will be a cause to make thee admire the freeness and tender-heartedness of Christ to thee when he shall lift up the light of his Countenance upon thee because he hath regarded such a one as thou sinful thou And therefore in this sense it will be a mercy to the Saints that they do find the reliques of sin still struggling in their Hearts But this is not simply the nature of sin but the Mercy and Wisdom of God who causeth all things to work together for the good of those that love and fear God Rom. 8. And therefore whatever thou findest in thy Soul though it be sin of never so black a Soul-scaring nature let it move thee to run the faster to the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt not be ashamed that is of thy running to him But secondly When thou
doest apprehend that thou art defiled and also thy best Duties annoyed with many Weaknesses let that Scripture come into thy Thoughts which saith Of him are ye in Christ Jesus who of God is made unto us Wisdom Righteousness Sanctification and Redemption And if thou shalt understand that what thou canst not find in thy self thou shalt find in Christ. Art thou a Fool in thy self then Christ is made of God thy Wisdom Art thou Unrighteous in thy self Christ is made of God thy Righteousness Doest thou find that there is but very little sanctifying Grace in thy Soul still here is Christ made thy Sanctification and all this in his own Person without thee without thy Wisdom without thy Righteousness without thy Sanctification without in his own Person in thy Fathers presence appearing there perfect Wisdom Righteousness and Sanctification in his own Person I say as a publick Person for thee So that thou mayest believe and say to thy Soul My Soul though thou doest find innumerable Infirmities in thy self and in thy Actions yet look upon thy Jesus the man Jesus he is Wisdom and that for thee to govern thee to take care for thee and to order all things for the best for thee He is also thy Righteousness now at Gods right Hand alwayes shining before the Eyes of his Glory So that there it is unmovable though thou art in never such a sad Condition yet thy Righteousness which is the Son of God God-man shines as bright as ever and is as much accepted of God as ever O this sometimes hath been Life to me And so whatever thou O my Soul findest wanting in thy self through Faith thou shalt see all laid up for thee in Jesus Christ whether it be Wisdom Righteousness Sanctification or Redemption Nay not only so but as I said before he is all these in his own Person without thee in the presence of his Father for thee Object But now if any should say in their Hearts O but I am one of the Old Covenant-men I doubt that is I doubt I am not within this glorious Covenant of Grace And how if I should not Answ. Well thou fearest that thou art one of the Old Covenant a Son of the Bond-woman In the first place know that thou wast one of them by Nature for all by Nature are under that Covenant but set the case that thou art to this day under that yet let me tell thee in the first place there is hopes for thee for there is a gap open a way made for Souls to come from under the Covenant of Works by Christ For he hath broken down the middle Wall of Partition between us and you Ephes. 2. 14. And therefore if thou wouldest be saved thou mayest come to Christ. If thou wantest a righteousness as I said before there is one in Christ. If thou wouldest be washed thou mayest come to Christ and if thou wouldest be justified there is justification enough in the Lord Jesus Christ. That 's the first Ans. 2. And secondly thou canst not be so willing to come to Christ as he is willing thou shouldest come to him witness his coming down from Heaven his Humiliation his spilling of his Blood from both his Cheeks Luke 23. 44. by sweat under the burden of sin and his shedding of it by the Spear when he hanged on the Cross. It appears also by his Promises by his Invitations by his sending forth his Messengers to preach the same to poor Sinners and threatneth Damnation upon this very account namely the neglect of him and declares that all the thousands and ten thousands of sins in the World should not be able to damn those that believed in him that he would pardon all forgive and pass by all if they would but come unto him moreover promiseth to cast out none no not the poorest vilest contemptiblest Creature in the whole World Come unto me all every one though you be never so many never so vile though your Load be never so heavy and intollerable though you deserve no help not the least help no Mercy not the least compassion yet cast your Burthen upon me and you shall find rest for your Souls Come unto me and I will heal you love you teach you and tell you the way to the Kingdom of Heaven Come unto me and I will succor you help you and keep you from all Devils and their Temptations from the Law and its Curses and from being for ever overcome with any evil whatsoever Come unto me for what you need and tell me what you would have or what you would have me do for you and all my Strength Love Wisdom and Interest that I have with my Father shall be laid out for you Come unto me your sweet Jesus your loving and tender-hearted Jesus your everlasting and sin-pardoning Jesus Come unto me and I will wash you and put my Righteousness upon you pray to my Father for you and send my Spirit into you that you might be saved Therefore Consider besides this what a priviledge thou shalt have at the day of Judgment above thousands if thou do indeed and in truth close in with this Jesus and accept of him for thou shalt not only have a Priviledge in this Life only but in the Life Everlasting even at the time of Christs second coming from Heaven for then when there shall be the whole World gathered together and all the good Angels bad Angels Saints and Reprobates when all thy Friends and Kindred with thy Neighbours on thy Right-hand and on the left shall be with thee beholding of the wonderful Glory and Majesty of the Son of God then shall the Son of Glory even Jesus in the very view and sight of them all smile and look kindly upon thee when a smile or a kind look from Christ shall be worth more then ten thousand Worlds then thou shalt have it You know it is counted an honour for a poor man to be favourably looked upon by a Judge or a King in the sight of Lords Earls Dukes and Princes why thus it will be with thee in the sight of all the Princely Saints Angels and Devils in the sight of all the great Nobles in the World then even thou that closest in with Christ be thou rich or poor be thou bond or free wise or foolish if thou close in with him he will say unto thee Well done good and faithful Servant even in the midst of the whole World they that love thee shall see it and they that hate thee shall all to their shame behold it for if thou fear him here in secret he will make it manifest even at that day upon the House top Secondly not only thus but thou shalt also be lovingly received and tenderly embraced of him at that day when Christ hath thousands of gallant Saints as old Abraham Isaac Jacob David Isaiah Jeremiah together with all the Prophets and Apostles and Martyrs attending on him together with many thousands of