as having thy portion and interest in him and in none else this is an undoubted evidence that you doe belong to the Covenant of Grace 3. For God to be your God it notes Gods soveraignty and power over you for your benefit the Lord will reign over you and subdue corruptions in you and quell your pride and humble your heart and give you a meek and quiet spirit If you finde that God is yours in these three particulars you may comfort your heart in an unquestionable interest in the Covenant of Grace if God be your God and you his people that you have given up and devoted your selves wholly to the service of God in every thing that you doe 2. Another speciall blessing of the covenant of grace is that God hath promised to sanctifie and renew your natures as in Ezek. 36. 26 27. saies God there A new heart also will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you and will take away the stony hearts out of your bosomes and will give you hearts of flesh and I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and you shall keep my judgments and do them God will not onely give us life for our happinesse but grace for our holinesse he will not only give us imputed righteousnesse for our justification but also inherent righteousnesse for our sanctification now therefore examine your selves have your natures ever been sanctified and regenerated have you been ever washed with clean water and those stains of sin and corruption wiped away from you hath the beasom of sanctification ever swept your inward man and made it not a cave for every unclean bird to lie in but a habitation fit for the holy Ghost to dwell in if it be so you have a reall right to and interest in the covenant of grace for no man can have the blessings of the covenant but he must have a beeing in the covenant of grace It is very observable that God is not only as the covenant represents him a God gracious and mercifull slow to anger and full of compassion c. but he is a holy God as well as a mercifull God and therefore he will work holinesse in us and expect holinesse from us if ever we expect to have mercy and happinesse from him never lay claim to God nor expect life and happinesse from him as he is a mercifull God unlesse you resolve to be conformable to him as he is a holy God Object But here some may say This is not so great a blessing as you speak of to be sanctified by vertue of the covenant of grace for there are many men that may be sanctified by the covenant of grace and yet never be saved by it and this objection they ground upon that place in Heb. 10. 29. And they shall count the bloud of the covenant wherewith they were sanctified an unholy thing Answ I answer that the sanctification here spoken of is not a true sanctification but onely in profession in the sight of men not in the fight of God it is not a sanctification in very deed and in truth but onely in shew and in the judgement of men 3. Another blessing of the covenant of grace is the forgivenesse of our sins as in Jer. 3. 34. They shall all know me from the least of them to the greatest saith the Lord for I will forgive their iniquity and will remember their sins no more now beloved can you say that God hath pardoned your sins and done away your offences if so then you are under the Covenant of Grace Object But here some poor soul may say Alas I have been a great sinner and have committed offences against God and therefore I fear I have no reall interest in the covenant of grace Answ Be not discouraged for it is the glory of the covenant of grace to pardon great sins it puts a great deal of glory upon God to pardon great sins and passe by great offences as in Amos 5. 12 15. I know sayes God your manifold transgressions and your mighty sins here you see are manifold and mighty sins and yet saies God hate evill and love good it may be the Lord will be gracious to you nay the Lord he will be gracious to you though thou hast manifold and mighty sinnes yet it is not the greatnesse nor mightinesse of them but thy stubbornnesse of heart in not coming in and closing with Jesus Christ that undoes thee 4. Another blessing of the covenant of grace is Gods writing his Law in our hearts that we shall never depart from him as in Jer. 31. 33. I will put my Law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts I will be their God and they shall be my people that is God will put into our hearts a sutable frame and disposition answerable to every command of God in his Law that we shall be able to obey observe and keep it and say that it is good and then saies God you shall never depart from me now examine your selves hath this effect beene wrought by the spirit of God in your hearts hath God written the Sermons you have heard not in your books but in your hearts if so these are good evidences of your interest in the covenant of grace 2. Another discovery or character of your interest in the covenant of grace is this if you have in you the inseparable concomitances that belong to this covenant of grace there are some things that doe alwayes accompany the covenant of grace as I shall instance in 3 or 4 particulars 1. If you be a man under the covenant of grace in covenant with God then you are disingaged from that league and covenant which you have made and contracted with your lusts whosoever is in covenant with God he hath broken his league with his lusts you cannot be in covenant with Christ till you fall off from your lusts and break off from your sins as in Act. 3. 25 26. sayes the Apostle You are the children of the Prophets and of the covenant which God hath made with our Fathers saying to Abraham even in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed First unto you hath God raised up his Son Jesus Christ and him hee hath sent to blesse you in turning every one of you from your iniquities so that if you are children of the covenant the Lord will turn every one of you from your wicked wayes and therefore you that are not turned from the evill of your courses that have not broken that league you have made with death and hell you can lay no claim to the covenant of grace as in Psal 50. 16. sayes God there to the wicked What hast thou to doe to take my covenant into thy mouth seeing thou hatest to be reformed and castest my words behinde thee thou wilt not forsake thy lusts nor leave thy sins and therefore what
Christ hath is yours 3. Take this for your comfort that all that you have is Christs I shall sum up all that I have to say concerning this under these three comprehensive particulars 1. Your sinnes are Christs to pardon them and satisfie Gods justice for them 2. Your sufferings are Christs to sanctifie them And 3. Your bodies and soules are Christs to save them 1. You that have an interest in Christ your sins are his to pardon them Esay 53. 6. The Lord hath laid on him the Iniquity of us all the chastisements of our peace were laid upon him and by his stripes we are healed hee bore our sins in his own body on the tree and to this purpose the Apostle hath an expression in 2 Cor. 5. 21. He was made sin for us that we might be the righteousnesse of God in him Christ was no sinner but hee was made a sinner for us he bore our sins upon him our sinnes are Christs to pardon them 2. Our sufferings are Christs sufferings to sanctifie them unto us Act. 9. Christ says to Saul Saul Saul why persecutest thou me hee lookes upon the injuries and wrongs that are done to his people as if they were done to him 3. Your bodies and soules are Christs to save them our members are Members of Christs body as in 1 Cor. 6. 15. says the Apostle shall I take the Members of Christ and make them Members of an harlot God forbid thy bodie is Christs and thy soule is Christs the Apostle hath it in so many expresse tearms in 1 Cor. 6. 19 20. What know you not says the Apostle that your bodies are the Temples of the Holy Ghost which is in you which you have of God and you are not your own for you are bought with a price therefore glorifie God in your bodies and souls which are his Thus you see what a large field of mercie al you that have an interest in Christ have here to walk in you have all things though you have nothing all things equivalently all things conditionally all things finally and all things inheritively all the Ministers of Christ are yours the whole world is yours life and death is yours things present are yours whether present afflictions or present mercies things to come are yours whether afflictions or temptations or trouble or want or any things and mercie to come is yours as life and Salvation Heaven and Happinesse all is yours all that Christ hath is yours Christs Father is your Father his Spirit is your Spirit his righteousnesse is your righteousnesse his graces are your graces his peace is your peace and his sufferings are your sufferings and all that you have is Christs your sins are Christs to pardon them and your sufferings Christs to sanctifie them and your soules and bodies Christs to save them I might here adde one head more that all your duties and services are Christs too he persumes them with the sweet odour of his merits and so presents them and makes them acceptable to God hence it is that you read in the Revelation that Christ addes his incense to the prayers of all his Saints and this is a very great consolation 4. All you that have an interest in Christ take this for your comfort that the having of Christ is that which will sweeten all the crosses and afflictions and adverse conditions that you meet withall here in this world the having of Christ will sweeten every trouble as I told you before what the tree was to the waters of Marah that Christ will be to every sad and dejected soul in every troublesome condition the waters of Marah were so exceeding bitter none could drink of them but when the tree was cast into the waters then they became sweet Why so it may be thy condition here in this world is as the waters of Marah full of bitterness and sorrow and trouble and affliction but now doe but cast this tree of life the Lord Jesus into these waters and then this will convert them from waters of Marah bitter and troublesome to be rivers of joy and streams of comfort Christ will be to thy soul as the honie in the Lions bellie was to Samson it became good for food to feed upon it may be afflictions and troubles may come in upon thee like a roaring Lion but Christ is as the hony in this Lion that sweetens all thy sorrows and makes them advantagious and comfortable for thee I might apply to this purpose what an Author observes concerning the water of the Sea it is very salt in its self but when it comes to run through the bowels of the earth it then loseth its saltnesse and becomes pleasant why so though thy condition here in the world be full of sharp and sore afflictions yet when these come to run through Christ he sweetens them all unto thee Great is your comfort in having an interest in Christ for this is that which sweetens all the crosses and troubles you meet withall here in the world and Beloved doe but seriously consider of it and let mee a little reason the case with you What though thou mayst feed upon the bread of sorrow yet how canst thou be uncomfortable when withall thou feedest upon the bread of life the Lord Jesus Christ What though thou mayest drink the water of affliction and wine of astonishment yet how canst thou be uncomfortable so long as thou dost drink drops of Christs bloud What though you have not a house to put your head in yet let this be your comfort that you have a house preserved for you a building not made with hands eternall in the heavens What though you have nothing but a stone for your pillow to lay your head upon when every night you lay your head in the bosome of Jesus Christ Thus much concerning the fourth consolation 5. All you that have a reall and well-grounded interest in Christ herein lies your comfort that in and through Christ you may look upon God that in himselfe is cloathed with dread and terriblenesse with a great deal of joy and comfort Christ makes all the attributes of God to be delightfull and comfortable to thee that though God be a consuming fire to burn up thy soul like stubble out of Christ yet in Christ you may look upon God as fire but yet so as that Christ interposeth between you and it Christ is as a skreen between the fire of Gods wrath and you thou art to look upon God not as an enemy that sets himselfe against thee but as a friend reconciled to thee not as an angry Judg that is desirous to condemne thee but as a mercifull Father that is willing to pardon thee you are not to looke upon God cloathed with dread and terrour but with mercy and compassion that God that will frown upon thee out of Christ yet bring but a Christ in thy armes and present him to God the Father and then hee
will turn away his anger from thee and behold thee with a smiling countenance thou being in Christ and Christ in thee and God being well pleased with his Sonne must needs bee well pleased with thee too great is your benefit by having an interest in Christ I may say in this case what Elisha the Prophet said to King Jeroboam 2 King 3. 14. Verily sayes hee were it not that I regard the person of Jehosaphat King of Judah I would not looke toward thee nor see thee just so does God say to us were it not for my Sonne Jesus Christ you should never see my face nor have a good look from me 6. If thou hast a real interest in Christ then this is another part of thy comfort that God the Father doth as truly accept of thee in his Sonne as if thou hadst in thine own person done and suffered what Christ did this is a great benefit God accepts of what Christ hath done for us as if we had none it our selves as in Ephes 1. 6. Hee hath made us accepted in the beloved that is in Christ God lookes upon thee in Christ and accepts of all thy duties and performances as well as if thou hadst prayed as well as ever Christ prayed and done and suffered as much as ever Christ did 7. Art thou now in Christ well take this for thy comfort thou maist be confidently assured that thou shalt bee one day with Christ This is the last consolation and I shall give you a pregnant text to prove it though it be not so well understood in the common reading of it as it should bee Rom. 8. 10. sayes the Apostle if Christ be in you the body is dead because of sinne but the Spirit is life because of righteousnesse What is the meaning of this the body is dead because of sinne the meaning is not that the body does mortifie sin but the body is dead because of sin that is sin shall bring your bodies to the grave but your spirits shall live because of righteousnesse that is the righteousnesse of Jesus Christ through the righteousnesse of Christ your souls shall live for ever in glory with Christ though your bodies die and sin bring them to the grave yet the killing of your bodies shall but make way for the living of your spirits being in Christ here you shall for ever live with Christ in glory hereafter the death of your bodies shall but give you an entrance into Glory and therefore why should death be grievous to those that are in Christ Jesus for death is but as it were the marriage day wherein Christ and their soules shall bee united together if Christ bee in you your bodies shall die because of sin but your spirits shall live because of righteousnesse You have another pertinent place to prove this in Joh. 17. 23 24. sayes Christ there I in them and thou in me that they may be made perfect in one and that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them as thou hast loved me and Father I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am that they may behold my Glory which thou hast given me Some conceive that this prayer of Christ was made onely for the Apostles that they might be where Christ was in heaven but if you marke the precedent words you shall find that it was for all Beleevers for saies Christ himself neither pray I for these alone but for all those that shall beleeve in my Name to the end of the world Great is your comfort in having an interest in Christ here you shall one day reign with him for ever in Glory Thus I have done with these seven consolations to those that have a real and well grounded interest in Christ I have onely now a word or two by way of Use to apply and set home what I have said concerning this particular Use Here you see what unspeakable comforts redound to you that have an interest in Christ you have all things though you have nothing Christ is yours and all that Christ hath is yours and all that you have is Christs Christ sweetens all afflictions and crosses to you and the having of Christ represents God the Father to you not with terrour and dread but with goodnesse and meeknesse and loving-kindnesse and mercy and long-suffering and through Christ God doth as freely accept of you and of what you doe as if it were done as well as ever Christ did it and being in Christ here you shall for ever live with Christ in glory hereafter Oh how should all these mercies and priviledges stir up all those that have yet no part in Christ never to give rest to their eyes nor slumber to their eye-lids till they have gotten an interest in him SERMON VI. EPHES. 2. 12. That at that time ye were without Christ LEst any of you that hear mee this day should lie under a spirit of delusion and think that all that I have said touching the happinesse of those that have an interest in Christ belongs to them when it doth not I shall therefore spend this houre in shewing you some characters whereby you may know whether you have a real interest in Christ or no this is the needfullest point that ever in my life I prest upon you and the Lord give you grace to lay these characters close to your own hearts and by them seriously to examine your own souls whether you have a reall interest in Christ or no but before I give you these characters give me leave by the way to premise these three or four Cautions or cautelary conclusions which will the better make way to the handling the point in hand Caution 1 1. Take this caution that men may be strongly conceited and opinionated that they have an interest in Christ when they have not I shall give you a plain text for this in 2 Cor. 10. 7. Doe you look on things after the outward appearance sayes the Apostle if any man trust to himself that hee is Christs let him of himself think this again that as he is Christs even so are we Christs This is a very notable place there were some among the Corinthians that were strongly conceited they did belong to Christ when they did not and had an ill opinion of the Apostles and thought they did not belong to Christ and to such as these the Apostle Paul here speaks men may be strongly conceited they have an interest in Christ when there is no such matter as it was with the Church of Laodioea in Rev. 3. 17. Thou sayest I am rich and increased in goods and have need of nothing and knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blinde and naked 2. Another cautelary conclusion I would have you take notice of is this that in laying down the characters of a man that hath an interest in Christ I do not
and greater enormities as in 2 Cor. 6. 18. and in the first verse of the next chapter I will be your God and Father and you shall be my sons and daughters saith the Lord God Almighty Having therefore these promises dearly beloved sayes the Apostle let us cleanse our selves from all filthinesse both of flesh and spirit and therefore if you have a care to abstain from all secret sins whereby the inward man is defiled it is a signe that you have a reall interest in God because God will be our God and will own and accept of us to be his people we must not onely wash our legs and our outward man but our inward parts too and if we do thus we may be confidently assured that we are a sacrifice well pleasing and acceptable unto God through Jesus Christ but now you that make conscience of your wayes so far only as that men may not say black to your eye if you doe not labour to keep your inward man from defilements as well as your outward man you have no interest in God at all 2. Another evidence of your interest in God is this if you have an earnest and unwearied labour and endeavour in your spirits to come to the nearest resemblance and conformity to Jesus Christ as possibly you can Doe you labour to be holy as hee was holy and humble and meeke and lowly as hee was in 2 Cor. 7. 1. sayes the Apostle there dearly beloved let us cleanse our selves from all filthinesse both of flesh and spirit perfecting holinesse in the fear of God Doe you labour still to resemble God in holinesse thy relation and interest in God will make thee labour to be like unto God and to be still perfecting holinesse though you cannot be perfect in holinesse If you have an interest in God you will labour more and more to be holy as he is holy and to come to the nearest resemblance to him that may be 3. Another discovery of your interest in God is this if God hath engraven upon thy soul those saving effects and blessings which he doth bestow upon all those that have an interest in him God hath promised that he will be their God and they shall be his people that he will give them a new heart taking away the heart of stone and giving them a heart of flesh and that he will sanctifie and renew their natures and write his Law in their inward parts and work in their hearts a sutable disposition to his Law and put his fear into their hearts that they shall never depart from him These are the blessings of the Covenant of Grace Now you that can give abundant and evident testimonies in your own souls that you have found God cleansing and purifying your hearts and sanctifying and renewing your natures and writing his Law in your inward parts and putting his fear into your hearts that you doe never depart from him if you finde these things in you they are undoubted evidences that you have an interest in God 2. As I would have you prove your interest in God so I would exhort you to improve your interest in God too Many of you do let God lye by you as I may so say and never make use of him for your spirituall comfort and support and never goe to him for help and succour and relief in times of danger you doe not improve your interest in God Object But here it may be you would ask mee how you should improve your interest in God Answ 1 I answer 1. Improve it thus in making your interest in God a great incentment and provocation to thee to obey God thus David did in Psal 143. 10. Teach me to doe thy will sayes he for thou art the Lord my God here David did well improve his interest in God so in Psal 119. 115. Depart from me ye evill doers sayes he for I will keep the commandements of my God We should make our interest in God an ingagement upon our souls to keep the commands of God 2. Then you doe rightly improve your interest in God when this doth stir you up to aggravate all the sins you have committed against God when your interest in God doth make you see how exceeding sinfull sin is and how greatly you have provoked the Lord your God by your sins as in Jer. 3. 25. We have sinned against the Lord our God we and our Fathers from our youth even to this day and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God here the children of Israel aggravate their sins against God as their God And so Daniel he makes his interest in God a motive to stir him up to aggravate sin against God in Dan. 9. 5. sayes he there We have sinned and have committed iniquity and done wickedly and have rebelled even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgements and then in vers 7. Oh Lord sayes he righteousnesse belongeth unto thee but unto us confusion of face as at this day so again in vers 8. Oh Lord to us belongeth confusion of face to our Kings and to our Princes and to our Fathers because we have sinned against thee but to the Lord our God belongeth mercy and forgivenesse though wee have rebelled against him and so hee goes on all along aggravating their sins against God no lesse then ten times he mentions their interest in God and ten times he aggravates their sinnes against God It is the consideration of our interest in God that does stir us up to aggravate our sins against God when we doe consider that we have sinned against our God against our gracious and mercifull Father who hath loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace who is infinite in goodness and abundant in mercy and truth Such considerations as these will exceedingly provoke us to aggravate our sins against him 3. Improve your interest in God by making it a prop and pillar of marble to bear up and support your hearts under all the miseries and afflictions and troubles you meet withall here in the World thus David incouraged himself in the Lord his God in Psal 3. 7. I am thine sayes hee Lord save me then you make a right improvement of your interest in God when you go to him and trust and rely and depend upon him in all times of danger and distresse for you have an interest in that God that is both able and willing to relieve and succour you a God that hath helped you and doth help you and will never leave you nor forsake you and therefore be incouraged to cast your care upon him FINIS THE SAINTS TRIUMPH OVER DEATH OR A SERMON Preached at the Funerall OF Mr. CHRISTOPHER LOVE IN Lawrence-Church August 25. 1651. By THOMAS MANTON Minister of the Gospell at Stoak-Newington near London London Printed by E. Cotes for George Eversden at the Golden-ball in Aldersgate-street 1652. THE SAINTS TRIUMPH OVER DEATH OR A
the 7. verse that in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindnesse towards us through Jesus Christ 4. Here is laid down the finall cause of it in the same verse also that in Ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace And Lastly here is the instrumentall cause of bringing man out of the state of Nature into the state of Grace and that is Faith in the 8. verse For by grace are you saved through Faith and that not of your selves it is the gift of God Now the other part of the Map describes man in the second capacity in the state of Nature and herein it gives a twofold description of Mans condition 1. Positively what he is 2. Privatively what he wants 1. It describes Man in the state of Nature positively what he is and that in five particulars 1. Men in their naturall condition are described to bee dead in trespasses and sinnes 2. They walk according to the course of this world as Pagans and Heathens do 3. According to the Prince of the power of the air that is the Devill now the Devill is called the Prince of the air either because he doth reside in the air or else because he hath the power of the winde and of the air 4. They are called Children of disobe dience that is bor n in a state of disobedience quite contrary to the commands of God 5. That they fulfill the lusts of the flesh and of the minde and are by nature children of wrath Thus far you have the positive description of Man in the state of Nature 2. Now in the second place the Apostle describes him privatively what he wants and that in the words of my Text in five particulars wherein hee plainly shews that he is the poorest man in the world that wants Jesus Christ and the most miserable That at that time you were without Christ that is the first You were Aliens from the Common-wealth of Israel that is the second You were strangers to the Covenants of promise that is the third You were without hope that is the fourth And you were without God in the world that 's the fift Now these comprehensive expressions contain in them the whole misery of Man and that in these five particulars here named 2. here is described the time how long a man is in this condition that at that time that is the time during your unconverted estate as long as you are unconverted so long you are without Christ and an Alien from the Common wealth of Israel and a stranger to the Covenants of promise without hope and without God in the world And now what a dismall Text have I here to handle and what a doleful tragedy am I now to act but yet out of every one of these there is a great deal of comfort which may flow forth I shall only at present make entrance into the words and speak more fully to them afterwards that at that time you were without Christ That at that time Beloved here wants something to supply the sense of the words and therefore read the foregoing words and you will finde what must be brought in the verse before runs thus Wherefore remember that you being in times past Gentiles in the flesh c. wherefore remember these words must be prefixt Wherefore remember that at that time you were without Christ and aliens to the Common-wealth of Israel c. I shall here by the way only draw out this one doctrine from the coherence of the words Wherefore remember that at that time the Apostle would have these converted Ephesians to remember that they were men without Christ and aliens to the Common-wealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise without hope and without God in the world now from hence I would commend this observation to you Doct. That it is the will of God that men in a converted estate should often call to minde the sinfulnesse and misery they were guilty of before their conversion Beloved this is a subject I could never have occasion to speak to you of before and yet it is a point of admirable use especially in these times wherein people think that when once they are brought into a state of Grace they must live in divine raptures and revelations and spirituall joyes above duties and ordinances and never look back into their former sinfulnesse and wickednesse they were guilty of before their conversion Why here the Ephesians were converted men and had extraordinary priviledges they were brought to sit in heavenly places in Christ Jesus and yet the Apostle bids them remember their former sinfulnesse and misery Remember O you Ephesians that ye were once without Christ and you were Aliens to the Common-wealth of Israel c. therefore you must take heed of this to think that when you are converted you must be only rapt up into the third heavens and never look back into your former condition you see here the Apostle bids you remember what you were at that time during your unconverted estate that you were then without Christ and strangers to the Covenants of promise c. So that you see it is the will of God that men in a converted estate should often cal to minde the sins and miserie they were in before conversion Now before I come to give you the Reasons of the point give me leave to premise these three Cautions when I tell you that after your cōversion you should call to minde your sin and misery before conversion you must not do it 1. with complacency of spirit nor 2. with stupidity of heart nor 3. with despondency of minde Caution 1 1. You must not cal to minde your former sinfulnesse with complacency of spirit to please your humors you must not do as some great men use to do that have been guilty of great and crying sins as adultery drunkennesse swearing and the like in their youth go tell and boast of them in their age this is a very great wickednesse you must call to minde your former sinfulnesse not with complacency but with bitternesse of spirit with grief sorrow and perplexity of heart Many men will tel you large stories of the wickednesse that they have committed but they do it with delight and if they had strength and abilities they would be guilty of the same sins and wickednesses stil which is a most ungodly practise and that which the Scripture condemns men for as in the 23. of Ezek. 23. 19 21. Yet she multiplyed her whoredomes in calling to remembrance the dayes of her youth wherein she had played the harlot in the land of Egypt Thus thou calledst to remembrance the lewdnesse of thy youth the meaning of this is she called her sins to remembrance but it was so as to play the whore stil and to be unclean stil she did it with delight and complacency with content and joy now I say you should call
your sins to remembrance with a great deal of grief and sorrow and bitternesse of spirit and therefore when young gallants wil boast of their sins and tel how often they have been drunk and have made others to be so and how often they have plaid the whoremaster and have drawn others to do so this is a most Diabolical remembrance 2. You must not cal your former sins to remembrance with stupidity of heart neither Beloved there are many men can remember what lewd courses they have taken and what wicked lives they have lived how often they have been drunk and unclean and the like and yet are never troubled at the remembrance of it their hearts do not smite them with remorse and sorrow but are like a rock the sense of sin never troubles them this is no way of calling sin to remembrance with a blockish and stupid heart this is not thanks worthy but it must be done with a broken and a bleeding and a contrite heart And 3. Take in this caution too it must not be done with despondency of minde neither There are many converted ones that do cal their sins to remembrance but it makes them discouraged and unwilling to come to Christ it makes them think that they have no interest in the covenant of grace but this should not be the true effect that the consideration of your former sinfulnesse should produce should be your laying your souls low and making them humble and the more sensible of that indispensable need you have of Christ of going unto him for salvation and comfort These are the Cautions necessary to be premised I come now to give you the Reasons of the point why it is the will of God that people in a converted estate should often cal to minde the sin and misery they were in before conversion and Reas 1 1. God will have it so because by so doing you will be provoked the more highly to magnifie and admire the greatnesse and riches of Gods grace to you there are none in the World greater admirers of Gods grace and mercy then those that are most studious of their own sin and misery thou wilt never solemnly and throughly magnifie Gods mercy till thou art plunged into a deep sensiblenesse of thine own misery till the Lord hath brought thee to see in what a miserable and deplorable condition thou wert in before conversion thou wilt then admire and magnifie the riches of Gods free grace in bringing thee out of that condition into the estate of grace as in 1 Tim. 1. 13. the Apostle Paul when he would magnifie the free grace of God to him saith he I was a blasphemer and a persecutor and injurious and yet through the abundance of Gods free grace and mercy I have obtained mercy the consideration of his former sinfulnesse did elevate and scrue up his heart to make him admire the free grace of God to his soul that man can never prize liberty as he should do that never was in prison But Reas 2 2. Another reason why God wil have it so is because this will be as a spur to quicken and engage men to be more eminent in grace after their conversion when a man doth frequently and seriously consider how bad and sinful he was before conversion it cannot but provoke him now to be more humble and holy after his conversion It is very observable in Paul that all those sins and wickednesses he was guilty of before conversion he did most of all strive against and labour to excell in the contrary graces after conversion as first before conversion he did labour to hale others to prison for worshipping of Christ but after his conversion he did labour to draw others to Christ Act. 26. 10 11. Many of the Saints did I shut up in prison and gave my voice against them and punished them oft in every City and I was exceeding mad against them and banished them into other Cities and now you shall see that after conversion Paul did labour to outvie in grace that evil course he was in before as before conversion he did imprison those that did belong to Christ so after conversion he was shut up himself in prison for the cause of Christ before conversion he gave his voice against the people of God but after conversion he did pray to God for them before conversion he did punish them often but afterward he did preach to them often before conversion he did compell men to blaspheme Christ but after conversion he was very earnest to perswade people to beleive in Christ he was exceeding mad against them before conversion but afterward hee was so exceeding zealous for the people of God that every one thought hee had been mad and lastly before conversion he did persecute Saints to strange Cities but afterwards he did go preaching of the Gospel to strange Cities Oh my Beloved let Pauls pattern be your task cal to minde your sin and wickednesse in your unconverted condition but so that it may provoke you that now you are converted you may labour to abound in grace as formerly you have abounded in sin Reas 3 3. Another reason why God will have us call to minde the sin and misery we were in before conversion is because this will be a means to kindle a great deal of pity and compassion in our souls towards those that remain yet unconverted this the Apostle exhorts us to in Tit. 3. 2 3. Speak evill of no man sayes he be no brawler but gentle Shewing all meeknesse unto all men for we our selves also were sometime foolish disobedient deceived serving divers lusts and pleasures living in malice and envy hatefull and hating one another as if the Apostle should have said I Paul and thou Titus we were sinful as wel as they and did serve divers lusts as wel as they once let us therefore be pitiful and merciful and compassionate towards them this consideration wil greatly provoke us to commiserate poor sinful souls the great reason why we pity them no more then we do is because we do not cal to mind our own sinfulnesse and what we were before conversion Reas 4 4. Another reason may be this because the consideration of our former misery will greatly abate pride in the hearts of converted men this will be a great means to abate and keep under pride and advance humility in the hearts of Gods people Beloved a good man naturally is apt to be proud we are not proud of our sins but of our graces pride is apt to grow in the best mans heart and therefore God would have us sometime look back upon what we were in our unconverted estate that so that might abate the pride of our spirits you have an excellent place for this in Ezek. 16. 3 4 5. compared with the last verse of that chapter Sayes God there to Jerusalem Thy Birth and thy Nativity is of the land of Canaan thy Father was an Amorite
becoms comely through Christs comlinesse that is cast upon him if you want Christ you want your best ornament a man without Christ is like a body full of sores and botches he is like a dark house without light and like a body without a head and such a man must needs be a deformed man 6. Another property of a Christlesse man is that he is a disconsolate man Christ is the only spring of comfort and the fountain of all joy and consolation take away Christ from the Soul and it is all one as if you did take away the Sun from the firmament if a man hath all the blessings in the world yet if he want Christ he wants that which should sweeten all the rest of his comforts In Exod. 15. 23. 25. you read there of the waters of Marah they were so bitter that none could drink of them but then the Lord shewed Moses a tree which when he had cast into the waters the waters were made sweet why Jesus Christ he is this tree that sweetens the bitternesse of any outward affliction and he can make all thy sorrowes to flee away there is nothing in the world that sweetens the comforts and gives us joy in the possession of the things of this world more then the having an interest in Jesus Christ it is not Beloved the having of much of the creature in your house but the having of Christ in your hearts that makes you live comfortably all the bread you eat will be but bread of sorrow if you do not feed upon the body of Jesus Christ and all your drink will be but wine of astonishment if you do not drink of the bloud of Jesus Christ without an interest in Christ al your comforts are but crosses and al your mercies are but miseries as in Job 20. 22. In the fulnesse of his sufficiency he shall be in straits though you have abundance of the things of this life though you have more then enough yet if you have not an interest in Christ you have nothing 7. Another property of a man out of Christ is that he is a dead man You know that common place in 1 Joh. 5. 12. He that hath the Son he hath life and he that hath not the Son he hath not life hence we read in Eph. 2. 1. that unregenerate men are dead in trespasses and sins and the reason is because that Christ is a Beleevers life Col. 3. 3. Our life is hid with Christ in God take away Christ from a man and you take away his life and take away life from a man and he is a dead lump of flesh unregenerate men are termed strangers to the life of godlinesse and therefore must needs be dead in their sins though they do injoy the life of a man yet if the life that he lives be not by the Faith of the Son of God he is spiritually dead As for example you know a dead man he feels nothing do what you will to him he does not feel it so a man that is spiritually dead he does not feel the weight of his sins though they are a heavie burden pressing him down into the pit of Hell he is a stranger to the life of godlinesse and past feeling given over to a reprobate sense so that he feels not the weight and burden of all his sins 2. A dead man he hath a title to nothing here in this life though he were never so rich yet he loseth his title to all and his riches goes from him to another why so being spiritually dead you can lay claim to nothing neither to grace nor mercy heaven or happinesse by Jesus Christ 3. A dead man is still rotting and returning to the dust from whence he came and so a man that is spiritually dead he fals from iniquity to iniquity and from one sinne to another till at last he drops down into Hell fire 8. The last property of a Christlesse man is that he is a damned man if he live and dye without Christ hee is a damned man So Joh. 3. 18. He that beleeveth not he is condemned already he is as surely damn'd as if he were in hell already he that is without Jesus Christ must needs goe without Heaven for Heaven and Glory and happinesse are entailed upon him Heaven is given to none but those that are heirs together with Christ and therefore you that are without Christ must needs be without heaven and consequently without happinesse and salvation and therefore must needs be damn'd So that you see in these eight particular properties in what a sad and miserable condition every Christlesse man is in and oh that what has been now declared concerning the wretchednesse of a Christlesse man might provoke every soul of you to a holy eagernesse and earnestnesse of spirit above all your gettings to labour to get Jesus Christ SERMON III. EPHES. 2. 12. That at that time ye were without Christ WE come now to the 2. Question which I promised you to resolve Quest What are the Characters of a Man without Jesus Christ This Query is very necessary because hereby we may know whether we are the men that are without Jesus Christ or no now I shall reduce these characters of a Christlesse man into these seven heads and go over them very briefly 1. That man that is without the Spirit of Christ he is without any reall actuall interest in Christ this the Apostle layes down to us in so many expresse terms in Rom. 8. 9. If any man hath not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his Christ and the Spirit are inseparable companions have the one and you enjoy the other want the ione and you are without the other And here Beloved to apply this more particularly you are without any interest in Christ if you are without the Spirit of Christ in the threefold operation of it 1. If you are without the enlightning work of the Spirit to teach your minds to know Christ 2. If you are without the inclining work of the Spirit to draw your hearts to love Christ And 3. If you are without the constraniing work of the Spirit to impower your wils to obey Christ If you are thus without the Spirit of Christ in these three particulers you can lay no just claim to any interest in Jesus Christ With what face therefore can any of you lay claim to Christs person that are not guided by his Spirit but are led by the corrupt dictates of your own hearts and follow the desires of the flesh and of the minde you that are thus can lay no claim to Jesus Christ for whosoever hath not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his this is the first character 2. He that is without any saving power derived from Jesus Christ enabling him to mortifie his bosome lusts that man is without Jesus Christ as in Gal. 5. 24. the Apostle tels us there that they that
Scripture to prove this one is in Joh. 8. 47. He that is of God heareth Gods word you therefore hear them not because you are not of God they that are of God hear his Word those that belong to Christ and have an interest in him hear his Word not only with the ear but with the heart and so in 1 Joh. 1. 6. sayes the Apostle We are of God he that is of God heareth us he that is not of God heareth not us hereby know we the spirit of truth and the spirit of errour and therefore thou obstinate and stout hearted wretch that canst lie like a flint under the Word of God and suffer no command to make impression upon thy spirit verily thou canst lay no just claim to Jesus Christ 6. That man that uses greater industry and takes greater complacency in the acting and committing of sin then ever he did in the exercise of any grace or the performance of any duty that man is without Jesus Christ You have an excellent place for this purpose in Joh. 3. 8. 10. He that committeth sin is of the Devill he doth not say he that does sin is of the Devill but he that commits sin with delight that makes a trade of sin he is of the Devill and so on in the 10. ver In this the children of God are manifest and the children of the Devill whosoever doth not righteousnesse is not of God he does not belong to God he that does not righteousnesse with delight and complacency with joy and industry as he that doth commit sin that is act it with delight and makes a trade of it is of the Devill so he that does not do righteousnesse that is with delight and joy and chearfulnesse that man is not of Christ you then that can sin with delight but perform holy duties with a flat and dead and dull spirit you that never took so much delight to sanctifie the Sabbath as you have done in prophaning of it you that never took so much delight in the performing of duties to God as you have done in sinning against God lay off hands from Jesus Christ if your hearts be full of sin you can have no interest in him In Joh. 9. 16. some of the Pharisees said this man is not of God because he keepeth not the Sabbath This had been a very good argument had it been well applyed had Christ indeed not kept the Sabbath if it may be truly said of you that thou dost not make conscience of keeping of the Sabbath or of performing any holy duties I can truly say of you that you are not of God now then examine your selves by this argument whether you are of God or no if you do prophane the Sabbath day and make no conscience of performing holy duties nor of sinning against God this shews that you are not of God that man that acts sin with more delight then he performs holy duties hath no interest in Christ as in 1 Joh. 5. 18. Hee that is born of God sinneth not that is he doth not commit it with that delight and complacency as wicked men do but he that belongs to God he keepeth himself pure and that wicked one toucheth him not that is not so as to make him commit sin in the former sense but he keepeth himself he will not give himself to commit sin with that cheerfulnesse as wicked men do and therefore saith the Apostle we know that we are of God and the whole world lyeth in wickednesse 7. The last Character is this that man is without any interest in Christ that backslides from the wayes of Christ both in judgement and in practise Beloved when a man shall backslide from the truth of Christ in judgement and from the exercises of holy duties in practise when he backslides both these wayes he is not in Jesus Christ 2 Joh. v. 9. Whosoever transgresseth and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ hath not God but he that abideth in the Doctrine of Christ he hath both the Father and the Son that man that sins both in judgement and in practise he is not of God but he that abides in the truth of God both in judgement and in practise he hath both the Father and the Son Oh therefore I beseech you in the fear of God look about you to see whether you are the men that have a reall actuall interest in Christ or no. Are you such men as are without the spirit of Christ or are you without a saving power derived from Christ enabling you to mortifie your bosome lusts Are you without an unfeigned love to the person of Christ or without a true and saving knowledg of Christ Are you contentedly ignorant of Christ and care not to know more or are you obstinately ignorant and wil not learn more Are you without a hearing ear and an obedient heart to the Word of Christ Do you take greater industry and complacency in the committing of sin then ever you did in the performance of any holy duty Or do you backslide from the wayes of Christ both in judgement and in practise If there be a concurrence of these seaven Characters in you then conclude that you have no interest at all in Christ conclude then that at this time you are without Jesus Christ Thus now I have done with the second question which I promised you to answer I shall now spend a little time in winding up what I have said in a practicall Use and then come to the third Question And in the application of this I shall direct my speech to two sorts of people 1. To those that are plunged into a spirituall delusion to say they have an interest in Christ when they have not 2. To those that say they have not an interest in Christ when they have Use 1 1. To you that say you have an interest in Christ when you have not give me leave to propound these 3 or 4 questions to you first let me ask this question Were you ever without Christ yea or no If you answer no then let me tell you thus much that that man that sayes he had Christ ever I may safely say he had Christ never thou that dost say that thou hadst Christ ever since thou wert born I can safely say that thou hadst Christ never since thou wert born for every man is born a Christlesse man 2. Thou that sayest thou hast an interest in Christ let me ask you this question How came you by your interest in Christ Do you think that Christ fel from heaven into your bosome whether you would or no How came you by Christ then Did you ever make a powerfull prayer unto God for him Did you ever sigh and sob and cry mightily unto God for him Did you ever see your misery without him and beg the Father earnestly for him for God is not prodigall of his son to give him to those that never ask him 3. Let
or speak for you Christ is a mediator to those only that are under a covenant of grace now what canst thou say for thy self oh man why thou shouldst not be condemned and damned in hell for ever for thy drunkennesse adultery sabbath-breaking prophanenesse swearing lying and thy ungodly practises thou canst have nothing to plead for thy selfe but must needs be cast out into hell fire irrecoverably but now a godly man that is under the covenant of grace he can say Lord here is Christ my mediatour that pleads with thee for the pardon of all my sins and for the obtaining of heaven and happinesse and glory for me through his obedience and merits but thou that art under the covenant of works thou canst not say I have Christ to plead for me and to be an Advocate with the Father to beg for pardon of sin and life and salvation for thee thou canst not say so for without the covenant of grace there is no Mediator Christ is the Mediator onely of the new covenant therefore what sad condition art thou in seeing as verily as thou standest here now so thou must one day stand before Gods tribunall to answer and be judged for every thing thou hast done in thy body whether it be good or evill and then thou wilt have no body to plead for thee but must inevitably be cast into everlasting burnings 4. Being out of the covenant of grace this is your misery God will in exactnesse and rigour of justice proceed against you for your sins without any mixture of mercy at all Beloved God hath no mercy without his covenant but in the covenant of grace he is a God gracious and mercifull slow to anger and of great kindnesse abundant in mercy and truth pardoning iniquity transgressions and sins but he is cloathed with justice and rigour to all that are without this covenant As it is in courts of judicature in point of life and death the Judge will take no notice whether the man be a sorrowfull man or no the Law is not to shew mercy but to punish the offence the Law does not enquire whether the man be penitent and sorry for what he hath done but whether the fact be done or no if it be he must dye for it there is no remedy just so it is here God doth not enquire under a covenant of works whether you are sorrowfull for breaking of his Law but he enquires whether you have broken it or no and if you have he will condemn thee and cast thee into hell fire and then the poor soul cryes out Oh Lord be mercifull to me this once it shall be a warning to me I will never sin against thee nor displease thee more but will from henceforth walk more humbly and holily and circumspectly before thee and yet all this that thou hast promised if thou wert able to perform it will not avail thee for God will hear none out of Christ and out of the covenant of grace 5. A man out of the covenant of grace he hath no true and speciall title to any of the blessings of God here in this world Gods blessings go along with his covenant and therefore it is very observable that in that chapter where God does promise the blessings of the covenant of grace in that very chapter he promiseth the blessings of this life as you may see in the 36. of Ezek. sayes God there I will powre clean water upon you and you shall be clean yea from all your filthinesses and from all your Idols will I cleanse you a new heart will I also give you and a new spirit will I put within you and will take away the stony heart from you and will give you a heart of flesh and will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and you shall keep my judgements and doe them and you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers and you shall be my people and I will be your God all these are the meroies of the covenant of grace now mark the next words saith God I will call for corn and will incerease it and lay no famine upon you but I will multiply the fruit of the trees and the increase of the field and so in the 10 11 ver of that chap. And I will multiply men upon you and the cities shall be inhabited and the wastes shall be builded and I will multiply upon man and beast and they shall increase and bring fruit and I will do better to you then at your beginnings and ye shall know that I am the Lord Here the Lord entails earthly blessings to the covenant of grace intimating that all that are under the covenant of grace they have a title not only to all spirituall but to temporal blessings likewise but no wicked man out of the covenant of grace hath any true title to any outward blessings they that are of the faithfull are blessed with faithfull Abraham and enjoy outward blessings as a blessing but wicked men it is true they have something allowed them but it it as to prisoners in a prison they have something to keep them alive untill their execution and so wicked men they have prison allowances till the execution day 6. Your misery that are strangers to the covenant of grace lies in this God will not give acceptance to any of your services though you may doe as much for the matter of them as any godly man doth nay thou mayst hear more Sermons and say more prayers and perform more duties then a godly man does and yet not be accepted when the others shall as you may see in Gen. 4. 4 5. Cain and Abel they both of them brought sacrifices to God one of his flock and the other of his grounds and the Apostle speaking of this sayes that by faith Abel offered a more excellent offering then Cain it was not more excellent in regard of the matter of it for in all probability and likelihood Cains sacrifice was of more value then Abels for his was but a few young lambs the firstlings of his flock but Cains was of the first fruits of his ground and yet Abels sacrifice was accepted and the others rejected because Abel was a godly man under the Covenant of Grace by which God did accept of what he did though it were lesse then Cains and so Solomon The sacrifices of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord but the prayer of the upright is his delight a sacrifice you know is a great deal more costly then a prayer for that costs a man nothing but his breath when the other will cost a great deal of money and yet a costly sacrifice is hated by God coming from a wicked man when a pennilesse prayer coming from a godly man is accepted so that under a covenant of grace though you do less for the matter of the duty then wicked men doe
hast thou to do to meddle with my covenant of grace you can lay no claim to the Covenant till you have cast off the old man and subdued and overcome your sins and corruptions 2. Another concomitant of the covenant of grace that will accompany you is this you will be a people wholly devoted and given up to the service of God Jer. 31. I will be your God and you shall be my people the covenant of grace is called an holy covenant Luk. 1. 72. not so much because it was made by a holy God as because it was made for the holy creature it will make them holy that do enter into it and therefore those that are in Covenant with God are called a holy people and they must be a holy people as in 1 Cor. 6. 20. sayes the Apostle You are bought with a price therefore glorifie God in your bodies and souls which are Gods and in 2 Cor. 7. 1. Seeing therefore we have these promises dearly beloved Let us cleanse our selves from all filthinesse both of flesh and spirit perfecting holinesse in the fear of God those that are in covenant with God they are a holy and crucified people 3. Another concomitant is this that man that hath a share in the blessings of the Covenant he doth make conscience to walk in the wayes of the Covenant hee will not only close with the promise of the Covenant but also make conscience of keeping the commands of the Covenant for the covenant of grace does not onely bestow blessings upon you but require something of you too as in Esai 55. sayes God Incline your ears and come unto me and hear hearken and your souls shall live and I will make an everlasting covenant with you even the sure mercies of David the covenant of grace is a sure and everlasting covenant but sayes God you shall come unto me first and then I will make with you an everlasting covenant God will have you to obey him if ever you think to have any share in the covenant of grace those that let God command what he will will doe what they please this argues that they doe not belong to the covenant of grace but if the blessings of the covenant of grace are given by God to you and the concomitants of it found with you and lastly the conditions of it found in you which is faith the only condition of the covenant of grace beleeve and be saved if God hath brought thee into a believing estate that there is not one promise in the Gospell but you do beartily assent unto and close with if it be thus then you may conclude that you do belong to the covenant of grace And thus I have done with these charactars by way of tryall Use I have only now a word or two more by way of use and so have done with this third part of mans misery and the Use that I shall make of this shall be for consolation to all those whose hearts can bear them witnesse that they doe enjoy the saving blessings of the Covenant of grace God to be their God and they to be his people and that God hath sanctified and renewed your natures and pardoned and passed by all your sins and iniquities and hath written his Law in your hearts that you doe not depart from him if you have the concomitants of the Covenant that you are disingaged from the league and covenant you have made with sin and death and hell if you are wholly devoted and given up to the service of God and doe make conscience to walk in the ways of the Covenant and if the conditions of the Covenant of Faith in Christ be found in you if you are brought into a beleeving condition if all these things be wrought in you then hearken to the great happinesse and benefit you enjoy by being under the Covenant of Grace 1. Thou hast that which is more worth then a kings ransome nay then all the world thou hast God to be thy God which is all in all it is more then that which was promised to Esther by King Ahasuerus to the half of his Kingdome you have more then the Devill promised to Christ when he carryed him to the top of the mountain and shewed him all the Kingdomes of the world and the glory of them thou hast more then the whole world for thou hast God to be thy God and thou hast an interest in the Covenant of Grace which is a bundle of promises and includes in it all the promises of the Gospell which are all yours and you may goe and apply them to your own soules in whatsoever condition you are in 2. You that are in Covenant with God labour to admire the great condescension of God that he would be pleased to proceed with you by way of a Covenant I have read of some Authors that have more wondred and stood amazed at this then at any thing else in the World that God that is the Soveraign Lord of all the workes of his hands that he should not rule us and command us by a Law but deal with us by way of a Covenant for God is not bound to give us a reward though we should serve him all the dayes of our lives God might command us as we are his creatures to serve and obey him to pray read hear and walk holily and humbly before him and when we have done all this yet he might say to us I will never give you heaven nor happinesse nor any reward at all he might have said thus to us but he hath condescended so far as to make a bargain with us that if we will beleeve in his Son Jesus Christ and live holily and walk uprightly before him then he will be our God and we shall be his people he will write his Law in our hearts and sanctifie and renew our natures and pardon and forgive all our sins and give us heaven and hapninesse when we dye Oh what an infinite condescension is this in God and what unspeakable bounty and free grace that when he might say to us you are bound to serve me and obey me and to love and fear me but I am not bound to make a Covenant with you and promise you my Son and life and Salvation through him but though I am not bound to it yet I will give you my Son and heaven and happinesse and I will be your God and you shall be my people and I will regenerate and sanctifie your natures and create in you new hearts and write my Law in your inward parts I will freely do all this for you sayes God Oh what infinite condescension and free grace and mercy is this 3. Another great happinesse you doe enjoy under the Covenant of Grace is this the Lord will pardon all the great sinnes you commit against him and accept of all the weak duties and services you perform to him though you commit great and mighty sins
commit great and gross sins if you labor to resist them and strive against them 2. Thou committest small sinnes with more security and lesse penitency then great sins when a man commits a great and scandalous sin he is sensible of what he hath done and layes it to heart and is ashamed of it and must repent of it or else it will be a shame to him all his life long but he can venture upon a small sin never be troubled at it nor grieved for it he can cōmit a smal sin with a great deal of security impenitency so that hereby they do the soul more wrong then great sins 3. You are apt to run into small sinnes with more frequency then you commit great sins for they are so open to the reproof of the Word and so obvious to the eyes of all men that you cannot find opportunities to commit them so often whereas small sins you commit again and again and one day after another and a thousand times in one day and yet never take notice of them and therefore this may convince you that your exemption from great sins can be no sufficient ground to build your hopes for heaven upon 4. You that build your hopes for heaven upon this ground because your sins are none of the greatest let me tell you that the smallest sins that ever you committed in all your life time without repentance on thy part and satisfaction on Christs part will forever keep thy soul out of heaven if you repent peradventure you shall be pardoned the smallest sins cannot be forgiven without the bloud of Christ to wash them away for without the shedding of bloud there is no remission and thus I have shewed the insufficiency and deceitfulnesse of the first prop that wicked men do build their hopes for heaven upon we come now to the second 2. But sayes a wicked man I have heard and read of those that have committed far greater and more crying sins then ever I have been guilty of and yet they hoped for heaven and are gone to heaven and therefore why should not I hope for heaven as well as they I read of David that committed Adultery and of Noahs drunkennesse and Pauls persecuting Christ and Peters denying of him and divers others and yet these men are gone to heaven and why may not I as well as they Concerning this plea of wicked men I shall give you these three things by way of answer 1. You that make this a ground for your hope you do pervert the end for which God hath recorded the examples of his servants in Scripture for God did not record them there to be a provocation to thee to goe on presumptuously in sinning against him but meerly to be a restraint and caveat to keep thee from falling into the same sins which they did if Noah and Lot and David and Peter c. such holy and excellent men as these had their failings and did commit great and grosse sins oh then let me take heed lest I am overtaken and fall into the same sins this is the use that we should make of the failings of other man as in 1 Cor. 10. 11. All things are written for our example to admonish us upon whom the ends of the world are come and in 1 Tim. 1. 16. sayes the Apostle Iobtained mercy that I might be an example to all that should hereafter beleeve in Jesus Christ. 2. You that make the sins of other men that have obtained mercy to be a ground to build your hopes of heaven upon let me ask you this Question you that do fall into the same sins with Noah or David or Peter do you repent with them too it is true Noah did fall once into the sin of drunkenness but yet the Scripture records this of him that he was an upright man in his generation and so David though he did once defile his bed yet afterwards he repented of it and made his couch to swim with tears for it so Peter after he had denyed Christ he went out and wept bitterly for it but I say what is all this to thee that doest make a trade of sin and fall into grosse sins every day time after time and yet never mourn and grieve for them as David did for his sin nor weep bitterly for them with Peter what plea can this be for thee to encourage thee to hope for heaven 3. Know this further that a godly man may fall into the same sins that others fall into for the matter of them but not for the manner now it is the manner of falling into sin and not the matter of it that dams a man it is true Noah did fall into the sin of drunkennesse but I shall distinguish Noah from any wicked drunkard in the world and that in these five particular considerations as 1. Noah was drunk but it was before he did know that wine would make him drunk and if you read the story you shall finde that there was never any wine drunk till that time for Noah did then begin to be a husbandman and did plant a Vineyard but now there is never a one of you but doe very well know that wine and strong beer and the like will intoxicate you and yet you will not refrain from excesse in drinking there is a great deal of difference between you and Noah 2. Noah was drunk but he did not proclaim his drunkennesse but the text sayes he went into his tent and slept he was ashamed of what he had done but now you proclaim your sin and swear and stare and commit many other sins in your drunkennesse 3. It is true Noah was drunk but you never read that he was drunk any more then once but you are drunk again and again one day after another 4. Though he did once fall into this sin yet for the ordinary course and practise of his life he was an upright man in his Generation whereas it may be your ordinary and frequent practise is drunkennesse 5. Noah was an aged man and in this regard his age might call for more wine and strong liquor to chear up his spirits then young people do want so that all these considerations do little mitigate and allay Noahs fault though it be not wholly excusable An so likewise David he committed the sin of adultery he wallowed in an unclean bed but yet his sin likewise may admit of some extenuation and excuse as 1. David when he came up to the house top he little dream't to have seen a naked woman there which was a very great temptation to him but it may be some of you do seek occasion and contrive and plot how you may commit such a sin 2. David did fall into this sinne neither but once you shall commonly finde that godly men fall into great sins but once they take warning by the first transgression and seldome fall into the same sinne again but now it may be
you live in unclean thoughts and actions all your life long and therefore this can be no prop for your hopes 3. Though David did fall into this sin yet he did not continue in it long for it was but nine moneths between Nathan the Prophets coming to David and telling and reproving him for his sin and the time that he fell into it but alas some of you it may be are Adulterers of nine years standing there are many amongst us that are old adulterers and yet never had a melting and sorrowfull heart for their sins that never wept as David did nor mourn as he mourned And so Peter he fell into a sin of denying his Lord and Master but 1. He was resolved and did verily purpose before to have confessed and not to have denyed him and yet when the Damsell came to him and told him that he was one of those that were with Christ Peter conceiving it may be that they would have put him to death and crucified him as well as Christ upon this sodaine surprise which was a very great temptation to him he denyed Christ And 2. Though he denyed him thrice yet afterwards he did confesse him as often as he denyed him for when Christ asked him Simon Peter lovest thou me he answered Christ three times Lord thou knowest that I love thee 3. Peter denyed Christ but yet afterward he went out and wept bitterly for it and therefore his obtaining mercy can be no ground for your hopes that never yet repented of any of the sins you have committed and thus you see that the falling of these three godly men into great sinnes can be no prop to bear up your hopes for heaven I shall now shew you more particularly that though the godly do fall into sinne yea even the same sinnes for the matter of them as you do yet they do not fall into them in the same manner As 1. If a godly man fall into sin it is unwittingly and unawares in Gal. 6. 1. sayes the Apostle if any man be overtaken with a fault A godly man he runs away with all the speed he can from a sin and temptation but sometimes it overtakes him against his will but now a wicked man he runs after sin and overtaketh it he sins with set purpose of heart He plots mischief upon his bed and sets himself in a way that is not good 2. A godly man fals into sin sometimes but it is with reluctancy and opposition the Spirit striveth against the flesh there is an opposing and striving against sin they are not like cowards but will fight as long as they can hold their weapon in their hands but now wicked men they commit sin with greedinesse with delight and complacency without any reluctancy at all 3. Every sinne that a godly man committeth maketh him more carefull and watchfull for the time to come thus it was with David Psal 38. the title of it compared with Psal 39. 1. The title of Psal 38. is called a Psalm of David to bring to remembrance the subject matter of this Psalme was to bring Davids sinne to his remembrance and having spent this in remembring his sins in the first words of the next Psalme sayes he I have sinned but I will take heed to my wayes that I offend not with my tongue after he had called to remembrance his sins past then he resolved with himself to strive against them in time to come A godly man never fals into a sin once but he fears to fall into the same sin ever after A godly man though he fals into sin sometimes yet he will at length get the upper hand of sin though for the present he be not able to grapple with sin yet he will overcome it at last Grace will out grow sinne and get the victory over it and thus I have shewed you the second prop that wicked men build their hopes for heaven upon we come now to a third and that is this If you beat them off from the two former then they flie to the mercies of God Oh say they God is a very mercifull God and I hope he that made me will save me and that I shall goe to heaven as well as other men and the like Now I doe not deny but the mercies of God is the chiefest prop under heaven that a man can build his hopes for heaven upon but here I shall shew you the rottennesse of this prop likewise in four or five regards and that the mercies of God in generall are no sufficient ground at all to build thy hopes for heaven upon unlesse thou canst lay claim to the mercies of God in particular for if you build your hopes upon the mercies of God in generall 1. The Devils and damned spirits may then hope as well as you 2. The common and outward mercies of God can be no good prop to build hopes for heaven upon unlesse you can lay claime to the saving and distinguishing mercies of God the common outward mercies of God wicked men may have for God is good to al and his tender mercy is over all his Workes the Devils share in the common mercies of God as well as others but these generall mercies of God are no prop to build hopes for heaven upon unlesse you can build upon the saving and distinguishing mercies of God as David prayes Shew mercy unto me O God sayes he with the mercy which thou bearest to thy own childeen it must be electing redeeming sanctifying and saving mercies that you must build your hopes for heaven upon 3. The generall mercies of God can be no ground of your hopes unlesse you have an interest in Jesus Christ for God is cloathed with greatnesse and terrour and dread and wrath out of Christ there is nothing to be looked upon but anger and wrath in God without Jesus Christ There were two lawes that God did make concerning the Mercy-seat 1. The High Priest was not upon pain of death to come to the Mercy-seat unlesse he brought incense with him now what does this signifie to us why it represents the intercession of Christ that as Aaron was not to come to the Mercy-seat without incense so neither can we goe to the Throne of Grace to beg mercy from God with any hope of audience or acceptance unlesse we carry incense with us which is the Lord Jesus Christ to plead for us 2. Aaron was to sprinkle the Mercy-seat with bloud which typifies to us that we are not to expect mercy from God but as we have an interest in the bloud of Christ 4. To you that build your hopes for heaven upon the mercies of God in generally let me tell you that God is not prodigall of his speciall mercies as to bestow them upon all the world but only upon a select number of men he will have mercy onely on them that fear him as for the wicked those that run on in their sins the Lord
every man in the world This comes within the Arminian bounds but this opinion is taken up by others too as well as them that hold universall Redemption but because I have already preached two or three Sermons upon this subject I shall therefore onely now speak so much as is needfull to shew you the rottennesse and insufficiency of this prop 1. Suppose Christ did dye for all yet those men that are of this opinion that Christ did dye for all they doe not hold that all men are saved by Christ but some men may fall off from Christ and be damned notwithstanding Christ dyed for them 2. Take this by way of answer that it is not likely that they should have benefit by Christs bloud that have no benefit by this death 3. To you that make this a plea for your hopes of heaven observe this that where there are these generall expressions they are very ill understood if you say they speak of universal generall redemption as in 2 Cor. 5. 14 15. Because we thus judge that if one died for all then are all dead and he died for all that they that live should not henceforth live unto themselves but unto him that died for them and rose again why here none can lay claim to Christs death but those that live to Christ that died for them and so in Heb. 2. 9. But we see Jesus that was made a little lower then the Angels for the suffering of death cloathed with glory and honour that hee by the grace of God should taste death for every man but mark the restraint in the next words For it became him for whom are all things and by whom are all things in bringing many sons unto glory here the Apostle restrains the words to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings for both he that sanctifieth and they that are sanctified are all one for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren the Apostle does here again restrain the words and therefore this can be no more prop for your hopes that are not sanctified but thus much may suffice for the first branch in shewing you how wicked men doe make those places to be Scripture props for their hopes which are not 2. If they do not make those places to be Scripture props which are not yet they doe misapply those places which indeed are Scripture promises and grounds of hope as that Christ came into the World to save sinners now this is a Scripture promise for Christ came to seek and save them that were lost but now beloved men doe misapply this generall pillar of hope they take them in the generall notions of them and this makes abundance of people to harbour great hopes of heaven in their hearts but now I shall shew you wherein they doe misapply them 1. In not considering that a man must be first in Christ before he can lay claim to any promise of Christ They run to the promise and never examine first whether or no they have an interest in Christ The promise is good and comfortable but it cannot convey any comfort to thy soul unlesse thou art in Jesus Christ no more then a dry pipe can convey water to thee without the fountain we are first made Christs and then we have a right to all the promises of Christ it is by our interest in Christ that we have a right and title to all the promises of God in Christ If you have an interest in Christ you have all the promises as it were bound up in a bundle which you may have recourse to and make use of when you will 2. They object and say that the promises doe run in free and generall termes having no conditions annext to them Answ It is true there are some promises that are absolute so as to have no condition going before them but every promise in the Gospell hath some condition or other annext to it if it hath not a condition going before it as meritorious yet it hath a condition that followes after it â—â— in Gen. 17. 1. I am thy God all sufficient what then walk before me and be thou perfect In 2 Cor. 6. 16 18. I will be their God and they shall be my people and I will be a father unto you and ye shall be my sons and daughters saith the Lord God Almighty what followes why in the 1. verse of the next chapter saies the Apostle there Having therefore these promises dearly beloved let us cleanse our selves from all filthinesse both of the flesh and spirit perfecting holinesse in the fear of God So in Heb. 5. 9. Christ came into the world to save sinners but there is a condition goes after it he that sanctifieth and they that are sanctified must be all one There is no promise in all the Gospell but that a condition is prefixt or annext to it in Mat. 11. 28. saies Christ Come unto me all you that are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest there is a foregoing condition we must come unto Christ and other promises have conditions going after as I could instance divers but these shall suffice There are two props more behind they are but very short ones I shall goe over one of them now because I would not be hindreed in my afternoons work in shewing you the difference between those that have a reall and well grounded hope and those that have only a false and deluding hope 6. Another false prop that wicked men build hopes for heaven on is this because they live honestly and justly among their neighbours they give every man his due and do no body any wrong and the like and therefore they conclude themselves in a very good condition Ans Were this a sufficient ground for hope for heaven there would more of the heathens goe to heaven then of you for they walk very exactly and are just and upright in all their dealings But wicked and bad men may have very good meanings in them as wee may see in Balaam Numb 23. 10. he desired to die the death of the righteous and that his last end might be like his this was a good desire and meaning in him 2. Take this for an answer that though a bad meaning will defile and pollute a good action yet a good meaning cannot advantage nor doe a bad action any good as the Scribes and Pharisees they performed very good actions in themselves but they had self-ends and bad meanings that spoiled all their duties good meanings cannot justifie bad actions If thy actions be wicked good meaning can do thee no good Rom. 8. Those that say Let us doe evill that good may come of it their damnation is just 3. Let your meaning be never so good yet if you have an ignorant minde it is worth nothing as in Prov. 19. 2. The minde without knowledge cannot be good as no man ever became rich
surety and undertaker Heb. 7. 22. A surety of a better restament now he was a surety mutually Gods and ours to work Gods work in us and our work for us among other things which he undertook there he undertook the abolition of sin on Gods part he obliged himself that it should be performed by his Spirit on our part he obliged us to endeavours of mortification now because Christ is an able surety the work is as good as done already Rom. 6. 6. Knowing this that our old man is crucified with him that the body of sin might be destroyed that henceforth we should not serve sin mark 't is crucified with him as implying his undertaking upon the crosse that the body of Death might be destroyed as noting the Work of Gods Spirit which was ingaged and made sure by Christs death upon the crosse that we should not serve sin as noting the concurrence of our endevours to which wee are obliged by the same sponsory Act of Christ thus much Christ hath done for the abolition of sin now for the Law that was an enemy that could not be overcome but must be satisfied and so it was by Christ who both performed the duty and sustained the penalty of it chiefly the latter and therefore t is said he was made a curse for us Gal. 3. 13. The sting is lost in Christ and the honey left for us But this is matter of another respect and cognisance 2 The next reason of the Apostles thanksgiving is the application he hath given us victory for understanding of which you must note that 1 Christs victory is imputed to us as if it were done in our own persons when we are actually united to him wee are possessed of all his merit Christ fought our war and joined battell in our stead we have a mysticall victory in Christ and are said to overcome when Christ overcame this is the reason why the acts of beleevers are complicated and folded up with Christs acts in the expressions of Scripture Crucified with him quickened with him and raised with him and set down with him in heavenly places Ephes 2. c. All which are terms proper to the Judiciall Vnion which is different both from the Morall and Mysticall as I could easily shew you were it not a matter of another nature now this mysticall victory is of great use to a beleever in time of discouragements if the Law challenge Satan and Conscience say thou art a sinner under a curse thou maist answer I am a sinner but I am crucified in Christ in my surety his payment and suffering is mine if Death or the world discourage you may say This is a beaten enemy I foyled it in Christ I ascended in Christ c. 2. The benefit of this victory is imparted and applyed to us by which he maketh us conquerours over sin and death all Christs worke was not done upon the Crosse there is much to be accomplished in our hearts Rom. 16. 20. The God of peace shall tread Satan under your feet c. not onely under Christs feet but ours as Joshua called his fellowes to come and tread upon the necks of the Canaanitish Kings Come put your feet upon the necks of these Kings so Christ will see us conquer he that got a victory for us will get a victory in us over sin and death and hell Christ hath trodden them under foot already when his own heel was bruised now he will doe it under your feet Doctr. Having laid this foundation the point and head of Doctrine which I shall discuss is Christs victory over Death for the comfort and profit of Beleevers Death is either the first or second temporall or eternall sinners are under the sentence of both and both are in a sort put into the hands of Satan he had the power of Death Heb. 2. 14. as Gods executioner and the one maketh way for the other Death to the wicked is but a taking them away to torment as unruly persons are committed to prison that they may molest no more Gods patience expireth with their lives and then his vengeance beginneth The curse of the first Covenant was eternall Death Gen. 2. 15. thou shalt dye that is eternally the curse must carry proportion with the blessing the blessing was eternall life and the curse was eternall death I say the sorrow and pain must have bin perpetual answerable to the life which he should have enjoyed therefore Christ is said to have delivered us from wrath to come which certainly was our portion and inheritance by Adam and without Christ there is no escape But to come to particulars I shall shew you 1. How Christ delivered us from Death 2. How far 1. How be delivered us The Apostle answereth that Heb. 2. 14. by Death he destroyed him that had the power of Death now Christs Death cometh under a twofold consideration as a merit or as a glorious act of warre and combate as the Act of a Redeemer or the Act of a Conquerour which answereth to the double evill in Death 't is a naturall evill and a poenall evill 't is a naturall evill as it is the dissolution of soul and body 't is a poenall evill as 't is a curse of the Covenant or the punishment of sin 1 There was merit in Christs voluntary Death 't was a ransome for the elect he dyed not onely in bonum eorum for their good and profit but loco vice ominium in their room and stead as when the ram was taken Isaac was spared so Christs Death was in stead of ours God will not exact the debt twice of us and our surety Job 33. Delivered him from going down into the pit for I have found a ransome The sinner must dye or the surety now saith the Lord I accept of the Death and passion of Christ for this penitent man if we go downe to the pit we go not down by way of vengeance by Christs Death the merit of our sin is expiated justice satisfied Gods wrath appeased the Law fulfilled sin pardoned and so the Jawes of Death are broken Death in its self is the sentence of the Law the fruit of sin and the recompense of angry justice and so it hath no more to doe with us for God hath found a ransome 2 You may look upon it as the Act of a Conquerour Christ foiled Death in his own person ever since he rifled the Grave death hath lost its retentive power Act. 2. 24. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 loosing the pains c. t is an allusion to the throws of a travailing woman the Grave was in travail till this precious burthen was egested for he could not be holden of it and over since the Grave is a womb rather then a dungeon and pit of vengeance non vitam rapit sed refoomat it doth not destroy life but renew it in almost the same metaphor Christ is called Col. 1. 18. The first
Characters of a man under the Covenant of grace 152. 157 The great condescension of God to make a Covenant with man 161 D. DEad a Christlesse man is a dead man 31 Death as a marriage day 8 Deformity of a man without Christ 29. 62 Duties accepted for the persons sake under the Covenant of grace 131 142. 145. 163. 204 Performance of Duties a sandie foundation and a rotten prop of hopes for heaven 177. 202 F. FOr bearance of God breeds Atheism 239. 250 G. GOd dreadful to apprehension without Christ 55. 77 God to be our God what it notes 152 And what a great happinesse it imports 161 To be without God what Vide Atheist 234 Characters of those that are without any real propriety in God 265 269 Our interest in God is to be proved 274 And improved 277 Growth in grace proceeds from Christ 60. 91 H. HOpe of the wicked vain 166 173 Reasons why an unregenerate man is without hope 167 The nature of true hope 170 Characters if an ungrounded and presumptuous hope 175 A true hope hath a purifying pacifying painfull property with it 179 The false props of awicked mans hope 181. 186. 197. 201. 206. 214. 217 Differences between a well-grounded and a presumptuous hope 221 The misery of presumptuous hopes 227 The same certainty excellency efficacy difficulty in hope that is in Faith 230 231 Humility how improved 12 13 The badge of Christianity 91 92 I. IGnorance what properties it must have to demonstrate thy want of interest in God 267 Joy the fountain of it Christ 29. 61 K. KNowledg of Christ spirituall experimentall affective appropriating practicall 20 21. 269 A man may have an interest in Christ and yet not know it 47 He knowes most that does most 267 L. LIturgie V. Common-prayer-book Love of Christ demonstrates interest in Christ 37 The object of love the people of God 272 M. MErcy of God in generall no good prop of hope 193 Misery of a Christlesse man 51. c. Mortification of lusts a sign that we belong to Christ 36 37. 88 N. NEwnesse of life declares an interest in Christ 90 White garments a type of thereof 95 P. PRayer the neglect thereof Atheisme 244 Presumption of the wicked 172 How it differs from the hope of the godly 221 Presumption begets frustration vexation and damnation 228 Pride a ground of Atheism 242 Promise Vide Covenant Covenants of promise what 117 The promise of God in Christ the main pillar of hope 178 Promises convey no comfort without Christ 212 Every promise hath some condition annext to it 213 R. REmembrance of our sinfulnesse before conversion works in us An admiration of Gods grace and mercy 9 Earnest contention to excell in grace 10 Compassion to the unconverted 11 Humility 12 Watchfulnesse over our wayes 14 S. SAlvation by Christ alone 99 Sanctification a blessing of the new Covenant 154 Scripture questioning the authority thereof makes Atheists 241 Sins before conversion to be called to minde 5 But not with complacency of spirit 6 Or stupidity of heart 7 Or despondency of minde 8 Reasons thereof 9 The dominion of sin taken away but not the life 36 The dangers and aggravations of small sins 182. 184 Sins of the godly no ground of hope to the wicked 188 The same for the matter but not for the manner 188. 191 Slavery of a man without Christ 24 Spirit of Christ his threefold operation upon the heart 35. 96 Strength to perform any duty to exercise any grace to subdue any lust to resist any temptation to bear any affliction derived only from Christ 58. 59 U. UNregenerate every unregenerate man is without Christ 17 And an Atheist 237 FINIS Pâ—ssâ—lli epigram in vita Gregor Nazianzeni Ezek. 23. 19 21. 1 Tim. 1. 13. Act. 26. 10 11. Tit. 3. 2 3. Ezek. 16. 3 4 5. Ezek. 20. 43. Ephes 5. 8. Ephes 1. 4. Tit. 1. 16. Eight properties of a man without Christ Isa 64. 6. Joh. 8. 36. 1. Joh. 8. 34. 2 Pet. 2. 19. 2 Tim. 2. Rev. 18. 13. Rev. 4. 17. Joh. 6. 55. Gen. 27. 4. Rev. 3. 17. Ephes 5. 8. Joh. 3. 19. Ezek. 16. 3 4 c. Job 20 22 Ioh. 5. 12. Ephes 2. 1. Col. 3. 3. Ioh. 3. 18. Seven Characters of a man without Christ Rom 8. 9 Gal. 5 24. Dan. 7. 12. Gal. 5. 24. Ioh. 14. 24. Ioh. 8. 54 55. 2 Pet. 3. 5. Iob 21. 14. Psal 82. 5. Joh. 8 47. Ioh. 9. 16. 1 Ioh. 5. 18. 1 Joh. 5. 19 2 Ioh. v. 9. 2 Cor. 5. 17. Joh. 20. 13 Joh. 14. 4. 2 Tim. 2. 19. 1. Joh. 25 5. 2 Cor. 3. 5. 1. Rom. 8. 26. Gal. 2. 20. 4. Ephes 6. 10. Phil. 2. 21. Rev. 3. 17. Ezek. 16. 14. 2 Cor. 6. 10. Cant. 5. 1. 1 Cor. 3. 22. Psal 84. 11. Seven benefits which the faithfull have by Christ 1 Cor. 3. 22. Psal 2. 8. Rom. 14 8. Joh. 14. 8. 1 Cor. 1. 30. Ioh. 1. 14. Ioh. 14. 27. Esa 53. 6. 2 Cor. 5. 21. Act. 9. 4. 1 Cor 6. 19 20. Ex. 15. 25. Iudg. 14. 2 King 3. 14. Ephes 1. 6. Rom. 8. 10 Ioh. 17. 23 24. Vers 20. 2 Cor. 10. 7. Rev. 3. 17. Joh. 12. Twelve Characters of a mans interest in Christ Phil. 3. 8. 9. 1 Cor. 4. 4. Luk. 16. 15. 1 Joh. 2. 5. 2 Sam. 3. 1. 1 Ioh. 5. 18 19 20. 1 Ioh. 3. 6 2 Cor. 5. 17. Joh. 15. 5. 1 Ioh. 2. 6. 1 Ioh. 4. 13. Eccles 1. 8. Gen. 43. 5. Joh. 17. 12. 1 Cor. 12. 8 9 10. Revel 22. 18 19. Rom. 7. 14 Psal 11. 3. Mat. 12. 25 1 Pet. 2. 2 Pet. 2. 13 1 Joh. Gen. 3. 15. Heb. 3. Gal. 5. 4. The great happinesse in being under a Covenant of Grace Psal 89. 31 32 33. Psal 11. 5. The misery of being strangers to the Covenant of Grace Isa 1. 16. Ezek. 36. 25 2 Cor. 5. 10. Exod. 34. 6 7. Ezek. 36. v. 25 26. 27 28. ver 29 30. v. 10 11. Heb. 11. 4. Prov. 15. 8. Jer 31. 11 12. Deut. 29 10 11 12. Rom. 9. 4 5. Vers 8. Zach. 13. 8 9. Joh. 8. 33. 30. 41. Three characters of a mans interest in the Covenant of Grace Ezek. 36. 26 27. Ier. 31. 34. Amos 5. 12 15. Act. 3. 25 26. Psal 50. 16. 1 Cor. 6. 20. 2 Cor. 7. 1. Esai 55. 3. Act. 27. 20. Tit. 2. 2. 1 Tit. 2. Heb. 11. 1. Joh 8. 13. Prov. 10. 20. Prov. 14. 16. Psal 36. â—2 Job 21. 23. Prov 11. 7. 1 Pet. 3. 15. Deut. 29. 15. Esa 57. 10. Psal 36. 1 2. Psal 119. 155. 1 Pet. 3. 15. Mat. 7. ult Luk. 13. 26. 1 Joh. 3. 14. Rom. 15. 13. 2. Heb. 16. 19. Quest 3. Answ Five false props of a wicked mans hope Luk. 18. 11. Phil. 3. 6. Mat. 19. 18 19 20. 1 Cor. 10. 11. 1. Tim. 1. 16. Gen. 9. Psal 36. 4. Psal 38. Psal 39. Lev. 13 4. Luk. 1. 50. Object Answ 1. Isa 58. 2 3. Zach. 8. 19. Psal 105. 9 Gen. 4. Heb. 11. 1 King 18. 25. Prov. 15. 8. Ezek. 18. Prov. 24. 16. Job 5. 19. 2 Cor. 5. 14 15. Mat. 18. 11. Luk. 19. 10. Gen. 17. 1. 2 Cor. 6. 16 18. 2 Cor. 7. 1. Heb. 5. 9. Mat. 11. 28. Answ 1. Answ 1. Psal 37. 37. Esa 57 41. Col. 1. 23. Rom. 15. 4 Psal 119. 49. 1 Tim. 1. 1. Psal 147. 11. Psal 33. 18. Psal 119. 81. Rom. 5. 2 3. Psal 119. 166. Psal 37. 3. 1 Joh. 3. 3. Esai 51. 10. Deut. 59. 18. Rom. 5. 4. Col. 1. 5. Jer. 17. 17. Psal 71. 5. Job 8. 13. Prov. 14. 32. Heb. 16. 11. Rom. 15. 5. Luk. 13. 28. Act. 15. 9. 1 Joh. 3. 3. Act. 17. 27. Mic. 4. 5. Psal 81. 11 Psal 14. 1. Foure grounds of Atheism Eccles 8. 11. Psal 50. 21 Rom. 2. 4. Eccles 8. 12. Rom. 2. 24 1 Pet. 3. 4. Exod. 5. 2. Dan. 3. 15. Thirteen Characters of an Atheist Psal 14. 1. Iob 22. 12 13 14. Job 24 13 15 17. Gen. 39. 9. Cant. 2. 14 Mat 26. 39. Luk. 22. 41. Mar. 14. 35. Ioh. 17. Act. 24. 25. Eph. 15. 5. Job 31. 24. vers 28. Iosh 24. 25 26. Gen. 42. 21. Iob 13. 26. Psal 25. 7 1 King 18. 21. Heb. 2. 18. Zach. 13. 8 9. Jer. 3. 4 5. Psal 14. 1. Seven Characters of those men that have no reall propriety in God 2 Chr. 15. 3. Ioh. 8. 54 55. 1. Ioh. 8. 55. Object Answ Prov. 30. 23. Psal 111. 10. Ier. 22. 16. Hos 8. 2. Iob 21. 14. Ioh. 8. 47. 1 Ioh. 4. 6. Ioh. 8. 49. 50. 1 Joh. 3. 10. Use Heb. 11. 16. Three discoveries of our interest in God 2 Cor. 6. 18. Ier. 3 25. Dan. 9 5. A view of the Context * Pareus in locum * Heb. 10. 33. Diyision of the Text. * Iosh 10. 24. * Gen. 3. 15. * Mat. 20. 28. 1 Tim. 2. 6. Iob 33. 24. * Prudentius * Rom. 7. 23. * Aristotle * Rev. 7. 17. * Heb. 10. 33. * Judg. 10. 14. * Kinet Cathol orthed Ques 40. primae â—â—â—is * 1 Pet. 3. 14. * Illius est nolle mori qui nolit 〈◊〉 ad Christum-Aug * Isai 66. 24. * Exod. 14. 13. * Psa 110. * 1. Psal 2. 8