to Christ onely thus their whole soules doe not come 4. If the whole soule by unbeliefe departs from God then the whole soule must return and come again unto God 5. If the want of this be the great cause why men are rejected of God then the whole soule must returne to him but this is the cause why all men under the meanes are rejected of God Israel would none of me i. e. would not be content alone with me would not take quiet contentment in me as the Hebrew word signifies the Lord was not good enough for them but their hearts went out from him to other things therefore the Lord gave them up to their own hearts lust and they walked in their owne counsels The woman that forsakes the guide of her youth and sets her heart as much upon other men as her husband is an Adulteresse for which onely shee shall have a bill of divorce 6. Because as the Gospel first reveales Christ to the mind and then offers him to the will so Faith which runs parallel with the Gospel first sees Christ there the mind one part of the soule goes out then receives Christ gladly there the other part the will goes out and so the whole soule comes to Christ. The Gospel comes to all the elect first in great clearnesse and evidence of the truth of it 1 Thes. 1.5 to which the understanding assents and is perswaded of secondly in great grace and goodnesse surpassing beauty and sweetnesse Lam. 3.24 with which the will is drawn and so the whole soule comes unto Christ for the Gospell is not onely true but glad tidings to all the elect especiall when humbled at Gods feet 1 Tim. 1.15 in whom saith the Apostle Eph. 1.12 13. you beleeved after that yee heard the word of truth there is the object of the understanding the Gospel of your salvation there is the goodnesse of it the object of the will so that the whole soule is drawne to Christ in the work of faith Hee that understands how liberum arbitrium may be in two faculties must not wonder if one grace be seated in both faculties of understanding and will no grace can bee compleatly seated in divers faculties but gradually and imperfectly it may the work of faith is not compleat when the understanding is opened onely to see and wonder at the mysterie of mercy in the Gospel but when the will adheres and claspes about that infinite and surpassing good it sees then it is perfected and not before Iohn 6.40 And this is the reason why saving Faith as it is called doth not look only to a bare testimony and assent unto it as humane faith doth because in the Gospell not only divine truth is propounded to the mind to assent unto but an infinite and eternall good is offered to the heart and will of man to embrace and thence it is that it is not sufficient for a christian to beleeve God or to beleeve Christ but he must also believe in him or else he cannot be saved the object of believing of him being verum or truth the object of the second bonum or good take heed therefore a poore lost sinner undone in its owne eyes for ever not knowing what to doe unlesse it be to lye downe and lye still at Gods feet as worthy of nothing but hell what doth the Lord now doe the Lord Christ by his Gospell first lets in a new light and it sees the Lord Jesus there bleeding before its eyes and held forth as a propitiation to all that believe to all that come to him the mind sees this mystery this exceeding rich grace and free mercy and thinks happy are they that share in this mercy but will the Lord look upon such a nothing as I can such infinite treasures be my portion the Lord therefore calls and bids him come away and enter into the possession of it Thy sins indeed are great saith the Lord yet remember blood-thirsty Manasseh persecuting Paul was pardoned nay remember my grace is free for whose sake I invite thee I beseech thee to come in thy wants indeed are many yet remember that thou hast therefore the more need and more cause to come and that it is I that have made thee empty and poore on purpose that thou mightest come it is true I have an eternall purpose to exclude many thousands from mercy yet my purpose is unchangeable never to cast off any that doe come for it I never did it yet I will not doe it unto thee if thou dost come it is true many may presume yet it is no presumption but duty to obey my great command and it is the greatest sin that ever thou didst or canst commit now to reject it and refuse this grace come therefore poore weary lost undone creature Hereupon the heart and will come and rest and roll themselves upon these bowels and there rest thus the whole soule comes and this I say againe is Faith Iust as it is with the loadstone drawing the iron who would think that iron should be drawn by it but there is a secret vertue comming from the stone which drawes it and so it comes and is united to it so who would think that ever such an iron heavy earthy heart should be drawne unto Christ yet the Lord lets out a secret vertue of truth and sweetnesse from himselfe which drawes the soule to Christ and so it comes May not the consideration of this be of great consolation to those that want assurance and therefore thinke they have no faith oh remember that if thou commest unto Christ as that poor woman of Canaan she had no assurance she should be helped of Christ nay Christ tells her to her teeth that he would not cast childrens bread to such dogs yet she came to him and looked up to free mercy and claspt about him and would not away you will say Was this faith yes our Saviour himselfe professeth it before men and Angels Oh woman great is thy faith Mat. 15.28 So I say unto all you poor creatures whom the Lord hath humbled and made vile in our own eyes unworthy of childrens bread as dogs yet you look up unto and rest upon mercy wiâ—h your whole heart this is precious faith in the account of Christ. But how shall I know when the whole soule comes to Christ When the eye of the soule so sees Christ and the heart so embraceth and resteth upon Christ as that it resteth in Christ as in its portion and all sufficient good many rest upon Christ that doe not rest in him that is that are not abundantly satisfied with him and hence their soules goe out of Christ to other things to perfect their rest and so their hearts are divided between Christ and other things oh feare this saith the Apostle lest there being a promise left us of entring into his rest any of you fall short of it for saith he we that have
and humbled his elect and laid them downe dead at his feet they are now as unable to beleeve as they were to humble their owne soules and therefore now the Lord takes them up into his owne armes that they leane and rest on the bosome of their beloved by faith After Ioseph had spoken roughly to his brethren and thereby brought the blood of their brother to remembrance and so had humbled them then he can containe no longer but discovers himselfe to them and tells them I am Ioseph whom you wickedly sold yet feare not so doth our Saviour carry it towards his elect when he laid them low now is the very season for him to advance the glory of his grace he cannot now containe himselfe any longer but having torne and taken away that vaile of sinne and of the law from off their hearts now they see the Lord with open face even the end of that which was to be abolished 2 Cor. 3. The explication of this great work is of exceeding great difficulty nothing more stirring then faith in a true Christian because hee lives by it yet it is very little known as children in the wombe that know not that navill-string by which they principally live I shall therefore bee wary and leaving larger explications acquaint you with the nature of Faith in this brief descripâ—ion of it Faith is that gracious work of the Spirit whereby an humbled sinner receiveth Christ or whereby the whole soule cometh out of it selfe to Christ for Christ and all his benefits upon the call of Christ in his word Before I open this particularly give me leave to premise some generall considerations Faith is the complement of effectuall vocation which begins in Gods call and ends in this answer to that call the Lord prevents a poore humbled soule with his call either not knowing how or not able or not daring to come and then the soule comes and hence men called and beleeving are all one Rom. 9.24 with 33. Many a wounded sinner will be scrambling after Christ from some generall reports of him before the day and houre of Gods glorious and gracious call Now for any to receive Christ or come to Christ before he is called is presumption to refuse Christ when called is rebellion to come and receive when called is properly and formally Faith and that which the Scripture stiles the obedience of Faith Rom. 1.5 And now Christ at this instant is fully and freely given on Gods part when really and freely come unto and taken on our part This receiving of Christ or coming to Christ are for substance the same though the words be diverse the holy Ghost useth to expresse one and the same thing in variety of words that our feeblenesse might the better understand what he meaneth And hence in Scripture beleeving coming receiving Christ rolling trusting cleaving to the Lord c. set out one and the same thing and therefore it is no wonder if our Divines have different descriptions of faith in variety of words which if well considered dâ—e but set out one and the same thing and I doe conceive they doe all agree in this description I have now mentioned I know there are some who tread awry here whom I shall briefly note out and so passe on to what we intend 1. The Papists with some others of corrupt judgements at least of weak apprehensions among our selves describe Faith to be nothing else but a supernaturall assent to a divine truth because of a divine testimony Ex. gr to assent to this truth that Christ is come that he is the Sonne of God that hee was dead and is risen againe that he is the Saviour of the world c. and to confirme this they produce Mat. 16.16 1 Ioh. 4.3 It is granted that this assent is in Faith for Faith alway hath respect to some testimony for man by his fall hath lost all knowledge of divine and supernaturall truths hence God reveales them in his word hence faith sees them and assents to them because God hath spoken them to see and know things by vision is to see things in themselves intuitively and immediately but to see things by Faith is to see them by and in a testimony given of them Iohn 20.20 Blessed is he that hath not seen i. e. Christ immediately but beleeved i. e. his testimony and on him in it this assent therefore is in Faith for we must beleeve Christ before we can beleeve in him but this comprehends not the whole nature of faith I meane of that faith we are now speaking of viz. aâ— it unites us to Christ and possesseth us with Christ. For 1. This description placeth Faith onely in the understanding whereas t is also in the will as the words trusting rolling c. intimate 2. This assent is meerly generall without particular application which is ever in true faith Gal. 2.20 3. This is such a faith as the devils may have Iames 2.19 and reprobate men may have 2 Pet. 2.20 21. Heb. 10.26 There is a wilfull refusing of the known truth 4. It is the Papists ayme to vilifie faith hereby by describing it by that which is one ingredient in it but excluding that which is principall those phrases therefore of beleeving Christ to be come in the flesh 1 Iohn 4.3 and that he is the Sonne of God Mat. 16.16 as if this were the onely object of faith are not to be understood exclusively excluding other acts of faith which the Scripture in other places sets downe clearly but inclusively as supposing them to be contained herein for as we in our times describing faith by relying upon Christ for salvation do not exclude hereby our beleeving that he is the Messiah but we include it or suppose it because that is not now questioned the truth of the Gospel being so abundantly cleared so in those times they described Faith by one principall act to beleeve that he was the Sonne of God and come into the flesh because this was the maine and principall thing in question then and if the Lord had not set out faith by other acts in Scripture we should not vary from our compasse in such expressions in the Word in these dayes for their faith then is exemplary to us now but because the Word doth more fully set it out in more speciall acts hence we set it out also by them for t is evident as the Jews did beleeve in a Messiah to come so they did also beleeve and look for all good from him Iohn 4.25 He will teach us all things when he comes and therefore their faith did not confine it selfe to that historicall act that a Messiah should come or that this was the Messiah but they did expect and look for all good from him And hence the Apostle expounding this saying viz. beleeving that Christ is dead and risen againe wee shall hereby be saved If thou beleevest saith he with thine heart this truth thou shalt be
denyed as well as to be heard and he shall undoubtedly find the thing it selfe a lust is properly such a desire though for lawfull things wherein a man must have the thing because it pleaseth him as when Rachell asked for children she must have them else she must needs dye Give us water that wee may drinke was their brutish cry Exod. 17.1 2. not that we may live to him that giveâ— it holy prayers or desires opposed unto lusts are such desires of the soule left with God with submission to his will as may best please him now the Lord will heare the desires indeed of all that feare him but not fulfill their lusts These three are the essentiall properties of such prayer as is heard or if you will of that which is properly or spiritually prayer fâ—rvency and assurance c. are excellent ingredients but yet the Lord may heare prayer without them it is true the Lord may sometimes not heare us presently for our praying time is our sowing time we must not look presently for the harvest The Lord heares the prayer of the destitute Psal. 102.17 the originall word is of the shrub or naked place of the desert which the Prophet saith Ier. 17.6 sees no good when good comes yet such as feele themselves such the Lord doth regard them and will have a time to answer them and though the Lord may not give us the thing we pray for nor as good a thing of the same kind yet he ever gives us the end of our prayers hee that is at sea and wants stiffe winds to carry him to his port yet hath no cause to complaine if the Lord secretly carries him in by a strong current of the sea it selfe and it is certain at the end of all Gods dealing with you you shall then see how the Lord hath not failed to answer you in any one particular Ios. 23.14 Oh therefore see and be perswaded of this your priviledge that God will now heare every prayer many make a question How may we know when the Lord grants out any blessing as an answer to prayer many things are said to this purpose but the simplicity and plainnesse of the answer liâ—s in this viz. if it be a prayer God heares it if it be put up in Christs name it is then a prayer and that you may beleeve this and glory in this consider these reasons only to confirme this truth From the promise of Christ as in this place Iohn 14.13 14. which was a promise in speciall to be accomplished when hee came to his kingdome and therefore though it is true Gods grace is free and therefore you think the Lord may as well refuse to heare you as heare yet consider that by his promise he hath bound himselfe to heare From the Fatherly disposition that is in God Iohn 16.26 27. and hece he loves us and hence cannot but heare us Because all prayers put up in Christs name Christ makes intercession that they may be heard Heb. 7.25 hee hath laid downe his blood that all our prayers might be heard as we have provâ—d and indeed hence ariseth the infinite efâ—icacie of prayer because it is built upon that which is infinitely and eternally worthy Because all prayers of the faithfull arise from the Spirit of prayer Rom. 8.26 because as that which is for the flesh is of the flesh so that which is for the Spirit or for the sake of Christ for spirituall ends is ever of the Spirit Iohn 7.18 Because of the glory of Christ that the Father may be glorifyed in the Son cannot Christ be glorifyed unlesse he heare all prayers yes he could but yet his will is to reveale his glory by this meanes so that thou and thy prayers be vile and therefore deservest no acceptance nor answer yet remember that his glory is deare it is the glory of Kings to heare some requests and petitions but they cannot heare nor answer all it is the glory of Christ to heare all because he is able without the least dishonour to himselfe thus to doe Oh be perswaded of this how should your joy then be full how should you then delight to be oft with him how would you then encourage all to come unto him how would you then be constrained to doe any thing for him who is ready to doe all for you but oh woe unto our unbeleefe for that which the Apostle saith 1 Iohn 5.14 was ground of his confidence viz. that what ever wee aske according to his will hee heares us is no ground to us and wee may say and mourne to think this is our diffidence that what ever I aske according to Christs will he heares me not but oh recover from such a distrustfull frame and from all dead-heartednesse in this duty with all lest the Lord send task-masters and double our bricks and then we groan and sigh and cry and learne to pray that way that will not pray nor beleeve now If the Lord would but give us hearts assuredly you might not only rule your selves and families but by the power of prayer pull down and raise up Kingdomes dispose of the greatest affaires of the Church nay of the world you might hereby work wonders by meanes of him who ruling all things yet is overcome by prayer Hos. 12.4 5. SECT VI. Sixthly Glorification This is the sixth and last priviledge and benefit and you all know is the last thing in the execution of Gods eternall purpose toward all his beloved and chosen ones whom he hath predestinated called justified them he hath also glorified Rom. 8.30 hereby we are made perfect in holinesse no more sinne shall stirre in us perfect also in happinesse no more teares nor sorrowes nor temptations nor feares shall ever molest us Heb. 12.23 Revel 14.13 and all this shall bee in our immediate communion with God in Christ Col. 1.28 Iohn 17.23 24. wee shall be then saith Paul for ever with the Lord if the Lord would but open our eyes and give us one glimpse of this what manner of persons should we be how would we then live how willingly then should wee embrace faggots and flames prisons and penury the light afflictions here would not they work for us glory nay the Apostle useth such a phrase which I beleeve may pose the most curious oratour in the world to expresse to the life of it an exceeding weight of glory 2 Cor. 4.17 What is our life now but a continuall dying carrying dayly about us that which is more bitter then a thousand deaths what faith the Apostle to us You are dead yet when Christ shall appeare you shall appeare with him also in glory the generall security of these times foretold by Christ especially when Churches become Virgins and People are seeking after purity of Ordinances it shall not be in a want of watchfulnesse against the present corruptiions of the times so much as in a carelesse want of expectation of the comming oâ— Christ
and therefore though I may be spared for a while yet there is a time wherein Christ himselfe will come out against me in flaming fire To this purpose doth the Spirit worke for beloved the great meanes whereby Satan overthrew Man at first in his innocencie was this principle although thou dost eate and so sin against God yet thou shalt not dye Gen. 3.4 Ye shall not surely die the Serpent doth not say Ye shall not die for that is too grosse an out-facing of the Word Gen. 2.17 but he saith Ye shall not surely die that is there is not such absolute certainty oâ— it it may be you shall live God loves you better then so and is a more merciful Father then to be at a word and a blow Now look as Satan deceived and brought our first parents to ruine by suggesting this principle so at this day he doth sow this accursed seed and plant this very principle in the soyl of every mans heart by nature they do not think they cannot beleeve that they are dead men condemned to dye and that they shall dye eternally for the least sinne committed by them Men nor Angels cannot perswade them of it they cannot see the equity of it that God so mercifull will be so severe for so small a matter nor yet the truth of it for then they think no flesh should be saved And thus when the old Serpent hath spit this poyson before them they sup it up and drink it in and so thousands nay millions of men and women are utterly undone The Lord Christ therefore when he comes to save a poore sinner and raise him up out of his fall convinceth the soule by his Spirit and that with full and mighty evidence that it shall dye for the least sin and tels him as the Lord told Abimelech in another case Gen. 20.3 Thou art but a dead man for this and if the Spirit set on this let who can claw it off I tell you beloved never did poore condemned Malefactor more certainly know and hear the sentence of condemnation past upon him by a mortall man then the guilty sinner doth his by an immortall and displeased God therefore those three thousand cry out Act. 2.37 Men and brethren what shall we doe to be saued We are condemned to dye what shall we doe now to be saved from death Now the soule is glad to enquire of the Minister Oh tell me what shall I do I once thought my selfe in a safe and good condition as any in the Town or Countrey I lived in but now the Lord hath let me heare of other newes dye I must in this estate and t is a wonder of mercies I am spared alive to this day There is not onely some blind feaâ—es and suspitions that it may possibly be so but full perswasions of heart dye I must dye I shall in this estate for if the Spirit reveale sin and conviâ—ce not of death for sin the soule under this work of conviction being as yet rather sâ—nsuall then spirituall wil make a light matter of it when it sees no sensible danger in it but when it sees the bottomlesse pit before it everlasting fire before it for the least sin now it sees the hainous evill of sin the way of sinne though never so peaceable before is full of dâ—nger now wherein it sees there are endlesse woes and everlasting deaths that lye in wait for it Rom. 6.21 And now saith the Spirit you may goe on in these sinfull courses as others doe if you see meet but oh consider what will be the end of them what it is to enjoy the pleasures of sinne for a season and to be tormented for ever for them in the conclusion for be assured that will be the end and hence the soule seeing it selfe thus set apart for death looks upon it selfe in a farre worse estate then the bruit beasts or vilâ—st worme upon the earth for it thinks when they dye there is an end of their misery but oh then is the beginning of mine for ever hence also arise those feares of death of being suddenly cut off that when it lyes downe it trembles to think I may never rise againe because it 's convinced not only that it deserves to dye but that it is already sentenced for to dye hence also the soule justifies God if he had cut him off in his sin and wonders what kept him from it there being nothing else due from God unto it hence lastly the soule is stopt and stands still goes not on in sin as before or if it doth the Lord gives it no peace Ier. 8.6 Why doth the horse goe on in the battell because it sees not death before it but now the soule sees death and therefore stops oh remember this all you that never could beleeve that you are dead condemned men and therefore are never troubled with any such thoughts in your mind I tell you that you are far from conviction and therefore far from salvation if God should send some from the dead to beare witnesse against this secure world concerning this truth yet you will not beleeve it for his messengers sent from heaven are not beleeved herein woe be to you if you remaine unconvinced of this point But you will say how doth the Lord thus convince sin and wherein is it exprest which is the third particular All knowledge of sin is not conviction of sin all confession of sin is not conviction there is a conviction meerely rationall which is not spirituall there are three things in spirituall conviction There is a cleare certaine and manifest light so that the soule sees its sin and death due to it clearely and certainly for so the word Ioh. 16.9 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies to evidence a thing by way of argumentation nay demonstration the Spirit so demonstrates these things as that it hath nothing to object a mans mouth is stopped hee hath nothing to say but this behold I am vile I am a dead man for if a man have many strong arguments given him to confirme a truth yet if he have but one objection or doubtfull scruple not answered he is not fully as yet convinced because full conviction by a cleare sun-light scatters all dark objections and hence our Saviour Iude 15. will one day convince the wicked of all their hard speeches against him which will chiefly be done by manifesting the evill of such wayes and taking a way all those colours and defences men have made for such language before the Spirit of Christ comes man cannot see will not see his sin nor punishment nay he hath many things to say for himselfe as excuses and extenuations of his sin One saith I was drawne unto it the woman that thou gavest me and so layes the blame on others Aâ—other saith It is my nature Others say All are sinners the godly sinne as well as others and yet are saved at last and so I hope shall
and they heare and know their sins are many their estates bad and that iniquity will be there ruine if thus they continue yet all Gods light is without heat and it is but the shining of it upon rocks and cold stones they are frozen in their dregs be it knowne to you you have not one drop of that conviction which begins salvation Before I passe from this to the second work of compunction let me make a word of application If the Spirit begins thus with conviction of sin then let all the Ministers of Christ co-work with Christ and begin with their people here bee faithfull witnesses unto Gods truth and give warning to this secure world that the sentence of death is past and the curse of God lyes upon every man for the least sin Lift up thy voyce like a Trumpet was the Lords words to Isaiah Isay 58.1 and tell them of their sin Those Bees wee call drones that have lost their sting When the salt of the earth the Ministers of Christ Matth. 5. have lost their acrimony and sharpnesse or saltnesse What is it good for but to be cast out your hearers will putrify and corrupt by hearing such doctrines only as never search When the Lord inflicted a grievous curse upon the people Ezek. 3.26 the Lord made Ezekiel dumbe that hee should not be a reprover to them What was the lamentation of Ieremy thy Prophets have seen vaine and foolish things for thee and have not discovered thine iniquity how would you have the Lord Jesus by his Spirit to convince men must it not bee by his word verily you keep the Spirit of Christ from falling down upon the people if you refuse to indeavour to convince the people by your word Other doctrines are sweet and necessary but this is in the first place most necessary Beware of personating beware of bitternesse and passion but oh convince with a spirit of power and compassion and hee that shall bee instrumentall unto Christ in this or any other work for Christs sake unto him the Lord will be the principall agent and by him will attaine his own ends finish his great work gather in his scattered sheep who are in great multitudes throughout the Kingdome scattered from him if once they be throughly convinced that they are utterly lost and gone out of the way May not this also be sad reproofe and terrour to them that stand it out against all means of conviction and will not see their sin nor beleeve the fearfull wrath of God due to them for sin not a man scarce can be found that will come to this conclusion I am a sinfull man and therefore I am a dead I am a condemned man but like wild beasts fly from their pursuers into their holes and thickets and dens their sinfull extenuations excuses and apologies for sin and for themselves and if they bee hunted thither and found out there then they resist and article against that truth which troubles them They flatter themselves in their owne eyes untill their iniquities be found most hatefull Many a man dislikes the text the use especially the long use wherein his sinne is toucht and his conscience tost especially if it be his darling sin his Herodias his Rimmon especially if withall he thinks that the Minister meanes him he will not see it nor confeste it especially if hee apprehends he shall lose his honour or his silver shrines and profit by it he will not see his â—in that he may not be troubled in conscience for his sin that so he may not be forced to confesse and forsake his sinne and condemne himselfe for it before God and men Oh Lord I mourne that I can scarce meet with a man that either cares to be or will be convinced but hath something alway to say for himselfe their sins are not so great they are not so bad but have some good and therefore have some hope and if God be mercifull it is no great matter though they be exceeding sinfull or some such thing their mouths are not stopped to say nothing for themselves but guilty There is lesse conviction in the world in this age then many are aware of For I believe that all the powers of hell conspire together to blind mens eyes and darken mens minds in this great work of Christ Principiis obsta it is policy to stop Christ in his entrance in this first streake upon the soule but oh little doe you think what you doe herein and what woe you work to your selves hereby dost thou stifle and resist the first breathings of Christs Spirit when he comes to save thee what hurt will it be to know the worst of thy condition now when there is hope hereby of comming out of it who must else one day see all thy sins in order before thee to thy eternall anguish and terrour Ps. 50.21 When the Lord shall say to thee as unto Dives Remember in thy life time thou hadst thy good things remember such a time such a place such a sin which then you would not see But now thou shalt see what it is to strike an infinite God Remember thou wast forewarned of wrath to come but thou wouldest not beleeve thy selfe accursed that so thou mightest have felt thy need of him that was made a curse to blesse thee and therefore feele it now oh you will wish then that you had knowne this evill in that your day What dost thou talke of grace thou thinkest thou hast grace when as thou hast not the first beginning nay not the most remote preparation for it in this work of conviction what should wee doe for such as these but with Ieremy Ier. 13.17 if you will not heare my soule shall weep in secret for your pride Oh be perswaded therefore to remember your sins past and to consider of your wayes now All the prophanenesse of thy heart and life all the vanity of thy youth Eccles. 11.9 all your secret sins all your sinnes against light and love checks and vowes all that time wherein thou didst nothing else but live in sin thus Gods people have done Ezek 6.9 thus all the elect shall doe oh consider the Lord remembers them all and that with griefe of heart against thee because thou forgettest them Hos. 2.7 Hee that numbers thy haires and tels the sparrowes that fall numbers much more thy sins that fall from thee they are written down in his black book They are not trifles for hee minds not toyes the bookes must bee opened oh reckon now you have yet time to cal them to minde which it may be shall not continue long it is the Lords complaint Ier. 8.6 of a wicked generation that hee could heare no man say What have I done Winnow your selves as the word is Eph. 2.1 Oh people not worthy to be beloved I pronounce unto you from the eternall God that ere long the Lord will search our Ierusalem with candles he will
certainly by faith Now this faith is not by seeing him with our eyes comming neare to him with our bodies but comming to him with our soules the soule is the seat of faith Now this you may doe though you never thus saw him whom though you see not yet beleeving you rejoice this comming of the soule to Christ doth make a firmer union between thee and Christ then if thou wert bodily present with him in heaven For many touched and crowded him that never were truly united to him or received vertue from him If our soules were in the third heaven with Christ who of us would then doubt of our portion in him I tell you if your soules goe out of sinne and selfe unto Christ Jesus and there rest this makes you nearer to him then if your soules were under his wing in the highest heavens The poore Sea-man when hee is neare dangerous shores when he cannot goe downe to the depth of the Sea to fasten his ship yet if hee can cast his anchor twenty or forty fathom deep and if that holds this quiets him in the sorest stormes when we are tossed and cannot come to Christ with our bodily presence yet if our soules can come if our faith our anchor can reach him and knit us to him this should exceedingly comfort our hearts How and where should my soule come to Christ who is now absent from me Christ comes to you in his Word and Covenant of Grace there is his Spirit his truth goodnesse love faithfulnesse receive this you receive him embrace this you embrace him as among our selves we see great estates are conveyed and surrendred by Bond and Writings Act. 2.41 When they received the Word they received Christ. Ioh. 15.7 If my words abide in you i. e. if I abide in you by my words you shall be fruitfull By the Word let thine eye pitch upon the person doe not onely account the Promise true but with Sarah account him faithfull who hath promised and then let thy heart roll it selfe upon that grace and faithfulnesse revealed in this word leane upon the breast of this beloved and thus the soule by the chariot wheeles and wings of the Word is possessor of Christ in it and carryed up to Christs crosse as dying Gal. 3.1 and from thence to his glory in his Kingdoâ— by it Heb. 10.19 22. As a man that gives a great estate by some writing to us we beleeve it as if he were present and by this we doe not onely beleeve the writing to â—e true but the man to be be faithfull and loving to us and hereupon our hearts are carryed after the man himselfe though afar off from us Thus we ascend to Christ in the cloud of faith as Iacob though he could hardly beleeve yet as soone as he was perswaded Ioseph was yet alive his spirit presently revived and it was immediately with him before his body came to him so t is with faith the soule goes unto Christ before our bodies and soules both together shal have immediate communion with him 3. The forme of Faith This is the third thing in the description of Faith the comming of the whole soule out of it selfe unto Christ is the forme of Faith and that wherein the life and essence of it consists and which doth difference it from all other graces of the Spirit The first act of Faith as it unites us to Christ is not assurance that he is mine but a comming to him with assurance that hereby he is become mine Come unto the waters and so buy wine and milke i. e. now make them your owne The weary and heavy laden shall not have rest unlesse they come to Christ for it Faith doth nothing for life for that is the Law of Works it onely receives him who hath done all for it it comes out of all it hath or doth like Abraham that left his servants behind him when he went up to God in the mount unto Christ for life Conceive it thus Adam had a principle stock of life in himselfe in his owne hand and therefore was to live by this to live of himselfe and from himselfe and therefore had no need nor use of faith he lived by the law of works which the Apostle sets in a direct opposition to the Law of Faith but Adam being now falne hath lost his life and became not like the man that fell among theeves betwixt Jerusalem and Jericho stript wounded and halfe dead but wholly dead Ephes. 2.1 so that let any man seeke life from himselfe its impossible he should live for if there had been a Law that could have given life our righteousnesse should have been thereby Gal. 3.21 Hence it followes if any man will have life he must goe out of himselfe unto another viz. the Lord of life for it Iohn 5.40 Iohn 6.27 28 29. Now observe it this very comming this very motion of the soule to Christ a grace which Adam neither had nor had power to use is Faith the Spirit of Christ moving or drawing the soule the soul is thence moved and so comes to Christ Iohn 6.64 65. The soule by sinne is averted from God and turns his back upon God the turning or comming of the soule not unto duties of holinesse for that is obedience properly but unto God in Christ againe is properly and formally Faith All evill is in mans selfe and from himselfe all mans good is in Christ and from Christ. The soules of all Gods elect seeing these things forsake and renounce themselves in whom and for whom is all thâ—ir evill and come unto Christ in whom and from whom is all their good This motion of the soule betweene these extreames through that vast and infinite distance that is betweene a sinfull wretched man and a blessed Saviour is faith for by faith principally we passe from death to life Iohn 5.24 The soule of a poore sinner wounded and humbled sometime knowes not Christ and then cryes out as those Act. 2.37 What shall I doe Whither shall I go sometimes dares not sometimes cannot it hath no heart to stir or come it therefore looks up and longs and goes unto the Lord to draw it like poore Ephraim Ier. 31.18 Oh turne me Lord and then I shall be turned Lam. 5.21 and this is the lowest and least degree of faith But at some other time the soule mourning for want of the Lord the Lord comes unto it with great clearnesse glory and sweetnesse of grace and peace hence the soule cannot but come and close with him and cry Rabboni and say Oh Lord is it thy good pleasure to have respect to such a clod of earth to tender such riches of grace to one so unworthy and to bid nay to beseech me to come and take Lord behold I come This is faith Would you have proofe of it Consider therefore these particulars 1. Consider these Scriptures Iohn 6.35 I am the bread
by it so upon it will build the souls of all the elect who are built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Iesus Christ being the chief corner-stone Eph. 2.20 How can they beleeve without a Preacher Rom. 10.14 3. Then when wicked men and reprobates are commanded to beleeve as they are commanded Iohn 3.19 Luk. 14.17 Iohn 6.38 Heb. 4.2 they are commanded to beleeve a lye viz. that their sinnes are pardoned and they actually justified for if this testimony be the ground of faith then when they are commanded to beleeve they are commanded to be perswaded of this testimony But the sinnes of wicked men especially Reprobates are not nor never shall be forgiven and therefore this cannot be the ground of Faith 4. Then the Spirit of adoption which witnesseth that God is our Father and that we are his sonnes reconciled to him goes before faith but the Apostle expresly denyes this Ye are the children of God by faith Gal. 3.26 And because ye are sonnes he hath sent unto you the spirit of sonnes crying Abba Father Gal. 4.6 5. If such a testimony should be the first ground of faith then no man should beleeve but he that hath such a testimony antecedent to his faith but this is crosse to the Scripture Esay 50.10 He that sits in darknesse and sees no light let him stay himselfe upon his God When Ionah is cast out of Gods sight to his owne feeling yet he is bound to look againe unto the Temple 6. This absolute testimony is either the testimony of the Word or of the Spirit Not of the Word as is proved If of the Spirit then let it be considered whether that can be the testimony of the Spirit which is not according to the Word nay contâ—ary to the Word for the Word to say none are justified before faith for the Spirit to testifie some are justified before faith If it be said that the Spirit doth not witnesse these to any man before and without faith but yet it is without respect unto or shewing a man his faith for those that exclude Sanctification from being any evidence they meane Faith as well as any other renewed work of holines and so exclude that also then I say the testimony of the Spirit which of it selfe is exceeding cleare is an obscure and dark testimony because it cleares up the praedicate of this Proposition thou beleever art justified it witnesseth to a man thou art justified but cleares not up the subject of it viz. thou beleever it makes a man beleeve a testimony without understanding the full meaning of it for the Spirit testifying to any man thou art justified his meaning is thou beleever art justified and I doe beseech the God and Father of all lights that his poore people may be led into the truth in this particular for want of establishment here you little think how many delusions you may fall into about your spirituall condition I remember that when Satan came to overthrow the Faith of Christ in his second temptation Mat. 4.6 he brought a promise out of the Scriptures to him because he saw hee held close to them verse 4. and by this promise sought to lead him into temptation how so observe the text and see if it was not by hiding part of the meaning of the promise from him and in speciall that very condition required in the person to whom the promise is made for he tells him that if he cast himselfe downe headlong the Lord hath not only said it but writ it He shall give his Angells charge over him to keep him from dashing his foot against a stone whereas if you consult with the place whence it is cited viz. Psalme 91.11 The condition is set downe in all thy wayes which hee purposely hides from our Saviour as much as in him lay Oh take heed therefore of receiving any testimony from Word or Spirit without the meaning of it without knowing the person thus and thus qualified to whom it belongs otherwise Satan will hurry you headlong to a world of delusions and you shall find the word of God appointed to direct you through your mis-application of it the word of Satan to deceive and damne you doe not think that this is building faith upon works but to beleeve that they that believe in Christ are justified reconciled and saved is building faith upon Gods promise yea and his free promise too for saith the Apostle It is of faith that it might be of grace Rom. 4.16 It is believing to have the end by the meanes not the end without the mean of Faith It is true we may see Gods favour and love to us in the cause as well as in the effects of sanctification but what is that cause the meritorious cause is Christs righteousnesse and the instrumentall cause of applying this is our Faith so that as we are justified by faith so seeing this we may say assuredly with Paul Being justified by faith wee have peace with God Rom. 5.1 It is true we cannot see our justification by saith nor the work of Faith without the shining of the Spirit into our hearts but the question is not whether the Spirit helps us to see our justified estate but by what meanes by what Proposition in the word wee come to see it which we say is not by any such absolute testimony thou art justified already and therefore believe but if thou believe and come to Christ here is then pardon of sinne peace with God yea all the blessings of Christ ready for thee which God intends to give and never to take away if thou thankfully receive what God freely offers and as it were layes downe at thy feet The call of Christ therefore is the ground by which wee first believe and that you may be confirmed farther herein doe but consider the glory and excellency of this ground It is a constant ground of faith for if you come to Christ because you have assurance or because you feel such and such graces and heavenly impressions of Gods Spirit in you you may then many a day and yeare keep at a distance from Christ and live without Christ for the feeling of graces and assurance of favour are not constant but this call is alway sounding in thine yeares oh come not only because thou feelest holinesse in thee but come because poore hungry empty naked lost blind cursed forsaken full of sin there is not one moment of the day of grace but the Lord beseecheth thee to receive his grace 2 Cor. 6.1 2 3. this is an open door to Christ at all times an open harbour to put in at in all storms a heart-breaking word oh thou tossed with tempests and not comforted come unto me and thou shalt find rest to thy soule Many aske how should I come to Christ seeing that I have no promise belonging to me what have dogges to doe with childrens bread be it so yet Gods call command beseechings to come in
blessed and happy estate John 5.24 Psal. 2. ult IF the Question be What is that happy condition they are made partakers of I answer this appeares in these six priviledges or benefits principally 1. Iustification all their sinnes are pardoned 2. Reconciliation peace with God 3. Adoption they are made the Sonnes of God 4. Sanctification they are restored to the Image of God 5. Audience of all their prayers to God 6. Glorification in the Kingdome of heaven in eternall Communion with God SECT I. First Iustification THis is the first benefit which immediately followes our union unto Christ by Faith that look as we are no sooner children of Adam branches of that root by naturall generation but we immediately contract the guilt of his sin and so originall pollution so we are no sooner made branches of the second Adam by vocation and so united unto Christ by Faith but immediately wee have the imputation of his righteousnesse to our justification after which we receive in order of nature not time our sanctification There is no truth more necessary to bee knowne then this it being the principall thing contained in the Gospell Rom. 1.17 the Law shewing how a man may bee just and live but it hath not the least word how a sinfull man may be just and not dye this is proper to the revelation of the Gospell let me therefore give you a tast of the nature of it Our Justification is wrought by a double act 1. on God the Fathers part he by a gracious sentence absolves and acquits a sinner accepts of him as righteous 2. on God the Sons part procuring the passing of this sentence by his satisfaction imputed and applyed the Father being the person principally wronged hath chiefe power to forgive yet in justice he cannot acquit nor in truth account a man unrighteous as righteous unlesse the Son step in and satisfie for whose sake he forgives as the Apostle expressely saith Eph. 4. ult so that our Justification is wholly out of our selves and we are meerly passive in it Justification is not to make us inwardly just as the Papists dreame but it is a Law-tearme and is opposed against condemnation Rom. 8.33 now look as condemnation is the sentence of the Judge condemning a man to dye for his offence or sin so Iustification is the sentence of God the Father absolving a man from the guilt and punishment of sin for the sake of the righteousnesse of Christ That you may more particularly understand me take this description of it Iustification is the gracious Sentence of God the Father whereby for the satisfaction of Christ apprehended by faith and imputed to the faithfull he absolves them from the guilt and condemnation of all sin and accepts them as perfectly righteous to eternall life Let me open the particulars herein briefly in severall queries What it is in generall to justifie T is to passe sentence of absolution to pronounce a sinner righteous t is Gods pardon remission of sinnes this appeares from the opposition mentioned it stands in unto condemnation as a Iudge pardons a man when he saith he shall live or as a man manifestly forgives another when he gives him a promise or a bill of discharge so that note this by the way that our Iustification is not Gods eternall purpose to forgive but it is Gods sentence published a sinner is justified intentionally in election but not actually till this sentence be past and published The difficulty only here is where this sentence is pronounced for answer where of note that there is but a double Court wherein t is passed 1. Publikely in the Court of Heaven or in the Court-rolls of the Word for there is no other Court of Heaven where God speaks but this 2. Privately in the Court of Conscience By the first we are justified indeed from personall guilt by the second we feele our selves justified by the removall of conscience guilt The first is expresly mentioned Act. 10.43 and Rom. 1.17 the second is expresly set downe also Psal. 32.4 The first is the cause and foundation of this second the second ariseth from the first otherwise peace of conscience is a meere delusion the first is sometimes long before the second Psal. 88.15 as the sentence of condemnation in the Word is sometimes long before a man feeles that sentence in his own conscience the second comes in a long time after in some Christians The first is constant and unchangeable the second very changeable he that hath peace in his conscience to day may lost it by to morrow So that you are not in seeking the testimony of your justification to look for a sentence from heaven immediately pronounced of God but look for it in the Court of his Word the Court of Heaven which though we heare not sometime yet it rings and fills heaven and earth with the sound of it viz. There is no condemnation to them that beleeve for hereby the Lord mercifully provideth for the peace of his people more abundantly As when a poore Creditor is acquited or a malefactor pardoned I beseech you saith he let me have an acquitance a discharge a pardon under your owne hand and this quiets him against all accusers so t is here the Lord gives us an Acquitance in his VVord under his owne hand and seale and so gives us peace Heb. 6.18 VVho is it that justifieth T is God the Father Rom. 8.34 Father forgive them saith Christ. And hence Christ is an Advocate with the Father 1 Iohn 2.2 All the three Persons were wronged by sin yet the wrong was chiefly against the Father because his manner of working appeared chiefly in creation from the righteousnes of which man fell by sinne The Father forgives primarily by Soveraign authority the Sonne of Man Christ Jesus forgives by immediate dispensation and commission from the Father Iohn 5.22 Mat. 9.6 the Apostles and their successors forgive ministerially Iohn 21.23 The Father forgives by granting pardon the Sonne by procuring the Ministers where the Spirit also is by publishing or applying pardon so that this is great consolation that God the Father the party chiefly incensed t is he that justifieth t is he that passeth this gracious sentence and then who can condemne Why doth the Father thus justifie T is meerly his grace and out of grace And hence I call it his gracious sentence Rom. 3.24 justified freely by his grace What is his grace The Prophet Esay expounds it to be not our grace or works of grace although wrought by grace but his owne name sake In some respect indeed it is just for God to forgive viz. in regard of Christs satisfaction 1 Ioh. 1.7 Rom. 3.20 The Mercy-seat and the Tables of the Law in the Ark may well stand together but that Christ was sent to satisfie justice and that thy sinnes were satisfied for and not anothers thus it s wholly of grace If therefore you