the word of god to all the elect number with a few words in a deep lamentation over the seed of life, to its tender father concerning them that have transgressed in israel. west, thomas, of hertford. 1664 approx. 15 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 4 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2004-08 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a65480 wing w1392 estc r217334 99829011 99829011 33446 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a65480) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 33446) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 1860:14) the word of god to all the elect number with a few words in a deep lamentation over the seed of life, to its tender father concerning them that have transgressed in israel. west, thomas, of hertford. 7, [1] p. s.n., [london : 1664?] caption title. signed at end: thomas west. hartford the 17th day of the second month. 1664. imprint from wing. reproduction of the original in the friends house library, london. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng quakers -early works to 1800. repentance -early works to 1800. salvation -early works to 1800. 2004-03 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2004-03 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2004-04 jonathan blaney sampled and proofread 2004-04 jonathan blaney text and markup reviewed and edited 2004-07 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the word of god to all the elect number with a few words in a deep lamentation over the seed of life , to its tender father concerning them that have transgressed in israel . dear blessed precious lambs and babes , ye children of the most high god , holy innocent and undefiled , i feel a remnant a very small remnant , that are but few in number , with whom my life dwells in pure unity never to be separated , that god almighty hath gathered and is gathering in this day of his mighty power from amongst all people , nations , kindreds , countreys tongues and languages , upon the face of the whole earth , who shall be one of a family and two of a tribe , which is but very few in number , even you shall shine , as the lights of heaven , glorious as the sun , cleer as the moon , glittering and sparkling as the stars . yea , the very brightness of your pure light , and beauty of your glory shall shine from corner to corner , and from end to end of all the world , that so all nations may see , and hear yea dread tremble and fear . but you must and shall come through many and great tribulations and be refined even as the pure gold , that is seven times tried in the fire , and must have your garments died in the blood of the lamb , and be clothed in fine linning clean and white , mark that , it must be clean and white there must be no filthyness neither any defilement : not one spot nor blemish , for if there be while that remaineth , mark while any spot remaineth thou maiest not be suffered to dwell with the lamb and to follow him whethersoever he goeth , who is of more purer eyes then to behold iniquity , so the pure virgin state every perticular must witness before the heir of life can be born to whom all power belongs in heaven and in earth and power sufficient to withstand the power of the wicked one in all his temptations can never be received till he the heir of life is born up in dominion over all , and hath the government upon his shoulders , and now may not the cry of many be who hath been long convinced even as the cry of some of the disciples was when the lord said , he that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood dwelleth in me and i in him as the living father hath sent me , and i live by the father even so he that eateth me shall live by me , shall live by me , this is that bread that came dovvn from heaven , not as your fathers did eat manna and are dead , he that eateth this bread shall live for ever . did they not then cry out this is an hard saying who can abide the hearing of it , and did not many of his disciples from that very time go back and forsake him , and walked no more with him , then said jesus to the twelve , will yee also go away then simon peter answered him lord to whom shall we go , thou hast the words of eternal life , and vve believe and are sure that thou art christ the son of the living god. my dear friends , i do not write thus to you onely as it is the scriptures language neither because you know it not already but even as the lord hath given it me in his own eternal word of life and power , therefore every one search your own hearts try your selves even all the secret motions of your minds and all your deep thoughts , and see with the light of christ in you whether or no your hearts are upright , and approved of in the sight of the righteous god. who searcheth secretly all your hearts and tryes your reins whose name is the lord of host the almighty and wonderful counseller and conquerer very dreadful and terrible to all his enemies before whom , and in whose presence ye are all naked and bare , to whom you must all give up your accompts whether just or unjust and the time is near at hand : therefore my dear friends , see that every one of you lay true judgement to the line , and righteousness to the plummet , and all judge your selves least you be judged and try with the pure holy light in your own consciences whether or nay , ye are of that number as is before mentioned for verily and in gods name i am made bold in his everlasting authority and endless dominion to declare it , none other shall dwell with the lambe in the new city sion for ever more , therefore o weigh it in the deep considerations of your pure mind . for i do proclaim it in the name of the lord our god and shall be ready to seal it with my dearest blood , yee have already received the first and last and greatest messuage or dispensation that ever was is or ever shall be , therefore look not for another but always in that you have already received grow and increase , holding fast that you have and letting nothing of it go least another take your crown and to rob you of your honour , even the pure holy and undefiled light , and whosoever shall presume to declare of any other or a greater dispensation then that which hath been declared of already let him or them to you be accursed for evermore if an angel or angels from heaven for such do and will pervert the way of god , and so will strive , to lead poor simple innocent persons , people after them into their own pernissious ways quite contrary to the way of god where they shall never know peace for their immortal souls , but they who dwell in the everlasting light truly fearing his dreadfull name and evermore trembling in his pure presence at the word of his power who is god , blessed for ever more amen , even they and none but they shall sing the song of moses and the lambe for evermore , for they onely are found worthy , worthy , worthy , to sit upon the throne judging and ruling amongst the twelve tribes of israel for ever more who hath been and ever shall be taught by the lord , and have learned the pure language from his own mouth and speaks no other words then he hath taught you , even you are the pure virgins indeed who must alwaies dwell with the lamb in the presence of his grace singing praises and sounding fourth hallelujah's to him that sits upon the throne , who was slain by our sins but is now become our eternal resurrection who onely is worthy to receive of all his blessed number power and riches and wisdome and strength and honour and glory and blessing , world without end , amen . so all dear lambs dwell with the lord , that you may at all times walk with him in the deeps where you may evermore behold his glory , that so in his living presence yee may be refreshed in all times of need , even eating of the living bread when yee hunger and drinking of the pure fountain when you are athurst that so all may be wholy satisfied and none to go forth but that all may dwell within where your strength is that is able to support you now and for evermore . that so great may be your unity in the pure spirit that in unfeigned love and holy fellowship , your hears mindes souls and spirits may be lincked joined and united together in one bond in the band of peace and in the covenant of life never to be seperated from the presence of the living god nor one from another so in patience possess ye your own hearts and dwell together in the meek seed of life where in the deeps you may feel the inocent life of your dear suffering brother . a word to the transgresser o all mighty , all powerful , god of power of heaven and earth who in the majesty of thy power and strength of thine almightiness , art risen by the strength of thine arm to plead with all that are back-sliding in israel and in this cause wherein thou hast been provoked by a backsliding people , whom thou by a mighty hand and outstretched arm hast brought out of the land of darkness and from the house of bondage , who have again provoked thee : even in the wilderness and also in the good land : and now although moses and samuel should stand before thee : and although thy righteous servants should petition to thee never so much yet thou wilt not hear as concerning this thing whereby thou hast been provoked , neither wilt thou be intreated by us , but certainly thou wilt arise and plead strongly with them all because they have so grieved thy good spirit in so often provoking and sinning against thee . yet o holy righteous father thy own blessed suffering seed is very tender and i know t is very pretious in thy sight , o our dear father , and is not its inocent tender babelike cry in the meekness of thine own spirit aloud unto thee o spare dear lord , o spare thy people for blessed abraham , thy servants sake , and for the sake of the seed of thy covenant with whom and to whom all thy promises are as yea and amen for evermore , oh remember , dear lord remember and keep not thine anger for ever . oh let it be but in thy fatherly pitty a tender gentle chastisement to draw them nearer to thee then ever , that so they may have great cause to bless and honour thy great name now and for evermore amen . and as i was thus in my measure very quiet and very still innocently in peace and in joy with my maker he shewed me concerning thee o israel that some within thy borders had caused and do yet cause thee to erre , the effects of which cause will and shall bring sad tediousnesse to them in thee o israel who have so highly offended the righteous pure unchangable god ; in minding poor changable man beyond what he is or ever was or ever shall be while he is here in this bodie , i tell thee o israel that which hath been seen concerning this matter hath so highly provoked god that he will not easily be reconciled to them in thee who have thus offended , nay nay but for this offence thou must be chastized and greatly afflicted and now in this day have ye not throne down one and set up another , and is there not now a very great cause given unto us to bear in remembrance at all times the words of our blessed lord and saviour jesus christ concerning that evill slothfull servant , but if that evill slothfull servant shall say in his heart my lord delaieth his comming and shall begin to smite his fellow servants and to eat and drink with the drunken , the lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him , and in an hour that he is not ware of : oh consider this all you that have stolen a side from the deep sence and from feeling of your first love wherein there was no evill neither any guile , that so with speed you may return and receive him as in the beginning that so love unfained may spring up in your hearts and life and vertue abound in you that ye may be grafted into the true vine to receive of its pure sap and vertue before you are wholly cut off as drie and fruitless withered branches , o remember this every on that hath forgoten god , and with speed return least he arise in his mighty power and cut you asunder and appoint you your portion with hypocrites there shall be weeping and wailing gnashing of teeth , and as the daies of noah was so shall the comming of the son of man be . friends it is sealed in my heart by the eternal spirit of the lord. these be the daies he spake of , and are not many now to the great griefe of the pure spirit , marrying and given in mariage not being moved of the lord , and is not the arke of god prepared and preparing , and is there safty any where else save only in the arke and should not all make hast thither , namely into the arke of god before the flood over take you which i can assure you all , is very near o let every one that readeth understand , and is not the righteous life of noah now preaching to all while the arke of god is preparing that are making merry , namely eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage , bulding planting and inhabiting as though the day of the lord should never over take you being out of the fear of the lord and dread and awe of his holy name , alass , alass , how many have been sporting themselves against the faithfull ministers and true messengers of god , who have often told you in tears and in deep lamentations such a day would assuredly overtake many and how faithfull have they been in laying it before you and charging it upon you to watch always , and pray continually , least you enter into temptation but oh how have you slighted them and have not many amongst you in your own immaginations judged one and condemned another whom god hath eternally sealed in the everlasting covenant of life and peace for ever more : and are you still indeed so blinde to thinke that the lords eye is not open beholding these things yes verily he taketh true and perfect notice of them all and his blessednesse is vexed there with and his good spirit is grieved and the holy seed is greatly oppressed even as a cart is pressed with sheaves , and now there is heard a deep and lamentable morunfull cry sounded in the eares of its tender father because of these things . oh my burthen , my burthen , my greife , my greife , my lamentation , my lamentation , my sorrow , my sorrow , my mourning , my mourning , yea my very soul dwells in heavinesse and i am even bowed down down down , my tears are many my sighes are very deep my groans are very heavy my travell is in the depths of sorrow , concerning thee , o thou beloved city part of whose walls are broken down yea and verily the enemie shall and will be suffered to pray upon thee because of the great iniquitie that is found amonst many in thee . oh gird on sackcloath and sit in ashes ye carlesse daughters that are therein , and morun and weep yea waile and lament that so the lord in mercy may yet return and for his own blessed name sake and the seed of his covenant have mercie upon you and show kindnesse to you before the day of your tender visitation be wholly past away . this is given fourth in the pure life of virginity and in love unfeigned that thinketh no evil wherein there is no guil , but is without fault before the throne of the lamb for ever more through a broken heart in tender loving issues streaming from the fountain of life through the deep travels of my wearried soul to the holy crying breathing seed in the living commandement of the almighty powerful god of all wisdome life and vertue that filleth heaven and earth . to be read in the fear of the lord amongst all the congregations and assemblies of the people of god called quakers . by a servant of the lord and a sufferer for the testimony of jesus thomas west . hartford the 17 day of the second month. 1664. memorables of the life of faith taken out of mr. b's sermon preached before the king at whitehall : published thus for the poor that want money and memory / by one desirous to promote the common salvation. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1690 approx. 18 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 1 1-bit group-iv tiff page image. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2006-06 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a26953 wing b1307 estc r14225 12390605 ocm 12390605 60984 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a26953) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 60984) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 268:11) memorables of the life of faith taken out of mr. b's sermon preached before the king at whitehall : published thus for the poor that want money and memory / by one desirous to promote the common salvation. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1 sheet (1 p.) printed for tho. parkhurst ..., london : 1690. attributed to richard baxter. cf. bm. three columns to the page. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng faith. salvation. broadsides -england -17th century. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-08 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2006-01 emma (leeson) huber sampled and proofread 2006-01 emma (leeson) huber text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-04 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion memorables of the life of faith , taken out of mr. b's sermon , preached before the king at whitehall . published thus for the poor that want money and memory . by one desirous to promote the common salvation . hebrews 11. 1. faith is the substance of things hoped for , the evidence of things not seen . q. 1. what means the apostle by these words ? a. he means , that tho' the glory promised to believers , and expected by them , be yet to come , and only hoped for ; and be yet unseen , and only believed : yet is the sound believer as truly affected with it , and acted by its attractive force , as if it were present and before his eyes . or thus ; that the nature and vse of faith is to be as it were instead of presence , possession , and sight . or , to make the things that will be , as if they were already in existence ; and the unseen things which god revealeth , as if our bodily eyes beheld them . it is true , 1. faith changes not its objects . 2. nor gives it the same degree of apprehension or affection , as the sight of present things doth give . no ; but , 1. things invisible are objects of our faith. 2. and faith is effectual instead of sight of them . it is so unto four uses ; namely , 1. the infallibility of our apprehensions . 2. the determination of our wills choice . 3. the moving of our affections in the degree necessary unto holiness . 4. the ruling in our lives , and bringing us thro' duty and sufferings for the sake of the happiness believed . q. 2. do you count faith an infallible sort of knowledge then ? why so ? a. why , 1. so speaks the scripture , joh. 6. 69. and we believe and are sure that thou art that christ , the son of the living god ; rom. 8. 28. and we know that all things work together for good , to them that love god , to them who are the called according to his purpose ; 1 cor. 15. 58. therefore my beloved brethren , be ye stedfast , unmoveable , always abounding in the work of the lord , forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the lord 2. believers know , as sure as they know there is a god , that god is true , and his word true ; heb. 6. 18. that by two immutable things , in which it was impossible for god to lie , we might have a strong consolation , who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us ; titus 1. 2. in hope of eternal life , which god that cannot lie , promised before the world began . 3. they know that the holy scripture is the word of god , by his image which it beareth , the evidencs of divinity which it containeth , and the many miracles by which it is confirmed . god , besides this , gives them to believe , phil. 1. 29. for unto you it is given in the behalf of christ , not only to believe on him , but also to suffer for his sake ; eph. 2. 8. for by grace are ye saved , through faith , and that not of your selves : it is the gift of god. 4. and believers have the spirit of christ within them to actuate faith , and help them against temptations ; 1. cor. 2. 12. now we have received , not the spirit of the world , but the spirit which is of god , that we might know the things that are freely given to us of god. 5. spiritual experiences also advantage faith. they have part of the holy scripture verified in themselves , and that much confirms their faith of the whole . 6. likewise very nature affords us undeniable arguments to prove a future happiness and misery . and that doth exceedingly help us in the faith of the supernatural revelation of it . 7. and those that have seen the objects of our faith , have given us their infallible testimony ; joh. 1. 18. no man hath seen god at any time , the only begotten son , which is in the bosom of the father , he hath declared him ; joh. 3. 11. verily , verily i say unto thee , we speak that we do know , and testifie that we have seen ; and ye receive not our witness ; 1 joh. 1. 1 , 2 , 3. that which was from the beginning , which we have heard , which we have seen with our eyes , which we have looked upon , and our hands have handled of the word of life : ( for the life was manifested , and we have seen it , and bear witness , and shew unto you that eternal life which was with the father , and was manifested unto us . ) that which we have seen and heard , declare we unto you , that ye also may have fellowship with us ; and truly our fellowship is with the father , and with his son jesus christ . add 8. satan's rage against the life of faith discovers there is more than a fancy in it . q. 3. but why would not god let us have the sight of heaven and hell ; being that would have prevailed for our conversion more generally and more certainly ? a. 1. who are you that dare dispute against god ? shall the thing formed say to him that formed it , why hast thou made me thus ? 2. it is fit god's government suit the nature of its subject . your nature is a reasonable one . and reason is made to apprehend more than we see : and by reaching beyond sense , to carry us to seek nobler things than sense can reach . should a man understand no more than he sees ? a wise man and a fool , and a man and beast would then be very like . in worldly matters , men can go to much cost and pains for things they never saw ; why not in spiritual matters ? you shall believe god's promises , if you have ever the benefit of them ; and believe his threatnings , if ever you escape the evils threatned . if the reward and punishment were seen , what should difference wise men and fools good men and bad ? no man plays the adulterer in the face of the assembly . no thief will steal before the judge . q. 4. who is it ( then ) that with you goes for a believer , or a christian ? a. 1. he is one that lives as if he saw the lord ; that in some measure so lives . he does all , as if he saw god stand by . all the day he waits on god , psal . 25. 5. lead me in thy truth , and teach me : for thou art the god of my salvation , on thee do i wait all the day . 2. he is one that liveth on a christ whom he never saw . lives on him with trust in him , adherence to him , love of him , joy in him , 1 pet. 1. 8. whom having not seen , ye love , in whom though now ye see him not , yet believing , ye rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory . 3. he is one that judges of men by their invisible insides . pitying the ungodly who pity not themselves , because they see not what he sees . and admiring the inward beauty of the saints , thro' all their poverty seeing god's image . valuing none for stature , complexion , cloaths , or learning , &c. psal . 15. 4. in whose eyes a vile person is contemned : but he honoureth them that fear the lord : he that sweareth to his own hurt , and changeth not . 4. he is one that seeks a happiness that he never saw ; and that with a greater estimation and resolution than he seeks any things that he hath seen . 5. he is one , that , all his life , prepareth for a day that is yet to come ; and for the presence of his judge . one , that is asking , o what life and actions will be sweetest upon review when i come to my doom ! not so much caring , what will now best please the flesh , and ingratiate with men . 6. he is one careful to prevent a threatned misery that he never felt ; and a place of torment that he never saw . — other faiths are ineffectual dreams . and ( remember ) to dream you are princes , may consist with beggery . 1. o how rare a jewel is true faith ? 2. and how weak in faith are the most of true believers ? [ even as dying men are weak in body . ] 3. how plain is the reason , that believers are seriously holy , just , and charitable ? they are men that do see the lord , see heaven , see hell. their faith sees them all in the glass of divine revelations . 4. how plain is the reason , that vnbelievers are careless of their hearts and ways ; and mock at believers care , and take them for fools and mad men ? poor wretches , they do not see the things that believers see . if they saw the king of glory , as believers do see him , they must reverence him as believers do reverence him . q. 5. does it not concern every man , then , to make sure of this faith ? this , that is given to make things to come as if they were at hand , and things unseen as if we saw them . a. it doth infinitely concern every man. for , 1. it is not so common a thing , as most do imagine it . 2. till you have it , you are no living members of christ . 3. till you have it , you are at enmity with god. 4. till you have it , you are under the guilt of all your sins . no one of them is forgiven . 5. till you have it , you will be carnally minded : and thro' the carnal end you will have in them , your works that be good materially , will be corrupt and fleshly . 6. till you have it , you have no right to heaven ; joh. 3. 16 , 18 , 36. for god so loved the world , that he gave his only begotten son , that whosoever believeth in him , should not perish , but have everlasting life . he that believeth on him is not condemned ; but he that believeth not , is condemned already , because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten son of god. he that believeth on the son , hath everlasting life : and he that believeth not the son , shall not see life : but the wrath of god abideth on him . q. 6. well , how shall i know whether i have this true faith and saving , tho' in the least and lowest degree of it ? a. all that have it , tho' in the lowest degree , will have these four signs of it within them . 1. a practical estimation of things unseen , above all earthly things . 2. an habitual inclination of heart to embrace unseen things freely , delightfully , and resolutely ; above and against earthly things . 3. a bent of life for god , and for unseen blessedness , as in resolution , so in practice . 4. a disposition to let go all sensible possessions , when they be inconsistent with spiritual hopes and happiness ; luk. 14. 33. so likewise , whosoever he be of you , that forsaketh not all that he hath , he cannot be my disciple . these you will have , if faith be the eye you do see by for the conduct of your life . q. 7. if faith be the eye by which i do see , whereby should i quicken my self to live by it ? or if it be not , wherewithal should i stir up my self to seek faith and the life of faith ? a. put to thy heart these questions , frequently and seriously . q. 1. what should i be , if i saw the lord continually before me ? and that as verily as i ever see a man ? if i saw him as moses saw him , exod. 34. or as john saw him , rev. 1. 13. and in the midst of the seven candlesticks , one like unto the son of man , clothed with a garment down to the foot , and girt about the paps with a golden girdle . or as st. paul saw him , acts 9. q. 2. what should i be if i had seen the things that god hath done already in time past ? if i had seen the world drowned and the ark saved ; sodom and gomorrah burned , and the righteous lot saved ; pharaoh and his host swallowed up of the red sea , and the israelites saved ? and the like memorables of the h. scripture . q. 3. what should i be , if i saw the glory of heaven above ? if i were rapt up but into the third heaven , and had seen what st. paul saw . if i had seen what st. stephen saw before his death . if i had seen lazarus in abraham 's bosom ? q. 4. what should i be , if i saw the face of death , and were under the power of a mortal sickness , and were given over by all physicians and friends ? or had a messenger from god to tell me , i must die to morrow ? q. 5. what should i be if i saw the great and dreadful day of judgment as christ doth describe it ? mat. 25. if i saw that fulfilled which st. paul speaks , 2 thes . 1. 7 , 8 , 9 and to you who are troubled rest with us , when the lord jesus shall be revealed from heaven , with his mighty angels , in flaming fire , taking vengeance on them that know not god , and that obey not the gospel of our lord jesus christ . who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the lord , and from the glory of his power . q. 6. what should i be if i heard satan accusing me for all my sins unto god , and calling for justice against me ? q. 7. what should i be , if i had seen and did now see the damned in their miseries ? if i heard them cry out of the folly and self-destruction of their careless lives ; and wishing one were sent from the dead unto me to warn me that i come not unto their place of torment ? q. 8. what should i be , if in my temptations unto sin , i saw the devil the tempter , and heard him hissing me on to sin , to swear , curse , rail , lie , scorn a holy life ? o should i then ever chuse to be ungodly , or be patient of so being ? nay , q. 1. should i not say in my heart , that the most gainful sin is worse than madness ? q. 2. should i not plead for the most serious godliness ? q. 3. should i ever be offended with a minister again , for plainest reproof , and closest exhortation ? or for too much and plain preaching ? q. 4. should i not hear at another rate than ever yet i heard a sermon ? q. 5. should i not give over my greedy pursuit of worldly wealth and credit ? q. 6. should i ever be drawn away by temptations again as i have been ? q. 7. should i ever stick at sufferings when god calls for them from me ? q. 8. should i not highly value christ , his spirit , his grace , his promises , his word , his ordinances ? q. 9. should i ever be quiet under uncertainty of my reconciliation unto god ? q. 10. should i not then be all for peace , quietness and love , with all that love the lord jesus christ , and are seeking invisible things ? 1. o live not too much on things visible ! 2. live upon the things invisible . 3. promote the life of faith in others . remember , 1. worldliness is a loathsom disease . to live by sense , is to stand on ones head , and to turn ones heels toward heaven . 't is unnatural . 2. vnseen things be the only great and necessary ones . 3. faith is the souls wisdom , sensuality is very blindness . 4. visible things are transitory . they be things that are not . 5. things visible , by their changing , give us a disgraceful mutability . fill us with disappointments and vexations . 6. fore-seeing faith is of necessity unto your eternal blessed life . 7. vnseen things kept duly in your thoughts will serve you excellently unto these things . 1. they will repel your temptations . 2. quicken you to your duties . 3. instruct you to choose your companies . 4. furnish you with daily comforts and satisfaction . things sublunary be something or nothing as they relate unto eternity . we judge of means , as they conduce unto their ends. i desire to know no mercy in any other form or name ; and to value none upon any other account . idem alicubi . i have lived a sweet life by gods promises , and i hope , through grace , can die by a promise . they be gods promises can stand by us . through them life is mine , death is mine . god's covenant is all my salvation and all my desire . jos . alleyn 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . o that i could by the effectualness of contemplation behold the greatness of the heavenly felicity which is provided for me ! yet , as i can conceive it , i cannot chuse but long to be absent from hence , that i may be present with the lord ▪ j. ratliff . these four books are lately published by mr. baxter . 1. english nonconformity , truly stated and argued . 2. a treatise of knowledge and love. 3. cain and abel ; or enmity to serious godliness lamented . 4. scripture gospel defended , and christ , grace and free justification vindicated . london , printed for tho. parkhurst at the bible and three crowns in cheapside near mercers chapel ▪ 1690. a manifestation of the love of god unto all such as are convinced of truth and do not obey it. smith, william, d. 1673. 1663 approx. 18 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 5 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2005-12 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a60641 wing s4315 estc r32689 12746228 ocm 12746228 93252 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a60641) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 93252) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 1536:43) a manifestation of the love of god unto all such as are convinced of truth and do not obey it. smith, william, d. 1673. 8 p. s.n., [london : 1673] caption title. signed at end: william smith. place and date of publication suggested by wing. reproduction of original in the harvard university library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng society of friends -england -pastoral letters and charges. inner light. salvation. 2005-04 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-05 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2005-09 emma (leeson) huber sampled and proofread 2005-09 emma (leeson) huber text and markup reviewed and edited 2005-10 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion a manifestation of the love of god unto all such as are convinced of truth , and do not obey it . the breaking forth and dawning of the day is very pleasant unto such as have long walked and been wearied in a night of darkness , for by the appearance of the day there is a discovery of the crooked paths in which there hath been a sore travel whilst darkness over-spread ; and in some measure there have many seen this day to dawn , and it hath been pleasant to them in its appearance , as making those things manifest , which in the darkness they could not see , and by the manifestation many have been convinced of the evil deed of darkness , and also of the truth ; and so , the day-spring from on high hath visited , to give light to many that sat in darkness , by which they see what is good and what is evil : but all have not obeyed , and therefore many are yet covered with darkness , notwithstanding they are convinced , and the seed is yet in bondage though the light hath shined ; for many may be convinced of evil and not forsake it , and they also may be convinced of what is good and not come to live in it ; and this is for want of obedience to the light which visiteth and convinceth , and that is the ground why darkness standeth and the seed is burdened , for none can come out of darkness but in the light which reproves it ; and though people may be convinced of all the deeds of darkness , and the evil of them , yet if they do not obey the light which convinceth , and deny those deeds which the light reproveth , there is a continuance in them , notwithstanding there be a convincement in the conscience to the contrary : and this is a disobedient state , by which the light is denyed and not the darkness , and unto this state there are many stripes belong ; for they that know their masters will and do it not , they must be beaten with many stripes : therefore you that be convinced with the light , and are not yet come into obedience , so as to deny that which you are convinced is evil , and to live in that which you are convinced is good , be mindful to answer the requirings of god , and keep close to the light which convinceth you of that which is evil , and so love the light and obey it , as to confess it and bear testimony to it ; and whatsoever would let or hinder you for obeying , deny it , and take up the cross unto it ; for many stumble at the cross , by which they are hindred from obeying the truth , and that which stumbles at the cross , will deny christ when he should be confessed ; and they which deny him before men , he will deny them before his father which is in heaven : ( so mark ) there is none that are to expect that christ will confess them before his father in heaven , but as they confess him before men upon earth , and so come to be his witnesses upon earth , in a true and faithful testimony , by denying the darkness , and confessing him the light ; and this is the cross which must be taken up before there be a true disciple ; for they that deny not themselves , and take up the cross and follow christ , they are not his disciples ; so a disciple is known by self-denyal , and submitting to the daily cross , that is a mark of a disciple , for by that they are known to follow christ in his light , as children of obedience : now many may be convinced and yet not come to be disciples , because they do not obey the light unto self-denyal , nor submit unto the daily cross , and so keep that life and nature living which is to be crucified ; and such never come , in that state , to be gods witnesses upon earth , though they be convinced of what is truth ; therefore all are to examine what it is that hinders you from obeying the truth , for if you do not search it out with the light , and so deny it , and take up the cross unto it , you will find it to be a hinderance to you all your dayes , and so you will never come to confess christ before men , but , on the contrary , deny him ; and then what will he do for you before his father in heaven , but as you have done unto him before men upon earth ? now as you mind the light which convinces you , it will let you see every particular thing that hinders you from obeying ; for the light will search unto it , and find it out , and make you sensible of it , and then you will see that you are in love with something more than christ , and that you do not answer the light as children of obedience , and so every particular thing which hinders you from obeying , will be manifest in the light , as you mind it ; and there you will know whether you love father or mother , wife or children , houses or lands , worldly honour or esteem , more then you love christ , and how they have hindred you from obeying the truth , and how scorn , and reproach , and persecution , which such suffer as live in the truth , how those things have hindred you from obeying it ; and so you will come to see in your selves what is the hinderance , as you mind the light with which christ enlightens you , and by which he convinceth you . for , have you not purposed sometimes to draw nigh , and have not those things hindered you ? and when ye have purposed to go forward , have they not drawn you back again ? and doth not the seed of god travel in pain , as being oppressed with that nature which you should deny and crucifie ? and is not that hagar and her son , which is to be cast out ? for hagars son must not inherit with isaac who is the heir of promise : therefore all wait in the light with which christ jesus doth enlighten you , and be faithful to every manifestation of the light in you ; that as you are perswaded that christ doth enlighten you , so you may be perswaded to obey the light which doth convince you , and so through obedience came to witness redemption and salvation by his power : for as you yield your selves servants to obey him , he will turn you , and convert you , and work deliverance for you , and there you will know him in his power , who is able by his power to subdue all things to himself ; and as you come to be converted by his power , you will feel his virtue and goodness in a sweet savour , for he loveth the children of obedience , who are willing to turn unto him ; and in your obedience unto him , his life will rise in you , and there you will know the streams with which he refresheth chosen ; and if you yet love him and follow him , you will come to know the river which maketh glad his heritage ; for until you be converted and turned unto god through obedience to the light , you neither taste nor feel the virtue of his life , but sit in the land of famine and sore drought , and there you are as dry and unfruitful branches , that cannot bear fruit for want of nourishment ; for until you obey the light , and come out of darkness , you are rooted in a bad ground , and bring forth unsavoury fruit , and whilest that standeth , the good seed is hindred from sprouting forth in its own nature , and there can be no fruit to gods glory , but what the seed brings forth in its own nature ; for in the seed is the testimony by which god is glorified , and all born of the seed are gods witnesses upon earth , and they are not ashamed to confess the truth before men ; for where any are convinced of truth , and are ashamed to confess it , there is not faithfulness unto that which convinceth , and so the power is not felt that beareth testimony with boldness : and this maketh many to conform unto that which they are convinced is not the truth ; and to deny that which they are convinced is the truth ; so that where they should confess , they deny ; and where they should deny , they confess ; and here the testimony falleth , and the hands of evil doers are strengthened , and the disobedient bring trouble upon their own consciences , for there is no true peace with god in a disobedient state . but some may say , we see many that have long professed the truth , that do not so fully answer all things in a clear testimony ; and we also see others , that seemingly did bear a large testimony , and yet are turned again into the course of the world : and seeing some fail , and others fall , we are ready to question , whether it be really truth in the ground , because truth is able to preserve either from failing or falling ? if thou give way , and joyn unto such reasonings and questionings , thou mayest soon be hindred from obeying the truth ; yea if thou wast going forward , such things would draw thee back again , and some have suffered loss in that very place ; for it is the work of the enemy to draw the eye abroad to keep his own kingdom standing at home , and to effect his design , he sets his own work in others to be viewed ; for if thou that makest such an objection , dost but mind the light and truth in thy own conscience , and keep thy eye into that , thou wilt see and discern that such failings and fallings come to pass by yeelding to temptations , by which the mind is enticed and drawn from the truth , and so thou wilt see the truth stand clear in it self notwithstanding such things may happen unto some that have long professed it : for by such questionings the enemy labours to hinder thee from obeying the truth in thy self , because some that have professed it fail in performance , and others fall back and abide not ; now if thou mind the truth in thy self , thou wilt see that such things are not of or from the truth , but of the enemy ; and thou wilt also see that it is the enemy in thee which draws out thy mind to look abroad , and thereby to hinder thee from minding and obeying truth in thy self ; and if he can work his work , he then saves his own kingdom , and holds thee captive under his power ; but if thou mind the light in thine own conscience , thou wilt see what truth is in it self , and if thou love it ; to obey and follow it , thou wilt witness a going forward in it , and that will take away all occasion of stumbling from before thee , and the testimony of truth will spring and live in thee , and as thou livest in that , it will preserve and keep thee ; and then the failings and fallings of such as do not live and abide in the truth , will not come nigh thee , and so thou wilt witness a growth in the truth , though some may fail and others may fall ; and that will cause thee to be more in love with truth , because it preserves thee ; for the danger lyeth in looking forth , by which the enemy hath an advantage to deceive , and so the eye is more abroad , and taking notice of what others do amiss , than it is at home to behold truth in its own naked simplicity , innocency and purity ; and then the enemy begetteth hard thoughts of truth , because some fail and others fall , and that must needs hinder from obedience to the truth , where it is so . therefore seeing the enemy hath such cunning devices to deceive thee , thou shouldest watch to the light with which christ jesus doth enlighten thee , and wait in the light for power to resist thy enemy , and so when he would break in upon thee , the light will lift up it self a standard against him , and then thou wilt know where the cross standeth , and what is to be crossed when it moveth ; and as thou abidest in the cross to every motion that would draw out thy mind from the truth , so thou wilt come to receive truth in its own power , life and virtue , and in the truth thou wilt receive strength to go forward through all oppositions that would hinder thee , or drive thee back , and the light and power will take away stumbling-blocks from before thee , if thou be willing to go forward in obedience , and that will make the yoke easie to thee , and the way plain before thee ; and then thou wilt come to feel what truth is in it self , and what it is unto thee , and that will put the questioner down , because thou art come to understand that to be true which he questioneth . oh therefore love the truth , as nothing may hinder thee any longer from obeying it ; for if thou so love it , thou wilt be drawn by it to live in it , and bear . testimony to it , and that will free thee from those burdens which thou bearest in the disobedience ; for whilest the corrupt and disobedient nature liveth above the seed , there is a burdened conscience , and a wounded conscience , and a troubled conscience ; but as the light is obeyed , it worketh by its own power , and purgeth out corruptions , by which the oppressed cometh to be eased : and so thou wilt come to receive faith in the power , and thereby get victory over the world , and over the flesh , and over the devil , which is thy enemy ; and then thou wilt come to witness a growth in grace and godliness , and the seed will bring forth the fruit of its own nature in thee , and thy testimony will be found to gods glory , and that will multiply peace and blessing upon thee ; therefore let not the world entangle thee , nor scorn or reproach discourage thee , nor persecution affright thee , but yeeld thy self to obey the light with which christ jesus doth enlighten thee , for it will be better for thee to suffer affliction with the people of god , than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season ; but if thou run with the multitude to do evil , thou wilt fall into the same destruction , and then thy sorrow will be heavy upon thee , and thy perplexity a perpetual misery . oh that thou wouldest consider the things which belong to thy peace , before calamity come upon thee , and do not stand at such a distance from the light which convinceth thee ; for now there is a door open , and thou knowest not how soon it may shut upon thee ; and now is the day of salvation , and thou art not sure how long it may be continued to thee : therefore believe in the light whilst thou hast the light , that thou mayest be a child of light ; for until thou come to be a child of light , and to walk in the light , thou art not in the saints fellowship and inheritance , though with the light thou be convinced ; so wait to learn of the light as thy teacher , and follow the light as thy leader , that thou mayest not only stand in the knowledge of what thou shouldest deny , but deny it ; nor only stand in the knowledge of what thou shouldest live in , but live in it : and so ungodliness and worldly lusts will die , and righteousness and godliness will spring up and live , and in that nature thou wilt bear a right image after him that hath created thee ; and as thou learnest thou wilt understand more perfectly ; for by learning , thy understanding will be opened and informed , and that will make thee of a good understanding in heavenly things ; therefore be mindful to learn of christ jesus as thy teacher , and follow him as thy leader and way unto god , for none can come to the father but by him , nor none can inherit life but who are born of him ; and as thou waitest to learn , thy understanding will be enlarged , and then live in that which gives thee understanding , and so thy ignorance will vanish away , and sound wisdom will take place , and thou wilt there see christ jesus in the beauty of his holiness , and receive consolation in the virtue of his life , and so thou wilt be able to bear testimony to him from a good understanding of him ; and if thou here stand faithful , he will be with thee in all trials which come upon thee because of thy testimony , and thou wilt know a hiding-place in stormes , and a sure refuge in distress ; for as thou receivest christ jesus in his light , and in his light abidest , thou art with him of whom it is said , that he liveth , and there thou hast darkness under thy feet as a foot-stool and treadest upon the high places of the earth , by which thou comest to be unloosed from all entanglements , and to be freed from all burdens , and to rejoyce in the glorious liberty ; and so thou comest to sit down in a quiet habitation , and in a sure dwelling , and to feel the presence of the lord god , and peace and satisfaction in it . and as some may be hindred from obeying the truth , in not minding to follow it , so some may be hindred from obeying the truth in running forwardly before it ; and so one may lie questioning and lingring , and the other may run hastily in presuming ; and this is a disobedient state as is the first ; for if there be not a standing in the fear , there may be an intruding into those things which have not been seen , and thereby the fleshly mind may vainly be puffed up ; and where this commeth to pass , there is not a holding of the head , from which all the body , by joynts and bands having nourishment ministred and knit together , increaseth with the increase of god. and so a hasty and forward willer and runner is in the same state of disobedience as is the backward lingerer ; for the light is not minded as a leader by either ; and in this disobedient state of intruding and presuming , the seed of god is held in great bondage with corruption . so all are to mind the light by which they may see their present states and conditions , and what the light maketh manifest to be a hinderance from obeying the truth , to deny it and take up the cross unto it , and then the light will draw such forward , as are questioning and lingering , and pull such back again as are intruding and presuming ; and so the way of peace and life will be witnessed by all such as are obedient , and the lord god will manifest himself unto them , and shew them his salvation , and they will find a sure resting place in him that lives for ever ; and here every one will know not only a good beginning , but also a good ending , and then they will finish their course in joy , and not in grief and sorrow ; and so all walking in true obedience to the light , there is no occasion of stumbling , nor no occasion of failing or falling , either by lingring or presuming ; but as the light convinceth , so it will lead , redeem and save ; and that is the gathering power , and preserving power of the lord , and in that is the unity and fellowship of the saints ; and the mind which humbleth it self unto it , and liveth in it , is directed and ordered by it to the praise and glory of almighty god. william smith . the end the condemned mans reprieve, or gods love-tokens, flowing in upon the heart of william blake, a pentient sinner, giving him assurance of the pardon of his sins, and the enjoyment of eternall happinesse, through the merits of christ his saviour. recommended by him (being a condemned prisoner for man-slaughter within the statute) unto his sister, and bequeathed unto her as a legacy. blake, william, prisoner in "exon jayle" this text is an enriched version of the tcp digital transcription a76826 of text r207110 in the english short title catalog (thomason e705_18). textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. the text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with morphadorner. the annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. this text has not been fully proofread approx. 26 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 9 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. earlyprint project evanston,il, notre dame, in, st. louis, mo 2017 a76826 wing b3154 thomason e705_18 estc r207110 99866181 99866181 118445 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a76826) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 118445) images scanned from microfilm: (thomason tracts ; 109:e705[18]) the condemned mans reprieve, or gods love-tokens, flowing in upon the heart of william blake, a pentient sinner, giving him assurance of the pardon of his sins, and the enjoyment of eternall happinesse, through the merits of christ his saviour. recommended by him (being a condemned prisoner for man-slaughter within the statute) unto his sister, and bequeathed unto her as a legacy. blake, william, prisoner in "exon jayle" 16 p. printed by richard bishop, london : anno dom. 1653. annotations on thomason copy: "once my family servant" inserted with a caret between 'blake,' and 'a pentient'; "j [sic] july. 14" . reproduction of the original in the british library. eng blake, william, -prisoner in "exon jayle" -early works to 1800. salvation -early works to 1800. a76826 r207110 (thomason e705_18). civilwar no the condemned mans reprieve, or gods love-tokens, flowing in upon the heart of william blake,: a pentient sinner, giving him assurance of t blake, william, prisoner in "exon jayle." 1653 5280 5 0 0 0 0 0 9 b the rate of 9 defects per 10,000 words puts this text in the b category of texts with fewer than 10 defects per 10,000 words. 2007-06 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2007-06 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2008-03 elspeth healey sampled and proofread 2008-03 elspeth healey text and markup reviewed and edited 2008-09 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the condemned mans reprieve , or gods love-tokens , flowing in upon the heart of william blake , a penitent sinner , giving him assurance of the pardon of his sins , and the enjoyment of eternall happinesse , through the merits of christ his saviour . recommended by him ( being a condemned prisoner for man-slaughter within the statute ) unto his sister , and bequeathed unto her as a legacy . galathians 6. 14. 17. god forbid that i should glory save in the crosse of our lord iesus christ , by whom the world is crucified unto me , and i unto the world . london , printed by richard bishop , anno dom. 1653. the condemned mans reprieve . gods tokens of love , sealed and lockt up in the heart of a saint , by the spirit of god , with the key of love : the riches of gods grace flowing in upon the soul of a saint , expressed with joy and thankfulnesse to his abillity , finding himselfe unable to speak what sweet tast , what infinite consolation , he finds in christ iesus . vvhat tempests ! what fiery darts of sathan have been thrown at me ! what wounding of conscience ! what flames of hell fire flashing in my face upon remembrance of my sinnes , which i have acknowledged to my god , in prayers and tears ! how long did i pray and desire others to pray for me , before i could finde comfort ! how long did the devill lead me away captive in sins which i knew not to be sin , when i thought i had comfort , and it was no true comfort ! till thou o my most lust and loving god didst by the convincing power of thy spirit , discover to thy poor creature his own emptinesse , and vilde condicion by nature , i had both selfe love and spirituall pride within me ; how willingly would the divell have posted mee to hell with those sinnes , hadst not thou , o my god , humbled me , and made me see my self in the looking glasse of thy word , with thy spirit , i was meere vanity , as the dust that fleeth away ! i confesse to thee ( my most just god ) my repentance was not true , my sorrow and tears thou regardest not , because i was selfe , till thou threwest me down in my selfe , and madest me humble ; i perceive thou delightedst not in mee , nor had i such delight as now , ( i blesse thy name ) i do find ; and doe here set down in writing to the praise of thy name , to the exalting the eternal infinite mercies of thee my eternal loving god in jesus christ ; living in me to the sole praise of thy name : how long was i under the spirit of bondage ! how long did i fear the grand enemy of mankind the devil ! but lord thou hadst compassion upon me when i was afar off , and how sweetly at last in the midst of tears , and groans , didest thou come and refresh my fainting soule with a still , low , but sweet voyce , sonne be of good choar , thy sins are forgiven thee : how often lord hast thou turned my tears of sorrow into tears of joy ! what comfort hast thou given mee in my prayers , when i found by faith in thee , comfort from thee ! how hast thou strangly , and powerfully , with faith in the lord jesus taught me to pray unto thee , with thine own spirit ! how hath my soul often melted into tears from the apprehensions of thy love , and many manifest tokens of thy love ! thou hast put my tears into thy bottle , my heart makes an ekko , as thou emptiest it , so thou fillest it again , and every heart-tear sounds a heart-filling joy , blessed are they that mourn , for they shall be comforted : oh what a calm doe i feele in my soul in my meditacion of thee ! and yet lord , when i look back upon the world , and my own natural thoughts and consultacions with flesh and blood , what rough & tempestious waves , do arise in my mind ! but lord i trust in thee , and did i not constantly servently call aloud to thee in my prayers , ( lord help me or i perish ) it were impossible i should be saved : and how could i find such joy in tribulacion , didest not thou keep up my heart by true saving faith in thee my god , in and through jesus christ the true consolacion of my poor soul , in this weak creature ? o my god , i cannot expresse thy love to my poor soul , it is infinite ! i am but finite , i can but wonder , and not enough , thou breathest into me full streams of thy love : how doth my soul earnestly desire to empty it selfe in thee ! the more i expresse to thee , the more thou fillest me , how lovingly dost thou refresh my soul with thy blessed spirit ! and how blessedly my soul yeeldeth to the love of thee my love , by thy love in me : my love , my joy what melody do i hear ! what sweet low musick , doth thy spirit sound in my heart ! o that thou wouldest make it an instrument , that it live yet till it breath forth its sound , and praises to thy name : name me for one of thy faithful servants to whom thou intendest to say , well done my good and faithfull servant : lord not my will , but thy will be done by me thy poor , and unworthy servant , on earth , as it is in heaven , lord i am thine , do with me what thou wilt , lord let mee heare thy voyce , let me know it , that i may run willingly if thou call , presently let me be ready with my wedding garment , to meet thee sweet jesus , if thou bid me stay , give me patience , let thy will be done by me , in me , with me , doe what thou wilt lord i am thine , command willingnesse in me to obey thee in all thy commands , command what thou wilt my faith is such in thee , thou wilt enable me ; thou wilt not forsake them that trust in thee , lord my trust is wholly in thee , lord thou knowest i am feeble , and weak , but thou art strong and powerful , oh my god uphold me with thine almighty power , that i fall not from thee : i am vilde and impure , mutable , but oh my god thou art holy , and just , pure , unchangable immutably good , my cheifest good ; my god i am uncertain , but thou art certainly my most mercyful god : my wayes are not like thy wayes : o that thou wouldest direct my feet according to the revealed will of thee my god , but ( o my god ) i have not kept thy statutes , i have walked out of the way in the wildernesse of sin , but ( sweet jesus ) thou sweetly tellest me thou art the way , the truth , and the life , i will therefore lay hold on thee , thou hast promised me thy love ; i am thine , stay me , i am sick : thou art my life , comfort me , or i shall die , warme my soul that it cool not , cherish me my love , my heart will elce fayl me , o god make me constant , faithfull , as thou art faithfull , give me more golden apples of thy love ; give , that i may give thee the praise of thy love , give me yet more of the riches of thy grace , that i may be liberall to others , as thou art liberall to mee , expresse more of thy love to me , that i may extoll thee in my expressions to others , who are thy saints and servants , who are part of my life , thou hast made us one in thee and thou art one in us , thou art the vine , we but branches , o make us fruitfull , water our hearts , bathe our souls in the ocean of thy love , open the fountain of thy love , that we may swim pleasantly in the streams of thy love , till we come to thee the water of life , the head spring of all our joy , with thee for evermore . o my god , what joy doe i already see by the eye of my faith ! i know not where i am ; i see but dim light , but my comfort is , i shall come to more glorious light , i shall one day see thee perfectly , enjoy thee more fully ; i feel the reflexes and the glittering sun-beames of thy love sweetly warming my soul ; my eyes are watery with looking up to thee , the very apprehension of thy beauty , the sun-beames of thy love force teares from my eyes , thou art the cause i weep , and joy of my weeping , thou makest mee weep with thy love , i am sick with thy love , and thou healest me with it , thou emptiest and fillest me , thou throwest me down , and liftest me up , how doth thy love play with my soul ! and how doth my soul play and delight it selfe with thy love ! my love , my joy , hide not thy selfe from me , but hide me in thee , let mee finde thee alwayes in mee , that i may alwayes finde my selfe in thee ; let me heare thy voyce pronouncing me faire , then shall i enjoy all thy hidden treasures , all thy vast possessions , all thy sparkling beauty , glorious holinesse , divine wisdom ! make sure to me thy promises , thy all-in-all in me , that i may be all in thee , who am thine : what need i fear , that have thee for my defence , that hast made mee more then a conqueror through thee , therefore i shall want nothing ; who shall lay any thing to my charge , being thou hast freed me from my sins ? what should daunt me , or discourage me , that doe enjoy thy love ? thou possessest my soul , and defendest me from my enemies with thy power : what shall separate mee from thee , who art my god , and i am thy creature ? the law cannot pronounce me cursed , for my saviour hath kept it for me , and so pronounceth me blessed ; i am no more my own , i am christ's , and he is mine , he died for mee , he hath mortified sin in mee , he hath subdued my sins in me , i finde no more pronenesse to sinne , my desires are made conformable to thine , i desire no longer to live in my selfe , but in thee my christ ; i regard not iniquity in my heart , the love of my christ makes mee loath my selfe and my base corruptions , i have a base esteem of my selfe , i have a perfect hatred of sin , that i see lives in me , i live not in it ; the death of my beloved that once died for mee , hath mortified my sinnes , they have no rule over me , my love , my christ is my ruler by his spirit , i can accept of no other guide ; though sinne be in me , yet i am out of my sinnes in my christ . o world , o flesh , o divell , let mee alone , you have nothing to doe with me , let me serve the lord my god , for i am his , i was yours too long , get you gone , i command you in the name of my beloved christ ; though it be true that i did often transgresse the law , yet my saviour he hath pleaded for mee , he hath procured a pardon for all my sinnes , and sealed it , he hath set his hand to it , and hath put it safe lockt up with the key of his love , in my heart by his spirit , all the divels in hell can never get it from me ; i fear not , you can but kill my bodie , you can doe no more ; the lord will raise me up again at his comming , and then my corruptible bodie will be made incorruptible , and this bodie which is mortall shall be made immortall , and glorious ; then will this his spirit which bids me write , here come againe and own me , by the vertue of my beloved shall i be raised up again to meet the lord my god , with joy and rejoyceing , to the praise and glory of his great and holy name ; this is true , for christ himselfe ( in whom only i trust for salvacion ) hath told me so , whatever you plead against me it is to no purpose , for i have a righteous advocate at gods right hand ; nay further , i have gods discharge within mine own heart , which is my acquittance , you have nothing to require ( o law ) but death the wages of sinne , that pray take whensoever it pleaseth god you shall have it , as for my soul my god by his free grace hath clasped it in his armes of mercy , i am his darling his jewell , j see plainly that he delighteth in mee , hee lives in me by his spirit , and i in him by my faith : although i have ( i confesse ) broken the law , yet jesus christ kept it , and he hath satisfied the justice of god it makes as much to my discharge , as if i had kept it my selfe ; as my saviour was beloved of god the father , so am i through faith in him : you 'l say i transgresse the law daily in thought , word , or deed , i say no , it is not i but sin that dwelleth in me : i have a bad neighbour , but christ will give mee patience and courage to war against my enemie , it shall have no power , it may take the best saint cowardly and unawares , but i blesse god i have strength from christ by his spirit that beats him out of doores , he lodgeth not in my heart , i have no room but for my love , my christ , i am wholly his , and hee is mine ; for should i regard iniquitie in my heart , the lord would not heare my praiers , i see by the eye of my faith that i am freed from sin , though not free from sinning , i will rejoyce though sin dwell in my flesh , o my beloved christ , i see there is more good in thee for me , then there is evill in sin against me : o my eternall god , thou art more pleased with mee thy poore creature for my christ thy son's sake , then ever thou were displeased with me for my sins sake , o my god i lay them all open before thee , i confesse and forsake them , to come to thee my god for mercy ; thou hast promised mee forgivenesse , forsake me not my god , for i am resolved ( by the assistance of thy spirit ) never more to forsake thee ; do not thou leave me comfortlesse , but support me by the almighty power of thy spirit within me : how odious doth sin appear to my soul ! how fain would the enemy of my soul undermine it , and weaken my faith in thee ! what strivings , and subtill temptacions , hath the devil to ensnare the soul of thy servant if he could ! how fearfull am i when i think of any thing but thee ! be thou therefore the continual meditacion of my heart ; how fearfull am i to look on , orcommune with the world , or the vanities of the world , least they should draw away my minde and affections ! but lord i blesse thy holy name i see thy love and mercy in this , thou lettest me see all things besides thee to be vanity and vexacion of spirit , o let me see thee and delight in nothing but thee : instead of thinking of vain transitories , let thy servant meditate , as now , so alwaies , of glorious eternities : and o sweet god , let me think upon my sins , and the vildnesse of my base heart , to humble me in the sight of my own nothingnesse , lay me low , to raise me high in faith , to rely wholly on thee , o that i might never act but as thy faithfull servant , as becoming thy son , that i may be able to cry unto thee father ; though my actions seem to me ( as they are ) unfaithfull , yet lord thou art faithfull , a father to me in jesus christ ; oh sweet god that thou wouldest cause the sight of my sins to be as a means to kill sin in me , let it make much to my sorrow , that my heart is false , but let it make much more to my joy , that thou ( my joy my god ) art true ; let it sad thy servant , that i am so sinfull , but let it much more rejoyce my soul that thou my lord christ art holy , oh let the love of thee be my love , that thy holinesse may be made mine , when wilt thou oh my god ? thou art my comfort , thou wilt shortly set me free , that by thy strength i may triumph over this body of death : oh my god though sin break off somtimes my communion , yet let i● never seperate my union with thee : how dost thou make me rejoyce even while i mourn over sinnes because i see through faith in thee sweet jesus they can bee no prejudice to my everlasting safety in thee , so much i perceive thou lovest mee , for thou wouldst not have given me so much faith in thee , didst not thou love me : my love i am thine , and thou art mire , i have vowed to thee , and thou wilt make mee faithfull as thou art faithfull , because i trust in thee . o my god let mee have more encouragment from thee , then discouragement from sin ; for though my sins reach the clouds , yet i see by the eye of my faith the mercies of thee my god are above the heavens ; though my sins do overflow me , yet the free graces of my god overflow my sins : oh sweet jesus let thy love and righteousnesse so cover my sinnes and imperfections , that the lord may see no iniquity , which thou hast not satisfied for , and pleaded for , and procured pardon for me that am thy servant . oh my god thou knowest my wants , and troubles , suffer me at no time to be troubled at them , let me bid all welcome , thy will be done , though thou cause sorrow , yet wilt thou have compassion according to the multitude of thy mercies ; when my outward comforts eb let me feel the high springs of my inward joy , and consolacion in thee , flowing in upon my soul : drown thou all my sorrowes in the ocean of thy love : o my god though i am not the subject of comfort , yet is my comfort sure in thee the object of my faith , lord i perceive thou laidst it for me , when thou laidst it from me , thou lettest me see by the sun-shine of thy love , what this imprisonment , malice of men , persecuting me meaneth , as liberty , or the best contentment : i will not therefore be discontented , i could not be content , did i not see it is thy will , it is thy will that i desire to conforme my selfe unto , so come what will 't is welcome : oh my god let me have any thing or nothing , let me abound with friends or have none , let me rejoyce or be sorrowful , let me be in prison or at liberty , let me live or dy , it is all one to thy servant ; for lord thou knowest , i account nothing my joy but thee my god , and to be in all things as thou wilt have mee ; o my god i desire not to bee at my own dispose or choyce ▪ my choyce is thee , to rest quiet in thy determinacion ; though thou send me comforts , yet will i not account them my comfort , but thee my comfort , though i have no outward comfort , yet thou hast not left me comfortlesse , though i passe through many sorrowes and tribulacions , yet by the light of thy grace thou dispercest the clouds of my sins , and lettest mee see my way , its heaven-ward to thee . deare sister , wouldest thou have such enjoyments ? seek then , and thou shalt finde , but thou must seek diligently , remove all lets and impediments , that may hinder thy sweet union a●d comunion with my christ , he is worth seeking , worth finding , trifle not away your precious time with the things of the world , know that god allowes dogges under the table such bones to pick . but let jesus christ be thy daily bread , let it be thy meat and drink , to doe the will of our heavenly father : by this you may perceive ( if christ incline your heart ) and see by the ey of your faith in christ & finde the way to heaven is by christ , by him only : saith he to you , i am the way , the truth , and the life ; one of the fathers ( i remember ) saith ; the way , without which we wander : the truth , without which we shall run into error : the light , without which we shall sit in darknesse : there is no other reason i can give to any that are out of christ why they are out , but it is becaus● of their unbeleif , they doe not beleive on him ; every one is apt to sayl do , let me ask that man or woman then , did you willingly and readily obey his voyce ? how doe you love him ? do you testifie your love by your actuall obedience , to the utmost of your abillities to keep his commandements ? are you out of your selves ? do you live above the world ? have you left off feeding upon the vanities thereof ? are you fed with the bread and waters of life ? are you delighted with the riches of gods grace , accompting no want like to the want of grace ? doe you not more minde the riches of the world , the devices and desires of your own base treacherous hearts deceitfull carnall hearts , more then the will and minde of my god ? in breif , wou●d'st know whether thou art in christ then have regard to him ; where the treasure is , there the heart will be also . my dear sister , let not the world ( which leads away captive so many ) draw thee away : let all thy sences bee lockt up in thy soul , and let that be full of christ , let thine eyes be delighted in the reading of the word of god : let your ears be stopt from hearing those things which savour not of graces which edefie not , but hear readily dilligently the tru & sound speakings of god , listen to the sweet low voyces , and secret whispers of his spirit : tast how sweet iesus christ is to hungry and thirsty souls ; smell how sweet his garments are : feele the smooth , fine , wrought , and silken linning of the saints ; see you minde what i have taken pains to write you ; hear , tast , smell , see , feele , in your soul that you have in your body , the markes of my sweet jesus ; gall : 6 and 17 verse , and then you will not accompt , or call gold and silver , riches ; nor advancement , honour ; nor learning , wisdom ; you will bee rich , honourable , and wise without them , within your selfe all in christ , christ in you ; and you will see all the glory of the world , but skin-deep ; a sun blast defaceth it , like time , not abiding , passing away ; a mear nothing but vanity and vexation of spirit : pomp is but fancie , gold but dust , fame but breath , praise but a blast , the worlds sweet is bittrernes : have you not found it so ? its love , lovelesse ; its splender , darknesse ; its fullnesse , emptinesse ; it s all , nothing , but vanity , and pray what 's that ? a saint may as well live and feed on the wind , as on the things of the world , it may fill the fancy and starve the soul , it may starve and leave the soul empty of grace ; therefore have i bid the world fare-well welcome heaven upon earth , i have no comfort no happinesse nothing without thee sweet iesus , i am thine , and thou art mine . oh my dear sister , beleeve me for my christ's sake , there is no consolacion but in my christ ; love nothing , look upon nothing , enjoy nothing , have no contentment in any thing but what is of him , from him , and by him , all to his praise : let god have all the glory in christ , let him be glorified for all , iohn 1. 16. beware of spirituall pride , thy selfe-flattering heart , rest not upon what you have received : read rom. 11. 6. ephes. 2. 8. 9. build not your tabernakle here , let not that be your light , but let god be your light ; eye not your comforts so much as the god of comfort ; look not so much on your graces as on the god of grace , repose your selfe in nothing , quiet your selfe in nothing but in god himselfe : our graces are but wedding attire , oyl in lamps ; joy and consolacion but wedding chear , we are not satisfied with it , the soul is infinite : work out your salvacion with fear and trembling , untill you come to enjoy god fully , in the very bosum of christ , co-heires with him : the seeds of his word sown in our hearts here , are but gleanings to what wee expect ; our best summer dayes here are but as nipping winters , in comparison of that everlasting summer : we look to enjoy an eternitie of the sunny-shinings of gods face , love , and glory , to shine upon us in glory with and to him for ever . those rivers of joy wee swim in here towards him , are but as a few drops in comparison of that heigth and depth , length and bredth , that bottomlesse ocean of his love laid up in christ for us ; our greatest light here below , is but as a dark vault to god and the lamb : he is the light of that citie unto which thy brother is going , endeavor to get in at the strait gate , remember it is not every one that calleth lord , lord , shall enter , but hee that doth the will of our heavenly father which is in heaven : be pressing forward to the mark of our high calling , to arrive to the knowledge of that love which passeth knowledge , to apprehend our god as wee are apprehended of god : rest not ( dear sister ) till you come to heaven , where our faith shall be seeing , and our hope possession . observe , let your love bee pure for god , seek not god for heaven , but heaven for god , that heaven which is god who is the heaven of heavens : god only in all , above all , and beyond all : let him be our all-in-all in our lord jesus christ , by whom wee are more then conquerors ; to whom only ( as is most due ) bee ascribed by thee and mee , the sole glory and praise of this my writing to thee : i beseech the lord , to give us heavenly wisdom , to understand spiritually the will and minde of god revealed in his word : so i pray daily , fervently , and sincerely , for thee and all the saints and servants of god , with faith in the lord jesus , whose servant i am , and in him , thy assured loving brother william blake . exon iayle june 25. 1653. a sound out of sion from the holy mountain which the lord is establishing above all the mountains declaring the salvation of god which is near to be revealed to the captivated seed that waits for redemption : and the deceit of sinners laid open and witnessed against who make a profession of god, and yet cannot believe that they can be saved from sin while they live / by william ames. ames, william, d. 1662. 1663 approx. 29 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 8 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2004-05 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a25298 wing a3008 estc r28292 10492267 ocm 10492267 45168 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a25298) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 45168) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 1393:43) a sound out of sion from the holy mountain which the lord is establishing above all the mountains declaring the salvation of god which is near to be revealed to the captivated seed that waits for redemption : and the deceit of sinners laid open and witnessed against who make a profession of god, and yet cannot believe that they can be saved from sin while they live / by william ames. ames, william, d. 1662. 13 p. printed and are to be sold by william warwick, london : 1663. reproduction of original in the harvard university library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng society of friends -doctrines. salvation. 2004-01 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2004-01 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2004-02 mona logarbo sampled and proofread 2004-02 mona logarbo text and markup reviewed and edited 2004-04 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion a sound out of sion , from the holy mountain which the lord is establishng above all the mountains . declaring the salvation of god which is near to be revealed to the captivated seed that waits for redemption . and the deceit of sinners laid open and witnessed against , who make a profession of god , and yet cannot believe that they can be saved from sin while they live . by one who doth rejoice in the lord his saviour , william ames . truly god is good to israel , even to such as are of a clean heart , psal. 73.2 . the law of the lord is perfect , converting the soul : the testimony of the lord is sure , making wise the simple , psal. 19. 7. but to the wicked god saith , what hast thou to do to declare my statutes , or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth ? seeing thou hatest instruction , and castest my words behind thee , psal. 50. 16. 17 london , printed , and are to be sold by william warwick , 1663. a sound out of sion , from the holy mountain which the lord is establishing above all the mountains , &c. all you that make a profession of god , and of christ , try your selves with the light that sheweth you sin in your consciences , and see whether you have fellowship with the father and the son , 1 iohn 1. 3. for all they who have not felship with the father and the son , are not of the church of christ , for his church is his body , col. 1. 18. and he is the head , and the body hath fellowship with the head ; and he that hath fellowship with the son , hath fellowship with the father also ; for the father and the son is one eternal power by whom all things were made , iohn 1. 1 , 2 , 3. and he is pure and holy , and they that have unity with him , must be holy as he is holy , 1 pet. 1. 15. else there is no unity , 2 cor. 6. 14. nor fellowship ; for this holy god , ( mal. 3. 6. ) is an unchangeable being , who cannot be reconciled to any thing which is not of himself , because he is holy , pure and immortal ; and all other beings that are not one with this pure being , hath an end , 1 cor. 15. 28. now by the power of this pure god was all things made that is made , and he made man according to his own image , ( gen. 1. 7. and 2. 7 ) and breathed into him the breath of life , and he became a living soul : but man went out from that life in which he was created , and so dyed to that holy life in him , and so death came to have dominion , and man became alive in sin and unrighteousness ; and the life that god had placed in man , became vailed , and so man came tobe estranged from the life of god , eph. 4. 18. and thus being estranged from the life of righteousnesse , gen. 6. 5. was filled with unrighteousness , and the life and power in which he was created , became his adversary , and man became an enemy to god , and a habitation of uncleannesse . and from the pure and holy god went forth a light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world , iohn 1. 9. and this light beareth witness in the consciences of all mankind , against unrighteousness , by which every man knoweth sin ; and this light is set against man , to keep him out from the tree of life , so long as he is in the enmity , left he should eat and live , gen. 3. 24. and this light is one with god , for it is the true light of the son of god that lighteth every man that cometh into the world , which is the condemnation of the world , and proceedeth from the same power by which all things were created ; and this is manifested in the conscience of every man , to lead him out of unrighteousness , which by it is condemned , and to lead into peace with god all those who follow it , iohn 1. 12. and so all they who follow this light , they follow the son of god , who is made a quickening spirit , 1 cor. 15. 45. and by him comes the life of righteousness to be quickened in them , and the unrighteous being to be destroyed and cast out ; for this light condemns all unrighteousness , and they who follow it , vvalk in the cross to the unrighteous lusts and desires vvhi●h moveth in the flesh , and is obedient to the light by vvhich they are condemned ; and so the unrighteous povver comes to be crucified , and the povver in vvhich man vvas created , comes to be quickned , and so the second adam comes to be knovvn vvho is made a quickening spirit , and doth reconcile to god through the death of the cross , col. 1. 21. every one that believeth in him , & keepeth his commandments , and in them cometh the pure life of god to be raised ; by vvhich life purification is vvrought , and man is brought into unity vvith god , the enmity being slain in man through the obedience of the cross , eph. 2. 16. here comes the pure life to have dominion in man , and man becomes the temple of the holy god , eph. 2. 21. and this is redemption . for man being obedient to the lusts and motions of the flesh , he became the servant of sin , and so vvas free from righteousness , rom. 6. 20. for righteousness is in bondage in him , and unrighteousness bears rule , and this is the captivity of iacob ; for the life of righteousnesse being lost , there is nothing brought forth but unrighteousness , and the pure seed of god that beareth witness in the conscience against unrighteousness , is kept in prison ; and although it cryes , there is none that answers nor obeyeth it , but the lusts and desires which lead to lying , swearing , drunkenness , covetousness , idolatry , and all wickedness , hate , malice , envy , murder witchcraft , and such like , is obeyed and followed ; and here are all men in the enmity , which is against god , eph. 2. 3. and are the heirs of wrath and condemnation : and this is the unhappy state , for there is no other unhappiness , then to have the pure god to an enemy , and so to be an heir of his wrath ; and he is an enemy to all impurity ; and they that act impurity , are in the enmity against him , col. 1. 21. therefore hath he given his son a light in the world , and hath lighted every man that cometh into the world , to seek and to save that which was lost , luke 19. 10. purity is lost , holiness is lost , righteousness is lost , the knowledge of god is lost , peace with god is lost : now they that turn to the light , they turn to the son in whom the father is well-pleased , matt. 3. 17. who hath long sought man who is lost from it , and hath convinced of sin in the conscience , and hath sought to lead out of sin into righteousness , that it which was lost might be found and saved . now every one that turneth to the son , the light which seeketh in the conscience , they come to find that which was lost , and to be found of it , who have been lost from it , and come to know hol●nesse , and righteousnesse , and peace , and knowledge of god brought forth in them ; and here comes the life of god which was lost , and from which they were lost , they being without it , to be redeemed in them ; and so that which was lost , comes to be found and saved , and the life of unrighteousness which was exalted in man above all that is of god , comes to be destroyed , and here comes the lofty to be cast down , and him of low degree to be exalted , luke 1. 52. and here comes man to be brought into happiness ; for as there is no other unhappiness but in the losse of that pure life in which man was created , and so the losse of the friendship , unity , knowledge and peace of god ; even so there is no other happiness then the finding and the enjoying of that which was lost ; for as by the losing of that pure life , all men are out of covenant with god , so no man is brought in covenant with god , until that be found which wa lost . so that being found which was lost , here comes the glorious church to be redeemed , that is without spot or wrinkle , or any such thing , eph. 5. 27. of which christ is the head , with whom god is one ; and in that pure life have they fellowship with god , and he with them , and so they are one in christ who lighteth every man that cometh into the world , as he is oue with the father ; and this is the unity and fellowship of the church of christ. now all you that profess god and christ , and say you do hope to be saved by christ , and yet are condemned by his light in your consciences ; tell me , what is the ground of your hope , seeing the measure of god in your consciences condemns you , with whom god is one ? by whom then do you think to be justified , seeing christ condemns you ? for he is the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world ; and by him is all unrighteousness in the world condemned , iohn 3. 19. and he cannot be reconciled to any unrighteous being , because he is one with the father ; therefore hath the fathercommitted all judgement unto him iohn 5. 22. because he judgeth righteously , & he is unchangeable ; & therefore if he condemn you now for sin , do not think that he will justifie you hereafter , except you forsake your sin , that so the purity of his life may be brought forth in you , and so you come to be transformed into his image , heb. 1. 3. who is the glory of the incorruptible god ; for holiness hath no union with unholiness , 2 cor. 6. 14 , nor purity with impurity , nor light with darknesse ; and therefore the holy eternal god being unchangeable , the change must be wrought in you who are unholy , by the saving grace of god which hath appeared unto you all , tit. 2. 11. which is the light that condemneth sin in the conscience , if ever you come to have unity with him . and all they who obey the light with which they are enlightned , they come to find christ to be the minister of righteousness , isa. 32. 1. administring the righteous judgements of god upon the unrighteous nature , and so comes all that in man that would not have him to reign , to be slain by him , and so he cometh ( who is the life and power in the which man was created ) to have dominion in man over all , who is god blessed for ever . now all you that say , though you are sinners , yet you hope to be saved , because god is merciful and ready to forgive sin , and with this hope do comfort your selves , and do not seek to depart from sin , neither do you believe that you can be freed from sin . i tell you , your hope shall perish at the appearing of the god of iacob ; for how can you be saved by the mercy of god , when you refuse to receive it ? for this is the mercy of god , that he hath given his son a light in the world , that all they who receive him , might receive power to become the sons of god , ioh. 1. 12. by which power they are redeemed from sin , and made heirs of eternal life ; and no sinner is heir of eternal life , but he that sinneth , is condemned in his conscience by the light of christ which god in mercy hath given to save from sin all that receive him . now this light lets you see that you should not lye , swear , steal , defraud , or speak evilly , &c. but you for sake the motions of the light , and do follow the motions of satan , which moves you to act unrighteousness , and so you refuse the mercy and saving-grace of god , and you chuse to obey the motions of satan , which lead to act unrighteousness , and yet you lean upon the lord , and say you hope he will be merciful to forgive you your sins , although you hate to obey his mercy in whom forgiveness of sins is received * : and thus your hope is the hope of the hypocrite , and shall perish , for he that hath the true hope , purifies himself as god is pure , 1 iohn 3. 3 but you believe you cannot be made pure , and so you are reprobate to that faith which purifies the heart , and gives victory over the world , 1 iohn 5. 4. and therefore all you vvho do hope to be saved by your faith , and yet do live in sin and unrighteousness , and have not so much faith as to believe that you shall ever be freed from unrighteousness while you live ( because the way of truth you know not ) what faith is that which you trust in , seeing it is the just that liveth by faith , heb. 10. 28. and you are unjust ? is not your faith without works , iames 2. 20. and so dead , seeing that you believe that your faith hath not so much power to work that in you which was wrought in the saints of old by the●r faith ; which works were these , acts 159 by faith were the●r hearts purified , rom. 5. 1. by faith were they justified , and had peace with god ; and their faith gave them victory over the world ; and this you believe you cannot attain unto while you live ; and have you now not good reason to question your faith , seeing it worketh not the same effects which was wrought in them who had the true faith ? doth it not appear that your faith is not the same faith which they had , by which they were justified , 2 cor. 1. 12. and did receive in the testimony of their conscience , that they had walked before god uprightly and holily , seeing that the same light condemneth you in your consciences , which justified them , and you do believe you shall not be justified before god in your consciences while you live . now if you have faith without works , do you think that faith wil save you , except the works of faith be brought forth in you ? iam. 2. 19. and is not the devils faith so good as yours , who doth believe and tremble before the just judgments of god * ? but you having not so much feeling , do harden your selves against judgment , and doth comfort your selves in your disobedience . and yet wil you say you serve the lord , although you have given your selves over to serve satan ? for sin is a work of the devil , and where the works are brought forth , there is the worker ; and you do believe you cannot be freed from sin , and have you not then given your selves over to obey satan , rom. 6. 17. and his servants you are to whom you obey ; and therefore when satan moves you to commit sin , you obey him , because you believe you cannot do otherwise ; and so your faith is so far from purifying your hearts , that it leads you into impurity : and although you are convinced by the light of god in your consciences , that you should not sin , yet you believe not in the light ( which if you did , it would purifie your hearts ) but you do believe and follow him who leads you to commit sin , and you do not believe that that of god which convinceth you that you should not sin , is able to deliver you from sin * ; and so you are the unbelievers who make god a lyar , in not believing the testimony which he hath given of his son , 1 iohn 5. 10. and so to the righteousness of god are you disobedient , you being the servants of sin ; for you cannot serve two masters , if you are servants of sin , you are free from righteousness , rom. 6. 20. and are not the servants of christ ; for he is not the minister of sin , gal. 2. 17. but you serve satan who is the author of sin , and your faith leads you no further than to serve him ; and therefore that cannot be the faith which gives peace with god ; for there is no peace from god to the wicked , isa. 48. 22. much less to those who believe they shall never be made righteous ; and so hath made a covenant with death and hell , to commit sin so long as you live ; you are not those who do wait for the saviour to save you from sin , but do comfort your selves with your vain imaginations , and being ignorant of the righteousness of god which is made manifest in all those who believe in the light , to take away sin . you think to be saved by your own righteousnesse , in making a profession from the words of the holy men of god , although you are unholy ; and you do believe you shall never be made holy while you live ; and so you make likenesses , and bow down to them , although the scripture which you professe , saith , thou shalt not make the likeness of any thing that is in heaven above , or in the earth beneath , nor in the waters under the earth ; exod. 20.4 . but you being ignorant of the substance , have nothing but the likenesse , which you bow unto , and say christ hath commanded you so to do , when you have neither heard his voice , nor seen his shape ; but that which you have , you have gathered into your imaginations by reading the scripture , and do endeavour to get into a form of godlinesse , but the power you never look for while you live ; for they that have the power of godliness , by it are they redeemed from sin ; but you believe that cannot be in this life : and thus are you strangers to the life of saints . and yet you will own the name of christians , and say you are baptized in his name , although you believe you shall never be partakers of his life while you live . and so it appears that your baptism is not the baptism of christ ; for as many as are baptized into christ , are baptized into his death , and are made partakers of the resurrection of his life , and are made free from sin , rom. 6. 3 , 7. but your baptism cannot free from sin ; for we see drunkards , swearers , lyars , thieves , murderers , and such like who are baptized with your baptism , and yet remain so ; and therefore it is an abomination to god , and it is a likeness which the lord forbids , who saith , thou shalt not make any likeness ; and this you have , but the substance you never look for while you live ; and so your hearts being not circumcised by the circumcision of christ , in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh ; you cannot understand the things of god , because you are not buried with him in baptism . and yet will you boast of the lord's table , although you believe you shall never be freed from the table of devils while you live ; for you believe you cannot be freed from sin , and he that committeth sin , is partaker with satan ; and he that takes part with satan , is god's enemy , and is shut out from the lord's table . and then you take bread and wine , and eat and drink it , and call that the lord's supper , and say he did so with his apostles the same night that he was betrayed ; and this is false ; for that bread which he gave his disciples , was his body , ( iohn 6. 51. matth. 26. 26 , 27 , 28. mark. 14. 22 , 23 , 24 luke 22. 19. 20. 1 cor. 11. 23 , 24. ) which you are ignorant of , who call outward bread and wine the lord's supper , for that is not his body : and christ said , the bread that i will give you , is my flesh . and when the time drew near that he should go to the father , he brake that bread , and gave it them , and said , take , eat , this is my body ; and after they had eaten , he took the cup , and gave it them , and said , drink ye all of it , this is my blood which is shed for many for the remission of sins : and this was the same that paul did administer to the corinthians ; and the cup of blessing was the communion of the blood of christ ; and the bread which they did break , was the communion of the body of christ , and this did god ordain ; but yours is a likeness which god is against , and it must be destroyed . and because you read in scripture , that the holy men of god did sing because the lord had redeemed them ; therefore you who are unholy , have made songs of their words , and you sing , who never know what redemption was . moses and the children of israel did sing because the lord had redeemed them out of the hands of pharoah , exod. 15. and that which they spoke in their song , in them was truth ; but if you sing their words , and are not partakers of their deliverance , are you not lyars . deborah and barack sung , iudg. 5. because the lord had delivered them , and had destroyed the enemies of israel : but what rule is this for you to sing , who cannot believe that sin ( which is israels enemy ) can be destroyed in you while you live ; and they that were redeemed unto god out of kindreds , tongues and nations , ( rev. 14. 3. & 15. 3. ) sung a new song , the song of moses the servant of god , and the song of the lamb , because they were redeemed by him ; but what caufe have you to sing , who are strangers to this redemption ? and the apostle said , be not ov●rcome with wine , but be filled with the spirit , speaking to your selves in psalms and hymns , and spiritual songs , making melody in your hearts unto god , eph. 5. 18 , 19 but what melody is there in your hearts unto god , who are strangers to his spirit , and are filled with excess of the wine of the fornication of the whore , with which all nations are become drunk , and do believe you cannot be cleansed from it while you live . david when he was delivered , and did keep the ways of the lord , and had not wickedly departed from his god , 2 sam. 22. 22 23. he declared the wonderful works of god , and did sing to the glory of his name ; and you have made songs of his words , who depart from god daily , and do believe you cannot keep the ways of the lord ; and is not this hypocrisie , to profess the words of them who were holy , seeing you are unholy , and strangers to their life ? and thus all your singing , and all your prayers , and all your ordinances are an abomination to god , because they are wrought by that nature which is not subject to the law of god , neither indeed can be , and your hearts are poluted with uncleanness , and you are not obedient to the righteousnesse of god , christ jesus the light of the world , that lighteth every man that cometh into the world , which convinceth you of sin in your consciences , and beareth witnesse for god against your unrighteousnesse : this is he who god hath given to be his salvation to the ends of the earth , isa. 49. 6. and because you do not obey this teacher near you , therefore you are not saved , but you wander up and down ( many of you ) from mountain to hill to seek a covering , but nothing can cover you from his presence ; for he is near that condemns you , and then how can you be justified ? for they who are not in him , and he in them , cannot be justified before god. and you follow the teachings of men whose minds are corrupt , who withstand the truth as iannes and iambres withstood moses , 2 tim. 3. who creep into houses , and lead silly women captive , who are laden with sin , and led away with divers lusts , always learning but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth . now all you who are led captive under their traditions and ordinances which they teach , some for filthy lucre , others out of pride being puffed up with knowledge in the letter , are you not those whom the apostle speaks of , who are laden with sin ? and are you not led away with divers lusts ? and after you have learned twenty , thirty , forty or fifty years , do you know any more of god than when you first began ? but still you remain serving your lusts , until you are taken away from the earth . and if any come to witnesse redemption through jesus christ , and do declare against your evil deeds , then are you those who are enraged , and cries out , these are the seducers , when you your selves are sinners , and so are seduced ; for there is no other seducing them to commit sin , and all sinners are seduced ; and yet you say of those who witnesse christ in them redeeming from sin , these are the false prophets that should come in sheeps cloathing , for we do not believe ( say you ) that any can be freed from sin while he lives ; and herein you manifest your selves to be the false prophets you speak of ; for you cover your selves with the lambs words , and with a profession thereof ; but you are so far from being partaker of his life , that you believe you cannot attain unto it ; for where the lamb of god is made manifest , he taketh away sin ; but where sin hath dominion , there is the lamb of god slain ; and you do believe sin must have dominion in you while you live , and then are you not the wolves who devoureth the lambs , and yet clothe your selves with the wool , making a profession of christ , and yet are enemies to his life ; for there is no other enmity against god , but sin ; and there is nothing that condemns sin but christ , who lighteth every man that cometh into the world ; for the father hath committed all judgement unto him , for he judgeth righteously , he will not condemn the righteous , neither will he justifie the sinner in his sin , but every one who departeth from sin , and taketh up his crosse and followeth him through death , he will in no wise cast off . but all you who think to be justified because of your outward profession , outward baptism , outward supper , outward singing , outward praying , and yet your inward parts poluted with sin ; you stink in the nostrils of god because of your hypocrisie , to profess the words of those who were holy , while you are unholy ; for god desireth truth in the inward parts , psal. 51. 6. and without holiness none can see god ; heb. 12. 14. but you are so far from having truth and holiness in the inward parts , that you believe it cannot be attained to ; and so all your profession is no more than that which the iews had , who crucified the lord of life ; for they professed the words of the holy men of god , and so do you ; but truth and holiness in the inward parts had they not , neither have you ; and he who was the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world , did they crucifie , and so do you ; for with your sins you cross the true light which convinceth you of sin , and so did they ; and this is the reason that truth and holiness is not brought forth in your inward parts . and thus all the works by which you think to be justified in your profession , are dead works , they being wrought by that nature which crucifies that life in whose works god is well-pleased , and to repentance from dead works are you not come , but in your dead works do think to be just fied , and therefore are you so ignorant of the works of eternal life which are wrought in all that are justified by christ jesus , who is the life eternal , and worketh in all that receive him to will and to do , phil. 2. 13. in whose works the father is well-pleased ; and by the power of his working in us , are we redeemed from the power of satan , and are made to rejoice in the lord our saviour . and therefore cease from all false teachers , who cry peace peace , where there is no peace , ier. 6. 14. and tell you , you shall be justified , although in your consciences you are condemned ; these are the false teachers who are against christ , and they preach peace to such whom christ jesus condemns by his light with which he hath lighted every man ; but against such who are redeemed by christ , and do witnesse them to be lyars , they prepare war : and they perswade you that you cannot be saved from sin while you live . and thus they deny the power of god to save from sin , and would perswade you that the lord's hand is shortned that it cannot save : and thus they delude you until the measure of your iniquity is full , and then you must receive a reward according to your works , wrath , tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man that doth evil . but if you turn to the light with which you are lighted , you turn to the true teacher which will alwayes be present with you to lead you into the pathes of righteousness , where is peace eternal , and rejoicing in the testimony of your consciences , 2 cor. 1. 12. and the law of god will be written in your hearts , heb. 10. 16. by which sin will be condemned in your flesh , 1 pet. 4. 6. and there will the power of god be manifest to destroy sin ; and thus you will receive the pure water , ( heb. 10. 22. ) which purifieth from sin ; and this is obtained in obeying the light with which you are lighted ; for that is truth , and is no lye , and it manifesteth the thoughts and intents of the heart ; and therefore they who receive it , need not that any man teach them , for they are taught by the annointing , 1 iohn 2. 27. and they need not to teach one another , saying , know the lord , ( iereremiah 31 : 34. ) for they following the light , do come to find the law in their hearts and the spirit of god in their inward parts , by which they know god from the least to the greatest ; and he that knoweth not this condition , but remains learning of men , such a one is a stranger to the new covenant . given forth for the seeds sake , who groan for redemption , by one who desires that righteousnesse may be established , william ames , the end . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a25298-e200 * and therefore the mercy of god condemns you , because you wil not receive it , nor obey it . * because of his disobedience . * and therefore you follow it not , but reject it , and so you despise the grace of god. the day-spring from on high visiting the world, or, gods salvation revealed and the way of redemption declared, and the way opened into the everlasting rest also the two births discovered and their several image, and the enmity that is betwixt them : with the lambs appearance in glory and his power and government exalted / by william smith. smith, william, d. 1673. this text is an enriched version of the tcp digital transcription a60624 of text r30147 in the english short title catalog (wing s4295). textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. the text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with morphadorner. the annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. this text has not been fully proofread approx. 34 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 9 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. earlyprint project evanston,il, notre dame, in, st. louis, mo 2017 a60624 wing s4295 estc r30147 11252756 ocm 11252756 47140 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a60624) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 47140) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 1450:15) the day-spring from on high visiting the world, or, gods salvation revealed and the way of redemption declared, and the way opened into the everlasting rest also the two births discovered and their several image, and the enmity that is betwixt them : with the lambs appearance in glory and his power and government exalted / by william smith. smith, william, d. 1673. 16 p. printed for thomas simmons ..., london : 1659. reproduction of the original in the british library. eng salvation. society of friends. a60624 r30147 (wing s4295). civilwar no the day-spring from on high visiting the world: or gods salvation revealed, and the work of redemption declared, and the way opened into the smith, william 1659 7287 8 0 0 0 0 0 11 c the rate of 11 defects per 10,000 words puts this text in the c category of texts with between 10 and 35 defects per 10,000 words. 2005-04 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-09 spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images 2006-01 ali jakobson sampled and proofread 2006-01 ali jakobson text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-04 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the day-spring from on high visiting the world : or gods salvation revealed , and the work of redemption declared , and the way opened into the everlasting rest. also the two births discovered , and their several image , and the enmity that is betwixt them . with the lambs appearance in glory , and his power and government exalted . by william smith . london , printed for thomas simmons , at the bull and mouth near aldersgate , 1659. there is a dark night of apostasie over the earth , in wch the world are asleep upon there beds of ease , and their eyes are not opened to behold the wondrous works of god , neither can they believe it though it be declared , for they will neither see with their eyes , nor hear with their ears , nor understand with their hearts , but stands despising the work of the lord , and the appearance of his righteousness ; therefore doth the lord god utter his voice from his holy hill , and the sound thereof goeth forth into the world , and the words reacheth unto the ends of the earth , that all may awake and behold the salvation which now is revealed in the springing of the day , for the acceptable time is come , the morning star is risen , the day is dawned , the son of righteousness shineth , and it is from on high revealed , that the eyes of all might be opened who have so long slept the sleep of death , that they might see their saviour , whose name is jesus the begotten of god , the brightness of his glory , and expresse image of his person , in whom is the fulness , and unto whom all power is given , the father is well pleased in him , and none comes to the father but by him , there is none besides him nor any like unto him , who is full of grace and truth , look unto him all ye ends of the earth , for the day of your visitation is come , in which the grace of god appeareth , be ye all turned unto it , that your eyes may be opened to see the love that god hath unto you , for god so loved the world that he gave his onely begotten son who is the light of the world , in whom the promise of grace is fulfilled in breaking the serpents head , and recovering out of his snare , he it is that doth redeem , who is not of the world , but redeemes out of the world all that believe in him , for he worketh the work of god , and destroyes the work of the devil , and casts out the man of sin , he fans the nations with his hand , and purgeth the floor by his mighty power ; kings shall bow before him , nations shall tremble , the mighty men shall fall , and princes shall be broken by his might , who is now appearing in power and great glory to judge the world in righteousness , unto him doth the law and prophets witness , unto whom he was revealed , and in his life they prophesied , and spake of the glory that was in him , which was to be revealed unto ages to come , and is now broken forth in these last dayes , and is beheld as the glory of the onely begotten of the father , and the law and prophets have their end in him , and are all fulfilled by him who is come to perfect the work of god , and he hath the witness both of the law and prophets , therefore unto him look , who is salvation to the ends of the earth , who visits you in this his day , and reacheth unto you with a manifestation of light , that you may therein see the evil of your doings and come to repentance , that the true light may lead you , which is manifest from god unto you , that thereby you may come out of darkness , death and bondage , to know the redemption which by the lord is wrought , and plentifully revealed in this his day , and put not this from you to ages past ( for therein you deceive your selves ) but all look near , and see what you can witness of redemption from your vain conversation , and salvation from your sin , for it is not you● talk of what god hath done in times past for others , and what great salvation unto them appeared , and how they were saved , that will save you , or redeem you , but to have your minds turned unto that which they was redeemed by , and saved in , and to feel the the power of it to work effectually in you as it did in them who were true witnesses of it ; for what will it profit you to read of the great deliverance wrought by the out-stretched arm of god , for jacobs seed out of egypts bondage , if you find not the same work wrought in you by the same power , you are not in their deliverance , but are still in bondage , and are kept in that which they was delivered from , and so his work was wrought upon the blind , the lepers , and the lame , and the blind received sight , the lepers was cleansed , and the lame walked , and this you may read as it is declared , and yet may your eyes be blinded , and your leprosie not cleansed , nor your ancle bones strengthened , you may read of the promises and the consolation which they had who did believe in them , and yet may you be out of them and miss the consolation that they found in them who believed in that unto which all the promises was made , for all the promises of god are yea and amen in christ jesus ( mark ) yea and ●men are all the promises in christ jesus , in whom they stand sure ; and all your reading and talking of these things declared , and saying these promises you believe in , and you apply them by faith , and so receives the comfort , it will not stand you in stead in the needful time , for whilst you talk of faith , and applying the promises by faith , you deceive your selves in your imaginations , being yet in your sins , and out of the faith of the son of god which purifieth the heart , and so you are out of the condition of those who lived in the promises , and knew them to stand sure in the seed ; therefore all unto the light come , and in it wait , that you may feel the same power to work in you , and bring the same thing to passe in you , as it hath done in ages before you , that whilst you talk of liberty by christ jesus , your selves may not be found servants unto sin , and in bondage to corruption , for of whatsoever a man is overcome , unto the same is he in bondage , & if you be found servants unto sin , you are in bondage to it , & not in the freedom of the son , so all having sinned , all must unto the light be turned , and by it be redeemed and know the power of it to work true freedom into the glorious liberty , before any can truly say that they are set free , for all must stand as they are before the lord ; therefore think not your selves to be above what you are , least whilst you think that you are something , you prove nothing , and so deceive your selves ; fore there is a groaning felt in you under the bondage of corruption , and unto that doth the breathings of life reach , that the heavy burden might be undone , and the oppressed set free , which in you is pressed as a cart that is full of sheaves , & by you in bondage kept , for unto the lord of life are you found enemies and fighting against him , and hates to be reformed by him , though long he hath striven with you , and now is the lord god holding forth plenteous redemption , and making known his salvation , and in his good & perfect gift is visiting all people , that all may turn unto the light , and come out of darkness and depart from evil , which is made manifest in the light , and so come to feel the redemption of of god in your selves , and the operation of his spirit which worketh the work of god , and bringeth forth fruit unto holiness , for as in sin you abide , you are not redeemed , neither knows christ nor the working of his power , but abides in the unbelief and in darkness , and brings forth unfruitful works thereof , the imagination of your hearts being alwayes evil , and that you love , and hates the light which doth reprove , and will not come to it , which doth as truely work in power as it is believed in , as ever it did in ages past , and salvation is as truly felt in the leadings of the light , as they felt it who declared of it , and were called out of darkness into it ; so it is of concernment unto every one to prove themselves , that the pure rejoycing you may have in your selves and not in another , for the lord god is visiting all in the light , and hath given a manifestation of the spirit unto every man to profit withall , then the gift of god you are not to neglect in your selves , but are to take heed unto it , and every motion of it , that your minds may be ordered in it , and lead by it to the knowledge of the living god , whom to know is life eternal , and none did ever come to the knowledge of him , but as they was turned to the light , and heeded the light which shone in their hearts , in which the knowledge of his glory is manifest in the face of christ ; and do you think to come to the knowledge of god by another way , be ye tryed in this ye priests and professors and all people , if the knowledge of the true god you be come unto , whom to know is eternal life , are you come to know this , or are you not in that knowledge which can never come to know the true god ? be honest with your selves all of you , and see if you become to that in wch the knowledge of his glory hath been revealed from the beginning , for now it is the same as ever it was , and it changeth not , but is witnessed through ages and generations to be always the same , without any variableness , for that which abel was guided by , and in which he offered up a sacrifice in righteousness , the same guided noah , and in it he preached righteousness , the same appeared unto abraham , and he believed in it and was guided by it , and rejoyced to see it and it was counted unto him for righteousness , and in this was secrets revealed unto the prophets , moses lived in it , and by the manifestation of it was the creation opened to his understanding , and he saw to the beginning , and so declared in the openings of life , and all the holy men of god were inspired by it , and gave forth the scriptures in the motion of it , he that hath ears to hear let him hear , for this was a perfect guide unto all that believed in it before writings was , and all the words that are written , do bear witness unto the word which was in the beginning with god , and it was god , and they had all redemption by him , and salvation in him who believed , and this was a guide unto the righteous from the beginning , and would you have another guide now ? you have lost that which guides holy men , and righteous men , and gives them the knowledge of the living god , and you feel that you want a guide to bring you to god , but takes not heed to that which is manifest from him , which doth reprove you as you are out of the way , and would lead you in the way of life would you turn unto it , but you hating the reproof of it , doth not come to know it , and so you follow a guide which leads you in the way of death ; for that which guided abel , noah and abraham , and all the holy men in times past , when they had no visible thing to be a guide unto them in the way of life ; it is the same now , and as sufficient now as ever it was , and they were made holy and righteous in it , and were accepted of god ; and would you be better then they were , who were righteous men , and holy men , redeemed from the earth , and saved by the lord , and were accepted of him ? consider of this , for there is not another rule besides christ who is given for a leader , that he may be salvation unto the ends of the earth ; therefore all come unto him , and in his light believe , that you may feel his power to work in the inward parts and purifie your hearts , for there is a measure given unto every one of you , that doth reprove you in secret as your minds be after evil , be ye turned unto it , that you may feel the work of it , to cast off the weight that lyeth upon you , and the sin that so easily besets you , that the seed out of bondage may arise and come forth ; for as the light is believed in , so is the power felt , to rend the vail and scatter the clouds , and makes mountains fall and hills melt , and is dreadful to pharaoh and all the egyptians ; he that is wise in heart may read how he is acquainted in his own particular with the operation of gods spirit , for redemption is plentifully revealed in this present age as in times past , and many bear true witness of it , who hath felt his power that worketh in the day , who hath made known his salvation , and revealed his glory , and brought many sons and daughters unto it , where they know the truth that maketh free , and are redeemed from the earth , and saved by the lord , and their minds are after heavenly things , and they worship god day and night in his temple , and gives glory unto him that sits upon the throne and unto the lamb for ever and ever ; and this is the true birth that is born of god , whose image is heavenly , and he works the work of god , and all that believe in him are saved by him ▪ for the devils work he doth destroy , and the sin he takes away , and that is done by him which no other could do , and so doth the redee●●● live , and the stone elect is known that is pretious , which all the wise builders set at nought , and are bringing forth false births in their own wills , which bears the image of the earthly , and neither redeems nor saves from sin , but they abide in darknes and brings forth the works thereof , and are in the house of bondage kept , and knows not the rest and peace in god ; and so all people who he from the light , they are from the guide that leadeth in the way of life , in which secrets are revealed , and the mystery opened , and though such swear the lord liveth , they swear falsly , for his life they know not , but are enemies to it , and every appearance of it , and so brings forth their own conceivings and preaches it for doctrine , and stands in similitudes and likenesses , forms and imitations , where the false birth is exalted and the fleshly mind puft up which breaks forth in appearance , and makes a great shew of godliness , and in that glories , but the power is denied , and christ is rejected , and his appearance persecuted by this fleshly birth ; therefore doth the word of power reach unto you all , ye high-priests and professors , that unto the light you may be turned , and have your understandings opened to know the scriptures , that you may learn of him of whom the scriptures testifie , for he is the power of god unto salvation to all that believe , and he will teach you truth in the inward parts , and make you to be of understanding hearts , to know redemption by him and salvation in him , who gives true freedom out of bondage , and leadeth into the fathers love where all fears are cast out and doubtings removed , the flesh being subdued and the false birth crucified , his righteousness is received in whom the father is well-pleased , and this is the day of redemption which from the beginning was and is now witnessed to be the same , and so declared in the spirits power and not in words which mans wisdom teacheth , for that is earthly and cannot reach unto things above , nor know the mystery of the heavenly , and that makes the world so ignorant of the things of god , because they are from the spirit of god , in which secrets are revealed , and in which the mystery is opened , and the onely true god known , and jesus christ whom he hath sent , which none can comprehend or know with that which is in the transgression , and at enmity with god , though words they may have , and in them be puft up , yet from the life they are found , and in their carnal minds are at enmity against it ; therefore miserable will all your comforters be , who knows not the consolation of israel , and in the day of calamity your strength will fail and your hearts faint , and it is coming upon you , and will be heavy upon your heads ; and who then will remove it or take it from you , who knows not christ within you ? therefore all know this from the lord , that form without power will not save you , nor the letter without the life will give you peace , and if either be found amongst you , let your doctrine and practise be examined , and let it be tryed what image it bears , for you wanting the life and power of god , your birth is fleshly , and born of the flesh and of your own wills , and not of the will of god ; therefore arise and depart , for it is not your rest , you are polluted , and your image is defiled and must be destroyed , for he appears against you whose image is heavenly , and you must be taken and slain before him , because you will not that he should reign over you , for he is destroying antichrist with the brightness of his coming , and with the sword of his spirit is he slaying the wicked , and all flesh is but as grass before him , for he is blowing upon all your glory , and it fades away and dies as the untimely fruit , and if your eyes were not blinded , you might see the arm of god dashing you one against another , and breaking you in pieces as potsherds of the earth , and scattering you as the sun scatters the morning clouds , and this is the day of glory which shineth forth in brightness , and discovers all your emptiness in the son of righteousness , who is risen in power , and gone forth rejoycing , and all your idols of silver and gold must be broken down by him , and the carved works of your own hands must fall before him , for his image is heavenly , though you have marred it and sees no comeliness in it that you should desire it , because the worlds glory is not upon it , therefore cannot you believe that it is he , but puts him to open shame , and with your sensual wisdom crucifies him , and under your earthly carnal minds buries him , and sets your own life above him , and so is our lord crucified in the streets of spiritual sodom and egypt , where he is trodden under foot and despightfully used ; consider if ye be not found enemies to god , who hates the light , and loves your evil deeds better , walking after the flesh and satisfying the lust thereof , and sets the lust above the life , which makes the seed to groan under the bondage of corruption , bearing the earthy image which is in the transgression ; now all be awakened , for the day is come , and the true light shineth in which the fathers love is manifested , and plenteous redemption witnessed , be ye turned unto it all ye ends of the earth , for there is not another saviour but he that is born of god , and comes into the world to redeem out of the world , and take away the sin of the world , in whom the fathers bosom is opened , and his love tendered unto all people that none might perish , but that all might come and be saved , he that can receive it let him , for this is the onely begotten of the father , which is come in power and great glory , to put an end to sin , and destroy the work of the devil , that the bands may be unloosed and the prisoner freed , and every captive redeemed by his outstretched arm ; this is good tid●ngs unto the poor , salvation is come , that the mourners may be comforted and the feeble strengthened , that all who breath after god , may walk with him in the light of the living ; now let all flesh be silent , for god is risen the glory of all flesh to stain , and nations and kingdoms to subdue , who stands exalted above him , and brings forth a birth that is not of his begetting , but is of hagars seed , and riseth up against him , and is at open enmity with him despising and rejecting , reproaching and reviling , crucifying and slaying the appearance of him who is the express image of the father ; now let all be measured with the line of true judgement , and then it will be seen unto whom this condition will reach , and who they be that are in the enmity , and in that exercises cruelty against the lord of glory , disdaining and scorning , reproaching and persecuting the life of righteousness , the day of tryal is come , the throne is prepared for judgement , and he that judgeth right sits upon it , who is the lord of hosts ; come ye priests and professors appear before him , and stand your tryal , he will do you no wrong , but will pass true judgement , according to the evidence which shall be given in by the just witness in your conscience , and then will you stand guilty before the lord , for the sentence will pass against you , and the judgement will fall upon on you , and a just recompence of reward will be given unto every one of you , and this is in the breathings of gods love declared unto you , that you may once turn before repentance be hid from your eyes , for you have oft been warned , and still you have refused it , and hated to be reformed ; now look unto him whom you pierce , let your joy be turned into heaviness , and your laughter into mourning , that you should so despise him who would have you to be saved , and so evil intreat him who hath so long suffered and been patient towards you ; now stand still in the pure fear of god , that you may come to see salvation , which is so plentifully revealed and made known in the breakings forth of the love of god in the light , that you may come to witness redemption by him who is the way to the father , whose coming is prepared as the morning , to give light unto such as be in darkness , and this will be known unto you all , that it is not want of love from god which will be the condemnation , but your hating the light which from his love is made manifest unto you , for a manifestation of the spirit there is given unto you all , that you thereby might profit , and who joyns to the spirit , joyns to the lord , and denies the evil deeds , and comes out of imitations , and over all false births to the birth immortal , before which the false birth dies and comes to an end , and all imitations withers and consumes away , and in that are you glorying , which the spirit of the lord is blowing upon and blasting , and though you be heightened in your glory , and stands as if you were rich , and had need of nothing , yet are you fathomed to the bottom , and your ground is tried , and you are seen to be poor and miserable , and the wo doth reach unto you who are covered , but not with the spirit of the lord ; therefore come down you high and lofty ones , who have climbed up another way then by the door , you are thieves and robbers , and have stollen words from your neighbours which is not your own , and have sowed them together , and made you a covering , and in it stands decked as a painted harlot , yet will not all this hide you from the pure eye of god , for he is enquiring after you , and his voice reacheth unto you , and in the cool of the day he comes to see where you are , you being erred from him , and out of communion with him , for adam was fallen from god , when it was said unto him , where art thou , read in the fear of god , and trie your waies and doings , o ye priests and professing people , and see where you are , whether in the innocencie , or subtiltie , in the life , or in knowledge , covered with righteousnesse , or with leaves , bearing the image of the heavenly , or the image of the earthly , in which of these are you consider , for the day of visitation reaches unto you all who be out of the way of life ; put off your coverings , for they will not hide you , nor be a defence unto you , for now doth the lord appear against you , and his controversie is with you all , and the day hastens towards you that burns as an oven , and all the proud and the wicked must be the stubble , and it will burn and there shall be none to quench it ; therefore be not you deceived , for god will not be mocked , he sees your wayes and doings , and you cannot hide your councel from him , though many things you do he hath no pleasure in them , neither doth he require them at your hands , he is weary of your meetings , and your prayers he heareth not , though you make many of them ; but heaven is shut upon you , and the showers doth not fall , and so you are a parched heath that brings forth no fruit , neither doth your will-worship and fained humilitie make you stand approved in the sight of god , neither do you please him , nor are your performances accepted , for you walk after the flesh , & satisfies it in the lust , and so joines to the harlot , and commits whoredom , and brings forth a child of whoredom , and the son of an adulteress woman which is at enmitie with the seed of life , and persecutes the birth that is born thereof . but now is the lord redeeming his chosen , and unto the good land is bringing of them , in which all wars ceaseth , and every one comes to know a quiet habitation in the lot of their own inheritance , and possesseth their own portion with joy and gladnesse , and fits under their own vine where none makes them afraid , for into the holy city many are come , where the lambs government is known , who is set upon his throne , and in great power doth he reign , to subject the kingdoms of the world ; for he is the lord , and all must worship him , who in his glorie doth appear , and of whose government there is no end , for he hath taken to him his great power , and ruleth , and with his own arm doth he scatter the proud , and with his own arm doth he gather the humble , and in his hand doth lead them into the holy city , where he is king for ever , and makes all wars to cease , and seales an everlasting decree of peace ; this is the new jerusalem come down from god out of heaven , where there is , no● curse nor sorrow , nor hell , nor death , but the glory of the lord fills it , and the lamb is the light thereof , in which many walk who are by his power redeemed from the earth , and are made to sing songs of deliverance , and gives glory unto him that sits upon the throne , and unto the lamb for evermore ; and this is the rest prepared for the people of god , into which many are entered , and many are pressing in the light of the lord ▪ therefore arise you wearied ones , and forth of egypt depart , the day of god reacheth unto you , that out of darknesse you might come , in which you have long sojourned as in a strange land , and under a strange government , where you are oppressed , and evil intreated , arise and come forth , the day of redemption is come , and he who is the light of the world makes himself known , and his visitation reacheth unto all ; stay not behind him , but his out-goings waite to know , who leads in his light , and will not leave you in darknesse , nor under pharaohs power , but will ease you of your burdens , and break open the house of bondage , and free you from oppression , and guide you in the way prepared to the everlasting rest ; gird up the loines of your minds , for salvation is near you ; stand still and see it , for the day hath appeared in which gods arm is revealed , by which the sea is divided , and pharaohs host destroyed ; therefore who is pharaoh , and what is his power that he should withstand god , is not he the king of aegypt , & his power the power of darknesse ? & is not the lord the king of glory , and his power made known in the light , which is a plague to pharaoh and his house ? for god is making his power known upon him , because he is his enemie , and stands in his heard heartednesse against him , the hand of god smites him , and the breath of the almightie is kindled against him ; and that is come to passe concerning him which all the inchanters of aegypt cannot do : therefore a warning this is from the lord god unto all that be his enemies , and are found fighting against him , and resisting the light of the lamb , that you may all repent and turn to the lord , before utter destruction come upon you ; for god confounds all your devices , and brings to nought all your inventions , though you sit as kings in aegypt , yet from thence is god bringing you down , and makes your councels to be of none effect , your great host cannot save you , nor all your horses and chariots defend you from the outstrethed arm of god , who is smiting your first-born throughout , and you must know that there is no god like the god of israel ; therefore cease thy cruelty thou violent beast , whose power is in the dark , in which thou hast long reigned , and also made war with the lamb and his followers , and shed innocent blood , with which thou hast made thy self drunk , and yet art not satisfied , but still thirsts for more ▪ how hast thou been exalted , & set up in thy glorie , that the world hath wondered after thee , and hath said , who is like unto thee , who is able to make war with thee ? for the power of the nations hath been given unto thee , and from thence hast thou had thy life ; but now thou must know that there is one above thee , in whom all power is , who subdues the nations under him , and takes away thy life from thee , that thy strength faileth thee , and all thy beautie goeth from thee , and thou appearest an ill favoured harlot , for now thou art seen within , and thy nakedness doth appear , thy covering is removed , that thou canst not hide thy self any longer , and now doth he rise against thee , that maketh warre in righteousnesse , who with great power is come , the pure and undefiled one , who upon his throne over all doth reign , thy heads and horns to break , and to redeem his chosen from thee , whose power is filled with cruelty , and thou shalt know that the lamb in his power reigneth . therefore let sion rejoyce , and the daughters of judah be glad , because of gods righteous judgements , who is pleading the cause of the innocent , and executing vengeance upon the beast , destroying his marks and names ; his heads and horns ( let him that readeth understand ) rejoyce ye saints , and all you holy ones , for the lamb is exalted in dominion , and of his government there is no end ; for he is king of kings , and lord of lords , and the holy hill of sion is his throne , and there he doth reign with the scepter of his righteousnesse , and executes true judgement upon the heathen who are in their rage against him , and would not that he should reign over them , he is taking vengeance on them all , and he will be eased of them , because they are his adversaries , for none shall prosper that fights against sion ; for the time is come that god will have mercy upon her , and out of the dust she is arising , and the oyle of joy is given for mourning , the garment of gladnesse for the spirit of heavinesse , therefore all you tender ones , whose face is sion-ward , walk in the light of the lamb , and follow him whithersoever he goes , stand in the innocency and meeknesse of him , and know his strength to gird you about , and feel his power to obtain the victory ; for you god hath visited in his everlasting love , and made known his salvation in you , and given you to believe and also to suffer for his sake ; all keep in the word of his patience , and let patience have her perfect work , that ye may be perfect and entire , wanting nothing , but stand compleat in him , who is the head , and fear not the reproach of men , neither be afraid of their revilings , but be ye clothed with humility , and put ye on the garment of righteousness , and shew your selves in the lambs meekness , that his own life in you may preach to the world , and his own innocence may shine thorow the vessel , that god in you may be glorified , and your hearts in god may be comforted ; and in that all dwell which god hath revealed in you , and keep your minds down in the stillness , that over all the lamb you may feel , his goverment everlasting in you to set up , and his righteous scepter over you to reign , and so in the kingdom all lye down , where the lamb is exalted upon his throne , and know the righteousness and peace that is therein ; for there is gladness of heart obtained , and the everlasting rest prepared , unto which you are redeemed , and are by the lord a people saved , therefore be ye all joyned together in the lords love , and there abide in the holy fear , that the teachings of the lamb you may alwayes hear , and that you may feel his hand to knit you together , and bind you up in the bundle of life , and so to be made perfect in one , that his image you may bear who is without sin , and in his life reign over hell , and know your bodies prepared to do his will , that with one heart and minde you may serve him , and feel your increase in him , that you may grow up together into the measure of his fulnesse , whose life is perfect , pure , and holy ; and let none look back again , nor turn aside to either hand , but keep to that which leads in the way , and feel it to prepare the way before you , that out of all reasonings you may be kept , and out of all snares preserved , that so you may walk worthy , ( in the power of god ) of the high calling whereunto he hath called you , and in his power live to his praise , for god hath done wonderful things for you , and his own outstretched arm hath brought great things to passe , who hath reached unto the mighty , and brought them down from their seat , and hath exalted that of low degree , and out of bondage hath delivered you , and leads you in a way that you did not know ; go on rejoycing , and be ye faithful unto death , for the lords goodnesse goeth before you , and the everlasting rest is prepared for you , and into the good land will the lord bring you where the milk honie floweth , and the fountain of life openeth , in which strength is renewed , that there is neither wearinesse , nor faintnesse , but everlasting joy and gladnesse ; therefore be ye comforted in the lords love ye dear children of light , for the world seeth not that which god hath prepared for you , nor knowes not the food which you feed upon , for it is hid from their eyes ; but blessed are your eyes , for they see , and the things which god hath prepared for you are unto you revealed by his spirit , there be you all stayed , and wait to feel him carry on the work which in you he hath begun ; and he will make bare his arm for you , and drive out all enemies before you , and settle you in a quiet habitation , and cover you with his wing , and preserve you under his shadow , and in the kingdom prepared will he establish you , and seal an everlasting decree of peace unto you ; and this is your portion ye tender ones , who have denied your selves , and the worlds glory , and have no inheritance therein , but followes the lamb in faithfulnesse , and walks in the paths of rigteousnesse ; your portion is durable riches , and your inheritance that which never fades away ; for the kingome is everlasting , and he that reignes therein endureth for ever , and of his government there is no end . the end . the seduced soul reduced and rescued from the subtilty and slavery of satan ... by r. junius ... younge, richard. this text is an enriched version of the tcp digital transcription a67769 of text r34120 in the english short title catalog (wing y181). textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. the text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with morphadorner. the annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. this text has not been fully proofread approx. 40 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 7 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. earlyprint project evanston,il, notre dame, in, st. louis, mo 2017 a67769 wing y181 estc r34120 13807896 ocm 13807896 101999 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a67769) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 101999) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 1055:31) the seduced soul reduced and rescued from the subtilty and slavery of satan ... by r. junius ... younge, richard. 12 p. sold onely by james crump ... and by henry cripps ..., [london] : [1660] r. junius is a pseudonym for richard younge. caption title. place and date of publication suggested by wing. imperfect: pages stained. reproduction of original in the huntington library. eng salvation -early works to 1800. sin -early works to 1800. a67769 r34120 (wing y181). civilwar no the seduced soul reduced, and rescued from the subtilty, and slavery of satan, that bloody devouring dragon, and vowed enemy of all mankind. younge, richard 1654 6861 34 0 0 0 0 0 50 d the rate of 50 defects per 10,000 words puts this text in the d category of texts with between 35 and 100 defects per 10,000 words. 2005-08 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-09 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2006-03 ali jakobson sampled and proofread 2006-03 ali jakobson text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-04 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the seduced sovl reduced , and rescued from the subtilty , and slavery of satan , that bloody devouring dragon , and vowed enemy of all mankind . together with provision that none may be disappointed of their end , by mistaking their way : would men but now hearken unto christ , as they would have christ another day , hearken unto them . by r. junius , in reference to levit. 19. 17. isa. 58. 1. prov. 1. 20. to the end , and 14. 12. acts 11. 14. 1 tim. 4. 16. james 1. 21. jude 23. cyprian brings in satan , triumphing over christ in this manner ; as for my followers , saith he , i never laid down my life to redeem them , as christ hath done for his ; i never promised them so great reward , as christ hath done to his : and yet i have more followers then christ , and they do far more for me , then his do for him . and indeed , to whom we yield our selves as servants to obey , his servants we are to whom we obey ; whether of sinne unto death , or of obedience unto righteousnesse , rom ▪ 6. 16. and in case we do the devils works , we are the devils servants , as our saviour affirms , john 8. 34 , 44. again , it is the abstract of religion , to imitate him whom we worship . neither are we worthy to be called christians , except we imitate christ , and square our lives according to the rules he hath given us , luke 14. 26. 2 pet. 2. 19. 2 cor. 5. 17. 2 tim. 2. 19. who then shall compare mens lives with christs life , or those rules set down in his gospel , but must be forced with lynacre to confesse ; that either the gospel is none of christs , or very few amongst us are christians . observe it i pray , for it falls heavy on many thousands , that think they are christians beyond all exceptions . 2 but to bring this point more close , and home to mens consciences . we read , that the greatest number go the broad way to destruction , and but a few the narrow way that leadeth unto life , matth. 7. 13 , 14. that the whole world lieth in wickednesse , 1 john 5. 19. that the number of those whom satan shall deceive , is as the sand of the sea , rev. 20. 8. that many are called , and but few chosen , matth. 20. 16. & 22. 14. that though the number of the children of israel are as the sand of the sea ; yet onely a remnant of them shall be saved , rom. 9. 27. sad predictions ! how then does it concern every man of us , to be-think our selves , whether we be of that small number , and to mistrust the worst , as all wise , and sound-hearted christians use to do , matth. 26. 21 , 22. and indeed , they are texts of scripture , that would make the most in these dayes to tremble ; yea , they could not ( without gods great mercy ) but be swallowed up of their own confusion , were they not spiritually blinde and deaf , and dead . for experience shews , that amongst those that call themselves christians , scarce one of an hundred , whose knowledge , belief , and life , is answerable either to the gospel , their christian profession , or the millions of mercies they have received . yea , notwithstanding the holy ghost tels us in the word ; and we hear the same daily ; that every man shall be judged according to his works , be they good or evill , rev. 20. 13. & 22. 12. that we shall give an account at the day of judgement for every idle word we speak , matth. 12. 36. that there needs no other cause of our last and heaviest doom , then ye have not given , ye have not visited , &c. matth. 25. 41. to 46. that the righteteous shall scarcely be saved , 1 pet. 4. 18. that many shall seek to enter in at the straight gate , and shall not be able , luke 13. 24. that no unrighteous person shall inherit the kingdome of god ; but shall have their part and portion in that lake , which burneth with fire and brimstone , which is the second death , 1 cor. 6. 9 , 10. gal. 5. 21. revel. 21. 8. that except our righteousnesse exceeds the righteousnesse of the scribes and pharisees , ( who were no mean men for outward and formal performances ) we shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven , math. 5. 20. and that without holinesse , no man shall see the lord , heb. 12. 14. ( which scriptures if they be true , what manner of persons ought we to be ? in all holy conversation and godlinesse , as the apostle speaks , 2 pet. 3. 11. ) yet most men live , as if the gospel were quite contrary to the rule of the law : as if god were neither to be feared , nor car●d for : as if they were neither beholding to him , nor afraid of him , both out of his debt and danger ; yea , as if there were no god to judge , nor hell to punish , nor heaven to reward , i cannot think of it without astonishment . but to all these , let me add one thunder-bolt more out of gods artillery , which you shall finde , deut. 29. where he expresly tels us , that he will not be merciful ( i pray mark it ) unto such as flatter themselves in an evill way , but that his wrath and jealousie shall smoak against them , and every curse that is writ in his book shall light upon them , &c. vers. 19 , 20. and that if we will not regard , nor hearken unto him when he cals upon us for repentance : he will not heare nor regard us , when in our distresse and anguish we shall call upon him for mercy ; but even laugh at our destruction , and mock when our fear cometh , prov. 1. 24. to 33. neither is salvation more promised to the godly , in any part of the bible , old testament , or new , then eternal death and destruction is threatned to the wicked . for though to all repentant sinners he is a most merciful god ; yet to all wilful and impenitent sinners , he is a consuming fire , and a jealous god , heb. 12. 29. deut. 4. 24. these are dreadful threats , from the mouth of an almighty , and terrible god , who is truth it self , and cannot lie . neverthelesse , mens obdurate and adamantine hearts , brawned and hardned with the custome of sinne , will tremble and relent no more at the hearing of them , then the seates they sit on , or the stones they tread on . their supine stupidity is no more capable of excitation then the sea rocks are of motion , or the billows of compassion . they are like the catadupans , inhabitants of the cataracts , who hear not the roarings of nilus . as drums and trumpets ( we know ) and that loud rupture of the aire with ordnance , is but like soft musick to the eares of some fleshed souldiers , hardned with often successe . and the reason is , they will rather hearken to their own deceitful hearts , and believe satan , that would gull them of their soules , and plunge them into eternall torments , then they will hearken to , or believe the god of truth . and the reason of this reason is , when men reject all g●od meanes , and refuse to serve the true god , he in justice gives them over to the false to be taught , and governed by him ; for which you have an express place , 2 thes. 2. 10 , 11 , 12. and likewise an example thereof in ahab , 1 king. 22. 20. to 23. yea , how could i here inlarge ? as would you know , why many men in this , and other ages before us , have been such superlavive monsters in wickedness , as striving after perfection of evill , counting it the greatest honour to commit the greatest sinnes , and being sorry , as it were , that they could not commit a sinne beyond president , and be like their father the devill , such as blasphemous and impudent pharoah , who being bloodied with his unresisted tyranny , could belch out defiance in the face of heaven , saying , who is god ? or nicanor , who being perswaded from cruelty upon the sabbath-day , in that god had appointed it holy ; answered , if god be mighty in heaven , i am also mighty on earth : though the same tongue that spake it , was cut into little pieces and flung to the fowls : and the same hand that smote , was cut off , and hung before the temple . or as pope hildebrand , who asked the sacrament of christs body before all the cardinals , how he should destroy henry the emperour ; and having no answer , flung it into the fire , saying , co●ld the idoll gods of the heathens tell them what should succeed in their enterprizes , & canst not thou tel me ? how others could wholly spend and imploy their time , & strength , and meanes ? how they should take such pains , and be at such cost , to commit robberies , rapes , cruel murthers , treasons ? blow up whole states ? depopulate whole towns , cities , countries ? seduce millions of soules , as mahomet and the pope have done ? make open war against the church of god , as herod , antiochus , and others have done ? persecute the known truth , as julian the apostate did ? invent all new vices they could , and destroy the memory of all ancient vertues , as heliogabalus did ? make it their trade to swear and forswear , if any wil hire them , as our post● knights do ? not unlike those turkish priests , called seitie , and cagi , who for a double ducket will make a thousand false oaths before the magistrate , and take it to be no sinne , but a work deserving praise , by lies , swearing , and for-swearing , to damnifie christians what they can . or would you know why our land ( notwithstanding we excell all nations under heaven , for meanes of light and grace ) hath such monsters ? as upon an hours warning will lend jezabel an oath , to rob poor naboth of his li●e and vine-yard ? such vultures , irreligious harpies , that have consciences like a barn-door , that seldome awake but to do mischief . some men and women , that will be bawds to their own wives and daughters ? ( but , ô that the sun should shine upon her , that will sell for gain unto hell that body which she brought forth , with so much pains and danger to this earth . certainly , there was never woman more deserved to be call'd the devils dam then shee . ) why , there are some that dare the day to witnesse their ungodlinesse , and do their villanies to be seen of men ? that zim●i like , dare bring whores to their tents openly . yea , like absalom , dare spread a tent on the top of the house , and go in to their concubines in the sight of all men . i have my selfe heard a cauterized gallant boast of his lying with women of all conditions , save witches , and protest that should be his next attempt . yea , how often shall you hear old men glory of their fore-past whoredoms , boast of their homicides , cheats , and the like ? yea , if it be possible , make themselves worse then ever they were : and rather then want matter of ostentation , they will boast of the foulest vices ; for their excrements , they account ornaments , and make a scarfe of their halter . again , others there are , who like them of gibeah , judg. 19. and the sodomites , gen. 19. are not content with the common way of sinning ; but are mad with a prodigious lust ; being forth the men , that we may know them , vers. 5. let any reasonable man judge , whether they could be thus desperately wicked , if the just and true god had not for their rebellious and damnable wickednesse , in rejecting him , given them up to be ruled by the false ; namely , the god of this world , and all wicked men in it . even as a just judge having passed sentence upon some heynous malefactor , gives him up to the jaylor , or executioner , as you may see by sundry places , 2 tim. 2. 26. ephes. 2. 2. john 13. 2. acts 5. 3. 1 chron. 21. 1. gen. 3 1. to 6. rev. 2. 10. gen 3. 15. john 8. 44. & 12. 31. & 14. 30. 2 cor. 4. 4. ephes. 2. 2. but to enlarge yet more , how many amongst us have their consciences so feared up with the custome of sin , that they had rather be confounded , then reformed : that will grudge to be stayed in their way to hell ? ( whereby they become wilfull murtherers of their own souls . ) yea , they will flie upon those that shall oppose their perdition , and more then spurne at christs messengers , that are sent to save them , ( which is to strike at him , whose message they bring : ) and others so reprobate , that their utmost endeavour is , to damn others souls with their own . these are your seducing drunkards , devisers and broachers of damnable errours ; projectors of unknown villanies , exemplary leaders into wickednesse ; who jeroboam , or mahomet-like , cease not to sinne , and tempt , and damne , though they cease to live : for though they die , they leave their sinne behinde them , and that propagates , who resemble a malicious man sicke of the plague , who runs into the throng to disperse his infection ; whose sinne seems to out-weigh all penalty . others there are , that through a presumptuous confidence , think they may run upon score with satan , and sin boldly and freely , because christ is able to pay all ; so making christ a bolster , or patron of sin . yea , they will also boast , what a strong faith they have ; when yet they fall short of the very devils in believing : for they believe the threats that are written in the word , and tremble for feare , jam. 2. 19. again , others you have , so civilly righteous , that they see no need they have of a saviour : and the lesse sensible they are , the more sick they are ; for as nothing is more easily broken , then those things that are most hard : so notorious offenders are nothing so hard to be convinced and converted , as the civilly righteous , that seems to live un-reproveably . lastly , to passe by those many millions of soules , who are so invincibly ignorant , that remaining so , it is impossible they should be saved ; for they do not know wherein they have broken this or that commandement in particular ; what wicked hearts they have by nature , nor what need they have of a saviour . nor to say any thing of that , which cost the lives of so many thousand israelites , i mean murmuring , and unthankfulnesse , which is the sin of almost who not ; and such a sinne as few , even of the better sort of christians have the wit to consider . to passe by these ( i say ) how many through prejudice , so blinde their own eyes , that they will decoct everything the godly do or say into poyson : yea , they will not onely pick strawes , to put out their own eyes withall ; but they even protest against their own conversion , as esteeming , and accounting all religion , and devotion meer foolishness . yea , they will scoffe at the meanes to be saved , and make themselves merry with their own damnation : so that good counsel to them , is but offering aqua-vitae to the dead . a man would admire and wonder how mens soules should be so drowned in their senses ; how any one that is endowed with a reasonable soule , should be of so reprobate a minde , as most men are ; did not the frequency of sin take away the sense of sin . as ô how the soule , that takes a delight in lewdnesse , is gained upon by custome ▪ do not all cauterized sinners , drunkards , blasphemers , defrauders , and the like ? yea , and civill men too , account it a crime to be holy ? or to have a tender conscience ? or to be so careful to serve their redeemer ? as themselves are industrious to serve the devill , and satisfie their own hearts lusts . yea , and custome hath so bleared them , that they cannot distinguish nor discern the true visage of things . yea , the most of men amongst us so delude themselves with mistakes , and false surmises , against religion , and the religious , that piety and goodnesse is so despised ; loosenesse and prophanesse so set by , and defended , by some ignorantly , by others maliciously : and this also by reason of long custome runs so deep and strong , that wee can never look to have it mended , untill christ comes in the clouds . what this may bring upon us , onely the lord knows , and knows to prevent : but sure i am , it hath already been so long neglected , and so little opposed and laid to heart ; that it hath almost over-grown both corn and good hearbs . insomuch that the wickednesse of the greater part , hath brought such a scandall upon the better part : that our religion is even abhorred of the heathen . and how can it other , then cut the hearts of those that have felt the love of christ ? to heare him so wounded at home with oathes and blasphemies , abroad with reproaches ; who is the life of their lives , and the soul of their souls . speake we must , endeavour what we can . cry aloud , saith god , spare not , lift up thy voyce like a trumpet , and shew my people their transgressions , and the house of jacob their sins , isa. 58. 1. but alasse , little comes of it ; for let all the ministers unanimously say what can be said , blinde sensuallists will confute all that can be alleadged ; with god is merciful . and christ died for all . onely believe and thou shalt be saved ; no matter how they live : a reprobate , yet common errour : as thinking with eunomius , that faith without works will serve : insomuch that every drunken beast , and blasphemer , thinks to speed as well , and goe to heaven , as soon as the best . one mindes nothing but his cups , another nothing but his coyne , a third onely his curtizan ; yet all these promise to meet in heaven . the jewes thought we may put away our wives , we may sweare , we may hate our enemies , we may kill the prophets , subject the word of god to our traditions , and follow our own wayes . why ? abraham is our father , john 8. 39. but by their leave , christ calls them bastards , and findes out another father for them , ver. 44. ye are of your father the devill , and the lusts of you● father ye will do . prophane libertines , such as account not themselves well , but when they are doing ill . yea , the most covetous oppressors , who may say as pope leo did , i can have no place in heaven , because i have so often sold it upon earth . every man of them hopes to have bene●i● by the gospel , when they will not be tied to the least little of the law . but if christ be not our king to govern us , he will neither be our prophet to fore warn , nor our priest to exp●ate . except we forsake our sins , god will never forgive them . yea , he hath sworn by an oath , that whomsoever he redeemeth out of the hands of their spirituall enemies , shall serve him in holinesse and righteousnesse all the dayes of their lives . neither can it consist with his justice , to pardon such as continue in an evill course of life . neverthelesse , there is scarce a wicked man upon earth , but he thinks to go to heaven . but what 's the reason ? consider that , and you will cease to wonder . for what the apostle speaks , 2 cor. 3. is appliable unto all natural men . their mindes were blinded ; for untill this day remaineth the same vaile upon their hearts , un-taken aw●y in the reading of the old testament , which vail , when they shall turn to the lord , shall be taken away in christ , vers. 14 , 15 , 16. here you see they have a vail or curtain drawn over their hearts , which keeps them from the knowledge of gods word : but that 's not all ; they have so hardned their hearts with a customary sinning , even from their infancy , that a man were as good speake to a stone , as admonish them , jer. 6. 10. & 5. 3. zach. 7. 12. jude 12. ez●k. 11. 19. thirdly , the gospel is hid unto them , because the god of this world hath blinded their mindes , lest the light of the glorious gospel of christ should shine unto them , as the same apostle speaks , ●cor. 4. 3 , 4. finally , they have phraoh's curse upon them , a hard heart , and a seared conscience : so that they are no way capable of yielding to , or hearing god speak by his ambassadors , say they what they will . whence it is , that st. cyprian useth these words : it is as much lost labour ( saith he ) to preach unto men the things of god , before they are humbled with the sight of their wants , as to offer light to a blinde man , to speak to a deaf man , or to labour to make a brute beast wise . see revel. 3. 17. in the mean time thoughts of eternity never trouble them ; they are at peace with satan , the world , and their own consciences ; have made agreement with hell , and with death ; they satisfie their lusts to the full : so like men sleeping in a boat , they are carried down the stream of this world , untill they arrive at their graves-end [ death ] without once waking to be-think themselves , whether they are going [ to heaven or hell . ] they slumber , and suppose themselves good christians ; their faith is but a dream , their hope but a dream , and so of their obedience and whole religion , all is but a dream . they have repentance in conceit , they serve god well in conceit ; and they shall , if they look not to it , goe to heaven onely in conceit , or in a dream , and never awake , until they feel themselves in the burning lake . for he that makes a bridge of his own shadow , how can he choose but fall into the water . in which case , what heart would it not make to bleed , that hath any christian blood in his veins , to see what multitudes there are that go blindfold to destruction , and no man offer to stop or check them ; before they arrive there , from whence there is no redemption . i remember st. bernard useth these words ; had we stood by , saith hee , when adam was between the perswasion of his wife , and the precept of his god , when the one said , adam eate , and the other said , adam eate not ; for if thou dost , thou shalt die the death , and all thy posterity . had it been an ill office to have cryed out , and said , ô adam , take heed what thou dost ! or would he have had cause to complain of being prevented ? i trow not , yea , i think it had been a seasonable piece of high friendship , and none can deny it . i remember also what a merchant once did ; he comes to his friend upon the exchange , and fals to boxing him , with these words ; i have often enough told you of your whoring , but you will never leave it . know you not , that it will p●ove your ruine in the end ? 〈…〉 h●ld to be a little crackt in brain , & perhaps you will think 〈…〉 often times , from the rarest and quickest agitations of 〈…〉 the most distempered and out-ragious frenzies , there want●●g 〈…〉 a pegs turne to passe from the one to the other : so in mad mens 〈…〉 see how fitly folly suiteth , and meets with the strongest operation 〈…〉 . yea , who knows not , how un-perceivable the neighbour-hood is between folly , and the liveliest elevations of some mens wits . and indeed , when i consider , how our carnal friends will curse us ( when they come in hell ) that we did not our utmost endeavour to stop them . i could afford to lay hands upon a drunkard , a blasphemer , or a murtherer to stay 〈◊〉 , from the evill he is going to commit . yea , to kneel down upon my knees , and beg of him , that he would not so desperately damn his own soul . and indeed could , a man save his friends soule by so doing ( as possibly he might , jude 23. jam. 5. 26. 1 tim. 4. 16. ) he needed not much to care , though the world reputed him a mad man , or spent their verdicts on him . o my brethren think of it , before it be too late ! and seriously consider what one soule is worth , and what you would take to be in that condition with them , as you were once . ( for i speak to enlightened souls ) yea , how should not the very thought of it , make all that are got out of satans clutches , to plot , study , and contrive all they can , to draw others of their brethren after them ? we read , that andrew was no sooner converted , and 〈…〉 christs disciple , but instantly he drew others after him to the same faith , john 1. 41. and the like of philip , vers. 45. and of the woman of samaria , john 4. 28. to 41. and of peter , luke 22. 32. acts 2. 41. and 3 chap. & 4. 4. and so of all the apostles . yea , moses so thirsted after the salvation of israel ; that rather then he would be saved without them , he desired the lord to blot him out of the book of life , exod. 32. 32. and paul to this purpose saith , i could wish my self to be separated from christ , for my brethren , that are my kinsmen according to the flesh : meaning the jewes , rom. 9. 3. and indeed , all heavenly hearts are charitable . neither are we of the communion of saints , if we desire not the blessednesse of others ; it being an inseparable adjunct , or relative to grace ; for none but a cain will say , am i my brothers keeper ? yea , where the heart is thankful , and inflamed with the love of god , and our neighbour ; this will be the principal aime : as by ●y si●s , and bad example , i have drawn others from god ; so now i will 〈…〉 i can , draw others with my selfe to god . saul converted , will build up as fast , as ever he plucked downe ; and preach as zealously as ever ●e persecuted , and we are no what thankful for our own salvation ▪ if we do not look with charity and pity upon the grosse mis-opinions , and mis-prisions of others , and at least do something for the saving of those poor , ignorant , & impotent wretches , that are neither able nor willing to help themselves . neither needs there ( as one would think ) any spurring or prompting of the thankful or charitable to this duty . and what though we cannot do what we would ? yet we must labour to do what we can to win others ; not to deserve by it , but to expresse our thanks . besides , it were very dishonourable to christ not to do so : did you ever know , that wicked men , thieves , drunkards , adulterers , persecutors , false prophets , or the like , would be damned alone ? no , they mis-lead all they can , as desiring to have com-panions . yea , the tharisees would take great pains , compasse sea and land , to make others twofold more the children of hell then themselves , as our saviour expresly witnesseth , matth. 23. 15. which may cast a brush upon our cheeks , who are nothing so industrious to win souls to god . therefore what a worldling would do , to get himselfe an hundred pounds , that a christian should do to win a soule to christ : or he is unthankful to his redeemer , that hath done , and suffered so much for him . but i have known a very small matter , ( with gods blessing upon the meanes ) as the lending of a book to an acquaintance , or towling him to hear an efficacious sermon , prove the saving of his soul . and that hath been a greater cause of rejoycing to both parties ; then others have , when their corn and their wine increaseth , psalm 4. 7. weak means shall serve the turne , where god inten●s successe . even a word seasonably spoken ( god blessing it ) like a rudder , sometimes steers a man quite into another course . antiocl●us by hearing from a poor man , all the faults which he and his favourites had committed , carried himself most vertuously ever after . antoninus amended his future life and manners , by onely hearing what the people spake of him . the very crowing of a cock occasioned peters repentance . augustine , that famous doctor , was converted , by onely reading that text , rom. 13. 13. let us walke honestly , as in the day-time , &c. learned junius , with reading the first chapter of saint johns gospel , was wonne to the faith of christ . and melancthon much a●ter the same manner . i have read of two famous strumpets , that were suddenly converted , by this onely argument , that god seeth all things , even in the dark , when the doors are shut , and the curtains drawn . bilneys confession , converted latimer : yea , ad●i●nus was not onely converted , but became a martyr too , by onely hearing a martyr at the stake alleadg that text , eye hath not seen , nor eare heard , &c. 1 cor. 2 9. yea , even those iewes that crucified the son of god , were converted by hearing those few words of peter , acts 2. and it pleased god , when i , my self , was in as hopelesse a condition , as any ; that a poor mans perswading me to leave reading of poetry , and fall upon the bible , was a meanes of changing my heart , before i had read out genesis , being but twenty years of age . whom i more blesse god for , then for my parents , from whom i received life . and this ( because i know no better way , to expresse my thankfulnesse to him , who hath freed me from frying in hell-flames , for ever and ever ; then by endeavouring to win others from satans standard to christs ) makes me doe the like to others . and that is by giving and lending well-chosen books , fit and proper for the parties condition , whether he be meerly civill , or vicious ; a scoffer , swearer , excessive drinker , miser , oppressor , prodigal , or the like . and have sometimes found the same so succesful , that it hath put me upon a more generall , and publique piece of service , that may extend it self to thousands , if men have but halfe that affection to spirituall , and eternall riches , namely , wisdome , grace , and glory ; as they have to temporary , and transitory . i know well , that a great many will spend more time and money in an alehouse in one day , then in gods service , or upon their souls , in many moneths . yea , ( as if the best part : were least to be cared for . ) how many thousands will bestow more upon their very hair , or upon a needlesse , indian wanton weed , in one moneth , then upon god , and their souls in a whole yeare . a signe how they love him , who laid down his life to redeem them ! and how wise , and thankfull they are , though these also dream they are good christians , true protestants ; and perhaps are so accounted by the most . as he that hath but one eye , may be king amongst the blinde , and the commonnesse of offenders , may even benumbe the sense of offending . and i take this their little regard of god , their owne soules , and honesty withal , not onely to be the cause of mens prospering no better , but likewise of their sadnesse , complaining , melancholy , and discontent , ( as one of these two ( poverty , or melancholy , ) is commonly the lot of every impenitent person . ) for how should they have merry hearts , that have not good consciences . but all are not alike , ●linde , sensuall , ingratefull : for though some by losse of conscience , are become atheists ; and by loss of reason , beasts ; and though they that have no reason , will hear none , ( whereof you have a lively instance or president , at the conclusion of this discourse , purposely set there to be sunn'd and scorn'd ) yet others there are , will be more ingenuous , i meane , they have not been too long sick to be recovered ; to whom a word or two by way of advice . such therefore as had not rather live in the darknesse of egypt , then in the light of goshen : such as would not ( with those foolish virgins , matth. 25. ) lose their inheritance , to save charge of the conveyance . and ( with that rich fool , luke 12. ) be disappointed of their end , by mistaking their way , let them at least , lay out the third part of a shilling upon these three new books . an experimental index of the heart . a short and sure way to grace and salvation . the tryal of true wisdome . as treating upon the most needful subjects , and being purposely projected and contrived for their eternall wel-fare , that are altogether mindlesse of their own : and possible it is , that many thereby may receive more good , then at present they have the wit to wish for , or desire : it being sage , seasonable , and wholsome instruction , to prevent destruction . and that no man may imagine it a matter of benefit : the projector ( contrary to other projectors ) will not onely lose thereby ; but in case any shall repent their bargain , the venders of them ( henry cripps in popes-head alley , and iames crump in little bartholmews well-yard ) shall return them their money when they please . a charge drawn up against drunkards , in a clearer print , that themselves also may read it . the drunkard is a strange chymaera , more prodigious then any monster ; being in visage a man , but a brotheus : in heart , a swine : in head , a cephalus : in tongue , an aspe : in belly , a lump : in appetite , a leech : in sloth , an ignavus : a ierff , for excessive devouring ; a goat , for lust ; a syrene , for flattery ; a hyaena , for subtilty ; a panther , for curelty . in envying , a basiliske : in antipathy to all good , a lexus : in hindering others from good , a remora ; in life , a salamander ; in conscience , a ostrich ; in spirit , a devill ; 1 in surpassing others in sin . 2 in tempting others to sin . 3 in drawing others to perdition . even the most despicable piece of all humanity , and not worthy to be reckoned among the creatures which god made . these being small picces , are sold onely by james crump , in little bartholmews , wel-yard ; and by henry cripps , in popes-head alley . finis . the characters of divine revelation a sermon preached at st. martins in the fields, march 4. 1694/5 : being the third of the lecture for the ensuing year, founded by the honourable robert boyle, esquire / by john williams ... williams, john, 1636?-1709. 1695 approx. 41 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 19 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2005-12 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a71259 wing w2696 estc r1810 12497393 ocm 12497393 62561 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a71259) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 62561) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 951:73 or 1110:1) the characters of divine revelation a sermon preached at st. martins in the fields, march 4. 1694/5 : being the third of the lecture for the ensuing year, founded by the honourable robert boyle, esquire / by john williams ... williams, john, 1636?-1709. boyle, robert, 1627-1691. [4], 32 p. printed for ri. chiswell, and tho. cockerill ..., london : 1695. half-title (p. [1]) reads: dr. williams's third sermon at mr. boyle's lecture, 1695. "imprimatur" (p. [2]) dated and signed: march 6. 1694/5. guil. lancaster. errata: p. 32. duplicate copies appear on reels 951 and 1110. reproduction of original in the huntington library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng bible. -n.t. -hebrews i, 1-2 -sermons. revelation -sermons. salvation -sermons. sermons, english -17th century. 2005-01 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-03 spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images 2005-04 mona logarbo sampled and proofread 2005-04 mona logarbo text and markup reviewed and edited 2005-10 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion d r williams's third sermon at mr. boyle's lecture , 1695. imprimatur , march 6. 1694 / 5. guil. lancaster . the characters of divine revelation . a sermon preached at st. martins in the fields , march 4. 1694 / 5. being the third of the lecture for the ensuing year , founded by the honourable robert boyle , esquire . by john williams , d. d. chaplain in ordinary to his majesty . london : printed for ri. chiswell , and tho. cockerill : at the rose and crown in st. paul's church-yard ; and at the three legs in the poultrey . m dc xc v. heb. i. 1 , 2. god who at sundry times , and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets , hath in these last days spoken unto us by his son. in these words there is , ( as i have shewed ) i. a description given of revelation , 't is god's speaking , or declaring his will to mankind . ii. the certainty of it ; 't is by way of declaration , god who at sundry times , and in divers manners spake , &c. 't is taken for granted , and that it needs no proof . iii. the order observed in delivering this revelation ; it was at sundry times , and in divers manners ; in time past by the prophets , and in the last days by his son. iv. the perfection and conclusion of all ; 't is in the last days by his son. under the first i have shewed , 1. what is meant by revelation , in contradistinction to natural light. 2. the possibility of it . 3. the expedience , usefulness , and necessity of it . under the second i have shewed , 1. the certainty of it ; or that there has been such a revelation . 2. i shall now proceed to shew the difference between pretended and true revelation ; or what are the characters by which we may know revelation to be true. in treating upon which , i shall premise , 1. that the proper subject-matter of revelation , called here god's speaking , being not self-evident , and out of the road of nature , requires some extraneous principles to prove it by . sensible objects lye open to the sense , and need no proof ; for who ever thought it necessary to labour in proving there is a sun in the heavens ; that it rises and sets , and has its stated times and periods of revolution ; which every man that has his eye-sight knows and sees as well as himself ? and there are rational inferences which we make from precedent postulata , that are as evident as the principles from which they are deduced , and which all men alike agree in . but in matters of mere revelation , there is no manner of connection between them and what we know before , and are therefore never to be wrought out , or learned by the book of nature or reason ; but are only to be understood and known , as god is pleased to communicate them . we might search and search eternally , and yet never have found out the mystery of our redemption ; that mystery which not only the prophets enquired and searched diligently , 1 pet. 1.10 . but also the angels desire to look or pry into , ver . 12. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ; and were obliged to wait till the manifold wisdom of god was in its proper time made known to them by the church , eph. 3.10 . ( as has been before suggested ) . this then being the subject of revelation , 't is reasonable that this revelation should have some other ways of proof ; that what is thus divine in its discovery , should have a suitable evidence to justify it . 2. the matter of revelation being thus of divine inspiration and authority , must also be worthy of god , and of great importance , and consequently requires a proof suitable to the nature and importance of it . if the matter in debate be inconsiderable , we are contented with probable arguments , nor are we much concerned which way it is determined : as 't is indifferent whether the sun or the earth be the centre , as long as we receive the benefit of both : or whether our diet nourishes , or physick operates by qualities , or the texture of its parts , as long as we find the happy effects of it : let philosophers and naturalists write volumes , and wrangle eternally about these disputable points , i find not my self concerned , as long as my interest is not affected nor concerned in the quarrel . but when the matter is of no less consequence than my eternal happiness , it requires the most serious thoughts and attention to be satisfied which is the right , and which the wrong ; whether there be a revelation , or which is the true , and which the false ; especially since there are different pretenders to it . 3. revelation being the declaration of god's will to mankind , as he doth not require us to believe without sufficient evidence , so it doth suppose that there is such evidence , and that there are some marks or signs by which the truth and certainty of such revelation may be known and proved . for otherwise every pretender to revelation would challenge our belief ; and we should not know but that the true revelation might be the false , and the false the true. 4. there are some things so necessary and inseparably belonging to revelation , that the want of them will utterly overthrow the veracity and authority of it , and yet without further evidence they are not sufficient to prove it : of this kind are self-agreement , a consonancy to the principles of nature , and to the true and certain notions of mankind concerning good and evil. we are certain if a revelation fails in any one or more of these , that it is false , and not of divine inspiration : for the light of nature , and a true and right notion of things , are from god ; and to suppose a revelation to be opposite to these , is to make god contradict himself . thus if we understand any thing , we know god to be infinitely good and holy , worthy of the profoundest and most solemn adoration , because of the perfections of his nature , and his good will and beneficence to mankind . and therefore to sacrifice men and children , and to mingle the most impure and ludicrous practices with the worship paid to him , is rather an offering to be presented to the most beastly and savage daemons , than the holy and merciful creator of all things ; and consequently cannot be of his institution . in this case a contradiction in the nature of things , would be like a contradiction in terms , or a contradiction in the revelation it self . and therefore a revelation that shall evidently contradict them , is a revelation in pretence only , it is not divine . but tho these are thus necessary to revelation , that the want of them is sufficient to detect what is false ; yet however it will not follow , that whereever these are [ that because a sum of doctrine agrees with it self , is consonant to the light of nature , and the right notion we have of things ] that it is therefore of divine revelation . for tho it is seldom but the imposture fails in one or more of these , yet it may have all these characters , and be a doctrine of men , of human contrivance and composure . and therefore there is somewhat farther requisite to the proof of a revelation , somewhat peculiar to it , and that so belongs to it , as not to be common to any thing with it . and that is a point i shall now take into consideration . toward the clearer proof of which i shall distribute it after a threefold manner . 1. i shall consider the case of such as were themselves inspired , and to whom the revelation was made , and how they could be satisfied of the truth of such a revelation . 2. the case of those that received the matter revealed immediately from the persons inspired , and how they were to judge of the truth of such a revelation . 3. the case of those that lived in ages remote from that of the inspired persons , and after that the revelation was compleated , ( as was the case of the jews more especially that lived between the time of malachi , and john the baptist ; and as the case is of all christians since the apostolical times ) and what satisfaction and evidence may there be expected in those circumstances . 1. the case of those that received the revelation ; and how they themselves could be satisfied about the certainty of such a revelation . the resolution of this point belongs in part to the third general , under which the difference remains to be shewed between a revelation and imagination . but i shall not wholly refer it thither . there seems to be so near an affinity between revelation and imagination ; and imagination is so far operative in many branches of inspiration , that 't is very difficult to set out the bounds exactly , and to say , this is of divine inspiration , and this the effect of fancy . but whatever it may seem to us that have no sensation or experience of such divine representations as the prophets had ; and so 't is no more possible for us to describe it , than 't is for one that never had his sight , to conceive what light and colour is : yet as the blind man may be convinced that there are such things as light , colour , figure , and sight , by what he hears and observes from those that are about him , and that he converses with : so we may be as well assured that there was in prophetical schemes that powerful representation on the part of the divine agent , and that clearness of perception on the part of the person inspired , as would abundantly make good those phrases of vision and speaking , by which it is described in scripture ; and which may well be supposed as much more to advantage , as the power that operated upon them was beyond that of mere imagination . so that those inspired persons after such illumination , might as well question what they heard or saw by the natural organs of sense , as doubt of what was revealed to them by the impressions made upon them through the agency of the divine spirit . to deny this , is to deny that god can so communicate himself to an intelligent creature , that the creature shall certainly know that it proceeds from his immediate suggestion ; which i have before shewed it is unreasonable to question : and indeed what is no more to be questioned or denied because we our selves have no experience of it , than the blind from their birth can reasonably question or deny there is what we call light and colour ; or the deaf , that there are sounds , voices , and words , because they have no notion or idea of these things . now if we think it reasonable that the deaf and the blind should notwithstanding a natural inaptitude and incapacity in themselves , assent to what all mankind besides do unanimously aver , and not call in question the truth or possibility of what is thus affirmed , because of their want of sensation : so it is not fit or reasonable to think this way of revelation never was , and cannot be , because we have not an experimental knowledge of such a manifestation . for almighty god can so clarify the understanding by a beam of light let in from above , as shall be as evident a proof of its divine original , as it is that the light proceeds from the sun the fountain of it ; or as a person himself is sure of the truth of any proposition , which by an argument before unthought of , or unconsider'd , he comes to be fully convinced of , in spight of all former prejudices and opinions . so little truth or reason is there in a bold assertion of a certain author , that revelation is uncertain , and never certain without a sign : and therefore , saith he , abraham , moses , and gideon , asked a sign , over and above revelation . but it is far from being true , that those persons therefore desired a sign , because they conceived the revelation to be uncertain , or that they doubted of the truth of it ; but as a sign was for the greater confirmation of their faith , in some points difficult to be believed , or in some very difficult services , ( for faith , as other graces , is capable of addition and improvement ) . in which cases their asking a sign is no more an evidence of their distrust of god , or a doubting of the truth and certainty of the revelation , than god's confirming his promise by an oath , was an evidence that he thought not his word sufficient without it ; or than abraham could be supposed not obliged to believe upon a promise alone , without that superabundant confirmation of an oath , heb. 6.17 . thus it was even in the case of that holy patriarch , to which this author refers ; where before ever he asked a sign , he is said to have so believed in the lord , that it was counted to him for righteousness , gen. 15.6 , 8. his faith was highly commended , and he is for that reason called the father of the faithful . so that revelation may be certain when there is no sign ; and the person was bound to believe it , and was obliged by it , as well where there was no sign , as where there was . i grant when the revelation comes at second hand to a person , and rests on human testimony , on the ability and sincerity of the relater , or person supposed to be inspired , there needs some farther evidence , some sign or signs , that are to be , as it were , the credentials from heaven ; since all men are liars , psal. 116.11 . that is , may be deceived , or may deceive ; may either be so weak as to be imposed upon by their own imagination , or the imposture and practices of evil spirits ; or be so wicked , as under the pretence of revelation and inspiration , to impose upon others . in such a case , no man's affirmation or pretence is ordinarily to be heeded , further than as he is able to produce such testimonies as are really as divine as he would have his revelation accounted to be . but when a person is himself the recipient to whom the revelation is imparted , there is no absolute need of a sign or further evidence to ascertain the truth of it to him ; when if god so pleases , the revelation of it self might be made as clear as it could be made by the sign . what need is there of a sign to prove that it is day , when by the light of it we see every thing about us ? or to justify the truth of a self-evident proposition ? these are things in their own nature that need no proof . and when a revelation has an evidence of its own , as truth has , it needs no other light to discover it , no further sign to prove it , for its own sake , and as to the person to whom the revelation is made . a sign therefore makes no alteration in the evidence ; for whether with a sign , or without a sign , the revelation is to be believed ; for else they that had a revelation without a sign , were not obliged to believe , and the revelation without the sign had in effect been no revelation ; since no one is obliged to believe , where there is no reason for it ; and there is no reason for it , where there is no evidence , or that evidence not sufficient . so that if it be asked , how a person shall himself be satisfied concerning the certainty of a revelation made to him , it will receive the same answer with that , how he shall be satisfied concerning the truth of a proposition , or a self-evident proposition ; for the further proof of which god may work a miracle , and give a sign , but the thing is the proof of it self . but however , suppose a person never so well satisfied in what he calls revelation , and that in his own opinion he is as sure of it as of his own being and existence ; yet what is this to others , that are concerned in that revelation , if it be true , and as much bound to believe it , and be directed by it , as if they themselves had been in the place of that inspired person , and received it as he did , immediately from god ? this brings us to the second case . 2. the case of those that did not themselves receive that revelation immediately from god , but from the person or persons inspired : and then the question is , how these are to judge of the truth of that revelation ? a revelation to another , how evidently and convincingly soever it may be represented to him , is nothing to me , unless i am fully assured that he has had such a revelation : but that i cannot be assured of , unless it be by the like immediate revelation , or by sufficient and uncontroulable testimony . but it would be an unreasonable motion to demand that we be alike inspired , and have the same revelation to confirm his revelation ; for that would be as if one that was born blind should obstinately refuse to believe there is a sun in the firmament , or day , or sight , unless he has the same visive faculty with those that do affirm it . it might then as reasonably be required with thomas , that we see the print of the nails , and put our hand into the side , and have all actually brought home to our senses , or else we will remain infidels , and not believe . this would be to drive all faith out of the world , and so it would be unpracticable . we must then take the case for granted , and that it is as reasonable for us to believe , where there are sufficient motives of credibility , as if we were alike actually inspired as they to whom the revelation was immediately conveyed . and here let us place our selves in those circumstances , as if we were to judge of the truth or falshood of a revelation ; and consider what we our selves would in reason desire for our own satisfaction , when the persons to whom this revelation is made , stand ready to give it . and if i mistake not in judging for others by what i my self would desire , it may be resolved , 1. into the veracity , sincerity , and credibility of the persons pretending to inspiration . 2. into the matter or subject of revelation . 3. into the testimony produced for it . 1. the credibility of the person ; by which we understand his probity and sincerity ; his capacity , prudence , and understanding , which render him worthy of credit , and are meet and necessary qualifications for a divine missionary . the being a prophet to others , ( as those are to whom a revelation is made , and that are inspired by almighty god ) so as to teach and direct them in the stead , as it were , of god , whose mouth and representatives they are unto the people , is an office of great dignity , and requires somewhat of the divine image as well as authority , to recommend them and their message to others ; and therefore prophets and holy men are in scripture frequently put together , 2 pet. 1.21 . matth. 13.17 . implying that none were fit to be employed in so sacred an office , that were not persons of known probity , and approved integrity . i grant in the ordinary cases , as there were prophets bred up in the schools or nurseries of learning and morality , there might be such persons as were employed without a strict regard had to these qualifications , as messengers that carried an errand by the order of their superiour ; as 2 kings 9.1 . i grant again , that god might and did sometimes upon some occasions , inspire such persons as had none of these qualifications to recommend them ; as he did balaam : but then this was no more than when god opened the mouth of the ass , to rebuke the madness of that prophet ; and who was so over-ruled by the divine power , as against his will to bless those whom he came to curse ; which was so much the more considerable , as it was the testimony of an enemy . but as revelation is a divine communication , and a mark of divine favour , so it doth suppose in the nature of it , that the person so dignified is duly qualified for it ; and which is so requisite in the opinion of mankind , that without it he would rather be accounted an impostor , than a messenger from god , and ordinarily have no more reverence paid to his errand than to his person . and what has been thus said in general , as to the morality and virtue of persons inspired , will hold in some degree as to their prudence and understanding , which is so necessary a qualification , that the divine election of persons for so peculiar a sevice , doth in that way either find or make them fit . it is no wonder that a late author maintains revelation to be uncertain , when he saith that the prophets were not endued with a more perfect understanding than others , but only with a more vivid power of imagination ; and that the wisest of men , such as solomon , and heman , &c. were not prophets , but contrariwise rusticks , and untaught persons , and even despicable women , such as hagar . for if these and such as these were the only persons employed in the messages of heaven to mankind , and whom all the revelation center'd in , there would be no improbable grounds of suspicion that they were mis-led into such an opinion , by the fascination of a working imagination , and so it would be fancy , and not revelation . but what thinks he of moses , a person acquainted with all the learning of the egyptians , and richly accomplished with all endowments requisite to compleat a governor of a numerous people , and to consolidate them into a settled constitution ; and therefore has the preference given him to all the most famous and ancient lawgivers , by plato , pythagoras , diodorus siculus , & c. ? what thinks he of joshua , that was bred up under the best instructor , and that knew the art of government and conduct in peace and war ? what of samuel , that from his youth , and even childhood indeed , commenced a prophet , and was also the judge of the whole nation in unsettled and perilous times , acts 3.24 . 13.20 . ? what of david , justly called a prophet , acts 2.30 . and whose writings shew him to excel in all manner of poetry and sublime composures ? what , lastly , of solomon himself , to whom , it 's said , the lord appeared twice , 1 kings 11.9 . in a more eminent manner ; and at other times , 1 kings 3.5 . 6.12 . 9.2 . 11.11 . ? and if at other times god ( who is not confin'd in his choice or operations to the capacity of instruments ) was pleased to reveal himself to , and employ such rusticks and illiterate persons as amos , and afterward the apostles , he gave them a mouth and wisdom , luke 21.15 . and endued them with such extraordinary gifts of elocution and magnanimity , as made them fit to appear before kings , and to confront the wisest of philosophers , so as that of the apostle was abundantly verified in them , 1 cor. 1.25 , &c. that the foolishness of god is wiser than men , and the weakness of god is stronger than men , &c. but it is not only requisite that the persons to whom the revelation is made , and that are employ'd in delivering that revelation to others , be wise and cautious , such as are capable of discerning , and not apt to be imposed upon ; but it is as requisite that they be faithful and sincere , and that will not impose upon others . for otherwise the more knowing they are , the more able are they by plausible insinuations and pretences to deceive . and what greater evidence of this can be desired , than when the persons inspired live by the best rules , as well as give them ? what greater evidence , than when for the sake of publishing , propagating , and confirming the truth of what they teach , they deny themselves of all the pleasures , profits , and honours of this present life ; when though they knew before hand , that bonds and tribulation abide them , yet none of these things move them , neither count they their lives dear unto them ; but with admirable patience , resolution , and constancy , expose themselves to the utmost severities , for the hope of such reward as they propose for their own and the encouragement of others ? what greater testimonies can be given of their sincerity , and if not of the truth , yet of their own belief of it ? who could with such chearfulness invite the greatest dangers , and with such a brave magnanimity despise all the threatnings of the most potent adversaries , and run the gantelope , as it were , through the most formidable persecutions , without the least demur or haesitation , if they themselves were not abundantly and fully convinced of the truth , excellency , and necessity of that doctrine they were thus commission'd to teach ? if these are not sincere , there is no sincerity in the world . so that as far as the credibility of the persons is a proof of a revelation ; and so far as the wisdom , probity , and sincerity of persons , are a proof of their credibility ; we have an evidence to rest upon , and a character to try the truth of a revelation by . the 2 d. proof in this case , desirable and necessary toward a satisfaction , is the subject-matter of it ; i mean that which runs as it were a vein through the whole body of revelation . there are some revelations which concern particular persons or families , as that of the angel to hagar , concerning ishmael and his posterity , which neither made her a prophet , nor were strictly of concernment to the rest of the world . but when we enquire after the matter of revelation , it is principally the main subject of it , such as the law of moses in the old testament , and the gospel in the new. and here it may be reasonably expected , that the revelation should be worthy of god , as it is a revelation from him ; and what should be for the advantage , satisfaction , and happiness of mankind , as it is a revelation to them . it is to be worthy of god , and what would become him to speak , dictate , and do , if he were himself to speak , dictate , and act . in all relations and descriptions there is a certain decorum to be observed , with respect to the nature , condition , and circumstances of the things related and described , which makes up what is called symetry and proportion . but above all a due regard is to be had hereunto , in the ideas and notions we entertain , or the representations we make of god , that they may be agreeable to the dignity and perfections of his nature . and if in all our conceptions of the divine being such a scrupulous care is to be taken , that we judge not amiss of his nature , will , and operations ; we cannot but suppose that in the revelation of himself to mankind , he who best and only knows himself , will give such a representation of those , as is suitable to his majesty and authority ; and may ingenerate in the minds of men such an awe , reverence , and regard , as is due from finite , created , and imperfect beings , to him that is infinite , uncreated , and in all points absolutely perfect . there we may well expect to find the most lively characters of the divine perfections , as far as we are capable of conceiving ; where justice and power are set forth in all their authority , and yet so temper'd with his mercy and kindness , as shall as well raise and quicken the hopes , attract the love , and establish the comfort of good men , as administer matter of just terror to the wicked . there we may suppose the mysteries of the divine counsels unlocked , and the beauties and harmony of the divine providence illustrated and described , as far as god's government of the world , and the condition of mankind in it will permit . there we may expect to find the best principles , rules , and precepts , to inform and direct us in what we are to know and do ; the best arguments and motives for our encouragement , and the best means for the purifying and the perfecting of our natures , and the making us as happy as we are capable ; and which shall as much exceed what we find in the moralists , as revelation is above nature , and the dictates of almighty god are beyond the prescripts of human wisdom . such , in fine , as will lead us to god , make us like to him , and fit us for the enjoyment of him . so that as much as virtue makes for the good , perfection , and happiness of men , so much should revelation make for the practice of virtue by its principles and rules , its precepts and its arguments . lastly , there we may expect to be satisfied about the chief subjects of human enquiry , of what mankind would not only desire , but what is best and most necessary for them to know . and what is there more material , and of greater importance , than to be satisfied about the origine of all things , and how they came at first to be ? what more desirable , than since god is infinitely good , and consequently could produce nothing that is in it self evil , than to know how the nature of mankind came to be corrupted ; and that where there is such a clear sense of the difference between good and evil , such convictions following that sense , such memento's , and such presignifications , such reflections upon it , that there should be such a potent sway , bent and propension to evil , that with all their care it can never be prevented , or totally exterminated ? what more desirable , than to know what nature and reason of it self is insufficient for [ when we can get no further than a video meliora proboque , &c. in the apostle's language , the good that i would , i do not ; but the evil which i would not , that i do ] may be otherwise effected ; that these inclinations may be subdued , and nature brought to a regular state ? what more desirable , than to know how after all , god may be appeased , forgiveness may be obtained , and that heavy load upon human nature , arising from the guilt of a man's mind , may be removed ? lastly , what more desirable , than to know the certainty and condition of a future state , and how we may attain to the happiness of it ? these and the like , used to be the prime questions which all , and especially the most thoughtful and considerate part of mankind sought , but in vain , for satisfaction in . and therefore since revelation is to make up the defects of natural light , and is as well for the satisfaction of mankind , as to be worthy of god , we may reasonably expect that these should be the chief subject of such revelation . and a revelation without this , that should leave mankind in the same circumstances of ignorance and dissatisfaction as they were in before such revelation , is no more to be esteemed , than that course of physick , which after all pretences to infallibility , leaves a person as much under the power of his disease , as before he followed those prescriptions : it is no revelation , and can have no pretence to such a venerable title . but when the subject is great , noble , and sublime , thus worthy of god , and thus beneficial to mankind : when there is an exact concord between the principles of nature and reason , and that all falls in with the true and just notion we have of things . when there is an harmony through the whole , we have good reason to say , this , if any , is the revelation . and as far as these characters belong to revelation , so much reason have we to believe the matter of scripture to be such ; as i shall afterwards shew , when i come to examine the revelation of scripture by these characters . 3. it would be very desirable toward the confirmation of a revelation , and for the satisfaction of those that are required to believe it , that there be an evidence and testimony as extraordinary , as the matter revealed is , and the authority it rests upon ; such as the one is , such in reason ought the other to be : and that is divine attestation . a divine attestation i account that to be , which exceeds the power , and is out of the road of nature ; for nothing less can change the course , and alter the law of nature , but that which is above nature , and gave law to it ; and it must be somewhat above nature , that can be a sufficient witness to what is supernatural . and this may justly be required to justify the truth of a revelation , and to distinguish it from enthusiasm and imposture . for when the case is such as moses puts it , exod. 4.1 , &c. they will not believe me , nor hearken to my voice ; for they will say , the lord hath not appeared unto thee ; there needs somewhat beyond a bare affirmation , to support the credit of the revelation , and the authority of him that pretends to it . and accordingly , he was endued with a power of working miracles , that , saith the text , they may believe that the god of their fathers , abraham , isaac , and jacob , hath appeared to thee . a sort of evidence ( as that implies ) that is very necessary , and what may reasonably be demanded ; and which is a proof of the highest nature , and what as all ordinarily can judge of , being a matter of sense , so where it is true , what we are to be concluded by . the first thing then required and to be considered , is the reality of the thing , that there is such an alteration in the course and state of nature , which our own senses will inform us in . the next thing is , that this alteration cannot proceed from any natural or created cause ; ( for that would be to set nature above it self . ) the last thing is , that this alteration in nature is brought about for such an end , and is solely for the sake of that revelation , and to give testimony to it . where this is , there is the finger of god , and an infallible proof of the truth and certainty of what it is to witness to . now let us lay all this together , and see what it amounts to ; viz. the capacity , ability , and integrity of the persons to whom this revelation is made ; the unanimity and consent of persons remote and distant in time and place ; the usefulness and reasonableness , the excellency , sublimity , and perfection of the doctrine they taught ; the testimony given to them by such operations and productions as exceed the power of created causes , and are wholly from the supreme . where these are concurring , and with one mouth , as it were , giving in their evidence , we may say it is the voice of god , and that it is his revelation which carries upon it the conspicuous stamp of his authority . for god cannot be supposed to bear witness to a falshood , and to set up that as a light to direct men in their enquiry , which is no other than an ignis fatuus , and tends to their unavoidable amusement and deception . but supposing those that were cotemporaries with inspired persons , had all these concurring evidences for their satisfaction , yet what is this to those that live in times distant and remote from them , and have it only by tradition of persons uninspired ; or as contained in certain books said to be wrote by persons inspired ? this brings me to the last point , which is , 3. the case of those that live in after-ages , when inspiration is not pretended to , and miracles have ceased , and so want those advantages for their satisfaction , which they that were coetaneous with inspired persons , might receive ; and yet being obliged alike to believe as the other , must be supposed to have sufficient authority and proof for what they are to believe . and then the question is , what is that evidence which will be sufficient for them to ground their belief upon ? i answer 1. that if such have all the evidence that can be in their circumstances , they have what is sufficient , and what is to be presumed necessary . the evidence is sufficient , if it proves there were persons so inspired ; that in confirmation of it they wrought miracles ; and that those persons wrote certain books which contain the records of those revelations and miracles ; and which books are the same that now go under their name . and if they have all the evidence for this that in their circumstances can be reasonably demanded , they have that which is sufficient . and what evidence can be given of matters transacted 1600 years ago , but testimony , and what is usually called moral evidence ? a way of proof that is as certain as that we our selves were born , and born of such parents , at such a time ; and that there is any such thing as faith and trust in mankind . 2. tho these of after-ages want the evidence those cotemporaries of inspired persons had ; yet they have some advantages above them . for they have not only the concurrent evidence of all before them , and the reasons of their judgment that have been downwards from those times , the most considerable part of mankind for wisdom and impartial consideration ; but having lived to see the whole scheme of revelation compleated , and at once plac'd in their view , 1. they can by that means compare one part with the other , and see how all agrees , and makes up one entire and coherent body . 2. they can compare the events already pass'd , with the predictions , and see how all came on , and in their season are fulfilled , and how the former is still confirmed by the latter . in all which there appears an admirable contrivance of the divine prescience , in describing those things so long before-hand , and of the divine wisdom and power in carrying on the prophetick line through all the stages of second causes , and an infinite variety of events , to the last moment of its accomplishment ; and to all which a watchful providence of the almighty must constantly attend . 3. they have seen the wonderful success of the gospel in verification of prophecy ; and notwithstanding all the opposition made to it by the power and interest of the world , back'd with the venom , spite , and malice of inveterate enemies . 4. they have seen the wonderful preservation of it through all the various scenes of prosperity and adversity ; and how miraculously it has been restored out of the lowest abyss , when seemingly , and as to all outward appearance , beyond recovery . so that we see how in every case there are ways chalked out for our satisfaction in this argument of a divine revelation ; the case of latter ages not excepted . and therefore , that unbelief is now as inexcusable after the times of revelation , as in those times . we are apt to think , and sometimes to plead , that if we had lived in the apostolical age , when the revelation was attended with the irrefragable testimony of many glorious miracles , we should then have been inexcusable , if we had remained incredulous amidst those instances of the divine power , or impenitent under the force of such convincing arguments ; and that the want of these may justly be pleaded for our excuse . but this is much like those jews , matth. 23.30 . that said , if we had been in the days of our fathers , we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets ; when yet they were acted by the same spirit . and i may say , those that believe not now under all the motives of credibility , would not have believed , any more than the jews did , that were eye and ear-witnesses of our saviour's miracles and doctrine , and yet remained to the last incredulous . such are incurable ; for if they hear not moses and the prophets , the testimonies yet remaining , neither would they be persuaded , tho christ and the apostles rose from the dead , and the whole process of that testimony given by them , was afresh represented to them . the best man is the best judge ; and the better he is , the more capable he is of judging ; according to that memorable saying of our saviour , john 7.17 . if any man will do the will of god , he shall know of the doctrine whether it be of god , or whether i speak of my self . wherefore ( to conclude with that of the apostle , james 1.21 . ) lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness , and receive with meekness [ and humility ] the ingrafted word , which is able to save your souls . but be ye doers of the word , and not hearers only , deceiving your own selves . finis . errata . sermon i. page 18. line 2. read threefold . sermon ii. p. 11. l. 18. dele . miracles . p. 15. l. 15. for ii. r. 2. p. 24. marg. add praepar . l. 13. c. 12. p. 28. l. 23. after poet r. quoted by porphyry . p. 29. l. 24. r. antedeluvian . p. 37. after line 12. add 2. miracles ; of which hereafter . sermon iii. p. 3. l. 15. ( or pry ) in a parenthesis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a71259-e280 theol. polit. c. 2. theol. polit. c. 2. a sad prognostick of approaching judgement, or, the happy misery of good men in bad times set forth in a sermon preached at st. gregories, june the 13th, 1658 / by nathaniell hardy ... hardy, nathaniel, 1618-1670. this text is an enriched version of the tcp digital transcription a45564 of text r334 in the english short title catalog (wing h743). textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. the text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with morphadorner. the annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. this text has not been fully proofread approx. 80 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 21 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. earlyprint project evanston,il, notre dame, in, st. louis, mo 2017 a45564 wing h743 estc r334 13650069 ocm 13650069 100975 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a45564) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 100975) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 789:29) a sad prognostick of approaching judgement, or, the happy misery of good men in bad times set forth in a sermon preached at st. gregories, june the 13th, 1658 / by nathaniell hardy ... hardy, nathaniel, 1618-1670. [8], 32 p. printed by a.m. for joseph cranford ..., london : 1658. errata: p. [8] reproduction of original in huntington library. eng bible. -o.t. -isaiah lvii, 1 -sermons. salvation -sermons. salvation -early works to 1800. a45564 r334 (wing h743). civilwar no a sad prognostick of approaching judgement; or, the happy misery of good men in bad times. set forth in a sermon preached at st gregories, j hardy, nathaniel 1658 11789 6 45 0 0 0 0 43 d the rate of 43 defects per 10,000 words puts this text in the d category of texts with between 35 and 100 defects per 10,000 words. 2004-06 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2004-06 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2004-07 judith siefring sampled and proofread 2004-07 judith siefring text and markup reviewed and edited 2004-10 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion a sad prognostick of approaching judgment ; or , the happy misery of good men in bad times . set forth in a sermon preached at st gregories , june the 13th 1658. by nathaniell hardy , minister of st dyonis back church . psal. 12. 1. help lord , for the godly man ceaseth , for the faithfull fail from among the children of men . philo jud. {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} . {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} . london , printed by a. m. for joseph cranford at the sign of the kings head in st pauls church-yard , 1658. to the reader . ihave too often ( and not without regret ) beheld those monstrous births which have been forced into the world by the unskilfull and injurious midwifry of scriblers , stationers , and printers , often the death of their pretended parents ; indeed , who would not be troubled to see the innocent names of eminent divines made ( as it were ) to do pennance in the printers sheets , for the incontinency of their wanton auditors , who between the pen and the press , beget and bring forth a bastard brood of sermons , which they must father ? how greatly that reverend man of god dr. john hewit ( since his suffering death ) hath upon this account suffered from his seeming friends , is obvious to every intelligent eye ; witness two books of sermons printed and published under his name , and ( notwithstanding some of them appear to be translations out of french authours ) pretended to be his ; which was done too , both against a special caveat entered in stationers-hall by his honourable lady and advertisements in print by two of his worthy friends , viz. dr. wild , and mr. barwick , whose names have been made use of without their privity or consent ; to stand in place and shew of licensers of those sermons , which they utterly disown , and desire by this meanes publiquely to disclaim . this having been the lot of so many preachers of the gospel , and those men famous in their generation , i do not much wonder , and am the less troubled that it is mine ; only i must needs resent ( yet not without a readiness to forgive ) the impudence of those , who have , as to were , ravished my sermon before my face , dealing so injuriously by me whilest alive . by this i plainly foresee what is to be expected when i am dead : the consideration whereof , hath been , and is one cause enducing me to appear so often in print , that what is ( i ingenuously confess ) but very imperfect at the best , may not however come forth mangled hereafter . i hope the candid reader will not think his patience abused , whilest i shall in a few words inform him how much i have been abused in this kind . some years ago came forth a little manual of several prayers , whereof that , to which my name is affixed , is for the most part made up of such expressions , which ( how good soever they may be in themselves ) were not wont to be used by me , as appeareth by that prayer , which ( for this reason ) i prefixed before the first part of my exposition upon st. johns first epistle . i met this last summer with a book called the herball of divinity , upon the title page whereof ( the authours name being concealed ) my name is affixed to great letters , to a part of a sentence with which i began a sermon preached at st. gregories on low sunday last , upon that text which is pla●ed in the front of that discourse , namely the 26th of isaia . and the 19th verse . for this cause ( very probably ) that the unwary reader might believe it to be mine . within these few weeks , i have perused a discourse in part mine , and but in part ( as will appear by the ensuing sermon ) printed and published without my knowledge . indeed , i heard a flying rumour , and received a namelesse letter , threatning the publication of it , but i was not willing to believe any would be so audacious , till now i see it . it is true , my name is not exprest ; but it is said to be a sermon preached at that place , and on that day , and upon the text , where , when , and on which i preached : and which proclaimeth the insolence of these publishers , though they never had any conference with me , either before or since my preaching , yet they presume to know my thoughts , in that it is said to be intended for the solemnization of doctor hewits funerall : whereas in truth , i was engaged to preach that turn at st. gregories before the doctors death ; yea , when there was some hopes of his life . and though i deny not but that sad providence intervening , occasioned me to pitch my thoughts on that subject ; yet had i intended it for his funerall , i justly could , and certainly should , have given a farre more ample character of his worth . if now the reader shall desire to know what was my reall intent in preaching this following sermon at that time , the close of it will informe him , that it was no other then what ought to be one end of all preaching , namely , to bring the people to repentance . and observing a generall sadnesse of compassion upon their spirits , i was willing so to frame my discourse , that through gods grace , a sorrow of compunction might accompany it . what was then preached , and hath been hitherto withheld from the presse ( partly out of a mean opinion of the work it self , and partly out of a just desire not to exasperate ) i am now necessitated to publish for my own vindication , and that what was the preachers aim may be effected upon all who then heard , or shall now read it , is and shall be his earnest and uncessant request at the throne of grace . amen . nath. hardy . errata . page 31. line 5. for confidence read conscience . the sad prognostick of approaching judgment . isaiah 57th chapt. verse the first . the righteous perisheth , and no man layeth it to heart , and mercifull men are taken away , none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come . our prophet isaiah in his two and twentieth chapter , tels us of a day wherein the lord god of hosts cals to weeping and mourning , and though ( since every day is a day of sinning ) every day ought to be a day of mourning ; yet there are four special daies wherein god expects this duty from us : the day of any hainous wickednesse committed by our selves or others . the day of any grievous judgment , either national or personal inflicted . the day wherein the wicked prosper , and the ungodly triumph . and the day wherein any of gods faithful and eminent servants are snatcht away and cut off by death . it is not many daies ( beloved ) since there was such a day , and of such a day it is my text speaks ; the want of a due and serious consideration whereof , moved our prophet to take up this bitter lamentation , the righteous perisheth and no man layeth it to heart , &c. this sad and sorrowfull complaint looks two waies , to the godly , and to the wicked ; bewailing the misery of the one , and bemoaning the iniquity of the other , that the persons of the godly were destroyed , and the hearts of the wicked hardened . that ariseth from grief , this from grief mixed with anger ; both very vehement , as appeareth by the multiplication of several clauses to the same sense . god grant that i in handling , and you in hearing , may have the same holy passions which our prophet had in uttering this dolefull ditty , the righteous perisheth , and no man layeth it to heart , &c. begin we with the complaint concerning the godly , which we find to be both amplified and mitigated ; amplified in two clauses , the righteous perisheth , the mercifull men are taken away : mitigated in one , they are taken away from the evil to come . in the inlarging of the complaint , we shall consider the godly mans disposition and condition . that really very good , this seemingly very bad ; both characterizedin two words : his disposition , in those two , righteous and mercifull ; his condition in those two , perisheth and taken away : of each a word . 1. the first thing we are to take notice of , is the godly mans disposition . and that 1. as described in the word righteous , a word which being in the hebrew in the singular number , and having an article prefixt , is by some expositours peculiarly applied to christ , as if this verse were a prophesie of his death . indeed , to him especially and primarily doth this title of righteous belong . there is none righteous , no not one , ( saith the psalmist . ) except one , ( saith the father ; ) meaning christ , who is perfectly and originally righteous : in which respect the prophet malachy cals him the sunne of righteousness . righteousness in us , like light in the moon , hath its spots and imperfections : we at best , are but starres of righteousness , which shine with a borrowed light : christ , like the sunne , hath in himself a fulness of grace , of which we receive grace for grace . of this righteous person it is true , that he perished in the opinion , and was taken away by the rage of his enemies : nay , which too truly answereth the text , he died unlamented by the generality of the people ; so that he might well have uttered upon the cross those words of the church , is it nothing to you all that pass by ? behold and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow which is done unto me , wherewith the lord hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger . but when i observe the other character to be in the plurall number , mercifull men , i rather incline to understand this word though in the singular , as nomen collectivum , refering not to one , but many , and accordingly those prophets and messengers of the lord , together with the other of his faithfull servants which were slain in the dayes of manasseh , who shed innocent bloud untill he had filled ierusalem with bloud from one end to the other , are conceived by expositors to be those whom the prophet here bemoaneth . if it shall be now enquired in what notion this term righteous was attributed to them , and may be affirmed of every godly man ? i answer , they are righteous in a three-fold sense , really , interpretatively , comparatively . 1. every godly man is really righteous , inasmuch as 1. his person is justified through our lord iesus christ , who is therefore called by the prophet jeremy , the lord our righteousness , and is said by the prophet isaiah , to cover us with the robe of righteousness , and by st paul , to be made of god unto us righteousness . thus as all men are sinners in the first , so are all believers righteous in the second adam . this is that righteousness which is purely evangelicall , and is called the righteousness of faith , because the righteousness of christ apprehended by faith : hence it comes to pass that as the father elegantly , quod lex operum monendo imperat , lex fidei credendo impetrat ; that righteousness which the law requireth , faith obtains . 2. his nature is renewed after the image of god , which st. paul tells us consists in righteousness and true holiness : in this respect it is that believers are said to partake of the ( or rather a ) divine nature by the apostle peter , and to be born of god by the apostle john , because after a sort they are righteous as god is righteous : well may the name righteous be given , where the new divine nature is conferred , which maketh us of unholy , holy , of vicious , vertuous , of unjust , righteous . 3. his life is reformed , and in some measure ordered according to the rule of righteousness , the word of god ; he that doth righteousness saith saint john , is righteous ; every good man doth righteousness , though not exactly , yet sincerely ; his aim and endeavour is to give god and man their due , tribute to whom tribute , custome to whom custome , fear to whom fear , honour to whom honour belongeth . 2. every godly man is righteous interpretatively , inasmuch as being justified by christ , and sanctified by the spirit , god doth account , accept of him as righteous . the same word in the hebrew signifieth upright and perfect ; to teach us that upright persons are ( for christs sake ) accepted of god , as if they were perfect . well might the prophet , well may we call them righteous , whom god calls so ; and we find upon record , noah , iob , with others , to be commended by god himself as righteous . 3. every godly man is righteous comparatively , in respect of the wicked among whom he lives : thus these of whom our prophet here speaketh , being compared with those voluptuous epicures mentioned in the end of the former chapter , might well be stiled righteous . look how the saints are said to be worthy ; so they may be said to be righteous , quantum ad comparationem caeterorum , to wit in comparison of others . indeed on the one hand the most holy man compared with god and christ is unjust and impure , and therefore it is when the saints have look't upon god , they abhor themselves . but on the other hand compared with the wicked , they are justly esteemed righteous : when the actions of the good and the bad are set together , the prayers , tears , fasts , and alms of the one , by the oaths , jollities , cursings , and oppressions of the other , they become so much the more conspicuous ; and as although silver be far below gold , yet it is very precious in comparison of lead and iron ; so the servants of god , though infinitely short of his purity and righteousness , are righteous if compared with the ungodly and profane . 2. having discovered to you the first character of righteous ; proceed we to a view of the second , which is mercifull . according to the hebrew , it may be read men of mercy and good will , and so construed either passively or actively . 1. in a passive sense , men of mercy and good will , are those upon whom god will have mercy , and to whom he beareth a singular good will , the lord is good unto all , and his tender mercies are over all his works ( saith the psalmist ) there being no creature so mean and base , which giveth not a specimen of his goodness , but yet his delights are with the sonnes of men , and his love to mankind , is greater then to any of his creatures : upon which account the psalmist saith a little before , lord , what is man , that thou takest knowledg of him , or the sonne of man that thou makest account of him ? and as god hath a more special love to man then any other creatures , so he hath a more peculiar love to the righteous then any other men ; in which respect the psalmist saith elsewhere , thou lord wilt bless the righteous , with favour wilt thou compass him as with a sheild . in this construction , there is very good use to be made of the word in this scripture . 1. partly to inform us , that they who perish in this world , may yet be gods favourites . men are apt to think that god should not let the wind blow upon his darlings , but they are deceived , his love is not a motherly and cockering , but a fatherly and prudent love . benjamin was not the lesse regarded by joseph , because the cup was found in his sack : we must not infer from the presence of outward afflictions , the absence of divine affection . when he who was the righteous one , of whom the father said , this is my beloved sonne in whom i am well pleased , was a man of sorrowes , and acquainted with griefs : yea , upon the cross , breathed forth that dolefull language , my god , my god , why hast thou forsaken me ? as being left by god , to the will of his enemies . let us not doubt , but that righteous persons , though they perish by the malice of men , are yet in favour with god . 2. partly to comfort righteous ones in the midst of all their sufferings , considering that while the world frowns , god smiles . though the cold wind of persecution blow , yet the sun-beames of divine affection shines upon them : though they are rejected as dross by men , yet they are accounted by god as his jewels . what matters it for mens hatred , so we have heavens love ? this may make the righteous not only contented but cheerfull in suffering the cruelty of their enemies , that they are the men whom god markes out for the objects of his mercy . 2. but though this construction be pious and congruous , yet i rather incline to the active notion of these words ; so much the rather , because of that parallel place in the prophet micah , where it is said , the good man is perished out of the earth . in this sense , men of mercy , are such as exercise mercy towards them that are in misery . mercy in its general notion , is alienis miserijs condolere easque proviribus sublevare ; a tender condolence with others miseries , and a ready willingness to succour them according to our ability . such is the activity of this grace , that it runs through the whole man . in the understanding , it is a serious consideration how we may do good . the liberal man ( saith the prophet ) deviseth liberal things . his thoughts are taken up with consulting for the relief of the distressed . in the memory , it is a continual setting the miseries of our brethren before us . the mercifull man forgetteth the injuries that are done to himself , and remembers the miseries that are suffered by others ; he still thinketh he heareth them groaning , and seeth them bleeding . in the will and affection , it is a sweet sympathy , whereby we do nolle malum , velle bonum , nill the evil , and will the good of another . the mercifull mans heart aketh for his brethren , and he resents their sufferings , as if they were his own . nor doth mercy only retire it self into the chambers of the soul , but looketh out at the windowes , and goeth out of doors for the succour of the afflicted . it opens the eye to see and search out the miserable , which , beholding them ; maketh report to the heart , and that being affected with sorrow , causeth the eye to drop down teares ; it quickneth the ear to attend and listen to the cries of the calamitous , like the tender nurse , which heareth the least whimpering of the child : it unlooseth the tongue to speak a word in season , pleading with god and man for them : it puts under the shoulder to bear a part of the burden , according to that apostolical counsel , bear you one anothers burdens . it unclaspeth the hand to relieve , and knocketh off the fetters from the feet : so that they are ready to go , nay runne in behalf of the miserable . in one word , the mercifull mans head is full of thoughts , his heart of sorrowes , his eyes of teares , mouth of prayers , and hands of gifts . thus every truly godly man is not only just , but good , righteous , but mercifull : he puts on viscera , bowels of mercy and tender compassions towards them that are afflicted ; he is ready to do opera , works of mercy , according to his power . by the one , he draws out his soul to the hungry ; by the other , he reacheth forth his hand to the needy . righteous men know that almes is the poor mans due , and mercy is a debt they owe to the miserable : no wonder if they are carefull to pay it . and look how far the misery of the distressed reacheth , so far the mercy of the righteous extendeth ; both to the souls and bodies of others . namely , they are men of mercy , especially to the souls of others ; instructing the ignorant , confirming the weak , counselling the doubtfull , warning the unruly , perswading the obstinate , and comforting the grieved . nor are they unmindfull of the bodies of others , cloathing the naked , feeding the hungry , refreshing the thirsty , visiting the sick , and entertaining the stranger . nor is their mercy only confined to friends , but enlarged to foes : they are men of good will , even to those that bear them ill will : they do good , where they have received evil : they requite injuries with courtesies , and want not compassion for those who are the instruments of their passion . whilest then the jesuited saints wear the red coat of blood and cruelty , let gods holy ones be cloathed in the white of innocency and pitty , and whilest their zeal flames in fury , let our love shine in mercy . whatever they pretend , they are no other then sonnes of belial , who delight in blood ; who slay the fatherless and the widowe , and make persons , families , may nations , miserable . he hath shewed thee , o man , what is good , and what the lord thy god requireth of thee , but to do justly , and to love mercy , and to walk humbly with thy god ? so we read in the prophecy of micah , sow to your selves in righteousness , and reap in mercy , that is the prophet hosea his counsel . christs blessed ones , are such as hunger after righteousness , and withall are mercifull . and here the characters of a godly man are righteous and mercifull . i have done with the first branch , which is the saints pious disposition , i now hasten to 2. his calamitous condition , which is represented in those words , perisheth , and taken away . the first word perisheth , which is of a large acception , may be capable of an harsh construction , and such as cannot be predicated of a righteous man ; in which respect eliphaz said to job , remember , i pray thee , who ever perished being innocent , or where were the righteous cut off ? that ye may therefore rightly understand the meaning of the phrase , know , that there is a three-fold perishing . the first belongs neither to the righteous , nor to the wicked ; the second is proper only to the wicked ; the third is common to the righteous , with the wicked . 1. perishing in its most strict notion , is transitus ab esse ad non esse , a passage from being to not being ; an utter extinction , a totall annihilation . and in this sense only the beast perisheth , which dying , is resolved into its first principles , and at last into nothing . though therefore the wicked man is said to be like the beast that perisheth , yet he doth not perish like the beast ; indeed , it were happy for him if he might : for though some endeavour by their metaphysical notions , to prove a miserable being , better then no being , yet they must give us leave to say with our saviour , it were good for that man he had never been born . nor is it to be doubted , but that the damned heartily wish , not to be at all , but ( alas ) it cannot be . 2. there is a perishing , which is peculiar to the wicked , and this is two fold ; either perishing in his name , or perishing in his person . 1. only wicked men perish in their names , whilest their memorial is cut off from the earth . though the righteous die , yet their names live : that malice which takes away their life , cannot extinguish their memory ; but the wicked perish , so as to be wholly forgotten , or remembred with infamy : so true is that of the wise man , the memory of the just is blessed , but the name of the wicked shall rot . 2. only wicked men perish in their persons , that is , soul and body . this is that perishing , which is opposed by our saviour to eternal life ; and is sometimes called the second death . in this sense , to perish , is to be eternally miserable ; to be ever perishing , and yet never perished . and thus , who ever perished being righteous ? indeed st peter saith , the righteous are scarcely saved , but there is a great deal of differenre between scarcely , and almost : though he is scarcely saved , that is , not without great difficulty , yet he is saved by gods mercy from this perishing . 3. but lastly , there is a perishing which is common to the rightcous and the wicked , and thus the righteous as well as the wicked perish , by the miseries of life , and at length by death . 1. they perish by the miseries of this life ; in which sense , perishing is opposed to prospering : good men are exposed to dangers in this world , as well as the bad ; nay , more then the bad . that chosen vessel st paul , reckons a multitude of dangers which befell him in this life , where he tels us , that he was in perills of waters , in perills of robbers , in perills of his own countrey-men , in perills by the heathen , in perills in the city , in perills in the wilderness , in perills in the sea , in perills among false brethren ; and surely what befell him , is incident to the most righteous persons . 2. they perish by death . in this sense the disciples meant it , when they cried , master , we perish . thus elihu expounds it , when he saith , all flesh shall perish together , and men shall turn again unto dust . and this our prophet intends , when he saith , the righteous perisheth . if you shall ask , why dying , which is only a separation of the soul from the body , not an annihilation of either , is called a perishing ? i answer : 1. it is a perishing , though not {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} , yet {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} , in reality , yet appearance ; though not secundum rei veritatem , according to the verity of the thing , yet secundum communem sensum , according to the opinion of the vulgar . when any man dyeth , whether good or bad , he seemeth as one that were perished . and though ( as our blessed saviour telleth us ) all live to god , yet as musculus glosseth upon the text , in mundi judicio , in the judgment of the world , they perish . 2. it is a perishing , though not absolutè , yet respectivè , absolutely yet respectively ; it is a perishing as to this world . when any man dieth , as well righteous as wicked , he so perisheth , as that he shall never again live here : upon which account it is said , man giveth up the ghost , and where is he ? yea , holy job saith of himself , i go whence i shall not return . this is that which is expres't in that parallel scripture to this , where the prophet saith , the good man is perished out of the earth . he is not perished , so as not to be at all , yet he is perished so , as to be no more upon earth . and this is all that the prophet meanes , when he saith , the righteous perisheth . 2. this will yet further appear , if you look upon the other word , where it is said , that mercifull men are taken away . as the providence of god in nature , hath made those members double , which are most usefull , as the eyes , ears , hands , and feet , that if one fail , the other may supply ; so the wisdome of god in scripture , hath coupled phrases together , that if the one be obscure , the other may explain ; if the one be harsh , the other may molisie it . it is so here ; whereas that phrase of perishing is somewhat dark and rugged , here is another word , taking away , which seryeth very much to qualisie and illustrate it . the hebrew word {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} hath a double construction , both which are here made use of , namely to gather , and to take away . calvin reads it colliguntur , mercifull men are gathered . death seemeth to be a scattering , and so a perishing , but indeed it is a gathering , when men die , especially good men , they are gathered . so that in this sense it is a great allay to the bitterness of the other word perisheth . 2. lapide with others-read it auferuntur , with which our translation agreeth , are taken away , and no doubt it is the most genuine rendring of the word in this place , since this hebrew word , where it signifieth to gather , is usually joyned with the preposition signifying to , whereas here in the very next clause it is joyned with a preposition signifying from , and therefore most fitly translated , taken away . and now that which the prophet intends by this phrase , is to note two things , 1. in general , by taking away , is meant dying , obitus , abitus , death is often called a going away , a departure , and thus it mollifieth the former word , perisheth , letting us see that it is not an extinction , but only a remotion , an abolition , but an ablation ; when we die , we do not cease to be at all , only we change our place , and are taken away out of this world . 2. more particularly , by taking away is meant a violent death , a dying , when in course of nature a man might have lived long ; it is one thing for a candle to go out of it self , and another to be blown out by the wind ; it is one thing for a flower to wither , and another to be blasted ; it is one thing for a tree to fall , and another to be plucked up by the roots : finally , it is one thing for a man to go away , and another to be taken away from any place ; those are emblemes of a natural , these of a violent death in this notion this word addeth something to the former phrase , namely , the manner of the death , the righteous perisheth , and that not in a natural way , but is taken away by the hand of violence . the result of what hath been said on this first general , amounts to these two things . 1. that righteous and mercifull men perish , and are taken away by death . indeed it is said of enoch , god took him that he should not see death , so was eliah ; and had god so pleased , he might have exempted all righteous men from death , but then neither his power in raising them to life , would have been so illustrious , nor their faith and hope in believing and expecting a resurrection , so conspicuous , in which latter respect the father saith well , that had good men been priviledged from death , carni quidem faelicitas adderetur , adimeretur autem fidei fortitudo , though it might have been some kind of advantage to the frailty of our flesh , yet it would much have detracted from the strength of out faith : in great wisdome therefore hath god so ordered it , that righteous and mercifull men , as well as others , should walk through the valley of the shadow of death . indeed our saviours assertion is universall , he that keepeth my sayings shall not see death , but he meaneth the second death ; and so else where he explaineth himself , when he saith , he that believeth in me shall not die for ever . true it is , solomon tells us , that righteousness delivereth from death , but it is from the evil , not from the being of death , death indeed is an advantage to a good man , yet still die he must : but this is not all which the prophet here intends , since this perishing and taking away by death , being that which is appointed for all , seemeth not to be a matter of much lamentation ; and therefore th●t which no doubt is further aimed at in these expressions , is , 2. that sometimes righteous and mercifull men perish , and are taken away by a violent death . indeed it is that which is threatned by god as a curse upon wicked , especially bloud-thirsty and deceitfull men ; it is that which malefactors are sentenced to by the justice of the judge ; but yet withall it is that which may and sometimes doth befall gods own servants ; nay which is more strange , and yet is many times true , the righteous are taken away , whilest the wicked remain . solomon observed it in his time , there is a just man that perisheth in his righteousness , and there is a wicked man that prolongeth his life in his wickedness ; yea which is yet most sad , but very frequent , the righteous perish by the wicked , and that for righteousness sake , and the mercifull are taken away by cruell hands , and that for pietyes sake : wicked men never want malice in their hearts , and sometimes ( through divine permission ) have power in their hands to take away the liberties , estates , and lives of the righteous . one of the first good men that was in the world began this bitter cup , which many both men of god and other godly men have since pledged . it was the complaint of the church in the old testament , and st. paul taketh it up as most truly applicable to the church of the new , for thy sake we are killed all the day long , and are accounted as sheep for the slaughter . this is that which the wise god suffers to come to passe for many excellent ends . that wicked men by such bloody acts , may fill up the measure of their sins , and thereby at once hasten and heighten their punishment . that good men may have occasion of exercising and manifesting many graces particularly , the length of their patience ; the height of their courage ; and the depth of their charity . when a man endureth to the end , suffering even death it self , patience hath its perfect work . that 's a resolution indeed which maketh a man faithfull to the death , and enableth him to look upon its pale visage with confidence . there cannot be greater charity then to forgive my enemy ; especially when he persecuteth me to the death . so that when righteous men perish violently , their graces flourish gloriously . that hereby righteous men may be fully conformable to the righteous one , the messiah , concerning whom this prophet foretelleth that he should be cut off ( as the tree is by the ax ) from the land of the living . and in respect of which the apostle chargeth those jews , that by wicked hands they had taken and slain him . finally , that by so perishing , the religion which they profess , may be honoured , and the god whom they serve , glorified . since though both these are in some measure effected by doing well , and living uprightly , yet much more by suffering ill , and dying cheerfully in a righteous cause . and now what should the consideration hereof teach us , but 1. that certainly there is another world besides this , wherein a difference shall be put between the righteous and the wicked ; between him that feareth god , and him that feareth him not . here the righteous perish as well as the wicked ; nay , the righteous perish , and the wicked prosper , and the mercifull are taken away by the wicked . but shall it be so alwaies ? will not the judge of all the world do right ? will there not be a reward for the righteous ? yes doubtless . and since in this world all things fall alike to all , and for the most part it fareth better with the wicked then the godly , it necessarily followeth that there is a state after death , wherein the righteous judgment of god in punishing the wicked , who now prosper , and recompensing the righteous , who now perish , shall be made manifest . 2. that it is a needfull prudence , in righteous and mercifull men , to improve their time and talents in serving god , and doing good to others whilest they live . they must perish at last by a natural , they may be taken away soon by a violent death ; and when they perish , all ability and opportunity will be taken away of doing good works , either of piety or pitty , justice or mercy . oh then , how great industry and celerity is needfull in putting forth themselves to the utmost for god , their souls , their brethren whilest they live ! that they may do much in a little time , according to that sage advice of the wise man , whatsoever thy hand findeth to do , do it with thy might , for there is no work , nor device , nor knowledge , nor wisdome , in the grave whether thou goest . 3. that sowing in righteousness , and reaping in mercy , they would not be discouraged from the apprehension of this perishing and taking away . i am afraid such thoughts as these do sometimes arise in the minds of men : how dieth the wise man even as the fool , the righteous as the wicked ? let me live never so well , i must perish : nay , my conscientious walking may occasion my ruine . how much better is it to spend my daies in pleasure , and indulge to my lusts whilest i live , since i can but die at last ? but far be such reasonings from wise and righteous men , especially when we consider how great a mercy the very perishing of the righteous , and taking away of the mercifull is ; which will appear , if we proceed to the 2. mitigation of the complaint , as it is expressed in the close of the verse , the righteous are taken away from the evil to come . there are ( according to the known distinction of the schooles ) two sorts of evil , the one of sin , and the other of punishment ; and it is true in reference to both . 1. when righteous men die , they are taken away from the evil of sin , into which they are prone to fall , so long as they live . nusquam tuta est humana fragilitas , saith st. herome , humane frailty is never safe . in this world we are continually assaulted , and sometimes captivated ; but death puts us out of all danger ; we shall be tempted no longer , and sinne no more . 2. but no doubt it is the evil of punishment which here the prophet intends , and thus it may admit of a double notion . 1. they are taken away from those ordinary personal evils , to which they , with the rest of mankind , are subject in this world . the best men whilest they live here , are exposed to a●hes , paines , sicknesses , losses , crosses ; manifold troubles and miseries : but when they die , all teares are wiped away from their eyes : feares removed from their hearts : they rest from their labours , so st. john . they enter into peace ; they rest in their beds , so our prophet in the very next verse . 2. but that which is here principally meant , is , that the righteous and mercifull are taken away by death , from some extraordinary and publipue evil of judgement , which is to come upon the place where they live . those words of the prophet , come my people , enter thou into thy chambers , shut thy doors about thee ; hide thy self as it were for a little moment , while the indignation be overpast ; are by some expounded of the chambers of the grave , in which god is pleased to hide his people , before he cometh forth of his place to punish the inhabitants of the world . indeed , this is not alwaies the dispensation of divine providence . sometimes the righteous are taken away in the common calamity , together with the wicked . the fruitfull and barren trees are blown down at once by the same wind of judgment . perhaps , good men , have by sinfull complyances , been involved in the national guilt , and no wonder if they are also involved in the notional punishment . sometimes the righteous are delivered from the common misery , and yet not taken away by death . whilest the whole world is overwhelmed with a deluge of waters , noah is preserved alive in the ark . when sodome is to be destroyed , lot is sent to zoar : and when jerusalem is to be overthrowne , the godly are admonished to go to pella . that promise in the psalms , hath been sometimes literally and fully verified in a time of pestilential infection , a thousand shall fall on thy right hand , and ten thousand on thy left , but it shall not come night thee . god sets a mark upon the mourners , and the destroying angel passeth by them as he did by the israelites houses in aegypt . and then sometimes the righteous are taken away by death , before the general desolation come . thus god dealt with josiah that good king , before the captivity of israel : st. austin ( that godly father ) before the destruction of hippo ; and luther that eminent dr. before the devastation of germany . before i go any further , it will not be amiss to take notice how this truth unfolds the riddle , and cleareth the seeming injustice of divine proceedings . we ofttimes see , and seeing , wonder ; nay , perhaps repine at it , that good men are taken out of , whilest wicked men continue in this world . but surely this can be no just cause of casting any blemish upon divine dispensations , when we consider that on the one hand the wicked are preserved , but it is for the evil to come . they escape for a time , that some remarkable judgment may fall upon them . as the voice told that wicked wretch , when sleeping under a rotten wall , it awaked him , and saved him from the ruine . {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} , i saved thee from the wall , reserving thee for the wheele . on the other hand , the righteoas are indeed taken away , but it is from the evil to come . so that whilest the wicked mans preservation is a curse , the good mans perishing is a favour . god spareth the one in anger , and taketh away the other in mercy . indeed , righteous men are taken away from the evil to come , upon a double account . 1. ne veniat , that the evil which is to come upon the place may not come upon them : god will not have his righteous ones to be spectators of , nor sufferers in those ruines , which his justice hath decreed to inflict upon the wicked for their sinnes . this is rendered as the reason why that immature death befell josiah who was slain in the battell that he might not see the evil which was coming . 2. ut veniat , that the evil may come and be inflicted on the place : for ( beloved ) you must know that whilest righteous men live , they are very prevalent with god by their prayers and tears to keep off judgement : unus homo plus valet orando , quam mille pugnando , one righteous man can do more by prayer , then a thousand by armes . let me alone saith god to moses , that my wrath may wax hot against this people , fatetur se moysis orationibus teneri , so the gloss : god seemeth to confess that his hands were as it were tied by moses his prayer , so that he could not punish that idolatrous people . i can do nothing ( said the angel to lot ) whilest thou art here , good men stand in the gap to turn away the wrath of god from the nation where they live : and therefore when god is resolved , and the time prefixed is accomplished , that he will destroy a people , he suffereth the wicked to fill up the measure of their sinnes , by killing his servants : or else he appoints some other meanes by which they are removed out of this world from the evil to come . the meditation of this truth affords matter of 1. comfort to the righteous , {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} , said the greek poet , whom god loveth , he dyeth young . certain it is , that when god cuts off any righteous ones betimes , or permits them to be cut off by their bloody enemies , though these do it in malice , he suffers it in love . for ( tell me ) is it not a mercy to be put into a safe harbour , before the stormy tempest arise ? to get into the house , before the thunder and lightning rain , and hail fall ? this is gods design in taking away his servants , and therefore they have reason to bid death welcome . indeed , the strongest consolation against death , is the consideration of the terminus ad quem , to what the righteous are taken , even that good , and bliss , and glory to come . they are taken to an innumerable company of angels , to the spirits of the just men made perfect . they are taken to a palace of glory ; a paradise of pleasure ; and a mansion of eternity . finally , they are taken to the beatifical vision of the face of god , and the full fruition of his glorious presence . but withall it is confortable to reflect on the terminus a quo , from what they are taken , from the evil , misery , and calamity to come , upon the place where , and people among whom they lived . 2. terrour to the wicked . nothing more usual with ungodly men , then to rejoyce when the righteous are taken away from among them . they had rather have their room then their company ; as being desirous to be rid of them . hence it is , that they are not only glad of , but many times very active in taking away the righteous . they do not account themselves safe whilest the godly are among them but oh what fools are they , and how grossly deceived ! rejoyce not against me , o mine enemy , saith the church . so may every sonne of the church . little cause have the wicked to rejoyce : nay , instead of laughing they have more cause to weep , when the righteous are taken away . for if the righteous be taken away from , it must needs follow that their taking away , is a sign of evil to come . so that the death of the godly , is a sad prognostick of the destruction of the wicked . what a wall is to a town , an hedge to a field , a pillar to an house , that is a righteous man to the place where he liveth . and therefore as men , when they intend to take the town , batter the walls ; to lay waste the field , pluck up the hedge ; to pull down the house , take away the pillar : so almighty god , when he designeth to pluck up , to overthrow , and to pull down a kingdom or a nation , he first removeth his own servants . wicked men look upon the good , as thornes and pricks to offend them , whilest they have more cause to account them as chariots and horse-men to defend them . they think themselves most secure and happy , but indeed they are then nearest to misery and ruine , when the godly are taken from them . by taking away the righteous , they intend a courtesie to themselves , but it is in truth , as a courtesie to the good ; so an injury to themselves : though yet such is the blindness of their minds , they will not see ; and the hardness of their hearts , that they will not consider it . which leads me to the other part of the text , the complaint which the prophet taketh up against the wicked in these words , no man layeth it to heart , none considering . it might be here taken notice of in general , that the sin which the prophet declaimeth against , is not positive but negative . not the bloody taking away of righteous ones ; not the cruel rejoycing at their fall , but the not laying it to heart . indeed , to be an instrument of , or laugh at the calamity of the godly , making their tears our wine , their ruine our sport , is abhominable . but though we be not in the seat of the scorners , yet if we be not in the posture of mourners , it is justly culpable . thus dives is charged by our blessed saviour , not with oppressing lazarus , by taking any thing from him , but not relieving him ; in giving something to him . there are sins of omission as well as commission . there are breaches of the negative as well as of the afffirmative precepts . we sin as well ( though not so much ) in not doing the good required , as in doing the evil prohibited . not only the wastfull steward , but the unprofitable servant , shall be cast out . the vine that bringeth sorth no grapes , shall be cut down as well as that which bringeth forth wild grapes . those whom christ will at the last day set at his left hand , are not accused with any evil or unjust acts they did , but only with neglect of those charitable acts they ought to have done . oh , let us make conscience of not doing , as well as doing . to let this go , the sinne in particular reproved , is , not laying to heart , and considering the death of the righteous : concerning which i shall briefly discover three things ; the nature , the extent , and the guilt of it . 1. the nature of the sin , what it is , will the better appear , if we observe the emphasis of the words ; the one whereof considering , is an act of the judgment , weighing things in the ballance of reason : the other , laying to heart , refers to the affections , since then any thing is laid to heart , when we are deeply affected with it . these do one infer the other ; since what we affect , we take into consideration , and by considering , we come to be affected . whilest i was musing , the fire kindled , saith david . the consideration of any object , causeth sutable affections ; if delightfull , joy , if hurtfull , sorrow , the fault then here characterized , is , that though the righteous were taken away before their eyes , yet they did not lay it to their hearts . and though they could not but take notice , yet they would not consider it ; at leastwise not so seriously and affectionately as they ought 2. the extent of this sin , will be the more evident , if we observe the several circumstances by which it is aggravated . 1. it was not the death of any , but a righteous man ; not of one , but of many mercifull men : and some of those , men of god , and yet it was not laid to heart . 2. these righteous and mercifull ones , did not die a natural death , but were taken away , when yet they might have lived ( in course of nature ) many yeares longer ; and done a great deal of service for god in their generation . and yet this was not laid to heart by them . 3. this taking away the righteous by death , did portend no lesse then ruine and misery to come , and that upon themselves : and yet they were so stupid as not to consider it . 4. and which enlargeth the complaint , their fault was general : none considered , none laid to heart . that is very few , as else-where ; there is none righteous . by which phrase is intimated , though not a nullity , yet a paucity ; not one of many were sensible of the losse , a spiritual lethargy had seized upon the most , and the disease was become epidemical . 3. the guilt of this sinne , how great it is , will be manifest in a three-fold respect . 1. in regard of god , it argueth want of piety . almighty god hath placed us in this world , as upon a theater , that we might take notice of the various passages of his providence . so that not to regard his works and consider the operation of his hands , cannot but highly provoke him . indeed , they are equally bad , not to regard the sounding of his word in our eares , and not to observe the appearances of his works in our eyes . among his many providential works , none more observable then the taking away of the mercifull . for certainly , if a sparrow fall not to the ground , much less doth a saint , without divine permission . if the hairs of his head are numbered , surely his head cannot be taken off , without a special providence . indeed , the perishing of a righteous man , is a work at once , both of gods mercy and judgment . mercy to him , iudgment to the wicked . and not to consider such a work , so as to lay it to heart , must needs be a great sin against him . 2. in regard of the righteous , it argueth want of pitty . to him that is afflicted ( saith job ) pitty should be shewed from a friend ; and especially to him that is persecuted to the death . we may observe among beasts , ( even swine ) a sympathy ; so that when one is killed , the rest are troubled : and shall there not be among men ? didicimus cum homines simus alienis calamitatibus moveri , nothing more humane , then to be moved with compassion towards them that are under sufferings . so that it is not only impiety , but inhumanity . 3. in regard of the persons themselves , it argueth want of wisdome . when the righteous perish , and mercifull men are taken away , it is a losse to them who remain . they loose the light of their good example , the benefit of their prayers . and should not this be considered ? nay , it is not only a losse , but ( as hath been already expressed ) it is a dolefull presage of ruine : and shall it not be laid to heart ? so that it argueth a sensless stupidity not to consider what is so much our own concernment . by all which it appeareth an impious , an inhumane , and unnatural sinne which our prophet bemoaneth , when he saith , the righteous perisheth , and no man layeth it to heart , and mercifull men are taken away , none considering that the righteous are taken away from the evil to come . oh then , be we all exhorted to the contrary duty . solomon the wise , seemeth to promise himself , that when the living are in the house of mourning , they will lay it to heart . and if we ought to lay to heart the death of any , much more of righteous men : and especially , when either josiah the king , or eliah the prophet , or zacharias the priest , are taken from us . though the sun is not much observed by us whilest it shineth , yet if it be in an eclipse , who doth not take notice of it ? oh , let not the eclipse , and much lesse the setting of any of gods eminent servants passe by unregarded ! let us then consider and lay to heart the death of the righteous , 1. recordando , by keeping a register of the death of the godly in all ages , but chiefly in the age wherein we live ; both as to the quality of the persons , and the manner of their death . 2. lamentando , by bewailing their removall from us : not in respect of them , to whom death is a favour , but in regard of our selves , who may in their departure , sadly foretell approaching misery . 3. imitando , by following the good example both of their life and death , so far as we are called to it . by which means , their death will not only be their gain , but ours . 4. preparando , by fitting our selves for that evil which their death foretells , that whilest the simple passe on and are punished , we may like prudent men fore see the evil , and hide our selves : or rather god may hide us , either by preserving us in it , or by taking us away ( as he hath other of his servants ) before the vengeance come . and now ( beloved ) least i and you should be guilty of the sinne , against which my text declaimeth , give me leave in a few words to put you in mind of the death of that righteous and mercifull man of god , who hath been lately taken from us . titles , which i hope none will envy him , since if we look no further then his death , we shall find just occasion of applying them to him . as for the cause of his death , it concerneth not me to meddle with it ; i shall leave the censure of it to that day , when all the judgment of men shall be scanned over . but i trust none will be offended , if i take notice of the manner of his death ; the righteous ( saith solomon ) is as bold as a lyon . and again , the righteous hath hope in his death . and surely , it was the confidence of a well led life , that made him so meekly bold , humbly confident at his death ; the righteousness of his way , which filled him with cheerfulness at his end . of all acts of mercy , none greater then the remitting injuries , and forgiving enemies : and how great a measure he had of this grace , those charitable lines which were read at his funerall , and the sweet words he uttered on the scaffold , abundantly testifie . i want both time and tongue , to give you a narrative of his life , which was a constellation of many bright stars , many excellent graces which were obvious to all that knew him throughout the whole course of his conversation . this righteous and mercifull man is now perished from the earth , and taken away from us ; but so , as that i have good reason to believe he is removed to that place of bliss , where he enjoyeth the society of saints and angels ; yea , of god himself . and now ( beloved ) let it not be said , out of sight out of mind . we can no longer enjoy him , but ( i hope ) we shall not forget him ; especially not you ( my brethren ) among whom he hath spent his paines , and exhausted his strength , to do your souls good . do you ( i beseech you ) consider and remember how often you have beheld him in this holy mount : how many wholesome reproofs , counsels , and comforts you have heard from him , and withall reflect upon your own unthankfulness for , unprofitableness under his and the labours of others of gods faithfull servants among you . finally , do you , and let us all seriously lay to heart what a sad presage the death of this good man is of ruine and destruction , whilest me thinketh he saith to us this day in the words of his saviour , weep not for me ( i am taken away from the evil to come ) but weep for your selves , upon whom evil is likely to come , unless by your reall and speedy repentance you prevent it . and now i am come to the end of my sermon , and that which was my end in preaching it ; to stirre up both my self and you to consider the death of this righteous man : not so , as to be imbittered against the instrument by whom it hath been effected , but against our selves for our sinnes which have procured it ; that this dolefull losse may be an occasion of our sorrowfull repentance , and that repentance may prevail with god to avert those judgments which hang over us , to continue his faithfull labourers among us , and restore his ancient blessings to us ; which god grant for his mercies sake in jesus christ . amen . finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a45564e-2900 isa. 22. 12. gen. 1. partic. 1. lap. in loc. {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} psal. 14. 2. aug. ibid. mal. 4. 2. joh. 1. 16. lam. 1. 12. 2 king. 21. 16. lap. sanct. musc. in loc. jer. 23. 6. isa. 61. 10. 1 cor. 1. 30. ambros. eph. 4. 24. 2 pet. 1. 4. 1 joh. 5. 1. 1 joh. 3. 7. rom. 13. 7. gen. 6. 8. job 1. 1. isa. 56. ult. ambros. in apocal . {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} psal. 145. 9. psal. 144. 3. psal. 5. 12. mat. 3. 17. mic. 7. 2. isa. 32 8. gal. 6. 2. mic. 6. 8. hos. 10. 12. mat. 5. 7. job 4. 7. psal. 49. 20. mat. 26. 24. prov. 10. 7. joh. 4. 16. 1 pet. 4. 17. 2 cor. 11. 26. luk. 7. 7. 24. joh , 24. 15. luk. 20. 38. musc. in loc. job 14. 10. 10. 21. mic. 2. 2. calv. in loc. lap. in loc. heb. 11. 4. ambros. joh. 8. 51. 1. 26 prov. 10. 2. psal. 55. 22. eccles. 7. 15. psal. 44. ●2 . rom. 8. 33. isa. 53. 9. eceles. 9. 10. quest . answ. hier. ep. ad eustoch. rev. 14. 16. isa. 57. 2. isa. 26. 20. psal. 91. 4. ezek. 9. 4. ● exo. 32. 10. gen. 19. 22. hebr. 12. 22 , 23. gen. 2d . psal. 39. 3. psal. 14. 1. psal. 26. 4. job 6. 14. eccles. 7. 2. prov. 22. 3. dr john hewit who died june 8. and was buried in the church of st gregories the ●●th day of that moneth . prov. 28. 1. 14. 32. the day of salvation, or, a homily upon the bloody sacrifice of christ, or his death and passion written, and intended onely for private meditation of a most noble and vertuous lady, on good-friday last, but since thought worthy the publique view / by anthony stafford ... stafford, anthony. 1635 approx. 74 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 96 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; 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(eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a12815) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 24704) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1475-1640 ; 1716:11) the day of salvation, or, a homily upon the bloody sacrifice of christ, or his death and passion written, and intended onely for private meditation of a most noble and vertuous lady, on good-friday last, but since thought worthy the publique view / by anthony stafford ... stafford, anthony. [22], 168 [i.e. 164] p. by n. and i. okes, for daniel frere at the red bull in little brittaine, printed at london : 1635. signatures: a¹²(-a1) b-g¹² h¹⁰. errors in paging: numbers 114, 119-121 skipped in the pagination. imperfect: engraved t.p. lacking; tightly bound, with slight loss of print. reproduction of original in the british library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to 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if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng good friday sermons. salvation -sermons. sermons, english -17th century. 2005-11 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-12 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2006-10 ali jakobson sampled and proofread 2006-10 ali jakobson text and markup reviewed and edited 2007-02 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the day of salvation . or , a homily upon the bloody sacrifice of christ , or his death and passion . written , and intended onely for private meditation of a most noble and vertuous lady , on good-friday last , but since thought worthy the publique view . by anthony stafford gent. printed at london by n. and i ok●s ▪ for daniel frere at the red bull in little brittaine , 1635. to the most happy mistresse of all imaginable graces ▪ which beautifie and ennoble both body and mind , the lady theophila coke . madame . this censorious age wants not many who judge of bookes by their vollume , and such will thinke the dedication of this short discourse rather a disparagement then an honour to your ladiship , not confidering the dignity of the contents , nor the limits of a homily . the curiosity of this their voluminous ignorance , i shall very shortly satisfie by placing your ladiships name before a farre greater worke ; which ( heaven asststing ) may eternize you and it selfe . in the meane time , to the more knowing , this treatise will appeare as great in value as small in bulke . the subject of it is the obiect of our faith , and the worker of our redemption , christ iesus , without whose meritorious oblation man were more miserable then the beasts themselves , or the very stones he treads on , to whom there is no paine after this life , no hell awarded . had not he endured unexpressable torments on the crosse , wee had never beene pertakers of the inconceiveable ioyes in heaven . it is not with us christians , as with the heathen ; for the rifing of the sunne they adore brings them light , but the setting of the sunne we worship gives us an eternall day . this bitter passion of his , that wee might remember hee instituted his last supper ; the principall time of whose celebration is now at hand . you have a soule cleare , and prepar'd to entertayne this royall guest , in whom maiesty , and humility gave each other the first kisse . you have the peace of conscience farre above that of nations , which commonly is made upon necessity , and broken upon advantage , whereas this ▪ is fixt ( like the great infuser of it ) and transcends all humane happinesse whatsoever . you have a charity ready to embrace all that meere it , and to pardon all that provoke it , you are friends with all , and surely none enemies to you . if any such there are , they can be no other then the windfalls of nature , such as neither vertue , nor any of her generous brood will stoope to gather . you have no crying vices that call upon god for vengeance , but crying vertues you have many , which call upon men for applanse & admiration . these perfections of yours , madame , will receive , if no encrease , certainly no diminution by the pervsall of this sad discourse , which will infect you with sorrow ; but such a noble one , as will well become you , and render you amiable in the eyes of your redeemer . hee long preserve your ladiship on earth , a glory to your sexe , nane , and nation , and give you a seate in heaven next your most excellent mother , the very imputation of whose pious and heroicke actions is able to restore luster to a family as long lost to honour , & vertue as yours hath enjoyed their glorious shine . and this prayer shall be as extensive as the life of madam , your ladiships most humble loyall servant , anthony stafford . to the peninent reader . some more accute then modest , affirme that the redemption of the world is a more powerfull worke then the creation : a holy reverence forbids me to compare such transcendents , but upon the warrant of truth , i dare maintayne that man for whose use and service all things visible are made without this last , saving oblation of our saviour had beene the most wretched of all creatures . god at first fram'd him of earth , and created him after his owne image , but he ungratful , disobedient ; proud , arrogant , ambitious , aspiring to be like his maker in knowledge , became most like the divill his seducer in wickednesse . in this desperate estate was man , damn'd ere borne , and once conceived was no other then a vile froth , or a coagulation of impure blood , which turn'd into flesh , nurs'd , and brought up with never so great care becomes at length the food of wormes . he being such , perswaded the lord of heaven and earth ( in whose sight the very starres themselves are darke and impure ) to take upon him what in man was so abject , the image of his humanity . which when hee had assumed hee came into the world , and sought in vaine for a place of repose , and finding none amongst men , hee tooke up his lodging with the beasts . yet doubted hee not , but man upon a more familiar conversation with him , would be wonne by his all saving doctrine , his infinite benefits , and his stupendious miracles at least gently , if not r●ally to receive him . wherefore hee appl●e● himselfe wholly to gayne his affection , with whose nature he was in love so many thousand yeares before hee tooke it on him , himselfe confessing : his delight to be amongst the sonnes of men . all his actions tended to the contentment of this his beloved . if any widow bewailed her only sonne , if any sister her brother , he restored life to both . where bread was wanting his miracle suffic'd . hee did not abhorre the company of publicans and sinners . this heavenly physition stood alwayes environ'd with these internall lepers , whose perfect cure hee made his first care . at length when he did confidently ( as wel he might ) expect at least thanks for these his innumerable graces and favours , he found nothing lesse . when with a longing thirst he lookt for grapes from his vineyard , she produc'd him nothing but thornes , with which ( as full of scorne , as void of pitty ) she crown'd and pierc'd his sacred head . to expresse my selfe more clearely ; hee dyed by them whose conversion hee had labour'd living , and whose salvation hee prayed for dying . this inhumane act of theirs , though in it selfe most horrid and abhominable ; yet to us was infinitely advantagious ; for by this his plenary redemption , the defect of our satisfaction is supplied . yet without application of this divine remedy to our infected soules , they will still retayn their malignity . for as hee who hath heard of sugar , yet hath never tasted it , knowes the name of sugar , but of the sweetenesse and vertue hee is vtterly ignorant : so hee who onely heares and knowes there is a christ , but doth not by faith rellish his meritorious sufferings , hee may be well acquainted with the name of christ , but hee is a stranger to his merits and passion . let us not deceive our selves , my condoling reader , through any vayne hope of enioying a blessed and eternal life by any other way : for neither by the academy new or old , nor by the curious disputes of * lyceum , nor by any other meanes in heauen , or on earth , within our selves by the observation of the law , nor without us by the deserts of other holy men , or angell are wee saved , but ▪ by the voluntary shedding of his most precious blood . let us not therefore loose the interest wee have , in his crucifixion , but make it appeare by the purity and sobriety of our lives , how much wee resent the bitternesse of his death . though wee are in the world , yet let us shewe we are not of it , & though in the flesh , yet freed from his empire and power ; let us follow this our triumphant redeemer , though not in body , yet in soule , in longing , and affectionate vowes and wishes , and on the wings of contemplation flye to his crosse . there let us lay downe all our vncleane , lustfull , and revengefull thoughts , our pride and fond opinion of science , the vanity and ryot of our youth , the avarice and morosity of our age , together with the whole swarme of our infirmities . neyther let us only lay them downe , but with knees cleaving to the earth , with eyes fixed on heaven , with sighs and groanes fetcht from the very center of our penitent hearts invoke him to bury them so deepe in his oblivion , that they never rise up in iudgement agaynst us . amen lord iesus , amen , amen . the day of salvation ▪ or a homily upon the bloody sacrifice of christ , or his death and passion . this day , this saddest of dayes , our sweetest saviour , ( who not only tooke upon him our nature , but to rescue it also out off the iawes of death and hel ) by those to whom , and for whose cause hee came , whom before he had saluted by his embassadours , and warned of his approach ( earth being strucken with trembling , and heaven with blindnesse ) was brought to a most execrable end . the sad remembrance whereof rather requires the teares of the faithfull , then the eloquence of oratours : wherfore i must leave mine eyes to deliver that which my pen cannot . a holy extasie is heere more seemly , then a curious inquisition ; the passion of christ being as inexplicable as his generation , which all daring spirits hitherto haue failed to explain , though not their own insolent ignorance in the bold attempt . we may aswell conceive how jesus upon the crosse had the particuler id●as in his minde of all those for whom he was to suffer , as how he endured the extreamity of those torments . whosoever will rivet his soule into the languishing life of this blessed one , shall finde it nought else but an extended torture . whether the epistle of lentulus to the senate of rome bee authenticke or no , i know● not ; sure i am , many things in it are consonant to truth ; and this particular especially , that this deare master of ours was never seene to laugh , but to weep often . alas , at what should hee laugh ? to see his owne people not owne him , eyther for their lawfull king , or potent redeemer ? needes must hee be afflicted for the ingratitude of their hearts , but more for the danger of their soules : for hardly would they be induced to undergoe the spirituall yoake , that would not put on the temporall . should hee laugh at his poverty , or its more miserable concommitant derision ? should hee laugh at hunger , his thirst , his nakednesse , and that no roofe vouchsafed him covering , save his owne heavenly arch ? should hee laugh at the persecution of his friends , and his seperation from them , a divorce of all other ( next to that of soule and body ) the most cruell , especially if you wel consider the queene and glory of her sexe , his blessed mother to have beene one of them ? or should hee laugh to have his sacred eares scorcht with horrid blasphemy against himselfe and his almighty father ? well might hee be stiled the man of griefes , who exiled from his owne heavenly inconceiv●able ioyes , could never conceive what an earthly ioy meant : scarce had this holy professor vented his all-saving doctrine , but destruction dog'd him at the heeles , and malice disgorg'd upon him all her base epithets , as seducing , impious , lunaticke , blasphemous ; nay , some of her venemous brood not onely call'd , but held him a divell , and a tormentor , to whom he he had demonstrated the infallible signes of a god , and the tender affection of a saviour . o strange confusion , caused by a stranger stupidity ! were ever soules but these , so purblinde , as to take the creatour of light for the prince of darkenesse ? never yet was there such an obstinate ignorance heard of , as to thinke that vice and vertue can blend . they could not but discover all the never erring markes of goodnesse and truth in his lookes , his words & actions ; and could these brutes imagine that piety and impiety , truth and falsehood can lodge under the same roofe ? that god can out of stones raise up children unto abraham wee reade , and gladly beleeve ; but here we most unwillingly finde , that ( by his divine permission ) the divell is able to turne men into stones . a happy meditation , was it of the truely humiliated st. francis , who seeing a poore single lambe amongst many goates , said to his companion , see'st thou that solitary lambe ? iust so did our dearest messias walke amongst the pharises . when truth had bin a long time banish't this lower world shee came swimming in to it againe in a crimson , flood of this meek● one , and his martyrs : who as hee was more pure and immaculate : so was he likewise more miserable then any of his types . never did halfe a span of life containe so many miseries , during his conversation heere below , he had nothing without him that could make him amiable , being contemned in his owne person , in his disciples , and followers . hee was of the blood royall , indeed ; but then when the glory of it was quite eclipsed . amongst the israelites , but at a time when they were captived to the romans : borne of a virgin , but so poore , that she was espoused to a c●rp●●ter : at his birth worship't by many shepheards , but by a few wise men , three onely : persecuted by herod , and living in such a retired obscurity untill the time of his baptisme , that john himselfe knew him not . but let us examine ▪ more particularly his miseries , and beginning with his birth , pace on dolefully with him to his death , by which wee shall finde that he came into this world , and continued in it with the same misery and ignominy hee left it . where was he borne ? in jerusalem ? no. in a stately pallace ? no. where then ? in bethlem , a poore village , that the world not without amazement might behold obscurity bring forth glory . in what place in bethlem ? in a poore inne . in what part of the inne ? in the stable , where the first ayre he breathed stunke of several ordures . hee was welcomed indeed into the world with lowd musicke , but it was a wild one , made by an oxe and an asse his lodging promised neither honor nor safety , for hee lay with beasts , and at their mercy ; but heere no doubt , was to be seene a most pleasing spectacle , a brutish innocency worshipping a heavenly . no sooner was he borne , but hee lost blood in his circumcisi●● ▪ no sooner circum●is'd , then destin'd to slaughter . vsurping herod trembled at the birth of this almighty babe , who was indeed the true king of the iewes . he therefore vowed his death , which to procure , he insinuated himselfe into the good graces of the wisemen , and besought them to acquaint him with the abode of the child , that hee also might come and worship him . but they knowing by divine revelation , his bloody meaning , gave him the slip , and returned into their own countrey another way . seeing this plot frustrated , hee makes a massacre of all the male● from two yeares olde and under ( hoping inclusively to cut off his new born prince , ) whose immaculate soules ●lew backe to their maker , adornd with their primitive beauty , and their innocent blood cryed for uengeance at his hands . here also the cruel intentions of this tyrant were deluded , for the poverty of this holy lambe was his security , which did so eclipse him , that hee could not by his owne lustre be discerned and betrayed . moreover the quiet of his parents by day , and their sleep by night were continually disturbed with divine dreames and visions touching his preservation . alas , what had this pretty one done , that could incite this bloody monster to study his ruine ? he had slaine none of the herodian family , or the iewish race , that hee should be made a parentation * . it was love not malice invited him to descend from his heavenly habitation : his comming was to shed no blood but his owne , and that for the salvation of others . yet was his incomparable mother forced to flie as farre as aegypt , to save the deare life of this sweete one , guilty neither in thought , word , nor act . long was he banded to and fro betweene the ministers of the divell , who now easeth his servants , and becomes himselfe in person his tormentor . he first leads him into the wildernesse , hoping either to starve him , or that hunger would provoke him to blaspheme . after he had fasted fortie dayes , and fortie nights , hee propounds to him a tryall of his godhead : if , saith hee , thou be the son of god , command that these stones be made bread : now , though christs omnipotency could not onely have turned those stones into bread , but the whole globe of the earth into one loafe : yet at the divels instigation he would not do it , neither did his owne necessity require it : and therefore he gave him to understand , that his food was supernaturall , to wit , the word of his father , a dyet which his scorcht pallat could not rellish . next he sets him on a pinacle of the holy temple , where hee makes another experiment of his deity : if , saith he , thou be the sonne of god , cast thy selfe downe , &c. here againe , though christ could have walked , or flowne in the aire , or stood fixt in it , ( a thing no way difficult to him ) yet having taken our flesh upon him , hee would in all things doe like a man ; and therefore there being a paire of staires , hee would not neglect the ordinary meanes of descending . moreover , he was not ignorant , that sathan had impaired the text , which sayes , that god should give his angels charge over him in all his waies : but a desperate precipitation becomes not a christian , much lesse christ himselfe ; and therefore could be none of his waies . last of all , hee placeth him on the top of an exceeding high mountaine , where he makes a third proofe of his divinity : having thence shewed him all the kingdomes of the earth , and the glory of them , he maks him this large promise , all these things , saith he , will i give thee , if thou wilt fall downe and worship mee : this last test hee knew to bee infallible ; for if hee were the lord of light , he would never abase himselfe so far , as to worship the prince of darknes . but heere i cannot wonder enough , how a spirit not dull'd by actuating a fleshy body , should bee so foolish , as to propound that as a reward of christs worship , which was his owne before ; for hee could not but know , that christs dominion extended not onely over both the globes , but even his owne hell it selfe . finding at length our blessed saviour in all things unanswerable , hee left him , and gave him over once againe into the hands of his damned agents , whom hee had furnisht with full instructions how to torture , and afflict him . after a long consultation the 1. thing their inveteterate malice excepted against , was his preaching ( which , though it had made others saints ) turned them into furies , an evident proofe that the doctrine of salvation is loath some , to soules full gorged with the surfeits of sinne . truth of her selfe is perswasive , but passing through that mouth , and delivered with so sweet an eloquution , so gratious a countenance ▪ mee thinks shee should civilize barbarisme it selfe , penetrate the most obdurate hearts , and force attention from the very divels . but these spiders suck venome from this rose , and seeke to roote it up . here the saying is verisied , that there can be ▪ no society , much lesse a friendship between truth , and falsehood . they throw stones at him , & drive him out of their citty , with a resolution to cast him downe from a high mountaine . you barbarous infidels , hath he upon mature consideration , of all the nations of the earth , chosen you for his people , and doe you refuse him that elected you ? are you of humane race , and can you butcher innocency it selfe ? shall the sacrifice for your sinnes , fall a sacrifice to your malice ? sure you were borne without bowells , or the rockes ingendred and brought you forth , their flinty natur'd issue , to infect mankind with a savage cruelty . why this is the corner-stone , which taken away , the whole frame of your wel being here , and your salvation hereafter consequently totters , and falls into an irreparable , and eternall ruine . but god hath given you over to a reprobate sense , and your reason and religion have left you to be guided by your evill destiny . you will , i see , cast your saviour with your rubbish out of his owne citty , over which he weepes the divining teares of her neare approaching destruction . when your temple , and your houses burnt round about you , then did titus , ( whom the romans stil'd , deliciae humani generis , the delight of humane kinde ) out of a noble and a manly pitty , beseech you to save your selves ; yet being the brood of obstinacy , you would not move a foote , but saw your owne bodies consume in fire made with your owne hands . and iesus ( who hath a style above titus , as being deliciae coelestium incolarum , the delight of the heavenly inhabitants ▪ with his eyes drown'd in water , ( like the sunne looking through a rainy cloud ) beheld you with compassion , and wooed you to make him the happy means of your preservation , from the never dying flames now ready to imbrace you ▪ notwithstanding this his mercifull offer , you ingratefull monsters , at once , excluded him ●●● of the earthly hie●●salem , and your ●●lves out of the heaven●● . but the very dis●ursing with you is con●●gious , and therefore i ●●ll leave to speake fur●●er to your persons , and ●●oceed to your horrid ●●actices and strata●●ms against our mee●●st master , in the as●●ming of whose name upon us , we are asmuc● honour'd as he abased ▪ taking our nature up on him . but to goe on i● my sad relation , th● text sayes , he desired to passe into samaria , but the samaritans would no● give admittance to his harbingers . sathan playes his part , and armes all places against him , ren●ring him as despi●able in the countrey , ●s the city . to this ●heir insolency hee ●eplies nothing , but his disciples , james and john took snuffe at it , and said , lord , wilt thou that wee command fire to come downe from heaven , and consume them , even as elias did ? but he turned , and rebuked them , a●● sayd , yee know not wh●● spirit ye are of , for 〈◊〉 sonne of man is not co●● to destroy mens liv●● but to save them ▪ hee let them know his purpose n●● was to establish , an● propagate his doctrine with the swor● and the faggot , practice at this da● very frequent wit● christians , betwixt whom wee read of greater carnages , then betweene them and the turkes . he gave them to understand that his church and hee used but one kinde of armour , prayer . when st. peter ask't this mild one , how often shall i forgive my offending brother ? 7. times ? hee answered , i say n●● unto thee 7 times , bu● 70 times seven , math ▪ 18. and in the sam● place , to shew vs that we should forgive our neighbours from our hearts , hee brings in the parable of the wicked servant , to whom his master had forgiven a thousand tallents : hee bids us learne of him ▪ for he is meeke , &c. lord wee must learne it of thee , or no where ; for amongst the ▪ philosophers it is not to bee found . their cheife good , and thy beatitude are as distant as the poles . the stoick ( of all the philosophical sects nearest in vertue to thine owne ) wanted humility , thy owne peculiar vertue . with the aristotelian , mercy is contemptible , revenge laudable , the first motions of our affections not culpable ; whereas thou placest thy prime happinesse in poorenesse of spirit , in meeknesse , in want , in mercy , in cleanenesse of heart , in peace , in mourning , in afflictions , &c. sweet jesus thou art beyond the level of our imitation , but not of our admiration , which shall ever bee fixt on thee as its best , and only obiect . pardone pious reader my zeale , which so often interrupts my method , in that it is so inflamed with a holy love of this our sacred emanuell , that i cannot but make a cursory paraphrase in the persecution of his story . i must now come to the most execrable of all acts , the betraying of our blessed saviour by one of his owne family . to perfect this their cursed enterprise , they begin with the breach of the lawes of hospitality ( the only stayne of the * roman empire ) and make a strange and horrible conversion of an apostle into a traytor . for thirty peeces of silver ( a summe despicable in the eye of many a cutpurse ) he sould his soule to lucifer , and his best friend to his greatest enemies . and the mannor of his persidiousnesse is worse then the crime it selfe , for hee betrayed him with a kisse , a signe as appropriate to friendship , as the ioyning of the right hands . him whom he knew to be god ; whom his conference assured him to be without blemish , to whom he was oblieged by so many tyes , as of dependancy , of instruction , of affection , he delivers over a prey into the iawes of these ravenous wolves . and this treachery of his our indulgent redeemer both foreknew and foretold not long before ; yet did hee not discover any displeasure conceived against him in word or look . nay when hee came to apprehend him as a malefactor , hee called him friend . i dare all ages to produce me such a president of patience . on the fatall instrument of all his tribulations and persecutions , he bestowes this most familiar , this most deare title of friend . * such friends as this , aristotle intends when he sayes : o friends there is no friend . having bought this distressed king as a slave at a certaine price , like such they lead him up and downe , and no man offers to rescue him , save onely peter , whose bold attempt he stops with this denuntiation , al that use the sword , shall perish with the sword. and heere wee have another effect of his sweetnes in healing the wound of his foe , given by his friend . those on whom he had wrought such miraculous cures ; all forsake him . it is likely enough , that the same eyes to which hee had restored sight , now lookt on him with scorne , and envy ; that those dumbe tongues to which he had given speech , curst & revild him ; that those decrepit feet which he had enabled to walk , ranne not to embrace , but apprehend him ; nay it is not incredible , ( such was the ingratitude of this obdurate nation , ) that they out of whom hee had cast divells , now called him divell for his labour . all his benefits though infinite , and fresh , an ungratefull oblivion seizeth on : nay , his owne servants abandon him , and not long after , his owne peter denies him . onely a few tender hearted women , face danger , and follow him . from annas to caiphas , from caiphas ●o pilate , from pilate to herod , and from herod , againe t● pilate , they hurr● this future judge ●● the living , and th● dead . here innocency is opposed , simplicity made a laughing stocke , and truth trampled on by falshood . here is to be scene a combate , but an unequall one where fury assaults and patience ●ave● her selfe open . they illanously ▪ abuse ●im , both in words ●nd deeds . in words with severall stings , ●s detracting , con●radicting , contumelious , deriding ▪ ●n detracting , both privily , and openly : privily when they said softly to each other : if this man were a prophet , hee would know what manner of woman this is . and , this man ` blasphemes . openly , when the pharises upbraided his disciples with this question , why doth your master eate , and drinke with publicans and sinners ? also when they depraved his miracles . in belzebub , prince of the divells , he casts out divells . and , this man is not ●f god , because hee ●eepes not the sabboth . ●n speeches contradictory they thwar●ed him , as when they said , thou art ●hy owne witnesse : also , thy testimony is not ●rue , and , thou art not yet fifty yeares old , and hast thou seene abraham ? in phrases contumelious they reproachit him , as luke the fifth , say wee ▪ not truely that thouart a samaritan and hast a divell ▪ s and , who is this that speakes blasphemies ? but especially they reviled him in the house of annas , and caiphas , as also before pilate , and herod . moreover , when hee hung on the crosse , he heard no other language . lastly , they vildly , and grosly derided him , when hee said the maid was not dead , but slept , and in the house of pilate they bowed their knees to him in dirision . in his passion againe they ieered him , as when wee come to it wee shall shew it at large . but these talkative wrongs are tolerable , in respect of those committed against him by fact , which are more insupportable as being centuple greater in their nature and number . as physitians give their patients preparatives , that make them lesse sick before they administer stronger medicines , which search the veines , and more offend the stomack : so these hangmen by the lesser tortures inure , and prepare him to endure the greater . fex romuli , the scumme of the world , insulted over the lord of it ; the● goe to boyes pla● with him , they blind and buffet him , an● then bid him ghe●● at the striker ▪ t● render him a tru● spectacle of laughter they change his ga●ment , and dress him like a buffoo● and ( that their villany might be compleat ) in that fac● ( wherein beauty , mercy , and modesty , strove for superioritie ) they spit the noysome infection of their rotten longues . but let us examine how he behaves himselfe in the mid'st of these outrages : he received them with the same countenance : that others doe benefits ▪ all blowes hee takes as if they had hit him , being meant to another . but now his enduring , and their afflicting draw both to a period ; for they clime to the summity of wickednesse , and ( thirsting for the last drop of his pretious blood ) they againe hale him before pilate , from whom he was to expect his last sentence . here is hee fiercely and strongly accused by the pharises , by whom , and by pilate he is questioned about many particulars ; to which hee replies nothing at all . alas to whom should hed answere ? to the jewes ? they were plotters and actors , in his tragedy . to pilate ? he was wholy ignorant of the cause , they ask't him if he were the sonne of god ? had he answer'd affirmitively , the maw of their envy had beene filled ; for that confession was it they look't for . againe , reply negatively he could not ; for truth cannot lye . nor doe i see why he should speake ought in his owne defence , the fairenesse of whose life was his apology . they might aswell discerne a staine in the body of the sunne , as in him the least imperfection . when pilate had heard the uttermost they could alleadge against him , he acquitted him , but the more he spake in his defence , the more they cryed out , crucifie him . notwithstanding their vociferation , hee clear'd him againe , and againe . at length , though pilate knew the jewes to have no other cause , then their owne rancor , and hatred against jesus . yet abhorring their importunity and clamour , and fearing caesars displeasure , ( for they publikely told him , christ had dishonour'd caesar , in calling himselfe a king ) hee delivered this righteous one to bee scourged and crucisied by these inhumane monsters . yet ere hee gave him up to their fury , hee call'd for water ; and washed his hands before the multitude , saying , i am innocent of the blood of this iust person , see you to it ; to whom all the people answered and said , his blood be upon us and our children . here , not without reverence and astonishment , let us observe three points in this uniust arraignment very remarkeable . first , that god sometimes forceth truth from the mouthes of lyars , contrary to their owne intention . secondly , that hee compelleth the wicked to cleare the righteous , even when they think they most condemne them , and frames al their actions to his owne ends ▪ when they thinke they are most directed to their owne scope ; not unlike to him who on the hatches of a shippe walkes east , when by the force of the winde hee is carried west . thirdly , and lastly , that though gods iudgements ▪ move slowly , yet cortainely at length , & when least expected , they overtake oppressours , and the blood-thirsty . the first observation is made good in caiphas , who with a lowd voyce exclaymed , that one must die for the people : which ( though quite contrary to his meaning ) was indeede verified in christ , who died for their manifold transgressions . also those who call'd him king of the jewes , sayd most truely , though they spake it by way of scoffing . the second is manifested in herod , who sent him away in a white robe , which colour ever yet argued the innocency and integrity of them that wore it , though no doubt herod cherish't no such good opinion of him , but held him a man guilty , and an imposter . the third is clearely demonstrated in pilate , herod , and the whole body of the jewish nation . as for pilate , he being accused to caius caesar , for corruption , and misgovernment in his province , hee chose rather to fall upon his owne sword , then abide his triall . herod having made an oration to the people which commanded not onely their attention , but adoration ( as it appeares in that with generall acclamations , they vowed it to bee the voice of a god ) was by the angell of the ●rue , and iealous god smitten , and the wormes immediately devoured him . here is a plaine demonstration what power , what maiesty is when it is deprived of gods favour . as a mirrour while the sunne plaies upon it , sends forth beames that at once doth dazle and delight the eye , but ( bard his luster ) looseth those rayes , and growes dim againe : so when god smiles on princes , and irradiats their mindes with knowledge , and vertue , they appeare bright and glorious in the eyes of all men ; but hee once averring the shine of his loving countenance , they become obseure , and there is nothing worthy in them discernable . the truth of this is apparant in herod , who stands heere a poore worm , devoured by his fellowes . nor did this generation of vipers , the jewes ( though forewarned ) shun the vengeance which not long after fell upon their heads . for vespasian and titus having long besieged their citty , it was by his engines , and their owne fire utterly defaced , having before hardely escaped drowning in a slood of theirs & their childrens blood mixt together . there were of them in the space of seven yeares in civill and forraigne warres these severall slaughters faithfully collected out of josephus . first , there were slaine at hierusalem by the command of florns , 630. at caesarea , by the inhabitants there for hatred of their nation , and their religion , 20000. at scithopilis a towne of syria , 130000. at ascalon in palestina . 2500 also at ptolomais , 2000 at alexandrea in aegypt under tiberius alexander then president , 50000. at damascus , 10000. all these were put to the sword by sedition and tumults . after this there fell in open warre by the hands of the romans , these ensuing . when joppa was taken ●● cesius florus , 8400. in mount cabulon , 200 in sight at ascalon , 10000. againe , by stratagem , 8000. at the taking of aphaca , 15000. in mount garizin , 11000 at jotopa , where josephus himselfe was in person , 30000 at the taking of joppa were drowned , 420● in tarichaeis , 650● at gamala , killed by t●● enemy , and their own precipitation from hig● places , 900 where not one humane race escape but two sisters . giscala being forsaken , there were slaine in the fight , 2000. and taken captives , which we number not , 2200. in the streets of idu●ea , 10000. at gerasium , 1000. at macheruns , 1700. in massada , 960. in cirene slaine by ca●lus the president , 3000. in hierusalem in the ●●●e of the siege , 1000000 taken captives which ● wil not number , 97000 the whole summe , ( omitting those which perished by famine , exile , and mischances ) amounteth to one million , two hundred thirtie and two thousands , sixe hundred and ninety . to these miseries i may adde , that at this day they cannot properly be called a na●●●● , being dispersed heere and there , ( like rogues and vagabonds ) ove● the face of the earth , having in all countries , mulcts imposed on their estates , and in some themselves enioyned to weare a marke on their clothes , wherby they may bee distinguish'd from other honest men . i may also truely a●●werre that no people under heaven , hath so much degenerated from the primitive purity of their religion , having defiled it with introduction of innumerable new ceremonies , and alteration of the old . but withall i must confesse , i know not what nation else hath strictly kept her integrity , they having never yet matched out of their owne tribes and race . i must withall insert this caution , that i speak not of proselites , but of legitimate * jewes by father or mother , or both . i professe seriously , that nothing amazeth mee so much , as the contemplation of the unparallel'd obstinacy and impiety of this seed of abraham , chosen by god to be the dispensers of his oracles . a lamentable proofe of this , is the murther of many thousands of christians , for the abhominable crimes of these miscreants . for though these two religions are as farre from each other in nature and distance , as heaven and earth , yet the romans often confounded them : which wee may perceive by this , that in their persecutions they seldome or never distinguish't them . many ( not verst in story ) raile at tacitus , and others for inveying against the christians , and the jewes of those times . but what historian could abstaine from a severe censure of them , when hee found the later dayly dragg'd to execution , for such villanies as the very imagination of them ( could it be detected ) ought to be as punishable as the action ? should any but a christian reade their damn'd facts in any of the foure evangelists , he would throw away the bible as a fable , not thinking it credible , there could be such inhumanity in men . and i am confident , had pliny beleeved as much of them , as we know , that they had not onely reiected , but buffeted , spit upon , scourg'd , and crucified their legitimate king , and redeemer , hee would not have vouchsafed them roome amongst his foure-footed beasts , but have plac ▪ t them amongst his crawling creatures , and venemous serpents . and with such they deserve to be rank'd , as not worthy to retaine the name of men , having long since put off the nature . those guiltlesse hands ( which so often hee had lifted up to his father for their conversion ) they binde so fast , that the cord eates into his tender flesh . on that head wherein universall wisedome was contained , they set a crowne of thornes so fast , that his purest blood runnes in streames downe his sweetest face : that body ( which whitenesse and symmetry consulted to make lovely above all other ) they unmercifvlly and uncessantly whippe from the top to the bottome , so that from head to foot hee was but one continued sore . on his shoulders they lay his weighty crosse , and lest with a fall , he should ease himselfe of his burthen , they shoulder him up on all sides : if at any time hee lag , these butchers beat , and kick him on , as if hee were a beast . but seeing him faint , and fearing hee would dye , before hee had undergone all the paines provided for him , they load an obvious stranger called simon , with his crosse . and and thus they lead him to be made an oblation for the sins of the whole world. see the love , and humility of this our dearest messias ; he saw they would not take up his crosse , and follow him , he takes it up himselfe , and followes them . all this was done by the eternall decree of his father , for there was found no sacrifice under the law powerful enough , to appease the wrath of god , iustly conceived against man. wherfore man must for ever suffer , or the sonne of god once for him , whose suffering onely was of vertue sufficient to worke this blessed reconciliation : for the passion of christ was suteable to his person ; his person of infinite excellency , could not bee so abased without insinite merit , accrued by such humiliation . his dying was more the equivalent to all the worlds frying in hel everlastingly . here the foolish atheist scoffs us , demanding how it was possible that god should suffer . heare thou prophane wretch the the voyce of the church . god is said to suffer by union , who could not suffer by nature . heare againe blinde infidel ; hee who dyed on the crosse and lives eternally ; hee who suffers on earth , and not in heaven ; whose body suffers and yet not hee with his body ; he who is overcome by death , and yet vanquisht it , although hee be not one in nature , yet hee is one redeemer , and one and the same person . as the soule and the body are different things , yet make but one man. wee now arrive at the abridgement of his story , his passion , and at the consummation of his humility , his death . a man would thinke it had beene paines enough for him to beare his crosse , without bearing more upon it : but their malice is insatiable , and they cannot imagine how they can inflict , or he indure too much . his hands soft as those of mercy , his feet never swift to shed their blood , they pierce with massie nayles , which they drive in with as little remorse as if hee were made , of wood. they scoffe athim ; and nodding their heads , and bending their knees , they salute him by the name of king of the jewes . nay , they utter such blasphemies that i wonder they were not attended with a thunderbolt they not onely dar● him of himselfe to descend , but his father to fetch him downe ; who could in a moment have commanded one angell ●o have destroyed ●hem , and their coun●rey , and have left ●t to bee demanded , where judaea was . being as thirsty in ●he heate of this cru●●●l conflict betwixt ●he flesh and the spi●●t , as the earth is under the reigne of the dog-starre , hee desires drinke , to whom they proffer a base beverage made of vinegar and gall two ingredients no● good enough for the drench of a horse ▪ three of the evangelists affirme , that they who were crucified with him ▪ revile● him also : but sain● luke saith , that onely one was faulty . which difference saint austine thus reconciles , that at first indeed they both vi●●ifi'de him , but that one of them by a suddaine inspiration , instantly repented , and rebuked the other , saying , dost thou not ●●are god , seeing thou ●rt in the same condemnation ? and we indeed iustly , for wee receive the due reward of our deeds , but this man hath done nothing amisse and he said unto jesus lord remember me when thou comest int● thy kingdome . i will not he●● with some conclud● that this good thie● was hee who w●● on the right han● of our saviour , and that it was not without the speciall providence of god ; neither will i deny it : it shall suffice me , that christ said to him , this day shalt thou bee with mee , in paradise . none of the roman caesars either on his tribunall , or in his triumphant chariot , could have spoken so bravely and powerfully , as our saviour here did in the extremity of his agony . this day will i make thee a governour of provinces , or , this day will i make thee a sharer with me in all my glories : or , this day will i give thee command over legions : or , this day will i divide the habitable world into two parts , and accept of that halfe thou refusest ; this is all caesar could have said . these offers are scant , and narrow , in respect of the promise here , made by our omnipotent redeemer : this day of a publican , i will make thee a saint ; this day of a malefactor , i will make thee a martyr ; this day i will translate thee from earth into the impyriall heaven ; this can be no other then the voice of an almighty saviour . o happy , o blessed day ! wherein sinne is depressed , the sinner exalted , and the gates of heaven heretofore shut against him , now opened to him , by god himselfe ; where the honour equalls the benefit . the entry into paradise heretofore was guarded by a cherubin , having a flaming sword in his hand . the fire is now extinguish'd , the sword taken from him , and now there is no guard upon it . nay , that no man might despaire of entrance , it is first of all opened to a thiefe , in whose soule before his conversion , vices were as thicke , and as surely rooted as the haires in his head . the jewes who lay claime to sanctity , ( as onely proper to them ) are reiected . he who at first was ableto forme man , can now forme himselfe a new people . hee that before condemned the proud pharise in the temple , now iustifies the pensive theefe on the crosse . it was now about the ninth houre , when christ full of anguish both in soule and body , cryed out with a loud voice , eloi , eloi , lamasabachthani , my god , my god , why hast thou forsaken me ? here the the atheist steps in againe ; and askes how hee could despaire , and be a god ? to whom i vouchsafe this answere , that heere is to be heard only the voice of the flesh , which denotes not at all the seperation of god from his humanity , but the calamity of his humanity it selfe ; for hee could not bee forsaken by him , from whom he could no way bee seperated . but that thou maist be certaine , this could bee no lesse then a god : behold heere nature her selfe suffering with her lord. from the first borne saith the text , there was a generall darknesse over the whole face of the earth . nor was this a common , but a supernaturall ecclipse , as testifieth saint austine : quam solis obscurationem non ex canonico syder●● cursu accidisse satis ostenditur , quod tu●● erat pascha judaeorum : ●an plena luna solemniter agitur : it is evident , saith he , that ecclipse of the sunne not to have happened by the ordinary , and orderly course of the starres , it being then the passover of the jewes , which is solemnised at the full moone . and this was it that gave occasion as is the common opinion , to that memorable exclamation of dionisius the arcopagite , residing then in aegipt : aut deus naturae patitur , aut machina mundi disolvetur : either the god of nature suffers , or the fabrick of the world will be dissolved . and hereupon too , as it is thought by some , was erected that altar at athens ignoto deo , to the unknowne god. acts 17. 23. i am not ignorant that some think that ecclipse was confin'de within the borders of judaea , which opinion i rather incline to , because if it had beene generall quite over the world , tacitus , and the historians of that time must of necessity have mentioned it , judaea being them subiect to the roman empire . nay , the ensuing ages would not have buried in silence a thing so strange and miraculous . howsoever , it cannot be denied , but that it was certainly beside , and above the course of nature . neither ought it produce wonder , that th● sunne in the firmament of heaven should suffer , when the son of righteousnesse suffered upon earth . you seed of perdition what have you done ? your blasphemies , and iniquities have chased the all gladding light out of heaven , and you now are left in a c●●●ri●n darkenesse , a presage of that you shall eternally dwell in . and will not this moove you to acknowledge your potent king , and redeemer ? the vaile of your temple rents , and falls with him who taught the ever living truth in it , in token that all prophesies of his death are now fulfilled ; and will not this perswade you to pros●●ate your selves before him ? no , no , all things in heaven , and earth resent his death , save obstinate you onely . the earth it selfe trembles , but you quake not . the rocks split , but your adamantine hearts are of proofe against all his calamities . the graves open , but your bosomes are shut . the dead with him arise , but you lye still wallowing in your owne filthy enormities . yet this is no wonder ; for they were dead in nature , you in finne ; whose weighty burthen lies so heavy on you , that you cannot possibly get up . hee is yet alive , yet sue to him , of whom never any begg'd in vaine . you see hee is willing to remit your trespasses , in that hee hath in the very height of his torments prayed to his father for you . hee is now giving up the ghost ; yet call on him for mercy , that with his last gaspe hee may pronounce your pardon . but it is now too late , hee is dead to you , and you to grace : he hath now finished this great worke , and commended his hands , that will keepe it as the apple of his eye . having seene how they used him in his lefe , let us now make an inquiry , whether or no they behaved them selves to him more reverently ( being dead . ) when the body of their soveraigne , and saviour had hung many houres betweene his foot stole , and his throne , they take it downe , not with a resolution to honor it with burial , but to mangle , and deface it . they thrust a speare into his side , out of which ranne water and blood , the representers , as some thinke , of his two misticall sacraments . his coat being seamlesse , and therefore not divideable , they cast lots for . and then they left him naked as a prey to the beasts of the earth , and the foules of the ayre . but he is otherwise provided for by his heavenly father , who sendeth joseph of a a iust man & a councellor ( who refused to be present at the condemnation of iesus ) to beg the body of pilate , which obtained , he foulded it in fine lynnen , and layd it in a new sepulcher , where never man was laid before . and heere not without sighes , and teares , and groanes i leave him , the utbounds of this discourse being his death and passion . but i forbid no thee , o my soule to repeat , & revolve within thy selfe th● dignity of thy saviour , and the indignity of his sufferings . we discern some sparkes of the brightnesse and glory of his beauty in his creatures , but the ioynt stocke of their whole life can no more expresse him , then can a gloworme , the jubar of the sun. o fixe thine eyes here for ever , and lose thy sight together with this obiect . consider , o my soule , that to ransome thee , this master peece , this utmost endeavour of nature and the holy ghost , offered himselfe a most willing sacrifice . rise , saith hee , behold he is at hand that doth betray mee . and in another place it is said , jesus therefore knowing all these things that ▪ should come upon him , went forth , and said unto them , whom seekyee ? they answered him , iesus of nazareth . jesus said unto them , i am hee , &c. heere he meeteth sedition halfe way , gazeth her in the face , and fearelesse confesseth his name . and some learned devines thinke that he would not die by disease , or age , lest he should seeme to leave this life against his will , or out of naturall infinite common to all . but with his unvaluable worth , ballance the affronts and miseries hee endures . 1. this lord of lords that frees the captiv'd , and illuminates the blinde ; is apprehended , and bound like a theefe . 2. nay , they preferre a theefe and a murderer before him , demanding barrabas to be released , and him to be crucified . 3. call to mind againe , oh my soule , that for thy crimes hee carried his owne ponderous crosse , and groaned under the weight of it : which that the other two did , that suffered with him , wee read not . 4. meditate also , that for thee he was scourg'd , in which hee underwent , divers punishments due to severall offenders . it was the custome amongst the antients , to strike the indocible on the head , their servants which they cast out of doores on the necke , those who were ordinary delinquents on the ●ace and their more heinous criminals all over the body : christ endured all these . they strucke his head with a wande or rod , his face and necke with their fists , and his whole body they whipt with rods and scourges . 5. but weigh withall , that the lashes given his soule by the tongues of blasphemers and deriders , were more intollerable then the former . 6. contemplate too , that his torment was much augmented by the very thought of the infamous company he suffered with : for they plac't him in the middest betweene two theeves , as if hee had beene their instructer and seducer . 7. neither canst thou beleeve , o my soule , but as hee had more grace , so hee had more shame then other men , which must needs be infinite , in that hee was become a naked spectacle to his greatest enemies , not having any vaile to cover those parts which humane nature would have hidden from the eye . 8. he suffred also in his estate , goods , and friends , of the first of which hee was stripped even to the skinne , and of the latter ( consisting of his owne deare disciples ) forsaken . 9. and hee was grieviously troubled in mind which did compassionate , his fellow feelers standing under the crosse , ( as his mother and others ) and repine at the insolent fury of his foes . 10. his fame and reputation ( deare to him , as his owne eyes ) is not onely question'd , but defil'd with false and base aspersions , for they termed him a seducer . observe also , ô my soule , that hee suffered in regard of the place , the time and the manner of his death . 11. first , in respect of the place , which was hierusalem it selfe , where he was once wel knowne , & honored for the miracles he had there performed . 12. secondly , in consideration of the time , of the yeare , and of the day ( the feast of the passeover being then celebrated ) which to solemnite ▪ a great multitude ●nd concourse of people resorted thither , ●● that hee had the eyes of all the world upon him . agayne , it was upon the sixt houre of the day , with us the twelfth , when all men were up & ready , & walking abroad . 13. thirdly in regard of the kinde of death , he did undergoe , to with the cursed death of the crosse . 14. remember also , o my better halfe , that his passiō was aggravated , by reason of the natural cōplexion of his body ; for it is certaine his body was of a most admirable and delicate temper , as being organiz'd by the holy ghost himselfe . and hence it came to passe that being thus formed without any defect , or error in nature , there was no conflict betweene his flesh and his spirit . wherefore his spirit by strong consequence must love his flesh , better then any other spirit or soule can , or ought to love its body . 15. and it is very worthy thy serious meditation : that his anguish was increased in respect of the quality of those members in which hee most suffered , as his hands and feet , which are nervous , and most perceptive , and most apprehensive of paine . 16. moreover consider o my soule , that his passion was exacerbated in regard of the diuturnity or long continuance of it . the holy martyres who have perish't by fire , water , or the sword , have quickly finish't their martyrdome , which the same howre , or the same sunne hath seene begunne and ended . but the passion of thy redeemer endured from the very instant ( as it were ) of his conception to the houre of his death . for hee certainly foreknew what his humanity was to suffer , the very imagination whereof made him sweatblood . finde if thou canst what particle of his life was free from persecution . but more eminently it endured from that dismall houre after supper , to the ninth houre of the sixt holy day● wonder not therefore that his soule was sad and heavy , since he was most cruelly tor●ur'd in all his senses . his eyes on the other side saw the grim and fierce lookes of his executioners ; on the other , the amiable countena●ce of his mother , and his other female votaries , together with his beloved disciple , all which ( as he was man ) he was loath to part with . his eares heard nothing but insulting , and deriding blasphemies . his taste was distasted with ● most bitter and loathsome potion , being a compound of vineger and gall. the paine he endured in his feeling , was diffus'd cleane through his body , his nostrills drew in nothing but noysome stinks , and dampes arising from putrified carkasses , for it was the common place design'd both for the execution and buriall of malefactors , which is implied in the name they gave it , god gotha , in our tongue the place of dead men sculls . and if wee follow some of the hebrew interpreters , this is the very place , wherein adam longsince was buried , for the truth o● which , i wish i had some better authority then that of a jew . but if it bee true , it is questionlesse not without the speciall providence of god , that sinne might first lose his force there ●here hee first gathered strength . and this is the master-comfort of a christian ( without which ●ee were lesse happy ●hen the heathen ) that ●t the second comming ●f christ hee shall rise in glory , in despite of death , whose sting shall be taken out , and hee ●ive with god for ever . and this infinite benefit is an effect of his passion . o hasten lord jesu● that ioyfull day , which all thy elect have , an● doe still long to see ; whe● death and time sh●l● l●● their scepters , as i d●● now my selfe , prostrat● before thee . then shall i , and neuer till then , b●● truely blessed , in singin● ( with all the saints and angells ) halleluias eternally to thy most glorie● ▪ name , amen . finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a12815-e940 * the schoole of aristotle ▪ neere athens . notes for div a12815-e1740 * though parentation commonly signifies the performance of any office due to the deceased parents : yet here it signifies the slaying of those enemies , or any of their race , who flew our parents , or any of our blood . ● bishop an●●●●● on the 〈…〉 . * they brib'd k. pr●sias to betray hanniball being his guest . oamici , amicus nemo . see m. de pless●● in his tract . of the iewes . * proselites were such heathen people as disclayming paganisme , became converts , and ioyened themselves unto the church of the iewes . a iew by father or mother , was called an hebrew , but he who was a iew both by father and mother , was stiled an hebrew of hebrews , and such i here speak of . lib. 3 de civil dei. cap. 15 athanas . de incar . thomas 3 sum. a work for none but angels & men that is to be able to look into and to know ourselves, or a book shewing what the soule is, subsisting and having its operations without the body ... : of the imagination or common sense, the phantasie, sensative memory, passions, motion of life, the local motion, intellectual power of the soul ... thomas jenner has lineas composuit. davies, john, sir, 1569-1626. 1658 approx. 102 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 24 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2007-01 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a37244 wing d410 estc r27853 10174979 ocm 10174979 44697 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a37244) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 44697) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 1381:13) a work for none but angels & men that is to be able to look into and to know ourselves, or a book shewing what the soule is, subsisting and having its operations without the body ... : of the imagination or common sense, the phantasie, sensative memory, passions, motion of life, the local motion, intellectual power of the soul ... thomas jenner has lineas composuit. davies, john, sir, 1569-1626. jenner, thomas, fl. 1631-1656. 39 p., [6] p. of plates : ill. printed by m.s. for thomas jenner, london : 1658. prose version of sir john davies' poem nosce te ipsum--lccp. includes "what heaven is, vindicated from the vulgar mistakes and gross conceivings of many" (p. 29-39) which is attributed to thomas jenner by lccp. reproduction of original in the huntington library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng soul. salvation. 2005-12 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2006-04 spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images 2006-06 john latta sampled and proofread 2006-06 john latta text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-09 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion a work for none but angels & men that is , to be able to look into , and to know our selves . or a book shewing what the soule is , subsisting and having its operations without the body ; it s more then a perfection or reflection of the sense , or temperature of humours ; not traduced from the parents subsisting by it self without the body : how she exercises her powers in the body the vegetative or quickning power of the senses . of the imagination or common sense , the phantasie , sensative memory , passions , motion of life , the locall motion , intellectuall powers of the soul . of the wit , understanding , reason , opinion , judgement , power of will , and the relations betwixt wit and will. of the intellectuall memory , which is the souls store-house , wherein all that is laid up therein , remaineth there even after death and cannot be lost ; that the soule is immortall , and cannot dye , cannot be destroyed , her cause cease●h not , violence nor time cannot destroy her ; and all objections answered to the contrary . thomas jenner has lineas composuit . in faelix qui pauca sapit spernitque doc●ri such knowledge is too wonderfull for me , it is high , i cannot attaine unto it , psal . 139.6 . london : printed by m. s. for thomas jenner , at the south-entrance of the royall exchange . 1658. of the soule of man , and the immortality thereof . why , since the desire to know , did corrupt the roote of all mankind , did my parents send me to schoole that my minde might be inriched therewith ? for when our first parents cleere and sharpe reasons eye , could have approached the eternall light , as the intellectuall angells , even then the spirit of lies suggests , that because they saw no ill , therefore they were blind and breathed into them a curious wish , which did corrupt their will : for that ill they straight desired to know , which ill was nothing but a defect of good , which the devill could not shew while man stood in his perfection ; so that they were first to doe the ill , before they could attaine the knowledge of it ; as men by tasting poyson know the power of it , by destroying themselves . thus man did ill to know good , and blinded reasons eye to give light to passions eye , and then he saw those wretched shapes of misery , and woe , nakednesse , shame , and poverty by experience ; reason grew darke and could not discern the fair formes of god and truth , and mans soul which at first was fair , spotlesse , and good sees her selfe spotted , hanted with spirits impatient to see her own faults ; therefore turnes her selfe outward , and sees the face of those things pleasing and agreable unto her sences , so that she can never meet with her selfe . the lights of heaven , which are the fair eyes of the world , they looke down upon the world to view it , and as they run and wander in the skies , they survey all things that are on the center , yet the lights mine eyes , which see all objects farre and nigh , look not into this little world of mine , nor see my face in which they are fixed since nature fails us in no needfull thing , why doe i want means to see my inward selfe , which sight might bring me to the knowledge of my selfe , which is the first degree to true wisdome , that power which gave me ability to see externals , infused an inward light , to see my self by means of which i might have a perfect knowledge of my own form . but as the eye can see nothing without the light of the sun , neither can the mind see her self without divine light , for how can art make that cleere which is dim by nature , and the greatest wits are ignorant both where she is , and what she is , one thinkes her to be air , and another fire , and another blood , defused about the heart , and that she is compounded of the elements , musitians say our soules are harmonies ; physitians , the complexions . epicures makes them swarmes of atomes , which by chance fly into our bodies , some again that one soule fills every man , as the sun gives light to every star , others that the name of soule is a vain thing , and that it is a well mixt body : and as they differ about her substance , so , also where her seate is , some lift her up into the brain , others thrust her down into the stomack , some place her in the heart , and others in the liver . some say that she is all in all , and all in every part , and that she is not contained , but containes all , and thus the learned clerkes play at hazzard , and let them say , it is what they will ; there be some that will maintain it , the only wise god to punish the pride of mens wits , hath therefore wrought this confusion , but he that did make the soule of nothing , and restor'd it when fallen to nothing , that so we might be twice his ▪ can define her subtle forme and knowes her nature and powers : to judge her selfe she must transcend her selfe , for fetterd men cannot expresse their strength , but now in these latter dayes , those divine mysteries which were laid in darkness , are brought to light : and this lampe of god which doth defuse it selfe through all the region of the braine , doth shew the immortall face of it . vnderstanding . i once was aegle ey'ed full of all light . am owle eyd now as dim as darke as night , as through a glasse or cloud i all thinges vew . shall on day see them in there proper hue . memorie . a com̄on jnne all com̄ers to reteyne . a siue where good run̄e out & bad remayne . a burrow with a thousand vermine hydes . a den where nothinge that is good abides this she doth when from particular things she abstracts the universall kinds ; which are immateriall and bodilesse , and can be lodged no where else but in the minde . and thus from divers acts and accidents which fall within her observation ; she abstracts divine power and virtue ; again , how can she know severall bodies if she were a body ; the eye cannot see all colours at once , nor the tongue relish all tasts at one time , but successively : nor can we judge of passion except we be free from all passions , nor can a judg execute his office well if he be possest of either party , if lastly this quick power were a body , were it as swifte as fire or winde , which blowes the on one way , & makes the other a spier , her nimble body yet in time must move , & not slide through all places at an instant , she is nigh and far above , beneath , in poynt of time which thought cannot devide , she is as soon sent to china , as to spain , and returnes as soon as sent , she as soon measures the heavens as an ell of silke . as then the soule hath a substance besides the body in which she is confinde ; so hath she not a body of her own , but is a spirit , and a minde immateriall . since the body and soul have such diversities , we may very well muse how this match began : but that the scripture tells us , zachariah 12.1 . sayth the lord , which stretcheth forth the heavens , and layeth the foundations of the earth , and formeth the spirit of man within him ▪ he makes the body of earth , and in it a beam of heavenly fire , now in the wombe before the birth , inspires in all men their soules , and without a mother sends dayly millions into the world which neither from eternity , nor at once in one time lay them up in the sunne or moone , nor in some secret cloyster where they sleepe till they be awaked , neither did he make at first a certain number , infusing part in beasts , and part in men , and being unwilling to take further pain would make no more ; so that the widdow soul should be married to the next body that should be born , and so by often changing mens souls should pass from beasts to men , these are fond thoughts ; since there are far more born then dye , then thousand soules should be abortive , or others deaths should supply their soules ; but as nature gods handmaid doth create bodies in time distinct and in due order , so god gives soules the like successive date , which himselfe formes in new bodies , which himselfe makes of no materiall thing , for unto angels he hath given no power either to forme the shape , or bring the stuffe from air or fire , nor in this doth he use natures service , for although she can bring bodyes from bodyes , yet she could never traduce soules from soules , as light springs from light , and fire from fire as some learned fathers that were great lights of old did hold , for say they , how can we say that god made the soule , and yet not make him the author of her sinne , for in her lies the corruption , for adams body did not sin but his soule , and so brought the body to corruption , so we would fain make him the author of the wine , if we knew whom to blame for her dreggs ; none were yet so grosse , as to contend for this , that soules may be traduced from bodyes , between whose natures there is no proportion , but many subtle wits have justified that soules may spiritually spring from soules , which if the nature of the soul be tryed would even in nature prove as grosse , for all things that are made are either of naught , or of something that is already made of naught , no creature ever formed ought , for that is proper for the almighty ; if then the soule make another soule , she must take it of some former stuffe or matter , but there is no matter found in the soule : then if her heavenly forme doe not agree with any matter in the world , then must she needs be created of nothing , and that is only proper to god alone ; again , if soules doe beget soules , 't is either by themselves , or the bodies power , if by themselves what hinders them but that they may engender soules every hour , if by the body , how can understanding and will joyne with the body in this act ; only since when they doe their other works , they doe abstract them themselves from the body ; moreover , if soules were begotten of soules , they should move and change into each other , but motion and changes brings at last corruption , and then how should it be immortall ? if lastly soules did use generation , then they should spread incorruptible seed ; and then what becomes of that which they doe loose , when the acts of generation doe not speed ? but if the soule could cast spirituall seed yet she would not , because she never dies ; mortall things desire to breed their like that so they might immortalize their kinde , therefore the angels who are call'd the sons of god neither marry nor are given in marriage , their spirits and ours are of one substance , and have one father the lord of heaven . who would at first that in each other thing , earth , and water , living souls should breed , but mans soul which he would make their king , should immediately be produced from himselfe ; and doubtless when he took the woman from the side of the man , he alone inspierd the soul , for t is not said he did devide mans soul , but took flesh of his flesh , and bone of his bone ; and lastly , god being made man for mans sake , and like him in all , save only in sin , tooke his body from the wombe of the virgin but all agree , god formed his soule within ▪ him then is the soule from god , so say the pagans which saw by natures light , her heavenly kinde , naming her kin to god , and gods bright ray , a citizen of heaven , confind to the earth . this cloud may be further cleerd by heavenly light , for questionlesse god made her , and made her good , and ingrafted her in the body there to grow , which though it be corrupted flesh and blood , yet can it not bring corruption to the soule ; yet this soule at first made good by god , and not corrupted by the evill of the body , yet in the womb is accurst and sinfull ere she can judge by wit or chuse by will , yet god is not the author of her sinne , though of her being ; and if we dare judge him in this , he can condemn us , and yet be cleere himselfe , first god from eternity decreed , what hath been , is , or shall be done , and that every man in his turne should run his race of life , and did purpose to make all soules that ever have been or shall be , and that they should take there being in humane bodies , or not to be at all ; was it then fit that such a weake event , weaknesse it selfe , the sin and fall of man should prevent his execution , and councells fixed , and decreed before the world began , and that one penall law broke by adam , should make god breake his own eternall law ; and revoke the setled order of the world , and change all formes of things which he foresaw ; could eves weake hand extended to the tree , rent a sunder that adamantive chain , whose golden linkes of causes and effectes remain fixt to gods own chare ; o could we see how cause doth spring from cause , how they are mutually linckt and foulded , and that on disagreeing stringe doth rather make then marr the harmony , and at once view how death is brought by sin , and how a better life doth arise by death , how in one his justice is seen , and his mercy in the other , we would praise this his decree a wise and right : but we measure time by first and last , and see the sight of things successively , when the lord sees all at once and at an instant he sees all things in himselfe as in a glasse , for from him , and by him , and through him are all things . his sight is not discorsive by degrees , but he seeing the whole , seeth every single heart . he looks on adam as a roote , or spring and on all his heires as branches , and streames ; and sees all men as one man , though they dwell in sundry nations and cit●es ; and as root and branch makes but one tree , and the spring and streame make but one river , so that if one be corrupted the other is corrupted also ; so when the root and fountaine of man kinde did draw corruption and gods curse by sin , this was a charge that did binde all his off-springe , and so they all grew corrupted : as when the hand sins , the man offendes , for part from whole in this , the law doth not sever : so adams sin extends to whole mankinde , for all natures are but part of his therefore this sin of kind was not personall , but reall and hereditary ; the guile and punishment whereof must pass by course of nature and law : for as that easie law was given to all , to ancestor , to heir first and last , so the transgression was generall , in our law we see some foot steps of this which take her root from god and nature : ten thousand men make but one corporation , and these and their successors are but one , and if they gain or loose their liberties , they harme and profit not themselves alone , but their successors : and so the ancestor and all his heirs , if they should increase as the sand , their advancements and forfitures are still but one , his civill acts doe binde and harme them all . there are a crew of fellowes j suppose , that angle for their victualls with their nose as quick as beagles in the smelling sence to smell a feast in paules 2 miles from thence . trueth and a lye did each a lodging lack , and to a gallants eare their course did take : trueth was put by , ( being but meanly clad ) and in the eare , the lye the lodging had . next she useth the smell in the nostrels , as into them at first god breathed life , so now he makes his power to dwell in them , to judge of all aires whereby we live and breath , this sence is mistress of an art , to sell sweete perfumes to soft people , yet it imparts but little good , for they have the best smell that cannot away with any perfumes , yet good sents doe awake the fancy , refine the wit , and purifie the braine , and old devotions did use incense to make mens spirits , more apt for divine thoughts . lastly , the power of feeling which is lifes roote , which doth shed it selfe through every living part , and extends it selfe from head to foot by sinewes ; as a net covering all the body , or much like a spider which setteth in the midst of her web , and if the outmost thread of it be touched she instantly feels it by the touch ; we discern what 's hard , smooth , rough , what 's hot , and cold , and dry , and moyst , these are the outward instruments of the soule , and the guards by which every thing must passe into the soule , or aproacheth unto the minds intelligence , or touch wits looking-glasse ; the fantasie , yet these porters which admit all things themselves , neither discern nor perceive them , one common power which sits in the forehead brings together all their proper formes ; for all those nerves which carry spirits of sense , and goe spreading themselves to the outward organ , are there united as their center , and there they know by this power those sundry formes , the outward organs present things doe receive , the inward sence retayne the things that are absent , for she straightwayes transmits what she perceives unto the higher region of the brain . where sits the phantasie which is the hand maid neer to the minde , and so beholds and discerneth them all , and things that are divers in their kinde compounds in one : weigheth them in her ballance , and so some she esteemes good , and some ill , and some things neuterall , neither good nor bad , this busie power is working night and day , when the outward sences are at rest , a thousand light and phantasticall dreames with their fluttering wings keeps her still awake ; yet all are not alwayes afore her , she successively intends this and that , and what she ceaseth to see she commits to the large volume of the memory ; this lidger book lyes behinde in the brain , like janus eye , seated in the poll , and is the storehouse of the minde , which much remembers and forgets more , here sences apprehension ends as a stone cast into the pond of water , one circle makes another , till at last it toucheth the banke . but although the apprehensive power do pawse , yet the motive virtue is lively , and causeth passions in the heart , as joy , griefe , fear , hope , love , and hate ; and these passions bring forth divers actions in our lives , for all actions without the light of reason proceed from passion ; but since the powers of sence lodge in the brain , how comes passions from the heart , it ariseth from the mutuall love and kind intelligence betwixt the brain and the heart . from the kinde heat which raigns in the heart , from thence the spirits of life takes their beginning , these spirits of life ascending to the brain causeth a sensablenesse , and imediately judgeth whether it be good or ill , and sends down to the heart where all affections dwell a good or ill report , and if it be good , it causeth love , and longing hope , and well assured joy ; if it be ill , it anoyes the heart with vexing grief , and trembling , fear , and hatred . now if these naturall affections were good , or if we had such strength of reason , and especially grace for to rectifie natures passion we might be happy , and not so often miscarry as we doe , for we were but blocks without them ; besides there ariseth another motive power out of the heart , which are the vitall spirits , born in arteries , and causeth continuall motion in all parts , it makes the pulses to beate , and lunges respier , and holdes the sinewes like a bridle , so that the body retires ; or advanceth , turns or stops as she strains or slackens them , thus the soule tunes the bodyes instrument , with life and sence fit instruments , being sent by the body , although the actions doe flow from the soules influence , sometimes i will this , yet i have not a power to expresse the working of the wit and will , for though their roote be knit to the body , yet use not the body when they use their skill . will. free to all ill , till freed to none but ill now this i will anon the same i nill appetite ere while , ere while reason may nere good but when gods spirit beares y e sway to these high powers there is a store-house , where lyeth all arts , and generall reasons which remaine unto the soule even after death which cannot be washed away by any loethean flood of forgetfulnesse . this is the soule and these be her virtues , which although they have their sundry proper ends , and one exceed another , yet each one doe mutually depend on the other , our understanding is given us to know god , and he being known , our will is given us to love him , but he could not be known to us here below , but by his word and workes which we receive through the sences , and as the understanding reapes the fruit of sence , so the quickning power feeds the sences , and while they do thus dispence their severall powers , the best needeth the service of the least , even as the king serves the magistrate , and the commons feed them both , the magistrate preserves the commons by the power they have from their prince ; the quickning power would be , and there it rests , the sences are not contented only to be , but would be well , but the soul desires endlesse felicity ; these three powers doe make three sorts of men , for one sort of men desire as plants only to fill themselves , and some like beasts think the world is only to take their pleasure in it , and some men as angels love to live in contemplation , therefore the 〈…〉 turned some men into flowers , others into beasts , 〈…〉 to angells , which still travill , and still rest . yet these three powers are not three soules , but one as one , and two or both contained in three , 3 being one number by it selfe alone ; a shadow of the blessed trinity . these meditations may draw from us this acclamation , what is man that thou adornest him with so bright a minde , madest him over all thy creatures a king , and an angels peer ? o what hast thou inspierd into this dying flesh , what a heavenly life , power , and lively life , spreading virtue , and a sparkling fire ! in other workes of thine thou leavest thy print , but in man hast written thine own image ; there cannot be a creature more divine , this exceeds mans thought , to consider how highly god hath raised man , since god became man , the angels are astonisht when they view and admire this mistery , neither hath he endowed man with these blessings for a day , neither do they depend on this life , for though the soule was made in time , yet lives for aye , and though it had a beginning , yet hath no end her only end , is never ending blisse , and that consisteth in beholding the eternall face of the almighty , who is the first of causes , and last of ends , and to doe this she must needs be eternall , then how sencelesse or dead a soul hath he that thinks his soul dieth with his body , or if he think not so , yet would fain have it so , that he might sin with the more security ; although light and vicious persons say our soules are but a smoake , or aiery blast , which while we live playes within our nostrills , and when he dies turns to winde , although they say so , yet they know not what to think , for ten thousand doubts doe arise in their minds , and although they strive against their consciences , there are some sparkes in their flintey breasts , which cannot be extinct , which though fain they would , yet cannot be beasts ; but whoso makes a merror of his minde ▪ and with patience views himselfe within , shall cleerly see the soules eternity , though all other beauties of the soule be defaced because of his sin . for first , we find an appetite in every mans mind to learn and know the truth of every thing , this is connaturall and born with him , on which the essence of the soul depends , she hath a native might with this desire to finde out the truth of every thing , if she had time the innumerable effects to sort a●ight , and to climbe by degrees from cause to cause ; but sithence our lives slide so fast away through the winde , as the hungry eagle , or as the ships which leaves no print of their passage , of which swifte little time we spend while some things we strain through the sences , that our short race of life is ended ere we can attain the principles of skil , so that either god who hath made nothing in vain , in vain hath given this appetite and flower , or else our knowledge which is begun here , must be perfected in heaven . to one whole kind the allmighty never gave a power , but most part of that kinde did use the same , as though some eyes be blind , yet most eyes can see perfectly , so though some be lame in their limbs , yet most can walke , but no soule can know the truth in this life so perfectly , as it hath power to doe ; if then perfection is not to be found here below , he must ascend higher where it is to be obtained . again , how can she but be immortall , when with the motion of her will and understanding she still aspiers to eternity , and is never at rest tell she attaineth thereunto ; water in conduit pipes can arise no higher then the well head , from which they springe . therefore since she doth aspier to the almighty she must be eternall , the nature of all moveable things , are to move to things of their own kinde , as the earth downward , and the fire ascends tell both touch their proper elements ; and as the thirsty earth suckes her moysture from the sea to fill her empty veines , and so glides along her grassie plaines , she stayes long as loath to leave the land , out of whose sides she came , she tasts all places , and turns on every hand , unwilling to forsake her flowery bankes , yet nature doth so carry and lead her streames , that she makes no finall stay tell she return into the bosome of the ocean . even so the spirit of god doth secretly infuse into this earthy mould our soules , which at first doth behold this world , and at first her mothers earth she holdeth dear , and embracerh the world and worldly things , she flyes close to the earth , and hovers here , and mounts not up with her celestiall winges , and cannot light on any thing which doth agree with her heavenly nature , she cannot rest nor fix her thoughts , neither can she be contented with any thing , for who ever found it in honour , wealth , or pleasure ; and having his health , ceased to wish , or having wisdome , was not vexed in minde , as a bee that lights on every flower , and sucks and tasteth on all , but being pleased with none at last ariseth and sores away , like noahs dove flyes into the arke from whence she came . when hearing , seeing , tasting , smelling's past : feeling ( as long as life remaines ) doth last mayde reach my lute , j am not well indeede : o pitty-mee , my bird hath made mee bleede . fancie . ape-like i all thinges imitate , dreame-like i them vary-straite . new proiects fashions i inuent , all shapes to head & harte present . hence it is that ideots , although they have a mind able to know the truth , and chuse that which is good , if she could find such figures in the brain , as she might find provided , she were in her right temper , but if a frensie doe possesse it , it so blots and disturbes the formes of things , phantasie proves altogether vain , and brings no true relation to the understanding , then the soule admits all for truth , and buildes false conclusions , flyes the good , and persewes the ill , beleeving all that this false spie propounds , but purge the humours , and appease the rage which wrought this distemper in the phantasie , then will the wit which never had disease , discourse as it ought , and judge discreetly , for the eye hath its perfect power of sight , although the streame be troubled , then these defects are in the sences , and not in the soule , she looseth not her power to see , although her windowes be choked with mists , and clouds , the imperfections are not in the agent , but instrument , the soule hath one intelligence in all ; in infants , and old men , although too much moysture be in the brain of the one , and too much drinesse in the other , which makes them that they cannot attain the outward printes of things , then the soul wanting work is idle , and we call the one childishnesse , and the other dotage ; yet the soule hath a quick and active wit , if she had apt tooles to worke withall , and stuffe , for give her but organs fit , and objects fair , give but the aged man the sence of the younge man , and she will straight way shew then her wonted excellency , and as an old harper , although he hath all his crochets in his brain , yet can he not expresse it when the gout is in his fingers ; then dotage is no weaknesse of the minde , but of the sense , for if that did wast , we should find it in all old men , but most of them even at their dying houre have a minde more quick and lively , and use their understanding power better then in their youth , and their dying speeches are admired . but it may be further objected , if all her organs dye , then hath the soule no powers to use , and is extincte because she cannot reduce them to act , and if her powers be dead , then what is she , for some power springes from every thing , and actings proceed from them , therefore kill her power , and act , and destroy her . it s very true , the death of the body is the destruction of the sences , so that she cannot use those faculties , although their root still rest in her substance , but as the body when it lives by the wit and will , can judge and chuse without the aid of the body , so when the body can serve her no longer , and her sences are extinct , yet can she discourse in heavenly contemplation all alone , of what she hath heard and learned : and as a man that hath good horsemanship , and can play well on a lute , if thou take both horse and lute away , yet he still retains his skill , and can put that forth if they be returned unto him , when the body revives they shall be able to fulfill all their wanted offices . but it may be further objected , how shall she employ her self , seeing all her sences be gon ? she may keep and enjoy what she hath got , but hath no means to understand or to get more , then what doe those poor soules which get nothing , or those that cannot keep what they have got , like lives which let all out , these soules must sleepe for want of exercise . see how man argues against himselfe ; why should we not have other means to know ? as children in the wombe live by the navil , but being come forth are nourished otherwise , children if they had use of their sences , and could hear their mothers tell them , that in a short time they should come from thence , they then would fear their birth , more then we fear our death , and would cry out , that if their navill strings were cut , how should their lifes be preserved ? since no other conduit brings their food ; and if a man should reply unto those babes , and tell them when they come into this fair world , they shall see the sun , moon and stars , sea and earth , and meet with ten thousand dainties , which they shall take in with pleasure in their mouthes , which shall be cordiall as well as sweet and their little limbs shall grow unto tall bodies they would thinke it a fable , as we doe of the story of the golden age , or as among us many sensuall spirits hold the world to come a feined stage , yet those infants shall find it true . so when the soule is born , for death is nothing but the soules birth , she shall see ten thousand things beyond her imagination , and know them in an unknown manner , them shall she see no more by spectacles , nor hear no more by her double spies , her selfe in instant will all things explore , for every thing is present to her , and lyes before her . but still it may be objected , if the soules departed doe live , why do they not return to bring us newes of the strange world wherein they see such wonders , vain man we doe beleeve that men live under the zenith of both the frozen poles , although none come from thence to tell us : so cannot we have the like faith of our soules , the soule hath no more to doe here , then we have to returne into our mothers womb , what man did ever covet it , although we all come from thence : and that shewes the soule hath a good being that they never desire to come hither again ; doubtlesse such soules as mount up so high as to see their creators face , holds this in so base an account , as that she looks down and scorns this wretched place . as for such as are detruded to hell , if they would come here , yet they cannot , but still there are some wicked ones as say , that politick men have spread this lye of heaven and hell only to make men virtuous , so then it seems morall virtues be good , but they speake this for their private gain , for that is the standing of common-wealths , wherein their private benefit is interrested , but how can that be false that the christian , jew , turke , persian , tarter , canibal hold to be true , this doctrine entred not into the ear , but is native in the breast , if death should destroy man for whose sake all things was made , then should he be more miserable then dawes , trees , and rockes , which last longer then he who is taken away at an instant , but blessed be that great power that hath blessed man with longer life then heaven and earth , and hath infused into man mortall powers not subject to the grave , for although the soul seeme to bear about it her grave , and almost buried alive in this world , she needs not to fear the death of the body , for when this shell is broke , there comes forth a chicken , for as there are three essentiall powers of the soule , the quickning power , and power of the sence , and also of reason , there be also three kinds of life defined her , in her due season to perfect them all ; the first life which is vegitive is that nursing power spent in the wombe , where when she finds defects of nourishment , she expells her body and growes too bigge for that place , and comes into the world where all his sences are in perfection , where he finds flowers to smell , and fruits to tast , sees sundry formes , and hears varieties of sounds , and when he hath past somtime upon this stage , his reason begins to be awaked , which although she springes when sences begin to fade by reason of age ; yet can she make here no perfect practice . then doth the aspiring soul leave the body , which we call death , but were it known to all what life our soules receive by this death , they would rather call it a birth , or gaole delivery ; for in this third life reason will be so bright , as her sparkes will be like the sun beames , and shall the reall ●●ght enjoy of god , being still increast by divine influence . then let us take up this acclamation : o ignorant poor man , what bearest thou lockt up in the casket of thy breast , what jewels and what riches , and what heavenly treasure hast thou in so weak a chest . looke into thy soule and thou shalt see such virtues , honour , and pleasure , and whatsoever is counted excellent in this life . thinke of her worth , and then know that god did mean thy worthy mind should embrace worthy things ; blot not her beauties with unclean thoughts ; neither dishonour her with thy base passions ; destroy not her quickning power with surfeitings and drunkennesse ; let not her sensitive power be mar'd with sensualities and fleshly desires ; & let not her serious thoughts be employed on idle things , and enslave not her will to vanity , and whensoever thou thinkest of her eternity , have not this evill thought of her , that death is against her nature , no assure thy selfe it is a birth in which she is brought forth to a better being , and when thou comest to dye , sing and rejoyce as a swan , that thou art a going to blisse ; if thou have faith to beleeve in jesus christ that thy sinns may be forgiven thee , and whereas before thou did'st fear as a child which is in the darke , fear not now having this light brought into thee : and now o thou my soule turn thine eye inward , and view the rayes and beams of thy divine forme , and know that whilst thou art clouded with this flesh of thine , thou canst not know any thing perfectly ; study the highest and best things , but retayne an humble thought of thy selfe , cast down thy self , and strive to raise the glorious and sacred name of thy maker and blessed redeemer ; use all thy powers to praise that blessed power which gives thee power to be , and also power to use those powers thou art endewed withall , and thus shut up all and say , o the depth of the riches both of the wisdome and knowledge of god , how unsearchable are his judgments , and his wayes past finding out , of him and through him , and to him are all things , to whom be glory for ever . finis . what heaven is , vindicated from the vulgar mistakes , and grosse conceivings of many ; some of which mistakes is mention made in this title , the rest of them manifested and enlarged in the ensuing treatise . as i. mistake of heaven is , that fancey the happinesse of heaven to consist only in things without them , and look upon it only as an outward place , and not as an inward state and disposition of the soule . ii. grosse conceit of heaven is , as if it were nothing but a theatre , a place of sights and showes , and god himselfe were nothing but a more pompious spectacle , there to be gazed upon by these bodily eyes , whereas we are never at a distance from him , but only in the dispersion ▪ multiplicity , distraction , and scattering of our bo●●●s , and in the dissimilitude , and disproportion of our soules unto him . iii. another vulgar and common mistake is that god doth not require any endeavours or activity of ours in the businesse of heaven , and that he deales with us in matters of grace and glory , as meere stocks , and stones , and inanimall creatures , and not in any way suitable to us as free and rationall , for although we cannot make alive the new man in us yet we may concur to the killing , and destroying of the old , by refusing to satisfie the lusts and cravings of it . iiii. neither are we to entertain this conceit , that god hath found out any other way to save his people from hell and destruction , without saving of them from their sins and wickednesses . infaelix cujus nulli sapientia prodest . what heaven is , vindicated from the vulgar mistakes and grosse conceivings of many . false gospellers undermine the true righteousnesse of god , and make the gospel nothing else but a slight imagination ; we should not entertain any such conceit , as if christ came with any new devise to bring men to heaven without the hard labour of mortifying their lusts , as if the intent of his coming was to promulgate ease and liberty to the flesh , and by his being crucifyed for us upon the crosse , to excuse our crucifying the old man in our hearts , as if he had found out a way to save his people from hell and destruction , without saving of them from their sins and wickednesses 1. the possibility of attaining that righteousnesse that is required of us in the gospel it is by the power of christ attainable , or else none could enter into the kingdome of heaven . he that is born of god sins not , for his seed remaines in him , and he cannot sin , because he is born of god , and must we needs say that he that is born of god can and may doe nothing else but sin ? is the immortall seed of gods holy spirit , of gods eternall word in the hearts of true believers , is nothing else but the seed of the serpent , and the cockatrice eggs , it is possible that the divine nature that the scripture speaks of , should be nothing else but the nature of the devil , that gods holy spirit in us shou●d make us habitations for it selfe to dwell in , and yet suffer us at the same time to be vessells of sin and satan ; is the end of the holy gospel not at all to free us from sin by the power of christ , but only to spread a purple vaile over us , not all to destroy the works of the devill in us , but only to cover them from gods avenging eye ; is the end of the gospel nothing else , but to paliate over the diseases of our corruptions , which remain in us ever sence the fall , and not at all to cure them . if so then , surely the reason of this is either , because christ is not able to overcome sin and satan in us , as the manikees of old dreamed , or else because he is not willing , and that is a greater disparagement to him then the former , for the other robbs him only of the glory of his power , but this spoyles him of the glory of his goodness ; as if christ should envy that to us , which of all other things is the most necessary to make us happy ; or as if god were not as carefull to advance his kingdome of light , here in the world , as the devill is to inlarge his kingdome of darknesse , as if god did not love his own butifull image , his own son and nature , but would willingly suffer it to be choaked and smothered here in the world by those fiends of darknesse , whom he hath long since lockt and fettered up in chains of darknesse , and reserved for the judgment of the great day . say's the philosopher no man sets up a marke on purpose that men might misse it , and shall god set up this marke of righteousnesse in the gospel as a butt for us to aime at , for this very end and purpose , that all the world should misse it ; can he that is the faithfull and true god put such a trick of fraud and mockery upon his creatures ? no surely , righteousnesse , evangelicall righteousnesse is the only thing intended per , see in all gods commandements , and sin which is nothing else but a missing of the marke , comes in by accident , sin is that which god will either destroy and banish out of the world by the clear discovery of his truth in the hearts of men , or else he will at last chain it in the bottomlesse pit to all eternity , and make the blacknesse of it to be a soyle to set off the glory of his justice . but it is suggested by some , that christ will not therefore bestow any true righteousnesse , holinesse , or sanctification upon a saint , on purpose that he might keep him humble , as if the only way to make men truly humble , were to make them wicked , and as it men would be so much the more proud , by how much the more holy , and made truly partakers of the image of god. away then w●th this fond conceit , whereby we doe nothing else but gratifie mens lusts ; and smother and extinguish the life of god in the world , it is the sluggard that sayes there is a lion in the way , but the true beleever saith , who art thou o great mountain before , zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain , nay , the truth it selfe saith , all things are possible to them that beleeve , we may undoubtedly by the power of god in us , prevaile every day more and more over the power of sin and satan , the weapons of our warfare are very powerfull and able to batter down the strong holds of satan in our hearts ▪ he that is indeed born of god shall overcome the world , and the flesh , and the devil to , by the power of god in him , he shall destroy the law of sin in his members , by the true law ▪ the law of the spirit of life , and if we should with unfeigned simplicity of heart apply our selves to god , and resigning up our selvs to him , to be taught & led by him , we should certainly find that his free spitit would inwardly lead us into all wayes of obedience , and that it would be as naturall and as delightfull to us , to walke on in those pleasant pathes of holinesse and righteousnesse , as ever it was to wander in those crooked wayes of sin and wickednesse ; nay the true regenerate christian , is so far from delighting secretly in the wayes of sin , as the false hearted hypocrite thinks he doth , that there is nothing that more hurts and wounds his soule , then that he hath not a more lively sence of evill ; for the divine life in him being a delicate and tender thing hath the most quickest sence of any thing that is contrary to it , and is most ingenious and industrious for selfe preservation against it , wisdome is easie to the wise , sayes solomon , and her wayes are wayes of pleasantnesse to them , and all her paths are peace , and sin is the most ugly and forlorn thing in the world let not therefore these evill spyes that bring an evill report upon this land of promise , dishearten and discourage us , but let us goe on in the power of god and his strength , and exercise our faith in this , not only that we shall be freed from fire and brimstone here after , but that we shall be delivered from the power of sin , and satan in our own hearts , this is that faith whereby we overcome the world ; and if we had more of this faith in the power of christ to destroy our corruptions in us , and to tread down satan under our feete , and all that fond and ungrounded confidence , that god intends to save us while we continue under the power of sin , we should goe on more successefully and prosperously in the way to heaven . and it is a dangerous mistake now under the gospel , to conceive that god will save men out of a fond affection towards them , without renuing of their natures , and begetting his own son the new creature in their hearts . meerly for beleeving this very thing , that they shall be saved , as if it were possible for men to be made happy , without being delivered from the power of sin , which is all one , as if we should say that it were possible for men to be saved without salvation , surely such as these think heaven nothing else but a meer place without them , a fine glistering place , whose gates are of pearl , and the walls of jasper , and the bottome paved with starrs , a very turkish paradise , for had they once tasted of the true pleasures of the soule purg'd from sin , and really establisht in the life of god , they would then see so much deformity in sin , that they would not accept of heaven upon such terms as those that is to be placed in an outward heaven , without the inward change and renuing of their mindes , without the conforming of their soules to the image and likenesse of god ; i am sure a true saint would not take heaven on such conditions as these are , that he might enjoy all the outward pleasures that are possible , that he might have a shining glistering body , that he might tread upon stars , and flye upon the wings of the winde , that he might converse with cherubims and serafims , angels and arke angels , if all this while he must continue filthy within , full of noysome and stincking lusts , voyd of divine wisdome that purges and purifies the soule , having a darke and sottish minde , unruly affection , continually strugling and quarrelling within . god he may indeed dispence with the punishment that belongs to sin , he may forgive and pardon in respect of punishment , but he can never account those truly holy , that are truly wicked , and bond slaves to sin and satan . now this can never make us happy to be freed only from the punishment of sin ; we can never be happy , till we be made pertakers of the life of god himselfe , till we have the same minde and life in us that is in god himselfe . if god should account us righteous , except we were truly possessed of a righteousnesse within us , i may speak it with reverence , this could doe us no good , no true christian would be contented with it , no more then a man that is sick , could be contented to be accounted whole , or one that is poor and naked , could be contented to be accounted rich and cloathed , no more then one that is frozen in a cold winter night , could be contented to be accounted hot , nothing without us can make us really happy , till we be inwardly made pertakers of the image of god. but it is very plain and easie to discover the ground of these mistakes , because carnal men desire not so much to enjoy heaven , as to be freed from hell , or if they desire heaven they desire nothing at all in it , but only their own ease and carnall pleasure , it would serve their turn well enough , if they could but have an artifice to get their sins pardoned , that they might be freed from the punishment that is due to them , and might be admitted into a sensuall heaven , though they live to all eternity under the power of sin and wickednesse , and never have the lest tast of the true heavenly manna , nor any knowledge of the name written on the white stone , which no man knowes but he that hath it , and therefore it will serve these mens turnes well enough , if they may be freed from the punishment of sin , while they love sin with all their hearts , the true hearted christian is really departed out of wicked sodom , out of this noysome state of sin , he is not so much solicitus about his state , as about his life , that he may still continue that heavenly life that is begun in him , he is not so anxious about his justification in a proposterous method , as about the sanctification of his heart and affection ; that is the best way to be assured of his justification , he feeles the divine life in him , and that he knowes can never sink him to hell , he drinkes of the true springs of everlasting life , and knowes he shall never see death , he is not so much perplext about his future salvation , because he findes he is already saved , because it selfe hath taken him upon its wings , and carries him away swiftly far from the region of death and hell. i beseech you let us not deceive our selves , without such an inward frame of spirit as this is , that is really crucifyed to the world , and planted into christ , sucking life and influence from him . god himselfe with what he can do without us , would never make us happy . besides the destroying of this corrupt , naturall , and fleshly life , we must also have a new and spirituall life begotten in us ; for as christ and the divine nature did assume the humane nature to it selfe , so likewise in every christian the divine life , or the life of god must as it were assume the humane and created life of man , and totally act it and inforce it , this is the essence of the new creature , this is the life and soul of christianity , the marrow and quintessence of all religion , to have a life wrapped up in man , that is the very life of god himselfe , and whosoever doth not pertake of this life , whatsoever opinion he entertains in religion , whatever outward forms of discipline he contends for , whatever sects he belongs to , he is either carnall or devilish . for nothing of mans is pleasing unto god , but that that god workes in man , and by man , and whatsoever workes with god according to that that is in god , this is in a manner one spirit with god himselfe , and whatsoever it doth , it doth it in forma dei , that is , god using this mans soule and life , and abilities , doth act it in him . but whatsoever perticular created life , lives otherwise then the eternall life of god lives , this sets up it selfe against god , and this is the life of corrupt nature , and the life of the devill , this is sin and nothing else , to live otherwise then the eternal life of god lives , and this was that that christ came into the world to destroy , and how doth he doe this ? surely no otherwise then by bringing gods own life into the humanity ; again , for he himselfe was nothing else but a tabernacle of god pitched amongst men , nothing but a humane nature acted , and disposed , and guided by the life of god , so that whatsoever christ lives , god lives in him , now this must not only be done by christ without us , but the same also must be done within us . one grosse mistake among men , that yet pretend much to religion that is very prejudiciall to the advancement of this spirituall righteousnesse that the gospel requires of us , and that is a conseite that men have whereby they think that salvation is a meer outward work , and therefore may be wholly effected by outward means , whereas it is nothing else for the substance of it , but the inward transforming of our selves into the likenesse of god , the reall translating of us out of the life of nature , into the divine life , or life of god , or the begetting of a new and heavenly life in the soule of man , that is the very same that doth every way agree with the life of god himselfe ; i say it with reverence god himselfe cannot make us happy by any thing without us , but only by forming his own nature and likenesse in us , they are carnall and earthly minded men , and no way suitable to the state of glory and happinesse , that fancy the happinesse of heaven to consist only in things without them , and look upon it only as an outward place , and not as an inward state and disposition of the soule ; i say therefore that salvation it is an inward thing , and consists chiefly in being saved from our sins , and being delivered from our own life , and being translated out of the kingdome of darknesse into the kingdome of light and righteousnesse , and it is not a heaven without us , though never so glorious and glistering a place , nay , it is not god without us that can make us truly and really happy , but it is god inwardly , setting himselfe in our soules , and so dwelling in us that our sins may be so ruled and guided by the life of god , as the members of our bodies are acted by our soules , and when this is once done , we shall at once live both the life of god , and injoy the joy , peace , and happinesse of god himselfe , which will all at once flow in upon us , i would not be mistaken , i doe not here deny but that there be some other inferiour circumstances belonging to the state of happinesse , as the changing of these vild bodies of ours , and instead of this earthly tabernacle that weighs down the minde , as solomon speakes , when as our soules were as it were now buried in a heepe of flesh , they shall receive an other more divine tabernacle that paul calls a spirituall body , a more fit companion for our soules , and many other such things answerable hereunto , i say these things i doe not deny , but yet all these things are of an inferiour nature , and all depend upon the former , the inward frame and disposition of the soule , in which the substance of heaven and hell consist . now this being well consider'd and understood , it is very plain that to thinke we can be saved without inward righteousnesse , meerly by something done without us , without the inward and reall change of our soules ; is all one as to thinke we can be saved without salvation , or we can be made happy without the possession of happinesse , though we must still remember the only procuring cause of our salvation , is the death sufferings and satisfaction of christ , who was made a propitiation for our sins , this is therefore the reason for which this inward righteousnesse before spoken of is to be urged in the gospel ▪ not as if we could thereby merrit any thing at all at the hands of god , for we can merrit no thing , but there is nothing that god himselfe can bestow upon us in heaven better , then the partisipation of his own life and nature , this inward change of the soul , this new creature is salvation it self , and if we be not possessed of it in some measure here , we have little reason how ever we may fondly flatter our selves to think it shall be done hereafter , that is the first mistake that i shall take notice of , that we are apt to conceive that salvation is an outward worke , and may be wrought only by outward means . 2. there is another mistake that is very neer a kin to that in matters of religion , and that is , when we seek for god we looke for god wholly abroad without our selves , whereas the only way to finde god is to turn our selves inward , and to looke for him in the bottome of our own soules , for if we could be carried up beyond the spheares , and pry into every corner of the starrs in heaven above , certainly we should as little find god there as we did on earth , if we could find god any where abroad without us , this could not make us happy , for then god would be really at a distance from us , but our happinesse consists in such a reall communion with god , as our saviour discribes , 17 joh. 22. the glory which thou gavest me , i have given them , that they may be one as we are one ; i in them , and they in me , that all might be made perfect in one : the heaven where god dwells in , and where alone he is to be found , is in a regenerate soul , and he that will indeed find god and be united to him , must not gaze and gad abroad , and turn his eyes wholly outward , but he must look to find him within , intimis animis , for there he may at once both see him , feele him , taste him , and be united to him , god is never distant by place from us , for in him we live and move and have our being , but all our distance from him is only in the dispersion , multiplicity , destractions , and scatterings of our hearts , and in the dissimilitude and disproportions of our soules unto him , and when these things are once removed , then god appears to us who was never absent from us , but only our eyes are now unvailed to see and behold him , god is every where alike to him that can feele him , he is only not present to him that cannot receive him , as the sun shines not in a house where the curtains are drawn , and the windowes stopt up . this is the reason why many have so much adoe to finde god , because they look for him as a corporall thing , they still imploy their fansies and imaginations to finde him without , and send them a roving , gadding , and wandering abroad after god , and have such naturall and grosse conceits of heaven , as if it were nothing but a theatre , a place of sights and shows , and god himselfe were nothing but a more pompeous spectacle , there to be gazed upon by these bodily eyes ; god i say is to be sought by a christian within his own soule , and the way to find him there is , not by knowledge ; or study , or speculation , but by a leaving off all things , even our own wit and knowledge , and especially our lives , and by abstracting of our selves from the love of the world , and of our selves , and dying to them , and then out of this death will spring the true and heavenly light in which alone god is seen and known . 3. there is yet another mistake that is very vulgar and common , and that is , that men are generally very apt to conceive that god doth not require any endeavours , any activity of ours at all in the businesse of religion , and that god deales with us in matters of grace and spirituall things , as meer stockes , and stones , and inanimal creatures , and not in a way suitable to us , as we are free and rationall ; this i conceive to be another mistake that damps and choakes mens endeavours of subduing and mortifying their lusts , for by this means we lazily ly down under the burden of our sins , and think we may cast the blame of our wickedness upon god himselfe , he hath not given us strength , he hath not given us power and ability , this is a strong castle of sin , in which men are apt to garison themselves against all the hearty exhortations and instructions which the word of god , and the messengers of god bring unto them , whereas the scripture every where calls upon us , to work out our salvation with fear and trembling , to make our calling and election sure , to gird up the loyns of our minds , to fight the good fight of faith , and christ himselfe tells us , that he with his spirit stands at the doore and knocks , if any man open , and will hear his voyce , i will come into him , saith he , and sup with him , and he with me ; it is true , indeed it is not in our power to make our selves new creatures , to be regenerate and born again when we please , but as our saviour tells us , the winde blowes where it listeth , and thou hearest the sound thereof , and canst not tell whence it comes , nor whither it goeth , so is every one that is born of the spirit , but yet let us not deceive our selves , though this change in us be a new birth , and we cannot make our selves the sons of god , no more then we can make our selves the sons of men , we can indeed but pati deum , lye down and suffer while he prints his own image on our hearts , while he forms himselfe in our soules ; yet notwithstanding let us not deceive our selves , there is something for us to doe , and that the scripture every where calls upon us for , and that is , not to make provision for the flesh , to fulfill the lusts thereof , to put off the old man that is corrupt , according to the deceitfull lusts , to mortifie and subdue this body of death , that we carry about us , for though we cannot make alive the new man in us when we please , yet we may concurr to the killing and destroying of the old , by refusing to satisfie the lusts & cravings of it , & then by looking up to heaven , & imploring gods assistance that he would come down upon us the second time , & breath into us the breath of supernaturall life , we have therefore many gracious promises made to us in the gospel , on purpose to incourage us to faith in god , that he will be always ready to prevent us with his goodnesse , & to remove the wretched infidelity of our hearts , whereby our confidence in god is choaked & all heavenly endeavours are dampt in us , the whole gospel was written to this end & purpose , to destroy this infidelity , and assure us that we may come to god , & that he is a rewarder of those that seek him . finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a37244-e200 that the soul is created i●mediately by god , zach. 12.1 . erroneus opinions of the creation of soules . that the soul is not traduced from their parents . reasons drawn from nature . matthew 19. reason drawn from divinity . smelling . feeling . the immagination or common sence . the phantasie . the sensative memory . the passions of sence . motion of life . locall motion . the intellectuall powers of the soul . the intellectuall memory . an acclamation . that the soul is immortall , and cannot dye . reason 1. drawn from the desire of knowledge . reason 2. drawn from the motion of the soule . the soul compared to a river . objection . to friends in england, ireland, scotland, holland, new-england, barbado's, or any where else where the lord god shall order this to come, in the tender spirit of life and love, greeting penington, isaac, 1616-1679. 1666 approx. 24 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 7 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2006-02 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a54070 wing p1211 estc r22406 12742975 ocm 12742975 93157 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a54070) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 93157) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 727:30) to friends in england, ireland, scotland, holland, new-england, barbado's, or any where else where the lord god shall order this to come, in the tender spirit of life and love, greeting penington, isaac, 1616-1679. 12 p. s.n., [s.l. : 1666] caption title. signed: isaac penington (p. 11). reproduction of original in huntington library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng christian life. salvation. 2005-09 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-09 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2005-11 judith siefring sampled and proofread 2005-11 judith siefring text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-01 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion to friends in england , ireland , scotland , holland , new-england , barbado's , or any where else where the lord god shall order this to come in the tender spirit of life and love , greeting . o friends , in the pure love of god , and fresh breath of his living spirit , is it now on my heart to write unto you , in fear , in tenderness , in meltings and true sence of spirit ; and the lord god so guide my heart and words , as that they may reach the witness in the hearts of all that shall read , and may be felt by that to be purely of god , and not at all of the birth , will , or wisdom of the flesh . i remember , i remember , o friends , and it is in my heart to put you in remembrance of the cloudy , dismal and dark day , wherein the shepherd of israel 〈◊〉 our souls , and what condition we were in , when he caused the light of life to shine upon our tabernacles , and to spring up in us . o the desolation , the desolation that our souls were in , in that day ! o the wandrings up and down , the seekings , huntings , mournings , bitter complaints , and deep distresses for want of our god , and for want of the guidance of his good spirit ! who can utter now what was then felt of the thickness of darkness , of the misery , the loss , the dreadful captivity that poor souls were entangled and wraped up in ? o how acceptable was the visitation of god then ! how deep was the sence of his tender mercy in visiting ! how glad was the soul then of the living path revealed ! how unfainedly did it cleave unto the lord , and embrace the measure of his life revealed inwardly to the mind ! how did it fear ! how did it wait ! how did it watch against the enemy , and cry to the father for his help ! how beautiful were the feet , and how pleasant the visitations of them , who brought the tydings of this life and peace ! what love , what unity , what embracing one another in this life , was then witnessed in the hearts of one another ! and where this lives and grows to this day , o how precious is that vessel ! but where the life in any is departed from , where another thing ( of another nature ) hath entered and been entertained by any , there it is not so ; but there the love is grown cold , the mind changed , the goodness of the lord forgotten , and the poor soul again entangled in that which formerly it felt some release and deliverance from . now , that the enemy would endeavour to entangle the minds of the redeemed , and to draw them back from the lord , and his pure measure of life in the heart , towards perdition again , that is not to be questioned , it being his nature and property so to do ; and that he would use , not only his strength , but also all his subtilty & deceiveableness to affect this ( his aim being at the church and redeemed of god , more then at the world ) appearing as an angel of light , in motions like light , in wayes like life , this is not to be doubted neither ; for how else could he gain upon that , whose eye is towards , and whose aim is after the lord ? but this is the great thing for my heart , and the hearts of friends , to be exercised in , to wait on the lord , in his true light , clearly to discern how far we have been assaulted by this enemy ; and how far the lord hath preserved us from his assaults , or suffered him to prevail upon us ; for he hath prevailed in former ages , under the ministration of the law in the prophets dayes , and under the ministration of the gospel in the apostles dayes ; yea , and i must needs say , he hath also prevailed in our dayes , on all that have not watched in the pure fear , and been preserved by the pure power of the lord. now doth it not concern every one to look up to the lord , to guide his heart in searching , that he may truly understand his state ? that , if he can witness the preservation of the power , he may sing praise to the power ; but if he hath been betrayed and come to a loss , he may seek after the power of life again , and wait for deliverance and restoring by it . for with the lord god is mercy and bowels , and he seeketh after and saveth the lost , not once onely , but again and again ; onely here is the great danger of souls , when they are ignorant of their captivity , and judge in themselves , and are guided by that , which should be judged down and destroyed in them ; when darkness is the light and leader in the mind , o whither doth that soul travel ! how doth it judge , think , act ! how sure doth the enemy hold it in his bonds and chains ! how easily doth he prejudice it against that , which is of god and for its good ; and incline it to think favourably of that , which only appeareth to be of god , but is not , and is to its hurt . now friends , there were three things on my heart this morning , which sprang up in true sence and demonstration of god's spirit , as subtil engines , which the enemy hath endeavoured to make use of to hurt our souls ; which any that have been entangled in , have received hurt by , and those that have escaped , have cause to bless the name of the preserver of israel . the first is this , by getting in persons prejudices against those whom the lord hath chosen , and pleaseth to make use of in ministring to his people . precious is the ministry that is in the spirit , for the building up in life , as well as for begetting . how doth the enemy strive to prejudice the world against them , that there may be no begetting to god from amongst them ? and how doth he also endeavour to raise prejudices among the begotten , that he may interrupt , and ( if possibly ) stop their building up ? the second is this , to draw men from eying and subjecting to the present dispensation , by an earnest looking after and waiting for another , or further . the security and blessing of the soul lies in the present dispensation , in bowing to god there , in being diligent under the exercises of his spirit therein . now that which draws the mind another way , from the present exercise , from belief in the present gift , under a specious pretence of waiting for somewhat more glorious to appear , betrayes and deceives , in thus turning the mind out of the path which god holds forth and guides into , towards expectation of a path as yet to be revealed . the third is this , under a pretence of sticking to the enlightning & guidance of ones own measure , to set up a sense and judgement in the mind , both concerning persons , practices , and things , which is not truly of the measure , but secretly instilled into and raised up in the mind , contrary to the pure measure of life . all these have i not onely seen in spirit , but been forely assaulted with ; and that they have not prevailed upon me , even to destruction , is the tender mercy and kindness of the lord unto me ; and in that tenderness and love , for the preservation of others do i write these things : and indeed , i have somewhat in my heart to say singly and nakedly concerning each of these , which the lord guide and bless to the conditions of those who stand in need thereof . first , concerning those prejudices which the enemy is apt to lay before the minds of friends concerning those whom the lord hath chosen to minister to them in the power of his truth , i shall say this : look over the former dispensations of god ; there were false prophets under the law , and false apostles and ministers in the time of that dispensation of the gospel , who did strive and labour hard to disturb , undermine and overturn the building and work of god in the spirits of his people then ; but did god suffer the true prophets under the law , or his true apostles to fall and lose their ministry ? and is not this present dispensation pure and living , and able to preserve both the instructers and instructed in the lord ? it is natural to the enemy to suggest such a thing ; but let all that fear the lord and love his truth , take heed how they entertain such a suggestion . besides , he that hath felt the pure power in his heart , and waited to be carried through the work of it , and hath been carried through and brought into the dominion , and set as a pillar in the temple of the lord ; it is not easie ( if possible ) for him to fall , the lord having undertaken for him , that he shall go no more forth , as rev. 3. 12. but let me say this to thee , o soul , who ever hast entertained this prejudice , thou , through prejudices and suggestions judgest them fallen ; but do not they , in the true eternal light of the spirit of life , see thee fallen ? nay , if thou couldst but retire to the pure measure that at first quickened thee , mightest not thou feel thy own fall ? to the second , of drawing out the mind to look after another or further dispensation , i have this to say : consider what this dispensation is ; is it not of the seed it self ? is it not of the light , life and power of the father , manifested in the seed , and in the soul through the seed ? is not the sence quick , and the love pure , where this is felt ? what wouldst thou have , poor soul ? o that thou feltest the virtue and power of this , surely thou wouldst then find , that thou mightest sit down here in the peace , purity , power , dominion and perfection of life ; for it is all in the seed , and to be revealed to thee , and become thine , as thou art gathered into the seed , and the seed opened in thee . besides , are there not many that have witnessed , and that can witness from god , that this is the dispensation which is to go through the whole earth ? and shall it be laid aside in the beginning of its work ? if there had been a law given , which could have given life , ( said the apostle ) righteousness should have been by the law. god doth not change . when he hath brought forth that which will do the thing , why should he change it ? now of the ability of this , there are many witnesses ; yea it hath brought forth life and righteousness in those that have been subject to it , and was once owned as the desire of our souls , and became a covering to our eyes that we could look no further ; our hearts in the sense and life of truth , being satisfied that this was the very thing we had long mourned after , and waited for . o that which begets another sense in any of us , ( under what pretence or appearance soever ) let it be the abomination of our souls , that we hearken not , nor give the least entertainment to it , lest by it we be betrayed of our portion in the blessed treasure and inheritance . to the third i say ; it is a standing truth , the standard we were invited to , and to which we are to keep for ever , even the measure of life in our own vessels : this will justifie us in our subjection to whatever it reveals ; and its justification will stand , whatsoever any man else shall say to the contrary . but this is at unity in it self , and never opposeth the motion or appearance of life in another . now this is certain , the enemy will appear as neer life and its motion , as he can ; and if i receive his appearance , i am not subject to the measure of life in me , but to him under his deceitful appearance . therefore if that , which appears like life in thee , contradict a practice or appearance of life in others , ( who were in the truth before thee , and are in the growth thereof far beyond thee ) oughtest thou not to be sober in spirit , and to wait in fear , lest thou shouldest be deceived , lest thou shouldest exalt self and the enemy in thee , and not the truth ; yea lest thy heart should grow hard , and thy neck stiff against those who are over thee in the lord , and so thou lose the benefit of their watching over thee and counsel to thee , and of gods preservation ? for out of the truth , in the deceitful appearance , there is no preservation , nor true light , nor justification of life , but self conceit fleshly confidence , and the justification of a mans own spirit ; and his wisdom then gets up , and exalts it self , as if it were the right thing . the lord gave the measure of life to thee , and the lord also hath given fathers , guides , instructers , watchmen , in his israel . these have a service from the lord towards thee , who knoweth that thy soul hath need of that service ; now if the enemy can prejudice thee against , and withdraw thee from the use of what thou needest , art thou not in danger of falling and miscarriage ? dost not thou set up the measure of life in thee ( if not another thing ) beyond its place , state and growth ? and can any thing grow and thrive out of the order and wisdom of god ? nay , nay , the very measure of life it self will this way come to wither and die in thee , and another thing live in its place , and the sword of the lord will be drawn against thee , and thou wilt be cut off from the body , and also from him who is the quickner and preserver of the body . therefore my friends , as the enemy watcheth to deceive and destroy , so the lord keep our souls in the true watch and looking up to him , who ( to those that fear him ) discovereth the deceit , and preserveth from the snare . and this is witnessed concerning the measure of life in the heart , and the way of its acting and operation , that it alwayes acts in its place , even in due subjection to the father of spirits , and to his life in others according to its growth : for there is no rent nor division in the living body , no setting up one measure of life against another measure , or one motion of life against another motion , or one practice against another , but all there is in the unity , in the love , in the tenderness , in the sence , in the peace , in the dominion , in the subjection ; and that which differeth or dissenteth from the life , interrupting the union and uniformity in the life , is not of the life ; which when it is every-where cast out , life to life will answer every-where ; which day my soul breatheth and waiteth for , even the day wherein life alone shall live and reign in every vessel , and all the devices and snares of the enemy not be able to enter upon , or catch any of god's little simple-hearted ones ; but still by the power of life rising in clearness against them , be thrown back upon the enemy , to his torment and disadvantage . and o dear lambs , consider how easie it is for you to mistake , err , & wander from the truth ; and do not refuse the care , watchfulness and tender counsel of those who were instrumental to beget you to , and are yet over you in the lord. alas , how easie is it for the enemy to deceive your simplicity , and get between you and your life ; and then ye are liable to miss-see and miss-act in all ye do , and to follow the enemy , as if he were your right guide ; and to fight against , and resist him who is your true leader , as if he were your enemy . the life in you is to be your guide and leader , as it groweth up and receiveth ability , strength and dominion from the lord ; but the heir is to be under tutors and governour , till the time appointed of the father . and the seed is meek , humble , tender , lowly , sensible of its own state and weakness , and subject to the exaltation , dominion and pure authority of life in others where the lord hath so exalted it . that which is otherwise in you ( which is high , exalted , conceited of it self , and not subject to every degree of life in others , according to its state ) is another thing , which is not of the true kind , but onely under a guize appears to you as the true ; and as it gets entrance , corrupts your hearts from the true , & destils its poyson into your spirits , which ye believing , entertaining and feeding upon , as if it were the true , grow up in his poysonful nature ( losing the pure nature and fellowship of the body ) and are travelling whither ye are not aware , being gone from that which at first gathered , into that which through subtilty hath deceived , appearing to you as if it was still the same , and that ye still keep to it , but others are departed ; whereas the thing is clean contrary in the sight of the lord , and in the sight of those who keep to the annointing , and see with his eye . therefore , o dear lambs and babes , what need have we to wait , in tender sence , for the lord's preservation of us in that nature , spirit and life , whereof we were begotten , and wherein we were taught , that there we may still learn and keep to the true teaching , in the innocency and simplicity of love , and not hearken to the wisdom and reasonings of another spirit , who lieth at watch to catch the mind with his wiles , and draw from the true thing . mark how we learned at first ; was it not in a nature , by a secret instinct and inclination of our minds towards the life , and the path , wayes and practises thereof , whereinto the body ( which before had been gathered ) was led and walked before us ? the same life , when it maketh us part of the flock , bringeth us into the same footsteps ; and there we walk with them , in the unity of the same life , and sence of the same leader ; but if the enemy can at any time draw us from this sence , and from the belief and practices or practice , which we received in this sence , ( even out of the limits of this nature and its naturalness ) how easie is it for him to perswade us to question right things in our minds and understandings , as if they were wrong , ( darkening our eye , and causing us to overlook and forget the leading and motion , which we had in the true sence and nature , from the annoiting it self ) and so confidently to think and conclude , that we took up such or such a practice by imitation , and have held it up in form ? whereas the lord ( who forgetteth not what and how he hath wrought in us ) knoweth that we took it up in the sence and leading of his truth , and are now tempted from that in the reasoning subtilty , which we formerly practised in the true innocent simplicity . and thus getting into us a belief and entertainment of his snare , he draws us from that which at first led us , and from the practices we were at first led into , to hearken to him and follow him , who instructeth us in a way we were not instructed in before while the lord instructed us ; and so destroyeth his nature , and the work of his spirit in us , dividing us both from the head and living body ; and so our standing , growth , sence and judgement is altered , and we are neither to the lord what we were before , nor is he to us what he was before ; for he hates that spirit in all its appearances , and cannot have unity with the souls that are entangled by it . therefore , dear friends , as we prize our gathering to and abiding with the lord , and the enjoyment of his love , peace , joy and presence at present , and the crown and inheritance of life with him for ever ; so let us fear , so let us watch , so let us cry unto him , to be preserved by him , which gathered us , in that into which he gathered , and not by any means betrayed ( through subtilty of the enemy ) into another thing , where the life of the body ( and union with the body ) cannot possibly be witnessed , nor the true justification of the lord , but only an appearing justification of a man 's own spirit , which must afterwards come under condemnation . ye , who are in the living and true sence , will feel my love , tenderness and faithfulness in what i write ; and ye who are not , the lord god of bowels pitty , and recover out of the snare and wrong judgement , that ye may feel it ; and feeling that which is true , may be joyned to it , drinking of its virtue and preservation , and live ; which is the earnest desire of my soul to the lord , who am from alisb . prison , the 14th . of the 5th . month , 1666. your brother and companion , in the tribulations and mercies which attend the living . isaac penington . postscript . dear friends , brethren , lambs and plants of the most high , it is in my heart to add one thing , which i have been deeply exercised about , and have received help from the lord in , wherein i am truly willing ( in faithfulness and tenderness ) to be helpful to any of you that stand in need thereof , as the lord shall give me ability and opportunity ; it is this , among other things , wherewith the enemy endeavoureth to reproach those whom the lord hath sent forth amongst us , he maketh use of this , as if they wanted bowels and tenderness . now friends , i beseech you consider it , that the enemy may not thus enter you ; did not the lord consider of his work , and whom he sent forth in this his service and labour of love ? doth he not know the need of bowels and tenderness in them , and would be not especially furnish them therewith ? yea , have they not bowels from , and in the lord ? and doth not the eye that is open see , and acknowledge their bowels , and bless the lord for them ? i have lately been often warmed in the true sence of it , and have felt , that therein i have not blessed his name in vain ; but the thing is so in the sence of truth , and so acknowledged before the lord , in that which erreth not : onely as true judgement and severity hath its proper place in the lord as well as his mercy ; 〈◊〉 made use of by him towards his people , as all by experience know , so must it be in them also who bear his image , who must know , in his wisdom and authority , whom to smite with his rod and sharp reproofs , and when , and whom to cherish in the tenderness and meltings of love. and this is also love and tenderness ( and hath sweet and precious vertue and usefulness in it , both for the recovery and restoring of those whose condition calls for the sharp stroke , and for the preservation of the rest ) though it doth not so appear to that , which by no means can endure the judgement , but would have the tenderness and mercy which belongs not to it ; for the mercy is to the broken , to the humble , to the meek , to the afflicted and bo●●●down ones under the sence of judgement ; not to the stiff and stubborn against the righteous judgements and testimonies of the lord. and my friends consider , could the lord carry on his glorious work , in the hearts of his children , without his judgements ? or can they , who are sent by him , possibly carry on his work among his people , without making use of 〈◊〉 pruining-knife , to cut off that which sprouted out unnaturally and unseasonably , which ( if it be let alone ) will draw away the sap from that which should be fed and nourished with it . dear friends , the lord give you a true sence , that in his light , life , wisdom and presence ye may justifie what is of him , discerning between things that differ , and not call any thing that is evil ( as the tenderness which is out of him is ) good , nor any thing that is good ( as the judgment and severity which is of him is ) evil , but may rightly distinguish between the nature of things , knowing every thing that is of god , and owning it in its place . alisb . prison the 29th . of the 6th . month , 1666. the end . deaths knell: or, the sicke mans passing-bell summoning all sicke consciences to pr[e]pare themselues for the comming of the grea[t] day of doome, lest mercies gate be shut against them: fit for all those that desire to arriue at the heauenly ierusalem. whereunto are added prayers fit for housholders. the ninth edition. written by w. perkins. perkins, william, 1558-1602. 1628 approx. 28 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 13 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2005-03 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a09387 stc 19684 estc s119984 99855188 99855188 20664 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a09387) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 20664) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1475-1640 ; 713:18) deaths knell: or, the sicke mans passing-bell summoning all sicke consciences to pr[e]pare themselues for the comming of the grea[t] day of doome, lest mercies gate be shut against them: fit for all those that desire to arriue at the heauenly ierusalem. whereunto are added prayers fit for housholders. the ninth edition. written by w. perkins. perkins, william, 1558-1602. [24] p. [by g. purslowe] for m. trundle, and are to be [sold] at her shop in smith-field, printed at london : 1628. printer's name from stc. includes: prayers for priuate households at all times. signatures: a b⁴. margins cropped, affecting title and imprint. reproduction of the original in the folger shakespeare library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng death -early works to 1800. salvation -early works to 1800. prayer -early works to 1800. 2004-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2004-09 spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images 2004-10 andrew kuster sampled and proofread 2004-10 andrew kuster text and markup reviewed and edited 2005-01 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion deaths knell : or , the sicke mans passing-bell : summoning all sicke consciences to pr●●pare themselues for the comming of the grea● day of doome , lest mercies gate be shut against them : fit for all those that desire to arriue at the heauenly ierusalem . whereunto are added prayers fit for housholders . the ninth edition . written by w. perkins . printed at london for m. trundle , and are to be at her shop in smith-field . 1628. deaths knell . let the memory of death ( good christian ) be euer the looking-glasse of thy life , thy continuall companion , and inseparable spouse : let thy solace be y e sighes of a sorrowfull soule ; and those the more bitter , the better : whilest worme-like , thou crawlest heere below , fasten all thy faculties vpon the commandements of thy creator ; for those in thy finall passage , must be the pylot to steere thee into the hauen of heauen ; thinke euery moment thou art in the waning , that the date of thy pilgrimage is wel-nigh expired , and that the lampe of thy life lyeth twinckling vpon the snuffe ; and that now it stands thée vpon to looke toward thy celestiall home ▪ thy forces are enfeebled , thy sences impaired , and on euery side , the tottering and ruinous cottage of thy faint flesh threatneth fall . and méeting so many harbengers of death , how cāst thou but prepare for so gastly a guest ? the young man may dye quickely , but the old cannot liue long : the young mans life by casualty may be cut off , but the aged by physicke cannot be preserued : gréene yéeres must resolue to grow to the graue , and the meditations of old age must dwell in the same : be mindfull of things past , carefull of things present , and prouident for things to come . use the blessings of nature to the benefit of thy soule ; be wise in well-doing , and watchfull for thy end : serue not the world ; for that can possesse thee of nothing but pride , enuy , lust , anger , malice , and infinite follies : for it defileth a man with sin , disquieteth with troubles , oppresseth with labours , vexeth with temptations , vanquisheth with vaine delights , and miserably wrappeth him vp in wofull calamities . the world , it is an ambassadour of the euill , a scourge of the good , a tyrant of the truth , a breaker of peace , a worker of warre , a sweet of vices , a gall of vertues , a friend of lyes , an inuenter of nouelties , a trauell to the ignorant , a table of gluttons , a furnace of concupiscence , a sepulcher of the dead , a prison of the liuing , a pitfall to the rich , a burthen to the poore , a palace of pilgrims , a den of deceiuers , a slanderer of the good , a commender of the wicked , and a deluder of all . thou hast no reason to dote vpon the world ; for at first it affords thee but a wrangling welcome , and at last turnes thee off , with a fearefull farewell : moreouer , it doth torment thée , abuse thée , consume thee , and at length expell thee : whereas on the contrary : heauen doth comfort thee , conserue thée , and exalt thée . on earth , thou sowest but in a field of flint , which bringeth foorth nothing but a crop of care , and languishing for thy labour : it is time therefore to leaue so vnthriuing a husbandry , and to sowe in gods ground the seed of repentant sorrow , and water it with the teares of humble contrition ; so shalt thou reape a plentifull haruest , and gather the fruits of euerlasting consolation . imagine thou thy spring to be spent , thy summer ouer-past , and that thou art arriued at the fall of the leafe , and though thy louing lord doe long forbeare offenders , yet at last he will scourge them ; and that his patience lends vs but respit to repent , not leysure to sinne . hee that is tossed with sturdie stormes , and cannot come to his desired port , rids little way , but is much turmeiled : so hee that passeth many yeeres , and purchaseth but small profit to his soule , hath had a long being , but a short life ; for life is to be measured by vertuous actions , not by number of dayes . some men by many dayes , purchase many deaths , and others in a short space attaine to life euerlasting . what is the body without the soule , but a corrupted carkeise ? and what is the soule without god , but a sepulcher of sinne ? man was made , and sent hither , to no other purpose but onely to serue god in this life , and to enioy heauen in that life heereafter . if our end be the kingdome of heauen , why are we so much enamoured on the earth ? if the end of our creation , be eternall saluation , why hunt we after the vanities of this vaine life ? if our inheritance be to raigne as kings , why liue we like seruile slaues , in danger to be diuided from god , from christ our sauiour , from the angels , from the communion of saints , and from the hope of our celestiall portion ? if god be the way , the truth and the life ; then he that walketh without him , wandreth ; that is not instructed by him , erreth ; and that liueth without him , dyeth : to reuolt from him , is falling ; to returne to him , is rising : to stay vpon him , is sure standing : hee it is , from whom to depart , is to dye ; to whom to repaire , is to reuiue : in whom to trust , is truly to liue . o be not thou like those , that beginne not to liue , vntill they be ready to dye , and then ( when they deserue an enemies reward ) come to craue of god a friends entertainement . some thinke to snatch heauen in a moment , which the best can scarce attaine in many yeeres ; and when they haue glutted themselues with worldly delights , would iumpe from the dyet of diues , to the ioyes of lazarus ; from the seruice of satan , to the solace of a saint . but be sure , that god is not so penurious , to make his kingdome saleable for the refuse and reuersion of their liues , who haue sacrificed the principall and prime thereof to his enemies , and their owne brutish appetites ; then onely ceasing to sinne , when the ability of offending is taken from them . what thanke is it to pardon our enemies , when wee can not hurt them ? to giue away our goods , when we can kéepe them no longer ? to shake hands with our pleasures , when wee can vse them no more ? to forsake sinne , when sinne leaueth vs ? god may be mercifull at the last gaspe : but most miserable is that man , who casteth the anchor of his eternall weale or woe , on so vncertaine and sandy a point . the thiefe may be saued on the crosse , and mercy found at the last ; yet it is not likely , that hee should finde fauour at his death , whose life earned the wages of wrath ; or that his penitence should be accepted , who more for feare of hell , and his owne selfe-loue , then for the loue of god , or lothsomelesse of sinne , cryeth out for mercy , put not off repentance therefore to the last point : take dauids early in the morning : stay not till to morrow ; though thou sufferedst the bud to be blasted , the flowres to fade , the fruit to perish , the leaues to wither . the boughes to dry vp , and the body of the tree to decay ; yet still keepe life in the root , for feare lest the whole become fuell for hell fire : for where the tree falleth there it lyeth . imagine that time hath flied off the better part of thy naturall forces , and left thee in the lees of thy dying dayes : and that thou art onword in thy voyage , and not farre from the period of thy last harbour : bee not therefore disfurnished of necessaries required in so perrillous a iourney . o how men doe carefully beginne , industriously prosecute , and effectually end their labours , in attaining to this transitory trash vpon earth ! but of that great affaire of winning heauen , or falling into hell , there is had no respect : nay , they doe not so much as remember , that there is a hell for sinners , a heauen for good liuers , a dreadfull day of iudgement , or a strict reckoning to be made . death in its owne property is sufficiently fearefull , but far more terrible , in respect of the iudgement whereto it summoneth . if ●hou wert now laid on thy departing pillow , wearied with waiting , pinched with paine , drowned in dolour , oppressed with the heauy load of thy fore-past committed sinnes , wounded with the sting of a guilty crying conscience : if thou feltst the force of death cracking thy heart-strings asunder , ready to make the sad diuorce of thy soule and body : if thou layest panting for shortnesse of breath , sweating a fatall sweat , and tyred with strugling against deadly pangs ; o , how much then wouldst thou giue for a dayes contrition , an houres repentance , or a minutes amendment of life ? then worlds would be worthlesse in comparison of a little time , which now by whole moneths and yeeres thou lauishly mis-spendest . how déeply would it wound thy soule , when looking backe into thy life , thou shouldst espy many faults cōmitted , but none amended ; many good workes omitted , but none recouered ; thy duty to god promised , but not performed ! how disconsolable would thy case bee , thy friends being fled , thy senses affrighted , thy minde amazed , thy memory decayed , thy thoughts agast , and euery part disabled in its proper faculty ▪ sauing onely thy guilty conscience crying out against thée ? what wouldst thou doe , when stripped and turned out of thy house of clay , into the world of wormes , the den of dust , and cabine of corruption ; from thence to be conuented before a most seuere iudge , carrying in thy owne bosome , thy inditement ready written , and a perfect register of all thy mis-deedes ; when thou shouldest behold the glorious maiestie of iesus christ , ( clothed in white linnen , through which , his body shining like precious stones , his eyes like burning lampes , his face like lightning , his armes and legs like flaming brasse , and his uoice as the shout of a multitude ) prepared to passe the sentence vpon thée ; when thou shouldest sée the great iudge offended aboue thee , hell open beneath thee ; the furnace flaming , the deuils waiting , the world burning , thy conscience accusing , and thy selfe standing as a forlorne wretch , to receiue thy fearefull and irrecouerable sentence of condemnation ? oh , bethinke thy selfe , how these visions would affright thee : to behold the gnashing of téeth , the horrour of the place , the rigour of the paine , the vglinesse of the company , and the eternity of these punishments ; where the fire is vnquenchable ; the torments insupportable , hopelesse , helplesse , easelesse , and endlesse ! for our fire may be endured ; that intolerable ; ours for comfort ; that , for torment ; ours , if not fed , extinguisheth ; that , without féeding , neuer goeth out ; ours giueth light ; that , none : ours consumes the matter , and ends the paine ; that torments , but neuer wasteth , to make the paine perpetuall . in hell , the lazie loyterer must bee pricked with flaming forkes ; the glutton fed with hunger and thirst ; the drunkard quaffe bowles of burning brimstone ; the couetous pine in penurie ; the lustfull embrace vgly su●●es ; and the proud apparelled with shame and confusion ▪ and further , to aggrauate their griefe , and vp heape the measure of their vnmeasurable miserie , they shall turne vp their affrighted eyes , and behold the méeke triumphing , the godly reioycing : then shall they perceiue base apparell to bee glorious ; gawdy attire ●●●amous ; the humble cottage commended ; the guilded palace despised ; simple obedience shew fairer then subtill policie ; a cleere conscience better accepted , then profound and abstruce philosophie ; zealous prayers farre worthier then fine tales ; good workes preferred before swéet words . is not he more then mad , that will play away his time allotted to preuent these intolerable calamities ? is it not a senselesse security , to hug in thy bosome so many serpents as sinnes ? or to foster in thy soule so many malicious accusers , as mortall faults ? wouldst thou not then thinke one life too little , to repent for so many iniquities , the least whereof is strong enough to hurle thee irrecouerably into these vnspeakable torments ? betimes then deuote the residue of thy dayes , to make an atonement with iehouah , the generall iudge , and so endeuour to set free thy soule from such confusion , as by sinne thou art sure to fall into . what canst thou purchase by being so long a customer to the world , but false ware , sutable to such a marchants shop , where trafficke is toyle ; wealth , woe ; gaine , losse ? what interest canst thou recouer , that can equall thy detriments in grace and goodnesse ? or what canst thou find in this vale of vanities , that is comparable to the fauour of god ? let not thy youthfull affections ouersway thee ; for time will tell thee , they are but bubbling follies . let not temporall feare misleade thee ; for the force of reason will rather draw thee to feare god then man , and to stand more in awe of perpetuall then temporall punishments . who would fasten his eternall affaires vpon the slipperinesse of vncertaine life ? or who ( but one of distempered wits ) would offer to put tricks vpon him , who is the strict searcher out of the closest secrets ▪ with whom he may dissemble to his cost , but to deceiue him , t is impossible ? wilt thou account it a craft to steale time from god , & to bestow it on his enemies ▪ who keepes tale of the least minute of thy life , and at thy ending will call thee to question , how thou hast employed euery moment ? is it not preposterous policie to fight against god , till our weapons bee blunted , our forces enfeebled , our strength made impotent , our best spent ; and at last when wee are falne into fainting , and fought our selues wel-nigh dead ; then so presume of his mercy , whom wee haue to much offended , so long opposed ? would it not be held an exorbitant course , that while the ship is sound , the pylot well , the saylors strong ▪ the gale fauourable , and the seas calme , to lie carelesly idle at rode , losing so seasonable weather , and then when the ship leakes , the pilot sicke , the mariners féeble , the winds aloft ▪ the stormes boysterous , and the waues outragious , to lanch forth , hoist sayle , and set out for a farre iourney ? such are our euening-repenters , who in the soundnesse of health , and perfect vse of reason , cannot abide to cut cables , and weigh those anchors that with-hold them from god ▪ but when their senses are benummed , their reason distracted , their understanding dulled , and both soule and body tormented with pangs of paines , and sorrowfull sicknesse , then will cast backe their memory on these waighty affaires ; then will they needs become sudden saints , that are scarce reasonable creatures . how can a man , disanimated with inward garboyles of vnsettled conscience , maimed in all his faculties , and surrounded with such strange incombrances , be fit to dispose of his choysest iewell , his soule , in so short a spurt ? they that will loyter in séed-time ; and beginne to sow , when others reape : they that will haue their weapons to prouide , when their fellow-souldiers goe foorth to fight : they that will lauish in health , and cast their accounts when they cannot speake : they that will sleepe out the day , and stumblingly trauell in the night ; o let them thanke their owne folly , if they dye in debt , and finally fall headlong into the pit of perdition . let the griefe of the sore be then the measure of thy sorrow : let a wide wound haue a carefull cure : let thy contrition be agreeable to thy crime , and thy repentance equall to thy transgressions . thou must spend the day in mourning , the night in watching and wéeping , and thy whole time in praying , and practice of repentance . not euery short sigh will be a sufficient satisfaction ; nor euery little knocke , a warrant to get in : for many cry , lord , lord , yet are not admitted . the foolish virgins knocked , yet stood without . iudas conceiued a sorrow for sinne , yet dyed desperately . linger not thy conuersion , nor put off thy repentance from day to day , lest the almighty come vpon thee in a minute , and in his wrath suddenly destroy thee ; neither soiourne thou long in sinfull securitie , nor shift off thy repentance till feare inforce thee to it : for then it will be bootlesse for thee to striue to stand , when thou art already falne . frame out thy beginning as thou meanest to end , and endeuour to liue as thou desirest to dye . wilt thou sacrifice the fattlings to the fiend of darknesse , and offer the carion karkeises to the father of light ? wilt thou present the maine crop to the deuill , and leaue god the gleanings ? wilt thou cramme the deuill with thy fairest fruits , and turne god to feede vpon thy wind-fals and after-gatherings ? if hell was prepared for the deuill , and heauen purchased for man , why should not hee then prouide for himselfe , but wilfully lose his inheritance by persisting in sinne ? while we draw healthfull breath , hope strongly perswades vs , that by teares euer-flowing from the sea of a sorrowfull soule , wee may wash away our sinnes pollution , how foule soeuer ; but being once at deaths doore , notwithstanding our téeth gnash , our eyes cry out , our throats become hoarse with howling , our eyes gush riuers of teares , and our hearts send out sighes as loud as thunder , yet will it not auaile vs ; for then none shall heare vs , none assist vs ; no , nor so much as comfort vs : then , o then , shalt thou finde , though ( alas ) too late , that thou hast lost thy labour , hast trifled away thy time , and let slip the opportunity of thine own gaine . thou shalt then perceiue thine errour irrecouerable , thy punishment insupportable , thy penitence vnprofitable , thy griefe , sorrow , and calamitie irrecouerable : let thy soule then enioy her lawfull soueraignty , and thy body follow the footings of her directions : let not thy seruile senses , and lawlesse appetites ouercome her , and make her a uassall in her owne dominions . doest thou desire to haue all good necessaries : as good house , good furniture , good fare , good apparell ? and yet wilt thou suffer thy poore soule , thy principall charge , and aboue all these worthy the best respect , to lye cankering and custing in all kind of euils ? o vnspeakable blindnesse , that thou wilt bee nice in wearing a bad shoo , yet carest not to carry an vgly & betattered soule ! alas , doe not thou set so light by that iewell , which thy maker sets at so high a price ; nor rate thou thy soule at so base a penniworth , being of so péerelesse worth . if the soule be so inestimable , that neither gold , nor treasure , nor any thing of lesse price , then the precious blood of that immaculate lambe christ iesus was able to buy it ; if not all the delicacies that heauen and earth could afford , but onely the glorious body of our sauiour , were deemed a fit repast to feed it ; if not all the creatures of this , or millions of new worlds , if they were , but onely the vnlimitable goodnesse and maiesty of god , can satisfie the desire , or fill the compass● and capacity of it ( for who is so vnsensible , that finds not the insaciety of his soule ? ) who then , but one of peruerse will , incredulous minde , or pittilesse spirit , would set more by the world then his soules worthinesse ; or suffer so peerelesse a paragon , so many houres , dayes , moneths and yéeres , to lye enchannelled in the filthy mire of sinne ? thou wilt trudge to a physician for thy sicke seruant , and looke out for a leach to cure thy diseased horse , and be very busie to patch vp thy worne garments , and yet wilt suffer thy soule to languish for want of looking to , and dye for want of cure ; and seeing it mangled with millions of vices , neuer seekest to bind it vp , and restore it to its primatiue integrity . is thy seruant more néere thy horse more deare , and thy coate to be more cared for then thine own soule ? how long , o how long wilt thou hunt after vanities , and rush violently and wilfully into thine owne ruine ? darest not thou suffer a spider or a toad to come neere thee ; & wilt thou nestle in thy bosome so many uipers as uices , so many serpents as sins ; and permit thy silly soule to be gnawed vpon with the poisonous tuskes of satan ? is thy soule so slight a substance , as to be held in so small estéeme ? did christ come downe from heauen , and become a wandring pilgrime vpon earth , exiling himselfe from the comfort of his godhead , and wearing out thirty yeeres in paine and penurie for our soules ? did he suffer the tragedy of his passion to bee bloodily acted , and patiently accepted ? did he make his body as a cloud , to dissolue into shewres of vnblemished blood , and yeelded the dearest ueines of his heart to bee cut asunder , that from thence might issue the precious price of our soules redemption ? why doe wee then sell our soules to the deuill for euery delight and poore pittance of worldly pelfe ? o that a creature of so incomparable a worth should be in the custody of so vnnaturall iaylors ; and that , which in it selfe is so gracious and amiable , that the angels and saints delight to behold it , should by sinne be made a horror to heauen , and a fit play-féere for the fowlest fiends ! let vs remember that our soule is not onely a part of vs , but also the temple , the paradise of almighty god ; by him in baptisme garnished , furnished , and endowed with most glorious ornaments : how will he take it , to see his temple prophaned , and turned into a den of deuils ? his paradise displanted , and made a wildernesse of serpents ? his spouse deflowred , and become an adultresse to his enemies ? durst we commit such outrage against our earthly princes ? would not the terrour of the law , and popular shame curbe vs from it ? and shall not the glorious maiestie of iehouah , and the vnrebated kéennesse of his flaming double-edged sword , deterre vs from offering the like to his dearest spouse ? will he that keepes register of euery singuler haire , suffer himselfe to be wronged , and ouer-passe it vnpunished ? remember that it is a thing full of horrour , to fall into the hands of god , who is able to crush the proudest spirit , and to make his face his foot-stoole . o wrastle not against the cares and cryes of thine owne conscience , but so keepe and conserue it , as that at the last it may gladly goe with thee , and be ioyfully prepared before the throne of god to answer for thee . there was a man had three friends ; two whereof hee loued entirely , the third hee made no great reckoning of . this man being conuented before the king , vpon the accusation of some committed crime , solemnly came vnto his best friend , and intreated him to goe with him , but hee would not , yet went hee with him some part of his way : bethinking himselfe better he returned to his second friend , and desired him to goe with him ; but he made him this flat answer , that by reasō of his more important affaires he could not go with him ; yet gaue him a token of his remembrance . being driuen to this hard exigent ▪ hee trudged to his third friend , of whom hee made slight account , and hee at the first word went with him to the king , and there stucke to him in all his dangers . so fares it with a man being sent for by death , comes to his wife children or friends , and intreats them to go along with him ; but they slip their necks 〈◊〉 of the c●l●ar , and will not , onely beare hi● company to his graue : then he perswades 〈◊〉 goods and gold to goe along with him , but 〈◊〉 cannot ; and so turnes him off with a 〈◊〉 simple sheete lapt about him : then , when all these shrinke backe and faile him , at the last point , his bosome-friend , his conscience , will not forsake him , but goe along and make an answer for him . labour then to keepe a good conscience : for in the vtmost of extremities , that will neuer faile thee . there was a countrey , where the commons vsed to elect their king , and againe to banish him at their pleasure , into a far countrey , almost naked : but one , ( more prouident than the rest ) so soone as he was chosen king , he dayly sent before-hand some prouision into that far countrey ; so that when the people banished him from them , hee was ( hauing made a prouident preparation of wealth before ) most royally there entertained . so must euery cantelous christian prouide vpon earth , as he may be ioyfully receiued into heauen . prayers for priuate households at all times . o lord prepare our hearts to pray . o most mighty and eternall god , who art the creator , guider , gouernour , and preseruer of all things , both in heauen and earth ; vouchsafe , we humbly beseech thee , to looke downe with the eye of pittie and compassion vpon vs miserable and wretched sinners ; who at this time are prostrate heere before thee , to offer vp this our sacrifice of prayer and thanks-giuing vnto thee . and although we be vnworthy , by reason of our manifold transgressions , to present our selues before thee : yet we humbly beseech thee , for thy sonne . christ iesus , our blessed lord and sauiours sake , to accept of vs , and to grant these our prayers and petitions which we doe make vnto thee . o mercifull lord , and louing father , remember the infirmities of thy fraile seruants , ●ssisting our weake soules with thy grace , ●hat in all things we may loue , honour , and o●ey thy heauenly will and maiesty , waking ●nd walking in the paths of righteousnesse to ●he scope of perfect holinesse , contemning this witching world , with all her foolish illusions , for the true glorifying of thy name , through christ iesus our lord , amen . another prayer . o mercifull lord , and louing father , that of the incomprehensible riches of thy mercy toward the disobedient and lost children of adam , ( who seruing satan after the blinde and vnbridled lusts of the vile flesh , were carried away through sinne and ignorance to damnation , ) hast reconciled vs to thy fauour , through grace and adoption in christ iesus the righteous by faith and holy conuersation : in whom we are deliuered from eternall death and destruction : haue mercy vpon vs , yea ( lord ) haue mercy vpon vs , and for loue of thy sweet sonne , our redeemer , defend vs against the power of the destroyer , and with thy mighty hand lift vs vp out of the puddle , and deathfull corruptions of this abominable world : purifying our hearts with thy grace , that wee being wholly inclined to thy heauenly desires , may grow perfect in holinesse , and abounding in the good works which thou hast prepared for thy saints to walke in , for the glorifying of thy name : we may grow an acceptable temple , for thy continuall dwelling in vs , o lord ; to the vnspeakable peace and comfort , and to the euerlasting blisse and saluation of our soules : through christ our sauiour , amen . lord , let not the darknesse of ignorance comprehend vs. leade vs by the continuall light of thy grace to worke r●ghteousnesse . let vs not sleepe in sinne , o god. quicken our weake soules against earthly sluggishnesse . giue vs the heauenly rest of thy vnspeakable peace , o lord : and nourish vs with thy grace to saluation . lord comfort the needy , the sicke , the prisoned , the tormented , the distressed and helplesse , with the presence of thy grace : and haue mercy vpon them , and vs. pittifully heare our complaints , o deare father , and grant our requests , for thy sweet sonnes sake , our sauiour . finis . the equall vvayes of god tending to the rectifying of the crooked wayes of man. the passages whereof are briefly and clearly drawne from the sacred scriptures. by t.h. hayne, thomas, 1582-1645. 1632 approx. 86 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 25 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2009-10 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a02837 stc 12976 estc s103940 99839682 99839682 4125 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a02837) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 4125) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1475-1640 ; 1351:09) the equall vvayes of god tending to the rectifying of the crooked wayes of man. the passages whereof are briefly and clearly drawne from the sacred scriptures. by t.h. hayne, thomas, 1582-1645. [8], 40 p. printed [by miles flesher] for iohn clarke, and are to be sold at his shop under st peters church in cornehill, london : 1632. t.h. = thomas hayne. printer's name from stc. reproduction of the original in the henry e. huntington library and art gallery. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng salvation -early works to 1800. 2008-08 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2008-09 spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images 2008-11 john pas sampled and proofread 2008-11 john pas text and markup reviewed and edited 2009-02 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the eqvall wayes of god : tending to the rectifying of the crooked wayes of man. the passages whereof are briefly and clearly drawne from the sacred scriptvres . by t.h. ezek . 18.29 . o house of israel , are not my wayes equall ? london , printed for iohn clarke , and are to be sold at his shop under s t peters church in cornehill . 1632. to the christian reader the authour wisheth grace , peace , salvation . christian reader , gods wayes revealed are not only written for mans perusall , but also put to his consideration , as being beyond all exception ; for god demands of him , are not my wayes equall ? as if what the better sort of men readily acknowledge , the worst could not in reason deny ; what the one set their hearts on , and freely blesse god for , the other , convinced by evident truth , could not but approve . these wayes of god i have indeavoured to trace out so farre as cleare scripture gave me light , and common consent of mens judgement went along with me . further disquisition might perhaps trench on things unrevealed , w ch are a tree of knowledge still forbiddē by god ; or prove 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , strife about words and vaine disputes , which tend not to godly edification . the former being as culpable as it was to presse too neare gods holy mount ; the later proceeding usually to envie , contention , railing , evill surmising . moreover in laying open these equall and plaine wayes of god i have not used subtile , either discourse or dispute , which elsewhere hath its place and use : sua se jactet in aula ; but such , as paul cals , wholesome words of christ , borrowed from the scriptures treasury ; such as his practice allowes , words of sobernesse and truth , and have made , as socrates desired , truth my chiefest aime . as for the structure of my speech ; it is , if not , as socrates further said , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , such as offered it selfe ; yet farre from the quaint straine now affected . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 · truth is amiable and commendable of it selfe , and needs not to bee clothed in phrase fashionable to the time , and the humour of curious eares ; especially seeing we finde , that the stile of speech accounted by the mint masters thereof very elegant , holds fashion not an age , yea not much longer than the variable garbe of our outward habite : for having shewed it selfe to the world , it comes to the touch , and soone is exploded ( for so usually it fals out ) as being affected or phantasticall , or otherwise lyable to some just exception . but truth is constantly the same , still keepes the same splendour , still beholds us , as the sunne , with the same glorious eye . and where it meets with most masculine and true eloquution fitted to the matter & circūstances therof ( in w ch regard it is praise worthy ) it gives more grace and lustre to the speech , thē possibly it can borrow from the same . againe , i have indeavoured for truth & plainnesse ; for plainnesse , that i might not be misconceived , nor have what i reach out with the right hand , to be laid hold on with the left ; for truth , that i might avoid contention ; for socrates found by experience , that it was an easie matter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , to gainsay socrates , but not the truth : much more may i , who am lesse able to propound it . furthermore may you please to understand , that in the first composure of this discourse , it was onely cast into certaine heads , and intended by me for mine owne better understanding of these matters , without any minde to make it publike ; and now is made yours by the presse at the instance of some loving friends , who entertaine better thoughts of it , than i my selfe could hope , or perhaps it deserves , for in a friends censure sometimes it happens , vt veris addat multa faventis amor . some indeed have conceived that the plainnesse and briefnesse thereof may be usefull to men of plaine hearts and of not so deep apprehension ; & to such , whose time is much taken up with varietie or frequencie of imployment . which surely it is more likly to doe ; if as i in setting the whole frame together laid aside all prejudice and partialitie : so the reader come to the perusall thereof with like affection . which i humbly intreat you to doe . and then know , that what you herein finde sound and good , is gods ; give him the glory of it ; what weake and defective , is mine , i acknowledge it ; and shall be ready to doe what in plato i am advised . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , not so to like mine owne , but that i will use and yeeld to what others have better & more exact . the best mā here knows but in part ; and if each would beare his part without jarring , the musick would be sweet and harmonious . no man can attaine all , and therefore must not hope in himselfe , nor expect from others an unerring perfection . wherefore much the rather i am emboldened to intreat , and assure myselfe to finde your christian love , and favourable candor in the reading and reflecting your thoughts on this treatise , which i earnestly crave of you : and committing it to your perusall and your selfe to gods blessed guidance ; beseech the same god , who is the god of truth , to lead us into all truth : who is the god of peace to goe along with us in the way of peace : who is the author of all our good ; during the time of this life to keep us in his feare and favour : and in the life to come to bring us to eternall blisse , purchased for us by iesus christ . yours in all christian services , t. h. the contents of the severall chapters . in chap. 1. are set downe foure generall positions concerning gods dealing with man. conclusions deduced thence . chap. 2. positions shewing more particularly what c●u●se god on his own part takes to bring man to salvation . conclusions thence . chap. 3. what course & order god prescribes on mans part to be taken ; and practised by them , on whom he conferres salvation . conclusions thence . chap. 4. our salvation is of the lord of his meere mercy , & is effected by his powerfull work in us . conclusions thence . chap. 5. mans perdition is of himselfe , and first by default of rulers apostate from god , as of cain , nimrod , jeroboam , &c. before christs time ; of the jewes rulers , of the pope , of the turk , &c. since christ : so as yet such as be under them and follow their steps die in and for their owne sins . conclusions thence . chap. 6. in the second place mans perdition is of himselfe , by each mans owne default , where rulers and teachers doe their duties . conclusions thence . lastly , conclusions from the former and this last chapter jointly considered . faults escaped in some copies . page 13. line 16. confome for conforme . p. 18. l. 14. assured for allured . l. 24. ellas for ellasar . p. 22. l. 3. acdhere for adhere . l. 4. ●ildren for children . p. 23. l. 26. tdhere for adhere . p. 27. l. 12. god for gods. p. 38. l. 4. chriss , promised in : for christ promised , in . the eqvall wayes of god : tending to the rectifying of the crooked wayes of man. chap. i. in which foure generall positions are set downe , as the ground-worke of all : conclusions deduced thence . for the opening and clearing of the equall waies of god , obvious to humane search , we must stil keepe in minde these foure positions . 1. god from all eternitie decreed to doe , what the scripture tels us , that in time he hath done , or doth doe , or ( absolutely saith ) he will doe . 2. god ( before whom all things are naked , who is the searcher of mans heart , who knowes our thoughts long before ) from all eternitie sees , whatsoever in time cometh to passe . 3. the decrees of god for the making of the world , & for his dealing with the creatures therein , are not in time , one former or later then another in god : but are all at once simul and semel , from all eternitie decreed by him . 4. all gods decrees are infinitely wise , holy , just ; tending to his glorie : and have no externall cause , but are squared according to the rule of his mercy and justice . these positions are evident and granted ( i suppose ) by all sides . hence these generall inferences ( as also diverse others ) may be concluded . i. that god , who will hereafter glorifie a certaine number of men ; and adjudge a certaine number of men to everlasting torment , both numbers knowne only to himselfe , hath decreed the same from all eternitie , before man had done good or evill . ii. god by his infinite wisedome seeth from eternitie what will be the estate of all men ; and what in mercy and justice will be his dealing with them , first and last . so that whatsoever he hath absolutely decreed , and doth foresee , that very thing doth undoubtedly come to passe ; most certaine salvation to some , most certaine damnation to others . chap. ii. particular positions about gods dealing with man , to bring him to salvation . conclusions thence . in the next place we descend more particularly to these positions . 1. god from all eternitie decreed to make the world , and all things therein exceeding good , and man after his owne image . 2. god seeing man falne from this happie estate to have brought on himselfe death , and vanity on the creatures , from eternitie decreed , that the second person in trinitie should assume humane nature , and being god , and man also without sinne , should shed his pretious blood , and offer up himselfe by death a sacrifice of infinite merit , and in it selfe sufficient for all mankinde . 3. god also decreed for making this sufficient sacrifice effectuall , to speake to man himselfe ( as to adam , cain , moses , balaam , &c. ) and by holy men his prophets , as enoch , noah , moses , david , esay , &c. who spake ( as they were moved by the holy ghost ) sometimes by word of mouth , sometimes by writing ; and by other his servants , the preists , and levites , to instruct man. and in the last times of the world ( for the perfecting of that doctrine ) to speake to man by his sonne iesus christ ; by his apostles , and their successors ; with whom christ promised to be alwaies even to the end of the world : so that they were to cooperate with him by their preaching the word . 4. god decreed to give man certaine religious rites ; as of old , types , sacrifices of diverse kinds , circumcision , the passeover ; and since christs time baptisme & the lords supper ; as to instruct man , so on gods part to seal the covenant made to them , who rightly use the same : that he is their god in christ . 5. god decreed by the visible things of the world , by severall punishments , and judgements , persecutions , captivities , warres , famine , &c. and by miracles , &c. ( which the spirit of god wrought by the ministry of his servants for the conversion of man , ) to humble and instruct man. 6. god decreed by his spirit to strive with mankind for the bringing them to repentance , and faith , both of old and in these later times ; but not alwaies to strive with them : and therefore in his unsearchable mercy and justice , hath fixed certaine limits for the same ; which are knowne only to his divine wisedome : unlesse sometimes he reveale them , as in the hundred and twentie yeares set for the old world . so there was a fixed time in gods decree , a day of the iewes , untill which god by his spirit working together with the preaching of his prophets , sent early and late , and lastly by the preaching of his son sued to thē to turn unto him . in which day of visitation , seeing they knew not the things which belonged to their peace , and would not be gathered to god ; god strove no longer with them : but left the generalitie of that nation to themselves . 7. god also from eternitie , seeing the falling away of the gentiles of old , and of the iewes , in these later daies , from the true church ( to whom belonged the promises in christ , and the priviledges of the fame ) decreed to leave a way open to the gentiles , then , for their comming into the true faith and worship of god : and now sets open the gates of the spirituall ierusalem on each side of the cittie , for all nations to come in . these decrees ( distinctly laid downe for our better understanding ) in god , are not one former or later then another ; but all at once upon his sight of all things , from all eternitie , by his infinite wisedome , goodnesse , and justice , most holily decreed the word of god telling us , that these things in time have beene , are , or shall be done and performed on gods part . now from these positions it may be inferred , i. that god by making man at first in an happie estate ; and when man was falne , by providing a saviour in himselfe sufficient for all , by taking a course on his owne part for the salvation of all ( so farre as in mercy and iustice he pleased ) by swearing that he wils not the destruction of the wicked ; and by lamenting at it , shewes us evidently , that so far he wils the salvation of all men . ii. god did not decree to passe by , nor to forsake the greatest part of mankinde in adams fall , as not bound to them ( as indeed he was not to any , ) but on his part decreed to take a course after adams fall ( so far as in mercie and justice he would ) for the recovery of all : and when the fixed time of his striving with them was expired , then only ( in the execution of his decree ) he left them to themselves : as cain and his house : the iewes apostate , and their seed continuing in apostacy : and so of others in like sort . iii. god hath taken a course on his part to keep man from sinne , and is not the author of mans sinne ; having made man at the first in such an holy estate , as that he had free will to good : and ( when that free will was lost ) taking a course on his part to have man guided by his word and spirit , a meanes in it selfe sufficient to keep man from sins dominion : for he hath promised to be with his ordinance , and on his part will not faile . iiii. it is of gods infinite mercy , that the fathers , and iewes of old , that any nation now , have gods word for their guide and instruction , in any kind whatsoever for their salvation : ( & not any thing in themselves is a cause thereof . ) v. all good in man , whatsoever , whether naturall , morall , or divine , &c. in understanding , will and affections , is gods free gift ; either the remainder of what was given man in the creation , or gods gracious work since . chap. iii. what course and order god hath prescribed on mans part . conclusions thereupon . god ( as on his owne part takes a course , so ) on mans part hath appointed what course they should take , for the making the decrees above effectuall . namely , they ought ( before the law was written ) to enquire of the former age , and prepare themselves to learne of their fathers . the patriarkes , or fathers of families ( being both kings and preists ) were to be honoured and obeyed of their families ; and did rule over their brethren : and likewise ought to teach their children and houshold their duties ( as god said , hee knew abraham would doe his ) to keepe the way of the lord , and to doe righteous judgment . also to teach them gods worship , which must be after gods owne institution ; else abels offering had beene will-worship . also to performe religious offices for them , as calling upon god , and sacrificing : so noah sacrificed for himselfe , and them that came out of the ark with him . abraham often built altars & sacrificed : melchisedek was both king and priest . iob sacrificed for his sonnes every day . and ( after the law was written ) the chiefe rulers , kings and others , of what title soever , ought to study the law themselves : and so to governe the people , that they may live ( according as god bids us pray ) a quiet and peaceable life in all godlinesse and honestie . also these chiefe rulers , when in regard of the increase of their people , they were not able to beare the burden of them , should chuse elders out of the people , men of courage , fearing god ; men dealing truly , hating covetousnesse ; who set over thousands , hundreds , fifties , tens , should judge the lesse , and bring the greater matters to the chiefe ruler . also afterthat god had taken to him the preists and levits in stead of the first borne : the kings or chief rulers , gods vice-gerents , should have these preists and levits their spokesmen to the people for their instruction , ( as god made aaron the preist to moses the king : ) as also to enquire of god , and to offer the offerings and sacrifices of all both rulers and people . also the embassadors and merchants in their navigation to forraine people , should call them to gods holy mountaine and worship , ( as moses said of zebulon and ishachar ) and warriours fearing god should , if they conquered nations , strive to bring them to god , as the israelites did divers chananites , and david some people of divers nations . or if they were conquered , should advise their conquerours for their eternall good , and teach them , as the iewes the chaldeans ; that the gods , who made not heaven and earth , shall perish from the earth , and from under these heavens , and ( as afterward in the times of the persians ) draw many to their religion . and after that christ ( being incarnate and offering himselfe for man , & having ended the leviticall preisthood ) became both king and preist for ever after the order of melchisedek : hee ( the church now being under the romane infidell , and tyrannous emperours ) hee , i say , set up a kingdome not of this world ( though hee was de jure king of the jewes ) but a spirituall kingdome , and taught the people as never man did . and further appointed the apostles to goe and teach all nations , and baptise them , and performe other religious offices : who also did ordaine bishops and elders to rule and teach in their severall cities : which were to be qualified as the overseers and elders chosen by moses above . besides , christ the great prophet which should come into the world , foretold , that kings ( at length ) should bring their glory , that is , the multitudes of their people ( for the multitude of people is the glory of a king ) to the building of the new jerusalem , the christian church : and so become nursing fathers to the same : which now hath begunne to have the event ; when kings , whose ancestors had giuen their power to the whore of babylon , hate her , and make her desolate : and endevour a reformation according to gods word . furthermore our embassadors , merchants , and warriers by our navigation abroad , upon all occasions offered therein ( following their example above ) ought ( as they pray first for christs kingdome , and then for bread and the necessaries of this life , so ) to strive in the first place and principally for the advancement of christs kingdome , and in the next place for matters usefull for their countrie . this god appoints on the rulers and their substitutes parts to be done . god further appoints on the peoples part , what order and course they should take . the summe of all in briefe is ; to feare god and keep his commandements . to read , heare , meditate on gods word : to repent , to believe , to use gods holy ordinances and sacraments reverently , &c. to honour the king , and be subject and submit themselves to every ordinance of man , for the lords sake ; if both to heathen kings as supreme , as also to under-governours as sent by them , then much more to christian princes & subordinate rulers under them , who rule according to gods word : and ( to shut up all in one word ) to love their neighbours as themselves . this course and order god hath prescribed to be used on mans part . from whence it may bee inferred , i. that god ( not only in taking a course on his owne part , but also ) in shewing man a course and order to be taken on his part for the salvation of all men , shewes , that god thus farre wils the salvation of all . ii. that rulers both supreme and subordinate in their several places must follow the course and order prescribed & appointed by god , as meanes , by which god hath ordered to conferre salvation on themselves & others , being such a meanes for the salvation of their soules , as the mariners abiding in the ship , and doing their office there , was for the saving of theirs and their passengers bodies , whom god had promised paul to preserve . iii. chief rulers and others studying gods word , being thereby directed in the ordering gods people , & managing their most weightie affaires ; and substituting under them officers of all sorts , men fearing god , and of courage , &c. mainly striving to bring their owne people to god ; and by all good meanes to plant the feare of god in nations yet living in darknesse ; are the true nursing fathers of the church , and bring their glory to the new-ierusalem , and are saved . iiii. that people must perswade themselves ( whē their princes appoint , that by bishops and ministers they should be ruled and taught , and they rule and teach them faithfully ) that god hath a cheif hand therein , and that the bishops and ministers doe but cooperate with him : and that god hereby strives with them ; and that in disobeying any thing taught them from gods word , they strive against the spirit of god , which christ promised should be with his apostles and their successors , even unto the end . v. that it is a wicked and ungracious speech of them , which say : if god hath predestinated me to salvation , i shall be saved : and if god hath decreed my damnation , i shall be damned , in what manner so ever i live . for god , as he hath predestinated any man to glory ; so he hath ordered and set this course : that he repent and beleeve , and shew the life of his faith by his works : having chosen him before the foundations of the world , to be holy and without blame in love . thus god having decreed a mans salvation : not onely his rulers and teachers must doe their duties , but each man himselfe must doe his owne dutie also . as god having decreed the safetie of all the people with paul ; not only the shipmen must stay in the ship , and doe their duties : but the passengers also must by swimming and on boards , and broken parts of the ship use meanes for their escape from death . chap. iiii. our salvation is of the lord : of his meere mercy : and by his powerfull working in us . god having so , as above , decreed on his part to deale with man : and appointed and declared what on mans part ought to be performed for making the meanes of salvation effectuall : it is manifest ( man being falne from the happie estate in which god made him ) that the salvation of them that be saved , is not , of or from their loving of god first : or their choosing god : or having a soft heart of their owne : or their owne willing or running : or their comming to god without drawing : or their good works : or of their faith , or any thing which is of themselves . but god , before the foundations of the world were laid , according to the good pleasure of his will , of his purpose and grace ( of which there is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an exceeding riches , ) out of his compassion of them : predestinated them , whom he foreknew : loves and chuses them in christ : decrees to call them : decrees to teach them by the word of grace preachead to them ; and by the working of his spirit : decrees to knock at their hearts : to stand there knocking : to open their hearts as he did lydia's : to draw them with cords of love : to change their stony hearts into fleshy hearts : to worke powerfully in them , so that they beleeue according to the effectualnesse of the power of god , who is the author and finisher of their faith . to conform them to the image of his some : if they fall , to uphold them with his hand : to correct them fatherly for their good : to sanctifie them , to justifie them : to save them by faith , which is his gift : to make christ intercessor for them , that they may be kept safe , &c. and finally to glorifie them . yet they which are saved thus by gods infinite mercy and powerfull work , they ( i say ) according to the order and course appointed by god , heare gods word : attend to the things which be spoken : ask what they should doe to be saved : seeke the lord : meditate on his statutes : are bumble minded : repent , and beleeve the gospell : mark 1.15 . put up their prayers and supplication to god : are not disobedient to gods will revealed to them : are bettered by persecution and affliction : 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , looke carefully to themselves : love god , feare him : performe works of charitie : &c. persevere unto the end . all these & the rest whatsoever duties they doe , they doe them truly and willingly , not by compulsion and necessitating : yet so , as that god works in them the will and the deed , according to his good pleasure . from that which hath here beene declared , it may evidently be inferred ; i. that the title that any one hath to life eternall , is onely from the free grace and mercy of god. ii. no nation , man hath any good thing in and of him self , first to move god to send the word , or any furtherance to make way for gods working of his salvation . iii. the electing of them which be saved , is meerely in christ iesus : in whom alone god is well pleased . iv. god doth predestinate to glory , before the world was made , men seen clothed with christs righteousnes from eternitie ( as they shall stand before god at the last day ) and brought to god by such courses , as god of his infinite wisedome and mercy useth to that end . v. god elects not any for their faith foreseen as a cause , why hee wils to elect them ; his holy will is the square of his actions . according to this his will , hee at once decrees to elect them , to work faith in them , to sanctifie them , to justifie them , and to glorifie them . as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , the change of the minde by repentance and faith , sanctification , justification are in man , they goe before , glorification comes after , but god at once decrees them , and is the author , cause and worker of them all . vi. the elect discerne not , that is , make not themselves differ from others , by any thing in and of themselves : but gods meere grace works that in them ; by which they are discerned and made to differ from the reprobate . vii . men are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , set in order by gods working on them , with his word and spirit : and so beleeve , &c. and have salvation conferred on them . viii . men predestinate doe not apostate or fall away , and be put out of gods booke of life . for the work on gods part is sure : and ( though man in this life is in himselfe fraile , yet ) god in the very predestinating of him , sees it sure by his gift of grace on mans part also : who trusts not to himselfe , but makes god his rock : and submits and commends himselfe to his guidance . chap. v. mans perdition is of himselfe , and first by default of rulers apostating from god : so as yet man dyes in and for his owne sins . conclusions thence . notwithstanding that god hath decreed a saviour in himselfe all sufficient for the saving of all mankinde : & taken a course on his own part in it selfe also sufficient ; and appointed a course and order on mans part , for the making the same effectuall : yet it fals out , that many men attaine not salvation , but are seised on by gods justice to condemnation . here observe . i. that seeing god hath not made us acquainted with his counsell concerning infants dying within the pale of the church , and by the state of the land , and their parents intended to be presented to god , for the receiving the seales of his covenant in due time ; or having received the seales , die before ripe yeares ; or comming to ripe yeares are destitute of understanding by defect in the senses , which bee the doores to let in understanding : or distemper or indisposition of the braine the work-house of understanding ; if on mans part be done for them what man is able , & they capable of ; modestie injoines us to lay aside all curious disputes about them ; and charitie to hope the best . ii. concerning children borne of parents out of the church , and dying in infancie , or ( when they come to riper yeares ) being destitute or understanding by defects above mentioned ; whose parents either utterly despised the seales of gods covenant , or abused them by superstition ; seeing gods word hath not revealed , whether and how farre his mercy may extend to such ( considering his compassion to them in niniveh , which could not discerne the right hand from the left , in forbearing their destruction , at least , temporall ) we ought not ( be it spoken with submission to better judgements ) curiously to search into their estates , much lesse harshly and rashly to censure them : they stand or fall to their owne master . wherefore forbearing to comprehend these in the following discourse : of the rest , many ( i say as above ) are seized on by gods just judgement to condemnation ; either by default , first , of apostate rulers , whom they follow , as also their owne lusts and corruptions ; or secondly , by default of the people themselves , who will not follow their godly rulers and teachers direction and instruction . first , by default of the said rulers supreme & subordinate , who are gods sheepheards & watchmen . for if by their default in their places the people miscarry ; the people die in their iniquitie , and god requires their blood at the sheepheards and watchmens hands . thus cain ( before the flood ) a principall father and ruler over his posteritie , not ruling them in gods waies and feare , nor teaching them gods worship aright , perished himselfe ; and his posteritie obstinately walking in his steps , and in very great part corrupting the children of god of the godly families , were drowned in the deluge , and are spirits in prison ; such only excepted as died in the true faith . thus also ( after the flood ) nimrod of chams posteritie , with the fathers of many families and their people joining themselves to him , left the tents of shem and his godly familie , and bandied themselves together for the making of a strange great apostasie from god. whereupon they were scattered by divine iustice over the earth , and left to walke in their owne waies . in which they walked till the time of christ , albeit god many waies assured them , and wrought many wondrous and miraculous works to reclaime them . for god made his people and worship ( not only by the situation of the israelites land , which was most obvious to all then habitable parts of the world : but also by many & admirable works done among them and for them ) famous . as namely by abrahams conquest , with a smal number of religious souldiers , over the conqueror cedarlaomer , the most powerfull king in those times , and over the kings of shiner and ellas : and over the king of the nations , and their farre greater armie of wicked wretches . so that the dispersion being not yet into very remote parts ; this must needs bee famously knowne . god miraculously destroyed sodome and gomorrah . god first brought ioseph an hebrew , then his father iacob and his familie into aegypt , a place well knowne ( before ) for traffick : ( then ) for ioseph , and for plenty by gods goodnesse and his providence . in so much that all nations came thither for relief , and found there the most godly familie in the world in high favour ; and ioseph a member thereof , next the king in honor ; ruling the princes after his will , & teaching ( why not as well forrainers hūbled by famine , as ) pharaohs senators wisedome : doubtlesse that wisdome , deut. 4. for the saving of their soules , as well as politicall for preserving their lives . after this god miraculously plagued a pharaoh succeeding , and finally drowned him and his host in the red sea ; through which he led the israelites as on dry land : doing all this ( as doubtlesse the rest of his wondrous works ) to shew his powerfull god head , and to make his name knowne through all the world . god wrought many and admirable miracles in the wildernesse ; gave iosuah a miraculous victorie at iericho : and over the anakims , and the high walled citties of chanaan : staid the suns course , &c. not to insist upon each particular ; god made david and his worthies admirably victorious ; made solomon farre and neere renowned for his wisedome , honor , riches , the glorious temple , and skilfull navigation . so that the queene of shebah came from the ends of the earth , invited thereto by his fame , to heare his wisedome . yea all the world sought to see solomon , and to heare the wisedome which god put into his heart . god gave many and strange victories to other of the kings : he gave recovery from a grievous and deadly disease , and a miraculous signe thereof to hezekiah . moreover god preserved the three princes , ananias , azarias , and mizael , in the fiery furnace . whereupon nebuchadnezar then monarch of the world made a decree , that all nations tongues and languages should take notice of the true god , and of that wondrous work . god preserved daniel in the lions den : whereupon darius wrote to all nations & languages that dwell in the world , inioining in his dominions , that men should tremble and feare before the god of daniel . further god put it into cyrus his heart , to make a proclamation of the great god , that gave him victorie over babel : and that gods people should returne out of his large dominions to build ierusalem and the temple ; and that they should be releeved with many and necessaries , from all parts where they dwelt . the great favour which achasuerosh vouchsafed the iewes in his 127. provinces extending from india to ethiopia , the downfall of haman so highly esteemed ; and free liberty granted them to be revenged of their enemies , could not but make the world to take especiall notice of them . by these and many other strange works of god for them , it must needs come to passe that diverse others of the gentiles , as well as they which left records found by artashaste , should understand the great might of ierusalem and her kings , and call ( as the enemies of god did ) their god the great god : and acknowledge that the israelites were the only wise people and of understanding , and a great nation . and blesse the god of israel , as did the queen of shebah . notwithstāding all these things at several times the chief people of asia , europe & africa , one after another , since their great apostacy with nimrod , maliciously and obstinately bent themselves against god , and his people . as the wars with the chananites , amorites , iebusites , &c. with the edomites , amalekites , moabites , ammonites , philistins , midianites , aramites , assyrians , ethiopians , chaldeans , persians , medes , syrians , egyptians , &c. abundantly shew . amongst which people , as any one grew more populous and mighty than the rest , for the most part they fought against god , and walked in nimrods idolatrous steps : or if they got any glimpse of light and knowledge , wickedly turned it into fables and lies ; and till the dayes of christ , continued in unbeliefe , except some few . so that god dealt not with them as with the iewes , neither had they knowledge of his lawes : such a pearle was not to be cast to swine . the time of their ignorance ( as paul told at athens , the place among them most of credit for knowledge ) god regarded not : and christ termed them dogs to whom the childrens bread was not to be given . here i might adde the apostasie of esau , and the edomites , of ismael and the ismaelitess , &c. who falling away from god , mis-led their people . thus their people , all that continued in the same rebellion with them , dyed in their sin : and god required their sinnes at the rulers hands , and at the hands of succeeding rulers , persisting in the same obstinacie . so that it is evident , that by default of apostate rulers and subordinate , the people under them die in their sinnes , wilfully running on in the steps of their prime governours , or in worse superstition added by their successors , for they would not leave the gods of their fathers , which are no gods ; and so are without god in the world , adhere to wicked traditions , are by nature the children of wrath , are dead in sinnes and trespasses , walke therein according to the course of the world , and after the spirit that rules in the ayre or darknesse , even the spirit that worketh in the children of disobedience , and are suffered by god ( who would not ever strive with thē ) to walk in their own waies : professing themselves to be wise , became fooles perswading themselves that they see , are blinde . they said ( as the revolted iewes in aegypt ) we will doe whatsoever goeth out of our own mouthes : namely burne incense to the queen of heaven , ( to molech , to baal , to dagon , &c. to iupiter , to mars , to apollo , &c. ) as we have done , both wee and our fathers , our kings and our princes . thus their wisedome ( being in truth folly ) causes them to rebell : in this case god hides the true wisedome from the wise , such as be puft up with a pride of their owne wisdome . and though god had not left himselfe without witnesse ; but by visible things shewed them his eternall power and godhead , and given them raine from heaven , and fruitfull seasons ; filling their hearts with food and gladnesse : as also by the wondrous workes above mentioned ; yet they , so farre as they knew god , worshipped him not as god , but became vaine in their imaginations , &c. and were without excuse ; and so continued till after christs death . at which time the partition wall was broken downe , and liberty was granted to goe into the way of the gentiles . before which time that wal did not so barre out the gentiles , but that god left them a way to come into the iewes church , and divers particular persons did returne , by gods great mercy , to the true faith , drawne to it by such instruments and meanes as it pleased god to use . as namely the soules which abraham got and converted at charan , eliezer of damascus his steward , all or a great part of his 318. souldiers : a great multitude of sundry sorts of people that went out of egypt with the israelites : also iethro a midianite , rahab a chananite , ruth a moabite , naaman a syrian , ( as many thinke ) &c. the strangers in the land called together by david at the fitting of stones for the temple : all servants bought for money and circumcised : strangers at any time circumcised . in achafuerosh his provinces many of his people became iewes . so that even in the great apostasie of the gentiles , and long continuance in the same , some there were , who by gods great mercy returned to the true church . besides this apostasie at babel , ieroboam amongst the people of god made watchman and sheepheard over the ten tribes , did fall off to idolatry , & ill govern , & worse teach israel . so that neither iudahs example adhering to the true religion at ierusalem : nor the withering of his hand , when hee would have laid hold on gods prophet : nor other miracles then done ; nor ahijahs the prophets message to him from god ; nor that god had done for his vineyard ( of which israel was a part ) what he could doe in planting , hedging , and dressing it , &c. could reclaime him from his false worship , and mis-leading the people , the flocke committed to him . in the sinnes of this ieroboam the sonne of nebat , walked the kings of israel his successors : notwithstanding that god sent elias , and elisha , and other prophets to them , and by them wrought many miracles : notwithstanding that god often punished them by warres , rebellions , famine and other calamities : till at length god would no longer strive with them , but tooke away their hedge and wall , & suffered the assyrians , then most powerful , to treade them down , to lay the vineyard waste , to captive them to the cities of the medes , & parts adjoyning : where many perished , and onely such as were humbled by affliction , &c. were saved . in these parts they continued captives till the medes and persians became monarchs of the world , and sent out of their provinces , whosoever of that people would returne . after wich time they continued in the land under much affliction , till christs incarnation . in this apostasie of ieroboam and his successors , with their people , there were many persons among them which bowed not the knee to baal : many that left and fell off from his idolatry , to the true worship in iudah . when in the fulnesse of time christ tooke our nature upon him , preached the glad tidings of the gospell , offered himselfe up to god a sacrifice in it selfe sufficient for all mankinde ; commanded his apostles now to preach to all nations & baptise thē . thē the rulers of the iewes apostate and mis-lead the people , who in great part held it reason sufficient : doe any of the rulers beleeve in him ? and are perswaded to aske barrabas and refuse christ ; crying , crucifie him , crucifie him ; and his blood bee upon thē and their children . so that there is only a remnant of them according to the election of grace , saved . the lord of his abundant mercy in his good time call their posterity , who since that time till this day continue in their wilfull blindnesse , and obstinate unbeliefe . vpon their rejection comes in the calling of the gentiles : for effecting whereof , christ by sending downe of the holy ghost in the apparition of fiery divided tongues , conferred on the apostles and others the gift of speaking divers tongues ; a thing most miraculous to religious men of all nations under heaven , who at that time were present at ierusalem : whereby the glad tidings of the gospell might with more speed and conveniency bee preached to all . to which end the apostles , paul and others travelled into countries farre and neare , not danted with dangers and persecutions , which often befell them ; converted many to the faith of christ , and planted churches in divers parts of the world . so that it is written , their sound went forth into all the earth , and their words unto the ends of the world . the miracle of tongues ceasing , the successors of the apostles were to cherish the knowledge of tongues : and to preach the gospell freely in the first plantation of it ; more seeking them , than theirs ; where they spent their labours according to the apostles example . notwithstanding this course taken by god , according to the exceeding riches of his grace to us gentiles , upon the unbeliefe of the iewes ; which is a mysterie or secret , of which we must not bee ignorant : and when we see it effected , cry with s t paul , o the depth of the riches both of the wisdome and knowledge of god! how unsearcheable are his judgements ( before towards the gentiles , now towards the iewes ) and his wayes ( of commanding the covenāt of peace in christ to be now preached to all nations , and making it known that hereafter the iewes shall obtaine mercy ) past finding out ! notwithstanding this course on gods part taken for calling all nations . the citie of rome , which about the time of christs birth was at the full height of her power , both then and since hath , and still doth chalenge rule over the kings of the earth ; and is the onely city famously knowne by her seven hils , hath first by her emperours ( almost all wicked and persecutors ) killed christ , and cruelly afflicted and murdered christians , and afterward ( when the emperours were mastered ) by popes pretending like lambes to use the two hornes of spirituall and temporall power , but indeed turned wolfes , exceedingly abused and mis-lead their sheepe ; let the studie of tongues decay for a long time , especially of the sacred tongues , in which gods originall truth is written ; locked up knowledge ; commended ignorance to the people ; sought not so much the peoples salvation , as honour , riches , soveraignty over all ; making the people serve god by images ; pray without understanding in an unknowne tongue , &c. and further became drunke with blood of the saints , and with the blood of the martyrs of christ , &c. thus by default of these wicked sheepheards their sheep perished in their sinnes . yet evē at rome there was a little flock of christ in pauls time famous through the whole world for their faith : who by the almighty protection of god did propagate true religion , even under the worst and most tyrannous emperors . and when rome by the popes pride advanced it selfe , and made the kings of the earth , and their people drunke with the wine of her fornications ; gods people ( as they are commanded ) went out of her by disclaiming her doctrine and idolatries , and dyed for the witnesse of gods truth ; lest they should partake of her sinnes , and receive of her plagues . and princes have worthily begun to hate the whore of this spirituall babylon , to demolish the wals of rome in their dominions , or turne them to uses more for gods glory . amidst the stirres and idolatries of rome , at length mahomet arose , and the turkes after him ; they by sword and wicked and blasphemous doctrine mis-lead their people and vassals : so that by their default they and their people are in a damnable estate ; except such as in their dominions retaine the knowledge and worship of iesus christ according to gods truth . cōcerning the people most remote , as they of china , of cathaia , of india east and west , especially of america , of peru , and the rest of the parts orbis incogniti , ( as it is called ) of which little more than the ruder skirts are knowne unto our men ; seeing it is not well knowne , how long some of these parts have been peopled , seeing some hold it disputable whether solomons fame and navigation ( to speake nothing of gods other wondrous works ) extended to all of them ; & if but to some , then to which of them : and more especially , what countries ophir , pervaim , & tharshish are , whence his gold came in such abundance : as also how farre that speech will reach , of all the worlds seeking to see solomon , and of the gifts of all kings and nations : which may perhaps extend to places very farre distant , whence probably men might travell , seeing the queene of shebah a woman came so farre . seeing also that many will not easily grant , that in the apostles and primitive times , the sound of the gospel extended even to these parts : and interpret scriptures brought to prove this , differently : or that god might since then , by his mercifull providence , send among them some light of the gospell by other meanes , since the great increase of navigation : and that our knowledge of their stories is small , as that we have not without uncertainty . seeing these matters ( i say ) are not cleare and manifest unto us , it will not be amisse to forbeare defining any thing of them . but seeing wee know assuredly that god commanded the gospel to be preached to all nations ; and we finde that men of pharisaicall condition compasse sea and land with all earnestnesse to make proselytes for hel , it concernes all hearty christians rather gloriously to spend labour and cost for the planting gods religion among them . to the advancement of gods kingdome and glory ; then either peremptorily to determine , or ( which is lesse ) fruitlesly to travel , where we have no surer footing . forbearing therfore to enter into further debating of these last matters : from the former which are more manifest , & as by gods word , so by the situation of the people and commerce with them better knowne unto us : it may be concluded . i. that god ( having at once decreed from eternitie the meanes for converting man falne unto him : and seeing on whom they would not be effectuall , by default on mans part ; and decreed their condemnatiō ) in executiō of these decrees left not , nor passed by cain , nimrod , ieroboam , &c. and their adherents , but upon their apostaste or malicious persecuting gods truth , beyond their day or the set time of gods striving with them ; the knowledge of which time god hath reserved to himselfe for the most part . ii. that apostate and maliciously persecuting princes and their substitutes intrusted with a weightie businesse by god and the people , and ill managing the same , incur the heavy judgemēt of god by their owne sinnes : and by making others , or by giving occasion to others to sinne . when either for profit or pleasure , as cain , for a name as nimrod , for envie as the iewes ; for ambition , and having no king but caesar , no soveraigne lord but the pope ; and other their sinnes , most of them from this roote : as the emperors , and the bishops of rome ( in cheif place after them ) they reject or persecute the true religion . iii. they that did or doe live under rulers apostate from the true religion , or maliciously persecuting the same , lost and doe lose the title to happinesse jointly by adams fell , in whose loines they sinned : and by default of apostate and persecuting rulers and ancestors , in whom they apostated & persecuted , and by actuall continuing together with their successors in the same apostasie , and resolution to persecute . for instance , the grecians the posteritie of iaphet fell in adam : god providing a remedie for that fall by christ promised : in nimrod and his complices they apostated from the hope of that promise : at christs death the gospell of peace is commanded to be preached to all nations , and was taught and received in their countrey . whosoever since then , or now hath or doth apostate from the true religion taught by gods apostles in grecia , and joyne with the turk or pope in misbeleif and persecuting gods truth , & hath or doth continue in the same apostasie , lose the title to happinesse . and so of other people also . iiii. that god hath done at severall times many miraculous works , and inflicted on mankind most strange judgements &c. all very conspicuous , so that even among the apostate nations before christ , pharaoh confessed , that god was righteous , himselfe and his people sinfull : and others could not but acknowledge gods power , and that he was the great god : that his law is only wise : that no god could doe , as he did , &c. besides , many nations did use sacrifices and offerings , but without true knowledge ; and superstitious : yet in so doing , acknowledged themselves sinners , and the goodnesse of a deitie to them , &c. being able to say that we 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , are his offspring . insomuch that they , when as they knew god , worshipped him not as god , but became vaine in their imaginations , were given up to their hearts lust , and are without excuse . v. that some particular persons falne in adam ; apostated from the promise of christ in their ancestors , have beene called to the faith by gods miraculous works & judgements & such other meanes as it pleased god to use , and of his meere mercy saved ; such as rahab , ruth , and divers others above named . in like maner some now in the turkish empire and popish countries ; who being vexed ( as holy lot ) with the abominations about thē practised , deplore these and their owne sins , beleeve the truth of god concerning redemption by christ so far as it is revealed unto them , endeavor to lead an holy life accordingly , & meddle not with abuses , which they have no commission to amēd . vi. that they that know not their masters will & doe things worthy of stripes , shall be beaten with few stripes . and that it shal be easier for them at the day of judgment , then for those cities & places which have had the meanes of salvation more plentifully imparted to them . as appeares by christs speech of corazin , bethsaida , and capernaum . chap. vi. mans perdition is of himselfe in the second place by his own default : where the rulers and teachers do their duties . conclusions thēce . lastly , conclusiōs from the former & this chapter jointly considered . in the second place , where princes , their substitutes , bishops and teachers doe their offices faithfully , some people 〈◊〉 a●ōg ●n their own ruin . for though god set watchmen over thē , which say , take heed to the sound of the trumpet : some ( as the jewes to jeremie ) say : we will not take heed . though gods word be to them precept upon precept , precept upon precept , line upon line , line upon line , here a little and there a little ; though god speake to them himselfe ; though god send to them his servants the prophets of old ( and preachers now ) yet they will not heare ; but goe after the stubbornnesse of their owne wicked hearts . they say desperately , no ; for i have loved strangers , and i will follow them . in so much that god complaines : my people would not heare my voice , and israel would none of me . so he gave them up to their owne hearts lust . and christ complaines of them , and bewailes their obstinacie : o ierusalem , ierusalem , how often would i have gathered yee , as an hen her chickens , and yee would not ? nay , they say to god , depart from us : we desire not the knowledge of thy lawes . or bid the prophets prophecie not . or say , what can the almighty doe for us ! or , it profits nothing to walk with god. or , how doth god know it ? is there knowledge in the most high ? and so depart from the presence of god , as cain and his posterity , & nimrod & his followers , &c. setting afterwards their actions , as ( before , ) their mouthes ( as david saith ) against heaven . or they relie on their owne wisedome , and forsake god the fountaine of living waters , and dig to themselves pits , even broken pits which will hold no water . they account the preaching of the crosse foolishnesse , which is the power of god for the salvation of them that be saved . as for their owne wisedome ( for so they esteeme it ) god turnes it into follie . or they follow the il examples of their fathers , so that when their fathers have forsaken iehovah , and walked after other gods , &c. they doe worse then their fathers ; and walk every one after the stubbornnesse of their owne hearts . or so addict themselves to pleasure and voluptuousnes , as that they cannot come to the heavenly banquet of salvation , according to his answer , i cannot come . so the wicked before the flood ( noah being the preacher of righteousnes to them ) ate , dranke , maried and gave in mariage : and so will they do before the generall day of judgement , neglecting the call of gods preachers : till destruction sweep them away , as it did the old world . or , they suffer the cares of the world , and the deceitfulnes of riches to choak the good seed of the word , and forsake the feast of salvation made readie , for to goe after their farmes , and oxen and matters of profit . or , when persecution comes , because of the gospell , they are offended , and suffer the seed of god , for want of deepe rooting to wither , &c. or for envie at the conversion of others , and the graces of god in them ; maliciously oppose and reject the gospell : as did the jewes , when they saw the whole citie of antioch come together to heare gods word : and were thereupon filled with envie , & contradicted those things which were spoken by paul , and railed . so also did the elder sonne , that is , the jew , repine , & would not come into the feast , whē god the father reconciled himselfe to the yonger sonne the prodigall , that is , the gentile . this resisting is called a resisting of the spirit of god both in the fathers and also in those present iewes . and what did they in the old world , but resist the spirit , by which christ was raised from the dead ? for with that very spirit christ preached to them : and for resisting the same they are now spirits inprison . god from all eternitie seeing the rebellion and obstinate wickednesse of prophane men ( under the father , before the law was written , and after in the iewish church , & now in the christiā church since ) in all of many of the degrees above : as he willed that together with other meanes of salvatiō his spirit also should strive with them : so he willed that his spirit should not alwaies strive with them . but when their wickednesse was come to the full , & gods long suffering had many years waited for their amendment ; that they might agree with their adversarie in the way ; when the limit of the time in which god gave them space to repent , their day in which they ought to know the things which belong to their peace , ( which day or fixed limit is known only to god , except sometimes it hath pleased him to reveale it ) is past and expired : then god will not heare their cry , who before would not heare his call : then god gives it not to them , to know the mysteries of the kingdome of heaven : god hides those things from the wise and intelligent ( in their owne proud conceit ) because it so pleaseth him . god sends a lying spirit into the mouth of ahabs prophets and gives him power to deceive them . when balaam was forbidden by god to goe , or curse the blessed , and yet would not rest , but still shewed his love and desire of the wages of unrighteousnesse ; god had him goe , but was angrie that he went. when the hearts of people are waxed grosse , their eares dul of hearing , & their eyes by themselves closed , lest they should see , heare , understand , and bee converted : then god blinds , makes deaf , and takes away their understanding . god hardens them according to the most holy and just rule of his will , who ( being come to pharaoh's case ) harden themselves and so he hardens , whom he will : and then is there no disputing with god. god sends strong delusions , that they should beleeve lies , who would not receive the knowledge of the truth . thus gods al-seeing eyes beholding from al eternitie , what courses he on his part would take , and how among his people the rulers and teachers should faithfully doe , what he ordered and appointed for the salvation of their people ; seeing even them also who are not in christ , not by his or the rulers or teachers default , but by their owne consulting with flesh and blood , and disobedience to gods will revealed to them : simul & semel hee decreed the condemnation of them most justly ( as esau's ) before actually they had done good or evil : and thereto tends christs speech ; he that beleeves not , is condemned alreadie . these things being thus , it may be hence concluded ; 1. that in wicked mens neglecting or contemning gods dealing with them , and the order and course appointed by god for their salvation , some sooner some later fall off from , or reject the meanes of their salvation . the gaderens after one miracle done among them , upon the losse of their swine , beseech christ to depart out of their coasts . the iewes at antioch heare the gospell preached to them one sabbath : but the next sabbath drive the apostles out of their citie . they of capernaum and bethsaida had many great works of christ done among them ; but repented not . demas heard the gospell , walked with the apostles for a time , but at length fell off to the present world . iulian the apostata heard the gospell , professed the same for a time , at length violently and maliciously persecuted it . iudas heard the gospell , preached it , continued a long time with christ and the apostles ; was unsuspected of the apostles : till at length he betrayed his master ; and died desperately . 2. that carelesnesse and want of due consideration opens a very great gappe on mans part to his owne ruin . as not to regard the trumpet of gods warning them : his miracles , promises , threats , &c. to preferre mans folly before gods wisedome in the mouth of his messengers ; to prefer this worlds wealth before the true treasure ; momentany pleasures before pleasures at gods right hand for evermore : to feare men that can but kill the body , and not feare god , who can destroy both body and soule ; to envie other mens graces and conversion , at which god , good angels and men rejoice ; not principally and mainly to seeke gods kingdome , and to use matters of this world , as if we used them not . in this manner they that were invited to the banquet of salvation , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , made light of it , and went their wayes , to pleasure , profit , &c. how shall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 men neglecting so great salvation escape . 3. that though gods goodnesse and mercy is such that he knocks at mans heart , and stands and abides knocking there ; and notwithstanding many and great sinnes of infirmity and ignorance , &c. still continues suing to be admitted into the heart of man , drawing him to it by the preaching of the ministers , who work together with him ; as by other meanes also : yet if sinners proceed from one degree of sinne to another , and harden their hearts , that they cannot repent , following sinne with greedinesse , till the acceptable time , the day of salvation be past : and christ who commanded all to watch , and told them of his sudden comming , finde them not well doing , but sleeping in sinne , they are cut off and have their portion with unbeleevers . 4. that the wicked which lived in the church before christs time , lost their title to happinesse , joyntly by adams fall , and ( sinne comming in thereby ) by actuall sinnes of their owne , by wilfull forsaking or otherwise losing the benefit of christ promised , by persisting in all or some of the sinnes above named . 5. that the wicked , who lived in the true church , since christs time , lost their title to happinesse joyntly by adams fall ; and by falling off from the hope in christ , promised in their ancestors at babels building ; and by each mans owne actuall sinne in some or al the degrees aboue named , falling from the hope of salvation through christ , already come and preached to them . 6. that god from all eternity decreed the hardening of them , that obstinately harden themselves ; the blinding of them , that obstinately blinde themselves ; the forsaking of them , that obstinately forsake him ; that will follow their owne courses , their wicked ancestors steps ; and impiously bid god depart from them ? furthermore from these two sections considered together , arise these conclusions . i. that the condemnation of the wicked is meerly of & from mans default ; where the trumpet is not blowne , both by default of rulers and teachers , and also in regard of their owne sinnes , in which they dye . and where rulers and teachers doe their duties , by the sinnes of each particular person . ii. that the wickednesse of the damned is not the cause of gods will to damne them : for sinne in man , which is evill , cannot produce justice in god ( which is holy and good , and an attribute of god before sinne ever was ) as its effect : but gods holy and just will is the square of his actions . yet sin in man truely his owne worke is cause of damnation in himselfe ; a bad effect of a bad cause . so treason is the cause of the traitors condemnation and death ; but the law of the land being the rule of justice , is the cause , that the iudge wils the condemnation , and puts to death the traitor . iii. the worke of any of gods free graces and favours not merited by any man , proceedeth not de facto so farre with some men , as with others , by default of the men themselves . the benefit of his raine & sun extends to all , so also many other outward gifts : christ wrought one miracle among the gadarens , but at that time preached not the word in their cities ; for they would not . christ did many great works in corazin , bethsaida , and capernaum ; preached there ; when as they repent not , he pronounces a woe against them . god caused the word to be preached to demas , gave him societie with the apostles ; but left him to the corruption of his heart imbracing this present world . god caused the word to bee preached to iulian , according to which he walked for a time , and incouraged christians ; but at length god left him to the cruelty of his owne heart to persecute christianity . god made iudas an apostle ; he according to his office walked a while , and preached the gospell ; but at length god left him to the covetousnesse of his heart , to betray the lord of life , and to desperation . iv. they which be adjudged to condēnation , discerne and make themselves differ from the rest by being disobedient and rebellious to the order and course appointed by god for mans salvation . god made paul differ from demas and other wicked men by the gracious worke of his holy spirit on him . d●mas made himselfe to differ from paul and other godly men , by yeelding to his owne corruption in following this present world . v. that they which knew their masters or gods will , and prepared not themselves for their masters comming , neither did according to his will , shall be beaten with many stripes ; whereas he that knew his masters will , and did it not , is beaten with few ; for unto whomsoever much is given , of him much shall bee required ; so it is with corazin , bethsaida , capernaum . god for christ iesus sake guide us by his grace and good spirit , that we may doe his will , and prepare for his comming ; and of his infinite mercie pardon , what here hath beene weakly delivered about these great mysteries ; and more and more illuminate our understandings in the knowledge of the same ; and so powerfully work upon us , that as on his part there is not , so on our part there may be no default ; that we may persevere his servants here , & hereafter raigne with him in the kingdome of glory , for the merits of iesus christ our lord. amen . * ⁎ * finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a02837-e150 ezek. 18.29 . deut. 29.29 . 1 ti● . 6.4 . 1 tim. 6.25 . act. 26.25 . plat. in sym. eurip. in phoe● . plat. symp. plat. de rep. lib. 3. 1 cor. 13.9 . notes for div a02837-e1290 ezek. 18.29 . heb. 4.13 . ier. 17.10 . psal . 139.2 . chap. 1. 2. pet. 1.21 . heb. 1.1.2 . & 2.3 . mat. 28.20 . 1. cor. 3.9 . chap. 2. rom. 1.20 . hos . 5.15 . rom. 15.19 . gen. 6.3 . acts 7.51 . esay 63.10 . nehe. 9.30 . gen. 6. luk. 19.42.44 . exod. 12.38 . & 48. reve. 21.25 . ezek. 33.11 . iob. 8.8 . gen. 4. ● . gen. 27.29 . gen. 18.19 . gen. 4.26 . iob 1.5 . deut. 17.29 . ios . 1.8 . chap. 3. 1. tim. 2.2 . exod. 18.21 . numb . 11.16 . deut. 1.13 . deut. 33.5 . deu. 33.18.19 . 1. chron. 22.2 . ier. 10.11 . est . 8.17 . heb. 7.21 . & 10.12.13 . mat. last . iohn 7.46 . 1. tim. 5.17 . tit. 1.5 , 6. apoc. 21.24 . prov. 14.28 . esay 49 , 23. & 60.3 . apoc. 17. heb. 7.21 . & 10.12.13 . eccles . 12.13 . rom. 13.1 . 1. pet. 2.13 . acts 27.31 . esay 60.10 , 11. 1. cor. 3.9 . ephes . 1.4 . 2. tim. 2.19 . chap. 4. acts 27.31 . &c. 1. iohn 4.10 . iohn 15.16 . ezek. 36.26 . rom. 9.16 . iohn 6.44 . 2. tim. 1.9 . ephes . 2.8 . 2. tim. 1.9 . phil. 2.13 . 2. tim. 1.9 . ephes . 2.7 . rom 9.16 . rom. 8.29 . 1. iohn . 4.10 . ephes . 1.4 . rom. 8.30 . acts 20.32 . iohn 16.13 rev. 3.20 . acts. 16.14 . iohn . 6.44 . hos . 11.4 . ier. 31.3 . iohn 12.32 . ezek. 36.26 . 2. thes . 1.11 . heb. 12.2 . rom. 8.29 . psal . 37.24 . hos . 5.15 . rom. 8.30 . ephes . 2.8 . 2. tim. 2.25 : iohn 17.20 . rom. 8.30 . acts 10.33 . acts 16.14 . acts 2.37 . psal 119.10.143.5 . 2. cor. 11.7 . acts 2.38 . & 41. acts 9.11 . acts 26.19 . psal . 119.71 . 1. iohn 5.18 iohn 14.21 . 1. cor. 13. mat. 10.12 . phil. 2.13 . deut. 9.4 , 5. see page . 6. conclusion 4. acts 13.48 . chap. 5. ion. 4.11 . 1. ezek. 34.10 . ezek. 33.8 . the explication of this position . gen. 4.7 . gen. 6.2 . &c. 1. pet. 3.19 . gen. 11. gen. 14. gen. 19. gen. 39. gen. 41.57 . psal . 105.21 . exod. 7. & 8 , & 9. exod. 14. exod. 7.5 , & 9 , 16. rom. 9.10 . 1. kings 10.1 . 1. kings 10.24 . dan. ● . 25 . dan. 6.25 . ezr. 1. esth . 8. & 9. ezr. 4 20. ezr. 5.8 . deut. 4.6 . 1. kin. 10.5 . psal . 147.20 . act. 17.30 . matth. 15.26 . ier. 2.11 . ephes . 2. act. 14. gen. 6. rom. 1. ier. 44.17 . es . 47.10 . rom. 1.20 . act. 14.17 . rom. 1.21 . exod. 12.38 . gen. 12.5 . & 13.12.15.2 . exod. 12.38 . 1 chron. 22.2 . exod. 12.44.48 . est . 8.17 . 1 king. 11.31 . 1 king. 13.4 . es . 5. 2 king. 18.11 . es . 5. 2. chron. 36.16 1 king. 19.18 . 2 chron. 15.9 . mat. 28.19 . act. 17.30 . iohn 7.48 . act. 2. rom. 10.18 . eph. ● . rom. 11.25 . rom. 11.33 . rom. 11.31 . luke 2. apoc. 17. mat. 7.15 . act. 20.29 . apoc. 13.11 . rev. 1● . ● . rom. 1.8 . rev. 18.2 . rev. 17.15 . 2 chron. 9.10 . 2 chron. 2.6 . 1 king. 10.22 . 1 k. 10.24 , 15. rom. 10.18 . act. 1.8 . mat. 24.14 . exod. 9.27 . ezr. 5.8 . deut. 4.6 . dan. 2.47 . & 3.29 . & 6.26 . acts 17. luke 12.48 . mat. 11.22.24 . chap. 6. 2. ier. 6.17 . esay . 28.10 . ier. 7.25 . ier. 2.25 . psal . 81.11 . mat. 23.37 . iob 21.14 . ier. 11.21 . iob. 22.17 . iob 34.9 . psal . 73.11 . psal . 73.9 . ier. 2.13 . 1. cor. 1.18 . ier. 16.11 , 12. ier. 18.12 . luke 14.20 . luke 17.26 , 27 mat. 13.22 . luke 14.19 . mat. 13.20 . acts 13.45 . luke 1528. acts 7.51 . ne● . 9.30 . esay 6 , 10. 1. pet. 3.18 , 19 , 20. gen. 6.3 . luke 13.7 . luke 12.58 . luke 19.42.44 . ier. 11. mat. 11.25 . 1. kings 22.23 . num. 22.12 . & 19. & 22. 2. pet. 2.15 . acts 28.27 . rom. 9. 2 , thes . 2.11 . rom. 9. iohn 3.18 . mat. 22.5 . heb. 2.3 . rev. 3.20 . 2 cor. 6.1 . 2 cor. 6.2 . mar. 13.37 . luke 13.46 . luke 12.47 , 48 mat. 11.22 , 24. a short and sure way to grace and salvation being a necessary and profitable tract, upon three fundamental principles of christian religion ... : how man was at first created, how he is now corrupted, how he may be again restored : together with the conditions of the covenant of grace, and to whom the promises of the gospel belong ... / by r. younge ... younge, richard. this text is an enriched version of the tcp digital transcription a67773 of text r14649 in the english short title catalog (wing y185). textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. the text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with morphadorner. the annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. this text has not been fully proofread approx. 84 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 12 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. earlyprint project evanston,il, notre dame, in, st. louis, mo 2017 a67773 wing y185 estc r14649 13339037 ocm 13339037 99130 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a67773) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 99130) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 443:20) a short and sure way to grace and salvation being a necessary and profitable tract, upon three fundamental principles of christian religion ... : how man was at first created, how he is now corrupted, how he may be again restored : together with the conditions of the covenant of grace, and to whom the promises of the gospel belong ... / by r. younge ... younge, richard. 22 p. sold onely by james crump ... and by henry cripps ..., [london] : 1658. caption title. place of publication from wing. reproduction of original in british library. eng salvation -early works to 1800. covenant theology. a67773 r14649 (wing y185). civilwar no a short and sure way to grace and salvation; being a necessary and profitable tract, upon three fundamental principles of christian religion younge, richard 1658 15112 160 0 0 0 0 0 106 f the rate of 106 defects per 10,000 words puts this text in the f category of texts with 100 or more defects per 10,000 words. 2005-08 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-09 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2005-11 elspeth healey sampled and proofread 2005-11 elspeth healey text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-01 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion a short and sure way to grace and salvation ; being a necessary and profitable tract , upon three fundamental principles of christian religion : which few do indeed know , and yet hee who knowes them not , cannot bee saved : viz. how man was at first created . how he is now corrupted . how he may be again restored . together with the conditions of the covenant of grace , and to whom the promises of the gospel belong . the which well learned , would keep millions out of hell , that blindly throng thither . by r. younge of roxwell in essex . if our gospell bee hid , it is hid to them that are lost : in whom the god of this world , hath blinded the minds of them which believe not : least the light of the glorious gospell of christ , who is the image of god , should shine unto them , 2 cor. 4. 3 , 4. sect. i. as when god created the world , the first thing he made was light , gen. 1. 3. so when he makes us new creatures , hee first creates light in the understanding , whereby the poor soul may see his spiritual misery and wretchednesse ; which before ( by reason of that vail or curtain which is drawn over every natural man's heart , 2 cor. 3. 14 , 15 , 16. ) he is so far from discerning , that with laodicea he thinks himself rich , and to want nothing ; when yet he is wretched and miserable , and poor , and blinde , and ●aked of all spiritual endowments , rev. 3. 17. 1 tim. 6. 4. as for instance , it 〈◊〉 to be observed , ( can never be enough bewailed ) that generally through●…ut the land people of all sorts ( young and old , rich and poor ) especially the poor ; are so invincibly ignorant , that ( remaining so ) it is impossible ( so far as i am able to judg by the word of god ; ) that ever they should be saved . as ask them these questions , how do you hope to be saved ? they will answer , by my praiers and good indeavors . have you never broke this or that commandement ? thou shalt have no other gods but the lord . thou shalt not kill . thou shalt not steal . thou shalt not commit adultery ? no , never they thank god . are you proud ? no , not they , what should they bee proud of ? and many the like . as for original sin , they know not what it means . nor is there any convincing them , that they were born sinners into the world . yea , let a minister come to them upon their death-bed , and question with them about their estates , or ask them how their souls fare , and what peace they have ? what will be their manner of answering ? ( especially if they have not been notorious offenders ) are they a whit troubled for sin , either original or actual ? or will they acknowledge themselves in a lost condition without christ ? no , their consciences are at quiet , and they are at peace with themselves and all the world ; and they thank god , no sin troubles them , not ever did . they have been no murtherers , no adulterers , no common drunkards ; neither have they been oppressers . ( for they are so blinde and ignorant , that they think the commandement is not broken , if the outward grosse sin bee forborn . ) yea , will they say , i do not know that i have wronged man , woman , or child . i have been a protestant , and gone to church all my daies . sect. ii. § 2. yea , so far are they from being sensible of their wants , that you shal hear them brag of their faith , works , and good meaning ; of their just and upright dealing , the goodnesse of their hearts , the strength of their faith , hope ; and that they never doubted in all their lives . yea , that it were pity they should live , if they did not believe in christ , and hope to be saved by him . the usual expressions of formal christians , and protestants at large ; who know not what faith , hope , or a good heart means , no more then nicodemus knew what it was to be born again . all which answers and brags of theirs do imply , that they are as righteous as christ himself , or adamin the state of innocency : for he that can clear himself from pride , or the breach of any one commandement , or from original sin ; may clear himself from all sin whatsoever ; and if so , what need of christ ? yea , what possibility is there that ever such a soul should have any benefit by christ ? who came not to call the righteous , ( viz. such as think themselvs so ) but weary and heavy laden sinners to repentance , mat. 10. 6. ● ▪ & 15. 24. & 18. 11. 9. 12. 13. 1 tim. 1. 15. luke 1. 53. sect. iii. again , this is an infallible truth , that without repentance there is no being saved ; and what hope of their serious and unfained repentance ? for sin must be seen , before it can be sorrowed for . a man must know himself sick , before he will seek to the physitian . yea , where is no discovery of the disease , the recovery of the health is in vain hoped for . which makes cyp● 〈◊〉 say , that it is as meer lost labour , to preach unto a man the things of god , 〈◊〉 fore he is humbled with the fight o● his wants : as to offer light to a blin● 〈◊〉 man , to speak to a deaf man , or to labour to make a bruit beast wise . besides , if we look to be saved by any thing that we can do ; christ can profit us nothing . for the son of man is come to seek , and to save onely that which was lost : the lost sheep of the house of israel , mat. 18. 11. luk. 19. 10. 1 tim. 1. 15. even such as utterly despair in regard of all other helps . nor is he any way fit for absolution , who finds not himself worthy of condemnation . we shal find no sweetnesse in christs blood , till we feel the smart of our own sins . yea , no men under heaven are in so hoplesse a condition as they , who think to be saved by their performances , or any other thing or means , then by the righteousnesse of christ alone . faring with them as it doth with unskilful swimmers : who when they begin to sink , if they catch hold of weeds in the bottom , the faster they hold , the surer they are to be drowned . sect. iv. fourthly and lastly , there needs no more to condemne these men , then their ignorance of such saving truths : especially in such glorious times of light and grace as these are ; wherein they may hear the . word preached every day in the week , if they did not sleight and disregard it , which aggravates their sin exceedingly : for though it be enough , that god hath set down his will in his word most plainly , and we may read , or hear it read , ( were it at any rate ) and that the epitome of the whole law is writ in every man's heart . whatsoever yee would that men should do unto you , even so do ye unto them , mat. 7. 12. ( as it servs not a male factors turn , to plead ignorantiam juris , he knew not the law of his prince which he hath broken : for if the king have once proclaimed any thing , and the subject after sufficinet time of notefying his will , be ignorant of it ; at his own perill be it . ) yet to be affectedly ignorant , and to shut their eies against the light of the gospel , is by far more damnable : this is a sin with a witnesse . as what saies our saviour ? john 3. 19. this is the condemnation : that light is come into the world , and men loved darknesse rather then light , because their deeds were evil . and so on the contrary , this is life eternal , to know thee the onely true god , and jesus christ whom thou hast sent , john 17. 3. besides , without knowledge , the minde cannot be good , as wise solomon affirms , prov. 19. 2. a man may know the will of god , and yet not do it ; but he cannot do it , except hee know it . neither can he be born of god , that knoweth him not , 1 john 4. 7. nor can he love god , vers. 8. whence that terrible text , jer. 10. 25. power out thy fury upon the heathen that know thee not , psal. 79. 6. and that other more terrible , 2 thes. 1. 7 , 8. the lord jesus shall be revealed from heaven in flaming flie , to take vengeance on them that know not god . whence the prophet isaiah is peremptory , it is a people of no understanding , therefore he that made them , will not have mercy upon them ; and he that formed them , will shew them no favour , is a. 27. 11. observe these scriptu●es you ignorant souls , that think your ignorance will excuse you : and let not satan , nor your deceitful hearts so delude you , as to think that god is in jest , where he saith , my people are destroied for lack of knowledge ; and because thou hast rejected knowledge , i will also re●ect thee , hosea 4. 6. or if you do , you shall one day finde him in earnest . for as you know not christ here , so when you shall look for entrance into his kingdome hereafter , he shall say unto you , depart from me , i know you not , mat. 25. 12 , 41. which will be but a sad saying ; and far better were it , that you were ignorant of all other things : which makes saint paul say , i desire to know nothing among you , save jesus christ , and him crucified , 1 corinth . 2. 2. sect. v. now this being the case of millions in this city , and so all the land over : what can we other then conclude , that few ( even amongst us ) shall be saved , as our saviour affirms , matth. 7. 13 , 14. & 20. 16. and that the whole world lieth in wickednesse , as saint john speaks , 1 john 5. 19. and that the number of those whom satan shall deceive , is as the sand of the sea , revel. 20. 8. & 13. 15 , 16 , 17 , isa. 10. 22. rom. 9. 27. which being so , i hold my self bound to acquaint them , what every one must of necessity know , or they cannot be saved : the which i will do in a few lines , that all ( who will ) may have the benefit thereof . wherefore let all such ( if they hve ears ) hear what i shall say unto them out of god's word , in laying open those three fundamental principles before mentioned . sect. vi . touching the bounty and goodnesse of god in man's creation , these things would be known . 1. that god in the beginning made man in paradice , after all his other works ; that he might come as to a sumptuous pallace ready furnished . 2. that he was made a compendium , and abridgment of all the other creatures : as being a little world of himself ; for whereas planets have being , not life : plants have life , not sence ; beasts have sence , not reason ; angels have being , life , reason , not sence ; man hath all , and contains in him more generality then the angels ; viz. being , life , sence , reason . 3. that as he was made lord of , and had dominion over all ; so he did excell all other visible creatures . 1. in that he had a reasonable soul , 2. in that he hath a speaking tongue , 3. in that he was made upright , with his face lifted up to heavenward , 4. in that all things were made subject to him , 5. in that he was made after the image of god , 6. in that his soul is immortal , 7. in that he was ordained to eternal glory . more especially we are to know , that as god made all things else for mans use and service : so he created man ( male and female ) more immediately for his own honour , and service ; and did accordingly adorn him with gifts , and abilities above all other visible creatures . for god made us , ( had not we un-made our selves ) after his own image , endowing us ( as with reasonable , and immortal souls , so ) with perfection of all true wisdom , holinesse , and righteousnesse ; writing his law in our hearts , and giving us ability to obey , and fulfill the same in every point ; and withall a power to stand , and for ever to continue in a most blessed and happy condition , free from all misery , and to enjoy a sweet , and blessed communion with his creiter . so that man was created very good , did clearly and perfectly know the whole will , and works of his maker ; was able out of the integrity of his soul , and fitnesse of all the powers ; fully , willingly and chearfully to love , observe , and obey his maker , in every tittle and circumstance he required , and to love his neighbour as himself : so that neither the minde did conceive , nor the heart desire , nor the body put in execution any thing , but that which was acceptable , and well pleasing unto god ; as these insuing scriptures do plainly prove , gen. 1. 26 , 27. 30. eccles. 7. 29. rom. 2. 14 , 15. sect. vii . which being so , how should it humble us , and make us ashamed of our present condition ; and withall set us on fire with a holy zeal , to out-strip and go before all the rest of the creatures in obaying our creator ; as far as he did make us out-strip them all in spiritual and divine excellencies ? whereas hitherto , they have out-stript and gone before us in a high degree : as for instance , though we are bound to praise and serve god above any creature whatsoever : in that all the creatures were ordained for our sakes : yet heaven , earth , and sea ; all the elements , all the creatures , obey the word of god , and serve him as they did at first ; yea , call upon us to serve him ; onely men for whom they were all made , most ingratefully rebell against him . as if you consider it rightly , the obedience of insensible and bruit creatures unto the will of god , is a great check and reproof unto the disobedience of man . man is the chiefest of creatures , and they the lowest ; yet do they as far exceed him in obedience , as he doth them in natural eminencie . the stork , and the swallow know their appointed times . the oxe knows his owner , and the asse his masters crib ; the sea moveth in a settled , and unmoving course ; the stars fit their many changes , to a steddy rule answerable to the will of him that never changeth . the lord by moses but spake to the rock , and it gave water to the thirsty israelites ; he but commanded the clouds to rain down mannah ; and the winde to bring them in qu●ils , for the satisfying of their hunger , and they did so . yea , he but had the ravens bring bread and flesh to elijah , and they did it . in like manner did the winde and sea , mat. thew 8. 27. the lions , dan. 6. 22. those two shee-bears , a kings 2. 24. the fire , dan. 3. 27. the earth , numb. 16. 29 , to 37. obey the voice of the lord , and many the like spoken of in scripture . but man is wholly gone astray from his rule ; and not onley runneth from it , but against it : so that he is far worse , then things worse then himself . which were it rightly considered , would be enough to melt an heart of adamant : for was this the principal end , for which men were created in such a glorious condition ? that we might honour , love , and serve our creator and injoy communion and happinesse with him for ever ; and are we so far from excelling the rest of the creatures , that we are become more disobedient , and rebellious to god , then any one of them , except satan himself ? one would think it should make all , ( that thirst not after their own damnation ) not onely to hate , and dislike themselves for it : but force us with all possible speed and industry ; to seek out the cause , and how to recover our selves out of this wretched and damnable condition . sect. viii . but it will be demanded how this comes ● be so ? and what was the cause ? to which i answer ; god at first , entered into convenant with our first parents as publick persons ; both in behalf of themselvs , and all that should proceed out of their loin● ; and so , that whatsoever gifts , privileges and endowments they had bestowed upon them , should be continued to them and theirs onely upon condition of their loyaltie , and personal obedience ( of which the tree of life was a pledge : ) and they should have and injoy them , or lose and be deprived of them , aswell for their off-sp●i●g , as for themselves , as they should keep , or transgresse his royal law . but see how unworthily they demeaned themselvs , towards this their boun●●ul maker and benefactor ! for whereas god placed them in paradice , and gave them free liberty to eat of the fruit of every tree in the garden ; save onely of the tree of knowledge of good and c●i● , prehibiting them that alone , even upon pain of eternal death to them and theirs ; they most pe●fidi●usly contemned , and brake this law ; which ( as sundry circumstances that do aggravate it shew ) was a most execrable and damnable sin . as observe the several circustances set down by moses , to amplifie the foulnesse of their fall : as , first , that they despised , and made light of the promise of god ; whereby they were commanded to hope for everlasting life , so long as they continued their loialty and obedience . 2. there was in it an unsufferable pride and ambition , in that he could not content himself with being lord of the whole universe : but he must be equal unto god ; and every way like his maker . 3. what greater unbelife could there be ? when he gave more credit to the serpent , in saying , he should not die ; then to god , who immediately before tells them , that if he did sin in eating the forbidden fruit , he should die . 4. in this sin was not onely unkindnesse not to be parallel'd : but wilful murther of himself , and all his posterity , whom he knew were to stand , or fall with him . 5. herein was soul apostacie from god to the divel : to whom ( charging god with lying , envy , malice , &c. ) he revolted , and adhered , rather then stick to his maker . and to these might be added many the like circumstances , which grievously aggravate the sin of our first parents , and make it so deadly in effect . for hereby it is , we not onely lost our blessed communion with god ; that the image of god after which they were created , was forthwith abolished , and blotted out : but that many grievous miseries and punishments , came in the room of it : so that in the place of wisdom , power , holinesse , truth , righteousnesse , and the like ornaments , wherewith we had been cloathed : there hath succeeded these and the like : 1. this their sin hath filled our whole man with corruption . 2. it hath made us become vassals unto sin and satan . 3. it hath disabled us from understanding the will , and observing the commandements of the lord . 4. it caused us to lose our right unto , and sovereignty over the creatures . 5. it makes our persons and actions unacceptable to god . 6. it hath cast us out of gods favour , and made us liable , and subject to all the plagues and miseries of this life ; and to endlesse , eaflesse , and reme● dilesse torments in the life to come . sect. ix . and the reason is , our first parents being the root of all man-kind ; and instead of all their posterrity before they had issue : and the covenant being made with them as publick persons ; not for themselves onely , but for their posterity ; who were to stand , or fall with them : they being left to the freedome of their own wills , in transgressing the commandment of god by eatting the forbidden fruit , through the temtation of satan : have made us , and all man-kind descending from them by ordinary generation , as guilty of their sin , as any heir is liable to his fathers debt . their act being ours ; as the act of a knight , or burgess in the parlament house , is the act of the whole county , in whose name , and room they sit , and whom they represent : by which means our nature is so corrupted , that we are utterly indisposed and made opposite , unto all that is spiritually good , and wholly inclined to all evill , and that continually : and have also lost our communion with god , incurred his displeasure and curse ; so as we are justly liable to all punishments , both in this life , and in the life to come . now for the fuller confirming and amplifying of what hath been said , touching o●iginal sin ; take onely these ensuing scrirptures , and aphorisms , without any needlesse connexion ; that i may be so much the briefer . sect. x. amongst many others , the most pregnant scriptures for the confirming of this point , i hold to be these : the fathers have eaten sowr grapes : and the childrens teeth are set an edge , jer. 31. 20. was a true proverb , though by them abused . by one man sin entered into the world , and death by sin : and so death passed upon all men , in whom all have sinned , rom. 5. 12. to 21. who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean ? not one , job 14. 4. sec chap. 13. 14 , 15 , 16. we are all at an unclean thing , and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags , isa. 64. 6. by the works of the law , there shall no flesh be justified in his sight , rom. 3. 20. there is no difference , for all have sinned , and come short of the glory of god , rom. 3. 21 , 22 , 23. and god saw that the wickednesse of man was grea● in the earth ; and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was onely evil continually . and it repented the lord , that he had made man , genesis 6. 5 , 6. both jews and gentiles are all under sin : as it is written , ther● is none righteous , no not one . there is none that understandeth , there is none that seeketh after god ; they are all gone out of the way , they are altogethe● become unprofitable , there is none that doeth good , no not one . their throat 〈◊〉 an open sepulchre . the poison of asps is under their lips , there is no fear of go● before their eies , rom. 3. 9. to 20. out of the heart proceed evil thought● mur●bers , adulteries , fornications , thefts , false witnesse , blasphemies , mat. 15. 19. see gal. 5. 19 , 20 , 21. whence come warrs , and fightings among you ? com● they not hence ? even of your lusts that war in your members , james 4. 1. un●● them that are unbelieving is nothing pure : but even their minde , and conscien●● is defiled , tit. 1. 15. i see another law in my members , warring against the law of my minde ; and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is my members , o wretched man that i am , who shall deliver me from the body of this death , & c ? rom. 7. 14. to 25. where the apostle speaks all this , and a gret deal more of himself ; see ephes. 2. 2 , 3. gal. 3. 10. yet how many that g●ieve for their other sins , who are never troubled for their original corruption : which should above all be bewailed , even as the mother and nurse of all the rest ; and thought worthy not of our sighs alone , but of our tears . for this is the great wheel of the clock , that sets all the other wheels a moving , while it seems to move slowest . and never did any truly and orderly repent , that began not here : esteeming it the most foul and hateful of all , as david , psal 51. 5. and paul , crying out of it as the most secret , deceitful , and powerful evil , rom. 7. 23 , 24. and indeed if wee but clearly saw the foulnesse , and deceitfulnesse of it ; we would not suffer our eies to sleep , nor our cye-lids to slumber , until a happy charge had wrought these hearts of ours ( which by nature are no better then so many styes of unclean divels ) to become habitations for the god of jacob . sect. xi . we are the cursed seed of rebellious parents ; neither need we any more to condemne u● , then what we brought into the world with us . in adam the root of all , we all so sinned ; that if we had no inherent sin of our own , this imputed sin of his , were enough to damne us . our first parents were the root , we are the branches : if the root be bitter , the branches cannot be better . they were the fountain , wee the springs : if the sountains be filthy , so must the spangs . whence it is , that holy david cries out : behold i was shapen in iniquity , and in sin did my mother conceive me , psal 51. 5. tantillus puer , tantus peccator , saith saint austin : when a little childe , i was a great sinner . as in the little and tender bud , is infolded the leaf , the blossom , and the fruit ; so even in the heart of a young child , there is a bundle and pack of folly laid up , as solomon affirms , pov. 22. 15. and as moses speaks , the thoughts of man's heart are evil : even from his childhood , gen. 6. 5. & 8. 21. we brought a world of sin into the world with us ; and were condemned . so soon as conceived : we were adjudged to eternal death , before we lived a temporal life . as admit thou hadst never offended , in the least thought , word , or deed all thy life : yea , admit thou couldst now keep all the commandements , actually and spiritually ; yet all this were nothing , it could not keep thee out of hell : since that original sin which we drew from the loins of our first parents , is enough to damn us . sin and corruption are the riches that we bequeath to our children ; rebellion the inheritance that we have purchased for them , death the wages that we have procured them . god made us after his own image ; but by sin we have turned the image of god into the image of satan : yea , like satan we can do nothing else but sin , and make others sin too , who would not so sin but for us . as a furnace continually sparkles , as the raging seafoams and easts up mire and diet , and as a filthy dunghill , does continnally reak forth , and evaporate ●●●ous ●do●● : so do our hearts naturally stream forth unsavery eructations , unholy lusts and motions , even continually . as , o the infinitely intricate windings and turnings of the dark labyrinths of man's heart ! who finds not in himself , an indisposition of mind to all good ; and an inclination to all evill ? o the strange monsters , the ugly , odious , hidious fiends ; the swarms , litters , legions of noisome lusts that are couched in the stinking sties of every one of our decetful hearts ! insomuch that if all our thoughts did but break forth into action , we should not com far short of the divels themselvs . sect. xii . and as the healthiest body is subject to the mortallest disease ; so there is no sin so odious , unto which of our selvs we are not sufficiently inclinable . for original sin , in which we are all born and bred ; containeth in it self the seeds of all sins ; that fearful sin against the holy ghost it self not excepted . such venemous natures we have ; that never was there any villany committed by any forlorn miscreant ; whereunto we have not a disposition in our selves . insomuch that we ought to be humbled , even for those very sins from which we are in a manner exempt : for that coins envy , ishmaels scofing , rabsh●ka's railing , shimei's cursing , senacheribs balsphemy , doegs murther , pharaohs cruelty , sodoms lust , judas his treason , julians apostacie , &c. are not our sins , and as much predominant in us , as they were in each of them ; it is onely god's free grace and goodnesse . for all of them should have been thine and my sins , if god had left us to our selves . lord faith saint austin , thou lust forgiven me those sins which i have done , and those sins which onely by thy grace i have not done : they were done in our inclination to them , and even that inclination needs god's mercy . if we escape temptation , it is his mercie ; if we stand in temptation , it is his mercie ; if our wills consent not , it is his mercie ; if we consent , and the act be hindered , it is his mercy ; if we fall , and rise again by repentance , all is his mercy . we cry out of cain , judas , julian , the sodomites : alas they are but glasses to see our own faces in : for as in water , face arswereth to face ; so doth the heart of man to man . sayes solomon prov. 27. 19. even hating of god , is by the holy ghost charged upon all men . rom. 1. 30. john . 15. 23. 24. 25. wee are all cut out of the same piece , and as there is the same nature of all lyons , so of all men there is no part , power , function or faculty , either of our souls or bodies , which is not become a ready instrument to dishonour god : our heart is a root of all corruption , a seed plot of all sin ; our eyes are eyes of vanity , our ears are ears of folly , our mouthes mouthes of deceit , our hands hands of iniquity ; and every part does dishonour god ; which yet would be glorified of him . the understanding which was given us to learn virtue , is apt now to apprehend nothing but sin ; the will which was given us to affect righteousnesse , is apt now to love nothing but wickednesse ; the memory which was given us to remember good things , is apt now to keep nothing but evill things &c. for sin like a spreading leaprosie , is so grown over us , that from the crown of our heads , to the sole of our feet ; there is nothing whole therein , but wounds , and swellings , and sores full of corruption . to be short , wee are as trailors , condemned to suffer eternall torments in hell-fire being only repricved for a time . sect. xiii . and so much of originall sin , which is the pravity , naughtiness , and corruption of our nature . psal. 51. 5. now of actuall sin , which is the transgression of gods law , 1 john . 3. 4. when evill thoughts are consented unto , and performed in outward deeds . james . 1. 15. touching which we are to know , and take notice ; that the law of god is spirituall , and therefore requireth , not only outward obedience in word and deed ; but also inward in mind and heart , and that chiefly : neither doth it forbid onely the committing of outward sins in word and deed ; but also all the secret corruptions of the mind , and heart . rom. 7. 13 , 14 , 15. matth. 5. 21 , 22 , 27 , 28. 1 john . 3. 15. again where any duty is commanded , there the means which tend thereto are enjoyned : and where any vice is forbidden , there the occasions , provocations , and alurments tending thereto ; are also forbidden . again , it is not enough to do that which is good for substance ; except wee do it well also , in regard of circumstances : as namely , that it flows from a pious and good heart , sanctified by the holy ghost ; and be done in faith , obedience to the word , humility , saving knowledg , and sincere love to god , zeal of his glory , and a desire to edifie and win others : of which i might give you many examples ; as of the jewes fasting isa. 58. 3 , to 8. of those reprobates preaching in christs name , and casting out devills matth. 7-21 , 22 , 23. of cains sacrificiing . 1 john 3. 12. he offered , and god abhorred ; because he cared not for the manner , to do it well ; god cared not for his offering , though the act was good . simon magus believed , herod listned , felix feared , saul obeyed , jezabell fasted , the pha●●sees prayed ▪ but because they did not believe so , hear so , fear so , obey so , fast so , and pray so as god required , and as is before related , they were never the more regarded for what they did . for love is the fountain of obedience , and all externall obedience to god without inward love , is hyppocrisie : whereas christ commends to his disciples , the care of keeping his commandements aright , as the utmost testimony of their love unto him , john . 15. 10. sect. xiv . which being so , how oft and how many wayes do we all offend ? for if we but narrowly look into our hearts and lives : we shall easily perceive , that there is not one of those righteous precepts , set down exodus 20. which we have not broken , ten thousand times , and ten thousand wayes . yea o god ( may the best of us say ) there is no vein in me , that is not full of the blood of thy son ; whom i have crucifyed and crucifyed again , by multiplying many , and often repeating the same sin● ; there is no artery in me , that hath not the spirit of errour , the spirit of pride , of passion , of lust , the spirit of giddinesse in it ; no bone in me , that is not hardened with the custome of sin , nourished and supplied with the marrow of sin , no sinews , no ligaments , which do not tye and chain sin and sin together . yea , if we but watch over our own hearts narrowly one day : we shall find an army of unclean thoughts and desires there , perpetually fighting against our souls . whereby wee are continually tempted , drawn away , & inticed through our own concupiscence . as how many temptations come in by those cink-ports the senses ? how many more by satans injections ? presenting to the affections things absent from the sences ? but most of all by lust it selfe , ( a thing not created , yet as quick as thought ) tumblieg over a thousand desires in one houre : for the devill , and our flesh meet together every day , and houre ; to ingender new sins , which is the reason , our sins are counted among those things which are infinite : as the hairs of our head , the sands of the sea , the stars of heaven . we are swift to all evill , but to all good immoveable ; when we do evil , wee do it cheerfully , and quickly , and easily ; but if we do any good , wee do it faintly , and rawly , and slackly . we have used all our wisedome , to commit the foolishness of sin ; our whole conversation hath been to serve satan , and fulfill the lusts of the flesh . we even suck in iniquity like water , and draw on sin as it were with cart-ropes : isai. 5. 18. it hath been the course of our whole life , to leave that which god commands , and to do that which he forbids . the word and spirit may work in us some flashes of desire , and purposes of better obedience : but we are constant in nothing , but perpetuall offending ; onely therein we cease not : for when we are waking , our flesh tempts us to wickednesse ; if wee are sleeping , it sollicits us to filthinesse . what ever god commands , we do the contrary : we prophane his daies , contemne his ordinances , resist his word , grieve his spirit , misuse his messengers , hate our reprovers , slander and persecute his people , seduce our friends , give ill example to our neighborurs , open the mouths of god's , and our enemi●s , to blaspheme that glorious name after which we are called , and the truth we professe . yea , we have done more against god in one week , then we have done for him ever since we were born : and whereas the least of gods mercies , is greater then all the courtesies of men : we are not so thankful to him for them all , as we are to a friend for some one good turn . sect. xv . neither are we sufficient of our selves to think , much lesse to speak , least of all to do ought that is good , 2 cor. 3. 5. joh. 15. 4 , 5. there is so much wearisomnesse , pride , passion , lust , envy , ignorance , awkwardnesse , hypocrisie , infidelitie , vain thoughts , unprofitablenesse , and the like ; cleaving to our best actions to defile them : that even our praying , and fasting , and repenting ; our hearing , believing , and giving ; our holiest communication our most brotherly admonition , &c. are in themselves as filthy raggs , isa. 64. 6. were they not accepted in christ , covered with his righteousnesse , and washed white in his most pretious blood . our very righteousnesse is as a menstruous cloth , isa. 64. 6. what then is our sinfulnesse ? as bring we our lives to the rule ; look how many sins are cherished , so many false gods there are chosen . look how many creatures thou inordinately lovest , fearest , trustest , rejoicest in ; so many new gods hast thou coined : and wilt thou not th●n plead guilty , when the first and second commandement arraigneth thee ? thou canst not away with swearing ; but do'st thou reprove others for their swearing ? didst thou never hear sermons unpreparedly , irreverently , & c ? does thy heart upon a sabbath rest from wordly thoughts ? much more thy tongue from worldly speeches ? there is murther of the heart , hatred : hast not thou murthered thy neighbours soul , by thy negligence , perswasion , evil example , &c. thou hast not stolne , but hast thou not coveted ? hast thou been liberal to those that are owners of a part of thy goods ? hast thou not robb'd thy brother of his good name ? which is above silver and gold . hast thou not robb'd god of his worship ? of his sabbaths ? of his tythes , &c. lying , flattering , detracting , listning to tales ; yea not defending thy brothers good name , is to bear false witnesse . hast thou kept the tenth commandement ? which condemns the very first motions of sins , springing out of our hearts , though presently rejected ; and a thousand the like : and yet for every drop of wickednesse that is in the life , there is a sea in the heart that feeds it . sect. xvi . true , if thou lookest on thy sins in satans false glasse , that will make them seem light , and contemptible ; but behold them in the clear and perfect glasse of gods law , and they will appear abominable . which makes our saviour call hatred , murther ; a wanton eie , adulterie , &c. yea , consider thy sins rightly , and they will appear as the judasses that betraied , the souldiers that apprehended , bound , smote and wounded thy saviour , as the gall and vineger in his mouth , spittle on his face , thorns on his head , nails in his hands , spear in his side , &c. this is the way to know thy self sinful : and as thus to know thy self , is the best divinity , as demonax said of philosophy : so thus to aggravate thy sins in thine own sight , is the onely way to have them extenuated in the sight of god . whence the more holy a child of god is , the more sensible he is of his own unholinesse ; thinking none so vilde as himself : as it fared with holy job , job 40. 4. & 42. 6. and with isaiah , chap. 6. 5. & 64. 6. and with saint paul , 1 tim 1. 15. rom. 7. 14 , to 25. and with holy david , who almost in every psalme so much bewails his sins , original and actual ; of omission and commission . carnal men are onely troubled for those sins that appear to the world : but those in whom christ i● formed a new , think they cannot be humbled enough for their evil thoughts , vain and unprofitable words , for the evil which cleavs even to their best actions ; for sins of omission , as the want of faith , and love , and repentance , want of the true fear of god , the neglect of preparation , and profitable hearing , of praying and reading in their families , of instructing their children and servants , of sanctifying the sabbath , and seeing that all under them do the same ; their unfruitfulnesse under the means of grace , their not growing in grace and true wisdom , their not fearing a lie , an oath , and a hundred the like . and thus do all experimental christians , all that have spiritual eies . the want whereof i take to be the cause of all desperate wickednesse : as what else but invincible ignorance is the cause , why wickednesse so abounds in every corner of the land . sin indeed at first was the cause of ignorance : but now ignorance is the cause of sin . swearing , and lying , and killing , and stealing , and whoring abound : ( saith the prophet ) because there is no knowledg of god in the land , hosea 4. 1 , 2. it is a people that do 〈◊〉 their hearts , saies god ; why ? because they have not known my waies , 〈…〉 10. ye● are dec●ived ( saith our saviour ) because ye know not the scriptures , neither the power of god , matth. 22. 29. when christ wept over jerusalem , what was the cause ? even their blindnesse . if thou hadst known ( saith he ) at the least in this thy day ; those things which now are hid from thine eies luke 19. 42. because men know not the wages of evil , therefore they do it : and because they would securely do it , therefore they refuse to know it . o that men knew , how good it is to obey ; to disobey , how evill ! for this would soon disp●rse and dispell all the black clouds of their reigning sins in a moment . if they were wise ( saith saint bernard ) they would fore-see the torments of hell , and prevent them : but they that wander in by-paths , declare themselvs ignorant of the right-way of salvation , rom. 3. 17. i grant . many that are wicked have a shew of wisdom : but let them seem to know never so much ; yet it is through ignorance that they do so ill . sect. xvii . and so having given you , a short survey of our wretchedness , by reason of o●i●inal , sin and act●all transgressions ; by which we must confesse to have deserved double damnation i come now to declare the means , which god of his infinite goodness hath found out , both for the satisfying of his justice , and also freeing us from the guilt , and punishment of either . and that with asmuch brevity , as may stand with p●●spicuity . first in generall we must undoubtedly know , that the sole perfection of a christian , is the imputation of christs righteousness ; and the not-imputation of his own unrighteouness , as appears by the whole current of scripture , of which a few . even the son of man , came to give his life a ransom for many . mark . 10. 45. as in adam all dye , so in christ shall all be made alive . 1 cor. 15. 21 , 22. as by one mans disobedience , many were made sinners : so by the obedience of one , shall many be made righteous , &c. rom. 5. 18 , 19. as by the offence of one , the fault came on all men to condemnation : so by the justifying of one , the benefit abounded towards all men to the justification of life . rom. 5. 18. unto jesus christ that loved us , and washed us from our sins in his own blood . revel. 1. 5. the blood of jesus christ his son , cleanseth us from all sins 1 john . 1. 7. he is the reconciliation for our sins &c. 1 john . 2. 1 , 2. he hath made him to be sin for us , who knew no sin : that we might be made the righteousness of god in him : 2 cor. 5. 21. he was delivered to death for our sins , and is risen again for our justification . rom. 4. 25. who his own self , ●●re our sins in his own body on the tree : by whose stripes we were healed . 1 pet. 2. 24. he was wounded for our transgressions , he was broken for our iniquityes , the chastisement of our peace was upon him , and with his stripes we were healed isa. 53. 5. neither i● there salvation in any other ; for among men , there is given none other name vnder heaven , whereby we must be saved . acts. 4. 12. the wages of sin is death , but the gift of god is eternall life , through jesus christ our lord . rom. 6 23. i am the resurection and the life , be that believeth in me , although he were dead , yet shall he live . john . 11. 25. you hath he quickned , that were dead in trespasses and sins . ephe. 2. 1. god so loved the world : that he gave his onely begotten son , that whosoever believeth in him should not perish , but have everlasting life . for god sent not his son into the world , to condemn the world : but that the world through him might be saved . john . 3. 16. to 20. god commendeth his love towards us , in that while we were yet sinners , christ died for us : much more then being now justified by his blood , we shal be saved from wrath through him . for if when we were enemies , we were reconciled to god , by the death of his son : much more being reconciled , we shall be saved by his life , rom. 5. 6 , to 11. read to the end of the chapter . see more joh. 1. 29. acts 13. 39. rom. 6. 4 , to 23. & 8. 2 , 3. & 10. 3 , 4. 1 cor. 15. 56. colos. 1. 14. gal. 3. 22. heb. 9. 28. 1 pet. 1. 18 , 19 , 20. 1 joh. 3. 8. sect. xviii . as christ was a sinner , only by the imputation of our sins : so wee are just , onely by the imputation of his righteousness . our good works ( were they never so many and rare ) cannot justify us , or deserve any thing at gods hands : it is onely in christ that they are accepted , and only for christ that they are rewarded . yea the opinion of thine own righteousness , makes thy condition far worse then the wickedest mans alive : for christ that came to save all weary and heavy laden sinners ; ( be they never so wicked ) neither came to save , or once to call thee that hast no sin , but art righteous enough without him . as hear his own words to the proud pharisees , who had the same thoughts of themselvs as thou hast . they that be whole need not a physitian , but they the●● are sick . i am not come to call the righteous , but sinners to repentance . the ●●st sheep of the house of israel , mat. 9. 13. & 10. 6. & 15. 24. & 18. 11. nor can any soul be so dangerously sick : as thou , who art least sensible of thy being sick . briefly , untill with saint paul , thou renouncest thine own righteousness , seest thy self the greatest of sinners , art able to discern sin in every thing thou canst think , speak , or do ; and that thy very righteousnesse is no better then a menstruous cloth , isa. 64. 6. thou canst have no part in christ . and until christ shall become thine by regeneration , and a lively faith : thou art bound to keep the whole law , actually and spiritually with thy whole man , thy whole life ; or else suffer eternal death and destruction of body and soul in hell for thy not keeping it . so that thou hast yet to answer ( and i pray mind it seriously ) for all the sins , that ever thou hast committed ; who art not able to answer for one of the least of them . for the wages of sin ( any sin , be it never so small ) is eternal death , rom. 6. 23. gal. 2. 16 , 19 , 20 , 21. neither let satan , nor thy own deceitful heart delude thee ; in thinking that thou hast faith , when thine own words declare the contrary . nor would i ask any more evidence against thee in this , then thine own mouth : in saying , that thou never doubtest in all thy life : for this makes it plain , that thou never hadst faith , nor ever knewest what faith means . for he who never doubted , never believed : and satan hath none so sure , as those whom he never yet assaulted . sect. xix . but this being a main fundamental point , which every man is bound to know : i will more particularly and fully explain it as thus : man being in a most miserable , and undone condition ; by reason of originall and actuall sin , and of the curse due to both ; being liable to all miseries in this life , and adjudged , to suffer eternall torments in hell-fire after death : having no possibility to escape , the fierce wrath of almighty god : who had already pronounced sentence upon him . when neither heaven earth nor hell , could have yielded any satisfactory thing besides christ ; that could have satisfied gods justice , and merited heaven for us : then , o then ! god of his infinite wisdome and goodness , did not onely find out a way to satisfie his justice , and the law : but even gave us his own son out of his bosom ; and his son gave himselfe to dye , even the most shamefull , painfull , and cursed death of the cross to redeem us : that whosoever believeth in him , should not perish , but have everlasting life . john . 3. 16. a mercy bestowed , and a way found out ; that may astonish all the sons of men on earth , and angels in heaven . wherefore wonder at this , you that wonder at nothing ! that the eternall god would die , to redeem our worse then lost souls ; that we might not dye eternally ! o the deepness of gods love ! o the unmeasurable measure of his bounty ! o son of god , who can sufficiently extoll thy love , or commend thy pity or extoll thy praise ! it was a wonder that thou madest us for thy self ; more that thou madest thy self man for us ; but most of all that thou shouldest unmake thy selfe , that thou shouldest dye to save us . which salvation stands , in two things . first in freeing and delivering us from hell ; secondly , in the possession of heaven , and eternall life . christ by his death , merits the first for us : and by his obedience , fulfilling the law , merits the second . the parts of our justification are likewise two : the remission of our sins , and the imputation of christs righteousness ; whereby we have freedome from all evill here , and the perfection of all good and happiness in heaven . insomuch , that all those millions of mercies that we have received , from , before , and since , we were born , either for soul or body ; ( even to the least bit of bread we eat ) or shall injoy to eternity : christ of his free grace hath purchased for us , with the price of his own pretious blood . for which see psal. 68. 19. and 145. 15 , 16. and 75. 6 , 7. hear this all you that care to be saved ! god will pardon all your sins , he will give you an eternal crown of glory in heaven , if you unfainedly repent , and wholly rely upon christ for your salvation , by a lively faith ; and that because he is just : for although the lord cannot in justice let sin go unpunished ; ( for the wages of sin is eternal death , rom. 6. 23. death in the person , if not in the surety . ) yet christ hath sufficiently satisfied for all the sins of the faithful , and paid their debt even to the utmost farthing ; as is evident by isa. 53. 4. 5. a cor. 5. 21. heb. 9. 26. 1 pet. 2. 24. rom. 3. 25 , 26. 1. joh. 1. 7 , 9. and sundry other places . as , are we bound to perform perfect obedience to the law ? christ performed it for us . were we for disobedience subject to the sentence of condemnation , the curse of the law , and death of body and soul ? he was condemned for us , and bore the curse of the law ; he died in our stead an ignominious death . did we deserve the anger of god ; hee indured his fathers wrathful displeasure , that so he might reconcile us to hi● father and set us at liberty . he that deserved no sorrow , felt much ; that we who deserved much , might feel none . and by his wounds we are healed , isa. 53. 5. adam eat the apple , christ paid the price . i● a word whatsoever w● owed , christ discharged ; whatsoever we deserved , he suffered , if not in the sel● same punishments ( for he being god , could not suffer the eternal torment● of hell , ) yet in proportion , the dignity of his person , ( he being god and man , giving value unto his temporary punishments ; and making them of more value and worth , then if all the world should have suffered the eternall torments of hell . for it is more for one that is eternall to dye : then for others to dye eternally . therefore was the son of god made , the son of man : that the sons of men , might be made the sons of god : and therefore was he both god and man : lest being in every respect god , he had been too great to suffer for man , or being in every respect man ; he had been to weak to satisfie god . and so much for explication of the third principle , mentioned in the beginning . sect. xx but now coms the hardest part of my work to be performed . for admit the natural man be convinced of the truth of these three fundamentall principles never so clearly : yet he will draw such a conclusion from the premisses ; that he will be never the better , for what bath been told him , yea he will decoct all , ( even the mercy , and goodness of god ) into poyson . for what wil such a one suggest to himself ? ( the divell helping forward ) let it be granted will he say , that i were every way wretched and miserable ; a great sinner , both originally and actually ; and likewise liable to all the plagues of this life , and of that to come : yet i thank god , i am well enough , so long as christ hath p●y'd my ransom ; & freed me from all by a new covenant ; the tenu●e whereof is , believe and live : whereas at first it was , do this and live : to which i answer ; in covenants and indentures between party and party : there are always articles , and conditions to be performed on the one side , aswell as promises to be fulfilled on the other , as saith pareus . now as god hath covenanted & bound himself by his word and seal ; to remit thee thy sins , adopt thee his child by regeneration ; and give thee the kingdome of heaven , & everlasting life by & for his son's sake ; so christ hath for , & on thy behalf undertaken ; yea thou thy self didst for thy part , bind thy self by covenant , promise and vow in thy baptism , that thou wouldest forsake the devil and all his works , constantly believ gods holy word , & obediently keep his commandements ; the better thereby to express thy thankfulness towards him , for so great a benefit . 1 pet. 3. 21. psa. 116. 12 , 13 , 14 and we know that in covenants and indentures : if the conditions be not kept , the obligation is not in force . whereby millions ( magus like ) after the water of baptisme , ( which is a seal , of the covenant of grace ) go to the fire of hell . yea except we repent and believe the gospell ; ( threats , and precepts ; aswell as promises ) that holy sacrament , together with the offer of grace : instead of sealing to us our salvation ; will be an obligation vnder our own hand and seal against us ; and so prove a seal of our greater condemnation . therefore the mayn question is , whether thou art a believer ? for although christ in the gospel , hath made many large , & precious promises : there are none so generall : which are not limited , with the condition of faith , and the fruit thereof unfained repentance ; and each of them are so tyed and entayled , that none can lay claim to them , but true believers , which repent and turn from all their sins , to serve him in holiness , without which no man shall see the lord heb. 12. 14. isa. 39. 20. as for instance , our savior hath made publick proclamation . mark . 16. 16. that whosoever shall believe , and be baptized , shall be saved : but mark what withal is added ; he that will not believe , shall be damned . again , so god loved the world , that be gave his onely begotten son ; that whosoever believeth in him should not perish , but have everlasting life , joh. 3. 15 , 16. and that none may deceive themselvs , he addeth ; he that believeth on him is not condemned ; but he that believeth not , is condemned already : because he hath not believed in the name of the onely begotten son of god . and this is the condemnation , that light is come into the world , and men loved darkness rather then light , joh. 3. 19 , 20. and again , as many as received him , to them he gave power to become the sons of god ; even to them that believe on his name , joh. 1. 12. again , hec● 5. 9. he is said to be the author of eternal salvation , unto all that obey him : not unto them which continue in their rebellious wickednesse , and never submit themselvs to be ruled by the scepter of his word . christ's blood ( saith z●●c●ie ) was shed as well for ablution , as for absolution : as well to cleanse from the s●il and filth of sin , as to clear and assoil from the guilt of sin , rom , 6. 5 , 6. god bath chosen us in christ , before the foundation of the world : that we should be holy , and without blame before him in love , ephes. 1. 4. they therefore that never come to be holy , were never chosen . he is said to have given himself for us : that he might re●eem us from all iniquity , and purge us to be a peculiar people unto himself , zealous of good works : titus 2. 14. luke 1. 74 , 75. yea the lord binds it with an ●ath , that whomsoever he redeemeth out of the hands of their spiritual enemies , they shall worship him in holinesse and righteousnesse all the daies of their life , luk. 1. 73 , 74 , 75. 1 pet. 2. 24. and titus 2. the grace of god which bringeth salvation , teacheth us ; that we should deny ungodlinesse and worldly lusts , an● that we should live soberly , righteously and godly in this present world , vers. 12. by all which it is plain ; that as christ's blood is a charter of pardon ; so withall it is a covenant of direction : and hee that refuseth to live , as that covenant prescribes ; may perish as a malefactor that is hanged with his pardon about his neck . sect. xxi . but alas , say what can be said ! carnall men ( who love their sins , better then their souls ) will answer all , yea confute whatever can be alleaged , with god is mercifull ; or in case that will not serve , yet they have another shift , or rather the enemy of mankind , will furnish them with an ●vasion , telling them that they have a strong faith , good hearts , and mean well : they repent of their sins , have as good wishes and desires as can bee , are elected , hope to go to heaven as well ●s the best , &c. but to every of ●hese , i answer . first , true faith purifieth the heart , and worketh by love , consumeth our ●o ●●ptions , and sanctifieth the whole man throughout , so that our faith to god , is seen in our faithfulness to men ; our invisible belief , by our visi●le life . 〈…〉 holiness are as inseparable , as life and motion , the sun and light , 〈…〉 , ice , and coldness , the sp●ing and greenness , the rose and sweetnes● , 〈◊〉 and ●ardness , cristall and cleerness , pitch and foulness , hony and sweetness . again , faith believeth the threats of the word ; together with the promises : now thou who pretendest belief in the promises , shew my thy belief in the threatnings . for did'st thou believe the truth of those menaces , which god hath denounced against unclean , coveteous , am●itious , unjust , envious , malicious persons , and such like sinne●● : how du●st thou then so wallow in these sins , ●hat if god instead of hell , had promised heaven as a reward unto them ; thou couldest not do more then thou dost . why shouldest thou deceive thy self with an opinion of faith ? when indeed thou believest not so much as the devill does ; for hee believs [ namely the threatnings of the word ] and ●rem●les for horror , jam. 2. but thou goest on in sin , even mocking at the menaces ; and in the infidelity of thy heart , givest them the ●ve , saying ; no such thing shall befall thee . but invadunt urbem , somno vino●u● sepultam ; when they shall say peace and safety , then cometh on them sudden destruction , 1 thes. 5. 3. though these persecutors of christ , and murtherers of the lord of life , were the devills children ; as they were plainly told by tru●h it self , john 8. 44. yet they most confidently believed , and stiffly maintained , that god was their father , ver. 41. and to will the wo●st of men in these days , such as do nothing but sin , and make others sin , such as glory in , and maintain their sins . again , as faith is wrought by gods spirit : so where it is wrought , it brings forth the fruits , of the spirit , mentioned , gal. 5. 22. 23. whereas presumption , as it is of the flesh ; so it b●ings forth the fruits of the flesh , ver. 19. 20. 21. but it is very easie to believ , thinks the sensualist ; yes , but why ? satan troubles not such , for then hee who begot this presumptious faith in him , should be divided against himself . nay satan confirm● him in this his deceit . besides this is a sure rule , that that perswasion only , which follows sound humiliation , is faith : that which goes before i● is presumption . and as ambrose speaks , no man can repent of sin , but hee that believs the pardon of sin : nor none can believe his sins are pardoned , except hee hath repented . besides how easie a matter soever thou thinkest it is to believe : hee that goes about it , shall find it as hard a work to believ the gospell , as to keep the law ; and onely god must inable to both , and yet so far as wee come short of either , so far forth wee have just cause to bee humbled ; if wee consider how god at first made us , and how wofully wee have unmade our selves . but sect. 22. secondly , as for their good hearts and meanings , they may think what they will ; but every wise ●an knows ; that the outward actions declare the inward intentions . a good conversion is proved by a good conversation . the●e is no heart made of flesh , which at some time or other ●elents not ; even 〈◊〉 and marble , will in some weather stand or drops . men may flatter god with their mouthes , and wit● t●ei● tongues dissemble with him ; when their hearts are not upright with him , psal. 78 , 3● . 37. and indeed they whose words and dee●●s are faulty and evill ; and yet plead the goodness of their hearts towards god : are like malefactors , who being convinced of thes● , or the like naughtiness , by plain evidence to their faces , do appeal to the testimony of such persons for their purgation , as they know cannot bee found . and in case the hearts of such men could bee seen of others , as their works and words are , their hearts would appear worst of all , as they do to god , who seeth them . nor is any evill in the mouth or hand , which was not in the heart first of all , as the stream in the fountain . and let a vici●us man boast never so much of his good heart ; i will as soon believ him that saith he hath the philosophers stone● and yet lives like a beggar : which two hang together like a sick mans dream . wee have good hearts , and mean well ; alass poor ignorant souls ! for every drop of wickedness that appears in the life , there is an ocean in the heart . the heart of man is deceitfull above all things : and while hee thinks there is no deceit in it , even in that hee is most of all deceived . s●nners are like that peremptory sexton , that said , howsoever the day goes , i am sure the clock goes rig●t . so that the spanish proverb does every way please mee : defienda medios demio , god defend mee from my self . carnall men , are apt to boast of the goodness of their hearts : but a mans heart is as arch a traitor , as any hee shall meet withall 〈◊〉 trust it too much , and know it too little , is it fared with leah , gen. 30 18. and hazaell 2 kings 8. 12. 13. and peter , mat. 26. 33 luke 22. 32. mark 14. 29. and those jews , act. 2. 36. 〈◊〉 all this they will acknowledge in the end ; yea , prove by experience , that heaven is full of good works ; hell of good wishes ; and that the fetters whi●h sin makes , it must wear . sect. xxiii . thirdly , touching their repentance , my answer is true repentance for sin , is a turning from every sin , to the contrary good . in all true repentance is a change , both in the judgment from error to tru●h , and in the will from evill to good , and in the affections from loving evill , and hating good ; to love good and hate evill ; in the whole man from darkness to light , and from the power of satan unto god . without which change , no repentance , no being saved : the two main and essentiall parts of repentance are contrition or humiliation , and conversion or reformation . it is not true repentance , except humiliation and reformation go both together : for either of these single make but a half , or halting repentance . an unreformed sorrow , is but deformed : and a sorrow less reformation , is but a very sorry one . humitation without reformation , is a foundation without a building : and reformation without humiliation , is a building without a foundation . judas was grieved for murthering christ , yet no change followed : hee fell to murthering of himself . it is not possible a man should truly grieve , and bee displeased for his sins ; and yet continue in them without ● change . sect. xxiv . fourthly , as for their assurance of salvation , it is upon a good ground as a 〈◊〉 the rest : for they s●mber , and suppose themselvs good christians : ●●…e faith is but a dream , their hope but a dream , their charity but a dream , their obedience but a dream , their whole religion but a dream ; & so their assurance of salvation is but a dream , they have regeneration in conceit , ●epentance and righteousness in conceit , they serve god well in conceit , do the works of justice and piety in conceit , and they shall go to heaven only in conceit , or in a dream ; and never awake untill they feel themselvs in the flames of hell every drunken beast , and blasphemer thinks to go to heaven : though none shall come there , nor once see god without holiness : which they abhor . one mindes nothing but his cups , another nothing but his coyn , a third onely his curtiz●n : yet all these point to meet in heaven , but this is not the way thi●her . the lust of the flesh , the lust of the eyes and the pride of life , 1 john 2. 16. is a broad way , but not to heaven . micha when hee had a levite in his house , thought that god loved him , judg. 17. 13. it is usuall with formalists , when they have the sacrament in their belly , to think that all is well , as the jews thought , wee may ●ut away our wives , wee may swear , wee may hate our enemies , wee may kill the prophets , subject the word of god to our traditi●ns , and follow our own ways . why , abraham is our father , john 8. 39. but by their leave , christ calls them bastards , and finds out another father for them , ver. 44. ye are of your father the devill , and the lusts of your father ye will do . profane libertine● , such as account not themselves well , but when they are doing ill : yea , the most covetous oppressors , who may say as pope 〈◊〉 did , i can have no place in heaven , because i have so often sold it upon earth ; every man of them hopes ( i confess with more confidence , then judgment ) to have benifit by the gospell ; when they will not bee tyed to the least tittle of the law . but if christ bee not our king to govern us ▪ hee will nei●her bee our prophet to fore-warn nor our priest to expiate . except we so sake our sins , god will never forgive them , yea hee hath sw●rn by an oath , that whomsoever hee redeemeth out of the hands of their spi●ituall enemies ; shall serve him in holiness , and righteousness all the days of their lives . neither can it confist with his justice , to pardon such as continue in an evill c●u●se of life . if christ hath freed us f●om the damnation of sin , hee hath also freed us from the dominion of sin . if with his blood hee hath quenched the fire of hell for us ; hee hath also quenched the fire of lust in us . christs justifying blood , is given us by his sanctifying spirit . he being consecrated , was made the authour of eternall salvation , unto all t●em ( and them onely ) that ob●y him , heb. 5. 9. of whomsoever a man i● overcome , even unto the same he is in bondage , 2 pet. 2. 19 have ye then no government of your passions , no conscience of your actions , no care of your lives : false hypocrites , yee do but abuse , and profane that name , which yee unjustly arrogate . sect. xxv . but yet more to convince you , you go to heaven , when in sundry partlcula●s , you fall sho●t of many wicked reprobates recorded in scripture ; as do bu● deal impartially with thy self , and tell mee thou civill justiciary whether thou ever hadst the heart upon hearing the th●eatnings of the word , to ●ele●t and humble thy self with ahah ? to confess thy sins , and ●esire the people of god to pray for thee with pharoah ? to bee affected with joy in hearing the word , and practice many things , with herod ? to ●ee zealous against sin , with jehu ? willingly to part with a good part of ●hy goods , with anarias ? ●o forsake the world & all thy hopes in it ; to fol●ow poor christ , as demus and others ? to venture thy life with alexander the copper-smith , in cleaving to the tru●h ? yea it is said of judas himself ●hat hee repented , there is contrition ; hee saith i have sinned , there is confession , and hee restored the money again , there is satisfaction ; which is 〈◊〉 the papists repentance : and yet hee is judas the son of perdition still . now tell me ? dost thou not com short of these , many such as these be wicked reprobates , and yet wilt thou pleas thy self in a fals conceit , of thine own happiness , who comest further behind them , then they do behind true christians ? if some that have journied in the wilderness to kad●sh-barnea , shall yet never enter into gods rest ; shall those that never left egypt ? is the stony ground reprobate ? and can the high-way ground bee good . there are three sorts of ground mentioned , mark . 4. 4. 5. 6. 7. and the very worst of them receives the seed , yet all damned ; whither then shall the ●empest of gods wrath drive them , that would never yet give the gospell● religious ear . but vicious men , think god is all mercie ( as ●oggie ayr useth to represent every object far bigger then it is . ) when the word tells us , that he is a consuming fire , and a ●ealous god , deut. 4. 24. heb. 12. 29 and when we ●hall find in deut. 28. thrice as many curses as blessings . dost thou expect to have him mercifull to thee , that art unmerci●ull , cruell , and bloody to ●im , to his , and thine own soul ? none that have eies in their heads and open , can be so sort●●● . but sin is like the juic● of poppie , called opium ; which if the quantity exceed , b●ingeth the patient into a deep sleep , that he never awaketh . sinners dream they are awake , but ind●ed they are ●ast asleep ; yea , with sardi they are dead , while they think they are ●live . and indeed this misp●ision or mistake , this very opinion of being in ●afe good enough ; keeps a man out of all possibility of being bettered : ●or what we presume to have attained , wee seek not after . yea this con●●ited righteousness , is the onely cause of all unrighteousness ; and many a man had been good , if he had not at present so thought himself . untill paul was humbled to the very ground ; trembling and astonished , he ne●er asked jesus , what wilt thou have me to do . and the like of those con●e●ts that were p●ickt in their hearts at peters searching sermon , upon their being convinced , that they were the murtherers of the lord of life , acts 2. vers. 36 , 37 , 38. sect. xxvi . in the last place touching their election , this is an infallible truth ; whomsoever god hath appointed to salvation , to them he hath appointed ●he means also , which is holiness . i●deed a man may be so bold of his pre●estination , as to forget his conversation ; so he may dream himself in hea●en , and waken from that dream in hell . god's purpose touching the end , include the means . though god had promised paul that his company should not be drowned ; yet he told the mar●iners , that unlesse they kept in the ship , they should be drowned , act. 2● . 22 , 23. 31. ●s if their safety should not be without means : rebek●● had god's oracle for jacobs life , yet she sent him away out of esau's reach . it was impossible for herod to hurt the child jesus , yet he must flie into egypt . and so i have shewn in the last place , what are the conditions of the new covenant , and to whom the promises belong ; which is all that i undertook . now if men will yet go on , and perish in their impenitencie ; their blood be on their own heads , and not on mine , i have discharged my duty . neverthelesse , least the single evidence that i bring from the word of truth , should not prove sufficient to gain your credence to what ha●h been spoken ; and because examples give a quicker impression then arguments , i have one thing more to crave of thee , which is of as great concernment , as all that i have hitherto spoken ; namely , that thou wilt also hear the confession of two parties ( in the ensuing , or second part of this discourse ) that were lately in thy very condition ; though now by the infinite goodnesse of god they have their eies opened , and their hea●●s changed , to see and know , both what it is to be in the state of nature , and what to be brought into the glorious liberty of the sons god ; that so by a three-fold coard , you may be drawn to accept of salvation upon god's own terms ; whereas otherwise , you can no way escape his eternal wrath . the ensuing , or second part , which i would request you to read and mind , is ; a happie conference , between a formalist converted , and a loose libertine ; intituled , as experimental index of the heart . and so much of the first part , the second followeth . finis sold onely by james crump , in little bartholomews well-yard ; and by henry cripps , in popes-head alley . 1658. a day-starre for darke-wandring soules shewing the light, by a christian controuersie: or briefely and plainely setting forth the mysterie of our saluation. diuided into principles, obiections, and answeres. by richard niccolls, th'elder, of the inner temple london, gent. deceased. published for the generall benefit of all those who heartily, and with a true path desire their owne saluation: by i.c. niccols, richard, of the inner temple. 1613 approx. 83 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 48 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2003-07 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a08188 stc 18526.5 estc s119830 99855036 99855036 20506 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a08188) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 20506) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1475-1640 ; 1551:13) a day-starre for darke-wandring soules shewing the light, by a christian controuersie: or briefely and plainely setting forth the mysterie of our saluation. diuided into principles, obiections, and answeres. by richard niccolls, th'elder, of the inner temple london, gent. deceased. published for the generall benefit of all those who heartily, and with a true path desire their owne saluation: by i.c. niccols, richard, of the inner temple. i. c., fl. 1613. [12], 73 [i.e. 83], [1] p. printed [by thomas snodham] for iohn budge, and are to be solde at the great south-doore of paules, london : 1613. printer's name from stc. page 83 misnumbered 73. formerly stc 18518. identified as stc 18518 on umi microfilm. reproduction of the original in the bodleian library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first 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2003-04 olivia bottum sampled and proofread 2003-04 olivia bottum text and markup reviewed and edited 2003-06 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion a day-starre for darke-wandring soules : shewing the light , by a christian controuersie : or briefely and plainely setting forth the mysterie of our salvation . divided into principles , obiections , and answeres . by richard niccolls , th' elder , of the inner temple london , gent. deceased . pvblished for the generall benefit of all those who heartily , and with a true path desire their owne saluation : by i.c. london : printed for iohn budge , and are to be solde at the great south-doore of paules 1613. to the right honovrable , and truely religious lady , the lady anne glemham , i. c. wisheth encrease of all godlinesse and vertue , with the fruition of eternall happinesse . right honourable : as euery good artist laboureth with much paines to rectifie and bring into due forme and order , the art which hee himselfe professeth ; and seeketh all possible wayes and meanes to attaine to the perfection thereof ; adding thereto his owne practice and experience , thereby to make it more facile and easie to be attained vnto by future posterities ; and vnto them conueying it , as it were a matter hereditarie , and which by succession they ought to enioy . euen so ought euery true christian with his best endeauours , industrie and trauaile , labour to finde out the true principles and grounds of christian religion ; and therein through his owne industry ( directed by the spirit of the highest ) daily seeke to attaine to the perfection of that blessed truth which is the sole directresse to eternall happinesse ▪ and the profits of his christian labours to participate to all succeeding ages . and as none can profit in any science , without first knowing the fundamentall reasons and grounds thereof ; so it is impossible for any man to attaine to the perfection of christian religion , vnlesse hee be first instructed in the certaine and infallible grounds and principles of the same : with which this worthy and religious author was well furnished , as by this ensuing discourse , or treatise , made for the priuate vse of himselfe and his wife , who being a godly and religious gentlewoman , imparted the same to some few of her friends ; amongst whom , my selfe ( as vnworthiest of those few ) had a written copie , which ( most vertuous lady ) remayning in my custody ( and the author being a gentleman , vnder whom i had part of my education , and fearing lest this orphant ( turned naked into the world , without a protector and patron ) might by sinister and fatall occasion happen into the hands of some professed ( though priuate ) enemies ; and there be smothered by those irremarkable persons mentioned in the reuelation to haue receiued the marke of the beast ) depriuing the author of his due and well deserued commendations , and the world of so honest and religious a worke , i could doe no lesse then cause it to be published , as well for the generall good of the well-affected and religious , as also for an example and president vnto all men to imploy their labours in godly exercise , for the benefit of their christian brethren . and considering with my selfe where to bestow it , i was embold●…ed by the inducement of diuers reasons to select your ladiship , as one most worthy to be the sole patronesse and protector of this godly treatise , knowing your honourable virtues and sinceritie of religion to be such as are of force enough to make that commendable which onely by your honours name is graced , in respect of which , and diuers other honourable curtesies , for which i am oblieged to your ladiship , i most humbly present vnto your fauourable view and honourable protection , the zealous and truely religious labours of this godly gentleman , challenging nothing to my selfe but the imperfections in the harsh composure of the stile , which if your honour vouchsafe to receiue , it may be that although in the perusing thereof your ladiship shall not finde any matter which you are ignorant of , yet may it confirme that which otherwise your honour may doubt in ; or at least make it more euident by deliuering the circumstances in more particular termes . and as in the author it deserueth a generall and perpetuall remembrance , so doth it argue in him a most godly and good minde , in labouring to finde out that which gaue a comfortable end to all his labours , for the which doubtlesse he now possesseth an vncorruptible and immortall crowne of glory in the world which shall neuer end . to the which , after many , long , and happy yeeres , with much honor in this life , liued to the glory of god , and to the comfort and reliefe of his poore and afflicted members , the lord bring your honour , with peace and quiet conscience . your honours solely deuoted in all seruiceable duty , and dutifull affection , i. c. to the reader . christian reader , how intricate and difficult a matter it is to content the various conceits of the generall multitude , i doubt not but is well enough knowne to thee : and how curious ( seeming ) schollers are in perusing the labours of euery one , daily experience makes it manifest , who notwithstanding the benefit which they might reape vnto themselues by obseruation , if ( without affectation of their owne inuention ) they would with mature iudgement , and aduised patience , diligently read the good and godly workes of religious persons , doe studie with all diligence , to lay some scandalous imputation not onely on the author , but the poore innocent booke , who would if it were possible , laugh at their ignorance . how then shall this poore booke dare to aduenture it selfe among so many enemies , but in hope of the kinde censure of the learned , godly , and zealous christians : in expectation of which , with their louing acceptance of the fruits of the authors labours , it dares oppose it selfe to the generall view of the world , without fearing any the calumnies of carping zoilists , or those which beare the irremarkable marke of the beast , mentioned in the reuelation of s. iohn . and so rests thine to vse and peruse . certaine grounds , or principles of christian religion , briefely and plainely setting forth the mysterie of our salvation . the first principle . every one of vs , who by generation descend of adam , of our selues , by nature , cannot so much as thinke any good thoughts much lesse doe any good deede , but all our thoughts , words , and workes are onely euill continually , gen. 6. 5. rom. 3. 9. iohn 15. 5. notes vpon the first principle . the first cause of this our corruption is , because that euery one of vs who come of adam , sinned in the same sinne that adam sinned : viz. in eating the forbidden fruis , and are guiltie thereof before god. rom. 5. 12. heb. 7. 9. 10. the reason hereof is , because that adam ( as our common procurator or factor , tam ad perdendum quam ad lucrandum ) did beare the person of vs all , being then in his loynes : therefore looke what hee gained , hee gained for himselfe and vs ; and looke what hee lost , hee lost for himselfe and vs , then being in his loynes . 1 cor. 15. ●…2 . the second cause of this our continually sinning is , because that euery one of vs who come of adam , are by gods decree ( manifested and pronounced to adam ) fallen into this heauie punishment for our transgression in adam , viz. vvee are tainted with originall sinne . this originall sinne is a corruption of the powers of the soule ; and that not in some , or in part , but of all and wholy : and so by this originall sin , first , wee are depriued not of some , but of all good inclination , and doe want not some , but all goodnesse : and secondly , thereby we are inclined and prone , not to some , but to all euill , and not onely inclined and prone , but also naturally fruitfull , not of some , but of all sinnes ; as hauing the seeds of all sins bred within vs : so that , although sinnes doe not breake out in all men alike , neither is any man found who putteth all sins in practise . yet take the most ciuill and best natured man in the world , and by nature the seeds of all sinnes are in him : but the generall restraining grace of god doth many and diuers wayes restraine all men from comming into many sins , chiefly for the good and quietnesse of his church , and also for the maintaining and vpholding the societie of the world . which restrayning grace of god , if it should be withdrawne , then euery man without exception would breake out into euery sinne , to the vtter ouerthrow of all societies and common-weales . the godliest and best men can best testifie of these inbred seeds of corruption , for they best know what a do they haue with their corrupt natures , and how difficult a thing it is to keepe them within the compasse of obedience , rom. 3. 9. 10. 11. the third cause of this our continuall sinning doth rise from the consequence of the two former causes , viz. euery one of vs man or woman , high or low , rich or poore , borne in the visible church , or without , as he commeth of adam , & is borne of his father and mother , for our transgression and originall sinne from and in adam , is hated of god , & is gods enemy , and the bondslaue of sathan ; who vntill the time of regeneration raigneth and ruleth in the heart of euery one of vs , and haleth euery one of vs forward to the height & perfection of wickednesse , so farre as he is permitted by the powerfull hand of god , vvho will suffer neither wicked men , nor the diuell himselfe , to put in practise euery wickednesse they could and would , if god should withdraw his restrayning hand , ephes. 2. 2. 2 cor. 44. 2 tim. 2. 26. 1 obiection . it is against common reason ( say the pelagians ) that all men should be made guiltie of one mans fault ; and therefore ( say they ) adam sinned to his owne proper hurt , and by his transgression hurted not his posteritie . and in this that adams sinne is passed to his posteritie , that is come to passe by imitation , and not by propagation . answere . this obiection being beleeued , vtterly ouerthroweth our free iustification by christs righteousnesse , performed by himselfe , and imputed vnto vs , as done by our selues . for if adams sinne is passed ouer vnto vs , his posteritie , by imitation onely , then also doth it follow that wee haue no other profit by this righteousnesse of christ performed by him for vs , then that he is set before vs for an example to follow : for in what sort wee are made partakers of adams transgression to our condemnation , in the same sort we are made partakers of christs righteousnesse to our iustification . and so againe in what sort we are made partakers of christs righteousnesse to our iustification : in the same sort wee are made partakers of adams transgression to our condemnation . and therefore as we being in christ as our head and roote , are iustified by the communication of his righteousnesse ( it being imputed to vs as done by our selues ) because that in him and by him , by reason of our vnion with him we haue fulfilled the law , and satisfied gods iustice . so wee being come of adam as the roote of all mankinde , originally are guiltie of his transgression , because that in him and by him , by reason of our vnion vvith him see haue all sinned . 2 obiection . the soule is newly created , and commeth immediatly from god , who is perfectly righteous , and so the soule cannot be naturally and originally sinfull as the flesh , vvhich descendeth from adam . and it being a spirit , and a thing immateriall can not be infected of the body being a thing materiall . therefore it standeth not with gods iustice , that the soule , hauing no sinne of her owne , should beare the sinne of another , namely of adam , which was committed so long before : neither is it to be thought , that god who forgiueth vs our owne sinnes , will impute the sinnes of another vnto vs. answere . the cause of our hereditary corruption , as well of our soules ( which by god are into vs infused pure , and by vs from him receiued pure ) as of our flesh which descendeth from sinnefull adam , is not in the substance of the soule , or in the substance of the body , but in this that vnto the penaltie of god , the creators decree , by adam wittingly and vvilfully transgressed , adam and all his posteritie , both in their soules and bodies , were and are to be subiected . for , why should any pelagian thinke of this , as hard and vnreasonable , seeing it seemeth vnto our selues iust and reasonable , that the potter may dispose of his pots , made by himselfe , to what vse he wil ; and seeing it seemeth iust and reasonable to our selues to subiect to lawes made by our selues , both the parents and the children vnborne , and their posteritie long after succeeding . 3 obiection . against this first principle , the papists do further obiect , that man hath free-will , which vvhosoeuer denieth ( say they ) is worthy to be beaten like a stocke-fish , vntill he confesseth that they who beateth him haue free-will either to beate him or to cease from beating him : for if one doe denie the fire to be hot , the best way to perswade such a one , is to cast him into an hot ouen . answere . the answere vnto this obiection is this : first that all reasonable creatures haue free-will in morall and ciuill acts : and secondly , that all wicked men haue free-will from coaction and violence : thirdly , that among all sinnes wicked men make free choise to put some in practise . but this freedome is wanting to adams posteritie , to wit , by nature , to thinke or doe any thing which is good before god , and acceptable in his sight , because that by adams transgression mans free-will is brought into the bondage of sinne . 4 obiection . if mans free-will by adams transgression be in such bondage of sinne that it cannot make no choise of good , then doth free-will lose its owne nature : for where sinne must needs be chosen , there can be no libertie ; and consequently all the libertie which mans free-will hath , is freely to giue to the diuell , and so man is by god punished for that which hee cannot auoid . answere . there be three kindes of liberties or freedomes : the first , is libertie from compulsion : the second , is libertie from sinne : the third , is libertie from miserie . the first kinde of libertie was in adam , and shall be for euer in adams posteritie ; but libertie from sinne , and libertie from miserie , cannot be had in this life , but for as much as this bondage of sinne , or necessitie of sinning , is come vnto vs by our owne voluntarie acts ( for in adam , by eating the forbidden fruit , wee all being in his loynes voluntarily sinned ) wee are all with the bondage of sinne and miserie iustly punished in him for his and our owne disobedience . 5 obiection . to feede the hungry , to clothe the naked , to honour our parents , to serue our maisters faithfully , to obay our lawfull gouernours , to dye in defence of our country , and such like deedes done by infidels , are good deedes , and no sinnes , and therefore men , by nature , before regeneration , haue choise and libertie of will to doe some good deeds which are no sinnes . answere . s. augustine in his fourth booke cap. 3. against iulian the pelagian , answereth that such acts done by infidels are doubtlesse sinnes ; not that in their owne nature they are sins , but because they are not of faith : for , whatsoeuer 〈◊〉 not of faith is sinne , rom. 14. 23. for that , without faith it is impossible to please god. heb. 11. 6 againe , the apostle saith , 1 cor. 10. 31. whatsoeuer wee doe it must be done to no other end then to the glory of god : and therefore the said acts done by infidels cannot be said to be done to his glory , because the said acts being done without faith , cannot possibly please god , and therfore such acts , done by infidels , are doubtlesse sinnes , though in their owne nature they be no sins , but morall virtues . 6 obiection . if the premisses be true , then may an infidell as well robbe his neighbour as relieue him with food or ●…aiment : and so of the rest . answere . god doth deepely graue morall virtues , or the workes of the law , in the hearts of the infidels , and thereby they are guided to doe some morall virtues , and restrained from doing many wickednesses : but they being without faith , doe nothing to the right end . also the infidels for morall virtues ( which beare but a shew of good workes ) are by god rewarded with the praise and fauour of men , and other temporall blessings , for which the morall virtues were done , as the principall end of their action . the second principle . wee of our selues , without christ , can by nature lo●…ke for no grace or pardon for our sinnes a●… gods han●…s , but hatred , wrath , and eternall condemnation for the same . ephes. 2. 3. notes vpon the second principle . vvhen wee offend or sinne against god , ( whose person is of infinite worthinesse ) our offence by consequence must needes be infinite , and therefore greater then by any meanes , wee of our selues can satisfie with condigne compensation , because men and angels , and all creatures are vncapable of euery infinite action ; they are finite both in strength and power , to doe or suffer . wherefore seeing god of his iustice cannot pardon sinne without condigne compensation , which man cannot possibly make ; therefore man , of himselfe , can looke for no grace of saluation at gods hand , who is perfectly iust , true , and faithfull , and alwayes the same , and like to himselfe , with whom there is no variablenesse , or shadow of changing . all virtues attributed to god are essentiall and eternall , and not variable , as the virtues in men , vvhich may be increased or diminished : all his curses and iudgements against sinne must be performed , as well as his mercifull promises : heauen and earth shall passe , but no word of the lord shall passe away vnperformed . the third principle . the bloud of christ iesus crucified ( because of the worthinesse of his person ) is the onely meritorious cause , thing , and price , which can satisfie gods iustice for all mens sinnes , and so make them away to his fauour and mercy , act. 20. 28. iohn 1. 7. rom. 3. 23. 24. 25. iohn 3. 14. notes vpon the third principle . first let vs behold christ crucified , as the scriptures doe describe him : according to which , he had no part from top to toe free from paine and griefe , but hung on the tree , hauing his flesh torne with whips , his checkes swolne with buffets , his face defiled with spittle , his head stucke full with thornes , his eyes deiected for shame , his eares burning with taunts , his mouth sowred with vinegar , his hands and his feete wounded with iron spikes , his bones vnioynted , his sinewes pricked and strayned , his whole body hanging by the sorenesse of his hands and feete ; and lastly , ( though he were dead ) his heart pierced vvith a speare , whence issued bloud and vvater . and here further let vs aduisedly obscrue in his stripes , that pilate hauing a purpose to saue the life of christ , and not neglecting to satisfie the people , ( who were incensed against him ) caused him extreamely to be whipped , and to be shewed to the people in that plight , with these words ; behold the man , to let them see that christ had receiued very sufficient correction ( no crime being proued against him ) and so to with-draw them from secking his death . in crowning him with thornes , let vs aduisedly note , that the souldiers did not onely wreath him a thicke crowne of thornes , to sticke his head full of them , but after the putting it on , to fasten it , they did strike him on the head with their caues . in his nayling to the crosse or crucifying , let vs aduisedly obserue , that besides the greatnesse and sorenesse of his wounds , which were worthy to be marked , they so strayned his body ( least hee should stirre hand or foote ) that all his bones might be numbred . the greatnesse of his wounds dauid fore-sheweth in these words , they digged my hands and feete : noting how wide wounds they made , which were rather digged then pierced . how tender and sensible the hands and feete are aboue other parts of the body , and what paine and anguish the pricking , strayning , and tearing of the sinewes , ligaments , and ●…oynts ( which are very thicke and full of sense in those places ) did breede and kindle in the whole body , nature can teach vs without any further proofe . of the racking of his ioynts bernard maketh this collection out of dauid , i am so strained ( saith dauid , in the person of christ ) that my body , naked , being stret●…hed like the head of a timbrell or drum , all my bones may be numbred , all my bones are out of ioynt ; or pulled one from th●…ther . in this horrible torment of stripes , thornes , wounds , sinewes , and ioynts , our sauiour hung on the crosse aboue three houres in most perfect sense , with extreame paine , vntill the very instant that hee miraculously breathed out his soule . hee who shortneth and lightneth the force of torments in his saints , when they be grieuous , in his owne would doe neyther : hee spared not himselfe who knew how to spare his : hee dyed not by degrees as his saints doe ; his senses did not decay , no pangs of death tooke holde vpon him , but in perfect sense , patience and obedience both of body and soule , hee did voluntarily by his infinite power resigne his spirit ( as he was praying ) into the hands of his father , without trembling or strugling , or any shew of sense of his paines : who can sleepe when he will , as christ dyed when hee would ? who can lay aside his garment , as christ laid aside his flesh ? who can so leaue his place as christ left his life ? the laying downe of his life was no imposed punishment , nor forcible inuasion of death vpon him , but a voluntary sacrifice rendred vnto god for our sinnes : and his bloud thus shed vpon the crosse , is a full and perfect satisfaction for our sinnes . we must not be so childish , as to thinke that the bloud of christ , in sensible flesh , is a perfect sacrifice rendred to god for our sinnes , to satisfie gods wrath , excluding the vnion , operations , and passions of his soule whilest his body suffered , and in the end dyed : but in the shedding of his bloud wee must include all his suffering both of body and soule , which testifie his patience and perfect obedience , euen to the shedding of his bloud vpon the crosse. secondly , let vs see how the precious bloud and death of christ crucified , is of infinite vvorthinesse and merit ; for that in regard it must vvorke infinite things for vs , to wit , it must deliuer vs from eternall death in hell , and bring vs to life euerlasting in heauen : in respect of eyther of which it must needes be of infinite value , or else it profiteth not : for an infinite purchase cannot be made without an infinite price , this infinite price cannot be found in our owne merits , whose thoughts , words , and deedes are continually euill . shall vvee then seeke for it in the euerlasting paines of hell ? they are neyther meritorious nor infinite : meritorious they be not ; for to be eternally separated from god can deserue no thankes with god : if any man fall away from god , god hath no pleasure in him , saith the apostle . and hee vvho suffereth hels paines is hated , and no wayes beloued : for christs sentence shall be , depart from me you cursed into euerlasting fire . and as hels paines be not meritorious , no more are they infinite in waight , but in time onely : for they must be euerlastingly suffered , before they can be infinite , and the diuels and men which shall suffer them , cannot endure any infinite sense of paine , because they be finite creatures : god onely is infinite : but the vengeance of sinne continueth for euer , because no creat●…re is able to beare an infinite waight of punishment . since then neyther our owne merits , nor the paines of hell , haue neyther worth nor waight sufficient in themselues to satisfie the anger , and procure the fauour of god , wee must seeke to heauen , euen to god himselfe , for the true ransome of our sinnes , and redemption of our soules , which wee can finde no where , but in the person of christ iesus , who being true god , tooke our nature vnto himselfe , to become one with vs , and communicateth his spirit vnto vs , to make vs one with him , and by the infinite price of his bloud bought vs from the power of hell , and brought vs vnto god : for , neyther the vertues of christs humane soule , though they were many ; nor the sufferings of his flesh , though they were painefull , are simply infinite , vntill wee looke vnto his person being the eternall sonne of god. then shall wee finde that god vouchsafed , with his owne bloud to purchase his church : and that wee were reconciled vnto god , when we were his enemies , by the death of his sonne . moreouer , concerning the infinite merit of christs death and passion ; if betweene the creator and the best of his creatures there be an infinite distance ; then betweene the most glorious and blessed throne of god in heauen , and the most base and cursed crosse of christ vpon earth , must needes be so infinite a distance that neyther men nor angels can comprehend it : and by consequence the obedience of christ ( who being in the forme of god , humbled himselfe , and became obedient to the death , euen to the death of the crosse ) was infinite , and did in farre higher degree please god the father , then the rebellion of adam did displease him : for adams disobedience was the sinne of man , but christs obedience was the virtue of god ; which obedience being infinite , doth more then counteruayle adams disobedience , and for that cause the iustice of god is better satisfied with the obedience of christ , then with the vengeance it might haue executed on the sinnes of men : for god hath no pleasure in the death of the vvicked , neyther doth hee delight in mans destruction , but with the obedience of his sonne hee is well pleased , and therein his soule delighteth : this is my wel-beloued sonne in whom i am well pleased : loe my chosen , my soule taketh pleasure in him : in which vvords god doth not onely note the naturall loue betweene himselfe and his sonne , but hee giueth full approbation of his obedience , as being thereby , as with a condigne compensation , fully satisfied for the sinnes of man. but here is to be noted that although the bloud of christ crucified be a sufficient price to satisfie gods iustice for the sinnes of all the world , if men could and would apply the same to themselues by faith , yet it is estectuall onely to them who are vnited vnto christ , so that christ is theirs , and they are christs : for they onely haue power to apply his bloud vnto themselues by faith. for euen as a soueraigne salue , so christs bloud , hath sufficient virtue to heale all , and it is effectuall for the healing of those onely , vnto whom it is applyed . seeing then there is no meanes to purchase our redemption but by the infinite price of christs precious bloud : let vs highly esteeme of so precious a thing , and with all diligence seeke to make it ours , and to vse it to the glory of god , and not to our owne licentiousnesse : for being bought with a price wee are not our owne but his who hath bought vs , and therefore wee are not to serue our owne lusts , but to glorifie him both in our soules and bodyes , which are not ours , but his who bought vs. this is the very good and end of our redemption , and it is the true libertie and happinesse of the saints and blessed angels in heauen , willingly and chearefully to serue the lord by whom they were brought to that happinesse . the fourth principle . the m●…rits of christ crucified , and his whole person , and all his g●…aces and benefits , stored vp in his man hoode , are made ours , by being vnited vnto him , as members of his mysticall body , by faith wrought in our harts by the operation of his spirit dwelling in his man-hoode , and from thence descending vnto vs his members . notes vpon the fourth principle . the mysticall vnion , whereby christ and his members ( which are all true beleeuers and they only ) are actually coupled together into one mysticall body , is not carnall , as a thing to be vnderstood according to the common capacitie of men , and therefore wee must not thinke that christ and his members are ioyned together by imagination . as the minde of man , and the thing whereof he thinketh : or by consent of heart , as one friend is ioyned with another , as ionathan and dauid : or by mingling together of substances , as when many ingrediences are mingled together to make one medicine , or by corporall coniunction in touching , as sea and land are both ioyned together to make one globe , and the part of a building coupled together to make one building : for although this misticall vnion betwixt christ and all them who truely beleeue in him , is a most reall , a most neere , a most straight , and a most sure , and indissoluble vnion , and coniunction . yet is the same rather by experience felt in the heart of the true beleeuer , then conceiued in his braine . the iewes require miracles , and the grecians arguments , vvhich they may comprehend with their wit and wisedome : but god giueth the grace of vnderstanding his mysteries to the simple and true of heart , and regardeth not the wisedome of the wise , nor the vnderstanding of the prudent , in which things the proud doe glory . therefore the true beleeuer , when hee findeth this vnion to be aboue his capacitie yet because he is taught it by the scriptures , hee beleeueth it , as it were vpon gods bare word , and by experience hee feeleth , that by faith wrought in his heart by the holy ghost , christ with all his merits , benefits , and graces , is actually made his owne , and himselfe christs ; according to the couenant of grace , made vnto abraham , and often repeated by the prophets . ier. 32. 38. 39. 40. ier. 31. 31. 32. hos. 2. 19. 20. moreouer , in the scriptures we are taught three kindes of vnions , the first , is a naturall vnion , or coniunction in nature , vvhen sundry things are conioyned and coupled by one and the same nature , as the father , the sonne , and the holy ghost , being three distinct subsistences , are all one , and conioyned in one god-head , and diuine nature : but christ , and the true beleeuer are not one as conioyned in nature ; for then they twaine should be one body and soule . the second vnion , is a personall union , or an vnion in person , when things in nature different are so conioyned together , that they make one person , as the body and the soule make one man , and the god-head of the sonne , and his manhood make one christ , but christ and the true beleeuer are not ioyned in person : for christ is one person , and peter a second person , and paul a third person ; and so many men as be true christians or members of christ , so many seuerall persons are they . the third kinde of vnion taught in the scriptures is in the spirit : and this is the mysticall vnion whereby christ and his members are spiritually ioyned together into one mysticall body , by the operation of his diuine spirit , descending from him the head to vs his members , applying christ vnto vs , and creating faith in our hearts : whereby , as by our onely instrument on our parts wee apprehend and receiue christ , and are vnited vnto him : and this vnion whereby christ and the true beleeuer are thus actually ioyned together , because it is wrought and made by the spirit , is called a spirituall vnion . in this union the things vnited are the whole person of the true beleeuer , to●…rds , his body and soule , and the vvhole person of christ , god , and man : but yet they be so vnited , that the true beleeuer is first and immediately vnited to the humane nature or man-hood of christ , and then by reason of the manhood to the word it selfe or diuine nature : for saluation and life and the merits of christes obedience depend vpon the fulnesse of the godhead , which is in christ : but yet it is not communicated vnto vs , but in the flesh , and by the flesh of christ. this misticall vnion may be in some sort conceiued more plainely by the consideration of the vnion of the naturall man and his members , when vvee consider how his soule sendeth forth from his head sense and motion to all his other members of his naturall body , and that although the soule cannot from the head send sense and motion to the other members of his naturall bodie without the meanes of arctures and ligaments ; whereby the members of the naturall man are tied together , that by that meanes sense and motion may be conueyed from his head to the other members , and that yet the head and other members of the naturall body are not so fitly coneyed and said to be the naturall mans members , because they be tied , and as it were , souldred together by arctures and ligaments of the body , as for that they receiue life , sense , and motion from his soule : then how much more may we conceiue and say , that christ , our head , and we our selues be one mysticall body ; euen mysticall christ's : and that we be members of his mysticall body by the communion & preparation of christs spirit , which being by nature infinit , standeth in no need of any carnal meanes to make this spiritual vnion by communicating himselfe from christ our head , vnto vs his members , although christ and we his members be distinct persons , and farre distance each from other , as in the naturall man the head and the foote . hence it is , that saint iohn saith , heereby wee know that wee dwell in him , and he in vs , because hee hath giuen vnto vs of his spirit . and hence it is , that saint paul saith , if any man hath not the spirit of christ , the same is not his . wouldest thou then know , that christ is thine , and thou christs as a true member of his mysticall body ? then laying aside all carnall conceits , haue recourse into thine owne selfe , and trie whether with the apostle saint paul thou feelest thy selfe , both body and soule , to liue of christs spirit : for as thou knowest that the members of thine owne naturall bodie are thine owne members , because they receiue life , sense , and motion from thine owne soule ; so euery true beleeuer doth know that he ●…s a member of christ , because that by experience he feeleth that his owne person , to wit , his soule and bodie , hath receiued and doth liue of the spirit of christ : and againe , as certaine thou dost know , that thy members doe not liue of my soule , nor my members of thy soule , and that whatsoeuer members liue of thine owne soule , are the members of thine owne body : and whatsoeuer members liue of my soule are the members of my owne body . euen so dost thou know , that nothing doth , or can , liue of the spirit of christ but christ and the members of his body , and that whatsoeuer liueth not of christs spirit , is no member of his . hence the apostle saint paul ( as comprised in the mysticall body of christ , and by experience feeling the spirituall life vvhich hee receiued from the spirit of christ ) saith : i am crucified with christ , but i liue : yet not i any more , but christ liueth in mee , and in that i now liue in the flesh , i liue by faith in the sonne of god , who hath loued me and giuen himselfe for mee . this mysticall vnion is in both the sacraments acknowledged : for in the sacrament of baptisme all true beleeuers who are partakers of the outward sacrament of baptisme , and thereby made and acknowledged to be members of christs visible body , to wit , his visible church : are by one spirit , to wit , by the only spirit of christ , working faith in them , made members of his mysticall body the inuisible church : and in the sacrament of the lords supper , as in token or remembrance that wee are made members of his visible bodie , the visible church ; whose body was broken , and his blood shed for vs , wee communicate and participate our bread and our wine . so also by this outward action wee acknowledge the mysticall vnion vvhich wee haue vvith christ , and one with another by the participation and communion of his spirit , of which wee spiritually liue . but the question may be yet further asked ; how a man may discerne and know , when himselfe , or any other is spiritually dead , and when spiritually liuing , and indued with the spirituall life here spoken of . to vvhich it may be answered , that as vvee be naturall men , although wee eate and drinke , and performe all other actions and vvorkes of men , vvho are naturally liuing in bodily health ; yet vntill by our vnion with christ , vntill by our effectuall calling , vntill by our iustification , and vntill by our sanctification , wee be made new creatures in christ , wee are dead in our sinnes , because vvee be no more able to doe any the workes of new creatures liuing vnto god in christ , that is to say , we are no more able to doe any works acceptable vnto god , then the man naturally dead , is able to eate or drinke , or to doe any other worke or action of the man who is naturally liuing , because the vvhole naturall man , and euery part of him , is wholy corrupted with sinne , and therefore dead in sinne , for : first , in his minde there is nothing but blindnesse and ignorance , concerning heauenly matters . secondly , his conscience is defiled , being alwayes either benummed with sinne , or else turmoyled with inward accusations and terrours . thirdly , his will willeth and lusteth after that onely which is euill . fourthly , the affections of his heart , as loue , ioy , hope , desire , &c. are stirred and moued to that onely vvhich is euill , and neuer to that which is good . lastly , the members of his body are tooles and instruments of his minde for the execution of sinne . all which corruptions and deadnesse in sinne are then onely cured , and wee made spiritually liuing vnto god , when in christ we be made new creatures by our effectual vnion with christ , by our effectuall calling , by our iustification and sanctification , which foure degrees of our regeneration , howsoeuer they in nature goe one before the other , yet too make vs new creatures in christ , doe so concurre , that the true beleeuer or regenerate person , finding himselfe to haue the one of them , may assure himselfe hee hath them all ▪ for , first , the true beleeuer may assure himselfe of this vnion vvith christ , when hee findeth that christ of his loue preuenting him doth begin the vnion by communicating vnto him his holy spirit , dwelling in his man hood , through the ministerie of his holy word , and by the cooperation of the same spirit vvith his word doth beget in him a liuely faith , by which the true beleeuer on his part , as by his onely instru ment is actually vnited vnto christ , but this vnion is not perceiued by the regenerate person before he be called . secondly , therefore the true beleeuer may assure himselfe , that he hauing a liuely faith , is effectually called to the knowledge of the things he beleeueth , for no man can effectually consent vnto the thing conteined in the word , much lesse by a liuely faith beleeue the things herein conteined , vnlesse hee be first by the ministery of the word , instructed and called to the knowledge thereof , to wit , by hauing his vnderstanding inlightned with the knowledge of the truth and his vvill thereunto perswaded . thirdly , the true beleeuer being by faith , as aforesaid , vnited vnto christ , and called by the ministery of the word to the knowledge of that which by a liuely faith hee beleeueth , hee may assure himselfe of his iustification ; because that the faithfull are iustified before god , by the onely imputation of christs righteousnesse : for in what manner christ was made a sinner for vs , in the same manner are wee made righteous by him : but christ was made a sinner for vs by imputation of our sinnes vnto him , and therefore wee are made righteous before god by imputation of his righteousnesse vnto vs. againe , as vvee are made sinners ( that is ) guiltie of the first adams transgression ; so are wee made not guiltie , and iustified , by the obedience of the second adam : but wee are made guiltie of the first adams transgression by imputation , and therefore wee are iustified by the imputation of the obedience of the second adam . now the imputation of christs righteousnesse vnto vs , doth as vpon the onely cause and reason therof depend vpon our vnion with christ , made on our parts by faith onely . fourthly , the true beleeuer finding himselfe vnited vnto christ , and called , and liuely iustified hee may assure himselfe of his sanctification : for a liuely faith is not of our selues , but it is of god. by it wee are in diuers respects both iustified and sanctified : by it wee are iustified , not formally , as by a meritorious vertue or part of righteousnesse inherent in vs , but relatiuely in respect of the object it apprehendeth , to wit , as by it wee apply to our selues the righteousnesse inherent in christ iesus man-hood : which of his owne meere mercie is imputed vnto all who lay holde therevpon by faith : but by it wee are sanctified , as by a grace inherent in vs , as are also the graces of hope and charitie , and other sanctifying graces , which being in the man-hood of christ without measure , are by his spirit from thence infused vnto vs in measure , to sanctifie vs , and make vs fit for the kingdome of heauen : and to speake both briefely and plainely of this matter , faith is a chiefe part of our sanctification , being , as it vvere , the roote both of other inward graces , and outward obedience which concurre to our sanctification . the fift principle . by the outward ministery of the word is conuayd vnto vs christs diuine spirit , which also by the same ministerie of the word begetteth in vs faith , whereby wee are actually vnited vnto christ , and made one with him . notes vpon the fift principle . the doctrine of the fift principle is taught and confirmed vnto vs by the whole booke of the ac●… of the apostles : for through out that whole booke examples are expresly and plainely shewed vnto vs how the holy ghost , and faith are giuen to the hearers , by attentiue and reuerent hearing of the word of god , preached by his ministers , as in the second chapter , three thousand who gladly heard the gospell preached by peter the apostle , receiued the holy ghost and beleeued : and in the tenth chapter , and in diuers other places it doth appeare , that many of the gentiles by hearing of the apostles paul and b●…rnabas preach , receiued the holy ghost , and beleeued : the like appeareth in that booke to haue beene done at the preaching of other ministers of gods word , as of philip and steuen : and almost nothing else in effect is taught through the whole booke but examples , how the holy ghost and faith are giuen vnto the bearers , by attentiue and reuerend hearing the word of god preached by his ministers . and these examples doe manifestly confirme the truth of christs promise made to his apostles and their successours , that at their preaching of the gospell he would be present with them , by his holy spirit to worke faith inwardly in the hearts of their hearers . and hence ( for that sauing faith is wrought in the hearts of the hearers by the operation of the holy ghost accompanying the word preached ) faith is called the gift of god , and the outward ministerie of the word wherewith the cooperation of the spirit is ioyned , is by the prophet esoy called the sterne of god : that is by the instrument whereby the lord declareth his might and power to bring vs to saluation , and by the apostle paul , it is accounted the wisedome of god to bring men to saluation : for ( saith hee ) seeing the world by wisedome knew not god in the wisedome of god ( that is , by the consideration of the workemanship of the world , whereby god maketh manifest his exceeding power and wisedome ) it pleased god by foolish preaching to saue beleeuers as if he should say , although by the wisemen of the world , the preaching of the word of god is no otherwise made reckoning of , then of a foolish thing : yet with god it is the greatest and chiefest wisedome to bring men vnto saluation , being heard and receiued with due reuerence . let vs therefore from hence know and vnderstand , and lay vp in our hearts for euer , that he or shee who doth not heare , or negligently heareth , the word of god preached by the lawfull minister , yea , and doth not compasse and effect the hearing thereof without sparing cost or paines , neglect their owne saluation , and willingly remaine in the cursed state of damnation , vnder the tyrannie of the deuill , because they neglect and despise the meanes offered vnto them by god , by which they may be made members of christ , and of the house-hold of god. for , marke well also the prayer of christ made a little before his passion , how hee prayeth , first , for his apostles , to be made one with him , and then for them who shall beleeue by the preaching of them and their successours . hence let vs conclude these notes with the saying of the apostle saint paul , that there is no saluation without faith , and no faith but by hearing the word of god preached . the sixt principle . as faith is wrought in vs by the ministerie of the word of god , so it is afterward by the same word during the whole course of our liues increased and made stronger in vs. ephes. 4. 13. 1 pet. 2. 2. notes vpon the sixt principle . every christian , as hee is a naturall man , was borne of his father and mother , and is flesh of their flesh , and after his birth hee hath his beeing and subsisting in himselfe , and not in his parents : but otherwise it is of euery christian , as hee is a christian , and of the sonne of adam , is in christ made a new creature or regenerate man , and is become the sonne of god , hee hath in christ , both the beginning of his new creation or regeneration , and also his being a new creature or regenerate man , and his continuing a new creature , to wit , hee hath in christ his beginning to be , and his being and continuing an holy member of his holy body , of his flesh , and of his bones : but as a yong childe begotten after the flesh , after it is borne standeth in need of nourishment , thereby to be nourished and increased ; so he that is made a new creature , or borne anew in christ , by the seede of gods word , must be fed with the same word that hee may grow in strength and spirituall increase , till ( as the apostle saith ) he become to be a perfect man , and to the measure of the age of the fulnesse of christ , that is , vntill he be come to perfection it selfe ; vvhereunto because vvee shall neuer attaine so long as vvee liue in this world , vvee must all our life long be fed with the word of god : the want of which foode is a greater punishment then famine of victuals , as god testifieth by his prophet , amos 8. 11. behold , the dayes come that i will send a famine in the land , not a famine of bread , nor a thirst of water , but of hearing the word of god , to wit , eyther publikely read or preached : by both vvhich vvee are effectually fed . but who must preach the same ? such as are thereunto lawfully called : for as in a kingdome vvell ordered , there is no man vvhich ought or may exercise any publike office , but by the appointment and commandement of the king , so none ought or can be accounted a preacher , minister , or pastor of the church of god , to preach his word , except according to gods owne ordinance hee be lawfully called , and by his lawfull calling , haue from god his commission to preach his word : for onely to the apostles immediately , and extraordinarily sent by christ , and to their successors lawfully called by apostolicall succession , hath christ giuen commission publikely to preach , with speciall promise of his presence with them at their preaching , by ioyning the cooperation of his spirit vvith their preaching : also christ in his prayer made a little before hee vvent into the garden , prayed onely for his apostles , and them who shall beleeue by the preaching of the apostles and their successors . the seauenth principle . faith inwardly begotten , and lying bid in the heart of the true belcener , or regenerate man , is by him made manifest vnto others , by the exercise of good workes , appointed of god for him to walke in , ephes. 2. marke 5. rom. 8. iames 2. 14. notes vpon the seauenth principle . among good workes appointed for vs to walke in , are principally to be remembred , the a exercise of prayer , both publike and priuate : the b vse of the sacraments , baptisme , and the lords supper : c hearing the word of god preached , with reading and conference : d relieuing the poore : willing e obedience to lawes both ecclesiasticall and ciuill in our seuerall vocations : f strong striuing against , and subduing of our owne lusts and affections , by temperancie , continencie , humblenesse , kindnesse , patience , and such like , wherein vvec are admirably holpen , if with feruent prayer g wee euery one particularly ioyne an earnest examination of our owne thoughts , words , and deedes , by the tenne commandements of god : the true expounders hereof are the prophets and apostles : and also particularly apply euery one to himselfe , all the articles of our creed , which is an abridgement of all things by vs to be beleeued for our soules comfort , and defence against euery temptation and assault of the world , the flesh , and the ●…ell . the reason of this seauenth principle doth rise from the consequence of the fourth principle : for as in the naturall man , the soule doth communicate his eff●…cts to the body , with which it is coupled , and maketh his residencie in the body to be knowne by the outward workes and actions of the naturall man : euen so doth christ ( vvith whom wee are one spirit ) communicate the force and fruits of his spirit vnto all them whom he hath vnited vnto himselfe , as himselfe testfieth : for saith hee , i am the viae , yee are the branches , hee that abideth in mee , and i in him , bringeth forth much fruit . moreouer , seeing god doth of right exp●…ct at our hands to be glorified by vs in the fruits of holinesse and righteousnesse , for the innumerable and vnspeakable mercies and benefits we receiue of him ; and seeing ( to take away from vs all excuse of insufficiencie and weakenesse , that wee are not able of our selues to performe the things hee doth expect at our hands ) he hath by our vnion with christ , according to his oath made vnto abraham , giuen vs power to serue him in holinesse and righteousnes before him all the dayes of our liues ; no weaknesse can excuse our vnwillingnesse , and intollerable vnthankefulnesse , if wee neglect to glorifie him in the fruits of holinesse and righteousnesse , according to the power and measure of gods grace giuen vnto vs , in all singlenesse and willingnesse of heart , being the proper end of all his gifts and graces bestowed vpon vs. for wherefore hath god elected vs ? that we might be saued howsoeuer wee should liue ? no : but he hath elected vs that wee should be holy and without blame before him in loue . why hath christ redeemed vs from the hands of our spirituall enemies ? that being free from them wee might sinne more freely ? no : but that wee bein●… d●…liuered from the hands of our spirituall enemies , might worship him without feare in holinesse and righteousnesse before him all the dayes of our liues . wherefore hath hee freed vs from the s●…ruitude of sinne ? that we might haue the more freedome to sinne ? no : hee hath freed vs from the seruitude of sinne , that wee might be the seruants of righteousnesse . wherefore doth hee regenerate vs by his spirit , and create vs a new ? that we should doe nothing our selues ? no : wee are the workmanship of god , created in christ iesus to good workes , which god hath prepared that wee should walke in them . why doth he bestow temporall benefits vpon vs ? that like pamperd horses wee should kicke against our lord and master ? no : hee crowneth vs with his manifold blessings , to the end wee should keepe his statutes and obserue his lawes ? let him not therefore say or thinke , that he is a christian or regenerate man , who bringeth forth no good workes to testifie his faith : and on the contrary side , who so bringeth forth the fruits of sauing ●…aith , may assure himselfe , that hee is a true christian and a ●…ull branch of the vine , christ iesus , which cannot but bring forth fruit to the glory of god. many in the time of saint iohn the apostle , did vvith vaine confidence sav that they had fellowship with christ , and yet they walked in darknesse . but the apostle , the 1 epist ▪ 1. 6. w●…teth plain●…ly , that they did 〈◊〉 , and dealt not tru●…y : and in like sort many an outward professor of the gospell in our dayes , who is in the church , but not of the church , doth boldly boast and say , that hee hath as sted●…st ●…aith and hope in god and his mercies , as any man : and that if in all the world there were but onely two to bee saued , that himselfe should bee one of them two , and that not of any merit of his owne , but for christs sake , and for his sake onely : and yet by confe●…nce with such , and by their vain●… and w●…cked liues and conuersation , they doe b●…ay themselues , that they walk●… in darkn●…sse , and haue no true sauing knowledge of gods me●… in christ , and that all their goodly words of faith and hope are grounded vpon fleshly presumption , and not vpon gods word inwardly taug●…t them by the spirit of god , which teacheth that the me●…e and louing kindn●…sse of god s●…ould leade them to repentance , rom. 2. 4 and to become n●…w creatures , 2 co●… . 〈◊〉 . 1●… . and to c●…ucifie the ●…lesh , vvith the aff●…tions and lusts thereof , 〈◊〉 . 5. 24. and to die to sinne and liue to righteousnesse , r●…m . 6. 14. and to liue after the vvill of god. 1 peter 4. 2. for cleane contrarily their conuersation and spee●…es , if you haue conf●…rence vvith them , sauoureth on●…ly of lewde ignorance and the lusts of the fl●…sh , and that they make gods mercy in christ , but a cloake for their sinnes , that they may sinn●… the more franck●…ly and securely , and set all vpon christs score : they tast nothing of the vnion which euery true christian hath with christ , nor of the effectuall ca●…ng , iustification , and sanct●…fication , which are vnseperable to all and euery one , vvho hath true and sauing faith. the eight principle . the workes of the regenerate person , or true bel●…euer , doc not me rit or deserue , or are worthy of grace in this life , or glory in the world to come . rom. 17. 10. rom. 8. 18. notes vpon the eight principle . i●… wee note the nature of the word merit or desert , we●… may easily finde that merit or desert may haue place with men , but not with god : for in me●…iting or descruing a thing , we must be nothing in debt for it vnto him , of whom wee will be said to deserue it . secondly , that the things wee bring to deserue by , be not his but our owne . thirdly , that the things we bring to deserue by , be at the least equall , or as much in value or worth as the thing wee will be said to deserue . but if any one of these conditions doe faile , there can be no merit or des●…rt ; much lesse then can the regenerate man by his vvorkes merit or deserue at gods hands grace in this life , or glory in the world to come , seeing in the same are wanting all these conditions . for first , whatsoeuer good works may be performed of the regenerate man , are due to god by a double right : namely , by the right of creation , and by t●…e right of regeneration . hereupon christ giueth warning vnto his disciples , when yee haue done all thin●…s which are commanded you , for yee , wee are vnprofitable seruants , we haue done that which was our dutie to doc . secondly , whatsoeuer good thing can be done of the regenerate man , is certainely of god , who worketh in vs both the wi●…l and th●… dec●… : and saint paul in another place saith , what hast thou that th●… hast 〈◊〉 rec●…iued ? and if thou hast receiued it , why dost thou boast as if thou hadst not 〈◊〉 it ? thirdly , the kingdome of heau●…n is of ins●…te value , and therefore cannot possi●…ly be purchased by the 〈◊〉 and deserts of finite 〈◊〉 . and hence saint paul saith , i co●…t th●…t the afflictions of this pres●…nt life are not w●…rthy of the glory , which shall be reueal●… a vnto vs. moreouer , admit that the regenerate mans car●…iage and gouernement be such of his out●…ard parts , and also of his desires , 〈◊〉 , and lusts , that they br●…ake not forth into co●…mitting of grosse sinnes , nor that hee giue so much as consent to his wicked lusts , but hate them and is against them , and bringeth forth many good workes ; yet for so much as hee is not so cleane washed in the la●…ar of regeneration , but that some part of his inbred corruption , though it be not imputed vnto him , yet remaineth in him , hee can in gods iustice deserue nothing at gods hands , but his wrath and condemnation : for , the reward of sinne is death ; and he●… b●…aketh the whole law , wh●… by his inbre●… lusts break●…th the tenth commandement , which doth not onely forbid consent vnto wicked lusts , ( which is also formerly forbidden by the other commandements ) but goeth further , and forbiddeth that vvee be not so much as ●…kled with any kinde of concupiscence or wicked lust , although our will consent not , yea●… be against it . also , from this inbred corruption of the regenerate man springeth not onely omission of some good which ought to be done , but also wants and defects of his best deeds , and to speake all in a word , imperfection of chariti●… . for charitie ( which is a vertue with which wee loue that which ought to bel●…d ; and so is the ground of all vertues and good workes ) is in some more , in some lesse , but perfect charitie , such as the law of god requireth , ( which cannot be increased ) is found in none : no , not in the regenerate man , during his life . for hee cannot perfectly performe the law of god , and loue god with all his soule , with all his heart , vvith all his minde , and his neighbour as himselfe . hee must needs confesse vvith the apostle saint iohn , if wee say wee haue no sinnes , we deceiue our selues , and the truth 〈◊〉 not in vs. this imperfection of charitie wrought through the force and violence of inbred corruption , is cleerely set forth and described by s. paul in his owne person , propounding himselfe a true patterne of a man regenerated , romanes 7. for in the 15. and 19. verses hee saith , that this inbred corruption made him to omit the good be would , and to do the euill he hated , and in the 18. verse , that to will was present with him , but he found no meanes to performe that which was good : and in the 23. verse that his inbred corruption ●…ebelled against the law of the minde , and led him captiue or prisoner to the law of sinne : and in the 25. verse , that it made him serue the law of sinne : and in the 22. verse it appeareth that hee speaketh of himselfe as a man regenerated who delighteth in the law of god concerning the inner man. vvherefore , howsoeuer wee profit by the worke of regeneration by god wrought in vs , yet doth our charitie & good workes , by reason of the force and violence of ou●…●…bred corruption , or originall sins , want somewhat of that they should be , and the wants and defects of our good deeds we doe , and the omission of the good deeds wee ought to doe , are such , and so many , that wee of necessine ( though wee be regenerated ) must alwayes without presuming vpon our merits and deserts , humbly for his mercie 〈◊〉 craue at gods hands forgiuenes of our trespasses , with this assurance , that if we acknowledge our sinnes , god is faithfull and iust to forgiue vs all our sinnes , and to clense vs from all our vnrighteousnesse . obiection . it seemeth that there is little difference betwixt the true beleeuer or regenerate person , and the vnbeleeuer . answere . the difference betwixt them is very great ; for sinne doth onely dwell in the regenerate person against his will , but it reigneth not , nor is imputed to him , because hee is iustified and clensed from his sinnes by faith in christ i●…vs : and in this sense in the scriptures the regenerate man is sometime said to sinne , and sometime is said not to sinne . the regenerate man sinneth , in regard that sinne dwelleth in him , though it raigne not in him . and he sinneth not , because sinne is not imputed vnto him , but hee is notified and clensed from his sinne by the blood of christ iesus . but in the vnregenerate man sin raigneth with his will and consent : and his sinnes are imputed vnto him , because hee want●…th faith to iustifie him , and to cleere him from his sinnes by the rightcousnesse of iesus christ. also , the regenerate man may say with saint paul , i doe not the 〈◊〉 i would : but the vnregenerate man contrariwise saith , i ●…not so much euill as i would : which howsoeuer hee speaketh it not in expresse words , yet hee hath it in his heart , as may appeare in couetous , ambitious , and contentious persons , and in thecues , fornicators , drunkards , and such like , whose lusts are neuer satisfied : moreouer , whereas the vnregenerate man waxeth euery day vvorse and worse ; the regenerate man contrariwise maketh proceedings in goodnesse . in vvhich ( though they be small ) it doth appeare that sinne doth not raigne in him , but in some measure is ouercome by him , and in him is in some manner mortified . the ninth principle . the true beleeuer or regerate person may assure himselfe , that hee shall neuer be moued from the state of saluation , whereunto hee is effectually called by the ●…nisterie of the word , and that hee shall haue life euerlasting , and eternall glorie in heauen . notes vpon the ninth principle . the gifts and calling of god are without repentance , and with him there is no variablenosse or shaddow of change , as god doth testifie of himselfe , i am the lord , and i change not . wee cannot attribute vnto god any change of decree , counsell , or will , concerning election or reprobation , vvithout vvicked blasphemie : for he that changeth his decree , his counsell , or his vvill , doth it because he seeth he might haue beene better aduised , or because hee seeth he could not haue brought his purpose to passe , as he would , both which doe argue imperfection and weakenesse , which are abhorring and farre from the nature of god , who is most perfect , and infinite in his wisedome , will , and power , and in all his attributes . whatsoeuer pleaseth the lord that doth hee , both in heauen and in earth , and in all places : and hee saith of himselfe , my counsell shall stand , and my will shall be done . therefore it is doubtlesse true , that some whom god hath elected to saluation , shall certainely be saued , and others whom god hath reprobated shall certainely be condemned . but how may a man assure himselfe that hee is of the number of them vvho are by god elected and chosen to saluation ? the papist saith , because predestination to saluation and reprobation is in god , and not in vs , no man can assure himselfe of his election to saluation , except that god doe expresly by some angell outwardly , or spirit inwardly , say vnto him that he is predestinated to life euerlasting . after which sort saint paul and some few other saints had their predestination reuealed vnto them : and to confirme their opinion , they alledge , that no man knoweth the secrets of god , but the spirit of god , as no man knoweth the secrets of man but the spirit of man who is in him . against which the true beleeuer saith , that god is not to be tyed to speciall reuelations onely . for by other meanes also hee doth reueale vnto euery true beleeuer the certaintie and sure knowledge of his election to saluation . for , saith the true beleeuer , although that god doth not by any speciall reuelation say vnto mee particularly and by na●…e , thou art elect and predestinated to life euerlasting : yet by the cooperation of his holy spirit , ioyned in my heart with his word , i am by the generall propositions of the word instructed and assured , that i am predestinated and elected to life euerlasting . as for example , the scripture teacheth generally , that this is the will of god , that euery man who beleele●…ueth in christ should haue euerlasting life : from which generall proposition by the inward perswasion of the holy ghost . i perswade my selfe by the certaintie of mine election to saluation , because by experience i finde and know , that by the ministerie of gods word is wrought in mee sauing faith vvhich alwayes is grounded vpon the certaine knowledge of gods promises reuealed in his word , and not vpon ignorant presumption , and vaine imaginations . againe , the scripture generally teacheth , that as many as are led by the spirit of god , they are the sonnes of god , and if sonnes , heires also of eternall life . from which generall proposition , i perswade my selfe , that i am certainely an heire of eternall life . first , because by the cooperation of the spirit of god , with the doctrine of the law. i finde my hard stonie heart softened and my conscience pricked and wounded , while i apply vnto my selfe the curses of gods law , and his fearefull punishments prepared for the wicked . secondly , because by the further cooperation of the same spirit with the doctrine of the gospell , i doe not onely finde christ iesvs crucified , to be the onely sufficient meanes to free all men from gods curses and punishments , but also i relie vpon him onely for mine owne saluation . thirdly , because i doe not onely loue christ , ( who loued me first , and gaue himselfe for me ) and all true christians and his doctrine , and all his commandements , but also i loath sinne , and my selfe for my sinnes , i desire nothing so much as by all meanes to be deliuered from sinne , and wholy to serue god in holinesse and righteousnesse . now for so much as i doe , and boldly may , by the word of god , assure my selfe , that these things cannot possibly proceed from my sinnefull and corrupt flesh , nor from the diuell , but they are the proper and only worke of the holy ghost , i being thus led by the spirit of god , may out of the said generall proposition assure my selfe that i am one of his sonnes , and therefore am heire of eternall life . and in like manner from other generall propositions of the scripture euery true beleeuer or regenerate person by the applying the same to himselfe , may make himselfe sure , and certainely know , that hee is by god elected to saluation , and that how vveake soeuer his faith bee , and how often soeuer by frailtie he sinneth , yet ( because gods vvill and election is vnchangeable ) hee shal neuer be remoued from the state of saluation , whereunto hee is effectually called , but shall haue life euerlasting and eternall glory in heauen . the true beleeuer standeth not in his owne strength , but he is kept by the power of god through faith vnto saluation . it is god which stablisheth him in christ , his life is hid with christ in god. obiection . it is a proud and hereticall arrogancie and presumption ( say the papists ) for a miserable sinner to assure himselfe that he shall bee saued : and to confirme their opinion , they alledge these places of scripture , and many others : passe the time of your dwelling here in feare . blessed is the man who feareth alwayes . be not high minded , but feare . m●…ke an end of your saluation with feare and trembling . answere . the true beleeuer doth not ground the assurance of his saluation vpon his owne vvorkes , or worthinesse ( for that ●…ere indeed proud arrogancie , and hereticall presumption ) but hee groundeth the assurance of his saluation vp on the mercifull and immutable promise of god onely , which is no presumption , or arrogancie , but true christian humilitie , giuing all glory to god. and the more that the true beleeuer thus groundeth his assurance vpon god onely , renouncing vtterly all worthinesse of his owne , and feareth his owne weakenesse , the more hee is stirred vp to pray vnto god for his assistance : and by experience hee findeth the assistance of gods holy spirit granted vnto him : and the more that hee findeth by experience gods loue and fauour towards him , in giuing vnto him the assistance of his holy spirit , the more hee loueth god and feareth to offend so gracious and mercifull a god ; and more and more learnes to distrust his owne worthinesse , and to cleaue onely to gods power and assistance , and to assure himselfe of his loue and fauour vnto the end . therfore dauid ioyned these together ; serue the lord in feare , and reioyce in trembling , psal. 11. 2. noting thereby , that gods children feare , yea , euen tremble in regard of their owne infirmities and corruptions , and yet at the same time they are filled with ioy , in respect of their full assurance of gods loue and fauour , and of their owne saluation . obiection . the true beleeuer cannot haue certaine knowledge and assurance of his saluation , because his faith is full of doubting , which faith is opposed to full assurance . answere . the true beleeuer is to be considered in his two parts : the flesh and the spirit ; the part regenerate & the part v●…regenerate , which continually fight and striue one against the other . and as the parties themselues are opposite , so are their qualities and fruits : for in the spirit is faith , hope , loue , zeale , ioy in the holy ghost , and such other sanctifying graces ▪ in the flesh is doubting , infidelitis , hatred of god , presumption , desperation , coldnesse , dulnesse , yea , deadnesse in religion , seruile feare , horror , and such like corruptions , so as wee may say with the apostle , i know that in my flesh ( that is , in my vnregeneate part ) dwelleth no goodnesse : and sometimes the one , and sometimes the other hath the vpper-hand , and yet alwayes retaine their owne nature and properties . so that it cannot be denyed , but that the faith of the true beleeuer ( which is an infused grace of the spirit ) is assaulted of doubting : but this doubting being a fruit of vnbeliefe , which is an inbred corruption of the flesh , cannot be a commendable virtue of faith ( as the papists doe teach ) neyther is it of the nature of faith , which in it selfe is certaine and assured and not doubting : neyther is it any way incident vnto faith , but it is a fruit of vnbeliefe , which is opposed vnto faith , rom. 4. 20. and consequently , though faith be assaulted of doubting , yet in it owne nature it doth remaine certaine and assured , and still lyeth sucking nourishment out of gods gracious promises , and still retaineth its propertie of certaine perswasion , though in the conflict with doubting , it doth not exercise it so manifestly , and in such measure , as before and after the conflict of temptations : and no more is doubting ( comming vnto the true beleeuer from the boysterous blasts of infidelitie , being a fruit of the flesh ) of the nature of faith , being a fruit of the spirit , then the shaking of a tree ( comming from a tempest of winde by outward accident ) is of the nature of the tree . laus deo. a deuout prayer , for all christians , and all times . o lord , vvhich hast vouchsafed of thy vnspeakeable goodnesse , to make and ordaine me thy creature , to liue in this transitorie life , giuing me a reasonable soule , by which i know thee , my lord and my god. o most blessed lord , i wretched sinner confesse my wicked and abhominable sins , i humbly aske of thee mercy and forgiuenes for the same : grant mee thy strength to stand sure in faith , thy knowledge to worke thy blessed will , thy power to resist all errours and wicked imaginations : thy wisedome to know the truth , giue me thy help , i humbly beseech thee , that thy holy spirit may guide me , and all the thoughts and desires of my hart , for the thoughts of men are miserable , and their deedes vncertaine : comfort therefore my soule , let it walke in thy lawes and wayes , and worke thy will ; suffer no worldly perswasions to take place or roote in my heart , but by thy holy spirit , so direct my wayes and works , that they may be acceptable in the sight . suffer not my soule to perish , whom thou hast so dearely bought , but for thy mercies sake haue mercy vpon mee , make me poore in spirit , low in heart , content with my calling , and let my soule rest in thee , let mee loue thee as a father , a forgiuer , a sauiour , and scare thee as a lord a iudge , a reuenger . o father , put from me my sinne and wickednesse , make me to walke in the way of thy commandements ; let me reuerently feare thee and stand in awe of thy iudgements . let me loue thee as a sauiour , honour thee as a father , reuerence thee as a lord , and feare thee as a iudge . grant me grace to set thy feare before mee , to stand in awe of thee , and of thy iudgements , that i doe nothing to prouoke thy heauy displeasure against me , that i may walke in thy feare and holy ordinances , and imbrance those vertues that shall euidently declare my faithful loue , true honour , vnsained repentance , and humble feare toward thee . haue mercy , pittie and compassion vpon mee most miserable sinner , for my offences are horrible , great , and grieuous , but i appeale to thy mercies which is aboue thy workes : o let me liue with thee eternally , and not dye though i haue deserued it : make me a vessell of thy grace and mercy , that i may praise thy name : let not my sins souer me from thee , but let me magnifie thy power and mercy . o gracious god , giue mee true , hearty , earnest , and vnsained repentance , that i may from the very bottome of my heart continually lament my manifold sinnes and transgressions , my vnthankfulnesse towards thee for all thy mercifull benefits abundantly bestowed vpon mee ; alas that euer i became so wicked and vnkinde a creature , to displease so good a lord , so louing and mercifull a father : o forgiue me for thy most deare mercies sake ; forgiue mee all my sinnes that euer i haue committed against thee , let me neuer more offend thee , but alwayes gladly serue thee in righteousnesse and holinesse all the dayes of my life , gouerne and guide my heart in thy true faith , feare , and loue , that in all my thoughts , words , and deedes , i may glorifie thy holy name : to whom be all glory , praise , power , and dominion , now and euermore . amen . finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a08188-e470 caluin . instit. lib. 1. cap. 1. sect. 7. gen. 2. 17. rom. 5. 17. caluin . 〈◊〉 . lib. 1. cap. 1. septo . iames 1. 17. marke 14. 31. 1 pet. 1. 25. psal. 22. de pass●… dom. cap. 7. bern. de pass●… dom. cap. 41. aug. tract 119 in ioan. iohn 10. 18. 1 pet. 1. 18. 19. a blessed and most necessary note . heb. 10. 38. mat. ●…5 . 41. acts 20. ●…8 . rom. 5. 10. phil. 2. mat. 3. 17. esay 42. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 o●… . 10. 16. pro. 3. 32. & 34 iames 4. 6. luke 1. 52. esay 29. 14. 19. gen. 22. 16. 17. 18. esay 59. 21. 94. 10. ezck. 37. 26. 27. 28. iohn 6. 53. 56. 1 cor. 1●… . 12. gal. 2. 20. g●…l . 2. 20. 1 cor. 2. 14. rom. 8. 5. ephes. 4. 18. ephes. 4. 19. tit. 4. esay 57. 20. prou. 28. 1. gen. 6. 5. phil. 2. 13. gal. 5. 24. rom. 7. 18. 19. rom. 6. 19. hphes . 2. 8. matth. 28. 20. ephes. 2. 8. phil. 1. 29. iohn 17. 20. rom. 10. 1 cor. 1. 30. ephes. 5. 30. ephes. 4. 13. mat. 28. 29. luke 24. 49. iohn 17. 20. a act 1. 14. & 3. 4. & 10. 2. mat. 7. 7. iohn 28 36. ephes. 3. 19. and 6. 18. b marse 16. 16 iohn 6. 53. and 22. 19. 1 cor. 11. 24. c mat. 23. 2. acts 17. 11. and 18. 26. d prou 19. e heb. 13. 17. rom. 13. 1. f pet. 2. 13. rom. 〈◊〉 . & 8. g psal. 119. 9. 57 psal. 1. 〈◊〉 . iosh. 1. 8. psal. 14. 4. 1 cor. 1. 20. 1●… 5. rom. 8. 10. 1 cor. 4. 20. 1 cor. 16. 17. iohn 1. 5. 8. ephes. 14. luke 1. 74. ●…5 . 1 pet. 2. 24. ephes. 2. 11. deut. 30. 9. 10. luke 17. 1●… . phil. 2. 13. 1 cor. 4. 7. rom. 8. 18. rom 6. 〈◊〉 . iam. 2. 20. gal. 3. 10. 1 iohn 1. 8. iohn 1. 16. rom. 7. 10. rom. 11. 29. iam. 1. 16. matth. 13. 6. psal. 135. 6. esa 46. 10. 1 cor 2. 16. ioh. 6. 40. rom. 8. 14. 17 1 p●…t . 14. 1 cor. 1. 21. col. 3. 3. 1 pet. 〈◊〉 . pro. 28. 14. rom. 1●… 〈◊〉 . phil. 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 . the quæries examined, or, fifty anti-queries seriously propounded to the people called presbyterians occasioned by the publication of fifty queries, gathered out of the works of mr. rich. baxter. by j. b. wherein the principal allegations usually brought to support infant-baptism are discovered to be insufficient. by t. g. grantham, thomas, 1634-1692. 1676 approx. 92 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 28 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2009-03 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a41786 wing g1543a estc r223637 99833926 99833926 38404 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a41786) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 38404) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 1833:1) the quæries examined, or, fifty anti-queries seriously propounded to the people called presbyterians occasioned by the publication of fifty queries, gathered out of the works of mr. rich. baxter. by j. b. wherein the principal allegations usually brought to support infant-baptism are discovered to be insufficient. by t. g. grantham, thomas, 1634-1692. [2], 43, [1] p. [s.n.], london : printed in the year of our lord 1676. t. g. = thomas grantham; j. b. = john barret, whose work is being attacked by the author. quire f is a cancel. reproduction of original in the british library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng barret, john, 1631-1713. -fifty queries, seriously propounded to those that question, or deny infants right to baptism -early works to 1800. baxter, richard, 1615-1691 -early works to 1800. infant baptism -controversial literature -early works to 1800. baptists -controversial literature -early works to 1800. salvation theology -early works to 1800. 2007-11 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2007-11 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2008-02 robyn anspach sampled and proofread 2008-02 robyn anspach text and markup reviewed and edited 2008-09 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the quaeries examined , or , fifty anti-queries seriously propounded to the people called presbyterians . occasioned by the publication of fifty queries , gathered out of the works of mr. rich. baxter . by j. b. wherein the principal allegations usually brought to support infant-baptism are discovered to be insufficient . by t. g. prov . xix . 21. there be many devices in a mans heart , nevertheless the council of the lord that shall stand . mr. baxter more reas . p. 69. the true method of one that would arrive at certainty , and not deceive himself and others , is to begin at the bottom , and discern things in their nearest and most certain evidences , and afterward to try the by-objections as he is able : and not t● por●first upon the objected difficulties , and judge of all the cause by those . london , printed in the year of our lord 1676. the quaerist examined . or , fifty anti-queries seriously propounded to the people called presbyterians , &c. presbyterian . query 1. whether under the covenant of works , if adam had not sinned , innocents should not have been holy to god , and so members of the innocent church or kingdom of god ? baptist . antiquery 1. whether this be not a groundless and unlearned query ? for seeing the word church , as used in the holy scriptures , signifieth a people called out , namely , from another people , out of what people should they have been called , had the whole world been in the state of innocency ? and seeing no man can tell whether any man should have had authority committed to him in matters of religion , or whether god should immediately have exercised his own government ; neither yet in what capacity children should have come into the world , whether endowed with knowledge or otherwise ; whether therefore it concern or become any man , to let his fancy rove about in such an unknown and unknowable case . and thereupon , 1. suggest how infants should be concern'd or not concern'd in matters of religion ? and how can any thing be concluded from such an imagination , as imitable for us about infant church-membership ? and whether we are not like to have a bad superstructure , when the foundation is a meer fancy ? presbyterian . query 2. whether god was any more obliged to order it so , that the children of righteous parents should have been born with all the perfections of their parents , and enjoyed the same priviledges , than he was obliged in making the covenant of grace , to grant that infants should be of the same society with their parents , and have the immunities of that society . baptist . antiquery 2. more obliged : whether it be not in vain to suppose , that god was obliged at all in either of those cases , seeing he is absolutely free to do whatsoever he pl●aseth with his own ? and what ground have you to believe , that some infants were more concern'd then others in m●tters of religion , by vertue of any covenant made with adam ? and what society was infants capable of with adam , by vertue of any covenant made with him after his fall ? c●rtis the scripture is silent as to these matters , presbyterian . query 3. whether we have any reason , when the design of redemption is the magnifying of love and grace , to think that love and grace are so much less under the gospel to the members of christ , then under the law to the members or seed of adam , as that then all the seed should have partaken of the same blessings with their righteous parents , and now they shall all be turned out of the society , whereof the parents are members ? baptist . antiquery 3. whether you your selves do not lessen the magnifying love of god in mans redemption , whilest in respect of infants you would restrain it to the seed of such parents as are in covenant with god , yea to such infants as partake with them in practicals of religion , which you seem to intend by the blessings you speak of . but who denies any blessing to infants under the gospel , which was their portion under the law made with adam ? and how were infants members of the society of the seed of adam , more then of the society of the baptists ? shew the difference if you can . presbyterian . query 4. whether though our innocency be lost , parents be not parents still , and have not as much interest in children , and whether god have reversed this natural order ? and if god change not his order therein , whether parents be not as capable of consenting to grace for their children , as they were of being innocent for them ? baptist . antiquery 4. whether there be any that question whether parents be parents still , or what need of such enquiries ? or what do you mean by gods natural order ? if you mean natural religion , then shew us what infants are bound ro in matters of religion by natu●e , or what this natural order ties parents to do to their infants , upon the account of practicals in religion , which we omit ? and whether parents could be innocent for their infants , if their infants were not innocent as well as they ? and if not , how should their consenting to grace be the childs consent ? and whether it will not as well hold retro , that the parents consenting to wickedness is the childs consent ? and whether this do not give the parents the power to save or damn their infants ? and can such councils stand with the wisdom , justice , or mercy of god ? presbyterian . query 5. whether infants be not included in the first edition of the covenant of grace made with adam ? ( gen. 3. 15. ) whether unless it can be proved that infants are none of the womans s●ed , we must not take that fundamental promise to extend to infants ? and was she not thereby obliged to l●st her self , and all her infant-progeny in the redeemer's army , against the proclaimed enemy , and to teach her posterity to do the like ; and did they not continue visible members of christs army and kingdom , till such time as they violated that fundamental obligation , and as the seed of the serpent , fought against christ and his kingdom , for satan and his kingdom ? baptist . antiquery 5. whether the baptists do not as clearly assert infants right to the grace of god in the first edition of the covenant , made with adam , as any whatsoever ? and if by the seed of the woman you understand all that are saved , who then questions infants belonging to that seed ? but where is the woman bound to list her infants in the redeemers army , or where shall we finde them visible members of christs army in the first edition of the covenant ? are not these meer words without authority of scripture ? or where did infants ever fight for , or against the serpent ? and if not , why do you make them the seed of the serpent , and fighters against the kingdom of christ ? and if you say , you speak not these things of infants quatalis ; then whether you have not transferr'd the question , and so it is impertinent ? presbyterian . query 6. vvhether in that first proclamation of grace to fallen man , or in the first promise of redemption to sinners , gen. 3. 15. an infant of the vvoman be not promised to be general , and head of the church ? and whether the promise of an infant head , doth not declare gods mind , that he will have infants members , because the head is the principal member , &c. baptist . antiquery 6. whether christ in his infancy was not as truly god as man ? and whether there be any parity between the infants you speak of and christ , seeing he was able even then to vanqu●sh the greatest adversary ? and if by the redeemed church , you mean the whole number of the saved , who doubted but infants were of the redeemed church ? but how doth it follow , that all that are to be saved , ought to be mitted to practical ordinances in the visible church ? seeing then all infants ( for ought you know ) have the same right , which yet you d●ny ; but why so ? are you sure they are not within the verge of christs redemption ? and though christ was once an infant , yet where do you finde tha● he was then a member of the gospel church ? was he not born under the l●w ? gal. 4 4. and born king of the jews , mat. 2 2. and according to the state of the jew●sh church , an infant migh be both a member and a prince ; and was not the ki●gly office in israel a type of christ ? but what is this to he order and state of the church under the gospel ? and fur●her , tho●gh christ an infant was bo●n head of the church as aforesaid , yet in 〈◊〉 infant st●te , he did not intermeddle with the exercise of the least par● of h●s authority . and then whether it be not more r●tional to say , that seeing christ the head of the church did not act●ally poss●ss , or at least not use any part of that power , as an infant , or while he was an infant ? it s therefore unreasonable , th●t infants ( supposn ●h●y were as truly bo●n memb●rs of his church , as he wa● born king of the jews ) should be concern'd in the actual possession of ordi●ances in infancy ? and what if we grant that infants may be disciples by designation , a christ was king , priest and prophet by designation , ( ●ho●gh the cases not al●ke easie to prove ) yet seeing christ was not a prophet ( as you confess ) in actu exercito , how came you to be so bold to bring infants to the ex●rcise of baptism ? and why can you not rather content your selves with the designation or ded●ca●ion of your infan●s to god by prayer , and make them disciples in actu exercito , when they are able ? and whether you may not as well repute th●m thus among disciples , and as safely conclude them to be in the covenant of grace , and of the redeemed church without baptism , as without the lords supper ? sith it s said , except ye eat of the flesh of the son of god , and drink his blood , ye have no life in you ; as well as it is said , except a man be born again of water , &c. he cannot enter in●o the kingdom of god. and whether dr. taylor , a learned pedobaptist do not ingeniously confess , that the wit of man is not able to shew a difference in these cases ? presbyterian . query 7. why are those two titles put on those two distinct generations . ( sc●l . the posterity of cain , and the p●st●rity of seth ) calling one the sons of god , ●nd the others the daughters of men , gen. 6. 2. but that the one was a generation s●parated from the church from their birth , ( their progenitors being cast out before them ) when the other was the seea of saines not cast out , &c. baptist . antiqu. 7. whether this text gen. 6. 2. be not ambiguous , insomuch that your own doctors are not agreed about the exposition thereof ? but supposing it to respect the posterities of cain and se●h , yet whether it can be meant of infants , seeing they committed none of these si●s , in taking wives , &c. and whether your exposition do not damn all infants proceeding from cain●s posterity , and consequently all the infants of all nations which profess not the true religion ? and supposing that the infants of godly parents are in some sense more immediately related to the church , then the infants of pagans by reason of the prayers and designation of their parents , and the opportunities of education ? yet what makes this for any actual participation of ordinances in the church , and what one ordinance did the infants of these sons of god partake of ? and sith the scripture is wholly silent of any such thing , whether this do not more strongly conclude against infant-baptism then for it ? and whether it be needful to say any thing to the latter part of this query , seeing we grant all , and somthing more then this text will prove , though we deny them actual right to ordinances ? and whether the common or equal overthrow of these generations , in respect of the infants of both , do not evidently shew , that as to the business of their salvation , they were in the same condition ? and then whether it be safe for us to conclude , that the wickedness of any progenitors have any further effect upon the infant-ch●ldren then to expose them to external calamities , seeing christ died to redeem them from the condemnation brought upon them by adam ? rom. 5. 18. presbyterian . query 8. whether it was not the same church be●or● , and after abrahams time ; that was called the tents of sem ? gen. 19. 27. was not the jewish church denominated the tents of sem ? a●d does it not hence appear , that the church-priviledges of that people did not begin with or from abraham , but that they were b●for● ? and how was it the same church that was of s●m , and of abraham , if it had not the same sort of members or materials ? &c. baptist . antiqu. 8. though it be true , that the church is the same in some sence , from the beginn●ng of the world to the end ; yet whether it may not truly be said also , not to be the same in divers respects ? and whether the cov●nant as made with no●h , gen. 9. do not differ from the cov●nant as ma●e w●th adam , though both was made with all mank●nd , and is affirmed to be the c●venant of grace by mr. baxter . and whether there was not yet a further difference b●tween these and the covenant as made with abraham ? gen. 17. the former being made with all manking , and never yet abrogated , ( as saith mr. baxter ) . the other was made with abraham and his seed , distinct from the rest of mankind , but as they should be profelited thereto ? and though the church may be denominated the tents of shem , b●th before and after abraham , yet whether this conclude there was to be no alteration of the state of the church under these times respectively ? and whether in any of the tents of shem , before abrahams time , so much as any one infant can be found admitted to the practical part of any ordinance in the church , which was peculiar to her as such ( for as touching prayer , it is a moral duty , and to be made for all men . ) and whether thus boldly to suppose a thing without the least shew of proof , be not a plain begging the main thing in question ? and though it be never so true , that the universal redeemed church consist of the same materials in all ages , yet whether it be not evident that that god made a difference , as to the time of dispensing ordinances to them ? as first no practical ord●nance or 〈◊〉 dispensed to any infant that we read of till abrahams time ; and though then circumcision was ordained for males , yet not for all the male children , for all under eight days of age were prohibited , and yet you grant th●y were in that covena●t , nor any rite at all for the females , who yet were of the same church ? and whether under moses they were not admitted to other rites also , as the pass●over , sacrifices and other holy feast , of the jews ? we therefore ask you why the infants of converted gentiles are not in as good a condition , without any rite or ceremony , as the infants of all the faithful from adam to abraham ? and whether those infants before abraham were not a happy as the infants of abraham ? and then doth it not follow , that the infants of faithful gentiles , are as happy without circumcision , or any other rite or ●eremony whatsoever , as abrahants was under a ceremony , seeing god hath not ohliged them to any in the days of the gospel , o● since the ab●ogation of the law and circumcision ? presbyterian . query 9. whether if we could shew no written law or promise at first constituting the duty , or granting the priviledge of church-member ship , it were the least disparagement to our cause , as long as we can shew those following , laws which presuppose this ? if moses at the end of that 2000 years the church of god had bin without any written law , found all the infants of church-members in possession of this b●n●fit 〈◊〉 what n●ed was there of a new law about it ? or why should god promise it as a new thing ? baptist . antiqu. 9. whether if there be any such law , you would not have she wed us where it is , longere this day ? and whethen you do not now grant in effect there is no such written law ? and what n●ed you thus to query , seeing we deny no lawful thing to infants , to be done for them by their godly parents , but only oppose your doing that for which you have no law ? presbyterian . query 10. whether there being certain proof in scripture of infants church-membership , but none except that before , alledged from gen. 3. that makes any mention of the beginning of it , but all speaking of it as no new thing ; we have not great reason to assign its beginning , which from gen. 3. is before spoken of ? baptist . antiqu. 10. why do you say that gen. 3. 15. makes mention of infants church-membership , ( otherwise then what we allow ) is here the least hint of your mode of making infants church-members , that is , doth this place bid you admit them to any ordinance ? as for the gracious covenant here made with adam . do we not grant that it extends to infants , yea , we say with mr. baxter , it was never abrogated ? presbyterian . query 11. is it not unquestionable , that the covenant of grace made to abraham the father of the faithful , comprehended infants for church-members ? and was 〈◊〉 not the same with that gen. 3. 1. 5. but in some things clearlier opened ? were not both these the covenant of grace and free justification by faith in the redeemer ? and did not the covenant made to abraham and his seed , comprehend infants ? and should not the same promise , expressed more concisely be expounded by the same expressed more sully ? baptist . an. 11. though it be unque stionable that the covenant of grace did extend to infants , gen. 3. 15. as well as in abrahams time , yet there was a vast difference in respect of ceremonies . and whether the difference between the baptists and p●dobaptists be not chi●fly ( if not only ) about imposing ceremonies upon infants ? and whether it be not evident that what ceremonies the word of god did even assign to infants , we allow them , respecting the time of their duration , and only oppose your imposing ceremonies upon infants , for which you can assign no authority in the holy scriptures , as is confessed by many pedobaptists . see mr. baxters cure p. 7. presbyterian . query 12. whether ( though the hebrews had their peculiarities ) it be at all credible , that the infants of that one small countrey only should be so differently de●lt with by god , from all the world else , even enoch's , noah'● , sem's , and all from adam to the end of the world , that these infants only should be church-members , and n● others . baptist . antiqu. 12. whether this query ( as indeed almost all the rest ) do not mis the true state of the case , seeing the baptists may and do in a good sence acknowledge infants to be related to the churc● . viz. by redemption , pious dedication to god. &c. and seeing you grant the hebrew , had their peculiarities , in what thing could it be but in external rites and ceremonies , especially concerning infants ; and shew us , if you can , any one nation under heaven , from the beginning of the world to this day , to whom god gave any law to bring their infants to any rites either legal or evangelical . and sith circumcision was forcibly put upon infants , we ask whether you be able to prove , that any person whatsoever are to be forced to baptism , which augustine tells us . infants do strive against with great crying , from whence he infers they have no faith. lib. de pe●cat . mer. & remis . chap. 28. presbyterian . query 13. what can be more absurd , then to maintain a transient fact ( as mr. t. hath done ) making infants church-members , without any law , promise , ●r covenant-gra●t of god giving them r●ght ? whether a gift that was never given be not a contradiction ? ( v. p. 32 , 35 ▪ 39 44 , 45 , 151. ) and if there was any such promise , or covenant-grant of infant 's church-membership , when , or where was it revoked ? baptist . antiqu. 13. whether these things be surely suggested against mr. t , and whether you ought not to have set down his opinion in his own words ? and whether he doth not mainly oppose himself against mr. baxter's pretended law for infant church-membership and baptism , whiles yet he denies not infants a saving promise , or the promise of saving prepriety in god. antipedobapt . 3. part. p. 33. and whether that book was ever answered by mr. baxter , or ever will by any other ? presbyterian . query 14. was it only the infants of the hebrews , or of those that were at their absolute dispose , that were church-members ? vvere not the infants of free proselites church-members too ? baptist . antiqu. 14 , what need of this query ? who doubts but that as many others as became jews by being proselited to the law , were circumcised according to the law ? but where do yo● find , that any , either jews or gentiles , when they were baptized , had any , obligation to baptize their children and servants also ? presbyterian . query 15. vvas it not then the duty of all the nations round about , that could have informati●n of the jewish religion , to engage themselves , and their children to god by circumcision ? and did not many of the people in hester's time become jews , hest . 8. 17. who yet were not under their government ? and is it not well known , that this was to be circumcised , they and their little ones , ( as the proselites were ) and so to keep the law of moses ? and whether the circumcised servants of israel , sold away to another nation , and so separated from the civil state of israel , did eo nomine cease to be church-members , though they for sook not god ? and ●o of the infants , if they were sold in infancy ? and so whether infants might not be church-members , that were not of the jews common-wealth ? baptist . antiqu. 15. although other nations had the liberty to become jewes , yet whether they were under such an obligation , as that they must become jewes , or else not be saved , is worthy consideration ; and whether the contrary will not be found true , when the case of cornelius , act. 10. and of the gentiles , rom. 2. are duely considered , whereas the one is accepted as fearing god and working righteousness , as much as the jew upon the account of his jewish worship ? and the other gentiles generally , who did by nature the things contained in the law , were counted the circumcision , so as to judge the jew , who only had the circumcision in the flesh ? and not only so , but so as to be accepted of god , as far ( at least ) as the righteousness of the law would avail the jew ? and whether the infants of these devout gentiles was not free from any obligation to circumcision , or any other external ceremony ? and whether there be not an evident difference between the law and the gospel in this , the one being fitted to the jewish nation only , so as to be capable of an orderly observation there only ? and the gospel fitted sor the observation of all nations equally , and consequently all nations equally obliged to the full and orderly profession thereof ? presbyterian . query 16. vvere not the israelites children members of the universal visible church , as well as of the congregation of israel ? as he that is a member of the city is a member of the kingdom and a part of a part , is a part of the whole ; so was not ever member of the jews church also a member of gods universal church ? baptist . ant. 16. whether it be well said to call the universal church visible , and whether the universal church did not contain many thousands such , as job , cornelius , &c , who were neither jews by nature nor religion ? and whether no infants might be said to be members of the universal church , who were not members of the jewish church ? and if not , how shall they be saved , seeing christ is only the saviour of his body finally ? presbyterian . query 17. was there ever any true church , or ecclesiastical worshipping society appointed by god in all the world since the fall , but the church of christ ? were not infants therefore either members of christs church , or of no church of gods institution ? was not moses christs vsher , and moses church and christ's church one according to god's institution ? baptist . antiqu. 17. whether this query be not either captious , or else impertin●nt ? for though it should be granted , that the church of christ was the same in some sence from the beginning , yet who knows not that the time and way for admission of the members thereof to external ceremonies , was not always the same ? and who doubts but the church was always of gods institution ? but doth it therefore follow , that the ordinances instituted therein , belongs to infants ? might they not have the passeover , as well as circumcision , in the mosaical church , and yet have neither the lords supper nor baptism in the christian church ? you deny them the one , why may not we as well deny the other ? baptist . query 18. whether was abraham made a member of the church by circumcision , or circumcised because a member of the church ? the like of infants born in his house ? and how can the ceasing of circumcision prove infants church-membership ceased , any more then it can prove their church-membership began with circumcision ; or that women were not church-members , because not circumcised ; or that all israel was unchurched in the vvilderness , when they were uncircumcised for fourty years ? baptist . antiqu. 18. although abraham was in the church of god essentially by faith , yet whether formally in that church-st●te , vvhich god was then about to settle , till circumcised , vvill not , i suppose , be hastily affirmed ? and how can infants be said to be in the church , as abraham then was , seeing they have no faith as he had ? and whether the jewish church-state did not cease de jure , when circumcision so ceased ? and then whether that state of infant church-membership did not also cease ? and like as the ceasing of the passeover de jure , was the ceasing of infants right to any such ordinance , even so we ask why the ceasing of circumcision de jure , is not as truly the ceasation of infants right to any such ordinance ? certainly , if gods word assign any ordinances in lieu of the former , the place where 't is written would have b●en known to this day ? presbyterian . query 19. vvhether the blessing of abraham consists not chiefly in this , that god promised to be a god in covenant with him , and his seed ? and how are the believing gentiles blessed with faithful abraham , and heirs of the same promise , if their infants are not also comprehended in the same covenant ? baptist . antiqu. 19. whether the blessing of abraham , ( if you understand it of eternal life ) were not the blessing of the fathers that were before him ? and whether that blessing did not belong to their infants ? and whether their infants were partakers with them in any rites or ceremonies of instituted worship ? and if not , then , why may not the infants of the gentiles partake of the blessing of abraham , though not concern'd in rites or ceremonies ? or whether you think the blessing of abraham is confined to ceremonies in respect of infants , if so , shew us what ceremonies these are ? presbyterian . query 20. whether in that great promise , gen. 12. 3 tribes , kindreds , families , do not most certainly comprehend infants ? as it was to such families that the promise was made before christ , as to the jewish church ? vvhat warrant have we to understand families or tribes otherwise , when the same promise is made to the gentiles ? baptist . antiq. 20. whether you ought not to distinguish in this great promise , the things which are eternal from the things that were but for a time ? and then whether you can ima●in● , that all the temporal blessings , rites and ceremonies , ●oncern●d any nation , as it concerned the seed of abraham after the flesh ? but if by this promise you understand it as the apostle paul doth , gal. 3. 16. th●n we doubt not but all the kindreds of the earth are con●●●n'd in it ; and then whether we do not sufficiently comprize the ●●ntiles therein ? but how can abrahams rites and c●remonie● be part of this blessing to the gentiles , which are abrogated long ago ? presbyterian . query 21 , whether the second commandment , exod. 20 , 5 , 6. doth not contain a standing promise , and discove●y of gods resolution , concerning the children of all that love him , whether jews or gentiles , to whom this commandment belongs ? whether god meaneth not that his retribution to parents that love or hate him , shall extend to their children as such ; unless they interrupt it at age by their own acts ; and if to their children qua tales , then whether not to infants ? baptist . ant. 21. whoever doubted but that infants are advantaged many ways , in the blessings which god bestows on them that fear him ? and accordingly greatly disadvantaged by the wickednefs of their pa●●nts , even so as to bear their fathers iniquities many times , as is evident in the overthrow of the old world , the cities of sodom and samorrah , &c. yet whether the blessing or mercy of eternal life to ●nfants , depend upon the parents love to god ? and whether the ●amnation of infants depend on the wickedness of their parents ? ●nd whether the bless●ngs of the second commandment belong 〈◊〉 to the church as such , or whether all men that follow the ●ules of morality , are not within the reach of these blessings also ? ●nd then how should infant church membership and baptifm be 〈◊〉 blessings of the second commandment seeing this law concerns 〈◊〉 men as m●n being part of the moral law , and is not proper to ●he church only ? presbyterian . query 22. vvhether any without the church are secured of gods mercy by p●omise ? and whether mercy be not promised to the children of the f●ithsul as such ? ( see p●al . 102. 28. and 103. 17. prov. 20. 7. isa . 61. 8 , 9 and 65 23 &c ) ? baptist . antiqu. 22. whether god hath not said that his ways are all equal ? and whether this do not secure infants of gods mercy , though not baptized ? ( for otherwise we say infants are of the redeemed church ? when god saith , that the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father , and every one shall bear his own iniquity , whether this be not a promiss of mercy to infant children , and that in respect of etern●l life ? and whether the query be not near a kin to that position of the papists when they say , out of the church there is no salva●ion , restraining that word church to visible or actual professors only ? and why must these five quotations be applied to infants only , sith the things spoken of these children , seed , or off-spring , are mostly such as are exclusive of infants ? presbyterian . query 23. whether these promises in the making of them were limited to a certain time when they were to cease ? or whether they have been since revoked ? baptist . suppose these promises yet remain , as we doubt not but they do , sith they are not entail'd upon the jewish nation , ( at least the three first quotations , ) how will this avail to the point in hand ? are all the blessings of god to the infant off-spring of those that fear him , &c. bound up in your supposed church-membership and baptism ? presbyterian . query 24. if it was on the jews rejection of christ , that they were broken off from being gods people , were those thousands of jews that believed in christ so broken off ? if not , then whether were not the children of all believing jews church-members in infancy ? or otherwise , was it not somewhat else then vnbelief that brake them off ? baptist . antiqu. 24. whether was those that cried , his blood be upon us and our children , thereby rejecting the great mess●nger of the covenant , ●ustly broken off ? and whether the renting of the vail of the temple , did not shew the abrogation of the covenant and the legal ministry ? whether was saul broken off when he persecuted the church causing many to blaspheme ? and how could the jews lawfully be married to christ , if moses was not now removed , without being called an adulteress ? and then whether those thousands of jews which believed were not first broken off , so as to plead no longer upon this issue , we are abrahams children , we are free-born , &c. and to look upon circumcision and whatsoever was gain to them on a legal acco●nt , to be loss for christ ? or is there any other way to be graffed in to the church of christ , but by faith ? nowtherefore seeing the jews were in no better case then th● gentiles , circumcision being now nothing , even as uncircumcision was nothing , b●ta new creature ? then whether all the infants of the jews now ceas●● to be m●mbers of any visible church , seeing ●heir parents had de jure lost their memb●rship ? presbyterian . query 25. were not the infants of the christian jews the day before their conversion members of the jewish church , and of gods universal church , ( of which the jews were but a part ? and doth it not sound strengely , that such infants as were the day before members of the jewish church , and of gods universal church , should be put out of the jewish and the whole visible church , by the faith of their parents , or without unbelief ? either it was a mercy to be a member , of the church , or not : if it was no mercy , then will it not follow , that the unbelieving jews lost nothing by being broken off ? if it was a mercy , how did the christians children forfeit it ? baptist . antiqu. 25. whether we have not sufficiently shewed , that the infants of the jews were now no members of the jewish church , that being now abrogated , and the gospel church state confirmed by the death of christ , and the pouring out of the holy ghost ; neither could two distinct church states stand together de jure . and then whether it be not a great mistake for the q●aerist to suppose the jews were a part of gods universal church , when in truth they were no church at all ? and therefore whether the wonder which he makes about the jews infants which believed , be not groundless ? and yet whether the infants of the believing jews were not in a far better estate , then when their parents were unbelievers , sith the curse they then had imprecated , was now removed ? also whether it was not a mercy , that both parents and infants were set free from circumcision , which whatever it was before , now ceased to be a mercy to any man , because it was an obligation to the yoke of bondage , and rendred christ unprofitable to such as should now receive it ; and consequently a release from that church-membership according to the law , was a great mercy to infants , who still retain membership in the invisible church , as they did before circumcision was in being ? presbyterian . query 26. whether it be credible , that he who came not to cast out jews , but to bring in gentiles , breaking down the partition-wall , and making of two one church , would have a chureh of so different form and constitution , that the church at jerusalem should have infant-members , and the church at rome should have none ? that the jews infants should be members , and not gentiles ? if the jews were broken off by unbelief , should they not be graffed in again upon their repentance of faith ? and so should not every repenting believing jews infants be church-members ? or otherwise how would their graffing in answer to their breaking off , should they be but in part graffed in ? baptist . antiqu. 26. whether it be not a great mistake to say , that christ came to make the jew and gentile one church , otherwise then by taking away the jewish church , and making all things new , 2 cor. 5. 17. &c. and whether this might not be done without setling any of the practical ordinances upon infants as under the law ? if otherwise , why have you not shewed us where christ hath required parent● to get their infants baptized ? and where he forbade them to be brought to imposition of hands , the table of the lord , &c. if the denial of the first make our infants no members of the church , doth not your denial of the other two , which do as generally pertain to members of the church , make yours none also ? and if the church at jerusalem , rome , &c. had any infant-members therein , in the sence wherein you would have them members , why do you not name some one infant so made a member , sith you know it would suffice , wherher if the jews grafting in , must in all points answer to their breaking off , their infants must not come to other ordinances as well as baptism ? or will you say infants cannot partake with their parents of salvation without baptism ? or whether was the infants of the jews exposed to damnation by their parents unbelief ? and if so , what is become of all their infants ever since ? presbyterian . query 27. was not christ church spiritual before his incarnation ( when it took in infants ) and gathered in a spiritual way ? was not ●he visible frame of the jewish church set up and erected by the father of spirits , and were not spiritual duties commanded then ▪ upon promises of spiritual blessings , even lise eternal ? how will any prove that it was a blemish to the old frame , that infants were members ? what was the church the worse for infants rights ? if it be no blemish , why must it be done away ? baptist . antiqu. 27. though it be true , that christs church was always spiritual in some measure , and his services such also ; yet whether it be not also true , that the church under the law of moses was carnal , in respect of the spirituality of the church under the gospel ? does not the apostle say , 2 cor. 3. these two ministrations differ as much as letter and spirit differeth ; and that the glory of the one had no glory in respect of the glory which excelleth ? and is it not then rational , that the churches concern'd under these ministrations respectively should differ aecordingly ? and though it was no blemish to the jewish church , to have infants partakers of their ordinances , which are called carnal , yet whether it be not a more perfect state , when the church do al● know god , from the least to the greatest of them ? and whether this be not the state of the church under the gospel , according to gods appointment ? heb. 8. 10 , 11 , 12 , 13. and whether that which is less perfect ought not to vanish away when that which is more perfect is come . in that he saith a new covenant , he hath made the first old , now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away , heb. 8. 13. presbyterian . query 28. in what regard were the new frame better , supposing the casting out of infants , which were in the old ? how doth infants relation detract from its spirituality ? do not the adult come in by ●he same kind of consent for themselves , as they make for their infants ? and do not the adult blemish the church with more carnal sins then infants do ? would any kingdom be more excell●nt , if all infants were disfranchised ? does not nature teach all kingdoms on earth , to take them f●r members , though but infant-members ? baptist . antiqu. 28. whether it be necessary to say infants are cast out of that whereof they were never possessed , to wit , the use of ordinances in the new frame of the church ? or how can infants be said to be a spiritual seed ? how are they living stones , built up a spiritual house ; to offer spiritual sacrifices in a gospel sense ? or how are your infants a more spiritual seed then our infants ? and whether any other are by christs order to partake in gospel-ordinances , then such as therein worship god spiritually ? and whether hence it be not clear , that the way of making infants church-members do not detract from the spirituality of the new frame of the church ? also where hath god required the adult to consent for their insant church m●mbership in this new frame ? and whether the comparison between an earthly kingdom and the ghurch of christ be any way fitting , seeing infants have as much need of the priviledge of humane laws , for the preservation of their lives and rights as grown persons ? but how stand they in need of the laws of the church , ( and particularly baptism ) for the preservation of their souls . and whether this similitude may not be emproved against you , seeing infants , though members of kingdomes , yet are excused from all duties personal wbatsoever , and then why may they not be reputed of the kingdom of god , and yet exempt from the duties of his kingdom ? or how come they to be concern'd so much in that one duty of baptism , and no other whatsoever ? presbyterian . query 29. whether any jew at age was a member of the old church without professing faith , ( in the articles then necessary to salvation ) repentance and obedience ? and wherein the supposed new call and frame doth in this differ from the old , save only that a more full and express revelation of christ requireth a more full express faith ? is it not evident , that they were to profess consent to gods covenant , which who so denied asa would put to death ? and was not circumcision a covenanting act ? and did they not thereby prosess to take god for their god ? or would god else have taken them for his people ? and would not renouncing god have cut them off ? baptist . antiqu. 29. what is become now of your infant church-membership ; if when grown up they cease to be members upon that account ? were the jews infants twice made members of their church ? or is every renewing the covenant , ( as in the case of asa , ) making men members of the church ? but where did the church ever admit one member to her communion by baptism without profession ? or where did she ever decree , that those who would not submit to her new frame should be put to death ? and whether in this the new frame of the church do not greatly differ from the old ? presbyterian . query 30. whether gods law obligeth not persons to devote themselves , and their infants to god , by consenting to gods covenant for themselves and them ? whether it was not the duty of the israelites to engage and devote their children to god in covenant ? whether this be not evident from the penalty ( even to be cut off from his people ) annexed for the non-performance ? ( and whether this be not as much our duty still ? ) does not the law of nature bind us to give to every one his own due ? and are not infants god's own due ? does not the law of nature bind parents to give them up to god by acknowledging his right , with a free resignation and dedication of the inf●n● to god as his own ? baptist . antiq. 30. where are christian parents required to devote their children by consenting to any covenant for them ( or in their stead , as the jews were in matters of religion : and what penalty hath god imposed on them that devote not their insants by sprinkling them as you do ? and whether we do omit the duty of devoting our children to god in any thing wherein the law of god or nature obligeth us , ( abating us all what must be abated ) ? and who denies infants to be capable of infant-relation , obligation or right , or who opposes their being devoted to god in their capacity ? and whether this be not a meer noise of words , as if all that do not as you do , do lay a side their care and duties towards infants ? and where is the institution of your publick way ? have we not a more certain instituted way to devote them to god by prayer , and to educate them in his fear , as they are capable , then you have to cross or sprinkle them ? presbyterian . query 31. whether anabaptists themselves , all of them that are truly pious , do not vertually ( though not actually ) devote their children to god , and consent to their covenant-relation , while they vehe●ently plead against it ? baptist . antiqu. 31. whether you do not greatly wrong your self , and those you call anabaptists , in saying , they vehemently plead against devoting their children to god ; yea sure , they do it actually as far as gods word requires ? and can you believe , that there is no way to devote children to god but in your way ? how then did adam , enoch , scth , noah , &c. devote their children to god ? and it would do well also if you could shew us how they consented to any covenant for their infants , more then we do ? or prove if you can , that you your selves do consent to the covenant of grace for your infants , more then we whom you call anabaptists ? does not eusebius pamphilius count christianity as old as adam ? l. 1. c. 1. and doth not tertullian say , enoch justissimum non circumcisum nec sibbatizantem , &c. enochan upright man was translated by god , though he were not circumcised , neither yet did observe the sabba●h . -- vt aeternitas candidatis , &c. to the end , that he who did aspire to eternity might shew us , that we might please god without the burthen of moses law. and what law ( save the la● of circumcision ) did ever require infants to be brought to practical ordinances in the church of god ? presbyterian . query 32. is it not a desperate undertaking , and dare any adventure on it , to justifie all the world before christs incarnation , except the jews , from the guilt of not dedicating their children to god ? and do not they that say there is no law in this case , say there is no transgression ? a●d dare any in like manner undertake to justifie at the bar of god all the vvorld since christs incarnation from the guilt of sin , in not dedicating their children'to christ , and entring them into his covenant as members of his church ? dare any maintain that all the world is sinless in this respect ? baptist . antiq. 32. whether this be not a very unwise query ? as if none of the fathers did dedicate their infants to god , unless they brought them to some practical ordinance in the church , which is the only thing you do so complain of ? and how , i pray you , did abraham , isaac and jacob dedicate their female infants to god , sith we finde no practical ordinance for them in infancy ? or who goes about to justifie the world , if they do not as the law of god and nature wills them to do for their infants ? and may we not well justifie all men , for not doing that which the law of god never required ? presbyterian . query 33. is it not a great benefit and priviledge to be a visible church-member of christ as head of the church , and of his church as visible ? is it not abenefit in it self ( besides the consequents ) to be visibly united and related to christ and his body ? is not such a relation to god the father , son and holy ghost , and to the church , an honor ? and how great is the misery of a contrary state ? and if infant church-membership were no benefit , then how were they that had it , ( when they came to age , or their parents in the mean time ) obliged to any thankfulness for it ? will any say , that neither they nor their parents were obliged to thankfulness upon this account ? baptist . antiqu. 33. what benefit is it to bring infants to that which god requires not of them ? or whether it be any loss to them till god requires it ? and seeing you make your pedo-rantism this all in all , shew us what benefit or priviledge you had when sprinkled , more then the infants of a pious baptist ? and what is that benefit that all who are sprinkled by the papists ▪ do receive , which you ratifie for good baptism ? or how are their infants church-members more then ours ? and whether our children when grown up , have not a fairer way to the purity of christianity , in that they are not entangled with such traditions ? presbyterian . query 34. is it not certain that infants are capable of this benefit , if god deny it not , but will give it them as well as the aged ? and is it not certain , that they are actually members of all the commonwealths in the world ? ( perfecte , sed imperfecte membra ) and does not nature seem actually to have taught most people on earth , to repute their infants in the same religiou● society with themselves , as well as in the same civil society ? baptist . antiqu. 34. that infants are capable of what god will give them is very true ; and we therefore ask , whether infants be not as capable of the lords supper as baptism , if the lord will give it them ? and as far as gods will is , that infants should be related to his church , we doubt not of their capacity for it . and why is the order of commonwealths so much insisted on in this case ? are we to fetch our rules for dispensing ordinances in the church , from the civil policie of nations ? we desire you still to show us what the law of nature obligeth us to do for our infants , which we do not ? is both the law of god and nature broken by all that bring not their infants to be crossed or sprinkled as you do ? sure you can never make this good . baptist . query 35. whether according to the tenour of the covenant of grace , god will not vouchsafe to be their god , and take them for his people , ( that are in a natural , or law-sense ) willing to be his people , and take him for their god ? and whether the infants of believing parents are not thus willing ? when infants cannot be actually willing themselves in a natural sense , must not the reason and will of another be theirs in law-sense , that is , of the parents , have the full dispose of them , and are warranted by the law of nature to choose for them ( for their good ) till they come to the use of reason themselves . whether in gods acceptance the child doth not thus truly consent by the believing parents , and doth not covenant with god , as a child covenanteth and consenteth reputatively among men , who by his parents is made a party in contract , as in a lease for his life , or the like ? and so granting the relation of church-membership , to be founded in a mutual contract , covenant or consent betwixt god and us , yet must not this consent on our part differ according to the different age and capacity of infants , and the adult ? were not the israelites infants church-members , who consented not actually in their own persons , but virtually , and reputatively ? baptist . antiqu. 35. we still require you to shew where this law is , that obligeth christians to will the baptizing of their infants , and that will warrant the baptizing of one person by vertue of anothers will ? and why may not a reputative baptism serve as well as a reputative covenant , sith the covenant is greater then baptism ? and whether this be an advised speech , that the parent hath the whole disposal of his child in matters of religion ? and who must judge what is good for his infant in religious matters ? must not gods word do this ? and shew us what command we have omitted , in not bringing our infants to the font as you do ? or do you think that your instance of a lease , is sufficient to rectifie mens consciences in matters of this nature ? and what if some of the jews had failed to consent for their children , were they therefore not in covenant ? sure it was the law , not the parents consent , that regulated these matters . neither do we finde , that the israelites were bound to repent and believe in the person of the child , and accordingly to make profession in his name , when circumcised , as you do at the font when you pretend to baptize your infants , when yet you baptize them not , seeing sprinkling cannot be truly called baptism ? presbyterian . query 26. whether it be not the duty of parents by the law of nature , to accept of any allowed or offered benefit for their children ? the infant being not sui juris , but at his parents dispose in all things that are for his good , have not the parents power to oblige their children to any future duty or suffering , that is certainly for their own good ? and so may they not enter them into covenants accordingly ? and is it not unnaturally sinful for a parent to refuse to do such a thing , when it is to the great benefit of his own child ? and doth it not deserve to be called the unthankful error , that opposeth childrens rights , and blessings ? baptist . antiqu. 36. whether this query be not the same in effect , which we have had again and again ? and we would know what offered benefits the infant of the pedobaptists meet with , among the papists , or your selves either , which we received not , meerly for this cause of not doing to our infants , as they and you are pleased to do ? and whether it were not as reasonable for parents to be baptized in the childs stead , as to profess faith and repentance for him ? and whether it be reasonable for a parent to oblige his infant to be of his opinion and practice , and to suffer for the same ? and what law of god requires this , and whether this may not be called the unreasonable errour ? presbyterian . query 37. vvhether it may be thought , or any dare maintain , that the covenant of grace giveth no conditional right to any infant in the world ? are they all excluded ? and why ? are they worse then their parents ? if it give any right to infants conditionally , as it doth t● parents , must it not be on a condition to be performed by the parents , or such as are so far entrusted ? or can this be called a covenant , for god only to say [ i will save all such infants as i elect ] and yet offer salvation to none of them in the world on any condition , nor give a title to any person that can be known by themselves or others ? would it not be to confound the decree of god with his covenant ? and what right or hope doth this give to christians for their children more then to pagans ? baptist . antiqu. 37. whether it may be thought that god should require the conditions of the covenant of grace on them , which he knows can observe none at all ; or whether it be his will , that the grace of that covenant should depend upon others observation of the conditions for them ? and whether this be not to put the salvation of infants out of his own hand , and into the hand of such as commonly neglect their own ? and is not this to expo●e poor infants to ruine , whose parents generally are so far from keeping , that they are strangers to the conditions of this covenant ? and where are we taught to doubt the salvation of the infants of pagans ? or to conclude ours only are in the state of salvation ? and is it not much more secure to hope the salvation of infants on the ground of christs dying for them , and rising again for their justification ▪ then upon any practical in religion ? and where did god ever since the beginning of the world , give any ordinance to be necessary to the salvation of any infant in the world ? can you believe that the cutting off of the uncircumcised man-child , was a cutting off from salvation ? how then were all the infants saved which were born to the israelites for fourty years together , such of them , i mean , as died during that time ? and why may not infants as well be made righteous without any thing done on their part , as they were made sinners without any thing done on their part ? will not the second adams obedience salve the first adams disobedience ? and may not poor infants better plead in the day of judgement what christ did for them , then what your godfathers or proparents did for them ? presbyterian . query 38. though all that are saved , are saved by the meritorious righteousness of christ , by way of free gift ; yet whether the condition be not a suteable acceptance ? and why may not a parent accept a donation for his child , who hath no will to accept it for himself ? shall he be certainly shut out unto damnation ? or shall he have that gift absolutely which is conditional to all others ? or is he not concerned in the donation at all ? and have not infants guilt and misery from their parents ? and though life and pardon be by christ only , yet is it not congruous , that the meer condition of acceptance may b● performed by the parents , ( while they cannot accept for themselves ? ) baptist . antiq. 38. whether the meritoriousness of christ is not as available to save infants without any mans acceptance thereof for them ▪ or whether hath god ty'd the salvation of any person to the acceptance of another ? and whether these be not unreasonable and unscriptural conceits ? and whether it be not for want of better grounds for infant-baptism , that you thus continually tautologize , varying little from that which you have said once and again ? presbyterian . query 39. ( whether it be no advantage for children to be under an early engagement to god , and jesus christ ? ) whether to dedicate them betimes to god , doth not tend to secure god's right and childrens good , and to prevent their sin and misery ; they being thus under a double obligation , which they may be minded of betimes , and which may hold them more strongly to their duty , and disadvantage the tempter that would draw them off from god , &c ▪ baptist . antiqu. 39. who is against as early an engagement of children to god as can lawfully be made ▪ and do not the baptists engage their children to god as soon as they can , by prayer and supplication whiles infants ; and then by the best education they are able when docible ? but whether any thing be done to purpose in your judgement ( when yet all is done that can be done ) unless it be rantized in your way ? and whether it be not b●tter to leave the event of their accepting baptism to the wise dispose of god , then to do it per force in infancy , without precept from god ? also whether the infant-baptism be such a means to propagate religion as you suppose , may be seen , when you consider how in the darkness of popery , pedobaptism was more common then now , but christianity much less ? and name one if you can , that was bettered in christian vertue by pedobaptism ? we think we can name one , and that your self , which is worse for it , for had you not that to rest on , you would probably desire to put on christ in baptism ? whether it be not the fittest time to be buried with christ in baptism , when we are dead with him from the rudiments of the world , or whether it be reasonable to bury sinners therein till they be dead to sin ? and whether it can profit any person to be baptized , unless he have the answer of a good conscience , by the resurrection of christ from the dead , 1 pet. 3. therein ? presbyterian . query . 40. whether it can be proved , that ever there was one age or church ( particular ) on earth since adam , till about 200 years ago , that the anabaptists rose , wherein infants de facto were not members of the church ? baptist . antiqu. 40. whether in your sense of making infants members of the church de facto , it can be proved there was any one so made a member from the beginning of the world till abrahams time ? and whether john baptist , christ , or any by his order , did receive infants into the church de facto . and whether the baptist do not better prove the antiquity of their faith and practice in baptism then any aedo baptist in the world ? and doth not your conscience tell you , that the baptism of men and women , upon profession of faith and repentance , is beyond the reach of contradiction ? whilest m. baxter himself confesses infant-baptism to be so difficult , that many of its assertors , both protestants and papists , are forced to confess it cannot be proved by the scriptures ? see his cure p. 7. and seeing you and we are generally agreed , that our way both for subject and manner is out of dispute , clear in the scriptures ; and you confess by the pen of mr. baxter , that yours is very difficult , is it not reason the difficult way should give place to the clear and evident way ? presbyterian . query 41. vvhether it can be proved , that ever there was any one i●fant of true church-members , that was not rightfully a church-member himself from the creation till christ's days ? or from the creation till this day ; except the anabaptists , who reject the benefit , whose case we will not presume to determine ? baptist . antiqu. 41. whether this query be not the same we had before ? and whether what is said to it , may not also suffiee to this ? presbyterian . query 42. seeing that infants have been de facto church-members from the creation to this day ( as far as any records can lead us ) is it likely , that the lord , and head , and all-sufficient governour of his church , would have permitted his church till now , to be actually made up of such subjects , as in regard of age be disallowed , and suffered his church to be wrong framed till now ? or is it a reasonable , modest and lawful undertaking , to go about now in the end of the world to make god a new framed church . as to the age of the subjects ? and is it not more modest and safe , to live quietly in a church of that frame , as all the saints of heaven lived in , till the other day , as a few anabaptists did attempt an alteration ? baptist . antiqu. 42. whether it be not utterly untrue , that infants were members of the church de facto , i.e. to be brought to partake of ordinances practical in the church , save only from abraham to the end of the law ? and whether all the pedobaptists in the world have not hitherto been unable to shew any one instance before abraham , or since the law was abrogated , so much as one infant admitted to any such ordinance in the church of ●od , according to what the scriptures afford in thi● 〈◊〉 ? and ●●●her it be not as modest in us to labour to restore ●●ptism to its pure use in the church , both in respect of the subject and manner of administration thereof , as it was for the protestants to do the like in respect of the lords supper ? also whether your pretending the authority of the universal church , be not the same figment , with which the papists deceived themselves and others ? and how can you pretend the universal church , when the primitive church is on our side ? presbyterian . query 43. whether considering christs own infant-mem●●rship , and his kind reception of infants , and his chiding those that would have kept them off , and his offers of taking in all the jewish nation , ( matth. 23. 37. ) and that they were broken off by unbelief , and consequently the seed of believers broken off from the church vniversal , and that whole housholds are oft said to be baptized , and that paul pronounceth believers children holy , and that christ ( mat. 28. ) commanded his ministers , as much as in them lieth , to disciple all nations baptizing them , & c ? baptist . antiqu. 43. whether christs infants church-membership did not pertain to the jewish church only , gal. 4. 4. born under the law only , &c. and whether he was not about 30 years when he entred in our profession , heb. 3. 3. the apostle and high priest of our profession christ jesus . see luke 3. and then whether his example be not flat against you ? also whether christs only praying for infants , and not baptizing them though brought to him , neither ordering any other to do it that we reade of , do not shew us that infants may be under the blessings of christ without baptism ? and whether you may not tremble to presume to do more then he did , or appointed to be done ? are you wiser then he ? also whether it lies within the power of any minister to disciple an infant ; or shew us one infant with you , or any pedo-baptist ever made a disciple ? or be pleased to come and make my infants disciples if you can , and i promise you i will assist you what i can in the baptizing them ? and not only so , but do my best to employ you elsewhere , i speak it seriously . and whether this would not do more to decide the controversie , then all the books that are written by any of you ? and if you cannot do this , how will matth. 28. 19. warrant you to baptize infants , sith its plain that discipling goes before baptizing ? and how disciples are to be made we think it best to learn of jesus , john 4. 3. how think you ? do you indeed believe , that any person being of the nation , entitles them to● b●ptism ? why then who is not a fit subject , seeing all infants ●nd men too are of one nation or another ? and if there be other qualifications necessary , whether to be taught be not one of the chief of them ? and why do you say we take infants away from christs church , because we baptize them not ; are they in it before baptized ? if so , how do we take them away ? presbyterian . query 44. in summ , whether 1. god would not have parents devote their children to him , and enter them according to their capacity in his covenant ? 2. whether also he doth not accept into his covenant all that are faithfully thus devoted to him , and be not peculiarly their god , that such children are holy ? 3. whether they are not as certainly members , according to an infant-capacity , of the visible church , as they are of all kingdoms under heaven ? 4. whether there be not far more hope of their salvation , then of those without ? 5. whether the covenant doth not make their salvation certain , if they so die ? 6. whether the invest●ure and solemnization of their covenant with christ should not be made in infancy , & c ? baptist . antiqu. 44. in summ , 1. whether we do not as much to our infants ( in our capacity ) as christ did to the infants which were brought to him ? and will not that sati●fie , unless we go from him to follow you ? and as to the business of the covenant , let us hear what mr. baxter saith , more r●●s . p. 86. all mankind is brought by christ under a covenant of grace , which is not vain or repealed by god , but as their abuse of the grace of the covenant may cast them out ; for as a covenant of entire nature was made with all mankind in innocent adam ; so a covenant of grace was made with all mankind in lapsed adam , gen. 3. 15. in the promised seed ; and renewed again with all ma●kind in noah , &c. and now we ask whether our infants according to this account of the covenant of grace be not in it without bapti●m , fith they have not abused the grace of the covenant ? and whether baptism be not far more proper , when after they have corrupted themselves by sin , they come to humiliation , and so to enter into this covenant upon the termes of the gospel ? whether your exposition of the universal church , upon mat. 28. 19. do take in the practice of the apostles in pursuance of that commission to the acts of the apostles , and the exposition of the baptists ? and if not , then you either deny us to be of the universal church , or else you have not the exposition of the church universal ? presbyterian . query 45. how inconsiderable a part of the universal church do the anabaptists hold communion with ? and do they not unchurch almost all the churches on earth ? ( may we not think , that they rob christ of more them nine parts of ten of his kingdom , or church universal ? v. p. 305. ) baptist . antiqu. 45. whether upon luthers revolt from the pope , you were not upbraided with holding communion with an inconsiderable part of the universal church ? why do you take up the papists weapons ? did not that pious man that succoured athanasius in the time of the arrian persecution answer the objection well , when he said , the cause of truth is not therefore empaired , because i am alone ; -- glory not therefore in multitudes , for it is not the multitude but the cause that justifieth or condemneth ? also whether we may not also conclude , that many are of the universal church , which do not communicate with us or your selves ? and yet whether the separation from many pedobaptists will not justifie our separation from you more clearly ? presbyterian . query 46. whether they can possibly hop● , that ever the church on earth will unite upon their terms , of rejecting all their infants from the visible church , and renouncing all our infant-rights and benefits conferred by the baptismal covenant of grace ? baptist . antiqu. 46. whether this be in effect to say , what will these feeble jews do ? and why may we not hope that this great mistake of yours may vanish , as well as that great mistake of austin , and the generality of men prosessing christianity , who brought infants also to the lords table , and that for many hundreds of years together , and defended it by as plaufible reasons as any you have for baptizing them ? could god reform so great and general an errour , forced on by learning and authority of eminent men ; and shall we think this thing only too hard for god ▪ our small number shall not make us doubt , for we know god doth great things by small means . and what baptismal grace do we desire you to renounce , when we only defire you to mend an errour ; did the twelve disciples , acts 19. renounce any baptismal grace , when ( according to the interpretation of the ancients ) they were baptized again ? surely reformation is no errour . presbyterian . query 47. and whether if they continue to the worlds end to separate from almost all the churches and unchurch them , their employment will not be still to serve the great enemy of love and concord , against the lord of love and peace , and against the profperity of faith and godliness , and against the welfare of the church and souls , and to the scandal and hardning of the ungodly ? baptist . antiqu. 47. whether the separation is not justly chargeable upon those which cause divisions and offences , by asserting and maintaining such errours , as being admitted , the way of god must be corrupted , or laid aside ? and whether these are not the men , that ( at least unawares ) serve the design of the great enemy , and whether you are not guilty of the fault wherewith you would charge us ? p●esbyterian . 48. whether too many well-meaning , but weak christians , are not disaffected to lawful and warrantable things in the worship of god , meerly because they see such as are ungodly use and own them ? and whether if god should but let us have a king and other rulers , that were against infant-baptism , and singing of psalmes , &c. and would make laws for their own way , and impose it on others , so that the ungodly multitude should fall in with them , it would not presently cure many that are now for such opinions ? baptist . antiqu. 48. whether many , but weak christians , would hold to the errou● of infant-sprinkling , but meerly because j. b. and mr. baxter , &c. do so . and whether this be not as much weakness of the one hand , as the case put by you on the other ? and whether both ought not to be amend●d ? and whether the latter part of this query do not shew , that to follow the greatest number is not always the best way ? and why then would you discourage us by our paucity ? and whether such confiderations might not have discouraged the apostles , seeing they were to alter the state of religion in the jewish church , yea , throughout the whole world ? presbyterian . query 49. whether mr. baxter in the second and third part of that his second defence of our infants rights , have not sufficiently detected the great and notorious untruths in fact and history , wherewith mr. h. d. treatise of baptism , and reply to mr. willes is fully stuffed . baptist . antiqu , 49. whether mr. d. and mr. tombes have not sufficiently detected mr. baxters mistakes in many of his works 〈◊〉 infant-baptism . and particularly in mr. tombes his felo de se . also whether mr. wills exceptions against mr. d. are not well foiled by mr. d. in his twofold defence of his treatise of baptism ; and whether mr. baxter did ever yet , or ever will accept of mr. tombes his serious challenge lately made in these words . i challenge him to set down distinctly his theses , concerning the grace he meanes , the covenant of grace , what and whose it is , how it is bap , iswal , what are the rights and benefits conferred to infants by it , using words in their proper sence and genuine notions , and then without questions , exclamations , flirts , suppositions improved , set down his scriptures , and form his arguments substantially -- and then i doubt not but learned and accurate disputants will see his folly , &c. postscript to mr. d. second reply p. 267. presbyterian . query 50. whether the anabaptists schism , or separation from communion with our churches be not worse yet then their simple opinion ? and whether it be not desirable , and possible , that some may be found out , and terms laid down , in which good and sober men on both sides would agree and hold communion ? baptist. antiqu. 50. whether the papists may not on fairer grounds query thus with the protestantt , then you can do with us , especially when the cause you manage against us is so doubtful in the judgement of its best friends ▪ as we shewed in our preface ; and here we shall further add what mr. y. notes in his first reply , p. 126. mr. chillingworth ( saith he ) in his answer to knot 's charity maintain'd , part . 1. c. 3. § . 44. p. 152. saith , the doctrine of infant-baptism is of that sort , of which the scripture is silent . and the oxford-divines , in their reasons os the present judgement of the university , &c. june 1. 1674. do. sect . 4. p. 9. say , that without the consent , judgment and practice of the universal church , ( which they distinguish from the scriptures ) they should be at a loss when they are called upon for proof of the baptizing infants . now this considered with what dr. taylor saith , dissuasive from popery , p. 118. that it is certain , there is no universal or prime tradition for baptizing infants , then whether you may not more securely forbear baptizing your infants , till endowed with knowledge and faith , then to do it without . and in the mean time retain your opinion about their being in the covenant of grace , and let christs ministers or your selves pray for them after the example of christ . and whether this might not be a more likely way for a lasting peace between the baptists and the pedobaptists , and more consonant to the scriptures then the way propounded by you ? and seeing it shall come into your hearts to make some overtures for peace , we desire you would prosecute that needful work. and whether it may not better be done by personal conference in a friendly and christian manner , then by writing books one to another . and whether the baptists have not offered this , and bin rejected by you in such their tenders of friendship ? may these queries and antiqueries have an effectual tendency to the increase of love and chirstian friendship , and if not , whether it had not been better they had been unwritten ? finis . the postscript . shewing that infant-baptism is contrary to the command of christ . receiving lately in writing a proposition from a minister of the church of england , to which i sent him certain arguments , to prove what is denied in the said proposition ; i shall here offer the same to consideration . the proposition is this , prop. infant-baptism is not contrary to the command of christ . contra. infant-baptism is contrary to the command of christ . arg. 1. if infant-baptism be not contrary to the command of christ , then it is of divine institution , but infant-baptism is not of divine institution , ergo , infant-baptism is contrary to the command of christ . the major is true , because there is only one baptism instituted by christ . the minor is true , because no man can shew any divine institution of infant-baptism . arg. 2. if infant-baptism be not contrary to the command of christ , then it agrees with christs commission for the perpetuity of baptism , mat. 28. 19. but infant-baptism is not agreeable to the commission from the perpetuity of baptism , mat. 28. 19. ergo , infant-baptism is contrary to the command of christ . the major is true , because christ commanded nothing contrary to his own commission . the minor is true , sith no man can shew any agreement between the commission and infant-baptism . arg. 3. if infant baptism be not contrary to the command of christ , then it is agreeable to the practice of the apostolical churches , but infant-baptism is not agreeable to the practice of the apostolical churches . ergo , infant-baptism is contrary to the command of christ . the major i● true , because the apostolical church did observe all that christ commanded in the case of baptism . the minor is true , because no man can shew , the apostolical churches did baptize so much as one infant . arg. 4. if infant-baptism be not contrary to the command of christ , then it is the baptism of repentance for remission of sin . but infant-baptism is not the baptism of repentance for remission of sins ; ergo , infant-baptism is contrary to the command of christ . the major is true , because christ commanded no baptism , but the baptism of repentance for remission of sins , acts 2. 38. and eph. 4. 5. the minor is true , because infants have all the remission needful in infancy , without repentance , else they can have no remission . arg. 5. that which hath in a great measure , and naturally tends wholly to make void the baptism commanded by christ , is contrary to the command of christ . but infant-baptism hath in a great measure , and naturally tends wholly to make void the baptism commanded by christ . ergo , infant-baptism is contrary to the command of christ . the major is true , because christ commands nothing to make void his own command . the minor is true , for where infant-baptism is generally rcceived , there believers baptism ceaseth . arg. 6. if infant-baptism be as unreasonable , as to baptise persons when they are asleep or dead , then it is contrary to the command of christ . but infant-baptism is as unreasonable as to baptize persons when they are asleep or dead . ergo , infant-baptism is contrary to the command of christ . the major is true , because christ commanded nothing that is unreasonable , i mean , that which is really so according to truth , and not in mans judgement only . the minor is true , first becaufe those who baptize infant● do usually do it when they are a●leep ; secondly , because the grounds usually insisted on for infantbaptism , will as well justifie the baptizing persons asleep or dead ; ● mean , such only as have known and believed in the lord jesus ; yea , the scripture may seem ( according to interpreters , to hint some such thing to have been done in the christian church , and he not approve it ) but no such intimation touching any infant . arg. 7. that practice which renders the practice of christ and his true followers , ( who were baptized in rivers , or much water ) superfluous or ridiculous , and which agreeth not with the word baptize , when used in the new testament to express the act done in that ordinance , is contrary to the command of christ . but the sprinkling of infants now used by the presbyterians , renders the practice of christ and his true followers , ( who were baptized in rivers or much water ) supersluous or ridiculous , and agreeth not with the signification of the word baptize , when used to express ( according to the new testament ) the act done in that ordinance . ergi , infant-baptism is contrary to the command of christ . t●e major is evident , because christ would command nothing to reflect dishonour upon his own practice , the minor is true , because if sprinkling a little water on the face only be su●ficient , then immersion or dipping in the river must needs be superfluous , &c. neither can the word baptize and rantize , with any equity of speech or good sence , be used to ezpress the same action . thus , though we justly refuse infant-baptism , because no man can prove it commanded by christ , yet that we may more effectually perswade our countreymen , to admit of the restoration of this ordinance to pristine integrity , we have offered these arguments to shew how contrary to christs command is that darling tradition os pedobaptism . finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a41786-e7880 from the institution of baptism . from the institution of bapt●sm from the practice of the first church . from the necessity of repentance , where sin is washed away baptismally . from the ill consequence of infant-baptism . for the unreasonableness therof . from the dishonour i● offereth to christs practice . the certainty of divine revelation a sermon preached at st. martins in the fields, feb. 4. 1694/5. being the second of the lecture for the ensuing year, founded by the honourable robert boyle, esquire. by john williams, d.d. chaplain in ordinary to his majesty. williams, john, 1636?-1709. 1696 approx. 53 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 22 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; 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(eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a66386) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 35903) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 2121:10) the certainty of divine revelation a sermon preached at st. martins in the fields, feb. 4. 1694/5. being the second of the lecture for the ensuing year, founded by the honourable robert boyle, esquire. by john williams, d.d. chaplain in ordinary to his majesty. williams, john, 1636?-1709. boyle, robert, 1627-1691. the second edition corrected. [4], 39, [1] p. printed for ri. chiswell, and tho. cockerill: at the rose and crown in st. paul's church-yard; and at the three legs in the poultrey, london : m dc xc vi. [1696] with an initial imprimatur leaf dated feb. 4. 1654/5. and signed guil. lancaster. with a final advertisment page. reproduction of the original in the trinity college library, cambridge. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng bible. -n.t -hebrews i, 1-2 -sermons -early works to 1800. sermons, english -17th century. salvation -early works to 1800. 2005-01 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-01 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2005-04 emma (leeson) huber sampled and proofread 2005-04 emma (leeson) huber text and markup reviewed and edited 2005-10 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion imprimatur , feb. 4. 1694 / 5. guil. lancaster . the certainty of divine revelation . a sermon preached at st. martins in the fields , feb. 4. 1694 / 5. being the second of the lecture for the ensuing year , founded by the honourable robert boyle , esquire . by john williams , d. d. chaplain in ordinary to his majesty . the second edition corrected . london : printed for ri. chiswell , and tho. cockerill : at the rose and crown in st. paul's church-yard ; and at the three legs in the poultrey . mdcxcvi . heb. i. 1 , 2. god who at sundry times , and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets , hath in these last days spoken unto us by his son. in which words i have observed there is , i. a description given of revelation , 't is god's speaking , and declaring his will to persons chosen for that purpose . ii. the certainty of it ; 't is by way of declaration , and taken for granted , god who at sundry times , and in divers manners spake , &c. iii. the order observed in delivering this revelation ; it was at sundry times , and in divers manners : in time past by the prophets , and in the last days by his son. it was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , in parts , and in several periods and manifestations ; and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , by illapses , visions , &c. iv. the perfection and conclusion of all , 't is in the last days by his son ; the heir of all things , &c. under the first i have shewed , 1. what we mean by revelation , in contradistinction to natural light. 2. the possibility of it . 3. the expedience , usefulness , and necessity of it . it is the second i am to proceed to , viz. the certainty . under which i shall shew , i. that god has reveal'd himself ; or that there has been such revelation . ii. the difference between pretended and real revelation . iii. that the scriptures of the old and new testament contain such a revelation , and have upon them all the characters necessary and belonging to such revelation . i. that there has been a divine revelation . what i have principally in my eye , is the proof of the divine authority of the holy scriptures ; but for the present i shall lay that aside , and take my rise towards it from such general principles and observations as are founded upon reason ; or such particular instances and matters of fact as manifestly proceeded from revelation . and accordingly i shall dispose of what i have to say in proof of it , under these four heads ; as we have for it , 1. a rational or moral evidence . 2. a natural . 3. a traditionary , or testimony . 4. a supernatural . first , moral : where in the first place i take for granted what i have before proved , viz. that a divine revelation is expedient , useful , and necessary ; and upon that supposition shall attempt to prove the certainty of it . i acknowledge , where the necessity is created by our own fault , there lies no obligation upon the creator to provide a remedy ; and since the necessity mankind is now in , proceeded from their apostacy , that necessity can in reason be no just plea for it , nor a sufficient excuse in the want of it . when man was created in such a state as made revelation a necessary help to his reason , god immediately afforded him such an extraordinary manifestation of himself : but when he forfeited that divine gift , he could have no allowable right or claim to it ; for to him that hath , and improves what he hath , shall be given ; but to him that hath not , and takes no care to preserve and improve it , may justly be denied what was otherwise fit and necessary for him to have . this indeed is the case , if rigorously stated ; but considering the miserable circumstances mankind were in after the fall , more especially through want of a revelation , we may reasonably conclude , that the goodness of god would no less incline him to give it , than if he had been obliged to it by a special grant , promise , or covenant . decrees are secrets lock'd up in the breast of almighty god ; and whatever good is therein intended , how beneficial soever they may be in the event , yet afford no satisfaction to us , till they are opened and revealed : and though the redemption of mankind were decreed , and were according to circumstances to operate , and in due season to be fully executed , yet what would they have been the better , if for 4000 years together that decree had lay hid in the bosom of the father , and the decree had never been a promise , and that promise had never before that time been reveal'd unto them ? so that had we no such promise upon record , as , the seed of the woman shall bruise the serpent's head ; yet however , we might be as sure that there was some such kind of revelation made to adam , some promise of forgiveness , when god did intend to redeem him and all mankind , as there was a design to redeem them : it being as necessary toward their present comfort to have a revelation of that mercy in their redemption , as redemption it self was necessary toward their happiness . and this will farther be confirmed , if we consider what has been before proved in the former discourse , that all men have had a sense of the want of a revelation ; and have been possess'd with an earnest and impatient desire of obtaining it ; which being a desire becoming human nature , useful and fit to be cherish'd , it is not to be conceiv'd , that where there is provision made to answer all sensible and natural appetites throughout the creation , that this no less importunate , though supervenient desire , should have no regard paid to it , but be suffered , like aetna , to be always burning within , tormenting , as it were , the bowels of mankind with an unquenchable fire , or an unsatiable desire of knowing what was not to be known , and of obtaining what was not to be obtained . this is a state that the consideration of god's goodness will not admit us to suppose ; and we must therefore necessarily conclude , that the same divine power and wisdom that made man a reasonable and inquisitive being , and has allowed him a world of wonders to employ that faculty in the contemplation of , hath also provided for that noble desire of knowing what the will of his maker is , and what relates to his own eternal welfare ; and that is , by a revelation . indeed without this , 't is with him as with one that is born blind , that whatever other evidence he may have of the being of a god , wants one of the most convincing of all , which is , the wonders of an almighty power and incomprehensible wisdom , conspicuous in the frame of nature , and the visible parts of the creation : so whatever sense men , that have only reason for their guide , may have of the mercy and goodness of god ; whatever they may observe in the course of his providence to confirm them in the belief of it ; whatever hopes they may have of it , from the general notion of the divine nature ; whatever desire they may have of it , from a sense of their own misery , yet they want that evidence of it , which , as we find by constant experience , alone can satisfy and compose their doubtful and distracted minds , and that is certainty , or , which is the same , revelation ; by which and nothing less , that certainty is to be attained . and therefore we have just reason to believe that was not wanting to the first ages of the world : for the same reason we have to believe god to be good , the like reason we have to believe that he did after that manner make himself known in those early times from the first to mankind . but it may be said , what is all this reasoning to matter of fact ? for if after all , there has been no such revelation , or no proof can be made of it , that is more than a thousand speculative arguments for it . and besides , supposing there was once a revelation , what was that to those ages and nations that afterwards wanted it , and were condemned , as it were , to sit in darkness , and the shadow of death ? the last of these is not to be denied , and so i shall first of all consider it . and in answer to it it shall suffice to say for the present , that if there has been such a revelation made known to the world , and all due care taken by the almighty and beneficent creator for the preservation of it , and it afterwards be damnified , or corrupted , or in fine , utterly lost , through the negligence or perverseness of men themselves , the fault of the miscarriage wholly rests upon them . the making known the revelation , was an extraordinary case , and is a voluntary act of grace and favour in almighty god ; the preservation of it is the ordinary case , and belongs to men : and when once the extraordinary case becomes ordinary , god leaves it to its proper and natural course , to second causes , to human prudence , care , and inspection . thus it is with reason , the noblest principle of human nature , which if not attended and nurtur'd , may degenerate into stupidity , and a kind of brutality . as it happen'd to some nations in the southern parts of africa , west-tartary , and west-indies , that notwithstanding the characters of an almighty being legibly stamped upon the face of the whole and every part of the creation , have so far degenerated , that it has been questioned , whether they have had any notion or sense of a god , or any sort of worship for him . and so it is in the case before us : for as god had made a special revelation of himself to adam after as well as before the fall , so he took a very effectual way for the conveyance and preservation of it , by the longaevity of those patriarchs with whom it was deposited , and who were to take care that it might be preserv'd inviolable : three of which alone fill'd up the first period of 1656 years , from the creation to the flood ; viz. adam , methuselah , and noah : so that methuselah lived 243 years with adam , ( for so old was he when adam died ; ) and noah lived 600 years with methuselah ( for so old was noah when methuselah died , and the flood came . ) and four again of the fathers after the flood ( tho the extent of their lives was shortned ) fell in with the 856 years from the flood to the giving of the law by moses at sinai : so that abraham is well supposed to have lived 150 years with shem , jacob about 20 with abraham , levi 60 years with jacob , and amram the father of moses lived in the time of his grandfather levi. now what course , in the circumstances and the state the world was at that time in , could be more fit , if duly observed , for conveying the matter of a revelation through the several periods and ages of the world , so far as personal teaching was sufficient ? and especially , when the things revealed , and after this manner to be delivered from age to age , were of importance sufficient to oblige both teacher and scholar ; and withal so few , as might without any difficulty be retained . and therefore , if notwithstanding the method taken by almighty god for the registring what he had revealed , in the memories of men , and for delivering it down to future ages , there was afterwards no care taken on their part , and no reasonable provision made for conserving such a revelation , but that in process of time , it was either totally obliterated , or vilely corrupted , the miscarriage was ( as i have said ) wholly chargeable upon such as by their negligence or wickedness made mankind to sin , in not delivering , or not faithfully delivering down to posterity what they themselves had received in its original purity from their ancestors . the case is indeed very lamentable , but what is not to be helped , without almighty god alters the nature of things , turns them out of their proper and ordinary course , and acts solely by his own power and prerogative , either without or above the agency of second causes . which is no more with reason to be expected , than that when god has made the earth in its own nature fertile , and capable of yielding all things necessary for man's subsistence , with cultivation ; that he should also be obliged to continue it in the same state it was created in ; and when by the sloth and stupidity of men it brought forth nothing but thorns and thistles , should miraculously make every tree that is pleasant to the sight , and good for food , and whatever was beneficial and necessary , to grow out of the ground , as at first , and before there was a man to till the ground . now if this be unreasonable for man to expect , it is so then in the case of revelation , which god had committed to the custody of men themselves , and made them whose interest it was , to be the conservators of it . having thus far considered the case of those that had not , or have no revelation , i shall return to the main point , which is , to shew that there has been such a revelation . and that brings me to the iid . sort of proof , which i call natural , as it belongs to things natural , and is opposed to what is of mere institution , ( which i conceive to be equivalent to revelation ) : and they are speech , and common notions . 1. speech : for which there is in man a natural capacity , and organs admirably contrived and disposed ( as we see by experience . ) but now there is a vast difference in that case betwixt us and other creatures ; for other creatures have not only organs as we have , fitted for their proper notes , but at once have all those organs in tune and in operation ; so that whatever they would signify in their way , and according to their kind , they immediately thereby express : but though the organs of speech in us are as exquisitely framed , yet we gradually grow up to the use of them ; and again , can never apply them , or know how to use them , without some precedent instruction . and therefore it has been the opinion of many , that without hearing others speak , we should be eternally dumb * ; as the experiment of psammeticus king of egypt shews † , ( if true ) of shutting up two children in separate caves , where they never heard one articulate word , and so could use none . so that now man must be taught , and as he is taught , so he speaks . but we will put the case in which there was no human instructor , and yet the person spoke as articulately , and had the free use of words , and knew as well how to express his mind by them from the very first , as if he had had the best helps for it in the world , and had been never so long a time versed and practised in it ; and that person was adam , who was created in a full age , and had none before him ; and yet must as soon have words for use , and skill how to use them , as he had to give names to the creatures , according to their several kinds . for without this , what conversation could he have with eve , or what comfort could he take in her presence , ( for it was not to be call'd society ) ; and what a dejection must there be in each of them , when all other creatures had their notes for understanding each other , according to the species they were of , but they themselves alone were mute . so that though 't is not expresly said , that adam and eve had any discourse ; yet 't is as certain from the reason of the thing , as it is that god spake to them , or the serpent and eve spake together . but 't is certain adam must then be self-instructed , or be instructed by god : he must then invent a language of himself , or he must be taught by him that made him . if he was to teach himself , how could he know that he was able to speak ; or how can we think he would begin his conversation by an attempt that way ? for 't is highly probable , that they would first have began with dumb signs , or some external motions ( as we see those ordinarily do , that have no words which others can understand ) ; or if they should at length have found out such an expedient , and formed some articulate sounds , yet what a tedious course would this have been , and how long before it could be wrought into a language , that they could first think of words , and then remember them , and then use them , and then fall into discourse ? don't we find how difficult it is to learn to speak a foreign language , when we have all advantages for it , by instruction and discourse with those that speak it ? but suppose two persons wholly strangers to one another , and of a language as different as chinese and english , should meet together , and be constrained by circumstances , being without other society , to converse with each other ; though each had a language of their own , and knew how to speak and form words for pronunciation , yet how long would it be before they could fix the words for it , and to have a term for every thing they were to discourse about ; to invent and agree upon it , and then to remember them , and then to use them ? and then much more will the difficulties increase , were these two in the case of adam and eve , and to beat out the track which never any walked in before ; to invent speech it self , and words to be spoken , and sufficient to express the thoughts of each other , so as to make company , and that company agreeable , acceptable , and useful . this must have been the work of time , if it had been practicable ; and the difficulty of it would have made each others company a burden rather than a pleasure , till such time as they could come to a mutual understanding of one anothers minds and inclinations . and therefore to make them meet helps for each other , it was of necessity that they should have an extraordinary power communicated from heaven , and be enabled by that instinct as soon to speak , as the other creatures are in a course of nature to utter such voices as are suitable to their kind , or as mankind are to express their passions of joy or sorrow , by laughter or tears . so that 't is not without reason , i rank the gift of speech among those things that are of a divine infusion , and so equivalent to revelation . 2. another instance of this kind , is what is usually called common notions , or natural impressions : common notions , because they are common to all mankind ; and natural impressions , because they are conceiv'd not to be acquired by any human means , such as education and instruction , observation and experience ; but are imprinted on our nature by an immediate and supernatural power . that there are such notions as all mankind do agree in , is undeniable ; such as the belief of a god , an adoration to be given to him ; and that there is an essential difference between good and evil , so that good cannot by any art or endeavour be made or esteemed to be evil , nor evil good : for as the natures of the things themselves cannot be altered , so neither can our conceptions of them . it is as undeniable , that these notions or impressions are so early to be discovered , and do so grow up with our reason , that they seem not to be the effects of our reason , but rather to be antecedent to it ; and that it is rather what we find , than what we chuse ; what belongs to our nature , than what we add to it . and accordingly as we have a notion , so a sense of those things , antecedent to all reasoning and instruction , which we call conscience , excusing or else accusing , according to the nature of the things , whether good or evil . now as the nature of the things must be before our conception of them , so both must be before we pass this practical judgment upon them : and if we do exercise this faculty antecedent to all instruction , then so must the sense of the things be , about which it is exercised . so the apostle , rom. 2. 14. when the gentiles which have not the law , do by nature the things contained in the law , these having not the law , are a law unto themselves : which shew the work of the law written in their hearts , their conscience also bearing witness , &c. which is exactly agreeable to the phrase of the wisest among them ; so aristotle calls it , the natural , common , and unwritten law. but above all , cicero ( who best knew the sense of the philosophers , and how to express it ) doth speak fully to this point , both as to the universality of these first notions , and the agreement in them by all mankind ; both as to the nature and rise of them . there is , saith he , a certain law , not written , but native to us , which we have not learned , received , nor read : but we have taken and derived it from nature it self ; to which we were not taught to be conformed , but made ; it was not by institution , but infusion . this , in another place , he saith all men have by a certain anticipation , and calls them innate cogitations ; and will allow it to come from no less a power than what is divine . we have , saith he , received a conscience from the immortal gods , which cannot be plucked away from us . so that whatever improvement these notions and impressions may receive from an after instruction , yet they seem to be implanted in us by the same power that made us reasonable creatures , who no more could leave himself without witness in our minds , than in the works of nature . and being thus antecedent to our own reasoning , or other information , can proceed from no other a principle than revelation doth , and is therefore equivalent to it . iii. there is a traditionary proof of revelation , which is by testimony , or by such instances as are a part of the revelation ; and of which , as i conceive , no tolerable account can be given , if they are not allowed to be of divine institution . in order to which , 1. i observe , that the want of a revelation in any particular nation or age , is not an argument sufficient to prove that there never was any revelation . for revelation being more especially of things not knowable by the mere light of nature , may be lost , while the light of nature remains . it being in this case much as it is in matters of history , which may be derived from one generation to another , and especially by registers and memorials : but if a former generation be careless and slothful , or the records not faithfully wrote or kept , the matters of fact in one age are irrecoverably lost in the next , or turned into fables . of which the earliest times are too manifest an instance ; and for which reason varro did not divide them amiss , into 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 & 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , obscure or unknown , and fabulous . which lasted till the first olympiad , and that was , at soonest , anno mundi 3173 ; when the historical age , according to him , begins . now as the want of such histories will not prove that there never were any such , and much less that there were no matters of fact for the furnishing such histories : so though there be no revelation , or no memorials of such a revelation , in some particular nations or ages , it will not necessarily follow that there never was any such revelation made to the world. 2. when i propose the proof of a revelation , i would not be understood so much as to suppose , that there was from the beginning , or before the time of moses , a pandect or collection of divine revelations ; but only that there were inspired persons to whom god did ( as occasion served ) reveal himself in sundry times and divers manners , such as adam , enoch , noah , &c. 3. where there has been or is no revelation , or pretence to it ( if any such age or people ever were ) yet there are or have been in those ages or nations , certain footsteps of such a revelation ; and which whereever they are found , are as evident marks of such a revelation , as pillars or crosses found in a countrey at present uninhabited , are , that there have been some persons that have been there before , and have erected those monuments . 4. i account such usages , rites , and principles , to proceed from revelation , that have no foundation in reason , and the nature of the thing , but are correspondent to what we call revelation ; and which can well have no reason at all assign'd for them , if not the reason given in that revelation : such are expiatory sacrifices , and other things relating to divine worship . 5. this is the more confirmed , if such usages , rites and principles have been observed , practised , and believed , in nations that have had no relation one to another , no commerce or communication , nor sometimes knowledge of one another ; for then they must arise from some common head , from whence they were ab-originally dispersed among the several branches of the same stock . when one people has been mixed with another , as the jews and egyptians ; or derived from another , as the colchi from the egyptians ; or there have been commerces and confederacies , wars and conquests , 't is no wonder they intermingle in several rites and observances . of this we have a notorious instance in circumcision , which by the abovesaid means came to be received by several nations , as the ethiopians , egyptians , and colchi , the phoenicians , and some of the syrians , as herodotus shews * . but when the usages , rites , and principles have been as well found where there has been no communication , as where there has ; 't is no less a sign they descend from one and the same original , than when the waters of the seven branches of the river nilus have one and the same taste and colour , without any communication , that they do all descend from the main stream . in like manner , if we find , suppose , among the seventy nations ( into which 't is said mankind was divided , upon the confusion at babel ) several of the same rites and usages , generally speaking , concurring with those of what we call revelation , we must conclude , that they were observed before that dispersion , and were wholly owing to as early an institution . among the instances that i shall make use of for the proof of a revelation , i shall begin with those that relate to divine worship , such as time , sacrifices , &c. 1. time. that there is some particular portion of time to be set apart for the publick worship of god , either by divine appointment , or humane consent , is absolutely necessary , when it is to be the act of a society ; for worship , without some time for such society to convene and assemble in , must inevitably end in confusion and dissolution . and therefore as god created the world as a temple to exhibit and manifest himself in , and created such beings as should in their several stations celebrate his praise ; so when he had finished all his work , he established that day which he rested upon , to be from thenceforward devoted to that service ; as we may see the institution , gen. 2. 2. i call this an institution ; for when could that be more seasonably instituted by divine authority , than at the close of the creation , when the sanctification and the reason of it were so immediately connected ; god blessed and sanctified it , because in it he had rested from all his work ? it being not probable that there should be at that time no institution , when the reason for it is expresly given ; or that there should be no present obligation to observe it , when there was an institution . if god had no sooner finished his work , but he sanctified the day following , 't is evident that the obligation to observe it must begin with the institution : and if he sanctified it , because on that day he rested , 't is as evident the institution did begin with the reason of it . and then how improbable is it that god should bless and sanctify a particular day , and yet for the space of two thousand years together should leave that day in common with the other days of the week , without any distinction ? how improbable again , that it should be first instituted and made a duty to the jews only for a reason that equally concerned all mankind as well as them , because he rested ; and for a reason existent from the first , as well as in the time when it was instituted at sinai ? 't is highly unreasonable to add one prolepsis to another , and to heap figure upon figure , when there is no necessity for it , contrary to all the rules of a just interpretation . now if this be an original and primaeval institution , we have one instance of a divine revelation , so far as the scripture is of authority ; and surely we may demand in its behalf , to have as much regard paid to it as we give to prophane histories . but however , we are not without a concurrent testimony from them also in this particular . for it is manifest that there hath been of great antiquity such a distribution of time as we call a week of seven days ; and which is more to our purpose , that the seventh day was a festival and religious day . this lucian doth more than intimate ; and long before him , solon , who calls it most holy day , in his elegies , quoted by eusebius * ; and one earlier than he , homer , who calls it , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , the holy day . but calimachus , homer , and linus , are still more particular , for they say it was because all the works of creation were then finished . so homer , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ; and 't is therefore called by linus , the birth-day of the world. now there is nothing in nature to point to this ; for there is no more to be observed from the motion of the heavens for such a septenary distribution of time , or division into weeks , than there is for the dividing of a day into hours : and consequently it must proceed from some institution , and from a very early institution , because of what i have observed from the fore-cited authors , who are of great antiquity , especially homer and linus : for homer is supposed to have lived in or about the time of saul , in the year of the world 2940 , and linus in the time of the judges , about the year 2570. the consideration of which doth make it probable , that these ancient poets owed their information to the general tradition of the world , rather than to the jews . indeed aristobulus the jew , from whom eusebius drew the abovesaid testimonies , saith , these poets had borrowed them from the jewish books . but if it be consider'd how little the jewish books , the scriptures , were known to the world before the translation of them by the seventy into greek , which was about 300 years before the birth of our saviour ; or how little the opinions of the jews themselves before the captivity were known abroad , it will hardly be conceived , that these things should be known so early , and spoke of so positively by the greek poets , homer and linus , within so short a time after the institution of the sabbath at sinai , as these two lived ; for linus must have lived within less than half an hundred years after the time of moses ; and homer in less than 400. where if we take the lowest term , that of homer , the jews were hardly in a setled state , and no more in a condition , than they were disposed in their temper , or permitted by their religion , to inform other nations in the articles or mysteries of their religion . so that it seems very evident , that the observation of the seventh day for the service of god , was an ancient and general opinion , and especially of those who may be best presumed to understand what had been the sense of mankind in the ages before , or those in which they lived . and if this was the opinion of those early times , conformable to the history of scripture , we have sufficient reason to offer this as an instance of a revelation . 2. another instance of revelation is sacrifices , and especially those of expiation . amongst all the rites and usages relating to divine worship , there are none that exceed these in their antiquity ( except the sabbath ) or extent . for we no sooner read of god's reconciliation to mankind , but that they offer'd sacrifice ; no sooner of noah's deliverance and escape out of the deluge , but he offer'd sacrifice : and without doubt , as it begun , so it continued , and was as much dispersed and observed among mankind before the flood , as after it . but how probable soever it is , that this rite was thus universally observed before , yet that we are not so certain of , as we are of the observation of it after the flood , when there was no age nor nation where it was not to be found , how dispersed soever they were ; of which no tolerable account is to be given , unless it be allowed to have been in use before the dispersion at babel , and that it was of divine institution . it must have been , i say , in use before that dispersion ; for how could all nations fall into one and the same practice , and have the same opinion of sacrifices , when there is nothing in the nature of the thing to lead them to it , if it had not been , that they had all descended from one blood , from one family , from one body ; by which means it was conveyed into all the several branches issuing from it , and went along with them where ever they went. now the question is , whence this should arise , and what gave it this universal acceptance and authority ? whether the invention of some eminent persons , suppose , in those early times ? or whether it was by revelation from god , and of his special institution ? there seems no great reason to think this service should proceed merely from the invention of men , even of those pious and well-disposed persons , since ( as i have said ) there is nothing in the nature of the thing to lead to it . for how could it be supposed that this should be acceptable to almighty god , which in it self holds no conformity , nor is at all suitable to his nature ? will i eat the flesh of bulls , and drink the blood of goats ? is a true representation of it . it might become a sanguinary sort of daemons , or false gods , and wicked spirits , to be pleased with the fumes and reakings of the bleeding sacrifice , as the heathens generally thought : but men of any understanding would rather chuse a reasonable service for the god that made them reasonable creatures , and might presume another sort of sacrifice would be more acceptable to him than this , and acceptable without it , viz. a sacrifice of praise and prayer , of a pure mind , and a good life , which the wiser heathens did in their opinion exceedingly prefer . but as for the sacrifices and blood of beasts , such philosophers as pythagoras and plato spoke of them often with regret and displeasure ; and others wonder'd how they first came into the world , as porphyry , that wrote expresly against them . what expression could thereby be given , suppose , of mens gratitude to god for their being , and their preservation ? who of all mankind is fo stupidly credulous , so foolish , that can think the gods delighted with such a present of bows , gall , and blood , which a hungry dog would scarcely touch ; and that they should repay the favour to those that offer it ? said an ancient heathen poet , cited by porphyry . but if we descend to expiatory sacrifices , who could think that the blood of bulls and of goats could take away sin , and that god would accept of that as a fit compensation for their crimes ; the blood of a brute for that of a man , the life of one that is not in its own power , instead of him that was ? and if men were so weak as of their own accord to offer it ; can we think the almighty creator would accept of what was for it self only unbecoming his majesty , and be so highly delighted with it , as to testify his acceptance of abel's by the descent of a miraculous fire to consume it ; and to smell a sweet savour upon noah's oblation ; to appoint it as a sign of his covenant with abraham ; and lastly , to embody it into the mosaical institution ? it was enough , one would think , that the majesty of heaven and earth hath accepted of the good will of the first inventors , how poor and low soever the invention was ; but it was too great a condescension to do by these as the heathens by their heroes , to translate them into the number of their deities ; too much to have such a mark of the favour of heaven , as none of the divine institutions could have more . but why should we think so meanly of those antediluvian patriarchs , of adam and abel , enoch and noah , &c. the first inventors or encouragers of this way of worship ? at this rate happier far were the inventions of adah , jubal , and tubal-cain , that taught others how to order cattel , to handle the harp and the organ , to work in brass and iron ; for these did serve either the necessities or pleasures of mankind , and were suitable to their nature and condition : but to offer bestial sacrifices to an infinite spirit , was as if we should present mankind with the entertainments and pleasures of the brutes ; and so it cannot be thought that men ( how low soever their understandings were ) would think the blood of beasts a decent present to their creator , which indeed would not be so to their superiors here . but we have another sort of character of those holy men , who were persons of great knowledge and vast experience ; who both received their religion from the almighty , were the great props and stays of it in their generation , and to whom the care of transmitting it to posterity was committed ; and for which reason , as well as others , god seemed to have protracted their lives to so vast an extent . they were such as were eminent for their piety ; as abel's faith is one of the renowned instances , heb. 11. and enoch is said to walk with god , and was in an extraordinary way rewarded for it . such again were they as were endued with the spirit of prophecy , as adam , abel , enoch , noah . and therefore it cannot in reason be supposed that ever they should think the offering the blood , and burning the flesh of a beast , to be a fit expression of their gratitude to almighty god , or a means to obtain his favour by way of expiation for their sins , without his institution . it is then ( as far as i conceive ) evident , that sacrifices , of what kind soever , were not invented by men . but if they were not invented by men , how came they to be admitted , and at last so much to obtain in the world ? i answer , they were of god's own institution ; and therefore were received by the patriarchs , and accepted by himself . but then it may reasonably be demanded , why they should be thus honoured by a divine legislation and authority , when it is allowed that they are in themselves not suitable to his nature ? i answer , they were instituted as those sacrifices were typical , and had respect to a greater sacrifice , that of christ. and therefore 't is observable , that as almighty god for the comfort of adam , and preventing his despair , ( as has been before shewed ) did immediately after his expostulation with him , and sentence pass'd upon him , reveal his intention to pardon him , and the means by which it was to be procured and ratified , the seed of the woman : so in consequence of this , and to shew their faith in that promise , we read in the next chapter , of their sacrifices and offerings which they brought unto the lord , as a representation of what they for their apostacy had deserved , and should have suffered , had not the divine mercy interposed . now if we have represented this aright , we have a fair account of an expiatory sacrifice , and how it came to take such place among men , and to be so universally received . we have a reason again how and why it came to be framed into the law of moses ; and why those sacrifices and the rites belonging to them , were made a principal part of it , and have thereby a key to unlock many mysteries in that law , and to answer many difficulties about it , when it is a shadow of good things to come . by this means again we come to understand the special providence of god , that this was so much preserved and so universally dispersed and received among mankind . by this means again we have a fair account how the doctrine of the cross , and the notion of our saviour's death as an expiatory sacrifice , came to be soon entertained among the gentiles ; for being of god's institution , as he preserved it , so being thus preserved , it became an excellent introduction , and prepared mankind for the belief and reception of our redemption by christ. to the same original may the first fruits , priesthood , and tenths be referr'd ; the first of which was observed from the time of abel , gen. 4. and the two last long before the time of the mosaical law ; and therefore are to be derived from an ancient institution . but because it may be thought these instances may be liable to exception , forasmuch as they are sometimes disputed among those themselves that do contend for a revelation , i shall proceed to iv. sort of evidence , which is supernatural , and that is either it self a revelation , or the proof of it ; of the former is prophecy ; of the latter , miracles . 1. prophecy , or the foretelling of things to come ; whatever time they are to exist in , near or remote . i add this latter clause to it , to prevent all exception , and to distinguish prophecy truly so called , from sagacity , or human providence ; which from precedent observations and proximate causes , may be often fortunate in its conjectures or predictions . but now as to infinite power all things are alike possible and easy , and there is nothing great or little , more or less , with respect to it ; so to infinite knowledge , to which one day is as a thousand years , and a thousand years as one day , all things , the remotest as well as nearest , are alike present ; and there is nothing distant or near with respect to it . and therefore whereever the true spirit of prophecy is , the same power that can foretell what shall happen to morrow , could , if he so pleased , as easily foretell what shall happen a thousand years hence ; since all things are alike naked and opened unto him with whom we have to do . now this sort of knowledge can proceed from nothing less than him , who as he knows all things , so has all causes in his own power , and can foresee how they will operate , and what shall be the event of such operations , or can dispose them to it as he pleaseth , whatever the causes be , whether ( as we usually say ) they are voluntary , necessary , or contingent ; and being thus peculiar to him , and his sole prerogative , 't is no less than a species of divine revelation . and therefore as none can know the certainty of such futurities and events but god ; so none can foretell them but such as he is pleased to reveal them to ▪ from whence it was that plato somewhere calls prophecy , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , a communication or fellowship with god. for suppose now we should set before us any epocha or character of time , which the prophecy respects ; the 160. years from isaiah's naming of cyrus , to his decree for building jerusalem , isa. 44. 28. or the 350. years from the prophet's naming josiah , to the time he defiled those idolatrous places , 1 kings 13. 2. 2 kings 23. 16. or the 490. years in daniel's weeks , from his time to the death of messiah dan. 9. 2. 4. what an infinite number of intercurrent passages must there be before it be brought in its proper season to its accomplishment ? and how amazing a sight would it be , if we could lay our hand upon the clue of the prophecy at its first setting out , and follow it , making its way through all oppositions and interferings , to the last period and completion ! but then if we turn our thoughts to the chief subject of revelation , the prophecy of the incarnation of our saviour , as it began immediately upon the fall , and passed along through the 61 generations , for 4000 years together , it would be like the dispersed parts of a human body , to the time and state of the resurrection , that are carried safe and entire through all transformations ; and at last when the sea and the grave are called upon to give up their dead , all the atoms and particles are recalled from their several vehicles or tribes they were joined to , and fall into the same composition as before in this present state . much such a subject have we before us , which after various windings and turnings , and an infinite succession of causes and events ; we read , that it might be fulfilled — and as it was spoken by the mouth of the holy prophets , which have been since the world began , luk. 1. 70. so that as many prophecies as we have , or the world ever had , so many evidences have we of a supernatural and divine revelation . and this all mankind have had a belief of , as is manifest from the oracles they consulted upon all emergent occasions ; many of which were very ancient , as herodotus tells us that of jupiter hammon in lybia was . i acknowledge that these were full of imposture , and were despised for it by the wiser part of the heathens , such as tully , ( lib. 1 , 2. de divinat . ) and detected , as eusebius shews , ( praepar . evang. l. 4. init. & l. 9. c. 5. ) and i mention these , not that i esteem them of any authority ; rather the contrary ; but to shew what the world thought of prophecy , and that even those philosophers who diverted themselves with the mistakes and impostures of their own oracles , never questioned whether ever there were any true prophecy ; but always allowed it , and took it for granted . so that the impostures of their own pretenders never engaged them so far , as to call in question the veracity of all prophecy , or to deny it where it was able to justify it self . 2. sort of supernatural evidence , is miracles . but of that , god willing , i shall discourse afterwards . thus far i have endeavoured to shew , that there has been a revelation , antecedent to , or where there was no written revelation : and the arguments and instances have been such as were proper to those circumstances ; such as we are led to by the light of nature , and human observation : and therefore though they receive light and confirmation from a written revelation , are not supposed to depend upon it for their evidence . and if this point has been hereby made out and proved , we then find that god has at sundry times and in divers maners , revealed himself to mankind by the prophets and inspired persons , from the beginning through the ante-diluvian and post-diluvian times , till the promulgation of a written law by moses . if it be said , that these are far from amounting to a certainty , and from giving us an infallible assurance of a revelation , since some of them are disputed even among those that own a revelation ; as the original of the sabbath , and sacrifices ; and at the most are but probable arguments . 1. i answer , probability is a fair step to certainty ; and i may after all affirm , that the account here offered is the best that can be given o those instances : 2. there are such arguments as are taken from the consideration of god's nature ; and there cannot be a stronger , than what is fetch'd from the nature of things . 3. there are other instances that are equivalent to a revelation , and can proceed from no lower a principle ; such are speech and common notions ; the former of which in the circumstances before recited , must be from divine inspiration , and the latter from a divine impression . 4. there are those things which when they accompany what we call a revelation , prove the truth and certainty of it ; and being recorded in a written revelation , become of the body of it , and they are miracles . 5. there are others that are the matter of revelation , and they are prophecies , especially such as are carried along in a continued train , and mutually confirm each other . 6. there are others that are not only consonant to what we own to be a revelation , but to human testimonies ; and being confirmed by both , are of great authority . all which laid together , give us , i may say , unquestionable evidence , that there has been a revelation , or that god has made himself and his will known to the world by persons chosen out , and inspired , and commissioned by him . and this is a good preparative and introduction for what is to follow , viz. that there is a special revelation , and that revelation recorded and transmitted by writing to the world ; which is a point in reserve , and that will in order be discoursed of . finis . books printed for richard chiswell , and thomas cockerill . rvshworth's historical collections : the third part , in two volumes ; containing the principal matters which happen'd from the meeting of the parliament , november 3. 1640. to the end of the year 1644. wherein is a particular account of the rise and progress of the civil war , to that period . fol. 1692. dr. john conant's sermons , octavo . published by dr. williams . the possibility , expediency , and necessity of divine revelation . a sermon preached at st. martins in the fields , jan. 7. 169 4 / 5. at the beginning of the lecture for the ensuing year . founded by the honourable robert boyle , esquire . by john williams , d. d. chaplain in ordinary to his majesty . 4to . d r williams's third sermon at mr. boyle's lecture , 1695. notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a66386-e230 * v. postellus , lib. de orig. c. 4. † herodotus , enterpe . c. 2. ad nicom . l. 4. c. 5. l. 5. c. 9. l. 8. c. 1. rhet. l. 1. c. 10 , 13 , 15. pro milone . l. 1. de nat. deor. & l 2. de legib. pro cluentio . * clio. cap. 36 , 37. enterp . cap. 104. v bochart geogr. saci . phaleg . l. 4. c. 31. * praepar . l. 13. c. 12 , p. 667 psalm 50 ▪ 13. euseb. praepar . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . lib. 2. sect. 58. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . so theodotion . gen. 4. 20. gen. 4. 25. gen. 9. 26. jude 14. 2 pet. 2. 5. gen. 3. & 4. gen. 14. 18. 20. nor truth, nor error, nor day, nor night, but in the evening there shall be light, zach. 14. 6, 7 being the relation of a publike discourse in maries church at oxford between mr. cheynel and mr. erbery january 11, 1646. erbery, william, 1604-1654. this text is an enriched version of the tcp digital transcription a38580 of text r26470 in the english short title catalog (wing e3234). textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. the text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with morphadorner. the annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. this text has not been fully proofread approx. 54 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 16 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. earlyprint project evanston,il, notre dame, in, st. louis, mo 2017 a38580 wing e3234 estc r26470 09475518 ocm 09475518 43228 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a38580) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 43228) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 1308:31) nor truth, nor error, nor day, nor night, but in the evening there shall be light, zach. 14. 6, 7 being the relation of a publike discourse in maries church at oxford between mr. cheynel and mr. erbery january 11, 1646. erbery, william, 1604-1654. cheynell, francis, 1608-1665. [4], 22 p. s.n.], [london : l647. contains only erbery's arguments. reproduction of original in the british library. eng theology, doctrinal. salvation. a38580 r26470 (wing e3234). civilwar no nor truth, nor error, nor day, nor night; but in the evening there shall be light. zach. 14. 6, 7. being the relation of a publike discourse erbery, william 1647 11363 7 0 0 0 0 0 6 b the rate of 6 defects per 10,000 words puts this text in the b category of texts with fewer than 10 defects per 10,000 words. 2004-04 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2004-04 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2004-11 judith siefring sampled and proofread 2004-11 judith siefring text and markup reviewed and edited 2005-01 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion nor truth , nor error , nor day , nor night ; but in the evening there shall be light . zach. 14. 6 , 7. being the relation of a publike discourse in maries church at oxford , between mr. cheynel , and mr. erbery . january 11. 1646. printed in the yeer . 1647. to the reader . when the little book was open in the hand of the angel , the angel cryed , as when a lion roareth , and seven thunders uttered their voices , &c. that is , when there was a powerful appearance of the mystery of christ ; when the mystery of god ( which before was sealed , revel. 5. but afterwards to be finished and fully manifested ) began to be opened , and that so powerfully , even to the terror of the christian world , and of the churches also ( for the seven thunders respect the seven churches ; that 's all the christian churches under antichristian apostacy ) i say , when the little book began to be open , john began to write , &c. that 's our weakness ; when any light breaks forth in us , any new discovery of truth be made out to us by the teachings of god in us , we begin presently to be teachers of men , to write , to publish it in pulpit and print , or in our private teachings . this was johns weakness also ; who was therefore commanded to seal those sayings , and write them not , till he had eaten the book , and better digested that heavenly secret , the mystery of god , and of christ ; afterward , he was to preach it , and prophesie to nations , tongues , people , and kings . this is another mystery in the next chapter , where that prophesying begins . those two witnesses who prophesie in sackcloth , signifie a few saints , who yet make a full witness , witnessing christ in spirit , and against the spirit of antichrist : these are the two olive trees as having their teachings immediately from god , zach. 4. 11 , 12. and these are the two candlesticks , the true church in spirit ; for the seven candlesticks were faln , and removed out of their place through the apostacy ; but these two witnesses have the testimony of jesus , which is the spirit of prophecy , revel. 19. 10. which spirit is that fire going out of their mouth , devouring their adversaries , and that spirit of antichrist , appearing in several forms , the dragon , the first beast , second beast , babylon , the great whore , all is but the various appearances of that one spirit of antichrist in the christian church , for there antichrists seat ever was , and is , set up this day , though in a more glorious form , which is but the flesh of the whore , whose flesh is now fairer , and her forms , her array more fine in scarlet , &c. revel. 16. 4. yet these two witnesses in sackcloth ( who were also in former ages ) these few poor persecuted saints still stand up , burning her flesh with fire , and by their prophesying , though in silence , plague men by shutting heaven , that the rain ( or waters from above ) the teachings of god , fall not on their fellowships , and turning their waters into blood , their formal worships , and teachings of men from below , into the blood of a dead man , revel. 16. 3 , 4. and all this those two witnesses do , as oft as they will , which needs must be none else , but christ in them , god in their flesh , coming forth in power and spirit from them , plaguing and tormenting them which dwell on earth , ( i. e. ) earthly christians and churches also . for this , the two witnesses suffer ( their sufferings being shadowed forth by that sackcloth , and bitterness of the book in their belly ) yet all this is but the sufferings of their flesh , and filth of it ( as 't were in the belly ) but yet they suffer with christ , and christ suffers in them ; for they are slain where our lord was crucified , that 's ( spiritually ) fleshly jerusalem , christian carnal churches , where spiritual saints , and christ in spirit is still slain and crucified : but after three dayes and a half , ( that 's a little longer then christ in flesh lay buried ) the spirit of life enters into those dead and unburied witnesses , who rise with christ , and christ riseth in them ; yea , they ascend in glory , a greater glory ( at least in the letter ) then christ ascended ; for none but disciples and friends , were witnesses of his resurrection , and saw him ascend ; but the ascension of the saints , their very enemies shall behold . the sum of all is this , that which this man writes , he writes not as a clear truth to publish to the world , not to put off his earth , that heap of heresie and blasphemy cast upon him by enemies , to bury his name and make it rot ; nay , he is content to lie unburied yet , to the loathing of his person ; that the people who dwell on earth , may look on , rejoyce , and glory over his dead c●●cass , lying in the streets of the great city . 't is well , if truth shall rise in them that read . farewell . the relation of a publike discourse and dispute at oxford , january 11. between mr. cheynel and mr. erbery , who spake thus : christian friends and fellow souldiers , and worthy schollars also ; i am your servant : i am called this day to come here in publike , from my private walkings ; not by my desire or seeking , but as sought out and drawn forth by a twofold cord , a publike charge ; and a private challenge : the charge was publikely given out in a pulpit , of heresie and blasphemy against me ; the challenge was privately sent unto me , by word , and writing also , in a letter from master cheynel , that i should give him a meeting in the schools , or some meeting place in the university ; the place appointed is maries church , where i now present my self to wait on you all , and to answer what shall be objected , or to desire a satisfactory answer to this my quere i am questioned for . that which i have in private , i also profess in publike ; whatever i spake was not spoken as a minister by outward call , though twice i was made one ; nor as a guifted man , knowing christ , though once i was accounted some body by others , and by my self also : but now i am nothing ; know nothing ; and let all men know so of me : that i can neither see nor speak ( as ministers , or gifted men should ) with any clearness in my self , or conviction to others ; but inquiring onely , and seeking the lord our god , and david our king . this is that condition the church shall be brought unto , into a wilderness , where no path nor company shall be to walk with ; but being left alone , the saints shall be all set in a seeking way , as the prophets have foretold , that about babylons destructions , and their deliverance from thence , judah and israel , those who were a divided kingdom in church-fellowships , shall come together in one , to seek the lord their god , and the way to zion ; that i● , not the way to church , as the churches this day are divided about , by a confused preposterous way ; seeking that first which should be last , ( as if they had found the knowledge of the lord god already ) but first seek the lord their god , and then the way to zion ; that is , to know god dwelling in us , and our selves the habitation of god ; for this is zion . another prophet points at a time , that all the saints shall be left for many dayes without a king , and without a prince , and without a sacrifice , and without an image , and without an ephod , and without a teraphim : that is , without all publike worship or ministery , true or false ; false they will not , and true they cannot have , [ not a king , or prince ] that is not meant of crowned men or civil magistrates , but as i conceive , an ecclesiastike , or church ruler , officer , or minister of christ , to go before them ; nor yet a sacrifice or ephod , or any church ordinance among them , no not the least means of knowledge or enquiry left ; for an ephod was the least ordinance under the law ( as all ordinances under the gospel , are legal also : ) by an ephod men that were not ministers or priests might enquire of the lord in doubtful cases , or in a distress as david did , and as men do now a dayes seek by fasting and prayer ; but this also at last shall be taken from the saints , and they shall fit still in submission and silence , waiting for the lord himself to come and reveal himself to them ; then they shall return and seek the lord their god , and david their king , and fear the lord and his goodness in the latter dayes : that is , every saint is yet running about , changing their wayes , and gadding abroad after one of these three , men , means , and self . but the saints after they are wearied out with their whoredoms , shall return to their first husband , to god their maker ; of whom they first proceeded and came forth , and shall see god in their flesh ; that is , david their king . this i have been seeking , and by seeking i finde in the scriptures , these seven things taught by the spirit . first , that christ is a mystery , col. 4. 3. secondly , that the mystery is christ in us the hope of glory , col. 1. 27. thirdly , that the riches of the glory of this mystery was kept secret , since the world began , hid from ages and generations , and not made known to the sons of men , rom. 16. 25. fourthly , that this mystery of christ in us the hope of glory , was manifested by revelation to the apostles , and prophets , and primitive saints by the spirit , ephes 3. 3 , 4. col. 1. 26. fifthly , that what was manifested to them of the mystery of christ , was onely made known in part then to the saints , yea , to the apostles themselves ; who as they knew but in part , and had the knowledge onely as of children , so they knew christ , but as the childe jesus ; that is , they were not come to the knowledge of the son of god , to a perfect man , to the measure of the stature of the fulness of christ , or full age of christ ; that is , in the mystery to know the son of god so in them , and themselves in the son , as tall and high in stature as he , and taken up in the glory of the son , and with him into god himself : for that which was manifested visibly to men in the dayes of his flesh , that christ was made of a woman , formed and conceived in a virgin , brought forth and born into the world , living in judea , dying in jerusalem , rising and ascending into heaven ; all this was the manifestation of the mystery of christ in us the hope of glory , which was a truth from the beginning of the world , though not manifested to the saints , before christ came visibly in flesh : yet then , even before christ was in the flesh of the saints , he was all in all , christ the same to day , yesterday , and for ever ; formed in them , brought forth in them , living in them , and suffering in their flesh , as well as in the saints afterwards . christ in david , was the knowledge and faith of david ; and davids faith and knowledge , was the knowledge of the son of god , and faith of the son of god , who lived also in david , as well as in paul , in whom as christ was speaking so in david also ; yea , as christ was all in all , christ onely acting in them , doing all their works in them , so christ suffered in them as the lamb really slain from the foundation of the world . in abel , the first beleeving saint , christ was slain ; and as paul said of himself , i fill up what is behinde of the sufferings of christ in my flesh : so the saints who were also from the beginning , suffered what was before of the afflictions of christ in their flesh . thus christ hath been the onely man of sorrows , and is still suffering , till he shall rise in us . this neither peter nor paul had attained to , to know christ risen in them : paul knew in part christ , and him crucified , and desired to know also more fully the fellowship of his sufferings ( yet he knew not this so as those , revel. 12 11. who overcame by the blood of the lamb , who saw their sufferings to be the sufferings onely of the son ) but as for christ risen in him , the resurrection of the dead , paul knew not , nor was yet perfect , knowing not himself and the son , one perfect man : neither did peter ( though he suffered for christ , and christ in him ) see the day of christ , or christ as the day star risen in his heart ; no , this was not to be revealed till the last times : when christ should be so conceived and brought forth of a woman ( the weakest saint ) that the weakest saint should see , not onely christ in them the hope of glory , christ formed in them , brought forth in them , living in them , dying in them ; but christ rising in them , and revealing himself so gloriously , as if he should say , i am the root , and the off-spring of david , the bright and morning star . i am he , who was , and is , and is to come ; i was all in all in david before ; i was his root , from whom alone sprang up all that he did , said , or suffered ; all davids fruit and glory rose up from christ in him , and returned to the root , to christ in davids lowest and most dead estate ; so christ is the off-spring also , and is also that to the saints to day , as he was to david yesterday , their substance , strength , and song : but christ in the saints will be as the morning star , and rise in more glory yet , when the new heaven and new earth shall be , and new jerusalem shall come down out of heaven , that is , when god shall dwell with men on earth . sixthly , this mystery of christ in us the hope of glory , of god manifest in man● flesh , which was manifest , and in part made known to the apostles and primitive saints before , hath been hid again from ages and generations , ever since the apostacy and spirit of antichrist came into the world with power , and so hath been kept secret since the ( antichrstian ) world begun , and not made known to the sons of men . this is plainly foretold in the old prophets , and in that last prophet of the new testament , who speaking of things to come in the apostacy and dayes of antichrist , saith , that he saw a book written within , and on the backside sealed with seven seals ; and no man in heaven or earth , nor under the earth , was able to open the book , nor to look thereon , revel. 5. 1 , 3. this book is the mystery of christ , the word of god , and the book of god , in whom both the will and good will of god , are written , and by whom all the counsels , decrees , and deep things of god are declared ; the mysteries of heaven , and all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge , are hid in him , yet manifested , as i said , to the apostles and prophets , and primitive saints : but the book was since sealed , and that with seven seals ; that is , perfectly sealed , and sealed from the seven churches ; that is , from all the churches comprised under the number of seven ( for the seven seals hath reference to those seven churches ) now no church ; yea , no man in heaven or earth , or under the earth , none in church-fellowship , or not in fellowship ; no man of never so high apprehension , or deep discoveries of spiritual things could open or read the book , or look thereon , that 's more ; not look thereon , that is since the apostacy ; no man hath had scarce an outward knowledge , not a knowledge of the mystery of christ in the letter , much less in the spirit ; not seen what was written without , much less within . this the old prophets spake by the spirit also , isai. 8 16 , 17 binde up the testimony , seal the law among my disciples : the testimony is the book , the word in the letter , the law is the spirit , the law of the spirit of life in christ ; the mystery of christ both in the letter and spirit of life , were bound and sealed , and that from the disciples of christ ; and therefore as john wept , so isaiah waits for him who hides his face from the house of jacob , and looks for him ; that is , for christ , in whose face the glory of god shines , that was hid from the whole church , the house of jacob . so isaiah 29. 10 , 11. the vision of all is become as a book that is sealed , that neither learned , nor unlearned could read it : neither prophet , nor ruler , nor seer , no prophet in the church , no ruling elder , nor the most seeing spiritual member of the church could see it to the mystery , nor look thereon ; yea , the v●sion of all , nothing was seen , not in the spirit , scarce in the letter , the reason is given , verse 13. because the fear of me is taught by the precepts of men ; that is , the knowledge and worship of christ was taught by mens traditions , forms framed , by old creeds and councels , new catechisms and confessions of churches ( as if the scriptures and spirit , were not sufficient to teach men all the knowledge of god and christ clear enough ) therefore god proceeds to do a marvellous work and wonder , the wisdome of their wise men shall perish , and the understanding of the prudent shall be hid ; that both fathers , doctors , and divines could not read the book , nor look thereon ; yet there is a promise , verse 18. that in that day the ears of the deaf shall hear the words of the book : they that erred in spirit shall come to understanding , and they that murmured , shall loarn doctrine , verse 24. seventhly , that book which was sealed before , shall be open again , and so it is , revel. 10. 1 , 2. there the little book is open . the mystery of christ in us , is called a little book , in opposition to those huge tomes and mighty volumes of fathers , councels , and commentators , treatises , &c. which have been all the dayes of antichrist ; but in the day of christ , when christ shall appear in the saints , then shall the mystery be but a little book ; ' ti● no more then god manifest in mans flesh ; if a man could manifest this mystery to the world , as the apostles could , there would be an end of the church controversie this day ; for without controversie , great is the mystery of godlinesse , god manifest in flesh , &c. but this is that i would say , that the mystery of god shall be more gloriously revealed in the last times , after antichrists destruction and deliverance of the saints from the apostacy , then ever it was by the apostles themselves at first . this i have shewn more fully in our private speakings , and shall , if called to , give a publike account . but now it is enough , that when the seventh angel begins to sound , the mystery of god shall be finished , as he hath declared by his servants the prophets , revel. 10. 7. what is the mystery of god , but the man christ jesus ? — how that man is god ; how god is manifest in mans flesh ; this hath been declared by the prophets more fully , then in the writings of the apostles , excepting john ; and he gives but some hints of that high and heavenly mystery , which the scriptures of the prophets do more gloriously speak out , by whom the mystery is revealed , though not to them , rom. 16. 27. 1 pet. 1. 13. compared . and as the prophets did minister not to themselves , but to the apostles ; so the apostles do minister many things of the mystery of christ , not to themselves , but to us in these last times , to whom the mystery of god shall be fulfilled , which was to them revealed but in part , revel. 10. 7. i date not say , that any thing of this mystery is revealed to me , nor yet dare i deny the teachings of god : but what i have taught , as i would no man to trust me ; so i wish all men to try me , and to hold fast that which is good : this is all that i know of this yet , if yet i know any thing : first , that the son and the saints make one perfect man , and that the fulness of the godhead dwells in both , in the same measure , though not in manifestation . secondly , that the fulness of the godhead shall be manifested in the flesh of the saints , as in the flesh of the son . these two things , which others see as heresie and blasphemy , seems to me as truths , both in scriptures , and by that spirit which speaks in me : if any man can convince me by proofs or power of argument , i shall submit and be silent . but because i am forcibly commanded and called forth to speak in publike , i shall according to the power of god in me , do these two things : first , prove the doctrines by plain scriptures . secondly , then propound my arguments from thence . my proofs for the first are from christ and his apostles , both to me teach this one thing , viz. that the fulness of the godhead dwells in the saints , as in the son , in the same measure , though not in the same manifestation , he being in this last sense anointed above his fellows , and god manifest in flesh ; but seeing we are his brethren , we have the same divine nature , our fathers nature as full in us as he : and we being his body and fulness also , though the oil first appear powred forth on the head , yet it runing down to his hem , all his members are anointed with him ; yea , though the crown be onely put on the head , yet every member is crowned also with it ; and though there shall be but one king in all the earth , yet all the saints shall raign on earth also : how could this be , that so many shall raign at once , and yet but one king , if the saints and the son were not one perfect man ? and that the fulness of the godhead is in both , in the same measure ; christ himself witnesseth in those words , john 14. 1. let not your hearts be troubled : ye beleeve in god , beleeve also in me . the saints before christs beleeved on god in covenant , but not on god in christ ; that was the mystery which moses himself saw not , nor should see the glory of god in the face of christ ; for all that doctrine of free-grace and mercies , &c. was but gods back parts : but now saith christ , ye beleeve in god , beleeve also in me ; that is , beleeve on god by me ; for as christ is onely the way to the father , verse 6. so the father onely is the end and ultimate object of all our christian knowledge , faith , and worship : therefore christ addes this verse 2. in my fathers house are many mansions ; what is the fathers house ? but the father himself , god himself , the fulness of the godhead : there are mansions in it ; there is not onely a mansion for me saith christ , in god , but mansions for you also in him , i go to prepare a place for you : but how doth he prepare a place for them in the godhead with himself ? why , 't was by going to god , going to the father to receive the promise of the holy spirit . why ? christ received the spirit before in the fullest measure ; yea , but not in that full manifestation : he was the son before , but not declared so to be the son of god , but by the resurrection ; god was in his flesh at his first conception , but god was not so manifest in flesh , till he was received up to glory , and received the promise of the spirit , to shed it forth also on every beleever to bring them to god also : for if i go , i will come again , and receive you to my self , that where i am ye may be also . 't is not meant of his coming to judgement in the end of the world , nor of our receiving to himself in the end of our lives after death , as men conceive and comment : but when he should come in spirit , he would receive them to himself , take them up to his own glory , to be in the godhead with him ; that where i am ye may be also : therefore it follows , verily , verily , he that beleeveth on me , the works that i do shall he do also , and greater works then these shall he do , because i go to the father : that is , he that beleeveth on me , as saith the scriptures ; that beleeveth so on the son , that he seeth himself with the son in god , and god in him , as in the son ; he shall do greater works then the son did in the dayes of his flesh : as we see peter did convert more at one sermon , then christ did all his life long ; and the apostles gave the spirit by the laying on of hands , which christ did not whilest he lived in flesh : again saith he , john 14. 18. i will not leave you comfortless , i will come to you , i will not leave you orphanes , or fatherless , you shall have a father as well as i , when i come to you in spirit , ( not his coming at the last day , that was a long time , the apostles should not live to that , but ) yet a little while and the world seeth me no more , but ye see me : the world a carnal christian can see no further then christ in flesh , when that is gone the world sees him no more , but ye see me . how ? because i live , ye shall live also ; that is , ye see me in god , and living in god onely ; and because i live , ye shall live in god also ; for our life is hid with christ in god , as paul saith : 't is in god our life is , and as the son lives , for 't is with christ , though this be yet hid : but in that day ye shall know that i am in the father , and you in me , and i in you , john 14. 20. that is , in the day of christs coming , and appearing in us , we shall know that as he is in the father , and hath his being in god onely , so we also shall see , that we are in him , and he in us ; and that we have the same being in god : we shall appear with him in glory , 1 joh. 3. 2. this is plainer expressed , john 17. 21. in christ his last prayer to his father for those given him ; neither pray i for these alone ; but for them also that shall beleeve on me through their word , ( beleeve in the sense before said ) that they all may be one , as thou father art in me , and i in thee ; that they also may be one in us : one in glory , one in the godhead ; so it follows , john 17. 22. the glory which thou gavest me , have i given them . what 's the glory which the father gave him ? god himself , the father gave himself , as 't is verse 5. and now father , glorifie me , with thine own self , the glory which i had with thee before the world was : that glory was then given , and that glory which god gave the son , the same is given the saints : the glory is given already to them , though they enjoy it not , nor that glory revealed in them , nor the godhead yet manifest in their flesh : therefore christ prayes there , not for the matter of glory , as if that were not yet ; but for the manifestation of that glory . what 's the glory ? first , perfect union ; that they may be one , as we are one ; as perfectly and fully one . verse 23. i in them and thou in me , that they may be perfect in one , that the world also ( as well as they ) may know that thou hast sent me , and hast loved them , as thou hast loved me . that 's the second part of glory ; the same love god bears to the saints , as to his beloved son , as hearty and as high a love , as intense , and eternal for extension also , as full expressions of love go forth from god to the saints , as to the son ; yea , more in the letter is said of them , though it be the same love in spirit with the son also . how do the prophets powre forth all the tender heartedness , and truest love of god on the saints saying , besides many other woing words , that he their maker , is their husband , and they his hephzibah and beula : that there land shall be married also to him ; that is , that he will manifest himself in their flesh , ( that 's their land ) and make it one with himself , then love them as his son : as a bridegroom rejoyceth over the bride , so shall thy god rejoyce over thee , yea , joy over thee with singing too , as another prophet addes , resting in his love . why ? because the lord thy god is in the midst of thee , god in our flesh : this again is a third story of that glory the saints are taken up with the son , not onely perfect union with the father , and sulness of love , but living for ever also with the son in god ; for that 's the meaning of that verse 24. father , i will that they also whom thou hast given me , may be with me where i am ; in the same mansion , in the same place ; that is , ( as i said ) in the fulness of the godhead ; in all the fulness of god , that they may behold this , he sayes , that this may be manifest to them , and the world also ; for the saints sit with the son already in heavenly places , yea , are with him at the right hand of god , and therefore are said to dwell in heaven ; whom therefore the dragon doth blaspheme , even god and his tabernacle , and them that dwell in heaven ; that is , the saints who are the tabernacle of god , in whom god dwells ; and so they blaspheme god in them , calling them for this blasphemers . but let us hear what the apostles of christ can say for this . paul prayes for the ephesians , that they may comprehend with all saints , what is the bredth , and length , and depth , and height ; and to know the love of christ , which passeth all knowledge , that they may be filled with all the fulness of god , ephes. 3. 18 , 19. here 's a great word and wonderful glory , a mystery that hath all dimensions in it ; such a height , that no carnal man can reach unto ; a depth that none can dive into ; a length that none can compass the end thereof ; and such a bredth , that none can comprehend with all their vast understandings ; yet he prayes , that they with all saints of the lowest size , the least capacity may comprehend and know the love of christ that passeth all knowledge ; that is , the love of god in christ , ( as the geneva notes well ) that we may be filled with all the fulness of god ; that is , that all the fulness of the godhead , may be manifest to them and others also : that he prayes for , for they were already filled with all the fulness of god . again , the apostle is plainer in his proof , col. 2. 2 , 9 , 10. where he speaking of the mystery of god , and of the father , and of christ , so we read , but falsly as in other places of this nature ; as if there were first god , the divine nature , then the father , then christ ; whereas 't is in greek , the mystery of that god and father , there 's the first , and then of christ , as also 1 thes. 3. 11. now god himself , and the father ; 't is , now that god himself and father , or as the geneva reads in both places , the mystery of god even the father , that 's the first part of the mystery ; then the mystery of christ is the second , what 's that ? in him dwells all the fulness of the godhead bodily . and ye are compleat in him ; compleat , 't is in the greek , ye are filled ; with what ? with all fulness of the godhead , as we shewed before , ephes. 3. for as it pleased the father that all fulness should dwell in the son , so it s his pleasure the same fulness and measure should dwell in the saints ; though the son hath in all things the preeminence in manifestation , yet the fulness of the godhead shall be also manifested in the saints ; which is my second to prove , that the fulness of the godhead shall be also manifest in the flesh of the saints , as in the son . this , john , as he did in his gospel , so in his epistles makes plain to me at least . beloved , now are we the sons of god , but it doth not yet appear what we shall be ; but we know that when he shall appear , we shall be like him ; for we shall see him as he is : when he shall appear , that is , in us , when that glory shall be revealed in us : then we shall be like him , that is , appear with him in glory , in the same glory of the son , we shall be like him : for we shall see him as he is ; the saints under the gospel saw christ in spirit , and the glory of god shining forth in his face , yet onely in a glass darkly ; but after the apostacy , no man at all could see the least glimsp of that glory , or look into the book , the mystery of christ , or look thereon , but after the apostacy ; and falling away being full , the day of christ follows immediately , and then we shall see him as he is ; how is that ? we shall see him in god , even the father , and in us also , and our selves in him , and with him living in god , as i said , the saints shall be seen in the son : this is called by paul , the manifestation of the sons of god : the glorious liberty of the sons of god ; for if the son ( that is in us ) make us free , we shall be free indeed , john 8. 36. therefore , as the first falling away , and apostacy of churches , was in doctrine , not in worship ; so the first doctrine which was darkned with the smoke of the bottomless pit , with the spirit of antichrist , it was the sun : the son was darkned , and so the father also ; for he that denieth the son , the same hath not the father . now here 's the first deceit of antichrist in denying the father and the son , 1 john 2. 22. no protestant or papist denies this , say they : but antichrist is a liar ; though in a form of words father , and son is confessed ; yet in truth , in power , and spirit , they deny both . they deny the father in the son , and deny the son in the saints ; denying god in christ , and the father all in all in his flesh : for god , even the father , the everlasting father , was born and brought forth in that flesh ; god in flesh lived with men , and in flesh god gave his life for men , purchasing the church with his own blood ; 't was god rose , and god ascended in flesh ; yea , the son was nothing , but as he was in god ; the son could do nothing of himself , but the father in him did all the works ; and as god was in christ , and god all in all in his flesh , so christ in us all in all in our flesh ; christ the man-childe is brought forth in us , liveth in our flesh , suffers in us , and shall rise in us , and we shall ascend also with him ; for as the two witnesses ( those few saints who yet are a full witness for christ , and against antichrist ) were killed in the city where our lord was crucified , revel. 11. 8. that 's spiritually in the mystery , being crucified with christ in their flesh ; so those saints are said to rise , verse 11. and to ascend , verse 12. secondly , antichrist denies christ to be come in flesh , 1 john 4. 3. not to come in flesh of the virgin made of a woman ; this all carnal christians confess in their creed : but antichrist denies christ to be come in our flesh , and our flesh to be anointed of god , and with god ; for that 's christ the anointed of god , god manifest in flesh : now god was ever manifest in the flesh of the saints , though they knew it not before ; and the flesh of the saints is the anointed of god , anointed with all the fulness of god ; for so it follows . 1 john 2. 20. ye have an unction from the holy one , whereby ye know all things ; that is , as he that is born of god sinneth not at all , because the seed remaineth in him , there is a principle , the son , the word , the immortal seed is in them : so he that is born of god , in whom god is brought forth , knoweth all things ; because there is a power in him , god in his flesh teaching him all things , that 's the unction . therefore 1 john 2. 27. the anointing abiding in the saints , teacheth them all things , and they need not that any man teach them , &c. that is , while they abide in the anointing , and attend on god in them , and hearken to the father as the son did , as i hear , i judge , and i speak to the world the things i have heard of him : i can do nothing of my self , but as my father hath taught me , i speak these things . thus the son had no tutor or teacher , but the father , god in his flesh ; if the saints saw this fulness in themselves , the fulness of god anointing their flesh , this would free them from that bondage to men , means , and ministers . this is babylons destruction ; first by mutual divisions , isaiah 10. 26. as the churches divided : secondly , by the manifestation of the anointing , the discovery of christ in the midst of the church , god in their flesh : in that day ( the day of christ ) his burden shall be taken from of thy shoulder , and the yoke from of thy neck , and the yoke shall be destroyed , because of the anointing , isaiah 10. 27. this is the glorious liberty of the sons of god , the manifestation of the sons of god , which we hope for , god to be manifest in our flesh , then christ comes in flesh : and thus , if the son shall make ye free , ye shall be free indeed ; but ye are of god , little children ( the least saint is of god , as the son is of the father ) and ye have overcome them ; that is , ( the wisest and most powerful impostors of antichrist ) for greater is he in you ; then he that is in the world ; that is , christ in you , god in your flesh ; who is greater then all ; whose very foolishness and weakness is wiser and stronger , then all the strength and wisdom of men , and whose wisdom and strength shall be manifest also in the most foolish and feeblest saints . this john in the revelation more cleerly yet reveals ; for as he saw the son in the midst of the saints , christ in the midst of the church ; so he shows that all the power of the son , the glory and honor of the son , shall be manifested in the saints . not to speak of the old prophets , who are aboundant in holding forth this glory , the sons of them that afflicted thee , shall come bowing unto thee ; and all they that despised thee , shall bow themselves , down at the soles . of thy feet , and call thee the city of the lord ; that is , the saint in whom god dwells : and therefore , as at the name of jesus every knee shall bow ; that is , to god in him , for that 's his name ; so saith god , to me shall every knee bow , to me in the saints ; and therefore , revel. 3. 9. the lord god saith , i will make them of the synagogues of satan , that say they are jews , and are not , but do lie : behold , i will make them to come and worship before thy feet , and know that i have loved thee ; that is , as the world shall know that the father loves the saints as the son , joh. 17. 23. so the apostatized churches ; that is , the synagogues of satan ; for peter himself was called so , when he savored the flesh , the things of man , more then of god : so the jews , that is , legal church members , who have belied themselves into a liberty they have not , boasting because of their fleshly forms , and fellowships , that they are above other saints ; these false churches shall come down and worship at the feet of scattered saints , who are gathered up into christ , and with christ into god ; they shall worship not them , but god in them , and confess that god is in them of a truth . the spirits power , and honor , and glory , as i said , shall be manifested in the saints . first , his power , revel. 2. 26 , 27. he that overcometh , to him will i give power over the nations , and he shall rule them with a rod of iron ; and as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken in peeces , even as i have received of my father . see here the power of the son , manifested in the saints ; for so the second psalm speaks of the son , the kings of the earth , and the rulers , stand up against the lord , and against his christ ; who is christ the anointed of god ? but the saints with the son , verse 3. who would think that poor saints should have such power , yea , such honor have all the saints , as to binde kings in chains , and nobles with links of iron ; and to execute the judgement written of the son , psal. 149. 8 , 9. who beleeves that all the blood shed , and slaughters this day in the world ; the dashings of kings and kingdoms one against another , is done by the saints , though they stir not , but are quiet in the land ; yet the lord goes forth of them , working all , and wasting all by them , by the weakest saints . thou worm jacob , thou shalt thresh mountains , and beat the hills to chaff : that is , as another prophet phraseth it , o jacob , that is , the weakest saints ; for israel is the name of power , but jacob , thou art my battle-ax and weapons of war , with thee will i destroy nations , and dash kingdoms in pieces like a potters vessel : this the saints have done , and do still , god in them doing all in all : though this be not yet manifest in them , nor to the world , yet it shall be , saith the scripture , the saints shall have the same power manifest in them as in the son . secondly , the honor also of the son shall be manifest in the saints ; he that overcomes , shall sit with me in my throne ; as i overcame , and am set down with my father in his throne . revel. 3. 21. what 's the throne of christ , but the honor given him of god , to raign and to judge also ? the saints shall have both , not onely a rod or scepter of iron to break nations , but a scepter of gold , of righteousness to rule nations ; and that nation which will not serve thee , shall perish , and be utterly wasted : who will not serve god in the saints ? but then again , the saints shall judge also with christ ( not by approbation onely , as gentlemen who sit on the bench with the judge ) but the saints as the son shall sit in the same judicial throne : the saints shall judge the world , yea , angels ; not onely the world , common churches , with all their worships , but the angels of churches also the saints shall judge ; as christ judged none more hardly then the priests , and elders of the people . thirdly , he that overcometh shall inherit all things , and i will be his god , and he shall be my son . here 's the glory of the son ; that he is appointed heir of all things , heb. 1. this glory is given to the saints also , though the saints know it not , no more then a crowned childe in the cradle knows he is a king . here 's the mystery of christ , and of a beleeving christian also : who is he that overcometh the world ? but he that beleeveth that jesus is the son of god , beleeveth in that sense i said before . 't is strange , that the saints who dare not judge any man , yet are said to judge all things , and to be judged of no man ; that they who hurt no man , should be said to destroy all men ; that those who have nothing , should be said to be heirs of all , and inherit all things ; how could this be ? but that the son is in them , god in their flesh ; and so he is their god , and they are not onely his sons , but his son . this seems to be a truth in it self , though not manifest to them till they overcome . this overcoming is seven times repeated , revel. 2. and 3. and once more here , revel. 21. 7. there 's a mystery in that also , in this overcoming , what is it , and what is the thing to be overcome ? in a word , 't is the number and name of the beast that the saints must get victory of , revel. 15. 2. but what 's the beast , his name , and number ? 't is the number of a man , that 's more mysterious yet : but sure 't is cleer , that every man is brutish in his knowledge ; and though vain man would be wise , yet man is born but a wilde asses colt ; yea , man in honor understandeth not , but is like a beast that perisheth : so that man is the beast , who counts himself wise , or to have the knowledge of a man , which the wisest man , even agur the prophet would not own , when he was to speak of ithiel , and ucal ; that is , of christ , and god in christ ; for ithiel is the same with immanuel , god with us ; and ucal is a name , signifying power , as christ is the wisdom of god , and power of god : so then , when man sees onely of the humanity in himself , the wisdom of man or power of man , and sees not god all in all , and the godhead in him ; this is the beast , this the number of his name , the number of a man ; when we shall overcome this , this manhood , this self , and submit to the godhead in us ; when we shall see god onely manifest in our flesh , and the flesh nothing , profiting nothing , having no power , nor wisdom ; when thus we deny our selves , follow me , saith christ ; follow him who is our forerunner , and gone before into the holiest , into the fulness of the godhead with him ; then we are said to overcome and inherit all things . god is our god , and we are his son , then this shall be manifest ; for revel. 22. 3. we shall see his face , and his name shall be in our foreheads , as the fathers name with christ , rev. 14 1. so the name of christ also shall be read in our foreheads . men shall see the saints as the son , that 's his new name , which he will write on us ; and we shall be called by another name , by a new name , which the mouth of the lord shall name . mens mouthes have still formed new names on the saints , as from the beginning so of late : in queen maries dayes , the saints suffered as protestants ; in queen elizabeths as professors ; in king james's as puritans ; in king charli's as separatists ; in our days as sectaries , heretikes , and blasphemers : but the lord god will give us a new name shortly himself , when ye shall leave your name as a curse to my chosen ; for the lord god shall slay thee , and call his servants by another name , isaiah 65. 15. so far concerning the proof of those truths , so far as i conceive them to be . now i shall come to the arguments , which are three ; the first from the old testament , the second from the new , the third from both : the first argument is from isaiah 61. thus , those who are the anointed of god with christ , to preach the gospel to the world , whom the world shall own as the onely ministers of god , and honor as the son , they have all the fulness of the godhead as the son : but the saints are the anointed of god with christ , to preach the gospel to the world , and the world shall own them as the onely ministers of god , and honor them as the son . therefore the saints have all the fulness of the godhead with the son . there are four parts in the argument to prove in this chapter . first , the saints are the anointed of god with christ , that 's plain , isaiah 61. 1 , 3. the same spirit or oyl powred forth on the son , is powred forth on the saints , and that in the same fulness : for secondly , they are anointed with him to preach the gospel to the world ; the spirit was on him , that he might preach to the world , and they shall preach to the world also ; for they shall build the old wastes , and shall raise up the former desolations , they shall repair the waste cities , the desolations of many generations , verse 4. what wastings hath war made , not onely in the visible world , but the invisible ? in the inward man are more wastes ; and for many generations , men have been desolated of that glory once given them . now to repair all things in the world visible and invisible , to build up the ruines made , not by rome , but even by the most reformed churches ; to raise up a new building , a city for god to dwell in , this is the work of the son onely , yet the saints shall do it also ; but i beleeve the world shall be a little more wasted first . thirdly , the world shall then own the saints as the onely ministers of god . verse 6. ye shall be called the priests of the lord , and men shall call you the ministers of our god . fourthly , all that see them shall acknowledge , that they are the seed which the lord hath blessed , verse 9. now the blessed seed is christ , gal. 3. 16. he speaketh not of seeds , as of many , but of one , the seed , which is christ . all the saints being many ( in fl●sh ) make up but one christ ( in spirit ) ; yea , god even the father that eternal spirit , shall be manifest in their fl●sh , as in his : that not onely themselves shall see it ; but all men shall say , that they are the seed which the lord hath blessed . this full discourse , and first argument of mr. erbery is set forth , not that any man should approve , but prove it ; not to justifie himself , but to be judged of all . he will not mention any thing in the dispute at present , being content to suffer in silence , and fit still in his own abhorrency , while others walk in their honor , and applause , which he doth not envy them ; for they have their reward , and he his wages , that all men speak evil of him ; yet could he with a few words wipe of all his personal wrongs , but then he should be sprinkle others with some spots and shame , which he is loth to do . let the true god who judgeth righteously , cleer up all mens falshoods ( and truth also ) in his due time . this is all he hath now to say , that as he first professed , he knew nothing , nor maintained any thing as dogmatical , but onely delivering his minde , drawn out to speak , because he should not be silent ; so he confesseth himself not yet carried out of the way of further inquiry , and seeking the truth , that god shall teach him , and not men ; wishing all the saints were in that way , to cease from man , whose breath is in his nostrils ; for wherein is he to be accounted of ? especially now , when the number of the beast may be read ( in mens foreheads ) to be the number of a man : and the lord alone to be exalted in that day . well , when wise men erre , and the princes of zoan are become fools , that is , the chief leaders in ( spiritual ) egypt are causing to erre , and wander ; there is a way , a high-way , that wayfaring men , though fools , shall not erre therein . if any man would be wise still , he dares not call him fool ; but as for him who hath found himself a fool already , and sees himself be-wildernessed as a wayfaring man , seeing no way of man on earth , nor beaten path to lead him , let him look upward and within at once , and a high-way , the way is found , christ in us , god in our flesh : waite here a while for that spirit and power from on high to appear in us , walking in the spirit of holiness , love and peace ; and at last , yea , within a little , we shall be led forth out of this confusion , and babylon , wherein we yet are not cleerly knowing , truth nor error , day nor night ; but in the evening there shall be light . cant. 1. 7. tell me ( o thou whom my soul loveth ) where thou feedest , where thou makest to rest at noon . finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a38580e-190 revel. 10. 1. verse 2. verse 3. verse 7. verse 4. verse 4. vers. 10. vers. 11. reve. 11. verse 3. verse 4. verse 5. verse 6. verse 8. vers. 11. vers. 12. acts 10. 43. notes for div a38580e-590 jere. 50. 2 , 4. vers. 5. hosea 3 4 , 5. 1 sam. 23. 9. zach. 8. 19. hos. 3. 5. jere. 2. 36. hosea 2. 6 , 7. 1 cor. 13 11. acts 4. 27 , 30. eph. 4. 13. psal. 22. 22. heb. 2. 12 , 13. gal. 1. 16 and 2. 20. and 3. 1. crucified in you . gal 4 19 and 5. 27. and 6. 15. 2 cor 13. 3. heb. 2. 11 , 12 , 13. rev 13. 8 col. 1. 24. isai. 63. 9 1 cor. 2 2. phil. 3. 11 , 12 , 14 2 pet 1. 19. 1 pet. 1. 13. isa. 66 7. jere. 31. 22. rev 12. 5 compared isai. 26. 19. and 60 , 1 , 2. rev. 22. 16. revel. 21. 3. isai. 29. 14. heb. 2. 11. 2 pet. 1. 3 , 4. zach. 14. 9. revel. 5. 10. exod. 33. 18. acts 2. 33. john 14. 3. john 14. 12. joh. 7. 38 and 17. 20 , 21. act. 2. 41 and 3. 19. col. 3. 3. isa. 54. 5. isai. 62. 4 , 5. zeph. 3. 17. revel. 13. 6 , 7. col. 2. 9 , 10. 1 john 3. 2. col. 3 4. john 14. 19 , 20. rom. 8. 18 , 19 : 1 tim. 4. 1. revel. 9. 2. joh. 2. 22. isai. 9. 6. matth. 1. 23. acts 20. 28. 1 john 3. 16. psal. 68. 1 , 17 , 18. john 14. 10 , 20. 1 john 4. 4. john 5. 30. john 8. 28. 1 john 4. 4. zach. 12. 3 , 8. rev. 1. 13 isai. 60. 14. mich. 7. 16 , 17. zach. 8. 23. isai. 41. 14 , 15. jere. 51. 20 , 21. isai. 60. 12. 1 cor. 2. 3. rev. 21. 7. 1 john 5. 5. revel. 13 18. psal. 49. 20. prov. 30. 2 , 3. revel. 3. 12. revel. 22. 4. isa 62. 2. isai 65. 15. isai. 2. 11 , 22. reve. 13. 18. isai. 19. 2 , 13 , 14. isai. 35. 8. the great salvation offered and tendered first, by christ himself, and then by his holy apostles, with the inevitable destruction of all that neglect it : in the sermons, reprinted / by that eminent servant of christ, mr. andrew gray ... gray, andrew, 1633-1656. 1694 approx. 90 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 29 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2004-08 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a41842 wing g1614 estc r39448 18419624 ocm 18419624 107525 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a41842) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 107525) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 1634:14) the great salvation offered and tendered first, by christ himself, and then by his holy apostles, with the inevitable destruction of all that neglect it : in the sermons, reprinted / by that eminent servant of christ, mr. andrew gray ... gray, andrew, 1633-1656. [8], 48 p. printed by george swintown and james glen ..., edinburgh: 1669. errors in paging: p. 16 misnumbered 19. imperfect: stained, and slightly faded, with print show-through. reproduction of original in the british library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng church of scotland -sermons. salvation -sermons. sermons, english -17th century. 2004-01 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2004-02 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2004-04 judith siefring sampled and proofread 2004-04 judith siefring text and markup reviewed and edited 2004-07 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the great salvation offered and tendered , first , by christ himself , and then by his holy apostles , with the inevitable destruction of all that neglect it . in two sermons , reprinted . by that eminent servant of christ , mr. andrew gray , formerly minister of the gospel in glasgow . isaiah 52. 7. how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings , that publisheth peace , that bringeth good tidings of good , that publisheth salvation . london , printed for h. barnard in the poultrey . 1694. to the reader . christian reader , blessed were those days , when christians , whether frown'd or smil'd upon by the world , lived by faith , and walked in holiness and love ; and ministers sought the things of their lord and master , iesus christ , and not their own : when gospel-truth was plainly declared by the preachers , and reverendly received , and not wantonly debated by hearers ; when gospel ordinances were prised and used for the enjoyment of god in them ; when iesus christ was all in all in mens religion . and when the holy ghost went forth sensibly in calling , furnishing , and countenancing ministers in their work. a great measure of this blessedness did the western parts of scotland enjoy , especially from the year 1651 to 1660. amongst the many bright and shining stars in christs right hand , which he set upon his candlesticks , in that part of brittain , two youths deserve everlasting remembrance in the church , mr. hugh binning , and mr. andrew gray . the former lived but to the twenty sixth year of his age ; of whose labours , though several excellent things are published , his discourses of some of the principles of christian religion , deserve special regard . they have been often printed , and their depth , gravity and excellency deserves a larger commendation than i can give them . mr. andrew gray , his contemporary , dyed in the twenty second year of his age. he was born of a noble family , bred up at the vniversity , where he profited signularly in learning , and polished the excellent parts god had given him . the saving grace of god reacht him about the nineteenth year of his age , and at twenty he was called and setled in the ministry of the gospel at glasgow ( a bright candlestick in that day ) with mr. james durham , and mr. john carstairs , ministers of the new testament , of singular worth. after two years painful and successful labours there , the lord called him to his rest. his singular gifts for preaching , his charming way of delivery both in voice and action , the power he was endowed with , and the great success on mens hearts , that commonly attended his labours , were so eminent , that he was followed by multitudes wherever he preached , more than any other minister in that land in his day , and became the blessed instrument of the converting of many to the faith of christ. what is printed of his sermons , was principally by the notes taken by some of his hearers , sometimes compared with what he wrote himself , which render them but lean sceletons of the discourses of a minister under such singular influences and assistance of the holy ghost , as he usually was , in his work. it is well known what imperfections attend such posthumous writings and what allowances judicious persons read them with . how these two came forth alone , thou shalt know . a worthy christian in lancashire being much taken with mr. gray's sermons , he design'd to reprint these two , concerning the great salvation , and to give some hundreds of them to his poor neighbours , for their souls good . this gentleman finding that the first publishers of them were two ministers in edinburgh , one of them being my honoured father , and i also bearing his name , he did not know but that i was one of the persons that first sent them to the press ; and therefore he desired me to preface to them . i told him his mistake , and that i being very young when mr. gray dyed , could testify no more of my own knowledg , but that i had seen him in my fathers house and pulpit , and that i do well remember the high character be had from all the godly ministers and christians that knew him , and that his death was lamented bitterly , as a publick calamity , and a prognostick of evil to come . although another might be more fit than i to commend them to the publick ; and if it had been put to my cheice , i might have pitched on something else of this author , or of another , for that chritable end , driven at , yet seeing every one is to be left to their own liberty in good works of this nature , i would neither divert his design , nor deny his request . these two sermons , now again published , contain no matters or point of controversy , ( except the main things of the gospel , be so accounted in this age , wherein angry contention is more minded by many , than solid believing and holy walking ) they hold forth the greatest of truths , and best of tidings ( the great salvation wrought out compleatly by the son of god our saviour . ) they warn gravely of the greatest , commonest and most damning of all sins ( the neglecting thereof . ) they earnestly call to the most important of all gospel-duties ( the believing acceptance of this saviour with his great salvation . ) may some of the same power from on high , accompany thy reading of them , that did attend the preaching of them , is the desire of thy servant in the gospel , ro. trail . a sermon concerning the great salvation . heb. 2. 3. how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation , which at the first began to be spoken by the lord , and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him ? this everlasting gospel which is preached unto you , is that glorious star , which must lead us to the place where blessed christ doth lye . this gospel and glad tidings of the great salvation , is come near unto you : and christ is standing at the everlasting doors of your hearts , desiring that ye would open unto him . there is that one great request , which heaven this day hath to present unto you , and it is ; that ye would at last embrace this great salvation freely offered by him . it is the thing for which ye are called to mourn this day , that since the dayes of your fathers , and since the beginning of your own dayes , ye have stopped your ears from the sweet and chaunting voice of this blessed chamber . ye would never dance to christ when he piped : neither would ye weep to him when he lamented . but to come to the words which we have read unto you : the apostle ( in the former chapter ) had been discoursing most divinely of the matchless and incomparable excellencies which are in our lord jesus : and in the first verse of this second chapter , he draweth forth an exhortation from his former doctrine , which in short is this , that they would take heed to the blessed doctrine of the gospel , and not at any time to let it slip out of their minds ; and that they would keep this gospel as a jewel of great price , and would not sell it , but that they would be induced to buy it . and this exhortation he presseth by two arguments . the first argument is in the second verse , where he saith , if the word spoken by angels was stedfast , and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward , &c. this is , if the transgression of the law which was delivered but by the ministry of angels , and every disobedience to it was so severely punished ; let that provoke you to take heed that ye transgress not the precious gospel which was spoken by the lord himself . the second argument is in the words which we have read unto you , and it is taken from the certain and infallible stroak of the justice of god , which shall come upon those who slight this great salvation ; it is impossible ( saith he ) that there can be a city of refuge for those who slight this great salvation . now in the words which we have read , there are these six things to be considered . i. first , that is an evil incident to the hearers of this precious gospel and great salvation , to slight and undervalue it : this is clearly presupposed in the words ; otherwise there had been no ground or access for the apostle to threaten so terrible things against the slighters of it . ii. the second thing to be considered in the words , is , that the stroak and ruine of those who slight this great salvation , is certain and infallable , it will surely come upon them ; this is clear from those words , how shall we escape ? as if he had said , there is no imaginable way for us to escape , if we neglect ( this ) so great salvation ; we may have a city of refuge when we are pursued by the law , or when we are pursued other ways by the justice of god ; but if once we slight this great salvation , there remaineth no city of refuge ( no door of escape left open ) unto us ; for where will the person flee that slighted this great salvation ! iii. there is this third thing whereof we shall take notice from the words , that the stroak of the justice of god cometh justly upon them who slight this great salvation ; and truly it is a most equal and reasonable stroak ; which is also clear from the words , how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation ? where he puts it home to their consciences , as if he had said , think ye not that it is just and righteous that ( if ye slight the great salvation . ) there should not be a door of escape left open unto you : he putteth the question home to their conscience to answer , yea , or no. iv. the fourth thing to be considered in the words , is this , that the slighting this great salvation is a sin that hath many aggravations which attend and wait upon it . and it hath two great aggravations from the words which i have read ; the first great aggravation in that word of the text , graet salvation ; as if he had said , if it were not a great salvation , you might have some cloak or excuse for your slighting of it ; but seeing it is such a great and external salvation , there is now no cloak left for your sin . the second aggravation is from the certainty of this salvation , in these words , which at first began to be spoken by the lord , and confirmed unto us by those that heard him , viz. his apostles ; whereby he telleth them this great salvation is no notion nor fancy ; but a most certain , sure and real salvation , which yet they flight . v. the fifth thing whereof we shall take notice from the words , is this , that there are no persons ( be whom they will , minister or people ) who slight this great salvation , that shall have a door of escape . hence it is that the apostle putteth himself among the rest , saying , how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation ? that is , how shall i paul escape if i neglect so great salvation , and so frustrate the grace of god! vi. sixthly we would take notice of this from , the words , that not only heart-dispising of this great salvation , but even also the very neglecting of it hath a certain infallible and unspeakable ruine attending upon it . now before we begin to speak to any of these six things , ( which we have observed from these words ) there are these two things whereunto we shall speak a little for clearing of the words ; first , what is meant here by great salvation : secondly , how it is said that christ was the first preacher of it . first , we conceive that by the great salvation is understood the gospel , as is clear , ephes. 1. 13. where it is called the gospel of our salvation ; and acts 13. 26. it is called the word of this salvation ; so that by the words of this salvation is understood the gosgel , and those precious offers which are contained in it . and we conceive it may be called a great salvation , in these eight respects . i. first , it is called the great salvation in respect of the price which was laid down for it ; there being no less price laid down to purchase this great salvation , than the blood of the son of god. from whence then doth salvation flow unto you ? it comes running to you in a stream of the blood of the son of god ; this is clear , heb. 9. 12. neither by the blood of goats and calves , but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place , having obtained eternal redemption for us . ii. secondly , it is called a great salvation in respect of the many difficulties and oppositions which lie in the way of bringing it about . what great impediments ( suppose ye ) lay in christs way before he could accomplish and bring about this great salvation ? was not the justice of god to be satisfied ? was he not to dye , and to be made like unto one of us ? was he not to lie in the grave ? and was he not to bear the torments of hell before this great salvation could be accomplished and brought to pass ? there were such impediments in the way of bringing about this great salvation , that if all the angels in heaven had been set to work , they had been all crushed under it ; had it been but that one great impediment to satisfie the justice , and pacifie the wrath of god , even that was a pass , through which none could go but the eternal son of god. it was so guarded , that none durst to adventure to enter it ( much less could any win through it ) save he onely who was mighty to save . iii. thirdly , it is called a great salvation in respect of that high estimation which the saints have of it . o what an high estimation have the saints of this gospel salvation ! there is no mercy which they think comparable to this ; all other mercies are but little zoars in comparison of this great mercy and gospel salvation . iv. fourthly , it is called a great salvation in respect of those noble effects which this salvation bringeth about and produceth . some of the great effects of the gospel , david hath cleared , psa. 19. 7 , 8 , 9 , 10. is not this a great effect ( of this gospel salvation ) to bring us out of nature into an estate of grace ? and that is an effect of this great salvation . is not this a great effect to make us who were enemies , become friends ? and that is an effect of this great salvation . is not this a great effect to make us who were moving in the way to hell , move in the way to heaven ? and that is an effect of this great salvation . is not this a great effect to make us who were far off , to be now made near ? and yet that is an effect of this great salvation . and is not this a great effect to make us who were darkness become light in the lord ? and that is the great effect of this gospel-salvation . yea , i may say , time would fail me to tell all the great effects of this great salvation . but o will ye come and see , and that will best resolve the question unto you , what the noble effects of this great salvation are . v. fifthly , it is called a great salvation in respect of the great advantages which do redound to the person who embraceth it . first , is not heaven a noble advantage ? and that is the gain which attendeth the embracers of this great salvation . secondly , is not jesus christ a notable advantage ? and yet he is the advantage which attendeth the embracers of this great salvation . 3dly , is not eternal communion with god a noble advantage ? and that advantage attendeth the embracers of this great salvation . 4thly , is not eternal liberation from the body of death a great advantage ? and that attendeth the embracers of this great salvation . fifthly , is not eternal singing in the enjoyment of god a great advantage ? and that attendeth the embracers of this salvation . sixthly , is not eternal seeing of god as he is , a great and noble advantage ? and yet this ( as all the former ) attendeth the embracers of this great salvation . yea , would ye be rich ? o then embrace this great salvation . would ye be honourable ? come and embrace this great salvation . would ye be eternally happy ? o then come and partake of this great salvation . vi. sixthly , it is called a great salvation in respect of all other salvations that ever were accomplished . there was never a salvation or victory obtained by any general or captain ( unto a land or people ) that could have the name of great salvation in comparison of this . vii . seventhly , it is called a great salvation in respect of the authority of it ; we have spoken of the greatness ( as to the meritorious cause ) of it , and how great things it doth effectuate ; and also in respect of the authority of it , it is a great salvation . would you know who is the author of this great salvation ? it is christ. hebr. 5. 9. he became the author of eternal salvation to all them that obey him . and must not this salvation be sutable to him who is the author of it ? this is one of the most noble and irradiant beams of the majesty of the son of god the mediator , that he is the author of this great salvation . vii . eighthly , it is called a great salvation in respect of the continuance and duration of it . it is not a salvation which is but for a day ; but it is an eternal salvation , hebr. 9. 12. he obtained eternal redemption for us . now the second thing whereunto we shall speak for clearing of the words , is this , viz. how it is said that christ was the first preacher of this eternal salvation . we do not think that the words are thus to be understood , that the gospel and this great salvation was never preached before christ came in the flesh ; but we think the meaning of the words may be one of these three : if not all of them . i. first , that all the preaching of this great salvation under the law , did come very far short in the point of fulness , in comparison of christs preaching of it ; therefore is christ said to be the first preacher of this great salvation ; as if he had said , i know adam he preached of this great salvation ; and enoch he preached of this great salvation ; and the twelve patriarchs they preached of this great salvation ; and all the prophets who went before christ , and are now in heaven , they preached of this great salvation ; but all their preaching deserved not the name of preaching in comparison of christs ; for never man spake as he spake . thus christ was the first great preacher of this great salvation . ii. secondly , this may be the meaning of it , that christ was the first preacher of this great salvation in respect of his clear way of preaching of it ; for he was the first preacher of it without types and shadows ; he was the first preacher of it clearly and fully , with so much demonstration and power of the spirit . iii. thirdly , the meaning of this ( that christ was the first preacher of this great salvation ) may relate to his appearing to adam in paradise when he became the first and great preacher of this salvation , when he did speak that word unto him , the seed of the woman shall tread down the head of the serpent . the first glorious preaching of this great salvation was when christ preached to adam in paradise . and that was the first and glorious morning of this blessed gospel . now we shall speak a little to the first of these six things which we have observed from these words ; viz. that there are many within the visible church who are neglecters and slighters of this great salvation ; ( do ye not all take with it ? ) it is clear , matth. 23 towards the close ; and chap. 20. 5. where those persons being invited to come to the marriage , or feast of the gospel , it is said of them they made light of it ; which are the same words in our text : and luke 14. 18. when they were invited to come , it is said , they all with one consent began to make their excuse ; and isa. 28. 2. this is the rest wherewith ye shall make the weary to rest , this is the refreshing ; yet they will not hear . now is there a person here , who dare deny this charge , that he is a slighter of this great salvation ? i confess i am afraid that you will not take with it ; therefore i shall propose eight sorts of persons who are slighters of this great salvation , and i charge you as you will answer to god one day , that you search your hearts , whether you be among the number ( in the catalogue ) of the slighters of this great salvation . i. the first sort of persons who are slighters of this great salvation , are those persons who go about to establish their own righteousness , and will not submit to the righteousness of christ ; ( in a word ) it is that sort of persons who think they may win to heaven by a covenant of works , and will not take the gospels way of travelling to heaven in the covenant of grace . and surely there is not a person here who hath not that cursed inclination to be as little obliged to christ ( for his salvation ) as he can ; we would go to heaven without the way , which is christ. and ( believe me ) there are many in this congregation who go thus about to establish their own righteousness . and i shall propose six sorts of persons who fall under this first rank . 1. the first sort are those who trust on their own civility , and think that will carry them to heaven ; those are the persons who go about to establish their own righteousness . say they , i defie the world to say any thing to me , i was overmore an honest man and i trust therefore that i shall go to heaven ; but i say to thee , ( o atheist that thou art ) thou shalt never win to heaven by those means , till thou come to christ with this , all my righteousness is like filthy rags . 2. the second sort are those who build their confidence upon their denial of their good works , but yet come never this length to make use of jesus christ. 3. the third sort are those who build their confidence upon their duties ; they think they will come to heaven by their good prayers , by their reading , and by their fasting , ( like unto that pharisee , luke 18. 11. ) i thank god i am not like other men ; for i fast twice in the week , i pay tithes of all that i possess : but i say unto thee , thy duties will never bring thee to heaven if christ he not the end of all thy duties , nor can you perform a duty without him ▪ 4 , the fourth sort of persons who fall under this first rank of slighters of the great salvation , are those who trust on their convictions ; if they have once been convinced of their sin and miserable estate , they think there is no more to do , christ will never reject them , so they sit down and build their hope upon those convictions . 5. the fifth sort of persons are those who build their confidence upon their resolutions ; say they , oftentimes i have resolved to be a better man than i am , therefore i think ( which is the fearful delusion of many ) that god will accept the will for the deed ; but it had been good for many such a word had not been in the bible ; or that their cursed eyes had never read it . but know this that though thou hadst as strong resolutions as peter , or as good wishes as balaams had , if thou never labour to bring them to practice , god shall say to thee , depart from me , i know you not : any of you who build upon your resolutions , you will build upon a sandy foundation , these being many times a goodness but like the morning dew , 6. and the sixth sort of persons who fall under this first rank of slighters of the great salvation ( and wherein the evil is most subtil ) are those who build their salvation upon their graces ; these also go about to establish their own righteousness ; but i say to such , their graces cannot be the foundation of their hope , though they may be as evidences to strengthen their hope . now are there none here who fall under this first rank of slighters of the great salvation ? or are there none here who will confess that they have gone about to establish their own righteousness ? i say to thee who wilt confess , put a rope about thy neck , and come to christ ; for he is a merciful king : i say to thee , come to christ with this , all my righteousness is like filthy rags ; and if thou wilt come with this in sincerity , he shall say , bring forth the white robe and put upon him . if thou canst be brought to speak that in sincerity to christ , there shall be no more betwixt christ and thee , but come and cloath him with the whole robe . ii. secondly , those persons slight the great salvation , who delay their taking hold of the precious offers of the gospel : for there are many ( when we preach this gospel , and when we hold out the great salvation to them ) who say , i will follow christ , but i must first go home and bury my father ; ( and so they delay to take hold of this great salvation ) but i say to you ( whoever you be ) that thus delay to take hold on this great salvation , you are the slighters of it . is there a person within these doors who dare but acknowledge that he hath slighted this great salvation , and delayed to embrace it ? o tell me what do your consciences speak ! are there any but they most acknowledge they come under this second rank ? and i say , to you who have thus delayed , will you yet embrace it ? i say even unto you who are old men ( now past sixty years , and have slighted this great salvation so long ) yet this day this great salvation is offered unto you : what say you to it ? o what do you say to this offer ? are ye saying , i must now delay ( and not receive this great salvation ) till my harvest be by and over ? i say unto thee , that the harvest of the wrath of god is ripe , and he shall put in his sickle , and cut thee down . i will say no more to those who thus slight this great salvation , but this , why 〈◊〉 and ye all the day in the market place idle , and doing nothing . o will you at last be induced to take and embrace this great salvation before it be hid from your eyes . iii. thirdly , those persons are the slighters of this great salvation , who complement with christ when they are invited to come and partake of it : and say silently ( to the minister , or rather to their own consciences ) i pray you have me excused at this time ; as those , luke 14. 18. but i would only ask of such , have you any lawful excuse why you will not come and partake of this great salvatiou ? is there any person here that hath any lawful excuse to present ? i shall never take that off your hand , have me excused . but be sure of this , i shall never excuse you , but accuse you ; therefore i desire that those persons who have slighted the great salvation , by complementing with christ , that they would complement no more with him at all , but now embrace it . iv. the fourth sort of persons who slight this great salvation , are these who give way to discouragements and unbelief , so that they will not come and partake of this great salvation : i say , such of you are slighters of it , and christ will esteem you such . oh if ye knew the worth and vertue of this great salvation , there would not be a temptation ( you could meet with ) that would hinder you from embracing it , but if thou couldst not answer these temptations , thou wouldst not own them . i say unto such undervaluers and slighters of the great salvation as discouraged persons . ( and those who stay long in the place of the breaking forth of children ) that when you cannot answer your objections , which hinder you from closing with christ , i entreat you disown them , as if ye heard them not : say ye , think ye this lawful ? i say it is both lawful and expedient , for it was the practice of believing abraham ; he considered not his own body being dry as an old stick , nor the deadness of sarahs womb . he did not consider these things which might have been objections to keep him from believing . he might have started at these two objections ; alas , i am old ; and that objections could he not answer ; and my wife is past child-bearing ; neither could he answer that objection . what then did he with them ? he slighted them both , and considered them not . secondly , i would say this to you who thus slight it because of discouragements ; if ye did know the worth of the great salvation which is in this gospel redemption that is offered unto you , although ye had an army of objections to go through , ye would go through them all , to get a drink of the water of this well of bethlehem . v. the fifth sort of persons who slight his great salvation , are those who will not do so much as take care , and give pains to hear this great salvation offered unto them ; for there are some persons who ( if they come to the church ) desire to sit farthest off , and so never take care to hear a word of this great salvation : and such are dreadful slighters of it . like unto these mentioned , ier. 6. 10. to whom shall i speak and give warning , that they may hear ? behold their ear is uncircumcised , and they cannot hearken , isa. 28. 12. but they would not hear , jer. 7. 10. who say we are delivered to do all these abominations : yet they did come and stand before him , in the house which was called by his name . vi. sixthly , those persons are slighters of this great salvation who ( when they hear it ) are no more ( nay not so much ) affected with it , than if we were telling unto them the most senseless history of thomas the rymer , or some other old fable . like unto these mentioned , ier. 6. 10. the word of the lord is unto them a reproach , they have no delight in it . i would pose you all , as in the sight of the author of this great salvation ( men or women ) did you ever set your selves ( or took ye ever pains ) to bring up your hearts to the love of this great salvation ? was it ever the rejoycing of your hearts that christ dyed and rose again ? i do certainly believe it ( and i am perswaded ) that there are decrees past in heaven against many of you , that in hearing ye shall hear , but not understand ; and in seeing ye shall see , and shall not perceive : for god hath made your hearts harder than the flint or adamant ; so that ye 〈◊〉 refuse to return when he doth exhort you . believe me ( if i may so 〈◊〉 ) i think there is as much probability that the stones in the wall would hear ( if we would speak to him ) as soon as many of you . vii . seventhly , those persons are slighters of this great salvation , who did never complain that they wanted a right to this great salvation . i hope some of you are now convinced that ye never came within the compass of this great salvation : i say yet unto you , if ye did never spend one hour in secret weeping and lamenting , because ye had not aright to this gospel redemption , it is but too probable you never had yet a right to it . yea , know it , that such of you would little care to let precious christ depart without any grief of heart : i think if this were voiced within this house to day , whether or not shall christ go and depart , i doubt if there would be many heart-dissenters , though many tongue dissenters : oh , i fear , there would be many hearts here , saying , o christ , depart and go thy way : yea , there are many gadarens here , who prefer their kine and swine to precious christ , and would beseech him to go out of their coasts . viii . eighthly , those persons slight the great salvation , who never took pains to engage their hearts to take hold of christ and the gospel . christ is near to you this day : the great salvation is near to you , and is now , even now offered unto you , therefore are there any who will take pains to lay hold on it ? i obtest you all who are here , by the beauty and excellency of him , who is the author and of this great salvation , that ye come and partake of it ; i obtest you by all the joyes of heaven that ye embrace this great salvation ; i obtest you by all the terrours in hell that ye embrace it ; i obtest you by the promises of the everlasting covenant that ye embrace it ; i obtest you by all the curses which are written in this book of the covenant that ye embrace it . i obtest you by the love you owe to your immortal souls , that ye will once be wise , and come partake of this great salvation . may i now have it , saist thou ? yea , i say unto you all , ye may have it to day , ye may be partakers of it before ye go hence : and so before i proceed any further , i do in the name and authority of him who sent me here to day , and is the author of this great salvation , freely offer it unto you to day . but i know there will be eight sorts of humors ( within this house today ) in relation to this great salvation , which now is offered unto you . 1. i think there will be some of gallio's disposition here to day , that will care for none of these things : yea , there are many here who will not give a fig for this rich offer of the great salvation . but , i say , cursed be that person who putteth on gallio's temper ( to day ) that will care for none of these things . 2. i fear there will be many of pilates humour here ( to day ) who will say , they find nothing against the man ; yet will cry forth , take him and crucifie him . they find no fault with christ , and yet will be content that he be crucified . now can ye say any thing against christ , who is the author of this great salvation ? produce your strong arguments ; are there any here who have any thing to say against him ? i am here to answer in his name ; i hope there is not one here who hath any thing to say against the author of this great salvation . and why then do ye not take him ? see unto your selves that there be none of pilates humour here to day , that will cry out , ye find nothing in christ why he should not be received , and yet will be content that he be crucified . 3. there will be many of the jews humor here to day , who cry forth , away with christ , away with christ , and give me barabas . but oh , what a hellish word is that ! away with spotless christ , away with transcendent christ , and give us the world . now are there any here who will be so gross slighters of this great salvation ? will ye slight this great salvation , and embrace your idols , which shall once prove a crown of thorns unto you ? 4. there will be some of felix humor sound here to day , that will say , o christ go away at this time , and i will here thee at a more convenient season : but i say unto you who will not hear me to day , nor embrace this great salvation , i shall defie all the ministers in scotland to assure you , that ye shall get another offer , if ye send me away to day ; there is not one that can or dare engage that the great salvation shall be in your offer any more . therefore , i say , let none of felix temper be here to day , that will say , they will hear christ at a more convenient season . 5. there will be some of balaams temper to day , who will desire to dye the death of the righteous , and to have their last end like his ; yet they desire not to live the life of the righteous : but i say unto you , ye shall never dye the death of the righteous , if ye live not the life of the righteous . 6. there will be some of you here to day , who ( i hope ) at least will be of agrippas humor , that will say , thou hast almost perswaded me to be a christian : i say unto thee , o wilt thou quickly out with that word almost , and put in that word altogether , and say , o precious christ , thou hast altogether perswaded me to be a christian : however , if thou come no greater length , i intreat thee come this length , that so thou mayst cry out , i am almost perswaded to embrace christ the great salvation , and may be ere long ye will come further . 7. there will be some of iudas temper here to day , who will betray christ for thirty pieces of silver . yea , some would sell christ , heaven , their idols and all , for less then thirty pieces of silver . 8. i think there will be many of esaus profane temper here to day , who will sell their birth-right for a mess of pottage . now will ye enquire at your selves , am i the person that will give my birth-right for a mess of pottage ? doth my heart say , i will sell my birth right , because i am hungered and ready to dye , what will it profit me ? give me a mess of pottage , and i will quit my birth-right . i know it , there are not a few such here to day : therefore i intreat you enquire at your selves what is your humor . oh shall the great salvation that ye have flighted so long , be slighted this day also , and shall there be none to embrace it ? oh enquire and stand in awe , lest the wrath of the most high pursue you . now i shall give you these seven considerations , which may provoke you not to slight , but embrace this great salvation . 1. the first consideration , that the not embracing this great salvation is one of the greatest acts of folly that can be , ier. 8. 9. they have rejected the word of the lord , ( and immediately it is subjoyned ) and what wisdom is in them ? and so solomon doth assure you they cannot be wise who neglect this great salvation , prov. 1. 7. fools despise wisdom and instruction : therefore may not i say unto you , be who ye will , ( though ye were the greatest heads of wit in all this place ) ye are but stark fools as long as ye neglect this : but would you be wise indeed , and wise unto eternal life ? then i intreat you come and embrace this great salvation . 2. the second consideration to provoke you not to slight the great salvation , is this , that the ruine and destruction of the slighters of it , is most certain and infallable , ier. 11. 11. where ( speaking of slighting the covenant , which is indeed this same great salvation ) there is a therefore put to the threatning . therefore thus saith the lord , i will bring evil upon them which they shall not be able to escape . i defie you all , who are the slighters of this great salvation , to find a back door , when justice shall pursue you : for there is no door to escape if ye embrace not this great salvation : but the earth will disclose your iniquity , and heaven will declare your sin . 3. thirdly , let this consideration provoke you not to slight this great salvation , that christ is exceeding serious , and earnest that ye should embrace it : and i think that isa. 28. 23. speaketh out his exceeding seriousness , where four times he beggeth of his hearers , that they would give ear and hear his voice , saying , give ear and hear my voice , hearken and hear my speech . what needeth all these exhortations ? but that christ is most serious that they would embrace the great salvation . and o , that there were a person here to day , as serious to the bargain as christ is ! but be who ye will that flight this great salvation , [ believe me ] the day is coming wherein ye shall cry out , alas for my slighting of it ! wilt thou therefore think presently with thy self ( o thou slighter of this great salvation ) what wilt thou say of thy slighting it ? when the devil shall be leading thee in thorow those dark gates of hell ! o slighter of the gospel , how many alasses wilt thou cry , when thou shalt be passing thorow these dark gates into thy everlasting prison ? wilt thou not then cry out , o me ( a slighter of the everlasting salvation ) whether am i now going ? alas now for my slighting the gospel ! and as thou passest thorow , thou shalt meet with numbers of miserable comforters ; there is not one in that prison , who can comfort thee ; but many dreadful a lasses shalt thou then both cry and hear , if thou embrace not this great salvation . 4. fourthly , let this provoke you not to slight the great salvation , that ye will get it for a very look : o ye within this house to day , ye will get this great salvation for one look , isa. 45. 22. look unto me and be saved , all the ends of the earth ; for a very look ye will get this great salvation , and do ye ever think to get heaven at a lower rate ? 5. the fifth consideration to provoke you not to slight this great salvation any more , is this , there is not one of you who is a slighter of it , but your slighting it shall increase your immortal bonds . man or woman , be who thou wilt , when thou art slighting this great salvation , thou art but plating a cord wherewith to bind thy soul eternally in these unquenchable flames , isa. 28. 22. be ye not mockers , lest your bonds be made strong . i say therefore unto you , old men , mock not , lest your bonds be made strong : old women , near unto your graves , mock not , lest your bonds be made strong : young men , be ye not mockers , lest your bonds be made strong : young women , who are in the flower of your time , mock not , lest your bonds be made strong : but now alas , will there for all this be a person here to day who will be a moker of this great salvation ? 6. the sixth consideration to provoke you not to slight this great salvation any more , is this : ye know not but that your days may be near unto a close , i say , you know not but the day of the preaching of this great salvation may be near unto a close . what knowest thou o man or woman , but this shall be the last sermon that ever thou shalt hear concerning this great salvation ? and yet for all this , shall we be sent away without one consent to embrace or receive it ? o will ye be perswaded to look to christ , and so to take him ? 7. the seventh consideration to provoke you not to slight the great salvation , is this , that there is a five fold salvation comprehended under this great salvation . 1. the first is this , come and partake of this great salvation , and thou shalt have salvation from thy idols . and hereby i do proclaim liberty this day ▪ unto captives . i am sent forth this day with the keyes of your prison-house , to open your prison doors unto you , if ye will embrace this great salvation . play unto you , o ye prisoners , come forth and show your selves ; for the keyes of your prison-house are with us to open your prison doors unto you ; therefore o come forth and embrace this great salvation . will there be any ( shall i think ) here that will refuse to come forth ? o go forth and flye from the land of your captivity , and from the house of your bondage . 2. thou shalt have salvation from thy darkness and from thy ignorance . i say unto you , who understand no more of god then the stones in the wall , i command you to come forth , and partake yet of this great salvation , and unto you shall light arise ; even the day spring from on high and visit you . 3. if ye will come and partake of this great salvation , ye shall have deliverance from all your fears . dost thou fear that thou shalt be poor ? come and partake of this great salvation , and thou shalt be delivered from it . art thou afraid of hell ? come and partake of this great salvation , and thou shalt be delivered from that fear . art thou afraid at the wrath of god ? then come ( i say ) and partake of this great salvation , and thou shalt have redemption from that and all thy fears ; with him is plenteous redemption , and he can make thee quiet from the fear of evil . 4. if thou wilt come and partake of this salvation , thou shalt have deliverance from all thy anxieties , and from all thy cares : ye are now careful and anxious about many things ; come and partake of this great salvation , and it will make you careful but onely for the one thing necessary . 5. if ye will come and embrace the great salvation offered unto you this day , ye shall be helped before ye go hence to sing that song , o death where is thy sting , o grave where is thy victory ! now o will ye come and embrace this great salvation , and ye shall be more then conquerors thorow christ who loveth you . are there therefore any here to day that would have victory over the devil , and over their own heart ? then come and embrace this great salvation , and then your victory is certain . but now to press home this great salvation upon you a little further ; there are nine sorts of persons who are invited to come and partake of this great salvation offered this day : and i charge you answer to your names when ye are called , and delay not to come . 1. first , i invite and call here to day , all who are willing to come and embrace this great salvation . now are there any of you here to day , who are called willing ? then i invite you to come aud embrace this great salvation , rev. 22. 17. whosoever will , let him come : but oh , are there none here to day who are named willing ? i intreat you if there be any , do not deny your name , but come when ye are called and embrace this great salvation . 2. secondly , those persons who thirst for it , are invited to come , and partake of this great salvation , rev. 22. 17. let him that is athirst come . now if there be any here who are named thirsty , let them come and partake of this great salvation , and they shall be satisfied . 3. thirdly , are there any moneyless folk here to day ? let them come and partake of this great salvation . are there no monyless folk here to day ? i mean not that money or coin in your purses ; but want ye money ? that is , want ye righteousness ? then i pray you come and partake of this great salvation . i say , are ye so poor that ye have nothing but the fear of hell ? then i pray you come . if there be any here who have nothing to commend them to christ , but necessity : i say unto all such , o come , come , come , and partake of this great salvation . 4. fourthly , those persons are invited to come ( and i wish there were many such ) who are weary ; but oh ! are there none here to day who are called weary ? are you not weary in pursuit of your sins ? if there be any such here to day , i say unto you , o weary folk , come , come , come , and partake of this great salvation , and of this excellent gospel-redemption that was purchased at so dear a rate . 5. fifthly , those who are heavy-loaden are invited to come , ( and i think all of you may answer to this name ) are you heavy-loaden ? o then come ! but are there none here who are heavy-loaden with sin , with misery , and estrangement from god ? if there be any such here , i say unto thee , old man or young man , be who thou wilt , o come and partake of this great salvation . 6. sixthly , are there any here to day who are called blind ? i say , if there be any of you who think you want eyes to see the precious excellencies of christ , i invite you to come and partake of this great salvation . 7. seventhly , are there any who are called lame here to day ? i say unto such , o come , come , come , and partake of this great salvation ; for weare sent forth to day to call in the blind and the maimed , and the lame , that they may come and embrace this great salvation ; therefore are there none here to day who may be called such ? are you neither blinde nor lame ? i hope many of you will not deny that you are such ; therefore i say unto you , o blind , halt and maimed , come , come , and partake of this great salvation . 8. the eight sort of persons invited , are those who are sick ; therefore if there be any sick folk here to day , be who you will , i say unto you , o come and partake of this great salvation ; for the whole need not the physician , but the sick . 9. ninthly , are there any here to day who know not their name , or their condition ? i say unto you , o nameless folk , come and partake of this great salvation ; come to christ for the knowledge of your souls condition ; come as a nameless one , and he shall not reject thee , though thy case were so evil that thou couldst not give it a name ; for of all that come unto him he sendeth none away . now where do you find your name and sirname ? o do you not know it ? i hope now you may know ; therefore i entreat you answer to it , and so come away and partake of this great salvation . but i am afraid there be many strong iron bars in the way of some of you , which you cannot win over . ah , how fast are some souls locked in satans snare ! and therefore i shall speak a little for discovering of those bars that hinder from embracing this great salvation , that so you may be the better helped to remove them . i. the first great iron bar which keepeth folk romembracing this great salvation , is the bar of ignorance ; and i am afraid that this ( as a mighty bar ) hindereth many of you : you are ignorant of your selves , and of the condition of your souls ; you are ignorant of the law , and of its severity and you are ignorant of the precious gospel in its condescendency . o pray unto god that for christs sake he would break that great bar of ignorance ; for till that be done , christ may take up that complaint , ierem. 5. 4. surely they are foolish , they know not the way of the lord , nor the judgment of their god. i say this bar of ignorance keepeth you from embracing this great salvation . ii. the second bar which keepeth many from closing with christ , is , the bar of presumption ; for some will cry out , what need have i to embrace the great salvation ? have i it not already ? but i say unto thee , o fool , thou art ( by all appearance ) yet in bondage . o that this evill bar of presumption were put away ; for it is one of the greatest impediments which lieth in the way of your embracing this great salvation that is in your offer to day : therefore i say unto you , if you will come no further , i intreat you come this length , to confess that you want this gospel-salvation , and that you are indeed strangers to this redemption purchased by christ. iii. the third bar that keepeth persons from embracing this great salvation , is the bar of unbelief ; you belie●e not what we say to you about this great salvation ; i know that some of you are of the stoicks and epicures humor , who cry out , what meaneth this man ? he seemeth to be the setter forth of some strange god. but i say unto you , i am not the setter forth of any strange god , but it is jesus of nazareth whom i preach unto you . alas , some of you think this great salvation to be some morning dream , or some golden fancy : but i say unto you it is neither a dream nor fancy ; but a real truth that we preach unto you . iv. the fourth bar that keepeth persons from embracing this great salvation , is the bar of discouragement ; this strong bar keepeth many so fast , that they cannot embrace this great salvation , though it be freely offered unto them . i shall say no more to you who are such , but counsel you to do as those four lepers did , 1 kings 7. 4. who sate at the gate of samaria ; who said , why sit we here till we dye ? if we say , we will enter into the city , then the famine is in the city , and we shall dye there ; and if we sit still here , we dye also . now therefore come , and let us fall into the host of the syrians ; if they save us alive we shall live , and if they kill us we shall but dye . even so say i unto you , that if you abide in the state of unbelief , you shall surely be undone ; therefore go forth ; for you know not but god may work a great salvation for you ; and if you will quit your unbelief , and close with christ in the offer of this great salvation ( by faith ) you shall have no more to do but eat and drink , and divide the spoil . v. the fifth bar which with-holdeth persons from embracing of this great salvation , is the bar of unwillingness ; ye will not come to me that ye may have life . and alas , this is an iron bar indeed , by which all that are in hell have barred themselves out of heaven . alas , shall you be such wretches also ? o what a dreadful sound is that ? woe unto thee o ierusalem ; wilt thou not be made clean ? when shall it once be ? ah , turn you , turn you , why will you dye ? why will you sligh this great salvation ? o will none of you this day embrace it ? vi. the sixth bar that with-holdeth persons from embracing this great salvation , is the bar of worldlymindedness : many of you are so fixed to the world , that you cannot come and close with this great salvation . i may allude to that word spoken of saul , 1 sam. 10. 22. that he hid himself among the stuff ; for many have buried and nested themselves in the midst of the world , that they cannot embrace this great salvation . vii . the seventh bar which keepeth many from embracing this great salvation , is the bar of hardheartedness ; there hath such a stupidity and hardness of heart seized upon many , that let christ preach as he will to them ( by his word , or by other dispenations ) they are no more moved , than if his word and dispensations were a thousand miles from them . o that strong bar of hardness of heart , when shall the omnipotent hand of god break it ? viii . the eight bar that hindereth many from embracing this great salvation , is the bar of sloathfulness : many of you cannot be at the pains to embrace it ; but i say unto you , there is but small pains in the way of godliness : i say unto you , it may so easily be had , that it is in your offer to day ; and if you will , you may put forth your hand and take it . consider therefore what you will do . o will you despise it ? i say , will you still neglect and despise it ? will you but read that dreadful word ? acts 13. 40 , 41. behold ye dispisers , and wonder , and perish : tell me freely , would you have us to return this answer to him who sent us , that you are despisers of the great salvation ? say to it , are there none of you who ( for all this ) will consent to partake of this great salvation ? o captives and prisoners , and you who are in the bonds of satan , will you come and partake of this great salvation , and you shall be made free ? i have an act of release for you to day ; if you will come and make use of it , you shall be set at liberty . but , oh shall the prison doors be cast open , and yet none come forth ? but that i may come to a close , i say yet unto you , o poor prisoners ; go forth , go forth , and partake of this great salvation . oh will you not come foth ? what holdeth you in ? the foundation of your prison-house is shaken to day ; therefore if you will but come forth , and cast a look to christ , your very shackels shall fall off your hands , and you shall be as those who were never bound . now i leave this with you , and to make you think upon it , i shall speak these five words to you , and i intreat you think upon them . 1. first , i have excellent tydings to tell you ; ( i hope some of you will give ear to them ) viz. there is a great person come here to day , and that is the mighty author of this great salvation , who hath brought everlasting righteousness with him , desiring you to make use thereof ; it is his desire that you would take his excellent gifts at his hand . these i say are the tydings that i have to preach unto you ; and i hope never to be declared a lyar for what i preach unto you : i say yet unto you , that christ the author of the great salvation desireth to give it freely unto you , if you will but take it . but o will you not take it ? i think if you did see an hundred men lying in prison or dungeon without all light , bread or water , and a great prince coming to them , saying , i desire you all to come forth , and partake of this great liberty which i bring unto you ; and every one of them should answer , i scorne to come forth at this time ; would you not think them exceeding great fools ? and yet i fear this act of great folly falls out in many of your hands to day ; that when christ hath given us the keys of your prison doors , and they are opened , you will not come forth : but i must intreat you yet to come forth and shew your selves . for who knoweth but we may be commanded to shut your prison-doors again , and to seal them with seven seals , with an unalterable decree from heaven , never to be recalled ! wherefore o ye prisoners , go forth , go forth from your prison house . 2. secondly ; i would say this to you , that it is not without much ground that this salvation ( offered to yon ) is called a great salvation . i know a little paper of two or three sheets might contain all the salvations that ever any man obtained ; but the world would not be able to contain all the books which might be written to the commendation of this great salvation ; yea , ( unto any who will embrace it ) i say ; first , if thou find not this salvation above thy faith , then go thy way when thou art come : but i know thou wilt finde it both above thy faith and hope . secondly , if thou find it not above thy desires when thou art come unto it , then go thy way again ; but were thy desires as the sand upon the sea shoar , thou shalt always find more in this salvation than ever thou couldst desire . thirdly , if this salvation be not above what thou canst conceive , then go thy way when thou art come to it ; but think of it as thou canst , it shall always be above thy thoughts of it . fourthly , if this salvation be not above thy opinion of it , then go thy way when thou art come unto it ; but i know thou wilt find it far above thy opinion of it . therefore seeing it is so great a salvation , as that all the world could not contain all the books that might be written in the commendation of it ; o will you embrace it , even to day , while it is in your offer ? 3. thirdly , i would say this unto you , be perswaded that there is no sin that will more provoke the majesty of god to punish you , than the sin of slighting this great salvation . bring forth these murderers , saith the lord , ( of the slighters of this invitation ) and slay them before me . i entreat you inquire at your own hearts what you will answer when you are reproved for slighting of it . old men , will you ask at your own hearts what you will answer to christ when he shall propose that question to you , why slighted you the great salvation ? old women , what will you answer when he shall say to you , why slighted you the great salvation ? young men and young women , inquire at your own hearts , what you will answer , when christ shall say to you , why slighted ye the great salvation ? can ye imagine any answer to that question ? o dreadful shall that wrath of god be , that shall be executed upon the slighters of this great salvation ! 4. fourthly , i would say this unto you , that heaven is waiting to hear what exhortation the offer of this great salvation doth get among you . here is the great salvation , here is the offer of it , and here is the commendation of it ; what say you to it ? is it not an excellent salvation ? is it not a free salvation ? is it not a great salvation ? is it not an eternal salvation ? why then do ye not welcome it ? can any of you say any thing to the discommendation of it ? i know you cannot ; yea , i dare say , your own hearts are admiring it as most excellent ; and therefore , o will ye accept it ? alas , shall there be none here who will be found accepters of this great salvation , so freely offered to day ! 5. fithly , i would say this to you , let all the angels praise him who is the author of this great salvation . all the saints round about the throne praise him who is the author of this great salvation . all those who are expectants of heaven , praise him who is the author of this great salvation . all ye to whom this offer is made , praise him who is the author of this great salvation . o heaven praise him who is the author of this great salvation , o all ye fowls of the air , praise him who is the author of this great salvation . o fire , hail , snow , vapours , stormy winds , and tempests , praise him who is the author of this great salvation . all the tribes of the earth , praise him who is the author of this great salvation ; our own soul praise him who is the author of this great salvation , and all that is within us , bless him , who is the author of this great salvation . o who would not praise him , who is the author of this great salvation ? are there any here that will refuse to commend him ? o think upon him , and let not this be a day of slighting him . now where are your hearts at this time ? i will tell you where many of your hearts are ; they are thinking upon the world : but i am sure there are not many of them thinking upon this great salvation . now what resolution mind ye to go away with to day ? oh , have ye no resolution beyond what ye had when ye came hither to day ; are there any here who have this resolution , to whom shall we go , but to him who is the author of this great salvation , who alone hath the words of eternal life ? even the lord breath it upon you . or is this your resolution , that through christs strength ( forsake him who will ) ye will never forsake him ? or have ye this resolution ? that ye will esteem more highly of this great salvation then ever ye did ? o that the lord would keep these in the in the imaginations of the thoughts of your hearts for ever . but as for you who have no resolutions to embrace this great salvation , o wherewith shall i commend it unto you ? do not your own necessities commend it ? but if nothing can perswade you to come away and embrace it , then this place shall be an heap of witnesses against you ? for it hath heard all the words of the law which he hath spoken unto you , john 24. oh cast your eyes upon these pillars of the house and stones in the walls . i take them as so many witnesses , that they may speak and testifie against you in the great day of the lord , if ye neglect this great salvation to day . therefore as ye go away , be thinking upon it , and whether or not ye mind to embrace it now while ye may have it ; this day i have set life and death before you : i have set before you both the great salvation and the great damnation ; and o that ye had understanding in all these things , that ye being wise might be provoked at last to embrace this great salvation , the which we do yet again entreat you to think upon . is not heaven looking upon you at this time , to see what ye will do with this great offer of salvation , which i have this day from the lord presented unto you ? now to him that can perswade you to embrace this great salvation , this gospel redemption , this blessed mystery , into which the angels desire to pray , to him who can bring you back from the pit , and can enlighten you with the light of the living : to him , who hath the keys of your prison , who can open , and none can shut , and can shut , and none can open : to him , who hath all power in heaven and in earth communicate , to him who can deliver you from the power of the grave , and can set you free from all your enemies , we desire to give praise , amen . sermon ii. heb. 2. 3. how shall we escape if we neglect so , great salvation , which at the first began to be spoken by the lord , and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him ? there are two great and most ordinary complaints in these dayes . 1. there are many who complain , that their estates and persons are in bondage , and that they are sold for slaves to the hands of strangers : but o that we could also turn over the complaint to this , that our souls are in bondange , and that we are yet in the gall of bitterness , and in the bond of iniquity , that so we might be provoked to long for the great salvation that is in our offer ! 2. there are many complaining ( and not without much cause ) that there is now such a toleration of errours : but o wilt thou complain also of this , that within thy heart there is a toleration of lusts ; is there not an act of toleration concluded in thy breast , that the devil and all his company may reign in thee at pleasure . oh ha●e ye not need of great salvation ? shall i tell you , that christ is courting you to embrace it , and that he putteth on all his most glorious robes , and manifesteth himself unto you , a a suitor making offer of himself and of his great salvation ! o tell me , have ye seen him ? or do you think to see him this day ? what robes hath he on ? there are five glorious robes wherewith he clothes himself when he condescendeth to manifest himself to his people . first , he cometh to his own with the garments of salvation , according to that word , zach. 9. verse 9. kejoyce , o dauhter of sion greatly , shout o daughter of jerusalem ; for behold thy king cometh unto thee , he is just and having salvation ; ay , your king is come here to day , and will ye not fall in love with him when he is cloathed with the garments of salvation ? can ye ever have a more conquering sight of christ than when he is cloathed with such an excellent robe , and offering you salvation ? secondly , he appeareth to his own sometimes in garments dyed in blood , according to that word , isa. 63. verse 1. 2. who is this that cometh up from edom with dyed garments in blood , as one that treadeth the wine fat ! and now i say to you that will not look to christ when he appears in the garments of salvation , have ye a heart to refuse him that hath fought such a combat for you , who hath trode the wine press alone , and hath stained all his garments with the blood of thy enemies ? or is there any here , who dare refuse his salvation , when they see how he treadeth his enemies in anger , and trampleth them in his fury , and thus sprinkleth their blood upon his garments ? o tremble at this sight , and seek quarter from him in time , or he shall dye his garments with the blood of thy mortal soul. thirdly , christ appeareth unto his own , being cloathed with these humble robes of condescendency , when he came in the similitude of sinful flesh . o what a sight was that , to behold the prince of heaven cloathed with our nature ? what a sight was that to behold him that was cloathed with light as with a garment ; to be cloathed with our infirmities , yet he condescended to cloath himself thus , that we might have access unto him , and be partakers of his gifts : o can we refuse him , when love hath thus pressed him to put on the beggars weed , that he might say to worms ye are my brethren , and my sisters ! fourthly , christ sometimes manifesteth himself being cloathed with the garments of beauty and ravishing majesty ; such was the sight that the spouse got of christ , song 2. verse 3. as the apple-tree among the trees of the wood , so is my beloved among the sons ; and song 5. when she saw him white and ruddy , and the standard-bearer of ten thousand ; and such was that joyful sight of him , when his garment was as the light , and white as the snow , which he had at the transfiguration , when these glorified ones did come [ as it were ] ambassadours from that higher house to make him a visit . and fifthly , christ he sometimes appeareth to his own in robes of dreadful majesty , and terrible highness and loftiness , when the soul upon the first sight of him remains dead , and there remains no more life in them ; such was the sight daniel got , in his tenth chapter , and such was the sight that iohn got of christ , revel . 1. verse 17. and i would ask of all that are here , what a sight have ye gotten of christ to day ? in which of all these robes have ye seen him ? it is true , we are not to look for the extraordinary sights of him ; but yet if ever thou hast seen him in any of his wooing , robes , sure he hath appeared matchless ; and how then shall ye then refuse him ? but now to come to the words i was speaking unto you of ; the first thing in the words [ to wit ] that there are many who live under the offer of this great salvation that do slight it , and do not embrace it : and now i shall only add a few things further unto you . 1. let me propose a few considerations to perswade you to embrace this great salvation : god forbid we go away before we embrace this gospel salvation : and therefore i charge you in his name , go not away before ye embrace it . and to press it home upon you , there are these eight or nine properties of this great salvation that is offered unto you this day . and first , it is a free salvation ; ye have no more a do but to put forth your hand and take it . o come and take it ! christ hath foughten for this salvation , and there is no more required of you but to come and reap the fruits of his victory ; who ever will let him come ; there is nothing that should move you to stay away : o captives , bond-slaves to satan , o prisoners of hope ! will ye come and partake of the great salvation ? what holds you from coming away and partaking of it ? it is freely offered unto you : ay , believe it , christ requires no more of you , but that ye should come and take it out of his hand ; if we consent to obey , the bargain is ended ; ye shall eat the good of the land , isa. 1. secondly , this great salvation , is a compleat salvation that is offered unto you to day ; this is clear , luke 1. verse 71. that we might be saved from our enemies , and from the hands of all that hate us . there is not any enemy that is in thy way , but if thou wilt come and partake of the great salvation , thou mayest have victory over it ; so compleat a salvation is it that is in your offer this day . o shall we pass away and not embrace it ! o shall our cursed hearts undervalue this compleat salvation that is come to your door ? believe it , salvation is near unto you , ioye will take it . thirdly , it is a wonderful salvation ; it is such a salvation as the angels desire to pry into it , and it is such a salvation , that all the prophets desired to pry into it : it is almost six thousand years since all the angels in heaven fell into a sea of wonder at this great salvation . it is almost six thousand years since abel fell into a sea of wonder at this great salvation ? and what think you is his exercise this day ? he is even wondering at this great salvation . would you ask at all the angels in heaven , would they not all say , o embrace the great salvation ! would ye ask at all the saints that are above , would they not advise you to embrace the great salvation ? should ye ask at adam , would he not say , o embrace this great salvation ? could ye ask at abel , would he not say , o embrace the great salvation ? and would not all the patriarchs say unto you , o embrace the great salvation ? and do not all that have tasted of the sweetness of it , cry out unto you , come and embrace the great salvation . the fourth property of this salvation is , that it was bought at an exceeding dear rate , it is a dear salvation , would you know the difference between christs coming to this salvation , and your coming to it ? it is this : christ was forced to travel through all the armies of the justice of god. he was forced to drink of the cup of the wrath of god , before he could come to purechase this great salvation ; and now what is requird of you to obtain this ? we may say no more , but put out your hands and take it . will ye look to the price that was laid down for this salvation ? there is not a wound in the body of christ , but it saith , this is a dear salvation : there is not a reproach christ met with , but it saith , o is not this a great salvation ! there is not a necessity that he was put into , but it saith , is not this a great and dear salvation ! o sirs , will ye not come and take this great salvation , this dear salvation ? what must i give for it , say ye ? i say , ye must give nothing for it ; come and take it without money and without price ; it was dear to christ , but it shall be cheap unto you . o , is it not cheap unto you ! i assure , if you will come to the market to buy the great salvation , there is none of you that needeth to stand for the price of it . o come and take it , and have it , and there shall be no more priceing . fifthly , it is an everlasting salvation , that ye shall enjoy the fruits of throughout eternity , as is clear heb. 9. 13. he became the author of eternal redemption unto us ; it is a salvation that the devil can never be able to take out of your hand ; if ye take it , ye shall never be robbed of it again . o come and partake of this great salvation , whereby the gates of hell shall never prevail against you . sixthly , it is a noble and honourable salvation ; it is not to be taken out of one slavery to another , but it is to be taken out of prison that we may reign , luke 1. 71. compared with vers . 74. it is , that we being saved may serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness all the days of our life . i say , come , come , and partake of this great salvation , that your glory may be increased , and that ye may be exalted above the kings of the earth . seventhly , it is a most advantagious salvation : what are the advantages of any salvation that are not to be found in this ? is there not peace to be found in through this salvation ? is there not liberty to be found through this salvation ? is there not eternal enjoyment of god to be found through this salvation ? yea , all salvations are in this one salvation . lastly , it is a royal salvation , for it cometh to us from and through the son of god : christ is the author of it , and we conceive christ may be said to be the author of this salvation , in these respects . 1. he is the meritorious cause that did procure it , it was the price of his blood that was laid down for to purchase this great salvation . 2. he is the fountain from whence it floweth , according to that word which we have cited , heb. 5. 9. he became the author of eternal salvatiou . 3. he is the person that fitteth our spirits for the partaking of it , and it is he that removeth mountains out of the way , that we may have fair access unto the great salvation . 4. it is he that must perswade our hearts to embrace and to take hold of it ; he standeth without , and cryeth to the heart to embrace this great salvation : and he standeth within , making the heart cry out , content , i will embrace the great salvation . he is indeed the person that commendeth and doth point forth this great salvation unto us , he is the noble minister of it ; it began first to be preached by him . now is there any of you that have fallen in love with the great salvation , that ye may try your selves ? i shall give you some evidences of the persons that are near unto this great salvation . 1. is thy estymation of the great salvation increased , be what it was in the morning when thou camest hither ? is thy estimation of the great gospel salvation a foot higher then it was in the morning ? i say unto thee , thou art not far from the great salvation , come away . 2. is thy desire after the great salvation increased , be what it was in the morning ? hath thou stronger desires after the great salvation then before thou camest hither , that is an evidence thou art not free from it . 3. is thy thoughts of thy necessity of the great salvation greater than they were ? thinkest thou that thou hast more need of the great salvation than ever thou thoughtest before ? and is thy opinion and thoughts of saving thy self , less than they were before thou camest hither ? art thou forced to cry out , none but christ can save me ; i say thou art not far from the great salvation ; wilt thou come away ! o that you would once seal this conclusion with much heart-perswasion , i am undone without christ , i am undone without christ , who is the author of this great salvation : are there any of you that are sensible that you are in the fetters of sin , and in the bonds of iniquity ? are you brought to the conviction of this , that you are yet in the gall of bitterness ? i say if thou be brought to this length , to be sensible of thy bonds , and art crying out , o redeemer hasten and come away ; i say , if thou be sensible , of thy bonds and imprisonment , and crying out , o thou that wast anointed from eternity to proclaim liberty to the captives , and the opening of the prison to them that are bound ; o hasten and come away and redeem me , even poor me ; sinking , sinning , perishing , self destroying me ; thou art not far from the great salvation . 4. art thou a person who beginneth to weep because thou hast been so long a stranger to christ , and the great salvation ? old men that are here , how long have you been strangers to the great salvation , and to the author of it ? now will you shed one tear for your estrangement ? and cry out , woe is me that christ and i have been so long a sunder ? i say , if thou hast come that length , thou art not far from the great salvation ; come away : o pitty your selves , make haste , make haste , and come away . but now in the third place , let me give you some evidences by which you may know more clearly whither or no you have embraced this great salvation , that you may know your selves , and that you walk not down to your grave with a lye in your right hand . the first evidence of a person that hath embraced the great salvation , is , that he will have an high esteem of the saviour and author of the great salvation : hast thou a matchless esteem of matchless christ the saviour of the world ? that is a speaking evidence unto thee , thou art a partaker of the great salvation : art thou come to this length , that thou cryest out , none but christ , none but christ ! it is a speaking evidence , that thou art come to be a partaker of the great salvation , when thou canst cry out that word , exod. 15. 2. the lord is my strength and my song , he alone is become my salvation : if christ hath become thy salvation , then it is like he hath become thy song . i would ask this of you , were you ever brought this length , that you durst nor adventure to praise christ alone , but was forced to call in all the creatures , and say , o magnifie the lord with me ; o that is an evidence that you have embraced his salvation . secondly , those who have embraced the great salvation , will study to maintain and keep their grips of it ; they would study to hold fast so precious a jewel ; this is prest , gal. 5. 1. stand fast in the liberty wherewith christ hath made us free ; yea , they will study to walk suitably to this noble mercy , at least , they will strive and endeavour to do it , as is also prest in that same verse . i say , if thou hast been made a partaker of the gospel of salvation , thou wilt strive to keep thy self from the power of those things that once triumphed over thee . thirdly , a person that is a partaker of the great salvation , will have a high esteem of this mercy and salvation ; so paul when he speaketh of it here , he cannot but put some note of excellency to it , calling it the great salvation ; therefore i say , if thou hast embraced the great salvation , thou wilt have so high esteem of it , that not to be so subjected to it as thou shouldst , or to be in subjection to the power of thy lust in any measure , will be thy burden and affliction ; the man will be sorry when he is brought forth from the house of his bondage unto the red sea ; he will be sorry , that when he should have songs of triumph over his idols put in his mouth , that they should sing songs of triumph over him . fourthly , a person that hath embraced the great salvation , he will be longing sometimes for the day when this salvation shall be compleat , when he shall sing that song with that numerous multitude which cannot be numbered , revel . 7. 9. o what a day shall it be , when thou shalt begin to sing that song ! after this ( saith he ) i beheld , and lo a great multitude of all people which no man could number , of all people , nations and languages , stood before the throne , and before the lamb , cloathed with white robes , and palms in their hands , and they cryed ; and how cryed they ? they cryed with a loud voice . they would not mutter the song , nor sign silently ; but cryed with a loud voice : and what did they cry ? they cryed with a loud voice , salvation unto our god who sitteth up the throne , and to the lamb. i would only ask of you that are partakers of the great salvation , what songs shall be put into thy mouth when the waters of iordan shall divide themselves , that the ransomed of the lord must pass thorow ! when thou shalt sing that song psal. 115. 1. not unto us , not unto us , but unto thee belongs the glory of our salvation . o what a day shall that be , when that excellent song shall be put into thy mouth ! yea , what a day shall it be when thou shalt be cloathed with those excellent garments that are made mention of , isa. 6. 10. for he hath cloathed thee with the garments of salvation ; and he hath covered thee with the robe of righteousness . o what robes are these ? did you ever see such excellent robes as these must be ? i think we will misken our selves ; o do you not think we will misken our selves , when we shall put on those excellent robes ! now therefore is the bargain closed , or will ye go away before ye take this great salvation ? dare ye go out at these doors and neglect the great salvation ? i would ask this of you , think ye it will not be most sad , that christ should tell this in heaven of you to night , i was preached to a pack stones , that none of them would love me ! will ye not be feared that this report shall be carryed back to heaven of you ! for what report can christ carry back but this ? now is the cord of this great salvation let down unto you , is there none of you that will take a gripe of it ! will ye flighter after it ? will ye make this a rejoycing day in heaven , that is a fasting day unto you ? and the way to make it so , is , to embrace the great salvation . now what say ye to it , old men ? let me speak to you , and ask your thoughts of the great salvation ; gray hairs should be a crown of glory if it be found in the way of righteousness ; old men , speak your minds , that young men may not have your bad example : what say ye of this salvation ? is it not a most glorious salvation ? is it not a most excellent salvation that is in your offer ? i intreat you speak your minds , tell christ ye are content to take the great salvation ; otherwise , whoever he be that will not partake of this gospel salvation , i in the name and authority of christ our master , denounce eternal and irrevocable war against him ; put on your harness , ye shall not boast when ye put it off again ; the wrath and fury of god shall come upon you to the uttermost if ye embrace not this great salvation : other wars are but for a time ; the greatest captains that ever the earth did carry , are now laid down in the sides of the pit , and their swords broken under their head . armies of ten hundred thousand , a hundred years time have laid them all in their graves , and ended all their contests ; but there is no discharge of this war that shall be concluded betwixt christ and you : it shall become an eternal and most terrible war , which shall be but beginning when time is ended . now peace or war , which of them will ye choose ? dare ye send a charge to christ , and say ye will defie him ? i am afraid there will be two things that many of us shall report to day . first , i am afraid there will be many that will give pharaohs repot to the offer of the great salvation ; and say , who is the lord , that i should obey him ? i tell you who he is , he is glorious in holiness , fearful in praises , doing wonders . o embrace him before he go hence , and give not pharaohs report , lest ye be drowned in the sea of his wrath , whence there shall be no recovery . secondly , i fear there will be many here to day , that will give demas report to this precious offer : i will go and forsake christ , and embrace this present world : o bad exchange ! cursed be he that shall make it ! will ye be of demas humour . i fear there hath been many of that humour of a long time ; but i entreat you once be wise before ye die . i confess that proverb , old fools , are twice fools : i think old men that will not embrace the great salvation , i think ye are triple fools . what wait ye for ? is there any thing can afford you any satisfaction but this great salvation ? now are ye convinced old men , that christ is waiting for your answer , i intreat you before ye go hence , speak your minds what ye think of the great salvation : is it not a lovely salvation ? is it not lovely now ? what say ye to it ? i am to go away , and the offer is to be taken up at this time , and it is hard to say , if ever ye shall have an offer again . i would only say this to you , and be sure of it ; though i should never be a partaker of this great salvation , yet i shall be a witness against you that are not partakers of it . i tell and declare unto you , i shall be a witness against you , if ye embrace not the great salvation ; now old men , are ye perswaded to embrace it ? let me obtest you by the beauty of christ , come and partake of the great salvation , ye that are travelling upon the borders of eternity : now if ye will give no more , give this , will ye go home and think upon it ? i shall not be uncharitable , nor enter to judge your thoughts . i fear there shall be many declared and found guilty amongst us , that we have declared unto heaven we will not embrace the great salvation , but have troden the blood of the son of god under foot . now i entreat you every one of you , ask of your selves if ye be the persons that will presume in your hearts to do so . now i shall leave it with you , let it not be a witness against you : i shall leave it with this ; o come away , old men , young men , old women , and maids ; come and embrace this precious gospel salvation . ye may say , ye bid us come ; but we cannot come : i desire no more of you , but to come with this ; lord i am content to come , but i cannot come : come once to that : for if once ye be content to receive it , it will not be long before ye be able to receive it . now shall christ depart , and will none of you say ye are content to take him , will ye charge your own consciences with this ; 〈◊〉 i content to take chrst and the great salvation ; o blest , blest , blest be he that is the author of this great salvation , and blest be he that gets any of the ends of the cord of the great salvation , that we sink not under the wrath and fury of the lord ! come and embrace this great salvation ; and again i say , come and embrace it ; for what can ye have if ye want it ; and what can ye want if ye have it ; i shall say no more , but close with that word , isa. 62. vers . 21. behold , the lord hath proclaimed to the ends of the world , to those that are far off : what hath he proclaimed , say ye to the daughter of sion , behold thy salvation cometh , behold it cometh ! i say to you that are the ends of the world , salvation is brought hear unto you , stout-hearted and far from righteousness , the great salvation is brought near unto you , and will ye send it away ! oh consider what ye are doing . and to him that can perswade you to embrace the great salvation , we desire to give praise . finis . the mysterie of god, concerning the whole creation, mankinde to be made known to every man and vvoman, after seaven dispensations and seasons of time are passed over. according to the councell of god, revealed to his servants. by gerrard winstanley. winstanley, gerrard, b. 1609. this text is an enriched version of the tcp digital transcription a66686 of text r218568 in the english short title catalog (wing w3048). textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. the text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with morphadorner. the annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. this text has not been fully proofread approx. 104 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 35 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. earlyprint project evanston,il, notre dame, in, st. louis, mo 2017 a66686 wing w3048 estc r218568 99830150 99830150 34600 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a66686) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 34600) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 1942:18) the mysterie of god, concerning the whole creation, mankinde to be made known to every man and vvoman, after seaven dispensations and seasons of time are passed over. according to the councell of god, revealed to his servants. by gerrard winstanley. winstanley, gerrard, b. 1609. [8], 60 p. printed by i.c. for giles calvert, at the black-spread-eagle, at the west end of pauls, london : 1649. reproduction of the original in the union theological seminary library, new york. eng creation -early works to 1800. judgement of god -early works to 1800. salvation -early works to 1800. a66686 r218568 (wing w3048). civilwar no the mysterie of god, concerning the whole creation, mankinde. to be made known to every man and vvoman, after seaven dispensations and seaso winstanley, gerrard 1649 19733 4 0 0 0 0 0 2 b the rate of 2 defects per 10,000 words puts this text in the b category of texts with fewer than 10 defects per 10,000 words. 2005-08 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-09 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2005-10 john latta sampled and proofread 2005-10 john latta text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-01 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the mysterie of god , concerning the whole creation , mankinde . to be made known to every man and vvoman , after seaven dispensations and seasons of time are passed over , according to the councell of god , revealed to his servants . by gerrard winstanley , psal. 145. 13. thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom , and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations . rom. 11. 26. and so all israel shall be saved , as it is written , there shall come out of sion the deliverer , that shall turn away ungodlines from iacob . london , printed by i. c. for giles calvert , at the black-spread-eagle , at the west end of pauls , 1649. to my beloved countrey-men of the county of lancaster . dear country men , when some of you see my name subscribed to this ensuing discourse , you may wonder at it , and it may be despise me in your heart , as davids brethren despised him , and told him it was the pride of his heart to come into the battell , &c. but know , that gods works are not like mens , he doth not alwaies take the wise , the learned , the rich of the world to manifest himself in , and through them to others , but he chuseth the despised , the unlearned , the poor , the nothings of the world , and fills them with the good things of himself , when as he sends the empty away . i have writ nothing but what was given me of my father ; and at the first beholding of this mystery , it appeared to be so high above my reach , that i was confounded and lost in my spirit ; but god , ( whom i believe , is my teacher , for i have joy and rest in him ) left me not in bondage , but set me at liberty , and caused me to see much glory in these following truths ; and when god works none can hinder . it may be some things herein may seeme very strange at the first reading and you may crie out , an error ; an error ; for this is usuall , when the flesh cannot apprehend and be are a truth of god , it brands it for an error , and rejects it as a wicked thing ; as the jewes , because they could not behold god in christ , did breake out in bitternesse of spirit against christ , calling him a deceiver , and that he preached blasphemy , and error , & never rested till they had killed him ; & our lord christ told his disciples , that he had many things to speak to them , but they were not able to bear them as yet . and this i speak in experience , that many truths of god , wherein i now see beauty , my heart at the first hearing rose against them , and could not beare them ; and therefore , if what i have writ meet with such hard entertainment in any of your hearts , it is no wonder , for i know that the flesh that is in you , lusts after envy , but it is part of your bondage which god will deliver you from in due time : you shall finde that i call the whole power of darknesse by the name serpent , which dwells in , and hath taken every man and woman captive , and that god through his sonne christ will redeeme his own workmanship , mankinde , from it , and destroy the serpent onely ; but do not count this a slight thing ; for when god lets you see into the mystery of this iniquity , in the least degree of it , it will prove too hard for you , and you will be nothing but death , curse , and misery . therefore , as you desire that god would manifest love to you , and make you free , be not offended to hear , that god , who is love it self , hath a season to manifest his love to others that are lost , and quicken them that were killed , while you were made alive , and that fell further under death , when you that were lost are redeemed an houre or two before them . iesus christ shed his bloud wilingly for them that did put him to death ; and the saints of god rejoyced , that paul their bitter persecutor , was received to mercy with themselves : why then should you be offended , and thinke you are miserable , if your persecutors and enemies should in gods time be delivered from under the curse , and partake of the glory of the city , together with you . it is much for the glory of god for him to redeeme , not part onely , but all mankinde from death , which his own hands made , it is his revealed will so to do , therefore let it be your joy that the will of your father is , and shall be fulfilled ; and do not thinke the saints are made unhappy , and god dishonored , if he heale them that were lost , and that did not enter into the city , in the beginning of the great day of judgment , for as he is honored in saving you of the citie that were lost : so he will be honored in redeeming these that lye under the power of the second death . and that entred not into the city , seeing there was no difference between you and them , till the will of god made the difference , in taking you at the first and leaving them till the last houre ; for christ gave himself a ransome for all , to be revealed in due time . god doth not reveale his love to all at one time but when he will ; and god hath some thing to do after the resurrection , as he hath , and will yet do much before that day . well , i leave , not questioning , but if any of you be unsatisfied with what i have writ , that you will speak to me , and i hope god will be my wisdom and strength to confirme it ; since i had writ it , i met with more scriptures to confirme it , so that it is not a spirit of private fancie , but it is agreeable to the written word . farwell . your country-man , that loves the life of your soule , gerrard winstanley . these particulars , and such like are contained in this discourse . vvhat mankinde was , is , and shall be . what the serpent is , that caused adams fall , and whence he sprang . the serpent is not gods creature . what the bondage of death is , that adam or all mankind lies under . what the good , and what the bad angels are . god hath cast the twofold murderer out of heaven , and what that is . god will subdue the serpent , not under part , but under the whole creation , mankinde . when all creatures , except man , are to be dissolved into nothing . seven dispensations which god will have mankind to passe through before he subdue the serpent under the feet thereof , and what they are . the citie sion , or the elect , are in gathering up to god in six of those dispensations , in every season of time ; and in the seventh the mystery of god shall be finished , and not till then . the citie sion , or the elect , shall first be taken up to god , afterwards they that were cast into everlasting fire , while the elect were in gathering , shall be redeemed , and partake of the glory of the citie . what is meant by everlasting fire , and the word , for ever and ever , so often used in scripture . god is honoured in the salvation of beleevers , and in the losse and shame of unbeleevers . gods judging the serpent , is mankinds redemption what the day of judgement is . though lost man drink the top , yet the serpent shall drink the dregs of gods judgment , before the son can deliver up the kingdom to the father . what the first and second death is , or the first resurrection , and second death . what the bookes are that must be opened at the great day of judgement . god hath been judging the serpent since adams fall , and will still sit upon the throne till the last day be finished , & yet all but one day of judgment god hates none but the serpent and his seed ; hee loves every branch of mankinde , and in his owne seasons wil manifest his love to every one , though to some at the ninth , some at the tenth , and some at the last houre . god hath given a time , times , and halfe time to the serpent now in the latter dayes to reigne in these . how the serpent under the names of beast , whore and false prophet , makes use of that time god hath given him . the bitternesse that is in mens spirits in these dayes , is the smoak of the serpents torment , the restlesnesse of that wicked one day and night , and beginning of his sorrowes . three scruples against this mystery of god answered a seasonable advice in the close . the mystery of god , concerning the whole creation , mankinde . what mankinde is , was , ana shall be . when god had made adam , there was then two beings , distinct the one from the other , that is , god himselfe , that was an uncreated being , and the humane nature , that was a created being : and though adam was pure and spotlesse , yet he had no other wisdome , beauty , and power , but what god had created . god himself , who is the infinite & endless being , did not dwell bodily in adam , as he did dwell bodily in the humane nature , jesus christ , the second adam , in after-times ; but a pure created wisdome , beauty , and power , did rule , dwell , and act in that created humanity . and after god had made adam , he put him into a garden , called eden , which was full of trees , hearbs , creatures , for pleasure and delight , that he should dresse it , and live contentedly in the use of all things therein ; which indeed is the history to the creatures capacity . yet thereby god declares , that adam himselfe , or that living flesh , mankinde , is a garden which god hath made for his own delight , to dwell , and walk in , wherein he had planted variety of hearbs , & pleasant plants , as love , joy , peace , humility , knowledge , obedience , delight , and purity of life . but all these being created qualities , and a being distinct from the being of god ; god knew and saw , that there would spring up as a weed , and the first fruits of it likewise , an inclinable principle , or spirit of self-love aspiring up in the midst of this created , living garden , and in the midst of every plant therein , which is indeed , aspiring to be as god , or to be a being of it selfe , equall to , and yet distinct from god ; as we see by visible experience in every creature , as horses , cowes , beares , and the like , there appeares an inclinable disposition to promote it selfe , or its own being : but this is but the fruit or invention of the creature after he was made , god did not make it . now as the purest water being let stand , does in time putrifie , so i say , god knew that the first fruit that this created being would bring forth , would be an aspiring desire to be equall , or like to god himselfe , which if the creature delighted in , and so ate , or satisfied himselfe in his own fruit , he should die ; but if he forsook his own invention , and stuck close to god , acknowledgeing his being to be his life , and all in all , then he should live . therefore god made it under a law , that the creature might know himselfe to be a creature , and acknowledge god his maker to be above , to whose command he was to subject himselfe ; for when god had made him a pure living creature , very good , and a being distinct from the being of god , yet in the image of god , like two trees from whence fruit should grow , for adam would bring forth fruit to maintain his created being equall with god ; and god would bring forth fruit to maintain his uncreated being , and to swallow up all other beings into himself , and he to become all in all to every creature that he made . now saith god , i have made thee the lord of all my creatures , and for thy use i made them ; and thou mayest make use of any that pleases thine eyes , and eat of the fruit of any tree that delights thy taste , excepting the tree of knowledge of good and evill that stands in the middle of the garden , and of that thou shalt not eat ; for in that day that thou eatest thereof , thou shall die the death . and this is the law or covenant that i have made between me , that am a being of my selfe ; and thee , that art a being created by me . now when adam had taken of the tree of knowledge of good and evill , that was in the garden of eden , the history , and did eat of it : it declares , that he did eat likewise , and especially of the forbidden fruit that aspired up in himself the living garden of eden the mystery , and gave way with content and delight to that aspiring selfishnesse within himselfe , to be as god , knowing good and evill ; for eating implies delight and satisfaction : for adam did not onely eat of the tree in edens garden , but he had a secret tickling delight arising in him , to be a more knowing man then god made him , and thereby began to reject god ; and not being content with the being god made him in , which if hee had been content with , he had acknowledged god all in all , and the onely infinite and one being , that shall stand unmoveable . but he eats , delights in that aspiring weed , ( or mystery of iniquity ) for himselfe to have a being above , equall to , or distinct from god : so that the ground of adams fall , arises up first in adams heart , as fruit growing up from a created being ; for in that it was in his heart to doe evill , god imputes it to him for evill . well , this selfishnesse in the midle of the living garden , adam , is the forbidden fruit , and this is called the serpent , because it windes it selfe into every creature , and into every created faculty , and twists it self round about the tree , mankind . and when adam put forth his hand to take , and eat of the fruit of the tree , in the history , his hand was guided thereunto by this serpent , whose secret whisperings he delighted in : and truly this delight in selfe , was the eating , and it was the chiefe forbidden fruit that grew up in the middle of the living garden , adam , which god forbad him to eat of , or delight in : but adam did begin to delight in that inward fruit of wickednesse ; and then by the motion thereof , took the fruit of the tree in the middle of eden , and delighted his outward senses therewith , and so brake the law and covenant of god , fell from his purity , and died , according to the word of his maker , that in the day thou eatest , thou shalt dye . and all the faculties and powers of that living created being , adam , are now become absolute rebellions , and enmity it selfe against the being of godl●… and that garden of pleasant plants , adam , is become a stinking dunghill of weeds , and brings forth nothing but pride , envy , discontent , disobedience , and the whole actings of the spirit , and power of darknes . and if the creature should bee honoured in this condition , then god would be dishonoured , because his command is broke , and yet the creature remains glorious , therefore he died . and if so be the creature be utterly lost and perish , and this garden should never be so dressed , as to bring forth fruit to gods delight , then likewise god would suffer dishonour , because his work is spoyled in his hand , and there is no hopes of recovery . but the work of god shall be restored from this lost , dead , weedy , & enslaved condition , and the fruit of the created being shall utterly perish and be ashamed . and things being thus considered , god is pleased to lead us to see a little into these two mysteries : first , the mystery of iniquity , or work of the serpent , which was the aspiring fruit of pride , and selfe-love , that sprung up in the created being , to be as god , and so to be an absolute being of himself , as god is an absolute being of himselfe ; and so this selfe-honouring would sit in gods temple , that is , the humane nature , which god made a garden for himselfe to walk in ; and if that spirit of self-love could not be destroyed , and the humane nature recovered from that bondage , god would suffer much dishonour ; because he being glorious and happy in himselfe , hath made a creature to be a vexation and scourge to him , and cannot subdue it . and this mystery of iniquity , or power of darknesse , hath , does , and will fight against the being of god , till it be taken out of the way , and quite subdued ; as the father hath promised he will subdue it under the feet of his sonne , the humane nature . then secondly , god leads us to the mystery of himselfe , and makes us able to see into the knowledge of that great work that hee is in working : and that is , to destroy this serpent out of the flesh , and all beings , that is enmity against him , and to swallow up his creature man into himselfe , that so there may bee but one onely pure , endlesse , and infinite being , even god himselfe all in all , dwelling and walking in this garden , mankinde , in which he will plant pleasant fruit trees , and pluck up all weeds . cant. 4. 16. since adam fell , to this present day , wee see the wisdome , power , and affection that dwels and rules in man , leads him any way , either to just or unjust actions , so that selfe may be preferred , not caring whether god be honoured , yea , or no . now the mystery of god is this , hee will destroy and subdue this power of darknesse , under the feet of the whole creation , mankinde , and every particular branch , man and woman , deliver him from this bondage and prison , and dwel in his own house and garden himselfe ; so that the wisdome , power , love , life , beauty , and spirit of truth that dwels and rules in man , may be god himselfe , even the lord our righteousnesse , and no other being or power , but himselfe . and as god did dwell bodily in the humane nature , jesus christ , who was the first manifestation of this great mystery of god , so when his work is compleated , he will dwell in the whole creation , that is , every man and woman without exception , as he did dwell in that one branch , jesus christ , who is the pledge , or first fruits . and therefore you shall finde , that when adam had broke the covenant , and died by the law , god did not denounce an utter destruction , without recovery to the creation , mankinde , which was his own work , which his own wisdome and power did produce and bring forth . but he pronounces the finall curse against the serpent , or mans work , which was the fruit that sprung up in , and was acted both inwardly and outwardly by the creation , or created being , in rebellion against the being of god : therefore sinne is properly mans owne act . the words of the father run thus , speaking to the serpent : i will put enmity between thee and the woman , and between thy seed and her seed , it shall bruise thy head , and thou shalt bruise his heele : so that the serpent must be killed ; for bruise his head , and he dies . now the curse that was declared to adam , was temporary : that he should undergoe sorrows , and suffer a bruising in his out-member ; but not a killing , though adam had killed himselfe : so that he hath brought himselfe under the bondage ; god will not strike him now he is downe , and make his death without recovery , but god will destroy death , and quicken adam , or mankinde againe , that we may all see our salvation is from god , though our misery was from our selves , that so whosoever glories , may glory onely in the lord . and now by the way mind one thing , that when this serpent rules , and causes the creature to act , such actings become the creatures losse & shame ; but when god acts in the creatures life , glory , and redemption ; to advance selfe , and deny god , is the creatures death . but to deny self , and to acknowledge god , is the creatures life ; before adam acted rebellion , this aspiring spirit of pride , to be as god , led the humane nature , to disobey god ; and ever since the fall , the same selfish spirit , leads every man and woman captive at his will , and inslaves them in that prison , and bondage , and darkness , to walk in wayes directly contrary to the god of light : and yet many times perswades them , that they do god good service ; let a man read , hear , study , preach , pray , perform actions of justice ; yet if god be not mercifull to the man , this power of darkness will deceive him ; making him to conceit or think he pleases god , when the truth is , he serves but selfe all the time , it is so full of secret strong delusions . therefore i say , the mystery of god is this , god will bruise this serpents head , and cast that murderer out of heaven , the humane nature , wherein it dwels in part , as in the man christ jesus : and he will dwell in the whole creation in time , and so deliver whole mankind out of that bondage . this i see to be a truth , both in my own experience , and by testimony of scripture , as god is pleased to teach me . as first , by experience , i shall instance in my self , who am a branch of adam ; or part of the humane creation : and i lay under the bondage of the serpent , my own invention , as the whole creation does from adams fall , and i saw not any bondage ; but since god was pleased to manifest his love to me , he hath caused me to see that i lay dead in sin , weltring in blood and death , was a prisoner to my lusts , for though through his grace , i saw pride , covetousness , envy , uncleanness , ignorance , injustice , and the whole body of unbelief , working and ruling in me ; yet i was ashamed men should know it , this selfish spirit sought to hide himself so close ; and still made provision to have the will of these lusts satisfied in me . and before god manifested his love to me , i delighted in the favour of these weeds , but since god revealed his son in me , he lets mee see , that those things wherein i did take pleasure , were my death , my shame , and the very power of darkness , wherein i was held , as in a prison ; so that although i felt this deadly body , or wicked one act within me , and although i have been troubled at it , sighed and mourned , strove against it , and prayed against it ; yet i could not deny self , and the more i used meanes to beat him down , as i thought , the more did this power of darkness appear in me , like an overflowing wave of wickedness , drowning me in slavery , and i saw i was a wretched man , wrapped in misery , i mourned that i was so rebellious against god , and i mourned to see i had no power to get out of that bondage of selfishness . and so i continued till god was pleased to pul me out of selfish striving & selfish actings , & made all meanes lie dead before me , and made me dead to such means as i made use of , and thought that deliverance must come that way : and so made me to lie down at his feete , & to waite upon him , & to acknowledg , that unless god did swallow me up into his own being , i should never be delivered , for i saw that the power within me strived to maintain its being , against the being of god ; and all that while i was a stranger to god , though among men , i was a professor , as i thought , of god . but now god hath set me free from that bondage , so that it rules not , though sometime it seemes to face me , like a daring corquered enemy , that cannot hurt . and likewise god causes me to see with much joy and peace of heart , into this mystery of himself , that his eternall councel , which was grounded upon the law of love , himself , was not to destroy me , nor any of his own creation ; but only the serpent , which is my work , or the first fruit that sprung up out of the creation ; which is our bondage , and that he himself will become my self , and liberty , and the life and liberty of his whole creation . and in these two things he hath caused me greatly to rejoyce . first , i see and feele , that god hath set me free from the dominion and over-ruling power of that body of sin . it raines not as a king , though sometimes it appeares creeping in like a slave , that is easily whipped out of doores by strength of god . secondly , i rejoyce in perfect hope and assurance in god , that although this serpent , or murtherer do begin , by reason of any temptation , or outward troubles , to arise , and endeavour to act in rash anger , in pride , in discontent , or the like , as sometimes it does , yet every appearance of this wicked one in me becomes his further ruine , and shall never rise to rule and enslave me as formerly ; for god thereby takes the occasion to call me up higher into himself , and so makes me to see and possess freedom , in my own experience from him , every day more and more ; i am not still a captive , in a being of darkness distinct from god , but god hath freed me therefrom , and taken me up into his own being ; so that now his wisdom , his love , his life , his power , his joy and peace , is mine , i glory here , i can glory no where else . and here i wait upon god with a sweet peace , under reproaches , under losses , under troubles of the world , being that dispensation of his patience which god will have me wait upon him under , till i partake of the full enjoyment of this inheritance , which i have fully , in hope and assurance , but in possession , but in part . and as god is pleased thus to deal with me , or with any branch of adam , in the same kind ; so he hath caused me to see , and to rejoyce in the sight , that he will not lose any of his work , but he will redeem his own whole creation , to himself , and dwell , and rule in it himself , and subdue the serpent under his feet , and take up all his creation , mankind , into himself , and will become , the only , endless , pure , absolute , and infinite being , even infinitely for ever all in all , in every one , and in the whole , that no flesh may glory in it self , but in the lord only . but this mystery of god is not to be done all at once , but in severall dispensations , some whereof are past , some are in being , and some are yet to come ; but when the mystery of god is absolutely finished , or , as the scriptures say , the son hath delivered up the kingdom to the father , this will be the upshot or conclusion , that gods work shall be redeemed , and live in god , and god in it ; but the creatures work without god , shall be lost and perish , man , adam , or whole creation of mankind , which is gods work , shall be delivered from corruption , bondage , death , and pain , and the serpent that caused the fall , shall only perish , and be cast into the lake ; and god will be the same in the latter end , accomplishing what in the beginning he promised , that is , to bruise the serpents head , and subdue him under the feet of his son , the humane nature , wherein he will walk , as a garden of pleasure , and dwell himself for ever . i shall now in the next place mention some scriptures as a testimony that does countenance this truth , that god will not lose any part of his creation , mankind , but will redeem and preserve it , both in particular , & in whole , and will destroy nothing but the serpent , that wicked one , that would be a being equall to , or above god ; but gods work shall stand , and the creatures work shall perish and suffer losse . the first scripture i shall mention , is , 1 cor. 3. 13. every mans work shall be made manifest , for the day shall declare it , because it shall be revealed by fire : and the fire shall try every mans work , of what sort it is . that is , whether it be of god , or of the serpent . if any mans work abide , he shall receive a reward , that is , he shall live in god , and god in him , because god in the man , was the strength of his work , if any mans work shall be burned , he shall suffer losse , but he himself shall be saved , ( mark this ) yet so , as by fire ; not by materiall fire of purgatory , but by the bright , and clear coming of god into this man , whose indwelling presence , like fire , burnes up the stubble of mens own inventions , and purges the drosse from the gold , & divides between the marrow and the bone , that is , makes a separation between his own work and mans work . so likewise rev. 20. 10. and the devill , or murderer , that deceived the nations , was east into the lake of fire and brimstone , and v. 14. and death and hel were cast into the lake of fire : the nations were not cast in at this time , for this scripture i believe points out the great day of judgment , when nations shall be delivered out of that fire , and there shall be no more curse , death , sorrow , nor pain lie upon any part of the creation , but all teares shall be wiped from its eyes , and the serpent only shall perish in the lake ; for after that the city-work is finished , and the number of the elect gathered in , and established in glory ; then the dispensations of god , who is the tree of life , send forth a healing vertue to the nations , and then the nations likewise that are saved , or those that were lost , while the city or elect was in gathering , do now bring their glory into the city likewise ; for every man shall be saved , saith god through paul , without exception , though some at the ninth houre , some at the tenth houre , and some at the last houre ; and this salvation of every man , or the making of the whole creation , a pure river of the water of life , cleer as cristall , proceeds from the throne of god and the lamb , that is , from the judgment seat of god , judging , condemning , and killing the serpent , and so restoring his own creation to purity and life . so likewise 2 cor. 5. 4. for we in this tabernacle do groane , being burdened , not for that we would be uncloathed , but cloathed upon : that mortality might be swallowed up of life . by mortality here , is not meant the laying of the body in , or raising of it out of the dust or grave , but it is the very death which adam , by disobeying , fell under , and that is the death of his purity , or pure being , which is a falling from god into a being directly opposite to the being of god ; as rottonness of flesh , is death to soundness of flesh , darkness is the death to light ; for whereas before the fall , adam knew god , loved and acknowledged god , and was in every part so pure , as god said , behold , it is all very good , but after the fall he became envious , proud , disobedient , full of all lusts and concupiscence of evill , even as we find by experience our bondage ; and so from a friend , he fell to be enmity against god , of a pure creature , he became unclean , and of a child of gods delight , he fell to be a child of wrath ; and of a pure garden , he became a stinking dunghill ; and this is the death or mortality , which not only adam in particular , but all the branches of adam , men and women , lie under . even under a corrupt being . now this rottennesse , or death , under which the whole creation is fallen , and lies in bondage too , it is that serpent , or power of darknesse which paul desires might be swallowed up of life ; that is , that god , who is life , would be pleased to come and dwell in him , and in his creation , and so cast out that mortality , or strong man that is so strongly armed : and this is the serpent that god hath pronounced the dreadfull curse against ; for this is mans work , and it must bee destroyed . i conceive god calls it mans own invention , because it was the first fruit that the creature brought forth ; after he was made , and left to himselfe , even this aspired and sprung up in him , to which he gave consent to promote selfe , and become as god . i shall onely mention one scripture more , though i beleeve i could bring above a hundred scriptures that doe countenance this truth . and if you seriously minde what you read , you shall finde that this is the royall blood that runs through the golden veines of the writings of the prophets and apostles : it is rom. 8. from vers. 19. to 26. but for shortnesse sake i shall mention onely the 21. and 22. verses , beeause the creation it self also shall be delivered ( as well as we that are members of the elected citie ) from the bondage of corruption , into the glorious liberty of the children of god : for we know ( by our experience ) that the whole creation ( of which we are branches ) groaneth and travelleth in pain together untill now . by creature , or whole creation , i see it to be a cleare and soul-comforting truth , to be only mankinde , for whose use , or for the time that god hath determined to finish this great designe , to make his garden man , a garden of pleasure to himselfe , when he hath plucked up all the weeds , and so husbanded the ground , that weeds shall never grow again . i say , all the time , god hath made all other creatures for mans use , or rather to serve his own providence , while he is in working this great mystery about man , and when the work is finished , then all other creatures shall bee dissolved into nothing as at first ; for as god is a spirit , he delights in spirituall things , but these outward creatures were made for the pleasure , profit , and use of man , while he is carnall , and stands in a being distinct from god : and when man is made spirituall , and swallowed up in life , or taken up into the being of god , there will then be no more use or need of these outward creatures , as cattell , corn , meat , drink , and the like ; nor of sunne , moon , nor starre , nor of creature-light , either literall or mysticall ; for god and the lamb shall dwell in the citie , and in the whole creation , and be the light thereof , as the lord christ said , in that day you shall know , that i am in my father , and you in me , and i in you . and , labour not for the meat that perisheth , but for that which endures to eternall life . some may say , if this be true , that god will save every one , then i will live , and take my pleasure in sin , and eat , drink , and be merry , and take all delights while i live , for i am gods workmanship , and he will not lose his own work , i shall be saved . but if he will not lose his work , yet thy work shall perish , think upon that ; and truly i beleeve that the serpent in thee , will make such a merry conclusion , and cry down this truth of god for an errour presently in others , because it beares testimony of his destruction , as the jewes called christ a deceiver , or a man of errors , and killed him , because he bore witnesse that their deeds were evill . well , make that conclusion and take liberty to sin , yet for all that know , thou enslaved creature , that thou shalt be brought to judgement , and thou shalt not escape punishment ; for though sinne be sweet in thy mouth , as it was in judas , to take the 30 pieces of silver , and to act treachery against his master , it wil be bitternesse in the belly , as it was to him ; for the jealousie of the lord shall burn hot against thee , so that thou shalt cal upon the mountains to cover thee from his presence , and wish that thou hadst never been born ; and all the sorrowes spoke of in scripture , shall overtake thee , and such presumptuous sinners as thou art ; and thy joy shall be turned into mourning , and thou shalt be cast into the everlasting fire , which god hath prepared and appointed for the serpent and his seed , or for the devil and his angels : and while thou art in it , the worm of thy gnawing conscience shall never die , nor the fire of gods wrath , or the sense of his anger upon thee , shall never goe out , and shall be a pain more intollerable , then the plucking out of the right eye , or the cutting off the right hand . but now lest scruples should arise in others , as though i writ contradictions , or as though i made god changeable . first , to bid a sinner depart into everlasting fire , and yet afterwards take him out again . now to give answer hereunto . first know , that this was and is the great mystery , worke , and counsell of god , after he had made a visible creature , in a pure being , distinct from himselfe , his purpose being to destroy all the inventions and actings of this creature , that did spring up and arise from the creatures being , as a creature , and not from gods acting in the creature : and god foresaw that the first buddings of this creature would be a desire to maintain it selfe , or creature-being , and so cast god off ; therefore god made him under a law , that if his creature did consent to that selfish desire , he should die ; if not , he should have lived a pure being still , though distinct from god , yet under his protection , as a creator . now every thing that is in , or about the creature , that is of god , shall stand ; but every thing that is in , or from the creature , that is not of god , shall fall and perish . therefore to proceed a little further , that this truth may shine in its own beauty , god does teach me to see , that every action , or dispensation of god , is called a spirit , or an angel , and every action , or aspiring principle that rise up in adam , which led him to disobedience , it pleased god that it should have a being , and likewise be called a spirit , but it is a dead being , and a spirit of darknesse , quite opposite to the god of light and life , and god gives it the name of serpent , dragon , murtherer , wicked one , and unclean spirit , because it twisted it selfe into the middle of the creation , and was an aspiring to be like god , but god did not make the nature of it ; for it was the first fruits of a created being , without god . now god is pleased to make known himself in divers dispensations in the carrying on of this great work of his . as first , he declares himselfe by way of a law , in the day thou eatest , thou shalt die ; now this law , though it was holy , just , and good , yet it was a killing word , or the killing letter , for it took hold of adams disobedience , and flew him ; so that word , thou shalt dye , because flesh , for all flesh broke the covenant in adam , and all flesh died , and all humane flesh was cast under that dispensation of death , and the more we stirre to climb up to god by the workes of the law , the more we intangle our selves in death ; for by the workes of the law no flesh shall be saved . and here is two murtherers which mankind is to be delivered from , before it can live again ; first , this word of the law , which is holy , just , and good , which ties the creature onely to acknowledge the being of god , and no other : when the creature began to minde another being , this righteous law killed him ; for it is not the king , but the kings law that hangs an offender ; and if the rigorous law stands still in force , no flesh can be saved , because every man and woman are selfish , and minds a sinfull being , opposite to god , therefore the condemning power of the law is to be taken away . the second murtherer is the creatures own invention , or aspiring spirit to be as god , knowing good and evill , or to maintain selfe , and this killed the creature , and threw him under the curse of the righteous law , because this would be a being equall with god , and acknowledge another being besides god , whereas there is no other righteous being to be acknowledged , but onely god , or what is in god , or god in it . now in the first discovery of gods counsell and purpose to the creature , if he be redeemed , this compound murtherer must be cast out of heaven by a strong hand , and out-stretched arm of god , so that the being of god might be preserved , the law of god kept pure , and yet fallen man redeemed . as first , this dispensation of death , do this , and live ; do not this , and die , must be cast out of heaven , that is , out of gods hand , and god must not , in the redeeming of him , appeare to the creature under that dispensation : for if he doe , it will still hold the lost creature under death and bondage : and if the creature were made pure again , and left still to deale with the law by his created strength onely , as adam was , truly he would fall again ; for a meere created strength , being distinct from god the creator , would fall again ; for no being can stand pure , but such a created being as god is pleased to dwell bodily in ; for every opposite being will seek to advance it selfe . therefore if god redeem his creature from death , he must appeare absolutely a god of love , under no other dispensation but the law of love , doing all in , and for the creature , and thus in the gospel he does ; for this is the spirit that quickens and saves the creature : and when this word of love was made flesh , it was the first discovery from god , to assure the creature of his redemption from death ; and this was when jesus christ , or god was manifested in flesh , working , doing , suffering all things for the creature , pardoning , accepting , and taking the creature freely into communion with god , by gods own power , and for his own name sake , promising never to remember disobediences any more , but would blot out that hand-writing , the law , of doe and live , not doe and die . and now the killing letter , or murderer is cast out of heaven , out of gods hand , god will never have that to stand between him and his creature any more ; but hee himselfe , who is the law of love , even love it selfe , will dwell and rule a king of righteousnesse in the creature , and be the creatures wisdome , strength , life , joy , and comfort , and his all in all . but secondly , the other murderer , which is worse then this , must be cast out of heaven too , or else the creature cannot live , and that is the serpent , or this aspiring spirit in him to promote selfe : for so long as the creature acknowledges any other being but gods , he is lost ; and truly i think none can be ignorant of this , that the spirit of selfishnesse is in himself , and in every man and woman , therfore it must be cast out of this heaven , mankinde , before it can live again to god . when jesus christ , or god in man appeared , then the word of love was made flesh , that the seed of the woman shall break the serpents head . and when jesus christ fought the great battell , or rather god and the serpent did fight in heaven , that is in the creation , the man christ jesus , and god , or the anoynting , prevailed , he cast the serpent out of heaven , out of that humane flesh which he took up as a part for the whole , or as an earnest of the fathers love to all the rest ; for i beleeve that all temptations that jesus christ met withall , ( for in all things he was tempted like unto us ) they were but the strivings of the serpent , as he did strive in adam that fell , to maintain its being opposite to god ; but jesus christ , or the anoynting in flesh , being not a created power , but the power of god in that created humanity , did not consent as the first adam did , for he with strong hand resisted the whispering of the serpent , and would acknowledge no other being but god , and so prevailed , and cast the serpent out of flesh , and hath obtained a legall power to quicken whom he will , or to cast the serpent out of what man or woman he will : so that it is this anoynting that sets us at liberty from the bondage of sin and the serpent , and he himselfe becomes our life and strength , and the lord our righteousnesse . and when michael our prince had prevailed over the dragon , then there were voyces and songs heard in heaven , that is , in the creation , mankind ; now is come salvation and strength , and the kingdome of our god , and the power of his christ ; for the accuser of our brethren is cast down , which accused them before god day and night . this song , i conceive , was sung by the elect , the citie sion , or saints of god , who are first enlightned , and they sing glory to god in the name of the rest that shall be redeemed ; for the serpent that accused the creation before god , is cast out in part for the whole , or a part for an earnest peny to the whole . so that now mark , the law of god that did accuse and condemne the offending creature , this is cast out of gods hand , and hereafter he will be a god of love , in an intire dispensation of love ; i speak as god doth manifest himself now under the gospel and as he ever will be when the creature is perfectly redeemed . and the serpent , which is the sting , or worme to the creatures conscience , because it was still acting a self-being , opposite to god , and then accusing the creature before god day and night , by the force of a condemning law , for disobediences , which is the creatures bondage and misery ; for the spirit of sin within , this enslaves him , and the condemning law , this casts him from god , and so throwes the sinner under utter darknesse and sorrow . i , but for the creatures comfort , this serpent is cast out of heaven , the creation likewise , and though for the present many poore creatures lie under the bondage , yet the time is drawing neer that they shal be delivered , and the wicked one himselfe , the serpent , shall be cast into the lake , and perish for ever . indeed the serpent would have gods created work to die with him , for he knowes he must dye irrecoverably , but god will redeem his creature , and the serpents head only shall be bruised , which will be his death . well , this two-fold murderer is cast out of heaven , that is , the condemning law is cast out of gods hand by jesus christ , the law of grace and love ; and the serpent is cast out of the creation in part , and shall be cast out of the whole when the mystery of god is finished by the power of the same anointng , jesus christ ; for god the father is reconciled , and he hath taken the creature into fellowship with himselfe : for god was in the man christ jesus , reconciling the world , that is , mankind , to himself , not imputing their sins to them . now this mystery , or work of god is finished fully and compleatly in a two-fold sense , but not in a third , as yet ; and when this third term is finished , then the whole work is finished , and not till then . first , in gods everlasting counsell and purpose , this worke was done from all eternity , before the foundation of the world was laid , and god declared so much , when he uttered this word , i will put enmity between thee and the woman , & between thy seed & her seed , he shall break thy head , and thou shalt bruise his heele . here the curse and death is sealed up to the serpent , but here is mercy and redemption sealed up to the creature ; the creature shall bee redeemed , but he shall goe through bruisings , or pain : secondly , it is compleatly done in action , in the pledge and earnest-penny . when god was manifested in flesh , in the man christ jesus , who was born of a woman . and this is the first fruit of the fathers love manifested and sealed up to the whole creation , mankinde , that as he dwels bodily in that part of humane nature , jesus christ , so in time , according to his own counsell and pleasure , hee will dwell bodily in the whole creation likewise ; therefore saith christ , i goe to my father and your father , to my god and your god ; and he doth not onely speak to his twelve disciples , but to all others that shall beleeve through their word . and when the kings of the earth , and the nations are healed by the leaves of the tree of life , and so bring in their glory into the city sion , as it shall be in the latter end ; i beleeve there will not be a man that partakes of humane nature , nor woman neither , that shall not partake of faith & so beleeve in god through christ the anointing , that fils all , and is all in all . but now in the third sense , the worke is not yet compleated in the whole creation ; for god is pleased to doe this worke in length of time , by degrees , calling some at one houre , and some at another , out of the serpents bondage , and the times and seasons god hath reserved to himself . therefore in the further clearing of this truth , god is pleased to shew forth six dispensations or discoveries of himselfe more , which he will have the creature to passe through before he finish his work , to cast the serpent , death , and hell , into the lake , and before he himselfe appeare to be the tree of life on each side , and in the middle of the pure river of the water of life : which i conceive is the whole creation , man , perfectly redeemed ; which river proceeded out of the throne of god , and of the lamb ; take notice of that . the second dispensation , for there are seven dispensations in the whole ▪ the first i have spoken of already , which was , when god gave the law to adam , as soon as hee had made him : and now the second lies in that first promise , or manifestation of love to the creature , and curse to the serpent , in these words , the seed of the woman shall bruise the serpents head , and this continued from adam till abraham . then the third dispensation or discovery of god is more cleare then the former , for to abraham he speakes more particularly ; he doth not still say in generall termes , the seed of the woman , &c. but in thy seed , abraham , all nations of the earth shall be blessed , and so points-out more directly in what linage and generation of mankind , god would first appeare in to bruise the serpents head ; and this dispensation continued from abraham till moses time , and our fathers embraced these promises , and rejoyced in them . the fourth dispensation is from moses , till god manifested himself in flesh , or till jesus christ was born of mary , that was one of the house of david , of the linage of abraham ; and this dispensation is more then the former , for god , by types , figures , ceremonies , and shadowes , did more manifestly set forth his love to his creature , and his wrath to the serpent ; when the sacrifice was slain and offered , god received an attonement , it being a type of gods in-dwelling in flesh , or a shadow of christ , the lamb , the substance of all those sacrifices . and when achan that troubled israel was put to death in the valley of achor , the fiercenesse of gods wrath was turned away . and i believe god doth teach us by the prophet hosea 2. 14. where he saith , i will give the valley of achor for a doore of hope , which was the place of achans death ; so when the serpent , who is our trouble , is subdued and killed in the valley , humane flesh , then the dispensation of gods anger is turned away from us . the fifth dispensation is from the time that god was manifested in flesh , in the person jesus christ , to the time that he appeared in the flesh and person of his saints likewise ; and this is more cleare then the former , for jesus the anointed , was the substance of all those types and shadowes of the mosaicall law , for now god doth manifestly appear to dwell in flesh , in his creature , and he hath broke the serpents head , and cast him out of heaven ( his creation ) and now this jesus christ is the lamb of god that takes away the sins of the world , that is , destroyes the serpent , who is the sin that dwells in mankind , for now the life of god doth visibly appear to swallow up the death of the creature , and a manifest beginning to set the creature free from bondage ; and this dispensation of god was spoke of by the prophets very often before it appeared , that a child should be borne , a virgin should have a son , which should be called emmanuel , god with us ; and god would bring forth his branch , and the redeemer should come out of sion , that is the anointing that is in sion the church , shall in gods time go forth to heal the nations likewise ; now god throws down the shadowes of the law and drawes his creature to eye jesus , the anointed , or god manifested in flesh , and this is the appearance of visible gospel , or of god himself , bringing glad tydings to men , and so worthily deserving everlasting honour and praise from all creatures . the sixth dispensation is , from the time that god appeared in the flesh of saints , till the perfect gathering up of the elect , which is called the resurrection day , or the great day of judgement . and this is still more cleare then the former , for though god appeared in the person jesus christ , who was a branch of mankind , yet we might still be in doubt , and lie under death still , if he there remain ; but god did not appeare in the man christ jesus only , but in the saints likewise , according to his promise by joel , in the latter dayes , i will power out my spirit upon all flesh , upon my sons and daughters , and young men shall see visions , and old men shall dreame dreames , and this was fulfilled in the apostles , for the same spirit of christ was sent down upon them , acts 2. and i know , saith paul , that i have the spirit of christ ; and know ye not that the anointing dwells in you , except ye be reprobates . and again , we , saith paul , that have received the first fruits of the spirit , we groane within our selves , waiting for the adoption , to wit , the redemption of our bodies . now the apostles in their first preaching , they preached jesus , the anointed , or the lamb , or god manifested in flesh , and this they saw and heard , and they could not but speak in the name of jesus , and god commanded them so to do . but when god had fully declared himself in that dispensation , he sent forth his apostles then to preach more spiritually ; and now , saith paul , though formerly we have known christ after the flesh , that is , god only manifested in that one man jesus , the anointed , yet henceforth know we him no more , ( in such a restraint ) for now the mystery of god , which hath been hid from ages and generations past , is now revealed to his saints in these last dayes , which is christ , or the anointing in you , the hope of glory ; not only god manifested in the man christ jesus , but the same anointing , or tree of life in you likewise , according to that of the prophet , a king shall reigne in the earth , that is , in mankind , and his name shall be called the lord our righteousnesse : and again , the anointing which ye have received abideth in you , and ye need not that any teach you , for the same anointing teacheth you of all things . and truly i believe , that whosoever preaches from his book , and not from the anointing , and so speaking in experience what he hath seen and heard from god , is no minister sent of god , but an hireling , that runs before he be sent , only to get a temporall living ; therefore o england , mind what thou dost , leave off to imbrace hirelings , that come in their own name , and receive such in love whom christ hath sent in his name , and his fathers . and in this dispensation we are to note two things ; first , when as john the baptist prophesied , it was neither light nor dark , for it was between the legall worship that was falling , and gospel truths that were rising , upon the very parting of time between the shadowes of the law of moses , and the appearance of christ the lamb , who was the substance thereof ; and troubles and vexations began to arise in and among the strict professors of the law , so that they could not be satisfyed till they had killed christ , whom they called the man full of errors , that deceived the people . so now the church is at a stand , and the worship is partly light , and partly dark ; some resting upon the bare letter , according to the example of christ , and the apostles only , which is a worship after the flesh , and was true , and was of god in the time of its dispensation . and others do acknowledg god , not exemplarily , but by the faith , the name , and anointing of jesus christ , ruling , teaching , acting , and dwelling in them ; therefore think it not strange , though some old professors , and the book-hirelings especially , be offended hereat , and brand the saints for men full of errors , and seeke to suppresse their testimony ; it was so then , it will be so now , for the same spirit of the world , the serpent , does still persecute the same anointing of god in this , as in the former dispensation ; but you saints of god , be patient , waite upon god , this troubled sea , the serpent , shall not over-whelm you , for stronger is he that is in you , then he that is in the world ; rejoyce , the time of your redemption drawes neere . and againe , think it not strange to see many of the saints of god at a stand , in a wildernes , & at a losse , and so waiting upon god to discover himself to them ; many are like the tide at full sea , which stands a little before the water runs either way ; and assure your selves , i know what i speak , you must be dead to your customes before you can run in the sea of truth , or the river of the water of life ; some walk still according to example , and have either seene nothing , or very little of the anointing in them ; and some walk more in spirit and truth , as the same anointing of the father , which dwells bodily in christ , teacheth them , and leadeth them into all truth . the same anointing unites christ and the saints , and makes them but one mysticall body : i pray not for these alone , saith christ , but for all that shall believe through their word , that they all may be one , as thou father art in me , and i in thee , that they also may be one in us , i in them , and thou in me , that they may be made perfect in one , that is in thee , who art the only pure and holy being . secondly , not , that under this dispensation is the time that the elect , which is so much spoken of in the scriptures , are to be gathered into one city , and perfected , and this anointing is the angell which god hath sent forth in these last dayes , to gather together his elect , from one end of heaven to the other , or out of every nation , kindred , tongue & people , in the earth . and where it is said , that god will send forth not his angel , but his angels , to gather his elect together , it points out the severall measures , or dispensations of the anointing , to every saint , as god will , according to the measure of the guift of christ . now sometime god calls his elect by the name of one , in the singular number , and hereby god declares his first born , jesus christ , who is the head in the name of the whole body . as the prophet writes , behold my servant whom i have chosen , mine elect , in whom my soule delighteth : god hath not chosen the serpent , or creature-invention to dwel in flesh , for this he hath rejected , and takes no delight in . but he hath chosen the anointing , or his own power and name to dwell in flesh , and this he delights in , therefore jesus the anointed , is called the son of god , in whom he is well pleased . and sometimes god calls his elect in the plurall number , as many , and then he declares the mysticall body , or the city , sion , or those that he hath given to christ , and whose names are written in the lambs book . and in this 6. generall dispensation , these only shall be gathered into the city , and whosoever is not writ in the lambs book of life , shall not enter in at this time and season of the father , though there is a time and season known to the father , when they shall be healed likewise , and enter in ; and eat of the heavenly manna , the tree of life , that is in the middle of the city . now this city sion , which consists of head and members ; jesus christ and his saints , who are all baptized into , and knit together by one spirit of god , the anointing . and this city god will redeeme first , or he will subdue the serpent under the feet of this his son first : all that do his commandements , that is , have faith and love , these shall enter into the city , but the fearfull and unbeleevers , murderers , idolaters , and every one that loveth , and maketh a lie , are without , and are cast into the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone , which is the second death , or the death of the serpent , and the serpent ruling in man is the first death which god redeemes us from . all those that were not found writ in the lambs book of life , were cast into the lake of fire . or as mathew calls it , into everlasting fire . or as matthew calls it , into everlasting fire , and shall lie under that dispensation of wrath for ever , that is , all the time of this dispensation , or till the day of judgement be ended , that the serpent , death , and hell , are cast into the lake of fire , and that there shall no more curse lie upon the creature , but from the judgement seat , or throne of god ; the whole creation being redeemed , shall flow forth a pure river of the water of life ; for every dispensation is called a full period , or tearme of time , and an everlasting season . all this time that god is gathering together his elect , he hath given a time , times , and halfe time to the serpent . which in those threefold shapes and a halfe , or in those three dayes and halfe , he is called the beast , or the whore , and this time is given him to make warre , and to fight against the prince of princes , and his saints , and to overcome them , and to waste and destroy the holy people mightily . and this appointed time is the yeare wherein the beast lives , and god gives all advantages to the beast , as riches , outward liberty , worldly power , and generally humane authority into his hand . and puts no weapons into the hands of his saints ; but faith , or the anointing , to fight against the reproaches , slanders , oppressions , poverties , weaknesse , prisons , and the multitude of temptations which the beast , through her wit , malice , and power , casts upon the saints , like a flood of water to drowne them . and to overthrow the work of god by great hand , if it were possible . likewise the serpent stirs up some , whom she deceives , to be seeming professors , outwardly religious , having a form of godlinesse , but through hypocrisie , pride , and selfishnesse , might dishonour god , discourage the tender lambs of christ , and bring an ill report upon the wayes of god . and hence it is that israel of old were trampled upon by the gentiles that were not in covenant . and hence it is , that the beast must tread the holy city under foot 42 moneths . that in the day of judgement it may be said , that the serpent had faire play given him , hee had all advantages , he had a long time given him to ingage warre . i , but god did beat him with his own weapons , and encounters with all the temptations , malice and hypocrisie of the serpent , by the faith and patience of his saints , and thereby fairly destroyes him , himselfe may be judge . but in the latter dayes , when the time , times , and halfe drawes to an end , then god sends forth severall dispensations , or angels , as assistances to this sixth and great dispensation , to poure out vials of wrath upon all the glory of the beast , and curses all his glory by seven degrees , and sounds forth seven trumpets of glory to god , one after another ; which implies perfection of ruine upon every particular , blasting , cursing , or downfall of the beast . and when these dayes appeare , then the rage of the serpent increases , because his time growes short , and his violence , wrath , reproach , oppression , provocations and murders against the saints are multiplied , and times grow very bad : for now iniquiry abounds , and the love of many in whom the serpent dwels , waxes cold , and extreamly bitter , and mad against the saints , in whom the anointing dwells , so that they gnash their tongues with vexation of spirit , and the smoak of their torment ascends upwards ( towards god and his saints , that are above , not so much downward to such like themselves ) and that for ever and ever . by the doubling of this word , ever and ever , he declares that this misery continues untill the sixth dispensation be ended , that is , the one for ever ; and all the time of the great day of judgement , that is the second for ever , and so they have no rest , day nor night , who worship the beast and his image , and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name ; here is the patience of the saints , here are they that keep the commandments of god , and the faith of jesus : for truly the faith and patience of the saints are tried to some purpose , while the beast thus rages , and swels with malice against them . and i beleeve it will appeare more generally visible in time , to me it appears very plain , that the great bitternesse , envy , reproachfull languages , and expressions of malicious wrath , in and among men and women in these dayes , against others whom they brand sectaries , by severall names , will prove part of the smoak of her torment , and part of the restlesnesse of her spirit day and night , which is the beginning of her sorrowes ; for this is the raging sea that casts out its own shame : and men in whom the serpent dwels , speak evill of that they know not . now all the time of this sixth dispensation , god is declaring his great power , in pulling what fire-brands he will out of the serpents hand , and he will take here one , and there one , as he pleases himself . and let the serpent put forth all his wit and power , he shall not hinder the salvation of one man or woman , whom god hath chosen , and purposes to deliver from his bondage ; but he will save under every dispensation whom he will , and bring them into sion , neither shall the serpent , nor any of his seed , ever attain communion with god by all his wit , learning , study , actings and power , but he shall perish , and all creatures in whom the serpent reignes and acts , shall be lost and ashamed in their work , yet every man shall be saved in the end , yet so , as by fire . and here mind two things , first god is honoured in the salvation of beleevers , because he hath undertaken to pull them out of the serpents hand , and to bind that strong man , and to bring in the citie to himselfe , and to appeare in them first ; therefore it is said , that judgement begins at the house of god first , that is , god judges , condemnes , and casts the serpent out of his elect , and saves the whole , and every member of that citie , before he judge , condemne , and cast the serpent out of them , that did not enter into the city , but were without , because their names were not written in that lambs book of life . now for god to save some at one houre , and some at another , both when he will , and whom he will , and those scattered sheep of the house of israel whom god hath chosen , these shall enter into the citie , though all the wit and power of the serpent strive to hinder them from entring , and those whom god hath not chosen , shall not enter into the citie , though all the learning , study , and selfish and meritorious actings of the serpent , strive to enter in never so much : it makes much for the honour of his wisdome , power , and name . secondly , god is honoured in the losse , death , or as the word is interpreted , damnation of unbeleevers ; for faith , or the anointing , which is born of god , and whereby the saints overcome the world , is the power of god dwelling and ruling in man : and unbeliefe is the serpent , which is born of the flesh , and persecutes christ till the time of the gentiles be fulfilled ; and this power of darknesse is that which dwels and rules in the children of disobedience . now both these are grinding at the mill , and are at work for life in humane flesh ; and it advances the glory of god , that they shall live in whom his divine power dwels , though they be full of weaknesse in themselves , and though they be compassed about with divers temptations , being despised of all , and regarded of none , but are the weak , the poore , the foolish things of the world . and it makes for the glory of god , that unbeleevers , in whom the power of the serpent dwels , shall die , though they have all advantages , and means outward , as may be , and though they strive much by learning , study , & actings , as israel of old did , who attained not to righteousnesse , though he sought after it greatly , because he sought for it as it were by the workes of the law , and not by faith , that is , he sought for it in the strength of the serpent , or selfishnesse , but not in the strength of god . well , this sixth dispensation is the gathering time , wherein god summes up the whole number of his elect ; and as every beleever hath fought his fight , kept the faith , and finished his course , they return to dust ; and the unbeleever he returns to dust , for as the one dies , so dies the other ; and as in this world all things come alike to all , we cannot tell either love or hatred by any thing that happens in this life ; and both return to dust alike , as if there were no other reckoning to be made of either . and so from adams time , til the whole number of the elect be taken up to god , out of every nation , kindred , tongue , and people , out of which god in all ages of the world is pleased to choose some to be members of his son , or citizens of sion , and hath appointed in his councel , that mankind shall increase in the world , and act a while , and then return to dust , and one generation passe away , and another come in the place ; but when the elect are gathered as wheat into gods store-house , and the city made compleat , and the chaffe burned in the fire , and none enters into the city , but such whose names are written in the lambs book of life ; and none enters into the lake of fire , but such as are not writ in the lambs book ; so that gods will under this dispensation is done ; then followes immediately the great day of judgment ▪ or the resurrection of mens bodies out of the graves . and this day of judgment is the 7. dispensation of god , and this day windes up the whole mystery of god , and makes the eternal councel of god compleatly manifest and true ; that the serpents head is bruised , and the whole creation , adam , redeemed from the bondage of death , and in this dispensation we are to mind two things . first , in this great day of the lord he raises up the bodies of believers , and unbelievers out of the dust again , wherein he hath reserved them all the time of the battel , between the anointing and the serpent , as a man would keep his jewels in a box for an appointed time . secondly , god brings every man to judgement , and rewards every man according to his work , some rises to the resurrection of life , and others to the resurrection of losse and death : and the bookes were opened , as john writes ; that is , first the book of the mystery of iniquity , or the nature of the serpent in flesh laid open , and made manifest to be a power and spirit of darkness , that strived to be a being equal with god , nay , above god ; but being weighed in the ballance , it is found too light . and then the book of the mystery of god , or the anointing of god in flesh , this is made manifest , and laid open to be the great power of god , and the spirit of truth , which hath advanced god to be the only one infinite being ; even god , all in all , and that besides him there is none . and then another book was opened , that is , the book of life and death , or the book of the law , and of judgment , which gives the sentence , come ye blessed , inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world : and to unbeleevers , go ye cursed into everlasting fire : and now every man is judged according to his works ; the anointing , or the righteous one , is rewarded with life , and all they in whom the anointing did dwell , who are the elect city , and spouse of christ , are called blessed , and taken up into gods kingdome , that is , into love never to fall again . but the serpent , the wicked one , is rewarded with death , and all those disobedient ones , in whom the serpent dwelt , are cast into the everlasting fire , prepared for the devill and his angels ; this is a second part in the day of judgment , which is a trying of every mans work , and the establishing the city , which is the lambs wife , in perfect glory , and in justly condemning the rest : and here god is glorified in the salvation of believers , and in the damnation , or losse of unbelievers ; for his work stands , and abides triall ; but mans work suffers losse , and is ashamed : but this is not the end , for as yet the son hath not delivered up the kingdom to the father , for he must raign till all enemies be subdued , but death , curse , and sorrow is not yet quite subdued ; for it raignes over part of the creation still , even over those poor creatures that were lost , or that did not enter into the city , but were cast into the lake of fire . the serpent as yet holds a power , for there is part of gods work not yet delivered from his bondage : and the serpent would be glad , and it would be some ease to his torment , if any of gods work might die and perish with him . as i have heard some say , that they would be content to suffer the misery of a new war in england , so that such as they mentioned , might suffer as well as they ; this is the spirit of the serpent . i , but the serpent only shall perish , and god will not loose a hair that he made , he will redeeme his whole creation from death . the spirit of darknesse cannot beare this speech , therefore reader observe thy heart , as thou readest , it will either close with a tender spirit of pitty and love herewith , or else swell and fret against it . therefore in the third part of this great day of judgment , after the city work is finished , and the triall over , then does the tree of life , god himself that dwells in the city , and is the light , and life , and glory of it , send forth dispensations , or angels , bringing love to heale the nations , and to bring their glory into the city ; likewise that for the present lies under the dispensation of wrath , and throws the serpent that deceived them , death , and hell , into the lake , but there is no mention that the nations are cast therein , in this last casting in , for they are redeemed from it ; as the tree of life brought forth fruit every change of time , and age of the world , to heale the elect , the lost sheep , or city ; so in this last and great day it brings forth leaves to heale the nations , or such as were not of the city ; their turne to receive mercy comes , though it be at the last houre ; and then all israel , or whole creation , that groaned under the bondage of death , shal partake of the glorious manifestation of the sons of god , for now the deliverer comes out of sion , and shall turne away ungodlinesse from jacob . therefore saith john , i saw a pure river of the water of life , cleare as cristall , proceeded out of the throne of god , and the lamb . now i conceive clearly that this pure river , is the whole creation , mankind , fully and compleatly delivered from death , and curse , as in that 3. verse . and this pure redemption proceedes from the throne of god and the lamb , that is , from the judgment seat of god , judging , condemning , and bruising the serpents head , and so setting his own work , mankind , free from that death and bondage . i shall mention one scripture more that countenances this truth : and i looked , and behold a white cloud , and upon the cloud one sate like the son of man ; having on his head a crown of gold , and in his hand a sharpe sickle : and another angel came out of the temple , crying with a loud voice to him that sate on the cloud , saying , thrust in thy sickle and reape , for the harvest of the earth is ripe ; and he that sate on the cloud , thrust in his sickle on the earth , and the earth was reaped . and then another angel came out of the altar , and cryed in the same manner , to him that had the sickle , as you may read . by a white cloud , i conceive is meant the city sion , or spouse of christ , that is arayed in pure and white , in whom there is no spot , for she is perfectly redeemed ; by him that sate upō this white cloud , is ment the whole anointing , or the great manifestation of god in one person , jesus christ ; and the severall angels that cryed one after another , are severall dispensations , or discoveries of god , that proceed from christ at several times , and seasons . therefore the city being made white , now the manifestations of gods love begin to appeare towards the earth , or nations , which entred not into the city ; now the time and season requires , that the sickle of christ should be thrust into the earth , that is , that the brightness of jesus christ , the lamb , might appear and shine forth upon the nations also , as it did shine upon the city , and we see the conclusion in the 20. verse , and the wine-presse was troden without the city , ( mind that ) and blood came out of the wine-presse , even unto the horse bridles , &c. this phrase i conceive points out the utter ruine and destruction of the serpent , that held the earth or nations which were without the city , in bondage . but now the anointing , or the great dispensation of the love of god , hath reaped the earth as well as the city , and destroyed the serpent there , as well as in the city ; the wine-presse , or the bruising of the serpents head , and shedding his blood , was without the city ; and so both city and country , city and whole earth of mankind , is made a pure river of the water of life , which proceeds from the throne of god and the lamb . but here arise 3. scruples : first , is not god changeable saith one , in saying , go ye cursed into everlasting fire ; and yet afterwards takes them out againe ? i answer , this fire is the dispensation of gods wrath ; and it is everlasting , without end to the serpent ; it was prepared for him and his angels ; and though god bid the unbeleevers depart into it ; yet he did not say , you shall lie there , and never be redeemed . but the scruple lies in the word everlasting , which i as well as you have taken it to be a misery without end to the creature . but i answer , that in scripture phrase , every dispensation of god was called an everlasting time ; as in the day of moses , every service in the temple that aaron was to perform , god said it should be a statute and a law for ever , which notwithstanding ended to be a law in the beginning of the next dispensation , or the appearance of christ in the flesh ; and so , though god send unbelievers to lie under the dispensation of his wrath , and call it everlasting fire , it is but for the time of his dispensation , while he is finishing city work , and judging and rewarding every man , that is , the serpent , and the anointing , according to their works : and after this , comes in their healing time and season , and these times and seasons the father hath reserved to himself , the son knowes them not . a second scruple is this ; shall a man be ever delivered out of hell ? out of hell , saith some , there is no redemption . i answer , first , that there is no scripture , as saith , out of hell there is no redemption , therefore the scruple is raised upon it without ground ; indeed the prophet speaking , how that the living praise god , and the dead cannot , hath these words in preferring life before death : the grave cannot praise thee , death cannot celebrate thee , they that go down into the pit , cannot hope for thy truth . but secondly , to answer more directly , let us consider what hell is , and then whether any shall be delivered out that is there : hell is called death , or a condition below life ; and this is twofold , either a death of purity , far below the nature of god , or a death of sorrows , which is a condition far below the comfort and joyes of god . now every man and woman , as they are branches of adam , have no purity in them , and therefore are in a hell far below the life and nature of god ; and likewise they are unavoidably subject to the sorrowes of that death , as an effect following the cause , therefore unavoidably subject to a condition far below the comfort and joyes of god . this is the condition of every man and woman , and they have no power for to deliver themselves , for god only is our redeemer . and then it followes , that a man may be in hell , and yet may be delivered out ; for as in all this discourse past , it appeares , that as we spring from adam , we do all lie under the bondage , and death , and power of the serpent , which is one part of hell , and yet god delivers his elect from out of it ; and therefore it followes cleare , that if men are capable of so much mercy , being gods creatures , as to be delivered from sin and death , which is one part of hell ; or of a condition below god , they are capable to be delivered through the mercy of the same god , from the sorrowes and paines that follow sin , both which are but the bondage of the serpent , which god will deliver his creature from : this twofold death is the serpents head , which god will bruise . a third scruple is , concerning the day of judgement : some think it is but one single day , of twenty foure houres long ; nay , some make it lesse , but the length of the twinkling of an eye , because the interpretation of scripture runs thus , that in the twinkling of an eye , at the sound of the last trumpet , the dead shall be raised up to judgement . but to answer this phrase , twinkling of an eye , it onely shewes that the day of judgement is very short in comparison of the dayes by-past ; like that in rev. 8. 1. and there was silence in heaven for the space of half an houre , which is not a direct halfe houre , according as men account , but it declares a very short time . therefore i conceive , this is not a single day , of 24. houres , but a longer time ; while the judge sits upon the judgement seat , judgeing the serpent , so long time it is called a day of judgement , because that is the work of this day , or tearm of time , or the full length of that dispensation ; as formerly it was called the day of moses , which was the time while that dispensation of the law continued in force , whereof moses was the mediator ; and so abraham desired to see my day , saith christ , and saw it , that is , the day and time that christ reignes as king in the power and law of love , in and over the saints , and this paul calls the day of christs rest . and this in the truth of it , is that which we call the sabbath day , or day of a christians rest ; and it is not one day in seaven , still typicall , as the jewish sabbath was , but it is the constant reign of christ in and over the saints , which is their rest , and which indeed is the substance of the jewish typicall sabbath ; as david saith , let the earth rejoyce , the lord reignes . and , a king shall reigne in the earth , saith jeremy , and his name shall bee called , the lord our righteousnesse . now christ , or the anointing , doth not reigne one single day in the seaven in his saints , but every day constantly , which is the substance of the jewish single sabbath ; therefore i wish that the gentile-christians could understand , that what the jewes did in the type , these are to perform in the substance , and it is not for the gentiles to worship in types , as did the jewes . again , the time of the indignation , or while god suffers the beast to reigne , is called , the day of the beast ; and god hath given her three dayes and a halfe to tread the holy citie under foot , or the space of 42 moneths , which is three shapes , three discoveries of the reigne of the beast , or three degrees and half of the serpents reformation from bad to worse , from open prophanenesse to close hypocrisie ; and not the single dayes of a week . and so here it is called the day of judgement , from the work and businesse of the day , or full length of that dispensation , so that the great and generall day of judgment , from the time that the bodies of beleevers and unbelievers are raised out of the grave , till the son deliver up the kingdome to the father , i beleeve is a long time , of divers yeares ; the full length or shortnesse of it , god onely knowes , and reserves the time and season of that secret to himselfe ; but it is called the day of judgement , while the worke of judgement lasts ; as in our language it is called the day of assizes , though the sessions or businesse continue divers dayes . now all this day the condemned creatures lie under the dispensation of wrath , under the curse , and under weeping , wailing , and gnashing of teeth for anguish , and this hell , sorrow , or punishment , or death , is everlasting , because it continues the full time of the dispensation , & the worm never dies all the time , the fire and sense of wrath shall never goe out all the time , the fire of lust shall still be burning , and the smoak of blasphemy shall ascend upward , and they shal have no rest day nor night , and the fire of gods wrath shal still be scorching and consuming , which shall be an intollerable pain to the creature . therefore if any man or woman take liberty to sin , let them know this is a truth , they shall be condemned and die , and depart into everlasting fire , and punished in that hell , lie under the dispensation of wrath , and lie at gods mercy for delivery , so that those that will not now wait upon god in his time of long-suffering , or in the dispensation of his patience ; they shal wait upon god whether they will or no in the dispensation of wrath , in sorrow , which is intollerable , which is the second death . the first death i conceive , and i clearly see a truth in it , is adams death , or adams bondage to the serpent ; the second death is the serpents death , after god hath judged him , which is to lie under the wrath of god without end . now he that hath part in the first resurrection , that is , to be delivered from the bondage of the serpent , and raised up from the death of sin , and so made alive to god through the anointing ; over such a man , the second death , or the endlesse dispensation of wrath , which is prepared for the serpent , shall have no power . but if a man have not part in the first resurrection , and so enter not into the city new jerusalem , he shall then tast of the second death , which is the everlasting fire , prepared for the serpent & his seed , and it shal have power over him , and he shall lie under it for ever , that is , till the dispensation change , or till the mystery of god be finished , that the serpent , death , and hell is subdued , and cast into the lake , and the whole creation be set free , and the son deliuer up the kingdome to the father , and god become all in all , as at the beginning he was , before any opposite power appeared against him . but doth not god sit upon the throne of judgement before this great day of judgement appear ? yes , god & the lamb have sate upon the judgement seat , or throne , ever since adam delighted in his own fruit , or consented to the serpent , and god hath been judging the serpent , and bruising his head in every dispensation of his , ever since that time , and casting the serpent , that strong man , out of his elect. and by the powring out of the seven vials , and the sounding of the seven trumpets , declares how god hath been subduing the beast , the whore , and the false prophet , which hath been the severall appearances of the serpent under those names , by which he hath made warre with christ and his saints , so that god hath been about this work of judging the serpent long before this day of judgment came . then it seemes god hath two judgement dayes : no , it is all one ; for from adams time till the son deliver up the kingdome to the father , god hath sate upon the throne , judging the serpent ; but it pleased god so to establish his counsell , that he would not finish this mystery in a short time , but in severall degrees of times and seasons , which he hath reserued in his own power : and this great and last day , is the conclusion of this work , that the serpent shall be subdued under the feet of the whole creation , and be destroyed everlastingly , as it is written , judgement begins at the house of god ; and if it begin at us , saith peter , who are his temple , his little flock , his royall nation , his peculiar people , what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel ? why truly they must come to judgement too , but in the last day , or in the end of time ; so that it is not two judgement dayes , but all one day . and so to wind up all , i shall desire men to mind one thing , that though god hath in scripture declared seven great dispensations , or discoveries of his counsel , and each one clearer then the other ; yet in every one of these god sends forth severall other dispensations , or angels , for the carrying on of the work of that time , or season , which are discoveries of his glory ; for whatsoever comes from god is a spirituall power , not a dead work , but a living . as whatsoever came first from adam , it was a spiritual power , as pride , discontent , envie , and the whole body of unbeliefe , which slighted the being of god , and seekes to preferre a creature-being before him . this discovery of adam was a spiritual power , which is the very bondage which all creatures lie under , and it is an unclean and dead power , but not a living power . but whatsoever comes from god , is a particular angel , or lesser dispensation , as an assistant to the greater . as for example , when god took flesh , and appeared in the man christ jesus , it was the fifth great dispensation , and the angel of gods presence , and michael our prince , that stands before god for us . yet his sufferings in that day , or season of time , was called the dispensation of gods patience , wisdome and love , &c. the strength of patience is an angel of god . i mention this , because i know in my own experience , that if god set it home to others , as i find , it quiets the heart under what condition soever . if thou lie under sorrowes for sins , now know , that it is gods dispensation to thee , wait patiently upon him , hee will work a good issue in his time , but not in thy time . if thou lie under the temptations of men , of losses , of poverty , of reproaches , it is gods dispensation to thee , wait with an humble quiet spirit upon him , till he give deliverance . if thou lie under darknesse , emptinesse , and in a lost and wildernes-condition wait patiently ( it is his dispensation to thee ) till god speak ; for he will speak peace when thou thinkest least of it . if thou be filled with joy and peace through beleeving , wait with an humble thankfull heart still upon god , it is his dispensation to thee , and assure thy selfe , that now god begins to dispense out love to thee , he will still be feeding thee in dispensations , or discoveries of his love ; and he will never let thee lie under the sense of anger any more , for his freedome is a freedome indeed , to a full satisfaction ; the peace that he gives , none can , nor shall take away : and be sure he will never take it again , for the gifts and callings of god are without repentanct . and this is all i have to say concerning this truth . and i have done . finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a66686e-680 gen. 1. 31. col. 2. 9. gen. 2. 8 , 9. cant. 4. 12. 16. isaî. 58. 11. gen. 3. 6. ecces . 7. 29. genes . 2. 17. gal. 4. 5. 2 cor. 5. 4. john 4. 34. 1 kings 8. 18. rom. 8. 7 gen. 6. 5. jer. 18. 4. col. 1. 13. isai. 66. 5. 2 thes. 2. 4 , 5. 1 cor. 15 25. heb. 1. 13. 1 cor. 15. 28. 54. isai. 61. ● . luke 4. 18. jer. 23. 6 prov. 8. 22 , 23. gen. 3. 15 heb. 2. 14. luke 9. 23. 2 tim. 2. 26. rom. 8. 13. 1 cor. 1. 13. 1 cor. 15 24. 1 john 4. 15. 1 cor. 3. 13. 2 thes. 2. 8. rev. 21. 24. rev. 22. 1. 2. ephes : 2. 3. rom. 8. 19. rev. 6. 14. heb. 1. 11 , 12. rev. 21. 23. john 14. 20. john 7. 12. rev. 6. 15 , 16. mat. 25. 42. 2 cor. 3. 6. rom. 3. 20. isai. 25. 12. 2 cor. 3. 7. 1 joh. 4. 9. 1 john 4. 8. 15. rev. 12. 8 , 9. john 1. 14. rev. 12. 7. mat. 4. &c. 2 cor. 5. 19. joh. 5. 21 rev. 12. 10. 2 cor. 5. 19 , 20. col. 1. 9. 1 john 4. 15. rev. 22. 1 , 2. rev. 21. 24. acts 17. rev. 20. 14. rev. 22. 1. gen. 3. 15. gen. 18. 18. luke 1. 55. heb. 10. 7. josh. 7. 26. hos. 2. 14. rev. 5. 19. rom. 8. 23. acts 4. 2 cor. 5. 16. col. 4. 27 jer. 23. 6 1 john 2. 27. john 5. 43. john 7. mat. 24. isa. 32. 12. &c. john 16. 13. 1 cor. 12. 13. john 17. 20. ephes. 4. 13. esa. 42. 1. mat. 24. 22. 31. rev. 13. 8. &c. rev. 20. 15. rev. 22. 2. rev. 21. 8. &c. rev. 22. 14. 15. rev. 20. 15. rev. 22. 3. rev. 20. 14. dan. 8. 24 , 25. rev. 16. 17. rev. 12. 15. rev. 11. 2 , 3. rev. 14. 11 , 12. rev. 16. rev. 14. 11 , 12. jude 13. 1 cor. 3. 15. rev. 20. 15. luk. 13. 24. 1 cor. 1. 27. rom. 9. 32. rev. 7. 9. john 5. 29. rev. 20. 12. mat. 2. 5 34. rev. 20. 15. rev. 21. 24. rom. 11. 26. rev. 22. 1. 3. rev. 14. 14. &c. 2 thes. 2. 7. 8. rev. 19. 21. levit. 16. 29. num. 10. 8. acts 1. 7. isai. 38. 18. heb. 4. dan. 11. 36. rev. 11. 2. 9. acts 17. rev. 14. 1 cor. 15. 27. dan. 8. 24. rev. 19. 20. 1 pet. 4. 17. luk. 22 , 8. the souls worth and danger, or a discourse exciting and directing to the due care of its eternal salvation upon the words of our blessed saviour armstrong, john, 1634 or 5-1698. 1677 approx. 109 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 39 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; 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(eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a25835) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 31347) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 1901:15) the souls worth and danger, or a discourse exciting and directing to the due care of its eternal salvation upon the words of our blessed saviour armstrong, john, 1634 or 5-1698. 77, [1] p. printed for the author, cambridge : 1677. attributed by wing to john armstrong. reproduction of original in the cambridge university library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng salvation -early works to 1800. devotional literature, english -early works to 1800. 2005-08 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-09 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2005-12 john latta sampled and proofread 2005-12 john latta text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-01 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the souls worth and danger , or a discourse exciting and directing to the due care of its eternal salvation ; upon the words of our blessed saviour : s t mat. 16. 26. what is a man profited , if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul ? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul ? cambridge . printed for the author . 1677. the souls worth and danger . s t mat. 16. 26. what is a man profited , if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul ? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul ? our saviour v. 24. tells the apostle peter , and all other his faithful disciples ; that rather then deny him , they must deny themselves for his sake ; and that so far as should be needful , they must take up their cross , and follow him . in all which they must not be hindred , 1. with the loss of life , for , says he , v. 25. the words before the text , whosoever will save his life shall lose it , &c. nor 2. should they be hindred with the loss of reputation , for , says he , v. 27. the words immediatly following the text , the son of man shall come in the glory of his father , and reward every man according to his works ; and then there shall be a resurrection of their names , as well as of their persons . nor 3. should the loss of the world hinder them , for says he in the words of the text it self , what is a man profited though he should gain the whole world , and lose his own soul ? the question is put so as to include a strong denyal : what is a man profited ? that is , he is not profited at all . and again , what shall a man give in exchange for his soul ? that is , there is nothing that he can give in exchange for it . and therefore our saviour is to be understood , as if he had said , they that will disobey me , may 't is true be gainers in the world for a while , but if they should be gainers of the whole world , their gains would not be so great as their loss , the incomparable , invaluable , irrecoverable loss of their precious souls job 27. 8. what is the hope of the hypocrite , though he hath gained : ( though he hath gained never so much ) when god taketh away his soul ? for as it is psal . 49. 6 , 8 , 17. he that trusted and boasted in his wealth here , when he dieth , he shall carry nothing away , his glory shall not descend after him . or if it might , it would not buy his pardon , or be a sufficient ransome to god. for the redemption of the soul is precious , and ( therefore thus ) ceaseth for ever . whence we may observe , as the subject of the following discourse , that each ones soul is to them , more worth then the world. or , that they will be exceeding great losers that lose their own souls , though it should be by the gaining of the whole world. and this may be made out , by considering first , what it is to gain the world ; and the worhtlesness thereof though gained ; and next , by shewing what it is to lose the soul ; and the preciousness of that if lost . first therefore as to the gaining of the world , we are to remember that 1. by the world , as s t john 1. 10. is sometimes meant , the whole visible fabrick of the heavens we breath in , and the earth we tread upon ; and thus the text must be understood only by way of supposition ; for otherwise neither ahasuerus , nor alexander , nor any the greatest conqueror ever gained so much , as to become absolute master of the whole earthly globe . 2. by the world may sometimes , as s t john. 15. 19. be meant the wicked of the world . and so , but too many think they have gained what they most desire , if they may but enjoy the frequent society of the most lewd and wicked people ; concerning whom says saint hieron : discamus sanctam superbiam , & sciamus nos esse illis meliores . as if he should have said , let us christians learn an holy pride , and ( as it may be without any pharisee-like boasting ) let us know our selves too good for the company of such infectious lepers of the world . 3. by the world may here be chiefly meant the things of the world , worldly profits , honours , and pleasures ; as 1 john. 2. 16. the lusts of the flesh , the lusts of the eyes , the pride of life . and so with some to gain the world , is by men-pleasing or time serving , by flatteries or briberies to get honours and preferment in the world . not a few being willing to give away the world in this sense , to gain it in another . again with others , to gain the world , is by immodest apparelling , or inticing behaviour , or by the frequent use of unseasonable and immoderate recreation , or by luxurious and riotous living to get the sinful sensual pleasures of the world . and further with the most , to gain the world , is to get the wealth and profits thereof , by covetousness , or by oppression & extortion , or by fraudulent unrighteous dealing , or by abusing a lawful calling ; or using that which is unlawful , so as to live much upon the sins of others , in furthering their pride , or idleness , or prodigality , or quarrelsomness , or wanton lewdness , or beastly drunkenness or the like . in a word , to gain the world in this sense , is by any undue means to get whatsoever in the world the heart of carnal wretches can most desire , and which is as a world to them . between whom and sincere christians there is always this vast difference ; good and faithful christians seek the favour and fruition of god in christ , and their own souls salvation , as their main end ; and in order thereunto , make religion their business ; and all worldly things , even which may be innocently used , with them come in but on the by ; so as , if it shall seem good to god , they can either have them , or be without them . whereas to carnal people that lose their souls in the pursuit of the world , their main end is , the pleasing of the flesh thereby some way or other , which their sex , age , education , constitution of body , or condition of life most tempts and leads them to . and with them , religion , that comes in but on the by ; and if they need it not for a pretence , they can most easily be without it . yet after all , when such people have , with the contempt of gods service , the wounding of their consciences , and the abuse of their pretious souls , gotten the most they can of the world ; at the last they are forced by their own sad experience to confess the vanity and worthlesness of it . 't is true these outward worldly things , as they proceed from god , and may lead to him ; as they may fit men for great offices , and noble imployments ; as they may be used for our own and others wellfare , and as they are a means to sustain us in this life , while we are seeking after eternal life , so they are the good blessings of god , which we may labour after , and ought to be thankful for . but as they are abstracted from god , and inordinately loved , sought , and trusted in , so they have this five-fold vanity , which is but too easily discovered in them , namely , their unsatisfactoriness , their commoness , their deceitfulness , their unsuitableness , and unprofitableness . 1. that which speaks the little worth , but great vanity of worldly things , is their unsatisfactoriness . ahab had the possession of a wealthy kingdome , and yet for want of naboths vineyard only , how was he heart-sick , so as to take no content in all his other enjoyments ? 1 kings 21. 4. in like manner , to what a wonderful height of dignity and earthly happiness was human advanced , and yet how did so inconsiderable a thing , as the want of poor mordecaie's knee , damp all the delights of his proud heart ? esther 5. 11 , 12 , 13. knock at the door of the choicest earthly possessions , and they will tell you one by one , sufficiency is not in me . the creature if parted from god , is empty , and the soul too ; and what fulness can be had by adding one emptiness to another ? many a poor man hath thought ; if i had but enough to supply such necessaries , and discharge such debts , how chearfully would i serve the lord without distraction , and not care so much for the world any more ? but when these desires have been granted , they have found themselvs still unsatisfied ; being ready now to thirst as much after fulness , as before after necessaries . it is god only who is all-sufficient , both as to his own happiness , and our satisfaction , gen. 17. 1. it is christ the uncreated wisdome , prov. 8. 21. who fills the treasures of those that love him , and causeth them to inherit substance . and if he do not make god ours , as well as the creature , our condition will be but like theirs mentioned haggai 1. 6. ye have sown much , and bring in little : ye eat , but ye have not enough : ye drink , but ye are not filled with drink : ye clothe you , but there is none warm : and he that earneth wages , earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes . solomon that was so rich to compass all worldly accommodations , and so wise to find out what was best in them to be enjoyed ; after a full experience , tells us , that if they lead not to god , they will be but vanity and vexation of spirit . 2. how doth the commonness of these worldly things abate the value of them ? eccl. 9. 1 , 2. they come alike to all , and none can certainly know by them either love or hatred ; whether they be the friends or enemies of god. you cannot say , god gives me poverty , therefore he hates me ; or he gives me riches , therefore he loves me ; such conclusions are weak and deceitful . for the good may be afflicted as well as the bad , and sometimes undergoe the heaviest burden of earthly trouble . luke 16. 15. and on the other hand , the wicked may flourish for a while as well as the righteous , and sometimes enjoy the greatest measure of worldly prosperity . psal . 17. 13 , 14. renewing grace is a certain sign of gods favour , and a special distinguishing mercy , and therefore highly to be esteemed , and earnestly sought after ; but outward comforts , common natural gifts , and acquired abilities , as a fair estate , an healthful body , a faithful memory , a quick understanding , a ready utterance , or the like ; these , though blessings in themselves , yet are but blessings of the left hand , such as are given to the heathen idolater , as well as to the christian worshipper , to the clean and unclean , to him that sacrificeth and him that sacrificeth not . and therefore this their commonness shews much of their vanity and worthlesness . 3. how is there in worldly things a vanity of deceitfulness which also speaks them less valuable ? how many people come to the world as to a lottery , looking for a prize , but go away cheated with a blank ? how often doth the world by promising much , and performing little , first abuse our judgements , and then frustrate our hopes and expectations ? have you not sometimes found creature-confidences , like the trusting in the staff of a brokenreed , whereon if a man lean , it will go into his hand and pierce it ? isa . 36. 6. have you not sometimes enjoyed the pleasures of sin for a season , and flattered your self with the long continuance of them ? whereas that season is gone , and never returns again . can you not remember what happiness you may have promised your self in such a friend , such a purchase , such a preferment , but some unexpected disappointment or other , some crosse or other , hath much imbittered them unto you , and lessened your comfort in their enjoyment ? the mutability of the world is the great deceit of it ; which that we may avoid , let us duly consider what the apostle hath written , 1 tim. 6. 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 17 , 18 , 19. and again 1 cor. 7. 29 , 30 , 31. oh let us not suffer our selves to be imposed upon , counting that to continue long , which he , according to the experience of all , tells us shall abide but a short while and then passe away . oh let us not think with them isa . 56. 12. what carnal delights we will have this day , and to morrow much more abundant . oh let us not say with him s t luke 12. 19 , 20. soul take thine ease , eat drink , be merry , thou hast much goods layd up for many years . least we be awakened with that terrible voice of god , saying , as unto him ; thou fool this night thy soul shall be required of thee ; then whose shall those things be which thou hast provided ? why should we inordinately set our hearts and affections on that which is not ? for as prov. 23. 5. riches ( honours , pleasures ) make themselves wings and fly away . when we think our selves most sure of them , when we trust most in them , when by the abuse of them , we are become most proud , stomackful , secure and negligent of gods service , then are we most sadly deceived , then the wing of prodigality , of oppression , of casualty sweeps them from us ; or else the wing of death carries us away from them in a moment . but suppose the world to perform more then it promiseth , and that we could be sure of it for a very considerable while ; yet have we not immortal souls to provide for ? have we not matters of life or death to look after ? and what can all the world be to this ? oh therefore how nearly doth it concern us to lay up in store for our selves a sure foundation for the time to come ; to anchor our souls upon christ the rock of ages who will never deceive us ; and not to hazard them for any thing , in this worthless , because deceitful and changeable , world . 4. that which further shews the worthlesness of the things of the world , is their vanity of unsutableness in respect of the precious soul. those are corporeal and fading , this is spiritual and immortal . those are limited and finite beings , this a substance of unbounded desires , and can be fully satisfied with nothing but communion with the father , and the son through the spirit ; with nothing but a state of grace and salvation , and the fruition of god. all that worth which silver and gold , and such worldly things have , is not so much in their own nature , as from our esteem , or from some outward humane appointment ; but we can never thus make them equally excellent with our selves . 't is true , by a wilful slavery to sin , we may ( as the prophet speaks , jerem. 6. 30. ) turn our selves into brasse , and iron , and reprobate silver ; we may unman and unchristian our selves ; we may undervalue and debase our souls , blotting out the image of god , and writing upon them the superscription of earth and the world ; thus indeed , the epicure may greatly delight in sensual pleasures , and the ambitious mind in flattering titles , and the frothy wit in abusive lightness ; thus , 't is true , carnal and worldly things , to carnal , and worldly hearts may become but too sutable , dear , and precious . but the desires of a gracious heart are after higher and better things . for every faithful christian considers that god hath made even our bodies upright , and our faces lifted from the earth ; that we might conceive how far from it , our heaven-born spirits should be elevated towards himself , and christ , and heavenly glory , which are therefore most excellent , because most proportionable and sutable to our souls , in their utmost capacities . 5. and lastly , the worthlesness of the world appears by its unprofitableness . as samuel said to the people , 1 sam. 12. 20 , 21. turn ye not aside from serving and following the lord ; for then should ye go after vain things , which cannot profit , because they are vain . too many indeed are ready to think the profits of the world worth their gaining , even by the loss of their consciences , of heaven , and god himself . and as for those who make conscience of their waies , and endevour to walk circumspectly , closely , and humbly with god ; who scrupulously forbear prophane rash oaths and idle discourse , who are sensible of the least secret sin , who avoid what they can all occasions and appearances of evil , who withstand the corruptions of the times and places they live in , though they gain less in the world ; these are often accounted , such as know not what is best for themselves . but s t paul assures us , that such godliness with contentment is the truest gain ; whereas the world , when you have spent all your thoughts , and the labour of your lives upon it ; though it may further you in some lesser respects , yet it cannot profit you in the main thing necessary . it cannot procure us the favour of god , who regardeth not the rich man more then the poor , for they are all alike the work of his hands . he accounts of all , not according to their meanness , or greatness , but according to their real piety and goodness ; prov. 19. 1. better is the poor that walketh in his integrity , then he that is perverse in his lips , and is a fool . prov. 28. 6. better is the poor that walketh in his uprightness , then he that is perverse in his ways , though he be rich . observe , they are the poor that walk in their integrity , that know , love , and serve god ; not that kind of poor who are grossely ignorant and neglectful of god , and who lead sensual , sloathful , and heathenish lives ; though they above others , might be most easily convinced of the emptiness and unprofitableness of the world , and so have greater care of their souls salvation , seeking out after god in christ to supply their spiritual necessities , that it may be better with them in the life to come . again , the world cannot ease the pain of an afflicted conscience ; nor can it give us the grace we want . ordinarily 't is so abused , that it makes people not more thankful , but more forgetful of god ; nor doth it ( as it ought ) draw their hearts nearer to god , but sets them at a further distance from him ; nor doth it make them more humble , but more haughty ; nor more constant and sincere in duties , but more unfit for any good word or work . nor can the world profit us in the day of wrath . when the sinful pleasures of youth are ended by sickness , age , or death , what can be left , but the worm of conscience bred out of them to torment the soul for ever ? have you not sometimes considered with your self , how soon the world and its pleasures will turn you off ? how can you but now and then take notice of your own frailties which tell you , how certainly and shortly you must lie down in the dust ? do you not sometimes go to the house of mourning , or stand by dying people , confessing the world to be nothing worth , and complaining of the losse of their time and strength spent upon it ? and do you not see how little it doth for them in their greatest need ? oh therefore let this prevail with us to prize our souls above the world ; let this ( with what hath been considered in the foregoing particulars ) make us set as light by it , as it doth , or will do by us . let us henceforth make christ our treasure , and count it our happiness to honour and worship him as we ought to do . let us make god our portion , and sit down content with him alone , and let them who can get no better , take the world and the pleasures of it . having now seen , what it is to gain the world , and the worthlesness thereof though gained , we are in the next place to consider , what it is to lose the soul , and the preciousness of that if lost . as to the losing of the soul , the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here rendred , to lose , signifies to have a mulct or punishment inflicted , and so may import , not only the fatal final losse or damnation of the soul , but also any losse or damage that belongs to it , here or hereafter . 1. therefore to lose the soul is to lose ones self . a mans soul is the principal part of himself , and so it is in s t luke ch . 9. 25. what is a man advantaged , if he gain the whole world , and lose himself ( soul and body too ) and be cast away . 2. to lose the soul implies a being deprived of all further opportunities and seasons of grace , of all virtuous and gracious endowments , which are as the life of the soul. when christ calls by death or judgement ; they that like the foolish virgins , have not oyl in their lamps , and their lamps trimmed , that have not their souls adorned with the saving graces of his spirit ; they shall not enter with him . having waited so long already , and all in vain , he will now stay no longer , till they go and buy for themselves , but will shut the door of mercy against them for ever . 3. the losing of the soul implyes the losse of all such earthly enjoyments , as sensual hearts love and prize above their souls , and for which they undoe themselves for ever . oh who can express the wretchedness of such people , when they shall stand before the judgment seat of god , to receive their just doom , in the most forlorn and desolate condition , stript and forsaken of all carnal comforts , friends , possessions , and outward accommodations whatsoever ; which to the hazard of their souls , they have grasped at , and used in a sinful way ; and therefore must now lose both the soul and them too eternally . 4. the losing of the soul implyes the losing of christ , and heaven , and the blessed vision of god for ever . and this indeed is the loss of losses , such as there was never the like before , nor ever can be again after it . the fore-mentioned might be born , but hardly ; but this is intollerable . this worst effect of sin , depart from me , or go away from me , is as terrible a word , as everlasting fire . for alass ! whither shall they go , that go from god , when he alone hath the power of eternal life . ten thousand words cannot speak a soul more unhappy , then those two words , without god , eph. 2. 12. thou mayst be without riches , without friends , without health , without liberty , nay , without all outward blessings , and yet be blessed ; but if without god , thou art cursed with a curse . the hypocrites hell which is the hottest of all other , is set out by this , job 13. 16. the hypocrite shall not come before god. when god would most powerfully perswade to dutie , this is his motive , jerem. 7. 27. obey my voice , and i will be your god. when he would most effectually disswade from sin , this is his argument , jerem. 6. 8. be instructed , o jerusalem , least my soul depart from you . and again hos . 9. 12. wo unto them , when i depart from them . how sad a saying is that of sauls , 1 sam. 18. 15. i am sore distressed , for the philistins are upon me , and god is departed from me . how mournfully doth micah bemoan the loss even of his helpless idols , judges 18. 24. ye have taken away my gods , and what have i more , and what is this ye say unto me , what aileth thee ? how sadly is holy david and our blessed saviour afflicted at gods absence in part , and for a while ? my god , my god , why hast thou forsaken me ? says the one . lord ( says the other psal . 88. 14 , 15. ) why castest thou off my soul ? why hidest thou thy face from me ? i am afflicted and ready to dye , while i suffer thy terrours , i am distracted . do these so complain of gods absence in part , and for a while ? how bitterly then will the lost soul complain when forsaken of god utterly and eternally ! some are ready to say to god , as job 21. 24. depart from us , for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways . they think him sometimes too near them in a sermon , in a private instruction , in a motion of his spirit , or in a conviction of conscience ; and could wish him , with his holy laws farther off , that they might sin more securely ; but let such beware , least he take them at their word , and give them their wish to their woe , in banishing them everlastingly from his comfortable presence . oh with what tormenting grief will they then behold those soul-ravishing delights , which the righteous have in the presence of god , the fountain of all good ; whilst they are sentenced to an eternal separation from him ! how sad and deformed a spectacle is the body from which the soul is parted ; oh how sad then shall the condition of that soul be from which god is parted for ever ? this though very grievous , yet is not all , for 5. and lastly , the losing of the soul implies further it s being brought to the highest degree of sin , and consequently to such a fulness of sorrow , and such a weight of gods burning eternal wrath , as no heart can conceive , or tongue express . they that would choose sin , to save themselves from a little trouble or affliction , will find , that now what they feared , and ten thousand times more is come upon them . the wicked could now wish their souls were so lost as to cease to be , that they might cease to be tormented ; but god by his infinite power will both uphold them in their being , and make them more sensible of pain then ever , that they may be the subjects of greater punishment . and now the conscience of a lost soul gnaws to think , so many nights i went to bed prayerless ; so many times i swallowed down unlawful gain ; so many hours i spent in revelling , foolish sporting , or idle unprofitable talking ; so many opportunities of receiving good at the lords-supper and other ordinances , i have lost , because i would not prepare for them , nor so much as defile my foot , or endure a little cold or trouble , to be present at them . oh that i had been more diligent in the practice of religion and holiness ; oh that i had kept the lords-day better , and been more innocent in my walking all the week after , though a less gainer in the world ; oh that i had never known such or such a sin , which i loved , lived in , plotted and contrived , and by which i have now wrought my own eternal ruine ; oh that i had spent but half my mis-spent time in praying , and studying gods word , in doing good , and watching over my ways , then had i been yonder in heaven , but now i must be for ever tormented in these flames . thou mayst now so under value thy soul , as to spend much more time upon thy beasts then upon it ; though truth it self tells us in the text , that it is more worth then a world . but that which is now despised , in hell will be esteemed ; and the damned shall fully know the price of this pearl , whether they will or no. but it is far better to know and believe it now , that we may be more careful of its preservation . consider therefore , i beseech you , in the next place , the preciousness of the soul in these several respects . 1. as to god our maker , for did not he at first make it in innocency , after his own glorious image in knowledge , righteousness , and holiness , gen. 1. 26. eph. 4. 14. col. 3. 10. and ever since , how is it the body of the child only , the frailer and viler part , which is from the substance of the parents ? ( as it was at first formed of the dust of the ground gen. 2. 7. ) whereas the precious soul , which is of a spiritual nature , and shall never die , hath its immediate being and original from god the father of spirits , heb. 12. 9. infundendo creatur , & creando infunditur . how is it god only , from whom it is , who can effectually command the soul to subjection ? ( while the magistrate can but force the outward man ) and god only who can punish it ? ( while man can but kill the body , s t mat. 10. 28. ) still even under the state of corruption , how is it the candle of the lord , and the master-piece of his creation , shewing the dignity of its nature by its various and noble operations ? he that by these knows not what the soul is , knows not what a man is . for what is it but the soul which thus distinguisheth us from brute beasts ? what is it but the soul , by which you are thinking , reading , or asking , what a soul is ? what is it but the soul which is the fountain of precious life , and therefore much more precious in it self ? prov. 6. 26. the adulteress will hunt for the precious life . the words are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the precious soul. what is the soul but the rational nature containing the sensitive and vegetative ; the principle or first act by which we move , perceive , understand and freely will ? and how do these acts speak the excellency of the powers from whence they flow ! and how do those powers shew the worth of the soul it self ? 2. consider its excellency in relation to christ our redeemer . what can more clearly demonstrate the preciousness of it , then the greatness of that price which he payd for it ? being willing to lay down his life to deliver the soul from eternal misery . 1 s t pet. 1. 18 , 19. the apostle says we are not redeemed with gold or silver , or any such corruptible things ; but with the precious blood of jesus christ . the more noble the person taken captive , the larger is the summe required for his ransome . our saviour in all likelihood would not have done what he did , to keep the whole frame of heaven and earth from being dissolved ; but to save those precious immortal souls from perishing , which were capable of enjoying so much good from god , and bringing so much glory to him ; he was ready , to take our nature , to suffer his fathers wrath , to live a painful life , and dye an accursed death , by all which we may read in most fair and large characters the worth of the soul. 3. consider its excellency in relation to the holy ghost our sanctifier . oh how precious must that needs be , which is cleansed , quickned , and beautified with precious faith , as 't is called , 2 pet. 1. 1. and so we may say with precious hope and charity , with precious wisdome , meekness , temperance , patience . oh the excellent supernatural operations of such a soul ! the mind is busie to know god in christ , and to understand his will revealed in his word . the memory thinks of him , the conscience stands in awe of him , the will chooseth and embraceth him , the heart trusts in him and is set upon him ; the affections are taken up in loving him , rejoycing in him , fearing to offend him , desiring to please and enjoy him . these are the truly noble , and worthy imployments of the soul as redeemed and sanctified , and renewed after the image of god. 4. consider further its excellency with relation to the heavenly angels . for why should they attend us as ministring spirits , if our spirits were not of an excellent angelical nature , and fit to minister unto god ? nay 5. may not the faln accursed angels , and satan himself tell us the worth of a soul , by his being so much the enemy of its salvation , when he compasseth the earth , job 1. 7. and goeth about night and day to devour and deceive them , 1 pet. 5. 8. 6. why should god , if it were not for our precious immortal souls , give us the scriptures , and an excellent religion to shew us the way to happiness ? or why should he in the scriptures dignifie us with such honourable titles , as to be called his friends , his children , to be called the spouse , and the members of christ ? 7. why too should ministers be appointed by him , to preach , and pray , and labour for us , if we had not such precious souls to save or lose ? hebr. 13. 17. obey them that have the rule over you , for they watch for your souls . why should they preach in season and out of season , and be so reviled , and suffer so much to perform their work , but that they know that he that winneth souls is wise , prov. 11. 30. and that he which converteth a sinner from the errour of his ways , shall save a soul from death , and shall hide a multitude of sins . 8. moreover , why should such store of other mercies be provided for us ? why should a world of creatures ( whose corporeal substance seems as excellent as ours ) attend and serve us , if we were but an ingenious sort of brutes , and had not reasonable immortal souls more worth then the world ? other creatures are made for man , and man for god , to glorifie him by them , and for them . and surely they have a right estimate of the souls worth , who measure by it the worth of all worldly things ; who reckon of their in-comes , their friends , estates , preferments according as they help or hinder them in the service of god ; counting them more or less excellent , as they are more or less subservient to his honour , and their own or others souls everlasting happiness . 9. consider the precious soul in its tendency , which is to an eternal enjoyment of god , an infinite good ; and that , as fully as humane nature is capable of , and that in a state of absolute perfection . intellectus quaerit deum . the soul reacheth after god , and this speaks its excellency that he alone can satisfie it . o lord ( says s t augustin ) thou hast made us for thy self , and our heart is unquiet till it comes unto thy self . here , o christian , thy weaknesses are thy grief , and thy afflictions or meanness may render thee despicable in the eyes of the world , but being sincerely converted , thy soul is in a tendency to that happiness , where it shall be enlarged , and perfected to partake the more of god. where it s best faculties shall be united to the best object , in the best and fullest manner to eternal ages . if sincerely converted to god , thy soul is in a tendency to that illustrious heavenly glory , which is only sutable to it , and which will render far more precious and illustrious , both it , and thy body too , after the resurrection . 10. hence we adde one consideration more of the souls excellency , and that is , in respect of the body here . david speaking of the body , psa . 139. 14 , 15. o lord ( says he ) i will praise thee , for i am fearfully and wonderfully made ; marvellous are thy works , and that my soul knoweth right well . my substance was not hid from thee , when i was made in secret ; and curiously wrought ( or imbroydered ) in the lowest parts of the earth . galen more atheistical before , when he came to see the anatomy of mans body , and considered the excellent frame thereof , now ( says he ) i adore the god of nature . yet we know the body is but the case or instrument of the soul , which so far exceeds it , that in many things , with god , the willingness and pure intention of the mind is chiefly lookt at , without which bodily exercise profiteth little . though a man give his body to be burnt , if there be wanting the charity of the soul , it availeth nothing , 1 cor. 13. 3. nay there are several actions of the soul which are beyond that which concerns the body at all ; as the knowing of god , and the life to come , and many notions in mathematicks and other sciences which are abstracted from bodily substances . in adversity , there may be solid joys in the mind ; as there may be real torments upon a mans spirit , which the primitive christians and martyrs being freed from , made little reckoning of their outward sufferings , but endured them ( as sozomen says ) as if their bodies had been other folks , and not their own . in prosperity too there may be a power in mans soul to curb the body in that which is most sutable and pleasing , which a beast cannot do . 1 cor. 9. 27. i keep under my body and bring it into subjection , st mat. 18. 8 , 9. prov. 23. 1 , 2. when thou sittest to eat with a ruler , consider diligently what is before thee . and put a knife to thy throat , if thou be a man given to appetite . again , when the body faints with age or sickness , the soul may have strong desires after god and eternity . and when the body returns to the dust , the immortal spirit goes to him that gave it to be judged to weal or woe . i desire ( says the apostle ) to be dissolved , and be with christ . father ( says our saviour ) into thy hands i commend my spirit , s t luke 23. 43. and 46. to the penitent thief , this day shalt thou be with me in paradise . the body , you see then , though curiously wrought or imbroydered , is but the cabinet of a more precious soul , which as was said , is chiefly the man. oh therefore let us not live as if we were all of a piece , and the body was the man ; as if that only was to be adorned , pampered , and provided for . god having given us souls capable of all those excellencies which he is pleased to impart to the best of his creatures , let us count them richly worth the care and labour of an holy christian life . far be it from us , to be willing of so much pains for the world , and to call farless for the soul too much ado . far be it from us , to think our precious souls , no more worth then honour , wealth , or foolish mirth . oh , far be it from us , to count them so worthless , as to be abused to the basest drudgery , to be poysoned with sin and sensuality , or to be ventured for a thing of nought . but thus you have seen , both what it is to gain the world , and what to lose the soul ; as also the worthlesness of the one though gained , and the preciousness of the other if lost ; which if you compare , and duely consider ; you will acknowledge , as our saviour here hath taught us , that each ones soul is of such worth and excellency , that they must needs be exceeding great losers who lose their souls , though it could be by the gaining of the whole world . as for the more full and particular improvement of this weighty truth , which so nearly concerns every one of us , you may take it in the following inferences . use 1. is the soul of any man or woman whatsoever more worth then a world . hence then , o christian , learn to entertain right thoughts concerning the dignity of thy nature , and let this 1. make thee hate to dishonour thy self , by thinking , speaking , or doing any thing unworthy of a rational soul , much more of a christian . let this make thee afraid to live and dye so vilely , as at last with the wicked to wish thou hadst been made a toad or serpent , or that thou hadst never been born . 2. rather let this consideration make thee careful to live holily to gods glory ; and so to praise him for thy soul , made capable of so excellent a work , as to love , serve , and honour him here ; and of so glorious a reward , as to enjoy him hereafter . 3. let the same consideration move thee to praise god also for christ , the lover of souls , who hath done and suffered so much for their eternal welfare ; and in him , to praise the lord , especially for all other soul mercies and advantages . though he should be pleased to keep thee short of other things , say with a thankful heart , as eph. 1. 3. blessed be the god and father of our lord jesus christ , who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in christ . gaius had a sickly body , but was happy in the prosperous state of his soul. beloved ( says s t john epistle 3. v. 2. ) i wish that thou mayst prosper , and be in health , even as thy soul prospereth . 4. let this dignity of thy humane nature help thee to see the dignity of thy holy religion . and remember , though every thing else be mean about thee , yet thy sincere religiousness relating to the precious soul , is no mean , but an excellent thing ; which as solomon says , makes the righteous more excellent then his neighbour . 5. let this further make thee to carry they self alwaies humbly and courteously towards the meanest people thou canst meet with ; considering , that though thou mayst differ from them in some outward respects , yet they have souls , which in their own nature , are as precious as thine own . use 2. is the soul more worth then a world ? and shall they be such exceeding great losers that lose their souls , though by the gaining of the whole world ? see then a great help christians have to beat back satans temptations , when tempted to evil , as eve and our saviour , by any thing in the world . should a chapman bid thee for any part of thy goods , not so many pence as they are worth pounds ; wouldst thou not turn away with scorn from one that offered thee so much to thy loss ? or if but for thy life , thou couldst have an earthly crown , or the whole world layd in thy hand ; wouldst thou not utterly refuse it , knowing it could do thee no good at all when thy life was gone ? wilt thou then exchange thy so precious soul to its eternal undoing , when offered for it but a morsel of base gain , or a cup of stoln pleasure which will vanish in a moment ? therefore 1. when about to lye , dissemble , curse or swear blasphemously , if the next abuse of thy tongue would cost thee the certain loss of that unruly member , would not self-love make thee refrain from such evil ? and wilt thou not do so much more for the love of god , and to prevent the loss of thy precious soul. take not his name , who made thy mouth , in vain : it gets thee nothing , and hath no excuse : lust and wine plead a pleasure , avarice gain : but the cheap swearer through his open sluce le ts his soul runne for nought , as little fearing : were i an epicure ; i could bate swearing . again 2. when tempted to drink more then will do thee good , if one should assure thee that the next needless cup was mixed with deadly poyson , thou wouldest certainly refuse it ; counting thy life more precious then to be so vilely cast away ; shouldst thou not then much rather , resolutely and constantly avoid such beastly drunkenness ; as manifestly endangers the life and happiness of thy far more precious soul ? 3. so when tempted next to ale-house gaming and stage-plays , in hopes of a little sordid gain or pleasures ; mayst thou not remember how deeply thou makest thy own and others souls guilty of abundance of sin , vanity , and prophaneness ; and then think how dear bought thy mirth would be , if that nights laughter should ( as it may for any thing thou knowest ) end in weeping and gnashing of teeth ? as also how little gainer thou wilt be , when thou hast staked and lost , if not the maintenance of thy family ; yet , thy time , reputation , and the credit of religion , and therewith the favour of god , the peace of thy conscience , and the happiness of thy soul. 4. moreover how powerfully should the same consideration perswade each one to abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the spirit , 1 pet. 2. 11. as also 5. not to covet to be rich in a sinful way , because they that do so , fall into temptation and a snare , and into many foolish and hurtful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition . for the love of money is the root of all evil : which while some have coveted after , they have erred from the faith , and pierced themselves through with many sorrows , 1 tim. 6. 9 , 10. and again , jerem. 17. 11. as the partridge sitteth on eggs , and hatcheth them not : so he that getteth riches and not by right , shall leave them in the midst of his days , and at his end shall be a fool . the next temptation that comes to draw thee , like esau , judas , ahab , or achan , to gain some little trifle , or to get some swinish pleasure , thy conscience may tell thee , that if thou dost deliberately commit such a sin ; thou dost at the same time , wilfully in a manner , sell or pawn thy soul which is of so great value ; or at the best , dost for a small matter most sadly venture the loss of it . for thou knowst , that the sin is damning in its own nature ; and thou canst not tell but thou mayst dye with the guilt of it upon thy conscience ; being thou canst not tell , whether god will give thee time , or an heart to repent of it or no. which of us should not be afraid to consent to any wilful sin , if we verily thought we should dye presently upon the doing of it ? should the tempter offer us all the kingdomes of the world , as a reward of our iniquity ; surely we should see sufficient reason , like our saviour , to refuse to fall down and worship him , or any ways to yield unto him ; considering that by dying instantly upon the deed done , we might lose a soul , as our saviour tells us , more precious then the world . or as in an ancient inscription upon a certain monument in this land : who so him bethoft , inwardly and oft , how hard it were to flit , from bed unto the pit , from pit into pain , that nere shall cease again , he would not do one sin , all the world to win . if therefore tempted to any of the fore-mentioned evils , or any other , think seriously with thy self , would i now do this if i were to leave this world presently , and my soul call'd to an account as soon as it is done ? and then think further with thy self , that thus it may be for ought thou knowest ; for thus in gods just judgment it hath been with many a one . many like belshazzar , elah , or amnon have dyed in the midst of their drunken cups , dan. 5. 6. 1 kings 16. 9 , 10. 2 sam 13. 26. more like corah and his company have been swept away in their rebellious courses either against minister or magistrate . others like zimri or cozbi have been smitten with death in the act of their uncleanness . not a few have begun frivolous and malicious law-suits , and dyed in the prosecution of them . in some peoples mouths , a lye , a curse , or a rash oath have been their last words . in other peoples lives , a fraud or oppression have been their very last actions . christian reader , surely this should lay a constant restraint upon thee , and make thee watchful against all vicious practices ; least thou be tempted , so to sin against thy own soul at any time , that on the morrow it will be too late to repent thee of it ; least on any worldly account , for a thing of nought , thou hazard thy soul more worth then a thousand worlds . oh resolve henceforth stedfastly with thy self , however tempted to any destructive wickedness of life , by gods assistance , to keep thy precious soul safe and innocent , whatever thou gettest , or whatever thou losest , in this worthless and perishing world . use 3. is the soul so precious , and the loss of it so dreadful ? let this then be further improved to make every faithful christian watchful against errour in judgment , as well as against wickedness of life and conversation . heresies are reckoned by the apostle among the works of the flesh , gal. 5. 19 , 20. and some are said to be damnable , 2 peter 2. 1 , 2 , 3. and 2 thes . 2. 10 , 11 , 12. because they received not the love of the truth , that they might be saved . for this cause god shall send them strong delusions , that they should believe a lie . that they all might be damned who believed not the truth , but had pleasure in unrighteousness . this use much concerns thee , if thou livest near or among seducers , who by their often gainsaying in private what thou hearest in publick ; by their interest and familiarity with thee ; by their seeming piety and sheeps-cloathing ; by their confident assertions and proud pharisaical boastings ; by their cunning reasonings , their fair flattering words , or their terrible threats , would bear thee down from truth and unity . but to keep safe thy soul be intreated to these few things . 1. forget not how errour leads to schism and separation , which is full of horrible impiety . for is not schism or causless dividing from the congregations of christian people ; a breach of peace ; and so a violation of the very testament of our lord ? st john 14. 27. as also of love , and so a disowning the chief badge whereby christs disciples are known from the infidel world , s t john 13. 35. is not schism further a subdividing of the church into factions and parties , who expose and discover each others infirmities to the wicked , and to the common adversary ? so that they are scandalized , and entertain hard thoughts of religion , and of god the authour of it , and are prejudiced against all the perswasions of the gospel though designed for their own good . oh how heavy an account will such discredit of religion , such dishonour of god , such frustrating of christs gospel-designs , and the miscarriage of such a multitude of souls amount to ! again , is it not schism and division that lessens the common strength by dispersing it into many smaller societies ? did those who withdraw from us , joyn with us , and strengthen our hands , ( as they may do , and be never the lesse holy , but the more ) we might hinder more evil , and more convince the ungodly , and do much more good . but now separating from us , and speaking all the evil they can against us , and against what we do , they hinder much the work of christ in our hands , and must sadly answer for it . moreover , do not they who run into ways of schism hinder discipline , and bring contempt upon authority , and weaken it , and so make great liberty for all the vices and scandals of wicked men , by a consequent impunitie ? and thus are they not guilty of increasing those sins in others , which they themselves complain of , because they disrespect and weaken that authority , whether of magistrates or ministers , which might otherwise restrain or reform them . besides , are not all divisions , hatreds , animosities , and such like filthinesses of the spirit , which are to the tearing and rending of the church , most passionatly disclaimed by our saviour and his apostles ? and do we not find in s t jude v. 19. separation joyn'd with a wanting of the spirit of christ ? surely they who have the spirit of christ dwelling in them , they love the church , order , discipline , ordinances and ministers of christ , and will not easily be drawn from them . that one spirit of his inclines them to unity , and makes them fear divisions , as a man fears the mischief of dividing and wounding his own body . by this they feel such insufficiency and ignorance in themselves , that they rather think themselves exceedingly beholden to ministers that will teach them , then grudge or scorn to be taught . and by the same spirit they have that sense of their own unworthiness , that humility , and that charity to others , that they are far readier to say , we are not worthy to joyn with the church ; then to say , the church is not worthy to joyn with us . now that thy soul may not be subverted with errour , remember this in the first place , the great impiety of separation which it leads to . 2. beware of an itching ear after new-fangled opinions . he is half gone to errour that covets , and lissens after novelties . we read of itching eares , 2 tim. 4. 3 , 4. for the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine ; but after their own lusts shall heap to themselves teachers , having itching ears . and they shall turn away their ears from the truth , and shall be turned unto fables . we read also of following after another gospel , gal. 1. 6. but repentance towards god , and faith towards our lord jesus christ , and sincere holy obedience , is that good old way which we , with other christians , must walk in to heavenly glory . 3. take heed of pride , conceitedness , and confidence in thine own judgement or understanding . the humble god will teach , but he resists the proud , 1 pet. 5. 5. pride usually is the mother of heresies : it was of old the condemnation of the devil , 1 tim. 3. 6. the ruine of our first parents ; and therefore no wonder if it ruine so many souls in these days . 4. that thy soul may not be subverted with errour , labour to be well grounded in the foundation-truths of the christian religion , and to turn thy knowledge into practice . and to this end , be intreated to make good use of the foregoing book , and especially , study the scriptures with humility , and be much in prayer , that god would guide thee by his holy spirit into all saving truth , and keep thee from falling into errour . and remember , that what has been commonly received by the people of god , and embraced and practised by the saints in all ages , is not lightly to be rejected and deserted . we agree with the first and best christians . we have the same god , the same christ , the same holy ghost . we have the same ministers , and doctrine , and for the main , the same worship , discipline , prayers , praises , and solemn assemblies . we have the same scriptures , the same baptism , the same lords-supper , lords-day , lords-prayer ; as also the same creed and ten commandments ; we have , blessed be god , in many of us , the same holy and gracious disposition of heart which they had ; and there is nothing in our holy religion hinders , but it may be so with the rest . moreover there is no sin , which they disliked which we do not dislike ; neither is there any duty of holiness , which they ( or any other ) could justly commend , which we do not also commend and allow , and by gods grace many of us more safely practice , then those who accuse and separate from us . how can any rational man think god would leave the generality of his people in all ages and places thus seeking him , thus as careful of their souls welfare as any other , thus as earnestly desiring to be led by his word and spirit into the ways of truth and holiness ; how , i say , can any rational man imagine , that , till of late years , god would leave the generality of his people to errour and seduction of mind . and then consider with thy self , whether it be not safer to follow the foot-steps of the flock of christ , then to be led away by pretenders to any new light whatsoever . 5. when tempted by cunning deceivers which thou art not able to grapple with , seek the assistance of others ; that they may help thee to be valiant for the truth , and to contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints ; and that both on thy own behalf , and for the benefit of posterity , jerem. 9. 3. jude v. 3. people are careful to leave their lands to their children ; and should they not be much more careful to leave them the saving knowledge of god. gospel-truth is the treasure of the soul ; wilt thou then so tamely and easily part with it , or suffer those crafty persons that are now abroad to rob thee of it , without so much as repairing to those , who would help thee in the defence of it ? if thou fearest the losse of any part of thy estate thou takest the lawyers advice ; if but thy beast be ill thou wilt ask of others ; and if they direct thee to a cure in writing , which thou canst not read thy self ; wilt thou not diligently get others to read it to thee again and again , till thou knowst what it is , and how to use it . much more , if thy own , or thy childs bodily health be in danger , thou carefully consultest the physician ; why then art thou not willing , when thy own or thy relations soul is much more in danger , to go to them for direction , whom god hath made by their office spiritual physicians and guides in the waies of truth and holiness ; being ready to learn and practice the directions which they shall give thee ? oh what a wretched thing is it , that people should so contemn their own souls , as to part with their religion before they have throughly understood it ; or before they have sincerely and humbly tried and practised it ; or when they have only heard what is cunningly said against it , and not what may be truly and rationally said for it ! oh that any should be so unjust and cruel to their precious souls , as prodigally to cast them away , and not take the pains to hear and read that , whereby they might come rightly to know the things which concern their everlasting peace ! 6. that which i would chiefly , and in the last place intreat for thy souls safety is this ; expose not thy self to the temptations of seducers . the soul is more precious then to be hazzarded upon the mistaken sense of the apostles words , 1 thess . 5. 21. to trie all things thou needst not be of all religions how false or dangerous soever . among several poysons thou wouldst not trie any of them , whether it would kill thee or no. therefore the meaning of this place must be , that we are to examine the doctrines that are delivered unto us , by the scripture , whether they are built thereon or no. like the bareans commended , acts 17. 11. who searched the scriptures whether those things were so , that were delivered to them for the truths of god. and let that place , rom. 14. 1. be considered by all such as are not throughly grounded in the principles of christianity . him that is weak in the faith , receive , but not to doubtful disputations . every private christian is not fit to cope with hereticks , and such as are skilful to destroy the faith of others . you would not allow a man to come and undermine the foundation of your house ; this do they , and worse , that go about to undermine your faith , and labour to shake and unsettle you in the grand truths of the gospel . therefore i say again , expose thy soul as little as may be to the temptations of seducers . 't is in vain for any to pray to god to keep them from the infection of errour , if they wilfully ( against the express word of god ) and without any just warrant and call , run into the company of seducers and read their books . observe well , how god in the scripture bids us , to beware of them , s t mat. 7. 15. not to go after them , s t luke 21. 8. to avoid them , rom. 16. 17. to turn away from them , 2 tim. 3. 5. if they come to us , not to receive them , or bid them god speed , or encourage them , 2 ep. joh. 10. though they come with seeming zeal , gal. 4. 17. they zealously affect you , but not well ; yea they would exclude us , that you might affect them . though they come with pretences of gods spirit , this they may easily do who are led by their own spirit or a worse . 2. cor. 11. 3. but i fear lest by any means , as the serpent beguiled eve through his subtilty , your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity , which is in christ . v. 4. for if he that cometh , preacheth another jesus whom we have not preached , or if ye receive another spirit , which ye have not received , or another gospel , which ye have not accepted , ye might well bear with him . v. 13. for such are false prophets , deceitful workers , transforming themselves into the apostles of christ . v. 14. and no marvel , for satan himself is transformed into an angel of light . v. 15. therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness , whose end shall be according to their works . and to this we may adde but two scriptures more and so finish this use . the one 2 pet. 3. 17 , 18. ye therefore , beloved , seeing ye know these things before , beware lest ye also being led away with the errour of the wicked , fall from your own stedfastness . but grow in grace , and in the knowledge of our lord and saviour jesus christ . the other jude v. 24 , 25. now unto him that is able to keep you from falling , and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy . to the only wise god our saviour , be glory and majesty , dominion and power , now and ever , amen . use 4. is the losse of the precious soul so exceeding great and dreadful ? how very careful then , so far as concern'd , should we be of the welfare and salvation of the souls of others ? and how fearful should we be to have any hand in their utter undoing ? if thy friend , after thou hast warned him , will take such ways , as but to ruine his estate , dost thou not think it well , when thou canst say ; praised be god , in that i am not guilty of it . much more , if any of thy relations , neighbours , or acquaintance , after thou hast endeavoured thy duty towards them , will follow such courses , as to ruine their precious souls , is it not a great mercy , when thou canst say ; blessed be the lord , in that i have had no hand in it . in a country , a parish , a neighbour-hood , a family , by setting a good example , and so furthering the work of christ in the hands of his ministers ; thou mayst not only benefit thy self , but be always doing good to others , as long as thou livest ; and the souls of those , whom , time after time , thou hast encouraged in the ways of holiness , may come to bless god for thee , and with thee for ever . whereas by shewing a bad exampl , thou hinderest the messengers of christ in his work and service , and art continually doing mischief to thy self , and others about thee , all thy life long . and the perishing souls which thou hast any way drawn to sin and ruine , may curse thee eternally , as a wretched miscreant doing more hurt , then if thou hadst ruined a whole kingdome , as to the outward estate of it . oh therefore if thou hast inticed any to sin , and they be yet a live , seek to do their souls as much good , as thou hast been a cause of evil . but if they be dead , and swallowed up in the torments of hell , think what a case thou art in , and how justly thou mayst fear to follow them , if a great repentanee prevent it not . but this chiefly concerns those who in a more special manner are entrusted with the souls of others , whether ministers , or parents and family governours . 1. as for every faithful minister of christ , how exceeding careful should they be for the souls committed to their charge ? how exceeding careful should they be to save themselves , and those that hear them ? and to keep themselves ( as s t paul says he did ) pure from the blood of all men . 't is true god hath made our calling excellent and honourable ; but people would see little cause to envy us that double honour of respect and maintenance which the apostle would have given 1 tim. 5. 17. did they rightly consider , how weighty our charge is , how dangerous our condition , how many and difficult our duties , and how troublesome our fears and cares touching the estate of their souls . i know some may think , we take more care then needs ; wishing we would meddle less with them in their ignorant , careless , and secure ways ; which we could wish too , if it would consist with gods honour , the credit of religion , and their and our own safely . but , i besech you , consider , if any of you was intrusted with a jewel of five or ten thousand pound price , would you not see it needful to watch all ways and by all means to keep it safe and secure ? and if you had many such in your custody , would you not be the more sollicitous , especially if you saw they were in continual danger ; and if further , you knew that if any of them should be lost by your default , you should certainly lose your life for it ? but now , which is much more , we are entrusted with many , very many precious souls , each of them more worth then a world ; and they are , we see , in great and apparent danger to be ruined for ever , by manifold errour and wickedness , and by innumerable temptations of the flesh , the devil , and the world ; and we know moreover , that if any of them perish through our neglect , our own souls may come to perish with them , and for them ; as was said to him who had one to keep , 1 kings 20. 39 , 42. if thou let this man go , or be missing , thy life shall go for his life . have we not then need to be watchful to the uttermost of our power , and to be carefull all the ways we can , for their safety and preservation ? consider well acts 20. 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 26 , 27. — ye know after what manner i have been with you at all seasons , serving the lord with all humility of mind , and with many tears and temptations which befell me . — and how i kept back nothing that was profitable unto you , but have shewed you , and have taught you , publickly and from house to house ; testifying both to the jews and also to the greeks , repentance towards god , and faith towards our lord jesus christ . wherefore i take you to record this day , that i am pure from the blood of all men . for i have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsell of god : and ezek. 3. 17 , 18 , 19 , 20. 21. as also ezek. 33. 2 , to 9. o son of man , i have set thee a watchman unto the house of israel : therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth , and warn them from me . when i say unto the wicked , o wicked man thou shalt surely dye : if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way , that wicked man shall die in his iniquity : but his blood will i require at thine hand . nevertheless , if thou warn the wicked of his way , to turn from it ; if he do not turn from his way , he shall die in his iniquity ; but thou hast delivered thy soul. if we be faithful , as every honest man should be in his trust , we may ( you see ) deliver our own souls ; but if we be negligent watchmen , there are these things ( among many others ) which will sadly aggravate our condemnation . 1. when admitted to places of imployment , we take upon us the cure of souls for their edification and salvation . 2. that we may attend this care the better , we receive a benefit piously given to free us from all other cares . 3. in order to this ( i mean , the care of souls for their edification and salvation ) our masters and tutors instructed us ; and our parents devoted us to the service of christ . 4. to this too , we devoted and gave up our selves , professing or hoping , that we were thereunto inwardly called and moved by the holy ghost . 5. for this end we have also been outwardly called , or set apart by the church for the work of the ministry . 6. moreover when ordained we did solemnly promise and engage this way to bend our studies , and to use both publick and private monitions and exhortations , as well to the sick , as to the whole within our cures , as need should require and occasion be given . 7. and which we may adde in the last place , we were then by the bishop ordaning , most gravely charged , and exhorted , in these words : brethren , we exhort you in the name of the lord jesus christ , that you have in remembrance , in how high a dignity , and to how weighty an office and charge ye are called : that is to say , to be messengers , watchmen , and stewards of the lord ; to teach and to premonish , to feed and to provide for the lords family ; to seek for christs sheep that are dispresed abroad , and for his children who are in the midst of this naughty world , that they may be saved through christ for ever . have alwaies therefore printed in your remembrance how great a treasure is committed to your charge . for they are the sheep of christ , which he bought with his death , and for whom he shed his blood . the church and congregation whom you must serve , is his spouse and his body . and if it shall happen , the same church , or any member thereof , to take any hurt or hindrance by reason of your negligence , ye know the greatness of the fault , and also the horrible punishment that will ensue . wherefore consider with your selves the end of your ministry towards the children of god , towards the spouse and body of christ ; and see that you never cease your labour , your care and diligence , untill you have done all that lieth in you , according to your bounden dutie , to bring all such as are or shall be committed to your charge , unto that agreement in the faith and knowledge of god , and to that ripeness and perfectness of age in christ , that there be no place left among you , either for errour in religion , or viciousness of life . now after all this , if we do our utmost for the souls health of them committed to our charge ; if we leave no good means thereof unattempted ; if we should labour for this night and day with tears , as the apostle says he did ; if we should never so often and earnestly beseech you to practice the fore going printed directions put into your hands , and what ever christian duties our saviour requires of us ; if we should follow you from the church-house to your own houses ( if no better could be ) with the most passionate intreaties , as for the life of our own souls and yours ; who could justly think us too importunate ? who could reasonably count us too earnest or too busie ? who could justly blame us for making more a do then needs ? for all this would be but enough as to some , and as to others it would be too little . 2. parents and family-governours , how carefully should they look to it , lest any under them should perish by their negligence or wickedness . be assured christ will erelong say to the , as eliab to david , with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness ? what are become of those precious souls of thy children or servants which i intrusted thee with ? nor will it be enough for thee only to answer , for my children , i brought them up without the charge of the parish ; i put them out to trades , or i left them competent estates or portions . and as for my servants , i paid them their wages , and gave them meat and drink according to my agreement with them . for all this , chiefly respects but the body ; and thy heart would be filled with horrour , if the blood of their souls should be required of thee . oh the cry of a lost soul is a dreadful thing . suppose any of thy servants should now be in hell cursing the time that ever they came into thy family , where they saw so much wickedness , where there was no worshiping of god , or means to come to the knowledge of him , whereupon they went on securely in sin , and are now swallowed up in the bottomless pit of destruction . or suppose any of thy children following thy steps in wickedness , and contemning gods word and worship as they saw thee do , should now be sunk down to eternal misery , there cursing the day that ever they were born of such a parent , or crying out against thee for neglecting them , for suffering them to swear , lye , and do evil without severe rebukes , for letting them prophane the lords-day , for neither instructing them thy self , nor causing them to be instructed by others in the waies of god. were this so , it might make the most flinty heart to ake and tremble . therefore that it may never be so with thee , resolve duly to promote godliness in thy family however thou standest therein related . dwell with thy wife as a man of knowledge , as heirs together of the grace of life , that your prayers be not hindred , 1 pet. 3. 7. labour that thy servants may know and serve god ; they will be to thee more faithful . bring up thy children in the nurture and admonition of the lord ; they will be to thee more dutiful . pray with them , and for them , put them upon learning such verses of scripture as will further their holy walking . encourage all under thy roof to observe better the lords day . suffer them not to mis-spend so much of that precious time in such idle , trifling , and unlawful practices as too many do . thou hadst need chuse a right path that hast thy servants , and children , or others near thee , following thee to heaven or hell . be therefore exact in thy actions , that they may have the fairer copy to write after . weigh thy words , considering that they will learn thy language . remember that faith and troth sound not so well as yea and nay , our saviour being judge , s t mat. 5. 37. be afraid to have the devil so often in thy mouth , lest others about thee have him , both in their tongue and their heart too . repeat not others oaths , nor speak irreverently of the great god and his word : let no corrupt communication proceed out of thy lips , but that which some ways tends to good . in all thy religious performances be very serious and sincere , that they may see thou art in good earnest about soul-affairs , and matters of eternity . oh be careful thus if it be possible , by thy pious exhortations , thy devout prayers , and thy exemplary behaviour to bring the souls of all under thee , and near thee , unto christ . and make that still thine , which once was good joshua's resolution and practice , josh . 24. 15. as for me and my house , we will serve the lord. use 5. is each ones soul of so great worth , and the losse of it to them so dreadful and undoing , as not to be recompenced with the gaining of the whole world ? see then further how exceeding careful we should every one of us be of our own souls ; and how we may not always count them the happiest people , who have all worldly things here for a while that heart can wish ; but those rather who are most careful of their precious souls everlasting happiness in the world to come . now if thou wouldst understand , whether thou thy self art herein rightly careful , or no ; thou mayst know it by looking to the sincerity of thy conversion , or thy due care of believing such truths , exercising such graces , and performing such duties as god requires of all regenerate christians . and which thou mayst find set down in the directions , questions and answers of the foregoing book , especially from page 84 to page 93. as also in the prayers thereof , which teach us at once both what to ask , and what to do , and be , in order to the souls eternal welfare . for having such prayers to use , we may study our petitions before , and so the sense of our minds may keep pace with our words ; and our affections go along with our sense . thus gods spirit assisting , our devotion would beenlivened ; and our prayers become the rule of our conversation ; & when we swarve from them , they would make us blush into amendment . but more particularly , to know that thou art in good earnest desirous to save thy soul. 1. being christ the physician of souls works not a cure upon one every whit whole , nor is prized by them that feel no need of him , s t mat. 9. 12 , 13. hast thou had an imbittering sense of the evil and danger of sin , and an humbling sight of thy souls lost condition by nature , as fallen from god , and inordinately set upon worldly vanities ? hast thou seen that this is not a state to be rested in , and therefore been solicitous after a better , carefully in effect asking like them , acts 2. 37. what shall i do to be saved ? 2. hast thou hereupon been heartily willing to receive christ as offered in the gospel , for thy lord , as well as thy jesus or saviour ? and as thy lord , dost thou yield to the sanctifying work of his word and spirit ? and art thou so guided by his laws , as ordinarily to practice the most strict , holy , costly , and self-denying duties which thou knowest him to require of thee ? and again as thy jesus , dost thou feel the power of his death killing sin in thee ? doth he by his bloodshed not only pardon thy sins , but also save and deliver thee from them ? so that thou heartily strivest against all known sin , and overcomest all grosse sins ; and when fallen under any prevailing temptation , risest again by repentance , begging forgiveness of god in his blood , and resolving by his grace to watch and resist more carefully for the time to come ? acts 16. 30 , 31. ezek. 36. 25 , 26 , 27 , acts 3 , 26 tit. 2. 11 , 12 , 14. 3. art thou so sensible of what christ thy redeemer hath done and suffered for thee , and of thy many engagements to him upon that account , as to love him above all , and constantly to cleave unto him in every condition . and hath christ so brought thee back again to god , that thou takest him for thy portion and lovest him with all thy heart , soul and strength ; and chusest to live with him in his favour and glory , without sinning , or offending him any more ; rather then sinfully to enjoy the delights of the world , and want the favour of god ? eph. 6. 24. phil. 3. 8. s t mat. 22. 38. psa . 73. 25 , 26 , 27 , 28. 4. moreover art thou so convinced of the souls worth , and the worlds vanity ; of the certainty and excellency of heavenly glory , and the intollerableness of eternal misery ; of the goodness of the divine precepts , and the need of obeying them ; art thou ( i say ) so convinced of this , as sincerely to set thy self to perform all those holy spiritual duties in heart and life , which god hath absolutely commanded thee ; being sorry thou canst perform them no better , no more evenly , and chearfully ; yet holding on with a settled resolution , and a constant spirit , to do thy best , though with thy present losse of esteem , or ease , or worldly enjoyments , or life it self ? hebr. 11. 25 , 26. 1 john 5. 3. psa . 19. 11. rom. 2. 6 , 7. s t mat. 10. 37 , 38 , 39. if this be thy condition thou rightly prizest thy soul above the world , and providest for its welfare ; but if it be not ; oh how earnestly shouldst thou labour that it may speedily be so ! delays are dangerous , and thou hast too long dishonoured god , and hazarded thy soul already ; shouldst thou go on in presumption and security , might not the lord be provoked to cut thee off suddenly ? or give thee up to a spirit of slumber and stupidity ? or leave thee to thy self , to follow thy own hearts lusts ? or cause thy day of grace to end before thy natural life ? or may not the love of the world be deeplier rooted hereafter , and the incumbrances of it hinder thee more , as it hath done too many before thee . as for some of the meaner sort , which it may be , do not so much as learn to read in their younger years , or if they do , soon forget it again , without making up that want by their diligence other ways ; when they are grown to any bigness , either they are set to trades or otherwise to work for a livelihood . and when they come to be settled in the world , and to have wife and children , then they have no heart , or leasure , to mind the welfare of the soul ; but think all their time , labours , thoughts , and strength little enough to provide a bodily sustenance for themselves and families . and if they live to be aged , though we would take never so much pains to teach and guide them in the ways of christ , they ( some of them ) think themselves too old now to learn ; and are too deep rooted in their own secure and sensual ways , to be drawn to forsake them , without little lesse then a miracle . and though they have all their lives the gracious opportunities , of the whole lords-day , yet they spend the most of it in idle talk , or sports , or trifling worldly occasions ; and if they chance upon a faire day , to come now and then to church , for an hour or two ; yet it is but in a customary manner , without considering seriously what they hear , or come thither for ; and so they spend their days in sorrow and vanity , and passe out of the world , before they know that great and good and blessed errand they were sent hither about . and as for some others , when they should resolve to forsake every wilful sin , and unfeignedly devote themselves to the service of god , and mind the one thing necessary ; how is some or other of those many unnecessary things which they trouble themselves about , still ready to stand in their way ? either they are eating or drinking , sleeping or playing , dressing or undressing , or have some whither to go , or some body to speak with , or some bargain to drive , or some work or company which they cannot leave , or they are casting in their heads how to disintangle their estates , or raise their families , or to avoid the crosse-blows of their adversaries . or else they are under violent sickness that unfits them for action ; or some disappointment , or quarrel , or law-suit , or some such trouble hath befallen them which puts their minds out of order ; or some worldly success and prosperity which puffs them up with a foolish flashy joy . or they have some brave things in expectation which they are musing on , and pleasing themselves with before hand , till they find themselves deceived , when they feel that sting which they bring with them in their enjoyment . how do such matters as these fill the heads and hearts of many from year to year ; in the morning they crowd first into their thoughts ; and when they are up , they accordingly set about one or other of them , or fall into some company which takes them up for that day , and the like happens to morrow and the next day ; thus still the multiplicity of earthly cares , prevail against the care of their souls ; and the love of their sins and pleasures , still prevailes against the love of god ; and for many superfluous things , any time is thought convenient , but none is found convenient for the one thing necessary , till it come to be too late ; so that the fore-mentioned soul-saving work must cease for ever . oh therefore let it ( i say ) be done speedily , and withal sincerely and throughly ; or else the losse of the soul may have these further aggravations ; to be wilful and shameful , unexpected and unpitied , incomparable and irrecoverable . 1. it will be a wilful losse . s t john 5. 40. ye will not come unto me that ye might have life . ezek. 33. 11. turn ye from your evil ways ; for why will ye die , o house of israel ? it is a great vexation to a man in this world to see himself ruined meerly by his own wilfulness : but if thou shouldst obstinatly destroy thy self to eternity ; suppose , by thy wilful ignorance , when thou mightest have been taught better ; or by any wicked courses , when thou wast advised better ; oh what inexpressible anguish will seise upon thy perishing soul for ever ! 2. it will be a shameful losse . what can follow but confusion of face , when thou shalt see thy neighbours and acquaintance most happy , and thy self most miserable ? what a grievous shame will it be to hear some of those that lived near thee , or with thee , joyfully praising god ; and as it were pointing to thee , and saying , loe , this is the man , or the woman , that made not god their stay . they had the same word , the same means with us , but they loved their sins more then their souls or god ; and therefore while we are raised to everlasting life , they are layd under shame and everlasting contempt . 3. it will be an unpitied losse . if thou losest a friend , or liberty or livelihood , 't is a comfort , that thou mayst find those who will pity and condole with thee , and be ready to supply thy necessities ; but if thou losest thy soul , in that sad condition thou wilt have none to help or pity thee . now the gracious god and merciful redeemer of the world , and all good christians pity thee , but thou pitiest not thy self , nor wilt leave thy sins to save thy soul ; shall not then the very mercies of god and bowels of christ be hereafter most justly turned against thee ? and shall not the saints and angels , be so far from pitying , as rather with rejoycing to glorifie gods justice in thy utter destruction ? 4. it will be an unexpected losse . how grievous to cry peace , and then be overtaken with trouble , and sudden destruction unawares ? prov. 29. 1. how grievous to lose thy soul , when perhaps thou wert near the saving it ? or when thou groundlessly flatteredst thy self , thinking thou shouldest do well enough ? what amazement seiseth on that mans spirit , who being in a fair way of thriving , hears unexpected news , that all he had is lost and gone ? 5. it will be an incomparable losse . what will it profit a man though he gain the whole world , and lose his own soul ? it will be a great losse for a small matter ; the losse of that which is most precious for that which is most vile , shouldst thou set thy soul to sail , not for a few pence , or a lye , or a base lust , but for a kingdome or a world , thou wouldest be such a loser , as to be utterly undone by the bargain . 6. it will be an irreparable , and so an eternal losse . if thou losest one eye , thou hast another ; if thou losest one limb , thou hast another . if thou losest thy goods thou mayst recover them again ; or if thou losest thy life , thou mayst be a gainer by it , thou mayst find it again , mat. 16. 25. but if thou losest thy soul , thou hast not another , and all is lost with it , and nothing left to redeem it . thy soul once lost is lost for ever ; and its ruine is most lamentable , because irrecoverable . if thou missest at death , thou missest for ever and for ever ; there is no aftergame to be play'd , but thou must suffer the vengeance of eternal fire . if the great work for which thou wert born be not then done , thou art undone to all eternity . o eternity , eternity ! they that here could never have enough of the world and sin , in thee shall have wrath enough , and pain enough . after a thousand millions of years space their misery shall be never the nearer an end , because it shall have none , being easless , endless , remedyless . what shall a man give in exchange for his soul ? why there is nothing at all he can give in exchange for it ; the redemption of it is so precious , that it ceaseth for ever . oh that the careless world did but believe and consider the word of god , and in particular , these words of our saviour , surely they would mind their souls otherwise then now they do . therefore , good reader , be intreated not only to suffer others who are , or may be intrusted with the care of thy soul , to be very solicitous for the welfare thereof ; but be thou as careful too thy self , resolving as he did , who sayd , volo servare animam meam , i will , o god , by all means save my soul. say with thy self , and look up unto god for his grace and spirit to enable thee , to say it sincerely ; o lord , i am sensible of the evil of my ways , and of my lost condition without thee ; and therefore with a penitent soul i flee unto thee , trusting in thy mercy , and the merits of thy dear son jesus christ . i believe him making satisfaction to thy justice for the sins of the world , to be the only saviour thereof ; and thereupon , with the full consent of my heart , i accept him for my lord-redeemer ; to save me henceforth , as well from the power , as the guilt of my sins . i am unfeignedly willing , that henceforth he should rule in me , and reign over me by his word and spirit . i am , o god , willing to be saved through him , in forbearing to my utmost , all that evil which thou hast forbidden ; in using all those ordinances which thou hast instituted ; in performing all those duties which thou hast commanded ; and in doing to my utmost all that good which thou hast required . and i further resolve by thy grace assisting , so to love thee , and believe in thee my god and saviour , as henceforth while breath is continued , to serve , please , worship , and glorifie thee , all that i can , and all the ways that i can . if thou hast thus resolved heretofore , yet do it again , and do it often in the course of thy life ; it cannot set thee back at all in thy gracious estate , it may and will much further and quicken thee in thy holy walking . such an earnest care of thy souls welfare let it be thy principal care , because , among others , it may have these deserved commendations , to be holy and easy , safe and successeful , prudent and profitable . 1. it is an holy care , making them that have it desirous to be holy in all manner of conversation and godliness . 2. 't is a prudent care , being most earnest for that which is most precious , and best deserves it . he in the parable might be justly commended for his wisdome , who cared not so much what became of other things , so he might obtain the pearle which was of great price , and purchase the field which had a rich treasure hidden therein . 3. 't is a blessed and successeful care . many are at much care and pains for the world , but all in vain ; but here christ hath made such provision by the covenant of grace , that if we sincerely believe in him , and endeavour to be in will , word and deed , what he requires , we shall without fail obtain the end of our faith , even the salvation of our souls . 4. 't is a safe and satisfactory care . and if thy soul be first set a right god-ward and heaven-ward , if thou art first devoted unto christ , stedfastly purposing to observe his word and will in all things ; thou mayst in the next place , mind that which concerns thy ingenuous education , or the works of thy honest calling more seasonably , piously and regularly ; and by far more safely then others can do . for who can with such safety and comfort , follow those studies or labours which concern the preservation of life , or their natural welbeing ; as they who have first made sure as to the main stake , that which concerns their everlasting well-being ? others , though in the strongest castle , or highest dignity , are not free from the danger of hell one minute of an hour . but such as these , god will keep as the apple of the eye , and none can take them out of christs hands , s t john 10. 28 , 29. deut. 33. 27. zach. 2. 8. they may say upon good grounds , our souls are safe to eternity , our salvation we shall not misse of , and other things we shall have too , as god seeth best for our spiritual good , and his own glory , mat. 6. 33. 5. the care of the soul is comparatively an easie care . 't is the ready way to provide also for our bodily welfare , not only hereafter , but for the most part , here too . religious temperance is cheap and healthful . exod 23. 25. ye shall serve the lord your god , and he shall blesse thy bread and thy water , and i will take sickness away from the midst of thee . we are sure that the body hath no annoyance which we can prevent ; and for that the most trades are followed with restless care and toyle ; but certainly the soul being much more precious , deserves the far greater diligence . yet , be but at half that pains to do well , which others are at , who weary themselves in doing evil ; take but half that care for thy precious soul , which some do about the affairs of the body , and thou mayst be most happy for ever . 6. and lastly , 't is a delightful and profitable care , and that as to whatever befalls the christian either in this life or that to come . if in this life god give prosperity , this care of the soul will make thee use all outward blessings soberly and temperatly . this will make thee ready to honour god with them by works of piety and charity , prov. 3. 9. this will make thee endeavour to enjoy god in all such enjoyments ; and to tast in their sweetness the sweetness of his love in christ jesus . and thus thy earthly comforts will prove doubly comfortable , and thy gaining in the world become the greatest gain to the soul. or if god send adversity , this will make all thy troubles and calamities to work together for thy good . he that lost all by shipwrack , and then was more careful for his soul and eternity , sayd well , i had been undone , if i had not been undone . the world by its hard using of gods servants , gets nothing ; nor do their souls lose any thing . if it turn our breath into sighs and groans , we shall with the apostle , 2 cor. 5. 2. groan more earnestly , desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven . and after death the holy soul cannot but be well . christ who hath redeemed it , and prepared heaven for it , and it for heaven , will thither receive it unto himself , where joyntly with the glorified body , it shall be most happy for evermore . thus , my beloved neighbours , you have seen the souls worth and danger , and what care we should have of its eternal salvation ; to which end , you have nothing urged but such solid and weighty truths and duties , as are generally owned , and manifestly tend to make us holy and happy . and now , though i be separated from all troublesome affairs , that i may thus wholly attend the welfare and service of your souls ; and though my eternal life lies out , as indeed yours too , i can do no more then what i have been endeavouring , and am further , according to this printed gift , ready to do for you . the things herein contained , still abide to be read and considered by you , as often as you please ; but if any be unwilling thereunto , slighting and refusing whatever may thus profit them , who can help it ? how many of those who saw the miracles , and heard the sermons of our blessed saviour himself , and his holy apostles , continued unconverted ? with what unwearied patience and diligence did the great evangelical prophet isaiah preach above sixty years together , to a rebellious and a gainsaying people ? isa . 65. 2. rom. 10. 21. their profitings for a long time , did not answer his labours among them ; but he might comfort himself with a remarkable passage in his own prophecy , isa . 49. 4 , 5. then i said , ( the words are meant chiefly of christ sent to the jews and complaining of them ) i have laboured in vain , i have spent my strength for nought , and in vain , yet surely my judgment is with the lord , and my work ( or my reward ) with my god. and now saith the lord that formed me from the womb to be his servant , to bring jacob again to him . though israel be not gathered , yet shall i be glorious in the eyes of the lord , and my god shall be my strength . god will reward his faithful servants both according to what they have done , and moreover according to what they truly desired and endeavoured to do . if a few , if but any one be really advantaged by what i am endeavouring , i shall count my labour well bestowed ; as 't is said of the reverend and learned d r hammond , a passionate lover of souls , that he used often to break out in these words with an extraordinary vehemence . o what a glorious thing , how rich a prize for the expence of a mans whole life , were it , to be the instrument of rescuing any one soul ? but ( which i often and humbly pray ) if god shall bow the hearts of more , making us all a willing people in the day of his power ; making us seriously mind our souls salvation in the fore-mentioned ways of true christian piety ; oh how greatly should we rejoyce in his goodness , and in one anothers happiness ! o how blessed a thing would it be , when the lord our maker should thus have the souls which he hath created , and be glorified by them ; when christ our saviour should thus have the immortal spirits which he hath redeemed , and be magnified in them ; when further his unworthy servant should come thus to have the fruit of his ministerial labours ; and you your selves to have the comfort and everlasting gain . finis . a golden trumpet sounding an alarum to judgement the sound whereof was never more needfull though evermore profitable : dedicated and directed unto all the elect children of god which truly repent / newly published by iohn andrewes. andrewes, john, fl. 1615. this text is an enriched version of the tcp digital transcription a25382 of text r27886 in the english short title catalog (wing a3123a). textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. the text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with morphadorner. the annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. this text has not been fully proofread approx. 33 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 13 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. earlyprint project evanston,il, notre dame, in, st. louis, mo 2017 a25382 wing a3123a estc r27886 10261318 ocm 10261318 44730 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a25382) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 44730) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 1375:4) a golden trumpet sounding an alarum to judgement the sound whereof was never more needfull though evermore profitable : dedicated and directed unto all the elect children of god which truly repent / newly published by iohn andrewes. andrewes, john, fl. 1615. this text is an enriched version of the tcp digital transcription a25382 of text r27886 in the english short title catalog (wing a3123a). textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. the text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with morphadorner. the annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. this text has not been fully proofread [23] p. printed for edward wright, london : 1648. reproduction of original in the british library. eng judgment day. salvation. a25382 r27886 (wing a3123a). civilwar no a golden trumpet, sounding an alarum to judgement: the sound whereof was never more needfull, though evermore profitable. dedicated and dire andrewes, john 1648 5715 16 0 0 0 0 0 28 c the rate of 28 defects per 10,000 words puts this text in the c category of texts with between 10 and 35 defects per 10,000 words. 2006-02 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2006-04 spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images 2006-06 mona logarbo sampled and proofread 2006-06 mona logarbo text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-09 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion a golden trumpet , sounding an alarum to judgement : the sound whereof was never more needfull , though evermore profitable . dedicated and directed unto all the elect children of god , which truly repent . newly published by iohn andrewes , minister and preacher of gods word . the nine and twentieth impression . london , printed for edward wright , and are to be sold at his shop in gilt-spur-street without newgate , at the signe of the bible , 1648. the author to the reader . sound to judgment this golden trumpet , into the eares of every one : early be ringing here thine owne knell , or sound t' alarum , for time will be gone . weep for thy sins , and watch for the day here of the coming of christ our judge : each day and houre slips quickly away ; no time is set , therefore doe not grudge . make this trumpet to sound in thine eare , a day of judgement is almost come : delay no time , we all must appeare , now still prepare for the day of doome . a golden trumpet . chap. i. the first chapter treateth of the sound of the trumpet . as adam sléeping securely in his transgression , had great néed of that trumpet from god , to rowze him from the sléep of sin , adam ubi es ? adam where art thou ? so necessary for every sinfull adamite , ( to raise him up from the sléep of sin ) is this notable memento , this worthy sound of the golden trumpet . wherefore if ever there were a time for gods ministers to have their hearts like the lions , their face of brasse , and their voice of stéele , to sound this golden trumpet , that they might boldly in the face of the congregation cry , and lift up their voice like a trumpet with the prophet esay , to shew the people their transgressions : if ever there were a time for ieremiah to cry in the eares of hierusalm , to declare amongst the nations , and to set up a standard to proclaim the fall of babylon : if ever there were time for lot to reprove the sodomites , for elias to reprove achab , nathan to reprove david , ionah to cry to the ninivites , or ieremiah to wish his head to be full of water , and his eyes to be a fountaine of teares : yea david , esay , ieremiah & paul , to wéep for the sins of the people ; then sure the time is now . yet , nothwithstanding the gospell hath béen long taught amongst us , the sound thereof hath filled our eares , but whose heart hath it pierced ? whose life hath it bettered ? sin is sharply reproved , but iniquity still aboundeth . to the briefe , i néed not complaine with the prophet of those gréedy dumbe curres , which feacute ; ed themselves , and starve the soules of their flocke , but onely recite gods threatnings against them in a few proofes of scripture and so i leave them , for the lord to require their bloud at their hands . for i may boldly say ( the lord be praised for it ) that we had never more preaching , though never lesse following than we have now : there were never more crafty worldlings , and gréedy nabals , that love an ounce of give me , more than a pound of heare me , than be now . o i feare , that there were never more that have sold themselves , and their very soules for lucre sake , than be now . wherefore i doubt not but the very iniquitie of the whole world is come to maturitie . therefore it is now high time to sound the golden trumpet , and ring it with alarum , that if ever they will be rouzed from the deadly sléep of sin to awake and repent , now : for , qui non est hodie , cras minus aptus erit . he that is not ready to repent to day will be lesse ready to morrow . oh now therefore , while the gospell soundeth , now while christ calleth , now while he knocketh ; let us now repent , let us take this present time while we have it ? time and tide staieth for no man ; the time past is irrevocable , which cannot be recalled : the time to come is full of uncertainty for it may be it never shall come : only the present time is , ours , but it is momentarie : o therefore let us take and make good use of it . to morrow , some wil say , i will a convert be , o when tell me i pray , shall i this morrow see ? let never wise man say , to morrow mend i will , who is not fit to day , is l●sse & l●sse fit still . wherefore , holy men of god urge still the time present ? seeke ye the lord while he may be found : turne ye now from your evill wayes : doe good while ye have time : to day if ye will heare his voice , hearden not your hearts . thus the converted heart séeketh the present time , be cause it is a bléeding and a tender heart ; it trembleth at the word , it is pricked when it is rebuked , and inflamed with burning zeale when it is instructed . o then take hold of this present opportunity so friendly smiling on thée , and repent presently : let the sound of this golden trumpet be ever in thy eares : for as our saviour christ said of iohn baptist , this is eliah , if ye will receive him ; so say i , this instant , this moment is the time of repentance ; this is the day of salvation this is the time of grace ; this is the acceptable houre ; o therefore embrace it . we read that the ninivites were coverted at these words of ionahs preaching , yet forty dayes and niniveth shall be destroyed . the sound thereof caused not onely the subjects , but the very king of that city to come from his throne of monarchie , to cast off his robes , to put on sackcloth , and sit in ashes , with fasting , wéeping , and great mourning . s. peter at one sermon converted thrée thousand soules unto christ ; insomuch as they were so pricked in their hearts at his doctrine , that they came crying , men and brethren , what shall we doe to be saved ? in another sermon he converted cornelius the captain , with a great multitude . s. iohn baptist at one sermon converted both scribes , pharises , publicans , souldiers and sinners , insomuch as all that heard him preach , mused in their hearts whether he were not very christ . paul converted many in asia , and also in europe , yea in all parts and quarters of the world : christ himself converted so many , that it caused the iewes to cry out , behold the whole world goeth after him . o where is any such conversion in these our dayes ? what drowsinesse is in us ? what carelesnesse ? nay , what madnesse is in us , that we cannot be converted with all the preaching that is so often and continually preached amongst us ? can we not remember ? is our memory so short ? or have we drunke so much of the river of forgetfulnesse ? that wée remember not what our saviour saith plainly , except ye repent , ye shall all be damned . let us consider with our selves , and descend into our owne conscience and sée whether there be any reason ▪ why god should spare us , and deale so severely with others : saba the queene of the south came from the furthermost parts of the world , to heare the wisdome of salomon : but many of us which live in this evill declining age , are so over busied with worldly affaires , that they have little or no time to come out of our doores , to bestow one houre in the church to heare the wisedome of christ . the want whereof maketh many which neglect their comming to bethel , the house of god , to starve their soules in bethaven , the denne of iniquitie . yea , too too many to become so godlesse , so gracelesse , so roo●ed in all sin , and so fully resolved to live therein , that if john baptist were to preach ; esay to cry , king david , ieremiah , and paul to wéep for the sins of the people , yet they are so frozen in their sin , and so wedded in their wickednesse that a leopard may sooner change his spots , and a blacke moore become white : nay ( as our saviour saith ( it is easier or a camell to goe through the eye of a needle , than many to forsake their beloved sins to gaine the kingdome of heaven . what shall i more say ? if christ himselfe came from heaven , to cry unto the people , for to repent in these our dayes , it may be they would let him say what he would , but i feare that too too many would doe what they list : all his preaching , and all his wonders would no more prevaile with the wicked in these our times , than it did in his time with the iewes , to conclude then this point , if any seeme to storme at my harsh writing , let them amend their lives , and not dislike these my lines : for i openly protest , i feare none but god whose truth i teach , and hate nothing but sin , which is the ruine and destruction of the soule . i care not for my life , so it were lost in the defence of the truth : i looke not for preferment , the world is so corrupted : i desire not the praise of men , it is but vanitie : i ayme not at my owne good , but to set forth gods glory , the discharge of my owne conscience , and the benefit of christ his church and children . chap. ii of the shortnes and uncertainty of mans life . mans life is but a pilgrimage , a travell , and a way : and he is scarce entred into the world , but he is admonished to remember to depart out of the same , for all the world is mutable , and of all the things in the world man is most mutable . and as our dayes here are short and evill , we ought alwayes to be prepared for the lord : for nihil certius morte , hora mortis nihil incertius , as there is nothing more certaine than death , so there is nothing more uncertaine then the houre of death . we are all tenants at will , and know not how long we shall remaine it this earthly tabernacle . all creatures waxe old with this aged world ; this is even the last houre , the world cannot continue long , methusela lived 969 yeares . if in our age we reach to 80. it is with sorrow and labour . thou hast made my dayes as it were a span long , saith david , all flesh is grasse ( saith the prophet ) and all the glory thereof as the flower of the field . the old world had 120. yeares given them to repent , niniveh 40. daies , and israel 4● . yeares , but thou o man knowest not how long thou hast to live . some are wasted away by wantonnesse as commodus , claudius nero , alexander the great and such like , some are shortned by ambition , many will never leave climbing till they catch a fall . this climbing by ambition cut off the dayes of absalom , and brought haman to the trée . some god taketh away ; because the world was not worthy of them ; and some because they are not worthy of it . he cut off iosias , for his soule pleased god : therefore he made haste to take him away from the iniquity of the world . he cut off achab , agag and herod , because they were vile and ungodly men , therefore they did not live out half their dayes . some god cutteth off suddenly , in so much as they have not time to thinke on god , or once to cry , lord help me . the old world not thinking on death , was suddenly drowned . the sodomites suddenly consumed by fire . pharaoh with all his host swallowed up in the sea : the israelites gnawne of dedly serpents . corah , dathan and abiram eaten up of the earth . herod suddenly devoured with lice . the rich man suddenly smitten with death . lying ananias and his wife suddenly fell downe dead . eglon the moabite , and abner the captaine were suddenly murthered with the sword . to conclude , all histories in all ages are full of the like examples ▪ chap. iii. of the straight accompt we m●st give unto god at the day of judgement . to draw every man to a better consideration of his time , and of his accompting day , our saviour addeth a reason why we should be ready , and alwaies prepared to render our accompt ; for ( saith he ) the kingdome of god is at hand . what will move a man to consider of himselfe , and of his accompting day , if this will not ? when he heareth that the same is at hand . mortall men in their accompts they make to their lords and masters , will gather their scrowles , bils , papers , and other writings , from hundreths to farthings , lest they be found unworthy men to be put in trust with such worldly commodities . if mortall men have such a care how to make their accompts to mortall auditors , what care , nay , what feare ought to be in all men and women , when they are summoned by the eternall god to appeare before him and his angels , to give accompt how they have spent their time from their birth untill their dying day ? here we are summoded to the high imperial court of eternall doome . the time is come ; and the kingdome of god is at hand . o lord who shall escape amercing here ? nay , who shall escape damnation here ? séeke up your scrowles , search the bookes of your consciences : we are called to the court , where every mans conscience shall be laid open . wherefore unlesse we repent ; that our sins may be blotted out with the bloud of christ iesus , the lord will call us to accompt , the bookes of our consciences shall be laid open , and every sin both secret and knowne shall be brought to light : and not one sinne shall passe , but all our sinnes , both past , present , and to come , as well our rebellious thoughts , as sinfull acts committed . whereupon s bernard saith , omne tempus tibi impensum requiretur a te qualiter fuerit expensum : all the time that god hath given thée ( except thou repent ) shall be required at thy hands , how thou hast spent it . there shall inquisition be made for the thoughts of the ungodly : there shall not a wicked thought passe in iudgement . chap iv. now followeth the manner of this accompt . i. who must give accompt ii. of what things they must give accompt . iii. to whom this accompt must be made . iv. when it must be made . first , the persons that must give accompt , our saviour christ expresly sheweth us to be men . but i say unto you ( saith our saviour ) that of every idle word that men shall speake , they shall give accompt at the day of iudgement . and s. paul saith , we must all appeare before the tribunall seat of christ , that every man may receive according to his workes . for as lingua est mentis interpres , the tongue is the interpreter of the mind , so saith our saviour , by thy words ( if thou doe well ) thou shalt be justified , and by thy words ( if thou do evill ) thou shalt be condemned . thus we may sée christs true & iust judgement , how that first by the evidence of their déeds they shall be accused : secondly , by the witnesse of their words convicted : and thirdly , by the testimony of their owne conscience condemned , thus all men , none excepted , of all ages , and of all nations , kings and princes , rich and poore , yea all that have been from the beginning of the world , and shall be to the end of the same , shall appeare before the tribunall seat of christ , and give an account every one for himselfe . ii of what things they must give accompt . they shall give accompt not onely of every idle word , work , & deed , but also of every idle thought : yea , every man , and every member of man shall answer to his default . the king must give an accompt for himselfe , and how he hath governed his kingdome . the ministers that have taken upon them curam animarum , the charge of soules , must give an accompt how they have fed their flocke , and how they have lived in their calling : the magistrate for his iustice : the master for his servants : the parents for the children , and every artificer for his trade , every man in his own proper person , must render an accompt of his talent , be it ten , foure , or one that he hath received . and so strait shall this accompt be , that every member of every body shall answer to his default : the eyes shall give an accompt what they have séene : the eares what they have heard : the tongue what it hath spoken : the hands what they have felt : the féet where they have béene : and the heart of man what it hath thought . to conclude , both heart and body , with all the parts and powers thereof shall be indited and arraigned before the tribunall seat of christ to render a streight accompt , tam de dictis quam de factis suis , both of their words and their déeds . iii. to whom this accompt must be given . the iudge to whom we must give our accompt is christ . the lord commandeth ( saith david ) to judge the world . s. iohn saith , the father , judgeth no man , but hath committed all judgement to the sonne . and abraham gave god the stile of the iudge of the world . there it is evident that our saviour iesus christ is iudge of the world . he is verus iudex & iustus , he is a true and upright iudge ? yea , he is a iudge that is able to destroy both body and soule in hell fire for ever . but let us note , he commeth ▪ not alone , but bringeth ten thousand of his saints to execute judgement upon all ; yea , he said to his disciples , ye which have followed me shall sit upon twelve thrones , judging the twelve tribes of israel . vnto the godly he shall say , come ye blessed &c. they shall both with body and soule receive a glorious kingdome and a beautifull crowne from the lords hand : for with his right hand shall he cover them , and with his arme he shall protect them , because it shall be a day of refreshing , when all teares shall be wiped away from their eyes , and all sorrow shall cease , and they shall live and raigne with the lamb for ever . to the wicked ( christ saith ) goe ye cursed . bvt first let us note , that he doth not judge them after the manner of worldly iudges , whose knowledg may be deceived with false and sophisticall pleas ; whose justice may be corrupted with feare , hatred , love and rewards ; whose anger may be pacified with pittifull words . oh fearefall and terrible will the sight of this iudge bée to the wicked : for his power shall be invincible , his anger implacable , his knowledge infallible and his iustice inflexible . first , tyrany and cruelty shall not countervaile his power : secondly , benignity of pitifull words shall not appease his anger : thirdly , liberality , nor rewards shall not bow his iustice : fourthly , subtilty of advocates shall not blind his knowledge . whereupon saith s. augustine judex ille nec gratia praevenitur , nec misericordia flectitur , nec pecunia corrumpitur , nec penitentia mitigatur . neither is this iudge prevented with favour , nor bowed with mercy , nor bribed with money , neither mitigated by repentance : therefore when christ saith to the wicked , goe ye cursed , hée doth not onely curse them , but hée biddeth them goe , he sendeth them to gehenna , that dreadfull dungeon of utter darknesse , that burning lake and most fearfull tophet , yea , to that hollow cave and chaos of all confusion , to that bottomlesse pit of eternall perdition : whose burning furnace is made by gods iustice , his power upholds it , and it is blowne with the bellowes of his wrath ever prepared for the deuill and his angels . and as christ saith , goe ye cursed , his curse is paenarum inflictio , infliction of punishment , which is twofold , paena damni and paena sensus , the punishment of losse , and the punishment of sense . the losse of god , of his glorious and most blessed presence , his mercy , his favour , his bounty , his beauty , his grace , and all his eternall goodnesse , the losse of heaven , the habitation of god , and of all his holy and blessed angels and saints , the house and heaven of happinesse , with all the unspeakable joyes , pleasures glory , riches , and treasures thereof for evermore . the punishment of sense which is hell and all the intolerable , everlasting , and wofull torments thereof . as the blessing of god comprehends all blessings , so this curse , anathema and maranatha , includes all crosses , goe ye cursed , &c. they shall bée cursed of christ himselfe , cursed shall they be of the angels , whose curse is conscientiae cruciamen vexation of conscience . cursed shall they be of the devils , whose curse is paenarum executio , the execution of their punishment , according to that of the poet : minos examen , radamanthus dat cruciamen ; tertius , beufrater terti aiura tenet . one devill rippeth up the examination , another devill tormenteth , the third addeth one torment upon another , for their desire is revenge , their devotion cursing , and their blessing blasphemy . they be in a sea of miseries , and in an ocean of calamities ; fire flameth about them ; the worme of conscience gnaweth within them ; rage , madnesse , and irefull indignation among them , ugly visages of black and fearfull devils affrighting them ; sulphur and hot burning coales under them : the revenging hand of god over them , and powring forth the vials of his wrath full of variety of plagues without ceasing upon them . they have penury , for gluttony : extreame thirsting , for excessive drinking : burning , for lecherous lusting : want for ill gotten wealth : outragious madnesse , for blaspheming : for oppression , utter desolation ; and a fearfull agony for bloudy cruelty . and s. augustine speaking of dives , saith , desideravit guttam , qui non dedit micam , hée would not give a erum , hée shall not have a drop : a just recompence : as he denied the least comfort to lazarus living , so lazarus shall not bring him the least comfort dead . and seneca saith , nemini bonus , sibi possimus , as he was good to none , so ( let it be his plague ) he is worst to himself ; thus the pain for sin answers the pleasure of sin . their torments shall be both comfortlesse & endlesse . they shall bée dying alwayes , yet never dead . they shall séek death , but never find it . they shal be burning alwayes , yet never burnt to death . their meat shall be griping hunger , and famine intolerable . their drink shall be lakes of fire and brimston . their musicke shall be howling and roaring of foule and ugly devils , with savage furies accompanied , and with barbarous torments cruelly handled . thus heaven they shall have lost , which cannot be purchased . hell they have received , & the place must néeds be indured . and looke how many sins they have set on the score , so many kinds of punishments are provided for them in hell . o how many causes of wéeping and dolefull crying shall those miserable wretches then have ? they shall wéep because they cannot appeale from gods dreadfull judgement . they shall wéep , because their pleasures have brought them to all these sorowes . they shall wéep , because they shall sée their miseries are past all remedy , and their repentance too late . to conclude this point , they will then curse the parents which begat them , and the wombs which bare them , the day wherein they were borne , & the aire that gave them breath : and will cry , woe , woe , that ever we were borne , o where is that dives that would not beléeve this before he felt the fire of hell . iv. the time when we must give this accompt . vve must give an accompt at the day of iudgement , when christ commeth to judge the world . but of that day and houre knoweth no man , no not the angels which are in heaven ; neither the son according to his humane nature ; but the father . but according to his divine nature , hée knoweth as well as the father . therefore saith christ . it is not for you to know the times and seasons ; which the father hath put in his own power . but as paul saith to the corinthians , seeing wee are they upon whom the ends of the world are come , we ought to learne of our saviour , to watch , for wee know not at what time the lord will come . and our saviour séeing the iniquity of the world growing so fast to maturity , saith ; except those dayes should bee shortned , there should no flesh be saved . therefore saith s. iohn , repent , for the kingdome of heaven is at hand . and s. iames cryeth out , behold the iudge standeth before the doore , if they looked for it to be so nigh in those daies , now sure it cannot be far off . augustine in his book upon genesis , against the manichees said , that the world should last six ages . and ( according to his prophecy ) we live in the last age . eliah also prophesied that the world should last six thousand yéeres , two thousand before the law , two thousand under the law . & two thousand from christs his birth untill his coming to iudgement . if his prophecy be true , the world cannot last foure hundred yéeres . to conclude , let us be ready alwayes howsoever , although this day be like yesterday , and too morow like to day , yet let us not defer our repentance . for god came not unto adam before the evening , yet he came . although the angels came not upon sodome untill the evening , yet they came . and so comes christ to iudgement , although he be not yet come , let us not think he hath leaden féet , and cannot come , lest we finde hée hath iron hands when he doth come . to conclude , if there be any one thing in the booke of god , from the alpha of genesis , unto the omega of the revelation , that is able to turne a sinner from his sinnes to come unto god by repentance , it is the remembrance of this generall judgement . this is that kept david in so much awe , i have feared thy iudgements . i have been mindfull of thy iudgements , thy iudgements were alwaies in my sight . o therefore let us spéedily repent that we may be unblameable before the iudge at that great generall day of iudgement ; and be cloathed with the white robes of righteousnesse , & stand in the number of those , unto whom christ shall say , come ye blessed children of my father ; inherit the kingdome prepared for you from the beginning of the world . this god grant ( without whose help , all the labour of man is vaine ) even for his deare son christ iesus his sake , our redéemer and onely saviour , to whom with the father , and the holy gost , be all honour glory , praise , power and dominion both now and for evermore . amen . finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a25382e-300 gen. 3.9 esay 58.9 ier. 50.2 . gen. 19.7 . ie. 4.19 . act. 20.19 . eze. 3.18 . eze. 33.7 . esa 56 . 1● . ier. 2.1 , 2 ier. 48.10 . ez. 34.2 , 3 , 4 to the 10. ier. 1.7 , 8. za. 11.8 , 17. malac. 2.7 . eze. 3 4.10 18. mat. 5.21 . mat. 10.17 . mat. 25.26 2● , 28. mat. 9.47 . luk. 10.2 . rom. 10.18 . pro. 11.34 . rev. 3.10 . isa. 55 10. ier. 25.15 gal. 6.10 . heb. 3.15 psal. 95.8 . psa. 51.17 psal. 51.4 . acts 2.36 . psal. 6.99 . psa. 119 13 iohn 2.17 . titus . 2.14 m●● 2 ●4 . ionah 3.4 . ionah 3.5 . acts 2 37. acts 10. luk. 3.14.2 . rom. 15.15 ioh. 12.19 . luk. 13.9 . esay 59.2 . nabu . 1.2 . 1 king. 10.1 , 2. 1 chr. 9.8 . mat 12 , 42 luke 11 3. ge. 13.19 . hos. 4.15 math. 3.2 . esay 51.12 psal. 119.8 . ier. 4.19 . ier. 9.1 . acts 2.3 . mat. 10.51 . gen. 4.7 . psalm . 3.1 . sirach 40. psalme 1. benard gen 6.27 . psalme 89. psal. 40.6 . esay 39.5 . gen 6.5 . ionah 1.4 . psal. 95.20 2 sam. 18. hester 7. 2 kin. 22. psal 54.5 . 1 kin. 2 1. psal 54.5 . 1 kin. 22. 1 sa. 15.32 mat. 2.19 20. act. 12.32 gen. 7.11 . ge. 19.14 . exo. 14.27 nu. 21.6 . nu. 16.3 . act. 12.23 . lu. 12 20. acts 5 5. and 10. iudg. 3.21 . 2 sa. 3.27 . matth. 4. mark . 1.15 rev. 10.12 bernard , wisd. 1.9 . m●t. 13.36 . 1 cor. 5.30 . mat. 12.37 . mat. 12.29 2 cor. 5.10 eccl. 12.4 . wisd. 1.9 . mat. 12.37 rom. 4.12 . 1 pet. 4.5 . psal. 56 13 iohn 9.22 . gen. ●8 25 iames 4.12 iud. 14.15 . ma. 25.34 wisd. 6. acts. 3 19. rev. 21.6 . rev. 7 . 1● . esay 15.4 . m●t. 15.4 mat. 7.17 psalm . 9.8 mat. 25 41. mat. 25.41 . augustines saying of dives , rom. 7. rev. 1.5 . psal. 1.7 mat. 13.42 mat. 22. 13 psal. 11 , 7. rev. 18 , 2 mar. 13.3 . acts 1.17 . mat. 24.42 mat. 14.24 gen. 3.8 . gen. 19.1 . psal. 119. rev. 19.8 . mat. 25.3 . a vvarning to the nations to lay aside all prejudice and enmity the ground of strife and wars and to come and embrace the light, christ jesus ... taylor, thomas, 1618-1682. 1667 approx. 20 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 6 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; 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(eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a64267) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 52082) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 829:13) a vvarning to the nations to lay aside all prejudice and enmity the ground of strife and wars and to come and embrace the light, christ jesus ... taylor, thomas, 1618-1682. 11 p. s.n., [london : 1667] reproduction of original in huntington library. caption title. signed on p. 11: thomas taylor. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng salvation. society of friends -doctrines. 2004-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2004-07 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2004-08 john latta sampled and proofread 2004-08 john latta text and markup reviewed and edited 2004-10 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion a warning to the nations , to lay aside all prejudice and enmity , the ground of strife and wars ; and to come and embrace the light , christ jesus , that they may see themselves , and come to be saved and healed , and united in the love of god. the indignation of the lord is upon all nations , and his fury upon all their armies ; he will greatly distress the inhabitants of the world ; he will now plead the cause of his covenant of light against all those that withstand his glorious appearance , and work of restoration , in this the day of his mighty power , wherein he is giving the kingdom of his everlasting peace to israel's seed under the whole heavens , who fear his great name , and tremble at his almighty word of life , which shakes not onely earth , but heaven also : and now is the lord god almighty bringing forth his glory to light , and creating the new heavens and new earth , wherein dwells righteousness , according to his promise , isa. 65. 17 , &c. wherein the people beat their swords into plough-shares , and their spears into pruning-hooks , never to learn war any more ; but every one now that believes in the truth , christ jesus , the light and true king of righteousness and peace , shall sit under him , the true vine , and none to make them afraid , isa. 2. 2 , &c. and now , even now is the lord god almighty arisen , & got up into his high throne of majesty and everlasting glory to raign ; and of this his peaceable kingdom , which he hath begun to set up in his trembling people , there never shall be end. the true israel of god is now coming up out of the spiritual egypt indeed , to possess the true land of promise , the inheritance and free gift of our god ; and no inchantment shall now stand against god's spiritual host , nor divination against the redeemed of the lord , who have known his wonders in the deep , and known the out-goings of god's power against pharaoh , and all his host in the red sea of his fiery indignation . and now will god be exalted in judgment , and avenged in righteousness upon all nations and people under heaven , who hold the truth in unrighteousness , and will not that god's holy son christ jesus the light should reign , though he be come to reign and judge in the earth . for to him , the light who lighteth every man that cometh into the world , is all power in heaven and earth given . and his light shines freely into all your hearts , o all people of the earth ; and shineth in the thickest darkness to make manifest the creator's will to all your consciences , though your darkness , o people , comprehends it not ; but it comprehends you , and all your dark wayes , and destroying thoughts ; and lets you see plainly , that for all your great workings , and toilsom labour in an out-side profession in your earthly wills , you have wrought no deliverance in the earth ; but your souls enemies still stand in strength . and it lets you see , that for all your striving , and fighting , and killing and spoiling , and destroying one another about earthly things , you have done no good at all ; but brought god's judgments upon all your souls , and pierced your selves through with many sorrows . and therefore the heavenly voice sounds through the earth , and calls aloud in your ears , and knocks at the door of your hearts , o all people of the world , high and low , professor and prophane , jews and gentiles , christians , so called , and turks ; arise , arise , awake , awake , turn in your minds to the pure light of jesus christ the judge of quick and dead , the son of the eternal god , creator of heaven and earth , who died for your sins , and rose again to give you a new , holy and everlasting life in himself through faith in his name . and behold , he lives for evermore . and all see and search diligently in your selves , what you know of his holy life made manifest in you , to destroy the body of sin and death in you , which in the dayes of darkness hath filled your vessel , and brought your very soul , mind and heart into the thraldom of that wicked one , who is called the devil and satan , & compassed with terrors & fears & affrightments your very life , and whole man , because of the wrath of the almighty , which you by your sinful , and unrighteous , and unholy and cruel doings both against god , and your neighbour have stirred up against you . and behold , the earth languisheth because of these things ; and the children of light , who are redeemed to god , out of these sore evils & grievous plagues do mourn for you , and bewail your misery night and day , as well knowing in the light of the lord , what your woful end will be , if these bryars and thorns and noisome weeds ( the proper fruits of the curse ) be still suffered to grow in you , and cumber god's ground . oh! how nigh unto cursing is that field , which god's rain rains upon , and yet brings forth no better fruit , then killing , and slaying , and spoiling , and cousening , and cheating , and defiling , and oppressing one another , besides lying , and swearing , and cursing , and drunkenness , and pride , and persecution of god's righteous seed , with all other abominations of the world against the holy light , &c. checks and reproofs of the good spirit of the almighty , both in their own consciences , and the mouth of god's servants , and holy witness of truth in the scriptures ; which notwithstanding all these their abominations many of them profess to be their rule . but know , o man , whoever thou art , or whatsoever profession thou art of , that that 's thy god and ruler , and father , and teacher , and way , whose commands thou lovest , and whose works thou dost and whose will in the inward of thy mind thou closest with : as christ said to those lyars , false accusers and murderers in his day , joh. 8 , 44. &c. ye are of your father the devil , for his works ye will do ; he was a lyar & murderer from the beginning . so thou that goest from he light of god in thee , which shows thee thy sin , and the evil-lustings & desires of thy flesh and mind , thou goest from god , and from his fear , and from the way of peace : and so , thou going from this , and joyning to evil motions of sin in thy flesh and corrupted mind , thou joynest to the devil , and so bringest forth sin , which is the devils work ; and the wages of every such work is death . and so in the very moment of time , in which thou dost the evil work , whatsoever it be ( contrary to god's light in thee ) thou dyest the death ; and so remainest dead from the life of god , and his blessed righteousness , until the day of true repentance and amendment of life : and then what will it profit thee to have gained the world , or victory over thy neighbour , or satisfaction to thy lusts to the loss of thy soul's life ? therefore arise , arise , awake , awake , o all nations and people ! come forth to the judgment of this great day of god almighty : for now is the effect of every vision to be known and felt in the earth , and the high towers of the city of confusion , the mystery babylon the great , the mother of harlots , shall fall to the ground ; and the mountain of the house of the lord shall be exalted over all ; yea , the lord alone , and his righteousness , & truth , and peaceable kingdom on the top of all shall stand ; and no weapon formed against him and his people shall ever prosper any more . and how is it , o all nations , kings and people , that ye are not yet willing after so long a time knocking at the gates of your cities and doors of your hearts , that ye will not open to the king of glory , christ jesus , the light , that lighteth every one that cometh into the world , that he may come in , and be judge , lawgiver and king in the midst of you , that the desire of all nations may come , and be head in all ? for what is it that the soul that god hath made in all nations doth desire , but to see it self unburthened of that grievous corruption , which hath defiled it , and to be delivered from that body of sin and death , which hath and doth so imbondage it from the beginning , until the day of christ's power be known within , to work the work of god , and to destroy the work of the devil , and to save the soul from its sin , and to present it spotless to god , which is the true salvation indeed ? now this is my witness for god amongst the servants and redeemed of the lord this day , whom the world in scorn calls quakers ( who am a sufferer with them for the kingdom of god's sake ) that there is none can thus know the day of christ's power to salvation , but as they believe and receive that light of god and christ , which they be freely enlightened withal , which shines in their very hearts and consciences , which searcheth their very hearts and reins , and maketh manifest to man his thoughts , and from which none can hide any thing ; but all things are naked and bare before him , the light christ jesus , who lighteth every man that cometh into the world , jew and gentile , one and other , who searcheth the most hidden things of man , and brings them forth to the judgment of his righteousness . for though the night may hide the adulterer and the thief from man , it hides them not from god ; there is one nigh in the heart and conscience , that tells man and woman all that ever they have done , and do daily do , even their secret thoughts ; is not this the christ of god , the true messiah ? that was to come , and is come , and dwells amongst us , and we look not for another , and of his fulness , have all we received , and do daily receive , who believe in his light , which shines in our hearts , according to the scriptures of truth . and this the fulness of our blessed god and saviour jesus christ , the light , is it which filleth all that come to him with all spiritual blessings , and heavenly good things ; and without whom all is darkness , emptiness , death and desolation , as all the poor , deceived , lost sons and daughters of the faln adam do sooner or later know , and are made to confess . but blessed are they that consider of things in time , and say things to heart , before it be too late ; for there are but twelve hours in a day , in which men may work , saith christ , and then the night cometh , in which no man can work : but the door will be shut upon all who have slighted and neglected the day of their visitation . oh england ! england ! and all lands far and near , that you had known , or could yet believe the things that belong to your everlasting peace , before they be hid from your eyes . therefore turn ye , turn ye at the reproofs of god's wisdom and spirit of light and truth , which sounds through all , and lets you see the vanity and evil of all your works , and fraialty of all your lives , how soon the thread of your life is cut off ; and then , where are the great emperors and kings , with all their crowns ? and where are the great captains and commanders , with all their bloody victories ? and where are the wise ahithophels and cunning counsellors of the earth , with all their admirers ? and where are the covetous oppressors , with all their houses full of the spoils of the innocent ? yea , in that day , where is all the glory and lusts of the world , with all the lovers of it ? surely in darkness and misery shall they lie down together , and death shall have dominion over them , even all who have not believed in the light , christ jesus , and who have not followed him in the regeneration , that they might be saved ; but have spent their dayes in the pleasures and lusts of the present evil world to de u ction . now therefore , o all people , hearken to the counsel of the lord in this your day , and learn of the lamb , the light , who calls you to repentance from all your grievous wayes . how long shall the spirit of the lord strive with you ? when will you cease learning war , and destruction , and oppression , and spoil ? o when will you beat your swords into plow-shares . and your spears into pruning-hooks ? o when will you go and say one to another , one neighbour to another , and one nation to another , come let us all be humbled before the lord god of heaven and earth , who made us all of one blood , to dwell together upon the face of the earth in truth , goodness and love to serve one another , and so as branches of one tree to receive life , and vertue , and power from our god into our souls , to strengthen us unto his holy work ; who came not to destroy men's lives , but to save them ; whose kingdom is not of this world , and therefore is not set up or maintained with carnal weapons , violence and spoil ; but by the eternal spirit of our god , whose fruit is in all goodness , and righteousness and truth ? and let not the wicked devil , the destroyer , deceive us any more by his lyes and delusions ; but let us all with one heart and soul resist his temptations . when he perswades us to seek to be great in the earth , and be avenged on them we count our enemies , let us not hearken to him ; but let us overcome their evil with goodness ; and not to seek the destruction of their persons , or spoil of their estates , as the heathens do that know not god ; but let us follow the example of jesus christ , god manifest in flesh , who when he was reviled , reviled not again , but prayed for such as despightfully used him . o come , let us follow this meek lamb in righteousness and truth , and learn of him in our heart , who is meek and lowly , that we may find rest for our souls ; who rebuked his disciples , who would have had fire to come down from heaven to destroy the samaritans , that would not at that time receive christ. for what knowest thou , o man , but the samaritans may in time , come to a better mind ; and then thou wilt see it was thy will , and not god's , that desired their destruction in their sins . for christ would have all to be saved , and come to the knowledge of his truth : but many will not come to him , that they might have life , and so their destruction is of themselves and their condemnation just . and who are those now therefore that withstand the doctrine of the truth , which said , love your enemies ; and seek not the destruction of their persons , and the spoil of their estates ; but seek by good doctrine and good life to bring them out of their sins : and if they will not , but rather hate thee for thy good will , be content ; thou hast quitted thy own soul , and art clear of their blood ; and so thou becomest a sufferer with jesus christ , and shalt reign with him in due time . i say , who are these now on the earth , that withstand truth , and continue in the hateful destroying wayes of the old jews and gentiles , but such as will not be counselled by the lamb of god , the suffering seed , who said , learn of me , for i am meek and lowly in heart : but are men of corrupt minds , who account gain , and worldly honour , and promotions more then godliness , who cryes peace to themselves in their sins : and that same spirit in them which cryes that false peace in them , is the same that stirs them up to kill , destroy , oppress and spoil one another for selfish and worldly ends. but the lord is arisen to judge all these evil things and to redeem a seed to serve him , as in the beginning of the gospel , before antichrist the murderer got up amongst them , that professed christ in words , but denyed him in deeds ; who had a name that they lived , but were dead from that true life , which was in christ jesus , whom in words they professed . and though the passage we feel now to be as hard of coming from amongst the false christians and turks , as it was for the first true christians to come from amongst the jews and gentiles ; yet the almighty power of our god is able over all , and through all to carry us on to the end , whom he hath called and saved with a mighty salvation ( ever-praised be his name ) and who will yet save his beloved seed israel , and gather them from the east and west , and from the north and south to sit down with christ in his kingdom : and this is no ill news to any , but who are glewed to deceit , and married to iniquity ; but it is good news and glad-tidings indeed to all that love their souls , and the honour and glory of truth more then the things of this perishing world. and i could desire that all who are apt to reason , as the jews did , when they heard the declaration of the gospel of peace , and kingdom of god , which stands in righteousness and peace , saying , if we let this go on , then the romans or others will come and take our place and nation . i say , that they would consider , that the very course which they , to wit the jews , in the denyal of the truth took for saving of themselves , brought utter destruction upon them and their nation . but what l●● shall vain man in his foolish faln wisdom and earthly reasoning think to be wiser then god , and to have a greater care and love to the creation , then god himself , who made it , hath ? what! shall angels at the birth of christ sing , glory to god on high , and good-will to men ; and yet when the way of god in christ is published , for bringing this great work of salvation to pass , vain man must come in with his false mind , and say , this is the way to confound all order , and destroy all good ; and that this doctrine turneth the world up-side down ; and that the messengers of christ are pestilent fellows , and movers of sedition ? o earth , earth ! tremble before the lord ; for thou shalt never have peace in thy own wayes , thou shalt never be saved by thy own strength , thou shalt never be established by thy own counsels , thou shalt never have true peace , nor any plenty within thy borders , until thou believest the gospel , which saith , learn of christ , whose kingdom is not of this world , and whose weapons are not carnal , but spiritual , mighty through god ; not for the pulling down of outward walls and bodies , but for raizing , and pulling down , and destroying the strong holds of sin and satan in the hearts and lives of the children of men : for after that , saith the apostle , the world by wisdom knew not god ; it pleased god by the foolishness of preaching ( to wit , such doctrine as this , which is a cross and stumbling-block to all corrupt flesh ) to save them that believe . so lay things to heart , ye people of the world , and inhabitants of all the earth ; for god's purpose is not to exalt any man or men of this world , or to glorifie any flesh ; but to exalt his own son , christ jesus , the heavenly man , the lord from heaven , the truth overall , of whose kingdom and government there shall be no end. and all that obey his voyce , and for obedience thereunto are made willing to suffer with him , shall raign with him for evermore : but all others , whether they be called christians or turks , or whatever else , shall be as the dust or chaff before the wind to be scattered , as the lord by his spirit from the beginning has said , and at this time speaketh in his servant . thomas taylor . the end . a letter to george keith concerning the salvability of the heathen together with a testimony to the same doctrine, as long held and not newly taken up, out of several former books of him that writ it / by j.h. humfrey, john, 1621-1719. 1700 approx. 88 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 19 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; 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(eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a45134) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 42224) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 1287:10) a letter to george keith concerning the salvability of the heathen together with a testimony to the same doctrine, as long held and not newly taken up, out of several former books of him that writ it / by j.h. humfrey, john, 1621-1719. keith, george, 1639?-1716. 36 p. printed and sold by the booksellers of london and westminster, london : 1700. reproduction of original in the british library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng salvation outside the church. 2005-05 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-10 spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images 2006-06 ali jakobson sampled and proofread 2006-06 ali jakobson text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-09 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion a letter to george keith , concerning the salvability of the heathen . together with a testimony to the same doctrine , as long held , and not newly taken up , out of several former books of him that writ it . by his respectful neighbour , j.h. if therefore the doctrine of christ hath demonstrated to all nations the same god , whom the ancients , even before moses , have served , there is no doubt but that we are made partakers with them of the same divine worship ; and having moreover the same common religion , it is manifest that we shall likewise enjoy the same blessedness , or benediction . eusebius de demonstratione evangelii . l. 1. c. 5. london printed , and sold by the booksellers of london and westminster , 1700. a letter to george keith , &c. mr. george keith , understanding that you came to live near me , i was willing to be acquainted with you , as a person learned , and whose converse is profitable ; but i am sorry to find you so engaged , and hot in your opinion ( though zeal in a good cause is commendable ) that you cannot let another differ from you without anger ; when , if he be angry too , whom you differ from , there must be contention : which is to be avoided , by a prudent man. prov. 17.14 . look , you george , you and i do believe a salvability for some heathen : you and i , for all that , do believe , that no man is , was , or ever can be saved , but through the name mediation , or redemption of jesus christ ; neither of us are deists therefore , but both christians . you proceed further , and say , that no man ever was , is , or can be saved , but by faith in jesus christ , and the knowledge of him crucified , and risen again . here i must differ from you ; for though redemption be universal , and it is true , that no man ever could , or can be saved without the benefit thereof : yet must we not make the redemption of christ , or the benefit of his death , and our knowledge of it , to be commensurate . god forbid it should be so , for then indeed no heathen could be saved . in your truth advanced , p. 40. you very candidly declare , that to conclude all gentiles , however diligent they have been , to live up to their illumination , to be finally and irrecoverably lost and damned , is a rash and uncharitable opinion : and in the same page , you say , i do positively affirm , according to the scriptures , that eternal salvation is to be had only through faith and knowledge of christ crucified , and raised again . this is to maintain two things , inconsistent with one another : and here i ask'd you therefore , how you could make out the mystery ? and you answered me , that you had three ways to do it ; two of them you expressed , but because they were to me unsatisfactory , i can remember neither ; and the third , upon which you lay'd most stress , you would not deliver , thinking me at present not like to receive it . i very much desire to know what that reserve was ; but what you have in your book , and in the same page , i see . though god giveth this knowledge and faith ( say you ) ordinarily , by preaching and reading the scriptures , yet i nothing doubt , but that god hath inwardly revealed it to divers without . i cannot but remember , upon this , what you told me , that when w.p. put this question to you , and pressed you with it , as unanswerable , asking you , how you could hold any heathen to be saved , seeing you do maintain , that a faith in christ without , is necessary to salvation ? you answered him , that the light within is sufficient for the revelation . when you told me this , i could not but commend it , as a present ingenious repartee , ad hominem , or to a quaker ; but that is no answer to me , or any other man , that is no quaker ; nor fit for you to own , as good ; for then it renders you still to be one of them , who take enthusiasm for your guide . w.p. would never have declared you an apostate , over the head of you , for this saying , that you nothing doubt , but god doth inwardly reveal whatsoever is of necessity to be believed , without preaching or reading : whereas i , for my part , am so far from an assent to you , that i am perswaded to the contrary , by those express words of the apostle , how shall they believe in him , of whom they have not heard ? and how shall they hear without a preacher ? rom. 10.14 . we read in the acts of the eunuch , that man of authority , a proselyte , reading in isaiah , philip asks him , understandest thou what thou readest ? and he answered , how can i , except some man should guide me ? acts 8.31 . from whence we may see , that though the prophets speak of christ in many places ( and in none more amply than in this ) yet the readers understood them not , nor indeed could they ; the understanding being reserved till the time of the apostles , who had the spirit ( with-held till christ was glorified , john 7.39 . ) to enlighten them with that knowledge , which they were to communicate to us . the knowledge of christ , and faith in him , is indeed a treasure ; and those riches of the gospel , which , as to the times before , were unsearchable ; for it was to them a treasure in the field , hid ( in those ages ) till found by the apostles , through the revelation thereof by the spirit , for the publication of the same to the world. and this is to be noted , for a matter exceeding remarkable , that though god had declared to abraham , that in his seed all nations should be blessed ; whereby the gospel is said to be preached to him , gal. 3.8 . yet was the preaching the same by peter to the gentiles such a strange thing , to them who were of the circumcision , that they contended with him for going to the uncircumcised , as what ought not to be done , until peter rehearsed from the beginning , and expounded in order to them , the visions that he and cornelius had , and how the holy ghost fell upon them before he baptized them ; which put them to silence , so that they held their peace , and glorified god , saying , then hath god also unto the gentiles granted repentance unto life , acts 11.18 . this was the thing they wondered at ; this the mystery hid from them , ( the apostle so calls it ) though preached so long ago to their father abraham himself , that the gentiles should be fellow heirs , and of the same body , and partakers of his promise in christ by the gospel . ephes . 3.6 . i deny not therefore but the old testament ▪ scripture speaks of christ , and that so fully , as to his person , his office , his states of humiliation and exaltation , that christ , in his appearing to the two disciples going to emmaus , did shew them , how moses , and all the prophets , speaking concerning him , fore-told that he was to suffer , and so to enter into his glory , luke 24.26 . st. peter likewise preaches the same , that unto him gave all the prophets witness ; collecting from thence , that through his name , whosoever believes in him shall receive remission of sins , acts 10.43 . nevertheless , it is very manifest , that the jews understood not these things , prophesied of him ; nor yet the prophets that prophesied them ; seeing they ministred those things ( says the apostle ) not to themselves , but to us , which are reported by them that preach the gospel , ( 1 pet. 1.12 . ) and therefore he hath it before , that they prophesied of the grace which should come , or was to come , and not then come , ( v. 10. ) st. paul accordingly lets the romans understand , ( rom. 16.25 , 26. ) how the gospel therefore was mainly a revelation of the mystery which was kept secret since the world began , that now is made manifest , and by the scriptures of the prophets , according to the commandment of the everlasting god , made known to all nations for the obedience of faith : that is as much as to say , god by his spirit hath opened those prophecies to these first preachers , commanding them to reveal the same to the world , for confirmation of what christ said and did , suffer'd , and rose again ; they being such as abode with him , as eye and ear-witnesses of the same . for which cause ( says he again , ephes . 3.1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6. ) . i paul , the prisoner of jesus christ for you gentiles ; if you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of god , which is given me to you-ward ; how that by revelation , he made known unto me the mystery , — which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men , as it is now revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the spirit . the knowledge of christ dying , and risen again , as now revealed by the gospel , that is , as dying for our sins , and rising again for our justification ; with the application thereof , by faith , we see plainly , was a mystery , and not made known to the sons of men , till the times of the apostles . it appears therefore , that the redemption of christ , and benefits of his death and resurrection , must be of larger extent ▪ than the knowledge of him ; for else , no man in the world , till faith came , till christ , and the gospel came , could ( as is said before ) have been saved . as for the distinction here , which you used , of an implicit and explicit faith , or knowledge of christ ; i count it but a yielding the cause : for when we say , the benefit of christ's redemption , and the knowledge of him , or faith in him , are not commensurate ; we mean it , of such a kowledge of him , or faith , as is now preached by the gospel ; that is , that explicit knowledge as was revealed by the spirit to the apostles , and by them made known , and so required of us , as necessary to our salvation . and if this be granted , that such an explicit knowledge of christ , and faith in him , is not of the same extent ( necessitate medii ) with our benefit by him , the point is obtained : if you will not grant it , the matter is enforced , or proved , by this text. a bare implicit knowledge of the messiah to come , without an explicit knowledge of his death and resurrection , as now revealed , is a thing that could be of no more avail , to the salvation of the jews , than the faith of a gentile , only in god's mercy , upon his repentance ( which we see the ninevites had ) without the knowledge of christ at all ; and if either the one or the other had repentance unto life wrought upon their hearts , by the spirit of god ( which is f●ee to operate where he will , for the wind bloweth where it listeth , christ himself says ) they were accepted only through the satisfaction and merits of our redeemer ; whereof indeed they were both a-like ignorant ; this being the mystery of the gospel , yet hid from the sons of men. i must confess , when i ask'd you , whether you did , or could really believe , that every jew and heathen that ever was saved ( allowing the salvability of such ) had a faith in christ's dying and rising ? and you said , you did verily believe so . i wonder'd at it , and told you , i lik'd you the better , as being a man of a stronger faith than i , who can believe no such thing , if i would never so fain . on the contrary , i do believe , that there never was any man in the world , that had the knowledge of christ , dying for his sins , and rising again for his justification , so as to make application of it to his own soul , by faith , as is required now of us under the gospel , until the prophecies , which the jews had , were accomplished by him ; that is , till after his death and resurrection . we are sure the apostles knew nothing of his death and resurrection ( and consequently of his satisfaction and merit thereby ) though christ did more than once tell them of it ; for indeed they were not yet under that dispensation , as they should believe it . and when the disciples undestood nothing thereof , for all the scriptures , how can you believe that others did , or could understand their meaning , before these scriptures were fulfilled ? you ask ( in your book ) who taught abraham , job , our first parents , but god and christ , by the holy spirit in their hearts ? i say the like , as to any good man that ever was among the heathen , that it was god by his spirit that wrought that good in him , as in us . but i say also , that god did teach them , every one of them ( the one as well as the other ) so much , in their day , as was necessary to their salvation , by such way and means as he thought best . but such a faith and knowledge of christ , as is necessary to the salvation of a christian ( that is , one to whom the gospel is preached and received ) i do by no means believe to be necessary to the salvation of every man on the earth , that is , or ever was , saved ; no , nor to any one of those that lived before christ came . we read in john , when christ was going from his disciples , and from the world , to his father , he has these remarkable words : ye believe in god , believe also in me , john 14.1 . under that dispensation the jews and the disciples were , before the christian dispensation was opened ; they were to have faith in god , and to put their whole trust in him ; and it was that faith , by which the just man was to live. hab. 2.4 . but the dispensation was coming on , and is now come , when we must believe also in christ . it was life eternal for the jews to know god , the god of abraham , to be the only true god , and to live in the acknowledgment and service of him : but now we are to know jesus christ also , and believe in him whom he hath sent , john 17.3 . & 6.29 . in both places , note the word sent , which was not of necessity to salvation therefore , before he was sent . when christ had finished the work of our redemption , by his death on the cross , and risen again , he enter'd into that kingdom , which john and he preached , was at hand . all power is given me , ( saith he ) in heaven and earth ; go and disciple all nations . the jews were under a theocracy , and so god's people : it pleased him now to have that kingdom enlarged , and the gentiles brought into it , and to commit it to his son ; so that the church in the wilderness is now catholick , a church over the world ; and the law by which it is governed , is the same as was on foot since adam fell ; but under a diverse dispensation , administration or edition . upon this account do we read of cornelius , a devout servant of god , though a roman , gentile , or heathen , is commanded to send for peter , to preach to him the gospel , which is the scepter of christ's kingdom , and by baptism , to receive his allegiance , and declare him a subject . from which instance there is one objection that by many is urged against the salvability of any heathen . if cornelius ( say they ) could have been saved without an explicit knowledge of , and faith in christ , dying for his sins , and rising again for his resurrection , this need not have been done . they urge besides , the angel's speech , that peter should tell him such words whereby he and his household should be saved : but this is indeed standing on words , more than things : it was fit , it was meet , that so eminent a worthy servant of god , as this , should be chosen out , to be first brought in , for a leading example to other gentiles , at the opening the gospel dispensation . it is to be more throughly considered , that since it pleased god , that this covenant of grace , which is the covenant of life and salvation for mankind ; according to which , every man and woman shall live or dye , as they perform , or not perform , the condition thereof , should have a diverse administration ; we cannot but think it to be advantageous for any man , to be brought under that administration thereof , that is most perfect ; and such being this of the gospel , cornelius hath his gracious call into it . not that cornelius was out of a state of grace and salvation before , for it is plain that he was a man that feared god , a devout man , his prayer heard and accepted of god , which no man can be but in the beloved , or through christ's satisfaction and merits ; and such an acceptance , is an acceptance unto life and salvation . to say he was accepted , but not justified , is to speak without book , and with prejudice : i am satisfied to the contrary ; and if you are not , i pray what think you of the disciples ? i hope you believe that peter , james , and john , nathaniel and the rest , were in a state of salvation , while under the jews administration , and understood not the scriptures ( as is said before ) nor christ hmself , when he spake of his death and resurrection ; and could have no faith in him dying for their sins , and rising again for their justification then , as they had afterwards , when accomplished . well , consider it then , cornelius is one that fears god , and worketh righteousness ; and performing the condition of the covenant of life , he is in a state of salvation , according to that administration of it , as the whole world is under : the disciples likewise fear god , and work righteousness , and are in a state of salvation , according to the jewish administration ; they both being in such a state ; cornelius hears peter preaching , and believes in jesus christ , lives up to the gospel , and is now in a state of salvation , according to the covenant under the christian administration : the disciples likewise preach themselves , and they believe and live according as they preach , and are in the same condition . what inconsistency is there here , but that the same persons may be in a state of grace , under one administration of the covenant , and under the other , when they are called from one into the other ? abraham is called out of his country , and he obeyeth ; god promises to make him a nation , which shall inherit canaan : he believes god , and his faith is imputed for righteousness : after this god appeared , and makes a covenant with him , and requires circumcision : will any say here ? what need is there of this , seeing abraham was in a justified state already ? no , indeed there was no need of this for that end ; but it is god's will , that though abraham is a man that walked before god , and was perfect , that is , evangelically , and so in a saved state ; yet because here is a new administration of the covenant to be set up , it is the command of god alone , is both the rule and reason for the doing . as for the good and benefit he shall have by it , abraham is to be assured of that , seeing god who is good , and doth good , thought it good to be done . abraham believes , and goes out of his country , and is thereby justified : abraham believes , and receives circumcision , and is thereby justified : abraham believes , and offers up his son isaac , and is thereby justified : he received circumcision , as a seal of the righteousness of that faith which he had , when he was uncircumcised : he is justified by the obedience of faith , in doing all , and his justification by one , is no impediment to his being justified also by the other . the angel's telling cornelius , that he shall bear words whereby he shall be saved , is no more than paul's saying , that the gospel is the power of god , to the salvation of all that believe ; which is true , whether the believer was in a state of grace already or no ; whether he be a jew or gentile ; whether cornelius , or the disciples themselves of the lord jesus . if this be so , that a heathen may be saved , you may say , then is his condition easier , and his state better , than that of the jew or christian : i answer , this is not only false , because the condition of salvation ( to walk before god , and be perfect ) being the same to all ; so much the lesser means that one hath thereunto , must needs make it to be so much the harder : but it is also profane to say so , because the apostle to the romans is express , that the advantage of the jew is much every way above the gentile , rom. 3.1 , 2. and to the hebrews he is express , that we christians have a better covenant than the jew , heb. 8.6 . the first and second covenant he speaks of there , are nothing but the two administrations of the covenant of grace ( the same in substance , say our divines ) in regard to the jews , which preceded , and then to us christians . if you will ask wherein the second administration is better than the first , consult the common place of our divines ; that i fix upon , as the result of them all , is , that these new administrations did still afford more means and inducement to the bringing up their hearts unto the terms of the covenant of life it self , by which it was only , that any were , or could be saved . no doubt but there was more wrought on of the jewish nation , having the advantage of the oracles of god ; and among us that have a fuller revelation , ( in regard to our saviour ) to come up to a sincere walking before god ( which are the terms , and the same i say to all ) than among the heathen who are without them . there is one thing remains , which i remember you offered , that requires some more large considerations , and it is this , that though you were willing to allow that some heathen may be saved , you deny it to be by covenant , but only uncovenanted mercy ; and you cited the bishop of salisbury for it . that excellent person , bishop burnet , in his exposition of the eighteenth article of the church , which pronounces an anathema to them that hold any man may be saved by the law , or sect he professeth , unless he be a christian ( which seems to be the sense of the article ) distinguishes between the word , by and in. to be saved by a law or sect ( saith he ) signifies , that by the virtue of that law , or sect , such men as follow it may be saved : whereas , to be saved in a law , or sect , imports only , that god may extend his compassion to men that are engaged in a false religion . and this he appears to own , as not condemned by the article . the ingenuous bishop proceeds ; and seeing faith in christ is in the gospel required , as necessary to salvation , there is no question , he says , to be made , but that those that have the gospel preached to them , and believe not in him , must be damned : the difficuly is only concerning those who never heard of the christian religion . here then the bishop distinguishes again of men in the law , and without the law , in the words of the apostle , that is between the jew and gentile , christian and heathen ; and for the last , though they have not the law written , they have it in their hearts , and shall be judged according to their consciences . this is fair ; but seeing pardon of sin is limited ( as he speaks ) to believing in christ , and salvation is only through christ's name , according to scripture ; he distinguishes again thus : it is on the account of the death ( or sacrifice ) of christ , that men are pardoned or saved , but it 〈◊〉 not so plainly ●aid , that no man can be saved , unless he hath an ●●p●icit know●●●g● o● 〈◊〉 , together with a belief of it . that is in effect the same i said before , that the redemption we have by christ , and the knowledge of him , is not to be reckoned commensurate ; yet it is but unwarily said of him ( or too warily , as one that is in the water , and feels not a bottom for his feet ) that pardon of sin is positively limited to believing in christ , and thereupon to be forced to mince the matter thus [ it is not so plainly said ] in the words fore-going : whereas , pardon of sin is limited to a believer in christ only , as to such as have had a preacher , as is before understood by himself : but the explicit knowledge of christ , as the gospel reveals him , is not at all required of an heathen man , nor of any man , as of necessity to salvation before christ came . upon this supposition then , that this is not so clearly said in scripture , as the other ; he comes to another distinction , which he says , is to be made , as that which will clear the matter , and all difficulties in it . a great difference ( says he , i will cite all his words ) is to be made between a foederal certainty of salvation , secured by the promises of god , and of this new covenant in christ jesus ; and the extent to which the goodness and mercy of god may go . none are in a foederal state of salvation , but christians : to them is given the covenant of grace , and to them the promises of god are made and offered , so that they have a certainty of it , upon their performing those conditions that are put in the promises : all others are out of this promise , to whom the tydings of it were never brought . in this which is said by this worthy bishop , there is thus much of truth to be acknowledged and noted , that no heathen or jew under their dispensations , had , or could have , such certainty upon their turning to god ( so as to draw near to him in full assurance of faith ) that they should be accepted and saved , as christians have , or may have upon the revelation of jesus christ ; and for that reason , if there were no other , the dispensation the christian is under , is better than that of the jew or heathen , to reflect again on your objection before . but to speak more fully to this matter otherwise , i think fit to remember the doctrine commonly received ( i suppose , even by you , and the bishop , if it be not out of your minds . ) there is a double covenant , the covenant of works , and the covenant of grace . the covenant of works was made with adam , in innoceney , which he broke , and none can keep , to be saved by it : there is therefore the covenant of grace , which was made with adam faln , in the promise of the seed of the woman , that is , of a redeemer , and of salvation , upon the terms of it . there is a government consequently arises to god , from the right of redemption , and that must be by this law , or covenant , seeing the other is of impossible performance . there is no government but by a law , and that must be such as the subject is in a capacity of reward by the keeping , as of punishment by the breaking it , or else it is not righteous and meet . there is a diverse administration therefore of this covenant , or law of grace , according to the revelation god hath made of his will to the sons of men. what god reveals as his will , must be believed and obeyed . under the administration of this covenant to us christians , god's whole design of redeeming and saving us by his son , is fully revealed , and accordingly a faith in him dying for our sins , and rising again for our justification , is required of us , as necessary to our salvation : under the jewish dispensation they believed a messiah to come , and some deliverance by worldly pomp and conquest ( acts 1.6 . ) but as for the salvation of their souls , by his dying for them ( or making satisfaction to god for their sins , by the sacrifice of himself on the cross ) they understood nothing , as appears by the disciples aforesaid , then he took the twelve , and said unto them , behold we go up to jerusalem , and all things that are written by the prophets , concerning the son of man , shall be accomplished : they shall put him to death , and the third day he shall rise again . and they understood not these things , and this saying was hid from them , neither knew they the things which were spoken . likewise , it appears as much by their rulers and chiefest among them , for they that dwell at jerusalem , and their rulers , because they knew him not , nor yet the voice of the prophets , which are read every sabbath day , they have fulfilled them , in condemning him . as for the ancients , before abraham and moses , what revelation they had of god's will , who can tell ? a law they had written in their hearts , which proves a lawgiver , and they had tradition : they believed a god , and that he was gracious to forgive the sinner upon his repentance , as appears by their sacrifices ; and that if they lived uprightly , it should be well with them . now if upon this , it pleased god to choose any one of them , as he did abraham , when he was an idolater , in ur of the caldees , and by his spirit gave him an inward and effectual call , by stirring him up to lay hold on god , and his covenant , in a desire and endeavour to walk up to his light within , or knowledge he hath attained , with sincerity of heart and life , which is performing the condition of the covenant of grace , according to the dispensation he is under ; although such a man does not know upon what account sin is expiated , god reconciled , and the sinner saved ; yet is it certain , that this man's sins are pardoned , god reconciled to him , and his soul in a state of salvation , as well as the christians , who hath the explicit knowledge of christ's death and resurrection ; and that is , upon the same account as his , even through the blood of the everlasting covenant ; to wit , through the covenant of grace , preached and purchased for us by his blood , the death , satisfaction , mediation , redemption of christ jesus ; so that if any held , or are willing to hold , a salvability for the heathen , and yet deny their salvaon by covenant , but by an uncovenanted miraculous mercy , they do but trip in plain ground ; upholding a doctrine that is good and generous , but without its foundation : for there is no way , nor ever was , but one way ( which is this , by the covenant of grace , procured for us by christ ) of salvation to any mortal under heaven . as for them whom god hath left in darkness ( says the bishop , intending all the heathen ) they are certainly out of covenant , out of those promises and declarations that are made in it ; so that they have no foederal right to be saved ; neither can we affirm , that they shall be saved . this , i must needs say , i take to be spoken without second thoughts ; and i like nothing so inconsiderate , though in this excellent person . there is no man coming into the world so left in darkness , but he hath a light within , which if he lives up to , he is one of god's people , says the quaker . there is no man in the earth , that loves god sincerely , i say for certain , can perish . the quakers doctrine , in this point , is to be preferr'd before the bishops . i will say more , there is no man in the earth , heathen or christian , but he is a subject of the covenant , the covenant of grace ; and god is certainly his governour by this law , or covenant , so far , that if he obeys him , answers it , and keeps it , or lives up to that revelation of god's will which he has , he hath , by performing the condition , the promise thereof accordingly to be saved ; and we may affirm that he shall . i must yet say further ( if it be farther ) that there is no man on the earth that is saved , but it must be by the covenant , the covenant of grace , and the promise of it . there is one distinction therefore i must offer , which the bishop hath not , and is wanting in the place , and i will be solemn upon it . it pleased god to call abram out of his country , to make him a nation , and to give him canaan ; and upon this account he is the first elect we read of in scripture . thou art the lord , the god , who didst choose abram , and brought him out of ur , in the caldees . neh. 9.7 . that is , in regard to his posterity after him , who were chosen of god to be a peculiar people to him by a covenant , which was a political covenant between him and them , as their ruler . this covenant required the mark of circumcision in their flesh , by way of separation of that nation from all others . among all the multitudes of people , thou hast gotten thee a people ; and unto this people thou gavest a law that is approved of all , 2 esd . 5.27 . ye stand this day , all of you , before the lord , to enter into covenant with the lord thy god , deut. 27. thou art a holy people unto the lord thy god ; the lord thy god hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself , above all people that are upon the face of the earth , deut. 7.6 . so again , chap. 14. v. 2. a special people , a peculiar people . he hath not dealt so with other nations , as he did to them , says the psalmist . he hath shewn his mind unto jacob , his statutes and judgments to israel , ps . 147.19 , 20. to whom pertaineth the adoption , and the glory , and the covenants , and the giving the law , and the service of god , rom. 19.4 . by all which it appears , that god was their god , and they his people , by a covenant that was peculiar to them as the seed of abraham , with whom it began , and is called by divines therefore the covenant of peculiarity ; which is to be distinguished in this respect from the covenant of grace that does belong to all mankind , the posterity of adam ; the difference indeed being in regard to its divers administrations . when the scripture therefore does speak of the gentiles , that they were , in respect to the jews , without god in the world , without the covenant , aliens to the commonwealth of israel , without hope , ( the hope of israel ) without christ , strangers to the covenant of promise : we are to understand all this in regard to the church state of the jews ( which no nation but the jews were in ) as appears by all the texts before-cited . they were without god : how is that ? as he was to the jews a peculiar governour ; but not without god as universal soveraign of heaven and earth . is he the god of the jews only ? is he not of the gentiles ? yea of the gentiles also , rom. 3.29 . without the covenant : how is that ? without the covenant of peculiarity ; not without the covenant of grace , but under the government of god by this law , or covenant , which is the law of the gospel , by which all men at the great day shall be judged : according to my gospel , says the apostle , rom. 2.16 . that law now cannot but be the law we must live by , ( as govern'd by god ) which we must be judged by : that law must be first norma officii , a rule of life ; which at last must be norma judicii , the rule of judgment . well then , there is that covenant ( which some call a political , some a peculiar , some a subservient covenant ) belonging to the jews ( and now to us christians also ) the partition wall being thrown down , who are therefore as the jews were , called by peter , a chosen generation , a royal priesthood , a holy nation , a peculiar people , ( 1 pet. 2.9 . ) and by paul are said to be grafted into their olive ; that is , into the same external covenant-relation , ( rom. 11.17 . ) and this the heathen are without : but there is also the covenant of life , of grace , of salvation , or of the gospel ; and this we are all under , jew and gentile , christian and heathen ; and though the gentile came not in to the jew to be circumcised , and the heathen come not in to us to be baptized , that is , to the profession of this covenant , they are yet all under the verge of it , in regard to obligation ; and if any of them be wrought on by the spirit , so as inwardly to enter into , and keep it , they are made partakers of the benefit , the priviledge , the promise of it , as well as the christian . i have had lately sent me some certain manuscripts to read , the works of a sedulous divine i know not , an anti-arminian , learned , pious man , who hath these words in one of these manuscripts , which i will transcribe . dr. payne ( p. 513. ) says , it has been an uncharitable question , whether any of the gentiles should be saved ? now they cannot be saved in an ordinary way , by vertue of the christian covenant , to which they have no title or claim : yet god may in extraordinary mercy let all mankind have the benefit of it , and save them by christ , though they know him not . ans . it is certain , that all such of fallen mankind , as be penitent , and honour god by holy love and obedience , have , by god's holy covenant in christ , true right to remission of sins , and the kingdom of heaven , and shall be saved ; they are really and indeed true saints : but no one of fallen mankind can be truly penitent , and honour god by holy love and obedience , without special grace : and special grace god gives to none of fallen mankind , save for the sake of christ , who hath merited it for all the elect , by vertue of the covenant between god and christ , according to the fore-knowledge and purpose of god. these are the words of another ; and i am to give no more account of them than i please : but this i will add to them , that the elect , which are to be gathered from the four quarters of the earth , are , i believe , in some more places than where there are christians . i return : to them pertain the covenants , and the giving the law. the covenants of circumcision , and that covenant when he took them by the hand , to lead them out of the land of egypt ; and the law and ordinances given by moses : these indeed , its true , did pertain to the jews only , and not to any other people : but there was a promise which belonged to them also , by which , when none of them were justifiable by their works , for by the deeds of the law shall no flesh living be justified , the penitent believing jew was saved . the promise was the promise of the woman's seed , made to adam fallen , and the same promise made to abraham ▪ that in his seed should all the nations of the earth be blessed , which was the substance of the gospel preached to him , which is now preached to the world ; that is , the promise of a redeemer , who was then to come , and so was only in promise , but now already come ; that redemption obtained , and the promise fulfilled . again , as for the giving the law , there is a law which came from mount sinai , and it is true , this pertained to the jew ; but there is a law also from zion , and that belongs to jew and gentile , christian and heathen . out of zion shall go forth a law , and the word of the lord from jerusalem , isa . 2.3 . this is the law of the gospel , and the same with the covenant of grace , of life and salvation : if there be any then that apprehend the covenant of grace to be made with christ , in behalf of the elect , and to belong only to them , i am not of their opinion . the covenant of grace , i account , is god's covenant with mankind , and made with adam fallen , in behalf of his posterity ; and this is as good as expresly declared by christ , go , preach the gospel to all nations , to every creature , or to all the world ; he that believes , or whosoever believes , shall be saved ; and he that believes not , shall be damned , mat. 28.19 . mark 16.15 , 16. this is likewise as good as exprest by st. paul ; this is the covenant i will make with the house of israel , after those days , heb. 8.10 . who is the house of israel , now the partition wall between the jew and gentile is down , but the whole world ? besides , if christ be party , how is he mediator ? a mediator is to bring two parties to agreement . if god and christ be the parties , and not god and man , how is he the mediator between god and men ? for there is one god , and one mediator between god and men , the man christ jesus , 1 tim. 2.5 . that the redemption of christ therefore is universal , and the effect of it , the covenant , belongs to all , is not to be denyed ; nay , because the covenant belongs to all , or because it must be granted , that christ hath died for all , so far that he hath obtained an universal conditional remission and salvation , or a law , or act of grace , that whosoever believes and repents , or performs the condition of the gospel , shall be pardoned , and saved by the gospel ; therefore must our redemption by christ be universal . and if any persist to deny it , whosoever they be , though they see it not , ( for then they would not presume to do so ) they , in effect , do divest god , as redeemer , of his government over the world. this must appear , by what hath been said , to an intelligent man. it is time for me then to come now to the testimony i am willing to produce out of other books i have formerly written , that this doctrine may not appear strange , as newly taken up , or not consider'd as throughly as i could ; but by the confirmation and inculcation thereof , with the cumulative light i bring out of them , it may find the willinger admission , and give satisfaction to them that have free minds , and are meet to receive it . out of a book , entituled , the ax laid to the root of separation . as god has made all things , so is he universal governour of his creatures . the government of god over his creatures , that are reasonable , must be a moral government , requiring obedience from them upon motives of reward and punishment . the instrument of this government must be his law. the law of god is either the law of nature , or his revealed and positive laws . the government of god is likewise double , natural , or conventional . the natural government of god over men and women , which he hath by right of creation , is over all the world , as they are particular persons , giving them the law of nature to live by , that they may please him and be saved . this law of nature , is either the law of innocent , or lapsed nature . the law of innocent nature , is that perfect rule of righteousness that was writ in adam's heart , when created , requiring him to preserve his innocency and integrity upon pain of death ; and it is called the law of works . the law of lapsed nature , is the same law with mitigation , requiring the same duty , but not as the condition of life ; accepting of the imperfect service of man , according to his present state , so long as it is performed in sincerity of heart towards god ; and is called the law of grace . as man in innocency had the notices of the most holy god , and his duty writ in his heart , or could gather it from the light of his reason , being to live perfectly in that state : so must the world , after man's fall , and the loss of his innocency , have some the like notices implanted there , or arising naturally from the exercise of his faculties , that god is good and merciful , and will not punish him if he repent , but consider him according to his frail condition ; and consequently , that he must now have no government at all over him for life and salvation , or else that he must be under another law than that of innocency , or under other conditions , in obeying it ; for else must every man on the earth everlastingly perish . upon what account , or upon what ground , the righteousness of god could stand in dealing with man , when fallen , by another law than that at first implanted in him in innocency , was a mystery hidden from the foundation of the world , and not revealed , but darkly , till the times of the gospel . but the belief that god was good , and would pardon the sinner upon his repentance , though they could not tell how , or upon what ground it was ( the way of reconciliation through christ being beyond the ken of all humane understanding ) was general in the world ; as does appear in particular by the ninevites ; as also by the sacrifices for appeasing the deity , which have been in use in all nations . not but they all are under the same law as adam was , ( the law that was for our nature cannot be altered ) but we are not under it upon the same terms . we are under it , so as we are bound to live according to it ; but we are not under it so as to be justified or condemned by it : we are under it as a rule of life , but not under it as the rule of judgment . there is one religion therefore , law or rule , for all mankind to obtain life by , which being the law of our lapsed nature , or remedying law , containing god's grace administred to all the earth , in a threefold state , of such as were , or are , without the law , ( or before it ) and under the law , and under the gospel . as this administration is threefold , so hath the faith , which is the condition thereof , been diversifyed . but now is the righteousness of god revealed from faith to faith. the righteousness of god , is the righteousness of this law , which hath ever been a-foot in the world ▪ and though a heathen hath not that faith as is required of the christian , in the third edition of it , or that which was required of the jew under the second ; yet hath he such a faith as belongs to the first , such as the ancients before abraham had : and so long as that faith he has does work by love , or by sincere obedience to god , according to the light he has , it will justifie him , as well as that which is now farther required of us under the gospel . it follows , that this law ( being that which is given for life , and so the one only true measure of religion to all the world ) must belong to the government of god , which is universal , and that is the natural government of god. the government of god which is conventional , is that government which he hath taken over some certain persons , as they are gathered or joyned together in societies , unto which they are called out from the world , for the glorifying his name in that worship or service of him , which he hath instituted by his positive law , precepts , ordinances , ( i mean such as he hath any ways revealed to be his will ) whether they be such as belong to the law of nature also , or such as do not ) in order to the taking , owning and acknowledging him for their god in a peculiar manner ; that is , in opposition to the worship of any other god or idols , and the serving him the true god in any other way , but what he hath appointed ; and their becoming thereby a peculiar people to him , and so being under his favour and blessing , in regard to all the good things of this life , and that which is to come . i do observe here , the government of god which is natural , is over all the world : this government which is conventional , is over some persons only , called out of the world , into a peculiar relation to god. that the one is over all , but considered as single persons , taking in every individual in the world ; the other over some , and so over singulars also , but considered as incorporated , for the publick service of god. that the one government is by the law of nature , ( i mean , both of lapsed and innocent nature : ) the other is , by his positive and revealed ▪ laws . that these laws and ordinances of god therefore , which he hath revealed , as they are more ▪ and as they are revealed otherwise , or farther than by the light of nature , or natural reason only , are a high priviledge to such as they are vouchsafed to . what advantage then hath the jew above the gentile ? much every way , chiefly because unto them was committed the oracles of god , rom. 3.1 , 2. he hath shewed his mind to jacob , his statutes and judgments unto israel : he hath not dealt so with any other nation , ps . 147.19 , 20. this giving to a people his oracles , or positive institutions , are advantagious upon this account , that they are means for obtaining his blessing , or else there could be no such advantages in them . this blessing of god must be look'd on , not only to concern temporal things , but spiritual and eternal : for , seeing man consists of a body , and a soul , and that soul is immortal , he cannot be blessed but in both ; and the great and principal advantage therefore that we have by these ordinances , or government of god which is conventional , must and does lie in being means for the bringing men up to the performance of the terms of that law , which god by his government , that is natural and universal , hath made to be the rule of judgment to all men , for everlasting life or condemnation . thus much as introductory , out of that book ; i come now to another . out of a book , call'd , peaceable disquisitions . there is a threefold government ( in one , to speak accurately ) that god hath had in the world over man , in reference to his chief end , the salvation of his soul. the first was , by the law of nature ; the second , by the law of moses ; and the third , by the law of christ . before god gave his law unto israel , the whole world was under that law which is written in the heart ▪ god must govern man by that only , when there was no other . this law now writ in man's heart ( we are to know ) is two-fold ; for nature coming under a double consideration , as entire and as fallen , the law must be double ; the law of innocent nature ( or law of innocency ) and the law of lapsed nature , which is the law of grace and mercy towards man , in regard to his fallen condition . to express it more fully , there is lex naturae , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , and lex connaturalis gratiae ; the law of nature , and the connatural law of grace , as suarez hath it in his book de legibus . i am much pleased with the terms , though i found not that he did well understand them , or explain them himself . only thus much he says , that the ancients , before moses , who were govern'd by the law of nature only , must have this lex connaturalis gratiae together with it , or comprehended under it , or else no man then upon earth could be saved ; which is a truth so evident , as makes the proof of that law , by that reason alone , to be good . when he terms this law then connatural , i understand by it , that this law of lapsed nature , this law of grace , or remedying law , is written in the heart of man , in regard to his fallen nature , no less than the law of pure nature it self was . the law of nature , as i take it , is the dictates of right reason , declaring to us our duty to god , to our selves , to our neighbours ; and the light of the same reason will dictate to us , when we have fail'd in that duty , to repent , and turn to god , with trusting in his mercy , for pardon if we do so , and not else . we do find it legible in our hearts , that god is good and wisely gracious to pity our infirmities , and consider our lost estate , and necessary frailty , as that there is a god , and any worship that is at all due to him . there is mercy with thee , that thou should'st be feared . and these characters , thus engraven in the heart of man , is the same law of grace in the practical contents , as is more largely paraphrased on by the prophets in the old , and the apostles in the new testament . there is no difference at all in the substance , ( as divines speak ) but in the administration . it is no otherwise than as a book thrice printed , the second edition is larger than the first , and the third most compleat and perfect . this i will say , the covenant was still on foot , the condition , sincerity in walking according to their light ; men were judged by it , and many saved . here only is the difference , that the foundation , on which all this is laid , the mediation , sacrifice and righteousness of christ , comes not to be revealed but in types , and darker promises , till the promulgation of the gospel . now , i say , that though the heathen be not under ( or have not ) this law of grace , in the third and last setting out , or in the state under the gospel , yet they are under it ( or have it ) in the state of the ancients , or as they had it in the first promulgation ; and upon supposition , that any of them do , according to the light they have , live up in sincerity to this law , i dare not be the man that shall deny but through the grace of our lord jesus christ ( procuring this law or covenant for them , as for us , and all the world ) they shall be saved , even as we ; and we shall be saved , even as they . to them who by patient continuance in well-doing , seek for it , eternal life . not to leave this yet , i have learned from cicero , that all laws must be derived from the divine reason and will. i have learned from others , that this reason of god , in his government of all things , agreeable to his own nature , and the nature of his creatures , is the eternal law. i have learned from the scripture , that there is a law of works , and a law of grace . i do learn by consequence , that these laws ( as frames of god's government over man ) must be reconcileable with the eternal law , or the reason of his wisdom , and justice , and goodness ; the one of them being fit for the state of man in innocency , the other for his lapsed condition . how these laws do now consist , and not consist , with one another , while the scriptures say sometimes , that we are freed from the law ; and sometimes , that it is established ; sometimes , that not a tittle of it shall pass ; and sometimes , that we are not under the law , but under grace ; i do not intend here any full decision : i will draw only one chief stroke towards it . the law may be considered as the rule of man's duty , or measure of good and evil , according to his own nature and god's ; or as the instrument of god's government over man , or measure of his dealing with us , or judging us according to our deservings . it cannot be conceived , but so long as the nature of god and man is the same , and good and evil ( which consists of agreeableness , or disagreeableness , to them both ) is the same , the law of nature must remain unchangeable , as the measure of our moral actions : but as it is the instrument of god's government in the world , it is as certain , that through the mediation of christ ( who hath satisfied his father for our breach of it ) it is relaxed , so as we are not dealt withal according to the tenor of the law , in the matters of this life , or of that which is to come . i distinguish these two things , a rule of life , and a rule for life . a rule for life is expressed in these words , he that doeth them shall live in them . we are freed from the law on the latter account , we are made free to it in regard to the former . that is , we are under the law , so as that we are still bound to live according to it ; but we are delivered from it , so as ( through mercy , and the merits of christ ) we shall not be judged by it . there is norma vitae , and norma judicii . the law is of force as a rule of life or duty ; but we are not under it as a rule of judgment . we shall be judged , says st. james , by the law of liberty ; and paul says , according to my gospel . blessed be god for this good truth . now , that the government of god over the whole world is by the law of grace , and not of works ( thus much being said only for light in the way ) does appear , as the sun or moon in the heavens . for god hath not left himself without witness , in that he does good , and gives us fruitful seasons . these are effects of his mercy , which he could not shew to the world , as he does , if he dealt with it according to the law of works . when abraham pleads with god for sodom , that he would spare it if there were ten righteous persons there , it is manifest , that he must account of god's government over the earth , to be a government of grace . that the righteous be as the wicked , that be far from thee , ( says he ) shall not the judge of all the earth do right ? if god should do but right to the best of men , according to the righteousness of the law of works , there could be no such pleading as this . neither is there any righteous , no not one , says the scripture ; nor could god have accepted of abraham himself for one , had there been nine besides , but upon the account of the law of grace . it is a righteousness consisting in a condecency of his goodness and mercy , and not in the rule of his district holiness that abraham intends . when the prophets call upon israel to repent , and to do righteousness , that they may live , it is a perpetual discovery , that god dealt not with them according to the covenant of works . the law admits no repentance , and there is no righteousness that a man can live by , according to the law. it is such a righteousness then they must mean still , which is the same with the just man's faith , whereby it is said he shall live ; and that is the righteousness of faith , or righteousness of god in the gospel , which lies in a conformity to the law of grace . we are righteous , according to this law , when we perform the condition : god is righteous according to it , when he accepts us thereupon unto pardon and life . we have a most signal instance in the ninevites of these two things i do here stand upon . if god's government over the heathen was not by the law of grace , how could the ninevites , by their repentance have diverted his judgments ? and if this law had not been connatural with fallen man , so as to be written in their hearts , how could they trust in god , that upon their forsaking sin , and their turning to him , they should find mercy , and be saved from destruction ? both these things ( i say ) have , in this one instance , their full evidence . and what think we of cornelius , the centurion and roman , how could his prayers and alms be accepted with god , if cornelius as well as paul , a roman as well as a jew , were not under the same government of grace , when there is nothing we do but is imperfect , and liable to a curse , by the law of works ? and what shall we conclude then , from both instances , but that which peter , upon conviction , himself concludes ? of a truth i perceive , that god is no respecter of persons , but in every nation he that feareth him and worketh righteousness , is accepted of him . there are three things go to a law : that it be for the publick good , that it be the will of the lawgiver , that it be promulgated to the subject . that the law of grace is good for the world , there can be no question ; that it is god's will the world should be govern'd by it , appears by what is spoken ; and that this law hath been promulgated to mankind , appears both in the general notice of it in men's hearts , ( i will write my law in their hearts , says god , in the new covenant , as distinguished from that of moses and in the express declaration of god to our first parents , that the seed of the woman should break the serpent's head ; and in his covenanting with noah , which must be understood , without dispute , in regard to all posterity . now , when such a law hath been promulgated to adam and noah , as belonging to all the world , being to come of them , it must be proved , that this law hath been somewhere , or at sometime , again repealed by god ; or else must every man and woman in the world be under this government of god , according to it , and consequently be in a capacity of salvation . i will , to these reasonings , add one syllogism : it is not the hearers of the law , but doers , shall be justified . this is express in one verse of the second to the romans . but some heathen are doers , though not hearers of it . this is affirmed in the next verse . for when the gentiles , which have not the law , do by nature the things contained in the law , with the rest following . ergo , some heathen are justified and saved . if any cavil , and say , that no man is a doer of the law ; he must be answered , that the apostle here speaks of such a doing only as is supposed to be among the jews , that were godly , or jews inwardly , in the verses after . and i renew my argument : they that are doers of the law , according to the sense of such texts , as make the keeping the commandments of god necessary to salvation ; such as when christ says , if thou wilt enter into life , keep the commandments ; and such as when the apostle says , ( as before ) they that by patient continuance in well-doing , seek for glory , shall have eternal life ; that is , they who are doers of it , as all that are jews inwardly , and in the spirit , do keep it , and no otherwise ; to wit , not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , not according to the rigour of the law , but according to acceptation , by the equity of the gospel ; they , i say , shall be justified and saved . but some heathen are doers of the law in this sense , which is the sense of the apostle . ergo , some heathen are justified and saved . i confirm the m●nor by the words ensuing , that we may be sure we have the mind of the apostle : therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righoeousness of the law , shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision ? and shall not uncircumcision , which is by nature , if it fulfil the law , judge thee , who by the letter and circumcision doest break the law ? it follows , that such as these therefore are jews inwardly , and in the spirit ; though they were not outward jews , or in the flesh , or of the circumcision , as is apparent in the words already , and the last verses . they that are jews inwardly , and in the spirit then , ( i follow my argument ) though not outwardly so , and in the flesh , do fulfil the law , in the sense of this place , and are justified . but such are some of the heathen here , according to the apostle ▪ ergo , some heathen are justified and saved . and what could be desired more full and convincing ? if i● were not for the first verse which follows in the next chapter ▪ which does yet add such abounding confirmation to it , as i must profess my self perfectly struck with the evidence , as with a beam of light , never to be withstood , or any more doubted : what advantage then hath the jew above the gentile ? these are the words . it cannot be imagined by me now , that this question could be offered , after he had said thus much ▪ if there were such a difference between these two , as that one of them only was under a possibility of salvation , and not the other . it is brought as an objection to his foregoing assertion , in this sense , that if this be true , there appears no difference in the matter , whether a man be a jew or a gentile ; seeing he that hath the law written only in his heart , and keeps it ( that is , in sincerity ) shall have the benefit , and be saved , as well as he that hath it written in the bible . the apostle does as good as answer , this is true ; yet is there a difference , chiefly because that unto the jews were committed the oracles of god. i interpret not these words , but give this paraphrase : the heathen were under the same law of grace for life as the jews , but the jews advantage was , that they had it in the second promulgation , with this priviledge of ordinances ; and our advantage is the like over them , that we have it in the third and last promulgation , by the gospel . i argue then , once more : if this was the chief advantage the jew had over the gentile , that the one had the oracles of god , and the other had not , then was there not this difference between them , that one was in a capacity , and the other under an impossibility of salvation ; for this were an advantage of a far greater nature . but this was the chief advantage . chiefly because — ergo. the objections against this doctrine are two : the one is from the scriptures , which in many places in the new testament , do require faith in christ , or believing the gospel , as the condition of salvation . he that believeth not , shall be damned . i answer , as the apostle says of the law , now we know , that whatsoever things the law saith , it saith to them that are under the law : so say i of the gospel , whatsoever things , of this kind , the gospel saith , it saith to those that are under the gospel . where the gospel is preached , and revelation is sufficient , so that men wilfully reject it , such are left without excuse ; the case of such is dangerous indeed , and these texts applicable to them : if you believe not that i am he , you shall dye in your sins . but as for those who never heard the gospel , or when the revelation hath been insufficient for such conviction , the case ( i hope ) is otherwise ; the case is , i think , as i have said ; and our good god will not require of any more than he hath given . the other objection is from the authority of men , or of the church more generally , that condemns this opinion : but i account the verdict of christians , in this point , is for themselves , and so partial . i suppose it taken again upon trust , and followed by the most for want of light ; and i believe also , that if they had but this light only , that i offer , they would have determined as i do . it is true , i grant , as the church thinks , that there is no religion , by which a man can be saved , but one only , that is the true religion : but this is a great truth here to be received , that christianity in the root , according to what is said , is the universal religion of mankind ; ( whom therefore ye ignorantly worship , him declare i unto you ) so that the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , they that live according to reason , as socrates , heraclitus , and the like men , were christians , though they were not so called , according to justin martyr in his apology . which doctrine , nevertheless ( to salve most fully the eighteenth article of the church , at first mentioned ) is not to be harboured , but as it is compatible with this certain position , that there is no way , for all that , under heaven , whereby a man is , was , or can be saved , but through the name and mediation only of our saviour . for other foundation can no man lay , than that is laid , which is christ jesus . out of a book , concerning the universality of redemption , and two other points . from the universality of redemption , there does arise a government of grace , which god hath over the whole world ; that is , a government by the law of grace , which christ hath purchased , as the instrument of that government , whereby salvation is made possible to all mankind , or whereby pardon and life are made attainable by all men , on a possible condition . if you ask me , what that is , wherein this possibility is placed ? this i perceive is a hard question made , but i will answer easily : it is to be placed in the lowering the condition to the capacity of the persons , having the power and use of their natural faculties , so that whosoever he be that lives up sincerely to the light that he has , shall be saved . such is the law of grace ( i say ) purchased by christ , by which we are govern'd , and shall be judged , that whosoever lives up to the light and means he has , in sincerity , shall be saved by it . i will add , whosoever does but what he can , in order to his salvation , is sincere ; and consequently the condition must be possible : but seeing no mortal does what he can , ( every man can do more good , and less evil , than he does ) i say , if he does sincerely what he can ( which all the elect from the four quarters of the earth , and the elect only , will surely do ) he shall have life , notwithstanding all his imperfections . this being premised , as to the possibility of the performance then it self , it is founded in dono supernaturali a viatore quocunque possibiliter recipiendo , secundum legem ordinariam , as the schools speak . it is an error ( one of them call'd vulgar ) which hath reigned too long in the christian church , to think that none can be saved by the name of christ , who have not heard him preached to them ; or that the extent of christ's death , and the benefit of it , is commensurate with the knowledge of him . the error hath arose through carelesness of divines , in not considering the point , and the partiality of the people to their own religion . the jew will have none but the jews , the mahometan none but the mahometans , the christian none but the christians , to be saved . but i am hugely perswaded otherwise , that there are millions that have been , and thousands are living in the world , that have never known , and shall never know , how much they are beholding to jesus christ , till they come before him in judgment , and then they shall know it to their comfort ; and christ will stay for his thanks till that day , when that comfort , and those thanks , shall be everlasting . to say , that any man was , is , or can be , saved without christ , is an error indeed ; and if any one shall go to preach up the salvability of the heathen , without this foundation ( that is to say , lay any other foundation than what is laid , christ jesus ) the eighteenth article of the church does anathematize that person ( for such ignorance is truly accursed : ) but that article must not be thought to curse or condemn any that maintain salvation alone by christ , though he hold also that some heathen may be saved . let the title of the article give the interpretation . out of another book of his , wherein some of the articles of the church are occasionally explained . art. 18. of obtaining eternal salvation only by the name of christ . they are to be held accursed , that presume to say , that every man shall be saved by the law or sect which he professeth , so that he be diligent to frame his life according to that law , and the light of nature : for holy scripture doth set out unto us , only the name of jesus christ whereby men must be saved . i observe , the church hath but one anathema in all her articles , and that seems to be denounced here against all those who do or shall hold , that any persons can be saved that are not christians by profession ; as if the death of christ , or the benefits thereof , and the knowledge of him , were commensurate through the world. but god forbid ! i am out of doubt that god hath a government over all mankind , which is moral , in order to life or salvation ; and that the instrument of that government must be the law of grace ( the law of innoceney becoming in the state of lapsed nature uncapable to that end ) which being at first promulgated to adam after his fall , and to noah , must belong to all his posterity ; insomuch as every one ( whosoever he be ) that lives up in sincerity to this law , according to the administration of it he is under , shall be saved . for my assent then to this article , i do desire the word [ by ] may be especially noted . i could not assent to this article if it were [ in ] in the law or sect he professeth , but being [ by ] i hold plainly , that if an heathen , or any person that never heard the gospel , repents of his sins , and trusts to a good god , and so lives up to the law ( or covenant ) of grace , according to the first edition of it , ( i say , if any such indeed do , rom. 2.26 . acts 10.35 . ) and thereby comes to be saved , it is by the christian religion , which he implicitly holds in substance with us , and not by the law and sect he professeth , that he is saved . and this salvation of his , is in and through the name and mediation of jesus christ ( no less than ours is ) who procured that law for them , and all the world , as well as for abraham , and the jews under the old , and for us under the new testament . a note hereupon . note here , that the writer of this , being a non-conformist minister , episcopally ordained ; and holding communion with his parish-church , as the old non-conformists did , thought good to make a trial for the recovery of the use of his ministry , in preaching an occasional sermon , when called , though without benefice or emolument , which requires farther compliance ; did , in order to obtain a license , unto which an approbation of the thirty nine articles is required by the uniformity-act , propose a subscribing to them , with a liberty of explication , if that might be granted ; his judgment being , that as all impositions are to be taken in the sense of the imposers , these articles must be taken in the sense of the compilers , or at least he must be construed so to take them , if he did subscribe them without that liberty first granted , and declared . upon this account he made for himself his explications of all the articles he scrupled , and the bishop of salisbury hath light upon the same explication of this eighteenth article ( which is cited before ) as he only this difference must be observed , that this explications is reckoned satisfactory in point of conscience by him , upon the supposition of a liberty of explication to be first granted ; but the bishop proposes this explication as satisfactory to a clergy-man for his subscribing , without the grant to him of a liberty to make it . there have been great divines , who looking on the articles , to be articles for peace , and not articles of faith , have thought it enough for their subscription to them , that they engage to bear with , and not contradict them : this worthy bishop therefore does honestly show , that this is a sense too loose for the clergy-man , who is to declare , that what he subscribes is his opinion , and is bound to take every arti●●e in the literal and grammatical sense of it , as is enjoyned by the king's declaration before the articles . upon this account the bishop's distinction , between the words by and in , is proper , as easy , if the authentick sense be not to be stood upon , but a literal and grammatical construction altogether . i would fain therefore ask the bishop , whether a literal and grammatical construction can be made to salve all the other articles , as well as this ? i will propose two words in two articles : the one is that word [ thorowly ] in the eighth article . the three creeds ought thorowly to be received and believed . if thorowly , then in every part , then the beginning , the middle , and the end , of the athanasian creed , must be believed ; then must the proem and the conclusion be believed . does the bishop believe so ? if he indeed does not , then is that fair grammatical literal come-off to no purpose , in the eighteenth article , when he is gravell'd in the same matter in the eight . the common answer ( says the bishop ) of the most eminent men of the church , is , that these expressions are only to be understood to relate to those , who having the means of instruction offered them , have rejected them — upon such as do thus reject this great article of the christian doctrine , concerning one god , and three persont , and that other concerning the incarnation of christ , are these anathemaes denounced . this is well , exceeding well ; but is this a literal gramatical construction ? will the word [ thor●●ly ] so literally and grammatically be thus expounded ? the other word i have to propose , is the word [ only ] in the eleventh article : that we are justified by faith only , is a wholsome doctrine . in the literal grammatical construction this cannot be subscribed , because it is litterally and grammatically contrary to st. james , who says , not by faith only , but by works also . in the authentick sense one may believe the compilers meant , by only , what paul says , by faith without works ; which , by distinguishing works , may be reconciled to st. james . if the articles then must be subscribed in the literal grammatical sense , what shall we do with them ? subscribe them we cannot . why they must , be let alone . the truth is , these articles , if conscienciously subscribed , must be subscribed in the authentick sense or meaning of the church , and so of the compilers , and that construed literally and grammatically , which makes them the harder . they may remain therefore as standing still for the articles of the church , but without the injunction of her sons to subscribe them . for no man of a free judgment , that will subscribe nothing but what he understands and believes , will be able to bring his ego libenter & ex animo , to do it . o quando ! oh when will the time come , that we may have an act for comprehension , which may provide for the forbearance of such subscriptions , declarations , and oaths , that the largest exposition that can be made of them , does but render a noli me tangere to conformist and non-conformist , and even to himself that makes , or hath made it ? there is a threefold interpretation , an authentick , a usual , and a doctrinal interpretation , according to suarez de legibus . the authentick interpretation of an imposition , is the exposition of it according to the sense and meaning of the imposer ; and the authentick interpretation of the articles is to understand them according to the meaning of those who compiled them , and consequently of the church which enjoyned them according to their meaning . the usual interpretation of these articles , who can tell ? but if any shall cite chillingworth , and arch-bishop usher , and say that any interpretation of an article , as it pleaseth the taker , so long as he obliges himself not to contradict it , is that which is usual ; i think he speaks true : but then this usual interpretation is not allowed the clergy-man by the bishop , as is noted before , because it is loose and sinful , as he shews upon clear reason ; and in this , the bishop will have a good conscience at the great day . a doctrinal interpretation is the explication of any doctor , or doctors , of the church , concerning an article , which is but rational , and not inconsistent with the scripture , and the analogy of faith , especially if it be ingenuous and candid , and sit to be received . now if upon the call of any parliament , there should be occasion for the convocation to sit , and they should make a canon on purpose to authorize , declare and signifie , that the subscription to the articles which is enjoyned , is be understood , not in the authentick or usual , but only in a doctrinal interpretation ; then would this book of the bishop be of singular use , and highly to be approved : but if it serve only to justifie the imposing this subscription , and continue it without a liberty of explication , or any such canon , ( there being these two ways only , i can think on , to make the imposition conscionable ) i must declare what i apprehend , that this book of the bishop will be , and must needs be , a snare unto many . i will add , that if it were writ with the intention to uphold and continue the subscription , ( which i believe not of this worthy author ) or if it does but hinder the taking of it off , which was designed in the convention parliament , as this bishop knows ; there is no man will have more cause of regret , and to be more deeply touched at the heart about the book , than he himself , that hath so ingenuously and exquisitely wrote it . the end . a graine of musterd-seede or, the least measure of grace that is or can be effectuall to saluation. corrected and amended by w. perkins. perkins, william, 1558-1602. 1611 approx. 50 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 36 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2008-09 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a09436 stc 19725 estc s113662 99848893 99848893 14014 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a09436) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 14014) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1475-1640 ; 1459:06) a graine of musterd-seede or, the least measure of grace that is or can be effectuall to saluation. corrected and amended by w. perkins. perkins, william, 1558-1602. [4], 67, [1] p. by iohn legate, printer to the vniuersitie of cambridge. 1611. and are to be sold in pauls church-yard at the signe of the crowne by simon waterson, printed at london : [1611] reproduction of the original in the cambridge university library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title 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proofread 2007-09 lisa chin text and markup reviewed and edited 2008-02 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion a graine of mvsterd-seede or , the least measure of grace that is or can be effectuall to saluation . corrected and amended by w. perkins . printed at london by iohn legate , printer to the vniuersitie of cambridge . 1611. and are to be sold in pauls church-yard as the signe of the crowne by simon waterson . to the right honourable and vertuous lady the ladie margaret , countesse of cumberland , grace and peace . right honourable , the kingdome of heauen , of which the scripture speaketh so oft , is properly a certaine state or condition , whereby wee stand in the fauour and loue of god , in and by christ. and this kingdome is compared to a graine of musterd-seede , to teach vs that a man is euen at that instant alreadie entred into the kingdome of heauen , when the lord that good husbandman hath cast but some little portion of faith or repentance into the ground of the heart ; yea , though it be but as one graine of musterd-seede . of this little graine i haue penned this treatise , in quantitie answerable thereto : and i now present the same to your ladishippe , not to supplie your want , ( for i hope you are stored with many graines of this kinde ) but to performe some dutie on my part . hoping therefore that your ladiship will read and accept the same , i take my leaue , commending you to the blessing and protection of the almightie . your honours to command , w. perkins . a graine of musterd-seede , or , the least measure of grace , that is , or can be effectuall to saluation . it is a very necessary point to be knowne , what is the least measure of grace that can befall the true childe of god , lesser then which , there is no grace effectuall to saluation . for first of all , the right vnderstanding of this point , is the very foundation of true comfort vnto all troubled & touched cōsciences . secondly , it is a notable meanes to stirre vp thankefulnesse in them that haue any grace at all ; when they shall in examination of then selues consider , that they haue receiued of god the least measure of grace , or more . thirdly , it will be an inducement , and a spurre vnto many carelesse and vnrepentant persons , to embrace the gospel , and to beginne repentance for their sinnes ; when they shall perceiue , and that by the word of god , that god accepts the very seeds and rudiments of faith and repentance at the first , though they be but in measure as a graine of musterd-seed . now then for opening and clearing of this point : i will set downe fiue seuerall conclusions , in such order as one shall confirme and explane the other , and one depend vpon the other . i. conclusion . a man that doth but beginne to be conuerted , is euen at that instant , the very child of god , though inwardly hee be more carnall then spirituall . the exposition . in a man there must be cōsidered three things , the substance of the body and soule , whereof man is saide to consist ; the faculties placed in the soule and exercised in the body , as vnderstanding , will , affections : the integritie tegritie and puritie of the faculties , whereby they are cōformable to the will of god and beare his image . and since the fall of adam , man is not depriued of his substance or of the powers and faculties of his soule , but onely of the third , which is the puritie , or integritie of nature . and therfore the conuersion of a sinner , whereof the conclusion speaketh , is not the change of the substance of man , or of the faculties of the soule : but a renewing and restoring of that puritie and holinesse which was lost by mans fall , with the abolishment of that natural corruption that is in all the powers of the soule . this is the worke of god , and of god alone , and that on this manner . first of all , when it pleaseth god to worke a change in any , he doth it not first in one part , then afterward in another , as hee that repaires a decaied house by peece-meale : but the worke , both for the beginning , continuance , and accomplishment , is in the whole man , and euery part at once , specially in the minde , conscience , will , and affections : as on the cōtrary , when adam lost the image of god , he lost it in euery part . secondly , the cōuersion of a sinner is not wrought all at one instant , but in continuance of time : & that by certaine measures and degrees . and a man is then in the first degree of his conuersion when the holy ghost by the meanes of the word , inspires him with some spirituall motions , & begins to regenerate and renew the inward powers of his soule . and he may in this case very fitly be compared to the night in the first dawning of the day , in which though the darkenes remaine and be more in quātity then the light , yet the sun hath alreadie cast some beames of light into the aire , whereupon we tearme it the breaking of the day . now then , the very point which i teach , is that a man at this instant , and in this very state ( god as yet hauing but laid certen beginnings of true cōuersion in his heart ) is the very child of god , and that not only in the eternall purpose of god ( as all the elect are ) but indeed by actuall adoption : and this is plain by a manifest reason : there be foure speciall workes of grace in euery child of god : his vnion with christ , his adoption , iustification , and conuersion : & these foure are wrought al at one instant , so as for order of time , neither goes before nor after other : and yet in regard of order of nature , vnion with christ , iustification , and adoption , goe before the inward conuersion of a sinner , it beeing the fruit and effect of all . vpon this it followeth necessarily , that a sinner in the very first act of his conuersion , is iustified , adopted , and incorporated into the misticall bodie of christ. in the parable of the prodigall sonne , the father with ioy receiues his wicked child ; but when ? surely when he saw him comming a farre off , and when as yet he had made no confession or humiliation to his father , but onely had conceiued with himselfe a purpose to returne and to say , father i haue sinned against heauen and against thee , &c. and paul saith of many of the corinthians , that he could not speake vnto them as spiritual men , but as carnall , euē babes in christ , 1. cor. 3. 1. when dauid reprooued by nathan did but begin to repent and to say , i haue sinned , presently nathan the prophet of the lord said , the lord hath taken away thy sin , of this thing dauid seemes to speake in the 32. psal. v. 5. i said [ that is , i purposed and thought with my selfe ] i will confesse against my selfe mine vnrighteousnesse , and thou forgauest mine iniquities . vpon these words augustine saith , marke , he doth not confesse , but promiseth to confesse , & god forgiueth him . againe , there be ( saith he ) three syllables , peccaui , i haue sinned : and from these three syllables the flame of a sacrifice did ascend into heauen before god. chrysostome saith , say thou hast sinned : and thou hast loosed thy sinne . and ambrose saith : if he said , i will confesse , and obtained pardon before he confessed , how much more when he had confessed , saying , i know mine iniquitie , was his sinne pardoned ▪ gregorie on this psal. saith , marke how speedily pardon comes , and how great is the commendation of gods mercie , in that pardon comes together with the desire of confession , and remission comes to the heart , before confession breake forth in speech . ii. conclusion . the first materiall beginnings of the conuersion of a sinner , ar the smallest measure ofrenewing grace , haue the promises of this life , and the life to come . the exposition . the beginnings of conuersion must be distinguished . some are beginnings of preparation , some beginnings of composition . beginnings of preparation are such as bring vnder , tame , & subdue the stubbernes of mans nature : without making any change at all : of this sort are the accusations of the conscience by the ministerie of the law , feares and terrours arising thence , compunction of heart , which is the apprehension of gods anger against sinne . nowe these and the like , i exclude in the conclusion ; for though they goe before to prepare a sinner to his conuersion following , yet are they no graces of god , but fruits both of the law , being the ministery of death , as also of an accusing conscience . beginnings of composition i tearme all those inward motions and inclinations of gods spirit , that follow after the worke of the law vpon the conscience , and rise vpon the meditation of the gospell , that promiseth righteousnes and life euerlasting by christ : out of which motions the conuersion of a sinner ariseth , and of which it consisteth : what these are , it shall afterward appeare . againe , grace must be distinguished : it is two-fold ; restraining grace , or renuing grace . restraining grace , i tearme certaine common gifts , of god , seruing onely to order and frame the outward conuersation of men to the law of god , or seruing to bereaue men of excuse in the day of iudgement . by this kind of grace , heathen men haue bin liberall , iust , sober , valiant , & mercifull . by it men liuing in the church of god , haue beene inlightned , and hauing tasted of the good word of god , haue reioyced therein , and for a time outwardly conformed themselues therto . renewing grace is not common to al men , but proper to the elect , & it is a gift of gods spirit , whereby the corruption of a sinner is not only restrained , but also mortified , and the decaied image of god restored in righteousnes and true holines . now then the conclusiō must only be vnderstoode of the second , and not of the first : for though a man haue neuer so much of this restraining grace , yet vnlesse he haue the spirit of christ to create faith in the heart , and to sanctifie him , he is as farre from saluation as another . thus then the sense and meaning of the conclusion is , that the verie lest measure of sauing grace , and the verie beginning or seedes of regeneration doe declare , and after a sort giue title to men , of all the mercifull promises of god , whether they concern this life or the life to come : & are therefore approoued of god , if they be in truth ; and accepted as greater measures of grace . that which our sauiour christ saith of the worke of miracles , math. 17. 20. if ye haue faith as a graine of musterd-seede , ye shall say vnto this mountaine , remooue hence to yonder place , and it shall remooue , must by the law of equall proportion be applied to sauing faith , repentance , the feare of god , and all other graces ? if they be truly wrought in the heart , though they be but as smal as one little graine of musterd-seede , they shall be sufficiently effectuall to bring forth good workes , for which they are ordained . the prophet esay 42. 3. saith , that christ shall not quench the smoking flaxe , nor breake the bruised reede , let the comparison be marked : fire in flaxe must be both little and weake in quātitie as a sparke or twain , that cannot cause a flame , but only a smoke , specially in a matter so easie to burne . here thē is signified , that the gifts and graces of gods spirit , that are both for measure & strength as a sparke or twaine of fire , shal not be neglected , but rather accepted and cherished by christ. when our sauiour christ heard the young man make a confession of a practise but of outward and ciuill righteousnesse , he looked vpon him and loued him : mark. 10. 21. and when he heard the scribe to speake discreetely but one good speech , that to loue god with all the heart is aboue all sacrifices , he said vnto him . that he was not for from the kingdome of heauen . therefore no doubt , he will loue with a more speciall loue , and accept as the good subiects of his kingdome , those that haue receiued a further mercie of god , to be borne a new of water and the spirit . iii. conclusion . a constant and earnest desire to be reconciled to god , to beleeue , and to repent , if it be in a touched heart , is in acceptation with god , as reconciliation , faith , repentance it selfe . the exposition . lvst or desire is two folde , naturall , & supernaturall . naturall is that whose beginnings and obiect is in nature , that is , which ariseth of the naturall will of man , and affecteth such things as are thought to be good according to the light of nature . and this kind of desire hath his degrees , yet so as they are all limited within the compasse of nature . some desire riches , honours , pleasures , some learning & knowledge , because it is the light and perfection of the minde : some go further & seeke after the vertues of iustice , temperāce , liberality , &c. and thus many heathen men haue excelled . some againe desire true happinesse , as balaam did , who wished to die the death of the righteous : because it is the propertie of nature to seeke the preseruation of it selfe but here nature staies it selfe : for where the mind reueales not , the will affects not . supernaturall desires , are such as both for their beginning and obiect , are aboue nature . for their beginning is from the holy ghost ; and the obiect or matter about which they are cōuersant , are things diuine and spirituall which concerne the kingdome of heauen : and of this kinde are the desires of which i speake in this place . againe , that we may not be deceiued in our desires , but may the better discerne thē from flittering and fleeting motions , i adde three restraints . first of all , the desire of reconciliation , the desire to beleeue , or the desire to repent &c. must be constant and haue continuance , otherwise it may iustly be suspected . secōdly , it must be earnest & serious , though not alwaies , yet at somtimes , that we may be able to say , with dauid , my soule desireth after thee , o lord , as the thirsty land . and , as the hart braieth after the riuers of water , so panteth my soule after thee o god , my soule thirsteth for god , euen the liuing god. thirdly , it must be in a touched heart ; for when a man is touched in conscience , the heart is cast downe , and ( as much as it can ) it withdrawes it selfe frō god. for this cause , if then there be any spirituall motions whereby the heart is lift vp vnto god they are without doubt from the spirit of god. thus then i auouch , that the desire of reconciliation with god in christ , is reconciliation it selfe : the desire to beleeue , is faith indeede : & the desire to repent , repentance it selfe . but marke how . a desire to be reconciled , is not reconciliation in nature , ( for the desire is one thing , & reconciliation is another ) but in gods acceptation : for if we being touched throughly for our sins , do desire to haue them pardoned , and to bee at one with god , god accepts vs as reconciled . againe , desire to beleeue , it is not faith in nature , but onely in gods acceptation , god accepting the will for the deede . that this doctrine is the will and word of god , it appeares by these reasons . first of all , god hath annexed a promise of blessednes , & of life euerlasting , to the desire of grace . mat. 5. blessed are they which hunger and thirst after righteousnesse , for they shall bee satisfied ioh. 7. 38. if any man thirst , let him come to mee and drinke . reuel . 2. 1. i will giue vnto him which is a thirst , of the well of the water of life freely . now what is this to thirst ? properly it is , when wee are in a drought or drines , and want drinke to refresh vs , & desire it . and therefore by all resemblance , they are saide to thirst after righteousnes , that want it , and would faine haue it : and they thirst after christ that feele themselues out of christ , and desire , yea long after the blood of christ , that they might be refreshed with it in their consciences . here then we see , that the desire of mercy , in the want of mercy , is the obtaining of mercie : and the desire to beleeue , in the want of faith , is faith . marke then : though as yet thou want firme and liuely grace , yet art thou not altogether voide of grace , if thou canst vnfainedly desire it , thy desire is the seede , conception , or bud of that which thou wantest . now is the spring-time of the ingrafted word or the immortall seede cast into the furrowes of thy heart : waite but a while , vsing the good meanes to this ende appointed , and thou shalt see the leaues , blossomes , & fruit will shortly follow after . secōdly , the desire of any good thing is accepted of god , as the liuely inuocation of his holy name , psal. 10. god heareth the desire of the poore . psal. 145. he will fulfill the desire of him that feareth him . when moses said nothing , but onely desired in heart the helpe and protection of god at the redde sea , the lord said vnto him , why criest thou vnto me ? exod. 14. 15. and when wee know not to pray as wee ought , paul saith , that the spirit maketh request by the inward groanes of the heart , rom. 8. 26. hence i gather , that when a man in his weaknesse praies with sighes and groanes , for the gift of liuely faith , the want whereof hee findes in himselfe , his very praier on this manner made , is as truly in acceptation with god , as a praier made in liuely faith . and here it is further to be considered , that paul calls these groanes vnspeakable , and why ? of most interpreters they are thought to be vnspeakable , by reason of their greatnesse , and this i will not denie : it seemes neuerthelesse that they are so tearmed by reason of their weakenesse , for they are commonly small , weake , and confused in the hearts of gods children when they are distressed : and the words following seeme to import thus much : for when it had beene said that gods spirit in vs makes request with grones not to be vttered : some man might happily reply and say , if we cannot discerne and vtter these grones in our selues what are we the better ? paul addes therfore , that although we know not , yet god a searcher of all things hidden in the heart , knowes the minde and meaning of the spirit . and thus the wordes yet further afoard a comfortable instruction to the children of god , namely , that beeing in distresse , whether in life or death , if by grace we can but sigh or sob vnto god , though it be weake and feeble like the faint pulse in the time of death ; we , or the spirit of god in vs , doe indeede make request vnto god that shall bee heard , yea , ( as the words are ) wee doe more then make request : and though we do not alwaies see what gods spirit makes vs to sigh after , yet god doeth . to the testimonie of scripture , i adde the testimonies of godly and learned men , not to prooue the doctrine in hand ; but to shew a consent , and to prooue thus much , that the thing which i auouch , is no priuate phantasie of any man easily ( saith ambrose of god ) is he reconciled , a if he be instantly intreated . augustine saith , let thy desire be before him , and thy father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly : for thy desire is thy praier , and if thy desire be continuall , thy praier is continuall . hee addes further in the same place , that the desire is a continuall voice , and the cry of the heart , and the inward inuocation of god , which may be made without intermission , againe , to desire the helpe of grace is the beginning of grace . againe , b the whole life of a good christian , is an holy will and desire . and that which thou desirest , thou seest not : but by desiring , art ( as it were ) inlarged and made capable , that whē it shall come which thou shalt see , thou maist bee filled . basil saith , onely thou must will , and god will come of his owne accord . c bernard saith , what , is not desire a voice ? yea a very strong voice . god heareth the desire of the poore : and a continuall desire , though wee speake nothing , it is a voice continued . d luther saith , christ is then truely omnipotent , and then truly raignes in vs , when wee are so weake that wee can scarce giue any groane . for paul saith , that one such groane is a strong crie in the cares of god , filling both heauen & earth . e againe , very fewe know , how weake and small faith and hope is , vnder the crosse , and in temptation . for it appeares , then to bee as smoking flaxe , which a good blast of winde would praesently put out : but such as beleeue in these combates , and terrours against hope , vnder hope , that is , opposing themselues by faith in the promise of christ , against the feeling of sinne , and the wrath of god , doe finde afterward that this litle sparke of faith ( as it appeares to reason , which hardly perceiueth it ) is peraduenture as the whole element of fire which filleth all heauen and swalloweth vp all terrours and sinnes . f againe , the more wee finde our vnworthinesse , and the lesse wee finde the promises to belong vnto vs , the more must wee desire them , beeing assured that this desire doth greatly please god , who desireth and willeth that his grace should bee earnestly desired . this doeth faith , which iudgeth it a pretious thing , and therefore greatly hungreth and thirsteth after it , and so obtaines it . for god is delighted to fill the hungrie with good things , & to send the rich emptie away . g theodore beza saith , if thou finde not thine heart inwardly touched , pray that it may bee touched : for then must thou know that this desire is a pledge of the fathers will to thee , h kēnitius saith : when i haue a good desire , though it do scarcely shew it selfe in some little and slender sigh , i must be assured that the spirit of god is present : and worketh his good worke . i vrsinus saith , faith in the most holy men in this life is imperfect and weake . yet neuerthelesse , whosoeuer fecles in his heart an earnest desire , and a striuing against his naturall doubtings , both can and must assure himselfe that he is indued with true faith . againe , wicked men doe not desire the grace of the holy spirit , whereby they may resist sinne . and therefore they are iustly depriued of it : for hee that earnestly desireth the holy ghost hath it alreadie : because this desire of the spirit cannot be but from the spirit : as it is saide , blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousnesse , for they shall bee satisfied . l bradford saith , thy sins are vndoubtedly pardoned , &c. for god hath giuen thee a penitent and beleeuing heart : that is , an heart which desireth to repent and beleeue : for such an one is taken of him ( he accepting the will for thee deede ) for a penitent and beleeuing heart indeede . m taffine saith , our faith may be so small and weake as it doth not yet bring forth fruits , that may bee liuely felt of vs , but if they which feele themselues in such estate , desire to haue these feelings [ namely , of gods fauour and loue ] if they aske them at gods hands by praier : this desire and praier are testimonies that the spirit of god is in them , and that they haue faith alreadie : for , is such a desire , a fruit of the flesh , or of the spirit ? it is of the holy spirit , who bringeth it forth onely in such as hee dwells in , &c. then these holy desires and praiers being the motions of the holy ghost in vs , are testimonies of our faith , although they seeme to vs small and weake . as the woman that feeleth the moouing of a childe in her body , though very weake , assureth her selfe that shee hath conceiued , and that shee goeth with a liue child , so if wee haue these motions , these holy affections , and desires beforementioned , let vs not doubt but that wee haue the holy ghost ( who is the author of them ) dwelling in vs , and consequently that we haue also faith . again he saith , 1. if thou hast begun to hate and she sinne , 2. if thou feelest that thou art displeased at thine infirmities , and corruptions : 3. if hauing offended god thou feelest a griefe , and a sorrow for it : 4. if thou desire to abstaine : 5. if thou auoidest the occasion : 6. if thou trauailest to doe thy endeauour : 7. if thou praiest to god to giue thee grace : all these holy affections , proceeding from none other then from the spirit of god , ought to be so many pledges , and testimonies that he is in thee . ( n ) masterknockes saith , albeit your paines sometimes be so horrible that you finde no release nor comfort , neither in spirit nor bodie , yet if they heart can onely sob vnto god , despaire not , you shall obtaine your hearts desire . and destitute you are not of faith : for at such a time as the flesh , naturall reason , the law of god , the present torment , the diuell at one doe crie , god is angrie , and therefore there is neither helpe nor remedie to be hoped for at his hāds : at such time , isay , to sob vnto god , is the demonstration of the secret seede of god , which is hidden in gods elect children : and that onely sob is vnto god a more acceptable sacrifice , then without this crosse , to giue our bodies to be burnt euen for the truthes sake . more testimonies might be alleadged , but these shall suffice . against this point of dotrine it may be alleadged , that if desire to beleeue in our weakenesse be faith indeede ; then some are iustified and may be saued wanting a liuely apprehension and full perswasion of gods mercie in christ. ans. iustifying faith in regard of his nature is alwaies one and the same , and the essentiall propertie thereof , is , to apprehend christ with his benefites , and to assure the very cōscience thereof . and therefore without some apprehension and assurance , there can bee no iustification or saluation in them that for age are able to beleeue . yet there bee certaine degrees and measures of true faith . there is a strong faith , which causeth a full apprehension and perswasion of gods mercie in christ. this measure of faith the lord vouchsafed abraham , dauid , paul , the prophets , apostles , and martyrs of god. it were a blessed thing if all beleeuers might attaine to this height of liuely faith , to say with paul , i am perswaded , that neither life , nor death , nor any thing else , shal bee able to separate vs from the loue of god in christ : but all cannot ; therfore there is another degree of faith lower then the former , and yet true faith , called a litle or weake faith , and it also hath a power to apprehend and applie the promise of saluation , but as yet by reason of weaknes , it is infolded ( as it were ) and wrapt vp in the heart , as the leafe and blossome in the bud . for such persons as haue this weake faith , can say indeede , that they beleeue their sinnes to be pardonable , and that seriously in their hearts they desire to haue them pardoned : but as yet they can not say , that they are without all doubt pordoned . and yet the mercie of god is not wāting vnto them . for in that they doe , and can desire , and indeauour to apprehēd , they doe indeed apprehend ; god accepting the desire to doe the thing , for the thing done , this which i say will the better appeare , if the groundes thereof be considered . faith doth not iustifie in respect of it selfe , because it is an action or vertue : or because it is strong , liuely , and perfect : but in respect of the obiect thereof , namely christ crucified , whom faith apprehendeth as he is set forth vnto vs in the word and sacraments . it is christ that is the author , and matter of our iustice , and it is he that applieth the same vnto vs : as for faith in vs , it is but an instrument to apprehend & receiue that which christ for his part offereth and giueth . therefore , if faith erre not in his proper obiect , but follow the promise of god , though it doe but weakely apprehend , or at the least , cause a man onely to endeauour and desire to apprehend , it is true faith , and iustifieth . though our apprehension be necessarie , yet our saluation stands rather in this , that god apprehends vs for his owne , then that we apprehend him for ours . phi. 3. v. 12. and rather in this , that we are knowne of him , then that we know him . gal. 4. 9. out of this conclusion springs an other not to be omitted , that god accepts the endeauour of the whole man to obey , for perfect obedience it selfe . that is , if men endeauour to please god in all things , god will not iudge their doings by the rigour of his law : but will accept their litle and weake endeauour , to do that which they can do by his grace , as if they had perfectly fulfilled the lawe . but heere remember i put this caueat ; that this indeeuour must bee in and by the whole man ; the very minde , conscience , will , and affections doing that which they can in their kindes : and thus the endeauour to obey which is a fruit of the spirit , shall bee distinguished from ciuil righteousnesse , which may bee in heathen men , and is onely in the outward , and not in the inward man. the trueth of this conclusion appeares by that which the prophet malachi saith , that god will spare thē that feare him , as a father spares his childe : who accepts the thing done , as well done , if the child shew his good will to please his father , and to doe what he can . iv. conclusion . to see and feele in our selues the want of any grace pertaining to saluation , and to be grieued therefore , is the grace it selfe . the exposition . vnderstand this conclusion as the former , namely that griefe of the hart for the want of any grace necessarie to saluation , is as much with god as the grace it selfe . whē beeing in distresse , we cannot pray as we ought god accepts the very groanes , sobs , and sighes of the perplexed heart , as the praier it selfe . rom. 8. 26. when we are grieued , because we cannot be grieued for our sinnes , it is a degree & measure of godly sorrow before god. augustine saith well : sometimes our praier is lukewarme , or rather cold and almost no praier : nay sometime it is altogether no praier at all , and yet we cannot with griefe perceiue this in our selues : for if we can but grieue because we cannot pray , we now pray indeede . hierom saith , then we are iust when we doe acknowledge our selues to be sinners : againe , this is the true wisedome of man , to know himselfe to be imperfect : and ( that i may so speake ) the perfection of all iust men in the flesh is imperfect : augustine again saith that the vertue which is nowe in a iust man is thus farre forth perfect , that vnto the perfection thereof , there belongs a true acknowledgement and an humble confession of the imperfection thereof . a broken and contrite heart after an offence , is as much with god , as if there had bin no offence at al. and therefore so soone as dauid after his grieuous fall , in heauinesse of heart confessed his sinne , saying in effect but thus much : i haue sinned , the prophet in the name of the lord pronounceth the pardon of his sinne in heauen , and that presently . v. conclusion . he that hath begunne to subiect himselfe to christ and his word , though as yet hee bee ignorant in most points of religion , yet if he haue a care to increase in knowledge , and to practise that which he knoweth , he is accepted of god as a true beleeuer . the exposition . svndry persons by the euangelists are said to beleeue , which had onely seene the miracles of christ , and as yet had made no further proceedings , but to acknowledge christ to be the messias ; and to submit themselues to him & his doctrine , which afterward should be taught . on this maner the woman of samaria belieued , and many of the samaritans vpon her report : and a certaine ruler , by reason of a miracle wrought vpon his sonne , is said to beleeue , and all his houshold . ioh. 4. 42. 52. when our sauiour christ commended the faith of the apostles , terming it a rocke , against which the gates of hell should not preuaile , it was not the plentifull knowledge of the doctrine of saluation : for they were ignorant of many articles of faith , as namely of the death , resurrection , ascention , and kingdome of christ : but because they beleeued him to be the sonne of god , & the sauiour of mankinde , and they had withall resolued themselues to cleaue vnto him , and the blessed doctrine of saluation which hee taught , though as yet they were ignorant in many points . the holy ghost commendeth the faith of rahab when shee receiued the spies . now this her faith was indeed but a seed and beginning of liuely faith : for then shee had onely heard of the miracles done in egypt , and of the deliuerance of the israelites , and was thereupon smitten with feare , and had conceiued a resolution with her selfe , to ioyne her selfe to the israelites , and to worship the true god. now these and the like , are tearmed beleeuers , upon iust cause : for though they bee ignorant as yet , yet their ignorance shall bee no continuing or lasting ignorance : and they haue excellent seedes of grace , namely a purpose of hart to cleaue to christ , and a care to profit in the doctrine of saluation , whereof they haue some litle knowledge . vi. conclusion . the foresaid beginnings of grace are counterfeit , vnlesse they encrease . the exposition . the wickednesse of mans nature , and the depth of hypocrisie is such , that a man may & can easily transforme himselfe into the counterfeit and resemblance of any grace of god. therefore i put downe in this last conclusion a certaine note , whereby the gifts of god may be discerned , namely , that they grow vp and increase as the graine of musterd-seede to a great tree , and beare fruit answerably . the grace in the heart is like the graine of musterd-seede in two things . first it is small to see to at the beginning : secondly , after it is cast into the ground of the heart , it increaseth speedily , and spreads it selfe . therefore , if a man at the first haue but some litle feeling of his wants , some weake and faint desire , some small obedience , he must not let this sparke of grace goe out , but these motions of the spirit must be increased by the vse of the word , sacraments , and praier : and they must daily bee stirred vp by meditating , endeauouring , striuing , asking , seeking , knocking . the master deliuering his talents to his seruants , saith vnto them : occupie till i come , aud not hide in the earth , matth. 25. 26 , paul vseth an excellent speech to timothie : i exhort thee to stirre vp the gift of god which is in thee , namely , as fire is stirred vp by often blowing , and putting to of wood . 2. tim. 1. 6. as for such motions of the heart that last for a weeke , or a moneth , and after vanish away , they are not to bee regarded : & the lord by the prophet ose complaineth of them , saying , o ephraim , thy righteousnes is like the morning dewe , chap. 6. therefore considering , grace vnlesse it be confirmed and exercised , is indeede no grace ; i will heere adde certaine rules of direction , that wee may the more easily put in practise the spirituall exercises of inuocation , faith , and repentance : and thereby also quicken and reuiue the seeds and beginnings of grace . 1. in what place soeuer thou art , whether alone or abroad , by day or by night , and whatsoeuer thou art doing , set thy selfe in the presēce of god : let this perswasion alwaies take place in thy hart that thou are before the liuīg god : and do thy endeauour , that this perswasion may smite thy heart with awe and reuerence , and make thee afraid to sin . this councell the lord gaue abraham . gen. 17. 1. walke before me and be vpright . this thing also was practised by enoch , who for this cause is said to walke with god. 2. esteeme of euery present day as of the day of thy death : and therefore liue as though thou were dying ; and doe those good duties euery day , that thou wouldest doe if thou were dying . this is christian watchfulnesse ; and remember it . 3. make catalogues and bills of thine owne sinnes , specially of those sinnes that haue most dishonoured god , and wounded thine owne conscience : set them before thee oftē , specially then , whē thou hast any particular occasion of renewing thy repentance , that thy heart by this dolefull sight may bee further humbled . this was dauids practise when hee considered his waies , and turned his feet to gods commandements , psal. 119. 57. and when he confessed the sinnes of his youth . psal. 25 , this was iobs practise , when he said he was not able to answer one of a thousand of his sinnes vnto god. iob. 9. 1. 4. when thou first openest thine eyes in a morning , pray to god , and giue him thankes heartily : god then shall haue his honour , and thy heart shall be the better for it the whole day following . for we see in experience , that vessels keepe long the taste of that liquor wherwith they are first seasoned . and when thou liest downe , let that be the last also : for thou knowest not , whether fallen a sleepe , thou shalt euer rise againe aliue . good therefore it is , that thou shouldest giue vp thy selfe into the hands of god , whilst thou art waking . 5. labour to see and feele thy spirituall pouerty , that is , to see the want of grace in thy selfe , specially those inward corruptions , of vnbeliefe , pride , selfe-loue , &c. labour to be displeased with thy self : and labour to feele , that by reason of them , thou standest in neede of euery drop of the blood of christ to heale and clense thee from those wants : and let this practise take such place with thee , that if thou be demaunded , what in thine estimation is the vilest of the creatures vpon earth ? thine heart and conscience may answer with a loud voice , i , euen i , by reason of mine owne sinnes : and againe , if thou be demaunded , what is the best thing in the world for thee ? thy heart and conscience may answer againe with a strong and loud crie , one drop of the blood of christ to wash away my sinnes . 6. shew thy selfe to bee a member of christ , and a seruant of god , not only in the generall calling of a christian , but also in the particular calling in which thou art placed . it is nothing for a magistrate to be a christiā man , but he must also be a christian magistrate : it is not inough for a master of a family to be a christiā man , or a christiā in the church , but the must also be a christiā in the family & in the trade which he followeth daily . not euery one that is a common hearer of the word , and a frequenter of the lords table , is therefore a good christian , vnlesse his conuersation in his priuate house , and in his priuate affaires , & dealings be sutable : there , is a man to be seene what he is . 7. search the scriptures , to see what is sinne , and what is not sinne in euery action : this done , carry in thy heart a constant and resolute purpose , not to sin in any thing : for faith and the purpose of sinning can neuer stand together . 8. let thine endeauour be sutable to thy purpose : and therefore doe nothing at any time against thy conscience , ritely enformed by the word : exercise thy selfe to eschew euery sinne , and to obey god in euery one of his commandements , that pertaine either to the generall calling of a christian , or thy particular calling . thus did good iosias , who turned vnto god with all his heart , according to all the lawe of moses . 1. king. 25. 25. and thus did zacharie and elizabeth , that walked in all the commandements of god without reproofe , luk. 1. 6. 9. if at any time against thy purpose and resolution , thou bee ouertaken with any sinne little or great , lie not in it , but speedily recouer thy selfe by repentance : humble thy selfe , confessing thine offence , and by praier intreat the lord to pardon the same , and that earnestly , till such time as thou findest thy conscience truly pacified , and thy care to eschew the same sinne increased . 10. consider often of the right and proper ende of thy life in this world , which is not to seeke profit , honour , pleasure , but that in seruing of men , wee might serue god in our callings . god could , if it so pleased him , preserue man without the ministry of man , but his pleasure is to fulfil his worke and will in the preseruation of our bodies , and saluation of our soules , by the imploiment of men in his seruice , euery one according to his vocation . neither is there so much as a bond slaue , but he must in and by his faithful seruice to his master , serue the lord. men therefore doe commonly profane their labours and liues , by aiming at a wrong ende , when all their care consisteth onely in getting sufficient maintenance for them and theirs , for the obtaining of credit , riches , & carnall cōmodities . for thus men serue themselves , & not god , or men : much lesse doe they serue god in seruing of men . 11. giue all diligence to make thy election sure , and to gather manifold tokens thereof . for this cause obserue the worke of gods prouidence , loue , and mercy , both in thee and vpon thee , from time to time : for the serious consideration of them , and the laying of them together when they are many and seuerall , minister much direction , assurance of gods fauour , and comfort . this was the practise of dauid , 1. sam. 17 14. psal. 23. all . 12. thinke euermore thy present estate whatsoeuer it bee , to bee the best estate for thee : because whatsoeuer befalls thee , though it bee sicknes , or any other affliction , or death , befals thee of the good prouidence of god. that this may the better bee done , labour to see and acknowledge a prouidence of god , as wel in pouertie as in abundance , as well in disgrace as good report , as well in sickenes , as in health , as well in life as in death . 13. pray continually , i meane not by solemne & set praier , but by secret and inward eiaculatiōs of the heart , that is , by a continuall eleuation of minde vnto christ , sitting at the right hand of god the father , and that either by prayer or giuing of thankes so often as any occaon shall be offered . 14. thinke often of the worst and most grieuous things that may befall thee , either in this life or death for the name of christ : make a reckoning of them , and prepare thy selfe to beare them : that when they come , they may not seeme strange , but be borne the more easily . 15. make conscience of idle , vaine , vnhonest and vngodly thoughts : for these are the seedes and beginnings of actuall sin in word & in deed . this want of care in ordering and composing of our thoughts , is often punished with a fearefull temptation in the very thought , called of diuines , tentatio blasphemiarum , a tentation of blasphemies . 16. when any good motion or affection riseth in the heart , suffer it not passe away , but feede it by reading , meditating . praying . 17. whatsoeuer good thing thou goest about , whether it be in word or deed , do it not in a conceit of thy selfe , or in the pride of thy heart , but in humility , ascribing the power whereby thou doest thy worke , and the praise thereof to god , otherwise thou shalt finde by experience , god will curse thy best doings . 18. despise not ciuill honestie : good conscience and good maners must goe togither : therefore remember to make conscience of lying , and of customable swearing in common talke : contend not either in deede or word with any man , be curteous and gentle to all , good and badde : beare with mens wants and frailties , as hastinesse , frowardnesse , selfeliking , curiousnesse , &c. passing by them as being not perceiued : returne not euill for euill , but rather good for euill : vse meate , drinke , and apparell in that manner and measure , that they may further godlinesse ; and may be as it were signes in which thou maiest expresse the hidden grace of thy heart : striue not to goe beyond any , vnlesse it be in good things : goe before thine equals in giuing of honour , rather then in taking of it : make conscience of thy word , and let it bee as a bond : professe no more outwardly thē thou hast inwardly in heart : opresse or defraud no man in bargaining : in all companies either doe good , or take good . 19. cleaue not by inordinate affection to any creature , but aboue all things quiet & rest thy mind in christ , aboue all dignitie and honour , aboue all cunning and policie , aboue all glorie and honour , aboue all health and beautie , aboue all wealth and treasure , aboue all ioy and delight , aboue al fame & praise , aboue all mirth and consolation , that mans heart can feele or deuise beside christ. with these rules of practise , ioyne rules of meditation ; whereof i propound sixe vnto thee , as i finde them set downe by a learned diuine , called victorius strigelius . i. wee must not fall away from god for any creature . ii. infinite eternitie is farre to be preferred before the short race of this mortall life . iii. we must hold fast the promise of grace , though wee loose all temporall blessings and they also in death must needes be left . iv. let the loue of god in christ , and the loue of the church for christ , be strong in thee , and preuaile against all other affections . v. it is the principall arte of a christian , to beleeue things inuisible , to hope for things deferred , to loue god when hee shewes him to be an enemie , and thus to perseuere vnto the ende . vi. it is a most effectual remedy for any griefe , to quiet our selues in a confidence of the presence and helpe of god : and to aske of him , and withall to waite either for some easement or deliuerance . vii . all the works of god are done in contrarie meanes . finis ▪ notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a09436-e180 lib. 7. in luc. c. 66. a si impensè rogatur . on psal. 36. b exposit. epist. iohn , tract . 4. cap. ● . hom. of humilitie . c sup. cant. ser. 84. d tom. 4. pag. 124. e ib. fol. 156 f lib. fol. 300 g resp. ad acta colloq . monpel . h locor . com . par . 1. i catechis . l epistle to carelesse . m booke of the markes of gods children . com. 4. l. 1. ad simpli . in fine . lib. 1. contra . pelagianos . the possibility, expediency, and necessity of divine revelation a sermon preached at st. martins in the fields, jan. 7. 1694/5 : at the beginning of the lecture for the ensuing year, founded by the honourable robert boyle, esquire / by john williams ... williams, john, 1636?-1709. 1695 approx. 40 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 19 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2008-09 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a66409 wing w2718 estc r2129 12498271 ocm 12498271 62586 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a66409) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 62586) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 951:85) the possibility, expediency, and necessity of divine revelation a sermon preached at st. martins in the fields, jan. 7. 1694/5 : at the beginning of the lecture for the ensuing year, founded by the honourable robert boyle, esquire / by john williams ... williams, john, 1636?-1709. boyle, robert, 1627-1691. [4], 29, [1] p. printed for ric. chiswell ... and tho. cockerill ..., london : 1695. reproduction of original in huntington library. half title: dr. williams's first sermon at mr. boyle's lecture, 1695. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng revelation -sermons. salvation -sermons. sermons, english -17th century. 2007-06 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2007-07 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2007-11 elspeth healey sampled and proofread 2007-11 elspeth healey text and markup reviewed and edited 2008-02 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion d r. williams's first sermon at m r. boyle's lecture . 1695. imprimatur , jan. 26. 1694 / 5 ; . guil. lancaster . the remaining sermons for this year will be preach'd at st. martins , the first mondays of february , march , april , may , september , october , and november . the possibility , expediency , and necessity of divine revelation . a sermon preached at st. martins in the fields , jan. 7. 1694 / 5. at the beginning of the lecture for the ensuing year . founded by the honourable robert boyle , esquire . by john williams , d. d. chaplain in ordinary to his majesty . london : printed for ric. chiswell , at the rose and crown in st. paul's church-yard : and tho. cockerill , at the three legs in the poultrey . m dc xc v. to the most reverend father in god , thomas lord archbishop of canterbury . sir henry ashhurst , knight and baronet . sir john rotheram , serjeant at law. john evelyn , senior , esquire . trustees by the appointment of the honourable robert boyle , esquire . most honoured , having by your generous election entred this year upon the lecture founded by the honourable robert boyle , the great encourager of piety and learning , it becomes me in obedience to your order , and according to the intent of the deceased , to present you with the first-fruits of my labour . the subject i treat of is of vniversal concernment to the christian world , and is to be handled with reverence and care : the former i shall all along keep in my eye , and the latter i shall not neglect , as far as in me lies : but whatever defects your better judgments shall espy throughout these composures , i hope the same goodness that disposed you to place me in this sphere , will incline you to overlook ; and to accept of the sincere endeavours of , most honoured , your most faithful and humble servant , john williams . heb. i. 1 , 2. god who at sundry times , and in divers manners , spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets , hath in these last days spoken unto us by his son. there are two ways by which mankind may attain to the knowledge of divine things ; namely , natural or supernatural . natural is what we have springing up with our faculties , or what we attain by natural means , by sight , observation , and experience , by tradition ( which is the history of others knowledge and experience ) ; and lastly , by reason and argument , deducing effects from their proper causes , or finding out the cause by its effects : as for instance ; thus we come to the knowledge of god by observing the frame of the world , by the series , order , and course of things , which could never be without some cause to produce them , and that cause no less than one infinitely powerful and wise . thus we argue , that there is a soul in man distinct from the body , and surviving a separation from it ; forasmuch as there are such operations as are not competent to matter ; and that there is such a desire of immortality placed in mankind , as would make the flower and choicest part of the visible creation , the most miserable , if there was no capacity in the soul for such a state , or no such state for a soul capable of it . such inferences as these , are as natural to a reasonable mind , as those observations are which we make from the reports of sense ; and are therefore deservedly accounted branches of natural religion . now this kind of knowledge is more or less evident , is stronger or weaker , according to the capacities and dispositions of mankind , and according to the opportunities and means they have of information . and therefore a philosopher that sets himself to enquire into the mysteries of nature , and to observe the curiosity , order and beauty of its fabrick , may , in reason be supposed to be more confirmed in the belief of a god , and more disposed to serve and adore him , than he that is ignorant ; as he that understands painting or carving , can more observe and applaud the ingenuity and skill of the artist , than he that is unacquainted with it . but after all , so much is the subject above our reach , and so dark and intricate are all our reasonings upon it , that the sagest philosopher , in the conclusion , is left as unsatisfied as the meanest peasant ; and perhaps more unsatisfied with his knowledge , and the deep and unfathomable abyss he sees before him , than the other is with his ignorance ; so far making good what solomon observes , he that increaseth knowledge , increaseth sorrow , eccles . 1. 18. so that there needs some brighter light than that of nature , to conduct us to happiness , and bring us to a compleat and entire satisfaction ; and that is a supernatural knowledge , a knowledge that is not to be obtained by the ways aforesaid , by enquiry and observation , but by inspiration and revelation from almighty god. and this is the subject of the text. god who at sundry times , and in divers manners , spake in time past by the prophets , hath in these last days spoken unto us by his son. in which words we have , 1. a description given of revelation , it 's god's speaking to the fathers , &c. that is , it is god's delivering his mind to mankind by persons chosen for that purpose , and peculiarly fitted for it by inspiration . such were the prophets in time past , and the son in the last days . 2. the certainty of it ; it is by way of declaration , god who at sundry times , and in divers manners , spake , &c. the apostle takes this for granted , as having been sufficiently proved , and so needs no farther confirmation . so it was in times past , when god spake by the prophets ; and so it was in the last days in the revelation of the gospel , which at the first began to be spoken by the lord , and was , saith our apostle , confirmed unto us by them that heard him : god also bearing them witness both with signs and wonders , and with divers miracles and gifts of the holy ghost , chap. 2. 3 , 4. and therefore as moses did not think himself obliged at the entrance into his divine work , to prove there is a god , and that god made the world , when there is such an inbred knowledge of a deity implanted in human nature , and such clear and undoubted evidences of it throughout the universe ; but supposes and asserts it , in the beginning god created the heaven and the earth : &c. so after such manifest proofs of the divine authority of both the prophetical and evangelical revelation , the apostle would not so much as suppose any doubt in the minds of those he wrote to ; but begins his epistle , with a certain majesty becoming an inspired author , god who at sundry times , &c. 3. the order observed in delivering that revelation , it was at sundry times , and in divers manners . at sundry times , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , or in several parts ; which may refer either to the several ages and periods , viz. the patriarchal , mosaical , and prophetical ; or to the several manifestations of divine revelation through those ages and periods ; from the first embryo of it in adam , to the close of it in john the baptist ; in whom the time past ended , and the last days began . in divers manners , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , according to the manifold ways the divine spirit thought fit to communicate it self ; whether by illapses on the persons inspired , or by raptures , visions , voices , &c. 4. the perfection and completion of divine revelation ; god hath in these last days spoken by his son. so that what was gradually , and at sundry times , delivered in time past to the prophets , was at once intirely and perfectly revealed by the son of god , whom he hath appointed heir of all things . under the first of these i shall shew , 1. what we mean by revelation . 2. the possibility of god's revealing himself so to the creature , that the creature shall certainly and evidently know that it is god that speaketh . 3. the expediency , usefulness , and necessity of a revelation , with respect to the circumstances mankind are in . under the second i shall shew , 1. that as it 's possible for god to reveal himself , and expedient and necessary for man that there should be a revelation ; so god has actually thus revealed himself at sundry times , and in divers manners by the prophets , through the several periods before spoken of , and in the last days by his son. 2. i shall consider the difference between a real and pretended revelation , and how we may distinguish the true from the false . 3. i shall shew , that the scriptures of the old and new testament contain the matter of divine revelation , and have upon them the characters belonging to it . under the third , 1. i shall consider the several ways by which god did reveal himself in times past by the prophets , as by illapses , inspirations , visions , &c. 2. i shall endeavour to shew the difference between divine inspirations , and diabolical illusions , natural impressions , and delusory imaginations . 3. i shall consider the several periods before the law , under the law , and under the gospel ; and the gradual progress of revelation from first to last , from the lower to the higher degree , and the perpetual respect one had to the other . 4. i shall consider why god did thus gradually , and at sundry times , proceed in revealing his will to mankind ; and why he did not at the first communicate his will to them as fully , and perfectly , as he did in the last days by his son. under the fourth , i shall shew the perfection of the gospel-revelation , and that there is not to be any other revelation till the end cometh when our lord shall be revealed from heaven , and shall deliver up the kingdom to the father . i have chosen thus at once to lay in order the scheme of what i intend ( god granting life and assistance ) to pursue ; that so the dependance of one upon another , and the assistance each point gives to the other throughout the whole , might be the better observed . i. i am to begin with revelation . 1. where i am to consider , what we mean by revelation ; which is nothing else in the first notion , but the making known that which before was a secret ; so things revealed and secret , are opposed , deut. 29. 29. and when it 's applied to a religious use , it 's god's making known himself , or his will , to mankind , over and above what he has made known by the light of nature and reason . here we may observe , that there are three classes , into which whatever is the object of our knowledge may be reduced . 1. there are things of pure and simple nature , and knowable by the light of it , without revelation ; of this kind is the knowledge of god by the effects of a divine power and wisdom in the world ( as has been shewed ) of which the apostle treats , rom. 1. 20. the invisible things of him , from the creation of the world are clearly seen , being understood by the things that are made , even his eternal power and godhead . 2. there are things of pure and simple revelation , that are not knowable by the light of nature , but only by revelation ; and if not revealed , are never in this state ( at least ) to be known or found out by mankind ; of this sort is the salvation of the world by jesus christ , which was not discoverable by men or angels ; so the apostle describes the mystery of it , ephes . 3. 9 , 10. which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in god , — to the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places , might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of god. so 1 pet. 1. 12. 3. there are things partly of nature , and partly of revelation , discoverable by the light of nature , but imperfectly , which we see , as it were , through a glass darkly ; and so they need revelation to give them farther proof and evidence ; of this the apostle gives an instance , 2 tim. 1. 10. when he saith our saviour brought life and immortality to light through the gospel , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , making it as evident as the light ; whereas before it was rather wished for , than certain , as was the case of the heathens ; or much involv'd in types , as among the jews , heb. 4. 3 , &c. so that revelation , of which sort soever it is , is supernatural , and is only from god. 2. i shall shew the possibility of a revelation , and that almighty god , if he so pleases , can so reveal himself to the creature , that the creature shall certainly and evidently know that the revelation comes from god. this one would reasonably think should need no proof ; and i shall therefore briefly touch upon it , tha● i may proceed to the third , which i principally intend to make the subject of this present discourse . i say it 's possible for god to reveal himself to his creatures . ( 1. ) why should this be questioned , when we every day see men mutually discover their minds each to other ; and by the use and direction of certain organical powers , signify their intentions , desires , and commands ? and why may not the creator reveal his will to the creature , when one creature thus can do it to another ? ( 2. ) why should this be questioned , when we may be certain evidences know that a person is sent from god ? and then certainly the person that produces such evidences as are to the satisfaction of others , may himself be satisfied of the truth of his own commission , and the certainty of a divine revelation . the former , that others may be satisfied concerning a mission from god , is evident from such things declared , which none but god could reveal , as prophecies ; and such things done , which none but god , in man , could do , as miracles . where these are , they are as evident proofs of a revelation and mission from god , as the works of creation are a proof a divine agent . the works of creation prove a god , because they are worthy of such an infinite cause , and what none but such a cause could produce : and when such things are discovered , which none but an omniscient being could discover , and such things done , which none but an almighty power could do ; we are , by a parity of reason , as sure that there is such a revelation by which such things are made known , and in confirmation of which such mighty works are done . ( 3. ) if this be questioned , it must be from a deficiency in god to impart such a revelation to man ; or that there is an incapacity in man to receive it . but how can god's power herein be questioned that he can operate thus on the soul , when he both created it , and is thoroughly acquainted with all the secret springs of motion , all the tendencies and inclinations , all the thoughts and desires of it , and consequently must be supposed to have a power of directing it as he pleases ? and how can there be any incapacity in man , when as to the matter he can both receive it , and deliver it as he received ; and as to the manner , it 's in a way suitable to his faculties , and is therefore call'd here , god's speaking to the prophets , which is so as the other may understand . this is a matter so evident , that it has been generally believed throughout the world among the heathens ; and therefore nothing more common than to have oracles , places where they were wont to consult their deities , as well as the jews had theirs : a subject i am not at present concerned in , but it 's sufficient to shew what has been the sense of all ages in this case : and which even those that would call this in question , in part consent to , while they grant somewhat equivalent to it , if not a branch of it , i mean prophecy ; which when it falls not within the power of any natural causes , is the product of what is supernatural , and what the prophet must then receive from a higher hand , god. grant this , and the whole will follow ; for if it be possible in one case , it 's possible in all , to one and the same infinite power . 3. i am to consider the expedience , usefulness , and necessity of a revelation ; for that is here supposed , when it 's said , god spake in time past , and in these last days ; that is , from the beginning of the world to that time . now revelation is a means extraordinary ( as has been shewed ) and consequently such as the means are , such must the case be , extraordinary ; for god , not doing any thing in vain , cannot be supposed to use extraordinary means , where the case is ordinary , and may as well be served by ordinary means . thus it is in miracles , which are acts above the common standard of nature , and are then only exerted , when nothing less will engage the attention of faith of mankind . and so it is in revelation , which is to the light of reason , what miracles are to the common law of nature , supernatural and extraordinary ; and consequently where almighty god takes that course for the information of mankind , it shews that there is some deficiency or corruption that calls for it , and makes it expedient and necessary . as it was with adam at his first creation , who being an utter stranger to himself , and the world he was at once brought into , without some further kind of information , instead of a pleasure he might have taken in viewing the glorious fabrick of the heavens , and the variety of creatures in the earth , must have been full of amazement and confusion . for in so wide a scene as was before him , where must he begin , or where could he hope to end ? how divided must he be in his own mind ? what a cold and dry speculation would it have been , if he had hit upon it , to have concluded , with that modern philosopher , cogito , ergo sum ; i think , therefore i am ? he indeed felt himself to be , but how he came to be , he knew not ; for he saw nothing about him that could either be supposed to have given him that being , or could tell him how he came by it . he saw he had a body , and a body that obsequiously moved as he pleased to direct and determine ; but what that body was originally made of , he could not possibly tell : for how could he suppose such warm , soft , and tender flesh , those firm and well compacted joynts , those radiant and sparkling eyes ( which he had as other living creatures ) that moveable and limber , and well-complexioned matter of which his body consisted , should be formed out of cold , moveless , crumbling , and shapeless earth ? he felt his body move , and pliable in all its motions to his will , and quick as thought to answer his mind , but what that inward principle was that moved it , he was wholly ignorant ; nor could he possibly , of himself at that instant , conceive that there was an inward immaterial spirit that was vitally united to a gross and material body , that was the principle of all , and was as distinct from the body in it's nature and subsistence , as if it were not united at all to it . he might observe the creatures about him of different sorts , that there were certain notes that each kind had , and all were known and understood among themselves ; but that notwithstanding they were all dumb to him , and he to them ; and what it was that made the difference , he could not understand . when he pleased himself in the contemplation of the heavens above , and that glorious luminary that gave ( as he perceived ) light to all about him ; he could not tell whether it was an intelligent being , and that as it gave light to all , so it was superior to them : and when that set , he knew not but he was to be inclosed in perpetual darkness . when a heavy stupidness began to seize himself , and he was forced to submit to the power of it , he knew not but it was to end that life , which was that day began , and that he was to close his eyes , and conclude his life together . so that though he had what we call reason , and suppose it as his body , in its prime ; yet even that reason must have been his torment for a while ; when it made him inquisitive , but could not give him satisfaction . to prevent which disorder and confusion he would otherwise be in , at the first opening of his eyes and his mind together , as it was necessary that he that was to begin the world , should be created in a full age and strength ; and that he that was alone , should have a present power and faculty of elocution and forming of words for the conversation he was to have with the help designed for him ; so it was requisite that he should have some immediate inspiration , to inform him of what was necessary for him to know as to god , himself , and the world ; and which he could not have known without such inspiration , or the slow and tedious compass of observation ; and so must have waited for satisfaction till time and experience had formed his judgment , and made him a wise philosopher . but this adam was at the first , and so forthwith knew whom it was that he was to own as the author of his being , and of what his body was made , and by what means an intelligent spirit came to be inclosed in a material body ; and could as soon resolve all those perplexing doubts , which otherwise he would have been assaulted with , as he understood at first sight that eve was bone of his bone ; and knew how to give names to the creatures suitable to their natures , gen. 2. 19 , 23. but now the reasons for such an inspiration to adam were personal , belonging to him alone ; but after what manner the divine wisdom would have imparted the knowledge of it self to adam's posterity , if he and they had stood and continued in a state of primogenial innocency ; or whether there would , in those circumstances , have been any need of a supernatural inspiration after the revelation made to adam , from whom they might have infallibly received it ; no more concerns us , than it doth to know how mankind would then have been disposed of when they were not to dye , but to have subsisted in the same state , body and soul inseparably united : those are among the secret things which belong unto god ; but things revealed belong unto us . we must therefore alter the scene , and consider mankind in a state of imperfection and depravation ; and there we shall find revelation absolutely necessary as a remedy against a fourfold mischief , which , without it , would unavoidably ensue ; as with respect to the confusion adam was in by reason of guilt ; the danger he was in from his enemy , the subtile and malicious serpent ; the ruin that threatned him from the impotency and disorder he found in his faculties ; which like a dislocation in the limbs , though fit in themselves for action , yet being removed out of their sockets are not capable of discharging their functions . this being the state of fallen man , there was need of a supervenient revelation to recover him , as well as it was the determination of the divine goodness to design it . there was need of this to comfort him under the sense of his apostacy and the guilt he had contracted , to prevent his despair : to fortify him against the power of his insolent and triumphant adversary , and to aid him under his contracted disability , for preventing his discouragement : and to caution him against the sad effects of his depravation , or the falling into a repetition of a new disobedience , for preventing his presumption . for these reasons almighty god so soon interposed in the garden by a new revelation of himself , and instructed him in his gracious design to restore him to favour , and in the method he would observe for that purpose , inwhat he saith to the serpent , gen. 3. 15. i will put enmity between thee and the woman , and between thy seed and her seed : it shall bruise thy head , and thou shalt bruise his heel . thus the gospel was preached to adam , who was the first prophet to whom the mystery of salvation was revealed ; to which those places in the new testament seem to refer , luke 1. 70. as he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets since the world began ; 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , from the beginning , so acts 3. 21. this was the case of adam , and the exigence he would have been in , without this immediate and comfortable revelation . and the condition of his posterity would have been worse than his , without a revelation ; had this revelation died with this their progenitor , and not have been transmitted to them . for besides the state of guilt , which must equally have invaded them as it did him , and what conscience in them could no more quietly digest , than in him ; there were several disadvantages they laboured under , which he did not . as if we consider adam in a bare state of nature ( without any supernatural provision ) he had this advantage above his posterity , that being created in a full age , he was free from all prepossessions of sense or education ; and in the first moment of his being , had his reason clear in the fountain of it , like the sun in its meridian glory ; and all his faculties bright , and as ripe at once for observation and reflection , as his body was for action . but his posterity growing up from their infancy among sensible objects , from thence would ( in a meer course of nature ) have received all their information ; and by slow degrees from things visible , must have argued themselves into the belief of things invisible ; and from the effects of a supreme cause , to the supreme cause it self ; which in the apostle's words , acts 17. 27. would be to seek the lord , if haply they might feel after him , [ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , as men blundering in the dark ] and find him . in such danger would the fundamental principles of natural religion have been , if there had been no revelation to prevent it : and this was the reason of such a provision by inspired persons , to preserve those principles alive and safe ; of the number of whom abel is accounted , and therefore called a prophet , luke 11. 50. and enoch , jude 14. and noah 2 pet. 2. 5. but now as the rays of the sun , the farther they are projected , grow weaker and weaker ; so it was in the derivation of these principles , which lost very much of their primitive lustre ; and notwithstanding the certainty of the evidence , the credibility and authority of those holy patriarchs ; vice , like a deluge , broke in upon the world , so that every imagination of the thoughts of their hearts ( generally speaking ) was only evil continually , gen. 6. 5. and if now when there was a revelation , and a revelation seconded by the authority of such eminent persons , the world so soon grew corrupted , what would it not have been , if there had been no such revelation , or no such curators of it ? and this the world was soon sensible of after the flood ; for notwithstanding so late and astonishing an instance of the divine vengeance , yet in their several dispersions , for want of a revelation , they lost the sense of the true and great principles of religion ; some , as the chaldeans , turning it into a vain inquiry into the influences of the heavenly bodies ; others placing their religion in ridiculous and opprobrious superstitions , as the egyptians ; others pleasing themselves in nice disputations , and the vanity of new-discovered deities and religions , as the greeks : and all acting in divine matters , as if they were in inextricable labyrinths , being distracted , and eternally divided about the origine of the world , whether it were eternal , or accidental , or the product of a divine power ; about the origine of evil ; about the government of the world , whether it be by different deities , good or evil ; or whether by none , but be wholly acted by the levity of chance , or the immutable law of destiny and fate . so that in process of time the world was brought into the condition of elymas , acts 13. 8 , 11. that once had the advantage and pleasure of sight , but upon the opposition made to st. paul , immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness , that he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand . too close a representation of the condition of mankind in that degenerate state , who because that when they knew god , they glorified him not as god — but became vain in their imaginations ; their foolish heart was darkned , rom. 1. 21. of which darkness and confusion in matters of the greatest importance , the world , the commonalty as well as the philosophical part of mankind , was sensible , and of the necessity of a revelation , or somewhat beyond nature , reason and argumentation , to remove these difficulties , to inform them of what they could not otherwise know , and to clear up to them what they did know but imperfectly . of which i shall offer some undeniable instances . 1. they universally complained of the loss they were at , and of the insufficiency of all their maxims and principles , of all their enquiries and speculations , to give them any tolerable satisfaction ; so that they were in nothing more divided , than about what happiness is , as st. austin from varro has shew'd : and therefore there was somewhat further necessary to satisfy them , or else they must for ever remain unsatisfied . 2. there was nothing more desired than a revelation , and therefore they were prone to hearken to all pretences to it ; and when they conceived , or were made to believe it was a revelation , they were in nothing more obsequious and pliable . so that to gain authority to his laws , and to keep the people quiet and orderly , numa pompilius did then ( as mahomet of latter years ) pretend he had all by revelation from the nymph egeria . and of such authority was this pretence , that as tully saith , there was nothing so absurd which was not maintained by some of the philosophers ; so i may say , there was nothing so foolish , or wicked , which was not an ingredient in the worship they gave to their deities . insomuch , as the nature of things should be perverted , reason and humanity should be abandoned , and god himself be made worse than those that worshipped him , in compliance with their pretended revelations . what beastiality and lewdness ! what savage and barbarous practices and rites were allowed and required ! the blood of captives , and of their own children , must be a libation ; nay , even suicide was not only honourable , but a religious martyrdome , if the oracle commanded it ; and they chose rather to be unnatural to the highest degree , than not to be obedient to divine revelation . now of what authority must that be , which should over-rule the laws of nature , and so infatuate mankind , that they should not be able to espy the imposture ? and what could thus impose upon them , if they were not sensible of the imperfect state they were in , and the need they stood in of some higher principle and , greater light to direct them , than that of nature ? 3. there was no nation without a revelation , that is , without some pretence to it , and which they generally vouched for their rites and religious observances ; from whence it was that there was scarcely a people of any note in the more civilized parts of the world that had not their sibyls , such as were accounted to be the mouth of their god ; to be sure none in any part of the known world without an oracle , that they repaired to , and whose injunctions they readily obeyed . the use i make of all this is to show , what a sense mankind had of a revelation , and what all the world has thought expedient , if not necessary , which was the thing to be proved . from what has been said , we may observe , i. what a happiness it is to have a revelation , by which mankind are brought out of darkness into a marvellous light ; and from an endless and fruitless enquiry , who will shew us my good ? are placed in a quiet and full possession of it . if there be no revelation , we are , as it were , with ut god in the world ; and know not whether that divine power be our friend or our enemy ; or whether it shall be exerted to our good or our ruine . if there be no revelation , we are still in our sins , and have no sanctuary against the accusation of our own embittered consciences , the fears of our own guilty minds , or the justice of an incensed deity . if there be no revelation , we have no hope , and can have no comfort in our death , and no assurance of immortality after it . if there be no revelation , we are in a perpetual maze , as if we were at sea without star or compass , and knew not what course to take to gain our harbour . so thoughtful and pensive , so confounded and lost is mankind without this , that if i were to chuse whether i would have no revelation , or a false one , for the quiet of my own mind ( did i believe the false one to be true ) i would rather chuse the content of the latter , than the distraction of the former , and leave it to my own reason to rectify the manifest mistakes in it , rather than have my hovering reason to be my constant affliction under the want of revelation . but blessed be god that there is no cause for such a supposition , and that we have all the reason in the world to believe there is a revelation ; a revelation that is such as all mankind would desire , that touches upon all points necessary to our comfort and entire satisfaction , as to the nature and will of god , the present and future state of mankind , the providence that governs this world , and the rewards of another . a revelation , where all the parts of it agree together , and bear a conformity to the nature of things , to the holiness , justice , and mercy of god , and to the reason of mankind ; where there is a system of the best principles , and a scheme of the best rules and directions ; and which , like the book of nature , the more it 's viewed and consulted , the more do the lively characters of a divine hand and wisdom appear in the composure . a character this is that the book of scripture exactly answers . for what holy precepts ! what heavenly promises ! what useful examples ! what excellent encouragements do the sacred pages abound in ! such as are sufficient to direct us in every point of our duty , to inform us in every necessary truth , to establish our hearts in every condition of life , to enable us to encounter all the difficulties of it with resolution , and to bear all the evil of it with patience . here behold god reconciled to mankind , the trembling sinner pardoned , the weak sustained , the doubtful satisfied , and nothing wanting on god's part to make us happy , if we are not wanting in a fit disposition of mind to receive it . so that if there be any revelation , it is the christian ; if that be not a revelation from god , there is no revelation in the world ; and if that be a revelation , that only is so , and there can be no other . ii. such as the revelation is , such is the obligation ; the authority it receives from god , the obligation lies upon us to obey as well as believe it . the times of ignorance god winked at , and overlook'd ; but now he commandeth all men every where to repent , acts 17. 30 ▪ he hath commanded them by a revelation , which is of universal concernment , and extends its authority over the world. so that a bad man is no better or safer for a revelation , how perfect soever it be , and how great soever the advantages of it are , than he that is without revelation ; nay , so much the worse , as the latter is a state of unbelief , the former of disobedience ; this errs without his will , but the other with it . and therefore if the heathens , who had only the book of nature to read , and a blundering reason for their guide , were yet so far inexcusable , because that when they knew god , they glorified him not as god , rom. 2. 21. how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation ? which at the first was spoken by the lord , and was confirmed by those that heard him ; god also bearing them witness , &c. heb. 2. 3 , 4. what remains then , but since the grace of god , in the revelation of the gospel , hath appeared unto all men , that we be thereby taught to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts , and to live soberly , righteously , and godlily in this present world . and then we may comfortably look for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great god , and our saviour jesus christ , who gave himself for us , that he might redeem us from all iniquity , and purifie unto himself a peculiar people , zealous of good works , tit. 2. 11. finis . books printed for richard chiswell and thomas cockerill . rvshworth's historical collections : the third part in two volumes : containing the principal matters which happened from the meeting of the parliament , november 3 , 1640. to the end of the year , 164● wherein is a particular account of the rise and progress of the civil war to that period . fol. 1692. dr. john conant's sermons , octavo . published by dr. williams . the redemption of time, or, a sermon containing very good remedies for them that have mis-spent their time shewing how they should redeem it comfortably / by william whately ... ; now published for general good by richard baxter. whately, william, 1583-1639. 1673 approx. 126 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 66 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2003-09 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a65610 wing w1590 estc r38583 17802451 ocm 17802451 106619 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a65610) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 106619) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 1109:4) the redemption of time, or, a sermon containing very good remedies for them that have mis-spent their time shewing how they should redeem it comfortably / by william whately ... ; now published for general good by richard baxter. whately, william, 1583-1639. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [36], 94 p. printed for francis tyton ..., london : 1673. preface signed: rich. baxter. reproduction of original in the cambridge university library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng redemption. salvation. christian life. 2003-01 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2003-02 spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images 2003-06 judith siefring sampled and proofread 2003-06 judith siefring text and markup reviewed and edited 2003-08 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the redemption of time or , a sermon containing very good remedies for them that have mis-spent their time : shewing how they should redeem it comfortably . by william whately , preacher and minister of banbury in oxfordshire . now published for general good by richard baxter . psalm 90.12 . lord teach us to number our daies , that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom . london , printed for francis tyton , at the three daggers in fleet-street . 1673. the preface . the usual vice of humane nature , to be weary of good things , when they grow old and common , and to call for novelties , is especially discernable in mens esteem and use of books . abundance of old ones are left neglected to the worm● and dust , whilest new ones of far less worth are most of the book-sellers trade and gain . it is not easie to give a reason of it , but it is not to be denyed , that this age hath few such writers as the last , either controversal or practical . even among the papists , there are now few such as suarez , vasquez , valen●●● , victoria , penottus , ruiz , alvarez , bellarmine , &c. and among us , too few such as iewel , whittaker , reignolds , field , usher , white , challoner , chillingworth , &c. which the papists understanding , would fain have the monuments of these worthies forgotten ; and are calling for new answers to the schisme that have been so long agoe confuted ; to keep those old unanswerable writings , from the peoples hands . and thus doth the envious enemy of holiness , by the practical writings of those holy men who are now w●th god. the solid , grave , and pious labours of rich. rogers , perkins , greenham , deering , dent , smith , dod , hildersham , downame , sam. ward , hall , bolton , dike , sto●ke , elton , tailor , harris , preston , sibs , ball and many more such , are by the most neglected , as if we were quite above their parts ; but it were well if more injudicious or undigested writings possessed not their room . though i may hereby censure my self as much as others , i must needs say , that the reprinting of many of our fathers writings , might have saved the labour of writing many later books , to the greater commodity of the church . among the rest , i well remember that even in my youth ( and since much more ) the writings of mr. whateley were very savoury to me : especially his new-birth , his care-cloth , and his sermon of redeeming time. and finding this last now hardly to be got , when yet the necessity of it is increased , and knowing of no other , that hath done that work so well , i have desired the printer to vindicate it from oblivion , and benefit the world with the reviving of so profitable ( though small ) a treatise . i must so far venture on the displeasure of the guilty , as to say , that the doleful condition of two sorts of persons , the sensual gentry , and the idle beggars , is it that hath compelled me to this service : but especially of the former sort , who though slothful , may possibly be drawn to read so small a book : what man that believeth a life hereafter , and considereth the importance of our busin●ss upon earth , and observeth how most persons , but especially our sensual gentry , live , can chuse but wonder that ever reason can be so far lost , and even self-love and the care of their own everlasting state , so laid asleep , as mens great contempt of time declareth ! ladies and gentlewomen , it is you whom i most deeply pity and lament : think not that i am too bold with you : god , who employeth us on such service , will be bolder with you than this comes to . and christ was bold wi●h su●h as you , when he spake the histories or parables of the two rich men in luke 12. and luke 16. and when he told men how hardly the rich should enter into the kingdom of heaven . and iames was b●ld with such when he wrote , chap. 5. go too now , ye rich m●n , weep and ●owl for your miseries that shall come upon you : your riches are corrupted , and your garments mo●heaten : your gold and silver is cankered , and the rust of them shall be a witness against you , and shall eat your flesh as it were fire , &c. — yee have lived in pleasure on earth , and been wanton : ye have nourished your hearts as in a day of slaughter . — and he was neither ignoble nor unlearned , but of honourable birth , and the orator of an university , who was so bold with the english gentry ( when they say , they were much wiser and better than they are ▪ now ) as to be speak them thus — ( herbert's church-porch . ) " fly idleness ; which yet thou canst not flye . " by dressing , mistressing , and complement : " if those take up the day , the sun will cry " against thee ; for his light was only lent : " god gave thy soul brave wings ; put not those feathers " into a bed to sleep out all ill weathers . " o england ! full of sin , but most of slo●h ! " spit out thy phlegm , and fill thy breast with glory ! " thy gentry bleats , as if thy native cloth , " transfus'd a sh●epishness into thy story . " not that they all are so , but that the most , " are gone to grass , and in the pasture lost . " this loss springs chiefly from our education , " some till their ground , but let weeds choak their son : " some mark a partridge ; never their childs fashion : " some ship them ●ver , and the thing is done . " study this art : make it thy great design : " and if gods image move thee not , let thine . " some great estates provide ; but do not breed " a mast'ring mind ; so both are lost thereby . " or else they breed them tender ; make them need " all that they leave : this is flat poverty . " for he that needs five hundred pounds to live , " is full as poor as he that needs but five . when i peruse the map of sodome in ezek. 16 49 , 50. methinks i am in an infected city , where instead of [ lord have mercy on us ] is written on the gentry's doors [ pride , fulness of bread , abundance of idleness , unmerci●u●ness and abomination . ] b●hold this was the iniquity of thy s●st●● ●od me , pride , fulness of bread , and abundance of idleness was in her , and in he● daughters , neither did she strengthen the ●a●d of the poor and needy : and they were haughty and committed abomination before me ] the title over the leaves of these verses might be [ the character of the sensual gentry . ] mistake me not , i am so far from accusing all the rich and honourable , that i must say it is as a testimony against the rest , that i know many such who spend their time as fruitfully and diligently as the poor ( though in another sort of service : ) and such might the rest have been if their bodies had not got the mastery of their souls . it is not your pride or fulness of bread that i am now to speak of , but your idleness . many of the old philosophers thought that when sickness or age had made one unserviceable to the common-wealth , it was a shame to live , and a duty to make away themselves ; as being but un●rofi●able burdens to the world . christians are not of their mind , because it is a mercy even under pain to have time of preparation for another world , and because we may serve god in patience and heavenly desires and hope , when we cannot serve him by an active life : but christians and heathens will proclaim those persons , to be the shame of nature , who wilfully make thems●lves unprofitable , and live in their hea●●h a● if they were d●s●bled by sickness ; and are condemned by their se●suality to a prison , or a grave : so that their epitaph may be written on their door , here lyeth such a one , rather than it can be said that here he liveth . o what a rock is a ha●dened heart ! how can you chuse but tremble when you think how you spend your dai●s ? and how all this time must be accounted for ? that those that have a death and judgement to prepare for , a heaven to get , a hell to scape , and souls ro save , can waste the day in careless idleness , as if they had no business in the world , and yet their consciences never tell them what they do , and how all this must be reviewed ? compare together the life of a christian , and of a fleshly bruit , and you will see the difference . suppose then both ladies and gentlewomen of the same rank : the one riseth as early as is consistent with her health ; with thoughts of thankfulness and love , her heart a●so awaketh , and rise●h up to him that night and day preserveth her : she quickly dispatcheth the dressing of her body , as intending no more but serviceable warm●h , and modest decency : and then she betaketh her self to her closet , where she poureth out her soul in confession , supplication , thanksgiving and praise to god , her creator , redeemer and sanctifier : and as one that delighteth in the law of the lord , she reverently openeth the sacred scriptures , and readeth over some part of it , with some approved commenta●y at hand , in which she may see the sense of that , which of her self she could not understand : what is plain , she taketh in , digesteth ▪ and layeth up for practice : and that which is too hard for her , as a humble learner she waiteth in patience , till by her teachers help in time she can come to understand it . as she hath leisure , she readeth such holy books , as interpret and apply the scriptures , to inlighten her mind , and resolve her will , and quicken her affections , and direct her practice . and as she liveth in an outward calling or course of labour , in which her body , as well as her mind , may have employment , she next addresseth her ●elf to that ; she looketh with prudence and carefulness to her family ! she taketh care of her servants labours , and their manners : neither suffering any to live in idleness , nor yet so over-labouring them , as to deny them some time to read the scriptures , and call upon god , and mind their souls : she endureth no prophane despisers of piety , or vicious persons in her house : she taketh fit seasons to speak to her servants such sober words of holy counsel , as tend to instruct and save their souls : she causeth them to learn the principles of religion in some catechism , and to read such good books as are most suitable to their capacity . in her affairs , she avoideth both so●bid parsimony , and wastful prod●gality ; and is thrifty and sparing , not in covetousness , but that she may do the more good to them that want : she indulgeth no excess or riotousness in her house , though the vices of the times should make it seem need●ul to her honour . if she want recreation , or have leisure for more work , she steps out to her poor tenants and neighbours houses , and seeth how they live , and what they want , and speaketh to them some sober words of counsel about the state of their immortal souls , and stirreth them up to a holy ●ife : she caus●th the sou●s of the poor to bless her , and is an example of piety to all about her . but h●r special care and labour is in the education of her children ( if she have any : ) she watcheth over them , lest the company , and example , and language of ungod●y persons should infect them . she causeth them to read the scriptures , and other holy books , and to learn the princip●es of rel●gion , and tea●heth them how to call upon god , and give him thanks for all his mercies : she acquainteth them with the sins of their depraved natures , and laboureth to humble them in the sense th●reof : she opene●h to them the doctrine of mans salvation by christ , and the necessity of a new birth , and of a heavenly nature : she disgraceth all sin to them , especially the radical master-sins , even ignorance , unbelief , selfishness , pride , sensuality and voluptuousness , the love of this world , and unholiness of heart and life : she sweetly and seriously insinuateeth into them the love and liking of faith and holiness ; and frequently enlargeth her spèech to them of the greatness , wisdom , and goodness of god , and what he is to man , and how absolute●y we owe him a●l the service , obedience and love , that our faculties can possibly perform : she sweetneth their thoughts of god and godliness , by telling them what god hath done for man , and what he will be to his own for ever : and by acquainting them with the reasons of a holy life , and the folly of ungodly men , and what a beastly thing it is to be sensual , and to pamper and please this flesh , which must shortly turn to dust , and to neglect a soul which must live for ever . she remembreth them oft that th●y must die , and telleth them how great a cha●ge death makes , and how the charge of regeneration must prepare us for it : she op●●●eth to ●hem the blessedness of holy souls , that shall be for ever with the lord , and the misery of the damned , who cast away themselves , by the wilful neglect of the tim● of their visitation . in a word , it is her dai●y care and calli●g , to prepare her children for the service of god , and to be blessings to the world in their generation , and to be happy themselves for evermore : and to destroy and prevent that sin and wickedness , which would make them a plague and curse in their generation . her meals are not lxurious nor long , nor her feastings unnecessary , to the wasting of estate , or precious time ; but seasonable , frugal , charitable and pious , intended to promote some greater good . she keepeth up the constant performance of religious duties in her family ; not m●●king god with formal complement ; but wo●sh●pping him in reverence and serious devotion , reading the holy scriptures , and seriously calling upon god , and singing to him psalms of praise . if her mind need recreation , she hath some profitab●e history , or other fruitful books to read , and variety of good works , and a seasonable diversion to the affairs of her family , instead of cards and d●ce , and the abused fooleries of the sensual world : when she is alone , her thoughts are f●uit●ul to her self ; either examining her heart and life , or looking seriously into eternity , or rejoycing her soul in the remembrance of gods mercies , or in the foresight of endless blessedness with him , or in stirring up some of his graces in her soul. when she is with others , her words are savoury , sober , seasonable ; as the oracles of god for piety and truth , tending to edification ; and to administer instruction and grace to the hearers , and rebuking the idle ta●k , or filthy scurrility ? ●r backbiting of any that would corrupt the company and discourse . at evening she again returneth to the more solemn worshipping of god , and goeth to rest , as one that still waiteth when she is called to rest with christ , and is never totally unready for that call . thus doth she spend her daies , and accordingly doth she end them , being conveyed by angels into the presence of her lord , and leaving a precious memorial to the living , the poor lamenting the loss of her charity , and all about lamenting the removal of a pattern of piety and righteousness , and loving holiness the b●tter , ●or the perfume of such a heavenly and amiable an example . on the other side , how d●fferent is the life of the sensual ladies and gentlewomen to whom i am now writing . when they have indulged their sloth in unnecessary sleep , till the precious morning hours are past , they arise with thoughts as fruitless as their dreams : their talk and time , till almost half the day is gone , is taken up only about their childish trifling ornaments : so long are they dressing themselves , that by that time they can but say over , or joyn in a few formal words , which go for prayer , it is dinner time ( for an image of religion some of them must have , lest conscience should torment them before the time . ) and when they 〈◊〉 sate out an hour or two at dinner , in gratifying their appetites , and in id●e talk , they must spend the next hour in talk , which is as idle : a savoury word of the life to come , must not trouble them , nor interrupt their fleshly converse : perhaps they must next go to cards or dice , and it may be to a play house , or at least , on some uprofitable visitation , or some worthless visitors that come to them , must take up the rest of the afternoon , in frothy talk , which all set together comes to nothing , but vanisheth as smoak : and they chuse such company , and such a course of life , as shall make all this seem unavoidable and unnnecessary , and that it would run them into contempt and great inconveniences if they did otherwise . if they look after their affa●●s , it is meerly through covetousness : but more usually they leave that care to others , that they may do nothing that is good for soul or body : they use their servants , as they do their beast● , for their service only ; and converse with them as if they had no souls to save or lose : they teach them by their example to speak vainly , and live sensually , and to forget the life to come : their children they love but as the bruits do their young : they teach them how to bow and dance , and carry themselves decently in the sight of men ; but never labour to heal their souls of ignorance , unbelief and pride ; nor open to them the matters of everlasting consequence : but rather perswade them that serious holiness is but hypocrisie , and the obedience of gods laws is a needless thing . they teach them by their example to curse , and swear , and lye , and rail , and to deride religion , or at least , to neglect god , and life eternal , and mind only the transitory vanities of this life : they leave them to satan , to wicked company and counsel , and to their fleshly lusts and pride , and when they have done , take care only to get them suffi●ient maintenance , to feed this sensual fire while they live : they train them up for the service of sin and satan , that at age they ; may have igno●ance and vi●e s●fficient to make them the plagues and misery of their country , and to engage them in enmity against that gospel and ministry which is against their lusts ; that rebelling against christ , they may have at last the reward of rebels , instead of salvation . in a word , they do more against their poor childrens souls , than all their enemies i● the world ; if not more than the devil himself could do , at least ▪ they most eff●ctually serve him , for their childrens damnation . thus do they spend their daies , and at night conclud● them as carelesly as they begun them : and at death ( without a true conversion ) shall end them as miserably as they spent them sinfully : and while they are pampering their flesh , and saying , i have enough , i will eat , d●ink and be merry , they suddainly hear , thou fool , this night shall thy soul be required , and then whose shall all this be which thou possessest , luke 12.19 , 20. and when they have a while been cloathed in purple and silks , and fared s●mptuosly every day , th●y must hear at last , remember that thou in thy life time receivedst thy good things , and lazarus evil things : but now he is comforted , and thou art tormented . and when the time which they now despise is g●ne , o what would they give for one other year or hour of such time , to do the work which they now neglected , luk. 16.24 , 25 , 26. matth. 25.8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12. is there not a great difference now between these two sorts of persons , in the expence of time. and is it any wonder if there be a difference in their rewards . in matth. 25.30 . it is not on●y [ cast the whoremonger , the drunkard , the perjured , the persecutor ] but [ cast the unprofitable servant into outer ●arkness ; there shall be weeping a●d gnashing of t●eth . ] compare , i beseech you , the time which you spend , 1. in idleness . 2. in excessive sleep . 3. in adorning you . 4. in feasting and long meals . 5. in curiosity and pomp , employing most of your servants time in impertinences , as well as your● own . 6 in excessive wordly cares . 7. in vain company and idle talk . 8. in vain thoughts . 9. in sensual recreations , in cards , dice , huntings , hawkings , playes , romances , fruitless books , &c. i say compare this time , with the time which you spend in examining your hearts and lives , and trying your title to eternal life , in bewailing sin , and begging mercy of god , and returning thanks and praise to your great benefactor , in instructing your children and servants , in visiting the sick , relieving the poor , exhorting one another , in meditating on eternity and the way thereto , in learning the word and will of god , and in the sanctified labours of your outward calling ; and let your consciences tell you , which of these hath the larger share ? and whether those things which should have none , and those which should have little , have not almost all ? and whether god have not only the leavings of your flesh ? gentlemen and ladies , i envy not your pleasures : i have my self a body with its proper appetites , which would be gratified , as well as you ? and i have not wanted opportunity to grat●fie it . if i thought that this were the most manly life , and agreeable to reason , and that we had no greater things to mind , i could thus play away my time as you do . but it amazeth me to see the worlds stupidity that people who are posting away unto eternity , and have so much to do in a little time , and of such unconceivable importance , can yet waste their dayes in sleeping , and dressing , and feasting , and complementing ; in pastime and playes , and idle talk , as if they were all but a dream , and their wits were not so far awakened as to know what it is to be a man. and to increase our pity , when they have done they ask , [ what harm is there in cards and dice , in stage-playes and romances ? is it not lawful to use such and such recreations ? ] suppose they were all unquestionably lawful , have you no greater matter that while to do ? have you no more useful recreations ? that will exercise your bodies and minds more profitably , or at least with less expence of time ? to a sedentary person , recreation must be such as stirs the body : to a labouring person , variety of good books and pious exercises is a fitter recreation than cards and dice. is your recreation but as the mowers whe●ting of his sythe ? no oftner , nor no longer than is necessary to fit you for those labours and duties , which must be the great and daily business of your lives ? if this be so , i am not reprehending you ; but i beseech you consider , have you ●o● souls to regard as well as others ? have you not a god to serve ? and his word and will to learn and do ? have you not servants and children to instruct and educate ( and o what a deal of labour do●h their ignorance and obstinacy require ? have you not death and judgement to prepare for ? have you not an outward calling to follow ? ( though i say not that you must do the same labours as the poor , i say that you mast labour and be profitable to the common-wealth ) have you not many good works of charity to do ? and will you leave the most of this undone , and waste your time in playes , and cards , and feasts , and idleness , and then say [ what harm is in all this ? and are they not lawful ? ] o that the lord would open your eyes , and shew you where you must be ere long , and tell you what wo●k you have here to do , that must be done , or you are lost for ever ; and then you would easily tell your selves , whether playing and fooling away precious time be lawful for one in your condition ? if your servan●s leave most of their work undone , and spend the day in cards , and stage-playes , and feasting , an● in merry chat , and then say , mada● , are not cards , and playes , and jesting lawf●l ? ] will you take it for a satisfactory answer ? and is it not worse that you deal with god ? it is a most irrational and ungrateful errour , to think that you may spend one hours time the more in idleness , because that you are rich. the reason were good , if labour were for nothing but to supply your own bod●ly necessities : but do you not believe that god is your lord and master ? and that he giveth you not an hours time in vain , but appointeth you work for every hour ? ( except your necessary rest ; ) and that your time and wealth are but his talen●s ? and bethink your selves whether a servant may say , i will do less work than my fellow servants , because i have more wages ? and whether you may do less for god , because he giveth you more than others ? but of this i have said so much in my preface to my book called [ the crucifying of the world ] that i shall now dismiss it . and what i have said especially to the rich , ( who think their loss of time no sin , ) i must say also to all others , o value time before it 's gone ! use it before it 's taken from you ! dispatch the work that you were made for : repent and turn to god unfeignedly : prepare for death without delay : time will not stay ; nor will it ever be recovered : were it not lest i should write a treatise instead of a preface , i would especially press this on all these following sorts of people . 1. those that are young , who have yet the flower of their time to use , that they cast it not away on child●sh vanity or lust● . 2. those that have lost much time already , that they shew the sincerity of their repentance , by redeeming the rest , and lose no more . 3. those that are yet ignorant , ungodly and unprepared for death , and the world to come ; o what need have these to make haste , and quickly get into a safer state , before their time be at an end . 4. those that in sickness resolved and promised , if god would recover them , to redeem their time. 5. the weak and aged , who nature and sickness do call upon to make haste . 6. the poor and servants , whose opportunities for spiritual means are scant , and therefore have need to take them when they may ; especially on the lords day . those that live under excellent helps , and advantages for their souls ; which if they neglect , they may never have again . 8. and those that by office or power have special opportunity to do good . all these have a double obligation to value and redeem their time. but because in my book called now or never , i have already urged these to dilige●ce , i shall only add this one request , to sportful youth , to sensual b●uites , to the idle sort of the gentry , to impenitent loyterers , to gamesters , and to all that have time to spare , that they will soberly use their reason in the answer of these following questions , before they proceed to waste the little time that is remaining , as vainly as they have done the rest . and i earnestly beseech them , and require them , as in the sight and hearing of their judge , that they deny me not so friendly and reasonable a suit . quest. 1. do you consider well the shortness and uncertainty of your time ? you came but lately into the world , and it is but a very little while till you must leave it . the glass is turned upon you : and it is uncessantly ●unning . a certain number of motions your pulse must beat , and beyond that number it shall not be permitted to strike another stroke . whatever you are thinking or saying , or doing , you are posting on to your final state : and o how quickly will you be there ! suppose you had seventy years to live , how soon will they be gone ? but you are not sure of another hour . look back on all your time that is past , and tell me whether it made not haste ? and that which is to come , will be as hasty . will not the tolling of the bell instruct you ? will not graves and bones , and dust instruct you ? while many are hourly crouding into another world , will conscience permit you to be idle ? doth it not tell you what you have to do , and call upon you to dispatch it ? can you play away your time , and idle it away , whilest the bell is tolling , whilest the sick are groaning , whilest every pulse and breath is telling you , that you are hasting to your end ? do you consider what a wonder of providence it is , that all your humours , parts and organs , that so many arteries , nerves and vains , should be kept in order one year to an end ? if you have no pains or sickness to admonish you , do you not know what a fragile thing is fl●sh ? which as the flower fa●leth , doth hasten to corruption and to dust ? how short is your abode in your present dwelling like to be , in comparison of your abode in dust and darkness ? and can you have while now to waste so many hours , in the adorning , the easing and the pampering of such a lump of rottenness , and forget the part that lives for ever ? must you stay on earth so short a time , and have you any of this little time to spare ? yea so much of it as you daily waste , in idleness , play and vain curiosity ? quest. 2. do you sober●y consider , what work you have for all your time ? and on how important a business you come into the world ? believe it , o man and woman , it is to do all that ever must be done , to prepare for an everlasting life ? endless joy or misery is the certain reward , and consequent of the spending of your present time ! and o that god would open your eyes , to see how much you have to do , in order to this eternal end ! you have ignorant minds which must be instructed , and knowledge is not easily and quickly got ! poor ministers of christ can tell you that , who with many years labour can scarce bring one half a parish to understand the very principles of the christian religion . you have souls depraved by original sin , and turned from god , and enslaved to the world and flesh ; and these must be renewed and regenerate : you must have a new and holy nature , that you may have a new and holy life . how many false opinions have you to be untaught ? how many weighty lessons to learn ? how many pernicious customs to be changed ? how many powerful corruptions to be mortified ? how many temptations to be overcome ? how many graces to be obtained ? and then to be exercised , and strengthened , and preserved ? is it easie to get a solid faith ? a tender heart ? a faithful conscience ? a fervent desire and love to god ? a quieting confidence and trust ? a well guided zeal ? and preserving fear ? an absolute resignation , self-denyal and obedience ? a hatred of all sin ? a love to holiness ? a fitness and ability for every duty ? a love to our neighbour as our selves ? a true love to our enemies ? a contentedness with our condition ? a readiness and joyful willingness to die ? a certainty of the pardon of all our sins , and of our title to e●ernal happiness ? a longing after the coming of christ ? a publick spirit , wholly devoted to the common good ? is it nothing to do all that whi●h y●u ●ave to do , in meditation , in self-examinati●n , ●● prayer , in educating children , in teaching and governing your families ; in all duties of your other relations ? to superiours ? to inferiours ? to equals ? to neighbours ? to enemies ? to all ? is it nothing to order and govern your hearts ? your thoughts ? your passions ? your tongues ? alas , sirs , have you all this to do ? and yet can you have while to sl●g , and game , and play and fool away your time ? if a poor man had but six pence in his purse , to buy bread for himself and for his family , and would give a groat of it to see a poppet-play , and then dispute that poppet-playes are lawful , how would you judge of his understanding and his practice ? o how much worse is it in you ( as the case is more weighty , ) when you have but a little uncertain time , to do so much , so great , so necessary works in , to leave it almost all undone , and throw away that time , on cards and playes and sensuality and idleness ? i tell you , time is a most pretious thing : more pretious than gold , or jewels , or fine cloaths ; and he is incomparably more foolish , that throws away his time , than he that throws away his gold , or trampleth his cloaths or ornaments in the dirt . this , this is the foolish pernicious prodigality . quest. 3. have you deeply considered that everlasting condition is , which all your time is given you to prepare for ? doth it not awaken and amaze thy soul , to think what it is to be for ever ; i say , for ever , in ioy or misery ? in heaven or hell ? one of these will certainly and shortly be thy portion , whatever unbelief may say against it ? o what a heart hath that stupified sinner , that can ●idle away that little time , which is allotted him to prepare for his everlasting state ? that knoweth he shall have but this hastly life to win or lose eternal glory in , and can play it away as if he had nothing to do with it ? and heaven and hell were indifferent to him ? or were but insignificant words ? quest. 4. what maketh you so loth to dye , if time be no more worth than to cast away unprofitably ? the worth of time , is for the work that is to be done in time ? to a man in a palsie , an apoplexie , a madness , that cannot make use of it , it is little worth ; if you were sick and like to die this night , would you not pray that you might live a little longer ? i beseech you cheat not your souls by willful self-deceit . tell me , or tell your consciences , how would you form such a prayer to god for your recovery if you were now sick ? would you say , lord give me a little more time to play at cards and dice in ? let me see a few more maskes and playes ! let me have a little time more to please my flesh , in idleness , feastings and the pleasures of worldliness and pride ! did you ever find such a prayer in any prayer book ? would you not rather say , lord vouchsafe me a little more time to repent of all my loss of time , and to redeem it in preparation for eternal life , and to make my calling and election sure ? and will you yet live so contrary to your prayers , to your consciences , and to reason it self ? quest. 5. is the work that you were made for hitherto well done ? are you regenerate and rènewed to the heavenly nature ? are you strong and stablished in grace ? have you made sure of pardon and salvation ? are your hearts in heaven ? and is your daily coversation there ? and are you ready with well grounded hope and peace , to wellcome death , and appear in judgement ? if all this were done , you had yet no excuse for idling away one day or hour , because there is still more work to do , as long as you have time to do it . ( and if this were done , you would have that within you , which would not suffer you to cast away your time . ) but for these men or women to be passing away time in ●loth or vanity , who are utterly behind hand , and have lost the most of their lives already , and are yet unregenerate , and strangers to a new and heavenly life , and are unpardoned and in the power and guilt of sin , and unready to die , and shall certainly be for ever lost , if they die before that grace renew them , i say again , for such as these to be sporting away their time , is a practice which fully justifieth the holy scriptures , when they call such persons , fools , and such as have no understanding , unless it be to do evil , and succesfully destroy themselves . quest. 6. do you think if you neglect and lose your time , that ever you should come again into this world , to spend it better ? if you idle away this life , will god ever give you another here ? if you do not your work well , shall you ever come again to mend it ? o no sirs , there is no hope of this . act this part well , for as you do it , you must speed for ever ; there is no coming back to correct your errours . i have elsewhere told you , that it must be now or never . and yet have you time to spare on vanity ? quest. 7. do you mark what dying men say of time , and how they value it ? ( unless they be blocks that are past feeling . ) how ordinarily do good and bad then wish , that they had spent time better , and cry out , o that it were to spend again ? then they are promising , o if it were to do again , we would spend that time in heavenly lives , and fruitful obedience , which we spent in curiosity , idleness and superfluous sensual delights then they cry , o that god would ●enew our time , and once more try us how we will spend it . alas sirs , why should w●se men so much differ in health and sickness ! why should that time be vi●ified now , which will seem so precious then ? quest. 8. how think you the miserable souls in hell would value time , if they were again sent hither , and tryed with it again on the terms as we are ? would they feast it away , and play it away as you do now ; and then say , are not playes and cards and feasting lawful ? every fool will be wise too late , matth. 25 . 3● 8 , 11. bethink you what their experience teacheth them , and let warning make you wise more seasonably , and at a cheaper rate . quest. 9. do you believe that you must give an account of your time ? and that you must look back from eternity on the time wh●ch you now spend ? if you do , what account will then be most comfortab●y to you ? had you not rather then find upon your accounts that all your hours have been spent to the best advantage of your souls , than that abundance of them have been cast away on fruitless toyes ? will you have more comfort then in the hours which you spent in heart-searching , and h●art-reforming and learning and practising the word of god , or in those which you spent upon needless sports , curiosity or idleness ? do now as you would desire you had done . quest. 10. how do you now wish that you had spent the time which is already past ? had you not rather that it had been spent in fruitful holiness and good works , than in idleness and fleshly pleasures ? if not , you have not so much as a shadow of repentance ; and therefore can have no just conceit that you are forgiven ? if yea , then why will you do that for the time to come , which you wish for the time past that you had never done ? and hereby shew that your repentance is hypocritical , and will not prove the pardon of your sin ? for so far as any man truly repenteth , he is resolved not to do the like , if it were to do again , under the like temptations . quest. 11. do you know who attendeth you while you are loitering away your time ? i have elsewhere told you , that the patience and mercy of god is waiting on you : that christ is offering you his grace , and the holy spirit moving you to a wiser and a better course ; that sun and moon and all the creatures here on earth , are offering you their service : besides ministers and all other helpers of your salvation : and must all these wait upon you while you serve the flesh , and vilifie your time , and live as for nothing ? quest. 12. do you consider what you lose in the loss of time ; that time which you are gaming or idling away , you might have spent in entertaining grace , in heavenly converse , in holy pleasures , in making your salvation sure . and all this you lose in your lose of time : which all your sports will never compensate . quest. 13. is the devil idle while you are idle ? night and day he is seeking to devour you : and will you , like the silly bird , sit chirping and singing in your wanton pleasures , when the devils gun is ready to give fire at you ? if you saw but how busie he is about you , and for what , you would be busier your selves for your own preservation , and less bu●ie in doing nothing than you are . qu●st . 14. do you really take christ , and his apostles and saints , to be the fittest pattern for the spending of your time ? if you do not , why do you usurp the name of christians : is he a christian who would not live like christians ? or that taketh not christ for his master and example ? but if you say , yea ; i pray you then tell us how much time christ or any of his apostles , did spend at cards , or dice , or stage-playes ? how much ●n curiosity about dressing and superfluous ornaments , about unnecessary pomp and courtship ; how much in sluggishness , idleness and vain discourse ? or how much in furnishing their bodies , their attendants , their habitations with matter of splendour and vain glory ? did they waste so much of the day , in nothings , and need-nots as our slothful sensual gentry do ? or did they not rather spend their time in holy living and fervent praying , and in doing all the good they could to the souls and bodies of all about them ? and in the labours of a lawful bodily employment ? write after this copy ; rather than after that which is set by the sensual fools of the world , if you make any account of gods acceptance ! do as the saints did , if you will speed as they ; or else for shame never honour their names and memorials to your own condemnation ! if you will spend your time as the flesh and the world teach you , rather than as christ hath taught you , you must look for your payment from the flesh and the world . and why then in baptism did you renounce them and vow to follow christ ? be not deceived , god is not mocked , for whatsoever a man soweth , that shall be also reap ; for he that soweth to his flesh , shall of the flesh reap corruption : but he that soweth to the spirit , shall of the spirit reap life everlasting , gal. 6.7 , 8. bethink you what the reason was that the ancient fathers and churches , so much condemned the going to the spectacles of theaters ; and why the canons made it such a crime for a minister to play at dice ( read dr. io. reignolds his cloud of witnesses of all sorts against stage-playes . ) reader , if thou think this counsel or reprehension too precise or strict , grant me but this resonable request , and i have my end [ live in the world but with a soul that is awake , that soberly considereth what haste time maketh , and how quickly thy glass will be run out ; how fast death is coming , and how soon it will be with thee ? what a work it is to get a carnal unprepared soul to be renewed and made holy , and fitted for another world ; what a terrible thing it will be to lie on a death-bed with a guilty conscience , unready to die , and utterly uncertain whither thou must next go , and where thou must abide for ever ! foresee but , what use of thy present times will be most pleasing or displeasing to thy thoughts at last , and spend it now but as thou wilt wish thou hadst spent it ; and value it , but as it is valued by all when it is gone ; use it but as true reason telleth thee will make most to thy endless happiness , and as is most agreeable to the ends of thy creation and redemption ; and as beseemeth that man who soberly and often thinketh what it is to be either in heaven or hell for ever , and to have no more but this present short uncertain life , to decide that question , [ which must be thy lot ? ] and to make all the preparation that ever must be made for an endless life ] i say , do but thus lay out thy ti●e as reason should command a reasonable creature , and i desire no more . i have warned thee in the words of truth and faithfulness ; the lord give thee a heart to take this warning ! thy compassionate monitor , rich. baxter . sept. 23. 1667. the redemption of time . ephes. 5.16 . redeem the time , because the dayes are evil . whilest i bethought my self of a portion of holy writ to treat upon , that might hold some agreement with the present season ; this short sentence offered it self unto my mind . at the first i rejected it as impertinent , but after a second and more serious view , methought it was the most fit scripture that i could make choice of , on this occasion : for howbeit it hath pleased the common sort of men , to stile these festival dayes with the name of good times ; yet by reason of the gross abusage , to which the corruption of men hath made them subject , they may very well receive an alteration of their title , and in a quite contrary phrase , be termed evil dayes ; yea , and that in the highest degree of all , the worst of dayes . now in this time wherein time is so lavishly mis-spent , i hope it cannot seem unconvenient , or untimely , to give a brief exhortation concerning the right use of time. these words which i have read , lead us into that path : being part of an exhortation begun in the former verse . there in general he had exhorted them to be most strictly carefull of their wayes , and to direct their course of life in such respective sort , as they might deserve the name of wise , not unwise men : commending herein unto them and us , that very strictness and preciseness , wherewith the world hath now long since pickt a quarrel and fallen out . and because this was but a general rule , he seconds it with some particulars , by which we may be led on to the like instances in other matters . the first of these specials is placed in the well disposing o● time , in this verse : where having set down the duty of christians in this behalf , he backs it with a reason ; which in it self and to a spiritual understanding , is most sound and firm ; but to the carnal judgement of a carnal man , is void of all soundness and reason . the duty is , to buy out the time , to traffique with it , as men do with wares ; and when it is in other mens hands ( as i may say ) to give something ( yea , any thing ) that we may get it into our own hands for good uses . he means , that we should use our greatest care and diligence ( even that which we would employ in matters most nearly concerning us ) to win all the time we possibly can , for the duties of religion and godliness . his argument to confirm this exhortation , is taken from the contrary , ( if we look on it with a carnal eye , it will seem inconsequent , halting , and not able to bear up the conclusion ) it is , because the days are evil : that is , the customs and manners of the greatest part of men that live , are wicked and lewd . now because the number and rout of the world is so strongly bent to all manner of ungodliness , as that they have even tainted the time itself , and corrupted the very dayes ; the apostle would therefore have the ephesians , and all other christians so much the more industrious , to take all seasons and occasions for the bettering of themselves . because other men are naught , and stark naught , therefore ought faithful christians to be good , and very good , and to turn all opportunities to this end and use , that they may be furtherances to make them good . the world would have framed a more crooked conclusion from this ground , and have said , because men are so generally and extremely bad , ( for that is noted in saying , the days are evil ) we must therefore needs strain courtesie a little , and not be too strict , lest we should be over much different from other men , and incur the by-name of singularists . but the apostle telleth us , that because the waves of men are excessively disordered , and full of naughtiness , we should bestow so much the more pains , that we might not be carried down the violent stream and deluge o● unsanctified living ; and unto this intent should earnestly watch , and diligently take all good occasions of getting and doing good . you see in part the meaning of this short sentence , which containeth a few words indeed , but is stuft full of worthy matter , which ( according as my weakness can attain ) i shall strive to spread before your eyes , unfolding it in such manner , as that you may perceive the things , that lay therein closely wrapped up before . doct. the point which the words offer to our consideration at the first sight , is this , that all christians ought to be very good husbands for their time . good hours and opportunities are merchandize of the highest rate & price : and whosoever will have his soul thrive , must not suffer any of these bargains of time to pass him , but must buy up , and buy out all the minutes thereof . no man of trade can be more careful to chaffer , and deal in the most gainful things that pertain to his occupation , than we should be to deal in this ware of time , wherein every christian is , or should be a well taught and practised dealer . as such kind of men ( if they can either make mony themselves , or borrow it of their friends , yea ; or else ( such is the greediness of men ) ( take it up of the usurer ) will not let slip any commodity wherein they have skill , and are perswaded that it will bring in large profit within a short time of return : so should every good man use all diligence ( for diligence is in stead of mony here , and care in stead of coin ) to gain every day , every hour , and every minute , ( so much as may be possible ) from all unprofitable actions , and over-worldly affairs , to bestow the same on the duties of religion and godliness . this being such a parcel of ware , as if it be wisely bestowed , when it is heedfully gotten , will come i● again with both hands full of profit for recompence of ones pains taken i● that behalf . this self-same exhorta●tion , this same apostle delivers in s● many words unto the colossians , whe● he saith , walk wisely towards them that are without , and redeem the time ▪ col. 2 , 5. see how paul , an old beaten and experienced dealer in these matters for the soul , doth neither forget nor neglect to teach his apprentices ( as i may call them ) the very secrets and mysteries of the trade of good living , whereof this is one , even the thrifty laying out and getting in of time : which being repeated to the colossians , ( as well as delivered to these ephesians ) comes with a double charge upon our minds , to make us heedful in these bargains . and that excellent petition of moses ( the man of god ) doth mean nothing else but this , when in other words he saith , teach me so to number my days , that i ●ay apply my heart to wisdom , ps. 90. ●2 . for he means , that god would enable him with grace , so seriously to consider of the shortness of this life , and the transitoriness of this present world ; as that he might take all occasions , and use all means to bend his heart to the seeking and obtaining of the true knowledge of god and himself , and so the true fear of god , which is the beginning of wisdom . and the want of this husbandry christ doth mournfully lament in the city of ierusalem , setting out unto us also the grievous and dismal effects and consequents of this heedlesness , in regard of taking time , and using the fit opportunity : o ( saith he ) if thou hadst even known , at the least in this thy day , those things that pertain unto thy peace ! but now are they hid from thine eyes , &c. luke 9.42 . as if he had said , hitherto thou hast had the means to learn what made for thy good , and what might have prevented thy ruine ; and if thou hadst but even at this last hour marked and considered them , thou mightest have escaped these fearful judgements : but now that thou hast been all this while wanting to god , he will hereafter be wanting to thee ; thou shalt never have any true knowledge of these things , nor ever avoid these miserable calamities . because they did not use time , whilst time did serve , to repent and turn to god , therefore after , it was too late , god would not hear them nor help them . they that refuse the good offer of a good bargain from god , shall not have this bargain offered again at their pleasure : yea god will not deal with them at their leisure , that would not deal with him at his leisure . and wisdom ( in solomon's wise book of proverbs ) speaks to this effect of ungodly men , prov. 1.24 , 25 , 26 , 27. that when their misery comes , she will laugh at them , because when she gave her good instructions to prevent this misery , they laughed at her . the neglect of taking the fit time and occasion to follow wisdom's wholesome counsel , and to come when she calls , plungeth scornful men into such a depth of misery , as that there is no means of recovery . for when wisdom laughes a man to scorn , whither shall he repair for succour ? and to this intent ( of husbanding our time well ) notable is the saying of the same apostle in another place , bidding us , whilst we have time , do good to all , gal. 6.10 . as much as if he had told us , that time must so much the rather be bestowed in doing good , ( and then it is redeemed ) because we have no such great store of it , as we do foolishly imagine . the vessel of time is not so full , ( as most men dream ) nay , it will soon come to the bottom : 't is then wisdom to spare betime , and not in the very dregs and lees . all these places do in most plain manner confirm the point , viz. that every christian must be very saving and thrifty of his time , that is , must convert all occasions to the good of his soul , and furthering of his reckoning , not suffering by his will any hour or minute ( more than needs must ) to be laid out in any thing , but matters that may fit him for a better life . this is in truth to have ones conversation in heaven , when one upon the least occasion is ready to make one step further thitherwards : when one gives all his time to god , but so much as may be more especially to religious exercises , and such things as do after a peculiar sort make for a better life ; not letting slip any means of furtherance , that is offered him this way . now for your better direction in this saving thrift , and for the more full understanding of this point , and more ●●sie practising of this needful duty , ●● purpose to stand some while in shew●●g these two things . first , from that time is to be redeemed . secondly , what the time is which must be redeemed . for the first , we must understand , that there be five hucksters of time , very cormorants and ingrossers of this precious ware , which betwixt them ( for the most part ) get up all the hours of mens lives , not suffering the soul to enjoy so much as an hour for its own use , upon the best occasion to benefit it self . these thieves , when i have told you their names , i will discribe more at large . they be , 1. vain sports . 2. vain speeches . 3. immoderate sleeping or sluggishness . 4. vain thoughts . lastly , immoderate following of worldly businesses and affairs . play , ●watling , sleeping , foolish thinking , excessive rooting in the earth . now for these fond sports ( amongst which i comprehend riotous feasting and belly-chear , a companion 〈◊〉 gaming , for the most part , and als● that trifling and womanish diseas● of curiousness in putting on apparel for these ( i say ) it is easie to prov● that they do eat up these good hours which otherwise would much inrich the soul of man. solomon ( th● wisest of meer men that lived sin●● adam ) hath set it down as a su●●● rule ( that never fails , scarce ever admits exception ) that he which love● pastime shall be poor , and he that love● wine and oyl shall not be rich , prov. 21.17 . if this saying be understoo● only of the body , it is most true for these things will make a man extremely reedy in the midst of larg● possessions , and plenteous revenues ▪ but if we apply it to the soul , ( as see no cause why it may not be applied to both ) it is most universally true . he that is so wedded to his pleasures , and besotted upon vai● ●elights , as that the current of his ●●fe is carried that way , or else too ●reat a part of the stream is turned ●hither ; shall be destitute of under●tanding , shall have a naked , ragged , ●●atter'd soul : and that comes , because he hath not used his time well , by the right employment whereof he might have got wealth for his better part ; i mean , unto his mind and heart . a threed-bare heart , needy of knowledge , comes from a voluptuous life stuffed with pleasures . and the prophet isaiah cries out , chap. 5.12 . with a woful and a better cry against those which had the timbrel , the pipe , and the harp in their feast , but would not regard the work of the lord : all their dayes were taken up in eating and drinking , in banqueting and feasting , in good chear and merry-making ; so that there was no time to meditate and think on those afflictions , whereby god did warn them to repentance and amendment ; which is most contrary to this duty of redeeming the time for all this time is even lost and cast away . and had we no other proo● than our own experience in this behalf , would it not manifestly convince , that he which desires to redeem the time , must flie these vain delights and sports ? for do we not plainly see , what a canker it is in a number of mens lives ? when ( many days ) they bestow three or four hours together , yea , half the day , if not the whole , in dicing , carding , bowling , shovel-board , of the like idle ( if not wicked ) exercises ? doth not this waste and pour forth time over-lavishly ? or can that man have so much rest and quiet , or so much fitness and opportunity to do good to his soul , as his wise care in cutting off these needless recreations , or vexations rather , would have afforded him ? for these vain pleasures are n●t alone mischievous hinderers of this thrift , in ●hat they consume the very hours ●hemselves , but as much , or more also , in that they dissettle the heart ; and pull the affections out of joynt : so that a man is driven to take as much pains to set his heart to a good exercise , as would well have dispatched the duty , had he not been thus unfitted . now what a miserable loss is it when a man is robbed of his time , and of his heart both at once ? and by both kept from reading , praying , medi●ating , examining his heart ; or any such good exercise for his souls advantage . wherefore if any man would so prevent these vain and foolish sports , that they should not spoil him of his heart and hours : let him observe these two rules in his sports , and then he shall do well in these respects . first , ( this being presupposed , that he do not use any recreations , but those which he can prove to be in themselves lawful : ) first , i say , for the beginning of recreation ; let every man know , that recreation must follow labour , for the most part : or 〈◊〉 at any time it go before it , it must be very little , only to fit one for labour . the lord allows a man no sport● ( though never so lawful in it self ) until such time as his body or mind do stand in need of it ; chiefly when they have been busied in some such honest affairs , as by wearying them , have made them unfit to further labour , so that they must again be fitted there●o by recreation . until pains-taking have made the body or mind not so well able to take pains , there is no allowance ordinarily for r●creation . all our sports and recreations , if we will use them well ( i speak of those which are lawful ) must be to our body or mind ; as the mowers whetstone or rifle is to his sythe , to sharpen it when it grows dull . he that when his sythe is dulled , will not ( upon a desire to do more work ) take time to whet it , shall cut less , and with more pain , and more unhandsomely than he need ●o do ; so he , that when his body or mind is tyred or heavy , will not use some honest refreshing , shall do less , and with less dexterity than he might . but on the other side , if the mower should do nothing from morning to noon , or from noon to night , but whet , whet , whet , rubbing his sythe , he would both marr the sythe , and be counted an idle work-man also , for losing his dayes work ; so he that will run after the most honest delights , when neither the weariness of his body , nor heaviness of mind requires the same ( but only upon a fond lust or longing after them ) shall in time destroy his wit and strength , and in the mean seas●n marvellous unthriftily mis-spend his time . therefore let not a man begin the day with play , though never so lawful , unless his body 〈◊〉 mind require some necessary exercis● to make it more apt for his calling he that sets into the day sportingly shall be sure to go through it , eith●●●umpishly or sinfully , much more 〈◊〉 he spend all the day from morning to night in playing ; let it be never so much holy-day , or have he what other excuse he will. this rule is for beginning of sports . the second is for the measure and continuance of them , where this is a general and a firm direction ; that it is not lawful for a man in an ord●nary course , to spend more time in any pastime , upon any day , than in religious exercises . i mean chiefly private religious exercises ; i say , it is utterly unlawful to bestow a larger time any day upon the most lawful delight , than in private religious exercises , or at least in a customable course so to do . this is plainly proved by that which christ speaks to 〈◊〉 , saying , mat. 6.33 . first seek ●he kingdom of god , and the righteousn●ss thereof . you see here commanded to prefer the seeking of hea●en , before any oth●r thing whatsoever ; ●o let that have the chief place in our souls , and in our lives . now he that first seeks the kingdom of heaven , cannot bestow more time in sports of any sort , than in those things which do directly make for the obtaining , of eternal life , and that righteousness which will bring one thereunto ; such as are , hearing and reading the word , praying , meditating , examining the heart , conferring , and the like . and surely this is a most equal thing , that the most needful duty should have the most time bestowed upon it . yea , and it is a most easie rule to all sorts of men , that have seasoned their hearts with the true fear of god. for if a mans calling lye in bodily works , then the very ●●●rcises of religion are a refreshing to his body , in that he doth for the space while they continue , desist from his bodily labour , ( and his calling affords sufficient stirring of the body for health ; ) so that if he be religiously minded , and have indeed set his delight on god , he may well give as much time to these actions , as to any carnal sports . but if any mans calling lye in study , or such like labour of the mind ; first , the change is a great refreshing , and variety a delight ; and then there be religious exercises , which will refresh the mind as well as any sports ; and for so much exercise as health requires , it is not long in using , because nature is here , as in other matters , content with a little , howsoever men seek excuses by belying her : so that at the least , an equal portion of time must be allotted to god and religion : as to sports and delights , even of students , if they will first seek the kingdom of god. therefore let a man measure out the time of sporting and recreating himself , by the time he takes to pray , to read , to meditate , to sing psalms , to con●●rr of good things , or the like ; and ●how that he hath not liberty from god to employ ordinarily so much ●ime , never to employ one minute ●ore , in the most unoffensive sports , ●●an in these services of god. now ●et a man conform himself to these two ●ules : begin not to play , till need of ●ody or mind crave it : con●inue not ●ports longer than a man hath , or ●hall continue some godly private ●xercise of religion , and he shall save ●is time well from his first thief . now comes to be considered the ●ext spender , or rather robber of ●ime , that is , idle twatling or bab●ing ; and concerning this , our saviour christ deals plainly with us , saying that of every idle word which men shall speak , they shall give account at the day of judgement : think well of this sentence , and lay up every wordpunc ; thou must not alone give account of thy works , but also of thy words : thou must not alone be called to a reckoning for moving of thy hand , foot , or whole body , but of thy tongue also : and that not alone for wicked words , sinful words , harmful words , speeches in themselves infectious and rotten ; but for idle and waste words , and not only for a number of idle words , for a whole throng or fleet of them , but for every idle word . now then if there be an account to be given , and a reckoning to be made for these rubbish speeches , judge , if it be not a want of redeeming the time , to lay it out in such a thing as will bring a sore and heavy burden afterwards without repentance to cast it off ; and judge if he which makes much of time had not need take much heed of this ill-spent breath . not alone then wicked speaking ( when one bel●heth forth lewd and filthy words , not slanderous and backbiting talk , ( when one whispers of his neighbours faults behind his back , utt●ring ( perhaps ) also lying reports , and fathering that upon him wh●ch he never d●d or meant ; ) but even vain , needless , and ●●profi●able words , 〈…〉 to no good or wh●●●som● 〈…〉 on body ) are a mis-s●●●ding of 〈◊〉 , and contrary to th●s ●r●c●pt ; and therefore also to be 〈◊〉 of him that is this way 〈◊〉 dispos●d . n● 〈◊〉 can talk idly , but he casts himself 〈◊〉 a double damage , even the loss of a word , and the loss of time ; two great losses , what ever m●n imagine of th●m : and therefore the apostle paul also finds fault with a certain sort of women that were pratlers , which would go from house to house , twa●ling and babling out fro●hy speech that was good for nothing , which fault he condemns as a ma●ter something worse than idleness , or doing nothing , when one talks toyes or trifles , and speaks shadows or gawds that yield no profit . such twatling cuts out the heart of good time , for it hath seldom any measure , it creeps by little and little over a great part of the day , and sometimes of the night . how many winter nights do men suffer themselves to be robbed of , by this childish babling ? and in the fourth verse of this chapter the apostle forbids foolish speaking and jesting : the one is a roving discourse , gathering together a great deal of chaffie geer , that will feed no man : a busie , but absurd prosecuting of a headless and footless tale ( as we may call it in our phrase . ) the other is a setting of ones self , and sharpning of his wit , to coyn pretty and witty scoffs and conceits that may move laughter , and for this end only : both these are condemned , as unlawful , and unbeseeming christians . there must be a difference made betwixt a smooth and pleasant uttering of ones mind in seemly phrases , and good and delightful terms and manner ; and this whetting of the wit , to bandy and toss sharp and brinish taunts and quirks . now this pleasantness of the most honest sort is not to b● used as a custom , but in the nature of a refreshing , when men are dulled for better matter . for laughter being a power of gods creating , and wholesome to the body , and therefore lawful , it cannot be unlawful in a seemly sort , harmlesly to move laughter by words ; but it must not be jesting : one must not give himself to it , and make it his occupation for an hour or two together . now none can be ignorant , how great an hinderance this vain speech is to the well imploying of time . for do we not see , that in many places , whole dayes are cast away in the deep gulf of roving , and unprofitable runnagate-babling to no purpose ? and that whole meals are devoured in gibing and jesting , if without taking the sacred name of god in vain , and hurting ones brothers name , ( which is very seldom , yet excessively , and not without thrusting out better ma●●er , which is a grievous faul● . wherefore that we may be well armed against this robber , let us observe diligently these two rules : first , let us make conscience of our words , & of the moving of our tongue , knowing it to be a necessary duty that god hath imposed upon us , to have our words always gracious , and seasoned with salt ; always good for the matter , and tempered with wisdom for the manner . which precept the apostle adds presently after this , of redeeming the time ( to the collossia●s ) col ▪ 4.5 . as an t●ble part of it . the law of grace then must be the bridle of our tongue , and wisdom must raign in our mouths , so that we speak nothing but that which may be for some profit to our own or others soul or body , being f●ly temp●red to the present circumstances of time , place , &c. where and when we speak . for the words are gracious , not alone when they tend to the further edification of the soul in some matter of religion ; but also when they be busied about ones honest outward affairs , and lawful calling , this being a great furtherance to godliness , that a man may know how ( and accordingly practise it ) to follow his calling with dexterity and wisdom . now he that would not have unnecessary trifling words steal into his heart , and out of his mouth , and so spoil him of good seasons , must set it down , as a thing to which his conscience is bound , ( as well as not to lye , swear , or slander ) not to speak one word , whereof he cannot give some reason from the good that he doth aim at in speaking of it . and every man must know , that having let slip such a word , he hath committed such a sin , as makes him lyable to gods judgement , and the sentence of condemnation . the want of resolving the heart thus , causeth many to take liberty to their tongues , ( and harmful liberty it is ) and yet to think they have done no harm to themselves in so doing . and therefore the common excuse of such twatlers is this : i hope that it is no harm : yea , but what good was it ? if it were not directed to some good , it hath done harm , for it hath broken gods commandment , and set thy self deeper in debt than thou wast before , thou hast one trespass more to answer for , before gods tribunal : no man shall ever avoid this puddle , that will not be perswaded it is a damnable sin to step into it . first then , labour to convince thine heart , and frame thy practice to this rule in all speaking . secondly , for honest comely mirth in speech , ( besides that it must not relish of lust , nor savour of malice and prophaneness , for then it is worse than idle words ) it ought to be bounded with this rule ; namely , that it be used as a means to quicken our selves or others against some natural heaviness or deadness , by which the heart is made unapt for better conference , and other exercises of more profitable use ; and when this effect is brought to pass , that laughter hath scattered the mist of dulness from off the heart and mind ( or if no such occasion be offered ) then let mirth and natural laughter give place to his betters : otherwise coming into a continued custom , and shouldering out more needful communication , it takes the name and nature of jesting , and is a thing much unbeseeming the stayedness of a christian. thus the tongue may be bound from dealing falsly with the heart , and cousening the soul of good hours and occasions . now followeth the third devourer of time , and that is immodera●e sleeping or sluggishness . the wi●e king solomon have a great hatred to this thief , and gives many warnings and caveats ; whereby men might learn to take heed of it . the bed is a very cunning and slie cousener , that useth a pleasing trick to deceive a man , and robs him , under shew of friendship . now solomon hath made ▪ a most fit description of a sluggard caught by the whiles of sleep and sloth ; setting him out to the light , prov. 6.9 , 10 , 11. where he brings him in roaming himself , and rubbing his eyes with an unwilling hand , uttering broken and sl●epy sentences , as one not half awake . first , he calls him up ( as it were ) saying ; how long wilt thou sleep , when wilt thou rise out of thy sleep ? as if he had said ho , sir , it is time to get up ; what not out of your b●d yet , at this time of the day ? then mark the drowsie , slumbring , and senseless answer : a little sleeps , a little slumbers , ( for the original hath the words in the plural nember , well befitting a sluggard ) a little folding of the hands to sleep . see how speaking of sleep all is in the littles ; and though he names sleeps , yet it is but a little in his conceit . he tells not when he will rise , but he cannot rise yet ; and when he ha●h had enough , and too much already , then he must have a little more , begging for sleep as one would beg for bread . he asks a little , because he would not be denyed . first , he must have sleeps ; and having slept , he must have slumbers , and having slumbred , he must fold his hands , and roam and tumble himself . behold a sleeper in his colours ; and mark what answer solomon gives , he spends no more time to call him up , but tells him his doom as he lies in his bed ; therefore thy poverty comes as a traveller , and thy necessity as an armed man. as if he had said , well , be it so , if you will needs , sleep on , take your belly-ful of sleep , but know , that sith you shew such skill in begging sleep , you shall even become a beggar for it ; sith you will have you fill of sleep , you shall have little enough of any wealth ; poverty will pursue you , and overtake you ; it will follow you , and surprize you ; it will make haste and strike home , you cannot run from it , nor resist it , it comes with speed and with force ; it will take you in bed , where you cannot flie away from it , nor drive it from you : and what he saith of outward poverty , is most certain of inward penury ; a sluggard hath so much the less grace ; by how much he hath the more sleeps and slumbers . so the same wise king hath set out a sluggard in another place , saying , that a sluggard tumbles himself on his bed , as the door on the hinges , prov. 16.14 . that is , he is still there , and there must be such a do before he can be removed from off his couch , as if one were to lift a door off the hooks , a man must come with leavers to heave him off : call him , waken him , bid him rise , &c. all is little enough to rear him . this sluggish humour ( you see ) is condemned long ago , for a mis-spender of time . and surely it is not alone very dangerous , in regard of the quantity and muchness of the time which it filcheth ; but also in regard of the quality and goodness : for it ordinarily feeds gluttonously on the very fat of time , it eats the very flower of the day , and consumes the first fruits of our hours , even the morning season . after sleep hath made strong what labour hath weakned ; after that nature hath been well refreshed , and the revived spirits come with a fresh supply of strength and nimbleness to serve the body and the mind : then for want of exercise all grows dull again , as a band of souldiers , that grow effeminate by lying in garrison without labour all the summer . thus it robs one of the principal and most seasonable time , when the mind and body were both in the greatest fitness to read , pray , meditate , or to dispatch and cast any matter of ones calling : it is a thief that robs one , not of his baggage stuff , but even of his gold and jewels , ( for some time is better than other , as much as some metal is better than others ; and this always for the most part takes away the most precious ) yea , it hath one trick as much , and more dangerous than the former : if a man give himself to sluggishness , it will often follow him to the church , and close up his eyes and ears , both of body and mind , from hearing and marking those most wholesome exhortations , which like so many pearls , god's messenger with a liberal hand , according to the pleasure of his lord , doth sca●ter amongst men , that who so will may take them up . the time of preaching and expounding the word , with applying it , is the time of harvest , it is god's market day ; nay , it is his dole or prin●ely congie , when he gives gifts freely , and those of great worth too , unto those that will take them . how can it chuse but be a great hinderance to a mans estate to sleep in harvest , and to be in bed at such a time , when so much wealth is bestowing ? therefore this sleep , you see , is a most crafty and pernicious deceiv●r , and doth with much cunning over-reach a man , taking from him , for the most part , the morning time , and the time of hearing , two the most profitable seasons , and the most worthy to be rede●med of all others . now against the deceit of this false companion , a man may defend himself by following these two rules . first , it is not lawful for any man , upon pretence of leisure from business , to take more sleep than is required for the strengthening and refreshing of his nature . the measure of ones sleep , or lying in bed , must not be according to ones business , bu● so much as his nature requires , for the better enabling of it to perform the duties of his calling , and of religion . indeed a man may , and ought to break his sleep , and stin● himself in this regard , when important business , either for the soul or body , do press upon him ; but no man must take more sleep than is requisite for the sufficient refreshing of nature , upon vacation of necessary affairs . the reason of this is plain : it is a sin to strain and stretch natural things for the serving of lust , beyond that end for which they were created and ordained . now sleep , and lying in bed , was ordained for the strengthening of nature , and for the repairing of the spirits diminished by labour ; wherefore it must not be drawn beyond this end , to the satisfying of a sluggish humour . so that , as it were a fault for a man to sit and cram himself with meat , till his stomach would turn back the morsels , because no business did call him from the table : so it is a sin to give ones self to immoderate sleeping or slugging in bed , ( as our-word is , to sleep compass ) because no urgent matter doth call him up . this is to be on the bed , as a door on the hinges , that one cannot rise till a leaver come ; that is , something even almost of necessity . it is wicked to ●urfeit on sleep , as well as on meat . so then , it shall be a great help against sluggishness , to know that god allows not any man to be sluggish , ●nd therefore to accustome ones self to timely rising : for in this one thing , custom hath as much power almost as in any thing , so that look what is ones use , that he shall hardly refrain . he that doth customably forsake his bed , so soon as he fe●ls his nature fresh , and his spirits quickned , shall with ease keep on in so doing . but he that takes liberty to laze himself , and dull his spirits for lack of use , shall find the more he sleeps , the more he shall be drowsie , till he become a very slave to his bed , and make sleep his master . so a healthful body , by confessing it to be his duty , ( and through custom , though hard at first ) drawing unto it a nature , may have the morning at command . and this is the first rule . secondly , for time of hearing the word , he that would not be troubled ▪ with such sluggishness then , must look that he do use meat , and drink , and sleep moderately , in the first season of it ; and then strive to quicken himself against carnal heaviness and sorrow , by prayer and meditation before-hand : which two things will keep a heathful body in such good temper , that s●ee , shall not ordinarily oppress it in this most sacred exercise . now follows the fourth thief to be arraigned , and that is , idle thoughts . mans imaginations will be working , and tossing conceits up and down almost continually . now all men by nature are so tainted with the sickness of vanity , that their minds will run willingly after nothing else , but that which vanity begets . and for this cause men have taken up a proverb , to dazle their eyes , ( if it might be ) that this might not seem a ●●u●● . they say , tha● thought is free ; a● though one should never answer for idle though●s . and it is the common excuse of men to say , they think no harm ; as though it were enough , to hatch no mischievous and harmfull conceits , notwithstanding they do exceed in idle and unprofitable imaginations . whereby it may be seen , that men are so far from reforming this fault , and avoiding this thief , that they will not take it for a fault , nor esteem it as a thief of time . but this swallows up most of our solitary hours , when men are in bed , or alone in the night season , and cannot sleep ; or when they be journeying and walking without company , they cannot then possibly talk with others , when no man is present : yet their mind doth busie it s●lf in idle talking with it self , casting a thousand fond things before ones eyes ; as , wha● if this should be ? or , what if that should come to pass ? and much ado to little purpose . this roving and frisking of the fantasie ( like a wanton calf let loose from the st●ll ) is a f●●ting worm , that eats out a great deal of most mens time , so that they cannot redeem it for the profit of their hearts . this puts by good meditations , and suggests featherly and light stuff , that hath no good substance in it ; froth and some , which is not nourishment to the mind , but rather poison , in that it fills it full of wind ; and a windy heart is no less burdensome that a windy stomach . this casts out the cogitation of god's benefits , that one may not be thankful for them ; it shoulders away the thought of ones own sins , that he may not renew his godly sorrow and repentance for them ; it justles out the consideration of god's graces , that we cannot set our affections on fire , to long and labour after them . and in all th●se respects , it takes away the benefit of much good opportunity . for every time a man is alone , separated from all company and outward business , there is an excellent occasion of furthering his own soul , offered unto him . if any thing grieve him , he may freely disburden his heart into god's bosome ; if he faulted any way , he may have full and free scope to confess and bewail it ; if he want any good thing , there is l●isure and place in as effectual manner , and with as many words as one can , to beg it of the lord. thus great riches might come to the soul by a well spent solitariness : but vain cogitations do deprive a man of all this , and do so blow up the mind with that which is nothing , as it grows swollen , like the flesh of him which hath the dropsie , so that it may well be called the dropsie of the mind . now for a help against this vanity of the mind , breaking forth in idle thoughts and phancies ; first , we must take the counsel of solomon , to keep the heart with all diligence . the heart is that which must be narrowly looked unto , that evil and unprofitable thoughts rise not up in it . here must be the special care to prevent , first breeding and ingendring of sin in the most inward parts . this thief will be still filching and stealing time continually , do what one can . wherefore a watchful and wary eye must be had thereunto , and a diligent guard must be set before the heart , to keep out such imaginations from entring , as be like rogues and vagrants , worth nothing , and alwaies come to steal something . when a man makes conscience of his thoughts , and observes them to what end they tend , this will be an excellent help to keep them from wandring ; whereas if one will follow the proverb , and esteem them as free , they will never be kept from a busie fondness , like ants in a mole-hill , that run up and down , hither and thither , and do nothing . then in the second place , we must labour to be provided before-hand , of some profitable matter or subject , whereunto to bend the thoughts in solitariness ; something that tends to the glory of god , and our own good , either in the matters of the soul , or the lawful affairs of the body , must be let into the soul , to take up the room , that the busie fancies may be the better stopt out . and indeed the lord hath provided a christian of good store of such matter , if he be not wanting to himself . for there is nothing that offers it self to any of our senses , which doth not also offer to our mind ( if it were not stark blind ) some glorious attribute of god to be seen and considered of . so that to want occasion of good thoughts in this variety of matter , as to want light at noon-tide , that proceeds from nothing but from want of eyes . but this is a great help to him , that can see to set his soul a work first on the good things . for if one have let his heart loose at first , he shall not ( without much pains and toyl ) catch it again , and have it within command . thus doing , a great part of vain cogitations shall be cut off . now comes to be handled the fifth and worst of all the five consumers of time ; which is so much the more dangerous , because it is in some honest reckoning among most men ; and is esteemed as the right lord and true owner of that time , which for the most part it holds by usurpation and injury . this is the immoderate care of the world , and of things of this life , though in themselves honest and lawful , when a man doth wind himself into such a labyrinth and maze of affairs , as he cannot get out at fit times to spiritual and religious duties , at least not to those which are private : when the heart is so surcharged with bargains and purchases , and buying and selling , and building , and such like ; that god and goodness , christ and salvation , heaven and hell , come not into a mans mind once in a day , scarce once in a week ; or at least , 〈◊〉 they come , they be quickly shut o●t , and have no long nor quiet entertainment there : when the soul is overwhelmed with caring , thinking , devising , and striving how to grow great h●re , and is so tossed in the gulf of earthly matters , that it cannot come to land ( as it were ) to settle it self in any proportion , to think how it may grow great in heaven , and how it may get possession of ●he true treasure . this is a wondrous consumer of good hours , digging them all into the dunghill of this world. christ finds fault with this in the parable ; the men bidden to the feast , had farms , and oxen , and wives , and such matters in hand , ( business forsooth of more importance than so ) and therefore could not come , matth. 22. and the thorny ground had so much carking and caring how to live , that it doth even choak the word , the good seed could not grow thereby , matth. 13. and the lord complains of them of the captivity of iudah , hag. 1.13 . that they could find time to build their own houses , yea and to ciele them too ; but they sa●d , it was no time to build the house of god : so this sin do●h ingross all the time to it self , and will not give elbow-room to any good exercise , especially to any private exercises , without which the publick are but as meat without digestion ; and yet it comes like an honest and approveable thing , painted wi●h the name of thriftiness and pains in ones lawful calling . to fence our selves against this ravenous and lurking fault , we must binde our selves to these three rules , which all depend upon the rule of christ , that bids us first seek the kingdom of god , first in time , and first in affection , matth. 6.33 . and again , lay up your treasure in heaven . v. 20. hence ( i say ) three rules may be collected , to which he that would not be spoiled of good occasions to the soul by worldliness , must more and more frame himself and his life . that first is , that no man suffer himself to enter upon so many businesses , or any so eagerly , as that his ordinary affairs should hinder himself , or his family from the performance of ordinary religious exercises . the common and daily matters of this world , in any mans calling whatsoever , should not draw him , or his family , from common and daily duties of religion ; such are reading , praying , meditating , and religious observing of the sabbath : for here a man must take care for his houshold , as well as for himself , that he do not hinder them from taking convenient time to pray , and read , &c. by forcing upon them an over-great burden of ordinary businesses . for if the soul be to be preferred before the body , and heaven before earth ; then those customable matters that pertain to the saving of the soul , must be set before , much more stand equal with the things that pertain to the body . secondly , the extraordinary works of our calling ( if any fall out ) must not barr us from the extraordinary works of religion . as for example , harvest , and hay-●ime , or the like , are extraordinary times for the business for the body : so preparation to the sacrament , fasting ( if need so require ) and such like , are extraordinary works for the soul ; now as the care of inning ones corn or grass , must not keep him from taking time to prepare himself to the sacrament , or to fast at his need : so the receiving of the lords supper is matter of more than ordinary use for the soul ; and some needful journey stands in the like manner for the body , but a man must rather def●r his journey ( if it may be put off without over-much hinderance to him ) than omit the receiving of the lords supper . the same rule must be kept in all other particulars . for if the soul be more worth , and must be more carefully attended on than the body ( as it is no reason the handmaid should take place of the mistress , ) then those things which do after a peculiar manner concern the good and profit thereof , must not be neglected for such as do more specially help the state of the body outwardly . lastly , if some outward duty of religion have been put off from the time , wherein it should be performed , by some sudden and unexpected business , that required such haste ( as in such case ordinary duties of religion may be deferred ) then some ordinary business of less weight must ( in recompence ) give place to that exercise afterwards , and a man must find time for that , whether it be reading , praying , or meditating , by leaving undone ( for that space ) something that may be better spared . and thus you have heard what be those special evils which lie in wait to cousen us of our good time , and how they may be prevented . and so the first part is handled ; namely , from what time is to be redeem●d . now follows to shew , what it is that is to be redeemed , and so you shall fully know wherein this duty consists . now by time , the apostle means two things : first , the very passing away of hours and minutes , the space and leisure of any thing ; and secondly , the good occasions or opportunities that fall out in this space . for the word in the original , signifies not alone the very sliding of minutes , but the space considered also with some special fitness , that it hath for some good , which we call the season of it . now for the first , it shall not be needful to say any more , being that every one knows , that every thing must have some space wherein to be done . and he that will avoid the five fore-named evils , shall never want time , or the space wherein to do or get good . but for the occasions and fit opportunities that fall out , now for this , now for that , in this space , it is some more skill to find them out , and make use of them . now these seasons are all of two sorts : first , such whereby a man may more easily get some good to himself : secondly , such , whereby a man may with more fitness and ease do some good . of the first sort , namely , seasonable opportunities to get good , i will name three particulars which are most needful to be considered , and by proportion of which , any man may come to the knowledge of other like . the first , when god continues the gospel , offering daily the word and sacrament , and calling to repentance and amendment of life ; this is the season of repenting ; this is the harvest wherein we may reap christ , if we be not negligent ; this is the acceptable year of the lord , in which one shall be received , if he return . whilest wisdom lifts up her voice ; whilest her messengers come daily to invite us ; whilest her gates stand open , and her dinner stands ready drest , whilest her message is done unto us : all this time if a man will strive and endeavour to turn from his sin , to leave his folly , and forsake his scorning , he shall be a welcome guest , she will accept him , help him , and give him an encrease of grace , till he become strong with her mea●s . whosoever lives under the preaching of the gospel , hath this priviledge annex●d to the outward teaching , that if he will but strive and pray to god , to give him strength to repen● and 〈◊〉 his waies and turn to him , god will ( upon his promise ) hear his prayers and assist him : but when the gospel is gone , then the da●● is past , a man may call and not be heard , and cry and not be regarded . so then every man rede●ms th●s season of the gospel , when he gi●es himself to consider seriously of those ●●ults which he finds in himsel● , and hears sharply reproved in the word , and hereupon resolves to forsake them , and doth not only his own b●st endeavour , but earnestly call upo● god for his hel● , with●u● which his p●wer is bu● weakness ●●d ineffectual ▪ when he doth also duly ponder upon the holy commandments that he hears preached , and those exhortations that are daily sounded in his ears to move him to do such duties as god requires , and hereupon concludes with himself to set about this work , and craves the strength of god to bear him through in the same . and when he doth advisedly think of the promises that are generally proclaimed , and labours to get some assurance that he is such a one to whom the right of these promises appertain : thus doing , i say , one redeems the time wisely , and makes his advantage of the gospel while it continues , which is a thing that all men should do : but so rare in the world , as that it is wonder the lord hath so patiently continued his loving voice , when men scoff at it and will not hear . the lord hath and doth send his prophets amongst us , as he did among the jews , rising up early , and sending them , which with all earnestness do proclaim the dangerous event that shall follow upon prophaneness , neglect , and contempt of gods word , breaking of his sabbath , rayling , wrathfulness , whoredom , wantonness , covetousness , thieving , oppressing , slandring , lying , and such like : yet how many run on in these evils presumptuously , rushing like the horse into the battle , with an unreasonable boldness , not fearing any danger , and shutting their ears against these reproofs , as the deaf-adder doth , that they may not be moved by them to amendment : ah , how contrary is this to redeeming the time ? if any man have hitherto lost the season , let him now grow wise , and even at this time turn to god , and beg power to forsake these sins . how often and how earnestly are men exhorted to all good works by the continual voice of god , speaking unto them by his servants ? to read the word of god daily ; to pray privately ; to meditate upon the word , to watch over their dayes ; and to call themselves to a reckoning every day for the faults committed in the day ; yet who regards this voice ? who marks these exhortations ? where is one , that hath enjoyned himself to some constancy in praying , reading , and the fore-named duties ? this is to sleep in harvest , a most foolish practice and unwise ; wherefore whilest there is yet a little time left , whilest we have the light , let us walk in it , that we be not overtaken with darkness . he that hath not yet begun , let him be sorry that he hath put it off so late , and now set foot into these wayes of god , whilest god sets out his word as a candle to direct him , and as his hand to lead him by . the promises of god are in like sort published amongst us . happiness is held up as a reward of all true hearted christians , and the crown of life is proposed to those , which are sound and faithful members of jesus christ. and yet as ●●●ugh all w●r● sure to get it , or it w●re not worth ●eeking●y any , the most men slatter themselves in their sins , and will n●●ds promise these good things to themselves , when they have no assurance or proof out of gods word , whereby to lay claim or title to them . this is a grievous and a dangerous neglecting of time . and if any have not yet made sure work this way , let him even now set about it , whilest the word as a touch-stone is before him , by which he may try himself , and which will make him such a one as he should be , if he will strive to follow it , and pray for ability to be ruled by it . so then whilest god holds out his benefits , and stands with his arms open to accept us , let us take his benefits , and be perswaded to come unto him in good earnest ; let it be too late to travel when midnight shall come , instead of noon day● ▪ this is the first and chiefest opportunity of getting good : namely , to joyn with the gospel , and follow it with our endeavours and prayers , by which it shall be made effectual unto us . the second opportunity of getting good , is in time of youth and health , whilst the vigour and strength of the body and mind is fit for labour , and capable of instruction . and solom●n in his book of penance , viz. ecclesiastes , bids , remember thy creator in the days of thy youth , before the evil days come . these days of youth and health are good days , when he which will use them , hath his memory stedfast to call to mind his evil ways that he may bewail them , and to treasure up good instructions and promis●s that may guide and comfort him , when the limbs will joyn with the mind , and the mind hath the body as a fi● instrument to seek the kingdom of heaven , if a man will address himself unto it : but the days of old age and sickness fail much of the commodious fitness for good ; the memory is cracked , the head and understanding is weak , and especially the time of sickness is so filled with pain , so shaken with distractions , and incumbred with griefs and sorrows , that one is nothing fit to repent , or pray , or hear , or to do any such thing . now when a man in the prime of his days , and in the fulness of his health , will give himself to seek heaven , will hear the word , and meditate upon it , and apply it to himself , will confess his sins , and force himself to bewail them ; will pray to god for good things , and set the whole course of his life in a right frame ; he hath well taken opportunity , and he shall have rest in his latter days , much quiet and contentment , at least much strength and assistance in his sickness , because he hath something in store against the time of want . but alas , how do the common sort of men bewray their monstrous folly in this behalf ? what more common than that sottish and bruitish speech , at least such ignorant and profane thoughts , men will repent when they be old , and cry god mercy when they feel themselves sick , and amend all when they be ready to go out of the world ? and foolish man , thou knowest not whether thou shalt die suddenly , whether thou shalt have thy wits and senses , or whether thou shalt have power of heart to make the least colour of repentance in those extremities . how many have died suddenly ? how many sottishly ? and yet how do men , for all these warnings , defer the best business , namely , the work of repentance and turning to god , ( which will require the whole strength of the soul ) to the worst and most crasie time of sickness or old age ? as if a prisoner , at what time a man was offering him a pardon , and calling upon him to take it , some good space before the assizes , should say , nay , let me alone , i will not look after my pardon , till immediately before i am to come before the judge : this were a most fond part , especially if it were so , that the thief knew not whether the next day should be the day of his arraignment or no : so the case stands betwixt the lord and us . if any man therefore hath been so little careful of his own eternal good , as to put off repentance and conversion till that dead time , or doth foster any such harmful conceit in his heart , let him now cast it out , and now that he hath his health and strength , upon better deliberation take in hand this work . be not so extremely mad , as to give more time to the devil than to god , especially to give the principal time . he were a foolish traveller , that would willingly gallop all the day quite contrary to his way , and being told of it , would answer , when it draws towards sun-set , i will turn into the right way . why be men thus blockish for their souls , that knowing themselves to be out of the way of life , will yet of purpose defer to set their feet into the right path , till sickness of age , when the sun of their life is at the point of setting ? ah , let our proverb teach us more wit , make hay while the sun shines . turn , turn , whilst thou hast health and strength , use all to get repentance and salvation . the last chief opportunity of getting good , is , when a man hath company , and is in the society of some godly wise man , able to give sound counsel and direction , able to answer all doubts , objections , and scruples of ones mind , now there is a fit opportunity to grow in wisdom , to be resolved of all doubts , and to seek direction . so then , a man ought not to suffer bashfulness , or other foolish matters to put by that good communication , whereby he might inrich his soul. it is a special favour of god , that any man can come where his servants are that have excellent gifts ; and he doth deprive himself of much good , that will not seek to benefit himself by them . when the woman of samaria perceived christ to be a prophet , she proposed her doubt unto him , albeit he was a stranger . when iohn baptist might be come to , the publicans and sinners came and asked what they should do . whilst the jayler had paul in his keeping ▪ he came to ask that needful ●uestion , what shall i do to be saved ? so if there be any man whose heart is perplexed with some doubt , or over-burdened with some temptation , or over-master'd by some sin , it is a part of ●●od discretion for such a one to go and se●k the advice of some able christian or wise man , before that either himself be too far gone , or he want the opp●rtunity of such a counsellor or helper . these be three special occasions of obtaining good to a man 's own soul from things without him : in all which , to take the time is a most commendable point of wisdom , but to be negligent , is such folly as solomon reproves , when he saith , that a fool hath a price in his hand to get wisdom , but he wants a heart . oh that men would beware of this heartlesness , and take heed of losing their price , by which they might get wisdom . now come to speak of the occasions of doing good , and these are either in others , or in themselves . first , in others , and that for their soul and body . sometimes a man shall find a kind of tractableness in those with whom he hath to deal , that their ears stand open , and they are ready to drink in an exhortation or reproof , by reason of some affliction that is upon them , or some need they have of our help , or such like occasion . here is time for a kind and sound admonition , then a man ought in all love , and yet with all plainness , to follow the occasion ; striking ( as our proverb is ) whilst the iron is hot , speaking when he sees him in the melting vein , ready to take all well , and in good part . and so elihu notes , that when a man is brought to his dea●h-b●d , and to abhor all worldly delights , then his ears are bored , and then there is w●rk for an interpreter : before the bones clattered , and the mourners looked for the funeral , an interpreter was despised , but now his words are observed . thus a man may do much good to his neighbours or servants soul , if he wait for a time when he is fit to receive admonition , and then gives him it ; as the husbandman in dry weather waits for a shower of rain , and then sets in his plow. again , for the body , sometimes one shall meet with one that hath true need , that is in distress for his bodily estate , and doth indeed want relief ; this is an occasion and fit time to shew liberality , now a man must open his purse , and be ready to give freely ; i mean not , that every time a man meets a beggar , he should be giving , ( for to those a man should not give , but in the very extremity of necessity ) but if our brother hath been afflicted by any loss through fire , or such like , ( that he do not make himself needy by idleness , but it comes upon him by some hand of god ) here is an object fit for mercy , and here one may be seasonably liberal ; here is an altar , offer the sacrifice of alms upon it , which is a thing wherewith god is well pleased . some other time sparing may be more fit , but now is a season to be more free of gift , and openhanded . there is an occasion of doing good offered in others , wherein i have named these two particulars , that every man might accordingly take notice of other like . then , there is also occasion of doing offered in ones self , whether by some outward thing that befals him , or by some inward stirring of the mind and affections : as outwardly when a time comes in , wherein we have received some more special benefit ; this should provoke us to more thankfulness by remembrance of the benefit . thus this time of christ's nativity should ( if any way ) be celebrated , that it might turn to an occasion of of more hearty thanksgiving , and more true obedience unto christ , that gave himself for our sins , and took our nature upon him , that in it he might bear our iniquities . so when we be in the enjoying of gods creatures , whilest we be eating and drinking , or such like , here is a special season to lift up the heart to god , and to kindle a flame of praise by this fuel , that our thanks might be so much the more earnest , by how much we have a more present feeling of gods mercy , and do even taste how good he is . on the other side , a man is sometimes pressed with a sore cross and affliction that pincheth his soul , here is a very fit occasion of humbling ones self , and examining ones heart : for in these afflictions god calls to humiliation for the most part , which duty being performed , after , a man may rejoyce in his afflictions , but whilst the burthen of the cross is heavy , here is a notable means to ●urther one in the work of humiliation ; and if one can take the time when god smites , he may ( at least he ought ) cause his heart to stoop before him with more ease , than when he was at more ease for his body . again , sometimes a man hath a more inward stirring of his affections , which he cannot have at another time ; this must be followed , greedily taken , sometimes at the sermon , or upon some other occasion , a man hearing or thinking of his sin , and the punishment due thereunto , having a kind of pricking in his heart , and some touch of remorse within him , his conscience begins to tell him that all is not well , and he grows to some orderly conclusion ; sure i will now be sorry for this fault , and amend it : now if one will follow this motion , and go after god when he calls ( for this is one of his inward callings ) and not shoulder it out with fond mirth , but nourish it by a plain confession of his sin to god , and an hearty begging of grace and strength from him , to do that which he now sees he should do ; this will come to godly sorrow , and so t● repentance : but else if he choak it and quench it , it will vanish , and the heart will be more hard frozen in the dregs of sin . so that if there be any , whose heart at this time at the speaking of these words , whose soul smites him for his swearing , lying , sabbath-breaking , whoredom , drunkenness , gaming , covetousness , railing , or the like sin ; let him when he is gone out of the church , cast himself down in the presence of god confess this is his sin or sins freely , without dissembling ; labour to be more sorrowful for them than ever he was , and pray to god to pull him out of this mire . this if he do , he shall take the time , he shall be a convert , the lord will receive him , as the unthrifty prodigal son was received , and by redeeming the time he shall find redemption to his soul. but if he despise this admonition of god , his soul shall be more seared than before , his heart shall be delivered to a greater hardness and senselesness than ever before , and so be further off from repentance and life . but alas , the frantick dealing of men in this case is too palpable , and to be wondred at , when gods word strikes upon them , when they feel the keenness of it , when the threatnings have cut , so that they smar● for it ; then they run to dicing , carding , drinking , dancing , &c. as it were of set purpose to drive away the spirit of god , that was coming towards them to heal their soul. none is so mad to take such courses for his body , that when he feels the sore to smart , then to run from the physician , and cover it over with a clout , or strive to forget it : yet for their souls a number deal so senselesly in this thing as much as in any other , verifying that name which the holy ghost hath given unto them , when he terms them mad 〈…〉 it is a property 〈…〉 mad man , that fe●ling 〈…〉 hate the physician 〈…〉 him that would 〈…〉 of us which have 〈…〉 so mad , would return now to their minds , and to god to be healed ! again , sometimes a mans hear● is stirred up with an inward and secret rejoycing or gladness . then saith saint iames , if any man be merry , let him sing psalms , jam. 5.13 . now he shall do it with a chearful courage indeed ; and therefore david would in such a case rise at midnight to sing a psalm , rather than he would lose the season , when it would relish with him so well . sometimes also a man or woman shall feel a secret pensiveness growing over his heart , so that it even melts , as the ground that thaws after a frost , and he could even weep abundantly , tears offer themselves in a full measure . here is an excellent occasion of renewing ones repentance . now whatever be ones company , whatever be the matter in hand , except it be of absolute necessity , let him leave it off , and betake him to his chamber or some secret place , let him fall on his knees ; now let him open his mouth , and acknowledge his sins against himself , giving vent to his grief , and turning all to godly sorrow , whatsoever the occasion was at first . thus if any body do , his repentance shall receive a notable encrease : but if he pass it over , his heart will not answer his desire another time . further more , sometimes a mans heart is earnestly moved with some hungry desire to enjoy some grace of god , and great longing after some christian vertue : now let him in the heat and flame of his desire address himself to prayer ; then one shall send up such piercing cries , and give such a loud knock against the gates of christs mercy , that he cannot choose but hear , and send one back wi●h an alms , as it were ; thus he redeems the time : but else his desires will be so cold and chill at another time , that he shall scarce thrust a petition out of his lips , and then these drop down at his feet , and do him little good . and thus in every other ( through the turning of our affections ) we must follow gods spirit , yea , or nature when it leads us , wisely turning all to spiritual uses . and thus you may perceive what it is to redeem the time , and how it may be attained . now let us come to some brief application of the point . vse . first , this point thus explained , meets with a number of imperfections even in the best , and him that is most careful of his ways ; of which we are now to take notice , and purpose amendment , if we have not hitherto considered of them . for this is a fault to which a man ( even in a good measure spiritual ) is subject , for want of redeeming the time , that he comes to that lazy pass now and then , as he hath nothing to do , nothing whereabout to settle himself . it is a carnal unsettledness in a christian to be so negligent of his time , as that he should have any minute of time , which he knows not how to bestow upon some good and profitable use . the lord offers such a multitude of occasions to do and receive good , that if we could with wisdom take them , there is no hour passeth us , in which we might not do or get some good . and if there be nothing else , yet this is something whereabout he hath good occasion to be busied , even to fall out with himself , because he hath nothing ( i mean , he sees nothing that he hath to do . ) sometimes , if men see their servants standing idle and unbusied , they can ask them with a kind of indignation , what , can you find nothing to do ? and sure the lord might come with this question divers times to us , and say , as it is in this parable . why stand you all the day idle ? asking whether the world were so empty of occasions , and our selves so perfectly well , as that we can find nothing to do ? but there is no hour passeth us , which we should not find fit for some good thing , if we could catch the opportunity before it be turned , and did not harm our selves for want of diligent redeeming the time . yet there are other faults , of which christians are to be warned : as to begin with the last first . how many be there that are so stuffed with worldly businesses , and yet are greedy of more , as that they cannot find leisure one hour in a day , nay , scarce in a week , to bestow upon rea●ing , praying , meditating or conferring ? yea , as though time were made for nothing but to seek wealth and transitory things , so it is the chiefest of their care . it appears that such labour not for conscience , but for gain , because they cannot break off ordinary labours so long , as well to perform ordinary duties of religion . many may say ( with grief enough if they did well ) that their hands are so full of the world , as that they can scarce through the week , take the bible into their hands to read any thing therein , unless perhaps it be in the church at some publick meeting . thus , men which are born to a better inheritance , are content to w●ar out themselves in the earth , as if they were to perish in the earth with other baser creatures . here is one fault to be amended then : let no christian bestow so much time in the world , as that he cannot find sufficient to seek heaven and the things thereof . then for the matter of sports , methings some christians should even shrink , before the word of reproof comes to them , when they may think of so many hours spent such a day at bowls ; so many ( it may be ) the next day in shooting ; so many the third day in shovel-boord , or the like exercises : haply in themselves not unlawful , and when they come to reckoning for religious exercises , the count comes in very slowly , but the minutes or quarte●s , some half quarter of an hour , or thereabouts bestowed such a day in praying alone , and some three or four days after , about a quarter of an hour in reading ; and ( it may be ) the next week , some half quarter more in meditation : and thus if the expences of time were written in our debt-books , as they be in gods ; we might even blush to read so many items for pleasure and sport , and scarce one or two in a side for private religious exercises . then for our words : may we not hang down our heads with shame , to think that god made our tongues , and we speak scarce one word in an hundred to his glory ? idle words , even many of those whom we are to regard as christians , count them no faults , neither come to rep●n● for them ; it was but a word out of the way , say they . but this power to speak ( being a gift peculiar to men above all beasts ) ought to be more preciously regarded , than that it should be abused for base trifles . then for idle thoughts ; who makes question of them almost ? alas we do not remember that god hath searching eyes and fierce , which pierce into the depth of ones soul. we dream that thoughts are not so much , and spare our selves in our unthriftiness , when we should deal more religiously with our selves . lastly , some might be reproved for too long lying in bed , and spending more hours in slugging or sleeping , ●han health and strength doth require : many perhaps will think that it is left to their own pleasure , and that the preacher is too busie , if he take upon him to teach them when to rise , as though it were no fault to over-sleep themselves . indeed some old and sickly mens bodies must take it when they may ; but for the greatest part of men , if they knew what good the first half hour of the early morning spent in religious exercises would bring them , they would not love sleep so well , as for it to neglect them . it is well said , he that seeks me early , shall find me , and it well may be literally understood . therefore ( brethren ) there is none but may see a fault in himself in these respects some or all of them , and happy is he that resolves to mend it . therefore if you will take good counsel , do thus when you come home . think , alas , if time must be reckoned for , and should be redeemed , how far am i behind hand with god , that ( what for sleep , what for play , what for idle babling , what for vain thoughts , and excessive worldliness ) i cannot make a good account of the fortieth , yea , of the hundredth part of my time ? and then grieve because thou hast been such an unthrift of time , and now begin carefully to spare before all be gone . but now here is a reproof more sharp for some others , that are not willing to hear of that ear . tell them they must not spend a whole day , or a whole night in playing and sporting . what not at christmas ? ( say they ) why , you are too precise : well , but yet vouchsafe to consider a little what god speaks . thou sayest this is too much preciseness , and so saith the world ; but the apostle bids to walk precisely or warily , redeeming the time : and he that will take time to card or dice , and to use lawful recreations immoderately ( i mean so , as to be at his play the greater part of the day , and it may be some , if not the most of the night too ) shall pay full dearly for it : either he must repent , and undo this with much grief and sorrow of heart , or else he must smart for it hereafter worse in hell. i would not deal over sharply with thee : but take gods loving admonition , and let him have one tenth part of the four and twenty hours : yea , more a good deal than so , now that thou hast more leisure than ordinary . and here is yet a kind of people that are to be rigorously handled , such as are all gamesters , that spend no one hour waking , but upon pleasure : the world calls them scatter-goods , and the lord will call them scatter-hours , that do mispend both goods and hours . such ( let them think of themselves how the● will ) as do make gaming the greatest part ( if not all ) of their occupation , must be content to hear that they have no portion in heaven , as they can keep no portion in earth . how can one have treasure in heaven , that never laid up any there ? if god hate a gamester ▪ so that he will not give him good clothes to his back , ( now he had ●reamed tha● he shall be clothed with ●●g● ) he will much less afford him a seat in heaven . and howsoever for a time they ruffle it out , and be clad better than their more laborious neighbours , yet this trade will surely undo them , for they have brought this peril upon themselves , that either god must not be true , or they must not be rich , he must forfeit his truth , or they their goods , besides their name and soul : wherefore let such as have hitherto given their days to such an unsanctified and inordinate course , surcease from the practice of their lewdness ; and both in conscience for their souls sake , & in discretion for their goods sake , resolve to become better husbands of time , lest their gaming on earth , bring beggary to their latter days , and damnation to their souls for ever . lastly , let all good christians be admonished to make precious account of their time , and with much carefulness to take the seasons and opportunities of god , according as they have heard it is their duty . christians either indeed purpose to learn , or make a shew of such a purpose when they come to church . ah , that we might all learn this thrift , and practise it as we have heard : begin to day , and hold on still . now is a time of remembring the most admirable work of christs incarnation , when he was made flesh of the virgin to purge us from sin , and save us from wrath by the shedding of his blood , and sufferings which he endured in his flesh . give not all ( ah , why should we give any of it ? ) this time to play , chiefly to bezeling , surfetting or wantonness , but take some space to consider of the greatness of this benefit , and to be thankful proportionably thereunto . i would i might hope to prevail with any by this exhortation : but howsoever , it is needful to be spoken , that none may have occasion to pretend ignorance . you see or might see your duties in this behalf ; and in practising the same shall find the benefit of it . but fools will scorn admonition , and those that have accustomed themselves to lust , will not be entreated to pull their necks from out their hard yoke , and to serve a better master ; nay , so foolish are a number , that they think to do christ great honour in spending the day whereon they imagine that he was born , and some few that follow it , in more than ordinary riot and sinful excess ; as though he were a god that loved iniquity , and were delighted with drinking , and swilling , and gaming , and swearing , and surfetting , and all disorder : but those that know christ , know full well that he is not pleased with such pranks . wherefore if we will spend a day to christ , spend it more religiously and soberly than all other days , not more prophanely and luxuriously . we should neither forget his birth ; but when we observe some special time of remembring it , shew that we remember his goodness by doing good , more honour to his name , not by committing more rebellion against him . and to conclude , as at this time so at all times , let all men that would have their souls well furnished with inward substance , play the good husbands in taking time and opportunity . whensoever we find any fit occasion of getting or doing good in our selves or others , let it not slip , but lay hold upon it , and use it . it is joyful to th●nk ( if we could think of it seriously ) what commodity this thrift would bring ; how much knowledge and godliness might he get , that would keep his tongue and heart carefully to good matters ? what a large treasure of good works might he have , that would be ready whensoever his neighbours necessity called for help , to stretch our his hand for his relief ? and when he saw him fit for an admonition , would wisely bestow it upon him ? how full of grace should his old age and sickness be , that would give his health to god , and his first years to the service of his soul ? how great acquaintance might he get in the palace of wisdom , that would come to her at her first call , and enter so soon as the doors were set open ? how many sins might a man leave , and how much power should he get over all sin , that ( when his heart smites him ) would turn to god by prayer and confession ? what great grace would affliction bring , if a man would settle himself to humiliation , and gage his heart in time of affliction ? how much thankfulness might he have , that would lift up his heart to god in the fruition of blessing ? how many fervent prayers might he store up in heaven that would not fore-slow time , when he feels his desires earnest ? how comfortably might he weep over christ , and how plenti●ully , that would take the tide of tears , and turn all pensiveness to this use ? and how many sweet and chearful psalms might a christian sing , if he would turn all his mirth into a psalm ; and offer it up to god ? o what a large encrease of grace would this care bring ? how should his souls thrive , that would be thus husbandly ? surely as the common speech hath commended a little land well tilled , before much more ground that is carelesly dressed : so the weaker means with this care , would be more available to enrich the heart , than are the strongest without it . it is not the greatness of ones living that makes one rich ; but the good employing and wary husbanding of it : so it is not the greatness of the means , but the diligent redeeming of time , to make use of the means , that makes the soul wealthy . but if great means joyn with great care , the encrease will be so much the more large , as a large living with good husbandry . but alas , hence comes it , that some in the store of all good means of salvation , are very beggars and bankrups , because of their negligence to take the time and fit season . they let pass all good opportunities , and care not for any occasion for the soul , and how can their soul thrive ? wherefore let every true-hearted christian learn this wisdom , and practise it , as ever he desires to store his soul with that wealth , which will make him glorious in the eyes of god , and much set by even in heaven among the angels . and thus much for this time , and this duty of redeeming the time . finis . the practice of christian perfection wherein several considerations, cautions, and advices are set down, for the perfecting of the saints, and completing them in the knowledge of christ jesus / by thomas white ... white, thomas, d. 1682. this text is an enriched version of the tcp digital transcription a65809 of text r39071 in the english short title catalog (wing w1852). textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. the text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with morphadorner. the annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. this text has not been fully proofread approx. 137 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 98 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. earlyprint project evanston,il, notre dame, in, st. louis, mo 2017 a65809 wing w1852 estc r39071 18208955 ocm 18208955 107139 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a65809) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 107139) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 1136:13) the practice of christian perfection wherein several considerations, cautions, and advices are set down, for the perfecting of the saints, and completing them in the knowledge of christ jesus / by thomas white ... white, thomas, d. 1682. [32], 160 p. printed by t.m. for tho. vere ..., london : 1651. running title: a directory to christian perfection. imperfect: tightly bound and stained, with some loss of print. reproduction of original in the union theological seminary library. eng perfection -religious aspects. salvation. theology, doctrinal. a65809 r39071 (wing w1852). civilwar no the practice of christian perfection wherein several considerations, cautions, and advices are set down, for the perfecting of the saints, a white, thomas 1651 26896 11 10 0 0 0 0 8 b the rate of 8 defects per 10,000 words puts this text in the b category of texts with fewer than 10 defects per 10,000 words. 2004-10 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2004-10 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2004-11 john latta sampled and proofread 2004-11 john latta text and markup reviewed and edited 2005-01 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the practice of christian perfection . wherein several considerations , cautions , and advices are set down , for the perfecting of the saints , and completing them in the knowledge of christ jesus . by thomas white , minister of the word of god . thes. 3. 10. praying exceedingly , that we might see your face , and might perfect that which is lacking in your faith . london , printed by t. m. for tho. vere , at the sign of the angel , at the uper end of the old daily . 1651. the dedicatory prayer . let not my lord be angry , and i thy servant , which am but dust and ashes , will speak unto my lord . blessed god , unto the glory of thy name i dedicate and consecrate all that i have , and do , and think , and speak , and am , and in particular this treatise , beseeching thee to give me gifts , and strength , and wisdome , opportunity , and a heart to serve thee , that i may not be as a broken vessell . and i beseech thee , if thy servant hath found favour in thy sight , grant that whensoever any one shall read this treatise , thou wilt set in with such over-powring workings of thy holy spirit , that what they read may not be as a dead letter unto them , but that thou wilt so prevaile with their hearts when they shall read it , that they may both understand and practise the things that belong to their peace . grant this , and more , for his sake in whom thou art well pleased . amen . to the famous universities of this land , grace , mercy , peace and truth be multiplyed . men , brethren , and fathers , when i consider that all men generally by nature , and universities by designe desire and endeavour to know , and yet generally all live crosse to that principle when they come to act in the matters of god , i cannot but be astonished : for though the knowledg of him be demonstrably the most excellent , yet , as the apostle observeth , they like not to retain god in their knowledg , rom. 1. 28. arationall tract of insects , or any such thing , is bought , and read , and studied , admired and commended , whilest the word of god is a book which men are rather ashamed not to have , then delight to read and understand . now the great mischief of doting upon the knowledg of the creature , and despising the knowledge of the creator , is , that as they did reprobate the knowledge of god , so god did give them up to a reprobate sense , as the apostle speaketh in the following words . wherfore , since the insatiable desire of knowledge and unsanctified learning is a snare , though it be looked upon as a harmlesse and an innocent thing , and in that respect the more dangerous , i shall crave leave to give some christian advises for study . adv. i . get holiness before you get learning : for , 1. except you be holy your learning it self is defiled and defileth . 2. it puffs up , it builds not up . 3. you must never think by learning unsanctfied to learn the things of god , 1 corin. 2. 14. nor will the socinians distinction serve , that it is meant of carnall debauched men , for it is not {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} , but {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} . 4. if it were no hinderer it were far better , but it is an utter enemy ; nay it is not only an enemy , but enmity , yea enmities , romans 8. 7. and indeed , an enemy may be reconciled , but enmity never . 2 corinthians 10. 5. it builds strong holds and syllogisms against gospel truths , and accounts the knowledge of christ an illiterate thing . pardon me if i desire to know nothing among you but jesus christ , and him crucified . if i wrote to those that despise learning , i should in that case shew them many great advantages humane learning gives one , if sanctified , and that one might as well not make use of riches as not of learning in the service of god : yet since i write to you , whose great businesse is to get knowledg , i must say of that as it is said of riches , if humane learning increase , set not your hearts upon it . and though for a man to be holy is no hinderance but rather a furtherance to him in the getting of learning ; yet to be learned is a great hinderance to the getting of holinesse , that is , if he be first learned before holy . 5. except you have holinesse , you will be subject to run out to the wild and ungodly studies of jacob boheme , astrology , &c. for 't is grace that directs the choyce and moderates the use of studyes . 6. that of our saviour carryes all before it , matth. 6. 33. seek ye first the kingdome of god , and his righteousnesse , and all these things shall be added unto you . but alas ! how unproportionable and unsutable are the lives of christians to the rule of christ , and how few doe account it their businesse to be christians ? but i have spoken of that in the following treatise . ii. advice . take heed of making an idol of humane reason : and that you do when you make god and all his truths do homage to it ; when you set reason in the throne , and bring christ & his truths to the barr , to be judged by it . to shew the vanity of this , consider , 2. some things , even in the very wisdome of men would seem to be very folly , if so be the reason of their actions were not discovered to us . i am confident , that sentence of solomon concerning the two women would seem foolish , cruell , and unjust , if one had gone away so soon as ever that sentence had been pronounced : for were it not very cruell and unjust to deprive a mother of her child ? an infant of its life , for no default of either ? and foolish , for would not the living child be dead when it was divided into half ? and so each mother would have but two halfs of two dead children in stead of one baving one whole dead child . and it would have required no lesse then solomons wisedome to finde out the reason of that sentence , and it was one part of it to give such a sentence that might least seem to do what he intended , lest the mother that pretended to the living childe , discovering his design , might give such an answer that should not discover what solomon intended to manifest : so some of the wayes of god , the reasons of them are past finding out , except by the same wisdome that contrived them ; nay it may be , god doth some things on purpose to deceive humane reason , and that some of the reasons of his ways are so full of wisdome , that were they revealed , we were no more able to understand them , then a child of three yeers old , could understand some propositions in euclid , vietta , cartes , apolonius , or archimedes . 3. it seems that god hath so ordered matters , that except we love him and his truths there shall be such objections , that the wit of man can never answer . i shall give you an instance of this both in the speculative and practicall part of religion , deuter. 13. ver. 1 , 2 , 3. if wee might discover the deceit of that prophet by humane reason or wisdome , without the love of god being in us , how could it prove whether wee did love god or no , if wee could finde out the fallacy of that deceit without love ? 2. in the 2d of thessal . 2. 10 , 11. god will send strong delusions , that those which love not the truth , be they never so learned , shall not be able to know it ; for if so be it were said they should professe lyes , it might be , that they knew the truth though they professed the contrary ; but it is said , they beleeved lyes . our saviour gives this reason why hee would manifest himselfe to his disciples , and not to the world , viz. because the world did not love him , john 14. 22 , 23. for none will unbosome himselfe unto an enemy , nor mayst thou think to master god by thy learning , and know him whether he will or no ; for god must manifest himselfe , or else thou canst never know him , and he will not manifest himselfe to thee except thou love him , though thou beest never so learned or great a politician , mat. 11. 25. for you must understand , it is not a speculative knowledge , but a knowledge of acquaintance . so in that sense is that saying of our saviour verified , matth. 7. 23. and this knowledge of god is not got by study , but by prayer and meditation , by an inward strict communion with god , and the friends of god the saints , but especially with christ the son of god , for he is the expresse image of god the father , &c. can we be acquainted with a man whether he will or no ? nor can we be throughly acquainted with a wise holy man , that is , we cannot know his wisdome and holinesse without much observing and pondering his words and actions ; nor can we much observe and be acquainted with any with whom wee do not dwell and have private conference . thou mayst know god to discourse of him , and to write learned tracts , yet if thou art not acquainted with god , at the last day god will not know thee : therefore be much with god ; and to that purpose , i have one humble and earnest request to you , though i need not be very earnest to obtaine so small one , it is , that you would spend an hour every day in prayer , meditation , and searching out the inward spirituall corruptions of your owne heart , and an impartiall examining what interest you have in christ , and such like spirituall exercises ; do not you say , how can you prove that we are bound to spend one hour every day ? for 1. suppose god , when you goe to prayers , should answer you so , how can you prove that i am bound to give you such a mercy ? thou mayst cause god to carry himselfe as froward by this froward answer ; for it is said , with the froward he will shew frowardnesse . 2. how wilt thou spend eternity in the admirings , adoreings and praysings of god , if an hour spent so , is now so irksome to thee ? how shall it then be thine heaven , if it be now thine hell ? 3. is it a friendly answer ? if a friend should come to desire a courtesie of you , do you so answer him ? how can you prove that i am bound to do it ? 4. consider , this is the question of a slave to ask ; what must i do ? but the question of a friend and a child is , what may i doe to please my father or my friend ? 5. keepe this answer untill the world or the flesh come unto thee ; give this answer to those thine enemies , and not to thy god . 6. dost thou stand out ? shall the great and holy god be ready and willing to meet thee , and have communion with thee as often and as long as thou pleasest , and shalt thou refuse ? it should be his part , one would think , to be hard to be intreatted , not thine : shall he account it his riches to bestow mercies on thee , and thou account it thy trouble to receive them ? 7. do but doe that which thou art bound to do ; viz. love god with all thy soul , with all thy minde , and with all thy strength ; and then thou wilt ask , not , why so much ? but , why no more ? and indeed , when once thou hast found the sweetnesse and profit , thouthy self wilt not onely continue , but increase these holy duties : and that is the reason why i propose no more time , because i suppose this being spiritually spent , more will follow of it self . david wisheth us to taste and see how gracious the lord is , not because he would not have us feed on him , but because if wee once taste how good he is , hee supposeth it needless to wish us to feed on him . 8. if thy friend comes to visit thee , thou wilt afford him an hour with thanks : he comes in his own name , but i come unto thee in my fathers , desiring thee to afford god as much ; if thou deniest , that saying of our saviour belongs unto thee , john 5. 43. i am come in my fathers name , and ye receive me not ; if another come in his owne name , him ye will receive . to conclude , i desire to speak one word more as to humane learning , which i account of singular use for the understandiug of the word of god , and have doted on it as much as any , and love it still , as much as i dare , for i account the love of it dangerous , the use of it very advantageous ; and could i set down how far i have gone in it with the same spirit that saint paul doth set down , ( phil. 3. ) his excellencies in leg all priviledges and righteousnesse , i would ; but i account it safer for me to be thought wholly ignorant , then to venture priding my self of that small knowledge i have : yet thus much i conceive of humane learning , that besides the incertainty of it , there are many inconveniences incident to it . 1. our thoughts are wholly taken up with it when wee are studying of it , which are not necessarily so in other employments ; for one may buy , and sell , and yet have our mindes often upon god , even in the very midst of those employments . 2. men generally judge of the truths and wayes of gods worship according to that way of learning wherein they excell : those who excell in the fathers and church histories , are subject to admit of the truths and wayes of god's worship , because they are attested and warranted by them : those who most excell in phylosophy and schoole divinity , they make reason the touchstone to try even gospell truths by ; yet i doe much esteem of these egyptian jewells , so wee make not an idoll of them , and fall downe and worship them . 3. and lastly , i finde it as hard a thing to deny humane learning as to get it . moses is much to be admired , who being brought up in all the learning of the egyptians , yet preached so plainely as you may see in deuteronomy : and paul , who preached so very plaine , that his adversaries objected it against him consider what is said , and the lord give you understanding in all things . your servant in the lord , thomas white . a directory to christian perfection . matt. 5. ver. 48. be ye therfore perfect , even as your father which is in heaven is perfect . a malicious christian and a courteous cynick , are expressions equally including contradiction ; yet notwithstanding , it is too manifest , that thousands that honour themselves with the name of christians , dishonour god , and by their works deny their very name ; for if the least injury be offered them either in word or in deed , though in passion , how do they foame and rage , like the troubled sea , while they are revenged of the injury ? but our saviour here doth abundantly condemn , and give rules to the contrary , from ver. 43. to the end of the chapter . a brief exposition whereof shall serve both for the prosecution of the point , and introduction to the text . in the 43. ver. our saviour sayes , that you have heard that it hath been said , thou shalt love thy neighbour , and hate thine enemy : our saviour does not say that ever it was said so ; for there is not any place in scripture where we are commanded to hate our enemy ; and there are three things wherein their glosse is faulty . first is , that they restrain the word neighbour , to one of their own kindred or nation , which our saviour fully confutes in the tenth of luke , in the parable of the good samaritan . secondly , they leave out , as thy felfe . thirdly , they put in , thou shalt hate thine enemy ; whereas there is nothing in the scripture for it , but many places against it : exod. 23. ver. 4 , 5. if thou meetest thine enemies ox or his ass going astray , thou shalt surely bring it backe to him again . if thou seest the asse of him that hateth thee lying under his burden , and wouldest forbear to help him , thou shalt surely help with him . and whereas some say it was to be meant of an israelite , if he be an enemy , but not of those of other nations , but that they might hate them ; the contrary is evident , deut. 10. v. 19. love ye therfore the strangers , for yee were strangers in the land of egypt . vse . the use of this is , that every one should read the word of god , for if he only hears the word , and searhes not the scripture , he shal hear that many things are said in the word of god , which are no where there to be found ; but divers times the cleane contrary . argu. so the first argument against revenge is , that from the alpha , & beginning of genesis , to the omega and amen of the revelations , there is not one syllable to warrant us in such practises , but they are diametrically opposite to the doctrine of the gospel , as you have it in the next verse ; but i say unto you : as if christ should say , whatsoever thoughts your own corruption suggests unto you , or whatsoever men shal say unto you , it matters not , they are likely enough to blow the least sparke of contention into a flame ; they haply wil tel you , that if you bear one injury you invite another . but i say unto you , love your enemies , besides , there is an emphasis in the words , i and you ; for it hath the same force to move us to love our enemies , mat. 11. 33. he that hath loved us , and gave himself for us when we were his enemies , may he not justly exspect and command from us that we should love our enemies ? that we should forgive an hundred pence when he commands us so to do , that hath forgiven us ten thousand talents . but to the further exposition of the following words , we are to love our enemies , be they never so many we must love them all , and be they never so much ones enemies , for here is no limitation put either in respect of their number or enmity , or in respect of our love ; it is not said how much we should love them , to shew that wee should love them without measure . reas. now the reason why love your enemies is put first , is because that this must have an influence upon all the rest ; we must bless them that curse us , do good to them that hate us , upon this very ground , and from this principle , because wee love them . but if our enemies curse us , then we are not to content our selves with a bare inward love to them , but we must shew our love by our outward expressions ; and as our enemies encrease in the manifestations of their enmity , so we must encrease in the manifestations of our love , and we must not only not curse again , or be silent , and neither blesse nor curse , but we must bless them that curse us : nor is it set down how much , how often , nor when we must bless , that we might put no limits to our blessing in any of these respects : and as before it is observed concerning our enemies , be they never so many , and never so much our enemies , we ought to love them ; for the same observations may runne thorow all the rest of the branches of this precept , nor doth our saviour wish us to reprove those that curse us , but to blesse them . first , because reproofs at such a time are very unseasonable ; for doubtlesse there is a time to reprove . secondly , generally because reproofs at such times when people are cursing of us , are a kind of revenge taken of them , especially , if it be before others ; for wee lay open their shame . thirdly , because this is the mildest , the secretest , and lovingest way of reproofe ; for i remember , the rule is given , that one should not , if one hears one speak a word of latine wrong , tell him that he pronounces it not as it should be pronounced , much lesse to tell him that he is an ignorant man , but speedily to take some occasion to speake that word right ; so here , if thine enemy speak false christian language thy mildest way to shew him his errour , is by speaking those words right which he hath spoke wrong ; for by thy blessing him , thou doest in a milde manner shew that he should have blessed thee . the next branch is , that wee should do good to them that hate us : many are willing to give good words , but they will not do any good deeds to their enemies , they will serve god of that which cost them nought ; but in the originall it is not , do good to them that hate you , but do well ; to shew us that if we do our enemy good , yet if we do it in a churlish and scornfull manner , we do not observe his commandment : but if thine enemy shall have blocked up this way , because he scornes to receive , or by reason of his persecution hath disabled thee to bestow any temporall courtesie upon him , then take another way , and doe him that courtesie which he cannot reject ; for though one cannot give a man money who will not receive it , yet one may pray , and ones prayers may be powerfull to do our enemies good whether they will or no ; so that thou canst never be so impoverish'd by persecution , but thou art worth a prayer ; nor thine enemy can hardly be so obstinate , but thy prayers may fasten blessings on him : doe thine enemy as much good as thou canst , & what thou canst not do , desire god to do for him . it followes , that ye may be the children of your father . first , it is not meant as if we could love our enemies before we were gods children , or that this is the way to get adoption or regeneration ; for he calls god their father when he wishes them to do thus , that they may be his children ; therefore the meaning may be thus : first , that you may be , id est , that you may be known to be both to your selves and others ; as it is said , we are justified by works , id est , our justification is knowne to our selves and others by works ; or so that you may be children , is meant , that since two wayes we are the children of god , by adoption , and sanctification ; in respect of sanctification we may have the image of god renewed more and more in us , and so in a qualified sense may be said more to be gods children ; & in that sense we may attain to be more the children of god , id est , more like him . secondly , none can be the children of god unless they love their enemies . thirdly , that every one should strive both to be , and to know himselfe to be the child of god . fourthly , that no man by nature is the child of god , since no man by nature can or does love his enemy , as it follows , which is in heaven . first , we can never love our enemies , so long as we are no more then the children of our earthly father . secondly , that it is an heavenly thing to love ones enemies , and therfore ex diametro , an hellish thing to hate ones friends , and therfore to hate gods people . 1. because they are our friends . 2. they are heavenly . 3. this is the first motive to perswade to love , &c. and as it follows ; for he makes his sun to arise . first , this is that second motive to the duty , id est , gods example ; and it stands thus ; if god who is greater then you , does bestow greater blessings upon those that are greater enemies , and between whom and him there is a greater distance , how much more should you love , & c ? secondly , the sun doth not arise of it selfe , that knows not what it does , nor is it of necessity that the sun should arise ; of necessity , it is in respect of the sun , not in respect of god , for he makes it to arise ; so that the sun cannot choose but arise , but god might choose whether he would make it arise . thirdly , these common blessings come not by chance , as well as not by necessity ; it is by gods providence that we enjoy them . fourthly , it shews the continuall concurrence and power of god with naturall causes , it is not like a clock , which when it is once wound up , will go of it selfe by the weight ; but as a pen , that writes not without the continuall guidance of the writer ; so god did not at the first create the world , sun , &c. and so without his actuall concurrence to every particular act enable them to do it , so that the sun did not arise at the first moment of its creation more immediately by the power and providence of god , then it does now , this advances gods goodnesse ; for as one that hath setled maintenance upon ▪ an hospitall for the poore , it argues not so much patience in him , to suffer the men there if they abuse him to receive their setled stipend , as it does for him daily to feed them with his own hand , and to put mony into one of their hands , while the other is lifagainst him . fifthly , or may not he make it be taken in this sense ? that all the creatures of god are enemies to the wicked ; the earth will not bear them , but open her mouth and swallow them ; the fire will not warme them , but consume them ; the sunne will not give light unto them , as it did once in egypt , while they had light in goshen ; but god , as it were , renuente sole , doth make it arise upon the good and the bad ; it shews the great power of god , that not only the things on earth , but all the creatures in heaven and earth obey him : he that can make the sunne arise , what can he not do ? nehemiah 9. 6. as it followes ; his sun to arise . first , à fortiori , it is a motive to us to do good to our enemies . reas. first , because that which we give or bestow on them in respect of god , we have no right to , we are but his stewards , and what have we that we have not received ? we have the possession of al those things we have , but not the disposing of them : in respect of the poor , to give them alms is charity , in respect of god it is justice . but you see here the sun is called his sun , he hath a ful title to it : if he therefore gives that which is his own , and is lord of , much more should we deliver that , of which we are only stewards , when he that is the lord commands us . secondly , consider what he gives ; it is his sun , the greatest of al temporal blessings in the world ; for we might longer live without food or raiment , then without the benefit of the sun ; for without his heat all things would immediatly freeze to death : nay , not only by giving the wicked the benefit of the sunne , they enjoy that heat which is necessary , for life , but they enjoy the light of the sunne , which is a thing of ornament and pleasure , to make their life comfortable , eccle. 11. 7. therefore if god gives the wicked things of ornament , much more give your enemy bread , romans 12. 20. no man not only cannot , but doth not offer to lay claime to the sun : and as it follows , on the good and the bad : some will say , how can it be otherwise ? for if the sunne shines upon the good , how can it but shine upon the bad also , since they are in one kingdome , in one towne , in one house ? but god is not necessitated to bestow this mercy upon the bad , though he bestowes it upon the good ; for de facto , god did make it darke in egypt when it was light for three dayes in goshen , though they were of the same kingdome ; the cloud gave light to the israelites in their march , and at the same time was darkness to the egyptians , exod. 14. 19 , 20. besides , god can strike all wicked men with blindnesse , so that the sunne shall be in respect of his light , as if it was not to them : and he might strike them with such a burning feaver as he threatens , deuter. 28. 22. that for its heat the sunne should be worse to them , then if it was not , and thousand other wayes known to the lord . secondly , we see that by common and temporal blessings , the good are not distinguished from the bad . thirdly , it followes that wicked and unjust men are gods enemies , and curse god , hate god , persecute god , and dedespitefully use him ; or else it would not follow from this example of gods dealing with wicked men , that we should love our enemies , &c. for one might say , it is true , god makes his sun to shine upon the bad and unjust , but though indeed they be gods enemies , yet they do not hate him , curse , &c. as mine do me . thirdly , that god may be said to blesse , and do good to those that are bad and unjust , deut. 10. 17. acts. 14. 17. and as it followes ; he sendeth rain . first , god bestows not one , but many blessings upon the wicked , he doth not only make the sun to arise , but sends also the rain upon them ; nay , by bestowing this second blessing , he takes off that inconvenience which otherwise would follow upon the enjoyment of the first ; nay they do help mutually one another ; for the rain cooles the heat of the sun , and the sun warms the coolnesse of the raine , and both together make the earth fruitfull : from hence we may learn , first , to doe great and many benefits to our enemies . secondly , not to do them such courtesies that we know wil bring mischiefes upon them ; and to do them good in one thing , on purpose to do them hurt in another . thirdly , we should do good to those that do not only not thank us for courtesies , but attribute it to others ; for god does so , he makes his sunne to shine , and his raine to fall , not only upon those that are so bad as not to be thankful for them , but are so exceeding unjust as not to account god the author of them . the observations concerning gods making the sunne to arise , &c. mutatis mutandis , may agree to this later part of the verse ; this may also be observed , that god doth not only give temporall blessings to those that ask and come for them , but he sends his mercies home to their very doors ; for the cloudes that arise from the sea , or other places , he causes his winds to carry them to their habitations . besides , this may be observed , that one reason why our saviour instances in these blessings rather then in others , may be , not only the reasons before , but this also , that we might never want a motive to our doing good to our enemies ; for whether it raines , or shines , we have either the instance of gods making the sunne to shine , or his rain to fall upon wicked men ; as it follows , vpon the just and unjust . first , it is not set down here as contradistinguished , as if there were some bad that were not unjust , and some unjust that were not bad ; nor is it meant , god makes his sunne to arise on the bad , and sends his raine upon the unjust , bestowes some kind of these blessings upon some wicked , and the other kind upon other wicked men , but he bestowes both upon all ; as before it is not meant , we should love our enemies , but not love those that curse us ; or blesse those that cursed us , but not blesse those that hate us ; but as when god commands us to blesse them that curse us , and does not say , doe good to them that curse you , it is because blessing is directly opposed to cursing ; and so it is more likely to make him that curses see his error , because contraries being placed one by another , make each other more apparent , as it is before shewn , and as it followes ; for if ye love them that love you : the former argument was from the example of almighty god , whom all confesse in all things to do well ; there he brings an argument from them whom all condemn , and the argument stands thus ; you all desire and expect to be rewarded for your workes , but none of you think that the publicans shall have any reward , therefore neither you , if you love them that onely love you , for so do they . secondly , it is good to make use of that evill opinion wee have of others , as a motive to our-selves to be better . thirdly , that the wickedest man may have something good in him , but nothing perfect ; and as it followes ; what reward have ye ? christ doth not set it down positively , that they have no reward , but by way of question to shew them that it is not onely his judgment , but their owne , for he appeales to their owne consciences ; and it shewes the manifestnesse of the truth , since self-love doth cast such a mist before our eyes when we are to judge of things concerning our selves , that except the truth doth shine very bright , we cannot behold it ; it is not said , what great reward , but what reward : to shew them that they should be so farre from expecting everlasting life , that they cannot expect any reward at all . thirdly , it is not said , what reward shall yee have , but what have yee ; to shew that they are not to expect so much as a temporall reward for loving their friends . fourthly , they have temporall blessings as motives to obedience , but none by way of reward for obedience ; for it is not said , what blessings , but what reward have you ; for if one say of your righteousnes you do , do not the publicaus the same ? one may say of your blessings , have not the publicans the same ? do not even the publicans the same ? the publicans were such as used to receive custome , tribute-money , and other taxes , and were men very odious to the jewes , both for their injustice and oppression of them , and they were generally heathens , because the jewes did abhorre to have any hand in the oppressing of their own nation ; nay , our saviour joynes them with harlots , sinners , heathens ; and if you salute your brethren onely , the word translated salute , signifies to kisse and embrace ; and our saviour doth signifie by it all outward expressions of love . secondly , by brethren is meant our near kindred and acquaintance . thirdly , this word only is to be referred as well to the former verse as to this ; and the observations ( mutatis mutandis ) upon that may he applyed to this . and so i come to the words of the text , be ye perfect , &c. in the handling of these words , i shall shew these things . first , how we must be perfect as our father which is in heaven is perfect . secondly , in the pressing of christian perfection , three things i shall set downe . first , severall considerations . secondly , severall cautions . thirdly , severall rules or advises before i come to the exposition of the words , to shew how we must be perfect as our father which is in heaven is perfect , i must remove an objection that quarrels against the perfection of this rule of perfection ; viz first , that this rule is too high : secondly , it is dangerous : thirdly , that it is imperfect and too short . first , it is too high : for what man or angel is able to be as perfect as god ? it is not compatible to any created nature , for that being finite , cannot possibly be capable of infinite perfection ; for his glorious name is exalted above all blessing and praise , neh. 9. 5. and the lord is fain to dwell in thick darknesse , and therby doth connivere radios suae gloriae ; and the angels also do cover their faces with their wings , or else they were not able to behold his glory , their understanding would be dazled : if therfore they are not able to behold his glory in its ful strength and vigour , how much lesse are they able to attain it ? how much lesse able are we that are sinfull dust and ashes , who are not able to behold ( that which is darkenesse in comparison of god ) the sunne , to be perfect as god is perfect ? first , i answer , that we are here commanded to attaine the same kind , not the same degrees of perfection : it is not , be as perfect as your father ; but , be perfect as your father ; we are to go in the same steps , though not aequis passibus , his example is the copy we should write by ; though it be impossible to write so curious an hand , yet we may write the same words &c. secondly , it is an advantage to have so perfect a copy set us , though we cannot attain it , for who is there that learns to write , that blames the exactnesse of the copy he writes by ? and he that taketh aime and shooteth at the highest point or zenith of the heaven , will shoote higher with the same strength then he that shootes at a levell , or any other point besides . thirdly , it addes to the holiness of any action , that we desire in that action to be like to god , and upon that ground to desire to be holy because god is holy . secondly , you may say , it is a dangerous rule , for we may not strive to be like unto god in many things ; we may not desire our own glory as he doth ; adam desiring to be like him , it was his sin and his fall . i answer to that , that there are two kinds of perfections in god , communicable and incommunicable : incommunicable are called those , not which the creature cannot have , but which the creature ought not to have , as to do all things for its own glory ; for a creature may do all things for its own glory , but ought it not so to do ; not onely because it is folly in the creature to do so ; for glory is a thing of ornament , & man is a poor creature that wants things necessary ; and it is folly for man to buy jewels to adorn him , while he is ready to starve for want of garments to cloath him ; but it is because it is incommunicable to the creature ; that is , god and the creature cannot do things for their own glory without thwarting one another ; for if man do things for his own glory , then it must needs follow that he doth it not for the glory of god , and so thwarts the end that god proposeth to himselfe , and to all creatures , viz. his own glory : so that here when our saviour commands us to be perfect as he is perfect , it is meant , that we should endeavour to attain those perfections which our having doth not hinder his having of them , as holinesse , patience , wisdom , &c. for our holinesse , be it never so great , makes not god lesse holy ; but the more we seek our owne glory , the more wee rob god of his . secondly , i answer , that all these kinds of perfections which are incommunicable , are rather resultancies and consequences of perfection , then perfections ; for it is more proper to say , that because god is infinitely perfect , therefore all the heaven and earth should praise him ; then to say , because heaven and earth doth praise him , therfore he is infinitely perfect ; for the praises which are given unto him , are not the causes of his perfection , but his infinite perfections are the causes of his praises . thirdly , it may be objected , that it is an imperfect rule , for it seems to come short . first , in respect of our relations ; as of husband , wife , child , subject , how can we have an example of god in these particulars , since he is not capable of these relations ? secondly , in respect of duties ; we are to pray , to worship , to hear the word . thirdly , in respect of graces ; repentance , faith , hope , patience in afflictions ; all these are below him . i answer , first , that though we have not an example of any of these from god , considered in himself , yet we have of most of these from christ , who was god as well as man ; for we have an example , how to carry our selves in afflictions , of obedience both to god and man , and those relations which our saviour left us no example of in a temporall way , yet in a mysticall way he hath : though he was not a magistrate , nor an husband in a temporall way , yet in a mystical way he is both lord and husband to the church . and as for those graces which suppose sin , as repentance doth , our saviour hath left us an example of those graces , which if we obtain , they wil certainly produce repentance in us , and enable to carry our selves in all duties and in all our relations as becometh christians ; so that as one that should teach us to write , and set us exact copies , we should not quarrell with him and say , that he hath been a defective schoole-master , because that some of those words that afterward we have occasion to write , were never in those copies that he set us ; sufficient it is for him to vindicate himselfe and say , that i have taught you all those letters , and all those severall joynings , which will spel and make up that word that you are to write , whatsoever it be ; so christ hath left us an example of al those graces , which are able to spel and make up any duty or grace we stand in need of . there are the ingredients , of which all compositions may be made up , if we follow christ in our love to god ▪ and our hatred to sin , our godly sorrow for sin wil necessarily follow , & be made up of these two ingredients , thogh christ for his part had never any occasion to use such a composition for himself , having never need of that physick : and so i come , the jection being removed , to the prosecuting of the point , to shew how we should be perfect as our father which is in heaven is perfect . first , in respect of the kinds of perfections , they must be spirituall and divine : carnall , corporall , or civill , or morall perfections are two low for a christian to look at , especially to make it his business , or the marke he shootes at : morall vertues were the highest perfections of the heathens ; but alas morall vertues transforme us not , they change not our natures , but only gild our rottennesse ; though one be never so good a natured man , as they call it , if one has not the divine nature , one is but a tame divell ; for one is his child , if ones nature be not sanctified , and our person justified , and so become the childe of god by regeneration and adoption ; and the most excellentest act that is meerly , morally vertuous , is sinne , and cannot please god : let me give a simile to make this evident ; a great emperour commands his empresse to come to him , as ahasuerus did queen vasthi ; his commands not prevailing , he entreats her , after that sends his letters full of love and importunity , sends embassadors after embassadors , and lest those should fail , sends her many gifts very rich and magnificent , and thus he continues week , month , year after year , yet she utterly refuses ; but after her rejecting and slighting all these wayes of love from the emperour her husband , there comes a base slave , from whose company her husband had especially forewarn'd her , because she had formerly committed folly with him , and dishonoured both her self and the emperour , this adulterer and traytor speaks but half a word to her to go , and she presently without delay and with joy goes , when she perceives it would please the slave . what do you think now ? do you think the emperor wil be pleased with her , coming upon those terms ? this is the case of all men that are no more then morally vertuous . god perswades us to be just , and to defraud no man , he entreats us , sends the embassadors the ministers unto us , giveth us mercy upon mercy , sends us his word , his epistles from heaven , line upon line to perswade us to do justice , or to be temperate : not we , for his sake we will do nothing : the world comes , the world , which is a slave to satan , for he is a prince and ruler of the darkness of this world ; the world , with which we have committed so often spirituall whoredom , and against which god hath so often and seriously forewarned us ; now only upon a supposition that we should please the world if we are just or temperate , we wil be intemperately temperate , if i may so say , even to macerate our bodies with fasting , for a good look of the world ; we do indeed in being temperate or just , do that which god commands , but far are we from pleasing him , considering the grounds from which we do it ; for can he be pleas'd that we should do more for a good look of the world , then we would for all the wayes of love that he took with us ; nay indeed , never to do any one action for his sake ; nay but before his face at the same time when we refuse all his entreaties , &c. to do it at the first word of the world ; therefore morall vertues , considering the ground upon which they were done , are sinnes before god ; therefore let us learn not to be vertuous as philosophers were vertuous , but holy as god is holy . secondly , the perfections of god are infinite , so must ours as farre as it is possible for creatures to attain ; our desires of holinesse must be without limits , we must not set bounds to our holinesse , saying , hitherto shalt thou go , and no further : but we must alwayes hunger and thirst after righteousnesse . thirdly , god hath all perfections , or rather is all perfections : so we must adde to our faith vertue , to vertue knowledg , to knowledge temperance , &c. we must receive from christ grace for grace , as a child receives from his father limb for limb , part for part ; the same parts that the fathers body hath , the childs hath also , the same for number , figure , and position , though neither for strength , nor bignesse : and as god is the act of all possible absolute perfections , either in degree or in kinde , so we should endeavour to have those perfections that a creature of that kind is capable of . fourthly , as the perfections of god are both inseparable from god , and from themselves , so should ours be also ; our wisdom must be holy , our holinesse innocent , our wisdom zealous and our zeal wise ; for we must not conceive that some of gods actions are holy , others , wise , but all are all ; his wisdom is holy , just , & good ; his justice , holy , good and wise , and every attribute is as inseparably united to all the rest of his attributes , as any of them are to his essence : as if there were an hundred suns shining at once in the firmament , one could not say that one of these sunnes shined in this part of the ayre , and another in that , but the light of every one of them would be in every point of the ayre ; nor could you possible take away the light of one of the suns , and leave the rest , unless you could take away the sun it self : so it is in gods perfection : but thy glorious name is exalted above all knowledge , above all blessing , and above all praise . many men will be zealous , but without knowledg ; others will be wise , but without zeal ; and so their wisedomes come to be no better then carnal , sensuall , and divelish : the former zeal was that zeal of the jews , rom. 10. 2. the other wisedome was the wisedome of pilate ; both of them crucified christ . lastly , for i do not intend to be large in these parallels , but make haste to presse the great point of christian perfection ; we must be perfect as our father which is in heaven is perfect , notwithstanding all hinderances or provocations to the contrary ; though god by his wisdome governs and orders all things , not a spire of grasse , or blade of wheat grows but by him , 1. cor. 15. 38. not a sparrow falls on the ground , nor an hair from our head , but by his providence ; not a lilly is cloathed in the field , nor a fowle of the ayre is fed but by him ; yet notwithstanding such an innumerable number of creatures , are both in respect of their essence and operations , nay even in respect of the smallest circumstances of either , are acted , governed , and ordered continually by his providence ; yet he doth no lesse know , love , and enjoy himselfe , then he did from all eternity , before there was any creature for his providence to watch over : so should we do , we should not have our thoughts lesse fixed on god , or our love lesse fervent ; our communion with god should be neither remitted nor intermitted by the imployments in the world ; mothers that have their little children to look to , should be like the angels , which alwayes behold the face of our father which is in heaven , mat. 18. 11. but i come ( as i promised ) to the great businesse of this treatise . viz. the pressing of christian perfection , which is almost forgotten , and nothing left of it but the forme of godlinesse ; and i shall referre the whole discourfe to these three heads . first , severall considerations . secondly , severall cautions . thirdly , severall advises . considerations . 1. consid. let us consider what the word of god speaks in this matter , 1 cor. 10. 31. whether ye eat or drinke , or whatsoever ye do , doe all to the glory of god : do we live up to the meaning of these words ? let us consider a little of it , and see the meaning of the words . first , we are to glorifie god in all our actions ; that is , wee ought in the secret of our hearts to admire and adore him , to have high thoughts of him , and sweet thoughts of him ; and to expresse it fully , we ought to honour him as god , romans 1. which he blames the gentiles for not doing , that knowing him as god , did not honour him as god : to honour him but as we would honor the holiest man in the world , nay the highest angel in heaven , is nothing , and as great derogation to his glory , as to give his glory to them ; for to give the honour due unto god to a creature , and to give that that is due unto a creature unto god , are equally vitious : butlet us deal freely and openly with our own souls , do we do so much , as that which if we did no more we were guilty of that great sin of the heathens , which the apostle in the forenamed place doth condemne ? do we honour god as much as we do honour an angel , or an holy man ? let us but ask our own consciences , and they wil tell us . would we do that in the presence of either of them as we do in the presence of god ; nay , of a child that is come to that understanding to distinguish between good and evill ? secondly , by these words we are enjoyned that our words , actions , gestures , and all our carriages should be such , as may be sutable and fit to raise up those high thoughts of god in others , as we our selves have ; for instance ; in prayer we ought not only our selves to admire and adore our good and glorious god , but so to lift him up and hold forth his excellencies by our very expressions , pronounciations and gestures , that they may be such as not only may be sutable to our inward admirings of him , but fit to beget the same thoughts in all that hearus ; our loves should be like a flame , that takes hold of all that comes near it . thirdly , we should , as much as in us lies , do all our actions , and speak all our words with an actuall intention by them to edifie others , & to cause them to glorifie the lord . now , how far we come short of this , we may even be confounded with shame to speak of it . the second place that sets down christian perfection , is phil. 3. 20. we should have our conversation in heaven ; we should think with our selves how we should live when we come thither , or how those live that are there , or one would live that should come from thence to live on earth again ; how feelingly would they speak of god ? how fervently would they praise him ? how would their songs of praise be all flames of love ? how are they continually taken up with thoughts of admiration of the excellencies of god , of the love of god ? let us not dally with our selves or god , but consider with our selves whether we live in any measure sutable to such a life . but to proceed , let us consider another place , eph. 3. 19. to say of such an one , that he is a godly man , the holy spirit of god is in him , that he is ful of the holy ghost , that he is filled with all the fulness of god : if one went upon such relations and expressions to see him of whom they were spoken , doubtlesse one should come with great expectations to meet with one that was wholly taken up with thoughts of god , and if one spake any thing to him of god , doubtless one would expect that he should speak wonderful things of god , with so much admiration , such zeal , such love , with such feelings , that his very word would be able to enflame our hearts with love of god ; but if when one came to see such an one , he should entertain one with vain and idle jests , with discourses of the world , and spend the whole day generally in recreations , and somtime when he hath nothing else to do , go and spend half an hour in reading , or in praying ; and when he comes from those duties ( iron wil be red hot if it be put into the fire for any time ) speak as savourly and with as much delight of the vanities of the world , as if he had spent his time not in prayer , but in admiring and gazing upon the beauty of the creature ; and if one should speak to him somthing of god , he should answer one overly , would ye not think in your own souls , is this that holy man you spoke of ? is he that man that was full of god ? but to proceed a little further , 2 cor. 3. 18 ▪ the apostle says of himself , and of christians in his days , that they were transformed into the image of god ; that is , lived the life of god , such a life as christ lived when he was here on earth ; nay , the grace of god in them was in such an high degree , that it might be rather called glory then grace ; they lived as if they were of the church triumphant , in respect of holinesse , though of the church militant , in respect of afflictions ; their grace was of such an high degree , that it was more like glory , as was said before , then grace ; yet they did not content themselves with that neither , but made a progresse from glory to glory : dear brethren , are our saviours words but winde ? and can we imagine that the lives of those that take upon them the names of christians , are any whit sutable to these expressions ? many times have i thought of that saying of erasmus , that since men could not bring the world to christianity , they have brought christianity to the world ; and those expressions and precepts that have been too strict to give us liberty to follow the vanities of the world , we have found out vain distinctions and expositions of the places , to make them signifie no more then we do , and to quiet our consciences , that they being deceived and laid a sleep , we might not be troubled with their clamours . our saviour says , that for every idle word we must give an account at the last day , mat. 12. 36. the words are so plain , that it wil ask one a great deal of labour to find out such an exposition as might not be a continuall accuser of us in all companies , in all discourses : our saviours example is the best exposition of this precept ; we do not read in all the scripture , one word that he spake , but was some way or other to edification ; and yet how loose are wee in our discourses ; as if there were no such place of scripture in the whole bible as these words ? surely , our time would be better spent in praying to god for strength against our corruptions , then in studying to finde out excuses and intricate expositions of plaine places to justifie them . but you will say , that it is true , these are excellent things , if one could live so , it were a blessed life ; but alas who can doe it ? i answer ; first , if thou sayst thou canst not live thus , i ask thee how dost thou know ? didst thou ever try what might be done in this case ? didst thou ever make it thy businesse ? it may be thou hast had some perfunctory and carelesse desires , some cold prayers and faint endeavours ; but didst thou ever set thy self to it ? didst thou ever spend as much time , so many thoughts , with as much earnestnesse , to get acquaintance with god , as men in the world doe in their trades ▪ to get a little thick clay ? didst thou ever pray with half that earnestnesse for grace , as ambitious men do sue for places and preferments , or a condemned man for a pardon ? didst thou ever seriously , and from the very bottom of thy heart and soul say , well , by the blessing of god i wil not speak an idle word , nor imploy my self in things that profit not : hast thou said with david ? i have sworne and i will perform thy righteous judgments , psal. 119. 106. or as in the 20. or with the apostle ; i fight not as one beating the ayr , but i press thorow towards the mark , and forget the things that are behind , &c. so that if thou shalt say that one cannot live thus , i say again , there is no question , thou canst not live holily , doing no more then thou doest ; neither the word of god , nor any one that knows the ways of god , ever said or thought that thou couldst upon these terms do any thing to purpose in the attainment of holiness : for our saviour plainly says , we must strive to enter in at the strait gate ; and , that many shal seek to enter in ( with such seeking that comes not to the height of striving ) and shal not be able : if thou shouldest bid thy servant lift such a piece of timber , and he should go with his little finger to lift it , and not being able , should tell thee , that he could not lift it : wouldest thou not think that he mocked thee , in stead of obeying thee ? so when we shall complain of religion , that it is too difficult a thing , we cannot attain it , and yet we will not so much as touch it scarce with one of our fingers ; may not god justly say , that we do but mock him , and unjustly murmur against his commands , complaining of their difficulty , when we never tried , in using the meanes he hath appointed us , what might be done ? furthermore , let us consider how far many of gods servants , whose stories are recorded in the sacred scriptures , have gon in this way of perfection ; it is said , that enoch walked with god , and that noah was perfect in his generations , and walked with god . can we possibly think that these expressions import no more then that sometimes when they had little or nothing else to do , they spent their time in prayer and meditation of divine matters ? or that they did no more then usually men do , in the morning spend some small time in prayer , and then take their leave of god all the day , as it were compounding with god for two or three prayers a day ? but doth it not much rather import a sweet , constant , and strict communion with god ? for doubtlesse enoch found so much sweetnesse in his walk with god , that he could not be content with that communion that earth could afford him . and of all the patriarks before the flood , we read of none that lived so few years upon earth as enoch did ; and doubtlesse those years which he did live were more tedious to him , to be so long absent from the full fruitition of god , then if he had lived ten times as long and had not tasted of those joyes , in comparison of which the pleasures of this world are but as the gall of aspes . what thinke we of abraham , moses , david . and daniel ? with how much faith , zeal , meeknesse , holinesse , breathings after god did they live ? what high expressions of joy , love , and heavenly desires are there in the psalms ? what , doe we think all these holy examples are set down in the scripture to find us matter of discourse ? or that the wisedome of god set down an idaea of holinesse , as plato hath done of a common-wealth ? or were they not set down for our imitation ? thousands of expressions almost in the psalmes we must make strange hyperboles , and say , they were but davids rhetorick ; or else we must needs acknowledge that he was a gyant in compariof us in spirituall matters . o what heavenly spirituall frame of heart had he ! surely his righteousnesse in comparison of christs was but as filthy rags , but in respect of ours a glorious robe : and now i pray , what reason is there in the world , why we might not live as holily as they , but that we take it for granted , we cannot , and so never strive ; 't is true , to think our selves holier then the meanest saint , is pride , but not to strive to be as holy as the highest saint is sin : what means had they to attaine holinesse that we have not ? they had prayer , meditation , reading , hearing ; so have we : if their prayers and meditations were more servent , and more heavenly , who must we blame , god is not a barren wildernesse unto us , and his grace is as sufficient for us , as for them ; they had circumcision , and the passeover ; the brests of the new testament are as full of graces as those of the old ; nay doubtlesse , in respect of meanes they are farre more abundantly glorious in our dayes then in theirs , in respect of the knowledge of jesus christ , and the mysteries of salvation : may we not say as our saviour does , that of all that was born of women , there was none like john the baptist , and yet the least in the times of the gospel , is , or may be greater then he ? and what enemies or hinderances have we that they had not ? was satan , the flesh , the world , all or either of these not their enemies as much as ours ? or had they better weapons and armour to fight against them then we have ? we have the armour of god , they could have no better ; if you shall say , you had a great family to provide for , weighty affaires and imployments lay upon you , and these are great hinderances : in all these they exceed thee , and yet they were no hinderances to them in comparison of that , generally they are to us ; abraham drew three hundred out of his family to deliver lot , besides what men , women , and children were left behinde . job had also a great family , he was a judge , and a prince , and yet notwithstanding in all the whole world there was none like unto him . so david had a whole kingdome to look to , besides continuall wars , and yet how often did he pray , every day ; how frequent was he in meditation ? without all question , did we make it our business to intreat the lord for strength & grace to serve him , were we frequent & servent enough in such desires , did we seek for wisdome as for silver , and search for understanding as for hid treasures , we might do wonders in religion , in comparison of what we do . and if you shall say , that all these you speake of are prophets . i answer , what then ? for the gifts of prophecy are not gifts of sanctification , but of edification ; they might have been as holy , and not have been prophets , and they might have prophesied , and yet been workers of iniquity . but to returne to what we spake , surely if men had faith , and that wrought by love as it should do ; if we were as watchfull over our wayes as wee might be , if we were not wanting to our selves , and to god , ( for he is not wanting unto us ) we might live many days , without doing or speaking any thing that materially is a sin : i do assuredly know , that no one thought , word , or action , but in some respect or other is sinful , either the ground is not spirituall ; or not so spirituall ; the end is not heavenly , or not so heavenly ; we do not purely aim at the glory of god , nor purely do it out of obedience to god , and in the name of christ , &c. as wee should ; therfore i do not say , we can live one minute without sinning against god ; but one may live many hours and dayes without doing such actions which materially and in their own nature are sins : as now for those which are accounted grosse sinnes in the world , and are so , as adultery , murder , theft , blasphemy , swearing ; it may be some of gods people live their whole life without actually committing any one of them . what is meant by that that is said of zachary and elizabeth , that they lived blamelesse , luke 1. 6. and what is meant by that of st paul , 1 cor. 4. 4. that he knew nothing by himself ? well , certainly those that love not to keep a strict communion with god , and love not the truth , may finde excuses enough to bolster themselves up in their carelesse walke ; nay , let them take heed , least they so provoke the lord , that he sends them strong delusions to beleeve lies . it may be , they will plead the infirmities and falls of the saints , noahs drunkennesse , davids adultery , peters deniall , and so encourage themselves in their owne wickednesse ; surely these failings of the saints are set downe as sands and rocks to avoyd , not as our compasse whereby we should steer our course : 't is true , if after prayers and strivings against those sins , through the strength of our corruptions we fall into some sin , we may take comfort from the infirmity and failings of the saints : but before our fall , what use have we of such failings , but onely rocks , as i have said : comforts they may be after , but not encouragements before ; otherwise our spots are not the spots of gods people . 2. consid. the second consideration is , that no art , science , or trade whatsoever , is attained without some yeares being apprentice , or studying of it ; and can we imagine that we can attain to any measure of perfection in religion , without spending either time or thoughts about it , but making it a thing meerly by the bie ? the unreasonablenesse of this conceit appears the more , if we consider , that wee have no such impediments to hinder us from the attainment of excelencies in trades , arts , and sciences ; nay , those things that are hinderances in the attainment of holinesse , do further us in the attainment of such kind of excellencies : to be an excellent workman in any trade , or to be an excellent physician , neither the world , nor our corruptions , nor satan are against it ; the world generally doth promote and imploy such persons ; when they have an occasion to use any one of any trade or calling , they use the skilfullest , and so they are an encouragement to them : and for our corruptions , they do not hinder , but rather further , for wee pride our selves generally in such kind of excellencies : and if the world nor the flesh be not , certainly satan is not against them neither ; but against holinesse they are all enemies . now if we should see a man rowing , having both wind and tide with him , and should row with all his might , and yet with much adoe come to such a place by night , and the next day being to row back again against winde and tide , should take no pains at all , but lie sleeping in the boat , as if the streame that was against him , should carry him back of it self , wee should much wonder at such a mans folly . much more then may we wonder , when men shall spend so much pains , so many thoughts to get an estate ; and in things concerning god and eternity , should carry themselves as if they were either not worth having , or as if holinesse ( like weeds ) should grow of it self . 3. consid. the third consideration is , that there is no pain nor trouble in it's self in religion , nor no true pleasure nor profit in sin ; or what pleasure or pain soever there is in them , it is so short and so small , that it deserves not the name of either : do but truly and seriously consider , what pain or trouble is there in spending an hour , in reading , meditating , or praying , i speak to the most disadvantage ; for indeed , one should rather say , what wonderfull delight there is in a strict and constant communion with god in such duties : but let it be supposed it be troublesome , the trouble is nothing , but the comfort and the benefit is exceeding great ; when thou hast spent a day in humbling thy soul before god , i pray , next day , is it any pain or trouble to you ? in respect of them , it is as the way of a serpent upon a stone , there is nothing of the trouble that did accompany those holy duties doth remain when they are ended , but the comfort and profit of them thou maist meet withall twenty years hence : and so for sin , the pleasure of it is momentany , but the guilt and sting of it is eternall ; the poor empty pleasures of sinne , what are they while they do continue ? but sure i am , they are bitternesse at the last . to have a guilty conscience , and a wounded spirit , but one hour in any extremity , as poor souls in desertion or despair have , hath so much horrour in it , that doubtlesse whosoever hath had any experience in such things , would not edure them for all the pleasures in the world for methusalems age : but alas , we look not afar off , consider neither the end of holinesse , nor of sin ; nay to speak the truth , we consider not the essentiall excellency of the one , nor filthinesse of the other . 4. consid. fourthly , consider that there is not the least sin , nor the least holy thought that shall vanish into aire , or into nothing ; for if god shal call us to account for every idle thought or word , shall not every holy thought or word , through his mercy , tend to our good also ? the wicked do treasure up wrath against the day of wrath ; as a man that should cast in every day many pieces of silver and gold into a room for twenty years together , or more , when he should come to look in that room at the twenty years end , he would finde many a piece which he had forgotten ; so it is with one that treasures up sin , when the book of conscience shall be opened at the last , day , and the baggs wherein god sealed up his sins , as job speaks , how many sins will he meet withall that he never thought of , untill that day ? not one of them shall be lost that ever he cast in : so surely it will be with thee that treasurest up prayers and holy thoughts ; god doth as safely seale up them , as he doth the sins of the wicked : there is a book of remembrance writ of all thy good words , and there is a bottle to bottle up all thy teares : now how easie is it for thee to cast into this treasury a thousand holy thoughts a day ? to what a numberlesse number would they arise to in few years ? and by these not any businesse is hindred ; thou mayest ride , thou mayest eat and drink , thou mayest sell and buy , thou mayest walk for all them : now if every holy thought do adde something to thy grace here , and to thy glory hereafter , and since they do not hinder , but sweeten and sanctifie all imployments , why doest thou not treasure up these against the day of the lord ? 5. consid. fifthly , consider seriously the excellencies of the scriptures ; for we are not sensible enough of their worth , nor do we firmly nor feelingly enough believe that they are the word of god : suppose that by some infallible arguments it might be demonstrated that there were a prophet now in england , with what extraordinary care and observation would you observe his words that he spake in the name of the lord : if when thou wer● pouring out thy soul before god , humbly begging of him that he would discover to thee more the things that belong to thy peace , and thou shouldest have an angel from heaven coming unto thee , as one did to cornelius ; or that our saviour should himselfe speak to thee from heaven , as he did to paul , when thou shalt say as he did , lord , what would'st thou have me to do ? with what reverence and attention would'st thou observe , and what obedience to a tittle would'st thou give to such messages ? wouldest thou not mark every word , and every syllable ? and wouldest not vary from them one jot . well , thou shouldest give no lesse reverence nor obedience unto the word of god , then unto them . if thy friend speaks to thee , or writes to thee , so thou art sure that it is his hand , they are both of equal authority with thee ; and why should not the word of god immediately spoken from heaven , or written , be so too , of equall authority with thee ? to have an angel from heaven to tel thee what thou should'st do , is a stronger temptation to pride ; but there is no more of reality in it to move thee to obedience , then there is in the written word : nay , may i not say lesse ? for the word of god is the rule by which we must judg their messages ; and not their messages the rule by which we must judg the word of god ; for if an angel from heaven should preach another doctrine , let him be accursed . now there is no reason , thou believing the bible to be the word of god , which we all professe , but thou shouldest with as much care endeavour to understand and practise what therein is written . if wee will do but as luther did , that hee might understand rom. 3. 25 , 26. fast and pray when wee finde any place of scripture too difficult to be understood ; or when we found our corruptions so strong , that wee obeyed not when it is understood : if wee sought the lord by prayer and fasting ( a duty generally neglected , and by some condemned , though by the apostles commended and practised ) surely , wee should both understand more of the minde of god , and live more sutable to what what wee know . 6. considerat . sixthly , consider , that howsoever we esteem it , it matters not , without question the enjoyment of god is infinite happinesse : for , doe but truly and really consider wherein doth the happinesse of angels consist ; doth it not consist in the vision , fruition , and union with god ? is not god their all ? and shall he not be ours when we come thither ? how comes it to passe , that it is not so now ? nay , it is so ; but how comes it to passe , that it is not so to us ? either the angels are deceived in making of it their happinesse ; or wee must be deceived in not making of it ours : we cannot have the face to say , that if the angels knew what pleasure there were in eating and drinking , and other vain and wicked pleasures of the word , they would never spend their eternity in singing the praises , in beholding the face , and admiring the excellency of god ; yet though we are ashamed to say thus , yet by our lives we generally hold forth this blasphemy , and proclaime it to the whole world ; nay , let me raise this one step higher , the blessednesse , of god wherein doth it consist ? the creature is not his happinesse , but himselfe ; and if god be enough for himselfe , shall be not be enough for thee ? of dust and ashes , his enjoyment of himself , is his happinesse ; how comes it to passe that it is not thine ? god doth command , invite thee , entreat thee to enjoy him ; nay , indeed what is it that god requires of thee , but this , even to admire , love and enjoy him in the secret of thy soul ? thou wilt not , thou preferrest every trifle before him ; thou wilt go and see a carnall friend for carnall ends , rather then spend thy time in the enjoyment of him , who is the praise , and above the praise of men and angels to all eternity ; pray to him , who onely can discover his love and excellencies to thee , that he would make thee taste of this hidden manna ; that he would draw away the vail before thine eyes , that thou mayst be no longer ignorant of this truth ; that he would purge out those corruptions out of thy heart , that thou mayst relish and experiment the sweetnesse of it . 7. consid. seventhly , consider that we have three enemies , the world , the flesh , and the divel ; consider this , i say , fully and feelingly ; for few there are that live so much as a tittle of this truth : or who lives as if the world was his implacable enemie ? for , do we not generally into all our actions put something of that poysonous ingredient , viz. a desire to please men , and to get their good word and will ? wee ought not to scandalize any one , as much as in us lies ; we ought to be all things to all men ; but it is that we may gain them to god , not to our selves : if this truth was ingraven on our hearts , that it is as possible to go to heaven and please the divel , as go to heaven and please the world : i say , if we were fully perswaded in our hearts of that truth , we would neither wonder the world hates us , nor endeavour that it should love us : we should not endeavour nor cast away our pains to do that which is absolutely impossible : so then , if we resolve to be christians , wee must neither fear nor care what the world can say of , or do unto us . and we should in all our actions of religion , not so much as once bring it into our consideration , to think what men will say or do unto us , if we do so or so , except it be by their dislike to help our selves to know what is right ; for though it is not an absolute rule , yet it is a generall rule , that such a thing is right , because men generally speak against it : certainly , our desires and endeavours to please men , is one of the greatest snares in the world ; for generally we live so that we enslave our selves , and lose not only our christian , but our naturall liberty for men ; but indeed if it was no more but our outward liberty , it was nothing , but we wound our consciences and offend our god , which is worth more then a thousand heavens . cautions . 1. caut. first , take heed of the perfunctory performance of holy duties ; for many mischiefs come by them . first , they puffe up , not edifie ; if thou powrest out thy soule before god in prayer , feelingly , spiritually , and faithfully , thou never departest without some spirituall profit ; but if thou dost it carnally and formally , thy prayers are but wind , and they puffe thee up ; for thy carnall heart would plead these carnall performances to thy conscience , and make thee beleeve , because thou hast many pieces of this counterfeit coyne , that thou art rich and wantest nothing , though thou art poor , and blind , and naked , and miserable ; for thy duties have not the right stamp , having neither the image nor superscription of god upon them , being neither performed for the glory of god , nor by the spirit of god , nor in the name of christ : and between carnall and spirituall duties , this is the difference , that we usually pride our selves in the one , and are humble by the other . secondly , which followes upon the former , we shall grow weary in time of performing carnal duties ; for needs must we be weary of these things from which we get no profit nor strength : when duties are dry brests unto us , it is no marvel if we are weary of drawing them ; by spirituall duties we get strength ; and such prayers do enable us to pray more ; but carnall prayers tire us . thirdly , consider the same time is spent in the one as in the other , whether thou hearest or prayest with zeal and attention , or without , it takes up the same time in the publick congregatition , though not the same profit . fourthly , consider that you spoyle both , by mixing the thoughts of worldly businesse with spirituall duties ; for thy outward performance of the duty keeps thy thoughts of businesse from coming to maturity , and the thoughts of worldly things keep thy prayers from doing thee any good , so that they spoil one another ; i mean , of those wandering thoughts that we let lie in our duties , for those that are resisted , and removed , and mourned for , do somwhat hinder , but not putrifie the duty ; for as the wise man saith , that dead flyes cause the oyntment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour ; if one takes out a fly as soon as it is come into it , so much of the oyntment that sticks about the fly is lost , but the rest remains sweet and pure , as it was before : so wandering thoughts spoyle something of our prayers , though they be resisted and removed , they make a little hole in our prayer , by taking up that time which should have beene fill'd up with better thoughts ; but if they continue , they eat up the fat of those sacrifices , and make the sweet odours of our prayers noisome . but to conclude this caution , if we were but in any measure sensible of the majesty of him to whom , and the necessity of those things for which we pray , ( to instance in that duty ) for they are our life , and of the necessity of having them from god ; we need no other motives to deterre us from perfunctory performances . 2. caut. secondly , take heed of worldly company , for whosoever delights in that , will find that he never comes out of it but worse then he comes into it ; for when one goes into such a company among whom there is nothing spoken of god , of christ , or of the spirit of the word of god , and of spirituall experiences , where there is no spirituall duty performed ; except one be exceeding carefull to sequester ones mind from their discourses , and keepe a stricct communion with god in the secrets of our hearts , our graces , if they were strong , would grow weak ; and our corruptions , though they were weak , would grow strong ; and that spirituall advantage which you have got by many prayers , you will find will be lost in a little time spent in such company , except their discourses be as dry brests unto you , and as meshech and kedar were unto david ; they must either be a grief or sin unto them , except in some cases , as in case of businesse , thy particular calling , or charity , if thou comest as a physician , either of their bodies or of their souls , then thou not only mayst , but oughtest to come unto them ; in such cases , our saviour did frequently eat with publicans and sinners , not out of any love he had to their worldly conversation , but to their conversion ; and this must be taken as a rule , he that knows not how to be alone , knows not how to be in company with profit . 3 caut. thirdly , take heed of idleness ; for as the wise man says , seest thou one wise in his own eyes , there is more hope of a foole then of him . for to make such a man wise , there are two things to be done . first , you must bring him to that , that he may know himself to be ignorant , and then you must teach him wisdom ; wheras he that is ignorant and knows himself to be so , needs only the last ; so he that is in any honest employment , satan hath two works to do to make him sin . first , he must get him to leave off what he is doing , and then perswade him to the evill that he tempts him to : as a bowle that is running must be first stopped , before it can be made to run the contrary way ; whereas the bowle that ●ies still may without stopping be cast what way one pleases : a bird that is flying one can hardly take any aime at , as one may at that which sits stil ; so satan cannot levell his temptations so at a busie , as at an idle man : but i shall not prosecute this common place of idlenesse , but my main designe is to give you caution against spirituall idlenesse ; for that which is not taken notice enough of , that is not avoidied nor mourned for enough , is that we think that we are not idle , if we are busied in worldly imployments , if we are selling of wares in our shops , or riding of a journey , or busied in some such imployment of our particular calling . the man thresheth and plowes all day , and thinks that he is free from idlenesse ; but we should know , that if our thoughts are not imployed upon spirituall things when they may , it is the worst idleness of all : and very few worldly businesses there are that stand in need of the continuall intentions of our thoughts upon them ; for it is rather our love of the world that fixeth our thoughts upon worldly matters while we are imployed about them , then because they might not be done without halfe that intention of mind : doubtlesse , there are many disseminata vacua , in all imployments of the world , which might and ought to be filled up with spirituall thoughts ; and as it is with bees , though they gather honey from a flower , they leave it as fragrant and as fresh as they found it ; so we gathering and mixing spirituall thoughts with and from our worldly businesse , we hinder it not at all ; for as a vessel that is full of sand will hold almost as much water as if there were no sand in it ; so when we are full of imployments , we may hold a thousand holy thoughts ; and as a ship can hardly be so fild with chests or other lading , but there will be so many corners unfild up , wherein diamonds of such great value might be put in , that they would be more worth then all the lading of the ship ; so those thoughts of god and spirituall things which we might have in the midst of our other employments , may be of farre greater value then they . fourthly , take heed of perfunctory and careless resisting of temptations ; but what thou dost in that particular , as in spirituall things , do it with all thy might ; for to think and weakly to resolve against sin , will not hinder , but aggravate thine offence ; and it is one of the divels policies , to let a man alone to thinke of severall motives , and make some faint resolutions against any sin , when hee sees that hee hath him fast enough ; for he knows , that the more motives and resolutions wee sin against , the more wee are hardened , and god is provoked : and as it is with a town that is besieged , they will willingly let so many of their enemies in , as they know they are able to master : so satan , when hee sees that the motives and resolutions that enter into the soul are too weak , hee willingly suffers them to enter ; for , perfunctory performance of duties , and feeble resisting of temptations are equally dangerous , if the later be not the worst ; by the former we get no spirituall good , and by the later we overcome no spirituall evill . 5. caut. take heed of making others sin , either by scandall , or being a temptation to them by example or provocation ; it is a good way , when one hath to deal with a passionate man , not onely to prepare our selves for the combate by prayer and resolutions and keeping a strong guard upon our hearts , that we may not be overcome with passion , howsoever he shall use us , either in word or in deed ; but to take special care and to use all means to keep him from passion ; for there is a wretched joy that our hearts are subject to take in the sins of others , thinking them to be a foil to our innocency , to have others very passionate when we are very meek ; there is a secret delight that the heart is prone to take , but it proceeds from a desperate pride in us , who desire to have our excellencies made manifest , though with the dishonour of god and damnation of our brother ; but there is a great deal of hel in it , and charity rejoyceth not in ill . 1 cor. 13. 6. caut. take heed of studying high speculative points whatsoever ; for when our thoughts are exceedingly intent in finding out truths , all the fire is in the top of the chimney , and none is left upon the hearth : generally high speculations leave the heart cold without devotion ; for generally there is a great deal of curiosity and pride in such studies , for commonly we desire to be accounted knowing men , in searching into whys and how 's of gods works and truths ; as why god made the tree of knowledg of good and evill , and how there can be three persons , and but one god : therefore in all reading , joyn prayer , whether it be in the reading of humane or divine things , and take speciall care that the love of god go not out , nor grow cold in you . that which i have heard of one , is a good practice , that whatsoever book he was reading , every leafe that he turned over he would look what was become of his heart , and of god , and would not begin till he had sent up some prayers to the lord for direction . advises . 1. adv. first , concerning writing , many wayes thou art to employ that for thy advantage . first , write down all those spiritual passages out of sermons , books , discourses , wherin thou hast found most relish and spirituall profit . secondly , keep a register of all the mercies that god hath bestowed upon thee , whether it be temporall or spiritual , but especially thy spirituall experiences , and his manifestations of his love , if ever the terrors of the almighty was upon thee ; the wayes of gods providence in supporting thee , and how , and when , and in what manner he delivered thee . and so for the discoveries of his love , and concerning the mercies god hath bestowed upon thee , how , and whether , and when he answers your prayers ; as also all the speciall ways of gods providence to other spirituall persons , in temporalls or spirituals ; and when thou findest thy heart dull and cold in love , or weak in faith , these experiences of gods goodnesse to thy selfe and others , will be an excellent means to enflame and strengthen thee . lastly , keepe a diurnall of thy life in respect of the spirituall passages of every day ; set downe whether thou didst awake with god , or whether the world had the first fruits of thy thoughts , and how thou didst performe spirituall duties , whether with relish , fervency , or delights , or otherwise ; mark and set down when thy heart made any default , intermitting its communion with god , and all the severall sins that thou canst take notice of , that thou hast committed that day , and what mercies thou hast received ; and when there is any mercy that thou prayest for , some marke should be set untill thou hast an answer of that prayer from god , and that day the lord gives thee that answer , make a reference from that day to the day of praying for that mercy . 2. adv. secondly , choose some spirituall friend one or more , to whom thou mayst wholly unbosome thy self in all spiritual matters ; but a great deal of caution need to be had in this particular , he need to be one of a 1000 that thou choosest ; thus thou needest have a gr●at deal of experince of his spirituall wisedome , humility , and experience of the ways of god ; for be he never so learned , though he understand all mysteries and all knowledge , though he hath never such excellent gifts of edification , yet if he be not an experienced christian , thou wilt little benefit either by his society , or counsell ; for when he speaks of spirituall and experimentall truths , and the discourses of such truths are the very life of the communion of saints ; i say , that his discourses concerning such matters , be he never so learned , if he be not experienced in them , will be without life or relish ; he will seldom speak of such things , but when he does it , it will be with so much heaviness , that thou mayst cleerly perceive he doth speak but by rote , and of things he delights not in ; and for his advise in spirituall matters , it must needs be very imperfect , for thousand cases may happen of which books speak nothing ; and having no other way to understand them , and direct thee , he will be at a losse ; as one that travels by a map , and hath no other way to guide himselfe , he will meet with many turnings , that put him to a non-plus which way to take ; whereas he that hath often travelled that way is a farr safer guide : the truth is , we have no knowledge of god , or no saving knowledge of him , but what is by experience : to conclude therefore , if thou wilt choose a spiritual friend , choose such an one as magnifies christ , and the spirit of god , and his teachings , and the word of god , and inward mortifications above outward , and that is an experienced wise and humble christian , and thou shalt get a world of good by the converse of such an one ; for in doubts his wisdom and experience wil direct thee , in thy distresses hee will comfort thee , when thou art spiritually cold , his example and carriage in the performance of holy duties , his discourses of heavenly things , and the flames of his love wil set thee on fire . 3. adv ▪ the third is diurnal examination , every night strictly to examine what thou hast done that day ; we read of god himselfe that every day he looked over his works : surely god hath no need to examine his works , but it is writ for our instruction , and doubtlesse the benefit and necessity of this examination are very great . first , we should find out our sins before they come to be customary , when they are but a day old , and before they have taken root in us , and so they will easily be pull'd up , and by faith , repentance , prayer , and resolutions against them , we shall easily get the victory over them , and through the help of god , who makes us more then conquerours : it is very likely , by the blessing of god , if david had not neglected the examining of his soul that day when he defiled bathsheba , he would have discovered that abomination , and he would never have gone fo farre as to have added bloud and the rest of his abominations to his uncleannesse , and he would have watered h●s couch with his teares , which he had defiled with his adultery . the second advantage is , that we shall never lie in any sin unrepented of ; and there be many other inconveniences ( besides bringing it to a custome ) that come by sin lying on our souls unrepented of ; for it deads our prayers , cools our love , hardens our heart , makes us that we cannot come to god with that joy , with that freedome of spirit ; as when one hath done ones friend an injury , one is loth to see him . the third advantage is by dividing this great work of giving up our account , and making all even betwixt god and our selves , the work will be very easie ; which if we shall not doe it but at our death , or only yearly , it would be exceeding difficult , and almost impossible : as if some merchant who had very great trading , should ballast his accounts of debts , receipts , of disbursements , &c. but once in seven years , it would be an intollerable burden ; besides , many things would be forgotten ; whereas it being done daily , his accounts are perfected with more ease , and fewer defaults . the fourth advantage is , that at thy death thou wilt have a world of comfort by taking this course ; for besides , thou art eased of that burthen of having all the accounts of thy life to make up then , thou hast a clear way to answer satan , when he shall lay to thy charge any sins of thy former life ; for if he shall accuse thee , and say , do'st not thou remember , that such a year , and such a day , thou didst commit such a sin ? thou mayest answer him , and say , it is true , that such a day i did commit such a sin , but then that very night i mourned for it , and went not to bed before i had my pardon sealed with the bloud of christ to my soul ; and when satan shall not be able to lay to thy charge any debt of which thou hast not had an accquittance , nor any sin for which thou hast not had a pardon from the lord , such fiery darts will have no power to wound thee : and this examination thou mayest make thus : consider all the severall hours of the day , and how thou hast spent them ; when thou didst first awake , what didst thou think of ? when thou wert asleep , and thoughtest not of thy selfe , god thought on thee , and thou wert safe under the shadow of his wings ; when i awake , thou art with me , sayes david ; was not god with david when he was asleep ? yes surely ; for his being with him when he was awake , shewed that he was there before ; for it is not said , when i awake thou comest to me , but art with me . well , but what are thy thoughts when thou first wakest ? are they of god , or of the world ? thou shalt much discover the temper of thy heart by this ; those that are our very familiar acquaintance , we suffer them to come into our chamber before we are up : surely , god is a stranger to thee , if thou thinkest not of him , nor seekest him on thy bed ; then as the apostle sayes , if the first fruits are holy , the whole lump is holy : so generally , as thy first thoughts are , such art thou all the day after : in the morning thou sayest , it will be foule weather , sayes our saviour , for the skie is red and lowring ; so we may say of the day in respect of spirituall matters ; if thy morning thoughts be red and lowring , it will be foule weather in thy soule that day : and when thou readest over thy diary , thou shalt finde that those dayes when that thy waking and morning thoughts were full of god , that all the duties of that day , whether of thy generall or particulat calling , were full of god also . well , what didst thou think of afterwards , didst thou keep thy thoughts close to god , untill thy morning exercise ? didst thou dresse thy soul , as thou didst dresse thy body ? well , after that , what didst thou doe such an hour and such and hour , & c ? or to help thee in this duty something more , examine at night thy works , words , thoughts , what they were every houre of the day . for thy works , consider what thy religious works , the works of thy particular calling , and thy recreations were . for thy prayers , hast thou not oomitted thy seven times a day , if thou hast attained with david to that number ? or how often soever thy set times are , hast thou not omitted them ? for i dare not discourage any one in observing set times , as if that could not be don lawfully . wel , how hast thou prayed ? hast thou performed that duty as a task , or as a means ? hast thou bound up thy devotion to such a number of times of going to god ? or hast thou given god those prayers as a composition , or as the rent of the day , that thou mayest do with the rest , and spend the rest in vanity , as thou pleasest ? or didst thou not much rather perform that duty of prayer as an act of communion with god for the present , and as an help for communion with god for the future ? didst thou not by thy prayers intend and desire of the lord power and strength not to depart from him ? what were thy prayers ? were they faithfull , fervent , reverent , humble ? what returns of thy prayers hast thou had this day ? hast thou endeavoured to obtain those mercies and graces that thou prayedst for ? thou mockest god , to pray for those things thou endeavourest not for ; and thou mockest thy self , to endeavour for those things thou prayest not for . for thy meditation and reading the word of god , how hast thou performed them ? what power have they had upon thy heart this day ? hast thou been more faithfull , humble , charitable , & c ? what resolutions didst thou make ? and how hast thou kept them ? &c. concerning thy reading the scriptures and meditation , most of the things which are spoken concerning prayer , may be applyed to these also : as , didst thou meditate and read as a task , or as a means ? and so of the rest . concerning the works of thy particular calling , have they not justled out the works of thy generall calling ? hast thou not unnecessarily omitted thy set times for spirituall duties ? or have not thy thoughts been taken up too much with them ? hast thou not left off thy communion with god ? god may be with thee in thy shop as well as in thy closet . againe , if thou art a tradesman , hast thou not took advantage of the necessity of the seller , and bought too cheape , and of the ignorance of the buyer , and sold two dear ? hast thou not sold thy conscience with thy wares ? concerning thy recreations , have they not been unlawfull recreations in respect of the kinde ? hast thou not made a sport of sin , making that a recreation which should be thy grief ? making that thy delight , which should make a christian weep ? have not thy recreations been unlawfull in respect of time ? have they not been unseasonable ? hast thou not used recreations , when thou shouldest have put on sackcloth , not being sensible of the afflictions of joseph ? or have not thy recreations taken up too much time ? hast thou not made a vocation of recreation ? the best way is by prayer and by frequent communion with god , to attain to that spirituall frame of soul , that thou mayest go to god as david speaks , psalm 43. ver. 4. to make god thy exceeding joy : so shall thy great businesse and designe that thou hast in the whole world be turned into a recreation ; and thou shalt need no other , but thou shalt be as those that are in heaven ; it shall be thy eternall businesse and delight to admire and praise god . what have thy words been ? thou must give an account at the last day for every idle word : how many hast thou spoken this day ? where , when , and with whom hast thou discoursed , and what hath thy discourse been of ? have thy words been to edification ? remember what the apostle says , that we must avoyd foolish talking and jesting , which is not convenient ; hast thou not this day slandered , or spoken ill of thy neighbour ? if thou hast , besides thy humbling thy selfe before god , and asking pardon of him , make some recompence to thy neighbour , and put up as many prayers to god for him , as thou hast spoken evill words of him . for thy thoughts , what have they been ? have not vain thoughts lodged in thee ? the fountain of all sinne are our thoughts ; if thou keepest them close to god , all the rest will follow , thy words and thy conversation will be spirituall also : hast thou not had a thousand thoughts of god this day ? if thou hast not , thou hast lost that which is irrevocable : for though thou hast a thousand thoughts of god the next day , thy losse this day is not thereby recovered ; for thy having a thousand thoughts of god this day , doth not hinder thee from having a thousand thoughts next day , but rather further thee ; the more thoughts thou hast of god , the more thou mayst have ; and for thy thoughts of god , what have they been ? have they been fervent as well as frequent ? have thy thoughts of god been worthy of god ? or have not thy thoughts of god been such that thou shouldest have had of the world , and thoughts of the world such as thou shouldest have had of god ? 4. adv. the fourth is meditation , a duty of so great concernment , so much profit , that nothing but experience can make one know the benefit of it ; and the man of the greattest devotion , and of the heavenlyest affections , that we read of in all the bible , though indeed , for matter of revelations , it may be , something more is spoken of others then of him , i mean david , was exceedingly versed in meditation , and doth speak very much of it concerning his own practise , and commending it to others : you know very well , that he sets it down as the only , or at least the chief exercise of the blessed man , to meditate in the word of god day and night : he delights in the word of god , and therefore meditates in it ; and meditates in it , and therfore delights in it : one that walks in a garden , sees the beauty , and may smell sweetnesse of the flowers growing there ; but it is the bee that gathers honey out of them : to read and study the scriptures , hath a great deal of sweetnesse in it , but it is meditating on the scriptures that brings the sweetest and lastingest benefit : the end of study is knowledge ; but the end of meditation is also holy affection and practice . now that which i advise and direct in this particular , is , to know how to read and meditate on the holy scriptures to our greatest spirituall comfort and advantage : and there are many advises to this purpose . first , take the bible , open it , and read it with the same attention , reverence , and resolution to follow it , as if christ living on the earth either by reason of sicknesse , or some other occasion , not being able to go to him thy self , thou shouldst send some speciall friend with thy humble desires to christ , to advise thee what to beleeve and do , and christ should send a letter to thee by that friend . how exceedingly wouldst thou prize that letter ? how wouldest thou rejoyce and long to read it ? how strictly wouldest thou observe every syllable ? goe , take the bible , open it , and do likewise . wee do not read that ever christ writ any thing with his own hand , save that which he wrote upon the ground , john 8. and what that was wee know not . and what might be the reason ? might not one , if not the chiefest reason be , lest we should dolize that place of scripture , and despise the rest in comparison of that : it is not the hand , but the spirit of christ that gives authority to scripture : we have strange opinions of the bodily presence of christ ; we think , had we lived in his dayes , we would have gone to him , and acknowledged our sins , and craved pardon and direction , and scarce doubt but we should have obtained both : but we consider no● we have as neer and as certain a way to obtain them now as then ; nay , we have the same way as they had ; for it was their faith that made them whole , and by faith we may be made so too in respect of spiritual diseases . so , if an angel should bring a message from heaven to us , how would we observe and follow it ? the scripture should be of as great power and authority with us , as that message , and indeed more ; for if it were possible that such a message should contradict any thing in the scripture , the scripture must be beleeved before it . but of this more largely in the fifth consideration . secondly , read every verse in the bible with this consideration , that the holy spirit of god , when hee inspired the apostle , prophet , or other pen-men of the holy scriptures to write that place , did particularly intend thy good in it ; for wee must not conceive that the scripture was written for their good only who lived in those times when those severall books were published ; but to all ages , for every particular man that should live in those severall generations . the scripture it self is plain in this particular ; rom. 15. 4. for whatsoever things were written afore time , were written for our learning , that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope , deut. 29. 29. the secret things belong unto the lord our god , but these things which are revealed belong unto us , and to our children for ever , that we may do all the words of the law . nay , we read of a particular promise made to a particular person upon a speciall occasion ; if any part of scripture were not to extend to every particular person that should live while the world lasts , one would think it should be that ; yet even that very promise the apostle brings , even that , as a promise particularly to be applied to every christian : compare but these places , heb. 13. 5. josh. 1. 5. the scripture like a well made picture looks upon every one in particular , so directly , as if it looked upon none else : we generally read the scriptures as we hear sermons , without a particular and personall application of them ; if a godly minister should come home to any one of our houses , and take one aside , and tell one privately and feelingly , you professe your selves christians , but there is little or nothing of christianity appears in your lives , you live not as becomes the gospel of jesus christ ; it would startle us ; we hear the same in the pulpit , and we let it passe as a thing not concerning us : if one should come from an house of uncleanenesse , and hear a voice from heaven , saying , whoremongers and adulterers god will judge , it would strike terrour into that mans heart ; he reads the same words in the scripture , and they are a dead letter to him . thirdly , read the scripture to a right end for which it was written , not for custome , or that you might be able to discourse , and because you are ashamed to be ignorant of those things which you conceive every christian should know , and having an occasion divers times in company to talk of such matters , then you would be loth to be able to say nothing ; but consider what end the scripture was writ for , rō . 15. 4 rev. 3. 10. 1 pet. 2. 2. 2 tim. 3. 16. and many other places , set them down ; our knowledge , our affectionss , and our lives are quite out of frame , and thou must go to the holy scriptures there to finde out directions to cure these distempers : and in a word , that thou may'st be able to know , admire , love , fear , trust , and serve god more then thou doest ; thou should'st never read any part of the word of god , without a particular intention to advantage thy selfe in these particulars by thy reading . fourthly , thou must humbly and earnestly pray to the lord to give thee his spirit to understand what thou readest in his word ; take heed of going with thine own humane spirit , and in the strength of thy learning , to search out the deep things of god ; go to the shallowes of the workes , which wee call the works of nature , and thou shalt finde that thou art not able to fathome them ; the winde thou hearest the sound thereof , but knowest not whence it comes , nor whither it goes ; and how canst thou presume to understand the great mysteries of god , which the angels themselves desire to look into , without the help of the spirit of god which teacheth wisdome secretly ? let thy desires be fervent , for the things written in the word of god are thy life ; desire the lord to give thee a powerfull , spirituall , and experimentall knowledge of the truths that thou shalt read . fifthly , promise to the lord that if he will but reveal to thee his will , thou wilt do it , and obey him in it , whether it be good or evill ; jer. 42. 6. whether it be pleasing or displeasing to thine own will : we do not use to tell any one a receipt to cure a disease he is sick of , if we know he is resolved not to take it ; nor do thou satisfie thy selfe with a neutrality , to finde thy selfe neither resolved to follow , nor not to follow what thou shalt understand : it is an hard thing when one whom god hath loved so much , shall give no other return of all his goodnesse but this , that he doth not finde his heart to hate and rebell against him : many people do little better then use the scripture as a charme , they think by reading so many chapters a day , they shall be cured of all spirituall diseases : had they not as good think , that by hanging some chapters or two about their neck , they shall be cured of some corporall disease ? if one should have a receipt to cure the gout , and he should read it over every day twice or thrice , and think thereby to be cured , though he never took what was prescribed ; so it is with him that thinks the bare reading of the word of god will do him any good without being , beleeving , and doing accordingly . sixthly , when thou art thus prepared , read that place which thou intendest to meditate of , and consider what the true meaning of the place is , to thy understanding thereof before thou didst crave the assistance of the spirit of god ; but if the place be knotty and hard to be understood , passe it by , for such places are not proper places of meditation , but of study ; thou must choose those places of scripture as are fit for the affectionate , not the speculative part of divinity , such as may more affect the heart , then busie the braine to understand it ; and thou must not be curious to raise nice observations from the words , but take those truths that lie open in the text . first , because those truths that lie hidden in one place of scripture , are obvious in another . secondly , because when the braine is much imployed , the heart lyes dead without affections . thirdly , because that time thou spendest in finding out curious observations , may be farre more profitably spent in working thy heart to holy affections and resolutions , from some other truth that will presently occur from the words . lastly , it shewes that there is not so great spirituall hunger after righteousness as there should be ; for hungry men do not use to stand and pick bones , when they have meat enough to eat . seventhly , when thou hast raised any observation from the words , then thou art to put one of these three questions to thy selfe ; do i thus ? is it thus with me ? and , believe i thus ? one or two , or all of these will belong to every text ; some to all , and all to some , as luke 12. 32. fear not little flock , it is your fathers good will to give you the kingdom : do i thus ? that is , for the first branch , fear not ; do i fear ? then , is it thus with me ? am i little in mine own eyes ? am i one of christ's flock ? am i one of that small number that shall be saved ? lastly , do i believe this , that god will give the kingdom of heaven to such ? eighthly , if thou doest find , that thou art , doest , or believest as the word requires , give god the praise , humbly acknowledging that it is not thy doing at all , either that thou art , or doest , or believest what thou shouldest : and if thou findest that thou pridest thy selfe in stead of being thankfull , as if they were from thy selfe , or that by any of them as thine act thou mayest be justified , then doe but think in how many other things thou failest , and how even in these very particulars , if thou considerest either the measure , manner , ground , and end , thou shalt find them all to be defective , and thy best righteousnesse not onely to be ragged , but filthy too . ninthly , if thou findest that either it is not with thee , or that thou dost not , or beleevest not as the word requires , then , first , humble thy self before the lord , and desire pardon and help for the future . secondly , seriously consider what is the reason ( if it be that thou beleevest not ) why thou art not established in that truth : say to thy self , o my soul , god can neither be deceived , nor deceive , and that this is his word that we now read and meditate on , is more certain then any reason that can possibly be brought against it ; consider that generally the howe 's and whyes of gods truths and works are the things that stumble us ; as , how can there be three persons and yet but one god ? and , why should god hate esau , and love jacob ? in those cases say to thy selfe , that for the whys and howe 's of gods word and truths , it is curiosity and pride to enquire of them , except god does reveal them , and we ought to mortifie our desire of knowing them : as that of our saviour takes place in this case ; blessed are they that beleeve and see not . thirdly , think with thy self , if thou canst remember any other place or places that confirms the truth that thou doubts of . fourthly , know that that which thou art mainly to enquire of , is of the meaning of the word of god , not of the truth of it ; for we are seriously to consider , whether such a place holds forth such a point , not ( it appearing to be the plaine meaning of the text ) whether it be true or no , if it be a thing that thou doest not which thou shouldst do , or doest which thou shouldst not do ; then seriously consider what are the reasons and grounds of thy disobedience , and thou shalt find them to be either the pleasure , profit , or honour of the world ; and say , alas , o my soul , can we be so deceived as to be put off with vanities , such as by experience we have known to be vanities , and by faith much more ? shall we leave an heaven of joys , the god of mercies ? shall we leave christ , who hath so loved us , that he left all , even the bosome of his father , and emptied himself of all his glory , and filled himselfe with our misery ? shall we leave all these for these , vanities which we must leave , and will leave us ? consider the impediments that hinder thee from doing thy duty ; consider the temptations and occasions of thy sin ; consider the means and motives to avoyd it : remove the impediments ; avoyd the occasions ; use the means ; and think of the motives to do that which the lord commandeth : but thou must neither think to find out these , nor to use the means , or avoyd the occasions , &c. without imploring humbly and earnestly the direction and assistance of the spirit of god , to assist and direct thee in the premisses ; for you must know , that you must find out and use spirituall motives , or else thy very avoyding of sin is sin , when it is done upon carnall grounds or sinfull motives . tenthly , when thou hast finished all thy meditations , first , thou art to entreat the lord , that hee would work all these truths upon thy heart , and fasten them as a nail in a sure place , that his word may not be a dry brest unto thee , nor thou a barren wildernesse unto it . secondly , thou art to blesse god for any spirituall frame of heart that is either wrought or discovered in thee by this exercise . lastly , chuse some speciall truth or point ( in which thou are either most defective , or wherein thou hast found most relish , which thou hast most occasion to make use of that day ) and keep it by thee to think of ; and do as those that walk in a garden of fragrant flowers , if one may have leave , generally hee takes some along with him , to smell to the rest of the day : do thou binde up some spirituall truths out of thy meditation , and do likewise . last adv. the last great advice , and that which must serve for an antidote , lest all the other cautions and advices being observed , they should be turned into poyson to us , is , that we should often meditate , and never be satisfied in our souls , until we come to a cleer gospel experimental knowledg of christ , without which indeed , we are not worthy of the name of christians ; for are wee not call'd christians from the very name ? and doubtles , if we have not a right knowledg of christ , we shall make up a christ to our selves of our prayers , and fastings , and almes , and repentance ; and woe be to that soul that at the last day shall have nothing to trust to but his graces and duties , which will accuse him in stead of pleading his cause : and two things especially we should endeavour to know of christ ; first , the excellency of the person and mysteries of christ . secondly , the love of christ . first , for the excellency of his person , though to say he was both god and man , is indeed to include all ; yet some few things i shall speak to manifest this point . first , that all his people do receive from him grace for grace ; john 1. 16. now if we consider the vast emptinesse and spirituall wants of the people of god , we must needs conclude that he must be an ocean of excellency that must continually supply them . secondly , ( for i shall be very brief , setting down rather heads of meditation , then sermon-wise , to dilate upon them ) consider the dignity of his sufferings ; for they did satisfie the justice of god , and that could not be satisfied without somthing of infinite value ; nor could it have been done by him save only by reason of the dignity of his person . thirdly , consider how he suffered ; though the pains he suffered were exceeding great , yet was it without any abatement at all of his love of , and confidence in god ; for while he satisfied the justice of god by his passive obedience , in suffering the penalty of the law ; he also satisfied and fulfilled the righteousness of the law , by his active obedience , which was a wonder full thing , that in the midst of all his agony and all his fathers anger , while he was laying upon him the punishment of the iniquity of us all , and spared him not , that even then there should be no abatement at all of his confidence in , and love of his father , but that he should love him and trust in him as much as at any other time ; for had there been any abatement , and had he not loved god then with all his soul , with all his might , and with all his strength ( and the same may be said of his trusting in god ) his sufferings could never have satisfied for sinne , but themselves had stood in need of forgivenesse . fourthly , consider that saying of our saviour , john 14. 9. he that hath seen me , hath seen the father : the speech of philip is as if he should say ; wee indeed see a great deal of holinesse and wisdom in thy words and actions , but would we could see the father ; surely there would be a world of holinesse and wisdom in his words and actions ; if he would have lived amongst men as thou lord hast done , surely then it had sufficed . now our saviours answer is as if he should say to philip , if the father himselfe had taken humane nature , and lived amongst men , he would not have spoke one word more , or otherwise , nor done one action more or otherwise then i have done , he would not , nay could not have spoke , or done more wisely then i have done ; so he that hath seen me , hath seen my father . fifthly , consider that those who have had the greatest and highest revelations of divine things , have alwayes had the highest esteem of , and have most magnified christ . saint paul , rapt into the third heaven , and saw and heard things there , which was neither possible , nor lawfull to be uttered ; yet no man speaks higher things of christ then he , he desires to know nothing but jesus christ , and him crucified ; accounts all other knowledg but drosse and dogs meat ; such knowledge as dogs and swine , reprobates may have ; nay , one step further , the very angels in heaven , though they have the beatificall vision , yet notwithstanding they desire to look into the great mysteries of the gospel , 1 pet. 1. 12. therefore never think that thou hast attained to any measure of christian knowledge before thou seest an excellency in christ , and an heighth and depth in the mysteries of the gospel ; which if thou shalt not do , say within thy self , it is so evident that nothing is more in the word of god , that christ is the end of all the ceremoniall laws , and all the prophesies of the old testament ; that all the prophets , nay all the angels give witness ; and the apostle cleerly says , that there is no controversie of this matter of the greatnesse of gospel mysteries , and therefore that i do not admire them , it certainly proceeds from my ignorance of them ; for if it proceeded from knowledge , without doubt the apostles that had more knowledg then i , and the angels which had more knowledg then the apostles , would never have desired to have known more of them : and after thou hast wrought this upon thy heart , and art fully convinced of the truth of it , that there is no knowledg , not onely not so profitable , but not so sweet , nor so excellent as this , then humbly beseech the lord that he would shew unto thee , teaching thee by his spirit the deep things of god , and that he would not only do it to informe and enlighten thy understanding in , but to inamour thy will of the beauties of the mysteries of christ : we stand doating and gazing upon hamane knowledge , which is but like a poor glow-worme compared to the sun of righteousnesse ; but alas poor thing , it hath neither light nor heat , compared to the truths of the gospel : and we must look upon christ as the only author and finisher of our faith , and justifier of our persons ; though we do all that hath been mentioned , yet we must not so much as make our doings , or not doings the least ingredient in our justification : and as solomon speaks concerning our wisdom , so we must do in the matter of holinesse ; leane not to thine own wisdome , saith solomon ; not onely not rely upon it , but lean on it : we must not partly trust in our own wisdom , and partly in the wisdom of god , but we must wholly rely upon his wisdom : so , we must not partly rely upon christs merits , and partly upon our own ; but wholly on christ : those sins which we do not commit , we are not innocent of ; and those holy duties that we do perform , we are not innocent in ; therefore neither can we escape hell , nor attain heaven by any thing that wee do , or not do : and the reason why wee either avoyd sin , or perform holy duties , or frequent ordinances , is not because thereby we shall be justified , but that thereby wee may glorifie god and christ , and because therein wee have communion with christ , and are made more conformable unto him , and made more capable of more of christ . when we go to some stately palace , where we have appointed to meet some deer friend whom wee love with our whole soul , though we have never so much entertainment there when we come , yet if wee neither see , nor enjoy the company of our so exceedingly loved and desired friend , wee rather weep then rejoyce , notwithstanding the feasts and buildings which wee taste and see : prayer , hearing the word , the lords supper , are stately ordinances and rich feasts ; yet if we meet not christ there , they are but dry brests and barren wildernesses to a soul that loves christ . secondly , now the main thing that hinders a poor soul from coming unto christ , is , that it is not cleerly satisfied of christs love and willingnesse to receive her : to this point therefore by the blessing of god i shall speak more largely , and as cleerly as the lord shall inable me ; this therefore may be said to that point : art thou not satisfied of the love and willingnesse of christ to receive thee ? what can christ say or do more then he hath done ? suppose christ from heaven should bid thee write downe what expressions soever thou wouldest or couldest invent , and bid thee call all the saints in the whole world , and all the angels in heaven , and bid you consult together , and write down the highest , fullest , cleerest , and largest expressions of love , and he wil set his hand and seal to them , would that satisfie ? surely god and christ have done more ; for the holy ghost comes not short of the expressions of love of whatsoever the angels in heaven could invent , thou hast his hand and seale to them in his word ; thou wouldest be a ▪ looser if thou shouldest make another draught of love for christ to set his hand to , and take that in stead of the expressions of love which he hath already ratified and confirmed by his word , his oath , his seal , that thou mighest have strong consolation : suppose that thou shouldest search the whole world to find out the fondest , lovingest and tenderest parent in the world , and when thou hast found her , thou shouldest observe with what love , care , and bowels of affection she carried her selfe towards her little infant , how shee breaks her sleep , and even her very heart when her child is sick , and never complains of her pains and costs , and never thinks she can do or suffer enough for the little infant : now if thou shalt say within thy self ; o that i was sure that god loved me as much as this woman loves her child : well , would that satisfie ? then be satisfied , god loves thee more : isa. 49. 15. can a woman forget her sucking child , that shee would not have compassion on the son of her womb ? yea they may forget , yet will not i forget thee : the lord doth not say , can women ? but a woman , any woman : find out that woman which thou supposest is the most unlikely to forget her child , yet god is more unlikely to forget thee ; nay it is more possible that all the women of the world should forget their children , then god ; for though the question be put in the singular number , can a woman ? yet the answer is in the plurall , not she may , but they may , they all may . further again ; suppose thou wert at the solemnizing of a marriage of the lovingest couple in the whole world , and shouldest observe with how much joy and love the bridegroom carried himselfe toward the bride , even in the midst and height of all his nuptiall solemnities ; wouldst thou not be satisfied if thou didst know that god did not only love thee with that tender love of compassion with which the lovingest mother in the world loves her infant , but with that love of complacencie which the bridegroom beareth to , and with which he rejoyceth over his bride : whose love was equall to their espousals ? then be satisfied , for god doth so ; isa. 62. 5. and as a bridegroome rejoyceth over his bride , so shall thy god rejoyce over thee : nay surely , i may say , that the holiest saint in the whole world , when by the clearest discoveries of gods love unto him , his heart is most enflamed ; nay further , that the highest angell in heaven doth not love god so much , as god loves the poorest and meanest saint in the whole world ; for god so loved the world , it is such a sic , that there is no sicut for it , not that of the angels unto him ; nothing can expresse it to the ful , save onely the greatness of the gift which hee out of his love gave to , and for his pleople , even the lord jesus christ . to conclude , do but consider what christ hath done , and if thou art fully satisfied of that , thou canst have no cause to have the least doubt of his willingnesse to do whatsoever more is to be done for thee ; for that which is to be done is nothing in comparison of that which he hath already done for those that are his . first , nothing in respect of excellency , for the apostle brings that in , he will much more give us all things : also for god to give thee christ , is much more then to give thee heaven : as to give thee heaven is much more then to give thee all temporall blessings , mat. 6. 33. if one that ought thee 10000 pounds , should have payed thee nine thousand nine hundered ninety nine , thou wouldest no whit doubt , but he will pay thee the residue , especially if it stood upon the forfeiture of his credit ; how much more shalt thou assure thy self of gods doing for thee whatsoever is behind , since he hath already done so much ! secondly , the great matter of difficulty is over ; indeed it cost christ dear , and god the father dear to redeem thee ; god spared not his own son ; christ spared not his bloud , nor his life ; he suffered hunger , cold , and nakednesse , and reproach , the painfull and shamefull death of the cross to redeem thee ; but he lives for ever to make intercession for thee ; he needs not rise off from his throne , nor put off his robes of glory to carry on the remainder of thy work of salvation ; he sits at the right hand of god to make intercession for thee ; the lord said unto my lord , sit thou on my right hand until i make thy enemies thy footstool . thirdly , the great matter of wonder is over also : that a great and mighty monarch should marry a poor wretched and diseased woman , is a thing of great wonder ; but it s not so great a wonder that having married her , should make her partakers of all the glory and riches of his kingdome ; nay indeed , it was a wonder if he should not . that christ who is the lord of glory should marry a poor sinful soul is a wonder ; but having married thee , that he should sanctifie thee , that he should present thee glorious , without spot or blemish , or any such thing , is no wonder ; nay it was a wonder if he should still suffer thee to go in rags , and never adorn thee with the jewels of his grace , and set upon thy head the crown of glory . therefore comfort thy self with these truths : now to him that hath done so much , and much more , be glory and honour for ever , amen . finis . salvation by grace and never the less of grace, tho it be through faith and not without it in several sermons on eph. ii, viii / by john sheffield. sheffield, john, 1654?-1726. 1698 approx. 139 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 62 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2004-11 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a59623 wing s3065 estc r10848 13787951 ocm 13787951 101811 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a59623) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 101811) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 849:10) salvation by grace and never the less of grace, tho it be through faith and not without it in several sermons on eph. ii, viii / by john sheffield. sheffield, john, 1654?-1726. [8], 108, [4] p. printed by s. bridge for tho. parkhurst ..., london : 1698. caption title: salvation of grace. advertisement on p. [1-4] at end. reproduction of original in union theological seminary library, new york. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng bible. -n.t. -ephesians ii, 8 -sermons. salvation -sermons. salvation -early works to 1800. sermons, english -17th century. 2004-06 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2004-06 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2004-07 jonathan blaney sampled and proofread 2004-07 jonathan blaney text and markup reviewed and edited 2004-10 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion salvation by grace . and never the less of grace , tho it be through faith and not without it . in several sermons on eph. ii. vsii . by john sheffield . rom. 4. 16. therefore it is of faith , that it might be by grace . london : printed by s. bridge , for tho. parkhurst at the bible and three crowns in cheapside near mercers-chapel , m dc xcviii . to my beloved friends the members and auditors of my congregation . dearly beloved , these discourses when first meditated , were designed chiefly for your instruction and edification in faith and holiness ; and was never intended to be made more publick , than the auditory to whom they were preached ; but many of those that heard them , having oft expressed their desires that they might be published , hoping that themselves should reap further , if not more benefit by a deliberate reading , than the bare transient hearing of them . and withal , hoping that what they had found beneficial to themselves might be so to others ; and when after some considerable delay some did continue to enquire when they might expect it ; these things did at length prevail with me , to consent to the publishing of them ; though not without some reluctancy : both because i judged the work it self not fit for publick view , especially in a time when we are so full of good books , and many more excellent ones than this can be supposed to be , lye by neglected . and also , because i have been much pleased with that common saying , bene vixit qui bene latuit ; and the advice that a grave and pious person when dying , gave to his near relation , that he would endeavour to pass through the world without making any great noise as he went. for indeed a noise is troublesome , but especially if it be a contentions one . but this small tract i hope will be far enough from administring any occasion of that nature ; if i could foresee that it was like to do so , it should never come abroad . for alas ! we have too much of that already . you have it here offered to your eye , the same as it was to your ears , without any alteration ; bating only some few excerptions where they might be spared without prejudicing the sence , that i might gratifie your desire with as little charge to you as might be . if i am not mistaken , you have here ( though very briefly ) the true doctrine of salvation by grace betwixt the extreams on both hands ; however weakly it be handled . for i am confident , that many weak people , who think they do exalt grace , do greatly dishonour it , and strip it of its principal glory , while they set it in opposition to evangelical holiness and obedience ; and therefore my earnest prayer to god for you , and all the people of god , is the same with the reverend mr. flavell , saith he , god preserve all his people from the gross and vile opinions of antinomian libertines , who cry up grace and decry obedience ; who under specious pretences of exalting a naked christ upon the throne , do indeed strip him naked of a great part of his glory , and vilely dethrone him , thus far mr. flavell : you have here ( as i iudge ) the true doctrine of grace , in a plain and easie method and stile , suited to the capacities of the meanest ; and if this do contribute any thing to the setling of your minds in the truth and against errors on either hand ; and to the furtherance and increase of your faith and holiness , i have my end and design . if you and others of christs servants do but reap this fruit by it , i matter not what others shall say of the author , or the work it self . and that you may do so , is and shall be the earnest prayer of him , who is ambitious of no greater thing in the world , than to be the servant of christ , and of your souls , for his sake , john sheffield . books sold by mr. tho. parkhurst . all mr. nath. vincent's works , particularly mentioned at the end of this book . the divine conduct : or , mystery of providence , its being and efficacy asserted and vindicated : all the methods of providence in our course of life open'd , with directions how to apply and improve them . the fountain of life open'd , or a display of christ in his essential and mediatorial glory ; containing forty two sermons on various texts . wherein the impetration of our redemption by jesus christ is orderly unfolded , as it was begun , carried on , and finished by his covenant transaction , mysterious incarnation , solemn call and dedication , blessed offices , deep abasement and supereminent advancement . a treatise of the soul of man , wherein the divine original , excellent and immortal nature of the soul are opened ; its love and inclination to the body , with the necessity of its separation from it , consider'd and improved . the existence , operations and states of separated souls both in heaven and hell immediately after death , asserted , discussed , and variously applied , &c. all by mr. john flavell . salvation of grace . ephes. ii. viii . for by grace are ye saved thro' faith , and that not of your selves , it is the gift of god. the apostle tells these ephesians , chap. 1. 16. that he did not cease to give thanks to god , and pray for them : to give thanks for what god had already wrought in them , and done for them ; and to pray for a greater increase of the spirit of wisdom and revelation , that they might know what is the hope of their calling , and what the riches of the glory of the inheritance ; and the surpassing greatness of his power towards them that believe , ver . 18 , 19. which he compare to that mighty power which raised christ from the dead , to the end of the first chapter . and chap. 2. ver . 1. he shews , what was the effects of this exceeding greatness of power towards them , which was the quickening of them , when they were dead in trespasses and sins ; and the preserving and increasing that life , and perfecting of it in glory , and that they might be sensible how mighty a power was exerted towards them , he shews how sad their case was ; dead in sin , and children of wrath , ver . 1 , 2 , 3. both legally and spiritually dead ; dead in sin , and dead through sin , or by reason of sin ; dead to god , and to all spiritual and saving good ; and liable by guilt to eternal death . but if this be our case , how or by whom are we saved and delivered out of it ? why , this is wrought by the exceeding greatness of god's power , which he had spoken of . but what was the impulsive or moving cause ? why , his own grace ; and here the apostle doth in this text and context , heap up many words , much of a like import and signification , as if he could never enough express the greatness and freeness of the grace and mercy of god towards sinners : rich in mercy , great love or much love 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , ver . 4. and exceeding riches of grace , ver . 7. by grace ye are saved thro' faith. we have here two things . 1. the principal impulsive or moving cause of the salvation of sinners , and that is grace . 2. the way or means of our being made actual partakers of this salvation of grace , and that is through faith. to explicate the terms ; first , what is meant by grace ? there are several acceptations of this word grace , but two most notable . 1. it is sometime taken for gods free favour and good will. 2. and sometimes for the effects of it in us . but here it is meant in the first sence ; the free favour , good will , or good pleasure of god. here are several words in this text and context , that do all express the impulsive , moving cause of our salvation ; and every one hath something peculiar in it , the more fully to set forth the free favour , gracious pleasure , and good will of god in the business , of the salvation of sinners . 1. here is love and great or much love , which notes a great or ardent desire and affection to any thing or person , and such as the person loving doth rest or take pleasure in , and so some derive 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , as it is expressed , zeph. 3. 17. he will rest in his love. 2. here is mercy , and rich mercy , that notes gods great pity and compassion towards those that are miserable , god loves the angels , and is gracious to the angels , but he is not said to be merciful to them , because they never were miserable . 3. again , here is grace , and exceeding riches of grace , and that notes the freeness of gods love and kindness , whereby he doth things freely , without merit or desert , grace doth all gratis without any precedent debt or obligation . 2. are saved , some say that is inchoate and so would limit it to justification . but other learned expositors , as zanch. simpli . and beza , say here is intended not only justification , but whole and compleat salvation , as is manifest from the whole context ; in ver . 7. of the former chapter , he saith , we have forgiveness of sin , in which is included justification , and that of grace . and then chap. 2. ver . 1 , 5. there he speaks of sanctification , and adds , that this was by grace ; and now again in the text , he saith , for by grace ye are saved , quasi dicat , all the steps and degrees of salvation from the beginning to the end , from first to last is of grace . through faith or by means of faith , faith being the means , dispositive condition , qualification , or instrument of our receiving or being actually partakers of it . and that not of your selves , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , there is some difference amongst expositors , what this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , doth refer to , some think to the whole sentence , quasi dicat , and this , that you are saved is not of your selves ; but rather i should think with other expositors , that it doth refer to faith , that is the immediate antecedent , ye are saved by grace , through faith , and this faith , hoc ipsum , this very thing is not of your selves . doct. i. that the principal efficient and first moving cause of a sinners salvation , from first to last is the free grace of god. doct. ii. that we receive and partake of salvation , of grace , through faith , or by means of faith. doct. iii. that salvation being through faith , doth not hinder or oppugn its being of grace , for faith it self is of grace , or the gift of god which is the same ; nay , faith is so far from being opposite to grace , or making it to be less of grace , that the apostle saith , rom. 4. 16. it is of faith , that it might be by grace . this great work of the salvation of sinners , the scripture sometimes ascribes to god the father ; thus he is called , god our saviour , and it is god that justifies : and sometimes to christ the mediator , therefore was his name called jesus , a saviour , because he shall save his people from their sins ; and again , sometime we are said to be saved by grace , as in the text and elsewhere ; and sometime by faith ; as christ said to that woman , thy faith hath saved thee ; and the apostle to the jaylor , believe on the lord jesus christ and thou shalt be saved , and thy house . you see the scripture useth these several forms of speaking , in the matter of salvation ; god saves us , and christ saves us , and we are saved by grace , and saved by faith ; and every one of these have a distinct notion in the business of salvation ; and yet not one opposite to another , but one subordinate to another ; and all do admirably consent and agree , and do not in the least interfere or clash . when god is said to be our saviour , that notes , that he is the first fountain and original , the principal author and efficient cause of it . and when we are said to be saved by mercy , or grace , that shews us , what was the first internal moving cause , that it is his own free favour or good will , without any merit or desert in the sinner . and when christ is called our saviour , and said to save us , that shews the principal medium , the meritorious cause through or for whose sake god vouchsafes his mercy and grace , and the blessed effects of it to us ; thus the very words before the text , and tit. 3. 6. again , when faith is said to save us , that notes the qualifying condition , or receptive disposition , whereby we are made , qualified , disposed and meet subjects of the salvation that gods free grace doth give , and christs merit hath purchased for us . it is the principal efficient , first moving cause of a sinners salvation , that i shall speak to from this text ; which from first to last is the free grace of god. which grace , that we may the better see ; understand what a state we are all in by the fall ; and that is in this context , dead in sin , legally and spiritually dead . legally dead , or as it is in other terms , under the curse , children of wrath. and spiritually dead , or dead in sin , dead to god , and holiness , and all spiritual and saving good ; having no more inclination or disposition to any spiritual and gracious acts , than there is in a dead-man to the actions or comforts of life ; again dead in sin , as fast bound , chained , and inslaved under the power of fleshly vicious and sinful dispositions , and habits , as a dead-man is by death , from ever rising by his own power , such are we in a spiritual sence . if we have what is our due , that is death , eternal death ; but if we be saved , that is of grace and favour . it is god that is the principal author and efficient of salvation . but if you ask , what moved him to it ? why he would so concern himself for the recovery and salvation of lost and miserable sinners ? why , it was only his own grace , and free favour that moved him to it . consider salvation in all the parts of it , in all the degrees and steps that lead to it from first to last , and you shall see that grace doth all . 1. it was of his grace that he gave his son to be our saviour ; the scripture every where attributes it to the love of god , to lost sinners , that he gave his son jesus christ to be their saviour , john 3. 16. god so loved the world , that he gave his only begotten son. rom. 5. 8. god commended his love to us , in that while we were sinners christ dyed for us . heb. 2. 9. but we see jesus — that by the grace of god he should taste death for every man ; this grace and favour of god in providing us a saviour , is exprest in all those scriptures , that speak of god giving his son , and sending him into the world , to be a saviour , and a propitiation for our sins . gal 4. 4. but when the — god sent his son made of a woman , &c. 1 john 4. 9 , 10. and this providing , and giving a saviour for us , can be put upon no other account , but the free grace and favour of god towards us , for we deserved that god should have sent an executioner from heaven , to execute the just penalty of his broken law upon us : as he sent an angel to destroy the first-born of egypt , and into the camp of assyria , that slew one hundred fourscore and five thousand men in one night . i say , we might rather have expected , that god should have sent an executioner of his wrath amongst us , and not a saviour to save us from it . if god had dealt with us in justice , according to our deserts , we had then been as the fallen angels are , bound in chains of darkness , without hope or possibility of deliverance ; it is only his grace and free favour that makes all the difference that there is betwixt us and them . 2. it was of his grace , that in christ , and for the sake of christ , he hath made and offered to us a new covenant , a better covenant that offers pardon , and life , and salvation , upon easier terms , than the first covenant did ; hence it is called by way of distinction , and eminence , the covenant of grace , and the gospel of the grace of god. 1. partly because free grace hath the principal hand , and stroke in the making of it ; hence the covenant is called by the name of mercy it self , mic. 7. 20. god might , had he so pleased , have dealt with us , upon the terms of the old broken covenant , and since we had violated the precept , he might with rigour have executed the threatning . justice deals with men according to desert , but it is grace that gives that which is not due . 2. it is fitly called the covenant of grace , partly because of the abundant riches of gods grace that it doth reveal , and make known to the world ; the infinite power , and wisdom of god , was gloriously displayed in the creation ; his righteousness and holiness ; the exact justice and purity of his nature in the perfection of his law ; but the rich and abundant grace , and mercy of god , was not made known to the world , at least not so gloriously , but by the new covenant , tit. 2. 11. 3. again , it is fitly called the covenant of grace , because of the gracious effects of it , or the great , free favours , and blessings that it confers upon all that are under it , and interested in it ; it pardons those that are guilty of the violation of the first covenant , it forgives the debt of punishment , that the first covenant did exact ; it justifies and acquits those that the first doth condemn ; it saves those that by the first were sentenced to everlasting destruction . it is gods instrument , whereby he gives many great , unspeakable , and undeserved blessings and priviledges , to miserable and lost sinners ; as a king doth by his charter , grant many priviledges and immunities to a corporation . why so , the new covenant is gods charter of grace , whereby he gives the great and invaluable priviledges , of pardon and peace with god , justification , adoption , eternal glory and happiness to sinners , that are altogether undeserving of these things ; nay , that by the first covenant deserve the contrary . it is a covenant of grace , because the grace , favour and good-will of god doth freely give all the benefits and priviledges , that it doth contain , and doth confer upon the children of men. 4. again , it is a covenant of grace , as it promiseth , and gives grace , to perform whatsoever it requires , as a condition of its subsequent benefits . 3. it is of meer grace that any are elected and chosen to obtain salvation by christ. and this is the spring of all that special mercy that some of the lost children of men receive , more than others . that there is a christ , a saviour , given to the lost world , a new and better covenant , made and offered to undone sinners for their acceptance ; this is grace , and rich grace , vouchsafed to the humane kind in general , which is not done to the fallen angels . we children of men have a saviour , provided and given for us , when they have none , we are through the grace of god in christ under a better covenant than that we broke ; while they are held strictly bound to the terms of their broken covenant . but now election , that is a more special and distinguishing grace still , this is a grace vouchsafed , to some of the children of men and not unto others . that there is an election whereby god from eternity , doth pick and choose some from amongst the rest of mankind , whom he will actually bring to salvation by christ , in the way and means that he hath appointed in the gospel , cannot be denied without manifest violence to the scriptures ; and this is meerly of his grace , and good pleasure , eph. 1. 5 , 6. rom. 11. 5 , 6. grace is the sole spring of this election , it is not out of any foresight of merit ; or desert in those that he chooses , any more than in those that he passeth by . he did not choose any to life and salvation , because he foresaw that they would believe ; or more readily comply with the gospel offer and call , than others ; as some say : no , god did not choose any because he foresaw that they would believe , or be more holy and obedient than others , but that he might make them so , eph. 1. 4. rom. 8. 29. what he saith of the the whole nation of the israelites , is true of every elect soul , deut. 7. 7 , 8. but here take notice , that though god doth of rich grace , and the meer good pleasure of his will , choose some to life , and not out of a foresight of their faith , or holiness , or good improvements ; yet it doth not therefore follow , that he doth of his meer will and pleasure decree to damn any , without any consideration of their sin and demerit ; for there is a vast difference betwixt these two , election to life and salvation ; and ordaining to wrath and perdition : for in the one viz. that execution of his wrath and justice , he acts as a righteous governour , and deals with men according to his laws , that he gave them for their rule ; but in the other he acts as a gracious benefactor and free dispencer of his own gifts , and so may without partiality , or injustice , or wrong to any , bestow his free benefits and favours , upon whom , and in what measure , and degree he please . 4. effectual calling , which is another link in the golden chain of salvation , is of grace , 2 tim. 1. 9. who hath saved us and called us with a holy calling , not according to our works , but according to his own purpose and grace . as the heirs of salvation are distinguished from others , by election , in the bosome and secret purpose of god from all eternity ; so they are in time distinguished from others , by regeneration and effectual calling ; and this you see is of grace too ; not upon the account of any worth , merit , or desert in them that are called and regenerated , more than in others that are not so : though the ordinary way whereby god calls and converts any , is in the use of the means that he hath appointed for that end , and in the serious diligent attendance upon them , yet even that is of grace too ; grace disposes the hearts of some to use the means of salvation , while others do neglect and slight them ; and grace , that is a more common grace , makes some serious and diligent therein , or else they would be as vain and heedless , and slighty in them as any others ; it is grace that leads men on step by step from one thing to another , from ignorance to knowledge , from carnal security to a conviction of their undone and lost estate , and from conviction to conversion , and a hearty closure with christ upon the gospel terms ; grace hath a secret , powerful , though oft an undiscerned hand , in leading a straying sinner unto christ , and in turning a carnal , worldly heart to fix it self upon god , as its end and chief good. as a river or fountain , that runs a great way under-ground unseen , but at last breaks out into view upon the surface of the earth ; so election is a secret , that is a great while hidden and undiscerned , but in the effectual calling and conversion of a soul , then it doth as it were appear above ground , in its precious and saving fruits and effects . this effectual calling is the beginning of salvation in us , all that we have before that , is no more than what many may have that perish for ever . many have great knowledge of divine things , and convictions , and some superficial joy in the word and ordinances ; as the stony-ground-hearers , and yet perish at last ; but when we are effectually called , and truly converted , then we begin to be saved , then we pertake of those things that accompany salvation , as the apostle speaks ; then we taste the delicious fruits of grace , then we experience its powerful , and saving effects in and upon our selves ; then the day-star arises in our hearts ; then the blessed day of grace begins to dawn , and we see the light of it , and feel the warmth of the sun of righteousness , refreshing and healing our souls . now that this is of grace , and not from the good improvement onely of the natural power in some , more than in other , doth thus appear . 1. from the plain direct assertion of scripture , rom. 9. 16. it is not of him that wills , nor of him that runs , but of god that sheweth mercy . 1 cor. 5. 7. who maketh thee to differ from another ? if any could reply , and say , that he by the meer power or improvement of nature , had made the difference for the better betwixt him and another , or that he had acquired any spiritual indowment or gracious disposition that was not the free gift of grace to him ; that would quite invalidate and overthrow the apostles argument in that place ; but the apostles argument is undoubtedly good ; ergo. 2. that effectual calling is of grace and favour , doth appear from the manifest arbitrary distinction that it makes , in those those that are the subjects of it ; we see that grace doth pick and cull out , here one and there another , arbitrarily ; oft we see those called that have less helps and advantages for salvation , while those that have greater are left still in their sate of sin and death ; and those that to all appearance seem less prepared for grace , while those that have greater are passed by ; as our saviour saith , two shall in be the same house , or bed together , the one taken and the other left ; so grace doth manifestly in the dispensation of it in the gospel . oft we see the children of the same parents , that have the same education , instruction , and advantages everyway , yet one taken , and another left ; those that sit under the same ministry , and hear the same sermons , yet one taken and another left ; grace doth pick and cull out , here one and there another , and leaves others that to all appearance , was in as good , nay , a better preparation to receive grace . as our saviour saith i thank thee o father , that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them to babes ; and for what reason ? why ; because it so pleased thee . 3. but there are some extraordinary instances of conversion , that will put it past all doubt , that it is grace , and free grace that makes the difference betwixt one and another , and not the good improvement of natural power ; who will say that paul while he was a persecutor , and a blaspemer , and in the height of his rage against christ , and his people and interest , was in a greater preparation for grace , than that young man in the gospel , of whom it is said christ loved him , and said he was not far from the kingdom of god , and yet for ought we do know , he never entred into it ; and is it likely that the thief upon the cross , or the samaritan woman that lived in adultery , was in a greater preparation for grace , than those many that followed christ up and down from place to place to hear his heavenly doctrine ? and yet it is said of them , joh. 6. that they went back and walked no more with him. all must confess , whether they are wiling or not , that it was pure grace , and free grace that in these , and many such like instances , doth make the difference , and not the good improvement of nature . i readily acknowledge , that it is not gods usual way , to take persons as it were reeking-hot out of their sins , into a state of grace and favour ; to call men to himself while in the neglect of his instituted means ; and as it were , fighting against him. well ; but it is the same grace , that extraordinarily calls some few ; and ordinarily calls most in the serious and diligent use of his appointed means . if it be beyond all question , that it is meer grace that calls some that were running away from god as fast as they could ; none ( that considers what the consequences will be ) will venture to say , that it is not the same grace , that calls all that are called , though in a different way : god meets with some few in the midst of their career of sin , that none shall be able to deny the efficiency of his grace in the work , but his most usual , ordinary way , wherein he calls most , is in a serious , close attendance upon ordinances , that his wisdom may be glorified , together with his grace , in blessing means that he hath appointed and useth for that end. 5. justification is of grace , which is another link in the golden chain of salvation . justification is god's accounting us righteous and dealing with us as righteous persons , in discharging us from the curse of the law and eternal condemnation , for the sake of christ's meritorious sacrifice and righteousness made ours by faith. and this is an act of gods free grace towards us , rom. 3. 24. being justified freely by his grace and tit. 3. 7. that is of grace or favour , when a benefit or priviledge is bestowed that was not due , that could not in justice be claimed , thus the apostle opposeth grace and debt , rom. 4. 4. now our due is death and wrath ; it was just and due , that we should suffer the penalty of that law which we had violated . but god instead of executing the penalty and curse of the law , which we had deserved ; for the sake of christ and his righteousness , he doth freely acquit and discharge us of it ; he accounts us righteous , and deals with us as righteous persons , for the sake of christ , whom in justice he might have condemned and executed as guilty and rebellious sinners . 6. sanctification is of grace , now sanctification , as it is distinguished from regeneration and conversion , is but the further increase and improvement , the further strengthening and confirming , that principle or seed , or habit of grace , that was first given , and infused in our effectual calling ; and therefore all the parts of it , such as faith , love , resignation to god , trust and dependance upon him , subjection to his governing and disposing will ; these and such like , that are the parts of sanctification , are called the graces of the spirit , because grace doth freely give and bestow , both the first principle , and the after increase and improvement of them . it is good , saith the apostle , that the heart be established with grace ; and why called grace ? but because it is the fruit and effect of gods free grace and favour to us . 7. perseverance , and holding on to the end in faith and holiness is of grace too ; the same hand that works the principle of faith and holiness at first , doth constantly cherish and preserve it , that it do not fail or be extinct ; as conservation is said to be a continued creation , that is , god puts forth the same almighty power in preserving his creatures in their being , as he did at first in bestowing it upon them ; so the same grace and favour is renewed and continued , in the exercise , increase , and persevering in grace to the end , as was at first put forth , in the working of it . and hence our saviour prays for his disciples , john 17. 11. holy father ! keep them through thy name . 1 pet 1. 5. kept by the power of god through faith unto salvation . phil. 1. 6. he that hath begun a good work in you will perfect it . alas ! should grace turn us off to shift for our selves , and look to our selves alone ; ( after it hath brought us into a state of grace , and to an interest in christ and his covenant ) we should quickly prove bankrupts , and lose all again . such is the strength of remaining corruption within , and of temptations and alurements without ; and such is the subtilty , malice and power of the devil to manage all to the best advantage against our souls ; that if grace did not keep it's hold of us we should quickly make shipwrack of faith , and a good conscience , and our souls too . grace in the souls of the best , but especially in young converts , is like a spark of fire in the midst of a heap of ashes , that if the kind breath of grace did not constantly cherish and keep it in , it would quickly be extinguished . 8. the eternal reward of glory and happiness in heaven is of grace too , this we have in the text , by grace ye are saved : that is compleatly , tit. 3. 5. not by works of righteousness which we have done , but according to his mercy he saved us . rom. 6. 23. the gift of god is eternal life . after all that we have done in a patient continuance in well doing , and working out our salvation with fear and trembling , and persevering in faith and holiness to the end ; yet eternal life is a free gift after all this ; though it be in some sence a reward , yet that makes it nevertheless a gift in it self , jude 21. looking for the mercy of our lord jesus unto eternal life ; thus you see , that the salvation of guilty sinners is from first to last of grace ; grace begins , and carries it on , through the various steps and degrees of it in this life ; and grace perfects and compleats all at last too ; the scripture doth delight to compare the new creation to a beautiful and stately building , wherein grace doth all , laies every stone in it from first to last ; grace laies the foundation and the chief corner stone , which is redemption by christ and our election in him , 1 pet. 2. 6. behold i lay in sion a chief corner-stone — and grace carries on the building , and rears up the walls , in effectual calling , sanctification and perseverance therein ; and the roof and top-stone of eternal life and glory is laid on with shouting , crying grace , grace unto it ; as it is said of the second temple , zach. 4. 6 , 7. thus as one well saith , the new man is from the sole of the foot , to the crown of the head , all made up of grace , and all the links in the golden chain of salvation , are all of pure beaten and massy grace . 2. i shall now shew you the properties of this grace , or the epethites that are given to it , for the scripture doth not only call it grace , but it gives many epethites to it , the better to shew its nature , and the more fully to discover and manifest its glory . 1. it is free grace , self-moving grace , that fetches not its motives and inducements of any thing it bestows from man , as a deserving and procuring cause , but it acts towards us , and bestows its gifts and blessings upon us of its own , free , gracious and bountiful inclination , grace it self , signifies the freeness of the gift ; for grace is as much as gratis , and doth all gratis , that is freely . as a gift signifies the freeness of what is bestowed ; so god is said to give christ , and give faith , and give repentance , and give eternal life , and give the heavenly kingdom ; one would think that these words themselves should sufficiently express the freeness of grace : so true is that common saying , what is freer then gift ? yet the scripture doth frequently adjoin the word free , and freely , to grace , and gift , as if it could never enough set forth , how free the grace of god is in the salvation of guilty , and dead sinners , rom. 3. 24. being justified freely by his grace . ver. 32. how shall he not with him freely give us all things ? and to this sence do some expound that scripture , john 1. 16. of his fulness have we received , grace for grace , that is grace for graces sake ; indeed there is nothing that we receive from god , all things that tend to salvtion , the principle , the degrees of it , and salvation it self at last ; but as to the thing it self , it is altogether a free gift of god to us , though as to the order of confering , some of gods gifts do require a preceding disposition and qualification in the subject ; which is also a gift of grace too . 2. the grace whereby we are saved is a large and an abundant grace , thus the scripture doth not only call it grace , but abundance of grace , rom. 5. 17. yea , and exceeding abundant , 1 tim. 1. 14. the word abundant , is supra modum , not a short , narrow , scanty grace , but a grace that overflows , and exceeds all measure , a grace that cannot be measured , or fully comprehended , whose dimensions cannot be founded or fathomed ; and so likewise it is called , riches of grace , eph. 1. 7. nay , exceeding riches of grace , eph. 2. 7. now riches you know speaks great plenty , largeness , fulness , and abundance , of the things that we speak of ; and it is rich and abundant grace considered either as it is in god , or as to the fruits and effects of it as bestowed upon us . this grace of god is an everspringing and over flowing fountain-grace , nay an ocean grace , that hath neither banks nor bottom ; as doth appear . 1. from the great unworthiness and very ill deserving of those that are the objects of it ; alas ! we were not small offenders , but such as had provoked , dishonoured , and contemned god in a very high manner ; we were not only sinners , but lothsome sinners , such as his holy eyes could not but abhor ; not only lothsome sinners , but enemies , and that is worse still ; it is less for a man to shew kindness to an unworthy , unlovely person , than to a to a mortal enemy ; nay , we were not only enemies , but stubborn enemies , proud contemptuous enemies , that neither did seek nor desire his favour , now the worse those are that are the objects of his grace ; the more abundant is that grace , that extends it self to them . it is less in the king , to extend his favour to an ordinary malefactor ; than if he should do it to a profest enemy to his crown and dignity ; and it is less to shew favour to enemies that sue and intreat for it , than to contemptuous enemies that seem to scorn and slight it : why , such were we all when gods grace and favour first shone upon us : o! the superabundant riches of grace . 2. the abundant riches of grace doth appear from the number and greatness of our wants and miseries that it supplies ; and of our sins that it pardons and forgives . alas ! if it was not a rich and abundant grace ; our slights and neglects of it , our resistings and strivings against it , our unworthy carriage under it ; our repeated sinning after pardon received ; our violating the obligations even of mercy and grace it self ; our often breaking our solemn vows and promises , of new and better obedience ; so that had it not been an exceeding abundant grace , it had been wearied and tired out before this time ; as god saith of the old world , when he saw that the wickedness of man was exceeding great , it is said , that it repented him , that he had made man , and it grieved him at his very heart , gen. 6. 6. so were not his grace towards us an exceeding abundant grace , our many provocations , frowardness , and ill returns would have made him repent before now , that ever his grace did take in hand , to recover and save such untractable , froward , and ungrateful wretches as we . 3. this grace of god whereby we are saved is a wise grace too , a grace that in the dispensation of it , or the bestowing of its fruits and effects upon us , doth discover and manifest the unsearchable depths of gods wisdom , as well as of his love and goodness ; eph. 1. 7 , 8. — according to the riches of his grace wherein he hath abounded towards us in all wisdom and prudence . here you see , that it is grace , and rich grace that is the rise and spring of all , that lost and undone sinners do receive from god , and in this , grace god abounds towards us , but it is in all wisdom and prudence ; now i conceive the meaning to be this , that though it be free grace and favour in god that is the spring of all that we receive , yet an infinite and unsearchable wisdom , doth order , direct , and appoint the way and manner of its being communicated and bestowed upon us ; grace saves us , but wisdom dispences it in such a way and order , as doth most exalt the glory of the divine majesty , and that not only of some , but of all his perfections ; and yet so , as that the creature is most strongly obliged and ingaged to his duty too , viz. to the greatest subjection to god , and dependance upon him : grace doth all in the business of salvation , and yet in such an order and method , that man is not left to his own will , to live as he list ; n● nor allowed or indulged in sloth and carelesness , in negligence or indifferency : but contrarily is obliged more strongly then ever , to the closest adherence to god and obedience to his commands ; here is the wisdom of grace , that while it doth all , and we can do nothing without it ; and the whole glory of our salvation must be ascribed to grace ; and nothing to our selves ; yet our obligations to duty , are not the less , but the greater ; while grace saves us freely , yet it obligeth us to the greatest seriousness and diligence in working out our own salvation with fear and trembling . yea , to strive , and fight , and run , and give all diligence to make our calling and election sure . the wisdom of grace might be shewed at large , both in the impetration , and the application of salvation ; as in reconciling the justice and mercy of god ; and the honour of god as rector , and of his violated law ; together with the impunity and happiness of the sinner . and in the application ; in making god and christ to be all in all , in the business of our salvation , and yet in such a wise way and order , that mans duty in seeking , and praying , and waiting : yea , and that in the closest attendance upon god in the use of his appointed means , and in the duties of holiness and obedience , is not vacated or made needless thereby ; but contrarily is more strongly inforced than it could have been any other way . there are too many look only at the freeness of grace , and never consider the wisdom of it , whereas this is the thing that most of all fills the angels with wonder , eph. 3. 16. — might be known the manifold wisdom of god. 1 pet. 1. 12. — which things the angels desire to look into ; 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , it signifies , such a narrow intent prying , as we use to do into a curious piece , wherein we discern a wonderful deal of art and skill ; and were the wisdom of it , but considered and understood by us , it would make us say with the apostle , o the depths of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of god , how unsearchable ! &c. all the perfections of god , do mutually reflect a luster upon each other , so here the wisdom of grace doth not in the least diminish its freeness ; but greatly adds to the glory of it . 4. the grace whereby we are saved is a pure and holy grace ; in that while it imbraces the sinner with a most free and abundant favour ; yet without the least countenance or favour to sin it self ; tho it pardon the sinner , yet it doth not spare , but most severely punishes the sin ; nay , it discovers the greatest hatred and abhorrence of sin , while it shews the richest and most abundant favour and kindness to the sinner : though it pardon the greatest and worst of sinners , and multiplies pardons in blotting out sins that are numberless , and for quality of the most crimson dye ; yet it doth this in such a way that it gives not the least countenance , or incouragement to any to sin or to continue in it ; nay , the rich grace displaied upon mount sion doth more effectually suppress and destroy the reign of sin then all the fire and thunder of mount sinai ; though it pardons sin freely , yet it doth it in such a way and order , that it doth more powerfully restrain and awe the soul from continuing in the practise of it ; then all the terrible threats of wrath in the law , tit. 2. 11 , 12. the grace of god that brings salvation — teacheth us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts , and to live soberly , righteously and godly ; hence when god proclaims his name so full of grace and mercy , exod. 34. 6 , 7. — mercyful , gracious , long-suffering , abundant in goodness and truth , forgiving iniquity , transgression and sin , ( yet it is added ) and that will by no means clear the guilty . psalm 99. 8. — thou wast a god that forgavest them , but tookest vengeance of their inventions ; those emblematical appearances of christ , that we read of , rev. 1. 13 , 14 , 15 do not obscurely shew his holiness and purity , his hatred and revenges of impenitence and disobedience commixt with his love , and grace , and kindness to sinners . here you see him represented in his priestly garments , ver . 13. which shows his love and grace to sinners , in his sacrifice and intercession ; but ver . 15. his feet as it were brass that burns in a furnace , which shews his fiery wrath and indignation against all impenitent ones : hence it is manifest , that those who do from the freeness and abundance of grace take incouragement to sin , never had any experience of this grace in themselves . 5. the grace whereby we are saved , is a powerful grace , eph. 1. 19. — and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward , who believe ; it is an exceeding power that grace puts forth , in the conversion and salvation of carnal , and dead sinners . it overcomes the resistance and opposition that the carnal , corrupt will , assisted by the devil and all that the powers of darkness can make against it . it is a mighty power indeed , that of stones raises up children to abraham , that raiseth dead sinners to life , that have not only , like lazarus , lain four days in the grave ; but that have lain many years rotting in their filth and putrefaction ; that is a mighty power , that makes dry and dead bones to live ; which makes a holy temple for god himself to dwell in , of that heart , which was a sty of every filthy and unclean lust. were not this grace whereby we are saved , an almighty grace , we had been all to this day , yea , and for ever , rotting in the grave of our sins , bound in the chains of guilt and death ; and as it is a mighty power that first raises us to a spiritual life , so it is the same mighty power that keeps us still , through faith unto salvation , 1 pet. 1. 5. i shall briefly open the other two points , and then apply all together . 1. what is the meaning of this salvation being through faith. the meaning is this , that god and christ in the gospel covenant , do require faith on our parts , in order to our being actual partakers and possessors of this salvation ; which gods grace doth freely give , and christ hath merited for us ; our actual interest in and claim to this salvation , is suspended till we believe ; which is the same that our saviour himself saith ; when he commissioned his apostles to preach the gospel of salvation to the lost world , mark 16. 16. go preach the gospel — he that believes shall be saved , and he that believes not shall be damned . it is freely offered and given by god and christ in the gospel covenant , but faith is required as a necessary disposition , in all that shall actually receive and partake of it . 1. sincere faith , which is the unfeigned consent of the heart to receive and close with christ upon the terms of the gospel covenant , is necessary to our first interest and title to it ; that is , before a soul is brought to this believing or closing with christ , it is ( as to the special and principal effects and fruits of it ) but a grace offered , a christ , a saviour , and salvation offered and tendered ; but when we believe then it is a salvation begun in us , then we actually partake of some of the saving fruits and effects of this grace , and have a just title and claim to compleat salvation , to be given us in gods time and way . 2. the continued exercise of , and persevering in this faith , and the necessary fruits of it ; holiness and sincere obedience to christ and his commands , is necessary to our final and compleat salvation ; that is , to our full deliverance from sin and satan , death and hell ; and our possession of eternal life and happiness , not that one who truly believes , if he should dye the next day of hour , before the performance of any one further act of holiness and obedience ; would want any thing , to qualifie him for compleat salvation ; no , you must not understand it so . for true faith , as it justifies the believer at the very moment of his believing ; so it would save him if he should dye the next moment : but if god gives us further life and time , perseverance in faith and holiness to the very end of our lives , is necessary to continue our right and title to salvation ; as faith was at first to the obtaining of it . hence are those promises of compleat salvation to continued perseverance in faith and holiness , rom. 2. 7. to them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for — eternal life . james 1. 12. blessed is he that indures temptation , for after he is tryed he shall receive the crown of life . rev. 2. 10. be thou faithful to the death , and i will give thee a crown of life . 2 pet. 1. 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 11. give diligence to add to your faith vertue , and to vertue , knowledge , &c. — for so an entrance shall be ministred unto you , into the everlasting kingdom of our lord and saviour : and those threats on the other hand to those that do not persevere . heb. 10. 38. — if any man draw back , my soul shall have no pleasure in him . heb. 12. 14. — and holiness , without which no man shall see the lord. what i shall say to the last point of doctrine , ( viz. that salvation being thro' faith , doth not hinder or oppugn its being of grace ) shall be in answering three questions or objections , that may be made against its being of grace . quest. 1. how is our salvation of grace , since it is not without the merit and satisfaction of christ ? but before i come directly to answer this , i must premise something for the better understanding of this matter which is this . that the scripture , speaking of the salvation of sinners , as it doth assert that it is of grace ; so we frequently meet with this phrase that it is through faith , and elsewhere most frequently , that it is thro' christ. it is of grace through faith , saith the text , 2 tim. 3. 15. — wise unto salvation , through faith in christ jesus . heb. 6. 12. — who through faith and patience inherit the promises . and elsewhere we find that salvation and all the parts of it are said to be through christ , rom. 3. 24. — through the redemption that is in christ jesus . eph. 1. 7. — redemption through his blood. tit. 3. 5 , 6. — but according to his mercy he saved us — which he shed on us abundantly through jesus christ our saviour ; in these , and many other scriptures , you may observe , that grace , mercy , or love , as it is a love of benevolence or good-will ; is at the head or top of all ; which is gods gracious free , propension and inclination to do good to us , to pardon and save us ; this you see is at the head of all , and before all ; but the effects and fruits of it , is said to be given to us sometimes through christ , through his blood , and through his redemption , and sometimes through faith ; and yet these hinder not its being of grace . 1. salvation is through christ with respect to god giving and bestowing of it , that he may give such great and undeserved mercies and benefits to sinners , in a way becoming himself , becoming of his wisdom , holiness , and justice , which could not be , if they were given absolutely without respect to the redemption and satisfaction of christ. 2. and it is said to be through faith , with respect to our receiving and being made actual partakers of these benefits , of pardon , life , and salvation : we must receive these great and undeserved benefits through faith , and partake of them only by faith ; that we may in our very partaking of them , honour both the father and the son , both our supream rector , and redeemer ; that is we must receive and partake of them in such a way , wherein we shall acknowledge , admire , and adore the love and mercy , the wisdom , holiness , and justice of god the father : together with the love , grace , condescension , and kindness of our saviour and redeemer . god gives salvation through christ and his redemption , that he may give as becomes himself , so as becomes , an infinitely wise , holy , and just governour ; and we must receive or partake of it only through faith , that we may receive it as becomes our selves , that is , as becomes miserable , guilty , lost , and undone sinners ; we must receive the salvation of grace , in such a way , wherein our very receiving , is an acknowledgment that our selves are nothing , and that god and christ is all ; that even when we receive a pardon , we shall at the same time , yea , in the same act acknowledge that we deserve to be condemned ; and that gods grace freely bestows all upon us for the sake of the redemption and satisfaction of christ ; so much in the general , and which will afford light for the solving of the following questions or objections . obj. 1. how is our salvation of grace , and of such free grace , when it is not without the merit and satisfaction of christ , when so great a price , as the life and blood of the son of god , was exacted by god , and paid by christ for the purchase of it ? ans. the socinians will easily answer this in their way , for they say that our pardon and salvation ; is meerly an act of dominion and favour ; and not procured by the sufferings of christ , as a punishment and satisfaction for our sins : for they say that christs sufferings was no punishment for our sin , nor any proper satisfaction to divine justice ; and that our sin was no antecedent inpulsive cause of christs suffering , nor his sufferings any meritorious cause of our pardon or salvation . but this cannot be admitted , without subverting the whole gospel , and destroying the very foundations of the christian religion ; for this makes the whole mediation , death and sufferings of christ to be in vain , or of very little use ; for they assign but little , if any thing more , to the death of christ then what may be attributed to the death and sufferings of the martyrs . this therefore must be acknowledged that the death and sufferings of christ were a punishment for our sins , a proper satisfaction to divine justice , a price of our redemption , and yet that our pardon and salvation is of grace notwithstanding . for the right understanding of which it is necessary to shew . 1. how or in what relation god is chiefly to be considered in this business of the redemption and salvation of sinners . 2. what is the reason and use of christs sufferings . 1. god in the business of redemption , is to be considered principally as the supream ruler and governour of the world ; infinitely wise , holy and just , who was greatly offended and provoked by sin ; and his law and government slighted , dispised , and trampled upon by sinners ; and yet of his own infinitely good and gracious nature , was propense and inclined to shew pity and mercy , yea , to deliver and save his miserable creatures , that had made themselves so by their sin and apostalie . but this could not be effected without some way or medium , whereby the honour of god's law ; and of his wisdom , justice , and holiness , as the righteous governour of the world shall be secured and preserved ; for god can do nothing unjustly , nothing unwisely , or unholily ; but should he of meer grace and favour without any punishment of sin , or a sufficient satisfaction to his justice , have pardoned the sin of man , there would have lain great imputations against his wisdom , and holiness ; his truth and justice , and such inconveniences as would have reproached , if not subverted his government . it may not be amiss to give you alight touch of this ; for i design to not insist upon it so largely as it might be . 1. if god should have pardoned and saved sinners without a satisfaction , this would have reflected upon his wisdom ; for since he had with infinite wisdom and counsel made a law for the government of his creatures ; with a penalty annexed , in case of disobedience ; how could it stand with his wisdom to suffer the contempt and violation of it , and of his own authority therein ; to go altogether unpunished ? what ? to have his law trampled upon ; and as it were made void assoon as made ; if he should suffer this to go unpunished , he would seem to disregard his own law , in the sanction of it , as much as his creature had done the precept of it . again should he suffer the violation of of his law to go altogether unpunished ; would it not seem as if he now saw reason to alter his mind ; since he saw good not to exact that punishment he had denounced . 2. and if he should have exacted no punishment or satisfaction for sin , there would lye a great impeachment against his justice and wisdom together ; for , either sin did deserve punishment , and as great a punishment as was threatened , or it did not deserve it . if it did not deserve it , then it was unjust to enact it in the law : but if it did deserve it , as no doubt it did ; then upon the entrance of sin justice must necessarily require , that either the punishment threatened , or an equivalent , and such as shall be full satisfaction be exacted . and here observe , that though a creditor , may freely forgive a debt ; that is owing to him without injustice , yet a governour in many cases connot forgive a criminal without injustice , because punishments are in some cases absolutely necessary , for the keeping up a due reverence and regard of the governour , and of his laws . and likewise for the good of the common-wealth , the preserving of due order , and the securing of the lives and properties of the subjects ; why ; god is here to be considered as the righteous governour of the world. 3. and there would lye an impeachment against his truth and veracity too ; for having threatened such a punishment for the violation of his law ; would not his veracity be called into question if none was exacted . 4. and from all these there would arise a great inconveniency and disorder in the future government of the world ; for men would hence take occasion to imbolden themselves in sin ; and flatter themselves with hopes of impunity in it ; for they might thus reason ; if god did once , without any satisfaction , shew mercy to his sinning creatures , and that contrary to the sentence of his own law , then why may he not do so again ? and , if it be not inconsistent with his nature , and governing justice , to let one sin go unpunished ( and that such a one as did quantum in se spoil the design of his works assoon as made ) then why not another , and another , and so men would be incouraged to hope , that notwithstanding all the threatenings of gods law , that yet they might have peace though they did walk on in the ways of their own hearts . nay ; and it would lay a foundation for men to distrust and be suspicious , of the certainty and stability of his promise too ; for if god do disregard the threatning of his law , then why not the promise too ; and so both the stability of his promise , and the awe and terrour of his threats , would be mightily shaken at once ; the wicked imboldened and hardened in sin , with hopes of impunity , notwithstanding all his threats . and the comforts and confidence of the righteous weakened notwithstanding all his promises . these and many more such like great inconveniencies and disorders would necessarily have followed if sin should have been pardoned , and sinners saved without a satisfaction to the justice of god. these things are necessary to understand the reason and use of christs sufferings . 2. and now here comes in the necessity , and reason of christ sufferings ; not that god was so delighted with the blood and sufferings of christ , meerly considered as sufferings ; that he would sell his great benefits to us , for the blood of his innocent son : nor to incline god to be merciful , that was before averse to it . no ; but since he was propense to shew mercy , he might in this way do it , without any prejudice to his other perfections , because in the death and sufferings of christ , there is a sufficient salvo for the honour of his law and government , and of his wisdom , holiness , and justice ; so that now his mercy and kindness is exercised in pardoning of guilty sinners , without any impeachment of the honour of his other perfections ; he can now be just as well as merciful in pardoning , and holy as well as pitiful and kind in sparing . and his rich and free grace in pardoning and saving sinners in this way doth thus appear . 1. in that this way for the satisfaction of his own justice , and for the vindicating the honour of his law and government , was of his own finding out and provideing ; the scripture every where attributes the contrivance of redemption to god himself , job 33. 24. — i have found a ransome ; god did out of his own treasure provide for the satisfaction of his own justice ; the giving of christ to be our redeemer , was the fruit of his free self-moving love and grace , joh. 3. 16. god so love the world that he gave his son. 2. his grace appears in accepting of what christ did and suffered for us , so as thereupon , and for the sake of christ to pardon and acquit us , when we beleive in him ; for though the suffering of christ , were abundantly sufficient to make satisfaction ; yet it is of the free grace of god to accept them on our behalf ; for in that very thing there is a relaxation of the law , for that did threaten every offendor in his own person , and none else . 3. nay here seems to be a more abundant grace and love in giving pardon and salvation through christ , then if he had given it as a meer act of dominion and favour , without any satisfaction to his justice . for you see that the sufferings of christ was not to purchase gods love of goodwill to us , for that was antecedent to the sufferings of christ , and the moving cause of his giving christ ; but the true reason of christs sufferings is , that the honour of his law and government , and of all his perfections might be secured and provided for , in the exercise of his grace , and pardoning mercy towards us . now that he should give his only begotten and dearly beloved son ; to be so humbled and abased , to undergo such shame and misery and death for us , this was of all others the highest instance and demonstration of his grace and love to us ; it was impossible that he should be merciful at a dearer rate , or shew his love and kindness in a more stupendious way . we have a story of zaleucus king of locris , that when his own son was found to have transgressed a law , that threatened the loss of both eyes to the offendor , the king resolves to execute the law , to save that from contempt ; and yet withal to shew mercy and kindness to his son , and that by this means , he consented to have one of his own eyes put out to save one of his sons eyes ; now will not all acknowledge that herein he shewed his love to his son , more than if he had freely remitted the whole penalty . why , thus it is here , god hath shewed his grace and love to us much more in giving his son , and saving of us through his satisfaction , than if he had done it as a meer act of dominion and favour . so much in answer to the first objection . obj. 2. how is salvation by grace , since it is only by or through faith , and not without it ; since such a condition , disposition or qualification is necessary to our actual receiving or partaking of it . ans. 1. grace and faith are not inconsistent , not opposite or contrary one to another , so that it may be , and is , nevertheless of grace , though it be only through faith and not without it ; for , faith , is no procuring , meriting , or deserving cause of salvation , only a necessary disposition to our receiving of it ; viz. that which makes us duely qualified and disposed subjects ; as the sun communicates its light freely , but the window-shuts must be removed before it can inlighten our house and dwelling ; and as the taking away of the window-shuts is no cause of the suns-light , only it removes that which did hinder its shining into our house ; so it is in this case , faith is but like the unstoping of the window , the removing that which did hinder the healing and saving beams of grace from shining into our souls . 2. faith as to the most vital and essential act of it ( which is the consent or choice of the heart and will ) is but a hearty , thankful acceptance of the gift of grace , according to its proper nature and use ; for when you do heartily and sincerely consent to take christ , for all the ends and uses that he is offered to you for , in the gospel , then are you believers indeed , and christ and salvation is yours in right and title ; when you thankfully accept of christ to save you from sin , as well as from the evil consequents and miseries that follow it , then christ is yours , and salvation is yours in title ; now i hope a gift is nevertheless free , though it be given to none but those that are willing to receive it , yea and to those only that will heartily and thankfully receive it . if the king pardon a traytor on condition that he will thankfully accept it , and promise to rebel no more , but become a loyal subject , i hope he pardons freely though upon such a condition ; if you give any thing to the poor on this condition , that they reach forth their hand to receive what you give , and be thankful to you for it , would you not reckon that you give freely ? and nevertheless freely , though you require that they should thankfully receive your alms : why , thus is our salvation of grace , though it be only through faith and not without it , for faith is but our hearty , thankful , receiving of the gift according to its nature and use. obj. but it may possibly be objected against this , that many carnal and ungodly men would gladly accept of salvation , and yet they are not therefore saved , nor have any right or title to it . ans. take notice , that i say , that faith is but a hearty , thankful , accepting of the gift according to its proper nature and use ? and is any carnal and ungodly man , while such , heartily willing and desirous to accept it so ? no , he is not , nor can he be , while he remains carnal and ungodly ; but you will say , he is willing to accept of salvation : yea , no doubt , but what sort of salvation ? not the salvation of the gospel ; not that salvation that is purchased and offered by christ. at most , he desires only a part , but not the whole of it ; he would be saved from hell , but he would not be saved from sin ; he abhors and loaths that part of salvation , as much as he doth wish for , and desire the other . no doubt , there are none but would be saved from the miseries of the damned , from everlasting burnings , and chains of darkness ; but there are thousands that would not be saved from their vain , carnal , earthly , sensual , and selfish disposition of mind and heart . alas ! all that we can do , we cannot perswade men to this , we cannot by all manner of arguments and intreaties , prevail with men to be willing to be saved from these : and salvation from these and such like evil and carnal dispositions , is a great and principal part of the salvation of the gospel . again , there are many that are willing to accept of christ ; but how ? not wholly and intirely , as he is offered in the gospel ; they would have him to pardon them , but not to rule overthem ; they would have him to save them from the guilt of sin , and the curse for sin ; but not from the power and dominion of it : they would , with all their hearts , have him to make them happy , but not to make them holy , not to conform them to the image of god ; no , in this respect they hate him , as much as they desire him in other respects ; they would have christ to be to them a hiding place from the wind , a refuge and shelter from the storms of wrath , but they would not not have him as a physician to heal their diseased souls of their inordinate love of self and the world , and creature-comforts , of their sensuality , and selfishness . thus when it comes to be examined , it will be found , that there is not a carnal man in the world that is truely willing and desirous of salvation , in the true and full sence of it . 3. faith it self is the gift of god , though it be but a hearty thankful acceptance of the gift , according to it 's proper nature and use , yet such is the pravity and corruption of our nature , such is the carnality , earthliness , sensuality of our dispositions , naturally , that we should never consent to this , unless gods special grace did incline and perswade us to it . did not god give us faith we should never have it . all the intreaties , promises , threatenings of the gospel would never perswade our hearts to it without the special grace of god ; all the arguments taken from god or our selves , from life and death , heaven and hell , everlasting happiness or misery , would never prevail with the carnal , corrupt heart of man to believe , without the powerful , efficacious grace of god : this is clear from many express testimonies of scripture , the text saith , it is not of our selves , it is the gift of god. phil. 1. 29. unto you it is given — to beleive in him — isa. 53. 1. who hath believed our report ; and then follows as a reason of it , to whom hath the arm of the lord been revealed . now tho god give salvation to none but believers , yet since faith it self is his gift too , that makes it to be nevertheless of grace still . indeed was faith a disposition , acquired meerly by the power of nature , or onely by our own diligence and industry in the use of means , without the grace of god ; then it would lessen the glory of grace indeed ; and at best make it to be partly of grace , and partly of our selves . but it is not so ; faith that doth qualifie and dispose us for salvation , is gods gift as well as salvation it self ; grace gives all , both the disposition to receive , and the consequent benefit received too . but he always gives it in this wise , and holy way and order , that he makes one gift to be the necessary qualification to dispose the soul for the receiving of another : he gives repentance , to dispose the soul to receive forgiveness of sin ; gives faith , to dispose the soul to receive the great benefits of justification and adoption ; gives holiness and purity of heart , to dispose the soul for communion with god and the everlasting injoyment of him ; and he always observe this order and method , in bestowing the great and saving gifts of his grace , and never varies it . so that those shall never have the gift of forgiveness of sin , that have not first the gift of repentance ; and those shall never have the gift of salvation that have not first the gift of faith and holiness . obj. 3. but if salvation be by grace though it be through faith , ( which is but the hearty , thankful , acceptance of the gift ) yet how is compleat salvation , that is the possession of eternal life and glory of grace ; when so much care and diligence and persevering continuance in the duties of holiness and obedience , is required in order to the possession of it . ans. 1. it must be acknowledged , that the greatest diligence and seriousness in the duties of holiness and obedience , and continuance therein to our lives end , are required to our compleat salvation ; yet this is not opposite to grace , nor make salvation to be ever the less of grace . that these are necessary , see what the scripture saith , phil. 2. 12. work out your own salvation with fear and trembling . rom. 2. 7. to them who by patient continuance in well doing — eternal life . heb. 12. 14. follow — and holiness without which no man shall see the lord. 2 pet. 1. 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 10. and besides this giving all diligence , add to your faith , vertue — it discovers great ignorance for any to call the preaching of , and pressing of holiness and obedience , as such , legal preaching : for if so , never was greater legal preachers heard then the apostles peter and paul. nay , if the meer pressing of such duties be legal preaching , then our saviour himself was a legal preacher too , luke 13. 24 , 27. strive to enter in at the strait gate . — mat. 5. 16 , 17 , 19 , 20. and mat. 7. 24. he that hears these sayings of mine , and doth them — and what sayings were these ? why , those excellent precepts of holiness and obedience that he had preached to them in his sermon upon the mount ; whence it is plain , that it is not the pressing of the duties of holiness and obedience that makes preaching to be legal preaching ; but it is the ends and uses that they are pressed for , that must denominate it : if they are pressed for gospel-ends and uses , that is gospel-preaching ; and i see not how the gospel can be truly preached without the pressing of them in their place ; and if any do pretend to preach the gospel without it , they either preach not christ's gospel , or but by the halves ; but if any do press the duties of holiness and obedience for legal-ends and purposes , that is legal preaching indeed . but tho holiness and sincere obedience are necessary to eternal life and salvation , yet it is nevertheless of grace ; for whosoever sets grace and evangelical holiness and obedience , in opposition one to another , they set christ , and his word or gospel against it self , and make it to speak contradictions ; and they ignorantly lessen , and reproach and degrade that grace which they would seem to exalt ; for salvation is never the less of grace , tho holiness and obedience are necessary , as the means and way to attain it ; which will thus appear . 1. because evangelical holiness and obedience is it self a gift of grace , even as faith is ; for faith is the root and principle of all true obedience ; and all holiness and obedience is the natural and necessary fruits and products of it : so that holiness and obedience are given virtually in the gift of faith it self ; when god gives a principle that necessarily produces such and such effects ; he truely gives those effects themselves in giving of the principles ; as he that gives you a tree that naturally and certainly will bear such fruits , he gives you the fruit in giving of you the tree ; as in creation god gave man a principle of reason , which doth principally difference him from bruit creatures ; why now in giving him this principle of reason he gave all the following acts of reason , whereby a man acts in a higher and more excellent way than the bruits are capable of , why thus it is here . 2. but further , grace doth not only give the principle of holiness and obedience ; but grace doth still continue to actuate the principle , and concurs to the production of every individual act of holiness and obedience . grace doth not turn us off to trade with the stock that is first given and bestowed upon us , but it daily gives forth , and communicates renewed influxes to us ; there is an exciting quickening grace , that stirs us up when we are dull , and rouses us up to a holy diligence and fervour when we are drowsie and slothful ; and there is helping , aiding , or assisting grace , given forth to every renewed act of obedience ; without me , saith christ , you can do nothing ; and if you abide in me , as the branch in the vine , then you shall bring forth fruit , but not else , john 15. phil. 2. 13. — for it is god that works in you both to will and to do of his own good pleasure ; hence it is most plain that salvation is of grace , notwithstanding such care and diligence in the dutys of holiness and obedience be necessary in order to it : for you see that evangelical holiness and obedience it self is of grace . 3. further still , the more holy and obedient any are , the more grace do they receive from god , and the more they are beholden to grace , and the greater obligations they have to praise and admire the riches of it towards them ; for the more holy and obedient any are , the more large and bountiful is grace in its gifts to them , 1 cor. 15. 10. by the grace of god , i am what i am , and his grace bestowed upon me , was not in vain , for i laboured more abundantly than they all — and to this purpose , we have a saying of st. augustine , the more any one doth , the more holy and obedient he is , the more is he a debtor to the grace of god. mr. rutherford in his book of the covenant of grace , p. 198. speaking of the difference betwixt gospel obedience , and that of adam in innocency ; saith , in gospel obedience , we offer more of the lords own , and less of our own , because he both commands , and gives us grace to obey . you may hence see , what strange preachers of grace they are ( if such there be , as is said ) that set it in opposition to evangelical holiness , and obedience . for , alas ! they do ( unwittingly no doubt ) lessen grace and deny many of its greatest gifts , and strip it of a principal part of its glory , while they think they do exalt it . this whole matter may be illustrated by a similitude or two . suppose a nobleman takes a beggar from the dunghil , designing to make him his heir ; or to give him an estate of many hundreds or thousands per annum ; but before he will bestow it upon him , he will make him an accomplished man , fit to be useful and serviceable in his countrey , or else he will not give it him ; and in order hereunto , he is at a great deal of pains , and care , and charge , in educating of him , at the schools , and at the university , and the inns of court ; and when he is compleatly accomplisht , he gives his honour and estate to him ; now doth this make his gift to be ever the less , or the less free , because he gave him the former gift of his education , and made that a condition of his receiving the other ? will not all men acknowledge , that his bounty , was so far from being the less , that it was really the greater for it : that the gift of his education , did much the more inhance his bounty and kindness to him , than if he had given him his estate alone without it ; and that he was much the more obliged and beholden to him , in that he gave him not only his estate , but his education too . why , really this is our case , should god give us heaven , without holiness ( was that possible ) his grace would be unspeakably less to us than it is ; in first making o● us holy and obedient , that we may thereby be made fit and meet to injoy it . again , suppose a coundemned traytor , that is likewise sick of a mortal disease , that if he dye not by the hand of justice , he is sure quickly to dye of his disease ; now is it not a far greater grace and favour of the king , to procure him a physician and pay for his cure , and to pardon his crime too ; than it would be only to pardon his crime and leave him to dye of his disease ? why , this is our very case , we are diseased as well as condemned sinners ; and were our crimes pardoned , and our diseases not cured we should be miserable still , but the rich , free , and abundant grace of god , doth not only pardon our crimes , but heals our diseases too , by making of us holy and obedient . use of information . 1. if it be so , that it is by grace that we are saved ; then this is directly against the doctrine of the merit of our good works , for grace and debt are directly opposed by the apostle as inconsistent , rom. 4. 4. and rom. 11. 6. grace doth not destroy our obligation to works of holiness and obedience but increases it , and lays greater obligations upon us than ever ; but it quite overthrows the merit and desert of them ; or their being any way procuring , and deserving causes of salvation ; grace obliges more strongly than ever , to the greatest diligence , industry and endeavour in the practise of them ; but when we have done all that we are able , we must renounce all in point of desert , and say , we are unprofitable servants . 2. if salvation be of grace , then this likewise overthrows that doctrine of the power of nature or free-will ; as being sufficient and able of it self for conversion without the grace of god ; for these two are inconsistent , that it should be of grace , and yet that the power of nature should be sufficient , without grace , and therefore the other must be false . it is not of him , that wills nor of him that runs , but of god that shews mercy ; and who made thee to differ from another , or what hast thou that thou hast not received ? 1 cor. 4. 7. and phil. 2. 13. it s god that works in you both to will and to do of his own good pleasure . 2. but let us come to some use of this doctrine that may be more for our practice ; of you that have heard this doctrine , that the salvation of sinners is of grace , i reckon there are these two sorts of you . some that have had as yet no experience of the saving effects of this grace in your selves ; and others of you that have had experience of it . now let us consider , what direction and instruction this doctrine of gods grace may afford to both these sorts ; to the one sort , in order to their getting into a state of grace and salvation ; and to the other sort , in order to their furtherance and increase in grace and holiness and comfort ; there is much in it for the instruction and help of both sorts , if god give you but wisdom and skill , and hearts to draw it out . but i would first say something to both in general ; and then shew what instruction there is in it to both more particularly . 1. in general , let me caution all persons whatsoever to take special heed , that they do not wrest and abuse this doctrine of the grace of god ; we have great need of this caution , because of that marvelous proneness , that there is in all men to it . partly through the ignorance and weakness of our understanding ; and especially through the carnal , selfish , and corrupt disposition of our hearts ; 1. most mens understandings are so weak , that they think those things to be opposite or inconsistent that are not so , but are subordinate ; as gods grace and mans duty , and his care and diligence in the use of means ; and all our natures are so corrupt , that we are apt to turn the most precious doctrine of grace into poyson to our souls ; as the spider sucks venome out of the most sweet and wholesome plants and flowers that be . the apostle knew very well , how prone men are to wrest and abuse the grace of god ; and therefore , when he had been discoursing largely of the riches and freeness of it in the former chapters , he subjoyns a caution against the abusing of it , rom. 6. 1. what shall we say then , shall we continue in sin , that grace may abound ? god forbid . and jude 4. we are told that many did turn the grace of god into lasciviousness ; therefore when ever this doctrine of gods grace is preached , all have need to be cautioned against the abuse of it . and for a caution against it , consider these two things . first , to wrest and abuse grace is of all sins the most provoking to god. secondly , and the most dangerous and pernicious to mens souls . 1. the abuse of grace is of all sins the most provoking to god , as we say , corruptio optimi est pessima , the abuse of the best things is of all other the worst , and doth most heighten and aggravate the sin and guilt of those that do so . if it be so hainous a sin to abuse the mercies of gods common providence , such as his benignity , patience and long-suffering ; so as thereby to be more bold and fearless in sinning against him , when they should be led thereby to repentance and thankfulness ; as it is rom. 2. 4 , 5. then how much more hainous , and crimsondyed a sin must it needs be , to wrest and abuse his grace that brings salvation , that offers salvation , that tends to salvation , that aims at and designs our salvation , that is the first moving and efficient cause of salvation to us : what can be imagined worse than for men to be evil , and the more evil because god is good to them ! it is a sin to return evil for evil to men ; and what is it then to return evil to god for the greatest good of all ? there is nothing so provoking to a man , as to have his free love and kindness abused and turned against himself , or to an end quite contrary to what he designed it , and so it must needs be to god ; to abuse his grace seems to be a greater sin than to distrust his power , or to slight his authority , or to trample upon his laws ; you only have i known of all the families of the earth , therefore i will punish you for your iniquities . 2. to abuse grace is of all others the most pernicious and destructive to mens souls ; for this closes up the fountain of all our blessings , this makes grace it self a mans enemy ; and then who or what shall plead for him ; and justice will not fail to avenge the quarrel of abused grace , nay grace it self will complain of the wrong , and solicite for vengeance upon the abusers of it . if the only thing that can recover the sinner , be abused , so that he falls the lower thereby , that will be an irrecoverable fall indeed ; if a man make mercy and grace it self his enemy , then who or what shall be his friend ? but how or wherein is grace abused ? 1. the doctrine of grace is notoriously abused , when men from hence do think that they are exempted or discharged from the law , as a rule to govern their hearts and practices by ; this abuse may arise from a misunderstanding of that passage of the apostle rom. 6. 14. ye are not under the law but under grace . as if grace , and the law , was in all respects , opposed to one another , because they are in some ; as if because god doth acquit a believer from the condemnation of the law , therefore we are discharged from all obedience to it . our corrupt hearts are very ready to imbrace such doctrines of libertinisme and licentiousness , as the apostle shews by adding in the very next words , v. 15. what then shall we sin , because we are not under the law , but under grace ? god forbid . it is very pleasing to our carnal fleshly part to hear that grace doth discharge us from all obligation to the law ; that it hath no directing , regulating power over a believer . but this is a gross abuse of grace ; for when the apostle saith that we are not under the law ; it is true in several sences , but it is manifestly false in this sence , that we are under no obligation by it as a rule of life . the true sence how we are not under the law is this . 1. we , that is believers , are not under the condemning power of the law ; but are by grace freed from the curse and condemnation of it , 2. we are not under the law as a covenant of life and salvation : we are not under the law as to the rigid exaction of perfect , sinless obedience , as the only term or condition of salvation . no , though perfect obedience is still a duty ; yet through christ and for his sake , sincere obedience is accepted . but now , because we are not under the law , in these respects it doth by no means follow that we are not under it as a rule , or because it hath no condemning power , that therefore it hath no regulating power , over us ; you shall see , that this apostle , that saith , we are not under the law , yet saith , that in other respects , he is under the law. 1 cor. 9. 21. being not without law to god , but under the law to christ not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ; and the apostle james saith , if any break the law in one point , he is guilty of all , jam. 2. which plainely shews that all are under the moral law as a rule of life , nay this apostle when he had said we are not under the law , but under grace ; the very next words shew , that he means it in a restained sence ; and that he did not mean that we are from under the law as a rule of duty , rom. 6. 15. what then , saith he , shall we sin because we are not under the law , but under grace ? god forbid ; as if he should say , you must not so understand it , as if we were discharged from all obligation of duty by the law ; for if so , the caution had been needless , for where there is no law there ▪ is no transgression . again , to say that we are not under the law as a rule of duty , is an high abuse of grace , because this is contrary to , nay , doth destroy the essential relation of the creature , as a creature , to god ; for our state and condition as creatures , is necessarily a state of subjection to god ; god is essentially related to us as our governour , and we to him as his subjects ; but he is no governour , if he have no law to govern us by ; nay , he hath no creature , no not the highest angels , that are under no law . the angels , they have many immunities end priviledges above us , yet they are not exempt from duty , or from a law. psalm 103. 20. — ye his angels that do his commandments hearkening to the voice of his word . 2. grace is abused when it is pretended to the excluding of a cautious fear of sinning , or an awful reverential fear of the divine majesty . this abuse may arise from a misunderstanding that scripture 1 john. 4. 18. there is no fear in love , for perfect love casts out fear , which the apoctle plainly means of a servile slavish fear , a distracting , tormenting , dispairing fear ; but not of an awful fear of god ; nor of a cautious fear of offending him , as is manifest by a multitude of other scriptures both in the old and new testament . for though we have , through grace , freedom and boldness of aoeess to god , yet it is still with reverence , and godly fear . nay , the more grace , the greater reverence of god , and the greater fear of sinning against him . heb. 11. 28. let us have grace — psalm . 130. 4. there is mercy with thee that thou mayst be feared , hos. 3. 5. they shall fear the lord and his goodness , which is a prophesie of gospel times ; the grace and goodness of god , is so far from making men presumptuous , that it is greater matter of reverence , and holy trembling ; nay , this fear of reverence is so far from being abolished by the gospel , that it continues even in heaven amongst the angels and blessed spirits , it being an essential and necessary respect of the creature as such , to his creator . 3. grace is abused when it is pleaded to make repentance and sorrow for sin needless , as if humiliation and sorrow for sin was a legal duty ; whereas repentance and all the acts of it are purely gospel . for the law knows no such thing ; it neither did require it , as a means of pardon and life , nor admits it ; and the apostle speaks of it as a duty , especially appropriated to the gospel ; and more evidently known and discerned to be a duty , and to be practised , as the gospel-light shone clearer and brighter , acts 17. 30. but now — now since the preaching of the gospel , in a special manner , he commands all men every where to repent . nay , the most genuine repentance and sorrow arises from a sence of the love and mercy of god in christ , zachary , 12. 10. 4. grace is abused , when thereupon men take encouragement to be more careless and remiss in duty ; more slight and negligent in the use of god's ordinances , and all appointed means in order to salvation : when , because we are saved by grace , men thence conclude , that their care and diligence in praying , hearing , seeking , and waiting upon god in the use of his appointed means of salvation , is vain , and to little purpose . this is a most horrid abuse of grace , when it is used to make void god's own ordinances and institutions ; and to teach and imbolden men to slight and neglect them . for wherefore did god institute the ordinances of worship , and command all a diligent attendance upon him , in the duties of hearing , reading , praying , and such like , if he did not intend that his grace should be communicated this way to sinners , and ordinarily , not without them : as he gives his grace freely , so he appoints the way and means , in which he will communicate it , and that is in the serious and diligent use of his own ordinances , isa. 55. 2 , 3. incline your ear and come unto me , hear and your soul shall live . prov. 1. 23. & 8. 34 blessed is the man that heareth me , watching daily at my gates , waiting at the posts of my doors . god will be met with in his own way ; and ordinarily he communicates his grace according to our diligence in the use of means ; and to plead the efficacy of grace for the slackening and abating our diligence in the use of means , is to turn god's grace against himself , against his own honour and worship ; and the making void his own institutions , as vain and needless things . 5. but grace is worse abused still , when , because our salvation is of grace , men therefore think that there is nothing at all for them to do , no duty incumbent upon them , for the putting themselves in the way of it ; no obligation to make use of their natural faculties , with such external means of salvation as god affords them , in order to the obtaining salvation ; this is such an abuse , that in effect , it discharges a carnal man of his obligations to his maker , and strips god of his authority and dominion over his creatures ; and denies all that duty and homage that the rational creature , as such , do owe to god ; for if man have no duty that he ought , and is bound to do , then it will follow , either that god hath no right to command him any ; or at least , that he hath appointed him no duty wherein he should endeavour the glorifying of god , and the salvation of his own soul ; and if so , then god doth not govern him according to his nature . it is a very great abuse of grace , to plead it to the lessening of our duty , but much more when it is pleaded for the utter abolishing of it ; and sure all men must needs see the absurdity of this , that a man should be obliged in point of duty , to use his rational faculties in the lower affairs of the world , and to act like a man in buying and selling , and all the concernments of the bodily life , and yet be under no obligation to use his thinking , reasoning , reflecting , considering power in that which is the great and main end of his being , the glorifying of god , and the saving of his own soul. now , that all these fore-mentioned , and such like , are gross abuses of the grace of god , will be further manifest , from this one consideration , that grace doth not discharge us from , no , nor lessen any obligation to duty and obedience to god , that man was under before ; but instead of that , it lays us under greater obligations than ever ; for it superinduces or superadds this very great obligation to love , fear , serve , honour and obey god , to all the rest that we were under before : god is essentially related to us , as our maker , owner , ruler and benefactor ; and the obligations that arise from hence , are un-alterable , can never cease or be lessened ; ( though some positive duties may be changed or abolished , as god pleases . ) grace doth discharge no man from any obligation that these relations and benefits lays him under ; but it superadds one more to all the rest , which in some sence is greater than all the rest , and that is a free and gracious redemption , and recovery from a self-procured misery and ruine ; now there cannot be a greater absurdity , nor wickedness sure , than for men to imagine , and plead that their obligations to duty are less , when they are manifestly greater than before ; that the addition of a greater benefit should make void or lessen our former obligations ; which is as wise and as just reasoning , as if a man should say , that the casting of more weight into the scale , doth make that , and all that was in before , to stand for nothing ; as if absolon , when he rebelled against david , should plead , that his free favour in pardoning him the murder of his brother amnon , did discharge him from his obligations that he was under to david , as he was his natural father , a loving and indulgent father , and his rightful ruler and sovereign . third use. if it be by grace that we are saved , then let us see what direction and instruction this doctrine affords to those that are yet in a graceless state , in order to their getting into it . 1. you that have yet had no experience of the saving fruits and effects of this grace in your selves ; labour to be sensible of , and affected with the sadness of your case . is it not a sad case , that of the showers of grace that fall so plentifully in the dispensation of the gospel , that none hath yet dropt into your souls ? that you should be like gideon's fleece , wholly dry , when the ground round about you is moistened , and refreshed with the dews of heaven ; that many are saved , while you are yet in your sins ; many that sit under the same ministry , hear the same sermons , are made partakers of those things that accompany salvation , while you have felt no such influences and operations by the same word . i am confident you would think it a sad case , if the meat and drink which nourishes and refreshes others , should neither nourish nor refresh you at all , but you should starve and pine away , and die for want of nourishment in the midst of plenty : but it is a much more sad case , if that word that is through grace effectual to the salvation of others , hath no such effects upon you ; that many round about you , are of darkness made light in the lord , while you are in darkness still , though in the midst of light ; that while others are reconciled to god , and brought nigh to him , you that enjoy the same word and means of grace , are as far off from god as ever , and still in your enmity against him . o! labour to get your hearts deeply affected with the sadness of your case , and this would be a good step towards the mending and bettering of it . methinks , your own thoughts should suggest to you many things that might make you groan and lament the sadness of your case , while you are utter strangers to the saving effects of grace . 2. if it be by grace that we are saved , then consider , that your case , though it be sad , yet it is not hopeless and remediless ; though it be dangerous , it is not yet altogether desperate : think thus with your selves , if all that are saved are saved by grace , then why may not i hope that it may , one time or other , cast its skirt over my nakedness , and shed its benign influence over my soul ; since grace saves all that are saved , it saves freely , and none for any merit or desert in them , none for any worth or worthiness that it sees in them more than in others ; think with your selves , grace hath saved thousands and millions of sinners that were as bad as i , as great sinners , and as old sinners as i ; that had as much neglected and slighted , and sinned against it , and abused it as i have done . why , as it is really a humbling and affecting consideration , to see many and many saved , while you are yet in your sins ; so there is really , in this very thing some ground of hope and incouragement too : is it not some ground of hope to think that such and such were dead to sin as i am , but at last were made alive ; were in a lost state and condition , but at last were found by grace ; they were sometimes carnal , worldly and disobedient , ( as i am ) but at last , grace did renew and change them ; and therefore i will wait and hope that grace may sometime shed its benign influences upon me . 3. if it be by grace that we are saved , then you hence see where it is that you are to seek for salvation ; you see you must go to god for it , and cry to him , and pray and beg of him for it . whoever is saved , it is the gift of god to them , and a gift of his free grace and favour , yet not so as to exclude our seeking or begging of it ; nay , it so much the more strongly obliges and engages us to seek it , and pray to him for it . when god promises israel , that he would give them a new heart , yet , saith he , for all this will i be enquired of , by the house of israel to do it for them , ezek. 36. 37. and our saviour saith , ask and ye shall have , seek and ye shall find , and though grace gives all freely , yet it will be sought unto , and inquired after , and as it is elsewhere , ask of me , and i will give thee ; so god will have his grace asked , intreated and sought for ; now , have you not either neglected this crying unto god , and intreating of his grace ? or else have you not done it in a careless , slighty and customary manner ? you have , it may be , used other means , such as reading and hearing the word , but have you not neglected to pray , and cry unto god for his grace to bless it , and make it effectual to you ? saving benefits are principally to be obtained upon your knees , in earnest prayers and crys to the god of all grace . oh! that you would try this course , every day to solicite the throne of grace , and never give over your suit till god give you an answer of peace ; if you want necessary food for your bodies , and can no otherwise get it , you will ask it of those that have it to give ; yea , and will not easily take a denial for such things ; and should you not much more ask of god saving grace for your souls , for he only hath it to bestow upon you . 4. if it be by grace that we are saved , then as this directs you where to seek it , even of the god of all grace ; so it directs what is your chief argument and plea that you must make use of with him , viz. his own rich mercy and free grace ; you must beg of god mercy for mercies sake , and grace for grace's sake : this is the principal argument that sinners have to plead with god , his own grace and mercy : but this contains many arguments under it , all which are ultimately and reductively a pleading of grace . and as i do here put all graceless persons upon praying and crying to god for his grace , as their undoubted duty , and as a means appointed by god , in order to their obtaining of grace ; so i will shew you what arguments all may use , yea , and ought to use with god in seeking his saving grace . 1. you may plead with god , that you are his creatures , he made you , his power gave you these beings that you have . this is a good argument , or else we should never find it so often made use of in scripture . when we cannot plead a special interest and relation to him , as our reconciled god and father in christ , yet we may plead our general relation to him as his creatures , and he our maker ; thus job 10. 3. is it good unto thee that thou shouldst oppress , that thou shouldst despise the work of thy hands ? and ver . 8. thy hands have made me and fashioned me , and ps. 119. 73. thy hands have made me and fashioned me , give me understanding that i may learn thy commandments . job 14. 15. thou shalt call , and i will answer thee , thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands . isa. 64. 9. but now o lord — we are the clay , and thou art the potter , we are all the work of thy hands , be not wroth , very sore , &c. though it be no good argument with men , to ask one gift because they have given us another , yet it is with god. go to him and say , behold lord , i am thy creature , thy power hath made me , and thy grace only can new make me , destroy not the work of thy own hands &c. 2. you may plead the end of your creation , which was that you might serve him your maker in a pleasing and acceptable manner ; go to him then and plead this ; can you not say , lord thou hast shewed me , that the very end of my being is that i might please and serve thee which in this corrupt and depraved state i am in , i can never do , without thy renewing and sanctifying grace . o , that as thou hast magnified thy power in making of me out of nothing ; so let thy grace be magnified in recovering a lost and undone creature , in reconciling an apostate creature to thy self ; deny not the help of thy grace to recover a depraved , corrupted creature , that would fain answer the end of his being , that would fain be capable of that work and service thou madest him for . lord i would fain fill up the place in thy creation that thou hast set me in , and not be an unprofitable drone or a useless burden in it . 3. your may plead your own misery , as ps. 79. 8. let thy tender mercy prevent us , for we are brought very low . while persons are under the means of grace and salvation , misery is a good argument to plead with a gracious and merciful god ; plead then your misery with god : say , lord , i am a lost creature , an undone creature , laiden with guilt and sin , and like to be lost and undone for ever , if thy mercy pity not , if thy grace do not help and save me in time ; my misery is such , that none can help or save me but thou ; and if thou save not i must perish for ever . say , tho as i am an apostate sinner , i am a most deserving object of thy wrath , yet as i am a miserable lost creature , here is a fit object for thee to glorifie thy grace and mercy upon . will it not be the glory of thy mercy to pity and help the miserable ? and will it not be the glory of thy grace to save such as deserve thy wrath ? 4. you may plead your own weakness and inability to help or save your selves ; that you can do nothing without him ; nothing that will be to any purpose , or that will be of any avail to salvation , without his special grace . say , lord i have destroyed my self , i confess : but in thy grace alone , is all my hope and help ; thou knowest , that i have such an hard heart that none but thou can soften ; such an iron sinew in my will that none but thou can bend ; such a carnal , corrupt , earthly temper , and disposition , that none but thou can renew and change it . o , let thy mercy pity , and thy own grace move thee to help a miserable lost creature , that has no help in himself or in any other besides thee . 5. you may plead the very end and design of redemption ; which was the glory of his free grace and mercy , in the recovery and salvation of miserable and lost sinners . say , lord didst not thou contrive the work of redemption , and send thy son into the world , and deliver him up to death , for this very end and design , that thy grace , together with other of thy perfections , might be glorious in pardoning , justifying sanctifying and saving of depraved , guilty , and lost sinners . now behold here a miserable lost child of adam , didst thou not send thy son that thy grace might be glorified in the salvation of such , and will not thy grace be as glorious in saving of me , as of any other ? o , be not angry with the prayer , stop not thine ears against the cries of thy poor lost creature , that begs but for such things , as are suitable and agreeable to thy own gracious design . thus you see what arguments all may use with god. 5. if it be by grace that we are saved , then if you would partake of it's saving influences , this directs you to lye in the way of it ; that is , exhibite the greatest seriousness , diligence , earnestness in the use of gods appointed means that possibly you can ; for as grace gives all freely , and chooses it 's own objects upon whom it will bestow it's gifts : so it chooses and appoints it 's own way and means , wherein and whereby it will communitate it's saving fruits and effects to men , and these are the word and ordinances , and duties of holiness and worship . hence the gospel is called , the gospel of the grace of god ; and the ordinances of worship are called , the means of grace ; not only because , the grace of god , is therein revealed and made known ; but also because , it is thereby , in the serious diligent and reverend use of them , communicated and bestowed upon carnal , blind , and dead sinners , for the inlightening , sanctifying and saving them ; therefore here you must lie and wait for it , as the impotent man did at the pool of bethesda , waiting for the motion of the waters : there was a healing vertue communicated , but it was by those waters and no others . so grace doth communicate it's healing , sanctifying , and saving virtue ; but it is by it's own chosen and appointed means , and no other . as it is the influence and blessing of heaven , that give us the fruits of the earth ; but this only by blessing mans labour and industry in plowing and sowing , and never without it , so it is here . carnal hearts are apt to draw a quite contrary conclusion from hence ; and to say , if it be grace that saves us , then we have the less , if any thing , to do our selves . but you see the contray inference to this of theirs is clear viz. that we should not do the less our selves , but rather the more , because grace saves us , as the apostle saith , work out your salvation with fear and trembling , for it is god that works in you both to will and to do . a strange inference ! some would think , and yet it is very clear , as you may see in other things , the husbandman , when the season fits him doth bestir himself the more , in plowing , and sowing , and gathering in the fruits of the earth ; because he knows he hath not the season in his own power ; and all his labor and industry without that , will signifie nothing at all ; so here , if it be grace that must save us , if ever we be saved : then you have great reason , to bestir your selves in using the means wherein grace communicates it self . 6. if grace saves us , then as you must use the means that are of it's appointing , so you must use then dependently , with an eye to grace for its blessing upon them , to make them successful . grace is too little eyed , too little sought unto , too little depended on in the use of means , and therefore the success is for the most part accordingly . persons in hearing the word eye men that are instruments , but eye not god and his grace which is the life and soul of all ordinances . persons eye men and not god , depend more upon mens parts and abilities , than upon gods grace and blessing , and therefore they find in ordinances , what a man can do , and no more : and what is that ? why , a sound in their ears , but no powerful effects and operations upon their hearts ; a little pleasing of the fancy , with some light , superficial touches upon the affections but no renewing , sanctifying change of the soul. but was gods grace more eyed , and more depended on , in the use of his ordinances , we should doubtless see its saving fruits and effects , more plentifully , and more ordinarily communicated than now they are . men speak but to the sences , it is god only that can speak to the heart ; men may argue with the will , but it is the grace of god only , that can incline and perswade it ; and therefore , as those that built the wall of jerusalem , wrought with the trowel in one hand , and the sword in the other ; so you must , as it were , work in the diligent use of gods appointed means and ordinances , with the one hand ; and with the other lift up to heaven , for his grace to bless them to you : thus if grace saves us , then you must be sure to eye grace , and depend upon it for success in the use of means . 7. if it be by grace that we are saved , then here is great incouragement , against the difficulties that attend the conversion and salvation of a sinner ; the difficulties are great , both from the malice and power of satan , the opposition of an alluring and insnaring world , and especially from the carnal and corrupt temper and disposition of our own hearts : all these together , do cast such impediments and rubs in our way , that it were enough , utterly to discourage all attempts and to make us to sit down in despair , if we had no greater power than our own to trust to , or depend upon ; but here is your incouragement , that it is grace that saves us , and therefore those things that are difficulties with us , are none with god ; those things that are impossible to be overcome by your own strength , are easily superable by an almighty grace . when our saviour told his disciples that is was easier for a cammel to go through the eye of a needle , than for a rich man to be saved ; they were amazed at it , and said , who then can be saved ? why ? saith our saviour those things that are impossible with men , are easie with god. most men , while they are in ignorance and carnal security ; strangers to god and themselves too ; they think it an easie thing to be saved , but when once their eyes come to be opened , and their consciences convinced of their dead , lost , and undone state ; how dead their hearts are to god and holiness ; how powerful corruption is , and how weak and unable they are to conquer it , then they are ready to say , alass ! who can be saved ? why , here is great incouragement for you , that though conversion-work be above your own power , and the power of any meer creature , yet grace can inlighten your darkness , quicken your deadness and overcome your resistance . as for instance , when the soul considers its own earthly , carnal temper and disposition ; how disinclined and averse it is to god and holiness , and all spiritual and divine things ; it is ready to say , how shall this heart of mine ever be made to love god above all , and to delight in him and his service ? why , here is incouragement , god that made the heart , can master it ; can renew and change it ; he can of stones raise up children to abraham ; he can make dry and dead bones live , he can breath life into a dead soul ; he can make a temple for himself , of the most filthy and unclean heart that is ; he that made heaven and earth of nothing , can turn a heart of stone into flesh ; he can turn the most earthly , carnal , sensual temper that is , into a holy , heavenly disposition ; he can stamp his own image and likeness upon a slave of sin and satan . thus since it is by grace that we are saved ; then notwithstanding all difficulties , here is great incouragement to use his appointed means ; to pray , and wait , and strive in hopes of success , and a good issue ; for were the difficulties more , and greater than they are , yet they are not insuperable to an almighty grace . 4. if it be by grace that we are saved , than what use should those make of this doctrine that have already tasted and experienced , the saving fruits and effects of grace in themselves ? it will afford much for their furtherance and increase in grace and holiness . 1. if we are saved by grace ; and have you experienced the saving effects of it , in your selves , then you have reason to be humbled ; pride , self-conceitedness , and over-weaning thoughts of our selves , is a thing most hateful in the eyes of god , most contrary to his nature , and his law. god resists the proud ; and he is said to know the proud afar off . but humility , is a thing of great price and value in his eyes , 1 pet. 3. 4. yea the humble spirit , is a habitation that he makes choice of , as a seat of his special residence : isa. 57. 15. and therefore , god hath contrived , the whole business of our recovery and salvation by christ , in such a way and method , as shall most effectually hide pride from man ; salvation is of grace from first to last , that the loftiness of men may be humbled , and the lord alone exalted . it is true , if gods grace has taken hold on your hearts , and begun a sanctifying , saving work upon you ; if he hath begun to form you after the divine image and likeness , he hath highly exalted you indeed ; he hath lifted you up from the dunghil , and set you with princes , yea higher than the princes of the earth in true worth and dignity . but yet , though god hath thus highly exalted you , there is no reason or cause in all this why you should exalt your selves , or be puffed up with high thoughts or conceits of your selves , for it is grace that hath done all this for you , and not you your selves ; it is gods free gift to you , and not any worth or desert of yours . therefore oft reflect upon the apostles question , what hast thou that thou didst not receive ? 1 cor. 4. 7. o! therefore walk humbly , be low in your own eyes , and this will be pleasing in the sight of god. this will be to answer the very design of grace in its great gifts to you ; this will make you more fit for communion with god ; this will make your souls a temple that he will delight to dwell and walk in ; and this will dispose you to receive more , and more grace from him ; he resists the proud , but gives grace to the humble . 2. if it be so , that we are saved by grace , then let grace have the glory of all that it hath wrought in you , and done for you . gods own glory is his great end and design in all his works ; it is that which above all things else , he is most tender and jealous of . he freely communicates his choicest and greatest gifts to men ; but his glory , he will give to none ; that the reserves wholly and solely to himself ; and the glory of his grace is the great aim and design of his redeeming and recovering work , eph. 1. 6. to the praise of the glory of his grace , &c. take heed then , that you do not rob grace of any of its glory . we are very prone to ascribe to our selves , as it is said of the atheist , tho' he doth not speak out with his tongue , yet he saith in his heart , there is no god ; so though we speak not out , yet we are apt to have such thoughts in our hearts ; as if god did see something more or better in us than in others , as if we were better disposed and prepared for grace than others ; or that we were more serious , diligent and industrious in the use of means than others ; or that god did foresee that we would bring more glory to him than others ; that we are prone to such self ascribing thoughts , doth appear by that caution that is given to israel , deut. 9. 4. speak not in thine heart saying — for my righteousness , the lord hath brought me in to possess this land &c. it is likely , before your conversion , you was more serious , diligent and industrious in the use of means than many others ; but it was a more common grace , that made you so ; that brought you to that : grace gave you that first , in order to his bestowing of his more special . and excellent gifts upon you . o! therefore see to it that you rub every filing of this gold , off from your own fingers ; and let grace have the glory of all , that it has wrought in you ; say , not i , but the grace of god that was with me , and therefore not unto us , not unto us , but to thy name be the praise . as the moon shines not by its own , but a borrowed light ; so there is nothing excellent in you above others ; no holy , heavenly inclination or disposition in you , but what is a gift of grace to you : your breathing after god is an effect of his breathing upon you first . say then , with the apostle 1 cor. 15. 9. 10. i am not worthy to be called an apostle , because i persecuted the the church , but by the grace of god , i am , what i am . so say you , i was a carnal , dead sinner , but by the grace of god , i am alive ; i was a lover of pleasures more than a lover of god ; but by the grace of god , my carnal , earthly heart , is in some measure sanctified , and changed , and turned towards god , and holiness , and heaven . i was foolish and disobedient , and slighted christ , and his saving benefits , as much as any others ; but by the grace of god my hard heart is somewhat softened , my stuborness and resistance over come , my enmity taken away , my aversness to christ , in some measure turned , into a desiring , loving , and seeking of him . 3. are we saved by grace ; and hath grace begun a saving work upon you , then walk thankfully too . every benefit calls for thankfulness ; and then much more , saving benefits ; which are the greatest of all others . has grace made you to differ from others that are still in the gaul of bitterness , and the bond of iniquity . nay , has grace made you to differ , so much from your selves ; from what you sometime were ; and should you not be thankful for it ? has grace brought you out of darkness into a marvelous light , brought you out of a state of bondage , and slavery to the devil and sin ; into the glorious liberty of the sons of god ? of dead , has made you alive ; of strangers , has made you nigh to god ; of enemies , hath reconciled you to him , and made you his adopted children ; of cursed , condemned ones , has brought you into a state of pardon and justification ? oh! what reason have you to be thankful ? let your tongues , and your lives to , continually speak your thankfulness , for such , and so great mercy . say then with the psalmist , bless the lord , o my soul , and forget not all his benefits , &c. psalm 103. 1 , 2 , 3 , 4. and that you may be excited to thankfulness , consider these things . 1. consider the greatness of this mercy , of all the mercies that god bestows upon the children of men , saving mercies are the greatest , and the best ; if grace has saved you , or given you such things as do accompany salvation , that is more than all other blessings laid together . indeed all gods mercies are great , considering how undeserving we are of them ; but saving mercy , is like the sun among the other planets , that outshines all the rest , and darkens their glory when it comes into view . 1. when grace saves us , that is a greater benefit than creation it self ; as the redemption of the world by christ , is a greater work , and doth discover more of the wisdom , power , love , and goodness of god to mankind , than the creation of the world. and the making of any soul , actually a partaker of saving benefits , is a greater gift , than the giving of it a being in creation . now consider , do you not think your selves greatly obliged to bless god for your beings ; that he made you something , that were nothing ? that he made you men and women , and not toads or serpents ? surely , if you love your selves , if you value your lives and beings ; or any of your creature-comforts and injoyments ; then you must needs bless god that made you what you are , out of nothing . ah! but how much more , should you bless god , that of his special grace and love , hath translated you from darkness to light ? from death to life ; from slavery to liberty ; from wrath and curses to favour and blessedness ? for to be under these evils , was worse than to be nothing ; and these blessings are better , than meer natural life and being without them . alas ! what good would your creation have done you , since the fall , without sanctifying and saving grace ; it would but make you capable of greater misery . better a thousand times , never to have been born , than to be a vessel of gods wrath ; and a companion of devils and damned fiends in everlasting burnings . 2. when grace saves you it doth unspeakably more for you than the bestowing of all the outward blessings of this life upon you ; health , riches , honour and friends , with other injoyments and comforts of this life , are great mercies ; but they are unspeakably short of renewing and saving grace ; you that have healthful , and comely bodies , when you look upon any decriped , maimed , deformed , monstrous persons , do you not admire the goodness of god that hath not made you such ; but is it not worse to have blind , deformed , monstrous souls , than to have such bodies ? and is it not a greater mercy , to have your deformed souls beautified and made comely with the divine image , than to have comely bodies ? the same may be said of riches , and all other worldly injoyments ▪ all external and worldly injoyments , are but for a while , and alas ! how little a while too ? when you come to dye , what becomes of bodily strength , and beauty ? of worldly honours , riches , and friends ? alas ! when you are going into another world , if you look back upon these things , you will see them all shrinking away from you ; and leave you to go alone , as to any comfort you are like to have of them . of how short a continuance is the difference betwixt the rich and the poor ; the honourable and the bafe , the healthful and sickly ? but sanctifying and saving grace , will stick by you when every thing else will leave you ; that is beauty will never decay , that is riches you can never loose ; that is an everlasting foundation , upon which shall be built an immortal undecaying , never ending glory and happiness ; saving mercy is such as death it self can not separate or divide you from . 3. saving mercy is unspeakable mercy indeed , if you consider the greatness of the misery it secures and delivers you from . it is impossible to know , how great a mercy saving grace is , unless you know what direful misery all that are yet unsaved , are under and liable to ; and alas ! the misery of those that are yet unsaved , is such as no tongue can express . for the present , they are hateful to god , have a fearful load of guilt upon their souls ; a numberless number of sins upon the score , which must all be accounted for . and they are every moment , in danger of droping into the bottomless gulf of misery ; alas ! those that are yet altogether unsaved , are not sure to be one day or hour out of everlasting burnings ; when they close their eyes at night , they are not sure , but they may open them in hell flames ; they are condemned already , there wants nothing but the executing stroak to make them extreamly and remedilessly miserable ; why , this was once your case , but saving grace has now put you into a happier and securer state ; and should not such a mercy as this affect your hearts , and excite you to thankfulness for it . 4. saving grace will appear to be a great mercy indeed , if you consider how great happiness it further disposes and prepares you for . and what is that ? why , for the possession of heaven , for the society of angels and blessed spirits in glory ; yea , for fellowship with god and christ , and a perfect everlasting injoyment of him , for the being ever with the lord , and seeing of him face to face . and will you not be thankful for such a mercy as this ? 2. to excite you to thankfulness , consider the freeness of this grace that has saved you . what motive or inducement did grace see in you more than in others , that it should pick you out as a vessel of mercy , while it hath left others , so many others , still under wrath and the curse ? why , it saw nothing more in you to move and incline its kindness , and love towards you than in thousands of others , that are still left to ripen themselves for destruction ; no reason can be given of gods love and kindness to you more than to any others ; but that rom. 9. i will have mercy upon whom i will have mercy ; and that which our saviour saith , thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent , and hast revealed them to babes ; and why , the only reason is , because it so pleased thee ; if such free grace as this will not provoke you to thankfulness , what will ? look upon others , that are still in the gall of bitterness and bond of iniquity ; that slight christ and his grace , that delight themselves in the high road to perdition , that sport themselves with sin and damnation ; that hear sermons , but are little more moved with them than the seats they sit on . and say , i was once as they are , and had been so to this day , had not grace been more kind and merciful to me than to them . 3. to excite your thankfulness , consider what pains and patience grace was at with you , before your carnal , backward , and perverse hearts were prevailed with . how long did the spirit of god strive with you in vain ! how oft did he go away grieved because you slighted and resisted his holy motions ! how long did christ knock at the door of your hearts , before you would open to him ! how long did he follow you and woe you by the offers and promises of his word , and the motions of his spirit , before he could gain your consent ! how often did you shut your eyes against light , and stifle convictions , and quench the beams of the spirit ; and break one band and cord after another , that grace had fastened upon your consciences , like resolute souldiers , that are beaten from one fort , fly to another , and will never yield , till they have none left to fly to . ay , did not you deal thus with god ? did not grace meet with all this and more resistance from you , in turning your perverse hearts from creatures to god , from sin to holiness , and from self to christ ? and yet grace bore all patiently at your hands , and continued to follow you still , and would never leave you , till it had overcome your resistance and opposition , and with an almighty arm pluckt you as a brand out of the burning . o , how free and rich was gods grace toward you , that would not leave you , notwithstanding your long and obstinate resistance , and striving against it : that would not suffer you to be miserable , when you your self was so loath and backward to be saved . 4. consider , saving mercy is vouchsafed but to a very few comparatively ; alas ! but to few of those , that injoy the means of grace and salvation ; nay , many that have had the very same means , and heard the very same sermons that you have done , and yet the spirit of life from god hath quickened you , while those that sat by you remain dry and dead bones still : nay , that very sermon that grace made effectual to quicken and save you ; others were no more moved with it , than the earth they trod upon . so much for the third inference , walk thankfully . 4. if you are saved by grace , then walk fruitfully ; let it be your care and endeavour to honour grace in your lives and conversations ; paul when he had said , by the grace of god , i am what i am ; he presently adds , and his grace bestowed upon me was not vain , for i laboured more abundantly than they all , 1 cor. 15. 10. thus , do you labour to honour grace , by the holiness , purity , and heavenliness of your lives and conversations ; let it be seen , by your whole practice , by your converse and dealing with all men , what a great , what a wonderful , what an excellent change grace has made in you ? alas ! you will greatly dishonour grace , if you profess to be partakers of it , and yet appear to be no better men than you were before . and honour the gospel , that is the channel in which grace doth run by esteeming and loving of it ; and in your place by incouraging the preaching of it , and sinners attendance upon it all you can ; invite others to those waters where you have found healing for your own souls . 5. and lastly , if you are saved by grace , then continue in a close attendance upon grace , and a diligent waiting for its further influences , in the use of its appointed means for the compleating of the work that it has begun upon you . you are yet but begun to be saved , there is a great deal more to be done upon you before the work be compleated . most of you are yet got but a little way out of egypt , and have many stages to go before you come to the land of promise . and grace hath not yet put its last hand to the greatest saint , that is yet on this side heaven ; therefore let all continue seeking , and waiting diligently for its further influences in his own appointed way ; till he that has begun a good work in you , has finished and compleated it according to his own promise , phil. 1. 6. finis . books written by the late reverend mr. nath. vincent , are sold by tho. parkhurst at the bible and three crowns at the lower end of cheapside , near mercers-chappel . worthy walking : pressed upon all that have heard the call of the gospel : from eph. 4. 1. i therefore the prisoner of the lord beseech you , that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called . the spirit of prayer : or , a discourse , wherein the nature of prayer is open'd , the kinds of prayer are handled , and the right manner of praying discovered : several cases about this duty are resolved : from eph. 6. 18. praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit , &c. unto which is added , a direction for the attaining the gift of prayer : that family-duty may not be omitted , nor secret duty discouraged through inability of utterance and expression . a heaven or hell upon earth : or , a discourse concerning conscience ; on acts 24. 16. herein do i exercise my self to have a conscience , &c. the true touchstone ; which shews both grace and nature : or , a discourse concerning self-examination , by which both saints and sinners may come to know themselves . whereunto are added sundry meditations relating to the lords supper . the more excellent way to edifie the church of christ : or , a discourse concerning love : the design of which is to revive that grace ( now under such decaies ) among protestants of all persuasions . the conversion of the soul : or , a discourse explaining the nature of that conversion which is sincere ; and directing and perswading all to cease their loving sin and death , and to turn to god and live. a warning given to sinners to prepare for judgment , to flee from wrath to come , and turn from all sin ; but especially the sin which does most easily beset them . the little childs catechism : in which the principles of the christian religion are in plain words and short answers laid down , and suited to the memories and understandings of little children . whereunto are added several short histories , which may both please and profit them , as also directions how to pray . the principles of the doctrine of christ : or , a catechism , in which is contained the sum of the christian religion ; or what is necessary to be believed and done in order to salvation . the answers being but seventeen in number ; and in very plain words , easie to be understood . unto which is added , a catechism for conscience ; wherein the consciences of the ignorant , the grosly profane , the young , the meerly moral , and the hypocrites , are examined , in order to their instruction and awakening ; and the consciences of the sincere christians are tried in order to their peace and comfort . the saints triumph over the last enemy : in a sermon preached at the funeral of that zealous and painful minister of christ , mr. james janeway . unto which is added , his character . his sore conflict before he died : and afterwards , his triumphant manner of departing from earth , to the heavenly inheritance . on 1 cor. 15. 55. o death , where is thy sting ? — israels lamentation at the death of a prophet . in a sermon prophet at the funeral of that holy , learned , and painful minister of christ , mr. thomas cawton . and now published at the earnest desire of the hearers . on 1 sam. 25. 1. and samuel died , and all the israelites were gathered together , and lamented him . — a funeral sermon : occasioned by the death of mr. george baker . first preached , and then published , at the earnest desire of his relations . on 1 pet. 1. 17. — pass the time of your sojourning here in fear . the great change : discoursed of in a funeral sermon , occasioned by the death of mrs. martha thompson , late wife of captain william thompson in wapping . on job 14. 14. — all the days of my appointed time will i wait till my change come . a present for such as have been sick and are recovered ; or , a discourse concerning the good which comes out of the evil of affliction . being several sermons , preached after his being raised from a bed of languishing . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a59623-e180 fountain life , p. 435. three links of a golden chain, or, three of the principal causes of mans salvation viz, god giving his elect unto christ, their coming unto him, his receiving of them, doctrinally opened and practically applied as it was lately delivered unto the church of god at great yarmouth / by john brinsley. brinsley, john, 1600-1665. this text is an enriched version of the tcp digital transcription a29532 of text r23814 in the english short title catalog (wing b4732). textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. the text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with morphadorner. the annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. this text has not been fully proofread approx. 151 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 44 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. earlyprint project evanston,il, notre dame, in, st. louis, mo 2017 a29532 wing b4732 estc r23814 07911995 ocm 07911995 40368 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a29532) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 40368) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 1198:14) three links of a golden chain, or, three of the principal causes of mans salvation viz, god giving his elect unto christ, their coming unto him, his receiving of them, doctrinally opened and practically applied as it was lately delivered unto the church of god at great yarmouth / by john brinsley. brinsley, john, 1600-1665. [5], 81 p. printed by s. griffin for richard tomlins, london : 1659. reproduction of original in the union theological seminary library, new york. eng bible. -n.t. -john vi, 37 -sermons. salvation -sermons. a29532 r23814 (wing b4732). civilwar no three links of a golden chain, or, three of the principal causes of mans salvation viz, god giving his elect unto christ, their coming unto brinsley, john 1659 28149 133 165 0 0 0 0 106 f the rate of 106 defects per 10,000 words puts this text in the f category of texts with 100 or more defects per 10,000 words. 2003-10 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2003-10 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2003-11 emma (leeson) huber sampled and proofread 2003-11 emma (leeson) huber text and markup reviewed and edited 2003-12 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion three links of a golden chain : or , three of the principal causes of mans salvation . viz. god giving his elect unto christ , their coming unto him , his receiving of them . doctrinally opened , and practically applied . as it was lately delivered unto the church of god at great yarmouth . by john brinsley , minister of the gospel there . luk. 14. 17. come , for all things are now ready . london , printed by s. griffin for richard tomlins , and are to be sold at the sign of the bible in pye-corner . 1659. to all that call upon the name of iesus christ in the town of great yarmouth . ( dearly beloved of the lord ) this text being by an unknown hand put into mine , with an earnest request that i would in publick handle the latter part of it , i not knowing what providence there might be in this motion , nor yet where to pitch upon a moro useful subject , undertook the whole verse , which having passed through in the audience of some of you , i do now present to the view of you all . whereunto i have been induced , as for the furtherance of your faith , by pressing and directing that greatest of christian duties , your coming unto jesus christ , so for the confirming and establishing of you in the truth against some of those errors of the times , which having unhappily prevailed in some other places , begin also to creep in amongst you , i mean those of the universalists and free-willers ( as they are vulgarly called . ) against these ( as i have heretofore , and that ( through grace ) not without some successe done against some other ) i have here ( having a just occasion for it from the text ) born witnesse . and to this i shall desire you to hearken , that so you may not be carried away with this wind of doctrine . so i presume to call that doctrine , which is so much cried up this day by some ( and those not a few ) who understand it not , the doctrine of universal redemption . a doctrine at the first hearing very plausible to vulgar apprehensions ( none more ) whilest it pretendeth to elevate , to lift up and magnifie the grace of god , and merit of christ , by such a boundlesse enlarging of them . but upon stricter examen , it will be found guilty of what it is here charged with , of elevating this grace , and this merit , in another sense , derogating from them , and extenuating of them . vpon which ( besides many other just grounds ) let me perswade you to be wary how you hearken to it , or give entertainment to those that bring it , is it not enough for you , or any other ( what is here positively and clearly held forth in this text ) that whosoever they are that come unto jesus christ ( receiving him as their saviour and lord ) they shall be received by him , obtaining from him that great benefit of his death ? this do ye build your souls upon , putting them upon this way , and then my soul for yours , they shall not miscarry . in the mean time , as for any other latitude , or extent of the fathers or sons intentions , whether , and ( if so ) in what way , reaching to all , or confined only to a select company , leave it ( as safely you may ) to the more acute disquisition of the schools , to which there is indulged a liberty of disputing , what being not so easie for vulgar heads to apprehend , is not so safe for them to determine . blessed be god , you have so much of christ , and of gods gracious purpose towards all repenting and believing sinners in and through him clearly , and convincingly held forth unto you , as that you shall not need to trouble your heads about any such dubious intricacies , as are by some ( who , it may be , would seem to be somebody ) presented to you , and with some colour of zeal obtruded upon you under the notion of important truths . let it be my desire and earnest request to you , that you would make much of old truths , those doctrines , which you have received , not lightly and readily receding from any of them , not without clear and s●rong convictions . and among other not from those concerning election and redemption ; which have been so fully vindicated ( as in former ages , so in this last ) by divers eminent , both for learning and true pietie , as ●hat it may well be wondered at , that the bucklers should still be held up against them . this that you may do ( among other ) is one end of my putting this small treatise into your hands : which commending to the blessing of him , who gave it to me , i rest your servant in the lord , john brinsley . great yarmouth , iune 1. an. dom. 1657. three links of a golden chain . john 6. 37. all that the father giveth me shall come unto me ; and him that cometh unto me , i will in no wise cast out . the words are part of a sermon preached by our blessed saviour to some of the iewes in the synagogue , the publick meeting-place for religious worship in capernaum . so much we may learn from the 59th verse of the chapter , [ these things said he in the synagogue , as he taught in capernaum . ] in this sermon he dealeth with these his auditors , as by way of information and instruction , shewing them who , and what himself was , and what their duty was in reference to him , viz. to believe on him , so also by way of objurgation and reprehension , taxing and reproving them ( many of them ) for not doing what was their duty , not believing , not acknowledging him to be what he was , notwithstanding that they had seen him and his works , been eye-witnesses of the admirable effects of his divine power , as in that miracle which a little before he had wrought , the multiplying of loaves and fishes , so in many other . this he chargeth upon them in the verse next before the text , v. 36. [ but i said unto you , that ye also have seen me , and believe not . ] but how came this to pass , that they should be so blind , so stupid , as seeing what they did , yet not to acknowledge him to be what he was , not to believe on him ? for this we have a reason subjoyned in the words which i have now pitched upon . thus it was with them , in as much as they were not in the number of those that were given to him by his father . which if they had been , there would have been other terms betwixt him and them than then there were : they would have come unto him after another manner than now they did ; non tantùm pedibus . sed & affectibus , not only with the feet of their bodies , but also of their soules , receiving and embracing him ; which if they had done , he would have been as ready to do the like to them . [ all that my father giveth me shall come unto me ; and him that cometh unto me i wil in no wise cast out . so expositors generally , almost universally ( as the jesuite maldonate , though against his will , taketh notice of it ) conceive of the coherence and dependance of these words with and upon the former . going along with them , take we notice in them of three particulars , three things worthy the taking notice of , being ( as it were ) three of the principal hinges upon which our eternal happiness depends and hangs , three links of that golden chain ( as our mr. perinks calls the order of the causes of mans salvation . ) the first whereof is gods gracious donation , his giving some amongst the sons of men to his son christ [ all that the father giveth me . ] the second , mans effectual vocation , his bringing home to christ [ all that the father giveth me , shall come unto me . ] the third , christs ready acceptation , his receiving and imbracing those who are thus given to him , and thus come to him [ and him that cometh unto me , i will in no wise cast out . ] answerably to which particulars we may draw forth the text into three doctrinal propositions or conclusions . 1. there are some among the sons of men given by god the father unto his son christ . 2. all those who are so given , shall come unto him . 3. those who so come he will in no wise cast out . three doctrines of great importance : let me crave your best attentions whilest i deal with them severally . begin with the first . there are some among the sons of men given by god the father unto his son christ . ] all that the father giveth me ( saith the text . so then , there are some that are given to christ by his father . ob. some ( you may say ) given to him by his father ? what , were not all things his before ? christ being the son , had not he an equal interest in all things with his father ? ans. yes , he had so , as god ▪ upon this account we find them making claim to an universal interest in whatever his father had , iohn 16. 15. all things that the father hath are mine . christ being the eternal son of god by generation , he communicateth with him , as in his essence , so in all his properties , and interests . all thine are mine , and mine are thine ( saith he to his father ) iohn 17. 10. but here in the text we are to look upon him as mediator , as god-man . and so we shall find him in the capacity of a receiver ; receiving whatever he hath from his father . thus he is said to have received life from him , ioh. 5. 26. as the father hath life in himself , so hath he given to the son to have life in himself ; that is , to be the fountain and well-spring of eternal life . and in like manner he hath received authority and power from him . the father hath given him authority to execute judgment , because he is the son of man . ( so it there followeth in the next verse ) v. 27. as the son of god he hath authoritie in and of himself ; but as the son of man he receiveth it from his father . the power which he hath as mediator , is a delegated power , given to him . all power is given to me in heaven and ●arth , mat. 28. 18. given to him by his father . thou hast given him power over all flesh , john 17. 2. and thus giving ●ower and authority to this his son , he also giveth unto him some to be his subjects , over whom he may exercise that authority . all that the father giveth me ( saith the text ) so then there are some who are given by god the father unto his son christ as mediator . obj. but the question still runs on ; what , only some ? are not all so given to him as mediator ? all men , yea and all other creatures ? ans. yes , in a general way they are so , given to him as to a soveraign lord , to be ordered and disposed of by him as it pleaseth him . the father loveth the son , and hath given all things into his hand : ( so iohn the baptist tells the iewes ) john 3. 35. and our saviour himself taketh notice of the same ; iesus knowing that the father had given all things into his hand , john 13. 3. all thing●s are delivered me of my father , mat. 11. 27. thus , as all other creatures , so all the sons of men are given unto him . but there are some among them who are given to him in a more peculiar way , to special ends and purposes , that they may be to him {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} , a peculiar people ( as they are called , tit. 2. 14. ) given to him not only as a soveraign , but a saviour , not only to be governed , but saved by him . thus are all , and only gods elect given unto christ by his father . they being first the fathers , he then giveth them to his son christ . mark it ; two particulars . the former of which here is implyed , the latter expressed . 1. they are gods , god the fathers , how else should he give them to another , to his son ? so are all the sons of men in a general way . being his creatures , they are in his hands to be disposed of as i● pleaseth him . clay in the hands of the potter ▪ that is the similitude made use of by the prophet ieremie to set forth the absoluteness of gods power in disposing of nations , jer. 18. 6. behold , as the clay in the potters hand , so are ye in my hand , , o house of israel . and the apostle maketh like use of it to set forth the same absolute power of god in disposing of all particular-persons , as to their eternal estates , rom. 9. 21. hath not the potter power of his clay ( saith he ) of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour , and another unto dishonour ? to make some vessels for honourable services , for state and ornament , or to eat and drink in , others for base and servile uses . such an absolute power hath god over all the sons of men . they being all one lump , all alike corrupted in adam , equal sharers in his transgression , and alike heires of his corruption , god looking upon them in that estate , it was now in his power , and at his choise to destinate and appoint them to several ends , some to everlasting life , others to everlasting shame and contempt . even as a prince ( it is musculus's comparison , writing upon the text ) having a company of rebels & traitors in custody , all alike guilty of death , he pardoneth some of them , receiving them ( it may be ) into grace and favour , whilest in the mean time he leaveth others to the law , to receive the just reward of their rebellion . and who shall herein charge him with injustice ? even such is gods dealing with the sons of men in respect of their eternal estates . they being all involved in the transgression of their first parent , sinning in him , and so alike guilty of death , he leaveth some to receive their just demerits , whilest he maketh others the objects , not only of his mercy , but also of his grace and favour ; which he hath done meerly out of his own will . i will have mercy on whom i will shew mercy , and i will have compassion on whom i will have compassion . so paul citeth that of moses , exo. 33. 19. rom. 9. 15. thus hath god an absolute power and liberty to dispose of all the sons of men , as to their eternal estates , looking upon them in that corrupt mass , that lapsed condition . yea , shall we rise higher , and with the supralapsarians ( as some at this day , from their difference in judgment from others about this point , are called ) and look upon man in his pure naturals , as not yet fallen , meerly as gods creature , simply and absolutely considered ; yet here shall we find that which will sufficiently vindicate god in his proceedings and dealings with him . it was the plea of that housholder in the gospel , when some of his labourers whom he had hired into his vineyard , quarrelled with him about the unequal distribution of their wages , what ( saith he ) is it not lawful for me to do what i will with mine own ? mat. 20. 1● . so do men look upon that which they have a property in , they make account they have power and liberty to dispose of it as it pleaseth them . and so indeed they justly might , were that property absolute ( which none of the son● of men have in whatever they enjoy . ) now such is the interest which god hath with all the sons of men , who being his creatures , live and move , and have their being in and from him , he hath an absolute property in them ; and consequently an absolute power over them , so as he may dispose of them , not only in regard of their temporal , but eternal estates , as it pleaseth him . and out of this plenitude of power it is , that he electeth some , whilest he rejecteth others ; chooseth some to be vessels of mercy , predestinating them to obtain salvation , whilest he passeth by others by a negativ ▪ reprobation , or praeterition , leaving them to themselves , and by a positive reprobation ordering them to just condemnation for sin . therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy , and whom he will he hardeneth ( so the apostle concludes it ) rom. 9. 18. they are the former sort of these we have now to deal with , gods elect people , who ( as i said ) may be called his people , and that upon a special , a peculiar account . the lord knoweth them that are his ( his by election ) 2 tim. 2. 19. ( saith our saviour , speaking to his father of his apostles ) iohn 17. 6. thine , not by a pious kind of disposition ( as grotius fouly corrupteth that text ) but by a gracious pre-election . and such are all those who are given to christ to believe on him , and to be saved by him ; they are gods chosen ones , a chosen generation ( as st. peter hath it , 1 ▪ pet. 2. 9. ) chosen by him out of the world before the world was . as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world , eph. 1. 4. and thus are they his people . even as the peopl● of israel were in an outward and visible way , whom moses tells , deut. 7. 6. thou art an holy people unto the lord thy god ; the lord thy god hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself . so are all gods elect ones , in an inward and invisible way . god having set a special love upon them , and chosen them , they are his people . and being thus his by election , now ( in the third place ) in order to the executing and bringing to pass his gracious purpose towards them , he giveth them to his sonne christ . thine they were , and thou gavest them to me , ( saith our saviour there of his apostles ) ioh. 17. 6. and so is it with all those who are ordained to eternal life , being god the fathers by election , he giveth them unto his son christ . so we find believers frequently described ; as in the verse next but one after the text , v. 39. this is the fathers will which hath sent me , that of all that he hath given me i should lose nothing . and so in that 17. of iohn , the disciples are divers times set forth under that periphrasis [ those whom thou hast given me ] v. 9 , 11 , 12. and so all other believers , all that then did , or afterwards should believe on him ; of them speaketh the 24th . v. father , i will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me . all believers are given to christ . quest . but how are they said so to be ? ans. to this it may be answered ; they may be said so to be two wayes , intentionally , and actually . intentionally before time ; actually in time . 1. before time , in gods eternal purpose and decree . in his decree of election . god ordaining them to the end , to obtain salvation , ordaineth them also to the meanes , giving them unto his son christ , choosing them in him . so saith the apostle in tha● text forecited , eph. 14. as he hath chosen us in him . {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} in christ , whom god his father constituted and appointed to be ( as it were ) the head and root of the election , into whom his elect people were by his decree ( as it were ) ingrafted ( as all mankind by nature was into the sixst adam ) that so they might be made partakers of those saving benefits by and through him , of grace here , and glory hereafter , as before all men were of sin and death brought in by the first adam . thus they are given to christ before time . 2. in time , in the execution of that decree , when they are brought actually to believe on christ , to receive him as their saviour and lord . behold , i , and the children whom the lord hath given me , saith christ speaking of his disciples ( as that text is by many expounded ) isa. 8. 18. and upon this account our saviour saith of his apostles in some of those texts forecited , iohn 17. 9 , 11. that they were given to him by his father , viz. actually given to bel●eve on him , to follow him , to own and acknowledge him for their lord and master . quest . now of which of these shall we understand our saviour here to speak in the text ? ans. here expositors are not all agreed ; some understanding it of the latter of these . so grotius , who interprets it of an effectual giving , gods preparing men for christ , and working faith in them , in such ( saith he ) as have a precious disposition thereunto . and so carthusian conceives it may be here looked upon ; all that he giveth me ] i. e. ( saith he ) such as by his secret inspiration he inclineth to come unto me . and so maldonate , and some other romish commentators would have it . but this were to confound these two parts of the text , gods gracious donation , with mans effectual vocation , his giving with mans coming , which are here set forth as two distinct acts , the one of them antecedaneous to the other , going before , as in order , so in time ▪ all that the father giveth me shall come unto me ▪ gods giving goeth before mans believing . others there are who put both together , gods election before time , and his calling in time : so gorran . but others , and that more rightly , restrain it rather to the fo●mer of these , gods giving before time in his decree of election . so our protestant divines generally look upon it , not without the co●sent of some romanists . and with them i shall choose to go along , as i assure my self i warrantably may , hereby understanding ( as judicious diodate , and our own annotator● have it ) all gods elect ; who are given unto christ by god his father before they come to him , before they actually believe on him . and hence it is that our saviour speaking of the elect among the gentiles , he calleth them his sheep , john 10. 16. other sheep have i which are not of this fold , them also must i bring , and they shall hear my voice , though as yet they were not come into his fold , they did not own him for their shepherd , yet he had an interest in them , they were his sheep , given to him by god his father . quest . and wherefore did god thus give his elect people unto christ ? ans. here , for further illustration i might shew you the several ends of his donation ; the principal whereof is , that he might be a prince and a saviour unto them saving and delivering them out of the hand ; of all their enemies , sin , satan , hell , death , and bringing them to everlasting life . this is the fathers will which hath sent me , that of all which he hath given me i should lose nothing , but should raise it up again at the last day , john 6. 39. thou hast given him power over all flesh , that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him , john 17. 2. these are the principal ends , to which there are many other that are subordinate : god giveth his elect unto christ , that he may perform unto them that three-fold office , of a prophet , a priest , a king . a prophet , to make known to them the mind and will of his heavenly father . a priest , to reconcile them unto god by his death , and to keep them in grace and favour with him by his intercession ▪ a king , to govern them as his subjects in his kingdom of grace , and afterwards to bring them to reign as kings with himself in his kingdom of glory . but i shall not give way to any further inlargements upon this subject , remembring that this first proposition is here only implyed . make some application of it . which ( in the first place ) may be directed by way of information . in which way it may be useful to us for the rectifying and setling of our judgments in some controverted points concerning those two great doctrines of election and redemption . 1. touching election , we may here take notice of divers particulars . 1. that it is not vniversal , of all mankind . which if it were , it were no election . the very word [ election ] importeth and signifieth a separating and culling of some from the rest . elegit qui è multis aliquos legit . to choose , is to take some out of many . and such is gods election ; his choosing of some out of the world of mankind , and giving them to his son christ to be saved by him . all that the father giveth me ( saith the text ) clearly intimating that all were not given unto him , but a part , a select company , some out of mankind . election is not vniversal . true indeed , there is ( as augustine somewhere saith ) inter electos specialis quaedam universitas , a kind of special universality among gods elect , in as much as they are gathered out of all conditions of persons , in all nations , through all the ages of the world , out of which is made up this {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} , this all here in the text . but yet this all is but some , some among mankind . election is only of some . 2. and that ( 2ly ) of some particular individual persons . this arminians ( at least some of them ) deny , making election to be only axiomatical , not personal , a choosing and designing of the meanes not of the persons . god hath ( say they ) made choise of the way and meanes to bring men to salvation by , viz. by believing on his son jesus christ ; and he hath ordained , that who so they are that shall apply themselves to the use of ●hat meanes , they shall be saved . but the text here speaketh more , all that the father giveth me . ] clearly intimating a personal election , a giving of some individual persons unto christ . hence was it that some of these capernaites , some among the rest , did not believe on him , as some others did , because they were not given to him as those others were . they were such as god had no such gracious purpose towar●ds ; they did not belong to his election of grace . election is not vniversal , nor yet only axiomatical and indefinite . 3. nor yet ( in the third place ) simply conditional . so again arminians would have it ; that men should be elected upon the condition pf their believing and persevering ; so as it resteth in their power to null and make void the decree . but the text here speaketh it otherwise . telling us that those whom god electeth , he giveth unto his son christ ; giveth them unto him , not if they shall believe on him , but that they may believe on him , and so be saved by him . 4. again , election is not only to the end , but also to the meanes . god electing his people unto life , he by the same decree giveth them unto christ , that they by believing on him , may be saved by him , so ordaining them to the means as well as the end . this for election , which being the first link in the golden chain , the first and main wheel in the work of mans salvation , the first in the order of the causes thereof , must be set right , rightly apprehended , otherwise the other links or wheels , the subordinate causes will not rightly and orderly follow . in the second place , make we the like observation touching the doctrine of redemption , that it is not any more universal than election . so indeed some , and not a few , at this day would have it , who cry up this doctrine , as if it were the very basis and ground-work of all religion , that christ died , and died alike for all . but how will this comply and agree with this text ? where our saviour speaketh of a certain select company , which were given to him by his father . all that the father giveth me ; ] clearly intimating that there were some among mankind whom god having a gracious purpose towards , gave them to his son christ , that he should undertake for them , do what he did for them , that he should be a surety for them , making satisfaction for them , redeeming them . such was the fathers intention , his will ; not that christ should die for all ; if so , he would have given all to him , but for some . and this will christ came to perform . in the volume of thy book it is written of me , loe , i come to do thy will o god , heb. 10. 7. i came down from heaven not to do mine own will , but the will of him that sent me ( saith he in the verse after the text , v 38. ) that is , to redeem and save those , all those , and only those , whom god my father hath given me . thus it is ( as divines justly determine it ) the work of the son in redemption , doth not exceed the work of the father in election . such is the order of working betwixt the persons in the trinity , as of being ; the son being from the father , worketh from him . this he doth as the son of god ; and the like he doth as the son of man , as mediator . his work was to do his fathers work . i have finished the work which thou gavest me to do ( saith he to his father ) ioh. 4. 17. now what that work was we have seen , viz. he had imployed himself for the good and benefit of those whom his father had given him , for whom he was now ready to lay down his life . so then , redemption is not vniversal . as for those texts which seem to speak it so , they admit of a fair construction consistent with this truth . as that of the apostle , 1 tim. 2. 6. where it is said , that christ gave himself a ransom for all . {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} , that is , for this [ all ] here in the text , all those whom his father had given him ; who are elsewhere called many , mat. 20. 28. the son of man came to give his life a ransom for many ; viz. his elect : who are also elsewhere called a world , 2 cor. 5. 19. god was in christ reconciling the world unto himself ; that is , the world of his elect , made up of iewes and gentiles . and so look we upon the text , which of all other ( as our last translation renders it ) seemeth to speak most fully for the adversary . heb. 2. 9. where it is said of christ , that he by the grace of god tasted death for every man . {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} , for all , that is , still , for this {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} , this all herein the text , all and every one whom his father had bestowed upon him ( as diodate rightly expounds it . ) thus doth this word [ all ] here , as sometimes elsewhere , denote the universality , not of mankind , but of gods elect. for them it was , and only for them that christ intentionally died . i lay down my life for my sheep , saith the obvious text , ioh. 10. 15. which ( whatever evasions are sought out to elude it ) speaks this truth so clearly , so fully , as putteth it beyond contradiction , whilest it restraineth the intent on of christ , in laying down his life , unto a select company , his sheep , viz. those that were given him by his father . which truth being thus bottomed , i desire you to take notice of , that you may not be carried away with that wind of doctrine , that plausible error which is so taking with many at this day , who cry up the doctrine of universal redemption as the most comfortable truth , and glorious doctrine that can be held forth , tending highly ( as they apprehend ) to the magnifying of the grace and mercy of god , and merit of christ , which are thus extended unto all . but herein how are they mistaken ? in thus extending this grace , how do they extenuate it ? of all doctrines i know none that in truth more derogates from this grace of god in christ , than this ; whilest it asserts alike respect to all , that all being alike given to christ by his father , are alike owned by him ; the redemption and salvation of all alike intended by both , of esau as of iacob , of iudas as of peter , so as the one is not more beholding to god and iesus christ than the other . this ( whatever any may conceive ) is in truth no small derogation from , and extenuation of this grace , which being confined ( as it ought to be ) to a narrower channel , riseth higher . being restrained only to a certain number , a small number ( comparatively ) of gods elect , it is thereby rendred the more glorious . and so let it be in the eyes of all the lords people , to whom god hath evidenced and made known this his gracious purpose , that they are in the number of those whom he hath thus given to his son christ , let them give unto him the glory of this his grace , free grace . such it was , as i have shewen you : all men being alike in adam , in the same state and condition by nature , all alike children of wrath , that god should single out some , some few , to make them objects of his grace , ingrafting them into another stock , the stock of the second adam , giving them unto his son christ , to be reconciled , redeemed , and saved by him , whilest he passed by others , the greatest part , leaving them to themselves , to work out their own everlasting condemnation , and to receive the just reward of their demerits ; this he did meerly out of his own good pleasure , his free grace , there being no other motive out of himself that might induce him to it : let him then have the glory of it from all those who apprehend their interest in it . let them acknowledge the freenesse . and as the freeness , so the greatnesse of it , admiring and adoring it , blessing and magnifying god for it . blessed be the god and father of our lord iesus christ , who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places ( or things ) in christ ; according as he hath chosen us in him , eph. 1. 3 , 4. indeavouring to express their thankfulness unto him , by walking answerably thereunto , living to the praise and glory of god and iesus christ . this is that which the apostle presseth upon his corinthians , 1 cor. 6. 19 , 20 ye are not your own , &c. therefore glorifie god in your body , and in your spirit , which are gods . and so let me press it upon you all you , who lay any claim to an interest in this blessed priviledge , of being thus given to christ . know you now that ye are no longer your own , at your own dispose , so as to serve what masters you please ; no , you are christs . so paul tells those his corinthians , 1 cor. 3. 23. ye are christs . and so are all believers ; and that by a double right , as of purchase ( of which he there speaketh in that former text , ye are bought with a price , the blood of christ ) so of donation , being given unto him by god his father . and being thus his , now live to him . none of us liveth to himself , and no man dieth to himself ( saith the same apostle , rom. 14. 7 , 8. speaking de jure , what christians ought to do ; ) for whether we live we live unto the lord , or whether we die we die unto the lord . and o that all of us may thus live and thus die ; not to our selves , but to iesus christ , shewing our selves his loyal subjects , and obedient servants in our lives , seeking his honour and glory , and then yielding up our selves unto him in our death , being ready to die for him , if he should call us to that service . this let all of us do who expect any benefit by him , and that , as upon the account of what christ himself hath done for us , in redeeming us , so of what god the father hath done for us , in giving us unto him . thus i have done with the first of these propositions , which holdeth forth unto us this gracious donation , gods giving of his elect people unto christ . come we now to the second , which informes us that all those who are thus given unto christ by his father , they shall come unto him . ] here is the second proposition , which sets forth unto us mans effectual vocation following upon gods election , as an undoubted consequent of it . so the apostle sets it forth in that known text , rom. 8. 30. whom he did predestinate , them also he called . which in effect speaketh the same thing with this of our saviour here [ all that the father giveth me shall come unto me . ] quest . how come unto him ? ans. for the explicating of the phrase , we may take notice of a two-fold coming unto christ ( even as there is a two-fold calling ) the one outward and formal , the other inward and real . 1. there is an outward and formal coming unto christ , which is common to all that make a profession of his name . thus do hypocrites and formal professors come unto him , who being led and drawn by some sinister respects , hold forth this profession . thus did these capernaites here come unto christ , they flocked to him , and followed after him . but wherefore was it ? not out of any true respect they had to his person or doctrine , but for some outward advantage which they expected from him , viz. that they might be fed by him . so he himself , who knew their thoughts and intentions , chargeth it upon them , v. 26. of this chapter [ ye seek me not because ye saw the miracles , but because ye did eat of the loaves . ] it was not his doctrine , or works , that they regarded , but their own bellies . and in such a way there are many that come unto christ , who were never given to him by his father ; even all carnal gospellers , who profest themselves the followers of jesus christ , take upon them the profession of his name , but it is not ou● of any true inward respects which they have unto him , but out of some by and sinister ends for their own credit or profit , or for fashion-sake . such followers christ had many in the dayes of his flesh . and many such he hath wherever he cometh , wherever his gospel is preached . but let we these go as they come ; not owned by god before they come , nor any more owned for this their coming . 2. in the second place there is a coming to christ , which is inward and real . when men come to him non tantùm pedibus , sed & affectibus ; not only with the outward , but inward man ; come to him with their hearts and soules , out of an inward respect and entire affection which they bear unto him . thus did some of his followers , his disciples , at this time come unto him , looking upon him as the bread of life . and thus do all true believers come unto him , who come to him as a saviour and a lord , receiving him , believing on him . this is the coming of which our saviour here speaketh in the text . all that the father giveth me shall come unto me ] that is , believe on me . so the 35th verse explaines it . he that cometh unto me shall never hunger , and he that believeth on me shall never thirst ; ] where the latter word is exegetical and expository to the former . to come unto christ ▪ is to believe on him . such is faith ; as it is the eye , and hand , and mouth , so also the foot of the soul . as the eye , whereby the soul beholdeth christ , looketh up unto him , as they did to their brazen serpent ; and the hand , whereby it taketh hold of him ; and the mouth , whereby it feedeth on him , eateth his flesh , and drinketh his blood ; so the foot , whereby it cometh unto him , cometh to him as to a saviour and redeemer , expecting salvation only by and through him , desiring to have union and communion with him . this it is to believe on christ , and this it is to come unto him . a metaphorical expression , fitly setting forth the nature of faith , saving , justifying faith . which is ( as i said ) a coming of the soul unto christ . even as those patients of his of whom we read in the gospel , feeling their own infirmities , and hearing of his fame , and expecting to partake of the like benefit from him that others had done , they come unto him , casting themselves down at his feet , imploring his aid , some of them touching him , as that haemorrhoisse , that woman with the bloody issue is said to have done , who coming behind him touched the hem of his garment ( which she did , as with her finger , so with her faith ) by which meanes she drew from him that sanative vertue by which she was healed , mat. 9. 20. even thus doth the soul come unto christ by faith ; being made sensible of its own wretched condition by reason of sin , and apprehending the fulnesse that is in christ , fulness of merit , and fulness of spirit , whereby he is able to work a perfect cure for it , by taking away both the guilt and power of sin , and procuring eternal salvation for it , now , renouncing all other confidences , i● betaketh it self unto him as to an alone all-sufficient saviour , laying hold upon him , ●esting upon him , that so it may be made par●aker of his merits , his benefits . this it is ●o come unto christ , thus to believe on him . and thus do they come unto him who are given to him by his father . they , all they , and only they , both comprehended in this word , [ all ] all that my father giveth me shall come unto me . [ all that ] {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} , a word of the neuter gender , omne , or quicquid , all or whatever . which some look upon as emphatical , importing more exactly an vniversality than the masculine gender would . all , whatever ] that is , not only iewes , but gentiles ( whose conversion cyril conceives to be hereby insinuated ) and that not a few of them , but many . but we shall not need to stand upon this criticism . look we upon the word , as the generality of expositors do ; the neuter gender here put for the masculine , which we shal find to be an usual enallagie in scripture . grotius here giveth us two instances for it . the one , 1 cor. 1. 27. where the apostle speaking of weak and unwise persons ( such as the world accounts so ) he calls them {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} , and {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} , the foolish things , and weak things of the world . the other , rev. 21. last , where , speaking of the new ierusalem , it is said , there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth . {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} , no common , or unclean thing , i. e. no impure and unsanctified persons . so here , all that , or every thing , that is , every person , of what nation , sex , quality , and condition soever ; whether jew or gentile , male or female , bond or free , rich or poor . of such extent is the decree of gods election , as also of christs redemption , tho●gh neither of them vniversal as to singula generum , all particular persons , yet both of them so as to genera singulorum , all sorts of persons . there is neither iew nor greek ( that is , neither iew nor gentile ) there is neither bond or free , there is neither male nor female , for ye are all one in christ iesus , gal. 3. 28. these make some difference as to men , not so to god and iesus christ . as the father hath elected , so the son hath redeemed some out of all these . thou hast redeemed us to god by thy blood out of every kindred , and tongue , and people , and nation ( so sing the 24. elders ) rev. 5. 9. of such latitude and extent is this [ all ] here in the text , of which our saviour ●aith , all that my father giveth me shall come unto me . shall come ] and that certainly . so our saviour here layeth it down , not as a probable , but as a certain , an indubitable truth . {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} , ad me veniet . not , venire potest , or veniat ; not he may come , or let him come , but he shall come ; asserting and concluding it as a most certain thing . quest . but how cometh it so to be ? how cometh it to pass that there should be such a certainty herein , that all and every of those who are thus given to christ , should thus come unto him , that all that are elected should believe on him ? ans. for answer , know that we are not to expect any ground or reason hereof in and from themselves ; as if there were any thing in their natural dispositions that should incline them hereunto rather than others . as if they were of themselves wiser than others to know what belonged to their eternal wellfare . no , herein all are alike . gods elect before their conversion , are no wiser than others . we our selves also were sometimes foolish ( saith the apostle ) tit. 3. 3. {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} , without understanding . non intelligentes rerum divinarum ( as grotius well explaines it ) having no understanding in divine matters . so was it with the then believing gentiles , at whom the apostle is conceived there principally to have an eye . but not only with them , but with the iewes also . paul ( though before his conversion as intelligent as most of his time ) yet he rankes himself in the number . {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} , we . and so is it with all the elect people of god , before his grace come to put a difference betwixt them and others , there is no difference as to their understanding in divine and heavenly mysteries . and as for wordly wisedom , if there be a difference , commonly it lieth on the other side . god hath chosen the foolish things of the world ( saith the apostle in that text even now cited ) 1 cor. 1. 27. {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} , for {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} , foolish things of the world , that is , foolish persons , so accounted in and of the world . and in the verse there foregoing he tells us , v. 26. not many wise men after the flesh , are called to believe on christ , men worldly wise . herein those who are given to christ , they sometimes , oft-times , fall short of others . how is it then that they come unto him , whilest others keep off from him , being strangers or enemies to him ? ans. 2. the ground and reason hereof , being thus wholly out of themselves , we shall find it partly in god the father , and partly in his son christ . in god the father , who hath 1. decreed it , given them to christ by his eternal decree . now gods decrees are ( like as is said of those lawes of the medes and persians ) unchangeable . unalterable . i am the lord , i change not , mal. 3. 6. men are mutable ( the best and wisest of them ) they change and alter their purposes upon second thoughts . so doth not god . his counsel shall stand , isa. 46. 10. so shall this his eternal counsel , his decree of election . the foundation of god standeth sure , saith the apostle speaking of this decree , which is the first ground-work of mans salvation layed by god himself , 2 tim. 2. 19. {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} , a sure and steady foundation , not to be shaken , much less overturned . gods decrees being passed , must come to passe . thus it is , even in things wherein there is the greatest contingencie as to secondary causes , yet if we look at this first cause , there is a necessity in that contingencie . things must happen as they do . all that are given unto christ by god his father , must , and shall come to him ; the absolutenesse of gods decree requires it should be so . 2. and ( 2ly ) as god hath decreed it , so he effecteth it . having elected some to salvation by christ , he doth not only propound and offer christ unto them , so leaving it to the liberty of their own will , whether they will come unto him , believe on him , or no ; but he causeth them to come unto him , drawing them . no man cometh unto me ( saith our saviour ) except the father , which hath sent me , draw him , v. 44. of this chapter ; that is , powerfully and effectually work upon him . for so we are to understand the word there . not as if god did offer any violence to any in bringing them to christ , in forcing them to come to him against their wills . no , as the will of man cannot be forced ( which if it should be , it should cease to be a will ) so neither doth god work upon any in the work of conversion in any such way ; but in a sweet and swasory way , congruous and agreeable to their liberty and nature , drawing them with the cords of a man ( as the prophet hath it , hos. 11. 4. ) yet powerfully and effectually , of unwilling making them willing . so much the word in the text imports , {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} , shall come , viz. willingly . and thus doth god the father work upon all those whom he hath given to his son christ , all his elect people , making them willing to believe on him . which he doth by revealing him unto them , and in them . thus was paul ( that chosen vessel ) as he is called , acts 9. 15. ) brought unto christ . when it pleased god to reveal his son in me ( saith he ) gal. 1. 16. {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} , not only by me ( as some have construed it ) or yet to me , but in me , that is , ( as beza , after the greek scholiasts , explaines it ) by an inward and effectual revelation , not only to his ear , but to his heart . the like doth god to all his elect people , having by his decree given them to christ before time ; he thus revealeth him to them , and in them in time , teaching and instructing them by his word and spirit . by his word outwardly , by his spirit inwardly ▪ and so teaching them , he draweth them , sweetly overpowering their wills , making them willing to come unto him . so our saviour himself giveth the reason of it , v. 45. of this chapter . it is written in the prophets , and they shall all be taught of god ( all gods elect ) every man therefore that hath heard , and hath learned of the father , cometh unto me . gods elect , whom he hath in his eternal decree given to his son christ , being thus effectually taught of him by his word and spirit , revealing christ to them and in them , now they come unto him . this it is that maketh the decree to bring forth , even gods effectual operation , in calling those whom he hath predestinated , as the forecited text hath it , rom ▪ 8. 30. whom he predestinated , them also he called . ] called , not only outwardly by his word , for so many are called who were never chosen ( as our saviour declareth it , mat. 20. 16. ) but inwardly , causing them to believe on his son . thus doth god call all those whom he hath predestinated , working faith in them . which is his gift . by grace ye are saved through faith , and that not of your selves , it is the gift of god , eph. 2. 8. it ] as salvation it self , so that faith whereby men are saved , it is the gift of god . though it be in them , yet not of them . both habit and act are from god . to you it is given not only to believe ( saith paul to his philippians , intimating that this was given them ) phil. 1. 29. this is his gift , and his work . this is the work of god , that ye believe on him whom he hath sent ( so our saviour tells the iewes , v. 29. of this 6th of iohn . ) tò {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} , the work of god , not only required and commanded of him , but also wrought by him ( as our new annotator explaines it . ) which it is in all his elect ; this being not only a consequent , but a fruit , depending upon , and issuing from their election . as many as were ordained to eternal life , believed , acts 13. 48. god ordaining to the end ( salvation ) he ordaineth also unto the meanes , which is faith in jesus christ . and having ordained to it , he worketh it ; so bringing them to christ whom he hath given to him . and thus you see how the certainty of this event , of all gods elect coming to christ , depends upon god the father , upon his will and work ; his will in appointing them , his work in causing them to believe on him . 2. and ( in the second place ) as god the father hath a special efficiency in this , so also hath god the son , his son christ , who being of counsel with his father as god , as mediator he seeth to execution of his counsels ; specially of this his great counsel , touching the salvation of his elect people , who being given unto christ , they are known to him , 2 tim. 2. 19. the lord ( the lord christ ) knoweth them that are his ; viz. by election . so was paul , though then a persecutor , yet he was known to christ to be a chosen vessel . he is a chosen vessel unto me ( so he tells ananias concerning him ) acts 9. 15. and so are all others , though before their conversion not known to others , nor yet to themselves that they are given to christ , yet they are known to him . and being known to him , he taketh care of them , and that first to bring them home unto himself , to bring them as subjects into his kingdom , as sheep into his fold . other sheep have i which are not of this fold , and them also must i bring , and they shall hear my voice , saith he , meaning his elect among the gentiles , whom he would in his time bring into his kingdome of grace , causing them to believe on him . and so dealeth he by all those who are given him by his father . they being by nature all of them lost sheep , wandring in the by-paths of sin , leading to destruction , not having so much as an animum revertendi , any disposition , any inclination of returning , of coming unto christ the shepherd of their souls , he seeketh them . the son of man is come to seek and to save that which is lost , mat. 18. 11. poor lost sinners . such jesus christ came to seek . and being in heaven , he hath now an eye to them , such among them as are given unto him . whilest they do not seek after him , yet he seeketh after them , drawing them to himself . this doth god the father , ( as you have heard . ) and thus also doth christ . when i am lift up ( saith he ) i will draw all men unto me , john 12. 32. christ being lift up , first upon the crosse , then upon the throne , set at the right hand of his father , he then saith he would draw all men to himself . what he had before done to the iewes , he would now do to iewes and gentiles , drawing his elect out of both , bringing them to believe on him . this he hath in all ages done . but now under the gospel he doth it more vigorously than ever , by setting up his standard , holding forth himself in the preaching of the gospel , and withall sending forth his spirit , which accompanying the word , maketh it effectual . thus is iesus christ as the loadstone to the iron , by a secret vertue , the vertue of his spirit attracting his elect people ; who being thus drawn by him , do now willingly come unto him . draw me , and we will run after thee ( saith the church unto christ , cant , 1. 4. promising a willingness in all her members to follow him upon his putting forth his effectual power in them . ) and upon this ground also it may be concluded , that all those who are given to christ by his father , they shall come unto him . all they . and ( secondly ) only they . so much is here implyed : this being here rendred as the reason why these capernaites did not come unto christ , did not believe on him , ) because they were not given to him by his father . ye have seen me and beleive not , how so ? why all that the father giveth me shall come unto me ] . all they , and only they . of which number whilest ye are not , i cannot wonder that ye do as you do , stand out against me , not coming into me , not believing on me . a thing which none but those who are given to christ by god his father will or shall ever do . quest . and why not ? ans. the ground hereof you have heard it already . this is gods work , which man cannot do of himself . no not so much as will to come unto christ . it is god that worketh in you both to will and to do ( saith our apostle to his philippians . ) phil. 2. 13. as the act of faith , so much more the habit , is gods work his gift . and this gift he bestoweth only upon his elect thence is it called their faith ; the faith of gods elect. tit. 1. 1. so called , not because thereby men are made gods elect , dear unto him ( as grotius fouly perverts that text ) but because it is peculiar unto gods elect , saving faith being wrought only i● them , the doctrine of faith , the gospel , being really imbraced only by them . as for others , being left to themselves , they will not , they cannot come unto christ , believe on him . no man cometh unto me except the father that sent me draw him ? except he put forth that effectuall power of his , which he doth not for any but those upon whom he hath set a peculiar love , his elect ones . but i shall dwell no longer upon the doctrinal part come we to make some application of this truth . which let it be directed ( as the former ) first by way of information : and so it may serve . 1. to confirm what was before declared touching those doctrines of election and redemption , that neither of them is vniversal . so much calvin rightly inferrs from hence . quum dicit venire quicquid datur , inde colligimus non omnes dari . whereas christ here saith , that all that are given to him shall come unto him . from hence we may conclude ( saith he ) that all are not given to him , elected in him to be redeemed by him , in as much as all do not come to him ; which were they so given to him , they should certainly do . an argument so convincing , as i know not what can be more . 2. in the second place , take we notice from hence , that god doth not pred●stinate upon the foresight of faith . so arminians would have it , that god foreseeing who they are that will come unto christ , receive him , believe on him , he thereupon predestinateth them to obtain salvation by him . but this text speaks it otherwise , making their coming to christ not the ground or cause of gods predestination , but the fruit and consequent of it . all that the father giveth me . ( viz. by way of predestination ) shall come unto me , to believe on me . thus are gods elect predestinated to believe , not because they believe . 3. again ( in the third place ) take we notice from hence , that faith is not left as a contingent thing , left to the liberty of mens will , whether they will believe or no . but it is determined who they are that shall believe , viz. they , all they , and only they , who are given to christ by his father : all , and only gods elect , who being given to christ before time , they shall certainly come to him in time ; believe on him . all they , and only they . but here before i go any further , let me cover the pit which some may think i have now opened . vindicating this doctrine from some misconstructions which some possibly be ready to make of it . of these i shall take notice of two or three . obj. 1. is it so that all and only they shall come unto christ , whom god his father hath given to him ? doth not this then excuse those who do not come unto him ? may not they justly take up this for their plea , that they were never given to him ? ans. to this i find divers answers returned ( as by chrysostome , ( who moveth this doubt ) so by some others , which i shall not trouble you with . in brief ( for i do not intend to inlarge upon any of these controversies ) let it suffice . this can be no just plea for those who shall take it up and make use of it , in as what herein they do , they do it willingly . their rejecting and refusing of christ being offered and tendered unto them , is in them a voluntary act , whereunto they are no wayes compelled , and so renders them without excuse . neither is gods decree of reprobation , his not giving them to christ , properly the cause of this infidelity and disobedience in them . true it is , it is an antecedent to it , but not properly the cause of it . that instance , which i find made use of by some in this case , illustrates it well . the absence of the sun in the night-season , is an antecedent to , but not the proper cause of the freezing of the water , which cometh from the coldness of the air . even so is it here . gods decree of reprobation ( as it is called ) his not giving some men to christ , it is antecedent to their infidelity , but not properly the cause of it , which is their own corruption . their not coming unto christ , to believe on him , is indeed a consequent of gods nonelection , his not giving them unto him , but not properly the effect of it . so as this is no excuse for them , who in refusing of christ offered to them , do it voluntarily , and willingly . obj. but ( in the second place ) is not this a dangerous doctrine , tending to make men careless and regardless of their spiritual estates ? if it be so that all that are given to christ shall certainly come to him , all that are within the compass of gods election shall be made partakers of such an effectual vocation , why then should any trouble themselves about this ? why may they not take their course , and live as they list ? if they be in the number of those that are given to christ , if they do belong to gods election ; they shall come to him , they shall be brought to him . ans. a desperate inference , speaking terror and horror to all those who shall dare to take it up , and make such use of it . of all signes and evidences of a man that is not given unto christ , that is not within the compass of gods election , i do not know a more fearful one than this , when any one shall thus turn this grace of god into wantonnesse . and therefore take heed how you give way to such wretched reasonings , how you give entertainment to any such a thought . taking notice that god doth not bring men to christ against their wills . and they who are not willing to come unto him when he is offered and tendered to them , what know they whether ever they shall have a second invitation ? just is it with god to withhold his grace from those who thus reject it , and to harden their hearts confirming them in their infidelity , who have first hardened their own hearts against the tenders of grace and mercy in christ . this is that which our evangelist st. iohn saith of the iewes , john 12. 37. though christ had done so many miracles before them , yet they believed not on him . and why not ? how came they to be so stupid ? the reason is rendered , v. 39 , 40. therefore they could not believe , because isaias said , he hath blinded their eyes , and hardened their hearts , &c. they had first wilfully shut their own eyes against the light of the gospel , maliciously withstanding and rejecting of christ . and thereupon god in his most just and righteous judgment giveth them over to a reprobate sense , taking from them those abilities which they had of believing unto salvation . o take heed that the like do not happen to any of you ! which you may justly expect , shall you dare upon this , or any other pretence whatever , to reject and refuse the gracious offers of christ tendred to you . obj. 3. but ( in the third place ) may not this doctrine minister matter of despair to some drooping spirits , who may thus reason against themselves . if only they shall come unto christ who are given to him by god the father , then with what confidence can they come to him , not knowing whether they be of that number , which they fear they are not ▪ and if so , then all their attempts and endeavours this way will be to no purpose . hereupon they fear that they shall never come to him , to receive any benefit by him and from him . ans. for answer to this , know we that this is a wrong way of reasoning , to begin with gods decrees , which being secret to us , and hidden from us , until god shall be pleased to make them known in and by the execution of them , may perplex and trouble , but no wayes profit or advantage any by their immediate enquiries into them . and therefore let none attempt to unlock that cabinet , to look into that ark . secret things belong unto the lord , but revealed things to us and to our children , deut. 29. 29. now what gods revealed will is , that all either do , or may know , viz. that they should come unto his son christ , that they should believe on him . this is the commandement , that we should believe on the name of his son iesus christ , 1 john 3. 23. and to this command we have a gracious promise here annexed . they who so come unto christ shall not be rejected . [ he that cometh unto me i will in no wise cast out . ] now then , wherefore should any perplex and trouble their spirits in searching after that which they shall never in any other way find whether they be given to christ . why do they not rather in obedience to that great gospel-command , and in confidence of so gracious a promise , put their soules upon this way , apply themselves to the doing of what is so required of them ? viz. to come unto iesus christ . which let me now press upon all and every of you by way of exhortation , that you would come unto iesus christ . this is that which he himself inviteth all to do , mat. 11. 28. come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden , and again , iohn 7. 37. in the last day , that great day of the feast , iesus stood and cried , saying , if any man thirst , let him come unto me . and let all hearken to this invitation , closing with it . many arguments and mot●ves might i make use of to press this motion , to set on this exhortation . in no other way is life to be expected . ye will not come unto me that ye might have life ( saith our saviour to the iews ) john 5. 40. they went to moses , seeking salvation by the works of the law ; but alas , it was not there to be found . i am the way , the truth , and the life , john 14. 6 christ is the only true way which leadeth unto eternal life . this is life eternal , to know thee the only true god , and iesus christ whom thou hast sent , joh. 17. 3. to know god in christ , this is the saving knowledge . comin● unto christ , you shall find a fulnesse in him , so as you shall not need to seek any thing out of him . he that cometh unto me shall never hunger ( saith the verse next but one before the text ) v. 35. he shall find a full satisfaction in me . here , and only here is true rest and peace to be found . come unto me ye that labour , &c. and ye shall find rest to your souls . here is that wine and milk to be had , which the prophet isai speaketh of , isa. 55. ● . whatever is requisite for the refreshing and nourishing of the soul . but i shall confine my self to that one argument which i have here put into my hand . hereby shall you come to know that you are given to christ by god his father . this is the one and only way whereby you may come to be assured of gods gracious purpose towards you , that your names are written in the book of life , that you are in the number of gods elect. a thing which it standeth all christians in hand to make sure unto themselves . give diligence to make your calling and election sure . ( so st. peter presseth it upon those to whom he writeth ) 2 pet. 1. 10. and who is there among you but would be glad to have this assurance ? now in what way may this be obtained ? why , in vain it is to think of ascending up into heaven , there to search the rolls and records of eternity . only then put your selves upon this way of coming unto iesus christ . hereby may a christian come to be undoubtedly assured hereof . so much we may learn from the text . all that the father giveth me shall come unto me . so then , invert the words . all that do come unto christ , are given to him by his father . thus may christians safely pass a notiore ad ignotum , from that which is known to what is otherwise unknown , reasoning from their vocation to their election , from their coming to christ to their being given to him . as for their coming unto christ , that is a thing which they may certainly know . the heart cannot be a stranger to its own affections , especially if they be intense . if there be an earnest desire , a longing of the soul after christ , an earnest desire of union and communion with him , an intense love to him , so that the soul is enamoured with him , a serious and ●ixed resolution in the heart to rest upon him , to trust in him for the pardo● of sins and eternal salvation ( all which accompany a true saving faith ) the soul cannot be ignorant of it . this is a thing which upon the enquiry every one may know of his own heart , whether he hath thus come to christ , thus received him . how else is it that the apostle putteth his corinthians upon this trial ? 2. cor. 13. 5. examine your selves whether you be in the faith . prove your own selves , know ye not your own selves how that iesus christ is in you ? and once knowing this , now may they conclude , and that certainly , that they are within the compass of gods gracious election , that they are by him given to his son jesus christ . which let every of us ( i say ) labour in this way to make sure to our selves . the world being divided into two parts , one part given to christ , the other part left to satan , the prince of this world , see we to which of these it is that we belong , whether to christ or satan . is it so that we have renounced satan , abandoned his service , and given our selves to the lord jesus , taking him for our saviour and lord , now may we conclude that we are in the number of them whom god hath given to him , appointed to salvation by and through him . only see that this our coming to him be inward and real . not such as the coming of these capernaites was , who came unto christ , but it was ( as i shewed you ) out of a by and sinister respect . and thus surely do the greatest part of christians at this day come unto him . they make a profession of his name . but wherefore is it ? why they do it pro formâ , for fashion-sake , or they expect some outward advantage by it : they follow christ , as these capernaites did for the loaves . take heed it be not so with us . if we come unto christ , see that we come with upright and sincere hearts , out of an earnest desire of having union and communion with him . so coming unto him , now take this as an evidence of gods gracious donation , that we are by him given to his son , as also of christs gracious reception . so coming unto him , we shall not be rejected of him . so it followeth in the last branch of the text . and him that cometh unto me i will in no wise cast out . ] there have we the third and last proposition , or doctrine . those who come unto christ he will in no wise cast out . ] {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} ( or {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} . non ejiciam for as . to open the phrase , to cast out , properly it imports an ejection , or expulsion , a casting out of some place or company . thus we read how the iewes cast stephen ont of the city . {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} , act. 7. 58. and our saviour out of the synagogue , john 9. 34 , 35. they cast him out ( saith the text ) {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} , viz. out of the synagogue ( as the 22. verse explaines it . ) and in such a sense do some here understand it . i will in no wise cast out . ] that is ( say some ) out of my kingdom of glory . so augustine here looketh upon it . hither it is that all those who are given to christ , all gods elect , shall come , they shall come unto him in his chamber of presence , his magnu● penetrale , ( as he calls it ) that is , his marriage-chamber , and being once entred there , he shall never eject , never cast them out again . but this maldonate excepts against , as not being so proper to this text , where christs promise is unto those who come to him by faith . now there is no room for , no use of faith in heaven , where all shall live by sight . we walk by faith , and not by sight , saith the apostle , 2 cor. 5. 7. intimating faith to be proper for earth , and sight for heaven , where faith and hope shall be swallowed up of vision and fruition . and therefore let we that go , though in it self a truth . and not unlike is that interpretation of cyril , who understands this of the last iudgment , at which time all wicked and ungodly ones , all unbelievers , shall be cast out . so our saviour tells the unbelieving iewes , math. 8. 12. the children of the kingdom ( meaning them who looked upon themselves as such , being the only people then under a visible covenant ) shall be cast out into outer darknesse . and so shall it be with all other ungodly persons . then shall christ say to the goats on his left hand , depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire , prepared for the devil and his angels , mat. 25. 41. but so shall it not be with his elect his sheep , whom he shall then set upon his right hand , speaking to them in another language , come ye blessed of my fathtr , inherit the kingdom prepared for you , &c. v. 34. then shall not they be cast out , but admitted and received into those everlasting mansions . which is also there set forth in the same chapter under the parable of the wise and foolish virgins ; the one of which are said to be kept out , the other received into the mariagechamber , v. 11 , 12. fitly representing the different entertainment of believers & unbelievers at the day of the general judgment . a truth also , but liable to the same exception with the former ( which also the aforesaid author puts in . ) the coming which our saviour here speaketh of , is by faith . b●t so shall not men come unto him at that day . the souls of gods saints being once entred into their glory , living by sight ( which they do being separated from their bodies ) they shall henceforth have no more use of faith . now abideth faith ( saith the apostle , 1 cor. 13. 13. viz. whilest we live here ; not so after death , not so at the last iudgment , when men shall see and feel what now they do , or will not believe . so then , what our saviour here saith of his not casting forth those that come to him , must be understood of this life . those who here come unto him by faith , believing on him , he will in no wise cast out . quest . but yet the question runs on . how not cast them out here ? ans. to this grotius returnes an answer , that they being thus come unto christ , he will not for his part cast them out of his kingdom of grace , being entred as schollars into his school ( from whence he conceives this expression to be borrowed ) he will not expell them . thus ( saith he ) do froward school-masters sometimes deal by their schollars , expell them without any just desert . but so will not christ deal by his schollars , those that come to him , being once his , they shall ever be so for all him , continuing and abiding with him if they will . but this savouring rankly of the arminians , founding mans perseverance in grace upon the liberty of his own will , i reject it as unsound . more solidly ( to hold you no longer in suspense ) by casting out here understand we rather a rejection than an ejection , a repelling than an expelling . [ him that cometh unto me i will in no wise cast out . ] non repudiabo , non repellam , i will not refuse and reject him , but will receive and embrace him , bidding and making him welcome . so may we most fitly look upon the phrase here , as having a {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} , a {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} in it , intending more than it speaks , importing a gracious reception , with a loving and lasting entertainment . thus will the lord iesus christ receive all those that come unto him by faith , he will own them , and entertain them as his , and that for ever . two things conceived to be comprehended under this expression . 1. he will receive them , entertain them . [ him that cometh unto me i will not cast out . ] even as a publick host ( saith maldonate ) should say the like terms , if any man come to me , i will not cast him out , his meaning would be apprehended to be , not i will not cast him out of my house having once received him in , ( whereof no man would make any doubt ) but that he will not refuse any such guests , but would readily receive them into his house , bidding them welcome , giving entertainment to them , making provisions for them . and in such a sense understand we our saviour here , where he maketh the like proclamation , [ him that cometh to me i will in no wise cast out . ] that is , i will not refuse nor reject him , but will readily receive him into my house , my church , where i will receive and make him welcome , giving entertainment to him , providing for him whatever shall be requisite in order to his salvation , applying to him the merit of my death , making him a sharer in the benefit of my intercession , communicating unto him grace here , and glory hereafter . such a reception it is that christ here promiseth to all those that come unto him , that believe on him . and this will he certainly perform to them . whoever they are that come unto him , they shall not be rejected of him . so was it with those who came to him in the dayes of his flesh for the cure of their bodily infirmities , we do not read that he refused , that he rejected any of them , or that he sent them away without what they came for . great multitudes followed him , and he healed them all ( saith the text , mat. 12. 15. ) true indeed , for that woman of canaan , who came to him in the behalf of her daughter ( of which you have the story , math. 15. ) at the first he seemed to give her a repulse , but it was only for the trial and exercise of her faith and patience , wherein she persevering , he gran●s her request ; be it unto thee even as thou wilt ( saith he ) v. 28. and the like may they expect who come unto him upon a spiritual account , for the cure of their soul-maladies , for the taking away the guilt and power of sin , and for the obtaining of eternal salvation by him , he will not reject them . however he may for a time , for the like exercise of their faith , hold them off , yet he will not cast them out ; he will receive them , he will embrace them . even as he dealt by those infants that were brought to him in the arms of others , presented to him for his blessing , he took them up in his arms ( saith the text ) and layed his hands upon them and blessed them , mark 10. ●6 . not repelling them , as his disciples did ; they looking upon it as a matter of trouble , and a thing beneath their master , not suitable to his excellency and greatness to meddle with young children , they rebuked those that brought them ; but ( saith the text ) when iesus saw i● , he was much displeased , and said unto them , suffer little children to come unto me and forbid them not , v. 13 , 14. thereby declaring his readiness to receive all those whoever they are that shall come unto him to seek and receive any spiritual benefit from him . whoever they are that desire communion with him , he will have communion with them . this is that which he tells the laodicean angel , rev. 3. 20. behold i stand at the door , and knock , if any man hear my voice , and open the door , i will come in to him , and sup with him , and he with me . whoever they are that hear christ knocking at the door of their hearts and consciences , by his word , and the motions of his spirit , if they shall open unto him , receiving and entertaining him by faith , he will unite himself to them , vouchsafing to them a sweet communion with himself . him that thus cometh unto him , to have communion with him , he will not cast out . obj. but what say we then to the guest in the parable ? he came to the mariage-feast , came to have communion with christ , yet we find him cast out . bind him hand and foot , and take him away , and cast him into outer darkness ; that is the doom which the king there passeth upon him when he came to see the guest , mat. 22. 13. ans. to this an answer is soon returned by consulting the verse there next following , which giveth us an account of the ground of this his ejection . for many are called , but few are chosen , v. 14. many called outwardly to an outward visible communion with christ , who are not truly given to him , are not in the number of gods elect. and in this number was this guest , who here crowded in for companies sake , a hypocrite joyning himself to the visible church , not being that in truth which he made profession of . so much we may learn from the 11th verse , which informs us that he had not on the wedding garment ; he was one that was not regenerated , one that had not put on christ by faith . and therefore no wonder that he was cast out . so shall all hypocrites be sooner or later . but so shall not they who come unto christ in sincerity . so coming to him he will receive them . 2. and receiving them ( in the second place ) he will retain them . so much also is conceived to be implied in this phrase , i will not cast him out ] he shall be with me , dwelling with me , having an everlasting communion with me . he that eateth my flesh , and drinketh my blood , dwelleth in me , and i in him ( saith the 56. v. of this chapter ) whereof the text is part . those that receive christ by faith ( for that is meant by eating his flesh , and drinking his blood ) he will not only come and sup with them , but dwell in them , having a constant and continued communion with them . having once received them into grace and favour with himself ( which he doth upon their believing on him ) he will never cast them out of it . herein ( saith musculus ) doth this our king differ from other kings and princes , who are often inconstant in their affections , loving to day , loathing to morrow . what more common with them than to cast their favourites out of favour ? but so will not the lord christ do by his favourites . those whom he once affecteth , he never rejecteth . having loved his own which were in the world , he loved them unto the end ( saith our eavngelist ) ioh. 13. 1. not only his disciples , but all his elect ( who are there called his own , in as much as they were given to him by his father ) having set a peculiar affection upon them , he continued it to them unto the end , the end of his life , expressing it , as by taking care of them , keeping them , whilest i was with them in the world , i kept them in thy name ; those that thou gavest me i have kept , john 17. 12. so by dying for them . and like affection doth he still bear to all those , who being given to him , come to him , believe on him . loving them once , he loveth to the end , to the end of their lives , and to eternity ; once affecting them , he will never cast them out of his affection . thus you see that it is so . those that come unto iesus christ he will not cast them out ; he will both receive , and retain them as his . quest . and why will he do so ? ans. for this take two or three reasons , or grounds . 1. this is his fathers will , that he should thus receive those whom he giveth unto him . this is the fathers will which hath sent me , that of all that he hath given me i should lose nothing ( v. 39. of this chapter . now with this will doth christ perfectly and exactly comply . i came down from heaven , not to do mine own will , but the will of him that sent me , v. 38. and hereupon it is , that he so readily and constantly embraceth all those who being thus given to him by his father , come unto him . 2. as this is his fathers will , so his own disposition inclineth him to it . he being a gracious , a merciful , a tender-hearted saviour , he pitieth the condition of poor perishing sinners . when he was here upon earth , the story tells us , how when he beheld the city ( of ierusalem ) he wept over it , luke 19. 41. taking notice of the sad condition of it , what a dreadful judgment hung over the head of that people , his heart melted into tears ▪ and with such an eye of tender pity and compassion doth he look upon poor sinners lying in their natural estate , and therupon he readily receiveth those that come to him , accepting the least beginnings of faith . this is that which the prophet isai fore told of him , isa. 42. 3. a● r●ised reed shall he not break , and smoking flax shal he not quench . such is the clemency of jesus christ in dealing with poor sinners , that where he seeth any good desires , any beginnigs of grace , though never so weak and slender , he is ready to accept them . being herein like that roman emperour , of whom it is reported , that whoever came to him , he never sent them away discontented . thus whoever they are that come unto jesus christ , come unto him in sincerity , such is his cl●mency , his gentlenesse , he will in no wise cast them out . 3. which if he should do in the third place ) it would be cross to the end of his coming into the world , his taking upon him the office of a mediator , which was to seek and to save that which was lost ( as he tells zacheus ) luke 19. 10. now coming to seek after those that seek not after him ( i was found of those that sought me not , saith the prophet isay , setting forth gods preuenting mercy in calling of the gentiles , isa. 65. 1. ) he will not reject those that come unto him . this being his work , to bring in lost soules into his kingdom of grace ( which it is , other sheep have i which are not of this fold , them also must i bring , john 10. 16. ) he will not re●use them when they come unto him . but to dwell no longer upon doctrinal confirmation or illustration , come we now to application . where ( in the first place ) let me again take up that former motion , pressing what before i propounded , exhorting and perswading all to come unto iesus christ . this is the great and principal errand about which the ministers of christ are , or ought to be imployed . they are the servants sent forth to call the guests unto that great supper , their master putting this word into their mou●hes , say unto them that were bidden , come , luke 14. 17. their chief work being to perswade men to come unto jesus christ , to have communion with him . and this let me press upon all you this day . for which , what greater encouragement can you have than that which christ himself here holdeth forth to you ? even the assurance of a gracious reception . were subjects assured of the like from the●●princes , that coming to them they should not be rejected , but graciously received , who is there but would have recourse to them as occasion were offered ? now this assurance have all poor sinners from iesus christ , that coming to him they shall have a gracious reception from him , he will bid them welcome , him that cometh unto me i will in no wise cast out . in no wise ] so our last translation doth well express the emphasis in the original . {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} , two negatives , which in the greek do vehementiùs negare , import a more earnest and vehement negation . nequaquam ejecerim , i will at no hand , in no case , in no wise , cast him out . which let it serve to confirm and establish the hearts of poor sinnners i● the assurance of a gracious acceptation from jesus christ upon their coming unto him . obj. i but ( may some say ) i am unworthy of any such acceptance , a poor , vile , miserable , worthless creature , having nothing to commend me to the world , much less unto christ . outwardly mean , nay and inwardly vile ; a poor sinful creature , who see nothing in my self but what may justly render me odious and abominable in the sight of god and jesus christ . how then can i hope that i should find such a welcom from him upon my coming to him ? ans. well , be it so as is alledged , yet be not discouraged ; for which again mark the text . him that cometh unto me ] tòv {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} , him ] the word is indefinite , yea universal , comprehending all , excepting none . be he what he will , of what nation , sex , quality , or condition soever ; jew or gentile , male or female , bond or free , rich or poor , though a dog , scarce worthy to gather the crums under the table , though not worthy of the least common mercies , much more unworthy to have union and communion with jesus christ , yet coming to him they shall be welcome to him . herein doth he differ from the common host which before i spake of , who , however he keepeth open doores for all comers , yet unless they that come bring money with them to pay for what they call for , they shall not be welcome to him . it is otherwise with the lord iesus , who not expecting to be any gainer by those that come to him , will make all that come welcome , though they bring nothing with them to make them so . for this , that known proclamation is express , isa. 55. 1. ho , every one that thirsteth , come ye to the waters , and he that hath no money , come ye , buy and eat , yea come buy wine and milk without money , and without price . thus doth iesus christ invite all poor sinners to come unto him , to have a free communion with him . what though they have neither money nor monies worth ? nothing to purchase their welcome , to make them worthy , yet let them come unto him . which doing , let them rest assured they shall not be cast out . the truth whereof many great sinners have found upon their own experience . so did that woman of whom we read in the gospel , luke 7. 37. ( whether mary magdalen ( as it is commonly taken ) or rather some other ( as is most probable ) is uncer●ain . ) behold a woman in the city , which was a sinner ( saith the text ) v. 37. that is , a great , a notorious sinner , a known strumper , a harlot , whom every one could point at ; as the pharisee , who had then invited jesus to his house did , wondering that christ should not know what manner of woman she was , this man , if he w●re a prophet ( saith he ) would have known who , and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him , for she is a sinner , v. 39. a notorious sinner , a lewd woman ; yet coming unto christ , and expressing her good affection unto him , how welcome was she to him ? receiving from him what she came for , the forgiveness of her many and great sirs ; her sins which are many , are forgi●●n ( so our saviour there tells peter ) v. ●7 . obj. i but ( may some say ) there was a reason why christ should bid her welcome ; she was one that loved him much ( as it there followeth ) expressing her affection to him by the present which she brought him , a box of precious ●intment , which she bestowed upon him ( as the verse there forego●ng informs us . ) but as for me , i have no such present to bring unto him , no box of oyntment for him . ans. but hast thou teares for him as she had ? truly peni●tent tear●s ? hast thou a broken and contrite hear● to present unto him ? a heart broken with true godly sorrow so●●in ? if so , stand not upon any other present . thou desirest not sacrifice , else would i give it ; thou delightest not in burnt-offering , the sacrifices of god are a broken spirit , a broken and contrite heart o god thou wilt not despise ( saith the man after gods own heart ) psal. 51. 16 , 17. and hast thou such a heart in thy bosom ? though thou have nothing in thy hand , yet come unto jesus christ . obj. but i have done much against him . ans. and had not paul done so ? whom christ himself from heaven chargeth with persecuting of him ; saul , saul , why persecutest thou me ? acts 9. and so much he confesseth against himself . i was a blasphemer , a persecutor , &c. whereupon he concludes himself to be the chief of sinners , 1 ●im . 1. 13 , 15. yet coming unto christ he obtained mercy from him ; which was done ( as he there saith ) that he might be a pattern for them who should after believe on him . obj. i , but i have rejected christ , being offered and tendered unto me again and again , stopped my ear against his word , and quenched the motions of his spirit , refusing him when he came to me . and may not i look for a just retaliation , that he should reject me when i come to him ? ans. yet still consult the text . him that cometh unto me ] be he what he will , though a rebellious and obstinate sinner . obj. i , but i am an apostate , who have cast out iesus christ after that i had ●eceived him , and given entertainment to him , having returned to my former sinful wayes and courses which i had sometimes abandoned . now doth not the apostle exclude all such from any hopes of benefit by him ? what else means that known text , heb. 6. ● . where speaking of such , he saith , it is impossible they should be renewed again unto repentance , seeing they have crucified to themselves the son of god afresh , &c. ans. for this know , that it is spoken of a wilful and universal apostacie , a malicious and despiteful contemning and opposing of christ and his gospel , by those who were once convinced of the truth thereof , which is properly the sin against the holy ghost . now as for such , who thus crucifie christ afresh , and put him to open shame , doing that in affection and conversation , which the iews did in action , treading under foot the son of god , counting the blood of the covenant , wherewith they were sanctified , an unholy thing , and doing despite to the spirit of grace ( as the same apostle further describeth the same sin , cap. 10. v. 29. ) as for such ( i say ) just it is with god to give them up to an impenite●t heart , to a reprobate sense , so as that they should never seriously think of coming to christ any more . but as for this , it is hoped it is not your case . obj. yea , but i do not know but i● may be , and i fear it is . ans. but why do we fear so ? be not wicked overmuch ( saith the preacher , eccl. 7. 17. viz. in thine own apprehension ( as the text may be expounded ) which some are , whilest they make their condition worse than really it is . so do not you . but for the cure of all these feares , put your soules upon this way of coming unto christ . which if god shall incline your heart to do , now take this as an evidence that you are not under the guilt of that uupardonable sin , but rest assured that upon your coming to him you shall find mercy from him . him that cometh unto me ( though a backs●ider , an apostate , ( the worst of christians , or of men ) i will in no wise cast out . the reason why desperate apostates receive no benefit by christ , is not because he will not receive them , but because they will not come unto him . only come unto him , and fear not . quest . but how shall i so come unto him , as that i may be assured that i shall not be cast out , not rejected by him ? ans. a useful question , which i wish were in the heart of every of you seriously to propound to your selves . for answer whereunto , in brief take these few and plain directions . 1. that you may come unto christ , you must first hear of him . encline your ear , and come unto me ( saith the lord ) isa. 55. 3. and this must they do who would come unto christ , they must encline their ear , they must be a●quainted with the doctrine of the gospel concerning him . every man therefore that hath heard , and learned of the father , cometh unto me ( saith our saviour ) v. 45. of this chapter . in this way ●t ●s that god the father bringeth men to his son christ , by teaching and instructing them in the doctrine of the gospel . with out which there is no coming unto him , no believing on him . how shall they believe on him of whom they have not heard ? rom. 10. 14. a necessary preparation for the soule in coming to christ ; it must first have the eye opened , the understanding enlightned with the knowledge of him , to know who , and what he was , and is , what he hath done , and what he hath suffered , and to what end , and what benefit they may expect from him , and in what way they shall come unto him . thus it is , god doth not bring men blindfold to christ , but he first openeth their eyes , and taketh the vail off from their hea●ts , making a discovery of him to them . as for ignorant soules , who know nothing of christ , they are not in a capacitie of com●ing to him . 2. thus hearing of christ them ( in the next place ) be convinced of the need you have of him ; which till a man be , he will never come unto him . this it was that brought those impotent and diseased persons unto him in the dayes of his flesh , even the sense of their own bodily infirmities . and this it is which putteth the soul upon coming to him , even the sense of its own sinfulness and misery . which labour you to be throughly convinced of , that you may see and fell your lost undone condition without him ; that you may be truly and throughly sensible of the burden of sin . such , and only such they are that christ inviteth to come unto him . come unto me all ye that labour , and are heavy laden , mat. 11. 28. viz. under the burden of sin , groaning under it , earnestly desiring to be freed from it , both from the guilt and power of it . 3. being thus in measure fitted and prepared for christ , now hearken to his invitation and command , calling you to him , requiring you to come to him . this it was that made peter so adventurous to come unto his master upon the water ; lord ( saith he ) bid me come unto thee upon the water , mat. 14. 28. now , this word every poor sinner which is in measure prepared , hath ▪ he hath a command from christ to come unto him . come unto me ( saith he ) which is to be looked upon not only as an invitation , but an injunction . 4. and hearing this word , now forthwith apply your selves to yeild a ready obedience to it . so did peter ; no sooner did he hear that word from his masters mouth , come , but presently leaving the ship wherein he was , he casts himself into the sea . and the like do you . hearing this word of command from this your blessed saviour , requiring you to come unto him , now stand not to reason with flesh and blood , but renouncing all other confidences , betake your selves unto him , resolving to break through all difficulties , come what will come , to make towards him . among other renounce your own righteousness . like as the story tells us of blind bartimaeus , when sitting by the high-●ay-side , and crying after iesus then passing by , he heard him call him to come unto him , he presently casting away his garments ( saith the text ) rose and came to him , mark 10. 50. even thus do you , hearing christ calling you to come unto him ( which he doth in his word ) now arise and cast away your garments , even all impediments , as the garments of sinful lusts , the rotten rags of the old adam , so the garment of your own righteousnesse . this it was that paul cast overboard , made loss of his own righteousnesse , that he might come unto christ , that he might win him , phil. 3 8 , 9. the like do you , that you may be cloathed with that white garment , the righteousness of christ , come naked unto him . that you may be filled by him , come empty to him , that you may be enriched by him come poor to him , bring no money with you ▪ remember that proclamation forenamed ; come , buy wine and milk without money . ] they who come unto christ bringing money in their hands , i mean any thing of their own , whereby they may think to purchase an interest in him and his benefits , set them expect no better welcome than what simon magus found from simon peter , when he came to him proffering him money to buy the holy ghost with , thy money perish with thee ( saith he ) acts 8. 20. would you be welcome to christ , so come to him , as to be received of him ; come empty to him , emptied of your own righteousness , renouncing all confidence in whatever of your selves you have done or can do . 5. and thus making towards him then ( in the last place ) cast your selves upon him , give up your selves unto him , receiving him in that double relation of a saviour and a lord . thus doth god his father hold him forth to all that will come to him . and thus do you receive him , not only as a saviour , believing , resting upon the all-sufficiency of his merit for the pardon of your sins , and eternal salvation , but also as a lord , submitting to him , giving up your selves , as to be saved , so to be governed by him . and so coming unto him , now be you assured of a welcome , a free and gracious reception . only see ( what i touched upon by way of caveat before ) that this your coming be real , not formal . remembring that forenamed guest in the parable , who coming to the marriage-supper without a wedding garment , was cast out with disgrace . and so shall all hypocrites be sooner or later . however for a time they may pass for members of the church , mingling themselves among the people of god , enjoying the same priviledges , having communion in the same ordinances with them , yet he who seeth and knoweth them , will in his time discover them , and discovering , eject them , to their everlasting shame and confusion . take heed that none of you be found in this number . if you come unto christ , let it be in a cordialway , in sincerity and truth . and so coming , now take up the comfort which our blessed saviour here lets fall . you shall not be cast out , not by him . he will not reject , but receive and embrace you , owning you for his , taking you into his protection and care , so as you shall not miscarry . committing your soules unto him , they shall be in safe custody ; and he will give entertainment to you , providing for you whatever shall be requisite in order to your everlasting happiness . and will christ thus receive you , what matters it then who they are that reject you ? will he take you in , what matters it ●hen who they are that cast you out ? this ( i● may be ) doth the world . this is that which the apostle complaineth of . we ( saith he , speaking of himself and other the apostles of jesus christ ) are made the filth of the world , and are the off-scouring of all things , 1 cor. 4. 13. and such oft-times is the portion of gods saints here . they are the worlds off all , the worlds outcasts ( as the psalmist and the prophet isai , speaking of the dispersed iewes , calleth them the outcasts of israel , psal. 147. 2. isa. 56. 8. ) yet let not not this discourage , as long as they are not so to christ . he hath received them , and having received them , he will not cast them out . and will not he cast them out ? why then they may be sure his father will not . he having committed all iudgment to the son ( as we have it , iohn 5. 22. ) he will not reverse what he doth . those whom his son acquits , he will not condemn . those whom his son receiveth and giveth entertainment to , he will not cast out . being welcome to the son , they shall for his sake be welcome to the father . and what matters it then what they are to others ? though others cast them out , out of church ? so did the ie●es by all those that made a profession of the name of christ , they cast them out of their synagogues , john 9. 22. excommunicated them . and the like doth that man of sin , that antichrist of rome by all the true professors of the gospel , he by his thundering excommunications casteth them out of the church . and the like do other sects ( as the anabaptists , whom musculus here instanceth in ) those that are not of their way , that will not joyn with them , they pronounce them to be none of christs sheep , none of his subjects , no true members of the church . but let not christians be scared with these bruta fulmina , these mock-thunderbolts . so long as christ himself owneth them , let not them regard whoever they are that cast them out . co●ing to christ , and believing on him , they have communion with him in his kingdome of grace here , and shall have communion with him in his kingdom of glory hereafter . this by way of comfort to all who do come to christ . on the other hand ( in the third place ) here is a word of terror to all those who will not come to him . all wicked and ungodly persons , such as have christ offered and tendered to them , and they are invited to come unto him , yet they refuse and reject him . with those guests in the gospel , they have something or other to take them off from him , so as they do not regard to seek out after vnion and communion with him . for all such , let them make account of a just retaliation , to be rejected by him . so much is here insinuated in the the text . him that cometh to me i will in no wise cast out . intimating , that those who do not come unto him , he will cast them out . not coming to him here , he will cast them out hereafter . at that last and great day , when they , and all others , shall be brought before him , then shall he pass the sentence of a final rejection and ejection upon them . not owning them . this is that our saviour giveth the iewes to take notice of ( as by the aforesaid parable of the foolish virgins , mat. 25. so again ) l●ke 13. 25. where he sheweth them how vain a thing it would be for them another day to plead those priviledges which then they stood so much upon . when once the master of the house is risen up ( saith he ) &c. then shall ye begin to say , we have eaten and drunk in thy presence , and thou hast taught in our streets ( so , as it were taking acquaintance of him . but mark what followeth . ) but he shal say , i tell you i know you not whence you are , depart from me all ye workers of iniquitie . though they should then court him , yet he tells them he would take no acquaintance of them . and the like let all wicked and ungodly men , whether openly or secretly such , not only profane persons , but hypocrites , expect and look for . when the door of grace and mercy is shut ( as after this life it shall be to them ) then may they knock , but in vain ; whatever they can plead for themselves will be to no purpose . all the outward priviledges which here they have enjoyed , will be no advantages to them . that they have lived under ordinances , wherein they have had an outward visible communion with christ , not only hearing his word , but partaking of his sacrament , there eating and drinking in his presence , this will make nothing for them , but much against them . this is that which they must then make account to hear from the mouth of iesus christ , i tell you i know you not , depart from me ye workers of iniquity . thus shall he then cast them out , who would not here receive him in . they that would not here receive him into their hearts , that he might rule there , he will not then receive them into his house , his kingdom , there to dwell and reign with himself , but he shall then cast them out into that outer darkness , where shall be weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth . and in so doing who shall charge h●m of injustice , or yet rigour ? that wicked men are excluded and cast out ( as at that day they shall be ) they can charge it upon none but themselves . not upon christ . it was not he that first rejected them , he offered himself to them , and was ready to receive them upon their coming to him . that they are cast out they may thank themselves . such was their stubbornness , they would not come when they might ; and therefore their exclusion is just . thy destruction is of thy self ( saith the lord to israel , hos. 13. 9. and so is this their exclusion . because thou hast rejected the word of the lord , therefore he hath also rejected thee . ( saith samuel to saul ) 1 sam. 15. 23. and so may it be said unto them . because you rejected the lord christ here , would not hearken to him , would not receive him ; therefore he hath also rejected you . here is terror . in the fourth and last place , having heard what is the mind of jesus christ here , let me now propound him as a pattern for imitation to all those who own him , and desire to be owned by him , let them be like minded with him . let the same mind be in you , which was also in christ iesus ( saith the apostle to his philippians ) phil. 2. 5. and so say i to you , all of you , and whoever they are that profess the name of jesus christ , be you like-minded with him . and that , as in other respects , so 1. in this , of receiving and embracing those who are given to him , and come to him , even all true believers , such as professing the faith of christ , walk answerably to that profession . seeing christ is pleased to own them , to receive and embrace them , so do you . do not you cast out any of those whom he saith he will not cast out , but receive them into your hearts , and , as occasion is , into your houses , making much of them , delighting in them . so did david ; my goodnesse ( saith he ) extendeth not unto thee , o lord , but unto the saints that are in the earth , the excellent , in whom is all my delight , psal. 16. 3. and so let it be with us . however we converse occasionally with others , the men of this world which cannot be avoided so long as we are in the world , as the apostle yeilds it , 1 cor. 5. 10. ) yet let our delight be in the saints . and let our goods also ( according to our abilities and their necessities ) extend unto them . they being near to christ , let them be dear to us . let us in no wise cast them out ; but let them have a room in our hearts ; which let it be as an open house to receive all those who have aliquid christi , any thing of christ in them . seeing christ hath received them , so do we . it matters not what otherwise they be , though despicable as to the world , in regard of the meanness of their outward condition , or inward abilities , yet let them not be so to us . such they are whom god oft-times maketh choise of to give to his son christ . hath not god chosen the poor of this world ( saith st. iames ) jam. 2. 5. god hath chosen the weak things of the world ( saith st. paul ) 1 cor. 1. 27. homines de●plebe , persons weak as in estate , so in parts . and such they are whom oft-times we may see forwardest in coming to christ . such they were who most an end followed him in the dayes of his flesh , to whom he preached . go and shew iohn ( saith he to those disciples of his ) the poor have the gospel preached unto them , mat. 11. 5. persons of inferiour rank and quality , the vulgar , common sort of people . them , the teachers of those times , pharisees and lawyers , contemned and vilified , calling them populum te●rae , the people of the earth , having a proverb in use among them ( a proud and a foolish one , as grotius writing upon that text justly censures it ) spiritum non requiescere nisi super divitent , the spirit resteth only upon the rich mans head ; so as they disdained to teach and instruct them . but so did not our blessed saviour . he most commonly made choice of them for his auditors , finding his ministery most powerful and effectual among them . and so did h●s servant the apostle st. paul after him , who tells his corinthians , not many wise men after the flesh men carnally and worldly wise ) not many mighty , not many noble are called . and if so , take we heed how we despise any of them upon the account of the meanness of their outward condition , or inward abilities . if they be dear to christ ( which they are , if they be such as are come to him , believe on him ) let them be so also to us . yea , though infirm and weak in grace . though bruised reeds and smoaking flax , yet do not break , do not quench them . this will not christ do , let not any other dare to do it . who hath despised the day of small things ? ( saith the prophet zacharie , speaking concerning the building of the material temple ) zach. 4. 10. this did not god , who favoured and intended to bless and prosper those weak beginnings : and therefore let not any others do it . so say i concerning this spiritual temple ; which is built in the hearts of those who are given to christ , true believers , who are the temple of god ( as the apostle sometimes calls them , 1 cor. 3. 16 , 17 , &c. ) who shall here despise the day of small things ? this will not iesus christ do ; this let not any of us do . where there is any thing of christ , own it ; making much of the least beginnings of grace ; where we apprehend them to be in truth and sinceritie . which , as it concerneth all , so in a special manner the ministers of the gospel , whom christ hath made ( as it were ) his door-keepers in his house , his church , having put the keyes of the kingdom of heaven into their hands , as the key of doctrine , so of discipline , let them see that herein they imitate their master , not turning either of these keys against any of those that would come to christ . this it was ( as i shewed you ) that our saviour rebuked his apostles for , their rebuking of those that would have brought young children unto him , mark 10. 14. let not the like be charged upon any of the ministers of christ , that they should be any wayes instrumental in keeping back any that would come unto him , so as to discourage them by their doctrine , or repel them by their discipline . obj. but how is it then that you do so , may some happily here say ? ) how is it that you repel and reject those from coming to have communion with christ in the sacrament of his supper , who are willing to come ? ans. but who are they ? it may be such as are not fitting to come to that ordinance . such was that guest in the parable fore-named , forward to come to the supper , but not fitting . and such it may be are they , persons whose lives and conversations ( being scandalous ) do proclame to the world , that they are such as have not put on the wedding garment . and being such , if the servants shall cast them out , the ministers of christ refuse and reject them , it is no more than what their master both allowes and requires them to do . reply . yea , but they are such as christ himself will not cast out , being such as the father hath given unto him , and such as are come to him , believing on him , such as making a profession of faith walk answerably to that profession . ans. but ( if such ) who is it then that casts them out ? sure i am , not the ministers in this place . if any such be kept from this ordinance , it is not they that have cast them out . no , their desire hath been , and is , that all those who are hopefully such , such as are come unto christ in such a way , should come to his table , to have communion with him in this ordinance . only they desire they should come to it in an orderly way , not so as to make a gap for others to break in upon it who have no right to it . so as if any so qualified want this ordinance , they must charge it upon themselves , not us , who desiring to imitate our lord and master , shall not willingly cast out any to whom he saith , come . but having lately had occasion to fall upon this vindication ; i shall not insist upon it again . in the second place , whilest we receive those that are given to christ , and come to him , let us also ( in imitation of him ) receive those who are given to us , and come to us . which let it be applyed in a special manner to those whom god hath set over others ; to magistrates , ministers , parents . 1. for magistrates , whether supreme or subordinate , let them be like-minded towards those whom god giveth to them , by his providence putting them under their government , themselves also being willing to submit thereunto , let not them cast them out , out of their protection , but receive them , and take care of them , improving their authority and power for their security and welfare , both temporal and spiritual , doing iustice to them . it was absaloms insinuation to the people , when he aspired to the crown , o saith he ) that i were made iudge in the lana ▪ that every man which hath any suit or c●use might come unto me , and i would do him justice , 2 sam. 15. 4. what he politickly there promiseth , let all rulers and governors really and cordially perform . those who come to them for justice , let them do it them , hearing their grievances , righting their wrongs , not rejecting , not slighting them , though never so mean . this is that which the lord calleth for from the iudges of iudah , isa. 1. 17. seek judgment , relieve the oppressed , judge the father less , plead for the widow . and this let all magistrates and rulers do ; those that are in such a way given to them , committed to their c●arge , and come unto them ; submitting to their government , let them not cast them out . 2. in like manner for ministers ; those whom god hath given to them , put under their charge , being such as come unto them , attending upon their ministery , professing a voluntary submission thereunto , let not them cast them out , or cast them off , neglecting their duties towards them . it was that which eliab said to his brother david , when he came up to see the battel ; with whom ( saith he ) hast thou left those few sheep in the wildernesse ? 1 sam. 17. 28. so checking and reproving him for neglecting of his charge . what he spake to him by way of disparagement in scorn and contempt , let it be seriously hearkened to by all the ministers of christ . he having made them his shepherds , committed his sheep , his people unto them ; let them take heed how they neglect or cast off the care of them , leaving them in the wildernesse of this world , exposed to so many dangers by reason of their spiritual enemies . this will not their master do , the lord christ the great shepherd of the sheep , he calleth his own sheep by name , and leadeth them out ( as he saith of himself ) iohn 10. v. 3. that is ( as diodate explaines it ) his care is not only for the general body of his church , but it extendeth it self also to every particular member , as need requireth , leading them forth into green pastures , providing for them spiritual refection and comfort . and ( as it there followeth ) when he putteth forth his own sheep , he goeth before them ; ] that is , guiding and protecting them , being alwayes present with them , and vigilant over them , going before them in doctrine and example , ( as our new annotation hath it . ) this christ did when he was here upon earth , therein setting a pattern for all his ministers , his undershepherds , who according to their ability are to do the like to the sheep , the people committed to them . those whom god hath given to them , coming to them , let them not cast them out . 3. and the like may be said for parents , to whom god hath given children , they coming to them in a way of duty and obedience , let not them cast them out . this david speaks of , as a thing possible and supposable ( though himself had not experience of it ) psal. 27. 10. when my father and my mother forsake me ] that is though they should . and so it sometimes is , natural mothers forget their children . can a woman forget her sucking child , that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb ? yea , they may forget ( saith the lord , &c. isa. 49. 15. a thing too frequent ; but wherever it is found , most unnatural ; a shame to heathens , much more to christians , who looking upon their children as given them of god , are not to cast them out , not to leave them as the ostrich doth her eggs in the sand , forgetting that the foot may crush them , or that the wild beast may break them ( as the careless nature of that creature is described ) iob 39. 14 , 15. but to take care of them for their education and subsistance , providing for them necessaries and conveniences , specially if they be such as come unto them in the way of submissive obedience . obj. but what if they cast off the●r parents ? ans. why yet both nature and religion obligeth the parent not wholly ●o cast off them , but to look after them ( as david did after his absolom ) seeking their return to them . which if they shall find , then are they to receive them . so did the father of the prodigal , of whom the parable tells us , when he was afar off , his father saw him , and had compassion , and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him , luk. 15. 20. such affections should there be in natural parents to their children . being given to them by god , and coming to them , they are not to cast them out . yet one word more , and that for all christians , who have here also a pattern for their imitation , teaching them in all things to comply with the will of their heavenly father . this let them do in regard of their outward temporal estates . being confidently assured of what our saviour here saith , that all that their father giveth them shall come unto them , things shall come to pass according to his all-disposing providence , let them quietly and contentedly submit thereunto . only serving that providence in the use of lawful meanes , let them accept what he giveth them , reacheth forth to them , resting contented with their fathers portion . not greedily scraping and gathering they care not in what way , by what meanes , so laying hold upon that which god never gave ●hem . a point which musculus ( writing upon this text ) applyeth in a particular way to the kings and princes of the earth , for whom he wisheth that they would all make use of these words , saying with themselves what their saviour here doth , that all tha● their father giveth them shall come unto them . and thereupon rest contented with what they have , putting up the sword into the shea●h , not seeking the enlargement of their territories and dominions ( as too often they ●o ) whereby they set the world on fire , filling it with confusion and blood . and what he saith to them in special , let me say unto all christians in general , wishing that every of them would make the like use of these words , each one saying within himself , whatever my father giveth me shall come unto me ; what portion my father allotteth me i shall have , and so rest contented therewith , be it more or less . and making such use of the former part of this text , let them take heed of abusing the latter , which covetous persons ( as musculus notes upon it ) will be ready to do , who hearing that all that the father giveth them shall come to them , they thereupon resolve to get what they can , but to part with as little as they may , no , that which cometh unto them they will in no wise cast out . this was nabals resolution , when davids messengers came to him for some relief for their master in his straits , what ( saith he ) shall i then take my bread and my water , and my flesh which i have killed for my shearers , and give it unto men whom i know not whence they be ? 1 sam. 25. 11. such nabals there are too many every . where , whose resolution is , whatever god giveth them not to cast it out in such a way . true indeed ( as the same author further noteth ) there is such a use which may lawfully and warrantably be made of these words , viz. that those to whom god giveth estates , they are not to cast them out by prodigal and luxurious spending and squandring of them , but in a provident way to preserve them ; yet in the mean time , what god calleth for , either for pious or charitable uses , let them not be unwilling to part with . so was abraham with his son , whom god had given to him , yet he was not unwilling to give him to him again . in like manner are christians to deal with their estates ; where god calleth for them , they are not to withold them ; so resting contented with , and thankful for their fathers portion . yea , though happily it be not every wayes answerable to what they could desire . it was a weakness in abraham , who in the want of one blessing ( a son ) seemed to slight all other mercies . when the lord by way of encouragement said unto him , fear not abram , i am thy shield , and they exceeding great reward , he presently and passionately replies , lord god , what wilt thou give me , seeing i go childless ? gen. 15. 1 , 2. let there not be the like murmuring or repining thought in any of the lords people . in the want of some one desired mercy , let them not cast out all others by a slighting and undervaluing of what they have received . what they have , let them know it is that which their father hath given them ; and so looking upon it as their fathers portion , let them receive it contentedly , thankfully . and what they do as to mercies , let them do the like also as to crosses and chastisements ; taking notice that whatever their afflictions be , they are no other than what their father hath given them , layed out for them , let them quietly submit to them . herein also hath their blessed lord and saviour set them a pattern , who , however he deprecated that bitter cup which he saw coming towards him , praying again and again that it might passe from him , yet still he resolves his will into the will of his father ▪ neverthelesse not as i will , but as thou wilt , math. 26. 39. and again , v. 42. o my father , if this cup may not passe away from me , thy will be done . and afterwards , when peter drew his sword for his rescue , he taketh him off , declaring what his own resolution was , the cup which my father hath given me shall i not drink it ? joh. 18. 11. and herein let him be a pattern for us , every of us . looking upon every cup of affliction which is put into our hands , as the cup which our father hath given to us , let us not cast it out nor refuse to drink it . not seeking by any indirect and unlawf●l wayes and meanes to shut out , or shake off whatever trials the lord shall be pleased to exercise us with , but quietly and contentedly submit to his dispensations , both in regard of the kind , and measure and continuance , not choosing our own rod , but in all submitting to the will of our heavenly father : thus suffering in an obediential way , as our blessed saviour did , now may we comfortably expect the like issue that he had , even a gracious supportation under it , and a happy deliverance out of it . finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a29532e-180 qui statuunt christum non magis pro iis qui salvantur , quàm pro iis qui pereunt , mortuum esse , quanquàm videntur extendere meritum christi , reipsâ ●amen id adeò imminuunt , ut omnino nihil ipsi relinquu●t quod meritus sit . joh. cocceius de foedere cap. 90. sec. 163. notes for div a29532e-570 coher●●●● tantae contumaciae causam esse dicit quod reprobi sint . calvin in loc. quorsum hoc dicatomnes ferè consentiunt , reddi èausam , cur illi quibuscum loquebatur ad se non venirent , i. e. in se non crederent . maldonat . com●in loc. division . prop. 1. some given unto christ by his father . how given to him . how only some given to him . gods elect his people : gods absolute power over the sons of men to dispose of them as to their eternal estate . considered after the fall . haud secùs quàm si princeps quisquam flagitiosos aliquot ac morte dignos carcere concluso teneat , &c. muscul. com. in loc. before the fall . gods elect how called his people . pietatis quodam affectu : grot. annot ▪ ad loc. gods elect gīven to christ . intentionally , ●●fore time . actually , in ●●me . the former here understood . {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} his cum affectu aliquo intelligitur . g●ot . ad loc. tradit autem pater cum effectu christo eos qui pietati student . idem ibid. quos per inspirationem internam inclinat ad me . carthus . com. in loc. dariâ patre est docibilem esse dei . maldonat . ad text. omne quod dat mihi pater per aternam electionem , & temporalem vocati●nem . gorran . enac . in text . dorandi verbum peri●dè valet ac si dixisset christus , quos elegit pater , &c. calvin in text . donat ] viz. pro aeterno suo decreto eligens in me ad vitam aeternam . piscat. schol. ibid. innuit hoc verbum , quod deus ab aeterno aliquos elegerit , &c. ferus ibid. velquos ab aeterno elegit , & praedestinavit in me . carthus . ibid. wherefore god gave his elect unto christ . applic. information touching the doctrines . of election . that it is not universal . not only indefinite . nor simply conditional . of redemption , which is not universal more than election . texts seeming to make redemption vniversal how to be understood christ died ●●tentionally only for the elect . grace extenuated by extending it . vse 2. the grace of election glorious grace . prop. 2. all who are given to christ shall come to him . a two-fold coming to christ . outward and formal . inward and real . coming to christ , believing on him . faith , the coming of the soul unto christ . thus all gods elect shall come unto christ . omne ] in neutro genere exactius vniversitatem significat quàm in masculino . tolet : vt majorem significet vniversitatem , maldon . omne , ut ostendat ex variis gentibus venturos ad eum . ferus in loc. cyrill . lib. 3. cap. 39. insi●●at etiam his verbis multos credituros in christum , tolet ; com. ad loc. {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} ] neutrum pro masculino , aut communi . grot ad text. and that certainly . non dicit ad me venire potest , aut ad me veniat , sed per affirmationem , ad me veniet . mu●cul . in loc. quest . the ground of this certainty . ans. not in themselves . non est hoc naturali cuidam dispositioni dandum . muscul. ibid. ans. 2. but in god the father , & jesus christ . in god the father , who hath decreed it . sicut qui palatia struunt solent firma subjicere fundamenta , ità deus ●noliens civitatem illam aeternam , decreta quaedam substravit , velut fundamenta , quae manent inconcussa . gro● . in loc. effecteth it . {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} , i. e. {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} . hieron erasmus , grot. in loc. videtur eo dicendi genere significari dei gratiam coelitùs in animum ipsum illabi ut & graeca etiam scholiae annotarunt . beza gr. annot. ad loc. in jesus christ who executeth his fathers counsels only gods elect come unto christ . man cannot come of himself . per quam homines ●iunt electi d●i . id ▪ est , deo charissimi . gro● . in loe . applic. information . the former doctrines touching election and redemption confirmed . calvin in text . predestination not upon the foresight of saith . faith not contingent . per hoc ●utem quod dicit . quod dat mihi pater , ost endit quoniam non contingens res est credere in christum . a quinas in text. ex chryso●t . hom. 44. quibus verbis intelligit fidem non esse in arbitrio hominum , ut promis cuè vel fortuitò hic & ille credant . calvin ad text. hoc ipso innuit , fidem non oriri ex viribus liberi arbitrii , sed ex gratuitâ electione dei . piscat. analys. in text . this doctrine cleared from ●●sconstructions . no excuse for unbelievers . vide tolet annot in text . reprobation not the cause of infidelity . no ground for security and carelesness . a desperate inference . no ground of despair . a wrong way of . reasoning to begin with gods decrees . gods revealed will mans rule . temeritatis est velle pervestigare divini consilii arcanum . hoc faciendum est quod praecipit deus . praecipit autem credi in christum . ferus annot. in text. vse 2. exhortation to all to come unto christ . motives to it . coming to christ , an assurance of being given to him . adhaerens christo certus es de praedestinatione tuâ ferus annor in text. coming to christ , a thing which may be known . quid enim cordi nostro perspectius esse po●erit , quam quod non ●isi corde ; ●oque ardenti & ●upido geritur . musc. com. in text. christiās make sure their election by coming to christ . see that this coming be real . vix quaeritur iesus propter iesum . august . in joh. 6. 26. prop. 3. casting out , what . augustines interpre●ation not allowed . quale est illud intus , unde non exitur foras ; magnum penetrale , & dulce secretum . august . tract in loc. cum dicit , ad me venit , non significat ad se in coelo , ubi fides non est . maldon in text . nor yet cyrils . non enim illuc homines ad christum per fidem venient , de quo adventu his loquebatur . maldon . in text . grotius's supposition rejected as unsound . non faciam ut morosi magistri , non expellam eum , nempè si perpetuò voluerit meus esse , per me non stabit quo minus sit . grot. annot. in text. the true sense of the phrase here . neminem a● me venientem repellam , omnes admittam , omnes amplectar . ruper●us ad loc. & maldon , &c. non repudiabo , sed benevolè excipiam , & in ●ternum servabo . piscator schol. in loc. two things comprehended under it . christ will receive those that come to him . quemadmodum si publicus dicat hospes , neminem qui ad hospitium venerit , ejiciam . mald. ad loc. and the infants brought to them . the case of the guest in the parable cast out from the mariage-supper , resolved . christ receiving those that come to him retaines them with him . non solum amanter ad se venientes suscipit , sed susceptos it● constanter ac perseveranter complectitur , tuetur & conservat , ut nunquaui illos abjiciat . aliud est principum hujus seculi ingenium , &c. musc. com. in text. reas. 1. this is the fathers will . reas. 2. christs clemency inclining him hereunto . reas. 3. to reject those that come , were cross to the end of his coming . vse 1. the grand duty p●essed , of coming to christ . obj. 1. objections answered . mans own unworthiness . experiences of great sinners coming to christ . obj. 2. having nothing to bring to christ . obj. 3. having done much against him . obj. 4. rejecting of him being offered . obj. 5. apostatizing from him . obj. 6. the sin against the holy ghost by some unjustly charged upon themselves . quest . how to come unto christ so as to be received of him . ans. dir. 1. hear of him . dir. 2. be convinced of the need of him . dir. 3. hearken to his invitation and command . dir. 4. yeild a ready obedience to it . mans own righteousness to be renoun●ed . dir. 5. take christ as saviour and lord . caveat . make sure our coming to christ be real . vse 2. comfort , comers to christ shall be received by him . christ receiving , it matters not who rejects . the father will not reject whom the son receiveth . causeless excommunications not to be regarded . contrà istam utrorumque tàm anabaptistarum , quàm papistarum temeritatem communiendae sunt praesenti christi or aculo eorum conscientiae , qui vel ab illis vel ub ist is excommunicantur . muscul. com. in text. vse 3. terror to wicked men , they shall be cast out . vse 4. christ a pattern for the christians imitation . in receiving those that are given to him . though outwardly mean . proverbium stultum & superbum , grot. annot in mat. 11. 5. though weak in grace . in special applyed to the ministers of christ , who are not to reject any that come to him . a cavil answered about ministers not receiving all to sacramental communion . repelling of any fit for communion not justly charged upon the ministers in this place . christians to receive what god giveth to them , applyed in special . to magistrates who are not to eject their subjects . to ministers , who are not to neglect their people . to parents , who are not to cast out their children , specially if obedient . what to be done to those that are disobedient . christians in all things to comply with the will of their heavenly father . resting contented with what he giveth them . applyed in special to the rulers of the world . et utinam principes nostri dictum hoc christi usurparent , ac verâ fide quisque ips●rum diceret , omne quod dat mihi pater ad me veniet ; ut modus esset bellorum istorum , quibus inter se dilatandis regnorum suorum pomaeriis tumultuantur , & orbem coedibus replent . muse . com. in text. in general to all christians . this doctrine how abused by covetous persons . cavendum verò ne animus {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} avaritiae suae ac {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} praet●●tum ex hoc loco colligat , dicens ; quicquid ad me venerit , non ejicio foras . mnse . ibid. men not to cast our their estates by wasting of them . christianus certe donae dei non temere abjiciet . ut etiam hîc dicere queat ; quicquid ad me venerit non ejicio fords . idem . ibid. interea tamen illa ex fide ergd deum in usus necessarios tàm proximi , quàm suos dispensabit , conteutusque illis erit , qualia qualia sint , idem . christians to be contented with and thankful for their fathers portion , though not answerable to their desires . christians to comply with gods will in their afflictions and sufferings . the possibility and necessity of the inward immediate revelation of the spirit of god towards the foundation and ground of true faith, proved in a letter write [sic] in latine, to a person of quality in holland; and now also put into english. by r.b. barclay, robert, 1648-1690. 1686 approx. 47 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 17 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2005-12 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a30898 wing b732 estc r214887 99826938 99826938 31350 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a30898) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 31350) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 1881:32) the possibility and necessity of the inward immediate revelation of the spirit of god towards the foundation and ground of true faith, proved in a letter write [sic] in latine, to a person of quality in holland; and now also put into english. by r.b. barclay, robert, 1648-1690. [4], 28 p. s.n.], [london : printed in the year 1686. "to the reader" and letter signed: r. barclay. place of publication from wing. identified on umi microfilm (early english books, 1641-1700) reel 1881 as wing b732b. reproduction of the original in the union theological seminary library, new york. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng revelation -early works to 1800. salvation -early works to 1800. 2005-03 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-05 spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images 2005-06 mona logarbo sampled and proofread 2005-06 mona logarbo text and markup reviewed and edited 2005-10 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the possibility and necessity of the inward immediate revelation of the spirit of god towards the foundation and ground of true faith , proved in a letter write in latine , to a person of quality in holland ; and now also put into english. by r. b. printed in the year 1686. advertisement to the reader . this serves to inform thee , that it is above seven years since this epistle was printed in latine , the person to whom it was write , the heer paets , is a man of no mean accompt both in the learned and politick world ; the conference i had with him was lately after his return from spain , where he had been ambassadour from the united netherlands ; i discoursed with him on the same subject , last year at london , where he was one of the commissioners for the dutch eastindian company ; but could not find him propose any thing new , nor what i could conceive had any weight towards a reph ; what his reasons were , not to prosecute this matter further , i shall not determine : but thus far he readily yeelded , that he had been mistaken in his notion of the quakers , for he found they could make a reasonable plea for the foundation of their religion . vpon my reading it over again , i find an inclination in my self , and was perswaded by some friends , to publish it in a language more obvious to all my countrey men. it is a question now frequently tossed , what is the ground and foundation of faith ? and when the matter is sifted to the bottom , it resolves in tradition or revelation ; for those who lay claim to the scripture , and would make it the foundation of their faith , do resolve it but in a tradition , when the motives of credibility are enquired unto , since the subjective revelation which they yeeld , comes but in the last place , and is by themselves termed medium incognitum assentiendi . and such a revelation those of rome will not refuse , to influence them to assent to the determination of the church : so those protestants who say , the subjective operation of the spirit influences them , ( tho they know not how ) to believe the scripture presented and conveyed to them by tradition , as the dictats of gods spirit , and so understand them as their preachers interpret them ; differ not much , or at least have not reason to differ from the church of rome , who say , the spirit influences them to believe the scriptures as proposed by the church , and according as her doctors and councils interpret them . and neither has any better foundation than tradition ; and to speak the truth plainly , the faith of both resolves in the veneration they have for their doctors ; but whereas the one affirms , they do it by an intire submission , they think it decent to say , they judge them infallible . and certainly , it is most reasonable that such as affirm the first , believe the last . the other because they pretend they believe the church but conditionally , have denyed to her infallibility , tho generally they be as credulous as the other . and i find the doctors of their church as angry to be contradicted as the other , that is an ingredient goes to the composition of all clergy-men , since it became a trade , and went to make a part of the outward policy of the world , from whence has flowed that monster persecution . in short , the matter is easily driven into this narrow compass ; we believe either because of an outward or inward testimony , that is because it is outwardly delivered to us , or inwardly revealed to us . for my part , i think the papists does wisely in pleading for infallibility , for certainly the true church never was nor can be without it : and the protestants does honestly in not claiming it , because they are sensible they want it . i should therefore desire the one to prove that they are infallible ; and advice the other to believe they may , and seek after it : but i am sure , neither the one is , nor the other cannot without immediate divine revelation . therefore as to deny revelation , is a bad way to prove infallibility ; so to deny infallibility is a bad way to make a reformation , since they who do reform , had need to be certain they are doing so . the asserting of infallibility in the church of ●hrist , is not the errour of the church of rome , but the pretending to it , when they have it not , and placing it where they should not : but since those who oppose immediate revelation , do it on the accompt that they reckon it either impossible or unnecessary . i hope there will be as much found in this epistle as will 〈◊〉 the contrary . i have now exceeded the limits of 〈◊〉 advertisement , ( but being known not to be a man of form ) i hope , my reader will excuse me ; to whom i wish true certainty of faith , and so bid him heartily farewell , r. barclay . the 9. of october , 87. my friend , albeit i judge i did fully answer to all thy arguments in that conference we had concerning the necessity and possibility of inward immediate revelation , and of the certainty of true faith from thence proceeding . nevertheless , because after we had made an end , and were parting , thou would needs remit to my further consideration , the strength of thy argument , as that in which thou supposed the very hing of the question to lye : that i might satisfie thy desire , and that the truth might more appear , i did further consider of it ; but the more i weighed it , i found it the weaker : and therefore that thou thy self may make the truer judgement of it , i thought meet to send thee my further considerations thereon , ( which i had done err now , had not i both at london and elsewhere been diverted by other necessary occasions ) wherein , i doubt not , but thou will perceive a full and distinct answer to thy argument . but if thou cannot as yet yield to the truth , or thinks mine answer in any part to be defective , so that there yet remains with thee , any matter of doubt or scruple i doe earnestly desire thee , that as i for thy sake , and out of love to the truth have , not been wanting to examine thy argument , and to transmitt to thee my considerations thereon ; so thou may give thy self the trouble to write and send me what thou has further to say , which my friend n. n. who delivers thee this , will at what time thou shall appoint receive from thee , and transmitt to me thy letter , that at last the truth may appear where it is . and that the whole matter may the more clearly be understood , it will be fit in the first place , to propose thy argument whereby thou opposes the immediat revelation of god in the saints , thence concluding thou has fully overturned the foundation of the people called quakers . which argument of thine is , that since ( as thou judges ) the beeing and substance of the christian religion consisteth in the knowledge of and faith concerning the birth , life , death , resurrection and ascension of christ jesus ; thou consider● the substance of the christian religion as a contingent truth ; which contingent truth is matter of fact : whence thou reasons , that matter of fact cannot be known but by the relation of another , or by the perception of the outward senses : because there are naturally in our souls no ideas of contingent truths , such as are concerning necessary truths : to wit , that god is , and tha● the whole is greater than the part ; and since i● may without absurdity be said , that god cannot make a contingent truth to become a necessary truth ; neither can god reveal contingent truths or matters of fact but as contingent truths are revealed ; but matters of fact are not revealed but by the outward senses : from whence thou concludes , that men are not even oblieged to believe god producing any revelation ●n the soul concerning matter of fact , whether of a ●hing done or to be done , unless there be added some miracles obvious to the outward senses , by which the soul may be ascertained that that revelation cometh from god : and this thou endeavours also to prove from the scripture , rom : 10. where the apostle saith , faith cometh by hearing : and because the apostle speaketh afterwards of those who were ●ent in the plural number : thence thou concludes , that to be spoken of outward preaching by ●he ministry of men : and since the apostle uses question , saying , how shall they believe unless ●hey hear ? thou gathers from the induction and ●onnexion of the text , that the apostle treats ●nly of outward hearing ; thence concluding that ●ithout outward hearing , faith cannot be produced : ●nd therefore , that there can be no immediat revelation by the simple operation of the spirit in the mind , ●nless there be somewhat proposed to the out●ard senses . before i proceed to a direct answer to this ar●ument , some things are necessary to be premised , first then , that is falsly supposed , that the ●ence of the christian religion consists in the ●istoricall faith and knowledge of the birth , ●eath , life , resurrection and ascension of christ that faith and historicall knowledge is indeed a part of the christian religion ; but not such an essentiall part , as that without which the christian religion cannot consist ; but an integrall part , which goes to the compleating of the christian religion , as the hands or feet of a man are integrall parts of a man , without which nevertheless a man may exist , but not an intire and compleat man. secondly , if by immediate revelation be understood such a revelation of god as begets in our souls an historicall faith and knowledge of the birth of christ in the flesh , without the means o● the holy scripture , we do not for such a revelalation as commonly given or to be expected by u● or any other christians ; for albeit many other evangelical truths be manifested to us by the immediate manifestation of god , not using the scripture as the means : yet the historical knowledge o● christ is not commonly manifested to us , nor t● any others , but by the holy scripture as th● means , and that by way of a material object , eve● as when we see the person of peter or paul by th● help of the suns light ; that light of the sun re●veals the person of peter or paul to our visiv● faculty immediately , yet not without the m●dium of that person concurring as a matterial o●ject to produce that sight , while the light of th● sun concurrs as the formal object of that vision 〈◊〉 sight : so that when we livingly and spiritua●ly know the history of the birth of christ 〈◊〉 the flesh , the inward revelation or illumination 〈◊〉 god , which is like the suns light , proceeding from the divine sun doth shine into the eye of the mind , and by its influence moves the mind to assent unto the historical truth of christs birth , life , &c. in the reading or hearing the scripture , or meditating therein . thirdly , nevertheless we do firmly assert , that god can most easily , clearly and certainly manifest to our minds the historical truths of christs birth , &c. when it so pleaseth him , even without the scripture or any other outward mean. and because this argument seems to be formed against the possibility of such a revelation , therefore i shall proceed to discuse it . but first , thou may mind that the prophets who foretold christs coming in the flesh , and being to be born of a virgin , and afterwards to suffer death , did know these truths of fact , by the inward inspiration of god without outward means , for which see 1 peter 1.10 , 11. now that which hath been may be . fourthly , this argument doth at most conclude that we cannot know naturally any truth of fact , but by the relation of another without us , or by the perception of the outward senses ; because there are naturally in our minds no ideas concerning contingent truths ( and every truth of fact is a contingent truth ) as there are of necessary truths . this then proveth that we cannot naturally know any contingent truth but by the relation of another , or perception of the outward senses : but that hindreth not , but we may know a contingent truth by a supernaturall knowledge , god supplying the place of an outward relator , who is so true , that he may and ought to be believed ; sith god is the fountain of truth . fifthly , when god doth make known unto men any matter of fact by divine immediat revelation or inspiration , god speaking as to the ear of the heart of the inward man , or as by his finger writting it therein . two things are to be considered in such an immediat revelation . 1. tòmateriale , the matter of fact or thing revealed which is contingent . 2. toformale , the forme or mode , how the revelation is made , which forme is an inward , divine and supernaturall revelation , which is the voice or speech of god , inwardly speaking to the ear of the inward man , or mind of man ▪ or a divine writting , supernaturally imprinted therein . now as to the matteriall part , or the thing and matter revealed ; this is indeed a contingent truth , and of it self is not manifest to the mind , but because of the form , that is , because of the divine mode and supernaturall inward operation , the matter is known to be true : for that divine and supernatural inward operation , which the mind doth feel and perceive in it self , is the voice of god speaking unto man , which by its nature and specifick property , is as clearly distinguished and understood to be the voice of god , as the voice of peter of james is known to be the voice of such men : for every beeing as a beeing is knowable , and that by its own speci●●●k nature or property proceeding from its nature , and hath its proper idea by which it's distinguishable from every other thing , if so be it's idea be stirred up in us , and clearly proposed to us . sixthly , now as some beeings are natural , some supernatural ; so some ideas are natural , some supernatural : and as when any natural idea is excited in us , we clearly know it . so also when a supernatural idea is raised , we clearly know that whereof it is the idea : but the voice of god speaking to the mind of man , is a supernatural beeing , and stirreth up in us a supernatural idea , by which we clearly know that inward voice to be the voice of god , and not the voice or operation of another , or of any evil spirit , or angel , because none of these has a supernatural idea , as the voice of god , and his divine operation hath ; for it is full of vigour , virtue , and divine glory , as saith the psalmist , who had often experience of it , and we also in our measures are witnesses thereof , for the voice of god is known to be his by its divine virtue . seventhly , the senses are either outward or inward , and the inward senses are either natural or supernatural : we have an example of the inward natural sense in being angied or pacified , in love and hatred , or when we perceive and discern any natural truth , ( such as the natural maxims , to wit , that the whole is greater then the part : or when we deduce any conclusion by the strength of natural reason , that perception also in a larger sense may be called an inward sense . but an example of an inward supernatural sense is , when the heart or soul of a pious man feels in it self divine motions , influences , and operations , which sometimes are as the voice or speech of god , sometimes as a most pleasant and glorious illustration or visible object to the inward eye , sometimes as a most sweet savour or taste , sometimes as a heavenly and divine warmness , or ( so to speak ) melting of the soul in the love of god. moreover this divine and supernatural operation in the mind of a man is a true and most glorious miracle , which when it is perceived by the inward and supernatural sense , divinely raised up in the mind of man , doth so evidently and clearly perswade the understanding to assent to the thing revealed , that there is no need of an outward miracle ; for this assent is not because of the thing it self , but because of the revelation proposing it , which is the voice of god : for when the voice of god is heard in the soul , the soul doth as certainly conclude the truth of that voice as the truth of god's beeing , from whom it proceeds . these things being thus premised , i now proceed to a direct answer : for what is said , that god cannot make a contingent truth to become a necessarie truth , i agree : but when any contingent truth is manifest to us by the immediat revelation of god : there is in it two things to be considered , to wit , the thing revealed which is contingent ; and the revelation it self , which upon the supposition that it is a divine revelation , is no contingent truth , but a most necessarie truth . and this all mankind will say , that this proposition , every divine revelation is necessarly true , is as clear and evident as that proposition , that every whole is greater then its part. but thou wilt say , how knows thou that a divine revelation is a divine revelation ? i answer , how knows thou that a whole is a whole , and a part is a part ? thou wilt say , by the natural idea excited in me of a whole and of a part. i answer again , even so , a divine revelation is known to be such by a supernatural idea of divine revelation stirred up in us , and that by a divine motion or supernatural operation . but it is no wonder that men who have no experience of supernatural ideas , or at lest do not heed them , doe deny them ; which is as if a man naturally blind denyed light , or colours ; or a deaf man sounds , because they experience them not . therefore we cannot dissemble that we feel a fervent zeal , even divinely kindled in us against such an absurd opinion , as affirms , that god cannot ascertain us of his will in any contingent truth , but by proposing it to the outward senses . this opinion does in a manner turn men into brutes , as if man were not to believe his god , unless he propose what is to be believed to the outward senses , which the beasts have common with us ; yea it derogats from god's power , and imputes weakness to him , as if he could not do that which not only both good and evil angels can doe , but which the meanest creatures can doe and the most unsensible ; as for instance , the heat of the fire , the coldness of the air , & water worketh upon us ; yea if a pinn prick us , we feel it , & that by the outward sense ; because the objects are outward and carnal . but since god is a most pure and glorious spirit , when he operateth in the innermost parts of our minds by his will ; shall not he and his will be clearly felt according to his nature ? that is by a spiritual and supernatural sense ; for as the nature of god is , so is the nature of his will , to wit , purely spiritual ; and therefore requireth a spiritual sense to discern it ; which spiritual sense when it is raised up in us by a divine operation , doth as clearly and certainly know the voice or revelation of the will of god , concerning any thing which god is pleased to reveal however contingent , as the outward sense knows , and perceives the outward object : and it is no less absurd to require of god , who is a most pure spirit , to manifest his will to men by the outward senses , else not to be credited ; as to require us to see sounds , and hear light and colours . for as the objects of the outward senses are not to be confounded , but every object is to have its proper sense : so must we judge of inward and spiritual objects , which have their proper sense , whereby they are to be perceived . and tell me how god doth manifest his will concerning matters of fact , when he sends his angels to men , since angels ( as is commonly received ) have not outward senses or at least not so gross ones as ours are ? yea , when men dye and apear before the tribunal of god , whether unto eternal life or death , how can they know this having laid down their bodies , and therewith their outward senses ? and nevertheless this truth of god is a truth of fact , as is the historicall truth of christs birth in the flesh. and which is yet more near ; how do good and holy men even in this life most certainly know that they are in favour and grace with god ? no outward revelation doth make this known unto them , but the spirit ( as saith the apostle ) beareth witness with our spirits that we are the children of god. for the meer testimonie of a human conscience , without the inward testimonie of the holy spirit , cannot beget in us a firm and immoveable testimony of our sonship , because the heart of man is deceitfull , and if the testimony thereof were true , at most it is but a human testimonie which begetteth in us only an human faith ; but that faith by which holy men believe they are the sons of god is a divine faith , which leans upon a divine testimony of the holy spirit , witnessing in them that they are the sons of god. moreover when a good man feels in himself that undeclarable joy of the holy spirit , concerning which the holy scripture speaks , and which is the common priviledge of the saints , how or whence feels he this joy ? truely this argument concludes no less against this heavenly spiritual joy which is begotten in the souls of the saints by the holy spirit , then it does against the immediat revelation of god ; for there is no natural idea in men of this spiritual joy , else meer natural men , yea such as are prophane and ungodly would feel it as much as the godly : but because it is a supernatural thing , therefore it can have no true idea , but what is supernatural . moreover whence is it that prophane men feel sometimes in themselves the wrath of god as fire , when all things as to the outward go as prosperously with them as with the godly , and oftentimes more prosperously ? for there is no natural idea in men of this inward wrath of god : there is also an inward grief oftentimes raised up in wicked men from the sense of this wrath of god , which very much vexeth and tormenteth their minds , and nevertheless this grief hath no natural idea in us : for oftentimes wicked men feel not this sorrow , for god sometimes is , as it were silent while the wicked sin , as in psalm 50. all which things do most clearly demonstrate that there are in men supernatural ideas of supernatural beeings ; which ideas are nevertheless not perceived by us unless they be stirred up by some supernatural operation of god , which raiseth up in us supernatural and spiritual , senses which by their nature are as distinguishable from the natural senses whether inward or owtward , as the natural senses are distinguished one from another by their specifick difference . of which spiritual senses the scripture speaks frequently , as heb. 5. and 14. where is spoken of the spiritual senses in general , by which the spiritual man hath the discerning of good and evil ; which good is of a spiritual nature , and conduceth to feed in us a spiritual and divine life ; and the evil is of that kind by which the spiritual life is in us hurt : to wit sins , whether carnal or spiritual : all which cannot be discerned but by such who have spiritual senses stirred up in them , as saith the apostle . in other places the scripture also speaketh of these spiritual senses , in particular , as of the spiritual seeing : ps : 34.9 . of the spiritual hearing , ps : 85. and 9. of spiritual tasting , ps : 34.8 . of spiritual smelling , cant. 1.3 . of spiritual touching , acts 17 : 8. and in many other places of scripture we read of those spritual senses in particular . yea , it is the promise of the gospel , that the glory of god shall be seen of holy men , such as are clean of heart , even in this life : isa. 33.17 . mat. 5.8 . which were fulfilled in the primitive christians , see john 1.14 . 1 john 1.1 , 2 , 3 , 4. 2 cor. 3.18 . and chap. 4.6 . but what is this vision of god and divine glory which the soules of the saints enjoy in this life , which is only as the earnest or first fruits of that more abundant glorious vision in the life to come , concerning which the scripture so much declareth , which is the highest happiness of the immortal soul. for this argument seemeth to doe no less injury to the saints , then to rob them of this most glorious treasure , both in this life and that to come ; for there is in us no natural idea of this divine glory , as there is not of god himself , which is any wayes proportionable unto so great happiness which the scripture so much declareth of , by which the godly are rewarded , partly in this life , and plenarly in that which is to come . we confess indeed , there is in all men as well the godly as ungodly , some sort of idea of god , as of a most perfect beeing ; and that therefore this proposition , there existeth a most perfect beeing , doth as clearly appear to human understanding , as that the whole is greater then the part , and therefore this proposition , that a most perfect beeing existeth , ought to be numbred among the principalls that of themselves are manifest ; but this idea of god is as manifest to ungodly as to godly men , yea is as clearly perceived by the devill , as by the most holy angels , for all the devills know that god is ; but yet how blind is the devill , and all wicked men as to the vision of god , which is the chief reward of the saints . there is then either no such vision of god , neither in this life nor in that to come , or there is a supernatural idea of god in us , by which we are made capable of this vision : which supernaturall idea of god , differeth much from that natural idea of god , which cartesius and his followers so much talk of , ( albeit others long before cartesius did observe this natural idea of god , and spoke of it ) but the happiness of the saints consists not in contemplating this naturall idea of god ; else the wicked would be as happy as the godly , yea the very devill as the most holy angel ; since as is said , both the devill and most wicked men doe as clearly perceive this natural idea of god , as the most holy men or angels . if the scriptures then be true , there is in men a supernatural idea of god , which altogether differs from this naturall idea , i say , in all men ; because all men are capable of salvation ; and consequently , of injoying this divine vision : now this capacity consisteth herein , that they have such a supernatural idea in themselves : for , if there were no such idea in them it were impossible they should so know god : for whatsoever is clearly and distinctly known , is known by its proper idea , nether can otherways be clearly and distinctly known ; for the ideas of all things are divinly planted in our souls , for they are not begotten in us by outward objects , or outward causes , ( as the better philosophy teacheth ) but only are by these outward things excited or stirred up : and this is true not only in supernatural ideas of god , and things divine , and in natural ideas of the naturall principals of human understanding , and conclusions thence deduced by the strength of human reason ; but even in the ideas of outward objects , which are perceived by the outward senses ; as that noble christian philosopher boetius hath well observed , to which also the cartesian philosophie agreeth : for when i see any outward object , whether it be a man , or horse , or bird , the outward object does not treat in my eye , nor yet in my mind the idea of those things ; for the outward object does nothing but imprint in our sensible organs a corporall motion : now there is nothing in a corporall motion that can form in us , the ideas of those things ; for all ideas are of a spiritual nature : now nothing that is corporall can produce that which is spirituall , because the less excellent cannot produce the more excellent , else the effect would exceed its cause , which is against all sound reason that it should bring forth what were of a higher and more excellent kind . therefore all ideas whether of natural or spirituall things , are divinly implanted in our minds ; which nevertheless do not alwayes appear , but sometimes appear , and sometimes are as it were hid in us , and sometimes are stirred up in us by causes outward or inward , and again do as it were sleep and shun our observation , and seem not to be otherwayes distinguished by our minds , but as thoughts and perceptions of the mind from the mind it self . that is as the mode from the subject , or as a bod●lie motion from the body whereof it is the motion ; for as is the relation of a bodily motion to a body , so is the relation of a thought or perception of the mind to the mind . in this nevertheless they differ that the mind can move it self and operat in it self which a body cannot doe ; but as a body can be moved by another , so also can the mind after its manner be moved by another , and that both by outward and inward causes ; but chiefly by god himself , in whose hand all souls and creatures are . but of these things there is enough said at present , and i hope , i have not thus farr impertinently philosophised . to return again to the matter in question it is already proved , that there is in a man a supernaturall idea of god , from whence it easily may be concluded there are other supernaturall ideas in man also : to wit , concerning divine and supernaturall things ; yea ( as the saints experience doth prove it ) neither doth sound reason any ways contradict it . ) as there are then naturall ideas concerning the things of the natural world , as for instance , ideas of light and colours , ideas of voice and sounds , ideas of savouring and and smelling , ideas of tasting and feeling , as of heat and cold , of grief and joy : it follows also that there are ideas of supernatural things , concerning the divine and supernatural things of the divine and supernaturall world ; as ideas of those things above mentioned in the spiritual world ; and as the naturall ideas are stirred up in us by outward and naturall bodies ; so those divine and supernatural ideas are stirred up in us by a certain principle , which is a body in naturalls in relation to the spirituall world ; and therefore may be called a divine body ; not as if it were a part of god , who is a most pure spirit , but the organ or instrument of god , by which he worketh in us and stirreth up in us these ideas of divine things , this is that flesh and blood of christ , by which the saints are nurished , which is a mystery to all unregenerated and meer natural men , never to be reached by them , while they remaine in that state . now if there be such supernatural ideas , there are also senses , or perceptive faculties by which those ideas are perceived , for those are two relatives that suppose and inferr one another : but in wicked men those senses or faculties do as it were sleep ( as the visive faculty of a blind man ) but in the godly they are stirred up . now by these divine and spirituall senses which are distinct and distinguishable from all the naturall faculties of the soul , whether of imagination or naturall reason , spirituall minded men do behold the glory and beauty of god , in respect whereof and for which all the glory of this world is despicable to them ; yea even as dross and dung , and they also hear god inwardly speaking in their souls words truly divine and heavenly , full of virtue and divine life ; and they savour and taste of divine things , and doe as it were handle them with the hands of their souls , and those heavenly enjoyments do as realy differ in their nature from all false similitudes and fa●itious appearances of them , which either the mind of man by its own streng●h can imitate , or any evill spirit to deceive man can counterfit , as a true man differs from the dead image of a man , or true bread , honey , wine or milk doth from the meer picture of those things . and albeit either the imagination of man or subtility of the devil may counterfit false likenesses of these injoyments , by which men may be deceived ; and no doubt many are deceived ; that doth not hinder but that those divine injoyments are clearly perceived in such in whom the divine and spirituall senses are truly opened , and the true supernaturall ideas of those things truly raised up : and if there be at any time a mistake , the divine illumination is not the cause of that mistake , but some evill disposition of the mind , as happeneth in those things relating to naturall reason ; for there are many false appearances of reason , which differ as much from true reason , as those false and pretended revelations and diabolicall inspirations from such as are truly divine . now how many men who would be esteemed philosophers , are miserably deceived by those false likenesses of reason ? judging their false reasons to be the true similitudes of things and solid ratiocinatione ; which nevertheless moveth no man of sound reason to reject sound and solid reason , as doubtfull and uncertain : for even sound naturall reason is an excellent gift of god , and very usefull to mankind , when used in its proper place ; but let none think to comprehend by their naturall reason things that are of a divine and supernaturall kind : and as we use to do when any one is deceived by false appearances of reason , we endeavour to reduce them to contemplate the first naturall ideas of naturall things , and to meditate therein , which is as a test , or touchstone , by which all the appearances and likenesses of reason are to be examined , if they contradict them to be rejected : so also when any one is deceived by his own imagination , or the cunning of satan , thinking any evil inspiration of the devil to be a true divine revelation ; he that is so deceived , is to be reduced to the naturall ideas of things ( if so be that pretended revelation doth contradict them ; for no true divine revelation can contradict the true naturall idea ) or to the supernaturall ideas of divine things , which are most simple , clear and obvious to the minds of men , if they will turn their minds to the divine seed in them ; or at least those ideas are readily and easily stirred up : for as in naturall ideas , so in supernaturall , some are more easily raised then others ; for there is an certain order both of naturall and supernaturall ideas , whereby they are gradually excited ; nor is there any mortall man in whose mind at some time or other there is not stirred up some idea , that 's truly supernaturall and divine : and who hath not felt in himself both the wrath and judgement of god for his sins ; and also some tender and gentle taste of god's love and goodness , by which wicked men are invited to repentance . now that which is thought to be a divine revelation , is felt to contradict any divine and supernaturall idea , which is clearly perceived in the soul , it is a manifest token that it is not a divine revelation , but either a false imagination , or the wicked sugestion of some evill spirit but to proceed if we will hear the scripture ( as all christians ought ) it testifies to us , that god hath declared his mind and will , even concerning contingent truths to come in the prophets ; as that of the first to the heb 〈…〉 doth evidently declare , god who at sundry times , and in diverse manners spoke to our fathers in the prophets ; yea let us hear the prophets themselves ▪ hosea chap : 1. saith plainly , that the word of the lord was made in him , as it is in the heb. habakuk also sayes , as he was standing on his watch to see what jehovah would speak in him : and it is so manifest that the most heavenly revelations are by inward illustrations and inspirations in the very minds of the prophets , that it is strange how any that believes the scripture should doubt of it . and if it happened at any time such revelations were made in the naturall imaginations of the prophets , or any of their inward ●aturall senses , then it may be confessed , they could not be infallibly certain they came from god , unless they also felt god in the divine and supernaturall senses ; by which they did most neerly approach to him , from these superior and most inward senses working upon the lower and less noble faculties of the mind . but which ever way the prophets were certain that they were inspired of god , even when they foretold contingent truths to come ; it is without doubt they were most certainly perswaded that they were divinly inspired , and that frequently without any outward miracle ; for john the baptist did no miracle , and many prophesied where there appeared no miracle , as in the scripture may be often observed . and , we also by the inspiration of the same divine spirit by which the prophets prophesied do believe their words and writtings to be divine concerning contingent truths , as well past as to come ; else that faith by which we believe the scripture would not be divine but meerly humane : and thence we need no outward miracles to move us to believe the scriptures , and therefore much less were they necessary to the prophets who write them ; for we see in many places of the prophets , where they declare prophesies as revealed to them of god , there is not a word mentioned of any outward miracle , as that by which alone they were certain of it . moreover the falseness of this argument doth appear , in that the scripture doth declare many contingent truths to have been revealed to the prophets in dreams : now as naturall and wicked men do not see what they dream , by a reall perception of the outward senses , but by inward ideas which are presented to the mind and perceived by it : so it is also in divine revelations of this nature , of which we have a clear example in joseph the husband of the blessed virgin , who when he observed his wife with child , was told in a dream , that she had conceived by the holy ghost . now i would know , to which of joseph's outward senses was this revealed ? or what miracle had he to induce him to believe ? which could neither be proved , ( so as to make an infallible application to mary ) by the testimony of the scripture , and which being against the order of nature did choak his reason : the scripture mentions no miracle in this matter , and yet no doubt joseph had highly sinned , had he not believed this revelation , and not withstanding rejected his wife as an adulteress : but if thou say , that according to thy hypothesis , there must have been a miracle ; that is only to beg the question : and how false this hypothesis is , the apostle shews clearly , corinth . 2.14 . the naturall or animall man knoweth not , receiveth not the things of god : now divine revelations are of this nature ; and if either chiefly or only those things were to be judged by the outward senses it would contradict the apostle ; for natural men , yea the most wicked have the use of the outward senses as true and exact as the most godly : and whereas the apostle adds , for they are spiritually discerned : it puts the matter out of all question ; for thence it abundantly appears , that this discerning is not by the outward senses , according to the following verse , for the apostle saith , the spirituall man judgeth all things : this then must be done by some senses or properties peculiar to the spirituall man , and in which he excells the naturall man , which is not in the outward senses ( as all do know ) therefore the perception of spirituall things cannot be by the outward senses , either as the chief or only means , as is falsly contended for . now as to these words of the apostle , rom. 10. that faith comes by hearing ; zuinglius observed well ▪ that the apostle intended not to affirm faith to come by the hearing of the outward word , neither doth the following words prove it ; how shall they believe unless they hear ? and how shall they hear without a preacher ? and how shall they preach unless they be sent ? for the apostle uses these words not as his arguments , but as objections which might be formed , as the same apostle uses in other places ; to which objections he answers in the same chapter , as appears verse 18. but i say , have they not all heard ? yes truly , their voice went into all the earth ; that is of the father and son , or the father in the word , which word is not only neer us , but ( according to the same apostle , in the same chapter ) in our mouths , and in our hearts . but further thou can conclude nothing from this , but that faith is begotten by outward hearing only , and no otherwise : for this is the strength of thy argument , that since faith cannot be without outward hearing , therefore nothing can be certainly believed , but where somewhat is proposed to the outward hearing , for if thou acknowledge faith can be begotten any otherwise then by hearing , thou looses the strength of thy argument : and if that argument hold that faith comes only by outward hearing , thou destroyes the whole hypothesis ; for having before affirmed that outward miracles are sufficient to render one certain of the truth of any revelation ; those miracles whether it be the healing of the sick , or the raising of the dead , would avail nothing , because those ( as for most part all miracles ) are obvious to the sight , not to the hearing : and if it be not by outward hearing only , thou can conclude nothing from this place . but i the more wonder , thy using of this argument , considering the discourse we had together before we entred upon this debate ; for when we were speaking of the opinions of a certain person , who denyed the certainty of every thing , but what was discerned by the outward senses , thou condemned as most absurd ; but why , i cannot conceive since there is no great difference betwixt those two opinions , the one saith , there can be no certainty concerning any truth , whether they be necessary or contingent , but by the perception of the senses ; the other affirms the same of contingent truths , though not of necessary truths ▪ but among the number of contingent truths thou esteems what belongs to christian religion : for thou reckon the necessary truths only to belong to naturall religion . this then is all the difference that that other person sayes , there is no certainty of any religion , neither naturall nor christian but by the perception of the outward senses ; but thou sayes , though thou esteems the certainty of naturall re●i●ion to be without them , yet not of the christian religion . but again since thou esteems that not naturall religion but the christian religion is necessary to salvation ; thou must necessarly conclude , that th●se truths which are necessary to salvation are only known and beleived by the benefit of the outward senses : in which conclusion , which is the summ of all , thou yields the matter to that other person . but lastly , if all the certainty of our faith , hope , and salvation , did depend upon the infallibility of outward senses , we should be most mis●rable ; since these senses can be easily deceived , and by many outward casualities , and naturall infirmities , whereunto the godly are no less subject then the wicked , are often vitiated and there are ( as the scripture affirms ) false miracles which as to the outward cannot be distinguished from the true , of which we cannot infallibly judge by the outward senses , which only discern what is outward . there is a necessity then to have recourse to some other means . from all which it does appear how fallacious and weak this argument is , but thanks be unto god , who would not that our faith should be built upon so uncertain and doubtfull a foundation : and whoever hath known true faith , or hath felt the divine testimony of god's spirit in his soul , will judge otherwise , neither will be moved by such reasonings ; i pray god therefore remove these clouds which darken thy understanding , that thou may perceive the glorious gospell of christ . this is that saving word of grace which i commend thee unto ; and that god may give thee a heart inclinable to believe and obey the truth , is the desire of , thy faithfull freind , r. barclay . the 24th . of the month , called , november , 1676. this letter a year ago at the desire of my freind , r. b. i delivered into the hands of the aforenamed ambassadour , desiring his answer in writting , which he then promised ; but not having as yet done , it was seen meet to be published . b. f. rotterdam the 28 of march ; 1678. the signes or an essay concerning the assurance of gods loue, and mans saluation gathered out of the holy scriptures. by nicholas byfield, one of the preachers for the citty of chester. byfield, nicholas, 1579-1622. 1614 approx. 90 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 78 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2005-03 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a17416 stc 4236 estc s118320 99853527 99853527 18912 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a17416) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 18912) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1475-1640 ; 1197:01) the signes or an essay concerning the assurance of gods loue, and mans saluation gathered out of the holy scriptures. by nicholas byfield, one of the preachers for the citty of chester. byfield, nicholas, 1579-1622. [16], 139, [1] p. printed by iohn beale for ionas man, london : 1614. reproduction of the original in the bodleian library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project 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will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng assurance (theology) salvation -early works to 1800. 2003-06 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2003-06 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2004-12 ben griffin sampled and proofread 2004-12 ben griffin text and markup reviewed and edited 2005-01 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the signes or an essay concerning the assurance of gods loue , and mans saluation ; gathered out of the holy scriptures . by nicholas byfield , one of the preachers for the citty of chester . 2 cor. 13. 5. examine your selues whether yee be in the faith : proue your owne selues . knowe ye not your owne selues , how that jesus christ is in you except ye be reprobates . london , printed by iohn beale for ionas man. 1614. to the trvely religious , and his most affectionate frend , mistris iane ratclife , wife to mr. iohn ratclife , esquier , alderman and iustice of peace , late maior of the citie of chester , peace be vnto you and loue , with faith from god the father , and the lord iesus christ. the impertunitie , of diuerse of my hearers , and the expectation of many of all sorts , together with my desire to yeeld some account of my long vndelightfull leasure , haue inclined me to prepare some of my publike and priuate labours , for the common view : hoping that the abounding respect of my friends will couer the wants , and weakenesses which other men will sooner espie . howsoeuer i haue long meditated , a worke of greater labour , then this ensuing treatise yet in the meane time i haue beene willing to tast the approbation of good men , and make my best aduauntage of the censures of the many minded multitude , by aduenturing to send foorth these first fruites , as a handfull gathered out of the rest . worthie gentlewoman , there are manie reasons induce me to publish these signes vnder your name , your singular loue and liking of my ministerie , together vvith your reuerent and willing entertainement , of faithfull ministers ( receiuing them as the messengers of the churches , and the glorie of christ as partners and fellow helpers , walking in the same spirit ) challengeth from vs some publike testimonie of our acknowledgemēt of gods grace , and of the ioy , vvherewith vve reioyced for your sake ; besides constant indeauour to make vse of all opportunities for your resolution , and direction , in the seuerall conflicts , and cases of your conscience . i haue had occasion fully to know your order , and manner of life , your desires , purposes , teares , & vprightnes , your faith , your loue , your obedience : and therfore being assured , that you are marked euen with euerie one of these signes ; vvhy should i not say vnto you , as somtimes iob said of himselfe . behold your signes that the almightie wil witnesse for you . and i am vvell assured , that this treatise vvill finde good accesse vnto the hands and hearts of diuers in these parts , euen for the loue they beare to you , and for the good they novv heare you haue by experience reaped from these . neither had i beene easily drawne to publish these , but that hauing occasion in conference with many to make vse of thē , i could hardly satisfie them vvith coppies . i spare to alleadge other reasons . novv vvhat remains but that i should beseech you , and all those vvho finde by these signes the assurance of gods eternal loue , euen to honour the lord vvith the continuall sacrifices of praise , the fruite of your lips , vvith confession to his name , oh loue the lord vvith your whole heart , and make his praise glorious , and abound more and more , in the fruites of sincere life , and in all holy , and humble conuersation , liue by faith , and in nothing be carefull , but in all things , let your requests he made knowne to god , vvith thanksgiuing : and as you haue receiued mercy faint not , neither be descoraged vnder the sence of your infirmities and vvants , for they that vvaite vpon the lord , shall renevv their strength , the lord vvill power his spirit vpon your seede , & his blessing vpon your buds : the sunne of righteousnesse vvill arise , and there is healing vnder his wings . you haue a high priest , that is touched vvith infirmities , and therefore you may goe boldly to the throne of grace , to seeke grace and mercy to helpe in time of neede : the power of god is made knowne in vveakenesse , and his grace will be sufficient : the lord keepeth the feete of his saints , and vvill supplie all your vvants vvith his riches in glory . blessed be the lord that holdeth our soules in life , and suffereth not our fee●e to be moued . gracious gentlewoman be confident in this , that god which hath begun his good worke will performe it , till the day of christ ▪ for his foundation remaineth sure : and hee euer liueth that maketh intercession for you , and the mortall seede abideth , and christ will be , omega as well as alpha , the end as well as the beginning : neither feare the reproach of men , for there is a hiding place with the lord , from the strife of tongues ; and he will put to silence those lying lipps that speake such grieuous things , so proudly , so contemptuously : vvaite on the lord , and keepe his waie ; they shall assuredly make an account to the iudge of quicke and dead , that speake euill of the innocent , and the same god and father of mercie that hath directed , your heart vnto his loue , and refreshed your spirit with the vnspeakeable ioies of his presence , finish his owne worke in you : and as you haue professed , a good profession before many that will witnesse , how vnblameably you haue behaued your selfe among them that beleeue ; so stand fast in the lord , be stil an example of faith and puritie , of loue and feruencie , of meekenesse , and humilitie , of tendernesse , and harmelesnesse , of shamefastnesse , and sobrietie , of mercie and good workes , as becommeth a woman professing godlinesse , that they may bee ashamed which shall falsely accuse your good conuersation in christ , keepe the doctrine you haue receiued , seeing you haue learned christ , as the tr●th is in him . striue to increase in loue and obedience to your husband and care of your chrildren & familie , and shew all faithfulnesse , and diligence in your particular calling . prouoke your kindred and acquaintance vnto repentance , faith , praier , loue , fellowship in the gospell , and good workes , that thanksgiuing may be giuen by many to god for you . let the word of christ bee still your guide : watch vnto praier , receiue them that feare god , and make much of such . let patience haue her perfect worke , and commit your waies to god , and trust in him . the lord make you to abound in loue yet more and more , in knowledge , and in all iudgement , that you may still approue things that are excellent , and be blamelesse in the middest of a crooked & peruerse people : the lord perfect in you whatsoeuer is vvanting , and fulfill the good pleasure of his goodnesse , and the worke of your faith with power . the lord increase in you that holy couetousnesse , to be with the lord , looking for the blessed hope , and glorious appearing of the great god , and our sauiour iesus christ. farewell . may. 1614. yours according to the common faith . n. byfield . a short treatise concerning assurance . concerning the assuraunce of gods fauour , three things may be considered of . first the proofes . secondly , the lets . thirdly , the signes . that a christian in this life may be infallibly assured of gods fauour to himself in particular , and that hee ought to seeke this assurance , as a matter of singular necessity , these places of scripture proue . the apostle paul chargeth the corinthians to examine themselues , whether they be in the faith , and requireth this prouing of themselues with such earnestnesse , that he saith , know yee not your owne selues , how that christ iesus is in you , except ye be reprobates ? as if he would auouch it , that a man can neuer haue found comfort of his election till he get this assured knowledge of gods fauour in christ. and the apostle peter exhorts christians to vse all diligence to make their calling and election sure whatsoeuer carnall persons speake against it . iob vehemently desires there were a perpetual record of his words , when he speaks of his assurance , that no man might thinke he spake passionately , or vainegloriously ; he knew that his redeemer liued , and that at the last day , his very flesh should be raised , & he should see god with ioy . by the spirit of god a christian knowes the things of god : yea to this end haue we receiued this spirit which is of god , that wee might know the things which are freely giuen vs of god : yea it searcheth the deepe things of god. and in the second of the corinthians gods children are said to know their glorification : as certainely as by sence and experience , they know , that their bodies , which are their earthlie tabernacles shall bee dissolued : so certainely are they assured of the building of god , not made with hands , eternall in the heauens : yea they are alwaies confident herein ; and therefore gods seruant are taught to pray for the spirit of wisdome and reuelation , that the eyes of their vnderstanding may bee inlightned , that they might know the hope of their calling , and the riches of their inheritance , and the exceeding greatnes of gods power towards them , vpon this assurance . paul knowes whom hee hath beleeued , and no afflictions should hinder him , but he will settle , vpon this perswasion , that god will keepe his soul , which he hath cōmitted to him against the day of christ. the apostle iohn saith , we know that we haue passed from death to life , and again , ye may know that ye haue eternall life . and again we know that wee are of god. and the apostle to the ephesians saith , that in christ we haue boldnesse and accesse , with confidence by faith in him : yea the very words of assurance are found in scripture where it is shewed , that we may haue much assurance , yea full assurance , yea the riches of full assurance : and men are earnestly exhorted , to vse all diligence to get this full assurance to the end ; and when it is once had , neither death , nor life , nor angels , nor principalities , nor things present , nor things to come , nor height , nor depth , nor anie other creature should be able to seperate them from ▪ this loue of god in iesus christ. le ts , the attainment of the sence , power , & comfort of this assurance is exceedingly hindered in all sorts of people . first , for many can neuer attaine it , beecause they are forestalled with euill opinions about it , they thinke it is impossible to be had , or it is needelesse , or it is presumption to seek it , or it would prooue a nurse to security if it were had . secondly , in the most , common hope serues the turne and supplies presumptuously the roome of this sacred gift , thirdly , many heare & professe , and goe farre in the opinion of others , and yet get not assurance ; because they take not a soūd course for the mortification of the body of sinnes that are passed , whereas it is certain assurance can neuer be had , till there be some sound course taken , in the acknowledgement , bewailing , and reformation of them . fourthly , besides a barraen life is an vncomfortable and vnsetled life , and contrariwise to abound in gods worke , hath stedfastnesse , and a secret rest of heart , as an vnspeakeable companion of it . fifthly , melancholy also ( that is terrors and griefes , of which a man can yeelde no true reason ) is in diuers a mighty let to the setled assurance they might haue . they are so eaten vp with those strong conceits that all the comfort is propounded most anend , prooues as water spilt vpon the ground : especially when this humor is nourished by some extraordinary distemper of the body ; physicke , not arguments of scripture must here be vsed , or rather both of them . sixthly , the loue of earthly things is another great impediment : many professors haue their thoughts and cares so eaten vp with worldlinesse , that they cannot seriously hold out to follow the directions requisite to the attainement of assurans . this grace requires a minde some way fitted for contemplation . it is a knowledge will neuer be had with looking downeward . seuenthly , further , many are so passionate and froward , they can get no rest in their heart , when as ful assurance would bee lodged in an humble & quiet brest . eighthly , others want assurance , because they neglect the meanes of assurance , which are the word , praier , or fellowship in the gospell . ninthly , in some there lodgeth some secret sinne vnrepented of , and this either keepes out faith , or keepes it downe in the cradle , that it can get no strength . lastly , assurance is the gift of god , and hee bestoweth it on whom hee will. the signes generally propounded . there are sixteene infallible signes of a child of god , as may appeare by the testimonie of most apparent scripture . first , pouerty of spirit ; for the poore of spirit are blessed and theirs is the kingdome of heauen . secondly , godly sorrow , for it causeth repentance , not to be repented off , euen such a repentance as is vnto saluation . thirdly , the loue of the word , for this is a sure comfort in affliction , and may quicken a mans heart , this is a sauour of life vnto life , in them that are saued . fourthly , the loue of gods children ; for hereby we know wee are passed from death to life , because wee loue the brethren . fifthly , faith ; for god so loued the world that hee gaue his onely begotten sonne , that whosoeuer beleeueth in him , should not perish but haue euerlasting life . sixthly , vprightnesse of heart : for god will giue grace and glorie , and no good thing will hee with-hold from them that are vpright in heart . seuenthly , the spirit of adoption . for it beareth witnes to our spirit that wee are the sonnes of god : and if anie man haue not the spirit of christ , he is not his . eighthly , holy desires . for euery one that thirsteth , shal haue of the water of life freely : & if they will heare , their soules shall liue , and enioy the sure mercies of dauid , they are blessed , and they shall be satisfied . ninthly , the spirit of praier or supplication ; for whosoeuer calleth on the name of the lord shall bee saued . 10 the obedience of christ , for he is the author of eternall saluation to them that obey him . 11 sauing knowledge for this is eternall life , to know god , and whom hee hath sent iesus christ. it is not onely a signe of eternall life or saluation , but the beginning and part of it . 12 the sacraments in the right vse of them are infallible signes of our saluation , and to that end ordained , for he● that belieueth and is baptised shall bee saued . hence it is said , baptisme saueth vs : they are sure seales of the righteousnesse of faith . 13 the loue of god : for if a man loue christ the father will loue him , and come vnto him and dwell with him . 14 the feare of god : for it is a fountaine of life , to depart from the snares of death . 15 loue of our enemies : for it is not onely a signe of a christian , but of a perfect christian. 16 desire of death . for a crowne of life is layed vp for all them that loue the appearing of christ. the signes particularly expounded ; and first of pouertie of spirit . spirituall pouertie may bee tried either by properties , or by effect . gods poore haue eight properties . first , they are sensible , and that first of their owne wants and misery , by nature and daily sinne . secondly , they know when they see gods iudgements , that it was the word of the lord. thirdly , they tremble at gods word , and feare his displeasure , while it yet hangs in the threatning . fourthly , they are sensible of that speciall goodnesse of gods mercy ; when a man is poore and needie , he can say with dauid , mercie is good . fifthly , they are sensible of their owne mortalitie : they haue feeling impressions of their fading condition . secondly , they are thankfull , and that for lesser mercies ; a poore man is glad of a pennie , whereas a rich man cannot bee touched with so small a fauour , gods poore will praise gods name for the very crums that fals from his table : and as anie are more poore and humble , they are more thankefull . thirdlie , they are teachable , and willing to bee appointed and instructed ; it is a great signe a mans heart is not humble , when he must haue so much to doe , before he can bee perswaded to anie trueth , or disswaded from anie sinne : pride and ignorance is hard to learne . fourthly , they are hungrie people , especially greedie after the food in syon , they loue it , they desire it , they esteeme it , they are satisfied with nothing better then with it , it is the reliefe of their hearts foreuer . and there are fiue effects of spirituall properties . the first is praier : for gods poore liue by begging , if hee be poore , hee will crie vnto god. the second is abnegation : for this poore man , renounceth his owne merits , hee seeth no good will be had by deseruing ; for hee deserueth nothing but gods curse in al things hee forsaketh also the world , both in the lusts of it , and in the companie of the wicked , and all earthly things , as not hauing the chiefe good in them . the third is diligence in gods worke ; yea gods poore are willing to do the meanest and hardest worke god will be pleased to set them to : so as they may finde fauour in his eies to be accepted with him , they would account no worke too base for them to doe , but they would bee glad to doe anie thing they could with their best desires and endeavours . fourthly , gods poore , commit themselues & all their waies to gods care and mercie ; they will onely trust in the name of the lord , and bee contented to let god dispose of them as pleaseth him . fifthly , the last is a feare to offend god in word or deede , by their good will they would doe none iniquitie , nor speake lies , a deceitfull tongue should not be found in their mouth , gods poore and gods turtle doues are all one ; so in seperable are harme lesse innocencie and spirituall pouertie . 2. godlie sorrow . wee may know whetther our sorrowes be godly , if we consider . first , the causes . secondly , the properties . thirdly the concomitants . fourthlie , the effects of them . for the first of them wee must consider what raiseth our sorrowes and what asswageth them , for godlie sorrow , is chiefelie raised for sinne : and so for the sinnes of the time , because others keepe not the law . for ezechiel doubt not to mark them with gods marke , that mourne for the abhomination done in ierusalem ; but wee must vnderstand that this sorrow must bee simple , because god is dishonored . and further in sorrow for our owne sins , we must mourne , for al sorts of sinnes , for lesser sines , as well as greater , for sinnes of our calling , for secret sins as well as open , for sins that presntlie trouble vs , as well as for sinnes past : for the sins feared and the corrupt inclination of our natures , for beeloued , gainefull and pleasing sinnes , finally for the euill of our good works as wel as for euil works . now there are two notes of great vse , in triall of sorrow for our sinnes ; the one is , that wee must sorrow for sinne as it is sinne ; and the other is , that a man should not easily satisfie himselfe in the measure , till he can mourne as much for sinne , as he was wont , or now would for losses . the prophet zacharias instanceth , when he saith ; the spirit of god , shold cause them to mourne as in the familie , as one would mourne for the losse of their onely sonne , or as in the common wealth , the subiects would doe , for the losse of a most worthie prince . he mentioneth their sorrow for iosiah , yet wee must know that teares are not of necessitie , and specially in such natures , as are voide of teares , for anie other causes . secondly , in asmuch as sorrow may be godly euen for iudgements wee must vnderstand that herein our triall wil be , if we can mourn rather for spirituall iudgements , then for temporall : and among the rest , if we can feele , and bewaile hardnesse of heart , mourning because we cānotmourne as we ought , and farther if we can be grieued as well for the offence of god as for punishment . thirdly , a christian is principally stirred vp in true sorrow , by the sence of gods goodnesse ; so as nothing doth more fire him to a desire to abase himselfe and to humble himselfe , euen in the verie dust , in the sence of his owne vilenesse , then to feele and finde the gracious goodnes and readinesse of god to shew mercie . he feareth the lord and his goodnesse . and as godlie sorrow is raised by spirituall meanes and considerations , so it is asswaged onely by spirituall meanes , those sorrowes that can be healed by sports , merrie companie or the like , are much like the medecines vsed to helpe them ; but in godlie sorrow , the same god that wounded them must heale , and a christiā desires helpe from the same word that pierced him . thus of the causes . there are foure properties of godly sorrow which among the rest , we must labour after , and without which we can hardlie haue true assistance , that our sorrowes are right . first , it is inquisitiue , it is a hard thing to make sorrow silent , and hee that is truelie pricked in his heart , cannot with contentment smother his doubts , hee will aske the way to sion , and cannot rest till he haue knowne what to doe to be saued , those that finde so little to aske , and can be so silent in the presence of gods seruaunts , by whom they might bee directed , may suspect their sorrowes . secondlie , it must not rest in the beginnings , or probabilities , or hopes , or others good opinions , or the mending of manie things : but a christian that is truelie humbled will repent stil , though he haue turned , that is , he is so fearefull of being deceiued , through the corruption of his owne heart , and the wils of sathan , that he will constantlie hold on to confesse and bewaile his sinnes , till he may finde assured rest vnto his soule . thirdlie , it will admit nothing against god , but it makes a man condemne himselfe , rather then god ; when dauid lay in that mournfull plight , that he could finde no comfort night nor daie , for a long season , and that the question , was to be debated whether god had forgotten to bee mercifull , &c. hee resolues , the fault was in himselfe that it was his infirmitie , and that his soule refused comfort . fourthlie , it will not rest without cleanenesse , godlie sorrow is not water , but washing nor euery washing , but such as maketh cleane : worldlie sorrow may haue much water , but cleanseth nothing , but godlie sorrow greatlie desireth and loueth puritie . thus of the causes and properties concerning the concomitants there are diuerse things doe accompanie godlie sorrow , by which it is discerned ; for , first it is ioyned with a secret trust in the ac-acceptation of god , so as no miserie can beate them from the consideration and inward affiance of hope of mercie , in the verie disquietnesse of the heart the desire of the soule is to the lord , & before his presence though a childe of god , be neuer so much cast downe , yet hee waits vpon god , for the helpe of his countenaunce , and in some measure condemnes the vnbeliefe of his owne heart , and supporteth himselfe with the hope of the neuer failing compassions of god : thus it differs from the sorrowes of caine and iudas . secondlie , it is ioined with a wonderfull loue of god for hearing of praier , it is most deepelie affected with euerie mercie of god felt in praier ; dauid loues the lord , because he hath heard his praier at that time when his sorrowes was as the paines of hell . thirdlie , it is ioined with a longing after the word . fourthlie , it is ioined with a constant desire to glorifie god by a fruitefull profession , euerie one that truelie mourneth in sion , is a tree of righteousnesse , the planting of the lord , that he may bee glorified . fifthlie , it is ioined with a spirit of supplications , sorrow that is after god , will teach a christian to pray , that could neuer praie before ; the spirit of compassion , is a spirit of supplication . lastlie , our sorrowes must be tried by their effects , for godlie sorrow . first , driues vs to a dailie and serious confession of sinne in particular without hiding anie sinne . secondlie , it breedes a tender sence of the burthen of sinne ; neuer doth a christian feele the heauie loade of sinne as it is sinne , till god hath softned his heart by his spirit . thirdlie , it workes a mindefulnesse of god and his presence , and a deepe impression and thought of good things . fourthlie , it causeth a man to sacrifice and deuote himselfe to god. fifthlie , it breedes sensiblenesse & thankfulnesse for all sorts of mercie . lastlie , the apostle notes seuen effects of godlie sorrow , care , apologie , indignation , feare , vehement desire , zeale and reueuge . 3. loue to the word . in so much as wicked men ; especiallie such as are indued with a temporary faith may haue some kinde of affections to the word , we must carefullie trie our selues , and examine our selues seriously . 1. whether we desire it as our appointed foode constantlie ? 2. whether wee loue them that loue the word . 3. whether the loue of the word seperates vs from the wicked ? 4. whether we can mourn , because others keepe not the word ? 5. whether wee loue it aboue all riches and could esteeme it as our heritage ? 6. whether it bee our chiefe comfort in affliction . 7. whether in hearing wee receiue it as the word of god , and not of men . 8. whether we receiue it in power and much assurance ? 9. whether it worke effectually in vs theredresse of our waies and freedome from the bondage of sinne . 10. whether wee loue all the words of god , euen the law that with threatning shews vs our sinnes as well as the gospell ; desiring to hide the word in our hearts that wee might not sinne . 11. whether it be our desire and delight to exercise our selues in it day and night . 12. whether wee can accompt and feele the famine of the word to bee a most bitter crosse . 13. whether wee could bee contented constantlie to labour for it , as men doe , for the foode that perisheth . 14. whether wee finde a constant sweete taste in it , especially in the powerfull preaching of it . 15. whether for the gospell sake we can bee content , to denie our reasons , affections , credits , carnall friends pleasures and profits . 4. the loue of gods children . ovr loue to the saints may be tried . first , by the cause . secondly , by the extent . thirdly , the manner . fourthly , by the effects . for the first , to loue gods children , because they are begotten of god , and for the grace of gods spirit , by which they resemble god ( or rather for the lord himselfe desiring to expresse our affections to them , because wee doe no good to god himselfe ) is not found in anie reprobate , and so to loue them simplie for the truths sake , whereas to loue them for beautie , profit , companie sake , or any naturall or carnall reasons or ends in no signe at all . secondlie , hee that truely loues the brethren , loues all the brethren ; hee that loues not all the saints , loues no saint aright : a true christian hath not the glorious faith of christ in respect of persons , he loues the poorest , if he haue true grace , aswell as the richest , yea he loues the absent aswell as the present , yea he loues for the truths sake those he neuer saw yet this hinders not the difference of degrees of loue , so as some may be more beloued then others , and that by reason of the greater measure of gods gifts and graces , or els , by the speciall prouidence of god when the lord linketh the affection of some christians in some speciall eminencie of respects ; and so it is not alwaie needefull , that the persons most loued , bee most gracious ; it doth not of necessitie follow that iohn was the most gracious of al the apostles , though hee were most beloued . againe as our loue must bee extendent to all saints , so also must it be to all times , we must loue them aswell when they are in aduersity , disgrace , temptation , sicknesse , or any misery ; as when they abound in prosperitie or good estimation , &c. for the third , this loue is without dissimulation , it is indeede and trueth , not in word or appearance onely . and besides , it is a most affectionate and brotherly loue . lastlie , there are sixe effects of true christian loue , for it shewes it selfe . first , by honor , and this honoring of them that feare the lord , hath in it ▪ first , an estimation of them , as the onely excellent people in the world . secondly , a free acknoweledgement of their iust praises in all places , for their grace and obedience . thirdly , a willing proposing of them , as examples to imitate . fourthly , a holy endeauour to couer their infirmities , taking things in the best part and sence , not receiuing disgracefull reports of them ; suffering long , not vau●ting themselues in comparison of them , not easily prouoked , not enuying them , hoping all things , induring all things , and yet not reioycing in their iniquity . fiftly , apology for them against the reproches and scornes of the world . sixthly by delight in their fellowship , and society in the gospell , in which respect they can be equall to them of the lower sort . such as finde no need of , nor delight in the company of gods children , or are willing to sort with none , but their betters or equals , may see great cause to bee humbled , either for the want of this grace , or for the weakenesse of it . thirdly , by simpathy and fellow-feeling ▪ for in some measure , a childe of god is like affectioned : he can in some measure weepe with them that weepe , and reioyce with them that reioyce , especially they reioyce , to heare , or know their soules prosperity . fourthly , by weldoing , & mercy , this loue is bountifull , pittifull , tender , hath bowels both of spirituall and outward mercy , it gladly receaueth the saints , it communicates to their necessitie willinglie , and with a readie minde . fiftly , by a desire to walke in offensiuely , he that loueth his brother , there is no occasion of stumbling , or scandall in him . lastly , the true loue of gods children , will make a man grow vp the faster into iesus christ , in all grace and holinesse . 5. faith. inasmuch , as there are diuers kinds of faith , and experience shewes in many that giue no signes of repentance , that they will not bee beaten from a confident perswasion , that christ died for them , euen for them in particular . it stands vs in hand to try our perswasion by the true rules of scripture , and if it will abide the triall of the touchstone , we may lay it vp as hid treasure , and a wonderfull grace of god , and if otherwise we may repent of presumption , as a deceaueable sinne . faith may be tried . 1. by the cause . 2. by the properties . 3. by the concomitants . 4. by the effects . for the first , true faith commeth by the hearing of the word preached : it is no naturall endowment , nor gotten by naturall helpes ; but first is wrought by the holyghost , in the preaching of the gospell , as is plaine by the apostle . how shal they beleeue in him of whom they haue not heard , and how shall they heare without a preacher . secondly , there are 6. properties of faith . first , it accounts all things most base , in comparison of the knowledge of christ , and the loue of god in him . christ is more precious then all the world besides . secondly , it will receaue the testimony of gods faithfull ministers out of the world , against the world . thirdly , it is such a perswasion as cannot abide hipocrisy , but purgeth the heart of it , as of a most hatefull sinne , and is therefore called vnfained . fourthly , it will endure triall ; cast it into the fire of tribulation , and manifold afflictions and disgraces , and temptations , yet it will not perish , nor be ashamed ; it is a plate for the breast , and a helmet for the head . 1. thess. 5. 8● eph. 6. whereas the best faith that is not the faith of gods elect , will proue but drosse , if it be cast into the furn●ce of temptation ; further then it is supported by carnall ends and helpes . fiftly , it will beleeue all things that it apprehendeth to be required , threatned , or promised in the word ; to belieue some things , may be in other kindes of faith ; especially such things as stand with reason , affecting common opinion , &c. sixtly , in affliction it laieth hold on gods promise or prouidence , so as it will rest with quietness , trust and patience , and not make hast to the vse of euill , and vnwarranted meanes , he that beleeueth maketh not hast . thirdly , it may bee tried by the concomitants of it . for ; first , it is ●ealed by the holy spirit of promise ; for in euery beleeuer the promised spirit doth print in his heart the sauing graces of christ , from the sight of which , as from so many markes , compared with gods promises in his word , ariseth by the effectuall working of the spirit , this assurance or perswasion of faith : for though grace and faith bee giuen together , and grow vp together , yet the assurance of faith discouers not it selfe , till it discerne those companions of it with which it is daily incouraged , and confirmed and setled , that faith that can be without sanctification of the spirit , is not the faith of gods elect . secondly , it is ioyned with a good and pure conscience . hee that is truly perswaded of gods loue in christ , maketh conscience of all his wayes , to seeke or doe thee good god requires , and auoyde the euils god forbids . thirdly , it is ioyned with a spirit of discerning , or wisdome in matters of saluation , the minde being enlightened , to obserue in some comfortable measure , the meaning of the holy ghost , in all things needefull to saluation , in vse of the word , through the power of gods ordinances , so as the verie simple may and doe attaine to a holy kinde of insight , and sharpenesse of iudgement . fourthly , the true beleeuer hath a witnesse in himselfe , euen the witnesse of the spirit of adoption , infallible certifying himselfe of gods loue and his adoption . fifthly , faith may be discerned by certaine effects of it ; for , 1. it breedeth ioy vnspeakeable and glorious , and that either through the sence of gods sauour and your presence , or in the hope of glorie to come . 2. it puts on and applies a righteousnesse , that is not by the worke of the same , but in christ onely . 3. it will make a man speake in the confession , profession and defence of the truth of god , i haue beleeued , therefore i spake . 4. it workes the longing desires of gods presence of glorie . 5. it workes an effectuall loue of god and gods children , & sheweth it selfe by the fruites of loue . 6. it will maintaine a christian in some measure of sufficiencie and contentment in all estates ; the iust liues by faith , not by friends , mony , earthly hopes , or helpes &c. for it will make a man to lay houlde vpon gods promise , and workes an inward trust in gods neuer failing prouidence , so as hee will leaue the successe of all his labours , or meanes to god. 7. it excludes , boasting of our owne labours , praises , gifts , or workes , and in the same measure workes humilitie , that it maketh any other grace . 8. it ouercommeth the world , so as profits , credit , pleasures carnal friends or hopes doe not sway and rule the beleeuer , but hee willinglie and patientlie rests in the treasures and pleasures of a better world , yeelding himselfe ouer to bee guided by christ and his truth to the death . 9. it purifieth the heart from ignorance , wicked imaginations , carnall desires , sinfull perturbations , and all sorts of secret and inward sinnes . and this it doth by causing a man , dailie to seeke pardon for them in christ , and by casting them out by confession and sorrow , in the same measure , desiring inward puritie , that it reioyeeth in gods loue . 10. there is a spring of grace in the heart of euery beleeuer , whence followes daily the exercise of sundrie sauing graces , which can neuer bee vtterly dried vp in the heart of a christian ; and that is it , our sauiour christ meaneth when hee saith ; out of his bellie shall flow riuers , of liuing water . 6. the spirit of adoption . the spirit of adoption in the hearts of gods children , may bee discerned . first , by the fire of zeale and holie affections , with which it fils the harts of gods children ; especially in the vse of gods ordinances , to the information & reformation of their liues . secondly , by the much assurance , which especially at som●times worketh in the heart . thirdly , by a daily holy strife , to preserue grace giuen vs , and to preuent falling away . fourthly , by secret suggestion or direction , by which gods seruants are reclaimed when they goe out of the way , either on the right hand , or on the left . fifthly , by the assise it keepes in the heart of a christian , as a spirit of iudgement by which he is made , to watch , arrest , accuse , condemn and restraine himselfe , from euerie euill way , according to the rules of the word , & before gods holy presence . sixthly , by libertie from the power of raigning and presumptuous sinnes ; where the spirit of god is , there is libertie . seuenthly , by the groath and florishing of true grace . eighthly , by vnspeakable ioies , felt in the presence of god , in the due vse of his ordinance , by which a christian is enflamed to the loue of god , and all holy duties , and abased to the dust in the sence of his owne vilenesse , called therefore the ioies of the holy ghost : for , as for carnall ioyes or illusions , either they are not felt in the vse of gods ordinances , or els they breede pride , and conceited security . ninthly , by requests and supplications , affectionable and with confidence powered out vnto god as a father . 7. vprightnesse of heart . if thou wouldest make triall of the truth and vprighnesse of thy heart , thou must seriously examine thy selfe : first , whether thy spirit be without guile , more desirous to be good , then to bee thought to be so , and seeking more the power of godlinesse , then the shew of it . secondly , whether thou loue all good things aswell as one , and hate all things as well as one . thirdly , whether that thou canst loue and forgiue thy enemies , that hate , and disgrace , and wrong thee aswell as thy friends , that either wrong thee not , or but by infirmity . fourthly , whether thou canst bee content to receiue euil at gods hands , as well as good , without murmuring or letting goe thy integrity , being carefull to approue thy selfe to god without respect of reward , yea though trouble did befall thee . fiftly , whether thou dislike sinne in all , euen in those that are most neere and deere vnto thee ? sixtly , whether thou finde in thy heart a resolution to turne from nothing that god commaundeth thee all the daies of thy life . seauenthly , whether thou be innocent from the great transgression . eightly , whether thou finde an inward combate and striffe against secret sinnes , aswell as open sinnes , bewailing the transgressions against the inward worship of god , aswell as against the ontward . ninthly , whether thy heart bee humble , patient , teachable , and tractable in some holy measure , increasing herein by the vse of gods ord●niance ? an vpright heart , is a willing heart . 10 whether thy desire bee to walke as in gods presence . 11 whether thou finde a desire to be rid of sinne , and to humble thy selfe for it , in prosperitie aswell as aduersitie , and in the beginning of afflictions , aswell as in the extremities of them . 12 whether in wrongs and disgraces , when thou art innocent , thou canst ( in the sence of thine owne vnworthinesse of gods loue ) make god thy defence , resting in his fauour and acceptance . 13 whether thou dost endeauour to glorifie god , aswell by giuing thankes for blessings and graces , as for praying for supplie of wants , or pardon of ●innes . 14 whether thy heart be stedfast , and setled , without lying , flattering , or dissembling ; so seeking and praying for pardon , and deliuerance in aduersit●e , that thou wouldest practise it after release , this was a signe the israelites were not vpright , in that they would crie to god in their distresse , but care not for their vowes and promises , so soone as they were deliuered . 15 whether the word of god doe thee good aboue all things ? 16 whether thy praise be of god , and not of men ? 17 whether thou dost serue god with thy whole heart : not hauing a heart and a heart , either waiuering or deuided ? for vnlesse the whole resolution of thy soule , with the vtmost of thy desires , bee to walke in gods waies , thy heart is not vpright . 18 whether there be in thee a faithfull heart , to deale faithfullie in the charge and calling in which thou art , and to discharge it in the conscionable feare of god ? 19 whether there be any sinne thou couldest not willinglie iudg thy selfe for it , without hiding it , so soone as thou knowest it to be a sinne : this is the ioy of a christian , in the sense of his owne wants and weakenesses , that though he haue manie sinnes , yet there is no sinne but hee willing lie acknowledgeth it vnto god. 20 whether thou be good at home , as well as abroade . 21 whether thou canst be contented to make the law of god , thy onelie direction in all things ? 22 whether thou canst bee as carefull to preseuere in grace , as once to be good ? 23 whether thou keepe thy selfe from thine owne iniquitie . 1. whether thou dost conscionablie endeuor to forsake thy particular , formerly beloued and speciall sinnes ? 24 whether thou be free from the raigne of frowardnesse in thy way , or peruersenesse of thy lips . 8. holie desires . ovr desires may bee tried fiue waies . first by obiects of them . secondly , by the quallities of them . thirdlie , by the concomitants or companions of them . fourthly , by effects or consequents of them . fifthly , by the causes or accidents of them . for the first , those desires are meant in the promises , that are carried after things aboue nature , as the fauour of god , the pardon of sinnes , the righteousnesse of christ , the presence of god , and the saints in the new ierusalem , the comming of christ to iudgement , victorie ouer the deerest sinnes , the remouing of spirituall iudgements , the damnation of their owne soules , that israel might be saued , and such like . there are three principall quallities in the holie desires of gods elect ; for first , they are fierie● that is , such as cause the heart of man , to burnewithn him , with some measure of zeale for gods glorie , indignation at sinne , and feruent affection in gods seruice , whereas the desires of the wicked , at least are either dull and cold , or transported by the wrongs , ends to the fauouring of sinne . secondlie , they are constant : both because they are renued dailie , as the metaphors of hunger and thirst doe import ; as also because they are alike carried to the eternall fruition of the things desired , as to the present enioying of them , gods seruants desire the fauour of god , the abolishing of sinne , the possession of grace , not to serue a turne for the present , but to be enioyed as their portion for euer ; for looke how the man vnregenerate desires to commit sinne , so doth the regenerate desire to forsake : but the former in some sins doth commit them , with a desire euer to sinne and a secret discontentmēt to thinke that at anie time , he should not be able to sinne . euen such a contrarie desire is there in gods elect truely called , they so desire not to sinne , as it is their griefe to thinke that at any time they should againe sinne , yea affliction , doth not quench them but manie times inflame them . thirdlie , they are not idle , which may appeare three waies . first , because they are carried after themeanes of good aswell as good things themselues : and that in a great measure too . secondly , because they are attended with a resolution to doe any thing that their desires may bee accomplished : they aske what should they doe to be saued ? as taking it for graunted , that they must bee industrious in gods worke . there is no labour , but they would endeuour to doe it , so the lord would bee mercifull vnto them to graunt them their desire , yea when they haue done all , they still are humbled because they can doe no more , nor no better . thirdlie , they cannot rest till in some happie measure they ouercome , the most maisterly corruption either of nature or life . thirdlie , holy desires are accompanied : first , with a supernaturall valuation of the worth of spirituall things accoūting them pearle of the best price not to deere bought if they buie them with the sale of al they haue ; and contrariwise accounting themselues exceeding poore and distressed , if they want them or the meanes of them , esteeming gods louing kindnoss● better then life . secondly , with avoluntary forsaking of the vnnecessarie pleasures and profit of the world , thankfully receiuing the promises of a better life , and easily confessing that they are strangers and pilgrimes on the earth . thirdly , with a constant and secret meditation of heauenly things desired , what one desires feruently , hee thinkes on almost continuallie . fourthly , holy desires shewe themselues by diuers effects or consequents of them , especially if they be satisfied . first , they chase out euill desires and raise vp a dailie combat against the most secret corruptions of nature . secondlie , the excite a frequencie and feruencie in praier to god in secret . thirdlie they worke a resolution to walke in the way , that is called holie , yea so gracious is the lord , that the most simple , if their desires bee most true , attaine to some happie measure of reformation . fourthlie , if the lord graunt their desires , there followes : first heauenlie kinde of satisfaction and contentation with singular delight in the soule . secondlie the vowes and wishes of infinite and eternall thankfulnesse . thirdlie a groweth and springing vp as among the grasse , or as willowes by the water courses . lastlie , they arise from a broken & humbled spirit , and the more they are inflamed , the more humbled they continue to be . 9. the spirit of praier . he that calleth on the name of the lord aright , discouereth the spirit of grace & praies in his heart , by these things . 1. he askes according to gods will. 2. hee praies with perswasion that god will heare , he beleeueth he shal haue it , he praies in faith and assurance of heart before god. 3. he praies in the name of christ in the sence of his owne vilenesse by reason of his wants and sinnes . 4. he will praie at al times . 5. he is effectuallie ferue●t , he hath the affections of praier . 6. praier makes him exceeding wearie of the world , and willing to forgoe societie with the workes of iniquitie . 7. when he knowes not how to pray as he ought the spirit prepares his heart , excites holie desires supplies with words and power of affection , or else worketh inward vnexpressable groanes . 8. he findes a holie rest and quie●nesse in his conscience & heart with spirituall boldnes and confidence of trust in god , if the lord heare graciouslie . 9. he findes answers from god , by the witnesse of the spirit of adoption : in which the lord deales somtimes wonderfully with his people . 10. he loues god exceedinglie for hearing his praier , and desires to keepe himselfe in the loue of god. 11. his praiers proceede from a heart that loues no sinne : but willingly departeth from i●iquitie , and desireth to keepe his commaundements ; and to doe that which is pleasing to gods sight . 12. he loues praier in others . 13. he is oftentimes dissolued into much sorrow for his sinnes , while he stands before the face of god. 14 he feeleth the confidēce of assurance that god is his father . 15. if the lord be silent and answer not , but hides his face , his spirit faileth , and hee is as one that goeth down to the pit , it troubleth him as a sore crosse , & contrariwise . 16. praier is his chiefe refug● , and he wil pray , though praier bee in neuer so much disgrace , and power out his complaint , & shew all his trouble . 17. hee striues against deadnesse of spirit and distractions as a heauie burthen . 10. the obedience of christ. ovr obedience wil be approued and accepted in christ , if it be an obedience that will beare triall in the rules following . first , if it arise out of lo●e to god and goodnesse . the obedience of gods elect is from the heart , not constrained but volūtary , their hearts being inflamed with the sence of gods goodnesse , and humbled when they haue done their best , that they cannot bring more glory to god ; it is a ready obedience without repining , excuse or delay . 2 if it bee in all things , with respect to all gods commaundements , a wicked man may obaie in many things but there is som one commaundement he would be dispensed withall as herod . 3 hee can bee content to obey against profit , pleasure credit , libertie , ease or the liking of the world or carnall friends , preferring gods cōmaundemēts aboue all things ; yea life it selfe . 4 if it follow the conscionable practice of the duties of mortification , of sinnes past or present , the reformation and profession of such people as did neuer in secret humble their soules for sinne , may bee much suspected , for our hearts must be purified to obey the truth . 5 if it bee in absence as vvell as presence , in all companies as vvell as anie , before meane christians , as before the best , at home as well as abroad . 6 if it be alwaies , as well as for a fit . 7 if we belieue and obey gods ministers , as the ouerseers of our soules and liues , directing vs out of the word , as vvell as if vvee were commaunded immediatly from god. 8 if wee obey in the cōmaundements of faith , as well as life , submitting our selues to god , as well by beleeuing as by dooing , yeelding our seruice as well to the gospell as to the lawe . 9 if wee obey in the least commaundement , as well as in the greatest , making conscience of the smallest things required , or forbidden in the word . 10 it is an obedience that followes the sanctification of the spirit . holy dutyes without they flowe from holy graces within ; neither can the life bee holy before god , if the heart bee not made holy , by the grace of iesus christ. 11 it is ioyned with the raigne of no sinne ; a christian that truly obeyes god may haue many sinnes , but there is no sinne to which he yeelds himselfe wholly ouer , by secret vows and resolution as a seruant to obey it : hee may faile in his obedience , so as hee cannot do what god requires as he requires ; but yet hee consents to obey , and his will is to hire himselfe to doe gods worke aswell as he can . and to this end hee hearkneth to his voice , & seekes god with his whole heart , that hee may keepe his testimonies , he consenteth to obey , and obserues to doe : he comes to the light that his deedes may bee made manifest . lastly , our obedience is right & acceptable , if god heare our prayers , for god heareth not sinners : and dauid sayth , if there were wickednes in his heart , god would not heare his prayers . 11 sauing knowledge . sauing knowledge may be tried : 1. by the obiects . 2. by the causes . 3. by the cōcomitants . 4. by the properties . 5. by the effects . for the first , by this knowledge the elect are inlightned by the spirit of reuelation . 1. to conceiue aright of the nature of god , in some measure propounding before the eye of their minds the lord , as hee is reuealed in the word , at least by way of negatiō casting out al likenesses of any created nature . 2. to vnderstand the true manner of gods worship . 3 to knowe their owne iniquities & vilenesse , in respect of corruption of nature and life . 4 to know christ as their sauiour . 5 to know god in christ. 6 to know the forgiuenes of their owne sinnes . 7 to knowe the voice of christ , discerning it in some measure from the voice of a stranger . 8 to knowe their owne conuersion , and al needful holy things . 9 to knowe the things giuen them of god , & especially the inhabitation of the spirit of christ. 10 to knowe their owne saluation . secōdly , this knowledge may bee discerned from other knowledge , by the causes : for , 1 flesh and blood hath not reuealed it , it is a wisdom in a mystery , it is giuen of god in christ by the anointing of the spirit . 2 affliction of conscience , breeds the and experience of it in many , who neuer came to sound knowledge , till they haue beene wounded by the feeling of gods wrath , or their owne sinnes , or the venomed temptations of sathan . 3. it is quickned and nursed by the sweete refreshings and contentments felt in gods house . 4 it is founded vpon the true feare of god ; the very first beginning of it , is excited by the feare of god , and it groweth as holinesse , grace , and good works grow in vs. thirdly , it hath sixe companions of it among the rest , that in speciall attend it . 1 the loue of the law. 2 a holy estimation of it aboue all possessions , shewed , in that a christian aboue all , getting labors to get this vnderstanding , and reioyceth in it as the fairest ornament . 3 teachablenesse . 4 a sauour of spirituall things . 5. sence , that is , inward feelings of the power of the word & ordinances of god. 6 the loue of gods childrē which aboundeth as this knovvledge growes . fourthly it hath six properties . 1 it is affectionate , it is not written in the head , but in the heart and bowels . 2 it tends to action and practice . 3 it is constant and indelible , it hath deepe impressions and much assurance , so as it is not easily vnsetled vvith the puffes of contrary doctrine , nor can it be extinguished by trials or afflictions ; therfore it is sayde to be written vpon their hearts . 4 it is sincere , for first it inclineth to receiue all truth , as well as any truth : secondly , it will receiue the truth , though it be against reason , common opinion , profit , or the like . fifthlie , it brookes not the impotent rudiments and beggerlie inuentions of men , in the things of the kingdome of iesus christ. sixthlie , it leades a man principally to vnderstand his own way ; and by it a man teacheth and admonisheth himselfe . lastly , it beareth fruite better then gold ●ro . 8. 19. and by the fruites or effects it may be knowne . 1. it lasteth out conc●itednesse , diffidence , insensiblenesse of gods mercies and iudgements , and vnthankfulnesse : he that hath true knowledge , will not leane to his owne naturall wisedome , hee will trust in the lord , and acknowledge him in all his waies . 2. it makes a man humble and lowlie , in the same measure that one abounds in true knowledge , in the same measure hee is made more lowlie and meeke , and carefull in all his waies ; no scorner can finde this wisedome . 3. it mortifieth boisterous & vnrulie , hatefull & hurtfull affections , it will make a lion become a lambe , and a beare , or a wolfe , or a cockatrice , to be willingly guided , euen by a little childe , &c. 4. it extinguisheth or greatly dulleth the sauor of earthly things and makes a man heauenly minded . 5. this and such like other affects are altogether set downe by the apostle iames in his third chapter , and the seuenteene and eighteene verses . 12. loue of god. ovr loue to god , may bee knowen . first , by the sincere and incorrupt loue of the lord iesus , the sonne of his loue . secondlie , by the loue of his image in al the saints of god , that are begotten by him . thirdly , by the base estimatiō of the world and the lusts thereof , for if anie man , loue the world , the loue of the father is not in him . fourthly , by a deliberate inward inflamed estimation of god aboue all things , accounting his louing kindenesse better then life , and the signes of his fauour our greatest ioy . fifthly , by our delight in his presence which is then approued . 1. if wee loue to speake often to god by praier , and heare him speake often to vs , in his other ordinances . 2. if we loue , and long for his appearing . 3. if we bewaile his absence as a bitter crosse . 4. if we set the lord daily be ore vs. 5. if we loue his house . sixthly , by our care to keepe his commandements , and to be as he is in holinesse , which may be further tried . 1. if we willinglie receiue his commaundements , for this is the loue of god , that wee keepe his commandements , & his commandements are not grieuous . 2. if we serue him with all our hearts and all our soules . 3. if it be our care to walke in al his waies and not to offend in any thing . seuenthly , by our sensiblenesse of his dishonor if we be more vexed for his dishonour , then our owne disgrace . eightly , by remembring his benefits and magnifying his mercies , for what wee loue we easily praise . ninthlie , by our care not onely to do his wil but to please him , being more incouraged with his praise and approbation , then the praise of al men . 10. by a willingnes to suffer anie thing for his sake . 11. by a detestation as of sinne , because god hates it , so of sinners , because they hate god. 12. by our desire to stirre vp our affections after god , auoiding what might steale away our hearts from him , and delighting in al the waies , by which our hearts might be inflamed towards him , and to this end taking heede to our selues . 13. by our running to him in all aduersitie , making him our defence , our rocke , our refuge in all trouble , to them we first runne to make our mone , whom we most loue . 14. by our willingnesse , affectionatelie to doe the meanest office vnto god , or christ , or for his sake this was a signe that marie loued much , because she was content to wash with her teares , and wiped with her haire the very feete of christ. 15 by our humility in the sence of gods loue to vs , for ere the more a christian discouers gods loue to him , the more his affection to god , makes him seeme base & vile in his owne eies . 16 by our sorrow for our sinnes and willingnesse to forsake and cut off from vs , the most gainefull gainefull and pleasing corruptions , this is ment by the circumcising of the heart , that we might loue god. 13. the sacraments . the sacraments are sure seales and infallible pledges of gods , loue and our saluation , to the worthie receiuer : and he receiues worthelie . first , that desires to search his heart and examine his life , before he receiue . secondly , that discernes the lords body that meditates oft , and is in knowledge infallibly perswaded of the inward & effectual presence of the lord to he worthie receiuer . thirdlie , that eates with sorore herbs , that is , that comes with some measure of sence and feeling with th● burthen of his sinnes , & desire to make them his greatest sorrow . fourthlie , that resolueth and purposeth and inwarldlie , couenaunteth in his soule , to deuote himselfe to god , and godlinesse , and to striue against euerie sinne that ●hee knowes may offend god. fifthlie , that constantlie desires to beleeue gods mercie in iesus christ to his owne soule in particular ; and comes with a perswasion , in some measure of the operation of god , in the inward grace of the sacrament . sixthly , that feeles the ioies of gods presence , and the working of gods spirit , inwardly sealing in his heart the perswasion of his interest in gods promises , bearing witnesse to his spirit , that god is graciously reconciled in christ , and his sinnes are pardoned , &c. seuenthly , that loues all the brethren and desires to bee furthered in all holie communion with them , both in grace and glorie ; being readie to witnesse before god and men his resolution to honour and cleaue to them aboue all other professions & sorts of mē in the world eightly , that desires to liue in peace and godlie vnitie , and willinglie forgiueth al that haue trespassed against him . 14. the feare of god. the true feare of god may be discerned ; first , by effects ; secondly , by the properties of it . first , the true feare god , workes a care & endeuour to serue god and keepe his commaundements , and by the feare of god men depart from euill : for it teacheth men to hate euill , as pride , arrogancie , the euill way , and a froward mouth : the wise man saith ; he that walketh in vprightnesse feareth the lord , and by that signe he may bee knowne euen by aconsionable care to walke vprightlie with god in holie life . secondly , it casts out carnall feares , he is not in much feare of men , that can kill the bodie , that is truely touched with the feare of god , that can destroy both body and soule , hee feares not their feare , nor the feares of the wicked men , but in some measure sanctifies god in his heart . thirdlie , it makes a man desirous and capable of sauing knowledge : for this feare of god , is the beginning of wisedome . secondlie , there bee fiue properties of the true feare of god. first , it is sincere , for he that truelie feares god. 1. feares gods offence aswell as pnnishment . 2. hee will feare gods presence being carefull to a●oide such sinnes , as no eie sees but gods. 3. he will feare god though he see no reward in his hand . 4. he feares gods word and is more troubled and humbled by the threatning of it , then by the threatning of anie mortall man , and will obey the voice of gods seruants , whatsoeuer comes of it . 5. he will obey against reason , affection profit , or pleasure , for so saith the lord to abraham ; now i know thou fearest god seeing thou hast not withheld thy sonne , thy only sonne . secondly , it is filiall , not seruile , which may appeare in fiue things , for first it is ioined with the loue of god , and so is not the feare of reprobates ; secondly it is not compelled by feare or sence of iudgements , but excited by the sence of gods goodnesse and mercie . for so the conuerts in hosea , are said to feare god and his goodnesse . thirdly , it guides the heart of man to runne to god , and not from god ) to bee healed of the wounds made by si●ne and to bee protected , striuing euen before god , to discouer and get strength against the sinnes that trouble them ; fourthly it makes a man trust in god , and ere the more it increaseth , the more it worketh affiance and confidence in gods mecry . 5. it causeth a man to loue and cleaue to such as are gods children , though they be in disgrace with the world . thirdly , it is a speaking feare , it will speak to god by prayer , and to men by conference , it cannot be silent ; but will speake in defence of gods glory & truth and seekes to draw others from sinne . 4 it is a contenting feare , it finds treasures in godlinesse , and is satisfied with his portiō , and will abide satisfied whereas the feares of reprobates are either full of inwarde horror of conscience , or perturbation in the heart . 5 it is constant , it is not for a fit , but alwaies , not in sicknesse or misery , but in prosperity , or all aboundance , & contrariwise not in prosperity only , when men may feare god without daūger but in trouble also . 15. loue of enemies . ovr loue to our enemies is sincere . 1 if we can pray for them . 2 if we can voluntarily mourne & humble our soules for them in their distresses . 3 if we truly desire their conuersion , and find that we could loue thē vnfainedly if they had repented . 4 if we can forgiue them their trespasses against vs. 5 if wee bee more grieued for their sinnes against god , then for their wrongs to vs. 6. if we can acknowledge freely their iust praises . 7 if we can patiently and meekely endure their reuilings , being willing to bee at peace without reuenge . 8 if wee can forbeare when wee could bring shame or misery on them . 9 if we can endeauor to ouercome their euill with goodnesse , and to relieue them in misery , or to doe any other good , either for body or soule . 16. desire of death . the desire of death will bee our testimonie . 1. if it arise out of the sence of gods loue . 2. if it bee conceiued in time of prosperity . 3. especially , if it arise out of a weariness of our owne sins , and the sinnes of others . 4 ▪ if it come from a longing after gods eternal presence . 5 if it bee ioyned with a desire after the way how to be saued , and an indeauor after holy conuersation and godlinesse . 6. if it breed cou●rage and patience vnder tribulation . 7 if it make feruent in prayer . 8 if it extinguish the eager desires after earthly things . 9 if wee be glad at heart of his comming . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a17416-e70 iob 31. 35 heb. 13 phil. 4 , 6 2 , cor , 4 , 1 esa. 40 , 31 isa , 44 , 4 ma. ●4 , 2 hob. 5. 15 16 2 cor. 12 1. sam. 2 , 9 psa. 66 , 8 , 9 psa. 1 , 6 2. tim. 2 , 19. heb. 7 , 25 1. ioh. 3 , 9 reu. 21. 6 psa. 31 , 20 psal , 31 , 18 1. pet ▪ 4 , 5 notes for div a17416-e440 2. cor. 13. 5. 2. pet. 1. 10. iob. 19. 23. 25. 26. 27. 1. cor. 2. 10. 11. 12. 2. cor. 5. 1 2. cor. 5. 6. 8. eph. 1. 18. 19. 2. tim. 1. 12. 1. ioh. 3. 14 1. ioh. 5. 13 1. ioh. 5 19 eph. 3. 11. 1. thos . 1. 5 heb. 10. 22. col. 2. 2. heb. 6. 11 rom. 8. 38. 39. 1. cor. 15. 58. 1. the. 1. 5 eph. 1. 17 phi. 15 , 6 mat. 5. 3. 2 cor. 7. 10. pal. 119. 50. 2 cor. 2. 15. 1. ioh. 3. 14. 1. cor. 13. 1. 2. 3. psal. 84. 13. 1. psa. 97. 11 rom. 8. 9. 14. 16. reuel . 21. 6 esay 55. 1 , 2 3 , 4. mat. 5 , 6. io●l . 2 , 22 zach. 12. 10. heb. 5. 9. ioh. 17. 3. mar. 16. 11 1. pet. 3. 21 rom. 4. 11 ioh. 14. 23 pro. 14. 27 mat. 5 44. 48. 2. tim. 4. zach. 11. 11. esay 66. 2. psal. 109. 20. psal. 109. 21. psal. 12. 26 & 132. 15 pal. 11. 14 zeph. 3. 12 zech. 3. 13 psal. 74. 19 ezech. 9. 4 psa. 119. 36. esay 6. 5. rom 7. esay 1. 16 zac. 12. 10. 11. psal. 4● , 3. 2 137. neh 1. 3● 4 esay 63. 17 hos. 3. ho. 6. 1. 3. ior. 50. 4. 5 act. 2. 37. ier. 31. 19 psa. 77. 1. 2 ▪ 27 ▪ esay 1. 16 ▪ psa. 38. 9. psa. 42. 5. 11. tam 3. 21 psa. 116. 13. psa. 119. 20. 82. 33. esay . 61. 2 3. zac. 12. 10 psa. 38. 17 psal. 38. 5. psal. 42. 6. psa. 51. 17 rom. 12. 1 lam. 3. 22 23. 2. cor. 7. 11. ps. 119. 20 iob. 23. 12. psal. 119. 115. psal. 119 136. psa. 119. 14. 72. 111 psa. 119. 23 24. 50. 51. 54. 143 1. thes. 2. 13. 1. the , 1. 5 ioh. 8. 33. psa. 119. 45. 9. 59. 1. thes. 2. 13. psal. 1. 2 & 119. 11. psa. ● . 1 psa. 42. 3. amos. 8. 12. ioh. 6. 27. psa. 19. 10. mar. 10. 2. 9. 1. cor. 3. 18. 1. thes. 1. 5. 6. psa. 16. 2. 3. 1. ioh. 3. 14 & 5. 1. 2. ioh. 1. 2. 3. ioh. 1. eph. 1. 15. col. 1. 4. phile. 5. 〈…〉 1 , ioh. 3 , 18 , 19. rom , 12 , 9 , 10. psa , 15 , 4● ▪ psa. 16. 3 rom. 16 19. 3. ioh. 6. 1. thes. 18. 1. thes. 1. 7. 1. pet. 4. 8 1. cor. 13. 4 , 5 , 6 , 7. psal. 16. 3. phil. 1 , 5. 3. ioh. 8. rom. 12 , 16 rom 12. 9. 16 3 ioh. 3 psal. 16 , 3. rom. 12 10 , 13. phile. 7 , 1. pet. 3 , 8. & 4 , 8. 1. ioh. 3 , 17. 3. ioh 5 1. ioh. ● . 10 ephe. 4 , 15 , 16. 1. thes. 3. 12 , 13. 1 ▪ ioh. 5 , 2. rom. 10 , 14. phil. 3 9 1. pet. 2. 6. 2. thes. 1 , 10 2. tim. 1. 5. 1. p●t . 1. 7 2. tim. 1 , 12. luke 8. 13 acts 24. 14. esay 25. 16. eph. 1. 13 , 14. 2. thes. 2 , 13. 1. tim. 1 , 19. 5. 1. tim 3. 9 he. 10. 22. 2. tim 3. 15. psa. 119. 130. pro. 1. 4 , 8 , & 5 , 9. 1 , ioh , 5 : 10 rom , 8 , 15 16. 1. pet. 1 , 8 rom. 5. 2 rom. 10. 2. cor. 4 13. 14. 2. cor. 5. 7. gal. 5. 5. gel. 5. 6. heb , 2. 5. rom. 1. 17 gal. 2●0 . rom , 3. 17 gal. 3 22. 1. 1o . 5. 4. 5 psa. 48. 14 acts 15. 9 ioh. 7 38. mat , 3. 11 , eph , 5 , 19 1. the 1. 5 2. tim. 1. 14 esa 30. ●1 esay . 4. 2. cor , 3 , 17. rom. 8. 10 esay 44 , 3 4. rom. 14 , 17. ezec. 39 vl● rom , 8. 13 zac. 12 , 10 eph. 3 , 12 psa. 32. 2 , ioh. 1. 4. prou ▪ 20 , 6 , 7. ioh 1 , 1 , & 2 , 3. 10 1. kin. 15 12 , 13 , 14 1. kin. 15 5 , 9 , 4. psa. 1● , 13 heb. 2 , 4 pro , 21 , 29 1 , chr , 28. 9. gen , 17 , 1 iob 8 , 5 , 6 psal 7 , 10 11 , 7. psal. 33 , 1 119 , 7. 140 , 13. psa. 78 , 36 37. mich. 2 ▪ 7 rom. 2 , 29 2. chro. 6. 14. psa . 119 ▪ 34 2. chr. 19. 8 9. psa. 32. 11 & 5. psal. 101 , 2. psa 119 , 1 deut 18 12. 13 pro. 13 2. sam. 22 24. pro. 11 , 20 ▪ & 19 , 1. psa , 73. 25 mat. 5. heb. 11. 10 16. reuel . 22 17. 20. rom , 7 esa 63 , 17 rom , 9. 3 lu. 12. 49. esa. 26 , 9 ▪ psa. 27. 4 1 , pet , 2 , 2 psa. 1 , 63 1 ● . acts 2 , 37 ▪ reue. 21 , 6 mat. 13. 45. 46. psa. 42. psa. 63. 1. 3 heb 11. 13 isay 26. 9 psa , 63 , 1 , 6. pro. 11 , 23 roae , 7. 25 lam , 2 , 19 es. 35. 7. 8 ps 63 , 5 ier. 31 , 25 , 26. psa , 63. 4. esa. 44 , 3 1. pet. 2 , 2 mat. 5. 4. 5 6. 1. ioh. 5. ● mar. 11 , 14 iam. 1. 6. 7 ▪ psa. 6. 9. 1 , ioh. 3 , 19 22. iob. 14 , 13 p●a . 86. 1. 2 & 143 , 4 ioh. 17. psa. 116. 2 iam. 5. 16 psa. 6. 8. psa. 6. 8. 9 , & 39. 12. rom. 8 ; 26 27 ps. 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ps. 116 , 1 , 7 psa. 91 , 15 17. ● 1 ier. 33 , 3 es●y 31 , 19 58. 9. psa. 116. 1. iude 20. 2. tim 2 , 19. 22. iob. 8 , 5 , 6 1. ioh. 3. 22 2. tim , 2 , ●2 . z●c . 12 , 10 psa , 55 , 1 , 2 gal. 4 , 7 rom. 8 , 15 psa. 28 , 1 & 88 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 143 , 7 ioh , 1● , 23 24. psa. 69 , 10 13 ▪ & 142 2. 5. psa 86. 4. 3 deut. 30. 20 iosh. 22. 5 ▪ mat. 4. 19 rom. 6 , 17 ex. ●15 . 26 1. kin. 9. 4 iet . 11. 4 ioh. 15. 14 act 13. 22 deu. 30. 2 iet . 35 heb. 11. 8 ge. 22 12 pro. 7. 2 acts 5. 29 mat 16. 25 1. pet. 1. 22. phil. 2. 12 gal. 5. 7 2. king 18 6. psa. 106. 3 heb. 13 2 , thes. 3 rō . 10 16 rō . 16. 26 2. the. 1. 8 mat. 5. 19 gat. 5 7. 1. pet , 1. 2 rom. 6 esa. ● . 19 psa : 119. 2 deut. 6. 2● . ioh. 3. ● ioh. 9. 31 psa. 66 : 18 ier 9. 24 ioh. 4. 22 ier 3. 12 phi. 3. 9. 1● . 1. cor. 2. 2 ▪ ioh. 17. 3 8. 19. ier. 31. 34 ioh. 1● . 4. 1. 10. 3. 14 pro. 9. 10. 2. cor. 13. 5 1. cor. 2. 12. ioh. 14. 17. 20. luke 1. 77 mat. 16. 17 1. cor. 1. 30 1. cor. 2. 7 1. ioh. ● . 27. & 5. 2● ho. 6. 1. 2. 3. ps 36. 8. 9. 10. pro. 1. 7. iob. 18. 28. col , 1 , 9 ioh , 7 , 17 2. pe. 3. 18 psal. 119. 97. 98 phil. 3. 8 pro. 3. 3. 4. 7. & 7. 4. & 8. 9. 10 pro 8. 9. 17. isa , 28 , 9. rom. 8. 5 ▪ 2. cor. 2. 14 phil. 1. 9. phi 1. 9. 10 ier. 31. 34 deu. 46 ps 111. 10 isa , 33 , 6 ioh , 8 , 55 1. ioh , 2 , 3 & 3 , 24 phil. 1. 9 10 ier 31. 34 pro. 4. 5 , 16 eph. 4. 13 ioh. 16. 13 1 , cor ▪ 3 , 1● 1. cor , 2 7 pro. 14 , 8 col. 3 , 16 pro. 3 , 5 , 6 pro. 8 , 13 14 ▪ isa. 11 , 9 rom. 8 , 6 iam , 3 ▪ 17 18. eph , 6 , ●●4 1 , ioh. 5 , 1 1 , ioh , 2 , 15 psa. 63. 2 1 , 11. ps● . 34. 5 37 , 4. ● 2 tim. 4 , 8 cant. 3. 1 psa. 16 , 8 psa. 26 , 8 ioh. 14 , 21 1. ioh 4. 17 1. ioh. 5 3 deut. 10 12 deu. 11. ●2 ios. 22. 5. psa , 63. 2. 3 4. 6 , 8 107 ●2 . ioh. 36 , 24 ▪ deut , 6. 2. exod. 15 2. 1. ch 28. 9 1 , co. 7 , 23 heb. 1● . 28 ioh 22 , 15 to 19. psa. 97 , 10 psa. 139 21 , 22. iosh. 23. 11 psa 1● . 1. 2 luk. 7. 44 4 5. 46 , 47 1. cor. 8 , 3 deu. 30 , 6 1. cor. 11. exod. 12 1. cor , 5 , 8 mat. 16. 16 col. 2 , 12 eph. 1 , 23 1. cor , 1 , 22 1 ▪ cor. 10 ma. 5 , 6 , ●4 deu , 6. 13 & 8 , 6 pro. 8 , 13 16 , 6 reui . 15 , 4 pro 14 , 2 ma. 10 , 28 ma● . 10. 28 es. 8 , 12 , 13 pro. 1 , 7 psa. 119 gē , 22 , 12 deu. 10. 12. 20 isa , 29 , 23 hos. 3 , 5. ma , 4 , 2 psa. 31. 19 & 115. 11 & 147. 11 psa. 11 9 , 79 mal. 3 , 16 esa. 33. 6 pro. 19. 23 ecc. 8. 11 deut. 6. 24 mat. 5. 44 psa. 35 , 13 14. mat , 6. 14 15 1 , pe , 3 , 10 rō . 12. 14 1. sam. 24 18. 19. rom. 12 pro. 25. 21 ▪ 22 luk. 2. 2● , 30 ps. 39. 1 , 4 ioh. 6. 9. 10 ▪ rom. 7 , 24 heb. 9. 28 ▪ phil. 1 ▪ 2. cor. 5. 8 2 , pet , 3 , 1● 12 psa. 90. 12 2. cor. 5. 9 2. cor. 4. 16 & 5. 2 2. tim. 4. 7 rom. 5. 3 psa. 3. 9 ▪ 12 rom. 8. 22 ▪ 23. 26. he. 11. 16. 13. 15. re 22 , 20 the protestant resolved, or, a discourse shewing the unreasonableness of his turning roman catholick for salvation ellis, clement, 1630-1700. 1688 approx. 201 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 42 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2003-09 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a39265 wing e569 estc r6293 12142679 ocm 12142679 54867 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support 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(eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a39265) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 54867) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 761:8) the protestant resolved, or, a discourse shewing the unreasonableness of his turning roman catholick for salvation ellis, clement, 1630-1700. sherlock, william, 1641?-1707. the second edition. [3], 80 p. printed for william rogers ..., london : 1688. includes bibliographical references. also attributed to william sherlock. cf. dnb. reproduction of original in huntington library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng catholic church -controversial literature. salvation. 2003-06 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2003-06 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2003-07 rina kor sampled and proofread 2003-07 rina kor text and markup reviewed and edited 2003-08 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion imprimatur , liber cui titulus , [ the protestant resolved , &c. mar● . 12. 1687. guil. needham rr. in christo p. ac d. d. wilhelmo archiep . cant. a sacr. dom. the protestant resolved : or a discourse shewing the unreasonableness of his turning roman catholick for salvation . the second edition . london : printed for william rogers , at the sun over-against st. dunstan's church in fleetstreet . mdclxxxviii . no necessity for a protestant to turn roman catholick for salvation . we are all i hope thus far argeed , that sincere christianity is the sure way to salvation . that to be saved , we must have the hearts , and not content our selves with the bare name and naked profession of christians . that the authority of god and divine truth , and no worldly or carnal concern must sway and govern our whole conversation . if we be not religious in good earnest , resolving and endeavouring to honour god in heart and life , according to the holy gospel of our blessed iesus , it 's no matter to us what religion we profess , or to what church we join our selves . wickedness and hypocrisy , through what church soever our way lieth , lead assuredly to hell. a wicked protestant and a wicked papist will in hell be of the same communion . true christianity is none other but that which was taught at first by christ and his apostles , and all they who believe and live according to their doctrine shall be saved . herein again we are all i suppose agreed . and if so , i think it very reasonable we should agree as well in that which i now add . it is not material to enquire whether a man be of the church of rome , or of the church of england , to find whether or no he may be saved ; but he that would satisfy himself of the possibility of salvation in the way wherein he now is , ought to enquire whether he believe and live according to the doctrine taught by christ and his apostles ; seeing they who do this are good christians , what other names soever men may bestow upon them , and all that are such shall be saved . if therefore i may be able to satisfy my self that i believe , and live according to the doctrine deliver'd by christ and his apostles , i have no reason to doubt of the possibility of my salvation in the way wherein i now am , tho it were so , that i had never heard to this day of any such thing as a church headed by a pope or bishop of rome . and i am yet somewhat confident that a man may believe and live according to the doctrine of christ and his apostles , and never hear of a bishop of rome ; because once men certainly did so , and yet were saved . the next thing therefore that i have to do , is to enquire by what means i may certainly know , what was the doctrine of christ and his apostles ; for by the same means whereby this may be known , i may also know the certain way to salvation . if there be no such means left us , we are all fools in professing a religion , the certain doctrine whereof can by no means be known . if such means there be , there must be some certain records safely convey'd down from their time to ours ; for by what other means we at this distance of so many hundred years should be certainly inform'd what they taught , is by me unconceivable . these records then are to be diligently searched into , and impartially examined , and whosoever is found to believe and practise according to the doctrine in those records contained , may be concluded to be in the way to salvation . such certain records we have , even the books of the holy evangelists and apostles , which ( together with the books of the old testament ) we call the holy scripture . in this we are all again unamimous , both papists , and protestants agree , that the doctrine in these books contained is the doctrine of christ and his apostles , and divine truth . whence it certainly follows , that whatsoever doctrine is contrary to the doctrine contained in these books , whether it it be taught by papists or protestants , is to be rejected as none of the doctrine of christ and his apostles . it ought not therefore to satisfy me , that this or that doctrine is taught by the church of rome , or by the church of england ; for by which of them soever it be taught , if it be found contrary to the doctrine of the holy scripture , it is by the consent of both churches to be rejected . now seeing we protestants take this holy scripture , and it only , for the rule of faith and life ; it is certain , that holding to this rule , we do not err either in belief or practice : while on the other side we cannot be sure , thot they do not err in both , who receive another rule ; till it appear that the other rule which they receive , is as true and certain as ours is acknowledged to be . our part of the rule , and that which indeed we take to be the whole , being granted us ; all the question is about their part of it . ours is on all hands granted to be most sure and certain , their 's alone remains disputable ; and therefore i cannot yet see any reason , why i should think their way safer than our own , except it can be safer to follow an uncertain than a certain rule , which i think no body will be so hardy as to affirm . the rule which they of the roman communion advance against ours , is that of tradition . i am therefore next to to consider , first , what they understand by it : and , secondly , what greater reason i can find to perswade me , that it is safer to trust to it , whether singly , or in conjunction with our own , than to our own alone , which is the holy scripture . this tradition consists of such doctines of faith and practice as are supposed to have been taught either by christ himself , or being dictated by the holy ghost to his apostles , were delivered by them to the church , not in writing , but in word only , and so have successively been handed down from father to son , unto the present age. and these are all according to the council of trent to be received with equal affection of piety and reverence , as the holy scripture . now i confess , if it may appear as evidently to me that christ or his apostles left such doctrines to the custody of the church , of equal necessity to the salvation of christians , with those that are written in the scpipture , as it doth that they left us these which are written in the scripture ; and if i may be well assured , that these very doctrines which the church of rome now holds , and pretends to an authority of imposing upon all christendome , are indeed the very same which were at first ( as abovesaid ) deliver'd to the church , i can see no reason why i should not be bound to believe the one as firmly as the other . for seeing it is the authority of the first preachers of it , and not barely the writings of it , that bind me to believe the doctrine ; if i can be equally assured , that as well what is unwritten as what is written , was preach'd by them , as necessary to the salvation of mankind , i must needs also own an equal obligation upon me to believe them all alike . but neither of these could i ever see clear'd , nor can i conceive any hope that i shall hereafter . and seeing the proof of both lies wholly upon them , who affirm both ; i cannot be obliged to believe them , till by such proof they have convinced me . in the mean time , it seems enough to me , that god himself was pleas'd to signifie to the world his will in writing , which i cannot imagine why he should do , had he not intended we should learn his will from what is written , and not from any unwritten tradition . and i am the more confirm'd in this opinion by this , that he did not use this way of revealing his mind unto men at the first , nor till after the world had had a very long time to discern by experience the unfaithfulness of unwritten tradition . so that this and some other considerations whereupon the papists use to ground their arguments against both the necessity and perfection of the scripture , seem to me very fully to evince both the one and the other ; and so to leave no room at all for their unwritten traditions as any part of the rule of faith and life . yet , seeing they , who are always preaching this doctrine to us , that there is no salvation for them that are not of their communion , preach it not as a private opinion of their own , or of some few others in that communion ; but as the generally received doctrine of that church , which pretends to be no less than infallible ; it concerns me so much the more to use all possible diligence , to find out what truth there may be in this assertion . and that , not only because i shall thereby discern the necessity of changing my religion to make sure of my own future happiness ; but also , because the determination of this one point will at once put an end ( as it seems to me ) to all the disputes that are now between the papists and us. if i can find it true , that no man can be saved out of that communion , i shall be a fool to trouble my self with the study of the scriptures , and seeking out for my self in them a way to heaven ; when i may be sure , by stepping over the threshold out of the one church into the other , to meet with an infallible iudg , whom if i do but follow , i cannot go amiss . and to dispute any longer with my self , whether i should do so or not , would but shew me fitter for bedlam than for any church ; seeing none but the maddest man alive would dispute for damnation . on the other side , if i shall find it false , that a man cannot be saved out of that communion , i must needs be convinced that the roman church , which hath determined it for a certain truth , hath already err'd both in faith and charity , and that having erred , she is not infallible : and being not infallible , by her own confession cannot be that one , holy , catholick and apostolick church , out of which there is no salvation . so that as this assertion of that church shall be found to be , true or false ; even so will the popish religion appear also to be . but here i meet with a very great difficulty in my way , as i am going to seek out the truth or falshood of this assertion ; that however i may be able to satisfy my self , yet i shall never ( for ought i can see ) be able to satisfy them who are the authors of it , any other way , than by a total submission of my own iudgment and conscience too to their determination , and a blind obedience to their will. the dispute ( as is evident ) is between two churches , the one whereof challengeth to it self the big-swoln prerogative of being the lady and mother of all churches ; a sovereign authority of prescribing to the faith of all christians ; the right and incommunicable priviledg of being the sole and infallible iudg of all controversies in religion ; finally , an unquestionable power of defining and declaring to all the world the true and only terms of salvation . now , that this roman-mother and mistress-church , sole commandress and infallible iudg , having already in the fulness of power determin'd it , and by her supreme authority imposed an oath upon her subjects to maintain it , that none out of her communion can be saved , should after all this , in pure condescension to men declared hereticks , divest her self of her authority , lay aside her infallible definitions , come down from the tribunal and the throne of iudicature and majesty , and stand at the bar submitting her self and the whole cause to an indifferent and equal trial , is a thing as little to be hoped for , as it is yet unagreed upon by what law , iury or iudg the controversy should be decided . and truly on the other side , it seems to me altogether as unreasonable in her to accept , that we protestants of the church of england , tho we pretend to nothing of this exorbitant power over her or other churches , or of determining disputes for all the world , should yet , upon a naked summons from her , whose authority we question , and see no reason to acknowledg , forthwith subscribe to the sentence of our own condemnation , without any fair and legal process , or indeed so much as yield to a trial , where our professed adversaries must be at once the law-makers , accusers , witnesses ; and yet this is most notoriously our case . what course now in this case can be taken by us ? the church of rome tells us expresly and peremptorily , we cannot be saved out of her communion . must we believe her without any more ado ? that 's indeed the way to make a short end of all our differences , for then we must yield to be her 's , or else run headlong to damnation : but if we believe her not ( as for my part i know not how we can do , till we see some reason why we should do so ) the dispute ( for ought i can see ) is like to be endless . for no such reasons can , or ought she to give us , if she will be constant to her self , and stand to her own principles , ( as will plainly appear anon ) and if she desert her own principles , she must yield her self to be fallible , and not the true church ; and then in vain is all talk of reasons , why they that are not of her communion should be damned . however , suppose it be pretended ( as indeed it is ) that we have had sufficient reasons given us , why we ought to believe her in this point . this then is the present question between us , whether she hath given us sufficient reason for this , or no. she confidently affirms it , we as confidently deny it . she calls us obstinate hereticks for denying it , and lays many a heavy curse upon us : we for this think her a very unreasonable and imperious mistress , usurping an authority over us , which god never gave her . who i wonder shall now be thought fit to decide this dispute ? she will be tried and judg'd by no other but her self ; for she is resolv'd to be sole and infallible iudg in all controversies of religion : that is in plain terms , she will accuse us , and she will leave us no room for our own defence ; she will condemn us , and she will not permit us to question the iustice of her sentence . she tells us , we are bound to believe her , and obey her , or else we must die eternally for it . we desire some reason may be brought to convince us of this duty : and she tells us again , she is our supreme and infallible mistress , and mother , and iudg ; and so the conclusion is , we must believe she hath this supreme authority and infallibility , because she is supreme and infallible ; which we can yet see no reason to believe , and therefore cannot believe ; and because we cannot believe it , we are declared to be hereticks , and in a state of damnation . seeing then , that the church of rome will by no means recede from her claim to this supremacy and infallibility ; it seems plain to me , that there is no possibility of satisfying her any way whatsoever but by yielding my self up intirely to her without any farther dispute . but because i cannot do this , without violence to my conscience , and incurring that very damnation , which she would persuade me thereby to prevent ; i must of necessity leave her a while to satisfy her self about the truth and charity of this doctrine as she can ; whilst i for my own private satisfaction take into a very serious consideration these two things . i. whether i can discern any solid ground to hope , that i may be saved , as i am now a protestant of the church of england . ii. what more hopeful way to salvation the church of rome can me put into , should i enter into her communion . if the result of this double enquiry shall be , that i really think my self in a fair way to salvation where i am already , and cannot discern any more hopeful way to it in the church of rome ; i must needs accout my self bound in conscience , and under the penalty of damnation , to steer my course according to the best light i shall be able , by such a diligent and impartial inquiry , to attain unto , and content my self with that religion , which seems best and safest to me , till some better and safer can be found . sect . i. the first thing i am to inquire into , is , what good ground of hope i can discern that i may be saved as i am a protestant . and here the first thing i am to consider is , what i mean by the name of protestant , as it is own'd by the members of the church of england , and as i can heartily answer to it . by a protestant i understand no other but a christian , adhering firmly both in faith and practice to the written word of god , and protesting against both the faith and practice of the papists , and all others whatsoever , so far only , as they are either repugnant to the holy scripture in any thing , or ungrounded on the same in things pretended by them necessary to salvation . such protestants do we of the church of england profess our selves to be , as is apparent unto all , from the 6 th of our xxxix articles , affirming , that the scriptures contain all things necessary to salvation ; so that whatsoever is not read therein , nor may be proved thereby , is not to be required of any man , that it should be believed as an article of faith , or be thought requisite or necessary to salvation . this is our very first principle , as we are called protestants , and such an one i do heartily profess my self ; neither see i yet the least cause to doubt of my salvation , whilst by the grace of god i live answerably to this profession . for that the protestant religion built upon this principle is a safe religion , is i think altogether as plain , as that christianity it self , pure and unmix'd , is the way to salvation ; because 't is plain , that this religion we profess , holding to this principle , can be nothing else but pure and unmix'd christianity , being that , and no other , which is contained in the holy scripture . is then the holy scripture the word of god or not ? was it given unto us of god to be the rule of our religion , that is , of our faith , worship , and holy conversation , or was it not ? if * bellarmine may be credited , this is the declaration of the catholick church , both in the third council of carthage , and also in that of trent . the books of the prophets and apostles are the true word of god , and the sure and stable rule of life . and as he shortly after adds , the most sure and safest rule . now , whether it be the compleat , perfect and adequate rule , as we constantly affirm ; or only a partial rule , or but some part of it , as the papists contend ; it self , when diligently consulted , will be best able to inform us . for it is on all hands granted to be the word of god , which cannot lie ; and therefore unquestionably true in all things what soever it teacheth us ; and of those many excellent things which it very plainly teacheth , its one perfection and sufficiency is one , and for my present satisfaction very considerable . i find in the first place , that god himself writ the ten commandments , the compleat rule of piety and iustice , with his own finger , exod. 31. 1 , 18. deut. 9. 10. & 10. 2 , 4. that he commanded them to be written on the posts and gates , deut. 6. 9. & 11. 20. that moses wrote all the words of the lord , exod. 24. 4. and deliver'd the writing to the priests to be read unto the people , deut. 31. 9. and that the king was to have by him a copy of it for his direction , deut. 17. 18. i find many curses denounced against the breakers of it , deut. 28. 58. and blessings promised to them that keep it , deut. 30. 10. i find it was expresly forbidden to add unto it , or to aiminish from it , deut. 4. 2 , 12 , 32. to turn from it to the right-hand or to the left , josh. 1. 7. and that the good kings were careful to order all things according to it , and to reform what had been amiss by it , 1 chron. 16. 40. 2 kings 22. 13. and therefore i do not wonder to hear the psalmist , saying , the law of the lord is perfect , converting the soul , psal. 19. 7. nor to find isaiah sending men to the law , and to the testimony , saying , if any speak not according to this word , it is because there is no light in them , isa. 8. 20. again , i find our blessed saviour himself , and his apostles after him , very frequently appealing and referring their hearers to that which had been written in the books of moses , in the psalms , and in the prophets . they have moses and the prophets , let them hear them , saith abraham in the parable , luk. 16. 29. search the scriptures ( saith christ , joh. 5. 39. ) for in them ye think ye have eternal life , and they are they which testify of me . i find that st. luke , writing his gospel , gives his theophilus this good reason for it ; that thou mightst know the certainty of those things wherein thou hast been instructed , luk. 1. 4. the things which are most surely believed among us , v. 1. all things of which himself had perfect understanding from the very first , v. 3. i find st. iohn , who wrote last of all the apostles , affirming , that tho iesus did many other signs , which are not written in that book of his , yet these are written , that we may believe that jesus is the christ the son of god , and that believing we might have life through his name , joh. 20. 30 , 31. and finally i find st. paul asserting the perfection of the holy scripture as fully and plainly as any man can speak , 2 tim. 3. 15 , 16 , 17. saying , that the holy scripture is able to make a man wise unto salvation through faith which is in christ iesus . that all scripture is given by inspiration of god , and is profitable for doctrine , for reproof , for correction , for instruction in righteousness , that the man of god may be perfect , throughly furnished unto all good works . now what more can we desire , than to be made wise unto salvation ? and we are here plainly told , that the holy scripture is able to make us so . what more can be needful to direct us in the way to salvation , than what we may learn from the scriptare ? it is profitable for our information and establishment in the truth , for the confutation of error and heresy , for the correction of vice and wickedness , for our instruction in righteousness . it is so profitable for all these purposes , that thereby the man of god , the pastor and teacher may be made compleat , and well furnish'd for all the branches of his office , all the works of his holy calling . in short , it is able to bring us to faith in christ iesus ; and whosoever believeth in him , shall not perish , but have everlasting life ; joh. 3. 16. furthermore ; from the same scripture i also learn , that unwritten or oral tradition hath ever been found too deceitful a thing to be relied on for so great a matter as salvation . i find that before the flood , notwithstanding the long lives of men , the few principles of natural religion , and the easiness of learning and remembring things so agreeable to humane nature , yet all flesh had soon corrupted his way upon the earth , gen. 6. 12. and every imagination of the thoughts of man's heart was only evil continually , v. 5. and after the flood , the whole world was quickly over-run with idolatry : so ill was the doctrine which had been preach'd by noah and his sons , preserved by oral tradition . nay , i find , that after god was pleas'd to give the iews his will in writing , their teachers had so corrupted the doctrine of god with their traditions , that it was a great part of our blessed saviour's business , to rescue it from those traditional corruptions . he reproves the scribes and pharisees for transgressing the commandments of god by their traditions , mat. 15. 3. shewing them how they had made it of none effect by the same , v. 6. and that in vain they worshipp'd god , teachiag for doctrines the commandments of men , v. 9. and st. paul warns the colossians to beware of being deceived through philosophy and vain deceit , after the tradition of men , after the rudiments of the world , and not after christ , col. 2. 6. and the special occasion of writing most of the epistles , yea and the gospels too , seems to be the danger that christians were in of being seduced by false teachers , from the doctrine of christ and his apostles , under the pretence of tradition . such were the wolves in sheeps cloathing , mat. 7. 15 false apostles , deceitful workers , transforming themselves into the apostles of christ , 2 cor. 11. 13. pretending to another gospel , gal. 3. 6. men of sleight and cunning craftiness , lying in wait to deceive , eph. 4. 14. from what i find in the scripture , i must needs conclude , till i be better inform'd , that it is a sufficient rule for us to go by ; and that , so long as we hold us to it alone , in our faith and practice , there can be no necessity of resorting to the church of rome , for that unto which our bibles at home can direct us . the scripture is the word of god , and sure rule of faith , saith the infallible church of rome , if bellarmine may be believ'd : this holy scripture is able to make us wise unto salvation , saith the this infallible scripture ; and we take no other but this holy and infallible scripture for the rule of our faith and religious practice , say we protestants . what now should hinder me to infer from hence , that if the scripture be the word of god , we protestants are very well as we are ; for we have the word of the infallible god , and if it may stand us in any stead , the word of the infallible church ( as she will needs be accounted ) to assure us , that adhering to the holy scripture , we are in the ready and sure way to salvation . farther yet , as i am a protestant of the church of england , i do declare in the words of our viiith article , that the three creeds , nice creed , athanasius creed , and that which is commonly called the apostles creed , ought throughly to be received and believ'd ; for they may be proved by most certain warrants of holy scripture . seeing then , we receive and throughly believe the same creeds , and no other , which the church of rome her self professeth to believe ; and which were thought by the catholick church of christ , for above 400 years after the first planting of christianity , to contain all points of faith necessary for the salvation of christians ; i think i have hence gather'd this farther confirmation of my assurance , that we protestants are in the direct way to salvation ; that we are of the very same religion , and no other , in all the necessary points of christian faith , whereof the catholick church evidently was in the first and purest ages of it . in the four first general councils no other articles of faith were held needful to be believed by christians , but those of these creeds , which we entirely own and believe . either then it is true , that these three creeds contain all necessary points of christian faith , or it is not . if it be true , we are safe enough , and can with no colour of reason be said to err in faith , or to deserve the name of hereticks . if it be not true , then were all those primitive christians as much hereticks as we are , and knew no more , than we do , what belong'd to the salvation of christians . and strangely partial is the church of rome in approving the faith of those councils , which one of their most famous popes and saints is said to have reverenced as the four gospels , and yet to condemn ours , tho in all points the very same . especially when the third of those councils , held at ephesus in the time of pope celestine , did expresly decree , that it should not be lawful to utter , write , or compose any other faith , besides that which had been defined by the holy fathers congregated in the holy ghost in the city of nice . ordering , that all they should be punish'd , who tender'd any other to such as had a desire to be converted to the knowledg of the truth , whether they were gentiles , jews , or of any other heresy . whereby 't is plain , that the fathers in this third council did conclude that creed to comprehend the entire faith of a christian , and indeed a man would think that the council of trent had in the beginning of it been altogether of the same mind , when of the same creed it thus declared it self ; that it is that principle wherein all that profess the faith of christ do necessarily agree , and the firm and onely foundation against which the gates of hell shall not prevail . i may , i think , upon these considerations , without more ado , be very well satisfied of the safety of the protestant religion . the papists themselves must grant , that whatsoever we believe or practise , as of necessity to salvation , really is so ; and therefore , that we do not err either in our faith or practice , whilst we live according to our own principles . for if we err in either , so far do they err also ; and not they only , but all the christian world. and here we may press them with their own way of arguing , and to much more purpose , than they are wont to use it against us . when they would convince us that their religion is the safer , they are wont thus to argue ; that religion is the safer , wherein , by the confession of both sides , a man may be saved : but both sides confess , that a man may be saved in the popish religion , and both sides do not confess that a man may be saved in the protestant religion : therefore the popish religion is the safer . supposing now this way of arguing for the safety of their religion from the confession of both parties be of any strength , as they must suppose it to be , who so often and confidently use it ; then must the like argument from the same medium , be altogether as strong for us . i would only beg of them to grant me this , ( and i hope they will not say my request is unreasonable ) that that religion is the safest , all the doctrines whereof are the truest . if they will not grant me this , they must grant it safer to hold some false doctrines than all true . but if they think this absurd , then must they give me leave thus to argue ; that religion is the safest , wherein all doctrines held or taught , as necessary to salvation , are , by the confession of both sides , certainly true . now both sides confess , that all doctrines , held or taught in the protestant religion , are certainly true ; and both sides do not confess , that all doctrines held and taught in the popish religion are certainly true : therefore the protestant religion is the safer . the same articles of faith , the same rules and precepts of life , the same acts of religious worship , the same holy sacraments , the same holy orders of ministers , which we have ; the very same have they also . but they have many things of all these sorts , which we have not ; no nor any other christians , but those of their own communion . and therefore to strengthen my argument , yet more i say , if that doctrine and practice be the safest , wherein all good christians agree ; we are sure that ours is the safest , because all good christians do agree in them ; and that theirs is not safe , because all good christians do not agree in them . nay let me add this more : our religion is either safe and true , in all things pretended by us necessary to salvation ; or there is no such thing as a safe and true christian religion in the world visibly professed ; and if so , it will follow , that christ hath no true visible church upon earth , which i am confident no papist will say . the consequence is plain , because all christians all the world over , that make any figure of a church , hold the same both faith and practice with us , in what we account necessary to salvation , the church of rome it self not excluded . tho it be very certain , that we positively and affirmatively hold nothing in faith or practice , as necessary to salvation , but what is held by the church of rome her self , and all other christian churches ; yet will not the men of that church allow us any possibility of being saved , whilst we are protestants . and he , who of late hath been at some pains to represent the papist to us in his fairest dress , hath labour'd as hard in this point , as in any other , to shew that his church is not uncharitable in the doctrine she delivers concerning our desperate estate . now although i am not enquiring , whether this doctrine be charitable or uncharitable , but only whether it be true or false ; yet , for my better satisfaction , i will examine all that he saith to this purpose . he tells us , his church doth nothing herein but what she hath learn'd of christ and his apostles . and if he can shew me this , i must needs be fully satisfied , being verily perswaded they never taught any thing uncharitable or untrue . to shew this , he tells us , how christ , mark. 16. 16. hath said , he that believeth and is baptised , shall be saved ; but he that believeth not , shall be damned . and this is all his church delivers in this point . if this be all she delivers , we cannot call her uncharitable for it , for we our selves willingly subscribe to this sentence of our blessed saviour . only we think , he did not here teach and authorise the church of rome to say , that all who are not of her faith and communion , shall be damn'd ; tho she knows they believe all that christ sent his apostles to teach them . i do not find in the roman ritual , that the church of rome in the baptising either of infants or adult persons , uses or requires any other confession of faith , but that only of the apostles creed , which is the same we use ; and if to beleive and be baptised in this faith , be enough for the salvation of papists , why is it not enough also for protestants ? and if the additional articles of the trentine faith , and p. pius his creed be necessary to salvation , why is there no mention made of them in the roman order of baptism ? he adds that of st. paul , ( 1 tim. 4. 1 , 2 , 3. ) where foretelling of some who in later times would come and preach a doctrine , forbidding to marry , and commanding to abstain from meats , which god hath created to be received ; he brands them with the infamous title , of men that depart from the faith ; giving heed to seducing spirits , and doctrines of devils . and several other places of scripture he then produceth , to shew that hereticks , such as they that affirmed the resurrection to be past already , or denied that jesus is the christ , &c. are in a state of condemnation . other texts of scripture he brings , wherein christians are charged to be unanimous , and condemned for causing strife and divisions , warn'd to maintain unity , and not to hearken to false teachers and seducers , &c. but i find not by all this , that st. paul or any of the apostles , taught the church of rome , which both forbids to marry , and commands to abstain from meats allow'd of god ; which teacheth divers doctrines , whereof we find not any thing in the scripture , to condemn those for hereticks , that adhere wholly to the doctrine of the scripture ; or for schismaticks , who hold communion with all christians , so far as they keep to the doctrine of christ and his apostles ; and divide from the church of rome , no farther , than in those points only wherein they cannot hold her communion and the doctrine of christ too . i do not see , but after the same rate , as he here defends the charity of his church , he might also defend her iustice , if she should pretend , that because christ commanded his disciples to fetch him another man's ass and her colt ; she did but what he taught , in taking away other mens goods , and giving no other reason for it but this , that she hath need of them . what the papists say more , to shew that we can have no saving faith , is one of these two things . either , first , that it is not an entire faith , there being ( as they say ) many necessary articles which we believe not : or , secondly , that it is no right-grounded faith , seeing it is not built upon sufficient authority , that is to say , on the authority of the catholick church . their first objection to the protestant faith is this , that it is no entire faith. and here i am told by the representer , there is no more hopes for one that denies obstinately any one point of catholick faith , tho he believes all the rest ; than there is for one that keeps nine of the commandments , with the breach of the tenth . now this seems to me no great encouragement to change the communion of the church of england for that of rome , if an entire faith and an entire obedience be but equally necessary . i wish with all my heart i could be as sure , that the church of rome doth not break the first commandment , by her invocation of saints , and adoration of the host ; and the second commandment , in her adoration of images and the cross ; as i am sure , that the church of england neither obstinately denies any article of the catholick faith ; nor countenanceth the breach of any one of the ten commandments , as that church seems too much to do , whilst she takes no little care , that the people may not know them all . we stedfastly believe the whole scripture , so far as we are able to understand it explicitly ; and when we do not implicitly , we receive the three creeds , which have ever been thought to contain the entire faith of a christian : wherein then is our faith partial or defective ? i must consider that anon : at present , seeing obstinacy , according to our adversaries , is a necessary ingredient of an heretick ; i can easily assure my self , tho i do not see how 't is possible for me to satisfy them , that i am no heretick ; for i certainly know , that i am very desirous to be throughly inform'd , and to be brought to a right understanding of all necessary truths ; and am still in a readiness , and full preparation of mind , to believe any one or all of their articles , whensoever they shall please to prove the truth of them , either by scripture , or by unquestionable apostolical tradition . i am sure therefore , i deny not obstinately any one point of catholick faith. but till they vouchsafe me the proof i desire , i must content my self with the scripture , which is able to make wise unto salvation through faith which is in christ iesus , and not in the pope of rome , nor in the roman church . and yet i find , that it is for this especially , that we are call'd hereticks , that we adhere only to the scripture ; and that they often explain their meaning , in bestowing that title on us , by calling us scripturists and gospellers ; and ridicule us for talking of only scripture . but when i consider , that this is the fundamental heresy wherewith we are charged , i cannot but a little wonder at it ; and find less cause than ever , to think we can be hereticks indeed , or that they can call us so any otherwise than in jest . can they grant the scripture to be the word of god , and the gospel to be the power of god unto salvation ; and yet in earnest call us hereticks for being scripturists and gospellers ? if , submitting our faith in all things to the scripture , we can be hereticks ; then must the scripture teach heresy , and cannot be the word of god. what a contradiction is this in papists , to call us scripturists and hereticks ; which is in effect to say , that we adhere only to the infallible truth of god , and yet are guilty of obstinate error in the faith ? what is it then wherein our faith is defective ? it is in this , that we do not believe all that the church of rome propounds to be believed . this indeed would make us papists , but whether it would make us better christians than we are already , is not so certain . a papist ( saith the representer ) is one that lives and believes what is prescribed in the council of trent . but this rule of the papists faith came into the world ( as we think ) too late , almost by fifteen hundred years , to be the rule of the christian faith ; and therefore he could not have represented his religion to us with greater disadvantage than here he doth . we cannot conceive how so small a handful of prelats , most of them italians , sworn vassals to the bishop of rome , assembled together at trent fifteen hundred years after christ's preaching , and wholly limited and directed in all their proceedings by the will and command of him , whose authority was the principal thing in question , and submitting all at last to him alone , should come by that immense authority , to command the faith of the christian world , or what commission they could shew from christ , the supream lawgiver , to prescribe laws of faith and life to all christendom . and we can as little conceive , how this pretended council , could at once confirm all the general councils , and among the rest , that of ephesus before mention'd ; yea , and declare the nicene creed to be the firm and only foundation , and yet contrary to the decree of that ephesine council , and not very consistently to it 's own declaration , decree so many more points , than that creed contains , as necessary to be believed . moreover , if this be the great oracle we must consult , as our surest guide to heaven ; where must we meet with him , that can give us the certain sense of its general and ambiguous responses ? the learnedst of the romish church are not yet well agreed about it ; and if the english representer , or french expounder have had the luck to hit it , i am sure , that many heretofore , who thought themselves as wise as either of them , have strangely miss'd it : or else that council , and the religion call'd popery , hath several faces for several times and countries , and in one place and time , shall look like it self , and in another shall be made to look as like the protestant religion , as the artificial painter dares make it . but that which here put us to a stand in this , that as the pope at first taught that council to speak ; so hath he reserved the interpretation of its decrees to the see apostolick , or himself only ; and he is not always pleas'd in plain terms to let us know his mind ; and if he should , for once , speak out plainly , it will be a little hard for him to assure us , that none of his successors shall hereafter contradict him ; unless he can satisfy us , that he has as well the gift of prophesying , as that of defining and interpreting . however , it is for not believing the new articles of trent , that we are accounted hereticks , and out of the way to heaven . and the reason is , because these articles are supposed to be as firmly grounded on the word of god , as any of those old ones which we believe : for the word of god ( saith the council of trent ) is partly contain'd in the books of scripture , and partly in traditions unwritten ; these are to be received with the same affection of piety and reverence ; and therefore he that disbelieves any article grounded upon unwritten tradition , is no less a heretick , than he that disbelieves what is written in the books of scripture . if i knew how to be satisfied concerning the authority of this council , i could easily tell what credit i should give to this , which it so confidently affirms . but so long as i cannot discern the reason of it's pretended authority , i am a little apt to suspect , that it was not the clearness of this principle that moved it to make so many either unscriptural or antiscriptural decrees ; but rather the desire it had of vindicating its unscriptural doctrines and practices , that made it necessary to espouse such a principle . and indeed when i well consider it , i am not a little comforted by it ; that this equalling unwritten tradition with scripture , which is the very basis of the romish religion , is one of the most incredible things in the world of it self , and as destitute of any tolerable evidence , whence it may gain any credit to it self . it must needs seem very strange to any considering man , that the wise god should leave us a rule in writing , on purpose to direct us how to honour him , and attain to salvation ; and give it this commendation , that it is able to make wise unto salvation ; and yet omit a great many things altogether as necessary to those ends , as those that are written ; and without the belief and practice whereof , those that are written can no whit avail us ; and yet never so much as once tell us in all that writing , whither we should go to seek and learn them : nay , that he should omit therein the principal point of all , and without which all that is either written or unwritten can signify nothing , that is , to tell us , that the roman church is the only true church , the only sure and infallible interpreter of all that is written ; and the only faithful keeper of all that is unwritten ; from the mouth whereof we must receive all saving truth . this i think is a thing that must needs be very hard for any one to believe , that believes the infinite wisdom , goodness and veracity of god. and how it can ever be made evident , that there are such necessary unwritten traditions , or that these , which the church of rome holds , are they ; i think no man living can imagine . i am sure if the papists way of reasoning be good , it 's safer not to believe this . for all sides consent , that the scripture which we have is the certain word of god ; but all sides are not agreed , that unwritten traditions are the word of god ; therefore it is safer to believe the scripture only to be the word of god , and not traditions . we hold us to scripture , and the papists grant that to be the safest rule ; their greatest strength lies in unwritten , or ( as they are wont to speak ) oral and practical traditions ; which in plain english , is no more but report and custom ; and whether there can reasonably be thought any certainty in these , equal to that of the written word of god given by divine inspiration , can be no hard matter for a very weak understanding to determine . that which makes these unwritten traditions of the less credit with me , is the assurance i have , that a pretence to them , and a vain confidence in them , hath produced much error and division in the church . 't is well known , how far , and how long the errors of the millenaries , and of administring the eucharist to infants ( to mention no more ) prevail'd on this account . and the early schisms betwixt the roman and asian churches , about the keeping of easter ; and the hot contests between the roman and african churches about rebaptizing hereticks , were occasion'd , and upheld by pretences on all hands to tradition . this was the only refuge of old for hereticks , when they were confounded by the scripture , to take shelter under tradition : whence tertullian call'd them lucifugas scripturarum , men who shunn'd the light of the scriptures . again , saith he , they confess indeed that the apostles were ignorant of nothing , and differed not among themselves in their preaching ; but they will not have it , that they revealed all things to all ; for some things they deliver'd openly to all , some things secretly and to a few ; and that because st. paul useth this saying to timothy , o timothy , keep that which is committed to thy trust . and again , that good thing which is committed to thee , keep . irenaeus also makes mention of hereticks who affirm'd , that out of the scriptures the truth could not be found out by them who understood not tradition , because it was not deliver'd by writing , but by living voice ; for which cause also st. paul said , we speak wisdom among them that are perfect . st. augustine in his 97th tract upon iohn , saith , that all the most foolish hereticks , who desire to be accounted christians , used to colour their audacious fictions with a pretence from that sentence of the gospel , joh. 16. 10. i have many things to say unto you , but you cannot bear them now . thus did the hereticks of old both plead tradition , and sought to strengthen their plea by such places of scripture as these ; which are the very same , that the papists produce to the same purpose , as may be seen in bellarmine , and others . but i find that the orthodox fathers of the church were of another mind . the things which we find not in the scriptures ( saith st. ambrose ) how can we use them ? ambr. offic. l. 1. c. 23. let those of hermogenes his shop ( saith tertullian ) shew that it is written . if it be not written , let them fear that woe design'd for those that add or take away . irenaeus saith , that what the apostles had preach'd , the same afterwards by the will of god they deliver'd unto us in the scriptures , to be the foundation and pillar of our faith. st. hierome against helvidius , calls the holy scriptures the only fountain of truth . let us bring ( saith st. austin ) for trial , not the deceitful ballances , where we may hang on what we will , and how we will , at our own pleasure ; saying , this is heavy , and this is light ; but let us bring the divine ballance of the holy scriptures , and in that let us weigh what is heavier ; nay , let us not weigh , but let us own the things already weighed by the lord. and elsewhere , the holy scripture ( saith he ) fixeth the rule of our doctrine . and indeed the excellent sayings of the antients to this purpose are so well known , that i should be very vain to cite any more here . if now , after all this , i should suppose , what i can by no means yet grant , that god having order'd the scriptures to be written , and said so much in the commendation thereof ; they do not yet contain all things necessary to salvation , but that some part of those necessary things ( as both some hereticks of old , and papists now would have it believed ) was only whisper'd privately into the ears of the apostles , as mysteries unfit at that time to be communicated to vulgar christians ; and that the apostles ( tho they were commanded by christ to preach upon the house-tops that which he had told them privately in the ear , mar. 10. 27. ) did not yet think themselves obliged to obey this command in writing all that was necessary ; but rather to conceal for a time , a considerable part of that mysterious doctrine . yea , suppose that this was one principal use of st. peter's keys , to lock up all these mysteries in the cabinet of the churches breast ( let the church signify what it can ) to be communicated to the world , in after-ages by piece-meal , so as she should find men prepar'd by a blind credulity to receive them . yet after all , i must needs think , that we are too hardly dealt with to be called hereticks for not believing these things , till something be produced , whereby we may be assur'd , either that these things which they commend to us come indeed from christ & his apostles , or that we are obliged to take the church of rome's word for a good assurance . it seems to me a very unreasonable thing , that we should be condemn'd as obstinate , for not believing things never sufficiently proved , whilst we know and declare our selves prepared in mind to yield upon the first rational conviction . why should not that church have the charity to forbear her censures , till she have tried the strength of her arguments ? why was the council of trent , contrary to the custom of other councils , so liberal of her curses , and so sparing of her reasons ? one good reason would do more to make us of her communion than a thousand anathema's . would not a man suspect that they have no good reasons to shew , who keep them so close ? the plain truth is , there have been such vain pretences to tradition in all ages , one contradicting another , that it seems impossible in this age to discern between true and false . did not clemens alexandrinus call it an apostolical tradition , that christ preach'd but one year ? and did not irenaeus pretend a tradition , descending from st. iohn , that christ was about fifty years old when he was crucified ? and do the papists accout either of these to be true ? many things might be named , which for some time have been received as apostolical traditions , which the church of rome will not now own to be so . and those which she owns , she can no more prove to be so , than those she hath rejected . it were easy to shew this , even from abundance of their own writers , who assert the perfection of the scripture , and complain of the mischief this pretence to tradition hath done ; and who confess , they cannot be proved to come from the apostles . but i shall now content my self with the ingenuous confession of the bishops assembled at bononia , in their counsel given to p. iulius the 3 d. we plainly confess ( say they ) among our selves , that we cannot prove that which we hold and teach concerning traditions , but we have some conjectures only . and again ; in truth whosoever shall diligently consider the scripture , and then all the things that are usually done in our churches , will find there is great difference betwixt them ; and that this doctrine of ours is very unlike , and in many things quite repugnant to it . what said erasmus long since on the 2 d psalm : they call the people off ( saith he ) from the scriptures unto little humane traditions , which they have honestly invented for their own profit . and peter suter , a bitter adversary of his , hath these words ; since many things are delivered to be observed , which are not expresly found in holy scripture , will not unlearned persons , taking notice of these things , easily murmur ; complaining that so great burdens should be laid upon them , whereby the liberty of the gospel is so greatly impaired ? will they not also easily be drawn away from the observance of ecclesiastical ordinances , when they shall find that they are not contained in the law of christ ? and must we be hereticks for not believing these so uncertain traditions ? must our faith be accounted defective and not entire , meerly because we do not believe what no man can make us understand to co come from god ? this seems very hard . it is now time for me to consider the second objection made against our faith , which is , that it is not rightly grounded , it is not built on the authority of the church , that is , the church of rome . and indeed so much weight i find laid upon this one point , that i have some reason to think , that they , who have been very forward at all times to give such liberal allowances of implicit faith to their friends at home , would be contented with a very small measure of explicit belief in us , if we would once be taught to ground our faith aright , on the sole authority of that church . it seems to me , that for the talk about it , they are no such rigid exactors of an entire explicit faith in order to salvation , but that if we will explicitly believe this one fundamental point , the supreme authority of the roman church over all christians , they will deal very favourably with us in most others ; and excuse our ignorance easilier , than they can perswade us to be content to be ignorant . i think i have very good reason to believe this , because i know they can have no reason to reject them that believe but this one point ; for when once this great gobbet is swallow'd down , the passage will be so well open'd , that all other points of faith either go down with it , or will slip after it without the least straining or grutching . the authority of god himself , speaking in scripture , will be of no farther consideration to us ; for that we must suppose to be included in the authority of our mother the church . and whatsoever we shall thence-forward perceive to be the will of our mother , we must without all scruple , conclude it to be also the will of our father . the representer hath lately told us , that tho the scripture ( which is the word of our heavenly father ) may be the law ; yet the mother , the roman church , is the iudg. having learn'd from her the sense of the scripture , we are obliged to submit to this , and never presume on our own private sentiments , however seemingly grounded on reason and scripture , to believe or preach any new doctrine opposite to the belief of the church . and there 's reason for this , if it be true which he elsewhere tells us , that a man may very easily frame as many creeds as he pleases , and make christ and his apostles speak what shall be most agreeable to his humour , and suit best with his interest , and find plain proofs for all ( he means in scripture ) ; the truth whereof ( as of all other points of doctrine ) stands ( as he saith ) upon the same foundation of the churches tradition , which if it fail in one , leaves no security in any . this is indeed to advance the church to the very top-branch of all authority , and to make the holy scripture as very a nose of wax , and as leaden a rule , as any of that church ever thought it : seeing a man may form and work it into creeds of all fashions , and find plain proofs in it for any odd humour , or carnal and worldly interest . this then ( as far as i can learn by him ) is the only way for me to be a thorow papist , and a good catholick , i must lay aside my reason , and the scripture , and heed no more what either of these tell me ; only i must have my ear open to the voice of the church , and be wholly at her teaching and command , and i shall be safe enough . upon the most serious consideration of the character which the papist is pleas'd to give us of himself , i cannot find what it is , for which they of that church are so severely bent against us protestants ; save only , that we will not , like tame animals , without any understanding of our own , learn to come and go at a whistle ; or trot on the road as we are driven , and stoop to take on our backs whatever load it shall please the roman church to lay upon us , confessing her to have absolute and uncontroulable authority over our faith. the standing out against the catholick church makes men hereticks , and without erring against this , no man is guilty of heresy , said the iesuit fisher , in his answer to certain questions propounded to him by king iames i. this then is the only heresy to disown the authority of the roman ( for that he calls the catholick . ) church . again , saith he , one fundamental error of the protestants , is their denying the primacy of st. peter and his successors , the foundation which christ laid of his church , necessary for the perpetual government thereof . and again , he that forsakes the church , puts himself into a dead and damnable state , and may have all things besides salvation and eternal life . bellarmine speaks out , and tells us very plainly , no man can , tho he would , be subject to christ , and communicate with the celestial church , that is not subject to the pope . if then we believe this authority of the roman church , we believe all ; and if we believe not this , we believe nothing at all , in the papists account ; or to any better purpose , than to our own damnation . so that without this belief our faith shall never pass for an entire faith ; and when we once believe this , it shall never be any more question'd , whether it be entire or no. now it seems a very hard matter to believe this great point of faith , till very good reasons be given us for it ; and yet ( it should seem ) the want of such reasons will not excuse us from being hereticks , and in a state of damnation , no not tho we be never so ready to believe it , when we shall have reasons given us for it . for he is an heretick ( we are told ) who thinks any thing against the definition of the church ; yet stands so affected , that he will think the contrary , if he be convinced by arguments , or if the matter be propounded to him by a learned man. and on the contrary , if we do believe this , we can hardly be hereticks , whatever errors we believe , or this belief draws us into . for if a rustick ( saith cardinal tolet ) believe his bishop about the articles of faith , teaching him some heretical doctrine , he merits by believing ; altho it be an error . so weighty a point is this , of believing the authority of the roman church , and grounding our entire faith upon it ; that i perceive i am concern'd above all things to examine it throughly : and this i shall have fitter opportunity to do now i am come to the second thing propounded . sect . ii. hitherto i have been considering , what ground i have to hope for salvation , as i am a protestant , and of the church of england . i am now in the next place to enquire , whether i can find any reason to believe , that the church of rome can put me into a more hopeful way to it , should i turn papist , and be of her communion . now , seeing i have already found , that the great reason , why we are held uncapable of salvation as now we are , is this ; that we have no entire faith ; and the defect in our faith is this , that we believe not all the articles of the roman faith ; and that which makes it necessary for us to believe all those articles , is the authority of the catholick , that is , as they interpret , the roman church , to declare and define what things are necessary to the salvation of christians ; i perceive i have no more to do for my full satisfaction in the present inquiry , but to consider , what reason i can have for the owning and submitting to this authority . and to discern this , i think this method fittest to be taken : i will inquire into three things ; i. what things are implied in that submission to this authority which is required of me . ii. what the grounds and reasons are whereon this authority is founded , and which should perswade me to submit . iii. where this authority may be found , and to whom i must submit . and this is all , i think , that i need to do ; for i can never think fit to submit my faith and conscience , and to trust my salvation to an authority , which either requires of me such things as are unreasonable , or can produce no reason for it self , or is so lodged in obscurity as it cannot be found . i. i cannot leave the communion of the church of england , and enter into that of rome , in obedience to an authority which commands me to do things unreasonable , agreeing neither with the nature of mankind , nor with the undoubted principles of religion . if therefore the church of rome require such things of me , i must be a protestant still , and protest against that authority , which she pretends to . and for ought i can yet see , i cannot submit to her authority , but upon the hardest and most unreasonable terms in the world. i must renounce my reason and my iudgment , i must no longer trust my senses , i must either lay aside , or learn to speak dishonourably of god's word ; i must not believe a word that god hath spoken , without that church's leave ; i must embrace a religion , for which , according to that church's principles , no reason can be given to convince me ; and when i have thus learn'd to do all things without reason , i must do , what with reason i can never do , believe all men whatsoever , and how piously soever they otherwise live , if they be not of the roman communion , to be in a state of damnation . if i be deceiv'd in any thing of all this , i shall be very glad to know it ; and i have only this to say for my self , that they were roman catholicks , who should know their own religion best , that have deceived me ; and if i may be deceiv'd by hearkening to them , whom that church sends abroad to make us converts , i shall be the less encouraged hereafter , to embrace her communion upon their perswasions . whether all , who are already of her communion , either own or know all this , it concerns not me to enquire ; but i think it a debt of charity , that i owe them , to think , ( till they tell me the contrary ) that they do not ; and that , if they did , they would not long continue where they are . however , till they , who taught me these things , shall either confess their own error , or shew me my mistake , i must needs think them all true ; and therefore also account it much safer for me to continue a protestant , than to turn papist , whatever it may seem , or be to others . first , i think nothing can be plainer , than that it is more safe to act like understanding , and discreet , considering men , than otherwise ; or , that the religion , which alloweth men so to do , is safer than that which doth not allow it . now the protestant religion alloweth men to make use of their reason and iudgment , to discern between truth and falshood , good and evil ; which the roman religion ( as it seems to me ) will not allow ; and therefore it must needs be the safer religion . christ certainly came not into the world to save sinners by destroying , but rather by restoring and perfecting human nature . his business was not to deprive us of the use of the most noble faculty which god had given us ; but to rectify that , and all the rest , after they had been depraved by sin. his gospel was not preached to close up the eye of the soul , the understanding , and so to lead men blindfold to heaven ; but to open mens eyes , and to furn them from darkness to light , act. 26. 18. the apostles preach'd , to teach us how to offer unto god a reasonable service : rom. 12. 1. and christ expects , that his sheep should be able to discern the voice of him their shepherd , from the voice of strangers ; and , avoiding them , to follow him only ; iohn 10. 4 , 5. st. peter exhorts men , to be always ready to give a reason of the hope that is in them ; 1 pet. 3. 15. and st. paul bids men prove all things , and hold fast that which is good ; 1 thess. 5. 21. and st. iohn exhorts , not to believe every spirit , but to try the spirits whether they be of god ; 1 joh. 4. 1. how any man shall be able to do all this , and much more , which as a christian he is obliged to do , and not be allow'd the free use of his reason and judging faculty , i am sure , no man can tell me ; neither indeed how he can be of any religion at all ; for before he can really be of any religion , he must choose it ; and choose it he cannot , till he have rationally consider'd and judg'd of it , and of the reasons which must move him to the choice of it . and in truth , to deny a man the free use of his reason and iudgment in religion , is to turn him into a beast , where he should be most a man ; and either to make it impossible for him to be of any religion at all , and to serve god like a man ; or else to say in effect , that christian religion is altogether a most unreasonable thing , and proper only to unreasonable creatures . now the writing men of the roman church tell us nothing more frequently , than that no private man ought to be allow'd to judg for himself in matters of faith ; that to allow this , is to set the gate wide open to all heresies ; that every man is bound to sumbit and captivate his understanding and iudgment to the iudgment of the church , that is , to all the definitions of ( as they call it ) the roman-catholick church . whatsoever this church affirms , we must believe to be true ; and whatsoever she commands , we must chearfully obey , seem the thing to our own private reason never so false , or never so wicked . we must not dare to examine the truth or lawfulness of her decrees or determinations , tho reason and scripture too , seem to us to be against them , as we have been lately taught by the representer ; for as we receive from her the books , so from her only we are to receive the sense of scripture . hence it is , that they define a heretick , to be one that obstinately opposeth the sentence of the church . the doctrines of fathers ( bellarmine some-where tells us ) may be examined by reason , because they teach but as private doctors ; but the church teaches as a iudg , with all authority , and therefore no man may dispute the soundness of her doctrine . this then is the first step i must take , if i will go over to the church of rome ; i must resolve to see no longer for my self with my own eyes , but give my self up to be led by the church , never questioning the way i am to go in , so long as she leads me . and truly so far as i am yet able to discern with my protestant eyes , it is but needful to close the eye of reason before-hand , when i am about to go , where i must otherwise see such things as no reason can indure . it was therefore very ingenuously spoken ( as i have heard ) of mr. cressy , when he said , that the wit and judgment of catholicks , is to renounce their own judgment , and depose their own wit. yet if this be true , i must beg his pardon , if i dare not yet imitate his example , or follow him thither , where ( according to him ) i can have nothing to do , but to run headlong upon any thing without wit or fear . reason he is pleased to call a hoodwink'd guide ; and following it , all we can hope for , is , that we may possibly stumble into the truth or church . possibly ( it should seem ) a man may stumble upon it with his eyes in his head ; and truly , i dare not pull them out , lest i should stumble on a blind leader , and we should both fall into the ditch . secondly ; whensoever i resolve to enter into the roman communion , i fear i must also bid farewell to my senses ; or resolve never any more to trust them , no , not about those things , which are the proper objects of sense ; to discern which , god gave me my senses ; and of which it will be impossible for me to have any distinct knowledg without them . how unreasonable and dangerous a thing this is , i must needs be very sensible , if i be not resolved already to hearken no more to my reason . if i must no longer credit my eyes about shape and colour , nor my ears about sounds and words , nor my nose about smells , nor my palate concerning tasts , nor my hands and feeling about hot and cold , hard and soft ; i shall not know how to believe , that god gave me all these instruments of sense to any purpose at all ; i am sure , i cannot think my self in a comfortable and safe condition . i know not to what end our blessed saviour should bid st. thomas , handle and see him ; or how his faith could be thereby confirmed , if such senses are not to be trusted : nor why the apostle should hope to have the more credit given to their narratives , by telling us they were eye-witnesses of the things they relate ; 2 pet. 1. 16. luke 1. 2. nor why st. iohn ( 1 ioh. 1. 1. ) should talk so much of hearing , seeing and handling , as things qualifying them for bearing witness . what a christian am i like to be , if i can have no assurance of what i see or hear ; if i may not trust my eyes when i read the scripture , nor my ears when i hear the instructions of my teachers ? how could the first christians be sure themselves , or assure us , that iesus is the christ , if in hearing his words , and seeing his miracles , and reading the prophets , they might not safely trust their senses ? if sense be not to be trusted , all teaching must be by immediate inspiration ; and faith comes not by hearing , as st. paul affirms it doth ; and the infallible church can teach no more than we , except she can teach without speaking or writing , or any thing that is to be understood by hearing or seeing ; and so oral and practical tradition can be of no more use to us , than to the blind and deaf . on this supposition , i may easily mistake a harlot for my mother , and stumble into babylon instead of hierusalem , hearken to the voice of the wolf instead of the shepherd , eat and drink poison instead of wholsome food , and feel no pain nor loss when my eyes are pluck'd out . now if the church of rome do not command us to renounce all credit to our senses , she cannot command us to give any credit to her doctrine of transubstantiation . and i fear , without our believing this point , she will not admit us to her communion . we believe already a real presence of that which we see not , yet will not this serve , unless we believe also a real absence of that which we both see , handle , taste and smell . in the holy sacrament of the eucharist , i am commanded to believe that there is not any bread , but flesh ; nor wine , but blood ; and yet there i see , smell , taste and feel both bread and wine , and nothing else . i hear it read , that our blessed saviour took , blessed , brake and gave bread and wine ; and of the same he said , take , eat and drink . i hear st. paul again and again ( 1 cor. 11. 26 , 27 , 28. ) speak of eating and drinking the bread and the cup. and yet i must not trust any of these five senses , but against the clearest evidence and testimony of them all , i must believe ( if i can ) that there is neither bread nor wine , but that , which neither my senses can discern , nor my reason conceive , nor doth the scripture any where say , the very natural flesh and blood of christ , under the colour and form , the taste and smell , and all other proper qualities of bread and wine ; and yet neither that colour , nor form , nor taste , nor smell , nor any other accident , which my senses there perceive , are in the flesh and blood , tho there is nothing else there for them to be in . that tho i break and chew with my teeth what i take and eat ; yet i break not , nor chew with my teeth the body of christ ; and yet i take and eat nothing else . if i cannot believe this , i am told that i have not faith enough , and only because i have yet reason and sense too much , to be of that communion . this is another step that i must take in going over to the church of rome . and when i am got thus far , i may think it seasonable enough to lay aside the scripture too : for what good use i can make of it , without the free use of my reason , and trusting my senses , i do not understand . thirdly , if i be a lay-man , and not of so good credit with the curate or bishop , as to obtain a license ; that is , if i will not promise to adhere only to the doctrine of the roman church , and take all that i read in that sense only , which she is pleas'd to give it ; i must not be suffer'd to read the scripture at all , but must give away my bible , upon pain of being denied the remission of my sins . and truly if i may be allow'd to read it upon no other terms , than of being thus tied up , to learn nothing by it , but what i am before-hand taught without it ; i shall think a license too dear , even at a very low rate ; if yet it may be obtain'd , as i find it question'd , whether it may or no , any where else , but in such places as a license to read some of their own , may prevent their itch of looking into our translations . however , whether i be of the lay or clergy , if i will learn of them who are most busy in endeavouring my conversion ; i am sure i must be taught to speak very dishonourably of the word of god ; and this seems to be no more than the religion commended to me requireth . i must needs here say , that nothing in the world doth ( and i think i may say , ought ) more to prejudice me against any religion , than to find it constrain'd in its own defence , to say undecent things of that which it grants to be the word of god. and if i might be thought worthy to advise the missionaries , they should not harp too much on this ungrateful string , if they would draw any after them that have the least zeal for god's honour . i am verily oerswaded , that the good language they bestow upon the scripture , hath kept more out of their church , than ever their arguments yet won . i will not now take notice of those too well known encomiums bestow'd upon it , by some of their communion , calling it a nose of wax , a leaden rule , a dead letter , unsens'd characters , and i am ashamed to say what more . i shall only observe what is ordinarily taught us and endeavour'd with much art to be prov'd by their best , most modest , and generally approved authors : as , that the scripture is not necessary ; that it hath no authority as to us , but from the church ; that it is an imperfect , an insufficient rule ; that it is an obscure book , and finally , a very dangerous one to be read by the people . i know very well , that the representer , and others of them tell us , that the papist believes it damnable in any one , to think , speak , or to do any thing irreverently towards the scripture , and that he holds it in the highest veneration of all men living . i know also , that most of them , even whilst they are industriously proving all that i but now said , do yet labour to mollify and sweeten their own harsh expressions , which they know must needs grate the ears of all pious persons . i am also verily perswaded , that many papists have a very venerable esteem for the scripture , and are not a little troubled to hear it reproachfully used . and yet i cannot see that highest veneration for it , or that they speak not very irreverently of it , who speak no worse of it , than the representer himself hath taught them , viz. that it is not fit to be read generally of all without license ; tho he gives this very good reason for it , lest they should no longer acknowledg the authority of the roman church ; or in his own words , no authority left by christ , to which they are to submit . as tho men might be taught by the scripture to be disobedient to any authority which christ hath set up in his church . i cannot see any great veneration he hath to the scripture , in saying , they allow a restraint upon the reading of the scriptures , for the preventing of a blind ignorant presumption , or the casting of the holy to dogs , or pearls to swine , ( such too is his respect for christians ) that he hath no other assurance that they are the word of god , but by the authority and canon of the church . that almost every text of the bible and even those that concern the most essential and fundamental points of the christian religion may be interpreted several ways , and made to signify things contrary to one another . that it is altogether silent , without discovering which of all those senses is that intended by the holy ghost , and leading to truth ; and which are erroneous and antichristian . that a man may frame as many creeds as he pleases , and make christ and his apostles speak what shall be most agreeable to his humour , and suit best with his interest , and find plain proofs for all . that it alone can be no rule of faith to any private or particular person . certainly they who talk of the scripture at this rate , have not the highest veneration for it , of all men living . they that say , and labour to prove , that the scripture is not necessary , may well be supposed to think , that the church of god might do well enough without it . and , tho to lessen the odiousness of this assertion , they are forced to confess it is a lie , without the help of some such mental reservation as this , so that god could not , if he pleas'd , preserve his truth among men , some other way than by writing it ; yet doth not this speak in them the like veneration for the scripture , as protestants have , who down-rightly affirm it to be necessary . and it must needs sound ill to say , that the all-wise god hath been very careful to leave and preserve in his church an unnecessary thing . yea , 't is altogether as absurd to say , the scripture is not necessary , because god could , if it had seem'd good to him , have preserv'd his church and faith without it : as it would be to say , that plowing and sowing , or eating and drinking are not necessary , because god could , if he pleas'd , make the ground bring forth without the one , and preserve man's life without the other . nor can it be imagin'd that any man upon this account only , would venture to say , and attempt to prove the scripture not to be necessary in a sense , wherein no man ever affirm'd it ; if he were not so zealously bent upon lessening the esteem which we have for it , that he will chuse rather to say nothing to the purpose , and dispute against no body , than to be silent , and say nothing that sounds ill of it ; and that he thinks it needful for the ends of his church so to do . in like manner , when they contend that the authority of the scripture is from the church , which is the thing whereof at every turn they are forward enough to mind us ; they are forced again to make some abatements to make it seem a truth . 't is true , they say , that consider'd in it self alone , it hath its authority from god ; whereby they can mean no more , but that god is the author of it ; but in relation to us , it hath its authority from the church . now i would fain know , what any man can understand properly by the authority of the scripture , but its relation to us , or the power it hath to command our faith in it , and obedience to it , as the word of god. and if it have all this power from the church , as is confidently affirm'd , then tho it self be of god , yet all its authority is from the church ; and it must needs be true , which was said by one of them , that it is of no more authority than livy or aesop ' s fables without the churches declaration . thus is the authority of god's word made to depend upon the authority of men , and all our faith is no more but humane faith resting upon humane testimony . and if the authority which it hath to oblige us , be from the church , i would know by what authority it doth oblige the church ; it is not sure , by any authority from her , for then i see no reason why the church may not chuse whether she will receive it or no ; whilst yet i think , that it is only by the authority of the scripture that she can pretend to be a church , and to have any authority at all . however this i am sure of , that they who say the scripture is to be receiv'd for the churches sake , have not so high a veneration , either for it , or the author of it , as they who say it is to be receiv'd for god's sake . and in the next place , whether we , who say the scripture is a perfect and sufficient rule of faith and manners , containing all things necessary to salvation ; or they , who say , 't is but a partial and imperfect rule : we , who say ; 't is plain and easy to be understood in all things necessary ; or they , who say 't is dark and obscure , unable to inform and resolve learners , doubters , and inquirers , and that even in essentials and fundamentals of religion : finally , whether we , who say , it ought to be read and studied of all men ; or they , who say , it is not needful , yea , dangerous to be read of all , have the higher veneration for the holy scripture , is no hard matter to determine ; if to commend a thing , may be said to be more honour to it , than to disparage it . and tho here again , they use some art and colour to set off such ill-favour'd sayings , as well as they can ; yet serves this to no other end in my mind , but to make them more ugly and odious . they deny not ( for all this , they say ) the perfection , sufficiency , or plainness of the scripture , nor that it may be read by the people . what then is it they say ? they affirm , that it contains all necessary truths , either explicitly , or at least virtually ; for some truths it declares expresly , and yet so , as the church alone must give the sense ; and for all the rest , it plainly ( if the same church may here also give the sense ) sends us to the church to learn them . now i cannot ( for my heart ) imagine what all this can signify , but only a desire to lessen the scripture's authority , as plausibly as they can . to me it seems very plain , that they make the scripture just nothing , and the church all in all . i think it here again , well deserves my consideration , that the scripture is very copious in declaring , and repeating too , over and over again , many necessary points of faith and duty ; and not only necessary things , but many other things also it largely teacheth , which are by all granted to be of less moment and necessity to the salvation of men ; and all this it doth in as plain words and phrases , as can be used . and hence i find it very hard for me to believe , that the holy ghost , by whose inspiration it was written , should do all this for our instruction , and that in a book written on purpose to make us wise unto salvation , and by himself declared able so to do , and yet omit many things of greatest necessity to that end ; never so much as once , no not in any obscure manner , pointing out to us that church , to whose authority we must resort and submit . this were to leave us a treasure closely lock'd up , and not to tell us where we may find the key , that can let us in to it , and so we are neither the wiser , nor the richer for it . whatsoever the papists are pleas'd to alledg for their speaking thus of the word of the blessed god , i confess i cannot think any better of their religion for it . let us say what we will in commendation of holy scripture , they will be sure to find something to say against it ; lest , i suppose , it should be thought , we can at any time speak truth . and when we charge them for speaking dishonourably of the scripture , they so interpret their words , as they seem to say the same that we did , and which they blamed us for . what can be their meaning in this , but either to make the world believe that we are in an error ; tho , when they come to apologize for themselves , they are forced to confess it a truth ; or that their religion necessarily requires it of them in its vindication , to vilify the scripture ; tho by saying such things of it , as they acknowledge cannot be true , unless interpreted so , as to speak our sense ? they must therefore in this , deal either very disingenuously with us , or very injuriously with the holy scripture . for my part , i cannot believe , that men professing the christian faith , and owning the scripture to be the word of god , could ever be persuaded to speak so , as but seemingly to vilify or disparage it , if their doctrines could be any other way defended . their religion , i say , must need it , or they too little consult the honour of their religion , in needlesly uttering such speeches , as stand in need of a very great measure of charity , to think them less than blasphemy . fourthly , if any protestant dares venture thus far , towards the church of rome ; the next thing he has to do , is to resolve , not to believe one word that god speaks , without that church's leave . i am confident , that there are not many of our lay-papists , that think themselves to be under this obligation ; and that if they were sensible of it , they would make haste to break loose from it . but for my own part , i see not how i can enter into their communion , but i must draw it upon my self . and this i think , would be to advance the roman church to as great a height in my esteem , as they in her , who are most zealous for her infallibility , can desire . what more would they have , than that god himself , where they confess he speaks , should stand to their church's courtesy , whether or no he should be believed ? i know it will be said , they never disallow'd any man to believe god. but because all men cannot understand god speaking in the scripture , the church is appointed by him to be his interpreter . this i hear , and to me it sounds not well , that god should speak to men things necessary for all to know , and which he commands all to learn and believe upon pain of eternal damnation ; and yet not speak so intelligibly , as they may understand him. certainly , he that made the tongue , and gave man understanding , can speak ( if he please ) as intelligibly as the church , which cannot speak or understand at all , without his help and teaching . and considering his infinite goodness and impartiality ; till he shall tell me so himself , i know not how to believe that he hath so much more respect to the honour of the roman church , than to the salvation of mankind , that he would so deliver things belonging to salvation , that no man can be able to understand , and be the better for them , but he that resorts to that church as god's sole interpreter . and if indeed she be so , it must follow , that we cannot believe one word that god speaks without her leave . for , therefore is she made god's interpreter , because otherwise we cannot understand his word ; and i am sure , what we cannot understand , we cannot believe . 't is the sense , they say , and not the letter , is god's word ; and this sense is in the church's breast , and of her alone we must learn it ; and therefore , till she give us leave , we cannot believe it , no not so much as , that jesus is the christ ; altho , till we believe this , we cannot believe that he hath a church , and therefore cannot believe she is his interpreter . i will not now inquire into the reasons , why this church , which is god's sole interpreter , takes so excellent a course to make her children understand god's word . why first , she keeps it in the latin tongue only , whereof the far greater number of them understand not one syllable . why secondly , she doth not give them some infallible translation , interpretation , or comment of the scripture ; a thing very easie for an infallible interpreter to do ; and therefore , in my opinion , must argue a great defect in her charity , and much unfaithfulness in the discharge of her trust , if she do it not . i am loath to ask such questions as these , because i find it goes so much against the hair to answer them . indeed i think she doth not the latter for a very good reason , because she cannot ; and 't is only her vain pretence to such a power , that makes her inexcusable if she do it not . and the former she is concern'd to do , that they , who have the word of god only in a language which they cannot understand , may be constrain'd of necessity to depend upon her instruction , and never to question her authority , nor discern her errors . whilst they have nothing of the word of god , but from her mouth , they can have no more of it , than what she gives them leave to have ; and therefore , can neither believe a word of what god speaks , nor indeed that he hath spoken any thing but by her leave . god speaks very plainly , and intelligibly enough in the second commandment , forbidding the adoration of images , as plainly , as he forbids to commit adultery , or to steal . and christ spake very plainly , and as intelligibly , saying , thou shalt worship the lord thy god , and him only shalt thou serve , matt. 4. 10. and again , when he said of the eucharistical cup , drink ye all of it , matt. 26. 27. as when he said , thou shalt love the lord thy god with all thy heart , and thy neighbour as thy self . st. paul very plainly ordereth , that the publick worship of god be perform'd in a known tongue , and sheweth the great absurdity of using an unknown tongue in god's worship , 1 cor. 14. and he speaks intelligibly enough , when he saith , let a man examine himself , and so let him eat of that bread , and drink of that cup , 1 cor. 11. 28. to say no more , we think it plainly enough said , of them that die in the lord , that they rest from their labours , rev. 14. 13. in all these things we hear god speak , and would fain believe him . but here the church of rome comes in with her authority , and tells us , that , tho god have said , he only is to be worshipped , we must believe , that not he only , but also the cross , images , saints and angels , are to have a share in our religious worship . and say christ and his apostles what they please to the contrary , we must believe , that not all , but the sacrificing priest ought to drink of the cup ; that god's publick worship is well perform'd in an unknown tongue ; that we neither eat bread , nor drink wine in the eucharist ; that all who died in the lord , do not rest from their labours ; but that the most of them go into most dreadful torments . at this rate , for ought i can see , must i believe the word of god , when i have once submitted to the authority of the church of rome . fifthly , it seems very hard for me to conceive how i should be bound under penalty of eternal damnation , to espouse a religion , and submit to an authority , for which no convincing reason can be given me by them that invite me to it . what is it in any religion , which can commend it before others to a man's choice , but its truth and goodness ? and how should the truth and goodness of any religion commend it to my choice , till they be discover'd unto me , and i be rationally convinced that it hath them ? whatever truth and goodnoss there may really be in the religion called popery , i am sure they can be no motives to me to embrace it , till they be clearly laid open to my understanding and iudgment , that i may plainly discern them ; and therefore , if any papist will take an effectual course to convert me to it , he must by rational means convince me first , that his is the true church , and her doctrines sound and good . how he can do this upon his own principles , i see not yet ; but rather think it a very gross absurdity in him to attempt it . he tells me often , that no private person , such as i am , ought to judg for himself in points of faith , or therein to follow his own private iudgment , tho to him grounded both on reason and scripture . he must not therefore in disputing with me , ( according to his own doctrine ) bring either reason or scripture to convince me , for i must not trust my own private iudgment , ( and i know no other that i have ) tho ( as it seems to me ) grounded both on reason and scripture . i must not judg for my self by either of them , whether what he commends to me by them , be true or no , and then i cannot imagine to what end he useth them in any dispute with me . he must resolve therefore , ( for ought i can see ) whenever he would convert me , to judg for me too , as well as dispute with me ; and then , if i cannot make a right choice for my self , he may do it for me ; tho after all , whether his private iudgment be any more to be trusted in such a case , than my own , i may possibly doubt . either it is a matter of faith , that the church of rome is the only true church , and that she hath this authority of determining for all christians , which is the saving faith of christ , or it is not . if it be not , i may be safe enough , tho i believe it not ; and 't is ill done of papists to terrify me with these big words , which are as false as terrible , that i cannot be saved without believing this . if it be a matter of faith , then must i either be allow'd to judg for my self by my own private judgment in a matter of faith , or all the papists endeavours to persuade me to believe it , are altogether vain , unless it be reasonable for me to believe a thing against my reason and iudgment . when he useth arguments , i should think he meant thereby to convince me in my private iudgment ; but it seems , 't is only to drive me out of it ; and that , if i may use it at all , it is only to this end , that i may conclude i have no use of it . all the arguments in the world cannot convince me , till i judg of them ; and therefore no papist can offer me a reason why i should embrace popery , but he must contradict himself , and give me as strong a reason , why i should not embrace it , because its principles are false . it will be all one , as if he should say , i ought to be convinced by reason , and yet i neither ought nor can be convinced by it . in urging his reasons upon me , he intends they should convince me ; in denying me the liberty of judging for my self by reason , he denies that any reasons can convince me ; because 't is plain , they cannot convince me before i have judged of them , and this i must do by my private iudgment , or by nothing , for i have no other . but here i am told , we are allow'd to make use of our reason to find out the true church , which may infallibly guide us into all saving truth . all that is required of us , is this , that when we have once found this true church , we presume no longer to judg for our selves , but captivate our reason to the infallible iudgment of the church . this is something , and yet it seems but extorted from them , to make a little more plausible , what to me seems one of the greatest pieces of folly in the world ; i mean , the attempt of convincing men by reason , who must not be allow'd to judg of the reasons whereby they must be convinced . i find reason , by a traditionary papist , compared to a dim-sighted man , who used his reason to find a trusty friend to lead him in the twilight , and then reli'd on his guidance rationally , without using his own reason at all about the way it self . thus are we allow'd reason to find out the church of rome , our sure friend to guide us , and on whose guidance we must rationally rely , after we have captivated our reason to her , and for her sake have resolved to use it no more . but now , if this reason , which is to direct us to our guide , be such a dimsighted thing , and as we heard before , hoodwink'd too , so that whilst we follow it , we can have no more hope , than only that we may possibly stumble into the catholick church ; who will secure us , that we shall not in this twilight mistake a treacherous enemy for a trusty friend ; and then , what shall we gain by our rational reliance on him ? a dimsighted man in the twilight , may easily mistake one thing for another , else should he not much need a trusty guide ; and why he may not mistake his guide , as well as his way , i do not yet know . but that i may be satisfied , how much i gain by this liberal concession , to use my reason and private iudgment in inquiring after the true church ; i will a little consider , how the papist is wont to talk with me , when he would persuade me to take his church for my only sure guide . first , he tells me , there is but one true faith ; and then , that this faith must be held entirely ; next , that this entire faith is nowhere to be found , but in the true church . after this he begins again , and tells me , christ hath a church upon earth ; that there is but one true church ; that out of it there is no salvation ; and lastly , that the roman church , and no other , is that one true church out of which there is no salvation . and till we have found that it is so , he will give us leave to judg for our selves . and i would thank him for this kindness , if he would allow me to enjoy the benefit of it , and to make any use of it ; otherwise it will look but like a mockery . i desire therefore some clear convincing evidence , that the roman church is the only true church . he cannot to this purpose , produce the consent of all christians , for two parts in three deny it . therefore he gives me a great many marks or signs , sometimes more , sometimes fewer , whereby the only true church must be known from others , and spends a great many words in shewing me how they agree to the roman church , and no other . that wherein i would next have same satisfaction , is , supposing that all his marks agree to the roman church , and no other ; how i may know , that these are indeed the certain and incommunicable marks and proprieties of the only true church ? to prove this , he betakes himself to the holy scripture , and brings me thence some texts , whereby he says , they are clearly proved to be so . i now , with a very hearty and sincere desire to learn the truth , and with all diligent use of such helps , as i can come by , read and consider all these texts , and cannot discern in them any evidenee at all of the thing which they are brought to prove ; and therefore think it reasonable yet to call for some clearer proof . but now , when 't is come to this , i presently find , that his liberal concession to make use of my reason and private iudgment to find out the true church , amounts to no more than i at first suspected , that is just nothing : for here he retires to his principle of porery , that i being a private person , ought not to judg for my self , what is the sense of those texts of scripture , but must submit my reason and iudgment , to the iudgment of the church ( yea , even before i have found the church ) and without any dispute , receive the sense of scripture from her alone thus he recals at once all that he had allow'd ; and undoes again , whatsoever he had been adoing , to persuade me to his communion . he was giving me reasons , which might convince me in my iudgment ; and these at length resolve all into the authority of the scripture ; and yet , of this testimony of the scripture i must not iudg ; and therefore by it i cannot be convinced of any thing , but this , that the church of rome is resolved to be mistress of all christians ; and thinks it enough to convince us that she is so , if whilst she sets some of her sons to hold us up in empty talk of scripture and reason to no purpose , she step out from behind the curtain , saying , believe it , i am she . now i cannot possibly see , whatever others may do , ( for i keep yet to my protestant principles of judging for no man but my self ) how i can embrace popery upon any conviction from papists ; and i fear i must either take it without any reason for it , or not at all . if i cannot know the roman church to be the only true church , but by the testimony of the scripture ; and if i cannot understand the testimony of the scripture , till i receive the true sense of it from the roman church ; and if i cannot take that for the true sense of it , upon her declaration of it so to be , unless moved by her authority , i must be persuaded to do the most unreasonable thing in the world , to my thinking ; to believe a church to be the only true church , for her own authority , which i yet know no more , than i do her to be the true church ; which , it is all along supposed , i do not know at all ; this i think not only unreasonable , but impossible . i must needs confess my self very hard to be persuaded of the tender goodness of that mother , who , lest her children should get hurt by the dimness of their sight , will needs pull out their eyes , and keep them in her pocket , till she has taught them to use them better . i am very loath to part with my reason , how dimsighted soever , because i know not how to serve god without it . yet if i should dare to venture thus far , may i now have leave to take my rest here ? if my dimsighted reason help me to stumble into my mother's lap , may i yet think my self safe there ? not till i have learn'd her charity too as well as her faith , which the representer tells us , she learn'd of christ and his apostles . therefore , lastly , i must believe , that all other christians but papists , are in a state of damnation . the decree of p. boniface the viiith , as now it stands in the common extravagants , is well known to be this , we declare , say , define , and pronounce , that it is altogether of necessity to salvation , that every creature be subject to the pope of rome . p. pius the ii. in his bull of retractation , ( tho he was not altogether of the same mind ( as it seems ) before , whilst he was aeneas sylvius ) saith , he cannot be saved that doth not hold the unity of the roman church . if so lusly a decree , and so preremptory a declaration of two popes be too little , there is abundance more to this purpose to be met with , by him that has a mind to search for it : i only take notice at this time , that p. leo the x th , in his lateran council , and his bull therein read and pass'd , saith , we do renew and approve that same constitution ( viz. of p. boniface , but now mentioned ) , the present sacred council also approving it . and lastly , p. pius the iv th , in his bull , wherein he confirms the council of trent , imposeth an oath upon ecclesiastical persons , wherein they swear , that the holy catholick and apostolick roman church , is the mother and mistress of all churches ; and that this is the true catholick faith , without which no man can be saved . here 's enough in all conscience for us protestants to hear , and too much a great deal ( as i think ) for any man to believe . i think my self bound in charity , to have the best opinion i can of all men ; and therefore i dare not think , that all they who are called roman catholicks , have throughly learn'd this doctrine . there seems to me to be so much of ill-nature in it , that i should think my self the worst natur'd man in the world , if i could believe that any considerable numbers of them , besides the priests , are guilty of it . many piously disposed souls , are not so happy , as to have always the clearest understandings , or the sincerest teachers , but have better hearts than either heads or guides . their zeal is too great for both their opportunities of learning , and patience to consider ; their earnestness of salvation , a thing very laudable in them , puts them into too much haste to deliberate long , and gives an advantage to some , who watch for it , to abuse them . either a cunning jesuit , or a canting fanatick , will hope to make an easy prey of such persons ; for it matters not greatly of which sort the tempter be , whilst the temptation is the same : the fish minds not the fisher , but the bait : every argument from either , is edged with a mighty zeal and importunity , and sharpned with the sinest and most penetrating expressions of a most tender compassion for perishing souls . salvation is as confidently promised , as earnestly desired ; and whether it be to be had in the romanists infallible church , or in the separatists purg'd and unmix'd congregation , all 's a case , when once the man is made to think it cannot be had in the church of england . if they who are so easily proselyted either way , would take time to look before they leap , and could but see into the consequents of those very arguments which most prevail with them , and are made the traps to catch them in , they would stand off a little , and ask a few questions more , for their better satisfaction ; before they could endure to think of entring into a communion , which would oblige them , as ever they hope to be saved themselves , to believe that christ hath no faithful followers upon earth , but a few subjects of the pope of rome . i can easily perceive , by divers books written by them who call themselves converts , that the main motive of their going over to the roman church , was this , that they could not hope to be saved in any other : and i find that most arguments of late used , to persuade us to that religion , look the very same way ; and it is this doctrine alone , that hath put me upon this enquiry for my own satisfaction : for i must needs confess , that this doctrine , which some acount so powerful a persuasive to popery , has always with me had the quite contrary effect to what i find it hath in them ; and has been , and is at this present to me , as strong a dissuasive from it . if i can never be a papist , till i can believe it , i am very confident , i shall never be one . i would leave the church of england the next minute , should she require of me to believe , that all out of her communion were in a state of damnation ; and truly i think that most protestants are of my mind . when therefore i found the representer in good earnest to vindicate his church in this one point , i presently concluded , that he had writ his whole book to no purpose ; for let him spend all his oyl and colours in painting popery to the best advantage , so long as this one spot appears in her face , she may possibly seem in her new dress less terrible , but not one jot more lovely . having told us , that no one can arrive to the true knowledg of the catholick faith , but by receiving it as proposed and believed by the church of christ ; and that the roman catholick is the only true church ; that whosoever denies any article of her faith , denies so much of christ's doctrine ; that whosoever hears her , hears christ ; and whosoever obstinately and wilfully is separated from her , is in the same distance separated from christ himself ; and finally , that god addeth to this church daily , such as shall be saved : he hath told us enough to persuade us , that no protestant in the world could have done that church a greater diskindness , than he hath done ; nor by any misrepresentation of her , have worse represented her . when the papists are pleas'd to ask us that unanswerable question , as they account it , where was your religion before luther ? they wish us withal , to take into our serious consideration , the state of our forefathers , who lived and died in the religion of the church of rome ; asking us , if we dare think , that they were all damn'd : we need not trouble our heads with shaping an answer to so frivolous a question , because we durst never yet be so hardy as to affirm , that all are damn'd , who live and die in the communion of the church of rome ; but do openly declare to the world , that tho we think our own religion the safest , yet many of that communion have been heretofore , and many also are at this day , under such circumstances , as encourage us to hope very well of them as to their future state . however if it so well deserve our consideration , what 's become of our forefathers ? doth it not as well deserve the consideration of the romanists , what is become of many of theirs ? yea , what will become of the greatest part of the christian world , who live and die out of their communion ? and if they would have us think the worse of the reformation , left by thinking well of it , we should be wanting in charity to our fathers , which yet we are by it no way obliged to be ; should it not move them to think the worse of their religion , that it constrains them to think so uncharitably , not only of their fathers , but of all the world but themselves only ? how many most eminent and worthy persons , how many great and famous churches , must i be obliged , by embracing the roman faith , to believe excluded from salvation ? upon these terms , i cannot see how 't is possible for me to be reconciled to the church of rome , without professing my self an irreconcileable enemy to all the christian world besides . i must turn hector , and call all other christians , damn'd hereticks . i must needs say , this appears not to me , like that meek and lamb like spirit of the blessed jesus , which is given by him to his dove-like spouse , that thus rants it in his pretended vicars , and their adherents . it seems not to be much a kin to that christian charity , which hopeth and believeth all things , and thinketh no evil , 1 cor. 13. 7. i must make nothing of condemning all protestants and protestant churches , of what other denomination soever ; and these alone are no inconsiderable part of christians : these hereticks ( saith bellarmin ) possess many and ample provinces , england , scotland , ( and why not ireland ? ) denmark , sweedland , norway ; no small part of germany , poland , bohemia , and hungary ; he might have said also , of france , and helvetia . it was anciently the custom , ( saith tolet ) that the pope did three days every year , tho now but once a year , viz. upon the holy thursday ( he means the thursday immediately before easter , call'd coena domini ) with great solemnity , before all the people , thunder out his sentence of excommunication against all hereticks , of what name or sect soever ; but against the queen of england ( which was then q. elizabeth ) by name ; with all their believers , receivers , favourers , and defenders ; against all that read their books publickly or privately , with what intention soever , or under whatever pretence , tho there be no error in them , or with a design to consute the error , if there be any without his holiness's license ; against the keepers , printers , and defenders , in any manner , of the same ; against all schismaticks , and such as pertinaciously withdraw themselves , and depart from their obedience to the pope ; against any one that shall so much as say , that calvin was a good man ; against all that appeal from the orders , decrees , or mandates of the pope , to a future council . and 't is very well known , that they are not all protestants who have done so . neither will this suffice , i must also condemn the whole greek church , which how ancient , and of how large extent it is , is very well known : and some reason there seems to be for it ; for ( saith bellarmin ) the greeks in the year 451 , in the council of chalcedon , consisting of 600 bishops , endeavoured to make the patriarch of constantinople equal to the bishop of rome . and again , in the year 1054 , they pronounc'd the bishop of rome to have fallen from his degree of dignity , and the bishop of constantinople to be the first bishop . and tho he pretends that these greeks were once reconciled to rome in the council of florence , yet he adds , that they always returned to their vomit . no wonder therefore , if this greek church cannot escape damnation : and yet this poor reprobated church yields not to that of rome in any of her own principal marks of a true church . i read that the christians of her communion , in natolia , circassia , mengrellia , russia , greece , macedonia , epirus , thracia , bulgaria , &c. do very near , if not quite , equal the number of those who are of the roman communion . and yet will not this be enough , unless we include in this sentence of condemnation , all the assyrian christians living amongst the mahometans in babylon , assyria , mesopotamia , parthia and media , with the iacobites , armenians , egyptians , aethiopians , and the vast empire of the habassines : all these i must look upon as cut off from christ , merely for their disowning the pope's authority , tho they should be found orthodox in all other points . and truly i know not how to get up to that height of boldness , not to be afraid of condemning so many christians , most of which have given , and do yet give to the world the most notable testimony of fidelity to christ , that can be expected , in their constant sufferings for the sake of his holy name and gospel . after this consideration of whole churches , it seems needless for me to come down to that of single persons , tho confessedly of greatest note and eminence in the church of christ , both for learning and piety . how st. polycarp bishop of smtrna , and a famous martyr , who would not obey p. anicetus , but still keep his easter contrary to the custom of the roman church , and therein seem'd either as ignorant of his duty , or as stubborn as any protestant : or how his successor in that see , polycrates , who desended himself and his church so arrogantly against the authority of the romam church , more than sufficiently declared by p. victor , still pleading the example of polycarp , and authority of st. iohn , as tho he had never heard st. peter was made prince of the apostles , or that the bishops of rome were his successors in that authority over all churches . how irenaeus and all his fellow-bishops of the gallican church , who so presumptuously took upon them to expostulate the matter with the same victor , and in very homely terms to chide him for excommunicating those asian christians for not changing their ancient customs at his command . how st. cyprian the holy bishop of carthage , and martyr , with his bishops of africa , numidia and mauritania , joining with him in so contumaciously resisting p. stephen : the sixty bishops in the milevitan council ; or those two hundred and seventeen , whereof the famous st. austin was one , who not only stubbornly rejected the claim , but also manifestly demonstrated the fraudulence and forgery of three popes , zosimus , boniface and caelestine , about appeals to rome . how all these shall be exempted from this censure , i know not . did not the later of these african councils decree , that the bishop of the first see ( meaning rome ) should not be call'd the prince of priests , or chief priest , or any such thing , but only the bishop of the first see ? did it not excommunicate every priest that should appeal to rome ? it seems to me , that st. athanasius could have no great opinion of the infallibility of p. liberius , when , through fear , himself h●● forgot he had any such thing , and consented with the arrians to the condemnation of that holy father . st. hierom seems not to have had any thoughts of the popes's supremacy , when he said , that whereever there is a bishop , whether at great rome , or petty eugubium , he is of the same merit and priesthood . neither did either he or st. austin seem to have had a just esteem for the church of rome's authority , when they preferred that of the eastern church before it , in receiving the epistle to the hebrews into the canon of scripture . above all , what must i think of their great saint . p. gregory the first , who called the title of universal bishop , a new title , which none of his predecessors ever used , a name of vanity , a profane name , wicked , and not to be uttered , yea a blasphemous ; saying , that whosoever desired it , shew'd himself to be the forerunner of antichrist ? if i must believe this great pope and saint , i know well enough what to think of most of his successors in the infallible chair ; if i must not believe him , why must i believe those who succeeded him ? had not he and they one and the same authority as popes of rome ? believe both i cannot ; and disbelieving either , as all papists , no less than i , must disbelieve the one , i am no better than a heretick , and uncapable of salvation . farther yet , i find that the african council , but now mention'd , did alledg for it self the sixth canon of the first general council held at nice , which is this , let the old custom be kept through aegypt , lybia and pentapolis , so that the bishop of alexandria have power over all these , because the bishop of rome hath also the like custom . by this canon these two bishops seem to be made equal in power . in the fourth general council held at calcedon , and ninth canon , it is ordered , that if any bishop or clerk have a controversie with the metropolitan of that province , they have recourse to the primate of the diocese , or certainly to the see of the royal city of constantinople , that the business may be ended there . this council seems hereby to make the bishop of constantinople equal to the bishop of rome ; and this it did , notwithstanding great opposition made against it by p. leo the first . so that i must involve in the same censure of condemnation some of the most famous general councils that ever were . this i am apt to think a very daring matter , and not rashly to be attempted . i have indeed been taught by our blessed jesus , that god will not forgive us , if we do not forgive our brethren ; but i do not remember , where he hath taught me , that god will not save us , except we believe that no man but a papist can be saved . ii. i have now consider'd s●●●e of the many difficulties i am to struggle with , before i can get through to the church of rome . and truly they seem to me , whatever men of more strength and courage may think , little less than insuperable . and yet after all this , if i may be convinced that the authority of the roman church hath sufficient grounds of scripture and reason to support it , i must confess no difficulty in my way ought to dishearten me from breaking through it . but then again , if i must believe that there is such an uncontrollable power in the church , in some one church , in the roman church by name , yea , in the bishop of that church ; and if i must so believe this , that i must not leave in my soul any room at all for the least charitable thought of any man's salvation , who believes it not : i think it no less than needful , that i have the clearest and most undeniable evidence in the world for what i believe , lest the sentence of condemnation should recoil upon my self for my temerity and uncharitableness . indeed if this church may be allow'd to bear witness to its own authority , and such a testimony be sufficient , i cannot want it . the council of trent hath more than once call'd her , the mother and mistriss of all churches . so infallible in her iudgment and directions , so absolute in her dominion and command she must be , that her sole authority must be warrant enough , and nothing else any warrant without it , for all things that belong to christian religion . whosoever ( saith becanus in his compendium ) in matters of faith and religion followeth the true church of christ ( which he there proveth to be the roman church only ) cannot err about faith and religion , seeing the true church of christ is infallible . and this we are told continually , as this iesuit doth say , that this is the shortest compendium of all controversies . this then being to support the whole fabrick of popery , had need to stand on firm ground . this ground i would now fain discover . why then must we believe that the roman church hath this sovereign authority in religion ? i must confess my self one of those sturdy hereticks , that cannot believe without reason . when i hear that church telling me , she is infallible , and hath all power over all other churches ; i cannot believe it till i have some better reason for it than this , that she must be all that , which she is pleased to say of her self ; and therefore must be infallible and omnipotent too , if she say it . and i am a little troubled to say , that this is all i can get out of her for my satisfaction , lest even protestants should think i say incredible things of her , and that i have no other design , but to make all the learned men of her communion seem ridiculous , in talking to us as to children , always childishly . but it is not in my power , to make their arguments better than they are ; nor civil in me to teach them what to say ; and i am sure my temporal interest cannot at this time tempt me to oversee the strength of their reasons . the very best reasons i have yet met with , with how much artifice and sophistry soever they are dress'd up , amount to no more , nor better , in my opinion , than her own honest word , that is , her own authority and infallibility for proof of her authority and infallibility ; and therefore i must either believe them both , before i can believe them , even whilst i am enquiring for a reason why i should believe them , or i must not believe them at all , nor with her consent be saved . the missionaries tell us , they are willing to undergo any pains or difficulty to rescue us from damning error ; and whilst they proceed in this method , i have cause to believe them ; for i am confident , to prove their church hath this authority they contend for , is as great a difficulty as they can meet with . if they should here offer us ( what is so much talk'd of by them ) the testimony of the universal church , there is nothing more plain , than that they do but mock us . for this can be nothing else but the church of rome's testimony for her own authority . it cannot , i say , be any thing else , because the thing they are proving is , that she alone is the one , holy , catholick and apostolick church : and were it any thing else , they would never discover it to us , because they would thereby give us an unanswerable argument against what they would prove her to be ; for if they will shew us any other church or churches by the testimony whereof her authority may be proved , we are thereby enabled to prove she is not the only true church out of which there is no salvation . what then can this testimony be ? is it that of the first and purest ages of the church before popery was brought forth ? not so to be sure , for popery was ( they say ) from the beginning , and glorieth of her antiquity above all things . is it the testimony of all others in the world that profess christianity ? it cannot be , for all these , if not of her communion , are hereticks , and in a state of damnation for denying her authority ; and were it possible for them to witness that to be which they deny to be , yet is their testimony invalid , because they confess themselves fallible , and this point of faith cannot stand upon a fallible testimony . by this 't is very clear to me , that the testimony of the catholick church of christ , if it be produced for the authority of the church of rome , can be nothing else but the church of rome's own word ; and i never doubted , but she hath a good word for her self , any more than i doubt lest it should be thought a good proof of her authority . i have heard again much talk of universal tradition among romam catholicks ; but if they alledg this for their church's authority , they give us only the same thing again in other words . universal tradition can be nothing else but the testimony of the universal church , and that must be the church of rome ; and so we are not advanced one step farther than we were before . the credit we are to give unto universal tradition , depends on the authority of the roman church , which we have not yet sound , but are enquiring after . if fathers and councils be brought in to witness this authority , all the noise they make will prove but the voice of the roman church , crying her self up for the great diana of the world , and thundring anathema to all that will not fall down and worship her . will she abide by the testimony of either father or council , if they speak not what she has taught them , or against what she holds ? or shall they be allow'd to over rule the oral and practical tradition of the present church of rome ? are councils of any credit more than the pope's confirmation gives them ? and are single fathers of more credit than they ? if not , we have yet no more but her own word for her own authority . if they bring us scripture to prove this authority , i must say , that as we reverence fathers and councils , so we adore ( with tertullian ) the fulness of the scripture , neither can we desire any better proof , than its testimony . yet when i consider how these men use the scripture ; i am at a stand to think , how they can in good earnest produce it as a witness in this matter ; for after they have said almost all the ill they can of it , calling it imperfect , insufficient , obscure , unsens'd ; they seem to ridicule both it and us , when they bring it forth , thus disabled , for a witness . do not they tell us again and again , that both the canon and the sense of scripture , depend , as to us , on the authority and interpretation of their church ? and can its testimony then possibly amount to any more than that church's bare word ? do not they deny us a iudgment of discretion , whereby we should discern for ourselves , whether it speak fór or against their church's authority ? and will they yet produce it to convince us of the authority by which alone we are both to receive and understand it ? it cannot be produced to convince us in our iudgment , for we are not allow'd any use of our iudgment in the case . it must be only to convince themselves that we are hereticks ; and i dare say , that may be done without the scripture , as well as with it , whilst their church must give the sense of it . but because they know we magnify it , they will produce it , tho i cannot see to what other end , than to persuade us to take heed of trusting too much to it , or thinking it worth any thing , after it hath shew'd us the true church . it must be believ'd no longer than it is authorized to speak by that authority , which is to be proved by it ; so that by shewing us that authority , it loseth all its own authority for ever . for this ( saith stapleton ) that god hath commanded us to believe the church , we do not hang our faith on the authority of the church , as upon the proper and sole cause of this belief , but partly on manifest scriptures , by which we are remitted to the teaching of the church ; partly on the creed , &c. this then is the end of producing the scripture , that we may be convinced by it , that we are no longer to learn of it , after we are once brought by it to the knowledg of the church's authority , but thenceforward are to depend wholly upon the teaching of the church , unto which it remits us . all the use then that we have of the scripture , is to be guided by it to the church of rome ( tho it cannot do so much for us neither , but as that church guides it ) ; and having thank'd it for its kindness , we are then to bid it good night . now seeing manifest scriptures are promised us , to guide us to the roman church , i think it reasonable to expect , that they produce such scriptures as are more manifest to us , than their church's authority , which is to be proved by them ; seeing it is by their evidence i am to be convinced of that , which as yet is unevident to me . neither ought the sense of these manifest scriptures depend upon the interpretation or authority of that church , the authority whereof they are brought to prove , as a thing to me not yet evident ; for so , i shall be still but where i was before ; and instead of manifest scriptures , be shuffled off with the church's bare word ; i mean , with such interpretations of scripture , as i have no reason to receive , but by that authority whereof i am yet , at least , in doubt . now , that there are indeed no such manifest scriptures , i am reasonably well assured before-hand . i have read the scripture over and over , and find not the least mention therein made of this authority of the roman church . the pope of rome , or his supremacy , is never once named from the beginning of the bible to the end ; nor can i meet with one syllable touching either the infallibility or iurisdiction of him , or his councils , or of any kind of subjection due to either , from all christians . i cannot so much as find there , that ever there was any bishop of rome , or that there should be any there afterwards , much less that all christians are to own that bishop for their head , and christ's vicar . and finding nothing of all this , i must needs wonder , how manifest scriptures should be produced , to prove this supreme authority over all churches . and yet , if there be such an authority , and if it be so necessary for all christians to believe it , and submit unto it ; i cannot but think that it ought to have been as manifestly declared in scripture , as any other point whatsoever . st. peter , in whom this authority is said to have been first setled , saith not a word of it in his epistles . st. paul in his epistle to the romans ; who should in all reason have been best acquainted with it , says nothing at all of it . to the civil magistrate , which the church of rome makes to be much inferior to the church in authority , they both teach us our duty ; and strange it is , if they knew of any such thing , that they should not as plainly instruct us in our duty to the pope or church of rome wherein our salvation , the main thing they were to take care for , is so deeply concern'd . but what are these manifest scriptures at length ? i find our blessed saviour saying to st. peter ( matt. 16. 18. ) thou art peter , and upon this rock i will build my church , and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it . and i will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven , &c. but i find not that all this , whatever it may signify , was manifestly said to the bishops of rome . the plain and obvious sense ( saith bellarmin ) of these words is , that we may understand the primary of the whole church to be promised to saint peter , under two metaphors . and yet , by all the light that he is able to afford me , i cannot discern in these words , whatever was promised to st. peter , the supremacy , much less the monarchy of the bishop of rome over all churches . and it is no wonder if a protestant heretick be so blind , when such eminent persons as origen , st. austin , st. hilary , ambrose , chrysostome and cyril , could no more see it than i , as the learned cardinal himself there confesseth . nay , here 's not a word to assure us , that this rock must needs be a monarch invested with a supremacy of power over the whole church , or that this monarch must needs be the bishop of rome , or that the gates of hell shall never prevail against the roman church ; for all this , we must be beholden to that church's own word , or we shall never find it in this place . i find again , that christ commanded st. peter ( joh. 21. 16. ) to feed his sheep , and his lambs ; as indeed it is the duty of all pastors of the church to do ; and both st. peter ( 1 pet 5. 2. ) and st. paul ( acts 20. 28. ) tell us as much ; and so much the apter am i to doubt , whether the pope be so much as a good pastor of christ's sheep or no , seeing he takes so little care to feed , and so much to fleece them . i am sure i read of no more but one chief shepherd , and bishop of souls , which st. peter tells us , is christ jesus himself , 1 pet. 2. 25. the apostles were all shepherds under him ; but where is this manifest scripture to shew that st. peter was made head-shepherd , with commission to feed and rule too , not only the sheep , but the shepherds also ? but especially , where is the commission given to the bishops of rome successively for ever , to govern the whole flock of christ , with soveraign authority ? feed the whole , i am sure he neither doth , nor can . many great and wonderful things ( as bellarmin tells us ) are said of st. peter in the holy scripture , and very deservedly , for he was a very great and eminent apostle . but the scripture never saith , that he was a great monarch , nor that he was bishop of rome , nor that he had a throne , or but a chair there ; and least of all , that this imaginary monarchy was to descend unto the next bishop of rome , and to his successors for ever ; and that st. iohn , who long out-lived st. peter , became thereby subject to some of those bishops , which did not well suit with the dignity of an apostle . i read those words of st. paul , 1 cor. 12. 21. the head cannot say to the feet , i have no need of you . but that the pope is the head , and all christians , kings , as well as others , the feet ; i may possibly read in some such iesuit as bellarmin , but i am sure i shall never read it in the scripture . many more such parcels of scripture as these , they give us ; but after the most serious perusal of them all , i profess i cannot find any thing like manifest scripture for the authority of the roman church . and therefore it seems yet as plain to me , as that two and three make five , that the bare word of that church , without any kind of solid proof , is all that she hath to shew for her authority . she says great things of her self , and talks sometimes of scripture , but much more of fathers and councils , and universal tradition , and indeed every thing that 's venerable ; but when all is spell'd and put together , 't is but the oral and practical tradition of the present church , that is , her own very confident asseveration . if we have a little scripture for fashion's sake , we must take it as she hath taught it to speak in her own vulgar latin , which the council of trent was even then pleas'd to make the only authentick translation , when it was confessedly very faulty , and hath been since that divers times corrected . and then we must take it in her own sense too , tho we know not well where we may be sure to find it . her private doctors she will not allow us to trust for it , nor indeed do we find them any better agreed about it , than others are , only they have for the most part either the modesty or cunning to refer all to the iudgment of mother church , could they but tell us where to find it ; for she is loath , once for all , in some publick comment , or exposition of the scripture , to tell us what it is . if we may be allow'd to hear the testimony of the fathers , she must stand at their elbows , and prompt them what to say ; we must have them in her own approved editions ; and if they have been at school long enough in the vatican , or some religious house , 't is probable they were reasonably well instructed in her own language , before they were allow'd to go abroad again . however , ere they pass the press , an expurgatory index can teach them either to speak , or to be silent , as she thinks most seasonable . councils may be heard , but only such as have his holiness's stamp upon them ; and how we can understand them any better than the scripture , till he interprets for us , is hard to say . so that all returns to this still , that we have her honest word for her authority ; and this is the sole foundation , that i can discover of this prodigious faith , which we must all have , or else perish eternally . iii. and now , in the last place , seeing it is come to this , for ought i see , that i must rest upon her own word , or nothing , for the truth of her sovereign authority , and must upon peril of my own damnation , take upon me this invidious profession , to believe all men damn'd but papists , that i may enjoy the blessing of my mother ; i should be glad to know , that she her-self ( as infallible as she is ) could but probably assure me , where this word of her's may certainly be found . the representer indeed ( in his confident way ) hath told me , that all the members of his religion ( however spread through the world ) agree like one man in every article of their faith. and if we would know for our learning , by what happy means this wonderful agreement is effected , he tells us , it is by an equal submission to the determinations of their church ; that is , as i understand it , by taking her bare word for every thing . no one of them ( saith he ) tho the most learned and wise , ever following any other rule in their faith besides this , of unanimously believing as the church of god ( or roman church ) believes . and if this be so , i wonder to what purpose their learning and wisdom can serve them , any more than their iudgment and wit , which they have renounced and deposed . however , if this be true representing , i shall not , i hope , find it difficult to find out the church's word and authority , on which my faith must stand . every member of it , tho he have no more than the old collier's faith , can help me to it in any part of the world , for all agree like one man in every article , and therefore sure in this most fundamental one . but what now shall i think after this , if it should so fall out , that hardly one in a hundred of these members know either where this church of theirs is to be found , or what those determinations of hers are , unto which they so unanimously submit ? nay , what if their church it self cannot tell them this ? when she hath said all she can , to inform both them and us , suppose it be still two to one , that we shall be mistaken in it , whatever we take to be the roman church , or her infallible word ? this is it , that i am now , for a close , to inquire into . it must needs seem more than a little absurd , and exceeding hard , to tye a man under pain of damnation , to believe he knows not what , and what no body can certainly shew him ; i mean , a power in the church of rome , which all men deny , but they of her communion ; and about which , even they who are of her communion , are so divided among themselves , that i do not see how ever they can agree about it . is there no dispute in that church about this power ? have they not been even at daggers drawing among themselves about it ? is the controversie yet decided ? or can any one promise me that it ever shall ? there is a great diversity among the schoolmen ( saith our representer ) in their divinity-points , and opinions of such matters as are no articles of faith , and have no relation to it , but as some circumstance or manner , which being never defined by the church , may be maintain'd severally , either this way , or that way , without any breach of faith , or injury to their religion . i will not stay here to ask him , what greater diversity he can find amongst the members of our church , than he here grants to be amongst papists ; nor why our divisions being no greater than theirs , nor more nearly related to any article of faith , should be less consistent with the unity of the church ( as is commonly objected against us ) than theirs are : but i ask , whether the supreme authority of the roman church , be an article of the roman faith , or no ? and again , whether all the members of that church , be as one man unanimously agreed about it , or no ? he will say , it may be , about the article they are , as to the substance of it , tho not as to all circumstances : but now if it appear , that these circumstances of the power about which they differ , are such as the thing it self will be as good as nothing without them ; or if they be not as certainly known and believ'd , as the power it self , i think it will follow , that all their agreement about the thing , is as good as nothing too , till these circumstances be also agreed upon . thus it is then ; i must for my salvation believe that , there is such a thing as a supreme power over all churches , in the church of rome ; and in this all papists as one man unanimously agree ; but about the circumstances of this power , there is a great diversity of opinions among them ; yet is this no injury to their religion . tho without a better agreement about these circumstances , no man ( in my opinion ) can be able to satisfie me , what their religion is ; for these circumstances about which they differ , are no more but such inconsiderable things as these , whence this power is ; whether it be of god , or of men ; of divine or human right only ; whether it extends over all the world , or over all christians only ; to spiritual concerns only , or to temporals also ; where it resides and is lodg'd ; in the church-diffusive , or all christians , especially the pastors ; or in the church-representative , or general councils ; or in the church virtual , or the pope of rome . these petty circumstances they differ about , and the church it self knows not how to agree them ; but what 's all this to the article it self , most firmly believ'd by all , that is , a supreme power in the church ? all their religion rests on the determinations of their church ; all the force of these determinations to oblige the faith of men , depend on this supreme power ; may not a man , however , well enough be assured of his religion , tho no man can tell him , whence this power is , over what it is , or where it is ? indeed , what other men can do , i know not ; but for my own part , i must needs think it a very hard matter to believe this power , and to have any certainty of the religion founded on this power , without some better information about these circumstances of it ; and therefore before i can yield to be of that religion , i must beseech that church , which will not allow us to be saved , without an absolute submission and resignation of our selves to her authority , to tell us , if not whence ( which is yet the most material circumstance of all the rest ) yet , at least , what and where it is . there is challeng'd by this church , a power of over-ruling our faith by her infallible iudgment , and a power of commanding our obedience by her soveraignty . it will therefore concern me to ask , how i may be rightly inform'd in both these great branches of her power , unto which my subjection is required upon pain of damnation . 1. she claims a power of interpreting or giving the certain sense of scripture , of iudging and finally deciding all controversies of religion , of peremptorily defining and determining in all matters of faith and religious practice ; so that all are bound , without any further dispute or search , to submit to all her determinations and decrees . infallible then , we must believe this church to be , and that she cannot err in her definitions of faith and manners : and yet where this infallibility is to be found , is a question she is not to this day able to resolve : in short , i find that this infallible church , which tells us that she cannot err , when she is desired to make this apparent to the world , can tell us certainly , both how , and in what she can err ; and in this i doubt not , but she is infallible enough ; but who they are in all her communion , or in what things it is , that they cannot err , this she could never tell us certainly , and yet it is this alone that can make her infallibility , ( if she have it ) to be of any use to us . the representer saith , that the papist believes that the pastors and prelates of his church , are fallible ; that there is none of them ( and yet the pope is one of them , and councils are made up of them ) but may fall into errors , heresy and schism , and consequently are subject to mistakes . and further he tells us , that tho some allow the pope the assistance of a divine infallibility , without being in a general council ; yet he is satisfied 't is only their opinion , and not their faith , there being no obligation from the church , of assenting to any such doctrine . and tho he maintain the necessity and right of general councils lawfully assembled , yet is it not so plain , whether he count them infallible or no , by what he says in that chapter of councils . this we are told , that if any thing contrary to what christ taught , and his apostles , should be defined and commanded to be believed , even by ten thousand councils , he believes it damnable in any one to receive it . but in the following chapter , he speaks out , and says , that by the assistance of the holy ghost , they are specially protected from all error , in all definitions and declarations in matters of faith : and this is true , tho he grants it possible , that the pastors and prelates there assembled , may be proud , ignorant , covetous , enormous sinners , and infamous for other vices , and at other times may prevaricate , make innovations in faith , and teach erroneous doctrines . now a man would think , that if all the guides and pastors of the flock ( not one excepted ) may err , then the sheep , which are bound to follow their shepherds , may err also ; and if the fallible lead the fallible , 't is not impossible for both to err ; and who it is that is infallible , is hard to see . and again , seeing he tells us , that christ committed the care of his flock to st. peter , and that the pope or bishop of rome is in this charge , st. peter ' s successor , and that god assists those who have this charge , with a particular helping grace , such as has a special respect to the office and function , and that such as was given to the prophets , and to moses , when he was made a god to pharoah . i cannot see , but it must be as consequent to all this , that the pope should be infallible , as that a general council is so , especially when it is his approbation that gives force to its decrees . moreover , it is not easy to believe that god hath made a promise of infallible assistance to any number of pastors and prelates , who are no better qualified , than he supposes they may most of them be , with pride , ignorance , and vice , turbulence and covetousness , and assembled , it may be , under an heretical pope , ( for such , 't is granted he may be ) and as vicious too , and ignorant as any of them . however , there are two things which make it very hard to find out this infalliblility , where he sends us to seek it , in a general council : for first , they must be lawfully assembled ; and next , they must determine nothing contrary to what christ and his apostles taught , otherwise 't is damnable to receive their determinations . now it will be hard for me to find out how lawfully they were assembled , and therefore as hard to believe all their decrees as infallible ; and , i fear , i must not be allow'd to examine their definitions , whether they be according to the doctrine of christ and his apostles , or no , lest i thereby seem to follow my own private iudgment or spirit , rather than the infallible iudgment of the church representative . this is all then that i can learn from his discourse ; i must take it for a truth , that this infallibility is lodg'd in a general council , and that it can determine nothing contrary to the doctrine of christ and his apostles ; and then i need not inquire whether it have done so , or no ; tho if it have done so , 't is damnable for me to receive its determinations . but i will hear what others tell me . bellarmin saith , that all catholicks are thus far agreed , that the pope , as he is pope , in the midst of his councellors , or together with a general council , may err , or iudg amiss in matters of fact. and if this be true , he may even so err in the whole faith , as far as i can yet see ; for he may thus err in determining that there were such men as christ and his apostles ; that any of them preached , planted churches , writ books ; that these are their books , or that st. peter was at rome , and was bishop there ; left the bishops of that see his successors in all his power ; that there hath been an uninterrupted succession of bishops in that church ; that any unwritten traditions concerning faith and manners were left to the custody of the church ; and many more such things , which were matters of fact , and on which the faith of that church depends . again he saith , that the pope , as a private doctor , may err , even through ignorance , in matters both of faith and manners . and thus the church , whether virtual or representative , may err . but i would fain hear , wherein she cannot err , and whether all catholicks are agreed as well in that . the famous chancellor of paris , gerson , almain , alphonsus a castro , the parisian doctors , yea , and no less man than p. adrian the vi th ( saith the same author ) have taught , that the pope , as he is pope , may be a heretick , and teach heresy , when he desineth any thing without a general council . and truly , if as a man he may be a heretick , i see no reason why he may not be so as a pope , for i take the man and the pope to be here both one . but further , these last named will have this infallibility or iudgment to be in the council , and not in the pope . and bellarmin tells us , that this opinion is not properly heretical , and for this good reason ( which if it should not hold , they would lose a great part of their church ) because they that hold it , are tollerated in the church ; yet it seems erroneous , and next a kin to heresie . it should seem by this , that an error tollerated by the church of rome , is no heresie ; but if not tollerated , it is . indeed i know not well how ever she can err heretically at this rate , unless she will grow so unkind to her self , as not to tollerate her own errors . the same iesuit tells us again , that it was the opinion of albertus pighius , ( and whether he was singular in it , or no , i shall not now ask ) that the pope can by no means be a heretick , or teach heresie publickly , altho himself alone define any thing without a council . and this opinion he acknowledges to be probable , yet not certain . but i think 't is very certain that popes have been hereticks , either as condemned by , or condemning one another for heresie . lastly ( he saith ) the most common opinion , and that for which he brings a multitute of authors , is this , that whether the pope can be a heretick or no , yet he cannot any way define any heretical thing to be believ'd by the whole church . this he calls the most sure opinion , tho they who are of it , seem not very well agreed among themselves about it : for some of them say simply , the pope cannot err : others speak it with this limitation , proceeding maturely with the advice of his council . but now , suppose he should be too hasty , and define something rashly of his own head ; oh! that cannot be , ( saith bellarmin ) for god will not suffer it . and yet i wish he could tell us , why god may not as well suffer an heretical pope to define rashly , or indeed rather deliberately , according to his own heretical iudgment , as suffer him , to whom he hath committed the charge of the whole flock , to fall into heresie . however , considering this variety of opinions in the church of rome , concerning this infallible iudg , to which all must be subject in matters of religion , i begin to think with my self , with what satisfaction of conscience i shall be able to live in that communion . i must obey the infallible iudg , or else be damn'd : and who is this infallible iudg whom i must obey ? it is the church of rome ; this all can tell me with one consent ; but tho this were true , yet am i no wiser for it ; that whole church never yet met to iudg or determine of any thing . who is it then in this church , to whose iudgment i must submit ? it is the pope alone , say some ; and yet these some are not agreed , whether he may not define some things rashly , without due advice , at least , when he is a heretick , as some popes have been , if popes themselves may be believed ; and it seems not impossible , that an heretick , obstinate in error , may define something rashly and unadvisedly . it is not the pope , but a general council , say others ; and why these deserve not as much credit as the former , i know not ; for they are tolerated by the church , and surely the infallible church will not for shame tolerate any dangerous error . 't is neither the one nor the other , saith a third party , but a pope in council , or a council confirm'd by a pope ; and yet whether the determinations of such a church-representative be of full virtue , till they have been universally receiv'd , is made a question by a fourth party . where are we now , after all this , to seek our infallible iudg ? suppose a council should define it as a matter of faith , that the pope himself is subject to a council ; and again , that a pope , yea a pope in council define the contrary , that the council is subject to the pope . this is no idle supposition of an impossible or unlikely thing ; for whosoever knows what was done in the councils of constance and basil , consisting of as many patriarchs , archbishops and bishops , as most of the councils ever did ; and again , what afterwards pass'd in the councils of florence , and the lateran , under p. leo the x th , must know that such a thing , at least , once came to pass . suppose then this which once was , and if the pope could endure to think of a free council , might be again ; what should i have to ground any certain faith upon ? i must still under pain of damnation , submit my faith to the iudgment of the church . it is not , neither i believe ever will or can be agreed upon , which is the iudgment of the church , that of the council , or this of the pope , or the other of pope and council . the contest is between those that will admit of no iudg , and therefore of no decision . their determinations already extant , are directly contrary one to another , yet both pretended to be of faith. that both cannot be so , is plain ; and it may be neither is so . and whether the one or neither be so , if i would determine for my self , i make my self the iudg of the church's definitions , even of those to which i must submit my iudgment , or be damn'd . the other branch of power claim'd by this church , is that of giving laws to all christians , unto which all that will be saved , must yield obedience . about this i find no better agreement among them , than about the former . there is so great a dispute among the doctors ( saith one of them ) about the fulness of ecclesiastical power , and unto what things it extends it self , that in this matter few things are secure . yet that such a power there is , we must believe , or perish , tho none can certainly tell us what kind of power it is , whether purely spiritual , or temporal also . and an universal power it must be , tho we cannot learn how far it reacheth , whether to all , or but some , either things or persons . it is held by many ( saith bell. ) that the pope hath by divine right , a most full power over the whole world , in matters both ecclesiastical and civil . and for this opinion , he names augustinus triumphus , alvarus , pelagius , panormitan , and others ; with whom their angelical doctor , thomas of aquine seems to consent ; in the pope ( saith he ) is the top-height of both powers . others say , that the pope , as pope , hath no temporal power at at all , neither can any way command secular princes , or deprive them of their kingdoms and principalities , tho otherwise they deserve to be deprived of them . for this opinion , he names not so much as one of their own communion ; why , i know not , unless it were , because he knew it to be an opinion very unwelcome at rome ; or because he thought there were but a few inconsiderable papists that held it . and therefore he fathers it upon the hereticks , whose loyalty to their princes will better bear it . the representer here tells us , he knows that the deposing and king-killing power has been maintained by some canonists and divines of his church , and that it is in their opinion lawful , and annex'd to the papal chair . and that some popes have endeavour'd to act according to this power . yet is he not willing that hereticks of any sort , should carry away the honour , which bellarmin bestow'd upon them , of a loyal religion ; but saith , that there are of his communion three times the number , that publickly disown all such authority ; that some universities and provincial councils , have condemn'd it ; and that popish princes sit as safe on their thrones , as others . yea , and he will engage , that all catholick nations in the world , shall subscribe to the condemnation of all such popish principles and doctrines , and shall join with all good protestants for the extinguishing them , with all that profess and practice them , and utter rooting them out of his majesties three kingdoms , and the whole universe . i must do him right , notwithstanding all this ; for he hath not said , that the whole church of rome , or any general council hath condemn'd this doctrine ; or that it is by publick authority , for the offence it gives , rased out of the canon-law , nor the lateran council ; nor that protestant princes can sit as safely in popish countries , as popish princes may in protestant countries . and when he tells us , that the sentence of the supreme pastor is to be obey'd , whether he be infallible or no ; altho i have a great opinion of the loyalty of many papists , i durst hardly engage for his , if there should chance to be such a pope again , as himself confesseth some have been . but what saith bellarmin ? a third sort there is , that takes a middle way ; and he names not a few of them , himself being one of the number . these hold , that the pope , as pope , hath indeed no temporal power directly and immediately , but spiritually only . and such as he makes it , there needs no more ; for it will serve his holiness as well , and the hereticks as ill , to all intents and purposes , yea even to the deposing of princes , as the greatest temporal power in the world. for ( saith he ) by reason of this spiritual , he hath also , at least indirectly , a temporal power , and that no less than the highest . and even as the spirit or soul hath power over the flesh , to chastise , and even to deliver it up to death , in order to the spiritual ends of the soul : so also may the pope , tho not as an ordinary iudg , yet as an extraordinary , in order to spiritual ends , change kingdoms , taking them from one , and giving them to another , abrogate the civil laws of princes , and determine of their rights . this i am sure is more than ever st. peter had by virtue , either of the rock , or keys , or pastoral staff ; and i am confident , he never thought of half this , when he charged all men to submit to the king as supreme , 1 pet. 2. 13. nor when , v. 17. bidding us honour all men , love the brotherhood , fear god , honour the king ; he omitted to mind us of the great duty of all , the subjection we must yield to his successors , the bishops of rome ; especially , when he might well suppose we should have been much apter to have learn'd it of himself , than of any of his successors . 't is time for me now , i think , to consider , into what a labyrinth i must run my self , by going over to the church of rome ; and how i can behave my self , when i come there . i am going into a church , out of which , i am told , there is no salvation ; yet i cannot foresee , that this church her self can tell me surely , how i may be saved in it . of this church , i am told , i cannot be a member to any purpose , if i be not in all things subject and obedient to the supreme head of it , the pope . and subject to him i cannot be , if i actively obey not his commands ; for passive obedience is now become the despised badg of a heretick . but what the pope's power to command is , i can meet with no body that can certainly inform me . it is an absolute power over all the world , say some . no , ( say others ) but only over christians , and in things spiritual . well , ( says the third party ) tho it be directly and immediately only spiritual , yet it is no less for that ; but in order to spirituals , it reacheth over all , both temporal persons , laws and iudgments . all this power is in me only , saith the pope . you are too hasty , sir , say some councils , and the doctors of france ; for the chief power is by christ himself given to the council , and even to put down and set up popes , as they would deal with kings and emperors . which of these now must i believe and obey ? the prince , under whose government i live , may command me one thing ; and the pope , my spiritual father , may command the contrary . how must i now do to bear my self evenly betwixt two such masters ? i consult my spiritual guides , and take the best advice i can get ; some say one thing , and some another ; and which to believe , i stand in need of another guide to direct me ; nay , the church it self , knew i where to find her , ( so visible is she ) could not tell me which is in the right . if i believe those , who tell me the pope has no power in temporal matters ; then is my prince in all such matters to be obey'd , say the pope what he will to the contrary . if i hearken to them , that tell me the pope has a fulness of power in all , both temporal and spiritual matters ; i must obey my prince in nothing without the pope's leave . if i listen to them , who say , the pope's power in temporal matters , is indeed the highest power ; yet indirectly only , and in order to spiritual ends , then am i so far to obey it , and no farther . and here i am at as great a loss as ever ; for who shall judg for me , whether his commands be needful for spiritual ends or no ? it is very unlikely , that my prince and the pope should agree in the determination of this point ; and the difference being between them two , and their commands , to whose award will they stand ? i must here necessarily be left to the direction of my own , or some other private iudgment , and which side soever i take , it is an even wager whether i can be saved . i have been considering all this while for my self alone , and the satisfaction of my own conscience . i presume not to judg for , nor of others . they who have more light , and better eyes , may go on more confidently ; 't is all my care , to go safely for my self ; and as inoffensively as i can to all others . i see many wise men among roman-catholicks , and i dare not say the contrary , but that they are of another religion than i , because they are wiser , and better able to chuse than i. if i chuse as wisely as i can for my self , i cannot do any better for my self , and i doubt not of being saved whilst i do so well . and if it should prove so , that i chuse the worse , he hath no reason to be angry with me , to whom i leave , and do not grudg the better . i cannot yet think it necessary to salvation , to believe that church infallible , which not only in my opinion but in the iudgment of all other christians , ( and they are 〈…〉 and more ) hath often erred , and doth very grosy 〈◊〉 many things ; and which , if we ask her , can her s●lf only tell us , who they be in her communion , that can err , but not who they be , that cannot . nor can i think it safe to be of that church , where i may not be allow'd to judg or try whether error be taught me or no. i cannot think i am bound to judg either my self or others in a state of damnation , for not denying our senses , or captivating our iudgments to the iudgment of an infallible church , which could never determine where her iudgment or infallibility is certainly to be found : or for not obeying the head of that church , which hath sometimes no head , sometimes many heads , and is always uncertain which is her head , or where it stands . if i must thus believe , and thus obey , no body can tell me what , and declare i do all this , or in the judgment of that church which must be believ'd infallible , be no better for turning papist ; then i verily think i am much safer , as i am a poor protestant . i am sure i may as safely , as i can freely , captivate my iudgment both in faith and practice , to the doctrine and laws of the blessed jesus , whom all christians unanimously acknowledg both the supreme and infallible head of the universal church . i will no longer lose my labour , in seeking an infallible guide , which almost every body can tell me of , but no man can certainly shew me . instead of an ecclesiastical monarch on e●●●h , i will content my self with that blessed and only potentate , king of kings , and lord of lords , whom his father hath made sole head of the church , which is his body ; who long since told us , that his kingdom is not of this world , as , i fear , the pope's too much is . finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a39265-e240 * de verb. dei. l. 1. c. 1. tertul. de praesct . c. 25. iren. cont . haer. l. 3. c. 2. tert. adv . hermog . c. 22. iren. l. 3. c. 1. aug. l. 2. cont . donat . pap. repr . p. 35. ibid. p. 37 , 38. bel. de eccles . l. 3. c. 5. bonacin . de lensur . d. 2. q. 5. p. 1. from vasquez and others . tol. instruct . sacerd . l. 4. c. 3. instr. sacerd . l. 1 ▪ c. 18. prefat de rom. pontif. stapleton tripl . c. 15. de rom. pont. l. 1. c. 10. almain . de auth. eccles. c. 3. the one thing necessary preached in a sermon at pauls, before the right honourable the lord mayor, and the aldermen of the city of london, aug. 31. 1656. by thomas watson, minister of stephens walbrook, london. watson, thomas, d. 1686. this text is an enriched version of the tcp digital transcription a65304 of text r220893 in the english short title catalog (wing w1134a). textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. the text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with morphadorner. the annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. this text has not been fully proofread approx. 82 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 41 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. earlyprint project evanston,il, notre dame, in, st. louis, mo 2017 a65304 wing w1134a estc r220893 99832278 99832278 36750 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a65304) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 36750) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 2102:23) the one thing necessary preached in a sermon at pauls, before the right honourable the lord mayor, and the aldermen of the city of london, aug. 31. 1656. by thomas watson, minister of stephens walbrook, london. watson, thomas, d. 1686. this text is an enriched version of the tcp digital transcription a65304 of text r220893 in the english short title catalog (wing w1134a). textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. the text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with morphadorner. the annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. this text has not been fully proofread [8], 72 p. printed by e.m. for ralph smith, at the bible in cornhil, neer the royal exchange; and thomas parkhurst, at the three crowns at the lower end of cheap-side against the conduit, london : 1658. copy tightly bound with slight loss of print; some print show-through. reproduction of the original in the british library. eng sermons, english -17th century. salvation -early works to 1800. a65304 r220893 (wing w1134a). civilwar no the one thing necessary. preached in a sermon at pauls, before the right honourable the lord mayor, and the aldermen of the city of london, watson, thomas 1658 15188 26 200 0 0 0 0 149 f the rate of 149 defects per 10,000 words puts this text in the f category of texts with 100 or more defects per 10,000 words. 2003-12 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2003-12 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2005-02 john latta sampled and proofread 2005-02 john latta text and markup reviewed and edited 2005-04 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the one thing necessary . preached in a sermon at pauls , before the right honourable the lord mayor , and the aldermen of the city of london , aug. 31. 1656. by thomas watson , minister of stephens walbrook , london . the second edition . {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} . ignatius . heb. 2. 3. how shall we escape , if we neglect so great salvation . london , printed by e. m. for ralph smith , at the bible in cornhil , neer the royal exchange ; and thomas parkhurst , at the three crowns at the lower end of cheap-side against the conduit . 1658. to the right honourable iohn dethick , lord mayor of the city of london . right honourable , it was not in my thoughts to have published this sermon ( i looked upon it as too home-spun ) but in regard it was your lordships request to me at the first , and i have since received an invitation from your honourable court to that purpose , i knew not how to deny , lest while i did shun your loving commands , i should fall under your just censure . my lord , it was my designe in this sermon to call you off from the empty high-flown notions , and litigious , disputes of these times , to look after that which is more solid , and wherein , i am sure every man is very neerly concerned , viz. the working out his salvation , opus non pulvinaris , sed pulveris ; a work it is that may call forth the most spiritful vigorous actings of the soul in the prosecution of it ; pingimus aeternitati . — that work had need be well done which is for eternity . my lord , this is the true wisdom , to be wise to salvation * ; by this godly policy we shall go beyond all the politicians of the times ; we shall escape hell , we shall be raised to the true {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} of honour ; god will be our father , christ our brother , the spirit our comforter , the angels our companions ; when we die we shall carry a good conscience with us , and leave a good name behinde us . i shall not further expatiate ; i desire this sermon may come under your honours patrociny ; some little addition you will finde in the end of it , which i had before prepared for you , but wanted time to serve it in ; the lord enoble you with his spirit , and crown you with soul-prosperity , which shall be the prayer of him , who is your honours in all gospel-service , tho. watson . from my study at steph. walbrook , octob. 15. 1656. phil. 2. 12. work out your own salvation with fear and trembling . if there be any thing excellent , it is salvation ; if there be any thing necessary , it is working out salvation ; if there be any tool to work with , 't is holy fear ; work out your salvation with fear . the words are a grave and serious exhortation , needful , not onely for those christians which lived in the apostles time , but may fitly be calculated for the meridian of this age wherein we live . in the text observe , first the manner of insinuation . {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} . my beloved ] the apostle did labour by all means to ingratiate and wind himself into the hearts of the philippians . he prescribes a gospel-pil , & dips it in sugar , that it may go down the better . he labors to possess the philippians of this maxim , that whatever he did speak to them about their souls , was purely in love . sometimes he steeps his words in tears , and speaks weeping ; * sometimes he dips them in honey . paul knew how to reprove ; it was part of his office , and a piece of his spiritual chyrurgery ; rebuke them sharply , * or as the greek word is , cuttingly ; * but when he had done launcing , he knew how to pour wine and oile into the wound . he holds forth the breast as a nurse , and is willing not only to impart his sermon to the people , but his soul . * and herein the apostle paul se● a copy to all the ministers of christ . their hearts must be fired not with heat of passion , but love towards their people . they are christs ambassadors , and must come with an olive-branch of peace in their mouths . if i speak with the tongue of angels , and have not love , i am as sounding brasse , and a tinckling cymbal , 1 cor. 13. 1. 't is better to love as a pastor , then speak as an angel . love is that flos deliciarum , that flower of delight which should grow in the heart , and send forth its perfume in the lips of every minister . 't was said of origen , cujus ex ore non tam verba quam mella profluere videbantur . those which come in a spirit of meeknesse to their people , are like to do most good ; the more they are {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} , the more they are {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} ; knotty hearts will be soonest wrought upon by love ; the fire will go where the wedge cannot : the thunderbolt may break , but the sun melts : * when love sends forth its sweet influence , it melts a sinner into tears : the joints being hard and stiff , the rubbing them with oyl doth supple them ; the best way to supple an hard heart , and make it tender , is to ply it with this oyl of love . and thus much for the manner of insinuation . {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} my beloved . i proceed now to the exhortation it self ; work out your own salvation with fear and trembling . which words do branch themselves into these three particulars . first , the act , {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} work out . secondly , the object , {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} your own salvation . thirdly , the modus , or the manner how we should work it out , cum timore & tremore , with fear and trembling . i shall speak principally of the two first , and draw in the other briefly in the applicatory . the proposition is this , that it should be a christians great work to be working out his salvation . the great god hath put us into the world as into a vine-yard , and here is the work he hath set us about , the working out salvation ; there is a parallel scripture to this , 2 pet. 1. 10. give diligence to make your calling and election sure . when estate , friends , life cannot be made sure , let this be made sure . the greek word {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} * signifies to study , or beat the braines about a thing . * this word in the text {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} work out , implies two things . first , a shaking off spiritual sloth . sloth is pulvinar diaboli , a pillow on which many have slept the sleep of death . secondly , it implies an uniting and rallying together all the powers of our soules that we may intend the business of salvation * . god hath enacted a law in paradise , that no man shall eat of the tree of life , but in the sweat of his browes . that which is in the text , called working , hath various appellations in scripure . first , sometimes it is called striving , luk. 13. 29. strive to enter in at the strait gate , {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} : strive as in an agony , or bloody sweat . secondly , sometimes it is called seeking , mat. 6. 33. seek ye first the kingdome of god , {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} . as a man that hath lost a treasure , seeks diligently for it . we have lost salvation . adam by eating the tree of knowledge , lost the tree of life . now seek , take davids candle and lanthorn , and search for salvation . the word seek , ( as a learned writer notes ) signifies to pursue a thing with inflamed desires , as a condemned man desires a pardon . thirdly , sometimes it is called running in a race , 1 cor. 9. 24. so run that ye may obtaine , {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} . the apostle seemes to allude to the games of olympus , which were celebrated every fifth year in the honor of jupiter ; in those games they did put forth all their strength . whence that phrase , pulvere olympico desudare . 't is along race from earth to heaven ; lay aside all weights of sinne which will hinder you in the race , and reach forward with a winged swiftnesse to lay hold upon the mark . fourthly , sometimes it is called offering violence to heaven , matthew 11. 12. the kingdome of heaven suffers violence . there must not only be diligence , but violence ; we must not only pray , but pray fervently , jam. 5. 16. not only repent , but be zealous and repent , rev. 3. 19. not onely love , but be sick of love , cant. 2. 5. this is offering violence ; the greek word {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} is a metaphor taken from a castle that holds out in a siege , and will not be taken but by storme : so the kingdom of heaven holds out against a supine lazy christian , and will not be taken but by storme . i proceed now to the reasons enforcing this holy sweat and industry about salvation ; and they are three ; we must work out salvation , because of , 1. the difficulty 2. the rareness 3. the possibility of this work . the difficulty of this work , it is a work that may make us labour to the going down of the sun of our life . * now this difficulty about the work of salvation will appear four manner of wayes . first , from the nature of the work . there is a metamorphosis to be wrought . 1. the heart is to be changed . the heart is the very nursery of sin . * 't is the magazine where all the weapons of unrighteousnesse lie . 't is a lesser hell . the heart is full of antipathy against god , * it is angry with converting grace ; now that the byasse of the heart should be changed , what a work is this ! * how should we beg of christ , that he who turned the watet into wine , would turn the water , or rather poison of nature into the wine of grace ? secondly , the current of the life is to be altered . that the tyde of sin , which before did runne so strong , should be turned , this is not easie . that the sinner which before was failing hel ward , and wanted neither winde nor tyed to carry him , should now alter his course , and sail to a new port , hic labor , hoc opus , this is a work indeed . the water may easily be dam'd up , but no art or industry can make it run backward in its own channel . it was by a miracle that the river jordan was driven back . to see the earthly man become heavenly ; to see a sinner move contrary to himself in the wayes of christ and holinesse , is as strange as to see the earth fly upward , or the bowl run contrary to it's own byasse . secondly , salvation-work is difficult in regard of the deceits about the work . the heart is ready to take many false stiches in this work of salvation . it hath the heart of self-deceit ; like those that can cog a die ; therefore austin cryes out , the heart is a great deep . the heart is apt to deceive about this work of salvation 2 ways . first , it will often make a man take morality for grace . alas , morality is but nature refined , old adam put in a better dress . a moraliz'd man is but a tame devil . there may be a fair stream of civility running , and yet much vermin of pride and atheisme lie at the bottom ; the garnishment of moral excellencies is but the setting a garland of flowers upon a dead man . how easie is it to be deceived in the businesse of salvation , and with ixion to embrace a cloud instead of juno ? civility is not grace , though it be a good wall to plant the vine of grace against . secondly , the heart will be ready to deceive us in this work of salvation , and make us take a shew of grace for grace . pliny saith , there is a berylstone resembles the true diamond . so there is something that looks like grace , which is not ; there are two graces which help much to the working out salvation , and we are soon deceived in them . first , repentance . true repentance is when we weep for sin quatenus sinne ; when we weep for it as it is a defiling thing , it blots the image of god , staines the virginity of the soul ; as it is an act of unkindness , it is a kicking against the breasts that give us milk : but how easie is it to prevaricate in this ? 1. many think they repent , when it is not the offence , but the penalty troubles them ; not the treason , but the bloody axe . 2. they think they repent when they shed a few tears ; but though this ice begins to melt a little , it freezeth again ; they go on still in sinne ; many weep for their unkind dealings with god , as saul did for his unkindness to david ; he said to david , thou art more righteous then i ; for thou hast rewarded me good , whereas i have rewarded thee evil : 1 sam. 24. 17. and he lift up his voice and wept , ver. 16. but for all this he followes david again , and pursues after him , 1 sam. 26. secondly , so men can lift up their voice and weep for sinne , yet follow their sinnes again . * thirdly , others forsake sinne ; but still they retain the love of it in their hearts . like the snake that casts the coat , but keeps the sting ; there is as much difference between false and true tears , as between channel water and spring water . secondly , another grace conducible to salvation , is faith ; but how easily are men cozened with a counterfeit pearl ? there is this deceit about faith , when men apply the promises of the word , but not the precepts . * the promise is salvation , the precept is working out ; they will take the one , but not the other : as if a physician should prescribe two receipts to his patient , a pill and a julip , he will take the julip because it is pleasant , but not the pill : many will take christ as a saviour , but refuse him as a prince ; receive his benefits , but not submit to his lawes ; this is to put asunder what god hath joined together . there being therefore such mistakes and deceits about this work of salvation , we had need be the more cautious , and curious in this work . thirdly , the difficulty about salvation-work ariseth from the remoraes and hindrances of this work . these hindrances are either , 1. from within , viz. the flesh : this is a slie enemy . the flesh cries out for ease ▪ it lusts against the spirit , * gal. 5. 17. we are bid to crucifie the flesh , * gal. 5. 24. but how many wounds must we give with the sword of the spirit , before the flesh will be perfectly crucified ? 2. we meet with hindrances in this work from without . 1. tentations ; our whole life , saith austin , is a tentation . we tread among snares ; there is a snare in company , recreation ; yea , our table is of a snare * ; satan is still fishing for our souls : how often doth he lay a train of tentation to blow up the fort of our grace ? the apostle tells us o● his fiery darts * , ephes. 6. 16. tentations are called darts for their swiftnesse , they are shot in suddenly ; and fiery for their terriblenesse , they are shot like flashes of fire into the soul which do amaze and afright ; and doth not this retard the work o● salvation , and make it difficult ? 2. reproaches ; this sect is every where spoken against , act. 28. 22. the old serpent is ever spitting his venome at religion , and the professors of it . i may allude to that , 1 cor 10. 1. all our fathers were under cloud : all the saints of old have passed to heaven under a cloud of contumely and reproach ; the world puts them in their black book , whom god will put in his rubrick : the throat of the wicked is an open sopulchre * , to bury the good names of professors in . those who have been the antesignani , the ensignbearers of religion , and have carried her colours , 1. sometimes have been traduced and slandered . paul was reported to be a seditious man , 2 tim. 2. 9. the popish rhemists traduced calvin , and fathered upon him this opinion , that god was the authour of sinne , and that he died cursing ; though beza , who was an eye-witness , and wrote his life and death , confuted that slander , and relates what a comfortable end he made : martin bucer , that blessed man , who cried out , in an holy triumph , i am christs , and the devil hath nothing to do with me ; yet the papists slanderously report of him , that he should deny christ to be the messiah come in the flesh ; but he who was the orator at his funeral , was his compurgator . the like slander did the jesuites in burgundia raise of beza , that holy man ; they say , that he perceiving death to be at hand , renounced his former profession of the gospel , and was perfectly reconciled to the church of rome . this was so false , that beza , who lived after the slander went abroad , did himself with great indignation refute it . 2. sometimes the saints have had the trial of cruel mockings , heb. 11. 36. cyprian was called in a jeer coprian ; athanasius , satanasius ; david was the song of the drunkards , psal. 69. 12. i doubt not but noah had many a bitter taunt when he was building the ark so many years before the flood , they would laugh at him , and censure him for an old doting fool , that would be wiser than all the world besides . thus when we see the flood of gods wrath coming upon the world , and we begin to build the ark , and work out salvation , men will be venting their scorne and derision : what ? you will be holier than others , more precise than needs ? all this serves to retard salvation work , and make it difficult . 3. a third remora or hindrance in this work is open violence ; gal. 4. 29. as he that was borne after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the spirit , even so it is now ; no sooner doth a man give up his name to christ , and seriously set upon the working out his salvation , but the world raiseth her train-bands , and sets all the militia of hell against him . gods church is like abrahams ram tied in a bush of thornes ; witnesse the ten persecutions in the time of nero , domitian , trajan , &c. a man strictly holy is the white that is shot at ; if the worlds musick will not prevaile , it hath its furnace ready ; 2 tim. 3. 12. be assured , christ and his crosse are never parted . it is with us in our building for heaven , as it was with the jews in their building the wall . every one with one of his hands wrought in the work , and with the other hand held a weapon , nehem. 4. 17. so we must not only be builders , but warriers ; with one hand we must work , and with the other hand hold a weapon , viz. the sword of the spirit , and fight the good fight of faith ; this is another hindrance in the work ; no sooner do we begin to set out for heaven , but bonds and afflictions abide us , acts 20. 23. the world sounds an alarum , and no cessation of armes till death . 4. that which makes salvation-work hard , is , 't is a slippery work . look to your selves that we lose not those things which we have wrought , * joh. 2. 8. this work falls down almost as fast as we build . an ordinary artificer , when he hath been at work , he finds his work the next morning just as he left it ; but it is not so with us ; when we have been working out salvation by prayer , fasting , meditation , and leave this work a while , we shall not find our work as we left it , a great deal of our work is fallen down againe . we had need be often called upon to strengthen the things , {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} , which are ready to dye , rev. 3. 2. no sooner is a christian taken off frō the fire of the sanctuary , but he is ready to cool and freeze again in security . he is like awatch , when he hath been wound up towards heaven , he doth quickly unwinde to earth and sinne again . * when the gold hath been purified in the furnace , it remaines pure ; but it is not so with the heart ; let it be heated in an ordinance , let it be purged in the furnace of affliction , it doth not remaine pure , but quickly gathers soile and corruption ; we are seldom long in a good frame : all this shews how difficult the work of salvation is ; we must not only work , but set a watch too * . quest . 1. but why hath god made the way to heaven so hard , why must there be this working ? answ. 1. to make us set an high estimate upon heavenly things . if salvation were easily come by , we should not have valued it to its worth . if diamonds were ordinary , they would be slighted ; but because they are hard to come by , they are in great esteem . tertullian saith , that when pearles grew common at rome , they wore them upon their shoes , which was the next way to tread them under feet . salvation is such a pearl as god will not have slighted ; therefore it must be acquired by holy industry . god loves not that the price of spiritual mercies should fall ; they that will have this precious flower of salvation , must gather it in the sweat of their brows . 2. we must work and take pains that we may be fitted for heaven ; a father will give his son the inheritance , but first he will give him education , that he may be fit for it . god will settle salvation upon us , but first , he makes us meet for the inheritance , * col. 1. 12. while we are working we are running and fitting for heaven ; sinne is weakening , grace is ripening ; while we are in combate , we are fitting for the crown . first , you season the vessel before you pour in the wine ; god wil season us with grace , before he poures ●n the wine of glory . * quest . 2. but if there must be this working , how is it said that christs yoak is easie* ? answ. to the fleshly part it is hard , but where there is a new and holy principle infused , christs yoak is easie * ; 't is not a yoak , but a crown , when the wheeles of the soul are oiled with grace , now a christian moves in the way of religion with facility and alacrity . a childe delights in obeying his father ; it was pauls heaven to serve god . i delight in the law of god in the inner man ; rom. 7. 22. and how swiftly is the soul carried upon those wings ! christs service is freedome ; therefore the apostle calls it , {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} , a law of liberty , jam. 1. 25. to serve god , to love god , to enjoy god , is the sweetest liberty in the world ; christ doth not , as pharaoh make his people serve with rigor , exod 1. 13. but he layes upon them the constraints of love , 2 cor. 5. 14. his precepts are not burdens , but priviledges ; not fetters , but ornaments . thus his yoak is easie , but to an unregenerate man the yoak hath a nail in it , it galls and vexeth * ; nay , so far as corruption prevails , the best heart findes some reluctancy . and so much for the first reason , the difficulty of the work . the second reason why we must put forth so much holy sweat and industry about salvation , is , because of the rareness of this work ; but few shall be saved ; therefore we had need work the harder , that we may be in the number of these few . the way to hell is a road way ; the cawsey of it is paved with riches and pleasure ; it hath a golden cawsey , therefore there are daily so many travellers in it ; but the way to heaven lies out of the road , 't is an unbeaten path , and few can finde it * the criers up of universal grace , say , that christ died intentionally for all ; but then , why are not all saved ? can christ be frustrate of his intention ? some are so grosse to aver that all shall actually be saved : but hath not our lord christ told us , that the gate is straite , and few there be that finde it ? mat. 7. 14. how all can go in at this gate , and yet but few find it , seems to me a paradox . the drove of men goes to the shambles ; but a remnant shall be saved , rom. 9. 27. the whole diece is cut off and goes to the devil , a remnant only saved ; most of the world are wind-falls . that olive-tree , is. 17. 6. with two or three olive-berries on the top of the uppermost bough may be a fit emblem of the paucity of those that shal be saved . satan goes away with the harvest , god hath only a few gleanings . in this great city , if it should go by vote and by pole , the devil would carry it . some of the learned observe * , that divide the world into thirty equal parts , nineteen of those thirty are overspread with heathenish idolatry , six of the eleven remaining with the doctrine of mahomet , so that there remaines but five parts of the thirty where is any thing of christianity ; among those christians so many seduced papists on one hand , and formal protestants on the other , that surely but few are saved . it being thus , it should make us strive the more , tanquam pulvere olympico , that we may be of the number of those few who shall inherit salvation . the third reason why we should put forth so much vigor about the work of salvation , is , because of the possibility of the work . impossibility kills all endeavour ; who will take pains for that which he thinks there is no hope ever of obtaining ? but there is hope in israel concerning this * salvation is a thing feasible , it may be had ; o christians , though the gate of paradise be strait , yet the gate is open . 't is shut against the devils , 't is yet open to you ; who would not croud hard to get in * ? 't is but paring off your sinnes , 't is but unloading some of your thick clay * ; 't is but asswaging the swelling humour of your pride , and you may get in at the strait gate . this possibility , nay probability of salvation may put life into your endeavour . if there be corn to be had * , why should you sit starving in your sins any longer ? use 1. information , it shews us that salvation is not so facile a thing as most do imagine ; many do phancy a fine easie way to heaven ; a sigh , or tear , or lord have mercy , will save them ; these are in a golden dream . the text tells us of working out salvation . * basil compares the way to heaven to a man going over a narrow bridge , if he treads never so little aside , he falls in and drowns . he that thinks the way is easie , was never yet in the way . there are so many precepts to obey , so many promises to beleeve , so many tentations to resist , that we shall not finde the way easie : there must not only be diligence , but violence . beloved , heaven-gate is not like that iron-gate , acts 12. 10. which opened to peter of its own , accord ; no , there must be knocking and striving . jacob obtained the blessing in the garments of esau . esau in the hebrew signifies working * ; if you would weare this embroidered garment of salvation , you must have it by working , work out your salvation . hannibal forced a way for his army over the alpes ; we must force our way to glory through difficulties . i like the impress one gave , viz. a hand with a pick-axe digging a way through a rock , with this motto , inveniam aut faciam , either i will find a way , or make it ; we must to heaven through sweat & blood . there 's nothing got without hard labour ; you cannot have the world without labour , and would you have christ and salvation ? do men dig for lead , and not much more for gold ? 't is observable that adam in paradise was not idle , but did dresse the vine-yard . the angels themselves , though they are glorious spirits , yet they are ministring spirits . * god hath put this diligence into creatures void of reason . the bee is a most industrious creature ; all of them have their several work to do in the hive . some of the bees do trim the honey , some work the wax , some frame the comb , and others lye sentinel at the doore of the hive to keep out the drone . is the bee so industrious by the instinct of nature in the working of honey ? oh how industrious ought we to be in the working out salvation . use 2. reproof , out of this text as out of a spiritual quiver , i may draw several arrows of reproof . 1. it reproves them that prefer other things before salvation ; who labour more for the bread that perisheth ; than for salvation . their chief care is how to live in the world , and get a present subsistence ; all the labour of a man is for his mouth , eccles. 6. 7. the body shall be tended and looked after , which is but the brutish part , but the poore soul is kept to hard commons ; this is for christians to turne heathens , matth. 6. for after all these things the gentiles seek . * we must altiora sapere . god never sent us hither only to weare fine clothes , * or fare sumptuously every day , but that we should drive a trade for salvation ; if this be not done , we have shot beside the mark all this while ; we have but trim'd the scabbard , but let the soul , that blade of admirable mettle , rust and canker . 2. branch , it reproves such as in stead of working stand all the day idle in the vineyard . * they have some faint velleities , they wish for salvation , but do not work . the idle christian is like a souldier that hath a good mind to the spoile and treasure of a castle , but is loth to put himself to any trouble , or hazard ; men could be content to have salvation if it would ( like those ripe figs ) nahum . 3. 12. fall into the mouth of the eater . the sluggard puts his hand in his bosome , prov. 19. 24. and is loth to pluck it out though it be to lay hold of a crown . they stretch themselves ( saith the prophet ) upon the beds of ivory , amos 6. 4. men had rather lye upon a soft bed , than go to heaven in a fiery chariot of zeal . * chrysostom cals idlenesse the root of despaire ; an idle christian ravels out his time unprofitably . he stands in the world for a cipher , & be assured god writes down no ciphers in the book of life . an idle person is a fit subject for the devil to work upon . we do not use to sow seed in fallow ground , but the devil sows most of his seed of tentation in hearts that ly fallow . hierom observes of the crabfish ; that when the oister opens her self , the crabfish flings into her mouth a little stone that the oister cannot shut her self again , and so the crab devoures her : the devil like this crab when he takes men gaping ( as t is usual for them that are idle ) then he throwes in his stones of tentation , and so devoures them . 3 , branch , it reproves such as instead of making religion a work , they make it a play ; these are they that have found out a new way to heaven , who make the way easier than ever christ made it ; such as tell us , that there is no law to a believer ; and if there be no law , then no transgression ; and if no transgression , then there needs no repentance . between the arminian and the antinomian it is a very short cut to heaven ; the arminian saith we have power of our selves to believe , and the antinomian saith that a believer is not under any law , he is bound to no duty , christ hath done al for him ; so that by taking this stride , he is presently in heaven : if this doctrine be true , then every day is a play-day , and the apostle mistook himself , when he said , work out your salvation . 4. branch , it reproves them that instead of working out their salvation , do dispute away their salvation ; 1. such as dispute against the authority of scripture , and would make our faith a fable . 2. such as dispute against the immortality of the soul , and so at once would pull down the court of conscience . 3. such as dispute against the divinity of christ . this may be called indeed the doctrine of devils * . t is a doctrine diametrally opposite to that scripture , 1 john 5. 20. we are in him that is true , even in his son jesus christ . this is the true god . which text is a bulwark against the socinian . o! the patience of god that those who open their mouthes blasphemously against christ , the earth doth not open her mouth and swallow them up . that such should have any connivance ( if not more ) who dare impugne the divinity of the sonne of god , is a lamentation , and shall be for a lamentation . some of the best heathen writers * affirm that there were edicts and punishments enacted by heathen princes and states in matters of religion . an heathen would not suffer his god to be blasphemed ; and shall christians suffer it ? branch 5. it reproves them , who instead of pursuing their own salvation , pursue their own destruction . these are profane persons who go to hell in the sweat of their browes * 1. drunkards ; what they get in the temple , they lose in the taverne ; they steep the sermons they hear in wine . woe to the drunkards in ephraim , esay 28. 1. i may change the word , and say , the drunkards of england * there is a kind of wine you call lacrymae , which signifies tears : such a wine the damned drink of , which is burn'd with the wrath of god , and this shall be the drunkards cup . 2. swearers : these swear away their salvation . the swearer it seemes hath but bad credit ; he must stake down an oath , or none will trust him ; but let him remember , he runnes his soul into a praemunire . swear not at all * ; if we must give an account for idle words , shall not idle oaths be put in the count-book ? when the scab breaketh forth in the lip , that man is to be pronounced unclean . every oath is a wound given to the soul , and every wound hath a mouth to cry to heaven for vengeance . some are boil'd up to that height of wickednesse , that like mad dogs , they flie in the face of heaven by cursing ; and let a minister tell them of their sinne , let him but go about to bring them home again , as the law did provide one should bring home his neighbours asse when he went astray * , and they will kick against the reproof . like lime , by pouring on the water of a reprehension , they are the more enflamed . these are upon the spur to damnation ; but i will not touch this pitch any longer . 3. adulterers ; the adulterers heart like the swearers tongue , is set on fire of hell . creatures void of reason will rise up in judgement against such . 't is reported of the stork ( that chaste creature ) that it confines it self to its own nest ; and if any of the storks leaving his own mate , joynes with any other , the rest fall upon him , and pluck his feathers from him . god would have the adulterer put to death , deut. 22. 22. gregory observes concerning the stream of fire and brimstone poured upon sodom , god sent that noisome plague to let them see the filthinesse of their sinne . this sinne of adultery is a soul-damning sinne , 1 cor. 6. 9. the adulterer like the flie , doth so long flie about the candle , that at last he singeth his soul . this sinne , though it begins comical , it ends tragical ; will it not be bitterness in the end ? 2 sam. 2. 26. this sweet calme is before an earthquake ; after the womens hair , come the lions * teeth . branch 6. it reproves them who put off this great work of salvation till they are past their labour . they put off repenting till old age and sicknesse . 1. till old age * ; when they are fit for no other work , then they will begin this . old age is no good age to repent in . when the fingers are stiff , 't is ill learning to play on the lute : when the heart is grown hard and stiff in wickednesse , 't is but ill tuning the penitential string : a tender plant is easily removed , but 't is hard to pluck up an old tree that is rooted . an old sinner that hath been a long time rooting in sinne , is hardly plucked out of his natural estate . in matters of salvation 't is dangerous to adjourne * ; the longer men go on in sin , the more full possession satan hath of them ; the longer poison stayes in the stomack , the more mortal . 't is a madnesse to put off the work of salvation till evening and sun-set . the night cometh when no man can work * . it were a very unwise course for a mariner , while the ship is sound , the tackling strong , the winde favourable , the sea calme , to lie idle at anchor ; and when the ship begins to leak , and the tempest to rise , now to launch forth and hoise up sailes for a voyage : so is he who neglects the time of health and strength , and when old age comes , and his tackling is even broken , now begins his voyage towards heaven . 't is very questionable whether god will accept of our repentance when it is so late . he calls for the first-fruits , and do we think to put him off with the gleanings ? this was not the least reason why god rejected cains offering , because it was so long before he brought it . in processe of time cain brought the fruit of the ground * , or as the original is more emphatical , at the end of many dayes * ; it seemes it was stale before he brought it . how unworthy is this , for men to give the devil their strength and marrow , and then come and lay their old bones upon gods altar ? 't is true , god may shew mercy at last , but such runne a desperate hazard ; a sinner in the time of his old age , sleeps between death and the devil , as peter slept between two souldiers * : 2. till sicknesse ; he were very unwise , who being to go a long journey , should lay the heaviest load on the weakest horse . what imprudence is it to lay the heavy load of repentance on thy self , when infeebled by sicknesse ? when the hands shake , the lips quiver , the sinews shrink , the heart faints ? perhaps thou shalt have no time of sicknesse ; perhaps not the use of thy senses ; perhaps god will deny thee his grace , and then where is thy repentance ? 't is just , that he who forgets god in the time of health , god should forget him in the time of sicknesse . branch 7. it reproves them who begin to work , but do not work out their salvation . 't is not enough to begin well ; non tantum facite sed perficite ; 't is justinians note ; some have , like jehu , driven furiously in religion , but within a while their chariot-wheels have been taken off . we live in the fall of the leafe ; divers we have observed , who did once put forth fair blossomes , and give good hopes of their conversion , but their spring is turned into autumn ; they have left off working for heaven ; a signe the motion was but artificial , not vital . israel hath cast off the thing that is good * . such as were once diligent and zealous in prayer , hearing , holy conference , now they have left off the thing that is good ; they have tired in their march to heaven * . i have often thought there are many may be resembled to nebuchadnezzars image * , at first they seemed to have an head of gold ; they looked like glorious professors ; then afterwards they seemed to be silver , then brasse , then iron , and clay ; they have at last degenerated into sinne : thus like fair mornings they have been soon overcast . epiphanius observes of the gnosticks , at first they seemed to be a strict holy people , but afterwards they fell to libertinisme * . some are grown so impudent , that they brag of their apostasie ; time was when they did read and pray in their families , but now they thank god they are grown wiser , and they surcease from these duties ; just as if you should hear the devil boast , that once he was an angel of light , but now he is turned an angel of darkness : apostates are the richest spoiles that satan goes away with ; these he will hang up in hell for triumph . such as have left off working , let them read that thundering scripture , 2 pet. 2. 21. for it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousnesse , then after they have known it to turn from the holy commandment . by leaving off working , they unravel all they have done before ; they lose their reward . he that runnes half the race , and then faints , loseth the garland . use 3. and so i proceed to the next use which is of exhortation , to perswade you all in the bowels of christ to set upon this great work , the working out your salvation . beloved , here is a plot for heaven , and i would have you all in this plot ; rally together all the powers of your soules ; give neither god nor your selves rest , till you have made your election sure . christians , fall to work , do it early , earnestly , uncessantly . pursue salvation as in a holy chase ; other things are but matters of conveniency , salvation is a matter of necessity . either you must do the work that christians are doing , or you must do the work that devils are doing . oh you that never yet took one stitch in this work of salvation , now begin . religion is a good trade if it be well followed . be assured there is no salvation without working . but here i must lay down a caution to prevent mistakes . caution . though we shall not be saved without working , yet not for our working . we do not work out salvation by way of merit . bellarmine saith , we merit heaven ex condigno ; no , though we are saved in the use of means , yet by grace too , ephes. 2. 5. there must be ploughing and sowing the ground , but yet no crop can be expected without the influence of the sunne : so there must be working , but no crop of salvation can be hoped for without the sun-shine of free grace : 't is your fathers good pleasure to give you the kingdome , luk. 12. 32. give ? why might some say , we have wrought hard for it ? i , but heaven is a donative ; though you work for it , yet it is the {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} , the good pleasure of god to bestow it . still look up to christs merit ; it is not your sweat , but his blood saves . that your working cannot merit salvation , is clear , {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} . 't is god that works in you to will , and to do , ver. 13. 't is not your working , but gods co-working . for as the scrivener guides the childs hand , or he cannot write ; so the spirit of god must afford his auxiliary concurrence , or our work stands still ; how then can any man merit by working , when it is god that helps him to work ? i should now , having laid down this caution , re-assume the exhortation , and perswade you to the working out salvation ; but i must first remove two objections which lie in the way . object . 1. you bid us work out salvation ; but we have no power to work . answ. 1. 't is true , we have not power : i deny that we have libertatem arbitrii * , man before conversion is purely passive . therefore the scripture calls it cor lapideum , a heart of stone , ezek. 36. a man in his pure naturals , can no more prepare himself to his own converting , then the stone can prepare it self to its own softning . but yet when god begins to draw , we may follow . those dry bones in ezekiel could not of themselves live , but when breath came into them , then they lived and stood upon their feet , ezekiel 37. 10. quest . but suppose god hath not dropt in a principle of grace ? suppose he hath not caused breath to enter ? answ. yet use the means . though you cannot work spiritually , yet work physically ; do what you are able , and that for two reasons . 1. because a man by neglecting the means , doth destroy himself . as a man by not sending to the physician , may be said to be the cause of his own death . secondly , god is not wanting to us when we do what we are able . urge the promise , seek and ye shall find , mat. 7. 7. put this bond in suit by prayer ; you say you have no power , but have you not a promise ? act so far as you can . though i dare not say as the arminian , when we do exert and put forth nature , god is bound to give grace ; yet this i say , deus volentibus non deest , god is not wanting to them that seek his grace ; nay , i will say more , he denies his grace to none but them that wilfully refuse it * . the second objection is this ; but to what purpose should i work ? there 's a decree past , if god hath decreed i shall be saved , i shall be saved . answ. god decrees salvation in a way of working * . origen in his book against celsus , observes a subtil argument of some who disputed about fate and destiny . one gave counsel to his sick friend not to send for the physician , because ( saith he ) it is appointed by destiny whether thou shalt recover or not . if it be thy destiny to recover , then thou needest not the physician ; if it be not thy destiny , then the physician will do thee no good : the like fallacy doth the devil use to men ; he bids them not work ; if god hath decreed they shall be saved , they shall be saved , and there is no need of working ; if he hath not decreed their salvation , then their working will do them no good ; this is an argument fetched out of the devils topicks . but we say god decrees the end in the use of meanes ; god did decree that israel should enter into canaan , but first they must fight with the sonnes of anak . god decreed that hezekiah should recover out of his sicknesse , but let him lay a fig to the boyl , isa. 38. 21. we do not argue thus in other things . a man doth not say , if god hath decreed i shall have a crop this year i shall have a crop . what need i plough , or sow , or manure the land ? no , he will use the means , and expect a crop. though the blessing of the lord makes rich , prov. 10. 22. yet it is as true , the diligent hand makes rich , prov. 10. 4. gods decreeing is carried on by our working . and thus having removed these objections out of the way , let me now perswade you to set upon this blessed work , the working out your salvation ; and that my words may the better prevail , i shall propound several arguments by way of motive to excite you to this work . the first argument or motive to working , is taken from the preciousnesse of the soul * ; well may we take pains that we may secure this from danger . the soul is a divine sparkle kindled by the breath of god . it doth out-ballance the world , mat. 16. 26. if the world be the book of god ( as origen calls it ) the soul is the image of god . plato calls the soul a glasse of the trinity . 't is a bright mirror in which some refracted beams of gods wisdom and holiness do shine forth ; the soul is a blossom of eternity . {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} god hath made the soul capable of communion with himselfe . it would banquer the world to give half the price of a soul . how highly did christ value the soul when he sold himself to buy it * ? o then , what pity is it , that this excellent soul , ( this soul for which god called a councel in heaven when he made it * , ) should miscarry and be undone to all eternity ? who would not rather work night and day , than lose such a soul ? the jewel is invaluable , the losse irreparable . 2. holy activity and industry doth enoble a christian * . the more excellent any thing is , the more active . the sunne is a glorious creature , it never stands still , but is going his circuit round the world . fire is the purest element , and the most active ; 't is ever sparkling and flaming . the angels are the most noble creatures , and the most nimble , therefore they are represented by the cherubims , with their wings displayed . god himself is actus purissimus , ( as the schoolmen speak , ) he is a most pure act : homer saith of agamemnon , that he did sometimes resemble jupiter in feature , pallas in wisdome , mars in valour ; by holy activity we resemble god who is a most pure act . the phaenix flies with a coronet on its head ; the industrious christian wants not a coronet ; his sweat enobles him ; his labour is his ensigne of honour . solomon tells us that drowsiness cloaths a man with rags ; prov. 23. 21. infamy is one of the rags that hang upon him ; god hates a dull temper . we reade in the law , that the asse ( being a dull creature ) must not be offered up in sacrifice . spiritual activity is a badge of honour . 3. working out salvation is that which will make death and heaven sweet to us . 1. it will sweeten death . he that hath been hard at work all day , how quietly doth he sleep at night ? you that have been working out salvation all your lives , how comfortably may you lay down your head at night in the grave , upon a pillow of dust in hope of a glorious resurrection ? this will be a death-bed cordial . 2. it will sweeten heaven . the more paines we have taken for heaven , the sweeter will it be when we come there . 't is delightful for a man to look over his work and see the fruit appear * . when he hath been planting trees in his orchard , or setting flowers , 't is pleasant to behold and review his labours : thus in heaven , when we shall see the fruit of our labours , the end of our faith , salvation , 1 pet. 1. 9. this will make heaven the sweeter . the more paines we have taken for heaven , the more welcome it will be ; the more sweat , the more sweet . when a man hath been sinning , the pleasure is gone , and the sting remains * ; but when he hath been repenting , the labour is gone , and the joy remains . 4. yet you have time to work . this text and sermon would be out of season to preach to the damned in hell . if i should bid them work , it is too late , their time is past ; 't is night with the devils , 't is yet day with you ; work while it is day , john 9. 4. if you lose your day , you lose your soules . there is not only {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} , but {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} . this is the season for your souls . now god commands , now the spirit breaths , now ministers beseech , and as so many bells of aaron would chime in your souls to christ . oh improve your season ; this is your seed-time , now sowe the seeds of faith and repentance . if when you have seasons , you want hearts ; the time may come when you have hearts , you shall want seasons . take time while you may ; the mariner hoists up his sailes while the winde blows ; never had a people a fairer gale for heaven than you of this city , and will you not set forward in your voyage ? what riding is there to the tearm , i warrant you the lawyer will not lose his term ? oh my brethren , now is the tearm-time for your souls , now plead with god for mercy , or at least get christ to plead for you . think seriously of these foure things . first , our life doth unravel apace . gregory compares our life to the mariner in a ship going full saile ; we are every day sailing apace to eternity . secondly , the seasons of grace though they are precious , yet not permanent . abused mercies will , like noahs dove , take their wings and fly from us . englands golden houre will soon run out ; gospel-blessings are very sweet , but very swift . now they are hid from thine eyes , luk. 19 42. we know not how soon the golden candlestick may remove . thirdly , there is a time when the spirit hath done striving . * there are certain spring-tydes of the spirit , and these being neglected , possibly we may never see another tide come in . when conscience hath done speaking , usually the spirit hath done striving . fourthly , the losse of gospel-opportunityes will be the hell of hell . when a sinner shall at the last day think with himself , o what i might have been ! i might have been as rich as the angels , as rich as heaven could make me . i had a season to work in , but i lost it . * this , this , will be as a vulture gnawing upon him , this will inhance , and accent his misery . and let all this perswade you speedily to work out your salvation . fifthly , you may do this work and not hinder your other work ; working out salvation and working in a calling are not inconsistent . and this i insert to prevent an objection . some may say , but if i work so hard for heaven i shall have no time for my trade . no sure , the wise god would never make any of his commands to interfere ; as he would have you seek his kingdom , mat. 6. 33. so he would have you provide for your family , 1 tim. 5. 8. you may drive two trades together . i like not those that make the church exclude the shop , that swallow up all their time in hearing , but neglect their work at home . * 2 thes. 3. 11. they are like the lillies of the field which toile not , neither do they spin . * god never sealed warrants to idlenesse . he , both commands and commends diligence in a calling . which may the rather encourage us to look after salvation , because this work will not take us off our other work . a man may with caleb follow god fully , numb. 14. 34. and yet with david follow the ewes great with young ; piety and industry may dwell together . sixthly , the inexcusablenesse of those that neglect working out their salvation . methinks i hear god expostulating the case with men at the last day , after this manner , why did ye not work ? i gave you time to work , i gave you light to work by , i gave you my gospel , my spirit , my ministers , i bestowed talents upon you to trade , i set the recompence of reward before you , why did ye not work out your salvation ? either it must be sloath or stubbornesse . was there any work ye did of greater concernment ? you could work in brick , but not in gold ; what can you say for your selves why the sentence should not passe ? oh how will the sinner be left speechlesse at such a time , and how will this cut him to the heart to think with himselfe he neglected salvation , and could give no reason for it . seventhly , the unexpressible misery of such as do not work out salvation . those that sleep in spring ; shall beg in harvest ; after death , when they look to receive a full crop of glory , they will be put to beg , as dives for one drop of water . vagrant persons that will not work , are sent to the house of correction : such as will not work out salvation , let them know hell is gods house of correction that they must be sent to . if all this doth not prevaile , consider lastly what it is we are working for , none will take paines for a trifle ; we are working for a crown , for a throne , for a paradise , * and all this is comprized in that one word salvation . here is a whet-stone to industry . all men desire salvation . 't is the crown of our hopes ; we should not think any labour too much for this . * what paines will men take for earthly crowns and scepters ! and suppose the kingdomes of the world were more illustrious then they are , their foundations of gold , their walls of pearl , their windows of saphire , what were all this to that kingdom we are labouring for ? we may as well span the firmament , as set forth this in all its splendor , and magnificence . salvation is a beautiful thing , it is as far above our thoughts as it is beyond our deserts . oh how should this add wings to our endeavours ! the merchant will run through the intemperate zones of heat and cold for a little prize * . the souldier for a rich booty will endure the bullet and sword , he will gladly undergo a bloody spring for a golden harvest ; oh then , how much more should we spend our holy sweat for this blessed prize of salvation * ! and so having laid down some arguments by way of motive , to perswade us to this work ; i shall now propound some means by way of direction to help us in this work ; and here i shall shew you what are those things to be removed which will hinder our working , and what are those things to be prosecuted which will further it . 1. we must remove those things which will hinder our working out salvatiō . there are six bars in the way to salvation which must be removed . 1. the intanglements of the world . while the foot is in a snare , a man cannot run . the world is a snare * ; while our feet are in it , we cannot run the race set before us , heb. 12. 1. if a man were to climb up a steepy rock , and had weights tyed to his legs , they would hinder his ascent ; too many golden weights will hinder us from climbing up this steepy rock that leads to salvation . while the mill of a trade is going , it makes such a noise , that we can hardly hear the minister lifting up his voyce like a trumpet . the world choaks our zeale and appetite after heavenly things ; the earth puts out the fire ; the musick of the world charmes us asleep , and then we cannot work . in mines of gold there are killing damps , o how many souls have been destroyed with a damp arising from the earth . the second bar in the way to salvation is sadnesse and unchearfulness : when a mans heart is sad , he is unfit to go about his work ; he is like an untuned instrument . * under fears and discouragements we act but faintly in religion . david labours to chide himselfe out of this spiritual melancholy , why art thou cast down o my soul ? psalme 42. 5. cheerfulnesse quickens ; the lacedemonians used musick in their battles to excite their spirits and make them fight more valiantly . cheerfulnesse is like musick to the soul , it excites to duty , it oyles the wheels of the affections : cheerfulnesse makes service come off with delight , and we are never carried so swift in religion as upon the wings of delight . melancholy takes off our chariot-wheeles , and then we drive on heavily . the third bar in the way to salvation is spiritual sloth . this is a great impediment to our working . it was said of israel , they despised the pleasant land , psal. 106. 24. what should be the reason ? canaan was a paradise of delight , a type of heaven ; i , but they thought it would cost them a great deal of trouble and hazzard in the getting , and they would rather go without it , they despised the pleasant land . are there not millions among us who had rather go sleeping to hell , than sweating to heaven ? i have read of certain spaniards that live neare where there is great store of fish , yet are so lazy that they will not be at the pains to catch them , but buy of their neighbours : such a sinful stupidity and sloth is upon the most , that though christ be near them , though salvation is offered in the gospel , yet they will not work out salvation . slothfulnesse casts into a deep sleep , prov. 19. 15. adam lost his rib when he was asleep ; many a man loseth his soul in this deep sleep . the fourth bar in the way to salvation is an opinion of the easinesse of salvation ; god is merciful , and the worst come to the worst , it is but repent . 1. god is merciful ? it is true , but withal he is just ; he must not wrong his justice by shewing mercy ; therefore observe that clause in the proclamation , exod. 34. 6. he will by no means clear the guilty . if a king did proclaim , that only those should be pardoned who came in , and submited to his scepter ; could any stil persisting in rebellion claim the benefit of that pardon ? o sinner , wouldst thou have mercy , and wilt not disband the weapons of unrighteousness ? 2. 't is but repent . but repent ? it is such a but that we cannot hit unlesse god direct our arrow . tell me o sinner , is it easie for a dead man to live and walk ? thou art spiritually dead , and wrapt up in thy winding sheet , eph. 2. 2. is regeneration easie ? are there no pangs in the new birth ? is self denial easie ? doest thou know what religion must cost , and what it may cost ? it must cost you the parting with your lusts , it may cost you the parting with your life ; take heed of this obstruction . salvation is not per saltum ; thousands have gone to hell upon this mistake . the broad spectacles of presumption have made the strait gate seem wider than it is . the fifth bar in the way to salvation is carnal friends . 't is dangerous listning to their voyce . the serpent did speak in eve . jobs wife would have called him off from serving god , doest thou still retaine thine integrity ? job . 2. 9. what still pray and weep ? here the devil did hand over a tentation to job by his wife . carnal friends will be calling us off from our work . what needs all this ado , lesse pains will serve ? we read that some of christs kindred , when they saw christ so earnest in preaching , would give him a check , mar. 3. 21. his friends went to lay hold on him ; our friends and kindred would sometimes stand in our way to heaven , * and judging our zeal madnesse , would lay hold of us and hinder us from working out our salvation . such friends spira met with ; for advising with them , whether he should revoke his former opinions concerning luthers doctrine , or persist in them to the death , they wished him to recant , and so openly abjuring his former faith , he became like a living man in hell . the sixth bar in the way to salvation is evil company * . they will takes us off our work ; the sweet waters lose their freshnesse when they run into the salt ; christians lose their freshnesse and savourinesse among the wicked ; christs doves will be sullied by lying among these pots * . sinful company is like the water in a smiths forge , which quencheth the iron , be it never so hot ; such cool good affections . the wicked have the plague of the heart * , and their breath is infectious . they will discourage us from working out our salvation ; just as he who is a suitor to a woman , & is very earnest in his suit , there comes one , and tels him , he knows something by the woman of ill report , some impediment ; the man hearing this , is presently taken off , & the suit ceaseth ; so 't is with many a man who begins to be a suitor to religion , fain he would have the match made up , & he grows very hot and violent in the suit , and falls a working out his salvation ; but then there come some of his confederates , and they tell him they know something by religion that is of ill report . this sect is everywhere spoken against * . there must be so much strictness & mortification that he must never look to see good day more ; hereupon he is discouraged , & so the match is broken off . take heed of such persons , they are devils covered wth flesh ; they are ( as one saith ) like herod , who would have killed christ-as soon as he was born : thus when christ is , as it were , beginning to be formed in the heart , they would in a spiritual sense kill him . and thus i have shewn you the bars that lie in the way to salvation , which are to be removed . i proceed now in the 2d . place to lay down some helps conducible to salvation . the first is in the text , fear and trembling * . this is not a fear of doubting , but a fear of diligence . this fear is requisite in the working out salvation . {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} , let us fear lest we come short * ; fear is a remedy against presumption . hope is like the cork to the net , it keeps the soul from sinking in despair ; and fear is like the lead to the net , it keeps the soul from floating in presumption . fear is that flaming sword that turns every way to keep out sin from entring * ; fear quickens ; 't is an antidote against sloath . noah being mov'd with fear , prepared an ark * . the traveller fearing least night should overtake him before he gets to his journeys end , spurs on the faster . fear causeth circumspection ; he that walks in fear , treads warily ; fear is a preservative against apostasie ; i wil put my fear in your hearts , & you shall not depart from me , jer. 32. 40. the fear of falling , keeps us from falling ; fear is the hadge and livery of a christian . the saints of old were men fearing god * . it is reported of holy anselm , that he spent most of his thoughts about the day of judgment . blessed is he that fears alwayes , prov. 28. 14. fear is a christians garrison , the way to be secure is always to fear ; this is one of the best tools for a christian to work with . secondly , another great help in working out salvation is love . love makes the work come off with delight ; seven years labour seemed nothing to jacob , because of the love that he did bear to rachel . love facilitates every thing * . it is like wings to the bird , like wheels to the chariot , like sails to the ship , it carries the soul on swiftly and chearfully in duty ; love is never weary ; it is an excellent saying of gregory , let but a man get the love of the world into his heart , & he will quickly be rich . so do but get the love of religion into your heart , and you wil quickly be rich in grace . love is a vigorous active grace , it despiseth dangers , it tramples upon difficulties ; like a mighty torrent it carries all before it . this is the grace takes heaven by violence . get but your hearts well heated with this grace , and you will be fitted for work . a third thing conducible to salvation , is , work in the strength of christ . {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} , i can do all things through christ that strengthens me , phil. 3. 13. never go to work alone . * sampsons strength lay in his hair . and a christians strength lies in christ . when you are to do any duty , to resist any tentation , to subdue any lust , set upon it in the strength of christ ; some go out against sin in the strength of resolutions and vowes , and they are soon foiled : do as sampson , he first cried to heaven for help , * & then * having taken hold of the pillars , he pul'd down the house upon the lords of the philistines . when we engage christ in the work , and so take hold upon the pillar of an ordinance , we then bring down the house upon the head of our lusts . fourthly , work low ▪ be humble , think not to merit by your working . either satan would keep us from working , or else he would make us proud of our working . god must pardon our works before he crowns them . if we could pray as angels , shed rivers of tears , build churches , erect hospitals , and should have a conceit that we merited by this , it would be as a dead flie in the box of perfume , it would stain and ecclipse the glory of the work . our duties like good wine relish of a bad cask , they are but glittering sins . let not pride poison our holy things ; when we have been working for heaven , we should say as good nehemiah , remember me o my god , concerning this , & spare me according to the greatness of thy mercy * . 5. work upon your knees ; be much in prayer . beg the spirit of god to help you in the work ; make that prayer , awake o north-wind , and come thou south , blow upon my garden * . we had need have this spirit blow upon us , there being so many contrary winds blowing against us , & considering how soon holy affections are apt to wither . the garden hath not more need of wind to make its fruit flow out , then we of the spirit , to make our graces flourish . philip joynd himself to the eunuchs * chariot ; gods spirit must joyn it self to our chariot ; as the mariner hath * his hand to the stern , so he hath his eye to the star . while we are working we must look up to the spirit ; what is our preparation without the spirits operation ? what is all our rowing without a gale from heaven ? the spirit lifted me up , gods spirit must both infuse grace and excite it . we read of a wheel within a wheel , ezek. 1. 16. the spirit of god is that inner wheel that must move the wheel of our endevor . to conclude all , pray to god to bless you in your work ; the race is not to the swift , nor the battel to the strong , eccles. 9. 11. nothing prospers without a blessing ; & what way to obtain it but by prayer ? t is a saying of one of the antients , the saints carry the keys of heaven at their girdle . prayer beats the weapon out of the enemies hand , and gets the blessings out of gods hand . lastly , work in hope ; the apostle saith , he that ploughs shall plough in hope , 1 cor. 9. 10. hope is the souls anchor , heb. 6. 19. cast this anchor upon the promise ; & you shall never sink . * nothing more hinders us in our working then unbelief . sure saith a christian , i may toil all day for salvation , and catch nothing . what ? is there no balm in gilead ? is there no mercy-seat ? oh! sprinkle faith in every duty , look up to free-grace , fix your eye upon the blood of christ ; would you be saved : to your working join believing . finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a65304e-300 * 1 tim. 5. 13. notes for div a65304e-490 i the manner of insinuation . * phil. 3 18 * tit. 1. 13. * {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} . magdebur . ceut . 3. * non fulmen sed flumen . 2 the exhortation . doct. * verbum satagite significat angi & distorqueri sollicitudine alicujus aei perficiendae . lorinus . * beza . ar. montanus . 1 otium excu●ere 2 vires exerc●re . jans nius * ad summas usque vires tanquam pro vita & morte luctan●um cor● 〈◊〉 rem acerrimè expctere . beza . * dan. 6. 14. ex natura operis . * fomes peccati . bern. * rom. 1. 30. * quanto agone opus est , quantis vigiliis & lachrymis . ex fallacia operis . grande profundum est homo . aug. * ille vere plangit commissa , qui non committit plangenda . aug. * fides non ●ligit objectum . ex impeditione operis . 2. ab intra * {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} . * {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} . chiys . 2. ab extra * ps. 69. 22. * {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} * rom. 3. 13. 4. ex lubricitate operis . * {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} * saepemens ad coelum erigitur , oculosquein radios solis defigit justitiae , gravata autem infirmitate carnis de coelo ad teram descendit . bern. de modo vivendi . serm. 53 * mat. 27. ut . quest . 1. resp. 1. * {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} * quest . 2. answ. * jugum leve & suave . trem. * psal 2. 3. reas. 2. * non cuivis contingit adire corinthum . * brerew . enquir . * ezr. 10. 2 * non tantum agite sed satagite lorinus . * hab. 2. 6. * gen. 42. 2. use 1. inform . * non est ad astra mollis è terris via * {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} livy . omnia pro laboribus jupiter vendidit . * heb. 1. 14 use 2. reproof . 1. branch . * {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} . * {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} . chrysostome . 2. branch * ma● . 20 , 6 * nullo modo capit porta illa caelestis divitiis o●ustus , luxu d●stentos , torpore ●anguidos , fastu elatos , sed per la bores & jejunia saeculi fallentis illecebras vincentes . brugensis . 3. branch ▪ branch . 4. * 1 tim. 4. 1 * aristotle livy , plutarch . 5. branch . * impii quam strenuè serviunt diabolo . cyp. * ebri●s dum absorbet vinum , absorbetur a viuo . ambrose . * mat. 5. 34 * exod. 23. 4. * rev. 9. 7. 6. branch . * sero nimis te amavi domine . aug. * si aurum tibi offeram , non mihi dicis cras veniam , sed jam exi●is ; nemo differt , nemo excusat : salus promittitur & quis festi●at ? ambrose serm. de elemosy●a . * joh. 9. 4. * gen. 4. 3. * {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} * act. 12. 6 ser. qui dat poenitenti veniam , non semper dat peccanti poenitentiam . aug. branch 7. * hos. 8. 3. * pejùs est recidere quàm incidere . bern. serm. 54. sup . cant. * dan. 3. * {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} use 3. qui in ●abore ho●inum non ●nt , in la●ore daemo●um erunt . bern. caution . object . 1 answ. 1. * lorinus . quest . answ. * joh. 5. 40 object . 2. answ. * 2 thes. 2. 13. arg. 1. * {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} mac. hom 26. phocilides * o anima redempta sanguine , deputata cum angelis capax beatitudinis ! bern. * gen. 1. 26 arg. 2. * labor splendore decoratur . cicero . * {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} . * praeterit jucunditas non relitura , & manet anxietas non peritura . aug arg. 4. * {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} ignatius . epist. 7. ad smyrnens * vita hominis est similis naviganti , &c. greg. * gen. 6. 3 * pessimum istud virbū habuisse plautus . * 2 thes. 3. 11. * mat. 6. 28 psal. 78. 71. arg. 6. arg. 7. arg. 8. * {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} . ignatius . {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} menand. * nullus labor durus nullū tempus longum quo aeternitatis gloria comparetur . hierom. * extremos currit mercator ad indos . horace * mercedian tantae par labor esse potest ? verinus . removenda . * divitiae saeculi sunt laquei diaboli . bern. * animae functiones tolluntur in mania , depravatur in melancholia . here de sax. tract. de melanch . * {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} . igna. ep. 12. ad rom. * mclius est habere malorum odium quam consortium . bern. * ps. 68. 13. * 1 king. 8. 38. * act. 28. 22. promovenda . * gemma pretiosa pietas , sed faci è surripit●r nisi à timore custodiatur . * heb. 4. 1. * est janitor animae , petrus cellensis . * heb. 11. 8. * mal. 3. 17 si vis esse securus , semper time . * omnia facilia habenti charitatem . aug. * vis geminata fortior . * judg. 16. 28. * tum insiluit spiritus domini . * vaelandabili vitae hominum si remota misericordia cam trutina discuties . aug. * neh. 13. 22. * cant. 4. ult. * act. 8. 29 * manus ad clavum , oculus ad coelum . ezek. 3. 14 * spes facit ut cultis mandentur semin , torris . * ps. 33. 18. the grand question resolved, what we must do to be saved instructions for a holy life / by the late reverend divine, mr. richard baxter ; recommended to the bookseller a few days before his death to be immediately printed for the good of souls. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1692 approx. 100 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 25 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2006-02 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a26936 wing b1279 estc r14371 12390784 ocm 12390784 60991 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a26936) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 60991) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 268:10) the grand question resolved, what we must do to be saved instructions for a holy life / by the late reverend divine, mr. richard baxter ; recommended to the bookseller a few days before his death to be immediately printed for the good of souls. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [2], 46 p. printed for tho. parkhurst ..., london : 1692. later published as: what we must do to be saved. reproduction of original in british library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng salvation -early works to 1800. christian life -early works to 1800. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-08 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2005-10 elspeth healey sampled and proofread 2005-10 elspeth healey text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-01 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the grand question resolved , what we must do to be saved . instructions for a holy life : by the late reverend divine , mr. richard baxter . recommended to the bookseller a few days before his death , to be immediately printed for the good of souls . acts 16. 30. sirs , what must i do to be saved . london : printed for tho. parkhurst , at the bible and three crowns in cheap-side , 1692. the great case resolved , how to be certainly saved . instructions for a holy life . i. the necessity , reason and means of holiness . ii. the parts and practice of a holy life . for personal direction , and for family instruction . with two short catechisms , and prayers . reader , ignorant persons cannot remember long and many words , nor understand a brief stile and few words . this maketh it impossible to write a catechism , that shall not be unsuitable either to the understanding or the memory of such . i must therefore desire the teacher to make up this unavoidable defect , by opening the 〈◊〉 ( especially of the catechisms ) to the children and servants , when they have learned and say the words : read the instructions often to them , and press all as you go on their affections . for the bare words without a present guide , may ●●e be all lost . i. the necessity , reason , and means of holiness . 1. to keep up the resolutions of the converted . and , 2. to instruct those in families that need them . though the a saving of souls be a matter of unexpressible importance , yet ( the lord have mercy upon them ; ) what abundance are there that think it not worthy of their serious enquiry , nor the reading of a good book , one hour in a week ? for the sake of these careless slothful sinners , i have here spoken much in a little room , that they may not refuse to read and consider so short a lesson , unless they think their souls worth nothing . sinner , as thou wilt shortly answer it before god , deny not to god , to thy self , and me , the sober pondering , and faithful practising these few directions . i. begin at home and know thy self : consider what it is to be a b man. thou art made a nobler creature than the brutes . they serve thee , and are governed by thee ; and death ends all their pains and pleasures . but thou hast reason to rule thy self and them ; to know thy god , and ●oresee thy end , and know thy way , and do thy duty . thy reason and free-will , and executive power , are part of the image of god upon thy nature ; so is thy dominion over the brutes , as ( under him ) thou art their owner , their ruler , and their end. but thy holy wisdom , and goodness , and ability , is the chief part of his image , on which thy happiness depends . thou hast a soul that cannot be satisfied in knowing , till thy c knowledge reach to god himself : nor can it be disposed by any other : nor can it ( or the societies of the world ) be well governed according to its nature , without regard to his soveraign authority , and without the hopes and d fears of joy and misery hereafter : nor can it be e happy in any thing , but seeing , and loving , and delighting in this god , as he is revealed in the other world. and is this nature given thee in vain ? if the nature of all things be fitted to its f vse and end , then it must be so with thine . ii. by knowing thy self then , thou must needs know ▪ that there is a g god ; and that he is thy maker , and infinite in all perfections ; and that he is thy owner , thy ruler , and thy felicity or end. he is mad that seeth not , that such creatures have a cause or maker ; and that all the power , and wisdom , and goodness of the world , is caused by a power , and wisdom , and goodness , which is greater than that of all the world. and who can be our owner , but he that made us ? and who can be our highest governour , but our owner ? whose infinite power , wisdom , and goodness , maketh him only fit thereto . and if he be our governour , he must needs have laws , with rewards for the good , and punishments for the bad ; and must judge and execute accordingly . and if he be our chiefest benefactor , and all that we have is from him , and all our hope and happiness is in him , nothing can be more clear than that the very nature of man doth prove , that in hope of future happiness , he should absolutely resign himself to the will and disposal of this god , and that he should h absolutely obey him , and that he should love and serve him with all his power . it being impossible to love , obey , and please that god too much , who is thus our cause , our end , our all. iii. by knowing thus thy self and god , it is easie to know what primitive holiness and godliness is . even this hearty , entire and absolute resignation of the soul to god , as the infinite power , wisdom , and goodness ; as our creator , our owner , governour , and felicity or end ; fully submiting to his disposals ; obeying his laws , in hope of his promised rewards , and fear of his threatned punishments : and loving and delighting in himself , and all his appearances in the world ; and desiring and seeking the endless sight and enjoyment of him in heavenly glory , and expressing these affections in daily prayer , thanksgiving and praise . this is the vse of all thy faculties ; the end and business of thy life ; the health and happiness of thy soul : this is that holiness or godliness which god doth so much call for . iv. and by this it is easie to know , what a k state of sin and ungodliness is . even the want of all this holiness , and the setting of carnal self instead of god. when men are proudly great , and wise , and good in their own eyes ; and would dispose of themselves , and all their concernments , and would rule themselves , and please themselves , according to the fleshly appetite and fancy ; and therefore love most the pleasures , and profits , and honours of the world , as the provision to satisfie the desires of the flesh ; and god shall be no ●urther loved , obeyed or pleased , than the love of fleshly pleasure will give leave ; nor shall have any thing but what the flesh can spare . this is a wicked , a carnal , an ungodly state ; though it break forth in various ways of sinning . v. by this , experience it self may tell you , that most men l ( yea all , till grace renew them ) are in this ungodly miserable state : ( though only the scripture tells us how this came to pass ) though all are not fornicators , nor drunkards , no● extortioners , nor persecu●ors , nor live not in the same way of sinning ; yet selfishness , and pride , and sensuality , and the love of worldly things , ignorance and ungodliness are plainly become the common corruption of the nature of man ; so that their hearts are turned to the world from god , and filled with impiety , filthiness , and injustice ; and their reason is but a servant to their senses ; and their m mind , and love and life , is carnal ; and this carnal mind is enmity to the holiness of god , and cannot be subject to his law. this corruption is hereditary , and is become , as it were , a nature to us , being the mortal malady of all our natures . and it is easie to know that such an unholy wicked nature must needs be loathsome to god , and n unfit for the happy enjoyment of his love , either here , or in the life to come : for what communion hath light with darkness ? vi. hence then it is easie to see , what grace is needful to a man's salvation . so odious a creature , such an unthankful rebel , that is turned away from god , and set against him , and defiled with all this filth of sin , must needs be both o renewed and reconciled , sanctified and pardoned , if ever he will be saved . to love god , and be beloved by him , and to be delighted herein , in the sight of his glory , is the heaven and happiness of souls ; and all this is contrary to an unholy state. till men have new and holy hearts , they can neither see god , nor love him , nor delight in him , nor take him for their chief content ; for the flesh and world have their delight and love. and till sin be p pardoned , and god reconciled to the soul , what joy or peace can it expect from him , whose nature and justice engageth him to loath and punish it ? vii . and experience will tell you , how q insufficient you are , for either of these two works your selves ; to renew your souls , or to reconcile them unto god. will a nature that is carnal resist and overcome the flesh , and abhor the sin which it most dearly loveth ? will a worldly mind overcome the world ? when custom hath rooted your natural corruptions , are they easily rooted up ? o how great and hard a work is it , to cause a blind unbelieving sinner to set his heart on another world , and lay up all his hopes in heaven , and to cast off all the things he seeth , for that god and glory which he never saw ! and for a hardned , worldly , fleshly heart to become wise , and tender , and holy , and heavenly , and abhor the sin which it most fondly loveth ! and what can we do to satisfie justice , and reconcile such a rebel soul to god ? viii . nature and experience having thus acquainted you with your sin and misery , and what you want , will further tell you that god r doth not yet deal with you according to your deserts . he giveth you life , and time , and mercies , when your sins had forfeited all these : he obligeth you to repent and turn unto him . and therefore experience telling you , that there is some hope , and that god hath found out some way of shewing mercy to the children of wrath , reason will command you to enquire of all that are fit to teach you , what way of remedy god hath made known . and , as you may soon discover , that the religion of heathens and mahometans , is so far from shewing the true remedy , that they are part of the disease it self : so you may learn , that a (ſ) wonderful person , the lord jesus christ , hath undertaken the office of being the redeemer and saviour of the world ; and that he , who is the eternal word and wisdom of the father , hath wonderfully appeared in the nature of man , which he took from the virgin mary , being conceived by the holy ghost ; and that we might have a teacher sent from † heaven infallably and easily to acquaint the world with the will of god , and the unseen things of life eternal : how god t bare witness of his truth , by abundant , open , and uncontrouled miracles : u how he conquered satan , and the world , and w gave us an example of perfect righteousness , and underwent the scorn and cruelty of sinners , and suffered the death of the cross , as a sacrifice for our sins to reconcile us unto god : how he rose again the third day , and conquered death , and lived forty days longer on earth , instructing his apostles , and giving them commission to preach the gospel to all the world ; and then ascended bodily into heaven , while they gazed after him : how he is now in heaven both god and man in one person , the teacher , and king , and high-priest of his church . of him must we learn the way of life ; by him must we be ruled as the physician of souls . all power is given him in heaven and in earth . by his sacrifice , and merits , and intercession must we be pardoned and accepted with the father ; and only by him must we come to god. he hath procured and established a covenant of grace , which baptism is the seal of : even [ that god will in him be our god and reconciled father , and christ will be our saviour , and the holy ghost will be our sanctifier , if we will unfeignedly consent ; that is , if penitently and believingly we give up our selves to god the father , son , and holy ghost , in those resolutions . ] this covenant in the tenor of it , is a deed of gift , of christ , and pardon , and salvation to all the world : ●f by the true faith and repentance they will turn to god. and this shall be the law according to which he will judge all that hear it at the last ; for he is made the judge of all , and will raise all the dead , and will justify his saints , and judge them unto endless joy and glory , and condemn the unbelievers , impenitent and x ungodly , unto endless misery . the soul alone is judged at death , and body and soul at the resurrection . this gospel the apostles preached to the world ; and that it might be effectual to mens salvation , the y holy ghost was first given to inspire the preachers of it , and enable them to speak in various languages , and infallibly to agree in one , and to work many great and open miracles to prove their word to those they preached to : and by this means they z planted the church ; which ordinary ministers must increase , and teach , and oversee , to the end of the world , till all the elect be gathered in . and the same a holy spirit hath undertaken it , as his work , to accompany this gospel , and by it to convert mens souls , illuminating and sanctifying them ; and by a secret b regeneration to renew their natures , and bring them to that knowledge , and obedience , and love of god , which is the primitive holiness , for which we were created , and from which we fell . and thus by a saviour and a sanctifier must all be reconciled and renewed , that will be glorified with god in heaven . all this you may learn from the sacred scriptures , which were c written by the inspiration of the holy spirit , and sealed by multitudes of open d miracles , and contain the very image and superscription of god , and have been received and preserved by the church , as the certain oracles of god , and blessed by him through all generations , to the sanctifying of many souls . ix . when you understand all this , it is time for you to e look home , and understand now what state your souls are in . that you were made capable of holiness and happiness , you know : that you and all men are fallen from god , and holiness , and happiness , unto self , and sin , and misery , you know : that you are so far redeemed by christ , you know , as to have a pardoning and saving covenant tendered you , and christ and mercy offered to your choice . but whether you are truly penitent believers , and renewed by the holy ghost , and so united unto christ , this is the question yet unresolved ; this is the work that is yet to do , without which there is no salvation ; and if thou die before it is done , wo to thee that ever thou wast a man. except a man be f regenerate by the spirit , and converted , and made a new creature , and of car●al be made spiritual , and of earthly be made heavenly , and of selfish and sinful be made holy and obedient to god , he can never be saved , no more than the devil himself can be saved . and if this be so , ( as nothing is more sure ) i require thee now , who readest these words , as thou regardest thy salvation , as thou wouldest escape hell fire , and stand with comfort before christ and his angels , at the last , that thou soberly consider whether reason command thee not to try thy state ; whether thou art thus g renewed by the spirit of christ or not ? and to h call for help to those that can advise thee , and follow on the search till thou know thy case . and if thy soul be a stranger to this sanctifying work , whether reason command thee not , without any delay , to make out to christ , and beg his spirit , and cast away thy sins , and give up thy self entirely to thy god , thy saviour and sanctifier , and enter into his covenant , with a full resolution never to forsake him ; to deny thy self , and the desires of the flesh , and this deceitful transitory world , and lay out all thy hopes on heaven , and speedily , whatever it cost thee , to make sure of the felicity which hath no end ? and darest thou refuse this when god and conscience do command it ? and further i advise you , x. understand how it is that satan hindreth souls from being sanctified : that you may know how much to resist his wiles . some he deceiveth by i malicious suggestions , that holiness is nothing but fancy or hypocrisie ! ( and if god and death , and heaven , and hell , were fancies , this might be believed . ) some he debaucheth by the power of fleshly appetite and lust , so that their sins will not let their reason speak : some he keepeth in utter ignorance , by the evil education of ignorant parents , and the negligence of k ungodly soul-murdering teachers : some he deceiveth by worldly hopes , and keepeth their minds so taken up with worldly things , that the matters of eternity can have but some loose and uneffectual thoughts , or as bad as none : some are entangled in l ill company , who make a scorn of a holy life , and seed them with continual diversions and vain delights : and some are so m hardened in their sin , that they are even past feeling , and neither fear god's wrath , nor care for their salvation , but hear these things as men asleep , and nothing will awake them : some are discouraged with a conceit that godliness is a life so n grievous , sad , and melancholy , that rather than endure it , they will venture their souls , come on it what will ; ( as if it were a grievous life to love god , and hope for endless joys , and a pleasant life to love the world and sin , and live within a step of hell ! ) some that are convinced , do o put off their coversion with delays , and think it's time enough hereafter ; and are purposing and promising till it be too late , and life , and time , and hope be ended . and some that see there is is a necessity of holiness ▪ are p cheated by some dead opinion , or names , or shews and images of holiness ; either because they hold a strict opinion , or because they joyn with a religious party , or because they are of that which they think is the true church , or because they are baptized with water , and observe the outward parts of worship ; and perhaps because they offer god a great deal of lip-service , and lifeless ceremony , which never savoured of a holy soul. thus deadness , sensuality , worldliness and hypocrisie , do hinder millions from sanctification and salvation . xi . if ever thou wouldest be saved , oppress not reason by sensuality or diversions : but sometimes q retire for sober consideration , distracted and sleepy reason is unuseful : god and conscience have a great deal to say to thee : which in a crowd of company and business thou art not fit to hear . it is a r dolesul case that a man who hath a god , a christ , a soul , a heaven , a hell to think of , will allow them none but running thoughts , and not once in a week bestow one hour in man-like serious s consideration of them ! sure thou hast no greater things to mind . resolve then sometimes to spend half an hour in the deepest thoughts of thy everlasting state. xii . look t upon this world , and all its pleasures , as a man of reason , who foreseeth the end , and not as a beast , that liveth but by sense or present objects , do i need to to tell thee , man , that thou must die ? cannot carcases and dust instruct thee to see the end of earthly glory , and all the pleasures of the flesh ? is it a controversie , whether thy flesh must shortly perish ? and wilt thou yet provide for it before thy soul ? what a sad farewel must thou shortly take , of all that worldlings sell their souls for ! and o how quickly will this be ! alass , man , the day is even at hand ; a few days more , and thou art gone ! and darest thou live unready , and part with heaven for such a world as this ? xiii . and then think soberly of the u life to come , what it is for a soul to appear before the living god , and be judged to endless joy or misery ! if the devil tempt thee to doubt of such a life , remember that nature , and scripture , and the worlds consent , and his own temptations are witnesses against him . o man , canst thou pass one day in company , or alone in business or in idleness , without some sober thoughts of everlastingness ? nothing more sheweth that the hearts of men are asleep or dead , than that the thoughts of endless joy or pain , so near at hand , constrain them not to be holy , and overcome not all the temptations of the flesh , as toys and inconsiderable things . xiv . mark well what mind most men are of when they come to x die ! unless it be some desperate forsaken wretch do they not all speak well of a holy life ? and wish that their lives had been spent in the most fervent love of god , and strictest obedience to his laws ? do they then speak well of lust and pleasures and magnifie the wealth and honours of the world ? had they not rather die as the most mortified saints , then as careless , fleshly , worldly sinners ? and dost thou see and know this , and yet wilt thou not be instructed , and be wise in time ? xv. think well what manner of men these were , whose y names are now honoured for their holiness ! what manner of life did st. peter , and st. paul , st. cyprian , st. augustine , and all other saints and martyrs live ; was it a life of fleshly sports and pleasures ? did they deride or persecute a holy life ? were they not more strictly holy than any that thou knowest ? and is he not self-condemned , that honoureth the names of saints , and will not imitate them ? xvi . think what the difference is between a christian and an z heathen . you are loath to be heathens or infidels : but do you think a christian excelleth them but in opinion ? he that is not holier than they , ●s worse , and shall suffer more than they . xvii . think what the difference is between a a godly christian and an ungodly . do not all the opposers of holiness among us , yet speak for the same god , and christ , and scripture ; and profess the same creed and religion with those whom they oppose ? and is not this christ the author of our holiness , and this scripture the commander of it ? search and see , whether the difference be not this , that the godly are serious in their profession , and the ungodly are hypocrites , who hate and oppose the practise of the very things which themselves profess ; whose religion serveth but to condemn them , while their lives are contrary to their tongues . xviii . understand what the devil's policy is , by raising so many b sects and factions and controversies about religion in the world : even to make some think that they are religious , because they can prare for their opinions , or because they think their party is the best , because their faction is the greatest , or the least ; the uppermost , or the suffering side . and to turn holy edifying conference into vain jangling ; and to make men a●heists , suspecting all religion , and true to none ; because of mens diversity of minds . but remember that christian religion is but one ; and a thing easily known by its ancient rule ; and the universal church , containing all christians , is but one. and if carnal interest or opinions so distract men , that one party saith , we are all the church ; and another saith , it is we , ( as if the kitchin were all the house , o● one town or village , all the kingdom ; ) wilt thou b●● mad with seeing this distraction ? hearken , sinner , all these sects in the day of judgment shall concur 〈◊〉 witnesses against thee , if thou be unholy ; because however else they differed , c all of them that are christians , professed the necessity of holiness , and subscribed to that scripture which requireth it . though thou canst not easily resolve every controversie , thou mayst easily know-the true religion ; it is that which christ and his apostles taught , which all christians have professed , which scripture requireth ; which is first d pure , and then peaceable ; most spiritual , heavenly , charitable and just . xix . away from that e company which is sensual , and an enemy to reason , sobriety , and holiness ; and consequently to god , themselves and thee . can they be wise for thee , that are foolish for themselves ? or friends to thee , that are undoing themselves ? or have any pity on thy soul , when they make a jest of their own damnation ? will they help thee to heaven , who are running so furiously to hell ? chuse better familiars , if thou wouldest be better . xx. judge not of a holy life by hearsay , for it cannot so be known . f try it a while , and then judge as thou findest it . speak not against the things thou knowest not . hadst thou but lived in the love of god , and the lively belief of endless glory , and the delights of holiness , and the fears of hell , but for one month or day ; and with such a heart , hadst g cast away thy sin , and called upon god , and ordered thy family in 〈◊〉 holy manner , especially on the lord's day ; i dare boldly say , experience would constrain thee to h justifie a holy life . but yet i must tell thee , it is not ●rue holiness , if thou do but try it with i exceptions and reserves : if therefore god hath convinced thee that this is his will and way , i adjure thee , as in his dreadful presence , that thou k delay no longer , but resolve , and absolutely give up thy self to god as thy heavenly father , thy saviour , and thy sanctifier , and ●ake an everlasting covenant with him , and then he and 〈◊〉 his mercies will be thine ; his grace will help thee , ●nd his mercy pardon thee ; his ministers will instruct ●hee , and his people pray for thee , and assist thee ; his angels will guard thee , and his spirit comfort thee : and when flesh must fail , and thou must leave this world , thy saviour will then receive thy soul , and bring ●t into the participation of his glory ; and he will raise ●hy body , and justifie thee before the world , and make ●hee equal to the angels ; and thou shalt live in the ●ight and love of god , and in the everlasting pleasures ●f his glory : this is the end of faith and holiness . but 〈◊〉 thou harden thy heart , and refusest mercy , l everlasting wo will be thy portion , and then there will be no remedy . and now , reader , i beg of thee , and i beg of god on my bended knees , that these few words may sink into thy heart , and that thou wouldest read them over and over again , and bethink thee as a man that must shortly die . whether any deserve thy love and obedience more than god ? and thy thankful remembrance more then christ , and thy care and diligence more than thy salvation ? is there any felicity more desirable than heaven ? or any misery more terrible than hell ? or any thing so regardable as that which is everlasting ? will a few days fleshly pleasures pay for the loss of heaven and thy immortal soul ? or will thy sin and thy prosperity be sweet at death , and in the day of judgment ? as thou art a man , and as ever thou believest that there is a god , and a world to come , and as thou carest for thy soul , whether it be saved or damned , i beseech thee , i charge thee , think of these things ! think of them once a day at least ! think of them with thy most sober serious thoughts ! heaven is not a may-game , and hell is not a flea-biting ! make not a jest of salvation or damnation ! i know thou livest in a distracted world , where thou mayest hear some laughing at such things as these , and scorning at a holy life , and fastning odious reproaches on the godly , and merrily drinking , and playing , and prating away their time , and then saying , that they will trust god with their souls , and hope to be saved without so much ado ! but if all these men do not change their minds , and be not shortly down in the mouth , and would not be glad to eat their words , and wished that they had lived a holy life , though it had cost them scorn and suffering in the world , let me bear the shame of a deceiver for ever : but if god and thy conscience bear witness against thy sin , and tell thee that a holy life is best , regard not the gain-sayings of a bediam world , which is drunk with the delusions of the flesh : but give up thy soul and life to god by jesus christ in a faithful covenant ! delay no longer , man , but resolve ; resolve immediately , resolve unchangeably ; and god will he thine , and thou shalt be his for ever . amen . lord have mercy on this sinner , and to let it be resolved by thee in him . ii. the parts and practice of a holy life for personal and family instructions . all is not not a done when men have begun a religious life : all trees that blossom prove not fruitful ; and all fruit comes not to perfection . many fall off , who seemed to have good beginnings : and many dishonour the name of christ , by their scandals and infirmities : many do grieve their teachers hearts , and lamentably disturb the church of christ , by their ignorance , errors , self-conceitedness , unruliness , headiness , contentiousness , sidings and divisions : insomuch that the b scandals and the feuds of christians are the great impediments of the conversion of the infidel and heathen world , by the exposing christianity to their contempt and scorn , as if it were but the error of men , as unholy and worldly , and proud as others , that can never agree among themselves : and many by their passions and selfishness are a trouble to the families and neighbours where they live : and more by their weaknesses and great distempers , are snares , vexations , and burdens to themselves . whereas christianity in its true constitution , is a life of such holy c light and love , such purity and peace , such fruitfulness and heavenliness , as if it were accordingly shewed forth in the lives of christians , would command admiration and reverence from the world , and do more to their conversion , than swords or words alone can do : and it would make christians useful and amiable to each other : and their lives a feast and pleasure to themselves . i hope it may prove some help to these excellent ends , and to the securing mens salvation , if in a few sound experienced directions i open to you the duties of a christian life , i. keep still the true d form of christian doctrine , desire and duty , orderly printed on your minds : that is , understand it clearly and distinctly , and remember it , i mean the great points of religion contained in catechisms . you may still grow in the clearer understanding of your catechisms , if you live an hundred years : let not the words only , but the matter , be as familiar in your minds , as the rooms of your house are . such e solid knowledge will establish you against seduction and unbelief , and will be still within you a ready help for every grace , and every duty ; as the skill of an artificer is for his work : and for want of this , when you come among infidels or hereticks , their reasonings may seem unanswerable to you , and shake , if not overthrow your faith ; and you will easily err in lesser points , and trouble the church with your dreams and wranglings . this is the calamity of many professors ; that while they will be most censorious judges in every controversie about church-matters , they know not well the doctrine of the catechism . ii. live daily by faith on f jesus christ , as the mediator between god and you . being well-grounded in the belief of the gospel , and understanding christ's office , make use of him still in all your wants . think on the fatherly love of god , as coming to you through him alone : and of the spirit , as given by him your head , and of the covenant of grace as enacted and sealed by him ; and of the ministry as sent by him ; and of all times and helps , and hopes as procured and given by him . when you think of sin , and infirmity , and temptations , think also of his sufficient , pardonin● , justifying and victorious grace . when thou thinkest of the world , the flesh , and the devil , think how he overcometh them . let his doctrine and the pattern of his most perfect life , be always before you as your rule . in all your doubts , and fears , and wants , go to him in the spirit , and to the father by him , and him alone . take him as the root of your life and mercies , and live as upon him and by his life ; and when you die , resign your souls to him , that they may be with him where he is , and see his glory . to live on christ and use him in every want , and address to god , is more than a general confused believing in him . iii. so believe in the holy ghost , as to g live and work by him , as the body doth by the soul. you are not h baptized into his name in vain ; ( but too few understand the sense and reason of it . ) the spirit is sent by christ for two great works . 1. to the apostles and prophets , to i inspire them infallibly to preach the gospel , and confirm it by miracles , and leave it on record for following ages , in the holy scriptures . 2. to all his k members , to illuminate and sanctifie them , to believe and obey this sacred doctrine ( beside his common gift to many to understand and preach it . ) the spirit having first indicted the gospel , doth by it first regenerate , and after govern all true believers . he is not now given ●s for the revealing of new doctrines , but to understand and obey the l doctrine revealed and sealed by him long ago . as the sun doth by its sweet and discreet influence , both give and cherish the natural life of things sensitive and vegetative ; so doth christ by his m spirit our spiritual life . as you do no work but by your natural life , you should do none but by your spiritual life : you must not only believe , and love and pray by it , but manage all your calling by it ; for holiness to the lord must be written upon all ; all things are sanctified to you , because you being sanctified to god , devote all to him , and use all for him ; and therefore must do all in the strength and conduct of the spirit . iv. n live wholly upon god , as all in all : as the first efficient , principal dirigent , and final cause of all things . let faith , hope , and love , be daily feeding on him . let our father which art in heaven , be first inscribed on your hearts , that he may seem most amiable to you , and you may boldly trust him , and filial love may be the spring of duty . make use of the son and spirit to lead you to the father ; and of faith in christ to kindle and keep alive the love of god. god's love is our primitive holiness , and especially called , with its fruits , [ our sanctification , ] which faith in christ is but a means to . let it be your principal end , in studying christ , to see the goodness , love , and amiableness of god in him : a condemning god is not so easily loved , as a gracious reconciled god. you have so much of the spirit , as you have love to god : this is the proper gift of the spirit to all the adopted sons of god , to cause them , with filial affection and dependance , to cry , abba , father . know not , desire not , love not any creature , but purely as subordinate to god! without him , let it be nothing to you , but as the glass without the face , or scattered letters without the sense ; or as the corps without the soul. o call nothing prosperity or pleasure , but his love ; and nothing adversity or misery , but his displeasure , and the cause and the fruits of it . when any thing would seem lovely and desirable which is against him , call it p dung ! and hear that man , as q satan , or the serpent , that would entice you from him ; and count him but vanity , a worm , and dust , that would affright you from your duty to him . fear him much , but love him more ! let r love be the soul and end of every other duty : it is the end and reason of all the rest ; but it hath no end or reason , but its object . think of no other heaven , and end , and happiness of man , but love , the final act , and god the final object : place not your religion in any thing but the love of god , with its means and fruits . own no grief , desire , or joy , but a mourning , a seeking , and a rejoycing love. v. live in the belief and hopes of heaven , and s seek it as your part and end ; and daily delight your souls in the sore-thoughts of the endless sight and love of god. as god is seen on earth but as in a glass , so is he proportionably enjoyed . but when mourning , seeking love hath done , and sin and enemies are overcome , and we behold the glory of god in heaven , the delights of love will then be perfect . you may desire more on earth than you may hope for . look not for a kingdom of this world , nor for mount zion in the wilderness . christ reigneth on earth , as moses in the camp , to guide us to the 〈◊〉 and of the promise : our perfect blessedness will be , where the kingdom is delivered up to the father , and god is all in all. a doubt , or a strange heartless thought of heaven , is water cast on the sacred fire , to quench your holiness and your joy. can you travel one whole day to such an end , and never think of the place that you are going to ? which must be intended in every righteous act ( either notedly , or by the ready unobserved act of a potent habit. ) when earth is at the best , it will not be heaven . you live no further by faith , like christians , than you either live for heaven in seeking it , or else upon heaven in hope and joy. vi. labour to make religion your pleasure and t delight . look oft to god , to heaven , to christ , to the spirit , to the promises , to all your mercies . call over your experiences , and think what matter of high delight is still before you , and how unseemly it is , and how injurious to your profession , for one that saith he hopeth for heaven , to live as sadly as those that have no higher hopes than earth . how should that man be filled with joy , who must live in the joys of heaven for ever ? especially rejoyce when the messengers of death do tell you , that your endless joy is near . if god , and heaven , with all our mercies in the way , be not reason enough for a joyful life , there can be none at all . abhor all suggestions which would make religion seem a tedious irksome life . and take heed that you represent it not so to others ; for you will never make them in love with that which you make the● not perceive to be delectable and lovely . not as the hypocrite , by forcing and framing his religion to his carnal mind and pleasure ; but bringing up the heart to a holy suitableness to the pleasures of religion . vii watch as for your souls , against this flattering tempting u world ; especially when it is represented as more sweet and delectable , than god , and holiness , and heaven . this world with its pleasures , wealth , and honours , is it that is put in the ballance by satan , against god , and holiness , and heaven : and no man shall have better than he chooseth and preferreth . the bait taketh advantage of the brutish part , when reason is asleep ; and if by the help of sense it get the throne , the beast will ride and rule the man ; and reason become a slave to sensuality . when you hear the serpent , see his sting , and see death attending the forbidden fruit : when you are rising , look down and see how far you have to fall ! his reason , as well as faith , is weak , who for such fools-gawds , as the pomp and vanitles of this world , can forget god and his soul , and death , and judgment , heaven and hell , yea and deliberately command them to stand by . what knowledge or experience can do good on that man , who will venture so much for such a world , which all , that have tried it , call vanity at the last ? how deplorable then is a world●ings case ? oh fear the world when it smileth , or seems sweet and amiable . love it not , if you love your god and your salvation . viii . fly from temptations , and crucify the x flesh , and keep a constant government over your appetite and se●●●es . many , who had no designed stated vice , or worldly interest , have shamefully fallen by the sudden surprize of appetite or lust . when custom hath taught these to be greedy and violent , like a hungry dog , or a lusting b●ar , it is not a sluggish wish or purpose , that will mortify or rule them ! how dangerous a case is that man in , who hath so greedy a beast continually to restrain ? that if he do but neglect his watch one hour , is ready to run him headlong into hell ? who can be safe that standeth long on so terrible a precipice ? the tears and sorrows of many years , may perhaps not repair the loss which one hour or act may bring . the ●ase of david , and many others , are dreadful warnings . know what it is that you are most in danger of ; whether lust and idleness , or excess in meats , or drinks or play ; and there set your strongest watch for your preservation . make it your daily business to mortify that ●ust , and scorn that your brutish sense or appetite should conquer reason . yet trust not purposes alone ; but away from the temptation ; touch not , yea look not on the tempting bait : keep far enough off , if you ●esire to be safe . what miseries come from small beginnings ? temptation leads to sin , and small sins to greater , and those to hell ! and sin and hell are not to be played with ! open your sin or temptation to some friend , that shame may save you from danger . ix . keep up a constant skilful government over your y passions and your tongues . to this end , keep a tender conscience , which will smart when in any of these you sin . let holy passions be well ordered , and selfish carnal passions be restrained . let your z tongues know their duties to god and man , and labour to be skilful and resolute in performing them . know all the sins of the tongue , that you may avoid them ; for your innocency and peace do much depend on the prudent government of your tongues . x. govern your a thoughts with constant skilful diligence . in this , right habits and affections will do most , by inclining them unto good. it 's easy to think on that which we love . be not unfurnished of matter for your thoughts to work upon : and often retire your selves for serious meditation . be not so solitary and deep in musings , as to over-stretch your thoughts , and confound your minds , or take you off from necessary converse with others ! but be sure that you be considerate , and dwell much at home , and converse most with your consciences and your god! with whom you have the greatest business ! leave not your thoughts unimployed , or ungoverned : scatter them not abroad upon impertinent vanities . o that you knew what daily business you have for them ! most men are wicked , deceived , and undone , because they are inconsiderate , and dare not , or will not , retiredly and soberly use their reason ; or use it but as a slave in chains in the service of their passion , lust and interest . he was never wise , or good , or happy , who was not soberly and impartially considerate , how to be good , to do good , and finally enjoy good , must be the sum of all your thoughts . keep them first holy , then charitable , clean and chaste . and quickly check them when they look towards sin . xi . let b time be exceeding precious in your eyes , and carefully and diligently redeem it . what haste doth it make ? and how quickly will it be gone ? and then how highly will it be valued ; when a minute of it can never be recalled ? o what important business have we , for every moment of our time , if we should live a thousand years ! take not that man to be well in his wits , or to know his god , his end , his work , or his danger , who hath time to spare . redeem it , not only from needless sports , and plays , and idleness , and curiosity , and complement , and excess of sleep , and chat , and worldliness ; but also from the entanglements of lesser good , which would hinder you from greater . spend time , as men that are ready to pass into another world , where every minute must be accounted for ; and it must go with us for ever as we lived here let not health deceive you into the expectation of living long , and so into a sensless negligence . see your glass running , and keep a reckoning of the expence of time : and spend it just as you would review it when it is gone . xii . let the c love of all in their several capacities become as it were your very nature : and doing them all the good you can , be very much of the business of your lives . god must be loved in all his creatures , his natural image on all men , and his spiritual image on his saints . our neighbour must be loved as our natural selves ▪ that is , our natural neighbour as our natural self , with a love of benevolence ; and our spiritual neighbour as our spiritual self , with a love of complacence . in opposition to complacence , we may hate our sinful neighbour , as we must our selves ( much more : ) but in opposition to benevolence we must neither hate our selves , our neighbour , or our enemy . o that men knew how much of christianity doth consist in love , and doing good ! with what eyes do they read the gospel , who see not this in every page ? abhor all that selfishness , pride and passion which are the enemies of love ; and those opinions , and factions , and censurings , and back-biting , which would destroy it . take him that speaketh evil of another to you , without a just cause and call , to be satan's messenger , intreating you to hate your brother , or to abate your love. for to perswade you that a man is bad , is directly to perswade you so far to hate him . not that the good and bad must be confounded : but love will call none bad without constraining evidence . rebuke back ▪ biters . hurt no man , and speak evil of no man ; unless it be not only just , but necessarily to some greater good. love is lovely : they that love shall be beloved . hating and hurting makes men hateful . love thy neighbour as thy self ; and do as thou wouldst be done by , are the golden rules of our duty to men ; which must be deeply written on your hearts . for want of this , there is nothing so false , so bad , so cruel , which you may not be drawn to think , or say , or do against your brethren . selfishness and want of love , do as naturally tend to ambition and covetousness , and thence to cruelty against all that 〈◊〉 in the way of their desires , as the nature of a 〈◊〉 to kill the lambs . all factions , and contentions , and persecutions in the world , proceed from selfishness , and want of charity . devouring malice is the devilish nature . be as zealous in doing gòod to all , as satan's servants are in hurting . take it as the use of all your talents , and use them as you would hear of it at last . let it be your business and not a matter on , the by : especially for publick good , and mens salvation . and what you cannot do your selves , perswade other to . give them good books : and draw them to the means , which are most like to profit them . xiii . understand the right terms of church-communion : especially the unity of the universal church , and the universal communion , which you must hold with all the parts ; and the difference between the church as visible and invisible . for want of these , how woful are our divisions ? read oft , 1 cor. 12. & eph. 4. 1. to 17. job . 17. 21 , 22 , 23. act. 4. 32. & 2. 42. 1 cor. 1. 10 , 11 , 13. & 3. 3. rom. 16. 17. phil. 2. 1 , 2 , 3 , 4. 1 thes . 5. 12 , 13. act. 20. 30. 1 cor. 11. 19. titus . 3. 10. james . 3. col. 1. 4. heb. 10. 25. acts 8. 12 , 13 , 37. 1 cor. 1. 2 , 13. & 3. 3 , 4. & 11. 18 , 21. study these well . you must have union and communion in faith and love , with all the christians in the world. and refuse not local communion when you have a just call , so far as they put you not on sinning . let your usual meeting be with the purest church , if you lawfully may , ( and still respect the publick good ; ) but sometimes occasionally communicate even with defective faulty churches , so be it they are true christians , and put you not on sin : that so you may shew that you own them as christians , though you disown their corruptions . think not your presence maketh all the faults of ministry , worship , or people to be yours ( for then i would join with no church in the world. ) know that as the mystical church consisteth of heart-covenanters , so doth the church as visible consist of verbal-covenanters , which make a credible profession of consent : and that nature and scripture teacheth us to take every man's word as credible , till perfidiousness forfeit his credit ; which forfeiture must be proved , before any sober profession can be taken for an insufficient title . d grudge not then at the communion of any professed christian in the church visible : ( though we must do our part to cast out the obstinately impenitent by discipline ; which if we cannot do , the fault is not ours . ) the presence of hypocrites is no hurt , but oft a mercy to the sincere . how small else would the church seem in the world ? outward privileges belong to outward covenanters ; and inward mercies to the sincere . e division is wounding , and tends to death . abhor it as you love the churches welfare or your own : the wisdom from above is first pure , and then peaceable . never separate what god conjoineth . it is the earthly , sensual , devilish wisdom , which causeth bitter envying , and strife , and confusion , and every evil work. blessed are the peace-makers . xiv . take heed of f pride and self-conceitedness in religion : if once you over-value your own understandings , your crude conceptions and gross mistakes will delight you as some supernatural light : and instead of having compassion on the weak , you will be unruly and despisers of your guides , and censorious contemners of all that differ from you ; and persecutors of them if you have power ; and will think all intolerable , that take you not as oracles , and your words as law. forget not that the church hath always suffered by censorious , unruly professors on the one hand , ( and o what divisions and scandals have they caused ! ) as well as by the prophane and persecucutors on the other . take need of both : and when contentions are afoot , be quiet and silent , and not too forward ; and keep up a zeal for love and peace . xv. be faithful and conscionable in all your g relations . honour and obey your parents , and other superiors : despise not , and resist not government : if you suffer unjustly by them , be humbled for those sins , which cause god to turn your protectors into afflictors : and instead of murmuring and rebelling against them , reform your selves , and then commit your selves to god ▪ princes and pastors i will not speak to : subjects , and servants , and children , must obey their superiors , as the officers of god. xvi . keep up the government of god in your h families . holy families must be the chief preservers of the interest of religion in the world. let not the world turn god's service into a customary lifeless form. read the scripture , and edifying books to them ▪ talk with them seriously about the state of their souls , and everlasting life ; pray with them fervently ; watch over them diligently ; be angry against sin , and meek in your own cause ; be examples of wisdom , holiness and patience ; and see that the lord's day be spent in holy preparation for eternity . xvii . let your i callings be managed in holiness and laboriousness . live not in idleness ; be not slothful in your work , whether you be bound or free ; in the sweat of your brows you must eat your bread , and labour the six days , that you may have to give to him that needeth ; slothfulness is sensuality as well as filthier sins . the body ( that is able ) must have fit employments as well as the soul , or else body and soul will fare the worse ; but let all be but as the labour of a traveller , and aim at god and heaven in all . xviii . deprive not your selves of the benefit of an able faithful k pastor , to whom you may open your case in secret ; or at least of a holy l faithful friend : and be not m displeased at their free reproofs . wo to him that is alone ! how blind and partial are we in our own cause● and how hard is it to know our selves without an able faithful helper ! you forfeit this great mercy , when you love a flatterer , and angrily defend your sin. xix . n prepare for sickness , sufferings , and death . overvalue not prosperity , nor the favour of man. if selfish men prove false and cruel to you , even those of whom you have deserved best , marvel not at it , but pray for your enemies , persecutors , and slanderers , that god would turn their hearts and pardon them . what a mercy is it to be driven from the world to god , when the love of the world is the greatest danger of the soul ? be ready to die , and you are ready for any thing . ask your hearts seriously , what is it that i shall need at a dying hour ? and let it speedily be got ready , and not be to seek in the time of your extremity . xx. understand the true method of peace of conscience , and judge not of the state of your souls upon deceitful grounds . as presumptuous hopes do keep men from conversion , and embolden them to sin ; so causless fears do hinder our love and praise of god , by obscuring his loveliness : and they destroy our thankfulness , and our delight in god , and make us a burden to our selves , and a grievous stumbling block to others . the general grounds of all your comfort , are . 1. the o gracious nature of god. 2. the p sufficiency of christ . and. 3. the truth and q universality of the promise , which giveth christ and life to all ▪ if they will accept him . but this acceptance is the proof of your particular title , without which these do but aggravate your sin. consent to god's covenant is the true condition and proof of your title to god as your father , saviour , and sanctifier , and so to the saving blessings of the covenant : which consent , if you survive , must produce the duties which you consent to . he that heartily consenteth that god be his god , his saviour and sanctifier , is in a state of life . but this includeth th●● ) rejection of the vvorld ; much knowledge , and memory , and utterance , and lively affections , are all very desirable : but you must judge your state by none of these , for they are all uncertain . but , 1. if god , and holiness , and heaven , have the highest estimation of your practical judgment , as being esteemed best for you : 2. and be preferred in the choice and resolution of your wills , and that habitually before all the pleasures of the vvorld : 3. and be first and chiefly sought in your endeavours ; this is the infallible proof of your sanctification . christian , upon long and serious study and experience , i dare boldly commend these directions to thee , as the vvay of god , which will end in blessedness . the lord resolve and strengthen thee to obey them . this is the true constitution of christianity : this is true godliness ; and this is to be religious indeed : and all this is no more than to be seriously such , as all among us in general vvords profess to be . this is the religion which must difference you from hypocrites ; which must settle you in peace , and make you an honour to your profession , and a blessing to those that dwell about you . happy is the land , the church , the family , which doth consist of such as these ! these are not they that either persecute or divide the church , or that make their religion a servant to their policy , to their ambitious designs , or fleshl● lusts ; nor that make it the bellows of sedition or rebellion , or of an envious hurtful zeal , or a snare for the innocent , or a pistol to shoot at the upright in heart : these are not they that have been the shame of their profession , the hardning of ungodly men and infidels and that have caused the enemies of the lord to blaspheme . if any man will make a religion of , or for his lusts ; of papal r tyranny , or pharisaical formality , or of his private opinions , or of proud censoriousness , and contempt of others , and of faction , and 〈◊〉 warr●ntable separations and divisions , and of standing at a more observable distance from common professors of christianity , than god would have them ; or yet of pulling up the hedg of discipline , and laying christ's vineyard common to the wilderness ; the storm is coming , when this religion founded on the sand will fall , and great will be the fall thereof . when the religion which consisteth in faith and love to god and man , in mortifying the flesh , and crucifying the world , in self-denyal , humility and patience , in sincere obedience , and faithfulness in all relations , in watchful self-government , in doing good , and in a divine and heavenly life , tho' it will be hated by the ungodly world , shall never be a dishonour to your lord , nor deceive or disappoint your souls . a short catechism . quest . 1. what is the christian religion ? answ . the christian religion is the baptismal covenant made and kept ; wherein god the father , son and holy ghost , doth give himself to be ou● reconciled god and father , our saviour and sanctifier and we believingly give up our selves accordingly to him , renouncing the flesh , the world , and the devil . which covenant is to be oft renewed , specially in the sacrament of the lord's supper . quest . 2. where is our covenant-part and duty fullier opened ? answ . 1. in the creed , as the sum of our belief . 2. in the lord's prayer , as the sum of our desires . 3. and in the ten commandments ( as given us by christ , with the gospel-explications ) as the sum of our practice . which are as followeth . the creed . i believe in god the father almighty , creator of heaven and earth : and in jesus christ his only son our lord , which was conceived by the holy ghost , born of the virgin mary , suffered under pontius pilate , was crucified , dead and buried , he descended into hell : the third day he arose again from the dead , he ascended into heaven , and sitteth on the right hand of god the father almighty , from thence he shall come to judg ▪ the quick and the dead . i believe in the holy ghost , the holy catholick church , the communion of saints , the forgiveness of sins , the resurrection of the body , and the life everlasting . amen . the lord's prayer . our father which art in heaven , hallowed be thy name . thy kingdom come . thy will be done on earth , as it is in heaven . give us this day our daily bread. and forgive us our trespasses , as we forgive them that trespass against us : and lead us not into temptation , but deliver us from evil ; for thine is the kingdom , and the power , and the glory for ever . amen . the ten commandments . i. i am the lord thy god which have brought thee out of the land of egypt , out of the house of bondage : thou shalt have no other gods before me . ii. thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image , or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above , or that is in the earth beneath , or that is in the water under the earth ; thou shalt not bow down thy self to them , nor serve them : for i the lord thy god am a jealous god , visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me , and shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments . iii. thou shalt not take the name of the lord thy god in vain ; for the lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain . iv. remember the sabbath day to keep it holy ; six days shalt thou labour and do all thy work ; but the seventh day is the sabbath of the lord thy god , in it thou shalt not do any work ; thou , nor thy son , nor thy daughter , thy man-servant , nor thy maid-servant , nor thy cattel , nor the stranger that is within thy gates . for in six days the lord made heaven and earth , the sea , and all that in them is ; and rested the seventh day ; wherefore the lord blessed the sabbath-day , and hallowed it . v. honour thy father and thy mother , that thy days may be long upon the land which the lord thy god giveth thee . vi. thou shalt not kill . vii . thou shalt not commit adultery . viii . thou shalt not steal . ix . thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour . x. thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house thou shalt not cover thy neighbour's wife , nor his man-servant , nor his maid-servant , nor his ox , nor his ass , nor any thing that is thy neighbour's . quest . 3. where is the christian religion most fully opened , and entirely contained ? answ . in the holy scriptures , especially of the new testament : where , by christ , and his apostles and evangelists , inspired by his spirit , the history of christ and his apostles is ●ufficiently delivered , the promises and doctrine of faith are perfected , the covenant of grace most clearly opened , and church-offices , worship , and discipline established ; in the understanding whereof , the strongest christians may increase whilst they live on earth . the explained profession of the christian religion . i. i believe that there is one god , an infinite spirit of life , understanding and will ; perfectly powerful , wise and good ; the father , the word , and the spirit , the creator , governour , and end of all things ; our absolute owner , our most just ruler ▪ and our most gracious benefactor , and most amiable good. ii. i believe that man being made in the image of god , an imbodied spirit of life ▪ understanding and will , with holy vi●acity , wisdom and love , to know , and love , and serve his creator , here and for ever , did by wilful finning fall from his god , his holiness , and innocency , under the wrath of god , the condemnation of his law , and the slavery of the flesh , the world , and the devil . and that god so loved the world , that he gave his only son to be their redeemer , who being god ▪ and one ●ith the father , took our nature , and became man : being conceived by the holy ghost , born of the virgin mary , called jesus christ , who was perfectly holy , sinless , fulfilling all ▪ righteousness ▪ over came the devil and the world , and gave himself a sacrifice for our sins , by suffering a cursed death on the cross , to ransom us , and reconcile us unto god ▪ ●nd was buried , and went among the dead ; the ●hird day he rose again , having conquered death . and he fully established the covenant of grace , that ●ll that truly repent and believe , shall-have the love of the father , the grace of the son , and the com●union of the holy spirit ; and if they love god , and ●bey him sincerely to the death , they shall be glori●●ed with him in heaven for ever : and the unbelievers , impenitent , and ungodly shall go to ever●●sting punishment . and having commanded his apostles to preach the gospel to all the world ▪ and promised his spirit , he ascended into heaven where he is the glorified , head over all things to the church , and our prevailing intercessor with the father : who will there receive the departed souls of th● justified : and at the end of this vvorld will come again and raise all the dead , and will judge all according to their vvorks , and justly execute his judgment . iii. i believe that god , the holy spirit , was given 〈◊〉 the father and the son , to the prophets , apostles , 〈◊〉 evangelists , to be their infallible guide in preach●●● and recording the doctrine of salvation ; and the witness of its certain truth , by his manifold divine operations ; and to quicken , illuminate , and sanctifie all true believers , that they may overcome the flesh , th● vvorld , and the devil . and all that are thus sanctified , are one holy catholick church of christ , and m●●● live in holy c●mmunion , and have the pardon 〈◊〉 their sins , and shall have everlasting life . believing in god the father son and holy spirit , do presently , absolutely , and resolved 〈◊〉 give up my self to him , my creator and reconciled god and father , my saviour and sanctifier : and repenting of my sins ▪ i renounce the devil , the world , and the sinful desire● of the flesh : and denying my self , and taking up m● cross , i consent to follow christ the captain 〈◊〉 my salvation , in hope of his promised grace and glory . a short catechism for those that hav●● learned the first . quest . 1. what do you believe concerning god ? 1 assent . answ . there is one onely god ; a● infinite spirit of life , understanding and will , m●●● perfectly powerful , wise and good ; the father , the word , and the spirit : the creator , governour and end of all things ; our absolute owner , our most just ruler , and our most gracious and most ami●ble father . quest . 2. what believe you of the creation , and the nature of man , and the law which was given to him ? answ . god created all the world : and made man in his own image , an imbodied spirit of life , understanding and will , with holy liveliness . wisdom and love ; to know , and love , and serve has maker , here and for ever : and gave him the inferiour creatures for his use : but forbad him to eat of the tree of knowledge , upon pain of death . qu. what believe you of man's fall into sin and misery ? ans . man being tempted by satan ▪ did by wilful sinning fall from his holiness , his innocency , and his happiness , under the justice of god , the condemnation of his law , and the slavery of the flesh , the world , and the devil ; whence sinful , guilty and miserable natures are propagated to all mankind : and no meer creature is able to deliver us . quest . 4. what believe you of man's redemption by jesus christ ? answ . god so loved the world , that he gave his only son to be their saviour : who being god , and one with the father , took our nature , and became man ; being conceived by the holy ghost ; born of the virgin mary ; and called jesus christ : who was perfectly holy , without sin , fulfilling all righteousness ; and overcame the devil and the world ; and gave himself a sacrifice for our sins , by suffering a cursed death on the cross to ransom us , and reconcile us unto god ; and was buried , and went among the dead : the third day he rose again , having conquered death ; and having sealed the new covenant with his blood , he commanded his apostles and other ministers , to preach the gospel to all the world ; and promised the holy ghost : and then ascended into heaven , where he is god and man , the glorified head over all things to his church , and our prevailing intercessor with god the father . quest . 5. what is the new testament , or covenant , 〈◊〉 law of grace ? answ . god through jesus christ , doth freely give to all mankind , himself , to be their reconciled god and father , his son to be their saviour , and his holy spirit to be their sanctifier , if they will believe and accept the gift , and will give up themselves to him accordingly ▪ repenting of their sins , and consenting to forsake th● devil , the world , and the flesh , and sincerely ▪ ( though not perfectly ) to obey christ ▪ and his spirit to the end , according to the law of nature , and his gospel institutions , that they may be glorified in heaven for ever . quest . 6. what believe you of the holy ghost ? answ . god the holy spirit was given by the father and the son to the prophets , apostles , and evangelists ; to be their infallible guide in preaching and recording , the doctrine of salvation ; and the witness of its certain truth by his manifold divine operations ▪ and he is given , to quicken , illuminate , and sanctifie all true believers , and to save them from the devil , the world , and the flesh . quest . 7. what believe you of the holy catholick church , the communion of saints , and the forgiveness of sins ? answ . all that truely consent to the baptismal covenant , are one sanctified church or body of christ , and have communion in the same spirit of faith and love , and have the forgiveness of all their sins ; and all that by baptism visibly covenant , and that continue to profess christianity and holiness , are the universal visible church on earth ; and must keep holy communion with love and peace in the particular churches ; in the doctrine , vvorship , and order instituted by christ . quest . 8. what believe you of the resurrection and everlasting life ? answ . at death the souls of the justified go to happiness with christ , and the souls of the wicked ●o misery : and at the end of this world , christ will ●ome in glory , and will raise the bodies of all men ●rom death , and will judge all according to their works : and the righteous shall go into everlasting life , where being made perfect themselves , they shall 〈◊〉 god , and perfectly love and praise him with christ● and all the glorified church ; and the rest into ever●asting punishment . quest . 9. you have told me what you . il. consent . believe : tell me now what is the full resolution and desire of your will , concerning all this which you believe ? answ . believing in god the father , son , and holy ●pirit , i do presently , absolutely and resolvedly give up my self to him , my creator and reconciled god and father , my saviour , and my sanctifier . and repenting of my sins i renounce the devil , the world , and the sinful desires of the flesh . and denying my self , and taking up my cross , i consent to follow christ the captain of my salvation ; in hope of the grace and glory promised . which i daily desire and ●eg as he hath taught me , saying , [ our father which 〈◊〉 in heaven , &c. ] quest . 10. what is that practice which by this covenant , 〈◊〉 are obliged to ? answ . according to the law of nature , and christs ●nstitutions i must ( desiring perfection ) sincerely obey him in a life of faith , and hope , and love● loving god as god , for himself above all , and loving my self as his servant , especially my soul ; and seeking 〈◊〉 holiness and salvation ; and loving my neighbour 〈◊〉 my self . i must avoid all idolatry of mind or body , ●nd must worship god according to his word , by ●earning and meditating on his word ; by prayer , thanksgiving , praise , and use of his sacrament : i must not profane , but holily use his holy name ▪ i must keep holy the lord's day , especially in communion with the church assemblies : i must honour and obey my parents , magistrates , pastors , and other ●●lers : i must not wrong my neighbour in thought , word , or deed , in his soul , his body , his chastity , estate , right o● propriety ; but do him all the good i can ▪ and do as i would be done by ; which is summed up in the ten commandments , [ god spake these words , saying , &c. a prayer for families in the method of the lords prayer , being ●ut an exposition of it . most glorious god , who art power , and wisdom , and goodness it self , the creator 〈◊〉 all things ; the owner , the ruler , and the benefactor of the world , but especially of thy church and chosen ones : though by sin original and actual we were thy enemies , the slaves of satan and our flesh , and under thy displeasure , and the condemnation of thy law ; yet thy children redeemed by jesus christ thy son , and regenerated by thy holy spirit , have leave to call thee their reconciled father : for by thy covenant of grace thou hast given them thy son to be their head ▪ their teacher , and their saviour : and in him thou ha●t pardoned , adopted , and sanctified them ; sealing and preparing them by thy holy spirit , for thy c●●lestial kingdom , and beginning in them that holy life , and light , and love , which shall be perfected with thee in everlasting glory . o with what wondrous love hast thou loved us , that of rebels we should be made the sons of god! thou hast advanced us to this dignity , that we might be devoted wholly to thee as thine own , and might delightfully obey thee , and entirely love thee with all our heart ; and so might glorifie thee here and for ever . o cause both us , and all thy churches , and all the world , to hallow thy great and holy name ! and to 〈◊〉 to thee as our ultimate end ; that thy shining 〈◊〉 on holy souls may glorifie thy divine perfection . and cause both us and all the earth , to cast off the tyranny of satan and the flesh , and to acknowledge thy supream authority , and to become the kingdom● of thee and thy son jesus , by a willing and absolute subjection . o perfect thy kingdom of grace in our selves and in the world , and hasten the kingdom of glory . and cause us and thy churches , and all people of the earth , no more to be ruled by the lu●●s of the flesh , and their erroneous conceits , and by self-will , which is the idol of the wicked ; but by thy perfect wisdom and holy will revealed in thy laws : make known thy word to all the world , and send them the messengers of grace and peace ; and cause men to understand , believe and obey the gospel of salvation and that with such holiness , unity , and love , that the earth , which is now too like to hell , may 〈◊〉 made liker unto heaven ; and not only thy scattered imperfect flock , but those also , who in their carnal and ungodly minds do now refuse a holy life , and think thy word and ways too strict , may desire to imitate even the heavenly church ; where thou art obeyed , and loved , and praised , with high delight , in harmony and perfection . and because our being is the subject of our well-being , maintain us in the life which thou hast here given us , until the work of life be finished ; and give us such health of mind and body , and such protection and supply of all our wants , as shall best 〈…〉 our duty ; and make us contented with our daily bread , and patient if we want it ; and save us from the love of the riches , and honours , and pleasures of this world , and the pride , and idleness , and sensuality which they cherish ; and cause us to serve thy providence by our diligent labours , and to serve thee faithfully with all that thou givest us ; and let us not make provision for the flesh , to satisfie its desires and lusts . and we beseech thee of thy mercy , through the sacrifice and propitiation of thy beloved son , forgive us all our sins , original and actual , from our birth to this hour ; our omissions of duty , and committing of what thou didst forbid : our sins of heart , and word , and deed ; our sinful thoughts and affections , our sinful passions and discontents ; our secret and our open sins ; our sins of negligence , and ignorance , and rashness ; but especially our sins against knowledge and conscience , which have made the deepest guilt and wounds . spare us , o lord , and let not our sins so find us out as to be our ruin ; but let us so find them out , as truely to repent and turn to thee ! especially punish us not with the loss of thy grace ! take not thy holy spirit from us , and deny us not his assistance and holy operations . seal to us by that spirit the pardon of our sins , and lift up the light of thy countenance upon us , and give us the joy of thy favour and salvation . and let thy love and mercy so fill us not only with thankfulness to thee , but with love and mercy to our brethren and our enemies ; that we may heartily forgive them that do us wrong , as through thy grace we hope we do . and for the time to come suffer us not to cast our selves wilfully into temptations ; but carefully to avoid them , and resolutely to resist and conquer what we cannot avoid ; and o mortifie those inward sins and lusts , which are our constant and most dangerous temptations : and let us not be tempted by satan or the world , or tryed by thy judgments , above the strength which thy grace shall give us . save us from a fearless confidence in our own strength . and let us not dally with the snare , nor taste the bait , nor play with the fire of thy wrath ; but cause us to fear and depart from evil ; lest before we are aware , we be entangled and overcome , and wounded with our guilt and with thy wrath , and our end should be worse than our beginning . especially save us from those radical sins of error , and unbelief , pride , hypocrisie , hardheartedness , sensuality , slothfulness , and the love of this present world , and the loss of our love to thee , to thy kingdom and thy ways . and save us from the malice of satan and of wicked men , and from the evils which our sins would bring upon us . and as we crave all this from thee , we humbly render our praises with our future service to thee ! thou art the king of all the world , and more than the life of all the living ! thy kingdom is everlasting : wise ▪ and just , and merciful is thy government . blessed are they that are thy faithful subjects ; but who hath hardened himself against thee , and hath prospered ? the whole creation proclaimeth thy perfection ▪ but it is heaven where the blessed see thy glory , and the glory of our redeemer , where the angels and saints behold thee , admire thee , adore thee , love thee , and praise thee with triumphant joyful songs , the holy , holy , holy god , the father , son and holy ghost , who was and is , and is to come ; of thee , and through thee , and to thee are all things : to thee , be glory for ever , amen . a short prayer for families . most glorious , ever-living god , father , son and holy ghost , infinite in thy power , wisdom and goodness ; thou art the creator of all the world , the redeemer of lost mankind , and the sanctifier of thine elect. thou hast made us living reasonable soul● , placed a while on earth in flesh , to seek , and know , and love , and serve thee , which we should have done with all our soul and might : for we and all things are thine own , and thou art more to us than all the world. this should have been the greatest busines● , care and pleasure of our lives : we were bound to 〈◊〉 by thy law , and invited by thy love and mercy , and the promise of a reward in heaven : and in our baptism we were devoted to this christian life of faith and holiness , by a solemn covenant and vow . but with grief and shame we do confess , that we have been too unfaithful to that covenant , and too much neglected the lord our father , our saviour and our sanctifier , to whom we were devoted ; and have too much served the flesh and the world , and the devil which we renounced . we have added to our original sin , the guilt of unthankfulness for a saviour , and resisting his spirit and grace that should have renewed , governed and saved us . we have spent much of our lives , in fleshly and worldly vanity , and finfully neglected the greatest work , of making a sure preparation for death and judgment , and our endless state. in a custom of sinning we have hardened our hearts against thy word and warnings , and the reproofs of thy ministers , and of our consciences that have oft told us of our sin and danger , and called us to repent . and now , o lord , our convinced souls confess that we deserve to be forsaken by thee , and left to our own lust and folly , and to the deceits of satan , and untoendless misery . but seeing thou hast given a saviour to lost man , and a pardoning covenant , through the merits of christ , promising forgiveness and salvation to every true penitent believer ; we thankfully accept thy offered mercy , and penitently bewail our sin , and cast our miserable souls upon thy grace , and the sacrifice , merits and intercession of our redeemer . forgive all the sins of our hearts and lives ; and as a reconciled father take us as thy adopted children in christ . o give us thy renewing spirit , to be in us a powerful and constant author of holy light , and love and life , to fit us for all our duty , and for communion with thee , and for everlasting life : and to dwell in us as thy witness and seal of our adoption . let him be better to our souls than our souls are to our bodies , teaching us thy word and will , and bringing all our love and will to a joyful compliance with thy will : and quickening our dull 〈◊〉 drowsie hearts to a holy and heavenly conversation . let him turn all our sinful pleasures and desires , into the delightful love of thee and of thy ways and servants . save us from the great sins of selfishness , pride , and worldliness , and give us self-denial , humility , and a heavenly mind . that while we are on earth our hearts may be in heaven , where we hope to live in thy joyfull love and praise with christ and all his holy ones for even ▪ let us never forget that this life is short , and that the life to come is endless : that our souls are precious and our bodies vile , and must shortly turn to rottenness and dust ; that sin is odio●s , and temptation● dangerous , and judgment dreadful to unprepaved guilty souls ; and that without a saviour and his grace and spirit , there is no salvation : cause us to live as we would die , and let no temptation , company or business , draw us to forget our god and our everlasting state . lord bless the world , and specially these kingdoms , ●ith wise , godly , just and peaceable princes , and ●nferiour judges and magistrates ; and guide , protect ●nd prosper them for the common good , and the pro●oting of godliness and suppressing of sin : and bles●●ll churches with able , godly , faithful pastors , that are ●ealous lovers of god , and goodness , and the peoples ●ouls . and save the nations and churches from op●essing tyrants and deceivers , and from melignan● enemies to serious piety . and cause subjects to live in just obedience , and in love and peace . bless families with wise religious governours , who will carefully instruct their children and servants , and restrain them from sin , and keep them from temptation , teach children and servants to fear god , and honour and obey their governours . o our father which art in heaven , let thy name b● hallowed . let thy kingdom com● . let thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven . 〈◊〉 in this day our daily bre●d ; forgive us our trespasses , as 〈◊〉 forgive them that trespass against us . lead us not into temptation , but deliver us from evil : for thine is the kingdom , the power and the glory , for ever . amen . before meat . most gracious god who hast given 〈◊〉 christ , and with him all that is necessary to life and godliness : we thankfully take this our food as the gift of thy bounty , procured by his merits : bless it to the nourishment and strength of our frail bodies , to fi● us for thy chearful service : and save us from the abuse of thy mercies by glu●tony drunkennes● , idleness or sinful fleshly lusts , for the sake of jesus christ our only saviour and lord. amen . after meat . most merciful father , accept of our thanks for these and all thy mercies : and give us yet more thankful hearts : o give us more of the great mercies proper to thy children , even by sanctifying and comforting spir●● assu●●nce of thy love thr●ugh christ , and a ●reasure , and 〈◊〉 conversation in heaven : and bring and keep 〈◊〉 in a constant readiness for a safe and comfortable death ▪ for the sake of jesus christ our lord and only saviour . amen . finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a26936-e170 a mar. 8. 36. mat. 6. 33. job . 21. 14. and 22. 17. psal . 1. 2 , 3. psal . 14. and 12. b psal . 8. 4 , 5 , 6. gen. 1. 26 , 27 , gen. 9. 6. col. 3. 10. c joh. 17. 3. 1 joh. 4. 6 , 7. jer. 9. 24. d luk. 12. 4 , 5. e psal . 16. 5 , to 11. f isa . 45. 18. g psal . 14. 1. gen. 1. 1. rev. 1. 8. rom. 1. 19. 20. psal . 46. 10. psal . 9. 10. psal . 100. and 23. psal . 19. 1 , 2 , 3. psal . 47. 7. ezek. 18. 4. gen. 18. 25. mal. 1. 6. h matth. 22. 37. jer. 5. 22. 2 cor. 5. 8 , 9. titus 2. 14. 2 cor. 8. 5. & 6. 16 , 17 , 18 , 1 p●t . 2. 9. psal . 10. psal . 37. 4. psal . 40. 8. col. 3. 1. 2. mar. 6. 20. 21. 2 cor. 4. 17 , 18. k psal . 14. & 1. heb. 12. 14. rom. 8. 12 , 13. joh. 3. 34. 5. 6. 1 joh. 2. 15 , 16. rom. 13. 14 , 15. rom. 6. 16. luk. 18. 23 & 14. 26 , 33. l rom. 3. psal . 14. ephes . 2. 2 , 3. rom. 5. 12. 17. 19. joh. 3. 6. m rom. 8. 5 , 6 , 7. n psal . 4. 3. 2 cor. 6. 14. 17. o psal . 32. 1 , 2. 1 cor. 6. 11. tit. 2. 14. tit. 3. 5 , 6 , 7. heb. 14. 14. mat. 5. 8. p rom. 5. 1 , 2 , 3. q psal . 97. 7 , 8 , 15. 1 cor. 2. 11 , 21. heb. 14. 12. 2 pet. 1. 3. r act. 14. 27. & 17. 24 , 27 , 28. rom. 1. 19. 20. rom. 2. 4. job 33. 14. to 25. mat. 12. 42 , 43. (ſ) isa . 9. 6 , 7. & 53. joh. 3. 16. 19. & 1. 1 , 3 , 4. & 3. 2. ●●ohn 1. 18. t acts 2. 22. heb. 2. 3 , 4. u mat. 4. 〈◊〉 w ●●pet . 2. 22 , 23 , 24 , 25. mat. 26. 27 , 28. act. 1. heb. 4. eph. ● . ● . ●2 . 3. rom. 5. 1 , 3 , 9. heb. 8 , 9 , 13. & 8. 6 , 7. heb. 7. 25. 1 john 5. 10 , 12. john 5. 22. & 3. 18 , 19. mat. 25. x luke 16. y acts 2. john 17. 23. z mat. 28. 19 , 〈◊〉 acts 14. 23. act. 20. act. 26. 17 , 18. a rom. 8. 9. b tit. 3. 5 , 6. joh. 13. 5 , 6. c 2 tim. 3. 16. d heb. 2. 3 , 4. e 2 cor. 13. 5. psal . 4. 4. 2 pet. 1. 10. f john 3. 5. 2 cor. 5. 17. rom. 8. 7 , 9. phil. 3. 18 , 20. g acts 16. 14. h acts 2. 37. & 16. 30. & 11. 23. 2 cor. 6. 1 , 2. rev. 2. 7. i acts 24. 14. & 28. 22. & 24. 5 , 6. k mal. 2. 7 , 9. hos . 4. 9. l prov. 13. 20. m ephes . 4. 18 , 19. n mal. 1. 13. o mat. 25. 3. 8. 12. & 24. 43 , 44. p john 8. 39 , 42 , 44. rom. 3. 1 , 2. gal. 4. 29. mat. 13. 19 , 20 , 21 , 22. & 15. 2 , 3 , 6. gal. 1. 1. q psal . 4. 4. hag. 1. 5. deut. 32. 7 , 29. r isa . 1. 3. s job 34. 27. jer. 23. 20. psal . 119. 59. t 2 cor. 4. 8. deut. 32. 29. 1 john 2. 17. 1 cor. 7. 31. luke 12. 19 , 20. john 14. 1 , 2. 1 thes . 5. 13. u luke 12. 4. eccl. 12. 7. 2 pet. 3. 11. 2 cor. 4. 18. phil. 3. 18 , 20. x numb . 23. 10. mat. 25. 8 & 7. 21 , 22. prov. ●● . 28 , 29. y matth. 23. 29 , 30 , 31 , 33. heb. 11. 38. john 8. 39. z matth. 10. 15. rom. 2. acts 10. 34 , 35. a rom. 2. 28 , 29. matth. 25. 28. luke 19. 22. acts 24. 15. gal. 4. 29. b eph. 4. 14. act 20. 30. 1 cor. 11. 19. 2 tim. 4. 3 & 2. 14. 16. 1 tim. 1. 5 , 6. tit. 3. 9. ephes . 4. 3. &c. 1 cor. 12. matth. 12. 25. rom. 2. 12 , 27 , 28 , 29. c gal. 1. 7 , 8. matth. 28. 20. d james 3. 17. e eph. 5. 11. prov. 23. 20. 2 cor. 6. 17 , 18. psal . 15. 4. deut. 13. 3. f john 5. 40. luke 14. 29 , 30. john 6. 35 , 37 , 45. g isa . 55. 6 , 7. h matth. 11. 19. i luke 14. 33. k rev. 22. 17. john 1. 12. rev. 2. & 3. 1 john 5. 12 , 13. psal . 34. 7. psal . 73. 26. matth. 25. luke 20. 39. heb. 2. 3. 〈◊〉 thes . 2. 12. l 〈…〉 19. 27. prov. 29. 1. & 1. 25. a 1 cor. 1. 25. heb. 4. 1. 2 pet. 2. 22. 1 cor. 3. gal. 3. & 4. matth. 13. 41. & 18. 7. b phil. 3. 18 , 19. acts 20. 30. c matth. 5. 16. 1 pet. 3. 1. 1 pet. 2. 15. & 1. 8. 2 cor. 1. 21. d 2 tim. 1. 13. & 3. 7. heb. 5. 12. phil. 1. 9. rom. 15. 14. e eph. 4. 13 , 14. col. 1. 9. & 2. 2. & 3. 10. 1 tim. 6. 4. f john 17. 3. ephes . 3. 17 , 18. mat. 28. 19. ephes . 1. 22 , 23. & 4. 6 , 16. rom. 5. 2 cor. 12. 9. john 16. 33. 1 john 5. 4. 〈◊〉 4. 14 , 16. col. 3. 3 , 4. acts 7. 59. g gal. 5. 16 , 25. h matth. 28. 19. i john 16. 13. heb. 2. 34. k 1 cor. 12. 12 , 13. rom. 8. 9. 13. joh. 3. 5 , 6. l 2 tim. 3. 15 , 16. jude 19. 20. m ezek. 36. 27. isa . 44. 3. rom. 8. 1 , 5. 1 cor. 6. 11. zech. 14. 20. n 1 cor. 10. 31. rom. 11. 36. 2 cor. 5. 7 , 8. 1 john 3. 1● rom. 5. 1 , 2 , 3. mat. 22. 37. ephes . 1. 6. 2 cor. 5. 19. gal. 4. 4 , 5 , 6. o psal . 30. 5. & 63. 3. p phil. 3. 7 , 8. q mat. 16. 13. r 2 thess . 3. 5. 2 cor. 13. 14. s col. 3. 1 , 2 , 3 , 4. mat. 6. 19 , 20 , 21 , 33. 2 cor. 4. 17 , 18. & 7. luk. 12. 20. heb. 6. 20. 1 cor. 15. 28. ephes . 4. 6. & 1. 23. phil. 3. 18 , 20. psal . 73. 25 , 26. joh. 18. 36. t psal . 1. 2 , 3. & 84. 2 , 10. & 63. 3 , 5. & 37. 4. & 91. 19. & 119. 47 , 70. isa . 58. 14. psal . 112. 1. rom. 14. 17. & 5. 1 , 3 , 5. 1 pet. 1. 8. mat. 5. 11 , 12. psal . 32. 11. u gal. 6. 14. 1. joh. 2. 15 , 16. jam. 1. 27. & 4. 4 , 5. 1 joh. 5. 4 , 5. rom. 12. 2. gal. 1. 4. tit. 2. 12. mat. 19. 24. luk. 12. 16. 21. & 16. 25. james 1. 11. & 5. 1 , 2 , 4. luke 8. 14. heb. 11. 26. x rom. 8. 1 , 13. gal 5. 24. rom. 13. 14. gal. 5. 17. ●ude 8. 23. 2 pet. 2. 10. ephes . 2. 3. 1 pet. 2. 11. mat. 〈◊〉 . 13. & 26. 41. luke 8. 13. y jam. 1. 19. & 3. 13 , 17. 1 pet. 3. 4. mat. 5. 5. eph. 4. 2 , 3. col. 3. 12. z jam. 1. 26. & 3. 5 , 6. psal . 34. 13. pro. 18. 21. a deut. 15. 9. 2 cor. 10. 5. gen. 6. 5. psal . 10. 4 & 94. 19. & 119. 113. prov. 12. 5. & 15. 26. psal . 119. 59. prov. 30. 32. jer. 4. 14. deut. 32. 29. b ephes . 5. 16. joh. 14. 1 , 2. act. 17. 21. 1 cor. 7. 29. 2 cor. 6. 2. joh. 9. 4. luk. 19. 42 , 44. psal . 39. 4. mat. 25. 10 , 1●● . c 1 tim. 1. 5 , 6. mat. 19 , 19. rom. 13. 10. 1 john 1. 16. ephes . 4. 12 , 15 , 16. col. 2. 2. & 1. 4. 1 tim. 6. 11. jam. 3. 17. phil. 2. 1 , 2. 1 thes . 4. 93. john 13. 35. mat. 5. 44 , 45. 1 cor. 13. jam. 4. 11. gal. 6. 10. tit. 2. 14. phil. 2. 20 , 21. rom. 15. 1 , 3. d mat. 13. 29 , 41. e john 16. 2. 1 cor. 1. 10. rom. 16. 17. jam. 3. 14. 15 , 16 , 17 , 18. f 1 tim. 3. 6. col. 〈◊〉 18. 1 cor. 8. 1. 1 cor. 4. 6. 1 tim. 6. 4. 1 pet. 5. 5. jam. 3. 1 , 17. g eph. 5 , & 6. col. 3 , & 4. rom. 13. 1 , 7. 1 pet. 2. 13 , 15. h command . 4. josh . 24. 15. deut. 6. 6 , 7 , 8. dan. 6. i heb. 13. 5. command . 4. 2 thess . 3. 10 , 12. 1 thess . 4. 7. 1 tim. 5. 13. prov. 31. 1 cor. 7. 29. k mal. 2. 7. l eccles . 4. 10 , 11. m prov. 12. 1. & 15. 5 , 10 , 31. heb. 3. 13. n luk. 12. 40. 2 pet. 1. 10. phil. 1. 21 , 23. jer. 9. 4 , 5. mat. 7. 4 , 5. 2 cor. 5. 1 , 2 , 4 , 〈◊〉 o exod. 34. 6. p heb. 7. 25. q joh. 4. 42. joh. 3. 16. 1 tim. 4. 10. & 2. 4. mat. 28. 19 , 20. rev. 22. 17. isa . 55. 1 , 2 , 3 , 6 , 7. r luke 14. 26 , 33. 1 john 2. 15. mat. 6. 19 , 20 , 21 , 33. col. 3. 1 , 2. rom. 8. 1 , 13. notes for div a26936-e4760 the assent . the consent , or covenant . notes for div a26936-e5060 the lord's supper , and other church-ordinances , are opened in the viiith , days conference , and more fully in my universal concord . the sacred method of saving humane souls by jesus christ by henry hallywell ... hallywell, henry, d. 1703? 1677 approx. 150 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 64 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2009-03 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a45360 wing h466 estc r13918 11839267 ocm 11839267 49779 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, 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souls by jesus christ . by henry hallywell minister of the gospel at ifeild in sussex . 1 cor. ii. vii . but we speak the wisdome of god in a mystery , even the hidden wisdome which god ordained before the world unto our glory . london , printed for walter kettilby at the bishop's head in s. paul's church-yard , 1677. the preface to the reader . reader , there are very few books of what quality soever , though it be but an ordinary pamphlet that passes the press , without some fair bespeaking the reader ; wherefore in conformity to the custome , i am to advertise thee that the design of these following papers is to shew the excellency of the frame and constitution of the gospel , or that sacred method by which god brings men to heaven by his son jesus christ ; which very thing to the considering and judicious , is a testimony sufficient of the divinity of it , there being such abundant evidence of the choicest attributes of the deity , his goodness , wisdome and power in the contexture of it . for when i consider ( who is the author of the evangelical oeconomy , namely , the blessed son of god , that eternal logos , who has expressed such an infinite wisdome in the frame of heaven and earth , i cannot but think , that what is there so largely diffused and spread abroad , is , as it were , summ'd up and contracted into a living image , and beautiful representation in the frame of the gospel . and certainly the introduction of the christian religion , and the regenerating the world by it , being set off in the scriptures by the glorious appellative of creation , and jesus the blessed author and finisher of it , stiling himself the beginning of the creation of god , i. e. of the evangelical dispensation , the spirit of god does clearly intimate to us , that the goodness , wisdome and power of the divinity , are more eminently and transcendently displayed in the recovery of mankind by the gospel , than in their first production . so that if it be a piece of our duty ( as certainly it is ) to think the most honourably and magnificently of the works of god's hands , it were a sinful debasing that sacred project and contrivance , which was laid before the foundation of the world , to let our conceptions of it dwindle into some poor and trifling design , and make such a pitiful representation of it , as shall be unworthy that eternal wisdome , the creatress of all things , to interess it self withal . for nothing is more sure , than that the gospel is so contrived , as may most of all do honour to god , and promote the welfare and happiness of mankind . and upon this ground and foundation , i have built the following discourse , which whoever will take the pains to peruse , i desire him to lay aside his prejudices , and not to charge every thing that he shall find disagreeing with his present sentiments and perswasions , with the opprobrious and invidious term of heresie : for by this means , it comes to pass , that religion is made only to serve an interest , and wait upon a faction , and the grand interest of christianity is indeed hugely disserved by such oblique arts and unwarrantable insinuations . it shews men indeed to be affected with a mighty zeal , but it is that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , that bitter zeal , which the apostle tells us , is an effect of that wisdome that descends not from above , but is earthly , sensual , devilish . but i am very incurious of the censures of angry and peevish men , being secure in the sense of having endeavoured to do honour to god , by begetting in men right apprehensions of his nature , and according to my mean ability , promoted the offices and duties of a virtuous life , by shewing the necessity of them , in order to our everlasting happiness . and with this advertisement , i remit the reader to the discourse it self . farewell . imprimatur hic liber ( cui titulus , the sacred method of , &c. ) geo. hooper r mo d no arch. cant. à sac. dom. 21. nov. 1676. the sacred method of saving humane souls by jesus christ . the christian religion is frequently called by saint paul a mystery , wherein it is very probable he might allude to the mysterious rites of the gentile superstition , as the eleusynia , or some such secret and mysterious actions of the pagan religion . and in opposition to these , the apostle declares to the world a higher mystery , and teaches us that christianity in all respects exceeds the most sacred and venerable actions of paganisme . for although the heathen mystagogi pretended a high and noble design , and boasted the end of their sacred mysteries to be the leading and conducting the initiati to the presence and fruition of the worshipped deity , or in plainer terms , the everlasting blessedness of mens immortal souls ( the sole priviledge and prerogative of the christian mystery , the gospel of the son of god ) yet they failed infinitely in the way and means of accomplishing this so excellent a purpose , the whole procedure being bottom'd upon an uncertain foundation and doubtful evidence , and no better than an histrionical representation brought on by those delusive spirits , who affected a divine honour , whereby instead of perfecting and bettering , they really vitiated and debauched the minds of men , and made their most recondite and sacred rites little better than practices of filthiness and uncleanness . in which regard the christian oeconomy is justly stiled by the apostle a mystery of godliness , whose end is not only the highest perfection of humane souls , but every where in all its parts breathes the exactest holiness and purity of body and soul , as the only way to attain an immortal blessedness and felicity . by this mystery then of the gospel , we are not to understand a dark and intricate riddle , contrived only to amuze and dazle the minds of men , and which when explicated and unfolded , has no greater likelihood of benefiting the knower , than samson's riddle of feeding the philistines : but we are to conceive by it a sacred and recondite method of saving humane souls , that is , of purifying their minds to such degrees and measures , as may render them capable of an entrance into the highest heavens . great is the mystery of godliness , i. e. the way and method of saving mankind by the gospel , is indeed wonderful and admirable . for the sacred plot of the gospel was not then framed or laid , when it was promulgated and manifested to the world , but lay hid in the bosome of an infinite understanding , from ages and generations , and is expresly called by the same apostle , the mysterious and recondite wisdome of god , which he ordained before the world , whose projection and contrivance was from the out-goings of eternity . so that in this affair of the gospel , we are not to look for any thing mean , low and shallow , but for something which may be worthy of god , an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , a design which may evidently and clearly display the highest perfections of god its author . for the better illustration of which , we may consider , that in the contrivance , conduct and management of the gospel , there is a clear and manifest demonstration of the infinite goodness , wisdome and power of god. i. a manifestation of infinite goodness . the heavens and the earth , and all the capacities of immense space , declare an infinite goodness , but the clearest and most sensible demonstration of it , is in this mystery of the gospel , wherein that boundless love which has dispersed it self through all the orders and degrees of life , shines forth with a full and perfect lustre and glory . here it is that we behold that love , which liberally fills and sustains all things , more powerfully exerting its blessed nature , in cementing the ruines , and rearing up the foundations of a new world ; for as in the first creation , an eternal and energetical love diffused it self in the production of whatever was made , so the same goodness moves , as it were , a second time in the stupendious renovation of lapsed souls , in the evangelical mystery and oeconomy . which truth may yet receive a further evidence by these gradations . 1. the more perfect any life is , the more it desires to diffuse and communicate it self . god is love , says st. john , and he is the highest and most perfect life ; now love is the most diffusive and communicative principle in all the world , and the firmer any being is radicated in love , the nearer approaches it makes to that most excellent life and nature of god , whose beneficence and kindness the whole creation tastes of self-love , or the love of the carkass , the bodily life restrains and contracts the free exertions of the mind , and therefore the apostle sets it as a note of degeneracy , narrowness and anxiety , when men shall be lovers of themselves and corporeal pleasures , in opposition to that universal and intellectual love , which is the great law of rational beings , and by which our minds are made wide as the world , and carried forth in benignity and kindness to all the creatures , as they more or less partake of the divine life and nature . god is infinite goodness , and all the creatures are but the issues and emanations of his exuberant fecundity and life , and do more intimately depend upon him , than faculties and actions upon the principles from whence they flow . it was not necessity or need , nor any greedy and thirsty desire of receiving praise and glory from them , that was the cause of the production of men and angels , but only the fulness of god's own goodness , which alone moved him to that chearful approbation of the works of his hands , when he saw his own life diffused in such variety of beings . and if we will do honour to god , and speak according to our own faculties , we may add life to this demonstration , from the inward sense and experience of every good man , who never finds a more inward joy and satisfaction of spirit , than when he is carried out in desires , and aspirations of benignity and kindness towards the whole creation . nor does he look upon this , as any argument of righteousness , that he is at any time , in a more happy state and condition than others , for he could be willing that all the world were as happy as himself , did he not see strong and evident reasons in the wise administration of providence , why it should not be so . something of this excellent temper , we find in those passionate eruptions of spirit , recorded in the scriptures of holy men , who seem to be altogether transformed into love : blot me out of thy book , ( says moses : ) and i could be content to be accursed from christ ( says st. paul ) for my brethrens sake : nay , i am verily perswaded , that he who is once throughly baptized into this spirit of universal love , would be contented to be eternally separated from the presence of god , so that he might be without sin , if by that means the whole intellectual creation might be made happy . now if we can reason any thing of god from those perfections we find in our selves , we must needs conclude the highest and most perfect life to be most diffusive and communicative of it self . 2. goodness is so much the more excellent , as the objects are more noble , about which it is conversant . all things feel the effects of divine goodness , according to their different measures and proportions , and by how much the rational life hath more objective reality than the sensitive , by so much are the emanations of goodness of more worth and excellency communicated to the one , than those diffused upon the other . as a man is a more noble creature than a brute , so is the goodness concerned with him , higher and of greater value , than that exercised upon a beast . god is the father of spirits , and for that very reason will not be implacable and irreconcileable to his own dear off-spring , but though he chastise and scourge them for their bold and audacious revolt from his blessed nature , yet will not cast off for ever , but in his sorest corrections remembers mercy . hence is that prophetical speech of the end of christ's death , that it should be for the gathering together the scattered sons of god : though the souls of men had voluntarily forsaken god , and travelled into a strange land , though their iniquities had scattered them into far distant places from their own home , yet an everlasting goodness followed them still , and carefully sought the reduction of those disobedient sons of god , who had divided and separated themselves from him . 3. by how much the more fatal , desperate and universal the evil is , by so much the more glorious is the goodness imployed in the recovery of the creature from it . sin and wickedness is the misery , not of a part only , but of the whole race of mankind ; and this their degeneracy became so fatal , that it brought darkness and death it self upon all their better faculties , and placed them in an utter incapacity for ever of recovering themselves by their own solitary power and effort , into that state of immortality and life , which sin had deprived them of . — death passed upon all men , ( says st. paul ) for that [ or forasmuch as ] all have sinned . so that all mankind , by their fall from god , were under the reign , dominion and power of sin and death , and out of this thraldome and captivity , no man could extricate and deliver himself , whereby their condition became very deplorable and desperate . but divine goodness , that it might shew it self more conspicuously and gloriously to the world , has brought on a more chearful scene of things under the gospel , rescuing men from the power of sin and death , and delivering them from the tyranny of the devil , through the meritorious death and passion of jesus christ , who by his glorious resurrection hath fully declared himself a powerful conqueror of all his enemies , assuring mankind of their re-enjoyment of immortality , and redeeming them from their captivity under the empire of sin and death , and translating them into the peaceful kingdome of life and righteousness . now as the desperateness of the disease magnifies the skill of the physician , so the fatal and universal degeneracy of the sons of men , commends the transcendent love of god in their recovery and redemption . greater love than this can no man show , than to lay down his life for his friend , but herein has god commended his love to us , in that while we were enemies to god and righteousness , and strangers to his life , christ dyed for us . such is that testimony and witness , which our saviour bears to divine love and goodness ; every word of which is strangely emphatical : so [ in such a wonderful and transcendent manner ] god [ the great lord of all beings , who stands not in need of any of his creatures , but is infinite fulness and happiness to himself ] loved [ first and without any motive or occasion of this love given from us ; herein is love , not that we loved god , but that he loved us ] the world [ not only the particular nation of the jews , with whom formerly he entred into covenant , but the whole race of mankind , christ becoming a propitiation for our sins ( says the apostle , the best interpreter of himself , 1 joh. 2.2 . ) and not for ours only , but also for the sins of the whole world ] that he gave [ delivered unto death freely , and that upon no other motive or invitation , but that of his own eternal goodness and love ] his only begotten son [ not a servant , or an angel , not an adopted , but his own natural son , that son who is one with himself , and in whom he is well pleased , as the obedience of abraham was more grateful to god , when he with-held not his son , his only son from him . ] the whole gospel is a design and contrivance of infinite love and goodness ; a palpable pledge and assurance of which , was , the sending of jesus christ from heaven : he that spared not his own son , says the apostle ; as if he had said , the delivering up of our lord jesus christ , to be an expiatory sacrifice for the sins of men , is so high a demonstration of infinite love , that it begets in us a confident assurance and full perswasion , that the same goodness will not fail of bestowing upon us , whatever may possibly contribute to our everlasting happiness , as far as our natures are capable of . the summe of all is this , that to infinite goodness we owe not only the production , but the continual preservation of our beings , not only the freeing us from a certain misery , and a just and deserved punishment , but the receiving us into grace and favour , and investing us with a happiness much bigger than our hopes and expectations , even the eternal enjoyment of himself in heaven . and that this should be wrought and effected by jesus christ , the only begotten son of god , who left the sacred mansions of heaven , and veiled his glory under a clould of flesh and blood , and while he lived upon earth , endured the contradictions of sinners , the bitter reproaches of vile and ungodly men , and at last suffered an ignominious and accursed death upon the cross , what is it but an everlasting monument of divine goodness ? such a high demonstration of infinite love , as may well make us cry out with wonder and amazement , behold what manner of love the father hath bestowed upon us ! 2. secondly , in the frame and mystery of the gospel , there is a clear demonstration of infinite wisdome . to them who are called ( says the apostle ) christ the power and the wisdom of god : i. e. though the preaching of the gospel were a stumbling block to the jews , and accounted but foolishness by the greeks , the one expecting their messiah to be an earthly prince , and dreaming of nothing but worldly felicity , and the other counting it not worth the hearing , because not agreeing with the principles of that vain philosophy they had addicted themselves to ; yet to those who were docible , tractable and obedient , there appeared an infinite wisdome , and an eternal understanding : they could not look into it , but they beheld ( as the same apostle speaks ) the mysterious and recondite wisdome of god , which he ordained before the world , that is , whose sacred plot and contrivance was not then framed or laid , when it was first promulgated and manifested to the world , but lay hid in the bosome of an infinite understanding from all eternity . 't is true , the loveliness and glory of this great wisdome appears not so evidently to all , partly from their own carelesness and negligence , in not arriving to that measure and degree of holiness , which may fit and qualifie them for a clear discerning of it : hence the apostle says , that he speaks wisdome among them that are perfect , such as were well grown in the practice of the offices and duties of christianity ; such as had senses exercised to discern good and evil , heb. 5.14 . and partly , through the great corruption , depravity and degeneracy of the minds of others , which put them into an utter incapacity and impossibility ( while they remain such ) of understanding divine and heavenly truths ; for the natural [ animal or sensual ] man receives not the things of the spirit of god. but where these impediments are removed , and the spirits of men aptly disposed for the reception of so great a blessing , such persons behold with enravishment and joy the exact strokes and perfect lineaments of an eternal wisdome . which wisdome appears , 1. in the admirableness of the contrivance of the gospel . christianity carries with it such evident proofs of an incomprehensible wisdome , that those sagacious creatures , the angels , imploy themselves in searching into it : and surely it must needs be an admirable piece of wisdome , and a wonderful contrivance , that must draw those blessed creatures to look into it . now the wonderfulness and admirableness of the evangelical plot and contrivance , for the salvation of humane souls , shews it self , 1. in finding out a way , whereby god might demonstrate , both his just and implacable hatred of sin , and his exuberant love and goodness in saving men. sin is no part of god's creation , nor any thing of the true nature of the soul , but an extraneous and adventitious being , brought first into the world by the devil , the great enemy of mankind . it is the destruction and ruine of the workmanship of god's own hands , and being so infinitely contrary to his sacred life and nature , it is no wonder , if he bear an irreconcileable hatred against it , and seek by all means , the driving it quite out of the world. but although god , by reason of the infinite purity and holiness of his nature , could not look with any favourable eye upon sin , yet his almighty love pitied his creatures , and his bowels yerned over them , being , as it were , grieved and troubled at the heart , that they should be miserable for ever . wherefore , god , through his eternal wisdome , resolved upon a course , which should both effectually extirpate and eradicate sin and evil out of the world , and yet reduce those strayed souls , which through it , had revolted from his blessed life and nature , to a participation of it again . and this he hath done , by sending his own son into the world , to become an expiatory sacrifice for the sins of all mankind . for should god have cast men off for ever , and thrown them into hell , though he had still been just and righteous in his actions , and declared but a high dislike of that , which his essential holiness could never patronize or countenance , yet his goodness and love had not so conspicuously and gloriously appeared . * on the other hand , should god have received the world into grace and favour , forgiving their iniquities , without any previous satisfaction for sin , though he might have done this , without any breach of the eternal purity and justice of his nature , yet he had not so sensibly affected the minds of men , with his just aversation of sin , nor so effectually discovered to them , his anger and displeasure against all evil and wickedness . but now in the death of jesus christ , god has reconciled goodness and holiness , justice and mercy , punishing sin , and yet saving the sinner . behold therefore , and wonder at the ineffable goodness , and transcendent love of god! could not man redeem his brother , and give unto god a ransome for him ? no surely , for that sacrifice , that is presented and offered up to god , must be without spot and blemish ; but when the lord looked down from heaven , upon the children of men , he beheld them all gone aside , and become filthy , so that there was not one that did good , no not one . but if this might not be , yet , could not god have declared his will to us by an angel , by a voice from heaven , or by uniting himself to the angelical nature ? certainly he might , but none of these ways could have been with such endearing circumstances , with such sensible testimonies of dear compassion and benignity , as enravish ingenuous minds into sutable returns and expressions of love . jesus christ therefore , the delights of his father , the brightness of his glory , and the express image and character of his person , took flesh and dwelt among us . he that was in the form of god , clothed with all the majesty and glory of the supramundane life , yet emptyed himself of all this unspeakable felicity , and took upon him the form of a servant , i. e. an earthly , or a body of flesh and blood , in opposition to that state , which he before called , the form of god ; and being found in that servile scheme , he humbled himself , and became obedient unto death , even the death of the cross . what higher expressions of love , can humane understandings possibly conceive , than these ? the endearing love of friends could never give any greater evidence of it self , than that they lay down their lives one for another : but such was the transcendent love of jesus , that he dyed for rebels , for apostates from that sacred life of god , to which alone the soveraign command and rule both of heaven and earth , does of right belong . behold him a man of sorrows , exposed to the envy , hatred and malice of the cruel and unbelieving jews , and yet , so inwardly affected with tenderness and commiseration towards them , that he omits nothing , which a heart enflamed with love and compassion , could do to make them happy . and though god , in his eternal wisdome , foresaw the accursed disposition of the jewish nation , who , as they had been heretofore thirsty after the blood of the prophets and righteous men , so now would never leave , till they had satiated their revenge , in the blood of his only begotten son , yet he delivers him up into their hands : for , so the apostle speaks , that they had taken , and by wicked hands crucified and slain [ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ] him , that was given out of the protecting hand and providence of god , to the will of his enemies . a love which the tongues of men and angels are never able sufficiently to express . and as the infinite love of god appears , in this way of saving men by christ jesus , so his severity and hatred against sin , is no less manifest and conspicuous ; for in that , god spared not his own son , but delivered him up to death , it is a sufficient proof and argument of his utter detestation of all sin and evil . no circumstance of his bitter passion , but speaks forth the heavy wrath and indignation of god against sin . when he came into the garden of gethsemane , where began the first scene of his tragical passion , the scripture tells us , that he was sore amazed and very heavy , and this inward grief , and ineffable trouble of his soul , he expresses in that passionate speech to his disciples , my soul is exceeding sorrowful , even unto death , not only extensively , such as must last , till death it self do end it , but likewise intensively , so great , as is usually at the very point of death . and whence arose this sorrow ? it was not out of any cowardly fear of pain and death , for knowing all things that should come upon him , yet with a firm constancy and sedate resolution of mind , he comes to his implacable enemies at jerusalem ; and when he was betrayed in the garden , he willingly offers himself into their hands , i am he . though certain it is , our blessed saviour , bearing about him our humane nature , was likewise subject to all the harmless passions and affections of it , and was so far from that stoical stubbornness and insensibility , that his passive and tender constitution filled him with grief , and yielded to the fear of pain and death . nor did his sorrow proceed from any displeasure of god against his person ; for he being perfectly obedient , and fully and exactly conformable to his fathers will ; it could not be , that he should groan under the anger and wrath of god. nor was it altogether bodily pains that made him so , but there was something extraordinary ; as , 1. a withdrawing the sensibleness of divine assistance from him . as the sun at our saviour's crucifixion , though not disjoyned from the world , yet for a time deserted the world , by withdrawing his light from it . and although this withholding the sensibleness of the divine presence , was done without any aversation and dislike of the person of our blessed lord , which not only before , but at that very instant , was tenderly beloved of god , yet the apprehension of it could not but make him bemoan his case , in that sad exclamation ; my god , my god , why [ or how ] hast thou forsaken me ! 2. because , then all the powers of hell and darkness were let loose upon him . the prince of darkness , with his accursed legions , did then ( as we may reasonably suppose ) appear to him , in the most affrighting and dreadful forms , and by the permission of divine providence , exerted and tryed the utmost of their insulting rage , in these their last and most furious assaults ; the conquest and victory over whom being to be atchieved , not by the divine power , but by the piety and obedience of our saviour , he falls into an agony , and an angel descends from heaven , to strengthen and comfort his fainting soul in these horrendous conflicts . 3. christ suffering for men's sins , must needs have a distinct apprehension of the manner , measure and odiousness of them , and beheld all this with a bleeding heart , forasmuch as he saw himself cast into those sad circumstances , bruised for the iniquities , and wounded for the transgressions of mankind . all which put together were sufficient causes of the highest grief and sorrow . consider now , jesus christ , the eternally beloved son of god , sorrowful and amazed , sweating drops of blood in his agony , bereaved of the sensibleness of divine assistance , conflicting with the utmost rage and insultation of the devil , and dying a painful and ignominious death upon the cross , and it gives the highest demonstration of god's implacable hatred against all sin , that possibly can be imagined . 2. the admirableness and wonderfulness of the evangelical plot and contrivance , declares it self , in rendring this way and method effectual for the salvation of men. that it should not be lost labour , or a work to no purpose , alarming the world with great hopes and expectations , and at last become abortive , or prove nothing but a windy birth , but that it should really attain the end , for which it was designed , that is , that men should receive benefit by it , and be eternally saved . to this purpose three things are necessary ; 1. that what god requires , be in it self possible . 2. that man be endued with a sufficient power . 3. that some allowance be made for our infirmities . 1. first , i say , that the commands of the gospel be possible : for it were the most unreasonable and tyrannical thing in the world , to exact that of another , which we know he is in no possibility of performing ; and therefore , being a thing so abhorrent and repugnant to the natural reason and equity of mankind , it is at no hand to be attributed to god , whose very nature is the most perfect and living law of justice . wherefore , the gospel being given to be the religion of all mankind , and for no other end , but their everlasting benefit and blessedness , we cannot but imagine all the duties and commands required of them , to be possible to be done ; for otherwise it would be so far from contributing to their advantage , that it would be but an exprobration of their misery , and a tyrannical and arbitrarious insultation over their calamitous condition . nay , we are assured , that the laws of righteousness required of us by the gospel , are not only possible , but gracious and easie , and that from the mouth of the blessed author and giver of them ; my yoke ( says he ) is easie , and my burden is light : and the beloved apostle has left it upon record , that the commands of god are not grievous , that is , they are not insupportable burdens , too heavy for the nature of man to bear , nor are they fetters and shackles of iron , contrived only to ensnare and make the creation miserable , but such gracious precepts and constitutions , as are in themselves immutably good , and so infinitely agreeable to the true and proper , that is , the intellectual nature of man , that he can no sooner understand his own happiness , but he would chuse them , if they had never been commanded . the wisdome of god never interesses it self in unprofitable things , which surely this must have been , if the observance and practice of the injunctions of the gospel had been in it self impossible . besides , supposing such intolerable and impracticable things imposed upon the reason of mankind , it would subvert all future rewards and punishments . as for rewards , there could be no such thing , for rewards are only upon the consideration of duty , and there can be no duty , where the commands are impossible : nor can there be any equitable exaction of punishment , because the law it self is not feasible and practicable , and so the transgression becomes necessary and inevitable , and no more in the power of men to help , than to hinder their being born into the world. wherefore , upon the whole matter , unless the gospel contain only such things as are possible , it is certain , no man can be accountable for them , unless we will suppose god such an arbitrarious being , as acts by no other law , than that of his own will and authority , which is all one , as for a man to think to get himself a name of power and soveraignty , by going about all day , and treading upon a few poor worms . and certainly it is all one to have no notion and apprehension of god at all , and to think so meanly of him , and so much below the excellency and dignity of his blessed nature and ●erfections . but here it will be objected , that if the commands of the gospel be not only possible , but easie and gracious , how comes it then , that men are not presently made good , and all the world become true christians ? to this , i have these things to reply . 1. that god forces none to be good , but having made us rational creatures , he has endued us with a free principle . and without this , there would be no such thing as moral goodness upon earth ; for that which a man is compelled and forced to , by the irresistible determination of an exterior principle , is neither good nor evil in reference to him because it was not a true exertion of his will , but an act of something without him . and therefore should god irresistibly bend and incline the wills of men to the laws and practice of vertue , it would take away the distinction of good and evil , and men would be what they are , by a fatal necessity , and not by choice . moreover , should god forcibly make men good , it would rather destroy , than recover the nature of mankind , and make them more imperfect creatures , than they are already . it is the glory of our faith , that being tryed , it be found unto praise and honour ; but what praise can be due to that , which is performed by the violent constraint of an uncontroulable power ? there would be little reason for the scripture ( says a worthy prelate ) so much to magnify the grace of faith , as being so great a vertue , and so acceptable to god , if every one were necessitated to it , whether he would or no. 2. true religion has a great disagreement with our present sinful natures . christianity came into the world to curb our extravagant desires , to restrain the sinful and exorbitant affections of the animal life , and to draw off our minds from the fading and inchanting beauties of sense , to the living and immortal forms of righteousness and truth . and it is no wonder if it be accounted troublesome and uneasie to a carnal mind , when its whole design is to let out the corrupt life and blood of the old man , and to renew men into that faultless nature , sin and wickedness had destroyed . religion is not such a formidable and difficult thing , such an insuperable task in it self , but because 't is an affliction to our natural life , to do violence to our lusts and bodily passions , therefore sensual and hypocritical persons judge it to be hard , troublesome and uneasie . but 3dly , men generally distempered as they are , have no mind to set upon religion in good earnest . they are for the most part in love with sin , and vice is become customary and natural , and because 't is some trouble to root out and extirpate an habitual corruption , therefore they fairly lay religion by , as a thing too austere and unpleasant . so that there is not so much difficulty in religion , as in bringing men to entertain firm purposes and resolutions of embracing it , that is , of bettering their lives by it . were but men sincere in their endeavours after holiness , and the participation of the nature of god , the pretended roughness and asperity of religion would quickly wear off , and they would see , that its ways are ways of pleasantness , and all its paths peace . by which it appears , that notwithstanding all the objections of our sensual and animal life , that it is possible , nay easie for us to become sincere christians , and that the commands of god are so far from being tyrannical and grievous , that they are the most agreeable to our intellectual and rational natures . 2. it is necessary that man be endued with a sufficient power . for though the conditions of salvation be in themselves possible , yet if we be not put into a capacity , and endued with power from on high , sufficient for the performance of them , we are never the better . though the walking of a mile be a thing possible and feasible , yet it is impossible for him that has lost the use of his legs . if christ , when he cured the impotent and lame in the gospel , by bidding them , rise up and walk , had not at the same time confirmed and strengthned their feeble limbs , his command had been utterly ineffectual . so although we , through our own fault , are fallen into a state of sin and misery , weakness and imperfection , yet if god intend to better our condition , and to recover us to our former life and health , he must confer upon us such a power , as may make his design effectual . it is confessed , that all mankind have utterly disabled themselves for the attainment of everlasting blessedness , by their own naked and solitary endeavours ; but god , out of his free goodness and love , making a new covenant with the world , and propounding certain terms and conditions , upon which they may again be made happy , it is altogether repugnant with his infinite wisdome and justice to require of men the performance of these conditions , without enduing them with a sufficient strength for that purpose . should god offer life and salvation upon the terms of the gospel , and yet never endue us with an ability to embrace and accept of them , it would not be a design worthy of him , nor agreeable with those serious professions and desires of our immortal happiness . for the fuller illustration of this , we must know , that god hath always declared his delight in the felicity , and his aversation of the misery and destruction of his creatures , and lest we should question the reality of this his love , he has confirmed it with an oath : as i live , saith the lord god , i have no pleasure in the death of the wicked . and this fervent desire of the good and welfare of the world , moved him to enter into a covenant with them in christ jesus . now , as in all mutual compacts , and stipulations between parties , there are terms and conditions on both sides , and each party obliges himself to the performance of something : so in this great indenture or covenant , which god has made with the world , he is graciously pleased to oblige himself to do something for us , and we are likewise tyed to the observation of certain articles and conditions required on our part . and this notion of the gospel seems to be intimated by the apostle , 2 tim. 2.19 . the foundation of god standeth sure , having this seal , the lord knows who are his . and let every one that names the name of christ , depart from iniquity . where , give me leave to insert , what a very learned man observes , concerning the signification of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , which our translation renders [ foundation . ] that the hebrew word , to which it answers in the rabbinical dialect , is used for tabulae contractûs , a bill of contract , and so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here signifies , the compact or covenant of god ; for the very mentioning of a seal here , implyes a bill of contract : for bills of contract had their seals appendant to them ; each side whereof had his motto , the one suiting with the one party contrahent , the other with the other . to this the apostle here alludes , god's 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , says he , standeth sure , ( that is , god's bill of contract , or his chirographum ) having a seal according to the manner ; the one side whereof carries this motto , the lord knows them that are his , i. e. he will never fail to own those who continue faithful to him ; the other this , let every man that names the name of christ , depart from iniquity : which if he do not , he forfeits all the priviledges , which he might otherwise hope for , from this covenant of the gospel . and this god's entring into a covenant , is in other terms expressed , by being reconciled to the world , god was in christ , reconciling the world unto himself , not so , as to take all men immediately into heaven , but so far as to put all mankind , by the gospel , into a capacity of salvation . to which end and purpose , amongst other 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , or gratuitous donations which god hath freely engaged himself to bestow , this is one very considerable , the giving of all men sufficient power and strength to inable them to perform his will and commands , so as he will accept of . which very thing is made a part of god's holy covenant , that he would grant unto us , i. e. that he would give us power , as the word is used , revel . 11.3 . or qualify us with a sufficient strength and ability , to serve him in holiness and righteousness , before him , all the days of our lives . for the further proof of this , i shall offer these two arguments . 1. that it is necessary that god should impower all men to whom the gospel is preached , with a sufficient ability to perform what is required in it , that he may manifest his intentions of saving all the world to be real . the apostle tells us , that god is the saviour of all men , and how he can be so , unless he put all men , some way or other into a capacity of salvation , i profess my self not able to understand : now what is it to put any one into a capacity of salvation , but to place him in that way , and to provide for him all those means which shall be necessary and effectual for the obtaining that glorious end ? hence the same apostle informs us , that god would have all men to be saved , that is , as far as lyes in him , and may be consistent with the nature of rational creatures , and that it may appear there is nothing wanting on god's part to make them happy . wherefore those who deny to the greatest part of mankind such a participation of the assistance and grace of god , as may place them under a capacity of obtaining heaven , seem to me to question the reality and sincerity of god's design and intention of saving all the world by christ jesus . for if the purpose of god , in sending jesus christ into the world , was , that he should tast● death for every man , and that the world through him might be saved , it was likewise undoubtedly a part of this purpose , that they should all be qualified and impowered with such ability , the faithful actuating of which should certainly attain that end for which it was designed . and that god should intend the salvation of all mankind , and promulgate this his intention , and alarm the hopes and expectations of all the world , and yet deny them that , without which they cannot be saved , is utterly irreconcileable with those apprehensions , which we ought to have of the divine nature . 2. that all men might thereby be accountable to god. no man can be accountable for any more than he has received , and if there were any number of men to whom the gospel were faithfully preached , and the means of salvation made known , and yet were always left destitute of a power and ability of believing and acting , according to the prescriptions of it , they would be so far from being left without excuse , or having their mouths stopped , that their apology would be as reasonable , as if god should expostulate with them for not creating the world , or raising the dead . for if they never were so much as put ●nto a capacity of believing , how can they be justly punished as infidels ? but because the righteous governor of heaven and earth , cannot but do that which is just and equal , and that all men to whom god has communicated the gospel , shall be accountable to him for it , therefore we are assured that all of them , at some time or other , were endued with such a measure and degree of god's powerful assistance , as should inable them to do what he required of them , and so as he would accept of . this is the condemnation , ( says our blessed saviour , joh. 3.19 . ) not that all the world was in a state of darkness , but that light , that is , the gospel , is come amongst them , and by it they are put into a capacity , not only of discovering , but of coming out of their sins , and they loved darkness rather than light , that is , preferred the satisfaction of their own corrupt lusts , before a sincere obedience to the will of god. and methinks , the righteousness of god's dispensation with men in this kind is evidently prefigured , in that parable of the vineyard , isai . 5. which is alike applicable to the state of things under the gospel , as it was then to the jewish church : the planting it in a fruitful soil , the careful manuring and cultivation of it , implying all necessary means for the increase and growth of men in grace and vertue , whereby might very well have been expected such wine , as might chear and exhilarate the heart of god and man , but when , after all this pains , it brought forth nothing but wild grapes , then god determines upon the just destruction of it , and for the equity and justice of this procedure , appeals to the consciences of men , what could have been done more that i have not done ? but against this it is objected , that if all men under the gospel are put into a capacity of salvation , whence then comes the different entertainment of it , and why is it that all men are not effectually convinced and wrought upon by it ? for the solution of this difficulty , i shall return , 1. that of origen , that to an effectual perswasion there is required not only that the perswader offer such things as are apt to beget belief , but likewise a sutable disposition and tractable frame in him that is to be perswaded . so that the reason why many men do not entertain and believe the gospel , is not that the gospel is unfurnished of perswasory arguments , or that god is wanting in any thing on his part , but because they reject and refuse those things which do in others , and might in them ( if it were not for their own obstinacy ) produce faith and belief . as ( says the father ) the most eloquent orator that ever spake may perswade in vain where he meets with a stubborn and refractory disposition . it is sufficient therefore that the gospel suggests and offers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 such rational arguments and motives as are proper to beget belief in moral agents , but the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 perswasibility , or the act of being perswaded is a work of mens own . for proof of which the father cites these scriptures , gal. 5.8 . perswasion cometh not of him that calleth you . and isai . 1.19 , 20. if ye be willing and obedient , ye shall eat the good of the land : but if ye refuse and rebel , ye shall be devoured with the sword. which account origen seems to have taken out of irenaeus , facere enim proprium est benignitatis dei , fieri autem proprium est hominis naturae . si igitur tradideris ei quod est tuum , id est fidem in eum & subjectionem , percipies ejus artem , & eris perfectum opus dei. si autem non credideris ei , & fugeris manus ejus , erit causa imperfectionis in te , qui non obedisti , sed non in illo qui vocavit . 2. the assistance and aid of the grace and spirit of god under the gospel is not by omnipotency or power at large , but such a concurrence as leaves to men the liberty of their own wills , as is manifest from several places of the sacred scriptures , joh. 5.40 . ye will not come unto me that ye may have life . though our blessed saviour spake as never man spake , and wrought such miracles as never man did , beyond which nothing can be offered to make the gospel credible , yet those contumacious jews would not receive him . and of the pharisees and lawyers it is said , luk. 7.30 . that they rejected the counsel of god against themselves , that is , the merciful purpose or design of god towards them in making provision for their salvation , as well as the rest of the jews . 3. it is necessary that some allowance be made for our infirmities . for though a mighty power engage it self on our behalf , yet if god should be extreme to mark what is done amiss , if he should take advantage of every frailty and miscarriage , who then could be saved ? hence it is that our merciful god considering our frame , and remembring the imperfection of humane nature , is willing to abate and strike off much of our account upon that stock , and treats with us not according to the degrees of an angel , but the measures of a man , not after the highest rigor , but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , according to equity which is the truest and most perfect justice . for herein consists the excellency of the gospel covenant , in that under it 1. god allows of our repentance for past sins . 2. accepts of our sincerity for the time to come . it was part of that commission which christ gave his apostles before his ascension into heaven , that they should preach repentance and remission of sins in his name among all nations : which they faithfully observed , offering life and salvation to those that crucified the son of god , provided they would repent of this their heinous crime and become new creatures . repent and be converted , that your sins may be blotted out . it is the great comfort the christian religion brings guilty sinners , in that it assures them of the love of an offended god , that their past sinful lives shall not ruine or exclude them from his favour , but that now in this day of mercy and peace , if they will return unto him by a speedy repentance , he will be merciful to their unrighteousness , and will remember their iniquities no more . the conscience of mens own guilt makes them afraid , and like adam , run from the presence of god ; wherefore to prevent those misgiving thoughts of the nature of god , which mens sinful hearts possessed them withall , and for the future to take away all jealousies and suspicious fears out of their minds , god is pleased to publish a declaration of pardon and indulgence to all penitent persons , giving them all imaginable security of his propensity and readiness to be reconciled , and of his unfeigned desire and willingness to accept of their persons upon their serious and hearty detestation of their former sins and evil courses . and to the end that men may be perfectly convinced that god is not inexorable and implacable , and that he consults not his own glory in any other way than that of the creatures good and advantage , he vouchsafes out of his undeserved favour and grace to accept of our sincerity for the time to come ; the knowledge of which is therefore imparted unto men by the gospel to settle their minds and quiet their consciences , which otherwise upon every failure in their duty would perpetually torment them with the fear of god's everlasting anger and displeasure . by sincerity , i mean such a frame and constitution of spirit , whereby our whole souls are faithfully carried out in obedience to the will of god , so far as it is made known to us . these things i write unto you ( says the beloved apostle ) that ye sin not , that is , it is the design of the gospel perfectly to abolish all sin , and therefore it requires mens utmost caution and endeavour against it . but because men may fall into sin through the improvidence and short-sightedness of humane nature , or through the sudden incursion of a temptation , and the violence and importunity of it ; yet let them not cast away their confidence , nor sink under their load and dye , for if any man thus sin , we have an advocate with the father , a royal agent at the right hand of god , who makes intercession for us , not as in the days of his flesh by offering up prayers with strong crying and tears , but by virtue of that power and authority of ruling his church according to his own pleasure , dispensing his favours and saving men by the mercies and compassions of the gospel , which prerogative he purchased and merited for himself by his bitter death and passion . for god does not exact of us a perfect , unsinning obedience , so as never to fail in our duty , or offend in the least tittle or circumstance , but he requires of us a perfection of sincerity , the not giving way to any known sin , or doing that upon deliberation , which a man's conscience tells him is a breach and violation of the law of god , though there be never so great temptations to it . this is that which the scripture calls by the names of the new man and the new creature , when we love and serve god with our whole hearts , and retain such a clear sense of the deformity of sin , and the loveliness of virtue , as makes us studiously prosecute the one , and detest and abhor the other . and though this sincerity of heart may be accompanied with meekness and imperfection , yet it is such as god has graciously promised to accept of , and to wash away those lesser frailties and infirmities in the blood of christ . this state of mind is an everlasting fountain of peace and joy , a spring of eternal contentment and satisfaction . it supports us in all dangers , carries us undauntedly through all difficulties , and fills our souls with an enravishing calmness and tranquillity . it is certainly the best companion and the surest friend in all the world : for when the clouds gather and a storm arises , and the face of things in this lower region becomes troubled and confused , yet our sincerity never leaves us , but in the most formidable and dismal appearance of nature puts on a chearful countenance , and looks abroad and meets the greatest dangers with a high and generous resolution , being confident of this , that that everlasting goodness which folds the whole creation in tender arms , will never disdain or cast away a sincere person , nor despise him who unfeignedly and bewailing his weakness prosecutes that which is simply and absolutely the best . 2. a second thing wherein the excellency of divine wisdome appears , lyes in the manner of the manifestation of the gospel to us . god was manifest in the flesh , says st. paul , that is , the wonderfulness of the mystery of the gospel consisted in this , that god took upon him our flesh and blood . god communicated his will to us by sending down his son in the likeness of sinful flesh , ( rom. 8.3 . ) that is , in a body of flesh and blood . i shall not here insist upon those 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , those various ways and divers manners by which god spake to the fathers of old , communicating his will to them sometimes by dreams and visions , by a voice from heaven and the apparitions of angels , but consider that way which god hath chosen of manifesting himself to the world in these last days by his son , which as it best sutes with the evangelical dispensation , so it discovers to us that manifold wisdome the apostle speaks of , eph. 3.10 . a wisdome that displays it self in several ways and manners , and yet all tending to one great end and purpose , namely the recovery of men from sin to a state of purity and holiness . for in this great design of instructing the world by the incarnation of our blessed saviour , we discover the evident traces and footsteps , 1. of a condescending wisdome accommodating things to our apprehensions and capacities . the delivery of the law on mount sinai was usher'd in with a terrible and amazing solemnity , the mountain quaking and vomiting out pitchy clouds of smoke and globes of flame , a fiery tempest or whirlwind roaring with formidable peals and claps of thunder , together with the prodigious sound of a trumpet rending and tearing the heavens , so that moses himself exceedingly fear'd and trembled : but the gospel being wholly a design of mercy and love carries with it no terrors and affrightments , but is composed of the kind invitations of peace and comfort , the mount sion wherein the resplendent glory of the first-born is displayed , shining only with the gentle beams of an attractive and pleasing light , and jesus the blessed mediator of this new covenant with his extended arms proclames his willingness to embrace and receive the world which he has reconciled to god with his own blood . this is that oeconomy which the apostle calls the foolishness of preaching , not as if it were so in it self , but because 't is a way of condescending wisdome , wherein god stoops down to our apprehensions , and frames things so as we may understand them , and receive an infinite benefit by them . for man , partly from the frame and constitution of his nature consisting of body as well as soul , but much more from his fall and descent into this lower life becomes wonderfully affected with gross phantasms and exterior representations . whence it comes to pass that we do more easily and frequently conceive of things as they appear to sense than as they are in themselves , when apprehended by a more discerning principle . wherefore the infinite wisdome of god that makes not its operations in a way of absolute soveraignty and immensity of power , forcing the creatures against those inbred principles she hath placed in them , but sweetly and powerfully directs them in a steady way of congruity and proportionateness to the natures of things , being to work out man from this low contracted state , the sad region of sin and death , to a participation of immortality and more free emanations of divine life , contrived a way most sutable and agreeable to the shallow capacities and faculties of humane souls . god would not appear to us in a flame of fire , nor speak by an angel in a body of pure air , but in the form of a servant clothed with our humane flesh , and subject to all the harmless passions of our nature , that he might more kindly disenslave us from the cruel tyranny of sin and satan . for let us but consult with our own reasons , whether this be not a greater incitation and more powerful inducement to men to believe and obey the declarations of the divine will , to exhibit to them some extraordinary and remarkable person that should by the fullest demonstrations and sensible signs prove himself to be the eternal son of god , and by sweetly compulsive motives even to the suffering a barbarous and shameful death attract humane minds to the imitation of his virtues and following his steps , than that god should by any of those forementioned ways manifest himself in effects of benignity or displeasure . the whole nation of the jews discover the sense of mankind in such a case , when being affrighted with the terrors accompanying the descent of god upon the mount , they said unto moses , speak thou with us and we will hear , but let not god speak with us lest we dye . for , 1. considering the world partly from themselves , and partly from the cunning of satan , so much addicted and given over to the belief of sense , had not christ visibly appeared and conversed with men , the gospel could never have captivated humane understandings with such irresistible evidence , or wrought in them such a full perswasion of the things it taught , as we see it hath done . should the great pillars of the christian faith , i mean the apostles and disciples of the holy jesus have laid its first ground-work upon the hearing of some voice , or perswaded their auditors ( as numa pompilius and some other heathen law-givers ) from the converse they had with some angel , that their doctrine was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 delivered to them from heaven , and had god for its author , yet how hardly would men have embraced it upon these accounts , especially considering those imminent and apparent dangers they were likely to incur upon the profession of it . how ill resented is that great doctrine of our blessed saviour self-denyal and resignation among vulgar spirits , and how difficult a thing is it to bring off degenerated hearts from the interests of the world ? and is it likely then that men should be so prodigal of their dearest blood , as to sacrifice it to an uncertain rumour and report , which every impostor is able to pretend ? but to see the meek lamb of god made in our own likeness , having left the sacred mansions of light and glory , and clothed himself with our frail mortality , to behold him ( i say ) testifying by many miracles and irrefragable arguments through the whole course of his abode on earth , and at last taking it upon his death , that he was the son of the ever-living god , and came down from heaven to make known to men that god was reconciled to the world through him , this must needs strike our imaginations more forcibly than whatever else the wit of man could possibly conceive . 2. the gospel was intended to transform and work our natures into that which is the flower and perfection of the divine life , that is an universal love : to call off our minds from those little interests they are apt to espouse by looking upon themselves as so many particular beings divided and separated from the rest of the world , and created only for themselves and their private concernments , and to beget in them an universally extensive charity by widening their capacities to the dimensions of the whole creation . by which we are taught not to think it enough that our love ascend in copious flames to heaven , unless it likewise descend in due measures and degrees upon all mankind . and indeed it is impossible for a man that is throughly baptized into this spirit of universal love , to have any self designs in opposition to the general good of the whole world , but he must needs be infinitely desirous and pleased to see the life and nature of god communicated to all beings capable of receiving of it . and this love is so strong and vigorous that it firmly unites it self to all in whom it finds any true likeness and resemblance of the divine image , and so far endears them to it self , as to constrain us to lay down our lives for the brethren . but certainly this flame could never have burnt so bright if it had not been raised and quickned by that sensible demonstration of inimitable affection in the death of the holy jesus . for what greater incouragement could there be to oblige and unite mens souls to one another , than that their love should first be kindled from heaven by that great and unparallel'd exemplar of noble charity , who laid down his life to expiate the crimes of his own and his fathers enemies ? 2. of a congruity and complyance with the state and condition of mankind both in respect of 1. moral 2. natural evils . first , in respect of moral evils : the degeneracy and fall of mankind from god made them slaves and vassals to sin and satan ; for the busie tempter being not able to work upon them by external force and violence , drew their wills into consent by craft and specious solicitations , till at last he had so far enlarged his kingdom , as to bring the whole race of mankind under his dominion . wherefore the gospel being designed to free men from that unnatural bondage , and to restore them to their true liberty , it does in all points confront the ways and methods by which their captivity was compassed and effected . it had been a small matter by a high hand , and by an infinite power at large , to have destroyed the devils kingdom , but herein appeared an excellent wisdome , so to lay the ground and foundation of this glorious purpose of the salvation of the world , that the politick prince of darkness might be taken in his own craftiness , and lose this his empire and dominion by the same methods by which he at first obtained it . the woman being first in the transgression , and bringing sin and death upon all her off-spring , that divine wisdome that draws light out of darkness , and order out of confusion , decreed that the seed of the woman should break the serpents head , that is , that christ who is the seed of the woman , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , by nature , and his members , who are so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by spiritual engraftment into him , should dispossess the devil of that power , soveraignty and principality which he holds over the world by sin . according to this early declaration of men's recovery , jesus christ the true seed of the woman comes into the world , and by walking exactly contrary to his enemy , restores to the world what they lost by the first adam . and whereas the devil managed his kingdom of sin and death with all imaginable tyranny and insultation over poor mortals , our blessed jesus was so far from requiring humane blood to be sacrificed to him , that out of a deep sense of our calamity he parted with his own blood for the life of the world. a more effectual and agreeable course could never have been taken than this , that the captain of our salvation should visibly appear and conquer the kingdom and powers of darkness in that nature which the first adam ruin'd and destroyed . secondly , in respect of natural evils : though it be no disgrace nor shame to be made a man , yet he that deeply reflects upon humane life , shall find it at the best very calamitous and standing in need of much pity and compassion . we are born into the world helpless and weak , and as if we did presage our own future miseries , the first actions of our life are spent in crying and tears : our very bodies are a sad load and burden upon our spirits , inclining them to many foolish lusts and passions , subject to many pains , diseases and death , insomuch that many good and holy men have in passionate streins bewailed their stay and continuance here on earth , woe is me that i sojourn in meseck , and have my habitation in the tents of kedar ! and , o wretched man that i am , who shall deliver me from this body of death ! now none can so affectionately pity , nor so intimately resent the distress of another , as he that hath smarted and suffered under the same calamity : therefore says the apostle , we have not an high-priest that cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities , by reason of the great distance , disproportion and sublimity of his nature , but was in all points tempted like as we are , yet without sin , that is , manifested and declared himself to be a true man , by being subject to all the harmless affections and infirmities of humane flesh and blood ; forasmuch therefore as he became our brother , by taking upon him the same natural condition , he must needs be throughly apprehensive and sensible of our state , and so the more apt to sympathize with and commiserate poor mortals , and by that powerful soveraignty to which he is exalted , act for us and send down relief from heaven to us . for though the infinite essence of god pervade the whole world and all the creatures live within it , and therefore must needs feel and know the inmost energies , motions and stillest actings of all beings ; yet it affords not such a sensible comfort to humane minds , as to behold the son of god taking upon him our nature , and by that union and proximity assuring us of his tenderness and compassion towards us . for he took not on him the nature of angels , being unwilling to be so far removed from us , but took on him the seed of abraham . wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren , that he might be a merciful and faithful high-priest — for in that he himself hath suffered being tempted , he is able to succour them that are tempted . 3. a third thing , which demonstrates the excellency of divine wisdome in the dispensation of the gospel , consists in the fitness and sutableness of it to the end for which it was designed . for things are so much the more excellent , by how much the congruity and fitness is greater for the accomplishing their end and purpose . now the great intent and design of god in the gospel being ( as i have said ) the everlasting blessedness of humane souls , the more congruously and fitly disposed it shall be found to be for the obtaining this effect , the greater is the glory of the divine wisdome interessing and concerning it self about it . this aptness and sutableness is seen , 1. in that the gospel is furnished with all those arguments that are requisite to approve it self worthy of belief to all rational persons . to this two things are necessary . 1. the attestation of god himself . 2. rational evidence and conviction . for whatever is attested of god , and hath his seal affixed to it , is by the general consent of all men to be looked upon and entertained as infallibly true : veracity being an essential attribute and perfection of the divine nature . st. paul discoursing of the mystery of godliness tells us that christ and christianity was justified by the spirit , i. e. owned , approved and recommended to the world by the spirit of god. and this god's recommendation of our blessed saviour to the world , as a person commissioned and invested with full authority to declare his will unto mankind , was done at several times and in divers manners . 1. at the baptism of our saviour , mat. 3.16 , 17. when the heavens were opened , and the spirit of god descended upon him , and a voice from heaven proclaiming him the beloved son of god in whom he was well pleased . and this manner of divine revelation by a voice from heaven , as it was the most ancient , so the most honourable way of god's communicating his will to mankind , exod. 20.22 . ye have seen that i have talked with you from heaven . for what the jews relate of the bath-kol , are for the most part fabulous , or else magical and satanical delusions . certain it is ( as a very learned author observes ) there is not the least mention in the holy scriptures of a voice speaking from heaven , between the giving of the law and the baptism of our saviour . and it were very strange if god withdrawing those ordinary ways of revealing his will under the second temple , should yet continue the most noble of all , by speaking to men from heaven . and that we may not think there was any plot or combination between john the baptist and our saviour christ , it is said , joh. 1.33 . that john knew him not , but had this sign given him , that upon whom he should see the spirit descending and remaining on him , that same was the true messias and saviour of the world. and to this voice our lord himself appeals , joh. 6.27 . him hath god the father sealed , i. e. visibly approved and owned christ from heaven , to the end that he having this wonderful attestation of god himself might be believed on in the world , and his doctrine as unquestionably received as the letters of a king , when his seal is affixed to them . 2. another confirmation of christ and his doctrine was at his transfiguration . mat. 17.5 . a voice comes out of the cloud , which said , this is my beloved son in whom i am well pleased , hear ye him . and this st. peter brings as a demonstration of the truth of the gospel , for we have not followed cunningly devised fables , when we made known unto you the power and coming of our lord jesus christ , q. d. we have not imposed upon the minds and spirits of men , as the manner of cheaters and deceivers is , but have delivered to you such things as we have seen and heard , being eye-witnesses of his majesty ; for he received from god the father honour and glory , when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory , this is my beloved son in whom i am well pleased : and this voice which came from heaven we heard , when we were with him in the holy mount. 3. god approved our lord jesus by inabling him to work miracles , which is such a clear testimony of the divine mission of our saviour , that both jews and gentiles ought to be convinced by it . to the jews it ought to be convictive from their own law , deut. 18.22 . when a prophet speaks in the name of the lord , if the thing follow not nor come to pass , that is the thing which the lord hath not spoken — which rule was given them to discern true prophets from false ; for if the prophet brought to them a new doctrine , and confirmed it by supernatural and miraculous operations , though he commanded them something contrary to the law , yet if he perswaded nothing but the worship of the one true god of israel , they ought to obey him , forasmuch as there could be no greater evidence of the divine testimony and approbation , than by inabling such a man to work miracles . and though this general rule might be applyed to all the jewish prophets , yet did it more particularly respect the coming of the messias , there being none more conspicuous and illustrious for all those signs by which god would have the prophet that speaks in his name to be known than jesus christ . nor is it of less moment and argument to the gentiles , for miracles being such unquestionable evidences of the interposition of a divine power , it follows that whoever shall lead a sincere and unblameable life , and teach nothing but the worship of the true god and the conscientious practice of virtue , and for the confirmation of this his doctrine shall work miracles , we ought to believe him sent from god. this was it which convinced nicodemus , we know that thou art a teacher come from god , for no man can do these miracles that thou doest except god be with him . he saw that jesus christ professed and commanded only the worship of the true god , and that he exhorted only to the practice of real righteousness and holiness , and therefore that those great miracles which he wrought , exceeding the power of evil spirits , were a sensible demonstration that he was sent from god. it may now not improperly be inquired , whether miracles are always necessary to beget belief of the divine authority of a doctrine : and how far they are so ? to this i answer , that miracles to some persons and in some circumstances are proper means to beget assent ; for that they are not always convictive , appears from the incredulity of the jews , whom neither the frequent and stupendious miracles of our saviour , nor of his apostles could perswade , but notwithstanding this powerful way of conviction , they put the master to death as a malefactor , and murder his servants : i say therefore that to some persons and in some circumstances , miracles are proper means to beget faith. 1. they are necessary means to them who have been constantly used and trained up by miracles . such were the jewes , who received their law in a miraculous manner , the divinity of which was frequently afterwards attested by miracles , and upon any great and notable defection of the people to idolatry , god was pleased to reduce them by sending and inabling a prophet to work miracles . now it is very unreasonable to think that the gospel which should introduce and make so mighty a change in the judaical oeconomy should gain belief of them , unassisted of miraculous evidence and testimony , who were already in possession of a law which god himself had so often owned and set his seal to by miracles and supernatural operations . hence it came to pass that the jews demanded of christ a sign , joh. 2.18 . forasmuch as he called god his father , and carried himself in the way of a prophet , they require him to evidence this his authority by some miraculous actions , which our blessed saviour both promises and fulfils by raising himself from the dead . 2. miracles do more powerfully strike the senses , and so are more apt to beget belief in them , who are not capable of a rational apprehension and dijudication of truth . hitherto we may refer christ's upbraiding chorazin and bethsaida , if the mighty works which were done in them , had been done in tyre and sidon , they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes , that is , they would very probably have done so : for they lying under a great and inveterate ignorance , and being so perfectly enslaved to sense , were more likely to have been rouzed out of their blockishness and stupidity by miracles which so forcibly strike the imagination , than by the most rational discourse to which they had so little vital congruity and agreeableness . and it is very observable , that the apostles never wrought a miracle , but upon an urgent occasion and great necessity , where they found their auditors capable and apprehensive : when the great apostle of the gentiles , s. paul , came to athens , a place long famous for all polite learning , he makes an excellent metaphysical discourse , and proves the unnaturalness and unreasonableness of idolatry , by such principles as were common to , and universally received by the intellectual nature of man. and indeed a rational conviction seems more clear and evident than a miraculous one , by how much the innate idea's and dictates of the understanding are more sure and constant , than the perplexed motions of a versatile imagination . and we find that the jews evaded the force of our saviour's miracles , by saying they were done by the power of the devil , and though lazarus come to them from the dead , yet they did not believe , but sought to murder him , and a perverse spirit will find various artifices to elude the assent which a miracle commands from us . but now humane reason being in all men one and the same , it is more likely to prevail when advantageously propounded , from that antecedent sutableness and harmony there is between it and all truth . and without doubt our blessed saviour himself seems to intimate , that the assent which is extorted upon the working of miracles , is much less generous and noble , than that which is gained from the understanding , by the native evidence and beauty of truth : except ye see signs and wonders , ye will not believe ; whereas the facility of the samaritanes is commended , who believed on jesus upon his own discourse , though he did no miracle among them . and besides all this , christ says expresly , that the very nature and frame , the sanctity and majesty of the doctrine he propounded , was alike sufficient to render the jews inexcusable , as the unparallel'd works he performed in their presence . if i had not come and spoken to them , they had not had sin ; but now they have no cloak for their sin . again , if i had not done amongst them the works which none other man did , they had not had sin . wherefore to us who have moses and the prophets , the discourses of our blessed saviour , and the writings of his apostles transmitted , if we shall yet be incredulous , it is as likely and probable we shall still continue so , though one come to us from the dead . for , 1. we have already all things , pertaining to life and godliness , perspicuously delivered in the holy scriptures , and this doctrine at the first delivery of it , was sufficiently confirmed and attested by miracles and supernatural actions , the history of which is made as credible to us , as any records of things can be , which we our selves were not spectators of . now , if we can believe any histories of former ages , any records of times past , we have the same reason to believe the history of the gospel , and he that sincerely credits that , will be as much confirmed in the religion he professes , by those miracles he finds long ago wrought to evidence its divine authority , as if they were done now at this present before his eyes . blessed are they who have not seen , and yet have believed . 2. to desire new miracles for the begetting of faith , is to question the wisdome of god in the contrivance of the gospel . for either the scriptures are sufficiently confirmed and attested , by the miracles wrought by christ and his apostles , to beget faith and credence in any unprejudiced and disinteressed person , or they are not . if they are , it is in vain to require the reproduction of miracles in its behalf . if they are not , we then call in question the wisdome of god , as if he either knew not the natures and constitutions of men , or did not foresee what was sufficient to work belief in them . 3. the perpetuating miracles for every man's conviction , would destroy and make useless their rational faculties . for the christian religion is a manifestation of the highest reason that ever the world had any cognizance of , and all its parts and doctrines are every way fitted to rational capacities : but now miracles being only convictive to sense , if for the confirmation of every article of religion , there must be the concurrent testimony of a miracle , all appeal to our reason and intellectual faculties were useless and supervacaneous . 4. the resurrection of jesus christ from the dead , was a notable suffrage and testimony of his divine mission . it is the highest instance of divine providence watching over and carefully superintending the person of our holy lord and master , which though it permitted him to fall into the hands of wicked and cruel men , who bereaved him of his innocent life , yet forsook him not in death and the grave , but justified and approved the design and cause he managed in the world by dismantling those infernal prisons , and bringing him up to life again . and this the apostle takes as an eminent declaration of the divinity of jesus , who though according to that mortal and frail state he took upon him in the world , became a man of the seed of david , yet in regard of that spiritual and celestial condition , which he obtained by the resurrection from the dead , was manifestly declared the glorious and powerful son of god. for we cannot think that god would do so much for an impostor , or that the divine power would so highly concern it self in raising him from the dead , and thereby owning him in so singular and eminent a manner , if he had not spoken in his name , and done all things by his authority and commission . 5. another instance of the divine approbation of the doctrine of our saviour , appears in sending down the holy ghost after his ascension into heaven . this mission of the holy spirit , christ promised his disciples before he left the world , and signally performs it upon the day of pentecost . and this very thing is brought by the author to the hebrews , as an indubitable confirmation of the gospel : how shall we escape , if we neglect so great salvation , which at the first began to be spoken by the lord , and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him : god also bearing them witness ( approving and owning the doctrine of his son jesus ) both with signs and wonders , and with divers miracles and gifts of the holy ghost , according to his own will. god is brought in here as a witness to the truth of the gospel , and his testimony is the mission of the holy ghost , by whom the apostles were inabled and furnished with divers gifts and miraculous powers for the conviction of the world , that jesus was the beloved son of god and saviour of mankind . and this redargution of the world was made a part of the advocateship of the holy spirit by our lord , when he is come he will reprove the world of sin , because they believe not on me , that is , he shall take upon him the defence of my cause , and convince the world of their great sin in slaying me a true prophet , who came to declare the will of god unto them . of righteousness , because i go to my father , and ye see me no more ; that is , he should make it appear that i was just and innocent , though condemned as a malefactor , and that i was owned and approved of god in that he visibly took me up into heaven . which plentiful effusion of the holy spirit in such a wonderful manner , whenas he had been withdrawn from the jews as to those extraordinary and prophetical gifts for the space of four hundred years , was a testimony clear as the sun that jesus was the true messias , the beloved son of god , and therefore that they ought to have believed on him. 6. lastly , christ was approved by the spirit of prophecy . their want of understanding and incredulity of the prophetick oracles , was that for which our saviour upbraided his two disciples , o fools and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken . whereby we are informed that the prophets had long ago given , not only a character and description of the person , but of the doctrine , death , burial and resurrection of the messiah ; and these prophecies being so directly applicable to jesus and to none else , it was an unquestionable proof that he was the true messiah , and that the world ought to believe on him . this argument st. peter makes use of against the jewes ; to him give all the prophets witness — q.d. if you believe not us the apostles of jesus , yet believe your own prophets , who unanimously point out and refer to this jesus , whom we preach to you . and thus st. paul pleads for the gospel , act. 26.22 . that he taught no other things than those which the prophets and moses did say should come . by all these several ways , it is very apparent that god hath born witness to christianity , and approved and owned the person and doctrine of our lord jesus christ , which is the first thing required to the credibility of the gospel , namely the attestation of god himself . 2. the second is rational evidence and conviction . the most noble faculties of the soul of man are the understanding and the will , and that religion bear a rational evidence and conviction , it must be fitted with arguments that must convince the understanding , and perswade the will to a due reception and entertainment of it . now the proper object of the understanding is truth , from whence it follows that christianity must be true that it may be believed . for the truth of religion , i shall refer to those learned authors , who have purposely handled that argument , and brought as clear evidence as the thing it self is capable of : and he that cannot believe without a mathematical certainty , declares himself to be very absurd and disingenuous , and may upon the same grounds as well expect the same demonstrative evidence for the affairs of humane life , or to prove the truth of the chronicles of the kings of england , or france , that is , he is so strangely unreasonable , as to desire such proof , as the nature of the things will not bear , though in the mean time he have the highest evidence , and most unquestionable assurance of the truth of religion , that the thing it self is capable of , that is , a moral certainty . for the mind of man may be as indubitably assured of the truth of a moral proposition , as of a mathematical or physical one , although there be not the same way of probation in all . as for example , this is a self-evident truth in morals , and needs no other light , but that of its own to gain assent ; that in those things which we have not seen nor experienced our selves , we ought to believe them that say they have seen and experienced , provided they live up to their profession , and are not moved to it by secular respect . which if it be not assented to , we must be scepticks even in ordinary affairs and transactions of humane life , we must not believe there is such a place as constantinople , nor credit any thing but our own eyes and ears , and say in a larger sense than ever the psalmist did , that all men are lyars . see more of this in bishop wilkins principles of natural religion . now for the will , that religion may have a full and compleat entertainment in the soul of man , there must be something likewise to work upon that wherefore to make a thing eligible , it must have the appearance of good , that is , it must have a sutableness , congruity and harmony with the intellectual nature of man , and a tendency to promote the perfection thereof ; and such is the christian religion in its whole frame and contexture . for let us consider , who it is that owns , and has interessed himself , as the blessed author of the evangelical oeconomy , even the eternal logos and wisdome of god , that almighty mind which has closely contracted , and deeply seal'd upon all intellectual agents , that large and diffusive wisdome , that is seen in all the parts of heaven and earth . and to think that christianity should be in any of its parts unreasonable , is to imagine this to be the only unreasonable thing , that ever the divine wisdome was the author of , and this alone of all his numerous off-spring to be unlike the father . the gospel does in the most intimate manner derive it self from christ the eternal son of god , and is especially owned and superintended by him , as being the repairing that work which he alone made , and which he alone can rectifie : and to imagine that an infinite reason should propound any thing to us that were unreasonable , is as fond as to say that cold can flow from fire , or darkness positively ray from the bosome of light . jesus christ did not bring a religion into the world , to perplex our minds and dazle our understandings , but for the real good and behoof of the lapsed creation , to form our minds according to his own image , and to regenerate our spirits into a living nature of truth and righteousness , which design were utterly lost , if there were not in christianity a perfect symphony , congruity and agreeableness with our intellectual natures . besides , let any man but consider , how the will is allured and solicited to action , and he shall find , that it is then the most vigorously tempted forth , when something is propounded , which has a natural sutableness and harmony with those constitutive principles , of which we are made : but on the contrary , it is naturally averse to , and not at all concerned with that , to which it hath no vital sympathy or concord . which is an evident sign that christianity is not only agreeable to , but perfective of our rational powers . what can be more agreeable to the true nature of man than righteousness ? what more sutable to his higher and diviner faculties than truth and goodness ? these beautiful and glorious forms shone bright in our souls , before vice and sin had covered and overspread them , and forced our minds into a preternatural state . now christianity is design'd for the recovery of us to our pristine health and rectitude , and tends to the enlargement of our better powers , and the recovery of them from that narrow and contracted state , sin and evil had brought them to . vice and wickedness are none of god's creation , but are obliquities and aberrations from those rules and laws he implanted in us , and therefore as it is impossible the soul should have any proper agreement with sin , because 't is none of its nature , so she must needs , on the other hand , sensibly embrace and acquiesce in the principles and precepts of holiness , from that vital cognation they bear to her own moral being . there is no capacious and generous mind , but will find it self wonderfully affected and inamour'd with the loveliness of christianity , there being nothing found , but principles of the highest worth and nobility , and whatever else may speak true excellency and perfection . the gospel is nothing , but god manifested in the flesh , an eternal mind clothed with the condescensions of humane nature , shewing us the beauty and pulchritude of that life , from which we had so foully apostatiz'd and degenerated , and confirming and re-establishing that happy league , which was once between our souls and righteousness . by the tenor of which sacred institute , we are obliged to great measures and degrees of holiness , to sobriety and temperance , chastity and purity , to be strict observers of the rules of justice and equity , full of good nature and the desirable fruits of tenderness and compassion ; in a word , we are injoyned no other things in religion , than what the best and bravest spirits the world ever knew , have always accounted the flower and summity of rational natures . and do not all considering men , find the greatest ease and satisfaction of mind , in the exercise of these things ? and whence comes this heavenly calm and serenity of soul , but only from that gratefulness and symmetry , that is between such things and our intellectual man ? so that the more earnestly we attend to them , the more fully are we transformed into their lovely image and likeness . true christianity is so far from debasing , that on the contrary it infinitely exalts them , by setting them at a true proportion to their proper objects , and raising them to such a state , as all wise men have ever acknowledged the highest happiness and perfection of the soul of man. i have now shown the fitness and sutableness of the gospel , to the end for which it was designed , in that it is furnished with all those arguments of credibility , that may beget assent in rational persons : but its aptness and accomodateness to that great purpose of men's salvation , may further be demonstrated in that , 2. secondly , it is so attemper'd to humane nature , that men shall certainly believe , and yet no violence done to their wills. for men being moral agents , must be dealt withall according to their natural powers and faculties , and this makes the method of saving humane souls by the gospel , to be indeed a work of wisdom and counsel , whereas if god should by his omnipotency force them to a belief and obedience of it , it would not have been so much an effect of wisdome , as of absolute and uncontrollable power . now herein appears the glory of divine wisdome , in the choice of such means and ways , as shall effectually bring to pass its end and purpose , and yet no violence and force offered to that nature in whose behalf it acts . as therefore to assert , that there is no necessity of the assistance of the grace and spirit of god , in our progress in virtue and holiness , but that men may be good by the strength of the powers of nature , is directly repugnant to the frame of christianity , delineated in the holy scriptures , and the sense of the universal apostolick church of christ ; so to think that the operation of god's spirit upon the hearts of men , is by an external impetus and force , is no less precarious and absurd , than the other is wicked and abominable . i shall therefore wave the first of these , as not being at all concerned with it , but directly supposing the contrary ; and only discourse so far of the concourse and energy of the spirit of god upon the minds , will and affections of men , as is evidently declared in the holy scriptures . and here i humbly conceive , that the sacred writings do no where declare the concurrence , or operation of the spirit of god upon men's souls , to be by an omnipotent power at large , such as was shown in the creation of the world , or resurrection of the dead , and which supposes us so altogether passive , as not to be in the least measure capable of promoting , or hindring our own good ; for this were to destroy that noble faculty of humane souls their will , and render all their actions fatal and necessary : whereas the christian religion was intended to heal and cement , to joyn and confirm the dislocated and disordered powers of our souls , not to take them away , to perfect and compleat , not to extirpate and eradicate their very nature and being . no man acknowledges the actions of brutes or engines , or the results of our animal and irrational powers capable of moral goodness ; because they act fatally and necessarily ; and such would the actions of mankind be , if they were produced by an irresistible power . a power and assistance then it is certain god has given us , and that of his holy spirit under the gospel , but the manner of his operation is not absolute and unconditionate , but hypothetical , like the great conciliating and formative principle of god in nature , requiring certain terms and previous dispositions and qualifications , without which it is as vain to hope for the compleat efformation of christ within us , as to expect the rudiments of the body of an animal , to be formed out of a piece of brass or marble . for though we do not distrust the power of god , but believe he is able to raise himself up children out of the very stones of the fields , and to change and alter the natures of things as he pleases ; yet since we find him framing and guiding them , not according to will and power alone , but according to the counsel of his will , we are likewise ascertain'd , that in the conducting humane souls to heaven , god works sutably to their natures and capacities , and in such an orderly way and congruous method , as supposes the presence of an infinite wisdome and counsel in the management of it . and this not only appears from the consideration of the frame of humane nature , which in its choicest part is wholly intellectual , and therefore not to be forced by an outward violence , but moved and drawn ( as the scriptures speak ) with bands of love , and cords of a man , that is , by rational means and perswasive arguments , whose force and strength must lye in their congenerousness and sutableness with the ancient idea's and inscriptions of truth upon our souls , but is likewise manifest , 1. from the resistibility of the operations of the spirit of god. and for a demonstrative and convictive evidence of this , we need look no further than the preaching of the son of god , while he conversed with the world and dwelt amongst us , who though he were the essential wisdome of his father , and his discourses full of life and power , who himself was transcendently anointed with the spirit of god , and able and willing to bestow the same , according as the needs and necessities of men required , yet jesus , the author and finisher of the salvation of men , was not always succesful , but oft-times that precious and immortal seed , which he sow'd , fell upon a rock , and there were some that rejected the counsel of god against themselves , and many believed not on him , and others went back , and walked no more with him . shall we say now that the spirit of god did not accompany those excellent sermons of jesus christ ? if it did , his energy and operation was not absolute and unconditionate , since it was repulsed , and took no effect on many . or is it not rather plain , that the cause lay in the stubborness and obstinacy of their own wills , according as christ himself tells the jews , i would , but ye would not ? a like form of speech god uses to their rebellious ancestors , because i have purged thee , and thou wast not purged , that is , i have done my part towards it , but thou wouldst not do thine . nor can i imagine , if the work of men's conversion depended so wholly upon the power of god , that no precedent qualifications were necessary to invite the spirit of god to fall to work , why men's obstinate incredulity should debar christ from working miracles , as we find it did ; or why he should not require a tractable frame of mind , as a precedent qualification , for the exertion of his almighty power in the cure of spiritual , as well as corporal diseases . nay , the apostles and disciples of our saviour were so far from imagining an irresistible power , accompanying the outward word , that st. stephen tells the jews , they did resist the holy ghost , even as their fathers did . 2. from those arguments , the spirit of god makes use of , under the gospel , wherein men are treated with according to their rational natures , and wrought off from vice and sin , to a firm and permanent adhesion to virtue , by kindness and love , by hopes and fears , by the inevitableness of impendent mischiefs , and by the security of future rewards . which oeconomy had been altogether supervacaneous , if god had engaged his omnipotent power to make men good . under the gospel we are perswaded to holiness and righteousness , by the easiness , pleasantness and satisfaction of such a state , to which our minds being once arrived , they feel a full and entire acquiescence and ineffable joy ; a pleasure resulting from the connaturality and agreeableness of those beautiful forms , with the inmost sense of our own souls . and because the dispositions of mankind are various and different , some being incouraged to action , out of a principle of gratitude and innate nobility ; others not easily won , but by advantage and interest ; others again not without menaces of a severe and uneasie discipline : therefore god in the evangelical dispensation , hath interwoven the most effectual and cogent arguments , to meet with each of these tempers in men. to the first , he propounds the consideration of the death and passion of his only begotten son , who being in the form of god , and dwelling in the immortal mansions of light and glory , yet out of that dear and ineffable love and compassion , which he always bare to the race of mankind , was content to banish himself from those blessed regions , and put on our servile scheme , being born into the world a helpless infant , subject to perpetual sorrows and afflictive circumstances , leading an obscure and contemptible life , befriended of few , and at last dying upon that uneasie bed of sorrows , the cross , that so his death might be an expiatory sacrifice for the sins of the world. which cannot but enravish every ingenuous breast , and fill it with the highest and most faithful love , to so kind and compassionate a saviour . but there being almost as few of this sort of men , as there were of old of those that embraced virtue for it self , and esteemed it eligible , though divested of all appendant rewards , therefore that eternal wisdome which has interessed it self in the frame and conduct of the gospel , propounds an advantageous portion to the sincere and unblameable professors of piety and holiness , and assures them that their labour shall not be in vain , but that their sorrows shall find refreshment , their hardships and difficult enterprises , ease and pleasure , and their faithful perseverance in righteousness be recompenced with the happiness of possessing glorified and immortal bodies in the highest heavens . and if it shall happen , the minds of men to be deaf to all the charms of gratitude and advantage , to the allectives of good nature and interest , and there be no way left to awake them out of their stupidity , but by the voice of thunder , then jesus christ the soveraign of men and angels , is represented to us in scripture , coming in the clouds of heaven , attended with thousands of angels , to take vengeance on those that have not known god , nor obeyed his laws and commands : and by his powerful operation , the seeds and principles of fire shall be excited , and that quick and active element insinuate and pervade all the commissures and parts of the earth , and a deluge of flame , as once of waters , shall overspread the face of the world. into which sulphureous and burning lake , the devil and his angels , and all those who in this life delight in wickedness , and cast the fear of god behind their backs , shall be plunged to eternal ages . these are the arguments which are dispersed up and down , and urged in the holy scriptures , as so many tyes and bands , to engage us to a faithful and peremptory prosecution of the indispensable laws of righteousness and truth , and which as well in their own nature , as in the manner and way of their proposal , do evidently declare that they are not fatal and necessary , but moral instruments of propagating and diffusing the life and nature of god , and as all other rational means of perswasion , may by an obstinate and perverse spirit be slighted and contemned . and certainly the nature of the thing it self requires it should be so ; for if the whole conduct of mens souls , in order to their salvation , were nothing but the effects and emanations of a peremptory and uncontrollable power , there would be no place left for those large encomium's of wisdome in this great affair , wisdome being inventrix mediorum , and then most of all discovers its excellency , in fixing and determining upon such ways , as shall operate effectually , and yet congruously and agreeably to the nature of men , moral agents requiring moral instruments , to allure and invite them to action . but lest any man should carelesly mistake me , and think that what i have said , tends to the invalidating and weakning our belief of the powerful assistance of the spirit of god , i do confidently affirm , that no man ought , or can attribute his beginning , progress and continuance in goodness , to his own solitary effort or powers , but to the benign and auspicious influence of the divine grace and spirit . it is he that forms in us the life and nature of god , that makes us holy , righteous and good , enlightning the eyes of our minds , that we may see the inestimable riches of the gospel , and convinces us of the truth of the great promises of salvation . it is he that daily by a vital energy purges and refines the minds of men from all filthiness and uncleanness , and consecrates their hearts as holy temples unto god. it is he that continually burns up and consumes our unruly lusts , and breathes upon the sacred life of god in our souls , fanning it into a flame of love , that we dwell in god and god in us. through his mighty power we are secured from our spiritual enemies , leading us with a pillar of a cloud by day , and a light of fire by night , till he bring us to heaven the true land of canaan . but in all this , the divine spirit does not pull and draw us like stocks and stones , nor offer any irresistible violence to our wills , nor must we expect that god should do all the work for us while we sit still , but we must do it for our selves , only he has graciously promised to concur and lend us his hand and his assistance . work out your salvation ( says the apostle ) with fear and trembling , for it is god who works in you both to will and to do , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , of his good pleasure , or according to your desire , that is , god stands ready to help you with power and ability to do it according to your desire , or as you desire it of him , and we are to take care that we actuate that power , which of his gracious bounty he confers upon us . which very thing makes us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cooperate with god , as the apostles are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 labourers together with god in the dispensation of the gospel . having now discovered the great influence of the divine goodness and wisdome in the work of man's salvation , it remains likewise that i now shew , how the power of god has interessed and concerned it self in the same : for the apostle tells the corinthians , that he preached christ to them , not only the wisdome , but the power of god. and again , to them who are saved , the preaching of the cross is the power of god. now this power manifested it self , 1. in raising our blessed saviour from the dead . thus st. paul says , that jesus was declared the son of god with power , by the resurrection from the dead , that is , god did own and publickly declare him to be his beloved son , in that powerful manner of raising him from the dead . and again , he calls it the mighty power of god which he wrought in christ when he raised him from the dead . for when the jews had crucified our saviour , the cause of the gospel , as to all humane appearance lay dead and buried with him as a lost and undone cause , insomuch that the disciples themselves were brought to this , we trusted it had been he that should have redeemed israel , so little hopes and expectations had they of a new state of things , when they saw their great master dead upon the cross . but suffering virtue being so illustrious an object of the divine providence , god who owned and approved our lord jesus all the time of his life , would not now suffer his credit and reputation to lye at stake being dead , and therefore notwithstanding the malice of the jews , and the envious diligence of the spirits of darkness , asserts and maintains the truth of his mission , by bringing him up to life again . the impious care and industry of his enemies , made the glory of our saviour's innocence so much the more clear and conspicuous : they look upon him as an impostor , and having heard him afore speak of his resurrection , they endeavour by all means to hinder it , that they might blast his memory and bury his honour with disgrace ; therefore they roll a great stone to the mouth of the sepulchre , sealing it , ( probably with the signet of pilate ) and setting a band of souldiers to watch about his grave . but god that loved his son jesus to his death , and took the care of him when he was laid in the grave , disappointed the hopes and expectations of the jews , and made their malicious contrivances subservient testimonies to the truth of his resurrection . a mighty angel comes down from heaven , at whose presence and awful majesty the keepers trembled , and the earth it self was moved , and rolls away the stone and sits upon it , and the stupendious power of the divinity shakes the territories of night and slumber , and dismantles the prisons of the grave , and restores to our saviour that life the jews bereaved him of , notwithstanding all their fraudulent practices and machinations . a palpable indication of the mighty and efficacious power of god , who alone can call the things that are not , and quicken and enliven the dead , beyond all humane thoughts and apprehensions . 2. the power of god in the gospel , has been very notable in the destruction of the devils kingdom . when mankind began to apostatize from god , and fall into idolatry , he gave them over to the tyranny and dominion of the prince of darkness , as a just punishment of their wilful adhesion to his counsels and inspirations , and for reasons reserved in the depth and abyss of divine providence , permitted all the world ( save that he selected himself a church out of the posterity of abraham ) to be abused by the devil , and to lye under that servitude and slavery , till the coming of christ into the world. but when the son of righteousness was risen , the nations of the earth soon saw and walked in his light , and the prediction of our blessed saviour became verified and fulfilled in the ruine of the devils kingdome , whose lapse and fall was like lightning from heaven . for notwithstanding the mutual combinations and confederacies of the kings and potentates of the earth against the lords anointed , and his disciples and followers , notwithstanding the furious rage of satan , in stirring up and raising many cruel and bloody persecutions against the church , yet the word of god grew mightily and prevailed so far that the whole roman empire at last became christian , whereby the devil utterly lost his hold , his oracles being silent , and his whole worship destroyed . and surely had not the christian religion been of god , it could never have so universally prevailed against such potent opposition of men and devils . the hand and power of god was visibly and eminently discovered in the ample diffusion and high success of the gospel , which from such weak and small beginnings ran and was glorious , captivating the minds of men to the obedience of christ's laws , and bringing the world under the scepter of his kingdome . which destruction of the devils rule and dominion over mankind , being in so great a measure already accomplished by the preaching of the gospel , and that powerful assistance that attended it from heaven , shall receive its full and final completion , when the mountain of the lord's house is exalted upon the tops of the mountains , and all nations flow unto it : that is , when both jews and gentiles shall unite themselves under the banner of the crucified jesus . and now that i am discoursing of that signal overthrow of the devil's kingdome by christianity , or the gospel under the powerful conduct of the lord jesus , whereby he became dispossessed of his usurped dominions , and those who had so long time been his slaves and vassals , returned to the loyalty and obedience they owed to their natural soveraign , i cannot forbear to insert a conjecture of the pious and learned mr. mede , concerning the american , or new world. that those countries were first inhabited since our saviour and his apostles times , and not before ; yea perhaps some ages after : there being no signs or foot-steps found amongst them , or any monuments of older habitation , as there is with us . that the devil being impatient of the sound of the gospel , and the cross of christ in every part of this old world , so that he could in no place be quiet for it , and foreseeing that he was like at length to lose all here , bethought himself to provide him of a seed , over which he might reign securely , and in a place , vbi nec pelopidarum facta neque nomen audiret . that accordingly he drew a colony out of some of those barbarous nations , dwelling upon the northern ocean , ( whither the sound of christ had not yet come ) and promising them by some oracle to shew them a country far better than their own , ( which he might soon do ) pleasant , large , where never man yet inhabited , he conducted them over those desart lands and islands ( which are many in that sea ) by the way of the north into america ; which none would ever have gone , had they not first been assured there was a passage that way into a more desirable country . namely as when the world apostatized from the worship of the true god , god called abraham out of chaldee into the land of canaan , of him to raise him a seed to preserve a light unto his name : so the devil when he saw the world apostatizing from him , laid the foundations of a new kingdome , by deducting this colony from the north into america , where since they have increased into an innumerable multitude . and where did the devil reign more absolutely and without controll , since mankind fell first under his clutches ? and here it is to be noted , that the story of the mexican kingdome , ( which was not founded above 400. years before ours came thither ) relates out of their own memorials and traditions , that they came to that place from the north , whence their god vitzliliputzli led them , going in an ark before them : and after divers years travel , and many stations ( like enough after some generations ) they came to a place which the sign he had given them at their first setting forth pointed out , where they were to finish their travels , build themselves a city and their god a temple ; which is the place where mexico was built . and though the devil in those quarter , and such other parts of the world seem to lord it alone over abused mankind without any controll and opposition , yet the son of god to whom the uttermost parts of the earth are promised for an inheritance , will at length lay a powerful claim to his own possessions , and take out of the hands of his grand enemy , by the pure and uncorrupt propagation of the gospel , that soveraignty which he exercises over those desolate people . for as christ in the days of his flesh by his powerful and efficacious word , commanded the devils out of their usurped habitations in the bodies of men , as a praeludium of that universal conquest he should hereafter obtain ; so will he after such periods of divine providence fixed and determined by his all-comprehensive wisdome , go forth with his legions of light , and recover those wretched mortals out of the hands of the spirits of darkness , by whom they have been captivated and seduced at their will. nor is this a bare airy notion or fancy , but a thing to be hoped and prayed for upon very rational grounds , it being nothing but the enlargement of the kingdome of truth and righteousness , and the dissemination of that holy and blessed life of god , to which mens souls have a natural cognation , though for the present bent and forced out of their true state and position . 3. the power of god will discover it self in a very eminent manner , in raising all holy men from the dead , and rewarding their faithful services with immortality and life at the last day . the last enemy that shall be destroyed ( says the apostle ) is death : and when god shall think fit to put an end to the generations of men , and conclude the scene of the affairs of this world , then shall the holy jesus descend from heaven with a shout , with the voice of the archangel , and with the trumpet of god , and the dead shall be raised and presented each one in the visible and individual personality they bare in this world , before the judgment-seat of christ , to receive for the things done in their bodies , whether good or bad : and they that have done good shall come forth to the resurrection of life , and they that have done evil to the resurrection of damnation . which final sentence at the conclusion of that dreadful appearance shall be executed accordingly , the wicked being plunged into the lake of fire and brimstone , but the righteous , through the gracious bounty and stupendious operation of their merciful redeemer , shall be taken up into the regions of immortality and life , where their corruptible bodies shall put on incorruption , and be transformed into the similitude of the glorious body of the son of god , through that mighty power whereby he is able to subdue all things unto himself . and though this transcendent state and portion may very well be thought too big for our humble hopes and expectations , and exceed all that we can do or suffer , yet since god is pleased of his infinite bounty to promise , we have no reason to distrust his faithfulness and truth in the performance of it , since he has moreover given us a palpable pledge and assurance of it in the resurrection of our blessed saviour from the dead , and because he lives we may be confident we shall live also . christ is risen from the grave , having conquered death by dying , and is ascended into the pure and peaceable habitations of glory , therefore all his members who are united to him in the inseparable bands of faith and love , shall feel the effects of his powerful life in immortalizing their very bodies , which shall then be absorpt into the great vortex of eternity , where both body and soul shall be deckt with such a refulgent light and glory , as shall cause them to shine as the sun and stars for evermore . so that what the poet fabulously speaks of the apotheosis of daphnis , shall much more be verified in the translation of every good man into the kingdome of heaven . candidus insuetum miratur limen olympi , sub pedibusque videt nubes & sidera daphnis . having thus far brought this discourse towards an end , and displayed the goodness , wisdome and power of god in the gospel , the great instrument of the blessedness of mankind , it becomes our duty to receive it with the highest and most honourable thoughts and apprehensions ; not to let our conceptions dwindle into something low and mean , and unworthy of the nature of god , who hath so intimately concerned himself in it . for whatever , whether opinion or practice , lessens that esteem and veneration men ought to have of the works of god , is a high affront and injury , and an unworthy derogation from the perfections of the divine nature ; whereas nothing shallow , trifling and contemptible can ever be a sutable object of divine goodness , wisdome and power : much less can there be any thing such in the evangelical oeconomy , which was designed for so great a work and so universal and general a good , as the immortal happiness of humane souls . the very light of reason it self teaches us , that we ought to speak worthily of god , and to have due and right apprehensions of his nature , the excellency of which , though it were in a great measure stamped and ingraved upon the minds of men at their first creation , yet is more clearly and sensibly discovered under the gospel , than by any other dispensation since the world began . and as we are to take care that our thoughts and expressions be agreeabe and becoming so great a mystery , so are we concerned vigorously to prosecute that which is the grand intent , scope and aim of the gospel , that is our progress and growth in virtue and holiness ; to perfect our minds in true goodness , by a sincere practice of all the indispensable laws and rules of righteousness . for however men may please themselves in expounding christianity in an opinionative and notional way , in peculiar phrases and terms of art , as if religion were a thing deduced and borrowed from the schools ; yet certain it is , that the true life of god , which our holy lord and master jesus christ came to disseminate and propagate by the gospel , is not a bare sound of words , but an inward principle of life and power , elevating and raising the souls of men from all childish toyes and follies , to a manly and generous apprehension of righteousness and virtue , advancing their rational to a compleat and entire command and superiority over their sensual and animal powers and faculties , and begetting in them such a lively sense of whatever is absolutely good and holy , as may at last reduce their thoughts , words and actions into an entire conformity to the divine will. and forasmuch as this heavenly life consists in the sincere prosecution and practice of virtue , and that morality and virtue are depressed beneath the concerns of christianity , by those who pretend a more free exaltation of grace , as it will not be impertinent to the present discourse , so i am sure 't is infinitely necessary for every man to contribute his pains , in stopping and damming up that flood of wickedness and immorality , that has broken in upon the world , by shewing the indispensable necessity of the practice of morality , that true religion and virtue are at no such mortal jarrs , but that whoever is false and hypocritical , to the sincere and conscientious practice of it , though he flie to heaven in his vain dreams and imaginations , and talk of the vision of god , and an immediate communion and converse with him , yet he has neither seen nor known him , and is so far from being a true christian , that he has very little of the life of christianity dwelling in him . as i desire not therefore to charge any man with the evil consequences of his opinion , but charitably suppose that he holds fast to the foundation , and whatever tendency his opinions may have in their consecutions , that yet in their primary intention , he designs not the discountenancing of unfeigned piety ; so neither would i , nor can by any considering person be upbraided , with setting and exalting works above the grace of god , as will appear , when i have a little explicated and unfolded those termes , which have of late raised such hideous storms and tragedies . by [ virtue ] therefore i mean that power of the soul , which so rules and governs all the animal motions and inclinations , that she does every where , and in every thing constantly and unmoveably follow that which is best . as for the word [ grace ] all the notions of it in the sacred dialect ( as a learned critick observes ) spring from that primary notion of it for charity or liberality . wherefore the participation of the divine nature , being the highest perfection and accomplishment of the soul of man , and the ultimate end of christianity it self , all those acts which have a natural tendency to the furtherance and attainment of so high and glorious a purpose are stiled virtues , they being nothing but the powerful exertions of the soul in the subjugation of its corporeal passions , that it may with ease and constancy follow that which is simply best : and graces , because they are the free , undeserved and gratuitous donations of him , whose almighty and beneficent spirit pervades the whole order and comprehension of intellectual agents , refining and purifying the minds and spirits of the lapsed creation , and every where attempting the replantation of that beautiful image , sin and vice had obliterated and defaced . now for the term [ moral ] remaining to be explained , i conceive it may signifie , whatever contains in it an eternal , immutable and indispensable obligation . by eternal , immutable and indispensable , i exclude from it all temporary constitutions and positive sanctions , though deriving their authority from god himself . i add obligation , to difference moral truths from speculative and theoretical ; for there may be many physical and mathematical notions , which may properly be called eternal and immutable verities , which yet lay no necessary obligation upon us. that what is once moved will continue to move till something hinder it , is alike an eternal and immutable verity with this , that every man is to honour his parents , but the one layes a necessary obligation upon the soul , whereas the other does not . wherefore though the subject of all truths whatever , and so of moral ones , be the perceptive and intellectual part of the soul , yet the sole and adequate object of morality seems to be the immutable idea's and reasons of good and evil. and so far forth as the soul exercises it self in the discrimination of moral entities , it is called by the name of conscience . so that the mistake seems to arise from hence , that men distribute humane actions , in reference to religion , into moral and evangelical , whereas moral is not opposed to evangelical , but to thetical or positive . but to give some further light to this business , we may consider these two things . 1. that the sincere practice of morality is a part of the condition required of us under the gospel , in order to our justification . for unless the practice of moral virtue be no part of the divine will revealed to us in the gospel , it must necessarily follow , that so far as it is made a condition of the covenant of the gospel , so far it is required in order to the justification and acceptation of our persons before god. for though we are said in scripture to be justified by faith in our lord jesus christ , yet we are not to understand by this , an empty , bare and naked faith , but such a faith as is perfected and consummated by love , which the apostle saint james expresses by works , that is , such a faith as is not meerly notional and inactive , but productive in the soul of a new and sincere obedience . and what more frequent instances does the scripture bring of our faithful conformity to the will of god , than in our constant exercise and practice of moral virtue ? insomuch that saint paul sayes , that those who neglect the sincere observance of morality and virtue , will easily be induced to turn hereticks , and deny the faith , holding faith and a good conscience , which some having put away , concerning faith have made shipwrack . so indispensably necessary is a virtuous conversation to our participation of the blessed life and nature of god , that no man can be understood to be a partaker of the divine nature , who does not live soberly , righteously and godly in the world. for what sign does he give of a spirit renewed and changed into the compassionate nature of the lord jesus , who can willingly pain and grieve and afflict his brother ? what specimen does he produce of a sincere conformity to the eternal laws of justice and righteousness , who can knowingly and wittingly over-reach and defraud his neighbour ? or what evidence does he offer of a mind desirous to be renewed into a state of angelical purity and holiness , who makes it his business and seeks for all occasions to gratifie his carnal appetite in the full enjoyment of all sensual pleasures , that may be had without manifest diseases ? or is it possible to conceive the life and nature of god , that life of universal holiness and purity , justice and goodness , without the exercise of these and such like virtues ? 2. that the maturity and ripeness of religion , consists in having a sensible discernment of good and evil in a moral sense . the full knowledge of the mysteries of christianity ( as the author to the hebrews tells us ) belongs to them that are of full age , that is , such as are arrived to the perfection and maturity of religion , and these persons he describes in the next words , to be such as have a vital relish and sensible discernment of good and evil , who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil . that there are natural differences between good and evil , is as evident and apparent as the difference between health and sickness : for as health is nothing but the right and natural constitution of all the parts of the body ; and sickness the oppression , distortion and deviation from it : so is it in the soul of man. it s true and proper nature , is that healthful temper and constitution wherein god at first created it : but now sin and evil is a forcing it into a preternatural state , the driving it into a disease and distemper , and the putting its powers and faculties into jarring and discord . and that these differences are nothing but the vital relishes and sensations of the soul of man , in that double capacity and resolution of rational and animal , or in the sacred dialect of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the inward and outward man , or the flesh and spirit , i think is as evident to any considering and judicious person . now this maturity and ripeness of religion discovers it self , 1. in a particular knowledge of the difference between good and evil , so as to be able to distinguish what is from the flesh and animal , and what from the spirit and rational life . 2. in a ready application of this to all the passages of our lives . for that blindness of mind the apostle speaks of , to which the gentiles as a just punishment of their former carelesness were given up , does fully express the necessity of this discriminative sense and discerning between good and evil. for when once the criterion , or perceptive faculty has lost its tenderness and sensibility , and the mind becomes reprobate , then darkness and light , good and evil , bitter and sweet are all one . then it is ( as in the above mentioned place ) men are dedolent and past feeling , and having no other law , but that of the corporeal life , become insatiable in impiety , and work wickedness with greediness : which surely as it is the most deplorable condition the soul of man can fall into , so ought most carefully to be avoided by endeavouring after a particular distinction , and clear knowledge of the notices , emanations and suggestions of the flesh and spirit . and as this inward sense is not to be stifled , so neither to remain useless and idle , but to extend it self and have an influence upon all our actions . it must be fanned and kept alive by sincere devotion , and a constant and habitual practice of virtue , by which at length it will become a powerful and vital principle , begetting in us a true relish of righteousness and holiness , that we may not only talk and maintain an artificial and mechanical religion consisting of words , or the running the same circle of outward performances and duties , but may be really regenerated and formed into a new nature , and act out of choice , and from the innate loveliness and beautifulness of virtue . for by bringing our actions to this test and rule , and applying them to the natural difference and distinction of good and evil , it will keep us from all deliberate violations of the laws and prescriptions of holiness . by this , wickedness and sin will appear in its natural dress and genuine colours , and its ugliness and deformity be rendred so manifest , that our wills and affections will not easily be drawn into a compliance with it , and the various passages of our lives freed and discharged from the least appearance of evil. finis . books printed for , and sold by walter kettilby at the bishop's head in s. paul's churchyard . dr . more 's reply to a late answer to his antidote against idolatry , with the appendix . 8 o. h. mori opera theologica . fol. spenceri dissertatio de vrim & thummim . 8 o. frederici lossii observationes medicae . octavo . speed's epigrammata juvenilia , in 4 partes divisa , encomia , seria , satyras & jocosa . octavo . doctor william smith's unjust man's doom . octavo . two sermons at the assizes in suffolk . oct. two sermons at norwich : may 3. and may 29. 1676. quarto . mr. hallywell's discourse of the excellency of christianity . oct. account of familism , as it is revived and propagated by the quakers . oct. some opinions of mr. hobbes considered , in a second dialogue between philautus and timothy . oct. breerwood's enquiries into the diversities of languages . oct. mr. allen's mystery of iniquity unfolded , or the false apostles and authors of popery compared , &c. oct. animadversions on mr. ferguson , about justification . oct. friendly address to the nonconformists , beginning with the anabaptists . 8 o. mr. lamb's stop to the course of separation , oct. sherlock's discourse of the knowledge of jesus christ. octavo . defence and continuation of the discourse , &c. octavo . answer to a scandalous pamphlet , entituled a dialogue between satan and sherlock . quarto . dr. worthington's great duty of self-resignation to the divine will. oct. mr. hotchkis discourse of the imputation of christ's righteousness to us , and our sins to him. oct. gage's survey of the west indies . 8 o. dr. goodall's vindication of the colledge of physicians . oct. smith's pourtract of old age. oct. webster's history of metals . quar. dr. more 's remarques upon two late ingenious discourses , the one an essay of the gravitation and non-gravitation of fluid bodies , the other observations touching the torricellian experiment . 8 o. sydenham's observationes medicae . 8 o. an account of mr. ferguson's common-place-book in two letters between mr. sherlock and mr. glanvil . quar. dr. grew's comparative anatomy of trunks , together with an account of their vegetation grounded thereupon : octavo . the end . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a45360-e140 rev. 3.14 . jam. 3.14 , 15. notes for div a45360-e430 1 tim. 3.16 . col. 1.26 . 1 cor. 2.7 . 1 joh. 4.8 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 & 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 tim. 3.2 , 4. joh. 11.52 . joh. 3.16 . 1 joh. 4.10 . gen. 22.12 1 cor. 1.24 1 cor. 2.7 . 1 cor. 2.6 . 1 cor. 2.14 1 pet. 1.12 isai . 63.15 . * sine hoc holocausto poterat deus tantum condonasse peccatum ; sed facilitas veniae laxaret habenas peccatis effrenibus quae etiam christi vix cohibent passiones , quae vix sceleratos animos à voluptatum faece avellunt . cyprian . sive author libri de cardinal . christi oper. serm. 14. sic zanch. lib. 2 de incarnat . c. 3. q. 1. etsi verò deus servare nos poterat solo suo imperio , peccata simpliciter ex suâ misericordiâ condonando : noluit tamen — phil. 2.6 , 7 , 8. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . act. 2.23 . mar. 14.33 mat. 26.38 luk. 9.51 . joh. 18.5 . mat. 11.28 1 joh. 5.3 . princ. of nat. rel. lib. 1. c. 3. ezek. 33.11 . mr. mede . 2 cor. 5.19 . luk. 1.74 . 1 tim. 4.10 1 tim. 2.4 heb. 2.9 . joh. 3.17 . lib. 6. contr . cels . p. 315 lib. 4. c. 76. luk. 24.47 . act. 3.19 . 1 joh. 2.1 . 1 cor. 1.21 exod. 20.19 . 1 joh. 3.16 . gen. 3.15 . heb. 4.15 . heb 2.16 , 17 , 18. gen. 21.17 . vid. deut. 4.33.36 . dr. lightfoot . 2 pet. 1.16 , 17. joh. 3.2 . mat. 11.21 acts 17. joh. 4.18 . v. 42. joh 15.22 , 24. joh. 20.29 . rom. 1.4 . ch. 2.3 , 4. joh. 16.8 , 9 , 10. luk. 24.25 . act. 10.43 . see dr. more 's enchiridion ethicum . eph. 1.11 . hos . 11.4 . luk. 7.30 . joh. 12.37 . joh. 6.66 . mat. 23 37 ezek. 24.13 . vid. isai . 65.12 . mar. 6.5 , 6. act. 7.51 . phil. 2.12 , 13. 2 cor. 6.1 . 1 cor. 3.9 . rom. 1.4 . eph. 1.20 . lib. 4. epist . 43. joh. 5.29 . dr. hammond . 1 tim. 1.19 heb. 5.14 . eph. 4.18 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rom. 1.28 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . eph. 4.19 . a guide to the blind pointed to, or, a true testimony to the light within wherein some men are reproved, others counselled and encouraged, but all (who are ignoranr [sic] of their true guide) directed to the path of life : with a friendly call to all notionists and high professors of religion, in what form soever, to come speedily down from their pinacles, lest they fall into temptation : also some queries to the persecuting ministers of the church of england / vvritten for the truth sake by t.f. förster, thomas. this text is an enriched version of the tcp digital transcription a40009 of text r37821 in the english short title catalog (wing f1607). textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. the text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with morphadorner. the annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. this text has not been fully proofread approx. 119 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 48 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. earlyprint project evanston,il, notre dame, in, st. louis, mo 2017 a40009 wing f1607 estc r37821 17058082 ocm 17058082 105843 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books 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(eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a40009) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 105843) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 1616:1) a guide to the blind pointed to, or, a true testimony to the light within wherein some men are reproved, others counselled and encouraged, but all (who are ignoranr [sic] of their true guide) directed to the path of life : with a friendly call to all notionists and high professors of religion, in what form soever, to come speedily down from their pinacles, lest they fall into temptation : also some queries to the persecuting ministers of the church of england / vvritten for the truth sake by t.f. förster, thomas. [16], 89 [i.e. 79] p. printed for the author, and are to be sold by o. calvert ..., london : 1659. attributed by wing to forster. error in paging: p. 78-79 misprinted 88-89. imperfect: pages stained and tightly bound, with some loss of print. reproduction of original in the british library. eng church of england -controversial literature. society of friends -doctrines. salvation. a40009 r37821 (wing f1607). civilwar no a guide to the blind pointed to. or, a true testimony to the light within. wherein some men are reproved, others counselled and encouraged, forster, thomas 1659 22485 28 0 0 0 0 0 12 c the rate of 12 defects per 10,000 words puts this text in the c category of texts with between 10 and 35 defects per 10,000 words. 2008-01 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2008-05 spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images 2008-08 john pas sampled and proofread 2008-08 john pas text and markup reviewed and edited 2008-09 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion a guide to the blind pointed to . or , a true testimony to the light within . wherein some men are reproved , others counselled and encouraged , but all ( who are ignorant of their true guide ) directed to the path of life . with a friendly call to all notionists and high professors of religion , in what form soever , to come speedily down from their pinacles , lest they fall into temptation . also some queries to the persecuting ministers of the church of england . vvritten for the truths sake by t.f. the darkness is past , & the true light new shineth , 1 joh. 2.8 . see therefore that ye walk circumspectly , not as fools , but as wise , eph. 5.15 . london , printed for the author , and are to be sold by g. calvert , at the black-spread eagle near the west ; end of pauls , & n. brooks at the angel in cornhil , 1659. the preface . reader , although i have bin for many yeers a true seeker of the kingdom of heaven , yet had i been one who had sate in the seat of the scorner , or been disobedient unto the light or motion of gods spirit upon those waters in me , ( which had neer over-whelmed my soul ) i should have remained ( as most men still do ) in darkness , even until now ; or else been like unto those who are a sleep in sin , neither knowing , nor beleeving any other state attainable in this life , who yet notwithstanding are bold to say , they see : but blessed be the lord god , i am not of their unbelief , but of that faith which overcomes the world , sin , and the devil . friend , if thou art such a one , to wit , a sinner , and beleevest thou canst not be otherwise here , and yet will presumptuously say , thouseest : know thou , that christ iesus came to make thee blind , and that those who are blind , ( and sensible of it ) might see : and thou who art a sleep in sin , and dead whilest thou livest , arise and listen thou to the voice of christ , and to his knock in thee , if thou wilt live , to god , open the door of thy heart unto him betimes . he it is who calls to sinners to be pure , and to be perfect as our heavenly father is : he it is who cryed out to jerusalem to be gathered under his wing ; and he also if thou will be gathered , would gather thee : o refuse him not , for he it is who hath called me out of darkness into light , and caused me to listen to his still voice within me ; and he it is who calls to thee also to return and live , saying to thee , as he did to israel , why will ye die , o house of israel ? now , that thou mayest know i am none of those that cry , lohere , or , lo●hers ; nor of the many sects and divided judgments in this nation , i shall briefly tell thee how many by-wayes i have past through , and how restless i was in them all , till i came to own the light of christ in me . first , as to my education , i must tell thee , it was such a was in the fear of the lord , into which i admonish thee to hasten , and therein continue all the dayes of thy life : for i assure thee , there is no safety but in that state , and in the pure life of innocency from which all men by disobedience are fallen : it 's not talking of the holy life , but living it , that can give thee an entrance into paradice ; for the flaming sword is turned against the transgressor , so , that he cannot touch the tree of life , much-less eat thereof ; but with the serpent must feed upon dust all the dayes of his life : o , make haste friend , to the life of obedience , and come down from the barren mountains lest thou die , for there is no bread to be had there : consult no longer with the serpents carnal reasonings in thee , nor with his numerous and busie agents without thee , perswading thee , that purity is not to be attained here . oh! that thou wouldest consider , that the soul which sinneth must die ; and that , as the tree falls , so it lyes : that there is no repentance in the grave ; nor any other way to life , but by keeping the commandments of god . friend , thy enemy is within thee , therefore look at home , keep the watch well there , and ( if thou canst ) pray that thou enter not into temptation : for the devil now goes about roaring like a lyon , and is seeking whom he may devour oh! beleeve not those that say , the best of gods children cannot be free from sin in this life ; for i declare to thee , they are all of the black army of satan , and for the support of his kingdom are they come to fight , and to make war with the lamb and his followers , who walk with him in white . remember thou , that without holiness no man shall see god , and that the pure in heart , and they only , can see him . and thou who art flown high in thy comprehension of aiery notions without life , thou must descend and dwell in the low-valley , where once thou hadst some sooting ; for thy safety is there , and no where else : come thou into the cool of the day , and hear gods voice unto thee , who chargeth thee with eating of the tree of knowledge of good and evil : thou hast lost thy state of happiness by hearkning to the woman [ thy fallen reason ] who is not to speak in the church , for thou hast suffered to be marr'd the holy creation of god in thee , and there is no way lest now for thee but to come to christ jesus , the light of the world , and life of man ; he it is , though thou hast despised him [ because his appearance is low in thee ] who must repair the breach between god and thee : but if thou reject him who is thy light , and who would be thy leader , thy stare is worse then fallen adams was : thou art now one with the angel of false light : darkness will be thy portion [ as it is his ] for evermore . friend , what i have further to say in this preface , may give thee some light of the crooked-wayes thou art not to walk in , and therefore shall proceed to give thee an accompt of my wandring steps , which the lord hath now brought to my remembrance , even from my child hood . the fear of god , i say , was before me , even from my youth , so that when i was but a school-boy , i durst not omit my morning and evening sacrifice of prayer to god , upon any pretence whatsoever : never did i swear an oath but once , since i was born , and that was upon great provocation by a lewd boy , when i was about twelve yeers of age : but such was the goodness of god to me then , that presently after . i had spoken the word , i found trouble in my conscience , and condemnation for it many yeers after . my companions were mostly such as were sober , and freest from scandal ; and i can truly say , i remembred my creator in the dayes of my youth , and was a true seeker of the kingdom of heaven from such time as i had an understanding to believe there was such a kingdom to be sought after . and when i came to be about 16. yeers of age , i then began to pray out of my usual form , as finding nought but deadness in my form of prayers , which i had got , so that by little and little i prayed by rote ; and i encreased in yeers , i applyed my self to reading sermon-books , and often to hear and write sermons after the choicest of the presbyterian-way , whom i conceived then were most orthodox . early did i rise , to read and meditate of god , whom i then look'd on at a distance from me , [ as most men do ] but he was in this place , and i knew if not : the lord was with me in all my crooked-wayes and preserved me , but i saw him not , nor what it was that breathed in me after god : i did not know it was the seed of god which was in bondage and groaned to be delivered into the glorious liberty of the sons of god . often did i with tears beg for pardon of my sins , and assurance of my salvation , which i prized above all the world , and did often say within my self , that if i could but gain assurance of that , i could be content to be miserable in this world as long as i should live in it . company , was many-times a burthen unto me , and to be retired and much alone was my great delight , that so i might freely breath forth my soul to god for the assurance of his love , and to be freed from everlasting burnings . the consideration of eternity was often in my mind , and many-times would this voice sound in me , arise ye dead , and come to judgement . but alas ! what hope of assurance could i have of my salvation , whilest i gave faith to such teachers as affirmed , that , the best of gods saints cannot be free from sin in this life : and in the same breath also said , that the least sin deserved the torments of hell fire for ever . may not a poor soul [ who presseth after holiness , ] truly say , they are miserable comforters ? oh! who can be assured of his salvation , or gain assurance thereof , that beleeves false doctrine to be true , and instead of living the holy life , believes it is not attainable ? can any man be assured of his salvation whilest he is a sinner ? surely no : and if no assurance , then surely no salvation : for the soul that sinneth must die , and without holiness , no man shall see the lord . by this and such like doctrine , was my life made very uncomfortable : and though i knew little by my self to deserve the torments of hell . [ being alwayes of a sober life , and free from the gross pollutions of this world . ] yet the fear of hell was a contimsa 〈…〉 torment unto my mind , insomuch , that i often wish'd i had never been born , or that there had been no god to punish me . yet i can truly say , religion was my chief businss and my great delight was in hearing sermons , receiving the sacrament , ( as they call it , ) to be often conversant in fastings , and frequent in outward worships , and carnal ordinances , ( all which perish with the using ) so that i never could have enough of them , tears was my delight , and mourning in secret was a refreshing to my soul and when i could not weep , i prayed : and when i could not pray , i wept ; and sometimes i prayed and wept , till i had wept my self to silence before the lord : and when i neither could weep nor pray , then trouble and perplexity seized on my spirit , and i should begin to fear the danger of a hard heart , and that the spirit of prayer was taken from me . blasphemeus thoughts would sometimes surprize me , and the terrors of hell get hold upon me , and how to escape i knew not no comfort could i receive from any of my teachers , for when by the best of their marks and signs i judged my self in a safe condition , yet the witness of god would rise through all that false peace which they had spoke to me , and accuse me of being a sinner . and this was my case for many yeers , and my condition was very unsafe , ( as all theirs is , who are yet in egypt , leaning upon men , and forsaking the lord . ) but the lord god after long seeking to him in secret , seeing my integrity , and that the desire of my soul was after him , and to be holy as well as happy , he mercifully brought me out of egypt , and delivered me from those cruel taskmasters & builders of confusion , and set me at liberty to travel towards the holy land : for in all the land of egypt i found no outward guide to lead me out of my egiptian darkness , though something within me would often groan , and say , return unto thy rest o my soul : thus , i say , the lord pitying my soul , pardoning my sins , winking at my ignorance , and bottling up my tears , set me free from bondage . that , being delivered out of egypt , and journying towards canaan , i met with divers sorts of travellers , with whom i had converse & acquaintance : as , first , with those of the independent-way , but finding , after a short time , that there was little difference between them and the others , and that the path they went in was too broad , and would not bring me to rest : i forsook them and travelled forward towards those men of the baptized-way , who for some season i heard and observed : but finding that the main stress of their argument ( that their way was right ) was , because they submitted to the ordinance of baptism , pleading difficulty ( if not impossibility ) for any to come to canaan unless they were re-baptized , i search'd into the doctrine of baptisms also , wherein i found , that water-baptism , or johns baptism was but onto repentance , which was effected in me already , and that it could not wash away my inward●ilth , and therefore must decrease : and i considering , that the apostle saith , there is ( now ) but one baptism ; to wit , that of the spirit : and that , that is the only baptism for every christian to be bapized with , ( if he will be cleansed , and purged from sin . ) and considering that iesus himself baptized none ; and that paul saith he came not to baptize , but to preach the gospel . and that this ordinance was only apostolical , and not relating , to christians now . i left them and their water , and travelled towards those called notionists with whom , after i had travelled a while , i began to conclude them to be the men that i must walk with ; and so followed them as seeing more of truth , ( to wit , in the notion of it ) then in any i had met with before , and was much enlightned : but after i had been with them a while , i found i could not pray as i was wont to do , and so began to fear i was now further from the right way , then ever i was before ; and being now come to the red sat , i had a lingring and secret longing to the garlick and onions of egypt again , yet the lord kept me from going back into egypt , ( where was no light at all ) but i walked in the wilderness to and again for many yeers together , filling my head with notions , and comprehending of mysteries , which were very pleasant and delightful unto me . thus i wandred up and down from one tree of knowledge to another , and in many a by-path i trod , seeking for rest , but found none : and though the spirit of innocency often cryed in me , return , return , and come into the narrow-way which leads to life ; yet i flattered my self that i had been there already , and that i was now come to the borders of canaan : one while , conceiving my self there , and set down with abraham , isaac , and jacob in the kingdom : but by and by , a branch from the old root would arise in me , and break forth into passion , rash , and hasty words , and overturn all my confidence again , and give me to understand i was not in that kingdom , for that there was nothing of pride , or passion , self-conceit or vain laughter , or foolish and idle talking and jeasting , but giving of thanks , and rejoycing in the lord continually : and that they who were in that kingdom were led by the spirit , lived in the spirit , and walked in the spirit , and were at rest in the lord , injoying the fellow ship and society of just mens spirits . now , that i was not here , i was clearly convinced often , and instead of enjoying this state ; i had the other set before me , as my condition ; and the lord let me see how my poor soul was be-wildred : and then after 14 years wandring up and down , i began to see and find my way out and not till then : then i saw my self at a loss , and in the dark ; and was made to confess , that if i had perished in the wilderness , yet the lord was righteous in my destruction , because that when he would have led me by the gentle motions of his spirit , and light in me yet i refused it , and went forth to men , chusing the tree of knowledge , and neglecting the tree of life , for my ●ood . but , blessed be the god of israel , ( who is not a barren wilderness to those that seek him in truth and singleness of heart ) he shewed unto me the way that i should walk in , to wit , the strait and narrow ●ath , which leads to canaan ; and that by a foolish people in the worlds esteem , was i directed the way to eternal life . but after i was perswaded of the way to life , and convinced of the truth as it is in jesus , and after the seed of the kingdom began to stir in my earthly tabernacle , and to take root to my heart , then the enemy came in the form of an angel , and set me on a suddain upon the pinacle of the temple , where i was made to beleeve , i saw over all the children of truth , and was ready to sit down there also : but after the lord in his rich mercy had let me see my danger , and how i had been misled by the angel of false light : he directed me to the low valley , there to abide , and assured me , that if i would be a true disciple of christ indeed , i must take up the cross daily and follow him , and be obedient to his light in my conscience which convinceth of the most secret sin . and now , that i may bring in my testimony to the truth which was once delivered to the saints , and which now is again made known to the children of the most high ; and , that i may set to my seal to the doctrine of the cross : i here declare , to all the sects up on earth , and to all people , high and low , professor , or prophane , that the despised people whom the scorners of this age , call qvakers , are the true disciples of christ jesus : viz. such amongst them as are faithful followers of the lamb , and obedient children of the light , which lighteth every man that cometh into the world . by them is the everlasting gospel preached again to the sons and daughters of men : and blessed are all those that hear and obey the sound thereof . the glad tydings of salvation i say is preached by them , and whosoever he be that shall bring any other gospel , is disowned by all the true disciples of jesus , and sons of the light . they are the sheep of christ , and amongst them is the true shepherd of israel known , and he goes in and out before them . to them , and in them hath the light of the world appeared , and the life of men communicated himself ; and i must say , i sate in darkness till i heard them . these are they who having past through all forms , are come into the power , and are knit together into one body , whereof christ jesus is head . these are they who take up their daily cross , and follow him . these are they who pass through great tribulation , and through many and fiery tryals . these are they who are the true worshippers , who worship the father in spirit and in truth , and love not their lives unto death . these are they who are redeemed from the earth , though upon it : these are they that are come to mount sion , and to the city of the living god , and to the innumera 〈…〉 of angels , and to the spirits of just and 〈…〉 and to the general assembly of the fir 〈…〉 se names are written in heaven : these are 〈…〉 who are sons of god , and are led by the infallible spirit into all truth : these are they who are joint-heirs with christ whose fellowship is with the father and the son in the spirit , and they shall reign with him for ever and ever : glory be to his name for evermore friend , by these , i say , was i directed to obey the light in my conscience , which convinceth of sin , when nothing else can , and to which they direct all men ( who are in the dark ) to follow : in so doing was i brought out of darkness , into his marvelous light , glory be to the light , and to the la●● for evermore . thus i have given thee a short account of my journey so far , and now can boldly say with david my hearts is fixed ; my heart is fixed , and i have nought to do now , but to give thanks , and to follow the lamb of god whithersoever he goes . and now friend , let me ask thee , is the lord the desire of thy soul ? and dost thou pant and breath after him , as the hart doth after the water-brooks is truth in the inward parts the thing thou would have ? and art thou indeed and in truth a true seeker of the kingdom , and restless till thou findst it ? then let me advise thee , seeke the lord where he may be found , to wit , in thy own heart , for that it his temple , and there will he dwell if thou be upright : i say , the tabernacle of the lord is with men , and there only will he be found : scourge then out those buyers and sellers that dwell there ; suffer not the house of god to be a den for thieves and robbers to reside in , for whilest thou givest entertainment unto them , the lord will not make his abode with thee : put therefore the evil thing out of thy camp , that so thou mayest receive a blessing , enjoy the good , and live for evermore . thine for the truths sake , tho. forster . the contents . 1. that god is now known by his name light , as heretofore by his names jehovah , elohim i am , &c. and that god's first dayes work in the dark soul of man is , the creating of light . 2. that man true guide is within him , or the light of christ in man , is the true guide of the soul . 3. a word of reproof to all that say , the light of christ in man , is natural , carnal , or an insufficient guide . 4. a word to all that say revelation is ceased , and that the saints must not expect such glorious manifestations now , as were in the primitive times : with a few queries for the enlightning the blind eyes of such as say , that no man hath the infallible spirit now . 5. counsel to him that feels the wright of sin , and groans for deliverance , but yet complains for mans of power . 6. a word of hope for the persecuting magistrate , if his day of grace be not already past ; also some it is . 7. a view of false doctrine , and a reproof to false teachers , who beast that they have the original , and yet are ignorant of the word of life , and quickning spirit within . 8. direction for all those that wait for the coming of their saviour , and how they may know him when he appears . 9. encouragement to the weary traveller , ( whose journey is towards canaan ) to follow the light and lamb of god to the holy land of rest ; but not to go before it . 10. a word touching the resurrection , and who they are that are risen with christ , and shall reign with him : and by whom 〈◊〉 is seen , in his spiritual appearance , and where . a guide to the blind pointed to . that god is now known by his name light as heretofore by his names jehovah , elohim , i am , &c. and that gods first dayes work in the dark soul , ( or little world of man ) is creating of light . the message which the beloved disciple of christ hath declared to the saints , is this , that god is ●●ght , and that in him is no darknesse , 1 joh. 1.5 . this also is my message unto thee , god is light ; and whatsoever is to be known of him , is manifest in man , rom. 1.19 . to thee then who art still in the dark , and knowest not this truth , or if thou knowest it , obeyest it not , to wit , the light within ; thou ( i say ) art not yet come to the first dayes work of god in the dark chaos of thy own heart ; for the same way doth the lord proceed with his creature man ( in the creation of him to good works ) as he did with the whole universe , to wit , first bring him out of darkness into his marvelous light . god when he made the world , created the heaven and the earth , and the earth was without form , and darkness was upon the face of the deep ; and in this state is man in his first creation ( through the fall ) without form , and darkness is upon him : but when the spirit of god moved upon the waters , and said , let there be light , there was light ; and the light he called day , and the darkness he called night and the evening and the morning were the first day . now consider friends , all you who disown the light , calling it natural , carnal , darkness , and insufficient to guide you ; what do you judge of your present state and condition ? are you not like the chaos ? and is not your little world without form , and void ? and is not darkness upon the face of your deep imaginations , until the spirit of god move upon your waters of instability , and his light spring forth in your understandings from his holy spirit ? oh that you who reject the light would consider this , that you are so far from rest , that you are not yet come to the first dayes work of god in your own hearts ! how can you say as the disciples and followers of christ do , that it is god that worketh all his works in you , and for you ? how can you number your selves amongst the children of light , when you refuse the light to work in you , and rebel against it ? have you not read in the holy scriptures , that christ did not work many miracles in his own countrey , because of the peoples unbelief there ? i do not say , he could not work them ; but this i affirm , the lord compels none to serve him in the dark ; but when he hath enlightened man with his own light ( with which he enlighteneth every man that cometh into the world ) man is at his choice whether he will follow and obey the light , yea or no : i say , the lord doth not force the will of man to obedience , but woes him , and beseecheth him to be reconciled , knowing the great misery which will justly and inevitably follow the rebellious and disobedient soul . oh! that i could perswade all men to obedience , that so they may eat of the tree of life , which by transgression man is falne from , and which he cannot touch lest he dye . and now let none say that he is not enlightened , or that he wants power , upon the penalty of condemnation for ever ; for the lord requires nothing of man but what he hath given him full power to do , all power in heaven and in earth being in the son , and this son of power is freely offered to every man that will receive him ; for god so loved the world , that he gave his own son to dye for lost man , that he might live ; i say , he is freely given a light to the gentiles , and a guide to them , as well as a glory to his people israel , and none are excluded who are willing to come unto him . and thou that deniest the light , whose workmanship art thou ? and whose works are wrought in thee ? are they not works of darkness , and thou the son of perdition ? oh! suffer not the devil any longer to delude thee by his evil instruments , and to work his works in thee ; but endeavour thou to be made light in the lord ; for thou wert not made to serve the devil , but to be a temple for gods holy spirit to dwell in . mans true guide is within him ; or , the light of christ in man is the true guide of the soul . paul that eminent apostle of christ , and son of the light , hath declared , that whatsoever is to be known of god , is manifest in man , ( as is said already ) rom. 1.19 . let none then say , lo here , or lo there ; but if they should , hear what our saviour christ faith , go not after them , nor follow them , for the kingdom of god is within you , luke 17.21 . now if the kingdom be within , then of necessity must mans guide be there also . that christ is the light and guide of man , see joh. 1.9 . & joh. 14.6 . and that he is in his saints , read col. 1.27 . and in rom. 8.10 . the apostle saith , if christ be in you , the body is dead because of sin ; and again , if the spirit of him that raised up iesus from the dead , dwell in you , be that raised up christ from the dead , shall also quicken your mortal bodyes by his spirit that dwelleth in you , ver. 11. and ver. 9. if any man hath not the spirit of christ , he is none of his . and again , if christ be not in you , then are you reprobates , 2 cor. 13.5 . by all which places it is most evident , that christ is the light of man , and that he lighteth every man that cometh into the world , of what countrey or nation soever , and none can deny this unless he will unman himself , and say he is not of the race and generation of manking . so then it is clearly demonstrated to him that can read the scriptures , that christ is the saints guide , and that he is their hope of glory , in them . and thou that deniest christ in man to be his guide , thou art either a reprobate , or no man : for friend , this is my testimony for the lord , ( and it is the testimony of thousands at this day , blessed for ever be his name ) that christ within is man's true guide , and also man's true light to walk by , and that in him is life , and the life is the light of men , and that this light shineth in darkness , and the darkness did not comprehend it ; read 1 ioh. 4.5 . yet now if any shall say he is in the light , and hateth his brother , he is in darkness , and knoweth not whether he goeth . to thee then who art a hater of thy brother , assure thy self that thou art none of the children of light , not have i any thing to say to thee but this , thou art condemned already ; as well by the light within thee , as by the children of light without thee ; for god is love , and he that dwelleth in love , dwelleth in god , and god in him , 1 joh. 4.16 . but to the poor soul who is ignorant of his true guide , and is willing to follow him if he knew where to find him , my counsel to him is this , look at home ; for thy saviour is near unto thee , and blessed art thou if thou canst believe it , and obey him . to thee i say , that art seeking thy saviour with all thy heart , and art restless till thou find him , know for thy comfort that he is near to thee , and to every one that is of an upright heart , and is even in thy heart , and in thy mouth , rom. 10.8 . seek him not then at a distance from thee , or in any outward thing , for he that justifies thee , is near unto thee ; and if ever thou find him in truth , thou wilt say as iacob did , that he was in this place , and thou knewest is not . wouldst thou have thy saviour and thy guide to lead thee by his un-erring and infallible spirit ? then cease from man , ( whose breath is in his nostrils ) and turn to the living god with whom onely the well-springs of life are to be found . salvation is not to be had from the hills , nor from the mountains , neither from this divided judgement , or that ; but from jesus alone , who is in his saints the hope of glory , and is the saviour of all men , but especially of them that believe . i say , the tabernacle of god is with men , and though he be the high and holy one that inhabiteth eternity , yet is his dwelling also with him that is of a lowly heart , and trembleth at his word . the spirit of christ in man is the true guide , all others are false ones ; his light in man is the true light , al others are false ones . oh be not so willingly blind as not to see it , nor so wilfully ignorant as not to know it . he it is that condemneth sin in the flesh , and reproves man for a vain thought , or wanton look , when nothing without him can . turn in the eye of thy mind than , and hearken to his checks and daily reproofs in thee ; knowest thou not that the state of reprobation belongs to him that hath not christ in him ? friend , thy saviour is within thee , and if ever thou know him aright , it must be there ; for there , o there it is that thee and i have crucified him that is lord of life ; and this is that jesus whom the jews crucified at jerusalem , but is now crucified by the false christians , within them , and by them put again to an open shame , as their streets , market-places , cities , towns and villages do declare , by stocking mocking , stoning , cruel whipping , long imprisoning , and persecuting unto death , his members . but now is come ( and is coming ) a day of tryal upon all prosessions whatsoever , and all professors must now be tryed whether their faith be true or feigned none must escape the siery tryal , but the judgement of the lord will pass upon all , high and low , great and small , poor or rich , airy notions as well as carnal ordinances , ( which all perish with the using ) and now seen thorough in this day of light ; for the sun ( which hath long sate in a cloud ) is arisen to discover the inward subtilty and hypocrisie , as well as the outward superstition and idolatry of all hearts . bring thy works then to the light of christ jesus in thy own conscience , that so they may be manifest whether they are wrought in god or nou ; for he that hideth his sin , shall not prosper . and thou who art a sinner , and believest that thou canst not be freed from them , because the blind guides have told thee so , there is little ground for thee to hope for mercy ; for the sinner cannot stand before the lord , nor the wicked in the congregation of the righteous ; nor can any unclean thing enter into heaven : know thou , that it is sin that crucifies thy saviour , who though he bear with patience the sinners burthen for a time , ( being pressed therewith as a cart with sheaves ) yet thou wilt one day find he will cast off the heavy burthen upon the sinners own back , which ( when the lord hath done striving with him ) will be too unsupportable for him to bear . oh that no poor soul would suffer himself to be mislead and deceived by blind guides in a matter of so great concernment as the everlasting salvation or damnation of their immortal souls ; for the light of christ jesus hath appeared unto thousands and discovered their egyptian darkness and false doctrine , and can prove them to be such builders as reject the corner-stone , and declare lyes in the name of the lord : and for which appearance of christ in his saints , glory be given to the father , & to the son , through the blessed spirit for evermore . christ jesus is to be known within by all who will approve themselves no reprobates , and so to be within them , as to live his life of meekness , of patience , of long-sufferance , of mercy and compassion , of goodnese , of gentleness , of wisdom and godly fear , of self-denial , of perseverance , of faith , of hope , of love , and whatsoever else are the fruits of his spirit and presence in us . friends , 't is not a christ without that will save you , but the same christ which dyed at jerusalem , must live in us , and we in him ; and so must we know him even to lead and guide us out of all error , sin and vanity , into all truth , righteousness , and stability , if we ever know him to salvation ; i know your minds have been abroad , and peradventure yet are , ( as mine was ) but i never knew my saviour ( whom i sought without ) until i turned my mind inward , and found him there ; no more can ye . if them art still abroad wandring upon the barren mountains , o come down , for i am well assured there is no food there for thy hungry soul ; the day i say is far spent , and the night at hand , wander no longer in the coasts of egypt , and land of darkness , where no light is , nor true guide to lead thee , but hasten into the low valley , search deep into the bottom of thy heart , come to meekness , patience , and humility of spirit , and there , o there wilt thou meet with thy true guide , and that light which alone can lead out of darkness all the faithful followers of it . reproof to him that faith the light within is natural , and that the light of christ was carnal and darkness , ( as some have affirmed . ) thou knowest not what thou sayest , o man , that sayest the light is natural , carnal , or insufficient , nor whereof thou affirmest : hast thou been a teacher or hearer in england for many years , and a professor of religion , and yet knowest not jesus ? take this for thy portion ( thou who despisest the riches and goodness of the lord in his son christ ) the light or talent ( which thou now hast shall be taken from thee , and thou ( the unprofitable servant ) cast out into outward darkness , vvhere shall be nothing but weeping , wailing , and gnashing of teeth , because thou hast rejected the light within , which is gods witness in every man , and hast judged and denied it ; know this , that thou by it shalt be condemned for ever : i say , the day of grace and long-suffering of the lord ( which would now lead thee to repentance ) will not alwayes last ; the light , or candle of the lord in thee will not alwayes shine , but the night of darkness ( in which thou shalt ever remain ) will overtake thee , where thou shalt be shut up in chains for evermore ; then , oh then it vvill be too late to vvish thou hadst not slighted the light in thy conscience , and called it carnal , darkness and insufficient ; for it now is , and then will be more then a thousand witnesses against thee . the light of christ ( i say ) is not carnal , is not darkness , is not insufficient to lead blind man out of darkness into the marvelous light of the lord ; for by it , and it alone have i been lead from the one into the other , and can set to my seal of a truth , that god is light , and christ is light , and that his light is in every man , and it is , and will be the condemnation . that light is come into the world , but men love darkness rather then light , because their deeds are evil and ful of darkness . friend , this i am bold to declare , as in the light of the lord , that there is no other way to be saved from eternal darkness , but by coming unto christ the light of the world , and walking in his light ; if so thou do , as he is in the light , then , and not till then shalt thou have fellowship with the children of light , and the blood of jesus will cleanse thee from all sin . some queries to them that say revelation is ceased , and that the saints must not now expect such glorious manifestations as were in the primitive times ; and that say no man hath the infallible spirit now . many there are who in this state of darkness do believe and say , that revelation is ceased , and that the infallible spirit is not now known amongst the saints ; and that they are not to expect such glorious manifestations now , as were in the primitive times : the ignorance and gross darkness of such i cannot but bewail , and for the opening of their understandings , shall propound unto them some queries . as first : whether is not christ the same to day , yesterday , and for ever ? and the holy spirit the same , and as operative , quick and powerful now , as ever ? or hath it lost its powerful operation now ? is the lords love to his saints less now , then before ? or is his hand shortned that he cannot save to the uttermost as well now as ever ? where is it said ( which ye so boldly affirm ) that revelation is ceased , or shall ever cease , from the saints or spouse of christ ? hath not the lord promised that in the later dayes he will pour out his spirit upon all flesh , and his sons and his daughters shall prophesie ? and hath not john said , that the light of that day shall be as seven dayes , and that there shall be no need of a candle , nor light of the sun , for the lord god shall be the light thereof . what is it that in the night of darkness ( when thou art lying upon thy bed of adultery and carnal pleasure , sporting thy unsatiable soul in the lusts of the flesh ) discovers and reveals the wickedness of thy heart unto thee ? what is it that in the day time checks thee for thy wanton eye and pride of life , when none without perhaps dares accuse thee ? what is it that discovers unto thee ( in thy chamber of imagery ) the secret adultery of thy heart , when no outward eye sees thee ? what is it that brings to thy remembrance things past , as if they were but yesterday , and sets thy secret sins in order before thee ? what is it that tells thee thou hast committed the sin against the holy ghost , and for which thou canst never receive pardon when committed ? oh! how is it that thou shouldst suffer the instruments of satan to work such a belief in thee , and so far to put out the eye of thy faith , and of thy reasonable soul also , as not to see thy self in a delusion , when the scriptures do positively say , that no man knows the father but the son , and him to whom the son wil reveal him , matth. 12.27 . tell me ( poor soul ) whether thou canst be so ignorant of the scriptures as not to know this , that he that worships the father , must worship him in spirit ? dost thou not know that the holy spirit is a spirit of revelation wheresoever it is ? dost thou not know that , that is its work in man , and that if thou hast not this spirit of christ , thou art none of his ? friend , it 's an infallibly sign thou deniest the spirit , that sayest revelation is ceased , it being its proper work . and thou that sayest , no man hath the infallible spirit now ; let me ask thee also , hath the lord no people in this age to bear testimony to his truth ? do none know the lord novv ? and are none in the way of truth ? is this thy faith ? then knovv thou for certain , thou art led by a spirit of delusion ; and whilest thou thus believest , thou canst never come to the truth , nor be led by the spirit of truth ; for the children of god are all guided by the infallible spirit so long as they be faithful followers of it , and they live in the spirit , and walk in the spirit , and talk in the spirit , and act in the spirit ; all which is a riddle to thee , and impossible for any to open , unless he have the gift of faith to believe in the mighty power of god , which is the son of god . friend , whosoever thou art that art of this perswasion , i must declare unto thee from the lord , thy faith is but faney , thou art still in aegypt , and like to perish in the wilderness . o be perswaded to search the scriptures , and to believe in jesus who is the author and finisher of the faith of his disciples , of whom thou art none , as thou now stands ; forbear thou to make mention of the holy and infallible spirit of truth ; ( which ( in their several measures ) all possess who are taught of god ) until thou are freed from the spirit of error , and come out from the fleshly apprehensions of the divine truth , to see the infallible things of god by the eye of living faith ; and if you come to know the lord & his truth , your rotten foundations must be removed , and your faith built upon the rock of ages . dost thon think that because thy heart is filled with unbelief of the mighty power of god , and because thou knowest not the secrets of the lord revealed unto thee , ( in regard thou art not come into his fear ) that therefore the lord doth not reveal his secret to any ? no , no , thou are miserably deluded and bereft of the right use of thy understanding by satan and his minister ; for know thou , the lord is as merciful now as ever , as good now as ever , and as free to reveal himself and his secrets unto those that fear him , now , as ever he was . canst thou be ignorant of this , that the lord reveals his secrets to them that fear him ? or that the secrets of the lord are with them that fear him , psal. 25.14 , or , ( prov. 3.32 . ) that his secret is with the righteous ; and amos 3.7 . that the lord will do nothing , but he revealeth his secret unto his servants . friend , there is no way to come to the knowledge of god , but by the revelation of the son of god in us , witnessing with our spirits , whose children we are : and all that i shall say further to thee herein , is this , my soul shall weep in secret for thee , and and thy teachers who have caused thee to err , ( they themselves not knowing the truth ) by saying , revelation is ceased , when there is no other way to know god by . a word of counsel to him that feels himself loaden with his sins , and groans for deliverance , but complains that he wants power . art thou laden with the burthen of thy sins ? and dost thou mourn in secret , praying to god for case and pardon ? or , art thou black with lying in the mire and filthy pollutions of this , world , so that thou art ready to say , from the crown of my head , to the sole of my foot , i am full of wounds and putrified sores , and would fain be made clean ? art thon possest with the spirit of error , and ignorant of the truth of god ? and wouldst thou be acquainted with the spirit of god to guide thee into all truth , and lead thee into the path of holiness ? wouldst thou be freed from the spirit of pride , self-love , passion , and emulation towards thy neighbour ? art thou covetous of gain , and earthly-minded , and dost not do to another as thou wouldst be done unto , wanting the royal law of love to be thy rule ? art thou possest not onely with one evil spirit , but legions , and seest no power to resist the least assault of the enemy ? then be thou counselled ( by one who hath felt the weight and burchen of most of these evils , and seen deliverance in a measure ) to own the light in thy conscience , and that will open unto thee a door , of hope , and shew thee a fountain where judah and jerusalem jew and gentile , christian and heatheu , profane and professor , high and low , rich and poor , may wash in , and be made clean , yea , and from all their filthiness may they be cleansed : and if thou do so , viz. own the light in thy conscience , and obey it , it will lead thee to holiness . and thou that complainest for want of power against sin , i tell thee , and do affirm unto thee , whoever thou art , thou hast power , unless ( with the unjust steward ) thou hast buryed it in thy corrupt heart , and made no improvement of it , and the lord for thy unsaithfulness hath taken it from thee , and given it to him who hath been a better husband of his gift then thou hast been : for this i say , that the lord hath given a talent ( or measure of himself ) to every one to profit withal , which is his light in every conscience , the which whosoever doth not improve , shall have it taken from him , and he be cast into utter darkness ; for there is a day vvhen the candle of the wicked shall be put out , and he shall have no light to vvalk by , though he seek it , and that vvith tears : remember iudas , and be vvarned by him to be faithful to thy master , and to obey him , even whilst the light shines upon thee , and would guide thee , least thy repentance be too late , as his was , and thou be with him called a son of perdition ; but if thou obey the light in thy conscience which convinceth thee of sin , i declare unto thee as a word from experience of the mighty power of god , and of its powerful working there , that it will not only give thee power against gross corruptions , but against vain thoughts and idle words ; and though thy sins be red like crimson , they shall be as wool ; and as red as scarlet , they shall be as white as snow : be willing therefore , and obedient , and thou shalt eat the good of the land ; but if thou refuse , and rebel , thou shalt be devoured with the sword : the mouth of the lord hath spoken it . some hope left for the persecuting magistrate of england , ( if his day of grace be not past already . ) peradventure thou mayest say unto me , i have been a civil magistrate and a great persecutor of the saints ( 〈◊〉 the most high god ) who have few or none on earth to plead their cause ; how shall i find mercy from the lord , for i am the greatest of sinners ? that when the servants and messengers of the lord have come into our cities , towns , villages , or market-places to preach repentance , and declare against sin , and to bring the glad tydings of the gospel into our quarters , ( where it was never preached before ) i have not been so sober unto them as the gadarenes were to christ , who ( when he came to cast out unclean spirits , and to do them good , they ) entreated him to depart out of their coasts ; but i instead of entreating , have compelled them , not with mild perswasions , but with cruel and merciless stripes upon their naked bodies , with stockings , stonings , beatings , long and tedious imprisonmets , and other bitter usage which for shame i cannot mention ; and ( as if this had been too little ) i have caused some of them to be scourged twice or thrice for not bowing to my corrupt will , and worshipping me with their hats off ; or for speaking to our blind guide , ( who calls himself a minister ; ) and all this i have done contrary to the law of the land too ; and when i have so done , i have with passes sent them away as vagabonds and wanderers , not suffering them ( though sufficient men , and of good estates near us ) to have a place in our quarters to dress their sore stripes & deep wounds which my bloody executioners . have made upon their innocent and harmless bodyes ; nor yet a place wherein to rest their aking heads , except in stocks , dungeons , close holes of little ease , or filthy and stinking goals amongst thieves and murtherers , where many of them have finished their testimonies by death . now saith the guilty magistrate , this is the truth of my condition , and thus have i served the embassadors of christ jesus , ( whom the malicious world cannot accuse of evil ) and my case is lamenable , and the worse , because what i have done was through the instigation of our gospel-minister , ( as he called himself ) ●nd to please him , who otherwise would not suffer me to be at rest , crying out against them , that they will undo us , and our generation after us , and render our gospel to be antichristian , and our selves false prophets , ( as indeed we are ) and will make our nakedness and ignorance appear to all sober men if they be tollerated ; but that which is more considerable then all this , i am afraid i have sinn'd the sin against the holy ghost , which can never be forgiven , and how shall i escape the damnation of hell . friend , is this thy case indeed ? and art thou guilty so deeply , as this in truth makes thee ? 't is sad indeed : yet consider , and for thy comfort i have this to say unto thee , st. paul was as great a persecutor of the saints as thou possibly hast been , and as mad against them as the most of you have been , or can be ; yet when the light appeared to him , and struck him from his horse or beastly nature of persecution , he presently fell to the earth , and with trembling and astonishing , said , lord , what wilt thou have me to do ? he did not ( as the blind guides of this age ) say , that the light of christ was natural and insufficient to guide him out of his darkness , but he became obedient to the light immediately ( though he saw no body ) consulting neither with flesh nor blood , nor yet running to gamaliel a great doctor ( under whom he had been brought up ) for counsel ; but forthwith ceased from the sprit of persecution , and obtained mercy : so he being obedient to the light , became a true disciple of jesus , and preacher of the everlasting gospel , acts 9. and now ( oh magistrate ) know this , that though thou hast been the greatest persecutor of the saints amongst thy numerous brethren , and hast persecuted them until death , ( as many in england have been for conscience-sake within these few years , under a pretence of maintaining the popish and antichristian law for tythes , and suppressing of hereticks ) yet there is some hopes of mercy for thee also , if thou canst in truth say , that what thou didst , then hast done ignorantly . but if this be not thy case , but hast wilfully transgressed and rebelled against the light in thy conscience , then , o then ●hy condition is sad indeed , and thou with the blind guides ) art of all men most to be pittyed ; examine therefore ●y own heart in secret , and if thou findest that thou hast been a wilful persecutor of gods servants , cry mightily unto the lord that the iniquity of thy heart may be forgiven thee , and possibly thou mayest find hopes ( upon thy unfeigned confession and resolution to turn to the lord , and obey the light within thee ) to obtain mercy . cease , i say , from that spirit of persecution , and become obedient for the future , if peradventure thy fins may be blotted out . a view of false doctrines , or , a word of reproof to false teachers , who boast that that they have the original , and yet are ignorant of the word of life . friends , to you all i speak , ( who disown the light of christ within , and count it a low thing ) a wo is pronounced unto you , for your light is turned into darkness , and your sweet into bitter , and for the present see not your way before you ; the whole world lyes in wickedness , and darkness is upon the faces of all who are led by you , who preach for hire , and divine for money , contrary to the prophets phets and true ministers of christ ) you preach false doctrine , and practice persecution , and therefore are you none of the children of light , nor ministers of the everlasting gospel . you say , that the best of gods servants cannot be free from sin in this life ; whereas the holy scriptures say , without holynesse no man shall see the lord : christ himself hath preached perfection , and hath commanded his disciples to be perfect as their heavenly father is perfect ; but you say , no , perfection is not to be attained here ; you say , ( many of you ) that the light of christ in the conscience is natural , not considering that he himself is spiritual , and that his light must of necessity be so too . you say , revelation is ceased ; not considering this , that no man knows the father but the son , and him to whom the son will reveal him . you say , no man hath the infallible spirit now ; not considering , that he that hath not the spirit of christ , is none of his ; for where-ever the spirit of christ is , it must needs be infallible ; and you that have not the infallible spirit , you are none of christs ; and if so , then consider with your selves whose childrern you are , and what spirit guides you , and whither ; for it cannot lead you into all truth , nor any part thereof . some of you have been heard to say , that the devil is the power of god , and that the gospel is not the power of god no more then a rose cake ; and further , that the light of christ jesus is carnal and darkness . friends , i hope better things of many of you ; but assuredly , this doctrine is damnable and pernicious to the souls of men : and therefore i warn you to forbear preachihg in the name of the lord , whilst you are of this faith , which i affirm is of the devils , and not of the saints , ( whose faith overcomes the world ) and who believe they must be holy as god is holy , and perfect as their heavenly father is perfect , in their several measures : they know that the son of god is the light of the world and life of men , and is not darkness , carnal , natural , or insufficient to lead them to purity , as you declare . and because i wil not bore the ears ( as i may say ) of the hearers , or bring to the readers remembrance your multitude of errors , heresies and false doctrines ; nor trouble him with a view of all your ungodly practices at once ; i shall be sparing , as hoping you may return from whence you are fallen , and repent , but shall hereafter , if god will , propound a few queries unto you , whereby you may see your selves in some few particulars of your doctrine and practice . friends , is preaching for hire , and persecution of your neighbour , for conscience-sake to be miantained by scripture ? is throwing men into gaols , and stealing of their goods , to be maintained by the scriptures ? is your taking up the carnal weapons to defend your gospel with , when your spirituall weapons will not do , to be maintained by scripture ? did christs ministers ever rebel against the civil magistrate , and teach men so to do , as many of you have done of late , instead of being subject to the higher powers ? for my own part i wonder not hereat , as knowing that that spirit which at present guides you , teacheth rebellion and disobedience as well to god as to man . furthermore : you say you are ministers of the gospel , and yet have perswaded people to believe that the commandments of god cannot be kept . reader , to thee who art of this perswasion with them , be but moderate , and let me ask thee this question ; for what end ( thinkest thou ) were the commandments given by god ? were they to be read onely , or to be painted upon the steeple-house walls ? will that please the lord ? or were they not given to be kept by his servants , who enter into life ? hath not the lord said , he will write them upon his peoples hearts , never to be blotted out ? or can any man be blessed that doth not keep them ? tell me , doth any man require that of another , which he knows he cannot perform and do ? and wilt thou make the lord so hard a master , as to require obedience of man if it were not in his power to give it , or that the lord had not impowered him ? friend , even as the serpent beguiled eve , so art thou by blind guides ; he drew our first parents into disobedience by going out to hearken to his subtilty , and so left their innocency ; and thou being now in disobedience , he would keep thee there by his evil instruments . o take heed of the serpents brood , who say , the commandments of god cannot be kept , for they are false prophets that so teach ; but assure thy self , that if ever thou enter into life , thou must keep the commandments : david could keep them under the law , and said , that the commandments of the lord were not grievous ; my soul ( saith he ) hath kept thy testimonies , and i love them exceedingly : and again saith he , i have done thy commandments : and again he saith , i have kept thy precepts and thy testimonies : read psal. 119 , 166 , 167 , 168. now friend consider the promise of the lord concerning his people , by the the mouth of his prophet zechariah , that in the day of the lord , he that is feeble amongst them shall be as david , and the house of david shall be as god , zech. 12.8 . and as the keeping of the commandments is the entrance into life , so are they pronounced blessed that keep them , rev. 22.14 . & psal. 119.2 . & prov. 8.32 . and saith st. john , hereby we know that we know him , if we keep his commandments , 1 joh. 2.3 . but he that saith , i know him , and keepeth not his commandments , is a lyar , and the truth is not in him , ver. 4. and again , whatsoever we ask ( saith he ) we receive of him , because we keep his commandments , and do , those things which are pleasing in his sight , 1 john 4.22 . and he that keepeth his commandments , dwelleth in him , and he in him , ver. 24. such then as say that the commandments of god cannot be kept , are hereby proved to be lyars , false prophets , and deceivers . come out therefore from among them , and be thou separate from such unclean men , for the lyar shall not enter into the kingdom , nor any unclean or imperfect thing . friends , i even tremble to think on your condition , who break the commandments of god , and teach men so to do , you are so far from the way , the truth and the life , that unless you speedily repent and turn to the lord , you will have your portion with hypocrites , where is weeping , wailing , and gnashing of teeth for evermore . my direction then to you also ( before it be too late ) is , to own the light in your consciences ; and submit to its checks when you are reproved by it ; and know this , that whilst it reproves you for your fins , the day of grace is not yet past , nor hath the lord given over striving with you ; but when you feel no checks of conscience when you do evil in thought , word , or deed , then be assured your day is past , and you are sealed up for destruction . i say unto you therefore again , own the light within you while you have it , and take it for your guide , for you are gone a whoring from god , and the spirit of truth and holiness you know not . o do not any longer abuse this light , this lamb of god , for you will one day find him to be the lyon of the tribe of judah , who when his wrath shall be kindled against you , you must be consumed for ever . and now to you who say , we are the learned ministers of england ; we have the tongues ; we have the originals , and we have the many languages , and therefore we are best able to interpret the scriptures . to you i say this , that the holy scriptures are a sealed book to all that are not taught of god by the revelation of his spirit , which you falsly and ignorantly say is ceased ; therefore it is that the unlearned doctors and others , the university-men of this age , wrest them to their own destruction ; therefore it is , that there are so many errors , heresies , opinions , sects , and divided judgements amongst you , and those who are called christians . friends , if you be ignorant of the true original of all things , to wit , the infallible and unerring spirit of god by which the holy scriptures were wrote , you want the key of true knowledge which should open them unto you , and you ( with all your learning ) must stay without , when the simple whom god teacheth , and whom you despise , can give you the true meaning and mind of god's spirit , shall enter in . oh! remember that the jews had the original tongues before you , and spoke them naturally , and more then that , they had amongst them the true original himself , even christ jesus , the alpha and omega , the first and the last , and yet they crucified him , and chose a thief and a robber before him ; i wish from my very soul it were not so with you , chusing hebrew , greek , latine , and other tongues , before the naked and simple truth of god ; i say , christ jesus was to the jews a stumbling block , and to the wise greeks foolishness ; so is he this day to you , whilst you are crying up learning and humane wisdom , and despise the still and low voice of christ in you , which speaks not in the words of mans wisdom . oh ye men of learning in all the wisdom of this world ! when will you cease to tumble over your many and dusty volumes of corrupted authors , to find out that truth which lyes buryed within you ? oh cease a while from searching into them , and try whether you can find your names written in the c●mbs book of life ; if not , mourn and ●●●●●nt , for your condition of all others is most to be pittyed , in regard of the great loss that is to come upon you ( you having much to lose ) now that i may not leave you without hope , as those who perish in their sins , my advice to you is , to turn to the light in your consciences , and be obedient unto it for unless ou so do , you can never come to the key of david , which opens , and no man shuts , and shuts , and no man opens ; wait at wisdoms posts , ( which is the true fear of the lord ) from which you are all departed , who are gone from the light within , and are seeking salvation in outward things ; for the least babe of light sees thorough you , and can discover your darkness . a direction for all such as wait for the coming of their saviour in spirit , and how they may know him when he appears . christ's first appearance to the world was in flesh , and the fleshly eye saw him , but his second appearance is in spirit , which no fleshly eye can behold and live ; for as the lightning cometh from one part of heaven to lighten another part under heaven , so shall the coming of the son of man be , and blessed are all they who wait for his second coming , to wit , without sin , unto salvation ; for his second , coming is to put an end to sin , to finish transgression , and to bring in everlasting righteousness . he that hath an ear to hear , let him hear . now if thou wouldst plainly know the signs of his coming unto thee in particular , then know this , that when he comes 't is to convince thee of sin , and to make a separation between thee and thy former lovers , ( be they who or what they will be ) there is not a darling or dalilah to be spared , though never so dear or near unto thee , but all must be crucified , yea , and thy own life must be lost too , if ever thou wilt find it in god . friend , the life of a christian is hid with christ in god , and there is no finding of it but by going out of self ; for know this , that before christ jesus proclaims peace to the soul , he sets the man at variance with himself , and makes him war against the enemies of his peace within him , ( not without him . ) to thee then who art at ease in the flesh , hugging the spirit of self-love , and of this world , ( which lyes in wickedness ) and art courting the great men thereof for private respects , as honor and preferment , or the like ; know thou , thou art not yet come to the spiritual warfare , nor dost thou know the coming of christ to thee , as a saviour , which every man must witness before he can be a true souldier in the army of the lamb , or witness redemption from the spirit of bondage . my direction then unto thee , is , to watch for the coming of christ , ( who cometh as a thief in the night ) that when he comes , thou mayest not be found sleeping in sin , nor snorting in the vain delights and pleasures of this life , ( which are but for a moment : ) christ stands at thy door , and knocks , o give him entrance and suffer not his locks to be wet with the dew of the morning ; suffer not ( i say ) the evil one to make such a noise in thy soul , as to drown the low voice of christ in thee , who saith , i am meek and lowly of heart , learn of me . let it not be said of thee , he came unto his own , and his own received him not . encouragement to the weary traveller ( whose journey is towards canaan ) to follow the light and lamb of god to the holy land of rest ; but not to go before it . vvhosoever thou art that art come out of aegypt , ( the land of darkness , where the blind lead the blind ) and hast a purpose and good will to travel to the holy land , thou must gird up the loins of thy mind , and with a holy resolution be content to pass through all the fiery tryals thou maist meet with , and never sit down until thou shale arrive at perfect rest in god : and that thou maist not loosethy way , be thou advised to follow thy guide , and go not before him ; for no longer then thou art a follower of the lamb , canst thou go aright , or walk in safety . many there are who be come out of aegypt , and have made some progress towards canaan ; but because the guide to rest makes no haste , he being meek and lowly , and is a gentle leader of his lambs , ( and those that are with young ) therefore it is that many times the followers go before their leader , and through haste lose their way . be thou warned therefore , who art but a young traveller and follower of the lamb , that thou leave not thy true guide , nor wander from him , lest thou come into aegypt again , ( as some have done ) and so peradventure never find thy guide more . friend , if ever thou thinkest to be victorious , thou must follow the lamb ; for assure thy self , the enemy will assult thee on every side , and endeavour thy destruction ; for know thou , that 't is through sufferings and often conflicts with the enemy , that thou must pass , yea and become a conqueror too , befoer thou must come to reign ; the daily death thou must witness , and the daily crosse must be born , before the crown of victory can be obtained ; i say , thou must follow thy leader and captain of salvation , through all difficulties , if thou wilt be victorious . and for thy encouragement , be assured of this , he will never leave thee nor forsake thee . in the light of the lord then , and as faithful followers of the lamb , let us jurney towards our land of rest with unwearied minds ; for assuredly , the land is good , and will abundantly reward the traveller upon his arrival there , above what he could ask or think . many there are whom i believe are gone forth with an honest intent to travel ehither , and finding the way strait , and the journey long , and the difficulties many , have sate down by the way ; but let such know , there is no truerest on this side canaan . others there are who have gone forth to view the holy land , and as the false spyes of the land of canaan did , so have these , even brought up an evil report upon the good land , and have told people , there is no attaining of it in this life , for that the cities are walled , the enemies are mighty and numerous , and too strong to be overcome , these have told people , the holy life is unattainable , and that as long as they live , they cannot be free from corruption ; and these sit down without hope , and shall never enter . but yet notwithstanding there is encouragement enough for the faithful traveller , when he remembers that there were two , to wit , caleb and joshua , who were true spyes , and that notwithstanding the multitude of false spyes that went forth to view the land , these as faithful witnesses for god brought in their testimony , and said , let us go up at once , and possesse it , for we are well able to overcome it . and these for their faithfulness to the lord ( notwithstanding the false spyes ill report of the good land ) were brought to possess the land which flowed with milk and honey , but the rest perished in the wilderness for their unbelief , and their children were wanderers there fourty years . now friend , it is observable and very remaakrble , that caleb and joshuah ( who did enter ) had another spirit then the false , spyes had , ( and followed the lord fully ) to wit , the spirit of faith , which overcomes the world , and all the enemies therein , to the soul of men , so that the believer and his seed shall possess the holy land , when all the unbelievers shall perish in the wildcrness , numb. 14. and as for the glory of this holy land , or new jernsalem , ( of which canaan was a type ) and the riches thereof none wil doubt , but all will confess the land is good , though some say too good to be obtained here , or possessed in this life ; i say as to this i cannot but bring in my testimony , and declare , they are all false spyes , and false prophets , that say the enemies of mans soul are not to be overcome in this life , and that the holy life is not attainable ; for he that gives victory over one sin , ( which i witness ) will give victory over all sins if i and thou be faithful warriers in the army of the lamb . i say , our captain is able to make war wth the enemy , and not onely give us victory , but also an entrance into the holy of holies within the vail here , where no false prophet can enter , but him who is the priest for ever after the order of melehizedeck . therefore friends , go chearfully on your way in believing ; the enemy is as well before as behind ; look not back , neither turn to the right hand , nor to the left , but press forward , and in due time you shall reap , if you faint not . 't is the faith of the saints which overcomes the world , and all difficulties which the honest traveller shall find in his journey towards the holy land . and that none may be discouraged that he meets with troubles and tryals , let him remember , the greater his tryals are , the stronger had his faith need be ; and the bitterer his travels are , the sweeter will his rest be . if some of the servants of the lord have through experience said , that the sufferings of this present life are not worthy the glory that shall be revealed , what will they be able to say when in is revealed ? it is better to suffer affliction with the people of god , then to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season . therefore let us proceed on our journey with unwearied minds , and in the strength and power of the lord make war against all the enemies of our souls , following our leader , and in the end we shall be more then conquerors . and because there are many pretenders to holiness , who with fair speeches do deceive the hearts of people , and by enticing words of mans wisdom seduce many a well-meaning and honest-hearted traveller , who is ever and anon ready to question whether his way be right . i do advise thee as thou lovest life , and tenderest the true rest of thy weary soul , keep close to thy leader , whose voice is low , speaking in thee , saying , go not forth , wander not ; for this i declare , that whilst thou art unturned to thy guide within thee , or art listening to the loud voice and found of big words without ( as i have been ) thou canst finde no rest , though thou travel hard to obtain it . a word concerning the resurrection . the lord is risen indeed , and hath appeared unto many , among whom i am come to give you notice , ( though a most unworthy messenger ) that he is now come to exalt his son in his saints . and set him upon his holy hill ; glory for evermore . but many there are who with martha do look for the resurrection at the last day without , and so put the day of his resurrection in them , far from them , ( as believing no such thing ) and saying , how can this be ? when in the mean time christ lyes slain in some of them ; and others are so far from the holy life of christ , that they are dead in trespasses and sins , and some twice pluckt up by the roots , neither knowing their saviour within them , nor without them . art thou one that knowest nothing of the resurrection of christ in thee , then know that thou art not to look out to a day without thee , for the resurrection of christ , but in spiritual sodomand aegypt , where he lyes still crucified , art thou to expect his resurrection , to wit , in thy own wicked heart . christ before his resurrection from the grave , told martha , and said , i am the the resurrection and the life ; he that believeth in me , though he were dead , yet shall he live ; and that he that liveth and believeth in him , should not dye : dost thou believe this ? arise then , thou that art asleep in thy grave of sin , fleshly ease , or carnal delights , and hearken to the voice of the son of god in thee , & live ; for he who called lazarus out of his grave of earth , ( being naturally dead ) to life again , will raise thee also , and call thee out of thy spiritual grave of sin and denth , if thou hearken to his voice , and obey his call in thoe . christ jesus after his resurrection , appeared unto many of his disciples with out them , and they knew him not ( he being spiritual ; ) and after he had by many signal testimonies made himself known unto them to be jesus , a cloud received him out of the sight of those that stood looking after him ; whereupon it was told them by two men who were in white , that said , to men of galilee , why stand ye here gazing ? the same iesus which hath been taken up from you into heaven , shall in like manner come again to wit , in a cloud ; for so he went up . now this ( friend ) is a mystery to the wise and learned men of this world , ( oh that they knew it ) that the light of the world , and life of men should come in a cloud ; but so it is , and they are utterly ignorant of this mysterie , though to the children of light it is made manifest and revealed by the spirit . they can tell you that as christ's first appearance to the world was in the flesh , and the fleshly eye saw him ; so his second appearance is in spirit , and no fleshly eye can behold him , he being now a spirit . you then who are looking for the resurrection of your saviour with the eye of the first adam , ( which is natural , and to come without you ) know you , that your eyes will fail you , and your expectations be in vain ; for him whom you look for , is a spirit , and invisible to all but to the spiritual man . and while you are looking for his coming to be hereafter , the spiritual man can tell you he is already come , and converseth with him daily ; and this is the reason that the saints and servants of christ ( who do his will ) can endure stocking , stoning , mocking , cruel whipping , and tedious imprisonment : why ? because they have seen & conversed with jesus , who by his power enables them to suffer what man can do unto them ; he that hath an ear to hear , let him hear . but thou maist say unto me , is there no other resurrection of christ then what is in man ? and are we not to look for the coming of christ , and the resurrection of our bodies also at the last day ? for an answer to this , friend , consider that the resurrection of christ without , was there where he had been entombed or buried , and there was he to rise again , that so a testimony thereof might be given to the unbeliever , and as encouragement and strengthening to the faith of those that did believe therein . now friend , so it is , christ is risen in his saints , and hath appeared unto them there , even as he rose from the grave , and appeared to his disciples , and others without ; and though thou wouldst give large money to us to make false reports of his resurrection , yet we cannot but must tell you all , christ is risen from the grave of our souls , where he was once , buryed with earthly-mindedness and the cares of this world ; but the grave being able to hold him no longer , he is come forth , and is manifest to thousands in this age , who at first when he appeared to them without , to wit , in carnal ordinances , they knew him not , but he being now come in spirit according to his promise , we cannot but declare it unto you , being the things which our ears have heard , our eyes seen , and our hands handled of the word of life , that so ye might have fellowship with us . and thou who lookest for the resurrection of thy carnal body , i shall not contradict thee in thy faith , nor do i deny the resurrection of the body , nor shall i say to thee any other thing then what paul said to to the corinth , thou fool , that which thou sowest is not quickned except it dye ; and that which thou sowest , thou sowest not that body that shall be , but bare grain , perchance of wheat or some other corn ; but god giveth it a body as it pleaseth him . first come to the life of jesus in thy self , and when thou canst say , now i live , yet nor i , but christ liveth in me , thou shalt better understand the resurrection of the body ; for the natural man discerns not the things of god , because they are spiritual ; then , and not till then thou shalt know the first and second resurrection . a friendly call to all notionists , separatists , and high professors of religion , in what form soever , ( or out of form ) to come down from their pinacles of imagination , lest they fall , and rise no more . friends , come all down from your seats , you sit in slippery places , and are in great danger and peril of your lives , who though you have had many allarums to call you away , you are still asleep in spiritual pride or airy notions , without life . what do you mean ? will you suffer the angel of false light to be your guide , whilst the glorious light of christ , and glad tydings of the everlasting gospel ( declared almost every where in the nation ) to pass by you , and take no notice of it ? i cannot but pitty your souls , seeing the great delusion you are in . poor hearts ! you are got too high to sit in safety , for the god of heaven and earth will dwell with none who are not poor in spirit , and tremble not at his word : i say , if you would have the lord to dwell with you , you must all become tremblers . o remember that self-exaltation was the fall of lucifer , ( that angel of false light ) and so will be the fall of all who are not meek and lowly in heart , and abide not there . it 's the devil's work to elevate the mind of man above his measure , and that he may accomplish it , he perswades the man he can shew him all things in a mystery , and set him where he may see beyond the reach of others on a sudden , deluding him with this old bait , that he shall be as god , knowing good and evil . thus he deluded eve , and so he will do every simple heart who keeps not in the pure fear of the lord , but goes forth to hear the voice of the stranger ; for , had eve kept to her measure , and been contented therewith , the devil could not have beguiled her ; but she going forth , was by a temptation mislead , and so lost her innocent state , and her true guide within her . and now the serpent being the subtillest of all the beasts of the field , and perceiving that man is eager of knowledge , and desirous to comprehend all things in himself in a mysterie , ( it being too low a thing for so noble a creature to go out for knowledge ) he sets himself in the seat of god , and exalteth himself in man , lifting him up also above the pure seed of god which lyes buryed in man , and sets at naught poverty of spirit , perswading him he is beyond the first principles of religion , and above the doctrine of the cross , and that he is now at rest in god , when indeed , and in truth , poverty of spirit the man hath ( peradventure ) never yet known , nor the true fear of the lord neither , or if he hath , he is made to believe that there are higher things to be known then the mystery of the cross , and so suffers the devil to delude and blind him . poor heart ! thy delusion is strong indeed , and thy condition most to be lamented : where dost thou find that the fear of the lord is a low dispensation , whenas man is to abide therein all the day long ? i say , though it be day with man , yea noon-day , where the flock of christ are at rest ; yet the fear of the lord is never to be left , it being part of the everlasting gospel which the angel preached , saying , fear god , rev. 14.6.7 . what 's the reason ( friends ) that you stand so far off , and keep at such a distance from those that dwell in the valley , where the cross is dayly to be born , so long as you have a vain thought to be subjected , or a high look to be brought down ? is it not because you think your selves higher , and taller by the head and shoulders then your brethren ? and that they are but dwarfs in knowledge in comparison to you ? is it not because you look on the cross to be a low attainment , and that you are wearing the crown ? friends , let me be plain with you ; how came you into the fear of the lord ? did that which brought you in , lead you out again ? surely no , the work of the lord is perfect , and stands for ever ; and the true members of christ jesus call not this high , or that low , but they know that if any man will be great amongst them , he is to be servant to all ; i say , the members jar not , nor clash not one against another , but there is a most sweet harmony in the body , without any discord at all ; the highest doth not say to the lowest , i have no need of thee ; nor the lowest doth not say so to the highest : but friends , is it not because you have felt the cross too heavy for you to hear , having once taken it up , and laid it down again ? or is it because you would shun judgement , which you must come to again , and love it too , before you can meet with the lord in peace ? peradventure thou thinkest thy self some wise man in knowledge , and so hast been accounted in thy generation ; and for thee to become a fool , or to come back again after so great a profession of christ as thou hast made , would be to thy dishonor , and shame would cover thy face . if thus thou reasonest , know this , thou art thy own enemy , and thou lovest the praise of men more then the glory of god , or the salvation of thy own soul . and since you cannot deny but the poor receive the gospel , & the rich are sent empty away , ( with all their words of mans wisdom ) how comes it to pass , that the plain and naked truth of god preached in power , and practised in simplicity , is of no more account amongst you ? friends , be not deceived in your selves , for you cannot deceive us : the light of christ jesus in us hath discovered you all to be out of the way , who own it not . are you sent of god who cry , lo here , or low there , as some of you do , and creep into chambers and private places , & there speak with your doors shut ? is this ( in times of freedom ) like the practice of the true ministers of the gospel , who preach the glad tydings thereof to all , inviting all , and beseeching all to receive it , that so all might come in , or be left without excuse ? can any of you say , you preach the everlasting gospel by the revelation of christ jesus in you ? or do you not confess your selves to be fallible , and such as preach from a large comprehension of what you have heard or read , ( peradventure from h. n. or jacob behem ) & c ? is what you preach , of god ? and are all your springs in him ? if yours be the everlasting truth of god , come forth , and declare your message to all ; for truth seeks no corners : the kingdom of heaven is like a draw-net , which being cast into the sea , receives all that comes in , but treasures up none but the good fish ; if then you would be fishers of men , come to the sea-shore , stand in an open place , and cast in your nets into the seas of confusion of this world ; prick people to the heart by your powerful ministration , and convince thousands of their errors , heresies , and false opinions , ( which they received and suckt in by the false prophets and ministers of antichrist ) as the true ministers of christ in the primitive times did , and still do . but if you doubt whether yours be the true gospel , or another , my counsel to you is , cease to declare it in the name of the lord ; for nothing shall profit the hearers but what is declared in the eternal spirit of god without doubting . wait in silence then until you have received power from on high , which when it is received and declared , shall put to silence the gain-sayers , and stop the mouth of the evil doers . friends , for the seed's sake in you i desire to speak , therefore suffer me ( though a fool ) to be free with you . have you known the fools state , ( which all that will be truly wise must come to ? ) if not , hasten thither apace , for mans wisdom is foolishness with god , and and keeps him truly in that which is but folly : oh! what will all thy carnal wisdom ( though in a mystery ) and high notions avail thee , so long as thou art got above that which leads to true wisdom , and makes wise unto salvation those that are fools for christ ? are you those that have got in thorough the strait gate ? and do you walk in the narrow path , which leads to life , and which few find ? or are you not indeed those who have striven ( for a time ) to enter , but could not ? take heed you be not left out . have you bid farewel to the friendship of this world , & to the manners , fashions , vain customs , and delights thereof ? or are you not still alive in them all ? have you born the cross till every idle world and vain imagination be slain and crucified ? or are you not those who have felt it too heavy to bear , and so laid it down again ? are you as beacons upon a hill ? and do you give light to all that see your conversation ? or have you not put your light in a dark lanthore not suffering it to shine forth , lest you your selves should be discovered ? are you not those who preach and hear from a large comprehension , but your selves far from the life of what you hear or speak ? have you the power as well as the words of truth ? or are you uot those who have lost the power you once had , ( as the devil hath done ) and retained the notion onely , which he is the supporter of ? are you indeed , and in truth arrived at the dispensation of love , as you pretend , or third degree , of the holy life ( as you call it ) which loves its neighbours good as its own , and stoops to the meanest babe in christ , as well as walks with the grown man . friends , the well of life lyes low , and you must dig deep to find it ; high words without the power , are as the blustering winds , which do more harm then good ; but its the still low voice where god is heard , and the sheep of christ follow it . 't is true , the doctrine of the crosse was once in my esteem , but a low and mean dispensation , and the disciples thereof , ( as i thought ) in a pitifull and sad condition , but this was in the time of my exaltation with you , when i had got above the pure and meek seed of jesus which was kept under in me , but blessed be the lord , who hath brought down the mighty from his seat , and set me on the rock of ages . on which , if ever you know stability , you must be brought ; which rock christ , which followed the israelites the wilderness and refreshed them ; wh 〈…〉 rock is the food of angels , as well as every hungry soul . if any of you h 〈…〉 this bread , you know that in the m 〈…〉 of famine you shall have enough , a 〈…〉 that your water is sure ( coming out the rock ) if so , i say , eat , o friends , drink abundantly o beloved , go no more forth . but you who are still upon the mountains , you must come down , and dwell in the low valley before you can find safety . you must walk in the narrow path which leads to life , before you can come to rest ; and to the spirits of just men made perfect you must be joyned . peradventure some of you may say , you are now upon the mount with jesus and have seen his transfiguration , and do say in your hearts , it is good to be here : if so , yet boast not ; for you must all come down from the mount , as the disciples of christ , and as christ himself did , and live here below . nay though you have been wrapt up into the third heaven , as paul was , and heard things unutterable , yet the cross must be born , and the thorn in the flesh felt by all who are lifted up above their measures . to your measures herefore , of the gift of god all come ; boast not of any thing , which you have ●t attained through the death of the cross ; for if you do , you will suffer loss . ●any of you have set your selves at the ●pper end in the room , oh be sure you be not without your wedding garments left the master send you forth as unworthy guests ; you seem to be eager to tast of the supper of the lord , and some of you are giving and taking it in beggarly elements . all such are to know they are not yet past the shadow , be their pretence what it will be , much lesse come to the substance of all things which puts an end to types and shadows . the voice in me cryes , keep low ; abide in the fear of the lord ; for there is the beginning of true wisdome . high words will no longer beguile the true israelite ; for in him there is an eye open , which sees and can discern spirits , and an ear that can hear the shepherds voice from the stranger . the stranger or false messenger's voice saith , i comprehend all mysteries ; i am past the first & second dispensation ( to wit the fear and the faith ) and i am arrived at the third , which is love ; i have born the crosse , and now wear the crown . is this thy voice indeed ? then know , thou art the antichrise whom god will destroy with the breath of his mouth ; whosoever thou art that cryest up one dispensation by way of boasting , and sets it against another , thou art doing the devils work , and endeavouring to make a rent , where nothing but unity and peace ought to be ; for one mans state in christy ( though but the babe ) is not to be set against another , no more then christ is to be divided . but now on the contrrary the true shepherds voice saith , i am meek and lowly of heart , learn of me , and be little in your own eys : this voice calls out of the world , it stills the waves when they rage it binds the strong man in chains , and nobles in fetters of iron , by its meekness , patience , gentleness and long-suffering ; therefore friends , come all down into the true fear of the lord , where this is to be witnessed , and no where els . your knowledge in misteries and large comprehensions of divine things , unlesse your practice be answerable , doth but fit you for the scourge with many stripes . i say while you are upon your pinacles , the inward beauty of the temple , you can never behold , nor see the glorious presence of the lord who fits therein . hasten therefore to the porch , where wisdomes voice is to be heard , and become doore-keepers therein ( which keeps out sin and vanity ) that so an entrance may be made unto you into the holy of ho-lies . for this i declare to you all , that no more of the true knowledge of god have you attained , then what you have learned and known through the death and daily cross of christ jesus . and now to thee who hast been once enligtened , and hast tasted of the heavenly gift , and been made partaker of the holy ghost , and tasted of the good word of god , and the powers of the world to come . content not thy self with these refreshments , nor feed thou upon them ; for they will passe away as the lightning , but live thou upon the bread of life it self , from which these refreshings have proceeded ; for that 's it , and it alone , which can nourish the soul up to eternal life . i say again , keep low , and patiently run the race that is set before thee , and through perseverance thou shalt gain the crown . some queries to my old friends , the ministers of the church of england . friends , i come not now to question you , ( as to my self ) nor yet your faith and hope in god , being fully satisfied concerning you and your ministry , and also of your call thereunto , having well known and heard the chief amongst you for many years together ; yet for the sakes of those heaps of people that pin their faith upon your sleeves , and take all for granted that you declare unto them for truth , believing your lives also to be unblameable ; i shall mildely propound unto you these ensuing queries , charging you as you would be accounted ministers of christ , and are willing to observe the apostles direction of rendring a reason of your hope to every one that shall ask you ; to make it appear in your answer , by what fruits you may be known . 1. vvhether was your call to your ministry from god , yea or no ? ( as the true ministers of the gospel ever was , and will be . ) or was it not a place of preferment to a comfortable maintenance , ( as you call it ) and to get a trade to live by , that called you ? and whether if that maintenance were removed , you your selves would not soon come to silence , and your ministry quickly fall to the ground ? 2. whether or no did ever the true ministers of christ , or any of them , go to the arm of flesh for aid , to uphold their doctrine , and force a maintenance from people contrary to their consciences , as you do ? 3. whether are you not respecters of persons , honouring and fawning upon those men most , who can promote you to the greatest benefices ? and do you not remove from one quarter to another , where the greatest gain is to be had , often leaving your flock when you are assured of greater wages from other masters ) or because you may not sheer them to their very skins ? 4. whether do you not rend and tear mens goods from them , to the value of ten times more then your unreasonable and antichristian demands are , ( under a pretence of a popish law for maintenance and trebble damages ) and yet come forth , and say you are gospel-ministers , and the workman is worthy of his hire , though the true husbandman never set you to work ? 5. whether is the spirit of cruel and bitter perjecution , ( in which many of you are found and which none of you ( that i hear ) have declared against ) be the spr●●● of a true minister of christ , or the spirit of antichrist ? 6. whether have you not stirred up the beast , ●nd instigated the corrupt magistrate by the rage , envy and malice of this persecuti●g spirit , ( in you both ) to stock , beat , mock , and most cruelly whip , and imprison until death the free-born people of the na●●on , because they could not for conscience sake sat is fie your lusts and greedy appetites with that popish maintenance by tythes ; or otherwise , because they have spoken to you as they were moved of the lord in your places of idolatry and false worship ? 7 whether are you not the greatest opposers of authority , and disturbers of the publike peace that are in the nation , obstructing the setling of the common-wealth , and reeping it from being a free nation , when as you take up arms and carnal weapons to fight against the civil magistrate , whom in all just things you ought to obey , and preach subjection unto ? 8. whether is it not the height of ingratitude , pride , and rebellion in you , to kick against your governors and feeders , and set them at naught who are your supporters in your trades , for filthy lucre ? oh ye seed of evil-doers ! when will you you see your wickedness against the lord , ( your true husband , from whom you have gone a whoring , and entertained strange lovers ) and return to him by true repentance for your many great and crying sins ? 9. whether is your gospel free , and without charge , as the true ministers of christs was and still is , or do you no buy it ( and your abilities to preach ) at schools , colledges , universities of arts , sciences , and humane learning ? 10. whether is the incorruptible seed of god in all men yea or nay ? and 11. whether is that seed of god in man sufficient to guide man to his true rest ? or is there any thing besides that , which can lead man into the path of life , and enable him to walk therein ? 12 , with what did the lord say he would search jerusalem , and where was it ? 13. whether is not the spirit of god in man , the candle of the lord , with which he will search all men ? and whether if once it he put out or removed , the soul be not left in eternall darknesse ? 14. whether if man obey not the light , or candle of the lord in him ( which shews him the evil of his way , and judgeth him for a vain thought , when nothing else can ) it will not be his condemnation for ever ? 15. whether do you know the word of life in the heart , and quickning spirit within , from the dead letter without ? 16. whether of these two , ( viz. ) the writings of the holy men of god and their experiences of god declared unto others , or the spirit it self , by which those writings were penned , is mans true guide , and infallible rule to walk by . 17. whether is the quickning and powerful spirit of god in man ( by which he became a living soul ) subjected to a dead letter ? or is that which was from eternity of lesse esteem , because it is in man , then the thing which hath proceeded from it , and in comparison thereof , is but as yesterday ? oh blush , and be ashamed , ye builders of babel , &c. that you have refused the corner stone , and well of life , and hewn unto your selves empty cisterns that will hold no water , i mean your university-learning , and have prefe red a dead letter , before the living word of god . 18. whether do you in deed and in truth own the holy scriptures ? if so , how comes it to passe that you preach so contrary thereto , saying , revelation is ceased , and that the saints cannot be free from sin here : that perfection is not attainable in this life ; and that the commandments of god cannot be kept : and that no man now hath the infallible spirit ? can any one of these be proved by scripture : if so make it appear , if not , stop your mouths , and forbear to take the holy name of god into your polluted lips , till you have learned the truth as it is in jesus . 19. whether can man by all his learning open the holy scriptures , yea or no ? or can he by all his study , pains or humane industry get the true knowledge of god in jesus christ ? 20. whether is the knowledge of the whole body of your divinity sufficient to empower man to conquer the least sin , or subdue the smallest corruption in him ? 21. whether is the learning of the two universities of oxford and cambridge ( on whose legs you yet stand ) necessary for the begetting , encreasing or perfecting in the truth , the true disciples of iesus christ ? if not , whether are they now employed to a right use ? 22. what have you to say , why the said universities , and all the colledges therein , should not be converted to pious and charitable uses , as hospitals , alms-houses , and places to set the poor at work in , when as instead of being universities of piety , they have been places of contention , pride , idleness , ignorance and idolatry . 23. whether are not the two universities cages of unclean birds , and of foul and hatefull spirits , when as those who proceed from thence are so infections as to hold forth a necessity of living in pollution , whilest they live , saying , it cannot be otherwise ? 24. whether instead of seeking the kingdome of heaven within you , and teaching men so to do , yot do not seek and teach it to be sought without ? and whether you be not searching into the fallible sayings of old authors , and sweeping your university-libraries and temples made with hands to find the lost groat , which lies hid in your own houses , or earthly tabernacles ? 25. whether are not false teachers , the cause of so many errors , heresies , sects and divided judgements , as are in the nation ? and whether it is like to be otherwise , whilest false doctrine is so frequently preached , and the fomenters thereof upheld by a law ? 26. whether do you not take upon you to be heads of colledges , churches , congregations , and assemblies , and so make many heads , and many masters , when as christ iesus saith , his spouse or church is but one , and he is the head thereof ? 27. whether do you not ( as much as in you lies ) divide the body of christ by your many sects and select societies , when as the saints , though many members , are but one body , united in christ ? 28. whether in truth and singlenesse of heart can any of you say , that the fruits you are known by , are love , joy , peace , meekness , long sufferance , gentlenesse , self-denial , faith , patience , temperance , moderation , and the like ? or are not your fruits contrary to all these , and the root of the first adam still growing in you ? 29. whether have you been born again of the incorruptible seed ? and are you entred into the kingdome of heaven , where none comes but such as are dead to this world , and the friendship thereof ? or are you not still shut out , as unbelievers , & c ? 30. whether are you not those that shut up the kingdome of heaven against men , and neither go in your selves , nor suffer others ? and whether insted of preaching the gospel , and glad tidings of salvation , you deny it not , and preach down that which should give an entrance thereinto , which is the light of christ in every conscience , and which is the true light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world . know ye not , that the whole creation groaneth to be delivered from under the power of the beast , and false prophet , to wit , the corrupt magistrates , and the persecuting and antichristian ministers of the nations ? do ye not know that these have had dominion over the saints of the most high god , for many hundred years past , doing and executing their own pleasures upon the bodies and estates of the children of god as well in our dayes by cruel tortures untill death , as in queen maries dayes , upon the martyrs that suffered , burning then , who ye notwithstanding could not worship the beast nor his image , nor give their power to the dragon , which all the world have wondred after . do ye not know that the man-child hath been caught up to god , the wo●an fled into the wildernesse , and the devil had the power over all nations ? if not , then know , the time is now hasting , that the man-child is coming to rule the nations with a rod of iron ( and to some he is already come ) and all must bow to his righteous scepter ; for he will rule in righteousness , and all the sturdy oaks must be hewn down , the proud and lofty looks of man must fall , and his tyrannicall and unjust power be taken from him ; the lilly of the valley must be exalted , and the beast and false prophet cast alive into the lake where they shall be tormented for ever and ever . let none of you now ( for my love to lost man ) be so scandalous , as to say , i disown magistracy and ministry ; for if you do i here again in the presence of the lord , and before all the world pronounce you to be lyers and false prophets ; for i so far own both the true magistracy and ministry , which is of god , that i well know and am assured , the nations cannot be happy till both are establisht in righteousnesse and true judgement , in the fear of the lord , i say , till truth and , righteousnesse be set up , false doctrine , error and heresie disowned by those men in power , and the false prophet and the beast cast alive into the lake , the truth will be suppressed , and the ministers of the gospel persecuted , yea though christ jesus himself should come again in the flesh , the professors of this age would call him deceiver , and be as ready to whip , scourge , and imprison him to death , as they have done his members , but blessed for ever be the holy name of our god , the false prophet is known by his life and doctrine , and the beastly nature in all persecuting magistrates is seen and discovered , so that let their profession be what it will be , they are made manifest and cannot hide themselves from the eye of the lord , nor from the discerning spirits of his saints , who do his will , and who worship him in spirit and in truth . friends ! the dreadfull day of gods fiery indignation hangs over your heads , and will inevitably fall upon you without speedy repentance , and this the servants of the lord see , and forwarn you of in love to your souls ; but you like blind balaam see not the sword drawn against you , and ready to cut you off : you are blinder then the dumb asse , who saw the sword hang over his masters head , when he himself did not ; oh read your portion in the 11. zech. 17. and take it to ye ; for unlesse you spedily repent and turn to the lord , you will surely have it ; where the prophet of the lord pronounceth a woe to the idol-shepherd , saying , the sword shall be upon his arm , and upon his right eye , his arm shall be clean dryed up , and his right eye shall be utterly darkned . friends , every mans work must be tryed by fire , of what sort soever it be , therefore let none of you think to escape the fiery tryall ; for our god is righteous , and will reward every man according to his work . the end . a conference mr. john cotton held at boston with the elders of new-england 1. concerning gracious conditions in the soule before faith, 2. evidencing justification by sanctification, 3. touching the active power of faith : twelve reasons against stinted forms of prayer and praise : together with the difference between the christian and antichristian church / written by francis cornwell ... cotton, john, 1584-1652. 1646 approx. 178 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 89 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2008-09 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a34599 wing c6335 estc r17280 13156313 ocm 13156313 98175 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a34599) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 98175) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 136:11) a conference mr. john cotton held at boston with the elders of new-england 1. concerning gracious conditions in the soule before faith, 2. evidencing justification by sanctification, 3. touching the active power of faith : twelve reasons against stinted forms of prayer and praise : together with the difference between the christian and antichristian church / written by francis cornwell ... cotton, john, 1584-1652. cornwell, francis. [24], 57 p., [15], 80 p. printed by j. dawson, and are to be sold [by] fr. eglesfield ..., london : 1646. the second part: a description of the spirituall temple, or, the spouse prepared for the lambe, the lord jesus" has special t.p. "to the reader", signed fran. cornwell, describes this "as a learned treatise of master john cotton of boston in new-england." reproduction of original in harvard university libraries. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng faith -early works to 1800. salvation -early works to 1800. liturgics -new england -early works to 1800. 2006-08 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2006-08 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2007-06 robyn anspach sampled and proofread 2007-06 robyn anspach text and markup reviewed and edited 2008-02 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion a conference m r. john cotton held at boston with the elders of new-england , 1. concerning gracious conditions in the soule before faith . 2. evidencing justification by sanctification . 3. touching the active power of faith. twelve reasons against stinted forms of prayer and praise . together with the difference between the christian and antichristian church . written by francis cornwell , a minister of jesus the christ . london , printed by j. dawson , and are to be sold fr. eglesfield , at the signe of the mary-gold in pauls church-yard . 1646. to the honovrable and true-hearted lover of his countrey , sir henry vane junior , knight , sometimes governour of new-england ; treasurer of the navie royall , and a member of the house of commons . sir , the churches of the saints and the world , may not bee unfitly compared to the pearle and the pebble : though both of one naturall substance , earth ; yet the one of rare price , whose beauty is the sun-beames inclosed ; the other wanting it , is cast away as refuse . what maketh the saint more excellent then his neighbour , seeing both are borne of flesh , both subject to the same corruptions , sicknesse , death , but this ? the saints excellency is nothing else but the image of jesus christ the sunne of righteousnesse shining in him : for as the moone and starres derive their light from the sunne ; so all the wisdome , righteousnesse , holinesse a saint hath , hee deriveth from christ . hence david the king doth so prize their fellowship , all my delight is in thy saints , thine excellent ones that are in the earth , and them that excell in vertue . yea , it is a sure note of a citizen of sion , that hee honours them that feare the lord : whereas worldly men without grace , are rendred in his eyes as vile . hence the spouse acknowledgeth that all her excellency cometh from plantation ; let my beloved come into his garden , and eat his pleasant fruit . yea , christ declareth to nicodemus that a beleevers holinesse cometh from regeneration ; that in christ hee may onely glory . how doth the lord discover this his excellency to a beleever , by his calling , till that time hee lieth amongst the refuse of the world , as foolish , disobedient , deceived , serving divers lusts and pleasures , living in malice and envie , hatefull , and hating one another . but then the kindnesse and love of god to man appeared , by delivering him out of the kingdome of darknesse , and translating him into the kingdome of his deare sonne . by which it is manifest , that hee is one of the chosen generation , the royal priesthood , the holy nation , the peculiar people , whom hee hath called out of darknesse into his marvellous light . but when doth the lord discover the truth of his calling to his conscience ? then when hee giveth him precious faith ; for that onely distinguisheth him form the world that lieth in sinne . gal. 3. 22. the scripture concludeth ( father , mother , sonne , daughter , nay the infant that is borne of the most holiest parents ) all under sinne , that the promise by the faith of jesus christ might bee given to them that beleeve . so that in that same houre the lord giveth him faith , hee giveth him an evidence in himselfe , that hee loved him in christ before he was borne , before hee had done good or evill , that hee hath justified him from all those things hee could not be justified by the law , that hee hath purged his conscience from all dead works , that his person is accepted , his sinne discharged , and he hath a right to the purchased inheritance amongst them which are sanctified . thus the love of christ revealed to dye for him , to take away his iniquity , and reconcile him to god ; the spirit given to take away his heart of stone , giveth him an heart of flesh , to cause to walke in his flatutes ; yea , and draweth his heart to yeeld obedience to every commandement of jesus the christ . the truth of this grace given , right worshipfull , you can give a true testimoniall ; for you were once in your naturall condition as well as others , till it pleased god who separated you from the womb , to call you by his grace , to reveale his sonne in you ; you consulted not with flesh and bloud , but left your native soyle , ( in the persecuting times of the prelates ) chusing rather to suffer affliction with the people of god ( according to the light they had received ) then to remaine in england and enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season . yet there the lord exalted your worship to bee the governour : and in that dawning light , coming forth out of mysticall babylon , the lord discovered much spirituall knowledge , of the riches of his free-grace in jesus christ , amongst you ; you being freed from the yoke of the task-masters heere , the bishops , that kept you in bondage : you had liberty there to debate those questions ; which the naming onely of them heere , would have rendred a man odious . but satan that envieth the peace of the saints ; stirred up a spirit of contention amongst you ; especially when these queries came to be debated . 1 whether there are any gracious conditions , or qualifications wrought in the soule before faith ? 2 whether any man can gather his evidence of the assurance of his justification from his sanctification ? 3 whether there bee an active power of faith , and other gifts of grace in a christian conversation ? the one side would not beleeve themselves justified , no farther then they could see themselves worke ; making their markes , signes , and qualifications , the causes of their justification . the other side , laid the evidence of their justification , onely by faith in the free promise : for there are foure things that makes remission of sinnes perpetuall to a beleever . first , the cause of remission , the sacrificed body of christ on the crosse , or accursed tree ; heb. 10. 4. by one offering , hee hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified . secondly , the ground is a free promise tendred to us from god ; as to adam , the seed of the woman shall breke the serpents head , gen. 3. 15. john. 3. 16. 1 john 4. 10. thirdly , the meane is , faith apprehending it , phil. 3. 9. fourthly , the spirit of christ sealing of it , ephes . 1. 13. this truth revealed for the comfort of poore drooping saints found great opposition ; but the good lord , stirred up your gracious spirit , to countenance , and defend them in the midst of strong opposition ; and though you were sleighted , and set light by at the ende of your government , as not worthy to be an assistant , with many other instruments more ; yet the good lord stood by you , and strengthned you , and delivered you from the hands of your opposers , perserved you from the dangers of the sea ; and though at your returne to your native soyle , you lived like joseph , a while , in a despised condition , yet the lord raised you up to sit amongst princes . so that though you were willing to lose life , friends , preferment , for christ ; found you not then , life , peace , joy , in the lord jesus , which was better to you , then all worldly amity ; according to his owne promise , in the world you found affliction , but in him you found peace : and when you were called to be a member of the high court of parliament , in our distressed and distracted times ; the lord made you an ●nstrument to defect the trecherous plot of those two brethren in evill ; thomas lord strafford ; and william lord archbishop of canterbu●y , that contrived the destruction of our fundamentall lawes , ratified by the statute of magna charta , by ●abouring to set up an arbitrary government , and keeping on foot a po●ish army , consisting of irish re●els , and others , to compell the faith●ull , and true-hearted nobility , and loyall commons of england , ●o subject themselves to their illegal taxations : hazarding the losse of he favours of the king , nobi●●ty , parents , friends , and allyes , together with those places of ho●our and maintenance , the king of lemency had freely bestowed ; ra●●er then his country should be ru●ed , and enthralled , by such accor●● 〈…〉 a branch of that goodly caedar , under whose shade , the innocent and oppressed , tender consciences that stand for a through reformation , agreeable to the word o● god , find rest ) ever be forgotten , and left unrewarded ; god forbid : i● is worthy to be written on a pilla● of marble ; and recorded in the chronicle : that after-ages may never forget to shew kindenesse , and mercy to your noble posterity that did not thinke your life ( together with your neerest relations deare unto you , so as to part with them , that you might purchase you countries liberty ; i cannot judge him englands friend , that enviet● your honour , and promotion ; se●ing you are ( for the love you hau● shewed to christ his truth , and poore members , together with you● native countrey ) worthy of double honour . now ( worthy sir ) seeing all your excellency is nothing else , bu● the image of jesus christ , the son of righteousnes shining in you . dis●ain not to receive from the hand of a poore despised instrument that presents this treatise , the learned conference of master john cotton , that he had with the elders , at the bay of boston in new england . though i am the least of all saints , not worthy to be called a saint ; because ●n the time of the prelats raigne ; i ●ided with them , in persecuting the faith of jesus christ , and imprisoning of his members ; but did it ●gnorantly , through unbeliefe , and when the lord pierced my heart for it ; i trembling , cryed , what shall i doe ? the holy spirit and the bride said , repent , and bee baptized in the name of jesus , for the remission of sinnes , and i should receive the gifts of the spirit , &c. then noble sir , though i procrastinated it for a season , at last , i was not disobedient to the heavenly voice , but arose , and was baptized ; for this cause , have beene much opposed by my old friends , and countrey-men ▪ but yet remaine a loyall cove●nanter , that standeth for a reformation in england , and ireland , a●greeable to the word of god , and the best reformed churches : seeing it is not the voice of the churches , but christ in the churches we convenented to hearken unto as master case his sermon yet testifieth . first , to extirpate popery ; ( which i apprehended at the taking of the nationall covenant ) was that doctrine of antichrist , which doth universally oppose the doctrine of jesus the christ . affirming what christ denieth ; and denying what christ affirmeth . secondly , prelacy , viz. the government of arch-bishops , and bishops , and all ecclesiasticall officers depending on that hierarchy , roote and branch : as a plant the heavenly father hath not planted . thirdly , superstition : viz. whatsoever is supra statutum , that hath not the word of god to warrant it . fourthly , schisme : namely , from all those that teach , and co●●sent not to the wholesome words , even the words of our lord jesus christ , and to the doctrine which is according to godlinesse ; from such i must withdraw , 1 tim. 6. 3 , 5. fifthly , heresie : even from all them that deny that jesus is the christ ; they are antichrist that deny the father and the sonne . whosoever denyeth the sonne , the same hath not the father , 1 joh. 2. 22 , 23. sixthly , that the lord may be one : viz. even the lord jesus the christ , whom god raised from the dead , and ●et him at his owne right hand in the ●eavenly places ; farre above all principality , and power , and might , and dominion , and every name that is named , not onely in this world , but that which is to come : and hath put all things under his feet , and gave him to be head over all things to the church , which is his body , the fulnesse of him that filleth all in all , ephes . 1. 20 , 21 22 , 23. seventhly , and his name to ● one in the three kingdomes : ( that is , as i conceive it ) his power , authority , and royall commission must be exalted in all his offices , to be the eternall king , eternall prophet , and eternall priest , in all things appertaining to the conscience : seeing the loyall spouse of christ hath no head , no husband , no lord , no law-giver , but royall king jesus . that wee , and our posterity after us , may live in faith , and love ; and the lord may delight to dwell amongst us . for the keeping of which covenant , i had rather chuse to dye , then to deny the faith of jesus the christ : knowing , that he which confesseth him before men , him he will confesse before his father . but hee which is ashamed of christ , ●nd his words , in this sinfull and adulterous generation , of him also shall the sonne of man bee ashamed , when hee cometh in the glory of his father , with the holy angels , mar. 8. 38. thus i desire , in the first place , to give to god the things that are gods ; and , in the next place , render to the high and honourable court of parliament , whereof your honour is a member , and to your king , when the lord shall put it into his heart to returne unto his parliament , and to joyne with you , all your dues , tributes , customes , feare , honour ; and subject my selfe to obey all your just , legall , and civill commandements : knowing , that you set not up the sword for nought ; but to be a terrour to them that doe evill , and a praise , a guard and defense , for them that doe well . your poore oratour at the throne of grace , that earnestly prayeth , that the lord will give you , and the great councell of the kingdome , wisdome and prudence , to beare with tender consciences , that desire to exalt jesus the christ in all his royall offices , fran. cornwell . orpington , in kent , the ninth month , 1645. to all the churches of iesus the christ , coming out of mysticall babylon , gathered , or scattered , that follow the lambe , the lord jesus wheresoever he goeth . beloved in christ , disdaine not to read this learned treatise of master john cotton , of boston in new-england , out of any prejudice thou mayest take against the person , or publisher of it . what if some judge him a schismaticke ? yet he regardeth not mans rash censure : seeing he can with holy paul , that before his conversion persecuted the church of god , safely apologise for himselfe ; acts 24. 14. that after the way that you call heresie , so worship i the god of my fathers ; beleeving all things that are written in the law , and in the prophets . verse 15. and have an hope toward god , which you your selves also allow , that there shall bee a resurrection of the dead , both of the just , and unjust . verse 16. and herein doe i exercise my selfe , to have alwaies a conscience void of offence toward god & towardman . but yet this i confesse unto you , that i am lesse then the least of all the messengers of christ ; for i am not worthy to bee called a messenger , or minister ; for i persecuted the church of god , that professed the faith of jesus the christ ; that held foorth all his royall offices , king , prophet , priest , according to his outward administration , in admitting of members into his spiritual kingdome : and sided with the antichristian prelates , and bishops , that denyed , that jesus is the christ , whom the spirit of god calleth lyars , and antichristians , that denyeth the father and the sonne , 1 john 2. 22. for though i , with the antichristian bishops , and priests , did acknowledge jesus the christ , our high priest that ever liveth to reconcile us unto god ; yet wee have persecuted them that hold his kingly and propheticall office to be eternall , aswell as his priesthood , and the gathering of his church according to his royall commission , matth. 28. 18 , 19 , 20. hence it is , that christ divided , becometh no christ to the divider ; this according to the vulgar latine , solvere jesum , to dissolue jesus , that is , to receive him onely in part , and not in the whole , which is the spirit of antichrist . now when the lord opened the eyes of my understanding , and convicted me of all the abominations i had done in my spirituall captivity under antichrist , especially , that i had crucified jesus the christ in his members , being pricked in my heart , i trembling cryed , what shall i doe ? the spirit and the bride , the lambes wife , said ; repent , and be baptized in the name of jesus , &c. then i gladly received the word , was baptized , and was added to the church , acts 2. 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42. yet , by the grace of god , now i am , what i am ; and having from some friends , received this learned conference , kept it by mee as a precious diamond of great worth , from which my soule , through the great goodnesse of god , did reape much spirituall comfort . and did wait , hoping that some learned and faithfull friends of his , would long agoe have printed a larger , and an exacter copy of it : but finding none , ( i that am lesse then the least of all saints ) could not any longer conceale it , but thought with my selfe , i was bound in conscience to publish it , in this learned age , wherein there is so much enquiry after truth , for the benefit of poore , hungry , empty , selfe-denying spirits ; rather then such a learned tract of heavenly light , should alwaies lye in the dust , as unseene , and forgotten . for this cause alone , i have attempted ( courteous reader ) to present ●o thy view this learned treatise ; not ●hat i have any relation to that lear●ed man ; nor any command from him ●o doe it : but onely in love , that this his learned disputation might not bee ●uried in silence . read it therefore ( beloved in christ ) not for his sake that publisheth it ; but for his sake that was ●he author of it ; or rather for the god ●f truths sake . for whose cause the learned author contendeth for the faith in these daies , wherein the gos●ell of truth hath suffered so great ec●lipses , through the rage and tyranny of the popish antichristian prelates and priests . thine that earnestly desireth to exalt the lord jesus the christ , in all his royall offices fran. cornwell . a conference that mr. iohn cotton had with the elders of the congregations in new-england , touching three questions that are here discussed on : 1. touching gracious conditions , or qualifications , wrought in the soule before faith . 2. touching the gathering of our first evident assurance of our faith from sanctification . 3. touching the active power of faith , and other spirituall gifts of grace in a christian conv●rsation . the first question . whether there be any gracious conditions , or qualifications , in the soule before faith , of dependance unto which , such promises are made ? wee deny it , for these reasons . if there be any gracious conditions , or qualifications , wrought in us before faith of dependance ; then , before wee receive union with christ : the reason is , for by faith of dependance it is , that wee first received union with jesus christ , joh. 1. 12. but there be no gracious conditions wrought in us before wee received union with jesus christ ; therefore there bee no gracious conditions , or qualifications , wrought in us before faith of dependance . minor. if wee cannot bring forth good fruit , till wee be good trees ; nor become good trees , untill wee be grafted or united unto jesus christ ; then there can be no gracious conditions , or qualifications wrought in us , before wee receive union with christ . but wee cannot bring forth good fruit , till wee become good trees ; nor become trees of righteousnesse , untill wee be grafted into jesus christ ; therefore there bee no gracious conditions , or qualifications wrought in us , before we received union with jesus christ . the proposition is cleare of it selfe , that wee cannot bring forth good fruit , untill we be good trees : mat. 7. 18. a corrupt tree cannot bring forth good fruit . nor can we become the good trees of righteousnesse , of the lords plantation , isai . 61. 3. untill wee be grafted into christ . joh. 15. 4. as the branch cannot beare fruit of it selfe , except it abide in the vine , no more can yee , except yee abide in me . verse 5. i am the vine , y●● are the branches ; hee that abideth in me , and i in him , the same bringeth forth much fruit : for without me ye can doe nothing . a second proofe of the minor. if there be any gracious conditions , or qualifications wrought in us before union with christ , then we may be in a state of grace and salvation , before we be in christ : but that cannot be : acts 4. 12. neither is there salvation in any other ; for there is none other name under heaven given amongst men , whereby wee may be saved . if there be any gracious condition or qualification in us before faith , then there may be something in us pleasing unto god before faith : but there is nothing in us pleasing unto god before faith ; heb. 11. 6. but without faith it is impossible for us to please him : for hee that cometh to god , must beleeve that hee is , and that hee is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him . but there must be some saving preparatives wrought in the soule , to make way for faith , and our union with christ . for wee must be cut off from the old adam , before wee can be grafted into the new : wee must be dead to the first husband , before we can be married un●o another . to works of creation there need●th no preparation ; the almighty ●ower of god calleth them to be his people , that were not his people , 1 pet. 2. 10. and by calling them to be so , hee maketh them to bee so . rom. 9. 25 , 26. as hee saith inhosea , i will call them , my people , which were not my people ; and her , beloved , which was not beloved . verse 26. and it shall come to passe that ▪ in the place where it is said unto them , yee are not my people , there shall they be called , the children of the living god. while satan , the strong man , keepeth the house , christ the stronger cometh upon him , and bereaveth him of his armour , and divideth the spole , luke . 11. 21 , 22. wee are dead to our first husband . the law by the body of christ , rom. 7. 4. and therefore it is by the vertue of christs death we have fellowship with christ ; and that giveth the deadly stroak unto our first husband . the second question . whether a man may evidence his justification by his sanctification ? the state of the question is thus unfolded . first , to take a mans sanctification , for an evident cause or ground of his justification , is flat popery . secondly , to take a mans sanctification , for an evident cause or ground of that faith whereby hee is justified , is utterly unsafe ; for faith is built ▪ upon jesus , the christ , the head corner stone , ephes . 2. 20. mat. 16. 16. and not upon works : a good work floweth from faith not faith from them . thirdly , to take common sanctification , that is , such a reformation and a change of life as floweth from a spirit of bondage , restraining from sin , and constraining unto duty , and sometimes accompanied with enlargement and comforts in duty ; yet without the sense and feeling of the need of christ , and before union with him , to take such a sanctification for an evident signe of justification , is to build upon a false and sandy foundation . fourthly , that when a man hath first attained assurance of his faith , of his justification , by the witnesse of the spirit of christ , in a free promise of grace , made to him in the bloud of christ , acts 13. 38 , 39. hee may discern , and take his sanctification as a secondary witnesse , or an evident signe or effect of his justification . the question being thus stated , i propound the question thus ; whether a man may gather the first evidence or assurance of his faith , of his justification , by his sanctification ? wee hold in the negative part . the first argument . as abraham came to the first assurance of his justification , so wee , and all that beleeve , as abraham did ; for hee is made a patterne to us in point of justification : rom. 4. 23. now it was not written for his sake alone , that it was imputed to him ; v. 24. but for us also , to whom it shall be imputed , if we beleeve on him that raised up jesus our lord from the dead . v. 25. who was delivered for our offences , and raised againe for our justification . but abraham came to his first assurance of his sanctification , not from any promise made thereunto , but from a free promise of grace ; rom. 4. 18. who against hope , beleeved in hope , that hee might become the father of many nations : according to that which was spoken , so shall they seed be . v. 19. and being not weak in faith , he considered not his own body now dead , when he was above an hundred yeares old ; neither the deadnesse of sarahs wombe . vers . 20. he staggered not at the promise of god through unbeliefe , but was strong in faith , giving glory to god. vers . 21. and being fully perswaded that what hee had promised hee was able to performe : vers . 22. and therefore it was imputed unto him for righteousnesse . the promise was absolute , and free , so shall thy seed be as the stars of heaven : this hee beleeved with full assurance of faith , resting onely on the faithfulnesse and grace , and power of him that promised , rom. ● . 21. therefore wee , and all the children of abraham , come to our first assurance of our justification , not from our sanctification , or from any promise made thereunto ; but ●●om the free promise of grace . the secoud arguwent . no man can take his assurance of the faith of his iustification : but as god will declare and pronounce him righteous in christ iesus . but god will not declare , and pronounce us righteous in christ , upon the sight and evidence of our sanctification . therefore we cannot take the assurance of the faith of our iustification , from the sight and evidence of our sanctification . the assumption is proved thus . if god justifieth us ( that is ) declareth , and pronounceth us to bee righteous , he doth then declare his owne righteousnesse , that he might be just ; then he doth not declare us to be righteous in christ , upon the sight and evidence of our sanctification , which is a righteousnesse of our owne . but when god justifieth us , that is , first declareth us , and pronounceth us to be righteous , he doth declare his owne righteousnesse ; that he might be just . therefore he doth not first pronounce and declare us righteous upon sight , and evidence of our sanctification , which is a righteousnesse of our owne . the proofe of the proposition . it will not stand with the righteousnesse of god to declare and pronounce a man just , upon the sight of such an imperfect righteousnesse , as our best sanctification is : and therefore when god declareth , and pronounceth us righteous ; he doth it not upon any sight of any sanctification , or righteousnesse of ours : but onely upon the sight of the perfect righteousnesse of christ imputed unto us . the proofe of the assumption . that when god justifieth us ( that is , when he first declareth , and pronounceth us to be righteous ) he doth declare his own righteousnesse , that he might be just , as paul speaketh , rom. 3. 26. and the justifier of him , which beleeveth on jesus . and it is the speech of david , that when god declareth himselfe to bee just ; hee declareth onely the sinnefulnesse of the creature , psal . 51. 4. the third argument . if the promise be made sure of god unto faith out of grace ; then it is not first made sure to faith out of works . but the promise is made sure of god to faith out of grace , rom. 4. 5. to him that worketh not , but beleeveth on him , that justifieth the ungodly , his faith is accounted for righteousnesse . therefore the promise is not made sure to faith out of works . from the opposition of grace , and works , rom. 11. 6 aud if by grace then it is no more of workes ; otherwise grace is no more grace . the opposition standeth not onely betweene grace and workes , but beweene grace and the merits of works ; now no man ascribeth the assurance of faith in the promise to the merits of works . the opposition standeth not only betweene grace and the merits of works : but between grace and the debt due to workes ; for so the apostle paul expresseth it , rom. 4. 4. now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of graco , but of debt . if the assurance of faith of our justification , doe spring from sight of sanctification , it is by right of some promise made unto such a worke , and the right which a man hath by promise to a worke , maketh the assurance of the promise , but debt unto him : and then the promise is not sure unto him out of grace . the fourth argument . if when the lord declareth himselfe pacified toward us , he utterly shames us , and confounds us , in the sight and sense of our unworthynesse , and unrighteousnesse ; then he doth not give unto us our first assurance of the faith of our justification , upon the sight and sense of sanctification . but when the lord declareth himself pacified towards us , he doth utterly ashame us , and confound us , in the sight and sense of our unworthynesse , and unrighteousnesse . therefore he doth not first give us assurance of the faith of our justification , upon the sight and sense of our sanctification . the consequence is plaine from the law of contraries : for , if the lord shame us with a sight and sense of sinne ; hee doth not then , first comfort and incourage us , with the sight and sense of sanctification . minor is proved , ezek. 16. 63. rom. 4. 5. ezek. 16. 63. that thou maist remember and bee confounded , and never open thy mouth any more because of thy shame ; when i am pacified toward thee , for all that thou hast done , saith the lord god. rom 4. 5. to him that worketh not , but beleeveth on him that justifieth the ungodly , his faith is accounted for righteousnesse . the fift argument . when sanctification is not evident , it cannot be an evidence of justification . but when justification is hidden , and doubtfull , sanctification is not evident . therefore sanctification cannot be our first evidence of justification . minor. when faith is hidden and doubtfull , sanctification is not evident : but when justification is hidden and doubtfull , faith is hidden and doubtfull . therefore when justification is hidden and doubtfull , sanctification is not evident . the first proofe of the major . if faith be the evidence of things not seene , then when faith it selfe is hidden and doubtfull , which maketh all things evident , what can be cleare unto us . but faith is the evidence of things not seene , hebr. 11. 1. therefore when faith it selfe is hidden and doubtfull , sanctification cannot be evident . the second proofe of the major . if no sanctification be true and sincere , but when it is wrought in faith : then neither can it be evident . but when it evidently appeareth to bee wrought in faith : therefore when faith is hidden , and doubtfull , sanctification cannot be evident . but no sanctification is pure and sincere , but when it is wrought in faith : nor cannot be evident , but when it evidently appeareth to bee wrought in faith. therefore when faith is hidden and doubtfull , sanctification cannot be evident . the sixth argumont . such a faith as a practicall sillogisme can make , is not a faith wrought by the lords almighty power : for though sillogismus ●i●em facit ; yet such a faith is but an ●umane faith ; because the conclusion followeth but from the strength of reasonings , or reason ; not from the power of god , by which alone divine things are wrought , ephes . ● . 19. 20. col. 2. 20. but the faith which is wrought by a word , and a worke , and the light of a renewed conscience without the witnesse of the spirit ; and ●efore it , is such a faith as a practi●all sillogisme can make . therefore such a faith as is wrought ●y a word , and a worke , or by the ●ight of a renewed con●cience , without the witnesse of the spirit , and ●efore it ; is not a faith wrought by the lords almighty ●ower . the proofe of the minor. from the condition of all these ●hree ; the word , the work , and the ●ight of a renewed conscience ; they are all but created blessings , and gifts . there●ore cannot produce of themselves a word of almighty power . because the word without the almighty power of the spirit is but a dead letter ; and the work hath no more power then the word ; nor so much neither . for faith cometh rather by hearing of a word ▪ then by seeing of a worke , rom. 10. 17. and the light of a renewed conscience , is a created gift of spirituall knowledge in the conscience . 1 iohn 2. ● . hereby we know that wee know him , that we keepe his commandements . 1. john. 3. 14. wee know wee have passed from death to life , because we love the brethren . vers . 19. hereby we know we are of the 〈◊〉 . no better answer need to be expected then what calvin hath given in the exposition of these scriptures ; who thus expoundeth them . though every beleever hath the testimony of his faith from his workes , yet that commeth in a posteriori probatione , a latter , or , secondary proofe , instead of a signe . therefore the assurance of faith ( saith hee ) doth wholly reside in the grace of christ ; and we must alwaies , saith he , remember , that it is not from our love to the brethren , that we have the knowledge of our estate , which the apostle speaketh of , as if from thence were fetched the assurance of salvation . for surely wee doe not know by any other meanes , that we are the children of god : but because hee sealeth unto our heart by his spirit , our adoption of us out of free-grace : and we by faith receive the assured pledge of him ▪ given in christs love . therefore as an addition , or inferiour helpe , for a prop unto faith , not for a foundation to leane on . certaine it is , that those which ●ohn writ unto , were three sorts of ●en : old men , young men , and babes : ●et there was none of them but did know their good estate , by the knowledge of the father ; before they knew their good estat by their brotherly love : for even of babe● ( he saith ) they knew the father , 1 ioh● 2. 13. and therefore by the rule o● relation , they knew their son-ship● and adoption : and if it should be asked , how they knew it ; john telleth , by the unction they had receive● from christ , ● ioh. 2. 27. that is , b● the spirit it selfe , which taught them t● know all things ; which no created gifts of sanctification could doe . even in nature , children do● not first come to know their parents either by their lov● to their brethren or by their obedience to their parents ; but from their parents love descending on them : so we loved him because he first loved us , 1 iohn 4. 19 ▪ herein is love , not that we loved god , bu● that he loved us , and sent his son to bee● propitiation for e●r sins , 1 ioh. 4. 10. if iohn could give sanctification fo● an evidence of adoption , to such a knew their good estate before by the witnesse of the spirit ; this were but to light a candle unto the sunne ? whether were it more absurd to light a candle unto the sunne , or to light a candle to see to a mans eyes ; now faith is instead of eyes unto the soule : by faith abraham saw the day of christ , and rejoyced , ●hough it were a farre off , ioh. 8. 56 : the same apostle saith , that ●here bee six witnesses that give ●ight and evidence unto our spiri●uall life in christ : of which three ●e in heaven , and three on the earth ; ●nd the spirit in both : yet he did ●ot thinke it a vaine thing to give ●he water of baptisme , ( as out of ●he death and resurrection of christ we receive the power to walk in new●esse of life , rom. 6. 3. 4. ) as a witnesse ●fter foure of the greater lights . if you take sanctification for a ●reated gift , it is indeed but a candle to the sunne . but when john ●aketh it , but to confirme faith , ●he meaneth then , the spirit of god beareth witnesse in it : or else the testimony of sanctification , though it be a divine gift or work , yet it would not give a divine testimony , nor increase divine faith ; for the heavens and earth are divine and supernaturall works , yet they doe not give divine testimony of the godhead , unlesse the spirit of god himself doe beare witnesse in them . therefore john giving sanctification for an evidence of a good estate , to such as already knew it , by the witnesse of the spirit , is not a lighting of a candle to the sunne ; but as the setting up of another window , though a lesser , to convay the same sun light into the house another way . in 2 pet. chap. 1. from verse 5. to 10. the apostle exhorteth us , by adding one gift of sanctification to another , to make our calling and election sure . let calvin answer for me : this assurance ( saith hee ) whereof peter speaketh , by adding grace to grace , is not in my judgement to be referred unto conscience , as if the faithfull did thereby before god know themselves called , and chosen ; but if any man will understand it , of making of it sure before men , there will be no absu●dity in this sense : neverthelesse it might be extended further , that every one may be confirmed in their calling ; by their godly and holy life . but that is a proofe , not from ●he cause ; but from a signe , and effect . there be many conditionall promises in the gospel , which are made to the gifts and duties of sanctification ; which are all in vaine , if poore drooping soules , finding such gifts , and duties of sanctification in themselves , may not take comfort from them , according to the promise . the conditionall promises are made to poore drooping soules , no● in respect of such conditions , or as they are qualified with such gifts and duties of sanctification ; but in respect of their union with christ , to whom the promises belong , gal. 3. 26 , 28 , 29. the fruits of such an union with christ , such duties and gifts of sanctification be , when they be sincere : otherwise , if the promises were made to such soules , in respect of such conditions , then the reward promised would belong unto them , not of grace , but of debt , rom. 4. 4. a promise made to any condition , after it be made , it becometh due debt to him , in whomsoever such condition is to be found : but therefore that such promises might be of grace , they are made to us , not as wee are indued with such and such conditions ; but as wee who have such and such conditions are united unto christ . whence it is , that such blessings offered in such promises , as they are tendered to us in christ , so are they fulfilled to us in christ . whereupon , we look for the blessing , not in our gifts and duties ; but in going still unto christ , for a clearer and fuller manifestation of him to us , and of comfort in him . as for example , a thirsty soule , to whom promise is made that hee shall be satisfied ; hee looketh not presently to be satisfied from his thirsting , nor from any right his thirsting might give him in the promise ; but hee looketh to be satisfied by going unto christ , in drinking more abundantly of him by his spirit , as christ himself directeth such drooping soules to doe : and so we are to make use of such kind of promises ; joh. 7. 37 , 38 , 39. no man can see his gifts and duties of sanctification in himselfe , but hee must first have seen christ by faith , the spirit of christ enlightening his understanding in the knowledge of him . as in case of mourning , to which many promises are made , no man can ( with evangelicall repentance ) mourne over christ , and for himselfe , untill the spirit work faith ; and by faith beholding christ , hee hath seen him crucified , and by him , zech. 12. 10. so then these conditions , and the promises made to them , doe not give us our first sight of christ , nor the first glymyse of light and comfort from him ; but rather our sight of christ , and some glympses of light and comfort from him , doth beget such conditions in us . such conditionall promises are not in vain , though poore drooping soules have found no comfort by them , and though they cannot suck present comfort from them , and from their good conditions accordingly to them . because these promises being discerned in a covenant of free-grace made in christ , by them doe work ( if they were not wrought before ) or at least confirme such conditions in the soule . as when god promised them to send a redeemer out of sion , unto them which turne from transgression in jacob , isai . 59. 20. the apostle expoundeth it , that christ shall come out of sion , and shall turne away transgression from jacob : which is as much as if hee should say , he shall work that condition which the promise was made unto . and this the apostle maketh to be the meaning , and the blessing of the promise , according to the covenant of grace , rom. 11. 26 , 27. the promises are not in vain to such soules , in whom such good conditions are wrought ; because they direct them where they may find comfort , and satisfying to their hearts desire : to wit , not by clearing their good conditions in themselves ; but by coming unto christ , and drinking a more full draught of his spirit ; as christ directeth thirsty soules to doe , joh. 7. 37. if any man thirst , let him come to me , and drink . v. 38. hee that beleeveth on me , ( as the scripture saith ) out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water . v. 39. but this hee spake of the spirit , that they which beleeve on him , shall receive . but why may not the holy spirit breathe his first comforts into our soules , even on such conditions ? is not this to limit the spirit , who is free , and bloweth where hee listeth ? joh. 3. 8. he doth not breathe his first comforts in such conditions , because he listeth not : it is not his good pleasure to give us our first comfort ( which is the comfort of our justification ) from our owne righteousnesse , before hee give us comfort in the righteousnesse of christ . the holy spirit in all his dispensations to us ward , delighteth to receive all from christ , rather then from us ; that so hee might glorifie christ in us . the comforter whom i shall send to you , hee shall glorifie me ; for hee shall receive of mine , and shew it unto you , joh. 16. 14. nor will he so much dishonour the righteousnesse and grace of the father of glory , as first , to pronounce and declare us justified in the sight of our owne righteousnesse . in mat. 7. from verse 16. to 20. the tree is knowne by his fruit . true , to others ; but not unto himselfe . if a tree could know it selfe , it would first come to know it selfe , by seeing upon what root it grew , before it came to see what fruit it did beare ; joh. 15. 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5. but this doctrine is new , it is not ancient , nor gray-headed . the doctrines of the covenant of free-grace are ever new ; because they are the doctrines of the new-covenant , which can never waxe old : should it once waxe old , it would soone vanish away , heb. 8. from vers . 8. to 13. though it be as ancient as abraham , yea , as adam ; for hee had his first comfort and assurance , in an absolute promise of free-grace , gen. 3. 15. yet it hath ever seemed new in every age . augustines doctrine of conversion , that is of grace , and not of free-will . luthers doctrine of justification , that is of faith , not of works . calvins doctrine of predestination , that is of grace , not of faith and works fore-seen : were all of them thought new doctrines in their times ; and yet all of them the ancient truths of the everlasting covenant of grace . and surely , for this doctrine in hand , calvin is as clear , as my hearts desire to god is wee all might be ; his words have been partly rehearfed before , in the answer of some objections ; and partly in my large answer to your reply . bellarmine taketh it to be the generall doctrine of the lutherans , that , assurance of faith goeth before works , and doth not follow after , institnt . lib. 3. cap. 9. and pareus in answer unto him , saith , that though there be an assurance that followeth good works , yet the former assurance from the witnesse of the spirit goeth before . and seeing they that are the chief reformers of the protestant assemblies , doe generally make sanctification a fruit of faith , and doe define faith to be , a speciall assurance of mercy in christ ; it must needs be out of controversie their judgement , that a man receiveth his first assurance , not from his sanctification , which they make to be an effect flowing from it ; but from an higher principle , even from the grace of the father , and the righteousnesse of the sonne , the lord jesus christ ; and witnessed by the holy spirit . bilney , in the book of martyrs , in his epistle to b. tu●stall , relating the manner of his conversion , pro●ested , that when hee had wearied himself in many superstitious works of fasting , and popish pennance , hee received at last his first assurance , from that place in timothy , 1 tim. 1. 15. hee calleth it a most sweet word unto him , this is a true saying , and worthy of all men to be received , jesus christ came into the world to save sinners , of whom i am the chiefe . a word from an absolute promise , set home unto him by the ●oly spirit , without respect of any sanctification formerly wrought or seene in him . alas , how farre are they mistaken , that thinke the contrary doctrine hath beene sealed with the bloud of martyrs ? zancheus his judgement , though he was a godly and an eminent learned man , yet i would not have named him , but that mr. perkins highly approved his discourse , and translated it , as a choyce piece , into his owne volume , which maketh it obvious to every godly reader , that studieth perkins learned workes ; page 429. the first testimony , saith zanchey ▪ and por●ius , for him ; by which god assureth us of our election , is that inward testimony of the spirit , of which the apostle paul speaketh , rom. 8. 16. the spirit witnesseth to our spirits , that wee are the sonnes of god ; and afterward comming to give some direction how a man may know , whether this testimony be true , and proceedeth from the holy spirit , or no. hee answereth , page 433. three waies . first , a man may know it , first , by the perswasion it selfe . secondly , by the manner of its perswasion . thirdly , by the effects . for the first , the holy spirit doth not simply say it , but doth perswade with us ; that we are the sonnes of god : and no flesh can doe it againe . by reasons drawne not from our worke , or from any worthinesse in us ; but from the alone goodnesse of god the father , and the grace of christ freely bestowed , and in this manner the devill will never perswade any man. the perswasion of the holy spirit is full of power ; for they which are perswaded that they are the sons of god , cannot , but must needs call him father , and in regard of love to him do hate sinne ; and on the contrary , they have a sound hearty desire to do his word and will revealed . for the second answer to the imputation of novelty ; either ( saith john cotton ) i am exceedingly deceived , or it justly falleth upon the contrary doctrine , and they are much mistaken that think otherwise ; i never read it to my best remembrance , in any author olde o● new : that ever a man received his first evidence of the faith of his justification , from his sanctification ▪ unlesse it be one , ( whom i met with within these two dayes ) printed within these two yeares , that maintaineth our first comfort of justification from sanctification . but ●enerally all our english orthodox teachers doe oppose it . amongst the english teachers one , for ought i know , did more ●dvance the doctrine of marks and ●ignes , then master nicholas byfield , ●●d yet he himselfe professeth , that ●umane reason cannot beleeve such ●reat things from god , from any ●●ing that is in us : but onely be●use we having the word of god ●suring such happinesse unto such ● lay hold upon the promises con●ined in it . so that it is that which ●eedeth faith , or as he calleth it , ●e perswasion of our good estates●et notwithstanding , saith he , the ●●surance of faith is much increased , ●●d confirmed by signes ; the for●er part of which speech , touch●●g the first begettings of the assu●●nce of faith , consenteth with me ; the latter , concerning the increasing and confirming of the assurance● argueth plainely his consent , thu● farre also , that he meant not that th● assurance of the faith of justification should spring from sanctification : but when he would have th● assurance of faith to bee increase● and confirmed by the light 〈◊〉 signes , i would not refuse it ; 〈◊〉 by the assurance of faith , h●● meanes onely assurance of knowledge ; or if he meaneth onely a●surance of faith , properly so ca●led , i would then put in this ca●tion . that then the spirit of go● himfelfe had need , by his owne t●stimony , to reveale our justificat●on unto us , and gods free grace 〈◊〉 accepting us in christ : or else it 〈◊〉 not word , nor worke , nor t●● light of a renewed conscience , th●● can increase , or confirme , the ass●rance of faith of our justificatio● ▪ but only the manifestation of go● free-grace , in a divine testimony , ●atified by his owne good spirit . the third question is concerning the activenesse of faith : the controversie is whether faith concurre as an active instrumentall cause to ●ur justification ? in the explicating of it , i must ●●rst speake what it is that justifieth ●●ee . first , we doe beleeve , that in our ●ffectuall calling , god draweth us to ●nion with christ , ioh. 6. 44. sheding abroad his spirit in our hearts , rom. 5. 5. and working faith in us 〈◊〉 receive christ , ioh. 1. 12. 13. and 〈◊〉 live by faith upon him , gal. 2. 20. secondly , we are no sooner alive in christ , but we are accounted of god ●s his adopted children in christ , gal. ● . 26. ephes . 1. 5. and so are made heires of righteousnesse , galat. 3. 29. god imputing the righteousnesse of his sonne jesus to us for our justification , rom. 4. 23. 24. 25. as we were no sooner alive in the first adam , but we became his children , and heires of his transgression ; god imputing the guilt of it to our condemnation . now in this we all consent ; that in receiving the gift of faith we are meerely passive . but yet a double question heere ariseth . whether in receiving of chris● ( or the spirit , who commeth into our hearts in his name ) we be meerly passive ? whether our faith bee active to lay hold upon the righteousnesse o● christ , before the lord doe firs● impute the righteousnesse of christ unto us . our reasons are . if it be the spirit of grace she● abroad in our hearts , that doth be● get faith in us : then if wee were passive in receiving faith , wee are much more passive in receiving christ , or the spirit of christ , that begetteth faith : for if we have no life to be active untill faith come ; we have much lesse life to be active before the cause , and root of faith come . but it is the spirit of grace , shed abroad in our hearts , that begetteth faith in us , zech. 12. 10. therefore if we be passive in receiving faith ; we are much more passive , in receiving the spirit that begetteth faith. if we bee active in laying hold on christ , before he hath given us his spirit : then we apprehend him , before he apprehend us : then wee should doe a good act , and so bring forth good fruites , before wee become good trees ; yea , and bee good trees before we be in christ . but these are all contrary to the gospell , philip. 3. 12. 13. matth. 7. 18. iohn 15. 4. 5. therefore wee bee not active in laying hold on christ , before hee he hath given us his spirit . whether our faith bee active to lay hold upon christ for his righteousnesse , before the lord do first impute the righteousnesse of christ to us ; we conceive no. for these reasons . if the sinne of adam were imputed unto us for our condemnation , assoone as we were alive by naturall life before we had done any act of life , good or evill : then the righteousnesse of jesus christ is imputed unto us to our justification , as soon as we be alive unto god by faith , before wee have done any act of faith. but the former is plaine , rom. 5. 18. 19. therefore the latter also . if our faith be first active , to lay hold upon christ for his righteousnesse , before god imputeth it unto us ; then wee take christs righteousnesse to our selves , before it bee given unto us . but that wee cannot doe , for in the order of nature , giving is the cause of taking ; unlesse wee take a thing by stealth . if our faith be first active in laying hold on christ for his rightenesse , before god impute it unto us ; then we doe justifie god , before he doth justifie us . for hee receiveth the testimony which god hath given of his son : that god hath given us life in his sonne , he hath set to his seale that god is true , iohn 3. 33. and so he which justifieth god , as others that doe not receive the testimony , condemne god of lying , 1 ioh. 5. 10. but we cannot justifie god before he justi●e us ; no more then we can love him before hee first loved us , 1 ioh. 4. 19. if our faith be first active to lay hold on christ for his righteousnes , before god impute his righteousnes unto us : then wee are righteous men to act , and worke out our own righteousnesse , before we be righteous , by the imputed righteousnes of christ . but we be to our best acts and workes of righteousnesse , unrighteous , till our sinnes bee pardoned , which is not untill the righteousnesse of christ be imputed to us . in the order of nature , the object is before the act that is conversant about it : therefore it is in the order of nature , before the act of our faith. to beleeve on the name of christ is an act of faith ; to beleeve on the name of christ , is to receive christ , iohn 1. 12. therefore the receiving of christ is by an act of faith. the place in iohn , upon which the weight of this argument lieth , saith no more , but that they which received christ in the second aorist in the time past , doe beleeve on his name in the time present . which we willingly grant ; that they who receive christ , their faith becommeth active through him to beleeve in his name , that so they might receive him , and his righteousnesse . we are justified by faith , rom. 3. 28. when we are said to bee justified by faith ; it is by the righteousnesse of christ imputed unto us . abrahams to credere , his act of beleeving , was imputed unto him for righteousnesse , rom 4. 3. it is taken generally amongst the learned , for a singular opinion of master wotton , that to credere , the act of beleeving should be imputed for rigteousnesse . for , indeed , the act of beleeving is neither a righteousnesse according unto the law ; for the law is perfect , psal . 19. 7. nor a righteousnesse according unto the gospell ; for the act of beleeving is an act of our owne , though given of grace : but the righteousnesse of the gospell is not an act of our own and therefore paul desireth that he may be found in christ , not having his owne righteousnesse which is of the law , but that which is through the faith of christ , the righteousnesse which is of god by faith , phil. 3. 9. to wit , the righteousnesse of christ imputed . but this doctrine is opposite unto the streame of all the learned ; a passive faith is not heard of amongst men , and they doe genenerally make faith an instrumentall cause of their justification . a passive faith is rarely hard of out of my mouth , but yet the thing meant by it , is never rare in the writings of the learned , nor sometimes the word passive faith. two things are meant by the word of faith , and may be said to be passive in our justification , in a double respect . because a habite of faith may be called passive , before it putteth forth any act , and we are justified assoone as by an habit of faith we are alive in christ ; in the first moment of our conversion , before faith hath put forth any act : as we were all guilty of adams sinne , before we were active to reach forth any consent unto it . faith may be said to bee passive in our justification , because it doth not lay hold on christ , to fetch justification from him , till christ have first laid hold on us , and imputed his righteousnesse to us ; and declared it unto us by his spirit , in a free promise of grace : and then faith becommeth active , actually to receive christs righteousnesse ; and actually to beleeve on it , either by way of dependance , or assurance . for the truth is , seengi wee are not justified , neither as it is a gift in us ; nor as it is an acting and working from us ; but in regard of his object , the righteousnesse of christ whch it receiveth . therefore which way soever faith may receive christ first or last , by the same way we may be justified by it . now faith of it selfe , even the habit of faith is an emptying grace , and so is as an empty vessell , fit to receive christ and his righteousnes . and both the act of faith , whether of dependance on christ , or of our assrance in christ , carrieth us out of our selves unto him , and so maketh us fit to receive christ , and his righteousnesse . thus i have explained what i meane by a passive faith. let me shew you , that neither the word , nor the naming of it , is an untruth from our best learned men of eminent worth for parts and abilities . calvine in his institutions , lib. 3. cap. 3. sect. 5. quoad justificationem . ursinus in his catechisme , quest . 60 , sect. 5. potius deum primum . chemierius de fide , lib. 13. chap. 6. verissimum esse duo . doctor amesius in medullam theologiae , lib. 1. cap. 26. recepti christi . paul banes on the ephesians 2. vivificant . he quicken us , since he acknowledge a passive receiving of christ , he must acknowledge a passive faith : for there is no receiving of christ , but by faith. in a booke of choice english sermons , that goeth under the name of doctor sybbs , and our brother hooker , and master davenport , there one stiled the witnesse of salvation , on rom. 8. 15. 16. where in page 135. are these words : in justification , faith is a sufferer onely ; but in sanctification , it worketh , and purgeth the whole man. as for our learned men that doe generally make faith an instrumentall cause of their justifica●ion . i confesse it is true ; but i doe not understand them ( as chenerius doth in the like case ) to meane no other kinde of causa ; then cause sine qua non , or , causa removens , or prohibens . for faith keepeth the soule empty of confidence in it selfe , and maketh a way for the receiving of the righteousnesse of christ . even as the poore ▪ widdowes empty vessells made a way for the receiving the oye out of the cruse ; whereas the fulnesse of the vessell caused the stay . the good lord empty us more and more of our selves , that wee may be filled with him , out of whose fulnesse wee receive grace for grace , john 1. 16. gloria sit soli deo. twelve reasons laid down against prescribed and stinted formes of prayers or prayses . because it is against gods glory , in stinting unto him such a daily measure of service ( consisting of prayer or praise ) and so hindering the spirituall petitions and phrases , that otherwise would be , if gods good gifts were used . it is against the dignity of christ , which hath qualified his saints with a proportionable measure of the gifts of the spirit , for prayer or praise , 1 cor. 14. 15 , 16. in making their gifts needlesse and uselesse , when they can serve themselves with books , and formes , without them . it quencheth the gifts of the holy spirit ; because it hath no spirituall imployment for prayer nor praise in his spirituall house , 1 pet. 2. 5. god is so jealous of his glory , that hee cannot endure his worship should be corrupted with the least mixture of man : nadab and abihu , for offering with strange fire which god commanded them not , were destroyed with fire from the lord , levit. 10. 1 , 2. vzzah , for touching the ark contrary to the order of the god of israel , was smitten dead , and israel had a breach made amongst them , 1 chron. 13. 9 , 10 , 11. compared with 1 chron. 15. 12 , 13. jeroboam devised worship at dan and bethel , though hee pretended by it to worship the true god , and advance the worship of jehovah ; yet hee worshipped nothing but the devils , and calves that hee made , 2 chron. 11. 15. and it became a sinne to jeroboam and his house , to destroy it root and branch , and all the kings that countenanced and upheld it ; 1 kin. 13. 34. 2 kin. 17. 21 , 22 , 23. but such as feared the lord amongst them , both levites and priests , left their cities , and possession ; and of the people , such as set their heart to seeke the lord god of israel , came to jerusalem : so jeroboams kingdome weakned ; but rehoboam , that gave liberty of conscience to worship the true god , strengthened ; 2 chron. 11. 16 , 17. now , was god so jealous of his glory under the law , that hee that ●inned against that worship which god by moses prescribed , hee died without mercy ? how much severer punishment are they worthy of , that sinne against the sonnes authority , seeing hee is lord of the spiri●uall house , whose house are wee , heb. ● . 6. and the heavenly father commandeth us to heare him , mat. 17. 5. and that in all things , or our soules must perish , acts 3. 22 , 23 ? now , if we worship god in prayer or praise ▪ or any other way , by any innovation or invention of man , let us heare what our prophet jesus saith in vaine yee worship me , teaching f●● doctrines the commandements of me● esay 29. 13 , 14. mar. 7 6 , 7 , 8. an● however it may seeme glorious 〈◊〉 our eyes , yet god hath set th●● stigma on it , that it is a vai●● worship . i cannot worship god in a stinte● forme of worship , in prayer , a●● praise , and the like , lest i make 〈◊〉 selfe guilty of the bloud of christ . christ by his death hath free me from the whole ceremonia● law , so that if i consent to rea● againe what christ by his dea● hath abolished , i crucifie chris● make my selfe gailty of his blou● and as much as in me lieth , exp●● him out of the nation . now , the ceremoniall law h● his constitution in israel , either fro● moses , or from god : not from 〈◊〉 for hee was a servant in his ●ouse , and hee did nothing in the tabernacle , nor about it , but what god shewed him , exod. 25. 4. acts ● . 44. but the ceremoniall law 〈◊〉 his originall law from god : now , if the death of christ were ●f that power , to put an end to the ●hole ceremoniall prescribed ●orship , so that whosoever should ●are it again should crucifie christ , ●nd make us guilty of his bloud , &c. ●hen , that death of christ is of ●●rce , to put an end to mans cerenoniall worship : but the first is true ; ergo , the ●●ter . the consequence is denyed . that power which can disanull ●e greater , must needs disanull the ●●●er ; if the death of christ put an 〈◊〉 to the heavenly fathers cere●oniall worship , and in prayer and ●aise , at , or before the ark , or in ●e temple ; then it will put an ●nd to all mans devised worship , unlesse you will advance the authority of man above god the father . col. 2. 20 , 21 , 22 , 23. if christ by his death hath freed us from the rudiments of the world , the mosaicall ceremonies , why living in the world are wee intangled with ordinances , after the doctrine , traditions , and commandements o● men ? but they are set up for the glory of god. not i , but paul shall answer fom me ; they have a shew of wisdome , i● will-worship ; but it is onely a shew there is no substance in it . wee harden the obstinate papist in their superstition ; for they say and that truly , wee received mo●● of our formes of prayer and prai●● from them . wee rob the spirit of his glory who is given to saints to form prayer and praise in them , 1 cor. 1● . 15 , 16. rom 8. 26. gal. 4. 6. wee impose a burthen upon 〈◊〉 conscience to be practised , which god hath left arbitrary , to be used according to our necessities ; if we be afflicted , then pray ; if wee have tasted how bountifull the lord hath been to us in blessings , then let us praise him ; jam. 5. 13. if wee frequent devised formes of worship in prayer or praise , we shall lay a stumbling block before a weak brother , and cause him to fall . woe be to them that follow the way of balaam , who taught balack to cast a stumbling block before the children of israel , revel . 2. 14. jud. v. 11. now offences must come , but woe unto the men by whom they come : it were better for me , that a milstone were hanged about my neck , and that i were cast into the sea , then that i should offend one of these little ones , luk. 17. 1 , 2. if wee frequent devised formes of worship in prayer or praise , we shall offend our consciences ; ( even so many of us as are saints enlightned , to behold the beauty of his spirituall worship , performed , or offered in his spirituall house , the congregation of the faithfull united ; ) now if our consciences condemne us , god is greater then our consciences , and hee will condemne us also , 1 joh. 3. 19. for he knoweth all things . therefore i say to you ( who blame us for not frequenting devised forms of worship in prayer and praises ) as shadrach , meshach , and abednego did to king nebuchadnezzar , we are not carefull to answer you in this matter ; our god whom wee serve is able to deliver us out of your hand : but if he will not , be it known to you , we will not serve your gods ; nor worship our god in that devised way that men set up , dan. 3. 16 , 17 , 18. it one set form of spirituall worship in prayer and praises had been needfull , christ would have left one : but the prophets , christ , the apostles , never prayed nor praised god by any set forme of worship invented by man ; but by the powerfull worke of the holy spirit , rom. 8. 26. gal. 4. 6. a set forme of worship prescribed in prayer or praises , cannot in prayer expresse the severall necessities of gods people ; for the more grace they have , the more they see their owne wants ; and the more sensible they are of their owne infirmities , corruptions , and sinnes . neither can it in praises expresse the manifold experiences that the saints daily observe of gods mercifull dealing with them : therefore a set forme of prayer or praises to gods saints , and faithfull ones , principled with a spirit of prayer and praise , it is altogether unusefull ; 1 cor. 14. 15 , 16. soli deo honor & gloria finis . a description of the spirituall temple : or the spouse prepared for the lambe , the lord jesus . written by francis cornwel , a minister and servant of jesus , the christ , for the benefit of poore distressed conscences , in city and countrey . london , printed by john dawson . 1646. to the honovrable , and the true lover of all conscientious covenantours , that stand up for a through reformation , according to the word of our good god , in england , and ireland , cornelius holland esquire , a member of the house of commons assembled in parliament . sir , david describeth the godly man , by his pleasure , and by his paines : first , the pleasure of the godly man , in these words : he delighteth in the law of the lord. secondly , the paines of the godly man : and in that law he meditateth day and night ; not only in the day appointed for man to labour in , but in the night also appointed for man to rest : the reason is , because it is his meat and drinke , to doe the will of his god. ( honoured sir ) the word of christ being the rule of englands reformation ; the good lord ( that writeth his lawes in his peoples hearts , according to his new covenant of grace : heb. 8. 10. ) put it into my minde , seriously to consider , what schisme was , that i had covenanted against . and searching the scriptures , i found it thus written , 1. tim. 6. 3. if any man teach otherwise , and consent not to the wholesome words , even the words of our lord jesus christ ; and to the doctrine which is according to godlinesse . vers . 4. he is proud , knowing nothing ; but doting about questions , and strife of words ; whereof commeth envy , strife , raylings , evill surmisings . vers . 5. perverse disputings of men of corrupt mindes , and destitute of the truth ; supposing that gaine is godlinesse ; from such withdraw thy self . yea , and after a further enquiry , to understand aright the things that are controverted amongst us ; by the good providence of the almighty , i found two texts of holy scripture , setting forth two sorts of men , diametrally opposing one another , as light doth darkenesse , truth doth falsehood ; the one th●s written : 1 john 5. 1. whosoever beleeveth that jesus is the christ , is borne of god. and the other , thus ; 1 john 2. 22. who is a lyar , but he that denyeth that jesus is not the christ , he is antichrist , that denyeth the father and the sonne . and when i thought to understand the difference , it was to hard for me , untill i went into the sanctuary of god ; where the father of glory , of his good pleasure , revealed to me ( the most unworthyest of all his servants ) the truth of that ; which ( i conceive ) is the root of all our controversies , and gave me to understand the meaning of the scriptures , 1 john 5. 1. whosoever beleeveth that jesus is the christ , viz. the eternall king , prophet , priest of the church of the new testament , ratified with his bloud , whom the father of glory hath exalted to bee lord and christ , acts 2. 36. and head , ephes . 2. 20 , 21 , 22 , 23. is borne of god. seeing no man can say , ( that is confest ) that jesus is the lord but by the holy spirit , 1 cor. 12. 3. hence i find it written , joh. 1. 11. jesus came to his owne , but his owne received him not , that is , for the christ , that messiah which was to come : but onely for the carpenters sonne ; matth. 13. 58. the reason was , because none could understand that mystery : but they onely to whom the father of heaven revealed it , matth. 11. 14. hence , when jesus demanded of his disciples ? whom doe men say that i the sonne of man am ? peter answereth , thou art the christ , the sonne of the living god : jesus answereth , blessed art thou simon bar-jona ; for flesh and blood hatb not revealed this unto thee ; but my father in heaven . and thou art peter , and upon this rock ( jesus the christ , whom thou hast confessed ) i will build my church , and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it , mat. 16. 16 , 17 , 18. many for fear durst not in those dayes confesse jesus to be the christ : instance the parents of the blind man : because the jewes had agreed , that if any did confesse , that hee was the christ ; he should be put out of the synagogue , john 9. 22. but so many as recived him ( viz. to be the christ ) to them he gave power to be called the sons of god ; even to them that beleeve in his name ; which were borne not of bloud nor of the will of the flesh , nor of th● will of man , but of god , john 1. 12 , 13 ▪ and as for that other text of the holy scripture that doth universally oppose it the heavenly father gave me thus to interpret it : 1 john 2. 22. who is a lyar ( viz ●orne of the evill one , who is a lyar , and the father of lyes , and abode not in the truth , john 8. 14. but hee that denieth that jesus ( whom hee confesseth dyed for his sinnes ; and rose againe the third day , according to the scriptures ) is not the christ , viz. the annointed king and prophet of his church , in all his outward administrations and institutions , in admitting of members into his spirituall kingdome , according to his royall commission , matth. 28. 18 , 19. mark. 15. 15 , 16. ( though he acknowledge him to be his eternall priest that ever liveth , to make intercession to god for him , heb. 7. 25. he is that antichrist ( viz. an enemy and adversary to jesus the christ ) that denieth the father and the sonne , he that denieth the sonnes authority , to bee the eternall king , and his commission to bee in force , matth. 28. 18 , 19 , 20. mark. 15. 15 , 16. and to be the eternall prophet ; and his word to be the eternall rule for doctrine and gouernement ; aswall as his eternall priest to reconcile him to god denieth the father , that sanctified the sonne , and sent him into the world , john 10. 36. and raised him from the dead , and exalted him to bee lord and christ , acts 2. 36. hence it is ( my honoured friend ) first , that in all my writings , i have studied to exalt jesus the christ , it being the primitive . faith once given to the saints , math. 16. 16. secondly , to distinguish jesus the christ from all others named with the name of jesus in scripture record : as joshua is called jesus , hebr. 4. 8. &c. others . thirdly , because i find the scriptures giving that title to him in divers places . john confesseth , i am not the christ , john 1. 20. the woman of samaria said , i know the messiah commeth which is called the christ , john 4. 25. apollos mightily convinced the jewes , shewing by the scriptures , that jesus was the christ , acts 18. 28. now that i received from the lord , i could not but make knowne to you , you being one of the tender hearted loyall covenanters , a member of that high and honourable court , under whose shade conscientious covenantours ( that contend for the faith of jesus the christ , once given to the saints ) find rest . know ( worthy sir ) that the departure from the faith of jesus the christ , is a cause of so many schismes , and heresies maintained in the earth . disdaine not therefore to read a little treatise , called the difference betweene the christian , and antichristian church , deliniated according to the scripture record , though the truth therein contained ( like the two witnesses , revel . 11. 3. ) have long mourned in sackcloth : yet if god give you an heart to receive it , it will be a jewell surpassing all earthly treasure . for if iesus the christ bee your prophet to teach you , his heavenly father will , matth. 17. 5. acts 3. 22. 23. he will then be your king to protect you , matth 28. 20. your priest to intercede for you , joh. 27. 20. your judge to acquit you , joh. 12. 48. and if the love of christ draw you to keepe all his commandements ( though in the world you meet with af●liction for his sake ; yet in christ you shall find peace ) for the father , son , and spirit will dwell in your heart , and take it for the sanctum sanctorum , where they will abide to cheer and refresh you , joh. 14. 23. and if you confesse , him in this world before men : he will confesse you before his father , and proclaime it to your eternall peace and comfort , ( euge bone serve ) well done thou good and faithfull servant , enter into your masters joy . matth. 25. 21. orpington in kent ▪ the tenth moneth , the first day , 1645. yours , who contendeth for the faith of jesus the christ . francis cornwell to all loyall covenanters , contending for the faith of jesus the christ , once given to the saints ; mat. 16. 16 , 17. cvrteous reader , be not too censorious concerning him that is the publisher of this little treatise , stiled , the difference between the christian and antichristian church , as if hee condemned the ages and generations that are past , as in a lost condition ; because he saith they have built their house upon wood , and hay , and stubble , and not upon the sure rock jesus the christ : farre be it from him to judge so ●ashly of the ages and generations past , or present , concerning their finall estate ; for ●ee is commanded to judge no man before ●he time , knowing that they stand and fall to their owne master : and , wee shall all stand before the judgement seat of christ ; and then and there every one shall give an account for himselfe to god , rom. 14. 4 , 10 , 12. knowing , as it is recorded in the inspired scriptures , that if any man build upon this foundation ( jesus the christ ) gold , silver , precious stones , wood , hay stubble ; every mans work shall be made manifest : for the day shall declare it ; because it shall be revealed by fire : and th● fire shall try every mans worke . if any mans worke abide , which hee hath buil● thereon , hee shall receive a reward : if any mans work shall be burnt , hee shall suffer losse ; but himselfe shall be saved yet so as by fire , 1 cor. 3. 12 , 13 , 14 , 15. secondly , know that the discovery of this truth was ( as the vision that is his for an appointed time ) and is become unto us , as the words of a book that is sealed , which men deliver to one that is learned , saying , read this i pray thee : and h● saith , i cannot ; for it is sealed . and th● book is delivered to him that is not learned , saying , read this i pray thee : an● hee saith , i am not learned , esay 29. 11 , 12 ▪ so that it is not in him that is learned , no● in him that is unlearned , to discover the mystery of iniquity , by which antichris● hath filled the temple so full of smoak , that no man can see how to enter into it , unti● god enlighten him ; which caused the lord jesus in the dayes of his flesh , to break out into an eucharistia of praise , looking on his disciples , i thank thee , o father , lord of heaven and earth , that thou hast hid these things from the wise and learned , and hast revealed them unto babes . even so , o father , because it seemed good in thy sight , mat. 11. 25 , 26. that the whole glory in discovering of truth to any , might be given unto god. thirdly , know ( gentle reader , who art a searcher after truth in these inquiring times ) that the publisher wrote this treatise , to discover that the difference lieth not so much amongst us in point of baptisme ; as it is about the doctrine of the faith of jesus the christ , the sonne of god ; which whosoever beleeveth and confesseth , that jesus the christ is the son of god , it is lawfull to baptize him , act. 8. 36 , 37 , 38. and , to which faith of jesus the christ , and baptisme , the promise of receiving the gifts of the holy spirit is given , act. 2. 38 , 39. and though for publishing this mystery of faith , which hath been hidden for some ages and generations that are past , hee suffer reproach and contempt from the hands and tongues of some ; yet , if the will of god be so , it is better hee suffer for well-doing , then for evill . yet the love that hee beareth to the loyall covenanters in the nation , constraineth him to doe it , rather then his country-men should ever remaine in blindnesse , under the power of antichrist . thine , who is the unworthiest of all the servants of christ , ( who is content it should be said of his good name , that is as a precious oyntment , as luther said of moses his body , let it die and rot , so god may be glorified , and jesus the christ exalted in all his royall offices ; ) fran. cornwell . a description of the spirituall temple . the spirituall temple of the new testament , the new jerusalem which came downe from heaven , the bride prepared for the lambe , the lord jesus the christ , revel . 21. 2. may not be unfitly compared to the materiall temple of jerusalem , in the letter , whose foundation stone was of earth ; whose materials were hewen stones , compacted into one edifice or tem●le : the furniture thereof was an altar , a sacrifice , and a priesthood ; who were made after the law of a carnall commandement , heb. 7. 16. which was typicall , and was not to continue for ever ; but onely to the time of reformation , and then the glory of it should vanish away . in which materiall temple , none must come thither to worship , but the circumcised jewes and proselytes ; for the uncircumcised and unclean were an abomination , and must not enter in at the gates thereof ; ezek. 44. 6 , 7. and for the defects the people of israel and judah committed in their worship , so long as they continued in their integrity , the high priest went once every yeare into the holy of holiest , and that not without bloud , to offer up for himselfe , and for the errours of the people , heb. 9. 7. yea , and great were the priviledges that belonged to the jewish church : to them ( saith paul ) pertained the adoption , and the glory , and the covenants , and the giving of the law , and the service of god , and the promises : who are the fathers , and of whom , as concerning the flesh , christ came , who is over all , god blessed for ever , amen . rom. 9 ▪ 4 5. but christ being come an high priest of good things to come , by a greater and a more perfect tabernacle , not made with hands , that is to say , not made of this building , heb. 9. 11. reareth up a spirituall structure , or house . 1. whose foundation was the living stone , who hath life in himselfe , jesus the christ , 1 cor. 3. 11. seeing other foundation no man can lay , save that is laid , jesus the christ , 1 pet. 2. 4. for there is salvation in none other , acts 4. 12. 2. the spirituall materialls are such as are borne of water and of the spirit , joh. 3. 5. who are they which are born of the spirit ? such men and women as through a gospel ministry are brought to beleeve , and manifest by their confession , that jesus who was crucified , dead , and risen , is the christ , is borne of god , 1 joh. 5. 1. for no man can say ( that is , confesse ) that jesus is the lord , but by the holy spirit : and being born of water , they are manifested to be lively stones , that have received life from jesus the christ , the living stone , 1 pet. 2. 4. and fit spirituall materialls , to be set into the spirituall house , 1 pet. 2. 5. 3. what is the forme of this spirituall house ? union : they which gladly received the word were baptized , and were added unto the church ( and so were compacted into one spirituall house , whereof jesus the christ is lord : heb. 3. 6. but christ as a sonne over his owne house , whose house are we , if wee hold fast the confidence , and the rejoycing of the hope firme unto the end : ) and these continued stedfastly in the apostles doctrine , and fellowship , in breaking of bread , and prayers , &c. act 2. 41 , 42. the furniture of this spirituall ●ouse of the new testament , where●f jesus the christ is the king , priest ●nd prophet , is a priesthood , sa●rifice , and an altar ; but all spiri●●all . first , the priests , whether they ●e male or female , they are all ●ne in christ , gal. 3. 28. yea , every ●ember of this spirituall house are ●ade kings and priests to god the fa●her , revel . 1. 6. yea , and the whole church united into a body , is a cho●●n generation , a royall priesthood , an ●oly nation , a peculiar people ; that they ●●ould shew forth the vertues of him that hath called them out of darknesse into ●is marvellous light : which in times ●ast were not a ●eople , but are now the people of god , 1 pet. 2. 9 , 10. secondly , the sacrifices that ●●ese priests offer , are all spiri●uall . 1. the first is prayer , which the ●pirit of christ formeth in the heart ●f a beleever , whereby hee layeth ●pen all his spirituall and temporall wants unto god his father , in the name and mediation of jesus christ , through whom hee hath received a promise to bee heard , and to have his request granted ; joh. 16. 23 , 24. 2. secondly , praise is a spirituall sacrifice , offered up unto god continually , that is , the fruit of our lips , giving thanks to his name , heb. 13. 15. which is done by praising god in psalmes , and hymnes , and spirituall songs , which the spirit o● christ formeth in us , to sing , and make melody in our hearts to th● lord , ephes . 5. 19. col. 3. 16. what is a psalme ? it is a rehearsall of those special● mercies and particular experience● that the lord hath done for a beleever , when his soule was brough● into great adversity ; and when the lord delivered him , the spirit o● god in the dayes of his mirth bringeth into his mind , and causeth him with heart and lips to blesse th● lord in the congregation , for his mercies received . thus hannah , that was barren , ●he lord made to keep house , and ●o be the joyfull mother of a sonne , ●ingeth her song of praise , 1 sam. 2. ● . my heart rejoyceth in the lord , my ●orne is exalted in the lord , my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies ; because ● rejoyce in thy salvation . mary the mother of jesus singeth her magnificat ; my soule doth magnifie the lord , and my spirit rejoyceth in god my saviour , luk. 1. 46 , 47. so when the lord had made good unto old zacharias what hee had foretold him concerning his sonne john , luk. 1. 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20. being filled with the spirit , breaketh forth into his eucharistia of praise , luk. 1. 68. blessed be the lord god of israel , for hee hath visited and redeemed his people . yea , and old aged simeon singeth his nunc dimittis , lord , let thy servant depart in peace ; for mine eyes have seene thy salvation . nay , king david upon his har● warbles out the speciall mercies and favours , and deliverances go● had done for his soule , psal . 103 blesse the lord , o my soule , and 〈◊〉 within mee blesse his holy name . bles● the lord , o my soule , and forget 〈◊〉 all his benefits . who forgiveth all thi●●● iniquities : who healeth all thy diseases who redeemeth thy life from destruction : who crowneth thee with lovin● kindnesses , and tender mercies , & ● nay , the psalmist exhorteth th● traveller , the sicke man , and th● mariner , to praise god for thei● speciall mercies received ; psal . 107. hence ( holy paul saith ) i will pra● with the spirit , and i will pray wit● understanding also : i will sing wit● the spirit , and i will sing with under●standing also . else , when thou shal● blesse with the spirit , how shall he whic● occupieth the roome of the unlearned ▪ say , amen , at thy giving of thanks ? ● cor. 14. 15 , 16. so that to sing blesse , and give thanks , in the language of holy scripture , is all one . hence , as spirituall prayer is a sacrifice , psal . 141. 2. offered up unto god our father in the name of christ , to comfort , solace , and cure a sad and grieved spirit ; so spirituall praise is a sacrifice , tendered to the father of our lord jesus christ , through christ , heb. 13. 16. by a merry and rejoycing spirit , for the speciall mercies and blessings spirituall , and temporall , that the lord hath bountifully bestowed on him . according to that of the apostle iames , is any afflicted amongst yo● , let him pray ? is any merry amongst you , let him sing ? james 5. 13. 3. thirdly , sacrifice , is a bro●en and a contrite heart for his sins , and his dayly failings he hath committed against a crucified jesus : when god powreth upon his people the spirit of grace and supplication , zech. 12. 10. the more the spirit of christ openeth the eyes of their spirituall understanding , to looke up by faith upon a jesus , who for their sinnes was peirced , the more will their hearts bee pierced with godly sorrow for their sinnes , which bringeth repentance to salvation , never to be repented of , 2 cor. 7. 10 , 11. and to loath themselves in their owne eyes , for all their spirituall and corporall abominations , ezek. 36. hence beleeving david the king , that sorrowed after a godly manner , for all his iniquities , said , the sacrifices of god are a troubled spirit : a broken and contrite heart for sinne , o● god , thou wilt not despise , psalm 51. 17. 4. sacrifice ; is a free , ready , and cheerefull contribution to the poor● and needy members of christ hebr. 13. 16. to doe good and distribute forget not , for with such a sacrifice god is well pleased , phil. 4. 18. 5. sacrifice ; is an holy life , which the spirit of christ formeth in us . rom. 12. 1. i beseech you brethren upon the mercifulnesse of god , that yee present your bodies a living sacrifice , holy , and acceptable to god , which is your reasonable service . 1 cor. 6. 20. yee are bought with a price ; glorifie god therefore in body and spirits which are gods. thirdly , the altar , that sanctifieth the person and the sacrifice , and maketh them both acceptable unto god , is jesus the christ . 1 pet. 2. 5. yee also as lively stones ( that have received life from jesus the living stone ) are built up a spirituall house , and holy priest-hood to offer up spirituall sacrifices acceptable to god , through jesus christ . to this spirituall house , or church of the new testament , gathered according to the royall commission of king jesus , matth. 28. 18 , 19 , 20. as the churches in judea , in rome , corinth , galatia , ephesus , &c. were constituted . the promises were made : first , that god would bee a father to all those that did obey his voice , and come out from among the jewes , heathens , and gentiles , and separate from their false waies , and superstitious worship , and touch not the uncleane thing , and he will receive you ; and yee shall be his sonnes and daughters , saith the lord , the almighty , 2 corinth 6. 17 , 18. secondly , for all the defects that these commit against his spirituall worship , they have this promise ; the bloud of iesus christ , his sonne , clenseth them from all their sinnes , 1 iohn 1. 7. 1 iohn 2. 1 , 2. thirdly , so many as have been b●ptized into the name of the lord jesus ; ( that is , into the profession of faith that the apostles taught , to wit , that men should beleeve in a crucified , dead , and risen jesus , whom god hath exalted to be lord and christ ) had the promise of receiving the gifts of the holy spirit . how prove you that to this faith and baptisme , the gift of the holy spirit was granted . repent , and be baptized every one of you , in the name of jesus , for the remission of sinnes , and yee shall receive the g●fts of the holy spirit . for the promise ( of giving the holy spirit ) is to you , and to your children , ( as joel the prophet foretold ; ) i will powre out my spirit upon all flesh ; and your sonnes and daughters shall prophesie ; and your old men shall dreame dreames ; and your young men shall see v●sions , and also upon the servants , and upon the handmaides , in those daies i will powre out my spirit , joel 2. ●8 , ●9 . and all that are a farre off , even so many as the lord our god shall call , verse 29. and to the twelve in asia ●he promise was made good , acts 19. 5 , 6 , 7. and when this spirit is come , he will guid thee into all truth ; for he shall not speake of himselfe : but whatsoever he shall heare , that shall ●ee speake , and he will shew them things to come , john 16. 13. yea to be to the whole church , as a river that shall make glad the city of god , psal . 46. 4. compared with john 7. 37. if any man thirst , let him come to me and drinke ; vers . 38. hee that beleeveth on me , as the scripture hath said , out of his belly shall flow rivers of living waters . vers . 39. ( but this he spake of the spirit , that they that beleeve on him shall receive : for the holy spirit was not yet given , because that jesus wa● not yet glorified . ) but when jesus was by the right hand of his father exalted , he received of the father th● promise of the holy spirit ; he● hath shed forth this , which you now se● and heare , acts 22. 33. fourthly , all things that ar● lost and accursed to mankinde by the fall of the first adam : are restored and sanctified to the use o● the beleevers , in and by the second adam , jesus the christ . all thing● are yours : whether paul , or apollo ▪ or cephas , or the world , or life , or death , or things present , or things to come , all are yours , and yee are christs , and christ is gods , 1 cor 3. 21 , 22 , 23. hence the unbeleeving wife is sanctified to the use of the beleever : and shee being an unbeleever dwelling with the beleeving husband is sanctified , to bring forth an holy seed to the use of the beleever : though the childe be borne in sinne , and by nature the child of wrath , as the most prophanest pagans are , psal . 51. 5. ephes . 2. 3. void of understanding , not able to distinguish betwixt good and evill : yet , titus 1. 15 unto the pure , all things are pure : nay , the meat and drinke and the creature which god hath created , are sanctified to his use ; 1 tim , 4. 3 , 4 , 5. for every creature of god is good , and nothing to be refused ; if it bee received with thankesgiving : for it is sanctified by the word and prayer . what priviledge hath the unbeleeving party , by dwelling and abiding with the beleever ? great is the priviledge , if he , or shee , will abide ; for living under them , where the holy spirit breatheth , and his lips drop as the honey combe ; the sweet precious treasure of the gospell of grace ; what knowst thou , oh thou beleeving husband , whether god will not make thee instrumentall to save thy wife ? though an unbeleever : or what knowest thou , oh thou beleeving wife ? whether god will not make thee instrumentall to save thy husband ? 1 cor. 7. 16. and when hee is converted , hee will blesse god for you , ( as david did for abigail , in another case ) blessed be the lord for you , and blessed be your good counsell , for you have been an instrument to convert a soule from the errour of his way , and save a soule from death , and hide a multitude of transgressions . is it not a greater priviledge for an infant to be borne of a beleever , then to be borne of a jew , a turke , or an heathen ? yea ; for the children borne of beleevers are brought up in holy instruction , and education from their childe-hood ( as young timothy was taught in the scriptures from his youth , by his mother eunice ) seeing it is the charge , the holy spirit hath laid upon beleeving parents : ephes . 6. 4. fathers provoke not your children to wrath ; but bring them up in the nurture and feare of the lord. whereas if their parents were jewes , and turkes , and heathens , the parents being without christ , being aliants from the common-wealth of israel ; and strangers from the covenant of promise , having no hope , and without god in the world , ephes . 2 12. their children brought up with them , follow after superstitious vanities ; and ferve dumbe idolls , as their teachers , and fathers led them , ● cor. 12. 1. fiftly , they are people live under precious promises : and hee hath promised , that the eye of his providence shall bee over them , all their dayes for good : he biddeth them not distract themselves with immoderate carking care : for what they shall eate , or what they shall drinke , or yet for their bodies , what they shall put on . reasons christ giveth are two . first , your heavenly father knoweth yee have need of all these things . secondly , but seeke yee first the kingdome of god , and his righteousnesse ; and all these things shall be added unto you , matth. 6. 33. now the members of the church of christ , gathered according to christs institution , matth. 28. 18 , 19 , 20. are the children of the kingdome ; and under the promise , that god , as a father , will provide for them ; therefore they are exhorted to bee carefull for nothing : but in every thing , by prayer , and supplications , with thankesgiving , let their request be made knowne unto god , philip. 4. 6. hence the apostle exhorteth the church of ●he hebrewes ; let your conversation bee without covetousnesse ; and bee content with such things as yee have : for he hath said , i will never faile thee , nor forsake thee : so that we may boldly say , the lord is my helper . and i will not feare what man shall doe unto me , hebr. 13. 5 , 6. sixtly , they are under the promise of audience , whensoever they come to petition in the name of his sonne jesus the christ , for what they want , be they few or many : matth. 18. 19. i say to you , that if two of you ( beleevers baptized ) agree in earth , as touching any thing that they shall aske , it shall bee done for them of my father in heaven . vers . 20. for where two or three are gathered together in my name , ( that is , by his power , authority , and royall commission , he hath promised his presence ) there am i in the midst of them ; to heare and returne them an answer to their request ; yea , and to protect and preserve his church , gathered in every age , to the ends of the world . thus at the prayer of the church , that was reproched , for holding forth the faith of jesus ; the gift of the holy spirit was given , to speake the word of god with boldnes , acts 4. 31. at the earnest suit and intercession the church made unto god , peter the apostle was released out of his imprisonment , and brought to the house where they were praying , acts 12. seventhly , lastly , there is no society hath such priviledges , as this spirituall ho●se , which is constituted according to the magna charta of the gospel , matth. 28. 18 , 19 , 20. marc. 16. 15 , 16. though while they are in the wo●ld , they are for the faith of jesus the christ killed all the day long ( either in their good names , by r●proch , and ●lander ; or in their estates , by the ●ighty nimrods of these oppres●●ng daies , they are exposed to plun●er and spoiling , which they are to ●ake patiently , hebr. 10. 32. or in ●heir liberties to be imprisoned , for ●ontending for the faith of jesus ●he christ , 1 john 5. 1. once given ●nto the saints , or forbid to preach ●ny more in his name , as the apo●tle peter was , acts 4 18. or to have ●heir lives taken violently f●om ●hem , as james the apostle was by ●he tyrant herod , acts 12. 2. 3. and accounted , but as sheepe for the slaughter , ( regarded no more by the wolves in sheepes clothing , then the bloudy butcher regardeth the life of his sheepe ; ) yet the poorest member amongst them is rich in faith , and heire of the kingdome which god hath promised to them that love him , james 2. 5. yea , and the whole body of beleevers , walking in that faith and order , christ hath prescribed , with perseverance in the faith unto the ende , shall be more then conquerours , through him that loved them , rom. 8. 36. yea , next to the paradise of glorie ; there is no society like to this spirituall corporation of saints , where the lord will dwell in the middest of them , and give them light : hence was the beloved apostles utinam , oh that you had fellowship with us , 1 john 1. 3. why was it such a priviledge ? truly , our fellowship is with the father , and with his sonne jesus christ : so that the father , sonne , and holy spirit , and saints , make up but one society , or family , where god will dwell , to comfort and solace them : the good angels their guard , to protect and save them ( as they did once the prophet elisha from the troop of the aramites , 2 king. 6. 17. ) seeing they pitch their tents round about them that feare him , psal . 34. 7. and are sent forth to be ministring spirits , to minister unto them that are heires of salvation , heb. 1. 14. and when they die , they resigne their spirits to god that gave them , as the proto-martyr stephen did , lord jesus receive my spirit , acts 7. 59. to remaine in the mansion prepared for the spirits of just men departed . so that happy are the people that are in such a case ; yea , blessed are those churches that have the father of our lord jesus christ for their god. what is the antichristian faith ? it is to deny that jesus ( whom they confesse dyed to take away the sinnes of the world ) is the christ . how prove you that ? 1 joh. 2. 22. who is a liar , ( viz. borne of the evill one , who is a liar , and the father of lies , and abode not in the truth , joh. 8. 44. ) but hee that denyeth that jesus is the christ ? ( viz. the eternall king , prophet , priest of his church , bought with his owne bloud ) hee is antichrist ( an enemy and an adversary to jesus the christ ) that denyeth the father and the sonne . for he that denyeth the sonnes authority , to be the eternall king and prophet of the church of the new testament , to the end of the world , according to the royall commission hee received from the father of glory , when hee raised him from the dead , mat. 28. 18 , 19 , 20. compared with mar. 16. 15 , 16. aswell as his eternall priest , that ever liveth to make intercession to god for him , heb. 7. 25. hee denyeth the father that sanctified the sonne , and sent him into the world , joh. 10. 36. and raised him from the dead , and exalted him to be lord and christ , act. 2. 36. ephes . 1. 20 , 21 , 22 , 23. what congregations deny that jesus is the christ ? even all such as build their house upon the hay and stubble of mans inventions , and not upon the precious stone , jesus the christ , in whom onely salvation is found , act. 4. 12. of which sort of builders are these : the first sort are those that build their house upon the person of peter , and so successively upon the p●pe . these the spirit of god discovereth to be foolish builders ▪ because there is no salvation in peter , nor pope : the apostle peter himselfe being the judge to decide the controversie , acts 4. 11. peter speaking of jesus the christ , saith , this is the stone which was set at nought of you builders ▪ which is become the head of the corner . ver. 12. neither is there salvation in any other ; for there is none other name under heaven given amongst men , whereby wee must be saved . the second sort are those that build their house upon the office of peter , and so successively on the officers : so that if the officers united into a body in councell erre , the whole church that receiveth their faith , from their edicts and decrees , erre also . now , that councells may erre , and have erred , in things appertaining to god , appeareth in the 21. article of the church of england , by law established ; as appeareth . adoration of images was established in the second generall councell of nice . the popish clergy were advanced above all earthly princes , by the councell of lateran . and priests prohibited to marry , which is honourable amongst all men , heb. 13. 4. by the said councell . the late trident councell erred in many things grosly ; as in exalting the traditions of men to be of equall authority with the word of god ; trident. sess . 4. decret . together with the invocation of creatu●es . or any other councell , that should decree , that grace cometh by generation ; or , beleevers should beget beleevers : or , christians beget christians : then the whole church that build their faith upon such corrupt councells may erre also . the third sort are all those that build their house upon another mans faith , and not basing or laying the foundation aright , on the gospel faith ; to wit , to beleeve in a crucified , dead , and risen jesus , whom god hath exalted to be the christ : if they erre in the object of their faith , jesus the christ , though they owne him to be jesus their eternall priest , to make intercession to god for them ; yet if they deny him their eternall king and prophet , in all his outward institutions , in admitting of members into his spirituall kingdome , they build but on a sandy foundation , and not on the sure rock jesus the christ . these congregations , when the storme of gods ind●gnation bloweth upon them , it will faile them ▪ because they were so foolish as to build upon the sand , mat. 7. 26. and not upon the immoveable rock jesus the christ ; seeing other foundations no man can lay , save that is laid , jesus the christ , 1 cor. 3. 11. paul calleth him , the corner stone , ephes . 2. 20. peter , the living stone , 1 pet. 2. 4. yea , the chiefe corner stone , elect and precious : hee that beleeveth on him shall not be confounded , 1 pet. 2 6. vnto you that beleeve ( in jesus the christ , hee i● precious , 1 pet. 2. 7. now , the true spouse of christ can have no communion with such as deny jesus the christ their onely rock , in whom salvation onely i● found , act. 4. 12. first , because shee is a loyal● spouse , that hath no head , no husband , no lord , no law-giver , in things appe●taining to the conscience , but royall king jesus : no● will admit any other pretende● spouse to have fellowship with h●r ▪ that is partly governed by the wor● of christ , and pa●tly with the chaff● and straw of their owne traditions , in gods spirituall worship , or in admitting of m●mbers into his spirituall house : knowing , that in so doing shee should be found to be a monster , that hath two heads ; o● else like to that proud harlot r●me , that hath a divided heart , that goeth a whoring after two husb●nds ; christ , and antichrist . secondly , this loyall spouse her love toward her husband the lord jesus the christ , is tender and compassionate love ; shee cannot endure to heare her husband should bee spoyled of any of his royall dignities , either his kingly or propheticall , as well as priestly offices : shee cannot with harlot rome bee content with a divided christ ; but with the true mother shee must joyn onely with them that will have a whole christ , or no christ . christ her king , and his commission to bee eternall , mat. 28. 18 , 19 , 20. christ her prophet , whose voyce shee must onely heare ; as the father of glory hath given her in charge to doe , mat. 17. 5. yea , and the extent how farre , in all things , whatsoever hee shall say ; act. 3. 22. knowing , the danger followeth , her soule shall be cut off from his people , act. 3. 23. reckoned no sheep of his fold , joh. 10. no spouse of her royall husband , ephes . 5. 24. as well as her eternall priest , to make intercession for her , heb 7. 25. because shee knoweth , christ divided , becometh no christ to the divider : and this , according to the vulgar latine , is solvere jesum , to dissolve jesus , to receive him onely in part , and not in the whole ; which is the spirit of antichrist , &c. lastly , the christian church , christs loyall spouse , knoweth that her royall husband is jealous of his glory , and will not endure his worship should be corrupted with the inventions of man ; therefore shee deserteth the communion of all such as have forsaken christ , the fountaine of living waters , and dig to themselves cisternes , broken cisternes , that will hold no water . hence it is as possible for light and darknesse to agree in one subject , and the temple of god , and i●ols : as the church that hath christ for her head , and the word to bee the rule of her doctrine , and government . and those congregations that are governed , partly by the word of christ , and partly by their owne t. aditions , should have communion together . but have gods elect in babylon any power of themselves to returne out of the land of their spirituall captivity under antichrist . nay : untill god enlighten them , that are darke ; and quicken them that are dead , and cause them to returne , by being obedient to a gospel ministery : as formerly he brought in our fore-fathers , which were gentiles aswell as wee , and strangers from the common-wealth of israel , and aliants from the covenant of promise , having no hope , and without god in the world , by opening their blind eyes : and turning them from darkenesse to light ; and from the power of satan , unto god ; that they might receive the remission of their sinnes , and an inheritance amongst them which are sanctified by faith in christ jesus , acts 26. 18. now as many as shall bee obedient to the voice of the lord , will be unequally yoaked no more with unbeleevers , but wil become obedient unto the voice of the holy spirit , and come out from amongst them , and be separate ; and touch no more any of the uncleane thing ; and then the lord will make good his promise : to be a father unto you , and yee shall be his sonnes and daughters . having therefore these promises ( dearely beloved ) let us clense our selves ( even so many poore iaphets , as god shall perswade to dwell in the tents of shem ; ) from all filthynesse , both of the flesh , and of the spirit , perfecting holynesse in the feare of the lord , 2 cor. 6. 14 , 17 , 18. chap. 7 , 1. if all churches come out of babylon by degrees ; then you condemn all churches that are not of your judgement ? we condemne no churches that are built upon the tryed stone : the precious corner stone ; the sure foundation , esay 28. 16. jesus the christ . seeing other foundation can no man lay , save that is layd jesus christ , 1 cor. 3. 11. whom paul calleth the corner stone , ephes . 2. 20. peter , the living stone , 1 pet. 2. 4. yea , the chiefe corner stone , elect and precious , 1 pet. 2. 6. for there is salvation in none other , acts 4. 12. 2 and that holdeth the gospell faith : namely , that they beleeve in a crucified , dead , and risen jesus ( through whom they obtaine remission of sinnes ) whom god hath exalted to be lord , and christ , viz. eternall king ▪ priest ▪ and prophet , and head of the body of his church , ephe. 1. 22 , 23. which must be preached among all nations ; beginning at jerusalem , luke 24. 46 , 47 , 48. and constituted according to the commission given to the apostles , math. 28. 19 , 20. which is left as a rule for the g●thering of all churches , to the ends of the world ; seeing the word of christ is eternall . the word of the lord endureth for ever ; and this is the word , which by the gospell is preache● unto you , 1 pet. 1. 25. yea , and after their apostasie , under the spirituall babylonish captivity , to reforme any errour crept into the churches of the old and new testament : it was their holy custome , to reduce all things to their first institution : quod primum verum , th●t which was first is true , according to ertullians j●dgement . for instance , so 〈◊〉 david in the miscarriage of the arke of god , 1 chro. 15. 2. 12. 13. and it was zealous iosiahs rule ( whom the spirit of god so comme●deth in scripture , that none was like before him for his reformation ) 2 chr● 34 31. the like example tooke nehemiah after his returne from the babylonish captivity , neh. 10. 29. to observe all the commandements of the lord , and the statutes which moses the servant of the lord gave them to keepe . so in reforming of the particular churches of the new testament , whereof jesus the christ is head , king , and prophet ( if ever they be rightly brought out of their spirituall babylonish captivity under antichrist ) we must reforme all the innovations , as the lord jesus himselfe reformed the long-spread errour of bygamie and polygamy . non fuit sic ab initio , from the beginning it was not so , matth. 19. 7 , 8. yea , and we must so follow paul ( as he followed christ , 1 cor. 11. 1. ) in reforming the abuses crept into the church of corinth , reducing all things to the first institution : with a what i r●ceived from the lord , that i delivered unto you , 1 cor. 11. 23. we condemne none that are comming out of babylon , that make enquiry after truth ( as the daughters of ierusalem did of the spouse , cant. 5. 9. what is thy beloved more then another beloved ; oh thou fairest among women ? what is thy beloved more then others beloveds , that thou dost so charge us ? and tru●h being r●vealed to them , joyne with us in the practise of truth , ( as the daughters of ierusalem did with the spouse , cant. 6. 1. whither is thy beloved gone , oh thou fairest among women ? whither is thy beloved turned aside that we may seeke him with thee ? ) the spouse giveth them a gentle , and a loving direction , cant. 6. 2. my beloved is gone into his garden , to gather spic●s : to feed in the garden , and to gather lillies . but wee onely condem●e those that deny jesus the christ ( though they owne him their eternall priest , that ever liveth , to make intercession to god for them hebr. 7. 25. ) yet they deny him their king and p●ophet in all his outward administrations , in admitting of members into his spirituall kingdome ; stablished ●ccording to christs eternall commission , mat. 28. 18 , 19 , 20. and are ●uil● upon wood , hay , and stubble , 1 cor. 3. 12. now though these pre●end to come out of babylon , yet they persecute , scof●e ▪ and deride all poore weake enq●i●ing soules , for seeking after the pure wayes of that spirituall worship , that jesus the christ hath appointed , and established in all the churches of the saints , gathe●ed according to the p●imitive ▪ pattern act. 2. 41 42 , 43. as the watchman ●id the spouse , cant. 5. 7. wee condemne onely those that sinne through a wilfull contempt ; because the ev●ll of their halfe-way reformation is discovered by them , whom god hath raised up to declare his truth in an evill day . now , when these sorts of men shall bee so farre from repenting of all the evill that they have done to the servants of the lord jesus , in this kind , that they still persevere in persecuting them for the truth they deliver , ( as the jewes did of old the lord jesus , and their own prophets , as it is written , 1 thes . 2. 14. for yee , brethren , became followers of the churches of god , which in judea are in christ jesus ; for yee have also suffered like things of your owne countrymen , even as they of the jewes : verse 15. who both killed the lord jesus , and their owne prophets , and have persecuted us , and they please not god , and are contrary to all men ; ver. 16. forbidding us to preach to the gentiles , that they may be saved , that they may fill up the measure of their owne iniquity , that the wrath of god may come upon them unto the uttermost . ) upon these sorts of men , not we , but the lord jesus hath set this dreadfull doome , this is the condemnation , that light is come into the world , and men love darknesse rather then light , because their deeds are evill . for every one that doth evill , hateth the light , neither cometh to the light , least his deeds should bee dis●overed , john 3. 19 , 20. not wee , but the good spirit of ●ur god condemneth all those that ●inger after false and antichristian wayes : when babylons down-fall ●s pronounced , r●vel . 14. 8. babylon ●s fallen , it is fall●n , that great city ; because shee made all nations drunk with ●he wine of her fornications . v 9. af●er that followed a third angel , that cryed with a loud voyce saying , if any man ( be hee high or low , rich or poore , noble or ignoble , bond or free , male or female ) worship the beast ( that antichrist of rome , that exalteth himselfe above all that is called god , or worshipped ) or his image , ( that is , his government , that receive their power and ju●isdiction from , in , or under him ) or his mark , ( viz. his canons , constitutions , edicts ▪ or decrees ) into their hands , ( viz. to fight , or write in the defence of them ) or into their foreheads , ( to plead or preach for them ) mark their doome , the same ( not that doe it ignorantly through un●belie●e , that are mislead by thei● teachers ; but they which sinn against knowledge , obstinately to defend their antichristian practices● shall drink of the wine of the wrath o● god , which is poured out without mix●ture into the cup of his indignation , an● they shall be tormented with fire an● brimstone in the presence of the hol● angels , and in the presence of the lamb● and the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever : and they hav● no rest day nor night , who worship th● beast and his image , and receive th● mark of his name , revel . 14. 10 , 11● the good lord of his great mercy grant to all those that belong to his election ( that linger after false and antichristian wayes and practices ) repenting hearts , to forsake their sinnes , that none of that evill threatned fall upon them . amongst which marks of the beast , is not the decree of pope innocentius the third ? decret . gregor . lib. 3. ●it . 42. cap 3. as doctor willet in his synopsis papismi de baptismo infanti●m , citeth : that whereas circum●ision ( by the commandement of god ) was conferred upon the in●ants as well as the elder sort ; so baptisme also , which succeedeth in ●he roome thereof , and is more generall to men and women , must ●e conferred to both . by which decree , the nations in name and title have been christianized , ( though ●n the power they have denyed it ) and have killed many a precious saint , under the brand of hereticks , for opposing it : whereby , the inhabitants of the earth have beene made drunk with the wine of her fornication , revel . 17. 2. but the spirit of god describeth the true church , after babylons down-fall , revel . 14. 12. here is the patience of saints : here are they which keep the commandements of god , and the faith of jesus . and is it not a commandement of god , that all churches should be gathered according to the commission of king jesus ? mat. 28. 18 , 19 , 20. mar. 16● 15 , 16. wee onely condemne those churches ( that persecute christ in his members , from city to city , ( as saul did , act. 26. 9 , 10. ) fo● keeping the commandements o● god , and the faith of jesus , mat● 16. 16. 1 joh. 5. 1. ) as no true churches of christ ; but rather synagogues of satan : for , no hurtful thing shall be in the holy mountaine● esay 65. 25. the wolfe and the lam● shal● fold together ; and the lion shall eat straw like an oxe ; and the dust shall the serpent eat : they shall not destroy in all my holy mountaine , saith the lord● as likewise , esay 11. 6 , 7 , 8 , 9. if the churches that men now contend for ( coming out of babylon by degrees ) should crucifie christ in his members , for contending for the faith of jesus the christ , once given to the saints , mat. ●6 . 16 , 17 , 18. yea , reproach , whip , crop , and persecute them , for holding the commission of their royall master jesus the christ , mat. 28. 18 , 19 , 20. that antichrist by his decretals , and popish councels , hath defaced , ( as of late the arch-prelate of england did some worthies , that stood for a reformation according to the light god discovered unto them ) then they in such an estate were no true churches of christ ; but congregations that are hardened , and speake evill of the way before the multitude , and are to be separated from , act. 19. 9. but if they be meek , and gentle , peaceable , and willing to bee instructed , inquiring after truth , it being discovered by the true spouse ( whom god hath enlightened to direct them , ) wee contemne not those daughters ; but rejoyce in their fellowship , tender them as lambes of christ , that have a longing desire to be added to that sheepfold , whereof ▪ jesus is the true shepherd ; though as yet ignorant of the way of truth in many things ▪ but as for the neutrall party , tha● are neither hot nor cold , but luke-warme , god will spue them out o● his mouth , revel . 3. 15 , 16. whether the church of chris● is not now to be recovered out o● an antichristian estate , that denyeth that jesus is the christ , 1 joh● 2 , 22. and crucifieth christ in hi● members ; as the church of the new testament in the apostolicall times , was gathered out of th● nationall church of the jewes ( that was of old once a true state untill they crucified jesus the christ in his humane nature ; whom god raised from the dead , and exalted him to be lord and christ , act. 2. 36. ) i● god shall by his gospel-ministery wound and prick their hearts for their sinne of crucifying christ in his members , that confesse the faith ●f jesus the christ , 1 joh. 5. 1. ( as ●ee did once the jewes that crucifi●d the christ , their messias , in his ●wne person , acts 2. 37. ) so that ●●ey trembling cry out , men and ●●ethren , what shall we doe ? must not the reply bee that ●oyce that the holy spirit spake by ●e mouth of peter , repent , and be ●aptized every one 〈◊〉 you in the name of jesus for the remission of sinnes : ●nd yee shall receive the gift of the ho● spirit . for the promise is to you , and 〈◊〉 your children , and to them that are ●farre off , even so many as the lord 〈◊〉 god shall call . and with many other words hee said , ( and must not ●ee doe so likewise ? seeing what●oever things ●ere written afore-time , were written for our learning , rom. 15. ● . ) save your selves from this unto●ard generation . seeing the same wrath is fallen on them ( as was on ●he jewes , for killing the lord jesus ●nd their owne prophets , 1 thes . 2. 14 , 15 , 16. ) seeing they crucifie christ in his members , that contend for the faith of jesus the chris● ( as paul did , act. 9. ) now so many as shall gladly receive this word and be baptized , shall be saved from wrath ; as noah and his family were saved in the ark , from perishing by water ; seeing it is written , by th● like figure baptisme saveth , 1 pet. 3● 20 , 21. the reason is , first , because th● time of our ignorance god hath winke● at ; but now ( seeing light is come and truth is revealed ) the lord jesus commandeth us every where to re●pent , &c. acts 2. 38. else our con●demnation will be heavie , joh. 3 ▪ 19 , 20. this is t●e condemnation , ligh● is come , and men love darknesse mor● then light , because their deeds are evill , &c. secondly , because we have with paul and the jaylor , in the time o● our ignorance , beaten and perse●cuted jesus the christ in his mem●bers , that contend for the faith 1 joh. 5. 1. and wee though within our selves we ought to doe something contrary to the name of jesus of nazareth ( as paul did in the time of his ignorance , act. 26. 9. ) if god shall by his good spirit convince us of the evills that wee have done , so as that we trembling cry , men and brethren , what shall we doe ? must not the reply be , repent ? &c. act. 2. 38. else , shall they not be disobedient to the voyce of the spirit that speaketh ? seeing paul and the jaylor arose and were baptized , acts 9. 18. & 16. 33. thirdly , because there is no promises of salvation to be found in the antichristian states , that deny jesus the christ , 1 joh. 2. 22. the reasons are , first , because all the promise of god are made over to them onely that beleeve in jesus the christ , 2 cor ▪ 1. 20. hee that beleeveth in the sonne of god hath life , and he that beleeveth not in the sonne of god , hath not life ; but the wrath of god abideth on him , john 3. 36. secondly , till we did beleeve in jesus christ , we were ( in respect of any visible calling ) without christ ; being aliants from the common-wealth of israel , and strangers from the covenant of promise ; having no hope , and without god in the world . but once beleevers in christ , yee who were sometime afarre off , are made nigh by his bloud , and through him have accesse by one spirit unto the father . and are no more strangers and forraigners : but fellow-citizens with the saints , and of gods houshold , &c. ephes . 2. 12 , 13. 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22. thirdly , because they in denying the sonnes authority to bee the king and prophet of his church in all his outward administrations , in admitting members into his spirituall kingdome , math. 28. 19. 20. though they own him their priest , that ever liveth to make reconciliation to god for them , hebr. 7. 25. they deny the father , that sanctified the sonne , and sent him into the world , and raised him from the dead , and exalted him to be the lord and christ , act. 2. 36. ephes . 1. 20 , 21 , 22. fourthly , because the antichristian state deny the sonne , 1 iohn 2. 22 , 23. whom the father of glory commandeth us to heare , math. 17. 5. yea , and the apostle peterciting the testimony of moses , saith , truely moses said to the fathers , the lord your god will raise up a prophet from the midst of your bretheren , like unto me ; him shall yee heare in all things whatsoever he shall say : and the danger followeth . it shall come to passe , that every soule which refuseth to heare the voice of that prophet , that soule shall be cut off from his people , acts 3 , 22 , 23. the reasons are these . first , if jesus the christ bee not our prophet to teach us , hee will not be our king to protect us : math. 28. 10. teach them , saith christ , to observe , all things that i command you : and loe , i am alwaies with you to the end of the world . secondly , if christ be no prophet to teach us his heavenly fathers revealed will , he wil be no priest to intercede for us , ioh. 17. 20. i pray not for these alone , but for all them that shall beleeve in me through their word . now it is not their word that they speake , but what they have received from christ to speake . seeing it is written 2 iohn 9. whosoever transgresseth and abideth not in the doctrine of christ , hath not god : but he that abideth in the doctrine of christ , hath both the father and the sonne . verse 10. if there come any unto you , and bring not this doctrin , receive him not to house , neither bid him god speed . verse 11. for hee that biddeth him god speed is partaker of his evill deeds . thirdly , if christ bee no prophet to teach us : hee will bee no judge to acquit us . iohn 12. 48. hee which rejecteth mee , and rece iveth not my words , hath one that judgeth him ; the words that i have spoken , the same shall judge us in the last day . and then like the wise merchant , let us cast up our accouut , what it will profit us ? if by denying to heare the voice of our prophet jesus , we gaine the world , and in the meane season loose our precious soules . knowing the sonne of man shortly will come to judge the world : and then they which be ashamed of him , and his words , in this sinnefull and adulterous generation , of them will the sonne of man be ashamed , when he cometh in the glory of his father ▪ with all his holy angels , marke 8. 38. fourthly , if we joyne with them that deny jesus the christ , i iohn 2. 22. and will be partakers of their sinnes , wee shall bee partakers of their plagues , revel . 18. 4. and for our unbeliefe , in persisting to persecute them , that contend for the faith of jesus the christ , math. 16 ▪ 16 , 17 , 18. the wrath of god abideth on them , 1 thess . 2. 14 , 15 , 16. fiftly , there is no promise to any people , that deny the faith and baptisme of jesus the christ , that they waiting shall receive the gifts of the spirit . but rather that they shall be given up of god to strong delusions , to beleeve a lye , 2 thess . 2. 10. because they received not the love of the truth , that they might bee saved . verse 11. for this cause , god shall give them up to strong delusions to beleeve a lye . verse 12. that all might bee damned that beleeve not the truth , but have pleasure to continue in unrighteous practises . 2 thess . 2 10 , 11 , 12. but there is a promise to all poore enquiring soules , that in the time of their ignorance and unbeliefe , have denyed jesus the christ , their eternall king and prophet , aswell as priest , and now by the spirit of god being convicted , that they are lyars and antichristian , that deny the father and the son , 1 iohn 2. 22. and being pricked at the heart , now trembling , cry out , men and brethren what shall we doe ? the spirit of christ in the inspired scripture , saith : repent , and be baptized ▪ every one of you in the name of iesus for the remission of sins , and yee shall receive the gifts of the holy spirit , acts 2. 38. we have an instance of twelve disciples found at ephesus , baptized in the name of the lord jesus , and and paul laid his hands on them , and they spake with new tongues , and prophesied , as ioel the prophet foretold , ioel 2. 28. i will powre out of my spirit upon all flesh , &c. but were those disciples paul found at ephesus ( that had beene baptized by iohn the paptist ) rebaptized by paul ? in answering this objection , i conceive : first , there was a vast difference betweene faith and baptisme ; iohn preached before the suffering , death , and resurrection of christ : and the faith and baptisine christ commanded his disciples to preach after his resurrection , luke 24. 46 , 47. secondly , iohn the baptist preached the baptisme of repentance ▪ saying , that they should beleeve on him that was to come after him , acts 19. 3 , 4. whom christ himselfe declareth to his apostles , being come in the flesh that he must goe up to ierusalem , fall into the hands of sinners , bee killed , and the third day rise againe , but th● disciples understood it not , though it were declared to them , and they were afraid to aske him , mark. 9. 31 , 32. much more john understood not , that christ should dye , and rise againe from the dead . first , because it was not revealed to him , though john sent two of his disciples to demand of him , whether it were he that should come , or shall we looke for another ? christ answereth , goe tell john , the blind see he deafe heare , the dead are raised , and the poore the gospell is preached , and lessed is he that is not offended in me , math. 11 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6. secondly , christ saith of john : this was that elias that was to come , ●hat should prepare the way before him , mal. 3. 1. thirdly , hee was the greatest prophet borne amongst women : for he saw him come in the flesh , and said to two disciples , behold that lamb ●f god which taketh away the sinnes of he world , john 1. 29. yet hee that is he least member in the kingdom of heaven is greater then john : because after the death and resurrection of christ , they could preach and declare that great myst●ry of godtinesse , 1 tim. 3. 16. that iohn the baptistnever knew . but the apostles after the resurrection of christ , he having opened their understanding , that they might understand the scriptures , said unto them , that it behoveth , christ to suffer , and rise againe the third day , that repentance and remission of sinnes should bee preached in his name , amongst all nations , beginning at ierusalem : and yee are witnesses of these things , luke 24. 46 , 47 , 48. again , iohn the baptists baptisme , was the baptisme of water onely but had no promise of the holy spirit annexed , as himselfe confesseth , math. 3. 11. i indeed baptize you with water to repentance : but he that commeth after mee is mightier then i ▪ he shall baptize you with the holy spirit and with fire . secondly , the holy spirit wa● not to bee given in his full measure untill christ was glorified . iohn 7. 39 compared with acts 2. 33. but to the faith and baptisme the apostles preached after the death , and resurrection , and ascention of christ into glory , there was a promise of giving the gifts of the holy spirit , acts 2. 38. repent , and b● baptized , every one of you in the nam● of iesus for the remission of sinnes : and yee shall receive the gift of the holy spirit : as the prophet ioel foretold , ioel 2. 28. and the twelve at ephesus received , acts 19. 6. i affirme , that the twelve at e●hesus , that had beene baptized by iohn , or his disciples ministry , were re-baptized by paul , or them that were with him in the time of his ministery ; for these ensuing reasons . first , in respect of the different dispensations . the faith and baptisme that these twelve had received from iohn , or his disciples ministerie , though it was a saving faith all the dayes of iohn and his disciples ministry , yet it was not a saving faith after the death , and resurrection , and ascention of christ into glory , in the time of pauls ministery : for iohn and his disciples preached the baptisme of repentance ; saying , that they should beleeve on him that was to come after him ▪ that was in jesus christ , that was to bee crucified . but paul and timetheus preached , that jesus indeed is come , and crucified , dead , and risen , through whom all that beleeve shall have remission of sinnes , acts 13. 38 , 39. 1 cor. 15. 3 , 4. secondly , because this faith that they had received from iohn , or his disciples , in the time of pauls ministery would not save them : because they denyed the resurrection of christ from the dead : looking onely for him to come , and to be crucified ; and were ignorant that he was crucified , dead , and risen : and then according to the doctrine of the holy spirit , by the mouth of paul , 1 cor. 15. 14. if christ be not risen , our faith is vaine , and our preaching is vaine . thirdly , if the faith and bap●isme of iohn , that declared that there was a jesus to come to bee crucified ; and the faith and baptimse of paul that declareth that christ dyed for our sins , according to the scriptures , and rose againe the third day according to the scripture , 1 cor. 15. 3 , 4. be all one for substance ( as some of the learned amongst us affirme ) then are wee found false witnesses of god , because wee have testified of god ; that he hath raised up his sonne iesus christ , whom he ●aised not up if the faith and bap●isme of iohn be in force at his day , ● cor. 15. 15. fourthly , if the faith and bap●isme of iohn be in force under the time of pauls ministery , acts 9. 3 , ● . then was the preaching of paul vaine , and the faith of all that received his gospell , ( to wit , that christ dyed for our sinnes , according to the scriptures , and rose againe the third day , 1 cor. 15. 3 , 4. ) vaine , and ●hat they were yet in their sinnes , 1 cor. 15. 16. 17. neither were the gifts o● the spirit then given : for they wer● not to be shed forth until christ wa● risen and ascended up into glor● acts 2. 33. which is blaspemous to imagine , or to divulge and declare abroad . for these reasons , i conceiv● there was a nullity of the faith an● baptisme of john , which was to continue but till the death and resur rection of christ : and the twelve in asia were re-baptized into th● faith of a crucified , dead , and risen jesus , whom god exalted to b● the christ . and paul layd his hand on them , and they received the hol● spirit , acts 19. 5. 6. may it not rather bee , that with apollos , they were more fully instructed what it was to bee baptized into the name of the lord jesus . nay ; because there was as vast a difference , according to the distin●●ion i formerly layd downe , be●weene the faith and baptisme of ●ohn and his disciples before the eath of christ , and the faith and ●aptisme of paul ; and ●he residue of the apostles after the death and resurrection of christ : as now is ●etwixt the jewes at this day : and ●s that truely beleeve in jesus the christ , 1 joh. 5. 1. whosoever beleeveth that jesus is the christ is born of god. for the jewes at this day be●eeve ( as john and his disciples then taught , that they should beleeve on him that should come , acts 19. 4. ) even in that messiiah whom they wait ●or . and we beleeve ( as peter and paul then taught ) that christ indeed is come , and crucified , dead , and risen , and exalted to bee the christ , acts 2. 36 ephes . 1. 20 , 21 , 22 , 23. so that , if the jewish faith be not a saving faith at this day ; seeing they looke for a messiah to come : when indeed hee is already come , and crucified , dead , risen and ascended to glory ; so that we wait now for a saviour from heaven , jesus that shall deliver us from the wrath t● come , 1 thess . 1. 10. neither coul● the faith of those twelve disciples paul found at ephesus bee a saving faith in the time of his ministery because christ was come ( though they were ignorant of it , being a that time in asia ) and had finished all those things that were written of him in the law of moses , the prophets , and the psalmes , luke 24. 44. but as neither the twelve disciples of christ could not understand that all things were fulfilled of him : untill hee had opened their understandings , that they might understand the scriptures : and then they rightly understood the end of his suffering , death , and resurrection : namely , that repentance , and remission of sinnes , should bee preached in his name among all nations , beginning at ierusalem , luke 24. 45 , 46 , 47 , &c. so neither could these twelve paul found at ephesus know it ; because , they had not heard , whether there were any holy spirit , yea , or nay ; and so were ignorant of the death , and resurrection of christ , untill the lord was pleased by his good spirit to open their understanding , by the ministery of paul ; therefore it is written , when they heard it , they were baptized in the name of the lord jesus , act. 19. 5. was there any necessity that they should be re-baptized ; would not a more perfect instruction have served ? nay : because those twelve were departed into asia , after they had received the faith and baptisme of john , and were ignorant whether there were any holy spirit yea or nay , acts 19. 2. because johns faith and baptisme ( as i have formerly shewed ) had no promise of giving the gifts of the holy spirit , mat. 3. 11. if they therefore should continue in the faith and baptisme they had received from john , they had no promise that waiting they should receive the gift of the holy spirit . but to the faith and baptisme that peter and the residue of the apostles preached , there was a promise of giving the gifts of the holy spirit , acts 2. 38. and when these twelve which had been baptized by john , or his disciples , heard it , they submitted them selves , and were baptized in the name of the lord jesus ; ( viz. into that profession of faith paul preached , 1 cor. 15. 3 , 4. ) and when paul had laid his hands on them , the holy spirit came upon them , and they spake with new tongues , and prophesied ; and the men were about twelve , acts 19. 5 , 6. such an instance likewise wee have in samaria ; philip preaching the things concerning the kingdome of god , and the name of jesus christ , and they were baptized both men and women , act. 8. 12. when the apostles which were at hierusalem heard it , they sent peter and john unto them : and when they were come down , they prayed , that they might receive the holy spirit : ( for as yet hee was fallen upon none of them , onely they were baptized in the name of the lord jesus ) then they laid their hands on them , and they received the holy spirit , acts 8. 14 , 15 , 16 , 17. so that by the examination of these texts of holy scripture , it appeareth to me , that these twelve that were formerly baptized by iohn , and then afterwards by paul were baptized in the name of the lord jesus ; and then the lord according to his owne free promise , acts 2. 38. gave them the gifts of his holy spirit , by his ordinance of imposition of hands ; that the earth might bee filled with his glory , and his church replenished with gifts meet for the ministery , ephes . 4. 11 , 12. but was andrew and the other disciple iohn baptized , re-baptized by the disciples of jesus the christ ? nay : because that faith which iohn preached and baptized into , and the faith and baptisme that jesus and his disciples preached before his sufferings , death and resurrection , was all one in substance , and to one peculiar people , the jewish nation . mat. 3. 2. iohn preached , repent , for the kingdome of heaven is at hand . so did jesus , mat. 4. 17. repent , for the kingdome of heaven is at hand . so christ commanded the twelve , as yee goe , preach , saying , the kingdome of heaven is at hand , mat. 10. 7. likewise the seventy , the kingdome of heaven is come nigh unto you , luke 10. 9. peter and all the disciples were ignorant of the death and resurrection of christ , untill he was risen from the dead , mar. 9. 31 , 32. compared with luk. 24. 6 , 7 , 8. they wait for the fulfilling of the promises as well as iohns disciples , luke 24. 19 , 20 , 21 , 22. but were the twelve disciples of christ , and the seventy , luk. 10. that had accompanied with him from the time of iohns baptisme untill the time of christs ascension into glory , that had been baptized , were they also re-baptized after the death and resurrection of christ ? the answer is , nay : because they had the promise of the holy spirit to be given them , without any more baptizing with water . acts 1. 5. iohn truly baptized with water , but yee shall be baptized with the holy spirit not many dayes hence . and the lord made good his word of promise , they were filled with the holy spirit , when the dayes of pentecost were fully come , acts 2. 2 , 3 , 4 , 5. thus i have answered the objections . because , if two disciples of christ agree together in earth , touching any thing that they shall ask , they have promise it shall bee done for them of his father in heaven , mat. 18. 19. but there is no promise to any people in faith and order , but a people agreed : reas . 1. because two cannot walk together unlesse they be agreed , amos 3. 3. neither can the heart of two beleevers truly consent to pray together , unlesse they bee agreed touching the things they will ask of the father of glory . reas . 2. difference of opinion causeth difference of affection , and is an occasion of many deare and precious soules to withdraw communion ; as is to be seen in barnabas and paul , dissenting about the choyce of a companion , the contention grew so hot , that they separated the one from the other , acts 15. 37 , 38 , 39 , 40. two or three disciples of christ , gathered together in his name , ( that is , by his power , authority , and royall commission ) where-soever , ( whether in the mountaine , or in the desert , or in ship , or in the dungeon ) there will christ be in the midst of them , to heare and grant their petitions , or deliver them out of trouble ; as he did peter out of the prison , at the intercession of the church , act. 12. to all such as walk in this gospel faith and order , the lord jesus hath promised a greater manifestation of his presence , and spirit , joh. 14. 26. and john in the island of pathmos ●ound it , revel . 1. 9 , 10. yea , and to all them that love him and keep his commandements , the father and the sonne hath promised to owne their poor hearts to be his temple and palace , where hee will abide and dwell ; joh. 14. 23. lastly , all such as are congregated in gospel faith and order , have a promise from king jesus , of royall protection in their greatest dangers , heb. 13. 5 , 6. so that with the prophet habacuck they can glory in christ , in their greatest extremities , hab. 3. 17 , 18. though the vine doe not yeeld her fruit , and the fatnesse of the olive faile , and the herd perish from the stall ; yet will i joy in the lord , and rejoyce in the god of my salvation . but is there any hope to see the nation of england reformed according to the primitive pattern , founded upon the word of the eternall truth ? ephes . 2. 20. yea. first , because there was never a more exact covenant taken in no realme , or nation , since the dayes of zealous josiah , 2 chron. 34. 31. and nehemiah , nehem. 10. 29. than is in these our dayes , to see a through reformation in england and ireland , according to the word of god ; and to extirpate popery , prelacy , superstition , schisme , he●esie , in doctrine , worship , and discipline ; that the lord should be one , and his name one , in the ●hree kingdomes . so that we are ●ot to leave so much as an hoofe behind us of any superstition , or romish relique , or any humane tradition , in gods worship , to be ●etained ; though it have remained ●nder the venerable garbe of an●iquity , universality , and unity , ●he three great pillars of the roman hierarchy . secondly , because there are in ●he synod some learned , pious , ten●er , conscientious men , that in the ●ayes of the cruell and ambitious prelates ( like the priest and levites , 〈◊〉 the dayes of idolatrous jerobo●m , that served the devils and the calves hee made , 2 chron. 11. 13 , 14 , ●5 . ) left all their maintenance , and went and lived in a strange land , to enjoy the liberties of a good conscience , and worship the lord jesus according to the light they had received ; that are at this day truly sensible , what a burden th● penall statutes have beene in ou● land , in former times , to tende● consciences , that desire ( without any sinister ends ) to see a reformation according to gods word ▪ therefore will never consent t● have such a penall law enacted ( as the prelates of england onc● obtained by fraud and policy , in the dayes of richard the second to kill the english subjects , that would declare the whole truth o● god , so farre as it was revealed to them , and keep a good conscienc● toward god and man : which occasioned the death of some of th● nobility , gentry , and ministery in the nation ; with many other of inferiour rank . thirdly , there are in the hig●● and honourable court of parliament , some such conscientious tender-hearted men , that in the pre●ates dayes left , if not sold , their ●ossessions , to goe into a desolate ●ildernesse , to worship the lord ●esus in spirit and truth , according ●o the light god revealed unto ●hem ; and many other were fol●owing after , that are truly sensi●le , that it hath ever been a plot of the bishops and priests to labour ●o enthrall the english nobility , and commons in parliament , to ●●ake lawes to kill and imprison ●he conscientious in the land , that ●oe desire to worship the father of our lord jesus christ in spirit and ●ruth , according to his revealed will in his owne word , under the spe●ious pretences of unity , and uniformity in the worship of god : as ●he statutes of k. henry 8. k. edward 6. q. mary , and q. elizabeth , ●eclare . fourthly , it is obvious to every well-affected subject in the english nation , that when our brethren that noble , ancient , warlike nation the scots , contended for a reformation according to the light they ha● received , and casting off rome proud papall and prelaticall government , with all their devise● formes of worship , they must hav● dyed ; the english prelates had s● farre incensed his majesty against them , and raised large summes o● money toward the levying of a● army , to kill and destroy them had not the lord by his special● providence prevented it . fifthly , when the lord opened the eyes of our deare and thric● noble patriots of our countrey assembled in parliament , to make a solemne protestation , to oppos● all popery and popish innovations , and to extirpate episcopacy root and branch , as a plant th● heavenly father never planted ; then evill counsell prevailed with the king to withdraw from his parliament , and under the pretence of a guard to protect his person , to make warre against his parliament , that they should dye : but our faithfull nobles , and true hearted commons in england reply , shall our ionathans dye ? who have in part freed our consciences from roman traditions , and ancient corrupt festivals , and covenanted with us for a pure reformation agreeable to the word of our good god , and have preserved our estates and liberties from an arbitrary government ; shall they dye which have wrought such a deliverance in the land ? they shall not dye : we will bleed our selves before an haire shall fall from their heads , if either wee with our persons , prayers , counsells , states , or swords can prevent it . and hath the lord given such a blessing to our endeavours , that god hath made the righteous of the land , ( next to the lord ) a wall of defence to the parliament ; shall it ever therefore enter into the heart of loyall and tender-hearted covenantors to have such hard thoughts ; that the parliament will ever consent to burden us any longer with unjust penall statutes , who have thought nothing too deare for them , but have jeopardized lives and livelyhods for their preservations . especially , they being sensible what a burden such penall lawes have been to tender consciences , and what an hinderance they are for propagating truth . sixtly , all the faithfull in the parliament know but in part ; and the more they tast of the honey of gods eternall truth , the more their eyes are enlightened to see , they have not as yet attained to a full reformation . and if now they should build but upon the least hay and stubble , they should not onely suffer losse ; but lay a foundation of a new rent in the ages and generations to come : yea , and looke what unjust penall statutes they impose now ; may perhaps fall as heavy upon their posterity , as sometime did upon that famous lord cobham , that gave his consent to the statute of lolordi , and afterward was put to death for a lolord . seventhly , the lord hath added such a blessing to the pious endeavours of the parliament , that they have discovered many things to be ●ruth ; that the learned prelates in former times adjudged to be heresies : as the parity of the ministery . superstitious formes of devised worship , called divine . superstitious festivals , formerly esteemed holy feasts , now taken away , that men may follow their honest labour six daies , and sanctifi● a seventh , as a day of holy re●● to the lord ; being now the first day of every weeke ; as the holy scripture hath left us a rule of practise to observe and doe , act 20. 7. and hee which hath begu● this great and happy worke of reformation by this parliament : we are confident , will never leave them untill hee hath made them instruments , either to perfect it ; or a● least , to give to all his faithfull daniels , libertie of conscience , to worship the lord in spirit and truth according to his will revealed against whom they can object nothing , unlesse it bee in the matte● that concerne the spirituall worship of their god ; seeing the● have learned to give caesar his due tribute , custome , feare , honour ; yea and lay downe their lives , rathe● then just and lawfull magistrate should not be maintained among us , and obeyed in all their just , legall , and civill commandements . knownig , they carry not the sword for nought , but for the punishment of them that doe evill , and for the praise , and defence of them that doe well . lastly , the wrondrous power of the spirit of grace , in enlightning darke mindes with the knowledge of his truth ; and scattering the knowledge of it , all the kingdome over , in cities , countreyes , and campe , and causing men of singular parts of learning to bring their gifts toward the building up of zion ; and powring out of his spirit ( as ioel the prophet foretold , ioel 2. 28. ) upon all sorts of people , both young , and old ; rich , and poore ; which is to mee a plaine demonstration , that the lord will never leave us , untill he hath made his new jerusalem , the praise of the whole earth , and prepared the spouse , the lambes wife ; yea , and advanced jesus the christ once againe upon the throne , to be the head , king , priest , and prophet of his church , according to the ancient prophesie of david , psal . 2. 6. yet have i set my king upon my holy hill of zion . gloria soli deo. finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a34599-e230 1 cor. 14 27 ephes . 4. 24 1 cor. 1. 30 psal . 16. 3. psal 15. cant 4 16. joh. 3. 5. tit. 3. 3. col. 1. 13. 1 pet. 2. 9. heb 15. 1. rom 9 11. act. 13. 39. heb. ● . 14. act 26. 1● . eccl. 36. 25. 26. gal. ● . 15 , 1● . 〈…〉 mat 22. 21 rome . 13. 7. ● pet. 2. 14 notes for div a34599-e1610 quest . 1. reas . 1. reas . 2. object . answ . 1. quest . 2. 〈◊〉 answ . object . 1. answ . 1. answ . 2. object . answ . 1. answ . 2. answ . 3. object . 2. answ . object . 3. answ . 1. answ . 2. answ . 3. reas . 1. reas . 2. object . answ . object . 4. answ . object . 5. answ . answ . 2. quest . 3. quest . 1. quest . 2. reas . 1. reas . 2. quest . 2. reason 1. reas . 2. reas . 3. reas . 4. reason 5. object . 1. answ . object . 2. answ . object . 3. answ . object . 4. answ . notes for div a34599-e6240 reas . 1. object . answ . object . answ . notes for div a34599-e7210 psal . 1. 2. notes for div a34599-e8140 quest . answ . quest . answ . psal . 141. 3. quest . answ . quest . answ . a quest . answ . quest . answ . 1 ▪ tim. 3. 15. mat. 6. 25. reas . 1. object . answ . quest . answ . quest . answ . quest . answ . quest . answ . object . answ . 1. quest . answ . reas . 1. reas . 3. object . answ . object . answ . answ . 2. reas . 1. reas . 2. reas . 3. reas . 4 , 〈◊〉 〈…〉 object . 2. answ . object . 3. answ . object . 4. answ . reas . 7. reas . 8. reas . 9. reas . 10. quest . answ . reas . 2. reas . 5. reas . 6. reas . 7. the tryall of true wisdom, with how to become wise indeed, or, a choice and cheap gift for a friend both to please and pleasure him, be he inferior or superior, sinful or faithful, ignorant or intelligent / by r. younge ... ; add this as an appendix, or third part, to the hearts index, and, a short and sure way, to grace and salvation. younge, richard. this text is an enriched version of the tcp digital transcription a67781 of text r39197 in the english short title catalog (wing y194). textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. the text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with morphadorner. the annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. this text has not been fully proofread approx. 124 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 18 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. earlyprint project evanston,il, notre dame, in, st. louis, mo 2017 a67781 wing y194 estc r39197 18266274 ocm 18266274 107266 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a67781) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 107266) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 1138:29) the tryall of true wisdom, with how to become wise indeed, or, a choice and cheap gift for a friend both to please and pleasure him, be he inferior or superior, sinful or faithful, ignorant or intelligent / by r. younge ... ; add this as an appendix, or third part, to the hearts index, and, a short and sure way, to grace and salvation. younge, richard. younge, richard. hearts-index, or, self-knowledg. younge, richard. short and sure way to grace and salvation. 35 p. j. crump and h. cripps, [london : 1658] caption title. errata: p. 35. imprint suggested by wing and nuc pre-1956 imprints. imperfect: faded, with print show-through. reproduction of original in the union theological seminary library eng grace (theology) salvation -biblical teaching. calvinism -england. a67781 r39197 (wing y194). civilwar no the tryall of true wisdom; with how to become wise indeed. or, a choice and cheap gift for a friend; both to please and pleasure him: be he younge, richard 1658 21132 25 0 0 0 0 0 12 c the rate of 12 defects per 10,000 words puts this text in the c category of texts with between 10 and 35 defects per 10,000 words. 2005-08 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-09 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2005-10 jonathan blaney sampled and proofread 2005-10 jonathan blaney text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-01 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the tryall of true wisdom ; with how to become wise indeed . or , a choice and cheap gift for a friend ; both to please and pleasure him : be he inferior or superior , sinful or faithful , ignorant or intelligent . by r. younge of roxwel in essex , floreligus . add this as an apendix , or third part , to the hearts index . and , a short and sure way , to grace and salvation . section 41. lucian tells of an egyptian king , who had apes taught ( when they were young ) to dance , and keep their postures with much art : these he would put into rich coats , and have them in some great presence to exercise their skill ; which was to the admiration of such as knew them not , what little sort of active , nimble men the king had got : and such as knew them , thought it no less strange ; that they should be trained up to so man-like , and handsome a deportment . but a subtile fellow that was once admitted to see them , brought and threw amongst them , a handful of nuts : which they no sooner spied ; but they presently left off their dance , fell a scrambling , tore one anothers rich coats ; and to the dirision of the beholders ( who before admired them ) they discovered themselves to be meer apes . these ensuing notions ( which i have purposely taken , as a handful out of the whole sack , to squander away amongst my acquaintance ) are such nuts , as will discover not a few ( who are men in appearance , and their own opinion ) to be as wise , and well affected as aesops cock ; that preferred a barley corn , before a pearl : or plinies moal , that would dig under ground with great dexterity : but was blind , it brought into the sun . or diaphontus , that refused his mothers blessing , to hear a song : or the israelites , who preferred garlick and onions , before quails and manna . men no more differ from beasts , plants , stones ; in speech , reason , shape , than some differ from others , in heart , in brain , in life . whence the very heathen poets usually & most fitly compare some men to stones , for their hardness , and insensibleness ; others to plants , that only fill their veins ; a third sort to beasts , that please their senses too ; a fourth to evil angels , that only sin , and cause others to sin ; a fift to good angels , that are still in motion , alwayes serving god and doing good , yet ever rest . again , experience teaches , that mens judgements and censures are as various , as their pallats : for what one admires , another slights ; as is evident by our saviours auditors ; of which some admired , others censured , a third sort wept , a fourth scoft , a fift trembled , a fixt blasphemed when they heard him . and how should it be otherwise , when the greater part , are as deeply in love with vice and error ; as the rest are with vertue , and truth . when mens conditions , and constitutions vary as much ; as their faces . as the holy ghost intimates , in comparing several men , to almost every several creature in the universe . nor is the epicure more like a swine , the lustful person a goat , the fraudulent man a fox , the backbiter a barking dog , the slanderer an asp , the oppressor a vvolf , the persecutor a tyger , the church-robber a wild bore , the seducer a serpent , yea a devil , the traytor a viper , &c. 2 tim. 4 17. luk. 13. 32. phil. 3. 2. psal. 22. 12 , 13 , 16 , 20 , 21. & 74. 13 , 14 , 19. & 80. 13. matth. 23. 33. dan. 7. 4 , 5 , 6 , &c. zeph. 3. 3 , 4 , &c. cant. 2. 15 , 17 , &c. then every of them is unlike another . amidst such a world of variety , i have chosen to set forth , how one man differs from , and excels another in brain , and to prove , that to be wise indeed , is the portion but of a few , even amongst us . and this discovery alone ( as i deem ) will be richly worth my pains , and each mans serious observation . sect. 42. now all sorts of men , may be comprised , under one of these three heads : the sensual . rational . spiritual . for if you observe it , some men like the moon at full , have all their light towards earth , none towards heaven : others like the moon at vvaine , or change , have all their light to heaven wards , none to the earth : a third sort like to the moon in eclipse , as having no light in it self , neither towards earth , nor towards heaven . touching these three degrees of comparison , you shall find , that the one exceeds the other ( in wisdom ) as the stars exceed one another in glory . of which particularly . first , there is no less difference , between the rational and sensual , the wise and simple , the learned and unlearned , than there is between men and beasts ; as menander speaks . or between the living and the dead , as another hath it . and yet the rational , do not so far excel the sensual , as the spiritual excel the rational . sensual men are so be-nighted , and puzled with blindnes , that they know no other way than the flesh leads them . it is the weight that sets all their wheels a going ; the horses that draw their chariot , the very life of their corruption , the corruption of their life , without which they do nothing . the minds of brutish men , that have been ill bred , are so drowned in sin , and sensuallity ; and their spirits so frozen , and pitifully benumed with worldliness , and wicked customs , that they cannot judg aright , either of spiritual matters , or rectified reason . yea , in matters experimental , they are of as deep a judgement as was callico , who stuft his pillow ( a brass pot ) with straw , to make it soft . or that germain clow● , who under-took to be very ready in the ten commandments : but being demanded by the minister which was the first ? made answer , thou shall not eate . or that simple fellow , who thought pontius pilate must needs be a saint , because his name was put into the creed . they are like the ostrich , job 9. 17. whom god hath deprived of wisdom , and to whom he hath given no part of understanding . which men also , are so far from receiving instruction , that they will scorn and scoff at their admonisher . as they have no reason , so they will hear none . nor will they believe any thing , but what they see , or feell : and he that learns of none but himself , hath a fool to his t●acher . yea , such as refuse admonition , are by wise solomon branded , for the most incorigible fools alive ; so that their knowledge is ignorance , their wisdom folly , their sight blindness . they neither consider what reason speaketh , or religion commandeth ; but what the will and appetite affecteth . for will is the axeltree , lusts and passions the wheels whereupon all their actions are carried and do run . appetite being their lord , reason their servant , and religion their slave . whereas religion should govern their judgement , judgment and reason their wills and affections ; as adam should have done eve . they that are after the flesh , do minde the things of the flesh : the carnal minde is enmity against god , for it is not subject to the law of god , neither indeed can be , rom. 8. 5. to 9. and which leaves them without all hope of being wiser , they had rather keep conscience blind , that it may flatter them , than inform it , that it may give a just verdict against them , counting it less trouble , to believe a favorable falshood , than to examine whether it be true . so that it is impossible for fleshly minded men , to believe what sots they are , touching the good of their souls . wherefore when we see the folly , and misery of those that serve sin and satan , and how peevishly averse they are to their own eternal salvation , let us pity them , as being so much more worthy our commiseration , as they are more uncapable of their own misery . and so much of the first sort , namely , sensuallists . sect. 43. secondly , there is another degree of knowledge , that is accrued or obtained , by education and learning , observation and experience , called natural or speculative knowledge , or reason improved . for humane learning , is as oyl to the lamp of our reason , and makes it burn cleerer : but faith and illumination of the spirit , more than doubles the sight of our minds ; as a prospective glass does the corporal sight , matth. 16. 17. 1 cor. 2. 7. to 17. joh. 12. 46. for as the soul is the lamp of the body , and reason of the soul , and religion of reason , and faith of religion : so christ is the light , and life of faith , joh. 1. 9. & 8. 12. act. 26. 18. eph. 5. 14. christ is the sun of the soul ; reason and faith the two eyes : reason discerns natural objects , faith spiritual and supernatural . we may see far with our bodily eye sence , farther with the minds eye reason ; but farther with the souls eye faith than with both . and the beleever hath the addition of gods spirit , and faith above all other men . i am the light of the world , saith our saviour , he that followeth me ( meaning by a lively faith ) shall not walk in darkness , but shall have the light of life , joh. 8. 12. and more see two eyes than one : yea , the day with one eye , does far more things descry , than night can do with more than argos eyes . so that as meer sense is uncapable of the rules of reason ; so reason is no less uncapable , of the things that are divine and supernatural , jer. 10. 14. 1 cor. 2. 14 , 15 , 16. eph. 5. 8. and as to speak is only proper to men : so to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven , is only propper to believers , psal. 25. 14. prov. 3. 32. amos. 3. 7. now of natural and speculative knowledge , the wicked have as large a share as the godly : but of spiritual , experimental , and saving knowledge which is supernatural , and descendeth from above , jam. 3. 17. and keepeth a man from every evil way , prov. 2. 12. the wicked have no part with the godly . whence all men in their natural condition are said to be blind and in darkness , matth. 4. 16. & 15. 14. eph. 4. 18 , 19. & 5. 8. whereas believers , are called children of light , and of the day , 1 thes. 5. 5. 1 pet. 2. 9. nor is this kind of knowledge , any way attainable , but by grace from above . no learning , experience , or pains in studdy and books , will bring them to it , ephe. 1. 17 , 18. & 3. 19. except they become new creatures , have hearts , eyes , and eares sanctified from above ; and that the holy ghost becomes their teacher , deut. 29. 2 , 3 , 4. psal. 111. 10. joh. ●● . 15. rom. 8. 14 , 15. nor is it saving knowledge that they seek after : for though many of them , be great seekers after knowledge , great pains-takers to become wise : yet it is not divine and supernatural knowledge , that they labor for , or desire . indeed wisdom in the largest sense , hath ever carried that shew of excellency with it , that not only the good have highly affected it , ( as moses who studied for wisdom ; and solomon who prayed for wisdom ; and the queen of sheba who travelled for wisdom ; and david who to get wisdom , made the word his counsellor , hated every false way , and was a man after gods own heart ) but the very wicked have labored for it , who are ashamed of other vertues ; as , o the pleasure that rational men take in it ! prov. 2. 3 , 10 , 11. & 10. 14. phil. 3. 8. knowledge is so fair a virgin , that every cleer eye is in love with her ; it is a pearl despised of none but swine , prov. 2. 3. 10. 11. ( whereas brutish and blockish men , as little regard it ) they who care not for one dram of goodness , would yet have a full scale of knowledge . amongst all the trees of the garden , none so pleaseth them as the tree of knowledge . and as wisdom is excellent above all , so it is affected of all , as oyl was both of the wise and foolish virgins . it hath been a mark that every man hath shot at , ever since eve sought to be as wise as her maker : but as a hundreth shoot , for one that hitts the white : so an hundred aim at wisdom , for one that lights upon it , eccles. 7. 28. because they are mistaken in the thing . for as iacob in the dark mistook leah for rachael , so many a blind soul , takes that to be wisdom , which is not like eve , who thought it wisdom to eate the forbidden fruit , and absalom , who thought it wisdom to lye with his fathers concubines in the sight of all the people ; and the false steward , who thought it wisdom to deceive his master . and so of josephs brethren , of pharoah and his deep counsellors , of achitophel , of herod , of the pharisees in their project to destroy jesus ; and many the like . all these thought they did wisely , but they were mistaken , and their projects proved foolish , and turned to their own ruine . sect. 44. but take some instances , to prove that all sorts of naturians are fools , in comparrison of the godly . i 'le begin with those that rep●●e themselves , and are reputed by others , the wisest amongst men : and they are your profound humanists , and cunning polititians , wherein you shall see , whether the most and greatest number are not grosly mistaken , in their opinions and verdicts touching wisdom . first for profound hamanists , a man would think that they were incomparably wise ; for none so thirst after knowledge and wisdom as they ; & to get it they are no niggards of their labor : nor do they leave any thing unstudied but themselves . they know all parts and places of the created world , can discourse of every thing visible and invisible , divine , humane and mundane ; whether it be meant of substances or accidents , are ignorant of nothing but the way to heaven , are acquainted with all laws and customs , save the law of god , and customs of christianity ; they are strangers no where but in the court of their own consciences : yea , they build as hard , and erect as high as did the babel-builders ; but all to no purpose : they never come to the roof , and when they die they are undone . they spend all their time in seeking after wisdom ; as alchimists spend all their estates , to find out the philosophers stone ; but never find it ; they never attain to that , which is true wisdom indeed . for as the ragged poet told petronius , that poetry was a kind of learning , that never made any man rich : so humane learning of it self , never made a wise man . as thus ( if i may be so bold ) what is it , or what does it profit a man , to have the etymologie , and derivation of wisdome and knowledge , without being affected with that , which is true wisdom indeed to be able to decline vertue , yet not love it ? to have the theory , & be able to prattle of wisdom by rote ; yet not know what it is by effect and experience ? to have as expert a tongue , and as quick a memory as portius ; a perfect understanding , great science , profound eloquence , a sweet stile ? to have the force of demosthenes , the depth of thesius , the perswasive art of tully , &c. if withal he wants grace , and lives remissely ? with the astronomer , to observe the motions of the heavens ; while his heart is buried in the earth ? to search out the cause of many effects , and let pass the consideration of the principal , and most necessary ? with the historian , to know what others have done , and how they have sped ; while he neglecteth the imitation of such , as are gone the right way ? with the law-maker , to set down many lawes in particular , and not to remember the common law of nature , or law general that all must die ? or lastly , with adam to know the nature of all the creatures : and with solomon to be able to dispute of every thing , even from the cedar to the hyssop or pellitory ; when in the mean time he lives like dives , dyes like naba●● and after all goes to his own place with iudas ? alas ! many a fool goes to hell with lesse cost , less pains , and far more quiet : that is but raw knowledge , which is not digested into practice : it is not worth the ●●me of knowledge , that may be heard only and not seen , ioh. 13. 17 〈◊〉 . 4. 6. good discourse is but the froth of wisdom : the sweet and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of it , is in well framed actions : that is true knowledge , that makes the knower blessed . we only praise that mariner , that brings the 〈◊〉 safe to the haven . what sayes aristotle ? to be wise and happy are terms reciprocal . and socrates , that learning , saith he , pleaseth me but a little , which nothing profits the owner of it , either to vertue , or happiness : and being demanded , who was the wisest and happiest man ? he answered , he that offends least . he is the best scholar , that learns of christ obedience , humility , &c. he is the best arithmetitian , that can add grace to grace ; he is the best learned , that knows how to be saved . yea , all the arts in the world , are artless arts to this . sect. 45. the best knowledge is about the best things ; and the perfection of all knowledge , to know god , and our selves : knowledge and learning , saith aristotle , consisteth not so much in the quantity , as in the quality ; not in the greatness , but in the goodness of it . a little gold ( we know ) is more worth than much dross : a little diamond , than a rocky mountain . so one drop of wisdom , guided by the fear of god ; one spark of spiritual , experimental , and saving knowledge , is more worth than all humane wisdom and learning : yea , one scruple of holiness , one dram of faith , one grain of grace , is more worth than many pounds , of natural parts . and indeed faith , and holiness , are the nerves , and sinews ; yea , the soul of saving knowledge . what saith aristotle ? no more than the knowledge of goodness , maketh one to be named a good man ; no more doth the knowledge of wisdom alone , cause any person properly to be called a wise man . saving knowledge of the truth , works a love of the truth known : yea it is a uniform consent , of knowledge and action . he only is wise , that is wise for his own soul : he whose conscience pulleth all he hears , and reads to his heart , and his heart to god : who turneth his knowledge to faith , his faith to feeling , and all to walk worthy of his redeemer . he that subdues his sensual desires and appetite , to the more noble faculties of reason , and understanding ; and makes that understanding of his to serve him , by whom it is , and doth understand . he that subdues his lusts to his will , submits his will to reason ; his reason to faith ; his faith , his reason , his will , himself to the will of god : this is practical , experimental , and saving knowledge ; to which the other is but a bare name , or title . a competnet estate ( we know ) well husbanded , is better than a vast patrimony neglected . never any meer man ( since the first ) knew so much as solomon : many that have known less , have had more command of themselves . alas ! they are not alwayes the wisest , that know most : for none more wise and learned in the worlds account , than the scribes and pharisees : yet christ calls them four times blind , and twice fools in one chapter , matth. 23. and the like of balaam , 2 pet. 2. 16. who had such a prophetical knowledge , that scarce any of the prophets , had a cleerer revelation of the messiah to come . and the same may be affirmed of judas , and achitophel ; for many that know a great deal less , are far wiser . yea , one poor crucified thief , being converted , in an hours time , had more true wisdom and knowledge infused into him , than had all the rulers , scribes , and pharisees . it is very observable , what the high priest told the council , as they were set to condemne christ ; ye know nothing at all : he spake truer than he meant it ; for if we know not the lord iesus , our knowledge is either nothing , or nothing worth . rightly a man knows no more than he practiseth . it is said of christ , 2 cor. 5. 21. that he knew no sin ; because he did no sin ; in which sense , he knows no good , that doth no good . these things if ye know ( saith our saviour ) happy are ye , if ye do them , joh. 13. 17. and in deut. 4. 6. keep the commandements of god , and do them : for this is your wisdom , and understanding before god , and man . what is the notional sweetness of honey , to the experimental taste of it ? it is one thing to know what riches are , and another thing to be master of them : it is not the knowing , but the possessing of them that makes rich . many have a depth of knowledge , and yet are not soul-wise ; have a liberary of divinity in their heads , not so much as the least catechisme in their consciences ; full brains , empty hearts . yea , you shall hear a flood in the tongue , when you cannot see one drop in the life . insomuch , that in the midst of our so much light , and means of grace , there be few i fear , that have the sound , and saving knowledge of jesus christ , and him crucified , which was the only care , and study of st. paul , 1 cor. 2. 2. sect. 46. and that i am not mistaken , the effect shews : for if men knew either god , or christ , they could not but love him ; and loveing him , they would keep his commandments , ioh. 14. 15. for hereby ( saith st. john ) it is manifest that we know him , if we keep his commandments , 1 joh. 2. 3. but he that sayeth , i know him , and yet keepeth not his commandments is a lyar , and there is no truth in him , ver. 4. what saith our saviour ? this is life eternal to know thee the only true god , and jesus christ whom thou hast sent , joh. 17. 3. but how shall a man know , whether he hath this knowledge ? answ. st. john tells you in those last words mentioned , and so plainly , that you cannot be deceived , except you desire to deceive your own soul . the knowledge of god that saves us , is more than a bare apprehension of him ; it knows his power , and therefore fears him ; knows his justice , and therefore serves him ; knows his mercy , and therefore trusts him ; knows his goodness , and therefore loves him , &c. for he that hath the saving knowledge of god , or of christ , hath every other grace : there is a sweet correspondence between every one , where there is any one in truth : as in the generation , the head is not without the body , nor the body without each member , nor the soul without its powers and faculties ; so in the regeneration , where there is any one grace in truth , there is every one , 2 cor. 5. 17. if you will see it in particulars , read psa. 9. 10. jer. 9. 24. 1 joh. 4. 6. joh. 4. 10. 1 joh 4. 7 , 8. & 2. 3. joh 42. 5 , 6. 1 ioh. 4. 7. which scriptures shew , that as feeling is inseparable to all the organs of sense ; the eye sees and feels , the ear hears and feels , the pallat tastes and feels , the nostrils smell and feel ; so knowledge is involved in every grace : faith knows and believes , charity knows and loves , patience knows and suffers , temperance knows and abstains , humility knows and stoops , repentance knows and mourns , obedience knows and does , confidence knows and rejoyces , hope knows and expects , compassion knows and pities . yea , as there is a power of water in every thing that grows ; it is fatness in the olive , sweetness in the figg , cheerfulness in the grape , strength in the oak , taleness in the cedar , redness in the rose , whiteness in the lilly , &c. so knowledge is in the hand obedience , in the mouth benediction , in the knee humility , in the eye compassion , in the heart charity , in the whole body and soul , piety . alas ! if men had the true knowledg of jesus christ , it would disperse and dispel , all the black clouds of their reigning sins in a moment ; as the sun does no sooner shew his face , but the darkness vanisheth : or as caesar did no sooner look upon his enemies , but they were gone : egypt swarmed with locusts , till the west wind came , that left not one : he cannot delight in sin , nor dote upon this world , that knows christ savingly . vertue is ordained a wife for knowledg ; and where these two joyn , there will proceed from them a noble progine , a generation of good works . again , as the water engendereth ice , and the ice again engendereth water ; so knowledg begets righteousness , and righteousness again begetteth knowledg . it is between science and conscience , as it is between the stomack and the head ; for as in mans body , the raw stomack maketh a thumatick head , and the thumatick head maketh a raw stomach ; so science makes our conscience good , and conscience makes our science good : nor is it so much scientiae capitis , as conscientia cordis , that knows christ and ourselves ; whence solomon saith , give thine heart to wisdom , prov. 2. 10. and let wisdom enter into thine heart , prov. 4. 4. and when he would acquaint us how to become wise , he tells us , that the fear of the lord is the beginning of wisdom , prov. 1. 7. as if the first lesson to be wise , were to be holy . again , if it be asked , why the natural man perceiveth not the things of the spirit of god ? saint paul answers , he cannot know them , because they are spiritually discerned , 1 cor. 2. 14 and indeed if they are spiritually discerned , how should they descern them that have not the spirit ? for though the outward man receives the elements and rudiments of religion by breeding and education , yet his inward man receiveth them by heavenly inspiration , 1 〈◊〉 2. 11 , 12 , 13. & 12. 3. 8. matth. 16. 16 , 17. deut. 29 2 , 3 , 4 , psa. 111. 10. luke 24. 45. ioh. 15. 15. and this alone is enough to prove , that no wicked man is a wise man ; for if god alone be the giver of it , we may be sure that he will reveal his secrets to none but such as he knows will improve their knowledge to his glory , and the good of others : even as the husband man will not cast his seed but into ground that will return him a good harvest , psa. 25. 14. luke 24. 45. mark 4. 34. gen. 18. 17. 1 joh. 4. 7. sect. 47. but would these men ( any one , even the best of them ) thus improve , or imploy their knowledge ? or do they desire it to any such end ? no : but to some other end , as i shall in the next place acquaint you . some men desire not to know , some desire only to know ; or rather thus , few men in comparison desire knowledge , fewer that desire divine and supernatural knowledge ; fewest of all that desire to be the better , or that others should be the better for their knowledge : more particularly , a world of men desire knowledg for no other end but to remove their ignorance ; as pharach used moses , but to remove the plagues . others again study the scriptures , and other good books , only to make gain thereof ; or to be the abler to dispute and discourse , as boys go into the water , only to play and paddle there , not to wash and be clean . with eve , they highly desire the tree of knowledg , but regard not the tree of life . as i would fain know , what fruit or effect the knowledge of most men produces in them , except it be to inable them to dispute and discourse , to increase wit , or to increase wealth , or to increase pride , or perhaps to increase athiesm , and to make them the more able and cunning to argue against the truth and power of religion ? whether the utmost of their aim be not to enrich , dignifie , and please themselves ; not once casting the eye of their souls at gods glory , their neighbors good , or their own salvation ? whether their main drift be not purchasing of a great estate for them and theirs , with out either fear of god , regard of men , or the discharge of their duty and calling ? again , whereas a godly man and a good christian , thinks himself as happy in giving light to others , as in receiving it himself ; how many are there , who as themselves are never the better , ( i mean in regard of grace ) for their great wisdom and learning , so no more are others ; for commonly they resemble dark lanthorns which have light , but so shut up and reserved as if it were not : and what is the difference betwixt concealed skill , and ignorance ; it is the nature and praise of good , to be communicative , whereas if their hidden knowledge do ever look out , it casts so sparing a light , that it only argues it self to have an unprofitable being . and for the most part these men if they may be thought great rabbies , deep and profound schollars ; this is the hight of their ambition , though neither the church be benefited , nor god glorified by it ; whereas they ought the contrary : for as the grace of god is the fountain from which our wisdom flows ; so the glory of god should be the ocean to which it should run : yea , that god may be honoured with , and by our wisdom , is the only end for which he gives us to be 〈◊〉 : and for default of this end , he not seldom croffeth the mean● , whereby while men strive to expel ignorance , they fall into 〈◊〉 ; as an e●●●●rick to cure one disease , causeth a worse . briefly , to conclude this 〈◊〉 , so many as are pust up with their knowledge , or do not part with their sins , th●w that they never sought it for gods glory , but for their own honour and glory . and certainly if we seek not gods glory in doing his work , he will give us no wages at the latter end . sect. 48. but for men to do no good with then gifts , is not all ; yea , it were well if that were the worst , for not a few of them resembl achitophel , and jonadab , who imployed their wit wickedly , and do mischief insteed of good with their wisdom : like herod , when you shall see turning over the bible , searching the scriptures , examining the prophets ; but to what end and purpose ? to know good , but to do evil : yea , the greatest evil under the sun , slay christ in the cradle : with many , their knowledge and learning is not for god and for gideon ; but for antichrist and for babylon ; and so of all other gifts ; how many are the worse for them ? as give saul a kingdom , and he will tyrannize ; give nabal plenty , and he will be drunk ; give judas an apostleship , and he will sell his master for mony ; let sarmantus have a good wit , he will exercise it in scoffing at holiness . briefly , how oft doth wisdom without grace prove like a fair estate in the hands of a sool , which not seldom becomes the owners ruine ? or absoloms hair , which was an ornament , wherewith he hanged himself : so that wisdom without grace is nothing else but a cunning way of undoing our selves at the last . many mens knowledge to them , being like the ark to the philistims , which did them more hurt than good : when their knowledge makes them prouder , not better ; more rebellious , not more serviceable ; as it is isa. 47. 10. thy wisdom and thy knowledge they have caused thee to rebel : and very often this falls out , that as the best soyl usually yieldeth the worst air , so without grace there is nothing more pestilent than a deep wit , no such prey for the devil , as a good wit unsanctified . vvit and iearning well used , is like the golden ear-rings and bracelets of the israelites , abused like the same gold cast into an idol ; than which , nothing more abominable . now when it comes to this , that they fight against god with the weapon he hath given them ; when with those the psalmist speaks of , psal. 73. 9. they set their mouths against heaven , and are like an unruly jade , that being full fed kicks at his master ; what course doth the lord take with them ? answ. read but that parable , luk 19. 24. iob 7. 17. it will inform you : for to him that useth his talent of knowledge well , he giveth more ; as to the servant that used his talents well , he doubled them : but to them that use not their knowledge well , much more if they abuse it , he taketh away that which he had formerly given them : as he took heat from the fire when it would burn his children , dan. 3. 27. as you 〈…〉 , isa. 44. 25. 2 thess. 2. 10 , 11 , 12. iob. 7. 17. psa. 111. 10. 1 cor. 〈◊〉 15. eccles. 2. 26. prov. 28 5. matth. 21. 43. acts 26. 18 isa. 29 14. & 44 25. & 6. 9 , 10. dan. 2. 19. 23. iob 5. 13 , 14. iob 9. 39. & 12. 40. rom. 1. 28. ephe. 4. 18 , 19. 1 cor. 1. 20. 2 thess. 2. 10 , 11 , 12. turn to the places , for they are rare . i will destroy the tokens of the soothsayers , and make them that conjecture , fools : i will turn the wise men backward , and make their knowledge foolishness , saith the lord , isa. 44. 25. he taketh the wise in their own craftiness , and the counsel of the wicked is made foolish , job . 5. 13. the case of achitophel : and justly are they forsaken of their reason , who have abandoned god ; yea , most just it is , that they who want grace , should want wit too . and so much of abusing their gifts . lastly , these great knowers and wise men are so far from desiring soul wisdom , and saving-knowledge to the ends before specified , that they do not at all desire it , for that it suits not with their condition . for naturalmen desire only humane and mundane knowledge : spiritual men , that which is heavenly and supernatural ; and the reason why they desire it not , is , for that they know it not . a man desireth not that he knoweth not , saies chrisostome ; neither are unknown evils feared : wherefore the work of regeneration begins at illumination , acts 26. 18. coll. 1. 13. 1 pet. 2. 9. now according as men are wise , they prize and value this wisdom , and endeavour to obtain it , prov. 18. 15. for it is more true of divine wisdom , than it was of that grecian beauty : no man ever loved her , that never saw her ; no man ever saw her , but he loved her . and so on the contrary , according as men are ignorant and blockish , they under-value and dis-esteem it , hate it , and are prejudiced against it : and hereupon carnal men being blinded by the prince of darkness , together with their own wickedness , and being of a reprobate judgement , do most usually and familiarly term and esteem this soul-wisdom , this divine , spiritual , experimental , and saving-knowledge to be meer foolishness , or madness , wisd. 5. 3. to 9. and the professors thereof to be fools & madmen ; elisha was counted no better , 2 king. 9. 11. and the rest of the prophets , hosea 9. 7. and paul , acts 26. 20. and all the apostles , 1 cor. 4. 10. yea , our saviour christ himself with open mouth was pronounced mad by his carnal hearers , joh. 10. 20. mark . 3. 21. and this hath been the worlds vote ever since . the sinceer christian was so reputed in pliny's time , and after in st. austin's time : yea , julian the pelagian could gibe st. austin , that he had none of the wise sages , nor the learned senate of philosophers on his side ; but only a company of mean tradesmen , of the vulgar sort , that took part with him : whose answer was , thou reproachest the weak things of the world , which god hath chosen to confound the things that are mighty . to worldly men christian wisdom seems folly , saith gregory . and well it may , for even the wisdom of god is foolishness with the world , 1 cor. 1. 18 23. therefore no disparagement to us his servants , if they repute us fools ; nor i think any honour to such sensualists that so repute us : however we will give them their due : for , sect. 49. i grant that in some kind of skill they out-strip the best of gods people , who , if they are put to it , may answer as themistocles did when one invited him to touch a lute ; for as he said , i cannot fiddle ; but i can make a smal town a great state : so the godly may say , we cannot give a sollid reason in nature , why nilus should over-flow only in the sommer , when waters are at the lowest ? why the loadstone should draw iron , or incline to the pole-star ? how the heat of the stomach , and the strength of the nether chap should be so great ? why a flash of lightening should melt the sword without making any impression in the scabbard ? kill the child in the womb , and never hurt the mother ? how the waters should stand upon a heap , and yet not over-flow the earth ? why the clouds above being heavie with water , should not fall to the earth suddenly , seeing every heavy thing descendeth ? except the reason which god giveth , gen. 1. 6. & job 38 8. to 12. & 26. 8. psal. 104. 9. but we know the mystery of the gospel , and what it is to be born a new , and can give a sollid reason of our faith : we know that god is reconciled to us , the law satisfied for us , our sins pardoned , our souls acquitted , and that we are in favour with god ; which many of these with their great learning do not know . and thus the godly are proved wiser than the wisest humanist that wants grace . you have likewise the reasons why these great knowers , know nothing yet as they might and ought to know : that is to say , first , because they are mistaken in the thing ; they take speculative knowledg for soul wisdom ; & soul saving wisdom to be foolishness & madness . now if a man take his aim amiss , he may shoot long enough ere he hit the white : and these men are as one that is gone a good part of his journey , but must come back again because he hath mistaken his way . secondly , because they are unregenerate , and want the eye of faith . thirdly , for that they seek not to god for it who is the giver thereof , and without whose spirit there is no attaining it . fourthly , because they are proud , and so seek not after it , as supposing they have it already . fiftly , because if they had never so much knowledge , they would be never the holier , or the better for it , but rather the worse ; nor would they imploy it to the honour of god , or the good of others . sixtly , because they either do , or would do mischief insteed of good with their knowledge . seventhly , because they will not consult with the word about it , nor advise with others that have already attained to it . or thus , they read and hear the scriptures and mind not , ( i mean the spirituallity of the word ) or mind and understand not , or understand and remember not , or remember and practice not . no , this they intend not of all the rest ; and they that are unwilling to obey , god thinks unvvorthy to know . when the serpent taught knowledge , he said , if ye eate the forbidden fruit , your eyes shal be opened , and you shal know good and evil : but god teacheth another lesson , and saith , if ye will not eate the forbidden fruit , your eyes shall be opened , and you shall know good and evil , rom. 12. 2. see psa. 111. 10. & 119. 97 , 98 , 99 , 100. or if you do eat it , you shall be like images that have ears and cannot hear , rom. 11. 8. isa. 6. 10. matth. 13. 14. psal. 115. 6. from all which reasons we may collect , that there are but a few amongst us , that are wise indeed , and to purpose ; for these seven hinderances are applyable to seventy seven parts of men in the nation . besides , if these great knowers know so little , how ignorant are the rude rabble , that despise all knowledge ? nor can it be denied but all impenitent persons , all unbelievers ( who prefer their profits and pleasures before pleasing of god ; as herodias prefered john baptists head before the one half of herods kingdom , ) are arrant fools ; yea , fools in folio : for if they were wise , sayes bernard , they would foresee the torments of hell , and prevent them . and so wise are the godly , for they prefer grace , and glory , and gods favour , before ten thousand worlds . sect. 50. object . but here thou wilt say , ( or at least thou hast reason to say ) if there be so few that are soul-wise , i have all the reason in the world to mistrust my self ; wherefore good sir , tell me how i shall be able to get ihis spiritual and experimental knowledg ? this divine and supernatural wisdom ? answ. by observing these five rules : first , let such a willing and ingenuous soul , resolve to practise what he does already know , or shall hereafter be acquainted with from the word of god and christs faithful messengers : for he that will do my fathers will , sayes our saviour , shall know the doctrine , whether it be of god orno , joh. 7. 17. a good understanding have all they that keep the commandments , ( sayes holy david ) psal. 111. 10. and proves it true by his own example and experience : i understood ( sayes he ) more than the antient , and became wiser than my teachers , because i kept thy precepts , psal. 119. 97 , 98 , 99 , 100. to a man that is good in his sight , god giveth knowledg and wisdom , eccles. 2. 26. the spiritual man understandeth all things , 1 cor. 2. 15. vvicked men understand not iudgment , but they that seek the lord , understand all things , prov. 28. 5. admirable incouragements for men to become godly and consciencious ; i mean practical christians . secondly , if thou wouldest get this precious grace of saving knowledge ; the way is , to be frequent in hearing the word preached , and to become studious in the scriptures , for they and they alone make wise to salvation , 2 tim. 3. 15. ye err ( saith our saviour ) not knowing the scriptures , matth. 22. 29. mark 12. 24. we must not in the search of heavenly matters , either do as we see others do ; neither must we follow the blind guide carnal reason , or the deceitful guide our corrupt hearts ; but the undeceivable , and infallable guide of gods word which is truth it self : and great need there is ; for as we cannot perceive the foulness of our faces unless it be told us , or we take a glass and look our selves therein : so neither can we see the blemishes of our souls , which is a notable degree of spiritual wisdom , but either god must make it known to us by his spirit , or we must collect the same out of the scriptures , that coelestial glass ; though this also must be done by the spirits help . therefore thirdly , if thou wilt be soul-wise and truly profit by studying the scriptures , be frequent and fervent in prayer to god who is the only giver of it , for the direction of his holy spirit : for first , humble and faithful prayer , ushered in by meditation , is the cure of al obscurity . especially being accompanied with fervor and fervency ; as you may see , matth. 21. 22. if any lack wisdom , saith st. james , let him ask of god who giveth to al men liberally and reproacheth no man , and it shal be given him , jam. 1. 5. mark the words , it is said if any ; wherefore let no man deny his soul this comfort . again , ask and have ; it cannot come upon easier terms . yea , god seems to like this sute so well in solomon , as if he were beholding to his creature , for wishing well to it self . and in vain do we expect that alms of grace , for which we do not so much as beg . but in praying for wisdom , do not pray for it without putting difference ; desire not so much brain-knowledg as to be soul-wise , and then you will imploy your wisdom to the glory of the giver . let thine hearts desire be to know god in christ , christ in faith , faith in good works ; to know gods vvill that thou mayest do it ; and before the knowledg of all other things , desire to knovv thy self ; & in thy self , not so much thy strength , as thy vveakness : pray that thine heart may serve thee insteed of a commentary , to help thee understand such points of religion as are most needful and necessary , and that thy life may be an ●●●●sition of thy invvard man , that there may be a sweet harmony betwixt gods vvord , thy judgment , and vvhole conversation , that what the natural man knoweth by roat , thou mayst double by feeling the same in thine heart and affections . as indeed experimental and saving knovvledg is no less felt than knovvn ; and , i cannot tell how , comes rather out of the abundance of the heart , than by extreme study ; or rather is sent by god unto good men , like the ram that was brought to abraham when he would have sacrificed his son isaak . when christ taught in the temple , they asked , hovv knovveth this man the scriptures , seeing he never learned them ? so it is a wonder what learning some men have , that have no learning ! like prisilla and aquila , poor tent-makers , who were able to school apollos that great clerk , a man renovvned for his learning : what can we say to it ? for no other reason can be given but as christ said , father so it pleaseth thee : for as jacob said of his venison , when his father ask'd how he came by it so suddenly ? because the lord thy god brought it suddenly to my hands . so holy and righteous men do more easily understand the words of god , than do the wicked , because god brings the meaning suddenly to their hearts ; as we read , luk. 24. that christ ( standing in the midst of his apostles after he vvas risen from the dead ) opened their understandings , that they might understand clearly the scriptures , and vvhat vvas vvritten of him in the lavv of moses , and in the prophets , and in the psalms , vers. 44. 45. lo how suddenly their knowledge came unto them ! but see what a general promise ( god in the person of wisdom ) hatth made to all that serve him , prov. 1. turn you at my reproof , and behold i will pour out my spirit unto you , and make known my words unto you , vers. 23. and psal. 25. the secrets of the lord are revealed to them that fear him , and his covenant is to give them understanding , vers 14. these secrets are hid from the wicked , neither hath he made any such covenant with them but the contrary : as see , dan. 12. 10. unto you it is given to knovv the secrets of the kingdom of heaven , but to others in parrables , that they seeing should not see , and hearing they should not understand , luke 8. 10 : mark : 3 : 11 : matth : 13 : 13 : again , it is not enough to pray , except also it be in christs name , and accrding to his vvill , believing to be heard for his sake , and that it be the intercession of gods ovvn spirit in you : and ( being truly sensible of your sins and wants ) that you chiefly pray for the pardon of sinne , the effusion of grace , and for the assistance of gods spirit : that you may more firmly believe , more soundly repent , more zealously doe , more patiently suffer , and more constantly persevere in the practice and profession of every duty . but above all you must know , that as sampsons companions , could never have found out his riddle , if they had not plowed with his heifer : so no man can know the secrets of god , but by the revelation of his spirit , 1 cor. 12. 8. mat. 16. 17. yea , suppose a man be not inferiour to portius , or pythagoras , who kept all things in memory , that ever they had read , heard , or seen : to virgil , of whom it is reported , that if all sciences were lost , they might be found again in him : to aben ezra , of whom it was said , that if knowledge had put out her candle , at his brain she might light it again ; and that his head was a throne of wisdome : or josephus scaliger , who was skilled in thirty languages : yet if he want the spirit of god to be his teacher , he is a dunce to the meanest , and most illiterate believer . for one excellent , and necessary prerogative of the spirituall man is this ; he hath god for his teacher ; he learns the counsels of god , of that spirit which onely knoweth gods counsels , luk. 21. 15. which is no small priviledge : for the scholar learns quickly , when the holy ghost is his teacher ; the eye sees distinctly , when the holy ghost doth enlighten it . with the spirits helpe , the meanes can never be too weake : without , never strong enough , luk. 24. 44 , 45. pro. 1. 23. § 51. fourthly , thou must get an humble conceit of thine own wisdome . the first step to knowledge , is to know our own ignorance . we must become fools in our own opinion , before we can be truly wise , as the apostle sets it down , 1 cor. 3. 18. and indeed , the opinion of our knowing enough , is one of the greatest causes of our knowing so little : for what we presume to have attained , we seeke not after . yea , the very first lesson of a christian is humility . he will teach the humble his way , psalm . 25. 9. jam. 4. 6. 1 pet. 5. 5. and he that hath not learned the first lesson , is not fit to take out a new . pride is a great let to true wisdome : for god resisteth the proud , and giveth grace to the humble , jam. 4. 6. 1 pet. 5. 5. whence it comes to passe , that few proud wits are reformed , iohn 9. 39. and for this cause also did our saviour propound his woes to the pharisees , his doctrines to the people . a heart full of pride , is like a vessell full of aire : this self opinion must be blown out of us , before saving knowledge will be poured into us . christ will know none but the humble , and none but humble souls truly know christ . now the way to become humble , is , by taking a serious view of our wants . the peacocks pride is much abated , when she looks on the blacknesse of her legs and feet . now suppose we know never so much ; yet that which we know , is far lesse then that which we are ignorant of : and the more we know , the more we know we want , pro. 1. 5 , 7. psal. 73. 22. and the lesle sensible we are of our blindness , sicknesse , deformity , &c. the more blinde , sick , and deformed we are . fifthly , thou must labour to get a true and lively faith : for as without faith we cannot please god : so without faith , no man can know god . faith most cleerly beholds those things which are hid both from the eye of sense , and the eye of reason , john 12. 46. unregenerate men , that what faith , are like blinde sampson without his guide : or like poliphemus , who never had but one eye , and that ulysses put out . for so does the pleasure and custome of sinne blinde the sensuallist . we must have mindes lifted above nature , to see and love things above nature : heavenly wisdome , to see heavenly truth ; or else that truth which is saving , will be to us a mystery , mark . 4. 11. if it seem not foolishnesse , 1 cor. 2. 7 , 8 , 14. to them that are lost , the gospel is hid , 2 cor. 4. 3 , 4. whereas the believer discerns all things , even the deep things of god , 1 cor. 2. 10. 12. 15 , 16. yea , god giveth him a mouth and wisdome , where against all his adversaries , shall not be able to speak or resist , luk. 21. 15. these are the five steps , which lead up to the palace of wisdome , which all must ascend by , that mean to enter . if you have once attained this precious grace of saving knowledge , you will as much as in you lies , employ the same to the glory of the giver , and so much to prove , that he is the wisest man , whose knowledge lies in the best things , ( as the weaker vessel may hold the better liquor ) and that if men be never so learned , except they have learned the mystery of the gospel , and what it is to be borne again by their own experience , ( which few with their great learning do indeed know ) they are in gods account , no better then fooles . i come now to prove , that the greatest politician is a verier fool then the former . § 52. secondly , if we shall look upon the most cunning politician , with a single eye : judge righteous judgement , and not according to appearance onely , we shall finde that the greatest polilician is the greatest fool . for he turns all his religion into hypocrisie , into statisme , yea , into atheism , making christianity a very foot-stool to policy . i confesse they are wiser in their generation , then the children of light ; and are so acknowledged by christ himself , luke 16. 8. but why ? not that there is a deficiency of power in the godly , but will : for could not david go as far as achitophel ? could not paul shew as much cunning as tertullus ? yes , surely if they would : but because their master , christ , hath commanded them to be innocent as doves ; they have resolved in an heroical disposition with abraham , gen. 14. 22. that the king of sodome shall not make them rich . no crooked , or indirect meanes , shall bring them in profit ; they will not be beholding to the king of hell for a shoo-ty . and hereupon the foxes wiles , never enter into the lions head . but to speak of them as they are : these cunning politicians , in stead of being wise as serpents , they are wise serpents . they are so arted in subtleties , through time and practice , that they are neer upon as wise , as that old serpent the devill . indeed he hath one trick beyond all theirs ; for like a cunning fencer , he that taught them all their tricks , kept this one to himselfe , namely , how to cheate them of their soules . but take a short character of them . they are such cunning dissemblers , that like pope alexander the sixth , what they thinke , they never speak . why is this cast away , saith iudas ? crafty cub , he would have had it himself . they are like a fellow that rides to the pillory , they goe not the way they look . they will cut a mans throat under colour of courtesie , as ulysses by gold , and forged letters , was the meanes of stoning palamides , even while he made shew of defending him . and then to wipe off all suspition from themselves , their gesture and conntenance shall be like julius caesar's ; who seeing pompey's head fell a weeping , as if he had been sorry for it , when by his onely meanes it was cut off . so like rowers in a boat , whilest in their pretence they look one way , in their intent they goe the quire contrary : as our saviour found it to fare with the pharisees , and sadducees , matth. 16. 1 , 3. which made him to conclude , with , o hypocrites ! nor shall any man be able to determine , either by their gesture , words , or actions , what they resolve , though like hebrew letters , you spell them backward . onely this you may be sure of , that they do not intend , what they pretend ; like as in jugling feats , though we know not how they are done , yet we know well , that they are not done as they seem to be . now if they can any way advantage themselves by anothers ruine , and do it cunningly ; as iezabel did , when she killed naboth , by suborning false witnesse against him , and proclaimed a fast before the murther : though all such policy be but misery , and all such knowledge , ignorance , yet , ô how wise they think themselves ! but they are grosly mistaken : for wherein does this their great wisdom consist ? but first ; in being wise to deceive others : as the old serpent did our first parents ; or secondly in the end to deceive themselves , as the same serpent did , which brought a curse upon himselfe for so doing , gen. 3. the crafty fox hugg'd himselfe to think how he had cozened the crow of her break-fast : but when he had eaten it , and found himself poysoned with it , he wisht the crow her own again . wealth got by deceit , is like a piece of butterd spunge , an italian trick , it goes down glib ; but in the stomack swells , and will never be got out again . the gains a man gets by deceiving , at last he may put in his eye , and yet see himselfe miserable . sin is the greatest cheater in the world , for it deceives the deceiver . §. 53 that it is so with them , and all others who goe to counsell , and leave the god of wisdome behind them : let their case be viewed in other persons . what saith pharaoh to his deep counsellors ? come , let us do wisely , when indeed he went about that which destroyed both him and his countrey . the scribes , pharisees , and elders , took counsel against christ ; as though they would most wisely prevent their own salvation . josephs brethren , to prevent his having dominion over them , ( as his dreames imported ) thought they had taken a very wise course , in selling him to the ishmaelitish merchants , which was indeed the onely meanes to effect it . they murther christ , lest the romans should come : and by so doing , their coming was hastned . the jews say , come let us kill him , that the inheritance may be ours : but in killing him , they lost the inheritance and themselves too . and so it always fares with our machivillians in the end , speed they never so wel for a time . for let the devil promise them never so fair , ( suppose it be a kingdome ) the up-shot will be but sad and doleful : as it fared with athaliah , who having slain all the kings seed , that she alone might raign , lost both the government , and her life too . or as it did with abimelech , who slue seventy of his brethren , that he might with safety enjoy the kingdome lost both it , and his life with it . and many the like we read of . whence st. ambrose observes , that the plots of the wicked , alwayes return upon their own heads . as pope hildebrands servant , by stumbling , was killed with that stone he should have thrown down on frderick the emperour , at his devotions . or as griphus his mother , was made to take that draught , where-with she intended to poyson him . yea , how little was judas set by of the high priests , when once he had served their turn ? how did they shake him off in that pittiful distresse , with look thou to it ? and so how poor are the witches , that in confidence of these promises , even sell their souls to the devill . see here in these few examples , you have the depth and solidity of our greatest and wisest politicians , and yet lewd men , most ridiculously and absurdly , call wicked policies , wisdome , and their successe , happinesse . but herein satan makes them of all fools the superlative , in mistaking villany and madnesse for the best vertues . and what is the summa totalis of all but this ? faux-like , they project other mens over-throw , purchase their owne . neither hath any man been wise to do evill , but his wisdome hath had an evill end . as ô the multitude of examples that are recorded , to give credit to this doctrine ! was not the wisdome of the serpent turned into a curse ? the wisdome of the pharisees into a woe ? the wisdome of achitophel into folly ? the wisdome of nimrod into confusion ? the wisdome of the unjust steward into expulsion out of heaven ? the wisdome of jezabel , into a shameful death ? &c. so that in the issue , their case proves but like the spiders , that was weaving a curious net to catch thè swallow : who when she came , bore away both net , and webb , and weaver too . wherefore , ô god , make me but soul-wise , and i shall never envy their knowledge , that pity my simplicity : let me be weake in policy , so i may be wise to salvation . and i cannot but wonder to see , how the most are mistaken in them : but being thus discovered , i hope it will appear , that as love & lust are not all one , so a cunnning politician & a wise man are not both one . as we have seen some that could pack the cards , & yet were not able to play well . § 54. true , if men shall look upon them side-wayes , as appelles painted antigonus , that is , upon their strength of ●rain and parts alone , and not consider them whole , and together , their abilities , with their deficiencies , they will take them for wise men , and so be mistaken . but if you would know how to call them , they are properly subtle persens ? as the holy ghost stiles jonadab , who gave that wicked and crafty counsell to amnon , 2 sam. 13. 3 , 5. and the woman of tekoah , 2 sam. 14. 2. and elimas , act. 13. 10. as being rarely gifted to deceive , and more crafty and wily then is usual . but not wise men ; for this is rather wisdome backwàrd , and to study the dangerous art of self-sophysiry , to the end they may play wily beguile themselves , and to plot self-treason , then which there is no greater , when the betrayer and betrayed , spell but one man . again , admit them the most , they are not wise in good , though they be wise to do evill : or if you will , wise in goods , not wise in grace : for as that old serpent seemed to boast , that he was richer then christ , when he said , all these are mine , matth. 4. 9. so the politician may truly say , for the most part , i am wiser then my plain dealing neigbour by five hundred pounds . so that in some sense it may be said of them , as one speaks of women , though partially , that they are more witty in wickednesse then men . nor can i more fitly compare them , then to dats , night-crows , owles , and cats , which can see better in the darke , then in the light . their wisdome is like that of the polipus : which is a most stupid and foolish fish , yet useth great skill in taking of other fishes . never the lesse , yield them all that hath been mentioned , this is the up-shot . they are blinde , and in darknesse , as having their beginning from satan , the prince of darknesse , and their end in hell , which is the pit of darkness : and because they are wise onely to evill , their wisdome shall have but an evill end . in the dialect of the wise man , the greatest sinner is the greatest fool , prov. 1. 7. and david thinks , there is no fool to the atheist , psal. 53. 1. & 49. 13. and saint austin tells us , that the wisest politician upon earth , the most ample , and cunning machivillian that lives , be he a doctor in that deep reaching faculty , is worse then a foole : for if the holy ghost , saith he , termes him a fool that onely laid up his own goods , luke 12. 18 , 20. finde out a name for him , that takes away other mens . and though worldly men call the simple fools , yet god calls the crafty fools , jer. 8. 9. mat. 6. 23. and of all atheisis , and fools , which seeme wise , there be no such fools in the world , as they that love money better then themselves . and so you have the wisdome of humanists , and politicians desciphered ; together with the wisdome of gods servants . you see the difference between them , and therein as i suppose , that neither of the former are so wise as the godly man , nor so wise as the world reputes them , or they themselves . i confesse the one speak latine , greek , and hebrew , the other statutes , history , and husbandry , well enough to make their neighbours think them wise : but the truth is , they seem wiser then they are , as is said of the spaniard ; whereas the godly , like the french , are wiser then they seem . the former are wise men in foolish things , and foolish men in wise things . sharp-eyed as eagles , in the things of the earth , but blinde as beetles in the matters of heaven . o that they had but the wit to know , that when all is done , heaven is a brave place , where are such joyes , as eye hath not seene , nor care heard , neither hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive the things which god hath prepared there for them that love him , 1 cor. 2. 9. §. 55. now as i have shewn these two sorts of men their folly , to the end some of them may be convinced , and ashamed , and consequently become soul-wise , that so they may be saved ; which is the principal thing i drive at ( for i take no pleasure in disgracing men purposely . ) so it were as easie to prove , that all sorts of sinners , are no better then sots , and shallow-brains , in comparison of the conscientious christian . nor do i see , but it may prove of great , and general concernment : therefore that others also may have benefit by the same , i will briefly touch upon some particulars . and the next that i will speak to , shall be such as come neerest to these last mentioned ; that is , your covetous , miserly muck-worms , who though they be neer neighbours to those ambodexters i last spake of , yet they are not the same men . now although you cannot name one property of a natural fool , but the covetous man is in that particular a greater fool : yet i will make the parallel in one onely : lest i should weary my reader , before i have dispatcht all my clients , or halfe listed my men . the covetous miser , if you mark it , esteems not of things according to their true value ; but preferreth bables and trifles before things of greatest worth , which is the most remarkable property of a naturall fool , that is , being like the ignorant indians in florida , virginia , new england , and k●nida , who for a copper kettle , and a few toyes , as beads , and hatchets , will depart from the purest gold , and sell you a whole countrey , with the houses and ground which they dwell upon . as iudas preferred thirty pieces of silver , before him that was lord of the whole world , and ransome of man-kinde : so the covetous man prefers earth , yea hell to heaven , time to eternity , his body before his soul ; yea , his outward estate before either soule or body . whereas the godly care for the soul , as the chief jewell , and onely treasure ; and for the body for the soules sake ; and settle their inheritance in no land but the land of promise ; their end being to possesse a kingdome without end . they are not like shebna , who built his sepulchre in one countrey , and was buried in another : but like our english merchants , that traffique in turkey , get wealth in turky , yet plant not in turky , but transport for england . it cannot be said of them , as it may of the most ; that they worship the golden calfe : because they consider , that pecunia , the worlds queen , ( i meane that world , whereof the devill is king ) extends her regiments , but to the brim of the grave , and is not current one step farther . worldly hearts are penny-wise , and pound-foolish ; they know how to set high prizes upon the worthlesse trash of this world ; but for heavenly things , or the god that owns them , they shamefully under-value . like judas , who valued maries ointment , which she bestowed upon the feet of christ , at three hundred pieces of silver , and sold his master , on whom that odour was spent , for thirty . but it is not so with the godly ; they think it the best purchase that ever was in the world , to buy him who bought them ; in comparison of whom all things else are dross and dung , as paul speaks , phil. 3. 8. and indeed if we once have him , we have all thing , as the apostle argues , rom. 8. 32. 1 cor. 3. 21 , 22 , 23. so that the godly's man is onely rich , the servant of christ is lord of all . whereas by a just judgement of god upon the covetous miser , who makes mammon his god : the devill makes them his drudges , to get and bring him in gold , as the king of spain does the poor indians ) that he may keep it in banke , for the next prodigall to spend as ill , as the other got it . as how often is that spent upon one christmas revelling by the son , which was forty years a getting by the father ? o fools , incomparable ! to take a world of care and paines , endure so much grief , sting of conscience , loss of credit , to deprive themselves of heaven , damn their own souls , to get wealth : and when they have got it , not to be a jot the better for it . yea , they are less satisfied , and contented then other men , meanlier accommedated then mean men : yea , a poor beggar that hath nothing here , is in better estate , then a rich miser , that hath nothing in effect , either here or hereafter . o that they would but use that ! yea , half that wit , study , and industry hereafter , to save their souls , that they have formerly done to damn them . but hear more . aristippus cared onely for his body , as if he had had no soule : zeno but for his soule , as if he had had no body : achitophel for his family alone , as if neither soule nor body had been worth caring for : but these neither for body , nor soule , nor any thing , but for a little muck to leave behind them . yea , he can finde in his heart to goe to hell for another , that wishes him gone , and will damn his own soul to leave his son rich . yea , what a deale of paines and care does the covetous man take for his own damnation ? ever tormenting himself to get that ; for getting whereof he shall be tormented : so himselfe is voluntarily miserable here , and hereafter , that others may be happy . and so much of the miser . the next i will fall upon , shall be such as equall these in their idolatry another way ; as § 56. fourthly , what think you of common idolaters ? are not they arrant fools ? i 'le give you but one instance mentioned , exod. 32. and you will need no more . turn to the place , and there you shall find , that those blockish israelites made them a molten calfe , and then said , this is thy god , that brought thee out of the land of egypt , ver. 34. this is such a pregnant example , that there needs no more to prove it ; that a beast should be their god ; yea , and a beast of their own making , and that this beast should have brought them out of egypt , which could not move it selfe , but as it was moved , and that before it had any being . this is such a blockish absurdity , that as one would think , should never enter into the heart of him , who is endowed with a reasonable soule . but what can the prince of darknesse propound ? that a wicked heart , ( blinded with the custome of sinne , and given up by god , to be further blinded by satan ) will not believe , as appears by our ranters , shakers , and quakers at this day . and such other fools are the papists , though great clerks , and wise men : who ( if i could intend to aquaint you ) maintain a thousand ridiculous tenents , stif●y defending those things for truth , which the holy ghost calls in expresse words , the doctrine of devils , 1 tim. 4. 1 , 2 , 3. and most justly are they forsaken of their reason , who have abandoned god . yea , most just it is , that they who want grace , should want wit too . if idolaters will need set up a false god for the true , is it not equal , that the true god should give them over to the false ? again , fifthly , how does lust blinde and besot men ? when the adulterer prefers a filthy strumpet before his own chaste wife , though his own lawfull consort is known to be more comely , and lovely then the strange woman . yea , when they shall confesse the same ( as it was the speech of one too great to name ) that were she not his wife , he could love her above all women in the world ; a word able to rot out the tongue that spake it . but take an instance of this nature , i 'le give you one amongst many very remarkable . we read , judges 16. that sampson cared more for his pleasure in this kinde , then his li●t . o strange debauchednesse ! his filthy lust of a nazarite , leaves him scarce a man ! he that might not drink wine , is drunk with the cup of fornication . how could hee other then thinke , if lust had not blinded and bewitched him ? she whose body is mercenary to me , will easily fell me to others ? she will be false , if shee will be an harlot . was there ever such a motion made to a reasonable man ? tell me , wherewith thou mayest be bound to do thee hurt ? who would not have spurned such a sutor out of doors ? and when upon the tryal he saw such apparent treachery , he yet wilfully betrays his life , by her to his enemies . all sins , all passions have power to blinde , and infatuate ; but lust most of all . never man that had dranke flagons of wine , had lesse reason left him , then this nazarite . many an one loses his life , but he casts it away ; not in hatred to himself , but in love to a strumpet , he knew she aimed at nothing but his slavery , and death , yet had not power to deny her . he had wit enough to deceive her thrice , not enough to keep himself from being deceived by her . thrice had he seen the philistims in her chamber , ready to surprise him upon her bands ; and yet will needs be a slave to his traitor . yea , in effect , bids her binde him , and call in her executioners to cut his throat . o beware of a harlot , as you would of the devill ! and the rather , for that under the habit of a woman , it may be the devill in shape of a woman , as some have so been cheated . but sixthly , what can we think of an improvident gamester ? is not he a fool ? who will hazard his whole estate upon the chance of a treacherous dye , that flatters him with his own hand , to throw away his wealth to another . and a thief he is too , for if he wins , he robs another ; if he looses , he no lesse robs himself . § 57. seventhly , let me refer it to any rational man , whether the voluptuous prodigal is not a stark fool ? who suffers himself to be stolne away for an apple : for , for a little tickling of the palate , a kind of running banquet , he will hazard the losse of eternal comfort , and expose himself to a devouring fire , an everlasting burning ? isa. 33. 14. and what greater folly ? is it not a dear purchase ? an ill penni-worth ? yea , a desperate madnesse , to buy the merriment of a day , ( yea , possibly the pleasure of an hour , may deterimine it ) with ages of pangs , with eternity of unsufferable torments , that are capable of neither ease 1. or end . nor is this all , for they run upon gods judgements , as balaam did upon the swords point in the angels hand , and yet are so farre from being afraid , that they applaud their own wisdome , for giving such liberty to their lusts ; thinking no men in the world enjoy the like freedome . when indeed their bondage is much worse then the cruel and tyrannical bondage , and slavery of egypt . for first , that bondage was of the body onely , but the service of sinne is of the whole man , body and soul . secondly , in the bondage of egypt , they served men ; but in this bondage , service is done to sinne & satan , most vile lords , which command most base , and filthy works . thirdly , in the bondage of egypt , the most harm was temporall , losse of liberty , smart and pain of body , in this service of sinne , the losse is eternal , even destruction in hell for ever ( without the infinite goodnesse of god . ) fourthly , in this bondage under pharaoh , they had a sense of their thraldome , and desired liberty ; in this of sin , men do not so much as suspect themselves to be bound , but think themselves free , and despise liberty . lastly , in all outward bondage , they which are bound may possibly help themselves ; as by running away , or by intreaty , or by ransome : in this bondage we lie still , as it were , bound hand and foot ( till god by his mercy deliver us ) not having so much as the least thought of relieving our selves . by all which it appears , that such who take the most liberty to sin , are the most perfect slaves in the world ; because most voluntary slaves : and that christs service is the onely true freedome ; his yoke an easie yoke ; his burthen but as the burthen of wings to a bird ; which makes her flye the higher . wherefore , as we serve the lawes , that we may be free : so let us serve christ , and we shall be the freest people alive . a godly man being demanded , what he thought was the strangest , and foolishest thing in the world , answered , an impenitent sinner , or an unbeliever : for , said he , that a man should provoke god , so gracious and mighty , that he should believe satan the father of lies and cruelty , forget his own death so imminent and in-evitable ; obey the command of his flesh , a drudge so ignoble , admire the world so fickle and dangerous , prefer it before heaven so blessed & glorious ; wilfully cast himself into hell , a place so woful and dolorous , and all for vanity , such a wretched emptinesse ; that he should feare the blasts of mens breath , and not the fire of gods wrath ; weep for the losse of friends , & not for his soul : and lastly , that christ should stand at the door of his heart , craving for entrance , that he may remedy all , and make him everlastingly happy ; and god call him every day , either by his word in the mouthes of his messengers , or by strange judgements , or extraordinary mercies upon himselfe , or others , and all in vain such an one , sayes he , is the most foolish and degenerate creature alive : thus i might go on to traytors , murtherers , back-byters , seducers , drunkards , blasphemers , persecutors of the godly , proud persons , hypocrites , thieves , atheists , and what other sinners you can name : and prove them all fools alike . but i have already ( upon one occasion or other ) done it in some other tract. nor do i love to tautologize , except it be for a great advantage to my reader , and for others good : though in such a case , i can , i thank god , dishonour my selfe , that i may honour my maker . the which if men did well ponder , they would be more sparing of their censures ; how-ever i could wish , that our reverend divines would afford themselves more liberty in this case then they do . there be some expressions , that we borrow from our predecessors , that deserve to be mentioned , or used ( by a minister that remains perhaps twenty , or thirty years in a parish ) more then once , though it be to the same congregation ( for that which takes not , or is not minded at one time , may at another : and how many have been converted , by that onely argument ? that god seeth all things even in the darke , when the doors are shut , and the curtains drawn . ) nor do i think , that a dull and flat tool , or instrument would be used , when a more quick , and sharp one may be had at as easie a rate , and perhaps neerer at hand . but we are mostly ( even the best of us ) loth to deny our selves ; though it be for our masters , ( & many of our brethrens great gain and ) advantage . but of this by the way onely , a word or two more , that may reach to all , that are in their natural condition , and i shall conclude . § 58. in the last place , are not all wilfull sinners arrant fools ? who adam-like , will receive what-ever comes , or is offered them ? be it bribe , or other sinful bait , not once thinking this is forbidden fruit , and thou shalt die the death . that think the vowed enemy of their souls , can offer them a bait without a hook ? you cannot but acknowledg them stark fools , though thou thy self beest one of the number . again , for men to dishonour god , and blaspheme his name , while he does support and relieve them , to runne from him , while he does call them , and forget him , while he does feed them . to imitate the common protestants in queen maries time , who laughed the martyrs to scorn , and esteemed them superstitious fools , to lose their lives and fortunes , for matters of religion , accounting faith , holinesse , immortality of the soul , &c. meer fopperies and illusions . to be quick-sighted in other mens failings , and blinde to their own . are not these so many infallible properties of a fool ? and yet these are the lively characters , of every sensuallist . in so much , that if i should give you a list , or catalogue of all the fools in one city , or county : you would blesse your selves , that there are so few bedlam houses , and yet so many out of their wits , that can not perceive or discern the same . and yet no wonder ; for as i told you-ere-while , sensual men are so be-nighted , and puzled with blindnesse , that they know no other way , then the flesh leads them . yea , many by losse of conscience become atheists ; and by losse of reason , beasts . yea , to any thing that is spiritually good , the natural man is blinde , and deafe , and dead , as ye may see by these ensuing scriptures , 1 tim. 5. 6. rom. 1. 21 , 22 , 25. ephes. 5. 14. isa. 6. 9 , 10. john 12 40. psal. 69. 23. matth. 4. 16 & 15. 14. ephes. 4. 18 , 19. & 5. 8. 1 pet. 2 9. acts 28. 27. rom. 11. 8. matth. 23. 16 , 17. 19. 24. 26. & 27. 3 , 4 , 5. 2 pet. 2. 16. revel. 3. 17. rom. 6. 13. & 8. 11. micah 7. 16. psal. 58. 4. eph. 2. 1. if our gospel be hid , it is hid to them that are lost , in whom the god of this world hath blinded , 2 cor. 4. 3 , 4. but it is otherwise with the godly : as let satan , or the world offer a wise christian the bait of pleasure , or profit : his answer shall be , i will not buy repentance so dear : i will not lose my soul , to please my sense . if affliction comes , he will consider , that gods punishments for sinne , calls for conversion from sin : and in case god speaks to him by his word , to forsake his evill wayes , and turn again to him , he will amend his course , lest if he heare not the word , he should feel the sword . whereas nothing will confute a fool , but fire and brimstone . the lord spake to manasses and to his people ; but they would not regard : wherefore the lord brought upon them the captains of the host of the king of ashur , that took manasses , and put him in fetters , and brought him in chains , and carried him to babel , 2 chron. 33. 10 , 11. fools , saith holy david , by reason of their transgression , and because of their iniquity , psal. 107. 17. from which words , musculus infers , that all wilfull transgressors are arrant fools . and it is the saying of cardan : that dishonesty is nothing else but folly and madnesse . yea , solomon throughout all his proverbs , by a fool , means the natural man ; and by a wise man , a man sanctified . o that it were rightly learned , and laid to heart by all , that are yet in the state of un-regeneracy ! for it is every one of their cases . to conclude in a word , without knowledge , the soul is not good , prov. 19. 2. the ignorant cannot be innocent . i am the light of the world ( sayes our saviour ) john 8. 12. & 12. 46. where light is not , christ is not : for christ is light . § 59. and so according to my skill , i have performed what i at first promised . it remains before we leave it , that some use be made thereof , that so both wise and weak , may learn something from what hath been spoken of this subject . wherefore , in the first place , if it be so , that both the sensual and rational , even all that are yet in their natural estate , are uncapable of divine , and super-natural knowledge , that they are blinde touching spiritual things . then let not any carnal wretch hereafter dare to speak evill of the things , actions , or persons , that are out of the reach of his capacity , but silently suspend his judgement , untill he be better informed : for as it pertaineth not to the rustick , to jugde of letters : so it belongeth not to natural men to judg of spiritual things . yea , let those ignorant ones , that have used to speak evill of the way of truth , learn to kick no more against the pricks , lest they bring upon themselves the same curse , that their fellows did , who brought up an evill report of the holy land , num. 13. 32 , 33. & 14. 23 , 24. yea , put case they shall think they do god good service in it , as many do in persecuting , and putting to death his children and ambassadors , john 16. 2. as a world of examples witnesse . yea , the jews thought they did marvellous well , in crucifying the lord of life . but what says the holy ghost , prov. 14. there is a way that seemeth right unto a man : but the end thereof are the ways of death , vers. 12. even the powder-traytors thought they merited , when they intended to blow up the whole state . alass , natural men are no more fit to judge of spiritual matters , then blinde men are fit to judge of colours . and yet none more forward then they ; as you may see by those blinde sodomites , that dealt so roughly and coursely with lot and his two angel● , gen. 19. 1. to 12. that they are ignorant , and so unfit , is evident of what is recorded of michol , 2 sam. 6. 16. of nichodemus , john 3. 4. of festus , acts 26. 24. and lastly , of paul before his conversion . i was , saith he , a blasphemer , a persecutor , and an opposer of christ and his members ; but i did it ignorantly through unbelief , 1 tim. 1. 13. it 's worth your observing too , that he was no sooner enlightned with the saving knowledge of jesus christ , but he was of a contrary judgement , and preached that faith which before he condemned and persecuted . and this will be every one of their cases , in the end ; if not in this life , yet hereafter , when hell flames hath opened their eyes , they will confesse . we fools thought his life madnesse , and his end to be without honour : how is he now numbred with the children of god , and his lot among the saints ? and when they shall see it , they shall be troubled with horrible fear , and shall be amazed at the strangeness of his salvation , so far beyond all that they looked for : and groaning for anguish of spirit , shall say within themselves , this is he whom we once had in derision , and in a proverb of reproach , therefore have we erred from the way of truth , we wearied our selves in the way of wickedness and destruction : but as for the way of the lord , we have not known it . the light of righteousness hath not shined unto us , nor hath the son of righteousness arose upon us . what hath pride profited us ? or what good hath our riches and our vaunting brought us ? with more of the like , for which read , wisdom 5. and what is the cause they acknowledg not the same now , but their blindness and folly ? and because they put their own faults in that part of the wallet that is behind them ; but ours in the other part , or end which is before them : for self-examination would make their judgements more charitable . read al●o these testimonies , john 15. 21. & 16. 2 , 3. mat. 16. 23. & 22. 29. 1 cor. 2. 8. isa. 5. 20. but i will give you other instances . was it not an a gu●●nt that haman was blinde ? who thought mordecaies not bowing the knee to hi● , a more heinous offence , then his own murthering of thousands ? were not the jews , scribes & pharisees blind , who could see more unlawfulness in the disciples plucking a few ears of corn on the sabbath-day ? and the palsie man's carrying his bed ; then in their own devouring of widows houses ? who thought they might better murther christ , then others believe in him ? and be themselves the greatest of sinners , then our saviour to be in company with sinners ? was not ahab blinde ? who thought elijah more troubled israel , in doing the will of the lord , then himself in provoking the lord above all the kings of israel that were before him . and the like in our dayes . is it not the manner of thousands with us ? not only of clownes , and ill-bred people , who walk after the flesh , in the lusts of uncleanness ( whom st. peter cals bruit beasts , led with sensuality , and made to be taken and destroyed . ) but of proud wits , who one would think should have more brains , and know something , to speak evill of the things which they understand not , 2 pet. 2. 12. yea , how severely will they censure , not only things indifferent , but the most holy and approved good duties in the godly ? while they will patiently passe by the most heynous crimes , as cursing , blaspheming , &c. in themselves and others ; an infallible signe of a man not born a-new . yea , will they not more deeply censure our serving of god , then their own blaspheming of him ? and think it a more heynous offence in us to be holy , then for themselves to be prophane , and persecute holinesse . and what one does , is a law to the rest , being like a flock of sheep ; which if they but see one take a wrong way , all the rest will follow . as you may see in the example of corah , and his two hundred and fifty followers , in demetrius and his fellows , in their quarrel against paul and his companions . and lastly , in lots neighbours , gen. 19. where you shall read , that when some godlesse persons had assaulted him , and his two angels ; before night , all the men of the city , from the young even to the old , from all quarters compassed the house round , seeking to break it open , railing upon , and reviling him . yea , though they were strook with blindnesse , they would not leave off , untill they had wearied themselves , and felt fire and brimstone about their cars , vers. 4 to 2 5. natural men in heavenly things , resemble shel-fish , that have no smell : or the cam●lion that hath no taste . nor do they see any more , then the meer barke or out-side●f spiritual performances , 2 sam. 6. 16. and the flesh ( satans ready instrument ) will be ever suggesting to them strange surmises , touching what the religious either say , or do . and still , the more sottish , the more censorious : for where is least brain , there is most tongue , and loudest . even as a brewers cart upon the stones , makes the lowdest noise , when his barrels are emptiest . they that knowleast , will censure most , and most deeply . it is from the weakest judgements , that the heaviest judgement comes . and so the more censorious , the more sottish , seem they never so wise in the worlds account : for admit the●have a shew of wisdome ; yet for matter of religion and saving knowledge , they know not their right hand from their left ; as it fared with those sixscore thousand ninevites , ionas 4. 11. so that it 's no disparagement to us , seem they never so learned : as what but their ignorance makes them so censure us . they suspect much , because they know little ; as children in the darke , suppose they see what they see not . yea , a dogge will be very violent in barking at his own shadow on a wall , or face in a glasse . the duke of von●osme seeing his own and others faces in a well , call'd for ayd against the antipodes . paglarencis thought himselfe cozened , when he saw his sow had eleven pigs , and his mare but one foale that would be confest . so that they are like harpast , a blinde woman in seneca's family , who found fault with the darknesse of the house when the fault was in her want of sight . or the owle , that complained of the glory of the sunne , when the fault was in her own eyes . or like pentheus , in euripides his bacchus , who supposed he saw two sunnes , two thebes , every thing double : when his brain alone was troubled . or those that are vertiginous , who thinke all things turn round , all e●re : when the errour is onely in their own brains . and so much for caution to the one . § 60. secondly , for comfort to the other ; if all natural men are ( like sampson without his guide , ) not able without the holy ghosts direction , to finde out the pillars of the house , the principles of faith : let us not wonder , that they swerve so much from the godly in their judgement , and practice : as is it any strange thing to see a blinde man stumble and fall ? neither let us be discouraged , maugre all their slander & opposition . nor think the worse of our selves , if such shall reproach us never so : the corinthians exceedingly slighted paul , he was this , and he was that ; but what says paul ? with me it is a very small thing that i should be judged of you , 1 cor. 4. 3 , 4. vve know little children will often laugh at wise men , when they are about serious and necessary affairs : which notwithstanding is not an argument of the unworthiness of the things they laugh at , but of the folly of them which laugh . will the merchant be discouraged because his wine pleaseth not a sicke mans palate ? much lesse cause have we to be discouraged by their distaste , or dislike of us and our actions , as having more certainty to rely upon ; they perhaps have sense , reason , and experience to rely upon , but we have them with the advantage of gods word , and spirit , and faith , three infallible witnesses . yea , we have great cause to rejoyce , that they revile , and speak evil of us . for his is both a token of perdition to them , and to us of salvation , and that of god , as the apostle phraseth it , phil. 1. 28. true , they may raise any slander upon the best of us , as the chief priests did upon our saviour , math. 28. 13 , 14. and that slander may be believed time out of minde , ( as the jewes to this day believe that his disciples stole him cut of the sepulchre ) matth. 28. 15. to the hardning of many in their atheism , and unbelief : for what should hinder ? when naboth was proved to be a blasphemer of god , and susanna a whore upon oath ; and the same recorded to posterity ; when ieremiah was reported to be an enemy to the state ? paul a polluter of the temple ? steven a destroyer of the law ? all the disciples deceivers , and christ himselfe a wine-bibber , a sabbath-breaker , a seducer of the people , a belzebub , &c. so we may perhaps under-goe the like , in one kind or other ( as the devils servants , want neither wit nor malice to devise ; ) but what need it trouble us , so long as it shall add waight to our crowns ? for if we any way suffer for christ , be it but rebuke for his sake , happy are we here , and great shall our reward be in heaven , mat. 5. 11 , 12. vvherefore let us never be ashamed of our masters service , nor of their censures : no matter what judas saith touching maries ointment , so long as christ approves of it . did our saviour christ forbear to heal on the sabbath day , because the scribes and pharisees took it ●ll ? no , but rather did it the more , luke 6. 7. to 12. and luke 13. 31 , 32. vvhen peter and john were charged to speak no more in the name of jesus ; their answer was , we cannot but speak that which we have heard and seen , acts 4. 20. vvhen michol scoft david , and called him fool for his dancing before the arke , his answer was , i will be yet more vile , and more lowly in mine own eyes . he knew that nothing could be more heroical , then this very abasement . and it is our very case . every scoffing michol , ( for none else will do it ) every drunken sot , derides our holy profession : but with god and the gracious , we shall be had in honour . yea , our very malicious , and scoffing adversaries shall honour us , by deriding us . their dispraise is a mans honour , their praise his dishonour . vvherefore let us imitate st. austin ; who as he feared the praise of good men , so he detested that of evill , and ungodly men . and take our saviours counsel ; seek to justifie our judgements , to the children of wisdome , of whom she is justified ; and not to fools , by whom she is daily crucified . neither let any think the better of such whom they extoll ; for the blinde eat many a flie . § 61. thirdly , are the one regenerate , the other carnall ? the one of this world , the other chosen out of it ? the one children of light , and of the day , the other blinde and in darknesse ? the one christs friends , the other his enemies ? do the one live after the flesh , the other after the spirit , gal. 5. 15. 1 pet. 4. 2. then look we for no love from , or peace with them : different dispositions can never agree . there can be no amity , where there is no sympathy . athens and sparta could never agree , for that the one was addicted to serve minerva , the other mars . yea , when it was said of phocian and demosthenes , that they could never agree ; it was answered , no , how should they ? when the one drinks water , and the other wine . much more may it be applyed to these , when the holy ghost sayes , 2 cor. 6. what communion between light and darknesse ? what peace between the believer and the infidel ? or unbeliever , vers. 14 , 15. and in another place ; know ye not , that the amity of the world , is the enmity of god ? and that whosoever will be a friend of the world , maketh himselfe the enemy of god , jam. 4. 4. and again , he that is borne after the flesh , will persecute him that is born after the spirit , gal. 4. 29. yea , solomon tels us directly , and in plain terms , that a wicked man is abomination to the just ; and that he who is upright in his way , is abomination to the wicked , pro. 29. 27. even our very ways which god hath commanded us to walke in , are abomination to them . vvhence it is , that the naturall man can agree with all that be naturall ; be they civill , or prophane , turkes , or jewes , papists or atheists , because all these agree with him in blindnesse , and darknesse : but with a sincere , and holy christian , a practicer of piety , he can never agree , because his light is contrary to the natural mans darknesse ; grace in the one , is a secret disgrace to the other . vvherefore to be without enemies , or to have such our friends , we may rather wish then hope ; yea , once to expect it , were an effect of frenzy , not of hope . onely let not us by our offending god , or jarring amongst our selves , put weapons into their hands to wound us withal : and then we are sure to have christ ( who is able enough to vindicate all our wrongs ) to assist us , and prevent our enemies . § 62. fourthly , if none be truly wise , but such as have pass'd the second birth ; and that this wisdome which makes us differ , cometh downe from the father of lights ; and that we cannot have it , except god vouchsafe to give it us : it may teach us to be humble , job 42. 6. and not like the ape , that is proud of his masters jacket : and thankefull , for heavenly notions , grow not in us ; wee spin them not out of our own breasts . nor was there any thing in us , that makes us differ : we slept nigh half our time in ignorance , and that wee ever awakened , it was onely gods infinite goodnesse and free grace . vvhat cause have we then to blesse the giver ? and to become suiters to our saviour in their behalf , who are not yet awake : that he will be pleased to open their eyes , and remove that vail which is laid over their hearts , in their hearing the gospel , 2 cor. 3. 14 , 15 , 16. and in the mean-time , let us condole their disastres , and drop some teares in pity and compassion for their great and grievous misery . fifthly , and lastly , if with god one spark of spiritual , experimental , and saving knowledge , be of more worth then all humane wisdome and learning , then strive we after that knowledge that will make us for ever blessed . let us so be learned , that we may be saved . let us not in our hearing , reading , and communication , do as little children , that looke onely upon the babies in a booke , without regard to the matter therein contained . but like men in yeares , have more respect to the pith , and solidity of the matter , then to the phrase ; and to the profit of our souls , then the pleasing of our senses . yea , let us so minde what we either hear or read ; that if any vertue be commended , we practice it ; if any vice condemned , we avoid it ; if any consolation be insinuated , we appropriate it ; if any good example be propounded , wee follow it . yea , so minde wee what we hear , or read , as if it were spoke onely to each of us in particular ; which to do , is to be for ever happy . good counsell for our young gulls , who will hear no other ministers but such as flatter sinne , and flout holinesse ; nor read other books , then such as fill them with pride , and lust , and the devil . so i have given you a good , and profitable book , one faultlesse fault being born with . an answer that may satisfie such as shall make the objection i expect , viz. about repetition , which i take to be a fault deserving thanks . if any shall finde themselves gainers by reading of this piece , let them also peruse the two fore-going parts , viz. the hearts index , and a short and sure way to grace and salvation , as treating upon the most needful subjects for a natural mans conversion , that i could think of : the which being small things , are sold onely by james crump , in little bartholomews , wel-yard ; and by henry cripps , in popes-head alley . errata . not to mention all the litterall mistakes , and points misplaced ; there is one fault in the title page so grosse , ( though it past the view , both of transcriber , composer , corrector , and authour , without being discerned : ) that it would be mended with a pen , and of floreligus , made florilegus . finis . the way to heauen shevving, 1. that saluation is onely in the church. 2. what that church is. 3. by what meanes men are added to the church. 4. the author, or efficient of this addition. 5. the time & continuance of that worke. 6. the happinesse of those that are added to the church. by iohn phillips, bachelor of diuinity, and pastor of feuersham in kent. phillips, john, d. 1640. 1625 approx. 194 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 41 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2003-01 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a09599 stc 19878 estc s114718 99849941 99849941 15115 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a09599) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 15115) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1475-1640 ; 1252:3) the way to heauen shevving, 1. that saluation is onely in the church. 2. what that church is. 3. by what meanes men are added to the church. 4. the author, or efficient of this addition. 5. the time & continuance of that worke. 6. the happinesse of those that are added to the church. by iohn phillips, bachelor of diuinity, and pastor of feuersham in kent. phillips, john, d. 1640. [12], 52, 55-66 p. printed by felix kingston, london : 1625. reproduction of the original in the union theological seminary (new york, n.y.). library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual 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remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng catholic church -controversial literature -early works to 1800. salvation -early works to 1800. 2002-09 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2002-10 spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images 2002-11 olivia bottum sampled and proofread 2002-11 olivia bottum text and markup reviewed and edited 2002-12 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the way to heaven : shevving , 1. that saluation is onely in the church . 2. what that church is . 3. by what meanes men are added to the church . 4. the author , or efficient of this addition . 5. the time & continuance of that worke . 6. the happinesse of those that are added to the church . by iohn phillips , bachelor of diuinity , and pastor of feuersham in kent . isa. 30.21 . this is the way , walke in it . london , printed by felix kingston . 1625. to the right worshipfvll , the maior , and the ivrats his brethren : and to the commvnaltie of the towne and port-limme of feversham in kent , i. p. wisheth happy societie with the heauenly ierusalem , heere , and in heauen . right worshipfull , and beloued , happinesse , is the common obiect of euery mans desire ; so that , as seneca saith , viuere omnes beatè volunt ; there is not a man that would not be happy . but there are two obstacles that hinder the attainement of this desired happinesse . one is , as hee saith well , sed ad peruidendum , quid sit , quòd beatam vitam efficiat , caligant : their sight is so dimme , that they cannot perceiue , what that thing is that makes a man happy . the other is , si viâ lapsus est : if a man misse of the right way . in which case ; ipsa velocitas maioris interualli causa fit : the faster he runnes , the farther hee is out of the way : therefore this wise heathen man doth giue good counsell ; decernatur it a que & quò tendamus , & qua : we must looke both to the end whereunto wee ayme , as also to the way , whereby wee may attaine vnto it . for the course of the world is vtterly against reason , pecorum ritu se qui antecedentium gregem , pergentes non qua eundum est , sed qua itur : that men indued with reason , should imitate the brute and vnreasonable creatures , which follow one another , though it bee out of the way : as if men should goe on , not considering what way they ought to goe , but what way is usually gone of others . but this is , non ad rationem , sed ad similitudinem viuere : not to liue according to reason , but according to example , not like men , but like apes . now our good guide , who is the way , the truth , and the life : and therefore a better instructer then the wisest heathen , hath directed vs christians , both to the end , and to the way , leading vnto that end , which is true happinesse in deed , and consisteth in the fruition of god , by the meanes of sauing knowledge and grace in this life , with the rest of the church militant heere in earth : as also by inioyning his glorious presence with the church t●iumphant in heauen : so that , if we follow his direction , wee shall know , & quò , & qua , both whither , and by what way we must goe , to attaine true felicity ; here below , as s. augustine saith , by faith , and heereafter aboue , by sight . and this is the scope , which i haue propounded to my selfe in this treatise , that i might not onely by liuely voyce , say , this is the way , walke in it ; but , as it were , by the hand , leade you in the way : for i am obliged by the bond of dutie , as being your pastour , and you my flocke , both to pray for you , and to direct you , the best i can , in this heauenly course . which , as i haue carefully indeuoured to doe amongst you , by the space of almost twenty yeeres : so i wish i may with good successe happily continue , to our mutuall ioyes , through gods blessing : for i can truly say with the apostle ; my hearts desire , and prayer to god for you , is , that ye might be saued ; and with the prophet samuel , god forbid that i should sinne against the lord , and cease praying for you : but i will shew you the good and right way . giue me leaue then , i beseech you , to stiree vp your christian mindes , to an vnfained desire and indeuour to enter into this way , tending to life and happinesse . in worldly benefits wee would not haue others to goe before vs : why should wee not haue as great , nay greater care of heauenly things ? our sauiour vpbraided the chiefe of the iewes , for that publicans and harlots went into the kingdome of god before them . and what a shame is it , as s. augustine saith , v● simplices idiotae rapiant nobis coelum , & nos cum nostra scientia mergamur in infernum ? that simple idiotes should snatch heauen from vs , and we with all our knowledge and learning should be plunged into hell ? oh let vs not doe our selues so great aniniurie . it is the propertie of worldlings , who liue not according to faith , as s. augustine speaketh , to angle for all their peace and prosperitie , in the sea of temporall profits , whereas the righteous liue in full expectation of the glory to come . which that you may also doe , take for your furtherance , this weake helpe in good worth ; vse it , and peruse it , i hope you shall finde your labour well bestowed . the occasion of this worke , was the interring of our neighbour , master edward lapworth , doctor of physicke : it is for the method and matter , the very same , that was then publikely deliuered by liuely voyce , but is now , not onely amplified , by accesse of those things , that the strictnesse of time would not then permit ; but is also further inlarged into a conuenient treatise ; the waight of the matter , and fitnesse of these times so requiring . if any desire to know the reason of the publishing of it , i must ingenuously confesse ▪ it was neuer liberally intended on my part , but rather extorted and wrung from mee : for had it not beene for a furious and ouer-hasty midwife , that drew it out of the wombe by violence , this embryon had neuer seene the light . yet when i did call to minde , that samsons lyon had honie in it , so that , out of the eater came foorth meate , and out of the strong came foorth sweetnesse , i did willingly set vpon this worke , hoping that by the blessing of god , some wholesome food , and sweet repast might issue out of these bitter beginnings , to the refreshing of the hungry soule . but to leaue parables , and to speake plainely : this gentleman deceased , was noted of all that knew him , to bee inclined to the romish religion . at the funerall , i tooke occasion to speake something of the deceased , which either of simple misprision , or sinister acception , was misconstrued , and by some officious hearers , carried as newes to such , whose eares are patent , and gates wide open to receiue the tale-bearer . heereupon the poore predicant was rated , as if it had beene a schoole-boy , by some austere pedantee ; and yet the censor had nothing to obiect , praeter auditum , but onely by bare heare-say : not one auditor obiecting any thing against the teacher ; but some godly and well-minded , shewing their acceptance , did giue him thanks for his labours . now , forsooth , the criminations or faults obiected , were these : 1. that the deceased partie was commended , being accounted a papist , yea , and a seducer . the truth is , there was not so much as one word of commendation giuen him , whereat momus himselfe might cauill ( as the i●dicious and ingenuous reader may heere see by the simple truth faithfully related ) vnlesse any will be so censorious , as to taxe s. paul for saying , as the truth was . that the ba●barians were courteous , and shewed them that had suffered shipwracke , no little kindnesse . that it is sayd , he was noted to be a papist , who euer denied it ? the proposition was not , that hee was no papist , but ( according to the doctrine of our christian reformed churches ) that a simple-hearted papist , not holding the whole mysterie of romish iniquity , but only erring in some lesse points , which ouerthrow not the foundation , may vpon repentance in generall , of sinnes knowne and not knowne , finde mercy with god , relying vpon christ alone for saluation . where it is said , that he was a seducer : i haue my selfe charged him with it ; but hee was so farre from maintaining that bad office , that he did in excuse of himselfe affirme , that he knew no cause , why any man should count him a papist , vnlesse it were for keeping the kings lawes , in abstaining from flesh vpon fridayes , and such like times . i call god to record , i doe the man no wrong , but testifie herein the very truth ; and did expastulate with him , that if the conscience of the kings lawes did so preuaile with him in that , why it should not also cause him to come more often to the church , the reason being the same for both ; whereunto , his answere was silence . but for the matter of seducing : it makes not a man by and by a settled professour in his religion , because hee labours to draw others vnto it : for we see by experience , that if any conceiue well of a religion , and begin to entertaine it , though they be as yet but very nouices , they will presently seeke to induce others to the same : this may appeare by those that were conuerts to the truth , as andrew and philip , and the like , whom as apes these errants imitate . 2. vnto the former , another aspersion was added , which did touch the whole ministerie , and was vrged with no little spight and clamour , viz. that any man , be he neuer so vile , for a cloth and a fee , shall as his funerall be commended and extolled to the heauens . if any be guilty of this crime , let him beare his owne burden ; for my part , i haue learned with elihu , not to giue titles , lest my maker should become my destroyer , for thereis a woe denounced against them , that speake good of euill , and call darkenesse , light . it is well knowne , that for diuers yeeres i did vtterly abstaine from speaking any one word of the dead , but onely applyed my selfe to the instruction of the liuing ; insomuch as it grew distasted : yet neuer did i abstaine , as holding is vnlawfull : for i know there is very good vse of it : 1. that the vertues of the godly may be propounded for imitation : that wee might be followers of the saints , who through faith and pacience haue inherited the promises . 2. that the perseuerance of the faithfull , being made knowne , we may with the ancient church , as is noted afterwards in this treatise , sing laud to god , that being faithfull vnto the death , they haue receiued the crowne of life . 3. that if any hauing liued scandalously in open sinne , but , through the mercy of god , by the meanes of his afflict●ng rod , are recouered , and brought home with the prodigall , the congregation being made acquainted with it , may glorifie god , that hath giuen them repentance vnto life , and with the angels , reioyce at the conuersion of a sinner . 4. that vpon any extraordinary accident , men being suddenly surprized by death , their example propounded , may be a monitory to the liuing , that they may take it to heart , and profit by it . these and the like , are good occasions of the teachers discourse in this kinde . and vpon this ground , i haue indeuoured to auoyde scandalum datum , the giuing of any offence , keeping my selfe alwayes in the meane , or middeway , betweene both extremes . 3. a third crimination , or fault obiected , and that with no little asperitie , was , that euen the very prophane should make a scoffe of it . and what did they say ? why , forsooth , being vpon their ale-benches , they call for another pot , deriding the doctrine of gods mercy and patience , in that hee calleth not all at once , but some euen at the eleuenth houre . did not the wicked doe this , euen at the very preaching of the prophets and apostles , yea , of christ himselfe ? can any pretend pietie , and take part with such impietie , taking it vp , and casting it as dung in the face of god himselfe ? for it is not moses , but god , against whom men open their foule mouthes : and the contemptuous vsage of the poorest seruant of christ , he counts as a despight done to himselfe , howsoeuer men slubber it ouer . 4. a fourth crimination was , that i should shew so much respect to one , that was a noted enemie to my selfe . but bee it that hee was so ; i haue learned of my master , though hee were my enemie , yet to call him friend . could he be a greater enemie to me , then saul was to dauid ? yet see how dauid giues him his due praise , in his mournefull song vpon the death of saul and ionathan . 5. the next obiection was , that his not comming to church was excused , for that his memory was decayed . in this point i cannot tell whether i should blame more , the reporters laesum ingenium , or laesam memoriam , his want of wit , or his want of memorie : for what reason is there to thinke , that a papist should refraine comming to church , because he cannot remember what he doth heare ? when in truth hee would willingly bee there starke deafe , or learne the art of obliuion . but the truth is , that the failing of his memorie was spoken of in the beginning ; his not comming to church , in the end of all the speech , and almost the last point of all , and it was applyed only to his facultie , wherein i said he did practise with good liking ▪ till through weakenesse his memorie began to faile . but the substance of the speech which i now come vnto , will cleere all . you may therefore please to vnderstand , that the sermon being ended ( according to my vsuall manner ) i tooke occasion to speake somewhat of the partie deceased ; not by way of commendation or excuse , in regard of his religion , which i had before taxed for many errours ; but onely by way of application of one speciall point in my sermon ; which was , that in a corrupt church some may bee saued , holding the foundation , though taynted with diuers errours of lesse moment : and so consequently in the romish church ; prouided , that they hold not the whole mysterie of that iniquity , nor by any doctrine or practice ouerthrow the fundamentall grounds of faith and religion . this i did apply to the person of the gentleman deceased , charitably deeming him to be in the number of these , and that ( as i did take it ) for good reason . the effect of my speech concerning him , was digested into these two branches : his facultie ; and his religion . for the first ▪ i did onely touch it in a few words , shewing , that hee did practise the art of physicke with good and commendable acceptance , till such time , as through weakenesse , his memorie began to faile : that he was very courteous , and ready to affoord his best helpe , specially to schollers , as i could testifie of mine owne certaine knowledge ; and not wanting therein to poore neighbours , as i had partly seene with mine owne eyes , and neere dwellers to him could testifie . touching his religion , i did indeuour to expresse my charitie , with our christian reformed church , that all men might see the difference between christian and antichristian religion . they cast downe headlong into hell , all that consort not with them , in dependance vpon one head , the romane bishop , we charitably and hopefully conceiue , that in the middest of them , notwithstanding their errour of that dependance , yet many haue beene , are , and shall bee saued , the lord hauing his thousands among them that neuer bowed their knee to baal . my reasons why i did so charitably iudge of his estate before god , were briefly these : 1. first , i shewed that he was not infected with the whole mysterie of iniquity , nor did appeare to be obdurate and obstinate that way ; because in our christian families where he came , he was knowne to ioyne with them in prayer . 2. in conference and dispute about religion , euery man that did conuerse with him , can testifie his vnskilfulnesse and weakenesse that way : wherein his disabilitie of answere was supplied vsually , with these or such like euading speeches : god send vs all to heauen . the sonne of god bee good to vs , &c. 3. hee protested to me , that he was neuer at the most solemne part of their romish religion , that is , the masse , nor did euer know what it meant . this confession was not long before his death . 4. his skill in the vtensils and vessels of their religious seruice was so little , that he did not know a chalice , but would pleasantly tell of his mistake , taxed by a gentlewoman , better skilled in the trade then himselfe . 5. my selfe reading to him a sermon of s. bernard , wherein the father vehemently inueighed against the court and prelacie of rome , and demanding of him , whether luther or caluine , or any of our men , could more plainely and more powerfully speake against such impietie , he did , as a man conuicted , admire it , as strange to him ; for hee ●aw there was no deceit , inasmuch as it was read to him in his owne booke . 6. he ordinarily ( though not so often as was fi● ) resorted to church , and communicated annually ; excepting the last yeere , or little more before his death : and that was vpon occasion of the princes going into spaine ; which made many befoole themselues . 7. last of all , in the shutting vp of his life , neere his end , my selfe praying with him , he did shew his consent , by erecting both his hands vp to heauen , and after the prayer ended , by giuing mee his hand cheerefully and willingly of his owne accord . if these bee not sufficient arguments to induce my charitie towards him , iudge you : and tell mee , i pray you , whether such a speech , so charitably vttered , need to flee the light , and be glad of the couert of darkenesse ; or not rather with boldnesse come into the light , as now it doth , that it may bee approoued of god , and discreet good men . that i may not with too much prolixitie offend your patience , i will now draw to an end ; intreating your courteous acceptance of this token of my sincere loue vnto you . it is indeed many wayes due vnto you of right , but especially in regard of your loue and kinde respect shewed to mee of late ; that whereas for the space of aboue ten yeeres , i constantly continued the weekely lecture vpon the market day , hauing no recompence for that paines , but onely master william sakers legacie of fiue pounds per annum , it hath pleased you , vpon due consideration , to augment it to a conuenient stipend : which good worke was first well begun by master reginold edwards , and that not onely motioned by word , but seconded by his liberall act , in contributing most largely to so good a purpose . and whereas voluntary contributions , depending onely vpon the donors free disposition , are in like manner as charitie it selfe , subiect to waxe cold ; it was not onely very kindly towards me , but exceeding prouidently , for the better continuance of so religious a worke , propounded by master william thurston to the whole corporation , and by their generall consents condescended vnto , that the stipend should euer heereafter be paid out of the chamber . of which pious worke , i commend to the world , this monument , in the iust praise , both of those prime motors , as also of you all , who were the concomitants and adinuant causes of that so good and needfull a furtherance of gods religious seruice ; desiring the almightie to blesse you all , and to giue you the comfort that religious nehemiah had in the like case ; that with him , euery one of you may bee able to say vnto god with ioy and confidence ; remember mee , o my god , concerning this , and wipe not out my good deedes , that i haue done for the house of my god , and for the offices thereof . yours in the lord iesus , iohn phillips . the way to heaven . acts 2.47 . and the lord added to the church daily such as should be saued . there is nothing more fit , not better beseeming a christian minde , at such times , and vpon such occasions as this , when our mortality is set before our eyes , then to consider seriously with our selues , what shall become of vs after this life ▪ that seeing our passage out of this world by death is ineuitable , we may , before our departure , learne here vpon earth , how to liue for euer in heauen . this heauenly lesson is here taught vs in this short and sweet text : which that i may open vnto you , and in opening it , may set open heauen gate to euery faithfull soule , you shall vnderstand , that these words are the conclusion of a memorable history , concerning the prime and first gathering together of the christian church , by the apostles , after the glorious ascension of our lord and sauiour iesus christ. know therefore , that to the end , that so great a worke , as the conuerting of the whole world , consisting of many nations , and different languages , might the better be effected , our blessed lord did , according to his promise , send the holy ghost vpon the apostles , enabling them to speake to euery nation and people in their owne tongues , that all countries might be taught to know and worship god in their owne language . and for the greater incouragement of the apostles , it pleased god to giue such a blessing to these beginnings , that about three thousand soules were conuerted at the first sermon of peter . now to shew that this blessing ceased not there , but that it continued still , and shall continue to the end of the world , it is said in the shurting vp of this historie , that the lord added to the church daily such as should be saued . these words offer vnto vs at the first view , foure remarkable obseruations . the first is , the way to saluation ; and that is , by being added to the church . the second is , the efficient or author of this addition ▪ and that is , the lord god. the third is , the time and continuance of this worke , and that is , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , daily , or from day to day . the fourth is , the happy end of such as are added to the church , and that is , saluation . they all , and they onely , are such as shall be saued . in the first obseruation , that i may complete the whole doctrine of it , three things are to bee considered . 1. that the way to saluation , is by the church . 2. what that church is , where saluation may be had . 3. by what meanes , and how men are to be added to the church , that they may be saued . 1 touching the first branch , it must be knowne and beleeued of all that desire saluation , that the regia via , the king of kings high way to heauen , is the church : without which church , there is no saluation . that i may demonstrate this truth , cast but your eye vpon the arke of noah , wherein was most liuely figured , the church of god. a type , twice alledged by saint peter , to this very purpose ; to shew , that saluation is , and onely is in the church . and therefore he vrgeth against such as made defection from the church , that god spared not the old world , but did bring in the flood vpon the world of the vngodly , that is , vpon those that were out of the arke , out of the church . againe , baptisme being the sacrament of our entrance into the church of christ , he doth parallell it , and compare it with the arke , intimating thus much , that as onely those eight soules were saued in the arke by water : so there is no hope of saluation , but onely in the church ; the solemne entrance whereinto , is ordinarily by baptisme . we know , that the head is the fountaine of life , 2 sense , and motion to the whole body and euery member of it , but yet onely to that body , whereof it is the head ; euen so it is betweene christ and the church ; christ is the head , the church is the body , and euery true christian is a particular member of that body : ye are , saith s. paul , the body of christ , and members in particular . now as the head doth naturally performe the office of a head to the body , and to it onely : so christ doth impart the diuine influence of sauing grace onely to his church . therefore the apostle , speaking of christ , saith , that from the head , all the body by ioynts and bands , hauing nourishment ministred and knit together , increaseth with the increase of god ; and hauing affirmed , that christ is the head of the church , hee immediately inferreth vpon it , and he is the sauiour of the body . this is that body , out of which the spirit giueth no life . this position , that saluation is to bee had onely in the church , is not obscurely noted , by those sacred similies , so frequent in scripture , 3 where the church is resembled to a house , to a citie , to a mother , to a vine . to a house . 1 so doth s. paul call it , the house of god , which is the church of the liuing god. it is likened to a house , in a two fold sense : first , as the word is taken properly for an edifice or mansion , and building to dwell in , consisting of foundation , walls , and roofe : thus s. peter termeth the faithfull , liuely stones built vp a spirituall house ; and christ , the corner stone . saint paul calleth them , gods building ; himselfe ▪ and other ministers , gods builders ; and christ , the foundation : for ( saith he ) other foundation can no man lay , then that is laid , which is , iesus christ ; and he telleth the ephesians , that they are built vpon the foundation of the apostles and prophets , christ himselfe being the chiefe corner stone . as therefore the safetie of a house standeth in the strength and firmenesse of its owne foundation , which giueth support to it , and onely to it : euen so saluation and freedome from eternall and vtter ruine , belongeth onely to the church , the house of god , built so firmely vpon the rocke iesus christ , that the gates of hell cannot preuaile against it . againe , it is compared to a house in another sense , the word house being taken for the inhabitants : so it is to bee vnderstood , when s. peter saith , that iudgement must begin at the house of god , that is , with the godly , with the righteous , as he plainely interpreteth himselfe . and the apostle to the hebrewes , calling the church , christs owne house , saith of himselfe , and the rest of the faithfull , whose house we are . now the church and euery member of it is called , the house of god , and of christ , because he doth dwell in their hearts by faith , as a housholder in his house . more expresly elsewhere in plainetermes , the church is called ; the lords family , or houshold ; the domestickes , or houshold of god ; the houshold of faith : the ministers are called , stewards , that rule ouer the houshold ; and christ himselfe , the lord of the house . as then the master of a family prouideth onely for his owne house , all necessaries for maintenance and sustentation of life : but not for others , or other mens families , except it bee in the case of charitie : so god , though in his gracious indulgence , as a creator to his creatures , hee bee good to all ; he preserueth man and beast : he maketh his sunne to rise on the euill and on the good , and sendeth raine on the iust , and on the vniust . yet in a peculiar manner he is good to israel , euen to such as are of a cleane heart . he is the sauiour of all men , but specially of those that beleeue . this houshold of faith onely , doth he saue eternally : they onely , hauing god for their father , the church for their mother , christ for their elder brother , regenerated by one and the same immortall seed of the word of god , nourished with one and the same sincere milke , partakers all of one bread , and drinking all of one cup. therefore s. peter saith of himselfe , and the rest of this family , that god , according to his diuine power , hath giuen vnto vs all things that pertaine vnto life and godlinesse , through the knowledge of him that hath called vs to glory and vertue . none then can looke for life and saluation , but they that are of gods houshold ; who alone can truely say with the psalmist , i am thine , saue me . the church is likewise resembled to a citie or commonwealth : thus it is set foorth in a vision to saint iohn , by the name of the holy citie , new ierusalem ; that great citie , the holy ierusalem : so againe it is called , the citie of the liuing god , the heauenly ierusalem . it is compared to a citie in two respects ; that is to say , defence , and priuiledge . we know , that cities are places of refuge , to defend the inhabitants from the force of enemies : so is the church to the true members of it , the onely place of eternall safetie . therefore it is , that the faithfull in their triumphant song , doe to the praise of god sing in this manner : wee haue a strong citie , saluation will god appoint for walls and bulwarkes . and the prophet ioel foretelling the state of the christian church , saith , in mount sion and in ierusalem shall be deliuerance . so that in this heauenly citie , entred into heere vpon earth , is our onely securitie of saluation ; without it , there can be no safetie at all . heereupon saint augustine alluding to those words of the psalme , praise the lord , o ierusalem ; praise thy god , o sion : for he hath made fast the barres of thy gates . when ( saith he ) the barres of the gates are fast , as none can come in , so none can goe out ; intimating thereby , that they that belong not to this citie of god , the church , but remaine without , cannot haue the benefit of defence , but lye open to eternall ruine : whereas on the contrary , they that are so in it , that they are also of it , can neuer be surprized by any enemy , but may sing comfortably with dauid , blessed be the lord , for he hath shewed me his marueilous kindnesse , in a strong , or fenced citie . againe , cities or common-wealths haue their priuiledges , immunities , and freedomes , wherein the citizens and freemen onely are interessed . to this purpose , that father citeth the definition of scipio , in tullie de rep. respublica , est res populi . that is : the weale-publike , is the peoples wealth . or thus , the common-wealth , is the wealth or wellfare of the commons . it is so with the church . therefore of this immunitie and freedome ▪ the apostle speaking of the catholicke church , saith , ierusalem which is aboue , is free : and telling the ephesians , that before their conuersion , they were without christ , and were aliens from the common-wealth of israel , and were strangers from the couenant of promise , and had no hope , and were without god in the world : he saith , but now in christ iesus , yee which were farre off , are made neere by the blood of christ : and afterwards addeth these words ; now therefore ye are no more strangers and forreiners , but citizens with the saints ; meaning heereby , that they had now , being entered into the church , attained vnto the immunity and freedome of the citie of god. but wherein consisteth this freedome ? among other priuiledges , it doth mainely and principally consist in freedome from sinne , and condemnation for sinne : hence it is , that s. paul assureth the faithfull , that sin●● shall haue no dominion ouer them , and that being freed from sinne , they haue their fr●●ie in holinesse , and the end euerlasting life . againe , that there is no condemnation to them that are in christ iesus . by this it is euident , that the priuiledge of eternall life and happinesse , is the peculiar right of the citie of god , the church . it is also likened vnto a mother . so saith the apostle , that ierusalem which is aboue , is the mother of vs all . this semblance standeth in two things . first , the church , as a mother , doth conceiue and bring foorth children to god , by the immortall seede of the word of god , in the ministery of the church : whereunto s. paul alluding , saith to the galatians , my little children , of whom i trauell in birth againe , vntill christ bee formed in you . secondly , the church , as a mother doth , after her children are borne and brought foorth , feed and nourish them with the sincere milke of the word of god , out of her two brests , the sacred scriptures of the old and new testament ; and as they grow in strength , giueth them not onely milke , but also strong meate . as therefore no man can liue the life of nature , but hee must haue a mother , by whom hee must bee conceiued and brought foorth into the world ; and must withall haue conuenient nourishment for preseruation of life : so no man can liue the life of grace heere , and the life of glory for euer , vnlesse he be borne of his mother , the church , and nourished in it , to euerlasting life . to this purpose is that noted saying of an ancient father : hee shall neuer haue god for his father , that hath not the church for his mother . the church is againe compared to a vine , as wee may see by the complaint of the faithful vnto god in the psalme , thou hast brought a vine out of egyp● , &c. why hast thou then broke downe her hedges ? and by gods complaint concerning his church : o inhabitants of ierusalem , and men of iudah , iudge , i pray you , betweene me and my vineyard : when i looked that it should bring foorth grapes , it brought foorth wilde grapes . our sauiour christ , vnder the parable of the vine , describeth the church , likening himselfe to the body or stocke , and the members of his church to the branches . i am , saith he , the vine , ye are the branches . it is inferred vpon the words going before ; noting the due proportion betweene the vine and the church ▪ as the branch , saith christ , cannot beare fruit of it selfe , except it abide in the vine ; no more can ye , except ye abide in me . this he further amplifieth in these words ; he that abideth in me , and i in him , the same bringeth foorth much fruit ; for without mee ye can doe nothing . if a man abide not in me , he is cast foorth as a branch , and is withered , and men gather them and cast them into the fire , and they are burned . all this importeth thus much , that vnlesse we be ingrafted into christ , the true vine , and so become liuely branches in the body of the church , wee can haue no hope of life and saluation : for , saith s. augustine , out of this body , the holy ghost quickneth no man. this doctrine , of saluation in the church onely , is not onely thus illustrious by the bright-shining light of so many diuine similitudes and parables , but is also warranted by euident and inuincible reason , grounded vpon the word of god. 1 1. it is a principle vndenyable , that there is onely one sauing truth . and therefore the apostle saith , that all men whom god will haue saued , he will haue to come to the knowledge of the truth . now this truth is no where to be found , but in the church of god. hence it is , that the godly are termed , the righteous nation , that keep●th the truth . and s. paul stileth the church , the pillar and ground of truth . and for this cause , the spirit whereby the church is guided , is called , the spirit of truth : and it was promised by our lord christ , that it should come and guide the church into all truth . if then there can be no saluation without the knowledge of the truth , and no sauing truth but onely in the church , it consequently followeth , that there is no saluation out of the church . 2 2. there are certaine graces , that accompany saluation , which are the peculiar of the church of god ; they may be all included in these foure , that is , the grace of election , the grace of vocation , the grace of iustification , and the grace of sanctification ; all which , ioyntly and inseparably haue their period and end in glorification . this we may plainely see , by that golden chaine of mans saluation , in the epistle to the romanes , whereof not one linke can bee broken by the greatest power of hell : whom god did predestinate , saith the apostle , them hee also called ; and whom he called , them he also iustified ; and whom he iustified , them he also glorified . that these graces are concomitant to saluation , and the peculiar of the church , is not only manifest for the generall , by this golden chaine , neuer worne of any but the faithfull : but it will more euidently appeare , if we examine the particulars . as for predestination and election , 1 whereby god doeth choose men to saluation of his free grace and mercie , without any merit in man ; it is so proper to the church , that s. peter calleth it , a chosen generation , a peculiar people . s. paul saith of the church , that they are the chosen of god in christ , before the foundation of the world ; acc●rding to the good pleasure of his will ; to the praise of the glory of his grace . our sauiour , distinguishing the sound members of the church from hypocrites , such as iudas , saith , i speake not of you all ; i know whom i haue chosen : and of the faithfull , hee saith , yee haue not chosen mee , but i haue chosen you , and ordained you . then to be a sound member of the church , and to bee elect , is all one : and not to be elect , though in the church , is no benefit to saluation . therefore saint luke hauing said in our text , that the lord added to the church such as should be saued , saith afterward in equiualent phrase of speech , that as many as were ordained to eternall life , beleeued . to this accordeth that saying of s. gregorie , speaking of the church ; within these limits , saith he , are all the elect , without them are all the reprobate ; yea , although they may seeme to be within the bounds of faith . no marueile then , though s. peter aduising the faithfull to secure their owne saluation , doth counsell them to doe it , by giuing diligence to make their election sure . touching vocation or calling , i meane , effectuall calling , the effect of election , whereby god doth conuert the soules of men to himselfe , calling them out of the society of the world , 2 into the communion of saints , as it were , out of darknesse into light ▪ it is also such a property of the church , that it cannot possibly bee separated from it . therefore the church is sayd to bee , the called of iesus christ : and to bee those , who are the called according to the purpose of god , and partakers of the heauenly vocation . now that it is a companion of saluation , is euident , by that exhortation of the apostle , exciting the faithfull , that they would walke worthy of god , who hath called them vnto his kingdome and glory : where we may see , that glorification is the terminus ad quem , that is , the end whereunto tendeth the calling of gods people . and that they shall neuer faile of this end , hee secureth them by the fidelity of the caller : god , saith he , is faithfull , by whom ye were called vnto the fellowship of his sonne iesus christ our lord. and againe , faithfull is he that calleth you , who also will doe it . and therefore the apostle , speaking of graces that accompany saluation , and by name of effectuall vocation , the fruit of election , doth confidently assure the romanes , that the gifts and calling of god are without repentance . a text so cleere for the inseparabilitie of gods effectuall calling , and consequent saluation ; that our rhemish aduersaries , who euery where catch any thing , that may but seeme to make for themselues , or against vs , are heere , vpon this verse , constrained to be mute , and say nothing , but onely leaue a blanke . 3 come wee now to iustification . it is a word of great varietie for the signification of it ; but we need trouble our selues with no more but this one distinction . it is either that , whereby we stand iust before god : or that whereby wee are declared to be iust before men . the former is properly iustification : the latter is called , sanctification . yet both are sometimes included vnder the name of iustification : as wee may see by that golden chaine of the apostle , before cited : whom he called , them he also iustified ; and whom he iustified , them hee also glorified : otherwise the chaine had beene imperfect , and had lacked a maine lincke , without which , glorification could not follow . this distinction of iustification before god and before men , is grounded vpon these words of saint paul , if abraham were iustified by workes , he hath whereof to glorie , but not before god : and it doth fitly reconcile saint paul and saint iames , the one speaking of iustification before god , which wee haue now in hand : the other , of iustification before men , or sanctification , which we shall touch in the next place . now concerning iustification before god , we are to consider , both what it is , that it is proper to the church , as also that it is a necessary antecedent of saluation . iustification then , is an action of god , whereby he pardoning all sinnes , imputeth righteousnesse to euery true beleeuer , out of his free grace and mercie , for the onely merit of iesus christ. the branches being many , require distinct explication . 1. it is an action of god. 1 so much intimateth the apostle ; who , saith hee , shall lay any thing to the charge of gods elect ? it is god that iustifieth . 2. it consisteth in the pardon of sinnes . 2 to this purpose the same apostle alledgeth the psalme . as dauid , saith hee , declareth the blessednesse of the man , to whom god imputeth righteousnesse without workes ; saying , blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiuen , and whose sinnes are couered . blessed is the man to whom the lord will not impute sinne . 3. it is a meere imputation of righteousnesse , 3 out of man , in christ iesus alone , that doth cause a man to stand iust in the sight of god , and not any merit of workes in man himselfe : for , as was said before , to constitute a blessed man , god imputeth righteousnesse without workes . this imputed righteousnesse , not inherent in vs , but out of vs , in christ , is expresly noted by saint paul , where he saith , that christ who knew no sinne , was made sinne for vs , that wee might bee made the righteousnesse of god in him . marke heere two things , saith saint augustine , the righteousnesse of god , not our righteousnesse : in him , not in vs. so then , looke how christ was made sinne for vs , in the same manner are wee made the righteousnesse of god in him : but christ was not made sinne , by infusion or inherencie of sinne , but onely by imputation . so we , that we may be saued , must bee iustified , not by our inherent righteousnesse , which at the best , is imperfect ; but by the imputed righteousnesse of christ , who of god is made vnto vs , wisedome , righteousnesse , sanctification , and redemption . 4 4. this righteousnesse is imputed to euery true beleeuer : for it is faith onely whereby we apprehend christ with all his benefits , as we may see , if we compare together , faith , hope , and charitie : faith , like a hand , receiueth and layeth hold on the obiect , christ ; therefore s. iohn maketh receiuing of christ and beleeuing in him , all one . hope onely expecteth & looketh for the accomplishment of that which faith beleeueth , and with patience waiteth for it . charitie distributeth her good things to the benefit of others . hence it is , that faith onely is said to iustifie , because it is the onely instrumentall cause of our iustification , in that it alone doth apprehend christ , by whom we are iustified . scriptures for this are plentifull ; from all things , saith saint paul in his sermon at antioch , from which ye could not be iustified by the law of moses , by christ , euery one that beleeueth , is iustified . and disputing the question of iustification , he doth thus determine it ; therefore wee conclude , that a man is iustified by faith , 5 without the deeds of the law. this , saith saint bernard , is the apostles meaning , that a man is iustified freely by faith . 5. our iustification is of gods free grace and mercy : this the apostle auoucheth , that all men are iustified freely by his grace . a trueth so euident , that it hath obtained the aduersaries ingenuous confession : for the vncertaintie of our own righteousnesse , saith bellarmine , and the perill of vaine-glory , it is most safe to repose our whole confidence in the sole mercy and fauour of god. thus , euen our aduersaries being witnesses , our christian reformed religion directeth men the safest way to heauen . 6 6. it is for the onely merit of iesus christ : therefore the apostle hauing said , that we are iustified freely by his grace , addeth , through the redemption that is in iesus christ. and venerable bede saith , that christs death is our life , his condemnation , our iustification . thus we see what iustification is , now that it belongeth only to the church , and is a concomitant of saluation , our creede may teach vs , where we are directed to beleeue , as speciall priuiledges of the catholike church , the forgiuenesse of sinnes , and the resurrection to life euerlasting . and the apostle saith , that wee being iustified by his grace , should bee made heires according to the hope of eternall life . where wee haue in one text , both the persons , to whome iustification doth belong we , saith the apostle , that is , the church and faithfull people of god : and the inheritance of eternall life following . the last grace accompanying saluation , 4 is , sanctification . it is a grace of god , whereby a man being iustified , is in euery part of soule and body renewed by the spirit of god , no more to liue in sinne , but to walke in newnesse of life . it is in a word , the renewed image of god , consisting in knowledge , righteousnes and true holinesse . you may see it in the lesson , that grace teacheth all her children , which is , to deny vngodlinesse , and worldly lusts , & to liue soberly , righteously and godly in this present world , being zealous of good workes . iustification and sanctification differ in foure points . 1. iustification is before sanctification in nature , though both be together in time : for as the branch must first be in the vine , before it can by vertue of the sap bring forth fruit : so a man must bee first in christ , by faith , before hee can be a new creature , and so bring forth the fruit of holinesse . 2. iustification is without vs , in christ , as was said before , but sanctification is within vs , inherent , and infused by the spirit of god. 3. iustification , is that whereby we stand absolued , and made iust in the sight of god , but by sanctification wee are onely declared to be iust . 4. iustification doth quiet the conscience , by reconciling it , and making it at peace with god , for , being iustified by faith , wee haue peace towards god through our lord iesus christ. but sanctification cannot doe so , because our best actions are imperfect , and in regard of their defect stand in need of pardon . if thou , lord , shouldest marke iniquities , o lord , who shall stand ? now , that sanctification is also the churches peculiar , heare the apostle , shewing the difference betweene men out of the church , and such as are in it : speaking of their prophanenesse before their calling , he saith , and such were some of you : but telling them of their change , he addeth , but ye are washed , but ye are sanctified . it is therefore the stile or addition of the church . vnto the church of god , saith saint paul , which is at corinth , to them that are sanctified in christ iesus , called to be saints . and we beleeue in our creede , the holy catholike church , the communion of saints . that it doth accompany saluation , is more then manifest : for without it , no man shall see the lord : but being ●reed from sinne , we haue our fruit in holinesse , and the end euerlasting life . therfore we must know , that sanctificatiō is such a necessary antecedent , though no meritorious cause , of saluation , that notwithstanding no man shal be saued for the merit of it , yet no man can be saued without it : because true sauing faith , the instrumentall cause of our iustification and saluation , worketh by loue , and can be no more without sanctity and good workes , then fire can bee without heat , or water without moisture . to conclude then , if there be no saluation without election , calling , iustification , and sanctification , and none of these to be found , but only in the church of god , it followeth necessarily , that there is no saluation out of the church . 3 there are certaine meanes appointed of god , to worke and encrease sauing grace , which if they shall be found to be the prerogatiue of the church , it cannot be denied , but that there onely saluation is to be had : for in reason , the end cannot ordinarily be attained without the meanes leading vnto it . our sauiour telling the woman of samaria of the water of life , she answered him , sir , you haue nothing to draw withall , and the well is deepe , from whence then haue you that water of life ? indeede the well is profound and deepe from whence we must fetch the euer-liuing water : and the womans reason may teach vs , that we had need of instruments and meanes to conuay it vnto vs. now the meanes to effect and perfect mans saluation , are the written word of god , called , the scriptures : the ministerie of preaching the word : the two sacraments of the new testament , and prayer . that these are meanes , see first for the word written , what saint paul saith to the romanes : whatsoeuer things were written aforetime , were written for our learning , that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might haue hope . to this purpose is that commendation of timothy propounded for the imitation of all the faithfull , that from a childe he had known the holy scriptures , which are able to make him wise vnto saluation . therefore our sauiour aduiseth to search the scriptures : for in them , saith he , ye thinke to haue eternall life , and they are they which testifie of me . 2 touching the ministery of preaching , it is called by the apostle , the power of god vnto saluation , to euery one that beleeueth . the sacraments , they are the seales of the righteousnesse of faith ; 3 and so consequently of saluation . prayer , is that to which the promise is made , whosoeuer shall call vpon the name of the lord , 4 shall be saued . that these are the prerogatiues of the church , it is out of question . for to them are committed the oracles of god , and he sheweth his word vnto iacob , saith the psalme , his statutes , & his iudgmēts vnto israel . he hath not dealt so with any nation . as for the ministery of preaching , god hath committed it to the apostles , and the succeeding pastors of the church . god , saith the apostle , hath giuen vnto vs the ministerie of reconciliation , and hath committed vnto vs the word of reconciliation . again , that he hath set or ordained them in the church , and not elsewhere , and that for the gathering together and edifying of the saints , to continue to the end of the world . that the sacraments are the churches proper right , is manifest : for to whom doe the seales belong , but onely to them that are within the couenant , whereof the seales are the effectuall signes and pledges ? and of whom is it said , goe and baptize them , but of those , which ioyne themselues to the church by beleeuing ? or to whom was it euer spoken , but onely to the church , doe this in remembrance of me : eate ye , drinke ye all of this , &c. touching prayer , they onely can pray , that haue true sauing faith : for how shall they call vpon him , saith the apostle , in whom they beleeue not ? and none can inuocate god aright , that cannot truly and with confidence call god father , which none can doe but they that are led by the spirit of god , which saint paul calleth the spirit of adoption , whereby wee cry abba , father . this therefore is the prerogatiue of the church : by which they are in scripture , as by a proper note distinguished from all others , both prophane , that pray not at all : hypocrites , that babble with their lips , but their hearts are farre from god ; and the superstitions , that inuocate creatures , with confidence to bee heard of them . thus the apostle describing the church , among other notes , setteth it forth by this , that they are such as in euery place call vpon the name of iesus christ our lord : and againe , that call on the lord , out of a pure heart . now then , if the inuocation of god , and of him alone , and that in truth , be not an essentiall propertie of the church , and as the logicians call it , proprium quarto modo , proper to all and euery member of it , to them alone and at all times : how can it distinguish them , as the scripture doth , from all others ? then we see , that the meanes of saluation being only in the church , saluation it selfe is there onely , and not elsewhere to be found . 4. to shut vp this doctrine in a short summe , it must be granted of all , that none can be saued , that haue not christ for their mediatour & aduocate ; for other there is none , as there is none other but one god. so saith the apostle , there is one god , and one mediator betweene god and man , the man christ iesus . and that he is onely the mediatour of the church , we may take it at his owne word : i pray for them , i pray not for the world : but for them which thou hast giuen mee : for they are thine . and s. paul speaking of himselfe and the rest of the faithfull , saith , that christ is at the right hand of god , and maketh intercession for vs. thus by a cloud of witnesses , is this diuine truth confirmed , that out of the church there is no saluation . 1. grosse therefore and absurd is that liberti●e opinion , that any may be saued in any religion , leading an outward ciuill life ; the turke in his mahometisme , the iew in his iudaisme , the heathen in his paganism . they may as well say , that in the deluge a man might haue beene preserued out of the arke , vpon some tree , or house top : or that a limme separated from the body , or a branch cut off from the vine , can liue . 2. this also discouereth the fearefull and damnable estate of those , who neuer regarding church or religion , content themselues as meere naturals , and worldlings to inioy the world . these esauites had rather with their father esau , please their palate with a little meate , then inioy the heauenly blessing . they gaze vpon the arke with the old world , they wonder to see such pacing vnto it : nay , as s. augustine speaketh , they murmure and eate their galls , to see the people flocke vnto the church , to those pure solemnities of christ : where both sexes are so honestly distinguished by their seuerall places : where they may learne how well to lead their temporall liues heere , that they may become worthy of the eternall hereafter . these profane ones haue their eyes so blinded by the god of the world , that they cannot see any other heauen , but the world . 3. a caueat is here giuen to all schismaticall spirits , who for exter●all things , as matters of order and ceremony meerly adiaphorous or indifferent , separate themselues from the society of the church , like some foolish and furious nauigator , who in his voyage , vpon euery occasion of discontent , casts himselfe ouer boord , presuming to bee safe enough out of the ship . let such know , that though god in his mercy may saue the simply-seduced , as being of his inuisible catholike church , yet the roade way is , to bee ioyned with some visible orthodox congregation . 4. this cals all men , with a most forcible inuitement , euen as euer they desire to be saued , to enter timely into this straight gate , that leadeth vnto life . many of the egyptians and other strangers , when they saw the great workes god did for his church , and in what safe and happie condition the people of god were in , ouer they were ; they left their owne countrey alliance , and friends , and ioyned themselues to the iewes . thus should we doe , forsake all and follow christ , leaue all societies , for the communion of saints : for as the doue found no rest for the sole of her foote , but was faine to returne into the arke againe : so let a man compasse the whole world , yet shall he neuer bee able to finde rest to his soule , till by entering into the church , he take christs yoke vpon him . let him with salomon , try all things vnder the sunne ; pleasures , riches , honours , and what the world can afford , he shall at the last be driuen to cry out , vanitie of vanities , and conclude when all is done , he are the end of all , feare god , and keepe his commandements , for this is all of man , all his duty , and all his dignity : and without this , all that a man is , or hath , is but meere vanity . so much for the first branch . 2 the next point to be considered , is , what that church is , where saluation is to be had . a very necessary question for these times , wherein we liue : in regard there is not a sect or faction in all the christian world , that doth not challenge the name of the church to it selfe . but wee must know , that there is nothing more childish then to boast of the name of a thing , when the thing it self is wanting . we haue a maxime in logick , a nomine ad rem non valet consequentia . to argue from the name , to prooue that the thing is so , because it is so named , is an argument inconsequent . our sauiour ●e●s the church of smyrna , that there are that say , they are iewes , and are not , but are the synagogue of satan . and to the church of sardi he saith , i know thy workes : for thou hast a name that thou art aliue , but thou art dead . the church of the laodiceans was , of al the rest of the seuen churches , in the worst condition ( being neither cold nor hot ) as we may see , in that our sauiour giueth them not any one commendation at al , as he doth to the rest of the churches , giuing them their due praise , notwithstanding he doeth withall taxe them for their errours : no doubt to this end , both to shew his detestation of luke-warmenesse , and that where luke-warmenesse in religion is , there is no goodnesse to be expected . yet these laodiceans , as f●rre as they were from the true zeale of religion , did notwithstanding boast themselues to bee rich , and lacke nothing ; whereas indeed they were wretched , and miserable , and poore , and blind , and naked . it is therefore a very silly and simple part , to take men at their bare word , as our seduced romanists doe , in so waightie a matter as religion is . the men of berea are commended , for that they searched the scriptures daily , whether those things were so or no , euen which paul himselfe taught . and it is recorded to the praise of the church of ephesus , that they had tried them , which said they were apostles and were not , and had found them lyers . and indeed , it is veritie that we ought to looke for , and not suffer our selues to be carried away with words and shewes . for whosoeuer is a good and true christian , saith s. augustine , must know , that wheresoeuer hee shall finde truth , it belongs to his lord. let vs therefore search into this truth , that so wee may finde out the true church where saluation is to be had . the greeke word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ; it doth signifie a company , an assembly , or congregation of people called together : and is sometime taken for ciuill meetings in townes and cities , or humane societies : sometimes for ecclesiasticall assemblies , and meetings of the church and people of god , as in our text , and euery where is scripture , and ecclesiasticall writers . it is also vulgarly vsed for the place where the congregation doth meet to performe religious seruice , but improperly and abusiuely , and is therefore reprehended by laurentius valla ; many , saith hee , call sacred temples by the name of the church , but i know not by what right , for indeed the word doth signifie a congregation of men , not places . which i would intreate you the rather to note , because our aduersaries in their rhemes testament , doe with such spightfull words traduce vs , for translating congregation , rather then church . they would make the world beleeue , with their bragadochio campian , that the very name of the church , is a scar-crow to protestants . they might haue moderated their sharpe censure , considering that the translation was answerable to the propriety of the greeke word : or they might haue opened their eyes , and looked into our booke of articles , published twenty yeeres before their rhemes notes did see the light : or they might haue seene , if they had not beene wilfully blinde , that in our booke of common prayer , the word church is ordinarily vsed in euery passage ; in our prayers and collects , in the administration of our sacraments , in the celebration of matrimonie , in the confession of our faith , at euery meeting of the church . by all which euidences , it may appeare , how farre the church of england is from any distaste of the name of the church . but indeed they had their answere long agoe , that their note is false and foolish , and that the translator rather vsed the word congregation , then church , to auoide ambiguitie : but after the people were taught to distinguish of the word church , and to vnderstand it for the mysticall body of christ , the later translators vsed that terme , not that the other was any corruption , or the later any correction , but to declare , that both is one . leaue we the word , and come to the thing and matter it selfe . the church , out of which there is no saluation , is set foorth vnto vs in a diuerse notion : not that there is any more then one true church , 1 but because that one church is considered in a diuerse respect , and is in the parts of it of a different condition . the name of the church comprehendeth sometimes the whole company and congregation of the faithfull , that euer were , are , or shall be to the end of the world : within this notion are included , not onely that part which is militant in earth , but that also which is triumphant in heauen , yea , the very angels themselues . therefore it is said , that by christ , god hath reconciled all things vnto himselfe , and set at peace , through the blood of his crosse , both the things in earth , and the things in heauen . these are the elect , inuisible , knowne onely to god in the iudgement of veritie and certaintie : the lord , saith the apostle , knoweth who are his : and knowne to men , onely in the iudgement of charitie ; as we may see by the same apostle to the thessalonians , distinguishing the sound members of the church from the counterfeit ; but wee ought to giue thankes alway to god for you , brethren , beloued of the lord , because that god hath from the beginning chosen you to saluation . in a second notion , 2 by the church , is vnderstood the society of those which make externall profession of the truth , being a mixt company , consisting of good and bad . and in this acception , it is taken sometimes for the generall ●ompany of professed christians , liuing in any one or more ages : thus we call the prime christians in the apostles time , and the neere adioyning ages , wherein the assemblies continued orthodoxe and sound in the faith , the primitiue church . 3 sometimes also the name church , is giuen to particular congregations , being members of the vniuersall , is , the church of rome , the church of corinth , the church of ephesus , and the like . againe , in particular churches , the name of church is sometimes giuen to the pastors , as where our sauiour saith , tell it vnto the church . sometimes to the people , as may appeare by saint pauls charge giuen to the elders of the church of ephesus : take heed , saith he , vnto your selues , and to all the flocke , whereof the holy ghost hath made you ouerseers , to feed the church of god , which he hath purchased with his owne blood . sometimes the name church includeth both pastors and people , as in the reuelation , where it is said , to the seuen churches , which are in asia , is meant both the angels or ministers of those churches , and the candlesticks or churches themselues , as afterwards it is expounded : in this sense is it so often said , let him that hath an eare , heare what the spirit saith to the churches . these distinctions , as heereafter we shall see , are of great vse for the cleering of many necessary truthes . and first of all , from hence we may deriue the true definition of the church , whereunto they must bee vnited that euer looke to bee saued . it is out of all controuersie , that such must be of the number of the elect , ( according to the first notion of the church ) as hath beene shewed before , vpon the point of election , being the first grace , and fountaine of all other graces accompanying saluation . but yet because the elect are not subiect to the eyes of men , but are onely knowne to god , the sacred scriptures direct vs euery where to the visible church , according to the second notion : for whomsoeuer god doth elect vnto the end , those he doth appoint vnto the meanes tending to that end . such therefore as desire saluation , must ioyne themselues to the visible church , by the ordinary way and meanes of effectuall calling , iustification , and sanctification ; all which graces expresse themselues visibly to the eye of the world , by their effects and properties , causing the faithfull to shine as a light in a darke place . let vs come then to the definition of the visible church : which i cannot better commend vnto you , then in the words of our church of england ; and it is this : the visible church of christ , is a congregation of faithfull men , in the which , the pure word of god is preached , and the sacraments be duly ministred , according to christs ordinance , in all those things that of necessitie are requisite to the same . where we haue the essentiall parts of a true definition : namely , the generall & common matter , whereof the church is materially constituted ; in these words , a congregation of faithfull men . and the difference , whereby the church is formally distinguished from all other societies , partly in the former words , partly in these words following , viz. in the which the pure word of god is preached , and the sacraments duly ministred , &c. to open the definition more distinctly and plainely . we call the church , a congregation of faithfull men , to distinguish it , both from ciuill and prophane societies , that are without ; as also from hypocrites and vnsound members , that are within the church , but not of it . againe , we say , that the church is a congregation of faithfull men , in which the pure word of god is preached , and the sacraments duly ministred , according to christs ordinance : to distinguish the orthodoxe and true church , from hereticall assemblies , which maintaine doctrine against the foundation ; as also from idolatrous and superstitious societies , who serue not god aright , according to his will reuealed in his word , but after the inuentions and traditions of men : concerning whom , christ alledging the prophet , saith , in vaine they doe worship me , teaching for doctrines , the commandements of men . we adde further , in all those things , that of necessitie are requisite to the same ; both to meete with will-worshippers , as also with schismaticall conuenticles , who make euery externe and indifferent ceremonie , an essentiall part of the worship of god , and therefore flye the assemblies of the most orthodoxe churches , for such externall rites , as if they were grosse idolaters , and not lawfully to bee communicated withall . from this definition thus explained , wee gather three remarkable points , carefully to be noted of all , that laying aside all preiudice and partiality , desire to bee rightly in●ormed , in what church they may finde saluation . 1. that it is wheresoeuer the society of the faithfull may be found , and is not alledged or tyed to any one particular place or person . 2. that it is to be discerned from all others , by the purity and soundnesse of doctrine ; and by the due administration of the sacraments . 3. that it admitteth nothing as of necessitie to saluation : or as an absolute and necessary part of gods worship , that is not consonant to the word of god , and according to christs ordinance in the same . touching the first point , 1 that wheresoeuer the society of the faithfull is , there is the true visible church , and is not locally or personally tyed to any : let saint peter , the prime bishop of rome , as they call him , determine it : of a truth , saith he , i perceiue , that god is no accepter of persons : but in euery nation , he that feareth him , and worketh righteousnesse , is accepted with him . heere is no one africa , in it no one cartenna , no one person or order of bishops , whereunto the church should be tyed . heere is no italie , no one rome , no one pope or succession of popes , challenging an allegation or dependance of all churches vpon it : but where true faith and the feare of god is , there is the church of christ. this was reuealed to s. iohn in a vision : where we may see , that the church is the company of the redeemed , out of euery kindred , and tongue , and people , and nation . hee receiued no reuelation concerning any one eminent place aboue all others , vpon which all other churches and their members should depend , as their oracle : onely this was shewed vnto him by vision , that , that great citie , which then raigned ouer the kings of the earth ( and that wee know was rome ) was resembled to a woman , called , the great whore , by whom the kings and inhabitants of the earth haue beene made drunke with the wine of her fornication . if our romists like this , let them take it and make much of it , wee enuy them not . when the apostles conuerted any to the faith , did they direct them to any particular country , citie , or church of note , and namely , to rome , as whereunto they must of necessity be vnited , or else there was no saluation for them ? if a man in this case of conscience , being troubled in minde , should demand of a iesuite or seminary ; what he should doe to attaine euerlasting life ? his answere would readily be this ; you must be reconciled to the church of rome . but if s. paul were asked the same question , as sometime hee was by the iaylour ; what would be his answere ? surely none other but this : what must thou doe to bee saued ? beleeue on the lord iesus christ , and thou shalt bee saued , and thy house . when so many soules , with pricked and perplexed hearts , cried out to the apostles , men and brethren , what shall we doe ? did s. peter salue their sore consciences with the balme of reconciliation to rome ? no , no : rome had then no christian being : but he vniteth them to the church of the faithfull , by calling them to repentance and faith , and to enter into the church by baptisme . repent , saith he , and be baptized euery one of you , in the name of iesus christ , &c. the visible church then , whereunto , whosoeuer will be saued , must be reconciled , is the congregation of the faithfull , of what nation , or countrey , or condition soeuer they bee : for , saith the apostle , there is neither iew nor greeke , there is neither bond nor free , there is neither male nor female : for ye are all one in christ iesus . wherefore our blessed lord hath left vs in this case , a sure rule and stay , whereupon the christian soule may safely rest ; and it is this : where two or three , saith he , are gathered together in my name , there am i in the midst of them . absurdly therefore haue the romish faction coyned a new definition of the visible church , wherein they make the most formall and essentiall part to be this , namely , to be vnder the regiment of one head and gouernour of the vniuersall church , the vicar of christ on earth , and s. peters successor , to wit , the bishop of rome , so that without adherence vnto , and dependance vpon this head , they admit no man to saluation . the grosenesse of this conceit may appeare by these euidences . 1. thus to define the church , in this manner , as they do , is most illogicall and vnreasonable : for a true and perfect definition requireth , 1 that it be constituted solely of causes materially and formally essentiall vnto the thing defined ; so that the one can neuer exist without the other . but it is farre otherwise with the true visible church : for that both was , and might be defined , and thousands of soules vnited vnto it , and saued in it , before euer the church of rome had any being in the world , as hath beene shewed before in part . how many famous churches were planted by the apostles , that neuer cast the glance of an eye towards rome ? as corinth , galatia , ephesus , and the rest of the seuen churches of asia ? how many thousand soules conuerted , that neuer heard of any such vniuersall head , or so much as the name of rome ? and indeede what should let , but that they may be saued , without any such respect , which haue the graces of faith and repentance , and are entred by baptisme , to to which the promise is made , in the generall commission . goe ye , saith our lord , into all the world , and preach the gospell to euery creature : he that beleeueth , and is baptized , shal be saued . againe , if there were such necessity to bee vnited to the sea of rome , vpon paine of damnation , how came it to passe , that s. cyprian ( as our aduersaries themselues confesse ) in a councell of fourescore and seuen bishops opposed himself against the pope , and being cut off from communion with that great head , yet died a blessed saint , and was honoured with the crowne of martyrdome , dying out of that communion , and as bellarmine saith , neuer found to make any retractation ? or , if to adhere to this one vniuersall head , bee a matter of so great consequence as they make it , that the saluation of all men depend vpon it , is it credible that it should be so vnknowne to gregorie the great , that he himselfe being bishop of rome aboue fiue hundred yeres after christ , should renounce it , with so many titles of disgrace in one epistle ? he cals it a name of nouelty , an impious name , a title of singularity : and , that he which taketh it vpon him , is the forerunner of antichrist : with many more disgracefull termes giuen to that proud and pompous title elsewhere . besides , how can that be a perpetuall and essentiall part of the churches definition , which was not knowne in the christian world so many hundred yeeres after christ : but as their owne learned historians confesse , was obtained of phocas the emperour , by boniface the third , who was the second pope , that succeeded after s. gregorie ? boniface the third , saith platina , obtained of phocas the emperour with much importunity , that the seat of s. peter should be stiled and taken of all , for the head of all churches . where then was this head before ? s. gregorie himselfe will satisfie vs. none , saith he , of my predecessours , the bishops of rome , did euer assume or challenge to himselfe the name of vniuersall bishop . we see then how vnreasonable it is , that dependance vpon the sea of rome , should be essentiall to the definition of the visible church , and of necessity to saluation , as they would make their blindfold followers beleeue . 2. againe , 2 it is manifest , that , as s. augustine speaketh , in those things , that are apertly and plainely set downe in scripture , we may finde whatsoeuer doth concerne faith and good life . now let vs search the whole booke of god , from the first of genesis , to the last of the apocalypse , and wee shall not finde so much as one word , either of prophecie , precept , promise , or president , to countenance any such necessary adherence to rome . how then can this be so mayne a point of faith , as the romanists would haue it , that hath not so much as one expresse scripture to ground it selfe vpon ? 3. and is it indeede , 3 so waighty a point of christian belee●e ? in what creed , i pray you , may we finde it ? i am sure it is not in the apostles creed , vnlesse they finde it in some thirteenth new-coyned article of their owne . there is onely the holy catholike church , the communion of saints , which for the visible and militant part of it , is all one in effect with our definition , viz. that the visible church is a congregation of faithfull men ; saints by calling , as saint paul speaketh . in the nicene creed , there is onely added , by way of explication , the word apostolicke , ( i beleeue one catholicke and apostolicke church ) to shew , against the heretickes of that time , that that was the onely true catholicke and orthodoxe church , which continued in the doctrine of the apostles . as for athanasius in his creed , hee makes catholicke religion to consist in the true catholicke faith and beliefe of those things that are of necessitie to saluation , not all●ging the beleeuer to repose himselfe vpon any one place , as rome , or constantinople , or the like ; but placeth him that shall be saued , in the congregation of the faithfull . and good reason ; for he knew well that arianisme had possessed all places , yea rome it selfe ; and had infected the head , euen liberius himselfe , the bishop of rome ; as is not onely witnessed by the fathers , as athanasius , hierome , hillarie , augustine : but is also acknowledged by their own romish doctors , cardinals , and historians , though bellarmine and baronius would gladly faigne some excuse for him . 4 4. moreouer , it must be considered , that rome is , and euer was ( when it was at the best ) but a particular church , and member of the vniuersall , as other churches are : and therefore can no more challenge the dependance of other churches vpon it , then they can subiect it to any of them . see how cleerely and fully s. paul , writing to the romanes , speaketh to this point : where , telling them , that he had receiued grace and apostleship , for obedience to the f●ith , among all nations ; among whom , saith he , ye are also the called of iesus christ : he saith not , aboue whom , as giuing rome primacie ouer all the rest , but among whom , as conioyning them in fraternitie with other churches , and them with it . 5 5. lastly , we must know , that rome is not onely a particular church , but is also subiect to errour , as well as other churches . this the apostle intimateth by that seuere caueat , which he g●ueth to the church of rome , among other gentiles : bee not high minded , saith hee , but feare . for if god spared not the naturall branches , take heed , lest hee also spare not thee . behold therefore the goodnesse and seueritie of god ; on them which fell , seueritie : but towards thee , goodnesse , if thou continue in his goodnesse : otherwise thou also shalt bee cut off . heere wee see , that rome hath no more immunity from errour then any other church , no , no more then the church of the iewes ; rome , no more then ierusalem ; and that god doth tye himselfe to none , but with condition ; if they doe answere his goodnesse to them , with perseuerance and continuance in his goodnesse , and care of correspondent dutie to him . therefore our church of england hath well added in the article of the church , these words , viz. as the church of ierusalem , alexandria , and antioch , haue erred ; so also the church of rome hath erred , not onely in their liuing , and manner of ceremonies , but also in matters of faith . heere it will not be amisse , out of the manifold errours of the romish church , to giue instance in a few , as a taste of the rest . i will inroll them in a short catalogue , and they shall be onely such , as no man that will be a romane catholicke , can auoyde , but must vpon paine of damnation , in his order & place , beleeue and practise . the very naming of the errors may be a sufficiēt cōuictiō , they are so palpably grose . 1. they deny the reading of the holy scriptures in common to christian people ; 1 which is not onely an errour , but the cause of all other errours : as our sauiour tolde the sadduces , ye doe erre , not knowing the scriptures . and this they doe , contrary to the expresse command of christ , search the scriptures : contrary to the exhortatiō of s. paul , let the word of god dwell in you richly : contrary to the vsuall practice of the faithfull in all antiquitie , both iewes and christians : contrary to the very end and vse for which sacred scriptures were written , as the apostle telleth the old romanes , whatsoeuer things , saith he , were written aforetime , were written for our learning , that wee , through patience and comfort of the scriptures , might haue hope . yea , and contrary to the generall iudgement of the orthodoxe fathers of the church : the scripture being , as s. gregory said well , nothing else , but an epistle of almighty god to his creature . 2. they attribute such eminency of power to the pope , ouer all soules subiect to him : that in a blind-fold obedience they must be at his b●cke , to beleeue and to doe as he will haue them : therefore they stile him , the supreme iudge in causes of faith and manners ; 2 and sticke not to say , satis est , si is legem tulerit ; it is sufficient , if he say the word : and are so impatient of controule heerein , that no man must dare to say vnto him , curita facis ? why doest thou so ? though his fact were too odious to name . an errour , not onely impious in religion , but pernicious in any ciuill state : for hereby , not onely his prohibet , forbidding , shall keepe men from gods true worship and seruice ; but his iubet , commanding , shall arme them against their soueraigne ; as wee know , it hath done heere in england . farre were the greatest apostles from assuming to themselues any such absolute power ; their voyce was , be ye followers of me , as i am of christ. and againe , though we , or an angel from heauen , preach any other gospel vnto you , let him bee accursed . therefore they must needs be strangely bewitched and possessed with errour , that can beleeue that a sinfull man should haue a priuiledge aboue apostles and angels . 3 3. their whole fabricke and forme of religious seruice , and publike worship of god , being in an vnknowne tongue to the people ; what is it , but a notorious and intolerable errour ? for take to heart , i pray you , and thinke seriously , what a lamentable condition that people is in , that stand bound all the daies of their life , to resort to a church , where , in their most solemne liturgies , masses , and seruice , they vnderstand not one sentence , to their soules comfort . the whole volume of sacred scripture , and examples of both testaments are against it . s. paul in confutation of it , bestoweth a large chapter , proouing , that it is not onely vnfruitfull , but barbarous , and a fearefull note of gods iudgement vpon a people . they haue not an ancient orthodoxe father , to father this errour : among them you shall heare these voyces sounding , let the greekes in greeke , let the romanes in the romane tongue , let all in their owne language pray and praise god. againe , how canst thou , saith s. cyprian , desire to be heard of god , who doest not vnderstand thy selfe ? nay , our christian reformed churches haue this happinesse , that among the romanists themselues , there are of chiefe note , that ingenuously confesse , that it is better , and more to edification , that publike prayers be in the vulgar and common language , knowne of the people , then in latine . let vs blesse god then , that hath vouchsafed vs the better part , and pray , that he would open their eyes , that are thus blinded with error , that they may take part with vs. 4. that foule error , of idolatrous adoration of images , in common practice among them , how expresly contrary is it to the commandement of god ? 4 thou shalt not make to thy selfe any grauen image , nor the likenesse of any thing , &c. thou shalt not bow downe to them , nor worship them . an error , whereof they are so consciously guilty in themselues , that in their catechismes , and confession of their penitents , they commonly leaue out that commandement . and their professors being charged with this errour , are so ashamed of it , that they in plaine termes deny that they doe any such religious seruice to images ; therein indeed denying their owne religion , and incurring the curse of their trent councell : which anathematizeth all those , that hold against their decree heerein , namely , that duc honour and worship ought to bee giuen to images . but doth not their reall practice crosse their verball excuse ? for if they doe not worship images , why doe they performe so many religious seruices vnto them ? they vayle , and bow downe vnto them , they set vp before them , lights in honour of them , they offer vp incense and other oblations vnto them , they expand and spread foorth their armes before them in prayer . what can they do more , for outward seruice , to god himselfe ? this idolatrous practice is not onely condemned in sacred scripture , as expresly as blasphemy , witchcraft , murther , adultery , or any other sinne , and auoyded of all the faithfull of both testaments ; but is renounced as impious by the fathers , for many ages after christ ; affirming images in the church , to be contrary to the authority of the scriptures : that there is no religion , where an image is . and s. gregory about 600. yeeres after christ , forbiddeth vtterly the adoration of images : onely allowing the historicall vse of them , as wee doe at this day : whereby we may see that this foule errour had not as yet in so long time possessed the sea of rome . 5. their priests in the masse offer vp a propitiatorie sacrifice , both for the quicke and the dead , and their blind followers are bound so to beleeue , and doe both pray and pay to bee had in his m●mento . whereas all propitiatory sacrifices haue their period and end in christ , who is the end of the law , and the onely sacrificing priest , in the gospel , being a priest for euer , according to the order of melchisedech . this sacrifice is onely one , 5 and once onely offered , and that by himselfe alone : and therefore is called , the offering of the body of iesus once for all : and this man , saith the apostle , after he had offered one sacrifice for sinne , for eu●● sate downe on the right hand of god , for by one offering hee hath perfected for euer them that are sanctified . how sacrilegious then and blasphemous is that daily propitiatory sacrifice of theirs ? where is their warrant for it ? seeing christ ordained no sacrifice to bee offered by any sacrificing priest , but onely a sacrament , commemoratiue to bee administred by the pastours of the church , and receiued , together with them , by the people . where , in the gospell , can they finde the calling of a sacrificing priest ? the commission is onely , goe , teach and baptize ; and the subiect of their teaching , must be no other thing , but that which christ hath commanded : other ordinary priesthood our lord ordained none , but pastors and teachers . the name sacrifice we deny not to the sacrament , but with the fathers , wee call it a sacrifice for diuers good respects : and namely , because ( as the master of sentences saith , out of s. augustine and s. ambrose ) it is the remembrance and representation of the true sacrifice , offered vpon the altar of the crosse. as for any proper , reall , and propitiatory sacrifice , wee may see by this , that it was not knowne in peter lumbards time , about twelue hundred yeeres after christ , and therefore is farre from being truly catholicke . 6 6. their transubstantiation , which they oblige euery christian soule to beleeue , not onely vpon paine of their fagot fire , but of the fire of hell : tha● is , that after the words of consecration , there ceaseth to be the substance of bread and wine , & that there remaine only the outward accidents , shew and sh●pe thereof ; vnder which , the very body and blood of christ is substantially and corporally inclosed . how directly contrary is it to the expresse words of christ , in the first institution ? for our lord iesus , after the consecration and blessing , testifieth the elements to remaine in their substance , calling them by their right names , bread , and the fruit of the vine . the like doth s. paul , and that often in one short context . it is an errour , indeed against common sense : for let the senses of sight , smelling , taste , and feeling report , if there remaine not the substance of bread and wine after consecration : insomuch , that if a man haue sufficient quantitie of them , he may well , for a proportionable time , sustaine nature , with no other food ; which could not be , if there remained nothing but the externe accidents , and meere shew of bread and wine . it is against the nature of a true body , which is , to be onely in one place , at one time , and that in his due dimension and substance . now we know and beleeue that christ is true man , in all things like vnto vs , sinne onely excepted ; and therefore to make him to bee without dimension , in so many hundred , nay thousands of places at one instant , doth manifestly imply a tacite denyall of his humane nature . it is against our christian creed , where wee beleeue , that christ ( leauing the world , in regard of his bodily presence ) ascended into heauen , and sitteth on the right hand of god , and from thence hee shall come to iudgement : which s. peter aptly interpreteth , in these words ; whom , saith he , the heauen must receiue , vntill the times of restitution of all things . but there is no one euidence , more apparantly conuincing this errour , then if wee consider , that at the institution of the sacrament , christ sate visibly before the apostles , that they might plainely see with their eyes where his true body was . and withall did expresly signifie vnto them , that hee spake not simply of his body , but of his body crucified , and blood shed ; which as yet was not then done : this , saith our lord christ , is my body , which is giuen for you : or as s. paul relateth it , which is broken for you . againe , of the cup , he saith , this is my blood of the new testament , which is shed for many : adding also for the cleering of all doubt heerein , the commemoratiue vse of the sacrament , which euidently confuteth all carnall and corporall presence : this doe , saith he , in remembrance of me , that is , of me crucified : for , saith the apostle , as often as you shall eate this bread , and drinke this cup , ye shew the lords death till he come . now whereas he calleth the bread his body , and the wine his blood , it is according to the vsuall manner of scripture ; speaking euery where of sacraments , it calleth them by the name of those things , whereof they are sacraments . thus circumcision was called the couenant , because it was the signe and seale of the couenant . so the paschall lambe is called the passcouer , because it was the signe of the passcouer . it is said in the same sence by saint paul , that the rocke was christ , because it typically and sacramentally represented christ. thus the ancient fathers did speake and thinke of the sacrament . the lord doubted not , saith saint augustine , to say , this is my body , seeing hee appointed it to bee the signe of his body . yet forasmuch as our romish aduersaries harden themselues in their error , vpon a conceit they haue entertained , that we hold sacraments to be onely bare and naked signes : it must be knowne for their conuiction , that it is but a meere slander , which they take to be true , vpon the bare report of their guides , without so much as either hearing or reading what wee hold . the truth is , wee hold no such thing , neither is the question betweene them and vs , whether christ be substantially present in the sacrament , but de modo , concerning the manner of his presence . they say , by conuersion of the bread into the very body of christ : so that whosoeuer eateth y e consecrated bread , eateth carnally the very body of christ , whether it be man , beast , or vermine that eateth . we , according both to scripture and fathers , teach , that christ is pabulum mentis , non dentis , foode for the minde , not for the mouth : and is as truely receiued of euery true beleeuer , as the bread and wine it selfe . our church of england is in no point more cleere and plaine then in this : affirming , that such as rightly , worthily and with faith receiue the same , partake of the body and blood of christ. and withall determineth & de modo , & de medio , both of the manner , and of the meanes , in these very words : the body of christ is giuen , taken , and eaten in the supper , only after an heauenly and spiritual manner . and the meanes whereby the body of christ is receiued and eaten in the supper , is faith . yea and caluin himselfe , at whom their spight is most , and whom they most scādalize in this matter , doth so plainely deliuer the truth herein , with vs , that bellarmine is constrained to confesse , that caluin teacheth , that the body of christ is truly giuen vnto vs in the supper . that our soules are fed with the substance of the body of christ , and that it is not an empty and vaine signe . but for the full conuiction of this error , the nouelty of it may be sufficient : for it is so farre from any catholike antiquity , that erasmus affirmeth transubstantiation to bee but a late definition . and their owne subtill doctor scotus auerreth , that before the councell of laterane it was no doctrine of faith . which was aboue twelue hundred yeeres after christ : for that councell was held in the yeere of our lord , 1215. 7. vpon the former error dependeth another , and that is , the adoration of the consecrated host. for vpon this false ground , that there remaineth no more substance of bread and wine , 7 but the very body and blood of christ by conuersion , they prostrate themselues before it , and worship it , as god himselfe , with that kind of religious worship , which they call latria , peculiar onely to god. and this they doe , not onely in the vse of the sacrament , at the eleuation or lifting vp of it by the priest , to that very purpose : but to the same end , they make reseruation of it , and vse circumgestion , or carrying of it about in open shewes and processions ; contrary to the expresse institution of christ , who ordained no sacrament extra vsum , out of the vse of it : nor euer said , this is my body . this is my blood , but with an edite & bibite : eate ye and drinke ye : so that they can pretend no bodily presence out of the vse of the sacrament . and in it , as hath beene shewed before , there is no conuersion , or transubstantiation . and therefore the adoration must needs determine and rest in the creature : and so is none other but a meere artolatrie : or bread worship , and abominable idolatrie . the very heathen could say , who is so mad , as to beleeue , that to be god , which he doth eate ? and indeede this madnes hath made the heathen abhorre christian religion , and in contempt of it to say , seeing christians doe eate the god whom they worship , let my soule bee with the philosophers . 8 8. their priuate , or solitary masse , wherein the priest onely doth participate , the people as in a theater gazing and looking on : which they so highly extoll , and make the most eminent part of their religion , and publike seruice : consider we it seriously , and wee shall finde it without all ground and warrant of gods word , nay , ex diametro , directly aduerse and opposite to christs ordinance . for our lord in the supper did ordaine a communion of many together , not a solitary eating and drinking of one alone by himselfe . his mandate is , take ye , eate ye , drinke ye all of it . and saint paul accordingly calleth the sacrament , the communion of the blood of christ , the communion of the body of christ : and yeldeth a reason , from the correspondence betweene the elements and the communicants . for saith he , wee being many , are one bread and one body : for we are all partakers of that one bread . and this goodly masse is so farre from hauing any acquiantance with antiquity , excepting only the name , that it was not knowne in s. gregories time , so many hundred yeeres after christ. for then the voice of the deacon openly in the church was this : whosoeuer doth not communicate , let him depart . 9 9 their dry diet , in the sacrament of the lords supper : wherein they depriue the people of the cup , how sacrilegious is it , and iniurious to the people ? in the prime institution , our blessed lord gaue this expresse charge , drinke ye all of it . and s. marke noteth their answerable obedience . and they all , saith he , dranke of it . and s. paul faithfully reporting the institution , and according to the practice of the church , often repeateth , as well the receiuing of the wine , as of the bread by the people : and so exhorteth , let a man , saith he , examine himselfe , and so let him eate of this bread and drinke of this cup. here , we may see , was no drie feast : heere was no lame sacrament , like theirs , hopping vpon one legge . nay it is a truth so euident , that it is by their owne cassander ingenuously confessed , that for the space of a thousand yeeres since christ , in the romane church it selfe , it was ordinarily dispensed to euery mēber of the church in both kinds : and that , saith he , by the testimonies of innumerable ancients , both greeke and latine . 10. their inuocation of saints , offering vp vnto them as solemne and set praiers , as to the sacred deity it selfe , what is it , but a manifest derogation , and robbing of god , euen of his peculiar right , 10 which is , to be the sole hearer of the prayers of his creatures ? o thou , saith the psalmist , that hearest prayer , vnto thee shall all flesh come . for we must know , that it is the act of an infinite maiesty , at one instant to heare the manifold variety of petitions of all men vpon the face of the earth , yea and to know the very thoughts and desires of euery heart , praier being principally the act of the heart . vpon this very ground wise salomon takes for granted , that all praier ought to bee made to god onely ; heare thou in heauen , saith he to god , thy dwelling place , and forgiue , and doe , and giue to euery man according to his wayes , whose heart thou knowest : for thou , euen thou only knowest the hearts of all the children of men . againe , prayer to saints wanteth that threefold prop , that must support euery true and acceptable seruice to god , that is to say , precept , promise , and paterne . for inuocation of gods name , we haue expresse commandement , call vpon me . and our sauiour commandeth , that when we pray , we should direct our prayers to our father in heauen . we haue also a sure word of promise , whatsoeuer ye shall aske the father in my name , he wil giue it you . and , whosoeuer shall call vpon the name of the lord , shall be saued . we haue no such precept , no such promise , to warrant , and incourage vs to inuocate the blessed virgin , s. peter , s. paul , or any or all of the saints . againe , for praier to god only , we haue expresse paterne , both per●onall , in all the fathers from the first adam , in the patriarkes , prophets , apostles , and prime orthodox fathers of the church , who did suffer martyrdome , for this very point , that god onely in christ is to be adored , and called vpon . we haue also a reall paterne , in that heauenly manuall of praier and praise , the sacred psalter or psalmes of dauid : together with the set formes of the faithfuls praiers recorded euery where in scripture : and all directed to god only : not on paterne of prayer to saints . this is ingenuously confessed by their own eccius and other pontificians , that inuocation of saints hath no warrant in sacred scripture : not in the old testament , because the fathers were then in limbo : nor in the new testament , lest the gentiles should returne againe to their old idoll-worship : and le●t the apostles should bee charged with arrogancy , as be speaking beforehand their owne glory , and worship to bee done to themselues after their death . nay more , they confesse , that it is the safer and better way to call vpon god onely in the name of iesus christ. and one of them , out of a work ascribed to saint augustine , concludes the question thus : more safely and more sweetly do i speake , in prayer , to my iesus , then to any of the saints . the storie of george duke of saxony is herein memorable . lying vpon his death-bed , the monkes like locusts swarming about him , and beholding his agony , exhorted him ; one , to inuocate the virgin mary ; another , to call vpon the angels ; another , to pray to these and these saints , for helpe in that extremity : but a noble man , one of his familiars , standing by , directed his speech to the duke in this manner : your highnesse , saith he , was wont in your politicke affaires , to take vp this prouerbe : to goe the direct way , without ambages or circumstances , is the most compendious course . why then should your highnesse , in this most dangerous passage , goe about the furthest way , and not rather goe the direct way vnto god himselfe by christ , who both will and can certainely helpe ? erasmus among other his pleasant conceits , doth merrily glance at this error , reporting a story of one at sea , where ( as their manner is ) euery man in a wracke , flyeth to his saint , as it were his tutelar god. there was one , saith he , among the rest , when he saw the present and imminent danger , and that there was no delaying ; in the midst of his distraction , thoght with himself , if i should pray to s. nicholas , it is vncertaine whether he heare me , and it may be he is busy in hearing & dispatching other petitioners ; or if not so , yet it may be , that he cannot haue so speedy accesse to god , to mediate for me , as my present necessitie requires : i will therefore , saith he , take the safest and surest course , and goe the direct way to god himselfe , by christ , because it is written in the psalme , call vpon me in the day of trouble , i will deliuer thee , and thou shalt glorifie me . and in the hebrewes , let vs therefore come boldly vnto the throne of grace , that we may obtaine mercy , and find grace to helpe in time of neede . if any stumble at this ; that some fathers are alledged , to countenance this error , let him remember that of s. august . we must not hearken to , this say i , this say you , but , this saith the lord. and distinctly , first of himselfe , he saith , i would not haue you follow my authority , that you should therfore thinke any thing necessary to be beleeued , because i say it . and of other fathers , what he held , may appeare by that which he writeth of s. cyprians epistle , viz. that it hath no authority to bind him . for , saith he , i do not hold saint cyprians letters to be canonicall scripture , but i examine them by the canonicall : and what i finde thereunto agreeable , i imbrace with his praise ; what is not consonant , by his leaue , i will leaue . this is the true profession of a doctor , concerning the scriptures , at his inauguration ! quod tenet , teneo : quod respuit , respuo : what the scripture doth hold , i hold : what it doth reiect , i reiect . if any harp vpon the long custom of this error in the christiā world , let him consider , as one saith wel , that christ said not , i am custom , but i am truth . and that custome without truth , is but an old error , or , the antiquity of error . which , like an old sore , is so much the worse , and more incurable , the older it is . 11. their prayer for the dead , to deliuer them out of that fearefull and hell-like torment in purgatory , wherein they are made to beleeue , they lye boyling as in a fierie fornace : what an antithesis and plaine opposition is there betweene the word of truth and this grosse error ? we know , and are assured by the word of god , that the blood of iesus christ clenseth , and purgeth vs from all sinne . so that there is no neede of humane purgatiues either for veniall sinnes , 11 or for temporall punishment of sinnes mortall . for our lord iesus assureth the faithfull departing this life , that he that heareth his word , and beleeueth , is passed from death vnto life : and that they that die in the lord , are in a blessed estate , & rest from their labours . yea , the poorest lazarus that dieth in the faith of abraham , is immediately in his precious soule conuaied by the angels into abrahams bosome , there possessed of heauenly ioy , not afflicted with hellish torment . this may be a sufficient conuiction of this error , that there is not one sentence , not one word , not one syllable , no not one letter in the whole volume of canonicall scripture , fauouring prayer for the dead , as being in any such misery after their departure ; nay , that there is expresse scripture to the contrary . the fathers were farre from any such conceite , who held that the faithfull deceasing , are in a blessed condition , hauing obtained their desired end of victorie , and beholding the lord iesus face to face . and that the friends of the deceased , counting him happie , giue thankes to the author of the victory with a song . see heere the difference betwene the ancient fathers , and the now romanists . they held the faithfull deceased in a blessed and ioyfull estate : these count them to be in misery and torment . they congratulated their happinesse : these condole their torments . they gaue thankes for their attained victory : these pray and pay to free them out of their conceited captiuity . in a word , they did sing for ioy : these howle and cry for dolefull sorrow . 12 12. their daily deuotions , which wee see in their primers , rosaries , and manuals , what are they for the most part but fardles of blinde superstition ? for besides that they are , in most passages , directed to a wrong obiect , worshipping the creature , in stead of the creator , & so changing , as saint paul saith , the truth of god into a lye : they haue withall this foule blot of superstitious vanity , that whereas god will bee serued by waight , they serue him by number : whereas he requireth serious , waighty , and iudicious deuotions , framed according to our present wants , as we may see in all the religious prayers of the saints in holy writ ; they , directed by their blinde guides , ( like a horse in the mill ) performe a superficiall , slight , and circular seruice , placing vertue , and religious effect in the very number of their prayers , in saying so many times ouer , a certain number of pater-nosters , aue-maries , credoes , & the like . read their books , & they will tel you , that for 3. aue-maries , said three times ouer euery day , at three seuerall houres , and at euery houre thrice , is granted three hundred daies of pardon . againe , for saying before the image of pittie , fiue pater-nosters , fiue aues and a credo , are granted thirty two thousand , seuen hundred and fifty fiue yeeres of pardon . a multitude of these fopperies you may finde euery where in their superstitious deuotions . and to further these numerall prayers , there was at the last found out a new tricke , the inuention of beades . when men , saith polidor virgill , began to number and reckon their praiers , as though god were in our debt , for often begging of him , there were deuised by one pe●rus heremita a frenchman , certain beads , about the yere of our lord , 1090. the nouelty of this superstition is conuiction sufficient . but the shame of it is , that in the iudgement of him that cannot erre , it is so farre from christian piety , that it is no better then flat heathenisme : therefore our sauiour , vpon that very ground , doth warne all christians to auoide such vaine repetitions . when ye pray , saith he , vse not vain repetitious , as the heathen do : for they thinke that they shall bee heard , for their much speaking , which is , we see , in the lords account , but vaine babbling . a liuely paterne of a papist and a protestant , for the maner of religious deuotion , we may see in the priests of baal , & the prophet elias paralelled together ; the one continue from morning till noone , and from noone till euening , with audinos , audinos , o baal , heare vs , o baal , heare vs , &c. with much cursitation , and stirring , as the romish fashion is : the other , that is , the good prophet elias , a true paterne of piety , and sound religion , reuerently and humbly addresseth himselfe to call vpon god , praying in a short , but yet a sweete and heauenly manner , according to the present occasion . read the storie , and admire the difference . 13 13. to be briefe : concerning auricular confession , that is , that euery man doe confesse all his mortall sinnes , with all the circumstances , once euery yeere at the least , and that priuately to a priest , at the least in vote or desire , yea , and that also of necessitie to saluation ; it is vtterly without either rule or example of gods word ; and this want of diuine authority , is ingenuously confessed by many of their owne authors . the confessions we finde in scripture , are either vnto god onely : or if vnto men or before men , it was in these cases ; 1. before baptisme , at the entrance into christianitie ; as in those that were baptized by iohn baptist. 2. in a case of free and voluntary testification of their sound conuersion , as it is said in the acts : many that beleeued , came and confessed , and shewed their workes . 3. in case of some grieuous sinne , lying heauie vpon the conscience , as in the example of dauids confession to nathan the prophet . 4. in case of publike scandall , to giue glory to god , and satisfie the congregation , as in the example of achan . 5. in case of priuate iniurie done by one man to another , whether priest or priuate man , as it is in s. iames : confesse your faults one to another , and pray one for another . in all these we haue not one confession , after the romish stampe , to be made of necessitie to a priest of all sinnes , and that anniuersarie , at the least once a yeere . 14 14. their placing of religion in the distinction of meates , s. paul hath branded with the note of errour , doctrine of deuils , and deepe hypocrisie , prophetically foretelling it to be a marke of that antichristian apostasie that should befall these later times : now the spirit , saith hee , speaketh expresly , that in the later times some shall depart from the faith , giuing heed to seducing spirits , and doctrines of deuils : speaking lyes in hypocrisie , hauing their conscience seared with a hote iron ; forbidding to marrie , and commanding to abstaine from meates , which god hath created to bee receiued with thankesgiuing , of them which beleeue and know the truth . 15 15. their violent laying hands vpon themselues , by whippings , to make satisfaction , and procure acceptance with god , hath no ground in sacred scripture , vnlesse they thinke the example of those priests of baal a good warrant . indeed i must needs say , they went beyond our romanists ; for they vsed kniues and launcers , these but whips ; they did launce , these doe but lash . 16. their extreme vnction , 16 with which they shut vp , and end their romish race in this world , is as vnwarrantable . for whereas they haue but two onely texts for it , they both faile them , as their owne doctors ingenuously confesse . those scriptures in s. marke and s. iames , speake onely of anoynting with oyle , for the miraculous curing of the sicke ; but they vse anoynting to no such end , but onely when men are irrecouerable , and ready to depart out of this life . these instances may be sufficient for a taste of romish errours , being the most vsuall , and common to euery one that will be a professed romane catholicke . thus wee haue opened the first branch of our definition of the church , shewing that the true church , is the company of the faithfull , of what nation or countrey soeuer : and that it is not tyed to any person or place , no not to rome : because many thousands were saued that neuer knew it , and before euer it was christian : romes authority ouer others is in no scripture , in no creed : it is but a particular church , and member onely of the vniuersall , as others are : and subiect to errour as well as others . the second branch of the definition of the church , 2 is , that it is discerned from all other societies , by soundnesse of doctrine , and due administration of sacraments . touching doctrine , it is the eare-marke of christs sheepe , my sheepe heare my voyce . it is that whereby the faithfull are directed to try the true pastor from the impostor , the orthodoxe from the hereticall . 1 ye shall know them by their fruits . therefore s. iohn counselleth , not to beleeue euery spirit , but to try the spirits , whether they are of god : and chargeth the elect lady and her children , thus ; if there come any vnto you , and bring you not this doctrine , receiue him not into your house , neither bid him , god speed . and this charge he did ground vpon a diuine rule of tryall , in the words immediately going before ; the rule is this : whosoeuer transgresseth , and abideth not in the doctrine of christ , hath not god : he that abideth in the doctrine of christ , hee hath both the father and the sonne . and lest any should thinke it strange , that the tryall of doctrine should bee required of priuate christians , our sauiour puts it out of doubt ; shewing not onely that it is and ought to be so , but directeth how it may be done : for , hauing said , my doctrine is not mine , but his that sent me : hee giueth them a double rule , which being obserued , they may discerne of doctrine ; the one concerneth the hearer , the other the teacher . the rule concerning the hearer , 1 is ; if any man will doe his will , he shall know of the doctrine , whether it be of god , or whether i speake of my selfe : that is , if a man in humilitie and sinceritie of heart seeke to be informed in the truth , and as god from time to time shall reueale it vnto him , maketh conscience to put in practice that which hee shall heare : and as theophylact saith , shall imbrace vertue , and not suffer himselfe to be a slaue to enuie , and hate truth before he know it ; such a man shall bee able to discerne of doctrine ; but yet with this prouiso , which there theophylact well inserteth , viz. that this is one mayne part of doing the will of god ; namely , to search the prophets and scriptures . 2 touching the second rule , which concerneth the teacher , it is this : he that speaketh of himselfe , seeketh his owne glory : but hee that seeketh his glory that sent him , the same is true . a good parallell , distinguishing exactly the false teacher from the true ; the one seeking his owne , the other gods glory . by this rule , wee desire all men sincerely and without preiudice , to iudge betweene vs and our romish aduersaries . looke with an indifferent and impartiall eye , into the doctrine and practice on both parts : you shall find that all their doctrines and courses , wherein they differ from vs , ayme altogether at the extolling of nature , mans workes and merits , with a glance still at the magnifying and inriching of their romane synagogue : whereas wee , with our blessed lord , make the scope of all our teaching and practice , the glory of god , and the praise of the all-sufficient merit of christ. this direction of our sauiour , is sufficient alone of it selfe to prooue , that the doctrine is the right triall of the church , and pastors of it . but besides , we finde the congregation of the faithfull , described in the acts of the apostles , by this very note , that they continued stedfastly in the apostles doctrine . and the thessalonians are commended , that they receiued the word of god , not as the word of man ; resting vpon the bare authority of the teacher , but , as it is in truth , the word of god. they that rested vpon men , vnder the name and colour of the church , and chiefe gouernours of the church , the chiefe priests and elders of the people , did crucifie christ : whereas they that examined the doctrine by the word of god , did beleeue . if therefore ye will approoue your selues to bee the disciples of the gospell , that is , true christians , yee must walke , saith athanasius , by the rule of the scriptures . it is sound doctrine then , grounded vpon the word of god , that the christian soule must rest vpon , for the discerning of the true church : for , whether it bee concerning christ , or concerning his church , saith s. augustine , or touching any other thing pertaining to faith and life ; if wee , or an angel from heauen teach any otherwise , then that which yee haue receiued in the scriptures , let him bee accursed . as for the sacraments , that they are also discerning notes of the church , i need heere to say nothing , in regard that it hath beene sufficiently shewed before , that they are so peculiar to the church , that the one cannot bee without the other . concerning the third branch of the definition of the church , 3 that it admitteth nothing as necessary to saluation , or as an absolute part of gods worship , that is not according to the word and ordinance of christ. this fully completeth and perfecteth the definition of the church , which must bee as pure in her religion , and worship , as shee is sound in her doctrine : that there bee no mixture of mans inuention with gods ordinance ; for in the seruice of god , the hypothesi● or condition of the prophes must euer hold good : if the lord be god , follow him : but if baal then follow him : god will haue all or none . hee cannot abide that his f●are ▪ that is , his religious worsh●p , should be taught by the precepts of men : and therefore accounteth it vaine worship , and meere lost labour , when the commandements of men are taught and held for doctrines , and , as it were , rules , and principles of necessity to be obserued . this must bee seriously considered , for the better meeting with two aduersaries , which doe assaile truth on both sides , with their different extremes . the one , is the romanist ; who hold that the ceremonies of the church may not bee omitted , without grieuous sinne , inasmuch as they haue spirituall vertue , and are parts of diuine worship , and withall are meritorious ▪ and they father this conceit vpon the power which they attribute to the church , to institute suo iure ; that is , by her owne right , such ceremonies : and therefore to make their followers plyable , they teach them as a mayne principle of their religion , that they must obey with equall respect , in regard of saluation , the mothers precept , as well as the fathers mandate : but they neuer consider , that the true church is an obedient wife , and will not in any thing contradict the will of her heauenly spouse . the second sort of aduersaries , are our separatists , who for euery externe and indifferent ceremonie , make as great combustion and stirre in the church of god , as if some mayne article of faith were called in question . they must be intreated to consider , that the text doth not simply condemne all commandements of men , but when they are taught for doctrines , and rules of gods worship , as caluine speaketh : the doctrine of our church might giue them coment , being the same with all the rest of the reformed churches , namely , that it is not lawfull for the church to ordaine any thing contrary to gods written word : and that besides the same , it ought not to inforce any thing to bee beleeued , for necessitie of saluation . whereby they may , if they will open their eyes without preiudice , see of what nature the ceremonies of our church of england are . and so much for the definition of the church ; by which wee may see , what that church is , to which wee must bee ioyned , if euer wee looke for saluation ; that is , the society of true beleeuers . but for the better vnderstanding of the state of the church , diuers things are to bee considered , which giue more light to the doctrine , and more full satisfaction to such as desire vnfainedly to know the truth hee●ein . the first consideration is , 1 that the church is onely one ; though different in time , as farre as from the beginning to the end of the world ; distant in place , as remote as east from west ; north from south ▪ nay , heauen from earth : distinct for people , being of all countries and nations . for , as hath beene said before , it is the societie or congregation of the faithfull of all ages . this voity of the church , is noted in the one arke of noah ; in salomons doue , my doue , my vndefiled , is but one : in the wheat field , in the draw net ; in one flocke , one fold , vnder one shepheard : in one bride and bridegroome : in one body , vnited to one head , christ : for , saith the apostle , by one spirit are wee all baptized into one body . this consideration doth second that which hath beene said of the church ; for it doth euidently euince , and prooue , that there is no necessi●ie of being vnited to this or that particular church , a● rome , or the like , so long as a man is of the number of the faithfull , wheresoeuer dispersed ; for as s. paul disputes , the body is not one member , but many . is the foot not of the body , because it is not the hand ? or the eare , because it is not the eye ? so we may truly say , is this or that nationall or prouinciall church , no church , because it is not dependant vpon rome ? are they that are baptized into one body , and vnited to christ iesus by one faith vnfained , no members of the mysticall body of christ , the church , because they are not incorporated and reconciled to rome ? if the body , though it bee bu● one , yet is not one member , but many : then reason will teach vs , that euery member hath his proportionable nutriment , life , and motion from the head , without any dependance one vpon another . 2 the second consideration is , that it is catholicke or vniuersall ; and that , in respect of time , place , and persons ; because there is , euer was from the beginning , and euer shall be to the end of the world , a company , more or lesse , of true beleeuers : because the church is not confined within the limits of any one countrey , as in the time of the iewes , but is spred ouer the whole world : and because it consisteth of all sorts and degrees of men ; of all nations , kindreds , people and tongues , as it is in the reuelation . so that to bee of the catholike church , is to hold and beleeue as the church of the whole world euer did , and constantly doth hold and beleeue . therefore it was , that in the ancient church , when heresies and schismes sprang vp , those that did clea●e to the truth , had giuen vnto them the name of catholicke , excommunione totius orbis , for their communion with the church of the whole world ; not for their communion with this or that particular church . whilest the romish church doth assume the title of , the catholicke church ; calling it selfe , catholicam , apostolicam , romanam , being as other churches , but a particular church ; what doeth it , but expose it selfe to the laughter of the whole world ? for what concordance is there betweene generall and particular ? or with what sense can it bee called , the vniuersall particular church ? and yet they make their credulous followers beleeue , that they cannot bee of the catholicke church , vnlesse they communicate with their particular romane church ; cleane contrary to the name and nature of the word catholicke . 3 the third consideration is , that the church is visible , and that in all ages : but it must be knowne how , and in what sence it may be truly said to be alwaies visible ; according to the romish tenet , it is said to be visible , and palpable , as some eminent state , monarchy , or common wealth , as rome , france , or venice , conspicuous in flourishing pompe to the eye of the world , so that it may at all times be sensibly discerned . but , alas , this conceit is a meere golden dreame , and senslesse dotage : for let an ingenuous minde , awaked once out of that slumber , looke seriously into the word of god , and consider the state of the church in all ages ; he shall finde for his satisfaction , that the church hath beene oftentimes obscured , captiuated , persecuted , and so farre from being acknowledged , that it hath beene accounted , of the world no better , then schisme , and heresie : and the true professors of it prosecuted , as malefactors , for their soundnesse , as both the prophets , christ himselfe and the apostles were , by the corrupt members of the visible church , bearing the chiefe rule . to this effect the prophet esay did complaine , that in his time the church was but a small remnant : and those howted at like owles , being as signes and wonders in israel . the complaint of elias is , that hee was left alone . the faithfull were glad to bee hid in caues , and fed w●th bread and water by religious obadiah . and as it is in the epistle to the hebrewes , they wandred about in sheeps skins , and goate skins , being destitute , afflicted , tormented , of whom the world was not worthy : they wandred in desarts , and in mountaines , and in dennes , and caues of the earth . the prophecies of the christian church foretell as much , both for outward persecutions , and open apostasie , vnder one eminent head , called , that man of sinne , who should take vpon him to oppose and exalt himselfe aboue all that is called god , challenging the chiefe soueraignty in the temple or church of god. in s. iohns vision , the woman , the church , was constrained through persecution to fly into the wildernesse . our sauiour foresheweth , how hard it should be to finde faith on the earth . how the faithfull should be afflicted , killed , and hated of all nations : that iniquity shall abound , and the loue of many shall waxe cold : and that the cunning impostures of false teachers , pretending the name of christ and the church , should be such , and so specious , being seconded also with miracles , that if it were possible , the very elect should be deceiued . where was the flourishing visibility of the church , when the poison of arianisme had infected almost the whole world ? o which time , saint ierome wri●eth , ecclesiae nae●e● fuiss fere obrutam : that the ship of the church was almost sunke . and this some of our romish aduersaries confesse , both for the time of arian heresie ; and in the daies of antichrist . then , that we may not be seduced , and carryed away with flourishing shewes , we must know , that the church , though it be alwaies visible , yet it is not alwaies alike visible : it is not alwaies in pompe , and eminent estate : he that in the time of christ should so ●aue looked for the church , would sooner haue io●ned himselfe to the iewish synagogue , then to the society of christ , and his apostles . wee must not therefore looke so much to the multitude , and outward flourish , as seeke for the truth , though it be but in a few , and those neuer so obscure ▪ for it is not of necessity , that the church bee alwaies discerned and acknowledged of the world ▪ but it is sufficient for the visibilitie of it , that it neuer faileth to bee visibly seene and acknowledged by the professors themselues : for this must euer hold in the church , in the middest of all disturbances , that wisedome is iustified of her children . 4 the fourth consideration is , that in the visible church , some particular churches are more pure , some more corrupt then others ; as the church of corinth and gala●ia and some of the seuen asian churches were more infected with error th●n other churches ▪ vnder this head are to bee obserued diuers remarkable points , and very necessary for our present vse . 1. that in a corrupt church , sometimes the greatest member , 1 and among them the chiefest for eminencie and authority are most corrupted . thus it was in the idolatrous times among the iewes : all the chiefe of the priests , and people , transgressed very much , after all the abominations of the heathen , and polluted the house of the lord. they mocked the messengers of god , and despised his word , and misused his prophets . it was so at the comming of christ. he c●me vnto his owne , and his owne receiu●d him not . nay , they reiected him . this , saith s. peter , is the stone , which was set at nought of you builders . the master builders were the chiefe destroyers : the prime gouernours in the church , the greatest enemies of christ , and christianity . thus for a time did the arian faction preuaile against the true church , hauing gotten the emperiall throne to countenance them , by meanes whereof they did sway all things at their pleasure . and thus it hath beene a long time , and continueth to this day in the church of roman so that , wee may well say to them with leo , ye are armed with the name of the church , and yet ye fight against the church . this may aduise vs , that the truth of religion is not tyed to multitude and greatnesse . 2. that whereas many excellent priuiledges and comfortable promises belong to the church , 2 wee must know that the sound and good part onely , and not the corrupt , is capeable of those benefits . i dare not , saith saint augustine , speaking of the prerogatiues of the church , vnderstand this , but of iust and holy men . therfore s. paul doth tye the priuiledges to the true israel of god , the children of the promise . and s. peter , the promises , to them that are effectually called . by this wee may see , both that the chiefest and most eminent , yea & the greatest number in the church , if they want true sauing grace , haue no right to the priuiledges and promises of the church , though they liue in the midst of it . and againe , the poorest member of the church , that is a true beleeuer ▪ shall sustaine no preiudice , to hinder his happinesse , by being mixed with the wicked : but the wheate shall be gathered into the lords garner , the chaffe cast into the fire . 3 for , saith the apostle , what if som● did not beleeue ? shall their vnbeliefe make the faith of god without effect . 3. that a corrupt church may keepe , and conuay to posterity the canon of ●●aired scripture , the forme of knowledge , and rule of faith ▪ and ●holesome doctrine and sacraments in a generall manner : and yet ouerthrow all , by some particular opposite doctrines , and superstitio●● practices , to the losse of their owne saluation , that so hold and practise . in the greatest deprauation of religion by idolatry in the time of the iewes , it was so . the booke of god , though it lay dusting and out of vse , yet by the prouidence of god it was kept . the sacraments , specially circumcision , was in vse euen in corrupt times , and hypocrites much gloried in the outward circumcision , as we may see by the reproo●es of the prophets and apostles . the iewish synagogue at the comming of our lord kept these oracles , and that for vs , though they thought not so . the iew , saith saint augustine , carrieth the booke , whereby the christian may beleeue . yea , they did teach many things for the matter very sound , and therefore sitting in moses chaire , by teaching moses doctrine , christ would haue them so farre at least to bee heard . but yet for all this , marke what the lord iesus saith of them , except your righteousnesse shall exceede the righteousnesse of the scribes and pharises , yee shall in no case enter into the kingdome of heauen . and againe , in vaine they worship me , teaching for doctrines , mens precepts . hereupon it followeth , that by reason of these meanes , there may be in a corrupt church , some that may preserue faith and true religion , for the substance , as did zachary the priest , and elizabeth his wife , old simeon , nathaniel , ioseph and mary , and many more . and vpon this ground , we of the reformed churches thinke and iudge charitably of our forefathers that liued in those blinde and darke times of popery , and of such as yet remaine among them , or are intangled by them , vpon conceite of their common clayme of the onely catholike church : wee , i say , iudge charitably of them , though they detrude vs all into hell. for thus wee deeme of their state before god : that as in the times of apostacie and falling into idolatry among the iewes , the lord had a remnant : he reserued to himselfe 7000. which neuer bowed the knee to baal : he had in the church of-pergamus , euen where satans throne was , those that kept his name and denied not his faith : and that in the heate of persecution , hee had a few names in sardis , which had not defiled their garments . so we doubt not , but god euer had , hath at this time , and shall haue to the end , many , in the very middest of the papacie , that doe not know the whole mysterie of romish iniquity , but in simplicitie of heart lay hold vpon iesus christ , and him alone , for their saluation : they see , according to that light they haue , many corruptions and enormities , bewayle them and shun them , as farre as their strength and measure of knowledge and grace will permit . these , wee say , holding the foundation , though they may build vpon it the hay or stubble of some errours and superstitions ( not destroying the foundation ) may bee saued , through the mercie of god in christ pardoning their sinnes of ignorance and errour , vpon their generall repentance . we may see the like in the church of thyatira , there were many that had not that learning ( as the false teachers in their vaine-glorious bragging termed it ) nor did know the deepenesse of satan ; but did hold fast the maine truth , though in much weakenesse : and all that god requireth of them , is , that they be constant in that . in the same manner the lord speaketh to the church of philadelphia , thou hast a little strength , and hast kept my word , and hast not denied my name . for god doth not so much looke to the measure and quantitie of grace , as to the sincerity and soundnesse of it . many godly and learned among them did not by and by , vpon the sight of some corruptions , leaue and forsake the societie of the church of rome : oecolompadius , capito , melancthon , and luther himselfe ; nay , some of them continued in the outward communion of the romish church till their dying day , as erasmus and others , who thought well of the cause or matter of reformation , but did not approoue separation , being carried away with the mayne streame of the name of church , and mother church . no maruell therefore , if among vs , we haue of meaner learning , or of the simpler sort , that so harpe vpon that string , that they haue no eare to hearken to christs pipe. it is no new thing , to see a child mistake , and cry out after a stranger in stead of the owne mother : so , why may it not be , that some in their simplicitie may fall into such a misprizion , as to take the romish synagogue to be their mother church , being indeed not so much as a sound member of it , but as a disease , a pest or gangrene in the body ? it is apparant then , that in a corrupt church some may be sound , and so be saued : and this we hold of the church of rome , as corrupt as it is : for our lord would neuer haue said of spirituall babylon , come out of her , my people , if he had none there . and let not our romanists brag of this our ingenuous confession , and play vpon it , the better to seduce the simple : for in truth , in standeth them in no more stead to patronize their impieties , then the fathers approouing of the baptisme of the donatists and other heretickes , did countenance their heresies . for what is the chaffe the better , because it is acknowledged that there is some wheate hid amongst it ? we doe not say absolutely , there is saluation to be found in the romish babylon , but , in the middest of so great confusion , there may be saluation for some . there is great difference betweene possibility of saluation , which may be in a corrupt church ; and infallibility , which is euer without doubt in the true and orthodoxe church . is any so simple , as to commit his whole estate into a ship full of leakes , whereof there is iust cause of doubt , whether euer it shall safely arriue at the desired port ; when he may transport it in a sound and safe vessell ? noah and all his , if they will not perish in the deluge , must get into the arke . lot must not tarry in sodom , if he will be safe and free from the common iudgement . the people of god must , for this very cause , come out of spirituall babylon , both for the danger of infection , by sinne ; and destruction , by meanes of her plagues . where therefore the doctrine is orthodoxe and sound , the religious worship , seruice , and sacraments , for the truth and substance of them , the very same with the prime churches , and best antiquity , as it is this day ( blessed be god ) in our church of england , and the rest of the reformed churches , there is the surest and safest repose for the christian soule : in this society there is infallible certaintie of saluation : but in an apostaticall and corrupt church , as the romane church now is , it is not so , though yet god may reserue a remnant , pulling them , as it were , out of the fire : and that , with this caueat , that they tarry not in babylon . thus we haue seene , that saluation is onely to bee found in the church : and what that church is where saluation may be had . now let vs come to the third branch : 3 that is , by what meanes , and how men are to be added to the church , that they may be saued . the meanes are expressed in this context , 1 and are these three : the word preached : faith to apprehend it : and the sacrament of baptisme to seale and confirme it . this is all required for the admission of any into the church : to heare , beleeue , and be baptized . the ministery of the word , is the mayne ordinance of god , for the gathering together of the saints , appointed of god to that end , and to continue in the church to the end of the world . therefore it is called , the incorruptible or immortall seed , whereby wee are regenerated and borne againe ; and the word of truth , wherewith we are begotten of god , to become his deare children , and the first fruits of his creatures : yea , it is , as s. paul calleth it , the power of god vnto saluation . therefore when god would haue any conuerted to the faith , hee sends them this meanes . philip is commanded to ioyne himselfe neere to the chariot of the eunuch , that by his preaching the eunuch might be ioyned to christ and his church . s. peter is sent for to cornelius , to teach him and his the way to heauen by christ. s. paul must tarry at corinth , to teach word of god among them : for , saith the lord , i haue much people in this citie . and indeed , the conuerting of soules is a great worke ; and great workes had need of potent and mighty meanes : therefore it pleaseth god to vse his powerfull word , which , as the apostle faith , is mighty through god , to the pulling downe of strong holds , and casting downe of imaginations , and euery high thing that exalteth it selfe against the knowledge of god , and bringing into captiuitie euery thought to the obedience of christ. this calleth the teacher to a serious consideration of the waight of his calling , and a conscionable regard to discharge it ; hee is put in trust with the precious soules of men , for whom hee must giue account vnto god. hee is made gods steward , and therefore must bee faithfull . hee must not keepe away the bread of life from gods familie . the word of reconciliation is committed vnto him : yea , necessity is laid vpon him , so that , were he as great as s. paul himselfe , yet woe be vnto him , if he preach not the gospell . this consideration , that the ministerie of the word is the meanes of our life : o what esteeme should it cause that sacred calling to bee of among men ! how beautifull should their feet bee , that bring glad tidings of peace ! how amiable their presence , that present vs to god in christ ! what haue wee , or what can wee giue to them , proportionable to the good we receiue from god by them , being instrumentally the very sauiours of our soules ? who can open the mouth , or lift vp the hand despightfully against such , to whom hell it selfe is constrained to giue this applause : these men are the seruants of the most high god , which shew vnto vs the way of saluation ? the neglect of hearing the word , nay recusancy & contempt , must therefore needs be a haynous sinne , whatsoeuer salue of excuse may be laid vpon it . for if the word spoken by angels was stedfast , and euery transgression and disobedience receiued a iust recompence of reward : how shall we escape , if we neglect so great saluation , offered vnto vs in the ministery of the gospell of christ ? such men as thus reiect , and put the word of god from them , if wee will beleeue the apostle , pronounce a direfull sentence against themselues ; for by the very act of neglect , and contempt of the word , they iudge themselues vnworthy of euerlasting life . then how carefull ought we to be , to attend vpon the ordinance of god in the ministery of his word ? let the preaching of the crosse , be to the profane world , to them that perish , foolishnesse : but saith the apostle , vnto vs that are saued , it is the power of god. for so it hath pleased god , by that which vaine men set so light by , euen by the foolishnesse of preaching , to saue them that beleeue . let euery soule therefore , that would bee partaker of the grace of life , neglect no good opportunity of hearing . consider , that life eternall consisteth in the knowledge of god in christ , and as all learning , so heauenly knowledge must enter into the heart by the eare , the sense of hearing being the organe or instrument of learning . set downe then this resolution in thy heart , with the faithful in the psalme ; i wil heare what god the lord will speake : for he will speake peace vnto his people , and to his saints : but let not them turne againe to folly . the second meanes of entrance into the church , 2 is by beleeuing . this must follow hearing , and goe before baptisme : for without faith , neither is the word of force to vs , nor we fit for baptisme . the word preached , saith the apostle , did not profit them , not being mixed with faith in them that heard it . and the eunuch desiring baptisme , is told by philip , that he must first be a beleeuer : if thou beleeuest , saith he , with all thy heart , thou mayest . looke into the examples of all that euer were added to the church , if they will be sound members , they must beleeue , nay , they cannot so much as be admitted into the outward society , but they must at least professe faith , yea euen simon magus himselfe . thus chrispus beleeued on the lord , with all his house . many of the corinthians hearing , beleeued , and were baptized . and so of all the rest of the conuerts to christianity . and there is great reason for it : for no man can be added to the body of the church , to become a sound member of it , but he must be vnited to the head christ iesus , in whom all the members grow vp into a compleate body . now we are vnited vnto christ by none other meanes , but by faith , whereby hee dwelleth in our hearts . againe , what is the church , but a company of beleeuers , a congregation of faithfull men ? therefore vnlesse a man beleeue , he cannot be of that society . besides , the word is the bread of life , the foode of the soule : so that as naturall food cannot sustaine nature , vnlesse it be receiued into the body and digested ; no more can the word , bee a word of life to the soule , except it be apprehended by faith . it is a sauing word onely to them that beleeue . they therfore that hearing , beleeue not , are in the same , or rather worse condition , then they that heare not at all . for sinnes of knowledge , are greater then sinnes of ignorance , and the meanes , not profited by , doth aggrauate the sin . yea the sentence is feareful : that he that beleeueth not , shal be damned . and the very same word that is by vnbeliefe so reiected , shall iudge the incredulous ( that receiue it not by faith ) at the last day . this should mouingly perswade euery christian soule to mixe the word with faith : considering , that as the means of vniting to the church , on gods part , is the liuely voice of his word preached , so on mans part the effectuall meanes is faith . nay , god for our greater incouragement hath promised to his , both the meanes , and efficacy thereof . for the meanes , see the prophet esay : though , saith the prophet , the lord giue you the bread of aduersity , and the water of affliction , yet shall not thy teachers be remoued into a corner any more , but thine eyes shall see thy teachers : and thine eares shall heare a word behind thee , saying , this is the way , walke in it . and as for the efficacie , god hath bound himselfe so to assist his outward ordinance , that his inward working grace shall concurre with it : i wil put my law in their inward parts , and write it in their hearts , saith the lord. this also may be a touchstone , to try vs , whether we bee indeede vnited to the church of god , or in outward shew onely : for we see euidently , that none are incorporated into the body of christ , but the true beleeuers . and who are those true beleeuers ? take these briefe notes of them . 1. a true beleeuer doth rely only vpon the mercie of god in christ , whose mercy he doth so account his al sufficient merit , that he professeth vnfainedly that he hath none in heauen but the lord , and none on earth but he . 2. the true beleeuer liueth no longer in the former course of his ignorance and sinne , he walkes not after the flesh , but after the spirit , becomming , by the power of the death of christ , dead to sinne . 3. the true beleeuer doth expresse his faith by his workes : knowing that it is not idle , but worketh by loue . 4. the true beleeuer is constant in his way of piety and vertue , that he may attain to the end of his faith , the saluation of his soule : for he knoweth well , that he cannot receiue the crowne of life , vnlesse he be faithfull to the death . the sacrament of baptisme is the third meanes of entring into the church : 3 for the couenant being propounded in the word , and accepted and imbraced of the beleeuer by faith , is ratified and confirmed by the seale of baptisme ; and so saluation , as by a deede vnder hand and seale , is effectually conuaied vnto vs. therefore baptisme is called by s. peter , the like figure , which now saueth vs , because it is not a naked or bare signe of our regeneration and saluation but an effectuall seale , organe , and instrument , to conuay , and as it were , to set the very stampe and character of sauing grace vpon the soule of euery faithfull christian. hence is that of s. ambrose , origo verae vitae , veraeque iustitiae in regenerationis posita est sacramento , &c. the originall of true life , and of true righteousnesse , is grounded in the sacrament of regeneration . sutable to this antiquity , is the moderne doctrine of our christian church . baptisme ( saith our church of england ) is not onely a signe of profession , and marke of difference , &c. but is also a signe of regeneration or new birth , whereby , as by an instrument , they that receiue baptisme rightly , are grafted into the church , &c. yea , caluin himselfe is so plaine , for the efficacy of the sacrament , and to shew that it is not a bare signe ; that he proueth out of the epistle to the romanes , quòd per baptismum , christus nos mortis suae fecerit participes , vt in eam inseramur : that by baptisme christ hath made vs partakers of his death , that we may be ingrafted into it . and immediately after , in the very next words he saith , qui baptismum , eâ quâ debent side accipunt , verè efficaciam mortis christisentiunt . they that receiue baptism with such faith as they ought , doe truely feele the efficacie of christs death , euen as the young graffe receiueth sap from the stock into which it is set . and afterwards he calleth baptisme , with s. paul , lauacrum regenerationis & renouationis : the lauer or washing of regeneration and renouation : noting thereby the force of baptisme . againe , caluin in another place defending the baptisme of infants against anabaptists , and speaking of the state of infants in baptisme , saith , eos vt viuificet , sui participes facit : that christ , to the end he may make infants capable of life , hee maketh them partakers of himselfe . and a little after he taketh away this anabaptisticall obiection : quomodo regenerantur infantes , nec boni nec mali cognitions praediti ? how can infants be regenerate , say the anabaptists , seeing they know neither good nor euill ? whereunto caluin answereth , opus dei , etiamsi captui nostro non subiaceat , non tamen esse nullum : the worke of god , though it be not subiect to our capacity , yet it doth not therefore cease to be . thus we see , that baptisme is an effectuall meanes of our entrance into the church of god. they are therefore worthy of seuere reproofe , who either out of error , vnderualuing the excellency of this sacrament , or through negligence , conceiting there is no such necessity of it , doe sinfully omit and deferre the seasonable vse of baptisme . such must suffer themselues to be informed in the truth , and know , that there is as expresse a mandate for baptisme , as there is for teaching , hearing , praying , or any other pious or morall duty . he that said , go and teach , said also , baptize them . the apostle did not simply say to those whom he directed in the way to saluation , repent ye , but withall he addeth , and be baptized euery one of you , for the remission of sinnes . and it was according to the lords charge giuen in the apostles commission : which is , that they teach mē to obserue whatsoeuer he had commanded them . so then though it be not of that absolute necessitie , that infants dying without it , when it cannot conueniently be had , should bee damned , according to the romish bloody position : yet seeing there is the necessity of precept , men must take heed of neglecting so waighty a dutie . if the iew for the neglect of circumcision was to be cut off , how shall the christian be excusable ? how shall hee escape for the omitting of so great a sacrament ? thus we haue seene the meanes , whereby men are added to the church , the word , faith , and baptisme : the next point is , the author of this addition ; and that is , the lord : the lord added to the church such as should be saued . the rhemists adde the pronoune , our lord , as their vsuall manner is , contrary to their vulgar latine edition , which yet they pretend in their translation exactly to follow . it is in truth a grosse abuse of the sacred text , to adde so many hundred pronounes , more then euer god made ; and yet cauill at our translation , for turning 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , into the word congregation , whereas it is the most proper signification of the word . but it is worth the noting , to obserue how they are constrained sometime to translate the lord , and not our lord , seeing in themselues the absurdity of it : as in matthew , where it is said , the lord said vnto my lord : there they leaue out the pronoune , perceiuing how odde and harsh the tone would be , to translate it , our lord said to my lord. these pronounists doe so glory in the phrase , that it is become a distinguishing note of a romish catholike , insomuch that if any will symbolize with them , he must speake in their language , as some , to please them , doe . to come to the point , it is the lord that doth adde to the church such as shall be saued . god must perswade iaphet : it is he that must inlarge him , that he may dwell in the tents of shem. he giueth vnto christ such as are ordained to life ; otherwise there is a plaine impossibility of our vnion with christ and his church . for our sauiour doth peremptorily affirme , that no man can come vnto him , except the father draw him ; and except it were giuen vnto him of his father . the meanes without this efficient cannot be effectuall . paul planted , apollo watered , but god gaue the increase : without whom , neither he that planteth is any thing , neither he that watereth . god opened the heart of lydia , before she could profitably attend to s. pauls preaching . if his spirit doe not inwardly coworke with the outward voice , it shall but beate the ayre in vaine . the reason is euident : for mans deadnesse is such , that he can no more mooue toward heauen , so much as one step , then a dead man can rise of himselfe . nay , there is in the corrupt nature of man , an opposite disposition & willingnesse to remaine in the state of sin , like lot , to linger in sodom : so that there is naturally a reluctation and striuing against the worke of grace : which remaining in the regenerate in part , causeth them , that they cannot alwayes doe the good that they would . againe , the worke of conuersation and regeneration is a miraculous worke , greater then the worke of creation , and therefore requireth a diuine power to effect it . in the first creation there was no let : god said the word , and the creatures had their being instantly : but in the worke of regeneration there are many obstacles , satan , the world , the flesh : not that any thing can hinder the effect of gods omnipotencie , but in respect of vs. this confuteth the errour of freedome of will to good in man by nature ; whether wholly as the pelagians held ; or in part , as our romists maintaine . the right christian and catholike veritie is , with s. paul , by a negatiue , to exclude nature , and extoll grace , whereby nature of nilling , is made willing . for it is god that worketh in vs both to will and to doe . nos volumus , sed deus dat vt velimus . we will , saith a father , but god doth giue vs that power to will. is any man partaker of this grace , is he drawne of god , hath the lord added him to his church ? let him giue his name the praise , and confesse with the apostle , that he hath obtained mercy . for indeed it is a great mercy of god , to be taken out of the slauery and bondage of satan , and to be put into the lords seruice , which is perfect freedome , and hath for the end , euerlasting life . to conclude this point ; doth any desire to bee sincerely vnited vnto the church of christ ? let him goe to the fountaine of this grace , and cry with them in the song of salomon , draw me , we will runne after thee . and with dauid , vnite my heart , to feare thy name . and with the prodigall , o lord , make me as one of thy houshold seruants . the time of this addition to the church , is heere said to be daily , or from day to day : it shall not faile , to the last day , nor time be any more , when the number of the elect is once compleate . yet it is not so to be vnderstood , as if the increase of the church should be alwaies apparant , and in a flourishing eminencie , as our rhemists vpon this text would haue it : for we know by the word of god , that there must be apostasie and falling into error , in these last times , as was said before . the consideration of the time is of excellent vse . it sheweth the patience of god , in waiting so long from day to day for our conuersion . it was great to the old world , when the long suffering of god waited in the dayes of noah , by the space of 120. yeeres : but it was nothing to the time of the gospel , from the first , to the second comming of christ. this aduiseth vs , to take speciall notice of the day of our visitation . for through the tender mercy of our god , the day-spring from an high hath visited vs. haue we the light ? let vs walke in it , while we haue it , and pray the lord to send it , to them that sit in darkenesse . againe , let vs not rashly censure , nor vncomfortably despaire of those that are without : the lord addeth to his church daily : therefore let vs , while there is time , both hope , and helpe forward the worke of god. all are not called in in the prime of the day , but some at the third , some at the sixt , some at the eleuenth houre . he that is to day , with saul , a persecuter , may be to morrow a conuert , and professe that which before hee persecuted . we say , hee runnes farre , that neuer returnes . but know , that none can outrunne god , when hee will fetch him home to himselfe . to close vp this matter in briefe ; see here in the last place , the happinesse of those that are added to the church : it is in one word , saluation ; being made the seruants of god , and becomming of his family , which is the church , they haue , saith the apostle , their fruit in holinesse , and the end , euerlasting life . they are kept by the power of god , through faith , vnto saluation . they are safe in the arke , whilest the world of the wicked perish in the deluge . they are in the little zoar of gods church , out of the danger of the fire of gods wrath . happie are the people that are in such a case , yea thrice happy are they that haue the lord for their god. what can allure vs to be of this societie , if this motiue of eternall happinesse preuaile not with vs ? men desire to bee free of those corporations , that haue great immunities and priuiledges : then know , that no citie can compare with the heauenly ierusalem : no societie comparable to the communion of saints . how prophane then and blasphemous is the conceit of wicked worldlings , that say , it is in vaine to serue god : and what profit is in religion and religious walking before the lord : and count the proud and wicked , like themselues , the onely happy men ? what a lamentable thing is it , that the god of the world should so blinde their eyes , that they should not see their owne miserie , and the contrary happines of gods people , till with the rich glutton , it be too late ? as for those that haue their part in this happines , let them goe on cheerefully , abounding in the worke of the lord : forasmuch as they know , that their labour is not in vaine in the lord. let them from the bottome of their hearts , say , blessed be the god and father of our lord iesus christ , which , according to his abundant mercie , hath begotten vs againe vnto a liuely hope , by the resurrection of iesus christ from the dead , to an inheritance incorruptible and vndefiled , and that fadeth not away , reserued in heauen for vs. amen . finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a09599-e240 seneca de vita beata , l. 1. c. 1. ioh. 14.6 . psal. 144.15 . ioh. 17 3. aug ▪ de ciu. dei. l. 19. c. 27. rom. 10.1 . mat. 21.31 , 32. aug. de ciu. dei , l. 19. c. 17. iudg. 14.8 . act. 28.2 . ioh 1.41 , 45. iob 32. 22. isa. 5. 20. reu. 2.10 . isa. 22.12 , 13. 2. pet. 3.3 . mat. 26.50 . 2. sam. 1.23 , 24 neh. 13.14 . notes for div a09599-e2020 luk. 24.49 . act. 1.4 , 5. act. 2.4 , 11. act. 2.41 . 1 no saluation but in the church . demonstrated 1. by noahs arke . 2. pet. 2.5 . gen. 7.23 . 1. pet. 3.20 , 21. eph. 2.12 . 2 by the proportion of the head and the body . colos. 1.18 . eph. 1.22 , 23. 1. cor. 12.27 . colos. 2.29 . eph. 4.16 . eph. 5.23 . greg. in ps. 5. poen . istud est corpus , extra quod non viuificat spiritus . 3 by sacred similies . 1 of a house . 1. tim. 3.15 . as it is taken for a building . 1. pet. 2.5 , 6. 1. cor. 3.9 , 10 , 11. eph. 2.20 . matth. 16. as it is taken for the inhabitans . 1. pet 4.17 . heb. 3.6 . eph. 3.17 . mat. 24.45 . eph. 2.19 . gal. 6.10 . luk. 12.42 . psal. 145.9 . psal. 36.6 . mat. 5.45 . psal. 73.1 . 1. tim. 4.10 . 2 pet. 1.3 . psal. 119.94 . 2. of a citie , in two respects . reu. 21.2 , 10. heb. 12.22 . 1. defence . num. 32.17 . ier. 4.5 . & 8.14 . isa. 26.1 . ioel 2.32 . psal. 147.12 , 13. aug. de ciu. dei , l. 19. c. 11. psal. 31.21 . 2. priuiledge . ibidem c. 21. gal. 4.26 . eph. 2.12 , 13.19 rom. 6.14 , 22. rom. 8 ● . 3. of a mother , in 2. respects . gal. 4.26 . 1. by conceiuing and bearing . 1. pet. 1.23 . gal. 4.19 . 2. by nourishing . 1. pet. 2.2 . aug in ep. ioh. tract . 3. est mater ecclesia , & vbera eius , duo testamenta diuinarum scripturarum . heb. 5.12 , 14. 4. of a vine . psal. 80.8 , 12. isa. 5.3 , 4. ioh 15.5 . vers. 4. vers 5 ▪ 6. aug. e● . 50. ad bonifa● . reasons that saluation is onely in the church . 1 it onely is the pillar of sauing truth . 1. tim. 2.4 . isa. 26.2 . 1. tim. 3.15 . ioh. 16.13 . 2 all sauing graces are onely in the church . heb. 6.9 . rom. 8 30. 1 election . 1. pet. 2.9 . eph. 1.4 . ioh. 13.18 . ioh. 15.16 . act. 13.18 . greg. mor. l. 28. c. 6. intra has mensuras , sunt omn●s electi , extra has sunt omnes reprobi , etiamsi intra fidei limitem esse videantur . 2. pet. 1.10 . 2 vocation ▪ 1. pet. 2.9 . rom. 1.6 . rom. 8.18 . heb. 3.1 . 1. thes. 2.12 . 1. cor. 1.9 . 1. thes. 5.24 . rom. 11.29 . rhe● . on rom. 11.29 . 3 iustification . rom. 8.30 . rom. 4.2 . what iustification is . 1 it is an action of god. rom. 8.33 . 2 it stands in the pardon of sinnes . rom. 4.6 , 7 , 8. psal. 32.1 , 2. 3 it is a meere imputation of righteousnesse . rom. 4.6 . 2. cor. 5.21 . aug. de verbis apost . serm. 6. vidite duo , iustitiam dei , non nostram : in ipso , non in nobis . 1. cor. 1.30 . 4 it is imputed to faith onely . ioh. 1.12 . rom. 8.25 . act. 13.39 . rom. 3.28 . bern. serm. 1. de annun● . sic enim arbitratu● apostolus gratis iustifi a●i hominem per fidem . 5 it is of meere mercy . rom. 3.24 . bell. de iust . l. 5. c. 7. propter incertitudinē propriae iustitiae , & periculum inanis gloriae , tutissimū est , fidu●iam tota● , in sola dei misericordia & benignitate reponere . 6 it is for the onely merit of christ. beda in ps. 87. christi mors , nostra vita est , eius damnatio , nostra iustificatio . tit. 3.7 . 4 sanctification . 1. thes 5.23 . rom. 6.2 , 4. col. 3.10 . ephe. 4.24 . tit. 2.11 , 12. & 14. ioh. 15.4 . rom. 5.1 . psal. 130.3 . 1. cor. 6.11 . 1. cor. 1.2 . heb. 12.14 . rom. 6.22 ▪ gal. 5.6 . the 3. reason is , that the meanes of sauing grace is onely in the church . ioh. 4.11 . the meanes are 1. the written word of god. rom. 15.4 . 2. tim. 3.15 . ioh. 5.39 . 2 preaching . rom. 1.16 . 1. cor. 1 18. 3 the sacraments . rom. 4.11 . 4 prayer . rom. 10.13 . rom. 3.2 . psal. 147.19 , 20 2. cor. 5.18 , 19. 1. cor. 12.28 . eph. 4.12 , 13. matth. 28.19 . act. 2.41 . mat. 26.26 , 27. rom. 10.14 . rom. 8.14 , 15. chemnic . exam . parts . 3. p. 179. b. act. 9.14 , 21. rom. 10.12 . psal. 14.4 . math. 6.7 . & 15.8 . math. 4.10 . 1. cor. 1 2. 2. tim. 2.22 . psal. 145.18 . the 4 reason is , because the church only haue christ for their mediatour . 1. ioh. 2.1 , 2. iohn . 17.9 . rom. 8.34 . vse . heb. 12.16 . aug. d. ciuit. dei. l. 2. c. 23. 2. cor. 4.4 . matth. 7 . 1● . exod. 12.38 . mark 10.28 . gen. 8.9 . matth. 11.29 . eccles. 1.2 & 12.13 . iunius in eccl. 12. sine quo totus homo nihil est nisi vanitas . 2 what that church is . the name of the church is not sufficient . reue. 2.9 . reue. ● . 1 . reue. 3.15 . act. 17 . 1● . reu. 2.2 . aug. de doct. christ. l. 2. quisquis bonus ve●usque christianus est , domini sui esse intelligat , vbicunque inuenevit veritatem . the meaning of the word . act. 19.32 , 39. valla l. 4 c. 47. multi ecclesia , nescio quo iure , aedes s●cras app●llant , cùm coetum hominū signifi●ot , non loca . rhem. on eph. 5.23 . cam●●●a● . 3. audito i●● ecclesi●● nomine , hostis ●xpalluit . 1562. art. 19 , 20. d. fulke against rhemes . the name of the church is diuersly taken . 1 for the elect , knowne onely to god. aug in ps. 56. qui ●uerunt ante nos , & futuri sunt post nos , vsque ad finem seculi . aug. enchir. c. 55 templum dei est ecclesia sanct● , sc. vniuersa in coel● & in terra . colos. 1.20 . eph. 1.4 . 1. pet. 1.2 . 2. tim. 2.19 . 2 thes 2 13 rom. 2 ●8 , 19. 2 for the outward professors of christianity mixt of good and bad . mat. 22.10 . 3 for particular congregations . and in them sometime for the pastors . mat 18 17. sometime for the people . act. 20.28 . sometime for both pastor and people . reu. 1.4 , 20. reu. 2.7 , &c. the definition of the visible church . article 19. isa. 29.13 . mat. 15.9 . 1 the church is the society of the faithfull , not tied to any place or person . not to rome . act. 10.34 , 35. r●u . 5. ● . reu. 17.1 , 2 , 18. act. 16.30 , 31. act. 2.37 , 38. gal. 3.28 . mat. 18.20 . ●anis . catech. in vno capite ac rectore vniuersalis ecclesiae , vicario christi scilicet , ac diui petri successore . bellar. de eccl. l. 3. c. 2. sub regimine , &c. praecipuè vnius christi in terris vicarij romani pontifi●is . reasons why the church is not tyed to rome . 1 it is against the definition of the church . esolis causis essētiam constituentibus . oc●ham dial . part . 1. l. 5. c. 23. extra ecclesiam r●manam potest esse salus , quemadmodum post assension●m christi ●uit salus , antequam romana ecclesia inch●ar●tur . acts 2.28 . mark. 16.15 , 16. bellar. d. concil . l. 2. c. 5. romano pontifici , &c. aduersabatur , martyrio postea co●oratus . et ibidem . nec tamen eius retractatio vnquam inuenitur . bellar. l. 3. de ●ccles . mil. subesse romano pontifici est de necessitate salutis . greg. l. 4. ep . 32. nomen nouum , s●elestum , nomen singularitatis . & ep . 34. quod qui tenet , est praecursor antichristi . see ep . 60. platina in in vita bonifacij . 3. greg. l. 4. ep . 60. nullus praedecessorum m●orum , pontificum romanorum vniue●salis episcopi nomen sibi assumpfit . 2 no scripture requireth it . aug. d. doct . chr. l. 2. in his enim quae apertè in scriptura posita sunt , in u●niumtur illa omnia , quae continent fidem , moresque viuendi . 3 it is in no creed . 4 because rome is but a particular church , as others are . rom. 1.5 , 6. 5 because it is subiect to error , as well as others . rom. 11.20 , 21 , 22. article 19. a catalogue of romish errors . 1 error . preface to rhem. test. mat. 22.29 . ioh. 5.39 . col. 3.16 . deut. 6.6 . & 11.18 . act. 17.11 . rom. 15.4 . greg. l. 4. ep . 40. quid est aut●m scriptura sacra , nisi epis●ola omnipotentis dei ad creaturam suam ? 2 error . bel. l. 4. c. 1. de poul . rom. summus index in causis fidei & morum . rom. 11.1 . gal. 1.8 . 3 error . 1. cor 14.11 , 14.22 . o●●g●● . ●els l. 8. graeci graecis , romani romani● , si●gulique precentur propri●i linguā , &c. cyp. de o● . dom. n. 22. quomodò te audi●● à deo pustul●s , cùm te ipse non audias ? caict. 1. cor. 14.17 . melius a● edificationē ecclesiae est orationes publicas que audiente populo dicuntur , dici linguā communi clencis & po●ulo . quàm dici latinè . 4 error . 2. com. exod. 20.4 . leu. 26.1 . concil . trid. de imag. eisque debitū honor●● , & veneral●onem impertiend un . epiph. ep. ●n ecclesia christi contra autoritatem scriptura●ū hominis pendere imag●nem . lactan. l. ●mag . l. 2. c. ●9 . non est dub●u●t , qui● religio ●●lla sit , vb●cunque sim●la●●um ●●l . greg. l. 9. ep . ● . adorare ●●●o imagines , omnibus mod●s deuita 5 error . heb. 10 10 , 12 , 14. l. 4. dist. 12. in sacramento recordatio fi● illius , quod factum est semel . 6 error . 1. cor. 11.26 , 27 , 28. act. 3.21 . luk. 22.19 . 1. cor. 11.24 . mat. 26.28 . mark. 14.24 . gen. 17.10 , 11. rom. 4.11 . exod. 12.11 . 1. cor. 10.4 . aug. c. adimāt . c. 12. non enim dominus dubitauit di●●re , h●c est corpus meum , cùm signum diret corporis sui . article 28. bellar. de euchar . l. 1. c. 1. verè in cana datur nobis corpus christi . substantiā corporis christi pa●●untur an mae nost●ae . non ergo est vacuum aut inane signum . eras. in 1 cor. 7 bellar. de euch. l. 3. c. 23. an●● lateranense concilium non fuisse dogma fi●ici . 7 error . tulli. 3. natur. quem tam amēt●m esse putas , qui illud quo v●s●atur deum cr●dat esse ? ●uerr . in 12. metaph. arist. quoniam christi●ni manducant deum , qu●m ad●rant , sit ani●ma mea cum philosoph●● . 8 error . mat. ●6 . ●6 , 27 1. cor. 10.16 , 17. greg. dial . l. 2. c. 23. si quis non communicat , det locum . 9 error . math. 26.27 . mark. 14.23 . 1. cor. 11.28 . cassan. consult . art . 22. id quod ex innumeris veteribus tàm graecorum , quàm latinorum testimonijs manifestum est . 10 error . psal. 65.2 . 1. king. 8.39 . psal. 50.15 . luk. 11.2 . ioh. 16.23 . rom. 10.13 . gen. 4.26 . psal. 22.4 , 5. eph. 3.14 . phil. 4.6 . chemnic . exam . pars 3. pag 194. eccius enchrid . vt refert chem . exam . pars 3 pag. 184. cassander ib. hoc enim tutius esse existimo . hofmeister . ibid. ex aug. de visi● . infirm . l. 1. c. 2. tutius & iucundius loquor ad meum iesum , quàm ad aliquē sanctorum , &c. ibid. p. 180. ibid. psal. 50 51. heb. 18. aug. de vnit . eccl. cap. 3. non audiamus , haec dico , haec dicis : sed haec dicit dominus . aug. àd paul. ep . 112. nolo authoritatem meam sequaris , vt ideo putes , tibi aliquid necesse esse credere , quoniā à me dicitur . aug. ad crescon . l. 2. c. 32. quod in ijs diuinarum scripturarum authoritati congruit , cum laude eius accipio : quòd autem non congruit , cum pace eius respuo . gratian. dist . 8. christus non dixit , ego sum consuetudo , sed , ego sum veritas , &c. consuetudo sine veritate , vetustas erroris est . 11 error . 1. ioh. 1.7 . ioh. 5.24 . reu. 14.13 . luk 16.22 , 25. chry. ser. 3. ad philip. fideles , possquam hinc dis●esserunt , bea●os esse , &c. dionys. a●eop . hierar . c. 11. propinqui eius , qui mortuus est , &c. cum qualis est , beatum esse ducunt , quòd ad victoriae sinem peroptatum per●●nerit ▪ & victoriae authori gratias agunt cum cantu . 12 error . rom. 1.25 . ● king. 8.38 . hora sarisbur . fol. 58. ibid. fol. 68. polid. virg. l. 5. c. 7. math. 6.7 . 1. king. 18.26 . 1. king. 18 36. 13 error . mald. sum . q. 18. ar . 4. psal. 32.5 . mat. 3.6 . act. 19.18 . 2. sam. 12.13 . ios. ● . 19 . iam. 5.16 . 14 error . 1. tim. 4.1 , 2 , 3. 15 error . 16 error . mark. 6.13 . iam. 5.14 . cassan. l. consult . art . 2. bel. l. 1. de vnc . ext . cap 3. caiet . in iac. 5. 2 sound doctrine , and due administration of sacraments , the notes of the church . ioh. 10.27 . 1 for doctrine . mat. 7.16 . 1. ioh. 4.1 . 2. ioh. 10. vers. 9. ioh. 7.16 . two rules to discerne doctrine . 1 concerning the hearer . theophylact. in io. c. 7. voluntatem autem dei facit , & qui prophetas , & scripturas scrutatur . 2 the teacher . ioh. 7.18 . 1. thes. 2.5 , 6. act. 2.42 . 1. thes. 2.13 . mat. 27.1 . act. 17.12 . athan. in incar . dom. si discipuli estis euangeliorum , per scripturas incedite . aug. con . petil. l. 3. c. 6. siue de christo , siue de eius ecclesia , siue de quacunque alia re , quae pertinet ad fidem vitámque , &c. 3 the true church admitteth nothing as necessary to saluation , that is contrary to the word of god. 1. king. 18.21 . isa 29.13 . mat. 15.9 . bell. de sacr. l. 2. c. 30. ceremoniae receptae , &c. sine graui veccato o mitti non possunt ; quum habe ant vim etiam spiritualem , & sint pars diuini cul●as , adeoque meritoria . eph. 5.24 . cal. in mat. 5 9 eos ertar● , &c. qui ●cco doctrinae obtrudunt hominum mandata : vel qui indè petunt regulam colendi dei. article 10. considerations concerning the church . 1 consideration . it is only one . gen. 6. cant. 6.9 . mat. 13.24 , 47. luk. 12.32 . ioh. 10.16 . ioh. 3.29 . 1. cor. 12.13 . 1. cor. 12.14 , 15 , 16. 2 consideration . it is catholike . re● . 7.9 . aug. epist. 48. quia communicant ecclesiae toti orbi diffusae . 3 consideration . it is visible . bell. de eccl. l. 3. c. 2. isa. 1.9 . isa. 8.18 . rom. 11.3 . 1. king. 18.4 , 13 heb. 11.37 , 38. 2. thes. 2.3 , 4. reu. 12.6 . luke 18.8 . mat. 24.9 , 12 , 24. vi●cen . li●in . c. 6. ariano●um venenum , non iam 〈◊〉 ul● quandam , sed ●enè orbem tut●m contaminauerat . mat. 11.19 . 4 cōsideratiō . some are more pure , some more corr●pt . here obserue . 1 that the greatest and chiefe are not alwaies the best . 2. chron. 36.14 , 16. ioh. 1.11 . act. 4.11 . vnic . lir. ib. capto priùs omnium imperatore , &c. leo. ep . 8● . ecclesiae nomine armamipi , & contra ecclesi●m dimicatis . 2 that the promises and priuiledges belōg onely to the good part . aug. con . don. l. 5. c. 27. hoc intelligere non audeo , nisi in iustis & sanctis . rom. 9.4 , 6 , 8. act. 2.39 . math. 3.12 . rom. 3.3 . 3 that a corrupt church may keepe and conuay to post●rity , the scriptures , the rule of faith , & the sacraments . acts 15.21 . rom 3 2. aug. in psal. 56. codicem portat iudaeus , vndè credat christianus . math. 23.2 , 3. math. 5.20 . math. 15 9. hereupon , some in a corrupt church may be saued . rom. 11.4 . reu. 2.13 . reu. 3.4 . reu. 2.24 , 25. reu. 3.8 . reu. 18.4 . gen. 7.13 . gen. 19.15 . reu. 18.4 . iude 23. 3 by what meanes men are added to the church . 1 the word preached . act. 2.37 , 38 , 41. act. 18.8 . eph. 4.12 . mat. 28 20. 1. pet. 1.23 . iam. 1.18 . rom. 1.16 . act. 8.29 , 35. act. 10.5 , 6. act. 18.10 . 2. cor. 10.4 , 5. heb. 13.17 . 1. cor. 4.2 . 2. cor. 5. 19. 1. cor. 9 16. col. 1.28 . 1. tim. 4.16 . act. 16.16 . heb. 2.2 , 3. act. 13. ●6 . 2. cor. 1.18 , 21 ioh. 17.3 . psal. 85.8 . 2 faith to apprehend grace offered . heb. 4.2 . act. 8.37 . act. 8.13 . ephe. 4.15 , 16. eph. 3.17 . 1. co. 1.21 . mark. 16.16 . ioh. 12.48 . isai. 30.20 , 21. ier. 31.33 . psal. 73.25 . 3 the sacrament of baptisme . 1. pet. 3.21 . amb. de voc . gent. l. 1. c. 5. article 27. rom. 6.3 . calu. inst. l. 4. c. 15. §. 5. tit. 3.5 . calu. inst. l. 4. c. 16. § 17. mat. 28.19 , 20. act. 2.28 . gen. 17.14 . heb. 2 3. the author or efficient , by whom men are added to the church . mat. 22 24. gen. 9.27 . ioh. 17.6 . ioh. 6.44 , 65. 1. cor. 3.6 , 7. act. 16.14 . eph. 2.1 , 2. 1. cor. 15.10 . phil. 2.13 . 1. tim. 1.13 . rom. 6.22 . cant. 1.4 . psal 86.11 . the time and continuance of this addition . math. 24.22 . 2. pet. 3.9 . 1. pet. 3.20 . gen. 6.3 . luk. 1.78 . math. 20.3 . the happines of those that are added to the church . rom. 6.21 . 1. pet. 1.5 . gen. 19 22. psal. 144.15 . mal. 3.14 . iob 21.14 . 2. cor. 4.4 . luk. 16.23 . 1. cor. 15.58 . 1. pet. 1.3 , 4. the high-vvay to heauen: or, the doctrine of election, effectuall vocation, iustification, santification and eternall life grounded vpon the holy scriptures, confirmed by the testimonies of sundry iudicious and great diuines, ancient and moderne. compiled by thomas tuke. high-way to heaven. tuke, thomas, d. 1657. 1609 approx. 258 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 113 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2006-06 (eebo-tcp 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(eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a13997) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 2635) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1475-1640 ; 1086:10) the high-vvay to heauen: or, the doctrine of election, effectuall vocation, iustification, santification and eternall life grounded vpon the holy scriptures, confirmed by the testimonies of sundry iudicious and great diuines, ancient and moderne. compiled by thomas tuke. high-way to heaven. tuke, thomas, d. 1657. 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2006-04 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the high-vvay to heauen : or , the doctrine of election , effectuall vocation , iustification , sanctification and eternall life . grounded vpon the holy scriptures , confirmed by the testimonies of sundry iudicious and great diuines , ancient and moderne . compiled by thomas tvke . london , printed by nicholas okes , dwelling neere holborne bridge . 1609. to the worshipfull maister iohn leuesen esquire . sir , many and great are the priuiledges of the faithful , and farre more excellent then any , which either are , or can be granted by any mortall monarch whatsoeuer . for first , they were a elected of almightie god freely from all eternity to be partakers of his grace in this world , and to be inuested with immortall glory in the world to come . secondly , when they had reuolted from god , and were become the vassals of the diuel , b dead in sinnes , and the children of wrath , god in 〈…〉 c recall and gather them , and redeemed them from their seruitude with the d bloud of his owne and only sonne christ iesus , who was e made sinne for vs , that wee might be made the righteousnes of god in him , assuming our iniquitie to himselfe , and imputing his righteousnesse vnto vs. f magnum ( autem ) est , quod peccata remissa sunt , sed maius est quòd per sanguinem dominicum remissa sunt . now it is much that we should be redeemed by god , who were runna gates from god : but that we should be redeemed by the bloud of g god , by the bloud of the sonne of god , who was h perfect god & i perfect man , of the same substance , honor and ant●quitie with the father ; this commends the wonderfull k loue of god vnto vs , and is a fauour that all the world besides doth want . thirdly , god doth l refine and reuiue them , breathing into them the breath of life , the spirit of sanctification , who doth reforme , purge and alter them , ruinating the cursed workes of the diuell , and repairing , rectifying , and adorning them by grace with goodnes . fourthly , m god doth ( when hee pleaseth ) bath them in the waters of sorrow , and try them in the furnace of affliction , to correct and clense them , & that his graces in them may appeare more fresh and shining , as flowers doe in a shower , or as the moone doth in the night . finally the n lord will one day translate them out of the wide and wast wildernes of this wicked and wofull world , and will safely bring them into celestiall canaan , where they shall liue for euer with him in ful freedome from all euill , and in perpetuall fruition of all felecity , so that as nothing shal be found in hell , which shal be desired , so nothing shal be desired in heauen , which shall not be found . ibi laetitia sine tristitia , locus sine dolore , vitasine labore , lux sine tenebris : ibi iuuentus semper vigescit , & nunquam senescit : ibi dolor nunqum sentitur , nec gemitus vnquam auditur : ibi tristitia nunquam videtur , sed aeternum gaudium possidetur : ibi est summa & certa tranquillitas , tranquilla faelicitas , foelix aeternitas , aeterna beatitas & beata o trinitas . there shal be mirth without mourning , a life without labor & day without darknes , eternall happines & happy eternity . ibi nec malitia , nec militia : ibi nec poena , nec poenitenria : ibi nec peccatum , nec perditio . there is neither sinne , nor sorow : neither penalty , nor penitency : neither foe , nor fighting : neither corruption , nor contention : amity , and no enmity : faith , and no fraud : godlines , and no guile : loue without lust ● wisedome without wilines : simplicity without simulation : perpetuall solace , and solacious perpetuity , prosperous security , and secure prosperity ; ibi nil intus , quod sastiolatur : nil foris , quod appetatur : ibi rex veritas , lex charitas , possessio aeternitas . there we shall neither lothe , nor long for . the king is veri●y , the law charity , the possession eternity ; yea the fruition of the eternall god , who will be p ( mel in ore , melos in aure , & i●bilus in corde ) all in all to them that loue him . these things you may take a further view of , if you please , by perusing this little ●ractate : which i dedicate to you as a testimony of my desire of your proficience in holy learning . and thus hoping of your kind acceptance thereof , i commend it to you , and both it and you to the lord ; desiring him to honor you with his grace , 〈◊〉 you may so know him in your youth , as that you may be knowen of him in your age , and that seruing him like a faithfull souldier against sinne and all sinnefull vanities in the church militant , you may raigne also like a noble victor with him in the church triumphant . february . 16. 1608. your worships in the lord , to be commanded , thomas tvke . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 eduardi smithi ad lectorem . laesciuae fa●iem veneris laudare vetustas respersam naeuo garrula saepè solet . exhibet iste liber veneres naeuo sine castas , es laetam quicquid sternat ad astra viam . eiusdem ad momum . nigro si tibi mos bene facta notare lapillo , h●● omnis maculis pagina sparsa foret : vanae at sicarpas tantummodo somnia mome , crede tuss maculis non locus vllus erit . eiusdem ad auctorem . ergò age , pensentur tibi tot mercede labores a eternà , dignam saecula nostra negant . exhibe , tende , doc● , condigna , salubria , verae , christo , ●uibus , cunctos , carmin● , voce , stylo . the names of such as are alledged in this booke , beside the scriptures . a ambrose angelome anselme aquinas aristotle augustine b bede & beza bellarmine bernard bradford bu●anu● basill c caluin cicero chrysostome clemens alex cameracensis cyprian cyrill d danaeus f fox fulgentius g greenham gregorie h hugo & haimo h●ome i innocentius isidore isychius iustine k k●●ke ma● l lacta●tiu● luth●r m p. martyr o origen p per●iu● p●●lp●t piscator polanus primasius pr●●p●r r radulphus roffensis rogers remi●i●s roil●●● s sedulins & sturmius t tertullian theodulus trel●atius tyndall v vrsinus vv willet of gods eternall election . chap. i. the word election hath fiue significations . three reasons to pro●ue that there is an election to life . two reasons prouing the necessary vse of this doctrine . foure reasons to shew that ministers should teach it . three duties to bee done concerning the handling of it . all men are by a certaine instinct of nature desirous of knowledge , and account ignorance euill and vnseemely , like a defectiue body , or a light-lesse house . for knowledge is the eye of the minde , the light of the soule , the ornament of grace and nature , and such riches , as will swimme with the master , when he suffers shipwracke , and sees his whole estate to sinke before his eyes . now the more excellent and commodious a thing is , the more worthy it is of our knowledge . therefore it is discommendable and vncomely for any man to bee ignorant of himselfe , and of the causes , the meanes and maner of his eternall saluation , and redemption from horrible and intolerable miserie . to further this knowledge , my purpose is , out of the scriptures , and by the helpe of sundry learned and orthodoxall writers , briefly to treat of gods election , and the execution of it : and so we shal ( as in a glasse ) behold , what course the lord hath in his wisedome taken to manifest his grace vnto vs ▪ and to make vs partakers of his glory . before i shew what election is , i thinke it not amis●e . 1. to shew the significations of the word , because it is ambiguous . 2. to proue that there is an election . 3. and that the doctrine thereof ought to bee learned . 4. as also to shew that it ought to be preached to the people . 5. and in what maner . for the first ; this word election ( or chusing ) hath fiue significations . first it signifies the chusing and assuming of a man to some worke or office . so saul was chosen to bee a king and iudas to be an apostle : and of this election is that speech of christ to bee vnderstood ; haue not i chosen you twelue , and one of you is a diuil ? secondly , it is taken for that election , whereby the lorde doth make choise of a nation to bee his people ▪ vpon whom he will bestow his lawes and ordinances , and more singular loue-tokens , then vpon many other . thus the israelites were gods elect , though amongst them were many reprobates . for this election was temporall in part , and but a remnant in comparison were elected as touching that eternall decree of life . thirdly it signifieth the eternall decree of god for the separating and adopting of some men to euerlasting life . fourthly , it sometimes signifies the execution of this decree , or the separation of certaine men in time by effectuall vocation fiftly , it signifies in that speech of paul , ( the election hath obtained ) the elect themselues , as circumcision is vsed sometimes for circumcised . bu● we here vse it in the third signification . and so much for the word . now that there is such an election , it is euident by these reasons . first by expresse testimonies of holy scripture . many are called , but few are chosen . i know ( saith christ ) whom i haue chosen . so many as were ordained to eternall life beleeued . endeuour to make your election sure . hee is blinde that cannot see the shining of the sunne at noone . secondly , the scripture sheweth that there is a reprobation ; therefore , vnlesse wee shall say that all are reprobates we must needs grant an electiō . thirdly , the scripture setteth forth vnto vs the cause , the perpetuitie , the benefits and tokens of it : which were to no purpose if there were no election at all . lastly , we haue the consent of the church in all ages . it is ( saith augustine ) horrible blasphemie to deny predestination . hauing now prooued that there is an election , i come in the third place to prooue the necessitie of learning & vnderstanding this doctrine ; which i will do with these two reasons . the first is this . that doctrine ought to bee learned , which serues to declare gods glorie . but the doctrine of election doth manifest the glory of god. for first , it sheweth that we are elected to the honour of god , and to the praise of his glorious grace . secondly , it argues and illustrates his essentiall properties , as his omnipotencie , omniscience , eternity , mercy . thirdly , this doctrine doth both demonstrate and defend the free grace of god against all contrariant heresies and errors , and will arme vs against many impetuous enemies of the truth ; therefore it is a doctrine worthy to be learned . secondly , that doctrine is necessarily to bee learned , which is profitable to vs in the course of christianity : but the doctrine of election will auaile vs much in the running of this race . for first , it releiues our faith against diffidence , shewing that our saluation hangs not like a meteour in the ayre , but is firmely fixed vpon the loue of god in christ . secondly , it furthereth our spirituall ioy , in that it teacheth that the loue of god is constant , and his decree concerning our welfare is eternall . thirdly , it eclipseth the pride of the heart , shewing that gods dignation , and not mans dignitie , his fauour & not mans faith , his mercie and not mans merit is the fountaine and foundation of mans felicitie . fourthly , it prouokes vs to true gratitude and the practise of all good works : because it teacheth to ascribe our saluation wholly to the grace of god , and not to our owne goodnesse : as also that wee were elected to bee holy , and not to follow the swinge of the flesh , and to goe a whoring after our owne lusts . fiftly , this doctrine ministers comfort to vs , and helpes our pacience in aduersitie . for it teacheth that wee are predestinated to weare the crowne of thornes with christ , as well as the crowne of glory : and that , as wee are couered with the grace of god as with a canopy , whiles wee liue in this world , so wee shal be honoured with immortall glory in the world to come ; therefore this doctrine ought to be learned and remembred . fourthly , it is fit for ministers to acquaint their people with this doctrine . the reasons are these . first christ and his apostles , and some of the olde prophets haue commended this doctrine vnto the church , and did teach it the people . but it were grieuous sacriledge to depriue the poore people of that , which god doth vouchsafe them ; and transcendent impietie to denie the preaching of that in the church , which god doth teach in his word for the good of the church . for whatsoeuer is written in the word , it is written for our learning , that through the consolation of the scripture we might haue hope . secondly , the gospell ought to be preached vnto all , both learned and vnlearned : but the doctrine of election is a principall part of the gospel ; yea the whole gospell is inclosed within the ●osome of this doctrine , if we respect both the decree it selfe , and the execution and accomplishment of it together : therefore it ought to bee promulged and made 〈…〉 vnto all . thirdly , this doctrine is very vsefull and solatious , and may be applyed to many notable purposes . for it shewes vs the true causes of all our happinesse . secondly , it confuteth the pelagians , who ascribe saluation to mens owne strength and merits : and vtterly ouerturneth the opinion of election for works , or faith foreseen . thirdly , it serues to correct the course of those that hinder their owne happinesse by their presumption , diffidence , incredulity , prophanenesse , sensuality , and other irregular and irreligeous courses . fourthly , it proues the deity of christ . for in that hee hath elected vs vnto life , we conclude that he is very god. fiftly , as it testifieth the loue of god vnto vs : so likewise it serues to enflame vs with loue towards him . for who would not loue him , of whom hee is so loued and to whom hee is so much obliged ? and to omit many vses which might be made of this doctrine , it shewes the great power and authoritie that god hath ouer men , in making choise of whom hee list to bee his vessels of honour , and temples for his spirit to inhabit . and finally it teacheth vs to loue our brethren , who are elected by the same god , and for the same ends that we our selues are . fourthly , ministers are by pauls example bound to teach their people the whole counsell of god , and to keepe backe nothing which is commodious : therefore they must teach them this doctrine . lastly , ministers must not suppresse or keepe backe that which is reuealed , but rather proclaime and diuulge it . for things reuealed ( as this is ) belong to vs and to our children for euer , as moses writeth . yea , they ought to do it the more diligently , that they may preserue them frō those infectious errors , which many turbulent and erroneous spirits doe publish to the world , and stay them from abusing this so holy a doctrine ( as many doe ) to licentious & luxurious liuing . the iudgement of caluin is worthy to bee embraced , who saith ; we shall neuer be throughly perswaded that our saluation ●oth flow from the fountaine of gods free mercie , vntill we bee acquainted with his eternall election . the scripture is the schoole of the holy ghost , wherein as nothing is omitted necessarie to be knowen , so nothing is taught , but that which is expedient for a man to know . we must therefore beware that we do not keepe the faithfull from that which the scripture deliuereth concerning predestination , le●t we seeme maliciously to defraud them of that , which god doth affoord vnto them , or reprooue his spirit as if hee had reuealed things fit for some considerations to be concealed . the fift and last thing to be considered , is the maner of propounding and handling of this doctrine . here these duties must be obserued . first , that this doctrine bee deriued onely from the word of god , and not fetcht from the forge of mans braine . for the word is a sure rule to direct our vnderstanding . and it is the cheifest point of sobrietie to make god our schoole-master when we learne , and then to leaue learning , when he leaues teaching . when he leaues speaking , then wee should leaue inquiring . hee which curiously pries into gods secrets , runnes himselfe into an inextricable labyrinth , and findes not that wherewith his curiositie may be satisfied . secondly , this doctrine ought to bee deliuered in conuenient and fit tearmes , that the trueth thereof may be discerned , and no point obscured , and that the sublimitie and maiestie thereof be not eclipsed and debased . thirdly , it is fit that before this doctrine be preached to the people , the minister do first acquaint them with more familiar points of religion , that his labours may be more prosperous and beneficiall . these things haue beene deliuered by way of a preface . i will now speake of the decree of election , and of the execution of it . chap. 2. what election is . there bee two distinct acts thereof . the causes of it , efficient , materiall , and formall . three ends thereof . sixe effects of it . two subiects of it . fifteen prerogatiues of the elect. 〈◊〉 properties of election . many signes thereof are set downe . election to euerlasting life is the speciall decree of god touching the conferring of eternall saluation by christ the redeemer , to certain men , of meere mercie and good will. or , the degree of election is that , whereby god hath appointed some vnto his glorious grace , in the obtaining of their saluation and celestiall life by christ. or it is ( as augustine teacheth ) the preparation of a free donation , whereby god hath made vs vessels of mercie before the creation of the world , vnto the adoption of the sonnes of god by iesus christ . in the decree of election there are two distinct preordinations , or acts of the diuine counsell ; the former concerning the end , the latter concerning the meanes tending vnto the end . this the holy ghost seemeth to haue taught most clearely , rom , 9.11 . where he saith ; that the purpose which is according to election , might remaine firme . by which we see a distinction put betwixt the purpose of god & his election . and in rom. 8.29 , 30. the decree is expresly distinguished from the execution of it , which the apostle placeth in vocation , iustification and glorification . the first act in the decree of election is a part of the diuine purpose , whereby god doth assume certaine men to be created ( passing by all other , ) vnto his euerlasting loue and fauour , and by assuming them doth make them vessels of mercy and honour . the second act is the purpose of sauing or of conferring glorie ; whereby god doth ordaine and separate the same men being to fall in adam , vnto saluation and celestiall glory . these two acts must not be seuered , but distinguished . the former is of men to be created , and the latter is of men , that are both created and corrupted . by the former , men are ordained vnto grace : and by the latter , the meanes are subordained , whereby grace may be conferred and declared . for this latter prepares a way for the complement and execution of the former . the efficient cause of election , or the electour is god almightie , father , sonne , and holy ghost for such workes , as are wrought by god vpon the creature , are common to the three persons , the maner of working peculiar to each of them being reserued . and the scripture expresly sheweth that the father & the sonne did elect vs , eph. 1.4 . iohn 15.16 . for howsoeuer christ himselfe is elected , as hee is our mediatour , yet as hee is the eternall word or sonne of the father , he doth elect as well as the father . now seeing the worke of election belong to them , we may not exclude the holy ghost , who hath one common godhead with them . the cause which mooued god to elect those which are elected , was his meere good will , and nothing els , as appeareth by these reasons . first by the word of god. hee hath ( saith paul ) predestinated vs according to the good pleasure of his will. at this time also a reseruation is made according to the election of grace . secondly , if christ did not merite as he was a man , to bee vnited to the person of the word , and to bee borne wholy voyd of sin , there is no cause for vs to thinke but that our election vnto life is of the free grace of god. but augustine doth confidently and most truely teach , that the man-head of christ was thus aduanced for no merit of worke thereof , but freely had it . therefore it is absurde to thinke that we were not elected of gods free grace . thirdly , if the patriarch iacob was elected by grace ▪ then election is of grace : but the former is true , as paul doth witnesse , rom 9. ●1 . before the children were borne , and when they had neither done good nor euil , that the purpose of god might remaine according to election , not by works , but by him that calleth , it was said vnto her , the elder shall serue the yonger . therefore we also are elected of grace . fourthly , god hath elected vs ( as the apostle teacheth ) for the commendation of his glorious grace : but if election bee not of ●race ▪ then grace deserues not all the praise , but we ourselues haue something whereof wee may glory . fiftly , let vs consider the iudgement of antiquitie . augustine saith ; a● he ( that is christ ) 〈◊〉 predestinated to be our head , so are we● to bee his 〈◊〉 hers . humana hic merita 〈…〉 . le● mens merit● h●●e 〈◊〉 silent , which perished in adam . 〈◊〉 ; and let the grace of god be●●e the ●way and raigne . and againe ; in one and the same cause one 〈◊〉 forsaken , & another is taken ( 〈◊〉 assumitur , gratia pr●stante , non merito ) in mercie , and not of merit . and againe ; he hath elected none worthy , but by electing him he hath made him worthy . it is the grace of god , whereby he hath elected me , not because i am worthie , but because it vouchsafed to make me . videte charissimi : see ( my beloued ) how that hee doth not elect men good , but maketh those to be good whom he hath elected . and elsewhere he saith , that god loued no other thing in iacob , then his owne free mercy . he loued iacob by his free mercie , and hated esau by his iust iudgement . hierome also speaking of iacob and esau saith , that the election of the one and the reiection of the other , doth not demonstate their merits , but the will of the elector and reiector : and further also confesseth that it is in the power and will of god to elect or reiect a man , without good or euill workes . angelome also saith , that christ hath predestinated some to eternal libertie , quickning them by his gracious mercie . finally , this trueth will appeare , if wee shall remooue the false causes which might seeme to perswade god to chuse vs for his people . first , therefore we are not elected for foreseene 〈◊〉 , as these arguments ensuing will sufficiently prooue vnto vs. first , god is the primarie and principall authour of all his actions . now the supreame and first ground or author , depends of no externall ground or beginner . but god should depend of an externall ground , if hee could not elect whom he would , vnlesse faith did mooue him . secondly , euery cause is before the effect : now faith is alter election , as the holy ghost sheweth when hee sayth : so many as were ordained to eternall life beleeued . it was well sayd of one , christ first apprehends vs : and this apprehension of his workes in vs the apprehension of faith , whereby we lay hold vppon him . faith is a meane , which tends to the end , wherunto the elect are ordained . wherefore seeing that election must needs be before the end , it must also bee before faith , which is a meane leading to the end . thirdly , faith is not the cause of vocation and iustification , moouing god to call and iustifie , therfore it is no impulsiue cause of election . for ●he cause of the cause , is the cause of the thing caused . if faith then were the cause of election , it should be also the cause of vocation which is an effect thereof . but it is not so , as the apostle teacheth , tit. 5. ● . lastly , the scripture no where saith , that we are elected for fore-seen faith . what reason then haue wee to beleeue it ? wee conclude therefore that wee are not elected for faith : and with iustine marti● wee call those blest : qui sunt praesciti vt crederent , which are fore-knowne that they should beleeue . and we say according to augustine , that those are elected ( non qui eliguntur quia crediderunt , sed qu● eliguntur vt credant ) which are elected to beleeue , not because they haue beleeued . i haue obtained mercie ( saith paul ) that i should bee faithfull : non quia fidelis ●ram : not because i was faithfull , as augustine speaketh . secondly , we are not elected for any fore-seene workes . for first the apostle excludes all workes , from being the causes either of election or of reprobation rom. 9.11 , 12. and teacheth that election is not in him that runneth , that is , it is not to be attributed to his industrie or indeauours . secondly , good workes can merite nothing of god , because he is the author of them , and they are due vnto him , and are not equiualent and proportionable to his grace . thirdly , we are elected that we should be holy , and should doe good works ; & therefore it were absurde to imagine that good workes did mooue god to elect vs. hierome saith : the apostle saith not he hath elected vs — cum essemus sancti , whē we were holy , sed vt essemus , but that we should be holy . and augustine saith . the election of grace doth not onely preuent or go before mens works , but before faith , whence all good works do flow . thirdly , election is not made for the wil of mā , or for that mā would it . for the apostle painely professeth , that it is not in him that willeth , but in god , which sheweth mercie . by will , is meant the cogitation , desire or endeuour of our minde , which the holy ghost excludeth from election . secondly , the will of man is not eternall , and therefore cannot be the cause of eternall election . for the efficient cause must goe before the effect in time , or at least in nature . but the will of man is not in nature before gods election , much lesse then in time . lastly , if we were elected for our owne will , many grosse absurdities would ensue . first , the grace of god should bee subiect to mens wills , as prosper affirmeth : that is , the grace of election should be inferiour to the will of man , as the effect is to the cause : the will of man should bee more excellent then the grace of god. secondly , it were ( as prosper saith ) to make the beginning of saluation to bee in him that is saued . thirdly , it were in mans power to be either an elect , or a reprobate if he would . fourthly , all certaintie of election would be taken away , seeing the will of man is instable and vncertaine . fiftly , election would be casuall , as depending vppon the will of man , which is mutable , and so god should be made an idol of fortune , that is , he should chuse if man would , and not chuse if man would not . we conclude therefore that the will of man , is not the efficient cause of election . fourthly , god doth not elect any man for his birth or beauty , or for any prerogatiue or excellencie in his person ▪ for god is no accepter of persons : and these things are not before election , but come after it . secondly , that which moses saith of the generall election of all the isralites , may bee as truely sayd of the speciall election of all true isralites , that god hath not chosen them for their multitude , but of his own loue , nor for any dignitie in them , but of his owne meere mercie . we see god respected not the eldership of cain , but choose abell : hee regarded not the riches of n●bal , the wisedome of achitophel , the beauty of absolom , the comlinesse of saul , the princely blood of iezebel , neither were all the seed of abraham elected , as was abraham . it is god , who makes vs meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saintes , and not any prerogatiue or dignitie in vs. we call christ our sauiour , because he by his dignitie and merit hath deserued our saluation of god for vs : euen so wee might be called our owne electors , if we did mooue god to elect vs by our dignities or prerogatiues . finally god respects not these things in sauing vs , therefore neither in electing vs. for if they did mooue god to elect vs , they should also perswade him to redeeme and saue vs , which is against the scripture in many places . finally , the merit of christ is not the efficient or impulsiue cause of election , though it be of saluation . for the efficient cause of election , which is without beginning , must also bee without beginning : but the merit of christ is not frō eternitie : therfore it is not the efficient cause of eternall election . secondly , if christ himselfe , as mediator , was elected frō all eternity , then his merit is not the cause of electing . but the former is true out of peter , the latter therefore is also true thirdly , the effect of eternall election is not the cause thereof : but the merit of christ is the effect of election . for god did not elect vs , because christ was to die for vs : but on the contrarie , christ did therefore die for vs , because god had elected vs in him . therefore the merit of christ is not the efficient cause of gods election . wherefore we do conclude , and with caluin we doe auerre according to the truth , ( hoc consilium quoad electos in gratuita eius misericordia fundatum esse ) that the foundation of gods election is laied in his free mercie . he will haue mercie , on whom he will , and chuseth whom he pleaseth . and so much for the efficient and impulsiue cause of election . the materiall cause , or matter of election is threefold : first in which , that is in christ the mediatour : secondly about which , & that is about certaine men : thirdly of which it doth consist , ( of which last wee now entreat ) and that is the counsell of god. for election is nothing but the counsell of god , for the separation of some men to eternall life . the formall cause is the ordination , assumption and separation of certaine men from all others , to the fruition of present grace and future glory . the ends of election are three . the former concernes god , that doth elect : the 2. latter concerne those that are elected . the first is the glory of god , and the celebration and declaration of his mercy . rom. 9.23 . that hee might declare the riches of his glorie vpon the vessels of mercie , which he hath prepared vnto glorie . eph. 1.6 . he hath chosen vs to the praise of his glorious grace . the glory of god is the supreme end of all things , therefore of election . and if we be commanded to make it the scope of all our actions , wee need not doubt but that god doth aime at it in all his . the second end of election is , that we should bee holy and blamelesse before god. augustine saith well ; he chose vs not because we were then holy , neither yet because wee would hereafter prooue holy : but he rather chose vs to this end , that in the time of grace we might be holy through good works . the third end , is the saluation and glory of the elect. therefore they are sayd to be ordained to eternall life , and prepared vnto glorie , and chosen vnto saluation . we may not thinke that election is the absolute wil of god without any end . it were impietie to attribute such a will to god , as hath no scope or end proposed to it . for if nature doe nothing in vaine , or to no end and purpose , much lesse doth god. the effects of election are the meditation of christ , adoption , vocation , sauing faith , iustification and glorification , which comprehendeth two things : first regeneration or sanctification : in which is conteined perpetuall repentance ( that is , auersion from all euill , and conuersion vnto god ) loue , righteousnesse , the hatred of sinne , the study of good workes , calling vpon god , true humilitie , a desire to see christ , constancie in professing the true faith to the last gaspe . for gods election is the roote of all the gifts of god in vs : and the foundation of all his sauing benefits . secondly , glorification comprehendeth in it the complement and fruition of all glory in the life to come : that is , of all holines and happinesse with the lord foreuer . the subiect of election is double . the first , is the subiect in whom we are elected . this subiect is christ : hee hath chosen vs in him , saith paul. now we are not elected in christ , as hee is god , or the word simply so considered . for in this respect he is our elector , as he saith himselfe , i know whom i haue chosen . neither are wee elected in him , as a meere man. for a meere man was not fit for vs to bee elected in . but we are elected in him , as he is god-man , our head and eternall mediator , in whom god hath placed all spirituall blessings , which hee would communicate to vs in his good time . and wee are elected in christ , because we were not capable in ourselues of so great excellencie . he only ( as polanus truely teacheth ) is the fit meane , in whom we were elected , considering that by election , there is made an vnion and coniunction of vs with god the electour . caluin alleaging that speech of paul , ( he hath chosen vs in christ ) saith that it is all one , as if he had said that god , because he found nothing wor●hie of his election in all the seed of adam , did therefore turne his eies vnto his christ , that hee might elect members as it were out of his bodie , whom hee would take vnto the fellowship of life . it were therefore very absurd to dream of any election out of him ; hee being the foundation of the execution of election in respect of the beginning , meanes and end . the other subiect , is the obiect of election , or the persons that are elected . and these are not all the sonnes of adam , without exception of any . for first , hee that taketh all and refuseth none , cannot properly be said to chuse . for election supposeth a reiection . he which makes a choice , refuseth some . secondly , whom god electeth , hee doth also glorifie . but all are not glorified : therefore all are not elected . thirdly , sauing faith is peculiar to the elect , and not common to all , and is a true effect of gods election . now many being destitute of true faith for euer , it must needs bee that they are also out of gods election . fourthly , the scripture shewes that some are elected , and some refused , rom , 11.7 . the elect haue obtained it , but the rest are blinded . god hath made the wicked for the day of euill . gregory saith well : deus miro mod● , god being the creator of all alike , hath admirablie fore-elected some , and forsaken others . now why god electeth not all ( ne quaeramus scrupulosius , si errare nolumus , aug. ) if we would not erre , wee must not be too curious in enquiring . aquinas saith truely , god hath no reason but his will , why he should elect some to glory and cast away others . neither doth god offer the lest iniury , though he doe not chuse all , because he is not tyed to chuse any . his lordship is ouer all , his authoritie is absolute , he may doe with his owne what he will. who can hinder him ? wee are all to him as clay in the hand of the potter . hee will haue mercie on whom hee will , and whom hee will hee hardeneth . the rich man of a rout of beggars sets his loue on one , and passeth by the rest without wronging any . a man entertaines one into his house , and passeth by many other without any iniury done vnto them ; and shall we thinke that god may not lawfully chuse or refuse whome he pleaseth ? god ( saith m. green-ham ) is debtour to none , and therefore sheweth mercie to whom he will. wee may assure our selues that his reasons are most iust , though vnknowen to vs. for the depth of his counsels cannot be sounded . therefore gregorie saith well ; let no man desire to search out the cause why one is elected , when another is repelled , because his iudgements are vnsearcheable , and his waies past finding out . seing then all men are not elect men , let vs see who are the elect , and what their number is . for the first , whosoeuer is , or shall bee saued , the same is vndoubtedly elected . for both these propositions are infallibly true . 1. whosoeuer is elected shall be saued . 2. and whosoeuer is or shall be saued , is elected . now these are vndoubted notes of saluation . first , to esteeme the word of god more then our appointed food , iob 23 12. and to couer to be fed with it , that we may grow therby . 1. pet. 2.2 . secondly , to be swift to heare , slow to speake , and slow to wrath , laying apart all maliciousnesse , and the excrements of sinne , and receiuing with meekenesse the word that is grafted into vs , that it may saue our soules . iam. 1.21 . thirdly , to meditate in the word night and day , and to alienate our selues from the counsels and wayes of the wicked . psal . 1.1.2 . fourthly to walke vprightly before god , and to be of a pure and sincere spirit . for blessed are those that are vpright in their way . psal . 119.1 . and blessed are the pure in spirit , for they shall see god. and this sinceritie and puritie of heart may bee discerned by these two notes . first when wee haue respect vnto all the commandements of god , labouring to know them if wee doe not : and if wee doe , to doe after them according to the measure of grace wee haue receiued . secondly , if we be desirous and labour to vse all and euery one of those meanes , which god hath ordained in his word , to bring vs vnto puritie of heart : and if in doing these things , we simply and singly seeke to approoue our selues vnto god , without either looking for praise or profit , rebuke or losse from men , and when wee seeke not chiefly these outward things at gods hands , greenham . the second thing to bee considered , is the number of the elect , concerning which , these 3 , conclusions are worthy to be weighed . first , that the elect , considered apart simply by themselues , are exceeding many , constituting the whole church of god , which is the mysticall body of christ . many shall come ( saith christ ) from the east and west and shall sit downe with abraham , isaac , and iacob in the kingdome of heauen . paul saith that by the obedience of christ many shall be mad righteous . iohn saith he saw an innumerable multitude of all nations and tongues , which stood before the lambe , clothed with long white robes , and palmes in their handes . augustine saith , ( electorum quidam quasi ●●ndus est ) that there is as it were a certaine world of the elect. and ambrose saith that there is in the elect 〈◊〉 fore-knowne ( specialis quaedam vniuersitas ) à speciall kinde of vniuersalitie , ( vt de toto mundo totus mundus ) that the whole world out of the whole world , and all men from all men seeme to be taken vnto life . so then we say that the number of gods elect considered by themselues alone is great . secondly , the elect in comparison of the reprobate and damned are but few . for straite is the way of life , and few there be that finde it . and many ( saith christ ) are called , but fewe are chosen . christs flocke is but a little flocke . and paul out of esay saith , that though the number of the children of israel were at the sand of the sea ( as indeed they were ) yet shall but a remnant be saued . which point must bee well considered , because some haue imagined that god hath elected all . but if this were true , then either all should be saued , or else god is changeable , and doth alter his purpose of himselfe : or els is ouercome and drawne to change it by some other , which things cannot but offend a iudicious and godly eare . thirdly , the number of the elect is certaine and defined . god knowes them all , and they can neither bee diminished nor increased . it is truely said of trelcatius , electorum & reproborum numerus & numeratus certus est , qua●uis vterque nobis non certo compertus . the number of the elect is certaine , both how manie they are , and who they are , although it bee not certainely knowen to vs. god knowes them and their number , though man doe not . this was also the iudgement of augustine , who speaketh thus ; these things i speake of them , who are predestinated vnto the kingdom of god ( quorum it a certus est numerus , vt nec addatur eis quisquam , nec minuatur ex eis ) whose number is so certaine , that neither any can be added to them , nor taken from them . hauing now spoken of the persons that are elected , it will not bee amisse briefly to set downe their prerogatiues , which no reprobate can partake of . first , god knowes them , and approues and loues them . now if the grace of earthly princes be in so great request , what price can be set of his loue , who is the prince of all princes , and the grand commander of all the world ? secondly , a liuely and true sauing faith pertaines to them onely : and therefore paul calles it the faith of the elect ; & the scripture saith , that so many as were , ordained to eternal life beleeued . caluin saith that faith is a singular pledge of gods fatherly loue , layed vp in store for those his sonnes , whom he hath adopted . and this gift is very excellent . for by faith we liue , by faith wee walke , by faith wee are iustified and our heartes purified , by it wee vanquish the world , and without it , it is vnpossible to please god. thirdly , effectuall vocation and conuersion vnto god belongs not to the reprobate , but to them , whom 〈◊〉 hath fore-knowen and predestinated , them he calleth . fourthly , the redemption from sinne and miserie , and the righteousnesse which is by christ is theirs , and theirs alone , is . 53.6 , 12. 1. cor. 1 30 gregorie saith well ; pro electorum vit● vsque admortem se tradidit author vitae : the lord of life laied downe his life , that they might liue , which were elected vnto life . and angelome , saith ; quae est gens in terra alia what other people is there in the earth ( praeter populum electum ) besides the elect : for which god , the sonne of god , vouchsafed to come into this world as into egypt , that taking vppon him the shape of a seruant , he might redeeme vnto himselfe with his blood an acceptable people studious of good workes . fiftly , they onely are adorned with the speciall graces of the spirit : they onely are sanctified and renewed . isidore saith ; spirituall grace is not distributed vnto all ( sed tantummodo electis donatur ) but is giuen to the elect onely . nature ( saith augustine ) is common to all men , but not grace . sixtly , saluation belongs to none but to them . rom. 11.7 . what then ? israel hath not attained that he sought : but the election ( that is the elect ) hath obtained it , and the rest haue been hardened . faith in christ is theirs onely : and he that beleeueth in him shall be saued , but he that will not shall be damned . as the elect are the onely true members of the church militant : so they shall be the onely members of the church triumphant . therefore wee may boldly say with the psalmist ; blessed is that nation , whose god is iehouah , euen the people , that he hath chosen for his inheritance . blessed is the man whom thou chusest and causest to come vnto thee . seuenthly , none of the elect shall be whollie seduced , nor vtterly decline and perish . for christ takes it for granted that the elect cannot be seduced , and saith concerning his sheepe ; i giue vnto them eternall life , and they shall neuer perish , neither shall any plucke them out of mine hand . and the lord hath promised to stand by them , and to put his feare into their hearts , that they shall not depart from him . surely ( saith the psalmist ) the lord will not faile his people , nor forsake his inheritance . gregorie saith that temtation doth hide the light of righteousnesse in the heart of the elect oftentimes ( sed non interimit ) but puts it not out , and makes it pale & quiuer ( sed funditus nō extinguis ) but doth not extinguish it altogether . saint augustine saith well ; peters faith failed not in his heart , when open confession with the mouth failed him . eightly , god doth cause his angels to protect and guard them : the angel of the lord pitcheth round about them that feare him , and deliuereth them . and as paul speaketh , they are ministring spirits , sent foorth to minister all for their sakes , which shal be heirs of saluation . augustine saith , this also i esteeme a very great benefit , in that the lord hath giuen me an angel of peace to keepe me from my birth to my death . ninthly , god shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet , and they shall gather together his elect from the foure windes , and from the one end of the heauens vnto the other . christ also when he comes to iudgement , will set them on his right hand , and say ; come yee blessed of my father , take the inheritance of the kingdome prepared for you from the foundation of the world . but hee will place the reprobate on his left hand , and pronounce vnto them the dolefull sentence of condemnation , saying ; depart from me ye cursed into euerlasting fire , which is prepared for the deuill and his angels . tenthly , the elect shall iudge the reprobate . know ye not ( saith paul ) that the saintes shall iudge the world ? know ye not that wee shall iudge the angels ? their faith and pietie shall condemne the wicked , and bereaue them of excuse : and as the iustices sit about the iudge ▪ at the as●ses , so shall the elect attend vppon christ at the last iudgement , and shall subscribe vnto his sentence , and applaud his proceedings . moreouer , all men , but especially all ministers ought to indure all things for their sakes . i suffer all things ( saith paul ) for the elects sake , that they might also obtaine the saluatiō , which is in christ iesus with eternall glorie . againe , god will auenge his elect , though he seeme slow in reuenging those wrongs , that are done vnto them : for they that touch them , doe touch the apple of his eie . furthermore , god for the loue he beareth to his elect , hee will shorten the dayes of crueltie and calamitie . for the elects sake ( saith christ ) which hee hath chosen , hee hath shortned those daies of tribulation . moreouer , the elect fight with the lambe , against antichrist and his kingdome , which shall by the lambe be ouercome . for he is lord of lords , and king of kings : and they that are on his side , are called , and chosen , and faithfull . besides , the elect need not dread death and damnation . for as the apostle speaketh , who shall laie any thing to the charge of gods elect ? it is god that iustifieth who shal condemne ? finally , the elect may bee assured in this life of their eternall election vnto life : therfore peter exhorts vs to make our election sure : and the holy ghost sets downe the notes of those , that are the true members of the church , and shal rest vpon gods mountaine . now this certaintie may bee had two wayes . first , by the inward testimonie of gods spirit , which giues testimonie to our spirit , that wee are the sonnes of god. secondly , be the effects of election ( as are the fruits of the spirit mentioned by paul ) which god appropriateth vnto his elect , and which are as a ladder , by which we may assend as it were vp into heauen , & easily discerne if we bee elected . because ( as one well saith ) election includeth the means ▪ therefore we must determine of it by the meanes . the apostle saith , that whom god foreknew , he did also predestinate to bee like to the image of his sonne , and doth call , iustifie , and glorifie them . therefore by conuersion we may hence inferre that those are elected , whom he doth conforme vnto his sonne , and effectually call , iustifie and regenerate ; these being necessarie meanes , by which god doth accomplish his eternall election . now this prerogatiue is the greater , and more to bee respected , for these reasons . first , because the elect may haue better assurance of his election to saluation , then anie man can haue of the things hee holdeth in this life by seale , writing , witnes , or any other way , that law can deuise or prescribe . secondly , the longer wee liue , the better we may be assured : the longer this assurance is inioyed , the stronger we may finde it . thirdly , this certentie doth beger exceeding ioy . for what can raise the like ioy in our hearts , as this , that wee know that we shall see the good pleasures of the lord in the land of the liuing , and shall haue an house not made with handes , but eternall in the heauens ? and what greater ioy can any man desire to enioy , then to be assured that he is elected to eternal ioy ? fourthly , this assurance is the more excellent , considering the woe of the reprobates which want it , and the wearisome sights and inexplicable terrors of such as are swallowed vp of dispaire . fiftly , this priuiledge is the more to be accounted of , because we may enioy it dayly through our life , and for that the longer we be partakers of it , the sweeter it is vnto vs. lastly , this assurance is an infallible argument of true faith , by which wee come to christ , we approch to the father , and hasten to heauen . for faith is an enemie to doubting and incredulitie , and is an vndoubted certenty or perswasion . thus much concerning the subiects of election . it remaineth yet to speak of the properties and signes thereof , and thence wee passe to the accomplishent of it . the properties of it , are especially three . first it is most free , without all obligation , conpulsion , externall instigation , or preuision of future preparations , merits , faith . for hath not the potter libertie ouer his clay , to make of the same lumpe , one a vessell vnto honour , and another a vessell to dishonour ? who can compell the almightie ? or what is before his will ? why did he make no more worldes then one ? why did he make choise of the israelites aboue all nations ? why made he no more kindes of creatures , or set no more sunnes to shine in the heauens ? who art thou , that thou darest dispute with god ? the will of god ( saith austen ) is the cause of all things that are . and hugo saith that of gods will , which is the cause of all things , there is no cause . deus est liberrimum agens . god is a most free agent , and doth whatsoeuer he will. therefore aquinas saith well ▪ that the difference betwixt the saued and the damned , proceedes from the principall intentions of the first agent . secondly , the decree of election is from all eternitie , not onely before we did beleeue , but before wee were . gods election and reprobation was past vpon iacob and esa● before they were borne , and ere they had done good or euill . and the apostle teacheth , that god did chuse vs before the foundation of the world . sedulius ▪ saith that god purposed with himselfe ( ante omnia mundi tempora ) before the beginning of the world to saue those that beleeue . in like manner also s. austen saith ; he fore-knew vs before he made vs , and elected vs in his fore-knowledge ( cum n●ndum fecisset ) when yet he had not made vs. and againe ; intra mundum facti sumus , & ante mundum electi sumus : wee were made after the world , but wee were elected before the world . for ( as one saith well ) like as dauid was annointed and appointed to be king , long before he entred to his kingdome : and as moses was designed to be the deliuerer of israel , forty yeeres before he exercised his office : so the elect of god , were long agoe ordained to saluation , though the accomplishment thereof they must expect with patience . thirdly , the election of god is constant , perpetuall , immutable , and inuiolable . for the principles and first grounds of things , are stable and vnmoueable : and that which is contingent , mutable , and vncertaine is therefore barred from being an originall or ground . now the decree of election is the foundation and scaturidge of saluation ; therefore it is certaine , stedfast and vnchangeable . secondly , god the author of election is an immutable , vnresistable and constant agent , or architecht , and doth seriously and effectually separate and elect some men vnto himselfe , & therfore his decree cannot but bee fulfilled . thirdly the scripture is euident in auouching this truth . my counsell ( saith the lord ) shall stand . the foundation of god ( saith paul ) remaineth sure . the decree of election is called a foundation for two causes . first , because it is the beginning and well-spring of our saluation , and of all the meanes tending to saluation . secondly it is so termed , for the surenesse and firmnesse of it , because the same is neuer shaken , but remaines immutable . for euery foundation hath this necessarie condition , that it bee strong and steddy , so as that the rest of the building may stay vpon it surely , and not be remoued . and such a firme foundation is gods election . for whosoeuer are elected , shall still remaine elected , and shall neuer bee reiected . this is my fathers will ( saith christ ) that of all which he hath giuen me i should loose nothing . those whom he loued euer , hee loueth for euer . firmissime tene : hold ( saith s. augustine ) most assuredly , and nothing doubt at all ( neque perire posse aliquem ) that neither any of those can perish , whom god hath predestinated vnto the kingdome of heauen , nor that any of those can by any meanes come , whom he hath not predestinated vnto life . now if none of the elect can perish , then gods election remaineth constant . so much for the properties : the signes of election are many . first , the loue of god is the ground of election . and gods loue is best knowne by his best gifts ; the best things hee reserueth for those whom he best loueth . as ioseph sent vnto beniamin more messes of meate , and gaue him richer giftes , and more costly suites of apparell , then to the rest of his brethren : so the lord bestoweth the best gifts vpon his owne children . now the graces of regeration , the spirituall gifts of faith , hope , and loue , are without all comparison the most principall . therefore he that hath faith , hope and loue , may assure himselfe of gods loue , and that hee is ( in electorum albo ) in the ranke and roll of gods elect ; these being infallible tokens , and vndoubted effects of election , and fore-runners of eternall life . secondly , there is ( as one hath excellently deliuered ) a knowledge in god , whereby he knowes who are his : and this knowledge brings foorth an other knowledge in vs , whereby wee know god for our god. there is an election in god , which works in the elect another election , wherby they chuse god for their god. the loue whereby god loueth vs , workes in vs another loue , wherby we loue god. christ first apprehends vs , & this apprehension of his , works in vs the apprehēsion of faith , wherby we lay hold vpon him . hoec ille . if these things therefore be in vs , we may conclude infallibly that we are the elect of god. for they are the fruits of his loue & the works of his spirit , & therfore irrefragable testimonies and tokens of election . the sun by his light shines vpon vs , and by the same light we view and behold the sunne . to conclude ; these also are sure signes of election , which i will set downe as i finde them in the workes of that zealous preacher . 1. a rebuking of sinne inwardly , a pouertie of spirit from thence , and a mourning therefore . 2. a being cast downe in our owne conceit , and a meeknesse wrought therby to beare our punishment . 3. an hungring after the righteousnesse , which is in christ , and a prizing of it aboue all earthly things . 4. a musing vpon ▪ and a desire to thinke and speake of heauenly things . 5 a conflict of the flesh and spirit , & therein by practise , the power of the spirit getting the vpper hand . 6. a purpose vnfeined ( vpon strength receiued ) of vowing ones selfe wholly to the glory of god , and good of our brethren . 7 a resignation of our selues into gods handes . 8 an expecting of the dayly increase of our soules health , and our bodyes resurrection . 9. an acknowledgement of our offences , with a true purpose to leaue them . 10 the forgiuing of our enemies , and a delight in gods saints . 11. a desire that after death the church of god may florish and haue all peace . 12. a spirit without guile : that is , an vnfeined purpose alwayes to doe well , howsoeuer our infirmities put vs by it . now though a man shall not find all these things alwayes in him , there is yet matter of true comfort , if hee finde any : it is sufficient to prooue it true fire , and not painted if there bee smoke or heate onely , though no flame : if there be but breath , it is ynough to shew life , though the body stirre not , and one apple is sufficient to prooue the tree to liue : so one good and constant motion or resolution of grace , is sufficient to prooue a mans election vnto glory . by this wee may know that wee belong to god , if we finde any impression of the grace of god in vs. but if all these signes be wanting , yet wee may not dispaire , but commend our selues to the grace of god , and vse the meanes of saluation . for a man may be elected , though for a time he liue vnconuerted , and in his sinnes , as wee see by the examples of paul , and of the thiefe vpon the crosse . though this be true , that whosoeuer is conuerted is elected : yet this is not true , that whosoeuer is not conuerted , the same is not elected . because the elect may be for a time aliants from god & vnregenerated , as were the ephesians , corinthians , colossiās : yea al mē are such by nature . hauing thus described election , i proceed to the accomplishment , or execution of it . chap. iii. what the execution of election is . foure arguments to prooue the ordination of the meanes : these meanes are common or speciall . of the former there be two . and of the latter two . the execution of election , is the dispo●●tion , vsing and application of all secondarie causes or means , by which as by certaine degrees or steps , god doth accomplish his decree , and come to the end of it . for wee must know , that as god doth ordaine the end , so he doth subordaine and apply the meanes , which tend vnto the end . this the lord sheweth by that speech in hoseah ; i wil heare the heauens and they shall heare the earth , and the earth shall heare the corne , ●he wine and the oyle , and they shall heare israel . euen so , as god hath by his election appointed certaine persons to saluation : he doth likewise appoint and apply the meanes , and makes them walke in the way , which leades to saluation . the trueth of this assertion is euident , by these 4. reasons following first , none of the yeeres of vnderstanding were euer saued without the regeneration of the spirit , without faith in christ , without repentance towards god , without loue to the saintes , and finall perseuerance ; for these things are euery where vrged in the scriptures : therefore the elect were predestinated vnto these means , by which they might come vnto eternall life , which is their end . secondly , god threatens eternall destruction to the wicked and vnbeleeuers , but promiseth eternall happinesse to all penetent , faithfull , righteous and godly men , which perseue in pietie vnto the end : therefore b● these meanes of predestination the elect doe clime vp to heauen and attaine to life . thirdly , the apostle doth expresly place effectuall vocation and iustification , betwixt predestination and glorification as the fore-runners and antecedents of it . fourthly , the very word predestination , doth teach as much . for predestination is not onely the preparation , constitution , and ordination of the end , but of the meanes also , which tend vnto the end . predestination ( saith augustine ) is the preparation of the benefit of god , by which those are most certainely deliuered , who are deliuered . and aquinas saith , that three things are of be considered in predestination ; the destination of the counsell , the execution of the same , and the meanes ( causas medias ) of the execution . these two principles are therefore to be remembred . first , that whosoeuer are elected to eternall life as to the end , the same are also elected and ordained to the meanes of that end . secondly , that the first cause doth not abolish or take away the second . thus wee haue shewed , that god doth execute his decree of election by meanes , and that the meanes and the end are inseparably conioyned . these meanes are of two sorts . some are such as serue for the execution of the decree , both of election and reprobation indifferently . others serue onely for the execution of election , by which the elect are distinguished from the reprobate . those common meanes are two ; the creation of man , and the permission of his fall , or his fall permitted . the creation of man is the forming of man , according to the image of god , but yet in a changeable condition . here we must remember these 2. things . first , that god created the substance of soule and body , and that he gaue them certaine faculties & powers , and that withall there was placed in them true righteousnes , knowledge & holines without any prauitie , distēper , or iniquitie . but yet ( as cyrill truly speaketh ) our father adam was of a mutable disposition , and had by nature habilitie to loue iustice and hate iniquitie , and contrariwise to embrace iniquitie and to refuse iustice . for god properly and by himselfe is constant and immutable : and if any thing else continue constant it is through him , who is bound to none , but will doe whatsoeuer hee will. a gold-smith makes a costly iewell , beset with pearles and precious stones , and voyd of all deformitie , but yet so makes it , that if it fall , it may be crackt and broken : so god made man most perfect , and garnished his nature with excellent graces , and gaue him power to continue in the same perfection if hee would : yet did he not make him so vnchangeable but that hee might both fall , and by falling breake and loose his excellencie , as the euent declareth . secondly , we must know that adam was no priuate person , but represented all mankinde . and therefore we stood and fell with him . for hee was the root and we are his branches : he was the spring , and we the streams : he was as the head , and wee are as the members . as the king , his nobles , knights and burgesses doe represent the whole realme in the parliament : euen so did adam represent the person of his whole posteritie . whatsoeuer he receiued of god , he receiued it for himselfe and for all his progeny : and what he lost , he likewise lost for himselfe and for them all ; as wee see a man by high treason doth taint his blood , and disgrace his posteritie . iustine saith : by sinning adam made his posteritie obnoxious vnto death , & made them ( vniuerso ) all guiltie of his first offence . the lord ( saith gregorie ) did so make adam , as that he might procreate children without sinne , if hee continued in the obedience of his creator : but because the soule of man refused to obey her lord , the procreation of children is in sinne . wee see now that creation is a meane of the execution of gods election . for a man must first be , before he can be saued . yet it is no speciall , or peculiar meanes . for all that are created shall not be saued , some shall be damned . all men ( saith prosper ) are of god created : but of this vniuersalitie ( or companie ) some are to bee damned with the diuell : others shall raigne with christ . the permission of the fall is that , whereby god suffred adam and his sonnes to reuolt , & fall into sinne , and did not hinder the fall , which he could haue done , if it had so pleased him , but hee would not hinder it , because such was his pleasure for certaine causes best knowne vnto himselfe . in the meane , let no man thinke that god was iniurious . for 1. he was not indebted to vs to confirme vs by his grace ▪ & to keepe vs from declining . 2. this fall was by god permitted , for the greater benefit of all his elect. for their glory procured by christ ( which had neuer been , if man had neuer fallen ) doth farre surpasse the glorie , which was giuen them in their creation . great are the euils ( saith gregorie ) which wee suffer by reason of that first offence : but what faithfull man would not indure greater , rather then want so great a redeemer ? thirdly , though god ( not bound to let ) did permit this fall , yet it is not to be ascribed vnto him , as to the cause thereof . for hee did not incline his heart to sinne : hee did not infuse the least corruption into his soule : neither did hee with-draw any grace before inspired into him : but hee fell by his free-will , through his owne default , at the perswasion and suggestion of the diuell . tertullian saith truely ; as god brought man into the state of life : so man brought himselfe into the state of death . the beginning and root of sinne is in our selues , saith basil . it cannot be ( saith austen ) that hee which raiseth vs from sinne , should make vs fall into sinne . thou art not a god ( saith dauid ) that loueth wickednes : neither shal euil dwel with thee man therefore ( as fulgentius saith ) hath the cause of his iniquitie in his owne proper will , & not frō gods predestination . if any man decline from iustice and pietie , he runnes head-long of his owne will , hee is drawne by his owne concupiscence , he is beguiled through his perswasion : nihil i●i pater : the father hath no oare in this boat , the sonne is no agent of this sinne , the holy ghost is no worker of this wickednesse . and though we should say , that god willed that reuolt ; yet we must know that god did not will it ( positiue ) so as to produce , effect , or giue being to it : but ( negatiuè & desere●do ) because his will was to leaue adam to himselfe , and not to preserue him from reuolting , that he might bee prooued by temptation , and that it might appeare what the creature is able to doe , when the creator shall with-draw the staffe of his grace , and cease to support . therefore we conclude with clemens , that the fault of mans chusing of that which was forbidden , is not to be transferred ( or ascribed ) vnto god. thus we see the second meanes of the execution of election , which is a very necessary meane . for if a man had not fallen , then had there been no place for vocation , iustification by christ , and sanctification by the spirit . but though this meane is necessarie , yet it is not appropriated to election ▪ because then all that fell , should be restored . but as ambrose saith : liberatur par● hominum , parte pereunte : as some are deliuered , so some are destroyed . the wicked ( saith iob ) are kept vnto the day of destruction . the righteous onely shall be saued . chap. iiii. what effectuall calling is ? the parts causes , effects , subiects , place , time , maner , properties and signes of it , are declared . thvs much concerning the common meanes , seruing for the execution of gods election . the speciall are these three , effectuall voca●ion , iustification , and glorification ; that is , ( as trelcarius saith ) the gracious beginning , proceeding , and the glorious accomplishing and consummation of the blessings of god. for the first : effectuall vocation ( or calling ) is an action of god translating men from the kingdom of darkenesse to his owne kingdome . and it is two-folde● extraordinary , and ordinary . extraordinary vocation , is an immediate and speciall worke of the spirit , whereby without outward meanes hee smiteth the heart , and inwardly speaketh to the soule , and by the infusion of grace doth make the heart to answere his call , and drawe neere vnto him . this calling without the ministerie of the word , is very rare and vnusuall . but the lord , that is aboue meanes , is not tyed to meanes , but can worke without meanes , when it pleaseth his maiestie so to doe . effectuall vocation , which is ordinary , is that , whereby god calleth out of darkenesse into his marueilous light , from the power of sathan vnto god , those whom he knew from eternitie , and predestinated vnto life , of his meere fauour , by the promulgation of the couenant of grace , or preaching of the gospell . or ; it is , when grace is not onely offered , but giuen also by god through the effectuall working of his spirit in our heartes : which is the beginning of grace in vs , hee himselfe laying the first foundation of it , by giuing power to receiue the word , to mingle it with faith , and to bring foorth the fruites of new obedience , this ordinary effectuall calling hath two parts ; inuitement and admission . inuitement , is when god offers remission of sinnes , and life euerlasting to them that beleeue : outwardly , by the preaching of the gospell : inwardly , by the inspiration of heauenly desires . admission is , when men are entred into the kingdome of grace : and it is either outward , or inward . outward admission is made in baptisme . inward admission is , when men are taken out of old adam , and by faith ingraffed in to christ ; . for by this insition into christ , men are made reall members of gods kingdome : haec ille . for the better conceiuing and vnderstanding of this calling , these points ensuing are worthy our consideration . the efficient cause of effectuall calling is almightie god. by him we are called vnto the fellowship of his sonne . he hath called vs vvith an holy calling . yee are ( saith peter ) a chosen generation , that ye should shew foorth his vertues that hath called you . and againe , as hee which hath called you , is holy , that is , god : so iude 1. but here we must beware that wee doe not separate the persons . for it is a worke common to the trinitie . one saith well : god the father ( doth call vs ) in christ by the spirit : for he is absolute lord of all his creatures , and therefore he may call out of the kingdome of darkenesse into his owne kingdome whom he will. his instruments are the ministers of the word , and therefore are called conorkers , fathers , sauiours . his ordinary outward meanes , is the preaching of the gospell . hee hath called you by our gospell , saith paul. the law serues to prepare the heart for grace : but it is the oyly drops of the gospell , that by the power of the spirit doe soften the heart and make it supple and pliable : it like balme doeth reuiue and comfort the heart . the gospell is the power of god ( that is the instrument of gods power ) to saluation to all that beleeue . afflictions also , losses , cros●es , sicknesse , good examples , and the like , are by gods blessing good preparatiues of grace : but the preaching of the gospell is the proper instrument of the spirit , for the effecting of grace . by it , god speakes to the eare of the soule , and by it as by a pipe , hee conueyes his graces into the cisterne of our hearts . now god , when hee calles a man , performes a double worke of grace . first , he doth illuminate vs by his holy spirit , infusing a new and heauenly light into our minde , being so blind before , as that it , neither saw , nor could see the things which doe belong to the spirit of god. the naturall man ( saith paul ) perceiueth not the things of the spirit of god , for they are foolishnesse vnto him , neither can he know them . in like manner also in the will , which is altogether peruerse , and wholly fallen from god , he worketh an vprightnesse , and in all the affections a new holinesse . hence proceeds that new man , which is created after god in righteousnesse , and true holinesse . secondly , he causeth vs being enlightned and thus changed , to apprehend his mercy , to desire and affect our amendement , and to answere vnto his call , like dauid : vvhen thou saidst seeke yee my face , mixe heart answered vnto thee , o lord , i will seeke thy face . when god had pierced dauids eare with the augur of his spirit , he answered , lo , i come . the primary cause , or the foundation of this vocation is the free grace of god. for this vocation is of gift , and not of merit : of grace , and not of nature , god calling whom he will , and againe , whom he will , either not calling , or not calling them effectually . the apostle saith , that hee hath called vs with an holy calling , not according to our works , b●t according to his own purpose & grace . the meritorious cause of this effectuall calling , is the merits of christ . for christ hath merited in our behalfe that the holy ghost should bee sent into vs , to illuminate and adorne our hearts with his graces . the matter whereof this vocation doth consist , is a speciall , powerfull and inward worke of the spirit . the forme , and ( as it were ) the life and soule thereof , is the illumination and information of the mind , and an efficatious bending , conforming and working of the heart & wil , whereby it becomes obedient to the voice of god , and returnes ( as it were ) an audible and liuely eccho into his eare . the end is double : first , the glory of god , and the commendation of his mercie , to whom we must ascribe both grace and nature , and of whom we haue receiued our soules and bodies , yea , and the very soule of our soules , which is his spirit . the second end of this vocation is our deliuerance and translation out of ignorance , infidelitie , sensualitie and rebellion , vnto spirituall grace and glory . for we are called out of darknesse into light , that we might walke in light , and no longer serue the prince of darknesse . we are called out of the world , vnto god : to the end that wee should relinquish the lusts of the world and serue god , that walking vprightly before him in this world , wee may reigne ( like princes ) with him in the world to come . the effects and fruites of this calling are ; a reformed iudgement , a fleshy heart , a yeelding vnto the lord , a s●ight from the works of darknesse , an attentiue and hungry eare , a spirituall relishing and receiuing of the solacious and sweete promises of the gospel . when a skilfull musitian hath once strung , tuned , and strucke his instrument , it sends out many pleasant and sweet soundes : so when the lord hath once breathed his spirit of life in at the nostrils of our soules : when he hath once tuned the strings of our sinfull hearts , and hath toucht them with the finger of his spirit , he makes them send forth many delectable and harmonious sounds , wherein he takes delight . when christ had cried to lazarus , being dead , and said , lazarus come foorth ! he forthwith reuiued , and came foorth of the graue . so when peter had said to dead tabitha ; tabitha arise ! she opened her eies immediatly , and sate vp . euen so , when he shall vouchsafe to call a man with his powerfull voice , and shal effectually speake vnto the heart and say , arise thou that sleepest in thy sinne , come foorth of the graue of iniquitie , stand vp , and walke in the wayes of righteousnes . his call is so mightie , and his word so powerfull and vnuanquishable , that the man to whom hee doth so speake , must needs awake , arise , come foorth and walke . the voice of the lord ( saith dauid ) is mightie : the voice of the lord breaketh the cedars : it deuideth the flames of fire : it maketh the wildernesse to tremble , and discouereth the forrests . these are the effects of that voice . in like maner , the voice which god speaketh to the eare of the soule in his effectuall vocation , is so mightie and so glorious , as that it rendeth the heart and makes it tremble , it discouereth the soule and diuides in twaine , and peirceth into the most secret places of it . and looke as at the sound of the seauen trumpets the wall of iericho fell flat downe : and as at that efficatious voyce of christ , saying i am he , his enemies that came to apprehend him , went away back-ward and fell to the ground : euen so when gods voice shall sound in a mans eare , and when christ shall speake effectually vnto the heart , the walles of hell shall reele and totter , the fortresses of iniquitie shall be ruinated , the castles of sinne shall be cast downe , our spirituall enemies shall bee driuen backeward , the strong man satan shall bee fettered , and his cursed workes dissolued . these are the admirable effects of this glorious voyce : these are the worthy workes of gods effectuall calling . we may therefore iustly say ; the voyce of the lord is mightie , the voyce of the lord is glorious and bringeth wonderfull things to passe . the subiects of this effectuall vocation , or the persons , that are effectually called , are not all of all sortes and fexes without exception of any , but the elect of god. and therefore paul saith that god hath called those , whome he did fore-know and predestinate . and esay saith ; all thy children shall be taught of the lord : hee saith not all without exception , but all the children of the church . as many ( saith luke ) as were ordained vnto eternall life beleeued , that is , were called vnto the faith . knowledge is not common to all . it is not giuen to all to vnderstand the mysteries of the kingdome : these things are hid from most of the wise of this world , & reuealed vnto babes . now if knowledge be giuē to some , & not to others , then consequently faith . for they which haue not known cannot beleeue . and if all men do not beleeue , then all men are not called . for sauing faith is an indissoluble companion of effectuall vocation : and by faith wee answere gods heauenly calling . all that are effectually called , are also iustified : but we are iustified only by faith : therefore iustifying faith may not bee seuered from those that are so called . now all men haue not faith therefore all men are not called . furthermore , all that are called , shall bee saued , and shall perseuere vnto the ende in grace . therefore augustine saith , that to those that are predestinated to the kingdom of god ( as all , that are effectually called , are ) is giuen the gift of perseuerance , and that the church on earth looseth none , but those that are wicked , and admitteth none into heauen , but such as are good . now all men doe not perseuere , therefore all are not effectually called : all are not glorified , therefore all are not pertakers of this kinde of calling . finally , god vouchsafes not an outward calling vnto all : all men haue not heard of the gospel , and therefore it may seeme absurde , that god should vouchsafe an inward calling vnto all , seeing hee doth not vouchsafe an outward by the preaching of the gospell . yea ▪ this were to make grace as large as nature , or ( as peter m●ryt● speaketh ) to turne grace into nature , if we should say , that god did effectually call all . we conclude therefore that the elect are the onely subiect● of this vocation . for ( as ha●●o speaketh , the lord hath not drawen nor doth draw all men to himselfe , but ( omnia electa ) all that are elect , both of all kindes and countries . and forsaking those ( as beda writeth ) whom hee knoweth not for his owne , he turnes himselfe to visite and illustrate their hearts , whom hee hath predestinated to eternall life . in like manner cameracensis truely saith , that he giues some gifts of speciall grace to one , which he giues not to another ; as faith , and the grace that makes a man gracious , and such as are the effectes of praedestination : and such an one is effectuall calling . the subiect , or place wherein this worke of the spirit is performed , is the heart and minde . for the holy ghost by this worke doth enlightē the mind to see , and incline , and mollifie the heart to yeeld , and to make answere to his call . the termini or things from which , and vnto which we are called , are darknesse and light , vice and vertue , prophannesse and holinesse . for as paul saith ; god hath not called vs vnto vncleannesse , but vnto holines : and hath deliuered vs out of the power of darknesse , and translated vs into the kingdome of his deare sonne . and peter likewise sheweth , that this our calling is from darkenesse vnto light . as by our outward calling wee are taught to relinquish the workes of darknesse , and to follow vertue and godlines ( for this the gospell teacheth ) euen so by our inward and operatiue calling , we are by god instructed , and caused to abandon sinne , and to pull our neckes out of the diuels yoke , and to disclaime his wayes , and on the contrarie to listen and yeeld to god , and to subiect our selues vnto his will. the things then from which god doth call vs , are sinne , sathan , and the world. for these are enemies to his glory , these coniure against his kingdome , these are enemies to our peace and welfare , & labour the downesull and destruction of our soules . the state whereunto we are called , is light , god himselfe , and that blessed condition of man in christ . for this condition is most excellent and happy , replenished with much ioy , many comforts , and peace vnspeakeable . wee are called to holinesse and grace , which are vndoubted forerunners of happinesse and glory . we are called to god , the father of lights , the fountaine of felicitie , the wel-spring of life , the giuer of all grace , in whose presence is the fulnesse of ioy : and at whose right hand there are pleasures for euermore . the time of this calling , is either generall , or particular . the generall time , is in this life before death . for after death there is no calling , neither outward nor inward . god offers and confers his grace in this life onely : this is the time of mercy : after this life there is nothing but the expectation and possession either of happinesse , or of misery without possibilitie of mutabilitie . the particular time of any mans caling is not reuealed , but layed vp in the secret counsell of god , in whose hands times and seasons are . yet the extent of the time is large enough , thogh stinted , euē the time of this life : some the sixt houre , some at the ninth , and others at the eleuenth . dauid , iohn baptist , and timothie were called yong ; onesimus , the ethiopian eunuch , and s. augustine were men growne , and the thiefe was called vpon the crosse , ready to die . here further wee must vnderstand , that when god did first beginne this worke of grace , wee are no way a gents , being dead in sinnes , but meere patients , god himselfe being the onely agent before he hath reuiued vs by his spirit . when a man is dead , chafe him and r●bbe him , put aquavitae into him to warme him at the heart : when this is done , take him by the hand , plucke him vp , and bid him walke : for all this be will not stir the least ioint , neither can he . all chafing and rubbing , all speech and perswasion , and all helpes in the world be in vaine , vnlesse the soule bee restored to the bodie . euen so , no perswasions offered to the minde , nor good desires to the will are of any moment till the image of god standing in holinesse , which is a conformitie to the will of god , and the very soule of our soules , begin to be restord . first , god must illuminate the minde with a new light , and he must imprint in the will , a new qualitie or inclination , and in the heart new affections : and hee must giue to the will the act of wel-willing : and so a man being reuiued , and the wil being acted and mooued by god , who workes the will and the deed , it also acteth and moueth by his grace . and thus the will is not meerely passiue , but passiue and actiue also : first passiue , and then actiue . and herevpon it is , that prosper saith ; that which is repaired in vs , is not repaired without vs. for when god doth call and conuert vs , after that hee hath quickened vs by his spirit , hee doth make vs answere his call and desire to come and turne vnto him . so then by the way , let vs remember to magnifie the grace of god , and to say as austen saith ; that i fell , it was of my selfe : but that i rose , it was of thee . gregorie saith , that our good desires themselues are ministered vnto vs through the grace of god. anshelmus saith : a te habeo defi●erare : a te habeo impetrare : that i doe desire , i haue it of thee : and that i doe obtaine , it is of thee . he ( saith augustine ) worketh both to will and to worke , by ministring most effectuall power vnto the will. he preuenteth the vnwilling , that he may be willing , and pursues him that is willing , that he will not in vaine . and so much for the time of vocatiō . the properties thereof are foure . first , it is most free . for god calleth whom he pleaseth . hee vouchsafeth grace to whom he listeth . we may not ( saith aquinas ) inquire why he should conuert these , and not those : because this depends vpon his bare pleasure . therefore augustine vpon iohn saith ; if thou woulst not erre , then doe not desire to determine wherefore he should draw this man , and not that . and againe he saith ; of two wicked persons that are of yeeres , why the one is so called , as that he followeth the caller , and the other either not called at all , or not so called , as that hee followeth him that calles him , his iudgements are vnsearchable . he calleth effectally whom he will : & he hardens whom he wi●l . and albeit he call many with an outward calling , to whom he vouchsafeth not his operatiue and inward calling , yet wee must not acaccuse him of crueltie or iniustice , but rather admire his iudgements . it was well said of that holy man ; wilt thou dispute with mee ? wonder with mee , and exclame o the depth ! let vs both consent in feare , lest wee perish in errour . god is our soueraigne lord , and tyed by no bond to any man. wee cannot finde him out : he is excellent in power and iudgement , and abundant in iustice : and we know him not . secondly , this vocation is an irreuocable , constant and vncheangeable act of gods spirit . those that are once effectually called by god , man continue so for euer . for the gifts and calling of god are without repentance . god is faithfull ( saith paul ) by whom y● are called , who shall also confirme you vnto the end , that ye may bee blamelesse in the day of our lord iesus . and to the philippians he saith ; i am perswaded that ●e , that hath begun this good worke in you , vvill performe it vntill the day of iesus christ. like as zerubabel did both lay the foundation of the temple , and finish the worke : so god will establish and make perfect the worke begun in vs at our vocation . therefore augustine boldly affirmeth that those are not in this calling , which do not perseuere vnto the end . now the reason why those that are thus called , do not fall away , is foure-fold . the first is gods election , which is vnchangeable , and therefore also faith and other the fruits of election cannot be wholly lost and ruined . this ( saith chrysostome ) is the propertie of faith ( nunquam penitus decidit , aut omnino turbatur ) it neuer wholly perisheth , neither is it altogether troubled . the second is the promise of god in the couenant of grace ▪ in which hee promiseth that hee will stand by vs , and make vs also to stick to him . the third is the intercession of christ , who hath prayed effectually for our cōseruation in the world . and the fourth is because we are the members and subiects of christ , who is a puissant and gratious prince , and a most perfect and blessed head , and therefore we may be sure that hee wil protect and preserue his subiects , profligate and extirp their enemies , and conuay spirituall sense and motion by his spirit into all his members . so that if they fall , yet they shall not fall away : if they sin , yet they sin not with full consent of will. for they hate & nill in part the euill , which they wil : and they doe not make a trade of sinning , but the spirit remaining in them , causeth them to returne to god , and to recouer themselues by true repentance . to conclude this property ▪ god , when hee calles a man hee performes these foure workes of grace first he quickens him and giues him power to answere his call . secondly , hee giues an execution of this power , and makes him to answere . thirdly , he giues continuance of that power : yea and addes a fourth , which is an execution of that continuance : and so it comes to passe that none of gods called do fall quite away ▪ but though they fall ▪ yet shall they not be cast off , for god putteth vnder his hand . thirdly this vocation is a very excellent worke of god. for first , it is an vndoubted token of election : for god by his vocation doth ( as caluin teacheth ) manifest his election , which otherwise he keepeth hidden in himselfe . and therefore effectuall vocation may be properly called the testification of gods election . secondly , vocation is the first act of grace vpon the heart . now the first light and libertie which a close prisoner se●s and enioies , is most ioyous and solacious . thirdly , god ( as augustine speaketh ) by his election did adopt his people to be as sonnes : but yet we see that the● take not possession of so great a benefit , vntill they be called : on the contrarie , we set that those which are called , doe now enioy a certaine communication of their election . vocation puts vs into an actuall possession of gods loue . fourthly , god by calling his elect , doth ( as caluin affirmeth ) admit them into his familie , and centoine himselfe vnto them that they may be one . fiftly , this inward vocation is an infallible pledge of saluation for god denies the speciall efficacie of his spirit to the reprobate for the illustration of his soueraigntie and glorie ; and appropriates it vnto his elect for the demōstration of his mercie . sixtly , the excellencie of the agent doth oftentimes cōmend the act . but it is that great god , who swayeth the scepter of the whole world , and dwelleth in the light that no man can atteine vnto , it is hee that inhabiteth eternity , & spanneth the heauens with his fist , who calleth vs with this calling . god , that commanded the light to shine out of darkenesse , is he , which hath shined in our hearts , to giue the light of the knowledge of the glorie of god in the face of iesus christ . he , and he onely is our effectuall caller , and neither man nor angell . seuenthly , this calling is an argument of admirable power in god , & of his infinite mercie to vs. for as he shewed his power in creation , in making things to bee that before were not : euen so hee manifests his power in his effectuall vocation , in calling men ( that were dead in sin , and worse then nothing by their owne deserts ) to liue the life of grace , and in breathing into them the breath of life , which was vtterly expired by their fall in adam . yea the lord may seeme to exhibit more power when he calles men , then when he did create him : for at his creation there was none to hinder him : but at his vocation there were many hinderers & great impedimēts , ( though all inferiour vnto god ) . there is the diuel and his suggestions : there is the world and her incantations , scandals and allurements : & there is our owne flesh , the rebellious corruption of the heart . all these god must vanquish , and he must perswade and incline our wils , and of nillers make vs willers , before he perfit and accomplish in vs this his glorious and thrice-happy worke of grace . secondly this calling is a notable testimony of his grace and mercie to vs ▪ in that it pleased him to shine vpon vs with the light of his spirit , and to cast his gratious eies vpon vs , who were by sin more loathsome then a carion , and more stincking then any dunghil . what are wee , that god should bee mindful of vs , and visit vs with his grace ? the starres are vncleane in hi● sight : how much more man a worme , euen the son of man , which is but a worme ? as god declared his goodnes in creation by communicating a beeing vnto things , that had no beeing : euen so the same god doth manifest his mercy in vocation by ministring life vnto those , that before were miserable , and void of life . and indeed there is more goodnes shewed , more grace exhibited in restoring a man out of his grieuous and inextricable miserie , and in curing him of his cursed blindnesse , then in giuing him a beeing , hauing none before , & in making him to see , hauing no sight . to raise a dead soule from the death of sin vnto a supernaturall life , is a greater worke of mercy , then to raise a dead body from bodily death to liue a naturall life . eightly , this effectuall calling doth farre surpasse our naturall propagation or procreation . for in this we are but taken ( as it were ) out of our father adam : but in the other wee are both taken out of the first adam wholy corrupted , and set also into the second adam christ iesus , who of god is made vnto vs vvisedome , righteousnes , sanctification and redemption . lastly , this calling ( that the excellencie thereof may yet appeare ) ratifies all our couenants with god. men in their baptisme enter couenant with god , but often start from it , and will not stand to it , so as the couenant is onely made . but when as a man is effectually called , the couenant is not onely made , but truely accomplished , and that on mans part , haec clariss● perk the fourth and last propertie of effectuall vocation , is that it may be discerned by certaine signes thereof . this estimation or discerning of it , is two fold , infallible , and coniecturall . coniecturall discerning or determining of it , is especially when in our iudgement of charitie wee deeme of others , as of the called of god , by their outward profession and conuersation in the world . and thus paul cals the romanes & corinthians sancts by calling , whereas notwithstanding it is not vnprobable , but that there were some hypocrites among them . for visible churches are like a uet , where in is taken both good fish and bad : or a barne , wherein is cockle and good corne : or a garden , in which grow both stincking weeds and pleasant flowers , the nettle as well as the rose . the certaine and infallible discerning and determination made of effectuall vocation , is either when by a speciall and extraordinary reuelation from god , one man discernes & determines infallibly of the calling of another : this ( i say ) is performed , whē it is performed by a special work of god. for he alone vnderstandeth the heart . for what man knoweth the things of a man , saue the spirit of a man which is in him ? all is not gold that glisters . the heart is deceitfull & wicked aboue all things , who cā know it ? i the lord search the heart and try the reiues . or else secondly , this infallible determination and discerning is made , when a man determines of , and discernes his owne vocation by certaine workes of gods spirit , which are infallible testimonies and tokens of it , and by which we may make our calling sure , as poter would haue vs. the signes of effectuall calling are these . first , the calling of god works in vs another call , whereby wee call vpon him , and seriously seeke vnto him and desire his grace . now to desire the helpe of grace is the beginning of grace . to call vpon god constantly and sincerely for his grace , is a worke of grace , and therefore an vndoubted token of our calling vnto grace . secondly , the attentiue hearing of the word is a marke of our effectuall vocation . for as a man is iudged to be sicke and diseased , when his stomack cannot brook nor digest wholesome meats : so the soule of that man cannot be sound , to whom the word of god hath no pleasant tast . but when a man can say with the prophet dauid ; thy word is sweeter to me , then the hony or hony combe : by this we may gather an assured trust that wee are giuen vnto christ , if we do continue in hauing delight still . for otherwise a sicke man may haue some while a relish of his meat , when there is some intermission of the disease , but it holdeth not long ; so is it with them that haue for a while some tast of the word of god , and afterward fall away ; haec clariss . will. thirdly , the sheepe of christ are such , as are called home out of the vast wildernesse of this world vnto christ their sheepheard . therefore by what notes these sheepe are discerned , by the same a man may know his calling . christ saith , that his sheep know him , heare his voyce , and follow him . if therefore we know , acknowledge and embrace christ , if wee heare and hearken vnto his voyce to doe it , if we study to resemble , imitate and follow him in loue , meekenesse patience , humilitie , iustice , fidelitie , trueth , confidence and compassion , we may assure our selues that wee are his sheep , effectually called home into his fold . furthermore , the romanes are by paul entituled the called of iesus christ . the corinthians are said to bee saints by calling . the thessalonians ( some of them at lest ) were effectually called . now paul saith of the called romans , that they obeyed from the hear● vnto the forme of the doctrine , whereunto they were deliuered . of the called corinthians hee saith , that in all things they were made rich in christ , and were not destitute of any gift : and that howsoeuer some of them were before their calling notorious sinners committing ●orrible and transcendent enormities ●et now since their calling they were rashed and sanctified and so become new men . and as concerning the thessalonians he saith , that the gospel was not to them in word onely , but also in power , and much assurance , and that they became followers of him and of the lord , and receiued the word in much affliction , with ioy of the holy ghost , and turned to god from idoles to serue the liuing and true god , and increased in faith and mutuall loue , and were patient & faithfull in al their persecutions & afflictions . so then if with the romanes we performe heartie obedience to the word : if with those corinthes , we be rich in spirituall graces , and haue purged our heartes by true repentance from our former iniquities ▪ if we be mortified and renewed : if like those good thessaloniās we receiue and beleeue the gospell , if we follow the lord & his faithfull embassadours , if we entert●ine the word with ioyfulnesse notwithstanding all afflictions , if we turne to god from all our owne gods , our owne delights and vanities , to which wee had wedded our heartes , if our faith increase , and our loue abound , and if we haue patience and faith ( as they had ) in all our crosses and afflictions , then may we assure ourselues that wee are effectually called , as they were . finally , peter , exhorting vs to giue diligence to make calling sure , addeth that if we doe these things wee shall neuer fall . now what these things are hee sheweth ; to wit , that they would ioint vertue with their faith , and with vertue knowledge , & with it temperance and with temperance patience , & with patience godlines , & with it brotherly kindnes , and with brotherly kindnes loue . if therfore these graces shine within vs , and bee fast rooted in our hearts , and vnited in our liues , we may assure our soules of our effectuall calling ▪ if we do these things , we shall neuer fall : and if we shall neuer fall , then may wee safely conclude that god hath effectually called vs to light and glorie . and thus much concerning effectu-vocation , which is the first meane whereby god executeth his eternall election . chap. 5. what iustification is . all the causes of it . fiue effects of it . the subiects and time of it . fiue properties thereof . foure tokens of it . the second is iustification . for those , whom hee calleth effectually in time ▪ hee also iustifieth actually in time . to iustifie is to repute or account one iust . pro. 17.15 . he which iustifieth the wicked , that is ▪ he which reputeth and iudgeth him to be iust , is an abomination to the lord. luke 16.15 . you iustifie your selues before men ; that is , you would be esteemed iust . to be iustified is to be cleared , or to bee reputed , iudged , and pronounced iust . to be iustified then before god , is to be reputed and esteemed righteous in his sight . iustification therefore ( in his proper significatiō ) is an acceptance , wherby god esteemeth vs as righteous being receiued into fauour . or iustification is a iudiciall and gracious worke of god , by which hee iudgeth the elect ( being in themselues obnoxious to the accusation and curse of the law ) to be iust by faith for christ through the imputation of his iustice , and that vnto the praise of his glorious grace , and to their owne saluation . the principall efficient of iustification is god the father , in the sonne , by the holy spirit : for who can forgiue sinnes but god alone ? it is god that iustifies . i ( saith the lord ) euen i , am hee that putteth away thine iniquities . it 〈◊〉 meet that he should be our pardoner , who was our creator , and that he should bee the giuer of grace , who was to all the author of nature . it is his office to absolue the guiltie , by whose iustice hee was made guiltie : it belōgs to him to pronounce a man to be iust , whose will is the rule of iustice : it is his prerogatiue to giue sentence of life and death , because he is by nature , right , and office the highest iudge . the instrument , whereby the benefit of iustification is offered and proclaimed , is the gospel : which therefore is called the word of life , the word of saluation , the word and ministerie of reconciliation . the outward instruments ▪ whereby our iustification is sealed and confirmed to vs , are the two sacramentes , and thereupon circumcision is called the seale of the righteousnesse of faith . the inward sealer of our iustification is the holy ghost , who testifieth and sealeth it to our consciences so as that we may perswade our hearts of it the ministers , and liuely instruments , for the proclaiming , testifying and pronouncing our iustification to vs are the messengers and prophets of the lord , according to that of christ ▪ whose sinnes ye remit , they shall be remitted to them : and whose ye retaine they shall be retained . the onely internall instrument , whereby we apprehend and receiue the grace of iustification offered vnto vs by god , is a true sauing faith . iustifying faith is a gift whereby wee apprehend christ and his benefits . or , it is a worke of gods spirit in the heart , whereby we receiue and lay hold on christs obedience , for the pardon of our sinnes with god , and his accepting of vs as righteous in his ●ight . the authour of faith is god. for vnto vs it is giuen to beleeue . this is the worke of god ( saith christ ) that yee beleeue in him whom hee hath sent . faith both begun and finished is the gift of god , as austen truly teacheth . the proper forme and life of faith is not charitie , which is a distinct gift of god , and a fruite of vnfeigned faith , but the apprehension and application of christ , and his benefites vnto our selues particularly . the proper obiect of a sauing faith is iesus christ , god-man , and mediator betwixt god and man , remigius saith ; my whole faith is in christ : by him alone i beleeue that i am iustified and saued . and beda saith ; the scope of my faith is christ : the end ( or marke ) of my faith ( whereat it aymeth ) is the sonne of god. now to be iustified by faith , is to be iustified of god for the righteousnesse of christ apprehended by faith : or ( as caluin speaketh ) he shall be iustified by faith , who being excluded from the righteousnesse of works , apprehendeth the righteousnesse of christ by faith , wherewith he being inuested doth appeare in the sight of god as righteous , and ●ot a sinner . so that faith doth iustifie in respect of her obiect onely , and not as any meritorious or proper efficient of iustification . euen as the hand that receiueth the treasure which is giuen , doth not make the receiuer rich , but the treasure it selfe : so neither the worke or action of faith doth iustifie vs , but christ himselfe , whom we doe apprehend . and this faith , be it weake or strong , is yet able to receiue the righteousnesse of christ : euen as a palsie or shaking hand , may receiue a iewel of a king as truely , though not so firmely , as the hand that is whole and sound . and further , this sauing faith is the onely hand , whereby wee doe receiue christ and his merites . no man is iustified by the workes of the law , but by the faith of iesus christ . basil saith ; this is to glorie in the lord , when a man doth not boast of his ovvne righteousnesse , but doth acknowledge that hee is destitute of true righteousnes , & that he is iustified by faith alone in christ . chrisostom saith ; without faith no man hath obtained life : but i am able to shew that a faithfull man both liued and obtained the kingdom of heauen without workes . for the thiefe did onely beleeue , and was iustified . it was well said by roffensis ▪ fides faeta bonis operibus , iustificat ante partum : faith being bigge with good works , doth iustifie a man before it bring them forth . for as s. augustine saith ; good works doe not goe before him , that is , to be iustified , but follow him that i● already iustified . and though good workes must neuer bee seuered from faith in the person iustified , yet they must be sundred in the act of iustification . though the eie bee not alone , yet it sees alone : and though the head consult & inuent alone , yet it is not alone , but ioyned to the body : so though faith be not alone in the faithfull man , yet it alone doth iustifie . and thus wee see how to esteeme of faith , the sacraments , and the ministers of god , alwaies remembring to ascribe our iustification vnto god , father , sonne , and holy ghost , as the proper and principall efficient thereof , as the scriptures teach vs ▪ and confessing with primasius , that god doth iustifie the wicked ( per solam fidem ) by faith alone , and not by workes . the internall impulsiue cause of iustification ( which mooueth god to iustifie vs ) is his grace and meere beneuolence and not our works past , present , or to come , how glorious so euer . paul saith , we are iustified freely by his grace , and augustine saith , that it is the ineffable grace ●f god , that hee which is guilty should be iustified . because all men are shut vp vnder sinne : the saluation of man ( as anselme saith ) doth not now consist in the merits of men , but in the mercie of god. yea bellarmine himselfe ingeniously confesseth that by reason of the vncertenty of our owne righteousnesse , and the danger of vaine glory ( iutissimum est ) it is the safest course to repose our ( fiduciam ) whole confidence ( in solu de● misericordia ) in the sole mercie and goodnesse , of god. now then we must not imagine that this grace of god is procured by our workes , but that it doth proceed freely from the lord. no merit of man ( saith anselme ) doth goe before the grace of god. thou hast done no good ( saith augustine ) and yet remission of sinnes is giuen thee . let thy works be marked , and they are found euill . if god should reward those workes according to their due ▪ he should condemne them . but god doth not giue thee the punishment that is due , but giues thee grace , which is not due . and againe he saith ; the grace , without which neither infants , nor men of yeares can be saued , is not payed by deserts , but giuen without desert : and thereupon is called grace . the externall impulsiue cause ▪ or meritorious efficient of our iustification is not our owne workes , virtues or obedience . first because they bee the lords due , by vertue of many bonds . when we haue done all that is biddē vs , we haue done but our due , no more then wee were bound to due . now shall wee thinke that the discharging of one duetie can satisfie gods iustice for the omission of many dueties , and the commission of many faults ? secondly , all our righteousnesse is as a stained cloth ▪ gregorie saith , all m●ns righteousn●s i● found to be vnrighteousnes , ●f god strictly iudge it . our very iustice being brought to the rule of gods iustice , is iniustice : & that stinketh in the s●uerity of the iudge , which shineth in the estimation of the worker . and albeit our good works are perfit in respect of the spirit , from whom thee first flow , yet are they polluted when they passe from vs , because they rū through our corrupted hearts and wils , as faire water which runnes through a dirty channell : shall wee now say that our perfect righteousnesse can merit any thing of that righteous iudge , before whose iustice nothing polluted can stand vncondemned ? wo vnto the laudable life of men ( sath a●gustine ) if god should examine it and lay aside his mercie . thirdly , our best actions are not answerable to the benefits of iustification . but in reason hee which meanes to merit any thing , must bring that which is equal to that which hee seekes to merit . fourthly he that wil merit of another , must not thinke to merit of him , vn●esse he bring some thing of his owne to merit with , and not that which is his , of whom hee doth intend to merit . but all our vertues , our faith and good workes are gods ( so farre as they bee good ) and not ours . for what haue we , which wee haue not receiued ? without me ( saith christ ) ye can d●e nothing . of our selues we are not able to thinke one good thought when we e●ther beleeue or worke , though that faith be ours , and albeit the workes ●e ours , yet when we haue them , we haue them not of our selues , but they are giu●n of god. whatsoeuer ( saith augustine ) cornelius wrought well ( totum d●o dandam est ) it must all be ascribed vnto god , lest any mā happily should exalt himself . therfore it is absurde to think we merit any thing by good deedes fiftly , good workes in nature follow iu●tification . augustine saith ; iustification goes before the doers of the law . m●● being iustified by beleeuing , begin af●erwards to liue righteously . and saint paul saith that god doth iustifie the vngodly . by which then it is plain● that no man is iustified for his works . finally , wee haue the sentence of the scriptures with vs , and the iudgement of the auncient church . wee haue beleeued in iesus christ ( saith paul ) that we might be iustified by the faith of christ , and not by the workes of the lame : because that by the workes of the law no flesh shall be iustified . god both saued vs , not according to the workes of righteousnesse which we haue done , but according to his mercie . ambrose saith : let no man glorie in works , because no man is iustified by his works . augustine faith : the vngodly is iustified by faith without the merits of good workes . primasius saith : it is gods purpose to iustifie the wicked by faith alone , without the workes of the law , or any other merits ( of ours ) whatsoeuer . h●mini● iustitia , indulgentia de● . gods pardon ( saith bernard ) is mans righteousnesse . my merit ( saith hee ) is gods mercie . wee conclude therefore ▪ saying with ambro●e ; wee are not iustified by works ▪ but by faith : because fleshly 〈◊〉 is an impedimēt to work : and with primatius , god doth iustifie the vngodly , but not by works , which ●e wanteth . for if he should iustifie him according to workes , he must be punished , and not deliuered . the externall mo●●er then and meritorious efficient of our iustification is christ by his obedience . for god made him to be sinne for vs , who knew no sinne , that ●e should be made the rightousnesse of god in him . wee are iustified through the redemption , that is in christ iesus , whom god hath set foorth to bee a reconciliation , through faith in his blood ▪ augustine saith ; christ alone hath 〈…〉 the punishment for vs without his 〈◊〉 demerits , that we might obtaine grace by him without good merits . christ ( saith basill ) is true righteousnesse , vvho is made vnto vs of god , righteousnesse , vvisdom ▪ sanctification and redemption . as the 〈◊〉 couered the dike and the decalogue : so he couereth 〈◊〉 sinne , and hee hides our bodies and soules from the furious indignation and vengeance of god. now the obedience of christ , is two-fold ▪ actiue and passiue . the former stands in his perfite fulfilling of the law : the latter is contained in his passion both in life and death . by the passion of christ our sinnes are remitted . therefore peter sa●th : that he bare our sinnes vpon the crosse . and iohn likewise saith : that he washed v● from our sinnes in his blood . and long before them the prophet esay saith : that he was vvounded for our transgressions , and by his stripes we are healed . remission of sins ( saith chrysostome ) is on the blood of christ . his death ( saith am●●ose ) is the iustification of sinners . by it gods iustice is fully satisfied , his wrath is appealed , and ●ll punishments temporall and eternall deserued by sin are quite remoued . by his fulfilling of the law we are reputed and esteemed righteous . for christ is the end of the law for righteousnes vnto euerie one , that beleeueth . ●e was made vnto vs of god righteousnes . by the obedience of this one , mani● shall be made righteous . lord ( saith bernard ) i will remember thy righteousnes onely : for that is also mine . for thou art made vnto me righteousnes of god. now this his righteousnesse is not ours , but his originally , & is made ours by gods tree imputation . it is imputed to vs & by god accounted ours ( christ being our suretie , and standing in our stead ) and so appropriated to vs , as if we had performed it in our owne persons . bernard saith that the righteousnesse of christ is imputed to vs. and againe ; the iustice of another is assigned vnto man , because he wanted his owne . the satisfaction of one is imputed vnto all . and no mā must thinke it strange that the obedience of christ could satisfie for the disobedience of all the elect , & make them to bee reputed righteous with god. for in that it was the obedience of god , that is , of that holy man , who was true god , it was of endlesse merit , & of inualuable value with the lord. the perfection and merit of this obedience comes from the dignity of his person , that did obey . and though iustification bee through christ , yet god may bee sayed to iustify freely , because it comes freely to vs , wee doe nothing for it : and because also it was his free loue , which moued him to send his sonne to suffer for our sins and to fulfil the law fully for vs. neither must any man imagine that christ did not fulfill the law for vs , but for himselfe onely , and consequently that his actiue obedience is not imputed to vs. for christ is not onely our redemption , but he is also the perfection of the lawe for vs that beleeue in him . whereupon it is that ambrose saith ; he hath the perfection of the law , who beleeueth in christ . moreouer whole christ is giuen vnto vs with his benefits . otherwise , if his passiue obedience were onely imputed to vs , it would follow that ha●fe christ were onely giuen vs ( patientem , non agentem ) to wit , as he is a patient , and not an agent , or dooer of those things , which are pleasing to his father , and ( auferentem peccat● ) onely as he takes away sin and death , and not ( aff●rentem iustitiam ) bringing righteousnes . but he was not borne for himselfe , but for vs , and was giuen vnto vs , that hee might both doe for vs the things that were to be done , and suffer the things , which were to be suffered . againe ▪ christ as man fulfilled the lawe for ▪ himselfe : that hee might be in both natures an holy high priest , & so continue . neuerthelesse as mediatour , god and man , hee became subiect to the law , and in this regard he did not fulfill t●● lawe for himselfe , neither was he bound so to doe . neither must this seeme strange to any , that the law should both exact obedience , and the penalty too . for howsoeuer in the state of innocency , the law threatned the penaltie , and onely exacted obedience : yet since the fall , it doth both exact obedience , & the punishment . the threatning of the law exacts the punishment : the precepts exact obedience . and albeit christ hath kept the law fully for vs , yet none must from thence conclude , that therefore we are not bound to keepe the law. ●hat ( saith one ) which christ did , we are not bound to doe for the same end , and in the same maner . now he fulfilled the law in way of redemption and satisfaction for vs : and so doe not we fulfill the law , but onely in the way of thankefulnesse for our redemption . and though we be bound to obey the lawe , yet wee must not thinke that god will reiect our obedience for the weakenes of it , as hee would haue reiected christs , if his had beene imperfect . for he was our mediatour , and therefore his obedience was of necessitie to be most perfect , or else gods iustice had not been satisfied , and so we had perished : and besides , all our imperfections and defects whatsoeuer are couered with his perfection as with a vaile , and so our weake obedience is accepted , and not contemned . finally for our comfort we must know , that if we respect the trueth of that righteousnes , which is imputed to vs , weare accounted as truly righteous before god , as christ himselfe is : but if we regard the quantity and subiect , christ is more iust , thē we , because he is originally and actually righteous , but we by imputation : he is subiectiuely iust and by inherency , but we by application & relation in him and vnto him . and yet we must not therefore thinke our selues to be redeemers . for his obedience is imputed to vs onely for our owne redemption , and not as it is the price of redemption for all the elect. as for example , christs righteousnes is imputed to peter , not as it is the price of redemption for all , but as it is the price of redemption for peter . and so much for the efficient causes of our iustification . the matter of iustification ( according as are the parts thereof ) is twofold ; remission of sins , and gods accepting of vs as righteous men . remission of sins is a gracious act of god , whereby for the merit and satisfaction of christ he doth perfectly forgiue both the fault and punishment . therefore paul saith that by him wee haue redemption through hi● blood , euen the forgiuenes of sinnes according to his rich grace : and that there is no condemnation to thē , that are in christ iesus , who hath by himself purged our sins , and by whom the father hath recon●iled v● vnto himselfe . now it were absurd to thinke that the punishment is ret●ined , when the sin is remitted : for if the proper cause bee defaced , then the effect thereof must needs be also abolished . if the bodie bee remoued , the shadow thereof remaines not . so if sin bee pardoned , the punishment is remitted . as for the crosses , which the faithfull suffer , they are to bee reputed curses or penalties of vengeance inflicted of god as of an ireful & direful iudge , but they are to be esteemed onely as tryals , or as punishmēt of castigatiō imposed of god , as a louing father desiring the welfare & weldoing of his childrē . as many as i loue ( saith the lord ) i rebuke & chasten : he scourgeth euerie sonne , vvhich he receiueth . if therefore ye be vvithout correction , whereof all are partakers , then are ye bastards , and not sonnes . novv no chastening for the present seemeth to bee 〈◊〉 , but grieuous : yet afterward it bringeth the 〈◊〉 fruit of righteousnes , vnto thē which are thereby exercised . the lord tries vs by afflictions , as gold is tried in the furnace with fire . he keeps vs by the crosse within our limits , as water is held in with bankes . and with the thorny hedge of troubles & vexations hee keepes vs within our owne walkes and pastures , being by nature giuen to break out and stray . therefore dauid saith , before i was afflicted i went astray : but now i keepe thy word ▪ it is good for mee , that i haue beene afflicted , that i may learne thy statutes . blessed is the man , whom thou chastisest . for it is certaine , god scoureth away the infirmities of his saincts by many afflictions . it is the lord , which sendeth crosses to his children to saue thē , that they freese not with the wicked world in their dregs . for this end ( saith cyprian ) the lord rebuketh , that hee might amend vs : to this end he mends , that he might saue vs. augustine saith that sorrowes before pardon of sins are the punishments of sinners : but after pardon , they are the trials and exercises of iust men . and so for death it selfe , the sting and strength thereof , which is sin , is abolished by the death of christ vpon the crosse , & therefore is to bee reputed but as a triall or chastisement , whereby the lord doth teach vs humilitie and the flight of sinne , and doth exercise and proue our faith , fortitude and patience . and though in respect of sinne it be the entrance of hell , yet through the death of christ , it is become the gate of heauen , and as cyprian speaketh ( ianua vitae ) the dore of life . it doth ( as it were ) conuey vs out of the wildernes into canaan , out of a troublesome sea into a quiet hauen , and out of earth into heauen , from woe to weale , and from men to god : yea it becomes the death of sinne , that first gaue life to it . we conclude therefore this truth with vrsinus , saying , god doth not hate vs , neither hath he a will to punish vs for those sins for which christ hath sufficiently satisfied : in whom also we haue remission of those , ( sins of omission ) and all other our sins , so that by his onely merit we are reputed righteous before god. the second part of iustification is gods gracious acceptation , wherby he doth for the merit of christs actiue obedience by faith receiued of vs , account vs iust and pure , and honours vs with the crowne of life . and in this respect we may truely be sayed to be iust , perfect and holie men : because we stand clothed with the most perfect righteousnes of christ , which is reputed ours , in which , appearing before our heauenly father , wee doe receiue a blessing , as iacob did of isaack , hauing on his elder brothers garmēts . neither must it seeme strange vnto vs that we should be accepted righteous for the righteousnes of an other . for albeit this righteousnesse be christs , primarily and by way of inherence , yet it is ours by gods donation and by the application of faith ; as the paiment of our debt is another mans , so farre forth as it is discharged by him : but it is our payment , as it is imputed to vs. aquinas saith well : the head and the member is as one mysticall person , and therefore the satisfaction of christ pertaineth to all the faithfull , as to his members . the forme or formall cause of iustification is not faith , loue , nor any other vertue , neither is it an infused quality , or habituall sanctity inherent in vs. for this were to confound iustification and sanctification , which are very different acts , as wee shall hereafter shew . but the righteousnesse of christ imputed , considered as it is imputed of god , is the forme of iustification . or , the proper and onely true forme of iustification is the free imputation of the righteousnes of christ , by which the merit and obedience of christ are applied to vs by vertue of that neare communion , whereby he is in vs and we in him . now god is said to impute the righteousnes of christ vnto a man , when hee doth adiudge , decree and giue it to him , and account and reckon it as his owne , and for the merit and worthines of it doth pardon & acquite him , and repute him righteous . o sweete exchange ( saith iustin martyr ) o vnsearchable vvorkemanship , o benefits surpassing all expectation , that the iniquity of manie should be couered in one iust person , and that the iustice of one should make manie , that are vniust , to be reputed iust . if one ( saith bernard ) did die for all , then all died : to wit that the satisfaction of one might be imputed vnto all , as that one bare the sins of all . now christ bare our sins and was made sin for vs , not as if our sins had beene infused into him , and had beene inherent and inhabitants in him , but because they were imputed to him , and reputed his , as if they had beene committed by him , he supplying our place , as our surety and mediator : euen so his righteousnes is made ours , not as though it were infused or translated into vs as a thing inherent and inhabiting in vs , but because it is reputed ours and imputed freely to vs , as if wee our selues had wrought it in our owne persons . and of this opinion was s. augustine , we are the righteousnes of god in him , as he is sin in vs , to vvit , by imputation . with whom consenteth vrsinus , the imputation of the righteousnes of christ is not the transfusion of righteousnes or of qualities into vs , but the absolution from sins in the iudgement of god , for the righteousnes of an other . for iustification and remission of sins are the same . for to iustifie is for god not to impute sin vnto vs , but to accept vs for righteous , & to absolue or pronounce vs iust for the righteousnesse of christ imputed . the end of iustification in respect of god , is the glory of god in an admirable composition of iustice and mercie ; of iustice , because hee would haue his sonne to satisfie for our sins , rather then that they should escape vnpunished ; and of mercie , because it pleased him to impute and appropriate the satisfaction of his sonne vnto vs , rather then we wretches should be destroyed . but some will perhaps imagine that god shewed neither iustice , nor mercie : no iustice , because he punished an innocent for the nocent , & set his teeth on edge , whereas they had eaten the soure grapes : and no mercie , because hee forgaue none without a satisfaction . it is true indeed that the innocent was punished : but yet it was done willingly , and not by constraint ▪ and he was of the same nature with the nocent , and was also such a potent innocent , as that he did satisfie the iustice of the iudge to the vtmost , and conquer all his punishments with facilitie . neither must we deeme the mercie of god to be withheld , or not exhibited because he did not forgiue without a satisfaction for first , it was of his sole benignitie and perfect mercie , without the preuision of any merit , that he came to satisfie , who made the satisfaction for vs. herein ( saith iohn ) is that loue , not that we loued god , but that he loued vs , and sent his sonne to be a reconciliation for our sins . secondly , it is his grace that hee doth apply the satisfaction of his sonne vnto vs , who were disposed thereunto by no gift , or merit . thirdly , we must consider that gods iustice is so infinitely absolute , as that we could not bee iustified without a mediator . god could not forgiue sinne without a satisfaction . for otherwise what need was there that the soone of god should be brought ( as he was ) to such horrible miserie and to such an accursed death ? a kinde father would try any way , rather then he would expose his owne and onely sonne to extreame terrors and miserie . and lest any man should imagine that it is in gods power to remit or to reteine sinnes like debts , we must know that there are two kinds of debts . for there is a debt , which eclipseth and hurteth the honour of the creditor : and there is also a debt which doth not touch it . if the debt do not hurt his honour , it may vvith great encrease of honour be rmitted vvithout any recompence at all , as vvhen a king forgiueth his seruant the debt of some thousands of c●ovvnes . this debt , as it did not hurt the maiestie of the king , so it might be forgiuen vvithout anie hurt to his maiestie . but if debts doe hurt the honour and maiestie of the creditour , and doe directlie impugne his nature and glorie , vvithout doubt they cannot at his pleasure be remitted vvithout satisfaction . and such debts are sins , at vvhich infringe the rule of gods eternall vvill , & are enemies to it , so as that they cannot be purged and forgiuen vvithout a penaltie , but gods iustice and vprightnes vvill bee diminished . but yet though his mercie could not shoulder out his iustice , or any whit eclipse it , yet his iustice did not bereaue him of his mercie . for of his ovvne meere mercie hee found out the way to redeeme and saue vs , when we did not so much as thinke of any such thing , and therefore as we ought to admire the seueritie of his iustice : so we should also magnifie his endles grace and mercie . the endes of iustification in respect of our selues are ▪ that we may be pleasing vnto god , that wee may haue peace of conscience , and true tranquilitie of minde , that being redeemed from miserie wee might bee saued , and finally that wee should striue against the streame of our owne corruptions , and keepe a constant course in pietie : or ( to vse the words of zacharie ) that wee being deliuered out of the handes of our enemies , should serue him without feare all the daies of our life , in holinesse and righteousnesse before him . for christ gaue himselfe for vs , that wee should be zealous of good vvorkes : and bare our sinnes on the crosse , that vve being dead to sinne , should liue is righteousnesse . to this end ( saith bucanus ) are wee iustified by faith for christ , that the old man being abolished by the efficacie of christ crucified , christ may liue in vs , and wee by the study of good workes , may shew our selues thankefull vnto god for so great a benefite . therefore paul almost in all his epistles , drawes his doctrine of sanctification and good workes , out of the doctrine of faith or iustification , as the effect out of the cause , or as an necessarie consequent from the antecedent : h●c , ille . in like maner augustine saith : christ died for the vvicked , but not that the wicked should remaine dead , but that being iustified , they should be conuerted from vvickednesse , beleeuing in him vvhich iustifieth the vngodly . for god hateth impietie . and againe : grace doth iustifie ( or hee iustifies by grace ) that he which is iustified might like iustly ▪ so then one maine end of our iustificatiō is , that abandoning all iniquitie we should lead our liues in sanctitie ▪ the effects and consequents of iustification are diuers . the immediate effect of iustification is adoption , by vvhich the elect doe now actually please god , as his sonnes and coheires of christ for so soone as the electare absolued from their sinnes , they are foorthwith adopted into the right ●nd priuiledges of the children of god. a second effect of iustification , is peace of conscience : to wit , when we perceiue our selues to be deliuered from our sins , before gods iudgemēt seat , and the iudgement of our owne conscience . for there is no condemnation to them that are in christ : and being iustified by faith , wee haue peace vvith god , euen that peace , vvhich passeth all vnderstanding : whereas there is no true peace to the wicked : but they are like the raging sea that cannot rest , vvhose waters cast vp mudde and mire : or else they are structen with a spirituall apoplexcy , which hath reaued them of all true sense , and are so benummed in their conscience , that they can feele nothing till it be roused and awaked . thirdly , our iustification makes vs haue accesse to god by prayer , with confidence to be heard for christ for sinne was the make-bate and wall of partition , betwixt god and vs : now our sinnes are done away , when wee are iustified , and therefore with boldnesse wee may approach vnto the throne of grace . we haue now receiued the spirit of adoption , by vvhich vvee cr●e abba father : that is , by vvhich vve conceiue very good hope in him , to vvhom wee pray like suppliants , that hee will in fatherly affection tovvard vs , giue vs th●se things vve stand in need of . fourthly , iustification begets patience in afflictions , and makes a man reioice in the middest of tribulations . being iustified by faith , wee haue peace to godward ▪ neither that only , but also we reioice in tribulations , knovving that tribulation produceth patience : to wit , through the perswasion of our reconciliation vnto god , and our assurance that all things , how bitter and grieuous soeuer , doe worke for the best vnto them that loue god , and are pleasing to him . lastly , glorification is an inseparable companion , and a notable effect of iustification . being freed from sinne and made seruants vnto god , yee haue your fruit in holinesse , and the end euerlasting life . the obedience of christ by grace imputed to vs , and by faith receiued of vs , workes in vs a desire , care , and endeuour to obey god. his death for which our sins are remitted , works in vs another death , whereby wee die to sinne ▪ and his glorious righteousnesse , wherewith wee are inuested , and made to bee reputed righteous , doth merit for vs eternall life and glorie . the subiect of iustification , or the persons , that are iustified , or to whom iustification doth belong , are the elect of god , & the sheep of christ : euen all that are predestinated vnto life . for therefore the scriptures speak on this sort : the lord hath laied vpon him the iniquitie of vs all . i laie dovvne my life for my sheepe . whom hee did predestinate , hee hath also iustified . who spared not his owne sonne , but gaue him for vs all : how shall he not vvith him giue vs all things also ? but for what vs ? ( saith augustine ) euen for them vvhich are fore-knowen , praedestinated , iustified and glorfiied . haimo saith : christ hath taken avvaie in the elect , not onely originall sinne , but all actuall offences also , and hath moreouer giuen the euerlasting life radnulphus also saith : that the blood of the high-priest christ vvas the expiation of all beleeuers . i adde further , that the elect are the onely persons , to whom this worthy worke of god belongs , and none but they . first , the scripture is euident : by his knowledge shall my righteous seruant iustifie manie . he bare the sinne of manie . his blood vvas shed for manie for the remission of sins . hee vvas once offered to take awaie the sinnes of manie the scripture saith , manie , and not all , without the exception of any . thou shall call his name iesus : for he shal same his people from their sinnes . now all are not his . for his people are his sheep : and his sheepe are the deuils goaets : all are not his sheepe . yee beleeue not , ( saith christ ) for yee are not of my sheepe . some men haue neuer faith , therefore some are neuer iustified . secondly for whom christ did not pray , for them hee did not sacrifice : because to intercede and to sacrifice are conioyned . but christ prayed onely for the elect and for beleeuers , and in praying , did offer himselfe to the father . i praie for them ( saith christ ) i praie not for the world , but for them , which thou hast giuē me : for they are thine . and for their sakes i sanctifie my selfe . i praie not for these alone , but for them also which beleeue in me . origen saith accordingly ( hom. 9. in leuit. ) that christ prayth onelie for those which are the lordes portion . augustine saith : there is a world of the damned : for this world christ praieth not . and there if a world of those that are to be saued : for this world christ praieth . and likewise cyrill : the lord iesus putting a difference betwixt his and such as were not his : for those onelie ( saith he ) i praie , which keepe my word and haue taken my yoke . for to whom he is a mediatour and high-priest , on them only he bestowes the benefit of meditation therefore the elect and faithfull are only iustified & redeemed by christ . thirdly , christ gaue himselfe , that he might sanctifie to himselfe a peculiar people , that is , a people selected out of others as a precious treasure , and his owne proper goods . therefore it was not christs intention , to giue himselfe to be a ransome for all , and euery one alike . lastly , regeneration and life eternall belong not to all . all men doe not die to sinne , and liue to god : and the kingdome of god shall be giuen to them , for whom it is preprared . many shall be excluded . therefore all are not iustified . for they that are iustified , shal be also glorified . isychius saith ; that christ who suffered for vs , hath deliuered vs from sinne and from the bondage of it . and augustine more plainly : euerie one that is generated , is damned : and no man is deliuered , but he , that is regenerated . and againe , god gaue a great price , & bought those , whom he doth reuiue . it is manifest therefore that the elect are onely partakers of the merits of christ , and iustified in the sight of god. for whereas christ is said to take awaie the sinnes of the world , here the vvorld only : that is , the vniuersall cōpanie of the elect , which are taken from all degrees and callings in the world , is to he vnderstood . for there is as it were a little world of the elect. eusebius saith ; christ hath suffered for the saluation of the vvorld of those , that shal be saued . and s. augustine hauing made a distinction of worlds ▪ saith ; that this vvorld , which god doth reconcile vnto himselfe in christ , and which is saued by christ , and to which euerie sinne is remitted through christ , is elected ou● of the maligning , damned ; and defiled world . and though the apostle say that hee gaue himselfe a ransome for all men : yet we must in no wise therefore conclude , that all are iustified without exception . for the word all , ( as aristotle in his politiques hath obserued ) signifieth either euerie one in particular , and then it is takē distributiuely : or else not each particular , and then it is taken collectiuelie , & signifieth anie , not ech : many & not al without exception of any . whereas then the apostle saith ▪ that christ gaue himselfe a ransome for all : he meaneth al beleeuers , of what condition or coūtrey soeuer . neither 〈◊〉 it any new thing that the word all should be taken in such a sense , seeing the like examples may be found : as in luk. 11.42 . woe be to you , pharisies , for you , ●●the mint , & rue , and ( 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ) all hearbes that is , hearbs of euerie kinde . so christ is said to heale euerie disease , that is , all kinds of diseases . all iudea is said to goe out to iohn baptist . multi & omnes in paulo idem sunt . manie ( saith sedulius ) and al are the same with paul. it is true indeed ( i grant ) that the obedience of christ ( being the obedience of god ) was in it self sufficient to haue procured the iustification of all without exception : but if wee respect either gods decree , or christs intention , it is appropriated to the elect , and belongs to none but them . innocentius saith : his blood was shed in regard of efficiencie for those onely which are predestinated : but for all men in respect of sufficiencie . in like manner aquinas : the merit of christ was alike to all in regard of sufficiencie , but not as concerning efficacie . howsoeuer his blood and merits were in themselues sufficient for the iustification and saluatition of all men , yet they did not effectually procure them for all , but onely for the elect , to whom they were ordained and intended , and of whom alone they can bee rightly receiued and embraced . now those that are iustified , must be considered in a double condition . one , according to nature , the other according to supernaturall grace . according to nature they are sinners ( for he iustifieth the vngodly , rom. 4.5 . ) and therefore obnoxious to the accusation , and malediction of the law ( for cursed is euery man that continueth not in al things , which are witten in the law to doe them . ) but according to supernaturall grace , they are beleeuers : or ingrafted into christ by faith . for the righteousnesse of god , is made manifest by the faith of iesus christ vnto all , and vpon all that beleeue . and 〈◊〉 much for the persons , whom god doth iustifie . the time of iustification is in this life , with some sooner , and with others later ; but with none at all after this life is ended . vrs●inus saith well , remission of sins is giuen to all the elect and to them alone . yet all the elect haue not alwaies remission of sinnes : but all beleeuers haue it alwaies , because they onely haue remission of sins , who beleeue that they haue it . but this the elect do and alwaies beleeue : but then first , when they are conuerted , and indued with faith . yet in respect of the fore-determined purpose of god , they haue alwaies remission of sins . and a●beit , sanctification doe often by some fruits thereof appeare before iustification , yet this in nature is before the other wee see the light vsually before the sunne in the morning : and the brooke doth often offer itself vnto our eies before the spring . the properties of iustification are fiue . first , it is most excellent : and that in respect of the iustifier , which is god : 〈◊〉 respect also of the meritorious efficient thereof , which is christ and in regard of those admirable effects which it doth pro●u●e , one amongst the rest is this , which i adde vnto the former , whereof wee haue already spoken : to wit , that it giues a man the right vse of the good creatures of god which he hath created to be receiued with thanksgiuing of them that beleeue ▪ ●or vnto the pure ( which men are ▪ when they be purged by faith in the bloud of christ ) ●l things are pure : but vnto the that are defiled ( as euery one is , vntill god doe iustifie him ) and are vnbeleeuing , is nothing pure , but euen their mindes and consciences are defiled . the reprobates therefore and vnbeleeuers abuse the giftes of god , rather then vse them . therefore ( as danaeus speaketh ) god doth fatten them in this world as h●gs for the slaughter . on the contrary , those that are now iustified by faith in christ , doe vse them lawfully . for they are fed of god , as his house-hold seruants . they are not theeues and vsurpers of them as the wicked are , but they hold them as lawfull heires and owners of the world : 〈◊〉 . secondly , iustification is a most free act ▪ performed freely by god without coaction , or the least inducement by any dignitie present , or foreseen to be in vs hereafter . for being absolute lord of all , hee may shew mercie on whom he lists . we are by nature all the children of wrath , and the vi●●als of the deuill , destitute of all true grace and subiect to the curse : and therefore it is a wonder that wee are not all consumed . we must needs then confess , that the free grace of god in christ hath made the difference . chrysostom according to the scripture truely saith : that god of his grace alone doth iustifie our kinde , and not through our good deeds , labours , nor recompence . and theodulus saith : christ is the author of righteousnesse , to them that beleeue in him , euen vnto them that had done nothing righteouslie . here then by the way wee may remember , that our iuctification is free , in regard of vs , that did not deserue it : and free also in respect of god , who did freely deuise & dispose the means therof and freely workes faith within vs , by which wee doe apply it to vs. but it is not free , but iustly performed in regard of christ , who by his all-sufficient merits did deserue it , and by desert acquire it . thirdly , iustification is one absolute , entire , and indiuiduall act . it is once onely acted essentially and directly in this life , although it it bee diuers times renewed and applied a fresh : to wit , when the person iustified doth fall into sin , and repent . now though iustification bee a most perfect and plenary worke of god , yet we come to the full perswasion of it but by degrees : and though god at once forgiue a man his sinnes by an absolute act , which admits neither increase nor decrease ▪ yet that man receiues his pardon by such a faith , or such a perswasion of faith , as is not alwaies one , but sometimes stronger , sometmies also weaker , ebbing and flowing like the salt waters , sometimes appearing , and some times hidden , like the sun , with a thicke mist or duskie cloud . fourthly , iustification is an immutable , inuiolable and irreuocable a●● of god. peccata semel remissa nunquam redeūt : sins being once remitted , are neuer after called into question . and he that is once of god for christ reputed righteous shall be reputed righteous foreuer . if it sho ▪ d be otherwise , it were either long of god or of our selues ; but not of god , who is on changeling : i am the lord , i charge not : nor of our selues : for we are kept by the power of god through faith vnto saluation , and so gouerned by his spirit , as that we neither doe sinne , nor can sinne with full consent of will , and without the reluctation and conflict of the spirit . the godly and vngodly doe oftentimes commit the same offence if we respect the act , but it is not the same , if we consider their maner of acting it . the godly sinne against their conscience : but not against their full conscience . but the vngodly sinne against their 〈◊〉 ●●conscience , and that ●ully : and therefore albeit a man that is iustified ▪ fall into some grieuous sin , as dauid did , yet grace is not vtterly put out , neither hath he lost the benefit of his iustification ▪ thogh for a time he feele it not . now this property of immutabili●ty is very rare and excellent by much to be preferred to all earthly things ▪ for riches remaine not alway● ▪ nor the the crowne from generation to generation . fauour i● deceiptfull and beautie i● vanitie . the fashion of this world passeth away . and what 〈◊〉 life ? it is euen a vapor that appeareth for a little 〈◊〉 , and afterward● vanish●th away . for all flesh is grasse : and all the glorie of man is as the flower of grasse . the grasse withereth ▪ and the flower fa●leth away : but the iustification of a sinner remaineth for euer ▪ it is enacted and enrolled in heauen it shall not bee repealed and obl●ter●ted vpon the earth . fiftly , iustification may be perceiued & knowne , and that three waies . first by the suggestion of gods spirit . secondly by faith ▪ which is a certaine assurance or perswasion of the loue af god in christ . now a man may assure himselfe of faith , ●f the●● two things be in him . first if he loue god for god himselfe , and his neighbour truely , as himselfe . for lo●e accompanies faith , as the light doth the sunne . indeed it proceedes f●om faith : and as gr●gor●● saith ▪ quantum 〈◊〉 , ta●tu●● 〈◊〉 . as is our faith 〈…〉 our loue . secondly , a man may assure himselfe of iustifying faith if he doe striue against his doubtings , and with an honest heart doe will to beleeue , and vnfeignedly desire to be reconciled vnto god , and do with a●l , constantly vse the good meanes , that god hath ordeined to beget and encrease faith . for god accept● the wil to beleeue for faith it selfe , and the will to repent , for repentance . the reason hereof i● plaine . euerie supernaturall act presupposeth a supernaturall povver or gift : and therefore the vvill to beleeue and repent , presupposeth the povver and gift of faith , and repentance in the heart . thirdly a man may come to bee assured of his iustification by certaine vnfallible tokens and 〈◊〉 of it : some whereof i will here set down . the first is a ioy most vnspeakable and glorious , wherewith our hearts must needs be rauished , when we see ●ur selues by the righteousnesse of christ of the free grace of god ▪ redeemed from death , deliuered from hell , and freed f●om the fearef●ll condemnation of the wicked . the second is the peace of conscience . while sin and the guilt of sin remained , there was no peace nor quietnes to be found , but feare within ▪ terrours without , and troubles on euerie side . but when our sins are once nayled to the crosse of christ , and forgiuen vs , then the windes are layed , the waues are setled ▪ the sea is calmed , the soule is quieted , and imparked within the pales of peace . thirdly ( that no man may thinke fleshly sottishnes , and the stupour of the spirit to be found securitie & true tranquillity ; being indeed but like a ca●me be●ore some violent , no o●●●agious temp●st ) wee may know that our peace is good , and that 〈…〉 f●●●●on is past with god , ●f w● 〈◊〉 a promptitude and 〈…〉 to d●e that which is good . 〈…〉 a man doth finde 〈…〉 for the forgiuenes of si●nes , 〈◊〉 loue of god constraineth 〈◊〉 , 〈◊〉 ●●y : which hee conceiueth ▪ 〈…〉 him , and putteth life into h●m for 〈◊〉 pe●●o●mance of those things , whic● are pleasing vnto god. his vnderstanding , is inlightned ▪ his iudgement is refo●●ed , his affections are b●●●r●d , his ioies are in heauen , his desire are to christ-ward ▪ his walke is t● canaan , his course to ierusalem , 〈◊〉 his anger is consumed vpon his own● corruption . for we must know 〈◊〉 when god doth in p●te ri●hteousne● vnto a man to preuent his d●m●●tio● by sin , then hee doth also inf●se righteousnes into him to ●inder the ●●●●nation of sin . therefore paul ioyne● both together , when hee saith that christ is made vnto vs righteousness● 〈…〉 and redemption : and when hee t●ls his corinths , that they are v●●sh 〈…〉 and iustified so then he that ci●cumciseth the fore skin of his heart by true repentance , he that wa●●eth against all his lusts , & truely st●●●h to serue the lord in all his p●ec●p●s ▪ he may know for certain● that god ha●h cut the cords of his sinnes , and hath cast them all behind● him but ●●●●e are manie circumcised to 〈◊〉 not to the lord : they are the cir●u●●●sion of the king and of the queene they leaue ma●y grosse sins p●●●shable by imprisonment , but for others as great , but not p●nal , they passe ouer . these men must know what so long as they addict themselues to their knowne enormities without repentance , they are out of the kingdome of christ & are not clothed with the robes of his righteousnes , but co●●red with the rotten rags of their owne wickednes for those , that are in christ , vvalke not after the flesh , but after the spirit . they , th●t a●e ●is , haue crucified the flesh vv●th the affections , & the lusts . but to liue in sin , is to take sin downe from the crosse , and to put life and spirit into it . finally , as s. iohn teacheth , we know that we are translated from death to life ( which is in our iustification ) because vve loue the brethren . for it is impossible for him rightly to loue a righteous man in christ , who is not as yet himselfe made righteous by christ . but when a man is once ●●s●ified by god , he will then begin to loue a iust man for god. loue lo●es his like . one iust man will loue another . martin luther faith that a man may try and know whether h● be incorporated into christ , or not , by this , that as hee feeleth his heart cheered and sweetned by the feeling of gods promises and fauour written in his hart , so such a man ( as no man is but he , that is iustified ) ha●h forthwith regard of his neighbour , and helpeth him as his brother , careth for him , lendeth him , giueth him , comforteth & coun●elleth him ; yea and briefly , hee is greeued if there bee none , towards whom he may be se●uice●ble : hee is patient , tractab●e , and truly friendeth all men : he doth not esteeme the tēporall pleasure and pride of this life , he iudgeth no man , hee defameth no man , he interpreteth all things to the best part . finally , when as he seeth not the matter go well with his neighbour as that he fainteth in faith , waxeth cold in loue , he prayeth for him , he reproueth him according to his calling : hee is sorely greeued if any man commit any thing against god or his neighbour . and all this proceedeth from the roote and iuice of gods grace , for that the bountifulnes , loue and goodnes of christ , hath sprinckled and replenished his heart with sweetenes and loue , that it is a pleasure and ioy for him to do good to his neighbour , and is greeued for his sins , as samuel for saul . by these and such like workes of grace , a man may come to a certaine knowledge of his iustification . which how well worthy it is of our knowledge , they can best tell , which feele . the comfort of it most . and let no mā thinke it imp●ssible to bee discerned by man , because it is performed by god without man. for though it be acted by god in heauen , yet it produceth many notable graces in man vpon the earth , by which it may be perceiued as a vine by her grapes , or as a lamp by her light . neither let vs be induced to thinke that iustification is a changeable or reuokable act of god , and that a iustified man may fall from grace and perish , and that therefore there can bee no certaintie made of the continuance of it . for nothing can separate vs from the loue of god , wherewith hee loueth vs in iesus christ our lord. who hath redemed vs with his blood . hee ( saith aug. ) who hath bought vs for so great a price , will not that they should perish , whom hee hath bought . master tyndall saith thus . christ is thine , and all his deeds are thy deeds : christ is in thee , and thou in him : neither canst thou be dāned , except christ be damned with thee . wee conclude therefore according to the trueth ▪ that as iustification is irreuocable , so it is discerneable . let him doubt ( sath m. philpot ) of his faith , that listeth : god giue we alwaies grace to beleeue that i am sure of true faith , and fauour in christ . and so much concerning iustification , the second meane ordeined for the execution and demonstration of ●●ds eternall election . ●rga dei bonitas veniam nō dimidiabi● , aut nihil , aut totum , to lachrymāte dabis . chap. vi. what sanctification is . all the causes of it are expressed . four effects of it . the subiects , termes and time of it . nine properties thereof . ten tokens of it . the third thing , wherein the apostle placeth the execution of the decre of election , is glorification . whom he hath foreknowne , predestinated , effectually called and iustified , them ●e hath also glorified . glorification is the communication or free donation of true holinesse and happinesse to them , that are elected , called and iustified . for glorie comprehendeth in it both holines & happinesse . holines is one degree of happinesse , and happines is the highest degree of holinesse . no man is holy , but the same is happy : and no mā can be happy , but he must bee holie grace is the inchoation of glorie , and glorie is the consummation of grace he that sits in the throne of grace , is truely intituled to the crowne of glorie : and it is one point of glorie to be a man of grace a gracious man may be rightly stiled a glorious man. glorification then comprehendeth in it two things , sanctification in this world , and the collation of eternall happinesse in the world to come . of both these we will intreat in order . sanctification or regeneration is a benefit of god , whereby our corrupt nature is renewed to the image of god by the holy ghost , polan . part. the lib. 1. or sanctification is an inward change of a man iustified wherby the image of god is restored in him . hippocrates saith of phisick that it is an adiection , and a subraction ; & adiection of things wanting , and a subtraction of things redounding in the bodies of men . euen so sanctification is a remouing of the corrupt humors of our soules , and an adiection or infusion of spirituall graces , which are wanting . it was excellently said by one . the wise men ( saith he ) which were expert in nature , could say that in euerie generation there is a corruption . and we see that the seede sowen is much changed before it grow vp , and beare fruit . then needfull it is that in regeneration there be a corruption of sin , so that as the seed in the ground , so sinne in our mortall bodies may decay , that the new man may be raised vp , the spirit of god taking possession of our soules . now this transformation of a man is very requisit to saluation . for without holines no man shall see god. if wee will not liue to god by grace vpon the earth , wee shall not liue in glorie with him in the heauens . if wee will not die to sin in this world , wee shall not escape death , the wages of sin , in the world to come . if we doe not liue to god in holinesse in this life , wee shall not liue in happines with god in the life to come . it is not onely necessary in him that is to be saued , that sinne be abolished by remission , but that it bee likewise mortified by regeneration . neither is it onely requisit that a man stand righteous by the imputation of righteousnesse , but that a man also be righteous by the infusion of righteousnes . sanctification is not deriued to vs from our parents . for parents must be considered two waies . first as they are man , the children of adam . secondly as they are holy men , sonnes of the second adam : and thus they doe not beget their children , though their holinesse bee a meanes to make them to be reputed holy with men , and accounted the children of the church . but they produce their children as they are men , and corrupted in their father adam , and so conuey nature corrupted in adam to them , although they be regenerated . take wheat , make it as clean as you can , sowe it and it will come vp , not as it was sowen , but in stalk , blade and eare , and it brings vp as much chaffe , as euer it did , though none vvere sowen with it . euen so parents though sanctified by grace , do bring forth childrē , that are vnholie . but the fountaine and proper efficient of our sanctification and holines is almightie god , whose workemanship we are , created in christ iesus vnto good workes , and who ( in mercie ) hath translated vs out of the kingdome of darknes into the kingdome of his beloued sonne , in whom he hath quickned vs through his loue , and hath lifted him vp with his right hand to giue repentance vnto israel . and albeit our sanctification be the worke of the whole trinitie , yet it is immediately performed by the holy ghost : therefore by a peculiar epithet hee is called holy , and we are said to be borne of the spirit , who is also compared vnto seede , and vnto fire and vvater . vnto seede , because of his vertue , as it vvere of seede , the faithfull are renevved , and created nevv men , that beeing dead to sin they might liue vnto god. vnto fire , first because he doth eat out the drosse of sin , and consume our lusts , and so refine vs : secondly because he doth enlightē our mindes , and shine like a lamp , & shew vs the way , wherein wee ought to walke : and lastly because he doth set vs on heat , and inflame vs vvith a zeale of gods glorie , vvith a care of our duetie , and vvith a loue of all mankinde . and vnto water , because he doth refresh vs , & extinguish our spiritual thrist , and because he doth vvater vs being destitute of all the iuice of life , and make vs fertill , and ( finally ) because he doth wash avvay the filth of our hearts , and is povvred out like vvater vpon beleeuers . in like maner also he is compared to the northerne and southerne windes , to the northerne , because he doth pinch & dry the luxurious humours of our hearts , and coole the vnnaturall heate and swelling pride of our soules , and kil those wormes of wickednes , which ly ( as it were ) at the very roote of our hearts . and to the southerne , because hee doth comfort vs with his warme blasts , and moisten vs with his sweete showers , and dissolue our frost bitten affections , & make vs to sprout vp and looke fresh like flowers . the meritorious cause of sanctification is iesus christ , who by his death and obedience hath merited for vs , th●t the holy ghost should bee giuen vs to refine and purge vs. and therefore he is said to be made of god vnto vs sanctification . as by adam our nature is corrupted : euen so by christ it is restored . the ministers of the word are gods liuely organs , which he vseth to draw men out of the territories and regimēt of the diue● into the kingdome o● his sonne ▪ paul is said to be sent to conuert the gentiles from darkenes vnto light : & to the corinths he saith , in christ iesus i haue begotten you by the gospell . the instruments , which he vseth to this purpose are the word and sacraments . gods word is compared to fire and to an hammer . for through his blessing it doth breake our marble hearts , and burne vp our sin like stubble , and kindles in vs a zeale of his glorie , & a true loue of righteousnes . and by the foolishnes of preaching it is his pleasure to saue them , that beleeue . and as concerning the sacraments , they represent and seale vnto vs our insition into christ , our new birth , and our progresse and spirituall nutrition vnto eternall life . the matter of sanctification , are the parts whereof it doth consist . the parts or actes of sanctification are two ; the remotion of euill , or mortification , and the substitution of good , or vi●ification . mortification is a part of sanctification , whereby the power , strength , and tyrannie of originall sinne is weakned , and also by little and little abolished . the ground wherof is the power of christs god-head , or the efficacie of his death , which being by faith applyed , is as a corafine to consume the corruption of our nature . viuification is the second part of our regeneration , when as wee are raised vp to a new spirituall life , that we might liue vnto righteousnes . or it is a work of the spirit , by which true christian habits , virtues , and dispositions are infused & encreased in vs. and this substitution of good , or quickening is , where christ dwels and raignes in our hearts by his spirit : so as we can say , we hencefoorth liue not , but christ in vs. the ground of this , is the vertue of christs resurrection , or the power of his god-head raising vp his man head , & releasing him of the punishment and tyrannie of our sinnes : which vertue and power is as a restoratiue to restore and quicken vs , that we might liue vnto god in holinesse and newnesse of life . mortification then is of the old● man , which is the vitiositie and distemper of our nature deriued from adam the first . viuificatiō is of the new man , which is the nature of man refined and restored to the image of god : and this is deriued from adam the second , in whom are hid all the tre●sures of wis●●● ▪ knowledge and holinesse . the forme of sanctification is the very translation and alteration of the heart and life : or a spirituall reduction and conuersion of a man by god from the vncleannes of sinne , to true puritie and christian sanctitie . the endes of our sanctification are the glorie of god , the saluation of our soules , the edification of our brethren , the beautifying of our honorable prosession and calling , the silencing of athiests and prophane mockgods , the alluring of others vnto god & godlines , & that we might bee something like god our father ▪ and christ our elder brother , and gather assurance to our soules that we● are in the state of life . the effects of sanctification are first the true loue of god , our selues , and our neighbours . secondly , a serious desire to doe all good duties , and to auoyd all the courses of sinne and wickednes . thirdly it makes him , that is sanctified , to couet and labour for the renouation and conuersion of others . finally , it is the roote of all those good fruites wee bring foorth and beare . for if the fountaine bee altogether corrupt and foule , the waters must needs be also naught and fithy . for who can bring a cleane thing out of filthinesse ? there is not one . but when a man is once truely sanctified , though not fully , the good workes he doth , are then truely holy , though not fully . the subiects of sanctification , or or the persons sanctified , are such as are elected , called and iustified : and therfore the apostle saith , that whom god predestinated , called and iustified , he did also glorifie . these and none but these are truely sanctified . for god sanctifies those only , whom he maketh to be temples of his spirit : but all men are not such : yea , there are a number in the world , that sit in perpetuall darknesse , and worship the very deuill . indeed a reprobate may seeme holy , but he is not holy , but is like a faire apple rotten in the heart : or to a wound that hath a skin drawen ouer it , but yet festers inwardly . and they may liue amongst gods holy one ( as frogs and fishes in one pond ) but they are not of them , but indeed pertaine to another state . and finally , christ is sanctification to those onely , to whom hee is wisedome , righteousnesse , and redemption : which he is not vnto all , but vnto his owne people onely . now why christ doth not communicate holinesse vnto all , as adam did corruption , the reason is , because the maner , by vvhich adam doth communicate his euils vnto all and euery one , is naturall , to wit , generation , and humane nature : but the maner by which christ doth communicate his benefits , is supernaturall : to wit , faith , and the grace of god , whereof all men are not pertakers : for it dependeth on gods election . therefore whosoeuer haue humane nature , the same are sinners . but they onely are renewed , who are possessed of faith . furthermore , those which are sanctified , must be considered in a twofold estate : first , as they are in themselues till god doe worke vpon them , and that is , lothsome and vgly , dead in sinnes and trespasses . euen when we were dead in sins , hath hee quickned vs together in christ . secondly , as they are made by grace , & that is a royall priesthood , an holy nation , and the temples of god , and of his spirit . finally , these things are worthy to be knowen concerning the regenerate . first , their countrey , which is heauen : secondly , their parents , to wit , the holy ghost and the church : thirdly , their essentiall parts , these are an intelligent soule and an organicall body : fourthly their food , which is the word of god : fiftly , their disposition or condition , & that in the minde is a diuine light , and reformation in heart : sixtly their war-fare or indeuours , which is the flight of the pleasures of the flesh , and of fleshly vanities : seauenthly their religion , and that is true godlinesse , and faith in christ : lastly their consummation , which is eternall life . the obiects , or two termes of sanctification , are corruption and sinne to bee diminished and extirped : and christian holinesse to bee planted , inpired and augmented . the subiect in vvhich this sanctification is wrought , is the vvhole man according to both soule and body , yea , and life also . yet here by this way we must obserue that sanctification doth not alter the ve●y substance of a man , but onely his corupt and sinfull qualities . it rectifieth , but abolisheth not affections . it corrects and moderates mirth , and sorow , and such humane passions , but takes them not quit away , it tunes the iarring strings of a mans heart , but it breakes them not in peeces . euen as the fall of man did not abolish a mans essence , but corrupt his faculties , euen so the raising vp , and the renouation of a man doth not a●ter his very substance , but doth onely change his corrupted qualities and powers . now the sanctification of the soule consist first in the alteration of the minde , whreby ignorance is by little and little abolished , and the mind inlightened to know the true god and his mercie in christ , and to know a mans selfe and to see his secret corruptions againg the ●aw , and to know how to behaue himselfe vnto god and man : a● also to approoue the things of god , and to minde and meditate on things spirituall and celestiall . secondly it consists in the renouation of the will. which is when god giues grace truely to will good : as to beleeue , fear , and obey god. but yet this will is weake and not without resistance and contention made by the flesh , thirdly , it consistes in the sanctification of the memorie , which is an openesse by grace to keepe good things , specially the doctrine of saluation . fourthly , it stands in the regeneration of the conscience , as when it is fitted to giue true testimony to a mans heart of the remission of his sinnes , and of his care to serue god. fiftly , it consists in a spirituall transformation of the affections , as loue , ioy , sadnes , anger , feare and such like , whereby a man that is iustified , doth so temper them by his reason refined , and by the light of the law , with the helpe of gods spirite , that they doe not breake out ( as in the wicked , that giue the reignes to their lusts ) but may bee held in some good order ; howbeit in this life , this is done with much strife & reluctation , and is rather affected then effected . sixtly , it consists in the sanctificatiō of the appetite or desires , by which a man iustified obtaineth conformitie with good reason and gods law in the desiring of meat , and in other things which appertaine to the appetite : or the sanctification of the appetite stands in the holy ordering of our desires in meat , drinke , apparell , riches , & . and in the practise of three main vertues : sobrietie , chastitie and contentation : by which the appetite must be gouerned . sobrietie , is a continence from superfluous meat and drinke ▪ and from a wilfull macerating and afflicting of the body . chastitie is a continencie from wandering lusts , and from all impuritie , both in wedlock , and out of it . contentation is when a man is contented with his present estate ▪ whether rich or poore , noble or inglorious . paul saith , i haue learned in whatsoeuer state i am , therewith to be content . i can bee abashed , and i can abound : euery where in all things i am instructed , both to be full , and to be hungrie , and to abound , and to haue want . lastly , the sactification of the soule consists in a christian resolution , and constant indeauour with al our forces to please god , and to testifie our loue vnto him in the seruing of our neighbour ▪ and seeking our owne saluation : and withall flatly denying of our selues : which is , first , when we hold god to be wiser then vve are , that so wee should bee both directed , and disposed of by him . secondly , when vvee account him more carefull for vs , then we our selues can be , and so rest vvell satisfied vvith vvhat condition of life soeuer he sets vs in . the sanctification of the body is that , wherby the members thereof are made fit instruments for the soule regenerated to worke the workes of god with ; it being become obedient to the minde illumined and the heart reformed , through the worke of the spirit , who now hath made it the temple of his holinesse , whereas before it was a slaue to the flesh , and a shop of iniquitie and vncleannesse . the sanctification of the life is a visible reformation of it , when as it is dedicated to god and good duties , those sinnes being abandoned , which reigned in it in former times . and so much for the subiects of sanctification● where remember that this worke of the spirit is wrought in the whole man : and that it belongs onely to the faithfull and elect of god. ciuill moralities , outward formalities , and such graces , as doe onely bridle and represse sinne , may befall the reprobate : but christian vertues , and such graces , as doe supplant and suppresse sinne in our soules , such works of the spirit ▪ as doe reuiue and restore gods image , are appropriated to beleeuers . the time wherein sanctification is wrought , is in this life ; in some sooner , in others later , but in none after this life , if wee respect the beginning of it , and not the finishing . for it is begunne euer before death , and neuer after . he that would be saued in the life to come , must bee sanctified in this life . none liue like victorious princes in the church triumphant , but such as haue bene courageous soldiours in the church militant . the properties of sanctification are many . first , it is a most gracious and free worke of the lord , without all obligation or merit of ours . for the spirit of god bloweth with his blasts of grace both when , how and where he listeth . and the apostle teacheth vs that our quickning and saluation , is through the great loue and grace of god. it is not giuen vs ( saith augustine ) for any merit ( to wit of ours ) that we are borne againe of vvater and of the spirit : but it is freelie giuen : and if faith haue brought vs to the lauer of regeneration , we must not therfore think that we gaue somthing before , that sauing regeneration might be giuē as in the vvay of recōpence . secondly , this new birth is so needfull , as that without it we cannot bee saued . the kingdome of grace is the suburbs of the kingdome of glorie : he therefore , that walkes not through the suburbs , shall neuer enter into the citie : a man must be in the kingdom of grace , or else he shall neuer be admitted into the kingdome of glorie : no grace , no glory : no holinesse , no happinesse , no heauen , no heauenly honour . except a man bee borne againe , hee cannot see the kingdome of god , neither in this world nor in the world to come . there are ( saith augustine ) certaine beginnings of faith , like vnto conceptions : but yet , that a man may come to eternall life , it is not onely needfull that he be conceiued , but that he bee also borne . thirdly , sanctification is an vnresistable act of the spirit . for when the holy ghost doth seriously intend to sanctifie a man , hee doth so worke vpon him , that hee shall willingly yeeld , how vnwillingly so euer his will be by nature . on vvhom god shevveth mercie ( saith that learned father ) he doth so call him , as hee knovveth conuenient for him , that hee may not reiect him , vvhich calleth to him . the same may be said concerning sanctificatiō . fourthly , our regeneration is but once begun , howsoeuer our holinesse sometimes increaseth , and sometimes decreaseth . the scripture speaketh but of one new birth . as there is ( saith austen ) one fleshlie generation , neither can there be made a returne into the vvombe : so is there one spirituall regeneration . semel enim nascimur , semel quoque renascimur , we are once borne , and we are once born anew . we are but once brought forth by our naturall mother , once begotten by our naturall father : so wee are but once begotten of our heauēly father , and but once brought foorth and borne of our spirituall mother , which is the church . fiftly , sanctification is an infallible argument of eternall saluation . grace is the testification of glorie : and glory is the promised compensation of grace . godlinesse hath the promise of this life , and of that vvhich is to come . when vve haue receiued mortification and sanctification is hansels of gods mercies , thē may vvee hope for heauen : for they that haue receiued grace , shall also receiue glorie . and as we haue behaued our selues in the kingdom of grace in this world , so it shal be done vnto vs in the kingdom of glorie in the world to come . holinesse is a signe of honor : and the more we haue of holinesse , the more wee shall haue of honour . sixtly , sanctificatiō is a very excellent & commodious worke of god. first because it is wrought by his own finger , & by his own hand engrauen vpon the tables of our harts . secondly that it is a reformation and change according to the vvhole law of god , and containes in it the seeds of all good duties . thirdly , because without it our life is most vile and despicable , wholly corrupt and sinfull . for ( as augustine saith ) hovv can hee liue iustly , that is not iustified ? hovv can he liue holily , vvho is not sanctified ? or hovv can hee liue at all , who is not raised vp to life ? seauently , sanctification is in this life imperfect . sinne is not all at once consumed : but the scum thereof is almost continually boiling and walloping in vs , foming out much filthy froth and stinking sauours . if vve say ( saith iohn ) that vve haue no sinne , vvee deceiue our selues , and trueth is not in vs. there is none so holie ( saith gregorie ) vvhich hath not in him some corruption which hee may lament . no man ( saith lactantius ) can be vvithout sinne so long as he is burthened with the garment of his flesh . death must end the conflict betwixt the flesh and the spirit . so long as we liue sinne will not die . i●ie will liue , till the oke bee hewen downe . before there be an vniuersal clensing , there must bee a dissolution of nature . the body must first rot before grace shall raigne without disturbance . it is true indeed , that the corruption of our nature is abolished in baptisme in respect of guilt and condemnation , but not in regard of existence . concupiscence ( saith ambrose ) is taken avvay in baptisme ( non vt non sit , sed ne obsit ) not as touching the being of it , but in that it shall bee no impediment of saluation to them , that are baptised with water and the holy ghost . for it is to such no prince , but a rebell only : it neither shall damne them , nor dominere within them . but as a serpent cut in diuerse peeces hath but certaine reliques of poison , and remnants of fiercenes in the maimed members & mangled parts thereof , and is not able to exercise the like violence to a man , as when it was whole and perfitlie membred : so howsoeuer s●me relicks of sinnes remaine in our old , but in our martired adam , yet it hath no such force or fiercenesse to preuaile against vs , at vvhen it vvas in perfit age , beeing then like to a mightie monarch , rather then to a poore prisoner . and although those that are regenerated may bee termed iust and perfit , yet it is onely in comparison of the wicked , who are in bondage vnder sinne , & respect of imputatiue righteousnesse : and for that they are perfect because ( like infants ) they haue all the parts of a christian ▪ and not the perfection of those parts . all the seeds of sauing graces are sowen in their harts , but they haue not the ●ull groath of them in this life . no man is so vvashed , but he may haue dusty feete , trauelling after his washing . and as ans●lme speaketh , the bodie of sin is destroyed , not that in bred con●upiscence should be on the suddaine consumed and quite extirped i● the very flesh , that liueth : but that it may be no let to him , that is dead , in whom it was , vvhen he vvas aliue . it is destroied not from hauing a beeing vvhiles vve are aliue , but that vve should not be compeld to serue it . sin shall be , but it shall not be to raigne , but rather that the regenerate man may vex and afflict it like a most odious enemy , and cut off ( as it were ) the hands and the feet thereof , ( as adonibezeks were by the israelites ) till at length it be cleane defaced . the trueth of that which hath beene spoken , will euidently bee seene by this comparison . take a vessell full of vvater : let a portion be taken out , and an equall portion of hot vvater be put in , it becomes luke-vvarme all of it , partly hot , and partly cold : euen so euerie man is a vessel of vvater filled vvith corruption to the bri●● : if a part of his corruption be taken avvay , and a proportionall part of holinesse put instead of it , the vvhole man becomes partly holie , partly vnholie . and albeit holinesse and sin be contrary , yet may they be both in one subiect as light and darknes in the aire at the twilight , beeing there remis●y & neither of them predominant or absolute victour , but remaining in continuall combat . now the reasons , why the lord doth not finish mans sanctification in this life , may be these . first , that we might seeke after perfection more earnestly , and couet it more ardently . secondly that despising this world , we might the more affect our heauenly life , as knowing that our perfect sanctification shall not bee wrought till wee come into heauen . thirdly that we might be humbled and exercised in faith , patience , prayers , and skirmi●hing with the flesh , & might not wax proud with a conceipt of perfectiō , but daily pray , enter not into iudgement vvith thy seruant , o lord , forgiue vs our trespasses . caluin saith , that our reparation is not finished all at once , but that god doth abolish the corruption of the flesh by degrees i● his elect , that they may exercise themselues in repentance all their life , and know that of this vvarfare there is no end , but i● death . fourthly the lord thus doth tha● we might exercise and take notice o● our spirituall wisedome and christian fortitude and magnanimity , in defeating the wiles of sin and the plots of the diuell , and in contending ( like couragious kings ) against all our spirituall aduersaries , and finally in disdaining to giue place to the flesh , that abominable and filthy wretch . fifthly , the lord doth hereby demonstrate his liberty and absolute authoritie ouer vs , that he is not bound vnto vs by any bond of duetie to perfit his graces in vs in this life . for then it should be iniustice in him not to do it . but god is righteous in all his waies , and holy in all his vvorkes , and can not offer the least iniustice . sixthly god thus doth to manifest his mercie to vs , & to teach vs thankfulnesse to him , who pardoneth our weake obedience , and accepteth of our poore holinesse & imperfect perfection . there are with god two courts of iustice . the first is the kings bench , where there is strict iustice : the other is the chancerie , where there is a mitigation of that strict course of iustice . in the first court there is none found iust : in the second court of acceptation some are accepted for iust men . in this court god accepteth our vnperfit holines , our poore indeauours , our weake resolutions , our imperfect desires , motions and meditations , if they be faithfull , and entire , and directed to the right ends ; and for his christ doth pardon all their defects . which argueth mercie on his part , & claimeth gratitude on ours . lastly the lord thus doth to demonstrate his prouidence and power in protecting and conseruing vs against so many puislant & pernicious enemies , as we are begirt with ; notwithstanding our great vnworthines , weaknesses and imperfections . and so much for the seuenth property of sanctification . eightly , this worke of the spirit is neuer cleane extinguished . the gifts of god are without repentance . the graces of god are not in his children as morning mists , but as well builded tovvers to continue all assaults . as he hath begū the worke of sanctification , so he will make an end of it . for what should hinder ? his good will is constant , & his might is ouer all . sin , sathan and all the enemies of our soules whatsoeuer are with him as chaffe before a whirlewinde ▪ or as flax before a flame of fire . his eie is waking and allseing , his wisedome is infinite , his essence euery where , and his mercie endureth for euer . what then can , what shall hinder his worke ? he hath ioyned vs to christ , who shall disioyne vs ? he hath wedded vs vnto himse●fe , what can diuorce vs ? he is with vs , who can be against vs ? christ is our king , and we are his subiects , we neede not therefore doubt of his fauour and protection . he is our architect , hee hath built vs vpon a rocke , and hath said that hell gates shall not preuaile against vs. wee are the temples of gods spirit , who is no idle , nor regard lesse inhabitant . our holinesse ( i confesse ) may suffer an eclipse and be diminished , but it shall neuer be fully wasted and abolished . for god will confirme vs by his grace . he ( saith augustine ) who makes men good , doth make men to perseuere in good . and therefore out state by christ is surer then our condition was in adam . for though he was made perfectly good , yet he had not the grace of perseuerance in that good . but to vs it is giuen to perseuere . beleeuers are of the bone & flesh of christ : novv there is no part of the bone and flesh of christ that dieth . they that are sanctified , are reserued vnto christ , and therefore they shall not fall away from christ . they beleeue in christ : but faith ( as chrisostome saith ) is petra fixa & infracta ) a rock fixed and inuiolable . it will shine ( like a starre ) in the night of aduersitie , and sauours most ( like camomell ) when it is troden vppon . hope is the anchor of the soule ▪ it wil endure both windes and waues . and loue is strong as death . charitie ( saith austen ) vvhich may be left , vvas neuer true . whosoeuer is borne of god sinneth not , neither can he sin , because he is borne of god. if a sanctified man cannot sin with a full swinge of the will , and if hee cannot liue long in sin without repentance , then assured he cannot fall from grace and perish . it is our fathers good pleasure to giue vs the kingdome of heauen , and therefore we shall not misse it . it remaineth thē as an vndoubted trueth that the work of sanctification shall neuer be demolished , and that a sanctified man shall neuer perish . master bradford saith well , our blindnes and corrupt affections doe often shadovv the sight of gods seede in gods children , as thogh they were plain reprobates : whereof it commeth that they praying according to their sense , but not according to the truth , desire of god to giue them againe his spirit , as though they had lost it , and he had taken it away : which thing god neuer doth indeede , although he make vs to thinke so for a time . and so much for this eight property . ninthly , sanctification may be discerned . the childe of god may be sure of his new birth . the apostle saith , know ye not that ye are the temple of god , and that the spirit of god dwelleth in you ? know ye not that your bodie is the temple of the holy ghost that is in you ? know ye not your owne selues , how that iesus christ is in you , except ye be reprobates ? it is possible then that these may be knowne . know for a certaine ( saith master bradford ) that as the diuel goeth about nothing so much as to bring you in doubt whether you be gods child : so vvhatsoeuer sh●ll moue you to admit that dubitation , bee assured the same to come of the diuell . this assurance of our sanctifi●ation may be obtained ▪ not onely by the inward suggestion of the holy ghost assuring our spirits of the same , but also by certaine vndoubted testimonies and tokens of it : some whereof : will here annex . first , he that committeth sin is of the diuel : but vvhosoeuer is borne of god sinneth not . wherefore if we doe not commit sin with full consent of will : if when we doe sin , we doe not continue in it , but recouer our selues by true repentance , as peter did , then may we know that we are not the diuels slaue but gods childe . secondly , vvhosoeuer beleeueth that iesus is that christ , is borne of god. it is then a certaine token of a mans regeneration to beleeue distinctly that iesus the sonne of marie is that anointe● king , priest and prophet , which god hath raised vp for the saluation of hi● soule , and of the rest of gods elect. thirdly , euerie one vvhich ●ouet● him vvhich did beget , loueth him also vvhich is b●gotten of him . whosoeuer therefore doth truely loue the childe of god for his fathers sake doth loue god himselfe : and euerie one that loueth , is borne of god , and knoweth god. fourthly , all that is borne of god , ouercommeth this world , that is , saith m. beza , whatsoeuer striueth against the commandements of god. wherefore if a man vanquish the vanities , the vaine allu●ements , and allur●ing enchan●ments and wicked obstacles of the world , and keepe a constant course in pittie , he is vndoubtedly the true childe of god , and a verie saint . fiftly , he that is begotten of god , keepeth himselfe , and that wicked one toucheth him not . when a man then doth keep continuall watch and ward ouer his heart , and is circumspect in his walking , & begi●ds himselfe with the armour of god , and is fearefull to offend him , he doth giue an vndoubted testimonie of sauing grace within him . sixtly , when a man will rather forsake the world , then god , hee doth plainely shew that hee is not of the world , but belongs to god , and to his kingdome . seuenthly , to grieue for sin because it offends god , and hurts his owne soule , is a notable signe of a mortified heart . eightly , a sanctified man doth manifest the grace of his heart by sanctifying the name of god , and by conuersing with sanctified men , as also by seeking the sanctification of others . for ( bonum est sui diffusiuum ) a good man doth loue to communicate his goodnes , and not to keepe it lockt vp in his owne breast . ninthly , it is an infallible signe of holinesse , when a man doth more and more ●ontend against his owne vnholinesse , and labours continually to draw nearer and nearer vnto god by holynesse . lastly , to feele our inward corruptions , a desi●e to be●●b●● 〈◊〉 ●hem , an auoiding of the occasions o● sinne , and an anger against ourselues for our sinning doe euidently shew that the spirit of god hath taken possession of our hearts , and hath begun to worke a most happy change w●thin vs. where these graces are , there i● also the god of grace , the spirit of grace , a man of grace , a true dying vnto sin , and a liuing vnto god , sinne is dismounted , the sinner is renewed : for gods image is restored . chap. 7. three things vvherein iustification and sanctification agree . seuen points in vvhich they dissagree . by this which hath beene said we may easily see wherein iustification & sanctification concord and differ . they agree , first , in their efficient cause : for god is the author of them both through the merit of christ . secondly they haue one instrumētall cause , vvhich is faith● of the former , by receiuing it : and of the latter by effecting it . thirdly they agree in their scope and end . for they both 〈◊〉 tend to one end : 〈◊〉 iustification , as the cause : and sanctification , as the way . now as they doe accord in some things , so they discord againe in other : & their difference may appeare in these things ensuing . first , in that iustification is out of a man ; sanctification is within him . secondly , iustification absolueth a sinner , and makes him stand righteous at the barre of gods iudgement ; sanctification cannot do this . thirdly iustification brings peace of conscience ; so doth not sanctification , but followeth that peace . hac ille . fourthly , iustification consists in the imputation of righteousnes ; sanctification in the infusion of righteousnes . fiftly iustification is acted at once , sanctification is done by degrees : holinesse is not made vp at once like a pellet in a mould , but successiuelie , & at leisure . wee are neither perfect men , nor perfect new men in our full dimensions , so soone as we are borne . our perfection in this life consisteth rather in the pardon of sin , then in the perfection of sanctity . but iustification in this life is perfect . sixtly they differ in respect of the maner in which they are wrought . for iustification is wrought by the right of donation : but sanctification is by the way of alteration . lastly they differ in regard of durance . for iustification shall haue an end with this life ; but sanctification shall continue for euer . and thus much for sanctification , the first part of our glorification . chap. viii . what eternall life is . the causes of it . three effects of it . who shall liue this life , where and when . seuen properties of it . two signes thereof are expressed , and the tractate is concluded . the second part o● degree of glorification actiuely taken , is the collation of eternall happines in the world to come . this happinesse is that glorious estate of gods saints , which is prepared for them in the heauens : and it is called eternall life . eternall life ( as vrsinus doth describe it ) is the eternall being of a regenerate and glorified man : vvhich being is to haue the image of god restored , according to which , man vvas at the first created , that is , to bee indued vvith perfect righteousnesse , wisdome , and felicitie , or vvith the true knovvledge and loue of god ●●●ed vvith eternall ioy . or m●re ●●●fly ▪ it is a perfect conformitie of man with god , consisting in ●●e true and perfect knowledge and loue of god , and in the glorie of both soule and bodie . the primarie efficient cause of this glorious condition is god of hi● ●●●re fauour , without any merit of ours ▪ for as christ teacheth it is our fathers good pleasure to giue vs the kingdome . we are saued ( saith p●●●● , ) by grace ▪ not according to the vvorkes of righteousnesse vvhich vve had done , but according to his mercie he saued vs. the meritori●us ▪ efficient of our life and happinesse is christ alone , without any personall desert of ours . therefore he is called the life . and the apostle doth expresse it notably , when he saith that the wages of sinne is death , but euerlasting life is the gracious gift ( charisma ) of god through iesus christ our lord. bernard saith : no man can deserue eternall life by his merits . eternall life ( saith haymo ) is paied to none of debt , but is giuen of free mercie . when a● ( saith anselme ) the apostle might haue said , euerlasting life is the vvages , he chose to say , but euerlasting life is the gift of god , that vve might hereby perceiue that god doth bring vs to eternall life , not for our merits , but for his ovvne mercie . we must therefore ascribe all to the mercie of god , and to the merit of our sauiour . let vs not ( saith gregorie ) trust in our vveepings , nor in our vvorks , but in the allegation ( or intercession and pleading ) of our aduocate . and again , not relying vpon my merits , i doe beseech thee to saue me , but presuming vpon thy sole mercie i hope to obtaine that , which i do not by my merits . and albeit eternall life be called a revvard , yet it is not of merit , but of mercie , not causallie as procured by them , but consequentlie , following thē as a recompence of our labours . let this ( saith caluin ) be grounded in our heart , that the kingdome of heauen is not a stipend of seruants , but an inheritance of sonnes : which they onelie shal obtain which are adopted of god to be sons , & for no other cause then for this adoption , which depends only of the mercie of god in christ . the instrumental cause offe●ing and proclaiming saluation is the gospel . the instrument receiuing and applying it is faith . the cause sealing it inwardly to our soules is the spirit of god. the externall and instrumentall seales thereof are the two sacraments . thus we see the efficients of our eternall life , and are taught to say with ber. that good workes are the waie to the kingdom , but not the cause of reigning . the matter whereof this life consisteth , are those admirable good things , which god hath prepared , and which christ hath purchased for the elect , which for any wit of man to conceiue , for any tongue to relate , or for any pen to set downe is altogether impossible . what tongue can tell ( saith gregorie ) and what vnderstanding can comprehend how great the ioies may be of that celestiall citie ? it is not in man to vnderstand ( saith s. basil ) : for there shall be things , which eie hath not scene , nor care heard of , neither hath it entred into the heart of man , what things god ha●h prepared for them that loue him . ) neuerthelesse we will set downe some of them , as wee finde them reuealed and deliuered to vs. in that life the●e shall be no earthly or sinfull miserie . there shall be no sinne at all , no sicknesse , no sorrowes , no disease nor maladie , on crosse , no curse , no vexation , nor calamitie , no defect nor deformitie , no tumults , nor troubles , no paine ▪ nor penurie . all teares shall be done away , al euils remoued , al sinne abolished , all wants supplyed . and againe in this life there shall be a perfect plenarie and perpetuall possession of all good things , euen of god himselfe , who is goodnesse it selfe , and who will bee all in all vnto all his elect there shal be perfection of knowledge , no de●ect in loue , happie in mortalitie , certaine securitie ▪ constant amitie and secure tranquilitie . the soule shal haue perfection of vertues , the bodie shall be ful of beutie ▪ strength and agilitie : the whole man shall inioy fellowship with god , fellowship with the lamb fellowship with the angels , a happy societie , a sweet communion . all holinesse all happinesse , all ioyes shall be inioyed . to conclude : wee shall raigne like kings with the king of kings for euer with fulnesse of grace in our hearts and a dia●em of glorie on our heades , celebrating an euerlasting sabboth , and singing an allelu●●h to the lord for euer . the form● of this life is that vnspeakable splendor , and that most excellent order , and well ordered excellencie of that happie condition . the end● of this life are , first : that god might manifest and ( ipso f●ct● ) fully ratifie his exceeding loue vnto vs. secondly , that we might inioy the full fruit of christs death & passion thirdly , that we may receiue the ●eward of our labours , and know that it is not i●vaine to serue god. and lastly , that wee might acknowledge the wonderfull mercie of god vnto vs , and celebrate his name for euer . the effects of this life are these , first by reason of it we are made like vnto the angels . secondly , wee are by it become to bee actually partakers of the dignitie of christ . thirdly , it can not but produce wonderfull gratitude in those which doe inioy it . the subiects or the persons that shall liue this life , are the elect and obedient children of god. for the reprobate shall be tormented in endlesse , easlesse , and remediles tortures . the place in which this life shall bee led is the paradise of god , the highest heauens . the time is after this life , for the soule immediately ▪ and for both soule and bodie after the day of iudgement . the properties of this life are many . first , the saluation of them that beleeue is more sure , thou the whole frame of heauen and earth : because it is founded in the vocation of god , which is without repentance , in the counsell of separation and in the pleasure of god. secondly , it is a most holy life . for in it wee shall be compleat and without spot and wrinkle . thirdly , it is a most delectable and sweet life . for ( as bernard truely speaketh ) vvhatsoeuer is amiable , it shal be there , and nothing shall be awaie , which shall be desired . fourthly , it is an all-sufficient life . for it shall stand in need neither of meat , drinke , clothing , sunne , moone , nor any other helpe of this life . vve shall be satisfied with god , and hee shall content vs fully . fiftly , this life i● vnconceiuable : it cannot bee throughly discouered or described by any . vvho ( saith bernard ) can comprehend in this life , how great the glorie of the saints of god shall bee in the life euerlasting ? sixtly , this life is an euerliuing life : it shall continue world without end . as the terrors , and the most terrible and horrid torments of the wicked shall continue alwayes : so shall this solatious and sweet life of the godly . their death shall neuer see life : and the life of these shal neuer see a death . the death of those and the life of these are euer●liuing , and neuer-dying . lastly this life may be discerned in this life of him , that shall liue in it in the life to come vve know ( saith paul ) that if our earthlie house of this tabernacle be destroied , we haue a building giuen of god , in house not made with hands but eternall in the heauens . these things ( saith iohn ) i haue vvritten vnto you that ye may know , that ye haue eternall life . i am sure ( saith iob ) that my redeemer li●●th , and hee shall stand the last on the earth : and though after my skinne , wormes destroy this bodie , y●t shall i see god is my fl●sh : whom i my selfe shall see , and 〈…〉 shall behold . vvhen i awake ( saith dauid ) i shall bee satisfied with th●●e image , that is when i rise from the dead , as ●●ca●● doth interpret it . by th●s it appea●eth that a mā may know his future happinesse . the s●●●● of et●rnall life are two the first is true faith in christ . for whosoeuer beleeueth , shall not perish , but shall be saued . the second are good workes performed with an vpright heart , in conscience of gods commandement , and to an honest end . the psalmist asking who shall rest on gods holy mountaine , receiueth answere as by oracle from heauē , that he shal there rest , that walketh vprightl● , and worketh righteousnes , and speaketh the truth from his heart . thus saith the lord , aske for the old way , which is the good way , and ye shall find rest ●●r your soules . life ( saith salomon ) is in ●he way of righteous●●● , and in that path-way there is n● death . and our sauiour sheweth that those are the blessed of his father , and shal inherit eternall happiness● , who manifest their loue to his af●●●cted members by their workes of me●cie , and he that receiueth a prophet in the name of a prophet , shall receiue a prophets reward : and he that receiueth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receiue the reward of a righteous man. thus now we see in part what our eternall glorie shall bee in the world to come , wherewith we shall be all replenished , though not all alike : euen as wee see vessels different in bignes may bee all of them filled full to the top , though one of them hold mor● then another . as wee haue excelled one another vpon the earth in grace , so we shall excell one another in heauen in respect of glorie . if wee haue gone before others in discharging of our duetie in this world , we shall also surpasse them in dignitie in th● world to come . they that be wise shall shine indee● as the brightnes of the firmament : but they that turne many to righteousnes , shal● shine as the starres for euer and euer . now the god of peace , that brought againe from the dead our lord iesus , the great shepheard of the sheepe through the blood of the euerlasting couenant , make vs meete to doe his will in all good workes , that hauing serued him in this life in the kingdome of grace , we may also raigne with him in the life to come in the kingdome of glory , amen . trin. vni deo gloria . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a13997-e60 a ephe. 1. b ephe. 2. c d per. 1.19 reu. 5.9 e 2. cor. 5 21. f chrys . in ●phe . 1. ser . 1. g act. 20.28 . h rom. 9 5. i ion. 1 2. & 10.30 . k ion. 4.9 rom. ● . 8 l ●ud 1. 2. thesa . 9.13 . ezek 3● . 1 cor. 6.11 m heb. 1.6 n rom. 2.78 . 2. cor. 5.1 . 2. tim. 8. o august . p bernard notes for div a13997-e2050 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , aristot. n●scire & malum & ●urpe duci●us , cic. 1. offic. luke 6.13 . iohn 6.70 ●ur●n de praed . ● o● . 36. que. 2. deut. 4.37 & 77. psal . 705.6 polan de praedest . ●uc . & pol. ibid. rom. 11.7 tit. 1.10 . matth. 20 15. iohn 13 . 1● . act. 13. ●8 2. pet. 1 . 1● pro. 16.4 . mal. 1.3 . iude. 4. prayedestinationē nega●e ●mmani●●st blasthemia . ug . 1● . 6. ●ypog . vid. h●b . ●turm . de ●raed . thes . 1. ier. 31.3 . & 32 ▪ 40. 2. tim. 2.19 tit. 3.5 . eph. 1.4 rom. 8. ●● polanus & ●●rmius de praed . rom. ●5 . 4 matth. 28. mark. 16. polan . ibid act. 10. deut. 29.9 . instii lib. 3 ▪ c. 2● . ● 1 ibid sect 3 vide aug. lib. 1. de praedest . sa● . c. 20. caluin . ibid. keck . syst theol. l. 3. c. 1. perk de praed . aug. de fide ad p. cap. 35. ●eck . ibid. ●erk . de ●raed . p. 9.10 opere trinitat●s ad 〈…〉 . aug. is . 42.1 . matth. 12.18 1. pet. 1.20 . 1. iohn 5.7 ephe. 1.5 rom. 11.5 tom. 7. lib. 7 de prae . c 15 polan . de praed . ●ag . 3● eph. 1.6 . aug ibid. contra iul. pel. tom. 7. contra iul. ●elag . l. 5. c. 3 tract . 86. in ioh. epist . 105. ad sex. in enchir. ad laur. c 98. ad hebid. quaest . 10. in cap. 8. lib. 2. regum . keck . syst theol. l. 3. c. ● . quicquid est causa causae , est etiam causa causati . contr● 〈◊〉 . tom 1. l. 1. ●e praed . sanct . c. 17. 1. cor. 7.25 cap. 3. ephe. 1.4 . apolog. ad ruffin . rom. 9.16 . polan . lib. de praed . polan . ibid. rom. 2.11 deut. 7.7 . col. 1.12 . polan . lib. de praedest . pag. 45. instit . l. 3. ● . 21. s . 7. rom. 9.15 . bucan loc . 36. quaest . 32. sturm de praedest . thes . 6. 1. cor. 10.13 . ephes . 1.4 . act. 13.48 . rom. 9.23 . 2. thes . 2.13 . ephe. 1. act. 13. rom 8. polan . de praed . pag. 60 perk. in gal. c. 4. polan . de praed . pag. 59 ephe. 1.4 . io● . 13.18 . cal. inst . i. 3. c. 22. s . 1. de praed . gal. ibid. perk. de praedest . note ; man simply considered is the obiect of election in respect of the preordination of the end : but man corrupted if we regard the ordination of the meanes , that tend vnto the end . rom. 8.30 . 2. thes . 2.13 . tit. 1.1 . 2. thes . 3.2 . pro. 16.4 . comment . in 1. reg. ●ap . ● . sum. 1. part . quaest . 23. art . 5. rom. 9.18 . expos . in iohn c. 37. greenham these notes may be better inserted towardes the end of the ●racta●e , where the notes of eternall life are set downe . matth. 5.8 . ephes . 5.23 matth. 8.11 rom. 5.19 reu. 7.9 lib. 3. de doct . christ . cap. 34 lib 1. de voc . gent. matth. 7.11 math. 20. ●6 . luke 12.32 rom. 9.27 is . 10.27 heb. 11.12 instit . lib. 2 decor . ● gra c. 13 ▪ 2. tim. 2.19 . tit. 1.1 . acts. 13 ▪ 48 instit . l. 3. ● . 22. s . 10. rom. 8.30 homil. in ezeck . in 2. reg. cap. 7 col. 3.12 sent. l. 2. c. 5 de verb. apost ser . 1 ioh. 3.16 mark. 16.16 psal . 33.12 psal . 65. ● matth. 24.24 . iohn 10.28 ier. 32.40 . psal . 94.14 . in 7. cap. ioh. psal . 34.7 . heb. 1.14 ▪ lib. 1. ●● . 12 . matth. 24. ●1 . matth. 25.33 , 34 , 41. 1. cor. 6.2 , 3. ● . tim. 2.10 luke , 18 7 , 8 zach. 2 , 8 mar. 13 20 reu. 17.14 . rom. 8 33 1. ioh. 5.13 ● . pet. 1.10 psal . 15 rom. 8.16 gal. 5.22 keck . syst . the. l 3.42 . rom. 8.30 m. rogers pag. 496. ●hrys ser . le fide . rom. 4.20 heb. 11.1 rom. 9.21 degen . cont . man.l. ● . c . 2. hugo de s. vict. is . 46. sum. 1. par qu. 23. art . 5 rom. 9.11 ephes . 1.4 in tit 1 lib 5 de craedest . d. willet . in ioh 17. lect . 16. iam. 1.17 mal. 3.6 is . 46.10 . 2. tim. 2.19 . vrsin de chr. rel . par . 2 kek. l. 3 syft 7 theol. ioh. 6.36 ioh. 13.1 de fide c. 35 d. willet on ioh 17. ●ect . 15. gen. 43.34 gen. 45.22 m. perk. on gal. 4. v 9 m. green●ham . perk. ibi . ephe. 2.1 1. cor. 6.11 col. 2.13 1. pet. 4.3 sen . 6.5 hoz . 2.21 . turmius de ●redest . thes . 8. rom. 2.9 . ezek ▪ 18.21 rom. 8.30 sturm . 16. keck . theol● lib 3. gen. 1.27 eccle 7.31 cyr. l. 8. thes . ● . 1. isa . 46.10 . in triph. in psal . poenit. prosp . resp . ad cap. gal expos . in 1. reg. cap. 4. lib. 2. aduers marc. in ser . quod deus , &c. aug. ad art. 14. ●sal . 5.4 lib. 1. ad monim . aug. ad 10. art. lib 4. stre iob. 21.30 insti lib. 2. perk on gal c. 5. ver . 13. rolloc . de voc . c. 1. perk on iude. v. 1. m. perk. on gal. 5 . 1● 1. cor. 1.9 . 2. tim 1.9 1. pet. 2.9 . 1. pet. 1.15 m. perk. on gal. 5.13 . 2. thes . 2.14 . rom. 1.16 rolloc . de voc . c. 1. ● . cor. 2. l 24 ephe. 4.24 psal 27.8 psal . 40.6.7 gal. 1.15 . ●relc . instit . l. 2. 2. tim. 1.9 . 2. thes . 2.14 ioh. 11.43 , 44 acts 9.40 psal . 29 thunder . iosh . 6.20 . iob. 18.6 . rom. 8.30 ●s . 54.13 acts 13.48 m. perk. on ●ude 1 matth. 13.1 . matth. 1● . ● . ●olan . de ●raedest . ●olleck de voc . c ●● . rom. 8.30 gal. ● . 6 ● . thes 3.2 rom. 8.30 . decor . & gra● . c. 12 epist . 163 ●oc . com . clas 3. c. 1 in 1. tim. cap. 2 lib 1. in isa . cap. 1 in lib. sent . 1 , 4 , 12. art . 2 1. thes . 4.7 col. 1.13 . 1. pet 2.9 tit. 2.14 rolloc . de voc . t. 1. iam. 1.17 psal . 16.11 . m. perk. on iude. 1. acts 1.7 ephe. 2.1 perk on matth. 23 37 phil. 2.13 . contra collat . 12 in soliloq . c. 15. l. 3. in 1. reg. 7. de medit . red. c. ● . de lib. arb . c. 16. ●n . hir . c. 23. contra gent. l. 1. c. 44. lib. 3. c. 161. lib. de bono pers . cap. 8 aug. de verb. apost . serm. 11. iob. 37.23 . & 36.26 . rom. 11.29 rom. 11.26 ● . cor. 18 7. phil. 1.6 . willet on iude. lect. 1 zach. 4.9 . epist . 39 ad paulin. perk. on iude. 1. rom. 1. in . 1. tim. 1. ser . 32.42 . iohn , 17.11.15 . ●0 . rom , 7 , 29 psal . 37.24 . instit . lib. 3 cap. 24. l. 2 ad paul in epist . 106. caluin . 16. cal. eod . cap sect . 2. 1. tim. 6.16 2 tim. 1.9 . 2 cor. 4.6 . ●ob , 25 , 5 , 6 1 cor. 1.30 m. perk. on iu●e . 1. 2. pet. 1.10 . rom. 1.6.7 . ● cor. 1.2 cor. 2 . 1● ser . 17 , 9 10. 2. pet. 1.10 aug. de cor . & grat . c. 7. d willet on ioh. 17.6 . psal . 19.10 . & 119.14 , 3 iohn 10. rom. 1.6 . 1. cor 1.2 . 2. thes . 2.14 . rom. 6.17 . 1. cor. 1.5 , 7. 1. cor. 6.9 , 10 , 11. 1. thes . 1.5 , 6 , 9. 2. thes 1.3 , 4. 2. pet. 1.10 . vers 5.6.7 . rom. 8.30 . cal. inst . l. 3. c. 11. s . 2. trelc . instit . l. 2. mark. 2.7 . rom. 8.33 . is . 43. ●5 . greg in psal . poen . trelc . inst . l. 2. acts. 5.20 . act. 13.16 . 2. cor. 5. ●8 . rom. 4.11 . matth. 18.18 . perk. on gal . 2.20 . phil. 1.29 . ioh. 6.29 . de praed . c. 9. 1. cor. 13.13 . 1. tim 1.5 . ioh. 1.12 . gal. 3.14 . 1. tim. 2● ▪ in 10. psal . li. 2. in mar. ● . cap. 8 instit . l 3. c. 11 s . 2. ●ucan loc. 31. quaest . 35 gal. 2.16 . ser. de humil . serm. de fide & luce 〈◊〉 . non preced●nt iustifi●andum sed sequuntu●●ustificatum . matth. 6.12 eph. 4.32 . 1. cor. 6.11 . in rom. 4. & 5. rom. 3.24 . in psal 30 comment in rom. c. 11 de inst . l. 5. c. 7. in 5. c. rom 〈◊〉 psal . 31. do not & grat . cont . pel. cap. 4. luk. 17.10 . mor. 〈◊〉 6 ▪ ● 14. & l. 21. c. 15 & lib. 5. ●7 . lib. 9 con●es . cap. 13 1. cor 4.7 . ioh. 15 5. fulg. l 1. ad mon. lib. ● . de bono pers . c. 7. de spir . & lit . c 26. expo . inclinat ep . ad r●m rom 4.5 . gal. 2.16 . t it 3.5 . epist . 71. in psal 67 in rom 8 serm. in c●●nt . 23. ser 61 in cant. de vita ●eata & la● . in 4. c rom. 2. cor. 5.21 rom. 3.24 ad ponif . ● . ● . c. 4. 〈…〉 ●iuin● 〈◊〉 . pe●k . on gal. 216.6 . 1. pet. 2.24 reu. 1.5 . esa ●3 . 5 ●om 3 , in marc. ●n . 4 , cap ad galat. rom. 10 4 ● . cor. 1.3 ▪ rom. 5 , 1 , serm in cant. 6.1 ▪ serm. ad ●il temp. ep. 190. act. ●0 . 28 iohn . 3.16 , rom. 10.4 . ●ucan . lo● 31. qu. 14. 〈◊〉 . 9 ▪ 6 ●●k on gal. 2.16 . m perk. ibid. ●re●● . ● stit lib. 2. perk ref . cath. ephe. 1 , 7 rom. 8.1 . heb. 1.3 . 2 cor. 5 , 1 reu. 3.19 . heb. 12.6 . ● . 11. psa . 119 . 6●71 ▪ lib , 4. ep. 4. de p●n , et confe● . 1 cor , 15 56. rom , 4.25 , de christ . rel . par . 2. gen 27.15 27. bucan loc. 31. qu. 27. bucan . loc. 31. qu. 22. rom. 4 , 2 , phil , 3 , 9 , trel● . instit . lib. 2. epist . ad diog● . epist . 190. ad innoc. 2 cor. 5.21 . euchi . cap , 41. in explic . cat . a pare● edit . 1589 page . 448. ob. ans . 1 ioh. 4.10 note . reck. syst , the , li , 3. c , 3 luke 1.74.75 . tit. 14. 1. pet. 2.2 4 loc. 31. quast . 44. tom. 4. lib. 1 ad simplic . resp ad 2. quaest . reck syst . th. li. 3. c. 7 rom. 8 1. rom. 5.1 . col. 4.7 . is 57.20 . rom 8.15 . ●eck . 16. rom. 5.1 , 3 rom 8.28 . rom. 6.22 . is 53.6 . ioh. 10.15 rom 8.30 , 32. in io● . ●ract . 45. in c. 5. ad rom. in leuit. l. 17. c. 2. is 53.11 , 12 matth. 26.28 . heb. 9.28 . matth. 1.21 . ioh. 10.26 . perk. de praed . ioh. 17.9 , 19 , 20. this is don by sacrificing himself , and making his sacrifice meritorious . in io● lib 11 cap. 14. perk. de praed . matth. 20 23. reu. 22.15 rom. 8.30 . in leuit. l. 6. c. 23. serm. 44. de ver . 6. apost . serm 109. d. willet ●n ioh. 17. ● ioh. 1.29 . hist . l. 4. c. 1● tract . 87. in ioh. 1. tim. 26. pol. t. l. 2. c. 2. piscat . dis . 〈◊〉 . de praed . quaest . 1. par . 49. matth. 4.23 matth. 3 5 in epist . ad ●●m . c. 5. lib. 4 de myst . missae . cap. 4. su●●m . de v●●it . matth. 26. v. 7. trelc ▪ inst . l. 2. gal 3.10 . rom. 3.22 . rom. 4.5 . rom. 3 25 ephe. 5.2 . 1. tim. 4. ● tit. 1.15 . de nat . h●m . l. ● . c. ●8 . dan ibid. ephes . 2.3 orat. 4 〈◊〉 . rom. 3.24 in ep . rom keck . syst , ●he , li , 3. c , ● mal. 3.6 . ● . pet. 1.5 . ● . ioh. 3.9 stur● de ●praed ▪ thes 12. pto. 27.24 pto. 31 . 3● . ● cor 7.31 〈◊〉 . 4. ●4 . is . 40.6 . 1 pet. 1.24 1 tim. 1.5 . m. perk. ●● galat. 2. ●6 m. greene ●am . greenham . 1 cor. 1 30. 1 cor. 6 ●● m greenha . rom. 8. ● gal. 5.2 1 iohn . 3 . 1● rom. 8.39 . serm , 109 ●ex . page 1248. fox . page . 1825. aquinas ait deum nos du ●s●r●er glorificasse . 1. per. ●rofectum virtutis & gratia . 2 per exaltationem gloriae . lib , de flatibus . m. greeneham . heb. 12.14 . ezek. 18.31 rom. 6.23 . 1 cor. 7.14 m. perk. on iude. 1. ephe. 2 , 10 col. 1.13 . eph. 2.4.5 act. 5.31 . 1 iohn , 3 , 5 1 iohn , 3 , 9 matt , ● , 1 , bucan loc. 3. q , 27 , greenham . bucan , ibid ▪ ioel. 2 , 28 is , 44 , 3 cant. 4 , 16 , 1 cor , 1 , 30 act , 26 , 17 , 1 cor , 4 , 15 ier. 23.29 . 1 cor. 1.21 m. perk. o● iude. ● . polan . part . theol. l. 1. perk. ib. col. 2.3 . rom. 8.30 . 1. cor. 1 30 danaeus de n●t . l. 2. c. 16 ephe. 2.5 . 1. pet. 2. 9 1. cor. 3.16 , 17 dan. ib. e● grynaeo . ● . thes . 5.23 . m. perk. on ●ude . 1. perk. ib. perk. ib. keck . syst . tho. 3.6.9 perk. ib. polan . part . theol . l. 2. polan . ib. col. 4.11.12 . perk. ib. 1. cor. 6.19 ephe. 2.4.8 lib. 2. de praedest . san . cap. 15. ioh. 3.3 . lib. 1. ad simplic . q. 2. aug. 16. tract . in ioh. 11. c. 12. 1. tim 4.8 . greenhā . perk. on gal. 5.3 . lib , 1. ad simp. q 2. 1. ioh. 1.8 . li. 3. in ● . reg. 6. li. 6 : cont . gent. c. 13. greenh . m. greenh . remeg . in ps . 24. in 6 c. ro. iudge . 1.6 . m. perk on iude 1. vrsine . psal . 143. ● mat. 6.12 . reuel . 1.6 . psal . 145.17 . m. greenh . ius censoriū ▪ ●us pratori● . rom. 11.29 greenh . phil. 1.6 . hos . 2.19 . mat. 16.18 1. cor. 6.1 9. ● . cor● . 8. de cor . & gra● . cap. ●2 . m. pe●r●o● gal. 3. iude 1. hom. 1. in 2. tim. 1. heb 6.19 . cant. 8.6 . decr. de pae . ●it . d. 2. c. 2. 1. ich. 3 9. luk. 12.32 . ●o● . pag. 1655. 1. cor. 3.16 . 1. cor. 6.19 . 2. cor. 13. fox . pag. 1640. ● ioh. 3.8 7. mark. 14. ●● 1. ioh. 5.1 . 1. ioh. 5.1 . 1. ioh. 4.7 . 1. ioh. ●4 . 1. ioh. 5.18 . eph. 6.12 . ●ucan . loc. 31. q. 31. m. perk. on . iude. 1. trele ▪ instit . lib. 2. trele . ibid. luk. 12.32 . ephes . 2.8 ▪ tit. 3.5 ioh. 14 . 1● . rom. 6.23 serm 10. de an●●nt . super euang ●e●tuag . rom. 6. in ezech 〈◊〉 . 7. ●n psal 1. peni● . ●●st . l. 3. c. 18 s . 2. rom. 1.16 . ●7 . ●ph . ● . 8 . greg. in euang . in psal . 45. reu. 27. ● reu. 22 3 reu. 21.4 . reu 21 3 1 cor. 13.12 . 1 ioh. 3.2 1 cor. 13.10 . phil. 3.21 . 1 cor. 15.12 . reu. 22 4 1 thes . 4.17 . dan. 12.3 . psa . 16.1 ▪ ● . reu 22.5 is . 66.23 mat. 22.30 reuel . 21.7 . math. 25.45 is . 66.24 . 2. cor. 5.1 . reuel . 14.13 . m. perk. on gal. 1.15 . rom. 17 . 2● ▪ reue. 21 2● reu. 22.5 . math. 25 . 4● 2. thes . 1.9 . rom. 2.7 . dan. 12.2 . ● . cor. 5.1 . ioh. 5.13 ●ob . 19.25 26 ▪ 27. psa . 17.15 . ●oc . ●9 . ●uaest . ●3 . iob. 3.16 . mar. 16.16 psal . 15.1 . ier. 6.16 . pro. 12.26 . math. 25. mat. 10 . 4● dan. 12.3 . two discourses; viz. a discourse of truth. by the late reverend dr. rust, lord bishop of dromore in the kingdom of ireland. the way of happiness and salvation. by joseph glanvil, chaplain in ordinary to his majesty rust, george, d. 1670. 1677 approx. 202 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 100 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2003-01 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a57960 wing r2368 wing q836 estc r218562 99830144 99830144 34594 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned 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(eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a57960) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 34594) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 2018:17) two discourses; viz. a discourse of truth. by the late reverend dr. rust, lord bishop of dromore in the kingdom of ireland. the way of happiness and salvation. by joseph glanvil, chaplain in ordinary to his majesty rust, george, d. 1670. glanvill, joseph, 1636-1680. way of happiness and salvation rescued from vulgar errours. [18], 34, [12], 26, 35-138, p. 399, [1] p. : ill (metalcut) printed for james collins, in the temple-passage from essex-street, london : 1677. with an engraved frontispiece. "a discourse of truth." by dr. rust has a separate dated title page on pg. [5]. "the way of happiness and salvation.." by joseph glanvil has a separate dated title page on pg. [1] (second sequence); text and register are continuous despite pagination; includes imprimatur page and final page of advertisment; published separately as wing (2nd ed.) q836. reproduction of the original at the bodleian library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng faith -early works to 1800. salvation -early works to 1800. theology -early works to 1800. 2002-05 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2002-05 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2002-06 emma (leeson) huber sampled and proofread 2002-06 emma (leeson) huber text and markup reviewed and edited 2002-07 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion iohn . 14. 6. jesus saith vnto him , i am the way , and the truth , and the life , &c two discourses ; viz. a discourse of truth . by the late reverend dr. rvst , lord bishop of dromore in the kingdom of ireland . the way of happiness and salvation . by joseph glanvil , chaplain in ordinary to his majesty . london , printed for james collins , in the temple-passage from essex-street . 1677. a discourse of truth . by the late reverend dr. rvst , lord bishop of dromore in the kingdom of ireland . together with a letter , giving an account of the author and the book : written by jos. glanvil , chaplain in ordinary to his majesty . london , printed for james collins , in the new temple-passage from essex-street , 1677. a letter concerning the subject and the author . sir , i have now perused , and returned the manuscript you sent me ; it had contracted many and great errours in the transcription , which i have corrected : i was enabled to do it by a written copy of the same discourse which i have had divers years in my hands . the subject is of great and weighty importance , and the acknowledgment of the truths here asserted and made good , will lay a foundation for right conceptions in the doctrines that concern the decrees of god , for the first errour , which is the ground of the rest , is , that things are good and just , because god wills them so to be ; and if that be granted , we are disabled from using the arguments taken from natural notions , and the attributes and perfections of the divine nature , against the blackest and most blasphemous opinions that ever were entertained concerning gods proceedings with the sons of men. if there be no settled good and evil , immutable and independent on any will or understanding , then god may have made his reasonable creatures on purpose to damn them for ever . he may have absolutely decreed that they should sin , that he may damn them justly ; he may most solemnly and earnestly prohibit sin by his laws , and declare great displeasure against it ; and yet by his ineluctable decrees force men to all the sin that is committed in the world : he may vehemently protest his unfeigned desire of their life and happiness , and at the same time , secretly resolve their eternal destruction ; he may make it his glory and pleasure to triumph eternally in the torments of poor worms , which himself hath by his unalterable and irresistible will made miserable ; yea ( as the discourse instanceth ) he may after his decrees concerning the salvation of the elect , after the death of his son for them , and the mission of his spirit to them , and after all the promises he hath made to assure them ; thrust them also at last into the dreadful regions of death and woe ; i say if there be no immutable respects in things , but just and vnjust , honourable and dishonourable , good and cruel , faithful and deceitful , are respects made by meer arbitrarious will , it will be in vain to dispute from them against any such dismal opinions : yea it will be great folly to argue for the simplicity of the divine nature against the vile conceits of the old anthropomorphites , and the blasphemies of the present muggletonians , of god's having a corporal shape , parts and members , if there be no necessary independent connexion , immensity , spirituality and perfection ; but this being establish'd , that there are immutable respects in things , and that such and such are perfections , and their contrary defects and imperfections , hence it will follow , that it is impossible the forementioned doctrines can be true concerning god , who cannot lye , cannot deny himself : viz. he being absolute and infinite perfection , cannot act any thing that is evil or imperfect ; but all the expressions in scripture , that at first sight look towards such a sense , must be interpreted by the general analogy and course of them , which declares his infinite , immutable excellencies ; and these notions of himself , which he hath written on the souls of men. so that the subject of this little discourse , is of vast moment , and the truth asserted in it , is , i think confirmed with an irresistable strength and force of reasoning ; and not to be convinced by it , will argue either great weakness of vnderstanding , in not perceiving consequences that are so close and plain , or great obstinacy of will , in being shut up by prejudices , and preconceiv'd opinions against light that is so clear and manifest . the author was a person with whom i had the honour and happiness of a very particular acquaintance ; a man he was of a clear mind , a deep judgment and searching wit : greatly learned in all the best sorts of knowledge , old and new , a thoughtful and diligent enquirer , of a free vnderstanding , and vast capacity , join'd with singular modesty , and unusual sweetness of temper , which made him the darling of all that knew him : he was a person of great piety and generosity ; a hearty lover of god and men : an excellent preacher , a wise governour , a profound philosopher , a quick , forcible , and close reasoner , and above all , a true and exemplary christian. in short , he was one who had all the qualifications of a primitive bishop , and of an extraordinary man-this i say not out of kindness to my friend , but out of justice to a person of whom no commendation can be extravagant . he was bred in cambridge , and fellow of christ's colledge , where he lived in great esteem and reputation for his eminent learning and vertues ; he was one of the first that overcame the prejudices of the education of the late unhappy times , in that vniversity , and was very instrumental to enlarge others . he had too great a soul for the trifles of that age , and saw early the nakedness of phrases and phancyes ; he out-grew the pretended orthodoxy of those days , and addicted himself to the primitive learning and theology , in which he even then became a great master . after the return of the government , the excellent bishop taylor , foreseeing the vacancy in the deanery of connor , sent to cambridge for some learned and ingenious man , who might be fit for that dignity : the motion was made to dr. rust , which corresponding with the great inclination he had to be conversant with that incomparable person : he gladly accepted of it , and hastn'd into ireland , where he landed at dublin about august 1661. he was received with much respect and kindness by that great and good bishop , who knew how to value such jewels ; and preferr'd to the deanery as soon as it was void , which was shortly after . he continued in that preferment during the bishops life , always dearly lov'd , and even admir'd by him . at his death ( that sad stroke to all the lovers of religion and learning ) he was chosen for the last solemn office to his deceased father and friend ; and he preach't such a funeral sermon as became that extraordinary person and himself . it hath been since published , and i suppose you may have seen it , upon the lamented death of bishop taylor , which hapned august 13 th 1677. the bishopricks were divided : dr. boyle dean of cork , was nominated bishop of downe and connor ; and dr. rust dean of connor bishop of dromore ; he lived in the deanery about six years , in the bishoprick but three ; for in december 1670 he dyed of a fever ( in the prime of his years ) to the unspeakable grief of all that knew his worth , and especially of such of them as had been blest by his friendship , and most sweet and indearing conversation : he was buried in the quire of his own cathedral church of dromore , in a vault made for his predecessour bishop taylor , whose sacred dust is deposited also there : and what dormitory hath two such tenants ? this is the best account i can give you of the work and the author : and by it you may perceive his memory deserves to live , and this product of him : but there is so much reverence due to the manes of so venerable a person , that nothing should be hastily published under his honour'd name : i know , had he designed this exercitation for the publick , he would have made it much more compleat and exact than we now have it : but as it is , the discourse is weighty , and substantial , and may be of great use . as it goes about now in written copiesit is , ( i perceive ) exceedingly depraved , and in danger of being still worse abused ; the publication would preserve it from further corruptions . however i dare not advise any thing in it , but this , that you take the judgment of that reverend doctor you mention ( the deceased authors friend and mine , ) and act according as he shall direct . i am , your real friend jos. glanvil . a discourse of truth . truth is of aequivocal signification , and therefore cannot be defined before it be distinguish't . it is two fold ; truth in things , which you may call truth in the object : and truth in the vnderstanding , which is truth in the subject . by the first i mean nothing else but that things necessarily are what they are : by the second that there are mutual respects and relations of things one unto another . now that things are what they are , and that there are mutual respects and relations eternal , and immutable , and in order of nature antecedent to any understanding either created or uncreated , is a thing very plain and evident ; for it 's clearer than the meridian light , that such propositions as these , homo est animal rationale , triangulum est quod habet tres angulos , are not arbitrarious dependancies upon the will , decree , or understanding of god , but are necessary and eternal truths ; and wherein 't is as impossible to divide the subject , and what is spoken of it , as it is for a thing not to be what it is , which is no less than a contradiction ; and as indispensible are the mutual respects and relations of things both in speculatives and morals . for can it be imagin'd that every . argument can be made a proportioned medium to prove every conclusion , that any thing may be a suitable means to any end ? that any object may be conformable to any faculty ? can omnipotence it self make these propositions that twice two are four , or that parallels cannot intersect , clear and convincing arguments to prove these grand truths , that christ came into the world to dye for sinners , and is now exalted as a prince and a saviour at the right hand of god ? is it possible that there should be such a kind of geometry , wherein any problems should be demonstrated by any principles ; quidlibet ex quodlibet ; as that a quadrangle is that which is comprehended of four right lines : therefore the three angles of a triangle are equal to two right ones ? can the infinite wisdom it self make the damning of all the innocent & the unspotted angels in heaven a proportionate means to declare and manifest the unmeasureableness of his grace and love , and goodness towards them ? can lying , swearing , envy , malice , nay hatred of god and goodness it self , be made the most acceptable service of god , and the readiest way to a mans happiness ? and yet all these must be true , and infinitely more such contradictions than we can possibly imagine , if the mutual respects and relations of things be not eternal and indispenfible : which that they are , i shall endeavour to prove ; and in order to it first , we must premise that divine vnderstanding cannot be the fountain of the truth of things ; nor the foundation of the references of one to another . for it is against the nature of all understanding , to make its objects ; it is the nature of understanding , ut moveatur , illuminetur , formetur : &c. of its object , ut moveat , illuminet , formet : intellectus in actu primo hath its self unto its object , as the eye unto the sun ; it is irradiated , inlightned and actuated by it : and intellectus in actu secundo , hath its self unto its objects , as the image to that it represents ; and the perfection of understanding consists in being actuated by , and in an adaequate conformity to its object , according to the nature of all idea's , images or representations of things . the sum is this , no idea's or representations are the things they represent ; all understanding is such ; therefore no understanding doth make the natures , respects and relations of its objects . it remains then , that absolute , arbitrarious and independent will must be the fountain of all truth ; and must determine the references and dependencies of things : which assertion would in the first place destroy the nature of god , and rob him of all his attributes . for then it 's impossible that there should be such a thing as divine wisdom and knowledge , which is nothing else but an apprehension of common notions , and the natures and mutual respects and relations of things . for if the nature of god be such , that his arbitrarious imagination that such and such things have such and such natures and dependencies , doth make those things to have those natures or dependencies , he may as easily unimagine that imagination ; and then they that before had a mutual harmony , sympathy and agreement with one another , shall now stand at as great a distance and opposition . and thus the divine understanding will be a mere protaean chymaera , a casual conflux of intellectual atomes : contradictions are true , if god understands them so , and then the foundation of all knowledge is taken away , and god may as truly be said to know nothing as every thing ; nay , any angel or man may as truly be said to know all things , as god himself ; for then every thing will be alike certain , and every apprehension equally conformable to truth . these are infallible consequences , and a thousand more as absurd as these , if contradictory propositions may be both true : and whether they be so or no , it 's a meer casual dependance upon the arbitrarious pleasure of god , if there be not a necessary immutability and eternal opposition betwixt the being and the not being of the same thing , at the same time and in the same respect . likewise all those truths we call common notions , ( the systeme and comprehensions of which , is the very essence of divine wisdom ; as the conclusions issuing from them , not by any operose deduction , but a clear intuitive light , are the very nature of divine knowledge , if we distinguish those two attributes in god ) i say , all these propositions of immediate and indemonstrable truth , if these be only so , because so understood by god , and so understood by god because he pleased so to have them , and not because there is an indispensible relation of harmony and proportion betwixt the terms themselves ; then it is a thing meerly casual , and at the pleasure of god to change his former apprehensions , and idea's of those truths , & to make their contradictories as evident , radical and fundamental as themselves but even now were ; and so divine wisdom and knowledge will be a various , fickle and mutable thing , a meer tumult & confusion : all these consequences infallibly flow from this certain principle , that upon a changeable and uncertain cause , effects must needs have a changeable and uncertain dependance . and there is nothing imaginable in it self more changeable and uncertain than will not regulated by the dictates of reason and understanding . if any deny these consequences and deductions , because they suppose that god is mutable and changeable ; i answer , by bringing this as another absurdity , that if there be no indispensable and eternal respects of things , it will rob god of his immutability , and unchangeableness : for if there be no necessary dependence betwixt vnchangeableness and perfection , what should hinder , but that if god please to think it so , it will be his perfection to be changeable ; and if will , as such , be the only principle of his actions , it is infallibly his perfection to be so . for 't is the perfection of every being to act according to the principle of its nature , and it is the nature of an arbitrarious principle to act or not , to do or undo upon no account but its own will and pleasure ; to be determined , and tied up , either by it self , or from abroad , is violent and contranatural . and therefore from this principle , that absolute and soveraign will is the spring and fountain of all gods actions , it was rightly inferr'd by a late pamphliteer , that god will one day damn all mankind , good and bad , believers and unbelievers , notwithstanding all his promises , pretensions or engagements to the contrary ; because this damning all mankind in despight of his faithfulness , justice , mercy and goodness will be the greatest advancement of his soveraignty , will and prerogative imaginable . his words are , god hath stored up destruction both for the perfect and the wicked , and this does wonderfully set forth his soveraignty ; his exercising whereof is so perfect , that when he hath tied himself up fast as may be , by never so many promises , yet it should still have its scope , and be able to do what it will , when it will , as it will : here you have this principle improved to the height . and however you may look upon this author as some new light , or ignis fatuus of the times , yet i assure you in some pieces by him set forth , he is very sober and rational . in the next place , to deny the mutual respects and rationes rerum to be immutable and indispensible , will spoil god of that universal rectitude which is the greatest perfection of his nature : for then justice , faithfulness , mercy , godness &c. will be but contingent and arbitrarious issues of the divine will. this is a clear and undeniable consequence , for if you say these be indispensible perfections in god , for instance , if justice be so , then there is an eternal relation of right and equity betwixt every being and the giving of it , that which is its propriety ; if faithfulness , then there is an indispensible agreement betwixt a promise , and the performance of it ; if mercy , then there is an immutable and unalterable suitableness and harmony between an indigent creature , and pity and commiseration ; if goodness , then there is an everlasting proportion and symmetry between fulness and its overflowing and dispreading of it self , which is the thing denyed : for to say they are indispensibly so , because god understands them so , seems to me extream incogitancy ; for that is against the nature of all understanding , which is but the idea and representation of things , and is then a true and perfect image , when it is exactly conformed to its object : and therefore , if things have not mutual respects and relations eternal and indispensible , then all those perfections do solely and purely depend upon absolute and independent will , as will ; and consequently , it was and is indifferent in it self that the contrary to these , as , injustice , vnfaithfulness , cruelty , malice , hatred , spite , revenge , fury ; and whatever goes to the constitution of hell it self should have been made the top and highest perfections of the divine nature : which is such blasphemy as cannot well be named without horror and trembling , for instead of being a god , such a nature as this is , joyned with omnipotency would be a worse devil than any is in hell. and yet this is a necessary and infallible consequence from the denial of these mutual respects and relations of things unto one another , to be eternal and unchangeable . and as by the denial of these , the nature of god is wholly destroyed , so in the second place , the mind of man would have no certainty of knowledge , or assurance of happiness . he can never come to know there is a god , and consequently not the will and mind of god , which if there be no intrinsecal and indispensible respects and relations of things , must be the ground and foundation of all knowledge : for what means or arguments should we use to find out , or prove a divine nature ? it were folly and madness to sit down and consider the admirable contrivement and artifice of this great fabrick of the universe ; how that all natural things seem to act for some end , though themselves take no cognizance of it : how the sun by its motion and situation , or ( which is all one ) by being a centre , of the earths motion , provides light and heat , and life for this inferiour world , how living creatures bring forth a most apt composure and structure of parts and members , and with that a being endued with admirable faculties , and yet themselves have no insight into , nor consultation about this incomparable workmanship ; how they are furnished with powers and inclinations for the preservation of this body when it is once brought into the world ; how without praevious deliberation they naturally take in that food which without their intention or animadversion is concocted in their ventricle , turned into chyle , that chyle into blood , that blood diffused through the veins and arteries , and therewith the several members nourished , and decayes of strength repaired ; i say , the gathering from all these ( which one would think were a very natural consequence ) that there is a wise principle which directs all these beings unknown to you , in their several motions , to their several ends , ( supposing the dependance and relations of things to be contingent and arbitrarious ) were a piece of folly and incogitancy ; for how can the order of those things speak a wise and understanding being , which have no relation or respect unto one another , but their whole agreement , suitableness and proportion is a meer casual issue of absolute and independent will ? if any thing may be the cause of any effect , and a proportionate mean to any end , who can infer infinite wisdom from the dependence of things and their relations unto one another ? for we are to know that there is a god , and the will of that god before we can know the mutual harmony , or disproportion of things ; and yet , if we do not know these principal respects that things have among themselves , it is impossible we should ever come to the knowledge of a god : for these are the only arguments that any logick in the world can make use of to prove any conclusion : but suppose we should come to know that there is a god , which , as i have demonstrated , denying the necessary and immutable truth of common notions , and the indispensible and eternal relations of things is altogether impossible . however , let it be supposed ; yet how shall we know that these common notions , and principles of natural instinct , which are the foundation of all discourse and argumentation , are certain and infallible truths ; and that our senses , ( which with these former principles , we suppose this divine nature to have given us to converse with this outward world ) were not on purpose bestowed upon us , to befool , delude and cheat us ; if we be not first assured of the veracity of god ? and how can we be assured of that , if we know not that veracity is a perfection ; and how shall we know it is so , unless there be an intrinsecal relation betwixt veracity and perfection ? for if it be an arbitrarious respect depending upon the will of god , there is no way possible left whereby we should come to know that it is in god at all ; and therefore we have fully as much reason to believe that all our common notions and principles of natural instinct , whereupon we ground all our reasonings and discourse , are meer chymera's to delude and abuse our faculties ; and all those idea's phantasms and apprehensions of our external senses , we imagine are occasioned in us by the presence of outward objects , are meer spectrums and gulleries , wherewith poor mortals are befooled and cheated ; as that they are given us by the first goodness & truth to lead us into the knowledge of himself and nature . this is a clear and evident consequence , and cannot be denyed by any that doth not complain of darkness in the brightest and most meridian light. and here you have the foundations laid of the highest scepticism ; for who can say he knows any thing , when he hath no bassion which he can raise any true conclusions ? thus you see the noble faculties of man , his mind and understanding , will be to no end and purpose , but for a rack and torture ; for what greater unhappiness or torment can there be imagined , than to have faculties , whose accomplishment and perfection consists in a due conformation unto their objects , and yet to have no objects unto which they may be conformed ; to have a soul unmeasurably breathing after the embraces of truth and goodness , and after a search and enquiry after one and the other , and to find at last they are but aiery empty and uncertain notions , depending upon the arbitratious determinations of boundless and independent will ; which determinations she sees it beyond her reach ever to come to any knowledge of ? here you have likewise the true foundations of that we call rantism , for if there be no distinction 'twixt truth and falshood , good and evil , in the nature of the things themselves , and we never can be assured what is the mind and pleasure of the supream and absolute will ( because veracity is not intrinsecally and ex natura rei , a perfection , but only an arbitrarious , if any attribute in the deity ) then it infallibly follows , that it is all one what i do , or how i live ; and i have as much reason to believe that i am as pleasing unto god , when i give up my self unto all filthiness , uncleanness and sin ; when i swell with pride , envy , hatred and malice &c. as when i endeavour with all my might and strength to purge and purifie my soul from all pollution and defilement both of flesh and spirit ; and when i pursue the mortification of all my carnal lusts and inclinations : and i have fully as much ground and assurance , that the one is the ready way to happiness as the other . and this is another branch of this second absurdity , from the deniall of the intrinsecal and eternal respects and relations of things , that a man would not have any assurance of future happiness ; for though it be true indeed , or at least we fancy to our selves that god hath sent jesus christ into the world , & by him hath made very large and ample promises , that whosoever believes in him and conforms his life unto his precepts , shall be made heir of the same inheritance and glory which christ is now possessed of and invested with in the kingdom of his father , yet what ground have we to believe that god does not intend onely to play with and abuse our faculties , and in conclusion to damn all those that believe and live as is above expressed ; and to take them only into the injoyments of heaven and happiness , who have been the great opposers of the truth , and gospel , and life and nature of jesus christ in the world : for if there be no eternal and indispensible relation of things , then there 's no intrinsecal evil in deceiving and falsifying , in the damning the good , or saving obstinate and contumacious sinners ( whilst such ) notwithstanding any promises or threatnings to the contrary : and if the things be in themselves indifferent , it is an unadvised confidence to pronounce determinately on either side . yea further , suppose we should be assured that god is verax , and that the scripture doth declare what is his mind and pleasure , yet if there be not an intrinsecal opposition betwixt the being and not being of a thing at the same time , and in the same respect ; then god can make a thing that hath been done , undone ; and that whatever hath been done or spoken either by himself , or christ , or his prophets , or apostles , should never be done , or spoken by him on them ; though he hath come into the world ; yet that he should not be come ; though he hath made these promises , yet that they should not be made ; though god hath given us faculties , that are capable of the enjoyment of himself , yet that he should not have given them us ; and yet we should have no being , nor think a thought while we fancy and speak of all these contradictions ; in fine , it were impossible we should know any thing , if the opposition of contradictory terms depend upon the arbitrarious resolves of any being whatsoever . if any should affirm , that the terms of common notions have an eternal and indispensible relation unto one another , and deny it of other truths , he exceedingly betrayes his folly and incogitancy ; for these common notions and principles are foundations , and radical truths upon which are built all the deductions of reason and discourse , and with which , so far as they have any truth in them , they are inseparably united . all these consequences are plain and undeniable , and therefore i shall travel no further in the confirmation of them . against this discourse will be objected , that it destroys god's independency and self-sufficiency ; for if there be truth antecedently to the divine understanding ; the divine understanding will be a meer passive principle , acted and inlightned by something without it self , as the eyes , by the sun , and lesser objects , which the sun irradiates : and if there be mutual congruities , and dependencies of things in a moral sense , and so , that such and such means have a natural , and intrinsecal tendency , or repugnance to such and such ends , then will god be determined in his actions from something without himself , which is to take away his independency , and self-sufficiency . the pardoning of sin to repenting sinners seems to be a thing very suitable to infinite goodness and mercy , if there be any suitableness , or agreement in things antecedently to gods will ; therefore in this case will god be moved from abroad and as it were determined to an act of grace . this will also undermine and shake many principles and opinions which are look'd upon as fundamentals , and necessary to be believed : it will unlink and break that chain and method of gods decrees , which is generally believed amongst us . god's great plot , and design from all eternity , as it is usually held forth , was to advance his mercy and justice in the salvation of some , and damnation of others ; we shall only speak of that part of gods design , the advancement of his justice in the damnation of the greatest part of mankind , as being most pertinent for the improving of the strength of the objection against our former discourse : that i may do this , he decrees to create man , and being created , decrees that man should sin , and because , as some say , man is a meer passive principle , not able , no not in the presence of objects , to reduce himself into action , or because in the moment of his creation , as others , he was impowered with an indifferency to stand or fall ; therefore , lest there should be a frustration of god's great design ; he decrees in the next place , infallibly to determine the will of man unto sin , that having sinned he might accomplish his damnation ; and what he had first , & from all eternity in his intentions , the advancement of his justice . now if there be such an intrinsecal relation of things , as our former discourse pretends unto , this design of god will be wholly frustrated . for it may seem clear to every mans understanding that it is not for the honour and advancement of justice to determine the will of man to sin , and then to punish him for that sin unto which he was so determined ; whereas if god's will , as such , be the only rule & principle of actions , this will be an accommodate means ( if god so please to have it ) unto his design . the sum is , we have seemed in our former discourse to bind and tye up god , who is an absolute and independent being , to the petty formalities of good and evil ; & to fetter and imprison freedom , and liberty it self , in the fatal and immutable chains , and respects of things . i answer . this objection concerns partly the understanding of god , and partly his will ; as for the divine understanding , the case is thus ; there are certain beings , or natures of things which are logically possible ; it implyes no contradiction that they should be , although it were supposed , there were no power that could bring them into being ; which natures , or things , supposing they were in being , would have mutual relations of agreement or opposition unto one another , which would be no more distinguished from the things themselves , than relations are from that which founds them . now the divine understanding is a representation , or comprehension of all those natures or beings thus logically , and in respect of god absolutely possible , and consequently it must needs be also a comprehension of all these sympathies , and antipathies , either in a natural or a moral way , which they have one unto another : for they , as i said , do necessarily , and immediately flow from the things themselves , as relations do , posito fundamento & termino . now the divine understanding doth not at all depend upon these natures , or relations though they be its objects ; for the nature of an object doth not consist in being motivum facultatis , as it is usually with us , whose apprehensions are awakened by their presence ; but its whole nature is sufficiently comprehended in this , that it is terminativum facultatis ; and this precisely doth not speak any dependency of the faculty upon it , especially in the divine understanding ; where this objective , terminative presence flows from the faecundity of the divine nature : for the things themselves are so far from having any being antecedently to the divine understanding ; that had not it been their exemplary pattern , and idea , they had never been created , and being created they would lye in darkness ; ( i speak of things that have not in them a principle of understanding , not conscious of their own natures , and that beauteous harmony they have among themselves ) were they not irradiated by the divine understanding , which is as it were an universal sun that discovers and displayes the natures and respects of things , and does as it were suck them up into its beames . to the second part of the objection , the strength whereof is , that to tye up god in his actions to the reason of things , destroys his liberty , absoluteness , and independency . i answer , it is no imperfection for god to be determined to good ; it is no bondage , slavery , or contraction , to be bound up to the eternal laws of right and justice : it is the greatest impotency and weakness in the world to have a power to evil , and there is nothing so diametrically opposite to the very being and nature of god ; stat pro ratione voluntas , unless it be as a redargution and check to impudent and daring inquirers , is an account no where justifiable . the more any being partakes of reason and understanding , the worse is the imputation of acting arbitrariously , & pro imperio . we can pardon it in women and children , as those from whom we do not expect that they should act upon any higher principle , but for a man of reason and understanding , that hath the laws of goodness and rectitude ( which are as the laws of the medes and persians that cannot be altered ) engraven upon his mind , for him to cast off these golden reins , and to set up arbitrarious will for his rule and guide , is a piece of intolerable rashness and presumption . this is an infallible rule , that liberty in the power or principle is no where a perfection , where there is not an indifferency in the things or actions about which it is conversant : and therefore it is a piece of our weakness and imbecillity , that we have natures so indetermined to what is good . these things need no proof , indeed cannot well be proved , otherwise than they prove themselves : for they are of immediate truth , and prove themselves , they will , to a pure unprejudiced mind . 2. our former discourse doth not infer any dependency of god , upon any thing without himself ; for god is not excited to his actions by any foreign , or extrinsecal motives ; what he does , proceeds from the eternal immutable respects , and relations , or reasons of things , and where are these to be found , but in the eternal and divine wisdom ; for what can infinite wisdom be , but a steady , and immoveable comprehension of all those natures and relations : and therefore god in his actions , does not look abroad , but only consults , ( if i may so speak ) the idea's of his own mind . what creatures doe , is but the offering a particular case , for the reducement of a general principle into a particular action ; or the presentment of an occasion for god to act according to the principles of his own nature ; when we say that god pardoneth sin upon repentance , god is not moved to an act of grace from any thing without himself ; for this is a principle in the divine wisdom , that pardon of sin to repenting sinners , is a thing very suitable to infinite goodness , and this principle is a piece of the divine nature : therefore when god upon a particular act of repentance puts forth a particular act of grace , it is but as it were a particular instance to the general rule , which is a portion of divine perfection , when 't is said , to him that hath shall be given , and he shall have abundance , the meaning is , he that walks up unto that light , and improves that strength , that god hath already communicated unto him , shall have more abundant incomes of light and strength from god : it doth not follow that god is moved from without to impart his grace . for this is a branch of divine wisdom ; it is agreeable to the infinite goodness of god , to take notice of , and reward the sincere , though weak endeavours of his creatures , after him ; so that what is from abroad is but a particular occasion to those divine principles to exert , and put forth themselves . thus have we spoken concerning the truth of things . it follows that we speak concerning truth in the power , or faculty , which we shall dispatch in a few words . truth in the power , or faculty is nothing else but a conformity of its conceptions or idea's unto the natures and relations of things , which in god we may call an actual , steady , immoveable , eternal omniformity , as plotinus calls the divine intellect , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , which you have largely described by him . and this the platonists truly call the intellectual world , for here are the natures of all things pure , and unmix'd , purged from all those dregs , refined from all that dross and alloy which cleave unto them in their particular instances . all inferiour and sublunary things , not excluding man himself , have their excrescencies , and defects , exorbitances , or privations are moulded up in their very frames and constitutions . there is somewhat extraneous heterogeneous and preternatural in all things here below , as they exist amongst us ; but in that other world , like the most purely fined gold , they shine in their native and proper glory . here is the first goodness , the benigne parent of the whole creation , with his numerous off-spring : the infinite throng of created beings : here is the fountain of eternal love , with all its streams , and rivulets : here is the sum of uncreated glory , surrounded with all his rayes , and beams : here are the eternal , and indispensible laws of right and justice , the immediate and indemonstrable principles of truth , and goodness : here are steady and immoveable rules , for all cases and actions , however circumstantiated , from which the will of god , though never so absolute , and independent from everlasting to everlasting , shall never depart one tittle . now all that truth that is in any created being , is by participation and derivation from this first understanding , and fountain of intellectual light . and that truth in the power or faculty is nothing but the conformity of its conceptions , or ideas with the natures and relations of things , is cleare and evident in it self , and necessarily follows from what hath been formerly proved concerning the truth of things themselves , antecedently to any understanding , or will ; for things are what they are , and cannot be otherwise without a contradiction , and their mutual respects and dependencies eternal and unchangeable , as hath been already shew'd : so that the conceptions and ideas of these natures and their relations , can be only so far true as they conform and agree with the things themselves , and the harmony which they have one to another . finis . the way of happiness and salvation rescued from vulgar errours . by joseph glanvil chaplain in ordinary to his majesty . london , printed for james collins , in the temple-passage from essex-street , 1677. imprimatur , sam. parker . april 9th 1670. to the right honourable charles lord herbert , eldest son to the most honorable henry lord marquis of worcester . my lord , although i have not had the happiness to see your lordship since your very tender years , by reason of your distance in foreign parts ; yet i have heard so much of your great improvements in knowledge and vertue , that i cannot slip this occasion to congratulate your early fame , and the hopes , or rather assurance you give of being an extraordinary person . for that season of life which so many others pass away in frolicks , and riot , and vain amours ; in raillery , and the wanton essays of buffooning & versifying wit , ( which contemptible childishness the youth of the present age seems to value as the highest perfection ) your lordship wisely , and worthi'y imploys in gaining those real acomplishments , which may fit you for publick service , in that high station in which providence hath set you . my lord , you are descended from an ancient stock of most noble progenitors , and are the immediate son of a lord and lady , whose vertues may inspire all who have the honour and happiness to be related to them , with the noblest thoughts and endeavours ; and doubtless a generous ambition prompts your lordship to appear worthy the glories of such ancestors . nobility is the mark of the favour of princes , and when 't is adorn'd with intellectual and moral excellencies , it hath then the signatures of god upon it , and the personal gives lustre to the hereditary greatness . secular honours extort outward shews of respect and homage ; while the unsuitable dispositions of such as are painted with misplaced titles , make them objects of the real scorn of their pretended adorers ; but the nobleness of a wise and vertuous spirit commands inward venerations , and hath a large empire over the souls of men. knowledge is a beam of the coelestial light , and vertue a branch of the divine image ; great excellencies in themselves , and true accomplishments of humane na ure : in both your lordship hath out-done your few years and given a pattern to young noblemen , how to imploy their youth honourably and becommingly , to the reputation of their quality , and families ; and their own happiness and glory . but , my lord , there is a perfection beyond these , or more properly , 't is the height and perfection of them , and that is religion : this makes honourable in both worlds ; and enters those that are truly possest of it , among the nobility of god. i doubt not but your lordship hath taken care to season your active and considerate youth with the study and practice of this best accomplishment : such a dedication of the first fruits to our maker is most just in it self , most acceptable to him , and will be most comfortable to the person that makes the offering . your lordship is by the bounty of providence incircled with all circumstances of earthly felicity ; piety and a religious life will procure the divine favour , bless all your injoyments in this world , and assure infinitely better in another . there dwells our happiness , and religion is the way to it . this is the subject of the little book with which i here humbly present your lordship . if it may contribute any thing to your service , in these highest concerns , it will be a mighty pleasure , and satisfaction to , my lord , your lordships most humble and most obedient servant , jos. glanvil . the preface . this discourse was first printed about six years ago ; since which time it had the fortune of a stoln edition in scotland . the ocasion of its publication was this , i being desired to preach at a neighbour-city , recollected the last sermon i had delivered to mine own people , and made use of that : some of the hearers , that thought themselves fit judges , misapprehended my meaning in divers things , and past sentence upon their own mistakes as mine : this induced me to transcribe it out of my memory ; which i did while it was yet fresh in my mind , exactly as to the matter , though possibly with some small difference as to the frame of words , and with some additions at the end : the copy was accidentally seen by a near relation , who desired it should be publish'd , which i permitted ; and do it now again at my bookseller's instance . luke 12. 24. strive to enter in at the strait gate : for many , i say unto you , shall seek to enter in , and shall not be able . the way of happiness and salvation . when i consider the goodness of god ; and the merits of his son , our saviour ; and the influences of the holy spirt ; and all the advantages of the gospel ; the certainty of its principles , the reasonableness of its duties , the greatness of its ends , the suitableness of its means , the glory of its rewards , and the terrour of its punishments ; i say , when i consider these , and then look upon man as a reasonable creature , apprehensive of duty , and interest , and apt to be moved by hopes and fears ; i cannot but wonder , and be astonisht to think , that notwithstanding all this , the far greater part of men should finally miscarry , and be undone . 't is possible some such considerations might be the occasion of the question propounded to our saviour in the verse immediately foregoing the text. — lord , are there few that be saved ? god is love , and all the creatures are his , and man a noble sort : he is the lover of men , and thou art redeemer of men ; and though man hath offended , yet god is propense to pardon , and in thee he is reconciled ; he is desirous of our happiness , and thou art come into the world to offer , and promote it ; and the holy ghost is powerful and ready to assist our endeavours ; we were made for happiness , and we seek it ; and — lord , are there few that be saved ? the text is christ's return to the question , strive to enter in at the straight gate ; for many , i say unto you , will seek to enter , and shall not be able . in which words we have three things . ( i ) an answer imply'd ; straight is the gate . ( ii ) a duty exprest , strive to enter . ( iii ) a consideration to engage our greater care and deligence in the duty ; for many will seek to enter , and shall not be able . by the gate , we may understand the entrance , and all the way of happiness , and that is , religion ; by the straightness of it ; the difficulties we are to encounter . by striving ; earnest and sincere endeavour : by seeking ; an imperfect striving . and from the words thus briefly explain'd , these propositions offer themselves to onr consideration . i. there are many and great difficulties in religion , the gate is straight . ii. the difficulties may be overcome by striving , strive to enter . iii. there is a sort of striving that will not procure an entrance , for many will seek to enter in , and shall not be able . i begin with the first in order , viz. that there are many and great difficulties in religion ; and to what i have to say about it , i premise this negative consideration . that , the difficulties of religion do not lye in the vnderstanding . religion is a plain thing , and easie to be understood . 't is no deep subtilty , or high-strain'd notion ; 't is no gilded phancy , or elaborate exercise of the brain ; 't is not plac'd in the clouds of imagination , nor wrapt up in mystical cloathing ; but 't is obvious and familiar , easie and intelligible ; first preach't by fishermen and mechanicks , without pomp of speech , or height of speculation ; addreft to babes and plebeian heads ; and intended to govern the wills of the honest , and sincere ; and not to exercise the wits of the notional , and curious . so that we need not mount the wings of the wind to fetch religion from the stars ; nor go down to the deep to fetch it up from thence ; for 't is with us , and before us , as open as the day , and as familiar as the light . the great praecepts of the gospel are cloathed in sun-beams , and are as visible to the common eye , as to the eagle upon the highest perch . 't is no piece of wit or subtilty to be a christian , nor will it require much study , or learned retirement to understand the religion we must practise . that which was to be known of god , was manifest to the very heathen , rom. 1. 19. the law is light , saith solomon , prov. 6. 13. and 't is not only a single passing glance on the eye ; but 't is put into the heart , and the promise is , that we shall all know him , from the greatest to the least . our duty is set up in open places , and shone upon by a clear beam ; 't was written of old upon the plain tables of habakkuk , hab. 2. 2. so that the running eye might see and read : and the religion of the h. jesus , like himself , came into the world with rays about its head. religion , i say , is clear , and plain , and what is not so , may concern the theatre , or the schools ; may entertain mens wits , and serve the interests of disputes ; but 't is nothing to religion , 't is nothing to the interest of mens souls . religion was once a mystery , but the mystery is revealed ; and those things that we yet count mysteries , are plainly enough discover'd as to their being such as we believe them , though we cannot understand the manner how ; and 't is no part of religion to enquire into that , but rather it injoyns us meekly to acquiesce in the plain declarations of faith without bold scrutiny into hidden things . in short i say , the difficulties of religion are not in the vnderstanding ; in prompto & facili est aeternitas , said the father ; the affairs of eternity depend on things easy and familiar . and i premise this to prevent dangerous mistakes . but thoug religion be so facile and plain a thing to be understood , yet the way to heaven is no broad , or easie path ; the gate is straight enough for all that ; and i now come to shew what are the real difficulties of religion , and whence they arise . 1. one great difficulty ariseth from the depravity of our natures . the scripture intimates , that we are conceived in sin , psalm 55. 5. transgressours from the womb. isaiah 48. 8. and children of wrath. ephes. 2. 3. and we find by experience that we bring vile inclinations into the wold with us . some are naturally cruel and injurious ; proud and imperious ; lustful and revengful ; others , covetous and unjust ; humoursome and discontented ; treacherous and false : and there is scarce an instance of habitual vice , or villany , but some or other are addicted to it by their partieular make and natures : i say , their natures , for certainly it is not true what some affirm , to serve their opinions , in contradiction to experience ; that vices are not in mens natural propensions ; but instill'd by corrupt education , evil customs and examples : for we see that those whose education hath been the same , do yet differ extreamly from each other in their inclinations ; and some , whose breeding hath been careless and loose , who have seen almost nothing else but examples of vice ; and been instructed in little , besides the arts of vanity and pleasure ; i say , there are such who notwithstanding these their unhappy circumstances , discover none of those vile inclinations , and propensions , that are in others , whose education hath been very strict and advantageous . this i think is enough to shew that many of our evil habits are from nature , and not from custom only . and yet i cannot say that humane nature is so debaucht , that every man is inclin'd to every evil by it : for there are those , who by their tempers are averse to some kind of vices , and naturally disposed to the contrary vertues ; some by their constitutions are inclined to hate cruelty , covetousness , lying , impudence and injustice , and are by temper , merciful , liberal , modest , true and just. there are kinds of vices which our natures almost universally rise agaisnt , as many bestialities , and some horrid cruelties ; and all men , except monsters in humane form , are disposed to some vertues , such as love to children , and kindness to friends and benefactors . all this p must confess and say , because experien̄ce constrains me ; and i do not know why systematick notions should sway more than that . but notwithstanding these last concessions , 't is evident enough that our natures are much vitiated , and depraved ; and this makes our business in the way of religion , difficult . for our work is , to cleanse our natures ; and to destroy those evil inclinations ; to crucifie the old man ; rom. 6. 6. and to purge out the old leven ; 1 cor. 5. 7. this is religion , and the way of happiness , which must needs be very difficult , and uneasie . for the vices of inclination are very dear , and grateful to us ; they are our right hands , and our right eyes , and esteemed as our selves : so that to cut off , and pluck out these , and to bid defiance to , and wage war against our selves ; to destroy the first born of our natures , and to lop off our own limbs ; this cannot but be very irksom and displeasant imployment , and this is one chief business ; and a considerable thing that makes religion difficult . ii. another difficulty ariseth from the influence of the senses . we are creatures of sense , and sensible things do most powerfully move us , we are born children , and live at first the life of beasts : that age receives deep impressions ; and those are made by the senses , whose interest grows strong , and establisht in us before we come to the use of reason ; and after we have arrived to the exercise of that , sensible objects still possess our affections , and sway our wills , and fill our imaginations , and influence our vnderstandings ; so that we love , and hate ; we desire and choose , we fancy , and we discourse according to those impressions ; and hence it is that we are enamour'd of trifles , and fly from our happiness ; and pu●sue vexation , and embrace misery ; and imagine perversely , and reason childishly : for the influence of the body and its senses are the chief fountains of sin , and folly , and temptation : upon which accounts it was that the platonical philosophers declaim'd so earnestly against the body , and ascrib'd all evils and michief to it ; calling vice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , corpore● pestes , material evils , and bodily plagues . and the apostle that understood it better , calls sin by the name of flesh , gal. 5. 17. works of the flesh , gal. 5. 19. law of the members , rom. 7. 23. and cries out upon the body of this death , rom 7. 24. and now this is our natural condition , a state subject to the prevalent influences of sense , and by this means to sin and temptation ; and 't is our work in religion , to mortifie the body , rom. 8. 13. and to cease from mkaing provision for the flesh , rom. 13. 14. and from fulfilling the lusts thereof , gal. 5. 14. to render our selves dead to the prevalent life of sense and sin , rom. 6. 8. and 11. 5. and to arise to a new life , rom. 6. 4. the life of righteousness , and faith , hab. 2 4. a life that hath other principles , and other pleasures ; other objects , and other ends , and such as neither eye hath seen , nor ear heard , nor any of the senses perceived . yea , this is a life that is exercised in contradiction to the judgments of sense . it s joy , is tribulation ; jam. 1. 2. it s glory , reproaches ; 2 pet. 4. 14. it s height , is lowness ; luke 14. 11. it s greatness , in being meanest ; matth. 20. 27. and its riches , in having nothing ; 2 cor. 6. 10. to such a life as this , religion is to raise us ; and it must needs be difficult to make us , who are so much brutes , to be so much angels ; us , who seem to live by nothing else but sense , to live by nothing less ; this with a witness is an hard , and uneasie work , and another difficulty in religion . iii. a third proceeds from the natural disorder and rage of our passions . our corrupt natures are like the troubled sea , isa. 57. 20. and our passions are the wa●e of that ocean ; that tumble and swell , and keep a mighty noise ; they dash against the rocks , and break one against another ; and our peace and happiness is shipwrackt by them . our passiions make us miserable . we are sometimes stifled by their numbers , and confounded by their disorders , and torn to pieces by their violence ; mounted to the clouds by ambition , and thrown down to the deeep by despair ; scorcht by the flames of lust , and overwhelmed by the waters of unstable desire ; passions fight one against another , and all against reason ; they prevail over the mind , and have usurpt the government of our actions , and involve us in continual guilt and misery . this is the natural state of man ; and our work in the way of religion , is to restrain this violence , and to rectifie these disorders , and to reduce those rebellious powers under the empire and government of the mind , their soveraign . and so to regain the divine image , which consists much in the order of our faculties ; and the subjection of the brutish , to the reasonable powers . this , i say , religion aims at , to raise us to the perfection of our natures , by mortifying those members , col. 3. 5. our unruly passions and desires ; and crucifying the flesh with its affections and lusts ; gal. 5. 24. and thereby to make us humble in prosperity , quiet in adversity ; meek under provocations , steady amidst temptations , modest in our desires , temperate in our injoyments , constant to our resolutions , and contented in all conditions . here is our great business , and our work is this : and certainly 't is no easie thing to bring order out of a chaos , and to speak a tempest in a calm ; to resist a torrnt , and to stop and turn the tyde ; to subdue a rebellious rabble , and to change them from tyrannical masters , to modest and obedient servants : these , no doubt , are works of difficulty enough , and these must be our imployment in the way of religion ; and on this score also , the gate is straight . iv. our work in religion is yet more difficult , upon the account of custom , to which we are subject , and by which we are swayed much . this is vulgarly said to be another nature , and the apostle calls it by that name , 1 cor. 11. 14. doth not nature it self teach you , that if a man have long hair , it is a shame unto him ? by the word nature , the best interpreters say only custom is meant ; since long hair is not declared shameful by the law and light of nature , taken in its chief and properest sense : for then it had never been permitted to the nazarites : but the contrary custom , in the nations that used it not , made it seem shameful and indecent . there are other places in scripture and ancient authors , wherein nature is put for custom : but i must not insist on this ; the thing i am about is , that custom is very powerful ; and as it makes a kind of nature , so , many times it masters and subdues it . wild creatures are hereby made gentle and familiar ; and those that naturally are tame enough ; are made to degenerate into wildness by it . and now besides the original depravities of our natures , we have contracted many vitious habits by corrupt and evil usages ; which we were drawn into at first by pleasure and vanity in our young & inconsiderate years , while we were led by the directions of sense : these , by frequent acts , grow at last into habits ; which though in their beginning they were tender as a plant , and easie to have been crusht or blasted , yet time and use hardens them into the firmness of an oak , that braves the weather , and can endure the stroak of the ax and a strong arm. now to destroy and root up these obstinate customary evils , is another part of our work. and religion reacheth us to put off concerning the old conversation , the old man , eph. 4. 22. and to receive new impressions and inclinations ; to be renewed in the spirit of our minds , 5. 23 and to put on the new man , 5. 24. to make us new hearts , ezek. 18. 31. and to walk in newness of life , rom. 6. 4. this we are to do , and this we may well suppose to be hard work ; the scripture compares it to the changing the skin of the aethiopian , and the spots of the leopard , jer. 13. 23. and elsewhere . how can they do good , that are accustomed to do evil ? jer. 13. 23. 't is hard , no doubt ; and this is another difficulty in religion . v. the power that example hath over us , makes the way of religion difficult . example is more prevalent than precept , for man is a creature given much to imitation , and we are very apt to follow what we see others do , rather than what we ought to do our selves . and now the apostle hath told us , that the whole world lies in wickedness , 1 joh. 5. 19. and we sadly find it : we cannot look out of doors , but we see vanity and folly , sensuality and forgetfulness of god ; pride and covetousness , injustice and intemperance , and all other kinds of evils : these we meet with every where , in publick companies , and private conversations ; in the high ways , and in the corners of the streets . the sum is , example is very powerful , and examples of vice are always in our eyes ; we are apt to be reconciled to that which every one doth , and to do like it ; we love the trodden path , and care not to walk in the way which is gone in but by a few . this is our condition , and our work in religion is , to overcome the strong biass of corrupt example ; to strive against the stream , to learn to be good , though few are so , and not to follow a multitude to do evil , exod. 23. 2. this is our business ; and this is very difficult . vi. the last difficulty i shall mention , ariseth from worldly interests and engagements . we have many necessities to serve , both in our persons and our families . nature excluded us naked into the world , without cloathing for warmth , or armature for defence ; and food is not provided to our hands , as it is for the beasts ; nor do our houses grow for our habitation , and comfortable abode . nothing is prepared for our use without our industry and endeavours . so that by the necessity of this state , we are engaged in worldly affairs : these , nature requires us to mind , and religion permits it ; and nothing can be done without our care ; and care would be very troublesome , if there were not some love to the objects we exercise our cares upon : hence it is , that some cares about the things of this world , and love to them is allowed us ; and we are commanded to continue in the calling wherein god hath set us , 1 cor. 7. 20. and are warned that we be not slothful in business , rom. 12. 11. we may take some delight also in the creatures that god gives us , and love them in their degree : for the animal life may have its moderate gratifications ; god made all things , that they might enjoy their being . and now , notwithstanding all this , religion commands us to set our affections upon things above , col. 3. 2. not to love the world , 1 joh. 2. 15. to be careful for nothing , phil. 4. 6. to take no thought for to morrow , mat. 6. 34. the meaning of which expressions is , that we should love god and heavenly things , in the chief and first place ; and avoid the immoderate desires of worldly love and cares . this is our duty : and 't is very difficult : for by reason of the burry of business , and those passions that earthly engagements excite ; we consider not things as we should , and so , many times perceive not the bounds of our permissions , and the beginnings of our restraints ; where the allowed measure ends , and the forbidden degree commenceth : what is the difference between that care that is a duty , and that which is a sin ; providence and carking ; and between that love of the world which is necessary and lawful , and that which is extravagant and inordinate ? i say , by reason of the hurry we are in , amidst business and worldly delights , we many times perceive not our bounds , and so slide easily into earthly-mindedness and anxiety . and it is hard for us , who are engaged so much in the world , and who need it so much , who converse so much with it and about it , and whose time and endeavours are so unavoidably taken up by it ; i say 't is hard for us , in such circumstances , to be crucified to the world , gal. 6. 14. and to all inordinate affections to it : to live above it and to settle our chief delights and cares on things at great distance from us , which are unsutable to our corrupt appetites , and contrary to the most relishing injoyments of flesh ; which sense never saw nor felt , and which the imagination it self could never grasp . this , no doubt , is hard exercise , and this must be done in the way of religion ; and on this account also , it is very difficult . thus of the first proposition , that there are great difficulties in religion . i come now to the second . ii. that those difficulties may be overcome by striving ; which imports both the encouragement and the means ; that they may be vanquisht , and how . ( i. ) that the difficulties may be subdued , is clearly enough implyed , in the precept ; we should not have been commanded to strive , if it had been impossible to overcome . god doth not put his creatures upon fruitless undertakings : he never requires us to do any thing in order to that , which is not to be attained . therefore when he was resolved not to be intreated for that stubborn and rebellious nation . he would not have the prophet pray for them , jer. 7. 16. pray not for this people , for i will not hear thee . he would not be petitioned for that , which he was determined not to grant . he puts not his creatures upon any vain expectations and endeavours ; nor would he have them deceive themselves by fond dependences . when one made this profession to our saviour , lord , i will follow thee whithersoever thou goest . christ tells him , that he must expect from him no worldly honours or preferments ; no power or sensual pleasure , no , not so much as the ordinary accommodations of life . the foxes have holes , and the birds of the ayre have nests , but the son of man hath not where to lay his head. luk. 9. 5 , 8. he would not have the man that likely might look for these , upon the opinion of his being the messias , in the jewish sense , one that should at last , whatever the meanness of his condition was at present , appear as a mighty , and triumphant temporal monarch ; i say , our saviour would not have the man follow him for that , which he had not to bestow upon him . since then that he who would not put us upon fruitless labours , hath commanded us to strive to enter ; 't is evident , that an entrance may be procured into the gate by striving , and that the difficulties may be overcome . the next thing in my method is to shew , how ; the manner is implyed in the text ; and exprest in the proposition , viz. by striving ; and by this , is meant , a resolute use of those means that are the instruments of happiness . they are three , faith , prayer , and active endeavour . ( 1. ) faith is a chief instrument , for the overcoming the difficulties of our way . and faith in the general , is the belief of a testimony ; divine faith the belief of a divine testimony ; and the chief things to be believed , as encouragements and means for a victory over the difficulties in religion , are these ; that god is reconciled to us by his son ; that he will assist our weak endeavous by the aids of his spirit ; that he will reward us if we strive as we ought , with immortal happiness in a world of endless glory . by our belief of god's being reconciled , we are secured from those fears , that might discourage our approaches and endeavours , upon the account of his purity and justice . by the faith of his assistance , all the objections against our striving , that arise from the greatness of the difficulties , and the disproportionate smalness of our strength , are answered . and from our believing eternal rewards in another world , we have a mighty motive to engage our utmost diligence , to contest with all difficulties that would keep us from it . what satisfaction is there , saith the believer , in the gratification of my corrupt inclinations and senses , in comparison with that , which ariseth from the favour of god , and an interest in his son ? what difficulties in my duty , too great for divine aids ? what pains are we to undergo in the narrow and difficult way , that the glory which is at the end of it , will not compensate ? what is it to deny a base inclination that will undo me ; in obedience to him that made , and redeemed me ; and to despise the little things of present sense , for the hope of everlasting enjoyments ; trifting pleasure , for hallelujabs ? what were it for me to set vigorously upon those passions that degrade my noble nature , and make me a slave and a beast , and will make me more vile , and more miserable ; when the spirit of the most high is at my right hand to assist me ? why should my noble faculties , that were designed for glorious ends , be led into infamous practices by base vsages , and dishonourable customs ? what is the example of a wicked , sensual , wretched world , to that of the holy jesus ; and all the army of prophets , apostles and martyrs ? what is there in the world , that it should be loved more than god ? and what is the flesh , that it should have more of our time and care , than the great interests of our souls ? such are the considerations of a mind , that faith hath awakened ; and by them it is prepared for vigorous striving . so that faith is the spring of all ; and necessary to the other two instruments of our happiness . besides which , it is acceptable to god , in it self , and so disposeth us for his gracious helps , by which we are enabled to overcome the difficulties of our way . while a man considers the difficulties only , and weighs them against his own strength , let him suppose the liberty of his will to be what he pleaseth , yet while 't is under such disadvantages , that will signifie very little ; and he that sees no further , sits down in discouragement ; but when the mind is fortified with the firm belief of divine help , he attempts then with a noble vigour , which cannot miscarry , if it do not cool and faint . for he that endures to the end , shall be saved , mat. 24. 13. thus faith sets the other instruments of happiness on work , and therefore 't is deservedly reckoned as the first ; and 't is that which must always accompany the exercises of religion , and give them life and motion . ( ii. ) prayer is another means we must use , in order to our overcoming the difficulties of the way . our own meer , natural strength is weakness ; and without supernatural helps those difficulties are not to be surmounted . those aids are necessary , and god is ready to bestow them on us ; for he would have all men to be saved , and to come to the knowledge of the truth , 1 tim. 2. 4. but for these things he will be sought unto . and 't is very just , and fit that we should address our selves to him by prayer , to acknowledge our own insufficiency and dependence , on him for the mercies we expect ; and thereby to own him for the giver of every good and perfect gift ; and to instruct our selves how his favours are to be received and used , viz. with reverence and thanksgiving : this , 't is highly fit we should do ; and the doing it prepares us for his blessings ; and he fails not to bestow them on those that are prepared by faith and prayer ; for he giveth liberally and upbraids not ; and our prayers are required , not as if they could move his will , which is always graciously inclined to our happiness ; but as it 's that tribute which we owe our maker and benefactor ; and that without which 't is not so fit he shonld bestow his particular favours on us . for it by no means becomes the divine majesty , to vouchsafe the specialties of his grace and goodness to those , that are not sensible they want them ; and are not humbled to a due apprehension of their weakness and dependence . but for such as are so , and express their humble desires in the ardours of holy prayer , god never denies them the assistances of his spirit : for if ye being evil ( saith our saviour ) know how to give good gifts unto your children , how much more shall your father which is in heaven give good things to those that ask him ? mat. 7. 11. and these divine helps obtain'd by faith and prayer , and join'd with our active constant endeavour , will not fail to enable us to overcome the difficulties , and to procure us an entrance at the straight gate . and so i come to the third instrument of our happiness , which is implyed in striving , viz. ( iii. ) active endeavour , in which repentance and the fruits of it are implied ; both faith and prayer are in order to this ; and without it neither can turn to account . for faith without works is dead , jam. 2. 20. and prayer , without endeavour fruitless ; yea indeed , in the divine estimate , it is none at all : 't is bodily exercise ; no prayer . for when we invoke gods help , we desire it , that we may use it ; divine grace is not a treasure to lay up by us , but an instrument to work with ; and when we pray that god would assist us in our endeavours , and endeavour not at all , we mock god , and trifle with him in our prayers : endeavour then is necessary , and necessary in a degree so eminent , that this is always included in faith when 't is taken in the highest and noblest evangelical sense , viz. for the faith which justifies and saves ; for that comprehends all those endeavours , and their fruits , whereby we are made happy . we must not expect that god should do all ( exclusively ) in the work of our salvation . he doth his part , and we must do ours ; ( though we do that , by his help too . ) he that made us without our selves , will not save us without our selves , said the father . we are commanded to seek , mat. 7. 7. to run , 1 cor. 9. 24. to fight , 1 tim. 6. 12. to give diligence , 2 pet. 1. 10. these all import action and endeavour . and that endeavour must not be only a faint purpose , or formal service ; but it must be imployed in the highest degree of care and diligence . the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence , mat. 11. 12. and this violence must not be used in an heat , and sudden fit only , that cools and dies , and contents it self with having been warm for a time : but it must be a steady and constant course of activity , a continual striving to overcome the remaining difficulties of the way . we must endeavour vigorously and constantly ; and in that , ( after our faith is strengthened by deep consideration , and divine assistance implored by ardent prayer ) our course is , ( 1. ) to abstain from all the outward actions of sin , and to perform the external acts of the contrary vertues . to cease to do evil , isa. 1. 16. is the first step . when the publicans askt john the baptist , luke 3. 12. what they should do ; his direction was , that they should not exact , vers . 13. and to the souldiers , asking the same question , he answers , do violence to no man , verf. 14. these were the sins of their particular professions , which were to be quitted , before any thing could be done higher . we have ordinarily more power over our actions , than our habits , and therefore we should begin here , and resolve deeply , by divine help , to cut off those supplies that feed vitious inclinations ; for wicked habits are maintain'd by actions of wickedness ; when they ceafe , the inclinations grow more faint , and weak : and when we are come but thus far , to have confined our lusts , we shall be encouraged to proceed to destroy them . 't is said , there is no great distance between a princes prison and his grave ; the saying is most true in the case of tyrants and vsurpers ; and the habits of sin are both ; when they are restrain'd , they are not far from being destroyed , if we imploy our endeavours , and the divine aids , as we ought . this then must be done first , and the other part of the advice must be taken with it , viz. we must practise the outward actions of the contrary vertues . we must do well , when we cease to do evil . when we turn from darkness , it must be to light , acts 26. 18. not from one kind of darkness to another . when we cease to opprefs , we must be charitable ; when we leave to tyrannize over our inferiours , we must be kind and helpful to them . when we forbear to slander , we must speak all the good we can of our neighbour . the outward actions of vertue are in our power ; and 't is somewhat to come so far as this : what is more , viz. the inward love and delight in goodness , will succeed in time , if we persevere . 't is not safe for us to propose to our selves the greatest heights at first ; if we do , we are discouraged , and fall back . god accepts even of that little , if it be in order to more . he despiseth not the day of small things , zech. 4. 10. if thou dost well , shalt thou not be accepted ? christ loved the young man who had kept the external part of the commandments , mark 10. 12. if he had had the courage to have proceeded ; what he had done , would have steaded him much . the inward love of vertue and holiness is promoted by the outward exercises of them , and hereby the contrary evils are both pined and thrust out . thus of the first thing that endeavour implies ; upon this must follow , ( 2. ) an attempt upon evil habits , viz. those that have been super-induced on us by carelesness and temptation , bad customs and evil company . every victory is a means to another ; we grow stronger , and the enemy weaker by it . to have overcome the outward acts of sin , is a beginning in our spiritual warfare ; but our chief enemies are the habits ; these must be attempted also , but with prudence ; wild beasts are not to be dealt with by main strength ; art and stratagem must be used in this war ; and 't is good policy , i think here , to fight the least powerful foes first , the contracted habits , before we fall on the inbred natural inclinations . while our forces are weak , 't is dangerous setting upon the strongest holds , viz. the vices of complexion , which are woven into our very natures . if a man apply all his force where he hath not resolution enough to go through with what he undertakes , he receives a foyl , and 't is odds but he sits down and faints . prudence therefore is to be used , where we distrust our strength : fall upon sin , where 't is weakest , where it hath least of nature , and least of temptation ; and where we have arguments from reputation and worldly interests wherewith to war against it . if we prevail , we are heartned by the success : our faith and resolution will grow stronger by this experience , when we have triumph't over the sins of evil custom , example , and sensual indulgence . and when that is done , we must remember that 't is not enough that those habits are thrust out ; others must be planted in their room : when the soyl is prepared , the seed must be sown , and the seeds of vertuous habits , are the actions of vertue . these i recommended under the last head , and shall say more of the introducing of habits , under one that follows on purpose . ( 3. ) the next advance in our endeavours , is , in the strength of god , and in the name of his son , to assault the greater devils , and to strive to cast out them ; i mean the sins of complexion , and particular nature . this is a great work , and will require strong faith , and many prayers , and much time , and great watchfulness , and invincible resolution : imploy these heartily ; and though thou now and then mayst receive a foyl , yet give not off so , but rise again in the strength of god , implore new aid , and fortifie thy self with more considerations , and deeper resolves ; and then renew the combat upon the encouragement of divine assistance , and christ's merits and intercession , and the promise that sin shall not have dominion over us , rom. 6. 14. remember , that this is the great work , and the biggest difficulty ; if this be not overcome , all our other labour hath been in vain , and will be lost . if this root remain , it will still bear poysonous fruit , which will be matter for temptation , and occasion of continual falling ; and we shall be in danger of being reconciled again to our old sins , and to undo all ; and so our latter end will be worse than our beginning , 2 pet. 2. 20. or , at least , though we stand at a stay , and satisfie our selves with that ; yet though we are contented , our condition is not safe . if we will endeavour to any purpose of duty , or security , we must proceed still after our lesser conquests , till the sins of complexion are laid dead at our feet . he that is born of god , sinneth not , and he cannot sin , 1. joh. 3. 9. till we come to this , we are but strugling in the birth . such a perfection as is mortifying of vitious temper , is i hope attainable , and 't is no doubt that which religion aims at ; and though it be a difficult height , yet we must not sit down this side : at least we must be always pressing on to this mark : if providence cut off our days before we have arrived to it , we may expect acceptance of the sincerity of our endeavours , upon the account of the merits of our saviour : for he hath procured favour for those sincere . believers and endeavoureres , whose day is done before their work is compleated ; this i mean , of subduing the darling sins of their particular natures . but then if we rest , and please our selves with the little victories and attainments , and let these our great enemies quietly alone , 't is an argument our endeavours are not sincere , but much short of that striving , which will procure an entrance into the straight gate . the next thing ( and 't is the last i shall mention ) which is implyed in striving , is , ( 4. ) to furnish our selves , through divine grace , with the habits and inclinations of holiness and vertue . for goodness to become a kind of nature to the soul , is height indeed ; but such a one as may be reacht : the new nature , and new creature , gal. 6. 15. are not meer names . we have observ'd that some men are of a natural generosity , veracity and sweetness ; and they cannot act contrary to these native vertues without a mighty violence : why now should not the new nature be as powerful as the old ? and why may not the spirit of god , working by an active faith and endeavour , fix habits and inclinations on the soul , as prevalent as those ? no doubt , it may , and doth , upon the diviner souls : for whom to do a wicked , or unworthy action , 't would be as violent and unnatural , as for the meek and compassionate temper to butcher the innocent ; or for him , that is naturally just , to oppress and make a prey of the fatherless and the widow . i say , such a degree of perfection as this , should be aim'd at , heb. 6. 1. and we should not slacken or intermit our endeavours till it be attain'd . in order to it , we are to use frequent meditation on the excellency and pleasure of vertue and religion ; and earnest prayer for the grace of god ; and diligent attendance upon the publick worship ; and pious company and converses : for this great design , these helps are requisite , and if we exercise our selves in them as we ought , they will fire our souls with the love of god and goodness ; and so at last , all christian vertues will become as natural to us , as si● was before . and to one that is so prepared , the gate of happiness will be open , and of easie entrance ; the difficulties are overcome , and from henceforth the way is pleasant and plain before him , prov. 3. 17. thus i have shewn , that the formidable difficulties may be overcome , and how : 't is a plain course i have directed , that will not puzzle mens understandings with needless niceties , nor distract their memories with multitndes . let us walk in this way , and do it constantly , with vigour and alacrity ; and there is no fear , but in the strength of god , through the merits and mediation of his son , we shall overcome , and at last enter . i had now done with this general head , but that 't is necessary to note three things more . ( 1. ) those instruments of our happiness which we must use in striving , viz. faith , prayer , and active endeavour , must all of them be imployed . not any one singly , will do the great work ; nor can the others , if any one be wanting . if we believe , and do not pray ; or pray , and do not endeavour ; or endeavour , without those , the difficulties will remain , and 't will be impossible for us to enter . ( 2. ) we must be diligent in our course : if we do not exercise faith vigorously , and pray heartily , and endeavour with our whole might , the means will not succeed ; and 't is as good not at all , as not to purpose . the difficulties will not be overcome by cold faith , or sleepy prayers , or remiss endeavours : a very intense degree of these is necessary . ( 3. ) our striving must be constant ; we must not begin , and look back , heb. 10. 38. or run a while , and stop in midd course , 1 cor. 9. 24. and content our selves with some attainments , and think we have arrived , phil. 3. 14. if we do so , we shall find our selves dangerously mistaken . the crown is at the end of the warfare , & the prise at the end of the race . if we will succeed , we must hold on : the life of one that strives as he ought , must be a continual motion forwards ; always proceeding , always growing . if we strive thus , we cannot fail ; if any of these qualifications be wanting , we cannot but miscarry . and hence no doubt it is , that many that seek to enter , shall not be able , and the presumed sons of the kingdom are shut out , mat. 8.12 . they seek , and are very desirous to be admitted ; they do some thing , and strive ; but their striving is partial , or careless , or short ; by reason of which defects , they do not overcome , and shall not enter . this is a dangerous rock , and perhaps there are as many undone by cold and half striving , as by not striving at all . he that hath done some thing , presumes he is secure ; he goes the round of ordinary duties , but advanceth nothing in his way ; he overcometh none of the great difficulties , none of the habits or depraved inclinations ; he is contented with other things that make a more glorious shew ; though they signifie less ; and perhaps despiseth these , under the notion of morality ; and so presuming , that he is a saint too soon , he never comes to be one at all : such are the seekers that shall not be able to enter : their seeking imports some striving ; but 't is such , as , though it be specious , yet it is imperfect , and will not succeed . and hence the third proposition ariseth , that i proposed to discourse . ( iii. ) that there is a sort of striving that will not procure an entrance : implyed in these words , for many will seek to enter in , and shall not be able . 't is a dangerous thing to be flattered into a false peace ; and to take up with imperfect godliness ; to reconcile the hopes of heaven to our beloved sins , and to judge our condition safe upon insufficient grounds . this multitudes do , and 't is the great danger of our days ; men cannot be contented without doing something in religion ; but they are contented with a little . and then they reckon themselves godly , before they are vertuous ; and take themselves to be saints , upon such things as will not distinguish a good man from a bad . we seek after marks of godliness , and would be glad to know , how we might try our state : the thing is of great importance ; and if the signs we judge by are either false , or imperfect , we are deceived to our undoing . meer speculative mistakes about opinions , do no great hurt ; but errour in the marks and measures of religion is deadly . now there are sundry things commonly taken for signs of godliness , which though they are something , yet they are not enough ; they are hopeful for beginnings , but nothing worth when they are our end and rest . they are a kind of seeking aud imperfect striving ; but not such as overcometh the difficulties of the way , or will procure us an entrance at the gàte . therefore to disable the flattering , insufficient marks of godliness , i shall discover in pursuance of the third proposition , how far a man may strive in the exercises of religion , and yet be found at last among those seekers that shall not be able to enter . and though i have intimated something of this in the general before , yet i shall now more particularly shew it in the instances that follow . and in these i shall discover a religion that may be called animal , to which the natural man may attain . ( i. ) a man may believe the truths of the gospel , and assent heartily to all the articles of the creed : and if he proceeds not , he is no further by this , than the faith of devils , jam. 2. 19. ( 2. ) he may go on , and have a great thirst to be more acquainted with truth ; he may seek it diligently in scripture , and sermons , and good books , and knowing company ; and yet do this , by the motion of no higher principle , than an inbred curiosity , and desire of knowledg ; and many times this earnestness after truth , proceeds from a proud effection to wiser than our neighbours , that we may pity their darkness ; or the itch of a disputing humour , that we may out talk them ; or a design to carry on , or make a party , that we may be called rabbi , or serve an interest : and the zeal for truth that is set on work by such motives , is a spark of that fire that is from beneath : 't is dangerous to a mans self , and to the publick weal of the church and mankind , but the man proceeds , and is , ( 3. ) very much concern'd to defend and propagate his faith ; and the pharisees were so in relation to theirs , matt. 23. 15. and so have been many professors of all the religions that are , or ever were . men naturally love their own tenents , and are ambitious to mould others judgments according to theirs . there is glory in being an instructer of other men ; and turning them to our ways and opinions : so that here is nothing yet above nature ; nothing but what may be found in many that seek , and are shut out . but , ( 4. ) faith works greater effects than these , and men offer themselves to martyrdom for it ; this , one would think , should be the greatest height , and an argument that all the difficulties of the way , are overcome by one that is so resolved ; and that the gate cannot but be opened to him . and so , no doubt it is , when all things else are sutable : but otherwise these consequences by no means follow . st. paul supposeth that a man may give his body to be burned , and not have charity , without which his martyrdom will not profit , 1 cor. 13. for one to deny his religion , or what he believes to be certain , and of greatest consequence , is dishonourable and base : and some out of principles of meer natural bravery , will die rather than they will do it ; and yet , upon other accounts be far enough from being heroically vertuous . besides , the desire of the glory of martyrdom and saintship after it , may in some be stronger than the terrours of death : and we see frequently , that men will sacrifice their lives to their honour and reputation ; yea to the most contemptible shadows of it . and there is no passion in us so weak , no lust so impotent , but hath , in many instances , prevail'd over the fear of dying . every appetite hath had its martyrs ; and all religions theirs ; and though a man give his body to be burnt for the best , and have not charity , viz. prevalent love to god and men , it will not signifie : so that martyrdom is no infallible mark , nor will it avail any thing , except sincere endeavour to overcome the greater difficulties , have gone before it . thus far faith may go without effect : and yet one step further . ( 5. ) men may confidently rely upon christ for salvation , and be firmly perswaded that he hath justified , and will make them happy . they may appropriate him to themselves , and be pleased mightily in the opinion of his being theirs . and yet notwithstanding this confidence may be in the number of those seekers that shall not enter . for christ is the author of eternal life , only to those that obey him , heb. 5. 9. and to obey him , is to strive vigorously and constantly , to overcome all our sinful inclinations and habits . and those that trust he will save them , though they have never seriously set about this work , deceive themselves by vain presumption , and in effect say , that he will dissolve or dispense with his laws in their favour . for he requires us to deny our selves , mar. 8. 34. to mortifie the body , rom 8. 13. to love enemies , mat. 5. 44. to be meek , mat. 11. 29. and patient , jam. 5. 8. and humble , 1 pet. 5. 7. and just , mat. 7. 12. and charitable , heb. 13. 16. and holy , as he that called us is holy , 1 pet. 1. 15. and he hath promised to save upon no other terms ; for all these are included in faith , when 't is taken in the justifying sense , and this is the way of happiness and salvation : if we walk not in this , but in the paths of our own choosing , our relying upon christ is a mockery , and will deceive us . we may indeed be confident , and we ought , that he will save all those that so believe as to obey him ; but may not trust that he will save us except we are some of those . to rely upon christ for our salvation , must follow our sincere and obedient striving , and not go before it . the mistake of this is exceeding dangerous , and i doubt hath been fatal to many . the sum is to rely on christ , without a resolute and steady endeavour to overcome every sin and temptation , will gain us nothing in the end but shame and dissappointment : for 't is not every one that faith unto him , lord , lord , shall enter into heaven , but he that doth the will of his father which is in heaven . mat. 7.21 . the foolish virgins relyed upon him , and expected he should open to them ; lord , lord , open to us , mat. 25. 11. but he kept them out , and would not know them , v. 11. thus of the first imperfect mark of godliness ; a man may upon the account of meer nature , arrive to all the mentioned degrees of faith ; and yet if his endeavours in the practice of christian vertues be not suitable , he will certainly come short at last . ( ii. ) a man may be very devout , given much to prayer , and be very frequent and earnest in it ; he may have the gift of expressing himself fluently , without the help of form or meditation : yea , and so intent and taken up in these exercises , that he may as it were be ravish't out of himself by the fervours of his spirit ; so that he really kindles very high affections as well in others , as in himself : and yet if he rests in this , and such like things as religion , and reckons that he is accepted of god for it ; if he allow himself in any unmortified lusts , and thinks to compound for them by his prayers , he is an evil man notwithstanding , and one of those seekers that shall not be able to enter . the pharisees , we know , were much given to prayer : they were long in those devotions , and very earnest in them often repeating the same expressions out of vehemence . ignatius loyola , founder of the jesuites , was a man almost ecstatical in his prayers ; and hacket the blasphemer , executed in the days of queen elizabeth , was a person of seraphical devotion , and would pray those that heard him even into transports . basilides the cruel duke of mos●o , is said to have his hands almost continually lifted up in prayer , except when they were imployed in some barbarous and bloody execution : and we have known and felt one not much unlike him . there are infinite instances in our days of this dangerous sort of evil men . and we may learn hence , that the greatest gift of prayer , and earnestness and frequency in it , is no good mark of godliness , except it be attended with sincere , constant and vertuous endeavours . for some men have a natural spice of devotion in a religious melancholy , which is their temper ; and such have commonly strong imaginations and zealous affections , which when they are heated , flame forth into great heights and expressions of devotion : the warm fancy furnisheth words and matter readily and unexpectedly , which many times begets in the man a conceit that he is inspired , and that his prayers are the breathings of the holy ghost ; or at least , that he is extraordinarily assisted by it ; which belief kindles his affections yet more , and he is carryed beyond himself , even into the third heavens , and suburbs of glory , as he fancies , and so he makes no doubt , but that he is a saint of the first rank , and special favourite of heaven ; when all this while , he may be really a bad man full of envy and malice ; pride and covetousness ; scorn and ill nature ; contempt of his betters , and disobedience to his governours . and while it is so , notwithstanding those glorious things , he is no further than the pharisee . hearty and humble desire , though imperfectly exprest , and without this pomp , and those wonders , is far more acceptable to god , who delights not in the exercises of meer nature psal. 147. 10. but is well pleased with the expressions of grace in those that fear him . so that a sincere and lowly-minded christian that talks of no immediate incomes , or communications ; and perhaps durst not , out of reverence , trust to his own present conceptions in a work so solemn , but useth the help of some pious form of words sutable to his defires and wants , who is duly sensible of his sins , and the necessity of overcoming them ; and is truly and earnestly desirous of the divine aids , in order to it : such a one as this prays by the spirit , and will be assisted by it ; while the other doth all by meer nature and imitation , and shall not have those spiritual aids which he never heartily desires nor intends to use . this , i think , i may truly and safely say : but for the controversie between forms and conceived prayers , which of them is absolutely best , i determine nothing of it here . and indeed i suppose that in their own nature , they are alike indifferent , and are more or less accepted , as they partake more or less of the spirit of prayer , viz. of faith , humility and holy desire of the good things we pray for ; and a man may have these that prays by a form ; and he may want them that takes the other way , and thinks himself in a dispensation much above it . so that my business is not to set up one of these ways of devotion against the other , but to shew , that the heights and vehemencies of many warm people in their unpremeditated prayers , have nothing in them supernatural or divine , and consequently , of themselves , they are no marks of godliness : which i hope no one thinks i speak to discredit those pious ardours that are felt by really devout souls , when a vigorous sense of god , and divine things , doth even sometimes transport them : far be it from me to design any thing so impious ; my aim is only to note , that there are complexional heats raised many times by fancy and self-admiration , that look like these , in persons who really have little of god in them ; and we should take care that we are not deceived by them . thus far also those may go that shall not enter . i add , ( iii. ) a man may endeavour somewhat , and strive in some degree , and yet his work may miscarry , and himself with it . ( 1. ) there is no doubt , but that an evil man may be convinced of his sin and vileness , and that even to anguish and torment . the gentiles saith the apostle , rom. 2. 14. which have not the law , shew the works of the law written in their hearts , their thoughts in the mean time accusing , or excusing one another . conscience often stings and disquiets the vilest sinners ; and sometimes extorts from them lamentable confessions of their sins , and earnest declamations against them . they may weep bitterly at their remembrance , and be under great heaviness and dejection upon their occasion . they may speak vehemently against sin themselves , and love to have others to handle it severely . all this bad men may do upon the score of natural fear , and self love , and the apprehension of a fature judgment . and now such convictions will naturally beget some endeavours : a convinced understanding will have some influence upon the will and affections . the mind in the unregenerate , may lust against the flesh , as that doth against it . so that ( 2. ) such a meer animal man may promise , and purpose , and endeavour in some pretty considerable measure ; but then , he goes not on with full resolution , but wavers and stops , and turns about again ; and lets the law of the members , that of death and sin , to prevail over him . his endeavour is remiss , and consequently ineffectual ; it makes no conquests , and will not signifie . he sins on , though with some regret ; and his very unwillingness to sin , while he commits it , is so far from lessening , that it aggravates his fault : it argues that he sins against conscience and conviction ; and that sin is strong and reigns . 't is true indeed , st. paul , rom. 7. makes such a description seemingly of himself , as one might think concluded him under this state ; he saith vers . 8. that sin wrought in him all manner of concupiscence : vers . 9. that sin revived , and he died : vers . 14. that he was carnal ; and again ; sold under sin , vers . 20. that sin dwelt in him , and wrought that which he would not : vers . 23. that the law of his members led him into captivity to the law of sin : and vers . 25. that he obeyed the law of sin . if this be so , and st. paul , a regenerate man , was in this state , it will follow , that seeking and feeble endeavour , that overcometh no difficulty , may yet procure an entrance , and he that is come hitherto , viz. to endeavour ; is safe enough though he do not conquer . this objection presseth not only against this head , but against my whole discourse , and the text it self . therefore to answer it , i say , that the st. paul here is not to be understood of himself ; he describes the state of a convinced , but unregenerate man , though he speaks in the first person ; a figure that was ordinary with this apostle , and frequent enough in common speech : thus we say , i am thus , and thus , and did so , and so , when we are describing a state , or actions in which perhaps we , in person , are not concerned . in this sense the best expositors understand these expressions , and those excellent divines of our own , bishop taylor , and dr. hammond , and others have noted to us , that this description is directly contrary to all the characters of a regenerate man , given elsewhere by this , and the other apostles . as he is said to be dead to sin , rom. 6. 11. free from sin , and the servant of righteousness , rom. 6. 18. that he walks not after the flesh , but after the spirit , rom. 8. 1. that the law of the spirit of life in christ jesus , hath made him free from the law of sin and death , rom. 8. 2. that he overcometh the world , joh. 5. 4. he sinneth not , 1 joh. 3. 6. he hath crucified the flesh with its affections and lusts , gal. 5. 24. which characters of a truly regenerate person , if they be compared with those above-cited out of rom. 7. it will appear , that they are as contrary , as 't is possible to speak , and by this , 't is evident that they describe the two contrary states . for can the regenerate be full of all manner of concupiscence , and at the same time be crucified to the flesh , and its affections and lusts ? one in whom sin revives while he dies ; and yet one that is dead to sin ? carnal , and yet not walking after the flesh , but after the spirit ? sold under sin , and yet free from sin ? having sin dwelling in him ; and a captive to sin ; and obeying the law of sin ; and yet free from the law of sin and death ? how can these things consist ? to tell us , 't is so , and 't is not so , and to twist such contradictions into orthodox paradoxes , are pretty things to please fools and children ; but wise men care not for riddles that are not sense . for my part i think it clear , that the apostle in that mistaken chapter , relates the feeble , impotent condition of one that was convinced and strove a little , but not to purpose . and if we find our selves comprised under that description , though we may be never so sensible of the evil and danger of a sinful course , and may endeavour some small matter , but without success , we are yet under , that evil , and obnoxious to that danger : for he that strives in earnest , conquers at last , and advanceth still , though all the work be not done at once . so that if we endeavour and gain nothing , our endeavour is peccant , and wants faith or prayer for divine aids , or constancy , or vigour ; and so , though we may seek , we shall not be able to enter . but ( 3 ) an imperfect striver may overcome sin in some instances , and yet in that do no great matter neither , if he lies down , and goes no further : there are some sins we outgrow by age , or are indisposed to them by bodily infirmity , or diverted by occasions , and it may be by other sins ; and some are contrary to worldly interests , to our credit , or health , or profit ; and when we have in any great degree been hurt by them in these , we fall out with those sins , and cease from them , and so by resolution and disuse , we master them at last fully : which , if we went on , and attempted upon all the rest , were something : but when we stop short in these petty victories , our general state is not altered ; he that conquers some evil appetites , is yet a slave to others ; and though he hath prevailed over some difficulties , yet the main ones are yet behind . thus the imperfect striver masters , it may be , his beastly appetite to intemperate drinking , but is yet under the power of love and riches , and vain pleasure . he ceaseth from open debauchery , but entertains spiritual wickedness in his heart : he will not swear , but will backbite and rail : he will not be drunk , but will damn a man for not being of his opinion : he will not prophane the sabbath , but will defraud his neighbour . now these half conquests , when we rest in them , are as good as none at all . then shall i not be ashamed , when i have regard to all thy commandments , saith the kingly prophet , psal. 119. 6. 't is shameful to give off , when our work is but half done ; what we do , casts the greater reproach upon us for what we omit . to cease to be prophane , is something as a passage , but nothing for an end . we are not saints as soon as we are civil . 't is not only gross sins that are to be overcome . the wages of sin is death , not only of the great and capital , but of the smallest , if they are indulged . the pharisee applauded himself , that he was not like the extortioners , adulterers and vnjust , nor like the publican , that came to pray with him , luk. 18. 11. and yet he went away never the more justified . the unwise virgins were no profligate livers , and yet they were shut out . he that will enter , must strive against every corrupt appetite and inclination . a less leak will sink a ship , as well as a greater , if no care be taken of it . a consumption will kill , as well as the plague ; yea sometimes the less disease may in the event prove more deadly , than the greater ; for small distempers may be neglected , till they become incurable ; when as the great ones awaken us to speedy care for a remedy . a small hurt in the finger slighted , may prove a gangreen , when a great wound in the head by seasonable applications is cured . 't is unsafe then to content our selves with this , that our sins are not foul and great , those we account little ones , may prove as fatal , yea they are sometimes more dangerous : for we are apt to think them none at all , or venial infirmities that may consist with a state of grace , and divine favour ; we excuse and make apologies for them , and fancy that hearing , and prayer , and confession are atonements enough for these . upon which accounts i am apt to believe , that the less notorious vices have ruined as many as the greatest abominations . hell doth not consist only of drunkards , and swearers , and sabbath-breakers : no , the demure pharisee , the plausible hypocrite , and formal professor , have their place also in that lake of fire . the great impieties do often startle and awaken conscience , and beget strong convictions , and so sometimes excite resolution and vigorous striving ; while men hug themselves in their lesser sins , and carry them unrepented of to their graves . the sum is , we may overcome some sins , and turn from the grosser sorts of wickedness , and yet if we endeavour not to subdue the rest , we are still in the condition of unregeneracy and death , and though we thus seek , we shall not enter . ( 4. ) a man may perform many duties of religion , and that with relish and delight , and yet miscarry . as , ( 1. ) he may be earnest and swift to hear , and follow sermons constantly from one place to another , and be exceedingly pleased and affected with the word , and yet be an evil man , and in a bad state . herod heard john baptist gladly , mark 6. 20. and he that received the seed into stony places , received it joyfully , mat. 13. 20. zeal for hearing doth not always arise from a consciencious desire to learn in order to practise , but sometimes it proceeds from an itch after novelty and notions , or an ambition to be famed for godliness ; or the importunity of natural conscience , that will not be satisfied except we do something ; or a desire to get matter to feed our opinions , or to furnish us with pious discourse ? i say , earnestness to hear , ariseth very often from some of these ; and when it doth so , we gain but little by it : yea , we are dangerously tempted to take this for an infallible token of our saintship , and so to content our selves with this religion of the ear , and to disturb every body with the abundance of our disputes and talk , while we neglect our own spirits , and let our unmortified affections and inclinations rest in quiet , under the shadow of these specious services . so that when a great affection to hearing seizeth upon an evil man , 't is odds but it doth him hurt ; it puffs him up in the conceit of his godliness , and makes him pragmatical , troublesome and censorious ; he turns his food into poyson : among bad men , those are certainly the worst , that have an opinion of their being godly ; and such are those that have itching ears , under the power of vitious habits and inclinations . thus an earnest diligent hearer , may be one of those who seeks , and is shut out . and so may ( 2. ) he that fasts much , and severely : the jews were exceedingly given to fasting , and they were very severe in it . they abstained from all things pleasant to them , and put on sackcloth , and sowre looks , and mourned bitterly , and hung down the head , and sate in ashes ; so that one might have taken these for very holy , penitent , mortified people that had a great antipathy against their sins , and abhorrence of themselves for them : and yet god complains of these strict severe fasters , zach. 7. 5. that they did not fast unto him ; but fasted for strife and debate , isa. 58. 4. their fasts were not such as he had chosen , to loose the bands of wickedness , to undo the heavy burden , and to let the oppressed free , vers . 6. but they continued , notwithstanding their fasts , and god's admonitions by his prophets , to oppress the widow , and fatherless , and poor , zach. 7. 10. thus meer natural and evil men sometimes put on the garb of mortification , and exercise rigors upon their bodies and external persons , in exchange for the indulgences they allow their beloved appetites ; and while the strict discipline reacheth no further , though we keep days , and fast often , yet this will not put us beyond the condition of the pharisee , who fasted twice in the week , as himself boasted , luke 18. 12. and , ( 3. ) an imperfect striver may be very much given to pious and religious discourses : he may love to be talking of divine things ; especially of the love of christ to sinners , which he may frequently speak of with much earnestness and affection , and have that dear name always at his tongues end to begin and close all his sayings ; and to fill up the void places , when he wants what to say next ; and yet this may be a bad man , who never felt those divine things he talks of ; and never loved christ heartily as he ought . 't was observed before , that there are some who have a sort of devoutness , and religion in their particular complexion ; and if such are talkative ( as many times they are ) they will easily run into such discourses , as agree with their temper , and take pleasure in them for that reason ; as also for this , because they are apt to gain us reverence , and the good opinion of those with whom we converse . and such as are by nature disposed for this faculty , may easily get it by imitation and remembrance of the devout forms they hear and read : so that there may be nothing divine in all this ; nothing but what may consist with unmortified lusts and affections : and though such talk earnestly of the love of christ , and express a mighty love to his name , yet this may be without any real conformity unto him in his life and laws . the jews spoke much of moses , in him they believed , and in him they trusted , john 5. 45. his name was a sweet sound to their ears , and 't was very pleasant upon their tongues ; and yet they hated the spirit of moses , and had no love to those laws of his which condemned their wicked actions . and we may see how many of those love christ , that speak often and affectionately of him , by observing how they keep his commandments , john 14. 15. especially those of meekness , mercy , and universal love. thus imperfect strivers may imploy themselves in the external offices of religion : i have instanced only in three , the lik may be said of the rest . and to this , i add , ( iv. ) that they may not only exercise themselves in the outward matters of duty , but may arrive to some things that are accounted greater heights , and are really more spiritual , and refined . to instance . ( i. ) they may have some love to god , goodness , and good men. the soul naturally loves beauty and perfection ; and all mankind apprehend god , to be of all beings , the most beautiful and perfect ; and therefore must needs have an intellectual love for him : the reason that that love takes no hold of the passions in wicked men , is , partly because they are diverted from the thoughts of him , by the objects of sense ; but chiefly , because they consider him as their enemy , and therefore can have no complacency or delight in him , who they think hath nothing but thoughts of enmity , and displeasure against them . but if once they come to be perswaded ( as many times , by such false marks , as i have recited , they are ) that god is their father , and peculiar friend ; that they are his chosen , and his darlings , whom he loved from eternity , and to whom he hath given his son and his spirit , and will give himself , in a way of the fullest enjoyment ; then the love that before was only an esteem in the understanding , doth kindle in the affections by the help of the conceit of gods loving them so dearly , and the passion thus heated , runs out , even into seraphick , and rapturous devotions ; while yet all this , is but meer animal love , excited chiefly , by the love of our selves , not of the divine perfections . and it commonly goes no further , then to earnest expressions of extraordinary love to god in our prayers and discourses , while it appears not in any singular obedience to his laws , or generous and universal love to mankind : which are the ways whereby the true divine love is exprest : for , this is the love of god , that we keep his commandments , saith the apostle , 1 john. 5. 3. and as to the other , thus , if we love one another , god dwelleth in us , and his love is perfected in us , 1 john 4. 12. and on the contrary , if a man say i love god , and hateth his brother , he is a lyar , john 4. 20. charity then and universal obedience are the true arguments and expressions of our love to god ; and these suppose a victory over corrupt inclinations and self-will . but the other love which ariseth from the conceit of our special dearness to god upon insufficient grounds ; that goes no further then to some suavities , and pleasant fancies within our selves ; and some passionate complements of the image we have set up in our imaginations . this love will consist with hatred and contempt of all that are not like our selves ; yea , and it will produce it : those poysonous fruits , and vile affections may be incouraged , and cherish'd under it . so that there may be some love to god in evil men : but while self-love is the only motive , and the more prevalent passion , it signifieth nothing to their advantage . and as the imperfect striver may have some love to god , so he may to piety and vertue : every man loves these in idea . the vilest sinner takes part in his affections with the vertuous and religious , when he seeth them described in history or romance ; and hath a detestation for those , who are character'd as impious and immoral . vertue is a great beauty , and the mind is taken with it , while 't is consider'd at a distance ; and our corrupt interests , and sensual affections are not concern'd . 't is these that recommend sin to our love , and choice , while the mind ftands on the side of vertue : with that we serve the law of god , but with the flesh the law of sin , rom 7. 25. so that most wicked men , that are not degenerated into meer brutes , have this mental and intellectual love to goodness : that is , they approve , and like it in their minds , and would practise it also , were it not for the prevalent biass of flesh and sense . and hence it will follow likewise , that the same may approve and respect good men ; they may reverence and love them for their charity , humility , justice and temperance , though themselves are persons of the contrary character ; yea , they may have a great and ardent affection for those that are eminently pious and devout , though they are very irreligious themselves . the conscience of vertue , and of the excellency of religion , may produce this in the meer natural man , who is under the dominion of vile inclinations and affections ; and therefore , neither is this a good mark of godliness . our love to god & goodness will not stead us , except it be prevalent . and as the love described , may be natural , and a meer animal man may arrive unto it : so , ( 2. ) he may to an extraordinary zeal for the same things that are the objects of his love . hot tempers are eager , where they take either kindness or displeasure . the natural man that hath an animal love to religion , may be violent in speaking , and acting for things appertaining to it . if his temper be devotional and passionate , he becomes a mighty zealot , and fills all places with the fame of his godliness : his natural fire moves this way , aud makes a mighty blaze . ahab was very zealous , & 't is like 't was not only his own interest that made him so , 2 kings 10. 16. the pharirisees were zealous people , and certainly their zeal was not always personated , and put on , but real ; though they were hypocrites , yet they were such , as , in many things deceived themselves , as well as others . they were zealous for their traditions , and they believ'd 't was their duty to be so . st. paul while a persecutor , was zealous against the disciples , and he thought he ought to do many things against that name . and our saviour foretells , that those zealous murderers that should kill his saints , should think , they did god good service in it , john 16. 2. so that all the zeal of the natural man is not feigning , and acting of a part ; nor hath it always evil objects . the pharisees were zealous against the wickedness of the publicans and sinners . zeal , and that in earnest , and for religion may be in bad men . but then , this is to be noted , that 't is commonly about opinions or external rites , and usages , and such matters as appertain to first table duties , while usually the same men are very cold , in reference to the duties of the second : and when zeal is partial , and spent about the little things that tend not to the overcoming the difficulties of our way , or the perfecting of humane nature , 't is a meer animal fervour , and no divine fire . and the natural man , the seeker that shall not enter , may grow up to another height that looks gleriously , and seems to speak mighty things . as , ( 3. ) he may have great comforts in religious meditations , and that even to rapturous excesses . he may take these , for sweet communion with god , and the joys of the holy ghost , and the earnest of glory , and be lifted up on high by them , and enabled to speak in wonderful ravishing strains ; and yet notwithstanding be an evil man , and in the state of such as shall be shut out . for this we may observe , that those whose complexion inclines them to devotion , are commonly much under the power of melancholy ; and they that are so , are mostly very varius in their tempers ; fometimes merry , and pleasant to excess ; and then plung'd as deep into the other extream of sadness and dejection : one while the sweet humours enliven the imagination , and present it with all things that are pleasant and agreeable ; and then , the black blood succeeds , which begets clouds and darkness , and fills the fancy with things frightful and uncomfortable : and there are very few but feel such varieties , in a degree , in themselves . now while the sweet blood and humours prevail , the person whose complexion inclines him to religion , and who hath arrived to the degrees newly discours'd of ( though a meer natural man ) is full of inward delight , and satisfaction● and fancies at this turn , that he is much in the favour of god , and a sure heir of the kingdom of glory ; which must needs excite in him many luscious , and pleasant thoughts : and these further warm his imagination , which , by new , and taking suggestions still raiseth the affections more ; and so the man is as it were transported beyond himself ; and speaks like one dropt from the clouds : his tongue flows with light , and glories , and communion , and revelations , and incomes ; and then , believes that the holy ghost is the author of all this , and that god is in him of a truth , in a special way of manifestation and vouchsafement . but when melancholick vapours prevail again ; the imagination is overcast , and the fancy possest by dismal and uncomfortable thoughts ; and the man , whose head was but just before among the clouds , is now groveling in the dust : he thinks all is lost , and his condition miserable ; he is a cast-away , and undone ; when in the mean while , as to divine favour he is just where he was before , or rather in a better state , since 't is better to be humbled with reason , then to be lifted up without it . such effects as these do meer naturalpassions and imaginations produce , when they are tinctured and heightned by religious melancholly . to deny ones self , and to overcome ones passions , and to live in a course of a sober vertue , is much more divine than all this . 't is true indeed , and i am far from denying it , that holy men feel those joys and communications of the divine spirit which are no fancies ; and the scripture calls them great peace , psal. 119. 165. and joy in believing , rom. 15. 13. and the peace of god that passeth all understanding , phil. 4. 7. but then , these divine vouchsafements are not rapturous , or ecstatical : they are no sudden flashes that are gone in a moment , leaving the soul in the regions of sorrow , and despair ; but sober lasting comforts , that are the reward 's and results of vertue ; the rejoycings of a good conscience , 2 cor. 1. 12. and the manifestations of god to those rare souls , who have overcome the evils of their natures ; and the difficulties of the way , or are vigorously pressing on towards the mark , phil. 3. 14. but for such as have only the forms of godliness i have mentioned , while the evil inclinations and habits are indulged , ( whatever they may pretend ) all the sweets they talk of , are but the imagery of dreams , and the pleasant delusions of their fancies . thus i have shewn how far the meer animal religion may go , in imperfect striving : and now . i must expect to hear , ( 1. ) that this is very severe , uncomfortable doctrine ; and if one that shall eventually be shut out , may do all this , what shall become of the generality of religious men that never do so mtch ? and if all this be short , what will be available ? who then shall be saved ? to which i answer , that we are not to make the measures of religion and happiness our selves ; but to take those that christ jesus hath made for us : and he hath told us , that except our righteousness exceed the righteousness of the scribes and pharisees , we shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven , mat. 5. 20. now the scribes and pharisees did things in the way of religion , that that were equal to all the particulars : i have mentioned ; yea they went beyond many of our glorious professors , who yet think themselves in an high form of godliness . they believed their religion firmly , and prayed frequently and fervently , and fasted severely ; they were exact , and exceeding strict in the observation of their sabbaths , and hated scandalous and gross sins ; and were very punctual in all the duties of outward worship ; and in many things supererrogated and went beyond what was commanded : such zealous people were they ; and they separated from the conversations and customs of other jews , upon the account of their supposed greater holiness and purity . these were heights to which the pharisees arrived ; and a good christian must exceed all this : and he that lives in a sober course of piety and vertue ; of self government , and humble submission to god ; of obedience to his superiours , and charity to his neighbours : he doth really exceed it , and shall enter , when the other shall be shut out . so that , when our saviour saith , that the pharisaick righteousness must be exceeded , the meaning is not , that a greater degree of every thing the pharisees did , is necessary ; but we must do that which in the nature and kind of it is better , and more acceptable to god , viz. that whereas they placed their religion in strict fastings , an nice observations of festivals ; in lowd and earnest prayers , and zeal to get proselytes ; we should place ours , in sincere subjections of our wills to the will of god ; in imitation of the life of christ , and obedience of his laws ; in amending the faults of our natures and lives : in subduing our passions , and casting out the habits of evil : these are much beyond the religion of the phanatick pharisee ; not in shew and pomp ; but in real worth , and divine esteem . so that , upon the whole , we have no reason to be discouraged , because they that do so much are cast out ; since , though we find not those heats , and specious things in our selves which we observe in them , yet if we are more meek and modest , and patient , and charitable , and humble , and just , our case is better ; and we have the power of godliness , when theirs is but the form ; and we , whom they accounted aliens and enemies shall enter ; while they , the presumed friends and domesticks , shall be shut out . but ( 2. ) i expect it should be again objected against this severity of discourse , that our saviour saith , mat. 11. 20. that his yoke is easie , and his burden is light : which place seems to cross all that hath been said about the difficulties of religion . and 't is true it hath such an appearance , but 't is no more ; for the words look as cross to the expressions of the same divine author ; concerning the straightness of the gate , and narrowness of the way , as to any thing i have delivered from those infallible sayings . therefore to remove the semblance of contrariety , which the objected text seems to have to those others , and to my discourse , we may observe , that when our saviour saith , that his yoke is easie , the word we read is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , which signifieth very good , excellent , gracious ; and the meaning i suppose is , that his precepts had a native beauty and goodness in them ; that they are congruous and sutable to our reasonable natures , and apt instruments to make us happy ; in which sense , this expression hath no antipathy to the text , or to any thing i have said . and whereas 't is added , [ my burden is light ] i think by this , we are to understand , that his commands are not of that burdensome nature , that the ceremonies of the jewish laws were : those were very cumbersome , and had nothing in their nature to make them pleasant and agreeable ; whereas his religion had no expensive , troublesome rites appendant to it ; nor did it require any thing but our observation of those laws which eternal reason obligeth us to , and which of our selves we should choose to live under , were we freed from the intanglements of the world , and interests of flesh. so that neither doth this objection signifie any thing against the scope of my discourse . and now i descend to the improvement of what i have said ; and the things i have to add will be comprehended under these two generals ( 1. ) inferences , and ( 2. ) plain advice in order to practise . i begin with the inferences and corollaries that arise from the whole discourse . and , ( 1. ) we may collect , what is the state of nature ; and what the state of grace . we have seen that 't is the great business of religion to overcome evil inclinations , and the prevailing influence of sense and passion , and evil customs and example and worldly affections ; and therefore the state of nature consists in the power and prevalency of these . this is that the scripture calls the old man , eph. 4.22 . the image of the earthy , 1 cor. 15. flesh , gal. 5. 17. death , rom. 7.24 . darkness , joh. 3. 19. and old leven , 1 cor 5. 7. on the contrary , the state of grace is a state of sincere striving against them ; which if it keeps on , ends in victory . and this is call'd conversion , acts 3. 19. and renovation , while 't is in its first motions ; and the divine nature , 2 pet. 1. 4. the image of the heavenly , 1 cor. 15. 20. the spirit , gal. 5. 16. light , ephes. 5. 8. and life , 1 joh. 3. 14. when 't is arriv'd to more compleatness and perfection . for our fuller understanding this , we may consider , that grace is taken ( 1. ) for divine favour ; ( 2. ) for christian vertue . as it signifies divine favour , so it is used , ( 1. ) for those helps and aids god affords us , viz. the gospel , joh. 1. 17. and the influences of his spirit , 1 cor. 12. 9. in this sense we are deliver'd from the state of nature by baptism , viz. we are intituled to divine helps , which is a kind of regeneration ; for we are born in a condition of importence , and weakness , and destitution of spiritual assistances ; this is the world of meer nature ; but then in baptism , we are brought into the world of the spirit , that is , are put under its influences , and are assured of its aids , and so are morally born again ; not that this regeneration alone will save us , without our endeavours ; it imports only an external relation , and right to priviledges , and by these we may be powerfully assisted in our striving , if we use them . but then ( 2. ) grace , as it signifies divine favour , implies his special love and kindness , such as he vouchsases to holy and vertuous men ; so that we may observe that there may be a distinction between a state of grace , and a state of salvation . a state of grace , in the former sense , is a condition assisted by the influences of gods spirit , and all baptized persons are in that . but if they use not those helps , they are not in gods special favour ; and so not in a state of salvation . but when those assistances are duly imployed , and join'd with our sincere endeavour , then the person so using them , is in a state of salvation also ; and in god's special love and favour . thus of the state of grace in the first sense , as taken for divine favour . ( 2. ) the word is also used for christian vertue , 2 pet. 3. 18. and vertue is call'd grace , because 't is wrought in us by the assistance of gods spirit and the light of the gospel , which are divine favours ; and to be in a state of grace in this sense , is to be a virtuous man , which supposeth divine aids , and intitles to divine love . these things i have taken an occasion thus briefly to state ; because there is oft-times much confusion in mens discourses about grace and nature , from which much trouble and many controversies have arisen . and by what i have said also in these brief hints , the doctrine of our church in the office of baptism , may be understood clearly , and will appear to be very sound and true , notwithstanding the petty exceptions of confident dissenters . ( ii. ) i may infer , that the great design of religion and the gospel is to perfect humane nature . the perfection of our natures , consists , in the subjection and subordination of the affections and passions to the mind , as it is enlightned , and directed by the divine laws , and those of reason . this is the state of integrity , in which we were first made ; and we lost it by the rebellion of our senses and inferiour powers , which have usurpt the government of us ever since . here is the imperfection , and corruption of our natures . now religion designs to remove and cure these ; and to restore us to our first , and happy state . it s business is not to reform our looks , and our language ; or to model our actions , and gestures into a devout appearance ; not only to restrain the practice of open prophaness and villany ; nor to comfort us with the assurance of gods loving us we know not why : but to cure our ill natures , to govern our passsions , to moderate our desires , to throw out pride and envy , and all uncharitable surmisals , with the other spiritual sorts of wickedness ; and thereby to make us like unto god , in whom there is no shadow of sin , or imperfection ; and so to render us fit objects of his delight , and love . so that whatever doth not tend to the making us , some way or other really better : better in our selves , and better in all relations , as fathers , and children , and husbands and wives , and subjects , and governours , and neighbours , and friends , is not religion ; it may be a form of godliness , but 't is nothing to the life , and power . and where we see not this effect of religion , let the professor of it be never so high and glorious in his profession , we may yet conclude that either his religion is not good , or that he only pretends , and really hath it not . this i take to be a consideration of great moment and great certainty , viz. that christian religion aims at the bettering and perfecting of our natures . for the things it commands relate either to worship or virtue . the instances of external worship are prayer , and praise ; both which are high acts of gratitude and justice , and they fit us for divine blessings , and keep us under a sense of god , and prepare us for union with him , which is the highest perfection of which the creature is capable . thus the outward acts of worship tend to our happiness ; and the inward do infinitely the same . these are , faith , and love , and fear . faith in god supports and relieves us in all afflictions , and distresses . the love of him is a pleasure and solace to us in all losses and disappointments , since he is an object most filling , and satisfying ; and one that cannot be lost , except we wilfully thrust him from us . fear of god hath no torment ; 't is no slavish dread of his greatness and power ; but a reverence of his perfections , and a lothness to offend him ; and this disposeth us also for the communications of his grace , and love , ps. 85.9 . and this it doth by congruity , and its own nature ; which is to be said likewise of the others . so that they would make those happy that practise them , whether they had been positively enjoyn'd , or not ; and though no express rewards had been annext unto them . there are other two acts of worship which christianity requires , which are instituted and positive , & respect christ our lord ; they are , the sacraments ; baptism , and the lords supper ; both which are holy rites of high signification ; and seals of an excellent covenant between god and us , assuring us of pardon of sins , and all divine favours , upon the conditions of our faith. and repentance ; and more firmly obliging us to holy obedience , and dependence ; the only way in which we can be happy . whence we see briefly , that all the parts of worship which christianity binds upon us , tend to our perfection and felicity . and all the vertues that it commands do the same ; both those that respect us in a personal capacity , and those others that relate to us as members of societies . thus humility , recommended mat. 5. 3. meekness blest , ver . 5. purity , ver 8. are vertues that accomplish our particular persons , and make us happy in our selves . for of pride cometh conteution , prov. 13. 10. and a great part of our troubles arise from stomach and self-will ; which humility cures . meekness also takes away the occasion of the numerous mischiefs we run into through the rage and disorder of our passions ; and 't is in it selfe a great beauty and ornament , since it ariseth from the due order , and goverment of our faculties . purity which comprehends temperance of all sorts , frees us from the tormenting importunity of those desires that drag us out of our selves , and expose us to sin , and folly , and temptation , and make us exceeding miserable ; besides which it is a perfection that renders us like unto god , and the blest spirits of the highest rank . and christian vertues do not only accomplish , and make us happy in our particular persons , but they do the same in our publique capacities , the more publick capacity also ; they dispose us to a quiet obedience to our governours without murmuring , and complaining ; and thereby the publique peace is secured ; and all good things else in that . but there are other vertues that christianity enjoyns , which have a more direct tendency to the happiness of others , as justice , mat 7. 12. charity , 1 cor. 13. loyalty . rom. 13. and all other publique vertues may , i think , be comprehended under these . where there is no justice , every man preys upon another , and no mans property is safe , where charity is wanting , jealousies , hatreds , envying , back-bitings , and cruelties abound , which render the world deplorably unhappy . where there is not loyalty and conscionable submission to governours , the publick is upon every occasion of commotion , involv'd in infinite miseries , and disasters . so that all the precepts of our religion are in their own nature proper instruments to make us happy ; and they had been methods of felicity to be chosen by all reasonable creatures , though they had never been required by so great , and so sacred an authority . these things i have said , because i could not choose but take this occasion to recommend the excellency , and reasonableness of our religion ; and i have done it but only in brief hints , because it ariseth but upon a corollary from my main subject , and from this i infer further . ( iii. ) that christanity is the height , and perfection of morality . they both tend to the real bettering , and accomplishment of humane nature : but the rules and measures of moral philosophy were weak and imperfect till christ jesus came ; he confirmed and enforced all those precepts of vertue , that were written upon our hearts ; and cleared them from many corruptions that were grown upon them , through ignorance and vice , the glosses of the jews , and false conceits of the gentiles ; and he inforced them anew by his authority and the knowledge he gave of divine aids , and greater rewards , and punishments , than were understood before ; yea he enlarged them in some instances ; such as , loving enemies and forgiving injuries . thus christ jesus taught morality , viz. the way of living like men ; and the 5. chapture of mathew is an excellent lecture of this kind . so that to disparage morality , is to disgrace christianity it self ; and to vilifie one of the ends of christs coming into the world . for all religion and all duties respect either god , our neighbour , or our selves ; & the duties that relate to these two last , are acknowledg'd moral vertues . the apostle st. james counted these moralities of visiting the widow and fatherless , to be the pure religion and undefiled . jam. 1. 17. and the prophet micah intimates , that those moral vertues of justice and mercy were some of the main things that god required of us micah 6. 8. our saviour saith that the whole law is summ'd up in these two , to love god with all our souls , and our neighbour as our selves , math. 22. 13 which latter contains the duties of morality . and that which the grace of god in the gospel teacheth , according to st. paul is , to live soberly , righteously , and godly in this present world , tit. 2. 11 , there is no godliness without morality . all the fruits of the spirit reckon'd up gal. 5. 22. are moral vertues . and when we are commanded to grow in grace , 2 pet , 3. 18. vertue is partly understood . for one branch of what is call'd grace in us , is moral vertue , produced by divine aids , christian principles , and incouragements ; though 't is true , the word is extended to those duties that relate immediately to god also . by which we see how ignorantly , and dangerously those people talk , that disparage morality as a dull , lame thing of no account , or reckoning . upon this the religion of the second table is by too many neglected ; and the whole mystery of the new godliness is lay'd in frequent hearing , and devout seraphick talk , luscious phancies , new lights , incomes , manifestations , sealings , in-dwellings , and such like . thus antinomianism , and all kinds of phanaticism have made their way by the disparagement of morality , and men have learnt to believe themselves the chosen , pretious people , while their hearts have been full of malice , and bitterness , and their hands of violence , while they despised dominions , and spake evil of dignities , rebel'd against the government , destroyed publique peace , and endeavoured to bring all into misery and confusions . 't is this diabolical project of dividing morality from religion that hath given rise and occasion to all these villanies . and while the practisers of such things have assumed the name of the only godly , godlyness it self hath been brought into disgrace by them ; and atheism incouraged to shew it self , in open defiance to religion , yea , through the indiscretions , and inconsiderateness of some preachers , the phantastry , and vain babble of others , and the general disposition of the people to admire what makes a great shew , and pretends to more than ordinary spirituality ; things are , in many places , come to that pass , that those who teach christian vertue & religion , in plainness and simplicity without sensless phrases , and fanyastick affectations , shall be reckon'd for dry moralists , and such as understand nothing of the life , and power of godliness . yea , those people have been so long used to gibberish and canting , that they cannot understand plain sense ; and vertue is become such a stranger to their ears , that when they hear : it spoken of in a pulpit they count the preacher a broacher of new divinity ; and one that would teach the way to heaven by philosophy : and he escapes well , if they do not say , that he is an atheist ; or that he would reconcile us to gentilism , and heathen worship . the danger and vanity of which ignorant humour , the contempt of morality , is apparent in the whole scope of my discourse , and therefore i add no more concerning it here ; but proceed to another inference , which is . ( iv. ) that grace and the new nature , make their way by degrees on the soul ; for the difficulties will not be removed nor the corrupt nature fubdued all at once . habits that grow by repeated acts , time , and continuance , will not be expelled in a moment . no man can become greatly evil or good , on a sudden . the path of the just shines more and more to to a perfect day , prov. 4. 18 , we do not jump from darkness into full light , we are not fully sanctified and converted in an instant . the day begins in an insensible dawn , and the kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed , mat. 13. 31. it doth not start up presently to the stature of a tree . the divine birth begins like the natural , in an imperfect embryo . there are some seeds of knowledge and goodness that god hath sown in our natures ; these are excited by the divine grace and spirit to convictions , which proceed to purposes ; these to resolutions , and thence we pass to abstinence from all gross sins , and the performance of outward duties ; and so at last by degrces , to vigorous attempts , for the destruction of evil habits and inclinations . when grace is arrived to this eminent growth , 't is very visible , as the plant is when 't is above the ground . but the beginnings of conversion are not ordinarily perceived . so that to catechize men about the punctual time , and circumstances of their conversion , is an idle device , and a great temptation to vanity and lying . who can tell the exact moment when the night ends , and the dawn enters ? 't is true indeed , the passage from the excesses of wickedness , which begins in some extraordinary horrors and convictions , is sometimes very notable ; but 't is not so in all , or most . the time of st. paul's conversion was eminent , but that change was from great contrarieties and miraculous , and therefore 't is not to be drawn into instance . both the beginnings and minute progressions of grace , are usually undiscerned : we cannot see the grass just putting out of the earth ; or actually growing ; but yet we find that it doth both . and grace is better known in its fruits , than in its rise . by their fruits ye shall know them , saith our saviour , mat. 12. 33. and the same way we may know our selves . ( v. ) we see that there is an animal , as well as a divine religion : a religion that is but the effect and modification of complexion , natural fear and self-love . how far these will go , we have seen , and how short it will prove in the end . the not noting this hath been the sad occasion of deceiving many . some observing great beats of zeal and devotion in the modern pharisees , take these to be the saints and good people ; believing all the glorious things which they assume to themselves : when others , that know them to be envious and malitious , unjust , and covetous , proud and ungovernable , and cannot therefore look on them as such choice holy people , are apt to affirm all to be hypocrisie and feigning . in which sentences , both are mistaken for want of knowing that there is a meer animal religion , that will produce very specious and glorious effects ; so that though the pharisee prays vehemently , and fasts severely , and talks much of the love of god , and delights greatly in hearing , and pious . discourse , and will suffer all things for what he calls his conscience ; yet he is not to be concluded a saint from hence , because the meer animal religion may put it self forth in all these expressions . and though this professor be a bad man , proud and covetous , malicious and censorious , sacrilegious and rebellious , yet we cannot thence be assured that he is an hypocrite , in one sense , viz. such an one as feigns all that he pretends : but we may believe that he is really so affected with hearing and praying , and devout company , as he makes shew , and yet for all this , not alter our opinion of his being an evil man : since the animal religion will go as far as the things in which he glories . there is nothing whereby the common people are drawn more easily into the wayes of sects and separations , than by the observation of the zeal and devotion of those of the factions : these they take to be religion , and the great matters of godliness , and those the religious and only godly people . and so first they conceive a great opinion of them , and then follow them whithersoever they lead . for the generality of men are tempted into schism and parties , not so much by the arguments of dissenters , as by the opinion of their godliness , which opinion is grounded upon things which may arise from the meer animal religion , and very commonly do so . this they understand not , and by this ignorance are betrayed into the snare of separation , to the disturbance of the peace of the church , and their own great hurt and inconvenience . whereas could they be made to know and consider , that complexion and natural passions may bring forth all these fruits , they might be secured by this means against the tempting imposture ; and learn that meekness and patience , affability and charity , justice , and a peaceable , humble temper , are better arguments of saintship than all these . thus a great mischief might be prevented ; and there is another that might be remedied by the same observation : the inconvenience is this , while the enemies of factions object hypocrisie to them , affirming that all they do and say , is meer personating and pretence ; they confirm and settle those people in their way ; for many of them know , that they are in earnest , and consequently , that their opposers are mistaken in their judgments concerning them ; by which they are better establisht in their own good opinion , and hardned against conviction whereas , did they consider such things as i have suggested , about the animal religion , and grant to them that they may be serious , believe themselves infinitely , and feel all those warmths , which they pretend , and yet be evil men , and far enough from being godly ; did they shew them , that all their zeal and devotion , and more and greater than theirs , may arife from a principle that hath nothing divine and supernatural in it : they would thereby strike them in the right vein , and bring them down from the high perch , whereon , by their false marks , they had placed themselves ; and thereby disabuse them , and prevent the abuse of others . ( vi. ) we see how we may know our state , whether it be that of grace and life ; or the other sad one of vnregeneracy and death . the state of grace is a motion towards the recovery of the divine image , and a perfect victory over our selves , and all corrupt inclinations and affections , the state of vnregeneracy and death , is the continuance under the power and prevalency of sense , passion , and evil habits . now when 't is question'd by our selves in which of these states we are ; it must be supposed that we are arrived at something of religion : for the grosly wicked cannot but know what their condition is . and the way i would propose to those others , who are yet uncertain , is this , viz. to take notice , whether they really design , and make any progress in goodness . every motion indeed cannot be felt or perceived ; but if we go on , though never so insensibly , time will shew that we are grown . if we consider what are our particular defects , and studiously apply proper instruments to remove them : if we find success in those indeavours , and that we are better this year than we were the former ; that our passions are better governed , and our inordinate affections more restrained , and our evil habits and inclinations less powerful with us , 't is an infallible sign , that we live and are in a state of grace ; that we shall at last arrive to a perfect man in christ jesus , eph. 4. 13. and shall ●attain if we faint not , 2 cor. 4. 1. whereas on the other hand , if we come to some hopeful pitch , and stand still there ; if sin and temptation be as powerful with us now , as they were a year ago , and our inclinations and passions just at the same pass ; we are in a bad state , and dead . while the plant grows , it lives , and may become a great tree , though at present it be but small : whereas that whose stature is bigger , and more promising , if it proceeds not , decayes and comes to nothing . though we are imperfect , if we are striving and going towards perfection , god overlooks our . infirmities , and pardons them for christ's sake . this is our sincerity , and an effect of true faith. but if on the other hand , we think our selves well , and do not always attempt forwards , our state is bad , and our sins will be imputed : be our pretences what they will , our faith is not sincere , and will not stead us . when we get to a certain pitch in religion , and make that our state , 't is an argument that our religion was meerly animal ; and but a mode of complexion , self-love , and natural fear . when we overcome some sins , and are willing to spare and cherish others , 't is a sign that we are not sincere in our attempts upon any , and that what we have done , was not performed upon good and divine motives . sincerty is discovered by growth , and this is the surest mark that i know of tryal , so that we have no reason to presume , though , as we think , we have gone a great way , if we go not on . nor on the other side , have we any to dispair , though our present attainments are but small , if we are proceeding . the buds and tenderest blossoms of divine grace , are acceptable to god ; when the fairest leaves of the meer animal religion are nothing in his esteem . this is a great advantage we have from the gospel , that imperfection will be accepted , where there is sincerity ; whereas according to the measures of exact and rigorous justice , no man could be made happy in the high degree of glory , but he that was perfect , and whose victories were absolute . ( vii . ) it may be collected from our discourse , wherein the power of godliness consists , viz. in a progress towards perfection , and an intire victory over all the evils of our natures . the forms of godliness are not only in the ceremonies of worship , and external actions of feigned piety ; but all the fine things of the animal religion are of this kind ; and they are the worst sort : by the grosser forms men hardly deceive others ; by these they effectually gull themselves . so that many that vehemently oppose forms , are the greatest formalists . forms of worship may well agree with the power of godliness ; whenas zeal against forms , may be a form it self ; whatever makes shew of religion , and doth not make us better , that 's a form , at least to us . there are spiritual forms , as well as those of the other sort , and these are most deadly . poyson is worst in aqua vitae . he that speaks his prayers ex tempore with vehemence and lowdness , if he strive not against his ill nature and self-will , is as much a formalist , as he that tells his prayers by his beads , and understands not one word he saith . and those that run away from forms in churches , meet more dangerous ones in barns and private corners . orthodox opinions , devout phrases , set looks , melting tones , affected sighs , and vehement raptures , are often meer forms of godliness , that proceed from the animal religion , which it self is a form likewise . o that the observers of so many motes in their brethrens eyes , would learn to throw out the beames of their own ! the form of godliness that pretends it self to be no more , is not so hurtful : but the formes , that call themselves the power , are deadly . 't is the formality and superstition of separatists that keeps on the separation : they contend for phancies and arbitrary trifles ; we for order and obedience . the people are abused by names , and being frighted by the shadows of superstition and formality , they run into the worst formality , and silliest superstition in the world. the kingdom of heaven consists not in meats and drinks , rom. 14. 17. neither in circumcision , nor vncircumcision , 1 cor. 7. 19. not in zeal for little things , nor in zeal against them ; both the one and the other are equally formal . the power of religion lies in using divine aids heartily and constantly , in order to the overcoming the difficulties of our way . this godliness is not exercised so much in reforming others , as our selves : the chief design is to govern within , and not to make laws for the world without us , this is that wisdom that is from above , which is pure and peaceable . jam. 3. 17. it makes no noise and bluster abroad , but quietly minds its own business at home . so that certainly the best men have not always had the greatest fame for godliness ; as the wisest have very seldom been the most popular . they are the effects of the animal religion that make the biggest fhew . the voice of true religion is heard in quiet , it sounds not in the corners of the street . the power of godliness is seen in justice , meekness humility , and charity , things that look not so splendidly as the spiritual forms . and thus of the inferences and corollaries that may be drawn from my discourse , which though they cannot all be inferred from any of its minute and seperated parts , yet they lie in the design and contexture of the whole . i come now to the advice for practice . the way of happiness is difficult , but the difficulties may be overcome by striving . a little will not do ; many seekers are shut out ; what remains then , but that we perswade our selves to strive , and that diligently ; with constant resolution and endeavour ? we were made for happiness , and happiness all the world seeks : who will shew us any good ? psal. 4. 6. is the voice of all the creatures . we have sought it long in emptiness , and shadows ; and that search hath still ended in shame and disappointment . where true substantial felicity is we know , and the way we know , joh. 14. 4. it is not hid from us in clouds and thick darkness ; or if it were , 't were worth our pains to search after it . it is not at so great a distance , but it may be seen , yea , it may be brought so neer as to be felt . though the way is streight , yet 't is certain ; or if it were otherwise , who would not venture his pains upon the possibility of such an issue ? many difficulties are in it ; but our encouragements and assistances are infinite . the love of god , and the gift of his son ; the blood of christ , and his intercession ; the aids of the spirit , and the directions of the gospel ; the invitations and promises , the rare precepts , and incomparable examples of those holy men that have gone before us : these are mighty helpes and great motives to assist us in striving , and to quicken us to it . let us then arise in the strength of faith , and in the encouragement of those aids , and attempt with courage upon the difficulties of our way . let us ingage our deepest resolutions , and most diligent endeavours . here is no need to deliberate , the things are necessary , the benefits unspeakable , and the event will be glorious . it is no question , i hope , whether god , or the creature is to be first chosen ; whether heaven or hell be better ? and therefore there is no cause that we should stay and consider ; we cannot be rash here , we cannot hurt our selves by a too sudden ingagement ; we have delayed too long already , and every moment we sit still , is one lost to our duty , and our happiness . let us resolve then , and begin with courage , and proceed with diligence , 't is our end and felicity for which we are to strive ; and every thing is active for its end and perfection . all creatures are diligent in serving the designs of providence ; the heavens are in restless motion , and the clouds are still carrying about their fruitful waters ; the sluggish earth it self is always putting forth in variety of trees , and grass , and flowers ; the rivers run towards the sea , the brooks move towards them , and the sea within it self . thus all things even in inanimate nature may mind us of acting towards our end . and if we look a little higher , the beasts of the field , the fowls , and cattel , and creeping things are diligent in striving after the good and perfection of their natures , and solomon sends the sluggard to those little insects , the ant and bee , to teach him activity and diligence , prov. 6.6 . and shall the beasts act more reasonably than the professed sons of reason ? may it not shame us , that we need instruction from the creatures that have no understanding ? with what face can we carry our heads so high , and look down with contempt upon inferiour animals , when they live more wisely and more regularly than we ? the sum is , all things are incessantly moving towards an end ; and happiness is ours , which therefore should ingage our most careful thoughts , and most active endeavours we are sollicitous and diligent about things of infinitely less moment , and in effect of none , viz. uncertain riches , sensual pleasures , and worldly honours ; though the way to these is sufficiently difficult and uneasie , yet we are not discouraged ; we attempt all those difficulties with an obstinate courage , though without promise of any equal assistance , or assurance of success . we are often defeated in our pursuits , and yet we go on . we are overmaster'd by cross events , and yet we try again . we miss our happiness , when we have attain'd our end , and yet we are as active in courting disappointment another time ; either we attain not the things we seek , or find no true satisfaction in them , or they die in our hands presently , and yet we strive . and doth not this activity about uncertain , unsatisfying trifles , shamefully reprove our negligence in reference to our great end , happiness and perfection ? in striving for which we have all the powers of heaven to aid us , and the word of god , and the blood of his son , and the experience of all that ever try'd , to assure us that we shall neither fail of the things we seek , nor of the pleasure that we expect from them . and why then do we lazily sit down , and with the sluggard say , there is a lion in the way , while we despise greater discouragements , when vain things are to be sought ? the merchant doth not give off , because there are storms , and the numerous dangers of the deep to be met with in his way to the indies ; nor the souldier lay by his arms , because of the hazards and toils of war. and do we act courageously for petty purchases ; and faint and despond when we are to strive for crowns and eternal glories ? 't is true indeed our own natural strength is small , in proportion to the difficulties we are to encounter ; but the grace of god is sufficient for us , 2 cor. 12.9 . and we may do all things through christ that strengthens us , phil. 4. 13. nature is weak , and imperfect , but we are not left in the condition of meer nature : for we are not under the law but under grace , rom. 6. 14. we are under the influences of the holy spirit , which will remove the mountains , and plain the way before us , if we take care to engage those aids by faith and sincere endeavour . for this we may be sure of , that god will never be wanting to us , if we are not so unto our selves , so that the case as to our natural inability , and the assistance of gods spirit , seems to be thus . a man in a boat is cartied from the harbour he designs , by the violence of the current ; he is not able only by playing the oar , to overcome the resistance of the tide ; but a gen tle gale blows with him , which will not of it self carry him up against the torrent : neither of them will do it single : but if he hoist the sail , and use the oar too , this united force prevails ; and he gets happily to the harbour , this methinks resembles our condition ; we are carried down the torrent of evil inclinations and affections , our own unaided powers are too little for that great force : but the holy spirit is with us , it breaths upon us , and is ready to assist , if we are so to use it , and by the superaddition and ingagement of those blessed aids , there is no evil in our natures but may be overcome . so that we have no reason to be discouraged at the apprehension of our impotence , out of weakness we shall he made strong heb. 11. 24. if we imploy our talent , though it be but a very small one , we shall have more , mat. 25. 29. and if we accept of those divine helps , and use them , what was before , to meer natural consideration , uneasie , will be pleasant and sweetly relishing . one of the greatest difficulties in the way of religion , is to begin : the first steps are roughest to those feet that have been unaccustomed to it . the helps and manifold incouragements we shall meet with in the progress , will render it more agreeable and delightsome . those very toils will be grateful ; there is scarce any great sense of pleasure , but where there is some difficulty and pain . even our work it self will be wages . and 't is not only the end of wisdom that is pleasantness , but the very way , prov. 3. 17. so that though we are call'd upon to strive , and to run , and to fight , ( which words import labour ) yet we are not required to quit our pleasures , but to change the objects of them ; to leave the delights of swine for those of angels ; sensual for spiritual satisfactions . thus all things encourage , and invite us to strive ; god calls upon us , and our own interests call ; christ jesus came to ingage us to this work , and the holy spirit waits to assist it . if notwithstanding all this , we sit still , our negligence will be inexcusable and fatal : or if we arise and go a little forward , and then lay us down to take our ease and rest , our state ( in the judgment of one that knew ) will be worse , more desperate , and excuseless , 2. pet. 2. 21. i conclude all then , in the words of the blessed apostle , 1. cor. 15. therefore my beloved brethren , be ye stedfast , unmoveable , always abounding in the work of the lord , forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the lord : to him be glory and honour henceforth , and for ever . amen . finis . books published by mr. glanvil . essayes on several important subjects in philosophy and theology . seasonable reflections and discourses in order to the cure of the scoffing and infidelity of a degenerate age. lux orientalis ; being a modest philosophical enquiry into the doctrine of pre-existence . catholick charity , recommended in a sermon before the lord mayor and aldermen of london . a fast-sermon on the king's martyrdome . an earnest invitation to the sacrament of the lord's supper . the way of happiness , represented in its difficulties and encouragements , and free'd from many popular and dangerous mistakes . the true way to the tree of life, or, the natural man directed unto christ by fran. roberts ... roberts, francis, 1609-1675. 1673 approx. 245 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 95 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2003-09 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a57386 wing r1596 estc r31779 12256362 ocm 12256362 57552 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a57386) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 57552) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 1513:5) the true way to the tree of life, or, the natural man directed unto christ by fran. roberts ... roberts, francis, 1609-1675. [26], 163 p. printed by t.r. for geo calvert ..., london : 1673. reproduction of original in the harvard university library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng salvation -early works to 1800. regeneration (theology) theology, doctrinal. 2003-05 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2003-05 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2003-06 rina kor sampled and proofread 2003-06 rina kor text and markup reviewed and edited 2003-08 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the true way to the tree of life : or , the natural man directed unto christ . by fran. roberts d. d. pastor of the church of christ at wrington in the county of somerset . john 14. 6. iesvs saith unto him ; i am the way , the truth , and the life : no man cometh unto the father , but by me . act. 16. 30 , 31. — sirs , what must i do to be saved ? and they said ; believe on the lord iesvs christ , and thou shalt be saved , and thine house . bernard . in iubilo , &c. p. 1659. antverp . 1616. jesu , decus angelicum , in auro d●sce canticum , in ore me● mirificum , in corde n●ctar coelicum : desidero te millies . mi jesu , quando venies ? me loetum quando facies ? me de te quando suties ? london , printed by t. r. for geo. cal●ert , at the golden ball in ●uck lane , 1673. the author 's epistolary exhortation , and paternal charge , unto his children . my dear and beloved children , what the apostle paul sometimes said with great affection touching israel , his brethren and kinsmen according to the flesh , that with like affection say i now touching you ; my hearts desire and prayer to god for you all is , that you may be saved a . o , that you might be so happy , as to hear that sweetest sentence of iesus christ at the last day , directed unto you among the rest of his elect sheep at his right hand ; come ye blessed of my father , inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world b . and that you may be where christ is ( which is far the best of all ) to behold his glory , and to be made conform to him in celestial glory for evermore c . but you had need deeply to consider , that there are very many , great , and dangerous impediments unto sinners eternal salvation ; without removal whereof , the salvation of poor souls will be rendered not only difficult , but utterly impossible . a few of these principal hindrances i shall briefly mention unto you for your information and instruction . that you may praise god for your deliverance from some of them : and pray to him for his effectual removal of all the rest in his due time . some grand hindrances of poor sinners salvation are these , viz. 1. the state of sin and misery , in which all mankind is involved by nature , through the fall of adam , the common root of all mankind d , whence , all are , by nature , dead in sins and trespasses , and children of wrath e . so that , they who are in the flesh , cannot possibly please god f . 2. man's general senslessness and ●in apprehensiveness by nature , of the sinfulness and wretchedness of his natural condition . all natural men being children of the night and of darkness g . having the understanding darkned , being alienated from the life of god through the ignorance that is in them , because of the blindness of their heart h . and from this senslesness of their natural malady , it comes to pass , that they are ( till god open their eyes , and awaken their consciences ) altogether regardless of the supernatural remedy . 3. a sinful course of life and wicked conversation , resulting from mens sinful state and condition . so that they walk according to the course of this world , according to the prince of the power of the air , the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience . — fulfilling the wills of the flesh and of the mind i . — and running to all excess of riot k . now these , and like ungodly waies will ( without true and timely repentance ) undoubtedly shut , all that walk therein , out of the kingdom of god for evermore l . 4. habitual hardness of heart and impenitency , which are most dangerous fore-runners of eternal death and destruction m : whereby all hardned and impenitent sinners do treasure up unto themselves wrath against the day of wrath , and reve●●tion of the righteous judgment of god n . 5. that grand soul-damning sin of vnbelief in iesus christ. of this the holy ghost peculiarly and principally convincingly reproves the world ; of sin , because they believe not in me , saith our saviour o . this sin he puts before others , saith augustine , as if it were the alone sin : because this sin remaining , the rest are detained ; and this departing , the rest are remitted p . vnbelief rejects iesus christ the onely saviour : how then is it possible the vnbelievers should be saved ? our blessed saviour himself hath declared most plainly ; that , he that believes not shall be damned , math. 16. 6. yea , that he is condemned already , because he hath not believed on the name of the onely begotten son of god. — that , he who believeth not the son should not see life , but the wrath of god abideth on him . iohn 3. 18. 36. & 8. and he placeth the unbelieving in that black catalogue , which shall have their part in the lake of fire and brimstone , which is the second death . rev. 21. 8. 6. the embracing of any false counterfeit and irreligious religions , whether through corrupt education and evil example of parents q , or through seducement of heretical impostors and false teachers r , or through the just judgment of god , 2 upon them that receive not the love of the truth that they may be saved , sending them strong delusions , that they should believe a lye , that they all may be damned who believe not the truth s . and chiefly such false counterfeit religions , which are most predominant and bear greatest sway in the world , are these four : viz. heathenism , mahume●ism , judaism , and antichristianism . by the poyson of which , it is much to be feared , far the greatest number of people in the whole world are deprived of salvation , and perish . as divers of our learned , orthodox , and religious authors t have demonstrated . 7. the false hypocritical and conterfeit entertaining of the onely true religion , viz. the christian religion , leaves men still in a state of damnation , though thereupon multitudes vainly presume and promise to themselves eternal salvation . as , when men make a profession of christianity , without a sincere suitable practice u : having lamps , without oyle . when they have onely a form of godliness , but deny the power thereof x . having a name to live , but are dead y . when they attain to a temporary faith , believing for a time , but in time of persecution falling away : become partakers of many common gifts and en dowments of the holy ghost , but of no true saving graces of the spirit : so that though they may have some flashes of joy in the use of gods ordinances , and may do many things , yet walk not , as the sincere saints , in all the commandements and ordinances of god blameless z . now such persons , being meer formal , not real christians indeed , remaining ●as most in the visible church do ) without effectual calling , conversion , regeneration , and true sanctification , cannot inherit the kingdom of god , as the holy scriptures do abundantly testifie a . now therefore , my beloved children , i earnestly exhort , charge and beseech you , by the mercies of god , as you tender the eternal welfare of your precious and immortal souls , as you desire to be found in iesus christ , and favour with god when you die , and as ever you hope to be set at christs right hand among his sheep , and to be sentenced by christ with them to his everlasting kingdom at that great and glorious day of his appearing : that you use all possible care , diligence , and endeavours , by the grace and assistance of the holy spirit of god , against all these fore-mentioned impediments unto salvation , and all such like , that they may be removed out of your way to happiness , and not be any hindrances at all to your eternal glory and salvation . and that this may be the more effectually enterprized and performed by you , let these ensuing instructions sink deep into your hearts , and be most studiously , seriously and sincerely pursued and practiced in your lives . viz. 1. be deeply and thoroughly convinced of the extream sinfulness and wretchedness of your natural state and condition in the first adam b . how you were shapen in iniquity , and conceived in sin c . yea , dead in sins and trespasses , and by nature children of wrath , even as others d . and , how from this original and vniversal corruption of your natures , your whole course of life is answerably corrupted also : every imagination of the thoughts of your hearts ( and consequently , every word of your mouths , and every action throughout your lives ) being evil , onely evil , continually evil , so long as you continue in your natural state and condition e . so then , while you remain in the flesh , you cannot please god f : nor can have an● actual hope of salvation g , upon any solid ground . 2. hence , you may evidently see , and must needs conclude ; that there is so great a necessity of a supernatural remedy , against this your natural state of sin and misery , and against all the sinfulness of your natural conversation , by the application of jesus christ unto your souls , and the effectual operation of his spirit to that end upon your hearts : that without such applying of christ by faith unto you h , and the operation of his spirit in and upon you , by effectual calling , conversion , regeneration , renovation and sanctification , you can never enter into the kingdom of god , and be eternally saved i . 3. therefore , see that ye come unto jesus christ by faith without delay , and receive him as your onely all-sufficient saviour , that is able to save you to the uttermost k ; accepting him upon his own terms of denying your selves , taking up your cross daily , and following him l . so iesus christ will be unto you , wisdom , to guide you in the way to heaven ; righteousness , to wash away all your sins by his bloud , and justifie you freely by his spotless righteousness imputed unto you ; sanctification , to furnish you sufficiently with all treasures of grace out of his fullness of grace ; and redemption , to deliver you from all your bondage under sin , satan , the curse of the law , the wrath to come , and all your spiritual enemies m . o , thrice happy , everlastingly happy shall you be , if once iesus christ become yours , and you his ! then you shall be espoused to the best husband in the world n ; the god and father of iesus christ will be your god and father o ; the spirit of christ will be your com●orter p ; the kingdom of heaven shall be your everlasting joynture q ; yea all things , the world , and life , and death , and things present , and things to come , all shall be yours r then , all things shall work-together for good unto you ; sickness as well as health , adversity as well as prosperity , death it self as well as life s . then , nothing in the world shall ever be able to separate you from the love of christ , or from the love of god which is in christ jesus our lord t . then , no condemnation shall ever befall you in this or in the world to come u . o happy souls that ever you were born , if you be born again , and christ be formed in you ! christ is the desire of all nations x : let him be the desire of your souls . christ is the chief among ten thousand y : l●t him be the chief of your choice . christs mouth is sweetnesses , yea all of him is desires z : o let your hearts be even ravished with him at all times . say with that faithful minister and martyr of iesus christ , mr. john lambert , as he was now dying in the flames ; none but christ , none but christ a . in a word , i say to every one of you , as sometimes bernard said unto one sweetly ; let iesvs be alwaies in thine heart . — let him be unto thee thy meat and drink , thy sweetness and consolation , thy hony and thy desire , thy reading and thy meditation , thy prayer and thy contemplation , thy life and death , and thy resurrection b . for , christ is all in all c . 4. now , forasmuch as true saving faith in iesus christ is not of our selves , but the free gift of god d ; and ordinarily god is pleased to work it in the hearts of his elect , instrumentally , by the hearing of his word faithfully preached e , efficaciously , by the co-operation of his holy spirit f ; by which means also it is nourished and increased : therefore , be ye all of you diligent and constant hearers of the word of christ faithfully preached , applying things spoken particularly to your selves , treasuring them up in good and honest hearts , and bringing forth the suitable fruit thereof by an vpright practice in your lives g ; and take singular heed , that you never g●ieve , quench , or resist the operations , stirrings or motions of the spirit of god in the use of his word and ordinances , or at any other times h . for iesus christ , by his word and spirit especially , stands at the door of your hearts and knocks , and if any will open unto him , he will come in unto him , and sup with him and he with christ i . 5. for the increasing also of your inward peace , spiritual ioy and comfort , give all di●igence to make your calling and election sure k ; examining your selves frequently and seriously , whether jesus christ be in you yea or no l . but how shal● this be done ? by comparing your hearts , lives and experiences with the written word of god , through the assistance and guidance of gods holy spirit . for , to this end the word of god was written to us , and the spirit of god is given to us , that we may know the things that are freely given to us of god m , and that we may know that we have eternal life n . and for your more ready help in this weighty business , you may make use of many characters , marks , or notes of tryal , which i have at large laid down in sundry of my printed books o , which you have by you . take heed you be not strangers to your own hearts , and spiritual states . 6. as you have received jesus christ the lord , so walk in him : rooted , and built up in him , and established in the faith † . be not christians only in name and outward shew , but inwardly , sincerely , and in good earnest . so live and walk , as christ in his word hath directed you to walk . denying ungodliness and worldly lusts [ even all sins against the first and second table , ] living soberly [ towards yourselves ] , righteously [ towards man ] , and godly [ towards the lord ] , in this present world p . observe and keep all his commandements q . yield and present your selves , both souls and bodies living sacrifices unto him r . whether you live , live unto the lord ; or whether you dye , dye unto the lord ; that whether you live or dye , you may be the lords s . so live and walk also as christ hath given you an example . walk as christ walked t . walk in love , as christ hath loved us , and hath given himself for us , a sacrifice , an offering unto god , for a sweet smelling savour u . walk in love towards iesus christ , as to love him beyond father , mother , sister , brother , or your own dearest lives x : for , he hath loved us , and washed us from our sins in his own blood y . walk in all well doing as christ went about , doing good every where z : and imitate him also in innocent and patient suffering for well doing , commit●ing your selves and your cause to him that judgeth righteously a ; for herein he hath left us an example that we should follow his steps . 7. remember the lords-day-sabbath , the first day of the week , ( unto which the seventh-day-sabbath was translated by the authority of christ as appears by the after observation of that day by the apostles and apostolical churches , ) to keep it holy b . this is the princess and queen of all dayes c , this is the glory of all the week . for , as on this day our blessed saviour rose from the dead d triumphing victoriously over death , grave , sin , and all our spiritual enemies : and thereby assured us of our spiritual and corporeal resurrection by him e . as on this day our saviour vouchsafed many of his apparitions to his disciples , instructing them and giving them commandements concerning the kingdom of god f . on this day the holy ghost was most miraculously poured forth upon the apostles g . on this day the apostles and primitive churches held their solemn assemblies for the publick worship of god h . this is the solemn mart , and market day for furnishing our souls with all manner of spiritual and heavenly provisions . this is that solemn season and sweet opportunity which christ hath afforded and ordained for acquainting us with himself and the mysteries of his kingdom , for maintaining our communion with him in his ordinances , for edifying and perfecting of us in all spirituals . and as in the time of the old testament , the sacrifices of the sabbath-day were to be double to those on the week day i : so our spiritual sacrifices on the lords-days are to be twice so much as on any other day of the week ; especially , in prayer and thanksgiving ; in reading the scriptures , in hearing the word preached , in partaking the lords supper , in catechizing , in shewing mercy to the poor , &c. that so the sacred tincture and impressions of this day may remain fresh and lively upon your hearts all the week following . 8. let every day of the week be managed by you in a christian sort . to that end , be sure to present unto the lord your morning and evening-sacrifice of prayer and praise to god continually : as god of old appointed a morning and evening sacrifice for every day in the week k . holy david and daniel prayed thrice in a day l . every day , open with god in the morning , and shut with god in the evening , by some religious ejaculation or savourly meditation . read daily some portion of holy scripture m , to keep up your acquaintance with god , with iesus christ , and his spirit , and the mysteries of true religion . and then follow the lawful affairs of your honest particular calling , diligently and righteously n 9. do ye remember your creator in the days of your youth , while the evil dayes [ of old age ] come not , nor the years draw nigh , when ye shall say , we have no pleasure in them o . gods eminent saints have sought the lord betimes , and addicted themselves unto godliness while they were young . as , david , that man after gods own heart , while he was but a youth p . josiah , that phaenix . king of iudah , while he was yet young , but sixteen years old , began to seek after the god of david q . and timothy , so highly commended by the apostle paul , knew the holy scriptures from a child , gr. from his insancy r . god , in the time of the law , called for the first ripe fruits of the field , and the firstlings of the flock , to be offered unto him s : to teach his people , how acceptable the first-fruits of our youth and life are to god. o how happy are they , that bear the yoke t of christ in their youth ! hereby , the flower of their age is best improved ! hereby , thousands and ten-thousands of sins are prevented . hereby , they gain the longer time , for walking with god , for growing in grace , for doing of good , for increasing of spiritual experiences , for treasuring up of evidences and assurances of their salvation , and of preparing themselves for heaven and eternal glory . 10. herein alwaies exercise your selves to have a conscience void of offence both towards god and man u . that so living in all good conscience before god x , this may be matter of singular comfort and rejoycing to you , in your greatest afflictions and distresses , the testimony of your consciences , that in simplicity and godly sincerity you have had your conversation in the world y . 11. imploy and improve to the utmost all the times and talents , wherewith the lord hath intrusted you , to his glory , your own or others benefit . that when the time of reckoning shall come , he may both command you and richly reward you , and not condemn and punish you with that wicked sloathful and improfitable servant z . 12. hold fast the platt-form of sound words , in faith and love , which is in christ jesus a . that so you may not be carryed aside with every wind of false doctrine b ; but may be the children of the truth . and to this end constantly retain in your memories the catechisme wherein you have been trayned up now a long time together . for , this is an excellent brevial or sum of the true christian religion , very useful to direct you both in the faith and practice , in the right wayes of god , against error and iniquity . 13. stand not at a stay , much less go backward , in the affairs of religion : but still grown in grace , and in the knowledge of our lord and saviour jesus christ c . take heed of backsliding d . having put your hand to christs plow , look not back : for then you will be unfit for the kingdome of god e . be stedfast , unmoveable , alwayes abounding in the work of the lord , for as much as ye know that your labour shall not be in vain in the lord f . be faithful to the death , and christ will give you a crown of life g . 14. love god , father , son and holy ghost , over all , with all your heart , soul , mind and might h , and that especially for his own sake love such as are begotten of god , and true christians indeed , chiefly for gods sake , for christs sake i . and see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently k : especially , endeavouring to help and further one another in the way to heaven . 15. finally , set your affection on things above , not on things on the earth : for all the things on earth are meer l vanity and vexation of spirit m , being vanity , they are empty shadows and bubles , that cannot continue , that cannot satisfie , but utterly disappoint you : by their disappointment , they become vexation of spirit , heaps of thorns and briars unto you . but your true , lasting and soul-satisfying treasures are above ; there 's your crown , your kingdom , your glory , your eternal life , your eternal inheritance , your masters joy and pleasures at his right hand for evermore ; there 's your sweetest and most glorious saviour jesus christ at gods right hand , and there 's your god in christ , in whose immediate vision and compleat fruition the supream happiness of heaven will consist for ever . have therefore your conversation in heaven n , though for a while your conversation be on earth : and look for your saviour jesus christ from heaven , to change your vile bodies and make them like to his own glorious body . then there shall be no more sin , sorrow , pain , curse or death . then christ will wipe all your tears away o . then your everlasting jubilee will b●gin but shall never end . o how should we love his appearing , when all those things shall come to pass ! make haste o beloved , and be as the hind or the roe upon the mountains of spices p . even so come lord jesus q . these things , my beloved children , i have earnestly desired to recommend unto you in order to your eternal salvation ; hoping that some of you have a true spiritual sense and relish of them already . now the god of all grace imprint them indelibly upon the tables of all your hearts , that you may still remember them and conform your selves unto them , not onely while i am with you in this land of the living , but also after i shall be taken from you by natures dissolution , and sleep in jesus . and let him bless you with all spiritual blessings in heavenly-places in christ r for evermore . amen . the natural man directed to christ . a premonition to the natural man reading the ensuing directions . whoever thou art , that unto this present hour remainest still in thy natural state in the old adam , unconverted unto god in christ the last adam ; or justly suspectest thy condition to be such ; and perusest these directions following : read and understand , vnderstand and consider in thine heart , consider and believe the scripture truths therein propounded , believe and put in practise the scripture rules therein recommended unto thee ; lest otherwise , what thou readest and art convinc'd in conscience to be thy duty , hereafter sting thine heart , rise up in judgment against thee , and condemn thee , both when thy death approacheth ; and at the great day , when the lord iesvs shall be revealed from heaven with the angels of his power , in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not god , and that obey not the gospel of our lord iesvs christ 2 thes. 1. 7 , 8. with mat. 11. 20. to 25. and 12. 41 , 42. directions , tending to conduct the natural man to christ . i. direction . a waken and rouz up thy soul and conscience , o sinful wretched natural man , seriously to consider and deeply to lay to heart , how sinful and miserable , the state and condition of all mankind since the fall , and of thine own soul in particular , is , by nature in the first adam . compare together rom. 3. 9. to 21. 1 cor. 2. 14. rom. 8. 5 , 6 , 7 , 8. tit. 3. 3. and 1. 15 , 16. eph. 2. 1 , 2 , 3. 1. the sinfulness of natural man's state ; what words can enough express ! what thoughts of man can sufficiently conceive ! who can understand his errors ? psal. 19. 12. the heart is ●●eeitful above all things , and desperately w●●ked , who can know it ? i the lord search the heart ; i try the reins . jer. 17. 9 , 10. god alone , who cannot sin ▪ e●actly knows man's sinfulness . from his word take a brief discovery of it . the sinfulness of the natural man's condition , consists chiefly in these particulars . viz. 1. in the guilt of adam's first sin , of eating the forbidden fruit , contrary to gods express command , gen. 2. 16 , 17. with gen. 3. 6 , 7. rom. 3. 9. 19. in which eating ; adam's 1 unbelief of gods word ; 2 contempt of gods command ; 3 impious consent of his most free-will ; 4 proud aspiring to be as gods knowing good and evil , gen. 3. 5. 5 apostacy from god ; 6 disobedience of the whole man ; and 7 ruine of himself and all his posterity ; are comprehended a this sin of adam , being the common parent and root of all mankind , ( as st. augustine b well notes ) then virtually and seminally in his loyns , is imputed to and charged upon all his ordinary posterity , even upon all mankind ordinarily propagated form him , rom 5. 12. — 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19. act 17 26. ● cor. 15. 21. 22. 45. 49. as levi , who received tithes is said to ●ay tithes in abraham to melchizedeck , for that yet he was in the loyns of his father abraham when melchizedeck met him . heb. 7. 9 , 10. so then in adams eating the forbidden fruit , all mankind did eat the forbidden fruit ; in adam's sinning , all his posterity sinned ; in adam's disobeying , all mankind disobeyed ; in adam's falling , all his post●rity sell ; in adams dying , all his posterity dyed . and thou amongst the rest . and therefore , in this sense , thou wast a sinner , algrievous sinner before thou wast born , even from the foundation of the world . o thou natural man ! think of this , lay this to heart deeply , was it a small matter for adam , and for thee and all mankind in adam , thus to sin. consider well the many and great aggrevations of this first sin of man ; as 1. the person who sinned : 2. condition and state , wherein : 3. place , where : 4. time , when : 5. law , against which : 6. object , against whom : 7. and finally , the manifold and great evils both of sin and punishment ensuing thereupon ; ( all which i have elsewhere c at large illustrated , ) and then see , if ever sin was perpetrated in this world , ( all things duly considered , ) so sinful , haynous , horrid , inexcusable , and damnable , as this first sin ! 2. in being wholly overwhelmed with original sin , ( so as is thought , it 's called by d augustin ) contracted from lapsed adam by natural propagation , gen. 5. 3. psal. 51. 5. ioh. 3. 6. iob. 14. 4. and 15. 14. this original sin consists especially ● . in the privation or loss ( 1 ) of man's primitive integrity or original righteousness concreated with him gen. 1. 26 , 27. and 3. 6 , 7 , 8. eccles. 7. 29. — all have sinned , and come short of the glory of god , rom. 3. 23. ( 2 ) and of that sweet communion , which , ● in that integrity , he enjoyed with god , gen. 3. 6 , 7 , 8 , 10. whereupon man becomes dead in sin , ephes. 2. 1. 5. with gen. 2. 16 , 17. 2. in the depravation , pollution and corruption of his whole nature : his whole soul and all the faculties thereof ; his whole body and all the parts thereof , being universally defiled . — to them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure , but even their mind and conscience is defiled , tit. 1. 15. see gen. 6. 5. ier. 17. 9. rom. 3. 10. to 19. 2 pet. 2. 14. hence , from both these ensue two woful effects . 1. an indisposition , and utter inability , yea an opposition and enmity , unto all good. rom. 5. 6. and 7. 18. and 8. 8. col. 1. 21. rom. 8. 7. and 5. 10. 2. an universal pronity , propensity or proclivity unto all evil. gen. 6. 5. and 8. 21. rom. 3. 10 , 11 , 12. 1 pet. 4. 2 , 3 , 4. original sin , being the root , seed and common spawn of all actual sin in the world iam. 1. 14 , 15. ephes. 2. 1 , 2 , 3. the holy scriptures set forth this original sin by sundry remarkable names or phrases . it is stiled , 2. iniquity wherein we were shapen , and sin wherein our mothers conceived us . psal. 51. 5. in regard of the natural propagation of it . 1 sin. — that they are all under sin. rom. 3. 9. 1 ioh. 1. 8. rom. 7. 14. because it is sin 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , the sin of sins , the mother and nurse of all sins , virtually and seminally comprehending in it all sorts of sins . 3 sin dwelling in us , rom. 7. 20. from the constant inherence , residence and abode which it hath in all , yea even in the regenerate themselves , ( to whom it is pardoned , and in whom it is in some measure mortified ) during this present life , rom. 7. 17 , 18. 4 the sin that doth so easily beset us . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , sin easily surrounding us , heb. 12. 1. because it encompasseth soul , body , all our faculties , affections , senses , parts and whole man. 5 the law of sin. rom. 8. 2. and 7. 25. the law of sin in our members , rom. 7. 23. because of the power and strength of sin , which is resident in us : a law is powerful and forcible . 6. the body of sin , rom. 6. 6. because , as a natural body is compacted of many parts , and hath divers proper members set in it , whereby it acts : so sin original hath many limbs , called our members which are upon earth , as fornication , &c. col. 3. 5. 7 our old man , rom. 6. 6. sin is so called , in opposition to the new man , the regenerate part , and in distinction from our humane natures : because our corruption of nature is from the first man the old adam ; as our regeneration is from the spirit of christ the last adam . 8 the old leven to be purged out , 1 cor , 5. 7. called leven , because as leven levens and sowers the whole lump of dow , so sin original levens the whole man , sowers and infects the whole man. old , from old adam . 9. the flesh . ioh. 3. 6. rom. 8. 18. gal. 5. 17. because , as flesh is opposite to spirit , so original sin is opposite to grace . and because as flesh is man's basest and vilest part , phil. 3. 21. so original sin is the vilest evil in man. pause here , o natural man. not only adam's first actual sin is thine , being justly imputed to thee : but this original sin , thence contracted , is thine also , being naturally inherent in thee . it is the disease , the poyson , the plague , the leprosy of thy whole nature . thou art as full of it , as any sink is full of filth , as any serpent is full of venome , as any toad is full of poyson . thou art by nature wholly defiled with it : universally captivated under the dominion of it , and spiritually dead in it . and in this respect thy condition is incomparably worse , than the condition of any fowl , fish , bruit-beast , or creeping thing whatsoever . for , they have no original sin in them , and thou art all full of it . and is this thy natural condition , a state to be rested in by thee● wherein thou art far worse than any dog , toad , serpent , mean or vilest creature under the sun ? remember that of augustine ; every one is damned as generated : none is delivered , but as regenerated e . 3. in the h●ge heaps ●nd swarms of all thine actual sins ( the poysonous fruit of sin original ) into which thou hast broken forth inconsiderately , from thy birth until this very day , the sinfulness of thy natural condition is mightily augmented and aggrevated , o natural man ! think often in thy retired hours , of the ●variety , 2 multiplicity , and 3 extremity or aggravations of thine actual sins . ( 1 ) the variety and several sorts , of thine actual sins ; how manifold are they ? as actual , sins in respect of the subject , are distributed into peccata cordis , oris , operis , sins of heart , word , and work. ● in the heart ; what corrupt imagination , gen. 6. 5. what abominable , vain , atheistical , blasphemous , prophane and polluted thoughts prov. 15. 26. what deadness , stupidity , defilement , s●aredness , &c. in the conscience . tit. 1. 15. 1 tim. 4. 2. what enmity , perversness , crookedness , disobedience , rebellion , &c. in the will ier. 44. 16 , 17. &c. luke 19. 14. what impenitency , hardness , deceitfulness , hypocrisy , earthiness , disorder , confusion , &c. in the heart and affections . rom. 2. 5. 2. in thy words and tongue , what vain-speaking , swearing , cursing , lying , blaspheming , back-biting , slandering , false-witness-bearing , &c. exod. 20. 7. mat. 12. 36. the tongue is a world of iniquity — iam. 3. 6. and every idle word must be accounted for at the day of judgement , mat. 12. 36 , 37. 3 in thy actions and works , though never so religious in appearance , how dost thou miscarry in their ground , matter , form , manner , circumstances and end , 1 tim. 1. 5. tit. 1. 15 , 16. isai. 1. 10. &c. and 66. 3. hag. 2. 14. prov. 15. 8. so that in none of them thou canst please god. rom. 8. 8. yea and even in thy secular actions , thou 〈◊〉 wholly sinful , prov. 21. 4. and 15. 9. and to this distribution of actuals into sins of heart , word , and works ; we may refer that of sins into inward , and outward , sins , in respect of the law or rule violated by sin , are , 1 sins of impiety or ungodliness , contrary to the first table of the decalogue 2 sins of iniquity unrighteousness , or worldly lusts , against the 2 table , &c. rom. 1. 18. tit. 2. 12. of impiety there are many sorts of sins , properly repugnant to the 4 first commandements : of unrighteousness are many sorts also contrariant to the 6 last commandements . and this distribution of sins according to the ten commandements is most accurate . sins , in respect of the parts thereof , are 1 sins of omission , when duties prescribed are neglected ; and this is a taking from gods law. iam. 4. 17. mat. 25. 42. &c. rev. 2. 21. 1 sam. 15. 2 , 3. 8 , 9. &c. 2 sins of commission , when things prohibited are practised , as gen. 2. 16 , 17. compared with gen. 3. 6 , 7. achan's sin , iosh. 7. 1. 15. 20 , 21. 25 , 26. compared with iosh. 6. 17 , 18 , 19. sins , in respect of the object offended and wronged , are ; 1 sins against god , and repugnant to piety . rom. 1. 21 , 22. 28. 2 sins against man , against our neighbour and contrary to righteousness , to equity . pro. 14. 21. gen. 4. 8. 3 sins against a mans own self , contrary to sobriety . 1 cor. 6. 18. prov , 20. 2. touching the two first , see 1 sam. 2. 25. luke 15. 18. touching all the three , see tit. 2. 12. but sin is otherwise against god , then it is against man. against god , as it is a transgression of his law : against man , only as it is a damage or injury . sins , in regard of time wherein they are acted , are 1 sins of youth , psalm . 25. 7. eccles. 11. 9. 2 tim. 2. 22. 2 sins of riper age . isai. 65. 20. sins , in regard of place and cognizance , are ; 1 private or secret , psal. 19. 12. and 90. 8. iosh. 7. 1. &c. 2 publick and open , when sin is perpetrated boldly , impudently , in the view of others . isai. 3. 9. numb . 25. 6 , 7 , 8. 2 sam. 16. 22. sins , in respect of their power and strength , are ; reigning , or not reigning rom. 6. 12 , 13 , 14. hither some refer the distinction of sin , into mortal and venial , not in the popish sense ; but in a sound sense ; viz. as by mortal sin we may understand sin reigning , which not repented of shall never be forgiven . and as by venial sin , we may understand , sin not reigning , but in christ upon repentance forgiven , and not bringing condemnation though it deserve it . rom. 8. 1. sins , in respect of degree , are great , or small , ezech ▪ 5. 6. 8. and 8. 15. ioh. 19. 11. mat 5. 21 , 22. ( 2. ) the multiplicity of thine actual sins ; how innumerable are they ! are they not more than the hairs of thine head ; psal. 40. 12. are they not numberless like the sands ? and who can u●derstand his errors , how many they are ? psal. 19. 12. if in one sin , so many sins are complicated : as in adam's sin f . gen. 3. in judas his sin , mat. 26 if in one day , in one hour , so many sins in thought , word and deed , are done by thee : if in one prayer , &c. so many sinful distractions , distempers , &c. are discovered : what millions , and ten-thousand millions of millions of sins proceed from thee in thy whole life ? ( 3. ) the extremity and aggravations of thy actual sins , how many and great are they , have not thy sins been , haynous , crying sins ? as , i bloodshed gen. 4. 10. 2 sodom's sins gen. 18. 20 , 21. 3 oppression exod. 3. 7. 4 deteyning hirelings wages , iam , 5. 4. according to the antient memorial verse g : which i may thus do into english ; 1 blood , 2 sodom's sins , 3 oppressing tyranny ; 4 detaining hirelings hire , are sins that cry . sins against thine own light ? ioh. 9. 41. luke 12. 47 , 48. iam. 4. 17. sins against the checks of thine own conscience ? mat. 27. 17 to 27. sins against many motions of gods spirit ? act. 7. 51. eph. 4. 30. 1 thes. 5. 19. sins against gods rich means of grace ? isai. 5. 1 to 8. mat. 21. 33 to 45. sins against the precious blood of christ ? 1 cor. 11. 27. heb. 10. ●9 . sins against gods many and great mercys . hos. 2. 8. sins against gods severe judgments ; inflicted on others for thine admonition ? 1 cor. 10 , 11. dan. 5. 22 , 23. &c. or upon thy self for thy reformation ? 2 chron. 28. 22. sins against gods patience and long-suffering , leading thee to repentance ? rom. 2. 4 , 5. rev. 2. 21. sins , wherein thou hast long continued ? isai. 65. 20. deut. 9. 7. 27. sins , which thou hast often re-iterated ? mat. 26. 69. to the end . sins , heightened by such and such circumstances . as of person , time , place , &c. levit. 10. 1 , 2 , 3. numb . 20. 12. 2 sam. 12. 7 , 8 , 9. — numb . 25. 6. ioh. 2. 13. to 18. sins , wherein thou hast shamefully gloryed ? phil. 3. 19. sins , for the effecting of which thou hast been far more diligent and industrious , than ever thou wast for the saving of thy precious soul ? mat. 23. 13. to 34. communion with others in their sins , many wayes . eph. 5. 11. as if thine were not enow to damn thee . oh , thou silly deceived sinful soul ! when for all these sins of thine god shall bring thee to judgement , where shalt thou appear ? psal. 1. 5. oh , what then wilt thou do , when god riseth up ? and when he visiteth , what wilt thou answer him ? ioh. 31 , 14. ii. the w●●tchedness of a natural mans condition , who can enough apprehend or express ! what words can sufficiently declare ! where there 's nothing but carnality and sinfulness , there 's nothing but misery and wretchedness . the natural man's condition , as it is most sinful , without all even the least degree of sanctity : so it is most miserable , without all even the least measure of saving mercy or felicity . and such , o natural man , is thy condition , in sundry respects . for , 1. thou art by nature wholly destitute of ( that paradise on earth , that suburbs of heaven , that handsel of glory , ) sweet communion with god. while adam stood in his integrity , he had sweet fellowship with god , gen. 1. 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30. and 2. 3 , 7 , 8. 16 , 17 , 18. and so to the end . but adam had no sooner fallen but he lost that sweet communion with god : was afraid of gods voice , hid himself from his presence among the trees of the garden : is convented , convinced , and judged for his sin , and driven out of the garden , &c. gen. 3. 9. to the end . and whilst thou art in thy natural state , in the first adam lapsed , thou art without all communion with god also . for , what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness ? and what communion hath light with darkness ? 2. cor. 6. 14. now god is light , and in him is no darkness at all . if we say , we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness , we lie , and do not the truth , &c. 1. ioh. 1. 5. 6. 7. and every natural man is darkness eph. 5. 8. and habitually walks in darkness , 1 ioh. 2. 9. 11. now , whilst thou art destitute of communion with god , thou dost still remain without all these sweet companions of communion with god. viz. thou art ( 1 ) without all special favour and saving mercy from god. — which had not obtained mercy : 1. pet. 2. 10 ▪ ( 2 ) without any saving relation to god art none of his people nor is he thy god 1. pet. 2. 10. yea . he is ashamed to be called thy god : or to own thee for one of his people . heb. 11. 16. ( 3 ) without christ , the last adam . eph. 2. 12. 1. cor. 15. 45. by whom alone , all saving mercy from god , and all saving relation to god can be obtained . act. 4. 11. 12. ephes. 2. 13. to the end . ( 4 ) an alien from the common wealth of israel . eph , 2. 12. thou art none of his family and houshold none of his mistical body , of his invisible church : but of the synagogue of satan rev. 1. 6. for they that are aliens to christ , the head : must needs be aliens to his invisible church and body . ( 5 ) a stranger from the covenants of promise , touching christ promised under the old testament : and consequently from the covenant of performance , touching christ performed and exhibited in human nature , viz. the new covenant . ephes. 2. 12. laid down heb. 8. 8. to the end . oh what a misery is this ! to have nothing to do with gods covenant , not any the promises ▪ priviledges , benefits or blessings thereof . this is to be shut out of gods grand act of favour and mercy , his act of oblivion , heb. 8. 12. his magna charta , his great charter for eternal happiness in heaven . ( 6 ) having no hope . eph. 2. 12. viz. no true , salvi●ical , well-grounded hope of life eternal in heaven ; or of future felicity in the world to come for thine immortal soul. and such hopeless men are most miserable men , 1. cor. 15. 19. when thou hopeless wretch comest to die , what will become of thy soul ? what wilt thou then say to thy soul ? even as that atheistical pope ; animula vagula h , &c. omy poor wandring blandishing soul , the guest and companion of my body , into what placet art thou now going ? &c. to heaven , or to hell : to the glorified saints , or to the damned reprobates : to joyes everlasting , or to endless torments : to god or to the devil ? ( 7 ) finally , while thou dost remain destitute of saving communion with god , thou art without god in the world , an atheist in the world . i eph. 2. 12. what ? without god ? then , without all true happiness , without the only supream good , and soul-satisfying treasure , such god is , math. 19. 17. psal. 73. 25. 26. 2. thou , in thy natural state , art under the severe curse of the law ; which under pain of the curse , requires of every one , perfect , perpetual , and personal obedience to all things written in the law , gal. 3. 10. which no meer man since the fall of adam can possibly perform . rom. 3. 9. to 29. and 5. 6. and 8. 3. 4. 7. 8. and whom the law curseth , he is cursed indeed , not by man , but by the living god himself . 3. thou in thy natural state , remainest still under the dreadful displeasure , and wrath of god almighty . — art by nature a child of wrath , even as others . eph. 2. 3. under the wrath of god ? oh! who knoweth the power of gods anger , or according to his fear ( i. e. his word the rule of his fear , psal. 19. 9. ) his wrath ? psal 90. 11. if the wrath of an earthly king be as the roaring of a lion , prov. 19. 12. what then is the wrath of god , the king of kings ? our god is a consuming fire . heb. 12. 29. consider the prints of gods wrath , upon the lapsed angels , 2 , pet. 2. 4. fallen adam . — gen. 3. the sinful old world 2 pet. 2. 5. the cities of sodom &c. 2 pet. 2. 6. gen. 19. the beauteous jerusalem , and the jews 2 chron. 36. yea , upon jesus christ the spotless son of god himself , when he stood as the sinners surety , math. 26. and 27. luk. 22. and 23. and then say with the psalmist ; thou , even thou art to be feared : and who may stand before thee , when once thou art angry ? psal. 76. 7. when he is wrath , the heavens drop down , the mountains melt and leap , the rocks rend in pieces , the earth quakes , the sea is dried up , the devils tremble iam. 2. 19. and the whole creation is amazed . oh! think of the terrour of the lord , 2 cor. 5. 11. 4. thou in thy natural state , art in league with the devil himself , the grand enemy of god and mankind , math. 13. 28. 39. 1 pet. 5. 8. that old serpent , revel . 12. 9. and performest thine homage and obeisance unto him , 1 ioh. 3. 8. ioh. 8. 44. as to thy conquer●r , prince , father , and god. satan is , 1. as thy conqueror , leading thee captive at his will , by his powerful temptations , yea by his meer suggestions and snares . 2 tim. 2. 26. and so thou art his meer vassal and slave . 2. as thy prince , ioh. 14. 30. effectually working in the children of disobedience , and in thee as in one of his subjects . eph. 2. 2. 3. as thy father , whose works thou , as his child ; wilt do . ioh. 8. 44. 1 ioh. 3. 8. 12. mat. 13. 38. 4. as thy god , and the god of this world , whom thou , as his creature , wilt serve . 2 cor. 4. 4. 5. thou , in thy natural state , art liable to all sorts and degrees of miseries in this present world , not as to paternal chastisements of a loving father ( the lot of gods dear children . heb. 12. 5. to 12. ) but as to vindictive punishments and curses of an angry god. gen. 3. 16 , 17 , 18 , 19. and 4. 9 to 15. levit. 26. to 40. deut. 28. 15. to the end . psal. 11. 6. these miseries are of many sorts : but may be reduced to 1. miseries incident to thee in thy goods and temporal estate . as , when thy ground is barren , brings forth thorns and thistles , &c. gen. 3. 18. thy cattel cast their young , deut 28. 18. fire consumes thy dwelling , iob. 15. 34. thieves rob thee of thy wealth , iob. 1 , 13. to 18 , extortioners catch all thou hast , psal. 109. 11. &c. 2. miseries incident to thee in thy relations . as , treachery in thy friends iudg. 9. 23. falsness and sloathfulness in thy servants and hirelings , 2 chr. 24 , 25. and 33. 24. alienation in thy kinsfolks , iudg. 9. 5. 24. disobedience and undutifulness in thy children . deut. 28. 18. disaffection , vexatiousness , &c. in thy wife 1 king. 21. 25. deut. 28. 30. 3. miseries to which thou urt exposed in thy good name . as lyes , reproaches , slaunders , back-bitings , &c. the name of the wicked shall rot . prov. 10. 7. 4. miseries , whereunto thou art liable in thy body . as , hunger and want of food , deut. 28. 53. &c. thrist , and want of drink . lam. 4. 4. breaking or dislocating of bones , numb . 24. 8. weaknesses , grievous pains , with sickness and many sorts of diseases ; feavers , agues , pestilences , &c. deut. 28. 21 , 22. cold and nakedness , ezek 16. 39. bonds and imprisonments , deut. 28. 63. to the end . perils and dangers by land and water , &c. in thy whole life thou art exposed to armies of miseries . 6. thou , in thy natural state , art subject to death , the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and extremity of all these wordly miseries , for thy sinfulness . rom. 5. 12. and 6. 23. gen. 2. 16 , 17. with 3. 19. die thou must , that 's certain ; but when , where , how , &c. that 's most uncertain : and how small a matter may bring thee to thine end ? the bone of a fish going cross thy throat may choak thee , as it did tarquinius priscus : a raisin-stone may kill thee , as it did sophocles and anacreon : an hair in a draught of milk may end thee , as it did fabius the senator : the tooth of thy comb as thou art combing thine head , entring the flesh , may make thy death's wound , as it befel ruffinus the consul : a needle thrust into thy brest by a child born in thiue arms , may hasten thy death , as it befel lucia , the daughter of aurelius . and when death hath severed soul and body , what shall become of thy soul ? shall it ascend , or descend ? shall it live , or shall it die , &c. o , never think , that thou who livedst and diedst without god in this world , shall after death ascend to god , or live with god , in the world to come ! 7. thou , in thy natural state , canst not escape the damnation of hell , but shalt have part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone , which is the second death , there to be excruciated with torments numberless , easeless , remediless and endless , mat. 23. 33. rev. 21. 8. rom. 6. 23. gen. 2. 17. mat. 25. 41 , 46. iude , verse 7. there , shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth , mat. 25. 30. there , their worm dieth not , and the fire is not quenched , mar. 9. 43 , 44. there , not one drop of water from the top of a finger shall be vouchsafed to cool a tormented tongue , luk. 10. 24 , 25 , 26. there thou shalt have pain of loss , and pain of sense . there thou shalt have plenty and penury ; plenty of torment , penury of comfort . there will be amissio coeli , the miss of heaven , which was often tendered thee , but thou didst refuse : privatio terrae , the loss of earth , which thou hadst , but couldst not keep : positio inferni , the position of hell , which thou shalt have , and canst not be delivered from it . there will be universality , extremity , eternity of unpityed misery upon thy soul and body , without the least alteration , mitigation and cessation . oh wretched natural man ! might thy torments in hell be brought to an end , after so many millions of years as there are stars in heaven , atomes in the air , dust in the earth , drops in the sea , grass-piles on the ground , or as there have been moments of time since time begun ; it would be some comfort to thee in enduring them , some hope of being delivered from , them . but this eternity of death and torments will quite break thy heart ; would make the very stinging of ants and fleas intolerable . eternity is the very hell of hell. one said , k o deadly life ! o immortal death ! what shall i term thee ? life ? and wherefore then dost thou kill ? death ? and wherefore then dost thou endure ? there 's neither life nor death but hath something good in it ; for in life there is some ease , and in death an end ; but thou hast neither ease , nor end . what then shall i stile thee ? even the bitterness of both ; for of death thou hast the torment , without any end , and of life the continuance , without any ease . god hath substracted both from life and from death , all that is good : the residue he hath mixed together , and therewith tempered the torments of hell. o bitter cup , which all sinners impenitent shall drink at gods hand ! this , this , o natural man , is a brief shadow of thy sinful and wretched condition by nature . but the one half , the tenth part , is not told thee . o , how can thine heart hold from breaking , thine eyes from dropping , thy bowels from turning within thee ? how canst thou eat or drink with any comfort ? how canst thou slumber or sleep one night in quiet ? how canst thou possess , or go about any worldly thing with delight , whilst thou art ingulfed in this sinful , and woful , natural condition . ii. direction . be clearly and fully convinced in thy conscio●ce , o natural man , that thou still remainest in this thy sinful and wretched condition , un-converted , un-regenerate , un-renewed , until this present day . that , thou art still in the first adam , and not as yet transplanted into christ the last adam . that , thou art still in thy sinful and miserable state of nature , and not hitherto translated into an holy and happy state of grace . that , thou art in thy sins still , 1 cor. 15. 17. thou art in the flesh still , rom. 8. 8. thou art dead in sins and trespasses still , eph. 2. 1 , 5. col. 2. 13. thou art in darkness , and very darkness it self still , 1 ioh. 2. 9 , 11. eph. 5. 8. thou art an enemy to god still , rom. 8. 6 , 7. col. 1. 21. thou art wholly displeasing to god still , rom. 8. 8. finally , that thou art in thy cursed and damned state still , gal. 3. 10. ioh. 3. 18 , 36. here therefore i shall offer to thee chiefly two things for thy most serious consideration , viz. i. that , it is most necessary for thee , o natural man , to be throughly convinced , that thou still remainest in thy most sinful and wretched state of nature , even until now . for , 1. vntil thou beest throughly convinced , o natural man , that thou still remainest in thy sinful and wretched state of nature , thou wilt be apt to flatter thy self into a fond and groundless imagination , that thou art in a good spiritual state towards god , especially if thou hast been kept by gods common restraining grace , from grosser sins , and hast been exercised in some outward acts of religion and righteousness . thus the un-convinced pharisee , though in his un-justified natural state , had an high opinion of his good spiritual state beyond other men , and beyond the publican , and bragg'd of it even in his prayer to god , because he avoided some gross sins , and practised some outward duties , luk. 18. 9. to 15. thus paul before his conviction and conversion , thought himself alive once without the law , by reason of his outward unblameableness , legal priviledges , and external exercises of religion : but when the commandement came and convinced him , sin revived and he died . compare rom. 7. 9. with phil. 3. 4 , 5 , 6. thus the laodicean angel had an high opinion of his own good estate , till christ convinced him of the contrary , and taught him the right way of bettering his condition , rev. 3. 16 , 17 , 18 , 19. the natural man's self-opinionateness of his good estate , seals him up incurably in his bad estate . many might have attained to a great degree of christianity , if they had not presumed themselves to be christians good enough already . 2. vntil thou art fully convinced , o natural man , that thou still remainest in thy sinful and wretched state of nature , thou wilt never be kindly humbled for , nor become weary of , thy natural state . without conviction , there 's no true sence of sin and misery : without true sence of sin and misery , who will be humbled for it or weary of it ? conviction , how did it humble manasses ? 2 chron. 33. how did it abase paul ? act. 9. who can clearly see his own natural sinfulness and wretchedness , and not abhor himself as in dust and ashes ? zech. 12. 10 , &c. 3. vntil thou beest kindly convinced of thy present sinfulness and wretchedness by nature , thou wilt never seriously and sincerely seek out for supernatural remedy . when peter's hearers were convinced and pricked in heart , then they presently repair to the apostles , saying , men and brethren what shall we do ? act. 2. 36 , 37. when the iaylor's heart was convinced and shaken as well as the foundations of the prison , he presently enquires of paul and silas , sirs , what must i do be saved ? act. 16. 30. there are three steps towards the cure of a sick body , and of a sinful soul , viz. inveuire morbum , to find out and be convinced of the malady ; adire medicum , to have recourse to the physician for direction ; and applicare medicinam , to apply the medicine for the attaining of recovery . who will seek to the physician or apply any remedy , that feels no smart of his malady ? 4. vntil thou art fully convinced , o natural man , that thou continuest still in thy natural sinfulness and wretchedness , thou wilt never repent , and turn from thy sinful estate to god. till the prodigal soundly smarted under sence of his sin and misery , he never came to himself , or to a penitent resolution of returning to his father . but then he comes , and sayes , father , i have sinned against heaven and before thee — &c. luke 15. 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 21. here see , how conviction and lively sense of sin and misery , put him upon serious consideration : consideration put him upon penitential resolution , return , repentance , confession , reformation , and humble supplication . 5. vntil thou , o natural man , shalt be throughly convinced of the sinfulness and wretchedness of thy present natural state wherein thou remainest unto this present day , thou never givest an actual entertainment and present welcome in thy soul , unto jesus christ and him crucify'd , as the only remedy against this sinfulness and wretchedness of thy natural condition . 't is the sense of present pain , that makes the patient cry out for means of ease till he find it , and having obtained it , how doth be esteem it and delight in it ? 't is the apprehension of present danger at sea in a storm , that makes the passengers cry to god and man to help , ionah 1. 5 , 6. psal. 107. 25 , 26 , 27 , 28. and if the storm cease , and the sea becomes still , that they can come to their desired haven , oh how welcome and acceptable is the haven unto them ! psal. 107 , 29 , 30. so here ; 't is the conviction of thy present natural sinfulness and wretchedness , that makes thee in thy servent desires even thirst and long after christ , the only redeemer , vehemently ; and upon obtaining of christ , makes thee prize him highly , love him dearly , and delight in him most contentedly : as the penitent soul did , in like case , who washed christs feet with her tears , wiped them with the hairs of her head , kissed them , and annointed them with oyntment , luk. 7. 37. to the end . oh , how acceptable is christs redemption , to them that feel their bondage under sin and misery ! how amiable is christs all-sufficiency for salvation , to them that are apprehensive of their sins damnation ! and how precious , sweet and delectable is christs sin-cleansing and soul-saving blood , to them that are aright convinced of the wormwood , bitterness and gall of their natural sinfulness and wretchedness ! ease is alwayes acceptable ; but double acceptable after tormenting pain : health is alwayes sweet ; but double sweet after long , tedious and tyring sickness : life is alwayes pleasant ; but to have returned from the brink of the grave to life again , is a double life . thus , o natural man , it appears plainly , how necessary and advantageous it is for thee to be convinced , of the sinfulness and wretchedness of thy natural state , wherein thou still remainest even until now . ii. how , and by what discoveries , thou maist be clearly convinced , o natural man , that thou still remainest in thy sinful and wretched state of nature , in the first adam ; comes now to be considered , and to be considered by thee most seriously . know thou therefore , o man , o woman , whoever thou art , that the great god hath , in his faithful word , certainly discovered and declared , every one , and consequently thy self in particular , to be and remain still in the natural state of sin and misery : if these ensuing notes and characters of a state of sin and misery do certainly belong to them and to thee , viz. 1. if thou art without god in the world , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . eph. 2. 12. compared with verse 3. wherein the apostle intimates ; that the ephesians , while in their sinful and wretched state of nature , were without god in the world , and while without god in the world , they were children of wrath , even as others . art thou not without god ? where 's the divine nature ? 2 pet. 1. 4. where gods image ? eph. 4. 24. col. 1. 10. where the life of god ? eph. 4. 18. 2. if thou art still without christ , [ that at that time ( i. e. while in your natural state ) ye were without christ ] eph. 2. 12. with verse 3. christless men are godless men , for it is by christ , as the way , whereby we come unto god as the end , ioh. 14. 6. heb. 7. 25. and godless men are graceless men , sinful , wretched men ; for god alone is the author of all grace , 1 pet. 5. 10. eph. 2. 8. art not without god ? then is christ thine head and husband to guide thee ? eph. 5. 22 , 24. thy lord and king to rule thee ? col. 2. 6. thy christ to annoint thee ? 1 ioh. 2. 20 , 27. thine inhabitant to dwell in thee ? eph. 3. 17. 3. if thou art still without the spirit of god , and of christ inhabiting in thee . remarkable is that of the apostle — ye are not in the flesh , but in the spirit , if so be that the spirit of god dwell in you . now if any man have not the spirit of christ , he is none of his , rom. 8. 9. here the apostle intimates , 1. that , the spirit of god , and the spirit of christ , is one and the same spirit . 2. that , to be christs , and to be in the spirit , amounts in effect to the same thing . 3. that , they who have the spirit of god and of christ dwelling in them , are not in the flesh , ( i. e. in their sinful and wretched state of nature ) but in the spirit , ( i. e. in a spiritual , holy , and happy state of grace . and 4. that , they who have not the spirit of christ , are none of christs , are not in the spirit , but in the flesh , i. e. in their sinful and wretched state of nature . now , they have not the spirit of god , and of christ , ( 1 ) who are unregenerate and unrenewed . for the spirit of god , and of christ is a regenerating spirit , ioh. 3. 5 , 6. 8. a renewing spirit , tit. 3. 5. he renews the whole man , in part . all things become new. 2 cor. 5. 17. ( 2 ) who are unsanctified and unholy . for the spirit of god and of christ is an holy spirit , psal. 5. 111. eph. 1. 13. and 4. 30. the holy ghost 2 cor. 13. 14. tit. 3. 5. 2. pet. 1. 21. 1 ioh. 5. 7. iude vers . 20. and all those that are builded by the spirit for an habitation of god , are by him made an holy temple in the lord , ephes. 2. 21. 22. 1 cor. 3. 16. 17. and this holy spirit is the peculiar and immediate author of sanctification and holiness to all gods elect , 1 pet. 1. 2. a spirit of grace . zech. 12. 10. ( 3 ) who are grossly ignorant of the spiritual things of god , so as not to receive them , but to count them foolishness . 1 cor. 2. 14. eph. 4. 18. for , the spirit of god and of christ is a spirit of truth , leading unto all truth , ioh. 16. 13. a spirit of wisdom and revelation for the knowledge and acknowledging of the god of our lord jesus christ. ephes , 1. 17. &c. ( 4 ) who are not of gods own family , are not his adopted children nor are furnished with filial confidence , fear , love , obedience , and other child-like properties . for , the spirit of god and of christ is a spirit of adoption where he dwells , rom. 8. 15. confirmin●g their sonship , and assuring them of their adopted state , 1. as a witness rom. 8. 16. 2. as a seal , ephes. 1. 13. 3. as an earnest of their inheritance , ephes. 1. 14. and 4. as a first-fruits , rom. 8. 23. 5. who are prayer-less persons , wholly unable with filial faith , zeal and affection , to cry , abba father . for the spirit of god and of christ is a spirit of prayer , a spirit of grace and supplication , zech 12. 10. enabling gods children to cry fervently , abba father , rom. 8. 15. and the spirit helps our prayer infirmities , when we know not what to pray for as we ought . for he maketh intercession for us , ( viz. by enabling us to intercede for our selves ) with unutterable groans , ( i. e. with unutterable desires and longings of soul ) rom. 8. 26 , 27. 4. if thou art still without the immediate , fundamental , and saving effects of the spirits of god and of christ , viz. regeneration , ioh. 3. 3 , 5 , 6 , 8. renovation , tit. 3. 5. new creation in christ , eph. 2. 10. 2 cor. 5. 17. conversion from sin and satan to god , act. 26. 18. effectual vocation , 2 thes. 2. 13 , 14. 2 cor. 6. 1 , 2. ioh. 6. 44. and sanctification , 1 pet. 1 , 2. 2 thes. 2. 13. by which gods spirit brings sinners out of the state of nature : then art still in the sinful and wretched state of nature . 5. if thou art still unbelieving , without faith unfeigned , as by nature all are , tit. 1. 15. 2 thes. 3. 2. and having no hope , no well-grounded hope of salvation and happiness by christ , in this or the world to come , as is the condition of all in state of nature , eph. 2. 12. then thou remainest in the state of nature to this hour . 6. if thou continuest still impenitent and un-reformed to this day , not turned from darkness to light , nor from the power of satan to god , act. 26. 18. col. 1. 13. thou art still in thy sinful and wretched state of nature . for by repentance god brings men unto himself , into a spiritual , supernatural state of life , holiness and happiness , act. 2. 38. and 5. 31. and 26. 18. — repentance unto life , act. 11. 18. ezek. 18. 30 , 31 , 32. 7. if thou dost habitually and primarily mind the things of the flesh . if thy thoughts , contrivances , designs , &c. are chiefly about carnal and worldly things , how to grow great , rich , &c. but seldom or never mindest the things of the spirit , how to obtain christ , how to be saved , how to make thy calling and election sure , how to make heaven sure , how to walk with god , &c. then thou art still after the flesh , rom. 8. 5 , &c. 8. if thy mind and wisdom be enmity against god , and cannot endure to be subject to the law of god , then it is carnal , rom. 8. 7. col. 1. 21. the natural mans mind is so set upon sinful principles and wicked works , that it cannot choose but hate god and his law that utterly condemn them . 9. if thou art not a lover , but a hater of gods people , in whom gods image appears and shines forth . he that hateth his brother , is in darkness , ( viz. in the darkness of a sinful and miserable state by nature ) and walketh in darkness , 1 joh. 2. 9 , 19 , 11. — he that loveth not his brother , abideth in death . whosoever hateth his brother , ( i. e. his christian brother , for god , christ , grace , godliness , &c. in him , ) is a murderer : and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him , 1 ioh. 3. 14 , 15. 10. if thou art under the power of darkness , col. 1. 13. the natural man is not only dark in the concreet but darkness itself in the abstract , eph. 5. 18. he is so dark , that he is all darkness , and nothing but darkness , therefore he is under the raign and power of it , so that he cannot by any ability of his own extricate or deliver himself out of it . the natural man is under the power of a threefold darkness . viz. ( 1 ) the darkness of sin , sins are works of darkness , eph. 5. 11. the state of sin is a state of darkness . such are dead in sins and trespasses : and as dead , they are overwhelmed with darkness , dwelt in darkness . eph. 2. 1. 5. ( 2 ) the darkness of ignorance . this in part is that darkness that blinds the eyes of natural man , 1 ioh. 2. 11. so that he cannot receive the things of god , they are foolishness to him , neither can he know them ; because they are spiritually discerned , 1 cor. 2. 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11. 14. the gospel is hid to them that are lost , the god of this world having blinded the minds of them that believe not , least the light of the glorious gospel of christ should shine unto them . 2 cor. 3 , 4. ( 3 ) the darkness of misery , by reason of his sinfulness . the scripture frequently expresseth misery under the notion of darkness which is very uncomfortable and dreadful : as , the miseries in this life , psal. 88. 6. and 107. 10. in death , iob. 10. 21 , 22. in hell , wher 's utter darkness , mat. 22. 13. and 25. 30. blackness of darkness for ever iude vers . 13. everlasting chains under darkness , iude 6. the natural man being a child of wrath , eph. 2 , 3. having the wrath of god abiding on him , and being condemned already , ioh. 3. 18. 36 may well be said to be under the power of darkness . 11. if thou art under the power of satan hitherto , thou art still in thy sinful and wretched state of nature . for every man naturally is under satan's power and dominion , till he be supernaturally converted unto god. act. 26. 18. hence satan is called , the father of such , ioh. 8. 44. the prince of this world , ioh. 14. 30. the prince of this power of the air , the spirit that effectually worketh in the children of disobedience , eph. 2. 2. the god of this world , 2. cor. 4. 4. now thou art under the power of satan . ( 1 ) while satan blinds thine eyes , so that the gospel is hid to thee . is a mystry , a paradox , to thee , &c. — left the glorious light of the gospel should shine unto thee . 2 cor. 4. 4. ( 2 ) while thou art an unbeliever , 2 cor. 4. 4. ( 3 ) while thou art 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , a son , or child of disobedience . gr. of vnpersuadeableness , eph. 2. 2. who are most disobedient to god , christ and his spirit . unperswadeable by his word , promises , &c. to repent , believe , &c. ( 4 ) while thou art acted , and energetically wrought upon by the spirit that is the prince of the power of the a yr . ephes. 2. 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the spirit now energetically-working , or effectually working . he effectually works in such , when he prevails with his temptations over them , when he attains his will upon them , &c. ( 5 ) while thou art resolvedly set and determined willfully , to do the lusts of the devil , ioh. 8. 44. ( 6 ) while thou art held in the snare of the devil , and held captive by him at his will , 2 tim. 2. 26. gr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , taken alive , it seems to be a metaphor , from captains and conquerors , who in war take their enemies alive , carry them away in triumph , and use them as they please : or from huntsmen , who take their prey wild beasts alive , and do with them as they list . so satan deals with the natural man , while under his power , he wholly enters him , orders him , acts him , by his suggestions as he will. 12. if thou art dead in sins and trespasses , and not as yet quickned by christ , eph. 2. 1. 5. col. 2. 13. thou art hitherto in thy sinful and wretced state of nature . to be dead in sin and trespasses is to be spiritually dead , while thou art naturally alive . and art not thou spiritually dead ? are not the tokens of spiritual death clearly upon thee ? ( 1 ) art not thou quite destitute of the fountain and root of all spiritual life to the soul ? christ is the fountain of all spiritual life , being united to the soul by faith , gal. 2. 20. ioh. 11. 25 , 26. as the soul is the fountain of natural life being u●●ted to the body ▪ the body is dead , when without the soul : iam. 2. 26. so the soul is dead in every natural man , while he is without christ. eph. 2. 1. 5. 12. ( 2 ) art thou not wholly destitute of any spiritual sense rightly to discern and receive the things of god ? 1 cor. 2. 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 14. and where there 's no soul , there 's no life . ( 3 ) art thou not utterly destitute of spiritual breath ? viz. the sacred breathings of strong cryes and groans , ●ervent desires and prayers , crying abba father ? this is their breath , that are spiritually alive , rom. 8 , 15. — 26 , 27. no sooner was saul ▪ converted and quickned by christ : but the lord told ananias ; — behold he prayeth , act 9. 11. breath and life come and go together . gen. 2. 7. psal. 104. 29. if thou art without this spiritual breathing , this spirit of prayer , thou art without the spirit of life from christ , and remainest dead in sin. ( 4 ) art thou not without all vital heat and spirit , warmth of heart , desire , love , and all good affections towards god , christ , his people , and his wayes : and even stone-cold as to all matters of religion , devotion , divine worship , as carnal men use to be ? rev. 3. 15 , 16 then thou art not only mortally ●ick ; but quite dead in sin , stretched-out , and ready to be buried in the infernal pit . as where there 's natural warmth in the body , there 's life : where nothing but coldness , there 's death . 13 ▪ if thou art still an habitual worker of iniquity , a tradesman in sin : thou art still in thy natural state and condition . such christ will not at all own , but eternally reject at the last day . mat. 7. 23. ●tis one thing to sin , or slip into sin accidently ; another to trade in sin constantly , habitually , and to yield up his members as tools of unrighteousness unto sin. rom. 6. 12 , 13. &c. 14 , finally , thou art still in thy meer natural sinful state , if in the whole course of thy life thou walkest according to the course of this world ; the lusts and wills of the flesh , the suggestions , temptations and operations of the devil . all such are dead in sin , and by nature children of wrath . see all this most fully in eph. 2. 1 , 2 , 3. iii. direction . consider often with all ser●●usness , d natural man , that living and dying in this thy sinful and wretched condition of nature , thou 〈◊〉 utterly lost both body and soul for evermore : and caust not expect any other portion after this present momentary life , than everlasting torments in unquenchable fire with the devil and his angels . compare diligently , ephes. 2. 1 , 2 , 3. luk. 13. 3. 5. and ioh. 3. 36. with mat. 25. 41. to the end . luk. 16. 24. iude 7. math. 9. 43 , 44. as was formerly l intimated . here therefore , o sinful and wretched natural man , i beseech thee let these 2 things sink deep into thine heart , viz. 1. that , thou living and dying in this thy natural state , shalt certainly perish both body and soul in everlasting torments in fire prepared for the devil and his angels . math. 25. 41. for , 1. if thou livest and diest in thy natural state of sin , thou livest and diest without christ and without hope , eph. 2. 1. 2. with vers . 12. christless and hopeless . and therefore hopeless , because christless : for jesus christ is our hope , i. e. the sure foundation of all our hope of salvation , 1. tim. 1. 1. what ? christless ? how then canst thou be saved ? who ever was , or can be saved without christ ? act. 4 : 11. 12. and hopeless too ? yes . for , who can once expect or look for salvation by christ , without hope ? 2. if thou livest and diest in thy sinful and wretched state of nature , then thou livest and diest a most cursed creature , gal. 3. 10. and a child of wrath , even as others , eph. 2. 1. 2. 3. what ? cursed ? for what ? for that thou continuest not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them , gal. 3. 10. because thou doest not perform , as is thy duty , perfect , perpetual , personal obedience to all things in gods law , which , nor thou , nor any meer man since adam's fall , could ever perform . ( 2 : ) to what art thou cursed ? 1. to pains of loss and sense , mat. 25. 41. depart ye cursed — there 's pains of loss . depart from christ , from the only redeemer , gal. 3. 13. from the only all-sufficient saviour , heb. 7. 25. from the one only mediator betwixt god and man , 1 tim. 2. 5. from the only way unto the father , ioh. 14. 6. from the hope and consolation of israel , &c. 1 tim. 1. 1. luk. 2. 25. oh! who can so depart from christ , and that for ever , and not be cursed ? 2. to pains of sense : depart into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels . what , into fire ? what is more sharp and tormenting to the sense , then fire ? into everlasting fire ? then no hopes of relaxation or deliverance thence , after millions and ten thousand millions of years , &c. everlasting , kills the soul. oh! who can dwell with everlasting burnings ? into everlasting fire prepared ? prepared by god. tophet is ordained of old , — he hath made it deep and large , the pile thereof is fire and much wood , the breath of the lord like a stream of brimstone doth kindle it , isa. 3. 33. and if god have prepared it , whose wisdom , power , justice , wrath , &c. are infinite , how dreadful is that preparation ! no men , angels or creatures , can make such preparation . prepared for the devil and his angels . oh what a dreadful preparation must that needs be ! what ? to be everlastingly racked with the devil and his angels ; the worst of all society ? to be everlastingly tormented in fire prepared for the devil and his angels ? what an aggravation will this be of these infernal fiery torments ? no torments in the world like these torments . ( 3. ) and by whom art thou , and shalt thou be thus dreadfully cursed ? by the glorious and living god , in his word , gal. 3. 10. and by the lord jesus christ , at the great day , mat. 25. 41. o dismal , soul-damning curse ! what natural man , so dying , can escape it , or endure it ? whom god and christ curseth , they are cursed ; whom god and christ blesseth , they are blessed indeed . 3. if thou livest and diest in thy sinful and wretched state of nature , thou wilt be eternally shut out from god , christ , and all the blessed saints and angels , unto the devil , his angels and reprobates ; from heaven , to hell ; from light , to darkness ; from joy , to grief ; from mercy , to misery ; from happiness , to unhappiness ; from life , to death ; from all good , into a conflux of all evil . compare mat. 18. 3. ioh. 3. 3 , 5. 1 cor. 6. 9 , 10. gal. 5. 19 , 20 , 21. with mat. 23. 33. rev. 21. 8. mat. 25. 41 , 46. ii. that , there 's weighty cause why these thoughts and considerations should strike deep into thy heart , and dwell there . for , 1. this life is the only season and seed-time of grace , for obtaining of salvation , and preventing of damnation . behold , now is the accepted time , now is the day of salvation , 2 cor. 6. 2. now is the time of repenting , turning to god , believing in christ , of laying up for our selves treasures in heaven , &c. act. 17. 30. eccl. 12. 1. mat. 6. 20. therefore to day if thou wilt hear his voice , harden not thy heart , heb. 3. 7 , 8 , 15. whatsoever thine hand findeth to do , do it with thy might ; for there is no work , nor device , nor knowledge , nor wisdom in the grave whither thou g●est , eccl. 9. 10. as the tree falls , to heaven or hell , so it will lye till the last day . 2. this present life of thine ( which is the only seed-time of grace and salvation ) is most frail and short . thou hast here no continuing city ; happy wert thou , didst thou by faith unfaigned seek one to come . a city that bath foundations , whose builder and maker is god , heb. 3. 13 , 14. with 11. 9 , 10. we are all strangers before god , and sojourners , as all our fathers were , 1 chron. 29. 15. man born of a woman , is but short of dayes , and full of trouble , job 14. 1. mans life is of no long computation , at most , in ordinary dispensation , but 70 or 80 years , psal. 90. 10. and what 's that to eternity ? thy life is but a few years , job 16. 22. moneths of number , job 14. 5. a f●w and evil dayes , gen. 47. 9. an hirelings day , which at most is but 12 hours , iob 14. 6. as nothing , before god. surely every max at his best estate is altogether vanity , selah , psal. 39. 5. o , with what pathetical similitudes doth the holy ghost represent the vanity and brevity of mans life ! mans life here is but a vapour , appearing and disappearing , iam. 4. 14. a wind , that blows and goes , iob 7. 7. a flower , that flourisheth and fades , psal. 103. 16 , 17. iob. 14. 2. a fable or tale told , almost as soon forgot as told , psal. 90. 9. a flood , speedily flowing night and day , never returning , psal , 90. 5. a watchin the night , but 3 hours long , psal. 90. 4. a sleep , insensibly gone , psal. 90. 5. a shadow , or show , without substance and reality , iob. 14. 2. psal. 39. 6. such is thy life , o natural man , thy day spends apace , thy night hastens wherein thou canst not work . up and be doing : the journey to heaven is a long and difficult way ; to fit thy self for heaven is a great work . lose not an inch , a moment of time , lest it be too late . this day is thy flourishing , to morrow may be thy funeral : so it was with that graceless fool , luk. 12. 20. this night thou sleepest in thy bed , ere many nights come thou maist sleep in thy grave . and then , if thy heavenly work be not done , thou art eternally undone . 3. thy death is sure , heb. 9. 27. iob 14. 5. 2 sam. 14. 14. the dismal winter doth not more certainly pursue the summer and autumn , the darksome night not more infallibly and speedily drive away the day , then thine unexpected death will thy momentany life . thy death is then most certain , and most uncertain thing in the world : most certain that it will come ; most uncertain when , where , how , it will come upon thee . thy last day is concealed from thee , that every day it may be expected by thee . m be alwayes in readiness for god and christ , lest death surprize thee , and so thou be shut out with the 5 foolish virgins , and the impenitent thief , mar. 25. 10 , 11 , 12. luk. 23. 39 , 40 , 41. 4. upon thy death , o natural man , gods impartial judgement , and infernal torments , will immediately pass upon thy soul , heb. 9. 27. luk. 16. 22 , 23 , 24. and upon both body and soul at the great day of the lord , mat. 25. 41 , 46. 2 thes. 1. 7 , 8. and oh how intolerable , incurable , and undeterminable will they be ! as hath been intimated . 5. finally , it were a thousand pities , that thy precious and immortal soul , o' natural man , should ever come into that place of torments . for , 1. was not thy sould a spark of immortality , which no mortals nor meer creatures can possibly kill and destroy ? mat. 10. 28. 2. was not thy soul , in its first creation , the principal receptacle and subject of the blessed image of god ? gen. 1. 26 , 27. 3. is not thy soul still the seat of all thy reason , understanding , sense , motion , strength , beauty , &c. and the very rise and guide of thy whole body , without which it is no better than a dead , senseless , helpless , useless , worthless , organized lump of earth ? 4. is not thy soul thy most precious jewel , of more true worth and invaluable consequence to thee , then any thing in the world , then the whole world besides ? christ who best knew the souls true value , said ; what shall it profit a man to gain the whole world , and lose his own soul ? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul ? mat. 16. 26. and wilt thou hazard this thy precious soul unto infernal torments for ever , for a few rotten pleasures of sin for a season ? now then , o natural man , think seriously of all these things . dost thou believe them ? canst thou really be perswaded in thy conscience , that , living and dying in this thy natural state , infernal torments for ever and ever will inevitably be thy portion ? and is this a condition for thee to rest in ? is this a state wherein thou canst rejoyce , that art every day in danger to tumble headling into hell ? is there so small a distance betwixt thee and death eternal , even a short span or moment of a temporary life , and wilt thou not yet come out of egypt ? o , amend ( said n augustine ) while thou canst ; cry to god almighty while thou hast time ; lament while thou hast space ; repent while thou hast leave ; make hast while thou canst , while thy soul is in thy body , while thou livest seek out for remedy , before the huge deep swallow thee up ▪ and before that woful hell snatch thee away , where there is no indulgence , whence none return to receive remission . from which punishment the gracious god vouchsafe to deliver us . so he , pathetically . iv. direction . daily and deeply revolve in thy mind , how few they are that are effectually recovered out of their natural state of sin and misery , in comparison of the innumerable multitudes that die and perish therein everlastingly . that this is so , is evident ; 1. by the express words of our blessed saviour : enter ye in at the strait gate , for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction , and many there be which go in thereat : how strait is the way which leadeth unto life , and few there be that find it , mat. 7. 13 , 14. what is this broad way leading to destruction , but the sinful and wretched way of the world , the flesh , and the devil ? who are those many which go in thereat , but all those that live and die in their sinful and wretched state of nature ? what is that strait way leading unto life , but the way of god , by christ , through faith ? who those few that find this strait way , but those that are converted from darkness to light , &c. act. 26. 18. so then how few are the saved , in comparison of the multitudes that perish ! 2. by the paucity of those that were saved of old under the old testament , from the dayes of the first adam , till the death of jesus christ the last adam . for , 1. from adam till moses the church of god was only domestical , confined within certain families succeeding one another , as within the families of the 10 patriarchs before the flood , adam , seth , &c. and within the families of the 12 patriarchs after the flood . now during this time , which was above 2400 years , how few were recovered out of their sinful and wretched state of nature ! for , how few were within the church of god , in comparison of them that were without ? and those that were without the church , and so died , may generally be supposed to have perished in their natural state of sin and misery , which were far the greatest number of the whole world . for , 1. when in the dayes of noah , god brought the flood of waters upon the old world , to destroy all flesh that breathed , gen. 6. 13 , &c. and 7. 21 , 22 , 23. the world of the ungodly , ( as peter stiles them , 2 pet. 2. 5. ) was drowned , when only one family of noah , in the whole world , consisting but of 8 souls , were saved in the ark , gen. 6. 18. and 7. 7. with 1 pet. 3. 20. and of these 8 one was a wretched and cursed cham , that mocked at his own fathers nakedness , gen. 9. 21 , 22 , 24 , 25. 2. when god overthrew the cities of sodom , gomorrha , admah and zeboim , he found not 10 righteous persons in all those cities , for then he would have spared all for those tens sakes , gen. 18. 32. only 4 persons , viz. righteous lot , with his wife and 2 daughters , escaped the dreadful showers of fire and brimstone , gen. 19. 15 , 16. and one of these 4 , for looking back , viz. lot's wife , was turned into a pillar of salt ; to season mens unsavoury lusts after worldly things , as augustine o intimates . 3. in iob's time ( iob is conceived to be of abraham by keturah , by p some ; his descent and time is variously reported by others , as i have elsewhere q shewed ; but generally he is thought to have lived in the times of the patriarchs by most ) satan had so over-run the whole earth , that none in the earth , ( i. e. very few , or none in visible and conspicuous manner ) were found righteous , fearing god and eschewing evil , forsaking the idols of egypt , as iob did , iob 1. 1 , 7 , 8. and 2. 2 , 3. 2. from moses till christs death , the church of god became national , but was confined only to one nation , among all the nations of the world , viz. the nation of the iews , which were not moe in number then any people , but the fewest of all people , exod. 19. 5 , 6. 1 pet. 2 , 9. deut. 7. 6 , 7. therefore , few in comparison , were , during that time , recovered out of the state of sin and misery by nature . salvation was only of the iews , joh. 4. 22. and of such few proselytes of other nations as came in and joyned themselves to the people of the god of abraham , psal. 47. 9. all others were as forreigners and strangers they , the commonwealth of israel , and houshold of god , eph. 2. 12 , 13 , 19. all other were reputed no people , as having not obtained mercy ; no special saving mercy , they , the people of the living god , that had obtained mercy , 1 pet. 2. 9 , 10. all others were accounted as dogs ; they , the children , mat. 15. 26. and yet all the jews were not plucked out of their natural state of sin and misery ▪ and saved . for they are not all israel , which are of israel , rom. 9. 6. and though the number of the children of israel be as the sand of the sea , a remnant shall be saved , rom. 9. 27. a remnant is but a small number to the rest . consider well ; 1. all the men of israel , able for war , from 20 years old and upwards , were numbred in the wilderness to be 603550 , numb . 1. 46 , 47. besides the levites ; and all these , save caleb and ioshuah , for their unbelief and murmuring against god , and the promised land , were destroyed in the wilderness , numb 14 1 , 2 , &c. verse 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30. to 39. 1 cor. 10. 10. heb. 3. 17 , 18 , 19. iude 5. 2. many of them also for their other wickedness were overthrown in the wilderness , 1 cor. 10. 5. to 12. 3 in the dayes of the iudges , they , even the generality of them fell away from gods true religion and worship , unto heathenish idolatries , and that frequently , therefore god often gave them up into the hands of several sorts of oppressors , iudg. 2. 11. to 16. 4. in the dayes of ieroboam , 10 tribes of the 12 apostatized from god , and fell to the idolatry of the calves in dan and bethel , and at last were carried captive into assyria for their wickedness ; and the scripture makes no mention of their return , 1 king. 12. 28. to the end , and 19. 14 , 18. 2 king. 17. 3. to 24. 5. the two tribes of iudah and benjamin remaining , grew very wicked from time to time , especially in the reigns of wicked kings : insomuch that at last the face of all things in the church was so corrupt , that both the king , priests and people grew to such an height of impiety , that there was no remedy , and god gave them into the hand of the chaldeans , who destroyed them without pity , and carried them captive to babylon , where they were in thraldom 70 years together , 2 chron. 36. 11. to 22. 6. many of the jews after their return from the babylonish captivity , whereby they should have been reformed , fell into sundry offences in the dayes of nehemiah , which he endeavoured to reform ; as , most oppressive usury , neh 5. 7 , &c. prophanations of the sabbath-day , neh. 13. 15. to 23. marriages with wives of ashdod , ammon and moab , neh. 13. 23 , &c. 7. finally , in the dayes of antiochus , the whole face of religion was miserably corrupted , and the conscientious were cruelly persecuted , 1 mac. 1. 45. to the end . and when our blessed saviour became incarnate , the whole affairs of religion lay miserably prostrate and defaced . see mat. 5. and 6 , and 7 , and 15 , and 23. now , all these things considered , how few can we rationally imagine to have been plucked out of their sinful and wretched state of nature , when iniquity so abounded in the church ! 3. by the scarcity of the truth , life , and power of godliness and christianity , even in the visible churches of christ , now under the new testament : the fewness of those that are effectually recovered out of their natural state of sin and misery may further appear . for , 1. in our blessed saviours dayes , as the scribes and pharisees had in a manner engrossed all religion to themselves , as is none were religious but they , luk. 18. 9. &c. phil. 3. 5. act. 26. 5. so the whole religion of the scribes and pharisees stood in outward forms , hypocritical appearances , &c. rather then in any sincere realities , math. 6. 2. 5. 16. and 15. 2. to 10. and 23 , 2 , to 8 , 13. to 34. and therefore our saviour tells his hearers plainly ; that except their righteousness exceed the righteousness of the scribes and pharisees ; they shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven , mat. 5. 20. 2. the apostle paul hath prophecied of perillous times to come in the last dayes , viz. that men shall cloak and shelter their many notorious abominations , under a form of godliness , denying the power thereof , 2 tim. 3. 1 2 , 3 , 4 , 5. 3. in the new testament we are oft informed how rare and precious true religion is . as , that , christs flock is but a little flock , luk. 12. 32. that , of the ten virgins , the one half were foolish , having lamps of profession , no oil of grace in them , math. 25. 1. &c. that , in the flower of the church , as there is wheat , so there is chaff , and more chaff than wheat , mat. 3. 12. that , of four sorts of hearers , there are three naught . mat. 13. luk. 8. and , that it is very observable , if out of the visible church you take away , all the notoriously prophane , all the meer moral and civil honest men , all the gross hypocrites whose hypocrisy half an eye may discern , all the privy close hypocrites who know themselves to be hypocrites , and all formal hypocrites or temporary believers that believe only for a time , luk. 8. 13. mat. 13. 20 , 21. the residue will be very few , in comparison , that are plucked by the hand of heaven out of their natural state of sin and misery , and thereby prepared for eternal felicity . v. direction . earnestly and effectually lay to heart , o natural man , how happy it would be for thy poor soul , to he one of those few recovered out of the sinful and wretched state of nature ; rather then one of those many that live and die and so perish therein eternally , luk , 13. 24. mat ▪ 7. 13 , 14. o , do not follow a multitude to do evil , exod. 23. 2. to walk according to the course of this world ; to do , as most do ; to swim down the common stream ; &c , is the natural man's way and delight , eph. 2. 1 ; 2 , 3. but 't is no safe way . the broad way hath most company , but the worst issue , destruction : the narrow way hath fewest passengers , but the best event , eternal life . mat. 7. 13. 14. will it not be infinitely better for thee , to be converted with afew , then to remain carnal with a multitude ? to be justified , adopted , acquitted at last day , and eternally saved with a few ; rather then to be held guilty , cast out of gods family , condemned at the last day , and eternally tormented with the greatest multitude ? will it be any ease to thy 〈◊〉 , to be tormented with the greater company : when the numerousness of the tormented will but augment and aggravate one anothers torments ? oh it will be far happier for thee , to be in abraham's bosom with one lazarus , then to be tormented in infernal flames with dives and all his five brethren , luk. 16. 23. 28. and with all the ungodly of the world. vi. direction fully be convinced , o natural man , how impossible a thing it is for thee or for any of the sons of adam , to be effectually brought out of this sinful and wretched state of nature , into an holy and happy state of grace , by any ability or sufficiency of our own , or by the sole assistance or influence of any meer creature in the whole world . this is a point of great consequence . for clearing of it i shall endeavour to shew , 1 , what natural man cannot do for delivering himself out of his sinful and wretched state of nature . 2. what he can and ought to do , 3. how , for not doing , what he can and ought to do he shall justly perish for ever . i , natural man in order to his effectual recovery out of his sinful and wretched state of nature , cannot do these things following . o natural man thou canst do none of these things , viz. 1. thou canst not circumcise thineheart from its natural filthiness , deut. 30. 16. nor take away thine heart of stone , canst not remove the natural hardness of thine heart in unbelief , impenitency , and sin : nor free thy self from thy death in sins and trespasses . this is gods peculiar work , ezek. 36. 26. eph 2. 1. 5. 2. thou canst not furnish thy self with the spirit of god , the spirit of grace , of regeneration , of renovation : nor with the principle and habits of grace infused into the soul , as repentance unto life , faith unto salvation , &c. these are not of ourselves , they are the proper gifts of god , see zech. 12. 10. ezek 36. 26 , 27. act. 11. 18. and 5. 31. eph. 2. 8. 3. thou canst not actuate , exert and draw into exercise the principles and habits of divine grace already infused and instilled into thy soul : but by gods special assisting and co-operating grace . turn thou me , and i shall be turned , — surely after that i was turned , i repented — . ier. 31. 18 , 19. — it is god that worketh in us ( 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 both to will , and to do , of his good pleasur● ▪ phil. 2. 13. christ said ; — without me ye can do nothing ioh. 15. 5. paul acknowledgeth ; — not that we are ●ufficient of our selves to think any thing as of our selves : but our sufficiency is of god. 2. cor. 3. 5. of god we must have preventing grace , that we may will : subsequent grace , that we may not will in vain . in r augustines judgement , they are most sharply and vehemently to be resisted , who think , that without the help of god , by the very force of humane will , they are able either to perfect righteousness , or to profit in tending thereunto . and elsewhere he speaks notably of gods preventing and following grace ; — he prevents us , that we may be healed : he will follow us , that being healed we may grow . he prevents us , that we may be called : he follows us , that we may be glorified . he prevents us , that we may live piously : he follows us , that we may live with him perpetually . for , without him we can do nothing . s 6. thou canst not subdue the reign and dominion of thy sins , casting them as into the depths of the sea , mortifying them and crucifying them , mi● . 7. 19. rom. 8. 13. gol. 3. 5. nor canst thou finally purge and cleanse thy self so compleatly from all incident corruption , that neither spot nor wrinckle nor any such thing may remain . eph. 5. 25 , 26 , 27. these are the singular works of god and of jesus christ by his spirit , with , or without the means of grace . 4. thou canst not by any power of thine own , or by the help of any creature , come unto christ , so as to accept him for thine only saviour ; nor by christ unto god , as thy god in covenant : except god himself , the father of jesus christ draw thee . ioh. 6. 44. but if he please effectually to draw thee , to draw thy mind , thy conscience , t●y will , thine heart and affections , then thou shalt not only come to him , but even run after him . cant 1. 4. 5. thou canst not of thy self seriously and sincerely , so as thereby to please god , so much as will or desire jesus christ , and god in him , in order to thine eternal happiness . for , 't is god that works in us to will as well as to do , phil. 2. 13. 't is gods spirit that puts desires and groans into the heart : for , we know not what to pray for as we ought , what to will or desire as we ought , &c. rom. 8. 26. 27. 2. finally , thou canst not of thyself do that which may be acceptable unto god , nor bring forth fruit unto god , without christs special influence and assistance . ioh. 15. 4 , 5. philip. 2. 13. now then , o natural man , seeing these things are utterly beyond the sphear of thine activity , 1. presume not that thou canst be thine own saviour or deliverer out of thy sinful and wretched state of nature , by any vniversal grace or freedom of will. 2. but deny thy self and all thy self-sufficiencies in this point utterly . 3. seek for recovery out of thy natural state of sin and misery , from the omnipotent god alone . ii. a meer natural man , notwithstanding , is able to do many things and he ought to do them , in order to his recovery out of his sinful and wretched state of nature . o thou natural man god hath furnished thee with sundry talents improvable in some measure to this end : these thou must not hide in a napkin , or bury in the earth ▪ but oughtest to improve to the uttermost . mat , 25. 14 , to 31. with luk. 19. 12. to 28. particularly , 1. thou art able to consider of many things very conducible to thy recovery out of thy natural state , ezek. 18. 27 ▪ 28. luk 15. 17. &c. these thou shouldst take into serious consideration . as , 1. that thy natural state is most sinful and wretched , as was manifested . 2. that every one living and dying in his natural state , shall everlastingly perish without remedy . mat. ●8 . 3. ioh. 3. 3. 5. and 8. 24. act. 4. 11 , 12. 3. that no man can effectually and fully rescue himself out of his natural state , by his own ability , ioh. 1. 12. phil. 2. 13. eph. 2. 1. 5. 4. that , now as during this present life , man is to be recovered out of his natural condition , or never . 2 cor. 6. 1. 2. ecles . 9. 10. heb. 9. 27. 5. that thy soul is most precious : and no treasures of this world , no pleasures of sin , no pinacle of earthly honours , can countervail the loss of thy soul , mat. 16. 26. 2. thou art able in some measure , to search , prove , and examine thy state and wayes , so as to be convinced of the badness of them , and danger of continuing in them , 2 cor. 13. 5. lam. 3. 39. 40. 3. thou hast ability , upon discovery of thy sinful , wretched , and dangerous condition , to humble thy self deeply in the sight of god , for it . manasses in chains , did it , 2 chron. 33. ●1 , 12. the prodigal in misery resolved it ▪ luk. 15. 17. 18. 19. 4. thou canst confess thine iniquities ; upon conviction vilest offendors have done it , as , acham , iosh. 7. 20. 21. king pharaoh , exod. 10. 16. 17. king saul , 1 sam. 15. 24. judas , mat. 27. 3 , 4 , 5. 5. thou mayst in some sort forsake and turn from many iniquities : though not sincerely , nor from all entirely . herod for a while did forbear to put john baptist to death , though he mortally hated him for her●dias sake , mat. 14. 3. to 13. haman vexed extreamly at mordicai's not bowing , yet refrained himself from present revenge , est. 5. 9. 10. pharisees abstained from many outward gross sins , luk. 18. 11. saul , whilst a pharisee , was touching the law blameless , phil. 3. 6. iudas lived so inoffensively among the apostles , that when christ declared that one of them should betray him , none suspected judas more then themselves , mat. 26 , 21. to 26. ioh. 13. 21 , 22 , 23. 6. thou art able to attend upon , and make use of , all the outward means of grace , ordinary and extraordinary . meer natural men , carnal men , have done thus much heretofore , and such may do the like hereafter . canst not thou , o natural man , hear the word of god preached ? when the three bad grounds , the three sorts of bad hearers did , mat. 13. 19 , &c. when herod heard iohn baptist gladly , mar. 6. 20. when scribes and pharisees heard christ , mat. 21. 45. when iudas heard jesus preach often . when simon magus heard philip preaching , act. 8. 12 , 13. canst not thou partake the sacraments ? when simon the sorcerer was baptized , act. 8. 13. when the corinthians came to the lords supper , though many unworthily , and smarted for it , 1 cor. 11. 29 , 30. could they not have come better ? canst not thou pray after a sort ? when the mariners in● ionas's ship prayed in the storm , ionah 1. 5 , 6. when pharisees pray , mat. 6. 5. and luk. 18. 10 , &c. canst not thou sanctifie the sabbath-day ? when scribes and pharisees were so zealous against the breach and prophanation of the sabbath , mat. 12. 1 , 2. ioh. 5 16 , 18. canst not thou humble thy self with fasting ? when ahab did it , 1 king. 21. 27 , 28. when the heathen city nineveh did it , ionah 3. 5. to 10. when pharisees did it often , luk. 18. 10. 11. &c. 7. finally , thou canst o natural man , do much good , perform many religious exercises and christian duties , as our hearing reaped much spiritual benefit by the means of grace . what other meer natural men have done , thou maist do . as , ( 1. ) thou maist give much alms to the poor . so did the carnal pharisees , mat. 6. 1 , 2. so the blinded papists . ( 2. ) thou maist show much kindness and favour to gods people , to christians , &c. so did cyrus to the jews , ezra 1. 1 , 2. artaxerxes to ezra , ezra 7. 11. to 27. ahashuerus to mordecai and the jews , esth. 6. and 7. and 8. and 9. and 10. so maximinus the emperour , under gods heavy judgements , his bowels rotting , innumerable worms crawling from him , &c. ceased his cruel persecutions of christians , and made a law for their peace , liberty and publick meetings . t ( 3. ) thou maist have gods faithful ministers in high esteem , maist reverence them , and hear them gladly . as ioash did iehoiadah , 2 chron. 24. 2 , 4 , &c. herod did iohn baptist , mar. 6. 20. simon magus did philip , act. 8. 13. and as the officers of the chief priests and pharisees sent to take christ , were wonderfully taken with christ , joh. 7. 32 , 45 , 46. ( 4 ) thou maist desire the prayers of gods ministers and people for thee . as pharaoh desired the prayers of moses and aaron , exod. 9. 27 , 28. and 10. 16 , 17 , 18. king ieroboam desired the prayers of the man of god for his withered hand , 1 king. 13. 4 , 6. and simon magus begg'd the prayers of peter and the apostles for himself , that the evils feared might not come upon him , act. 28. 24. ( 5. ) thou maist wish thy self in as happy a condition , especially in death , as gods people . so did balaam , numb . 23. 10. and maist not only wish , but pray to god. so did the pharisees , mat. 6. 5. and 23. 14. luk. 18. 10. ( 6. ) thou maist profess the christian faith and religion . so did the five foolish virgins , who had lamps , mat. 25. 3 , &c. simon magus , act. 8. 13. ananias and saphira his wife , act. 5. 1. to 11. and iulian the emperour for a season , but afterwards became a woful apostate , and cruel persecutor of christians . u yea , thou maist believe for a time , as the hearers resembled to the rocky or stony ground , are said to do , luk. 8. 13. ( 7. ) thou maist also proceed to practice , and do many things . as did herod , mar. 6. 20. nay , what can a true christian do , but an hypocrite ( who is the christians ape ) may imitate it ? yea , the natural man may seem to do , with much zeal and affection . the stony ground heard with joy , mat. 13. 20 , 21. how zealous seemed ioash about repairing of the temple ? 2 chron. 24. 4 , &c. and iehu in rooting out of ahab's house , and destroying of baal's idolatry out of israel ? 2 king. 10. 16 , &c. iii. these things the natural man may do , and ought to do , in order to his recovery out of his natural state of sin and misery . thou therefore , o natural man , if thou dost not these things which thou canst do , and oughtst to do , in order to thy recovery , ( though neither these things , nor any thing else which thou canst do , is sufficient ) thou shalt justly perish in thy sinful and wretched state of nature for evermore . for , 1. all these abilities which god hath furnished thee withall , what are they but as so many talents wherewith the lord hath betrusted thee , that thou shouldst imploy them to thy lord and master's honour , and thine own eternal benefit ? mat. 25. 14. to 31. luk. 19. 12 , 13. now talents are not to be buried in the earth , or hid in a napkin . 2. a day of account will certainly come , when god will reckon with every one , how they have imploy'd their talents , mat. 25. 19 , &c. and happy those souls that shall be able to give a good and clear account at that day . 3. he that diligently and fruitfully imploys his talents received , is in the ready way of having his talents and gifts augmented , mat. 25. 28 , 29. mar. 4. 25. mat. 13. 12. luk. 8. 18. he that faithfully doth what he is able , shall be enabled to do much more . 4. if thou dost not in order to thy recovery what thou art able to do , thou wilt be found willingly , if not wilfully , guilty of thine eternal perdition in thy natural state of sin and misery , ezek 18. 31. and 33. 11. ah! what a crying sin is murder ? gen. 41. 10. what a roaring sin then is self-murder , wilful self-murder both of body and soul for ever ? 5. finally , if thou dost not towards thy recovery what thou art able , if thou improvest not thy talents what thou canst , god will account thee an unprofitable , a slothful and wicked servant , will cause thy talent to be taken from the , and thy self to be cast into outer darkness , there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth , mat. 25. 26 , 28 , 30. now go , o natural man , do to the utmost thou art able towards the rescuing of thy self from thy sinful and wretched state of nature , else thou'●t be guilty of thine own eternal destruction . and yet when thou hast done all thou art able , all this will not fully and compleatly effect thy recovery . vii . direction . great cause thou hast then , o natural man , upon all these foregoing considerations , deeply to humble thy self before the lord , for this thy sinful and wretched state of nature , wherein thou remainest even until this very day . luk. 15. 17 , 18 , 19 , 21. i. hast thou not causes , more then enough , to humble thy self deeply before the lord for this thy sinful and wretched state of nature , wherein thou still remainest ? for , consider ; 1. while thou art in this state of nature , thou art in the state of damnation , ioh. 3. 18 , 36. eph. 2. 1 , 2 , 3. and thou art posting apace to the place of execution , as fast as the wings of speedy time can carry thee ? and wilt thou go laughing to hell ? thou art condemned already , joh. 3. 18. and will any condemned malefactor go merrily to the place of execution ? was it not agag's folly to come in delicately to samuel , as if the bitterness of death had been past , when he was presently to be hewed in pieces before the lord ? 1 sam. 15. 32 , 33. art thou on the very pits brink of eternal perdition , and but a small puff of breath betwixt thee and hell , and dost thou not tremble ? doth not thine heart ake ? is not thy soul round-beset with sorrow , even unto death ? 2. while thou art un-humbled under this thy sinful and wretched state of nature , thou continuest an un-cured , yea an unconvinced sinner . ( 1. ) an un-cured sinner . for , humiliation usually precedes and procures reformation : as in manasses , 2 chron. 33. 12. to 17. in the prodigal , luk. 15. 17. to 22. in the penitent woman , luk. 7. 37 , 38 , &c. in saul , act. 9. 6 , &c. in peter's hearers , act. 2. 37 , &c. and in most . bruising prepares for healing ; wounding for binding up , luk 4. 18. burdening makes way for easing , mat. 11. 28. godly sorrow works repentance not to be repented of , 2 cor. ● . 10. ( 2. ) yea an un-convinced sinner . ●or , humiliation , as it makes way for reformation , so it presupposeth a previous conviction . so then , conviction works humiliation , humiliation inclines to reformation . o do not thou still continue an un-cured sinner , yea an un-convinced sinner , by remaining an un-humbled sinner . 3. thine humiliation before the lord for thy sinful and wretched condition , will prove , a grateful sacrifice to god , a gainful exercise to thee . 1. a grateful sacrifice to god. the sacrifices of god are a broken spirit , a broken and a contrite heart , o god , thou wilt not despise , psal. 51. 17. see 2 chron. 33. 12 , 13. and 15. 6 , 7. blessed are they that mourn , for they shall be comforted , mat. 5. 4. bruised and broken hearts are fit cures for christ , luk 4. 18. isa. 61. 1 , 2. yea , when sinners lament and grieve for their sins , heaven is filled with joy , luk. 15. 7 , 10. fletus peccatorum , triumphus angelorum , sinners tears , are the very triumph of angels . 2. a gainful exercise to thee . humiliation for thy sinful state , ( 1. ) will help thee to a deeper sense of thy sinfulness and wretchedness . as blots run abroad , and appear far larger , in wet paper . ( 2. ) will somewhat comfort thee , in that thou beginnest to mourn for that wherein thou didst formerly rejoyce ; and to hate what thou didst formerly love , &c. ( 3. ) will notably prepare thee to true repentance and recovery , 2 cor. 7. 10. ii. but when thou humblest thy self before god for thy sinful and wretched natural state , humble thy self rightly , viz. 1. humble thy self secretly , x seriously and sincerely , without hypocrisie . not as once ahab of old did , 1 king. 21. 27 , 29. nor as usually the hypocritical pharisees were wont to do , and after them , the papists in their fastings , mat. 6. 16. only formally : but as penitent manasseh did , 2. chron. 33. 11 , 12. as the praying publican did , luk 18. as the repenting prodigal did , luk. 15. as the relenting woman did , luk. 7. cordially and really . 2. humble thy self unto deepest self-loathing and self abhorrency . consider the infinite holiness of god , isa. 6. 3. hab. 1. 13. the wonderful purity and perfection of his word , psal. 119. 140 , 96. and thine own extream sinfulness , utterly repugnant unto both , rom. 5. 12. psal. 51. 5. ioh. 3. 6. rom. 3. 9. to 19. eph. 2. 1 , 2 , 3. and then loath thy self , and even abhor thy self as in dust and ashes , ezek. 36. 31. iob 42. 6. accounting thy self , with humbled paul , chief of sinners , 1 tim. 1. 15. 3. humble thy self so for thy sins , as to labour and be heavy laden with them , and quite weary of them , mat. 11. 28. be so pricked and wounded in heart for them , as to cry out to gods messengers , men and brethren what shall i do ? act. 2. 36 , 37. sirs , what must i do to be saved ? act. 16. 30. true humiliation for sin , will make thee earnestly long and desire to be rid of sin . 4. humble thy self reformingly . so as to repent and turn from thine iniquities unto god. as did manasseh , 2 chron. 33. 12 , &c. as did saul , act. 9. 6 , 11 , 20. that 's right humiliation that works reformation . that 's true godly-sorrow indeed , that works repentance not to be repented of , 2 cor. 7. 10. 5. humble thyself continually , till thy god exalt thee and lift thee up with comfort , and restore thee from thy sinful and wretched state of nature , into an holy and happy state of grace . the sinful woman never ceased hmbling herself at christs feet , and washing his feet with tears ; till christ comforted her , and told her that her sins , which were many , were forgiven her , luk. 7. 47 , 48. the prodigal ceased not confessing his sin and humbling himself for it to his father , as no more worthy to be called his son : till the father called for the best robe to be put upon him , and expressed many other most affectionate acts of a most tender paternal love unto him . luk. 15. 21. to 25. viii . direction . however thou art by nature , o natural man , in a most sinful and wretched state , and hast remained therein from thy very birth unto this day , for which thou hast cause to be abased to the very dust : yet know thou for thy comfort , thy case is not desperate , there is hope in israel concerning this ; god hath in this valley of achor , in this valley of trouble , opened a door of hope for thee , and of his mee● love and mercy hath revealed in his covenant of faith in christ , a way how thou mayst be recovered out of this thy sinful and wretched state of nature , into an holy and happy state of grace ; and how all gods elect , though lapsed in the first adam , may be restored in a second adam , tit. 3. 4 , 5 , 6 , 7. gal. 3. 21 , 22. rom. 3. 20 , 21 , 22. 26 , 27. i shall illustrate this further to thy singular encouragement and comfort , o natural man , in certain distinct positions . viz. 1. the lord god , of the meer good pleasure of his will , according to his eternal purpose which he purposed in himself , elected a certain number out of mankind unto himself , to the adoption of children , that they should be holy and without blame before him in love , to the praise of the glory of his grace . ephes. 1. 4 , 5 , 6. 2 , though the only wise and righteous god ( who can bring good y out of cvil : else he could not suffer it to be ) permitted adam , the common root of mankind ; and in him , as in his loins , all mankind ; and among them all his elect ; to fall into sin and misery , for the greater manifestation of the surpassing glory of his freedom , mercy , and justice towards mankind : yet hath he not cast away his people whom he foreknew , nor left his elect to perish in that lapsed state , but hath most graciously and wisely contrived a way , how all his elect shall be recovered out of this state of sin and misery into a state of holiness and happiness for evermore . compare mat. 10. 29. 30. act. 2. 23. and 4. 27. with gen. 3. 1. &c. rom. 5 , 12 , 13 , 14. rom. 11. 2. ephes. 1. 4. to 12. col. 1. 19 , 20. 3. god , who is rich in mercy , for his great love wherewith he loved us , was pleased to contrive lapsed man's recovery , out of the exceeding riches of his meer grace and mercy . eph. 1. 3. to 12. and 2. 4 to 10. nothing at all foreseen in lapsed man could move or encline god at all , to contrive his restitution , eph. 2. 8 , 9. tit. 3. 4 , 5 , 6 , 7. 4. gods contriving of lapsed mans recovery , is rendered a divine favour so much the more eminent and singularly illustrious , in that god would not vouchsafe the like favour to the lapsed angels , though by nature they were far more noble and excellent creatures , compare psal. 8. 4 , 5. with heb. 2. 16. angels fell z from their happy state , by their own free will without other seducement , and found no mercy : man fell through the malicious and subtile seducement of that old serpent the devil , and found mercy . 5. our ever blessed god hath , immediately upon the fall of man ; and afterwards from age to age in diverse remarkable periods of time , revealed in his precious promises and second covenant , the covenant of faith , enlarged more and more till it came to be most compleat in his new covenant , his most gracious purpose and pleasure of restoring lapsed man again from his state of sin and misery . as these , and like scriptures do abundantly testifie ; viz. with adam gen , 3. 15. noah , gen. 6. 18. 22. with heb. 11. 7. abram , gen. 12. 2 , 3. with 15. 9. to the end . and 17. 1. to 15. and 22. 15 , 16 , 17 , 18. israel , deut. 5. 2. to 22. with exod. 20. 1 , 2. &c. and 24 4. to 9. david , 2 sam. 7. 11. to 17. and 23. 5. with psal. 89 3. &c. and 132. 11. &c. with the jews captived in babylon . ezek. 34. 20. 23 , 24 , 25. and 36. 24. to the end , and 37. 1. 21. to the end. ier. 32. 1. 2. 3. 36. to the end . finally , in the new covenant in christ exhibited , the height and top turret of all gods covenant-expressures with his people , ier. 31. 31. to 35. with heb. 8. 6. to the end of the chapter . all which covenant-expressures i have elsewhere a at large explained , which the diligent reader may peruse . 6. our most gracious god revealing his good pleasure in his second covenant , the covenant of faith , for lapsed man's restauration , hath opened a door of hope , of life and salvation for him , who before was in an hopeless , desperate , dead and damnable condition . for such was the condition of adam , and of all mankind in him , after his fall , until the seed of the woman was promised to bruise the serpents head . compare gen. 2. 16 , 17. with gen. 3. 6 , 7. and 15. rom. 5. 12. and until natural man lay hold upon this promise , and this seed of the woman , ( which is our hope , 1 tim. 1. 1. ) by believing , he remains hopeless still , eph. 2. 12. 7. gods mysterious contrivance of lapsed mans recovery from his sinful and wretched state of nature , brought upon mankind by the breach of the covenant of works , gen. 2. 16 , 17. rom. 5. 12. and 6. 23. and revealing this his recovery in a gratuitous covenant of faith , which faith he promiseth by his spirit to work in them , rom. 3. 27. ezek. 36. 26 , 27. luk. 11. 13. eph. 2. 8. gal. 5. 22. is a mercy of mercies utterly beyond all blessing and praise , that the creature can present unto the lord . ix . direction . jesus christ , the alone eternal son of god , who in the fulness of time became perfect man , is the only meritorious mean and way , by whom lapsed man can be recovered and redeemed out of his natural state of sin and misery , into a supernatural state of grace and glory . compare act. 18. 28. ioh. 1. 41 , 45. mat. 16. 16. gal. 4. 4 , 8. mat. 1. 20 , 21. with luk. 2. 10. 1 tim. 1. 15. iob. 3. 16 , 17. rom. 5. 6 , 8 , 9 , 10. and with act. 4. 11 , 12. 1 tim. 1. 5. consider here , 1. who and what the recoverer of lapsed man is . 2. that this jesus christ is the meritorious mean of lapsed man's recovery . 3. that this jesus christ is the only meritorious mean of lapsed man's recovery . i. who , and what the recoverer of lapsed man is . he is jesus christ , the alone eternal son of god , who in the fulness of time became perfect man. here note , 1. the names . 2. the natures of christ in one person . his names , point out , 1. his office. iesus , denotes a saviour . 2. his qualification for this office. christ , signifies annointed , psal. 45. 7. his natures , divine and humane , declare both his matchless suitableness , and sufficiency for the effectual discharge of his office. 1. his names here expressed are two ; iesus , christ. the first is a hebrew name ; the second greek . he came to redeem and save both iews and greeks , jews and gentiles . ( 1 ) . iesus . he was so called at his circumcision on the eighth day , luk. 2. 21. he was so named by the angel before he was conceived in the womb , luk. 2. 21. mat 1. 21 , 25. iesus , i. e. a saviour . that 's his office. a most sweet and acceptable office. reasons why he was called iesus , a saviour , and in what sort he saves , i have elsewhere b explained . there see . ( 2. ) christ , i. e. annointed . this greek name is of the same signification with the hebrew name messiah , act. 4. 26. from psal. 2. 2. the new testament appropriates this name to him , luk. 2. 26. ioh. 4. 25. mat. 1. 1 , 16 , 18. and 16. 16 , 20. he was so called , because he was annointed with the holy ghost , that oyl of gladnest above all his fellows , and thereby designed and qualified for his office , as i have elsewhere c showed . as also , that this jesus is the true christ , the promised messiah , by ten arguments . 2. his natures in one person are two , viz. 1. divine , and 2. humane . ( 1. ) he is god , the alone eternal son of god , mat. 16. 15 , 16. ioh. 1. 14 , 18. and 3. 16 , 18. 1 ioh. 4. 9. heb. 1. 2 , 3. the names , attributes , works and worship , which peculiarly belong to god , are ascribed to him ; as elsewhere d i have manifested . ( 2. ) he is man. the man christ iesus , 1 tim. 1. 5. the son of man , joh. 6. 27. the son of david , the son of abraham , mat. 1. 1. the son of the blessed virgin mary , of the house and linage of david , luk. 1. 27 , &c. and 3. 23 , 24 , &c. and 2. 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , &c. 21. and this jesus christ is god and man in one person , ioh. 1. 14. gal. 4. 4. 1 tim , 3. 16. of , 1. his fitness to become man : 2. the union betwixt his two natures : 3. the oneness of his person : 4. and why it was necessary he should be god and man : 5. the similitudes illustrating this union : and 6. the effects or consequents resulting from it . of all these , see what i have at large laid down elsewhere . e ii. that this iesvs christ god-man , is the meritorious mean of lapsed man's recovery . this will be evidenced abundantly many wayes , viz. 1. by the many promises of christ , under the old testament , as the restorer and recoverer of lapsed sinners . as , gen. 3. 15. gen. 12. 3. and 26. 4. with gal. 3. 16. psal. 110. 1 , &c. isa. 9. 6 , 7. and 11. 1. to 10. and 42. 1. to 10. and 53. 4. to the end : and 55. 1 , 2 , 3 , 4. and 61. 1. to 4. dan. 9. 24 , 25 , 26. act. 10. 43. 2. by the many types of christ , representing him as a redeemer , restorer and deliverer of his people . moses and aaron , types of christ , as delivering israel out of egypt , act. 7. 37 , 38. the judges and kings , types of christ , as saving israel from their enemies , iudg. 16 30. psal. 2. the sacrifices slain , and their blood shed and sprinkled , types of christ , who by his death and blood should expiate our offences , &c. heb. 9. 9. to the end . and 10. 1. to 19. 3. by the many names and titles given unto christ , clearly declaring him to be the eminent medium or mean of lapsed man's recovery . he is to this end stiled , a mediator betwixt god and man , 1 tim. 2. 5. heb. 9. 15. a redeemer , isa. 59. 20. rom. 11. 26. redemption , 1 cor. 1. 30. a ransom for many , 1 tim. 2. 6. a sacrifice for sin , offered once for ever , heb. 10. 12. a propitiation for our sins , and for the sins of the whole world , 1 joh. 2. 2. a propitiation through faith in his blood , rom. 3. 25. a reconciler of the world to god , 2 cor. 5. 18 , 19 , 20. we are reconciled to god , when we were enemies , by the death of his son , rom. 5. 10. by whom we have received the atonement , rom. 5. 11. the lamb of god , taking away the sins of the world , joh. 1. 29. the deliverer , that shall come out of sion , and turn away ungodliness from iacob , rom. 11. 26. a saviour , which is christ the lord , luk. 2. 11. who came into the world to save sinners , 1 tim. 1. 15. able to save to the uttermost , heb. 7. 25. the chief captain ( or arch-duke ) of our salvation , heb. 2. 10. an advocate with the father , 1 joh. 2. 1 , 2. with divers such like denominations . 4. by the many saving benefits which he hath meritoriously obtained and purchased of god for us , by his obedience , sufferings and death . as , satisfaction to gods justice for our sins , eph. 5. 2. heb. 10. 5. to 22. 1 tim. 2. 6. redemption from all our spiritual bondage . eternal redemption , heb. 9. 12. reconciliation to god , rom. 5. 10 , 11. 2 cor. 5. 18 , 19 , 20. adoption into gods family , gal. 4. 4 , 5 , 6. remission of sins , and justification , eph. 1. 7. rom. 3. 25. heb. 9. 14. and 10. 12 , 14 , 17 , 18. mortifying and crucifying of our old man , rom. 6. 6 , 7. conquering of death , and him that ( as an executioner ) had the power of death , that is , the devil , heb. 2. 14 , 15. col. 2. 14 , 15. appearing for us , as our advocate , by representing the merit of his blood in heaven , heb. 9. 24. and 7. 25. 1. ioh. 2 1 , 2. making a new and living way for us , through the vail of his flesh , which was rent with sufferings , by his own blood , into the holiest of all heaven it self , heb. 10. 19 , 20. iii. that this iesus christ is the only mediator , the only saviour of sinnetrs , the only meritorious mean of lapsed mans recovery out of his sinful and wretched state of nature . there is one mediator betwixt god and man , the man christ iesus , 1 tim. 2. 5. neither is there salvation in any other : for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved , act. 4. 12. direct . x. know also , o natural man , that iesus christ hath wrought recovery and obtained redemption for lapsed man from his sinful and wretched state of nature into an holy and happy state of grace , as he is god-man ; testator , surety and mediator of the new testament , executing his mediatory office to this end as prophet priest and king both in his state of humiliation and exaltation . the former direction shows that jesus christ , and he alone , is sinful man's recoverer : this declares , how and in what way he hath effected and obtained man's recovery and redemption . in an abstruse and most mysterious way . viz. 1. as he is god-man in one person . this i have elsewhere f abundantly cleared . there see . 2. as he is testator , surety , and mediator of the new testament , or new covenant . this also see elsewhere g explicated and confirmed , for brevity sake . 3. as he executed his mediatory office in a prophetical , priestly , ( where his satisfaction to gods justice for our sins is at large handled pag. 1607. to 1618. ) and kingly way , both in his state of humiliation and exaltation . all these i have elsewhere h cleared . consult the place : that i may not actum agere . whereby i hope you will not lose your labour . direct . xi . let this sink deep into shine heart , o natural man , that this iesus christ , god-man , the only mediator and saviour's most able , and most willing 〈◊〉 receive and save all lapsed sinners that come unto him , and to god by him . 1. iesus christ is most able and sufficient to save all unto the uttermost that come unto god by him . heb. 7. 25. mat. ●8 . 18. &c. col. 1. 19. he is not an impotent , but an omnipotent saviour , rev. 1. 8. whether we regard his person , or office. 2. iesus christ is most willing to save all that come unto him . both these i have already demonstrated . i consult them there at large , to avoid prolixity here . direct . xii . mark well , notwithstanding , o natural man , that there 's a vast difference betwixt christs obtaining of redemption and recovery for lapsed man : and christs applying of that obtained recovery and redemption so lapsed man. betwixt these , there are two great differences . 1. christ hath obtained eternal redemption for us immediately by his own person , and the merit of his obedience , heb. 1. 3. and 9. 12. eph. 5. 2. 1 tim. 2. 5 , 6. eph. 1. 7 , 8. christ applies this obtained redemption to us immediately by his spirit , effectually working faith and all saving grace in us , that so we may close with christ , have union to him , and communion with him . tit. 3. 4 , 5 , 6 , 7. eph. 2. 8 , 9. gal. 5. 22. ezek. 36. 26 , 27. deut. 30. 6. eph. 1. 13 , 14. 1 ioh. 5. 12. 1 cor. 1. 30. 2. christ hath obtained recovery and redemption for his elect joyntly , in fulness of time , by his blood , gal. 4. 4 , 5. eph. 1. 3. to 9. the vertue of his sufferings extending it self to them all from the beginning to the end of the world : as the sun in the meridian line , in the fulness of the day , diffuseth his light , heat and influence backwards towards the east , as well as forward towards the west . eph 1. 10. col 1. 20. but christ applies this recovery and redemption which he hath wrought and purchased , in due time to his elect severally , as he calls them particularly unto the fellowship of his son , 1 cor. 1. 9. 2 thes. 2. 13 , 14. and he calls some in their youth , some in their manly-age , some ( though very few ) in their old age : some at the third hour , some at the sixth , some at the ninth , and some at the eleventh hour of their day , mat. 20. 1. to 17. direct . xiii . no sinner in the world can actually have any saving share or interest at all in the redemption or recovery which christ hath fully obtained for his people : untill he actually accept christ , as his only all-sufficient saviour ; and particularly apply to his own soul that redemption and recovery from sin and misery , which christ hath procured and obtained . 1 ioh. 5. 12. ioh. 1. 11 , 12. and 3. 16. 18 , 36. and 8. 24. and this must needs be so . for , 1. christs obtaining of recovery and redemption for lapsed sinners renders them only salvable , and that possibly they may be saved , which door of hope is not opened at all to the lapsed angels : but sinners particularly accepting of christ , and applying of his merit unto themselves personally , renders them actually saved , and that they are indeed in the state of salvation already . compare diligently these and like scriptures , ioh. 3. 16 , 17. tit. 2 , 14. 1 tim. 1. 15. gal. 4. 4. 5. rom. 8. 3. which point out a possibility of salvation by christ and his death , with ioh. 1. 12. 1 ioh. 5. 12. 1 cor. 1. 9. and such like as denote their actual salvation by christ , who have accepted him and applied him to themselves particularly . 2. non-accepting and non-applying of christ , is so great a sin , that it is threatned with damnation , ioh. 16. 8 , 9. with ioh. 3. 18. 36. and 8. 24. therefore , though christ be never so able and all-sufficient to restore and save sinners : yet none can have benefit by his salvation without application of him and his merits . 3. the promise of effectual and eternal salvation by christ , is still directed to the actual acceptance and application of christ. as , spiritual rest of soul is promised : but to them that come to christ , mat. 11. 28 , 29. eternal life is promised : but to such as believe in him , ioh. 3. 16. but to such as eat this bread of life , viz. his flesh given for the life of the world , ioh. 6. 51. 57. 58. remission of sins is promised : but to them that believe in him , act , 10. 43. now , how shall man he saved according to gods promises , that perform not the condition of the promises ? 4. who ever was restored and saved by christ , till he accepted and applied christ ? not the apostles ; ioh. 16. 30. mat. 16. 16. not the sinful woman , luk. 7. 50. not the convert thief , luk. 23. 43. not the jaylor , act. 16. 31. to 35. who ever was healed by a plaister spread and prepared only , but never applied to the wound and sore ? who ever was comforted with the richest cordial though never so accurately prepared , if it were never eaten or drunk ? and who ever was actually saved by christ , if not particularly accepted and applied ? they that accept not , that apply not christ to themselves , are without christ : and they that are without christ are without hope , so remaining , and go without salvation , eph. 2. 12. 5. all communion with christ in his saving benefits ●lows from union to christ in accepting of him , ioh. 1. 12 1 ioh. 5. 12. rom. 8 10. col. 2. 19. eph. 4. 16. as the ciour hath communion with the stock in its life , growth , fruitfulness , by being united unto the stock , by ingrafting ; or as the wife hath communion with the husband in his name , state , &c. by being united to him in marriage ; or as the members of the natural body have communion with the head and heart in their life , sense , motion , &c. by being united thereunto by joints and hands . 6. till the sinner accepts and applies christ , he is not throughly convinced of the sinfulness and wretchedness of his natural state , and of the great need he hath of christ to deliver him out of it . for , conviction is the first step to application of christ , ioh. 16. 8 , 9. and where there 's not the first step of conviction : there 's no present state of salvation . 7. till the sinner accepts christ , and applies him , he neglects and despiseth him : and he that despiseth christ how can he obtain salvation , yea , how can he escape damnation . see mat. 22. 1. to 3. luk. 14. 16. to 25. heb. 2. 3. direct . xiiii . observe diligently , o natural man , that the proper and peculiar way whereby iesus christ is to be accepted and applied to a man 's own soul for recovery out of his sinful and wretched state of nature , is by true saving faith in iesus christ alone , act. 10. 43. ioh. 3. 16. and 1. 12. act. 13. 38 , 39. and 16. 30 , 31. eph. 2. 8. rom. 3. 22. to 27. i. that , by true saving faith alone peculiarly iesus christ is accepted and applied for recovery out of sin and misery , is evident several wayes . for , 1. the nature of true saving faith in christ , principally consists in the accepting and applying christ for salvation as he is offered in the gospel . thus i have elsewhere described it ; iustifying faith is a saving grace , wrought in the hearts of the elect at their regeneration by gods spirit and word ; whereby they not only know , assent to , and apply to themselves the promises , gospel , and doctrine of iesus christ for gods glory in their justification and salvation ; but also whereby they afterwards walk as becomes justified persons . there see the confirmation and explanation of this description of faith k . so that the nature of saving faith in christ , stands much in applying christ in the gospel and promises , who is the kernel and soul of them . 2. the receiving and applying iesus christ for recovery and salvation , is one of the chief acts of faith , l which thus i illustrate ; the acts of true faith in christ are 1 direct . 2. reflexive . ( 1 ) direct . and these of 2 sorts . 1. primary . as , 1. knowing . isai. 53. 11. ioh. 17. 3. 2. assenting to the truth of gods record , 1 ioh. 5. 9. ioh. 3. 33. 3. applying of the promises , and of christ , ioh. 1. 12. as paul did , gal. 2. 20. as thomas did , ioh. 20. 8. 2. secondary . as , 1. retaining christ received in the heart , eph. 3. 17. col. 2. 6 , 7. 2. purifying the heart , act. 15. 9. 3. refreshing the soul with peace and joy , rom. 5. 1 , 2. and 15. 13. 4. breaking forth into good works , 1 thes. 1. 3. heb. 11. 5. working by love , gal. 5. 6. 6. enlivening the soul , rom. 1. 17. gal. 2. 20. 2. conquering all our spiritual enemies . 1 ioh. 3. 2 , 3. and 5. 4. 1 pet. 1. 9. iam. 4. 7. eph. 6. 16. ( 2 ) reflexive . when faith refle&ing upon its own acts sees it self believing , 1 ioh. 2. 3. 1 tim. 1. 12. by this it appears that the applying act of faith is a very principal act among all the rest . ● or , all the acts before the applying ast , tend to make way for it as preparatory to it : and all the acts after it , result from the applying act especially , as genuine fruits and effects of it . thus the applying act of faith is among the rest , as the sun among the planets , most illustrious . 3. faith is so peculiarly eminent among all the graces of the spirit , in its property of receiving and applying iesus christ , for recovery and salvation of sinners , that it 's set forth to us in holy scripture by sundry emphatical expressions and comparisons . all pointing out the applying act of faith. faith is , 1. a looking upon christ , as the jews did upon the brazen serpent , when stung . ioh. 3. 15 , 16. and 8. 56. 2. a coming to christ. ioh. 6. 35. mat. 11. 28. 3. a receiving of christ. ioh. 1. 11. 12. 4. an embracing of the promises , and so of christ in the promises . heb. 11. 13. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 properly notes , lovingly-embracing , eagerly-apprehending , and thence signifies saluting : saluting being performed with embracing . 5. eating of christs flesh , drinking of his blood . ioh. 6. 40. 53. 54. 6. having of the son. 1 ioh. 5. 12. 7. harbouring christ so that he dwells in the heart by faith. eph. 3. 17. 4. the doctrine of the gospel reveales recovery and salvation of sinners in and by christ : but as received and applied by faith. act. 10. 43. and 13. 38 , 39. rom. 3. 21. to the end ; and 10. 9. &c. 5. convinced sinners enquiring how they may be saved , are directed to apply christ by believing in him . act. 16. 30 , 31. 6. recovery and salvation of sinners is promised in and for jesus christ and his merit : but then christ must be received and applied by faith. faith is often expressed , alwayes to be understood as the condition of the promise . as , mat. 11. 28. ioh. 3. 16. and 6. 40. 53 , 54. mark 16. 16. act. 10. 43. rom. 9. 33. 1 pet. 2. 6. act. 16. 30 , 31. 7. without faith in christ there 's no salvation . none can be saved , that by believing apply not christ for recovery . ioh. 3. 18. 36. and 8. 24. mark 16. 16. 2 thes. 2. 12. ii. how is iesus christ to be accepted and applyed by faith , in order to the sinners recovery and salvation by him ? answer . jesus christ is to be accepted and applyed by faith , in order to the sinners recovery by him , in such sort as he is offered in the gospel . to accept and apply him otherwise , in any other notion , upon any other terms , &c. then god offers him : is to apply a christ of our own , not the lords christ. gods offer , must be the ground and rule of our acceptance . now the gospel offers christ unto the sinner , for his recovery by him ; and to his faith. 1. as that messiah and saviour of sinners , which from the fall of man was promised , prophecied of , and fore-typified ; and in fulness of time was manifested in humane flesh , for lapsed man's recovery out of sin and misery . gen. 3. 15. and 12. 3. and 22. 18. gal. 3. 8. 16. with act. 8. 10. 43. ioh. 1. 41. 45. gal. 4. 4 , 5 , 6. 1 pet. 1. 18 , 19 , 20. 2. as that only messiah , redeemer , and saviour given among men , by whom alone sinners can be saved , and by none other in the whole world . act. 4. 11 , 12. ioh. 8. 24. 3. as an all-sufficient saviour , able to save fully unto the vttermost all that come unto god by him . heb. 7. 24 , 25 , 26. and 9. 11 , 12 , 13 , 14. and 10 , 11. to 19. ioh. 1. 14 , 15. col. 1. 19 , 20. 4. as god-man , mediator betwixt god and man , ioh. 1. 14. gal. 4. 4 , 5. 1 tim. 3. 16. with 1 tim. 2. 5 , 6. 5. as man's surety , heb. 7. 22. who by his obedience active hath exactly fullfilled the law of god , which we could not perform or keep , gal. 4. 4. and by his obedience passive , to the death , even the death upon the cross , hath endured the curse and penalty of the law for our sakes , which we could neither have endured nor avoided : that so , satisfying gods justice to the uttermost for our sins , we might be eternally released from sin and wrath , and be reconciled to god , justified and saved by christs obedience imputed to us through faith. rom. 5. 18 , 19. and 8. 3 , 4. phil. 2. 6 , 7 , 8. rom. 5. 9 , 10. and 3. 25. gal. 3. 10. 13 , 14. eph. 5. 2. heb. 9. 12. 14. and 10. 10 to 19. 1 pet. 1. 18 , 19 , 20. tit. 2. 14. 6. as the sinners perfect righteousness before god , ●mputed by god unto him , through faith. 1 cor. 1. 30. rom. 3. 21. 22. to the end . and 4. 11 , 12. and 5. 18 , 19. and 10. 6. 9. 10. for which all self-righteousness is to be denied , phil. 3 ▪ 7 , 8 , 9 , 10. 7. as christ jesus the lord . the gospel tenders him ; as christ or messiah , i. e. anointed by the spirit above measure for his office , psal. 45. 7. as iesus , i. e. a saviour mat. 1. 21. luk. 2. 20. this denotes his office . as the lord , to rule and raign over us , in us , and for us , over all our enemies whatsoever . as he is a jesus to save : so he will be a lord to rule . thus we are to receive and apply him , as the colossians did , col. 2. 6. 8. as that redeemer , for whom we are to deny ourselves , take up ou● cross and follow him . luk 9. 23. iii. what encouragement may a poor lapsed and lost sinner have , to draw towards iesus christ , to accept and apply him for his recovery and salvation by believing in him . answ. much every way . but especially upon these and like serious considerations . viz. 1. christ himself hath plainly declared that it is the great duty of the sinner , to believe in christ , and so to accept and apply him by faith. this , the work , which god chiefly requires and accepts : to believe in christ. ioh. 6. 28 , 29. 1 ioh. 3. 23. 2. christ most sweetly invites all distressed sinners , and thirsty souls , to come to him for relief , to believe in him . mat. 11. 28 , 29 , 30. ioh. 7. 37. with isai. 55. 1 , 2. rev. 22. 17. 3. christ holds forth the golden-scepter of most great and precious promises , to encourage and allure sinners to approach to him and to apply him by believing . mat. 11. 28 , 29. mar. 16. 16. ioh. 3. 16. 18. 36. and 6. 37. 40. 44. 51. 54. 57. act. 10. 43. rom. 9. 33. 1 pet. 2. 6. 4. christ never did , never will , reject any poor sinful soul , that did but even creep to him by the feeblest faith , ioh. 6. 37. why then shouldst thou fear , that he will not accept and embrace thee ? 5. christ hath most readily , tenderly and compassionately received even greatest and most hainous offendors , upon their coming to him by faith : and all these for encouraging patterns and presidents to all that afterwards shall believe in him , 1 tim. 1. 16. and why should he not in like sort entertain thee , notwithstanding all thy sins , if thou canst believe in him ? remember the reception of the prodigal , luk. 15. 20. to the end : of nicodemus . the ignorant pharisee , ioh. 3. 1 , 2 , 3. &c. of mathew the griping customer , mat. 9. 9. of zachaeus the oppressing publican , luk. 19. 5. to 11. of the notorious sinful woman that washed christs feet with her tears , &c. luk. 7. 37. to the end of saul , that was injurious , a persecutor and a blasphemer , act. 26. 9 , 10. 11. 1 tim. 1. 13 , 14. 16. of the thief upon the cross , that even after his crucifiction had railed upon christ , mat 27. 44. compared with luk. 23. 40. to 44. yea of those that were guilty of his death and blood : yet even some of them christ washed from their sins by the very blood which they shed , m act. 2. 36 , 37. to the end . oh , miracles of christs mercy and compassion to lost sinners ! when christ accepts such ; who would not hopefully come to him ? when christ saves such ; who have cause to despair , that desire truly to repent and believe in him ? xv. direction . power thus to believe in iesus christ god-man , and by believing to accept and apply him for thy recovery ( o natural man ) out of thy sinful and wretched state of nature , thou hast none at all of thy self ; but all thy sufficiency in this behalf is wholly of god : nevertheless thou mayst , and oughtest to do some things for the furtherance of thy faith in christ. i. that , of thyself thou hast no power or sufficiency at all to believe in iesus christ , to receive , and apply him effectually by believing , without the supernatural influence and assistance of god : is plain . for , 1. the testimony of christ and his apostles is clear for it . no man can come to me ( i. e. by believing ) except the father which hath sent me , draw him , ioh. 6. 44. he cannot of himself , or by his own power come and believe : till god influence him and enable him . again ; without me ye can do nothing . viz. nothing in fruit bearing ; either of faith , or any other good spiritual fruit , ioh. 15. 5. that of the apostles is punctual ; by grace are ye saved , through faith and that not of your selve , it is the gift of god , ephes. 2. 8. n 2. true saving faith in christ , and the acting of it unto the accepting and applying of christ , is the special work of god and fruit of the spirit , of the regenerating spirit of god. compare and consider well , ioh. 6. 44. gal. 5. 22. with ioh. 1. 12 , 13. 3. faith in christ is the life of the soul from christ , it is as the vital spirits from him , gal. 2. 20. rom. 1. 17. now , can the soul of natural man , which is dead in sins and trespasses , eph. 2. ● . quicken it self by believing . hence , then , these things must needs follow . 1. that , whosoever do believe in christ truly , and by faith apply him effectually and savingly , they owe all this wholly to the rich grace and meer favour of god. and are to render unto him all the praise thereof . 2. that 't is a piece of gross ignorance and groundless presumption , for any natural man whatsoever , to think he can believe and accept christ at his pleasure . this is impossible . 3. let every natural man take heed he reject not the divine offers of faith unto his soul , nor resist the spirits motions and operations inclining , drawing , and perswading the heart thereunto , 1 thes. 5. 19. act. 7. 51. eph 4. ioh. 6. 44. for , what if the spirit of god draw and move the heart so no more ? and without god , there 's no believing . ii. notwithstanding , though the natural man cannot of himself savingly believe in christ , or apply him , by any self-sufficiency or power of his own , yet something towards it , and towards the furtherance thereof , he may and ought to do , act. 8. 13. luk. 8. 13. for , what a meer natural man hath done heretofore , why may not a meer natural man do again ? now then , o natural man , though thou canst not of thy self believe in christ , and apply him savingly , yet neglect not to do what thou canst do , in order to this believing in christ , and applying of christ to thine own soul. art thou grieved in thine heart thou canst not enough believe in him ? art thou desirous to believe in him alone for recovery and salvation ? i would fain take this for granted . let me then draw thee , thou poor trembling soul , a few steps further towards christ. make use of these few helps and furtherances unto faith in christ jesus . for , this thou canst , and ought'st to do . viz. 1. know , and consider jesus christ well , both in his person , offices , and the effects or acquirements of his offices , as all these are delineated in the holy scriptures . ioh. 17. 3. 1 tim. 3. 16. 1 tim. 2. 5 , 6. heb. 9. 12 , 13 , 14. and 10. 7. to 19. rom. 5. 9 , 10. and assent fully to the record , that god hath given of his son in his word , that eternal life is in his son , 1 joh. 5. 10 , 11. now , knowledge , heb. 11. 3. isa. 53. 11. ioh. 17. 3. assent , 1 ioh. 5. 10 , 11. and application , ioh. 1. 12. gal. 2. 20. make up the nature of true faith. 2. ponder often and earnestly upon the promises of god touching christ , and touching believing in him . as , that whosoever comes to him by believing , shall not in any case be cast out by christ , ioh. 6 35 , 37. shall not be ashamed or confounded , rom. 9. 33. 1 pet. 2. 6. shall not perish , joh. 3. 16. shall never hunger nor thirst more , joh. 6. 35. isa. 55. 1. shall find rest from christ unto his soul , mat. 11. 28 , 29. shall live , though he were dead ; yea , shall never die , joh. 11. 25. yea , shall have eternal life , and be saved , joh. 3. 16 , 17. mar. 10. 16. now these and such like promises , being yea and amen in christ , 2 cor. 1. 20. they are fundamentum & pabulum fidei , the very foundation , whereupon faith is bottomed and grounded ; and the food , wherewith faith is nourished . see rom. 4. 17. to the end . heb. 11. 11. 3. consider well the nature of god , the promiser . for , this will greatly encourage faith to embrace the promises , and christ in the promises . for , gods truth is such : he cannot lie , tit. 1. 2. 't is impossible he should lie , heb. 6. 10. gods fidelity such : he cannot , will not deceive , heb. 11. 11. gods power such : he can fully perform what he hath promised , seem it never so improbable , impossible , incredible , rom. 4. 20 , 21. his love and free grace such : in giving christ for us , ioh. 3. 16 , 17. and offering christ to us , rom. 3. 21 , &c. 2 cor. 5. 18 , &c. that with him he will freely give all things , rom. 8. 32. 4. be diligent and constant in attending upon gods ordinances , whereby faith is bred and nourished . especially be singularly careful and vigilant in hearing the word faithfully and powerfully preached . faith comes by hearing , and hearing by the word of god , rom. 10. 14 , 15 , 17. the word preached is the seed of faith and regeneration , 1 pet. 1. 23 , 25. 5. cherish and make much of every good motion , stirring , striving inclination , operation of the spirit of god in thine heart and soul , tending to thine accepting and closing with christ , 1 thes. 5. 19. eph. 4. 30. act 7. 51. for faith is the proper fruit o● the spirit , gal. 5. 22. 6. forget not the exemplary instances of believers , who , though great offendors , yet have received and apply'd christ by faith , and have been graciously accepted and entertained by him : and all this for the encouragement of thee , and of all that afterwards should believe . as , the jaylor , act. 16. 30 , &c. paul , 1 tim. 1. 13. to 17. act. 26. 9. 10 , 11. the penitent woman , luk. 7. 37. to the end . the thief on the cross , luk. 23. 42 , 43. the 3000 hearers of peter , act. 2. 36 ▪ 37. &c. 7. ask , seek , knock importunately at the throne of grace , for this soul-saving grace . the spirit is promised to them that ask , luk. 11. 13. fly unto christ the author and finisher of faith , heb. 12. 2. and cry , lord increase my faith , luk. 17. 5. lord , i believe , help thou mine unbelief , mar. 9. 24. xvi . direction . question and examine the self often impartially , touching the truth of thy faith in christ for thy recovery and salvation , 2 cor. 13. 5. for , there is a counterfeit and fained faith , luk. 8. 13. act. 8. 13. iam. 2. 14 , 17 ▪ 20 , 26. and there is a faith unfained , 1 tim. 1. 5. 2 tim. 1. 5. 't is the faith unfained that accepts and applies christ , ioh. 1. 12 , 13. act. 8. 37. and will afford thee solid comfort . now faith in christ unfained may be discovered by these and the like characters , which if thou canst really find in thy self , doubtless thou art a true believer . true saving faith in jesus christ , is , 1. a christ-applying faith. if faith be sincere and salvi●ical , it never rests till it bring the soul to christ , till it possess the soul of christ. it is the soul's eye , that beholds christ lifted up , io● . 3. 15. it 's the soul's feet , whereby it comes to christ , mat. 11. 28. ioh. 6. 35 ▪ 37. it 's the soul's hand , whereby it receives christ ; and arms , wherewith it o embraceth christ , ioh. 1. 12. he● . 11. 13. it 's the soul's mouth , wherewith it eats christs flesh that bread of life , and drinks christs blood that water of life , ioh. 6. 47 , 53 , 54 , 55. by all which acts of faith the soul comes to have christ , to possess and enjoy him , and life in him , 1 joh. 5. 12. true faith in christ contents not it self only to know christ , or only to assent to the truth of gods record touching christ , that life is in him ; but it further proceeds to receive and apply christ to the soul , to appropriate him and enjoy him actually to the particular believer . 2. a christ-retaining faith. true saving faith in christ , not only entertains christ , but also retains him in the best room of the soul , the heart . — that christ may dwell in your hearts by faith , eph. 3. 17. the believer's heart , is christ's home : and faith gives christ the acceptable entertainment : 1. as it cleanseth the heart of every thing that might be offensive to him , act. 15. 9. 2. as it ascribes all salvation and sufficiency for it , only unto christ , counting all self-excellencies loss and dung , phil. 3. 7 , 8 , 9 , 10. so then , if christ be dwelling in thine heart , faith is there also . 3. a christ esteeming faith. faith most highly esteems christ , accounts him most precious . — unto them which believe he is precious , 1 pet. 2. 7. so precious ; that , he sells all that he hath for him , mat. 13. 44 , 45 , 46. that , he denies all that he hath , yea all that he is , for him , phil. 3. 7 , 8 , 9 , 10. luk. 9. 23. and 19. 43. that he disesteems , and as it were , hates all dearest relations , in comparison of christ , mat. 10. 37. luk. 14. 26 , &c. yea , so precious ; that , it sets more store by christ , at his lowest , then by all worldly treasures , at their highest , heb. 11. 26 , 27. if christ be truly precious to thy soul , faith is planted in thine heart . 4. an heart purifying grace . according to that ; — purifying their hearts by faith , act. 15. 9. 1 joh. 3. 3. faith makes the inside clean ; hypocrisie only the outside , mat. 23. 25 , 26. faith purifies the heart ; 1. formaliter , formally , as it is an holy , inherent principle of grace and purity , resisting sin and temptation , gal. 5. 17. 1 ioh. 3. 3. eph. 6 16. to this effect it 's stiled , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , most holy faith , jude , verse 20. p 2. instrumentaliter : instrumentally it purisieth : the heart , by applying thereunto christs imputed purity , phil. 3. 9. christ's blood , which purgeth the conscience from the guilt and power of dead works , to serve the living god , heb. 9. 14. with rom. 3. 25. by applying christ's imputed purity and righteousness . 5. a soul-purifying , and heart-comforting grace . it affords peace with god : which produceth two excellent effects : 1. ioy , in hope of the glory of god. 2. glorying even in tribulation , rom. 5. 1 , 2 , 3. — joy and peace in believing , rom. 15. 13. now , the peace of god passeth all understanding , and keeps , as in a garrison , q the heart and mind in christ jesus , viz. safe and secure , phil. 4. 7. 6. most dutiful and obediential towards god , and this against all interposing difficulties : against reason , against natural affection , &c. as in noah , heb ▪ 11. 7. in abraham ; when he obey'd god , to forsake his kindred , and follow god , he knew not whither , heb. 11. 8. and when he in a sort offered up isaac for a burnt-offering , heb. 11. 17. 7. most abundant and fruitful in all good works , jam. 2. 14. to the end . and this god expects , tit. 3. 8. faith is a most working grace : it is the root of all good works of piety , righteousness and sobriety , 1 tim. 1. 5. hence that phrase ; — the work of faith , 1 thes. 1. 3. a workless faith , is ( as iames intimates to us ) a worthless faith , iam. 2. 17 , 26. 8. a grace that acts and works by love , gal. 5. 6. how by love ? more generally : not by love , as fire works by heat , the formal property of fire ; as if love were the form of faith , as papists say , contrary to that in 1 tim 1. 5. but by love , as an external instrument , ( external or outward , as to the proper nature of faith ) joyned or annexed unto faith , for the exerting of its acts , as the soul works by the brain , eye , ear , hand , &c. more particularly : faith works by love : 1. as it tends to principle and store the heart with the love of christ , 1 pet. 1. 7 , 8. faith is as the captain-grace , that leads on all the rest , 2 pet. 1. 5 , 6 , 7. 2 ▪ as it actuates and incites love with a more ardent flame towards god , christ , and all goodness . faith spreads open before the soul gods love and christs loveliness , how transcendent , how infinite . so that the soul cannot choose but love them again , ioh. 3. 16 , 17. rom. 5. 5 , 6 , 7 , &c. ioh. 15. 13. 1 ioh. 3. 16 , 19. 3. as it exerciseth r it self in all duties and acts of obedience to god , christ , &c. not in a way of servile , slavish fear , but in a sweet way of love ; because a man loves god and christ , loves the wayes of vertue , loves his commandements , and counts them not grievous , 1 joh. 5. 3. faith makes all obedience and duty come off lovingly , sweetly , chearfully , 1 tim. 1. 5. 9. a growing grace . it encreaseth more and more . — your faith groweth exceedingly , 2 thes. 1. 3. see also rev. 2 19. counterfeit faith , dead faith , is like a painted tree , or painted flower upon a wall , seem it never so fair , it grows not at all . 10. vigorous in resisting , and victorious in conquering , all sorts of temptations , viz. of the world , frowning or smiling , 1 ioh. 5. 4. ioh. 16. 33. of the flesh , act. 15. 9. 1 joh. 3. 3. of the devil , ● pet. 5. 9. eph. 6. 16. 11. fervent , and continuing instant in prayer , even against discouragements ; though prayer seem to be neglected , repulsed , denied . as in the canaanitish woman , mat. 15. 22. to 29. in elijah , who prayed seven times , 1 king. 18. 41. to 46. iam. 5. 17 , 18. 12. valiant in confessing christ , in professing and owning of his gospel , truth and cause , in dayes of greatest danger and persecution , 2 tim. 1. 12. saul converted to the faith , straightway preached christ in the synagogues , that he was the son of god , though to the hazard of his life , act. 9. 20 , 23. the angel of pergamos , held fast christ's name , deni'd not his faith , even there , where satan's seat was , and even then , when antipas was his faithful martyr , rev. 2. 12 , 13. rev. 13. 10. the faith and patience of the saints , is most active and illustrious in midst of antichristian cruelties and persecutions . 13. finally , true faith is constant and persevering . false faith believes but for a time , in time of persecution falls away , luk. 8. 13. true faith holds on unto the end . draws not back unto perdition , but believes unto the saving of the soul , heb. 10. 39. the true believer holds on believing , till he attain the scope and end of his faith , the salvation of his soul , 1 pet. 1. 8 , 9. xvii . direction . repentance from head works , not to be repented of , heb. 6. 1. 2 cor. 7. 10. is an inseparable companion of true faith , s ( the scripture usually coupling them together , mar. 1. 14. 15. act. 20. 21. and 2. 37 , 38. and 26. 18. heb. 6. 1. ) and therefore every one that would approve himself to believe in christ sincerely , must repent of all his sins unfeinedly , as he expects to have his sins remitted freely , and his soul saved eternally . luk. 24. 47. act. 2. 38. and 5. 31. and 3. 19. — act. 11. 18. ezek. 18. 30 , 31 , 32. luk. 13. 3 , 5. to repent , is set forth by two greek words , very significant in the new testament . 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , metanoein , which properly signifies , to have an after-wit , wisdom or consideration ; a return to ones wits and wisdom again . as did the prodigal , luk. 15. 17. this word is used often , mat. 3. 8 , 11. and 9. 13. — to sin , is our folly ; to repent of sin , is our after-wisdom . 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , metamelesthai , to have an after-care , to be heedful afterwards . it 's through want of care and heed that men transgress : 't is repentance that makes the offendor more careful to withstand and prevent sin for the future , 2 cor. 7. 8 , 11. this word is used in mat. 21. 29 , 32. repentance is two-fold , 1. initial , fundamental and universal : when a sinner at his first coversion repents of all his sins , original and actual , at once , turning from them unto god , mat. 3. 2 , 8. mar. 1. 14 , 15. act. 11. 18. and 20 , 21. and 26. 18 , 20. heb. 6. 1 , 2. 2. secondary and particular : when a penitent after his conversion lapseth into any sin or sins , and renews repentance for them particularly . as david , psal. 51. tit . &c. peter , mat. 26. 75. here , the former is ●hiefly intended , but the latter not excluded . godly sorrow works repentance not to be repented of , 2 cor. 7. 10. but properly , godly sorrow is not repentance , but an excellent preparative , inlet and harbinger to repentance . the proper nature of repentance stands in , 1. aversion from sin and satan . 2. conversion unto god and all goodness , act. 26. 18. now there are very many cogent motives , that may incline a sinner to this initial , fundamental and universal repentance . for , 1. god himself greatly desires the sinners initial , fundamental and universal repentance . ezek. 18. 23. and 33. 11. and 18. 31 , 32. see how , 1. he commands it , act. 17. 30. mar. 1. 14 , 15. 2. he invites t to it , isa. 1. 16 , &c. and 55. 7. mat. 3. 2. ezek. 18. 23 , 31 , 32. ier. 3. 1. 3. he promiseth great things to the penitent . isa. 55. 7. zech. 1. 3. act. 2. 38. hos. 14. 1 , 2 , 3 , 4. ezek. 18. 21 , 22. act. 26. 18. 4. he professeth , yea sweareth , he hath no pleasure in the death of the sinner , but that he should repent and live , ezek. 18. 23. and 33. 11. 5. he receives penitents readily , compassionately , gladsomly , luk. 15. 3. to the end . 2. jesus christ exceedingly endeavours the sinners universal repentance and conversion . mat. 4. 17. mar. 1. 14 , 15. luk. 24. 47. act. 26. 17 , 18. for , 1. he sent iohn baptist his harbinger preaching-repentance , mat. 3. 1 , 2 , 3 , 8. luk. 3. 3. to 15. 2. his first sermon was of repentance , mat. 4. 17. mar. 1. 1● , 15. 3. he directs his apostles first to preach repentance to the gentiles , luk. 24. 47. 4. he shows the necessity of repenting and converting , luk. 13. 3 , 5. mat. 18. 3. 5. he upbraids and laments the impenitent , mat. 11. 20. to 25. and 23. 37 , 38 , 39. 6. he accepteth penitents most compassionately , luk. 7. 37. to the end ▪ and 19. 8 , 9 , 10. and 23. 4 〈…〉 act. 9. 6 , &c. 3. the holy ghost most frequently incites unto repentance in holy scriptures . isa. 1. 16 , 17 , &c. and 55. 6 , 7. ezek. 18. 23 , 31 , 32. and 33. 11. hos. 6. 1 , &c. and 14. 1 , &c. ioel 2 ▪ 12 , &c. act. 2. 37 , &c. and 3. 19. and 17. 30. heb. 3. 7 , &c. rev. 2. 4 , 5. 4. the time [ of the messias coming in the flesh foretold ] is fulfilled ; and the kingdom of god , [ the messiah's new testament-kingdom ] is at hand , yea , as to us , is already come : therefore all should repent and believe , mark 1. 15. why ? that thus they may be fitted and qualified for reception of christ , and of his kingdom , to their salvation . 5. there 's mention made in holy scripture of an whole cloud of sinners initially repenting of their ●ins , and turning from them unto god , encouraging thee to imitate them in this narrow way of life and salvation . 〈◊〉 manasses , ● chron. 33. 12. to 18. iohn baptist's hearers , mat. 3. 2 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8. with mat. 21. 32. the sinful woman , luke 7. 37 , &c. zacheus the publican , luke 19. 7 , 8 , 9 , 10. the prodigal son , luke 15. 15. to the end . saul the persecutor , act. 9. 3. to 23. lydia , act. 16. 14 , 15. the jaylor and his house , act. 16. 25. to 35. many gentiles , act. 11. 18. and 15. 19. many at ephesus , act. 19. 17. to 21. the thessalonians , 1 thes. 1. 5. to 11. the thief on the cross , luke 23. 40. to 44. they that crucified , and consented to the death of the lord jesus christ , even 3000 of them , act. 2. 36 , 37 , &c. all these are propounded as examples to allure thee , and cords to draw thee unto initial repentance . 6. impenitency is most dangerous . 1. is rebellion against gods command , act. 17. 30. isa. 1. 16 , 20. 2. the fruit of a blinded mind and hardned heart , &c. ioh. 12. 40. rom. 2. 5. 3. seals up the natural man in his state of sin and misery , exod. 34. 7. god will not clear the impenitent guilty ; and how woful is that state of sin and misery ! act. 26. 18. 4. shuts him eternally out of gods kingdom , mat. 18. 3. 5. treasures up wrath against the day of wrath , rom. 2. 5. 6. renders their condition who live under the gospel , worse then that of heathens at the judgement-day , mat. 11. 20. to 25. 7. exposeth impenitents to all judgements in this present world , lev. 26. 23. amos 4. 6. to 13. and to everlasting damnation in the world to come , luke 13. 3 , 5. ezek. 18. 20 , 26 , 30 , 31. 7. true repentance is most desirable and beneficial to the penitent soul. for , 1. it is never to be repented of , 2 cor 7. 10. 2. it thorowly removes the natural mans sinfulness , though never so great , isa. 1. 16 , 17 , 18. and 55. 7. luke 24. 47. act. 5. 31. and 3. 19. and wretchedness , though never so deep , act. 26. 18. luk. 15. 32. ezek. 18. 27 , 28. 3. it returns the sinner unto god , the only supream good , act. 26. 18. zech. 1. 3. 4. it occasioneth much joy : to the saints on earth , act. 15. 3. to the angels in heaven , luke 15. 7 , 10. and as it were to god himself , luk. 15. 20. to 25. 5. it intituleth the penitent to sundry precious promises . as , isa 1. 16 , 17 , 18. and 55. 7. ezek 18. 21 , 22. zech. 1. 3. act. 26. 18. 6. it is the ready way to life and salvation , act. 11. 18. 2 cor. 7. 10. 7. it puts into possession of the inheritance of the saints , of the kingdom of heaven , even paradise it self . act. 26. 18. mat. 18. 3. luke 23. 41 , 42 , 43. xviii . direction . search out and try the truth of thy repentance , as well as of thy faith , lest in this necessary grace and fundamental duty , thou mistakest a shadow for a substance , an appearance for a reality , and so overthrow the whole fabrick of thy christianity . mock-repentance , counterfeit repentance , is of no account at all with god , nor of any avail for spiritual blessings or eternal salvation . hos. 7. 16. ahab got no spiritual good , 1 king. 21. 27. nor iudas , mat. 27. 3 , 4 , 5. by their counterfeit repenting . sincere repentance may be discovered by the 1. antecedents . 2. constituents . 3. concomitants . and 4. consequents thereof . i. the antecedents , going before true repentance , are ; conviction , illumination , godly sorrow , hatred of sin. 1. conviction of sin , if true and sincere , when it 1. leads a man from sin to sin , from actual to original . psal. 51. 1. to 6. 2. smites the conscience sharply for sin . psal. 51. 3 , 8. act. 2. 37. 3. provokes the soul to seek for remedy . act. 2. 36 , 37. contra mat. 27. 3 , 4 , 5. 2. illumination touching christ , the remedy against sin . act. 26. 18. if true , 1. gives a more clear and perfect insight into the mystery of christ and christianity , then any natural man hath . 1 cor. 2. 6. to 15. 2. melts the heart into love to christ , and tears , or at least , mourning for sin . luke 7. 37. to the end . 3. conducts the soul , like the star , to christ , ioh. 6. 45. 4. inclines the soul to deny , do , and suffer any thing for christ. phil. 3. 7 , 8 , &c. act. 9. 4 , 5 , 6. heb. 10. 32 , 33 , 34. 3. godly sorrow , and contrition , working repentance , 2 cor. 7. 10. if true and sincere , 1. wounds the heart most for sin , as it is against god. psal. 51. 4. as against christ. 〈◊〉 12. 10 , 11. 2. drives the sinner to seek spiritual relief . act. 2. 36 , 37 , &c. luke 7. 37 , &c. 3. deeply humbleth and abaseth the soul. ezek. 36. 31. luke 15. 17 , &c. 4. secretly refresheth the heart that it can mourn for sin . isa. 61. 3. dolet de morbo , gaudet de medicina : l●ments at the malady , rejoyceth at the remedy . 5. is very great . zech. 12. 10 , 11. psal. 38. 3. to 11. 6. is permanent and lasting . psal. 51. 3. 7. at last works repentance not to be repented of . 2 cor. 7. 10. 4. hatred of sin , if sincere , 1. ariseth from true love to god , that cannot endure sin . psal. 97. 10. 2. comes from due esteem of gods word , that detects sin . psal. 119. 113. 128. 3. flows from true love to holiness and righteousness . psal. 45. 7. 4. is chiefly for the sinfulness of it . gal. 5. 17. 5. is universal against every sinful way . psal. 119. 104. ii. the constituents of the proper nature of repentance , aversion from evil , and conversion to god , act. 26. 18. col. 1. 13. 1 pet. 2. 9. discover the truth of repentance , viz. 1. aversion from evil , if upright , 1. is from sin cordially and really hated . psal. 119. 104. 2. is from sin for its sinfulness against god. gen. 39. 9. 3. is consequently from all known sin . ezek. 18. 21 , 30 , 31. 4. is also from his own more peculiar iniquity , to which by natural constitution , calling , temptation , &c. he was more specially inclined . psal. 18. 22. 5. is from the power of sin . col. 1. 13. 1 pet. 2. 9. eph. 2. 1 , 5. with crucifying and mortifying of sin . col. 3. 5. gal. 5. 24. 6. is constant and continuing . 2 pet. 2. 20 , 21 , 22. 7. is joyned with eschewing fellowship with others in their sins . eph. 5. 11. psal. 1. 1 , 2. 2. conversion to god , if sincere , 1. is upon serious consideration , luke 15. 17. to the end . ezek. 18. 27 , 28. 2. is immediately unto christ , the way to god ▪ act. 11. 21. with ioh. 14. 6. 3. is unto god as a reconciled father in christ. lu●e 15. 18 , 19 , 20 , 2 cor. 5. 18 , 19 , 20 , 21. 4. is by the regenerating spirits operation . iohn 3. 3 , 5. eph. 2. 18. 5. is to god cordially and entirely . io●l 2. 13. 1 kings 8. 47 , 48. 6. turneth to god , so as to resign himself to gods power and government . act. 26. 18. col. 1. 13. 7. turneth to god , with fixed resolution never to turn away from him . deut. 10. 20. with psal. 86. 11. and 73. 25 , 26. iii. concomitants , accompanying true repentance , may give some light to the truth of repentance . noscitur ex comite , qui nondignoscitur exse : a man is oft-times better known by his company , rather then by himself . these are concomitants or companions of true repentance , viz. 1. an hearty , impartial , self-abasing and self-condemning confession of sin to god. psal. 51. 17. and verse 1 , 3 , 5 , 14. ezra 9. 6. dan. 9. 5 , 6 , 7 , 8. luke 15. 18 , 19. 2. faith in christ : mark 1. 15. act. 26. 18. heb. 6. 1. of which formerly . 3. penitential desires , and these vehement , viz. against sin , that it may be pardoned , subdued , extirpated , &c. and for abundance of grace to these ends . 2 cor. 7. 10 , 11. 4. prayer . act. 9. 11. even the spirit of prayer . zech. 12. 10. psal. 51. 1. &c. iv. consequents of true repentance , a●e 1. more generally , all good fruits and good works , meet for repentance . mat. 3. 8 , 9 , 10. and 7. 19. luke 3. 8 , 9. with gal. 5. 22 , 23. 2. more particularly , these , and such like : 1. vigilant care against sin for time to come . 2 cor. 7. 11. 2. enlarged thankfulness for gods mercies in christ , to the penitent and pardoned sinner . 1 tim. 1 ▪ 13. to 18. luke 7. 37 , 38. 3. vehement and sincere love ; to christ , for his grace , luke 7. 47. phil. 3. 7 , 8 , 9 , 10. to his ministers , for their embassey . 1 thes. 5. 12 , 13. gal. 4. 14 , 15. to his members , for his image . 1 ioh. 3. 14. and 5. 1. 4. singular joy in christ , and in all his wayes . acts 2. 46. and 8. 39. 5. chearful new obedience to god in christ. acts 2. 42 , &c. isa. 1 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20. 6. compassionateness to other sinners , with desires and endeavours to gain them to christ by faith and repentance . psal. 51. 12 , 13. 1 cor. 9. 19. to 23. luke 22. 32. acts 26. 29. 7. holy zeal to the peace and prosperity of christs church , into which the penitent is now implanted . acts 2. 41. to the end . 1 cor. 9. 19 , &c. psal. 51. 18 , 19. xix . direction . turn now unto god in christ ( o natural man ) by repenting : come now unto iesus christ , and apply him by believing : delay not , tarry not , but make all speed , all present speed , in thy life , in thy health , in thy youth , this day rather then to morrow , as ever thou desirest to make sur● of life and eternal salvation by christ iesus . eccl. 12. 1. heb. 3. 7 , 8 , 13 , 15. 2 cor. 6. 2. to incline thee forcibly hereunto , consider seriously , 1. god calls for the early sacrifices and services to be performed to him . as , the first-fruits of the ground , the first-fruits of dough , the first-fruits of all fruit-trees , neh. 10. 35 , 36 , 37. the firstlings of beasts , exod , 13. 1 , 2. the first-born of man , exod. 13. 1 , 2. the first-fruits of thy dayes : remember now thy creator in the dayes of thy youth , eccl. 12. 1. the first-fruits of thy study , care , diligence , affections , &c. first seek the kingdom of god and his righteousness , mat. 6. 33. and wilt thou put off god with the last ? with the dross and dregs of all ? 2. gods elect have come in to christ , repented and converted speedily immediately upon gods call ; and dost thou still stand off , after so many calls and invitations ? the apostles immediately upon christs call came to him and followed him , mat. 4. 18. to 23. the sinful woman presently relented upon christs preaching that sweet sermon , mat. 11. 28 , 29 , 30. ( her history is thought n next in order to succeed those words ) luke 7. 37 , &c. zacheus the publican was presently converted upon christs coming to him , luke 19. 6. to 11. the thief upon the cross , ( who possibly never saw or heard christ before ) was immediately converted , and assured that that day he should be with christ in paradise , luke 23. 41 , 42 , 43. cornelius and his company were gained to christ , as peter was uttering his sermon , acts 10. 44 , &c. the ethiopian eunuch , upon philip's preaching , instantly believed and was baptized , acts 8. 35 , &c. at one sermon of peter 3000 were brought home to christ , and added to the church , acts 2. 36 , 37 , &c. the hearers of the apostles were speedily converted , about 5000 , acts 4. 4. saul upon christs call instantly believed and repented , so that x of a wolf he became a lamb , of a persecutor a preacher of christ and of his gospel , acts 9. 3 , 4 , &c. 19 , 20 , &c. at paul's preaching lydia's heart was presently opened to entertain christ , acts 16. 14. the jaylor presently believed upon the preaching of paul and silas , acts 16. 30 , &c. the ephesians , after they heard the word of truth , speedily converted to god , eph. 1. 13 , 14 , 15. with acts 19. 17 , 18 , 19 , 20. the thessalonians , upon paul's entring in unto them with the gospel , turned from idols to serve the living god , 1 thes. 1. 4 , 5 , 9. and 2. 1. and what shall i say more ? the colossians believed and were converted speedily . y the gospel bringing forth fruit in them , from the very day they heard it , col. 1. 4 , 5 , 6. now this catalogue of early repenters shall rise up in judgement against thee , and condemn thee for thy delay . 3. the present time is of all other the very fittest time in the world for thee , and for every one , to turn from sin by repenting , and close with christ by believing . for , 〈◊〉 god saith , to day if ye will hear his voice , harden not your hearts , heb. 3. 7 , 8. 13. 15. and 4. 7. and dost thou , with the devil , z say , tomorrow ? 2. now is the acceptable time , now is the day of salvation , 2 cor. 6. 1 , 2. hereafter may be the un-acceptable time , the day of damnation . 3. now , god may be found , is near : hereafter god may be afar off , and may not be found , isa. 55. 6 , 7. 4. the present time is the time of mercy : god holds out to the sinner his white flag , his golden scepter of many precious promises . the future time may be the time of judgement , and he may hold forth the red and black flags of blood and death , prov. 1. 24. to 32. isa. 65. 12. and 66. 4. i● . 7. 13. 5. the present time is only thine . time past is irrevocably gone . time to come may never come to thee . the rich fool , that promised himself many years , had not many hours to live ; that night his soul was taken from him , luke 12. 20. and then , if that prove thy condition , what will become of thy impenitent ; hardned , unbelieving , and christless soul ? 4. delays in this case are very dangerous . for , 1. while repentance is delayed , iniquity is daily increased , and sin multiplied . such go on still in their trespasses , psal. 168. 21. 2. while repentance is delayed , the heart will be daily more and more hardned through the deceitfulness of sin , heb. 3. 13. 3. the more the heart is hardned , the more impossible it will be for the sinner to repent , rom. 2. 5. 4. late and long-delayed repentance is seldom true , alwayes difficult . unfit to day , more unfit to morrow . a long festering and rankling sores are hardly cured , if curable at all . true repentance indeed is never too late , but late repentance is seldom true . late repenters do not so much forsake sin , as sin forsakes them . 5. while repentance is delay'd , the sinner treasureth up unto himself the greater pile of wrath against the day of wrath , and revelation of the righteous judgement of god , rom. 2. 5. 5. thy life is short ; but believing and repenting are a great and long work . he that hath much work to do , a long journey to go , had need to neglect no time , but to be up early and doing . for , what is thy life ? b a vanishing vapour , iam. 4. 14. a wind that passeth , iob. 7. 7. a blast , or puff of breath , isa. 2. 22. a flower , flourishing and fading , psal. 103. 15 , 16. a tale told , psal. 90. 9. grass , now growing , now withering , psal. 103. 15. a flood , still flowing away , never returning , psal. 90. 5. as yesterday , when it is past , psal. 90. 4. an hand-breadth , psal. 39. 5. a watch in the night , but three hours long , psal. 90. 4. a shadow , iob 14. 2. a sleep , psal. 90. 5. an image , or show , psal. 39. 6. nothing , and altogether vanity , psal. 39. 5. now , believing and repenting are great and long works . none can believe or repent , but such as are regenerate by the spirit of god , iohn 1. 12 , 13. by believing we must know christ savingly , isa. 53. 11. iob. 17. 3. must assent to gods record touching christ fully , ioh. 3. 33. 1 ioh. 5. 11 , 12. must embrace the promises , and accept christ in the promises , heb. 11. 13. iohn 1. 12. must purifie the heart , acts 15. 9. must conquer the world , 1 iohn 5. 4. must quench the fiery darts of the devil , eph. 6. 16. and must live by it upon christ continually , rom. 1. 17. gal. 2. 20. are these easie things ? repentance turns from darkness to light , from the power of satan to god , acts 26. 18. tends continually to mortifie and crucifie sin , rom. 8. 13. col. 3. 5. and to perfect holiness in gods fear , 2 cor. 7. 1. tit. 2. 12 , 13. 6. death is most certain , that it will come , heb. 9. 27. sam. 14. 14. psal. 49. 6 , 7 , 8 , 9. and 89. 98. most uncertain when , where , or how it will come ; whether in youth , man-hood , or old age ; in the evening , midnight , cock-crowing , or day-break watch , mark 13. 35. therefore seeing thou knowest not the year , day , nor hour of thy death , thou hast need to be prepared for it every day , every hour . so true is that verse ; mors certa est , incerta dies , hora agnita nulli ; extremam quare quamlibet esse puta . c i may thus english it ; frail man ; most certain is thy death , uncertain is the day , none knows the hour of his last breath ; then look for it alway . in this respect angustine's d advice is very good ; — let every one wholesomely think of his last day . it is gods mercy that man knows not when he shall die . man's last day is concealed from him , that every day may be observed by him . what housholder is there , that being certainly informed that such a week or such a night , thieves will assault his house , but at what hour is wholly uncertain , will not prepare and watch every night , lest his house be broken thorow and robbed ? or , what condemned malefactor , being assured that in a short time he shall certainly die , on what day he is wholly uncertain , but will make it his serious work to prepare for his death , that he may die penitently ? and wilt no● thou , o sinful mortal soul , who knowest thy death is certain , the time when uncertain , endeavour by speedy and sincere repentance and faith , to prepare for dying well ? especially considering ; that after death , this work of repenting and believing hath no place , no such work is to be done in the grave , eccl. 9. 10. there , thine heart can send forth no sighs , thine eye no tears , thy tongue no confession , &c. in reference to thy sins . there , there , is no knowledge , assent , or application of faith to be exerted in reference to the promises , or christ. but as the tree falls , so it lyes unalterably towards heaven or hell. as soon as a man dies , there is a great gulf fixed , so that there 's no altering of his present condition , from better to worse , or from worse to better . luke 16. 26. 7. finally , o natural man , repent now , believe in christ now , or never . 2 cor. 6. 1 , 2. heb. 3. 7. to 16. isa. 55. 7. eccl. 9. 10. ( 1. ) now embrace the acceptable time , now close with the day of salvation , or never . 2 cor. 6. 1 , 2. for , when the acceptable time is out , when the day of salvation is ended , thou canst expect no acceptation from god any more , no salvation for evermore . prov. 1. 24. to verse 33. ( 2. ) now believe in christ , and repent according to the tenour of the gospel , and ordinances of christ , continued unto thee , mark 1. 15. luke 24. 47. or never . for , if the gospel be taken from thee , or thou from the gospel , how canst thou repent ? how canst thou believe ? ( 3. ) now entertain christs sweetest ●nvitations and offers of grace , with all affectionateness and readiness of mind ; or never . mat. 11. 28 , 29 , 30. iohn 3. 15 , 16 , 17. and 6. 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 50 , 51 , &c. and 7. 37 , 38 , 39. for , christ will not be alwayes inviting the obstinate , alwayes offering grace to them that do reject it . the guests that were bidden to the marriage of the kings son , ( i. e. of christ with the elect ) and rejected the invitation , were invited no more . mat. 22. 2 , 3. and 8. with luke 14. 16. to 25. ( 4. ) now open the door of thine heart unto christ , while he stands at the door patiently , and knocks importunately , by his word , by his rod , by his spirit , &c. rev. 3. 20. or never . for , if christ be still sleighted and repulsed , so that he being weary of standing and knocking , finally depart , he will wait no more , he will knock no more , much less come in unto thee , and sup with thee , &c. ( 5. ) now , while thou art in the land of the living , believe , repent , turn to god , work out thy salvation , &c. or never . for if death surprize thee , if the grave shut her mouth upon thee , all these works will cease for ever . eccl. 9. 10. ( 6. ) now , like a wise virgin , furnish thy lamp of christian profession with the oyl of true grace , that , when jesus christ , the bridegroom , shall come to the solemn marriage with his church , thou maist go forth to meet the bridegroom ; or never . mat. 25. 1. to 14. for if thou , like a foolish virgin , hast thine oyl to provide when the bridegroom shall come , they that are ready shall enter in with him , and the door will be for ever shut against thee , though thou knockest and cryest , lord open , with the greatest importunity . mat. 25. 10 , 11 , 12. then if thou beest once shut out of heaven , thou art shut out for ever ; if once thou art cast out into hell , thou art shut up in it for ever . ( 7 ) finally , now give all possible diligence to enter in at the strait gate , to attain eternal life by christ , and to make thy calling and election sure ; while thou art here on earth , while thou art in this present world under the heavenly deaws of the gospel , mat. 13. 44 , 45 , 46. luk. 13. 24. phil. 2. 12. 2 pet 1. 5. to 12. before thine immortal soul be implunged into the intollerable and everlasting torments of hell-fire , luk. 16. 23 , 24 , 28. mat. 25. 46. or never . for if once thou art cast out into the lake of fire , there is no mercy , no mitigation of torment , no repenting , no possibility of reconcilement with god , &c. and thence is no hopes of redemption or recovery . oh if the damned in hell , could by any tears or importunities obtain liberty , though but for a few months , weeks or dayes , to be on earth again , how diligently would they strive to enter in at the strait gate , luk. 13. 24. how zealously would they attend upon the preaching of the gospel ! how religiously would they sanctifie the sabbath ! how devoutly would they pray ! once more offer christ unto us ; once more touch our hearts and consciences ; once more enlighten us , let us partake of the holy ghost , taste the good word of god , and the powers of the world to come . heb. 6. 4 , 5. once more open the gate of mercy , &c. how deeply with sighs and tears would they lament their sins day and night . how would they endeavour to believe in christ , repent and obey , yea to do or suffer any thing , that they might come no more into that place of torment . but all such hopes are for ever dasht . they had their time and season for all these things , which they neglected and lost , and now shall never enjoy more , so long as heaven is heaven , and hell hell. o that all these things could be seriously thought upon , before it be too late ! but when must it be ? now or never . xx. direction . upon the sincere closing with christ , accepting and applying him to thy self as thine only saviour and redeemer , what fullness of all spiritual blessings in heavenly things in christ , will be heaped upon thy soul. eph. 1. 1 , 3 , 4. &c. what tongue can utter them ; what heart of man can comprehend them ? 1 cor. 2. 9 , 10. be thou careful to walk worthy of them continually . eph. 4. 1. col. 2. 6 , 7. 1. what heavenly relations are presently vouchsafed to thee . thou art a fellow-citizen with the saints , and of the houshold of god. eph. 2. 19. and they all thy brethren and sisters in christ , 1 pet. 2. 17. god is thy father , and thou his child , 2 cor. 6. 18. ioh. 20. 17. christ is thine elder brother and not ashamed to call thee one of his brethren , rom. 8. 29. heb. 2. 10 , 11. christ thine head , and thou his member , 1 cor. 6. 15. eph. 4. 15 , 16. christ thine husband , and thou his spouse , 2 cor. 11. 3. christ thy redeemer and saviour , and thou his redeemed and saved , heb. 9. 12. luke 2. 10 , 11. the holy ghost is thine inhabitant , and thou his temple and habitation , 1 cor. 6. 19. and 3. 16 , 17. ephes. 2. 21 , 22. therefore be thou holy in all manner of christian conversation , 1 pet. 1. 14. to 18. 2. what great and precious promises are thereupon given thee ? 2 pet. 1. 3 , 4. promises ; 1. of the life that now is ; 2. of the life to come ; and what promises canst thou desire more ? 1 tim. 4. 8. now gods promises are not like mans promises , yea and nay , off and on , sometimes performed , sometimes violated , &c. but they are all yea and amen in christ , 2 cor. 1. 20. altogether immu●able , it being impossible that therein the god of truth should lye , tit. 1. 2. heb. 6. 18. having then these promises , cleanse thy self from all filthiness of flesh and spirit , perfecting holiness in the fear of god , 2 cor. 7. 1. 3. what a cluster of soul-beautifying graces are immediately together with faith in christ , instilled and infused into thy soul ! faith is the captain and leading grace , all the rest follow . 2 pet. 1. 5 , 6 , &c. these are the divine nature , and image of god , whereby the believer resembles the heavenly father , 2 pet. 1. 4. eph. 4. 24. col. 3. 11. these make the kings daughter all glorious within , so that her clothing is of wrought gold , psal. 45. 13. these make the church beautiful , even to the ravishment of christ , cant. 7. 1. to 10. and 4. 1. throughout . labour thou to abound and grow in these graces continually , 2 pet. 1. 8. and 3. 18. and as he that hath called thee is holy , so to be holy in all manner of conversation , 1 pet. 1. 14 , 15 , 16. 4. what eminent priviledges are upon thine accepting of christ , heaped upon thee ● 1. thou art eternally redeemed from all thy spiritual bondage under sin , satan , &c. under which thou wast enthralled , heb. 9. 12. gal. 4. 4. 1 thes. 1. 10. gal. 3. 13 , 14. 2. thou art reconciled unto god , who wast formerly at enmity with him , rom. 5. 10. 3. thou art justified freely through his grace , thy sins being pardoned fully through the blood of christ , and thou art so justified and accepted of god , that thou art become the righteousness of god in him , rom. 3. 24 , 25. eph. 1. 7. 2 cor. 5. 19 , 21. 4. thou art adopted into gods family , and art become one of the houshold of god , and so art made an heir of god , a joynt-heir with christ , gal. 4. 4 , 5 , 6. eph. 2. 19. rom. 8. 15 , 16 , 17. 5. thou hast access with filial boldness , by the spirit unto the father , and maist confidently cry , abba father , eph. 2. 18. rom. 8. 15. 6. thou art brought into sweet communion with god , father , son , and holy ghost , which is even the saints ●eaven on earth , 1 ioh. 1. 3. 2 cor. 13. 14. 7. thou hast a treasury and fountain of all true comfort bestowed upon thee , the holy ghost the comforter dwelling in thine heart , 2 cor. 1. 3. 4 , 5. iohn 14. 16. 8. thou hast in christ a new and most excellent title to all the good things of this present life , 1 tim. 4. 8. matth. 6. 33. 1 cor. 3. 20 , 21. 9. thou art assured , that all things , even the worst of afflictions and persecutions , shall work together for thy good , for thy best , rom. 8. 28. 10. and finally , thou hast well-grounded hopes of eternal happiness in heaven , when this life shall be no more , in the immediate vision and fruition of god in christ face to face , which is far best of all , 1 pet. 1. 3 , 4. 2 cor. 5. 1 , 2 , &c. rom. 5. 1 , 2. ioh. 17. 24. phil. 1. 23. and therefore give all diligence to walk worthy of all these blessed priviledges . enthral not thy self again in the yoke of any spiritual bondage . provoke not god unto enmity by thy renewed sins . blot not , blur not the evidence of thy sins pardon by lapses and falls against thy conscience . behave thy self towards thy god and all his children , as one of the houshold of faith. restrain not prayer , but pray continually , with groans that cannot be uttered , by the assistance of the spirit . have no fellowship at all with sin and satan , nor any needless fellowship with any workers of iniquity , eph. 5. 11. psal. 1. 1. and 26. 4 , 5. psal. 119. 115. walk not disconsolately and dejectedly , but in the fear of the lord , and in the comforts of the holy ghost , acts 9. 31. be abundantly contented in all conditions allotted thee by god. fully expect good by the worst of afflictions that may befall thee ; and be ever carefull to keep thy hopes and evidences for heaven firm and clear , that when thou comest to die , thou maist lift up thine head , and triumph that thy redemption and celestial coronation with christ draweth nigh . xxi . direction . wrastle also most vlgorously , ( o thou that wast natural , but art spiritualized , wast dead , but art alive again ) against all thy sins , spiritual enemies , and their temptations , heb. 12. 4. col. 3. 5. to 12. eph. 6. 11. to 19. for all time to come , that they may none of them in the least measure eclipse any of these thy spiritual priviledges , or embitter any other thy sweet enjoyments . holy david , by his lapses , brought many deep wounds and scarrs upon his conscience , psal. 51. 3 , 8. some of which he probably carried to his grave . loving and confident peter , by his triple denial of his lord and master christ , purchased to himself a torrent of bitter tears , mat. 26. 75. the ephesian angel , by leaving his first love and first works , was so offensive thereby to christ , that he threatned the removal of his candlestick , revel . 2. 4 , 5. the church her self by her carnal sluggishness and security , lost her sweet communion with christ for a season , and was involved in deep spiritual distress , cant. 5. 2. to 9. be thou warned by their examples , which are written for thine admonition , lest through thy spiritual oscitancy and sluggishness , thou bring upon thy self like spiritual calamities , and so far wound thy conscience , as to go bleeding to thy grave . xxii . direction . express upon all good occasions , all possible tenderness of heart , and bowels of compassion , towards those that yet remain in the first adam , in their sinful state of nature , unrege●erate , especially towards thy kindred according to the flesh , using all good endeavours to convince , convert , and gain them to christ , that they , as well as thy self , may be eternally saved . luke 22. 32. rom. 10. 1. and 9. 1 , 2 , 3. acts 9. 20 , with 1 cor. 9. 19. to 23. for , 1. even thou thy self wast sometimes foolish , disobedient , serving divers lusts and pleasures , living in malice and envy , hateful , and hating others , tit. 3. 3. an enemy to god by wicked works , col. 1. 21. yea , dead in sins and trespasses , &c. — and a child of wrath , as well as they . or any of them , eph. 2. 1 , 2 , 3. but god , who is rich in mercy , hath saved thee by the washing of regeneration , and renewing of the holy ghost , tit. 3. 4 , 5 , 6 , 7. hast thou then experimentally felt the wormwood and the gall of thy natural state of sin and misery ? and dost thou not commiserate such poor souls , as are still in the gall of bitterness , and bond of iniquity ? acts 8. 23. hast thou had the sweet experience of the riches of gods free-grace and love , in restoring thee from death to life , from thy natural state of sin and misery , into a supernatural state of sanctity and felicity ? and do not thy bowels yearn within thee after other lost souls , especially those of thy kindred , that they also may be turned from darkness to light , and from the power of satan unto god ? acts 26. 18. 2. are not their souls , as well as thine own , very precious ? o , consider , 1. their immortal constitution , which no creature can kill or destroy , matth. 10. 28. 2. the invaluable price paid for their restitution , even the most precious blood and death of jesus christ , the only son of god , 1 tim. 2. 5 , 6. 1 pet. 1. 18 , 19. 3. the incomparable and transcendent value which the wisdome of god himself puts upon the soul ; as being of far more worth then the whole world , matth. 16. 26. and then think with thy self ; shall not i endeavour to hinder the eternal loss , and to promote the eternal salvation , of such precious souls ? 3. what advantage will redound in sundry respects , if god bless thine endeavours , to the convincing and converting of their souls to christ ! for , hereby 1. thou shalt save a soul from death , jam. 5. 19 , 20. and what a great , what a glorious work is it , to have an hand in saving a soul from death● 2. thou shalt hide a multitude of sins , jam. 5. 19 , 20. even an heap , a sink , a dunghil of hundreds and thousands of sins , thou shalt hide from the revenging eye of god , by christs righteousness , 2 cor. 5. 20 , 21. 3. thou shalt occasion great joy in heaven , among the blessed angels of god , who exceedingly rejoyce at the conversion of sinners , luke 15. 7 , 10 , 22 , 23. 4. finally , thou shalt hereby not a little further thine own eternal felicity , deut. 12. 3. thou therefore commiserate thy brethren in their sinful and wretched state of nature , as thy god hath in thy like condition had compassion on thee . canst thou lend an hand to pluck a beast out of the mire , or a sheep out of a pit ; and wilt thou not lend an hand to help poor lost souls out of the mire of sin , snares of satan , and pit of eternal destruction ? o , warn them , convince them , counsel them , exhort them , rebuke them , lament them , pray for them , weep over them , do any good for them , that thou maist by any means gain and save their souls . xxiii . direction . yield , with all enlarged thankfulness , all possible praise , love , and obedience , unto god , and unto the lamb ; who hath loved thee of the riches of his free-grace before the world began , who in fulness of time hath ransomed thee by the invaluable price of his death , and in due time hath washed th●e from thy sins in his own blood , a●d in the laver of regeneration , by the renewing of the holy ghost . eph. 1. 3 , 4 , 5 , 6. 1 iohn 4. 19. — gal. 4. 4 , 5. 1 tim. 1. 15. and 2. 5 , 6. 1 pet. 1. 18 , 19 , 20 ▪ — rev. 1. 5. tit. 3. 4 , 5 , 6 , 7. for , 1. thou oughtest to be thankful for all gods blessings of all sorts , the least of them being beyond , yea contrary to , thy deserts , eph. 5. 20. col. 3. 17. 1 thes. 5. 18. with gen. 32. 10. but especially for those choicest spiritual blessings in heavenly things in christ , eph. 1. 3. psal. 103 1 , 2 , 3. 2. the reality and sincerity of thy thankfulness , will inwardly best approve it self , in thy cordial affection and un●eigned love towards thy gracious god and jesus christ , for all his love , and all the fruits of his love in christ. kindness begets thankfulness , and love breeds love , as fire begets fire , 1 iob. 4. 19. thus , when the psalmist would signifie his great thankfulness to god for his great mercies , he professeth his dearest love to god ; 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , i will love thee dearly , [ heb. i will love thee with inmost bowels ] o lord my strength , &c. psal. 18. 1 , 2 , &c. so psal. 116. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , i have loved , because the lord hath heard my voice , &c. 3. the integrity of true love and thankfulness , doth outwardly best discover it self in a chearful and sincere obedience to god and christ , iob. 14. 15 , 21. 1 ioh. 5. 3. such obedience is a real retribution of thankfulness , psal. 116. 12. to the end . then we praise god aright , when we extol him , not only with our hearts and lips , but with our lives . xxiv . direction . zealously endeavour to promote the glory of god , and of iesus christ , in all things , throughout the whole course of thy life ; and to be where christ is , to behold his glory , that so thine inchoate happiness may be compleatly consummate , in the immediate vision , and full fruition of god in christ unto all eternity . 1 cor. 10. 31. and 6. 20. 1 pet. 4. 11. 2 thes. 1. 12. — ioh. 17. 24. mat. 5. 8. 1 thes. 4. 17. rev. 22. 3 , 4 , 5. for , 1. gods glory , and the souls felicity in the full enjoyment of god in christ unto all eternity , are the two principal ends of all , which thou , and every man , should chiefly intend and aim at in his whole life , 1 cor. 10. 31. rom. 11 36. psal. 73. 24. to the end : god● made all things for his glory pro. 16. 4. and all things ought to be levelled to his glory . man is made capable of god. and therefore he is restless till he can fully center in god , in whom alone in christ all his happiness is treasured up . augustine said sweetly e ; — thou hast made us for thee ; and our heart is unquiet till it rest in thee . as the needle once touched with the loadstone , is unquiet till it come to the magnetick center , and point towards the pole. 2. thou , that wast dead in sin , and a child of wrath , but art quickened by god and made a child of grace , of the riches of his grace . eph. 2. 1. 5 , 6 , 7. canst never do enough for this god , and for his glory ▪ and therefore he hath provided heaven for his people wherein they may glorifie him eternally . yet while thou art on earth , glorifie him to the uttermost in thy momentany life , for thy redemption , reconciliation , vocation , sanctification , justification and hopes of salvation : so shalt thou by this heavenly imployment begin heaven on earth and pr●posses● thyself of paradise . 3. if a little taste , a short glimpse of gods favour in christ , breaking thorough the thick clonds of thy manifold frailties here on earth , be so sweet , as to transcend incomparably all subl●nary enjoyments , psal , 4. 6 , 7. cant. 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 : then how sweet , how delicious , how ravishing will be the full sun-shine of his love unto thy soul in heaven for ever when all imperfections and infirmities shall be totally and finally done away , eph. 5. 27. act. 3. 19. rev. 21. 4. and 22. 3. to haev communion with christ in this world by grace , is a blessed priviledge ioh. 1. 3. eph. 1. 3. but to be with christ in paradise and to have communion with him in glory is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by much more better . how elegantly ! here being , as it were , 3 comparatives . phil. 1. 23. viz. to be with christ is far the best of all . herein our blessed saviour himself placeth the height of his peoples eternal felicity , that they may be where he is , to behold his glory , ioh. 17. 24. that will be an immediate vision : not as now through a glass darkly , but face to face clearly 1 cor. 13. 12. that will be a perfect vision : for we shall see him as he is , 1 joh. 3. 2. and know even as also we are known , 1 cor. 13. 10 , 12. that will be a glorious vision : we shall behold christs glory , which is infinitely beyond all celestial , angelical , or created glory , ioh. 17. 24. that will be a transforming vision : for , we shall be like him , because we shall see him as he is , 1 joh. 3. 2. phil. 3. 21. that will be a beatifical vision : for the chief blessedness christ placeth in seeing god , mat. 5. 8. that will be a vision with fruition : we shall so see christ , as fully to enjoy him , as our head , as our husband , as our redeemer , as our happiness , as our treasure , as our glory , as our all. that will be an eternal vision and fruition : for , so we shall be ever with the lord , 1 thes. 4. 17. there we shall ( said augustine ) f rest and see ; we shall see and love ; we shall love and laud. lo what shall be in the end , without end . this will be the very heaven of heaven , and glory of glory . unto this eternal bliss , the lord god almighty , and the lamb , bring him that writeth these things , and him that readeth them with an honest heart , in his due time . amen , and amen . sept. 18. 1669. finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a57386-e340 a rom. 11. 1. b math. 25. 34. c joh. 17. 24. phil. 1. 23. & 3. 21. d rom. 5. 12 , &c. with gen. 3. e eph. 2. 1 , 2 , 3. f rom. 8. 8. g 1 thes. 5. 5. h ephes. 4. 18. i ephes. 2. 2 , 3. k 1 pet. 4. 4. l 1 cor. 6. 9 , 10. gal. 5. 19 , 20 , 21. rev. 21. 8. 27. & 22. 15. m ezek. 18. 30 , 31 , 32. luke 13. 3. 5. n rom ▪ 2. 5 , 6 , &c. o joh. 16. 8 , 9. p hoc enim peccatum , quasi solum ●it , prae caeteris posuit : quia hoc manente caetera detinentur , & hoc discedente — caetera remittuntur . aug. in ioan. 16. tract . 95. tom. 9. q 1 cor. 12. 2. r 1 john 2. 26. 2 pet. 2. 1 , 2 , 3. 1 tim. 4. 1 , 2 , 3. math. 25. 24. s 2 thes. 2. 10 , 11 , 12. t bishop andrews , in his preface before his expos. of the x. command●ments , p. 40 , &c. bishop hall , in his serious disswasive from popery , in fol. p. 613. to 624. and in his , no peace with rome . p. 633. to p. 664. dr. willet's synopsis of pop●ry ; throughout . see his first table , shewing how popery militates against the person , and all the offices of christ. dr. whitaker's also is to the like effect . in praefat. ad auditores , ante disput. de s. seriptura . p. 258 , 259. mr. w. perkins , in his demonstration of the p●obleme ; throughout . p. 486 , &c. vol. 2. and in his assertion , that a papist by his religion cannot go beyond a reprobate . p. ●96 , to p. 404. vol. 1. lond. 1626. and in his reformed catholick . p. 556 , &c. vol. 1. u mat. 7. 21 , &c. & 25. 3. tit. 1. 16. x 2 tim. 3. 5. y rev. 3. 1. z luk. 8. 13. mat. 13. 19 , to 23. heb. 6. 4 , 5 , 6. 2 pet. 2. 20 , 21 , 22. mark 6. 2 0. luke 1. 6. a math. 13. 19 , to 23. & 7. 13 , 14 with rom. 8. 30. joh. 3. 3 , 5. math. 18. 3. heb. 12. 14. b rom. 5. 12. c psal. 51. 5. joh. 3. 6. d ep● . 2. 1 , 2 , 3. e gen. 6. 5. f rom. 8. 8. g ephes. 2. 12. h joh. 8. 24. & 3. 16. 18. 36. 1 joh. 5. 12. mar. 16. 16. i rom. 8. 30. math. 18. 3. joh. 3. 3. 5. tit. 3. 4 , 5 , 6 , 7. heb. 12. 14. k math. 11. 28 , 29 , 30. act. 16. 30. & 4. 11 , 12. heb. 7. 25. l luk. 9. 23. m 1 cor. 1. 30. n 2 cor. 11. 2. o joh. 20. 17. p joh. 14. 16 , 17. q math. 25. 34. r 1 cor. 3. 21 , 22 , 23. s rom. 8. 28. t rom. 8. 35. to the end . u rom. 8. 1. x hag. 2. 7. y cant. 5. 10. z cant. 5. 16. a acts & man. vol. 2. p. 427. lond. 1641. b bernard . ex for . bo . vitae , ut citatur in ejus floribus . p. 2137. c col. 3. 11. d eph. 2. 8. e rom. 10. 14 , 15. 17. f gal. 5. 22. g jam. 1. 19. to 26. math. 13. 23. & 7. 24 to the end . h eph. 4. 30. thes. 5. 19 , 20. 1 act. 7. 51. i rev. 3. 20. k 2 pet. 1. 10. l 2 cor. 13. 5. m 1 cor. 2. 12. rom. 8. 16. n 1 joh. 5. 13. o as my , believers evidences , &c. communicant instructed . and treatise of gods covenants , &c. † col. 2. 6 , 〈◊〉 p tit. 2. 11 , 12. q joh. 14. 15. and 15. 13. math. 28. 19. r rom. 12. ● s rom. 14. 7 ▪ 8. t 1 joh. 2. 6. u eph. 5. 2. x mat. 10. 37. luke 14. 26 y rev. 1. 5 z act. 10. 38. a 1 pet. 2. 21 , 22 , 23. b exod. 20. act. 20. 7. ●8 . 1 cor. 16. 1. 2. rev. 1. 10. c — 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . ignat. in ep. ad magnes . d math. 28. ● . to 8. e eph. 2. 5 , 6. 1 cor. 15. 20. to 24. f luke 24. ma●k . 16. math. 28. act. 1. 3. g act. 2. 1. &c. h act. 20. 7 ▪ &c. i numb . 28. 9 , 10. k numb . 28. 3. to 9. l psal. 55. 17. dan. 6. 10. m psal. ● . 1 , 2. act. 17. 11. n 1 cor. 7. 20. 24. eph. 4. 28. thes. 3. 10 , 11 , 12. o eccl. 12. 1. p i sam. 16 ▪ 33. to 38. q 2 chron. 34. 1. 3. r 2 tim. 3. 15. s numb . 15. 20 , 21. and 18. 12 , 13. deut. 18. 4. & 15. 19. t mat. 11. 29. u act. 24. 26. x act 23. 1. y 2 cor. 1. 12. z eph. 5. 15 , 16. mat. 25. 14 to 31. a 2 tim. 1. 13. b eph. 4. 14. c 2 pet. 3. 18. d heb. 12. 13. 15. pro. 14. 14. e luk. 9. 62. f cor. 15. 58. g rev. 2. 10. h mat. 22. 37 , 38. l●k . 10. 27. i i joh. 5. 1. k 1 pet. 1. 22. l col. 3. 2. m eccl. 1. 2. 14. n phil. ● 3. 2o , 21. o rev. 21. 1. 4. p cant. 8. q rev. 22. 2o . r eph. 1. 3. notes for div a57386-e4400 a trelent . just theol. ● . 3. de peccato . b — in quo omnes peccaverunt . rom. 5. 12. — quia secundum propaginem carius in illo ●ramus omnes , antequam nati essemus , tanquam in parente , ●anq●am in radice ibi eramus : sic venena●a ●st ista arbor , ubi eramus aug. de verb. apost . serm. 14 ▪ p. 325. b c. tom. 10. c in my treat● of gods convenants . book . 2. chap. 1 aphor. 6. iv. p. 41. to p. 59. d — ex adam tra●i dicimus originale peccatum , quod per lavacrum regenerationis , non solùm in majoribus , sed etiam in parvulis solvitur . august . retract . 1. 2. cap. 62. p. 60. b. basil. 1569. tom 1. ecce unde tra●itur originale peccatum , ecce unde nemo nascitur sine peccato , ecce propter quod dominus sic concipi voluit , quem virgo concepit . aug. de temp. serm. 45. p. 667. l. 7. m. 10. e omnis generatus , damnatus : nemo liberatus , nis● regeneratus . aug. de verb. apost . serm. 14. p. 325. d. tom. 1o . restat us in illo primo homine peccasse omnes intelligantur , quia in illo fuerunt omnes quando ille peccavit . vnde pecca●um n●scendo 〈◊〉 ▪ quod nisi renascendo non solvivi●●r . august ▪ cont . dua● e●ist . pe●●g . l. 4. c. 4. p. 910. b. tom. 7. f see before p. 1 , 2. and my treat . of gods covenants . p. 36 , 37. p. 41 ▪ to 49. g clamitat aure dei , vex sanguinis ; & s●domorum : vox oppressorum ; mer●●s de●enta laborum . d. prideaux . in seha . theol . syntag. murmonit . 3. p. 13. h animula , vagula , blandula , hospes comesque corporis , tuos nun● abibis in 〈◊〉 &c. i 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . eph. 2. 12. k o vita mortifera ! o mors immortais ! et quomodo tandem te appellabimus ? vitam , an mortem ? si vita es , quomodo occidis ? si mors es , quomodo duras ? &c. rob. bellarmin . in conc. 3 de cruciatibus gehennae , part . 2. p. 467. colon. 1626. l in the close of the i. direction . m latet ultimus dies , ut observentur omnes dies . august . hom. 13. p. 441. b. tom. 10. basil. 1569. n dum potes emenda , dum tempus habes clama ad omnipotentem deum , dum datur spacium luge , dum licentia est paeniteas , festina dum potes , dum anima versatur in corpore , dum adhuc vivis futurum remedium require tibi prius , quam te profundum absorbeat pelagus , & prius qu●●m te malignus rapiat infernus , ubi nulla datur indulgentia , ubi nullus regreditur ad veniam . de qua paena pius nos dominus eripere dignetur . aug. de sanctis serm. 40. p. 1249 , &c. tom. 10. basil. 1569. 〈…〉 o denique uxor lot , ubi respexit , remansit , & in salem conversa hominibus fidelibus quoddam praestitit condimenium , quo sapiant aliquid , unde illud caveatur exemplum . aug. de civit. dei , lib. 14. ca. 30. tom. 5. p general view of the holy scriptures , edit . 2. p. 126 , &c. a work like h. broughton's , perfected by t. hayne . q see in my key of the bible , on the book of iob , §. 4. r gratia pr●veniens , qu● velimus : subsequens , nè frustra velimus . d. j. prideaux . lect. 3. de grat. universali . §. 4. p. 39. s — misericordia ejus praevenit nos . praevenit autem , ut sanemur : quia & subsequetur ut etiam sanati vegetemur . praevenit ut vocemur , subsequetur ut glorificemur . praevenit ut piè vivamus , subsequetur ut cum illo semper vivamus , quia sne illo nihil possumus facere . august . lib. de natura & gratia contra pelagianos . cap. 32. tom. 7. t euseb. hist. eccl. lib. 8. cap. 27 , 28 , 29. u theod. hist. lib. 3. cap. 25. x ille dolet verè , qui sine teste dolet . y tanta quippe est omnipotens ejus bonitas , ut etiam de malis possit facere bona , sive ignos●endo , sive sanando , sive ad utilitates piorum coapando atque vertendo , sive etiam justissimè vindicando . omnia namque ista bona sunt , & deo bono atque omnipotenti dignissima , nec tamen fiunt nisi de malis . quid igitur melius , quid omnipotentius eo , qui cum mali nihil faciat , benè etiam de malis facit ? aug. de continent . lib. cap. 6. p. 995. c. tom. 4. basil . 1569. z vide augustinum . lib. de fide , ad petrum . diacon . c. 3. p. 221. a. b. a in my treat . of gods covenants with man , &c. london printed an. dom. 1657. b in my treatise of gods covenants , book 4. chap 6. aphorism 2. p. 1571 , 1572. lond. 1657. c ibid. p. 1582. to p. 1589. d ibid. p. 1572 , 1573 , 1574. e ibid. ● . 1577 to 158● . f in my treat . of gods covenants . book . 4. c. 6. p. 1574 , to 1589. and 1593. to 1598. g ibid. p. 1599 to p. 1641. h ibid. p. 1599. to 1641. i ibid. p. 1662. to 1665. k in my treatise of gods covenants , book 3. chap 3. aphorism 4. quest. 1. p. 576. to 566. l see all these explained . ibid. m quis desperaret sibi donanda peccata , quando crimen occisi christi reis d●nabatur ? conversi sunt ex ipso populo iudaeorum : conversi sunt , baptizati , sunt . ad mensam domini accesserunt : & sanguinem , quem saevientes fuderunt , credentes biberunt , aug. de temp. serm. 74. p. 747. b. tom. 10. basil. 1569. n see , the large english annotations on . eph. 2. 8. and mr. paul bayns in his comment on eph. 2. 8. o 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saluting , kissing , or embracing the promises . metaphora , ut videtur , ● navigantibus , qui portum eminus conspicati , laetis acclamationibus salutant , & contingere gand●●t . d. pareus in comment . ad heb. 11. 13. p quo titulo nulla ali● vir●us chris●iana insignitur in sacris literis , quia est fundamentum & causa procreans omnis sanctitatis . phil. pareus in com. ad jud. 20. q 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it signifies keeping , as a castle , town or city , is in time of war kept by a garrison , and walls , &c. from the enemy . metaph. à castris , vallo , & fossis undique munitis , ut null● hostium vi vel astutia expugna●i possint . d. pareus in phil. 4 7. r oderun● peccare mali , formidine paen● . oderunt peccare boni , virtutis amore . horat. s as i have elsewhere showed in my treatise of repentance . quest. 2. t non praecipit tantum , sed etiam hor●atur . invitat praemio salutem . tertul. de paenit . c. 4. p. 114. franek . 1597. n see chemnit . harm . evaingel . cap. 57 in ratione ordinis . x missus est ad gentes , ex latrone pastor , ex lupo ovis . aug. de temp. serm. 74. p. 747. d. tom. 10. basil. 1569. y non est procrastinandum auditoribus vangelii , sed ex quo di praedicatur , ●os oportet & credere , & fructus proferre . heb. 3. 8 jo. daven . exposit , ad coloss. 1. 6. z san● diaboli vox est quae dicit , da peccato quod praesens est , deo & evangelio quod futurum est , peccato florem aetatis , evangelio reliquias . jo. baren . exposit . in ep. ad col. 1. 6. p. 40. a qui non est bodie , ●ras minnus aptus erit . b vita vapor , ventus , flatus , f●os , fabula , foenum , &c. c joh. gerhard . in huzin . evangel . cap. 162. p. 226. genevae 1645. d diem ultimum suum quisque salubricer cogitet . misericordia dei est , quia nescit homo quando moriatur . latet ultimus dies , ut observentur omnes dies : aug. homil. 13. p 441. b. tom. 10. basil. 1569. e — feei●ti nos ●d te : & inquietum est cor nostrum , d●nec requiescat in te . aug. conf , lib. 1. c. 1. tom. 1. f ibi vacabimus & videbimus ; videbimus & amabimus ; amabimus & la●dabimus . ecce quod erit in fine , sine fine . aug. de civit. dei , l. 22. cap. 30. sub finem . tom. 5. the wells of salvation opened, or, words whereby we may be saved by thomas vincent. vincent, thomas, 1634-1678. 1668 approx. 284 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 88 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2003-11 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a64998 wing v451 estc r27043 09619289 ocm 09619289 43849 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work 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(eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a64998) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 43849) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 1344:31) the wells of salvation opened, or, words whereby we may be saved by thomas vincent. vincent, thomas, 1634-1678. [2], 162 p. printed for thomas parkhurst, london : 1668. reproduction of original in the union theological seminary library, new york. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng salvation. theology, doctrinal. 2003-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2003-08 spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images 2003-09 john latta sampled and proofread 2003-09 john latta text and markup reviewed and edited 2003-10 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the wells of salvation opened : or , words whereby we may be saved . by thomas vincent , minister sometime in maudlins milk-street , london . act. 16.29 . then he called for a light , and sprang in , and came trembling , and fell down before paul and silas , vers. 30. and brought them out , and said , sirs , what must i do to be saved ? v. 31. and they said , believe on the lord iesus christ , and thou shalt be saved , and thy house . v. 32. and they spake unto him the word of the lord , and to all that were in his house . london , printed for thomas parkhurst , and are to be sold at his shop at the golden bible on london-bridge . 1668. to the citizens of london . i have sounded two trumpets of iudgement in your ears , the former signifying gods terrible voice to the city , in the late terrible iudgements of plague and fire which have devoured so many inhabitants and habitations , as the space of many ages ( should the world so long continue ) would not blot out the remembrance of ; the later signifying gods terrible voice to the world , at the second appearance of christ to the last and universal iudgement of all the children ▪ of adam , which is both sure and near ; the dreadfulness of which iudgement to the wicked , no tongue is able to express : the chief intent of both my treatises concerning the late , and future iudgement , hath been to awaken sleepy sinners out of their carnal security , and to prepare them for the great salvation purchased by iesus christ , and proclaimed , proffered and promised in the gospel ▪ therefore having at first purposed , and in my last book of christs appearance to iudgement , promised to treat more largely of salvation than in the close of a vse i could do ; i have here endeavoured to fulfill my promise , in telling you words whereby you may be saved . we read 1 tim. 1.15 . this is a faithful saying , and worthy of all acceptation , that christ jesus came into the world to save sinners . and heb. 2.3 , 4. that this salvation began to be spoken of by the lord , and was confirmed by them that heard him . the lord speaketh to you from heaven by his spirit in his word and ministers , that you would accept of this salvation : see then that ye refuse not him that speaketh ; for if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth , much more shall not ye escape if ye turn away from him that speaketh from heaven , heb. 12.25 . they that seek this salvation diligently , shall finde it certainly ; but they that refuse or neglect it , must needs perish unavoidably , and be miserable eternally . that this little piece may be blessed by the lord , and made use of as a means to promote your salvation , is the prayer of him whose great desire is , that you might be saved . thomas vincent . words whereby we may be saved . act. 11.13 , 14. and he shewed us how he had seen an angel in his house , which stood and said unto him , send men to joppa , and call for simon whose sirname is peter , who shall tell thee words whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved . wee read in the second and third verses of this chapter of the contention which some of the circumcision had with the apostle peter , because he had gone in to , and eaten with such as were uncircumcised . whereupon peter giveth an account to them of his reason , and the occasion of his so doing ; rehearsing the matter more briefly from verse 4. to the 18th . which is related more largely in the whole foregoing tenth chapter . first he telleth them of his trance at ioppa , and the vision which himself had of the vessel descending from heaven with unclean beasts in it ; and the command from heaven to eat , not calling that common and unclean which god had cleansed ; the lord hereby giving him to understand , that like as under the law , though there were divers kinds of meats forbidden , and therefore unclean , and unlawfull to be eaten ; yet under the gospel , that prohibition being taken off , and the meats sanctified by the word of gods command or allowance , believers might freely eat of them without sin : so also , though under the law , before the coming of christ , the people of god in the nation of the iewes , where only the church of god was to be found , were to separate themselves from all heathen nations as unclean , and it was unlawfull for them to go in and eat with heathen or gentile persons , lest they should be defiled and enticed by such familiar converse with them , unto their superstitions and idolatries ▪ yet god having before foretold and promised the accession of the gentiles unto the church ; and under the gospel having sent his son , who brake down the middle wall of partition between the iewes and the gentiles ; and having sanctified the gentiles by his spirit and faith ; they were no longer to be accounted unclean , and therefore it was as lawfull for the believing iewes to eat and converse with them as one with another . moreover he he telleth them of the circumcision of the vision which cornelius a gentile had of an angel , and the command , which he had from the lord by the angel to send for him , to preach the gospel of salvation unto him ; together with the effect of his preaching namely the falling of the holy ghost upon the gentiles , as upon themselves at the beginning ; and therefore that it would have been no less than a withstanding of god himself for him still to have kept at a distance from the gentiles . which answer of peter gave such satisfaction , that it did not only put to silence them which contended with him , but also caused them to glorifie god in behalf of the gentiles . my text is a brief rehearsal which peter giveth of cornelius his vision which he had from his mouth . and he shewed us , how he had seen an angel in his house , which stood , and said , send men to joppa , and call for simon whose sirname is peter , who shall tell thee words whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved . i might present you with divers doctrines from the words , but because i intend to handle but two , i shall mention but two , which to me are the most observable . doct. 1. that god doth make use of ministers to preach the gospel rather than angels . doct. 2. that ministers are to tell people such words whereby they may be saved . it is the latter of these which i intend chiefly to insist upon ; yet the former lying in the way , and being so worthy of note , and may be of such use , i shall spend a little time about it . sect . i. doct. 1. that god doth make use of ministers to preach the gospel rather than angels . the angel appeareth to cornelius , doth not preach the gospel to cornelius , but from the lord directeth him to send to peter , to peter , who was one of christs ministers , and he should preach unto him , and tell him such words whereby he and his should be saved . the angel could have told him such words himself ; he could have set forth the lord jesus christ in his divinity , and eternal abode with god ; in his humanity , with which he cloathed and vailed himself , and abode for a while here amongst men ; in his life so holy , his works so powerfull , his love so great , his death so painfull , his resurrection so soon , his ascension so wonderfull , his session and intercession at the right hand of god ; and the glory which he hath with the father in heaven , however he had been vilified by some men when he was upon the earth . the angel could have preached the law with such thunder and lightning , as should have made the conscience of cornelius to tremble , even as the israelites did when the law was given by their ministration on mount sinai . he could have shot the arrows of the almighty so deep into his spirit , as no balm on earth should have been able to heal his wounds : the angel could have represented the god of heaven in a more terrible way than man can do , as lord of an innumerable host of mighty angels , of which he was but one , and as set in battel-array against christless sinners ; and told cornelius what dreadfull threatnings were denounced , and what heavy curses did belong unto such as had broken gods law ; and hereby could have put him into such terrors and consternation in reflection upon the least guilt , as should have sunk him down to the very brink of the burning lake in his own apprehension , and forced him in the anguish of his spirit to cry out , o what shall i do to be saved ? and then he could have represented the lord jesus christ unto him as the only , and an all-sufficient , and most mercifull saviour of mankinde , who had undertaken the office of mediatour and advocate , and was faithfull . he could have described his beauty and excellency in such high expressions , and invited cornelius to come to christ with such sweet words and pressing arguments , as never proceeded out of the mouth of any man. but the angel had no commission to preach the gospel to cornelius ; only to speak to him from god , that he would send men to ioppa , and call for peter , and he should preach the gospel unto him . and as it was in the beginning , so it is still , god doth not send angels down from heaven to preach christ , and salvation by christ unto the people ; but he sendeth ministers , men whom he qualifieth and commissioneth for the work . the reasons why god doth make use of ministers to preach the gospel rather than angels , may be chiefly these three . 1. because of our infirmity . 2. for the honour of the ministry . 3. that he might secure his own glory . reas. 1. because of our infirmity . we could not in this state of darkness , weakness , and sinfulness , bear the preaching of angels that are so holy and glorious : our eyes would be dazled , our spirits would be amazed , and hearts sink within us at the voice of angels , should they appear unto us in their glory . manoah thought he should dye when an angel came to him , and foretold him of a son which should be born to him , iudg. 13. zacharias was sore troubled at the appearance of an angel with the like message , l●k . 1. the shepheards in the field were exceedingly afraid when the angel came to them to bring tidings of the birth of our saviour , luk. 2. and christs disciples were no less afraid when the angels brought news to them of his resurrection . and if holy men could not bear the appearance of angels , much less could the unholy and wicked , whose guilt and defilement would make them a thousand-fold more fearfull . if an angel should immediately descend from heaven into this place , and taking my room should preach unto this auditory before me ; would not fearfull thoughts arise in the hearts , and paleness get upon the checks of the best amongst you ? but what dread would there seize upon the spirits of such of you as are graceless and profane , who are yet in your sins , and have not made your peace with god ? how would you shrink and croud out faster than you crouded in , as not being able to endure ? when moses had been forty dayes upon the mount with god , and had seen only his back-parts , yet his face did shine with such lustre by reflexion of the beams of gods majesty upon him , that the children of israel could not look upon his face without a vail : and if angels who continually behold the face of god in heaven , should come down and appear and preach , men would not be able to hear and bear : therefore god maketh use of ministers to preach the gospel , men of like passions and infirmities with our selves , for our infirmities sake : men who will not affrighten us with their glory , whom we may look upon without dazling our eyes , whom we may speak unto , and converse with familiarly , without dread and terrour . as elihu said of himself to iob , chap. 33.6 , 7. so it may be said of ministers , they are in gods stead , and yet formed out of clay , and their terrour shall no● make us afraid . reas. 2. for the honour of the ministery . jesus christ himself the son of god was a minister when he was upon the earth , and his employment was to preach the gospel ; and the highest spiritual honour that can be conferred upon any , is to be christs embassadours , representatives , and to succeed him in this office and work of the ministery , which honour he hath conferred upon some men rather than angels . i am not of their opinion , who think , that gods people are exalted to a higher dignity than the angels ; neither do i think the consequences to be right from heb. 1 . 1● . on which this notion is grounded : are they not all ministring spirits ( speaking of angels ) sent forth to minister for them which shall be heirs of salvation ? it doth not follow , because angels do minister to the saints , therefore they are inferiour to the saints : for jesus christ himself did minister to them , though he be their lord and king ; when he washed his disciples feet , in which act he appeared so like a servant , yet then he calleth himself their lord and master , ioh. 13.13 . ministring to others doth not imply inferiority , unless it be such as doth withall imply dependency , but rather the contrary ; our saviour telleth his disciples , when he perceived them to be ambitious of greatness , that whoever would be the greatest amongst them should be their minister , math. 20.26 . indeed our humane nature in christ is exalted above angels ; but in other respects we are inferiour to angels . the angels are above us in regard of spirituality , they are all spirit , we are partly flesh , and but partly spirit : in regard of immortality , they never dye , we cannot escape death long : in regard of purity , they have not the least tincture of sin ; the most holy persons on earth are not without some remainders of defilement : in regard of neerness unto god , they dwell with god in heaven , and behold his face continually ; we are on earth , and see but his back-parts , and what we see it is but darkly and thorow a glass : in regard of power , wisdom , and many excellencies which we may be ignorant of , for who doth perfectly understand the nature , and all the properties of angels ? yet although in these and the like respects the angels are above the saints on earth , the lord hath given this honour to ministers rather than to angels , to preach the gospel of salvation by jesus christ. we read of three thousand converted by one sermon of peter , act. 2. but where in the whole scripture do we read of the conversion of any by angels ? reas. 3. and chiefly for gods glory it is that ministers are made use of to preach the gospel rather than angels , that the efficacy of the gospel preached in the conversion and salvation of people might appear to be from god alone , and so the glory might be ascribed in whole unto himself , and nothing unto the creature . if angels were employed to preach and convert souls , people would hardly be withheld from idolizing , and giving that worship to them which is gods due ; they would be ready to glory and boast in the angels should they be wrought upon by their preaching , instead of glorying in god. if the corinthians did so in their teachers when they were men of great eminency for gifts , i am of paul , i am of apollos , i am of cephas ; much more would christians be apt to glory in angels , if they were sent to be their teachers : i am of michael , happily one might say , it was he convinced and awakened my conscience when fast asleep in sin and security , and o with what thundering words did he speak , enough to pierce the ear of such as are dead ! another , i am of gabriel , it was his sermons which perswaded me to repent and believe , and o what arguments did he use , such as would have moved a stone ! and thus instead of looking to , and admiring gods free grace , people would be apt to look to and admire the angels , and give them the praise which is due to god alone . therefore god maketh use of ministers to preach the gospel , rather than angels , that he might hedge in all the glory of mans salvation to himself ; that if any sinners be converted and saved by such weak instruments , they may say , it is the lords doing ; it is the lords work and free grace , and it is marvellous in our eyes . god will not make use of the wisdom of men in preaching of the gospel , lest the faith by such preaching should stand in the wisdom of men , and not in the power of god , 1 cor. 2.4 , 5. and this may be one reason why god doth not make use of the wisdom of angels in preaching the gospel , lest the faith produced hereby should stand not in his own power , but in his angels wisdom . god maketh use of the foolishness of preaching ( so accounted by the world because plain ) by foolish ministers ( men of little esteem amongst such as are not able to discern reall worth ) to save them that believe , 1 cor. 1.21 . god dealeth forth treasures out of earthen vessels , that the excellency of the power might be of god , and not of men , 2 cor. 4.7 . sect . ii. vse 1. for reproof , doth god make use of ministers to preach the gospel rather than angels ? this then may reprove , 1. such as take upon them to preach , and are no ministers . 2. such as take upon them to be ministers , and are no preachers ? 3. such as blemish their ministry by an ungodly conversation . 4. such as will hearken to the devil rather than to ministers , though god doth employ them to preach rather than angels . 1. this reproveth such as take upon them to preach the gospel , and are no ministers . and here let none mistake me , as if i spake against the preaching of any that are true ministers of jesus christ , whether they be set apart for the work and office in the episcopal or congregational , or presbyterian way : but i speak against the preaching of them which are no ministers , and have no call nor commission for this work . the angel is sent here to cornelius , but he doth not preach the gospel to him ; yea he did not dare to do it , because he had no commission ; for if the angel had received a commission to preach , he would not have dared to have forborn : none will d●ny that the angel had gifts sufficient , if that had been commission ; but because he did not preach , it is a sign he had no commission ; and if the angel did not dare to preach when he was not commissioned , how dare uncommissioned men to do it ? i speak not only of the preaching of such as are lamentably deficient in gifts ( except in their own conceit ) but also of the preaching of them which have good gifts ( which might well and regularly be made use of in a private way ) but they are of other callings in which they are commanded to abide , if they would abide with god , 1 cor. 7.24 . how dare they to entrench so far upon the office of the ministry , as to do that which is one of the chiefest parts of the work of the ministry , namely , to preach the gospel ? if any such should read these lines , and have an honest design in what they do , and suppose they do well herein ; let them seriously consider whether they be not under a temptation of the devil , and think of these sad consequences which have been , and may be the fruit of such mens preaching . 1. the bringing of the ministry of christ into disesteem . do not such persons themselves for the most part , do not their hearers slight true ministers ? and will not this one day be accounted a slighting of jesus christ himself , whose ambassadours and representatives they are ? and will such be able to give a good account hereof , who have been the occasion ? 2. the weakening the hands of christs faithfull labourers , whom all should endeavour to encourage and strengthen in their arduous employment . i could tell you of a lay-man , one mr. bernard in wiltshire , who hath been eminently instrumental to bring much light into a corner which before was very dark , where some thousands do relish the word and ordinances , so that they will travail many miles to hear good sermons , and it is judged that some hundreds in those parts have been really converted ; and this work hath been effected not by mr. bernards preaching himself ▪ though in gifts he do exceed many who intrude upon the ministerial employment , but by calling able ministers to preach , and standing by them , which hath ( through gods blessing ) exceedingly promoted the work ; whereas , if he had entrenched upon the office of the ministry , and taken upon him to preach himself , i am perswaded he would have had as ill success as others ; and we should not have had that cause of glorifying god for him , and for what hath been done by his means . 3. the encouraging of ungifted persons to preach , who in their own conceits have as good gifts as themselves , and may plead as good authority : as also the encouraging erroneous persons privily to broach false doctrines unto the corrupting of the mindes of the hearers ; and by consequence the introduction of confusion , and tearing the church of christ , which in the issue may prove its de●●ruction . i know that lay-preachers will plead the practice of the apostle paul , who wrought in his trade of tent-making , whilest he was a preacher of the gospel . i grant that paul was a tent-maker , but he was called and ordained to be a minister ; and though he did practise his trade after this , yet i do not remember that he did it more than once , which was amongst the corinthians , and that upon a special occasion , that he might preach the gospel freely , and be like some false teachers who boasted herein : but when did he do it again ? did he not receive maintenance from other churches without working for his living ? besides , he had extraordinary gifts by immediate inspiration , which none now may hope to obtain without the use of ordinary means . but whatever pauls practice was , he doth never make mention of it for an example , which other ministers should imitate him in ; for when he writeth to timothy a minister , he enjoyneth him from the lord to spend his whole time about his ministry , and not in any other calling ; he exhorteth him to give himself to reading , and meditation , and doctrine , to be in these things wholly , as the original word doth signifie . moreover , the other apostles , however they were at first fisher-men by trade , yet when they were called to be fishers of men , they leave their nets , and after christs ascension they would not so much as take upon them the work of deacons to minister unto widdows , why ? read the reason , act. 6.4 . that they might give themselves continually to prayer , and ministry of the word . surely then it is the will of god that such as take upon them to preach , should give themselves to the ministry of the word , and not follow other callings . they have work enough to do in the ministry , if they employ themselves therein conscienciously , for their whole time , had they more time than they have , they had not need to be diverted by worldly businesses ; they finde it hard enough to attend upon the lord without much distraction , that have none of these secular employments : what an unsutable frame must they be under that follow another calling all the week , and come reeking from the world , and engage to speak to people in an extemporaneous discourse ? is the lord pleased with such ministrations ? if the lord doth not strike such persons dead , who do thus presume to entrench upon the levites office , as he did vzzah , who might have pleaded a greater seeming need of his help when the ark did shake , and was ready to fall , than they can do , 2 sam. 6.6 , 7. yet they are in danger of a greater spiritual judgement than natural death , namely of being smitten with spiritual deadness ; some wither strangely within , when they make a glorious outward flourish . yet god forbid that the door of employment in the ministry should be shut against all those that at first have been bred up in other callings ; for if any l●y-men that be holy , and knowing , and have gifts and hearts for this employment , do leave their other calling , and dedicate themselves wholly to the work of the ministry , and be tryed , and set apart according to the rule , i should not be against their preaching ; but i am verily perswaded that such transgress the rule , that take upon them to preach whilest they follow other callings . let such examine themselves wherefore it is that they continue in their other callings ; is it not from a carnal and worldly motive ? is it not because worldly emolument cometh in this way ? but would it not be more for their advantage , if by breaking off their trade they gained less estate for themselves , and more souls for jesus christ ? let them either leave their other calling , or leave their preaching ; if they have not a livelihood but by their trade , why may they not trust god for provisions as others have done ? hath not the lord appointed that people should maintain their ministers , and communicate unto them in carnal things who receive spiritual things , things of more worth from ministers ? but some will pretend an extraordinary commission and call from god to preach , and this they think will bear them out in their preaching though they be no ministers ; b●t let such take heed they be not under a delusion of sathan herein : to caution such therefore against such delusions , i shall give you a relation which mr. vavasir powel did s●nd in a letter to a friend of his in the city , when himself was in prison ; the words which i transcribed my self out of the letter written with his own hand are these . concerning that delusion in kent ( a relation of which i had and still should have in the countrey in writing , under the godly mans own hand and some other brethren ) though i do not remember all the circumstances , yet the substance of it was this . there was one iohn moody a godly man , under bapt. ( i suppose first joyned to mr. kyff ▪ in london ) being in bed one night there appeared a great light in his chamber , and a voice spake to him thus : iohn moody , arise , and go preach my gospel in the west , for my people perish for want of knowledge there . to which iohn moody answered , i am not fit to preach , i want gifts . the voice answered again , i will give thee gifts , and fit thee ▪ moody replyed , i am a poor man , and have no means to maintain me therein . the voice said , meet me at such a place ( and so nam'd both time and place ) and i will supply thee with silver and gold , and so departed . the next day iohn moody acquainted one or more of his christian acquaintance ; and they fearing it was a delusion , advised him to be very carefull what he did , and disswaded him from going , counselling him if it came again , he should ask who he was , and particularly , whether he was iesus of nazareth ( for it was he that had power to send out ministers . ) the devil came again either the next night , or within few nights after , in the same manner , asking him , why he did not go upon his message . iohn moody asked him who it was that sent him ; the voice answered , i am god. but saith he , art thou iesus of nazareth . the voice said again , i am god. then iohn moody resolutely answered , if thou be not that iesus that suffered at ierusalem , and that sits at the right hand of god in heaven , i will not go . thereupon the devil departed , making a great noise , and taking part of the top of the house away with him . this was the substance , and the thing undoubtedly true . thus far are the very words of mr. powels letter . now if this man had not questioned this thing , but gone into the west to preach , he and others who heard the relation , might have judged that it was an extraordinary call and commission which this man had from heaven , and that with seeming greater grounds than what others pretend for their extraordinary commissions ; whereas upon further search , you perceive it was the devil was sending a good man out of his way ; if he being no minister had then preached upon this sending , he had been a messenger of the devil , and not a messenger of jesus christ. for my part , i cannot believe that any are called and commissioned by christ to preach , unless they can show their call and commission in the scripture ; take heed then ( my beloved ) especially you which are young , that if gifts encrease you be not puffed up with pride , and begin first to undervalue christs ministers , and think you can do their work better your selves , and so venture to transgress scripture-rules by preaching without commission and scripture-warrant ; very dangerous may the consequences of such preaching be , as i could give some instances . god hath appointed one office for this work of preaching , and that is the office of the ministry ; and though he have angels about him full of wisdom and knowledge in the mysteries of salvation , yet he doth not employ them in the work , but qualifieth and calleth some men unto it ; and if angels which are not ministers of the gospel must not preach , much less may men do it who are not ministers . 2. this reproveth such as take upon them to be ministers , and are no preachers . god maketh use of ministers to preach the gospel rather than angels , therefore they ought to preach , or they are unworthy to be ministers . such as call themselves ministers , but are ignorant and unskilfull in the work of preaching , which ministers are called unto ; such as take upon them to be teachers of others , and have need to be taught themselves which be the first principles of the oracles of god , and are children , yea babes in understanding , being unacquainted with the word of righteousness and mysteries of salvation : such who know not how to divide the word of god aright , and give every one his portion ; whose sermons are like wood , and hey , and stubble , without any silver , or gold , or precious stones of spiritual , heavenly and soul-saving doctrine ; who give men chaff instead of corn , and stones instead of bread ; who fill their sermons with frothy wit , or husky quotations of authors , or knotty school-notions , and distinctions , or secret , bitter invectives , and scorpion-slings and lashes at the power of godliness , instead of convincing , soul-edifying truths , which may administer grace unto the hearers ; they will have a fearfull account to give unto the great shepheard , when he shall appear to make inquiry concerning the flock committed to their charge , and shall charge upon them the guilt of the blood of so many souls as have perished through their neglect . are there not many such ministers at this day in england that can neither pray without a book , nor preach without a book ; i do not speak of those ministers who road their own notes which they have studied in their closets , but of them which read others notes , as if they were their own unto the people . it is not long since i spake with a bookseller , who hath sold many manuscript sermons unto such , who signified plainly enough unto him the use they intended to put them unto . yea some have been so audacious as to preach out of the printed books of others , as is well known both in the city and other places ; yet , however such as cannot make their own sermons are not fit to be ministers of the gospel , they may by reading good wholsom sermons of others be more beneficial to the people , than those who without acquaintance with the word , preach their own , but it is such raw , crude , indigest●d , unprofitable matter , as raiseth blushes in the cheeks of the judicious , and rendereth them ridiculous unto the most that hear them . surely , no angel from heaven would have directed a cornel●us to send for such ministers to preach the gospel unto him . 3. this reproveth such who blemish their ministry by an vngodly conversation ; when god honoureth ministers so as to imploy them to preach the gospel , rather than angels , god doth expect that they should be angelical in their doctrine , and angelical in their lives ; some there are that be so in their doctrine , but their lives are so loose and intemperate , that they both cast a blot upon their function , and invalidate their doctrine , yea are hereby instruments of hardening the wicked more effectually than if they could not preach at all . i have heard of a woman who sate under the ministry of one who preached very powerfully , but lived very wickedly , whereupon she was tempted to atheisme ; of which she gave this reason to him upon demand of the cause , that it was from himself , that when she heard him preach so like an angel , and saw him live so like a devil , she was thence prone to believe that there was no god. we read of the wickedness of eli's sons , who were priests , which made the offering of the lord to be abhorred , 1 sam. 2.17 . and so the drunkenness , uncleanness , covetousness , oppression , and profaneness of many in our dayes , who call themselves ministers , maketh the administration of gods ordinances by such persons to be abhorred by many serious and sober-minded christians . none are more honourable than such ministers as tread in their masters steps , as are holy and exemplary in their conversition : but wicked ministers of all others are the vilest and most contemptible ; they are spots and blemishes in the body of the church ; they are the scum , the filth , and off-scouring of the pot ; the foam and froath of the water ; they are trees without fruit , salt without savour , candles without light ; they are a deep pit , full of mire and dirt ; they are clouds without rain , for whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever . 4. this reproveth such as will hearken to the devil rather than to ministers , though god employeth them to preach the gospel rather than angels . 1. and first this reproveth them that hearken to the devil when he perswadeth them to sin , and will not hearken unto ministers who perswade them to accept of jesus christ : such as readily open the door when sathan knocks , though he be their enemy , and intend their ruine ; but shut the door , and deafen the ear against the calls of ministers in the name of christ , though they be their friends , and seek their salvation : such are perswaded by the devil to wound themselves by sin , to drink sweet po●son which will introduce eternal death , and suffer themselves to be drawn in the chains of sathan , in the broad way to hell , but will not hearken to ministers , who are spiritual physicians , and would endeavour the cure of their deadly wounds , who are spiritual guides , and would lead them in the way to heaven . none in the world are such fools as those persons who are satans slaves , and led captive by him in the cords of their own lusts : they are blinded and deluded , the devil putteth the greatest cheat upon them , and beguileth them ( worse than children are beguiled ) of such things , that when their eyes are opened at the last , and they perceive what they have lost by their sins , which the devil hath drawn them unto , and that their loss is irreparable ; and when they are awakened to feel the pain and torment which the devil by sin hath brought them unto , and they see that now it is unavoidable , and though so intollerable , yet will be eternall ; they will then be ready to tear themselves to pieces for their folly and madness , that they should hearken to the devil , and not hearken to christs ministers : that when the devil proffered only counters , but ministers gold , that which is more precious than fine gold ; when the devil proffered pebbles , ministers the jewel of the greatest price ; when the devil proffered pictures , such as all worldly vanities are , but ministers proffered deeds of conveyance to a great inheritance , even a conveyance of the eternal inheritance by the deed of the king of heaven . o the folly and sottishness of sinners ! that they should choose the former , and refuse the latter ; that they should sow the windes all their dayes , grasp a shaddow , pursue a f●ather , follow lying vanities , through satans perswasions , and hereby not only neglect and miss of mercy which ministers brought to their doors ; but also run headlong into the flames of everlasting burnings , when ministers warned them so frequently hereof , and entreated them so earnestly to close with christ , who alone could deliver them ; they will then perceive too late and rue to no purpose their desperate madness in complying with satans temptations , and neglecting the calls and counsels of christs faithfull ambassadours . 2. it reproveth such as hearken to the devil when he perswadeth them unto damnable errours , and will not hearken to christs ministers , who would teach and establish them in the soul-saving truths of the word . satan doth appear many times like an angel of light , 2 cor. 11.14 . not as the angel did to cornelius , to direct men unto christs ministers , but to draw them away , endeavouring the subversion of the ministry and ordinances of christs institution . satan hath his ministers , who appear like ministers of righteousness , when indeed they are wolves in sheeps cloathing , who by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple , rom. 16.18 . who are deceived themselves , and labour to deceive others : first endeavouring to prejudice them against christs ministers , and then privily bringing in damnable heresies , wresting the scripture to their own and others destruction . where people do turn away their ears from the truth , and open them to their errours and delusions , when they forsake and cannot endure the sound teaching of christs ambassadours , but with itching ears are delighted with the pretended new discoveries of false teachers , and greedily drink in the poyson of their false doctrines , and follow the p●rnicious waies of such as are given up to the efficacy of errour to believe lyes ; they chuse the devil for their teacher , instead of jesus christ by his ministers , and then you may easily guess whither he is like to lead them . sect . iii. vse 2. for exhortation 1. of ministers . 2. of people . 1. for exhortation of ministers : doth god make use of ministers to preach the gospel , rather than angels ? it is a great honour the lord hath put upon us , and there is great duty which the lord doth expect from us . let this consideration 1. q●icken us to diligence and faithfulness in preaching . 2. engage us to a blameless and exemplary conversation . 1. let us be diligent and faithful in preaching the gospel . let us be instant in season and out of season to reprove , rebuke , exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine , 2 tim. 4.2 . in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves , if peradventure the lord will give them repentance , 2 tim. 2.25 . let us fulfill the ministry the lord hath entrusted us with , col. 4.17 . serving the lord , and the souls committed to our charge , with all humility of mind , and faithfulness ; keeping back nothing which is profitable for them , that we may keep our selves pure from the blood of all men . let us testifie repentance towards god , and faith towards the lord jesus christ , and open the treasures of the gospel , and mysteries of the kingdom of heaven , with all plainness and perspicuity , dealing forth wholesome food unto hungry souls , as faithful stewards of the manifold grace of god. let us not use deceit , or guile , or flattering words , or a cloak for covetousness or uncleanness , or boasting words , but as we are allowed of god to be put in trust with the gospel ; so let us speak and preach , not as pleasing men , but as pleasing god , who searcheth the heart ; being so affectionately desirous of the salvation of souls , as to be willing to impart unto them our souls with the gospel if we could , and it would do them good . and let us not count estate , or liberty , or life it self dear to us , that we finish our course with joy , and the ministry we have received from the lord , act. 20. 1 thes. 2. 1 pet. 4. 2. let the honour the lord hath conferred upon us , engage us unto a blameless and exemplary conversation . let our conversations shine with holiness , as well as our sermons shine with truths : let us teach by our life , as well as by our doctrine : let us be examples to the believers in word , in conversation , in charity , in spirit , in faith , in purity , 1 tim. 4.12 . let the way to heaven be read in our steps : let us be blameless , and harmless , the sons of god , and ministers of christ without rebuke in the midst of a crooked generation , amongst whom let us shine as lights , as we hope hereafter to shine like stars : we are employed to preach rather than angels ; let us live as if we were angels on earth , and as those who hope to live with angels in heaven . 2. for exhortation of people . doth god make use of ministers to preach the gospel , rather than angels ? be exhorted then 1. to love and esteem your ministers . 2. to hear your ministers . 3. to believe your ministers . 4. to obey . your ministers . 1. esteem and love your ministers , 1 thes. 5.12 , 13. we beseech you brethren , that you know them which labour am●●gst you , and are over you in the lord , that you esteem them very highly in love for the works sake . how beautiful should the feet of them be that bring glad tidings of good things ? how welcome should their voice be that preach the gospel of peace ? rom. 10.15 . we read of some who had so great love to the apostle , that they could have plucked out their eyes , and given to him , yet his affection was greater , for he could have plucked out his heart and given to them . how should people love their ministers , who are their spiritual fathers , and nurses , and physitians ? love them , they are your soul-friends , and therefore your best friends : esteem them , they are christs embassadours and representatives . the galatians received the apostle paul , notwithstanding his infirmities , as an angel of god , even as christ jesus , gal. 4.13 , 14. give them reverence as those which stand in the room of christ , and are in this honoured above angels to be employed by the lord to preach the gospel . give them countenance ; do not forsake them when they fall into trouble for the gospels sake : give them maintenance ▪ they impart their spirituals unto you , and you ought to impart your carnal things ( far beneath in worth ) unto them , and this by the lords ordination , 1 cor. 9.11 , 12 , 13 , 14. give them audience , which is the second thing . 2. hear ministers . wo be to them if they do not preach the gospel , when they are commissioned to the work , rather than angels ; and wo be to you , if you do not hear the gospel which they preach : he that heareth them , heareth christ , luk. 10.16 . and they that turn away their ears from hearing them , it will be more tollerable for the land of sodom in the day of judgement , than for such persons , vers . 11. 3. believe ministers , what they preach out of the word of god ▪ it is not their own , but is of divine authority , and therefore is true infallibly . believe in christ whom they tender to you by the preaching of the gospel ; they call you to repentance , hearken unto them ; they hold forth christ , believe in him , close with him by faith . if you do not repent and believe by their preaching , you will not by any other means , no , though god should send some out of the other world to preach unto you . if a dives should come from hell to his wicked brethren , and tell them what torments he felt , and must endure there for ever for such sins as they lived in the practice of , and that they were like to come to the same place if they did not repent , this might affrighten them , but it would not convert them : if they believe not moses and the prophets , neither would they be perswaded though one should rise from the dead and preach unto them , luke 16.31 . suppose that god should send unto you which are wicked from hell , and let loose one of your wicked companions out of the dark prison , where he hath been filled with unexpressible anguish under the sense of gods immediate wrath , which hath immediately been laid upon him ; and he should appear to any of you who are going on in a course of such sins as once he joyned with you in , and should come , and should appear to you in the dark , silent night , and awaken you out of your sleep with a hideous noise , and there roar out before you under the sense of the pain which he doth endure , crying out of his drunkenness , his uncleanness , his swearing , and sabbath-breaking , and should tell you that for such sins he is tormented most horribly , and must be tormented eternally ; and that your sins unrepented of will certainly be punished with the like plagues . this might startle you , and scare you ( it may be ) out of your wits , but it would not convert you from your sins . if you be not perswaded to repent by the preaching of ministers , who as certainly foretell you of the same eternal judgements out of the word of god , which are prepared in hell for the impenitent , and with whose preaching god hath promised his blessing , which alone can make any means effectual for working repentance ; surely the other means without his blessing , which he hath no where promised , would be ineffectual . or suppose that an angel should come down from heaven , and tell you what he hath there seen and enjoyed , and how happy all true believers departed are in the vision and fruition of god , and should set forth the joyes of heaven with such words as no man can utter ; and withall should invite sinners unto christ , that they might through him have a title unto , and at length share in this glory and happiness ; yet if they do not believe , and will not be perswaded to come to christ by the preaching of ministers , which is accompanied with the holy ghost sent down from heaven , 1 pet. 1.12 which is more than if an angel should be sent down from heaven ; they would not be perswaded by the preaching of an angel. 4. obey ministers , heb. 13.17 . obey them which have the rule over you , for they watch for your souls , 〈◊〉 they that must give an account . and you also must give an account ; what they command you out of the word of god , obey , as if god spake to you with an audible voice from heaven ; and what they forbid out of the word of god , forbear , as you wi●●● answer it at the great day . sect . iv. doct. 2. that ministers are to tell people such word● whereby they may be saved . in handling of which point i shall first shew what salvation is here meant , and what it is for a people to be saved . 2. what words ministers are to tell people whereby they may be saved . 3. how they are to tell the people such words . 4. why ministers must tell people words whereby they may be saved , where i shall give the reasons of the point . 5. and lastly , make some application . 1. the first thing is to shew , what salvation is here meant , and what it is for a people to be saved . negatively , we are not here to understand any temporal salvation ; not a salvation from numerous , potent and furious earthly enemies , which come forth against gods israel to destroy them ; not a preservation from a senacharibs host , or an ethiopian myriad , ●r the confederate bands of moab and ammon , and ●lount seir , who joyn together to cut off the name of gods people from the face of the earth ; not a ●escuing from egyptian bondage , or babylonian capti●ity , or turkish vassallage ; not an opening of prison doors , a pulling out of deep dungeons , and ●nocking off strong iron chains and shackles ; not a sheltring of houses from fire , when in danger of being ●onsumed , or of persons from the evil arrows of pe●tilence , when they fly thick about the ears ; not a ●eliverance from sore pain of body , or violent sickness , or any outward calamity which might render the life grievous , and keeping off for a while the ●ruel stroke of temporal death , which none can long ●scape . but positively , by salvation here we are to understand spiritual and eternal salvation ; and a people may be said to be saved in the sense of the text , 1. when they are saved from the wrath and displeasure of an angry sin-revenging god , who is the most potent and furious enemy against whom there is no lifting up the hand to defend , when he lifts up the hand to destroy . the whole world of mankind is guilty of sin before god ; our first parents sinned , and ●n them all their posterity , who are conceived and born in sin , and unto all of whom sin is natural , un●ill the nature be renewed . and , as when the angels ●inned , they were cast out of heaven , and became devils ; so when our first parents sinned , they were cast out of paradice , and since all sinners are out of favour ; yea , they lye under gods anger and displeasure , until they be reconciled : all the children of men are by nature the children of wrath , eph. 2.3 . and god is angry with the wicked every day ▪ psal. 7.11 . they have a natural enmity in their hearts against god and his law , rom. 8.7 . and god is an enemy unto them ▪ yea , hath a hatred in his heart against all the workers of iniquity , psal. 5.6 . god is an enemy unto the wicked , because of their sins ; and this is worse ten thousand degrees , than 〈◊〉 they had all the creatures in the world their enemies ▪ because of the power of his anger , which none ca● resist , when once he suffers it to break forth . we read of the stout-hearted , and men of might , th● chariot and horse cast into a dead sleep at one o● gods rebukes , and who can stand in his sight wher● once he is angry , psal. 76.5 , 6 , 7. and god is coming forth with armed vengeance against his enemies ▪ he hath prepared instruments of death ; he hath whe● his sword , and girt it upon his thigh ; yea , drawn it forth , and lifted up his arm to strike ; he hath bent his bow , and made ready his arrows upon the string , and sinners can neither fly from him , nor defend themselves against him . then a people are saved indeed , when they are saved from gods displeasure , when his anger , and the guilt of their sin , which is the cause , is removed ; when their peace is made with god , through the mediation of jesus christ , when god forgiveth all their sins , and accepteth of them as perfectly righteous in his sight , through the imputation of his sons righteousness unto them , and so puts up , and layeth aside his sword , unbends his bow , and casts it behind his back , and receiveth them into favour , as if they had never offended him . 2. when they are saved from the slavery of the devil , and their own lusts . all the wicked are spiritual slaves and vassals , they are in worse than egyptian bondage , their thraldom and captivity is greater , than that of the iews once to the babylonians : the devil hath his fetters upon their hands and feet , and leadeth them captive by the chains of their own lusts at his will , 2 tim. 2.26 . they are shut up as it were in prison , and lye in a deep dark dungeon , where no light doth shine ; they are fallen into a horrible pit , and their feet stick in the miery clay ; they are sunk into deep waters , and the stream is gone over their soul ; they are fallen into a deadly sickness , and a loathsome disease hath seized upon their spirits ; they are full of boils , and blains , and putrifying sores , all this and a thousand times worse is their condition , through the power and reign of sin in them ; then a people are saved in a spiritual sense , when they are redeemed from sin and satan , when the lord jesus christ doth rescue them out of the devils chains , when he leadeth captivity captive , spoileth principalities and powers , and snatcheth them like a prey out of the teeth of the roaring lion , when he delivereth them from the power of darkness , and translateth them into the houshold and family of god , when he brings them out of the house of bondage , and leads them out of egypt through the red sea of his own blood , in which he drowneth and destroyeth their egyptian lusts which do pursue them , when he openeth the prison doors , and pulls them out of the deep dungeon , and knocks off the chains from their feet , when he breaks the bonds of the devil , and sin , and brings them forth into freedom and enlargement ; when he takes them out of the pit , and draws them out of the water ; when he healeth their sickness , cleanseth and cureth their putrifying sores ; i mean , when he delivereth them from the power of sin which entangled , overwhelmed and defiled them , and was more dangerous than any sickness of body could be unto them : then they are saved , when satan is taken off , and sin hath no more dominion over them , and the throne of christ is erected in their hearts , and his graces implanted there , which do beautifie them instead of lust , which did besmear and deform them ; when being made free from sin and satan , they are become the servants of god , and yield up their members as instruments of righteousness , rom. 6.13 , 22. when they are enabled to overcome the devil and his temptations , and to crucifie the flesh with its lusts and affections ; when the old serpent is wounded in the head , and cast out , and the old man is wounded in the heart , and its reigning power taken down , and they are made victorious through christ the captain of their salvation who loveth them . 3. when they are saved from the law ; not only from the yoak and bondage of the ceremonial law , which the iewish church of old was under , which required many burdensome , expensive , and more carnal services , but also from the rigour , irritation , curse and malediction of the moral law. the law is like the egyptian task-masters , who required brick of the israelites , but gave no straw ; it requireth duty , perfect obedience , but giveth no strength ; it discovereth sin , but giveth no power to overcome it ; and it enjoyneth service , but it giveth no ability to perform it ; therefore the law is said to be weak through sinful flesh , rom. 8.3 . yea the law when it breaketh in with a full spiritual light and conviction of sin upon the spirit , forbidding heart concupiscence , and the least motion or inclination of the soul to sin , and pressing to spiritual and heart-purity and obedience ; it is so far from beating down and killing the power of sin , and from strengthening the soul , and enabling it unto obedience , that it doth revive the power of sin , which seemed to be dead before in the soul , and occasionally doth irritate and provoke to all manner of concupiscence ; the discovering it awakens the enmity of the heart against it self , which lay before dormant . as the apostle doth complain , rom. 7.5 . for when we were in the flesh , the motions of sin which were by the law , did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death . and v. 7 , 8. sin taking occasion by the law wrought in me all manner of concupiscence ; for without the law sin was dead , but when the commandment came , sin revived , and i dyed . moreover , the law doth curse all the children of men that are within its power and reach , because of their sins , which none are wholly free from , gal. 3.10 . for as many as are of the works of the law , are under the curse : for it is written , cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them . people are saved from the law when they are delivered from the rigorous yoak of the moral law , which is called the law of sin and death , as it occasioneth sin , and threatneth death for it ; or discovereth our death and utter insufficiency of our selves to obey its injunctions ; and have instead thereof , their necks put under the sweet and easie yoak of the law of christ , which is called the law of the spirit of life in christ jesus , because life and strength is given by the spirit of christ , to yield obedience thereunto : as rom. 8.2 . for the law of the spirit of life in christ iesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death . and vers . 3 , 4. for what the law could not do , in that it was weak through the flesh , god sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh , and for sin condemned sin in the flesh ; that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh , but after the spirit . the law could not give strength against sin , because of the strength of the flesh ; the law discovered sin , but it could not subdue sin ; but god sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh , in which flesh he suffered and offered a sacrifice for sin , by which sin , or sin-offering ( as the word sin doth elsewhere signifie ; as hos. 4.8 . they eat the sins of my people , that is , the sin-offerings of my people ) he condemned sin in the flesh ; sin was hereby judged and condemned to lose its power in his people ; it was condemned to death , which death or sin-offering of christ hath vertue and influence upon sin to kill it , to crucifie it , like as christ was crucified for it ; and so gods people are said to be delivered from the law , from the irritating and provoking power of it unto sin , that being dead wherein they were held , and whereby the law did stir up such motions , that they might serve in newness of spirit , rom. 7.6 . that they might yield the fruits of new obedience , that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in them , sin having lost its strength , they have strength from the spirit of christ to yield such obedience to the law , as through christ shall be accepted : and with this deliverance of people from the rigour and irritation of the law is conjoyned their deliverance also from the curse and malediction , by jesus christ , who was made a curse for them ; instead whereof the blessing of abraham the father of the faithfull , is given unto them , as it is expresly said , gal. 3.13 , 14. christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law , being made a curse for us , as it is written , cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree , that the blessing of abraham might come upon the gentiles through faith. 4. when they are saved from the eternal damnation of hell ; all unbelieving sinners are under the sentence of damnation , ioh. 3.18 . he that believeth not is condemned already ; they are condemned by the great judge unto an utter exclusion from the glorious presence of the lord in that place of joy and happiness which is above , and to endure most horrid , extream and endless anguish and torment in soul and body , in the place of utter darkness which is beneath , where their worm shall never dye , and where the fire shall never be quenched : this sentence is dreadfull , and all unbelievers are lyable every moment to the execution thereof upon their souls . so soon as god shall give commission to the serjeant death to arrest them , and clap up their bodies into the prison of the grave , then their souls being found guilty will be delivered into the hand of the devil the jailor of hell , whither he will drag them , and where they must remain full of anguish , through sense of gods immediate wrath wherewith they will be filled , and bound up in chains of darkness and wo untill the judgement of the great day ; on which great day the lord jesus christ will be sent by god to judge the whole world together , and they shall be brought forth in chains to his barre , and having reassumed their bodies shall be judged by him soul and body unto the flames of everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels ; and o the dread and horrour which will then possess them : o the howlings and bitter lamentations which then they will make , when the god of heaven shall execute the fierceness of his anger upon them for their sins , in the extream and remediless torments of hell which shall never have an end . the sentence of eternal damnation which all unbelievers , whilest such , are under here is dreadfull , yet whilest here it is reversible , whilest the reprieve of execution lasteth , a repeal of the sentence may be obtained , by an appeal from the court of the law , to the court of chancery , from the barr of gods justice to the throne of grace , by application of themselves unto christ to be their advocate , and of his righteousness to themselves by faith , whereby justice hath been satisfied , and they may be acquitted . people are saved from eternal damnation , when through an interest in christ they obtain pardoning mercy , and so are freed from all obligation to punishment by their sins ; hence it is said that there is no condemnation to them which are in christ iesus , rom. 8.1 . and they that believe , are not condemned , joh. 3.18 . and that because jesus is their saviour , and hath delivered them from the wrath which is to come , 1 thess. 1.10 . believers have a title to eternal salvation here through their title to christ ; it is sure , and they may be assured of it ; but hereafter they shall actually obtain it at the day of judgement and perdition of the ungodly , when the wicked shall be condemned , and thrust into the place of torments , they shall be acquitted , saved , and received into heavenly mansions , prepared by their redeemer for them in his fathers house , where there is fulness of joy , and pleasures for evermore , and so they shall march along with him unto the zion which is above with shouting and the voice of triumph , with songs in their mouths , and unspeakable delight in their hearts ; they shall then obtain everlasting joy and gladness , and sorrow and sighing shall flee away , and no place be found for it to dwell , where they shall take up their eternal abode . this is the salvation which is here meant , and which god hath promised to shew unto them who believe , and order their conversation aright : and thus you see what it is for a people to be saved . sect . v. 2. the second thing is , to shew what those words are which ministers are to tell people whereby they may be saved . and here i shall for the present speak only of those words which the apostle peter told cornelius , whereby he and his house were saved ; there was great power and vertue which went along with them , for it is said , whilest he was speaking of them , the holy ghost fell upon the gentiles unto whom he preached , as upon the apostles themselves at the beginning , chap. 10.44 . and therefore they are worthy your serious regard ; possibly you that are unconverted in the hearing or reading these words , may have the holy ghost fall upon you , and feel such a wonderfull power going along with them , as shall draw you unto christ , and bring you out of the estate of spiritual death and damnation in which you are by nature , into a state of life and salvation ; whilest i am speaking to your ears , god may speak to your hearts , whilest i am presenting these words before you , and holding forth the light unto you , god may open your eyes , and give you by his spirit such a spiritual discerning of these things as you never had before , and so affect your hearts , as no word of man is able to do : hear then a sermon of god out of the mouth of the apostle peter , which hath been effectual for conversion , and who knoweth but it may produce the same effect in some of you in the repetition and explication of it , as it did in the gentiles in the first preaching of it ? it is said , the holy ghost fell upon all them which heard these words when peter preached them ; o that the holy ghost might fall upon some of you whilest i am preaching them ! the gentiles had extraordinary gifts of the holy ghost given unto them in their hearing peter , o that you might have a true work of conversion by the holy ghost given in the hearing of me ! they are the words of god , receive them as his words , which may effectually work to your salvation , if the lord give faith in the hearing . look up then to the lord for his blessing , on which the efficacy of the word doth depend . the words are in act. 10. from the 34th to the 44th vers. i shall first read them , and then open these words of salvation to you . after that cornelius had sent for peter to ioppa , he sent for many of his friends to his house , and when they were come together , and peter was come , and had a relation from cornelius of his ●ision , and they had told him , that they were all there present before god , to hear the things which were commanded him of god. vers. 34. he begins his sermon . then peter opened his mouth , and said , of a truth i perceive , that god is no respecter of persons ▪ but in every nation he that feareth him and worketh righteousness is accepted with him . the word which god sent unto the children of israel , preaching peace by iesus christ ( he is lord of all ) that word ( i say ) ye know , which was published throughout all judea , and began from galilee , after the baptisme which john preached : how god anoynted jesus of nazareth with the holy ghost , and with power , who went about doing good , and healing all that were oppressed of the devil , for god was with him . and we are witnesses of all things which he did , both in the land of judea , and in jerusalem , whom they slew and hanged on a tree : him god raised up the third day , and shewed him openly ; not to all the people , but to witnesses chosen before of god , even to us who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead . and he commanded us to preach unto the people , and to testifie , that it was he which was ordained of god to be the iudge of quick and dead . to him gave all the prophets witness , that through his name , whosoever believeth on him shall receive remission of sins . this sermon of peter's , which is the first sermon which was preached unto the gentiles after the partition-wall was broken down , is but brief , but it hath much sweet and soul-saving doctrine in it , and it is likely that the scripture doth b●t briefly rehearse the heads of that which the apostle discoursed of more largely unto them ; and therefore i shall endeavour to open this sermon unto you , which is like a rich cabinet of most precious treasure , wherein is to be found the pearle of the greatest price , which the wise merchant-man will sell all that he hath to obtain , because it is not only desireable to enrich him , but also necessary to save him ; i mean the lord jesus christ whom the apostle doth describe and hold forth unto the gentiles . we read , luk. 24.31 . that the disciples hearts burned within them , whilest our saviour spake to them by the way , and opened to them the scriptures , and o that you might feel your hearts burn within you , whilest i am opening unto you this scripture , which doth relate peters sermon . the sermon of peter may be reduced to four general heads . 1. concerning god. 2. concerning the word . 3. concerning iesus christ. 4. concerning the way of salvation by christ. sect . vi. 1. the apostle speaks unto the gentiles concerning god , v. 34. and 35. of a truth i perceive that god is no respecter of persons , but in every nation he that feareth him and worketh righteousness is accepted with him . two things he gives them to understand concerning god. 1. his gracious disposition to accept of men. 2. his good will towards the gentiles . 1. he lets them know how gracious god was in being willing to accept of men , of any men , without respect of persons , whatever their sins had been , so that they did turn from them , in his fear , and wrought righteousness for the future . this is needfull for sinners to know , that they might be encouraged to seek after salvation : for if they apprehend god only as he is holy , and just , and jealous , if they are told only that he is powerful and furious , and a sin-revenging god ; when they reflect upon their guilt , they will be ready to fly away from him , under a slavish fear of punishment , and in discouragement and despair go on in the practice of sin as long as they can : therefore ministers must represent god unto sinners as gracious and merciful , slow to anger , and of great kindness , pardoning iniquity , transgression and sin , as he sets forth himself to moses , exod. 34.6 , 7. they must tell sinners , that god is gracious , and ready to accept of all those that fear him , and turn from their evil waies , and resolve to work righteousness for the time to come , and that he will be found of , and give a reward unto all such as diligently seek him , heb. 11.6 . he that cometh to god , must believe that he is , and that he is a rewarder of all them that diligently seek him . o that you who are going on in sin , were perswaded of this , how gracious and merciful the lord is , whom you do so highly offend by sin , and how ready he is to accept of you , if you would but turn from sin : he hath given us ministers commission to tell you , that there is an accepted time , and a day of salvation for your souls , which he yet lengthens out unto you : yea , we are sent as his embassadours to entreat and beseech you that you would be reconciled unto god , 2 cor. 5.20 . and when god declares by us that he is so willing to accept of you , that he desires you to accept of his salvation , and beseecheth a reconciliation , when he can so easily avenge himself upon you , and glorifie his justice and wrath in your destruction , and standeth in no need of you , only for your own sake entreats you to be reconciled , that you might not be destroyed , that you might not even force him to punish you , which he will do with a witness , and with a vengeance , if you refuse : methinks this amazing condescention and kindness of god should astonish you , and stop you in the way of sin , and make you tremble , and let fall your weapons out of your hand , with which you have been fighting against him , and cast your selves with shame and self-loathing at his feet , grieving at the very heart , that ever you offended a god of such infinite loving kindness . 2. peter tells them further of gods good will towar●s the gentiles , that in every nation whoever feared him should be accepted with him . they were gentiles whom he preached unto , and they might have feared that salvation was only to be found amongst the jews ; and that however god were gracious and ready to receive men unto favour that feared him , yet that god having made choice of but one nation in the world to be his peculiar people , and they being none of that nation , that no grace or mercy was attainable by them , who were heathens , who are called the people of his wrath . therefore peter gives them to understand , that however god had set narrow bounds to his church formerly , and confined his mercy to one nation , yet that now the hedge and middle wall of partition was broken down , and any nation might find acceptance . this was the first appearance and breaking forth of gods mercy towards the gentiles , in that he declares himself now to be no longer a respecter of nations , but that other nations should taste of his favour as well as the iews . this was intended from the beginning by god , and foretold long before by the prophets . see isa. 49.18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 23. lift up thine eyes ( speaking to the church ) round about ; behold all these gather themselves together , and come to thee : as i live , saith the lord , thou shalt surely clothe thee with them all as with an ornament , and binde them on thee , as a bride doth ; the land shall be too narrow ; the children which thou shalt have after thou hast lost the other , shall say in thine ears , the place is too strait for me , give place to me that i may dwell . then shalt thou say in thine heart , who hath begotten me these , seeing i have lost my children , and am desolate ? and who hath brought up th●se ? thus saith the lord , behold i will lift up mine hand unto the gentiles , and set up my standard to the people , and they shall bring thy sons in their arms , and thy daughters shall be carryed upon their shoulders , &c. and chap. 54.1 , 2 , 3. sing o barren that didst not bear , break forth into singing and cry aloud , thou that didst not travel with child , for more are the children of the desolate , than of the married wife , saith the lord. enlarge the place of thy tent , and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations : spare not , lengthen thy cords , and strengthen thy stakes ; for thou shalt break forth on the right hand , and on the left , and thy seed shall inherit the gentiles , and make the desolate cities to be inhabited , &c. and the apostle paul writing to the gentile romans , which were converted to the christian faith , makes mention of divers prophecies together , of gods good will which he intended to shew unto the gentiles , through his lord jesus christ ; as you may read , rom. 15.9 , 10 , 11 , 12. and that the gentiles may glorifie god for his mercy , 〈◊〉 it is written , for this cause will i confess unto thee amongst the gentiles , and sing unto thy name . and again he saith , rejoyce ye gentiles with his people . and again , praise the lord all ye gentiles , and laud him all ye people . and again isaiah saith , there shall be a root of iesse , and he that shall rise to reign over the gentiles , and in him shall the gentiles trust . and this he writes for their encouragement and comfort , that they might be filled with all joy and peace in believing , vers . 13. now the time was come for the fulfilling of these prophecies , when christ was come , who had reconciled unto god both jew and gentile in one body by the cross , breaking down the middle wall of partition between them , and destroying that which was an occasion of enmity , even the law of commandments contained in ordinances , for to make in himself of twain one new man so making peace , ephes. 3.14 , 15 , 16. therefore he gave commandment to his disciples , after his resurrection , to preach the gospel unto all nations , and here sends peter to cornelius , and them that were with him . this is ground of singular comfort and encouragement unto us who are gentiles , that the lord hath good will for us , and hath sent his gospel to be preached amongst us by his ministers , which may give further hopes of your attaining salvation , when god hath given you the means , and sends his ministers to preach to you such words whereby you may be saved . sect . vii . ● . peter speaks to them concerning the word which god sent unto the children of israel ; and he tells of a twofold word sent to them by god. 1. the word of repentance , which he calls the ●aptism which iohn preached unto them . 2. the word of peace which was preached unto them by iesus christ. 1. he tells them that god sent a word by iohn to the children of israel , and that was a word and baptism of repentance which he preached . iohn was christs ●orerunner , who went before his face to prepare his way , and to make the people ready for the entertainment of christ : he came to level the mountains of pride , and to straighten crooked dispositions , and to smoothen rough spirits ; his doctrine was a doctrine of repentance , luk. 3.3 . he came into all the countries about iordan , preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins . and in mat. 3.1 , 2. it is said , iohn came preaching in the wilderness of iudea , and saying , repent ye , for the kingdom of hea●en is at hand . iohn preached the law to convince men of sin , and to awaken them unto repentance ; he telleth sinners plainly , that they were a generation of vipers ; doth not spare the hypocritical pha●isees , who boasted so much in their priviledges , but were grosly deficient in moral duties ; he telleth them of gods ax which was laid to the root of the tree , ready to cut them down if they did not ●epent ; he telleth of the unquenchable fire which they should be cast into , if they did not reform . the word of repentance is a necessary word unto salva●tion , and therefore is necessary to be preached to all and what iohn the baptist cryed in the wilderness , would cry in your ears this day , repent . repent if yo● would have remission of sins . repent if you woul● be prepared for the entertainment of jesus chris● repent , or else you will all certainly perish , luk. 13.3 repent , or else iniquity will be your ruine , ezek 18.30 . repent , or else ye cannot be saved . when th●● jews who had crucified the lord of glory , heard peters sermon , which ripped up their sin , and they being pricked in their hearts , cry out to peter and the rest of the apostles , men and brethren , what shall we do ? act. 2.37 . we have committed a great sin , and what shall we now do ? what course shall we take that we may be saved from that eternal wrath and death which we have deserved ? the apostle directs them to repent for the remission of sin , vers . 38. and will not conscience accuse you of the guilt of sin ? are there no drunkards in this place ? no swearers ? none that have committed adultery , and been unclean in secret places ? no unrighteous persons that have defrauded their neighbour ? no sabbath-breakers , nor profane persons ? no lyars nor covetous persons ? and are not the most civil and morally honest of you all that are out of christ , guilty of many heart-sins , yea and lip-sins , and some gross slips in your life , which conscience doth sometimes twinge you for ? are not you guilty of impenitency and hardness of heart , and unbelief , and want of love to god , and his son , and neglect of your own salvation ? let me tell you all that have not yet repented , that unless ye repent , and that speedily , ye shall all perish certainly , and ye shall be miserable everlastingly . repent of your sins , mourn for sin , and turn from sin , or else you will weep for sin hereafter to no purpose , and burn for sin for ever . loath sin , and leave sin , or else christ will disdain you at the last day , and sentence you to depart from him into everlasting fire . confess sin , and forsake sin , or else you will finde no mercy here , nor end , or the least asswagement of misery in the other world . drunkards , repent of your sins , you have felt ( after your revellings , and excessive carousings ) your heads ake , and have vomited up your drink sometimes , o that you could now feel your hearts ake , and that you would vomit up your sin by repentance . swearers , repent of your sins ; you have taken gods name in vain , yea even torn it in pieces by your oaths , o that you would hallow gods name in confessing your sin , and that you would rend and tear your hearts with sorrow for the affronts you have by your oaths offered to the highest majesty . adulterers and unclean persons , repent of your sins ; you have tasted sweetness in your ●oul sins , o labour to taste bitterness in grief for your sins , that you may not feel the bitterness of hell torments , which without repentance will certainly be your portion . unrighteous persons , lyars , covetous persons , repent , or you will not escape gods righteous judgements . sabbath-breakers , get your hearts broken for your sins , or else god will break you to pieces with his iron rod. prophane persons , and all ye that have sinned more grosly , repent , and humble your selves before the lord the more deeply : the most crimson and scarlet ●ins may be washed away ; those who embrewed their hands in the blood of christ were forgiven upon repentance ; and there may be hope of remission for the worst of you if you repent . and you that have been more civil , yet under the power of some sin which hath reigned in your hearts , though it hath not broken forth so notoriously in your lives , and have moreover lived in the neglect of christ , and your own salvation by him , not perceiving your need so much of him . let me tell you , as our saviour told the scribes and pharisees , that sometimes publicans and harlots , the vilest and most notorious come into the kingdom of heaven sooner than you , because they are more readily awakened , and humbled , and made sensible of their need of christ , than the civil and fair dealing men and women who are very apt to lean and trust to their own righteousness , without such earnest seeking of the righteousness of christ to justifie them : therefore let me warn you also to repent of your sins , of heart-sins , and gospel-sins , which are the greatest sins , and will certainly sink you without repentance . look upon your own righteousness as filthy raggs , and cast it away , and loath your selves , and be perswaded , that if ever you be pardoned and saved , you must be as much beholding to free grace as the vilest sinner . 2. peter tells them that god sent a word of peace , which was preached by iesus christ. it is said , ioh. 1.17 . the law was given by moses , but grace and truth , and i may add peace too , came by iesus christ. the law which came by moses , was given for this end to lead men ; yea , it was a school-master to whip men to christ ; and god did enjoyn those legal services upon his people , that they might look to christ in them , and look for christ who should deliver them from that yoak of bondage . the law , which was from mount sinai , gendereth to bondage , and was given with thunderings and lightnings to awaken men ; and in preaching of the law god giveth a spirit of bondage to work men to fear and repentance : but christ came in a more mild way , and in a more soft and still voice preached peace , and the gospel of reconciliation . the word of peace was that which the angels preached unto the shepherds at christs birth , luk. 2.14 . glory be to god in the highest , on earth peace , and good will towards men . peace was that which christ preached in his life , ephes. 2.17 . he came and preached peace to you which were afar off , and to them which were nigh . peace was that which christ purchased by his death , col. 1.20 . he made peace by the blood of his cross. peace was that which he spake to his disciples at his appearance after his resurrection , ioh. 20.19 . iesus came and stood in the midst of them , and said , peace be unto you . peace he left with his disciples behind him as a legacy , when he was to go away from them , ioh. 14.27 . peace i leave with you , my peace i give unto you . and peace he commissioned his disciples to preach unto the world , mark 16.5 . go ye into all the world , and preach the gospel unto every creature : which gospel is a gospel of peace , containing glad tidings of good things , rom. 10.15 . christ preached peace , not peace with men ( though this also he would have his disciples endeavour after , as much as in them lyeth , to live peaceably with all men , rom. 12.28 . and to follow after peace with all men , so far as it consisteth with holiness , and a pure conscience , heb. 12.14 . ) for he tells his disciples , luk. 12.51 . suppose ye that i am come to give peace on earth , i tell you nay , but rather division . whatever peaceable disposition he taught , and his gospel doth work in the heart where it prevails , yet accidentally it causeth division , and stirreth up to opposition in those that will not yield obedience thereunto ; and therefore the world hate and contend with his disciples , because he hath chosen them out of the world ; wicked men have an enmity in their hearts against believers , and will not be at peace with them . but christ preached peace with god. christ came from heaven to bring this glad tydings to earth , that the god of heaven was willing to be at peace with sinfull men . it would not have been an easie thing to have made sinners believe ( especially if they had been convinced of sin , how heinous it is in its own nature , how highly it affronts and provokes the highest majesty ; if they had been awakened with a sense of the dreadfulness of the punishment which god hath threatned , and they had deserved for their sins ) that so great and holy a god should be willing to put up all affronts , and forgive all iniquities , and be at peace with sinners ; yea , that he should seek after it : they might have questioned not only how this could be , but also how any could have known it : but to put all out of doubt , christ the eternal son of god hath come forth from heaven , declaring what he hath heard of the father , and hath made known this , that god is willing to be at peace with us . christ was sent from the king of glory upon the embassage of peace , and he preached peace therefore unto men ; not unto all men , for isa. 57.21 . there is no peace to the wicked ; that is , to such as are impenitent and senseless of their sins , and go on still in their trespasses . christ threatned the wicked as severely as iohn baptist ; he tells the impenitent that they should perish , luk 13.3 . and the unbelievers , that they should die in their sins , ioh. 8.24 . and he calls the hypocritical pharisees ( who persevered in their opposition of him and his waies ) serpents and vipers that could not escape the damnation of hell , matth. 23.33 . but christ preached peace to all that repented , were troubled for their sins ; that mourned and turned ; that believed and yielded up themselves to the obedience of the gospel . he preached the gospel to the poor , to the bruised and broken , that is , such as were sensible of their sins , and their need of a saviour , luk. 4.18 . and we ministers have commission from the lord to preach peace to the children of men ; we are ministers of the gospel of peace ; unto us is committed the word of reconciliation , 2 cor. 5.19 . indeed we must sound the trumpet of war from heaven in the ears of secure sinners to awaken them ; but we are to hang out the white flag , and to come with olive branches of peace from god to them that tremble at gods word , and are humble for their sins . sinners , are there any among you , whose hearts the lord hath touched and bruised for sin , yea broken to shivers , and melted , and filled with grief and sorrow for a life of past-wickedness , that have not only legal terrours , but true evangelical repentance : i have a word of peace to deliver to such of you from the lord. god is willing to be at peace with you through his son : there is an advocate with the father , who is ready to make up the breach which sin hath made between god and your souls ; and god doth call you to lay hold on his strength , that you may make peace with him , and he promiseth that you shall make peace with him , isa. 27.5 . thus concerning the word of repentance and peace which peter tells cornelius , and them which were with him . sect . viii . 3. peter speaks to them of the lord jesus christ , by whom this peace was purchased , and the word of peace preached , and that , 1. concerning his vnction . 2. concerning his life . 3. concerning his miracles . 4. concerning his death . 5. concerning his resurrection . 6. concerning his ordination to be the iudge of the world. 7. concerning his mission of them to preach . 1. peter speaks to them concerning the vnction of christ. he tells them that god anointed jesus of nazareth with the holy ghost , and with power . god poured forth his spirit without measure upon christ , which qualified him for his offices , and he gave him power and authority to execute them . there is a threefold office which christ was anointed unto . 1. the priestly office. 2. the p●●phetical office. 3. the kingly office. 1. christ was anointed to the priestly office ; who offered up sacrifice to god , even a sin-offering and peace-offering , ●o make reconciliation for sin ; not the sacrifice of bulls and goats , or lambs , or rams , which could never of themselves take away guilt ; but he through the eternal spirit offered himself without spot to god , he offered the sacrifice of himself for a sweet-smelling savour , and shed his own blood for the remission of sins , by which blood having obtained eternal redemption for his people , he entered into the holy place not made with hands , which was but figurative , but into heaven it self , there to appear in the presence of god , to make intercession for them . christ is the great high priest , not after the order of aaron , who were many , and mortall , and sinfull , and their priesthood changeable ; but he is a high-priest for ever after the order of melchisedec ; hath an unchangeable priesthood , therefore is able to save all those to the uttermost that come unto god by him , seeing he ever liveth to make intercession in their behalf , heb. 7.25 . moreover , v. 26. he is holy , harmless , undefiled , seperate from sinners , and yet very tender and compassionate towards sinners , being touched with the feeling of our infirmities , and knows how to pity them which are tempted ; he is mercifull and he is faithfull too in this office which the lord hath anointed him unto . having therefore such an high-priest over the house of god , sinners have encouragement to draw neer unto god , with full assurance of acceptance through him , hebr. 10.21 , 22. 2. christ was anointed to the prophetical office : christ is that prophet whom the lord promised to raise up to his people like unto moses , deut. 18.15 . but is far greater than moses , who came down from heaven to preach the gospel of salvation to lost sinners ; who revealed the counsels of the father , which were hid from ages and generations , and kept secret untill his time , from the foundations of the world ; who discovered the purposes of gods love , and the promises of his grace , and brought life and immortality to light by the gospel . christ is the great prophet anointed by the father to teach his people by his word and spirit , who opens the eyes of the understanding which naturally is dark and blinde , and leads his people into all truth , who of themselves would wander into errour , without whose teachings there can be no saving light , nor spiritual discerning and relish of gospel mysteries . 3. christ was anointed unto the kingly office : peter in his sermon calls him lord of all . god hath given him a name above every name ; he hath exalted him above all principalities and powers , and might and dominion , both in heaven and earth , and hath put all things under his feet , and all power into his hand , and appointed him to be head over all unto his church . he is the king of saints , whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom , and whose scepter is a scepter of righteousness ; he hath given laws to his people with great wisdom , and ruleth in their hearts with great power , and whosoever will not submit to his scept●r to be ruled by his laws , he will break them in pieces with his i●on rod. thus concerning christs v●ction to his offices . 2. peter speaks to them concerning christs life ; that he went about doing good . his life was holy , free from sin , he did no evil , no injury to any man , he was harmless , his whole employment was to do good . never was there such a man living upon the face of the earth , who never committed any sin in his life , neither in thought , word , or deed . some indeed have said they had no sin , but they have lied ; for no man liveth that sinneth not : but christ was born without sin , and lived without sin ; he was perfectly good and righteous , and he did good . his life was exactly according to the rule ; he fulfilled the law not only by his passive , but also by his active obedience . 3. peter speaks to them concerning christs mi●acles , whereof they were witnesses : instance is given of his casting out devils , likely he told them of more , of his calming the winds and sea with a word , his feeding five thousand with five loaves , his opening the eyes of them which were born blinde , his raising the dead that had been buried several dayes , and the like ; which works were a testimony of his divinity , and that he came from the father . 4. peter speaks to them concerning christs death . him they slew and hanged upon a tree . christ humbled himself not only to take upon him our humane nature , to be born of a mean virgin , and live in a low condition , when he was lord of all , and god equall with the father , to take upon him the form of a servant ; but he humbled himself further , to become obedient unto death , even the death of the cross , phil. 2.6 , 7 , 8. it was a cursed , disgracefull , lingering and painfull death , which he endured , and however it was inflicted upon him by the hands of cruel , blood-thirsty men , yet it was according to the fore-appointment of god , for the satisfaction of gods justice , for the expiation of mans sin ; it was not only for an example of suffering to men , but in the room and stead of sinners , who otherwise must all have unavoidably perished ; and for the ratification of the new testament and covenant of grace : so that the salvation of man from sin and hell , and the inheritance of glory and happiness doth depend upon the death of christ which was the purchase hereof . 5. peter speaketh to them concerning christs resurrection . him hath god raised from the dead , and shewed openly . though christ dyed and was buried , yet the bands of death could not hold him , and the holy one did not see corruption ▪ his body was not so long in the grave as to put●●fie , but within three dayes he arose again from the dead , and was seen of mary magdalen first , after of two disciples as they went unto immaus , after of peter and all the apostles , after of above five hundred brethren at once . he was declared to be man by his death , he was declared to be the son of god with power , by the spirit of holiness in him , which raised him from the dead ; forty dayes he remained upon the earth after his resurrection , and then was caught up to the throne of god in the presence of his disciples , and there he that was dead is alive , and lives for evermore ; whose resurrection as it hath an influence upon the spiritual resurrection of his people from sin , who when dead in sin are quickened by the same spirit which raised him up : so it is the first fruits of the resurrection of his people from the grave , who in their order and gods appointed time shall be awakened out of their long sleep of death , and come forth of the dust , and be caught up to meet him in the air at his last appearance to judge the world , which is the next thing peter speaketh of christ. 6. peter speaketh to them concerning gods ordination of iesus christ to be the iudge of quick and dead . god hath appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness , and hath ordained jesus christ to be the judge ; who will so soon as the mystery is finished , and the elect are gathered , come down from heaven where now he is , with a great shout , and the sound of a trumpet , and awaken all the dead , and summon the whole world to his barr , and render unto all according to their works ; to them that have repented and believed , and by patient continuance in well-doing , have sought for glory and honour , and immortality , he will give eternal life ; but to them which have been impenitent and hard-hearted , and disobedient to the gospel , he will give indignation and wrath , tribulation and anguish , and sentence them to eternal death . 7. peter speaketh to them concerning christs mission of them to preach . he sent the apostles to preach repentance and remission of sins in his name ; and he hath appointed the office of the ministry to continue to the end of the world , for the calling and conversion of those which belong to the election of grace , and the building up and perfecting the saints which are called , untill they all come into the unity of the faith , and of the knowledge of the son of god , unto a perfect man , unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of christ , eph. 4.12 , 13. thus the apostle peter preacheth christ unto cornelius , and them which were with him . sect . ix . 4. and lastly , peter speaks to them concerning the way of salvation by christ , vers . 43. to him gave all the prophets witness , that through his name whosoever believeth in him should receive remission of sins . there is no name under heaven whereby we can be saved , but the name of christ , act. 4.11 . and there is no salvation by christ but by faith. when the jaylor with trembling enquired of paul and silas , what shall i do to be saved ? they tell him , believe in the lord iesus christ , and thou shalt be saved , act. 16.30 , 31. there are three arguments which will evidently prove , that all such as truely believe in christ do receive remission of sins , and consequently are in a state of salvation : the first may be drawn from christs satisfaction : the second from christs intercession : the third from the promises of the new testament . i. first from christs satisfaction . if christ hath fully satisfied gods justice for the sins of men , and this satisfaction be accepted by the father in the behalf of sinners ; and this satisfaction be imputed unto all them that truely believe in christ , as if they bad made it themselves : then all those that truely believe in christ , do receive remission of sins ; inasmuch as guilt being an obligation to punishment , and where satisfaction is made , this obligation is removed . ( 1. ) but first christ hath made satisfaction to gods justice for the sins of men ; he only was qualified to do it , and he hath actually done it . 1. christ only was qualified to do it ; no meer man could make it , because gods justice being infinite requireth an infinite satisfaction , and all creatures are finite : but christ was more than a creature , he was god and man in one person . it was necessary that he should be a creature , because otherwise he could not have suffered , the deity being impassible ; it was necessary he should be man , because gods justice required , that the same nature which did commit sin , the same nature should suffer punishment for it , gen. 2.17 . in the day thou eatest thereof , thou a man shalt die . therefore christ took not upon him the nature of angels , but the seed of abraham , heb. 2.16 . and it was necessary that he should be god ; because otherwise he could never have born up under , nor have got loose from that dreadfull punishment which was inflicted upon him : it would have sunk the whole creation under its weight : because otherwise his merits would not have been of infinite value , and fully satisfactory to gods justice : therefore he was god and man in one person , and so duly qualified to make satisfaction . 2. christ hath actually made satisfaction to gods justice for mans sin : he hath born the punishment which their sins did deserve , 1 pet. 2.24 . who his own self bare our sins , that is the punishment of our sins , in his own body on the tree , isa. 53.5 . he was wounded for our transgressions , and bruised for our iniquities , and the chastisment of our peace was upon him . and ephes. 5.2 . he hath given himself for us , an offering and sacrifice to god for a sweet smelling savour ; which leadeth to the second particular . ( 2. ) this satisfaction which christ hath made unto gods justice , is accepted in the behalf of sinners : there might be sufficiency of value in christs sufferings and sacrifice to make satisfaction for the sins of the whole world , and yet god might have required the satisfaction from the offending party , and received the debt from none but sinners themselves that owed it : but god hath accepted christs satisfaction , as is evident , 1. from gods eternal covenant with him , that if he would make his soul an offering for sin , he should see his seed , and should prosper in his work , isa. 53.10.2 . from his sealing and setting him apart for the office and work of mediatour , ioh. 6.27 . him hath god the father sealed . 3. from his mission or sending him into the world for this very end , ioh. 3.16 . gal. 4.5 . 4. from his owning of him when he was sent , and that both by a voice from heaven , saying , this is my beloved son in whom i am well pleased ▪ and by his large effusion of the spirit upon him , which did appear in his life so holy , his doctrine so pure , his miracles so powerfull . 5. from his raising him up from the dead on the third day , where he must have continued for ever , if having undertaken to satisfie , he had not done it , and it had not been accepted . 6. from his receiving him up into glory , and setting him at his right hand , and hearing his prayers in the behalf of sinners ▪ all which arguments do abundantly prove gods acceptation of christs satisfaction . ( 3. ) the satisfaction is as really imputed unto true believers , as if they had made it themselves . forasmuch as faith doth appropriate christ and his righteousness , and therefore christ is called ( speaking of believers ) the lord our righteousness , ier. 23.6 . and we are called ( through the imputation of the merits of his death by faith ) the righteousness of god in him , 2 cor. 5.21 . christs righteousness is made over to believers by faith as if it were their own . if then christ hath fully satisfied gods justice for the sins of men ; and this satisfaction is accepted by the father in behalf of sinners , and imputed unto all true believers , then all true believers are absolved from the guilt of sin ; and that not only upon the account of mercy , but justice too , which cannot require a double satisfaction ; therefore god is said , as he is just , to justifie them which believe , rom. 3.28 . ii. the second argument to prove , that all true believers do receive remission of sins , may be drawn from christs intercession . if christ doth intercede for the remission of sins , and this intercession be prevalent with the father , and all true believers have an interest in this intercession , then all true believers do receive remission of sins . 1. but first christ doth intercede for the remission of sins , heb. 7.25 . heb. 2.17 . he intercedeth for reconciliation , therefore for remission of sins . 2. this intercession is prevalent with the father . whatever christ prayed for on earth he obtained , ioh. 11.42 . surely then his intercession in heaven is prevalent , which might be made further evident from his neerness and interest in the father , from the dear love of the father unto him ; and because his intercession for remission of sins , is for that which he hath purchased by his death , and what the father hath purposed and promised , and is for his glory to give . 3. all true believers have an interest in christs intercession : having by faith an ▪ interest in christs person , they have an interest in christs intercession . iii. the third argument to prove that all true believers do receive remission of sins , may be drawn from the promise of remission of sins in the new testament , heb. 8.12 . i will be merciful unto their unrighteousness , and their sins and ●niquities will i remember no more . which new testament is of full force through the death of christ the testator , heb. 9.16 , 17. and believers have an interest in , and by faith do apply the promises to themselves ; therefore true believers do receive remission of sins . thus concerning peters sermon to cornelius , and them which were with him , and the words which he spake to them whereby they were saved . sect . x. 3. the third thing is to shew , how ministers must tell people words whereby they may be saved . now this must be done 1. sincerely . 2. plainly . 3. convincingly . 4. boldly . 5. compassionately . 6. warmly . 7. earnestly . 8. frequently . 1. ministers must preach the words of salvation sincerely , and that both as to the matter , and as to the design . 1. as to the matter , the doctrine of salvation which they preach , must be sincere ; in doctrine they must shew uncorruptness , sincerity ▪ sound speech , which cannot be condemned , tit. 2.7 , 8. the apostle complains of many who corrupt the word , 2 cor. 2.17 . the word is corrupted when the scripture is wrested , and the sense perverted , when errours and damnable opinions are broached and vented for truths , and mingled with some truths of the word , which will bring destruction and not salvation to them that receive them , 2 pet. 3.16 . ministers must draw forth the pure waters of the sanctuary out of the fountain of the scripture , and the sincere milk of the word out of the two breasts of the old and new testament , 1 pet. 2.2 . they must deal forth the wholesome food of sound doctrine , which is according to godliness , called words of our lord jesus christ , and words of faith whereby the receivers may be nourished , 1 tim. 4.6 . chap. 6.3 . 2. as to the design , ministers must have a sincere design in preaching the word of salvation ; like the apostle paul with his fellow-ministers , 2 cor. 2.17 . but we are of sincerity as of god , in the sight of god speak we in christ. they preached neither corrupt doctrine , neither had they corrupt designs , but were sincere in their preaching , as of god , as sent of god , as embassadours of god , the great king of heaven ; as in the sight of god , who searched the heart , and could discern what their aims were unto whom they endeavoured to approve themselves ; as in christ , as in the room of christ , as christ preached when he was upon the earth ; or as in christ , as those which were ingrafted into christ , and had an interest in christ themselves , and therefore did sincerely endeavour the bringing of others to him . the chief design of ministers in preaching , should be the glory of god , and the salvation of them that hear them . 1. the glory of god above all should swey with them , not their own glory and esteem , nor of men sought we glory , 1 thes. 2.6 . they must sincerely endeavour the magnifying , not of their own name , but the name of god ; and the promoting not of themselves , but of their master in the esteem of men : if some kind of discourse would advance their lords name and honour , though their own reputation should hereby be lessened amongst some , they must use it ; and if on the contrary they could gain much honour to themselves by some kind of preaching wherein they might appear in great flourish of words , and give delight to the fan●y by the ostentation of their wit and ingenuity ; but their masters were not like to be glorified , nor the souls of their hearers soundly edified , they ought herein to deny themselves . 2. ministers must design in their preaching , the salvation of their hearers ; they must not use the word as a clo●k for covetousness , and design the gain●ng of filthy lucre to themselves ; but the gaining of souls to jesus christ ; they must not endeavour to make a gain of their hearers ; a gain of their souls they ought to endeavour after , but not a g●in of their estates , as the pharisees , who made long prayers , that they might devour widdows houses ▪ they must not chi●fly seek any profit , or earthly emolument unto themselves , but the profit of their hear●rs , that they might be saved . when the apostle was crafty , as he tells the corinthians , 2 cor. 12.16 . he was sincere ; and when he used some kind of gu●le , it was to catch them from destruction , unto which they were hastening ; it was in spreading the gospel net most cunningly to draw them out of that stream of sin in which they were swimming towards the ocean of gods wrath . 2. ministers must preach the words of salvation plainly , not with wisdom of words , as 1 cor. 1.17 . not with excellency of speech , or of wisdom , or with enticing words of mans wisdom , chap. 2.4 . but with plainness of speech , such as is most intelligible and edifying , such as is most likely to attain the end of preaching most effectually ; some kind of wisdom of words doth both obscure and enervate the sermons that are stufft with it , and therefore should be forborn . not that all wisdom of words , or humane wisdom is to be forborn : for , 1. it is lawfull for ministers in preaching to make use of the most apt , proper and significant words : there are some words which are more ponderous and weighty , which carry a greater force and evidence , and perspicuity than others ; which ministers should make use of for the more effectual clearing and pressing their matter ; and of all words those which we finde in the scripture are the most weighty , which having oftentimes more significancy in the original than in the translation , therefore ministers should be acquainted with the original tongues , that they may have the more full understanding of the meaning of god in his word , themselves , and that they may the better explain it to others . 2. it is lawfull for ministers to use some kinde of eloquence in their preaching . it was the commendation which the scripture gave of apollos , that he was an eloquent man , act. 13.24 . variety and fluency of expression in explaining and proving , in applying and pressing the truths of the word , is of singular use . there is much rhetorick and divine eloquence , especially in some parts of the scripture , which ministers in preaching may make use of and imitate . 3. it is lawfull for ministers to make use of philosophy and humane reason in preaching the gospel ; logick is needfull for the regulating of thoughts , the methodizing of discourse , the distinguishing between things that differ , the defining and explaining of things that are obscure , the ordering , deciding and determining of controversies : ethicks , physicks , especially metaphysicks are very usefull unto a minister , for the refining of his understanding , and enabling him to speak the more clearly and edifyingly to others , and to defend the truth against such as do oppose it . but there is a wisdom of words which may not be used by ministers in preaching . 1. ministers must not in preaching shew more wisdom in their words than in their matter ; and study more for outward shew than for inward substance ; more that their sermons be well worded , than that their doctrine be well proved ; more that their sentences may have a handsome close , than that their arguments be conclusive : it ill becomes thin and weak sense to be cloathed with fine and neat speech : ministers must take heed that their matter be not drowned and lost in the stream and abundance of words . such whose wisdom and art doth shew it self in gathering a bundle and heap of the finest words together , neglecting substantiall matter , their wisdom is but folly , and pains to little purpose . words may fill the ear ; things soak and sink into the soul to edification . 2. ministers must not ordinarily in preaching make use of words of another language which the people do not understand ; nor fill their sermons with quotations and allegations out of fathers , school-men , and other authors , which doth but stun and amuze ordinary and the generality of hearers , and savours mostly of ostentation , but tends to little edification . though the apostle could speak with more tongues than any beside , yet in the church he chooseth to speak five words in the known tongue to edifie , than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue , 1 cor. 14.18 , 19. indeed original words sometimes may be mentioned with their interpretation , as the tongues were to be used in the church , 1 cor. 14. and authors may be quoted , when there is real need , so it be done rarely and soberly ; but for ministers to enterlard their sermons all over with greek and latine , and sayings of men , they must needs leave out much of the word of god which they might use , and it cannot be so profitable for the hearers . 3. ministers must not use such words and speeches as gender strife , i mean the perverse disputings which sceptical philosophy will put them upon , whereby they may be spoyl'd , and deceive both themselves and others , through the errors and mistakes , which hereby they may run into . 4. ministers must not use in preaching too much neatness of speech , and humane eloquence : the most excellent , and enticing words of mans wisdom the apostle did forbear , 1 cor. 2.4 . it is not needfull for a minister to read all heathen poets and orators , that he may fill his sermons with their fancies and rhetorical expressions ; but he should chiefly fetch his rhetorick from the bible ; indeed apollos was commended for his eloquence , act. 13.24 . not humane eloquence but divine . it is not said , he was mighty in other learning , but mighty in the scriptures ; not mighty in the writings of heathens , but mighty in the writings of god ; his eloquence was drawn from the word , which is most persuasive . the lord doth not require that his ministers should preach the gospel neatly , but plainly ; the former may make them esteemed as the better scholars , but the latter wil● make their hearers the better christians : that way of preaching th●y should use which is most intelligible and profitable , not that which is most learned and scholastical , melius est ut nos reprehendant grammatici , quàm non intelligant populi ; saith one , that could speak in an eloquent strein . it is better that grammarians should reprehend us , than that the people should not understand us : and he desired that since the vulgar could not ascend so high as to understand a more refined language , that learned men would stoop so low as to accommodate their speech to their capacities . thus ministers must preach the gospel , not with wisdom of words , but with plainness of speech . there is a light in the gospel , the purest and most glorious that ever shined ; wisdom of words doth darken and obscure this light , it doth ●ully the truths which shine most when they are naked without such ornaments : it is like a bright cloud between us and the sun , which keeps off the greater light , like painting of a diamond or a beautifull face . there is a power go●th along with the word preached to convert sinners . heb. 4.12 . the word is compared to a sharp , two-edged sword , piercing and separating between the joynts and the marrow , between sin and the soul , which are more neer than marrow is to the bone ; but wisdom of words , or humane eloquence doth guild as it were the edge of the sword , which takes away its sharpness ; or is like to a rich scabbard , which delights the eye , and pleaseth the fancy , but keeps the sword from entring the bowels and wounding the conscience : it is in plain preaching that the sword is drawn forth naked , which makes the sinner slie or yield . plain preaching is the most effectual means to pull down the strong holds of sin and satan , and to draw men unto a closure with jesus christ. humane wisdom usually puffeth up both them that use it , and those that hear it . humane wisdom is apt to beget an humane faith , which standeth in the wisdom of men ; plain preaching begetteth faith which standeth in the power of god. there is no such edification as in plain preaching : in plain preaching , the bread of life and wholsom food of the word is distributed ; but humane wisdom is like hey and stubble , which is food for horses and not for men ; so humane wisdom may please and best agree with natural and bruitish men , but true christians cannot feed upon it ; it is no more suitable to their spiritual appetite than hey and stubble is to their naturall . it is like pictures in learn●d books , which may delight children , a scholar doth not regard the pictures , but the writing ; the word of god doth feed and edifie a gracious heart when it is preached plainly and homely ; humane wisdom , or wisdom of words in preaching , doth take away much of the taste and relish , and doth hinder its vertue and operation . the word is compared to milk , which must be sincere , to food which must be simple and uncompounded , that it may nourish and strengthen the body : it is compared to wine that must be unmixed that it may chear and refresh the spirits ; wisdom of words is like water , or rather like some fulsome liquor mingled with the wine , which doth much invalidate and render it nauseous unto the appetite of the new creature . ministers therefore must preach the word plainly , that they may do it edifyingly : they must not use wisdom of words , which will evacuate the cross of christ , and render their preaching ineffectual , and put a cloud between the light and the eye , especially of the ordinary hearers ; much less may they use mysteriousness of words , dark sayings , and high-●lown notions , that shall puzzle the mindes of the wisest to guess at the meaning of : they must not in preaching make plain things difficult by their way of expressing them , as many do , but make more difficult things plain , they must preach plainly . i have been more large in this head , i shall be more brief in the rest . 3. ministers must preach the words of salvation convincingly . they should preach so as to convince the judgement of truth , and to convince the conscience of sin , and therefore they should preach in the evidence and demonstration of the spirit , 1 cor. 2.4 . 1. ministers should labour to speak so as to convince the judgement of the truth which they preach . they must not only assert truths , but prove them ; they must hold forth the word of faith with a clear evidencing light , and hold fast the word in a strenuous defence of it against opposers , and with sound doctrine they must not only exhort but also convince gainsayers , tit. 1.9 . ministers should make manifest the words of salvation which they preach , that they are the words of the god of truth , with whom dwells no errour or falshood : they should prove by undenyable arguments that the scriptures are of divine authority , and therefore as full of truth as the sun is full of light ; and then they should prove the doctrine which they preach by the word , and that with such reason for the belief of it , that no reason may be left to contradict it . ministers should be shining lights in the places where they live , dispersing abroad the bright beams of gospel-truths with such power and conviction , as may be sufficient through the concurrence of the spirit to vanquish and dispell all those clouds of ignorance which the minds of men naturally are filled withall . 2. ministers should preach so as to convince not only the judgement of truth , but also so as to convince the conscience of sin ; and that they may do this , they must not rest in general discourses of the nature of sin , but particularly apply themselves to their hearers , and reprove them homely and sharply for their particular sins : they must not sow pillows under the elbows of secure sinners , and deal gently , fearing to touch the soars of some , lest they lift up the heel against them ; but with all faithfulness they must tell all of their sins , and endeavour to awaken them by discovery of their danger ; their words must be like nails and goads which will prick unto the quick ; they must lance and rip up the soars , that they may be healed ; they must cry aloud and spare not ; they must lift up their voice like a trumpet , and cause the people to know their iniquities ; they must bend the bow , and shoot the arrows of bitter and sharp reproof into guilty consciences ; they must draw forth the sword of the spirit , which is the word of god , and therewith lay about them in gods name , and as those which are in gods room , and lash and wound sinners to the very heart , that have been so audacious as to break gods law ▪ they should endeavour to make the sword enter into the soul with such a force that sinners being convinced , judged , and condemned , may with trembling fall down , and in perplexity cry out , as those did whom peter had convinced of their great sin in crucifying the lord of glory , act. 2. men and brethren what shall we do ? 4. ministers must preach the words of salvation boldly : this the apostle desires prayers for himself to the lord that he might be enabled to do , eph. 6.19 , 20. and for me , that utterance may be given unto me , that i may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel ; for which i am an ambassadour in bonds , that therein i may speak boldly as i ought to speak . ministers should deliver their message with all boldness and authority , as being the ambassadours of the king of glory ; they should speak boldly without shame and without fear . 1. they should speak boldly without shame , as paul , rom : 1.16 . i am not ashamed of the gospel of christ , for it is the power of god unto salvation , unto every one that believeth ; the preaching of the gospel is accounted folly by some of great account in the world for wisdom ; and the preachers of the gospel are accounted fools , and despised : some reproach them , others mock and deride them , especially when they preach in such plain language as is most easie for all to understand ; but ministers must preach boldly , notwithstanding all the scoffs of the ungodly and profane ; and in a good sense they may glory in their shame ; for indeed that which the wicked do make the matter of scorn and shame , is matter of the greatest glory ; it is the honour of ministers to preach the gospel of salvation , such an honour as the lord hath not conferred upon the angels ( as hath been shewn ) and therefore they should preach boldly without shame . 2. ministers should preach boldly without fear , they must deliver the message they are entrusted withall by god , without fear of the face of men . 1 thess. 2.2 . we were bold in our god , to speak unto you the gospel of god with much contention . though the wicked contend with them , and oppose , though they persecute and do what they can to hinder them ; though they command them to preach no more , and would stop their mouths , and threaten imprisonment , banishment , death ; yet being intrusted with the gospel , they must preach the gospel with all boldness : this was the practice of the primitive ministers when they were threatned for preaching , act. 4.29 . and now lord , behold their threatnings , and grant unto thy servants that with all boldness they may speak thy word ; and this is the duty of all ministers , if god open to them a door of opportunity to preach , they should open their mouths boldly to declare the mysteries of salvation , whatever danger they may incurr of sufferings hereby . men may say , wo be to you , if you do preach the gospel ; but when god saith , wo be to you if you do not preach , they have reason to fear and obey god rather than men. 5. ministers must preach the words of salvation compassionately . the apostle paul writes to the corinthians with many tears , 2 cor. 2.4 . and he preacheth to the ephesians with many tears , act. 20.19 . o what tender bowels of compassion should ministers have towards poor souls in preaching the gospel of salvation to them ! how should they pity sinners that lie w●ltring in their blood , that have no pity for themselves , that are cruel to their own souls , that are wounding themselves , as being more distracted than the man we read of , who tore his own flesh , and cut himself with stones ? mark 5.5 . how should they commiserate sinners that are wounding their consciences by sin , not knowing what they do , and are posting on in the broad way unto destruction and eternal misery , not knowing whither they go , that are running against a rock , which will dash them to pieces , and ready to leap into flames , where they must burn for ever ? ministers should weep and bleed over such , and with the greatest tenderness tell them of their danger , and shew them the inevitable ruine which is before them , and beseech them to turn from their evil wayes , that iniquity may not be their ruine , and accept of jesus christ , by whom they may attain salvation . ministers should be ready to beseech sinners upon their knees ( if that would do ) that they would not destroy themselves : o turn ye , turn ye , why will you die ? and be ready to lay their hands under their feet , ( if that would move them ) to put their feet into the narrow way of salvation . 6. ministers must preach the words of salvation warmly ; and that both with a warm love to the souls they preach unto , and with a warm sense of what they preach upon their own spirits . 1. they must preach with a warm love to souls , as the apostle with other ministers to the thessalonians , 1 thess. 2.8 . so being affectionately desirous of you we were willing to have imparted unto you not the gospel of god only , but also our own souls , because ye were dear unto us , ministers should preach the gospel with such ardent affection to souls , and thirsting desires after their salvation , so as to be willing to pluck out their hearts , and give them to their hearers , if this would promote their salvation ; they should be ready to spend themselves and be spent , and not think much to consume themselves with fervour of heart towards , and for the good of poor souls . 2. ministers should preach with a warm sense of what they preach upon their own spirits , as those that have been under the impressions of the word , and have experienced the powerful operations thereof unto their own salvation . moreover , they should get their hearts affected more and more with the words which they preach , that they may preach the more feelingly ; that they may speak as if they were in earnest , as those that believe and know those things to be true which they deliver unto others . cold or lukewarm preaching usually makes little impression upon the hearers ; when the word doth little affect the heart of the minister , it doth seldom affect the heart of the people . when ministers preach sermons as scholars speak orations , in which they have no concernment , only to shew their good language and ingenuity , they may possibly gain applause amongst some of a slight and trivial spirit , but they are not like to gain souls ; the word must come from the heart that is likely to reach the heart . ministers must preach warmly if they would preach affectingly . 7. ministers must preach the words of salvation earnestly . ministers must be very earnest in their preaching with souls to endeavour after their salvation ; they must use all the persuasive arguments and motives they can think of that they may prevail ; tell them of the necessity hereof , of the manifold advantages , of the honour they shall attain hereby , and the unspeakable pleasures ; tell them of the great evils they are under , and the greater evils they are exposed unto whilest they are out of a s●ate of salvation : and then they must urge arguments as fully , and press upon them as homely as they can ; and use the greatest importunity with them , as if they were begging for their own lives , as if their own salvation and happiness were bound up with their hearers ; they should take no denyal , if possibly a grant may be obtained , they must call and cry , and pray , invite and wooe , and intreat that sinners would come to christ , that they may be saved by him . 8. and lastly , ministers must preach the words of salvation frequently ; they must lay hold on all opportunities to call sinners to christ , they must be instant in season and out of season , 2 tim. 4.2 . on the sabbath-day , on the week-day : in the morning they should sow the seed of the word , and the evening they should not with-hold their hand , because they do not know which the lord will prosper . thus you see how ministers are to tell people words whereby they may be saved . sect . xi . 4. the fourth thing is to shew , why ministers must tell people words whereby they may be saved . reas. 1. because they have a commission to do it . mark 16.15 , 16. and he said unto them , go ye into all the world , and preach the gospel unto every creature ; he that believeth and is baptized , shall be saved ; he that believeth not shall be damned . they are the words of our saviour , who being the king and head of the church , had power to make church-officers , and to give commissions ; he commissioneth his apostles in the first place to preach the gospel of salvation , and in them all his other succeeding ministers unto the end of the world , with whom he promiseth to be , so long as the sun should endure , math. 28.20 . ministers they are christs ambassadours , 2 cor. 5.20 . and they have a commission from heaven to declare the glad tydings of salvation , to give notice to the world out of the word , of the saviour which god hath provided for fallen , lost sinners , and the way of salvation by him ; to make known the covenant of grace which the lord hath made with men through his son , and the exceeding great and precious promises of pardon , and grace , and salvation ; all which promises are yea and amen in christ , who hath purchased with his blood whatever is promised in the covenant . ministers have a commission to preach the gospel , and they may do it authoritatively , and they ought to do it , it being their duty , and the great work they have to do in the world. reas. 2. because the lord hath qualified them for this work , not only by bringing them into a state of salvation , but also by pouring forth his spirit more plentifully upon them , and bestowing ministerial gifts upon them , utterance in preaching , prayer , &c. for this end , that they might shew men the way of salvation . reas. 3. because they must give an account of the souls which are committed to their charge , and wo be to them if they do not preach the gospel , 1 cor. 9.16 . ministers that neglect to shew men the way of salvation will have a fearfull account to give , they draw upon themselves the guilt of the blood of souls . they are the lords watchmen , and if they do not blow the trumpet , and tell sinners of their sin and danger , and how they may be saved by jesus christ , sinners indeed will dye in their sins , but their blood will the lord require at the watchmans hands , ezek. 33.8 . knowing therefore the terrour of the lord , we perswade men , saith the apostle , 2 cor. 5.10 . knowing the terrour of the lord , not only in respect of the people which we preach unto , how terrible the lord will be unto them at the last day , if they be found under the guilt of sin ; but also knowing the terrour of the lord in respect of our selves , how terrible the lord will be unto us , ●f we be found unfaithfull , we perswade men to endeavour their salvation , and to flee from the dreadfull wrath which is to come . reas. 4. because by telling people words whereby they may be saved , ministers may be instrumental not only to save themselves , but also to save them that hear them . god is most glorified in the salvation of souls , and it is the greatest glory of ministers to be made instrumental herein ; it is better to be the father of one soul , than to be heir to the largest revenues upon the earth : but if they be instrumental to turn many to righteousness , they shall receive a crown of glory which fadeth not away , at the appearance of the great shepheard , 1 pet. 5.4 . they shall shine not only as the brightness of the firmament , but also like starrs for ever and ever , dan. 12.3 . sect . xii . vse 1. are ministers to tell people words whereby they may be saved ? hence learn what a priviledge such people enjoy , that have liberty to hear such ministers as are faithfull in declaring the glad tydings of salvation . we read of some temporal blessings which render a people subordinately happy , psal. 144.12 , 13 , 14 , 15. when their sons spring and grow up like pleasant plants in their garden ; when their daughters are like the polished corner-stones of a palace ; when their garners are full and replenished with all manner of store ; when their sheep increase in their fields by thousands and ten thousands ; when their oxen are strong to labour , when there is a hedge about their substance without any breaches ; when there is no complaining in the streets through wrong and injury ; happy are the people saith the psalmist that are in such a case ; but far more happy are the people that enjoy spiritual priviledges , that hear the joyfull sound of the gospel , that have ministers to shew them how they may be saved from eternal death and wrath which they have deserved , and by sin are exposed unto . moreover , you may here learn the reason why so many people , especially those who most seriously and earnestly desire and endeavour their salvation , choose to hear ministers preach rather than others ; because they are commissioned by the lord to preach the word of salvation , and their ministry is most likely to be effectual : others may preach without a commission the same words and do no good , for want of gods blessing ; it is not the bare speaking the words of salvation that will bring salvation , but the revelation of gods arm and operation of his spirit with the ministry of the word : as when our saviour raised lazarus from the dead , he cryed with a loud voice , lazarus come forth , and he that was dead received life , and came forth , ioh. 11.43 , 44. others could have spoken the same words as our saviour , and cryed over the grave with as loud a voice , lazarus come forth , but with no effect ; the dead man would have remained still in the state of the dead , whatever any man could have spoken or done ; but when our saviour spake the words , the dead man was quickened ; there went forth a vertue and efficacy , a divine power and spirit with our saviours words which raised him from the dead ; so uncommissioned persons may entrench upon the work of the ministry , and preach the gospel , speak words of salvation , and cry to sinners to leave their sins , to arise from their spiritual death , to come forth from their graves , they may exhort them to repent and believe , that they may be saved , and yet none of their words be likely to take impression , and effect a saving change in the heart , because being out of gods way they cannot expect gods blessing ; but ministers are qualified and commissioned for the work , and through gods blessing there is a life and power goeth along with their preaching , which maketh it effectual for salvation : no wonder then if such as are led by the spirit do choose to hear ministers preach ( refusing others ) that they may be safely guided by them in the way of life and salvation . sect . xiii . vse 2. for reproof 1. of ministers . 2. of people . ( 1. ) are ministers to tell people words whereby they may be saved ? this then reproves such ministers , 1. as do not preach at all : 2. as do not preach soul-saving truths : 3. as do not preach in such a way as is likely to do good . but my business being chiefly to speak unto people , i shall pass by this use. ( 2. ) people are here to be reproved , unto whom the lord sends faithfull ministers to tell them such words whereby they may be saved . 1. it reproves such as persecute such ministers ; that are of such a spirit as the wicked iewes of old spoken of , 1 thess. 2.15 , 16. who both killed the lord iesus and their own prophets , and persecuted us ; and they please not god , and are contrary unto all men ; forbidding us to speak to the gentiles , that they may be saved , to fill up their sin alway , for wrath is come upon them to the uttermost . some there are that persecute ministers with the tongue , by reproaching of them , others persecute ministers with the hand by imprisoning of them , and many other wayes afflicting of them , seeking the extirpation of them , as persons not fit to live upon the face of the earth ; thus ungratefully they endeavour the ruine of them that desire and seek their salvation , and foolishly endeavour to blow out the light which would shew them the way to heaven . 2. it reproves such , who if they do not persecute ministers , yet hate them , bear a secret spight and enmity in their hearts against them ; and the reason is because they testifie that their works are evil , upon which account our saviour was hated , ioh. 7.7 . they hate them because they reprove them for their sins , and disturb their consciences sometimes , by sounding peals of judgement in their ears , that they cannot sin with that freedom and security as they desire : poor souls , how will they endure the pains of hell themselves , that cannot endure the sore-thoughts of them , and hate them which bring such sad thoughts into their mindes , though it be in order to their escape ? would any of you hate a neighbour that should cry aloud in the dead of the night , fire , fire , and bounce at your doors , and awaken you out of your sleep , to warn you of a fire drawing neer to your habitation , which if not prevented would burn house and goods and persons together ? and what do ministers more than cry fire , fire , and tell you of your near approach to everlasting burnings , in which without some speedy course taken for prevention , will certainly seize upon you , and consume you everlastingly ? and have any reason to be troubled and offended , and hate ministers for awakening them upon such an account as this , when their souls lie at stake , and are in such danger ? a physician of the body is not hated , that tells his patient that his disease is dangerous , which if let alone without taking such a remedy will certainly be his death : and have any reason to hate ministers who are physicians of the soul , because they tell men of the disease of sin , which if not cured by the blood of christ will certainly and may suddenly bring eternal death ? 3. it reproves such , who if they do not so deeply hate ministers , yet will not be perswaded to hear them ; such as are so drencht in the world , and so over head and ears in worldly business , that they minde nothing else . if any could tell them of a good bargain , or some notable way of thriving in their estates , such a one they would visit and hear , and o how would they relish such discourses ! but though ministers give notice of the best bargain that ever was made , and bring tydings of the most notable way of thriving , namely of the way of thriving in spiritual and heavenly riches , and shew men how they may gain pardon , and peace , and the favour of god , and the graces of the spirit , and escape future misery , and attain salvation and everlasting happiness ; yet like gallio they minde none of these things , they will not step over the threshold to hear ministers preach the gospel of salvation ; and how shall they escape who neglect so great salvation ? heb. 2.3 . 4. it reproves such , who if they do hear ministers , yet do not understand them ; that are so dull of hearing , that they know not what ministers say , nor whereof they affirm ; that gather about a minister as beasts about a man that sounds a trumpet , and stare upon him , but know not what the meaning of the sound is ; so they hear ministers , and look and stare upon them , some strange things are brought to their ears , which they know not the meaning of , and are like words of another language to them , because their eyes are closed , and they want spiritual sense and discerning ; and a great reason is , because they do not desire , and will not take pains to get an understanding in these things , by beginning first with the principles of religion in the catechisme , and begging earnestly for the teachings of the spirit , and readiness to do according to what they already know . 5. it reproves such , who if they have some notional knowledge of the doctrine of salvation preached by ministers , yet they do not believe the doctrine : their words seem to them like idle tales , or some cunningly devised fable ; they do not receive it as the word of truth , as the word of god , which effectually worketh in them that believe , 1 thess. 2.3 . they feel no effectual operation of the word in the change of their hearts , and the change of their lives ; they that were filthy are filthy still ; and they that were unjust are unjust still ; and they that were drunkards , and swearers , and the like , go on still in their sinful course , whatever notion they have of sin , and whatever discovery of their danger , and saviour , and way of salvation by him ; which is an evidence that they do not believe ; and this unbelief is the great god-provoking and soul-damning sin ; such make god a lyar , 1 ioh. 5.10 . but they will find him to be true to their cost and pain . 6. it reproves such , who if they have some notional knowledge , and historical faith , yet do not relish the words of salvation which are preached by ministers ; 1. those that do not relish the things , who make no account of salvation , as if there were no desireableness therein : 2. those that if they desire salvation from hell-torments and future misery , yet they do not relish the terms , they do not like the lords yoak , they will not bear his cross , they will not be perswaded to deny themselves , to mortifie the deeds of the body ; they could like to be saved from hell , but they do not like to be saved from sin ; they could like to have christ to be their high-priest and advocate , but they will not have him to be their king and lord , and will not have him to reign over them : to part with all sin , and to be universally holy , to lay down estate , liberty , life it self , at the lords feer , and be resolved to suffer the loss of all , if they stand in competition with christ ; are such hard sayings that they cannot bear : but how hard will it be for them to bear the loss of heaven and happiness , and endure the dreadfull , eternal wrath of god in hell , as they shall certainly do , who will not accept of salvation upon the terms of the gospel . sect . xiv . vse 3. are ministers to tell people words whereby they may be saved ? i shall then endeavour to put in practice this duty of ministers , in telling you words whereby you may be saved . in order to your salvation , i shall speak , 1. some words to try you whether you be in a state of salvation . 2. some words to move you to endeavour after your salvation . 3. some words to guide you in the way to attain salvation . 1. the first words shall be to try you , whether you be in a state of salvation ; and here i must put you upon the tryall of your selves , wherein i may give you some help ; take the exhortation of the apostle , 2 cor. 13.5 . examine your selves , whether ye be in the faith , prove your own selves . examine your selves by the rule of the word : and because these words are chiefly intended in order to the salvation of such as have not yet attained it ; to prepare them for the following motives and directions , which , if they mistook themselves to have already attained to a state of salvation , would likely do them no good : therefore i shall briefly out of the word of god give some characters of such as are not in a state of salvation . 1. ignorant persons are not in a state of salvation . see this isa. 27.11 . it is a people of no understanding , therefore he that made them will not have mercy on them , and he that formed them will shew them no favour : those that are grosly ignorant of the fundamental truths of religion , concerning god and christ , the lost estate of man since the fall , the way of salvation , repentance , faith , the resurrection from the dead , the last judgement , and the future rewards and punishments in heaven and hell , and the like principles of religion , which are necessary to be known in order to salvation , they cannot for the present be in a state of salvation ; the meanest understanding is capable of knowing these things by the teachings of the word and spirit , therefore such as do neglect the means of instruction , and do not search the word , and cry to god for it , but nuzzle up themselves in an affected ignorance in these things , are inexcusable in their fault , and will bring unavoidable destruction upon themselves , hos. 4.6 . my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge . 2. negligent persons are not in a state of salvation , i mean such as neglect their salvation . heb. 2.3 . how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation ? such as do not value and prize this great salvation purchased by christ , and published in the gospel ; such as never were made sensible of their need hereof ; such as never had any great desires after it ; such as never took any pains in the use of means to obtain it ; all which are evidences of their neglect , they cannot escape the dreadfull punishment of hell , which is prepared for such persons . such as are diligent to make provision for their bodies , but neglect the salvation of their souls ; if they persevere in this negligence they must needs miss of salvation . 3. impenitent persons are not in a state of salvation . luk. 13.3 . except ye repent , ye shall all likewise perish . all are guilty of sin original , and actual , and have matter for repentance ; such as have an obdurate and impenitent heart , which never was broken , and melted , and humbled ; which never was affected with true evangelical sorrow for sin ; but on the contrary , can commit sin with delight , rolling it as a sweet morsel under their tongue , which they will not part withall , they must needs perish everlastingly , if they should die in this estate ; the word is express , that iniquity will be the ruine of the impenitent , ezek. 18 30. 4. vnregenerate persons are not in a state of salvation . ioh. 3.3 . except a man be born again , he cannot see the kingdom of god. such as never had a gracious change wrought in their hearts , that are asleep in sin , and never were awakened ; as are dead in sin , and never were quickened ; such as have old natures and old hearts , and never were renewed ; that never put off as concerning their former conversation the old man which is corrupt , according to deceitfull ●usts , and put on the new man , which is created in righteousness and true holiness , eph. 4.22 , 24. they are uncapable whilest such , of this salvation , there is no entrance for them into the kingdom of heaven . 5. christless persons are not in a state of salvation , 2 cor. 13.5 . know ye not your own selves , that iesus christ is in you , except ye be reprobates . such as have not christ , and are not themselves in christ , they are for the present in a state of reprobation ; it is christ only can save ; those that are without christ , that are not united to him by faith and the spirit , that are unbelievers without faith , and carnal without the spirit , they cannot , whilest such , be saved . 6. vnsanctified persons are not in a state of salvation . heb. 12.14 . without holiness none shall see god. such as are unholy , such as live after the flesh shall die , none but those that through the spirit do mortifie the deeds of the body shall live , rom. 8.13 . 7. and in a word , disobedient persons are not in a state of salvation . heb. 5.9 . he became the author of eternal salvation to all them that obey him , to none else ; and eph. 5.6 . the wrath of god cometh upon the children of disobedience . such as walk in a course of disobedience , as live and allow themselves in the practice of known sins , whatever they be , they are children of wrath because children of disobedience . the scriptures are so plain , that i need without many words of mine , only lay them before you , as a glass wherein you may discern your spiritual state . try your selves by these places , these texts will reach all that are not in a state of salvation . sect . xv. ii. the second words shall be to move you to endeavour after your salvation . the motives to stir up you to endeavour your salvation may be drawn , 1. from the consideration of your selves , whom you should endeavour the salvation of . 2. from the consideration of the salvation which you should endeavour to obtain . 3. from the consideration of the damnation of all such as do not obtain salvation . motive 1. from the consideration of your selves , whom you should endeavour the salvation of : it is the salvation of your selves , which i would press you unto ; it was the exhortation of the apostle , phil. 2.12 . work out your own salvation with fear and trembling , and this is my exhortation of you this day , labour after your own salvation : if i were to perswade you to do some great kindness for another , were it a difficult thing and like to cost you much labour and trouble , i should not likely prevail ; but when i am perswading you to do a kindness for your selves , and the greatest kindness in the world , even to endeavour after the salvation of your selves ; methinks the natural love which you bear to your selves should induce you to hearken and do whatever is requisite in order hereunto , though it cannot be done without difficulty and trouble . how far will carnal self-love carry carnal men ? what difficulties will they go thorow ? what expences of time and pains and strength will they be at ? how will some rise up early and sit up late , deny themselves food and rest and many comforts of this 〈◊〉 ? how will others comp●ss sea and land and hazzard life it self , and all to get an estate in the wo●d for themselves ? and should not spiritual 〈◊〉 , which is the only reall self-love , carry y●● n●●●ow difficulties ? should you think much of ex●●●nding time and pains that you may get salvation for your selves ? carnal self-love will bring destruction and misery upon such as are swayed by it , and in the issue will prove self hatred ; as you really love your selves , as you would escape the most dreadful misery , and obtain the chiefest happiness for your selves , labour after salvation for your selves . your self , your persons do consist of two parts , namely , soul and body ; it is the salvation of both , which i exhort you unto . 1. consider , it is the salvation of your souls which i would have you endeavour after , the salvation of your precious souls ; your souls are more precious than your bodies , and they are more precious than the whole world . 1. your souls are more precious than your bodies , they are by far your more excellent part : the original of your soul is more immediately from god : he formeth the spirit of man within him , zach. 12.1 . they are beams , they are streams that issue forth immediately from god ; moreover they carry more of the impress and image of god upon them as they are invisible , spiritual , rational , free , immortal ; they have also more high and excellent operations than the body is capable of , as of the understanding , conscience , memory , will , affections ; and i may add that if there be any lustre upon the body , it doth receive it from the soul , when the soul is gone , the beauty is gone ; whatever motion or use there is in the body , it doth depend on the soul ; when the soul is departed , the body can neither hear , nor speak , nor see , nor walk , nor do any business ; the body is a rotten stinking carkass without the soul ; and whilest the soul doth abide in it , the body is the inferiour part , the body is but the cabinet , the soul is the jewel ; the body is but the house of clay , the soul is the living inhabitant ; the body is as it were the beast ( as one saith corpus homini jumentum ) which the soul doth make use of to carry it from one place to another ; the body is the servant , it is the soul that rules , o labour then after the salvation of your souls , which are your most excellent part ; what care do some take to preserve their bodies ? much more reason have you to endeavour the salvation of your souls : when london's fire was burning the houses , those who could not save all their goods , took care to save those which were the most precious , especially their money and jewells ; o whatever become of your bodies here , whatever sickness or hardship they be exposed unto , labour to save your jewels , your precious souls ; the cabinet will be spoilt , the clay and mudd-wall will be broken down , and the soul will survive the body ; o take heed that when your souls come forth of their houses of clay , that they be not cast into the deep and dark prison of hell. 2. your souls are more precious than the who●e world ; our saviour esteem'd them so , and he best knew the worth of souls , who knew the mak●ng of them , and made purchase of so many lost souls , see matth. 16.26 . what is a man profited , if he shall gain the whole world , and lose his own soul ? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul ? suppose that you had your hearts-desire in the world , that your baggs should throng in your coffers , till there were no more room ; your gold and silver should encrease without number ; suppose you had great possessions abroad , large revenues , stately houses , fruitful gardens and orchards , pleasant groves and walks , spacious fields and meadows , which as the poet saith , would weary the wings of a kite to fly over in a day , suppose that you had sweet and beautiful wives at home , like loving hindes and pleasant roes unto you , like fruitful vines about your houses , that you had towardly and hopeful children like olive-plants round about your tables ; that you had most kind and faithfull friends of most pleasant conversation ; that you had servan●s , horses , chariots , coaches , doggs , hawks , and all sorts of serviceable and delightful creatures , the best and in the greatest number at your commands to attend your pleasure : suppose you were cloathed with purple , wrapped in fine linnen , adorned with gold and silver , and pretious stones , and had the most rich and glorious attire that the greatest cost and art could make for you : suppose that your food were most delicious , that aire , earth , and the sea were ransack'd to provide dainties for your table ; that your courses were served up with the most rich and generous wine , the most sweet and harmonious musick : suppose that you were laden with titles of honour , and had all the crowns and scepters of the earth laid at your feet , and that the whole world had you in the highest esteem , and were in willing subjection unto you ; yet what would it profit you to gain all these things , or any thing else that the heart of man could desire in the world , and lose your souls , which are a thousand fold more pretious : the gain of these things are but for the body , and but for a while ; whereas the loss of the soul is for ever ; and when the soul is lost , all is lost ; when the soul leaveth the body , a period is put to all earthly enjoyments ; and the more you have of these things , the more grievous will it be to part with them ; think with your selves that you must dye certainly , and may dye suddenly , and then , if not before , you will acknowledge the worlds vanity and the preciousness of your souls , which are of longer duration than the age of ten thousand worlds put together , and what is the gain of the world which is so transitory and temporal , in comparison with the loss of the soul which is immortal , and whose loss is irrepairable : a loss in the estate may be recovered , riches may fly away upon the wing , and sometimes return upon the wing again , as in the case of iob ; but the loss of the soul can never be recovered ; when once the soul hath taken wing and is fled into the lower regions , it will never find wings to return again to its former estate : o therefore whatever you lose , take heed you do not lose your souls , your souls are very precious , seek after their salvation . 2. it is the salvation also of your bodies which i would have you endeavour after : i do not mean the salvation of your bodies from sufferings , which religion doth sometimes call you unto ; nor a salvation of your bodies from sickness and temporal death , which religion doth not exempt any from ; but the salvation of your bodies from perpetual death and pain of hell ; you may pamper your flesh for a while on earth , which may make it a more fit bait for the worms in the grave , and your bodies after death may be at rest , and take a sweet sleep for many years in the dust ; but there is a morning approaching after the long night of death and many hours of darkness , in which the graves will be opened and the dead will be awakened , and then your bodies will come forth of the dust ; and they will be adjudged by christ unto most horrid and endless torments in hell , to burn for ever in unquencheable fire , if you be found under the guilt of sin : o therefore labour after the salvation of your bodies ; when your bodies now are sick , you endeavour to get them cured , when they are full of pain , you use means to get the pain removed ; and you will fly as fast and as far as you can from natural death , and you will do much to lengthen out and strengthen the thred of your life , though do what you can , it will in time be cut asunder , and death which hath you upon the chase will overtake and overcome you whatever resistance be made ; o labour to get deliverance from the pains of body which are prepared in hell for the damned : fly , o fly from eternal death and the strokes of gods wrath which will come upon the bodies of the wicked hereafter ; if you would not have those faces scorched , those eyes and tongues and hands rosted , and that flesh broiled and fearfully tormented in the flames of hell fire , labour after salvation . as you love then your selves , your souls and bodies , seek after your salvation . sect . xvi . motive 2. from the consideration of the salvation which you should endeavour to obtain ; and here i shall set before you some properties of this salvation to move you the more effectually to seek after it . 1. it is a great salvation . 2. it is a rare salvation . 3. it is a necessary salvation . 4. it is a possible salvation . 5. it is a neer salvation . 6. it is an evident salvation . 7. it is a free salvation . 8. it is a sure salvation . 1. it is a great salvation , and that both in regard of the thing it self , and in regard of the causes of it . ( 1. ) it is great in regard of the thing it self . as in motion , so in salvation there is the terminus à quo , and the terminus ad quem , the term from which , and the term to which ; that which people are in salvation delivered from , and that which in salvation they attain unto , both which are exceeding great . 1. that which people in salvation are delivered from . there are six great evils which those that are saved are delivered from . 1. from sin , the greatest evil of all , from the guilt of sin , eph. 1.7 . and the power , the reigning power of sin , rom. 6 14. 2. from sathan the greatest enemy of all , from his power and tyranny , col. 1.13 . 2 tim. 2.26 . 3. from the law , the evil which it occasioneth , namely , the provoking to concupiscence and disobedience , rom. 7.5 , 6. and the evil which it denounceth , namely gods curse , gal. 3.10 , 13. 4. from the world , not in regard of their place , but in regard of their course , gal. 1.4 . ioh. 15.19 . ioh. 17.16 . 5. from death , the sting of death , and the fear of death , at least the grounds of fear , heb. 2.14 , 15. 6. from wrath , the wrath of god which is to come , 1 thes. 1.10 . 2. this salvation is great in regard of that which in salvation people do attain unto . all the priviledges of the gospel are wrapt up and included in the word salvation . election is the foundation of it ; effectual calling is the begining of it , justification , adoption and sanctification are contained in it , and glorification is the consummation of it . this salvation then is great in regard of the thing it self . ( 2. ) this salvation is great in regard of the causes of it . 1. efficient . 2. meritorious . 3. instrumental . 4. finall . 1. this salvation is a great salvation in regard of the efficient cause , and that is god the father : salvation is ascribed to him as the author , tit. 3.5 . according to his mercy he saved us . god is the cause of our salvation , 1. as he hath chosen us unto salvation , eph. 1.4 . as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world : which election being of free grace , we are said to be saved by grace , eph. 2 5. 2. as he hath sent his only begotten son into the world , to purchase salvation for us , joh. 3.16 . god so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish , but have everlasting life . gal. 4.4 , 5. when the fulness of the time was come god sent forth his son , made of a woman , made under the law , to redeem them which were under the law , that we might receive the adoption of sons . 3. as he revealeth this salvation unto us by the preaching of the gospel , for which end he qualifyeth and sends his ministers upon this embassage to make known the glad tydings of salvation . 4. as he conferrs salvation actually upon us in our effectual calling , justification , adoption , sanctification and glorification , all these are from god. now that must needs be a great salvation which is effected by the great god , especially if we consider that it is the greatest and most glorious of all his works in the world , and unto which all his other works have some kind of tendency . 2. this salvation is a great salvation in regard of the meritorious cause , and that is the lord jesus christ , the excellency and greatness of whose nature , office and sufferings do demonstrate the greatness of this salvation which was purchased by him . the sufferings of christ were most properly the meritorious cause of mans salvation , and they were the greatest sufferings that ever were endured , insomuch as 1. they were the sufferings of the greatest person ; as man he was the head of the creation in regard of dignity , he was a greater king than solomon , matth. 12.42 . a greater prophet than moses , heb. 3.3 . a greater priest than aaron , even a priest after the order of melchisedec , heb. 7. moreover he was god as well as man , god manifested in the flesh , 1 tim. 3.16 . and though the godhead could not properly suffer , yet through its union in the same p●rson to the manhood , it put an efficacy in his suffering , and strengthened the humane nature to undergo greater sufferings as to the value of them in that short space of time , than all the angels and men in the world ( had their strength been united together in one person ) could have endured , if the greatest extremity of misery had been layd upon such a one unto all eternity : for 2. the sufferings of christ were equivalent unto eternal death , and ●he torments of the damned in hell , yea they were far exceeding , as is evident , because gods infinite justice is hereby fully satisfied , and there is sufficiency of merit in them for the redemption of the whole world not only of believers , but also of unbelievers , not only of men but of devils too : christs sufferings were of infinite value , not in regard of the sufferings , but in regard of the divine nature so closely united unto the humane nature : therefore the salvation purchased by these sufferings must needs be a great salvation . 3. this salvation is a great salvation in regard of the instrumental cause , and that is faith ; faith is a grace of great worth and excellency , insomuch as it doth not spring from any root or power of nature , but is wrought by the power of god , and requireth such exceeding great power in the effecting of it ; we read of the exceeding greatness of gods power towards them that believe according to the working of his mighty power , eph. 1.19 . which shews that the salvation is great which is effected by this grace of faith. 4. this salvation is a great salvation in regard of the final cause , and that is the manifestation of gods glory : 1. the glory of his wisdom in contriving such a way for mans salvation , which no created understanding could have tho●ght of : 2. the glory of his justice which is as fully satisfied through christs sufferings , as if all believers had been eternally punished : 3. and chiefly the glory of his free grace and mercy , which is set forth and magnified so eminently in all the degrees of mans salvation , that nothing may be ascribed unto man , but all unto god alone . thus you see , that this salvation is a great salvation in regard of the thing it self , and in regard of the causes of it . it is so great salvation as it hath no comparison , and is beyond expression , therefore labour to attain t●is salvation ; some endeavour to get a great estate , others to get great friends , others to get great honour and repute in the world , do you labour to obtain this great salvation which doth exceed all in greatness , it is a high and noble design , and is worthy your uttermost care and diligence in seeking after it ; other things are but small things , meer toyes and trifles in comparison ; nothing in the world hath the least degree of worth , compared with this so great s●lvation . i shall be more brief in speaking of the other properties of this salvation . ii. this salvation is a rare salvation : i mean , that few do obtain it ; many are called , few are chosen , matth. 20.16 . many are damned , few are saved : there are many troops of sinners that are posting in the broad way of destruction , it is but a thin scattered company that are pressing forward in the narrow way of life and salvation ; this is evident from the answer of our saviour upon the question propounded unto him , luk. 13.23 , 24. then said one unto him , lord are there few that he saved ? and he said unto them , strive to enter in at the strait gate , for many i say unto you will seek to enter in , and shall not be able . in which words he doth in eff●ct say , that few , very few should be saved , for he tells them plainly , that the gate of salvation is a strait gate , and many cannot pass thorow a strait gate ; and although many should seek to enter in at this gate , yet they should not be able ; and if many that seek to enter in shall not be able , then it follows , that none of those which do not seek to enter in shall be able : hence then we may gather a strong argument to prove , that very few shall be saved ; if the most of men and women in the world do not seek salvation at all , and they cannot possibly attain it , and many that seek salvation shall never finde it , then there are but few that shall be saved ; but the most in the world do not seek salvation at all , to say nothing of the heathen world which is by many degrees the far greater part of the world , who sit in darkness , and from whom the gospel of salvation is hid , and therefore are expresly said to be lost , 2 cor. 4.3 . even in the christian world where the light of the gospel doth shine , the most of men and women , that bear the name of christians , are ignorant , or profane , or only civil and morall , and live in the total neglect of the salvation of the gospel , and such cannot possibly attain salvation that do not at all seek after it : and of them that make some profession of religion , and do something in order to salvation , many shall not be able to attain it ; our saviour saith , that many shall seek to enter in and shall not be able , because they do not seek in a right manner , because they do not seek salvation chiefly ; they seek the satisfaction of their lusts , before the salvation of their souls ; because they do not seek it diligently , they are careless and formal in the use of the means of salvation ; they seek , but they do not strive to enter in at the strait gate ; they do not press towards the mark for the prize of the high calling , and therefore they fall short and miss of it ; there are but few that strive to enter in at the strait gate , that strive as wrestlers in wrestling , or racers in running , or warriours in fighting , as the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth signifie ; few that seek their salvation above all other things , and with all their heart and might , few that are resolved for salvation whatever it cost them , whatever they do , or suffer for it , unto which resolution and endeavour all must come , or else they cannot be saved , and these being so few , certainly there are but few that shall be saved . more plainly our saviour speaks to the same purpose , math. 7.13 , 14. enter ye in at the strait gate , for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction , and many there be which go in thereat ; because strait is the gate and narrow the way which leadeth unto life , and few there be that finde it . the gate and way of sin which leads to death and hell , are wide and broad , and the most in the world are passing thorow this gate , and walking in this way ; the course of the world is a course of sin , the end of which course is destruction , and the reason why so many go in at the gate of sin , which is the outer gate of hell , is , because strait is the gate , and narrow the way which leadeth unto life ; because of the difficulties in the way of life and salvation , which require much pains and diligence if we would go thorow them ; we must give all diligence , if we would make our calling and election sure , 2 pet. 1.10 . we must work out our salvation with fear and trembling , if we would attain salvation , phil. 1.12 . we must labour if we would enter into rest , heb. 4.12 . we must strive if we would enter in at the strait gate , luk. 13.24 . we must run if we would obtain the prize , 1 cor. 9.24 . we must fight the good fight of faith if we would lay hold on eternal life , 1 tim. 6.12 . the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence , saith our saviour , and the violent take it by force , math. 11.12 . we must lay siege to heaven , if we would take it , and wi●h force and violence overcome those potent enemies , the devil , the flesh , and the world , who would draw or drive us away from the walls and gates of the new ierusalem . it is not an easie thing to be saved , the way to heaven is narrow , and it lyeth up hill , our endeavours for heaven especially at the first , are like climbing up a steep hill , like hewing a way thorow hard rocks , like swimming against a strong stream , like cutting hard wood against the grain ; and because of the opposition and difficulty in the way of salvation , therefore there be but few that finde the path thereof ; most choose a broader and easier way . it is evident then from what hath been said , that this salvation is rare and scarce , the consideration whereof should not discourage you , but quicken you unto the greater diligence in your endeavours after it ; the rarity of it sheweth the worth and excellency of it ; jewels and precious stones are rare and hard to be got ; what difficulties will some goe thorow ? what dangerous voyages unto the uttermost parts of the earth will some undertake , to bring home some rare things ? but especially the consideration withall of the necessity of salvatio● ( of which in the next particular ) should quicken you to seek after it . think with your selves ( my beloved ) think seriously , and think frequently , that there are but few that shall be saved ; and then examine , what reason you have to think that you are in the number of those few : when our saviour told his disciples that but one of them should betray him , they looked one upon another , and every one asked him , lord is it i ? there was none of them without their fears which made them so inquisitive , and they seem to be in pain untill they are resolved ; what then would they have thought and said ? how fearfull would they have been , if our saviour had told them that the most of them should have betrayed him , yea that all of them should betray him , but one ? may not i without uncharitableness say , that not one in twelve , no nor one in twenty , no nor one in a hundred in this city and nation shall be saved ? if i should tell you that hear me this day , that some of you will be damned , yea that many of you will be damned , yea that most of you will be damned , and that but few of this great company will be saved , should i be a false prophet ? i will not say it will be thus , neither can i do it , because this is gods secret ; much less do i desire it should be thus , for the end of my preaching is , that you all might be saved ; but let me tell you , that i fear that many of you here present will be found in the number of those many our saviour speaketh of , that shall seek to enter in at the strait gate , and shall not be able ; our saviour told his auditors , that flocked to hear him , thus , and are you better than they ? you all seek to enter in at the strait gate , by coming into this place where the gospel is preached , and where the gate is set open before you ; but are there not many amongst you that seek in a careless and negligent manner ? may not i say of all the seekers here , that there are but few that strive to enter in at the strait gate ? do you all , or the most look as if you had your eye upon the mark and glorious prize before you , and were pressing with all your might towards it ? do you hear as if it were for your lives , as if you might hear words this day whereby you may be saved ? do you pray and seek as if you were in earnest , as if you were resolved to take heaven by violence , and whatever you were denyed in , would not be denyed your salvation ? such as do not strive shall never get thorow the strait gate . think with your selves , it may be that many in this place shall be damned , and then say , shall not i ? shall not i ? and o what a miserable wretch shall i be if i should be damned ! if i should get only to the gate of heaven , and not get thorow ! if i should come only to the borders of the heavenly canaan , and dye in the wilderness ! if i should be found in the number of the negligent seekers which will miss of salvation ? what grounds have i to think that i shall be saved ? there are but few , can i think that i am in the number of the few ? methinks this consideration of the rarity of salvation should awaken you to give earnest heed that with the most that seek it , you may not miss of it . 3. this salvation is a necessary salvation : the great difficulty of obtaining some precious things discourageth the endeavours of the most in seeking after them , especially when they may be well enough without them ; but this salvation is necessary , you cannot be without it ; it is of absolute and universal necessity ; some things you may have , this you must have ; without it you are undone , you will be irrecoverably and eternally miserable ; there is no medium , no middle condition between salvation and damnation ( of which more by and by ) : some things are necessary to the body , but salvation is necessary to your happiness , without it there is no possibility ( in this fallen state ) of obtaining the chief end , the chief good which you are capable of ; without this no coming neer to god in whom your chiefest happiness doth consist , no vision or fruition of him either in part here , or in full and eternally hereafter . some men have need of one thing , and some of another , but all the men and women in the world have need of salvation , because all are sinners , all are children of wrath by nature . there is not one person amongst you all but have been guilty of sin , for the whole world is guilty before god , rom. 3.19 . and every moment of your lives you are exposed unto the punishment of sin in hell , unless you are brought into a state of salvation . it is necessary therefore that all of you should above all things seek after your salvation . 4. this salvation is a possible salvation ; though there were never so much worth and excellency in , never so much necessity of this salvation , yet if there were an impossibility of obtaining it , all arguments would be used in vain to press any to endeavour after it ; but this salvation is possible , it is possible that you should attain it , that the meanest of you , the vilest of you , yea that every one of you that hear these words may attain it . 1. the meanest of you may attain this salvation , and that 1. such of you as are of the meanest parts , though you have neither humane learning , nor capacity or ability for it ; though your judgement be shallow , your fancy and invention dull , your memory weak , and so could never understand and retain the many arts and sciences in philosophy , and the divers kinds of languages , which learned men have written their books in ; yet you are capable of being made the schollars and disciples of jesus christ , and he can teach the dullest and shallowest of you all the deep mysteries of salvation by his spirit , yea and he can give you a greater understanding in them , than the wisest and most learned men that are without the spirit do attain unto ; for he hideth those things from the wise and prudent which he revealeth unto babes , matth. 11.25 . and the natural man , let him be never so learned a man , receiveth not the things of the spirit , neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned , 1 cor. 2.14 . and therefore when not many wise men af●er the flesh are called , god chooseth the foolish things of the world to exalt the riches of his free grace in their salvation , 1 cor. 1.26 , 27 , 31. surgunt ind●cti & rapiunt coelum , quum nos cum omni doctrinà in gehennam detrudimur , saith one . the unlearned arise , and take heaven by violence , when we with all our learning are violently thrown down into hell. so that you who are of no learning , and but mean natural abilities , have encouragement to seek after this salvation of the gospel , seeing the lord can teach you by his spirit , and it doth better suit with his design of glorifying his free grace in bestowing it upon such as you , rather than on the wise and learned men of the world , who would be apt to ascribe the glory unto themselves . 2. such of you as are not only of the meanest parts , but also of the meanest condition in the world , may attain this salva●ion ; the poor have the gospel preached unto them , matth. 11.5 . if with poverty in regard of estate , you are also poor in spirit , the riches of grace and salvation are tendered freely unto you ; read for your encouragement what the apostle saith , iam. 2.5 . hearken my beloved brethren , hath not god chosen the poor of this world , rich in faith , and h●irs of the kingdom , which he hath promised unto them that lo●● him . if you were to seek some great favour from an earthly prince , your mean attire and condition might keep you at a distance ; and you might have no regard given to your request , should it have a hearing ; the petitions of the great and rich are heard in courts on earth , when the poor and mean are despised : but the king of heaven doth regard the rich no more than the poor , iob 34.19 . and if you seek diligently after this salvation , you may have as free access to the lord as any , and your petitions shall be heard in the court of heaven , and you shall certainly obtain this salvation which you seek after . 2. the vilest of you all may attain salvation ; some of you it may be have been notorious sinners , your consciences do accuse you of such great sins , with such hainous aggravations , that you may be discouraged and out of hope that such as you should be saved ; you have offered such high affronts and indignities unto the highest majesty that you think he can never put them up ; you have run so deep and so long upon the score , that you think the scores can never be wiped off ; if they had been smaller faults , or more ordinary slips , or you had sought after salvation sooner , you might have hoped to speed , but now you fear the door of mercy is shut , and the day of grace is spent , and there is no pardon and salvation for such vile sinners as you : but let me tell you that the vilest of you all may attain salvation , the door of mercy is not so fast shut as yet , but by knocking hard it may be opened ; and so long as the day of your life is continued , and the means of grace are continued , you cannot say that the day of grace is quite 〈◊〉 ; there is salvation attainable by the worst of you all , if you will look after it ; our saviour tells us of publicans and harlots that entred into the kingdom of heaven sooner than the pharisees who boasted in their own righteousness , matth. 21.31 . he conversed with , and called the worst of sinners to repentance , matth. 9.11 , 13. inde●d when the apostle maketh mention of notorious sinners , he telleth us , that such whilest such , could not be saved , 1 cor. 6.9 , 10. know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of god , be not deceived , neither fornicators , nor idolaters , nor adulterers , nor ●ffeminate , nor abusers of th●mselves with mankind , nor thieves , nor covetous , no● drunkards , nor revilers , nor extortioners , shall inherit the kingdom of god. those that are such notorious sinners , and continue in the practice of such sins without repentance , they cannot be saved ; but withall he addeth in the 11. verse , that some of them had been such sinners , but were now in a state of salvation through their interest in jesus christ , and the operation of the spirit of god upon their hearts , and such were some of you ; but ye are washed , but ye are sanctified , but ye are justified in the name of the lord iesus , and by the spirit of our god ; they were justified , their sins pardoned and persons accepted , in the name of the lord jesus , through the imputation of his righteousness unto them , and they were washed and sanctified by the spirit of god , through infusion of grace by the spirit into them : i might add further inst●nces of notorious sinners who have been saved , as manasses , mary magdalen , paul , who before conversion calleth himself the chiefest of sinners , yet obtained mercy and salvation ; and let me tell you moreover , that if you repent now and apply your selves to christ , the greater your sins have been , the more will gods glory be illustrated in your salvation , and the abounding of your sins will make way for the super-abounding of his grace . 3. all of you that hear these words may obtain salvation , it is possible that every one of you in this place may be saved ; it would be a rare thing , but it is a possible thing : indeed there are but few that shall be saved ; but who knoweth but all of you may be found in the number of those few ; and o how would it rejoyce my heart to see all those faces in heaven whom i see here this day to hear the words of salvation . be encouraged to seek after your salvation by the possibility of obtaining . now salvation is possible for all of you that have not as yet attained it ; but let me add , that it will not be possible long for you all ; whilst you are in the land of the living it is possible , though you be condemned to hell for sin whilst unbelievers , ioh. 3.18 . he that believeth not is condemned already ; yet the sentence of condemnation is traversible , you may appeal from the court of the law , to the court of chancery ; you may fly from the bar of gods justice , unto the throne of grace ; and if you heartily repent of sin , and by faith lay hold on christ , you may obtain pardon and salvation : whilst the reprieve of your life lasteth , salvation is attainable ; but when once your life is come to an end ( which you know not how soon it may be ) and you be found in a state of impenitency and unbelief , then the percullis will be shutt down upon you for ever ; then the black flag will be hung out ; then the talent of lead will seal up the measure of your wickedness ; and your condemnation will be irreversible ; when the day of your life is spent , the day of grace will be spent too , and the door of mercy will be shut upon you for ever ; and it will be impossible for any of you that have not attained , then to attain salvation . 5. this salvation is a neer salvation . say not in your heart , who shall ascend up into heaven to learn what it is there ? or who shall descend into the deep to bring notice of it from thence ? or who shall take the wings of the morning , and fly into the uttermost parts of the earth thence to bring tydings of it to you ? for the word of salvation is near unto you , it is brought home to your own doors , it is that word which is now sounding in your ears , even the words which we ministers preach unto you : read what those words are which are brought so nigh , rom. 10.8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13. the word is nigh thee , even in thy mouth , and in thy heart , that is the word of faith which we preach , that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the lord iesus , and shalt believe in thy heart that god hath raised him from the dead , thou shalt be saved : for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness , and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation . for the scripture saith , whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed : for there is no difference between the iew and the greek : for the same lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him : for whosoever calleth upon the name of the lord shall be saved . heretofore salvation was only amongst the jews , and whoever of other nations would be saved , they must travel to ierusalem , and worship the lord in his temple , and enquire for salvation in that place : then salvation was afar off from the gentiles , especially from these brittish isles ; but now since the revelation of jesus christ , as those which were afar off are made nigh by the blood of christ ; so the word of salvation is brought nigh unto us ; you have many messengers of peace , which bring the glad tydings of salvation near unto you , and this may further encourage you to seek after it . 6. this salvation is an evident salvation : i mean , that it is more clearly and evidently made known unto us , than it hath been in former ages unto any , or than it is in other places unto many . in former ages this salvation was not made known so clearly unto any , i mean in the ages before the coming of christ : the prophets themselves who prophesied of it , did not fully understand what the spirit in them did signifie , when it foretold of this grace which should come unto the church in after ages , 1 pet. 1.10 , 11. and therefore the first preaching of the gospel of salvation , is called a revelation of the mysterie which had been kept secret since the world began unto that time , rom. 16.25 . and a manifestation of that mysterie to the saints which had been hid from ages and generations , col. 1.25 , 26 , 27. the gospel of salvation was indeed revealed in the dispensation of the law upon mount sinai by moses , but it was more obscurely ; it was wrapt up in types and figures ; and as there was a vail before moses his face , so there was a vail before the truths of salvation , so that the children of israel could not stedfastly look unto the end of those things which were after to be abolished , 2 cor. 3.13 . but this vail is done away in christ , v. 14. when christ suffered upon the cross , the vail of the temple , which kept the people off the holy of holies , was rent from the top to the bottom of it , and then the way into the holy of holies was made manifest , and christ by his appearance abolished death , and brought life and immortality to light by the gospel , 2 tim. 1.10 . then darkness did pass away , and the true and marvellous light did shine upon the church , 1 ioh. 2.8 . and now with open face believers do behold as in a glass the glory of the lord , 1 cor. 3.18 . the scope of which places is to shew the obscurity of former revelations , and the clearness and evidence of the revelation of the gospel in these latter daies . in other places this salvation is not made known so clearly unto many ; it is not made known at all unto the most in the world ; a thick darkness of ignorance doth overspread the greatest part of the face of the earth , and even amongst those that call themselves by the name of the church of christ : there are in many places such fogs and mists of errour and heresie , that the truths of salvation are darkened , and peoples minds are blinded ; but now unto you this salvation is made so clear and evident ; the thing and way of it is made so manifest , that it is a great encouragement to seek after this salvation . 7. this salvation is a free salvation ; it will cost you no money , you may have it for nothing , you may have it for accepting : if you were taken captive by men , if you were slaves to the turks , possibly you might not be delivered without some considerable summ for your ransom ; but you may be delivered from the slavery of the devil , and your own lusts , you may be saved from sin and hell without money : indeed a price hath been paid for your ransom , not silver or gold , but that which is ten thousand times more precious , and that was the blood of jesus christ , which was shed upon the cross for you ; yet though your salvation cost christ dear , it is free unto you , it will cost you nothing ; pardon is free , and grace is free , and eternal life unto you is a free gift ; you are invited to come unto the waters , and to buy wine and milk , but it is without money and without price , isa. 55.1 . the spirit saith , come , and the bride saith , come , and whosoever is a thirst let him come , and take of the waters of life freely , rev. 22.17 . there is sufficiency of grace in god for the salvation of you all , and you may come and partake of this grace in your salvation freely : you may have it without money , if you be poor , the gifts of god cannot be bought ; and you may have it without merit ; if you conceit that you deserve any thing , you shall be sure to have nothing ; if you are sensible of your unworthiness , and apply christs merits and righteousness , through him you may have salvation freely . 8. and lastly , this salvation is a sure salvation ; you have the promise of god for it , and there can be no greater certainty of a thing than the word of god , especially if you consider that god is infinite in power , and therefore can do whatever he will , and that god is infinitely true , and therefore will do whatever he hath promised : god is most powerful , and therefore able to save you ; there is strength sufficient in his almighty arm , to bring salvation unto you ; and god is most faithfull in the promises of salvation , which he hath made in the covenant of grace ; if you get faith to apply the promises , you shall certainly have the thing : there is an uncertainty in every thing else in the world , but there is a certainty in this salvation , that there is such a thing is certain from the revelation of the word of god , who cannot lye ; and that you may have it if you will accept of it , is certain from the nature and firmness of the promises ; and when you have attained unto any degrees of this salvation , the perfecting of it will be most sure ; for he that hath begun a good work in you , will perform it until the day of jesus christ , phil. 1.6 . thus i have laid before you the properties of this salvation ; it is a great salvation ; it is a rare salvation ; it is a necessary salvation ; it is a possible salvation ; it is a near salvation ; it is an evident salvation ; it is a free salvation ; it is a sure salvation ; all which being laid together , may be a strong motive and inducement to you to labour that you may attain a share in this salvation . sect . xvii . from the consideration of the damnation of all such as do not obtain salvation . the damnation of all such persons will be dreadfull and certain . ( 1. ) the damnation of such as are not saved will be dreadful . 1. the day of their damnation will be dreadful . 2. the sentence of their damnation will be dreadful . 3. the execution of their damnation will be dreadful . 1. the day of the damnation of such as are not saved will be dreadful , and that is the last day , the day of judgement : o how dreadful will this day be to you that are wicked and ungodly , when the heavens shall be opened , and the lord jesus christ , the judge of the world shall descend with a shout , with the voice of the arch-angel , and the loud sound of a trumpet ; when the earth shall be opened , and you shall be raised out of the dust , and summoned to appear before christs tribunal ; and the books shall be opened , and all your sins shall be made manifest before the whole world ; when the heavens shall be on fire , and melt down upon you , and pass away with a great noise ; and the earth shall be on fire , and burn under you ; and every mountain and hill shall flee away before christs face ; and christ shall be on fire , and come in flames of anger to take vengeance upon you for your sins . think , o think how dreadful this day of damnation will be unto all such of you as shall not then be found in a state of salvation ! o what dread will seize upon you so soon as your eyes are opened , and you find the predictions of the word which you formerly slighted to be true , and perceive that now indeed the day of gods wrath is come , when you shall be dragged like so many malefactors before the judgement-seat , and there stand naked horribly lashing your selves in the reflections of conscience upon your fore-past wickedness ; how will you be ready to tear your selves to pieces for your folly and madness , that you did not provide for this day , and flee from this wrath of god , which then you will not be able to escape ? how willingly would you creep into some rock , or under some mountain , or abide still in your grave , or cast your selves into the sea , if possibly any place could be found to hide you in this terrible day , but shall be able to finde no hiding-place for your selves ? think what hideous thoughts , what sinking fears , what horrible perplexity of mind you will on this day be filled withall , it will be a dreadful day . 2. the sentence of the damnation of such as are not saved will be dreadful ; when the books are opened where your sins are recorded , and you are convicted by the judge ; then he will proceed to pass sentence upon you . depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire , prepared for the devil and his angels , matth. 25.41 . o dreadful words ! the voice will be loud with which they will be pronounced , such as shall reach the ears of all the wicked together of all generations , and how will they all quake and tremble at the sound thereof ! you may cry it may be to the lord for mercy , but it will be in vain ; you may say , lord open to us , and receive us into thy kingdom , that we may participate in the joyes thereof ; but he will say unto you , depart from me , i know ye not all ye workers of iniquity : but if you must depart , you may wish for his blessing , as esau , though it were but an inferiour blessing ; no , depart ye cursed , depart with a curse : if then you must depart with a curse , you may wish for some convenient place of abode , and good company , as cain , when he went forth from the presence of the lord with a curse , he built a city to dwell in , and took some comfort , it may be in his habitation , and wife , and children ; no , depart into everlasting fire , prepared for the devil and his angels ; you must dwell in devouring fire , and inhabit everlasting burnings , and your companions will be the devil and his angels , and fellow-damned sinners , in whom you will not find the least comfort , which leads to the third particular . 3. the execution of the damnation of such as are not saved , will be dreadful , and this will be in hell ; when the irreversible sentence of damnation is passed upon you , immediately the execution will follow , and you will be haled from the judgement seat , and the everlasting doors of the prison of hell will be lifted up , where a horrible fire is burning , which can never be quenched , into which you must enter , and be shut down , and shut in to take up your eternal abode in that place of torment ; there every part will be tormented , every member of your bodies , every faculty of your souls , and that in the highest degree of extremity beyond your now capacity , and your torments will have no intermission , neither will you have any hopes of their conclusion . i have already treated in my book of judgement of the universality , extremity , and eternity of the torments of the damned , and therefore shall not here inlarge . from what hath been said , you may evidently perceive , that the damnation of such as are not saved will be dreadfull , which should awaken you to endeavour after your salvation , especially if withall you consider , ( 2. ) that the damnation of such as are not saved will be certain ; where there is no salvation there will be unavoidable damnation , because between these two hereafter there will be no middle condition ; such as are not saved will most certainly be damned ; heaven or hell , eternal happiness , or eternal misery will be the portion of all the sons and daughters of adam . i might shew , that gods justice , and holiness and truth , doth require the damnation of all such as do not obtain salvation by jesus christ , so that either god must prove unholy , and unjust and false in his word , which is impossible , or you which are not saved must be damned , therefore this is most certain , there is no escaping of the damnation of hell by such as neglect the great salvation of the gospel , heb. 2.3 . and methinks by this time i should hear some of you cry out as the iews when peter preached , or the jaylor , o what shall we do to be saved ? sect . xviii . iii. i am to tell you words to guide you in the way to attain salvation . and here i shall 1. direct what things you must do , that you may be saved . 2. shew what means you must make use of to help you in those things . 1. what things you must do that you may be saved . take this in these ten directions . 1. you must see your selves lost . 2. you must mourn for sin . 3. you must turn from sin . 4. you must believe in iesus christ. 5. you must get a new nature . 6. you must lead a new life . 7. you must resolve upon sufferings for christ , if called . 8. you must study and apply the promises of the covenant of grace . 9. you must give up your selves in covenant unto god. 10. you must be stedfast and persevere in the wayes of god unto your lives end . direction 1. you must see your selves lost , if you would be saved ; luk. 19.10 . our saviour telleth us , that he came to seek and save that which was lost . you must be lost if you would be found : we read luk. 15. of the lost sheep , the lost groat , and the lost son , all which were found again , and that with joy . when sinners perceive themselves to be lost and undone , and know not what to do , then they are neer to be found and saved by jesus christ : o then as ever you expect salvation by christ , you must see and be sensible of your lost estate , whilest you are in a state of nature : and for this end you must get a conviction , 1. of your sin . 2. of the punishment you have deserved for your sin . 3. of your insufficiency to satisfie gods iustice. 4. of your inability to make resistance , and defend your selves . 5. of the impossibility of your fleeing and escaping gods wrath . 6. that as yet you have no interest in christ , who alone is able to deliver you from the wrath to come . 1. that you may be sensible of your lost estate , you must get a conviction of your sin , your eyes must be opened to see your selves guilty of sin before god , and your mouths must be stopped , so as to have nothing to say if the lord should condemn you . you must not only understand the nature of sin in the general , that it is a transgression of the holy , and righteous , and good law of the holy and glorious god of heaven and earth ; but also you must be particularly and thorowly convinced , that you have transgressed this law of god ; you must be convinced of your particular sins : as to the kinds of your sins , you must 1. see your selves guilty of original sin , of adams first transgression by a just imputation , you being in his loyns , and parties in the first covenant : and then you must see what inherent sin there is in your nature , that you were conceived and born in sin , that you are a viperous brood , a se●p●ntine generation , a seed of evil doers ; that the toad is not fuller of poyson , than your natures are full of sin ; that your natures are contrary unto the nature of god , and have an enmity in them against the law of god , rom. 6.7 . you must be convinced , how your natures are depraved , being wholly destitute of original righteousness , empty of all good , and inclinable wholly unto evil ; that they are a polluted fountain , from whence can proceed nothing but what is unclean ; that they are a bitter root , from whence doth spring forth such cursed fruits of sin in your lives ; and you should look upon your sin of nature to be the worst , because the original of all actuall transgressions . 2. you must be convinced of your actual sins , how you have broken gods law in thought , word and deed , you must see your sins of omission , and your sins of commission , against the first and second table of the law , and take notice of the number of them , so far as you can remember , together with their aggravations ; if they have been committed through ignorance when you have had means of knowledge , if against light of nature and the word , if against the reluctance of natural conscience , if against many warnings and reproofs , if they have been committed with security , hardness of heart , delight , greediness , pride , presumption , obstinacy , and the like ; and that you might be convinced of the gu●lt of sin , you must look into the law , in which as in a glass you may see your natural face , and all the spots thereof ; the law will discover the sin of your natures , as it requireth perfect conformity thereunto in habit , disposition , and inclination , and forbiddeth all evil byasses of the will and heart to sin , as well as external transgressions ; moreover the law will discover to you your actual sins ; but then you must look beyond the head precepts of the law , which are but ten , for you must take notice of the several branches belonging to every head , which are many ; as for instance , if you would finde out whether you are guilty of adultery , you must not only look upon the precept as forbidding only the gross outward act , thou shalt not commit adultery , but as reaching to the inward desires and inclinations , and so our saviour , math. 5.28 . interprets this precept , that whosoever looketh upon a woman to lust after her , hath committed adultery with her already in his heart ; and so in the precept , thou shalt not kill , it is murder not only to take away the life of another by violence , but also to be angry with our brother without a cause ; and so in the other precepts . and as you must look into the law for conviction of sin , so you must also look into your own consciences , and read what is there registred , and compare your hearts and lives with the law ; and you should call to minde the places you have lived in , the busin●sses you have been employed about , and the circumstances of your lives may bring to remembrance many sins committed long ago , with their aggravations . you must get thus a conviction of the guilt of your sins , especially if you have fallen into any grosser sin in your life , as adultery , drunkenness , theft , if you have been guilty of swearing , sabbath-breaking , profaneness , or the like ; you must see the heinousness of them , and withall you must see that every sin which you have committed is heinous , as it is a dishonour to the highest majesty , who is infinitely more exalted above the greatest earthly kings and potentates , than they are exalted above the meanest worm , or flie ; and for such as you to dishonour and affront him by sin , is very heinous . this is the first thing , a conviction of your sins , which you must endeavour after . 2. that you may be sensible of your lost estate , you must get a convic●ion of the punishment which god hath threatned , and you have deserved for your sins ; will the lord put up the affronts which are offered to him by his creatures ? will he bear the dishonours of his great and glorious name by sin , without punishing the sinn●rs ? no surely , his holiness will not permit it , his justice hath been offended , and must have satisfaction , and therefore he threatneth to punish the offenders most severely ; god threatneth temporal calamities and death , as the wages of sin ; and because through patience he forbeareth to punish many transgressions so remarkably in this life ; and the most dreadfull temporal judgements which he inflicteth upon any , are no wayes proportionable to the desert of their sins , and the demands of his infinite justice ; therefore he threatneth eternal punishment in hell ; look into some places of scripture , where the lord doth denounce severe threatnings against sinners , gal. 3.10 . cursed in every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them . rom. 1.18 . the wrath of god is revealed from heaven , against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men . eph. 5.6 . because of these things cometh the wrath of god upon the children of disobedience . 2 thess. 1. 8 , 9. christ will come in flaming fire , taking vengeance on them which know not god , and obey not the gospel , who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the lord , and the glory of his power . rom. 2.6 , 8 , 9. god will render unto every man according to his deeds , to them who are contentious and do not obey the truth , indignation and wrath , tribulation and anguish on every soul of man that doth evil . that you may see and be sensible of your lost estate , you must be convinced not only in the general of the justice and equity that such judgements should be inflicted on sinners , because god himself hath denounced them in his word , who cannot be unjust toward his creatures ; and because sin hath deserved them , being the breach of his law , which is holy and just and good ; and an offence of an infinite majesty , whose justice is infinite , and must be satisfied with a proportionable punishment unto the offence : but also you must be convinced that you are such sinners ; that you have committed such and such sins , that you have broken the law in such a point , and such a point , and in every point ; that you are guilty of fornication , or drunkenness , or theft , or covetousness , or lying , or profaneness ; and it may be of all these , and more than these : the first is the conviction of the law , the second the conviction of the fact , then follows the third conviction which is of the state , that therefore you are under the curse , that you are condemned , that the wrath of god hangeth over your head , and that you must be tormented for sin most horribly and eternally in hell : it is the conviction of the dreadfull punishment of hell which god hath threatned , and unto which you are exposed for sin , that will awaken you to a sense of your lost state , when the conviction is imprinted deep upon you by the spirit ; when you believe that hell is no fiction , but a reality , as certainly prepared for the wicked , as god is above preparing places in heaven for his people ; and you have a peep-hole ( as it were ) into hell , and imagine something of the torments which the damned there do , and shall endure for such sins as you have committed ; how they roll and tumble in flames of brimstone , how they are lashed by an accusing conscience , tormented with and by the devil , and even consumed by the wrath of a sin-revenging god , how they cry , roar and howl , how they weep and wail , and gnash their teeth , and that this must be their condition for ever ; and when withall you think that you are walking upon the brink of this pit , and hastening towards the place of these flames , that hell doth belong to you , that you are in the number of the cursed crew , some of whom have already taken up their lodging in hell , and that you are like to come thither shortly , that you are lyable every moment to drop into the burning lake , then you will perceive that you are lost and undone . 3. that you may be sensible of your lost estate , you must be convinced of your insufficiency to satisfie gods iustice for your sins ; if you could do this , you might do well enough ; but this you cannot do , gods justice is infinite , and requireth infinite satisfaction , which you being finite are insufficient to give ; what can you offer to god ? thousands of rams , rivers of oyl , mines of silver , mountains of gold , rocks of pearl , yea the whole creation , if it should offer it self to be annihilated , could not make compensation to gods justice for one sin , nothing less than infinite must be the satisfaction ; and therefore this should make you further sensible of your lost estate in your selves . 4. you must get a conviction of your inability to resist and defend your selves against god , who hath threatned so severely to punish you for sin ; as gods justice is infinite , and therefore you cannot satisfie it ; so his power is infinite , and you cannot resist it ; who can stand in his sight when once he is angry ? who can defend himself against an omnipotent arm ? if god whet his glittering sword , and his hand take hold on vengeance , what powers of earth are strong enough to make resistance ? read how god expresseth himself concerning such as set themselves against him , isa. 27.4 . who would set the bryars and thorns against me in battel ? i would go thorow them , i would burn them together . look upon your selves as briars and thorns , yea as dryed stubble before a consuming fire , which hath no power to resist the flame ; and therefore that you are lost and undone in your selves because of your sins . 5. you must get a conviction of the impossibility of your fleeing from and escaping gods wrath , which hath you in pursuit ; whither can you go from his presence ? or whither can you flee from his anger and indignation ? see amos 9.2 , 3. though they dig into hell , thence shall mine hand take them ; though they climb up into heaven , thence will i bring them down ; and though they hide themselves in the top of carmel , i will search and take them out thence ; and though they be hid from my sight in the bottom of the sea , thence will i command the serpent , and he shall bite them . you cannot flee into any place but god will follow you ; you cannot hide your selves in any place but god will finde you ; there is as little hopes of escaping gods wrath , as of resisting his power . see psal. 21.8 , 9. thine hand shall finde out all thine enemies , not only some , but all sinners , thy right hand shall finde out them that hate thee : thou shalt make them as a fiery oven in the time of thine anger , the lord shall swallow them up in his wrath , and the fire shall devour them . by this time sinners , methinks you should perceive your selves to be lost and undone ; all refuge now fails you , there is no escaping for you . 6. but lastly , that you may fully know that you are in a lost estate , you must get conviction , that as yet you have no interest in christ , who alone can deliver you from the wrath of god , which is to come upon the ungodly . indeed christ can and doth deliver his people from wrath , and the punishment their sins have deserved ; but when you know that you are out of christ , then you may know you are in a lost estate ; if you suppose that you have an interest in him without good grounds , you are like to be lost irrecoverably , and not know it till it be too late ; therefore you must know that as yet you have no interest in him , that all your pretensions to him have been presumptuous conceits ; that so you may be lost in your own apprehensions . can you think you have an interest in christ , that never truly mourned for sin , that never hungred after christ , that have no true faith to apply him ? have you interest in christ that have no true love to christ , and never yielded subjection to christ ? have you interest in christ that have no influence from christ ? have you union to christ that have no communion with him ? no , no , all you that are unbelievers , and have persisted hitherto in a sinfull course , are strangers unto christ , and therefore be convinced that you are in a lost estate : and o how should fear and trembling possess you through the apprehensions of the dreadfull wrath of god ? how should you go up and down like condemned malefactors , that are condemned to hell , and know not how soon they may be dragged to execution ? o what reason have you to lye down in terrour , and rise up in terrour , and feed upon terrour all the day long ! such thoughts as these are suitable to the condition of such as you . it may be the next step i take , i may step into hell : alas ! alas ! i am in a state of damnation , and did not know it ; i have been dancing about the brinks of hell , and did not perceive it ; i have been affronting god all my daies by my sins ; now i see that god is highly offended with me for those sins i made light of : i am the covet●us person whom the lord abhorreth , psal. 10.3 . i am the deceiver whom he curseth , mal. 1.14 . i am the adulterer whom he will judge , heb 11.4 . i have greatly sinned , and now i see god is greatly angry , and his anger burns like fire ; he frowns , and his frowns are most dreadfull , and i fear he will cast me to hell , and make me feel the power of his anger in my everlasting ruine ; i fear i must dwell with devouring fire , and take up mine eternal abode with the devil and my fellow-damned sinners : o i fear i am damned ! i am damned ! o happy is the dog and the h●rse , yea the worm and the toad , who ere long shall be anihilated ; but i am cursed , and i fear that i shall eternally be tormented : o i am lost , i have lost my god , and i fear i am lost , and shall be lost for ever ! o i am undone ! undone i vile and miserable sinner ! o wo be to me that ever i was born ! that ever i sinned , and provoked god to such displeasure ! but is there no spark of hope yet ? is there no escaping , no reconciliation attainable ? o what shall i do to be saved ! i cannot save my self , and no creature can help me ; but is there no other way ? thus you must see and be sensible that you are lost in your selves if you would be saved . direction 2. you must mourn for sin , if you would be saved ; except ye repent , saith our saviour , ye shall all likewise perish , luk. 13.3 . those that laugh and rejoyce now in a way of sin , shall mourn and weep for it for ever to no purpose , luk 6.25 . but blessed are they that mourn for sin now , for they shall be comforted and saved , matth. 5.4 . the seed time of repentance accompanied with the showers of tears , will return with the harvest of salvation , and sheaves of joy and comfort , psal. 126.5 , 6. they that sow in tears shall reap in joy ; he that goeth forth and weepeth , bearing precious seed , shall doubtless come again with rejoycing , bringing his sheaves with him , therefore see what the apostle exhorteth unto , which is necessary to your salvation , iam. 4.9 . be afflicted , and mourn , and weep ; let your laughter be turned into mourning , and your joy into heaviness . humble your selves in the sight of the lord , and he shall lift you up . sinners , you have delighted your selves in sin , you must now be afflicted for it ; sin hath been sweet in your mouth , it must now be bitter to your heart : god calls you to salvation by his son , but withall he calls you to weeping , and mourning , and deep humiliation in order hereunto ; not that your tears can wash off the guilt of your sins , nothing can do this but the blood of christ ; not that god delights in your griefs and sorrows as such , but because mourning is needful for you to prepare you for christ , and salvation by him ; whilst sin is sweet unto your taste , you will roll it under your tongue , and hug it in your bosom ; you will spare it , and nothing will perswade you to part with it ; but when you taste the bitterness of sin in compunction and sorrow for it , then you will spit it out ; when you perceive the gall and the wormwood , then your mouth will be put out of rellish , then you will desire no longer to suck at the breast of sin ; whilst you are insensible of sin , you will be insensible of your need of a saviour : none but sick persons do prize and send for the physitian , and none but such as are sick of sin , and groan and mourn under the burden of this sickness , do prize a christ who is the soul-physician , matth. 9.12 . were you made sensible of sin indeed , you would eagerly enquire after christ , and greedily hearken unto the glad tydings of salvation which he hath purchased ; what shall i do to get an interest in christ ? where is he to be found ? how is he to be received ? what are his terms ? what are his commands ? do any thing , part with any thing , you would not then think much to lay down your selves , and all that you have at his feet , so you might have him ; none but christ , none but christ would you then desire ; and if you might have all the world without him , you would not be contented . sinners , would you be saved by christ , get your hearts affected with godly sorrow for sin , and that you may mourn deeply and kindly , you must get not only a conviction of the guilt of sin , and the punishment which is due for it , which you cannot escape ; but you must look further into the nature of sin , and get a sight and sense of the evil of sin ; you must look not only to the consequential evil of sin , but also to the intrinsecal evil of sin ; not only to the hell which is like to follow upon it , but also to that hell which there is in it ; look to the evil of sin not only as it is like to burn you , but as it hath black● and smutted you ; as it hath depraved and deformed your souls , which are of heavenly original , as it hath degraded and debased yo● , polluted and defiled you . but chiefly look upon the evil of sin as it reflecteth dishonour upon god , upon god that is so holy and glorious , and that is so good and gracious , as it displeaseth that god that made you , that hath exercised so much patience towards you , when he could so easily have cut you off in the act of sin , and appointed you your place and portion amongst the damned in hell long ago ; and that hath moreover been so bountiful to you , though sinners and his enemies , that he hath maintained you at his cost and charges all your daies ; but especially see the evil of sin , as it offendeth that god who is ready to be reconciled , and hath made such provision for reconciliation , which you could never have thought of , namely , through the death and mediation of his son , whom he hath given for you , and proffers to give to you ; and in him doth treat with you , and by us ministers doth send intreaties to you , that you would accept of this reconciliation , lay down your weapons , and be reconciled unto him , 2 cor. 5.20 . break , break ye rocky hearts at this , what is god willing indeed to put up such high affronts ? and to forgive such great sins ? and doth he stoop to entreat and beseech such mean creatures , and wretched sinners as you to be reconciled ? o be filled with astonishment and admiration , and go cast your selves down at his feet with self-loathing and abhorrency at the hideous nature , and monstrous ingratitude , and baseness of your sins ! let your hearts melt within you like wax , or snow , when the sun shineth upon it with heat and brightness ; let your eyes drop down tears , as the morning doth drop dew upon the flowers : what! have i affronted such greatness ? dared such power ? trampled upon such patience ? and abused such goodness too ? and after all doth god beseech me to be reconciled ? was it such a god whom i offended ? vile wretch ! o that i had never committed such sins ! o that i had never been drunk , or unclean , or profane ! o that i had never sworn , nor lyed , nor stoln , nor offended god in any of my actions ! it repents me , it grieves me at the very heart that i have sinned , and that i can grieve no more for it . direction 3. you must turn from sin , if you would be saved ; see psal. 7.11 , 12 , 13. god is angry with the wicked every day ; if he turn not , he will whet his sword ; he hath bent his bow , and made it ready ; he hath prepared for him the instruments of death . and god threatneth , psal. 88.21 . that he will wound the head of his enemies , and the hairy scalp of such as go on still in their trespasses : therefore men must turn from all their transgressions , otherwise iniquity will be their ruine , ezek. 18.30 . they must cast away their sins as a menstruous cloth , saying unto them , get ye hence , if they would be received into favour , isa. 30.22 . they must not only confess their sins , but also forsake them , if they would find mercy , prov. 28.13 . the wicked must forsake his way , and the unrighteous man his thoughts , and turn to the lord , and then he shall have pardoning mercy abundantly , isa. 55.7 . when men cease to do evil , and learn to do well , then , though their sins have been as scarlet , they shall be white as snow ; though they be red like crimson , they shall be like wo●ll , isa. 1.16 , 17 , 18. sinners , turn from your evil waies , you have done iniquity , do so no more ; you have gone on hitherto in a way of sin , proceed no further , it is the way to hell , turn out of it : let him that hath stoln , steal no more ; and him that hath been filthy , be filthy no more ; and him that hath been unjust , be unjust no more : drunkards , forbear your drinking ; swearers , refrain swearing ; lyars , teach your tongues to speak truth : break off your course of sin ; turn from all gross sins as to the practice , and turn from all sins as to the affection . direction 4. you must believe in the lord iesus christ , if you would be saved : this is the direction which paul gave to the jaylor , when under conviction of sin he came in to him and cryed , what shall i do to be saved ? he saith to him , believe in the lord iesus christ and thou shalt be saved , act. 16.30 , 31. so in peter's sermon , act. 10.43 . to him gave all the prophets witness , that through his name , whosoever believeth in him should receive remission of sins . there is no saviour but by christ ; and there is no salvation by christ b●t by faith , and therefore we are said to be saved through faith , ephes. 2.8 . as faith is the instrument to apply the merits and righteousness of jesus christ. let me then exhort you to get faith , which is absolutely necessary unto salvation : get faith of the right kind ; there is a general , common , historical , temporary , hypocritical , dead and ineffectual faith ; but do you labour after a special , lively , unfeigned , eff●ctual , justifying and saving faith ; and that you may not be mistaken in this great point on which your salvation doth depend , i shall describe that faith which is of the right kind , and will certainly save you if you obtain it . faith is a grace wrought in the heart by the spirit of god , whereby a poor sinner being made sensible of the guilt and power of his sins , and the utter insufficiency of himself , or any creature in the world , to give him any help or succour ; and having in the g●spel a discovery and proffer made unto him of the lord iesus christ , as an all s●fficient , most merciful and faithful advocate and saviour , doth go quite out of himself , and acc●pt , lay hold , rely , and rest vpon him , and him alone , for pardon , and grace , and e●erlasting happiness . or more br●efly thus , faith is a grace of god wher●by the humil●d sinner doth accept and rely upon christ alone for salvation , as he is held forth in the promises of the gospel . if you would attain this grace of faith , take these directions . 1. you must be fully perswaded that the scriptures which reveal christ , are indeed the word of god ; this is the foundation of all faith , therefore i shall briefly suggest some arguments to prove the divine authority of the scriptures : as 1. because of that majesty , purity , holin●ss , heavenliness which doth app●ar in the s●r●ptures beyond all other writings . 2. because of the design and drift of the scriptures to debase man , and exalt god and his glory above all . 3. because of the admirable contexture , and contrivance , and sweet harmony of the scriptures in all the parts thereof , though written by so many several men in several ages and places , which sheweth that they were all acted by the same spirit of god. 4. because of the wonderfull work of mans redemption there set forth at fi●st more darkly , afterwards more clearly , which no mortal b●ain could have invented , much less could any created power have effected . 5. because of the great power which this word hath to convince , convert , and comfort . 6. because of the confirmation of the scriptures by miracles . 7. because of the acknowledgement of the scriptures to be gods word in all ages . 8. because of the many millions of martyrs , who have sealed the truths of the word with their blood . 9. because of the witness of the spirit in and with the word , which doth bear testimony to the hearts of gods people , that the scriptures are his word , and were indi●ed by his spirit . whence it followeth , that the scriptures are true , because god , the author of them , is true , and cannot lye ; and whatever is there revealed , is as certain as those things which are most demonstrable to sense or reason : this is the first step to your believing in christ who is made known in the scriptures , to believe that the scriptures are gods word . 2. if you would attain a saving faith in christ , you must be convinced and fully p●rswaded of your lost estate without christ , and your absolute need of him , of which before . 3. you must be perswaded , that it is not in your own power to believe , that it is not of your selves , but is the gift of god , ephes. 2.8 . and therefore must apply your selves to god , that he would not only give you his son , but also give you the hand of faith to lay hold on him , that he would work in you this grace of faith by his spirit . 4. you must consider those arguments of scripture which encourage faith : as for instance , i shall mention four heads of arguments for faith , from the consideration 1. of god. 2. of the promises . 3. of christ. 4. of the saints . 1. from the consideration of god , who hath given his son to save sinners ; it is an encouragement to ●aith , to consider , 1. that god is mercifull , and therefore willing to pardon and save , otherwise he would not have sent his son ; he doth not delight in the death of sinners , ezek. 18.23 . but delighteth to shew mercy ; see micah 7.18 , 19. exod. 34.6 , 7. psal. 103.8 , 9 , &c. 2. that god is faithfull in his promises of salvation , which he hath made through his son in his covenant of grace : god needed not have made the covenant , nor promised mercy to any sinners ▪ but having made the covenant , he is eng●g●d to make it good . 3. that it is for his glory to save sinners through his son , the glory of his free grace , yea and justice too , which hath been fully satisfied by christs death . 2. you have encouraging arguments for faith , from the consideration of the promises , which are , 1. large , made to all sorts of persons , and all sorts of sinners , none are excluded . 2. full , they extend to all sorts of sins , though never so many and great , isa. 55.7 . 3. free , nothing is required on your part but accepting . 4. sure , being the promises of god in christ. 3. you have encouragement to believe in christ for salvation , from the consideration of christ , the proper object of faith : 1. the quality of his person who is god and man in one person , that he might reconcile man unto god. 2. the merit of his sufferings , which ( as hath been shown ) was of infinite value , and sufficient for the redemption of men . 3. his alsufficient power to save those that come to him , heb. 7.25 . 4. his mercy and faithfulness to make reconciliation , heb. 2.17.5 . his interest with the father . 6. his continual intercession at the right hand of god , heb. 7.25 . 4. you have encouragement to believe in christ for salvation , from the consideration of the saints , the experience which they have had of salvation by christ , some of whom have been as vile sinners as you : you have as good grounds to come unto christ , and believe in him for salvation , as the most holy men alive before conversion . 5. if you would attain this grace of faith in jesus christ , you must labour to act it , looking up to god for help herein ; endeavour to cast and roll your selves upon christ , to apply christ and his merits , and to rely upon him and his righteousness : it is in your endeavour that god doth work ; and h●re you must endeavour again and again against all opposition which you find from the d●vil and your own evil heart of unbelief , which will be ready to carry you away from christ. so much for the 4th . direction . direction 5. you must get a new nature , if you would be saved : you must be made partakers of the divine nature , if you would be made partakers of this salvation : you have brought unholy and impure natures into the world with you , which must be changed and renewed after the image of god , in knowledge , righteousness , and true holiness , before you can be in a state of salvation , and see the kingdom of god : this new nature , which is absolutely necessary un●o salvation , is begun in the work of regene●ation , and carried on in the work of sanctification : in regeneration the work of grace is begun , the habits of grace are infused ; a new principle of sp●ritual life is put into the soul ; and sin ( which before l●ved , and had dominion over the man , imploying all his members as instruments of unrighteousn●ss , to make provision for the satisfaction of its affections and l●sts ) doth receive its deaths wound , and loseth its ●●●ce and r●igning power : in sanctifi●ation , the work of grace is c●r●i●d on , the habits of grace are strengthned and en●●eased ; the n●w man doth grow , and the old man doth decline and de●ay ; there is a vivification or quickning more and more of grace , by the influence of the word and spirit , and a mortification or subd●ing more and mor● of ●em●●ning iniquity . what our saviour tells n●●●demus , ●●h . 3.3 . ex●ept a man be born again , he cannot see the kingdom of god : i may tell you , that unless ye be born again , unless ye be regenerated , ye cannot be saved , no possibility of entring into the kingdom of h●aven , without yo● get this new nature : a man must be born the first time , before he can poss●ss a temporal inheritan●● ; and a m●n m●st be born again , before he can possess the eternal inh●ritance : you m●st be children b●●ore you can be heirs , rom. 8.17 . children not only by a●option , but also by regeneration : ye must b● sun●● , before meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the s●ints in light , col. 1.12 . you must have the new nature , before you can enter into the new ierusalem : you must be made like to god in holiness , before you can be admitted to live with god in the place of everlasting happiness ; god doth suffer the wicked that are unclean and unholy , to live before him in the out-house of the earth ; but he will not permit any except such as are sanctified to live with him in the palace of h●●ven . o then labour after a work of grace upon your heart ; be perswaded of the worth of grace , that 〈…〉 and precious j●w●l , that the l●●st measure of grace is of mere worth than ten thousand world● ; be sensible of your want of it , that naturally you are without it , that it doth not grow in natures garden , that you have no good nature in you before god , till your nature i● renewed ; be ready to receive the ●eed of grace , which drops down from above whilest people are attending upon gods ordinances ▪ be ready to hearken and yield to the spirits motions , whereby this work of grace is effected : and having the work begun , o cherish the grace you have got , and as new-born b●bes d●sire the sincere milk of the word , that ye may grow th●reby ; and labour to cleanse your selves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit , that ye may perfect holiness in the fear of god , 2 cor. 7.1 . dir●●●i●n 6. you must lead a new life , if you wo●ld be saved , see wh●t k●nd of life the grace of god wh●ch bri●●●th s●lvation doth r●q●●re and 〈◊〉 nam●ly ▪ to 〈…〉 and w●rldly 〈…〉 and godly in this present world , 〈…〉 you must d●ny ungo illness and worldly last , you must put off concerning the 〈…〉 the old m●n which is corrupt 〈◊〉 to d●c●i●full 〈…〉 . and not fashion your selves according to the former lusts , in your ignorance and unregeneracy , 1 pet. 1.14 . not running with others unto the same excess of riot , 1 pet. 4.4 . not walking according to the course of a profane and ungodly world , eph. 2.2 . but saving your selves from an untoward generation , act. 2.40 . as he that hath called you is holy , so you must be holy in all manner of conversation , 1 pet. 1.15 . you must live soberly , righteously , and godly in this present world ; soberly in regard of your selves ; righteously in regard of others ; and godly in regard of the lord. 1. soberly , in regard of your selves ; which implyes , 1. temperance in eating and drinking , you must take heed of gluttony and drunkenness : 2. chastity , you must take heed of adultery and uncleanness , in thought , speech , look , and act . 3. moderation , you must be sober in your desires after these earthly things , and take heed of inordinate affection to any thing . 2 you must live righteously in regard of others : you must give to every one their due , and do to others as you reasonably can desire that they should do unto you , you must take heed of unrighteousness either in regard of commutative justice in your buying and selling , borrowing and lending ; and in regard of distributative justice in dispensing of rewards and punishments ; you must beware of oppr●ssing , afflicting , injuring any , of going beyond or defrauding any , of withholding dues , keeping back wages from those that have done you service , knowing that if they cannot , god will be the avenger of all such . 3. you must live godly in regard of the lord ; you must especially shew your new life in the immediate worship of the lord , and that publickly in his house , privately in your families , secretly in your closets ; you must worship god in the ordinances of his own appointment ; and this you must do with reverence , having an awe and dread of god upon your spirits , with whom you have more immediately to do ; with sincerity , having a sincere respect to gods glory therein , and that you might be accepted by him , and meet with him ; with vigilancy watching the sittest time in regard of the thing , and the temper of your bodies and souls , and the breathings of gods spirit ; with humility , sensible of your sinfulness , unworthiness , weakness , emptiness , neediness ; with diligence , before to prepare your hearts , and in ordinances to engage them , and resist the devil and the contrary workings of the flesh ; with frequency , laying hold on all the opportunities as you can , without neglecting other businesses , which for that time you may be more necessarily called unto ; with fervency , getting your hearts if you can raised and enlarged , labouring that they may burn within you with love to god ; with delight and complacency in god , and above all with faith in jesus christ , through whom alone it is that you can have strength to perform duties , and that you can have any acceptance in them by the father . direction 7. you must resolve upon sufferings for christ , if called , if you would be saved ; you must bear the cross , if you would wear the crown , rem●mbring that if the cross be weighty it will work for you a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory , 2 cor. 4.17 . you must re●kon upon sufferings for christ before hand , and resolve that you will stick to him and his wayes , though you should lose esteem by it , and become the drunkards song , and be reproached amongst men ; though you lose liberty by it , and be thrust into prison ; though you should lose estate by it , and be brought to pinching want ; though you should lose friends by it , and have none to stand by you ; though you should lose life by it , and be cut off in the midst of your years ; otherwise you cannot be christs disciples indeed , and obtain this salvation which he hath purchased . see the terms which our saviour propounds , luk. 14.26 , 27. if any man come unto me , and hate not his father and mother , and wife and children , and brethren and sisters , yea and his own life , he cannot be my disciple . this we are to understand , that a man must choose to displease father , mother , wife , children , the nearest and dearest relations , and part with any thing in the world , yea with life it s●lf , rather than to displease and part with jesus christ ; and that we must resolve to bear the cross , whatever it be that god hath allotted for us , otherwise we do not accept of christ upon gospel-terms ; you must resolve to be partakers of the affliction of the gospel , if you would obtain the salvation of the gospel ; you must resolve to suffer with christ , and for his sake when called , if you would reign and be glorified together with him . whatever profession you make of christ and his wayes in time of peace and prosperity , when the sun of persecution doth 〈◊〉 upon you with burning heat , you will wither and fall away , and turn fearfull apostates , and then your last estate will be worse than your first ; and as your sin will be greater here , so your punishment will be more dreadfull hereafter in hell , where you will confess that the light sufferings which you have declined for christs sake here , are not worthy to be compared with the far more exceeding and eternal weight of wrath which you must endure for your apostacy unto all eternity . direct . 8. you must study and apply the promises of the covenant of grace , if you would be saved ; without the covenant of grace there had been no possible salvation for any of the fallen children of men ; the covenant of works which god made with man at the first , being broken by sin , it doth condemn all that are under it , it is by vertue of the covenant of grace that any are brought into a state of salvation ; therefore study and apply the promises of this covenant : now you must know that all the promises of the gospel , which are scattered up and down the scripture do belong unto this covenant ; but i shall spread before you those few more general promises which the apostle doth make mention of , where he treats of the new covenant , heb. 8 10 , 11 , 12. for this is the covenant that i will make with the house of israel after those dayes , saith the lord , i will put my lawes into their minde , and write them in their hearts , and i will be to them a god , and they shall be to me a people ; and they shall not teach every man his neighbour , and every man his brother , saying know the lord , for they shall all know me from the least to the greatest ; for i will be mercifull unto their unrighteousness , and their sins and iniquities will i remember no more . here are four great promises which the lord hath made to his people , which i shall explain ( though not in the order of the text ) that you may the better understand and apply them . 1. god promiseth that he will be to them a god , and they shall be to him a people ; this includes all the rest : it is a full and sweet promise that god will be our god , it hath a great deal more in it , than we can conceive ; we may look and look again , and though our faith have never so piercing an eye , never so large and deep reach , yet we cannot look to the bottom , and fathom the depth of this promise ; we may suck and suck again at this breast , and though we draw never so hard , we can never draw forth all the sweetness that is in this promise . to have god to be our god , it is very great , it is very sweet : indeed god is the god of all his creatures , yea of his enemies , and the vilest sinners ; but to be our god in this place sounds and signifieth more than that which is common to all ; it speaketh a peculiar relation , a special interest and propriety in god ; in this promise god doth make over himself and all that he hath to us , so far as we are capable of receiving ; he giveth himself to be our portion , he engageth his power , wisdom , goodness , mercy , love , and all his attributes to be employed for our good , he promiseth to be our god here , and to be our god for ever ; it signifieth that he will be our father to love and cherish us , to preserve , and provide for us whilest we live , and to take our souls to himself when we dye , and to raise up our bodies at the last day , and make both perfectly glorious and happy in heaven , when time shall be no more . he promiseth also that we shall be his people ; we cannot make our selves so , but he promiseth that he will make us so ; he will make us his children , he will adopt us , he will regenerate us , give us the title , and give us the disposition of children ; all this and much more is contained in this promise , that god will be our god , and we shall be his people , even the whole work of our salvation from our effectual calling unto our eternal glorification . 2. a second great promise of the covenant of grace is , that god will be mercifull unto our unrighteousness , and that he will remember no more our sins and iniquities ; it is a promise of mercy in the free pardon and forgiveness of all our sins , this is an exceeding great and precious promise , without which there were no access for us unto god , no attaining eternal happiness , no escaping eternal misery , guilt would shut us out of heaven , and sink us into hell without a pardon . this promise is of vast extent , it reacheth to all sort of sins , unrighteousness , sins , iniquities ; no sin is too great for god to pardon , if the sinner doth believe . 3. a third promise of the covenant of grace is , that god will give us the knowledge of himself ; they shall not teach every man his neighbour , and every man his brother , saying , know the lord , for they shall all know me from the least to the greatest ; they shall not teach one another the knowledge of god , that is , they cannot , or they shall not be able to do it ; they may and ought to teach one another instrumentally ; it is the duty of some to teach , and the duty of others , and they have need , to learn , but they shall not be able to teach effectually ; they may give instructions to one another concerning god and his wayes , but they cannot give light ; they may set the light before them , but they cannot set up the light in them ; they may open truths , but they cannot open the understanding ; this is the work of god only to do , and this he hath undertaken by promise to do , they shall all know me , they shall be taught of god by his spirit the knowledge of himself ; he teacheth by men instrumentally , but he will teach us by his spirit effectually . 4. a fourth promise of the covenant of grace , is , that god will put his laws into our hearts , and write them in our minds : the law was written before on tables of stone , but here he promiseth to write them on fleshly tables of the heart ; which is done not with pen and ink , but by the spirit of the living god , 2 cor. 3.3 . this promise is very comprehensive , it includes not only the giving of a spiritual discovery of the minde and will of god , but also the giving of spiritual dispositions , affections , and strength to perform it ; and by consequence the removal of indispositions , the purging out of corruptions , the mortifying of lust , the taking away the heart of stone , and giving a heart of flesh , the giving a new heart , the putting the spirit within us , and causing us to walk in his statutes , and to keep his judgements and do them , as this promise is branched forth , ezek. 36.25 , 26 , 27. these in brief are the chief promises of the covenant of grace , labour to understand them , and apply them that you may be saved . direct . 9. you must give up your selves in covenant to god , if you would be saved ; god hath put his hand and seal to the covenant which he hath made through his son with you , and you should put your hand to the covenant and engage your selves unto the lord ; you were dedicated to the lord by your parents when you were b●ptized , then you understood not what was done ; now you are arrived to years of understanding , you should make it your own act , and dedicate your selves to the lord : and the more solemnly you enter into covenant with god , the more strong obligation it may be upon you to walk closely with god all your dayes : some have directed to do it under hand-writing , subscribing the name , and some have put words into your mouths , which you may do it , in if you are not so well able to express the terms your selves ; you have this done in mr. guthry and mr. allen's books , if those books be not at hand , i shall set before you this platform , which you may make use of in entring solemnly into covenant with god. i a.b. do acknowledge my self to be the creature and subject of the great and glorious majesty of heaven and earth , in whom i live , move , and have my being , and from whom i receive every good thing which i receive ; and therefore am obliged to conform my minde , will and affections , to order my words , wayes and whole conversation according to his most wise and good , most righteous and reasonable laws : besides which natural obligation , however born in sin , and thereby disenabled , yet being born in the church , and baptized in the name of the father , son , and holy ghost , and by my parents dedicated unto god when i was an infant ; i am further obliged by covenant to be the servant of the lord. but having proved a rebel and traytor against the highest maj●sty , breaking his laws , and covenant-ties which have been upon me , spending years of my life in a state of strangeness and enmity to god , in the service of the devil and my own lusts , i do now solemnly re●ew my covenant with god , that the breach may be made up which sin hath made between god and my soul. being in the first place convinced of the guilt of my sins , whereby i have affronted and offended the highest majesty , whose iustice must be satisfied ; and withall convinced of my own utter inability to make the least satisfaction either by doing or suffering , and that my righteousnesses are as filthy rags , and therefore altogether insufficient to procure for me the pardon of sin , the favour of god , and the peace of conscience ; as also fully perswaded that no meer creature is able to give unto me any help and relief in this case . and being informed by the word of god what the lord iesus is , hath d●ne , and suffered for poor sinners , that there is no name und●r heaven given amongst men whereby we can be saved , but only the name of iesus christ ; that he is able to save all them unto the uttermost that come unto god by him , seeing be ever liveth to make intercession for them ; that he is a mercifull and faithfull high-priest in things pertaining to god , to make reconciliation for the sins of the people ; that whosoever cometh unto him , he will in no wise cast out : and finding a promise in the covenant of grace that god will be mercifull unto our unrighteousness , and that our sins and iniquities he will remember no more ; which covenant is of full force through the death of christ the testator thereof : and having christ set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood , and his righteousness declared for the remission of sins which are past through the forbearance of god ; and this christ freely tendered unto me , and being invited earnestly , yea entreated that i would be reconciled unto god through him ; and by the spirit being perswaded of the truth of these things , and hereby encouraged to apply my self unto christ , and the promises through him unto my self : i do now ( grieving that i have offended god , groaning under the burden of sin , renouncing all my own righteousness , hungring after the lord iesus christ and his righteousness ) upon the bended knees of my soul come unto him , and cast my self wholly upon him ; i cho●se him for my only advocate to plead my cause in the court of heaven , to procure for me pardon and reconciliation , that being justified by faith , i may have peace with god through my dear lord iesus christ. next , repenting from the bottom of my heart of my sins , grieving that i have such a sinfull nature , such a deceitfull heart , that i have so adulterated my affections , and gone a whoring from god to the creatures , that i have so indulged my flesh , and satisfied its irregular desires , that i have given ear to the devil , and complyed as i have done with his temptations : i now renounce all allegiance and service to the world , to the flesh , and to the devil , these enemies of the lord , and of my peace , which warr against my master , and against my own soul ; covenanting and promising never to give away my heart any more from the lord unto any person or thing in the world ; to refuse the world for my portion and chief happiness ; to deny my flesh its sinfull desires and demands ; to resist the devil and his temptations ; not to live and allow my self in any known sin , and to make use of all the known means which the lord hath prescribed for the crucifying of the world , for the mortifying and utter extirpation of sin , for the resisting and overcoming the devil . and being perswaded of the power and interest , the subtilty and deceitfulness of these enemies , and withall sensible of my own imprudence , folly , weakness and inconstancy , i humbly and earnestly implore and beseech the highest majesty , who is infinite in wisdom , power , and goodness , that he would give me counsel and discretion in the use and management of all means and helps that i may not neglect any , nor through sloth and imprudence s●ffer a lesser duty to justle out a greater , that he would give me courage , strength and constancy in the maintaining my spiritual warfare against these my spiritual enemies unto my lifes end . and if ever i should fall through unwatchfulness and weakness , ( which the lord grant i may never do ) i do promise in the strength of the lord to arise again by faith and repentance . and because of the body of sin within me , and remaining corruptions , i shall be subject ( during my abode here ) unto daily failings and infirmities ; i do promise to pray , watch and strive against them , beseeching the lord to strengthen me herein , and grant that my sinfull infirmities may be lesse every day than other ; in the mean time looking upon those disallowed miscarriages contrary to the settled bent and resolution of my heart , as insufficient to make my covenant void . furthermore , being convinced of the vanity , emptiness , and utter insufficiency of any or all the creatures in the world , to make me happy , had i the most desireable enjoyment of them ; and having a discovery of the infinitely blessed god made unto me in his works , chiefly in his word , as being the chief good of man , and withall a promise in the covenant of grace that he will be our god , yea our father through christ , and that we shall be his people , his sons and daughters : i do here with deep veneration of soul , and chief estimation of minde , choose the thrice blessed iehovah for my portion and chief good , beyond all persons and things in this world ; and do avouch him this day to be my god. i humbly accept of the relation of a servant and a son , or daughter , which he hath called me unto . i put my self under his wing , and commit my self to his care and tuition ; and henceforth shall be bold through my dearest lord to call him , and look upon him to be my god and father ; and humbly shall expect from him protection and provision in his way and work , correction , audience of prayer , and the fulfilling of all those promises unto me , which he hath made unto his children . moreover , being perswaded that none can come unto the father , but by the son ; nor share in any spiritual priviledge , but through christs death and intercession , and being perswaded of the infinite amiableness of christs person , the greatness of his love and affection unto the children of men , as also of his infinite desireableness in regard of those offices , and relations which he hath vouchsafed to take upon him , and enter into for the good of his people : i do avouch the lord iesus christ to be my only saviour , and choose him in all his offices and relations . i choose christ to be my high-priest , to intercede , and procure for me daily pardon , access unto god , acceptance of my person and service , audience of my prayers , and supply of all my wants . i choose christ to be my prophet , to teach me by his word and spirit the will of the father . i choose christ to be my king to rule and govern me , to command my whole man into the obedience of himself . i choose christ to be my captain , to go before me , and to tread down my spiritual enemies under my feet . i choose christ to be my friend and brother , to counsel and advise me , to stand by me in all the difficulties and straights of my life . i choose christ to be my husband and beloved , humbly accepting of this near and sweet relation which he calleth me unto . i joyn and espouse my self unto the lord iesus ; and do promise to be for him only , and with full purpose of heart to cleave unto him , to love , honour and serve him , never to deny nor leave him whatever reproaches and distresses i may meet withall for his sake ; though persecution should arise , and that even unto death , i do promise to own his name , and cause , and truths , and wayes , so long as i have breath in my body : but knowing that i am utterly insufficient to do any of these things in my own strength , therefore upon the knees of my soul , i earnestly beseech that i may have strength for all these from himself alone . further , because god my father is invisible to the eye of sense , and incomprehensible by the grasp of reason ; and because my dearest lord iesus christ , who alone hath declared him , in regard of his bodily presence is now in heaven , absent from his people ; and because whatever spiritual light or life , grace , comfort , or spiritual communion with the father , and with his son , is vouchsafed unto the people of god , it is by the holy spirit , who is appointed by office hereunto , and graciously promised unto them in the word : therefore i avouch and choose the holy ghost to be my teacher and guide , to be my sanctifier and comforter , to help my infirmities in duties ; to strengthen me with might in my inner man against sin and satans temptations ; to cleanse me from all filthiness of flesh and spirit ; to heal me of all my spiritual distempers ; to revive me under all my faintings ; to supply me with all graces as to kinde and measure , as shall be needfull for me in my place and work ; to testifie gods love to my soul ; to give me earnests of glory , and to seal me up unto the day of redemption : and o that i might have the presence and abode of the spirit of god with me , and never grieve , quench , resist , and drive away the spirit any more ! also , because the holy scriptures are the word of god , endited by the holy ghost , the epistle of iesus christ , wherein he hath given notice of his love and will ; because they are the only sufficient , and in themselves a perfect rule for faith and a holy life , and so fully do declare the way and means unto everlasting happiness : therefore i choose the word of god to be the rule of my faith and life ; and the ordinances of god therein prescribed to be the means of my acquaintance and converse with my god so far as i am capable of , and he shall vouchsafe ; and to be the means also of preparing of me for the full and perfect enjoyment of him beyond my present capacity . and , because the ordinances are but dark glasses to see the lord in ; because ignorance and unbelief do exceedingly vail god from mine eyes , flesh and corruption do damp my love to god , and my spiritual ioy in him , and interrupt my communion with him ; because of the sins , sorrows , temptations , and afflictions which i cannot be wholly free from , and therefore cannot be perfectly happy here in this world ; and having life and immortality brought to light by the gospel ; a discovery and promise of eternal life made unto me in the word , and withall a command of my lord , to lay up my treasure in heaven : therefore i choose heaven for my treasure and inheritance , for ever to live there in the company of all the holy angels and saints , in the blessed sight , love , and enjoyment of the infinitely blessed god , to see and share in the glory of my dearest lord iesus christ , whither i hope my soul shall be transported by the angels , so soon as it is separated from my body ; and that my vile body , when awakened and raised in the morning of chris●s coming , shall be fashioned like unto christs most beautifull and glorious body , and both inherit the kingdom prepared and promised by my father . lastly , being perswaded of my duty , and encouraged by gods promise of assistance and acceptance ; i now dedicate and deliver up my self fully , freely , and for ever unto the lord ; i yield and resign up my soul with all its powers and faculties ; my body with all its senses and members to be the instruments of righteousness unto god : i resign up my minde to think upon the lord , and those things which concern his interest and glory , to receive , embrace and maintain his truths ; i resign up my memory , to be a store-house and receptacle chiefly of the great things which do belong to his kingdom , and other things of a more inferiour rank , as they may have a reference unto his glory . i resign up my conscience to receive light and purity from his word and spirit , and desire that it may act faithfully as the lords deputy . i resign up my will unto the will of god , to submit to his precepts , to embrace his promises , to oppose what he hath forbidden , to comply with all the dispensations of his providence towards me , to be willing that i should be , and do , and bear , and choose and lose what god would have me . i resign up my heart and affections to fear and reverence the lord , to believe and trust in the lord , to desire and seek after the lord , to love and delight in the lord , and desire to put them all under his government , and to have them exercised according to his will. i resign up my fancy to be governed and employed by my reason in the service of my master . i resign up my sensual appetite after meat and drink , sleep , and any pleasures to be subs●rvient to my rational appetite , and no further to have satisfaction , than will tend to the glory of the lord. i● sign up my hands to work for god , my feet to walk for god , my ears to hear for god , my eyes to see for god , my tongue to speak for god. i resign up all my graces , all my gifts , all my talents , to be used for the glory of my lord and master ; and my whole man to be ruled and governed by his laws : promising , though my flesh do contradict and rebell , that i will endeavour to order my whole conversation according to his word ; humbly looking up to him for strength so to doe , that i may be enabled by him to every duty . and now i look upon my self no longer my own , or that any thing i have is at my own dispose ; but i wholly belong unto the lord : and therefore , blessing , and praising , and giving thanks unto the lord , for vouchsafing to enter into covenant with me , and enclining my heart to enter into covenant with him ; bending my neck under the feet of the most glorious iehovah , i subscribe my self , witness my hand and seal . the devoted servant of the lord , a. b. direct . 10. you must be stedfast , and persevere in the wayes of god unto your lives end , if you would be saved : and here you must be stedfast , 1. in the wayes of truth . 2. in the wayes of gods commandements . 1. you must be stedfast and persevere in the wayes of truth ; in the belief of the truths of the word , without turning aside into wayes of errour ; there are wayes of errour which will lead you as certainly , and more securely to hell , than the wayes of open profaneness . the apostle tells us of damnable errours , as well as open , damnable sins , 2 pet. 2.1 . and we read of some that are damned for believing a lye , that their delusion hath been the cause of their damnation , 2 thess. 2.11 , 12. the devil leads as many as he can in the cords of more gross and known sins towards the place of endless misery ; but if any of them begin to perceive their thraldom and danger , if their eyes be a little opened , and conscience awakened , and hearts affected , and they are perswaded to look after their salvation , then he endeavours to draw them into wayes of errour , he hath his agents and ministers , who are very subtle and crafty , and lye in wait to deceive , who with good words and fair speeches insinuate poysonous doctrines ; and pretending more glorious discoveries , higher and more excellent wayes , draw them out of the way of the word and ordinances , into paths of darkness , where they wander and lose themselves for ever ; where they are tossed up and down , and beaten to and fro with every winde of doctrine unto the shipwrack of their faith and their souls . as you hope for salvation , you must take heed of errour ; diligently inquire after truth ; search for it as for silver , and digg for it as for hidden treasures ; digg for it in the golden mines of the scriptures , let the word of god be the only rule of your faith ; and having found the truth , keep it , hold it fast , labour to fix it in your mindes , let it be as a girdle about your loins ; lay it up in your heart , let it be rooted there ; apply your selves to christ as a prophet to lead you by his word and spirit into all truth , and to keep you from being deceived and deluded ; and keep close to the ministery and ordinances of christs institution , which the lord hath appointed to continue unto the end of the world , for the edifying establishment , and perfecting of the saints , eph. 4.11 , 12 , 13 , 14. 2. you must be stedfast , and persevere in the wayes of gods commandements ; you must patiently continue in well-doing , if you would obtain immortal glory , rom. 2.7 . you must endure to the end if you would be saved , matth. 10.22 . you must be faithfull unto the death , if you would gain the crown of life , rev. 2.10 . it is absolutely necessary unto salvation , that you hold out in the wayes of god ; none but such which come to the end of the race will obtain the prize ; the gate of heaven lyeth at the further not the hither end of the holy path ; therefore you must stedfastly persevere in this way ; if you should fall down , you must rise again , and go on ; if you should fall back or through mistake turn aside , you must return again , and make the more haste ; but if you should fall off , if you should fall away ( as some have done who have seemed very zealous and forward christians as to the outward profession ) you are lost , you are cast-awayes , and you will tumble and fall down into the bottomless pit , from whence there is no returning . be not then followers of them that draw back to perdition , but of them that believe to the saving of the soul , heb. 10.39 . be followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises , heb. 6.12 . it is a glorious inheritance that is before you , that is promised and prepared in heaven , let this encourage you to diligence and perseverance unto the end ; i shall conclude with the words of the apostle , 1 cor. 15.58 . therefore my beloved brethren be stedfast , unmoveable , alwayes abounding in the work of the lord , for asmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the lord. thus i have given you directions , what things you must do that you may be saved . sect . xix . ii. the second and last thing for your guidance in the way of salvation , is , to shew you what means you must make use of to help you in these things . there are ten means to be used in order to the attaining of salvation : 1. self-examination . 2. reading the word of god , and other good books . 3. hearing the word preached . 4. meditation . 5. prayer . 6. christian-conference . 7. watchfulness . 8. sanctification of fasting-dayes . 9. sanctification of sabbath-dayes . 10. improvement of sacrament-dayes . means 1. self-examination . you must examine your selves , if you would see your selves lost ; you may read the mistake of the laodiceans , rev. 3.17 . thou sayest , i am rich , and encreased in goods , and have need of nothing ; and knowest not that thou art wretched , miserable , and poor , and blinde , and naked . you must examine and prove your spiritual state , that you may have a right judgement thereof , that you may perceive how poor , and wretched , and miserable you are whilest you are in a state of nature . you must examine your selves , that you may get a sight and sense of sin : ier. 8.6 . i hearkned and heard , but they spake not aright , no man repented him of his wickedness , saying , what have i done ? every one turned to his course , as the horse rusheth into the battel . you must examine what you have done , if you would repent of your sins ; you must search and try your wayes , if you would turn from your evil wayes ; you must commune with your hearts , and come to your selves , with the prodigal , if you would return unto god , and turn your feet unto his testimonies . be serious then in this great duty of self-examination ; and that you may be so , i would advise that you would set apart time for it , when your thoughts are most free , and affections most sedate and quiet ; get out of the hurry of the world , and lay aside other business for a while ; and withall separate your selves from company , and retire into secret , where you may be free from external disturbances and interruptions ; whatever indispositions and withdrawments of heart you finde , force your selves to the work ; resist satan , who will endeavour to divert and discourage you : set your selves in the presence of god ; desire him to search you ; beg his help in the duty ; labour to keep your minde close to it ; if vain thoughts arise , and would hurry you away , look up to christ to rebuke them , and to bring them into captivity and obedience unto himself . and then sit down , and seriously consider what you have done ever since you came into the world , and withall think with your selves what you will do when your life and this world shall come to an end . take a review of your sins ; they are noted down upon the book of your consciences , peruse this book ; and if you extracted a catalogue of your sins , it might be a help to you . note down your original sin ; your actual sins ; your transgressions of gods law , in the first and the second table thereof ; your disobedience to the gospel ; the aggravations of your sins . means 2. reading the word of god , and other good books . the rule whereby you are to examine your selves is the word ; this is like a candle , which will give light in dark corners ; this is like a glass , which will discover spots in the face ; you must search the word , and try your selves her●by , if you would have knowledge of sin , and your spiritual state ; and you must search the word , if you would have knowledge and acquaintance with god and his will. you may arrive to some knowledge of god by reading the book of nature ; the whole world is full of god , and every creature doth represent him ; but the world is full of sin too , and the more immediate representations of the creatures are sensitive things , which our sense layeth hold on first , and is apt there to stick , without further piercing and searching to finde out god ; and where we have one provocation from the creatures to love and serve him ( through the bewitching temptations of the world , meeting with the worldly lusts of our hearts ) we have a thousand incitements and allurements from them to sin against god ; but the word is full of god , and no incitement there to sin , full of perswasives to holiness and obedience ; god is to be seen more easily , and he setteth forth himself there most conspicuously ; in the book of the scriptures you have the most glorious discoveries of god , in his greatness , majesty , power , holiness , love , mercy , and the like ; and the way made known of acquaintance and communion with him ; if you would be acquainted with god in christ , you must acquaint your selves with the scriptures : read the scriptures daily , and search them ; ioh. 5.39 . read not only the history of the word , but labour to understand the mystery of godliness therein revealed , 1 tim. 3.16 . endeavour after a spiritual discerning of the things of the spirit , 1 cor. 2.14 . when you meet with doctrines in your reading the word , labour to understand and believe them ; when you meet with precepts labour to obey them ; when with prohibitions and threatnings , be cautioned against sin by them ; when you meet with promises , labour to apply them , to draw vertue from them . read this book as the word of god , and hide it in your heart ; lay it up there , as a choice treasure , get your hearts cast into the mould of it ; get it written upon your hearts , and let it have an influence upon your whole conversation ; and that you may the better understand and apply the truths of the word , read as you have time other good books , which open the scriptures , and treat of needfull points of religion , especially such as direct in the great work of conversion , and give rules out of the word for the ordering of your whole conversation ; but above all books read and study the scriptures . means 3. hearing the word preached . it is by the foolishness of preaching that god saveth such as do believe , 1 cor. 1.21 . however the preaching of the word is to them that perish foolishness , yet unto believers it is the power of god unto salvation ; therein god doth put forth his power , and maketh bare his arm , in bringing salvation to lost souls . hear and thy soul shall live , isa. 55.3 . faith cometh by hearing , rome . 10.17 . lydia's heart was opened whilest she attended upon the word preached by paul , act. 16.14 . attend therefore diligently upon the word preached by christs ministers , as an ordinance of his own institution for the working and increase of grace : look upon ministers as christs ambassadours ; he that heareth them heareth christ , and he that turneth away his ear from hearing them , turneth away his ear from christ , who by his spirit in them speaketh from heaven unto men , and how impossible it is for such to escape the wrath of god , see heb. 12.25 . much more shall not they escape that turn away their ear from him that speaketh from heaven . hear the word with reverence , as the word of god , as if the lord should speak to you from heaven with an audible voice ; hear the word with diligence and attention as for your lives , as for the salvation of your souls ; hear the word with faith and love , without which it will not profit and work effectually in your hearts ; and in hearing look not so much for those things which may please , as for that which may edifie ; i mean , do not regard so much mens fancies , as the wholsom truths of the word , which tend most to conviction , edification , to the killing of sin , quickning and increase of grace , and nourishment of the spiritual life . means 4. meditation . the word like food must be digested by meditation , that it may turn to spiritual nourishment ; you must ponder and consider in your mindes the truths of the word , that you may both understand them , and get your hearts affected with them , and your lives ordered by them . meditation is a great help in heavens way , such as are remiss herein cannot walk so steddily , nor chearfully ; accustome your selves unto this duty , set apart time for it ; i know that some complain of barrenness in their thoughts , when they endeavour to meditate ; such i would advise , if they have not that fruitfulness of thoughts themselves to supply them with matter , that they would make use of others help ; let them meditate on the scriptures they read , on the sermons they hear ; moreover i would offer some general heads for meditation , which you may make use of . 1. sometimes meditate on god , his attributes , his infinite majesty , power , holiness , omnipresence , omniscience , eternity , unchangeableness , his infinite wisdom , truth , faithfulness , justice , goodness , mercy and loving-kindness ; his councels , especially his eternal decree of election , which is of most sweet consideration to believers ; his works of creation and providence . 2. sometimes meditate on christ ; his near relations , of friend , brother , husband ; his needfull offices of priest , prophet , and king. 3. sometimes meditate on the spirit , his way and workings on the minde and heart , how he enlighteneth , enliveneth , strengtheneth , comforteth , &c. 4. sometimes meditate on the covenant of grace , and the rich , free , suitable , sure promises of pardon , grace , salvation therein . 5. sometimes meditate on the gospel , and its priviledges , justification , adoption , sanctification , assurance of gods love , peace of conscience , joy in the holy ghost , communications of grace , &c. 6. sometimes meditate on the four last things , namely , death , judgement , heaven and hell. 7. sometimes meditate , and that frequently , daily , of such arguments as tend to the mortifying of your particular sins , which are most strong and prevalent , and to the strengthening of your graces which you finde most weak and deficient . means 5. prayer . pray secretly ; retire your selves from company into your closets , or some private place , and there confess your sins , and make known your requests to god , that seeth and heareth in secret , and hath promised an open reward to such as secretly and sincerely seek him . pray frequently , be often upon your knees , give your selves unto prayer ; begin the day , conclude the day with prayer , and recover some other time to visit and speak to god ; at least mingle ejaculatory prayer with every other work ; and labour that your minds may be always in a praying frame ; and do not withdraw , but be glad when an opportunity offereth it self to come to the throne of grace . pray fervently , pour forth your hearts before god in the duty ; wr●stle with god in prayer like iacob , be earn●st in your petitions as for your lives , be instant and importunate , take no denyal , follow hard after god ; stir up your selves to take hold on him , use arguments in prayer , to plead with him . pray believing●y , mingle your prayers with faith ; make use of the name and mediation of jesus christ ; and make application of the promises which god hath made to his people , which he hath made to faith , and which he hath made to prayer . means 6. christian conference . take heed of the company of the wicked ; from such turn away ; if ●● and when you are there , labour to mourn for sin , which hath pierced the lord ; to hunger after his righteousness ; to receive him by faith ; to apply the promises of the covenant of grace , whereof the sacrament is a seal ; endeavour after a burning love to him whose love hath been so great as to dye for you ; and let your hearts be filled with joy , and your mouths with praises , and deliver up your selves in covenant unto the lord in this ordinance ; after you come from the lords table , reflect upon your carriage towards the lord ; if you have been straitened , endeavour to find out the cause , mourn , and by after-pains and application of christ , endeavour to get some benefit , and prepare better against the next time ; if you have been enlarged , be humble , be thankfull , be watchfull , live up to obligations ; draw vertue from christs death for the cr●●cifying more and more of your flesh , with its aff●ctions and lusts ; and fetch influences of grace and spiritual nourishment ▪ that you may encrease with the encreases of god. finally , be diligent in the use of these , and all other means and helps , and so at length you shall attain the ultimate end , for which they are appointed , even your salvation and eternal happiness . finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a64998-e420 motive 3. the christians heauenly treasure. by william burton of reading in barkeshire burton, william, d. 1616. 1608 approx. 193 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 85 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2003-05 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a17320 stc 4168 estc s115749 99850967 99850967 16213 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a17320) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 16213) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1475-1640 ; 1165:02) the christians heauenly treasure. by william burton of reading in barkeshire burton, william, d. 1616. [4], 80 leaves printed by t. e[ast] for thomas man senior, and ionas man, dwelling in pater-noster-row, at the signe of the talbot, london : 1608. printer's name from stc. reproduction of the original in the folger shakespeare library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 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clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng salvation -early works to 1800. christian life -early works to 1800. 2003-01 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2003-02 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2003-03 judith siefring sampled and proofread 2003-03 judith siefring text and markup reviewed and edited 2003-04 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the christians heauenly treasure . by william bvrton of reading in barkeshire . matthew 16. 26. what shall it profit a man to winne the whole world , and loose his owne soule . philip . 3. 7. the things that were vantage vnto mee , the same i counted losse for christs sake . 8 and doe iudge all things to be dunge that i might winne christ. london : printed by t. e. for thomas man senior , and ionas man , dwelling in pater-noster-row , at the signe of the talbot . 1608. to the right vvorshipfull , and religious knight , sir drue drurie , encrease of grace and peace in this life , and fulness of heauenly treasure in the life to come . right vvorshipfull maecenas , in regard of the manifolde fauours , and encouragements , which i haue receiued from you , euer since i first entred into the sacred worke of the ministrie , first in norfolke at your house by norwich , where then you remayned , and many times since , i doe heere ( as dutie bindeth mee ) offer vnto your vvorshipfull patronage , this short treatise , of the christians heauenly treasure , which sheweth in some sort , the difference betweene false goods and true goods , betweene heauen and earth , the riches of the one and the riches ( or penurie rather ) of the other , and the way how to enioy the one without losse of the other . which is not to teach you any thing that yet you know not , for god bee praysed you knew these things long agoe , but ( as s. peter wrighteth ) to confirme & strengthen your godly minde , and to vphold your holy faith , which long since through the mercy of god shined in you , accompanied with true loue , the handmaid of faith , to the great glory of god , the ioye of the godly , and the comfort of the saints hearts . this argument doth of right belong vnto your worship , because the lord hath plentifully replenished your hart with the loue of heauenly things and true zeale vnto his glory , for heauenly matters , onely in heauenly minds and sanctified harts receiue kind entertainment , like the angels in lots house , reioysing each in others company & conference , like mary and elizabeth , but they shun the companie of the wicked , like the wise men , which balked herods house & returned another way , when they vnderstood what a fox he was . the god of all mercie and consolation , who hath made your old age glorious by crowning the same with a most constant loue and sincere profession of his blessed truth , so prosper your holy proceedings and religious endeuours ; that at the end of this your earthly pilgrimage , you may with holy simeon depart in peace , and receiue with all saints , that crowne of immortall glory , and endlesse rest , which god hath prepared for you , and for all those that loue and desire the glorious appearing of the lord iesus christ. from my friends house in london , this 21. of ianuarie 1607. your worships in all christian affection , vvilliam burton . the christians heauenly treasure . matthevv . 6. 19. lay not vp treasures for your selues in earth , where the moth and canker corrupt , and where theeues digge through and steale . 20 but lay vp for your selues treasures in heauen , where neither the moth , nor canker corrupteth , and where theeues neither dig through nor steale . 21 for , where your treasure is , there will your hart bee also . ovr sauiour christ hath in the former part of this chapter condemned the fond affectation of vaine-glory as the onely bane and poyson of all good actions , wherof he giueth three instances : the one in giuing of almes : the other in fasting : the last in prayer ▪ he now for biddeth worldlinesse , and greedy desire of earthly things , as dangerous an enemie to our saluation , & no lesse a staine vnto our christian profession , as the former . vaine-glory and hypocrisie as a burning poyson that infecteth and inflameth the inward parts , is to be auoyded , yea , as a theefe that robbeth the almightie of his glory is to be pursued . greedy couetousnesse or worldlinesse as thrones that choke the graces of gods spirit , is to bee plucked vp by the rootes . as a spirituall feuer that relisheth no goodnesse , but distasteth all h●●uenly and spirituall things , is to bee purged and taken heed of , yea , the desire of riches is to bee auoyded as a streame both deepe and swift , that will both drowne mens soules & carry them quite away from god. to that ende saint paul saith , they that will bee rich , ( meaning whether god will or no , or before the time that god hath appointed ) fall into many noysome and foolish lusts , which drowne men in perdition and destruction , to shew in what a miserable case a worldling is : for speak to a drowned man , smite him , teach him , and cry out vnto him , or sound a trumpet in his eare , and he heareth not , he feeleth not : and so is it with a man whose hart is drowned in the cares of this world , and loue of riches . and yet those are in greatest admiration , for the world doth not onely desire to be hauing more still , but doth admire those that haue worldly treasures . therefore our sauiour christ doth warne vs of that gnawing worme , and tels vs , that if wee bee so greedy of the world as to set our harts vpon it , we loose heauen for our labo●● . and therefore wee must take heed how wee vse this world : for christ would teach vs how to vse the world , that wee bee not cousened by it . a little thing certaine is better then much vncertaine , as a poore man with a little coppy-hold , is better to passe in that respect than hee that hath much , and no assurance in it : the world is vncertaine , for it is in danger of theeues which will rob , or of mothes which will f●e● , or of rust which will consume , or of death which wil end all , but heauen is not subiect to any of these nor the like . againe , hee that will bee saued must send treasure before hand to heauen , and not driue of till death come , for none shall finde treasure there , but they that lay it vp before they dye . as a man that remooueth to another place to abide there , sendeth his stuffe and prouision before him : so they that meane to remoue hence and to abide in heauen , must send their treasure thether before hand , by relieuing the poor , and helping forward other holy & cha●●table works . and wheras some alledge for themselues , that they haue had great losses , &c. and therefore cannot giue any thing to the poore , or other holy and charitable vses , they must know that they haue the more need to giue , and to bee liberall , and to doe good with that they haue , and so to lay vp in heauen , when the world goeth from them , or else they will bee poore both here and there too . now if any man bee desirous to know whether he hath any treasure in heauen or no , let him take this course : first , let him see what it is that doth command his hart : and next what doth most moue him , and touch him : and lastly , what hee taketh most delight in , and what he beateth his braine about most : and if the matters of heauen and gods kingdome doe most commaund his heart , and occupy his head , and delight his minde , then his treasure is there , his stuffe is sent before hand to the place whether hee intendeth to remoue when god calleth him , or else not : and this is the summe of christs words and holy counsell in this place . this text hath 2. parts . 1. a commandement . 2. a reason of the same . the commandement hath likewise two parts . the first is negatiue in verse 19. lay not vp treasure for your selues in ▪ earth , &c. the second is affirmatiue in verse 20. but lay vp for your selues treasure in heauen , where neither the moth , &c. the reason is in verse . 21. for where your treasure is , there will your hart bee also . as touching the negatiue part of our sauiour his precept , wee are to vnderstand that his manner of speaking is here no otherwise then in other places , and other cases also of the like kinde : as , labour not for the meate that perisheth , but labour for the meat that endureth to eternall life . and in another place , sell that you haue , and giue to the poore . and in another place , possesse not gold nor siluer . and in another place , be not carefull what to eate and drinck , or what rayment to put on . all which places being literally taken , and not according to the minde and meaning of our sauiour christ , may breed error , as they haue done : for from hence the anabaptists fetch their communitie of goods ; the monks and fryers their wilfull pouerty ; and the iesuits hereupon perswade others to impouerish themselues to enrich them : and lastly , vnder the shadow of these words : the slothfull sluggard , & idle person would shrowd themselues , to bee thereby discharged of all honest labor and diligent following of their vocations . therfore first the true meaning of the words is to be sought for , and then we shall the better vnderstand what do●trines from thence may bee gathered , for our further instruction and consolation in the lord. this word treasure , is taken in the scripture sometime for gold and siluer . 1. king. 7. 51. and salomon brought in the things which dauid his father had dedicated : the siluer , and the gold , and the vessels , and laid them among the treasures of the house of the lord. so prou. 2 ▪ 4. if thou seekest for wisedome as for siluer , and searchest for her as for treasure . and mat. 13. 44. the kingdome of heauen is like vnto a treasure hid in the field , &c. sometime it is put for abandance of riches or any other thing . as , mat. 13. 52. euery scribe which is taught vnto the kingdome of heauen , is like vnto a house-holder , which bingeth forth out of his treasure things both new and old . and mat. 12. 34. out of the aboundance of the hart the mouth speaketh . verse 35. a good man out of the good treasure of his hart , or abundance of good things , br●ngeth forth good ▪ things . so rom. 2. 5. thou after thine hardnesse , and hart that cannot repent , treasurest vnto thy selfe wrath against the day of wrath , that is , causest vnto thy selfe abundance of wrath , &c. and sometime it is put for whatsoeuer a man taketh delight in , as here in this place , where your treasure is , there will be your hart also , that is , where the thing is that you delight in , there will be your hart , your minde and affection . againe , all treasure is eyther temporall or eternall . 2. cor. 4. 18. the things that are seene are temporall , but the things that are not seene are eternall . eternall or heauenly treasure is from heauen , and consisteth in the grace and fauour o● god , and is the onely true riches . esay . 33. 6. the. feare of the lord shall bee his treasure . and a good man out of the good treasure of his hart bringeth forth good things . these are called : bagges that wax not old . and light of glory brought in earthen vessels . the renuing of the inward man. ver. 16. an excellent and eternall waight of glory . 17. and things not seen , yet looked vpon . vers. 18. such as no eye hath seene , nor eare hath heard ▪ nor haue entered into the hart of man. and here in our text such as moths cannot eate , nor rust consume , nor theeues steale , that is , they are not subiect to any kinde of casualtie or mischance : all which places doe rather shew what it is not , then what it is , for indeed it is god himselfe in christ iesus , which cannot bee expressed , because he is infinite and incomprehensible . of this latter it is not that hee speaketh , when hee saith lay not vp for your selues treasures in earth , then hee must needes meane the former . but what ? doth the lord iesus meane that it is in no wise lawfull for a christian man to get , or enioy the riches of this world ? not so , for in pro. 2. 4. it is said that we must seeke for wisedome as for golde : to shew that golde also may bee sought for . and king salomon made a nauie of ships , which once in three yeeres returned with golde and siluer , iuory , &c. and in gen. 37. 28. it is said there was traffique betweene the midianites and the ismalites marchants , and betweene the ismalites and the egiptians , that one country might by that meanes bee benefited by the commodities of another . what then ? doth hee meane that it is vnlawfull to keepe any thing in store for hereafter ? not so neither , for ioseph is commended for laying vp against the time of famine , yea , it is iosephs counsell that pharaohs officers shall gather all the foode of seauen plenteous yeeres , and lay vp corne for foode in the cities to bee kept against the seauen yeeres of famine . what then ? doth hee meane that a man must take of earthly goods onely so much as will serue his turne , and cast away that which is left ? not so neither , for in iohn . 6. he commandeth his disciples to gather vp in baskets that which was left , when the people had bene miraculously fed , and let nothing bee lost ( saith the lord. ) what then ? doth hee meane that wee must not prouide for those that wee leaue behinde vs ? not so neither , for the apostle saith , the children ought not to lay vp for their fathers , but fathers for their children . and hee telleth timothy , that hee which prouideth not for his familie is ( meaning in that respect ) worse than an infidell , and hath denyed the faith what then ? doth hee meane that all must bee common ? not so neither , for then there could bee no breach of the eight commaundement if any man did steale ; and all exhortations and precepts of distributing to the poore were in vaine , if the poore might bee their owne caruers of rich mens goods : yea , what should then become of buying and selling ? buy the truth but sell it not , saith sa●omon : and defraud not one another ( saith the apostle ) in barganing , and buying , and selling . what then ? doth hee mean that we must sell away all that wee haue and begge for our selues , as popish fryers , and monkish papists would haue vs to doe ? not so neither , for in luke 12. 33. it is not said sell that you haue , but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , sell that you haue ouerplus , and may well spare , and giue to the poore , otherwise we should loue our neighbours not as our selues , but aboue our selues , which god neuer required . and better it is for a man to keepe his goods for himselfe , than to bestow them vpon idle monks , and a wicked rabble of fryerly locusts , which bee as necessarie in a christian common-wealth , as snakes in a mans bosome , or mice in a barne full of corne. what then ? doth hee meane that a man may liue idly , and then looke to be maintained by others ? not so neither , for the apostle being ruled himselfe by the spirit of christ , hath set downe a rule for such irregular persons , that if any can worke and will not , such should not eate , to shew that idle persons are inordinate , and so burdensome to a common-wealth , that they are not worthy to liue , but to bee punished by the most cruell death that ●an bee , and that is to bee starued and pined to death . and in pro. 6. 6. the sluggard is sent by the holy ghost to the pismire , that in beholding her wayes hee might learne to bee wise , for shee hauing no guide , gouernour nor ruler gathereth her meate in summer , and prepareth her foode in haruest , to shew that euen by honest and painefull trauaile men should prouide in summer against the hard time of winter , and in health for sicknesse . and albeit the lord iesus saith in ioh. 6 labour not for the meate that perisheth , yet his meaning is not to discharge men of their honest labour , and following ( euen with diligence ) their callings , but that we must not labour so much for the bread that perisheth , as for that which abideth to eternall life , or that our temporall commodities should not bee the only end of our labour , or that we must not mingle our labour with distrust and vexing care , for that euen our strength is but labour and sorrow , and when salomon by his wisedome had waded through all matters , and had made tryall of the world , hee vpon his approoued experience , set downe his verdict , that all is but vanit●e and vexation of spirit , as if hee should say , moyle not , vexe not , weare not out your selues so much as you haue done about the world , to the loosing of your heauenly treasure . well then , if christ doth allow men to get and enioy riches as the merchants of tirus : and king salomon , if he doth allow vs to prouide and lay vp beefore hand as ioseph did , & to saue that which is remaining , as himselfe and his disciples did , and to lay vp for our families as the very infidels doe . if the lord iesus will not allow men to haue all things common as anabaptists doe , nor to pro●esse wilfull pouertie as beggerly fryers do , nor to feed idle-packs which will not labour for their liuing , as preposterous pittie doth , what then should bee his meaning when he saith , lay not vp for your selues treasures in earth ? that wee may the better finde out the lords meaning we , are to know that treasure here , is put not onely for money , riches , and prouision for the time to come , but also for any thing else ( as was said before ) wherein a man taketh most delight , and whereupon hee dependeth most , or which hee maketh his felicitie ; yea , and doth so lauish out his loue vpon it , and torment himselfe with careful thoughts for the same , as if without it hee should be vtterly vndone , and could not possibly liue . in which maner worlldings gather riches , and atheists seeks after pleasure , the ambitious man hunts after honour , euen with all their harts , with all their minde , with all their might , strength & soule , as if it were their god that did make them , and it should preserue and saue them , which is a manifest breach of the first commandement . now all is made the treasure that the heart is set vpon , as for example . some men take more to heart the losse of a childe , than the losse of all their goods besides , and doe so much set their affection vpon it , that they will say , if god should take this childe away , then all our ioy is gone , like rachel that mourned for her children & would not bee comforted . some are so iealous ouer their honour , that if they haue not all manner of outward complements afforded vnto them ▪ they are as male-contented as haman , who was full of wrath , and studied nothing but monstrous & mischeuous reuenge , because mordecai did not bow the knee vnto him , as others had done . some againe dote vpon their credit . that if their wicked counsell bee crossed at any time , they are readie with achitophell ( that treacherous counsellour ) to goe hang themselues . others are so madde vpon their present pleasure , that with the beastly epicures they cry , let vs eate and drincke , though wee dye for it to morrow . some are so enamored of their wealth , that when their goods are encreased and their barnes enlarged , then with the worldling they dreame of a quietus est : and cry soule be now at rest , for thou hast goods enough for many yeeres . of all these it may be said they haue layde vp treasure in earth but not in heauen , beecause in these things they haue reposed all their ioy , their delight , their trust . and therefore being inuited to the heauenly banquet of the gospell , they `answere like earth-wormes , making light of the matter , i must looke to my farme saith one , and i to my oxen , saith another , and i must aske my wife first , saith another : which is no more in effect but thus much , wee must follow that wee delight in , and that wee trust in , these are the things that our heart delight in , and trust in , these are our treasure ▪ if wee saw more goodnesse in that feast then in these our commodities , wee would goe to it , but wee cannot relish them as wee doe these worldly matters , and therefore thank your maister for his good will , and pray him to hold vs excused : for the ●●●th is , wee must follow that which our hart affecteth , our worldly treasure , wee cannot come . to all such it is said here . lay not vp your treasures on earth , &c. and these words may bee expounded two wayes . lay not vp , &c. thou that art a christian and hast giuen thy faith to the lord iesus christ in thy baptisme , thou that art a cittizen of the heauenly ierusalem , and hast the holy one of isr●ell , euen the lord of hoasts , and the mightie god of heauen and earth for thy father : his sonne , yea , his onely beloued son for thy redeemer , and the holy ghost which proceedeth from them both for thy sanctified guide and comforter , and thou that hast the angels to guarde thee , and the saints to pray for thee , and all the creatures to serue thee , and therefore art of all the creatures the most noble and excellent , thou must needs haue somewhat to delight in , to occupy thy minde vpon , and to set thy hart vpon . take heede it bee not vpon earthly things , for all the earth cannot yeeld thee a fit match , thou being called to so high and heauenly ● calling , but heauen can . in earth is ●othing that can make thee happy , but in heauen there is happinesse it selfe . in earth there is no commoditie without a discommoditie , but in heauen there is . in earth is no perpetuitie , but in heauen there is . in earth there is no securitie or safetie , but in heauen there is both : therefore lay not vp thy treasure in earth where the moth and canker corrupteth , and where theeues dig through and steale , but in heauen where is no such matter . or it may thus bee expounded . thou which art a christian doe not so greedely seeke after earthly substance , as thereby to neglect thy heauenly substance , as the manner of all men is to do by nature , like esau who was so hungry for a messe of his brothers pottage , that for loue thereof , and for feare of ●taruing ( except he had it ) lost his birth-right , for which prophane part of his , he● could not finde any place to repencance , although hee sought the blessing with teares . verely a thing this is , that may make our harts to ake , for wee are at esaucs passe : so we may get the world , keepe our customers and win the pottage , wee are safe : but marke thou , that art of esaues humour , well maiest thou weepe for the losse of thy temporall benefits , but for this damnable profanenesse of thine in preferring of earth before heauen , except gods grace bee the more abounding towards thee , thou wilt hardly repent . therefore if thou be wise indeed ( as thou wouldest seeme to bee ) forsake esaues dyet in time , and lay not vp treasure in earth where moth and canker do corrupt , and theeues break through and steale , &c. heare christs reason where moths doe fret , canker corrupteth , and theeues dig through and steale . the summe of his reason is this , that whatsouer this world affordeth , is subiect to consumption , or corruption , or both : if it bee in vse , it is consumed with the vse , if it bee not vsed , then it corrupteth for want of vse . the consuming and spending of these worldly goods , is eyther by the owners of them , or by theeues that oftentimes are pertakers of them to the hurt of the owner . they are also consumed ●yther by sensible and liuing creatures , as by mothes , flyes , mice , and rats , and such like : or else by insensible & dead things , as rust , and mould , and fire , and water , and ayre , and age , &c. now consider the matter , consult & giue sentence . what madnes is it to prouide for theeues and robbers ? what inhumanitie to giue that to mothes and mice , &c. which is better bestowed vpon thy selfe , vpon thy familie , or vpon the poore ? what vanitie , yea , what misery is this to bee a slaue to such things as theeues and robbers , vermine , and rottennesse shall do . minier ouer , and in a short time must perish eyther in the vse , or for want of vse ? this doe not worldlings consider , they locke vp , and lay vp , and put out their treasures to be kept for them , yet can they not keep their garments from moths , nor their golde and siluer from rust , nor any thing they haue , from one casualtie or another long . when they haue gotten goods together , they cannot promise vnto themselues either perpetuitie of them or securitie : and what a misery is that ? but either their goods or themselues must weare away , and their goods are in daunger for their properties sake , and the owners are in danger for their goods sake . neither are these all the discommodities that thy treasure is subiect vnto , who knoweth not that the fire may consume them , as it hath done thousands ? or the water may drowne them , as it hath done thousands ? or the plague may infect them as it hath done thousands ? or time may weare them , as it hath done millions of thousands ? or death may fetch thee away , as it hath done infinit millions of thousands ? besides all this , consider how manie haue beene vndone by vnconscionable debtors , by crafty headed lawyers , by vnthrif●re children , by vntrusty seruants . yet this is not all , for what restles care doth teare thee in getting them ? what tormenting feare doth abate thy comfort in keeping them ? and what hart breaking sorrow doth vexe thee in loosing of them ? yet this is not all neither , for here thou art praysed , there thou art dispraysed , now thou art loued , by and by thou art enuied , of some thou art admired , of many thou art scorned , and all for thy wealths sake . the worldling is like a mill , driuen violently by a maine streame , and great prouision is made to feede in one place , and to coole in another , the sacke is brought to feede the mill , and the mill grindeth and weareth it selfe to fill the sacke againe , and still the wheele is where it was , for all his whirling about , and as you finde it so you leaue it : so is it with a worldly man and his goodes , but this similitude applyeth it selfe , i will therefore follow it no further . this wee all know , but how often , or rather how seldome doe wee thinke vpon it , or remember it , or make vse of it , to stay vs from greedy coueting and egar pursuing of the world , with the hazard of our saluation ? the diuell hee cryeth , follow the world , compasse the worlds goods , oh thou shalt profit thy selfe , but christ saith , what shall it profit a man to winne the world , yea , the whole world , and to loose his owne soule ? that the diuell concealeth ; yea , he dealeth with vs as hee did with christ himselfe , hee shewed christ the glory and maiestie of worldly kingdomes , but not the troubles and tumults , not the daungers and enimies of the same : so he deludeth the fooles of this world , he sheweth them the brauery of the court , but not the vanitie that is in the court : hee sheweth them the glory of honour , but not the daunger of honour : he sheweth the flowers of beautie , but not the deceiptfulnesse of beautie : hee sheweth the commodities of offices , but not the discommodities of offices : he sheweth the wealth of such a country , but not the enuie & misery of the same country . and thus are the fooles of this world ( as god himselfe calles them ) deluded and abused , yea , and destroyed many times by the diuels shewes , like the miserable troyans who doted so much vpon the grecians counterfaite and monstrous horse , that they would neuer leaue vntill they had pulled ▪ downe the wals of their cittie to get it in , neuer dreaming of the hidden mischiefes and armed souldiers that lay in the belly thereof , prepare●d for their present destruction . but they see what a shew this maketh , and what a shew that maketh , and meruailous it is in their eyes , then their hart is on fire till they haue it , and their head still is deui●ing how to compasse it , to which end all meanes are attempted , there is flattering , and glosing , and fore-stalling , borrowing here , and pawning there , and selling one thing to buy another : and when hee hath gotten his harts desire , then he thinks of nothing but his gettings , as nabuchadnezzar that proud king of confusion , thought of nothing but of his glorious buildings , oh ( said hee ) is not this great babell , which i haue built for the honour of my macestie ? strouting vp and downe in his galleries , and admiring himselfe for his building , as a foole admireth himselfe in a glasse , so doe the fooles of the world , oh ( saith one ) how rich shall i bee ? how worshipfull saith another ? how much admired for my wealth , for my brauery , for my strength , saith a third ? &c. within a while commeth the moth , the mouse , and the rat for their fees , the one taketh vp his lodging in his braue apparrell , and gnaweth holes in his lodging , the other in his barnes and granieries , and taketh as deepe toule as the miller , the rust falleth and feedeth vpon his gilded and glittering armour , and the canker seazeth vpon his gold and siluer . after these commeth the legall theefe , that is , the vsurer , and he must haue for the lone of his money , then comes the mercer and draper with their bils , wherewith they giue many astonishing blowes on the head ( as it were with clubs ) for wearing out their braue apparrell before it bee paid for . then the fashion altereth , or the ayre is not wholesome , and both must bee changed , or the flatterer licketh his dishes , or the begger pulleth him by the sleeue , and then the propertie is altered , oh quantum mutatus ab ille ? hee is not the man hee was taken to bee , neyther is it all gold that glistred in his eyes . now , speake to these earth-wormes of heauenly things , and amidst their ioyes or dumps , aske them if they will goe to a sermon , or ioyne with the congregation in prayer , or the like , what is their answere ? is it not nabal-like ? who when his kindnesse was requested towards dauid and his souldiers , answered like a foolish churle , euen like himselfe . who is dauid ? and what is the sonne of ishai that i should send of my vittailes vnto him ? so say they , the sermon , what good shall wee get by going to a sermon ? who worse then these preachers themselues ? oh they can talke well , and tell a trim tale in the pulpit , but their liues are not thereafter . and thus they play the currish dog , barking and bawling at them that bring them meate . oh , wee shall haue a puritaine of you , how holy you are ? tell not mee of the sermon , i haue other matters to thinke vpon , i must follow my suites in law , or i must goe and beare such and such company at the tauerne , or at bowles , or at tables , &c. i haue not sleptinough , ( saith another : ) and others haue not their ruff●s , and their cuttes , and their hoopes , and their knackes fine inough : i cannot abide to sit so long saith one : i must goe serue my customers : i like not this kinde of teaching ( faith another ) and thus doe they answere , when they are moued to meete the lord , in the meanes of their saluation and sanctification , which lay vp treasures on earth , and not in heauen : and therefore lay not vp your treasures on earth , but in heauen . againe , how doe worldlings deale in bargaining , in buying and selling ? doe they not assault one another with lyes ? doe they not vndermine one with another with deepe dissembling ? doe they not sweare fasly , to deceiue one another ? doe they not promise largely , deny impudently , and falsifie vniustly their promises ? doe they not work vpon the aduantage , and take the extrenitie of law one against another ? doe they not thus deale which are onely deuoted and altogether addicted to the treasures and pleasures of this world ? againe , how are they accounted of ? how are they accounted of ? how are they accursed ? are they not ( for the most part ) accounted as iudasses and tray-gods ? as machiuels and tirants , as cut-throats and cousoners , vnconscionable and cruell , hard-harted and mercilesse , and that euen of their friends ? they are cursed of the rich , which pay for their kindnesse , and of the poore they are cursed , because they can get not kindnesse of them : of whole countries , trades & common-wealths they are accursed , for they will haue a cast at all . wee cannot buy but of him faith one : wee cannot sell but we must agree with him faith another : wee cannot vtter our commodities because of him , faith a third . the country curseth him : where were wont to bee so many ploughes kept for tillage ( faith the country ) is there now nothing but a shepheard and his dogge . vbi troia iam seges : nay i would it were so well , but now vbi seges iam segnities : all is little enough for a stinking weede , that hath in most places , put down both tillage and pasture , to set vp the pride of life , and lust of the eye , as if the common-wealth might liue rather by colour , than by cloath , and by accidents , rather than by substances . and as the country curseth the worldling , so the poore seruants doe iustly cry out vpon them for detayning of their wages , and do truely apply those words in the gospell against such , they reape where they sowed not , and take vp where they laid not downe . and thus are they accounted of , which follow onely earthly treasure , and therefore lay not vp treasure on earth . how they liue wee haue heard , but how doe they dye ? commonly qualis vita , finis ita : doe not many of them prooue bankroupts and spend-thrifts ? doe they not dye deepe in debt , plunged in despaire , voyd of comfort , and without confidence in god ? is not their wedge of golde their confidence ? and doe they not say to their bags of gold , these are the angels that shall keepe vs ? oh most fearefull , and what more miserable ? as they loued not the word of god in their health time , so doe they wholy distast it in their sicknesse , and their light goeth out in obscure darknesse , leauing a filthy smell behinde it , like a snuffe in a socket , when the candle is burnt out . how many of them doe take their leaue of the world ( after their long doting vpon it ) most he●●eshly blaspheming of god , most cruelly cursing of men , most monstrously execrating of themselues , and most brutishly roaring like beasts knocked on the head , or lying most sencelesly like blockes and stocks . and if any make a better end , that may bee reckoned amongst the miracles of gods superabounding mercy . but thus commonly doe they dye , that haue had their thoughts , and their cares , wholy drenched in the loue and delight of earthly things , to verifie the saying of the apostle : many walke of whom i haue tolde you often , and now tell you weeping , they are enimies of the crosse of christ , whose god is their belly , whose glory is their shame , which minde earthly things , & therfore their end is dam●ation . and thus we see how the profane irreligiousnesse , the deceiptfull dealing , the wicked liuing , and the cursed ending of worldlings doe all cry out with one consent , and bid vs beware , that we lay not vp treasure on earth onely , where moths doe gnaw , and rust doth consume , and theeues breake through and steale . when the men of lystra would haue worshipped paul and barnabas , those blessed apostles cryed out , o men why doe you such things ? wee are euen men as you be , and subiect to the same passions that yee bee , yet scarce refrained they the people , that they had not sacrificed vnto them . so when worldlings would sacrifice their harts to earthly treasure , doth not the earth cry out and say . o vaine man what dost thou meane ? i am as thy selfe , and as base as thy selfe , i was another mans , and am for euery mans turne , i am enuironed with thornes and bryers , and inhabited with toads , vipers , and noysome vermine , & all my commodities are haunted with moths , & cankers , with theeues and diuels , yet scarse doe they refraine from offering sacrifice vnto them . i know not whereunto the earthly treasure may bee better resembled then vnto the huge horse that the greekes had prepared for the destruction of troy ( if that story be true ) which made a great and goodly shew , but vterum armato milite complent , it was within full of armed souldiers , who when they saw their fittest opportunitie , issued out of his panch , to the vtter ruine of all those that doted so much vpon it , and tooke so much paines to bring it into the cittie . but most pithy was the counsaile of lacoon that valiant and prudent cittizen , concerning that monstrous mountaine of hidden mischiefes , and happy had it beene for that cittie if his counsaile had beene followed , and surely , simeus non leua fuisset ( as the poet speaketh ) if they had not beene too light of beliefe , and too much enchaunted with a false perswasion thereof , they had done well enough , for hee spake plainely enough , when he told them that aut hocinclusi ligno occultantur achiui , aut hoec in ●ostros fabricata est machina muros : eyther ( sayth hee ) our enimies lye lurking in this woodden horse , or else it is some engine erected for the battering of our wals . nay more aut aliquis latet error , equo nè credi●● teucri , there is more mischiefe in it then wee are aware of o troyans , bee wise and take heede you trust not a horse . yea , but it is a gifte that the greekes haue left for pallas . well , saith hee , quicquid id est , ti meo danaos & dona ferentes : make what you can of it ( saith hee ) there is , no trusting to the greekes , though they come with gifts in their hands : so hee that hath a spirituall eye indeed , that can pearce further then to the out-side of worldly shewes , can truely say it , and may safely iustifie it , that the golden shewes of profits and pleasures , which are often in this world presented vnto his view , haue eyther some secret mischiefes lurking in them , or are like some strange engine erected to batter his estate , or to cut his throate , or to ouerwhelme his head with cares and feares , or to prouoke him to some desperate attempt : but let the best bee made of it that can bee made , yet the world is not to bee trusted , though it comes sawning and flattering , creeping and crouching to a man with giftes and presents in the hand , for in a kisse was treason , and ioabs kind embracings prooue but deadly stabbings , and the wisest that euer was amongst the sonnes of men , hauing made tryall of all , and taken not a taste , but his fill of all the treasures and pleasures that this world could possibly inuent for the delight and strength of a king , could at the casting vp of his accompts , giue no better verdict of it but this : vanitie of vanities , and all is but vanitie and vexation of spirit . and here againe one wiser and greater then salomon tels vs ( if we haue grace to beleeue him ) that both the rust , and the moth , and the canker , and the theefe , and all cry out vnto vs , and bid vs take heed how we dote vpon worldly treasure . of this discourse we may make good vse , when wee are tempted to the breaking of gods commandements for the gayning of the worlds goods . when any is tempted , let him but reason thus with his soule : my soule what thou wouldest haue thou seest , but what thou shalt haue thou seest not , thou seest the horse , but not what hee hath in his belly : thou seest the bee , but not her sting : thou seest sweet meat , but not the sower sauce : thou seest the baite , but not the hooke : the cheare , but not the reckoning : a fawning face , but not the hand at the back : in a word , thou beholdest the profite that thou art like to get by profaning of the sabboth with working and drudging , the gaine of vsury and bribery , the commoditie of lying and cogging , and the gaine of deceit and falshood , and the like : but what stings and wounds , thou shalt get in thy conscience by following of those spirituall couseners , thou dost not consider , and therefore stay , and proceede no further vnlesse thou wilt bee so mad as to loose heauen for hell. agane when thou art in prayer or hearing of gods word , or about any other of thy godly deuotions , and feelest thy heart stepping aside to haue conference with earthlie cogitations , doe but say thus to thy selfe with salomon , for whom is it that i now care ? is it not for the world , that will cousen me of the word ? is it not earthly treasure that cals my minde away , that i might loose this heauenly treasure ? returne then o my soule vnto thy rest , and keepe thy standing , beware least thou be cousened of the heauenly verity , with a shew of earthly vanitie . and in like manner when thou hapnest to loose any worldlie commoditie , neuer lay it to heart , but euen say this to thy selfe , now the world hath shewed it selfe like it selfe ; god hath taken that from me , which otherwise would haue pulled me from him . as a louing father he hath but taken from mee that knife wherwith i might like a child haue hurt my self : and as a most wise captaine he hath rid me of my luggage , that i might pursue my enemies more swiftly , and make more expedition toward my heauenly countrie , where are better things prouided for me , euen such as no fire can consume , no moth can freet , no theefe can steale , no time can weare , & so with patience let it goe , and giue god thankes , that hath better prouided for thee , then thou wert aware of . but lay vp for your selues treasure in heauen , where &c. our sauiour christ hauing forbidden the gredy seeking of earthly things , and brought men out of conceit with the bewitching vanities of this life , he presently offereth vnto vs better things , and commaundeth vs to lay them vp in heauen , to our owne vse when time shall serue , as if he should say , i doe not absolutely forbid you to gather , and to lay vp in store , but i would haue you so gather , and so to lay vp , that you may finde store of treasure in heauen , your heauenly countrey , whereunto you are borne againe , and where you must abide for euer . and these treasures thus to be laied vp , hee commendeth vnto vs , for their excellency , for their securitie , and for their perpetuitie ; things which all desire , and which are able to free a mans minde from all care . of which it will not be amisse for vs to take a little view . what are those treasures then that are commended vnto vs for their excellencie ? in a word they are heauenly , now looke how farre heauen is more excellent then the earth , and the spirit then flesh , and god then man , so much doth the christians heauenly treasure excell all the treasures of this world . this is true indeede : but in heauen ( thou wilt say ) there is neither buying nor selling , trading nor traffique , building nor planting , letting nor hiring , hungring nor thirsting , no cold nor heat , no working nor labouring , no iourneying , nor trauelling . and therefore we need not care for any prouision for any such vses , what then are those treasures , or what is in them more then in others that wee are so charged to lay them vp ? here we know ( saith the atheist ) what wee haue , but what we shall haue there we know not . but heare thou earthly minded man , and harken o thou whose mind and hart lye buried vnder a loafe of bread . there are indeed no such commodities in heauen as the earth affordeth , yet heauen is a rich countrey , & the commodities thereof are far aboue the fine golde of ophir . first there is the lord iesus who is the lord high treasurer of heauen and earth , in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdome and knowledge . in whom god hath blessed vs , with all spirituall blessings in heauenly things : of whose fulnes we receiue all grace for grace , in whom and by whom wee liue , and moue , and haue our being , of whom the church enquired and was sicke of loue vntill she found him . worldlings make a wonder at this geare vntill they know what it is , but then they are as desirous of it as others , as plainely appeareth by the conference that passed between the regenerate spouse of christ , and the vnregenerate members of the visible church , about the excellency of christs person and loue , and the effect of the said conference most liuely and pathetically deciphered by salomon in his spirituall song . and first the regenerate and godly spouse of christ beginneth in this manner . i charge you o daughters of ierusalem , if you finde my wel-beloued , that you tell him that i am sicke of loue . now mark the answer that is made to this charge by those which yet knew not the excellency of christ. o the fairest a mong women , what is thy welbeloued more then other welboued ? what is thy welbeloued more then an other louer , that thou dost so charge vs ? now mark the descriptiō of christ , set forth by the true church , as glorying and delighting to speake of the beautie and riches of their heauenly bridegrome , to the shame of those that beare the title of christians , and yet are neuer so much daunted and silenced at any thing , as when speach is offered them of christ and christian religion , as if it were possible that an honest woman should bee ashamed to heare good spoken , or to speake good things of her husband , my belouod ( saith the spouse of christ ) is white and ruddy , the cheifest of ten thousand . his head is as fine gold , his locks curled , and black as a rauen. his eyes are as doues vpon the riuers of waters , which are washed with milke , and remaine by the full vessels . his cheekes are as a bed of spices , and sweet flowers , and his lips like lillies dropping downe pure mirrhe . his hands like rings of gold , se● with the chrisolite , his belly like white y●ory , couered with saphirs . his legs as pillers of marble , set vpon sockets of fine gold , his countenance as lebanon , excellent as the cedars . his mouth is as sweet things , and he is wholy delectable , that is my beloued , and this is my louer , o daughters of ierusalem . what say you to him now ? heare now what effect this sweet description of christ hath wrought with the daughters of ierusalem , that is , with the members of the church , yet such as hitherto were ignoraunt of these things . o the fairest amongst women , whither is thy welbeloued gone ? whither is thy welbeloued turned aside , that wee may seeke him with thee ? and would you seeke him indeed ? then heare more . this heauenly and louely bridegrome hath for his spouse a whole cittie , and a holy cittie called new ierusalem ( whose daughters you are ) come downe from god our of heauen , prepared as a bride trimmed for her husband , hauing the glory of god , and her shining is like vnto a stone most precious , and as a iasper stone cleare as christall . the wall of it is great and high , and hath twelue gates , and at the gates twelue angels ( for porters ) and the wall of the cittie hath twelue foundations , and in them the names of the lambs twelue apostles . it is euery way twelue thousand furlongs , as broad as long , and extending aswell to one part of the world as to another . the building of the wall is of iasper , and the cittie pure gold like cleare glasse . the foundations of the wall were ga●nished with all manner of precious stones . and the twelue gates wore twelue pearles , and euery gate is of one pearle , and the street of the cittie is of pure gold. there is no temple there , for the lord god almightie , and the lambe are the temple of it , there is no neede of sunn● or moone , for the glory of god ▪ doth light it , and the lambe is the light of it . and the people which are saued shall walk in the light of it , and the kings of the earth shall bring their glory and honour vnto it . and the gates of it shall not bee shut by day : for there shall be no might there . and the glory and honour of the gentiles shall bee brought vnto it . and into it shall enter no vncleane thing , neyther whatsoeuer worketh abhomination or lyes : but they which are written in the : lambs booke of life . now if the gates , wals and streets of this cittie bee so● beautifull , and sumptuous , then how glorious and rich are the inward parts ? nay who can expresse the riches and pleasures that are there layd vp for the cittizens and spouse of christ ? are they not ( thinke you ) like those things which saint paul saw when hee was rapt vp into the third heauen , which the tongue of man cannot vtter ? and must● they not needes bee those ioyes which the same apostle saith , are such as no eye hath seene , no eare hath heard , no tongue can expresse● nor hart conceaue ? now doe but consider with thy selfe ( if thou canst ) what some eyes haue seene , what some mens eares haue heard , and what some trauellers tongues haue reported in these dayes , and what the hart of some man is able to conceaue , and then doe but imagine what those ioyes of heauen are if thou canst . but what are the commodities and riches of that heauenly ierusalem , and the cittizens therof , that cannot bee valued ? if the report thereof will mooue thee to seeke after them ▪ then heare , for euen in this life the true christian is put in possession of them in part , by which as by a tast , hee is certified , and as by an earnest p●nny hee is assured of the rest that is kept for him , vntill hee bee ready for them . saint iohn saith , that ( as if some rich merchant were come from a far country ) the lord iesus inuiteth vs , and setteth vp as it were his bils in euery church , offering to all that will vse the meanes to make themselues sure of his marchandise ( which is meant by buying ) no worse wares then fine ▪ gold tryed in the fire , to make vs rich , white rayment to couer our filthy nakednes withall , and eye salue to heale vs of spirituall blindnesse , that is , himselfe , his word , and his spirit . and the like offer in most kinde mann●r againe hee maketh by salomon , willing vs ( if wee bee wise to god ward ) to receiue instruction and not siluer , and knowledge rather then fine gold. whereof salomon himselfe giueth this testimony ( after his long experience of both ) that to get wisdome is much better then gold , but how much better hee cannot tell , it so far excelleth , and therefore hee sets it downe with an interrogation : how much better is it , &c. and to get vnderstanding ( saith he ) is more to be desired then siluer , yea , blessed is that man ( saith hee ) that findeth wisedome , and that man that getteth vnderstanding . now marke his reasons . for the marchandise thereof is better then the marchandise of siluer , and the gaine thereof is better then gold . it is more precious then pearles , and all things that thou canst desire , are not to bee compared vnto her . length of dayes is in her right hand , and in her left hand riches and glory . her wayes are the wayes of pleasure , and all her pathes posperitie . shee is a tree of life to them that lay hold on her , and blessed is hee that receiueth her . there is also a spirituall traffique and intercourse betweene christ & the faithfull christian. for our conuersation is in beauen saith s. paul , very troublesome and dangerous ( i confesse ) for a time , for this world is the sea , tempestuous and tumultuous enough . the church militant is the ship of christ that is tossed in the same . the tackling of this ship may be the communion of saints . the pilate that guides the course , the spirit of god. the carde or compasse , the word of god. the purser of this ship , is loue . the baliffe is humane frailties , noisome feares , and troublesome doubts , the munition of this ship , is the armour of god , that is , the helmet of hope , the shield of faith , the sword of the spirit , the brest-plate of righteousnesse , &c. as the apostle describeth it in the 6. to the ephesians . the windes which driue this bark are prosperitie and aduersitie . the waues which tosse this ship are presumption and despaire . the enimies to this ship , are the world , the flesh , and the diuell . the factours are the faithfull ministers of christ. the commodities , are the treasures of heauen , the riches of christ , or fruites of the spirit . our messenger is peace , a speedy poste . the hauen is the kingdome of heauen . the landing place is golgotha . the land is the land of the liuing . the customer is death , who sets all men at libertie , and yet is bound himselfe . peter was once one of these heauenly factours for the lord iesus : a creeple came vnto him for an almes , but what was his aunswere ? siluer and gold haue i none , but such as i haue , i giue thee , in the name of iesus of nazaret arise and walke : a better almes a great deale then hee expected . so wee may say : if you aske vs what commodities our vessell hath brought , we may make peters answere , siluer and gold wee haue none ; new wine haue we none ; pleasant tales haue wee none ; and popish trash haue wee none ; but wee haue the hidden treasures of the gospell , the puritie of true religion , the rich iewels of the holy ghost : as faith to ouercome the world , repentance to make men new , remission of sinnes , and reconsiliation with god , by the death of christ , peace of conscience which passeth all vnderstanding , and is a continuall feast , ioy of the holy ghost , a●d gladnes of hart , which the world cannot take from him that hath them , wee offer loue to god , and charitie to men , zeale for the truth , patience in affliction , moderation of affections , lowlinesse of spirit to grace all our actions , and assurance of euerlasting life after this life , the great gaine of godlinesse , with sweete contentation to all estates . behold , these are the riches , and these are the treasures that the lord iesus sendeth from heauen to enrich and glad his seruants withall , while they liue here dispersed and despised vpon the face of the earth . and yet here bee not all , for euen all outward blessings also do attend vpon these inward graces , so that if any man can finde these , and hartely affect them , the other shall follow measurably and proportionably according to euery mans place and want . and therfore our blessed sauiour ( not knowing how to enuy , or deny vnto his church the smaller things , hauing frankly bestowed himselfe , and the greater things of his kingdome ) set vs in the way , and directeth vs a right course for the obtaining both of heauenly treasures , as also of earthly commodities . seeke first ( saith hee ) the kingdome of god , and his righteousnesse , and all these things shall bee cast vnto you , but gods kingdome must bee first sought . when salomon preferred ( in his request vnto god ) a wise and vnderstanding hart , for the well gouerning of his people , god gaue him that , and also riches and honour , things that he asked not : so , if our chiefest desire and endeauour be to lay vp treasure in heauen , and to bee rich in the graces of the holy ghost , the lord will giue vs those graces , and earthly blessings besides . but alas , it fareth with most men as it did with boaz his kinseman , who was well content to redeeme the field of naomie , but when hee heard that hee that should haue the field , must also marry ruth , hee would none . so , many hearing of earthly commodities , and worldly blessings , are content to strain themselues for the obtaining of them , but when they heare that they must take them as religious dowrie , and vpon condition that they liue vertuously , and liberally amongst their brethren , they wil none , for the one they wil deale , but not for the other : but hee that hath the one , must haue the other also , and whosoeuer will straine himselfe for the best part , shall bee sure to haue his share in the other : as hee that married ruth with her meane portion , lost nothing thereby , because shee was a vertuous woman , and what was wanting in goods , shee had it supplyed in goodnesse : so he that hath godlinesse can be no looser , for godlinesse is profitable vnto all things ( saith the apostle ) and hath the promises of this life , and of the life to come . godlinesse will make thy selfe , and thy seed , thy ground and thy cattell , thy wealth and thy credit to bee blessed . it is like the tree that bearet● fruit euery month , & beareth twelue manner of fruits , and the leaues thereof are good to heale the nations withall . and as for them that thinke that godlinesse is not fit for all things , for all times , and for all places , but count it a dead world when vnchast daunces , ribald songs , and other scurrilitie are restrained at feasts , and marriages , and other merry meetings , nor can relish any mirth or ioy , that is seasoned with words of grace , it seemeth they are better acquainted with the sacrifices of the indians , than with the sacrifices of christians : but let them speake that haue made tryal . haue any done as malachie willeth them , that is , brought their tithes and offrings , liberally and freely vnto gods house , for the maintenance of the lords seruants and seruice , and hath not the lord ( according to his promise ) opened the windowes of heauen , and powred out a blessing vpon them ? haue any suffred hunger and thirst for righteousnes sake ( which hunger onely is sa●ra fames , holy hunger indeed ) and not bene filled with good things ? hath any faithfull person decayed in his outward man , and hath not his inward man beene renued daily ? haue any seene christ in some part of his glory , and not beene rauished with a desire to dwell there still ? nay more , hath any followed him in this r●generation ( as he saith himselfe ) that doth not now , and shall at● th● last day sit on seats to iudge the nations of the world ? hath any with the poore widdow of sa●●pta● shew●d kindnesse , and beene at cost with the lords prophets , and not found it againe with increase ? haue any for the loue of christs gospell left all , and followed him in time of persecution , and not bene prouided for sufficiently ? hath any with the woman of samaria , left scoffing at christs words , and hath not her hart beene so enflamed with the truth , that shee hath runne in to call forth her neighbours , to take part of her happinesse ? haue any with paul and silas beene imprisoned for preaching of christ iesus , and haue they not found that in prison , which hath made them to sing psalmes for ioy ? hath any gone to the lords warres , at his owne cost ? or planted the lords vineyard , and not drinke of the wine ? hath any laboured in the lords husbandry , and gone away without his reward ? haue any at any time beleeued god , and ben deceiued ? hath any trusted god with his estate , that hath not beene compassed about with the mercies of the lord ? hath any loued the lord , and not bene loued againe ? hath any craued day and not beene borne withall ? repented and not beene forgiuen ? in a word ; did euer any imploy his talent to the lords aduantage , and not more to his owne aduantage ? for haue they not ( besides the receipt of commendations for their faithfulnesse ) beene put in possession of their maisters ioy ? and on the contrary , hath any neglected the gifts of god bestowed vpon him , and hath it not bene to his owne losse , as hee that hid his talent in the ground ? hath any esau sould his birth-right , and not lost the blessing ? hath any iudas sould his master , and betrayed the truth , & not been the first that repented the bargaine , by that time that he and the gallowes , or the diuell , or both haue reckoned together ? haue any with demas forsaken gods seruants , to follow this present world , and not with hymeneu● and alexander made shipwrack of faith & a good conscience ? beleeue mee ( good brethren ) it will stand vs in hand to looke lesse to our earthly treasure , and more after the heauenly , least in the end wee loose both . to conclude therefore this point : seeing as the christians heauenly treasure , which is both christ himselfe and all the riches of his gospell bee so excellent , rare , and precious that nothing may bee compared therewith ; and seeing the treasures of this his kingdome of grace ( though they bee inestimable and vnspeakable ) are but a tast and earnest of those treasures , which bee reserued for the saints in his kingdome of glory . and lastly , seeing as they which seeke after the heauenly treasure , shall also haue earthly blessings to accompanie the same , as farre forth as god shall see good for his children , let euery christian hart bee hereby moued and perswaded to lay vp from henceforth treasure in heauen , rather than on earth , sith euery man desireth the best things . as the christians heauenly treasure is so bee preferred before all things , for the excellencie thereof , so also is it here commended vnto vs by our blessed sauiour , for the perpetuitie , and the securitie of the same . for their perpetuitie , hee saith that neither moth can eate it , nor rust consume it . and for their security the safe keeping , he tels thee that they are where no theefe can dig through and steale them , meaning that no enimie whether terrestiall or infernall , whether man or diuell can possibly deceiue thee or depriue thee of them . now as touching the perpetuitie of the christians heauenly treasure , it is such and of so long continuance , that euen in that respect it is to bee preferred beefore all earthly and transitorie commodities : for all earthly commodities and treasures they are ey●ther vsed or not vsed , if they bee put to any vse or employment , they consume and weare : if they be put to no vse , but lye by , then they are corrupted , which corruption also abateth not a little both of their substance and glory : but as for the heauenly treasures of gods grace and spirit , they are neyther consumed , nor corrupted . there is more vse of them then of any earthly thing whatsoeuer , yet are they not , neyther can they bee subiect to any consumption : nay , they are no whit the worse , but much the better for the vsing . tell me , is there not a daylie yse of prayer , of preaching , of faith , of charitie , of repentance , of patience , of hope , of humilitie , &c. and are they not through continuall vse encreased , strengthened , and made easie ? like the fiue tallents , which being put forth to aduantage , gained fiue more . and as milo that tullie speakes of , by vsing his strength day by day , in carrying of a calfe did so increase his strength , that hee was able to beare it on his shoulders when it was an oxe : so doth the christian soule by inuring his patience and faith to beare smaller crosses , that in time hee is able through daylie exercise of the spirit , to beare greater crosses , and to put vp mighty wrongs : through negligent slothfulnesse , cursed ingratitude , & prophane abusing of gods heauenly graces , they may dye and decay in thee , but the more they are vsed , the more they are increased . the glorious garment , and royall robe of christ that sonne of righteousnesse , wherewith saint iohn saw the church clothed , is neuer worne out , nor shall euer be put off , vntill faith and hope bee abolished ; their pure gold that they buy of him is neuer spent , and their sunne is neuer set , though sometime perhaps it may bee vnder a cloud . the oyle of gladnesse wherewith they are annointed is like the widdows oyle of sarepta , wherewith shee paid her debts , maintained her selfe & her house , and yet her cruse was still full . nay , christ turneth the water of his seruants ( that loue to enuite him vnto their feasts ) into wine , and the oftner it is powred forth the sweeter it is . one helmet of hope , one shield of faith , one sword of the spirit , &c. shall last all thy life , and saue thee in a thousand battailes of temptations and spirituall conflicts , and neuer bee worne : for whom the lord loueth , hee loueth ●to the end , and his mercies endure for euer . there is but one faith , one god , one lord , one baptisme , one word , one spirit , and one hope , though there bee many misbeliefes , many diuels , many falsehoods , many doubts ; there is but one supreame goodnes , though many euils , & that one shall ouercome all , and remaine alwayes the same , that we may still sing with the psalmist , the mercies of the lord endure for euer . and as the christians heauenly treasure doth excell for perpetuitie , so also for securitie : for it is laid vp in heauen , where the lord himselfe dwelleth , and from whence hee laugheth all theeues both infernall and terrestiall to scorne . many lay vp their treasure in the bottome of a ship , and the sea swalloweth it vp ; but what sea can deuoure those treasures that are layd vp in heauen ? many put their treasure into other mens hands , who spend it vainely , or runne away secretly ; but who can spend , or runne away with that which is laid vp in heauen ? many bestow their treasure vpon their backe , belly , and building , three such bees as will sting the land to death , if they be not taken heed of , and all perish in the vse , by fire , or by age , or by sicknesse , or by death ; but no such thing can happen to those treasures which are laid vp in heauen . many haue houses , and lands , and riches , and friends , to day in very good securitie as the world thinketh , and by to morrow they are gone , or sold , or wasted , or stolne , or dead , or turned to another minde , but they that haue once laid vp the treasures of a good life , and a good conscience in heauen , shall bee sure to finde them there , and to enioy them for euer : for they are so kept to his vse , that no theefe can euer steale them from him . and howsoeuer some vaine and presumptuous persons will not sticke through greedinesse of gaine , to vndertake ( for a quantitie of money ) to secure a mans goods at sea , or at land , yet considering the miserable vnquietnesse that mans life is exposed vnto , and the vniuersall disagreement and warre that is betweene man and all the creatures in the world , yea , betweene the creatures themselues , nay more , betweene man and man in all estates and degrees : nay more than that , between euery man in himselfe . i see no reason , why any man should be so vnwise , as to promise vnto himselfe any secure enioying of any worldly commoditie , or why another should so confidently ( or desperately rather ) vndertake to secure any mans goods or estate , when as hee cannot secure himselfe one minute of an houre to an end . and first , for the miserable and vnquiet estate of this life , i see not what can bee said more to discouer the same , then hath beene already said by petrach that learned italian oratour , the substance of whose discourse , concerning this point , i thinke will not bee lost labour to lay before thee , which briefly is this : that considering the vncertaine and sodaine chaunces & changes , whereunto the affaires and estates of men are subiect , nothing can be more fraile , nothing more vnquiet then the life of man. in other liuing creatures ( saith hee ) it is not so , and why ? because nature hath prouided for them a wonderfull kinde of remedy : but what is that remedy ? might not wee enioy it with them ? oh no , for it is a certaine ignorance of thēselues , by reason wherof they inioy their life and being , in lesse misery , and more quiet then man doth , for in vs onely that haue degenerated , both our memory , & vnderstanding , our prouidence , and all the diuine gifts of our minde are conuerted ( or peruerted rather ) vnto our owne toile & destruction : for , are wee not haunted alwayes with vaine and superfluous , yea , with noysome and pestiferous cares : which cause vs to bee grieued with the present time , to bee vexed with the time past , and to bee afraid of the time to come ? if our life were well gouerned , it were the most happy and pleasant thing that wee possesse , but now so many causes of miseries and nourishments of sorrowes doe wee daylie heape together , that we make our life a wretched and wofull toile , whose entrance is blindnes , whose progresse is labour , whose end is sorrow , and the whole course error . what day doe we passe oue● in rest and quietnes ? or rather that we finde not more painefull and troublesome then other ? what morning haue we euer passed so merry and pleasant , that hath not been ouertaken with some sorrow and heauinesse before night ? what perpetuall warre is it that wee make against fortune ( as some speake which know not the diuine prouidence to be the gouernor of all things ) wee onely being weakelings and vnarmed , take vpon vs to encounter a most fierce foe , in vnequall fight ; and bee againe ( as lightly as things of naught ) tosseth vs vp , and throweth vs downe , & turneth vs round about , and playeth with vs , so that it were better for vs to be quite o●ercome , then continually to bee had in scorne . and the cause heereof , is nothing else but our own lightnesse and daintinesse : for wee seeme to bee good for nothing else , but to bee tossed het●er and thither like a tennis-ball , being creatures of a very short life , of infinit carefulnes , and ignoraunt vnto what shore to fall with our ship , or vnto what resolution to apply our mindes . and besides the present euill , we haue alwayes somewhat to grieue vs behinde our backs , and before our eyes to make vs afraid : which thing hapn●th to no other creature besides man , for vnto all others it is most perfect securitie , to haue escaped that which is present . but wee in respect of our wit and vnderstanding of our minde , are in a continuall wrastling and strife with an enemie . which being so , what safetie or securitie can wee looke for with our earthly pelfe ( notwithstanding all the bonds , and bils , euidences and conu●aiances , and whatsoeuer deuise else by craftie heads can bee contriued ) when wee can by no meanes secure our selues of our selues in rest and quietnes one houre to an end . now as touching the vniuersall disagreement and war , that is betweene man and the creatures , and betweene the creatures themselues , and between man and man , yea , and in euery man in himselfe , it is more then euident , for doe not the stars moue against the firmament ? doe not the elements which be of contrary qualities striue one against another ? are not the windes at continuall conflicts among themselues ? doth not one time contend against another time , and one thing against another thing , and all things against vs ? the spring is moist , the summer is dry , the haruest is pleasant , and the winter sharpe : and this which is called change and alteration , is in very deed strife and disagreement , although by the diuine prouidence of almightie , they are made to agree together , against their owne nature , to serue mans turne , that man might serue him . these things vpon which we dwell , by which we liue and are nourished , which flatter vs with so many enticements , how terrible are they when once they begin to bee angry ? the earthquakes , shipwrackes , whirlewindes , raging fires , and mightie flouds , doe sufficiently declare . with what violence doth the haile fall ? what force haue stormes and tempests ? what ratling of thunder ? what rage of lightning ? what fury of the waues ? what blowing of the sea ? what roaring of flouds ? what excursions of riuers ? what recourse and concourse of clouds ? our meates and drinkes which we take to nourish vs , if they be immoderately and excessiuely taken of vs , what seazures and forfaitures doe they make of reason , sence and strength , yea , oftentimes of health and life it selfe ? there is no liuing creature without war. fishes , foules , wilde beasts , serpents , men , one kinde of these persecuteth another , none are at quiet . the lyon followeth the wolfe , the wolfe the dog , the dog the hare , and the hare the greene corne ; with what cra●t doth the ●oxe pursue our lambs , and our poultry ? what watching is there of crowes and kites about our pigeon houses , and broodes ▪ of chickens ? and what assaults of theeues is there against the priuie chambers , and closets of rich men ? what watching and warding is there in euery seuerall kinde , how great and diligent contention ? but though these cease , yet disagreement ceaseth not : for what hart-burning is there euen in loue ? what disagreement in marriage ? how many complaints , what suspicions are there amongst louers ? what sighes , what paines , what contention betweene masters and seruants ? yea , what bitter contention do we see betweene parents and children , and betweene brother and brother ? and as touching the loue of parents , who are most tenderly affected towards their children , yet how great their indignation is , it is euident , whiles they loue them that are good , and lament their case that are euill , and thus in a manner they hate while they loue hartely . now among friends although there be agreement in the words and ends , yet in the way , and in their actions what disagreement and contrari●tie of opinions and counsels is there ? what then shall a man hope for in hatred ? for there is hatred in loue , and warre in peace , and dissention in agreement . if wee consider the orders of bees in their hiues , what thronging together , what noyse , what wars , not onely with their neighbours , but amongst themselues , what domesticall conflicts , and dissentions is there amongst them ? if we looke vpon the doue , that innocent and simple bird , and which ( as some write ) hath no gall , with what battailes and disquietnesse , with what clamours and outcryes ( i pray you ) do they passe forth their life ? and now ( to meet with christs instance againe ) how doth the moth gnaw the cloth ? the rot the post , and little wormes by day and night fret through the bowels of beames & huge timber ? againe , what an enemie is the grassehopper to hearbs , the caterpiller to fruites before they bee ripe , and the fowles of the ayre to ripe f●uites and graine ? what an enemie is the mildew to the vintage , the blasting to the hearbs , the canker to the leaues , and the moule to the rootes ? what should i speake of the hurtfull plentie of branches and leaues of trees , against which the wakefull husbandman giueth diligent attendaunce ? and what doth the continuall returne of bryars and weeds , but minister perpetuall matter of toyle and strife ? i let passe the furious rage of showers of raine , and heapes of snow , and biting of frosts , and violence of ise , and force of flouds , which many times shake whole regions and countries . but thou liuest amongst the richer and more delicate sort perhaps , yet art not thou nor any of them without their discommodities and toyles , for how is their quiet silence , and sweet sleepe interrupted and troubled eyther with the cryings and screiches of owles , or the continuall barking of dogs all night against the moone , or with the horrible outcryes and hellish clamour of cats , meeting vpon the tiles and toppes of houses ? and on the day time they are annoyed with the common clamour and laughter of fooles , then which nothing is more ridiculous , and the merriments of drunkards , then the which nothing is more grieuous ? then come the complaints of such as be at variance , and the iangling & scoulding of old wiues . ad hereunto the thronging and noyse of iudgement● hals vpon court dayes , the altercations of merchants , and such as buy and sell , together with the vaine oathes and protestations both on the one side and the other . adioyne herevnto the sorrowfull singing of workmen to asswage their painefull trauaile . finally , examine whatsoeuer there is , run through in thy mind all the heauen , the earth , the sea , there is like contention in the top of the skie , and the bottome of the sea , and there is strife in the deep rifts of the earth , as wel as in the woods and fields , and aswell is there perpetuall disagreement in the desarts of sands , as in the streets of cities . at the very beginning of the world there was a battell fought in the first heauen , and those vanquished angels ( now diuels ) whilst they endeauour to bee reuenged vpon vs mortall men , that inhabite the earth , they procure vnto vs immortall warre of sundry temptations , with most hard and doubtfull businesse . and to gather all into a short summe , all things whatsoeuer hauing sence , or without sence , from the vppermost top of heauen , vnto the lowest center of the earth , and from the chiefest angell , to the basest worme , there is continuall and euerlasting strife betweene them , what securitie then can be looked for of any thing in this world . as for man himselfe , the lord and gouernour of all things , who onely by the rule of reason , should bee able to guide in tranquilitie , this swelling and troublesome sea , with what continuall strife is hee tossed , both externally with other things , as also internally with himselfe . as for the things that are outward , whereby man is tossed and turmoilde , they are innumerable and vnspeakable , euen from one man to another , and practised by one man against another : homo homini lupus , one man is become a wolfe towards another . what mischiefe is there , that one man worketh not against another ? and all other harmes , by what meanes soeuer they happen , yet being compared with these , doe seeme but light discommodities . who can number the disagreement of opinions , the variety of sects , the contentions of the learned , and the warres of kings and nations ? who then can bee assured of the truth ? who can assure his peace long , if hee seeke no further for peace and truth then vnto this world ? but if thou or thy estate be called into question , as whose is not somtime ? thou wilt repaire to s●kilfull grammarians , who can tell what construction to make of euery things ; or to eloquent rhetoricians , that can tell how to perswade much ; or to wittie logitians , who can dispute thy cause well ; or to learned lawyers , who can plead thy cause effectually , but then remember againe , what contentions are amongst grammaians , not yet decided ? what conflicts among rhetoricians ? what quirks and quidities amongst logitians ? what brabble and clamour amongst lawyers ? who how well they agree the continuance of their cliants causes doth euidently declare . and if thou sayest thou wilt haue law for thy mony ▪ then remember first , that they will also haue thy mony for law , and by that time the law hath tryed thy cause , it may be , halfe thy estate and wealth must bee sharde amongst the lawyers and their clarkes , who hauing eaten the oyster which made the strife , will returne thee the shell for recompence . well then , thou wilt say , if thy wealth stand vpon so tickle a pinne , thou wilt looke to thy health , and to that end thou wilt make much of the phisition ; but then heare againe , make thou as much of him , as thou canst , bee sure of one thing , that hee will make as much of thee as hee can . and as for the agreement of phisitions about diseases , their causes and their cures , let their patients bee iudge , for that life which they haue pronounced to bee short , by their contentions they haue made most short . but if thy wealth & health be so vncertaine , thou wilt then looke to thy religion , and be assured that that shall be right and sound : thou doest well in so doing , but then thou must take heed thou hang not thy faith or religion vpon men , but vpon god , and his word , for else what deformitie and disagreement of opinions is there in the holy rites and religion of the church , where gods heauenly direction in his word is neglected , and that not so much in the words of the learned , as in the weapons of the armed , and oftner tryed in the field then in the schooles ? but it may bee for more securitie of thy selfe and thy estate , thou wilt looke to the common life and affaires of men , and conforme thy selfe to the fashions of the most in house keeping , in building , in apparrell , in recreation , &c. but then remember againe , that if thou hast not light and wisedome from heauen , thou maist soone slip into the broad way that leadeth to hell. and againe euen then thou wilt bee to seeke , so many windings and turnings thou shalt meete withall , for there are scarce two in a cittie that doe agree , both many things else , but especially the great diuersitie of their houses and apparrell , doth declare , for who euer succeeded any man in an house , were hee neuer so rich and good an husband , that hath not ( for all that ) changed many things in it ? so that looke what one man had a desire to build , another hath a pleasure to pull downe : witnesse hereof may bee the often changing of windows , damming vp of doores , and the skarres and new reparations that are done in old wals. nay more , is not euery mans opinion & iudgement contrary to himselfe ? whilst ( according to the saying of the poet ) he pulleth downe , and buildeth vp , and changeth that which was square into round . by which it may appeare that almost no man can agree with another man , nor yet with himselfe . to these may bee added the contention that is oftentimes without an aduersary , as of sriueners with parchment , with inke , with pens , with paper , before they can make them serue their turne , and many the like ? what a coile haue souldiers ( not with their enimies onely ) but with their owne horses and armour , when as the horse waxeth obstinate , and their armour wayeth them downe ? what businesse haue they that speak , and those that write at the mouth of another , whilest the one through earnest intention speaketh many things vnperfect , and the other through ignorance , or vnskilfulnes , or a flitting & vnconstant wit misconstrueth those things that are perfect ? againe , what conflicts haue infants with fals , children with their bookes , and young men with pleasures and vnruly affections ? yong men are indeed to bee pittied , for there are no kinde of men that would seeme to bee more merry , and none indeed are more miserable and sorrowfull . and againe , in what danger are women in childe-bearing ? what wrastling haue men continually with pouertie and ambition ? what great carking & caring for more then is needful for liuing ? and finally , what euerlasting warre haue old men with old age and sicknesses ? and all other persons with death also , and ( that which is more grieuous then death it selfe ) with the continuall feare of death ? but to omit this external strife ( which is one while with aduersaries , and another while without an aduersarie ) how great is the internall contention , not onely against another , but euen against our selfe , euery one enduring a continuall war euen in the secret closet of his minde ? with how diuerse and contrary affections doth the mind striue against it selfe ? with how variable and vncertaine motion of minde is euery man drawne , sometime one way , sometime another ? hee is neuer whole , nor neuer one man , but alwayes dissenting and deuided in himselfe . now hee willeth , by and by hee will not that which hee would before : now hee liketh , by and by hee misliketh : now hee loueth , by and by hee hateth : now hee flattereth , presently he threatneth : now he iesteth , and presently is in good earnest : here hee beginneth , there hee leaueth off : now hee admireth , by and by hee disdaineth : one while hee goeth forward , and straight way he turneth back again , and such like , then the which there can bee nothing imagined more vncertaine , and with which the life of man ebbeth and f●oweth more turbulently , from the beginning to the ending without intermission . and what tempests and madnes is there not in these foure passions , to hope or desire , and to reioice , to feare , & to be sorry , which trouble the poore and miserable minde by driuing it with sodaine windes and gales , far from the hauen , into the middest of most dangerous rocks ? and therefore say not as some doe , that thou wilt trust no body but thy selfe , or what thou hast once resolued vpon , no man shall alter thee from it , for they selfe are most variable , and thine owne false hart will bee the first that shall betray thee . and therefore to conclude and returne where wee began , sith the life of man is so full of misery and vnquietnesse , sith there is so little agreement , nay , so much strife and contention betweene all things created , sensible and insensible , and all against man , and sith there is so much discord and iarring in all estates and degrees of men , and lastly , in euery particular man , with himselfe , how canst thou now that art a christian ( and induced with any sparke of heauenly light ) set thy heart vpon the world , or any thing that is in the world , to make it the study of thy braine , the care of thy minde , or the ioy of thy heart , sith in this world as there is nothing of any excellency , or perpetuitie , so likewise is there nothing of any securitie or safety , but all exposed to perill , danger and losse ? but in heauen it is otherwise , looke what treasures thou sendest thether before thy ▪ dying day , thou shalt bee sure to haue them secured vnto thy vse for euer , and why ? surely because they are with thy god and most louing father , where no theefe can breake through and steale . as this doctrine should cause vs to leaue our doting vpon this world , so it seru eth to stay the troubled conscience from drooping vnder his sins , ● and from despairing of gods mercy , for though thy si●nes bee many and great , yet thy treasure is sure in heauen , and there is thy comfort . haddest thou euer any peace of conscience , any comfort in christ , any ioy in the holy ghost , that same abideth still in heauen for thee : and that which thou haddest here , was but an earnest of that which is laide vp for thee there . but thou canst not see it , nor feele it , thou canst not pray so effectually as thou wert wont to doe , &c. what then ? yet it is in heauen and nothing can take it from thee . god doth not keepe our treasure from mothes and theeues , to let the diuels deceiue vs of it , no , no , it is sure for euer . when the childe abuseth such things as his father bestoweth vpon him , they are taken from him and laid vp till another time ; and though the foolish childe would haue them still in his sight , yet that may not bee , the wisedome of the father will not suffer it : so god dealeth with his children , as touching the gifts and graces of his spirit , and the vse of them . the similitude applyeth it selfe : it sufficeth iacob to heare that his sonne ioseph was a liue , though hee saw him not : so it should much comfort vs , to know that our sauiour christ liueth in vs , though wee alwaies feele him not alike . i once loued the word of god ( thou wilt say ) and was zealous for the glory of god , and did beleeue his promises , and did reioyce in the exercises of religion , and prayed continually , and grieued heartely for my sinnes ; oh then i had treasure in heauen , now all is gone , my spirit is dull and heauie , i cannot pray , nor meditate with that feeling and comfort , that i was wont to feele . but doe the lord no iniurie : doe not measure his grace by thy feeling : while sathans messenger did buff●t paul , that blessed apostle could not so sensibly feele gods grace as before , but cryed out , oh wretched man that i am , who shall deliuer mee ? so whiles temptations doe buffet vs , wee are benummed and know not well , how it is with vs in respect of grace , but yet gods grace doth vphold vs for all that whiles sathan sifted peter , christ prayed for him that his faith might not faile , but it was more then peter felt , and so it is with the rest of gods children at some times . these buffetings and siftings are tokens of gods fauour , yet secret in vs for the time , for whom doth sathan most desire to sift of all the apostles ? surely none so much as him that before had made the best confession of christ. and none are more buffeted then they that haue receiued the greatest graces . ye shall sorrow ( saith our sauiour christ ) in the world , but in mee yee shall haue ioy , and your ioy shall no man take from you , no nor diuell , nor angell , nor god himselfe , for if wee beleeue not , yet god is faithfull ( saith saint paul ) and not deny himselfe . and againe , the foundation of god abideth sure , and hath this seale . the lord knoweth who are his , and let euery one that calleth on the name of the lord les●is depart from iniqui●●e , to shew that if wee depart from iniquitie , wee shall our selues also know that wee are the lords , yea , and to that end wee ought to call on the name of the lord iesus , that by his grace wee may depart from iniquitie . and in so doing we may say as the apostle saith , i know whom i haue beleeued , and i am perswaded that hee is able to keepe that which i haue committed vnto him against the day of christ. and whereas thou complainest that thou canst not pray , know that yet for all that the spirit of god may bee in thee , for the spirit ( saith paul ) helpeth our infirmities for we know not how to pray as we ought , but the spirit it selfe maketh request for vs with ●ighes , which cannot be expressed , to shew that when the hearts of gods children are oppressed with burdensome temptations , which stop the course and passage of our prayers , that then the spirit of god makes a supply by sighes and grones . but if gods spirit were in thee ( thou sayest ) thou shouldest feele it working in thee some heauenly and spirituall work . true it is , and so hee doth , for euen the sighes and grones of a troubled spirit , are the workes of gods spirit , and euen the hungring after righteousnesse , is no lesse the work of grace , then the hauing of righteousnesse . and the work of gods spirit is oftentimes more secret in thee then thou art aware of : for could god take a rib out of adams side while hee slept , and neuer felt it , and cannot god put his spirit into thy hungry and heauie soule , and keepe it there as a liger , while thy faith sleepeth , and thou not feele it ? god dealeth with his children as ioseph dealt with his brethren , who knew them well enough , but for a time would not bee knowne of them , yea , and put their money into their sacks more then they knew of , and at last made himself knowen vnto them . gods spirit is called the comforter , and his words are the words of comfort . sonne bee of good cheare , thy sinnes are forgiuen thee , hee hath thy pardon with him in thee , and when thou hast most neede , hee will deliuer it thee , and thou shalt see it , with ioy and great gladnes . in thee meane time , that hee is in thee know by this , that thou dost not hate the lord , but loue him and hast an holy desire , with some earnest endeauour to serue him , to liue honestly , and to keepe a good conscience in all things , and art afraid of falling away . and surely all good desires are of the lord. waite the lords leysure with patience , seeke for peace , which though thou canst not finde awhile , yet by prayer thou must wayte on the lord , and say , lord because there is mercy with thee that thou maist bee feared , i will wayte on thee , euen as the eye of a maid seruant waiteth on the hand of her mistresse , i will condemne my selfe of folly , and say , o my soule , why art thou cast downe , wait on god , for hee is thy present help and thy god. and thus shalt thou bee restored to the ioy of thy saluation . and as iob after his manifold tryals , had both of gods goodnesse , of sathans malice , his friends vncharitableness , and his owne weakenesse , had all seauen folde restored vnto him againe : so thou after thy supposed losse of heauenly treasure , shalt finde heauenly treasure plentifully restored vnto thee againe . when christ stept aside from his earthly father and mother , to doe the businesse of his heauenly father , hee meant to come againe , but in the meane time they sought him with heauy hearts , and at the last , they found him in the temple , disputing with the doctors , to their great ioy and astonishment : so christ sometimes doth as it were step aside from vs , to the end wee may seeke after him , and wee may perhaps seeke him with heauie harts , but yet at the last , we shall finde him with great ioy , for they that sowe in teares , shall surely reape in ioy . thou hast heard what high commendations are giuen of the christians heauenly treasure ; doest thou beleeue it ? then lay vp thy treasure in heauen , say not as the buyer doth , it is naught , it is naught , for if thou couldst obtaine it , with the losse of all the world , thou mightst and wouldst brag of thy bargaine . but alas , how few regard this ? the poorer sort care not , but for backe and belly , and neuer repaire with good will to the house of god , but when they thinke to receiue an almes , like the criple at the gate of the temple , or like the people that followed christ , to haue their bellies filled of free cost . others come to the sermons and prayers of the church , but loaden with their sins , & their mindes cumbred with pleasures & cares of this world , to whom the house of god is as a house of correction , and they sit there to bee whipped , and euery sentence of the preacher , that crosseth their delights , or beloued sinnes , is as so many lashes and ierkes tormenting and tearing their guiltie consciences . others againe , make the lords house as it were a market place , repairing thether onely to muze and studie of the prizes of their commodities , or to make some bargaines , or to doe some busines with some whom they haue appointed to meete there . others againe , make the house of god their play house , and the pulpit the theater , the preachers are their fooles , and scripture phrases are their iests , to make themselues merry withall . and others goe to the lords house as children goe to schoole , the one for feare of the rod , and the other for feare of lawes and presentments , whereupon the prouerbe is growen , as willingly as euer i went from schoole , but these may say , as willingly as euer i went for church , but alas poore soules , long it will be before any of these kinde of hearers , get any heauenly treasure , except they seeke after it , with better mindes and affections . but now , as wee haue heard these treasures commended for their excellencie , for their perpetui●y , and security , so it will not bee amisse , to consider of the place wher we must seeke for them , of the time when , of the manner how to lay them vp , and lastly of the reason why : all which are questions necessarie , for the serpent commended knowledge , but withall shewed a wrong way thereunto : so all commend the heauenly treasure , but all take not a right course to obtaine it , therefore saith the apostle , sorunne that yee may obtaine . christ is the treasure and treasurer . and this treasure is in the ship of christ , that is his church , and no where else . the ministers of the church or masters of the assembly ( as salomon calleth them ) are the factours . now in what roome to search , or in what vessell , is the question ? in ierusalem there were many chests , yet but one ark , that had the holy things and sacred monuments in it . though there were many waters , yet was there but one poole of siloam , in which lepers were cleansed . in christs ship bee many places , but the place of the treasure is but one . saint paul saith it is in earthen vessels , so say wee too , meaning the ministers of the gospel , because we are in shew contemp●ible and in substance brittle . these vessels haue a booke that will shew all , if any man can open it , and vnderstand it , and it is the word of god , contayning the holy scriptures of the old and new testament , which christ would haue vs to search , because they beare witnesse of him , and containe in them eternall life . like a merchants bill they are , which sheweth what commodities are in the ship . this booke hath ben by gods prouidence mightily & miraculously preserued from time to time from burning , drowning , and loosing , and this priuiledge it hath , that it endureth for euer , and when heauen & earth shall faile , yet not one iot or title thereof shall fall to the ground . the places then that wee must frequent if wee will finde this heauenly treasure , are the holy assemblies of gods people , where god is called vpon by the publike prayers of the saints , the word is truely taught , and the sacraments sincerely ministred , for the working and increasing of faith , and not the conuenticles of schismatikes , who haue seperated themselues from the publike assemblies of gods church , and are at open defiance with their mother the true church of iesus christ , who first brought them to that knowledge and faith that they haue , if in truth and soundnesse they haue any at all . that which must discouer vnto vs this heauenly treasure , is the holy bible , and sacred scriptures of god , and not the reuelations of anabaptists , nor the dreames of the familie of loue , nor the iewes ta●mud , nor the turks alcaron , nor the popes portuise , nor the tridentine counsels , nor the traditions or decrees of the church of rome , all which will leade vs to trash , but not to treasure ; to hell , but not to heauen ; to the flesh , but not to the spirit , and so from god to the diuell . and being come now to the place , and hauing found the booke that will rcueale this heauenly treasure , what must wee doe ? search the scriptures , saith our sauiour christ , to shew that there is some hidden trasure in it more then is seene outwardly , or more then they make shew of , and so there is . and therefore the word is preferred before gold , albeit most men had rather haue gold then the word : but da●id could say that of gods word , which he could not doe of gold , nor all the world besides , and that was this , except thy word had beene my comfort in my affliction , i had perished . and salomon auoucheth that man to bee blessed that findeth wisedome , and him happy that getteth vnderstanding , and doubteth not to yeeld this for his reason , that the marchandise thereof is better then the marchandise of siluer , and the gaine thereof is better then golde . it is more precious ( saith he ) then pearles , and all things that thou canst desire , are not to be compared vnto her . length of dayes is in her right hand , and in her left hand riches and glory . her pathes are the pathes of pleasure , and all her wayes prosperitie . shee is a tree of life to them that lay hold on her , and therefore blessed are they that receiue her . but to see these are required very heauenly and spirituall eyes , euen the eyes of a liuely ●aith ; for carnall sence cannot comprehend them , and worldly wisedome cannot conceiue them , yea , many laugh at vs , because we seeke for life in the death of christ , grace in his curse , righteousnesse in his condemnation , and comfort in his holy gospell . verely ( say they ) so floweth cold water out of a burning furnace , and so springeth light out of darknesse , and hereupon they conclude , that none are more foolish then wee , which hope for life at a dead mans hand , which aske forgiuenesse at a condemned person , which fetch the grace of god out of one that was accursed , and flye for refuge to the crosse , as to the onely author of euerlasting saluation , which are all the treasures that the word of god doth offer vs , and therewithall laughing at our simplicitie , they think themselues very sharp-witted , but alas they want the chiefest thing in true wisedome , namely , the feeling of conscience , and the ●eare of god-let vs but enter deeply into our selues , and so soone as wee acknowledge our owne wretchednesse , the way for vs vnto christ , and for christ vnto vs , will bee by and by paued and made l●uell , for as to the attaining of humane sciences , is requisite a fine and well furnished wit , so to this heauenly philosophie is required a subdued minde , for what tast can there bee where is lothing ? as many then as will not willinglie bee deceiued and perish , let them learne to begin with this l●sson , to know that they haue to doe with god , to whom they must giue accompt , let them set before their eyes , that iudgement seat , that makes euen the angels to tremble , let them hearken to their owne conscience , bearing witnesse against them , let them not harden their harts against the pricks of sinne , and then they shall find nothing in the death of christ to bee ashamed of . and let not their astonishment bee a stumbling blocke to vs , but rather let vs bee carryed from the humane nature of christ , to the glory of his godhead , which may turne all curious questions into admiration : and let vs goe from the death of christ , to his glorious resurrection , which may wipe away all slaunder of his crosse : let vs passe from the weakenesse of the flesh , to the power of the spirit , which may swallow vp all foolish thoughts : and let vs still pray with holy da●id , that the lord would open the eyes of our vnderstanding , that wee may see the wondrous things of his word ; for not euery one that readeth the booke of god , doth come to the treasure , for it is like a nut with a double shell , both which must bee broken before the kernell can bee found ; or like a chest with many locks , and euery one must be opened before the treasure can bee met withall . to which end the lord hath appointed preaching and preachers , and endued them with the tongues of the learned , and all to open the hidden treasures of the gospell of christ. to which must bee ioyned a diligent eare , a minde to meditate , and a sober tongue , to confer with thy pastor and familie , and an humble spirit , to bee enformed and reformed by the counsell of god. these meanes are called digging , and searching , laborious exercises indeed , to shew what paines and diligence must bee vsed in searching after the heauenly treasure . my sonne ( saith salomon ) if thou wilt receiue my words , and hide my commaundement within thee , and cause thine eares to hearken vnto wisedome , and incline thine heart vnto vnderstanding , if thou callest after knowledge , and cryest for vnderstanding , if thou seekest for her as for siluer , and searchest for her as for treasures , then shalt thou vnderstand the feare of the lord and finde the knowledge of god. but if wee bee negligent , backward , and indifferent or luke-warme , then will it fare with vs , as with laodicea , wee shall thinke wee are rich , and increased with goods , and haue neede of nothing , when indeed wee are wretched , and miserable , and poore , and blind , and naked . and alas so it is with too too many and therefore when you come into their houses , if the booke of god bee there , you shall finde it couered ouer with much rubbill , and drosse , as cards and tables , merry tales with sorry or sorrowfull tailes , profane and scurrilous discourses , and paultry pamphlets , and such like stuffe , which domineere ouer the booke of god , as the iewes did ouer christs in pilates hall ; all which should bee swept out of doores , or sacrificed in the fire : and as for such humorists as do nothing but feede mens humours with idlenesse , and ply them with the pleasures of sinne , to the losse of their precious time , which should bee spent in seeking of the heauenly treasure , say vnto them as christ did vnto peter , when hee solicited him against the will of god , vnto carnall courses , turne thee behind me sathan , thou art an offence vnto mee , and sauourest not the things of god. the next thing to bee considered is , the time of gathering and laying vp this heauenly treasure , for there is a time for all things , saith the holy ghost . all in time , saith the world , hereafter when old age comes , or when sicknesse comes , or at the houre of death . it is not good to bee too forward in religion , or to meddle too soone with matters of god and godlinesse , for a yong man may prooue an old diuell . but heare what god saith , thou foolish man. remember thy creator in the dayes of thy youth , before the euill dayes come vpon thee , and the dayes whereof thou shalt say i haue no pleasure . and esai cryeth out vnto thee , saying : seeke the lord while hee may be found , and call vpon him while hee is nigh at hand , to shew vs that the lord will not alwayes bee found , much lesse when wee thinke good , neyther will the dayes of olde age and sicknesse bee like the dayes of youth and health , for then shall wee feele our selues vnfit and vntoward to seek after these things , in two regards : first , in regard of naturall infirmities and bodily paines which will hold thy mind occupied about meanes of ease , as phisicke and such like . secondly , in regard of that strong hand which sin through long custome will beare ouer thy soule , euen to the hardning of thy heart , for custome of sinne , breedeth hardnesse of heart , and hardnesse of heart begetteth impenitencie , as the apostle sheweth in the second to the romanes . but the speciall time of gathering and laying vp this heauenly treasure , is the holy sabboth , and other times of holy assemblies , and generally whensoeuer thou art called forth , to heare the word preached vnto thee , or hast any occasion to exercise thy faith , in the workes of charitie and pietie . then comes the angell to stirre the poole , step in then , if thou wilt doe thy selfe good , for afterward will bee too late , whosoeuer carelessely neglecteth the sabbaoth of the lord , and presumptiously giueth god the slip in the holy assemblies , as many car●all christians doe , who mistrusting god with their estate , thinke it no sin to spend the sabbaoth day in their worldly affaires , or vaine exercises , well may they with esau get a sup of pottage to stay their hungry mawes withall if god doe not crosse their enterprises , and curse their labours ( as oftentimes hee doth ) but surely their heauenly birth-right is for●aite by the bargain , and but bankroupts they proue in the heauenly treasure of a christian . they heape vp , but it is nothing but wrath against the day of wrath . the sabboth day is especially appointed for gathering of heauenly treasures , remember therefore that thou keepe it holy as the lord comminandeth , p●etend not a necessitie of breaking the 〈◊〉 rest , where 〈◊〉 is apparant , as the manner of some is when 〈◊〉 a faire sabboth day , they must work , for feare of raine , but consider thou whose heart is buryed vnder thy loafe , and wilt needs bee rich by deceiuing the lord of his right , consider i say , hath not the lord prouided for thee when it hath rained ? and darest thou not trust him when it is faire ? did he euer deceiue any that trusted him with their estate , while they walked reuerently in his feare , and carefully kept his commandements ? what indignitie then and dishonor is this that thou offrest vnto the most high , in that thou darest not trust him with thy body , whiles thou seekest for the good of thy soule ? and how doest thou thinke to answere this geare , when thy conscience shall bee summoned to answere therevnto , before that iudgement seat , which maketh the very angels and celestiall powers to tremble ? oh consider of these things betimes , and the lord 〈◊〉 thy drowsie soule . and aboue all , beware of sorting thy selfe with profane company , which will cause thee to loose thy time , and dull the edge of the spirit , decay thy graces , and make thee to treasure vp sinne against the day of vengeance , for one sinne admitted with loue and liking , letteth out many graces and maketh hauock of all thy vertues . now the manner how to lay vp this heauenly treasure , commeth next to be remembred , and that is done three waies . first , by relieuing of the lord iesus christ in his members , which stand in neede of help , sell that you ha●e ouerplus ( saith christ ) or that you can sp●are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , and giue to the poore . make you bags which waxe not old . luke 12. 33. to shew that when a man giueth almes to the poore , hee doth but take it out of one purse and put it into another , out of bags that waxe old , and put it into bags that waxe not old , and in so doing saith christ , thou shalt finde treasure in heauen , in so doing i say , but not for so doing , as papists teach , if thou wilt be perfect ( saith christ to the rich yong man ) goe and sell that thou hast and giue to the poore , and what you doe to them , i take it as done vnto my selfe , for saith our sauiour christ , when they my poore members were in prison , i was in prison ; when they were hungry , naked , and cold , &c. i was hungry , naked and cold , and therfore what you did to them , you did to mee . to the like effect speaketh the prophet esai , if ( saith hee ) thou deale thy bread to the hungry , and bring the poore that wandreth into thy house , and couer the naked when thou seest him , then shall thy light breake forth as the morning , and thine health shall grow speedely , thy righteousnesse shall goe before thee , and the glory of the lord shal embrace thee . these bee sweet encouragements and necessarie , because poore people are vnable to recompence the kindnesse of those that bestow any thing vpon them ; and as they are vnable , so for the most part , they are very ingratefull , and their vnthankfulnesse doth not a little discourage many , who would otherwise bee more beneficiall then they are . and in these respects , men had rather venture their goods vpon any other thing , then vpon the poore . for ( say they ) quod ingrato feceris perijt : it is cast away which is giuen to vnthankfull persons : but howsoeuer it bee that many of the poorer sort , bee both wretchedly vnthankfull , and miserably vnable to repay thee , yet if thou giuest them for christ his sake , in whose name commonly they aske it , thou shalt finde it againe in heauen . but it may bee , thou wilt be content to giue part of thy ouerplus to the poore , so thou maist reserue the other part to bestow on thy pleasure , but beware thou deceiue not thy selfe , for all thy ouerplus is for the poore , when thy familie is prouided for , thy debts paid , and all dueties that thou owest to the church and common-wealth , thy prince and countrie are de●●ayed , that which remaineth is for the poore , to play for that is to cast lots vpon the garment of christ , ne fundis parcendum est , ( sayeth cal●sin , euen of a mans ground and inheritance a christian man must deuide , some to poore schollers , some to scholes of learning , some to the ministry of the gospel , some to maimed souldiers , some to poore hospitals , & in all to christ , & he that giueth but a cup of cold water to the poore members of christ , hauing no more to giue , shall not loose his reward . the second way to lay vp treasure in heauen , is by suffring constantly and patiently for christ , when thou art thereunto lawfully called and required , and that two wayes : first , thou must suffer the word of christ which is the sword of the spirit , to hew and cut thy sinnes , and bee content with patience , to endure the sifting and fanning of the gospell , for except the dead and superfluous branches be cut off , we can neuer bring forth fruit in christ. secondly , wee must resolue to endure all outward crosses and losses , for the euerlasting truth of christ , for hee that will saise his life ( saith christ ) shall loose it , and he that will loose it for my sake and the gospell , shall saue it . and if wee suffer with him ( saith s. paul ) wee shall also raigne with him . if wee belong to christ , wee must looke for tribulation , and anguish , and persecution , and famine , and nakednesse , and perill , and sword , all which will try their force , to see if they can seperate vs from the loue of christ. yea , wee must looke for his sake , to bee killed all the day long , and to bee counted as sheepe for the slaughter . but in all these things ( saith the holy apostle ) wee are more then conquerours , through him that loued us . and therefore wee faint not , but though our o●tward man perish , yet th' inward man is renued daily . for our light affliction which is but for a moment , causeth vnto vs a farre more excellent waight of glory . while wee looke not on the things which are seene , but on the things which are not seene . this point will bee scarce welcommed , or well liked , of nice and daintie professours of the gospell , which must neuer goe to gods house , but when the sunne shineth , the waies are faire , and no winde is stirring , to blow vpon them ; and when they are there , they must heare nothing but pleasing things , their sinnes must not bee touched , much lesse can they endure to haue the cutting knife of gods law , laid to the throat of their sinne . and if all the world doth not applaud and commend their zeale , and good deeds , they soon are discouraged , & stand stone stil , like the winde mill that goeth no longer then the winde bloweth , no scoffe or reproach , no persecution or trouble can they endure for the truths sake , what treasure can these lay vp by their daintinesse in heauen ? the third way to lay vp treasure in heauen , is while thou liuest here vpon earth , to grow in the powerfull and liuely knowledge of christ crucified , & by a liuely apprehensiue faith to make thy selfe sure of all his benefits , in comparison of whom , thou oughtst with the blessed apostle , to esteeme all the world but drosse and dung . now to effect this , we must consider the merite of christ , the vertue of christ , and the example of christ , and what benefit wee haue by euery one of them ; as that worthie man of god m. perkins , hath both learnedly & heauenly declared , the somme whereof , i will breefly recall into thy minde . christ is to bee considered , as the common treasurie and store-house of gods church , for god hath blessed vs with all spirituall blessings in christ. eph. 1. 4. and in him are all the treasures of knowledge & wisdome hidden . col. 2. 3. and of his fulnesse●wee all recei●e grace for grace . iohn . 1. so that all the blessings of god without exception are conuayed vnto vs from the father by christ , and so must they bee receiued and no otherwise . but concerning the benefits of christ wee are to learne further two things : first , what they are : secondly , how or in what manner to vse them . his benefits are three : merit , vertue , and example . the merit of christ is the value of his death and passion , whereby he hath obtained to vs reconciliation and this reconciliation hath two parts : first , remission of sinnes , secondly , acceptation to eternall life , and both for the merit of christ imputed . this benefit must bee knowen not by conceipt , nor carnal presumption , but by the inward testimonie of gods spirit . to attaine to the infallible assurance of this benefite we must call to minde the promises of the gospell touching remission of sins , and the gift of eternall life to the faithfull . secondly , wee must endeuour by the assurance of faith to apply them to our owne hearts . and thirdly , wee must vse often exercises of inuocation and repentance , for by our crying to god for reconciliation commeth the assuraunce thereof . and if it so fall out that a man in temptation , feele nothing but the furious wrath of god , yet euen then against all reason and feeling , hee must hold to the merit of christ , and know that god is a most louing father to them that haue a care to serue him , euen at that instant when he sheweth himselfe a most fierce and terrible enimie , which iob knew right well when hee said , if the lord should kill mee , yet i will trust in him . from the benefite of reconciliation proceede foure benefites . first , that excellent peace of god , which passeth all vnderstanding ▪ phil. 4. and that hath sixe parts : first , peace with the trinitie , for being iustified by faith , we haue peace with god. rom. 5. 1. secondly , peace with angles , who do ascend and descend vpon the sonne of man. iohn . 1. 51. and all for the good of gods church . for the angels doe incampe about those that feare the lord. psal. 34. and like nurses doe beare them in their armes . psal. 90. 12. that they hurt not their foot against a stone . all this seruice which the angels performe vnto the faithfull , proceedes of this , that the faithfull being in christ , are pertakers of his merit . thirdly , peace with the faithfull , for , the wolfe shall dwell with the lambe , and the leopard shall lye with the kid , and the calfe and the lyon , and the fat beasts together , and a little child shall lead them . esay . 11. 6. fourthly , peace with a mans selfe , and that is : first , when the conscience washed in the bloud of christ , ceaseth to accuse a man : secondly , when the will and affections are obedient to the minde , enlightened by the word and spirit of god , and this is that which the apostle meaneth , when hee saith , let the peace of god rule in your hearts . col. 3. 15. fiftly , peace with our enimies , and that two wayes : first , in seeking peace with all , hurting none , but doing good to all : secondly , in that god restraineth their mallice & inclineth their hearts to peace . sixtly , peace with the creatures . psal. 91. 13. thou shalt walk vpon the lyon and the dragon , &c. and in that day ( saith the lord ) i will make a co●enant for them , with the wild beasts , and with the foules of the heauen , & with that that creepeth vpon the earth , &c. hos. 2. 18 if therefore wee see god against vs , our owne conscience against vs , the angels against vs , the faithfull against vs , the wicked against vs , the creatures against vs , let vs examine this point , of reconciliation , and if all bee with vs , let vs know that it is the benefit of christs merit . the second benefit of christs merite , is recouery of that right , which man hath to all the creatures , the which adam lost to himselfe & all his posteritie . 1. cor. 3. 22. whether it be the world , or life , or death , or things present , or things to come , all are yours , and you christs . the right way of knowing this benefit is this , when god giueth meat & drinck , &c. we must not barely consider them , as blessings of god , for that very heathen men can doe , which know not christ , but as proceeding from the loue of god in christ. and so often as wee vse the creatures , this point must come to minde , for blessings conceiued a part from christ , are misconceiued . whatsoeuer they are in themselues , they are no blessings to vs , but in and by christs merits : for this cause it is not sufficient generally to know christ to be our redeemer , but wee must learne to see him and acknowledge him in euery particular gift & blessing of god. if men when they behold their meates and drincks , could by faith behold in them the merit of christs passion , there would not bee so much gluttony and drunkennes as there is . if the like in their houses and lands , their would not bee so much fraud and deceipt , in●ustice and oppression . also noble birth , without new birth is but vanitie . the like is to bee saide of phisicke , sleepe , health , libertie , recreations , and very breathing it self . therefore it is meete , that with our earthly recreation wee ioyne spirituall medi●ation of the death of christ , then would there not bee so many vnlawfull sports and delights , and so much abuse of lawfull recreations as there is , and this wee ought to do , for , christ is all in all things . col. 3. 11. the third benefit of reconciliation , is that all crosses , and afflictions cease to bee curses and punishments to them that are in christ , and are onely corrections & trials , because christs death hath taken away all , and euery part of the curse of the law . in all crosses christ is to bee knowne on this manner , iudge of them as chastisements or tryals , proceeding not from a reuenging iudge , but from the hand of a louing father , and therefore they must be taken in and with the merit of christ , as meanes sent of god , to keepe vs from being dampned with the wicked world , if otherwise , wee take them as curses , and punishments . and hence it followeth , that subiection to the crosse , or hand of god in all crosses , is a marke of the true church of christ. the fourth benefit of reconciliation , is , that death is properly no death , but a rest , or sleep . death therefore is to bee considered not as it is set forth in the law , but as it is altred by the death of christ , and when death commeth , wee must looke vpon it through christs death as through a glasse , and thus it will appeare to bee but a passing from this life to euerlasting life . the second benefit of christ , is the benefit of his vertue . the vertue of christ , is the power of his godhead , whereby hee createth new ha●ts in all that beleeue in him . this ve●tue is double : first , the power of his death . secondly , the power of his resurrection : by the first , hee freed himselfe from the punishment and imputation of our sins . by the second , hee raised himselfe from death to life . the benefit of christs diuine power is great to all the faithfull : for , the same power which freed him from the punishment and imputation of our sins , setueth also to mortifie and crucifie the corruptions of our wils , mindes and affections . and the same which raised him from death to life , serueth also to raise those that belong to christ , first from their sinnes in this life , secondly , from the graue , in the day of iudgement . the knowledge of this double vertue , must not bee onely in the braine , 〈◊〉 experimentall in the heart , that is , to feele the power of christs death killing sinne in them , that wee might bee able to say with paul , wee li●e not , but christ liueth in vs. this was one of the most excellent things which pau● sought for . ph● . 3. 10. i have counted al things but dung , that i may know him , & the vertue of his resurrection . the way to know it , is to cast off the old man , which is corrupt , through deceiu●able ▪ lusts . ephe. 4. 22. the third benefite of christ , is the benefite of his example , for christ is to be knowen , not onely as a redeemer , but also as a patterne of all good ●ueties , to which we ought to conforme our liues . christ is to bee followed of vs , in the practise of euery good duety , that may concerne vs , without exception 〈…〉 our conformitie with christ is , first in the framing of our inward life : secondly , in the practise of outward and morrall dueties . conformitie in spirituall life , is not by doing that which christ did vpon the crosse , and afterward , but a doing of the like by a certaine kinde of imitation , and it hath foure parts . first , a spirituall oblation , for as hee by prayer resigned himselfe vp to bee a sacrifice to the iustice of his father . so we in prayer must resigne our selues wholy to the seruice of god. secondly , a spirituall crucifying of our selues , for as hee bare his owne crosse , so must wee denie our selues , and take vp all crosses that come euery day . againe , as hee crucified his flesh , so must wee crucifie the body of sinne . gal. 5. 24. they which are christs , haue crucified the flesh with the lusts and affections . he with a speare was wounded , we with the sword of the spirit must wound sinne to death , and labour by experience to feele the very death of it , and bury it . thirdly , a spirituall resurrection : for as he came out of his graue , so wee must come out of our sinnes , as out of a most loathsome graue , to liue to god. this worke cannot bee done at once but by degrees , as god shall giue grace . fourthly , a spirituall ascention , by a continuall eleuation of the heart and minde to christ , sitting at the right hand of god. if yee be risen with christ , seeke those things which are aboue . col. 2. conformitie in morall dueties is generally , to bee holy as he is : specially to bee like vnto him in foure vertues , that is , in faith , loue , meeknesse , and humilitie . in faith , for as he when he apprehended the wrath of god , wholy stayed himselfe vpon the ayde , and good pleasure of his father , euen to the last : so must wee depend wholy on gods mercy in christ , as with both hands , in peace , and trouble , in life and pang of death . and not let goe our hold , no though wee feele our selues , as it were , descend to hell. secondly , in loue , for hee loued his enimies more then himselfe . ephes. 5. 2. walk in loue , euen as christ loued vs , and hath giuen himselfe for vs , &c. the like loue ought wee to shew , by doing seruice to all men , in the compasse of our callings , and by being all vnto all , that wee might do them all the good we can both for body and soule . 1. cor. 9. 19. thirdly , in meekenesse , mat. 11. 28. learne of mee , &c. his meekenesse appeared in bearing patiently all in●uries and abuses , and suffering the curse of the law without grudging , submitting himselfe to his fathers will in all things : so must wee , and the more wee follow him herein , the more wee are like him in his death and refurrection . fourthly , in his humilitie , for being god , hee became man for vs , and of a man a worme , that is troden vnder foot , that hee might saue man. phil. 2. 5. let the same mind be in you , that was in christ , who being equall with god , tooke vpon him the shape of a seruant , and humbled himselfe euen to the death of the crosse. here is to be obserued , that the example of christ hath something more in it then any other hath , or can haue , for it doth not onely shew vs what wee ought to doe , but it is both a remedie against many vices , as also a motiue to many good dueties : as for example , the serious consideration that the very sonne of god himselfe suffered all the wrath of god , and curse of the law for our sins , is the most effectuall meanes to stir vp our hearts to a godly sorrow for them , to which end , euery man must bee perswaded that hee was the man that crucified christ , that hee is to bee blamed as well as herod , pilate , and the iewes , and that his sinnes were the nayles and speares that pearced christ. againe , if christ for our sinnes shed his bloud , and if our sinnes made him sweate drops of bloud , why should not wee shed bitter teares for our sinnes ? hee that findeth himselfe so dull and hardened , that the passion of christ doth not humble him , is in a lamentable case . againe , when thou art sicke and in paine , thinke how light these are , being compared to the agony and bloudy sweate , the thorn● and nayles which christ endured : when thou art wronged & abused , turne thy eie to the crosse , consider how meekly christ bare it , and prayed for them that put him to death : when thou art tempted with pride and vaine-glory , consider how for thy sinnes , christ was mocked , despised and condemned : when thou art moued with anger and desire of reuenge , think how christ gaue himselfe to death to saue his enimies , when they most cruelly set themselues against him , and these meditations being mingled with faith , will ease thy minde . and hence ariseth ( sayth m. perk. ) a three-fold knowledge : first , of god : secondly , of our neighbour : thirdly , of our selues . of god , for if wee would know him to our saluation , wee must know him in christ crucified , for god of his owne nature is inuisible , and is reuealed to vs onely in christ , in whom hee sets foorth his iustice , wisedome , goodnesse , and prouidence . heb. 1. 3. col. 1. 3. whatsoeuer out of christ commeth to vs in the name of god , is a flat idoll of mans braine . the second knowledge that ariseth from the former meditations , is of our neighbours , that is , those that are of gods church . they are to bee knowen of vs in this manner . when wee are to do any duetie to them , wee are not barely to respect their persons , but christ crucified in them , and them in christ , saul , saul why , &c. when the poore come for reliefe , it is christ , that commeth to our dores , and saith i am hungry , therefore let our compassion bee towards them as towards christ. the third knowledge is of our selues , and the right knowledge of our selues , ariseth of christ crucified , in whom and by whom wee come to the knowledge of fiue speciall things : first , the grieuousnesse of our sinnes , and our miserie in regard of them , for if wee consider our offences in our selues , wee may bee deceiued , because our conscience being corrupt often erreth in giuing testimonie , and so it seemes but little , but if sinne bee considered in the death and passion of christ , whereof it was the cause , and the vilenesse thereof measured by the vnspeakable torments endured by him , the least sinne will appeare to be a most grieuous sinne indeed . secondly , by this wee know that men beleeuing in christ , are not their owne , but wholly both body and soule belong to christ. thirdly , that euery true beleeuer hath this being from christ , not as hee is a man , but as hee is a new man. fourthly , that all good works done of vs , proceede from the vertue , and merit of christ crucified . ioh. 15. 2. fiftly , that we owe vnto christ an endlesse debt , for hee was crucified onely as our suertie and pledge , and in the spectacle of his passion , wee must consider our selues as the chiefe debters , we owe him all our selues for the paines that hee endured , to set vs most miserable bankroupts at libertie , from hell , death , and the diuell , but 〈◊〉 when doe wee beginne to pay it ? thus wee see what benefits we haue by christ crucified , and in what manner wee ought to vse them , but alas , but few haue treasured vp this knowledge of christ , as they ought , for herein faile both the papist , and the common protestant . the popish churches though in word they confesse him , yet doe they not know him as they ought , for in their sermons they vse the passion , as a means onely to stirre vp pittie and compassion towards christ , and hatred of pilate , the iewes , and iudas , &c. but the seruice of god which in that church , stands now in force , by the cannons of the counsell of trent , defaceth christ crucified , in that first the passions of martires are made meritorious ; secondly , the very word and signe of the crosse , is their onely refuge and help ; thirdly , the virgine mary is made the queene of heauen , and a mother of mercy , who may commaund her sonne ; fourthly , they giue religious adoration to dumbe stocks , & crucifixes made by the hands of men . the common protestant also commeth short , for three causes , for first though in word they confesse him to bee a sauiour , that hath redeemed them , yet indeede they make him a patron of their sinnes : secondly , they take knowledge of his merit , but little regard the vertue of his death , and resurrection , in mortifying of their sinfull lusts and affections : thirdly , they vsually content themselues generally and confusedly to know christ to be their redeemer , neuer once seeking in euery perticuler estate of life , and blessing of god , to feele the benefit of his passion . what is the cause of all the securitie in the world , and that men are not touched for their sins ? surely because they did neuer yet seriouslie consider that christ in the garden , lay groueling vpon the earth , sweating of bloud , &c. for their offences . againe oppressours of the poore , neuer knew that their sinnes drew out the hart bloud of christ. againe proud persons puffed vp with strange atire , neuer consider that christ was not crucified in gay atire , but naked , that hee might beare the whole shame and curse of the law for vs. these and such like , whatsoeuer they say in word , if we respect the tenor of their liues , are flat enimies of the crosse of christ , and tread his precious bloud vnder their feete . so farre perkins . but if thou wilt haue the treasures of christ in heauen , thus thou must learne to know and feele christ crucified , and the benefits of his merit , vertue and example , and thus must thou come to the knowledge of god , of thy neighbour , and of thy selfe , in christ crucified , euen whiles thou art here vpon earth ; which feeling knowledge is a sauing knowledge , euen an excellent portion of heauenly treasure , imparted to the true christian in this life , and is a pledge of endlesse and infinite treasure prouided for him in the life to come , and so much for the wayes and meanes of laying vp treasute in heauen , which are by giuing to the poore members of christ , by suffering patiently for the truth of christ , and by growing in the sauing knowledge of christ crucified . in laying vp treasure after this sort , we shal prooue good alcumists . an alcumist they say can turne lead into gold , or out of lead or other mettals extract golde , which many haue practised to their vtter vndoing . the pope is the cunningest alcumist it is thought that the world hath , for hee can of a pound of lead , make an hundred pound of gold , for all his buls and pardons are sealed with lead , but what fooles are they that turne their gold into lead , or what calues rather that buy his buls so deare ? but lay vp treasure as hath beene shewed thee before , and thou shalt turne earth into heauen , corruption into incorruption , gold into godlinesse which is great gaine , labour into rest , sorrow into ioy , pouertie into riches , and thy cottage into a kingdome , euen the kingdome of heauen . now followeth the reasons of christs commandement , for where your treasure is there will your heart bee also . a reason of great force as if hee should say , for this cause chiefly you ought to lay vp your treasure in heauen , that god may haue your heart , which cannot bee vnlesse you lay vp your treasure in heauen , for our hearts will bee where wholy their treasure is . here wee are taught , that no man can loue the lord with his heart , that seeketh and placeth his happinesse in earthly things , but onely those whose ioy and felicitie is in heauen , and the heauenly graces of the lord iesus christ. worldlings make no doubt but that they may , and doe serue god , and loue god with their heart , yea , and haue as good ● hart to god as any whatsoeuer , though they follow the world , & heare not sermons , although they keepe not the sabboth so precisely as others do , which will not worke or play then , though they neuer meddle with the scriptures , but bee vtterly ignorant of the wayes and will of god. but christ here sheweth that they are al deceiued , by a general principle that neuer faileth . wher the treasure is there will be the hart , and wher the hart is , there is the treasure of the hart , wherupon it followeth that they doe wholy renounce heauen , that do seeke for happinesse here below , and if they set their harts vpon heauenly things , it cannot be that they should esteeme of them no better , or frequent them no oftner , then they doe . the philosophers haue most exactly ( so much as the star-light of nature would giue them leaue ) disputed of the happines or chiefe wel-fare of man. and no meruaile , for who doth not desire to bee happy , and to win that hold , are all mens sences , and wits mustred and marshalled , because it is the onely true treasure , for where the treasure is , there will the hart be , but most men doe mistake the matter , while they seeke for happinesse in the flesh , which is not to be found but in the spirit , & while they confesse that it is in god , yet runne after the diuell for it . when some seeke for it in honour , ambition is made generall of the field , and doth commaund the minde : while others seeke it in worldly profite , couetousnesse doth inuade the soule , taking vp euery roome for worldly desires , and noysome lusts , which doe eat out the heart with cares , and drowne men in perdition : others seeking for it in carnall pleasure and sensualitie , cry one to another , come let vs eate and drinck , and bee merry , for to morrow wee shall dye : and in the meane time the brute beast in that regard is more happy then such epicures , for that more freely , without any shame or feare hee enioyeth the pleasure of carnall sensualitie , then they doe . but if we were once soundly perswaded of our happines in heauen , it would bee an easie matter to tread the world vnder foote , and to haue our mindes mounted vp to heauen . if the loue of god bee our treasure , and through the spectacles of a liuely faith , wee can read our names regestred in the booke of life , and descry our happinesse to be hidden in christ ; if the spirit of adoption doth certifie our spirits that god is our father , and wee are his children , and with the same certificate shall deliuer vs a discharge against sinne , death and hell , then will our harts feede vpon heauenly meditations , and our soules hunger and thirst after righteousnesse , wee will then account all but dung , that wee might winne the lord iesus christ. and then as the hart brayeth for the riuers of water , so will our soules long for the presence of the lord : and then the word of god will bee the ioy of our harts , and wee will desire to bee dissolued ; and to bee with christ , for where the treasure is , there will the hart bee also : and vntill then wee shall sauour nothing but earthly vanities . therefore when s. paul would draw the faithfull to the studie of a heauenly life , he doth propound christ vnto them , in whom onely all true felicitie is to bee sought , if yee bee risen with christ ( saith hee ) set your minds on things aboue , and not on things which are below , as if hee should haue said , it is an absurd and base thing for christians to haue their mindes grubling on the earth , whose treasure is hid in heauen , and that is his reason , for yee are dead ( saith hee ) and your life is hid with christ in god. hence we may further learne , in what a miserable case they are , whose harts are set vpon earthly things , which are subiect to mothes , and theeues , rust ▪ and other such manifold mischiefes . a cousening match it is of the diuels owne making , hee is subtill , and sheweth men the world and the glory of it , the court and the brauery of it , honour and the fame of it , iniquitie and the profit of it , sinne and the pleasure of it , as it were his daughters with their dowrie . on the other side , wee are simple and beleeue him , presently our hart is a match , for them , and happy hee thincks himselfe that can get one of them , and to breake it off is a hard matter . their affections are fixed vpon a liking , they haue taken , and although god himselfe forbid the banes , yet it is to no purpose , for they haue made a vowe , they haue spoken the word , and their harts are setled , and there is no remouing of them . and thus men doe runne despe●ately vpon their owne ruine , like the fool● that goeth laughing to the stocks , and all for want of due consideration , for if wee did but consider : first the basenesse : secondly , the wretchednesse : thirdly , the vanitie : and lastly , the daunger of this foolish match , wee would not set our harts vppon any thing that is in this world . how base a worldling is . how base and vile a thing for a christian heart to be wedded to worldly things , may appeare by this , that man at the first , was created in innocency & holines , and in christ is restored to the same againe , of all creatures hee is now the most noble , crowned with glory and honour , but a little inferiour to the angels , hauing all things subiect vnto him , and all things are to doe him seruice , as the angels to guard him , the sonne of god to ransome him , the word of god to instruct him , the spirit of god to guid him , the children of god to visite him , the graces of god to adorne him , and ●he kingdome of god to enrich him . and this is the estate of a christian. now for him that is so honourably descended , so highly aduanced , so dearely redeemed , and so mightely enriched , to haue his hart closed vp in some old wal , or locked vp in an iron chest , or diging in the ground , like a swine or mole , or hunting after vaine-glory , as after a feather , or wedded to vaine delights , or bathing in filthy pleasure , cannot bee iudged but for a very base thing , and matter of great indignitie . it is not for a noble mans sonne to addict himselfe to the conditions of the vulgar sort , nor for a heroicall spirit , or man of great place , to besot himselfe in ale-house pastimes : nor for honest persons , to ioy in the company of filthy packs : neither is it for a christian mind , who is truely noble , and altogether heauenly , to set his hart vpon earthly things , which at the best are but vanitie and vexation of spirit . therefore let christians say as the apostle saith : when i was ● childe i spake as a childe , i vnderstood as a childe , i thought as a childe : but when i became a man , i put away childish things : so when i was an earthly worldling ▪ i spake as a worldling , i vnderstood as a worldling , i studied as a worldling , worldly things onely , but when i became a right christian indeed , i put away worldlinesse , and set my heart vppon treasure that is in heauen . and therefore as nehemiah ( when he considered the place of magistracie and rule wherein hee was ) said , should , should , a man as i flye ? so thou wilt say that art a true christian , and considerest thy excellent calling , and what thou are borne againe vnto by grace , should such a man as i , bee an earth-worme ? and thus wee see how the dignitie of a christian , sheweth how base a thing it is , to set the heart vpon earthly vanities , where moths fret , rust eate , & theeues dig through and steale . how miserable a worldling is . as nothing is more base and sordid , so nothing is more miserable then to set the heart vpon earthly things , for that is to subiect the prince to the subiect , the maister to the seruant , or a tyrant rather , who commaundeth both all the sences of the body , and all the powers of the soule without any rest at all . salomon saith , it is intollerable for a seruant to beare rule , if intollerable then miserable and much to bee pittied . paul saith : they that will bee rich fall into temptations and snares , and into many noysome and foolish lusts , which drowne men in perdition and destruction . money is not vnfitly resembled in an emblem by some to a queene aduanced on a chariot , which is drawne by a couple that represent the golden fooles of the world , periculum & pauor , perill and feare : the first draweth the chariot in a coller stickt full o● daggers with the points inward , and going bare footed vpon sharpe thornes : the other draweth with a sad countenance , and a gnawing conscience , still casting his eye backward to see who is neare , the attendants of this golden queene are bloudy murther , spoyling theft , frantick folly , and hart gnawing enuy , all couered with her vaile . the speach that she is receiued with is this following . te bijugi inuectam curru exitiale periclum sollicitusque pauor regina pecunia ducunt . at quia stultitiam , furtum , caedesque cruent as velas , cunctorum hinc in te spes firma recumbit . in english thus : both danger deepe and gastly feare are yokt to draw thy chariot o golden queene : for fooles , & theeues , & bloudy murdring mates , thou with thy vaile dost hide from being seene , for which sole cause the harts and hopes of all in thee reposde haue alwayes firmely beene . this is true , yet of greater authoritie is that of the apostle , to the same effect , the desire of money is the root of all euill , which while some haue lusted after , they erred from the faith , & pearced themselues through with many sorrowes , to shew that a man cannot set his heart vpon transitorie things , except hee will bee a murtherer of his owne soule , and liue in continuall sorrow , for earthly treasures and pleasures are lined and stuffed with sorrowes , not a few but many , not easie but sharp and pearcing , not a little way , but quite through to the very hart . lo , thus is the worldling tormented on euery side , like one rolled in a barrell of nailes . sathan sheweth onely the glory of the world , but paul the sorrowes of the world ; sathan the hony , but paul the sting ; sathan the honor , paul the dishonour , to teach vs what course wee must take to auoid , or to make void this miserable match . what greater misery then to haue , and bee neuer satisfied ? crescit amor nummi , &c. the desire of money encreaseth , as the heape encreaseth . here is no end of gathering , as in the dropsie there is no end of drinking , because by continuall drinking the thirst is more kindled , but no whit quench●d . how vaine a worldling is . as the worldling is most base and miserable , so nothing is more vaine , for what greater vanitie then to bee addict●d or deuoted to those things which cannot performe that which is expected from them ? which are of so short continuance , which are so little while possessed , & are no mans lesse then his that gathereth them : such are all earthlie things , and hee that lusteth after them , to set his hart vpon them , is like those vaine fooles that lust to eate of painted grapes ; or rather like the rich foole in the gospell , who hauing enlarged his barnes , cryeth out , like one in a dreame , and bids his soule now take rest ( for indeed hee had found but little rest before ) and his reason is , because hee hath now goods inough for many yeers , but as he was thus dreaming of many yeeres goods and rest , a voice comes and awakes him and tels him plainly that he doth vtterly mistake the matter , thou foole ( saith hee ) this night shall they fetch away thy soule , and then whose goods shall those be that thou hast gathered ? so is it ( saith christ ) with him that gathereth riches to himselfe , and is not rich in god. this vanitie is well set out by the holy ghost , when salomon saith , there is an euill sicknesse , namely , ●iches reserued to the hurt of their owners , and these riches perish by euill trauaile . and this is also an euill sicknesse ( saith the man of experience ) that in all points as hee came , so shall hee goe , and what profit hath hee that he hath trauailed for the winde ? i haue also seene a man ( saith he ) to whom god hath giuen riches , and treasures , and honour , and he wanteth nothing for his soule of all that he desireth , but god giueth not power to eate thereof , this is vanitie and vexation of spi●it . as this vanitie is a vexation to the spirit of man , so is it no lesse grieuous to the spirit of god , for that contrary to the minde of our heauenly father , we bestow our loue so fondly , vpon that which cannot help vs. the commandement saith , wee must honour our parents ; now amongst other things tending to the honour of our earthly parents , this is not the least , for a child to require the consent of his parents in bestowing of himselfe in marriage ; and to marrie against their mindes , especially when there is reason to the contrary , cannot bee but a great dishonour offred to our parents . but what earthly parents haue so great interest in their children , as god hath in vs ? what childe oweth such dutie to his earthly parents , as wee owe to god ? if i be your father ( saith the lord ) where is my honour ? as if hee had said , if you depend vpon me for your prouision , and looke for my blessing , how is it that you set your harts vpon my creatures , & not vpon mee , knowing that my minde is so much against such foolish bestowing of your selues ? as though i could not or would not fill your harts with as much ioy and gladnesse , as my creatures can doe , and more too . therefore saith paul to timothy , charge them that are rich in this world , that they bee not high minded , and that they trust not in vncertaine riches , but in the liuing god. how dangerous worldliness is to the soule . there is no truer nobilitie , then to be a citizen of the heauenly ierusalem , sonne and heire to the most high , all which is defaced and abolished , if the hart lie buried in earthly things . there is no sounder ioy , then the ioy of the holy ghost , which is a fruit of faith , & is grounded on the loue of god , but this cannot bee relished or tasted by him , whose hart doth cleaue to this miserable bondage of worldly cares . there are no such goods as the sanctifying graces of the holy ghost , which onely make a man truely happy , as to cleaue vnto god by faith , to loue the lord from the hart , to worship him in spirit and truth , and to bee wholly vnited vnto him . but far is hee from these things , whose hart is set vpon earthly goods : at the sermon , his minde runneth after his couetousnesse , and with his mouth hee maketh iests , both of the doctrine and doctor , because hee liketh neither the one nor the other ; like the pharises which mocked christ when hee spake against couetousnesse , because themselues were couetous . when the sermon is done , they forget al , because their harts wer choked with the thorny cares of the world : if they fall to reporting of the sermon , it is with additions and detractions , mistakings and falsify cations , most strange to heare , as if the preacher had ben mad , or drunke , or in some dreame , when he spake . thus the word of life and grace , which is a sweet sauour of life , vnto life eternall , to the regenerate and spirituall minde , yeeldeth a most fearefull sauour of death , vnto death euerlasting , to the carnall & worldly minded man. seeing therefore to bestow the hart & affection vpon earthly things , is proued to be a match so base , and vnbeseeming the dignitie of a christian , so wretched and miserable , so vaine and deceiptfull , so dishonourable to god , and preiudiciall to our owne saluation , let vs labour by earnest prayer and holy meditation , to haue our mindes purged from this euill sicknesse of worldly loue , and neuer giue the lord any rest , vntill by zealous prayer wee haue obtained of his diuine maiestie the wings of a liuely faith , whereby our heauie harts , and dull spirits may bee mounted vp aloft , to seeke for our treasure in heauen , and then indeed shall wee bee heauenly minded , for where the treasure is , there will the hart bee also ▪ how to iudge by the heart whether ● mans treasure be in heauen or no. there be certaine signes in the hart , whereby a man may iudge of his estate to come , as there be in the skie , to know what weather shall happen : when the skie is red in the euening , men say , faire weather : when it is red & lowring in the morning , it is a signe of foule weather : when a cloud riseth out of the west , they say , a shower is comming : when the south-winde bloweth , a signe of heat . by obseruing how ionathan shot his arrows , dauid knew how saul stood affected towards him : by the holding out of the golden scepter , hester knew shee was in the kings fauour : by the budding of the trees wee know that summer is come : by the sound of the vessell the emptinesse or fulnes thereof is perceiued : by the beating of the pulses , the distemperature of the body is discerned . and by the affections of the heart , which are the pulses of the soule , the hearts treasure is discouered , and where it lyeth , for god that hath giuen men signes to know the state of the body , the alteration of weather , and the mindes of other men , hath also giuen certaine notes and signes to discerne the state of the soule by . yea , christ doth condemne them for hypocrites , which will not iudge of themselues , as well as of other things . hipocrites ( saith hee ) yee can discerne the face of the earth , and of the skie , but why discerne yee not this time ? yea , and why iudge yee not of your selues what is right ? but how may that be ( will some say ) or how may a man know by the affections of the heart , where the hearts treasure is ? then mark the way of wisdome , and learne to bee wise , when the lord iesus heard one answeare discreetely , he said vnto him , thou art not farre from the kingdome of god , to shew that discreet answeres in matters of religion are signes of grace . when zacheus did with heart obey christ , and with reuerence receiue christ , and in charitie releiue christ , & in conscience of his wrongs done , was ready to restore where hee had wrongfully receiued , the lord iesus said vnto him , this day saluation is come into thy house : to shew that true conuersion is a certaine signe of life and saluation . by this i know ( saith dauid ) that thou louest mee o lord , because my enimies doe not triumph ouer mee : to shew that euen enimies are for signes & tokens of gods fauour . by this shall all men know that yee are my disciples ( saith our sauiour christ ) ●f yee loue one another : to shew that christian loue is for a signe of gods loue , but not a cause thereof as papists teach . and by the heart a man may know whether his part be in the booke of life , and whether his soule shall bee bound vp in the bundell of the righteous or no : for where the treasure is , there will th● heart bee also : that is , there will be the ioy and delight of the heart , the loue and de●ire of the heart , the care and longing of the heart , for the heart in this place is put for the affections of the heart or soule . if then thou wouldest know whether thy treasure bee in heauen or hell : see where thy heart doth most ●aunt , and whereabout it is most employed . if christ be the man & the matter whom thy soule loueth , if his gospell bee the ioy of thy soule , & his commandements thy harts delight ; if for loue of his name , and zeale to his glory , thou fearest more to offend him then all the world besides , and art for his sake , content to endure with patience all the tribulations & crosses that the hands of wicked men can loade vpon thy backe ; if thou canst finde thy heart resolued to drink of his cup , and to bee baptised with his baptisme ; & if thou bee bent to stand more zealously for his glory , then for thy own life ; and if thy heart bee refreshed , when thou thinkest on his death , and art hartely desirous of his comming to iudgement : then happy and blessed art thou , the king of kings hath put forth his golden scepter vnto thee , thou art in his fauour , the fruitfull tree of grace hath budded in thy hart , the summer time of thy refreshing is approching , and the lord delighteth in the fruit of thy faith : thy treasure is in heauen , thy prouision is gone before , & thou shalt follow after , yea more , if thy heart doth mourne and grieue for thy owne vntowardnesse , and the sinnes of other men , thou art marked by gods owne secretary , his sauing angell hath set thee apart , that the destoyers ● may not meddle with thee , if they meete thee in their way . and as christ said to nathaniel : dost thou beleue because i said i saw thee vnder the figge tree ? thou shalt see greater things then these : soe do you beleeue because i say , by the hart you shal know whether your treasure be in heauen ? you shall see greater things then yet you doe , for now wee see but in part , and we know but in part ; but hereafter wee shall know as wee are knowne : in the meane time take these things as the first fruites of the spirit , which are but th● least part of the haruest , or as an earnest penny in assurance of millions not to bee numbred , for certainly , where the hart is , there is the treasure , but how great a treasure , no eye hath seene , nor eare hath heard , nor tongue can expresse , nor hart can conceiu● . on the other side , if thy hart hath no ioy in the gospell of christ , nor delight in the commandements of god , if thou haue no zeale for the glory of god , no desire to pray , nor longing for the coming of christ , then feare , for where thy treasure is , there will thy heart be also . if thou hast more felicitie in worldly vanities , then in heauenly vertues , if vaine company bee more welcome vnto thee , then such as feare the lord , if thy study be onely how to liue heere , & thy cares and communications be altogether ●arthly and prophane , then suspect thy estate not to bee good , and know that thy hollow sound bewrayeth an emptie vessell , thy figge tree hath nothing but leaues , all thy termes are but vacations , and as for treasure in heauen thou hast none , for they that are occupiers there , haue their harts wholly employed there , and as they looke for great aboundance when they come thether , so they finde an earnest thereof in their harts heere , al● is holy , and heauenly , comfortable and happie , for righteousnesse and truth hath looked downe from heauen vpon them , and mercy and peace haue embraced each other in their soules , and heauen holding their treasure doth also hale and draw their harts thither likewise . now then let vs see how our harts stand affected , for there is a sure witnesse and pledge eyther of hell or of heauen . but how shall wee know whether our hearts be in heauen , and gods holy spirit be in our hearts ? surely a needfull question ; for euery one wil say as the yong man in the gospel , all these things i haue obserued from my youth , and that he loueth god aboue all , yea hee would be sorry else , but the prophet ieremie saith , that the heart is deceiptfull & wicked aboue all things , who can know it ? and therefore to be suspected & examined as dauid aduised : examine your hearts vpon your beds , euen secretly before god , and free from all lets and encombrances : wouldest thou then know thy heart , examine all her attendants , and vnder officers wherabout they are chiefly employed , as thy tongue , thy eares , thy eyes , thy hands and feet ; for out of the abundance of the hart the mouth speaketh , that is , the tongue will shew how the hart is affected , my hart is enditing of a good matter ( saith the psalmist ) and presently followeth , my tongue is the pen of a ready writer . againe in another place , my hart was hot within me and i spake with my tongue . a good man ( saith our sauiour christ ) out of the good treasure of his hart bringeth forth good things . if there be abundance of loue to god , the tongue will still bee speaking in commendation of his praises , and setting forth his greatnes , his goodnes , his iustice , his holines , his wisdome and mercy , &c. as the church in the canticles , oh let him kisse me with the kisses of his mouth , for thy loue is better then wine , that is , better then all pleasant and profitable things . if there bee abundance of ioy and delight in the commandements of god , thy lips will declare the iudgements of his mouth ; if there be abundance of feare to offend against god , or the godly , thou wilt set a watch before thy mouth , and thy feet shall carry thee speedely from euill company ; if there be abundance of zeale in thy hart ; then will thy tongue be enflamed with a holy fire for the truth ; if thy hart doth abound with desire and longing for the presence of the lord , then thou wilt still be wishing , and striuing to visit his house here , and to meete him in the clouds . in a word , the whole course of a mans life , his speach , his countenance , his company , his exercises , his watchfulnesse , his habite , his dyet , his building , his purchasing , his children , his seruants , his buying & ●elling , his trading & sporting all wil bewray of what country hee is , and whither his hart is trauailing , as iehu was knowne by his marching . wel may he vse the world for necessities sake , but it shall be as though he vsed it not , like an in to bait in ▪ but not to abide in : he may see therin , and salute those that passe by , but the hart still holdeth on his course to his heauenly country , and saith as christ said in the gospel , when he knew that his enimies were not far off , arise , let vs goe hence , here is no abiding for vs , on the contrary , if couetousnes ; ambition , vncleane lusts , pride , en●ie , mallice , profanenes , or the like , doe abound in thy hart , thy tongue , thy countenance , thy company , & all will bewray it . out of the mouth will flie vnsauery iests , thy mind will run like a wilde horse vp and downe in the world . when christ is deuiding of heauenly doctrine , then commeth the worldling and interrupteth him , with maister deuide the inheritance between me & my brother . and as christ himselfe by scribling on the ground , shewed that hee did not regard what the malicious iewes said , when they came to accuse the adultresse woman : so at the table , when grace is in saying , or at the temple in the holy exercises of religion ; the worldlings minde being not on those things , wil bewray the same euen by the very motions of their fingers , or by their looking about vpon some other thing but hipocrits will make as great a shew as any , and spin a very fine thred , saying also as that yong bragger in the gospell , willing to iustifie himselfe , all this haue we done . and so they wil , and may in pollicy , but not in true pietie ; from the braine perhaps , but not from the heart ; of the abundance of braine , that is , wittie and cunning inuention : the tongue of the hipocrit speaketh good things , and keepeth good company , and frequenteth the word & sacraments , not of loue , nor zeale , nor desire to glorifie god , for that is the store of a good heart , which hee wanteth , but onely like a crafty fox , and cunning pollitician , ●asteth in his braine which way to bring his purpose to passe , & so serueth the time that the time may serue his turne . and therfore as occasion serueth , hee is a right temporizer , commending with his tongue that which hee condemneth in his heart , like the diuell who confessed iesus christ to be the son of god , whom he loued not : but his heart in the meane time frameth mischiefe and deceipt , a de●● it is for infernall furies , and a cage of vncleane birds ; it delighteth in vain exercises , & vaine company , and is fraught like a ship with vile thoughts , he is a man of beliall that hath lewde things in his heart , and when time , company , and occasion serue , wil of this abundance , both speak & do lewdly . two notable examples of such ware , doth the scripture afford vs , the one is in the harlo● pleading before king salomon : the other is in herod . the holy story saith , two har●ots pleaded hard , aswell to cleare themselues of the death of that childe , that was ouerlaid , as to iustifie the claim that was made by each of them to the suruiuing child : wel to decide the controuersie about the liuing child , the king calleth for a sword , & commandeth it to be cut in peece● , & diuided betweene them , knowing right well by the wisedome which god had giuen him , how nature would worke in the true mother . the dissembling monster thinking that the king had ment as he said , said as hee said , & yet no otherwise then as she would haue had it : the other from the aboundance of naturall affection was content ra●her to loose her interest in her owne childe , then that the poore infant should innocently be depriued of his life : so hipocrites , and true professours make both one shew and plead both for the truth , as they would make the world beleeue , but vpon occasions offered in time and place , the difference will easily appeare . the other example is of herods dealing towards the wise men ▪ which came from the east they came in simplicity of heart , shewing plainly the end of their comming and confessing boldly that they had seene christs star in the east ▪ but herod like a foxe very polliti●ely beareth a part in their song , but harbouring at the same instant a bloudy tragedy in his hart , which hee meant to haue acted so soone as hee should learn wher christ was borne . the like dissembling is to be found in another herod , & herodias , in mat. 14. 2. iohn the baptist was great with the multitude , therfore herod wil seeme to heare him gladly , yea to reu●rence & commend his doctrin , this was in herods head , but let iohn tell him of his perticular sinne , ( as he did ) and then it will appeare what is in his hart , not iohn but herodias , not holines but whoredome , & that shall this busie controller ( as the world speaks of preachers ) well know to , for to prison he must goe , & were it not for feare of the multitude hee should dye too . herodias is as cunning as herod , for so long as the king doth reuerence iohn baptist , she will not seeme to mislike him greatly , especially before the king , yet she hath a quarrell against him , & in her hart she wisheth his head off , onely she watcheth a fit time , which fell out iust vpon his birthday , solemnized with all riot and excesse , she sends in a wanton damosell , instructed & prepared before with a harlots impudent face , to daunce before the king and his company ; the profane hipocrite is so far pleased with her sport , that he ( forgetting himself , his honor , & the vnstinted appetite of a shameles woman ( whose hart is subtill , & her waies so moueable and intricate that they cannot bee knowen ) bids hir aske but what she wil , & it shal be giuen her , as the manner of all hipocrites is , for though herod heard iohn gladly , & shewed some kinde countenance to him for the time , yet the wicked & lasciuious works of the flesh , do please him better then all the holy doctrines and se●mons that iohn taught , as appeareth by his large offer . for though he heard iohn baptist , yet was he neuer ●o f●ee ha●ted towards him , as hee was now to a tripping minion , but after the manner of courting gallants , and protestants at large , who will perhaps sometime inuite the preacher to a dinner , and tell him that he is a good man , & doth wel to tell men of their faults , and if we do not follow your sayings , and the good counsel● ( say they ) it is worse for vs ▪ & so with a cap and a gentle congie they bid him farewel . but herodias his sweet hart , shall haue his hart ▪ and the golden misers , and pleasant companions shall please them so , that nothing shal be thought too deere for them . well now is the time , to know both their harts , for these pleasing placeboes , with their tripping trulles , care not a straw for any preaching , but in their harts wish all ( except their mealy mouthd prophets which neuer goe without a slickstone in their pocket ) hangd out of the way . and till sit time serueth , they can daunce after times pipe , but if time change his note , they will also change their coppy , and will make better christians then euer . herod was to daunce after their pipe ( if gods grace be not the more abounding ) euen to the bitter perfecuting and disgracing of gods poore ministers and seruants , yea they haue the skill to watch the time at a feast , at a dauncing reuell , or a gossips meeting , to winne their harts de●ire , and make better then herod , to doe that they will be sorry for afterward . therefore let men take heed , that they be not deceiued by such hipocrites , and that they deceiue not themselues , whiles they professe religion from the head , and not from the hart . but some will say , a man may be religious in hart , and yet fall away from grace , and so come to no assurance of treasure in heauen , because it is said in the gospell , that some receiued the word with ioy , and yet fel away : now ioy is an affection of the hart ; and ioy in the word is a fruite of the spirit . gal. 5. therfore it seemeth y ● though a man hath a religious heart , yet hee may fall away , & consequently one cannot tell by his heart whether he hath any treasure in heauen or no. but that ioy that s. matthew speakes of , is rather a liking or wondring at the heauenly doctrine , as at some strange and excellent thing , then any sound or setled reioycing in god who speaketh in his word and ioy is to be distinguished , for it is eyther carnall and temporary , or spirituall and permanent . a carnall man reioyceth many times at a sermon , for the preachers rare inuention , or his varietie of phrases , or the sharpnes of his wit , or the artificiall conuaiance of the matter , or his excellent gift of vtterance and boldnes , or because hee heard some touched that hee was not friends withall , but not for the simplicitie and euidence of the truth ; nor for any reformation that he felt wrought in himselfe ; nor for any hatred of sinne ; or loue of righteusnes , that the word wrought in him ; for commonly such kinde of reioycers or admirers of men , goe presently from the sermon with the dog to eat vp their vomit , and swine-like to tumble in their mire again . such were many of iohns auditours , such were many of christs auditors , such were most of ezechiels auditours : and such are too many of our auditours , which flock at the first to a man for nouelties sake , to see whether they shall be clawed with a curry-combe ▪ or smoothed with a slik-stone . such are they that haue the word of god in respect of persons : and such are those fantasticks , that will buy a booke onely for the merry conceits , that are in it , and not for the matter ▪ like children which ioy in a booke with a faire couer , and reioyce more at the gaies or gawdy letters , then any thing else in the booke ▪ be it neuer so good . the spirituall man reioyceth , for that god hath found out his sinne , and feeleth the hand of god reforming his heart ; he reioyceth for that he perceiueth sathan dispossessed and his life amended , his soule hee findeth humbled , and his affections bridled , himselfe won to god and his familie with him , and for this hee reioyceth like the conuerted iaylor , who reioyced for that he and all his houshold beleeued in god. but now the afflicted soule is to be satisfied who complaineth with the spouse of christ in the canticles , that shee hath sought him whom her soule loueth , euen by night in her bed she hath sought him , but she cannot finde him , that is , the conscience afflicted with the wounds of sin , cannot find in her hart any assurance of gods fauour , in the remission of her sinnes . but for answere we say , that there is an earnest penny & pawne of gods loue in that hart , though as it were , sealed vp in a bag , and in time it shall be opened , and perceiued : for first , the very seeking after the loue of god is a speciall fauour of god , and an euident token that the spirit of god is there , for that proceedeth not of flesh and bloud , seeke yee my face ( saith the lord ) my hart answered ( saith dauid ) thy fa●e will i seeke , hee doth not say , thy face will i finde , but seeke , to shew that seeking of gods fauour is a grace of god , as well as finding of god● fauour , seeke and yee shall find ( saith christ ) to shew that finding comes after seeking . seek the lord ( saith esay ) while he may be fouud , and call vpon him while he is nigh at hand : to shew that god is sought for by inuocation or calling vpon his name , long before hee is found , or felt gracious vnto vs , but euen then he is nigh at hand , or else we could not call vpon him : for it is euen his spirit that sends forth our prayers , and helps them with sighes and grones , and if hee did not help and heaue vp our dull and drowsie spirits , we should neuer once flutter towards heauen , but euen lye like dead blocks , sencelessely groueling vpon the ground . again , christ is in the hart of the troubled spirit , for asmuch as the loue of christ is there , for the saith , whom my soule loueth , which very loue that thou bearest to christ , is a note of the sanctifying spirit of god. againe , thou desirest to feele the assurance of gods loue , which desire is also a pledge of the spirit of grace . a man may feare god in some sort , and ioy in the things of god for a time , in some carnall respect , & desire with the sluggard , balam● like to dye the death of the righteous , and yet not loue the lord , but the loue of god , & desire of his fauour makes all sure . fourthly , if thou feele it not yet as thou wouldest , then vse the meanes of preaching , reading , prayer , conference , meditation , and patiently waite the lords leasure , as dauid saith to his soule , waite on god and be not so cast downe , for he is thy present help , and thy god. as a sicke man taketh meat & drink , and phisick , though it goeth against the stomacke , and his stomacke so weake that it casteth vp all againe , yet hee hath a desire to brooke it , and doth striue to keepe it , and at last it worketh strength : so is it with the sick & distempred soule . there is a defect in the stomacke , or in the pallat , or in some other part of the body , which hindreth the working of corporall phisick ; so in the inward man , there may be a defect in the vnderstanding which may bee darkish & cloudy , or in the vtterance which may be slow , or in the memory which may be obliuious , or in the faith which may be weak , or in the repentance which may be dull , or in the will which may be waiward , or in the loue which may be cold , yet in all these remaine a double com●ort : first , these graces are in truth in thee , for thou vnderstandest aright , and remembrest the best things , and beleeuest the word , and repentest in truth , with hatred of sinne , and louest god and his word euen for themselues : and secondly , so much as thou vnderstandest , knowest , remembrest , beleeuest & louest , thou affectest & embracest in hart vnfainedly , and desirest to grow in them , and to practise them , all which are blessed signes of the grace of god. and lastly , if thou didst once feele the forgiuenes of thy sinnes , and god fauourable vnto thee in his sonne christ , and now wantest that feeling , know that for some iust cause , it is taken from thee , either to humble thee , or to make thee more thankfull when thou feelest so great grace bestowed vpon thee , or to make it come againe vnto thee , after thy humiliation , & tryall of thy patience , with greater ioy & sweetnes , for ioy restored is sweeter then ioy continued . that god that hath vouchsafed of his great goodnesse to shew vs in some measure , the difference betweene the treasures of the earth , and the riches of his kingdome , and by giuing vs the one doth allure vs to loue and accept of the other , giue vs grace so to seeke and vse the one , that in the end of our race wee may obtaine the other , and that for his infinite mercies sake in iesus christ our lord and all sufficient sauiour , to whom with the father and the holy ghost , be giuen all honour and glory , with power and dominion , for euer and euer , amen . finis . errata . fol. 1. b. line 13. read thornes . fol. 23. b. l. 8. read ballist . l. 24. r. prayer . fol. 25. l. 24. r religions dowry . fol. 32. b. l. 5. r. the almightie . l. 20. r. bellowing . fol ▪ 65. b. l. 12. r. such a man. notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a17320-e340 1. tim. 6. 9 the scop & summ● of this text. the parts of the text. ioh. 6. 27. luk. 12. 33 mat. 10. 9 mat. 6. 25. treasure 1. king. 5 pro. 2. 4. mat. 13. mat 13. ● mat. 12. ● ●sa . 33. 6 ●uk . 6. 45. ●uk 12. 33 cor. 4. 7 cor. 2. 9 pro. 2. 4. 1 king. 10 22 gen. 37. 28 chap. 39. 1 gen. 41. 35 ioh. 6. 12. 1 cor. 12. 14 tim. 5. 8. prouerbs . thessalo . luk. 12. 33 ● thess. 3. 10 ioh. 6. 27. psal. 90. 10 mat. 2 28. hes. 3. 5. 6 sam. 1. cor. 15 luk 12. 19 mat. 22. 5. luk. 14. 18 gen , 25. 32 heb. 12. 16 christs reason . the miserie of a worldling mat. 16. luke . 12. dan. 4. weedes . ●hil . 3. 18. act. 14. 15. 18. virg. aen. lib. 1. eccles. 1. vse . 1. vse 2. vse 3. the affirmatiue part . heauenly treasures are to bee preferred in three respects , viz. 1. excellencie . 2. securit● 3. perpetuitie . of the excellency of the christians treasure . obiect . answere . col. 2. 3. eph. 1. 3. iohn . 1. 16. act. 17. 28. cant. 5. 8. cant. 5. 8. verse . 9. verse . 10. 11 12 13 14 15 16 apo. 21. 2 verse . 11. 12 14 16 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 1. cor. 2. apo. 3. 18. pro. 8. 10. pro. 16. 16 pro. 3. 13. 14 15 16 17 18 phi. 3. 20. apo. 4. christs ship described . eph. 6. act. 3. 6. the cornmodities of the gospell . earthly treasure . doth follow the heauenly . mat. 6. 33. 1 king 3 12. 13 ruth . 4. 4. 5 1 tim. 4. 8 apoc. 22. 2 mal. 3. 10. mat. 5. 2 cor. 4. mat. 17. psal. 32. 10. mat. 25. 20 1 tim. 1. 19. of their perpetuity milo. mal. 4. 2. ioh. 2. of their security . 3 bees . fran. petrach . de remedijs vtriusque fert . nothing more frail or vnquiet than the life of man. memory , vnderstanding and prouidence peruerted vnto our own toile &c. cares . grieued . vexed . afraid . entrance blindnes . progresse labour . end sorrow . course error . day . morning . war with fortune . better ouercome then bee had in continual scorne . the cause , our ●owne lightnesse . vniuersal discord betweene man & the creatures . of the elements . no creature without war. of loue and mariage . masters & seruants . parents & children . friends . bees . doues . moth. rot. wormes sparrow . mildew . moule . the toiles of the richer sort . of man against man. lawyer● for thy wealth ▪ phisitions for health . strife for religion . to doe n● the most doe . horace . diruit , ●dificat , mutat quadrata rotundis . contention without an aduersary . scriueners . souldiers . speakers & writers . infants . children . yong men women . old men● of the internall strife in a mans self . vse . obiect . answ. obiect . answere . 2. cor ▪ 12. rom. 7. luk. 22. 32 ioh. 16. 20 1. tim. 2 13 verse . 19. 2. tim 1. 12 rom. 8. 26 obiect . answere . heb. 13. how mos●men goe to gods house . foure circūstances . 1 place . 2 time. 3 manner how . 4 why. 1. cor. 9. 24 2. cor. 4. ioh. 5. 39. ioh. 5. 39. psa. 19. 10 ps. 119. 92 pro. 3. 13. 14 15 16 17 the crosse of christ an offence to some . how to auoid the former offence . prou. 2 , 1● 2 3 4 5 reu. 3. 18. of the time when to lay vp . &c. e●cles . 9 eccle. 12. ● esa. 55. 6. rom. ● . 1. iohn . 5● euill company how dangerous eecle . 9. 18 how to lay vp heauenly treasure . luk. 12. 33 mar 19. 21 mat 25. 34 esa 58. 7. necessary encouragements , and why , ouerplus for the poore . cal. har. ma● 10. 42 the 2 way to lay vp , &c. ioh. 15. mat. 10. 39 rom. 8. 17 35 36 37 2 cor. 4. 16 17 18 the third way to lay vp , &c. phil. 3. 10. ephe. 1. 4. col. 2. 3. iohn . 1. iob. 13. 15 esa. 11. 6. dan. 1. 9. psal 91. 13 hos. 2. 18. the secōd benefite . the third benefice . the 4 benefite , of christs vertue . of christs example . consormitie in morall duties . faith. loue. meeknes . humility . acts. 9. a true christian a good alcumist . verse . 21. the secōd part containing the reason of the commandement . summū bonum . col. 3. 1. 2. verse . 3. foure things to be considered in this match ● . basenesse 1. cor. 13. 11 nehe. 6. 11. prouerbs . 1. tim. 6. ● ● . tim. 6. 10. luk. 12. eccle. 5. 12 15 cap. 6. 1. a dishonour to god. ●al ▪ 1. 6. ● . tim. 6. 17 eze. 33. 31 luk. 16. 14 mat. 16. 3 luk 12. 5● luke . 12. 56. 57. mar 12. 34 luk. 19. psa. 41. 11 ioh. 13. 34 ●omfortable 〈◊〉 . ez●ch . 9 ▪ 4 ioh. 1. 50. 1. cor. 2. 9 mat 1● ier. 17. 9. psal. 4. mat. 12. 35 psal. 45. 1 ●sal . 39. 2. lat ▪ 12. 35 can. 1. 1. ps. 119. 13 psal. 42. 1. luk. 12. 13 oh . 8. 6. obiect . answere . 1. king. 3 ▪ mat. 14 obiect . mat. 13. 20 gal. 5. 22. answere . act. 16. 34 obiect . cōscience afflicted . cant. 5. 1. answere . psal. 27. 8. matth. 5. esa. 55. 2 3 4 psal. 43. ●imile . the jerusalem-sinner saved, or, good news for the vilest of men being a help for despairing souls, shewing that jesus christ would have mercy in the first place offered to the biggest sinners / by john bunyan. bunyan, john, 1628-1688. 1689 approx. 220 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 97 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2005-12 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a30160 wing b5545 estc r27236 09726034 ocm 09726034 44053 this keyboarded and encoded edition of 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(eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a30160) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 44053) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 1351:9) the jerusalem-sinner saved, or, good news for the vilest of men being a help for despairing souls, shewing that jesus christ would have mercy in the first place offered to the biggest sinners / by john bunyan. bunyan, john, 1628-1688. the second edition : [21], 168 p. : port. printed and are to be sold by george larkin, london : 1689. reproduction of original in the bodleian library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest 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elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng sin. salvation. 2005-02 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-05 spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images 2005-06 judith siefring sampled and proofread 2005-06 judith siefring text and markup reviewed and edited 2005-10 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion john bunyan . the jerusalem-sinner saved : or , good news for the vilest of men , being a help for despairing souls : shewing that jesus christ would have mercy in the first place offered to the biggest sinners . the second edition . in which is added , an answer to those grand objections that lie in the way of them that would believe : for the comfort of those that fear they have sinned against the holy ghost . by john bvnyan of bedford . london , printed , and are to be sold by george larkin , at the two swans without bishopsgates . 1689. price bound 1s . to the reader . courteous reader , one reason which moved me to write and print this little book , was , because , though there are many excellent heart-affecting discourses in the world that tends to convert the sinner ; yet i had a desire to try this simple method of mine : wherefore i make bold thus to invite and encourage the worst to come to christ for life . i have been vile my self , but have obtained mercy , and i would have my companions in sin partake of mercy too , and therefore i have writ this little book . the nation doth swarm with vile ones now , as ever it did since it was a nation . my little book in some places can scarce go from house to house , but 't will find a suitable subject to spend it self upon . now since christ jesus is willing to save the vilest , why should they not by name be somewhat acquainted with it , and bid come to him under that name ? a great sinner , when converted , seems a booty to jesus christ ; he gets by saving such an one ; why then should both jesus lose his glory , and the sinner lose his soul at once , and that for want of an invitation ? i have found through god's grace , good success in preaching upon this subject , and perhaps so i may , by my writing upon it too . i have , as you see , let down this net for a draught , the lord catch some great fishes by it , for the magnifying of his truth . there are some most vile in all mens eyes , and some are so in their own eyes too ; but some have their paintings to shroud their vileness under , yet they are naked and open unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do : and for all these , god hath sent a saviour jesus : and to all these the door is opened . wherefore prethee , profane man , give this little book the reading . come ; pardon , ana a part in heaven and glory , cannot be hurtful to thee . let not thy lusts and folly drive thee beyond the door of mercy , since it is not lockt nor bolted up against thee . manasseh was a bad man , and magdalen a bad woman : to say nothing of the thief upon the cross , or of the murderers of christ ; yet they obtained mercy ; christ willingly received them . and dost thou think that those once so bad , now they are in heaven , repent them there , because they left their sins for christ when they were in the word ? i cannot believe but that thou thinkest they have verily got the best on 't . why sinner , do thou likewise : christ at heaven gates , says to thee , come hither ; and the devil at the gates of hell does call thee to come to him , sinner , what sayest thou ? whether wilt thou go ? don't go into the fire , there thou wilt be burned ! don't let jesus lose his longing , since 't is for thy salvation ; but come to him and live . one word more and so i have done . sinner , here thou dost hear of love , prethee don't provoke it , by turning it into wantonness . he that dies for slighting love , sinks deepest into hell , and will there be tormented by the remembrance of that evil , more than by the deepest cogitation of all his other sins . take heed therefore , do not make love thy tormenter , sinner . farewell . the contents of this book . the text opened , page 3● the badness of jerusalem unparallel'd , they were the biggest sinners , p. 4 , 5 , 6. doctrine . jesus christ would have mercy ●ffered in the first place to the biggest sinners , p. 9 the doctrine proved by many scripture instances , p. 12 , 13 , 14 the amazing grace of god , p. 16 , 17 the apostles keep to their commission , and offer mercy in the first place to the biggest sinners , p. 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 the reasons of the point . 1. because the bigg●st sinners have most need of mercy , p. 22 this is illustrated , p. 24 , to 28 2. because this redounds most to the spreading of the fame of christ , p. 29 proved and amplified , p. 30 , 36 3. because by thus doing , others are the more encouraged to come to christ for mercy . p. 37 particular instances of this , p 40 to 44 4. because this is the way to weaken the kingdom of satan , p. 46 the biggest sinners satan's colonels and captains , ibid. the bigger sinner breads most of that horrible vermin , sin , p. 47 the author's experience about it , p. 48 5. because the biggest sinners are the best helps in the church , when converted , p. 50 this is illustrated by several particulars , p. 51. to 56 6. because such when converted , are apt to love christ most , p. 56 a pleasant story of martha and mary , p. 61 , to 66 christ has but little thanks for saving little sinners , p. 66 7. because grace when received by such , finds matter to kindle upon more freely than it finds in others , p. 69 this is illustrated by three or four similitudes , p. 69 , to 70 a note upon the debauchery of the youth of our times , p. 72 8. because by this means the finally impenitent are left the m●re without excuse . p. 79 no ground for the impenitent at judgment , for an excuse from the greatnesse of their sins , why they came not to jesus christ , p. 78 instances to convince them how it will go with th●m then , for neglecting the grace of god now , p. 79 , 80 application . 1. by this doctrine we are shewed how to make a right judgment of the heart of christ to men , p. 84 , 85 2. this shews also the sufficiency of the merits of christ , p. 90 such as his merits are , such is his grace , the one is seen by the other , p. 91 , to 93 3. here is encouragement for you that think your selves the worst , yet to come to christ , p. 93 objections tonch'd upon and dissolved , to obstruct our coming to christ , p. 94 , 95 4. an ●xpostulation with great sinners to come to christ , p. 102 other objections touched , p. 103 5. there is no ground for such to despair that would be saved by jesus christ , p. 106 four kinds of despairing , ibid. three sorts of despair reasonable , and to be allowed , p. 107 the badness of that despair that keeps us off from closing with christ , shewed in several particulars , p. 111 , to 114 despair the devil's master , p. 112 6. since christ doth offer means to the biggest sinners , let them take heed that they lay right hold thereon , p. 115 take heed of presuming instead of believing , p. 116 faith , and wild faith , and how discovered , ibid. when presumption puts its self in the place of faith , p. 116 , 117 three things to help the jerusalem-sinner to know when to believe in christ , p. 119 the design of satan , p. 120 the danger of not accepting , when christ offers mercy . p. 122 7. if it be so , then here is ground for those that are not sinners of the largest size , to come to christ for mercy , p. 122 , 123 objection answered , p. 123 a man comparatively a little sinner , made by conviction a great one , p. 124 a lamentable cry for pardon , a great thing with god , p. 125 a right plea for pardon lieth not in our numbring up , but ariseth from the sense of the greatness of sin , p. 125 , 126 heavenly subtilty , p. 126 the comparison of little and great sinners explained , p. 127 one of the comliest sights in the world , p 127 , 128 a caution to the great and little sinner , p. 128 8. by this grace of christ is made appear the true reason of satan's malice against him , p. 128 who satan makes use of to manage his despight against christ. p. 129 how they stickle for satan unawares to themselves . p. 130 , 131 9. considering this mercifulness of christ , let the tempted harp hereon for their comfort and consolation , p. 133 satan's master-piece , his club and maul , ibid. the way to foil the devil , p. 134 at what season the passover was first eaten , p. 136 nothing like faith to help at a pinch , ibid. faith the eye , hand , and mouth of the soul , ibid. 10. here 's encouragement for such a● have in word or deed , spoke or done badly , in a day of trial , p. 138 a comfortable similitude for such , p. 138 peter instanced , ibid. promises for such , p. 139 an objection answered , p. 140 christ has bags of mercy yet never broken up , ibid. 11. vse for exhortation to ministers and christians to carry it to the world like their master christ , ibid. we should not be austere , p. 142 we should not affect wo●ldly grandure , p. 143 we should in life and conversion be exemplary , p. 144 a gentle reproof , ibid. the conclusion , p. 146 an answer to those grand objections that lie in the way of them that would believe : for the comfort of those that fear th●y have sinned against the holy ghost . p. 149 , &c. a catalogue of books , printed and sold by george larkin , at the two swans without bishopsgate . 1. solomon's temple spiritualiz'd : or , gospel-light fetch'd out of the temple at jerusalem , to let us more easily into the glory of new-testament truths : wherein about seventy particulars relating to the temple at jerusalem , are explained ; and what they signifie in gospel-times , u●folded , brice bonnd 1 s. 2. the acceptable sacrifice : or the excellency of a broken heart : shewing the nature , signs , and proper effects of a contrite spirit , price bound 1 s. 3. a discourse of the building , nature , excellency and government of the house of god : with counsels and directions to the inhabitants thereof , price stich'd 4 d. 4. the jerusalem-sinn●r saved : or , good news for the vilest of men : being a help for despairing souls : shewing that jesus christ would have mercy in the first place offered to the biggest sinners . the second edition : in which is added , an answer to those grand objections that lie in the way of them that would believe : for the comfort of those that fear they have sinned against the holy ghost , price bound 1 s. all four by john bunyan of bedford . 5. instructions for children : or , the child's and youth's delight : teaching an easie way to spell and read true english : containing the father's godly advice , directing parents in a right and spiritual manner to educate their children : with a christian catechism , wherein all the chief principles of true christianity are clearly opened : together with many other things both pleasant and useful for the education of children . written by b. keach author of war with the devil . recommended to the use of all parents and schoolmasters , by hanserd knollys , price bound 6 d. 6. the tutor to true english : or , brief and plain directions , whereby all that can read and write may attain to orthography , ( or the exact writing of english ) as readily as if bred scholars . very much conducing likewise to the due sounding and perfect reading all sorts of words used in the english tongue . with an introduction to arithmetick , more easie than any yet extant . and several other observations of general use : especially for the use of either sex , and forreigners . by henry care , price bound 1 s. 7. the great discovery : or , a golden key to unlock the greatest points of divinity contained in the old and new testaments : wherein the great design of god for the salvation of sinners by jesus christ , in a covenant-way , is more fully laid open and discovered , than has ever been hitherto done by any . by g. w. price bound 2 s. good news for the vilest of men. or , a help for despairing souls . luke xxiv . 47. — beginning at jerusalem . the whole verse runs thus : and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations , beginning at jerusalem . the words were spoken by christ , after he rose from the dead , and they are here rehearsed after an historical manner , but do contain in them a formal commission , with a special clause , therein . the commission is , as you see , for the preaching of the gospel , and is very distinctly incerted in the holy record by matthew and mark. go teach all nations , &c. go ye into all the world and preach the gospel unto every creature , matt. 28.19 . mark 16.15 . only this clause is in special mentioned by luke , who saith , that as christ would have the doctrine of repentance and remission of sins preached in his name among all nations , so he would have the people of jerusalem to have the first proffer thereof . preach it , saith christ , in all nations : but begin at jerusalem . the apostles then , though they had a commission so large as to give them warrant to go and preach the gospel in all the world , yet by this clause they were limited , as to the beginning of their ministry : they were to begin this work at jerusalem . beginning at jerusalem . before i proceed to an observation upon the words , i must ( but briefly ) t●uch upon two things : namely , 1. shew you what jerusalem now was . 2. shew you what it was to preach the gospel to them . so the first , jerusalem is to be considered of , either , 1. with respect to the descent of her people : or , 2. with respect to her preference and exaltation : or , 3. with respect to her present state , as to her decays . first , as to her descent : she was from abraham , the sons of jacob , a people that god singled out from the rest of the nations to set his love upon them . secondly , as to her preference , or exaltation , she was the place of god's worship , and that which had in , and with her , the special ●okens and signs of god's favour and presence , above any o●her people in the word . hence the tribes went up to jerusalem to worship , there was god's house , god's high priest , god's sacrifices accepted , and god's eye , and god's heart perpetually , ps●l . 76.1 , 2. psal. 122.1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8. 1 king. 9.3 . but , thirdly , we are to consider jerus●lem also in her decays ; for as she is to considered , she is the proper object of our text , as will be f●rther shewed by and by . jerus●lem , as i toid you , ●as the place and fea● of god's worship , but now decayed , deg●n●rated , and apostatiz●d . the word , the rule of worship , was rejected of them , and in its place they had put and set up their own traditions : they had rejected also the most weighty ordinances , and put in the room thereof their own little things , ( mat. 15. mark 7. ) jerusalem was therefore now greatly backslidden , and become the place where truth and true religion was much defaced . it was also now become the very sink of sin , and seat of hypocrisie , and gulf where true religion was drowned . here also now reigned presumption , and groundless confidence in god , which is the bane of souls . amongst its rulers , doctors , and leaders , envy , malice , and blasphemy vented it self against the power of godliness , in all places where it was espied : as also against the promoters of it ; yea , their lord and maker could not escape them . in a word , jerusalem was now become the shambles , the very slaughter-shop for saints . this was the place wherein the prophets , christ , and his people , were most horribly persecuted and murdered . yea. so hardned at this time was this jerusalem in her sins , that she feared not to commit the biggest , and to bind her self by wish under the guilt and damning evil of it ; saying , when the had murdered the son of god , his blood be upon us and our children . and though jesus christ did both by doctrine miracles , and holiness of life , seek to put a stop to their villanies ; yet they shut their eyes , stopt their ears , and rested not , till , as was hinted before , they had driven him out of the world. yea , that they might , if possible , have extinguished his name , and exploded his doctrine out of the world , they against all argument , and in despite of heaven , its mighty hand , and undeniable proof of his resurrection , did hire souldiers to invent a lye , saying , his disciples stole him away from the grave ; on purpose that men might not count him the saviour of the world , nor trust in him for the remission of sins . they were , saith paul , contrary to all men : for they did not only shut up the door of life against themselves , but forbad that it should be opened to any else . forbidding us , saith he , to preach to the gentiles , that they might be saved , to fill up their sin alway , matt. 23.35 chap. 15.7 , 8 , 9. mar. 7. ● , 7 8 , mat. 3 7.8 9. joh. 8.33 , 41. mat. 27.18 . mar. 3.30 . luk. 265. mat. 23. 37. luk. 13 33 , 34. psal. 2.22 , 23. chap. 4.10 . mat. 27.25 chap. 20.11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15. 1 thes. 2.14 , 15 , 16. this is the city , and these are the people : this is their character , and th●se are their sins . nor can there be produced their parallel in all this world. nay , what world ! what people ! what nation , for sin , and transgression , could , or can be comp●red to jerusalem ! especially if you joyn to the matter of fact , the light they sinned against , and the patience which they abused . infinite was the wickedness upon this account which they committed . after all their abusings of wise men , and prophets , god sent unto them john baptist , to reduce them , and then his son to redeem them ; but they would be neither reduced nor redeemed , but persecuted both to the death . nor did they , as i said , stop here ; the holy apostles they afterwards persecuted also to death , even so many as they could , the rest ●he drove from them unto the utmost corners . secondly , i come now to shew you what it was to preach the gospel to them . it was , saith luke , to preach to them repentance and remission of sins in christs name . or as mark has it , to bid th●m repent and believe the gospel , mar. 1.15 . not that repentance is a cause of remission , but a sign of our hearty reception thereof . repentance is therefore here put to intimate , that no pretended faith of the gospel is good , that is not accompanied with it . and this he doth on purpose 'cause he would not have them deceive themselves : for with what faith can he expect remission of sins in the name of christ , that is not heartily sorry for them ? or how shall a man be able to give to others a satisfactory account of his unseigned subjection to the gospel , that yet abides in his impenitency ? wherefore repentance is here joined with faith in the way of receiving the gospel . faith is that without which it cannot be received at all : and repentance that without which it cannot be received unseignedly . when therefore christ says , he would have repentance and remission of sins preached in his name among all nations ; it is as much as to say , i will that all men every where be sorry for their sins , and accept of mercy at gods hand thorow me , lest they fall under his wrath in the judgment . for as i said , without repentance , what pretence soever men have of faith , they cannot escape the wrath to come . wherefore paul saith , god commands all men ev●ry where to repent ( in order to their salvation ) because he hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the world in righte●usness by that man whom he hath ordained , acts 17.30 . and now to come to this clause , beginning at jerusalem : that is , that christ would have jerusalem have the first offer of the gospel . 1. this cannot be so commanded , because they had now any more right of themselves thereto than had any of the nations of the world ; for their sins had divested them of all self-deservings . 2. nor yet , because they stood upon the advance ground with the worst of the sinners of the nations . nay , rather the sinners of the nations had the advanc●-ground of them . for jerusalem was long , before she had added this iniquity to her sin , worse than the very nations that god cast out before the children of israel , 2 chron. 33. 3. it must therefore follow that this cl●use , b●gin at jerusalem , was put into this commission of meer grace and compassion ; even from the overflowings of the bowels of mercy . for indeed they were the worst , and so in the most deplorable condition of any people under the heavens . whatever therefore their relation was to abraham , isaac , or jacob , however they formerly had been the people among whom god had placed his name and worship , they were now degenerated from god , more than the nations were from their idols , and were become guilty of the highest sins which the people of the world were capable of committing . nay , none can be capable of committing of such pardonable sins as they committed against their god , when they slew his son , and persecuted his name and word . from these words therefore thus explained , we gain this observation ; that jesus christ would have mercy offered in the first place to the biggest sinners . that these jerusalem sinners were the biggest sinners that ever were in the world , i think none will deny , that believes that christ was the best man that ever was in the world , and also was their lord god. and that they were to have the first offer of his grace , the text is as clear as the sun ; for it saith , begin at jerusalem . preach , saith he , repentance and remission of sins to the jerusalem-sinners ; to the jerus●lem-sinners in the first place , one would a-thought , since the j●rusalem-sinners were the worst , and greatest sinners , christ's greatest enemies , and those that not only despised his person , doctrine , and miracles , but that a little before had had their hands up to the elbows in his heart-bloud , that he should rather have said , go into all the world , and preach repentance and remission of sins among all nations ; and af●er that , offer the same to jerusalem . yea , it had been infinite grace , if he had said so . but what grace is this ? or what name shall we give it , when he commands that this repentance and remission of sins , which is designed to be preached in all nations , should first be offered to jerusalem , in the first place to the worst of sinners : nor was this the first time that the grace which was in the heart of christ , thus shewed it self to the world. for while he was yet alive , even while he was yet in jerus●lem , and perceived even among these jerusalem-sinners , which was the most vile amongst them ; he still in his preaching did signifie that he had a desire that the worst of these worst should in the first place come unto him . the which he sheweth where he saith to the better sort of them , the publicans and harlots enter into the kingdom of god before you , matt. 21.31 . also when he compared jerusalem with the sinners of the nations , then he commands that the jerusalem-sinners should have the gospel at present confined to them . go not , saith he , into the way of the gentiles , and into any of the cities of the samaritans enter ye not : but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of israel , matt. 10.5 , 6. chap. 23.37 . but go rather to them , for they were in the most fearful plight . these therefore must have the cream of the gospel , namely , the first offer thereof in his life-time : yea , when he departed out of the world , he left this as part of his last will with his preachers , that they also should offer it first to jerusalem . he had a mind , a careful mind , as it seems , to priviledge the worst of sinners with the first offer of mercy , and to take from among them a people to be the first fruits unto god and to the lamb. the fifteenth of luke also is famous for this , where the lord jesus takes more care , as appears there by three parables , for the lost sheep , lost groat , and the prodigal son , than for the other sheep , the other pence , or for the son that said he had never transgressed . yea , he shews that there is joy in heaven , among the angels of god , at the repentance of one sinner , more than over ninety and nine just persons , which need no repentance , luke 15. after this manner therefore the mind of christ was set on the salvation of the biggest sinners in his life-time . but joyn to this , this clause , which he carefully put into the apostles commission to preach , when he departed hence to the father ; and then you shall see that his heart was vehemently set upon it , for these were part of his last words with them , preach my gospel to all nations , but see that you begin at jerusalem . nor did the apostles overlook this clause , when their lord was gone into heaven : they went first to them of jerusalem , and preached christ's gospel to them . they abode also there for a season and time , and preached it to no body else , for they had regard to the commandment of their lord. and it is to be observed , namely , that the first sermon which they preached after the ascension of christ , it was preached to the very worst of these jerusalem-sin●ers ; even to those that were the murderers of jesus christ , acts 2.23 . for these are part of the sermon ; ye took him , and by wicked hands have crucified and slain him . yea , the next sermon , and the next , and also the next to that , was preached to the self-same murderers , to the end they might be saved , acts 3. 14 , 15 , 16. chap. 4 , 10 , 11. chap. 5 , 30. chap. 7.52 . but we will return to the first sermon that was preached to these jerusalem-sinners , by which will be manifest more than great grace , if it be duly considered . for after that peter and the rest of the apostles , had in their exhortation perswaded these wretches to believe that they had killed the prince of life , and after they had duly fallen under the guilt of their murder , saying , men and brethren , what shall we do ? he replies by an universal tender to them all in general , considering them as christ-killers . that if they were sorry for what they had done , and would be baptized for the remission of their sins in his name , they should receive the gift of the holy ghost , acts 2.37 , 38. this he said to them all , though he knew that they were such sinners . yea , he said it without the least stick , or stop , or p●use of spirit , as to whether he had best to say so or no. nay , so far off was peter from making an objection against one of them , that by a particular clause in his exhortation , he endeavours , that not one of them may escape the salvation offered . repent , saith he , and be baptized every one of you . i shut out never a one of you . for i am commanded by my lord , to deal with you , as it were , one by one , by the word of his salvation . but why speaks he so particularly ? oh! there were reasons for it . the people with whom the apostles were now to deal , as they were murderers of our lord , and to be charged in the general with his blood , so they had their various and particular acts of villany in the guilt thereof , now lying upon their consciences . and the guilt of these their various and particular acts of wickedness , could not perhaps , be reached to a removal thereof , but by this particular application . repent every one of you ; be baptized every one of you , in his name , for the remission of sins , and you shall , every one of you , receive the gift of the holy ghost . object . but i was one of them that plotted to take away his life : may i be saved by him ? peter . every one of you . object . but i was one of them that bare false witness against him : is there grace for me ? peter . for every one of you . object . but i was one of them that cryed out , crucifie , crucifie him ; and that desired that barabas the murderer might live , rather than him . what will become of me , think you ? peter . i am to preach repentance and remission of sins to every one of you , says peter . object . but i was one of them that did spit in his face when he stood before his accusers . i also was one that mocked him , when in anguish he hanged bleeding on the tree . is there room for me ? peter . for every one of you , says , peter . object . but i was one of them that in his extremity said , give him gall and vinegar to drink , why may not i expect the same when anguish and guilt is upon me ? peter . repent of these your wickednesses , and here is remission of sins for every one of you . object . but i railed on him , i reviled him , i hated him , i rejoyced to see him mocked at by others . can there be hopes . for me ? peter . there is for every one of you . repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of jesus christ , for the remission of sins , and ye shall receive the gift of the holy ghost . oh! what a blessed every one of you , i● here ! how willing was peter and the lord jesus , by his ministry , to catch these murderers with the word of the gospel , that they might be made monuments of the grace of god! how unwilling , i say , was he , that any of these should escape the hand of mercy ! yea , what an amazing wonder is it , to think , that above all the world , and above every body in it , these should have the first offer of mercy ! beginning at jerusalem . but was there not something of moment in this clause of the commission ? did not peter , think you , see a great deal in it , that he should thus begin with these men , and thus offer , so particularly , this grace to each particular man of them ? but , as i told you , this is not all . these jerusalem-sinners must have this offer again and again ; every one of them , must be offered it over and over . christ would not take their first rejection for a denial ; nor their second repulse for a denial : but he will have grace offered once , and twice , and thrice , to these jerusalem-sinners . is not this amazing grace ! christ will not be put off . these are the sinners , that are sinners indeed . they are sinners of the biggest sort , consequently such as christ can , if they convert and be saved , best serve his ends and designs upon . of which more anon . but what a pitch of grace is this ! christ is minded to amaze the world , and to shew that he acteth not like the children of men . this is that which he said of old , i will not execute the fierceness of my wrath , i will not return to destroy ephraim , for i am god and not man , hos. 11.9 . this is not the manner of men ; men are shorter winded ; men are soon moved to take vengeance , and to right themselves in a way of wrath and indignation but god is full of grace , full of patience , ready to forgive , and one that delights in mercy . all this is seen in our text. the biggest sinners must first be offered mercy . they must , i say , have the cream of the gospel offered . unto them . but we will a little proceed . in the third c●apter we find , that they who escaped converting by the first sermon , are called upon again , to accept of grace and forgiveness for their murder committed upon this son of god. you have killed ; yea , you have denyed the holy one and the just , and desired a murderer to be granted unto you . and killed the prince of life . m●rk , he falls again upon the very men that actually were , as you have it in the chapters following , his very betrayers and murderers , acts 3.14 , 15. as being loth that they should escape the mercy of forgiveness . and exhorts them again to repent , that their sins might be blotted out , ver. 19.20 . ag●in , in the fourth chapter , he charges them afresh with this murder , ver. 10. but withall tells them , salvation is in no other . then like a heavenly decoy , he puts himself also among them , to draw them the better under the net of the gospel ; saying , there is none other name under heaven given among men , whereby we must be saved , ver. 12. in the fifth chapter you find them railing at him , because he continued preaching among them salvation in the name of jesus . but he tells them , that that very jesus whom they had slain and hanged on a tree , him god had raised up , and exalted to be a prince and a saviour , to give repentance to isra●l , and forgiveness of sins , vir. 29.30 , 31. still insinuating , that tho they had killed him , and to this day rejected him , yet his business was to bestow upon them , repentance and forgiveness of sins . 't is true , after they began to kill again , and when nothing but killing would serve their turn ; then they that were scattered abroad , went every where preaching the word . yet even some of them to hankered after the conversion of the jews , that they preached the gospel only to them . also the apostles still made their abode at jerusalem , in hopes that they might yet let down their net for another draught of these jerusalem-sinners . neither did paul and barnabas , who were the ministers of god to the gentiles , but offer the gospel in the first place to those of them that for their wickedness were scattered like vagabonds among the nations . yea , and when they rendred rebellion and blasphemy for their service and love ; they replied , it was necessary that the word of god should first have been spoken to them , acts 1.8 . chap. 13.46 , 47. nor was this their preaching unsuccessful among these people : but the lord jesus so wrought with the word thus spoken , that thousands of them came flocking to him for mercy . three thousand of them closed with him at the first ; and afterwards two thousand more ; for now they were in number about five thousand ; whereas before sermons was preached to these murderers , the number of the disciples were not above a hundred and twenty , acts 1.15 . chap. 2.41 . chap. 4 , 4. also among these people that thus flocked to him for mercy , there was a great company of the priests , chap. 6.7 . now the priests were they that were the greatest of these biggest sinners ; they were the ringleaders , they were the inventors and ringleaders in the mischief . ' t●as they that set the people against the lord jesus , and that was the cause why the upro●r increased , until pilate had given sentence upon him . the chief priests and elders , says the text , perswaded ( the people ) the multitude , that they should ask barabas , and destroy jesus , mat. 27.20 . and yet behold , the priests , yea , a great company of the priests became obedient to the faith. oh the greatness of the grace of christ ! ! that he should be thus in love with the souls of jerusalem-sinners ! that he should be thus delighted with the salvation of the jerusalem-sinners ! that he should not only will that his gospel should be offered them , but that it should be offered unto them first , and before other sinners were admitted to a hearing of it ; begin at jerusalem . was this doctrine well believed , where would there be place for a doubt , or a fear of the damnation of the soul , if the sinner be penitent ; how bad a life soever he has lived , how many soever in number are his sins ! but this grace is hid from the eyes of men , the devil hides it from them ; for he knows it is alluring ; he knows it has an attracting vertue in it . for this is it , that above all arguments can draw the soul to god. i cannot help it , but must let drop another word : the first church , the jerusalem church , from whence the gospel was to be sent into all the world ; was a church made up of jerusalem-sinners . these great sinners were here the most shining monuments of the exceeding grace of god. thus you see , i have proved the doctrine ; and that , not only by shewing you , that this was the practice of the lord jesus christ in his life-time ; but his last will , when he went up to god ; saying , begin to preach at jerusalem . yea , it is yet further manifested , in that when his ministers first began to preach there , he joyned his power to the word , to the converting of thousands of his betrayers and murderers ; and also many of the ringleading priests , to the faith. i shall now proceed , and shall shew you , 1. the reasons of the point . 2. and then make some application of the whole . the observation you know , is this , jesus christ would have mercy offered in the first place to the biggest sinners , to the jerusalem-sinners ; preach repentance , and remission of sins , in my name , among all nations , beginning at jerusalem . the reasons of the point are , first , because the biggest sinners have most need thereof . he that has most need , reason says , should be helped first . i mean , when a helping hand is offered , and now it is . for the gospel of the grace of god is sent to help the world , acts 16.9 . but the biggest sinner has most need . therefore in reason , when mercy is sent down from heaven to men , the worst of men should have the first offer of it . begin at jerusalem . this is the reason which the lord christ himself renders , why in his life-time he left the best , and turned him to the worst ; why he sat so loose from the righteous , and stuck so close to the wicked . the whole , saith he , have no need of the physician , but the sick . i came not to call the righteous , but sinners to repentance , mark 2.15 , 16 , 17. above , you read , that the scribes and pharisees said to his disciples , how is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners ? alas , they did not know the reason . but the lord renders them one , and such an one as is both natural and cogent ; saying , these have need , most need . their great necessity requires that i should be most friendly , and shew my grace first to them . not that the other were sinless , and so had no need of a saviour : but the publicans and their companions , were the biggest sinners , they were , as to view , worse than the scribes , and therefore in reason should be helped first , because they had most need of a saviour . men that are at the point to dye , have more need of the physician , than they that are but now and then troubled with are heart-fainting-qualm . the publicans and sinners were as it were , in the mouth of death , death was swallowing of them down ; and therefore the lord jesus receives them first , offers them mercy first . the whole have no need of the physician , but the sick . i came not to call the righteous , but sinners to repentance . the sick , as i said , is the biggest sinner , whether he sees his disease or not . he is stained from head to foot , from heart to life and conversation . this man in every mans judgment , has the most need of mercy . there is nothing attends him from bed to board , and from board to bed again , but the visible characters , and obvious symptoms of eternal damnation . this therefore is the man that has need , most need , and therefore in reason should be helped in the first place . thus 't was with the people concerned in the text , they were the worst of sinners , jerusalem-sinners , sinners of the biggest size , and therefore such as had the greatest need : wherefore they must have mercy offered to them , before it be offered any where else in the world. begin at jerusalem , offer mercy first to a jerusalem-sinner : this man has most need , he is farthest from god , nearest to hell , and so one that has most need . this mans sins are in number the most , in cry the loudest , in weight the heaviest and consequently will sink him soonest : wherefore he has most need of mercy . this man is shut up in satans hand , fastest bound in the cords of his sins ; one that justice is whetting his sword to cut off , and therefore has most need , not only of mercy , but that it should be extended to him in the first place . but a little further , to shew you the true nature of this reason , to wit , that jesus christ would have mercy offer'd in the first place to the biggest sinners . first , mercy ariseth from bowels and compassion , from pity , and from a feeling of the condition of those in misery , in his love , and in his pity , he saveth us , and again , the lord is p●tiful , very petiful , and of great mercy , isa. 63.9 . jam , 5.11 . now where pity and compassion is , there is yearning of bowels ; and where there is that , there is a readiness to help . and , i say again , the more deplorable and dreadful the condition is , the more directly doth bowels and compassion turn themselves to such , and offer help and deliverance . all this flows from our first scripture proof , i came to call them that have need ; to call them first , while the rest look on , and murmur . how shall i give thee up , ephraim ? ephraim was a revolter from god , a man that had given himself up to devilism : a company of men , the ten tribes , that worshiped devils , while judah kept with his god. but how shall i give thee up , ephraim ? how shall i deliver thee israel ? how shall i make thee as admah ? how shall i set thee 〈◊〉 zeboim ? ( and yet thou art worse than they : nor has samaria committed half thy sins , ezek. 16.46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51. ) my heart is turned within me , and my repentings are kindled together , hos. 11.8 . but where do you find that ever the lord did thus rowl in his bowels for , and after any self-righteous man ? no , no , they are the publicans and harlots , idolaters and jerusalem-sinners , for whom his bowels thus yearn and tumble about within him . for alas ! poor worms , they have most need of mercy . had not the good samaritan more compassion for that man that fell among thieves , ( though that fall was occasioned by his going from the place where they worshipped god , to jerico , the cursed city ) than we read he had for any other besides ? his wine was for him , his oyl was for him , his breast for him ; his pen●y , his care , and his swadling-bands for him ; for alas , wretch ! he had most need , luke 10.30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35. zacheus the publican , the chief of the publicans , one that had made himself the richer by wronging of o●hers ; the lord at that time singl●th him out from all the rest of his brother publicans , and that in the face of many pharisees , and proclaimed in the audience of them all , that that day salvation was come to his ●ouse , luke 19.1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8. the woman also that had been bound down by satan for eighteen years together , his compassions putting him upon it , he loosed her , though those that stood by snarled at him for so doing , luk. 13.11 , 12 , 13. and why the woman of sarepta , and why naaman the syrian , rather than widows and lepers in israel ; but because their conditions were more deplorable , ( for that ) they were most forlorn , and farthest from help , luk. 4.25 , 27. but i say , why all these , thus named ? why have we not a catalogue of some holy men that were so in their own eyes , and in the judgment of the world ? alas ! if at any time any of them are mentioned , how seemingly coldly doth the record of scripture present them to us ? nicodemus , a night-professor , and simon the pharisee , with his fifty pence ; and their great ignorance of the methods of grace , we have now and then touched upon . mercy seems to be out of his proper chanel , when it deals with self-righteous men ; but then it runs with a full stream when it extends it self to the biggest sinners . as god's mercy is not regulated by man's goodness , nor obtained by man's worthiness ; so not much set one by saving of any such . but more of this anon . and here let me ask my reader a question : suppose that as thou art walking by some pond-side , thou shouldst espy in it , four or five children all in danger of drowning , and one in more danger than all the rest ; judge which has most need to be helped out first ? i know thou wilt say , he that is nearest drowning : why , this is the case ; the bigger sinner , the nearer d●o●ning ; therefore the bigger sinner , the more need of mercy ; yea , of help by mercy in the first place . and to this our text agrees , when it saith , beginning at jerusalem . let the jerusalem sinner , says christ , have the first offer , the first invitation , the first tender of my grace and mercy , for he is the biggest sinner , and so has most need thereof . secondly , christ jesus would have mercy offered in the first place to the biggest sinners , because when they , any of them , receive it , it redound , most to the fame of his name . christ jesus , as you may perceìve , has , put himself under the term of a physician , a doctor for curing of diseases : and you know that applause , and a fame , is a thing that physicians much desire . that is it that helps them to patients , and that also that will help their patients to commit thems●lves to their skill for cure , with the more confidence and repose of spirit . and the best way for a doctor or physician to get themselves a name , is in the first place to take in hand , and cure some such as all others have given off for lost and dead . physician● get neither name nor fame by pricking of wheals or pi●king out thistles , or by laying of plaisters to the scratch of a p●n . every old woman can do this . but if they will have a name and a fame , if they will have it quickly , they must , as i said , do some great and desperate cures . let them fetch one to life that was dead ; let them recover one to his wits , that was mad ; let them make one that was born blind , to see ; or let them give ripe wits to a fool ; these are ro●able cures ; and he that can do th●s , and if he doth thus first , he shall have the name and fame he desires ; he may lye a b●d till noon . why , christ jesus forgiveth sins for a name , and so beg●ts of himself a go●d report in the hearts of the children of men . and therefore in reason , he must be willing , as also he did command , that his mercy should be offered first to the biggest sinners . i will forgive their sins , iniquities , and transgressions , says he , and it shall turn to me for a name of joy , and a praise , and an honour , before all the nations of the earth , jer. 33.8 , 9. and hence it is that at his first appearing he took upon him to do such mighty works . he got a fame thereby ; he got a name thereby , mat. 4.23 , 24. when christ had cast the legion of devils out of the man of whom you read , mark 5. he bid him go home to his friends and tell it . go home , saith he , to thy friends , and tell them how great things god has done for thee , and has had compassion on thee , mark 5.19 . christ jesus seeks a name , and desireth a fame in the world ; and therefore , or the better to obtain that , he commands that mercy should first be proffered to the biggest sinners , because by the saying of one of them , he makes all men marvel . as 't is said of the man l●st mentioned , whom christ cured toward the beginning of his ministry : and he departed , says the text , and began to publish in decapolis , how great things jesus had done for him , and all men did m●rvel , ver. 20. when john told christ , that they saw one casting out devils in his name , and they forbad him because he followed not with them : what is the answer of christ ? forbid him not , for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name , that can lightly speak evil of me . no , they will rather cause his praise to be heard , and his name to be magnified , and so put glory on the head of christ. but we will follow a little our metaphor : christ , as i said , has put himself under the term of a physician ; consequently he desireth that his fame , as to the salvation of sinners , may spread abroad , that the world may see what he can do . and to this end , has not only commanded that the biggest sinners should have the first offer of his mercy ; but has , as physicians do , put out his bills , and published his doings , that things may be read and talked of . yea , he has moreover in these his blessed bills , the holy scriptures , i mean , incerted the very names of persons , the places of their abode , and the great cures that by the means of his salvations he has w●ought upon th●m to this very end : here is , item , such a one by my grace and redeeming blood , was made a monument of everlasting life : and such a one by my perfect obedience , became an heir of glory . and then he produceth their names . item , i s●ved lot from the guilt and damnation that he had procured to himself by his incest . item , i saved david from the vengeance that belonged to him for committing of adultery and murder . here is also solomon , m●nasseh , pet●r , magdal●n , and many others made mention of in this book . yea , here are their names , their sins , and their salvations recorded together , that you may read , and know what a saviour he is , and do him honour in the world. for why are these things thus recorded , but to shew to sinners what he can do , to the praise and glory of his grace ? and it is observable , as i said before , we have but very little of the salvation of little sinners mentioned in god's book , because that would not have answered the design , to wit , to bring glory and fame to the name of the son of god. what should be the reason , think you , why christ should so easily take a denial of the great ones , that wear the grandure of the world , and struggle so hard for hedge creepers and highway men , ( as that parable , luke 14. seems to import he doth ) but to shew forth the riches of the glory of his grace to his praise . this , i say , is one reason to be sure . they that had their grounds , their yoke of oxen , and their m●rriage joys , were invited to come ; but they made their excuse , and that serv●d the turn . but when he comes to deal with the worst , he saith to his servants , go ye out and bring them in higher . go out quickly and bring in hither the poor , the maimed , the halt , and the blind . and they did so . and he said again , go out into the high ways , and hed●es , and compel them to come in , that my house may be fill●d , luk. 14.18 , 19 23. these poor , lame , maimed , blind , hedge-creepers , and high way men , must come in , must be forced in . these , if saved , will make his merits shine . when christ was crucified , and hanged up between the earth and heavens , there was two thieves crucified with him ; and , behold , he lays hold of one of them , and will have him away with him to glory . was not this a strange act , and a display of unthought-of grace ? were there none but thieves there , or were the rest of that company out of his reach ? could he not , think you , have stooped from the cross to the ground , and have laid hold on some honester man if he would ? yes , doubtless . oh , but then he would not have displayed his grace , nor so have pursued his own designs ; namely , to get to himself a praise and a name ; but now he has done it to purpose . for who that sh●ll read this story , but must confess that the son of god is full of grace ; for a proof of the riches ther●of , he left behind him , when upon the cross , he took the t●ief away with him to glory . nor can this one act of his be buried : it will be talked of to the end of the world to his praise . men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts ; and will declare thy greatness . th●y shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness , and shall sing of thy righteousness . they shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom , and talk , of thy power . to make known to the sons of men , his mighty acts , and the gl●rious majesty of his kingdom . psal. 145.6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12. when the word of god came among the conjurers and those sooth-sayers , that you read of act. 19. and had p●evailed with some of them to accept of the grace of christ , the holy ghost records it with a boast , for that it would redound to his praise ; saying , and many of them that used curious arts , brought their books toge●her and burned th●m before all men , and counted the price of them , and found it fifty thousand piec●s of silver . so mightily grew the word of god and prevailed , acts 19. 19 , 20. it wrenched out of the clutches of satan , some of those of whom he thought himself most sure . so mightily grew the word of god. it grew mightily , it incroached upon the kingdom of the devil ! it pursued him , and took the prey : it forced him to let go his hold ! it brought away captive , as prisoners taken by force of arms , some of the most valiant of his army . it fetch back from , as it were , the confines of hell , some of those that were his most trusty , and that with hell had been at an agreement . it made them come and confess their deeds , and burn their books before all men : so mightily grew the word of god , and prevailed . thus therefore you see why christ will have mercy offered in the first place to the biggest sinners . they have most need thereof ; and this is the most ready way to extol his name that rideth upon the heavens to our help . but , thirdly , christ jesus would have mercy offered in the first place to the biggest sinners , because by their forgiveness and salvation , others , hearing of it , will be encouraged the more to come to him for life . for the physi●ian by curing of the most desperate at the first , doth not only get himself a name , but begets encouragement in the minds of other diseased folk to come to him for help . hence you read of our lord , that after , through his tender mercy , he had cured many of great diseases , his fame was spread abroad : they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments , and those which were poss●sse● with devils , and those which were lunatick and those that had the palsie , and he healed them ; and there followed him great multitudes of people from galilee , and decapolis , and jerusalem , and judea , and from beyond jordan , mat. 4.24 , 25. see here , he first by working , gets himself a fame , a name , and renown , and now men take encouragement , and bring from all quarters their diseased to him , being helped by what they had heard , to believe that their diseased should be healed . now , as he did with those outward cures , so he does in the proffers of his grace and mercy ; he proffers that in the first place to the biggest sinners , that others may take heart to come to him to be saved . i will give you a scripture or two , i mean , to shew you that christ by commanding that his mercy should in the first place be offered to the biggest of sinners , has a design , thereby to encourage and provoke others to come also to him for mercy . god , saith paul , who is rich in mercy , for his great love wherewith he loved us , even when we were dead in our sins hath quickened us together with christ. ( by grace ye are saved ) and hath raised us up together , and made us sit together in heavenly places in christ jesus . but why did he do all this ? that in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding r●ches of his grace in his kindness towards us thorow christ jesus , ephes. 2.4 , 5 , 6 , 7. see , here 's a design , god lets out his mercy to eph●sus of design , even to shew to the ages to come , the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness to them thorow christ jesus . and why to shew by these , the exceeding riches of his grace to the ages to come thorow christ jesus ? but to alure them , and their children also to come to him , and to partake of the same grace thorow christ jesus . but what was paul , and the ephesian-sinners ? ( of paul we will speak anon ) these ephesian-sinners , they were men dead in sins , men that walked according to the dictates and motions of the devil , worshippers of diana , that effeminate godd●ss : men far off from god , aliens and strangers to all good things , such as were far off from that , as i s●id , and cons●quently in a most deplorable condition . as the jerusalem-sinners were of the highest sort among the jews , so these ephesian-sinners were of the highest sort among the gentiles , ( ephes. 2.1 , 2 , 3. acts 19.35 . ephes. 2.11 , 12. ) w●erefore as by the jerusalem-sinners , in saving them first , he had a design to provoke others to come to him for mercy ; so , the same design is here set on foot again , in his calling and converting the ephesian-sinners ; that in the ages to come he might shew the ●xceeding riches of his grace , says he , in his kindness towards us thorow christ jesus . t●ere is yet one hint behind . 't is said that god saved these for his love . that is , as i think for the setting forth , for the commendations of his love , for the advance of his love in the hearts and minds of them that should come after . as who should say , god has had mercy upon , and been gracious to you , that he might shew to others for their encouragement , that they have ground to come to him to be saved . when god saves one great sinner , 't is to encourage another great sinner to come to him for mercy . he saved the thief , to encourage thieves to come to him for mercy . he saved magdalen , to encourage other magdalens to come to him for mercy . he saved saul , to encourage sauls to come to him for mercy . and this paul himself doth say , for this cause , saith he . i obtained mercy , that in me first jesus christ might shew forth all long suffering for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting , 1 tim. 1.16 . how plain are the words ! christ in saving of me , has given to the world a patern of his grace , that they might see , and believe , and come , and be saved . that they that are to be born hereafter , might believe on jesus christ to life everlasting . but what was paul ? why he tells you himself , i am , says he , the chief of sinners ; i was , says he , a blasphemer , a pers●cutor , an injurious person : but i obtained mercy , 1 tim. 1.14 , 15. ay , that 's well for you paul ; but what advantage have we thereby ? oh very much , saith he ; for , for this cause i obtained m●rcy , that in me first , jesus christ might shew all long suffering for a pattern to them which shall believe on him to life everlasting . thus therefore you see that this third reason is of strength , namely , that jesus christ would have mercy offered in the first place to the biggest sinners , because , by their forgiveness and salvation , others , hearing of it , will be encouraged the more to come to him for m●rcy . it may well therefore be said to god , thou delight●st in mercy , and mercy pleases thee , mich. 7.18 . but who believes that this was gods design in shewing mercy of old ? namely , that we that come after might take courage to come to him for mercy ; or that jesus christ would have mercy offered in the first place to the biggest sinners , to stir up others to come to him for life . this is not the manner of men ! o god! but david saw this betimes , therefore he makes this one argument with god , that he would blot out his transgressions , that he would forgive his adultery , his murders , and horrible hypocrisie . do it , o lor● , saith he , do it , and then will i teach trans●ressors thy ways , and sinners shall be converted unto thee , psal. 51.7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13. he knew that the conversion of sinners would be a work highly pleasing to god , as being that which he had designed before he made mountain or hill : wherefore he comes , and he saith , save me , o lord ; if thou wilt but save me , i will fall in with thy design . i will help to bring what sinners to thee i can . and lord , i am willing to be made a preacher my self , for that i have been a horri●le sinner ; wherefore , if thou sh●lt forgive my great transgressions , i sh●ll be a fit man to tell of thy wonderous grace to others . yea , lord , i dare promise , that if thou wilt have mercy upon me , it shall tend to the glory of thy grace , and also to the increase of thy kingdom ; for i will tell it , and sinners will hear on'● . and there is nothing so suiteth with the hearing sinner , as mercy : and to be inform'd that god is willing to bestow it upon him . i will teach transgressors thy ways , and sinners sh●ll be converted unto thee . nor will christ jesus miss of his design in profering of mercy in the first place to the biggest sinners . you know what work the lord , by laying hold of the woman of samaria , made among the people there . they knew that she was a town-sinner , an adultress . yea , one that after the most audacious manner , lived in uncleanness with a man that was not her husband . but when she , from a turn upon her heart , went into the city , and said to her neighbours , come : oh how they came ! how they flocked out of the city to jesus christ ! then they went out of the city , and came to him , and many of the samaritans ( people perhaps as bad as her self ) believed on him , for the saying of the woman , which testified , saying , he told me all that ever i did ( john 4.39 . ) that word , he told me all that ever i did , was a great argument with them ; for by that they gathered , that tho he knew her to be vile , yet he did not despise her , nor refuse to shew how willing he was to communicate his grace unto her : and this fetched over , fi●st , her , then them . this woman , as i said , was a samaritan-sinner , a sinner of the worst complexion . for the jews abhorred to have ought to do with them ( verse 9. ) wherefore none more fit than she to be made one of the decoys of heaven , to bring others of these samaritan wild-fowls under the net of t●e grace of christ. and she did the work to purpose . many , and many more of the samaritans believed on him , verse 40 , 41 , 42. the heart of man , tho set on sin , will , when it comes once to a perswasion that god is willing to have mercy upon us , incline to come to jesus christ for life ; witness those turn-a-ways from god , that you also read of in jeremiah ; for after they had heard three or four times over , that god had mercy for backsliders , they broke out and said , behold , we come unto thee , for thou art the lord our god. or as those in hosea did , for in thee the f●therless find mercy . ( jer. 3.22 . hos. 14.1 , 2 , 3. ) mercy , and the revelation thereof , is the only antidote against sin. 't is of a thawing nature : 't will lose the heart that is frozen up in sin : yea , 't will make the unwilling willing to come to jesus christ for , life . wherefore do you think was it that jesus christ told the adulterous woman , and that before so many sinners , that he had not condemned her , but to alure her , with them there present , to hope to find favour at his hands . ( as he also saith in another place , i came not to judge , but to save the world ) , for might they not thence most rationally conclude , that if jesus christ had rather save , than damn an harlot , there was encouragement for them to come to him for mercy . i heard once a story from a souldier , who with his company had laid siege against a fort , that so long as the besieged were perswaded their foes would show them no favour , they fought like mad-men ; but when they saw one of their fellows taken , and received to favour , they all came tumbling down from their fortress , and d●livered themselves into their enemies hands . i am perswaded , did men believe that there is that grace and willingness in the heart of christ to save sinners , as the word imports there is , they would come tumbling into his arms : but satan has blinded their minds , that they cannot see this thing . howbeit the lo●d jesus has , as i said , that others might take heart and come to him , given out a commandment that mercy should in the fi●st place be offered to the biggest sinners . begin , saith he , at jerusalem . and thus i end the third reason . fourthly , jesus christ would have mercy offered in the first place to the biggest sinners , because that is the way , if they receive it , most to weaken the kingdom of satan , and to keep it low●st in every age of the world. the biggest sinners , they are satans colon●ls , and captains , the leaders of his people , and they that most stoutly make head against the son of god. wherefore let these first be conquered , and his kingdom will be weak . when ishbosheth had lost his abner , his kingdom was made weak , nor did he sit but tottering then upon his throne . so when satan loseth his strong men , them that are mighty to work iniquity , and dextrous to manage others in the same , then is his kingdom weak ( 2 sam. 3. ) therefore i say , christ doth offer mercy in the first place to such , the more to weaken his kingdom . christ jesus was glad to see satan f●ll like lightning from heaven , that is suddenly or headlong ; and it was , surely , by casting of him out of strong possessions , and by r●covering of some notorious sinners out of his clutches , ( luke 10.17 , 18 , 19. ) samptson , when he would pull down the philistians temple , took hold of the two main pillars of it , and breaking them , down came the house . christ came to destroy the works of the devil , and to destroy by converting grace , as well as by redeeming blood. now sin swarms and lieth by legions , and whole armies , in the souls of the biggest sinners , as in garrisons : wherefore the way , the most direct way to destroy it , is first to deal with such sinners , by the word of his gospel , and by the merits of his passion . for example , tho i shall give you but a homely one ; suppose a family to be very lowzy , and one or two of the family to be in chief the breeders ; the way , the quickest way , to clear that family , or at least to weaken the so swarming of those vermine , is , in the first place to sweeten the skin , head , and cloaths of the chief breeders : and then , though all the family should be apt to breed them , the number of them , and so the greatness of that plague there , will be the more impaired . why , there are some people that are in chief the devils sin-breeders in the towns and places where they live . the place , town , or family where they live , must needs be horrible lowsie , and as it were , eaten up with vermin : now let the lord jesus in the first place cleanse these great breeders , and there will be given a nip to those swarms of sins that use to be committed in such places throughout the town , house , or family where such sin-breeding persons used to be . i speak by experience ; i was one of these lowzy ones , one of these great sin-breeders ; i infected all the youth of the town where i was born , with all manner of youthful vanities . the neighbours counted me so , my practise proved me so : wherefore christ jesus took me first ; and taking me first , the contagion was much allayed all the town over . when god made me sigh , they would harken , and enquiringly say , what 's the matter with john ? they also gave their i various opinions of me : but as i said , sin cooled , and failed , as to his full carrier . when i went out to seek the bread of life , some of them would follow , and the rest be put into a muse at home . yea , almost the town , at first , at times , would go out to hear at the place where i found good : yea , young and old for a while had some reformation on them ; also some of them perceiving that god had mercy upon me ▪ came crying to him for mercy too . but what need i give you an instance of poor i ; i will come to manasseh the king : so long as he was a ringleading sinner , the great idolater , and chief for devilism , the whole land flowed with wickedness ; for he made them to sin , and do worse than the heathen that dwelt round about them , or that was cast out from before them . but when god converted him , the whole land was reformed . down went the groves , the idols , and altars of baal , and up went true religion in much of the power and purity of it . you 'll say , the king reformed by power . i answer , doubtless , and by example too ; for people observe their leaders ; as their fathers did , so did they , 2 chron. 33.2 king. 17.41 . this therefore is another reason , why jesus would have mercy offered in the first place to the biggest sinners , because that is the best way , if they receive it , most to weaken the kingdom of satan , and to keep it poor and low . and do you not think now , that if god would but take hold of the hearts of some of the most notorious in your town , in your family , or countrey , that this thing would be verified before your faces ? it would , it would , to the joy of you that are godly , to the making of hell to sigh , to the great suppressing of sin , the glory of christ , and the joy of the angels of god. and ministers should therefore , that this work might go on , take advantages to perswade with the biggest sinners to come into christ , according to my text , and their commissions : beginning at jerusalem . fifthly , jesus cbrist would have mercy offered in the first place to the biggest sinners . because such , when converted , are usually the best helps in the church against temptations , and fittest for the support of the feeble minded there . hence , usually , you have some such in the first plantation of churches ; or quickly upon it . churches would do but sorrily , if christ jesus did not put such converts among them ; they are the monuments and mirrors of mercy . the very sight of such a sinner in god's house , yea , the very thought of him , where the sight of him cannot he had , is oft-times greatly for the help of the faith of the feeble . when the churches ( said paul ) that were in judea , heard this concerning me , that he which persecuted them in time past , now preached the faith which once he destroyed , they glorified god in me , gal. 1.20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24. glorified god ] how is that ? why , they praised him , and took courage to believe the more in the mercy of god : for that he had had mercy on such a great sloner as he . they glorified god [ in me ] they wondred that grace should be so rich , as to take hold of such a wretch as i was ; and for my sake believed in christ the more . there are two things that great sinners are acquainted with , when they come to divulge them to the saints , that are a great relief to their faith. 1. the contests that they usually have with the devil at their parting with him . 2. their knowledge of his secret i● his workings . for the first , the biggest sinnes hav●●sually great contests with the devil at ●heir parting 's ; and this is an help to ●aints . for ordinary saints find afterwards what the vile ones find at first ; but when at the opening of hearts the one finds himself to be as the other , the one is a comfort to the other . the lesser sort of sinners find but little of this , till after they have been some time in profession ; but the vile man meets with his at the beginning . wherefore he , when the other is down , is ready to tell that he has met with the same before . for i say , he has had it before . satan is loth to part with a great sinner . what , my true servant ( quoth he ) my old servant , wilt thou forsake me now ? having so often sold thy self to me to work wickedness , wilt thou forsake me now ? thou horrible wretch , dost not know , that thou hast sinned thy self beyond the reach of grace , and dost think to find mercy now ? art not thou a murderer , a thief , a harlot , a witch , a sinner of the greatest size , and dost thou look for mercy now ? dost thou think that christ will foul his fingers with thee ? 't is enough to make angels blush , saith satan , to see so vile a one knoc● at heaven gates● or mercy , and wilt tho● be so abominable bold to do it ? thus satan dealt with me , says the great sinner when at first i came to jesus christ. an● what did you reply , saith the tempted ? why , i granted the whole charge to be true , says the other . and what , did you d●spair ? or how ? no ( saith he ) i said , i am magdalene , i am zicheus , i am the thief , i am the harlot , i am the publican , i am the prodigal , and one of christ's murderers : yea , worse than any of these , and yet god was so far off from rejecting of me , ( as i found afterwards ) that there was musick and dancing in his house for me , and for joy that i was come home unto him . oh blessed be god for grace , ( says the other ) for then i hope there is favour for me . yea , as i told you , such a one is a continual spectacle in the church , for every one by , to behold god's grace , and wonder ! secondly , and as for the secrets of satan , such as are suggestions to question the being of god , the truth of his word , and to be annoyed with devilish blasphemies : none more acquainted with these than the biggest sinners at their conversion ; wherefore thus also they are prepared to be helps in the church to relieve and comfort the other . i might also here tell you of the contests and battels that such are engaged in , wherein they find the beffettings of satan , above any other the saints . at which times satan assaults the soul with darkness , fears , frightful thoughts of apparitions ; now they sweat , pant , cry-out , and struggle for life . the angels now come down to behold the sight , and rejoyce to see a bit of dust and ashes to overcome principalities and powers , and might , and dominions . but , as i said , when these come a little to be setled , they are prepared for help for others , and are great comforts unto them . their great sins give encouragement to the devil to assault them , and by these temptations christ takes advantage to make them the more helpful to the churches . the biggest sinner , when he is converted and comes into the church , say● to them all , by his very coming in , behold me , all you that are men and wom●n of a low and timerous spirit ; you whose hearts are narrow , for that you never had the advantage to know , because your sins are few , the largeness of the grace of god. behold , i say , in me , the exceeding riches of his grace ! i am a pattern set forth before your faces , o● whom you may look and take hear● ▪ this , i say , the great sinner ●an say , to the exceeding comfort of 〈◊〉 the rest . wherefore , as i have hinted before , when god intends to stock a place with saints , and to make that place excellently to flourish with the riches of his grace ; he usually begins with the conversion of some of the most notorious there abouts , and lays them as an example to allure others , and to build up when they are converted . 't was paul that must go to the gentiles , because paul was the most outragious of all the apostles , in the time of his unregeneracy : yea , peter must be he that after his horrible fall , was thought fittest , when recovered again , to comfort and strengthen his brethren . see luke 22.31 , 32. some must be pillars in god's house , and if they be pillars of cedar , they must stand while they are stout and sturdy sticks in the forrest , before they are cut down , and planted or placed there . no man , when he buildeth his house , makes the principal parts thereof , of weak or feeble timber ; for how could such bear up the rest ; but of great and able wood. christ jesus also goeth this way to work , he makes of the biggest sinners , bearers and supporters to the rest . this then may serve for another reason , why jesus christ gives out in commandment , that mercy should in the first place be offered to the biggest sinners , because such when converted , are usually the best h●lps in the church against temptations , and fittest for the support of the fe●ble-minded there . sixthly , another reason , why jesus christ would have mercy offered in the first place to the biggest sinners , is , because they , when converted , are apt to live him most . this agrees both with scripture , and reason . scripture says so . to whom much is forgiven , the same loveth much . to whom little is forgiven , the same loveth little , luk. 7.47 . reason says so . for as it would be the unreasonablest thing in the world , to render hatred for love , and contempt for forgiveness ; so 't would be as ridiculous to think that the reception of a little kindness should lay the same obligations upon the heart to love , as the reception of a great deal . i would not disparage the love of christ ; i know the least dram of it , when it reaches to forgiveness , is great above all the world ; but comparatively , there i● greater extentions of the love of chris● to one , than to another : he that has most sin , it forgiven , is partaker of the greatest love , of the greatest forgiveness . i know also , that there are some , that from this very doctrine , say , let us do evil , that good may come ; and that turn the grace of our god into lasciviousness . but i speak not of these , these will neither be ruled by grace nor reason . grace would teach them , if they know it , to deny ungodly courses ; and so would reason too , if it could truly sense the love of god , tim. 2 11 , 1● . rom. 11.1 . doth it look like what hath any coherence with reason or mercy , for a man to abuse his friend ? because christ died for men , shall i therefore spit in his face ? the bread and water that was given by elisha to his enemies , that came the land of israel to take him , had so muc● influence upon their minds , tho heathens , that they returned to their homes without hurting him : yea , it kept them from coming again in a hostile manner into the coasts of israel , 2 kings 6.19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23. but to forbear to illustrate till anon ; one reason why ch●ist jesus shews mercy to sinners , is that he might obtain their love , that he may remove their base affections , firm base objects , to himself . now if he loves to be loved a little , he loves to be loved much ; but there is not any that are capable of loving much , save those that have much forgiven them . hence 't is said of paul , that he laboured more than them all , to wit , with a labour of love , because he had been by sin more vile against christ than they all , 1 cor. 15. he it was that persecuted the church of god , and wasted it , gal. 1.13 . he , of them all , was the only raving bedlam against the saints : and being exceeding mad , says he , against them , i persecuted them even to strange cities , acts 26.11 . this raving bedlam , that once was so , is he that now says , i laboured more than them all ; more for christ than them all . but paul , what moved thee thus to do ? the love of christ , says he . it was not i , but the grace of god that was with me . as who should say ; o grace ! 't was such grace to save me ! 't was such marvelous grace for god to look down from heaven upon me , and that secured me from the wrath to come , that i am captivated with the sense of the rich●s of it . hence i act , hence i labour ; for how can i otherwise do , since god not only separated me from my sins and companions , but separated all the powers of my soul and body to his service ? i am therefore prompted on by this exceeding love , to labour as i have done ; yet not i , but the grace of god with me . oh! i shall never forget his love , nor the circumstances under which i was , when his love laid hold upon me . i was going to damascus with letters from the high priest to make havock of god's people there , as i had made havock of them in other places . these bloody letters was not imposed upon me . i went to the high priest and desired them of him , acts 9.1 , 2. and yet he saved me ! i was one of the men , of the chief men that had a hand in the blood of his martyr stephen , yet he had mercy on me ! when i was at damas●us , i stunck so horribly like a blood-sucker , that i became a terrour to all thereabout . yea , ananias ( good man ) made intercession to my lord against me , yet he would have mercy upon me ! yea , joyned mercy to mercy , until he had made me a monument of grace . he made a saint of the , land perswaded me , that my transgressions were forgiven me . when i began to preach , those that heard me were amazed ; and said , is not this he that destroyed them that called on t●is name in jerusalem , and came hither for that intent , that he might bring them bound to the high p●iest ? hell doth know that i was a sinner ; heaven doth know that i was a singer : th● world also knows that i was a sinner , a sinner of the greatest size ; but i obtained mercy , acts 9.20 , 21. shall not this lay obli●ation upon me ? is not love of the greatest force to oblige ? is it not strong as death ? cruel as the grave ? and hotter than the coals of juniper ? hath it not a most vehement flame ? can the waters quench it ? can the floods drown it ? i am under the force of it , and this is my continual cry , what shall i render to the lord for all the benefits which he has bestow●d upon me ? ay! paul , this is something , thou speakest like a man , like a man affected , and carried away with the love and gra●e of god. now this sense , and this affection , and this labour , giveth to christ the love that he looks for . but he might have converted twenty little sinners , and yet not found , for grace bestowed , ●o ●uch love in them all . i wonder how far a man might go among the converted sinners of the smaller size , before one could find one that so much as look any thing this wayward . where is he that is thus under pangs of love for the grace bestowed upon him by jesus christ ? excepting only some few ; you may walk to the worlds end and find none . but , as i sail , some there are , and so there has been in every age of the church , great sinners , that have had much forgiven them . and they love much upon this account . jesus christ therefore knows what he doth , when he lays hold on the hearts of sinners of the biggest size . he knows that such an one will love more than many that have not sinned half their sins . i will tell you a story that i have ●ead of martha and mary ; the name of the book i have forgot . i mean of the book in which i found the relation ; but the thing was thus : martha , saith my author , was a very holy woman , much like lazarus , her brother ▪ but mary was a loose and wan●on creature . martha did seldom miss good sermons , ●nd lectures , when she could come at them in jerusalem ; but mary would frequent the house of sports , and the company of the vilest of men for lust . and though martha had often desired that her sister would go with her to hear her preachers : yea , had often entreated her with tears , to do it , yet could she never prevail ; for still many would make her excuse , or reject her with disdain for her zeal and preciseness in religion . after martha had waited long , tried many ways to bring her sister to good , and all proved ineffectual . at last , she comes upon her thus . sister , quoth she , i pray thee go with me to the temple to day , to hear one preach a sermon . what kind of preacher is he , said she ? martha replied , it is one jesus of nazareth , he is the handsomest man that ever you saw with your eyes . oh! he shines in beauty , and is a most excellent preacher . now what does mary ? after a little pause , but goes up into her chamber , and with her pins and her clouts , decks up her self as fine as her fingers could make her . this done , away she goes , not with her sister mar●ha , but as much unobserved as she could , to the sermon , or rather to see the preacher . the hour and preacher being come , and she having observed whereabout the preacher would stand , goes and sets her self so in the temple , that she might be sure to have the full view of this excellent person . so he comes in , and she looks , and the first glimps of his person pleased her . well , jesus addresseth himself to his sermon , and she looks earnestly on him . now at that time , saith my author , jesus preached about the lost sheep , the lost goat , and the prodigal child . and when he came to shew what care the shepherd took for one lost sheep , and how the woman swept to find her piece which was lost , and what joy there was at their finding ; she began to be taken by the ears , and forgot what she came about , musing what the preacher would make on 't : but when he came to the application , and shewed that by the lost sheep was meant a great sinner ; by the shepherds care was meant god's love for great sinners ; and that by the joy of the neighbours , was shewed what joy there was among the angels in heaven over one great sinner that repenteth ; she began to be taken by the heart . and as he spake these last words , she thought he pitched his innocent eyes just upon her , and looked as if he spake what was now said , to her . wherefore her heart began to tremble , being shaken with affection and fear ; then her eyes run down with tears apace ; wherefore she was forced to hide her face with her handkerchief , and so sat sobbing and crying all the rest of the sermon . sermon being done , up she gets , and away she goes , and withal , enquired where this jesus the preacher dined that day ? and one told her , at the house of simon the pharisee . so away goes she , first to her chamber , and there strips her self of her wanton attire ; then falls upon her knees to ask god forgiveness for all her wicked life . this done , in a modest dress she goes to simon 's house , where she finds jesus set at dinner . so she gets behind him , and weeps , and drops her tears upon his feet like rain , and washes them , and wipes them with the hairs of her head. she also kiss●d his feet with her lips , and anointed them with oyntment . when simon the pharisee perceived what the woman did , and being ignorant of what it was to be forgiven much ( for he never was forgiven more than fifty pence . ) he began to think within himself , that he had been mistaken about jesus christ , because he suffered such a sinner as this woman was , to touch him . surely , quoth he , this man , if he were a prophet , would not let this woman come near him , for she is a town sinner , ( so ignorant are all self-righteous men of the way of christ with sinners ) but lest mary should be discouraged with some clownish carriage of this pharisee , and so desert her good beginnings , and her new steps which she now had began to take towards eternal life , jesus began thus with simon . simon , saith he , i have somewhat to say unto thee . and he saith , master , say on . there was , said jesus , a certain creditor had two debtors , the one owed him five hundred pence , and the other , fifty . and when they had nothing to pay , he frankly forgave them both . tell me therefore which of them will love him most ? simon answered and said , i sup●●se he to whom he forgave most . and he said unto him , thou hast rightly judged . and he turned to the woman , and said unto simon , seest thou this woman ? i entred into thy house , thou gavest me no water for my feet : but she hath washed my feet with tears , and wiped them with the hairs of her head . thou gavest me no kiss , but this woman , since the time i came in , hath not ceased to kiss my feet . my head with oyl ●hou didst not anoint , but this woman hath anointed my feet with oyntment . wherefore i say unto thee , her sins which are many , are forgiven , for she loved much ; but to whom little is forgiven , the same loveth little . and he said unto her , thy sins are forgiven , luk. 7.36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50. thus you have the story . if i come short in any circumstance , i beg pardon of those that can correct me . 't is three or four and twenty years since i saw the book , yet i have as far as my memory will admit , given you the relation of the matter . however , luke , as you see , doth here present you with the substance of the whole . alas ! christ jesus has but little thanks for the saving of the little sinners . to whom lit●le is forgiven , the same lovers little . he gets not water for his feet , by his saving of such sinners . there are abundance of dry-eyed christians in the world , and abundance of dry eyed . duties too : duties that never was wetted with the tears of contrition and repentance , nor ever sweetned wish the great sinners box of oyntment . and the reason is , such sinners have not great sins to be saved from ; or if they have , they look upon them in the diminishing-glass of the holy law of god. but i rather believe that the professors of our days want a due sense of what they are ; for verily , for the generality of them , both before and since conversion , they have been sinners of a lusty size : but if their eyes be holden , if convictions are not shown , if their knowledge of their sins is but like to the eye-sight in twilight , the heart cannot be affected with that grace that has laid hold on the man , and so christ jesus sows much , and has little coming in . wherefore his way is oft-times to step out of the way , to jeri●o , to samaria , to the country of the gaddarens , to the coasts of tyre and sidon , and also to mount calvary , that he may lay h●ld of such kind of sinners as will love him to his liking luk. 19.1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10. john 4.3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , &c. mark 5.1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20. matt. 15.21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28. luke 23.33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43. but thus much for the sixth reason , why christ jesus would have mercy offered in the first place to the biggest sinners ; to wit , because such sinners when converted , are apt to love him most . the jerusalem-sinners were they that out-stript , when they were converted , in some things , all the churches of the gentiles . they were of one heart , and of one soul , neither said any of ●hem , that ought of the things that they poss●ssed was their own ; neither was there any among them that lacked for as many as were possessors of lands , or houses , sold them , and brought the price of the things that were sold , and laid them down at the apostles feet , &c. acts 4.32 , 33 , 34 , 35. now show me such another pattern if you can . but why did these do thus ? oh! they were jerusalem-sinners . these were the men that but a little before , had killed the prince of life , and those to whom he did , that notwithstanding , send the first offer of grace and mercy . and the sense of this , took them up betwixt the earth and the heaven , and carried them on in such ways and methods , as could never be trodden by any since . they talk of the church of rome , and set h●r in her primitive state , as a pattern , and mother of churches ; when the truth is , they were the jerusalem-sinners , when converts , that out-did all the churches that ever was . seventhly , christ jesus would have mercy offered in the first place to the biggest sinners , beacause grace , when it is received by such , finds matter to kindle upon more freely than it finds in other sinners . great sinners are like the dry wood , or like great candles , which burns best and shines with biggest light . i lay not this down , as i did those reasons before , to shew , that when great sinners are converted , they will be encouragement to others , though that is true ; but to shew that christ has a delight to see grace , the grace we receive , to shine . we love to see things that bear a good gloss , yea , we chuse to buy such kind of matter to work upon , as will , if wrought up to what we intend , cast that lustre that we desire . candles that burn not bright , we like not ; wood that is green will rather smother and spu●ter and smoak , and or●ok , and flounce , than cast a brave light and pleasant heat . wherefore great folks care not much , not so much for such kind of things , as for them that will better answer their ends . hence christ desires the biggest sinner , in him there is matter to work by , to wit , a great deal of sin ; for as by the tallow of the candle , the fire takes occasion to burn the brighter ; so by the sin of the soul , grace takes occasion to shine the clearer . little candles shine but little , for there wanteth matter for the fire to work upon ; but in the great sinner , here is more matter for grace to work by . faith shines , when it worketh towards christ , through the sides of many and great transgressors ; and so does love , for that much is forgiven . and what matter can be found in the soul for humility to work by so well , as by a sight that i have been and am an abominable sinner ? and the same is to be said of patience , meekness , gentleness , self-denial , or of any other grace . grace takes occasion by the vileness of the man , to shine the more ; even as by the ruggidness of a very strong distemper , or disease , the vertue of the medicine is best made manifest . where sin abounds , grace much more abounds . rom. 5.20 . a black string makes the grace burn clear . some say when grace and a good nature meet together , they do make shinning christians ; but i say , when grace and a great sinner meets , and when grace shall subdue that great sinner to it self , and shall operate after its kind in the soul of that great sinner , then we have a shinning christian ; witness all those of whom mention was made before . abraham was among the idolaters when in the land of assyria , and served idols with his kindred on the other side of the flood , jos. 24.2 . gen. 11.31 . but who when called , was there in the world , in whom grace shone so bright as in him ? the thessalonians were idolaters , before the word of god came to them ; but when they had received it , they became examples to all that did believe , in macedonia and achaia , 1 thess. 1.6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10. god the father and jesus christ his son , are for having things seen , for having the word of life held forth . they light not a candle that it might be put under a bushel , or under a bed , but on a candlestick , that all that come in may see the light , matt. 5.15 . mar. 4.21 . luk. 8.16 . chap. 11.33 . and , i say , as i said before , in whom is it like so to shine , as in the souls of great sinners ? when the jewish pharisees dallied with the gospel , christ threatned to take it from them , and to give it to the barbarous heathens , and idolaters . why so ? for they , saith he , will bring forth the friends thereof in their season . therefore i say unto you , the kingdom of god shall be taken from you , and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof , mat. 21.41 , 43. i have often marvelled at our youth , and said in my heart , what should be the reason that they should be so generally at this day debauched as they are ! for they are now profane to amazement : and sometimes i have thought one thing , and sometimes another : that is , why god should suffer it so to be . at last i have thought of this : how if the god whose ways are past finding out , should suffer it so to be now , that he might make of some of them the more glorious saints hereafter . i know sin is of the devil , but it cannot work in the world without permission : and if it happens to be as i have thought , it will not be the first time that god the lord hath caught satan in his own design . for my part , i believe that the time is at hand , that we shall see better saints in the world , than has been seen in ●t this many aday . and this vileness that at present does so much swallow up out youth , is one cause of my thinking so : for out of them , for from among them , when god sets to his hand , as of old , you shall see what penitent ones , what trembling ones , and what ●dmirers of grace , will be found to profess the gospel , to the glory of god by christ. alas ! we are a company of worn-out christians , our moon is in the ware ; we are much more black than white , more dark than light ; we shine but a little ; grace in the most of us , is d●cayed . but i say , when they of the●e debauched ones that are to be saved , shall be brought in ; when these that look more like devils than men shall be converted to christ , ( and i believe s●veral of them will ) then will christ be ex●lted , grace adored , the world prized , sions paths better trodden , and men in the pursuite of their own salvation , to the amazement of them that are left behind . just before christ came into the flesh , the world was degenerated as it is now ; the generality of the men in jerus●lem were become either high and famous for hypocrisie , or filthy base in their lives . the devil also was broke loose in hideous manner , and had taken possession of many : yea , i believe that there was never generation before nor since , that could produce so many possessed with devils , deformed , lame , blind , and infected with monstrous diseases , as that generation could . but what was the reason thereof ? i mean the reason from god ? why one ( and we may sum up more in that answer that christ gave to his disciples concerning him that was born blind ) was , that the works o● god might be made manifest in them and that the son of god might be glorified thereby , joh. 9.2 , 3. chap. 11.4 . now if these devils and diseases , a● they possessed men then , were to mak● way and work for an approaching chr●s● in person , and for the declaring of hi● power , why may we not think that now even now also , he is ready to come b● his spirit in the gospel to heal man of the debaucheries of our age ? i can not believe that grace will take them a● for there are but few that are saved : but yet it will take some , even some of the worst of men , and make blessed ones of them . but o! how these ringleaders in vice , will then shine in vert●e ! they will be the very pillars in churches , they will be as an ensign in the land ; the lord their god shall save them in that day , as the flock of his people , for they shall he as the stones of a crown , lift up as an ensign upon the land , zech. 9.16 . but who are these ? even idolatrous ephraim , and backsliding judah , ver. 13. i know there is groand to fear , that the iniquity of this generation will be pursued with heavy judgments : but that will not hinder what we have supposed : god took him a glorious church out of bloody jerusalem , yea , out of the chief of the sinners there , and left the rest to be taken and spoiled , and sold thirty for a penny , in the nations where they were cap●ives . the gospel working gloriously in a place , to the seizing upon many of the ringleading sinners thereof , promiseth no security to the rest , but rather threatneth them with the heaviest and smartest judgments ; as in the instance now given , we have a full demonstration ; but in defending , the lord will defend his people ; and in saving , he will save his inheritance . nor does this speak any great comfort to a decayed and backsliding sort of christians , for the next time god rides post with his gospel , he will leave such christians , behind him . but i say , christ is resolved to set up his light in the world ; yea , he is delighted to see his graces shine , and therefore he commands that his gospel should to that end , be offered in the first place to the biggest sinners ; for by great sins it shineth most : therefore he saith , begin at je●usalem . eighthly , and lastly , christ jesus will have mercy to be offered in the first place to the biggest sinners , for that by that means the impenitent that are l●ft behind , will be at the judgment , the more left without excuse . god's word has two edges , it can cut back-stroke and fore-stroke . if it doth thee no good , it will do thee hurt ; 't is the savour of life unto life to those that receive it , but of death unto death to them that refuse it , 2 cor. 2.15 , 16. but this is not all , the tender of grace to the biggest sinners , in the first place , wi●l not only leave the rest , or those that refuse it , in a deplorable condi●ion , but will also stop their mouths , and cut off all pretence to excuse at that day . if i had not come and spok●n unto them , saith christ , they had not had sin ; but now th●y have no cloke for their sin , for their sin of persevering in impenitence , job 15.22 . but what did he speak to them ? why even that which i have told you ; to wit , that he has in special , a delight in saving the biggest sinners . he spake this in the way of his doctrine , he spake this in the way of his practice , even to the pouring out of his last breath before them , luk. 23.34 . now since this is so , what can the condemned at the judgement say for themselves , why sentence of death should not be passed upon them ? i say , what excuse can they make for themselves , when they shall be asked why they did not in the day of s●lvation come to christ to be saved ? will they have ground to say to the lord , thou wast only for saving of little sinners , and therefore because they were great ones , they durst not come unto him ; or that thou hadst not comp●ssion for the biggest sinners , therefore i died in despair ; will these be excuses for them as the case now standeth with them ? is there not every where in god's books sl●t contradiction to this , in multitudes of promises , of invitations , of examples , and the like ? alas , alas ! there will then be there millions of souls to confute this plea ; ready i say , to stand up and say , o! deceived world , heaven swarms with such , as was , when they were in the world , to the full as bad as you . now this will kill all plea or excuse , why they should not perish in their sins ; yea , the text says , they shall see them there ; there shall be weeping , when you shall see abraham , and isaac , and jacob , and all the prophets in the kingdom of heaven , and you your selves thrust out . and they shall come from the east , and from the west , and from the north , and from the south , and shall sit down in the kingdom of god , luk. 13.28 , 29. out of wh●ch company it is easie to pick such , as sometimes were as bad people as any now b●eathe on the face of the earth . what think you of the first man , by whose sins there are millions now in hell ? and so i may say , what think you of ten thousand more besides ? but if the word will not stifle and gagg them up , i speak now for amplification sake , the view of those who are saved shall there comes an incestuous person to the barr , and pleads that the bigness of his sins was a bar to his receiving the promise ; but will not his mouth be stopt as to that , when lot and the incestuous corinthian shall be set before him , gen. 19.33 , 34 , 35 , 36. 1 co● . 5.1 , 2. there comes a thief and says , lord ! my sin of theft , i thought , was such as could not be pardoned by thee ! but when he shall see the thief that was saved on the cross , stand by , as clothed with beauteous glory , what further can he be able to object ? yea , the lord will produce ten thousand of his s●ints at his coming , who shall after this manner execute judgment upon all , and so convince all that are ungodly among them , of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him , jude 15 , 16. and these are hard speeches against him , to say that he was not able or willing to save men , because of the greatness of their sins , or to say that they were discouraged by his word from repentance , because of the heinousness of their offences . these things , i say , shall then be confuted ; he comes with ten thousand of his s●ints to confute them , and to stop their mouths from making objections against their own eternal damnation . here is adam the destroyer of the world ; he●e is lot that lay with both his daughters ; here is abraham that was sometimes an idolater , and jacob that was a supplanter , and ruben that lay with his fathers concubine , and judah that lay ●ith his daughter-in-law , and levy and simeon that wickedly slew the sechemites ; and aaron that made an idol to be worshipped , and that proclaimed a religious feast unto it . here is also rahab the harlot , and bathsheba that bare a b●stard to david . here is solomon that great backslider , and manasseh that man of blood , and a witch . time would fail to tell you of the woman of canaans daughter , of mary magdalen , of matthew the publican , and of gideon and sampson , and many thousands more . alas , alas ! i say , what will these sinners , do , that have , through their unbelief , eclipsed the glorious largeness of the mercy of god , and gave way to despair of salvation because of the bigness of their sins . for all these , though now glorious saints in light , were sometimes sinners of the biggest size , who had sins that were of a notorious hue ; yet now , i say , they are in their shining and heavenly robes before the throne of god and of the lamb , blessing for ever and every , that son of god for their salvation , who dyed for them upon the tree ; admiring that ever it should come into their hearts once to think of coming to god by chirst : but above all , blessing god for granting of them light to see those incouragements in his testament ; without which , without doubt , they had be●n daunted and sunk down under guilt of sin and despair , as their fellow sinn●rs have done . b●t now they also are all witness●s for god and for his grace against an unb●lieving world ; for as i said , they shall come to convince the world of their speeches , their hard and unbelieving words , that they have spoken concerning the mercy of god , and the merits of the passion of his blessed son jesus christ. but will it not , think you , strangely put to silence all such thonghts , and words , and reasonings of the ungodly before the barr of god ? doubtless it will ; yea , and will send them away from his presence also , with the greatest guilt , that possibly can fallen upon the consciences of men. for what will sting like this ? i have through mine own foolish , narrow , unworthy , undervaluing thoughts of the love and ability of christ to save me , brought my self to everlasting ruine . 't is true , i was a horrible sinner , not one in a hundred did live so vile a life as i , but this should not have kept me from closing , with jesus christ : i see now that there are abundance in glory that once were as bad as i have been , but they were saved by faith , and i am damned by unbelief . wr●tch that i am ! why did not i give glory to the redeeming blood of jesus ? why did i not humbly cast my soul at his bless●d foot stool for mercy ? why did i judge of his ability to save me by the voice of my shallow reason , and the voice of a guilty conscience ? why betook not i my self to the holy word of god ? why did i not read and pray that i might understand , since now i perceive that god said then , he giveth liberally to them that pray , and upbraideth not , jam. 1.5 . 't is rational to think , that by such cogitations as these , the unbelieving world will be torn in pieces before the judgment of christ : especially those that have lived where they did or might have heard the gospel of the grace of god. oh! that saying , it shall be more tolerable for sodom at the judgment , than for them , will be better understood . see luke 10.8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12. this reason therefore standeth fast ; namely , that christ , by offering mercy in the first place to the biggest sinners , now , will stop all mouths of the impenitent at the day of judgment , and cut off all excuse that shall be attempted to be made ( from the thoughts of 〈◊〉 greatness of their sins ) why they ca●● not to him . i have often thought of the day of judgement , and how god will deal with sinners at that day : and i believe it will be managed with that sweetness , with that equitableness , with that excellent righteousness , as to every sin , and circumstance , and aggravation thereof ▪ that men that are damned , before the judgment is over , shall receive such conviction of the righteous judgment of god upon them , and of their deserts of hell fire , that they shall in themselves , conclude that there is all the reason in the world that they should be shut out of heaven , and go to hell-fire ; these shall go away into everlasting fire , matt. 25.46 . only this will tare , that they have mist of mercy and glory , and obtained everlasting damnation through their unbelief . but it will tare but thems●lves , but their own souls ; they will gnash upon themselves : for in that , mercy was offered to the chief of them in the first place , and yet they were damned for rejecting of it : they were damned for forsaking what they had a propriety in ; for , forsaking their own mercy . and thus much for the reasons . i will conclude with a word of application . the application . first , would jesus christ have mercy offered in the first place to the biggest sinners ? then this shews us how to make a right judgment of the heart of christ to men. indeed we have advantage to guess at the goodness of his heart , by many things ; as by his taking our nature upon him , his dying for us , his sending his word and ministers to us ; and all that we might be saved . but this of beginning to offer mercy to jerusalem , is that which heightens all the rest ; for this doth not only confirm to us , that love was the cause of his dying for us , but it shews us yet more the depth of that love : he might have dyed for us , and yet have extended the benefit of his death to a few , as one might call them , of the best-conditioned sinners , to those who ( though they were weak , and so could not but sin ) yet made not a trade of sinning ; to those that sinned not lavishingly : there are in the world , as one may call them , the moderate sinners ; the sinners that mix righteousness with their pollutions ; the sinners that , though they be sinners , do what on their part lies , ( some that are blind would think so ) that they might be saved . i say , it had been love , great love , if he had dyed for none but such , and sent his love to such : but that he should send out conditions of peace to the biggest of sinners ! yea , that they should be offered to them first of all ! ( for so he means when he says , begin at jerusalem . ) this is wonderful ! this shows his heart to purpose , as also the heart of god his father who sent him to do thus . there is nothing more incident to men that are awake in their souls , than to have wrong thoughts of god ; thoughts that are narrow , and that pinch and pen up his mercy to scanty and beggarly conclusions , and ridged legal conditions ; supposing that it is rude and an intrenching upon his majesty , to come our selves , or to invite others , until we have scraped and washed , and rubbed off as much of our dirt from us as we think is convenient , to make us somewhat orderly and handsome in his sight . such never knew what these words meant , begin at jerusalem . yea , such in their hearts have compared the father and his son to niggardly rich men , whose money comes from them like drops of blood . true , says such , god has mercy , but he is loth to part with it . you must please him well , if you get any from him : he is not so free as many suppose , nor is he so willing to save as some pretended gospellers imagine : but i ask such , if the father and son be not unspeakably free to shew mercy , why was this clause put into our commission to preach the gospel ? yëa , why did he say , begin at jerusalem ? for when men , through the weakness of their wits , have attempted to shew other reasons why they should have the first proffer of mercy , yet i can prove ( by many undeniable reasons ) that they of jerusalem ( to whom the apostles made the first offer , according as they were commanded ) were the biggest sinners that ever did breathe upon the face of god's earth ( set the unpardonable sin aside ) upon which my doctrine stands like a rock , that jesus the son of god would have mercy in the fi●st place offered to the biggest sinners : and if this do●h not shew the heart of the father and the son to be infinitely free in bestowing forgiveness of sins , i confess my self mistaken . neither is there , set this aside , another argument like it , to shew us the willingness of christ to save sinners ▪ for , as was said before , all the rest of the signs of christ's mercifulness might have been limitted to sinners that are so and so qualified ; but when he says , begin at jerusalem , the line is stretched out to the utmost , no man can imagine beyond it , and it is folly here to pinch and pare , to narrow , and seek to bring it within scanty bounds , for he plainly saith , begin at jerusalem . the biggest sinner , is the biggest sinner ; the biggest is the jerusalem-sinner . 't is true , he saith that repentance and remission of sins must go together ; but yet remission is sent no the chief , the jerusalem sinner ; nor doth repentance lessen at all the jerus●lem-sinners crimes ; it diminisheth none of his sins , nor causes that there should be so much as half a one the fewer : it only puts a stop to the jerusalem-sinners course , and makes him willing to be saved freely by grace ; and for time to come to be governed by that bl●ss●d word that has brought the tidings of good things to him . besides , no man sh●ws himself willing to be saved that repenteth not of his deeds , for he that goes on still in his trespasses , declares that he is resolved to pu●sue his own damnation further . learn then to judge of the largeness of god's heart , and of the heart of his son j●sus christ , by the word : judge not thereof by feeling , nor by the reports of thy conscience ; conscience is oft-times here befooled and made to go quite besides the word : 't was judging without the word that made david say , i am cast off from god's eyes , and shall perish one day by the hand of saul , psal. 3.1.22 . 1 sam. 27.1 . the word had told him another thing ; namely , that he should be king in his stead . our text says also , that jesus ch●ist bids preachers in their preaching repentance and remission of sins , begin first at j●rusalem ; thereby declaring most truly , the infinite largeness of the merciful heart of god and his son , to the sinful children of men. judge thou , i say , therefore of the goodness of the heart of god and his son , by this text , and by other of the same import ; so shalt thou not dishonour the gr●ce of god , nor needlesly fright thy self , nor give away thy faith , nor gratifie the devil , nor lose the benefit of his word : i speak now to weak believers . secondly , would jesus christ have mercy offered in the first place to the biggest sinners , to the jerusalem sinners ? th●n by this also , you must learn to judge of the sufficiency of the merits of christ ; not that the merits of christ can be comprehended , for that they are beyond the conceptions of the whole world , being called the unsearchable riches of christ ; but yet they may be apprehended to a considerable degree . now the way to apprehend them most , is to consider what offers , after his resurrection , he makes of his grace to sinners ; for to be sure he will not offer beyond the vertue of his merits ; because as grace is the cause of his merits , so his merits are the basis and bounds , upon and by which his grace stands good , and is let out to sinners . doth he then command that his mercy should be offered in the first place to the biggest sinners ? it declares that there is a sufficiency in his blood to save the biggest sinners . the blood of jesus christ cleanseth from all sin. and again , be it known unto you men and brethren , that through this man ( this man's merits ) is preached to you the forgiveness of sins , and by him all that believe are justified from all things from which they could not be justified by the law of moses , acts 13.38 . observe then thy rule to make judgement of the sufficiency of the blessed merits of thy saviour ; if he had not been able to have reconciled the biggest sinners to his father by his blood , he would not have sent to them ; have sent to them in the first place the doctrine of remission of sins ; for remission of sins is through faith in his blood : we are justified freely by the grace of god , through the redemption that is in the blood of christ. upon the square , as i may call it , of the worthiness of the blood of christ , grace acts , and offers forgiveness of sin to men , ephes. 1.7 . chap. 2.13 , 14. colos. 1.20 , 21 , 22. hence therefore we must gather , that the blood of christ is of infinite value , for that he offereth mercy to the biggest of sinners : nay further , since he offereth mercy in the first place to the biggest sinners ; considering also that this first act of his , is that which the world will take notice of , and expect it should be continued unto the end ; also it is a disparagement to a man that seeks his own glory in what he undertakes , to do that for a spurt , which he cannot continue and hold out in : this is our lord 's own argument , he began to build , saith he , but was not able to finish , luk. 14.28 , 29 , 30. shouldest thou hear a man say , i am resolved to be kind to the poor , and should begin giving with handfuls of guinea's , you would conclude that either he is wonderful rich , or must straighten his hand , or will soon be at the bottom of his riches . why this is the case , christ at his resurrection gave it out that he would be good to the world ; and first sends to the biggest sinners , with an intent to have mercy on them . now the biggest sinners cannot be saved but by abundance of grace , 't is not a little that will save great sinners , rom. 5.17 . and i say again , since the lord jesus mounts thus high at the first , and sends to the jerusalem-sinners , that they may come first to partake of his mercy ; it follows that either he has unsearchable riches of grace and worth in himself , or else he must straighten his hand , or his grace and merits will be spent before the world 's at an end . but let it be believed , as surely as spoken , he is still as full as ever ! he is not a jot the poorer for all the forgivenesses that he has given away to great sinners ; also he is still as free as at first , for he never yet called back this word , begin at the jerusalem-sinners . and as i said , since his grace is extended according to the worth of his merits ; i conclude , that there is the same vertue in his merits to save now , as there was at the very beginning . o the riches of the grace of christ ! oh the riches of the blood of christ ! thirdly , would j●sus christ have mercy offered in the first place to the biggest sinners , then here is encourag●ment for you that think , for wicked hearts and lives , you have not your fellows in the world ; yet to come to him . there is a people that therefore fear lest they should be rejected of jesus christ , because of the greatness of their sins ; when as you see here , such are sent to , sent to by jesus christ to come to him for mercy ; begin at jerusalem : never did one thing answer another more fitly in this world , than this text sitteth such kind of sinners . as face answereth face in a glass , so this text answereth the necessities of such sinners . what can a man say more , but that he stands in the rank of the biggest sinners ; let him stretch himself whether he can , and think of himself to the utmost , he can but conclude himself to be one of the biggest sinners : and what then ? why the text meets him in the very face , and saith , christ offereth mercy to the biggest sinners , to the very jerusalem sinners . what more can be objected ? nay , he doth not only offer to such his mercy , but to them 't is commanded to be off●red in the first place ; begin at jerusalem . preach repentance and remission of sins among all nations , beginning at jerus●lem . is not here incouragement for those that think , for wicked hearts and lives , they have not their fellows in the world ? objection , but i have a heart as hard as a rock . answ. well , but this doth but prove thee a biggest sinner . object . but my heart continually frets against the lord ? answ. well , this doth but prove thee a biggest sinner . object . but i have been desperate in sinful courses . answ. well , stand thou with the number of the biggest sinners . object . but my grey head is found in the way of wickedness ? answ. well thou art in the rank of the biggest sinners . object . but i have not only a base heart , but i have lived a debauched life ? ans. stand thou also among those that are called the biggest sinners . and what then ? why the text swoops you all ; you cannot object your selves beyond the text : it has a particular message to the biggest sinners . i say , it swoops you all . object . but i am a reprobate ? ans. now thou talkest like a fool , and medlest with what thou understandest not : no sin ; but the sin of final impenitence , can prove a man a reprobate . and i am sure thou hast not arrived as yet unto that : therefore thou understandest not what thou sayest , and makest groundless conclusions against thy self . say thou art a sinner , and i will hold with thee . say thou art a great sinner , and i will say so too . yea , say thou art one of the biggest sinners and spare not , for the text yet is beyond thee , is yet betwixt hell and thee ; begin at jerusalem , has yet a smile upon thee : and thou talkest as if thou wast a reprobate , and that the greatness of thy sins do prove thee so to be ; when yet they of jerusalem were not such , whose sins i dare say , were such , both for bigness and heinousness , as thou art not capable of committing beyond them ; unless now , after thou hast received conviction that the lord jesus is the only saviour of the world , thou shouldest wickedly and despightfully turn thy self from him , and conclude he is not to be trusted to for life , and so crucifie him for a cheat afr●sh . this i must confess , will bring a man under the black rod , and set him in danger of eternal damnation , heb. 6.6 . chap. 10.29 . this is trampling under foot the son of god , and counting his blood an unholy thing . this did th●y of jerusalem , but they did it ignorantly in unbelief , and so were yet capable of mercy : but to do this against professed light , and to stand to it , puts a man beyond the text indeed , act. 3 , 14 , 15 , l6 , 17. 1 tim. 1.13 . but i say , what is this to him , that would fain be saved by christ ? his sins did , as to greatness , never yet reach to the nature of the sins that the sinners intended by the text , had made themselves guilty of . he that would be saved by christ , has an honourable esteem of him , but they of jerusalem preferred a murderer before him ; but as for him , they cried , away away with him , 't is not fit that he should live . perhaps thou wilt object , that thy self hast a thousand times pr●ferred a stinking lust before him . i answer , be it so , it is but what is common to men to do ; nor doth the lord jesus make such a foolish life a barr to thee , to forbid thy coming to him , or a bond to his grace , that it might be kept from thee ; but admits of thy repentance , and offereth himself unto thee freely , as thou standest among the jerusalem-sinners . take therefore incouragement , man ; mercy is , by the text , held forth to the biggest sinners . yea , put thy self into the number of the worst by reckoning , that thou mayest be one of the first , and mayest not be put off till the biggest sinners are served : for the biggest sinners are first invited ; consequently , if they come , they are like to be the first that shall be served . 't was so with jerusalem ; jerus●lem-sinners were they that were first invited , and those of them that came first , ( and there came three thousand of them the first day they were invited , ) how m●ny came af●erwards , none can tell ) thy were first served . put in thy name , man , among the biggest , lest thou art made to wait till they are served . you have some men that think themselves very cunning , because they put up their names in their prayers among them that feign it , saying , god , i thank thee , i am not so bad as the worst ; but believe it , if they be saved at all , they shall be saved in the last place . the first in their own eyes shall be served last , and the last , or worst , shall be first . the text insinuates it , begin at jerusalem ; and reason backs it , for they have most need . behold ye therefore , how god's ways are above ours ; we are for serving the worst last , god is for serving the worst first . the man at the pool , that to my thinking , was longest in his disease , and most helpless as to his cure , was first healed , yea , he only was healed ; for we read that christ healed him , but we read not then that he healed one more there , joh. 5.1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9. wherefore if thou wouldst soonest ●e served , put in thy name among the very worst of sinners . say , when thou art upon thy knees , lord ! here is jerusalem-sinner ! a sinner of the biggest size ! one whose burden is of the greatest bulk and heaviest weight ! one that cannot stand long without sinking into hell , without thy supporting hand ! be not thou far from me , o lord : o my strength , hast thou to help me . i say , put in thy name with magd●l●n , with manasseh , that thou mayest fare as the magdalen and the manasse●-sinners do . the man in the gospel made the desperate condition of his child , an argument with christ to haste his cure : sir , come down , saith he , ere my child die , joh. 4 49. and christ regarded his haste , saying , go thy way , thy son liveth , ver. 50. haste requires haste . david was for speed ; deliver me speedily ; hear me speedily , answer me speedily , psal. 31.2 . psal. 69.17 . psal. 102.2 . but why speedily ? i am in the net , i am in trouble , my days consume like smoke , psal. 31.4 . psal. 69.17 . psal. 102.3 . deep calleth unto deep , necessity calls for help ; great necessity for present help . wherefore i say , be ruled by me in this matter ; feign not thy self another man , if thou hast been a filthy sinner , but go in thy colours to ●esus christ , and put thy self among the most vile , and let him alone to put thee among the children , jer 3.19 . confess all that thou know●st of thy self ; i know thou wilt find it hard work to do thus ; especially if thy mind be legal ; but do it , lest thou stay , and be def●rred with the little sinners , until the great ones have had their alms . what do you think david intended when he said , his wounds stunk and were corrupted , but to hasten god to have mercy upon him , and not to defer his cure. lord , saies he , i am troubled , i am bowed down greatly , i go mourning all the day long . i am f●eble , and sore broken by reason of the disquietment of my heart , psal. 38.3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7. david knew what he did by all this , he knew that his making the worst of his case , was the way to speedy help , and that a feigning and dissembling the matter with god , was the next way to a demurr , as to his forgiveness . i have one thing more to offer for thy encouragement who deemest thy self one of the biggest sinners ; and that is , thou art as it were , called by thy name , in the first place , to come in for mercy . thou man of jerusalem , hearken to thy call ; men do so in courts of judicature , and presently cry out , here , sir ; and then they shoulder and croud , and say , pray give way , i am called into the court. why , this is thy case , thou great , thou jerusal●m-sinner ; be of good chear , he calleth thee , mark 10.46 , 47 , 48 , 49. wny sittest thou still ? arise ; why standest thou still ? come man. thy call should give thee authority to come . begin at jerusalem , is thy call authority to come ; wherefore up , and shoulder it , man : say , stand away devil , christ calls me , stand away vnbelief , christ calls me : stand away all ye my discouraging apprehensions , for my saviour calls me to him to receive of his mercy . men will do thus , as i said , in courts below ; and why shouldst not thou approach thus to the court above . the jerusalem-sinner is first in though , first in commission , first in the record of names , and therefore should give attendance with expectation , that he is first to receive mercy of god. is not this an incouragement to the biggest sinners to make their application to christ for mercy ? come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden , doth also confirm this thing , that is , that the biggest sinner , and he that has the biggest burden , is he who is first invited . christ pointeth over the head of thousands , as he sits on the throne of grace , directly to such a man ; and says , bring in hither the maimed , the halt , and the blind ; let the jerusalem-sinner that stands there behind , come to me . wherefore since christ says come , to thee , let the angels make a lane , and let all men give place , that the jerusalem-sinner may come to jesus christ for mercy . fourthly , would jesus christ have mercy offered in the first place to the biggest sinners ? then come thou profane wretch , and let me a little enter an argument with thee ; why wilt thou not come to j●sus christ , since thou art a jerusalem-sinner ? how canst thou find in thy heart to set thy self against grace , against such grace as offereth mercy to thee ? what spirit possesseth thee , and holds thee back from a sincere closure with ●hy saviour ? behold god groaningly complains of thee , saying , but israel would none of me . when i called , none did answer . psal 81.11 . isa 66.4 . shall god enter this complaint against thee ? why dost thou put him off ? why dost thou stop thine ear ? canst thou defend thy self ? when thou art called to an account for thy neglects of so great salvation , what canst thou answer ? or doest thou think thou shalt escape the judgment ? heb. 2.3 . no more such christs ! there will be no more such christs , sinner ! oh! put not the day , the day of grace , away from thee ! if it be once gone , 't will never come again , sinner . but what is it that has got thy heart , and that keeps it from thy saviour ? who in the heavens can be compared unto the lord ? who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the lord ? psal. 89.6 . hast thou , thinkest thou , found any thing so good as jesus christ ? is there any among thy sins , thy companions , and foolish delights , that like christ , can help thee in the day of thy distress ? behold , the greatness of thy sins cannot hinder ; let not the stubbornness of thy heart hinder thee , sinner . objection , but i am ashamed . answer , oh! don't be ashamed to be saved , sinner . object . but my old companions will mock me . ans. oh! don't be mocked out of eternal life , sinner . thy stubbornness affects , afflicts the heart of thy saviour . carest thou not for this ? of old , he beheld the city , and wept over it . canst thou hear this , and not be concerned ? luke 19.41 , 42. shall christ weep to see thy soul going on to destruction , and wilt thou sport thy self in that way ? yea , shall christ , that can be eternally happy without thee , be more afflicted at the thoughts of the loss of thy soul , than thy self , who art certainly eternally miserable if thou neglectest to come to him ? those things that keep thee and thy saviour , on thy part , asunder , are but bubbles ; the least prick of an affliction , will let out , as to thee , what now thou thinkest is worth the venture of heaven to enjoy . hast thou not reason ? canst thou not so much as once soberly think of thy dyi●g hour ? or of , whether thy sinful life will drive thee then ? hast thou no conscience ? or having one , is it rocked so fast asleep by sin , or made so weary with an unsuccessful calling upon thee , that it is laid down , and cares for thee no more ? poor man , thy state is to be lamented . hast no judgmemt ? art not able to conclude , that to be saved , is better than to burn in hell ; and that eternal life , with god's favour , is better than a temporal life in god's displeasure ? hast no affliction but what is bruitish ? what , none at all ? no affection for the god that made thee ? what , none for his loving son that has shewed his love , and dyed for thee ? is not he●ven worth thy affection ? o poor man ! which is strongest , think'st thou , god or thee ? if thou art not able to overcom● him , thou art a fool for standing out against him ; mat. 5.25 , 26. it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living god. he will gripe hard , his fift is stronger than a lions paw ; take heed of him , he will be angry if you despise his son ; and will you stand guilty in your trespasses , when he offereth you his grace and favour ? exod. 34.6 , 7 , 〈…〉 10 , 29 , 30 , 31. now we come to the text , beginning at jerusalem . this text , though , it be now one of the brightest stars that shineth in the bible , because there is in it , as full , if not the fullest offer of grace that can be imagined , to the sons of man● , yet to them that shall perish from under this word , even this text will be to such , one of ●he hottest goals in hell. this text therefore will save thee , or sin● thee ; there is no shifting of it : if it saves thee , it will set thee high ; if it sinks thee , it will set thee low . but , i say , why so unconcerned ? hast no soul ? or dost think thou mayest lose thy s●ul , and save thy self ? is it not pity , had it otherwise been the will of god that ever thou wast made a m●n , for that thou settest so little by thy soul ? sinner , take the invitation ; thou art called upon to come to christ : nor art thou called upon but by order from the son of god , though thou shouldest happen to come of the biggest sinners : for he has bid us off●r mercy , as to all the world in general , so in the first place , to the sinners of j●rusalem ; or to the biggest sinners . fifthly , would jesus christ have mercy offered in the first place to the biggest sinners ? then this shews how unreasonable a thing it is , for men to despair of mercy . for those that presume , i shall say something to them afterward . i now speak to them that despair . there are four sorts of despair . there is the despair of devils ; there is the despair of souls in hell ; there is the despair that is grounded upon mens deficiency ; and there is the despair that they are perplexed with that are willing to be saved , but are too strongly born down with the burden of their sins . the despair of devils , the damneds despair , and that despair that a man has of attaining of life , because of his own deficience , are all unreasonable . why should not devils and damned souls d●spair ? yea , why should not man despair of getting to heaven by his own abilities ? i therefore am concerned only with the fou●th sort of despair , to wit , with the despair of those that would be saved , but are to strongly born , down ●ith the burden of their sins . i say therefore to thee that art thus , and w●y despair ? thy despair , if it was reasonable , should flow from thee , because found in the land that is beyond the grave ; or because thou certainly knowest that christ will not , or cannot save thee . but for the first , thou art yet in the land of th● living ; and for the second , thou hast ground to believe the quite contrary christ is able to save to the uttermost , them that come to god by him ; and if he were not willing , he wou●d not have commanded that mercy i● the first place should be offered to the biggest sinners . besides , he hath said , a●d l●t him that is athirst come , and whosoever will , l●t him take the water of life fre●ly ; that is , with all my heart . what gro●nd now is here for despair ? if thou say●st , the number and burden of my sins . i answer , nay : that is rather a ground for faith ; because such an one above all others , is invited by christ to come unto him , yea , promised rest and forgiveness if they come , matt. 11.28 . what ground then to despair ? verily none at all . thy despair then is a thing unreasonable , and without footing in the word . but i have no ●xperience of god's love , g●d has given me no comfort , or ground of hope , though i have waited upon him for it many a day . thou h●st experience of god's love , for that he has opened thine eyes to see thy sins ; and for that he has given thee desires to be saved by jesus christ. for by thy sense of sin thou act made to see thy poverty of spirit , and that has laid thee under a sure ground to hope that heaven shall be thine hereafter . also thy desires to be saved by christ , has put thee under another promise , so ●here is two to hold thee up in hope , though thy present burden be never so heavy , matt. 5 3 , 6. as for what thou sayest , as to god's silence to thee , perhaps he has spoken to th●e once or twice already , but thou hast not perceived it , job 33.14 , 15. however thou hast christ crucified , set forth before thine eyes in the bible , and an invitation to come unto him , though thou be a jerusalem-sinner , tho thou be a biggest sinner ; and so no ground to despair . what if god will be silent to thee , is that ground of despair ? not at all , so long as there is a promise in the bible that god will in no wise cast away the coming sinner , and so long as he invites the jerusalem-sinner to come unto him , job . 6.37 . build not therefore despair upon these things , they are no sufficient foundation for it , such plenty of promises being in the bible ; and such a discovery of his mercy to great sinners of old , especially since we have withall a clause in the commission given to ministers to preach , that they should begin with the jerusalem-sinners in their offering of mercy to the world. besides , god says , they that wait up●n the lord , shall renew their strength , they shall mount up with wings like eagles ; but perhaps it may be long first , i waited long , saith david , and did seek the lord , and at length his cry was heard : wherefore he bids his soul wait on god , and says , for it is good so to do before thy saints , psal. 40.1 . psal. 62.5 . psal. 52.9 . and what if thou waitest upon god all thy days ? is it below thee ? and what if god will cross his book and blot out the hand-writing that is against thee , and not let thee know it as yet ? is it fit to say unto god , thou art hard-hearted ? despair not . thou hast no ground to d●spair , so long as thou livest in this world. 't is a sin to begin to despair before one sets his foot over the threshold of hell-gates . for them that are there , let them despair and spare not ; but as for thee , thou hast no ground to do it . what! despair of bread , in a land that is full of corn ! despair of mercy when our god is full of mercy ! despair of mercy , when god goes about by his ministers , beseeching of sinners to be reconciled unto him ! 2 cor. 5.18 , 19 , 20. thou scrupulous fool , where canst thou find that god was ever false to his promise , or that he ever deceived the soul that ventured it self upon him ? he often calls upon sinners to trust him , though they walk in darkness and have no light , isa. 50.10 . they have his promise and oath for their salvation , that flee for refuge to the hope set before them , heb 6.17 , 18. despair ! when we have a god of mercy , and a redeeming christ alive ! for shame forbear : let them despair that dwell where there is no god , and that are confined to those chambers of death , which can be reached by no redemption . a living man despair ! when he is chid for murmuring and complaining ! lam. 3.39 . oh! so long as we are where promises swarm , where mercy is proclaimed , where grace reigns , and where jerusalem-sinners are priviledged with the first ofter of mercy , it is a base thing to despair ! despair undervalues the promise , undervalues the invitation , undervalues the proffer of grace . despair undervalues the ability of god the fath●r , and the redeeming blood of christ his son : oh unreasonable despair ! despair makes man god's judge ; 't is a controller of the promise , a contradicter of christ in his large offers of mercy : and one that undertakes to make vnb●lief the great manager of our reason and judgment , in determining about what god can and will do for sinners . despair ! it is the devils fellow , the devils master ; yea , the chains with which he is captivated and held under darkness for ever : and to give way thereto in a land , in a state and time that flows with milk and honey , is an uncomely thing . i would say to my soul ; o my soul ! this is not the place of despair , this is not the time to despair in : as long as mine eyes can find a promise in the bible ; as long as there is the least mention of grace , as long as there is a moment left me of breath or life in this world ; so long will i wait or look for mercy ; so long will i fight against unbelief and despair . this is the way to honour god and christ : this is the way to set the crown on the promise ; this is the way to welcome the invitation and inviter ; and this is the way to thrust thy self under the shelter and pro●ection of the word of grace . never despair so long as our text is alive , for that doth sound it out , that mercy by christ is offered in the first place to the biggest sinner . despair is an unprofitable thing , 't will make a man weary of waiting upon god , 2 king. 6.33 . 't will make a man forsake god , and seek his heaven in the good things of this world , gen. 4.13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17. 't will make a man his own tormenter , and flounce and fling l●ke a wild bull in a net , isa. 51.20 . despair ! it drives a man to the study of his own ruine , and brings him at last to be his own executioner , 2 sam. 17.23 . matt. 27 3 , 4 , 5. besides , i am perswaded also , that despair is the cause that there are so many that would fain be atheists in the world : for because they have entertained a conceit that god will never be merciful to them ; therefore they labour to perswade themselves that there is no god at all , as if their misbelief would kill god , or cause him to cease to be . a poor shift for an immortal soul , for a soul who liketh not to retain god in its knowledge ! if this be the best that despair can do , let it go , man ; and betake thy self to faith , ●o prayer , to wait for god , and to hope , in despight of ten thousand doubts . and for thy encouragement , take yet ( as an addition to what has already been said ) these following scriptures ; the lord takes pleasure in them that fear him , in them that hope in his mercy , psal. 147.11 . whence note , they fear not god , that hope not in his mercy . also , god is angry with them that hope not in his mercy ; for he only taketh pleasure in them that hope . he that believeth , or hath received his testimony , hath set to his seal that god is true , joh. 3.33 . but he that receiveth it not , hath made him a liar , and that is a very unworthy thing , 1 joh. 5.10 , 11. let the wicked forsake his ways , and the vnrighteous man his thoughts ; and let him return to the lord , and he will have mercy on him ; and to our god , for he will abundantly multiply pardons , isa. 55.7 . perhaps thou art weary of thy ways , but art not weary of thy thoughts ; of thy unbelieving and despairing thoughts : now god also would have thee cast away these thoughts , as such which he deserveth not at thy hands , for he will have mercy upon thee , and he will abundantly pardon . o fools ! and flow heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken , luk. 24.25 . mark you here , showness to believe is a piece of folly . ay! but sayest thou , i do believe some , and i believe what can make ag●inst me . ay , but sinner , christ jesus here calls thee fool for not believing all. believe all , and despair if thou canst . he that believes all , believes that text that saith , christ would have mercy preached first to the jerusalem-sinners . he that believeth all , believeth all the promises and consolations of the word ; and the promises and consolations of the word , weigh heavier than do all the curses and threatnings of the law. and mercy rejoyceth against judgment . wherefore believe all , and mercy will to thy conscience , weigh judgment down , and so minister comfort to thy soul. th● lord take the yoke from off thy jaws , since he has set meat before thee , h●s . 11.4 . and help thee to remember that he is pleased in the first place to offer mercy to the biggest sinners . sixthly , since jesus christ would have mercy offered in the first place to the biggest sinners , let souls see that they lay right hold thereof ; lest they notwithstanding , indeed come short thereof . faith only knows how to deal with mercy ; wherefore put not in the place thereof presumption . i have observed , that as there are herbs and flowers in our garden● , so there are their counterfeits in the field ; only they are distingui●hed from the other by the name of wild ones . why , there is faith , and wild fai●h ; and wild faith is this presumption ? i call it wild faith , because god never placed ●t in his garden , his church ; 't is only to be found in the field , the world. i also call it . wild faith , because it only grows up , and is nourished where other wild notions abounds . wherefore take heed of this , and all may be well : for this presumptuousness is a very heinous thing in the eyes of god : the soul , saith he , that shall do ought presumptuously ( ●hether born in the land or a stranger ) the same reproacheth the lord ; and that soul shall be cut off from among his people , num 15.30 . the thoughts of this made david tremble , and pray , that god would hold him back from presumptuous sins , and not suffer them to have dominion over him , psal. 19.13 . now this presumption , then put its self in the place of faith , when it tampereth with the promise for life , while the soul is a stranger to repentance . wherefore you have in the text , to prevent doing thus , both repentance and remission of sins to be offered to jerusalem , not remission without repentance : for all that repent not shall perish , let them presume on grace and the promise while they will , luk. 13.1 , 2 , 3. presumption then is that which severeth faith and repentance , concluding that the soul shall be saved by grace , though the man was never made sorry for his sins , nor the love of the heart turned therefrom . this is to be s●lf-willed , as peter has it . and this is a despising the word of the lord , for that has put repentance and faith together , mark 1.15 . and because he hath despis●d the word of the lord , and hath broken the commandment , that soul shall utterly be cut off : his iniquities shall be upon him , numb . 15.31 . let such therefore look it , who yet are , and abide in their sins ; for such , if they hope , as they are , to be saved , presume upon the grace of god. wherefore presumption and not hearkning to god's word , are put together , d●ut . 17.12 . again , then men presume when they are resolved to abide in their sins , and sins , yet expect to be saved by god's grace through christ. this is as much as to say , god liketh of sin as well as i do , and careth not how men live , if so be they lean upon his son. of this sort are they that build up zion with blood , and jerusalem with iniquity ; that judge for reward , and teach for hire , and divine for mony , and lean upon the lord , mic. 3.10 , 11. this is doing things with an high hand against the lord our god , and a taking him , as it were , at the catch ! this is , as we lay among men , to seek to put a trick upon god , as if he had not sufficiently fortified his proposals of grace by his holy word , against all such kind of fools as these . but look to it , such will be found at the day of god , not among that great company of jerusalem-sinners , that shall be saved by grace , but among those that have been the great abusers of the grace of god in the world. these that say , let us sin that grace may abound , and let us do evil that good may come , their damnation is just . and if so , they are a great way off of that salvation that is by jesus christ presented to the jerusalem sinners . i have therefore these things to propound to that jerusalem-sinner that would know , if he may be so bold to venture himself upon this grace . first , dost thou see thy sins ? secondly , art thou weary of them ? thirdly , wouldst thou with all thy heart be saved by jesus christ ? i dare say no less , i dare say no more . but if it be truly thus with thee , how great soever thy sins have been , how bad soever thou feelest thy heart , how far soever thou art from thinking that god has mercy for thee ; thou art the man , the jerusalem-sinner , that the word of god has conquered , and to whom it offereth free remission of sins , by the redemption that is in jesus christ. when the jayler cried out , sirs , what must i do to be saved ? the answer was , believe on the lord jesus christ , and thou shalt be saved . he that sees his sins aright , is brought to his wits-end by them , and he that is so , is willing to part from them , and to be saved by the grace of god. if this be thy case , fear not , give no way to despair , thou presumest not , if thou believest to life everlasting in jesus christ. yea , christ is prepared for such as thou art . therefore take good courage and believe . the design of satan is to tell the presumptuous , that their presuming on mercy is good ; but to perswade the believer , that his believing is impudent bold dealing with god. i never heard a presumptuous man in my life , say that he was afraid that he presumed ; but i have heard many an honest humble soul say , that they have been afraid that their faith has been presumption . why should satan molest those whose ways he knows will bring them to him ? and who can think that he should be quiet when men take the right course to escape his hellish snares . this therefore is the reason why the truly humbled is opposed , while the presumptuous goes on by wind and tide . the truly humble , satan hates , but he laughs to see the foolery of the other . does thy hand and heart tremble ? upon thee the promise smiles ; to this man will i look says god , even to him that is poor , and of a co●trite s●irit , and trembles at my word , isa. 66.2 . what therefore i have said of presumption , concerns not the humble in spirit at all . i therefore am for ga●hering up the s●ones , and for taking the stumbling-blocks out of the way of god's people ; and fore-warning of them that they lay the stumbling block of their iniquity before their faces , and that are for presuming upon god's mercy ; and let them look to themselves , ezekiel 14.6 , 7 , 8. also our text stands firm as ever it did , and our observation is still of force , that jesus christ would have mercy offered in the first place to the biggest sinners . so then , let none des●air , let none presume ; let none despair that are sorry for their sins , and would be saved by jesus christ : let none presume , that abide in the liking of their sins , though they seem to know the exceeding grace of christ ; for though the door stand wide open for the reception of the penitent , yet 't is fast enough barr'd and bolted against the presumptuous sinner . be not deceived , god is not mocked , whatsoever a man sows , that he shall reap . it cannot be that god should be wheadled out of his mercy , or prevailed upon by lips of dissimulation ; he knows them that trust in him , and that sincerely come to him by christ for mercy , nahum . 1.7 . it is then , not the abundance of sins committed , but the not coming heartily to god by christ for mercy , that shuts men out of doors : and though their not coming heartily may be said to be but a sin ; yet 't is such a sin , as causeth that all thy other sins abide upon thee unforgiven . god complains of this . th●y have not cried unto me with their heart ; they turned , but not to the most high. they turned feignedly , jer , 3.10 . hos. 7.14 , 16. thus doing , his soul hates ; but the penitent , humble , broken-hearted sinner , be his transgressions red as scarlet , red like crimsom , in number as the sand ; though his transgressions cry to heaven against him for vengeance , and seem there to cry louder than do his prayers , or tears , or groans for mercy ; yet he is safe . to this man god will look , isa. 1.18 . chap. 66 , 2. seventhly , would jesus christ have mercy offered in the first place to the biggest sinners ? then here is ground for those , that as to practice , have not been such , to come to him for mercy . although there is no sin little of it self , because it is a contradiction of the nature and majesty of god ; yet we must admit of divers numbers , and also of aggravations : two sins are not so many as three ; nor are three , that are done in ignorance , so big as one that is done against light , against knowledge , and conscience . also there is the child in sin , and a man in sin that has his hairs gray , and his skin wrinkled for very age. and we must put a differen●e betwixt these sinners also . for can it be , that a child of seven , or ten , or sixteen years old , should be such a sinner , a sinner so vile in the eye of the law , as he is who has walked according to the course of this world , forty , fifty , sixty , or seventy years ? now the youth , this stripling , though he is a sinner , is but a little sinner , when compared with such . now i say , if there be room for the first sort , for those of the biggest size ; certainly there is room for the lesser size ? if there be a door wide enough for a gyant to go in at , there is certainly room for a dwarff . if christ jesus has grace enough to save great sinners , he has surely grace enough to save little ones . if he can forgive five hundred pence , for certain he can forgive fifty , luk , 7.41 , 42. but you said before , that the little sinners must stand by , untill the great ones have received their grac● , and that 's discouraging ! i answer , there are two sorts of little sinners such as are so , such as feign themselves so . there are those that feign themselves so , that i intended there , and not those that are indeed comparatively so . such as feign themselves so , may wait long enough before they obtain forgivenness . but again , a sinner may be comparatively a little sinner , and sensibly a great one . there is then two sorts of greatness in sin ; greatness by reason of number , greatness by reason of throughness of conviction of the horrible nature of sin. in this last sense , he that has but one sin , if such a one could be found , may in his own eyes find himself the biggest sinner in the world . let this man , or this child , therefore put himself among the great sinners , and plead with god as great sinners do , and expect to be saved with the great sinners , and as soon , and as hearttily as they . yea , a little sinner , that comparatively is truly so , if he shall graciously give way to conviction , and shall in god's light , diligently weigh the horrible nature of his own sins , may yet sooner obtain forgiveness for them at the hands of the heavenly father , than he that has ten times his sins , and so cause to cry ten times harder to god for mercy . for the grievousness of the cry is a great thing with god ; for if he will hear the widdow , if she cries at all , how much more if she cries most grievously ? exod. 22.22 , 23. it is not the number , but the true sense of the abominable nature of sin , that makes the cry for pardon lamentable . he , as i said , that has many sins , may not cry so loud in the ears of god , as he that has far fewer ; he in our present sense that is in his own eyes the biggest sinner , is he that soonest findeth mercy . the offer then is to the biggest sinner , to the biggest sinner first , and the m●rcy is first obtained by him that first confesseth himself to be such an one . there are men that strive at the throne of grace for mercy , by pleading the greatness of their necessity . now their plea , as to the prevalency of it , lieth not in their counting up of the number , but in the sense of the greatness of their sins , and in the vehemency of their cry for pardon . and it is observable , that though the birth right was rubins , and for his foolishness , given to the sons of joseph ; yet judah prevailed above his brethren , and of him came the messias , 1 chron. 5.1 , 2. there is a heavenly subtilty to be managed in this matter . thy broth●r came with subtilty and hath taked away thy blesing . the blessing belonged to esau , but jacob by his diligence made it his own , gen. 27.35 . the offer is to the biggest sinner , to the biggest sinner first , but if he forbears to cry , the sinner that is a sinner less by far than he , both as to number and the nature of transgression , may get the blessing first , if he shall have grace to bestir himself well ; for the loudest cry is heard furthest , and the most lamentable , pierces soonest . i therefore urge this head , not because i would have little sinners go and tell god that they are little sinners , thereby to think to obtain his mercy ; for veily , so they are never like to have it : for such words declare , that such a one hath no true sense at all of the nature of his sins . sin , as i said , in the nature of it , is horrible ; though it be but one single sin as to act ; yea , though it be but a sinful thought ; and so worthily calls for the damnation of the soul. the comparison then , of little and great sinners , is to go for good sense among men : but to plead the fewness of thy sins , or the comparative harmlesness of their quantity before god , argueth no sound knowledge of the nature of thy sin , and so no true sense of the nature or need of mercy . little sinner when therefore thou goest to god , though thou knowest in thy conscience , that thou , as to acts , art no thief , no murderer , no whore , no liar , no false swearer , or the like , and in reason must needs understand , that thus thou art not so profanely vile as others ; yet when thou goest to god for merey , know no mans sins but thine own , make mention of no mans sins but thine own . also labour not to lessen thy own , but magnifie and greaten them by all just circumstances , and be as if there was never a sinner in the world but thy self . also cry out as if thou wast the only undone man ; and that is the way to obtain god's mercy . it is one of the comeliest sights in the world , to see a little sinner commenting upon the greatness of his sins ; multiplying and mul●iplying them to himself ; till he makes them in his own eyes bigger and higher than he seeth any other man's sins to be in the world ; and as base a thing it is to see a man do otherwise , and as basely will come on 't , luk. 18.10 , 11 , 12 , 13. as therefore i said to the great sinner before , let him take heed lest he presumes : i say now to the little sinner , let him take heed that he don't dissemble : for there is as great an aptness in the little sinner to dissemble , as there is in the great one . he that hideth his sins shall not prosper , be he a sinner little or great , prov. 28.13 . eighthly , would jesus christ have mercy offered in the first place to the biggest sinners ? then this shews the true cause why satan makes such head as he doth against him . the father and the holy spirit are well sp●k●n of by all deluders and deceived persons ; christ only is the rock of offence . behold i lay in zion a stumbling-stone and a rock of offence , rom. 9.33 . not that satan careth for the father or the spirit more than he careth for the son , but he can let men alone with their notions of the father and the spirit , for he knows they shall never enjoy the father or the spirit , if indeed they receive not the merits of the son. he that hath the son , hath life ; he that hath not the son of god hath not life , however they may boast themselves of the father and the spirit , 1 j●hn 5.12 . again , whosoever transgresseth , and abideth not in the doctrine of christ ▪ hath not god : he that abideth in the doctrine of christ , hath both the father and the son , 2 john 9. christ , and christ only is he that can make us cap●ble to enjoy god with life and joy to all eternity . hence he calls himself the way to the father ; the true and l●ving way , joh. 14.6 . heb. 10.19.20 . for we cannot come to the father but by him . satan knows this , therefore he hates him deluded persons are ignorant of this , and therefore they are so led up and down by satan by the nose , as they are . t●ere are many things by which satan has taken occasion to greaten his rage against jesus christ. as first , his love to man , and then the many expressions of that love ▪ he hath taken man's nature upon him ; he hath in that nature fulfilled the l●w to bring in righteousness for man ; and hath spilt his blood for the reconciling of man to god ; he hath broke the neck of death , put away sin , destroyed the works of the devil , and got into his own hands the keys of death : and all these are heinous things to satan . he cannot abide christ for this . besides , he hath eternal life in himself , and that to bestow upon us ; and we in all liklihood are to possess the very places , from which the satans by transgression fell , if not places more glorious . wherefore he must ne●ds be angry . and is it not a vexatious thing to him , that we should be admitted to the throne of grace by christ , while he stands bound over in chains of darkness , to answer for his rebellions against god and his son , at the terrible day of judgment . yea , we poor dust and ashes must become his judges , and triumph over him for ever ; and all this , long of j●sus christ ; for he is the meritorious cause of all this . now though satan seeks to be revenged for this , yet he knows it is in vain to attack the person of christ , he has overcome him ; therefore he tampers with a company of silly men , that he may villifie him by them . and they , bold fools as they are , will not spare to spit in his face . they will rail at his person , and deny the very being of it ; they will rail at his blood ; and deny the merit and worth of it . they will deny the very end , why he accomplished the law , and by figgs , and tricks , and qui●ks , which he helpeth them to , they set up fond n●mes and images in his pl●ce , and give the glory of a saviour to them , thus satan worke●h under the name of christ ; and his ministers under the name of the ministers of righteousness , and by his wiles and stratagems he undoes a world of men ; but there is a se●d , and they shall serve him , and it shall be counted to the lord for a generation . t●ese shall see their sins , and th●t c●rist is the way to happiness . these sh●ll venture themselves both body and soul upon his worthiness . all this satan knows , and therefore his rage is kindle● the more . wherefore ac●ording to his ability and allowance , he assaulteth , tempteth , abuseth , and stirs up what he can to be hurtful to these poor people , that he may , while his time shall last ; make it as hard and difficult for them to go to eternal glory as he can . often-times he abuses them with wrong apprehe●sions of god , and with wrong apprehensions of christ. he also casts them into the mire , to the reproach of religion , the shame of their brethren , the derision of the world , and dishonour of god. he holds our hands while the world buffets us ; he puts bear-skins upon us , and then sets the dogs at us . he bedawbeth us with his own fome , and then tempts us to believe that that bedawding comes from ourselves . oh! the rage and the roaring of this lion ! and the hatred that he manifests against the lord j●sus , and against them that are purchased with his blood ! but yet in the midst of all this , the lord jesus ; sends forth his herrald to proclaim in the nations , his love to the world ; and to invite them to come in to him for life . yea , his invitation is so large , that it offereth his mercy in the first place to th●●iggest sinners of every age , which augments the devils rage the more . wherefore , as i said before , fret he , sume he , the lord jesus will divide the spoil with this great one ; yea , he shall divide the spoil with the strong , because he h●th poured out his soul unto death , and was numbred with the transgressiors , and bare the sin of many , and made interc●ssion for the transgressors , isa. 53.12 . ninthly , would jesus christ have mercy offered in the first place to the biggest sinners ? let the tempted harp upon this string for their h●lp and consolation . the tempted wherever he dwells , always thinks himself the biggest sinner , one most unworthy of eternal life . this is satans master argument ; thou art a horrible sinner , a hypocrite , one that has a profane heart , and one that is an utter stranger to a work of grace . i say , this is his maul , his cl●h , his master-piece ; he doth with this , as some do by their most inchanting songs , sings them every where . i believe there are but few saints in the world that have not had this temptation sounding in their ears . but were they but aware , satan by all this , does but drive them to the ga● out at which they should go , and so escape his roaring . saith he , thou art a great sinner , a horrible sinner , a profane hearted wretch one that cannot be match● for a vile one in the country . and all this while christ says to his ministers , offer mercy in the first place to the biggest sinners . so that this temptation drives thee directly into the arms of jesus christ. was therefore the tempted but aware , he might say , ay satan , so i am , i am a sinner of the biggest size , and therefore have most need of jesus christ : yea , because i am such a wretch , therefore jesus christ calls me ; yea , he calls me first : the first proffer of the gospel is to be made to the jerusalem sinner : i am he , wherefore st●nd back satan , make a lane , my right is first to come to jesus christ. this now would be like for like . this would foil the devil : this would make him say , i must not deal with this man thus ; for then i put a sword into his hand to cut off my head . and this is the meaning of peter , when he saith , resist him stedfast in the faith , 1 pet. 5.9 . and of paul when he saith , take the shi●ld of faith , wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked , ephes. 6.16 . wherefore is it said , begin at jerusalem , if the jerusalem sinner is not to have the benefit of it ? and if i am to have the benefit of it , let me call it to mind when satan haunts me with the continual remembrance of my sins , of my jerusalem-sins . satan and my conscience says , i am the biggest sinner , christ offereth mercy in the first place to the biggest sinners . nor is the manner of the offer other but such as suiteth with my mind . i am sorry for my sin ; yea , sorry at my heart that ever sinful thought did enter , or find the least entertainment in my wicked mind : and might i obtain my wish , i would never more that my heart should be a place for ought but the grace , and spirit , and faith of the lord jesus . i speak not this to lessen my wickedness ; i would not for all the world , but be placed by mine own conscience in the very front of the biggest sinners , that i might be one of the first that are beckoned by the gracious hand of jesus the saviour , to come to him for mercy . well sinner , thou now speakest like a christian , but say thus in a stron● spirit in the hour of temptation , and then thou wilt , to thy commendation and comfort , quit thy self well . this improving of christ in dark hours , is the life , though the hardest part of our christianity . we should neither stop at darkness , nor at the raging of our lusts , but go on in a way of venturing and casting the whole of our affair for the next world , at the foot of jesus christ. this is the way to make the darkness light , and also to alay the raging of our corruption . t●e first time the passover ●as eaten , was in the night ; and when israel took courage to go forward , though the sea stood in their way like a devouring gulf , and the host of the aegyptians follow them at the heels ; yet the sea gives place , and their enemies were as still as a stone till they were gone over , exod. 12.8 . chap. 14.13 , 14 , 21 , 21 , 22. chap. 15 , 16. there is nothing like faith to help at a pinch ; faith dissolves doubts , as the sun drives away the mists . and that you may not be put out , know your time , as i said , of believing is always . there are times when some graces may be out of use , but there is no time wherein faith can be said to be so . wherefore faith must be always in exercise . faith is the eye , is the mouth , is the hand , and one of these is of use all day long , faith is to see , to receive , to work , on to eat ; and a christian should be seeing or receiving , or working , or feeding all day long . let it rain , let it blow , let it thunder , let it lighten , a christian must still believe : at what time , said the good man , i am afraid , i will trust in thee , psal. 56.2 , 3. nor can we have a better encouragement to do this , than is by the text set before us , even an open heart for a jerusalem sinner . and if for a jerusalem-sinner to come , then for such an one , when come . if such a one to be saved , then for such a one that is saved . if for such a one to be pardoned his great transgressions , then for such a one who is pardoned these , to come daily to jesus christ too , to be cleansed and set free from his common infirmities , and from the iniquities of his holy things . therefore let the poor sinner that would be saved , labour for skill to make the best improvement of the grace of christ to help him against the temptations of the devil and his sins . tengthly , would jesus christ have mercy offered in the first place to the biggest sinners ? let those men consider this , that ( have , or ) may in a day of trial have spoken or done what their profession or conscience told them they should not , and that have the guilt and burden thereof upon their consciences . whether a thing be wrong or right , guilt may pursue him that doth contrary to his conscience . but suppose a man should deny his god , or his christ , or relinquish a good profession , and be under the real guilt thereof ? shall he therefore conclude he is gone for ever ? let him come again with peter's tears , and no doubt but he shall obtain peter's forgiveness . for the text includes the biggest sinners . and 't is observable , that before this gl●use was put into this commission , peter was pardoned his horrible revolt from his master . he that revolteth in the day of trial , if he is not shot quite dead upon the place , but is sensible of his wound , and calls out for a chyrurgion , shall find his lord at hand to pour wine and oyl into his wounds , that he may again be healed . and to incourage him to think that there may be mercy for him : besides what we find recorder of peter , you read in the acts , some was through the violence of their trials , compelled to blaspheme , and yet are called saints , acts 26.9 , 10 , 11. hence you have a promise or two that speaks concerning such a kind of men , to incourage us to think that at least some of them shall come back to the lord their god. shall they fall , saith he , and not arise ? shall they turn away , and not return ? jer. 8 4. and in that day i will assemble her that halteth , and i will gather her that was driven out , and her that i have afflicted . and i will make her that halteth a remnant , and her that was cast off , a strong nation ; and the lord shall reign over them in mount zion for ever . what we are to understand by her that halteth , is best expressed by the prophet elijah , mic. 4.6 , 7. zeph. 3.19 . 1 kings 18.21 . i will conclude then , that for them that have halted , or may halt , the lord has mercy in the bank , and is willing to accept them if they return to him again . perhaps they may never be after that of any great esteem in the house of god , but if the lord will admit them to favour and forgiveness : o exceeding and undeserved mercy ! see ez●k 44.10.11 , 12 , 13 , 14. thou then that mayest be the man , remember this , that there is mercy also for thee . return therefore to god , and to his son , who hath yet in store for thee , and who will do thee good . but perhaps thou wilt say , he doth not save all revolters , and therefore perhaps not me . answer , art thou returning to god ? if thou art returning , thou art the man. r●turn ye back sliding children , and i will heal your back slidings , jer. 3.22 . some , as i said , that revolt , are shot dead upon the place , and for them , who can help them ? but for them that cry out of their wounds , 't is a sign they are yet alive , and if they use the means in time , doubtless they may be healed . christ jesus has bags of mercy that was never yet broken up or unsealed . hence it is said , he has goodness laid up ; things reserved in heaven for his . and if he breaks up one of these bags , who can tell what he can do ! hence his love is said to be such as passeth knowledge , and that his riches are unsearchable . he has , no body knows what ; for no body knows who ! he has by him in store for such as seem in the view of all men , to be gone beyond recovery . for this the text is plain . what man or angel could have thought that the jerusalem-sinners had been yet on this side of an impossibity of enjoying life and mercy ? hadst thou seen their actions , and what horrible things they did to the son of god : yea , how stoutly they backed what they did , with resolves and endeavours to persevere , when they had killed his person , against his name and doctrine : and that there was not found among them all that while as we read of , the least remorse or regret for these their doings : couldst thou have imagined that mercy would ever have took hold of them , at least so soon ! nay , that they should , of all the world be counted those only meet to have it offered to them in the very first place ! for so my text commands , saying , preach repentance and remission of sin among all nations , beginning at jerusalem . i tell you the thing is a wonder , and must for ever stand for a wonder among the sons of men. it stands also for an everlasting invitation and allurement to the biggest sinners to come to christ for mercy . now , since , in the opinion of all men , the revolter is such a one ; if he has , as i said before , any life in him , let him take incouragment to come again , that he may live by christ. eleventhly , would jesus christ have mercy offered in the first place to the biggest sinners ? then let god's ministers tell them so . there is an incidence in us , i know not how it doth come about , when we are converted , to contemn them that are left behind . poor fools as we are , we forget that we our selves were so . tit. 3.2 , 3. but would it not become us better , since we have tasted that the lord is gracious , to carry it towards them so , that we may give them convincing ground to believe , that we have found that mercy which also sets open the door for them to come and partake with us . ministers , i say , should do thus , both by their doctrine , and in all other respects . austerity doth not become us , neither in doctrine nor in conversation : we our selves live by grace ; let us give as we receive , and labour to perswade our fellow-sinners which god has left behind us , to follow after that they may partake with us of grace . we are saved by grace , let us live like them that are gracious . let all our things ( to the world ) be done in charity towards them , pity them , pray for them , be familiar with them for their good . let us lay aside our foolish , worldly , carnal grandure ; let us not walk the streets , and have such behaviours as signifie we are scarce for touching of the poor ones that are left behind , no not with a pair of tongs . it becomes not ministers thus to do . remember your lord , he was familiar with publicans and sinners to a proverb . behold a gluttonous man , and a wine-bibber , a friend of publicans and sinners , matt. 11.19 . the first part , concerning his gluttonous eating and drinking , to be sure was an horrible slander ; but for the other , nothing was over spoke truer of him by the world. now why should we lay hands cross on this text , that is , choose good victuals , and love the sweet wine better than the salvation of the poor publican ? why not familiar with sinners provided we hate their spots and blemishes , and seek that they may be healed of them ? why not fellowly with our carnal neighbours ? if we do take occasion to do so , that we may drop , and be yet distilling some good doctrine upon their souls ? why not go to the poor man's house , and give him a penny , and a scripture to think upon ? wh● not send for the poor to fetch away , at least , the fragments of thy table , that the bowels of thy fellow-sinner my be refresht as well as thine ? ministers should be exemplary : but i am an inferiour man , and must take heed of too much medling . but might i , i would meddle with them , with their wives , and with their children too . i mean not this of all , but of them that deserve it , though i may not name them . but , i say , let ministers follow the steps of their blessed lord , who by word and deeds shewed his love to the s●lvation of the world , in such a carriage as declared him to prefer their salvation before his own private concern . for we are commanded to follow his steps , who did no sin , neither was guile found in his mouth . and as i have said concerning ministers , so i say to all the brethren , carry it so , that all the world may see , that indeed you are the sons of love. love your saviour ; yea , shew one to another that you love him , not only by a seeming love of affection , but with the love of duty . practical love is best . many love christ with nothing but the lick of the tongue . alas ! christ jesus the lord ; must not be put off thus : he that hath my commandments , and keepeth them , saith he , he it is that loveth me , joh. 14.21 . practical love , which stands in self-denial , in charity to my neighbour , and a patient enduring of affliction for his name : this is counted love. right love to christ , is that which carries in it a provoking argument to others of the brethren , heb. 10.24 . should a man ask me how he should know that he loveth the children of god ? the best answer i could give him , would be in the words of the apostle john ; by this , saith he , we know we love the children of god , when we love god , and keep his commandments , 1 joh. 5.2 . love to god and christ , is then 〈◊〉 , when we are tender of his name ; and then we shew our selves tender of his name , when we are afraid to break any the least of his commandments . and when we are here , then do we shew our love to our brother also . now we have obligation sufficient thus to do , for that our lord loved us , and gave himself for us , to deliver us from death , that we might live through him . the world , when they hear the doctrine that i have asserted and handled in this little book , to wit , that jesus christ would have mercy offered in the first place to the biggest sinners ; will be apt , because themselves are unbelievers , to think that this is a doctrine that leads to looseness , and that gives liberty to the flesh ; but if you that believe , love your brethren ; and your neighbours truly , and as you should , you will put to silence the ignorance of such foolish men , and stop their mouths from speaking evil of you . and , i say , let the love of christ constrain us to this . who deserveth our heart , our mouth , our life , our goods , so much as jesus christ , who has bought us to himself by his blood , to this very end , that we should be a peculiar pe●●le , zealous of good works ? there is nothing more seemly in the world , than to see a christian walk as becomes the gospel ; nor any thing more unbecoming a reasonable creature , than to hear a man say , i believe in christ , and yet see in his life , debauchery and profaneness . might i , such men should be counted the basest of men ; such men should be counted by all , unworthy of the name of a christian , and should be shunned by every good man , as such who are the very plague of profession . for so it is written , we should carry it towards them . whoso has a form of godliness , and deny the power thereof , from such we must turn away . it has oft-times come into my mind , to ask , by what means it is , that the gospel profession should be so taunted with loose and carnal gospellers ? and i could never arrive to better satisfaction in the matter , than this , such men are made professors by the devil , and so by him put among the rest of the godly . a certain man had a fruitless figg-tree planted in his vineyard ; but by whom was it planted there ? even by him that sowed the tares , his own children , among the wheat , luke 13.6 . matt. 13.37 , 38 ▪ 39 , 40. and that was the devil . but why doth the devil do thus ? not of love to them , but to make of them offences and stumbling blocks to others . for he knows that a loose professor in the church , does more mischief to religion , than ten can do to it that are in the world. was it not , think you , the devil that stirred up the damosel that you read of in acts 16. to cry out , these are the servants of the most high god , that shew unto us the way of salvation ? yes it was , as is evident , for paul was grieved to hear it . but why did the devil stir up her to cry so ? but because that was the way to blemish the gospel , and to make the world think that it came from the same hand as did her sooth-saying and witchery , ver. 16.17 , 18. holiness , o lord , becomes thy house for ever . let therefore , whoever they be that profess the name of christ , take heed that they scandal not that profession which they make of him , since he has so graciously offered us , as we are sinners of the biggest size , in the first place , his grace to save us . having thus far spoken of the riches of the grace of christ , and of the freeness of his heart to imbrace the jerusalem-sinners ; it may not be amiss to give you , yet , as a caution , an intimatimation of one thing , namely , that this grace and freeness of his heart is limited to time and day ; the which , whoso overstandeth , shall perish notwithstanding . for , as a king , who of grace , sendeth out to his rebellious people an offer of pardon , if they accept thereof by such a day , yet beheadeth , or hangeth those that come not in for mercy until the day or time be past : so christ jesus has set the sinner a day , a day of salvation , an acceptable time , but he who standeth out , or goeth on in rebellion beyond that time , is like to come off with the loss of his soul , 2 cor. 6.2 . heb. 3.13 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19. chap. 4.7 . luk. 19.41 , 42. since therefore things are thus , it may be convenient here to touch a little upon these particulars . first , that this day , or time , thus limited , when it is considered with reference to this or that man ; is , oft-times undiscerned by the person concerned therein , and always is kept secret as to the shutting up thereof . and this in the wisdom of god is thus , to the end no man , when called upon , should put off turning to god to another time : now , and to day , is that and only that which is revealed in holy writ , psal. 50.22 . eccles. 12.1 . h●b . 3.13 , 16. and this shews us the desperate hazzards which those men run , who when invitation , or conviction attends them , put off turning to god to be saved till another , and as they think , a more fit season and time . for many by so doing , defer this to do , till the day of god's patience and long-suffering is ended : and then , for their prayers and cryes after mercy , they receive nothing but mocks , and are laughed at by the god of heaven , prov. 1.20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29. isa. 65.12 , 13 , 14 , 15. chap. 66.4 zech. 7.11 , 12 , 13. secondly , another thing to be considered is this , namely , that the day of god's grace with some men , begins sooner , and also sooner ends than it doth with others . those at the first hour of the day , had their call sooner than they who were called upon to turn to god at the sixth hour of the day ; yea , and they who were hired at third hour , had their call sooner than they who were called at the eleventh , matt. 20.1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 6. 1. the day of god's patience began with ishmael and also ended , before he was twenty years old . at thirteen years of age he was circumcised ; the next year after , isaac was born ; and then ismael was fourteen years old . now that day that isaac was weaned , that day was ishmael rejected : and suppose that isaac was three years old before he was weaned ; that was but the seventeenth year of ishmael ; wherefore the day of god's grace was ended with him betimes , gen. 17.24 , 25. chap. 21.2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 8 , 9 , 10. gal. 4.30 . 2. cains day ended with him betimes , for after god had rejected him , he lived to beget many children , and build a city , and to do many other things . but alas , all that while he was a fugitive and a vagabond . nor carried he any thing with him after the day of his rejection was come ; but this doleful language in his conscience , from god's face shall i be hid , gen. 4.10 , 11.12 , 13 , 14. 3 esau , through his extravagancies would needs go sell his birthright , not fearing ( as other confident fools ) but that yet the blessing would still be his , after which he lived many years , but all of them under the wrath of god , as was , when time came , made appear to his destruction ; for when he would have inherited the bl●ssing , he was rejected , for he found no place of r●pentance , though he sought it carefully with tears , heb. 12.14 , 15 , 16. many instances might be given , as to such tokens of the displeasure of god against such as fool away , as the wise man has it , the prize which is put into their hand , prov. 17.16 . let these things therefore be a further caution to those that sit under the glorious sound of the gospel , and hear of the riches of the grace of god in christ to poor sinners . to slight grace , to despise mercy , and to stop the ear when god speaks , when he speaks such great things , so much to our profit , is a great provocation . he offereth , he calls , he woes , he invites , he prays , he beseeches us in this day of his grace to be reconciled to him : yea , and has provided for us the means of reconciliation himself : now this despised , must needs be provoking ; and it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living god. but some man may say unto me , fain i would be saved , fain i would be saved by christ : but i fear this day of grace is past , and that i shall perish , notwithstanding the exceeding riches of the grace of god. answer , to this doubt i would answer several things . first , with respect to this day . secondly , with respect to thy desires . thirdly , with respect to thy fears . first , with respect to the day ; that is , whether it be ended with a man , or no. 1. art thou jogged , and shaken , and molested at the hearing of the word ? is thy conscience awakened and convinced then , that thou art at present in a perishing state , and that thou hast need to cry to god for m●rcy ? this is a hop●ful sign that this day of grace is not past with thee . for usually they that are past grace , are also in their conscience past feeling , being feared with a hot iron . eph. 4.18 , 19. 1 tim. 4.1 , 2. consequently those past grace , must be such as are denied the awakening fruits of the word preached . the dead that hear , saies christ , shall live ; at least wise christ has not quite done with them ; the day of god's patience is not at an end with them , john 5.25 . 2. is there in thy more retired condition , arguings , struglings , and strivings with thy spirit to perswade thee of the vanity of what vain things thou lovest , and to win thee in thy soul to a choice of christ jesus , and his heavenly things ? take heed and rebel not , for the day of god's grace and patience will not be past with thee , till he saith , his spirit shall strive no more with thee ; for then the wo comes , when he shall depart from them ; and when he saies to the means of grace , let them alone , hos. 4.17 . chap. 9.12 . 3. art thou visited in the night seasons with dreams about thy state , and that thou art in danger of being lost ? hast thou heart-shaken apprehensions when deep sleep's upon thee , of hell , death , and judgment to come ? these are signs that god has not wholly left thee , or cast thee behind his back for ever . for god speaks once , yea twice , yet man perceives it not ; in a dream , in a vision of the night , when deep sleep falls upon man , in slumberings upon the bed ; then he openeth the ears of men , and sealeth their instruction , that he may withdraw man from his purpose ( his sinful purposes ) and hide pride from man , job 33.14 , 15 , 16 , 17. all this while god has not left the sinner , nor is come to the end of his patience towards him , but stands , at least , with the door of grace , a chair in his hand , as being loth , as yet to bolt it against him . 4. art thou followed with affliction , and dost thou hear god's angry voice in thy afflictions ? doth he send with the affliction an interpreter to shew thee thy vileness ; and why , or wherefore the hand of god is upon thee , and upon what thou hast ; to wit , that it is for thy sinning against him , and that thou mightest be turned to him ? if so , thy summer is not quite ended ; thy harvest is not yet quite over and gone . take heed , stand-out no longer , lest he cause darkness , and lest thy feet stumble upon the dark mountains ; and lest while you look for light , he turn it into the shadow of death , and make it gross darkness , jer. 8.20 . chap. 13.15 , 16 , 17. 5. art thou crossed , disappointed and waylaid , and overthrown in all thy foolish ways and doings ? this is a sign god has not quite left thee , but that he still waits upon thee to turn thee . consider , i say , has he made a hedge , and a wall to stop thee ? has he crossed th●e in all thou pu●test thy hand-unto ? take it as a call to turn to him , for by his thus doing , he shews he has a mind to give thee a better portion . for usually when god gives up men , and resolves to let them alone in the broad way , he gives them ●ope , and lets them have their desires in all hurtful things , h●s . 2.6 , 7 , 8 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14. psal. 73.3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12. rom. 1● . 9 . therefore take heed to this also , that thou strive not against this hand of god : but betake thy self to a serious enquiry into the causes of this hand of god upon thee , and encline to think , 't is because the lord would have thee look to that , which is better than what thou wouldest satisfie thy self wi●hall ▪ when god h●d a mind to make the prodigal go home to his father , he sent a famine upon him , and d●nied him a belly-full of the husks which the swine did eat . and observe it , now he was in his strait , he betook him to consideration of the good that there was in his fathers house ; yea , he resolved to home to his father , and his fa●her dealt well with him ; he received him with musick and dancing , because he had received him safe and sound , luk. 15.14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32. 6. hast thou any inticing touches of the word of god upon thy mind ? doth , as it were , some holy word of god , give a glance upon thee , cast a smile upon thee , let fall , though it be but one drop of its savour upon thy spirit ; yea , though it staies but one moment with thee ? o! then the day of grace is not past ! the gate of heaven is not shut ! nor god's heart and bowels withdrawn from thee as yet . take heed therefore , and beware that thou make much of the heavenly gift , and of that good word of god of the which he has made thee tast . beware , i say , and take heed , there may be a falling away for all this ; but , i say , as yet , god has not left thee , as yet he has not cast thee off , h●b . 6.1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8. sec●ndly , with respect to thy desires , what are they ? wouldst thou be saved ? wouldst thou be saved with a thorow salvation ? wouldst thou be saved from guilt , and filth too ? wouldst thou be the servant of thy saviour ? art thou indeed weary of the service of th● old master the devil , sin and the world ? and has these desires put thy soul to the flight ? hast thou through desires betaken thy self to thy heels ? dost fly to him that is a saviour from the wrath to come , for life ? if these be thy desires , and if they be unfeigned , fear not : thou art one of those runaways which god has commanded our lord to receive , and not to send thee back to the devil thy master again , but to give thee a place in his house , even the place which liketh thee best . thou shalt not deliver to his master , saies he , the servant which is escaped from his master unto thee . he shall dwell with thee , even among you in that place which he shall chuse , in one of thy gates where it liketh him best ; thou shall not oppress him , deut. 23.15 , 16. this is a command to the church , consequently to the head of the church ; for all commands from god come to her through her head. whence i conclude , that , that as israel of old was to receive the runaway-servant who escaped from a heathen master to them , and should not dare to send him back to his master again : so christ's church now , and consequently christ himself may not , will not refuse that soul that has made his escape from sin , satan , the world and hell , unto him ; but will certainly let him dwell in his house , among his saints , in that place which he shall choose , even where it liketh him best . for he saies in another place , and him that cometh to me , i will in no wise cast out . in no wise , let his crimes be what they will , either for nature , multitude , or the attendance of aggravating circumstances . wherefore if thy desires be firm , sound , unfeigned , to become the saved of christ , and his servant : fear not , he will not , he will in no wise put thee away , or turn thee over to thy old m●ster again . thirdly , as to thy fears , whatever they are , let that be supposed which is supposed before , and they are groundless , and so of no weight . object . but i am afraid i am not el●ct , or chosen to salvation , though you called me fool a little before for so fearing . answ. though election is , in order , before calling , as to god , yet the knowledge of calling must go before the belief of my election , as to my self . wherefore souls that doubt of the truth of their effectual calling , do but plunge themselves into a deeper labyrinth of confusion that concern themselves with their election ; i mean , while they labour to know it before they prove their calling . make your calling , and so your election sure , 2 pet. 1.4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10. wherefore , at present , lay the thoughts of thy election by , and ask thy self these questions ; do i see my lost condition ? do i see salvation is no where but in christ ? would i share in this salvation by faith of him ? and would i , as was said afore , be throughly saved , to wit , from the filth , as from the guilt ? do i love christ , his father , his saints , his word and ways ? this is the way to prove we are elect. wherefore , sinner , when satan , or thine own heart seek to puzzle thee wi●h election ; say thou , i cannot tend to talk of this point now , but stay till i know that i am called of god to the fellowship of his son , and then i will shew you that i am elect , and that my name is written in the book of life . if poor distressed souls would observe this order , they might save themselves the trouble of an unprofitable l●bour under these unseason●ble and so●l-sinking doubts . let us therefore , upon the sight of our wretchedness , fly and venturously leap into the arms of christ , which are now as open to receive us into his bosom , as they were when nailed to the cross. this is coming to christ for life aright ; this is right running away from thy master to him , as was said before . and for this we have multitudes of scriptures to support , incourage , and comfort us in our so doing . but now let him that doth thus , be sure to look for it , for satan will be with him to morrow , to see if he can get him again to his old service ; and if he cannot do that , then will he enter into dispute with him , to wit , about whether he be elect to life , and called indeed to partake of this christ , to whom he is fled for succour , or whether he comes to him of his own presumptuous mind . therefore we are bid , as to come , so to arm our selves with that armour which god has provided ; that we may resist , quench , stand against , and withstand all the fiery darts of the devil , ephes. 6. 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , l5 , 16 , 17 , 18. if therefore thou findest satan in this order to march against thee , remember that thou hadst this item about it ; and betake thy self to faith and good courage ; and be sober , and hope to the end. object . but how if i should have sinned the sin unpardonable , or that called the sin against the holy ghost . answ. if thou hast , thou art lost for ever : but yet before it is concluded by thee that thou hast so sinned , know that they that would be saved by jesus christ , through faith in his blood , cannot be counted for such . l. because of the promise , for that must not be frustrate : and that saies , and him that cometh to christ , he will in no wise cast . and again , whoso will , let him take of the water of life freely , joh. 6.37 . rev. 21 6. chap. 22.17 . but , i say , how can these scriptures be fulfilled , if he that would indeed be saved as before , has sinned the sin unpardonable ? the scriptures must not be made void , nor their truth be cast to the ground . here 's a promise , and here 's a sinner ; a promise , that saies he shall not be cast out that comes ; and the sinner comes , wherefore he must be received : consequently , he that comes to christ for life , has not , cannot have sinned that sin for which there is no forgiveness . and this might suffice for an answer to any coming soul , that fears , though he comes , that he has sinned the sin against the holy ghost . 2. but again , he that has sinned the sin against the holy ghost cannot come , has no heart to come ; can by no means be made willing to come to jesus christ for life ; for that he has received such an opinion of him , and of his things , as deters and holds him back . 1. he counteth this blessed person , this son of god , a magician , a conjurer , a witch , or one that did , when he was in the world , what he did , by the power and spirit of the devil , mat. 9.34 . mat. 12.24 , 25 , &c. mar. 3.22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30. now he that has this opinion of this jesus , cannot be willing to cast himself at his foot for life , or to come to him as the only way to god , and to salvation . and hence 't is said again , that such an one puts him to open shame , and treadeth him under foot , that is , by contemning , reproaching , vilifying , and despising of him , as if he were the vilest one , or the greatest cheat in the world : and has therefore , as to his esteem of him , called him accursed , crucified him to himself , or counted him one hanged , as one of the worst of malefactors , heb. 6.6 . and chap. 10.29 . 1 cor. 12.3 . 2. his blood , which is the meritorious cause of mans redemption , even the blood of the everlasting covenant , he counteth an unholy thing , or that which has no more vertue in it to save a soul fro● sin , than has the blood of a dog , heb. 10.29 . for when the apostle saies , he counts it an unholy thing ; he means , he makes it of less value than that of a sheep or cow , which were clean according to the law. and therefore must mean , that his blood was of no more worth to him in his account , than was the blood of dog , an ass , or a swine , which always was , as to sacrifices , rejected by the god of heaven , as unholy , or unclean . now he who has no better esteem of jesus christ , and of his death and blood , will not be perswaded to come to him for life , or to trust in him for salvation . 3. but further , all this m●st be done against manifest tokens to prove the contrary , or after the shining of gospel light upon the soul , or some considerable profession of him as the m●ssias , or that he was the s●viour of the world. 1. it must be done against manifest tokens to prove the contrary ; and thus the reprobate jews committed it , when they saw the works of god which put forth themselves in him , and called them the works of the devil and beelzebub . 2. it must be done against some s●ining light of the gospel upon them . and thus it was with judas , and with those , who after they were enlightned , and had tasted , and had felt , something of the powers of the world to come , fell away from the faith of him , and put him to open shame and disgrace , heb. 6.5 , 6. 3. it must also be done after , and in opposition to ones own open profession of him . for if after they have escaped the pollution of the world through the knowledge of our lord and saviour jesus christ , they are again intangled therein , and overcome ; the latter end is worse with them than the beginning ; for it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness , than after they have known it , to turn from the holy commandment , ( which is the word of faith ) delivered unto them . 4. all this must be done openly , before witn●sses , in the face , sight , and view of the world , by word , and act. this is the sin that is unpardonable ; and he that hath thus done , can never , 't is impossible he ever should be renewed again to repentance , and that for a double reason ; first such an one doth say , he will not ; and of him god saies , he shall not have the benefit of salvation by him . object . but if this be the sin unpardonable , why is it called the sin against the holy ghost , and not rather the sin against the son of god ? answ. it is called the sin against the holy ghost , because such count the works he did , which were done by the spirit of god , the works of the spirit of the devil : also because all such as so reject christ jesus the lord , they do it in despight of that testimony which the holy ghost has given of him in the holy scriptures ; for the scriptures are the breathings of the holy ghost , as in all other things , so in that testimony they bear of the person of the works , sufferings , resurrection , and ascention of jesus christ. sinner , this is the sin against the holy ghost . what saist thou ? hast thou committed it ; nay , i know thou hast not , if thou wouldst be saved by christ. yea , 't is impossible thou shouldst have done it ; if indeed thou wouldst be saved by him . no man can desire to be saved by him , whom he yet judgeth to be an impostor , a magician , a witch . no man can hope for redemption by that blood which he yet counteth an unholy thing . nor will god ever suffer such an one to repent , who has after light , and profession of him , thus horribly , and devil-like , contemned and trampled upon him . true , words , and wars , and blasphemies against this son of man are pardonable ; but then they must be done ignorantly and in unbelief . also all blasphemous thoughts are likewise such as may be passed by , if the soul afflicted with them , indeed is sorry for them , 1 tim. 1.13 , 14 , 15. mar. 3.28 . all but this , sinner , all but this ! if god had said he will forgive one sin , it had been undeserved grace : but when he saies , he will pardon all but one , this is grace to the height . nor is that one unpardonable otherwise , but because the saviour that should save them is rejected and put away . jacob's ladder , christ is jacob's ladder that reacheth up to heaven , and he that refuseth to go by this ladder thither , will scarce by other means get up so high . there is none other name given under heaven among men , whereby we must be saved . there is none other sacrifice for sin than his ; he also , and he only , is the mediator that reconcileth men to god. and , sinner , if thou wouldst be saved by him , his benefits are thine ; yea , though thou art a great and jerusalem . transgressor . finis . the christians cabala, or, sure tradition necessary to be known and believed by all that will be saved : a doctrine holding forth good tidings of great joy, to the greatest of penitent sinners : with a character of one that is by john brinsley ... brinsley, john, fl. 1581-1624. 1662 approx. 346 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 113 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2004-03 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a29523 wing b4710 estc r3986 12499294 ocm 12499294 62640 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a29523) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 62640) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 307:20) the christians cabala, or, sure tradition necessary to be known and believed by all that will be saved : a doctrine holding forth good tidings of great joy, to the greatest of penitent sinners : with a character of one that is by john brinsley ... brinsley, john, fl. 1581-1624. [8], 216 p. printed for george sawbridge ..., london : 1662. errata: p. 216. reproduction of original in union theological seminary library, new york. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng salvation -early works to 1800. 2003-10 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2003-11 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2003-12 judith siefring sampled and proofread 2003-12 judith siefring text and markup reviewed and edited 2004-02 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the christians cabala , or , sure tradition : necessary to be known and believed , by all that will be saved . a doctrine holding forth , good tidings of great joy , to the greatest of penitent sinners . with a character of one that is truly such . as it was lately held forth to the church of god , at great yarmouth . by iohn brinsley , minister of the gospel there . london , printed for george sawbridge , at the sign of the bible on ludgate-hill , 1662. to all that love the lord jesus christ in sinceritie , within the town of great yarmouth ; grace and peace . ( much esteemed in the lord ) it is now thirty seven years , since i was by a divine providence , sent to exercise my ministeriall function among you ; my first entrance within your walls , being upon the same day that your late dread soveraign king charles the first , was there with great solemnitie , and with the universal acclamation and joy of all that were present , proclaimed . and of this my entrance , i hope i may without boasting say unto you , what paul doth of his , unto his thessalonians , 1 thes. 2. 1. that it hath not been altogether in vain . it having been my desire to follow his steps , in making what improvement i might of such liberty and opportunity as the same providence hath been pleased to put into my hand , in speaking to you the gospel of god. and that these my poor labours might be the more effectual , not dying in the ●…are , not perishing in the hearing , i have adventured to expose some of them to a publick view ; that so , by this sacrifice offered up unto god and his church , being dead , i might yet speak , and preach being silent . and upon the same account it is that i do now send these meditations after them : wherein you shall meet with a subject , which ( if you will believe your apostle ) is worthy of all acceptation . such i am sure is the matter here held forth ▪ what ever the manner of handling it be ; it containing in it , the sum and substance of the gospel , which being brought home , as here it is by this chosen vessell , by a particular application , it cannot but bring abundant consolation to the soul of every truly penitent sinner : such experience had this our apostle of it ; and so have many others after him . among whom i meet with a memorable instance in that renowned martyr of christ , mr. thomas bilney , who in a letter of his to cu●…bert tonstall bishop of london , ( as mr. fox in his martyrology hath related it ) giveth this account of the manner and means of his own conversion . hearing ( saith ●…e ) of the new testament , which was first set forth by erasmus , and understanding it to be eloquently done by him , being allured rather for the latin then for the word of god , ( for at that time , i knew not what it meant ) i ●…ought it even by the good providence of god , as i do now well understand and perceive . and at the first read●…ng ( as i remember ) i chanced upon ●…his sentence , ( o most sweet and comfortable sentence to my soul ) the first epistle to timothy the first chapter , it is a true saying , and worthy of all men to be embraced , that christ iesus came into the world to save sinners , of whom i am the chief . this one sentence through god's instruction and inward working , which i did not then perceive , did so exhilarate my heart , being before wounded with the guilt of my sins , and being almost in despaire , that immediately i felt a marvellous comfort and quietness , insomuch , that my bruised bones leaped for joy . thus have you a probatum est affixed to this receipt , which being taken in , and rightly digested , i doubt not but it will be found a soveraign cordial to whoever it is that shall make use of it . onely take heed that your souls be duly prepared for it , by a true sight and sense of sin , that so you may see and feel , the need you have of iesus christ , and be excited willingly to receive him , not only as a saviour , but also as a soveraign ; to be ruled and governed , as well as saved by him . being thus disposed , now let me invite you to come , and suck this breast of consolation , which you have here held forth unto you , receiving and lodging this divine truth in your hearts , remembring it , meditating of it , believing it , applying it to your selves , and practising what you are here directed and excited to ; which whilest you do , let my prayers go along with my poor endeavours , that through the concurrence of grace , they may be made effectual unto you , and who ever else shall make use of them , for that end for which they have been designed . in the assured hope whereof i rest , yarmouth , march 30. 1662. your servant in the work of the lord , john brinsley . reader , there is lately printed a learned , pious , and practical commentary upon the whole gospel of st. mark ; wherein the text is logically analysed ; the meaning of the holy spirit , clearly and soundly opened ; doctrins naturally raised ; all seeming differences between this and the other evangelists reconciled ; and many important cases of conscience resolved , by mr. george petter . published at the desire of above 200. learned divines , signified under their hands . also , an exposition of the whole epistle to the hebrews , wherein the text is cleared , theopolitica improved , the socinian comment examined , by mr. george lawson , rector of more , in the county of salop. also , the running of the christian race with patience , by mr. iohn brinsley . prayer , and praise . a twofold tribute to be paid ▪ by all loyal subjects , to their supream and subordinate soveraign . by mr. iohn brinsley . the rich fool , being an exposition of that parable , luke 12 : 16. 22. by nehemiah rogers , minister of the gospel of christ. a posing question , put by the wise man , viz. solomon , to the wisest of men , concerning making a judgment of temporal conditions . by benjamin baxter , late minister of the gospel in worcester . all to be sold , by george sawbridge , at the signe of the bible on ludgate-hill . the christians cabala ▪ or , sure tradition , necessary to be known , & believed , by all that will be saved . 1 tim. 1. 15. this is a faithful saying , and worthy of all acceptation , that christ iesus came into the world to sa●…e sinners , of whom i am chief . this portion of scripture , ( as i remember , and so i presume do some , if not many of you ) about twenty years since , i took up , and spent some time upon in this place . i now reassume and take it up again ; which i am induced to do , not so much by the season , as by the subject ; that being such , as cannot be too much , or too often spoken of , a word never out of season , containing in it , that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , spoken of by the angel , luke 2. 10. that joyful news , good tidings of great joy to all people , even to the greatest of penitent sinners . so this chosen vessel , the blessed apostle , the great doctor of the gentiles looked upon it , who here mindeth his timothy , and all others to whom this his epistle should come , of a saying , a doctrine , which , as it was sweet and comfortable to himself , so it would be to all them , who should make the like use of it that he had done . this is a faithful saying , and worthy of all acceptation , that christ iesus came into the world to save sinners ; of whom i am chief . in which words ( not to spend time about connexion , and dependence upon what went before ) we shall take notice of two things ; the doctrine , and the application . the doctrine , which is first commended , then propounded . commended by way of preface ; and that , first from the veritie , then from the dignitie of it . from the veritie , [ this is a faithful saying ] ; from the dignitie , [ and worthy of all acceptation ] , propounded , [ christ iesus came into the world to save sinners ] . the application followeth , wherein the apostle bringeth home this general to himself in particular , ranking himself in the list and number of these sinners which we had spoken of , yea , in the forefront of them , [ of whom i am chief ] . let these be the parts of the text , upon which i shall ( through divine assistance ) insist severally ; yet more briefly upon the former , that i may enlarge upon the latter , the applicatory part , which in this review , my eye is chiefly upon . begin we with the doctrine , & therein with the commendation of it ; which is the very same with that which we find affixed to that other doctrine , chap. 4. v. 9. of this epistle , where the apostle , holding forth the great advantage that cometh unto christians from true piety and godliness ; godliness is profitable unto all things , having the promise of the life that now is , and of that which is to come ; he subjoynes , this is a faithful saying , and worthy of all acceptation . and so here he maketh use of the same commendation , only in a different order , prefixing it by way of preface or introduction . not unlike a trumpet , sounded before the publishing of a royal proclamation , which serveth to make way for it , to call people to the hearing of it , and to command attention to it . of such use is this elogium , this high commendation which the apostle here giveth of this doctrine , which he intended to propound , serving to excite all to give the more earnest attendance to it . which use , calvin ( writing upon it ) willeth all to make of it . and not without cause , doth this our apostle thus ussher in this doctrine , and make way for it ; it being a mystery which will not easily pierce , and readily sink into the heads and hearts of men , to be so received as it ought to be . the natural man ( as he tells his corinthians , 1 cor. 2. 15 ) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 receiveth not the things which are of god. spiritual mysteries he receiveth them not into his understanding rightly to apprehend , or conceive of them ; nor into his judgement throughly to be convinced of the truth of them , so as firmly to believe them ; much less into his heart , his will and affections , to close with them , to imbrace them . such is the doctrine here propounded and published , even that great mystery of godliness , ( as the same pen styleth it , 1 tim. 3. 16. ) the doctrine of salvation by christ. a doctrine , though worthy of all , yet finding little credence and acceptation in the world . and therefore the apostle , to prepare the hearts of men for the receiving of it , sets this high commendation upon it , commending it , first from the veritie , then from the dignitie of it . touch upon each . 1. for the veritie of it . [ this is a faithfull saying ] 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , sermo fidelis , i. e. verus , a true saying . so we have it rendred , cap. 3. v. 1. of this epistle . and so our former translation readeth it here , this is a true saying . sermo certus , ( as beza hath it ) ; a sure and certain saying . such are not all the sayings of men , not of the wisest , no nor yet of the best of them . what the psalmist said in his haste , in his passion , psal. 116. 11. i said in my haste , all men are lyars ; the apostle speaketh it advisedly , rom. 3. 4. let god be true , and every man a lyar . such are men , lyars all , passively and actively . being subject to be deceived themselves , they are subject to deceive others . their words , their sayings , are not alwayes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , true and certain . but such are all the sayings , all the words which we meet withal in the word , the scripture . the scripture being ( as saint iames calleth it , iam. 1. 18. ) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word of truth . there is not a saying there but is a true saying , not a word , but is a faithful word . such are the words of the law , and such are the words of the gospel ; such are the threatnings , such are the promises , such are the prophecies , which there we meet with ; all 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , true words , faithful sayings . write ( saith the spirit ) for these words are faithful and true , rev. 21. 5. and they must needs be so , being the words of that god , who is the god of truth , ( as we find him sometimes styled , deut. 32. 4. psal. 31. 5. isa. 65. 16. ) truth it self . the words of that word , the essential word , the eternal son of god , who is , ( as he is called , rev. 1. 5. ) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , that faithful witness . such is he , and such are his words , all faithful words . among all , none deserving this encomium , this commendation , more than this evangelical word , the doctrine of the gospel , the sum whereof we have comprised in these few words in the text , iesus christ came into the world to save sinners . which is , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. ▪ e. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a faithful saying , worthy to be credited , to be believed . so it was by the fathers under the old testament , who beheld it only a far off in the promise : though they dyed before they received it , yet they believed it , living in the faith of it , and dying in the faith of it . these all dyed in the faith , not having received the promise , saith the apostle , heb. 11. 13. speaking of the patriarchs , who died in the faith , as firmly believing that promise concerning the land of canaan , which god had made to them ; so that great promise concerning the messia , who was to come into the world : whose day abraham is said to have seen , ( as our saviour tells the jews ) ioh. 8. 56. in this faith they lived , and in this faith they dyed . so fully were they assured of the truth thereof , that they were not afraid to take their death upon it , to dye in the faith of it . so certain was this saying to them , who beheld it only in the promise . whereupon it was , that the prophet isay speaking of this , of christs coming into the world , he speaks of it , as a thing already done : to us a child is born , to us a son is given , isa. 9. 6. how much more ▪ certain then may it be unto us , who look upon it in the performance , not as a thing to be done , but done . what was promised to them , is made good to us ; what they looked and waited for , we have received . so as the apostle might well say , what here he doth , this is a faithful saying , &c. but i shall not spend time in confirmation of this truth , which among christians were but a needless labour . never was truth ( excepting only that of a deitie , that there is a god , which is attested by every creature ) compassed about with such a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 such a cloud of witnesses as this . to this truth , gave all the prophets witness ; so peter tells cornelius and his company , acts 10. 43. and to this truth gave all the apostles witness . the one testifying that it should be done , the other that it was done . to this truth gave all those types under the law witness , being all shadows of this substance . to this truth have all the saints of god in all ages of the world given witness . all that ever were , before the law , under the law , under the gospel : some , and many of them , sealing it with their blood ; all of them , pawning and adventuring their souls , their everlasting happiness upon it . now if two or three witnesses be sufficient to establish a word , ( which with men ordinarily they are , as that text tells us , mat. 18. 16. ) how much more such a cloud of witnesses ? never was truth more confirmed then this truth , the doctrine of salvation by christ , that iesus christ came into the world to save sinners . this is a faithful saying . 2. and , as faithful , so acceptable ; that is the second branch of the commendation . this is a faithful saying , and worthy of all acceptation . so it cannot be said of all truths . sometimes ( as aquinas notes upon it ) a saying may be true , and yet a hard saying . verus sed durus , this is a hard saying , ( say the disciples to their lord and master , discoursing to them concerning the bread of life , which he said was himself ) ioh. 6. 60. a true saying . this they would not , durst not , make any question of , receiving it from his mouth . but a hard saying , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , harsh and irksome to be heard , who can hear it ? so it was to them , because they could not receive it , were not able rightly to apprehend and understand it ; the hardness being ( as calvin well notes upon it ) in their hearts , not in the doctrine delivered . thus sayings may be , and often are , true , but not grateful ; such are reprehensions for the most part , being like wine poured into a green wound , which though proper and useful , yet it is searching and smarting : though they carry never so much truth in them , yet they are seldome pleasing , seldome welcome : paul reprehending his galatians , he told them nothing but the truth , yet that truth which was spoken to them , was requited with enmity from them . am i therefore become your enemie , because i tell you the truth ? ( so he expostulates it with them ) gal. 4. 16. thus it often falleth out : veritas odium parit , truth breeds hatred . all truths are not acceptable truths . but such is this truth which our apostle here holdeth forth , that christ iesus is come into the world to save sinners . it is a doctrine which hath not more truth then sweetness in it ; deserving not more credit than acceptation . this is a faithful saying , and worthy of all acceptation . worthy of acceptation , and worthy of all acceptation . so i shall divide the words . 1. worthy of acceptation . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an acceptable word , worthy to be received , ( as the former translation renders it ) . and not only received but approved , which ( as a lapide notes ) the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 importes . and well may it be said so to be , it being a good word , a good saying , containing in it , good matter . my heart is inditing a good matter , ( saith the psalmist , speaking of the kingly office of christ. psal. 45. 1. ) i speak of the things which i have made , touching the king , ( as it there followeth ) . such is the doctrine of salvation by jesus christ. it is a good word , containing good matter , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , gospel , that is , a good spell , a good speech , ( which is conceived to be the notation of the english word gospel ) . a good saying , containing good tidings . it is that which david saith of ahimaaz , 2 sam. 18. 27. he is a good man , and he cometh with good tidings . much more truly , may it be said of jesus christ , and his coming into the world . being himself good , he came with good tidings , tidings of salvation . and what tidings like unto these tidings ? good tidings of joy , of great joy ! so the angell telleth the shepheards at the birth of this our saviour , luke 2. 10. behold , i bring you good tidings of great joy . tidings of salvation , cannot but be tidings of joy. such are the tidings of temporal salvation . they are good tidings . no words more sweet , more comfortable to nature than they . the prophet zachary , speaking of the promises of deliverance which god made to ierusalem at the prayers of the angel from their present sufferings , zach. 1. 13. the lord ( saith he ) answered the angel that talked with me with good words , and comfortable words . how much more then the word of eternal salvation . and this is the word , the saying , here held forth in the text , iesus christ came into the world to save sinners , to be unto them , the author of eternal salvation , ( as that text hath it , heb. 5. 9. ) and how good is this saying ? well may it then be said ( what here it is ) to be , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , worthy of acceptation . 2. yea of all acceptation , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a general , an universal , acceptation , to be accepted by all men , and by all means ; both , implyed in this expression . 1. worthy to be accepted by all men . so it is , there being none but hath need of a saviour , all being by nature lost creatures , ( as the father saith of his prodigal son , this my son was lost , luke 15. 24. ) and , without a saviour , a redeemer , for ever lost . the news of a saviour , such a saviour , cannot but deserve a welcome entertainment from them . behold , i bring you good tidings of great joy , which shall be to all people , ( saith the angel there ) luke 2. 10. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , to all sorts of people , of what nation , or condition soever ; whether jews or gentiles , bond or free , rich or poor , prince or peasant . and to all of these sorts . there being not any one but cometh within this list of sinners , being so by nature , and by practise , and so justly obnoxious to the wrath of god , from which , they are no ways able to free themselves , they stand in need of a saviour ; well then might the apostle here say of this saying , this doctrine of christs coming into the world to save sinners , that it is worthy of all acceptation , to be accepted by all men . 2. and as by all men , so by all means . so the former translation here renders it , this is a true saying , and by all meanes worthy to be received . and so estius well explains it , dignum quod modis omnibus amplectemur , worthy by all wayes and means , to be received and imbraced . many wayes there are , whereby a saying may be received . it may be received into the ear , it may be received into the head , it may be received into the heart . into the ear when men hear what is said ; into the head , when they apprehend , understand , and believe , what they hear . into the heart , when they are affected with it . and all these wayes is this saying , this doctrine , worthy of acceptation . 1. worthy to be received into the ear , by hearing of it , hearkning and attending to it . no doctrine , so worth the hearing as this doctrine , the doctrine of the gospel , the doctrine of salvation by christ. no other doctrine can make the hearers happy ; this can do it . blessed are your ears for they hear , ( saith our saviour to his disciples ) mat. 13. 16. and what was it that they did hear ? why that which their forefathers desired to hear , but could not . many prophets and righteous men , have desired to hear those things which ye hear , and have not heard them , verse 17. and what was that ? why , even this saying here in the text , that christ iesus came into the world to save sinners . this the fathers before christ , who waited for his coming , would gladly have heard ; but they heard it not . they indeed heard of his coming , that he should come ; and believing it , they were made happy by it . but the disciples , who saw christ in the flesh , they heard and saw that he was come . and believing what they saw and heard , this made their eyes and ears , blessed and happy . no doctrine , no tidings , ( as i said ) can make the hearer happy but only this . and this can do it , viz. when , being let in by the ear , it is conveyed to the heart . hereby the spirit cometh to convey it self into the soul , by the hearing of this doctrine . this onely would i know , ( saith paul to his galatians ) ; received ye the spirit by the works of the law , or by the hearing of faith ? gal. 3. 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ●…y the hearing of faith , that is , the doctrine of faith the gospel preached unto you , & heard by you . the sum whereof is wrapped up in this saying , that iesus christ came into the world to savesinners . a saying , worthy to be received into the ear , by hearing of it , hearkning to it . 2. and as into the ear , so * into the head , worthy to be studied , that it may be rightly apprehended , and clearly understood . this being a great mystery , as our apostle calleth it , cap. 3. verse last of this epistle , great is the mystery of godliness , god manifested in the flesh , &c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , the great mystery , the true cabala . among the iews there were many mysteries , doctrines which they received from their fathers by way of tradition . these they called by that name of cabala , ( which imports the same thing with this greek word in the text 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ) signifying acceptio , a receiving of a thing , thereby meaning their traditions , such doctrines as by word of mouth were conveyed unto them from their forefathers . and these mysteries , these traditions , were of high account among their rabbies , their doctors , and their followers , ( even as others of like kind , are at this day in the church of rome ) , these they studied and were well versed in them . but our apostle willeth christians to take notice , what was the true cabala , the sure tradition , which he here holdeth forth to them , as worthy of their study above all others ; even this great mystery of godliness , that chri●… iesus is come into the world to save sinners . this was a mystery which the angels beheld not without admiration , as it there followeth , seen of angels , i. e. cum admiratione maxima , ( as grotius rightly ) , with the highest admiration , as also with great satisfaction and contentment . no mystery so worthy the looking into as this . so the angels apprehended it , who are said to look into it , with an earnest desire . which things , ( saith saint peter , speaking of the mysteries of the gospel ) the angells desire to look into , 1 pet. 1. 12. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , that is , they desire to prie , and look narrowly into them , as one that stoopeth and boweth down to look into a thing . so do they look into this mystery , desiring still to look further into it , it being an object , which they can never be weary of looking upon and into . no mystery so worthy to be known as this . this is pauls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , the excellency of the knowledg of iesus christ , ( as he calleth it ) phil. 3. 8. no doctrine so worthy to be known . nor any more worthy to be believed than this . this being ( as you have heard ) a faithful saying , and so deserving credit and belief at the hands of all . thus it is worthy to be received into the head. 3. and so ( 3dly ) to be received into the heart . worthy to be imbraced , to be intertained with great joy and gladness , as also with gratitude and thankfulness . with joy . thus were the angels affected with it , though not so properly concerned in it . seeing that christ was come into the world upon this errand , how did they rejoyce at it , a whole quire , an host of them , meeting together , and singing that heavenly anthem , that hallelujah that we have , luk. 2. 14. praising god , and saying , glory be to god in the highest , on earth peace , good will towards men ! how much more joyous then should these tidings be to the sons of men , for whose sake , christ is come into the world ? great cause have they to rejoyce at the hearing of it . so did abraham the father of the faithful , by faith apprehending that christ should come , seeing his day , ( that is , his coming in the flesh ) he rejoyced at it , ( as that text forecited tells us , iohn 8. 56. ) and the like , ought all christians , being his children , to do . hearing of this blessed day , that he is come , they are to entertain this good tidings with spiritual joy , rejoycing at it . and as with joy , so with gratitude and thankfulness . thus did zacharias entertain these glad tidings , as we find it in his song , luke 1. 68. where prophesying of what he saw to be then nigh at hand , the coming of christ , and setting forth this great mystery of salvation by christ , he breaks forth into that holy and affectionate gratulation , blessed be the lord god of israel , for he hath visited and redeemed his people : and hath raised up a horn of salvation , ( i. e. a mighty saviour ) for us in the house of his servant david , &c. and with like affection we find the blessed virgin , the mother of our lord , entertaining these tidings , verse 46. of that chapter , where she breaks forth into her magnificat ; my soul doth magnify the lord , and my spirit hath rejoyced in god my saviour . such is the acceptation , that this saying , this doctrine here in the text , is said to be worthy of . and such let it find at all our hands , who this day hear of it . let it be thus received by every of us ; in and by these , and all other wayes and means that it is capable of . that should be the application , which i should make of what hath hitherto been spoken . but this i shall a little longer deferr , until i have somewhat more fully spoken of the doctrine it self , as it is here propounded , which we have in the next words , christ iesus came into the world to save sinners . a short sentence , but yielding plenty of sweet and precious matter ; in the whole scripture , no one more . for the better handling of it , i shall divide it into two distinct propositions or conclusions , 1. christ iesus came into the world : 2. he came into the world to save sinners . in the former we have his iourny , in the latter his errand . his iourny , he came into the world . his errand , shewing for what he came , and for whom he came . for what , to be a saviour . for whom , to save sinners . of each of these severally , though very briefly , having had occasion , and that lately , in passing through the principles of the oracles of god , ( as the apostle calleth them , heb. 5. 1 ●… . ) the fundamentalls of christian religion ; to inlarge upon this subject . begin with the former . christ iesus came into the world . for the opening and explaining of ▪ which , i might unfold unto you these 4. particulars . who it was that came , how he is said to have come , from whence he came , and whither he came . but a few words of each . q. 1. who it was that came ? a. christ iesus ( saith the text ) . two names given to the world's saviour . the former his name of office , christ ; which word ( as the hebrew messias also doth ) signifieth anointed . so we find him often called , the anointed , the anointed of the lord , 1 sam. 2. 35. psal. 2. 2 , &c. one anointed by god his father , ( as st. peter saith of him , acts 4. 27. ) being ordained and appointed by him to a threefold office , sacerdotal , prophetical , regal ; to be a priest , a prophet , and a king to his church ; and indued with a fulness of all graces and abilities , for the discharge thereof : having the spirit poured out upon him , given unto him not by measure , ( as that text hath it ) iohn 3. 34. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ; that is , abundantly : he being anointed with the oyle of gladness above his fellows , ( as the psalmist saith of him ) psal. 45. 7. the other his proper name , given him at his circumcision , as our christian names ( as we call them ) are at our baptism , iesus , that is a saviour . so the angel interprets it , giving unto ioseph the reason of imposing it , mat. 1. 27. thou shalt call his name iesus , for he shall save his people from their sins . here is the person , of whom the text saith that he came . q. 2. and how is he said to have came ? a. for answer , we may take notice of diverse comings of christ mentioned in scripture . of which there are three most obvious , his coming in the flesh , his coming in spirit , his coming in glory . his coming in the flesh , to take our nature upon him . every spirit that confesseth , that iesus christ is come in the flesh , is of god , 1 john 4. 2. his coming in the spirit , to dwell in the hearts of his people , to have a sweet communion with them . if any man hear my voice , and open the door , i will come in unto him , rev. 3. 20. his coming in glory . behold , he cometh with clowds , rev. 1. 7. behold , i come quickly , rev. 22. 12. i come to judgment . now , it is the first of these which we meet with here in the text ; the coming of christ in the flesh , his taking the nature of man upon him , that , in that nature , he might execute the office , and do the work , of a mediator . thus he came . q. 3. but from whence came he ? a. that is the third enquiry , which we find not expresly resolved in the text , but implyed . so it is , in every motion , and every mutation ; there are two terms , the terminus a quo et ad quem , in a journy , a man cometh from one place to another : in a change of condition , a man passeth from one state to another . so was it here , christ in his incarnation , he came down from heaven ; so that antient creed tells us . and it is no other then what christ himself tells his disciples , iohn 16. 27. i am come forth from the father . so he did according to his divinity , as the son of god , which yet , is warily to be understood . not that he thus came from heaven , by any locall mutation , any change of place ; for as god , he was infinite in essence , filling all places in heaven , and earth , ( as the lord himself tells us , ier. 23. 24. ) and so could not properly be said to leave the one , or come to the other . but onely by a change of state . so it was , that for a time , he divested and disrobed himself ( as it were ) of that glory and majesty , which he had with his father , before the world was , ( of which he speaketh , iohn 17. 5. ) putting on the nature of man , taking it into a personal union with his godhead , being manifested in the flesh , ( as the apostle expresseth it ) 1 tim. 3. last . thus he came down from heaven , humbling himself , taking upon him , the form of a servant , and being in likeness of man , ( as we have it ) phil. 2. 7. thus , as to his divinity , he may be said to have come from heaven . the second man , is the lord from heaven , ( saith the apostle , speaking of christ , who in regard of his godhead , was of a celestial original ) 1 cor. 15. 47. but in respect of his humanity , as man , he may be said to have come from the womb of his mother . there did he lodg for a time , the wonted time according to the course of nature ; which being expired , he came forth , as the rest of the sons of men do . q. 4. and whither did he come ? a. that is the last particular ; which the text resolves , he came into the world . i am come forth from the father , and am come into the world , ( saith the text forecited ) iohn 16. 28. that is , into this inferiour world : where , for a time , as man , yea , as god-man he lived , and conversed with the sons of men , dwelling with them . the word was made flesh , and dwelt amongst us , john 1. 14. thus you see his iourny . as briefly of his errand . where we shall take notice of those two things ; for what he came , and for whom . 1. for what it was that he came ; which was , that he might be a saviour of the world , he came into the world to save it . this was the proper end of his first coming . to this end did god his father send him . we have seen , and do testify , that the father sent the son , to be the saviour of the world , 1 john 4. 14. and to this end , he himself came , making this his design . the son of man is come , to save that which was lost , ( saith he of himself ) mat. 18. 11. not to iudge and condemn the world . this was neither his fathers design , nor his : not his fathers , god sent not his son to condemn the world , but that the world through him might be saved , john 3. 17. not his , i came not to judge the world , but to save the world . this indeed , shall be the end of his second coming , to judg the whole world , and to condemn a great part of it ; but the end of his first coming , was to save it . this was the thing , which he properly and directly intended . true it is , he was , and is an occasion of the falling and perishing of some . so old simeon tells mary , luke 2. 34. behold , this child is set for the fall and rising again , of many in israel . and the like the apostle st. peter , ( taking it from the prophet isay ) saith of him , 1 pet. 2. 8. where speaking of christ , he calleth him , a stone of stumbling , and a rock of offence . but this is onely by accident , through the unbelief , and disobedience of those that will not receive him , ( as he there giveth the reason of it ) . hereof christ is onely the occasion , not the cause . this was a thing not intended by him , in his coming into the world . his errand was to save : had it not been for this , he would never have left the bosom of his father . he came into the world , to save the world : the world of mankind indefinitely considered , or the world of his elect. to save them , from what ? why , from their sins . thou shalt call his name iesus , for he shall save his people from their sins ; ( saith that text forecited ) . from the guilt and power of them . the former , by his merit imputed to them ; the latter , by his spirit imparted to them . to save them from the wrath of god , and from eternal condemnation ; and to obtain for them everlasting salvation : in which two , consisteth this salvation , which christ came to procure for his people . the former part whereof is privative , to free them from the wrath of god. [ even iesus , which delivered us from the wrath to come , 1 thes. 1. last ] and from everlasting condemnation , [ there is no condemnation to them which are in christ iesus , rom. 8. 1. ] . the latter part is positive , a procuring of eternal salvation . being made perfect , he became the author of eternal salvation , unto all them that obey him , heb. 5. 9. this was the end of christs coming into the world , to be a saviour , such a saviour , a perfect saviour , christ iesus is come into the world to save . 2. to save whom ? that is the other particular . to save sinners . such are all men by nature , jews , and gentiles , all under sin . so the apostle chargeth , and proveth it , rom. 3. 9. all guilty of original sin , having adams sin imputed to them ; in whom all have sinned , ( so that text may fitly be read , rom. 5. 12. ) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . being in him , as branches in the root , they sinned in him. and have his corruption , imparted and derived to them . and as of original , so of actual sin . there is not a just man upon earth , that doth good and sinneth not , eccl. 7. 20. in many things we offend all , jam. 3. 2. none but may be called , as the people of the jews are by the prophet isay , cap. 48. 8. transgressours from the womb. but among these , some are greater sinners than others . not only peccatores , but peccatosi . so this word in the text , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is often rendred by stephan in his lexicon ; and so it properly signifieth , habituated sinne●…s , such as live in sin , and make a trade of it ; notorious sinners . so aretius here looketh upon it , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dicuntur notorii peccatores . and so we find it often used , as where publicans and sinners are put together , ( as frequently they are ; ) by sinners , we are to understand great sinners , such as the publicans generally were . and thus that woman ( vulgarly taken for mary magdalen ) is called a sinner , luke 7. 39. a woman in the city which was a sinner , came unto iesus . a woman of notorius levitie , a bad liver ▪ such she had been in truth , and this she was now throughly convinced of , bewailing her condition with tears , wherewith she washed the feet of her saviour , ( as there we find it ) . and such are the sinners that christ is here said to come into the world to save . sinners , all sinners , being as she was , convinced of their sinfulness . now , though the greatest of sinners , yet being truly penitent , christ came to save them . this is that which our saviour tells the pharisees , mat. 9. when they were offended ( as the story tells us they were ) at his eating , & conversing with publicans and sinners ; he willeth them to take notice , that this was the end of his coming into the world , to be a physitian , not to the whole , but to the sick , verse 12. to call , not the righteous , but sinners to repentance , verse 13. as for them , the pharisees , they being in their own apprehensions ( though nothing less in truth ) whole and sound , just and righteous , no sinners ; he had nothing to do with them , neither must they expect any benefit from him . no , they were sinners , sinners , such as were sick of sin , seeing and feeling themselves so to be , that he came to save . so may we fitly look upon the word , here in the text , christ iesus came into the world to save sinners , such sinners . thus have i , with what brevity might be , dispatched the doctrinal part of these two propositions or conclusions . that which now remains is the application , which i shall direct three wayes , by way of information , consolation , exhortation . 1. by way of information or instruction , we may from this one saying , this one doct●…ine , learn many ; from hence deducing and collecting diverse truths worth the taking notice of ▪ as , 1. touching the two natures in the person of christ , ( both which aquinas conceiveth here to be intimated to us ) his divinity , his humanity . his divinity , according to which he had a subsistence , a being , before his incarnation , before his coming into the world . how else should he be said to come into it ? this imports ( as i shewed ) a change , though not of place , yet of state . his humanity , he came into the world , this inferior world , being there manifested in the flesh , living and conversing there with men , after the manner of men ; which cannot properly be said of his god-head , which being infinite , filleth heaven and earth , and so is not capable of being consined to any place . this is proper to his humanitie . 2dly . from hence ( as the jesuite à lapide well observes ) may be inferred the invalidity and inefficacy of the law , whether ceremoniall or morall , for the saving of any . could moses have done this , jesus christ should not have needed to come into the world , which he did upon this very accompt , to do that for the sons of men which moses could not do ; to procure that justification and salvation for them , which they could never have expected by the law. what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh , god sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh , and for sin , ( or by a sacrifice for sin , as the margin in our translation well explains it ) condemned sin in the flesh , that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us , rom. 8. 3. 4. so it was : man being fallen , by his fall he became weak , not being able now to fulfil the law , so as to obtain justification and salvation by it . and thereupon it was that christ took the nature of man upon him , that in that nature , he might do what mere man could not do , that so the righteousness of the law , which could not be fulfilled by man , might this way be fulfilled in him. 3dly . in the 3d place , see here ( what the foresaid author al●…o mindeth us of ) the heinous nature of sin ; what a desperate disease it is , that must have a physitian to come from heaven to cure it ; other way of cure there was none . all the men and angels in the world , could do nothing to it . they were all ( as iob saith of his friends , iob 13. 4. ) physitians of no value . but the son of god must come from heaven to undertake this cure . magnus de coelo venit medicus ( saith augustine ) quia magnus per totum orbem jacebat aegrotuus . the great physitian cometh down from heaven , because man ▪ upon earth was desperately sick , in a hopeless and helpless condition , had he not stept in . which ( as the same father there applies it ) should make all that hear it afraid of sin , as a most deadly disease , not to rest and lye down in it , not to sleep in strato peccati , in the bed of sin , but to give ear to what paul saith to them , ephes. 5. 14. awake thou that sleepest , and arise from the dead , and christ shall give thee light . 4ly and lastly , here ( as in a glass ) behold we , ( what we can never look too much , nor yet enough , upon ) the grace , the wonderful grace , of god towards the sons of men . the grace of god that bringeth salvation , hath appeared to all men , ( saith the apostle ) tit. 2. 11. the grace of god , his great goodness and mercy ; that bringeth salvation , eternal salvation by and through christ , hath appeared 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , illuxit , it hath shined forth , clearly manifesting it self , and that to all men , all sorts of men , without distinction of nation , sex , age or condition . this it hath done , in this coming of iesus christ into the world to save sinners . in nothing more , in nothing so much . many wayes hath the grace and favour of god , appeared unto mankind . it did so in his creation , in making him little lower than the angels , and crowning him with glory and honour , making him to have dominion over the works of his hands , and putting all things under his feet , ( as the psalmist sets it forth ) psalm . 8. 5. 6. in making him after his own image . so god created man in his own image , in the image of god created he him , gen. 1. 27. as like unto his maker , as a creature could be . but behold , this grace shineth more clearly in his redemption , in finding out a way , such a way and means as he did , for the delivering of him from hell and death , and the procuring of his eternal salvation . no grace like this , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , this saving grace of god. behold here ( what you have lately heard more largely of , from that text , gal. 4. 4. ) the grace of god the father , in sending his son upon this errand . when the fulness of time was come , god sent forth his son , made of a woman , made under the law , to redeem them that were under the law , that we might receive the adoption of sons . what an expression of love was this ? in this was manifested the love of god towards us , that god sent his only begotten son into the world , that we might live through him , 1 john 4. 9. herein is love , not that we loved god , but that he loved us , and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins , verse 10. behold love , wonderful love ! so god loved the world , that he gave his only begotten son , &c. john 3. 16. such an expression of love as never was . herein did his kindness appear . after that the kindness and love of god our saviour towards man appeared , tit. 3. 4. viz. the kindness of god the father , who is there ( as often elsewhere ) called god our saviour ; and that , as upon some other accompts , so chiefly upon this , because he sent his son upon this errand , to procure and effect salvation for the sons of men ( as grotius well expounds it ) . herein did his love , his kindness appear ; his grace , his rich grace , the exceeding riches of his grace ! so our apostle ( not knowing how to speak highly enough of it ) sets it forth , ephes. 2. 7. that he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace , in his kindness towards us in christ iesus , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , exceeding all our apprehensions . such was that grace which god the father shewed to the sons of men , in his kindness towards them in christ jesus , in sending him to be a saviour for them . many things there are , which do highly commend and set forth , this grace of god to us . three of which , and three principal , we have a hint of in the text. 1st . take we notice whom it was that he sent , christ iesus ; his son , his own son : he spared not his own son , but delivered him up for us all , rom. 8. 32. yea , his only son , his only begotten son , ( as that obvious text forenamed hath it ) ioh 3. 16. god had many sons , some by creation ; such were the angels , whom we find called the sons of god , job 38. 7. such was adam , which was the son of god , luke 3. last . and he hath many sons by adoption , to which he predestinated them from eternity , eph. 1. 5. but he had but one son by generation . this was iesus christ , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , the onely begotten son of god. a jewel more dear than all the world besides . yet god , his father , spared him not , but put him upon this service , to be a saviour to lost mankind . and what love was this ? hereby did father abraham manifest the sincerity and height of his affection to his god , that having but one son , he was willing to part with him , to offer him up at his command . now i know that thou fearest god , seeing thou hast not withheld thy son , thy only son , from me ; ( saith the angel to him ) gen. 22. 12. and in the like way , hath god the father manifested his affection to the sons of men , ( that being but a type of this ) in not withholding his son , his only son , from us ; but giving him for us , to take our nature upon him , to doe and suffer what he did , for our sakes . 2dly . take we notice for whom it was that christ was sent , for sinners ( saith the text ) , men who nothing less then deserved such a favour at the hands of god , they being not onely strangers , but enemies to him. when we were enemies , we were reconciled unto god by the death of his son , rom. 5. 10. and how doth this commend the love of god to us ? god commendeth his love towards us , that while we were yet sinners , christ dyed for us , ( verse 8. of that chapter ) . 3dly . to these add the benefit which christ came to procure for these sinners , which is salvation to save sinners . to save them ( as you have heard ) from the wrath of god , and from everlasting damnation . and to procure for them everlasting happiness and blessedness . salvation , the greatest of benefits that man was capable of receiving , comprehending under it , iustification , sanctification , glorification . wonderful was this kindness in god the father , thus to send his only son , for such unworthy creatures upon such an accompt . ii. and behold no less in god the son. that being thus sent , he should come as he did . that , coming forth from his father , leaving his bosom ( as it were ) in which he had lain from eternitie ; he should come into the world , taking upon him the nature of man , yea , the form of a servant , so humbling himself as he did . what a favour ? specially that he should come into such a world , where he well knew what entertainment he should meet with , how he should be rejected ! so he was by those whom he looked upon as his own people : he came unto his own , and his own received him not , joh. 1. 11. the people of the iews , who were god's own peculiar people , whom he had chosen out of all nations of the world , ( you onely have i known ) ; yet so ungrateful were they , that when this son of god , being sent by his father upon such an errand , came to tender his service unto them , they would not receive him , they would not acknowledge him to be the messias . thus was this living stone ( the foundation-stone ) though chosen of god and precious , yet disallowed of men , ( as st. peter hath it , 1 pet. 2. 4. ) he was despised and rejected of men , a man of sorrows acquainted with grief ; and we hid , as it were , our faces from him , he was despised , and we esteemed him not , ( so the prophet isay , foreseeing what entertainment the messiah ▪ the lord jesus , should meet withal , in and from the world , setteth it forth ) isa. 53. 3. thus was he sleighted through the whole course of his life . and in the end of it how-abused ? crowned with thorns , buffeted , spit upon , and after crucified ; suffering that painful , shameful , accursed death of the cross. now , all this he foresaw before he came into the world , as he foretold it when he was come into it . so he did to his disciples , luke 17. 25. the son of man must suffer many things , and he rejected of this generation . and at another time , he giveth them a particular accompt of what things he should suffer . so we find it , mat. 20. 17. where going up to ierusalem , we read how he took the twelve disciples apart in the way , and said unto them , behold , we go up to ierusalem , and the son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests , and unto the scribes , and they shall condemn him to death , and shall deliver him to the gentiles , to mock , and to scourge ; and to crucifie him . all this he knew before it came to pass , yea , before he came into the world , he knew what measure he should meet with , in it . yet for all this he came into this world to undertake this service , he came into the world to save sinners ; such ungrateful wretches as there he met with . thus it was , ( as augustine excellently sets it forth ) . homines desperate aegrotabant , &c. men were desperately sick , and by reason of their sickness having lost their reason , they fell foul upon their physitian , striking of him , yea killing him ; yet for all this , when he was thus used by them , he was still a physitian to them . vapulabat & curabat , he was beaten by them , yet a curer of them . patiebatur phreneticum , nec deserebat aegrotum , he patiently bore with his frantick patient , not deserting him in his sickness . tenebatur , alligabatur , percutiebatur , irridebatur , suspendebatur ; & medicus erat ; he was held , he was bound , he was smitten , he was mocked , he was hanged upon the cross ; and yet for all this , he was and would be a physitian , even to them by whom he was thus used , making a medicine of his own blood , for the curing of them that shed it . and , ô what clemency , what love , what favour was this to every of us , who hear this saying here in the text , that christ iesus came into the world to save sinners , such sinners ! admire we this grace , this riches of grace , this exceeding riches of grace , which this our saviour hath herein shewed to such unworthy creatures ! this , by way of information or instruction . in the 2d . place , by way of consolation : is christ jesus come into the world , and that upon this errand , to save sinners ? what comfort doth this speak to all truly penitent sinners ? penitent sinners , i say . such , and only such they are to whom this consolation belongeth . not to all sinners , not to such as are obdurate and impenitent , such as live and lie in sin , making a trade of it , let not such snatch at any crumb of this bread of life , any morsel of this consolation . all the comfort that i can from hence give unto them , is only this , that there is a possibility of salvation for them . herein are they one degree more happy , or rather less miserable , than the devills and damned spirits , which being cast into the prison of hell , are there fast bound in those everlasting chains of darkness , reserved to the judgement of the great day , ( as st. peter , and st. iude , set forth the condition of the fallen angels , 2 pet. 2. 4. iude v. 6. ) in a desperate condition past praying for , shut out from all hope , all possibility of salvation . so is it not as yet with you , you obstinate sinners . how soon it may be so , that you know not ; going on in your sinful wayes and courses , you may be surprized and snatcht away by death , ( as many daily are ) and that will cut off the thread of your hope , putting you into the like condition , beyond all possibility of mercy . but as yet , i shall not wholly shut the door of hope against you . some hope as yet you have , though not so long as you continue such . living and dying without repentance there is no hope for you . let not any such then pervert and abuse this saying , this doctrine of christs coming into the world. true , he came into the world to save sinners , but not such as you are ; not obstinate sinners . as for such , what have they to do with grace ? what have they to do with mercy ? what have they to do with salvation ? let them look for that which waits for them , indignation and wrath , tribulation and anguish , which shall be upon every soul of man that doth evil ( as the apostle tells them , rom. 2. 8 , 9. ) this is the portion of obstinate sinners , such as make iesus christ , and his coming into the world , to be ( as it were ) a pander to their lusts , from hence taking occasion to continue in sin ; let them never look to have any benefit by his coming . he shall one day come to be their iudge ; he never came to be their saviour . all the comfort which distilleth from this breast of consolation , that springs from this fountain , this well of salvation , is appropriated to the broken-hearted , truly penitent sinner ; to such as being convinced of sin , feel the weight and burthen of it , being weary , and heavy-laden under it ; desiring earnestly to be freed and delivered from it ; and that not only from the guilt and punishment , but also from the power , and inbeeing of it ; being like affected with this our apostle , who crieth out , o wretched man that i am , who shall deliver me from this body of death ? rom. 7. 24. such as desire to be saved , not only from death and hell , but also from sin ; to such sinners , all such , and only such , doth this faithful saying speak abundant and everlasting consolation . for your sakes did the eternal son of god come into the world , to seek and to save such as you are . and therefore lay you bold on this comfort which is here held forth unto you , not fearing to bring it home , and make application of it to your selves . it matters not what your sins have been or are , what for number , what for nature , how many , how great , let not all this discourage . behold here a plaister as large as the soar ; a cordial which being taken down , will serve to bear up the heart against fainting , iesus christ came into the world to save sinners . let not thy sins then deter thee from laying hold upon this salvation ; which as it was merited for thee , so is it held forth and tendred to thee by this thy saviour . thou art a sinner , a great sinner , let not this drive thee from iesus christ , but to him . such they are whom he came to save . wer 't thou not such a one thou couldest have no benefit by him . this it is that maketh thee a subject capable of receiving benefit from him . as for those righteous persons , who are so in their own eyes , their own apprehensions , christ will have nothing to do with them , neither let them expect to be the happier for him . the proud pharisee goeth as he cometh , whilest the poor self-condemning publican , goeth away justified . i tell you , ( saith our saviour , speaking by way of parable unto certain which trusted in themselves , that they were righteous , as the 9th verse hath it ) this man went down to his house justified rather than the other , luke 18. 14. the one came justified , viz. in himself , boasting of his own righteousness , but goeth away a sinner ; the other cometh a sinner , confessing himself so to be , but goeth away justified , viz. by god , being absolved from all his sins . the one cometh empty , but goeth away full , the other cometh full , but goeth away empty . he hath filled the hungry with good things , and the rich he hath sent empty away , ( saith mary in her song ) luke 1. 53. great comfort to all truly penitent , humbled , broken hearted , self-condemning sinners . for such as you it was that iesus christ came into the world , to be a saviour unto you . only see that you do not judge your selves unworthy of this salvation , by neglecting of it . how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation ? heb. 2. 3. much less by rejecting of it , putting it from you . this was that which paul and barnabas charged upon the iews as a high contempt ; that word which had by them been preached to them , they put it from them , so judging themselves unworthy of everlasting life , acts 13. 46. this did they by their rejecting , not receiving of this doctrine , the doctrine of salvation by christ , thereby shewing themselves to be unworthy of it . and the like do all they , who hearing this faithful saying worthy of all acceptation , this saving doctrine ; do not receive it , embrace it , bringing it home to themselves , and making a right use of it . such neglect , such contempt , let every of us beware of , giving unto this doctrine , this faithful saying , such acceptation as it is worthy of , even all acceptation . let that be the word of exhortation , which give me leave to press with what earnestness i may or can ; we have all of us , as at other times often , so now again heard of this faithful saying , that christ iesus is come into the world to save sinners . this we have received into the ear , o but suffer we it not to die there , to vanish in the hearing ; but give we unto it ( as i said ) such acceptation , as it is worthy of , even all acceptation , receiving it by all wayes and means . by all wayes ( i say ) , meaning all lawfull and useful wayes . such are not all the ways wherein this doctrine is by some received . let me ( by the way ) give you a hint of one or two of them , giving you withal a caveat that you do not so receive this saying . 1. receive it not by way of doubtful disputation . in such a way this our apostle forbiddeth christians to receive their weak brethren , rom. 14. 1. him that is weak in the faith receive you , but not to doubtful disputations . not troubling and disquieting them with needlesse and uselesse scruples , with ambiguities and perplexities . and in such a way let not us receive iesus christ , nor this doctrine concerning his coming into the world , by troubling our selves or others with needless and useless questions , over-eagerly contending about , what cannot certainly be determined . of these , let me take notice of two or three . 1. such is that controversie concerning the time of his coming : when it was that he came into the world , that he was born , upon what day , or in what week , or in what month ; which , though it hath been by learned heads , with all possible industry , searched into , and by some over-eagerly debated ; yet can it not be certainly determined . so , that great critick passeth his censure upon it , unius dei est , non hominis , definire . this is a thing which god alone can do . and our church , whilest in its liturgie for several dayes , it still maketh use of the same words , that god gave his son [ as this day ] to be born of a pure virgin : it seemeth to intimate unto us , that though it had appointed a day for the celebrating of the memorial thereof , yet it did not bind us to believe , that that was the precise day of his birth . which our late reverend bishop yieldeth , not to be certainly known . this is a secret which god hath thought fitting to be concealed from us ( upon what account , i will not say : ) and therefore , be we not overcurious in our enquiries after it . let it be enough for us ( which we are sure of ) that a time there was ; a time precisely set down , and appointed for his coming ; and when that fulness of time was come , god sent forth his son ( as the apostle tells us , gal. 4. 4. ) this is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , a faithful saying , requiring our firm belief . but so doth not that circumstance of time ; which being not tanti , of any great concernment , leave we it as we find it , not troubling our selves , or others , about it . 2. and , little better is that which some have made a matter of debate ; whether if man had not sinned , christ should have come into the world . this ( a ) aquinas , ( and after him estius ) writing upon the text taketh notice of . which he , following the generality of the fathers and school-men , here and elsewhere , determines negatively . and so doth our ( b ) mr. calvin , therein opposing osiander , who contended for the affirmative . and this they do , not without a probable argument from the text , which tells us , that christ iesus came into the world to save sinners . so then , * had there been no sin , there had been no need of his coming . tolle morbum , & medicinâ non erit opus ( saith the gloss upon it ) take away the disease , and there shall be no need of the physitian , or medicine . so , take away sin out of the world , and there should have been no need of christs coming into the world . but this we may well look upon as a point not worth the debating , inasmuch as it maketh a supposition contrary to gods ordination , according to which all things , that are , come to pass ( as the same * author well concludes it . ) 3. and such is that other , about the necessity of christs coming , whether it was necessary that he should come , and undertake this work ? whether some other way might not have been found for the effecting hereof ? a curious and vain enquiry . sure we are , we could never have found another way . and this is the way which god , in his infinite wisdom , hath pitched upon . so as there is none other name under heaven given among men , whereby we must be saved , ( as st. peter tells the iews , acts 4. 12. ) ; no other way or means appointed by god for our salvation . and here let us rest . 4. and to these i might add that other debate about the extent of christs death ▪ whether he thereby intended an universal redemption . this we know it lately hath been ( i wish it may not still so be ) eagerly contended for by arminius and his followers . and probably among other texts of scripture , they may call forth this for the maintaining of it , where it is said , that christ iesus came into the world to save sinners . now such are all men , and therefore christ came to save all . a needless contest . it is enough that he came , to save all such sinners as we have heard of , all truly penitent sinners ? in this we are all agreed ; and in this let us rest . in such a way , let us not receive this saying , this doctrine ; not by way of doubtful disputation . much less ( in the 2d place ) so receive it as to abuse it to our own destruction . so do some ( as i have hinted already ) and it is to be feared , not a few , who make use of this doctrine , as a pillow , to sleep securely upon in the bed of sin . hearing that christ iesus came into the world to save sinners ; from hence they take liberty to continue in sin . far be this from us . what shall we say then ? ( saith the apostle ) shall we continue in sin that grace may abound ? god forbid , rom. 6. 1 , 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , let it not be . far be it from any of us , to give entertainment to such a thought ; thus spider-like to suck poyson from this sweetest flower . this is the readiest way to shut us out from ever receiving any benefit from christ , who ( as the text saith ) came into the world to save sinners ; to save them ( as you have heard ) from their sins ; and that from the power , as well as from the guilt and punishment of them . they who are not saved from the former of these , let them never look to be saved from the latter . in such wayes then , take we heed of receiving this saying . but ( now to proceed in the exhortation propounded ) receive we it in all lawful and useful wayes , yielding it such acceptation as it is worthy of . having heard it with the outward ear , now receive we it into the inward man , into our heads and hearts . such entertainment we are ready to give to our welcome guests ; we account our best rooms mean enough for them ; we will not suffer them to stand without , or yet admit them only into the hall , but receive them into the parlour . now , behold here the best guest we can give entertainment to , the lord iesus , who came from heaven upon the welcom est errand , the procuring of our salvation ! o suffer him not to stand without , as iews , and turks , pagans and infidels do ; who being professed enemies to christ , will give no entertainment to him ; or yet , as persons grosly & wilfully ignorant , who hear of him , but regard not to know him ; to know what he was , what he hath done , what he suffered . nor yet , think we it enough to let him into the hall , the outward room of the soul , which is the mode of meer formal nominal christians , who content themselves with a general and superficial knowledge of this mystery of godliness ; let us receive him into the penetralia , into our inwardmost rooms , setting open all the doors of our souls , those everlasting doors ( as the psalmist calls them ) psal. 24. 7. doors of eternitie , which is mystically to be understood of the souls of the faithful . set we open these doors that the king of glory may enter in ; receiving iesus christ and this doctrine concerning him , ( as i said ) into all the inwardmost rooms of our souls , into our understandings , iudgments , memories , wills , affections ; all which , this saying is worthy of . 1. into our understandings , that we may have a right apprehension of the doctrine of christs incarnation . a doctrine necessary to be known by all that would have benefit by him and by his coming . rest we not our selves contented then , with such a general knowledg as i spake of , to know that christ is come into the world ; but seek after a clear and distinct knowledg of this mystery , to know what that christ was , how he came , whence he came , whither he came , to what end he came , and for whose sake he came , and how he hath effected the work he came which about . 2. and understanding this , labour to be throughly convinced of the truth hereof ; so receiving this truth into our iudgments looking upon it as a faithful saying , yielding a full and firm assent and consent unto it . not entertaining any doubtful hesitations concerning it . all which our apostle here maketh it his design to expectorate , and drive out of the hearts of christians , holding forth this unto them as a most infallible doctrine , laying it as a sure foundation , which they may safely build upon . and so do we , taking this for an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , a principle of our religion , the truth whereof is not to be questioned ; every of us labour thus to get our hearts established in the belief hereof . 3. thus receiving it into our understandings and iudgments , receive we it also into our memories , lodging and laying it up there as a most precious treasure of inestimable value , and singular use . remember it , and make use of it as occasion shall be offered . holding it forth as a buckler , for the repelling of those fiery darts , those satanical temptations , which he is ready to inject , for the disquieting and troubling the souls of poor sinners with the apprehension of their sins , the quantitie and qualitie , the multitude and magnitude , the number and nature of them , which being let into the soul without a divine support , may be enough to sinck it into the gulph of desperation . against all these , oppose we this faithful saying ; remember the consolation it holdeth forth , that iesus christ came into the world to save sinners . a true catholicon , a soveraign cordial , proper for what ever faintings the soul may be subject to . 4. thus lodging it in our memories , receive we it also into our wills and affections , imbracing it , resting upon it , rejoycing in it , and being thankful for it . 1. imbracing it , as the most acceptable , the most welcome tidings that ever were brought unto the world . had not iesus christ come into the world , better we had never come into it . were it not for the sun , what were the world but a dungeon ? and were it not for this sun of righteousness , which is risen upon earth , we must have sate in darkness to all eternitie . his coming is our reviving . even as the coming of the sun in the spring time is unto hearbs and plants , which before were seemingly dead ; such is the coming of jesus christ unto us , who , without him , were in a state of death , really dead . how welcome then should the tidings hereof be unto us ? how ready should we receive this doctrine ? o , were this doctrine to be preached to the spirits in prison , to the divels and damned souls in hell , that jesus christ was come to save them , how welcome would it be unto them ? and why not unto us , who , were it not for this coming , should erelong be in their condition ? 2. and thus imbracing it , now rest upon it ; making it the sheat-anchor of our souls hope , riding by it in all storms , flying unto iesus christ , receiving him as our saviour , clasping him in the arms of our faith , resting upon him for salvation . this is true justifying saving faith ; not barely to believe him , to believe that christ is come into the world , but to believe in him , and on him. god so loved the world , that he gave his only begotten son , that whosoever believeth on him , should not perish , joh. 3. 16. he that believeth on him , is not condemned . vers. 18. he that believeth on the son hath everlasting life ; vers. 36. still 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , in eum , in him , on him . as for believing him , this is no more than the divels do . i know thee who thou art , the holy one of god , ( saith that unclean spirit ) mark 1. 24. will we have any benefit by him , see that we believe on him ; receiving him as our saviour , casting our souls upon the all sufficiency of his merit , there resting for the pardon of all our sins , and the salvation of our souls . 3. and thus resting upon him , now rejoyce in him , in this his coming . rejoyce greatly , o daughter of sion , shout for ioy , o daughter of ierusalem , behold thy king cometh unto th●… he is iust , and having salvation , ( saith the prophet zacharie to the church ) zach. 9. 9. this coming of christ in the flesh is a matter of great joy ( as you have heard . ) and so let it be entertained by us . rejoyce we in this our king and saviour . rejoycing not with a carnal and sensual joy ( such as that joy is wherewith the memory of this great benefit is by some , and too many , celebrated at this season of the year : ) but a spiritual joy , sutable to the benefit which he came to procure for us , which is spiritual and eternal salvation . in the apprehension hereof , let all true believers , who have received christ into their hearts , exsult and rejoyce ; rejoycing in this their god and saviour ( as mary saith she did , luke 1. 47. ) joyning in consort with that multitude which , attending upon him in his coming to ierusalem , cryed , saying , hosannah to the son of david , blessed is he that cometh in the name of the lord , hosannah in the highest ! mat. 21. 9. 4. and thus rejoycing in it , be we thankful for it , really thankful ; studying how to express our gratitude for so great a favour . not by letting loose the raines to all kind of licentiousness ; which hath been , and i fear still is , the practice of too many , who at this season of the year , take greater liberty to abuse the creatures of god , and to waste , and mis-spend their precious time , in vain , if not sinful , recreation●… and disports , than at any other times ; as if the end of christs coming had been , not to bind satan , but to let him loose ; not to save sinners from their sins , but to indulge them in them . not so ; but by endeavouring to walk answerably to so great a favour , so as becometh the redeemed of the lord. all of us taking out and practising that lesson , which our apostle telleth us , this grace of god teacheth us , tit. 2. 11. the grace of god which bringeth salvation , hath appeared to all men , ( this saving grace of god , in sending his son upon this errand , which hath now under the gospel appeared to all men , not only jews , but gentiles ) teaching us , that , denying ungodliness and worldly lusts , we should live soberly , righteously , and godly in this present world . to this end it was , ( as you have heard ) that christ came into the world to save sinners , to save them from their sins , from the power as well as from the guilt of them ; to redeem them from all iniquity ; who gave himself for us , that he might redeem us from all iniquity , and purifie unto himself a peculiar people , zealous of good works , ( as we have it ) tit. 2. 14. that , being delivered out of the hands of all our enemies , ( our spiritual enemies , sin , satan , hell , death ) we might serve him without fear , in holiness and righteousness , before him , all the dayes of our life , ( as zacharias hath it in his song ) luk. 1. 74 , 75. and thus have i now done with the former part of the text , the doctrine as it is here both commended and propounded . now pass we to the latter , the application which the apostle here maketh of this doctrine to himself . this is a faithful saying , and worthy of all acceptation , that christ iesus came into the world to save sinners , [ of whom i am chief . ] the second part. here have we that which my eye was chiefly upon , when i now took this text in hand ; wherein our apostle bringeth home this general truth , which he had before propounded and commended , to himself , by a particular application . therein * ( as aretius well observes ) setting us a patern for our imitation , teaching us what use we are to make of the scriptures , and of all the sayings therein conteined . and specially of those saving truths , which there we meet with . not contenting our selves with a general notion of them , but bringing them home to our selves , making them our own , by such a special and particular application . without this , the most saving truths will not be saving to us . a medicine , though never so soveraign a plaister , though never so sanative , yet if onely looked upon , and so layed aside , if not taken down , if not applied , in an ordinary way it will do the patient no good . the most saving truths , the most cordial and comfortable promises in the book of god , if not brought home to a man's self , will be of no avail to him . it is the application of these truths , these faithful sayings , that maketh them effectual . particular persons , receive no benefit from general doctrines , without such a particular application . this use then make we of all those truths , which we meet withal in the book of god. the instructions , counsels , threatnings , promises , which are there held forth ; suffer we them not to lie by us , think it not enough to read them , or hear of them , and to yield a general assent to them , but bring them home , make them our own . so doth our apostle here in the text , having held forth this doctrine unto others , of christs coming into the world to save sinners , he reflects upon what he had said , bringing it home to himself , ranking himself in the list , yea in the forefront of those sinners , whom christ came to save . of whom i am chief , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , quorum primus ego sum , of whom i am first . the first ? what then , was paul the first of sinners ? were there not others before him ? surely yea , quot homines tot peccatores , so many men as there had been , so many sinners . the first man , and the first woman , they were the first sinners . how then saith paul here , that he was the first ? in answer to this , aquinas here tells us of certain hereticks , who dreaming of a pythagorical metempsuchosis , a transmigration , a flitting of souls out of one body into another , they conceived that the soul of adam , the first man , might be transmitted into pauls body , and so upon that accompt , he might say of himself , that he was the first sinner , having in himself the soul of the first man. but this is but a dream and so we leave it , which ( if need were ) might be sufficiently confuted ( as that author observes ) from that one text of the apostle , rom. 9. 11. where speaking of children not born , he describeth them to be such as had neither done good nor evil . so then , the soul is not before the body . but letting that go . more genuinely . paul saith here of himself , that he was the first of sinners ; primus non tempore , sed magnitudine , ( so the author aforesaid , and diverse others , after augustine , rightly resolve it : ) the first not in time , not in order , but in respect of the magnitude and greatness of his sinnes . so are we here to understand the word ( as often elswhere ; ) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 being put for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , the first , that is , the greatest , the chief of sinners , ( as our translation hath it ) of whom i am chief . but , so looking upon it , the question is yet unresolved . for , how saith the apostle this ? or how could he say it of himself , that he was the chief of sinners ? what , were there not others , who had been , ( or were ) as great , or greater sinners than he ? how then saith he , that he was the chief ? to this it is answered by some , and diverse ; this he speaks 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , hyperbolically , out of his great modesty and humility , so thinking , and so speaking of himself . and so looking upon it , let him herein again be propounded as a pattern for the imitation of all christians ; teaching them how to think , & how to speak of themselves , meanly , lowly , preferring others before themselves . so runs this our apostles direction , phil. 2. 3. in lowliness of mind , let each esteem other better than himself . ita jussit , ita gessit . this he would have others do ; and this , himself here doth ; so not only giving us a rule , but setting us a pattern . paul , what he was the churches of god well know ; a chosen vessel , an eminent saint , an eminent apostle ; one of the choisest instruments that ever christ made use of ; eminent for gifts , eminent for graces ; yet he , when he cometh to speak of himself , how doth he undervalue himself ? sometimes professing , and acknowledging himself to be the meanest of the apostles , and not worthy of that honour . i am the least of the apostles , that am not worthy to be called an apostle ( saith he ) 1 cor. 15. 9. and sometimes the meanest of saints . unto me , who am less than the least of all saints , is this grace given , eph. 3. 8. and here he acknowledgeth himself to be the chief of sinners . thus speaking of his gifts and graces , he thinks he cannot speak too meanly of them ; but speaking of his sins , he thinks he cannot speak too highly of them . he is not more in extenuating the one , then in aggravating the other : such was his modesty , such was his humility . maximus doctorum , maximus peccatorum . though he was an apostle , a great apostle ; yea , without disparagement to any , inferiour to none , ( which we find him elsewhere standing upon ) being by his adversaries put upon it , to vindicate his reputation , he sticks not to equalize himself with the very chiefest apostle : i suppose ( saith he ) i was not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles , 2 cor. 11. 5. and again chap. 12. v. 11. in nothing am i behind the very chiefest apostles ; meaning iames , and iohn , and peter , ( whose disciples and followers diverse then professed themselves to be ) yet here he reckons himself among the chief of sinners , nay , of sinners the chief . thus was he ( as aretius here saith of him ) in peccato maximus , in ministerio minimus , ubique tamen inter homines magnus ; though every where highly esteemed of among men , yet in his own apprehension , the least of saints , and the greatest of sinners . in himself nothing . so he there tells his corinthians in the text last named ; where , whilst he extolleth his ministry , he debaseth himself . in nothing am i behind the very chiefest apostles , though i be nothing . nothing out of christ , nothing in himself , of no worth , no value . such mean thoughts should christians entertain of themselves , thinking more meanly of themselves , than of others . so doth that wise agur , prov. 30. 2. surely ( saith he ) i am more brutish than any man , and have not the understanding of a man. agur , a prophet , divinely inspired , ( as the verse foregoing there seemeth to intimate , where those sayings of his , in that chapter , are called his prophecy ) a wise and learned man , indued with a great measure , not only of natural and moral , but of divine knowledge ; yet see how he undervalues himself , how meanly he thought of himself . and the like did asaph , or david ( uncertain whether ) , whom we find confessing to his god , so foolish was i , and ignorant ( saith he ) i was , as a beast before thee , psal. 73. 22. and after the same mode did our apostle here speak of himself , acknowledging himself to be not onely a sinner , or a great sinner , but the chief of sinners . in which expression , let not any think , or suspect , that he spake of himself otherwise than he meant and thought . it is mr. calvines caveat which he giveth upon it ; cave ne existimes , modestiae causâ apostolum mentitum esse ; far be it from any to entertain a thought , that paul here should , out of modesty , speak otherwise than he thought and meant . and whilst we do not , nor dare not , censure or suspect him upon any such account , see that we our selves be not at any time guilty of the like . take heed of such vain , airy , empty complements , as are too common with some , who will speak ( it may be ) meanly of themselves , when as they think nothing less ; haply debasing themselves , that so they may draw the greater and higher commendation from others . far was this from our apostle . certainly , this confession of his , had not more modesty than sincerity , not more humility than reality in it . what he here acknowledgeth , he did it not with his tongue , or pen onely , but with , and from his heart . a hearty confession it was , ex intimo cordis sensu deprompta , ( as calvin saith of it ; ) fetched even from the bottom of his heart , springing from an inward sense and feeling of what he confessed . but if so , the question will yet run on , how could paul say and think thus of himself , that he was the chief of sinners ? when he spake this , he was a iustified person , having his sins pardoned , and forgiven him ; and this he was assured of . besides , as he was iustified , so he was sanctified : how then could he say , that he was the chief of sinners ? of whom i am chief . to this it is answered ; paul here speaks not of what he now was , but of what he had been : not of what he now was by grace , but what by nature , and what by practise , before such time as the grace of god met with him . true it was , there was now a great and wonderful change wrought in him ; he was not now the same man that sometime he was . now i live , ( saith he ) yet no more i , gal. 2. 20. no longer that saul which heretofore he was , but much changed , and altered ! so was that other saul ( king saul ) of whom we read , how that the spirit of god coming upon him , ( the spirit of prophecy ) he was turned to another man , ( as samuel tells him it should be done to him , 1 sam. 10. 6. ) and so was this saul much more , whose name was altered from saul to paul ; giving him , and others , to take notice , that he was now turned to another man , wonderfully changed from what he was . such a change there was in him , in respect of his quality and condition . he who was a sinner , a great sinner , was now a saint . he who was a persecuter , was now a preacher , an apostle . but this was the work of grace in him . so himself looked upon it ; by the grace of god i am that i am , ( saith he ) 1 cor. 15. 10. that he was called , justified , sanctified , that he was a preacher , an apostle , this he ascribeth all to free grace ; not to any thing in himself , nor to any thing that he had done . of himself he was a sinner , a great sinner : and such he should still have continued , had not the grace of god met with him , & wrought such a change in him . so that here , reflecting upon his former condition , looking upon himself as he was before his conversion , he maketh this free and ingenuous confession and acknowledgement , that he was a great sinner , i , the chief of sinners . q. why , but yet how could he say this of himself , that he was then the chief of sinners ? look upon him before his conversion , and see what we can find in him that should deserve so severe a censure : what ? was paul , ( or saul , for that was then his name ) then a debauched , scandalous , prophane , impious person ? not so ; his life and conversation was not tainted with any foul vice , or sinful enormity . no , clean otherwise ; his life was then unblamaeble , nay very strict and regular ; he had then a respect to the law of his god ; yea , a more than ordinary respect , being zealous for it , a zealous professour , and a zealous practiser of it . and that not only for the ceremonial part of it , wherein ( as he tells his galatians ) he was a great proficient , beyond others of his time : ye have heard ( saith he ) of my conversation in time past , how i profited in the iews religion , above many of my equals in my own nation , being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers , gal. 1. 14. but also for the moral part , ordering his life and conversation according to that rule , walking regularly , and unblameably . so much he tells his philippians , chap. 3. v. 6. touching the righteousness which is in the law , blameless . such he then was , a man of an innocent and blameless life & conversation . and not only so , but endued also with many excellent moral vertues , as justice , temperance , &c. and what ? he the chief of sinners ? a man so ordered , so tempered , so qualified ? to this , calvin and some others , retur●… answer well . he was then indeed a friend , a great friend then to the law , but an enemy to the gospel ; standing for the one , but opposing the other ; zealous for moses , but as zealous against christ ; an unbeliever , a persecuter , not imbracing but rejecting this excellent doctrine , which here he speaketh of , the doctrine of the gospel , the doctrine of salvation by iesus christ. he was then , one of those antichrists which st. iohn speaketh of , 1 ioh. 4. 3. & 2. v. 7. denying christ to be come in the flesh . not receiving him , not believing on him , but blaspheming him in his person , and persecuting him in his members , in all that professed his name . so we have it recorded , acts 8. where the story tells us , how he being then called , saul consented to stephen's death , vers . 1. and how he made havock of the church , entring into every house , and , haling men and women , committed them to prison . and after , chap. 9. v. 1 , 2. breathing out threatnings and slaughter , against the disciples of the lord , he went unto the high priest , and desired of him letters , that if he found any of this way , whether they were men or women , he might bring them bound to ierusalem . such was his zeal then against christ , and against the doctrine of the gospel , and all the true professors of it . and this was the sin which here he chargeth so heavily upon himself , as the chiefest of sins , making him the chief of sinners . this it was that made him think so meanly , so vilely of himself as he did , to account himself the least of the apostles , not worthy to be an apostle , because ( saith he ) i persecuted the church of god , 1 cor. 15. 9. and so here to call himself the chief of sinners , in as much as he had been ( as he declares in the verse next but one before the text , vers . 13. ) a blasphemer , a persecuter , injurious . thus it was . nemo acrior inter persecutores , ergo nemo pejor inter peccatores , ( as augustine hath it ) . among all the persecutors of his time , none more fierce , more eager than he ; and therefore among all sinners , none greater than he . so it is , among all sins , there is none greater than the sin of infidelitie . this is calvins observation , which he from hence taketh up , and not without ground . this is the sin , that bringeth upon a man the greatest guilt , and maketh him one of the greatest sinners , even the sin of infidelitie ; specially when it is accompanied with obstinacie , and contumacie , and pertinacie 〈◊〉 as paul's sin here was ) : now there is no sin like this sin , this sin against the gospel . sins against the law may be great sins , some of them greater than other , some crying sins , of a heinous and horrid nature : but none of them like this sin against the gospel , infidelitie , when it is ( as i said ) accompanied with obstinacy ; when men will not receive christ , being offered and tendred unto them , but reject him , and will not believe on him . this is the sin . when the comforter shall come ( saith our saviour to his apostles ) , he shall reprove the world of sin , of righteousness , and of iudgment : of sin , because they believe not on me , joh. 16. 8 , 9. intimating this to be the sin , the greatest sin that shall lie most heavy upon the world . no sin like this sin . if i had not come and spoken unto them , they had not had sin , ( saith he of the iews , in the chapter foregoing ) ioh. 15. 22. had not christ come unto them , and made himself known to them , they had had no sin comparatively , not so great sin to answer for , as now they had . this is the condemning sin . this is the condemnation , that light is come into the world , and men loved darkness rather than light , joh. 3. 19. iesus christ , who was the true light , being clearly revealed , as he is , under the gospel , the not receiving , but rejecting of him , this is the condemning sin , laying those that are guilty of it , under the just sentence of cond●…nation . he that believeth not , is condemned already , ( saith the verse there foregoing , verse 18. ) . he is so , being layed under the sentence of condemnation , as for his other sins , original and actual , so in special for this , his not believing . no sin like obstinate infidelitie ; when men shall shut their eyes against the light , will not receive christ , and the doctrine of salvation by him , but oppose it , and according to their power persecute it . this was pauls sin , and it was such a sin as weighed down all his legal righteousness , making him , in his own estimation and account , the worst , the vilest , the greatest , the chief of sinners . which let it be taken notice of , and seriously considered ; and that , as by all of us , that we may be convinced of the greatness of this sin , this sin of infidelity , whereof there is none of us , but in some degree or other stand guilty : so in special , 1. by meer civil persons , who look after nothing but the righteousness of the law. so they may but approve themselvs legally , and morally righteous as to the world , they regard not that evangelical righteousness , whereby they may come to stand righteous before god : so long as they do but yield an outward obedience to the law , they regard not the obedience of faith. whilest they are just , and sober , and temperate , and chaste , innocent , and harmless in their lives , they think that shall pl●… for them , that shall justifie them . so did that young man in the gospel , who , when our saviour had repeated to him the duties of the second table , thou shalt do no murder , thou shalt not commit adultery , &c. he presently replyeth , all these things have i kept from my youth up , mat. 19. 20. having yielded an external obedience to what the law required , he thought this was sufficient for his justification and salvation . and so do many others . but alas ! herein how far are they deceived ? all this may a man do , and yet for all that , be among the chiefest of sinners . an instance whereof we have in the text. paul was ( as you have heard ) an exact walker , a strict observer of the law , blameless in his life and conversation ; and yet for all that the chief of sinners . which , i beseech you , to take notice of , who build your hopes of salvation upon the sandy foundation of your own righteousness , your good doings , your good meanings ; you are not as other men , ( as that pharisee in the temple said of himself , thanking god for it , god , i thank thee , that i am not as other men are , extortioners , unjust , adulterers , &c. luke 18. 11. ) you are not tainted and polluted with the crying sinns of the times ; you are no drunkards , no swearers , no unclean or unrighteous persons ; your lives are blameless , and your conversations harm●… ; and you do ( it may be ) some , and many good duties , as giving of almes , &c. and therefore you hope it shall go well with you , that god will own , and accept you as righteous . alas , for all this you may be sinners , and great sinners still : i , and such you are , if you refuse to yield obedience to the command of the gospel . the gospel-commandement is the great commandement . this is his commandement , that we should believe on the name of his son , iesus christ , 1 john 3. 23. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , the commandement , that commandement which christians ought to have a respect to in the first place . and obedience to this command , is the most acceptable obedience . paul telleth his romans , that he had received grace , and apostleship ( i. e. the gift of being an apostle ) for the obedience of the faith , rom. 1. 5. that he might be an instrument to bring the gentiles to yield obedience to the doctrine of faith , the gospel . not to yield obedience hereunto , is the greatest disobedience . this is that which he chargeth upon the iews , that they had not obeyed the gospel , rom. 10. 16. many of them had obeyed the law , seeking righteousness by their conformity thereunto ; they followed after the law of righteousness , ( as he saith of them in the chapter foregoing , ver . 31. ) seeking righteousness by their obedience to the law. but they had not obeyed the gospel . and this he chargeth upon them as ●…he highest contempt , the greatest disobedience ; that they , going about to set up , and establish their own righteousness , did not , would not , submit themselves to the righteousness of god , ( as he tells them , chap. 10. ver . 3. ) that is , to seek justification in gods way ; that way which he had laid out for them , viz. by receiving christ , and believing on him . and is not this the case of some , and i fear too many among us ? ( pardon me if i take liberty a little to insist upon this so needfull a point . ) all their care is to hear what moses saith unto them , to yeild obedidience to the law ; whilst in the mean time they listen not to the voice of christ , the voice of the gospel ; they regard not the obedience of faith , but trample upon christ , and the doctrine of salvation by him ; not receiving , not embracing it , not laying hold upon it , not seeking justification and salvation by it . now as for all such , let them know that it is not all their legal righteousness , that shall be able to justifie them before god. before men it may , ( in which sense st. iames tells us of a iustification by works , jam. 2. ) but before god it cannot , it shall not . having no other righteousness but this , they shall still stand as sinners before him ; yea , as great sinners . in this rank ( continuing in this their infidelity ) they will be found at that great day . the wicked servant in ●…e gospel , is said to have his portion appointed him with unbelievers , luke 12. 46. intimating such to be the chief of sinners . such they will be found at that great day . no sin will then be more deeply censured than this . then will it be as easie , nay , more easie , for pagans and painims , who never heard of christ , than for unbelieving christians , who reject christ , and trample this precious pearl of the gospel under their feet . here is the first sort whom i would have to take notice of this doctrine ; meer civil persons . 2. and to these , joyn we such vain-glorious hypocrites , as make a shew of religion , being zealous for the outside , the ceremonial part of it , ( as paul was of the traditions of his fathers . ) none more observant of external formalities than they . in the worship and service of god , who seemingly more devout than they ? yet in the mean time , they are no true friends to jesus christ , having no inward acquaintance with him . 3. but what shall we then say to those that are enemies to him ? not only not receiving him into their hearts , but opposing him ; yea , and according to their power persecuting him , and his . this was pauls case ( as you have heard whilest he was zealous for the ceremonies of the law , he was an imbittered enemy against christ , a blasphemer , a persecuter , speaking evil of the way of christ , and persecuting all that he found of that way . and for this , he here censures , and condemns himself to be the chief of sinners . who ever they are , that in any degree stand guilty in the like kind , let them take it home to themselves ; so as , being convinced of the greatness of this their sin , they may come to judg themselves for it ( as he did ) , and so by judging and condemning of themselves , they may prevent the lords judgment ; and obtain mercy , as he also did . thus you see , whereupon it was the apostle passeth this censure upon himself , confessing and acknowledging , that he was the chief of sinners . why , but it may be alledged , that , what paul herein did , he did it ignorantly . so much he himself asserts in the verse next but one before the text , vers . 13. i was so and so , but ( saith he ) i did it ignorantly ; not intending any evil , nor suspecting that what he did was evil ; only he was carried on with a blind inconsiderate zeal , thinking that he did god good service in that which he did . so he tells agrippa , acts 26. 9. i verily thought with my self , that i ought to do many things contrary to the name of iesus of nazareth . and might not this have pleaded an excuse for him ? a. not so : ignorance , however in some cases it may extenuate the sin , yet can it not acquit the sinner . especially , where it is ( as it is called ) ignorantia vincibilis , a vincible ignorance ; when a man hath means whereby he may come to the knowledg of the truth . such was pauls ignorance , he might have known that iesus christ was the true messiah . this he might have learned from the prophets and apostles , as also from those works which did sufficiently testifie of him , the miracles which were wrought by him , and by his apostles , for the confirming of that doctrine which was by him preached : so as his ignorance of this truth was in it self culpable and inexcuseable ; and consequently , could not excuse this sin of his , in opposing the truth of god , in persecuting christ in his members , as he did . notwithstanding this , yet was he in so doing a sinner , a great sinner , the chief of sinners . which let it be taken notice of , by such who are ready under such a pretence , to palliate and excuse the like sins in themselves . what they did , they did it ignorantly , or they did it out of a good intention , though rashly and unadvisedly , &c. and therefore they think this shall excuse them before god and men . not so . before men , haply it may , but not so before god. for all this , they are sinners still . ignorance may excuse à tanto , but not à toto ; in part , but not in whole . sins of ignorance , are sins still . the apostle tells us , how the high priest under the law , offered sacrifices for the errours of the people , heb. 9. 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , super ignorantiis , ( as eras●…us , and the vulgar latine render it ) for their ignorances , their sense of ignorance . and therefore let not any think that this plea will hold good at the bar of gods justice , if they shall come to be tried there . true it is , it may make them more capable of pardon , upon their suing it out , ( as paul there saith of himself , that he obtained mercy , because he did what he did , ignorantly , v. 13. ) : but it cannot acquit , and discharge them of the sin. paul was still a sinner ; i , in his own apprehension , the chief of sinners . but the knot is not yet untied , the point not fully cleared . paul was a sinner , a great sinner , let that be granted ; yet how was he the chief of sinners ? were there not others as great , if not greater than he ? what , had there not been many that had been guilty in the very same kind before him ? having as great a hand in opposing and persecuting of christ , as ever he had ? what say we to herod , who sought to murder christ in his cradle , upon which account ( to make sure of him ) he caused all the children in bethleem , and the coasts thereof , from two years old and under , to be slain , mat. 2. 16 ? and so to those others , ( probably his instruments ) who are there said to have sought the young childs life , vers . 20. and what say we to the chief priests and scribes , of whom we read , that they sought how they might kill him , luk. 22. 2 ? and what to iudas , who ( as it there followeth ) communed and bargained with them for a sum of mony , to betray that his lord and master into their hands ; which being ingaged in , he sought opportunitie to do , v. 4. 6. and afterwards did it ? and what say we to herod and pilate , who had a hand in condemning him ? and what to the iews , who used him so inhumanely and barbarously as they did , putting a crown of thorns upon his head , reviling and spitting upon him , buffeting him , and afterwards crucifying him ? which , however some of them did it ignorantly , ( as our saviour , making the most charitable construction of it , saith of them , father forgive them , for they know not what they do , luk. 23. 34. ) yet , can it not be so thought of all : some of them doing what they did out of implacable malice . and what , were not these as great , nay greater sinners than paul was ? who did what he did ignorantly . how is it then , that he here chargeth himself so deeply , that he was the chief of sinners ? to this , i find diverse answers returned . some ( in the first place ) look upon pauls sin as more general , rea●…hing further than theirs did . iudas his sin in betraying , and theirs in condemning and crucifying of christ , it was more particular , extending only to his person ; but paul's , reaching to the whole church . others ( in the second place ) conceive that paul might be more zealous , more active and stirring , more fierce than any of them . besides ( thirdly ) he had more light , at least , greater means of knowledg then the most of them . but ( as aquinas notes upon it ) all these will not resolve the doubt , in asmuch as pauls sin was still a sin of ignorance , but some of theirs of malice . aquinas himself therefore ( in the second place ) he would evade it thus . paul here calleth himself the chief of sinners ; that is , ( saith he ) not of all sinners , but of saved sinners . of such it is that he here speaketh . christ iesus came into the world to save sinners , of whom ( of which saved sinners ) i am chief . as for iudas , and herod , and pilate , and other of the malicious iewes , they had not found the like mercy that he had done . they were sinners , but damned sinners , not saved by christ. now of all such ( saith he ) paul here reckons himself the chief . but neither can this be looked upon as satisfactory ; in as much it layeth too great a restraint upon the words of the text , which must be understood indefinitely , of all sinners . christ iesus came into the world to save sinners ; tendring , and offering salvation unto all . and of all these sinners paul here acknowledgeth himself to be the chief . more genuinely then ( in the third place ) paul was the greatest of sinners in his own apprehension : being best acquainted with his own sins , and most sensible of them : peccata mea certius scio , & gravius pondero ( saith carthusian well ) , he did more certainly know , and more sensibly feel his own sins , than the sins of others . 1. more certainly know them . as for the sins of others , he looked upon them at a distance , a far off , knowing them onely by hear-say ; in the mean time , not knowing all the circumstances accompanying them , which might either aggravate , or extenuate them . but for his own sins , these he was well acquainted with , his eyes being fully opened , and having a great measure of light , which breaking forth into his soul , he had now a full discovery of them , so as he was powerfully , and thorowly convinced of them : hereby he was made throrowly acquainted , as with the streams , so with the fountain ; as with the several acts of sinne which he had perpetrated , and committed , so with the fountain of corruption from whence they issued : and both these he took notice of in himself , which he could not do in others . as for the outward acts of sinne in others , these he might either see , or hear of ; but as for the fountain of corruption , that mass and body of sin in them , that he could not be privy to . thus was he better acquainted with himself , than with others ; and with his own sins , than theirs : having a more clear , and full sight of the one , than of the other . so he had , whilest ( as i said ) he beheld the one near hand , the other afar off . now things which we behold near hand , we behold them in their full proportion , whereas things seen at a distance ▪ seem much less than they are . as a hawk flying a high pitch , her shape is lessened , being seemingly far less than when she was upon the fist , or pearch . whereas the moon , though one of the least of stars , yet seemeth far to exceed them in magnitude , because not so remote , but nearer to the earth than they . so was it with paul's sins ; they were nearer to his eye , than the sins of others , and therefore seem'd greater to him , than the sins of any other . besides , they were set off ( as i may say ) by the greatness of that grace and mercy which he had tasted of . contraries , they do mutually illustrate each other , as that common maxim tells us , contraria juxtà ●…e posita magis elucescunt . white and black being set together , make each other appear the more . and surely paul having obtained mercy , tasted of those exceeding riches of grace , which god had shewn to him in his kindness towards him in christ iesus , in the pardoning and forgiving of his sins , & receiving him into so great favour ; this made his sins to appear unto him so much the more sinful . even as it is with a traytor having plotted treason against his prince , against his person or government , and being convicted of it ▪ and condemned for it , if his prince out of his special grace shall please , not only to pardon his crime , but to receive him into grace and favour , admitting him to some place of trust and nearness about his person : certainly , if there be any ingenuitie in such a person , this cannot but make him see the foulness of his errour , and make the treason seem more horrid unto him , than ever the rigour of the law , if executed upon him , would have done . thus was it with this our apostle . paul had taken up arms against christ , and against his church , shewing himself a rebel , an enemie to his person and government , exercising all the acts of hostility that he could upon his subjects , and that for his cause , whom he thus maligned , that he would even have pulled him out of his throne , if his power would have reached unto it . now , this sin christ pardoneth unto him , giving him his pardon under seal , assuring him of it . and not only so , but he receiveth him , into special grace and favour with himself , entertaining him as a servant , a servant by office , admitts him to a place of near attendance , preferring him to the highest office in his court , to be an apostle , a chief apostle , conferring many great and signal favours upon him : no wonder then , that he having now a true spirit of ingenuitie in him , ( such is the spirit of god ) should look upon his former course as most vile , most sinful , and that he should thus deeply charge himself to be the chief of sinners . the story tells us of peter , how , when at his masters command , after so long labour in vain , having ( as he saith ) toyled all the night and taken nothing ; he had again cast in his net , and thereupon , haled such a wonderful draught of fishes ; hereupon beholding the power of christ , who hereby shewed that he had all the fishes of the sea at his command ; when he saw it , he fell down at his knees , ( saith the text ) saying , depart from me , for i am a sinful man , o lord , luk. 5. 8. peter was a sinful man before , and he knew himself so to be . but now , beholding the power and soveraignty of his lord and master , thus wonderfully manifested , this makes him reflect the more upon himself ; and so wrought in him , a greater , a deeper apprehension of his own vileness , his own sinfulness . and thus was it with this our apostle st. paul. having had greater experience , as of the power , so of the grace and mercy of christ , than others , in pulling him as a firebrand out of the flames , in working so great a change in him , this maketh him to reflect the more strongly upon his former course , and breeds in him a deeper apprehension of the heinous and horrid nature of his former practises , causing him to charge himself so home as here he doth , to accuse and condemn himself as the chief of sinners . thus , he saw his own sinfulness , more than the sinfulness of others , being better acquainted with his own sins , then with the sins of others . 2. and again , as he saw them , so he felt them . as for the sins of others , he might see them , or hear of them , but he could not feel them . his own he both saw and felt . seeing the foul and horrid nature of them , he also felt the weight and burden of them , which he did not of others . and this again , made him think his sins greater than the sins of any other . cuique gravissimum suum onus , ( saith aretius upon it ) . every one thinks his own burden heaviest , which he carries upon his own shoulders ; his own affliction , the soarest and greatest . behold , and see , if there be any sorrow like my sorrow which is done unto me , wherewith the lord hath afflicted me , ( saith the church ) lam. 1. 12. a man that is pained in the head , or teeth , or eyes , ( as à lapide illustrates it ) he is ready to say , and think , that there is no pain like his pain . and he giveth this reason for it , because he knoweth his own pain by sense and experience , and others , only by speculation and report . he heareth of the one , but he feeleth the other ; and so he is most sensible of his own . even thus was it with the blessed apostle here . he had without question , heard of the sins of others , and he saw them to be great sins ; i , but he feeleth his own . he had felt the burden of his former sins , and he still felt the weight of that body of sin , which he yet carried about with him . and this it was that made him thus to think , and thus to speak of himself , as the greatest , the chiefest of sinners . behold here then , the true disposition of a gracious soul , a character of a truly penitent sinner , he is frequent in remembring , forward in acknowledging , and se●…ere in censuring of his own sins . all these we see in this chosen vessel , this blessed apostle here in the text , who having occasion to make mention of sinners , he presently reflects upon himself , calling to remembrance his own sins ; and remembring them , he acknowledgeth them ; and acknowledging them , he censures them and himself for them , and that most severely ; confessing and professing himself to be not only one of that number , a sinner , but one of the chief of them , a great sinner , nay the greatest , the chief of sinners . and the like disposition shall we find in every truly gracious soul , every true penitent sinner . haveing tasted of the grace of god in the pardon of his sins , and in changing and renewing of him , he is ever after a frequent remembrancer , an ingenuous confessor , a severe censurer of his own sins . an observation , which ( as you see ) , is tripartite , made up of three distinct branches ; every of which , will yield us some fruit worth the gathering . that i may not grasp too much at once , i shall single them forth one by one , insisting upon each severally , and that , both by way of doctrine and application . begin with the first . a gracious soul , is a frequent remembrancer to its self , frequent in reflecting upon it's own sinful wayes and courses . it is the speech of the church , isa. 59. 12. our transgressions are with us , and as for our iniquities , we know them . and the like may be said of every truly penitent sinner ; his transgressions are with him , and as for his iniquities , he knows them . taking special notice of them , he is frequent in remembring of them . so was it with the man after god's own heart , holy david , whom we shall find frequently striking upon this string . his sins were ever and anon in his eye , so as he took notice both of the number and nature , the multitude and magnitude of them . thence are those passionate complaints of his which we meet with , that his iniquities were gon over his head , psal. 38. 4. that they were more than the hairs of his head , psal. 40. 12. thus did he keep a remembrance of them , even of such sins as were long before committed . so he did of the sins of his youth , which we find him deprecating , earnestly begging of god , that he would not remember them , remember not the sins of my youth , psal. 25. 7. thereby shewing , that he himself had not forgotten them , he remembered them . so he did some sins in special , as viz. that foul sin of his in the matter of uriah ; that sin was never out of his sight . my sin ( saith he , speaking of that sin ) is ever before me , psal. 51. 3. it was ever in his eye and thought . i , but it may be said : david at this time was in great trouble of mind for that sin . and no wonder then , that he should remember that which he could not forget ; that sin of his , lying so heavy upon his conscience . and as for his condition at that time , when he complained so of his sinnes , that they were gon over his head , he was then under a great distress , under some soar affliction , the arrows of the almighty stuck fast in him , and his hand pressed him soar , ( as he complains , psal. 38. 2. ) and so was it with the church in the place forecited ; she was at that time in great calamity and distress , lying under the judgments of god for her sins , ( as she there sets it forth in the verses foregoing , isa. 59. 9 , 10 , 11. ) now , no wonder that their sins should be brought to their remembrance at such a time . iosephs brethren having been for three dayes in ward , then they remembered the evill that they had done to their brother , gen. 42. 21. and no wonder if the church , lying under so great calamity ; and david in so great distress , such affliction of body and spirit ; should remember and call to mind their sins . what great matter is this ? who would not do it at such a time ? in their affliction , they will seek me early , ( saith the lord of rebellious ephraim and iudah , the people of israel ) hos. 5. verse last . to go further then ; god's saints have been frequent in remembring their sins , not only whilest god hath set them before them , and made them to possess them , ( as iob speaketh of himself , iob 13. 26. thou writest bitter things against me , and makest me to possess the iniquities of my youth , that is , thou bringest them to my remembrance , by dealing so severely with me . not only at such times , when their iniquities have took hold of them , so as they have not been able to look up under them , ( as david there saith of himself , psal. 40. 12. ) but when all things have gone well with them , after such time as they have sued out the pardon of their sins , have been assured of their reconciliation with god , and so have injoyed a quiet and comfortable condition in all respects : yet , even then , they have been much in reflecting upon their sins , in calling them to mind upon all occasions . for an instance hereof , we shall need no other then this our apostle . paul , upon his conversion , he had all his sins pardoned , and that pardon sealed up in his soul , so as he was fully assured , that all the wrong that he had done unto christ and to his church , it was now forgotten in heaven , and should never be charged upon him . his cognizance hereof , he expresseth in the verse next but one before the text , vers. 13. i was so and so , ( saith he ) but i obteined mercy , ( which he repeats again in the verse after the text , vers. 16. ) that is , to have these , and all other my sins pardoned and forgiven to me . this was paul now assured of , that god had blotted out all these sins of his , out of the book of his remembrance , so as they should never be charged upon him . yet for all this , he himself cannot forget them . upon all occasions he reflects upon them , and takes occasion to speak of them . so we may see it in those obvious texts , act. 22. 4. chap. 26. 10. 11. 1 cor. 15. 9. gal. 1. 13. ephes. 3. 8. and so here again in this chapter , as in the 13. verse , so again in this text , where the mentioning of sinners , causeth him to reflect upon himself , to remember and consider , what a one he was before his conversion . and thus fareth it with truly penitent sinners , how ever god upon their repentance , blots their sins out of his own book , and casts them behind his back , remembring them no more ( as he promiseth , isa. 43. 25. ) yet doth he not blot them out of their book , the book of their remembrance , nor cause them to cast them behind their backs . still they remember them , and cannot forget them . true , ( you may say ) where the sins have been foul , gross , and scandalous sins , heynous and horrid sins ; no wonder now if they stick by a man , and be often brought to his remembrance . such were davids sins in the matter of uriah , adultery and murder . and such were pauls sins in blaspheming of christ and persecuting his saints , crying-sins . no wonder if such sins as these did stick by them , & were ever before them . but this is not the case of all . some and many there are , who do not stand guilty of any such sins , their lives have been more innocent and blameless , they have been kept from such foul & gross evils . what ? are they also to have such a frequent remembrance of their sins ? surely , yes . there being ( in the ist. place ) few or none but at some time or other , have fallen into some such fins , as they have cause in a special manner , to remember all their dayes . however , ( 2dly ) they have a body of sin in them , which they carry about with them , a mass of corruption , strongly enclining them to evil , which is continually ready to break forth , if it were not by a supernatural power restrained . besides , ( 3dly ) they have many secret inordinate lusts , which , though they do not break forth into the outward act , yet oft times they have inward workings in the soul. now these require a frequent reflecting upon , to be often had in remembrance . so they have been by the saints of god. iohn the baptist , was an holy man , sanctified in his infancy , as the angel tells his father zacharias of him , luk. 1. 15. he shall be filled with the holy ghost , even from his mothers womb ; sanctified ( as ieremie is said to have been , ier. 1. 5. ) before he came forth of the womb . a saint from his birth . and such , questionless , he was in his life , holy and blamless , free from grosser evils , yet was not he unmindful of the corruption of his nature , and the errors of his life . so much may be collected from that speech of his , to our saviour , who tendring himself to his baptism , iohn tells him , i have need to be baptised of thee , mat. 3. 14. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , ego necesse habeo , ( as beza translates it ) , it is not only expedient , but necessary for me , that i should be baptised of thee . and why so ? why , that by him he might be washen from all fins , original and actual , which he had then in remembrance . but i shall not need to seek for any other instance than this in the text. this blessed apostle , he was much exercised and taken up , not onely with the remembrance of these grosser sins committed before his conversion , but even with the sight and sense of his present corruption , and daily failings . so much we may learn from his own mouth : as elsewhere , so especially in that seventh of the romans ; where ( not personating any other , but speaking of himself ) we find him passionately bewailing , and bemoaning his condition ; not in regard of the evils of his former course , but of his daily infirmities , his sinful omissions and commissions , ver . 15. what i would , that i do not ; but what i hate , that i do : ver . 19. the good that i would , that i do not ; but the evil which i would not , that i do . and so out of the strength of corruption working in him , and sometimes prevailing against him . i finde ( saith he ) a law , that when i would do good , evil is present with me , ver . 21. i see a law in my members , rebelling against the law of my mind , and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin , which is in my members . thus was this precious saint much taken up , not onely with reflecting upon his former sinnes before conversion , but with considering his present condition . in the sense and apprehension whereof , he therebreaks forth into that passionate complaint , ver. 24. o wretched man that i am , who shall deliver me from the body of this death ? and so here in the text , iesus christ came into the world to save sinners , of whom i am chief . not onely was , but am , a sinner , a great sinner still . thus were his sins ever before him ; sins before conversion , and sins after conversion . and so is it in measure with every gracious soul , being truly penitent for sin ; it cannot forget it , it is frequent in the remembrance of it . and it cannot be otherwise , the eyes of such a one being ( in the first place ) throughly opened . the man whose eyes are open ( saith balaam of himself ) numb . 24. 3. meaning either his bodily eyes , which being closed whilst he was in a trance , were now opened ; or rather the eyes of his mind , which were now opened , to behold , and fore-see those future events , which before were hid from him , and others . it may be applied to every true convert ; every such a one is a man whose eyes were shut , but now they are open : the eyes of his understanding being opened , to see the true nature of sin , and to see it in himself ; to see the sinfulness of his nature , and of his life . 2. and his understanding being thus enlightned , his conscience is withal awakned , so as that doth the office , for which it was placed in the soul , being as a faithful register , recording and remembring the several acts of sin . 3. and again , ( thirdly ) the true penitent sinner hath been pricked at his heart : as is said of those new converts , acts 2. 37. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , they were pricked in their hearts ; deeply affected with the sense of those sins , whereof they were by peter's sermon convinced . and so in measure are all true penitent sinners . being convinced of their sins , they are in like manner affected with grief and sorrow of heart for them . now that which goeth near a mans heart , maketh a deep and firm impression upon the memory , so as it cannot easily be forgotten . these , and many other reasons might be given , why a regenerate person should be so mindful of his own sins : and that more than the sins of others . the sinnes of others , however they both may , and ought to affect a christian , upon the seeing , or hearing of them ; yet they come not so near the heart , they make not so deep an impression upon the soul , as a mans own sinnes do . thus have i done with the doctrinal part of this first branch : which now , bring we home to our selves , by way of application . let that be directed onely two wayes ; by way of conviction , by way of exhortation ▪ 1st . by way of conviction . is this the disposition of a truly gracious soul , a true penitent sinner ? how many then are there , who may from hence be convinced , that they are none of this number , being such , as seldom , or never , reflect upon their own sinfulness ; or , if they do , they do it not in a right way and manner . of these , i shall reckon up four or five several sorts . 1. some there are , and many , whose consciences were never yet awakened , their eyes were never yet opened to see their own sinfulness , the sinfulness of their natures , and errours of their lives . such a dead sleep hath seised upon them , that nothing will awaken them . notwithstanding that their sins , being ( it may be ) crying sins , cry loud in their ears ; yet they hear them not . notwithstanding that the iudgments of god against those sins , and against them for them , have been by his ministers thundered out in their ears , enough to shake and rend the most rocky heart ; yet they stir not them . notwithstanding , that their sins have taken hold upon them , and broke forth upon them in many terrible and remarkable judgments , pointing out their sins unto them ; yet they affect them not . still they go on in their way , being stupid and sensless , never brought to consider the state and condition they are in ; never brought to fix a serious thought upon any of their sins , though never so foul , never so open and scandalous . others see them , the world cryeth shame on them , yet themselves are not at all touched with the sense of them . such a dead sleep ( as i called it ) is fallen upon them . and well may it so be called . when a man cannot be awakened by hallowing in his ears , by pricking , and pinching , and smiting of him , we conclude he is in a desperate lethargie , a dead sleep . and is not this the case of many stupid souls among us ? word , threatnings , iudgments ; word pronounced , threatnings denounced , judgments executed ; yet all stir not them . still they lie in sin , go on in sin without sense , without remorse , never reflecting upon themselves , upon their hearts or lives , to consider the evil of them . this is that which the lord complaineth of in the people of hierusalem , jer. 8. 6. i hearkened and heard , but they spake not aright , no man repented him of his wickedness , saying , what have i done ? every one turned to his course , as the horse rusheth into the battle . such was their general securitie and stupiditie ! none of them had any remorse , or touch at all in their consciences for any of their sins , so far forth , as but to think once seriously with themselves , what it was that they had done ; but like a fierce headstrong horse , which hearing the sound of the trumpet , and seeing or smelling the battle a far off , doth with much violence , notwithstanding what his rider can do to hold him in , in a full carier make towards it , and rusheth into the midst of it . such was the eagerness of that people to the pursuit of their sinful wayes and courses . and so is it with too many every where : whatever can be said or done to them , yet still they will hold on their course , nothing can bring them to a serious consideration of the evil thereof . so far are they from that tenderness of conscience , which was in this our blessed apostle , and is to be found in measure in every regenerate person , ( who having tender hearts ( as iosiah is said to have , 2 chron. 34. 27. ) the least hint is enough to bring their sins to remembrance ) that nothing will stir , nothing will awaken them . certainly a fearful state , a desperate condition , a clear evidence , that they are ( as the apostle saith of his ephesians before their conversion , ephes 2. 1. ) dead in trespasses and sins ! 2. a second sort there are , who have been , and it may be are , in measure awakened , but they labour what they can , to lull themselves a sleep again . god hath , it may be , at some time , upon some occasion , begun to bring their sins to their remembrance and to set them before them . happily , upon the hearing of some powerful sermon , upon the feeling or fearing of some terrible judgment , their consciences have begun to be awakened , and thereupon their sins have begun to stare them in the face . they have been in measure convinced of the evil of their former wayes , and have felt some horror of conscience for them . but hereupon what do they ? why presently do what they can to get their consciences a sleep again ; take all the courses they can to charm their sins , to silence and stay the clamour of them , or to stop their ears against them , that so they may never hear more of them . to this end they even study the art of oblivion and forgetfulness . 1. shunning , as much as may be , all means that might disquiet their consciences , by bringing their sins to their remembrance . upon that account declining , as much as they can , a searching , and a powerful ministry . a thing , which they can by no means endure . what have i to do with thee , thou man of god ? art thou come to call my sin to remembrance ? it is the speech of the widow of sarepta , speaking in a passion to the prophet eliah , 1 king. 17. 18. so it is : the prophets of god , his ministers powerfully dispensing the word , denouncing the judgment of god , they bring the sins of wicked men to their remembrance , and therefore they cannot away with them . this it was , that made ahab to decline micaiahs ministery and to hate his person ; because ( as he himself giveth the reason of it ) , he did not prophesie good concerning him , but evil , 1 king. 22. 8. he would not flatter , and smooth him up in his sins , ( as the rest of his false prophets did ) but dealt plainly with him , being to him a faithful remembrancer , to put him in mind of them . and this it was , that made faelix so weary of hearing paul's sermon , act. 24. 25. paul preaching to him of righteousness , and temperance , and iudgement , ( a subject which he liked not to hear of , being conscious to himself of his own flagitious and wicked life ) put him into a trembling fit , his conscience beginning to be awakened ; which he could by no means endure . and is not this the case of some , and too many amongst us ? being desirous to lull their consciences asleep , and to go on in their sinful ways & courses without disquietment , they thereupon baulk , and , as much as may be , decline the powerful ministry of the word ; at least , not enduring that their darling sins should be medled with . i charge you , o ye daughters of hierusalem , that ye stir not up , nor awake my love till he please , ( saith the spouse concerning her well-beloved ) cant. 2. 7. and the like charge could some be content to give to the lords watchmen , the ministers of christ , that they should not stir , or disquiet their beloved lusts ; which if they do , they cannot bear , they cannot endure it at their hands . herod could be content to hear iohn the baptist , and in many things he heard him gladly , ( as it is said of him , mark 6. 20. ) but when he commeth to meddle with his herodias , telling him ( as he did , ver . 18. ) that it was not lawful for him to have his brother's wife ; now this must not be endured , iohn must presently to the prison , and at herodias his request have his head cut off , ( as the story there sets it forth ) . such is the genius of too many every where ( i wish there may be none of them found among you ) , they purposely decline all wayes and means , which might bring their sins to their remembrance . 2. and on the other hand , they make use of all kind of opiates ; use all the means they can devise , or think of ; to put and keep their sins out of their remembrance . to that end , either with cain , falling to building of cities , gen. 4. 17. they plunge themselves into all kind of worldly employments ; or with solomons fool , running into the house of mirth , eccles. 7. 4. betake themselves to merry jovial company , give themselves up to the following of vain sports and recreations ; seeking , by this means , to drive away the evil spirit of an awakened conscience , and to drown the noise and clamour of their sins ; even as those idolaters are said to have done the cryes of their children , which they sacrificed in the vallie of hinnom , with the noise of drums , or other instruments , ( from whence it had the name of topheth , coming from the hebrew word toph , which signifieth tympanum , a tymbrel , or drum ) . now these are far from pauls disposition here in the text , who was willing to take all occasions to put him in minde of his sins . a third sort there are , who have attained what the former desired , and endeavoured ; having been awakened , they are fallen asleep again . time was , when their consciences were pricked , they were convinced of the evil of their wayes , which had begun to breed some repenting and relenting thoughts in them ; but now they are ( as i said ) fallen asleep again , having put away the remembrance of what they had been for a time somewhat affected with ; so as it hath now hapned to them , according to the proverb , ( which st. peter speaketh of , 2 pet. 2. last ) the dog is turned to his own vomit , and the sow that was washen , to the wallowing in the mire . they are returned to their former course , so as now they go on again as securely as ever , forgetting the things that are behind . as paul saith of himself in a clean contrary sense , in his doing of good , forgetting those which are behind , and reaching forth to those things which are before , i press towards the mark , &c. phil. 3. 13. even so is it with them , in acting and committing of sin , they forget the sins which are behind , the sins of youth , and the sins of riper age , which , it may be , they have been formerly convinced of ; and they press forwards to the making up of the full measure of their iniquities . a fourth sort there are , who do , it may be , at sometimes remember their sins , but it is very seldome , and then against their wills . never but at such times , as when god is pleased to set their sins before them , making them to possess them , bringing them to their remembrance , by writing bitter things against them , inflicting upon them some severe judgement . now , it may be , they cast some glances upon their sins , looking upon them as the fewel that have kindled this fire . even as that widow of sarepta did in the text even now cited , 1 kings 17. 18. her son being sick , and the prophet coming to her , now she remembreth her sin , which she apprehended might have brought that threatned judgement upon her and hers : art thou come unto me ( saith she ) to ▪ call my sin to remembrance ? but no sooner is the storm over , but they cast their sins behind their backs again , remembring them no more ; in times of prosperity , never so much as thinking of them . in this , like some bad debtors , who never think of what they owe , but when they are under arrest , or at least see the sergeant . to these , yet adde another sort , worse than all the former . they , it may be , do look back , and call their former sins to their remembrance ; but how ? not remembring them as they ought to do ; not looking upon them as sins , to repent of them , and to be humbled for them , to shame and condemn themselves for them ; but only ( it may be ) as tricks of youth , ( as they call them ) and so making light of them . nay , it may be , remembring of them to boast of them , to glory in them , ( as those idolaters are said to do of their idols , psal. 97. 7. ) or pleasing , and tickling themselves ( as it were ) with the thought and remembrance of those sins , which now they want opportunity , or ability , to act over again . of all the rest , these are the worst . now to speak a word or two to all of these , in special to those secure sinners , such as go on in a course of sin , never reflecting upon themselves , and such as are so far from this frequent remembrance , that they ( as i said ) study the art of forgetfulness , accounting it their happiness to forget their sins ; and consequently cannot endure to be put in minde of them : let all such but seriously consider these two things , which will serve to convince them of the folly and madness of this their course . 1. that all their sins are registred , and put upon record . so they are , and that both in heaven , and upon earth . in heaven in gods book , the book of his remembrance . upon earth , in their own book , the book of conscience . in both these books , are their sinnes entred and recorded : and that so as , whilest they hold on this course , they cannot be blotted out , they cannot be forgotten . 1. in gods book : as david saith of the members of his natural body , in thy book are all my members written , psal. 139. 16. so may a wicked man say of his sins , the members of that body of sin in him , they are all written in gods book , the book of his remembrance . there are the names of all gods saints entered , as the prophet malachy tell us , mal. 3. 16. a book of remembrance was written before him , for them that feared the lord , and that thought upon his name . and there are the names of all wicked & ungodly men entred : and , as their names , so their sinnes . every particular act , with every particular circumstance , being all come up into remembrance before god. so the angel tells cornelius concerning his good works ; his works ▪ of piety and charity , his prayers and almes : thy prayers and thine almes ( saith he ) are come up for a memorial before god , acts 10. 4. and so may it be said of the wicked works of every wicked and ungodly man ; his swearing , his drunkenness , his uncleanness , &c. they are all come in remembrance before god , all entred into his book ; and that so as they cannot , by any means , be blotted out , ( save onely by the blood of christ , and the tears of true repentance ) nor yet worn out ▪ this being a record for eternitie . god's remembrance , is an everlasting remembrance . in this remembrance are the righteous ; the righteous shall be had in everlasting remembrance , psal. 112. 6. men may forget them , but so will not god. and in such a remembrance shall all wicked men and their wicked works be ; they shall be had in everlasting remembrance . so they shall be with god : however they themselves may forget their own sins , and the world may forget them ; yet god , whilest his justice is not satisfied , he will not , he cannot . what a folly then is it in them , to go about to forget them , so long as god remembers them ? were it so , that they could blot them out of their own book , the book of their conscience ; yet as long as they stand upon record in god's book , what will this avail them ? what will it advantage a debtor to cross his own book , so long as his debts stand charged in his creditor's . 2. but ( in the 2d . place ) the sins of wicked men , as they are entered in god's book , so in theirs . as in the book of his remembrance , so in the book of their conscience . in this book ( i say ) they are entered ; i , and so entered , as that they cannot blot them out . blur them they may , but blot them out they cannot . conscience is a record for eternitie . what is written there , is written with indelible characters , such as none but god alone can blot out . thence it is that david maketh his prayer to god , that he would blot out his transgressions , psal. 51. 1. this david himself could not do ; as , not out of god's book , so not out of his own , not out of the book of his conscience . no , do what he could , still his sin was before him ( as he complaines , vers . 3. ) . all that men can do in this case , is but to keep this book shut , ( which for a time haply they may ) ; but to blot out what is written in it , this they cannot do . they may do this , for a time , out of their memorie ; but not out of their conscience . what is written in the memorie , is written oft-times in water ; but what is written in conscience , is written in marble . thus are the sins of wicked men , entered and recorded in these two books , whereof , the one is a true counterpane of the other . and being thus entered here , these books ( in the 2d . place ) shall one day be opened . however , for a time , they may be shut and closed up , so as men do not take notice of what is written in them ; yet , they shall not ever be so . a time will come , when they shall be both opened . 1. god's book shall be opened . however for a time he may keep silence , seeming to connive at wicked and ungodly men , as if he took no notice of their sins , or had forgotten them ; yet , sooner or later , he will open his book , and make them to read what is written there , setting their sins in order before them . this , the lord willeth every presumptuous sinner to take notice of , psal. 50. 21. these things hast thou done , ( saith he ) and i kept silence ; thou thoughtest , i was altogether such a one as thy self , but i will reproove thee , and set them in order before thine eyes , psal. 50. 21. this will god do , sooner or later . he will open his book , and , opening it , he will also open the eyes of all wicked and ungodly men , so as they shall not but read what is there written . they shall not then be able any longer , to avoid the looking and thinking of their sins , no more than king balshazzer could the beholding of the hand writing upon the wall , dan. 5. 5. 2. i , and their own book shall be opened , the book of conscience . that may be shut and sealed up for a time , but it shall be opened sooner or later . conscience , though a sleep for a time , it shall be awakened . and then it shall do it's office , bringing the most secret sins of wicked men , to their remembrance ; setting their sins before them , so , as either to drive them to god by repentance , ( as it did david ) , or to the divel by desperation , ( as it did cain and iudas ) . what a bootless thing is it then , for men to study the art of forgetfulness ? to decline the remembrance of their own sins , when as they are so entred into both these books , which shall one day be thus opened ? q. but when , when ? saith the prophane wretch , when shall this be ? a. why , either sooner or later : soon enough , and too soon , to the cost of all secure sinners . 1. it may be in this life . haply in time of health and prosperity , in the mid'st of their greatest jollity , when they least think of it . so was it with belshazzar , when he was carrowzing in the mid'st of his cups , and least dreamed of any such matter , then did the hand-writing appear to him . and thus god can come unto men , and sometimes doth , in the midst of their outward prosperitie , then awakening their consciences , then representing their sins unto them ▪ 2. but if not then , yet in time of affliction , in time of sickness , at the hour of death , when the judgments of god have seized upon them , and death , his sergeant , hath laid hold upon them , they being then under arrest , ready to be carried to the prison of hell , to be brought before the tribunal of jesus christ , there to give an accompt of what they have done in the flesh ; then doth god often open the book of conscience , and make men to see those sins , which before they had shut their eyes against , setting them before them in the most hideous shapes , calling to remembrance all those sins , which they so long time had studied to forget . 3. but if not so , if the book of conscience be not opened in this life , but men carry it closed and sealed out of the world with them , ( as oft-times it falleth out ) , yet both that and the other book , god's book , shall certainly be opened hereafter ; viz. at the day of iudgment . at the day of particular , more fully at the day of the general iudgment . then shall these books be opened . this st. iohn tells us he saw in a vision , rev. 20. 12. i saw ( saith he ) the dead , small and great , stand before god , and the books were opened . and what books were these ? why , even both these books which i have spoken of , god's book , and man's book ; the book of god's remembrance , and man's conscience : both shall be opened at that great day . and then shall all the sins , that wicked and ungodly men have done , be brought to their remembrance . those sins , which here they cast behind their backs , shall then be set before their faces . those sins , which here they study to forget , they shall then remember them . those sins , which here they turned away their eyes from , they shall then behold them , yea , and that with open face . that which the apostle saith of true believers , and of that clear vision , which they shall one day have , of divine and heavenly mysteries , viz. at the last and great day , 1 cor. 13. 12. now we see through a glass darkly , but then face to face ; with open face , beholding things as they are , it may be said of all wicked and ungodly men , and of their sins . now they behold them through a glass , and that a false glass , and they see them darkly ; conniventibus oculis , winking at them , not willing to behold them in their true colours as they are , to have a true sight and sense of them . but they shall , at that day , that day of wrath , and revelation of the righteous iudgment of god ( as the apostle calleth it , rom. 2. 5. ) thus behold them with open face , having a full sight of them . then shall all their sins be set before them , and so set before them , as that they shall for ever stare in their faces , being unto them , a matter of horrour and terrour to all eternitie . o consider this , all you who are now so loath to look upon your sins , to look upon them as truly penitent sinners do , but account it your happiness to forget them be you convinced of the greatness of your folly herein , and withall of the wretchedness of your state and condition , being hereby sufficiently discovered . this , by way of conviction . in the 2d . place , by way of exhortation , let all be excited herein , to propound this our apostle , as a pattern for their imitation ; remembring their own sins , as he did hi●… . which , ( that it may take place the better ) let it be directed to two sorts of persons ; such as never yet knew , what it was to remember their sins aright ; and such as have remembred them , and repented of them . begin with the former . 1. secure and impenitent sinners , such , whose consciences were never yet throughly awakened , let them be excited to reflect upon themselves ▪ upon their former sinful wayes and courses , to call their sins to remembrance . which i beseech you lend an ear unto , all you who are of this number ; of which , i fear there are too many every where . to excite you whereunto , do but consider that this is the next , nay , the only way , to have your sins forgotten . for you to remember them , is the only way to have god to forget them . if you forget them , he doth , and will remember them . if you remember them , he will forget them . only , see that you remember them in a right way , seriously , with sorrow and shame . this is the right remembrance of sin , when men remember their sinful wayes , and are ashamed of them . this is that which the lord saith , his people , the people of the jews should do , ezek. 16. 6. when he should make good his covenant to them , and establish it with them , viz. upon their conversion , then ( saith he ) thou shalt remember thy ways , and be ashamed , vers. 61. remember , and be confounded ( as t●…e last verse there hath it ) . thus doth the tr●…y penitent sinner remember his sins , he remembers them , and is ashamed of them , self-confounded for them , loathing , and abhorring them , and himself for them . so the lord saith , that his people israel should do , when he should bring them again into their own land , restoring them from their captivity , then ( saith he ) ye shall remember your wayes , and all your doings , wherein ye have been defiled , and ye shall loath your selves in your own sight , for all the evils which ye have committed , cap. 20. of that prophecie , vers . 43. repeated again , cap. 36. vers . 31. and thus , see that you remember your sins . looking back upon them , not as lot's wife did upon her sodom , which she may be conceived to have left against her will , sorrowing , that she and it were parted , and that she might not return to it again ; for which cause she was turned into a pillar of salt , made a monument to all posterity , ( as the story tells us ) gen. 19. 26. thus do aged sinners , sometimes look back upon their sins , their sins of youth , which they have left , ( or rather , which have left them ) not being ashamed of them , or sorrowing for them , but pleasing themselves in the remembrance of them , sorrowing rather that they have been forced to part with them . thus do they remember their sins , as they do their friends being dead , mourning over their graves , lamenting their death , sorry that they could live no longer with them . now , as for such a remembrance , far be it from every of you . would you have god to forget your sins , see that you remember them with sorrow and shame ; loathing and abhorring them , and your selves for them . so look upon them , as a sick patient doth upon his vomit , which his stomack being disburdened of , the very sight or smell of it , is loathsome to him . remembring them , be ashamed of them , and confounded in your selves for them . taking notice ( which let it serve for a second motive ) , that this is the onely way to prevent everlasting confusion at the last and great day . those that will not remember their sins here , shall remember them there ; those that will not remember them with shame here , shall behold them with shame there ; those that will not be confounded for them here , shall be confounded for them at that day , they shall then be ashamed , and also confounded all of them ; they shall go to confusion , ( as the prophet saith of the makers of idols , isa. 45. 16. ) o then ! be awakened , and stir up your selves to such a serious remembrance of your sins . and this do you speedily . not deferring the remembring of them , as too many do ; who , as long as health and strength are continued to them , they go on securely , not willing to trouble themselves with the thought of their sins . no , when the evil day cometh , then it will be soon enough to do this ; in time of sickness , at the hour of death , this is the time which they have designed to this work . a time of all other , most improper for it . so , many a one hath found it , and so let them make account to do , who ever they are , who shall put off the remembrance of their sins till then . haply , at that time ( 1st . ) thou mayest want power to do this , not having the use of memorie . or ( 2dly . ) having power , thou mayest want a will ; though thou hast a head , thou mayest want a heart : god often ( yea , for the most part ) denying his grace at that time , to those that have slighted the former offers of it but ( 3dly . ) though thou hast both power and will , yet , how sad and terrible will the remembrance of thy sins be then unto thee , when thou shalt come to look death in the face , and be under the arrest of that grim sergeant , thy body , ready to be carried to the prison of the grave , and thy soul ( without infinite mercy ) to the prison of hell ; there to make satisfaction for those sins which thou hast committed , but not repented of ? o sad remembrance of sin ! when , being thus arrested , and called to give up thy accompt , thou shalt remember thy sins , but canst not remember thy repentance ; canst remember thy debts , but cannot shew thy acquittance ; shalt remember how thou hast provoked god by a continual course of sin , and so made thy self justly obnoxious to his everlasting wrath and vengeance , but canst not remember that ever thou suedst out thy pardon ; this will be a sad remembrance . to prevent the horror and terror hereof then , remember your sins now . now , whilest health and strength last , now whilest you have time for the suing out your pardon , now remember them . which , that you may do , ( for direction briefly ) begg it of god , that he would open your eyes , that he would in a kindly way , set your sins in order before you , bringing them to your remembrance , causing you to know them . this is that which iob desireth from his god in his passion , job 13. 23. lord , ( saith he ) make me to know my transgression and my sin . and the like do you , upon serious thoughts , begg it of god , that he would make a full discovery of your sins to you . so it is , unless he be pleased to do this for you , you will never behold them as they are , nor remember them as you ought . and therefore be earnest in begging this mercy , ( a mercy , which maketh way for all saving mercies , for pardoning mercie , healing mercie , ) that the lord would be pleased , to discover your sins unto you , making you acquainted with your selves , with the sinfulness of you natures , hearts , and lives . which , that he may do , wait upon him in the use of such means , as whereby he ordinarily effecteth this work . the chief whereof , is the publick ministry of his word . hereby doth god open the eyes of poor sinners . paul , was sent by god unto the gentiles upon this errand , to open their eyes , to turn them from darkness to light , from the power of satan unto god , that they might receive forgiveness of sins , &c. ( as the lord tells him ) act. 26. 18. and how was he to do this ? why , by his preaching , his preaching of the word to them . herein are god's ministers his instruments ( as he was ) in doing of this work , in giving sight to the blind ; in making men to see and know their sins . this is the work which the lord putteth his prophet ezekiel upon , cap. 16. 2. son of man ( saith he ) cause ierusalem to know her abominations . and this is the work of god's ministers his interpreters , ( as to shew unto man his uprightness , of which elihu speaks , iob 33. 23 ; so ) to convince him of his sinfulness . and therefore , that you may come to see and feel this ; attend upon this ordinance of god , and that with care and conscience , that you may hear what god will say to you by his ministers . not being offended at them , when they come to touch upon your sins , as ahab was with michaiah , herod with iohn the baptist , and foelix with paul , ( of whom i spake before ) ; but , be willing to hear of them , that so you may be convinced of them , and brought to remember them in a truly penitential way . this for the former sort , such as never yet knew , what it was to remember their sins aright . in the second place , for them who have remembered them , and seriously repented of them , let them also be excited , frequently to reflect upon them . it is a mistake , if any shall think ( what our antinomians of late time did ) that when once a man hath repented of his sins , and sued out his pardon for them , he should then cast them behind his back , so as to remember them no more . our apostle ▪ st. paul , he had repented of his sins committed before his conversion , his infidelity , obstinacy , blasphemy ; his opposing of christ , and persecuting of his saints . being hereof convinced in an extraordinary way , by a voice from heaven ; christ himself calling unto him , saul , saul , why persecutest thou me ? act. 9. 4. he had seriously repented of them . and he had sued out his pardon for them , having it under seal , being assured that he had obtained mercy ( as here he declares it once and again , in the verse next but one before , and the verse after the text ) : yet , notwithstanding this , upon all occasions ( as you have heard ) , he is ready to reflect upon those sins , and to call to minde his forepast condition . let it not then content any of us , that we have remembred our sins , that we have been humbled for them , and that by believing on christ , we have obteined the pardon of them , but still take all occasions to reflect and look back upon them , to call them to minde again . specially our special sins , which have been of greater magnitude then other . so the lord tells his people israel they should do , when he was pacified towards them for all the evil that they had done , then , they should remember it , ezek. 16. vers . last . why , but it may be said , to what purpose is this ? or , what benefit shall a christian reap in so doing . here are two queries , to which i shall return answers severally . in which answers we shall fall in , with divers arguments and motives , which will be of use , to press and set on the exhortation . for the former . wherefore should a christian do this ? having once repented of his sins , and sued out the pardon of them , why should he disquiet himself in calling them to mind again , in rubbing over an old soar ? i answer , this a christian is to do upon diverse accounts , for diverse ends , and redsons : instance in 4. of them . 1. for the making sure of his repentance , that he may know it to be sound and true . all repentance is not true repentance . it is with sins as with wounds : wounds may be skinned over , and yet not healed ; sins may be sorrowed for , yea , and absteined from , yet not truly repented of . to this end therefore , a christian should be frequent in reflecting upon them , to see whether he hath truly repented of them or no. even as a man , by rubbing and chafing of the soar , he trieth whether it be healed or no ; even so by this means , a christian may come to judg of his repentance , whether it was sound or no , by calling his sins to his remembrance , rubbing , and pressing them , ( as it were ) by a frequent reflecting upon them ; which doing willingly , it may be to him an evidence that it is so . a wound that is only skinned over , will not endure the handling ; the touching of it , puts the patient to pain . where men cannot endure to have their sins touched , by themselves or others , to be put in minde of them , it is an evidence those sins are not healed , never truly repented of . sins healed , will endure the touching . upon this accompt , christians ought to be frequent in reflecting upon their sins , for the assuring of the truth of their repentance . 2. and as for the assuring , so ( 2dly . ) for the renewing and increasing of it . it is a mistake , if any shall think repentance to be onely one particular act , the work of an hour , or a day , or the like ( as papists look upon their penance ) . no , it is an habitual work , the work of a christians life-time , and so to be frequently renewed . a work which a christian can never do too much , or yet enough certainly , he that thinks he hath repented enough , never yet repented aright . in this sense , the repentance of a christian may be called , repentance to be repented of , because not so perfect as it ought to be . those , who are the greatest proficients , and have made the greatest progress in this work , yet they fail in this as in all other duties , falling short of repenting as they ought to do . and therefore ought to take all occasions for the renewing of their repentance ; and to that end , they are frequently to call to mind their former sins , that they may mourn over them afresh , renewing their former sorrow for them . which , however it may have some bitterness in it for the present , yet it will make way for great joy and comfort to the soul. so it is , the joy of a christian ariseth out of sorrow , sorrow for sin ; and ordinarily it is proportioned to it . as it was with eliahs sacrifice , 1 king. 18. 33. 38. after he had caused water in great abundance , three several times , to be poured about the altar , then came forth the fire . thus , after a christians sorrow for sin , his joy ariseth . and as the one is increased , so oft-times is the other . the harvest answereth the seed time . they that sow in tears , shall reap in joy , psal. 126. 5. never a truly penitential tear , that the remembrance of sin draweth from the eye , but ordinarily god answers and recompenceth it with a suitable proportion of joy and comfort to the soul. in the 3d. place , christians are to be frequent in remembring of their sins , that they may get assurance of the pardon of them , that they may get their pardon sealed up unto their souls . a pardon , is not ever as soon sealed as granted . a christian may have his sins pardoned in heaven , yet not so in his own conscience , wanting the assurance thereof . and upon this accompt , he ought to have his sins frequentlie in his eie . upon this accompt , among other , he is daily to pray for the forgiveness of them , as our saviour directeth us to do in that form of prayer which he hath given us , where this is one of the six petitions , forgive us our trespasses , meaning not onely our daily sins , ( as we pray for our daily bread ) but all the sins of our lives past , that so we may still gain a further and clearer evidence , and assurance of the pardon of them . this use david made of his sins being ever before him , it put him upon the earnest seeking of the assurance of his pardon , that , that cloud being dispelled , the light of god's countenance might come to shine upon his soul ; which he earnestly sueth for in that penitential psalm of his , psal. 51. make me to hear the voice of joy and gladness , vers . 8. restore unto me the joy of thy salvation , vers . 12. thus are christians to reflect upon their sins , that they may get the pardon of them sealed . 4thly , and lastly , remember them , that they may get them thorowly healed ; that they may be freed and delivered , as from the guilt , so from the power of them . a disease may be cured , and yet there may be some relicks of it in the bodie ; which , if not looked to , may incline it to a relapse . thus , a sin may be repented of and pardoned , and yet there may be some remainders of it in the soul , which , if not looked unto , may break forth again . and upon this accompt a christian is to remember it , that he may get strength against it . such use also david made of his sins being ever before him , it putteth him upon seeking unto god , that he would throwly wash him from his iniquity , and cleanse him from his sin , psal. 51. 2. freeing him both from the guilt and power of it : and that he would create in him a clean heart , renewing a right spirit within him , vers . 10. and , that he would establish him with his free spirit , vers . 12. thus are christians to have a frequent eie upon their sins , as patients have upon their soars , to see that they may not break forth again . to these ends and purposes ( among others ) are christians to be frequent in this exercise . which whilst they are , it will be very beneficial to them , and that diverse ways . that is the second thing which i propounded to shew you , what profit , what benefit a christian shall reap from this practise . much every way . were there no other , than what i have made mention of already , the attaining of that four-fold end ; the knowing of the truth of their repentance , the renewing and increasing of it , the getting of assurance of the pardon of their sins , and strength against them : these were enough to answer , and recompense , all the points that a christian shall take in this way . but besides these , take we notice of four more : four considerable benefits accruing from this practice . it will be of great use unto a christian , to make him , 1. humble . 2. thankful . 3. watchful . 4. pitiful . humble in himself ; thankful to his god ; watchful over his sin ; and pitiful towards others . all , benefits of singular excellency and worth ! touch upon them briefly . frequent remembrance of a mans own ▪ sins will be of speciall use , to make , and keep him humble . so it is , that there is in the heart of every man , naturally an accursed root of pride , which is very apt to spring and sprout forth , being watered ( as it were ) with all the common favours and blessings that god poureth out upon him , of what kind soever they be , good things of fortune ( as they were called ) , of nature , of grace , ( i mean common grace ) ; birth , beauty , riches , honours , gifts and endowments of the mind ; any of these , not being sanctified , are apt to puff up the soul , to breed a tympany in it . now the frequent remembrance of sins will be of special use to prevent it , to make the soul humble , and keep it humble . such use the church tells us she had of it , ( as montanus , and the vulgar latine render the word in that text , lam. 3. 19 , 20. remembring my affliction , and my misery , ( saith our translation ) ; my affliction , and my rebellion , my transgression , ( say they ) which sense the word in the original will well bear , as we find it rendred , 1 sam. 20. 30. ) the wormwood , and the gall , ( that is , the bitterness of both ) my soul hath them still in remembrance , and is humbled in me . incurvatur , it is bowed down . the soul of man naturally is proud , apt to be inordinately lift up in him . now the remembrance , as of former afflictions which he hath lain under ; so of former sins which he hath fallen into , will be of special use to humble it , to make it keep so . this effect it had in and upon this our apostle , ( as you have heard . ) the remembrance of his former sins made him vile in his own eyes . this it was that made him think and speak so meanly of himself , to account himself the least of the apostles , unworthy to be one of that number , ; the least of saints , nay , less than the least of them , ( as the text hath it , ephes. 3. 8. ) because ( saith he ) i persecuted the church of god , 1 cor. 15. 9. thus it was : as the buffetings of satan , ( of which he speaketh , 2 cor. 12. 7. ) those temptations wherewith he was exercised after his conversion ; so the remembrance of his former sins committed before his conversion , was to him of great use to keep him from being exalted above measure ; a thing which by reason of the many and great priviledges now conferred upon him , he was subject to , and in danger of . thus god sometimes suffers his chosen vessels , those whom he purposeth to make some special use of , and to confer some signal favours upon , to fall into some great sin , or sins , haply in their youth , it may be afterwards , that so the remembrance of them may be a means to keep their spirits in a humble frame and temper , from being inordinately lift up in them ; being to them as the peacocks black leggs are vulgarly conceived to be unto him ; which looking down upon , he presently letteth fall his proud plumes . here is the first of those benefits , which a christian may reap from this reflecting upon his sins . a benefit of singular use ; there being nothing more dangerous to the soul , than this spiritual tympany . 2dly . as it will be of great use to make men humble , so thankful . as humble in themselves , so thankful to their god. a fruit naturally growing upon this branch . remembrance of former sins repented of , and pardoned , it calleth to mind two things ; gods goodness , our own unworthiness . gods goodness in sparing of us ; not taking us , as the scribes and pharisees tell our saviour that woman was , whom they brought before him , iohn 8. 4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , in the very act of sinne , and so bringing us to answer ( as they did her ) before his tribunal , for those sins which we wanted grace , and space to repent of . nor yet onely sparing us , giving us a time to repent , but also working that repentance in us , and , upon our repenting , pardoning them ; and instead of punishing us according to our deservings , conferring many special graces and favours upon us ; of all which ▪ of the least of which , we were altogether unworthy . both these , the remembrance of former sins calleth to mind . and so doing , it cannot but be a special means to raise up the heart to a thankful apprehension , and acknowledgment thereof . of such use was it to this blessed apostle , as we may take notice from the 12. & 13. verses in this chapter , where calling to mind his former sins , he presently breaketh forth into blessing and magnifying of iesus christ for his rich grace and mercy towards him ; i thank christ iesus our lord , who hath enabled me , for that he counted me faithful , putting me into the ministry , who was before a blasphemer , a persecutor , injurious : but i obteined mercy . so again , vers . 17. having here confessed himself to be the chief of sinners , and after declared what god had done for him , how he had made him a patern to all that should hereafter believe on him ; he thereupon in the next words breaketh forth into that affectionate gratulation , now , unto the king eternal , immortal , invisible , the only wise god , be honour and glory , for ever and ever , amen . thus , the reflecting upon our sins after that we have obteined mercy , it will be a means as to cause us to take shame to our selves , so to give glory to god , the glory of his grace and mercy in sparing us , in pardoning us , and conferring so many undeserved favours upon us . it will be of special use to make us thankful . and ( 3dly ) as thankful , so watchful , watchful over those and the like sins . the remembrance of dangers formerly escaped will make men the more warie , they will take heed how they come nigh that fire , in which they have before been burnt or scorched , or that precipice from which once they fell , or passing that way wherein they have fallen among thieves . thus , christians having their sins in remembrance , and mainteining in their souls , a sight and sense of them , it will be of special use to them , to make them more cautelous & wary , to take heed of all the occasions of them of coming near unto them . as for the soul , that hath banished the sense and remembrance of it's sins , it careth not , what sins it rusheth upon and runs into . paul , speaking of the gentiles , he saith of them , that being past feeling , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , postquam dedoluerunt ( as beza renders it ) ●…aving cast away all sense of , and sorrow for sin , they then gave themselves over unto lasciviousness , to work all uncleanness with greediness , ephes. 4. 19. the best way then to be kept from sin , is to maintein the sense of it in the soul. to which end , the frequent reflecting upon sins past , will conduce much . by this means it was , that david kept himself from his iniquitie , ( as he saith he did , psal. 18. 23. ) from the sin which he was most inclined to , by having it frequently in his remembrance . fourthly and lastly , the frequent reflecting upon our own sins , will be a special means to make us more pittiful and charitable towards others . not to be so ready to espie their faults , nor so harsh and rigid , in censuring them for their failings and infirmities . what is the cause , why hypocrites are so quick-sighted in espying , and so forward in judging and censuring of others ? surely , it is the want of reflecting upon themselves ; they see the mo●…e that is in their brothers eye , but consider not the beam that is in their own eye , ( as our saviour saith of them ) mat. 7. 3. surely , were men more busied at home , more taken up with remembring and considering their own failings , their own sins , what they have been , what they have done , they would be more pittiful , more tender-hearted towards others . it is the apostle's argument which he putteth into titus his mouth , willing him to make use of it , in disswading christians from being too censorious towards their brethren , or any other whosoever , but to induce them to deal tenderly and gently with them , tit. 3. 2 , 3. put them in mind ( saith he ) to speak evil of no man , ( that is , wrongfully , or causlesly , whether by aspersing of them , or detracting from them ) , to be no brawlers , but gentle , shewing all meekness unto all men ; 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , all men : non tantum adversus fidei consortes , sed etiam adversus contradictores , ( as grotius well explains it ) not only such as profess the same faith with themselves , but such as are adversaries to it . even these he would have private christians , ( for of such he there speaketh , not of titus himself , and the ministers of christ , who yet , ( as our new annotator hath it ) are to do nothing in rage or passion , but with a spirit of meekness , shewing all meek●…ess unto all men , gentiles as well as jews , enemies as well as friends ; but of private christians ; the word in the original being of the plural number , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ) to deal gently with , not being too rigid in censuring them , much less in wholly despairing of them . but shew meekness , all meekness , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , omnem , i. e. summam lenitatem , great meekness and gentleness towards them . and why so ? for ( saith he ) we our selues were sometimes foolish , disobedient , deceived , serving divers lusts , &c. vers . 3. certainly , the more a man reflects upon himself , and the better acquainted he is with his own heart and life , the more pittiful and tender-hearted , the more compassionate he will be towards others . to proceed no further : these benefits may a christian reap from the reflecting upon himself , the frequent remembrance of his own sins . which , let it induce every of us , to exercise our selves herein . which yet , let it be warily and rightly understood . not that i would have christians to stand continually poring upon their sins , so fixing their thoughts upon them , that their hearts and spirits should be inordinately dejected , and cast down in the remembrance of them . this god requires not , neither ought christians to give way to it . david was a man , much in the remembrance of his sins , yet , he would not give way to such soul-dejections and disquietments , for which , we find him checking himself in those two psalms , 42. and 43. where we have the same expostulation thrice repeated , why art thou cast down , o my soul ? why art thou disquieted within me , & c ? christians , should not so look upon their sins , as that they should give way to such dejections of spirit , as may render their condition uncomfortable to themselves and unserviceable to others . in this case , that of the preacher takes place , eccles. 7. 17. be not over-much wicked , that is , judicio tuo ( as iunius expounds it ) , in thine own apprehension and judgment . in such a sense it is , that in the verse there foregoing , he biddeth us not to be over-righteous or over-wise ; be not righteous over-much , neither make thy self over-wise ; that is , do not think thy self so to be . so , here in this verse , which is subjoyned as an antitheton , set in opposition to the former , be not over-much wicked , viz. in thy own apprehension . and let ▪ me applie it unto you , ( i mean all , and only such as are trulie penitent sinners ) ; be not you in this sense wicked over-much , stand not poreing too much upon your sins , sorrowing over them , as the apostle saith , the heathen did over their dead , 1 thes. 4. 13. as haveing no hope . onely upon occasions call them to remembrance , making use hereof , to those ends and purposes which i have now spoken of . and as we are to do this at other times ; so then , more especially , when god calleth , us to the humbling of our souls before him , and to seek his face , for the removing or diverting of some judgment felt or feared . now , at such a time to call to mind our sins , is an excercise most fit and proper , being now opus diei in die suo , a work done in season . and this , do we all of us now this day , being a day of solemn humiliation , so appointed to be by publick authority , wherein , the whole nation is required to seek god in a solemn manner , for the diverting and preventing , as of such other judgments , which we may justly fear to hang over the head of the nation , so in special of that which is already in part broke forth upon us , ( whereof the poor , as elsewhere , so in this place , not a few of them , are very sensible , whose necessitous condition , i shall commend to your charitable consideration , desiring you to extend your free and liberal contributions to their relief , which is also a work of the day ) and doth further sadly threaten us , viz. the iudgment of famine , which , by reason of the unseasonableness of the season , may justly be feared . this is the work of the day . for the furthering whereof , let all of us now call to mind our own sins . i do remember my faults this day , ( saith pharoahs butler unto him ) gen. 41. 9. and the like let every of us do . sure we are , this is the provokking cause , as of other judgements , so of this . he turneth a fruitful land into barrenness , for the wickedness of them that dwell therein , psal. 107. 34. call we our selves then every one of us to account for our sinnes this day , humbling our selves in the sight and presence of god for them , that so , we remembring them , god may be pleased graciously to forget them , and forgive them , so as not to charge them upon the head of the nation . in doing hereof , we shall much promote the service of the day ; and much help forward the great business both of church and state , which is now in the hands of the great council of the land. certainly the great stumbling-blocks that lie in the way of mercy , they are the sinnes of the nation . o let every of us , put to our hands this day to the removing of them , by taking out of the way , as much as we can , the sinnes of others , humbling our selves for them , and seeking the pardon of them ; however our own sinnes , by calling them to mind , humbling , shaming , and condemning our selves for them ; withal , putting them away in the full purpose and resolution of our souls , never more to give entertainment to them . thus wash we , and make we our selves clean , putting away the evil of our doings from before the eyes of our god , ( as he requires his people to do , isai. 1. 16. ) ; and then do we , what in the next words he allowes them to do , come , let us reason together , &c. begging from him mercy for our selves , and the nation , being hopefully and comfortably assured that the lord will smell a sweet savour of rest from this our sacrifice ; and that both church and state shall find it the best service we could perform unto them , which the lord enable every of us to do . thus i have done with the first of these three branches , i pass now to the second . the truly penitent sinner , as he is frequent in remembring , so forward in acknowledging of his own sins . so was paul. having here occasion to make mention of sinners , he calleth to remembrance his own sinnes , and remembring them , he acknowledgeth them ; confessing himself to be a sinner , a great sinner , yea , the chief of sinners ; of whom i am chief . the like disposition and practice we find in the man after gods own heart , holy david . as his sinnes were often in his eye , so he was ready to acknowledge them . i acknowledged my transgression , and my sinne was ever before me ( saith he ) psal. 51. 3. such a frequent remembrancer , and ingenuous confessor of his sinnes was he : and such are all truly penitent sinners . and it cannot be otherwise : their hearts ( in the first place ) being full ( as it were ) with the sight , and sense of sinne , they must have vent . the story tells us of ioseph , gen. 45. ver . 1 , 2. how that , his heart being full , as it was , with the remembrance of what his brethren had done to him , and his affections towards them , he could not contein , he could not refrain himself before all that stood by him , but he shed tears abundantly ; yea , ( the company being gone ) he wept aloud . he could not but give vent to that affection wherewith his heart was full . and david tells us the like of himself , psal. 39. 3. my heart ( saith he ) was hot within me ; while i was musing , the fire burned : then spake i with my tongue . so it is with affections , ( as it is with fire ) the heart being full of them , they will not be smothered , they will not be kept close ; they will seek vent , and be ready to break forth , as occasion is offered . and so will these holy affections in the heart of a truly penitent sinner , his sorrow for sinne , his hatred and indignation against sinne ; his heart being full of them , it will be seeking vent , ready to break forth in a humble , and hearty confession and acknowledgement of it . again , in such a soul , the bed of sinne ( as i may say ) is broken . now , as it is in the body , if the bed of worms be broken , they are ready to come away ; and such tough and viscous humours as are coagulated in the stomack , being dissected , they are easily evacuated . even so in the soul ; if the bed of peccant humours , of sinful lusts be there once broken , the works of satan dissolved , ( as saint iohn saith , that christ was manifest to this end , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , ut dissolvat , that he might dissolve , ( or destroy ) the works of the devil ; that is , our sinnes , which are destroyed by dissolving of them , as many things are , 1 iohn 3. 8. ) as in measure they are in every truly regenerate person , in whom the power of sinne is broken ; they will now be ready to break forth , and come away , ( as i may say ) by way of confession , and acknowledgement . thus you see that it is so , and how it cometh so to be . for further explication , and illustration , propound we these two useful enquiries touching this acknowledgement which penitent sinners are so forward in . 1. to whom they are so ready to make this acknowledgement . 2. what kind of acknowledgement it is that they make . for the first , to whom they are so ready to make this acknowledgement . a. for answer , know we that the acknowledgment of sin , is either unto god , or man. the former , to god , either publickly , or privately ; the latter , to man , either secretly , or openly . secretly , either to the ministers of god , or to other private christians . openly , which is either regular , injoyned by the church , or occasional and arbitrary . all these wayes sinne is confessed and acknowledged : and all these wayes a sinner truly penitent will be ready to acknowledge his sinnes . 1. in the first place unto god. the prodigall sonne in the gospel , upon his return to his father , at his first meeting with him , after that his father had expressed his fatherly affection unto him , presently he breaks forth into a humble acknowledgement of his sinnes unto him , father i have sinned against heaven , and in thy sight , luke 15. 21. this is the first thing that a poor sinner doth , when once he is brought home unto god , and hath in any measure tasted of his grace and mercy , he presently falleth down before him , in an humble acknowledgment of his sinnes unto him . this will he do at his first conversion , and this he is ready ever after to do upon all occasions , renewing his acknowledgements of sinne , as sinnes themselves are renewed . so did david ; i acknowledged my transgressions , ( saith he in the text forenamed ) psal. 51. 3. and to whom was it that he acknowledged them ? why , firstly and principally to his god , whom he had offended . so he explaines it in the verse following , against thee onely have i sinned ; that is , against him immediately and properly : and therefore to him it is that he acknowledged his sinne. so he elsewhere declareth it , psal. 32. 5. i acknowledged my sinne unto thee , and mine iniquity have i not hid ; i said i will confess my transgressions unto the lord , &c. and this will every truly penitent sinner readily do . apprehending how he hath offended and provoked his god by his sins , he will be ready to acknowledge them unto him . and this will he do ( as i said ) both publickly and privately . publickly , joyning with the congregation in the publick confession and acknowledgment of sinness ; and that both in confessions ordinary and extraordinary . and as publickly , so privately , when there is no other witnesse but god and his own conscience , then will he be ready to acknowledge his sinnes . and that again , both in his daily , and ordinary prayers , as also at other times of extraordinary humiliation . all these i might show you , how they have been both injoyned and practised ; injoyned by god , and practised by his saints . but i shall not dwell upon this , the text leading me rather to that other kind of acknowledgement , which is before , or unto , men. and thus true penitents will be ready to acknowledge their sinnes . and that ( as i said ) sometimes secretly , sometimes openly . 1. secretly , or privately , either unto the ministers of god , or unto private christians , viz. at such times as they are by them charged with their sins , and in a friendly way admonished of them , or reproved for them . in this case , ( for i speak not now of that confession of sinnes , which is after a sort extorted , and drawn from a man by , or through trouble of mind , and conscience , in which christians not onely may , but ought ( when other means avail not ) to repair either unto the ministers of god , as most fit for such a purpose , being his interpreters ; or else to some wise and faithful friend that is able to minister a word of advice and comfort to them , opening and discovering their sinnes unto them ; even as the sick man doth his secret troubles to his physitian or chirurgion . i speak not of this now ; but onely of the acknowledgement of sin unto others , when it is charged upon them by way of admonition , or reprehension . in this case ( i say ) the soul that is truly penitent for sin , will be ready to confess , and acknowledge it . so was it with david , nathan no sooner cometh unto him , and chargeth his sin upon him , discovering to him the heinousness of it , but presently he makes confeson of it . i have sinned against the lord , 2 sam. 12. 13. this would not saul do . when samuel cometh unto him in the like way , charging him with that act of disobedience of his , in sparing agag & the best of the spoil , contrary to god's expresse commandement ; he was far from any such ingenuous acknowledgment ; but doth what he could to hide it , as we may see , 1 sam. 15. 13 , 14 , 15. thus , wicked and ungodly men , being charged with their sins , they will either hide them by denying them , or defend them , or excuse them , or extenuate them what they can ; it may be , falling out , and quarrelling with the persons that shall strike upon this string , medling with their sins . so did cain with god himself , when the lord came to him , and asked him where his brother was , whom he had murdered , he replieth , i know not : am i my brothers keeper ? gen. 4. 9. first , seeking to hide his sin , then quarrelling with his maker , who came to charge it upon him . and even so are some ( too many ) ready to deal with the ministers of god , when they come to touch upon their sins , whether publickly or privately , they are ready to quarrel with them about it , as if they took too much upon them . so did the people of israel , upon whom the prophet hosea , among other their great sins that they were guilty of , chargeth this as the chief , this people are as they that strive with the priest , hos. 4. 4. they would endure no reproover , no , though it were a priest , or prophet , a minister of god , that had authoritie from him , to do what he did . thus are some ready to oppose the ministers of christ , who , though they be their spiritual physitians , yet they will not endure that they should meddle with their diseases ; which if they do , it may be they will ever after hate and maligne them , as ahab did micaiah . and hating them , they will smite them with their tongues , and be ready to contrive what mischief against them they may . so did the iews against their ieremiah , as himself sets it forth , ier. 18. 18. then said they , come , and let us devise devices against ieremiah , &c. come , and let us smite him with the tongue , and let us not give heed to any of his words . so is it with presumptuous sinners . but it is far otherwise with those that are truely penitent . they being in themselves convinced of their sinnes , they will be ingenuous in the confessing and acknowledging of them , when they are charged upon them by way of admonition or reprehension , whether by the minister of god , or any other . and as they will be ready to do this secretly and privately , so also openly and publiquely . and that 1. in a regular way , if called thereunto , and required to do it by the discipline and authority of the church . thus did that incestuous corinthian : being excommunicated for that great sinne of his , he manifests his repentance , by acknowledging of his sinne , and by his abundant sorrow for it . whereupon , lest he should be surcharged and swallowed up therewith , the apostle willeth the church to forgive him , to receive him to communion , and to comfort him , 2 cor. 2. 7. and such a confession and acknowledgment of sinne , sinners truly penitent , ( where the censures of the church are rightly dispensed according to christs institution ) neither ought to be , nor yet will be , averse from , but ready to submit unto , that so they may give satisfaction to the church , by the confession of their sinnes , and profession of their repentance , which they have , by their evil example , offended and scandalized . 2. but leaving that also , the acknowledgment which the text leadeth us more directly to , as it is an open , so an arbitrary acknowledgment . and in this kind and way , we shall find sinners truly penitent , to be forward , and ready , to acknowledge their sins : and , that both upon their conversion , and after it . 1. upon their conversion . thus we read of the hearers of iohn the baptist , how they were baptised of him , confessing their sinnes , mat. 3. 6. being convinced of their sinnes , by his ministery , and his preaching unto them , they could not contain ; but they came unto iohn , not onely confessing their sins unto him , in a private and clancular way , ( as maldonate , and other romish expositors would have it , making this a ground for their auricular confession ) , but publickly and openly before the people ; which the word in the original , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , imports , ( as beza and pareus observe ) . and the like , we read of those converts at ephesus , act. 19. 18. being wrought upon , by the miracle which they had seen ; many of them came ( saith the text ) and confessed , and shewed their deeds ; 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , confessing them , not secretly but openly . among whom , some and many of those , who have used curious ( that is magical ) arts , making divinations , by judicial astrology , they brought forth their books , and burnt them before all men , in the presence of all the people , ( as the next verse there hath it , vers . 19. ) . so powerful is the work of gods grace , in the hearts of true converts , it will make them willing and ready to acknowledg their sins . 2. and this they will be ready to do , not only at their first conversion , but ever after . sins committed before conversion , or after , they will be forward in confessing , and acknowledging of them . this we may see in david , solomon , paul. take we these three instances . all of them being persons of eminencie , two of them kings , the other an apostle ; yet , see how forward they were all of them at this work . david a king , and so subject to no superior power , that could injoyn such an acknowledgment of sin unto him ; yet , see how he taketh it upon himself , making a voluntarie confession and acknowledgment of his sinne ; that great sinne of his in the matter of uriah , whereby he had given so great scandal to the church , he maketh ▪ a free and open confession of it before the church . to that purpose , compiling and penning that penitential psalm , psal. 51. which he committed and delivered to the chief musitian , ( as the title of the psalm informs us ) , that by him it might be published in the temple , and there ever after kept , and so be not only a testimony of his repentance to the church in that present age , to which he desired to give satisfaction , but a monument of it in all succeeding ages , to the end of the world . and what david the father did , the like did solomon his son after him . having fallen foully and scandalously , to the great offence of the church , over which god had made him supream governour ; he afterwards penneth , and publisheth to the world , that penitential retractation , his book of ecclesiastes , wherein , he freely and ingenuously confesseth before all the world , the vanity and sinfulness of his former ways and courses . thus did these two kings , doing that voluntarily , which no power upon earth could have compelled them to . and the same , did this our apostle saint paul. having been before his conversion , an open and bitter enemie to the truth , speaking evil of the doctrine of the gospel , and doing all the mischief that he could , to all that professed it ; being converted , and brought home to christ , he was ever hereafter an ingenuous confessour . having his former sins ever in his eye , he had them also ( as i may say ) at his tongues end , ready to confess and acknowledg them upon all occasions . this we find him doing at ierusalem , before the chief captain , in a great and promiscuous assembly of all sorts of persons , i persecuted this way unto the death ( saith he ) , binding , and delivering into prison , both men and women , act. 22. 4. &c. and the like he did again at cesarea , in a very solemn audience , before festus and agrippa , and queen bernice , the chief captains , and principal men of the city , act. 26. 10. i did many things ( saith he ) against the name of iesus of nazareth , many of the saints did i shut up in prison , and when they were put to death , i gave my voice against them , and punished them often in every synagogue , and compelled them to blaspheme ; and being exceedingly mad against them , i persecuted them even unto strange cities ; such cities as were not within the territories of iudea ; as damascus , &c. and so therein going beyond his commission . thus did he confess his sins by word of mouth . and the like he did by writing , acknowledging them under his hand , making a publick record of them , that all the churches of god might take notice of them . this he doth in his epistle to the corinthians , 1 cor. 15. 9. and to his galatians , gal. 1. 13. and so here in this epistle to timothy , in this chapter , where we find him not onely making a general confession , which he doth in the text , charging himself to be the chief of sinners , but particularly , pointing out his sinnes what they were , vers . 13. i was a blasphemer , a persecutor , injurious , &c. thus free and open was paul in these acknowledgments , not regarding who or what they were , that took notice of these his consessions , whether friends or enemies , good or bad ; nor caring how often he made them : taking all occasions to do it , as if he had thought he could never do it often enough . behold we then in him , and these other paterns , the true disposition of a gracious soul , o●… a truly penitent sinner ; one that hath truly repented of his sinnes , and hath tasted of the grace and mercy of god , in the pardoning and forgiving of them , he will ever after be ready to confess and acknowledge them ; and that not onely to god , but also to men , and that not onely secretly , but openly , as occasion is offered . q. but what , ( you will say ) , is every christian bound to imitate these paterns , to follow their example , doing as they did , making such an open confession and acknowment of his sinnes ? 1. to this i answer , 1. in some cases he may be ; as , viz. 1. where the sinnes have been open . open sinnes , as they call for open reprehension , them that sinne rebuke before all , that others also may fear , ( so paul willeth timothy to do ) 1 tim. 5. 20. that is , that do sin openly , to the publick scandal of others , ( as beza , and some others expound it ) ; so for open confession , and acknowledgment . such had davids , such had salomons , and such had paul's sinnes been , sinnes that all the churches rung of . you have heard of my conversation in times past , ( saith he to his galatians ) gal. 1. 13. how i did so and so . they had heard of his sinnes , and therefore they shall hear of his repentance , testified and declared by his hearty confession and acknowledgement of those sinnes . 2. again ( 2dly . ) , where the glory of god , or the publick good requires it , there , though the sinnes have been private , and secret , yet the acknowledgement of them ought to be publick , where the glory of god requires it . upon this ground ioshuah requires achan to make an open confession of that sinne which he had done secretly . my son , ( saith he ) give glory to god , and confess unto him , and tell me what thou hast done , josh. 7. 19. ( where the publick good requires it . upon this ground ionah confesseth and acknowledgeth his sinne unto the marriners , for the saving of those that were in the ship with him : ionah 1. 12. i know ( saith he to them ) that for my sake this great tempest is come upon you . but ( in the second place ) we speak not here of what all christians are bound to do , but , what upon occasion , being penitent sinners , they will be ready to do . this was paul's case in the text. this acknowledgement of his was spontaneous , and voluntary , he being induced thereunto by no other respect , but onely out of his desire to take shame to himself , and give glory to god. in special , the glory of his grace , which having been so gloriously manifested in , and upon him , in receiving so great a sinner to mercy , he desireth to take all occasions to extol and magnifie . and to that end it is , that he maketh such frequent mention of his sinnes ; making such open confessions and acknowledgements of them . and upon this ground great sinners specially , having tasted of the like mercy in pardoning their sinnes , they will be ready upon all . occasions to acknowledge them , that so they may declare , and set forth the riches of gods grace exercised towards them . come , and hear , all ye that fear god , and i will declare what he hath done for my soul ( saith david ) psal. 66. 16. and thus a penitent sinner having tasted of saving mercy , in the pardoning and healing of his sinnes , he will be ready ever-after , to declare , and set forth , what god hath done for his soul. to which end , as occasion is offered , he will be forward in the confessing and acknowledging of his sinnes . but , what kind of acknowledgement is that which he maketh ? that is the second question propounded . a question of great consequence and importance , and that for the differencing and distinguishing of this from other false , and counterfeit acknowledgements . even wicked and ungodly men may , and sometimes do , upon occasion , confess and acknowledge their sinnes . so did , cain ; mine iniquity is greater than it can be forgiven , ( so our margin readeth it , following montanus , and others ) gen. 4. 13. so did pharaoh ; i have sinned ( saith he to moses once and again ) exod. 9. 27. 10. 16. so did saul . i have sinned against the lord ( saith he to samuel ) 1 sam. 15. 24. and so did iudas . i have sinned in betraying innocent blood , ( saith he to the chief priests ) mat. 27. 4. ) and the like , meer carnal men will sometimes be ready to do . being charged , and pressed by the ministers of god , or others , especially when the hand of god lyeth heavy upon them ; now they will be ready to assent unto what paul here saith of himself , confessing themselves to be sinners , great sinners ; yea , the chief of sinners . thus we may sometime meet with pauls words , coming out of the mouths of those , who never knew what paul's spirit meant . they will , upon occasion , acknowledge their sinnes , who never knew what it was to repent of them . how then shall we distinguish betwixt the one , and the other ? the acknowledgement of a sinner truly penitent , and that which cometh from a spirit of hypocrisie in a wicked , or carnal man ? in answer hereunto , let me present you with some few properties of this sincere acknowledgement , whereby it may be discerned from that which is false and counterfeit . in all which i shall still have an eye to the confessor here in the text , this blessed apostle , illustrating each particular from his practice and example . the acknowledgment of the true penitent sinner is ( first ) voluntary , and free. so it is ; though injoyned , yet not extorted , not constreined . such is the hypocrite's acknowledgement for the most part : extorted and drawn from him against his will , either by some iudgement of god , present or imminent , felt or feared ; or by the rack of a tormenting conscience . such was pharaohs confession to moses , drawn from him ( as water is out of a still , or lymbick , by the fire put under it ) by the judgements of god , which he and his people lay under . and such was iudas's confession to the chief priests , extorted from him by the rack ( as i said ) of a tormenting conscience . in such cases , even the worst of men will sometimes confess and acknowledge their sinnes , which at other times , when their condition is quiet , and prosperous , they will hardly be brought to do ; like a man that is sick , being at sea , and so emptieth his stomack freely ; but no sooner comne a shoar , but he is well again , and all is quiet . but it is otherwise with the true penitent . in acknowledging of sinne , he is a volunteer , doing what he doth ( as peter would have ministers to feed their flocks , 1 pet. 5. 2. ) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , not by constraint , but willingly . such are gods people in all the services they do unto him , or for him ; they are a willing people . thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power , psal. 110. 3. when god exerciseth his power , the power of his grace , upon a poor sinner , changing and renewing him , bringing him home to himself , then he cometh unto him willingly , freely pouring forth his soul before him in a voluntary confession and acknowledgement of his sinnes . willingly confessing unto god , and not unwillingly unto men. and this he is ready to do , not onely in times of distress , but even then when his condition is , in all respects , most comfortable . such is the acknowledgement which here we meet with in the text. paul , when he uttered these words , he was in a quiet and comfortable condition ; under no distress , whether outward , or inward , in body or mind ; yet even then he remembred his sinnes , and remembring them , he acknowledgeth them . which also , ( as i have shewn ) he was ready to do upon all occasions , at all other times . his readiness , and forwardness herein , manisesting , that these his confessions were not extorted , but voluntary . extorted confessions ( such as those upon the rack ) are seldom true ; ever suspicious . true confession , and acknowledgement , whether to god , or man , will be free and voluntary . and so ( in the second place ) ingenuous and full . such is not the hypocrites confession . if he be drawn to an acknowledgement of his sinnes , yet therein you shall find him , for the most part , very partial , and sparing ; as much as may be , concealing and hiding them . even as solomon saith of the sluggard , prov. 19. 24. he hideth his hand in his bosome , and is loath to put it forth , to bring it to his mouth . thus dealeth the hypocrite with his sinnes : his beloved , his darling sinnes , he hideth them in his bosome , concealing them as much as may be , loath to bring them to his mouth , to bring them forth by an open acknowledgment of them . where he cannot hide them , he will endeavour to excuse them ; varnishing , and colouring them over with some fair and specious pretences . where he cannot excuse them , he will seek to extenuate them , that they may not seem so great and foul as they are . where he cannot excuse , or extenuate them , he will endeavour to evade them , by shifting them off from himself to some other . so little ingenuity is there to be found in his confessions . all these we shall find in that acknowledgment which samuel drew from king saul , 1 sam. 15. the prophet coming to him , to charge upon him , that foul act of his , in sparing agag , and the best of the spoil , contrary to gods express command ; he first thinketh to hide his sin , by courting of the prophet , and by his avowing , and boasting of his obedience : blessed be thou of the lord , ( saith he ) i have performed the commandement of the lord , v. 13. therein dealing like solomons adulteress , who eateth , and wipeth her mouth , and saith , i have done no wickedness , ( as he saith of her ) prov. 30. 20. when this would not serve his turn , but he saw that his sinne was discovered , and found out , the prophet convincing him of it , by too plain an evidence , what meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in my ears , and the lo●…ing of oxen which i hear ? ver . 14. then he falleth to his shifting , shuffling it off from himself , and laying the blame wholly upon the people , ( even as a●…ron also once did , when moses charged him with making , and setting up of the golden calf , he puts it off to the people ; let not the anger of my lord ▪ wax hot , ( saith he ) thou knowest the people that they are set on mischief , exod. 32. 22. so he ) the people spared the best of the sheep , and of the oxen , ver . 15. and thus devolving , and turning it off from himself , withall he seeketh to colour over both his act and theirs , setting a fair gloss upon it , guilded it over with a pretence of piety , the people spared the best of the sheep and oxen , to sacrifice unto the lord thy god ; ( as it there followeth ) . when that would not serve , but that the prophet , dealing plainly with him , had both shewen him the heinous nature of that sinne , calling it rebellion , and comparing it to the sin of ▪ witchcraft and idolatry , vers. 23. and charged it home upon him , telling him , how he had therein rejected the word of the lord , for which , he must expect a just retaliation to be rejected by him ; because thou hast rejected the word of the lord , he hath also rejected thee from being king , now he is brought to confess and acknowledg his sin , i have sinned , &c. but see still how he goeth about to mince and extenuate it , pleading , that what he had done , he had done it through fear ; i transgressed the commandment of the lord and thy words , because i feared the people , &c. vers. 24. whereupon , when he could no longer plead , not guilty , he pleadeth his pardon of course ( as it were ) : now therefore , ( saith he ) i pray thee pardon my sin , vers. 25. so far was saul from any ingenuity in this his confession ! and so shall we still find it with hypocrites , in their confessions and acknowledgments . seldom or never is it , that they will deal plainly and simply , whether with god or men in this case . but deal with both , as ananias and sapphira did with the apostles , act. 5. 2. they come and bring the price of their possessions , which they had sold , and lay it down at the apostles feet , but they kept back part of it . thus dealeth the hypoerite in his confessions . being , it may be , drawn to it , he will come and bring his sins , and lay them down as it were at the feet of god and men , in a seemingly humble confession and acknowledgment of them , but it is with some reservation ; still he keepeth back part of them , hiding and concealing some sins , or at least some circumstances . but it is otherwise with the truly penitent sinner . he will be ingenuous , confessing his sinnes , and not hiding them , laying them open before god and men , in their own colours ; so giving glory to god , and taking shame to himself . such a confessour was this our apostle . in his confessions and acknowledgments how ingenuous was he ? so we find him , confessing not only those sinnes wherein he was principall ; as , his procuring letters from the rulers , to persecute the saints , and his executing that commission to the full , with great fury and rage , yea , going beyond it , which he sets forth ( as i have shewen you ) to the full , in those texts forecited , act. 22. 19. & 26. 10 ; but even those , wherein he was any wayes accessarie : as his consenting to the death of some of the martyrs ; when they were put to death , i gave my voice against them ( so it there followeth in the text last named ) . and in particular , concerning the proto-martyr stephen . and when the blood of thy martyr stephen was shed , ( saith he ) i also was standing by , and consenting to his death , and kept the rayment of them that slew him , act. 22. 20. thus was he ready to confess what ever he had done in way of opposition against christ , wherein he had had a hand or finger , been either principal or accessarie . so ingenuous was he in his acknowledgments , both to god and men. and such will the acknowledgment of the truly penitent sinner be , ingenuous and full. 3. and being thus ingenuous , it will also be particular . not only in a general way . such , for the most part , are the acknowledgments of hypocrites , and of meer carnal persons . they will ( it may be ) sometimes take up paul's words here in the text , confessing and acknowledging , that they are sinners , great sinners , but this is only in a general way , not with reflection upon any particular sinne or sinnes , that they charge upon themselves . herein , not unlike to king nebuchadnezzar , who had dreamed a dream , and was much troubled about it , but when his wise men came to ask him what it was , he could not give them any accompt of it , dan. 2. 5. even so faieth it with many poor carnal wretches . in time of sickness , they will then ( it may be ) pretend at least to great trouble of minde for their sins , breaking forth into confessions and acknowledgements , that they are sinners , great sinners , ( the case is ordinarie ) : but come to ask them , what particular sinne or sinnes , they are that trouble them , that lie so heavy upon their consciences , this they cannot tell . now , as for such a confession of sin ; it may be looked upon but as a dream , a delusion , no true confession . true confession will be particular . not , but that a good confession may be made in general words . so runs the acknowledgment here in the text ; [ i am the chief of sinners ] . but still it is in reference to some particular sinne or sinnes , which are in the eye of the penitent confessour ▪ whilest he maketh that general confession . thus was it with our apostle here in the text. his confession , indeed runs in general tearms , that he was the chief of sinners , but it is with a reference and respect unto those particular sinnes , which he had confessed and acknowledged by name , but two verses before , i was a blasphemer , a persecutor , &c. this is the confession of a true penitent sinner : though the tongue may utter that confession i●… general tearms , yet the heart even at the same time particularizeth , having an eye to some particular sinne , or sinnes , from which that confession immediately ariseth , and without which , it could not be a hearty confession . the maxim is true , not more in philosophy ▪ than in divinitie ; genera nec agunt , nec patiuntur , generalities never throughly affect a man. it must not be meerly a general notion ▪ of sinne , but a distinct apprehension of some particular sinne , or sinnes that will work upon the heart aright , so as to draw from it , a cordial and affectionate acknowledgment of sinne . and such again is the confession of the true penitent . sinner , ( take that for a fourth property ) a cordial and affectionate acknowledgement : not meerly verbal , and formal . such is the hypocrite's confession , a tongue-confession ; an acknowledgement from the teeth-outward , meerly verbal , and formal . so may the confessions of papists , for the most part , be looked upon , which they make to their priests , striking their hands upon their breasts , and crying out , mea culpa , mea culpa ; my sinne , my sinne ; whilst their hearts ( it may be ) are not affected with what they make shew of . and such , and no better , it is to be feared , are the acknowledgements of some , and not a few among us , in the confession of sinnes , which they make in the publick congregation . therein they draw nigh unto god with their mouth , and honour him with their lips , ( as the lord saith of his people the jewes , isa. 29. 13. ) offering up the calves of their lips unto him , ( as the prophet speaks , hos. 14. 2. ) in saying after the minister , repeating the words of the confession . but in the mean time their hearts are far removed , and estranged from him , being no wayes affected with what their tongues utter , and pronounce . and even so is it , in their private confessions . they make them but a lip-labour . it may be making use of some set-form , composed by themselves , or others , they only repeat the words in a formal , and customary way , but without any inward ▪ affection ; their hearts not being touched with the sense and feeling of what their tongues utter , and confesse . now , as for such confessions , being heartless sacrifices , they are odious , and abominable unto god ; who , as he 〈◊〉 cheth the heart , so he requireth it ▪ without it , not regarding what ever sacrifices can be offered up unto him. thou desirest not sacrifice , thou delightest not in burnt-offering , ( saith the psalmist , not any service that is meerly external ) : the sacrifices of god are a broken spirit ; a heart kindly broken with the sense of sin , psal. 51. 16 , 17. and such are the sacrifices which are offered up by the penitent sinner to his god. all his prayers , all his confessions , they come from a broken and a contrite heart ; be●…ng hearty confessions , ●…affectionate acknowledgements . such we shall find the confessions of this our apostle , which we so frequently meet with , breathing forth a great deal of inward affection ; expressing both sorrow and shame , indignation and detestation . and such are the acknowledgements of the true penitent , attended , and accompanyed with sorrow and shame . with sorrow ; i will declare mine iniquity , ( saith david ) and i will be sorry for my sinne , psal. 38. 18. with shame ; the publican making his confession in the temple , he doth it with shame : standing afar off ( in some remote part of the outward court of the temple ) he would not so much as lift up his eyes unto heaven , being ashamed of himself , luke 18. 13. and so with indignation and detestation ; thus paul speaking of what he had done , his forwardness in persecuting of the saints , act. 26. 11. i was ( saith he ) exceedingly mad against the saints : a speech savouring of great indignation against himself . and thus iob saith that he abhorred himself , and repented in dust and ashes , job 42. 6. and paul speaking of his corinthians , sheweth how they shewed themselves true penitents , by their indignation , and revenge ; indignation against their sin , and revenge which they took upon themselves for it , 2 cor. 7. 11. and to these is ever joyned a serious resolution of abandoning the sinne confessed ; never more to return to it again , but to forsake it . who so confesseth , and for saketh his sinnes , shall have mercy , ( saith the wiseman ) prov. 28. 13. such was that confession which good shecaniah made unto ezra in ▪ the name of the people , ezra . 10. 2 , 3. we have trespassed against our god ( saith he ) and have taken strange wives , &c. now , therefore let us make a new covenant with our god , to put away all these strange wives , &c. and thus elihu , in iob , describeth the confession of a true penitent , iob. 34. 31 , 32. surely , it is meet to be said unto god , i have borne chastisement , i will not offend any more : that which i see not , teach thou , if i have done iniquitie , i will do no more . such is the confession of the true penitent , cordial and affectionate . here is a fourth property . take but one more , and that briefly . being thus cordial , it is also filial . such is the confession which he maketh to his god ; not servile . such is the confession of the hypocrite oft-times , a servile , a slavish confession , the fruit not of love to god , but of fear ; and that not of a reverential , but a slavish fear . such was balaams confession which he maketh , numb . 22. 31 , 34. when he saw the angel stand before him with a drawn sword , then he cryeth out , i have sinned . and so it is with some wicked and ungodly wretches , being in a strait , ( as he was ) , stopped in their course ; the angel of the lord meeting them ; ( as he did him ) with a drawn sword , some judgment of god threatning them , it may be , death it self staring them in the face , so as they apprehend themselves ready to drop into hell ; now they will confess , and acknowledg their sinnes . but this they do not out of any love to god , or hatred of their sins , but meerly out of a slavish fear : it may be in a despairing way , as cain and iudas did . now , in this the acknowledgment of a true penitent sinner differs ; that , is a filial acknowledgment : such was that of the prodigal son , who cometh unto his father , as a father ; making his confession to him under that notion , father , i have sinned against heaven , and in thy sight , luk. 15. 21. and thus the penitent sinner comes unto his god , confessing his sinnes unto him , not simply , as to a iudge , from whom he expects nothing but severity of justice , ( as achan did his sinne to ioshua , josh. 7. 20. ) but as unto a father , with some apprehensions of mercy . thus are the confessions of a truly penitent sinner , ordinarily attended and accompanied with some apprehension of mercy ; ( i say ) , either with the present sense of it , as pauls confession here was , to which he subjoynes , but i obteined mercy . or with the hope of it : so runs that confession , which shecaniah there maketh , ezra 10. 2. we have transgressed , &c. yet now there is hope in israel concerning this thing . to proceed no further ; put these together , and hereby may the sincere confession and acknowledgment of the truly penitent sinner , be discerned from that which is false and counterfeit . and so you have both these questions resolved . that which now remains of this , is the application . which i shall direct , ( as in the former branch ) onely two wayes , by way of conviction , exhortation . 1. by way of conviction . is the true penitent such a confessor , so forward and ready in such a way , to confesse and acknowledge his sinnes , both to god and man ; how many then from hence may be convinced , that they are as yet , none of this number ; that they are as yet in a state of impenitency ; that they are as yet in their sinnes , lying under the guilt and power of them ? diverse sorts there are , who come within the verge and compass of this conviction . let me take notice of some of them . which whilest i do , let me desire you , all of you , to go along with me , trying and examining your selves , whether you be not of this number . in the first place , some there are , who do not , as yet , know themselves to be sinners ; they were never convinced of their sinnes , never convinced of the sinfulness of their nature , never convinced of any such remarkable evils , whether in their hearts or lives , as should need any such serious confession and acknowledgment . so is it with some morall civil iusticiaries , whose lives not having been stained , with such open , such foul and scandalous sinnes as they see in others ; hereupon they are well opinionated of themselves . they are not as other men are , ( as the pharisee said of himself , luk. 18. 11. ) no swearers , no drunkards , no adulterers , &c. so as they scarce see wherein they are sinners , much less great sinners . very far are they from making any such confession and acknowledgment of their sinnes , as paul here doth of his . now , as for such , let them know , that not having as yet been convinced of their sinnes , they must needs be in them , lying under the power , and under the guilt of them . this is the first work that the spirit of god worketh in the heart of a regenerate person . it is to him , a spirit of conviction ; when the comforter is come , ( saith our saviour ) he shall reprove ( or convince 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ) the world of sin , joh ▪ 16. 8. this is the work of the spirit , and it is the first work . certainly , the soul which never yet knew what this work meant , must needs be far from any such ingenuous acknowledgment , as here we meet with in the text. paul , before he came to make this confession , that he was the chief of sinners , he had seen a light from heaven shining round about him ; and falling , to the earth , he heard a voice saying unto him , saul , saul , why persecutest thou me ? ( as we have the story ) act. 9. 3 , 4. he had a strong , a clear , and powerful conviction , discovering to him , and throughly convincing him of , the evil of that course which he then took . and thus must it be with every poor sinner . before ever he will be brought to an ingenuous confession and acknowledgment of his sinnes , he must see a light from heaven , discovering them to him ; and he must hear a voice from heaven , convincing him of the sinfulness of them ; and he must be struck down to the earth , humbled in the sense of his own vilenesse , before ever his heart will be brought to such a frame and temper , as here we find in this our apostle ; to be ready thus to confess and acknowledg his sinnes , both to god and man , upon all occasions . certainly , they who never yet knew what this spirit of conviction meant , are as yet , far from being ingenuous confessours , and consequently , may conclude themselves to be in a state of impenitency . in the second place ; another sort there are who have been convinced of their sins , which yet , they will not be brought to confess and acknowledge . convinced ( i say ) they have been , being guilty ( it may be ) of some foul , open , and scandalous sinnes , whereof they have been convinced , not onely by the light of the word , but even by the light of nature ; which light is sufficient to make a discovery of some , of many sinnes , specially of those against the second table . this is the work of the law , written in the hearts of men , ( as the apostle saith of it , rom. 2. 15. ) which whilest it directs them to many duties , it cannot but convince them of many sinnes . rectum est index sui & obliqui . yet , for all this , they will not be brought to a confession and acknowledgment of what they cannot but be convinced of . no , though charged upon them by the ministers of god , again and again , yet for all that , they will not be brought to confess their sinnes ; no , not so much as unto god. is it not the case of some , of many profane wretches ? ( i wish there may be none of them within the hearing of it , or , if there be , that it may sink into their hearts ) ; they are such as cannot but be convinced of their sinful wayes and courses , being ( as the apostle saith of obstinate hereticks , tit. 3. 11. ) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , self-condemned ; their own consciences bearing witness , and their thoughts accusing them , ( as he speaks of the gentiles , rom. 2. 15. ) their sinnes being of a horrid nature , staring them in the face ( as it were ) ; yet for all that , the time is yet to come , that ever they should go into the presence of god , there to spread their sinnes before him , ( as hezekiah did senacheribs blasphemous letter , isa. 38. ) to humble themselves at his footstool , by confessing and acknowledging their sinnes . this is a course , a practise , which they are meer strangers to , never yet knew what it meant . and not confessing their sinnes unto god , they are very farre from acknowledging them unto men ; from whom their main care is to hide them , ( as achan did his wedge of gold , and babylonish garment , which he hid in his tent , iosh. 7. 22 ) . and if they be found out , and charged upon them , what do they then ? why either deny them , ( as gehazi did his running after naman to receive a reward from him , which his master elisha had refused ; when his master asked him , whence comest thou ? he said , thy servant went no whither , 2 king. 5. 25. ) so adding sinne unto sinne . or else excuse , it may be defend , what they have done . by no means they will be brought to take the blame and shame of sinne to themselves . let such take notice how farre they are from pauls disposition , who upon all occasions shews himself forward , and ready , to confess and acknowledge against himself his former sinnes ; that so , taking shame to himself , he might give glory to god. never was he more ready to take unto himself the praise of his good deeds when he was a pharisee , than now he is to take both the blame and shame of his evil ones , being a christian. certainly the soul that will not be brought to the confessing , and acknowledging of those sinnes whereof it is convinced , must needs be in a state of impenitency , lying under the power , and guilt of sinne . a third sort there are , ( i shall hasten what i may ) who it may be at some times , and upon some occasions , will confess and acknowledge their sinnes ; but their acknowledgements are not sincere , but hypocritical , and counterfeit . and such they will appear to be , if brought to the test , tryed by the touchstone of that five-fold property which i have held forth to you . 1. either they are not voluntary , and free , but extorted . they will not confess but when they are brought to the rack ; never but when they are in some strait , having some judgement of god lying upon them , or threatning them . then , it may be , god and men shall hear of them , and from them , then they will confess against themselves . whereas at other times they are wholly silent in this way . 2. or else ( in the second place ) there is no ingenuity in their confessions . and thence is it , that , if they be drawn to confess , and acknowledge ought against themselves , they deal very partially , hiding their sinnes what they may , seeking to excuse , colour , extenuate , shift them off to others ( as you have heard ) not willing to lay them forth open and naked , and so to deal plainly either with god or man. still they will be keeping back part . 3. or ( thirdly ) their confessions are onely in the gross , in a general way , without any distinct reflection upon any particular sins , which draws from them that acknowledgement . 4. or ( in the fourth place ) they are meerly verbal , and formal , without any true inward sense and feeling of the sinnes which they confess , and acknowledge . 5. or else ( in the last place ) what they do , is altogether in a despairing way , without either sense , or hope of mercy . all these ( as i have showen you ) they are evidences of a false and counterfeit acknowledgment . and yet such , and no better , are the confessions which the greatest part ( it is to be feared ) do rest contented with . never regarding to get their hearts brought to such a voluntary , ingenuous , particular , cordial , and filial acknowledgment , as might evidence to themselves , and others , the truth of their repentance . there is yet a fourth sort , and that is the worst of all , such as will make confession ( or rather profession ) of their sinnes , but not as sinnes ; not confessing them with sorrow and shame , with indignation and detestation , with a serious purpose and resolution of forsaking and abandoning of them , ( as the true penitent doth ) but rather boasting of them , and glorying in them . i wish there were none such to be found among christians at this day ; such as glory in their sinnes ; which they shew not , as beggars do their soars , to move pity and compassion in the beholders , but as souldiers do their wounds and skars which they have received in some honourable service ; accounting it their honour , their glory , that they have been the chief of sinners . such monsters of men there have been , and i fear yet are , men so hardned in their sinful wayes and courses ; so far given over to that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , to a reprobate minde , ( as the apostle saith of the gentiles , rom. 1. 28. ) so far past all sense and feeling , ( as he saith of some , ephes. 4. 19. ) as that they are not ashamed to declare their sinnes . they declare their sinne as sodom ( as the prophet saith of the people of the iews , isa. 3. 9. ) : making their boast thereof , as those idolaters did of their idols , psal. 97. 7. and as lamech did of his cruelty and bloodshed , gen. 4. 23 , 24. yea , it may be , boast of that which they never did . surely , a greater height of impiety , than is to be found in the devils kingdom , in hell it self . there , those damned souls , they complaine and cry out of their sinnes , and curse the time that ever they committed them . as for boasting of them , glorying in them , they are far from it . now , as for such , let them know , that this their boasting , their glorying , ( shall i speak it in the apostle's language to his corinthians in another case , 1 cor. 5. 6. ) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , it is not good ? nay , it is most horrid , most impious . such an impiety as hath a woe , a most dreadful woe attending upon it . ( hear , and tremble at it , you , who stand in any degree guilty in this kind ) . they declare their sinne as sodom , and they hide it not , ( saith the prophet , speaking of the iews in the text forecited , isa. 3. 9. as they shewed it in their deeds , so they spared not to publish it with their tongues , not in way of confession , as david , psal. 32. 5. but in a way of profession as lamech , gen. 4. 23 , 24. ( as our new annotator explains it ) . thus did they declare their sinnes as sodom , as the men of sodom ; who openly professed , what they commonly practised or intended . but what follows ? woe unto their souls , for they have rewarded evil to themselves : by these wicked courses , they draw down the vengeance of god upon their own heads . oh , far be this from any one of us ! the shameful parts of the body , nature teacheth to hide and cover them . if any shall be so immodest as to discover them to open view , we should presently conclude him to be either mad or drunk , not himself . what is it then to uncover the nakedness , and filthiness of the soul ? and not onely to uncover it , but to boast of it , to glory in it . as for such , well may we say of them , what the apostle doth of those voluptuous belly gods , phil. 3. 19. that their glory is their shame . so is it now , and so they shall find it another day , at that great day , when ( as he there saith of them ) destruction shall be their end . paul , confessing his sinnes here in the text , he doth it openly , before god and men , but he doth it upon another account , viz. that he might take the shame of them to himself . and herein propound we him , as a patern for our imitation . be we all of us such confessors , ready and forward upon all occasions , to confess and acknowledg our sins , as he was . let that be the word of exhortation , which ( as in the former branch ) might be directed to two sorts of persons ; first , to such as never yet knew , what a true confession and acknowledgment of sinnes meant . secondly , to such as have been practisers in this way . but i shall put them both together , pressing this duty upon all . those which never yet did it , let them set upon it . those who have done it , let them be frequent in it . this is that , which the lord calleth for from his people , the people of the iews , jer. 3. 13. onely acknowledge thine iniquity . and this he expecteth and looketh for , at the hands of all those ▪ that look for mercy from him ; that they should confess and acknowledg their iniquities . and this do we all , and every of us . sure i am , there is none of us but have just cause to do it . though we be not so great sinners as paul was , yet sinners we are , and great sinners , all of us . and so looking upon our selves , confesse we our sinnes . this do we ( in the first place ) unto god. this is the confession , which scripture most urgeth and calleth for , at the hands of all , as being the most necessary confession . my son , give , i pray thee , glory to the lord god of israel , and make confession unto him , ( ●…aith ioshua to achan ) josh. 7. 19. i said , i will confess my transgressions unto the lord , ( saith david , psal. 32. 5. ) confession unto others , it may be at some times , and in some cases , useful , and profitable , but this , at all times necessary . a doctrine , far differing from that of the church of rome ; which runneth almost wholly , upon another kind of confession , viz. auricular confession ( as they call it ) confession made in the ears of the priest. this is the confession which they so much cry up , making it a main part of their religion ; insisting so much upon it in all their tracts and catechisms , calling , and accounting it a sacrament , and making it one of the essential parts of true repentance , imposing it strictly upon all , and requiring it as a matter , not only of expedience , but of absolute necessity , ( where it may be done ) ; without which , no man can receive absolution , or remission of his sinnes , or have any entrance into the kingdom of god. in this , the doctrine of our church , is ( and may it ever so be ) far dissonant from , and contrarie to theirs . which , however in some cases it alloweth , and upon good grounds , approveth the confession of sinnes unto the ministers of god , as expedient and useful ; yet , confession unto god , and onely that , it holdeth to be of absolute necessity ▪ and so looking upon it , let every of us thus confesse our sinnes ; confesse them unto him. which do we , in publick , in private ; doing it in such a manner , as it may be acceptable unto him , and profitable to our selves . to which end , have we an eye to that fivefold property which i mentioned before . 1. see that our confession be voluntary and free. bring we our hearts willingly to the work . see that our confession come from us , like water out of a spring ; not like water out of a still , which is forced by fire . not deferring , and putting it off till the evil day . better do it now , than stay till god bring us to the rack , and so extort a confession from us . extorted confessions , being ( as i said ) ever suspicious , they will yield little comfort to the soul : what herein we do , do it willingly . 2. and ( 2dly . ) , do it ingenously . acknowledge we our sinnes unto god , and hide them not . a bootlesse and vain attempt , to go about to hide our sinnes from him , in whole , or in part , before whose eyes , all things are naked and open , ( as the apostle tells us , heb. 4. 13. ) . in our confessions therefore , deal plainly and openly with him . shewing our selves as ready to confess our sinnes unto him , as we would be to receive mercy from him . do it ingenuously and fully . 3. and do it particularly , not resting contented with an implicit confession , which ( as one saith ) is little better than an implicit faith ; not thinking it enough , to confess and acknowledge that we are sinners , great sinners ; but deal particularly and distinctly , producing our particular sinnes , laying them before the lord , specially the chief of them . 4. and ( in the 4th . place ) do it cordially . let our confessions , be not onely tongue , but heart-confessions . see that we be inwardly affected with the sense and feeling of those sins which we confess . 5. and ( in the last place ) let our confessions be filial , come we unto god , not onely as a iudge , but as a father ; laying hold upon his mercy in christ , for the pardon of those sinnes which we confesse . thus , confesse we our sinnes unto god. to excite and stir us up whereunto , take we notice , that this is the way to mercy . the onely way , and the sure way to it . scripture is expresse for both . the onely way , i am merciful ( saith the lord ) , onely acknowledge thine iniquitie , jer. 3. 12 , 13. as if he had said , other way there is none for thee , or any other , to obtain mercy at my hands , but this . the sure way . so much these promises import : he that confesseth , and forsaketh his sinnes , shall have mercy , prov. 28. 13. if we confess our sinnes , god is faithful and just to forgive us our sinnes , and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness , 1 joh. 1. 9. god having ( as it were ) bound himself by promise , upon confession of sinnes , to bestow remission ; now , it standeth not onely with his mercy , but with his iustice to do it . not that confession can merit pardon at the hands of god , more than at the hands of men , but onely in regard of his gracious promise , which having made , he will be faithful in the performance of . this is the way , the sure and onely way to find mercy . a way , which god himself hath layed out ; and a way which his people have ever taken for the obteining of it , both for themselves and others ; and a way , wherein they have ever found what they sought for . all these i might show you , if need were . and besides this , i might show you diverse other benefits , redounding to the penitent sinner from this practise . this is the ready and onely way to ease the heart , being burdened with sinne , thus , to poure it forth before god , in such humble and hearty confessions and acknowledgments . the opening of our grief unto a friend , is an ease to the heart , much more to do it unto god. when i kept silence , ( saith david ) my bones waxed old , through my roaring all the day long , psal. 32. 3. whilest he hid his sinne , he could have no rest ; he roared through pangs of conscience : but , confessing it , his soul was quieted ; he thereby obteined what he then sought for , pardon and remission ; i said , i will confesse my transgressions unto the lord , and thou forgavest the iniquitie of my sinne , ( so it followeth ) vers . 5. let these motives induce us to be willing to confess our sinnes unto god. and ( 2dly . ) , upon occasion , be not unwilling to do it unto men. 1st . privately , whether to the ministers of god or others . confess your sinnes one to another , ( saith saint iames , jam. 5. 16. ) that is ( say some ) , to those elders which were to be sent for , of whom he speaks in the verses foregoing , or ( as others more generally look upon it ) to them , or any other faithful brethren . this are christians to do ( as i have showen you ) in two cases . 1st . when they feel sinne lying heavy upon their souls , and find no ease by other endeavours . and ( 2dly . ) , when any sinne is charged upon them by others , by way of christian admonition or reprehension . in these cases , christians are to deal freely and ingennously , confessing their sinnes unto others , such as may be fit to have them communicated to them , being wise and faithful . by which means , they may come to have the benefit , as of their counsels , so of their prayers . confess your sinnes one to another , and pray one for another , ( as it there followeth ) . 2. and as privately , so also publickly , and openly ; whether it be in a regular way , if justly required so to do by lawful authority ; or in a spontaneous and voluntary way . such as have been open , and scandalous sinners , sinning before others , to the offending , or endangering of them , let them be , as occasion is offered , ready to confesse their sinnes before others . that so 1. they may give glory to god , ( as ioshua in the text fore-cited requires achan to do ) ; the glory of his iustice , acknowledging him to be just , and righteous , in what ever he hath done , or shall do against them , though it were in their everlasting condemnation . o lord , righteousness belongeth unto thee , ( so daniel begins his confession ) dan. 9. 7. and so the glory of his grace and mercy , in sparing them , receiving them to mercy . upon this ground it was , ( as i have shown you ) that paul was so forward , and frequent in his confessions . 2. and ( secondly ) that giving glory to god , they may take shame to themselves . o lord , righteousness belongeth unto thee , but unto us confusion of face ( so daniel there goeth on ) . this ( as i have showen you ) true penitent sinners will readily take unto themselves ; and upon this account they are so ready to make these open confessions . that which deterrs , and keeps off others from it , brings them off to it . carnal men , out of a carnal respect which they have to their credit and reputation in the world , they are averse to it . and hereupon they will stand upon their justification , denying , excusing , extenuating , evading what they can , ( as you have heard ) . but upon this accompt , the penitent sinner is forward in it , that , whilest he gives glory to god , he may take shame to himself . this is god's due , and his ; and so apprehending it , he is willing thus to give the one , and take the other . 3. and again ( thirdly ) , this let them do , for the satisfaction of those , whom by their sinnes they have scandalized , and offended , or endangered . 4. as also to set a patern unto others , who stand guilty of the like sinnes . all these , let them be as so many inducements , to draw them to such free and open confessions . wherein , let them take heed that they deal sincerely and uprightly . not doing this out of any base sinister respects , as thinking thereby , to gain credit and repute from any , which is odious hypocrisy . but doing it , as in the presence of god. thus did paul preach the gospel of christ , ( as he tells his corinthians , 2 cor. 2. last . ) . and thus no question he made these open confessions against himself , not as many , who deal deceitfully , but as of sincerity , as in the sight of god. and such let all our confessions and acknowledgments be ; to whomsoever they are made , whether to god or man. see that they be not meerly verbal and formal , much less hypocritical , but sincere and cordial . and that we may attain to be such true confessors , ( to give you some directions briefly ) ; let our first work be , to get a true sight , a right knowledge of sin , a speculative knowledge of the nature , and kinds of sin , to know what sinne is , and what is sinne . now , this knowledge is not to be attained , but by and from the law. by the law , is the knowledge of sinne , ( saith the apostle ) rom. 3. 20. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , a clear , distinct , effectual knowledg , such a knowledg as bringeth forth an acknowledgment . so much the word in the original is conceived to import , which we find sometimes so rendred by our translators , as , 2 tim. 2. 25. tit. 1. 1. acknowledgment . now , such a knowledge of sinne , [ as i said ] is not to be attained , but by the law , from the word . as for the light of nature , that may , and will discover unto man some sinnes , but this light is insufficient and defective . for , [ 1st . ] , it will not discover all sinnes . sinnes against the second table it may , but not so many of them against the first table ; which are indeed the greatest sinnes . grosse sinnes it may , not other . actual sinnes it may , which are the branches ; but not original sinne , which is the root of all sinne . this through-discovery of all sinne , is onely by the law. and therefore saith the apostle , i had not known sinne , but by the law , rom. 7. 7. non ita exacte nossem , [ saith grotius ] , i could never have known it so exactly and fully , as now i do . many sinnes there were , that the light of nature could not have discovered unto him : specially that mother-sinne , the root of all sinne , that sinful concupiscence , of which he speaks in the words following , i had not known lust , ( 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , concupiscence ) , except the law had said , thou shalt not lust . besides , sinnes against the gospel , ( such as pauls sinnes were , which here he confesseth ) , the light of nature cannot discover them ; this must the light of the word do . and again , discovery of sinne by the light of nature , is not an effectual discovery . it never so enlightneth the eye , as that it rightly affecteth the heart , affecteth it with true sorrow for sinne , so as to drive the sinner unto god , to seek and sue for mercy , in such a way as he may obtein it . this is proper to the word . and therefore make we use of this light , labouring to get a true understanding of , and insight into , the law of god , that so we may attain such a knowledge of sinne , to know ( as i said ) , what sinn●…s , and what is sinne . without this , there will be no true confession . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 must go before 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , cognitio before agnitio , knowledge before acknowledgement . 2dly . having attained some measure of this general knowledge , the next work must be , to get a particular conviction . paul had not onely a light shining round about him , ( as you heard ) , but he also heard a voice from heaven , saying unto him , saul , saul , why persecutest thou me , act. 9. and so it is not enough for a christian to have the light of the word shining round about him , to have a general knowledge of sinne , but he must be particularly convinced of his own sinnes . to that end , therefore , bring we our selves to the law. behold we our own faces in that glass . bring our lives thither , bring our hearts thither , comparing the one with the other ; laying both to that rule , that so by the straightness of the one , we may discover the obliquity and crookedness of the other . thus did paul , he brought himself , his heart and life to the law , and by that means , he came not onely to attain the knowledge of sinne in a general way , but to see his own sinfulness , the sinfulness of his nature , and the sinfulness of his life ; as his former sinnes acted before his conversion , so the body of sinne , which still remained in hi●… ▪ in the sense and apprehension whereof , he so passionately cryeth out in the close of that chapter , rom. 7. 24. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , o wretched man that i am , who shall deliver me from the body of this death ? thus , seek we after such a conviction , which till we attain , we will never be brought to a right confession and acknowledgment of sin . thence was it , that nathan taketh this course with david : first , convincing him of his sinne , which he doth , by propounding to him the parable of the ewe-lamb , and so by that means , brings him to that confession which there he made , 2 sam. 12. 3dly . being convinced of sinne , then ( in the third place ) seek after some measure of compunction and contrition , that so we may not onely have a sight , but an inward sense and feeling of our sinnes , and so be humbled in the sense of them . paul , did not only see a light shining about him , and hear a voice speaking unto him , but he was also struck to the ground , [ as you have heard ] . and so must a poor sinner be , before ever he will be brought to a right confession of his sinnes . seek we for this also in measure . this it was , that drew iohn the baptist's , and peters , and pauls hearers , to those open confessions which they made , they were pricked in the hearts for their sinnes . 4thly . being thus humbled for sinne , and feeling some measure of compunction , now labour in the next place , to get some apprehensions of mercy , to raise up the soul ; if not in the sense , yet with the hope of m●…cy . till this be done , our confession will never be such as it ought to be . it will never be voluntary and ingenuous , till ▪ it be filial . fear , slavish fear , it straitneth the heart , causeth the spirits to retire , and run inward [ as it were ] . apprehensions of mercy , will melt , and inlarge , and dissolve it [ as it were ] ; and so draw forth the soul , to free and ingenuous confessions , and acknowledgments . 5thly . in the fifth and last place , seek we unto god for that his free spirit , [ as david calleth it , psal. 51. 12. ] that , that may be in us a spirit of confession . it is that , which the lord maketh promise of to his people , zach. 12. 10. i will poure upon them , the spirit of grace and supplications . his spirit , which is the gift of his grace , [ and therefore called the spirit of grace ] should so inwardly affect them with the sense of his mercies , as that they should freely poure out their souls before him , in true penitent confessions of their own sinnes , whereof formerly they had not been sensible . and this spirit seek we from god. even such a spirit of grace and supplications , which may put our hearts into such a confessing frame and temper , as that they may be ready upon all occasions , to break forth into humble and hearty confessions and acknowledgments of our sinnes , both before god and men. by this means it was , that paul was now become such a forward and ingenuous confessor of his own sinnes . which , confessing , he also censureth , and that severely , acknowledging himself not only a sinner , but a great sinner ; yea , the chief of sinners . that is the third particular branch , of the general observation , to which i now come . the penitent sinner , as he is a frequent remembrancer , and a forward confessour , so also a severe censurer ; severe in censuring of his own sinnes , and himself for them . an observation which i find the learned grotius taking up from that parallel text , luk. 5. 8. where peter maketh the like confession , that paul here doth . having seen that miracle which christ had wrought , in blessing his labour beyond all expectation , giving him such a draught of fishes , as the like he had never before seen or heard of , he thereupon falleth down at his knees , saying , depart from me , i am a sinful man. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , peccatosus , a sinner , a great sinner . so much that word [ as you have formerly heard ] imports ; as we may take notice from that text of saint peter , 1 pet. 4. 18. if the righteous scarsly be saved , where shall the ungodly and sinner appear ? 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . where the word sinner , being opposed to a righteous person , it imports , a wicked and ungodly person , with whom it is there joyned , an habituated sinner . so we find it used by our apostle in the ninth verse of this chapter , whereof the text is part . where he saith , that the law was not made for a righteous man , but for the lawless and disobedient ; for the ungodly , and for sinners , for unholy , and prophane . where , by sinners , we are to understand ▪ such as the rest there spoken of are , wicked , and ungodly ; unholy , and prophane persons , such as make a trade of sinne , ( as beza there expounds it ) , veluti aliquam peccandi artem exercentes , such as the poet hesiod ( saith he ) calleth , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , such as made sinne their work , habituated and notorious sinners . now what ? was peter such a one ? nothing lesse , he was , then , a truly pious and godly man , as appears by his demeanure to his lord and master christ , his readiness to do what ever he should command him ; which he professeth and practiseth in the verses foregoing , vers . 5. 6. how was it then , that he should passe so severe a censure upon himself , that he was a sinner , such a sinner , a sinful man ? why , thus it is , none are more ready to pass censures upon themselves , than those that deserve them least . probi animi vel maximum ●…st indicium severissimam in se censuram exercere , ( saith that author ) ; there is not a greater evidence of a pious and gracious soul , than to be severe in censuring of it self . such a one was this our apostle saint paul , ( as the same author there taketh notice of it , paralleling him with peter , in this confession which here he maketh ) . notwithstanding that before his conversion , he was morally blameless in his life and conversation , and now an eminent saint ; yet he passeth this censure upon himself , that he was , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , the first , the chief of sinners . and such censurers shall we find other of the saints of god to have been , severe in censuring of themselves . hence is it , that in their confessions and acknowledgements we shall find them aggravating their sinnes to the heighth , indeavouring what they could to express and set forth the heinousness , the greatness of them . so we find david confessing and acknowledging of that sinne of his , in numbering of the people , 2 sam. 24. 10. his heart smiting him for what he had done , he breaks forth into the acknowledgement of it , confessing that he had therein not onely sinned , but greatly sinned . and david said unto the lord , i have sinned greatly in that i have done . and what was it that he had done ? why , he had caused the people , through his dominions , to be numbered ; to have a muster-role taken of all those that were fit to bear armes , if occasion should require it . and what , was this so great a sinne ? in appearance it was not , it being no more than what , out of a politick respect , he might do ; and what others before him ( in likely-hood ) had frequently and usually done . but david , knowing his own heart , and being privy to his own intentions and aimes in doing what he did ; that he had done it , not onely out of a vain curiosity , when as there was no need that he should do it , but also out of a principle of pride , and carnal confidence , having therein made flesh his arm , trusting in the multitude of his people ; hereupon he not onely confesseth the sinne , but censureth it as a very great sinne ; withall censuring himself to have therein done foolishly , very foolishly , as it followeth in the close of that verse , i have done very foolishly . however , in this action , i seemed to my self to have been very prudent and politick ; yet now i see that it was no better than extream folly , seeing i swerved out of the way of thy commandements , through pride , and carnal confidence . and not unlike is that other confession of his , which he maketh in the matter of uriah , psal. 51. where he not only in express tearms acknowledgeth the fact which he had done , his going into bathsheba , ( as he calleth it in the title of the psalme ) his committing adultery with her ; but he aggravateth it to the full , setting forth the foulness and heinousness of it , which he doth by multiplying of words about it , calling it iniquity , transgression , sinne , evil ; an exaggeration of words , serving and tending to the aggravation of his sinne . withal , he accuseth and condemneth himself before god , for that sinne , clearing , and justifying of him , as touching what he had already done , in taking away his child ; so also , touching what he had threatned by the prophet nathan , that he would do unto him , viz. that , the sword should never depart from his house , 2 sam. 12. 10. and so touching whatsoever else he should please to do unto him , however he should punish him or his , yet , still he acknowledgeth , how he had deserved all , justifying of god. this we shall find in the fourth verse of that psalm , where confessing how he had therein sinned against god , against thee , thee onely have i sinned , and done this evill-in thy sight ; he subjoyneth , that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest , and be clear when thou judgest which words are commonly ( and i think not amiss ) looked upon as a reason , why he thus made this confession to his god , viz. that he might give unto him the glory of his justice , in what ever he had spoken and threatned against him , or in what ever judgments and punishments , he should lay and inflict upon him . such a severe censurer was david of his own sinnes , and of himself for them . and the like shall we find in diverse others ; as in daniel , who confessing his own , and the peoples sinnes , da●… . 9. he first aggravateth them , to that end , multiplying of words , ( as david there did ) , making use of variety of expressions , vers. 5. we have sinned , and committed iniquity , and have done wickedly , and have rebelled , &c. thereby , setting forth both the multitude and magnitude of their sinnes . then he censures himself , and them for them , acknowledging what they had justly deserved thereby , even shame and confusion of face ; o lord ( saith he ) , righteousness belongeth unto thee , but unto us confusion of faces , as at this day , v. 7. which he repeats again in the verse following , with some amplifications . o lord , to us belongeth confusion of face , to our kings , to our princes , and to our fathers , because we have sinned against thee . such a confession of sinne it is that king solomon prescribes unto all penitent sinners , 1 king. 8. 47. if they shall repent , and make supplication unto thee , saying , we have sinned , and done perversly , we have committed wickedness , &c. as if he should say , we cannot sufficiently express , how heinous our sins are . and such confession , being truly penitent , they will be ready to make , we see it in the prodigal , upon his return to his father , luk. 15. 21. father ( saith he ) , i have sinned against heaven , and in thy sight , and am no more worthy to be called thy son. where see , how he first aggravateth his fault , acknowledging that in what he had done , he had sinned against heaven , that is , against god , who dwelleth in the heavens ; not onely against his earthly father , whom he had immediately offended , by his lewd and extravagant courses , but also against his heavenly father , whose laws he had transgressed . then he passeth censure upon himself , adjudging and acknowledging himself , worthy to be cast off by his father , unworthy to be any longer owned by him , as his son , i am no more worthy to be called thy son. so far was he from excusing himself , or from any wayes mincing , or extenuating what he had done . what ever others might think of it , who might impute it to the levitie of his youth , and so make leight of it , he censures it , and himself for it , as deserving not onely a frown , or a check from his father , but an utter abdication and abjection . so severe will true penitents be , in censuring of their own sinnes , and themselves for them . looking upon themselves : as vile unworthy wretches . so did iob , behold , i am vile , ( saith he ) job 40. 4. he was so in his own eyes . abhorring themselves , ( as he saith afterward of himself , cap. 42. vers . 6. ) loath●…ng themselves in their own sight , for all the ●…vills which they have done , ( as the lord ●…aith his people should do , ezek. 20. 43. & 36. 31. ) viler than others . surely i am more brutish than any man , ( saith wise agur ) , prov. 30. 2. thus severe are penitent sinners , in censuring of themselves . q. and how is it that they are so ? a. to this i have ( as i remember ) returned some answer before , giving you the heads of some reasons for it . let me touch upon some of them again . 1st . they are best acquainted with themselves , they know themselves . know ye not your own selves , ( saith paul to his corinthians ) 2 cor. 13. 5. this , all regenerate persons in measure do . having their eyes opened to the beholding , as of what they are by grace , to which end the spirit it given them ( we have received the spirit of god , that we should know the things which are freely given us of god , 1 cor. 2. 12. ) ; so of what they are by nature , to the beholding of the corruption of their hearts , and the errours of their lives . these they know . our transgressions are with us , and our iniquities we know them , ( saith the church ) isa. 59. 12. and so know them , as they do not , cannot , know the sinnes of others . in themselves ( as you heard before ) they take notice of the body of sinne , the mass of sinful corruption which is in them , which in others they see not , but by reflecting upon themselves . thus they may see it . even 〈◊〉 in water , face answereth to face , so the heart of man to man , ( saith solomon ) prov. 27. 19. the face which a man seeth in the water , or in a glass , it is in all points like unto his own , of the same feiture , colour , complexion . even such a similitude there is between the hearts , of one man , and another . how ever grace maketh a change , making men new creatures , differing from themselves , and so from others ; yet , by nature there is no difference , as the apostle tells us , rom. 3. 22. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , there is no difference ( or distinction ) , all have sinned , and come short of the glory of god. that is , ( as some expound it , and as we find these words [ the glory of god ] used by the same apostle , 1 cor. 11. 7. ) having all alike sinned in adam , they are alike deprived of the image of god , wherein man was at the first created , consisting in holiness and righteousnes ; and consequently , all alike infected with original corruption , which is the image of satan , all alike disfigured and deformed . so as a man reflecting upon himself , he thereby cometh , after a sort , to see what is in another , ex suo ingenio aliorum ingenia aestimans , measuring others by himself , guessing at their corruption by his own . but this he seeth onely in a glass , by reflexion from his own heart , and consequently his knowledg hereof is not so clear and certain , as that which he hath of himself . as for his own corruption , that he is well acquainted with , being sensible how indisposed he is to what ever is good , how pro●…e to all manner of evil . and as he knoweth his own heart , better than he doth the heart of any other , so also his life , as his inward corruption which is the fountain , so his actual sinnes which are the streams . these he knoweth better than he doth the sinnes of any others . many sins he must take notice of in others , but of more in himself . mine iniquities are more than the hairs of my head , ( saith david ) psal. 40. 12. this a man may say of himself , rather than of another , being ( as the penitent sinner is ) a diligent and constant observer of himself , observing his daily slips and infirmities , his daily commissions and omissions , which he cannot do in another . in others , he taketh notice onely of their open sinnes , in himself , of his secret sinnes ; which , as they are more in number , so they may be more heinous in nature than the open sinnes of others . and besides , observing his own sinnes , he knoweth the nature and quality of them , better than he can do of the sins of others . in others , he taketh notice of the outward acts of such or such sinnes , seeing them , or hearing of them ; but in himself , he taketh notice also of the circumstances accompanying his own sinnes , which many times exceedingly do aggravate them . so as whereas he doth but guess at the greatness of other mens sinnes , judging them by the outward appearance , he weigheth his own . even as the lord is said to weigh the wayes of men , isa. 26. 7. thou most upright doest weigh the path of the just . pondering all their goings , ( as the wiseman saith of him ) , prov. 5. 21. the wayes of man are before the eyes of the lord , and he pondereth all his goings . taking exact notice of all their actions , weighing them , as hannah hath it in her song , 1 sam. 2. 3. the lord is a god of knowledge , and by him actions are weighed . and as their actions , so their hearts and spirits . the lord weigheth the spirits ( saith the wiseman ) , prov. 16. 2. repeated , cap. 21. 2. like as the goldsmith that weigheth his gold , he taketh exact notice of every grain ; so doth god ponder and weigh all the actions , words , and thoughts of men , as their good works , so their sinnes ; taking notice of every circumstance that may make them either lighter or heavier , extenuate or aggravate them . and thus doth the true penitent sinner desire to weigh and ponder his own sinnes , considering not onely the sinnes themselves , but the circumstances wherewith they are attended , which oft-times are great aggravations . and so by putting these grains into his own ballance , which he cannot do in anothers , his own sinnes in his apprehension , come to weigh down the sinnes of others ; though haply in themselves not so heavy as others . thus is he better acquainted with himself than with others , with his own heart and life , with his own sinnes , his own inward corruption , the pravity of his nature , the rebellion of his own will , the inordinacy of his own affections , as also with his own actual sinnes , both as to the number , and nature of them . and hence is it , that he cometh to be so censorious towards himself , judging his own sinnes more , and greater than the sinnes of others ; and so himself , a greater sinner than others . besides this , ( in the second place ) as he seeth and weigheth his own sinnes , so he feeleth them ; which he doth not the sinnes of others . the sinnes of others he taketh notice of by the eye , or ear ; either by hear-say , or at the most being an eye-witness of them , and so knoweth them onely by speculation , but his own sinnes he feeleth them . feeling the body of sinne stirring in him , even as rebecca selt the two twins stirring and striving in her womb , gen. 25. 22. thus doth he feel corruption striving and struggling with grace ( of which paul complains , rom. 7. ) besides , he feeleth his actual sinnes , which , it may be , lye heavy upon his soul. as david saith his sinnes did upon him . psal. 40. 12. mine iniquities ( saith he ) have taken hold upon me , so that i am not able to look up ; which may be understood , not onely of the judgements of god , which then lay upon him , whereof his sinnes were the cause , but even of his sinnes themselves , which lay heavy upon his soul. and so is it in measure with all true penitent sinners , they are such as either do feel , or have felt the weight and burden of their sinnes , being weary , and heavy laden with them , as our saviour giveth a character of them . mat. 11. 29. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , such as labour under the sense of sinne , feeling it lying upon them as an intolerable burden . and this again maketh them think their own sins greatest . so it did paul here ( as you have heard ) . he saw and heard of the sinnes of others , but they did not lie upon him as his own did , and therefore he judgeth himself to be the chief of sinners . cuique gravissimum est onus quod suis impositum est humeris , ( saith aretius forecited , upon the text ) . every one is ready to think that burden heaviest that lyeth upon his own shoulders , and his own pain to be the greatest . see if there be any sorrow like my sorrow , ( saith the church in the text forecited ) , lam. 1. 12. that which a man knoweth by sense and feeling , it maketh a deeper impression upon his heart , than what he knoweth onely by speculation . many other reasons might be given , why penitent sinners should have such apprehensions of their own sinnes . among other , their hearts are tender , as huldah the prophetesse said of good iosiah , 2 chron. 34. 27. because thine heart was tender , &c. and such in measure is the heart of every truly penitent sinner . now , a tender heart is affected with the least touch . besides , ( as you have heard before ) , they are such as have begun to taste of mercy . now , that maketh their sinnes to appear the more sinful to them , even as the tasting of any sweet thing , will make that which is bitter , to seem more bitter . the sweetnesse of god's grace and mercy in christ , being tasted by the soul in the pardon of sinne , it maketh sinne to be the more bitter unto it . but i shall no longer dwell upon illustration . that which now remains for the closing up of this point is only the application , which i shall again direct as in the two former branches , onely those two wayes ; by way of conviction , by way of exhortation . in the first place by way of conviction . is this the property of a sinner truly penitent , to be so severe in censuring of his own sins , and himself for them ; how many upon this ground , may justly be censured as being none of this number ? 1st . such as instead of censuring , do flatter themselves ; and that whilest in the mean time , they are very ready to censure others . as for others , none are more censorious of them than they , very quicksighted they are , in prying into their lives , nay into their hearts , ready to censure both , and that most severely , nay , rigidly and uncharitably . ready to pass a sharp censure upon the moates , the least infirmities and failings which they spie in others . and not onely censuring the faults , ( which they do beyond all proportion of merit ) , but the persons also for the faults sake , condemning them for hypocrites . but , in the mean time , they are gross flatterers of themselves . not espying the beams in their own eyes , overlooking many gross evills in themselves , applauding themselves , as if all were well with them , and that there were nothing in them that should deserve a censure . such were the pharisees of old , none more ready to censure others than they . so did he the publican in the gospel , blessing god , that himself was not such a one as he , and others were . god i thank thee , ( saith he ) i am not as other men are , &c. or even as this publican , luk. 18. 11. and thus is it with many , too many , they are very quicksighted towards others . as it is observed of the most ravenous and mischievous birds , birds of prey , they are usually most quicksighted : so is it with the worst and wickedest of men , none more ready to find fault with others , whilest they see none in themselves . now as for such , let them take notice how far they are from the temper and disposition of this our apostle here in the text. paul , whilest he was saul a pharisee , no question he thought as well of himself as any other , he was then , highly opinionated of his own righteousness , that he was not as others ; if a sinner , yet not so great a sinner as others were . but now being brought home to christ , and having his eyes opened , he cometh to see more evil in himself , then in any other ; whereupon he passeth this severe censure upon himself , that he was not onely a sinner , but a great sinner , yea , the chief of sinners . certainly they , who do not see any thing in themselves that deserve a censure , and that a sharp one , they may well conclude , that as yet , they have not had their eyes opened , they have little or no acquaintance with themselves . did they but throughly know themselves , they would see so much at home , as would make them less censorious abroad . so is it with a truly gracious soul ; a truly penitent sinner , the more holy he is , the more humble , the more gracious , the less censorious of others , where there may be any hope . the story tells us , ioh. 8. of those scribes and pharisees , which brought that poor woman taken in the act of adultery before our saviour , however , they were all of them guilty of the like , or of some as great sinnes as she was , as appeared by their shrinking and stealing away , after they had heard what our saviour said to them , he that is without sinne among you , let him first cast a stone at her , vers . 7. now they which heard it ( saith the text ) , being convicted by their own conscience , went out one by one , vers . 9. ) yet how harsh and rigid were they against her , as in accusing , so in censuring of her ; urging the law , which required that such should be stoned , which they would have speedily executed , without any further hearing . so rigid were they against her . but so was not our saviour . however he himself knew no sinne , being free from all sinne , both original and actual ; holy , harmless , undefiled , separated from sinners , ( as the apostle saith of him ) , heb. 7. 26. yet , see how mildely , how gently , how tenderly he was pleased to deal with her , telling her , that seeing there were no witnesses present , to prove what they charged her with , he would not condemn her , onely willing her to go away and sinne no more , vers. 11. certainly , they who are so harsh , and uncharitable , in censuring & condemning of others , either never considered , or else have forgotten , what themselves are , or were . which if they did but seriously think of , it would teach them that lesson which the apostle willeth titus to presse upon his cretians , and that upon this ground , tit. 3. 2 , 3. put them in mind ( saith he ) to speak evil of no man , ( that is , not without just cause ) , but to be gentle , shewing meekness unto all men ; for we our selves were sometimes foolish , disobedient , deceived , serving diverse lusts and pleasures . this would make men more severe in censuring themselves than others . a second sort there are , who ( it may be ) will be content to pass a censure upon themselves , but they are very sparing in it . that they are sinners they will acknowledge , but what ? great sinners ? not so , much lesse the chief of sinners . here they will plead what they can for themselves , for the extenuating of their sinnes , and excusing of themselves ; making use of diverse pleas for that end and purpose . i shall instance in three or four of the most usual . 1. though they be sinners , and have their faults , yet , they are not such as others are . there are others as bad , nay , worse than they . and to make this good , they single out some persons grosly scandalous , comparing themselves with them , blessing god that they are not so bad as they . thus did the pharisee even now spoken of , comparing himself with the publican , one of the vilest sort of persons that then were . so were the publicans accounted amongst the iews , being servants to the romans , whose yoak the iews could not endure , officers imployed by them , for the gathering in of their tribute , which they did for the most part with greatest rigour , grating upon the people , by exacting more than their due , and so making what advantage of their places they could . hence it was that they came to be of so ill repute as they were , to be reckoned among the worst of men . thus we find publicans and sinners put together , mat. 9. 10 , 11. and elsewhere publicans and harlots , mat. 21. 31. intimating them to have been an infamous company . now , with him doth the pharisee there compare himself , as also with other notorious sinners . which doing , he blesseth god that he was not so vile , as he and they . god i thank thee , i am not as other men are , extortioners , unjust , adulterers , or even as this publican , luk. 18. 11. and the like are many , very ready to plead for themselves . comparing themselves with persons notoriously scandalous , they applaud themselves in this , that they are not so bad as they , none of the chief of sinners . 2d . a second plea is , that if they be sinners , and great sinners , guilty ( it may be ) of some foul and scandalous sinnes , yet therein they are not alone , they are but as others , they have done no otherwise then some have done before them , and others will do after them . they are flesh and blood as well as others , and therefore , if they have fallen , they make the less of it , because it is a thing incident to all . and to this purpose , it may be , they will not spare to make use of scripture , perverting and abusing it to their own destruction ; which telleth them , how that in many things we offend all , jam. 3. 2. and how the just man falleth seven times , i. e. often , as into sufferings , so into sinnes , prov. 24. 16. so as there is not a just man that doeth good , and sinneth not , eccl. 7. 20. withall , taking up the examples and instances of holy men , eminent saints of god , whose sinnes stand upon record in scripture , some of them very foul and horrid , making use of them , if not for the excusing , yet for the extenuating of their own . 3. a third of these pleas is , though they have fallen into such and such sinnes , yet they did it not willingly , out of any love or liking they had to the sinne , but through infirmity , being , it may be , entised and drawn into it by evil company , upon whom they are willing to transferre their sinnes , that they may shift them off from themselves . so adam did his eating of the apple , which he put upon his wife , the woman whom thou gavest to be with me , she gave me of the tree , and i did eat , gen. 3. 12. and so did saul his sparing of agag , which he putteth upon the people , ( as you have heard ) 1 sam. 15. 24. 4. a fourth and a last plea , ( to name no more ) is , they have fallen , and fallen foully , but they could not help it , being over-powered by satan , whose temptations were so strong , that they could not resist them , and so they would charge the fault rather upon him , than themselves . so did the woman at the first , the serpent beguiled me , and i did eat , gen. 3. 13. and the like do these her children , by this means , thinking at least to extenuate their sinnes , as if they in the acting and committing of them , had been onely instruments and accessories . these , and many the like pleas and pretences , do carnal men oft-times find out , making use of them , if not to defend , yet to extenuate their own sinnes , and so to excuse themselves , if not in whole yet in part ; that so they may not seem so vile in their own eyes , as in truth they are . but in so doing , how unlike are they to the apostle here in the text ? paul , if he would have gone about such a work , the excusing or extenuating of his sinnes , how many pleas might he ▪ have taken up ? he was not the first persecutor , nor the onely persecutor , no , nor yet the greatest persecutor . there were then others besides him , and there had been others before him , some of them as violent as ever he had been . besides , what he had done , he had done it out of ignorance , not knowing what he did , nor whom it was that he opposed . nay , what he did , he did it out of zeal for god. besides , in what he did against the church , he was instigated and set on by satan , who raised those persecutions . and as by satan , who had the chief hand in it , so by others his instruments , who put him forward upon that work . but see how he layeth all these aside . however , he took notice of some , if not all of them ; as of his ignorance , i did it ignorantly : and of his good intention , i verily thought with my self , that i ought to do many things , contrary to the name of iesus of nazareth , act. 26. 9. yet , he is far from making any such use of them , but he chargeth his sinnes home upon himself , censuring them , and himself for them ; and that most severely , according as the nature of his sinnes required , acknowledging himself , to be the chief of sinners . and herein again , let every of us set him up as a patern for our imitation . let that be the word of exhortation , wherewith i shall conclude this point . be we all of us such censurers of our selves . as for others , take we heed of being rash and forward in censuring of them . iudge not , that ye be not judged , ( saith our saviour in his sermon upon the mount ) , math. 7. 1. which , let it be rightly and warily understood . not but that christians may censure the sinnes of others . this , publick persons not onely may do , but ought to do , both civil and ecclesiastical , whom god hath made censores morum , judges and censurers of the manners of others ; yea , and this may private christians also in some cases lawfully do . in case the sinne be open and scandalous , they may censure and condemn it for a sinne in whomsoever it is , and that according to the nature of it . but being private persons , let them be sparing in censuring of the persons of others , specially in censuring them for such weaknesses and infirmities as they espie in them . taking heed of being rash , or rigid , and uncharitable in their censures of others , whether of their persons or actions . here let that of the apostle take place , rom. 14. 4. who art thou that judgest another mans servant ? to his own master he standeth or falleth ; which we have seconded by saint iames , cap. 4. vers . 12. who art thou that judgest another ? in judging and censuring of others , be we sparing and wary ; in the mean time turning our censures upon our selves . which , as it will be more safe , so more useful . be we strict inquisitors into our own hearts and lives . bring both to a scrutinie , and to a censure . and herein spare not to excercise our severity . not that i would have christians to be over-harsh against themselves , so as to pass too rigid censures upon their own persons or actions . it is the preacher's advice , ( as you heard before ) , be not wicked over much , eccles. 7. 17. i. e. judicio tuo , in thine own judgment . an extream , which sometimes good and gracious souls are subject to . out of a deep apprehension which they have of their own sinnes , their weaknesses , and their wants , they are ready to passe harsh censures upon themselves , sometimes adjudging themselves to be hypocrites , sometimes charging upon themselves , that great and unpardonable sinne , the sinne against the holy ghost ; which notwithstanding they are very farr from , being such as desire nothing more then to hearken to the motions and dictates thereof . in this , christians must be wary and tender ; whilest they are not uncharitable towards others , they must take heed of being so to themselves . in the mean time , let them not forbeare to judge and censure themselves , to passe censure upon their own sinnes , their inward and secret corruptions , their outward and actual transgressions , their sinful commissions and omissions . and herein let them be impartial , not conniving at any thing in themselves , not looking upon their own sinnes through false glasses , but beholding them as they are , let them passe a righteous judgment upon them , judging and censuring themselves for them , according to their ▪ demerit . and this let every of us be exhorted to do . motives hereunto take one or two instead of many . 1. this is the next , and onely way to prevent gods censures . if we would judge our selves , we should not be judged of the lord ( saith the apostle to his corinthians ) 1 cor. 11. 31. hereby may many temporal iudgements be prevented ; however , that eternal iudgement : as for temporal iudgements , they may , and oft-times do befall those who have thus prejudged themselves . so was it with david ; notwithstanding that he had judged himself for that sinne of his in numbring the people , acknowledging that he had therein sinned greatly , and done very foolishly ; yet he hath a three-stringed whip held forth to him , a three-fold judgement offered to him to take his choice of , famine , sword , or pestilence , one of which he must feel of . yet by this means we may come to escape that dreadful censure , the sentence of eternal condemnation , which shall be passed upon all those who never thus judged themselves at the last day . this praejudicium will prevent that iudicium . thus fore-judging our selves , we may prevent the terrour of that last judgement . again , this is the way to ease our selves of the burden of sinne , by thus burdening our selves with it . allevat penitus errores , qui ipse se onerat ( saith ambrose ) . he who thus burdens himself , with charging his sins home upon himself ; by so doing , he shall lighten the burden of sinne , that it will not lie so heavy upon his soul , as otherwise it would . to be thus heavy-laden , is the way to rest , mat. 11. 28. this is the way , the next way to obtein mercy at the hands of god. it was the way which benhadads servants took to find mercy from the king of israel , to come to him with ropes upon their heads , 1 king. 20. 31. so censuring and condemning themselves aforehand as capital offendors , having deserved death . no readier way to find mercy at the hands of god , than for a man to be thus his own judge , and to be thus severe against himself . in quan●…um non peperceris tibi , in tantum tibi deus , crede , parcet . by how much lesse sparing thou art to thy self , ( saith another of the antients , tertullian ) by so much the more sparing ( believe it ▪ ) thou shalt find god to be unto thee . this is the next way to sue forth a pardon . so david apprehended it , who maketh use of this as an argument to move god to shew mercy to him , in the pardoning of his sinne , his acknowledging that he had sinned greatly , and done very foolishly . now , beseech thee o lord ( saith he ) , take away the iniquitie of thy servant , for i have done very foolishly , 2 sam. 24. 10. a strange argument one would think to make use of , to such a purpose , to induce god to shew mercy to him , by aggravating his sinne in such a manner . carnal reason would have thought it might have been a more likely way to have pleaded some excuse , and to have extenuated his sinne what he could . not so , david apprehended this as the right way , and so he sound it ; not to go about to hide or extenuate , but to lay open , and to aggravate his sin to the height . in this the case is different betwixt god and man. before men , offendors are oft-times acquitted by the means of such pleas , and excuses as they make use of . it is not so with god. with him , he that covereth his sinne ( seeketh to conceal it , or to excuse it ) , shall not prosper , ( as the wiseman telleth us ) , prov. 28. 13. not prosper in his suit for mercy at the hands of god. would we obtein mercy from him , do not deal deceitfully with him . but deal we impartially betwixt him and our own souls , charging our selves home , in giving in our accounts to him . not taking the like course that that unjust steward in the gospel put his masters debtors upon , in giving in their accounts unto him , that for an hundred , one shonld set down fifty , another eighty , ( as we have it in the parable ) luke 16. 6 , 7. this we find there commended in him as a politick device , tending to his and their advantage ; but so will it not be found in those that shall give in the like accounts to their god. their diminishing will be an augmenting of their debt . and therefore in this case deal we plainly , charging our selves to the utmost . this is the onely way to procure a gracious , and full discharge from god. let these few motives suffice . to which i might also ( as before ) sub-join some directions , shewing you how christians may attain unto this , to be such severe censurers of themselves . in order to which , the first work to be done , is , to get acquaintance with our selves ; to know our own hearts and lives , to know our sinnes , what they are ; how many , how great . to which end a serious , and frequent , examination is requisite ; taking special notice of our special sinnes , as paul here did of his . and , knowing them , to feel them ; specially to feel that body of sinne within us , that mass of corruption , which virtually conteins in it the seeds of all sinnes . by this means we shall come to see that in our selves , which will make us ready to pass such a severe censure upon our selves , as paul here doth , that we are sinners , great sinners , even the chief of sinners . but i shall not proceed any further in the prosecution of this useful observation , which hath taken me up a great deal more time than i intended to have bestowed upon it , when i first took it up . there is yet one thing behind , wherein i shall be brief . i have hitherto looked upon these words of the apostle , as simply considered in themselves . it yet remains , that i should look upon them in a relative way . this i gave a touch upon , and but a touch , in my entering upon them . let me now do it a little more fully , looking upon them , as relating to what went before , to the words immediately foregoing ; christ iesus came into the world to save sinners , of whom i am chief : that is , one , and a chief one , of those sinners whom he came to save . thus doth he bring home that general doctrine , ( as before i shewed you ) making it his own by a particular application . therein teaching christians what they are to do ; not to rest contented with a general , and speculative knowledge of the do●…ine of the gospel , the doctrine of salvation by jesus christ , to know and believe , that christ came into the world to save sinners ; but thus to bring it home to themselves , making it their own by a particular application . this are they to do , ( as you have heard before ) by all such truths as they meet withal in the book of god ; precepts , prohibitions , exhortations , comminations , consolations ; that they may be usefull unto them , they are in such a way , to bring them home to themselves . and this they are to do in speciall by this saving truth , upon the right knowledg whereof , depends their everlasting salvation ; this is life eternal , that they may know thee , the onely true god , and him whom thou hast sent , iesus christ , john 17. 3. that it may be saving to those that hear it , it must be brought home by such a particular application . such an application doth this our apostle make of it , as here in the text , so elsewhere ; as gal. 2. 20. the life which i now live in the flesh , i live ( saith he ) by the faith of the son of god , who loved me , and gave himself for me . not onely who gave himself for us , ( as elsewhere he speaketh ) , tit. 2. 14. and rom. 4. 25. who was delivered for our offences , and rose again for our iustification ; that is , for us men in general , us believers in special , but for me in particular . thus doth he apply the benefit of christs death and passion to himself in particular ; and the like are all true penitent sinners to do this is true faith , that faith whereby a sinner cometh to be justified before god. therefore , we conclude that a man is justified by ●…aith , ( saith the apostle ) , rom. 3. 28. and what faith is this ? why , faith in jesus christ , the faith of the son of god , ( as he calls it , gal. 2. 20. ) believing in him , on him . such a faith it is that christ calleth for at the hands of his disciples , ye believe in god , believe also in me , joh. 14. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , believe on me . and such a faith it is that god commandeth at the hands of all . this is his commandment , that we should believe on the name of his son iesus christ , 1 joh. 3. 23. which is done by applying his merits to our selves . and again , as a christian is hereby justified , so it is hereby that he liveth . that he liveth here upon earth . the just shall live by his faith ( saith habukkuk , cap. 2. vers . 4. ) his faith in god's word and promises . this is the anchor which he rides by in all storms and stresses which here come down upon him , his faith resting upon the promises of god ; specially upon this great promise , the promise of life and salvation by christ. so paul lived , as he there telleth us , the life which i now live in the flesh , i live by the faith of the son of god. whilest he lived in this frail mortal body , ( for so are we to understand that his living in the flesh , not his living after a carnal and fleshly manner , but his living a natural life here upon earth ) this life he now lived , by the faith of the son of god , resting and relying upon him , in all estates and conditions , committing himself unto him , and by his faith , drawing ver ▪ tue from him , whereby he was inabled to live unto him , to live a spiritual life whilest he was yet in the flesh . and as a christian liveth by this faith here , so it is by this faith that he shall live hereafter . understand it rightly . not that he shall so live by it in heaven , as here he doth upon earth . no , here we live by faith , there by sight , ( as the apostle tells us , 2 cor. 5. 7. ) seeing and enjoying what now by faith we hope for . but this is the onely way and means to bring us unto eternal life , thus to believe in , and on , jesus christ. god so loved the world , that he gave his onely begotten son , that whosoever believeth in him , ( or on him , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ) should not perish , but have everlasting life , joh. 3. 16. this is the true and only saving faith , believe on the lord iesus , and thou shalt be saved , ( saith paul to the iailour ) act. 16. 31. but i shall not enlarge upon it . briefly , by way of application . where i might take occasion to cast a stone at the dangerous errour of the church of rome ; which maketh faith to be onely a general assent to the truth of what is revealed in the scripture , and held forth by the church . and so for justifying saving faith , they look upon it as no more but a believing of the doctrine of the gospel concerning jesus christ , as that he was the son of god , made man , and that he came into the world to save sinners , &c. in the mean time , as for such a particular application ; this they make to be the work not of faith , but of hope . but them i shall pass by , only chargeing that upon them , which our apostle did upon some hereticks in his time , who d●…nyed the resurrection of the dead , 2 tim. 2. 18. that , concerning the truth they have erred , and have overthrown the faith of some , of such as hearken to them , whom they teach to trust in a broken reed . which let not us do , let not us rest in such a general faith , but as we desire to receive any benefit from christ , bring we him home by such a particular application of his merits to our selves . q. but how shall we be able to do this ? when as christ did not intend , that the merit of his death should be effectual to all , how shall we know that we are in the number of those whom he came into the world to save ? as for paul , he might know this , having a speciall revelation for it , but how shall we come to know it , to be assured of it ? a. for answer briefly ; are we in measure such as paul was ? truly penitent sinners , such as have been throughly convinced of our sinnes , such as have judged and condemned our selves for them , such as see and feel the need we have of a sav●… our , and such as are willing to receive christ upon gospel-tearms ; to take him not only as a saviour , but also as a soveraign , being as willing , and desirous to be ruled and governed , as to be saved by him ? is it so , that god hath thus revealed his son to us , and in us , as paul saith he had done to him , gal. 1. 16 ? if so , now stand not to confer with flesh and blood , ( as he there saith he did not ) . neither be we disobedient to this heavenly vision , as he tells king agrippa he was not , act. 26. 19. ) but hearken we to the command of god , ( the commandement , as st. iohn there calleth it , 1 iohn 3. 23. this is the commandement , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , that great gospel-command ) which is , that we should beleeve on the name of his son in obedience to this command now come we unto iesus christ , and lay hold upon him , beleeving on him for life and salvation , being confidently assured , that , he came into the world to save us . and being assured hereof , now despair not of obteining this benefit by and through him. it matters not what our sinnes have been ; what for number , what for nature ; though never so many , never so great ; though we have been the chief of sinners , yet despair not . such a one had paul been , yet repenting , and beleeving on jesus christ , he obteined mercy : which he did , ( as he saith in the words after the text ) that in him christ iesus might shew forth all long-suffering for a patern to them , that should hereafter beleeve on him to everlasting life . and so let him herein be to every of us . onely see that we be changed , as he was ; changed not onely in our name ( as he was from saul to paul ) in our outward profession , but inwardly changed ; changed in our hearts and lives , that we may be able to say , and make good , what he there doth , gal. 2. 20. that we now live , yet no longer we ; not what sometimes we were , but made new creatures , finding christ dwelling in our hearts by faith , and working in us by his spirit , conforming us unto himself in his death and resurrection ; so as we daily die to sinne , and rise to newness of life . being such now , what ever we have been , yet comfort we our selves with the remembrance of these words of the apostle ; every of us saying after him , this is a faithful saying , and worthy of all acceptation , that christ iesus came into the world to save sinners , of whom i am chief . and thus shall i now dismiss you and the text ; in the handling whereof , i have , by a divine providence , found the loaves multiplyed , my meditations much enlarged , beyond expectation . my desire now is , and shall be , that they may be sanctified and blessed unto my self , and you , for those ends for which they were intended . for which let us pray . finis . reader , there is lately printed , an exposition on the parable of the rich fool , luk. 12. 16 , 22. by mr. nehemiah rogers . the same author that formerly hath written upon the parable of the lost-son , lost-sheep , and lost-groat , luk. 15. also , upon the parable of the creditor and debtor , luk. 7. and on the parable of the samaritane , luk. 10. and , on the parable of the friend at mid-night , luk. 11. and , on the parable of the figg-tree , luk. 13. all which are to be sold by george sawbridge , at the bible on ludgate-hill , 1662. errata . page 43. line 12. for it is , read is it . p. 45. l. 32. for the work he came which about , r. the work which he came about . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a29523-e940 december 29. 1661. parts of the text doctrine . application . the d●… ctrine commended praefati●… haec nobi●… sit insta●… buccin●… son●…ntis ad publicandum gratiae christi pr●…conium . calv. com. 〈◊〉 text. 1. from the veritie of it . the doctrine of the gospel , the word of truth . compased about with a cloud of witneses . from the dignity of it quin potius in illorum cordibus ●…rat durities , non in sermone . calv. com. in loc . 1. the doctrine of the gospel worthy of acceptation . groecum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 significat non tantum acceptionem vel acceptationem , sed & approbationem , corn a lapide in text. 2. worthy of all accep●…ation 1. to be received by all men. 2. by all means . estius com. in text. into the ear , worthy to be heard . * into the head worthy to be studied and believed . cabala heb●…aice idem est quod acceptio i. e. accepta doctrina & traditio a radice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , kibbet i. e. accepit , &c. corn. a lapide in text. q. d. iudaei jactant suam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , i. e. traditionem & cabalam , sed nugosam et fabulosam ▪ ego veram et certam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , i. e. traditionem & cabalam a christo ipso acceptam , v●…bis trado , &c. a lap. ibid. into the heart worthy to be entertained , with ioy. with gratitude application . divided into 2. conclusions . christs iourny errand . christs iourny , touching which , 4 particulars opened . q. 1. who it was that came . q. 2. how he came . q. 3. from whence he came . q. 4. whither he came . 2. christs errand . for what he came : to be a saviour . for whom he came to save sinners . some greater sinners than others . christ came to save the greatest of penitent sinners . use 1. by way of information : 4. doctrines deduced 1. touching the two natures in christ. [ in mundum venit ] exprimi●… duplicem naturam , sc. divinitatis , in qua erat antequam in mundo appareret ; & humanitatis , in qua apparuit : aquin. com. in text. 2. the invalidity of the law. contra iudaeos , significat legem , & legis caeremonias inefficaces esse ad salutem ; illam enim attulit christus , corn. a lapide com. in text. 3. the hainous nature of sin . hine discimus enormitatem peccati . idem ibid. augustine serm. 9. de verbis apostoli . cum audis christum venisse in hunc mundum ut peccatores salvos faceret , noli dormire in dulci strato peccati , sed audi paulum dicentem , surge qui dermis , & illuminabit te christus . ibid. 4. the wonderful grace of god to mankind . 1. the grace of god the father in sending of christ. grotius annot. in 1 tim. 1. 1 set forth in 3 particulars . 1. the person sent , his son. 2. for whom he was sent : for sinners . 3. the benefit to be procured by him , salvation . 2. the grace of god the son , in coming upon such an errand . homines desperate aegrotabant , & ipsa agritudine quia mentes perdiderant , etiam medicum caedebant : ille autem etiam cum occideretur medicus erat , &c. august . ubi supra . use 2. consolation to all , and only penitent sinners . penitent sinners to apply this doctrine to themselves . and only they . this salvation not to be rejected , or neglected . use 2. exhortation . receive we this doctrine . receiving it by all lawful and useful wayes . some wayes not such : wherein this doctrine is not to 〈◊〉 recei●… 4. needless and useless questions touching christs coming . 1. touching the time of his coming . scaliger de emend temp. * bishop halls letter concerning the feast of the nati●…itie . 2. whether if man had not sinned , christ should have come . a ) aquin. sum. p. 3. q. ●… a. ●… . 3 ( b ) calv. instit. lib. 2. cap. 12. * cessante sine principali , cessat eff●…cius . c. a lapid . in text. nulla causa fuit ve●… christo domino , nisi , percatores salvos facere . august . de verbis apost . serm. 9. si homo non periisset , filius hominis non venisset . ibid. serm. 6. * haec quaestio non est magnae authoritatis , quia deus ordinavit fienda secundum quod res fienda crant . aquinas in text. 3. whether his coming was necessary . 4. whether he intended an universal redemption . 2. not so , as to abuse it . this doctrine how to be received . 1. into the understanding , having a clear knowledg of it . 2. into the judgment firmly believing it . 3. into the memorie , remembring it . proinde quoties nobis i●… mentem veniet ulla de peccatorum remissione dubitatio , hoc velut clypeo fortiter eam repellere discamus . calvin . com. in text. 4. into the will and affections 1. imbracing it . 2. resting upon it . 3. rejoyceing in it . 4. being truly thankful for it . part 2d . pauls particular application of this general doctrine to himself . * obs. a patern for our imitation . communi regulae sese involvit : atque hic verus scripturae usus est ut nobis applicemus salutaria , quo spem habeamus de salute nostra . aret. com. in text. reas. application maketh saving truths effectual . applic. paul , the first of sinners . q. how said so to be . a. an heretical dream . hic dicit haereticus , quod anima adae fuit in paulo , & transivit de corpore in corpus . aquin. expos. in text. a. 2. paul the first , that is the greatest of sinners . * quid ergo est primus ? antecedens omnes , non tempore , sed magnitudine august . in psalm . 70. q. how paul saith this of himself . a. hespeaks hyperbolically out of his great humility . dictum est 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ex summa modestia : grotius annot. in text. hoc dicit ex humilitate . aquin. obs. christians to think & speak meanly of themselves . christians to prefer others before themselves . paul not speaking otherwise of himself than he thought . christians to beware of such complements . veram hic non 〈◊〉 quam humilem confessionem edere voluit , atque ex intimo cordis sensu depromptam . calvin . com. in text. q. paul was now an eminent saint . a. he speaks of what he had been before his conversion . q. paul , before his conversion was morally righteous . a. he was then a friend to the law , but an enemy to the gospel . august . de verbis apostoli . serm. 9. obs. no sin like obstinate infidelity . his verbis admonemur quam grave sit apud d●…um , & ●…rox crim●… , infidelita●… : p●…sertim ubi acce●…t ●…bstinatio & saeviendi rabies . calvin . com. in text. applic. persons in some degree guilty of this sin . 1. meer civil persons , resting in their moral righteousness . a mans own righteousness a sandy foundation . too many hearkning more to moses , than to christ. 2. vain-glorious hypocrites . inde colligere promptum est , quid valeant coram deo omnes hypocritarum pomp●… , dum contumaciter christo resistunt . calvin . com. in text. 3. enemies to christ , persecuting him , and his. q. paul sinned ignorantly a. ignorance though it may extenuate the sin , yet it doth not acquit the sinner . applic. sin not to be palliated under pretence of ignorance . q. were there not others as great , or greater sinners than paul ans. 1. pauls sin more general than theirs . videtu●… quod judas fuit major . sed quidam dicunt , quod peccatum pauli generalius fuit , quia contra totam ecclesiam . aquin. in text. sed hoc nihil est , quia paulus in incredul●…tate , & multi judaei persequebuntur ex malitia . ibid. a. 2. paul the chief of saved sinners . maximu●… inter peccatores salvatos . ibid. a. 3. paul the chief of sinners in his own apprehension . 1. being best acquainted with him●…elf . the greatness of pauls sins set off by the greatness of gods mercy shown to him . 2. paul felt his own sins . sicuti qui gravi dentium , capitis , vel oculorum dolore laborat , dicit nullum dolorem hoc esse majorem , s●…d suum c●…nnium esse maximum , quia scit : suum sentit per experientiam , aliorum vero dolores tantum consider●… per speculationem . c. a. lap. in text. obs. general observation . divided into 3. branches . 1. branch the penitent sinner , a frequent remembrancer of his own sins obj. not only in time of distress . a. but in the most quiet condition . obj. not only such as have been scandalous sinners . a. few but have fallen into some such sins . all have a body of sin in them . many inordinate lusts working inwardly all these paul remembred . reas. 1. the penitent sinner hath his eyes opened . 2. his conscience awakened . 3. his heart pricked . use 1. by way of conviction , divers discovered to be no true penitents . 1. such whose consciences were never awakened 2. such as seek to lull their consciences a●… sleep again . 1. shunning all means that might awaken them . 2. using means to put their sins out of their remembrance . 3. such as having been awakened are fallen asleep again . 4. such as remember their sins , but seldom , and then against their wills . 5. such as remember them but are not humbled for them . a word to awaken secure sinners . 1. their sins are registred in two books . 1. in gods book , the book of his remembrance . 2. in their own book , the book of conscience . ●… . both these books shall be opened . 1. gods book . 2. the book of conscience . q. when these books shall be opened . 1. it may be in this life , in time of prosperity . 2. in time of affliction , at the hour of death . 3. at the day of judgement . use 2. exhortation , exciting to the remembrance of sinne. directed to two sorts of persons . 1. secure sinners . motive 1. this is the only way to have sins forgotten . caution 1 see that it be a right remembrance . motive 2. the only way to prevent everlasting confusion . caution 2 this to be done speedily . direct . 1. begg it of god , that he would bring our sins to our remembrance . direct . 2. wait upon him in the ministry of his word . 2. penitent sinners excited to a frequent remembrance of their sins . two questions resolved . q. 1 ▪ wherefore a penitent sinner should do this ? a. for the making sure his repentance . 2. for the renewing and increasing of it . the remembrance of sin , though bitter , maketh way for sweet joy . 3. to get assurance of the pardon of them . 4. to get them throughly healed . q. 2. what benefit redoundeth from this practice . a foursold benefit . 1. to make and keep the soul humble . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rebellionis meae , montan. transgressionis meae . v. l. 2. to make men thankful . 3. to make them watchful over themselves . 4. to make them pittiful towards others . caution . christians not to pore too much upon their sins so as to give way to inordinate dejections . sins to be remembred in a special way , at special times . ian. 22. 1661. a day of solemn humiliation . 2. branch . the pe nitent sinner forward in acknowledging his own sinnes . reas. 1 ▪ his heart is full with the sense of sinne. reas. 2. the bed of sin is broken in him . two questions resolved . q. 1. to whom is he so ready to make this acknowledgement . 1. unto god both publickly and privately . ●… 2. unto men 1. secretly , or privately . 2. openly and publickly . 1. in a regular way . 2. in a spontaneous way . upon their conversion . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 est aperta & clara voce conliteri : paraeus ad loc ▪ declarat palam profiteri . beza . ever after . three eminent confessours . david . solomon . paul. q. whether all christians be bound to follow these paterns . a. 1. in some cases they are , as where the sins have been open . peccantes intellige cum publico offendiculo . beza . gr. annot. in loc . 2. where gods glory ▪ & the publick good require it . a. 2. penitent sinners , though bound , yet ready to make open confessions . q. 2. what kind of acknowledgement it is that the penitent sinner maketh . a. five properties of a true acknowledgement . 1. it is voluntary , and free. 2. ingenuous , and full. ●… . particular . a good confession made in general words , but with reference to particular sins . 4. cordial and affectionate . true confession accompanyed with sorrow & shame with a serious purpose of forsaking the sin confessed . 5. filial . use 1. by way of conviction . many discovered to be no true penitents not being true confessours . 1. such as were never convinced of sin . 2. such as being convin ced , will not be brought to confess . not unto god. much less to men. 3. such as confess , but not truly . false confession tried by a five-fold touchstone . they are not voluntary , but extorted . not ingenuous , but partial . only general . verbal , and formal . in a despairing way . 4. such as in stead of confessing , make profession of their sins , boasting in them . damned souls , far from such boasting . use. 2. all exhorted , to be such confessours as paul was 1. confessing unto god. auricular confession not necessary . see that it be a right confession suiting with that fivefold property . voluntary . ingenuous . particular . cordial . filial . motive . this the only and sure way to obt●…in mercy . this , the ready & only way to ea●…e the heart 2. confesse unto men. privately openly . scandalous sinners , to make open confession . that they may give glory to god. take shame to themselves . give satisfaction to those , whom they have offended or in dangered . herein to deal sincerely ●…ir . 1. get a general knowledg of sinne . 2. a particular conviction . 3. compunction and contrition . 4. some apprehension of mercy . 5. begg from god , his free spirit . branch 3. the penitent sinner , a severe censurer of himself . quest. resp. 1. . he is best acquainted with himself . with his own hea●…t . with his own li●…e . the pe nitent sinner weigheth his own sins . resp. 2. he feeleth them resp. 3. his heart is tender ▪ resp. 4. he hath tasted of mercy . use 1. by way of conviction , divers ●…ensured to be no true penitents . 1. such as are ●…tterers of themselves , whilest they are censorious of others . 2. such as are sparing in their censuring of themselves . diverse pleas made use of by such , for the extenuating of their sinnes . 1. others greater sinners than they . 2. they are but as others . 3. they have sinned through infirmity 4. they could not resist sarans temptations . paul , sar from making use of any such pleas. use. 2. exhortation . let all christians , be such self censurers of themselves . yet , not being rash , or over-rigid in these censures . mot. 1. this the way to prevent god's censures . mot. 2. to ease the soul of the burden of sinne ; and to procure the pardon of it . directions . these words looked upon in reference to the former . obser. the doctrine of salvation by christ , to be particularly applied . resp. 1. this is true justifying saith . 2. hereby a christian liveth upon earth . 3. hereby he shall live here after . use 1. the doctrine of the church of rome confuted use 2. christians to bring home christ , with his merits to themselves . q. how christians may know that christ came to save them a. by being truly penitent sinners . let not such despair of mercy , though the chief of sinners . the marrow of modern divinity touching both the covenant of works, and the covenant of grace, with their use and end, both in the time of the old testament, and in the time of the new : wherein every one may cleerly see how far forth he bringeth the law into the case of justification, and so deserverh the name of legalist : and how far forth he rejecteth the law, in the case of sanctification, and so deserveth the name of antinomist : with the middle path between them both, which by iesus christ leadeth to eternall life : in a dialogue, betwixt evangelista, a minister of the gospel, nomista, a legalist, antinomista, an antinomian, and neophytus, a young christian / by the author, e.f. ; before the which there is prefixed the commendatory epistles of divers divines of great esteem in the citie of london ; whereunto is also added, the substance of a fisher, edward, fl. 1627-1655. 1646 approx. 394 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 143 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, 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(eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a41355) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 60509) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 889:12) the marrow of modern divinity touching both the covenant of works, and the covenant of grace, with their use and end, both in the time of the old testament, and in the time of the new : wherein every one may cleerly see how far forth he bringeth the law into the case of justification, and so deserverh the name of legalist : and how far forth he rejecteth the law, in the case of sanctification, and so deserveth the name of antinomist : with the middle path between them both, which by iesus christ leadeth to eternall life : in a dialogue, betwixt evangelista, a minister of the gospel, nomista, a legalist, antinomista, an antinomian, and neophytus, a young christian / by the author, e.f. ; before the which there is prefixed the commendatory epistles of divers divines of great esteem in the citie of london ; whereunto is also added, the substance of a fisher, edward, fl. 1627-1655. hamilton, patrick, 1504?-1528. patricks places. the second edition, corrected, amended, and much enlarged. [31], 255 p. printed by r. leybourn, for giles calvert ..., london : 1646. reproduction of original in union theological seminary library, new york. edition statement taken from title. "patrick's places", p. 247-255, was written by patrick hamilton. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to 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that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng salvation -early works to 1800. covenant theology. antinomianism. 2004-12 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-02 spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images 2005-04 rachel losh sampled and proofread 2005-04 rachel losh text and markup reviewed and edited 2005-10 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion i have perused this ensuing dialogue , and finde it tending to peace and holinesse ; the authour endeavouring to reconcile and heale those unhappy differences which have lately broken out a fresh amongst us , about the points therein handled , and cleered : for which cause i allow it to be printed , and recommend it to the reader , as a discourse stored with many necessary and seasonable truths , confirmed by scripture , and avowed by many approved wtiters : all composed in a familiar , plain , moderate style , without bitternesse against , or uncomely reflections upon others ; which flyes have lately corrupted many bo●es of ( otherwise ) precious ointment . may 1 0 , 1645. joseph caryl . the marrow of modern divinity : touching both the covenant of works , and the covenant of grace : with their use and end , both in the time of the old testament , and in the time of the new. wherein every one may cleerly see how far forth he bringeth the law into the case of justification , and so deserveth the name of legalist ; and how far forth he rejecteth the law ▪ in the case of sanctification , and so deserveth the name of antinomist . with the middle path between them both , which by iesus christ leadeth to eternall life . in a dialogue , betwixt evangelista , a minister of the gospel . nomista , a legalist . antinomista , an antinomian . and neophytus , a young christian. the second edition , corrected , amended , and much enlarged by the author , e. fisher before the which there is prefixed the commenda●●●● epistles of divers divines of great esteem in the citie of london . whereunto is also added , the substance of a most spirituall , and evangelicall treatise , called , long since , by the name of patricks places . london , printed by r. leybourn , for giles 〈◊〉 , at the black spread-eagle , at the west end of paris , 16●6 . to the honovrable , collonel john downes esquire , one of the members of the honourable house of commons in parliament , justice of peace , and one of the deputy lievtenants of the county of sussex , and auditor to the prince his highnesse of the dutchie of cornwall . e. f. wisheth the true knowledge of god in jesus christ . most honoured , sir : although i doe observe that new editions , accompanied with new additions , are somtimes published with new dedications , yet so long as he who formerly owned the subject , doth yet 〈◊〉 , and hath the same affectiou● towards it , i conceive there is no need of a new patron , but of a new epistle . be pleased then , most honoured sir , to give mee leave to tell you , that your eminencie of place did somwhat induce me , both now and before , to make choise of you for its patron , but your endowments with grace did invite me to it , god having bestowed upon you speciall spirituall blessings in heavenly things in christ : for it hath beene declared unto me by them that knew you , when you were but a youth , how christ met with you then , and by sending his spirit into your heart , first convinced you of sin , as was manifest by those conflicts which your soule then had , both with satan and it selfe , whilst you did not believe in christ. secondly , of righteousnesse , as was manifest by the peace and comfort which you afterwards had , by believing that christ was gon to the father and appeared in his presence as your advocate and surety that had undertaken for you . thirdly , of judgement , as hath been manifest ever since , in that you have been carefull with the true godly man , psal. 112.5 . to guide your affairs with judgement , in walking according to the minde of christ. i have not forgotten what desires you have expressed to know the true difference betwixt the covenant of works , and the covenant of grace , and experimentally to be acquainted with the doctrine of free grace , the mysteries of christ , and the life of faith . witnesse not onely your highly approving of some heads of a sermon which i once heard a godly minister preach , and repeated in your hearing , of the life of faith , but also your earnest request to me to write them out faire , and send them to you into the countrey : yea , witnesse , your highly approving of this dialogue , when i first acquainted you with the contents thereof , incouraging me to expedite it to the presse , and you● kinde acceptance , together with your cordiall thanks for my love manifested in dedicating it to your honoured name . sith then , worthy sir , it hath pleased the lord to enable me , both to amend it , and to enlarge it , i hope your affections will also be inlarged towards the matter therein contained , considering that it tends to the cleering of those forenamed truths , and through the blessing of god may be a means to root them more deeply in your heart . and truly , sir , i am confident , the more they grow & flourish in any mans heart , the more will all heart corruptions wither and decay . oh! sir , if the truth contained in this dialogue , were but as much in my heart , as they are in my head ; i were a happie man , for then should i bee more free from pride , vain glory , wrath , anger , self-love , and love of the world then i am , and then should i have more humility , meeknesse , and love both to god and man then i have , oh ! then should i bee content with christ alone , and live above all the things in the world , then should i experimentally know , both how to abound and how to want , and then shall i be fit for any condition , nothing could come amisse unto me , oh ! that the lord would be pleased to write it in our hearts by his blessed spirit . and so most humbly beseeching you still to pardon my boldnesse , and to vouchsafe to take it into your patronage and protection , i humbly take my leave of you , and remain your obliged servant to be commanded , e. f. to all such humble hearted readers , as see any need to learn , eyther to know themselves or god in christ . loving christians : consider , i pray you , that as the first adam did as a common person , enter into covenant with god for all mankind ; and brake it , whereby they became sinfull and guilty of everlasting death and damnation : even so jesus christ , the second adam , did as a common person enter into covenant with god his father for all the elect ( that is to say , all those that have or shall believe on his name ) and for them kept it , whereby they become righteous , and heires of everlasting life and salvation . and therfore it is our greatest wisdome , and ought to be our greatest care and endeavour to come out , and from the first adam , unto and into the second adam , that so wee may have life through his name . john 20.31 . and yet , alas , there is no point in all practicall divinity , that wee are naturally so much averse and backward unto as unto this ; neyther doth sathan strive to hinder us so much from doing any thing else as this : and hence it is , that we are all of us naturally apt to abide and continue , in that sinfull and miserable estate , that the first adam plunged us into without eyther taking any notice of it , or being at all affected with it , so far are wee from comming out of it . and if the lord be pleased by any means to open our eyes , to see our misery , and we doe thereupon begin to step out of it , yet , alas , wee are prone rather to goe backwards towards the first adams pure estate , in striving and strugling to leave sinne , and performe duties , and doe good works , hoping thereby to make our selves so righteous and holy , that god will let us into paradise againe to eat of the tree of life and live for ever , and this we do untill we see the flaming sword at edens gate , turning every way to keepe the way of the tree of life . is it not ordinary when the lord convinceth a man of his sin ( eyther by means of his word or his rod ) to cry after this manner : o , i am a sinfull man ! for i have lived a very wicked life , and therefore surely the lord is angry with mee , and will damne me in hell : ô ! what shall i do to save my soule ? and is there not at hand some ignorant , miserable comforter ready to say , yet doe not despayre man , but repent of your sins , and aske god forgivenesse , and reforme your life , and doubt not , but he will be mercifull unto you , for hee hath promised ( you know ) that at what time soever a sinner repenteth of his sins hee will forgive him . and doth hee not hereupon comfort himself , and say in his heart at least , ô , if the lord will but spare my life , and lengthen out my days , i will become a new man ! i am very sorry that i have lived such a sinfull life , but i will never doe as i have done for all the world : ô , you shall see a great change in me ! believe it . and hereupon he betakes himself to a new course of life , and it may be becomes a zealous professour of religion , performing all christian exercises both publike and private , and leaves off his old companions , and keeps company with religious men , ( and so it may be goes on till his dying day , and thinks himselfe sure of heaven and eternall happines ) & yet it maybe all this while is ignorant of christ and his righteousnes , and therefore establisheth his own . where is the man , or where is the woman that is truly come to christ , that hath not had some experience in themselves of such a disposition as this , if there be any that have reformed their lives , and are become professours of religion , and have not taken notice of this in themselves more or lesse : i wish they have gone beyond a legall professour , or one still under the covenant of works . nay , where is the man or woman that is truly in christ , that findeth not in themselves an aptnes to withdraw their hearts from christ , and to put some confidence in their owne works and doings ; if there be any that do not find it : i wish their hearts deceive them not . let me confesse ingeniously , i was a professour of religion , at least a dozen yeeres , before i knew any other way to eternall life , then to be sorry for my sins , and aske forgivenesse , and strive and endeavour to fulfill the law , and keepe the commandements , according as master dod and other godly men had expounded them : and truly i remember i was in hope i should at last attain to the perfect fulfilling of them , and in the mean-time , i conceived , that god would accept the will for the deed , or what i could not doe christ had done for me . and though at last by meanes of conferring with master thomas hooker in private , the lord was pleased to convince me , that i was yet but a proud pharisee , and to shew mee the way of faith and salvation by christ alone , and to give mee ( as i hope ) a heart in some measure to embrace it ; yet , alas , through the weaknesse of my faith , i have been and am still apt to turne aside to the covenant of works , and therefore have not attained to that joy and peace in believing , nor that measure of love to christ and man for christs sake , as i am confident , many of gods saints do attain unto in the time of this life , the lord be mercifull unto mee , and increase my faith . and are there not other ( though i hope ) but few who being enlightned to see their misery , by reason of the guilt of sin , though not by reason of the filth of sinne : and hearing of justification freely by grace through the redemption which is in jesus christ , do applaud and magnifie that doctrine , following them that doe most preach and presse the same , seeming to be ( as it were ) ravished with the hearing thereof , out of a conceit that they are by christ freely justified from the guilt of sin , though still they retain the filth of sin , these are they that content themselves ( with a gospel knowledge , with meere notions in the head but not in the heart , glorying and rejoycing in free grace , and justification by faith alone , professing faith in christ , and yet are not possessed of christ , these are they that can talke like believers , and yet do not walke like believers ; these are they that have language like saints , and yet have conversations like devils : these are they that are not obedient to the law of christ , and therefore are justly called antinomians . now both these paths leading from christ , have been justly judged as erronious , and to my knowledge , not onely a matter of 18 or 20 years agoe , but also within these three or foure years , there hath been much a doe , both by preaching , writing , and disputing , both to reduce men out of them , and to keep them from them , and hot contentious have been on both sides , and all , i fear me , to little purpose , for hath not the strict professour according to the law , whilst he hath striven to reduce the loose professour , according to the gospel , out of the antinomian path , intangled both himselfe and others , the faster in the yoke of bondage , and hath not the loose professour according to the gospel , whilst he hath striven to reduce the strict professour according to the law , out of the legall path , by promising liberty from the law , taught others , and been himselfe the servant of corruption . for this cause i , though i be nothing , have , by the grace of god , endeavoured in this dialogue , to walk , as a middle-man betwixt them both , in shewing to each of them his erronious path , with the middle path ( which is jesus christ received truly , and walked in answerably , as a means to bring them both unto him , and make them both one in him : and oh ! that the lord would be pleased so to blesse it to them , that it might be a means to produce that effect . i have ( as you may see ) gathered much of it , out of known and approved authours , and yet have therein wronged no man , for i have restored it to the right owner again in the margent , some part of it my manuscripts have afforded me , and of the rest i hope i may say as jacob did of his venison , gen. 27.20 . the lord hath brought it unto me , ( let me speak it without vain glory ) i have endeavoured herein to imitate the laborious bee , who out of divers flowers gathers honey and wax , and thereof makes one combe : if any soule feels any sweetnesse in it , let them praise god , and pray for me who am weak in faith , and cold in love . e. f. to the reader . if thou wilt please to peruse this little book , thou shalt finde great worth in it : there is a line of a gracious spirit drawne through it , which hath fastned many precious truths together , and presented them to thy view , according to the variety of mens spirits , the various ways of presenting known truths are profitable . the grace of god hath helped this author in his worke , if it , in like manner , helps thee in reading , thou shalt have cause to blesse god for these truths thus brought to thee , and for the labours of this good man , whose ends , i believe , are very syncere for god and thy good . jer. burroughes . occasionally lighting upon this dialogue , under the approbation of a learned and judicious divine , i was thereby induced to read it , and afterwards upon serious consideration of the usefulnesse of it , to commend it to the people in my publike ministry . two things in it especially tooke with me : first the matter , the main substance being distinctly to discover the nature of the two covenants , upon which all the mysteries both of law and gospel depend . to see the first adam to be primus foederatus , in the one , and the second adam in the other , to distinguish rightly betwixt the law standing alone as a covenant , and standing in subordination to the gospel , as a servant , this i assure my selfe to be the key which opens the hiden treasures of the gospel . as soone as god had given luther but a glimpse hereof , hee professeth that hee seemed to bee brought into paradise again ; and the whole face of the scripture to bee changed to him : and he looked upon every truth with another eye . secondly , the manner , because it is an irenicum , and tends to an accommodation and a right understanding . times of reformation have always been times of division , satan will cast out a floud after the woman , as knowing that more die by the disagreement of the humours of their own bodies , than by the sword , and that if men be once engaged , they will contend ; if not for truth , yet for victory . now if the difference be in things of lesser consequence , the best way to quench it were silence , this was luthers counsell given in an epistle written to the divines assembled in a synod at norimberge , meum consilium fuerit ( cum nullum sit ecclesiae periculum ) ut hanc causam sinatis , vel ad tempus sopitam , ( utinam extinctam ) jacere donec tutiore & meliore tempore , animis in pace firmatis ; & charitate aduatis , eam disputetis . i think it were good counsell concerning many of the disputes of our times . but if the difference be of greater concernment as this is , then the way to decide it , is to bring in more light which this authour hath done , with much evidence of scripture , backt with the authority of most moderne divines : so that whosoever desires to have his judgement cleered in the maine controversie , betweene us and the antinomians , with a small expence either of money or time , hee may here receive ample satisfaction ; this i testifie upon request , professing my selfe a friend both to truth and peace . novem. 12. w. strong . this book at first well accommodated with so valuable a testimony as m. caryls , besides its better-approving it self to the choicer spirits every where , to the speedy distribution of the whole impression , it might seeme a needlesse or superfluous thing to adde any more to the praise thereof , yet meeting with detracting language , from some few ( by reason of some phrases by them either not duly pondered , or not rightly understood ) it is thought meete this second impression , to relieve that worthy testimony which still stands to it , with fresh supplies , not for any need , the truth therein contained hath thereof , but because either the prejudice or darknesse of some mens judgements doth require it : i therefore having throughly perused it , cannot but testifie , that if i have any the least judgment or rellish of truth , hee that findes this book , findes a good thing , and not unworthy of its title , and may account the saints to have obtained favour with the lord , in the ministration of it , as that which with great plainenesse and evidence of truth comprises the chiefe ( if not all ) the differences that have been lately ingendred about the law , it hath , i must confesse , not onely fortified my judgement , but also warmed my heart in the reading of it , as indeed inculcating throughout the whole dialogue , the cleer and familiar notion of those things by which we live ( as hezekias speaks in another case ) and it appeareth to me to be written from much experimentall knowledge of christ , and teaching of the spirit . let all men that taste the fruit of it , confesse to the glory of god , he is no respecter of persons , and endeavour to know no man henceforth after the flesh , nor envie the compiler thereof , the honour to be accounted as god hath made him in this point , a healer of breaches , and a restorer of the over-grown paths of the gospel : as for mine own part , i am so satisfied in this testimony i lend , that i reckon , what ever credit is thus pawned , will be a glory to the name that stands by and avows this truth , so long as the book shall endure to record it . ihshua sprigge . grace and peace to you in christ jesus . my loving friend in christ , i have , according to your desire , read over your booke , and finde it full of evangelicall light and life , and i doubt not , but the oftner i read it , the more true comfort i shall finde in the knowledge of christ thereby , the matter ●s pure , the method is apostolicall , wherein the works of love in the right place , after the life of faith bee effectually required . god hath endewed his fisher with the net of a trying understanding and discerning iudgement and discretion , whereby out of the christaline streams of the well of life , you have taken a messe of the sweetest and wholsomest fish that the whole world can afford , which if i could daily have enough of , i should no more care for the flesh , or the works thereof . samuell prittie . a catalogue of those writers names out of whom i have collected much of the matter contained in this ensuing dialogue . a doctor ames m. aynsworth b m. beza m. bulenger m. bradford m. bastingius bishop babington m. ball m. robert boulton m. samuel boulton c m. calvin m. culverwell m. carelesse m. cornwall d du plesse b. d●wname doctor di●da●e m. dixon m. dyke e m. elton f m. fox m. frith m. forbs g m. greenham m. gibbens m. thomas goodwin m. gray junior h bishop hall m. thomas hooker . l doctor luther m. lightfoot m wolfangius musculus peter martyr doctor mayor m. marshall o barnardine ochine p m. perkins doctor preston r m. rollock m. reynolds m. rouse . s doctor smith doctor sibbs m. slater t m. tyndall m. robert towne v doctor vrban regius doctor vrsinus m. vaughan w doctor willet doctor williams m. wilson m. ward . the marrovv of modern divinity . interlocutors : evangelista , a minister of the gospel . nomista , a legalist . antinomista , an antinomian . neophytus , a young christian. nomista . sir , my neighbour neophytus and i , having lately had some conference with this our friend and acquaintance antinomista , about some points of religi●n , wherein he differing from us both , at last ●id he would be contented to be judged by ●ou our minister : therefore have we made bold to come unto you , all three of us , to pray you to heare us , and judge of our differences . evan. you are all of you very welcome to me , and if you please to let me heare what your differences are , i will tell you what i think . nom. the truth is , sir , he and i differ in very many things , but more especially about the law : for i say the law ought to be a rule of life to a believer , and he saith it ought not . neo. and surely , sir , the greatest difference betwixt him and i , is this : he would perswade me to believe in christ , and bids me rejoyce in the lord , and live merrily , though i feel never so many corruptions in my heart , yea though i be never so sinfull in my life ; the which i cannot do , nor i think ought not to do , but rather to feare , and sorrow , and lament for my sins . anti. the truth is , sir , the greatest difference is betwixt my feiend nomista and i , about the law , and therefore that is the greatest matter we come unto you about . evan. i remember , the apostle paul willeth titus to avoyd contentions and strivings about the law , because they are unprofitable and vain : and so i feare me yours have been . nom. sir , for mine own part i hold it very meet , that every true christian should be very zealous for the holy law of god , especially now when a company of these antinomians do set themselves against it , and do what they can quite to abolish it , and utterly to root it out of the church : surely , sir , i think it not meet they should ●ive in a christian common-wealth . evan. i pray you , neighbour nomista , be not so hot , neither let us have such unchristianlike expressions amongst us , and let us reason together in love , and with the spirit of meeknesse , as christians ought to do . i confesse with the apostle , it is good to be zealously affected alwayes in a good thing : but yet as the same apostle said of the jews , so i feare me i may say of some christians , that they are zealous of the law , yea some would be doctors of the law , and yet neither understand what they say , nor whereof they affirm . nom. sir , i make no doubt but that i both know what i say , and whereof i affirm , when i say and affirm , that the holy law of god ought to be a rule of life to a believer ; for i dare pawn my soule of the ●ruth of it . evan. but what law do you mean ? nom. why sir , what law do you think i mean ? is there any more lawes then one ▪ evan. yea , in the new testament the● is mention made of a three-fold law , 〈◊〉 wit , the law of works , the law of faith , an● the law of christ : and therefore i pray yo● tell me , when you say the law ought to b● a rule of life to a believer , which of their three lawes you mean ? nom. sir , i know not the difference betwixt them ; but this i know , that the law of the ten commandements , commonly called the morall law , ought to be a rule of life to a believer . evan. but the law of the ten commandements , or morall law , may be either said to be the matter of the law of works or the matter of the law of christ ; and therefore i pray you tell me in whether o● these senses you conceive it ought to be ● rule of life to a believer ? nom. sir , i must confesse i do not know what you mean by this distinction ; but thi● i know , that god requires that every christian should frame and lead his life according to the rule of the ten commandements , the which if he do , then may he expect the blessing of god both upon his soule and body , and if he do not , then can he expect nothing else but his wrath and curse upon them both . evan. the truth is , neighbour nomista , ●he law of the ten commandements , as it 〈◊〉 the matter of the law of works , ought not to be a rule of life to a believer : but in thus saying , you have affirmed that it ought , and therefore therein you have erred from the truth . and now friend antinomista , that i may also know your judgement , when you say the law ought not to be a rule of life to a believer , i pray you tell me what law you mean ? ant. why , i mean the law of the ten commandements . evan. but whether do you mean that law , as it is the matter of the law of works , or as it is the matter of the law of christ ? ant. surely , sir , i do conceive that the ten commandements are no way to be a rule of life to a believer , for christ hath delivered him from them . evan. but the truth is , the law of the ten commandements , as it is the matter of the law of christ , ought to be a rule of life to a believer ; and therefore you having affirmed the contrary , have therein also er●ed from the truth . nom. the truth is , sir , i must confesse , 〈◊〉 never took any notice of this three-fold ●aw , which it seems is mentioned in the new testament . ant. and i must confesse , if i took any notice of them , i never understood them . evan. well , give me leave to tell you , that so far forth as any man comes short of the true knowledge of this threefold law , so far forth he comes short both of the true knowledge of god , and of himself ; and therefore i wish you both to consider of it . nom. sir , if it be so , you may do well to be a means to inform us , and help us to the true knowledge of this threefold law ; and therefore i pray you first tell us what is meant by the law of works ? evan. the law of works , opposed to the law of faith , rom. 3.27 . holds forth as much as the covenant of works : for it is manifest , saith musculus , that the word which signifieth covenant or bargain , is put for law ; so that you see the law of works , is as much to say as the covenant of works , the which covenant the lord made with all mankinde in adam before his fall , the summe whereof was , do this , and thou shalt live ; and , if thou do it not , thou shalt die the death . in which covenant there was first contained 〈◊〉 precept , do this ; secondly , a promise joyned unto it , if thou do it , thou shalt live ▪ thirdly , a like threatning , if thou do it not , thou shalt die the death . imagine , saith musculus , that god had said to adam , lo , to the intent that thou maist live , i have given thee liberty to eat , and have given thee abundantly to eat : let all the fruits of paradise be in thy power , one tree except , which see thou touch not , for that i keep it to mine own authority : the same is the tree of knowledge of good and evill , if thou touch it , the meat thereof shall not be life , but death . nom. but sir , you said that the law of the ten commandements , or morall law , may be said to be the matter of the law of works : and you have also said , that the law of works is as much to say as the covenant of works : whereby it seems to me you hold that the law of the ten commandements was the matter of the covenant of works which god made with all mankind in adam before his fall . evan. that 's a truth agreed upon by all authors and interpreters that i know : and indeed , the law of works ( as a learned author saith ) signifies the morall law ; and the morall law strictly and properly taken , signifies the covenant of works . nom. but sir , what is the reason you call it but the matter of the covenant of works ? evan. the reason why i rather chuse to call the law of the ten commandements the matter of the covenant of works , then the covenant it self , is because i conceive that the matter of it cannot properly be called the covenant of works , except the form be put upon it , that is to say , except the lord require , and man undertake to yield perfect obedience thereunto , upon condition of eternall life and death : and therefore till then it was not a covenant of works betwixt god and all mankinde in adam . as for example , you know , that although a servant have an ability to do a masters work , and though a master have wages to bestow upon him for it , yet is there not a covenant betwixt them till they have thereupon agreed . even so , though man at the first had power to yield perfect and perpetuall obedience to all the ten commandements , and god had an eternall life to bestow upon him , yet was there not a covenant betwixt them till they were thereupon agreed . nom. but sir , you know there is no mention made in the book of genesis , of this covenant of works , which you say was made with man at first . evan. though we read not the word covenant betwixt god and man , yet have we there recorded what may amount to as much ; for god provided and promised to adam eternall happinesse , and called for perfect obedience , which appears from gods threatning , gen. 2.17 . for if man must die if he disobeyed , it implies strongly , that gods covenant was with him for life , if he obeyed . nom. but sir , you know the word covenant signifies a mutuall promise , bargain , and obligation betwixt two parties . now though it is implied , that god promised man to give him life if he obeyed , yet we read not that man promised to be obedient . evan. i pray take notice , that god doth not alwayes tie man to verball expressions , but doth often contract the covenant in reall impressions in the heart and frame of the creature : and this was the manner of covenanting with man at the first , for god had furnished his soule with an understanding mind , whereby he might discern good from evill , and right from wrong , and not only so , but also in his will was most great uprightnesse , and his instrumentall parts were orderly framed to obedience : the truth is , god did ingrave in mans soule , wisdom , and knowledge of his will , and works , and integrity in the whole soule , and such a fitnesse in all the powers thereof , that neither the mind did conceive , nor the heart desire , nor the body put in execution any thing but that which was acceptable to god : so that man endowed with these qualities , was able to serve god perfectly . nom. but sir , how could the law of the ten commandements be the matter of this covenant of works , when they were not written , as you know , till the time of moses . evan. though they were not written in tables of stone untill the time of moses , yet were they written in the tables of mans heart in the time of adam ; for we read , that man was created in the image or likenesse of god , gen. 1.27 . and the ten commandements are a doctrine agreeing with the eternall wisdome and justice that is in god , wherein he hath so painted out his own nature , that it doth in a manner expresse the very image of god. and doth not the apostle say , that the image of god consists in knowledge , righteousnesse , and true holinesse , and is not knowledge , righteousnes , & true holines the perfections of both the tables of the law . and indeed , saith m. rollock , it could not wel stand with the justice of god to make a covenant with man under the condition of holy & good works , & perfect obedience to his law , except he had first created man holy & pure , and ingraven his law in his hart whence those good works should proceed . nom. but yet i cannot but marvell that god , in making the covenant with man , did make mention of no other commandement then that of the forbidden fruit . evan. do not marvell at it , for by that one species of sin , the whole genus or kind is shewn , as the same law being more clearly unfolded , deut. 27.26 . gal. 3.10 . doth expresse : and indeed , in that one commandement the whole worship of god did consist , as , obedience , honour , love , confidence , and religious feare , together with the outward abstinence from sin , and reverent respect to the voice of god. yea , herein also consisted his love , and so his whole duty to his neighbour : so that as a learned writer saith , adam heard as much in the garden , as israel did at sinai , but only in fewer words , and without thunder . nom. but sir , ought not man to have yielded perfect obedience to god , though this covenant had not been made betwixt them ? evan. yea indeed , perfect and perpetuall obedience was due from man unto god , though god had made no promise to man ; for when god created man at first , he put forth an excellencie from himself into him , and therefore it was the bond and tie that lay upon man to return that again unto god , so that man being gods creature by the law of creation , he owed all obedience and subjection to god his creator . nom. why then was it needfull that the lord should make a covenant with him , by promising him life , and threatning him with death . evan. for answer hereunto , in the first place i pray you understand , that man was a reasonable creature , and so out of judgement , discretion and election , able to make choice of his way , and therefore it was meet there should be such a covenant made with him , that he might according to gods appointment serve him after a reasonable manner . secondly , it was meet there should be such a covenant made with him , to shew that he was not such a prince on earth , but that he had a soveraigne lord ; therefore god set a punishment upon the breach of his commandement , that man might know his inferiority , and that things betwixt him and god , were not as betwixt equals . thirdly , it was meet there should be such a covenant made with him , to shew that he had nothing by personall , immediate , and underived right , but all by gift and gentlenesse : so that you see it was an equall covenant , which god out of his prerogative royall made with mankind in adam before his fall . nom. well , sir , i do perceive that adam and all mankind in him were created most holy . evan. yea , and most happy too , for god placed him in paradise in the middest of all delightfull pleasures and contents , wherein he did enjoy most near and sweet communion with his creator , in whose presence is fulnesse of joy , and at whose right hand is pleasures for evermore . so that if adam had received of the tree of life , by taking and eating of it while he stood in the state of innonencie before his fall , he had certainly been established in a happy estate for ever , and could not have been seduced and supplanted by sathan , as some learned men do think , and as gods own words seem to imply , gen. 3.22 . nom. but it seemeth that adam did not continue in that holy and happy estate . evan. no indeed , for he disobeyed gods expresse command , in eating the forbidden fruit , and so became guilty of the breach of the covenant . nom. but sir , how could adam , who had his understanding so sound , and his will so free to choose good , be so disobedient to gods expresse command ? evan : though he and his will were both good , yet were they mutably good , so that he might either stand or fall at his own election or choice . nom. but why then did not the lord create him immutable ? or why did he not so over-rule him in that action , that he might not have eaten the forbidden fruit ? evan. the reason why the lord did not create him immutable , was because hee would be obeyed out of judgement , and free choice , and not by fatall necessity , and absolute determination ; and withall let me tell you , it was not reasonable to restraine god to this point , to make man such a one as would not , or could not sin at all , for it was at his choice to create him how he pleased , but why he did not uphold him with strength of stedfast continuance , that resteth hidden in gods secret counsell : howbeit this we may certainly conclude , that adams state was such , as served to take away from him all excuse , for he received so much , that of his own will he wrought his own destruction , because that act of his was a wilfull transgression of a law , under the precepts whereof he was most justly created , and unto the malediction whereof hee was as necessarily and righteously subject if he transgressed ; for as by being gods creature he was to be subject to his will , so by being gods prisoner , he was as justly subject to his wrath , and that so much the more , by how much the precept was most just , the obedience more easie , the transgression more unreasonable , and the punishment more certaine . nom. and was adams sinne and punishment imputed unto his whole off-spring ? evan. yea indeed , for saith the apostle , death passed upon all men , for that all have sinned , or , in whom all have sinned , that is , in adam ; the very truth is , adam by his fall threw down our whole nature headlong into the same destruction , and drowned his whole off-spring in the same gulfe of misery : and the reason is , because by gods appointment he was not to stand or fall , as a single person only , but as a common publike person , representing all mankind to come of him , therefore as all that happinesse , all those gifts and endowments which were bestowed upon him , were not bestowed upon him alone , but also upon the whole nature of man , and as that covenant which was made with him , was made with whole mankinde ; even so he by breaking covenant lost all , as well for us , as for himselfe , as he received all for himselfe and us , so he lost all both for himselfe and us . nom. then sir it seemeth that by adams breach of covenant , all man-kinde was brought into a miserable condition . evan. all mankind by the fall of adam received a twofold damage ; first a deprivation of all originall goodnesse : secondly an habituall naturall pronenesse to all kind of wickednesse ; for the image of god , after which they were created , was forthwith blotted out , and in place of wisdome , righteousnesse and true holinesse , came blindnesse , uncleanesse , falshood and injustice : the very truth is , our whole nature was thereby corrupted , defiled , deformed , depraved , infected , made infirme , fraile , malignant , full of venome , contrary to god , yea enemies and rebels unto him ; so that , saith luther , this is the title we have received from adam , in this one thing we may glory , and in nothing else at all , namely , that every infant that is born into this world , is wholly in the power of sinne , death , sathan , hell , and everlasting damnation : nay , saith musculus , the whirlpoole of mans sinne in paradise , is bottomlesse and unsearchable . nom. but sir , me thinks it is a strange thing , that so small an offence as the eating of the forbidden fruit seemes to be , should plunge whole mankind into such a gulfe of misery . evan. though at the first glance it seem to be a small offence ; yet if you look more wishly upon the matter , it will appeare to be an exceeding great offence , for thereby intolerable injury was done unto god : as first , his dominion and authority in his holy command was violated ; secondly , his justice , truth and power , in his most righteous threatnings , were despised ; thirdly , his most pure and perfect image , wherein man was created in righteousnesse and true holinesse , was utterly defaced ; fourthly , his glory , which by an active service the creature should have brought to him , was lost and despoiled : nay , how could there be a greater sin committed , then that , when adam at ●hat one clap brake all the ten commandements . nom. did he break all the ten comman●ements , say you , sir , i beseech you shew ●e wherein ? evan. 1. he chose himself another god , when he followed the devil . 2. he idolized and defiled his own belly , ●s the apostles phrase is , he made his belly ●is god . 3. he took the name of god in vain , when ●e believed him not . 4. he kept not the rest and estate where●● god had set him . 5. he dishonoured his father which was heaven , and therefore his dayes were not prolonged in that land which the lord his god had given him . 6. he massacred himselfe , and all his posterity . 7. from eve he was a virgin , but in eyes and minde he committed spirituall fornication . 8. he stole ( like achan ) that which god had set aside not to be medled with , and this his stealth is that which troubles all israel , the whole world . 9. he bare witnesse against god , when he believed the witnesse of the devill above him . 10. he coveted an evill covetousnesse like amnon , which cost him his life , and al● his progeny . now whosoever consider● what a nest of evils here were committed a● one blow , must needs , with musculus , se● our case to be such , that we be compelled every way to commend the justice of god and to condemn the sin of our first parents saying concerning all mankinde , as the prophet hosea doth concerning israel , o israel thou hast destroyed thy self . nom. but sir , had it not been possibl● for adam both to have holpen himself and his posterity out of this misery , by renewing the same covenant with god , and keeping it for afterwards ? eva. o no , he covenant of works was a covenant no way capable of renovation , when he had once broke it he was gone for ever , because it was a covenant between two friends , bu● f●llen man was become an enemy : and besides , it was an impossible thing for adam to have performed the conditions which now the justice of god did necessarily require at his hands , for he was now become liable to the payment of a double debt , to wit , the debt of satisfaction for his sin committed in time past , and the debt of perfect and perpetuall obedience for the time to come : and he was utterly unable to pay either of them . nom. why was he unable to pay the debt of satisfaction for his sin committed in time past ? evan. because his sin in eating the forbidden fruit , ( for that is the sin i mean ) was committed against an infinite and eternall good , and therefore merited an infinite satisfaction , which was to be either some temporall punishment equivalent to eternall damnation , or eternall damnation it self . now adam was a finite creature , therefore between finite and infinite there could be no proportion , so that it was impossible for adam to have made satisfaction by any temporall punishment , and if he had undertaken to have satisfied by an eternall punishment , he should alwayes have been satisfying , and never have satisfied , as is the 〈◊〉 of the damned in hell . nom. and why was he unable to pay the debt of perfect and perpetuall obedience for the time to come ? evan. because his precedent power 〈◊〉 obey , was by his fall utterly impaired , fo● thereby his understanding was both feeble● and drowned in darknesse , and his will was made perverse , and utterly deprived of all power to will well , and his affections were quite set out of order , and all things belonging to the blessed life of the soule were extinguished both in him and us , so that he wa● become impotent , yea dead , and therefor● not able to stand in the lowest terms to per●form the meanest condition : the very truth is , our father adam falling from god , di● by his fall so dash himself and us in peeces that there was no whole part left either 〈◊〉 him , or us , fit to ground such a covenan● upon . and this the apostle witnesseth , both when he saith , we are of no strength ; and , the law was made weak , because of th● flesh . nom. but sir , might not the lord have pardoned adams sinne , without satisfaction ? evan. o no , for justice is essentiall in 〈◊〉 , and it is a righteous thing with god , 〈◊〉 every transgression receive a just recom●●nce , and if recompence be just , it is un●●st to pardon sin , without satisfaction ; and ●●ough the lord had pardoned and forgiven 〈◊〉 former transgression , and so set him in 〈◊〉 former condition of amity and friend●●ip , yet having no power to keep the law ●erfectly , he could not have continued ●●erein . nomista . and is it also impossible for 〈◊〉 of his posterity to keep the law per●●ctly ? evan. yea indeed , it is impossible for any ●eer man , in the time of this life , to keep it ●erfectly , yea though he be a regenerate ●an ; for the law requireth of man , that he ●●ve the lord with all his heart , soule and ●●ight ; and there is not the holiest man that 〈◊〉 , but he is flesh as wel as spirit , in all parts ●nd faculties of his soule , and therefore can●ot love the lord perfectly : yea , and the ●aw forbiddeth all habituall concupiscence , ●ot only saying , thou shalt not consent to lust , ●ut thou shalt not lust . it doth not only ●ommand the binding of lust , but forbids ●●so the beeing of lust : and who in this case ●an say , my heart is clean ? antin . then friend nomista , take notice i pray , that as it was altogether impossible for adam to return unto that holy and happy estate wherein he was created , by the same way he went from it , so is it for any of his posterity ; and therefore i remember one saith very wittily , the law was adams lease when god made him tenant of eden , the conditions of which bond when he kept not , he forfeited himself and all us . god read a lecture of the law to him before he fell , to be a hedge to him to keep him in paradise : but when adam would not keep within compasse , this law is now become as the flaming sword at eden gate , to keep him and his posterity out . nom. but sir , you know that when a covenant is broken , the parties that were bound , are freed and released from their ingagements , and therefore me thinks both adam and his posterity should have been released from the covenant of works , when it was broken , especially considering they have no strength to perform the condition of it . evan. indeed it is true in every covenant , if either party fail in his duty , and perform not his condition , the other party i● thereby freed from his part , but the party failing is not freed ti●l the other release him ▪ and therefore though the lord be freed from performing his condition , that is , from giving to man eternall life ; yet so is not man from his part : no , though strength to obey be lost , yet man having lost it by his own default , the obligation to obedience remains still , so that adam and his off-spring are no more discharged of their duties , because they have no strength to do them , than a debtor is quitted of his bond , because he wants money to pay it . and thus , neighbour nomista , i have according to your desire , endeavoured to help you to the true knowledge of the law of works . ant. i beseech you , sir , proceed to help us to the true knowledge of the law of faith. evan. the law of faith is as much to say as the covenant of grace , or the gospel , which signifieth good , merry , glad , and joyfull tidings , that is to say , that god , to whose eternall knowledge all things are present , and nothing past , or to come , foreseeing mans fall before all time purposed , and in time promised , and in the fulnesse of time performed , the sending of his sonne jesus christ into the world , to help and deliver fallen mankind . ant. i beseech you , sir , let us heare more of these things , and first of all shew how we are to conceive of gods eternall purpose in sending of jesus christ. evan. why here the learned frame a kind of conflict in gods holy attributes , and by a liberty which the holy ghost from the language of holy scripture alloweth them , they speak of god after the manner of men , as if he were reduced to some straits and difficulties , by the crosse demands of his severall attributes : for truth and justice stood up and said , that man had sinned , and therefore man must die ; and so called for the condemnation of a sinfull , and therefore worthily accursed creature : or else they must be violated : for thou saidst ( say they to god ) in what day that thou eatest of the tree of the knowledge of good and evill , thou shalt die the death . mercy on the other side pleaded for favour , and appeales to the great court in heaven , and there it pleads , saying , wisdome , and power , and goodnesse , have been all manifest in the creation ; and anger and justice , they have been magnified in mans misery that he is now plunged into by his fall ; but i have not yet been manifested : o , let favour and compassion be shewed towards man , wofully seduced and overthrown by sathan . o , said they unto god , it is a royall thing to relieve the distressed ; and the greater any one is , the more placable and gentle he ought to be . but justice replied , if i be offended , i must be satisfied and have my right , and therefore i require , that man who hath lost himself by his disobedience , should for remedy set obedience against it , and so satisfie the judgement of god. therefore the wisdome of god became an umpire , and devised a way to reconcile them , concluding , that before there could be reconciliation made , there must be two things effected ; first , a satisfaction of gods justice ; secondly , a reparation of mans nature : which two things must needs be effected by such a middle and common person , that had both zeal toward god , that he might be satisfied , and compassion toward man that he might be repaired . such a person , as having mans guilt and punishment translated on him , might satisfie the justice of god , and as having a fulnesse of gods spirit and holinesse in him , might sanctifie and repaire the nature of man : and this could be none other but jesus christ , one of the three persons of the blessed trinity ; and therefore he , by his fathers ordinacion , his own voluntary susception , and the holy spirits sanctification , was fitted for the businesse : whereupon there was a speciall covenant , or mutuall agreement made between god and christ , as is expressed , isa. 53. vers . 10. that if christ would make himselfe a sacrifice sacrifice for him , then he should see his seed , he should prolong his dayes , and the pleasure of the lord should prosper by him . so , in psal. 89.19 . the mercy of this covenant between god and christ , under the type of gods covenant with david , are set forth : thou spakest in vision to thy holy one , and saidst , i have laid help upon one that is mighty , or as the chaldee expoundeth , one mighty in the law. as if god had said concerning his elect , i know that these will break , and never be able to satisfie me , but you are a mighty and substantiall person , able to pay me , therefore i will look for my debt of you , ( as paraeus well observes ) god did as it were say to christ , what they owe me , i require it all at your hands . then said christ , lo , i come to do thy will ▪ in the volume of thy book it is written of me , i delight to do thy will o my god , yea , thy law is in my heart . thus christ assented , and from everlasting stroke hands with god , to put upon him mans person , and to take upon him his name , and to enter in his stead in obeying his father , and to do all for man that he should require , and to yield in mans flesh the price of the satisfaction of the just judgment of god , and in the same flesh to suffer the punishment that man had deserved ; and this he undertook under the penalty that lay upon man to have undergone : and thus was justice satisfied , and mercy magnified by the lord jesus christ , and so god took christs single bond , whence christ is not only called the surety of the covenant for us heb. 7 22. but the covenant it self ▪ isa. 49 8. and god laid all upon him , that he might be sure of satisfaction , protesting that he would not deale with us , nor so much as expect any payment from us , such was his grace . and thus did our lord jesus christ enter into the same covenant of works that adam did , to deliver believers from it ; he was contented to be under all that commanding , revenging authority which that covenant had over them , to free them from the penalty of it ; and in that respect adam is said to be a type of christ , as you have it rom. 5.14 . who was the type of him that was to come . unto which purpose the 〈◊〉 which the apostle gives these two , ch●ist and adam , are exceeding observable : he cals adam the fi●st man , and christ our lord the second man , speaking of them as if there never had been any more men in the world besides these two , thereby making them the head and root of all mankind , they having as it were the rest of the sons of men included in them : the first man is called the earthly man , the second man christ is called the lord from heaven . the earthly man had all the sons of men born into the world , included in him , and is so called in conformity unto them . the second man christ is called the lord from heaven , who had all the elect included in him , who are said to be the first-borne , and to have their names written in heaven , heb. 12.13 . and therefore are oppositely called heavenly men : so that these two , in gods account , stood for all the rest . and thus you see , that the lord willing to shew mercy to the creature fallen , and withall to maintain the authority of his law , took such a course as might best manifest his clemencie and severity ; christ entred into covenant , and became surety for man , and so became liable to many ingagements ; for he that answers as a surety , must pay the same sum of money that the debtor oweth . and thus have i endeavoured to shew you how we are to conceive of gods eternall purpose in sending of jesus christ to help and deliver fallen mankind . ant. i beseech you , sir , proceed also to the second thing , and first tell us , when the lord began to make a promise to help and de●ver fallen mankind ? evan. even the same day that he sinned , w●hich was the very same day he was created ; for adam by his sin being become the child of wrath , and both in body and in soule subject to the curse , and seeing nothing due to him but the wrath and vengeance of god , he was afraid , and sought to hide himself from the presence of god ; whereupon the lord promised christ unto him , saying to the serpent , i will put enmity between thee and the woman , and between thy seed and her seed ; he , that is to say the seed of the woman ( for so is the hebrew text ) shall break thy head , and thou shalt bruise his heele . this promise of christ the womans seed , was the gospel , and the only comfort of adam , abel , enoch , noah , and the rest of the godly fathers , untill the time of abraham . nom. i pray you , sir , what ground have you to think that adam fell the same day he was created ? evan. my ground for this opinion , is psal. 94.12 . which text in the hebrew is thus read : adam being in honour , did not lodge a night in it . ant. but sir , do you think that adam and those others did understand that promised seed to be meant of christ ? evan. who can make any doubt but that the lord had acquainted adam with christ , betwixt the time of his sinning & the time of his sacrificing , though both on a day . ant. but did adam offer sacrifice ? evan. can you make any question , but that the bodies of those beasts , whose skins went for a covering for his body , were immediately before offered in sacrifice for his soul● ? surely those skins could be none other but of beasts slain and offered in sacrifice ; for before adam fell , beasts were not subject to mortality , nor slaying ; and gods cloathing of adam and his wife with skins , signified that their sin and shame was covered with christs righteousnesse . and questionlesse the lord had taught him , that his sacrifice did signifie his acknowledgment of his sin , and that he looked for the seed of the woman promised to be slain in the evening of the world , thereby to appease the wrath of god for his offence , the which undoubtedly he acquainted his sons , cain and abel with , when he taught them also to offer sacrifice . ant. but how doth it appeare , that this his sacrificing was the very same day that he sinned ? evan. it is said , ioh. 7.13 . concerning christ , ●hat they sought to take him , yet no man laid hands on him , because his houre was not yet come but after that , when the time of his sufferings was at hand , he himself said , the houre is come : which day is expresly set down by the evangelist mark to be the sixth day , and ninth houre of that day , when christ , through the eternall spirit , offered up himself without spot to god. now if you compare this with exod. 12.6 . you shall find , that the paschall lamb , a most lively type of christ , was offered the very same day and houre , even the 6. day , and 9. houre of the day , which was at 3 of the clock in the afternoon : and the scripture testifieth that adam was created the very same sixth day , and gives us ground to think that he sinned the same day . and do not the fore-alleaged scriptures afford us warrant to believe that it was the very same houre of that day when christ entred mystically and typically upon the work of redemption , in being offered as a sacrifice for adams sin ? and surely we may suppose that the covenant ( as you heard ) being broken between god and adam , justice would not have admitted of one houres respite before it had proceeded to execution , to the destruction both of adam and the whole creation , had not christ in the very nick of time stood as the ram ( or rather the lamb ) in the bush , and stepped in to perform the work of the covenant . and hence i conceive it is , that st. iohn cals him the lamb slain from the beginning of the world ; for as the first state of creation was confirmed by the covenant which god made with man , and all creatures were to be upheld by meanes of observing the law and condition of that covenant , so that covenant being broken by man , the world should have come to ruine , had it not been as it were created anew and upheld by the covenant of grace in christ. ant. then , sir , you think that adam was saved . evan. the hebrew doctors hold , that adam was a repentant sinner , and say , that he was by wisdome ( that is to say by faith in christ ) brought out of his fall , yea and the church of god doth hold , and that for necessary causes , that he was saved by the death of christ : yea , saith mr. vaughan , it is certain he believed the promise concerning christ , in whose commemoration he offered continuall sacrifice , and in the assurance thereof he named his wife heva , that is to say , life ; and he called his son seth , setled , or perswaded in christ. ant. well , now i am perswaded that adam did understand this seed of the woman to be meant of christ. evan. assure your self , that not only adam , but all the rest of the godly fathers did so understand it , as is manifest , in that the thargum or chalde bible , which is the ancient translation of ierusalem , hath it thus : between thy son , and her son . adding fur●her by way of comment , so long , o serpent , ●s the womans children keep the law , they ●ill thee ; and when they cease to do so , thou ●tingest them in the heele , and hast power to ●urt them much : but whereas for their harm ●here is a sure remedy , for thee there is none , for in the last dayes they shall crush thee all to ●eeces by means of christ their king . and ●his was it which did support and uphold their faith untill the time of abraham . ant. what followed then ? evan. why then the promise was turned into a covenant with abraham and his seed , and oftentimes repeated , that in his seed all nations should be blessed . which promise and covenant was the very voice it self of the gospel , it being a true testimony of jesus christ , as the apostle paul beareth witnesse , saying , the scripture foreseeing that god would justifie the gentiles through faith , preached before the gospel unto abraham , saying , in thee shall all the nations of the earth be blessed . and the better to confirme abrahams faith in this promise of christ , it is said gen. 14.19 . that melchisedec came forth and met him , and blessed him . now , saith the apostle , this melchisedec was a priest of the most high god , and king of righteousnesse , and king of peace , without father , and without mother , and so like unto the son of god , who is a priest for ever after the order of melchisedec , and both king of righteousnesse , and king of peace , yea and without father as touching his manhood , and without mother as touching his godhead . whereby we are given to understand , that it was the purpose of god that melchisedec should in these particulars resemble the person and office of jesus christ the son of god , and so by gods own appointment be a type of him to abraham , to ratifie and confirm the promise made to him and his seed , in respect of the eternall covenant , to wit , that he and his believing seed should be so blessed in christ , as melchisedec had blessed him . nay , let me tell you more , some have thought it most probable , yea and have said , if we search out this truth without partiality , we shall find that this melchisedec which appeared unto abraham , was none other then the son of god , manifest by a speciall dispensation and priviledge unto abraham , in the flesh , who is therefore said to have seen his day , and rejoiced , joh. 8.56 . moreover in gen. 15. we read , that the lord did again confirm this covenant with abraham ; for when abraham had divided the beasts , god came between the parts like a smoking furnace , and a burning lamp , which as some have thought , did primarily typifie the torment and rending of christ , and the furnace and fiery lamp did typifie the wrath of god running between , and yet did not consume the rent and torne nature ; and the blood of circumcision did typifie the blood of christ , and the resolved sacrificing of isaac on mount moria by gods appointment , did prefigure and foreshew , that by the offering up of christ the promised seed , in the very same place , all nations should be saved . now this covenant thus made and confirmed with abraham , was renued with isaac , gen. 26.4 . and made known unto jacob by jesus christ himself ; for that man which wrestled with jacob , was none other but the man christ jesus ; for himself said , that jacob should be called israel , a wrestler and prevailer with god ; and jacob called the name of the place peniel , because he had seen god face to face ; and iacob left it by his last will unto his children , in these words , the scepter shall not depart from iudah , nor a law giver from between his feet , till shilo come . that is to say ▪ of judah shall kings come one after another , and many in number , till at last the lord jesus come , who is king of kings , and lord of lords . or as the thargum of jerusalem , and the onkelos do translate it , until christ the ano●nted come . nom. but sir , are you sure that this promised seed was meant of christ ? evan. the apostle puts that out of doubt , gal. 3.16 . saying , now unto abraham and to his seed were the promises made . he saith not , and to seeds , as of many , but as of one ; and to thy seed , which is christ : and so no doubt but these godly patriarks did understand it . ant. but sir , the great promise that was made unto them , as i conceive , and which they seemed to have most regard unto , was the land of canaan . evan. there is no doubt but that these godly patriarks did see their heavenly inheritance ( by christ ) through the promise of the land of canaan , as the apostle testifieth of abraham , heb. 11. saying , he sojourned in a strange country , and looked for a city having a foundation , whose builder and maker is god. whereby it is evident , saith calvin , that the height and eminency of abrahams faith , was , the looking for an everlasting life in heaven . the like testimony he gives of sarah , isaac , and jacob , saying , all these dyed in the faith . implying , that they did not expect to receive the fruit of the promise till after death : and therefore in all their travels they had before their eyes the blessednesse of the life to come ; which caused old jacob to say at his death , lord , i have waited for thy salvation . the which speech the chaldee paraphrases expound thus : our father jacob said not , i expect the salvation of gideon son of joash , which is a temporall salvation , nor the salvation of sampson son of manoah , which is a transitory salvation , but the salvation of christ the son of david , who shall come and bring unto himself the sons of israel , whose salvation my soule desireth . and so you see that this covenant made with abraham in christ , was the comfort and support of these and the rest of the godly fathers , untill their departure out of egypt . ant. and what followed then ? evan. why then christ jesus was most clearly manifested unto them in the passeover lamb ; for as that lamb was to be without spot or blemish , exod. 12.5 . even so was christ , 1 pet. 1.19 . and as that lamb was taken up the tenth day of the first new moon , in march ; even so on the very same day of the same moneth came christ to jerusalem to suffer his passion . and as that lamb was killed on the fourteenth day at even , just then on the same day , and at the same houre , did christ give up the ghost . and as the blood of that lambe was to be sprinkled on the israelites doores , exod. 12.7 . even so is the blood of christ sprinkled on believers hearts by faith , 1 pet. 1.2 . and their deliverance out of egypt was a figure of their redemption by christ : their passing through the red sea , was a type of baptisme , when christ should come in the flesh ; and their manna in the wildernesse , and water out of the rock , did resemble the sacrament of the lords supper ; and hence it is that the apostle saith , they did all eat the same spirituall meat , and did all drink the same spirituall drink , for they drank of that spirituall rock that followed them , and that rock was christ. and when they were come to mount sinai , the lord delivered the ten commandements unto them . ant. and were the ten commandements , as they were delivered to them on mount sinai , the covenant of works ? evan. yea indeed were they . nom but by your favour , sir , you know that these people were the posterity of abraham , and therefore under that covenant of grace which god made with their father : and therefore i do not think that they were delivered to them as the covenant of works , for ( sir ) you know the lord never delivers the covenant of works to any that are under the covenant of grace . evan. indeed 't is true , the lord did manifest so much love to the body of this nation , that all the naturall seed of abraham were externally , and by profession , under the covenant of grace made with their father abraham , though 't is to be feared many of them were still under the covenant of works made with their father adam . nom. but sir , you know , in the preface to the commandements , the lord cals himself by the name of their god in generall , and therefore it should seem that they were all of them the people of god. evan. that is nothing to the purpose , for many wicked and ungodly men being in the visible church , and under the externall covenant , are called the chosen of god , and the people of god. but though they had been all of them believers , yet as the lord delivered it to them , it would have done them no more hurt than it did them that were . nom. but sir , was the same covenant of works made with them , that was made with adam ? evan. for the generall substance of the duty , the law delivered on mount sinai , and formerly engraven in mans heart , was one and the same , so that at mount sinai the lord delivered no new thing , only it came more gently to adam before his fall , but after his fall came thunder with it . nom. i , but sir , as your self said , the ten commandements , as they were written in adams heart , were but the matter of the covenant of works , and not the covenant it self , till the form was annexed to them , that is to say , till god and man were thereupon agreed : now we do not find that god , and these people did agree upon any such terms at mount sinai . evan. no , say you so , do you not remember that the people consented , exod. 19.8 . saying , all that the lord hath spoken we will do . and do you not remember that the lord consented , levit. 18.5 . saying , ye shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgements , which if a man do he shall live in them . and in deut. 27.26 . saying , cursed is he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them . and doth not the apostle paul give evidenee than these words were the form of the covenant of works , when he saith rom. 10.5 . moses describeth the righteousnesse which is of the law , that the man that doth these things shall live in them : & when he saith , gal. 3.10 . for it is writen , cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law , to do them . and in deut. 4.13 . moses doth in expresse tearmes call it a covenant , saying , and he declared unto you his covenant , which he commanded you to perform , even ten commandamennts , and hee wrote them upon tables of stone . now this was not the covenant of grace ; for moses afterwards , deut. 5.3 . speaking of this covenant , saith , god made not this covenant with your fathers , but with you : and by fathers , all the patriarkes unto adam may be meant , saith mr. aynsworth , who had the promise of the covenant of christ : therefore if it had been the covenant of grace , he would have said , god did make this covenant with them , rather then that he did not . nom. and do any of our godly and moderne witers , agree with you in this point ? evan. yea indeed , polanus saith , the covenant of workes , is that in which god promiseth everlasting life unto a man , that in all respects performeth perfect obedience to the law of workes , adding thereunto threatnings of eternall death , if hee shall not performe perfect obedience thereunto . god made this covenant in the beginning with the first man adam , whilst hee was in the first estate of integrity ; the same covenant god did repeat and make againe by moses , with the people of israel . and dr. preston saith , the covenant of workes runs in these termes , do this and thou shalt live , and i will be thy god. this was the covenant which was made with adam , and the covenant that is expressed by m●ses in the morall law . and mr. walker saith , that the first part of the covenant which god made with israel at horeb , was nothing else but a renewing of the old covenant of works which god made with adam in paradise . and it is generally laid down by our divines , that we are by christ delivered from the law , as it is a covenant . nom. but sir , were the children of israel at this time better able to perform the condition of the covenant of works , than either adam , or any of the old patriarks , that god renewed it now with them , rather then before ? evan. no indeed , god did not renew it with them now , and not before , because they were better able to keep it , but because they had more need to be made acquainted what the covenant of works is , then those before : for though 't is true , the ten commandements which were at first perfectly written in adams heart , were much obliterated by his fall , yet some impressions and reliques thereof still remained , and adam himself was very sensible of his fall , and the rest of the fathers were holpen by traditions , and ( saith cameron ) god did speak to the patriarchs from heaven , yea and he spake unto them by his angels . but now by this time sin had almost obliterated and defaced the impressions of the law written in their hearts , and by their being so long in egypt , they were so corrupted , that the instructions and ordinances of their fathers were almost all worne out of mind , and their fall in adam was almost forgotten , as the apostle testifieth , saying , before the time of the law sin was in the world , yet did they not impute it to themselves , because there was no law. nay in that long course of time betwixt adam and moses , men had forgotten what was sin ; so that although god had made a promise of blessing to abraham , and to all his seed that would plead interest in it , yet these people at this time were proud , and secure , and heedlesse of their estate ; and though sin was in them , and death raigned over them , yet they being without a law to evidence this sin and death unto their consciences , they did not impute it unto themselves , they would not own it nor charge themselves with it , and so by consequence found no need of pleading the promise made to abraham ; therefore the law entred , that adams offence , and their own actuall transgression might abound . so that now the lord saw it needfull that there should be a new edition and publication of the covenant of works , the sooner to compell the elect unbeleevers to come to christ the promised seed , that the grace of god in christ to the elect beleevers might appeare the more exceeding gracious ; so that you see the lords intention therein was , that they by looking upon this covenant , might be put in mind what was their dutie of old , when they were in adams loines , yea , and what was their dutie still , if they would stand to that covenant , and so go the old and naturall way to work : yea , and hereby they were also to see what was their present infirmitie in not doing their duty , that so they seeing an impossibilitie of obtaining life by that way of workes , first appointed in paradise , they might be humbled , and more heedfully minde the promise made to their father abraham , and hasten to lay hold on the messiah or promised seed . nom. then , sir , it seemeth that the lord did not renew the covenant of workes with them , to the intent that they should obtaine eternall life by their yeelding obedience to it . evan. no indeed , god never made the covenant of workes with any man since the fall , either with expectation that he should fulfill it , or to give him life by it , for god never appoints any thing to an end , to the which it is utterly unsuitable and improper . now the law , as it is the covenant of works , is become weak and unprofitable to the purpose of salvation , and therefore god never appointed it to man since the fall to that end . and besides , it is manifest that the purpose of god in the covenant made with abraham , was , to give life and salvation by grace and promise ; and therefore his purpose in renewing the covenant of works , was not , neither could be to give life and salvation by working , for then there would have been contradictions in the covenants , and instability in him that made them . wherefore let no man imagine that god published the covenant of works on mount sinai , as though he had been mutable , and so changed his determination in that covenant made with abraham , neither yet let any man suppose that god now in processe of time had found out a better way for mans salvation , then he knew before ; for as the covenant of grace made with abraham , had been needlesse , if the covenant of works made with adam would have given him and his believing seed life ; so after the covenant of grace was once made , it was needlesse to renue the covenant of works , to the end that righteousnesse and life should be had by the observation of it ; the which will yet more evidently appeare , if we consider that the apostle speaking of the covenant of works , as it was given on mount sinai , saith , it was added because of transgression . it was not set up as a solid rule of righteousnesse , as it was given to adam in paradise , but was added or put to : it was not set up as a thing in grosse by it self . nom. then , sir , it should seem that the covenant of works was added to the covenant of grace , to make it more compleat . evan. o no , you are not so to understand the apostle , as though it were added by way of ingrediency , as a part of the covenant of grace , as if that covenant had been incompleat without the covenant of works , for then the same covenant should have consisted of contradictory materials , and so it should have overthrown it self ; for , saith the apostle , if it be by grace , then is it no more of works , otherwise grace is no more grace ; but if it be of works , then is it no more of grace , otherwise work is no more work . but it was added by way of subserviencie and attendance , the better so advance and make effectuall the covenant of grace ; so that although the same covenant that was made with adam , was renewed on mount sinai , yet i say still it was not for the same purpose ; for this was it god aimed in making the covenant of works with man in innocencie , to have that which was his due from man. but god made it with the israelites for no other end , than that man being thereby convinced of his weaknesse , might flie to christ ; so that it was renued only to help forward and introduce another , and a better covenant , and so to be a manuduction unto christ , viz. to discover sin , to waken the conscience , and convince them of their own impotencie , and so to drive them out of themselves to christ. know it then , i beseech you , that all this while there was no other way of life given either in whole , or in part , then the covenant of grace : all this while god did but pursue the designe of his own grace , and therefore was there no inconstancie either in gods will , or acts ; only such was his mercy , that he subordinated the covenant of works , and made it subservient to the covenant of grace and so to tend to evangelicall purposes . nom. but yet , sir , me thinks it is somewhat strange , that the lord should put them upon doing the law , and also promise them life for doing , and yet never intend it . evan. though he did so , yet did he neither require of them that which was unjust , nor yet dissemble with them in the promise ; for the lord may justly require perfect obedience at all mens hands , by vertue of that covenant which was made with them in adam , and if any man could yeeld perfect obedience to the law , both in doing and suffering , he should have eternall life ; for wee may not deny , saith calvin , but that the reward of eternall salvation belongeth to the upright obedience of the law , but god knew well enough that the israelites were never able to yeeld such an obedience , and yet hee saw it meet to propound eternall life to them upon those termes , that so hee might speake to them in their owne humor , as indeed it was meet , for they swelled with mad affiance in themselves , saying , all that the lord commandeth we will doe , and be obedient . well said the lord , if you will needs be doing , why , here is a law to be kept , and if you can fully observe the righteousnesse of it , you shall be saved , sending them of purpose to the law , to awaken and convince them , to sentence and humble them , and to make them see their own folly in seeking for life by that way ; in short , to make them see the termes under which they stood , that so they might bee brought out of themselves , and expect nothing from the law , in relation to life , but all from christ ; for how should a man see his need of life by christ , if he do not first see that he is fallen from the way of life ? and how should hee understand how farre hee hath strayed from the way of life , unlesse he doe first finde what is that way of life ? therefore it was needfull that the lord should deale with them after such a manner , to drive them out of themselves , and from all confidence in the worke of the law ; that so by faith in christ they might obtaine righteousnesse and life . and just so did our saviour also deale with that young expounder of the law , matth. 19.16 . who as it seemeth was sick of the same disease , good master ( saith he ) what shall i doe that i may inherit eternall life ? he doth not ( saith calvin ) simply ask , which way , or by what meanes hee should come to eternall life , but what good he should doe to get it ; whereby it appsares , that he was a proude iustitiarie , one that swelled in fleshly opinion that he could keep the law and be saved by it , therefore hee is worthily sent to the law to worke himself weary , and so see need to come to christ for rest . and thus you see that the lord to the former promises made to the fathers , added a fierie law which he gave from mount sinai in thunder and lightning , and with a terrible voice to the stubborne and stiff-necked israel , whereby to break and tame them , and to make them sigh and long for the promised redeemer . ant. and , sir , did the law produce this effect in them ? evan. yea indeed did it , as it will appear . if you consider that although before the publishing of this covenant , they were exceeding proud and confident of their owne strength to doe all that the lord would have them doe ; yet when the lord came to deale with them , as men under the covenant of works , in shewing himselfe a terrible judge , sitting on the throne of justice , like a mountaine burning with fire , summoning them to come before him by the sound of a trumpet , yet not to touch the mountaine without a mediatour ; they were not able to endure the voice of words , nor yet to abide that which was commanded , insomuch as moses himselfe did feare and quake , and they did all of them so feare and fright , shake and shiver , that their peacock feathers were now pulled downe . this terrible shew , wherein god gave his law on mount sinai , did represent the use of the law ; there was in the people of israel that came out of egypt a singular holinsse , they gloried and said , we are the people of god , wee will doe all that the lord commandeth . moreover moses sanctified them , and bad them wash their garments , refraine from their wives , and prepare themselves against the third day , there was not one of them but he was full of holinesse ; the third day moses bringeth the p●ople out of their tents to the mountain , in the sight of the lord , that they might heare his voice : what followed then ? why , when they beheld the horrible sight of the mount , smoaking and burning , the blacke clouds and the lightnings flashing up and downe in this horrible darknesse , and heard the sound of the trumpet blowing long , and waxing louder and louder , they were afraid , and standing afar off , they said not to moses as before , all that the lord commandeth wee will doe ; but talke thou with us , and we will heare , but let not god talk with us lest wee die : so that now they saw they were sinners , and had offended god , and therefore stood in need of a mediatour to negotiate peace , and intreat for reconciliation betweene god and them , and the lord highly approved of their words , as you may see , deut. 5. where moses repeating what they had said , adds further ; the lord heard the voyce of your words when yee spake to mee , and the lord said unto mee , i have heard the voyce of the words of this people , which they have spoken unto thee , they have well said all that they have spoken , to wit , in desiring a mediatour : where i pray you take notice , that they were not commended for saying , all that the lord commandeth we will doe , ( no saith a godly writer ) they were not praised for any other thing , then for desiring a mediatour : whereupon , the lord promised christ unto them , even as moses testifieth , saying , the lord thy god shall raise up unto thee a prophet like unto me from among you , even of your brethren , unto him shall you hearken , according to all that thou desiredst of the lord thy god in horeb in the day of the assembly , when thou saidest , let mee heare the voice of the lord my god no more , nor see this great fire any more that i die not : and the lord said unto mee , they have well spoken , i will raise them up a prophet from among their brethren like unto thee , and i will put my words in his mouth , and hee shall speake unto them all that i command him . and to assure us that christ was the prophet here spoken of , hee himselfe saith unto the jews , if yee had believed moses , ye would have believed me ; for he wrote of me . and that this was it which hee wrote of him , the apostle peter witnesseth , acts 3.22 . and so doth the martyr stephen , acts 7.37 . thus you see , when the lord had by meanes of the covenant of works made with adam , humbled them , and made them sigh for christ the promised seed , he renued the promise with them , yea , and the covenant of grace made with abraham . ant. i pray , sir , how doth it appear that the lord renued th●t covenant with them ? evan. it doth plainly appeare , in that the lord gave them by moses the leviticall laws , and ordained the tabernacle , the ark , and the mercy-seat , which were all types of christ : moreover , the lord called unto moses , and spake unto him out of the tabernacle , and commanded him to write the leviticall laws , and the tabernacle ordinances , telling him withall , that after the tenour of those words he had made a covenant with him , and with israel : so moses wrote these laws , not in tables of stone , but in an authenticall booke , saith ainsworth , called the booke of the covenant , which book moses read in the audience of the people , exod. 24.7 . and the people consented unto it : then moses having before sent young men of the children of israel , who were first born , and therefore priests untill the time of the levites , to offer sacrifice of burnt-offerings , and peace-offerings unto the lord ; he tooke the blood , and sprinkled it on the people , and said , behold the blood of the covenant , which the lord hath made with you concerning these things ; whereby they were taught , that by vertue of blood , this covenant betwixt god and them was confirmed , and that christ by his bloodshed should satisfie for their sins , for indeed the covenant of grace was before the comming of christ , sealed by his blood in types and figures . ant. but sir , was this every way the same covenant that was made with abraham ? evan. surely i do believe that reverend bullinger spake very truly , when he said , that god gave unto these people no other religion , in nature , substance , and matter it selfe , differing from the laws of their fathers , though for some respects hee added thereunto many ceremonies , and certain ordinances , the which he did to keep their mindes in expectation of the comming of christ , whom he had promised unto them ; and to confirm them in looking for him , lest they should wax faint ; and as the lord did thus by the ceremonies , as it were lead them by the hand to christ , so did he make them a promise of the land of canaan , and outward prosperity in it , as a type of heaven , and eternall happinesse , so that the lord dealt with them as children in their infancy , and under age , leading them on by the help of earthly things , to heavenly and spirituall , because they were but young and tender , and had not that measure and abundance of spirit which he hath bestowed upon his people now under the gospel . ant. and sir , do you think that these israelites at this time did see christ , and salvation by him , in these types and shadows ? evan. yea , there is no doubt but moses and the rest of the believers amongst the jews did see christ in them , for faith godly tindall , though all the sacrifices and ceremonies had a star-light of christ , yet some of them had the light of the broad day a little before the sun rising , and did expresse him with the circumstances and vertue of his death , so plainly , as if his passion had been acted upon a scaffold , in so much , saith he , that i am fully perswaded , and cannot but believe , that god had shewed moses the secrets of christ , and the very manner of his death aforehand , and therefore no doubt but that they offered their sacrifices by faith in the messiah ( as the apostle testifieth of abel ) i say there is no question but every spirituall believing jew , when he brought his sacrifice to be offeroffered , and according to the lords command laid his hands upon it : whilst it was yet alive , he did from his heart acknowledge , that he himselfe had deserved to ●ie , but by the mercy of god he was saved , and his desert laid upon the beast , and as that beast was to die , and bee off red in sacrifice for him , so did hee believe that the messiah should come and die for him , upon whom hee put his hands , that is , laid all his iniquities by the hand of faith . so that as beza saith , the sacrifices were to them holy mysteries , in which , as in certain● glasses , they did both see themselves to their own condemnation before god , and also beheld the mercy of god in the promised messiah , in time to bee exhibited ; and therefore , saith calvin , the sacrifices , and satisfactory offerings were called ashemoth , which word properly signifieth sinne it selfe , to shew , that jesus christ was to come and performe a perfect expiation , by giving his owne soule to bee an asham , that is , a satisfactory oblation . wherefore you may assure your selfe , that as christ was alwayes set before the fathers in the old testament , to whom they might direct their faith , and as god never put them in hope of any grace or mercy , nor never shewed himselfe good unto them without christ ; even so the godly , in the old testament , knew christ , by whom they did enjoy these promises of god , and were joyned to him . and indeed , the promise of salvation never stood firm till it came to christ : and there was their comfort in all their troubles and distresses , according as it is said of moses , he endured , as seeing him who is invisible , esteeming the reproach of christ greater riches then the treasures of egypt , for he had respect to the recompence of reward . and so ( as ignatius saith ) the prophets were christs servants , who foreseeing him in spirit , both waited for him as their master , and looked for him as their lord and saviour , saying , he shall come and save us . and so , saith calvin , so oft as the prophets speak of the blessednesse of the faithfull , the perfect image that they have painted thereof , was such , as might ravish mens minds out of the earth , and of necessity raise them up to the consideration of the felicity of the life to come , so that we may assuredly conclude with luther , that all the fathers , prophets , and holy kings were righteous , and saved by faith in christ to come ; and so indeed , as calvin saith , were partakers of all one salvation with us . ant. but sir , the scripture seemes to hold forth , as though they were saved one way , and we another way , for you know the prophet jeremie mak●s mention of a twofold covenant , therefore it is somewhat strange to me , that they should be partakers of one way of salvation with us evan. indeed it is true , the lord did bequeath unto the fathers righteousnesse , life , and eternall salvation in and through christ the mediator , being not yet come in the flesh , but promised : and unto us in the new testament , he gives and bequeaths them to us in and through christ , being already come , and having actually purchased them for us ; and the covenant of grace was before the comming of christ , sealed by his blood , in types h●d figures , and at his death in his fl●sh it was fully sealed and ratified , by his very blood , actually and in very deed shed for our sins : and the old covenant in respect of the outward forme , and manner of sealing , was temporary , and changeable , and therefore the types ceased , and only the substance remaines firme , but the seals of the new are unchangeable , being commemorative , and shall shew the lords death untill his comming againe : and their covenant did first and chiefly promise earthly blessings , and in and under these it did signifie and promise all spirituall blessings and salvation , but our covenant promiseth christ and his blessings in the first place , and after them earhly blessings . these and some other circumstantiall differences in regard of administration , there was betwixt their way of salvation , or covenant of grace , and ours , which moved the author to the hebrews , to call theirs old , and ours new ; but in regard of substance they were all one , and the very same , for in all covenants , this is a certain rule , if the subject matter , the fruit , and the conditions be the same , then is the covenant the same : but in these covenants jesus christ is the subject matter of both , salvation the fruit of both , and faith the condition of both , therefore i say , though they be called two , yet are they but one ; the which is confirmed by two faithfull witnesses : the one is the apostle peter , who saith , acts 15.11 . we believe through the grace of our lord jesus christ , that we shall be saved , even as they did , meaning the fathers in the old testament , as is evident in the verse next before . the other is the apostle paul , who saith , abraham believed god , and it was accounted to him for righteousnesse , know yee therefore that they which are of the faith , the same are the children of abraham ; by which testimonie saith luther , wee may see that the faith of our fathers in the old testament , and ours in the new ●s all one in substance . ant. but could they that lived so long before christ , apprehend his righteousnesse by faith for their justification , and salvation ? evan. yea indeed , for as master forbes truely saith , it is as e●sie for faith to apprehend righteousnesse to come , as it is to apprehend righteousnesse that is past : wherefore as christs birth , obedience , and death were in the old testament as effectuall to save sinners , as now they are ; so all the faithfull forefathers from the beginning did partake of the same grace with us , by believing in the same iesus christ , and so were justified by his righteousnesse , and saved eternally by faith in him : it was by vertue of the death of christ , that enoch was translated that he should not see death , and elias was taken up into heaven , by vertue of christs resurrection and ascension : so that from the worlds beginning , to the end thereof , the salvation of sinners is onely by jesus christ , as it is written , jesus christ yesterday and to day , and the same for ever . anti. why then , sir , it seemes that those who were saved amongst the jewes , were not saved by the workes of the law. evan. no indeed , they were neither justified nor saved , either by the workes of the morall law , or the ceremoniall law ; for as you heard before , the morall law being delivered unto them , with great terrour , and under most dreadfull penalties , they did finde in themselves an impossibilitie of keeping it , and so were driven to seeke helpe of a mediatour , even iesus christ , of whom moses was to them a typicall mediatour ; so that the morall law did drive them to the cerimoniall law , which was their gospel , and their christ in a figure , for that the cerimonies did prefigure christ , direct unto him , and require faith in him , is a thing acknowledged and confessed by all men . nom. but , sir , i suppose , though believers amongst the iewes were not justified and saved by the works of the law , yet was it a rule for their obedience . evan. it is very true indeed , the law of the tenne commandements was a rule for their obedience , yet not as it was the law of workes or covenant of workes , but as it was the law of christ , as it will appeare if you consider , that after the lord had the second time written them in tables of stone , with his owne finger , he delivered them to moses , commanding him to provide an arke to put them into , which was not onely for the safe ke●ping of them , but also to cover the forme of the covenant of works that was formerly upon them , that beleevers might not perceive it ; for the arke was a notable type of christ , and therefore the p●tting of them therein did shew , that they were perfectly fulfilled in him , christ being the end of the law , for righteousnes , to every one that beleeveth , the which was yet more clearly manifest , in that the booke of the law was placed betweene the cherubims , and upon the mercy-seat , to assure beleevers , that the law now came to them from the mercy-seat , for there the lord promised to meet moses , and to commune with him of all things which he would give him in commandment to them . ant. but , sir , was the forme quite taken away , so as the ten commadements were no more the covenant of works ? evan. oh no , you are not so to understand it : for the forme of the covenant of works as well as the matter , ( on gods part ) came immediatly from god himself , and so consequently is eternall like himselfe , whence it is that our saviour saith , mat. 5.18 . till heaven and earth passe , one jot , or one title shall in no wise passe from the law till all be fulfilled : so that either man himselfe , or some other for him must performe or fulfill the condition of the law , as it is the covenant of works , or els he remaines still under it in a damnable condition : but now christ hath fulfilled it for all believers , and therefore i said the forme of the covenant of works was covered or taken away as touching the believing jewes , but yet was it neither taken away in it selfe , nor yet as touching the unbelieving jewes . nom. was the law then still of use to them , as it was the covenant of works . evan. yea indeed . ant. i pray you , sir , shew of what use it was to them ? evan. i remember luther saith there be two sorts of unrighteous persons , or unbeleevers , the one to be justified , and the other not to be justified ; even so was there amongst the jews . now to them that were to bee justified , as you have heard , it was still of use to bring them to christ , as the apostle saith , gal. 3.24 . the law was our schoolmaster untill christ , that we might be made righteous by faith , that is to say , the morall law did teach and shew them what they should doe , and so what they did not , and this made them go to the ceremonial law , and by that they were taught that christ had done it for them , the which they beleeving were made righteous by faith in him . and to the second sort it was of use , to shew them what was good , and what was evill , and to be as a bridle to them to restraine them from evill , and as a motive to move them to good , for fear of punishment , or hope of reward in this life ; which though it was but a forced and constrained obedience , yet was it necessarie for the publike common-wealth , the quiet thereof being thereby the better maintained ; and though thereby they could neither escape death , nor yet obtaine eternall life , for want of perfect obedience ; yet the more obedience they yeelded thereunto , the more they were freed from temporall calamities , and possessed with temporall blessings according as the lord promised and threatned , deut. 28. ant. but , sir , in that place the lord seemeth to speak to his own people , and yet to speak according to the tenor of the covenant of works , which hath made me thinke , that believers , in the old testament , were partly under the covenant of works . evan. do you not remember how i told you before , that the lord did manifest so much love to the body of that nation , that the whole posterity of abraham were brought under a state-covenant , or nationall church , so that for the believers sakes he infolded the unbelievers in the compact , whereupon the lord was pleased to call them all by the name of his people , as well unbelievers as believers , and to be called their god. and though the lord did there speak according to the tenor of the covenant of works , yet i see no reason why he might not direct and intend his speech to believers also , and yet they remain only under the covenant of grace . ant. why , sir , you said that the lord did speak to them out of the tabernacle , and from the mercy-seat ; and that doubtlesse was according to the tenor of the covenant of grace , and not according to the tenor of the covenant of works . evan. i pray you take notice , that after the lord had pronounced all those blessings and curses , deut. 28. in the beginning of th● 29. chap. it is said , these are the words of th● covenant which the lord commanded moses to make with the children of israel in the land of moab , beside the covenant which he made with them in horeb. whereby it doth appeare to me , that this was not the covenant of works which was delivered to them on mount sinai ; for the form of that covenant was eternall blessings and curses , but the form of this covenant was temporall blessings and curses , so that this rather seems to be the pedagogie of the law , than the covenant of works , for at that time these people seemed to be carried by temporall promises in the wayes of obedience , and deterred by temporall threatnings from the wayes of disobedience : god dealing with them as in their infancie and under-age , and so leads them on and allures them , and feares them by such respects as these , because they had but a small measure of the spirit . nom. but , sir , was not the matter of that covenant , and this , all one ? evan. yea indeed , the ten commandements were the matter of both covenants , only they differed in the forms . ant. t●●n sir , it seems that the promises and threatnings contained in the old testament , were but temporary and terrestiall , only concerning the good and evill things of this life . evan. this we are to know , that like as the lord by his prophets gave the people in the old testament many exhortations to be obedient to his commandements , and many dehortations from disobedience thereunto , even so did he back them with many promises and threatnings concerning things temporall , as these and the like scrip●u●●s do witnesse . isa. 1.10 . heare the word of the lord ye rulers of sodom , give eare unto the law of our god , ye people of gomorrah : i● ye be willing and obedient , ye shall eat the good things of the land ; but if ye refuse and rebell , ye shall be devoured with the sword , for the mouth of the lord hath spoken it . and jer. 7 3 amend your wayes and your doings , and i will cause you to dwell in this place : but ye steal ▪ murder , commit adultery , and sweare falsly by my name ; therefore thus saith the lord god , behold mine anger and my fury shall be powred out upon this place . and surely there be two reasons why the lord did so : first , because as all men are born under the covenant of work● , they are naturally prone to conceive , that the favour of god , and all good things , do depend and follow upon their obedience to the law ; and that the wrath of god , and all evill things , do depend upon , and follow their disobedience to it , and that mans chief happinesse is to be had and found in terrestriall paradise , even in the good things of this life . so the people of the old testament being neerest to adams covenant and paradise , were most prone to such conceits . and secondly , because the covenant of grace , and celestiall paradise , were but little mentioned in the old testament , they , for the most part , had but a glimmering knowledge of them , and so could not yield obedience freely , as sonnes : therefore the lord saw it meet to move them to yield obedience to his lawes , by their own motives , and as servants or children under age . ant. and were both believers and unbelievers , that is , such as were under the covenant of grace , and such as were under the covenant of works , equally and alike subj●ct , as well to have the calamities of this life inflicted upon them for their disobedience , as the blessings of this life conferred upon them for their obedience ? evan. surely the words of the preacher do take place here , when he saith , all things come alike to all , there is one event to the righteous , and to the wicked . were not moses and aaron , for their disobedience , hindered from entring into the land of canaan , as well as others ? and was not josiah , for his disobedience to gods command , sl●in in the valley of megiddo ? therefore assure your selfe , that when believers , in the old testament , did transgresse gods commandements , gods temporall wrath went out against them , and was manifest in temporall calamities that befell them as well as others , only here was the difference , the believers temporall calamities had no eternall calamities included in them , nor following of them , and their temporall blessings had eternall blessings included in them , and following of them ; and the unbelievers temporall blessings had no eternall blessings included in them , nor following of them , and their temporall calamities had eternall calamities included in them , and following of them . ant. then , sir , it seemeth that all obedience that any of the jewes did yield to gods commandements , was for feare of tempo●●ll punishment , and in hope of temporall reward . evan. surely the sc●ip●ure seemes to hol● forth , that there were three several sorts of people who endeavoured to keep the law of god , and they did all of them differ in their ends . the first sort of them were true believers , who according to the measure of their faith , did believe the resurrection of their bodies after death , and eternall life in glory , and that it was to be obtained , not by th●●orkes of the law , but by faith in the m●ssi●h o● promised seed : and answerably as they believed this , answerably they yielded obedience to the law freely , without fear of punishment , or hope of reward ; but alas , the spirit of faith was very weak in the most of them , and the spirit of bondage very strong , and therefore they stood in need to be induced and constrained to obedience , for feare of punishment , and hope of reward . the second sort of them were the sadduces and their sect , and these did not believe that there was any resurrection , nor any life but the life of this world , and yet they endeavoured to keep the law , that god might blesse them here , and that it might go well with them in this present life . the third sort , and indeed the greatest number of them in the future ages after moses , were the scribes and pharisees , and their sects , and they held and maintained that there was a resurrection to be looked for , and an eternall life after death , and therefore they endeavoured to keep the law , not onely to obtaine temporall happinesse , but eternall also ; for though it had pleased the lord to make known unto his people by the ministrie of moses , that the law was given not to retaine men in the confidence of their own workes , but to drive them out of themselves , and lead them to christ the promised seed , yet after that time the priests and the levites , who were the expounders of the law , and whom the scribes and pharisees did succeed , did so conceive and teach of gods intention in giving the law , as though it had been , that they by their obedience to it , should obtaine righteousnesse and eternall life , and this opinion was so confidently maintained , and so generally imbraced amongst them , that in their book mechilta , they say and affirme that there is no other covenant but the law , and so in very deed they conceived that there was no other way to eternall life then the covenant of workes . ant. surely then it seemes they did not understand and consider , that the law as it is the covenant of workes , doth not onely binde the outward man , but also the inward man , even the soule and spirit , and requires all holy thoughts , motions , and dispositions of the heart and soule . evan. oh no , they neither taught it , nor understood it , so spiritually , neither could they be perswaded , that the law doth require so much at mans hands ; for they first laid this downe for a certaine truth , that god gave the law for man to be justified and saved by his obedience to it , and that therefore there must needs be a power in man to doe all that it requireth , or else god would never have required it , and therefore whereas they should first have considered , what a straight rule the law of god is , and then have brought mans heart , and have laid it to it , they contrariwise first considered what a crooked rule mans heart is , and then sought to make the law like unto it , and so indeed they expounded the law literally , teaching and holding , that the righteousnesse which the law required , was but an externall righteousnesse , consisting in the outward observation of the law , as you may see by the testimony of our saviour , matth. 5. so that according to their exposition , it was possible for a man to fulfill the law perfectly , and so to be justified and saved by his obedience to it . ant. but , sir , doe you think the scribes and pharisees , and their seed , did yield perfect obedience to the law , according to their own exposition ? evan. no indeed , i think very few of them , if any at all . ant. why , what hopes could they then have to be justified and saved , when they transgressed any of the commandements ? evan. peter martyr tels us , that when they chanced to transgresse any of the ten commandements , they had their sacrifices to make satisfaction ( as they conceived ) for they looked upon their sacrifices without their significations , and so had a false faith in them , thinking that the bare work was a sacrifice acceptable to god : in a word , they conceived that the blood of buls and goates would take away sinne , and so what they wanted of fulfilling the morall law , they thought to make make up in the ceremoniall law : and thus they separated christ from their sacrifices , thinking they had discharged their duty very well when they had sacrificed and offered their offerings ▪ not considering that the imperfection of the typicall law , which ( as the apostle saith ) made nothing perfect , should have led them to find perfection in christ : but they generally rested in the work done , in the ceremoniall law , even as they had done in the morall law , though they themselves were unable to do the one , and the other was as unsufficient to help them . and thus , israel which followed the law of righteousnesse , did not attain to the law of righteousnesse , because they sought it not by faith , but as it were by the works of the law , for they being ignorant of the righteousnesse of god , and going about to stablish their own righteousnesse , did not submit themselves to the righteousnesse of god. ant. then sir , it seemeth that their ignorance was the cause of their error . evan. yea indeed was it , for this vaile of ignorance that was over their hearts , or this vaile of blindnesse which was over their minds , made their sight so weak and dim , that they were no more able to behold the glorious beauty of the lords holy and pure nature manifested in the law , as it was the covenant of works , than the weak eye of man is able to behold the bright sun when it shineth in full strength : and therefore we read , that when moses came down from the mount , with the two tables , wherein were wri●ten the words of the covenant of works , the ten commandements , his face did sh●ne so bright , that the children of israel could not stedfastly behold it , for the glory of his countenance : and therefore moses was glad to put the cloudy vaile of shadowing ceremonies over it , that so they might bee the better able to behold it . ant. but yet , si● , it seemeth that the vaile of ceremonies did not help their vaile of ignorance . evan. no indeed ; for the generality of them were so addicted to the letter of the law , that they used it not as a pedagogie to christ , but 〈◊〉 justification by it , and opposed christ : they terminated their eye-sight in th● shadow and did not see through it to th● subst●nce , to wit , to the end of the law , which is christ. some indeed there were which did otherwise , but alas , the number of them were very few , especially in the future ages after moses , for their blind guides had so levened the people with their corrupt doctrine , that at the time of our saviours comming in the flesh , we re●d● but of two , to wit , simeon and anna , that desired him or looked for him : for although all of them had in their mouths the messiah , and the blessed estate of the kingdome of david , yet they dreamed that this messiah should be some great monarch , that should come in outward pompe and power , and save and deliver them from the romans , of whose bondage they were very sensible and weary : but as for their spirituall bondage under the law and sinne , they were not sensible of it , and so indeed saw no need of deliverance from it , and all because their false teachers had turned the whole law into a covenant of works , to be done for justification and salvation , yea , such a covenant as they were able to keep and fulfill , if no● by doing , yet by making satisfaction with their sacrifices . and though jesus christ himself , for the removing of this vaile , did ( in the fifth of matthew ) take occasion truly to expound the law , as it is the covenant of works , shewing , that it did not only require externall righteousnesse , but internall also , of them that would bee justified by the works thereof ; and so removing that false glosse which the scribes and pharisees had put upon it . yea , and though both he himselfe , and his apostles , by their preaching and teaching did endeavour to let them understand , that all the sacrifices and ceremonies did but point at him , and so were of no further use . yea , and though at the death of christ , the vaile of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottome , to shew , that the shadowes of moses law should vanish away at the flourishing light of the gospel , and that the mysteries of christ which were formerly hid , were now laid open . yet notwithstanding , after that , when the apostle wrote to the corinthians , he saith concerning the jewes , even to this day , when moses is read , the vaile is over their hearts . and though for the removing of this vaile , the same apostle ( as it is probobably thought ) did write to them that divine and spirituall epistle , called the epistle to the hebrewes , wherein he plainly and fully declareth , that all the sacrifices , ceremonies , and tabernacle ordinances in the old testament were but types of christ , and given to them that they might see christ through them , who being now exhibited , and come in the fl●sh ▪ all types and shadows were to va●●sh away and give place , yet notwithstanding , we may say of them at this day as the apostle did to the corinthians , untill this ●ay remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament , the lord be mercifull unto them , and remove it in his due time . nom. sir , as i conceive you have now spoken sufficiently , both of gods purpose and promise , concerning the helping and delivering fallen mankind , wherefore i beseech you let us now heare of his performance of it . , evan. touching this point the scripture testifieth , that god according to his purpose before time , and his promise in time , did in the fulnesse of time , send forth his sonne , made of a woman , made under the law , to redeeme them that were under the law , &c. that is to say , looke how mankinde by nature are under the law , as it is the covenant of works ; so was christ as mans suretie contented to bee so , that now according to that eternall and mutuall agreement that was betwixt god the father and him , he put himself in the roome and place of all the faithfull , and the lord hath laid on him the iniquities of us all . then came the law as it is the covenant of workes , and said , i finde him a sinner , yea such a one as hath taken upon him the sinnes of all men , therefore , let him die upon the crosse. then said christ , sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not , but a bodie hast thou prepared mee . in burnt offerings and sacrifice for sinne thou hast no pleasure . then said i , loe i come , to doe thy will o god. and so the law proceeding in full scope , against him , set upon him , and killed him : and by this meanes was the justice of god fully satisfied , his wrath appeased , and all true beleevers acquitted from all their sinnes both past , present , and to come , so that the law as it is the covenant of workes , hath not any thing to say to any true beleever : for indeed they are dead to it , and it is dead to them . nom. but sir , how could the sufferings of christ ; which in respect of time were but finite , make full satisfaction to the justice of god which is infinite , eva. though the sufferings of christ in respect of time were but finite , yet in respect of the person that suffered , his sufferings came to be of infinite value ; for christ was god and man in one person , and therefore his sufferings were a sufficient and full ransome for mans soule , being of more value then the death and destruction of all creatures . nom. but sir , you know that the covenant of workes requires mans owne obedience , or punishment , when it saith , hee that doth these things shall live in them , and cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them , how then could beleevers be acquitted from their sins by the death of christ ? evan. for answer hereunto , i pray you consider , that though the covenant of workes requires mans owne obedience or punishment , yet it no where disalloweth or excludeth that which is done or suffered by another in his behalfe , neither is it repugnant to the justice of god ; for so there bee a satisfaction performed by man through a sufficient punishment , for the disobedience of man , the law is satisfied , and the justice of god permitteth that the offending partie be received into favour , and acknowledge god after such satisfaction made as a just man and no transgressor , of the law , and though the satisfaction be made by a surety , yet when it is done , the principall is by the law acquitted , but yet for the further proofe and confirmation of this poynt , wee are to consider that as jesus christ the second adam , entered into the same covenant that the first adam did , so by him was done whatsoever the first adam had undone : so then , the case stands thus , that like as whatsoever the first adam did or befell him , was reckoned as done by all mankinde , and to have befallen them , even so , whatsoever christ did or befell him , is to bee reckoned as to have been done by all believers , and to have befallen them , so that as sinne commeth from adam alone to all mankinde as he in whom all have sinned , so from jesus christ alone commeth righteousnesse , unto all that are in him , as hee in whom they all have satisfied the justice of god , for as by being in adam and one with him , all did in him and with him , transgresse the commandement of god , even so in respect of faith , whereby believers are ingrafted into christ , and spiritually made one with him , they did all in him and with him , satisfie the justice of god in his death and sufferings , and whosoever reckons thus , reckons according to scripture , for in rom. 5.12 . all are sayd to have sinned in adams sinne , in whom all have sinned , sayth the text , namely in adam , as in a publike person , all mens acts were included in his , because their persons were included in his , so likewise in the same chapter it is sayd that death passed upon all men , namely for this , that adams sinne was reckoned as theirs , even so , rom. 6. the apostle speaking of christ , sayth , in that he dyed , he dyed unto sinne once , but in that hee liveth , hee liveth unto god , so likewise sayth he in the next verse , reckon ye your selves to be dead unto sinne , but alive unto god through jesus christ our lord. and so as touching the resurrection of christ , the apostle argues , that all believers must and shall arise , because christ is risen , and is become the first fruit● of them that sleepe . christ , as the first fruits ariseth , and that in the name and stead of all believers , and so they rise in him and with him , for christ did not rise as a private person , but hee arose as the publike head of his church , so that in his arising all believers did virtually arise and as christ at his resurrection was justified and acquitted from all the sinnes of all believers by god his father , as having now fully satisfied for them , wherefore the obedience of christ , being imputed unto believers , by god for their righteousnesse it doth put them into the same estate and case touching righteousnesse unto life before god , wherein they should have been , if they had perfectly performed the perfect obedience of the covenant of works , doe this , and thou shalt live . nom. but , sir , are all believers dead to the law , and the law dead to them . evan. believe it man , as the law is the covenant of works , all true believers are dead unto it , and it is dead to them , for they being incorporated into christ , what the law or covenant of works did to him , it did the same to them , so that when christ hanged on the crosse believers , after a sort , hanged there with him , and therefore the apostle paul having sayd , i through the law , am dead to the law , addes in the next verse , i am crucified with christ , which words the apostle brings as an argument to prove that hee was dead to the law , for the law had crucified him with christ , upon which text luther sayth , i likewise am crucified and dead to the law : forasmuch as i am crucified and dead with christ : and , againe , i believing in christ , am also crucified with christ . in like manner the apostle sayth , to the believing romanes , so yee my brethren are dead also to the law by the body of christ , now by the body of christ is ment the passion of christ upon the crosse , or , which is all one , the suffering of christ in his humane nature , and therefore , certainely wee may conclude , with godly tindall , that all such are dead concerning the law , as are by faith crucified with christ. nom. but i pray you , sir , how doe you prove that the law is dead to a believer ? evan. why , as i conceive the apostle affirmes it , romams 7.1 , 6. nom. surely , sir , you doe mistake , for i remember the words of the first verse , are , how that tbe law hath dominion over a man as long as hee liveth , and the words of the sixth verse are , but now we are delivered from the law , that being dead wherein wee were holden , &c. evan. i know right well that in our last translation the words are so rendred , but godly and learned tindall renders it thus , remember yee not brethren , that the law hath dominion over a man as long as it endureth , and b. hall , paraphraseth upon it thus , know yee not brethren that the mosaicall law hath dominion over a man that is subject unto it , so long as the said law is in force : so likewise , origen , ambrose , and erasmus doe all agree , that by these words , while ( hee ) or it liveth , wee are to understand , as long as the law remayneth : and peter martyr is of opinion , that these wordes , while ( hee ) or it liveth , or indifferently referred eyther to the law are to the man , for sayth hee ▪ the man is said to bee dead , verse the fourth , and the law is said to bee dead verse the sixth , even so because the word ( he ) or ( it ) mentioned , verse the first , doth signifie both sexes in the greek , chrysostome thinketh that the death both of the law and the man is insinuated : and theophylact , erasmus , bucer , and calvin , doe all understand the sixth verse of the law being dead : and as the death of a believer to the law was accomplished by the death of christ , even so also was the laws death to him . even as m. fox in his sermon of christ crucified , testifieth , saying ; here have wee upon one crosse two crucifixes , two the most excellent potentates that ever were , the sonne of god , and the law of god , wrastling together about mans salvation , both cast downe , and both slaine upon one crosse , howbeit not after a like sort : first , the sonne of god was cast downe and took the fall , not for any weaknesse in himselfe but was content to take it for our victory , by this fall the law of god in casting him downe was caught in his one trip , and so was fast nayled hand and foot to the crosse , according as we read in s. pauls words , 1 col. 2.14 . and so luther speaking to the same point sayth , this was a wonderfull combate , where the law being a creature , giveth such an assault to his creatour , in practizing his whole tyranny upon the sonne of god : now therefore , because the law did so horribly and cursedly sinne against his god , it is cursed and arraigned , and as a thiefe and cursed murderer of the son of god , looseth all his right and deserveth to be condemned , the law therefore is bound , dead and crucified to mee , it is not only overcome , condemned and slaine unto christ , but also to mee believing in him , unto whom hee hath freely given this victory , now then , although , according to the apostles intimation , romans the seventh at the beginning , though the covenant of workes , and man by nature bee mutually engaged each to other , so long as they both live : yet if when the wife bee dead , the husband bee free , then much more when he is dead also . nom. but , i pray , sir , what are wee to understand by this double death , or wherein doth this freedome from the law consist ? evan. death is nothing else but a dissolution , or an untying of a compound , or a separation between matter and forme ; and therefore , when the soule and body of man is separated , wee say hee is dead , so that by this double death , wee are to understand nothing else , but that the bargaine or covenant which was made betweene god and man at first is dissolved , or untyed , or that the matter and forme of the covenant of works is separated to a believer , so that the law of the ten commandements , doth neyther promise eternall life , nor threaten eternall death to a believer , upon condition of his obedience , or disobedience to it : neyther doth a believer as hee is a believer , eyther hope for eternall life . , or feare eternall death upon any such termes , no , wee may assure our selves , that whatsoever the law sayth on any such tearmes , it sayth , to them who are under the law : but believers are not under the law , but under grace : and so have escaped eternall death , and obtained eternall life . , onely by faith in jesus christ ; for by him all that believe are justified from all things from which they could not be justified by the law of moses . for god so loved the world that he gave his onely begotten son , that whosoever believeth in him should not perish , but have everlasting life . and this is that covenant of grace , which as i told you , was made with the fathers by way of promise , and so but darkly , but now the fulnesse of time being come , it was more fully opened and promulgated . ant. well , sir , now i doe perceive , there was little difference betwixt the jews covenant of grace and ours . evan. truly the opposition betwixt the jews covenant of grace and ours , was chiefly of their owne making , they should have been driven to christ by the law , but they expected life in obedience to it , and this was their great errour and mistake . ant. and truly , sir , it is no great marvell , though they in this point did so much erre and mistake , who had the covenant of grace made known to them so darkly , when many amongst us who have it more cleerly manifest , do the like . evan. and truly , it is no marvell , though all men naturally do so for man naturally doth apprehend god to be the great master of heaven , and himselfe to be his servant , and that therefore he must do his work before hee can have his wages , and the more work he doth , the better wages he shall have . and hence it it was , that when aristotle came to speak of blessednes , & to pitch upon the next means to that end ▪ he said it was operation & working , with whom also agreeth pythagoras , when he saith , it is mans felicity to be like unto god , ( as how ) by becoming righteous and holy , and let us not marvell that these men did so erre who never heard of christ , nor of the covenant of grace , when those to whom it was made known by the apostles of christ did the like , witnesse those to whom the apostle paul wrote his epistles , and especially the galathians , for although hee had by his preaching when he was present with them , made known unto them the doctrine of the covenant of grace , yet after his departure , through the seducement of false teachers , they were soon turned to the covenant of works , and sought to be justified either in whole or in part by it , as you may see if you doe seriously consider that epistle , ( nay , what sayth luther ) it is , sayth he , the generall opinion of mans reason throughout the whole world , that righteousnesse is gotten by the works of the law , and the reason is , because the covenant of works was ingendred in the mindes of men in the very creation , so that man , naturally can judge no otherwise of the law then as of a covenant of works , which was given to make righteous , and to give life and salvation , this pernitious opinion of the law , that it justifieth and maketh righteous before god ( sayth luther again ) is so deeply rooted in mans reason , and all mankinde are so wrapped in it , that they can hardly get out , yea , i my selfe , sayth hee , have now preached the gospell almost twenty years , and have been exercised in the same daily , by reading and writing , so that i may well seeme to bee rid of this wicked opinion , yet notwithstanding i now and then feele this old filth cleave to my heart , whereby it commeth to passe , that i would willingly so have to doe with god , that i would bring somthing with my selfe , because of which hee should give me his grace , nay , it is to bee feared that ( as you sayd ) many amongst us , who have more means of light ordinarily then ever luther or any before him had , who yet notwithstanding doe either wholy or partly expect justification , and acceptation by the works of the law. ant. sir , i am verily perswaded that there be very many in this city of london , that are carryed with a blinde preposterous zeale after their own good works and well doings , secretly seeking to become holy , just , and righteous before god , by their diligent keeping , and carefull walking in all gods commandements , and yet no man can perswade them that they doe so , and truly , sir , i am verily perswaded that this our neighbour and friend nomista is one of them ? evan. alas ! there is a thousand in the world that make a christ of their works , and here is their undoing , &c. they looke for righteousnesse and acceptation more in the precept then in the promise , in the law then in the gospel , in working then in believing and miscarry many poor ignorant souls amongst us , when we bid them obey and doe duties , they can thinke of nothing but working themselves to life , when they are troubled they must lick thēselves whole , when wounded they must run to the salve of duties , and stream of performances , and neglect christ. nay , it is to be feared , that there bee divers who in words are able to distinguish between the law and the gospel , and in their judgements hold and maintain that man is justified by faith , without the works of the law , and yet in effect and practise , that is to say , in heart and conscience doe otherwise , & rhere is some touch of this in us all , otherwise we should not be so up and down in our comforts , and believing as we are still , and cast down with every weaknesse as we are . but what say you neighbour nomista , are you guilty of these things thinke you ? nom. truly , sir , i must needs confesse i begin to be somwhat jealous of my selfe that i am so , and because i desire your judgement touching my condition , i would intreat you to give me leave to relate it unto you . evan. with a very good will. nom. sir , i having bin born & brought up in a countrey where there was very little preaching , the lord he knoweth , i lived a great while in ignorance and blindnesse , and yet because i did often repeat the lords prayer , the apostles creed , and the ten commandements , and in that i came sometimes to divine service ( as they call it ) and at easter receive the communion , i thought my condition to bee good , but , at last , by means of hearing a zealous and godly minister in this city , not long after my comming hither , i was convinced that my present condition was not good , and therefore i went to the same minister and told him what i thought of my selfe , so hee told mee that i must frequent the hearing of sermons , and keepe the sabbath very strictly , and leave off swearing by my faith and troth , and such like oaths , and beware of lying and all idle words and communication , yea , and sayd hee , you must get good books to read on , as master dod on the commandements , m. boultons directions for comfortable walking with god , mast●● brinsleys true watch , and such like , and many such like exhortations and directions he gave me , the which i liked very well of , and therefore endeavoured my selfe to follow them , so i fell to the hearing of the most godly , zealous , and powerfull preachers that were in this city , and wrote their sermons after them , and when god gave mee a family i did pray with them , and instructed them ; and repeated sermons to them , and spent the lords day in publique and private exercises : and left off my swearing and lying , and idle talking , according to his exhortation in few wordes : i did so reforme my selfe and my life , that whereas before i had been onely carefull to performe the duties of the second table of the law , and that to the end i might gain favour and respect from civill honest men , and to avoid the penalty of mans law , or temporall punishment , now i was also carefull to performe the duties required in the first table of the law , and that to gaine favour and respect from religious honest men , and to avoid the penalty of gods law , even eternall torments in hell . now when professors of religion observe this change in me , they ca●● to my house and gave unto mee the right hand of fellowship , & counted me one of that number . and then i invited godly ministers to my table , and made much of them , & then with that same mica mentioned in the book of judges , i was perswaded the lord would be mercifull unto me because i had gotten a levite to be my priest , in a word , i did now yield such an outward obedience and conformity to both tables of the law , that all godly ministers , and religious honest men that knew me , did thinke very well of mee , counting me to be a very honest man , and a good christian , and indeed i thought so of my selfe , especially because i had their approbation , and thus i went on bravely a great while , even untill i read in master boultons works , that the outward righteousnesse of the scribes and pharisees was famous in those times , for besides their forbearing and protesting against grosse sins , as murther , theft , adultery , idolatry , and the like , they were frequent and constant in prayer , fasting and almes deeds , so that without question , many of them were perswaded , that their doings would purchase heaven and happinesse , whereupon i concluded , that i had as yet done no more then they , and withall i considered that our saviour sayth , except your righteousnesse exceede the righteousnesse of the scribes and pharisees , you cannot enter into the kingdome of god , yea , and i also considered , that the apostle sayth , hee is not a jew , that is one outward , but he that is one within , whose praise is not of men but of god , then did i conclude that i was not yet a true christian , for sayd i in my heart , i have contented my selfe with the praise of men , and so have lost all my labour and pains in performing duties , for they have been no better then outside performances , and therefore they must all fall down in a moment . i have not served god with all my heart , and therefore i see i must either goe farther , or else i shall never be happie , whereupon i set about the keeping of the law in good earnest , and laboured to performe duties , not onely outwardly , but also inwardly from my heart , i heard , and read , and praid , and laboured to bring my heart , and force my soule to every duty , i called upon the lord in good earnest , and told him that whatsoever hee would have mee to doe , i would doe it with all my heart , if hee would but save my soule , and then i also tooke notice of the inward corruptions of my heart , the which i had not formerly done , and was carefull to govern my thoughts , to modeate my passions , and to suppresse the motions and risings of lusts , to banish privie pride and speculative , wantonnesse , and all vain and sinfull desires of my heart , and then i thought my selfe not onely an out-side christian , but also an in-side christian , and therefore a true christian indeed , and so i went on comfortably a good while , till i considered that the law of god requires passive obedience as well as active , and therefore i must bee a sufferer as well as a doer , or else i could not bee a christian indeed , whereupon i began to bee troubled at my impatience under gods correcting hand , and at those inward murmurings and discontents which i found in my spirit in time of any outward calamity that befell mee , and then i laboured to bridle my passions and to submit my selfe quietly to the will of god in every condition , and then did i also , as it were , begin to take penance upon my selfe , by abstinence , fasting , and afflicting my soule , and made pittifull lamentations in my prayers , which were somtimes also accompanied with tears , the which i was perswaded the lord did take notice of and would reward me for it , and then i was perswaded that i did keepe the law in yielding obedience both actively and passively , and then was i confident i was a true christian , untill i considered tha● those jewes of whom the lord complaynes , esay 58. did as much as i , and that caused mee to feare that all was not right with mee as yet : whereupon i went to another minister , and told him , that though i had done thus and thus , and suffered thus and thus ; yet i was perswaded that i was in no better a condition then those jewes : ô yes , sayd hee ! you are in a better condition then they ▪ for they were hypocrites , and served not god with all their hearts as you doe . then i went home contentedly , and so went on in my wonted course of doing and suffering , and thought all was well with mee untill i bethought my selfe that before the time of my conversion , i had beene a transgressour from the wombe , yea , in the wombe in that i was guilty of adams transgression : so then i considered , that although i kept even with god for the time present and to come yet that would not free m● from the guiltinesse of that which wa● done before , whereupon i was much troubled and disquieted in my minde , then i went to a third minister of gods holy word , and told him how the case stood with mee : and what i thought of my state and condition , he cheered me up , bidding mee be of good comfort , for howsoever my obedience since my conversion , would not satisfie for my former sinnes , yet in as much as at my conversion i had confessed ▪ lamented , deplored , bewayled and forsaken them : god according to his rich mercy and gracious promise had mercifully pardoned and forgiving them . then i returned home to my house againe , and went to god by earnest prayer and supplication , and besought him to give mee assurance of the pardon and forgivenesse of my guiltinesse of adams sinne , and all my actuall transgressions before my conversion : and as i had endeavoured my self to be a good servant before , so i would still continue in doing my duty most exactly : and so being assured that the lord had granted this my request , i fell to my businesse , according to my promise ; i heard , i read , i prayed , i fasted , i mourned , i sighed and groned , and watched over my heart , my tongue , and wayes , in all my doings , actions , and dealings both with god and man : but after a while i growing better acquainted with the spiritualnesse of the law , and with inward corruptions of mine owne heart , i perceived that i had deceived my selfe in thinking that i had kept the law perfectly , for doe what i could i found many imperfections in my obedience ; for i had been and was still subject to sleepinesse , drousinesse , and heavinesse in prayer and hearing , and so in other duties , i failed in the manner of performance of them , and in the end why i performed them , seeking my selfe in every thing i did , and my conscience told me i failed in my duty to god in this , and in my duty to my neighbour in that , and then i was much troubled again , for i considered that the law of god requireth , and is not satisfied without an exact and perfect obedience , and then i went to the same minister again , and told him how i had purposed , promised , striven and endeavoured , as much as possibly i could to keepe the law of ged perfectly , and yet by wofull experience i had found , that i had and did still transgresse it many ways , and therefore i feared hell and damation . o! but sayd hee , doe not feare , for the best christians have their failings , and no man keepeth the law of god perfectly , and therefore goe on and doe as you have done in striving to keepe the law perfectly , in what you cannot doe god will accept the will for the deed , and wherein you come short , christ will help you out , and this satisfied and contented mee very much , so i returned home againe and fell to prayer , and told the lord that now i saw i could not yield a perfect obedience to his law , and yet i would not despaire , because i did believe , that what i could not doe christ would doe for mee , and then i did certainly conclude , that i was a christian indeede , and not before , and so have i beene perswaded ever since , and thus , sir , you see i have dcclared unto you , both how it hath been wieh mee formerly , and how it is with me for the present , wherefore i would intreat you to tell me plainly and truly what you think of my condition . evan. why truly i must tell you it appears to me by your relation ▪ that you have gone as far in the way of the covenant of works as the apostle paul did before his conversion , but yet for ought i see you have not gone the right way to the truth of the gospell , and therefore i question whether you be as yet come truly to christ. neo. good , sir , give me leave to speak a few words . by the hearing of your discourse concerning the covenant of works and the covenant of grace , i was moved to feare that i was out of the right way , but now having heard my neighbour nomista make such an excellent relation , and yet you to question whether hee bee come truly to christ or no , makes me to conclude absolutely that i am far from christ , surely if he upon whom the lord hath bestowed such excellent gifts and graces , and who hath lived such a godly life , as i am sure he hath done , be not right , then woe be unto me . evan. truly for ought i know , you may be in christ before him . nom. but i pray you , sir , consider , that though i am now throughly convinced , that till of late i went on in the way of the covenant of works , yet seeing that at last i came to see my need of christ , and have verily believed that in what i come short of fulfilling the law , hee will help mee out , me thinks , i should be come truly to christ. evan. verily i doe conceive that this gives you no sure evidence of your being come truly to christ , then some of your strict papists have , for it is the doctrine of the church of rome , that if a man exercise all his power , and doe his best to fulfill the law , then god for christs sake , will pardon all his infirmities , and save his soule , and therefore you shall see many of your papists very strict and zealous in the performance of duties morning and evening , so many avie-maries , and so many pater-nosters , yea , and many of them doe great deeds of charity , and great works of hospitality , and all upon such grounds and to such ends as these , the papists ( sayth calvin ) cannot abide this saying , by faith alone , for they think that their own works are in part a cause of their salvation , and so they make a hotch potch and mingle mangle , that is , neither fish nor flesh as men use to say . nom. but stay , sir , i pray , you are mistaken in me , for though i hold that god doth accept of my doing my best to fulfill the law , yet doe i not hold with the papists that my doings are meritorious , for i believe that god accepts not of what i doe , either for the work or workers sake , but onely for christs sake . evan. yet doe you but still goe hand in hand with the papists , for though they doe hold that their works are meritorious , yet they say it is by the merit of christ that they become meritorious , or as some of the moderate sort of them say , our works sprinkled with the bloud of christ become meritorious , but this you are to know , that as the justice of god requires a perfect obedience , so doth it require that this perfect obedience be a personall obedience , viz. it must bee the obedience of one person onely , the obedience of two must not bee put together , to make up a perfect obedience : so that if you desire to be justified before god ▪ you must either bring to him a perfect righteousnesse of your own , and wholy renounce christ , or else you must bring the perfect righteousnesse of christ and wholy renounce your own . ant. but believe me , sir , i would advise him to bring christs and wholy renounce his own , as , i thank the lord , i have done . evan. you say very well , for indeed the covenant of grace terminates it selfe onely on christ and his righteousnesse , god will have none to have a hand in the justification and salvation of a sinner but christ onely , and to say as the thing is , neighbour nomista , christ jesus will either be a whole saviour , or no saviour ; hee will either save you alone , or not save you at all , for among men there is given no other name under heaven , whereby we must be saved , sayth the apostle peter : and jesus christ himselfe sayth , i am the way , the truth , and the life , and no man commeth to the father but by mee , so that as luther truly sayth , besides this way christ , there is no way but wandering , no verity but hypocrisie , no life but eternall death , and verily sayth another godly writer , we can neither come to god the father , bee reconciled unto him , nor have any thing to doe with him , by any other way or means , but onely by jesus christ , for we shall not any where finde the favour of god , true innocency , righteousnesse , satisfaction for sin , help , comfort , life or salvation , any where but onely in jesus christ , he is the summe and centre of all divine and evangelicall truths , and therefore as there is no knowledge or wisdome so excellent , necessary or heavenly as the knowledge of christ ; ( which made the apostle tell the corinthians , that he determined to know nothing amongst them , but onely jesus christ and him crucified ) so is there nothing to be preached unto men as an object of their faith , or necessary element of their salvation , which doth not some way or other either meet in christ or refer unto christ. ant. o , sir , you doe please me wonderous well in thus attributing all to christ , and surely , sir , though of late you have not been so evangelical in your teaching as some others in this city ( which hath caused me to leave off hearing you to hear them ) yet have i formerly perceived , and do now also perceive , that you have more knowledge of the doctrine of free grace then many other ministers in this city have , and to tell you the truth , sir , it was by your means that i was first brought to renounce mine owne righteousnesse , and to cleave onely to the righteoasnesse of jesus christ , and thus it was . after that i had been a good . while a legall professour , just like my friend nomista , and heard none but your legall preachers , who built me up in works and doings , as they did him , and as their manner is : at last a familiar acquaintance of mine who had some knowledge of the doctrine of free grace , did commend you for an excellent preacher , & at last prevailed with me to goe with him to hear you , and your text that day , i wel remember was , tit. 3.5 . not by the works of righteousnesse that we had done , but according to his own mercie he saved us , whence you observed and plainly proved , that mans own righteousnesse had no hand in his justification and salvation , whereupon you dehorted us from putting any confidence in our own works and doings , and exhorted us , by faith to lay hold upon the righteousnesse of jesus christ onely , at the hearing whereof , it pleased the lord so to work upon mee , that i plainly perceived that there was no need at all of my works and doings , nor nothing else , but only to believe in jesus christ , & indeed my heart did assent unto it immediately , so that i went home with abundance of peace and joy in believing , and gave thanks to the lord , for that he had set my soule at liberty , from such a sore bondage as i had been under , and i told all my acquaintance what a slavish life i had lived in being under the law , for if i did commit any sin , i was presently troubled & disquieted in my cōscience , & could have no peace til i had made humble confession thereof unto god , craved pardon and forgivenes , & promised amendment but now i told them that whatsoever sins i did commit , i was no whit troubled at them , nor indeed am not to this day , for i do verily believe , that god for christs sake hath freely and fully pardoned all my sins , both past , present , and to come ; so that i am confident that what sin or sins soever i commit , they shall never be layd to my charge , being very well assured that i am so perfectly clothed with the robes of christs righteousnesse , that god can see no sin in me at all : and therefore , now i can rejoyce evermore in christ , as the apostle exhorts mee , and live merrily though i be never so vile or sinfull a creature , and indeed , i pitty them , that are in the same slavish condition that i was in , and would have them to believe , as i have done , that so they may rejoyce with mee in christ : and thus , sir , you see i have declared unto you my condition ; and therefore i would intreat you to tell me what you think of me . evan. there is in this city , at this day , much talk about antinomiaus ; and though i hope there be but few that doe justly deserve that title , ( yet i pray ) give me leave to tell you , that i feare mee i may say unto you in this case , as it was once said unto peter in another case ; surely thou art one of them , for thy speech bewrayeth thee . and therefore to tell you truly , i make some question whether you have truly believed in christ , for all your confidence : and indeed i am the rather moved to question it , by calling to minde that as i have heard your conversation is not such as becommeth the gospell of christ : ant. why , sir , do you think it is possible for a man to have such peace and joy in christ as i have had , and i thanke the lord have still , and not to have truly believed in christ ? evan. yea , indeed , i think it is possible , for doth not our saviour tell us , that those hearers whom hee resembles to the stony ground , immediatly received the word with joy , and yet had no root in themselves , and so indeed were not true believers . and doth not the apostle give us to understand , that as there is a forme of godlines without the power of godlinesse : so there is a forme of faith without the power of faith . and therefore he prayes that god would grant unto the thessalonians the worke of faith with power . and as the same apostle gives us to understand , there is a faith that is not fained , so doubtlesse , there is a faith that is fained : and surely , when our saviour sayth ; marke 4.26 , 27 , 28. the kingdome of god is as if a man should cast seed into the ground , and sheuld sleepe and rise night and day , and the seed should spring up and grow hee knoweth not how , first the blade , then the eare , after that the full corn in the eare , he giveth us to understand that true faith is produced by the secret power of god by little and little , so that somtimes a true believer himselfe , neither knows the time when , nor the manner how it was wrought , so that we may perceive that true faith is not ordinarily begun , increased and finished all in a moment , as , it seems , yours was , but groweth by degrees according to that of the apostle rom. 1.17 . the righteousnesse of god is revealed from faith to faith , that is , from one degree of faith to another , from a weake faith to a stro●g faith , from faith beginning to faith increasing towards perfection , or from faith of adherence , to faith of assurance , but so was not yours , and again , true faith according to the measure of it , produceth holinesse of life , but it seems yours doth not so , and therefore though , you have had , and have still much peace and joy , yet that is no infallible signe that your faith is true , for a man may have great raptures , yea , he may have great joy , as if he were lift up into the third heaven , and have a great and strong perswasion that his estate is good , and yet be but an hypocrite for all that , and therefore i beseech you in the words of the apostle , examine your selfe whether you be in the faith , prove your own selfe , know you not your own selfe how that jesus christ is in you , except you be a reprobate : and if christ bee in you , the body is dead because of sin , but the spirit is life because of righteousnesse . ant. but , sir , if my friend nomista went wrong in seeking to be justified by the works of the law , then , me thinks , i should have gone right in seeking to be justified by faith , and yet you speake as if wee had both gone wrong . evan. i remember luther sayth , that in his time , if they taught in a sermon that salvation consisted not in our works or life , but in the gift of god , some men took occasion thence to be slow to good works , and to live a dishonest life , and if they preached of a godly and honest life , others did by and by furiously attempt to build ladders to heaven : and moreover , hee sayth , that in the year , 1525 , there were some fantasticall spirits that stirred up the rusticall people to sedition , saying , that the freedome of the gospel giveth liberty to all men from all manner of laws , and there were others that did attribute the force of justification to the law. now , sayth he , both these sorts offend against the law , the one on the right hand , who would be justified by the law , and the other on the left hand , who would be clean delivered from the law : now i suppose this saying of luthers , may bee fitly applyed to you two , for it appears to me , friend antinomista that you have offended on the left hand , in not walking according to the matter of the law , and it is evident to mee neighbour nomista , that you have offended on the right hand , in seeking to be justified by your obedience to it . nom. but , sir , if seeking of justification by the works of the law be an error ▪ yet it seemeth , that by luthers own confession , it is but an error on the right hand . evan. but yet i tell you it is such an error , that by the apostle pauls own confession , so far forth as any man is guilty of it , he makes his services his saviours , and rejects the grace of god , and makes the death of christ of none effect , ond perverteth the lords intention , both in giving the law , and in giving the gospel , and keeps himselfe under the curse of the law , and maketh himself the sonne of a bond-woman , a servant , yea , and a slave , and hinders himselfe in the course of well doing , and in short , he goeth about an impossible thing , and so loseth all his labour . nom. why then , sir , it should seeme , that all my seeking to please god by my good works , all my strict walking according to the law , and all my honest course of life , hath rather done mee hurt then good . evan. the apostle sayth ; that without faith it is impossible to please god , that is , sayth calvin , whatsoever a man , thinketh , purposeth , or doeth , before hee be reconciled to god by faith in christ is accursed , and not onely of no value to righteousnesse , but of certain deserving to damnation ; so that sayth luther , whosoever goeth about to please god with works , going before faith , goeth about to please god with sin , which is nothing else but to heap sin upon sin , to mock god and to provoke him to wrath : nay , sayth the same luther , in another place , if thou beest without christ thy wisdome is double foolishnesse , thy righteousnesse is double sin and iniquity , and therefore though you have walked very strictly according to the law , and led an honest life , yet if you have rested and put confidence therein , and so come short of christ , then hath it indeed rather done you hurt then good . for sayth a godly writer , vertuous life , according to the light of nature , turneth a man farther off from god , if he add not thereto the effectuall working of his spirit , and sayth luther , they which have respect onely to an honest life , it were better for them to be adulterers , and adulteresses , and to wallow in the mire : and surely for this cause it is that our saviour tels the strict scribes and pharisees , who sought justification by works , and rejected christ , that publicans and harlots should enter into the kingdome of god before them . and for this cause it was that i sayd , for ought i know my neighbour neophytus might bee in christ before you . nom. but how can that be ? when as you know he hath confessed that he is ignorant and full of corruption , and comes far short of me in gifts and graces . evan. because as the pharisee had more to doe before he could come at christ then the publican had ; so , i conceive , you have more to doe then he hath . nom. why , sir , i pray you , what have i to doe , or what would you advise me to doe , for truly i would be contented to bee ruled by you ? evan. why that which you have to doe before you can come at christ , is to undoe all that ever you have done already , that is to say , whereas you have endeavoured to travail towards heaven by the way of the covenant of works , and so have gone a wrong way , you must goe quite back again all the way you have gone , before you can tread one step in the right way . and whereas you have attempted to build up the ruines of old adam , and that upon your selfe , and so like a foolish builder to build a tottering house upon the sands , you must throw down and utterly demolish all that building , and not leave a stone upon a stone , before you can begin to build anew , and whereas you have conceived that there is a sufficiencie in your selfe to justifie and save your selfe , you must conclude that in that case , there is not onely in you an insufficiencie , but also a non-sufficiencie , yea , and that sufficiencie that seemed to be in you , to bee your losse , in plain termes , you must deny your selfe , as our saviour sayth , matthew 16.24 . that is , you must utterly renounce all that ever you are , and all that ever you have done , all your knowledge and gifts , all your hearing , reading , praying , fasting , weeping and mourning , all your wandring in the way of works , and strict walking must fall to the ground in a moment , briefly , whatsoever you have counted gain to you in the case of justification , you must now with the apostle paul , count losse for christ , and judge it to be dung , that you may win christ , and bee found in him , not having your own righteousnesse which is of the law. but that which is through the faith of christ , the righteousnesse which is of god by faith . neo. o , but , sir , what would you advise me to doe ? evan. why man ? what ayleth you ? neo. why , sir , as you have been pleased to heare them two to declare their condition unto you , so i beseech you , to give me leave to doe the same , and then you will perceive how it is with me . sir , not long since , it pleased the lord to visit mee with a great fit of sicknesse , so that indeed , both in mine own judgement , and in the judgement of all that came to visite mee , i was sick unto death , whereupon i began to consider , whither my soule was to goe , after its departure out of my body , and i thought with my selfe that there was but two places , heaven and hell , and therefore it must needs goe to one of them , then my wicked and sinfull life , which indeed , i had lived came into my minde , which caused me to conclude , that hell was the place provided for it , which caused me to bee very fearfull , and to bee very sorry that i had so lived , and desired of the lord to let me live a little longer , and i would not faile to reforme my life , and amend my ways , and the lord was pleased to grant mee my desire ; since which time , though indeed t is true , i have not lived so wickedly as formerly i had done , yet alas , i have come far short of that godly and religious life which i see other men live , and especially this my neighbour nomista , and yet you seem to conceive that he is not in a good condition , and therefore surely i must needs be in a miserable condition , alas , sir , what doe you thinke will become of me ? evan. i doe perceive that although wee have by the lords assistance our comming together , opened and cleered the new and living way to eternall life , yet the lord hath not been pleased to open your eyes to see it , so that you would still be going thither the old and naturall way , and therefore as a further means to discover it to you , i pray you consider that although in the making of the covenant of works at the first , god was one party and man another , yet in making it the second time , god was on both sides . god simply considered in his essence , is the party opposite to man , and god the second person having taken upon him to bee incarnate ●nd to worke mans redemption , was on mans side , and takes part , with man that hee may reconcile him to god by bearing mans sins , and satisfying gods justice for them , and christ payed god till hee sayd , hee had enough , hee was fully satisfied , fully contented . whereupon all christs people were given to him in their election . ephes. 1.4 . thine they were ( fayth christ ) and thou gavest them mee . john 17.6 . hee , sayth the father , loveth the sonne , and hath given all things into his hands , john 8.35 . that is , hee hath intrusted him with the oeconomie and actuall administration of that power in the church , which originally belonged to himselfe , and hence it is that christ also sayth , the father judgeth no man , but hath committed all judgement to his sonne , john 5.22 . so that the covenant for life and salvation , since the fall , is not that covenant of works , that was betwixt god and christ , for none of christs are to have to doe with that but christ onely , but the covenant of life and salvation is that covenant of grace ▪ that is betwixt christ and his , and in tha● covenant there is not any condition or law to bee performed on mans part , by himselfe , no , there is no more for him to doe , but onely to know and believe , that christ hath done all for him , wherefore my dear neighbour neophytus , i beseech you bee perswaded , that here you are to worke nothing , here you are to doe nothing , here you are to render nothing unto god , but onely receive the treasure which is jesus christ , and apprehend him in your heart by faith , although you be never so great a sinner , and so shall you obtain forgivenesse of sinnes , righteousnesse and eternall happinesse , not as an agent , but as a patient , not by doing but by receiving , nothing here commeth betwixt but faith onely , apprehending christ in the promise ; this then is perfect righteousnesse , to heare nothing , to know nothing , to doe nothing of the law or works but onely to know and believe that jesus christ is now gon to the father , and sitteth at his right hand , not as a judge , but is made unto you of god , wisdome , righteousnesse , sanctification and redemption , wherefore , sayth the apostle , believe on the lord jesus christ and thou shalt be saved . neo. but , sir , hath such a one as i any warrant to believe in christ ? evan. i beseech you consider , that god the father as he is in his sonne jesus christ , moved with nothing but with his free love , to mankinde lost , hath made a deed of gift and grant unto them all , that whosoever of them all shall believe in this his sonne , shall not perish , but have eternall life , and hence , it was that jesus christ himselfe sayd unto his disciples , mat. 16.15 . goe and preach the gospel to every creature under heaven , that is , goe and tell every man , without exception , that here is good news for him , christ is dead for him , and if he will take him and accept of his righteousnesse hee shall have him . therefore sayth a godly writer , for as much as the holy scripture speaketh to all in generall , none of us ought to distrust himselfe , but believe that it doth belong particularly to himselfe , and to the end that this poynt wherein lyeth and consisteth the whole mystery of our holy faith , may be understood the better , let us pur the case , that some good and holy king should cause a proclamation to bee made through his whole kingdome by the sound of a trumpet , that all rebels and banished men , shall safely return home to their houses , because that at the suit and desart of some dear friend of theirs , it hath pleased the king to pardon them , certainly none of these rebels ought to doubt but that he shall obtain true pardon for his rebellion , and so return home and live under the shadow of that gracious king : even so our good king the lord of heaven and earth hath for the obedience and desart of our good brother jesus christ , pardoned us all our sinnes , and made a proclamation throughout the whole world , that every one of us may safely returne to god in jesus christ , wherefore , i beseech you , make no doubt of it , but draw neere with a true heart in full assurance of faith . neo. o! but , sir , in this similitude the case is not alike , for when an earthly king sendeth forth such a proclamation , it may be thought that he doth indeed intend to pardon all , but it cannot bee thought that the king of heaven doth so , for doth not the scripture say , that some men are ordained before to condemnation , and doth not christ himselfe say , that many are called , but few are chosen , and therefore it may be i am one of them that are ordained to condemnation , and therefore , though i be called , i shall never be chosen , and so shall not be saved . evan. i beseech you to consider that although some men bee ordayned to condemnation , yet so long as the lord hath concealed their names , and not set a marke of reprobation upon any man in particular ; but offers the pardon generally to all without having any respect eyther to election or reprobation : surely it is great folly in any man to say it may bee i am not elected , and therefore shall not have benefit by it , and therefore i will not accept of it nor come in , for it should rather move every man to give diligence to make his calling and election sure , by believing it , for feare we come short of it , according to that of the apostle , let us therefore feare , least a promise being left us of entring into his rest , any of us should seeme to come short of it : wherefore , i beseech you , doe not you say it may bee i am not elected , and therefore i will not believe in christ , but rather say i doe believe in christ , and therefore , i am sure i am elected , and check your own heart , for medling with gods secrets , and prying into his hidden counsell , and goe no more beyond your bounds , as you have done in this point , for election and reprobation is a secret , and the scriptures tels us , that secret things belong unto god , but those things that are revealed belong unto us : now , this is gods revealed will , for indeed it is his expresse command , that you should believe on the name of his son , and it is his promise , that if you believe you shall not perish , but have everlasting life : wherefore , you having so good a warrant as gods command , and so good an encouragement as his promise , doe your duty , and by the doing thereof you may put it out of question , and bee sure that you are one of gods elect : say then , i beseech you , with a firme faith , the righteousnesse of jesus christ belongs to all that believe ; but i believe and therefore it belongs to me , yea , and say with paul , i live by faith in the son of god who loved me , and gave himselfe for mee . hee saw in mee ( sayth luther , on the text ) nothing but wickednesse going astray , and flying from him , yet this good lord had mercy on mee , and of his meere mercy hee loved mee ; yea , so loved mee , that hee gave himselfe for mee , ( who is this mee ) even i wretched and damnable sinner was so deerly beloved of the son of god , that hee gave himselfe for mee , ô print this word me in your heart , and apply it to your own self , not doubting but that you are one of those to whom this me belongeth . neo. but may such a vile and sinfull wretch as i am be perswaded that god commands me to believe , and that hee hath made a promise to me ? evan. why doe you make a question where there is none to be made , goe , sayth christ , and preach the gospel to every creature under heaven , that is , go tell every man , without exception , whatsoever his sins be , whatsoever his rebellions be , goe and tell him these glad tydings , that if hee will come in , i will accept of him , his sins shall bee forgiven him , and hee shall bee saved , if hee will come in and take mee , and receive mee , i will be his loving husband , and hee shall bee mine owne deare spouse : let mee therefore say unto you in the words of the apostle , now then , i as an ambassadour for christ , as though god did beseech you by mee , i pray you in christs stead , be yee reconciled unto god , for hee hath made him to be sin for you , who knew no sin , that you might be made the righteousnesse of god in him . neo. but doe you say , sir , that if i believe , i shall bee espoused unto christ ? evan. yea , indeed , shall you , for faith coupleth the soul with christ , even as the spouse with her husband , by which means christ and the soule are made one : for as in corporall marriage man and wife are made one flesh , even so in this spirituall and mysticall marrriage christ and his spouse are made one spirit , and this marriage of all others is most perfect and absolutely accomplished betweene them for the marriage between man and wife , is but a slender figure of this union , wherefore , i beseech you , to believe it , and then you shall be sure to enjoy it . neo. surely , sir , if david sayd , seemeth it to you a light thing to be an earthly kings son-in-law ▪ seeing that i am a poore man , and lightly esteemed : then surely i have much more cause to say , seemeth it to you a light thing to bee a heavenly kings daughter-in-law , seeing that i am such a poor sinfull wretch : surely , sir , i cannot be perswaded to believe it . evan. alas , man , how much are you mistaken , for you look upon god and upon your self , with the eye of reason , and so standing in relation to each other , according to the tenour of the covenant of works , whereas you being now in the case of justification and reconciliation , you are to looke both upon god and upon your selfe with the eye of faith , and so standing in relation to each other , according to the tenour of the covenant of grace : for sayth the apostle , god was in christ , reconciling the world unto himselfe , not imputing their sinnes unto them , as if hee had sayd , because as god stands in relation to man according to the tenour of the covenant of works , and so out of christ , hee could not without prejudice to his justice be reconciled unto them , nor have any thing to doe with them , otherwise then in wrath and indignation ; therefore , to the intent , that justice and mercy might meet together , and righteousnesse and peace might embrace each other , and so god stand in relation to man , according to the tenour of the covenant of grace , hee put himselfe into his son jesus christ , and shrowded himself there , that so hee might speake peace to his people . sweetly sayth luther , because the nature of god was otherwise higher then that wee are able to attayne unto it ; therefore hath hee humbled himselfe to us and taken our nature upon him , and so put himselfe into christ , here hee looketh for us , here he will receive us , and hee that seeketh him here shall finde him : this , sayth god the father , is my well beloved sonne in whom i am well pleased , mat. 3.17 . whereupon the same luther sayth in another place , we must not thinke and perswade our selves that this voice came from heaven for christs own sake , but for our sakes , even as christ himselfe sayth , john 12.30 . this voyce came not because of mee , but for your sakes , the truth is , christ had no need that it should be sayd unto him , this is my well beloved sonne , he knew that from all eternity , and that he should still so remain though these words had not beene spoken from heaven , therefore by these words , god the father in christ his sonne , cheereth the hearts of poore sinners , and greatly delighteth them with singular comfort and heavenly sweetnesse , assuring them , that whosoever is marryed unto christ , and so in him by faith , hee is as acceptable to god the father , as christ himselfe , according to that of the apostle , hee hath made us acceptable in his beloved , wherefore , if you would bee acceptable to god , and bee made his deare childe , then by faith cleave unto his beloved sonne christ , and hang about his neck , yea , and creepe into his bosome , and so shall the love and favour of god be as deeply insinuated into you , as it is into christ himselfe , and so shall god the father , together with his beloved sonne , wholy possesse you , and be possessed of you , and so god , and christ , and you shall become one entire thing , according to christs prayer , that they may bee one in us , as thou and i are one , and by this means may you have sufficient ground and warrant to say ( in the matter of reconciliation with god at any time , whensoever you are disputing with your selfe , how god is to be found that justifieth and saveth sinners ) i know no other god , neither will i know any other god besides this god that came dow from heaven , and clothed himselfe with my flesh , unto whom all power is given , both in heaven and in earth , who is my judge , for the father judgeth no man , but hath committed all judgement to the sonne , so that christ may doe with mee whatsoever him liketh , and determine of mee aecording to his own minde , and i am sure hee hath sayd , hee came not to judge the world , but to save the world , and therefore i doe believe that hee will save mee . neo. indeed , sir , if i were so holy and so righteous as some men are , and had such power over my sins and corruptions as some men have , then i could easily believe it , but ( alas ) i am so sinfull , and so unworthy a wretch , that i dare not presume to believe that christ will accept of me , so as to justifie and save me . evan. alas , man , in thus saying ▪ you doe seem to contradict and gainsay , both the apostle paul , and our lord jesus christ himself , and that against your owne soule . for , whereas the apostle paul saith , that christ jesus came into the world to save sinners , and doth justifie the ungodly : why , you seem to hold , & do in effect say , that christ jesus , came into the world to save the righteous , & to justifie the godly : and wheras our saviour sayth , the whole need not the physitian , but the sick , and that hee came not to call the righteous , but sinners to repentance . why you seem to hold , and do in effect say , that the sick need not the physitian but the whole , and that he came not to call sinners , but the righteous to repentance . and , indeed , in so saying , you seem to conceive that christs spouse must be purified , washed and clensed from all her filthines , & adorned with a rich robe of righteousnesse before he wil accept of her , whereas hee himselfe saith unto her , as for thy nativity in the day that thou wast born , thy navel was not cut , neither wast thou washed with water to supple thee , thou wast not swadled at all , nor salted at all , no eye pitied thee to doe any of these things unto thee : but when i passed by thee , and looked upon thee , behold , thy time was a time of love , and i spread my skirt over thee , and covered thy nakednesse : yea , and i sware unto thee , and entred into covenant with thee , and thou becamest mine . and i will marry thee unto me for ever , yea , i will marry thee unto me in righteousnes and in judgment , and in mercy and compassion : wherefore , i beseech you , revoke this your erroneous opinion , and contradict the word of truth no longer , but conclude for a certainty , that it is not the righteous and godly man , but the sinfull and ungodly man that christ came to call , justifie and save , so that if you were a righteous and godly man , you were neyther capable of calling , justification , or salvation by christ , but being a sinfull and ungodly man , i will say unto you , as the people sayd unto blinde bartime , be of good comfort , arise , he calleth you , and will justifie and save you ; goe then unto him , i beseech you , and if he come and meet you by the way ( as his manner is ) then do not you unadvisedly say with peter , depart from me , for i am a sinfull man ; o lord ! but say in plain terms , o come unto me , for i am a sinfull man , o lord ! yea , go on further with your speech , and say as luther bids you , most gracious jesu , and sweet christ , i am a miserable poor sinner , and therefore do judge my self unworthy of thy grace ; but yet i having learned from thy word , that thy salvation belongeth to such a one , therefore do i come unto thee to claime that right which through thy gracious promise belongeth unto me , assure your selfe that jesus christ requires no portion with his spouse , no verily he requires nothing with her but meere poverty , the rich he sends empty away : but the poore are by him enriched , and indeed , sayth luther , the more miserable , sinfull and distressed a man doth feele himself , and judge himself to be , the more willing will christ be to receive him , and relieve him , so that , sayth he , in judging thy self unworthy , thou doest theredy become truly worthy : and so indeed hast gotten a greater occasion of coming unto him : wherefore in the words of the apostle , i do exhort you and beseech you to come boldly unto the throne of grace , that you may obtain mercie and finde grace to help in time of need . neo. but truly sir , my heart doth as it were even tremble within mee to thinke of comming unto christ after such a manner , and surely , sir , if i should come so boldly to christ , and speake after such a manner it , would be but pride and presumption in mee . evan. indeed , if you should be incouraged to come to christ , and speak thus unto him , because of any godlinesse , righteousnesse , or worthinesse that you conceive to be in you , that were proud presumption indeed ; but for you to come to christ by believing that hee will accept of you , justifie and save you freely by his grace , according to his own gracious promise : this is no proud presumption at all , for christ having tendred it and offered it unto you freely , believe it man , it is neyther pride nor presumption , but true humility of heart to take what christ offereth you . nom. but by your favour , sir , i pray you give mee leave to speake a word by the way , i know my neighbour neophytus , it may be better then you do , yet do i not intend to charge him with any sin , otherways then by way of supposition as thus : suppose hee hath been guilty of the committing of grosse and grievous sins , will christ accept of him , and justifie and save him for all that ? evan. yea , indeed , for there is no limitation of gods grace in jesus christ , except the sin against the holy ghost ; christ stands at the doore and knocks , and if any cruell murdering manasses , or any persecuting and blaspheming saul , or any adulterous magdalen will open unto him , he will come in and bring comfort with him , and will sup with him , seeke from one end of the heavens to the other ( sayth evangelicall hooker ) turne all the bible over , and see if the words of christ be not true , him that commeth unto me , i will in no wise cast out . nom. why then , sir , it seems you hold that the vilest sinner in the world ought not to be discouraged from believing in christ , because of his sins . evan. surely if christ came into the world to seek , and call , and save sinners , and to justifie the ungodly , as you have heard , and if the more sinfull , miserable and distressed a man doth judge himself to be , the more willing christ is to receive him , and relieve him : then i see no reason why the vilest sinner should be discouraged from believing on the name of christ because of his sins , nay , let me say more , the greater any mans sins are eyther in number or nature : the more hast hee should make to come unto christ , and to say with david , for thy name sake , ô lord ! pardon mine iniquitie for it is great . ant. surely , sir , if my friend neophytus did rightly consider these things , and were assuredly perswaded of the truth of them , me thinks , hee should not be so backward from comming unto christ by believing on his name , as he is , for if the greatnesse of his sins should be so far from hindring his coming to christ , that they should further it , then i know not what should hinder him . evan. you speak very truly indeed , and therefore , i beseech you , neighbour neophytus , consider seriously of it , and let neither satan the accuser of the brethren , nor your own accusing conscience joyning with him , hinder you any longer from christ : for , what though they should accuse you of pride , infidelity , coveteousnesse , lust , anger , envie and hypocrisie ; yea , what though they should accuse you of whoredome , theft and drunkennesse , and many the like , yet doe what they can , they can make no worse a man of you then a sinner , or the chiefe of sinners , or an ungodly person , and so consequently such a one as christ came to justifie and save , so that in very deed , if you rightly consider it , they doe you more good then hurt hereby , and therefore i beseech you , in all such cases , or conflicts , take the counsell of luther , who saith , when thy conscience is throughly affraid with the remembrance of thy sins past , and the devill assayleth thee with great violence , going about to overwhelme thee , with heaps , floods , and whole seas of sins , to terrifie thee and to draw thee from christ , then arme thy selfe with such sentences as these , christ the sonne of god was given , not for the holy , righteous , worthy , and such as were his friends , but for the wicked sinners , for the unworthy , and for his enemies , wherefore if the devill say thou art a sinner , and therefore must be damned , then answer you and say , because thou saist i am a sinner , therefore will i be righteous and saved , and if he say , nay , sinners must be damned , then answer you and say , no , for i flie to christ , who hath given himselfe for my sins , and therefore in that thou saist i am a sinner , thou givest me armour and weapon against thy selfe , that with thy own sword i may cut thy throat , and tread thee under my feet , and thus you see it is the judgement of luther , that your sins should rather drive you to christ then keep you from him , nom. but , sir , suppose he hath not as yet either humbled himselfe , or repented for his great and many sins , hath he any warrant to come to christ till he hath done so . eva. i see you have not yet quite thrown down your tottering building , you still conceive that man himselfe must doe somthing in the case of justification , you thinke he must bring some money in his hand to buy his salvation , but i beseech you consider , that as i have often told you , gods covenant in christ is a covenant of grace , and so every way a free covenant , and therefore he makes a generall proclamation saying , ho , every one that thirsteth , come ye to the waters , and he that hath no money : come ye buy , and eat , yea , come buy wine and milke without money , and without price . this you see is the condition , ( buy wine and milke ) that is grace and salvation , ( without money ) that is , without any sufficiencie of your own , and the lord saith , in his word in divers places , that he justifieth his children before they repent or truly humble themselves , or doe any work of righteousnesse , the truth is , it is onely required that a man come with the hand of faith , and receive christ without any thing else at all . nom. but , sir , though i conceive that we are to bring this money of humiliation and repentance to christ , yet doe i not conceive it is to tender unto him for a price , but onely for him to look upon , as that with which he hath appointed those to be qualified withall that come unto him . eva. i , but yet so long as christ hath said you must come without it , and onely encline your eare , and heare , and your souls shall live : and that by hearing that , he will make an everlasting covenant with you , even the sure mercies of david , me thinks , you should perceive that christ doth thereby call you from the ways of repentance and humiliation and works of righteousnesse in the case of justification , and to pitch directly and immediately upon the free covenant of grace . nom. but sir , as i conceive , the scripture holds forth that the lord hath appointed repentance to goe before faith , for is it not said , marke 1.15 . repent ye , and believe the gospel . evan. indeed , somtimes the name of repentance is given to those preparatory beginnings and introductories thereof , which are those legall fits of fear and terrour , which are both in nature and time before faith , and truly all that repentance that goes before faith in christ can be no other , for evangelicall repentance being a fruit of faith in christ , cannot be before faith in christ. nom. then sir , it seems you hold that he that believes in christ doth also truly repent . evan. yea , indeed , though i hold not that evangelical repentance is an antecedent of faith in christ , yet i hold it is a consequent , though i hold not that it goes before faith , yet i hold that it follows after . nom. but yet , sir , it seemes you hold that those preparatory beginnings of repentance , which you call legall fits of feare and terrour do goe before faith in christ. evan. yea , indeed , i doe conceive that ordinarily , and in some measure they do . nom. ordinarily say you sir , why , are they not in all ? evan. no , indeed , for some doubtlesse are like unto zachous and lydia , who received christ , and were received of him ( as it is verily thought ) without any measure of them . nom. and have not all those that have them , a like measure of them ? evan. o no , there is a great difference in the measure , for some do but as it were sip of the cup , and others doe as it were drinke the very dregs ; whereby wee may perceive , that though it be necessary that these legall fits of feare and terrour be in some before their comming to christ : yet is there no absolute necessity of them on christs part , wherefore i pray take notice that those who have them , have them not because christ would not bid them welcome , and receive them without them , but because they will not come to christ , except they be by this means driven unto him . nom. but , sir , that which you call evangelicall repentance , and follows after faith , is in all that do believe : is it not ? evan. yea , indeed , it is more or lesse in every believing soule , according to the measure of his faith , and so of his receiving the spirit of christ , as all other true fruits of christs spirit are . nom. well sir , i am answered . neo. and truly sir , you have so declared and set forth christs disposition towards poore sinners , and so answered all my doubts and objections , that i am now verily perswaded that christ is willing to entertaine mee , and surely i am willing to come unto him and receive him ; but alas , i want power to do it , that is , sir , i want faith . evan. but tell me on thing truly , are you resolved to put forth all your power to believe , and so to take christ. neo. truly sir , me thinks , my resolution is much like the resolution of the foure lepers which sate at the gate of samaria , for as they sayd , if wee enter into the citie , the famine is in the citie , and wee shall die there , and if we sit still here , we die also ; n●w therefore come and let us fall into the hands of the assyrians , if they save us we shall live , and if they kill us we shall but die : even so say i , in mine heart ; if i goe back to the covenant of works to seek justification thereby , i shall die there ; and if i sit still and seek it no way i shall die also : now therefore , though i be somewhat fearfull , yet am i resolved to go unto christ , and if i perish i perish . evan. why , now i tell you truly the match is made , christ is yours and you are his ; this day is salvation come to your house , ( your soul i mean ) for what though you have not that power to come so fast unto christ , and to lay such firme hold on him as you desire ; yet comming with such a resolution to christ to take him , you need take no care for doing it , you may be sure that christ will enable you to do it , for is it not said , john 1.12 . but as many as received him , to them hee gave power to become the sonnes of god , even to them that believe on his name : o then , i beseech you , stand no longer disputing , but be peremptory and resolute in your faith and in casting your selfe upon god in christ for mercy , and let the issue be what it will : yet let me tell you to your comfort that such a resolution shall never go to hell : nay . i will say more , if any soule have a roome in heaven , such a soul shall ? for god cannot finde in his heart to damne such a one , i might then with as much true confidence say unto you , as john careless said unto john bradford , hearken ô ye heavens , and thou ô earth give eare and beare me witnesse at the great day , that i do here faithfully and truly the lords message unto his deare servant , and singularly beloved , john bradford ( saying ) john bradford , thou man so specially beloved of god ▪ i doe pronounce and testifie unto thee , in the word and name of the lord jehovah , that all thy sins whatsoever they be , though never so many grievous or great , be fully and freely pardoned , released and forgiven thee , by the mercy of god in jesus christ , thy onely lord and sweet saviour , in whom thou dost undoubtedly believe : as truly as the lord liveth he will not have thee die the death , but hath verily purposed , determined and decreed , that thou shalt live with him for ever . neo. o , sir , if i have as good warrant to apply this saying to my self , as mr. bradford had to apply it to himself , i am a happy man. evan. i tell you from christ , and under the hand of his spirit , that your person is accepted , your sins are done away , and you shall be saved : and if an angell from heaven should tell you otherwise , let him be accursed : therefore you may ( without doubt ) conclude , that you are a happy man : for by means of this your matching with christ , you are become one with him , and one in him , you dwell in him , and he in you : hee is your welbeloved , and you are his : so that the mariage union betwixt christ and you , is more then a bare notion , or apprehension of your mind ; for it is a spirituall , reall union , it is an union betwixt the nature of christ , god and man , and you , it is a knitting and closing not onely of your apprehension with a saviour , but also of your soule with a saviour , whence it must needs follow , that you cannot be damned , except christ be damned with you ; neyther can christ be saved , except you be saved with him . and as by means of corporall marriage all things become common betwixt man and wife , even so , by means of this spirituall marriage , all things become common betwixt christ and you , for when christ hath married his spouse unto himselfe , hee passeth over all his estate unto her , so that whatsoever christ is or hath you may boldly challenge as your own , he is made unto you of god , wisdome , righteousnesse , sanctification and redemption , and surely by vertue of this neer union it is , that as christ is called the lord our righteousnesse , jer. 23.6 . so is the church called the lord our righteousnesse , jer. 35.16 . you may by vertue of this union confidently take unto your selfe as your own christ , watching , abstinence , travails prayers , persecution , slanders , his tears , his sweat , his bloud , and all that ever he did and suffered in three and thirty years , with his passion , death , resurrection and ascention , for they are all yours , and as christ passeth over all his estate unto his spouse , so doth he require , that shee should passe over all unto him , wherefore you being now married unto christ , you must give all that you have of your own unto him , and truly you have nothing of your own but sin , and therefore you must give him that , say thou unto christ without fear , i give to thee my dear husband , my unbelief , my mistrust , my pride , my arrogancie , my ambition , my wrath , my anger , my envie , my covetousnesse , my evill thoughts , affections and desires , i make a bundle of these and all my other offences , and give them unto thee , thus was christ made sin for us which knew no sin , that wee might be made the righteousnesse of god in him : now then , saith luther , let us compare these things together , and we shall finde inestimable treasure , christ is full of all grace , life and saving health , and the soule is fraught full of all sin , death and damnation , but let faith come betwixt these two , and it shall come to passe that christ shall bee loaden with sin , death and hell , and unto the soule shall be imputed , grace , life and salvation , who then , saith he is able to value the royalty of this marriage accordingly , who is able to comprehend the glorious riches of this grace , where this rich and righteous husband christ , doth take unto wife this poore and wicked harlot , redeeming her from all evils , and garnishing her with all his own jewels , so that you ( as the same luther saith ) through the assurednesse of your faith in christ your husband , are delivered from all sins made safe from death , guarded from hell , and endowed with the everlasting righteousnesse ▪ life and saving health of your husband christ , and therefore you are now under the covenant of grace , and freed from the law , as it is the covenant of works for as m. ball truly saith , at one and the same time , a man cannot be under the covenant of works and the covenant of grace . neo. sir , i doe not yet well know how to conceive of this freedome from the law , as it is the covenant of works , and therefore i pray you make it as plain to me as you can . evan. for the true and cleer understanding of this point , you are to consider that when jesus christ the second adam , had in the behalfe of all his chosen perfectly fulfilled the law , as it is the covenant of works , divine justice delivered that bond in to christ , who utterly cancelled that hand-writing , so that none of his chosen were to have any more to doe with it , nor it with them and now you by your believing in christ having manifested , that you are one that was chosen in him before the foundation of the world : his fulfilling of that covenant and cancelling of it , is imputed to you , and so you are acquitted and absolved from all your transgressions against that covenant , either past , present , or to come , and so you are justified as the apostle saith , freely by his grace , through the redemption that is in jesus christ. ant. i pray you sir , give mee leave to speake a word by the way , was not he justified before this time ? evan. if he did not believe in christ before this time , as i conceive hee did not , then certainly he was not justified before this time . ant. but , sir , you know , as the apostle saith , it is god that justifieth , and god is eternall , and as you have shewed , christ may be said to have fulfilled the covenant of works from all eternity , and if he bee christs now , then was he christs from all eternity , and therefore , as i conceive , hee was justified from all eternity . evan. indeed god is from all eternity , and in respect of gods accepting of christs undertaking to fulfill the covenant of works , he fulfilled it from all eternity , and in respect of gods electing of him , he was christs from all eternity , and therefore it is true in respect of gods decree : hee was justified from all eternity , and hee was justified meritoriously in the death and resurrection of christ , but yet he was not justified actually till he did actually believe in christ , for saith the apostle , by him , all that believe are justified , so that in the act of justifying , faith and christ , must have a mutuall relation , and must always concur and meet together , faith as the action which apprehendeth , and christ as the object which is apprehended , for neither doth christ justifie without faith , neither doth faith except it bee in christ. ant. truly , sir , you have indifferently well satisfied me in this point , and surely i like it marvellous well that you conclude no faith justifieth , but that whose object is christ. eva. the very truth is , thuogh a man believe that god is mercifull and true of his promise , and that he hath his elect number from the beginning , and that he himselfe is one of that number , yet if this faith doe not eye christ , if it be not in god as he is in christ it will not serve turn , for god cannot be comfortably thought upon out of christ our mediator , for if we finde not god in christ saith , calvin , salvation cannot bee known : wherefore , neighbour neophytus , i will say unto you as sweet master bradford said unto a gentlewoman in your case , thus then if you would be quiet and certain in conscience , then let your faith burst forth through all things , not onely that you have within you , but also whatsoever is in heaven , earth , and hell , and never rest untill it come to christ crucified , and the eternall sweete mercie and goodnesse of god in ●hrist . neo. but , sir , i am not yet satisfied concerning the point you touched before , and therefore i pray you proceed to shew me how far forth i am delivered from the law as it is the covenant of works . evan. truly as it is the covenant of works , you are wholy and altogether delivered and set free from it , you are dead to it , and it is dead to you , and if it be dead to you , then it can doe you neither good nor hurt , and if you be dead to it , you can expect neither good nor hurt from it : consider man , i pray you , that , as i said before , you are now under another covenant , to wit , the covenant of grace , and you cannot bee under two covenants at once , neither wholy nor partly ; and therefore , as before you believed you were wholy under the covenant of works , as adam left both you and all his posterity after his fall , so now since you have believed you are wholy under the covenant of grace : assure your selfe then , that no minister or preacher of gods word hath any warrant to say unto you hereafter , either doe this and this dutie contained in the law , and avoid this , and this sin forbidden in the law , and god will justifie thee and save thy soule , or doe it not and hee will condemne thee and damne thee , no , no , you are now set free , both from the commanding and condemning power of the covenant of works , so that i will say unto you , as the apostle saith unto the believing hebrews , you are not come to mount sinai , that might not be touched , and that burned with fire , nor unto blacknesse and darknesse , and tempests , but you are come unto mount sion , the city of the living god , and to jesus the mediator of the new covenant , so that ( to speak with holy reverence ) god cannot by vertue of the covenant of wotks , either require of you any obedience , or punish you for any disobedience , no he cannot by vertue of that covenant so much as threaten you , or give you an angry word , or shew you an angry look , for indeed , he can see no sin in you as a transgression of that covenant , for saith the apostle , where there is no law , there is no transgression . and therfore though hereafter you doe through frailty transgresse any or all the ten commandements , yet doe you not thereby transgresse the covenant of works , there is no such covenant now betwixt god and you , and therefore though you shall hereafter heare such a voice as this if thou wilt be saved keep the commandements , or cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are writen in the book of the law to doe them , nay , though you heare the voice of thunder , and a fearfull noyse , nay , though you see blacknesse and darknesse , and feel a great tempest , that is to say , though you heare us that are preachers , according to our commission , lift up our voice like a trumpet , in threatning hell and damnation to sinners , and transgressors of the law , though these be the words of god , yet are you not to thinke that they are spoken to you , no , no , the apostle assures you , ●hat there is no condemnation to them that ●●re in christ jesus : believe it man , god never threatens eternall death , after he hath once given to a man eternall life : nay , the truth is , god never speaks to a believer out of christ , and in christ hee speaks not a word in the terms of the covenant of works , and if the law of it selfe should presume to ●ome into your conscience , and say herein , and herein thou hast transgressed and broken ●●e , and therefore thou owest so much , and ●o much to divine justice which must be satisfied , or else i will take hold on thee : ●hen answer you and say , o law , bee it known unto thee that i am now marryed unto christ , and so i am under cover● , and therefore if thou charge me with any debt , thou must enter thine action against my husband christ , for the wife is not suable at the law but the husband : but the truth is , i through him am dead to thee , ô law , and thou art dead to me , and therefore justice hath nothing to doe with me , for it judgeth according to the law : and if it yet reply and say , i but good works must be done , and the commandements must bee kept if thou wilt obtain salvation : then answer you and say , i am already saved before thou camest , therefore i have no need of thy presence , for in christ i have all things at once , neither need i any thing more that is necessary to salvation , hee is my righteousnesse , my treasure , and my work , i confesse , o law that i am neither godly nor righteous , but yet , this am i sure of , that he is godly and righteous for me , and to tell thee the truth , o law i am now with him in the bride-chamber , where it maketh no matter what i am , or what i have done , but what christ my sweet husband is , hath done , and doth for me , and therefore leave off law to dispute with me , for by faith i apprehend him who hath apprehended me , and put me into his bosome , wherefore i will be bold to bid moses with his tables , and all lawyers with their books , and all men with their works hold their peace and give place , so that i say unto thee , o law , be gon , and if it will not be gon , then thrust it out by force . and if sin offer to take hold of you , as david said his did on him , psal. 40.14 . then say you unto it , thy strength o sin is the law , 1 cor. 15.56 . and the law is dead to me , and therefore o sin thy strength is gon , and therefore be sure thou shalt never be able to prevail against me , nor doe me any hurt at all . and if satan take you by the throat , and by violence draw you before gods judgement seat , then call to your husband christ and say , lord , i suffer violence , make answer for me and help me , and by his help you shall be enabled to plead for your selfe after this manner : o god the father , i am thy sonne christs , thou gavest me unto him , and thou hast given unto him , all power both in heaven and in earth , and hast committed all judgement to him , and therefore i will-stand to his judgement who saith , he came not to judge the world but to save it , and therefore hee will save me according to his office , and if the jury should bring in their verdict that they have found you guilty , then speak to the iudge , and say , in case any must be condemned for my transgressions , it must needs be christ and not i , for albeit i have committed them , yet hee hath undertaken and bound himselfe to answer for them , and that by his consent and good will , and indeed hee hath fully satisfied for them , and if all this will not serve the turne to acquit you then : adde moreover and say , as a woman that is conceived with childe , must not suffer death because of the childe that is within her : no more must i because i have conceived christ in mine heart ; though i had committed all the sins in the world . and if death creep upon you , and attempt to devoure you , then say , thy sting ô death is sin , and christ my husband hath fully vanquished sin , and so deprived thee of thy sting , and therefore doe i not feare any hurt that thou , ô death , canst do unto mee ! and thus you may triumph , with the apostle , saying , thanks be to god , who hath given mee victory through my lord iesus christ. and thus have i also declared unto you how christ in the fulnesse of time ▪ performed that which god before all time purposed , and in time promised , touching the helping and delivering of falne mankind : and so have i also done with the law of faith . nom. then , sir , i pray you proceed to speake of the law of christ , and first let us heare what the law of christ is ? the law of christ in regard of substance and matter is all one with the law of workes , or covenant of workes , which matter is scattered through the whole bible , and summed up in the decalogue , or ten commandements , commonly called the morall law ; containing such things as are agreeable to the minde and will of god , to wit , piety towards god , charity towards our neighbour , and sobriety towards our selves , & therefore was it given of god to be a true and eternall rule of righteousnes , for all men of all nations and at all times ; so that evangelicall grace directs a man to no other obedience then that wherof the law of the ten commandements is to be the rule . nom. but yet , sir , i conceive , that though ( as you say ) the law of christ in regard of substance and matter be all one with the law of works , yet their forms do differ . evan. true indeed , for ( as you have heard ) the law of works speaketh on this wise , doe this and thou shalt live , and if thou doe it not , thou shalt die the death : but the law of christ speaketh on this wise , and when i passed by thee , and saw thee polluted in thine owne bloud , i said unto thee when thou wast in thy bloud live , and whosoever liveth and believeth in mee shall never die : be ye therefore followers of god as deare children , and walke in love , as christ hath loved us : and if ye love me , keep my commandements : and if they breake my statutes , and keep not my commandements , then will i visit their transgressions with the rod , and their iniquity with stripes : neverthelesse , my loving kindnesse will i not utterly take away from him , nor suffer my faithfulnesse to fail . thus you see that both these laws agree , in saying , ( doe this ) but here is the difference , the one saith , doe this and live , and the other saith , ( live and doe this ) the one saith , doe this for life ; the other saith , do this from life : the one saith , if thou do it not , thou shalt die , the other saith , if thou doe it not , i will chastise thee with the rod ; the one is to be delivered by god as hee is a creatour out of christ , onely to such as are out of christ ; the other is to be delivered by god as ▪ he is a redeemer in christ , onely to such as are in christ : wherefore , neighbour neophytus , seeth that you are now in christ , beware you receive not the ten commandements at the hands of god out of christ , nor yet at the hands of moses , but onely at the hands of christ , and so shall you be sure to receive them as the law of christ. nom. but , sir , may not god out of christ deliver the ten commandements as the law of christ. evan. o no! for god out of christ stands in relation to man according to the tenour of the law as it is the covenant of works , and therefore can speak to man upon no other terms then the terms of that covenant . nom. but , sir , why may not believers amongst the gentiles receive the ten commandements as a rule of life , at the hands of moses , as well as the believers amongst the jews did . evan. for answere hereunto i pray you consider , that the ten commandements , were the substance of the law of nature , ingraven in the heart of man in innocency ; and the expresse idaea , or representation of gods own image ; even a beam of his own holinesse : and so they were to have bin a rule of life to him and his posterity ( not being then the covenant of works ) and then after they were become the covenant of works , and broken by the first adam , and kept by the second adam , then as they were not the covenant of works ; and were made knowne to adam and the rest of the believing fathers by visions and revelations ; they became a rule of life to them untill the time of moses , and as they were delivered by moses , unto the believing jews from the arke , and so as from christ , they were a rule of life to them untill the time of christs comming in the flesh , and since christs comming in the flesh they have been , and are to be a rule of life both to believing jews and believing gentiles , not as they are delivered by moses , but as they are delivered by christ , for when christ the son comes & speaks himselfe , then moses the servāt must keep silence , according as moses himselfe foretold , ( saying ) a prophet shall the lord your god raise up unto you , of your brethren like unto me , him shall you heare in all things which he shall say unto you : and therefore when the disciples seemed to desire to heare moses and elias to speak on the mountain tabor , they were presently taken away , and a voyce came out of the cloud saying , this is my beloved soune in whom i am well pleased , heare him , as if the lord had said , you are not now to heare either moses or elias , but my well beloved sonne , and therefore i say unto you , heare him : and is it not said , heb. 1.1 . that in these last dayes god hath spoken to us by his sonne , and doth not the apostle say , let the word of christ dwell in you richly , and whatsoever you doe , in word or deed , doe all in the name of our lord jesus christ , the wife must bee subject unto the husband as unto christ , the childe must yield obedience to his parents as unto christ , and the believing servant must doe his masters businesse as christs businesse : for saith the apostle , ye serve the lord christ , yea , saith hee to the galathians , beare yee one anothers burden , and so fulfill the law of christ. ant. sir , i like it very well , that you say christ should be a christians teacher , and not moses , but yet i question whether the ten commandements may be called the law of christ , for where can you finde them repeated either by our sauiour or his apostles in the whole new testament . evan. though we finde not that they are repeated in such a method as they are set down in exodus and deuteronomie , yet so long as we finde that christ and his apostles did require & command those things that are therein commanded , and reprove and condemne those things that are therein forbidden , and that both by their lives and doctrines , it is sufficient to prove them to be the law of christ. ant. i think , indeed , they have done so touching some of the commandements , but not touching all . evan. because you say so , i intreat you to consider . first , whether the true knowledge of god required , john 3.19 . and the want of it condemned 2 thes. 1.8 . and the true love of god required , matth. 22.37 . and the want of it reproved , john 5.42 . and the true feare of god required , 1 pet. 2.17 . heb. 12.28 . and the want of it condemned , rom. 3.18 . and the true trusting in god required , and the trusting in the creature forbidden ; 2 cor. 1.9 . 1 tim. 6.17 . be not the substance of the first commandement . and consider , secondly , whether the hearing and reading of gods word commended , john 5.47 . revel . 1.3 . and prayer required , rom. 12.12 . 1 thes. 5.17 . and singing of psalmes required , col. 3.16 . james 5.13 . and whether idolatry forbidden , 1 cor. 10.14 , 1 john 5.21 . be not the substance of the second commandement . and consider , thirdly , whether worshipping of god in vain , condemned , matth. 15.9 . and using vain repetitions in prayer forbidden , matth. 6.7 . and hearing of the word onely , and not doing forbidden , james 1.22 . and whether worshipping god in spirit and truth commanded , john 4.24 . and praying with the spirit , and with understanding also , and singing with the spirit , and with understanding also commended , 1 cor. 14.15 . and taking heed what wee heare , commanded , mark 4 , 24. be not the substance of the third commandement . consider , fourthly , whether christs rising ●rom the dead the first day of the week , mar. 6.2.9 . the disciples assembling , and christs ●ppearing unto them two severall first days of ●he week , john 20.19 , 26. and the disciples ●omming together , and breaking bread , and ●reaching afterwards on that day , acts 20.7 . ● cor. 16.2 . and johns being in the spirit on ●he lords day : i say , consider , whether these ●hings do not prove that the first day of the weeke is to be kept as the christians sab●ath . consider , fifthly , whether the apostles saying , children obey your parents in the lord , for this is right : honour thy father ●nd thy mother , which is the first comman●ement with the promise , ephes. 6.12 . and ●ll those other exhortations given by him , ●nd the apostle peter , both to inferiours and ●uperiours to doe their duties either to other , ephes. 5.22 , 25. ephes. 6.4 , 5 , 9. col. 3.18.19 , ●0 , 21 , 22 , titus 3.1 . 1 pet. 3.1 . 1 pet. 2.18 . ● say , consider , whether all these places doe not prove that the duties of the fifth commandement , are required in the new testament . here you see are five of the ten commandements , and as for the other five , the apostle reckons them up all together , saying ; thou shalt not commit adultery , thou shalt not kill , thou shalt not steal , thou shalt not beare false witnesse , thou shalt not covet : now judge you whether the ten commandements be not repeated in the new testamenr , and so consequently whether they be not the law of christ , and whether a believer be not under the law to christ , or in the law through christ , as the apostles phrase is , 1 cor. 9.21 . ant. but yet , sir , as i remember both luther and calvin doe speake ; as though a believer were so quite freed from the law by christ , as that hee need not make any conscience at all of yielding obedience to it . evan. i know right well that luther sayth , the conscience hath nothing to doe with the law or works ; and that calvin sayth , the consciences of the faithfull , when the affiance of their justification before god is to be sought , must rayse and advance themselves above the law ; and forget the whole righteousnes of the law , and lay aside all thinking upon works . now for the true understanding of these two worthy servants of christ , two things are to be concluded : first , that when they speak thus of the law , it is evident they mean only in the case of justification ; secondly , that when the conscience hath to doe with the law in the case of justification it hath to doe with it onely as it is the covenant of works , for as the law is the law of christ , it neither justifies nor condemns , and so if you understand it of the law , as it is the covenant of works , according to their meaning , then it is most true that they say , for why should a man let the law come into his conscience , that is , why should a man make any conscience of doing the law , to be justified thereby , considering it is a thing impossible , nay , what need hath a man to make cōscience of doing the law to be justified thereby , when he knows he is already justified another way , nay , what need hath a man to make conscience of doing that law that is dead to him , and hee to it : hath a woman any need to make any conscience of doing her duty to her husband when hee is dead , nay , when shee her selfe is dead also , or hath a debter any need to make any conscience of paying that debt which is already fully discharged by his surety , will any man be afraid of that obligation which is made void , the seale torne off , the writing defaced , nay , not onely cancelled and crost , but torne in pieces ; i remember the apostle saith , that if the sacrifices which were offered in the old testament , could have made the commers thereunto perfect , and have purged the worshippers , then should they have had no more conscience of sins , that is , their conscience would not have accused them of being guilty of sins , now the blond of christ hath purged the conscience of a believer from all his sins , as they are transgressions against the covenant of works , and therefore what needs his conscience be troubled about that covenant , but now i pray you observe and take notice , that although luther and calvin doe thus exempt a believer from the law in the case of justification , and as it is the law or covenant of works , yet doe they not so out of the case of justification , and as it is the law of christ. for thus saith luther , out of the matter of justification , wee ought with paul , to thinke reverently of the law , to commend it highly , to call it holy , righteous , just , good , spirituall and divine ; yea , out of the case of justification we ought to make a god of it : and in another place , saith he , there is a civill righteousnesse and a ceremoniall righteousnesse , yea , and besides these , there is another righteousnesse , which is the righteousnesse of the law , or of the ten commrndements , which moses teacheth , this also we teach after the doctrine of faith . and in a third place , he having shewed that believers through christ are far above the law ( adds ) howbeit , i will not deny but that moses sheweth to them their duties , in which respect they are to be admonished and urged , wherefore such doctrines and admonitions , ought to be among christians , as it is certain there was among the apostles , whereby every man may be admonished of his estate and office . and calvin having said ( as i told you before ) that christians in the case of justification , must raise and advance themselves above the law , ( adds ) neither can any man thereby gather , that the law is superfluous to the faithfull , whom notwithstanding it doth not cease to teach , exhort , and prick forward to goodnesse , although before gods judgement seat it hath no place in their conscience . ant. but , sir , if i forget not , musculus sayth , that the law is utterly abrogated . evan. indeed , musculus speaking of the ten commandements sayth , if they be weak , if they be the letter , if they do worke transgression , anger , curse , and death ; and if christ by the law of the spirit of life delivered them that believed in him , from the law of the letter which was weake to justifie , and strong to condemne , and from curse being made a curse for us , surely they be abrogated . now this is most certaine , that the ten commandements doe no way worke transgression , anger , curse & death ; but onely as they are the covenant of works , neither hath christ delivered believers , any otherwise from them then as they are the covenant of works , and therfore wee may assuredly conclude , that they are no otherwise abrogated then as they are the covenant of works : neither did musculus intend any otherwise , for , sayth he , in the words following it must not be understood , that the points of the substance of moses covenant , are utterly brought to nothing , god forbid , for a christian man is not at liberty to do those things that are ungodly and wicked , and if the doing of those things which the law forbids do not displease christ , if they be not much different yea , contrary , if they be not repugnant to the righteousness which we received of him : let it be lawful for a christian man to do them , or else not , but a christian man doing against those things which be cōmanded in the decalogue , doth sinne more outragiously , then hee that should so do being under the law , so far off is he from being free from those things that be there commanded : wherfore friend antinomista , if eyther you or any man else , shall under a pretence of your being in christ , exempt yourselves frō being under the law of the ten cōmandements , as they are the law of christ , i tel you truly , it is a shrewd signe you are not yet in christ , for if you were , then christ were in you , & if christ were in you then would he governe you , and you would be subject unto him ; i am sure , the prophet isaiah tels us , that the same lord who is our saviour , is also our king and law-giver : & truly he will not be jesus , a saviour to any but only to those unto whom he is christ a lord ; for the very truth is whersoever he is iesus a saviour , he is also christ a lord : & therfore , i beseech you , examine your self , whether he be so to you or no ? ant. why then , sir , it seemeth that you stand upon marks and signes ? evan. yea , indeed , i stand so much upon marks and signes , that i say unto you in the words of the apostle john , in this the children of god are manifest , and the children of the devill : whosoever doth not righteousnesse is not of god ; for , sayth luther , he that is truly baptised , is become a new man , and hath a new nature , and is endued with new dispositions , and loveth , liveth , speaketh and doth far otherwise then he was wont or could do before : for sayth godly tindall , god worketh with his word , and in his word , and bringeth faith into the hearts of his elect , and looseth the heart from sin , and knitteth it to god , and giveth him power to do that which was before impossible for him to do , and turneth him into a new nature . and therfore , sayth luther , in another place , here in works are to be extolled and commended in that they are fruits and signes of faith , and therefore he that hath not regard how he leadeth his life , that he may stop the mouthes of all blamers ●nd accusers , and cleere himselfe before all , and testifie that he hath , lived , spoken , and done well , is not yet a christian , how then sayth tindall , again , dare any man thinke that gods favour is on him , and gods spirit within him , when he feeleth not the working of his spirit , nor himselfe disposed to any good thing . ant. but by your favour , sir , i am perswaded that many a man deceives his own soule by these markes and signes . evan. indeed , i must confesse , with master boulton , and master dyke , that in these times of christianity , a reprobate may make a glorious profession of the gospell , and performe all duties and exercises of religion , and that in outward appearance , with as great spirit and zeale as a true believer , yea , hee may bee made partaker of some measure of inward illumination , and have a shadow of true regeneration , there being no grace effectually wrought in the faithfull , a resemblance whereof may not be found in the unregenerate , and therefore i say if any man pitch upon the signe without the thing signified by the signe , that is , if he pitch upon his graces ( or gifts rather ) and duties , and conclude assurance from them , as they are in him and come from him without having reference to jesus christ as the root and fountain of them , then are they deceitfull markes and signes , but if he looke upon them with reference to jesus christ , then are they not deceitfull , but true evidences and demonstrations of faith in christ , and this a man doth when hee looks upon his outward actions , as flowing from the inward actions of his minde , and upon the inward actions of his minde , as flowing from the habits of grace within him , and upon the habits of grace within him , as flowing from his justification , and upon his justification , as flowing from his faith , and upon his faith , as given by , and imbracing jesus christ , thus i say , if hee rests not till he come to christ , his markes and signes are not deceitfull but true . ant. but , sir , if an unbeliever may have a resemblance of every grace that is wrought in a believer , then it must needs be a hard matter to finde out the difference , and therefore , i conceive , it is best for a man not to trouble himselfe at all about markes and signes . evan. give me leave to deale plainly with you , in telling you , that although we cannot say every one that hath a forme of godlinesse hath also the power of godlinesse , yet we may truly say , that he who hath not the forme of godlinesse hath not the power of godlinesse , for though all be not gold that glistereth ; yet all gold doth glister : and therefore i tell you truly , if you have no regard to make the law of christ your rule , by endeavouring to doe what is required in the ten commandements , and to avoyd what is there forbidden , it is a very evill signe , and therefore i pray you consider of it . ant. but , sir , you know the lord hath promised to write his law in a believers heart , and to give him his spirit to leade him into all truth , and therefore he hath no need of the law written with paper and inke , to be a rule of life to him , neither hath hee any need to endeavour to be obedient thereunto as you say . evan. indeed , saith luther , the matter would even so fare as you say , if wee were perfectly and altogether the inward and spirituall men , which cannot be in any wise before the last day , at the rising again of the dead , so long as we be cloathed with this mortall flesh , we doe but begin and proceed onwards in our course towards perfection , which will be consummated in the life to come , and for this cause , the apostle rom. 8. dorh call this the first fruits of the spirit which we doe enjoy in this life , the truth and fulnesse of which we shall receive in the life to come , and therefore saith hee ( in another place ) it is necessary so to preach to them , that have received the doctrine of faith that they might be stirred up to go on in good life which they have embraced , and that they suffer not themselves to be overcome , by the assaults of the raging flesh ; for we will not so presume of the doctrine of faith , as if that being had , every man might doe what he listed , no , we must earnestly endeavour our selves that we may be without blame , and when we cannot attain thereunto we must flye to prayer , and say before god and man , forgive us our trespasses : and sayth calvin , one proper use and end of the law concerning the faithfull , in whose hearts liveth and reigneth the spirit of god. for although , they have the law written and engraven in their hearts by the finger of god , yet is the law to them a very good means whereby they may daily better and more assuredly learne what is the will of the lord , and let none of us exempt himselfe from rhis need , for no man hath hitherto atteined to so great wisdom , but that he hath need to be daily instructed by the law , and herein christ differeth from us , that the father hath poured out upon him the infinite aboundance of his spirit ; but whatsoever we doe receive it is so by measure that wee have need one of another : now minde it i pray you , if believers have the spirit but in measure , and know but in part , then have they the law written in theit hearts but in measure and in part , and if they have the law written in their hearts , but in measure and in part , then have they not a perfect rule within them , and if they have not a perfect rule within them , then have they need to have a rule without them , and therefore doubtlesse the strongest believer of us all had need to harken to the aduice of godly tindall , who saith , seek the word of god in all things , and without the word of god doe nothing : and saith another godly and evangelicall writer , my brethren , let us doe our whole endeavour to doe the will of god , as it becommeth good children , and beware that we sin not as neer as we can . ant. well , sir , i cannot tell what to say , but ( me thinks ) when a man is perfectly justified by faith , it is a very needless thing for him to endevour to keep the law , and to do good works . evan. i remember luther sayth , that in his time there were some that did reason after the like manner , if faith say , they do accomplish all things , and if faith be onely and alone sufficient unto righteousnesse , to what end then are wee commanded to doe good deeds ; we may go play us then , and work no working at all : to whom hee makes an answer , saying , ( not so ye ungodly not so ) and there were others that said , if the law do not justifie , then is it in vaine and of none effect ; yet is it not therefore true ( saith he ) for like as this consequence is nothing worth , money doth not justifie , or make a man righteous , therefore it is unprofitable : the eyes doe not justifie , therefore they must be plucked out , the hands make not a man righteous , therefore they must be cut off , so is this nought also ; the law doth not justifie , therefore it is unprofitable , we do not therefore destroy and condemne the law , because wee say it doth not justifie , but we say with paul , the law is good , if a man do rightly use it , and that this is a faithfull saying : that they which have believed in god might be carefull to mayntaine good works , these things are good and profitable unto men . neo. truly , sir , for mine own part i do much marvell , that this my friend antinomista , should be so confident of his faith in christ , and yet so little regard holinesse of life and keeping of christs commandements , as it seemes hee doth : for i give the lord thanks , i doe now in some small measure believe that i am by christ freely and fully justified , and acquitted from all my sins : and therefore have no need eyther to eschew evill or do good for feare of punishment , or hope of reward , and yet ( me thinks ) i finde my heart more willing and desirous to doe what the lord commands , and to avoid what hee forbids then ever it was before i did thus believe , surely , sir , i doe perceive that faith in christ is no hinderance to holinesse of life , as i once thought it was . evan. neighbour neophytus , if our friend antinomista , do content himself with a meere gospell knowledge , in a notionary way , and have run out to fetch in notions from christ , and yet is not fetcht in by the power of christ , let us pitty him & pray for him , and in the mean time , i pray you know that true faith in christ is so far from being a hinderance from holinesse of life and good works , that it is the onely furtherance , for onely by faith in christ , a man is enabled to exercise all christian graces a-right , and to performe all christian duties a-right , which before he could not . as for example , before a man believe gods love to him in christ , though he may have a kind of love to god , as he is his creatour and preserver ; and gives him many good things for this present life : yet if god do but open his eyes to see what condition his soul is in ; that is , if he do but let him see that relation that is betwixt god and him , according to the tenour of the conant of works , then he conceives of him as an angry judge , armed with justice against him , and must be pacified by the works of the law , whereunto he finds his nature opposite and contrary ; and therefore hee hates both god and his law , and doth secretly wish and desire there were neyther god nor law , and though god should now give unto him never so many temporall blessings , yet could hee not love him : for what malefactour could love that judge or his law from whom he expects the sentence of condemnation ? though he should feast him at his table , with never so many dainties ; but after that the kindnesse and love of god his saviour hath appeared , not by works of righteousnesse that he hath done , but according to his mercy hee saved him , that is , when as by the eye of faith he sees himselfe to stand in relation to god , according to the tenour of the covenant of grace , then he conceives of god , as a most mercifull and loving father to him in christ , that hath freely pardoned ●nd forgiven him all his sins , and quite released him from the covenant of works ; and by this means , the love of god is shed abroad in his hart through the holy ghost , which is given to him , and then he loves god , because he first loved him : for as a man seeth and feeleth by faith the love and favour of god towards him in christ his son , so doth he love again both god and his law : and indeed it is impossible for any man to love god , till by faith hee know himself loved of god. secondly , though a man before he believe gods love to him in christ , may have a great measure of legall humiliation , compunction , sorrow and griefe , and be brought down ( as it were ) to the very gate of hell , and feele the very flashings of hell fire in his conscience for his sins ; yet is it not because hee hath thereby offended god , but rather because he hath thereby offended himself , that is , because hee hath thereby brought himselfe into the danger of eternal death and condemnation : but when once he believes the love of god to him in christ , in pardoning his iniquity , and passing by his transgression , then he sorrows & grieves for the offence of god by the sin , reasoning thus with himselfe , and is it so indeed , hath the lord given his own sonne to death for me , who hath been such a vile , sinfull wretch , and hath christ borne all my sins ? and was hee wounded for my transgressions ? ô then the working of his bowels ! the stirring of his affections , the melting and relenting of his repenting heart , then he remembers his own evill ways , and his doings that were not good , and loaths himselfe in his own eyes , for all his abominations , and looking upon christ whom he hath pierced , he mournes bitterly for him , as one mourneth for his onely sonne , thus when faith hath bathed a mans heart in the bloud of christ , it is so mollified that it quickly dissolues into the teares of godly sorrow , so that if christ doe but turn and look upon him , ô then with peter , hee goes out and weeps bitterly ! and this is true gospel mourning , and this is right evangelicall repenting thirdly , though before a man doe truly believe in christ , he may so reforme his life and amend his ways , that as touching the righteousnesse which is of the law , he may be with the apostle blamelesse , yet being under the covenant of works , all the obedience that he yields to the law , all his leaving of sin and performance of duties , all his avoyding of what the law forbids , and all his doing of what the law commands , is begotten by the law of works , of hagar the bond-woman , by the force of self-love , and so indeed they are the fruit and works of a bond-servant that is moved and constrained to doe all that he● doth for fear of punishment and hope of reward : for , saith luther , the law given on mount sinai , which the arabians call agar , begeteth none but servants , and so indeed , all that such a man doth is but hypocrisie , for he pretends the serving of god , whereas indeed hee intends the serving of himselfe , and how can hee doe otherwise ? for whilst he wants faith he wants all things he is an empty vine , and therefore must needs , bring forth fruit unto himselfe , till a man bee served himselfe , he will not serve the lord christ ; nay , whilst he wants faith , he wants the love of christ , and therefore , he lives not to christ but to himselfe , because he loved himselfe : and hence surely we may conceive it is that doctor preston saith , all that a man doth , and not out of love is out of hypocrisie , wheresoever love is not , there is nothing but hypocrisie in such a mans heart . but when a man through the hearing of faith receives the spirit of christ , that spirit , according to the measure of faith , writes the lively law of love in his heart , ( as tindall sweetly sayth ) whereby hee is inabled to work freely and of his own accord without the coaction or compulsion of the law , for that love , wherewith christ , or god in christ , hath loved him , and which by faith is apprehended of him , will constrain him to doe so according to that of the apostle , the love of christ constraineth us , that is , it will make him to doe so whether he will or no , hee cannot choose but doe it , i tell you truly , answerably as the love of christ is shed abroad in the heart of any man , it is such a strong impulsion , that it carries him on to serve and please the lord in all things , according to the saying of an evangelicall man : the will and affection of a believer , according to the measure of faith , and the spirit received sweetly quickens and bends to choose , affect and delight in what ever was good and acceptable to god or man , the spirit freely and cheerfully moving and inclining him to keepe the law without feare of hell , or hope of heaven , for a christian man , saith sweet tindall , worketh onely because it is the will of his father , for after that he is overcome with love and kindnesse , he seeks to doe the will of god , which indeed is a christian mans nature , and what he doth , hee doth it freely , after the example of christ as a naturall sonne , aske him why he doth such a thing , why , sayth he , it is the will of my father ▪ and i doe it that i may please him , for indeed love desireth no wages , it is wages enough to it selfe , it hath sweetnesse enough in it selfe , it desires no addition , it pays his own vvages , and therefore it is the true childe like , obedience being begoten by faith of saraah the free-woman , by the force of gods love , and so it is indeed the onely true , and syncere obedience , for , sayth doctor preston , to doe a thing in love , is to doe it in syncerity , and indeed there is no other def●inition of syncerity , that is the best way to know it by . evan. but stay , sir , i pray you , would you not have believers to eschew evill and doe good for feare of hell , or hope of heaven . evan. no indeed , i would not have any believer to doe either the one or the other , for so far forth as they doe so , their obedience is but slavish , and therefore , though when they were first awaked & convinced of their misery and set foot forward to goe on in the way of life , they with the prodigall would be hired servants yet when by the eye of faith , they see the mercie and indulgence of their heavenly father in christ running to meete them and embrace them , i would have them with him to talke no more of being hired servants , i would have them so to wrastle against doubting , and so to exercise their faith , as to believe , that they are by christ delivered from the hands of all their ●nemies , both the law , sin , wrath , death , ●he devill and hell ; that they may serve the lord without feare , in holinesse and righte●usnesse all the dayes of their lives , i would ●ave them so to believe gods love to them ● christ ; as that thereby they may be con●trained to obedience . nom. but , sir , you know that our sa●iour sayth , feare him that is able to destroy ●oth soule and body in hell : and the apostle ●yth , we shall receive of the lord , the reward 〈◊〉 the inheritance , & is it not sayd , that moses ●ad respect unto the recompence of reward . evan. surely , the intent of our blessed ●aviour in that first scripture , is to teach all ●elievers , that when god commands one 〈◊〉 , and man another ; they should obey ●od , and not man : rather then to exhort ●●em to eschew evill for feare of hell. and as for those other scriptures by you al●●aged , if you mean reward , and the means 〈◊〉 obtayn that reward in the scripture sense , 〈◊〉 it is another matter , but i had thought , 〈◊〉 had meant in our common sense , and not 〈◊〉 the scripture sense . nom. why , sir , i pray you what diffe●●nce is there , betwixt reward and the means to obteyn the reward in our common sense , and in the scripture sence . evan. why , reward in our common sence , is that which is conceived to come from god , or to be given by god , which is , a fancying of heaven under carnall notions , beholding it as a place where there is freedome from all misery and fulnesse of all pleasures and happinesse , and to be obteyned by our own works and doings . but reward in the scripture sence , is not so much , that which comes from god , or is given by god ; as that which lyes in god : even the full fruition of god himselfe in christ. i am , sayth god to abraham , thy shield and thy exceeding great reward : and whom have i in heaven but thee , sayth david , and there is none upon earth that i desire besides thee , and i shall be satisfied , when i awake with thy likenesse . and the means to obteyne this reward is not by doing , but by believing : even by drawing neere with a true heart in the full assurance of faith , and so , indeed , it is given freely : and therefore , you are not to conceive of that reward which the scripture speaks of , as if it were the wages of a servant , but as it is the inheritance of sons , and when the scripture seemeth to induce believers to obedience , by promising this reward ; you are to conceive , that the lord speaketh to believers , as a father doth to his young son , doe this or that , and then i will love thee , whereas we know , that the father loveth the sonne first , and so doth god ; and therefore this is the voice of believers , wee love him , because he first loved us , the lord doth pay them , or at least giveth them a sure earnest of their wages before hee bid them work , and therefore the contest of a believer , ( according to the measure of his faith ) is not what will god give mee , but what shall i give god ; what shall i render unto the lord , for all his goodnesse , for thy loving kindnesse is before mine eyes , and i have walked in thy truth . nom. then , sir , it seems , that holinesse of life and good workes , are not the cause of eternall happines , but onely the way thether . evan. doe you not remember that our lord jesus himself sayth , i am the way , the truth , and the life : and doth not the apostle say to the believing colossians , as ye have received jesus christ the lord , so walk in him , that is : as you have received him by faith , so goe on in your faith , and by his power walk in his commandements ; so that good works ( as i conceive ) may rather be called a believers walking in the way to eternal happinesse , then the way it self , but however this wee may assuredly conclude ; that the summe and substance both of the way , and walking in the way consist in the receiving of jesus christ by faith , and in yielding obedience to his law , according to the measure of that receiving . neo. sir , i am perswaded , that through my neighbour nomistas asking you these questions , you have been interrupted in your discourse , in shewing how faith doth enable a man to exercise his christian graces , and performe his christian duties aright : and therefore i pray you go on . evan. what should i say more ? for the time would fail me to tell , how that according to the measure of any mans faith , is his true peace of conscience , for sayth the apostle , being justified by faith wee have peace with god : yea , sayth the prophet isaiah , thou wilt keep him in perfect peace , whose mind is stayed on thee ; because he trusteth in thee , here there is a sure and true grounded peace : therfore it is of faith , sayth the apostle , that it might be by grace , and that the promise might be sure to all the seed : and answerably to a mans believing , that hee is justified fully by gods grace through that redemption that is in jesus christ , is his true humility of spirit , so that although he be endued with excellent gifts and graces , and though he performe never so many duties , he denyes himselfe in all , hee doth not make them as ladders for him to ascend up into heaven by : but desires to be found in christ , not having his own righteousnesse which is of the law , but that which is through the faith of christ , he doth not think himselfe to be one step neerer to heaven for all his works and performances ; and if hee heare any man prayse him for his gifts and graces , hee will not conceit that he hath obteined the same by his own industry and pains taking , as some men have proudly thought , neyther will hee speak it out as some have done , saying , these gifts and graces have cost mee something , i have taken much pains to obtain them , but he sayth , not i , but by the grace of god , i am that i am , and not i , but the grace of god that was with me : and if he behold an ignorant man , or a wicked liver , he will not call him carnall wretch , or prophane fellow ; nor say , stand by thy selfe , come not neere to mee , for i am holier then thou ( as some have said ) but he pitieth such a man , and prays for him , and in his heart he sayth , concerning himself , who maketh thee to differ : and what hast thou , that thou hast not received ? and thus i might goe on and shew you how according to any mans faith is his true joy in god , and his true thankfulnesse to god , and his patience in all troubles and afflictions , and his contentednesse in any condition , and his willingnesse to suffer , and his cheerfulnesse in suffering , and his contentednesse to part with any earthly thing , yea , according to any mans faith is his ability to pray aright , to heare or read the word of god aright , to receive the sacrament with profit and comfort , and to do any duty either to god or man after a right manner , and to a right end , yea , according to the measure of any mans faith is his love to christ , and so to man for christs sake , and so consequently , his readinesse and willingnesse to forgive an injury , yea , to forgive an enemy , and to doe good to them that hate him , and the more faith any man hath , the lesse love he hath to the world , or the things that are in the world , to conclude , the greater any mans faith is , the more fitter he is to die , and the more willing he is to die . neo. well , sir , now i doe perceive that faith is a most excellent grace , and happie is that man that hath a great measure of it . evan. the truth is , faith is the chief grace that christians are to be exhorted to get and exercise , and therefore when the people asked our lord christ what they should doe to worke the worke of god , he answered and said , this is the work of god , that ye believe on him , whom he hath sent speaking , as if there were no other duty at all required but onely believing , for indeed , to say as the thing is , believing includeth all other duties in it , and they spring all from it , and therefore , sayth one , preach faith , and preach all : whilst i bid man believe sayth learned rollock , i bid him doe all good things : for , sayth doctor preston , truth of belief will bring forth truth of holinesse : if a man believe , works of sanctification will follow , for faith draws after it , inherent righteousnesse and sanctification , wherefore ( sayth he ) if a man will goe about this great worke to change his life to get victory over any sin ▪ that it may not have dominion over him , to have his conscience purged from dead works , and to bee made partaker of the divine nature , let him not goe about it as a morall man , that is , let him not consider what commandements there are , what the rectitude is which the law requires , and how to bring his heart to it , but let him goe about it as a christian , that is , let him believe the promise of pardon in the bloud of christ , and the very believing the promise , will be able to cleanse his heart from dead works . neo. but i pray you , sir , whence hath faith its power and vertue to doe all this ? evan. even from our lord jesus christ for faith doth ingraft a man , who is by nature a wild olive branch , into christ as into the naturall olive , and fetcheth sap from the root christ , and thereby makes the tree bring forth fruit in its kind , yea , faith fetcheth a supernaturall efficacie from the death and life of christ , by vertue whereof it metamorphoseth the heart of a believer , and creates and infuseth into him new principles of actions , so that what a treasure of all graces christ hath stored up in him , faith dreyneth and draweth them out to the use of a believer , being as a conduite cocke , that watereth all the herbs in the garden , yea , faith doth apply the bloud of christ to a believers heart , and the bloud of christ hath in it , not onely a power to wash from the guilt of sin , but to clense and purge likewise from the power and stain of sin , and therefore sayth , godly hooker , if you would have grace , you must first of all get faith , and that will bring all the rest , let faith goe to christ and there is meeknesse , patience , humility and wisdome , and faith will fetch all them to the soule , therefore sayth he , you must not look for sanctification , till you come to christ in vocation . nom. truly , sir , i doe now plainly see that i have been deceived , and have gone a wrong way to worke , for i verily thought that holinesse of life must goe before faith , and so be the ground of it , and produce and bring it forth , whereas i doe now plainly see that faith must goe before , and so produce and bring forth holinesse of life . evan. i remember a man who was much enlightened in the knowledge of the gospell , sayth , there be many that thinke that as a man chooseth to serve a prince , so men choose to serve god , so likewise they think , that as those who doe best service , do obtain most favour of their lord , and as those that have lost it , the more they humble themselves , the sooner they recover it , even so they think the case stands betwixt god and them , whereas , sayth hee , it is not so but clean contrary , for hee himselfe sayth , yee have not chosen me , but i have chosen you , and not for that we repent and humble our selves , and doe good works , hee giveth us his grace , therefore wee repent , humble our selves , doe good works , and become holy : the good thief on rhe crosse was not illuminated because ▪ hee did confesse christ , but he did confesse christ because hee was illuminated ; for , sayth luther , the tree must first be , and then the fruit , for the apples make not the tree , but the tree maketh the apples , so faith first maketh the person , which afterwards bringeth forth works , therefore to doe the law without faith is to make the apples of wood , and earth without the tree , which is not to make apples but meer fantacies , wherfore neighbour nomista , let me intreat you , that whereas before you have reformed your life that you might believe , why now believe that you may reform your life , and doe not any longer worke to get an interest in christ , but believe your interest in christ , that so you may work , and then you will not make the change of your life the ground of your faith , as you have done , and as master culverwell sayth , many doe , who being asked what caused them to believe , they answer , because they have truly repented , and changed their course of life . ant : sir , what thinke you of a preacher , that in my hearing said , he durst not exhort nor perswade sinners to believe their sinnes were pardoned , before he saw their lives reformed , for feare they should take more liberty to sin . evan. why , what should i say , but that i think , that preacher was ignorant of the mystery of faith , for it is of the nature of soveraign waters which so wash off the corruption of the ulcer , that they coole the heat and stay the spreading of the infection , and so by degrees heale the same : neither did he know that it is of the nature of cordials , which so comfort the heart and ease it , that they also expell the noxious humours , and strengthen nature against them . ant. and i am acquainted with a professor , though , god knows , a very weak one , that sayth , if he should believe before his life be reformed ▪ then he might believe and yet walk on in his sins , i pray you , sir , what would you say to such a man ? evan. why , i would say with doctor preston , let him if he can , believe truly , and doe this , but it is impossible , let him believe , and the other will follow , truth of beliefe will bring forth truth of holinesse , for who , if he ponder it well , can feare a fleshly licentiousnesse , where the believing soule is united and maryed to christ , the law as it is the covenant of works , and christ are set in opposition as two husbands to one wife successively , whilst the law was alive in the conscience , all the fruits were deadly , rom. 7 , 5. but christ taking the same spouse to himselfe , the law being dead , by his quickning spirit doth make her fruitfull to god , and so raiseth up seed to the former husband , for materially these are the works of the law , though produced by the spirit of christ in the gospell . ant. and yet , sir , i am verily perswaded that there be many both preachers and professors in this city of the very same opinion that these two are of . evan. the truth is , many preachers stand upon the prayse of some morall vertue , and doe invaigh against some vice of the times , more then upon pressing men to believe , but , sayth a learned writer , it will bee our condemnation , if we love darknesse rather then light , and desire still to be groping in the twy-light of morality , the precepts of morall men , then to walke in the true light of divinity , which is the doctrine of jesus christ , and i pitie the prepostrous care and unhappy travail of many well affected , who study the practice of this and that vertue , neglecting this cardinall and radicall vertue , as if a man should water all the tree and not the root , faine would they shine in patience , meeknesse , and zeal , and yet are not carefull to stablish & root themselves in faith which should maintain all the rest , and therefore all their labour hath been in vain , and to no purpose . nom. indeed , sir , this which you have now sayd , i have found true by mine own experience , for i have laboured and endevoured to get victory over some corruptions , as to overcome my dulnesse , and to performe duties with cheerfulnesse , and all in vain . evan. and , no marvell , for to pray to meditate , to keep a sabbath cheerfully , to have your conversation in heaven , is as possible for you your selfe to doe as for iron to swim , or for stones to ascend upwards ; but yet nothing is impossible to faith , it can naturalize these things unto you , it can make a mole of the earth a soule of heaven : wherefore , though you have tryed all morall conclusions of proposing , promising , resolving , vowing , fasting , watching , and self-revenge ; yet get you to christ , and with the finger of faith , touch but the hem of his garment , and you shall feele vertue come from him for the curing of all your diseases : wherefore , i beseech you , come out of your self unto jesus christ , and apprehend him by faith , as ( blessed be god ) you see our neighbour neophytus hath done , and then shall you finde the like loathing of sin , and love to the law of christ as he now doth : yea , then shall you finde your corruptions dying and decaying daily more and more , as i am confident , hee shall . neo. i but , sir , shall i not have power quite to overcome all my corruptions , and to yield perfect obedience to the law of christ , as the ( lord knows ) i much desire ? evan. if you could believe perfectly , then should it be even according to to your desire , according to that of luther , if wee can perfectly apprehend christ , then should wee be free from sin : but ( alas ) whilest we are here , wee know but in part , and so believe but in part ; and so receive christ but in part : and so consequently are holy but in part , witnesse james the just , including himselfe when he sayth , in many things we sin all , and john the faithfull and loving disciple when he sayth , if we say we have no sin , we deceive our selves , and the truth is not in us ; yea , and witnesse luther , when he sayth a christian man hath a body , in whose members , as paul sayth , sin dwelleth and warreth , and albeit , he fall not into outward and grosse sins , as murther , adultery , theft , and such like , yet is hee not free from impatience , and murmuring against god , yea , sayth hee , i feele in my selfe , coveteousnesse , lust , anger , pride and arrogancie , also the feare of death , heaviness , hatred , murmuring , impenitencie , so that you must not looke to bee quite without sin whilst thou remain in this life , yet this i dare promise you , that as you grow from faith to faith , so shall you grow from strength to strength in all other graces , wherefore sayth godly hooker , strengthen this grace of faith , and strengthen all ; nourish this , and nourish all , so that if you can attain to a great measure of faith , you shall bee sure to attain to a great measure of holinesse , according to the saying of doctor preston , hee that hath the strongest faith , hee that believeth in the greatest degree , the promise of pardon and remission of sins ; i dare boldly say , he hath the holiest heart , and the holiest life , and therefore i beseech you labour to grow strong in the faith of the gospell . neo. o , sir , i desire it with all my heart and therefore i pray you tell me what you would have me to doe that i may grow more strong . evan. why surely the best advice and counsell that i can give you , is to exercise that faith which you have , and wrastle against doubtings , and be earnest with god in prayer for the increase of it : forasmuch , sayth luther , as this gift is in the hands of god onely , who bestoweth it when , and on whom he pleaseth , thou must resort unto him by prayer and say with the apostles , lord increase our faith , and you must also be diligent in hearing the word preached , for as faith commeth by hearing , so is it also increased by hearing , and you must also read the word , and meditate upon the free and gracious promises of god , for the promise is the immortall seed , whereby the spirit of christ , begets and increaseth faith in the hearts of all his , and lastly , you must frequent the sacrament of the lords supper , and receive it as often as conveniently you can . ant. but by your favour , sir , if faith be the gift of god , and he give it , when , and to whom he pleaseth , then i conceive that mans using such means will not procure any greater measure of it then god is pleased to give . evan. i confesse it is not the means that will either beget or increase faith , but it is the spirit of god in the use of the means that doth it , so that as the means will not doe it without the spirit , neither will the spirit doe it without the means , where the means may be had , wherefore i pray you doe not you hinder him from using the means . neo. sir , for mine own part , let him say what he will , i am resolved by the assistance of god , to be carefull and diligent in the use of these means which you have now prescribed , that so by the increasing of my faith , i may be the better inabled to subject to the will of the lord , and so walk as that i may please him , but yet i doe perceive , that in regard of the imperfection of my faith , i shall not be able perfectly to apprehend christ , and so consequently shall not be able to live without sin : therefore i pray you , sir , tell me how you would have mee to be affected , when i shall hereafter through frailty commit any sin . evan. before i can give you a true and full satisfactory answer to this your necessary question , i must intreat you to consider with me . first , that in rom. 6.14 . it is sayd concerning believers , yee are not under the law , but under grace : and in like manner , rom. 1.6 . it is sayd , but now we are delivered from the law : and yet it is said concerning a believer , 1 cor. 9.21 . being not without law to god , but under the law to christ : and in like manner , rom. 3.31 . it is sayd , doe wee then make voyd the law through faith ? god for bid , yea , by faith we establish the law. secondly , that in 1 john 3.6 . it is sayd , that whosoeuer abideth in christ sinneth not : and in like manner , ver . 9. whosoever is born of god doth not commit sin . and yet it is sayd concerning such , 1 john 1.8 . if we say we have no sin , we deceive our selves , and the truth is not in us , and in like manner , jam. 3.2 . in many things we offend all . thirdly , that in numb . 23.21 . it is sayd concerning believers , hee ( that is to say god ) hath not beheld iniquity in jacob , neither hath he seen perversnesse in israell , & in like manner , cant. 4.7 . it is sayd , behold , thou art all faire my love , and there is no spot in thee , and yet it is sayd , prov. 5.21 . as well concerning believers as others , that the ways of man are before the eyes of the lord , and hee pondereth all his goings , and in like manner , heb. 4.13 . all things are naked and open unto the eyes of him , with whom we have to doe . fourthly , that in isai. 27.4 . the lord sayth concerning believers , anger is not in me , and in like manner , isai. 54.9 . it is sayd , as i have sworn that the waters of noah shall no more goe over the earth , so have i sworn , that i would no more be wrath with thee , nor rebuke thee : and yet it is sayd , psal. 10.40 . that because the people went a whoring after their own inventions , therefore was the wrath of the lord kindled against this people , insomuch that he abhorred his own inheritance : and in deut. 13.1 . moses a true believer sayth , the lord was angry with him . fifthly , that in isai. 40.2 . the lord sayth concerning believers , speake yee comfortably to jerusalem , and cry unto her , that her warfare is accomplished , that her iniquity is pardoned , for indeed , christ paid god , till hee sayd hee had enough , hee was fully satisfied , fully contented , and therefore in jer. 50.20 . it is sayd , that in those dayes , and at that time , the iniquity of israel shall be sought for , and there shall be none , and the sinnes of judah , and they shall not be found : for by christs death satan , sinne , and death were conquered and taken captive , and whatsoever might bee brought against us was taken away as the least bill or scroule , and yet it is sayd concerning the seed and children of jesus christ , psal. 89.30 . if they forsake my law , and walke not in my judgements , then will i visit your transgressions with the rod , and their iniquities with stripes : and in like manner , 1 cor. 11.30 , it is sayd , concerning believers , for this cause many are weak and sickly amongst you , and many sleepe . now though all these scriptures speake contrary one to another , yet they all speake truth , for they bee all of them the words of truth , and that it may appeare to you that they doe so , i pray you take notice that where believers are sayd not to bee under the law , and freed from the law , it is to be understood of the law , as it is the covenant of works , and where it is sayd that believers are under the law , and that faith establisheth the law ; it is to bee understood of the law , as it is the law of christ , now if believers be not under , but are freed from the law of works , or covenant of works , then though they doe transgresse the law , yet they doe not transgresse the covenant of works , and if they transgresse not the covenant of works , then cannot god see any transgression of theirs , as a transgression against that covenant . and if he see it not , then can ye neither be angry with them , nor yet chastise them for it : but if believers be under the law , and faith doe establish the law as it is the law of christ , then if they transgresse any of the ten commandements , they transgresse the law of christ , and if they transgresse the law of christ , then doth christ see it , and if christ see it , he will be both angry with them , and chastise them for it . now then neighbour neophytus , to apply these things to you , and so to give you a particular answer to your question , you are to know that you are not now under the law , but are by christ freed from it , as it is the law of works , and therefore whensoever you shall hereafter through frailty transgresse , any of the ten commandements , you are not to thinke you have thereby transgressed the covenant of works , neither are you to conceive , that god either sees your transgressions , or is angry with you , or doth chastise you for them , as they are any way a transgression of that covenant , for you being freed from that covenant , and so consequently from sinning against it , must needs likewise be freed from all wrath , anger , miseries , calamities and afflictions , as fruits , and effects of any transgression , against that covenant . but yet whilst you live , you are to conceive that you are under the law of christ , and therefore whensoever you doe swerve or goe away , from the rule of any of the ten commandements , you must perswade your selfe that you have thereby transgressed the law of christ , and that hee sees it , and is displeased with you for it , and if you be not grieved for it , and doe not reforme it , christ will chastise you for it , either by hiding his face , and withdrawing the light of his countenance from you , and so by depriving you of peace and comfort in him for a time , or else by some outward losse or crosse in this world , for that is the penalty of the law of christ , so that if you , or any believer else , doe transgresse the law of christ , if need be , you shall bee as sure of temporall corrections , as an unbeliever that transgresseth the covenant of works , shall be of eternall damnation in hell , wherefore , i beseech you , according to my exhortation , and your resolution , first , be carefull to exercise your faith , and use all meanes to increase it , that so it may become effectuall working by love , for according to the measure of your faith , will be your true love to christ , and to his will and commandements , and according to the measure of your love to them , will be your delight in them , and your aptnesse and readinesse to doe them , and hence it is that christ sayth , if ye love me keep my commandements , and hence it is , that the believing soule , according to the measure of its faith , sayth with the psalmist , i delight to doe thy will ô my god , yea , thy law is within my heart ! for this is the love of god ( sayth that loving disciple ) that we keep his commandements , and his commandements are not grievous , nay , the very truth is , nothing will be more grievous to your soule , then that you cannot keep them as you would ; ô this love of god being truly rooted in your heart , will make you say with godly joseph , in case you be tempted , as he was , how can i doe this great wickednesse . and so sinne against god ? how can i doe that which i know will displease so gracious a father , and so mercifull a saviour ? no , i will not doe it , no , i cannot doe it . secondly , if in case you be at any time by reason of the weaknesse of your faith , & strength of your tentation drawn aside , and prevailed with to transgresse any of christs comandements , then beware that you do not thereupon take occasion to call christs love to you into question , but believe as firmly that he loves you as dearly as he did before , you thus transgressed , for this is a certain truth , as no good in you ; or done by you , did move , or can move christ to love you the more , so no evill in you or done by you , can move him to love you the lesse , no assure your selfe that as he first loved you freely , so will he hereafter heal your backsliding , and still love you freely , hosea 14.4 . yee , hee will love you unto the end , john 13.1 . and therefore as you must be nothing in your selfe , in case of your most exact obedience , so must you be all in christ in case of your most imperfect and defective obedience , the which if you be , why then the love of christ will constrain you to mourn with an evangelicall or gospell mourning ; reasoning with your self after this manner , and is it so indeed , though i have thus sinned , yet will the lord love me never the lesse for all that , and am i as much in his favour now , and as sure of erernall happinesse with christ as i was before i thus sinned , ô what a loving father is this ! ô what a gracious saviour is this ! ô what a wretched man am i to sin against such a god as this ! such a christ as this ! ô this will melt your heart , and cause your eyes to drop down the tears of godly sorrow ! yea , this will constrain in you to goe unto your father , and humbly to confesse your sins with the prodigall , and beseech him to shew mercie for the lords sake , with daniel , and yet not out of a conceit , that till your sin be pardoned , you are lyable to be condemned for it , for that is the penalty of the law of works , which you are not now under , but rather out of a true perswasion , that till it be pardoned , your father is displeased with you for it , yea , and will whip and scourge you for it , for that is the penalty of the law of christ , which you are now under ; yea , and this will also constrain you to loath your selfe in your owne sight , for your iniquities : yea , not onely to loath your selfe for them , but also to leave them , saying with ephraim , what have i to doe any more with idols ? and to cast them away as a menstrous cloth , saying unto them , get yee hence , and thus will the goodnesse of god ( being apprehended by faith ) lead you to repentance . thirdly , if after you have thus sinned , either through weaknesse of faith , or want of exercising it , yee either doe not thus at all , or not so effectually as you should , and so your loving and wise father see cause to give you some unpleasant potion , to bring your sins to remembrance , as he did josephs brethrens , gen ▪ 42.21 . and as was the saying of the widow of zarephath , 1 king. 17.18 . and to purge it . and take it away , as is the phrase of the holy ghost , isai. 27.9 . and to make you partaker of his holinesse , as the apostles phrase is , heb. 12.10 . then i beseech you , beware you conceit not , that your afflictions are penall , proceeding from hatred or vindictive justice , and so as payments and satisfaction for sins , for that is the penalty of the covenant of works , the which you are now delivered from : but rather be perswaded , as the truth is , that they proceed from gods fatherly love , and so as medicinall to heale and cure you of your sins , and so to make you more obedient and subject to the law of christ under which you now are , for afflictions through gods blessing , are made speciall means to purge out that sinfull corruption which is still in the nature of believers , and therefore are they in scripture most aptly compared to medicines , for so they are indeed to all gods children , most soveraign medicines to cure all their spirituall diseases , and indeed we have all of us great need hereof , for sayth luther , we are not yet perfectly righteous , for whilst we remain in this life , sin dwelleth still in the flesh , and this remnant of sinne god purgeth , wherefore , when god hath remitted sinnes , and received a man into the bosome of grace , then doth hee lay on him all kinde of afflictions , and doth scoure and renew him from day to day , and to this purpose tindall truly sayth , if wee looke on the flesh , and into the law , there is no man so perfect , that is not found a sinner , nor no man so pure , that hath not need to be purged . now if you thus conceive of your afflictions , you will accept of them , and you will with ephraim , say unto the lord , thou hast chastised me , and i was chastised , as a bullocke unaccustomed to the yoke , turn thou me and i shall be turned , thou art the lord my god : surely after that i was turned i repented , and after that i was instructed , i smote upon my thigh , i was ashamed : yea , even confounded , because i did beare the reproch of my youth : yea , and then will you also say with david , blessed is the man whom thou chastisest , ô lord , and teachest him out of the law ! and thus you see , i have endevoured to give you a satisfying answer to your question . neo. and truly , sir , you have done it very fully , the lord enable me to practise according to your direction . nom. sir , in this your answer to his question , you have also answerd me , and given me full satisfaction in divers points , about which my friend antinomista and i have had many a wrangling fit : for if i used to affirme with tooth and nayle ( as men use to say ) that believers are under the law , and not delivered from it , and that they doe sin , and that god sees it , and is angry with them , and doth afflict them for it , and that therefore they ought to humble themselves and mourn for their sins , and confesse them , and crave pardon for them , and yet truly , i must confesse , i did not understand what i sayd , nor whereof i affirmed ; and the reason was because i did not know the difference betwixt the law , as it is the law of works , and as it is the law of christ. ant. and believe me , sir , i used to affirme , as earnestly as hee , that believers are delivered from the law , and therefore do not sin , and therefore god can see no sin in them , and therefore is neyther angry with them , nor doth afflict them for sin , and therefore they have no need eyther to humble themselves , or mourn , or confesse their sins , or beg pardon for them , the which i believing to be true , could not conceive how the contrary could be true also , but now i plainly see , that by meanes of your distinguishing betwixt the law as it is the law of works , and as it is the law of christ ; there is a truth in both , & therefore friend nomista , whensoever eyther you or any man else , shall hereafter affirme that believers are under the law & do sin , & god sees it , and is angry with them , and doth chastise them for it , and that they ought to humble themselves , mourn , weep and confesse their sins , and beg pardon for them , if you mean onely as they are under the law of christ , i will agree with you , and never contradict you again . nom. and truly friend antinomista , if eyther you or any man else shall hereafter affirme , that believers are delivered from the law , and do not sin , and god sees no sin in them , nor is angry with them , nor afflicts them for their sins , and that they have no need eyther to humble themselves , mourne , confesse , or crave pardon for their sins , if you mean it onely as they are not under the law of works , i will agree with you and never contradict you again . evan. i rejoyce to heare you speak these words each to other , and truly now i am in hope , that you two will come back from both your extreams , and meet my neighbour neophytus in the golden meane , having as the apostle sayth , the same love , being of one accord , and of own minde . nom. sir , for my part , i thanke the lord , i do now plainly see that i have erred exceedingly , in seeking to be justified , as it were , by the works of the law , and yet could i never be perswaded to it before this day , nor indeed should not have been perswaded to it : now had not you so plainly and fully handled this threefold law , and truly , sir , i doe now unfainedly desire to renounce my self , and all that ever i have done , and by faith to adhere onely to jesus christ , for now i see that hee is all in all , ô that the lord would enable me so to do ! and i beseech you , sir , pray for me . ant. and truly , sir , i must needs confesse , that i have erred as much on the other hand , for i have been so far from seeking to be justified by the works of the law , that i have neyther regarded law nor works , but now i see mine errour , i purpose ( god willing ) to reform it evan. the lord grant that you may , but how do you neighbour neophytus , for ( me thinks ) you look very heavily . neo. truly , sir , i was thinking of that place of scripture where the apostle exhorts us to examine our selves , whether we be in the faith or no : whereby it seems to mee , that a man may think he is in the faith , when he is not , therefore , sir , i would gladly heare how i may be sure that i am in the faith , evan i would not have you to make any question of it , since you have grounded your faith upon such a firme foundation as will never fail you , for the promise of god in christ is of a tried truth , and never yet failed any man , nor never will , therefore i would have you to close with christ in the promise without making any question , whether you are in the faith or no , for there is an assurance which ariseth from the exercise of faith , by a direct act , and that is when a man by faith directly layes hold upon christ , and concludes assurance from thence . neo. sir , i know that the foundation whereon i am to ground my faith remayneth sure , and i think i have already built thereon : but yet because , i conceive , a man may thinke hee hath done so when hee hath not : therefore would i fain know how i may be assured that i have done so . eva. wel , now i understand you what you mean , it seems you do not want a ground for your believing ; but for your believing that you have believed . neo. yea , indeed , that is the thing i want . evan. why , the next way to finde out and know this , is to looke backe and reflect upon your own heart , & consider what actions have passed through there ; for , indeed , this is the benefit that a reasonable soul hath , that it is able to returne upon it selfe , to see what it hath done , which the soul of a beast cannot do : consider then , i pray you , whether the free and full promise of god in christ hath not beene so cleered unto you , that you had nothing to object why it did not belong particularly to you : and whether you have not seen a readinesse and willingnesse in christ to receive and embrace you as his beloved spouse . and whether you have not thereupon consented , and resolved to take christ , and to give up yourselfe to him : and whether you have not since that found in your heart a love to christ and his law , and a readinesse and willingnes to doe your duty to god as a childe to his father , freely without feare of hell , or hope of heaven : now tell me ( i pray you truly ) whether you have not found these things in you . neo. yea , indeed , i hope i have in some measure . evan. why , then i may say with the apostle john , you are of the truth , and may assure or perswade your heart before god : wherefore , sayth christ to you , i say unto thee , that thy many sins are forgiven thee , for thou lovest much . ant. but , sir , shall he not in so doing turne back from the covenant of grace , to the covenant of works , and from christ , to himselfe . evan. indeed if he should looke upon these things in himselfe , and thereupon conclude , that because he hath done thus , god hath accepted of him and justified him , and will save him , and so make them the ground of his believing , this were to turn back from the covenant of grace to the covenant of works , and from christ to himselfe , but if he look upon these things in himselfe , and thereupon conclude , that because these things are in his heart , christ dwels there by faith , and therefore he is accepted of god , and justified , and shall certainly be saved , and so make them an evidence of his believing , or the ground of his believing that he hath believed , this is neither to turn back from the covenant of grace , to the covenant of works , nor from christ to himselfe , so that these things in his heart being the daughters of faith , and the of-spring of christ , though they cannot at first produce or bring forth their mother , yet may they in time of need nourish her . nom. but i pray you , sir , are there not other things besides these that he sayth , hee finds in himselfe that a man may looke upon as evidences of his believing ( or as you call them ) as grounds of his believing , that hee hath believed . evan. yea , indeed , besides these inward qualifications that are in the heart , there are outward qualifications in the life , as having respect unto all christs commandements , which a man may look upon as an evidence , provided , that hee be sure it flow from those within . nom. but , sir , how should a man know that ? evan. the sure and best way to know this is , for a man to examine himselfe whether he did first believe in christ , and then reforme his life , and so made his faith the cause of the change of his life , or whether he did first reforme his life , and then believe , and so made his reformation of life the cause of his faith , if he be sure he did the former , then may he be sure that his outward qualifications proceeded from his inward , and so are right and true , but if hee did the latter , then may he be sure that they are wrong and false evidences . nom. then truly , sir , i have not as yet any right and true evidences of faith . evan. if you have not then as i tell you , it is time to believe , that so you may have them that are right and true . neo. but , sir , i pray you let me ask you one question more touching this point , and that is , suppose , that hereafter i should see no outward evidences , and question whether i had ever any true inward evidences , and so whether i did ever truly believe or no : what must i do then ? evan. indeed , it is possible you may come to such a condition , and therefore you doe well to provide aforehand for it . now then if ever it shall please the lord to give you over to such a condition , first , let mee warn you to take heed of forcing , and constraining your selfe to yield obedience to gods commandements , to the end you may so get an evidence of faith again , or a ground to lay your believing that you have believed upon , and so forcibly to hasten your assurance before the time , for though this be not to turn quite back to the covenant of works ( for that you shall never do ) yet is it to turn aside towards that covenant , as abraham did , who after that he had long wayted for the promised seed , ( though he was before justified by believing the free promise ) yet for the more speedy satisfying of his faith , hee turned aside to go in unto hagar , who was ( as you have heard ) a type of the covenant of works , so that you see this is not the right way : but the right way for you in this case , to get your assurance again is , when all other things fail to look to christ ; that is , go to the word and promise and leave off and cease a while to reason about the truth of your faith , and set your heart on work to believe , as if you had never yet done it , saying , in your heart , well satan , suppose my faith hath not been true hitherto , yet now will i begin to endevour after true faith : and therefore , ô lord ! here i cast my self upon thy mercy afresh , for in thee the fatherlesse finde mercy , thus i say , hold to the word , goe not away , but keep you here , and you shall bring forth fruit with patience . neo. well , sir , you have fully satisfied the concerning that point , but as i remember it followeth in the same verse , know yee not your owne selves how that jesus christ is in you , except ye be repoobates : wherefore i desire to heare how a man may know that jesus christ is in him . evan. why , if christ be in a man ? hee lives in him , as sayth the apostle , i live not , but christ liveth in me . neo. but how then shall a man know that christ lives in him . evan. why , in what man soever christ lives according to the measure of his faith he executes his threefold office in him , viz. his propheticall , priestly , and kingly office . neo. i desire to hear more of this threefold office of christ , and therefore ( i pray you sir ) tell me , first , how a man may know that christ executes his propheticall office in him . evan. why , so far forth as any man heares and knows that there was a covenant made , betwixt god , and all mankinde in adam , and that it was an equall covenant , and that gods justice must needs enter upon the breach of it , and that all mankind for that cause were lyable to eternall death and damnation , so that if god had condemned all mankinde , yet had it beene but the sentence of an equall and just judge , seeking rather the execution of his justice then mans ruine and destruction , and thereupon takes it home , and applyes it particularly to himself , and so is convinced that hee is a miserable lost and helplesse man ; i say so far forth as a man doth this , christ executes his propheticall office in him , in teaching him , and revealing unto him the covenant of works . and so far forth as any man hears and knowes that god made a covenant with abraham , and all his believing seed , in jesus christ , offering him freely to all , to whom the sound of the gospell comes , and giving him freely to all ; that receive him by faith , and so justifies them , and saves them eternally , and thereupon hath his heart opened to receive this truth , not as a man taketh an object , or a theologicall point into his head , whereby hee is onely made able to discourse , but as an habituall , and practicall point , receiving it into his heart , by the faith of the gospell , and applying it to himselfe , and laying his eternall state upon it , and so setting to his seal that god is true , i say so far forth as a man doth this , christ executes his propheticall office , in him , in teaching him , and revealing to him the covenant of grace , and so far forth as any man hears and knows that this is the will of god , even his sanctification , &c. and thereupon concludes that it is his dutie to endeavour after it , i say so far forth as a man doth this , christ executes his propheticall office in him , in teaching and revealing his law to him , and this i hope , is sufficient for answer to your first question . neo. i pray you , sir , in the second place tell mee how a man may know that christ executes his priestly office in him . evan. why so far forth as any man hears and knows that christ hath given himselfe as that onely absolute and perfect sacrifice , for the sins of believers , and joyned them unto himselfe by faith , and himself unto them by his spirit , and so made them one with him , and is now entred into heaven it self to appear , in the presence of god for them : and hereupon is emboldned to go immediatly to god in prayer , as to a father . , and meet him in christ , and present him with christ himselfe , as with a sacrifice without spot or blemish , i say , so far forth as any man doth this , christ executes his priestly office in him . neo. but , sir , would you have a believer to goe immediately unto god , how then doth christ make intercession for us at gods right hand ? as the apostle sayth hee doth , rom. 8.34 . evan. it is true , indeed , christ as a publike person , representing all believers . appeares before god his father , and willeth according to both his natures , and desireth as he is man , that god would for his satisfaction sake , grant unto them whatsoever they aske according to his will. but yet you must goe immediately to god in prayer , for all that , you must not pitch your prayers upon christ , and terminate them there , as if he were to take them and present them to his father , but the very presenting place of your prayers must be god himselfe in christ , neither must you conceive as though christ the sonne , were more willing to grant your request then god the father , for whatsoever christ willeth , the same also the father , ( being well pleased with him willeth ) in christ , then , i say , and nowhere else , must you expect to have your petitions granted , and as in christ and no place else , so for christs sake and nothing else ; and therefore i beseech you to beware you forget not christ when you go unto the father to beg any thing which you desire , either for your selfe or others , especially when you desire co have any pardon for sin , you are not to thinke that when you joyn with your prayers , fasting , weeping , and afflicting of your selfe , that for so doing you shall prevail with god to heare you and grant your petitions , no , no , you must meete god in christ , and present him with his sufferings , your eye , your minde , and all your confidence , must be therein , and in that be as confident as possibly you can , yea , expostulate the matter , as it were , with god the father , and say , lo , here is the person that hath well deserved it , here 〈◊〉 the person that wils and desires it , in whom thou hast sayd thou art well pleased ; yea , here is the person that hath paid the debt , and discharged the bond for all my sins , and therefore , ô lord ! now it standeth with thy justice to forgive me , and thus if you doe , why then you may bee assured that christ executes his priestly office in you . neo. i pray you , sir , in the third place shew me how a man may know that christ executes his kingly office in him . evan. why so far forth as any man hears and knows , that all prwer is given unto christ , both in heaven and in earth , both to vanquish and overcome all the lusts and corruptions of believers , and to write his law in their hearts , & hereupon takes occasion to goe unto christ for the doing of both in him , i say , so far forth as he doth this , why christ executes his kingly office in him . neo. why then , sir it seems that the place where christ executes his kingly office , is in the hearts of believers . evan. it is true indeed , for christs kingdome is not temporall or secular , over the naturall lives or civill negotiations of men , but his kingdome is spirituall and heavenly over the souls of men , to awe and over-rule the hearts , to captivate the affections , to bring into obedience the thoughts , and to subdue and pul down strong holds , for when our father adam transgressed , he , and we all of us forsooke god , and chose the devill for ou● lord & king , so that every mothers child of 〈◊〉 are by nature under the government of satan , and he rules over us , till christ come into our hearts and disposseseth him , according to the saying of christ himself , luk. 11.21 , 22. when a strong man armed keeps the palace , his goods are in peace , that is , sayth calvin , satan holdeth them that are in subjection to him in such bonds and quiet possession , that he rules over them without resistance : but when christ comes to dwell in any mans heart by faith , according to the measure nf faith ▪ hee dispossesseth him , & seats himself in the heart , and roots out and puls down all that withstands his government there , and as a valiant captain he stands upon his guard , & enables the soule to gather together all its forces and powers to resist and withstand all its and his enemies , and to set it selfe in good earnest against them , when they at any time offer to return again , and he doth especially enable the soule to resist , and set it selfe against the principall enemie , even that which doth most oppose christ in his government so that whatsoever lust or corruption is in a believers heart or soule as most predominant , christ doth inable him to take that into his minde , and to have most revengefull thoughts against it , and to make complaints to him against it , and to desire power and strength from him against it , and all because it most withstands the government of christ , and is the rankest traitor to christ , so that hee useth all the means he can to bring it before the judgement seat of christ , and there hee calls for justice against it ; saying , o lord jesus christ , here is a rebell and a traitor that doth withstand thy government in me , wherfore i pray thee come and execute thy kingly office in me , and subdue it , yea , vanquish and overcome it , whereupon christ gives the same answer that he did to the centurion , goe thy way , and as thou hast believed , so be it done unto thee . and as christ doth thus suppresse all other governours but himselfe in the heart of a believer , so doth he race out , and deface all other laws , and writes his own there according to his promise , jer. 31.33 . and makes them plyable and willing to doe and suffer his will , and that because it is his will , so that the minde and will of christ , laid down in his word , and manifested in his works , is not onely the rule of a believers obedience , but also the reason of it : as i once heard a godly minister say in the pulpit , so that he doth not onely doe that which is christs will , but he doth it because it is his will. o that man which hath the law of christ written in his heart , according to the measure of it , he reads , he hears , he prayes , and receives the sacrament , and doth all the duties required in the first table of the law , and that because he knows it is the minde and will of christ he should doe so , yea , he doth not onely doe the duty of the first table , but of the second also , by vertue of christs command , ô that husband , parent , master , or magistrate , that hath the law of christ written in his heart , hee doth his duty to his wife , childe , servant , and subject , and that because christ commands it , and so , that wife , childe , servant , or subject that hath the law of christ written in their hearts , doe their duties to their husband , parent , master or governour , and that because christ requires it . and now when you finde these things in your heart , why answerably you may conclude , that christ executes his kingly office in you . neo. well , sir , now i doe plainly see , that it is no marvail though my heart hath been hitherto restlesse , sith i have sought rest for it , where it is not to be found . evan. my occasions doe now begin to call me away from you , neverthelesse , you having begun to speake of the hearts rest , i shall by the lords assistance , now at our parting , as a conclusion of this our discourse , speake somwhat of the soules rest , if you will be pleased to heare me . neo. withall my heart , sir , but first , i would intreat you to tell me , why you call the hearts rest , the soules rest . evan. because heart and soule are put oftentimes the one for the other , for indeed , the heart is the soules chare of state wherein it keeps it residencie . but to come to the point , i would intreat you to consider with me , that when god at first gave man an elementish body , he did also infuse into him an immortall soule of a spirituall substance , and though he gave his soule a locall being in his body , yet he gave it a spirituall wel-being in himselfe , so that the soule was in the body by location , and at rest in god by union and communication , and this being of the soule in god at first , was mans true being , and his true happinesse , now man falling from god , god in his justice left man , so that the actuall union and communion that the soule of man had with god at first is broken off , god and mans soule are parted , and it is in a restlesse condition , howbeit , the lord having seated in mans soule , a certain character of himselfe , the soule is thereby made to re-aspire towards that summum bonum , that chief good , even god himselfe , and can finde no rest no where , till it come to him . nom. but stay , sir , i pray you , how can it be sayd that mans soule doth re-aspire towards god the creator , when as it is evident that every mans soule naturally is bent towards the creature , to seeke a rest there . evan. for answer hereunto , i pray you consider , that naturally mans understanding is dark and blinde , and therefore is ignorant what his own soul doth desire , and strongly aspire unto , it knoweth , indeed , that there is a want in the soule , but till it be enlightned , it knoweth not what it is which the soule wanteth : for , indeed , the case standeth with the soule , as with a child new born , which child by naturall instinct , doth gape and cry for nutriment , yea , for such nutriment as may agree with it tender condition , and if the nurse through negligence , or ignorance , eyther give it no meat at all ; or else such as it is not capable of receiving , the childe refuseth it , and still cryeth in strength of desire after the dug : yet doth not the child in this estate know by any intellectuall power and understanding , what it self desireth : even so mans poore soule doth cry to god as for its proper nourishment , but his understanding like a blind ignorant nurse , not knowing what it cryeth for ; doth offer to the heart a creature instead of a creatour : thus by reason of the understanding , together with the corruption of the will , and disorder of the affections , mans soule is kept by violence from its proper centre , even god himselfe , ô how many souls are there in the world ! that are hindred , if not quite kept from rest in god , by reason that their blinde understanding , doth present unto their sensual appetites , varieties of sensuall objects . is there not many a luxurious persons soule hindred , if not quite kept from true rest in god , by that beauty which nature hath placed in feminine faces ; especially when satan doth secretly suggest into such feminine harts a desire of an artificiall dressing from the head to the foot : yea , and sometimes painting the face like their mother jezabel ? and is there not many a voluptuous epicures soule hindred , if not quite kept from rest in god , by beholding the colour , and tasting the sweetnesse of dainty delicate dishes , his wine red in the cup , and his beer of amber colour in the glasse : in the scripture we read of a certain man that fared deliciously very day , as if there had been no more but one so ill disposed : but in our times there are certain hundreds , both of men and women , that do not only fare deliciously , but voluptuously twice every day , if no more ? and is there not many a proud persons soul hindered , if not quite kept from rest in god , by the harmonious sound of popular prayse ; which like a load-stone draweth the vain-glorious heart to hunt so much the more eagerly , to augment the eccho of such vain windy reputation ? and is there not many a covetous persons soule hindred , if not quite kept from rest in god , by the cry of great abundance ; the words of wealth , and the glory of gain ? and is there not many a musicall minde hindered , if not quite kept from sweet comfort in god , by the harmony of artificiall concord upon musicall instruments ? and how many perfumed fools are there in the world ? who by smelling their sweet apparell , and their sweet nose-gayes , are kept from souls sweetnesse in christ. and thus doth satan like a cunning fisher , beat his , hooke with a sensuall object , to catch men with , and having gotten it into their jaws ; he draweth them up and down in their sensuall contentments , till hee hath so drowned them therein , that the peace and rest of their souls in god be almost forgotten : and hence it is that the greatest part of mans life , and in many their whole life is spent , in seeking satisfaction to the sensuall appetite . nom. indeed , sir , this which you have sayd , we may see truly verified in many men , who spend their days about these vanities , and will afford no time for religious exercises , no , not upon the lords day by their good will. neo. you say the truth , and yet let mee tell you withall , that a man by the power of naturall conscience may bee forced to confesse that his hopes of happinesse are in god alone , and not in these things , yea , and to forsake profits and pleasures , and all sensuall objects , as unable to give his soule any true contentment , and fall to the performance of religious exercises , and yet rest there , and never come to god for rest , and if we consider it either in the rude multitude of sensuall livers , or in the more seemingly religious , we shall perceive that the religious exercises of men , doe strongly deceive , and strangely delude many men , of their hearts happinesse in god. for the first sort , though they be such as make their belly their best god , and doe no sacrifice but to bacchus , apollo , or venus , though their conscience doe accuse them , that these things are nought , yet in that they have the name of christians put upon them in their baptisme , and for as much as they doe often repeat the lords prayer , the apostles creed , and the ten commandements , and in that it may be they have lately accustomed themselves to goe to church , to heare divine service , and a preaching now and then , and in that they have divers times received the sacrament , they will not be perswaded but that god is well pleased with them , and a man may as well perswade them that they are not men and women , as that they are not in a good condition . and for the second sort , that ordinarily have more humane wisdome and humane learning then the former sort , and seeme to bee more holy and devout then the former sort of sensuall , ignorant people , yet how many are there of this sort , that never passe farther then the outward court of bodily performances , feeding and feasting themselves as men in a dreame , supposing themselves to have all things , and yet indeed have nothing but onely a bladder full , or rather a brainfull of winde and worldly conceptions . are there not some who give themselves to a more speciall searching and seeking out for knowledge in scripture , learnednesse , and clerklike skill , in this art , and that language , till they come to bee able to repeate all the historicall places in the bible , yea● , and all those texts of scripture , that they conceive doe make for some private opinion of theirs concerning ceremonies , church-government , or other such circumstantiall points of religion , touching which points they are very able to reason and dispute , and to put forth such curious questions as are not easily answered . are not some of these men called sect-makers , and begetters or devisers of new opinions in religion , especially in the matter of worshiping god , as they use to call it , wherein they finde a beginning , but hardly any end , for this religious knowledge is so variable through the multiplicity of curious wits and contentious spirits , that the life of man way seeme too short to take a full view of this variety ; for though all sects say , they will bee guided by the word of truth , and all seeme to bring scripture , which indeed is but one as god is but one , yet by reason of their severall constructions and interpretations of scripture , and conceits of their own humane wisdome , they are many . and are there not others of this sort of men , that are readie to embrace any new way of worship , especially if it come under the cloake of scripture learning , and have a shew of truth founded upon the letter of the bible , and seeme to bee more zealous and devout then their former way , specially if the teacher of that new way can but frame a sad and demure countenance , and with a grace lift up his head and his eyes towards heaven , with some strong groane in declaring of his newly conceived opinion , and that hee frequently use this phrase of the glory of god ! ô then these men are by and by of another opinion , supposing to themselves that god hath made known some farther truth to them , for by reason of the blindnesse of their understanding , they are not able to reach any supernaturall truth , although they doe by literall learning , and clerklike cunning dive never so deepe into the scriptures , and therefore they are ready to entertaine any forme of religious exercise , as shall bee suggested unto them . and are there not a third sort much like to these men that are excessive and mutable in the performance of religious exercises . surely saint paul did perceive that this was the very god of some men in his time , and therefore hee willeth timothy to instruct others , that bodily exercise profiteth little , or as some read it , nothing at all , and doth oppose thereunto godlinesse as being another thing , then bodily exercise , and sayth , that it is profitable , &c. and doe not you thinke there are some men at this day that know none other good then bodily exercise , and can hardly distinguish betwixt it and godlinesse . now these bodily exercises are mutable and variable , according to their conceits and opinions , for all sects have their severall services ( as they call them ) yet all bodily ▪ and for the most part onely bodily , the which they performe to establish a rest to their soules , because they want rest in god , and hence it is that their peace and rest is up and down according to their working better or worse , so many chapters must be read , and so many sermons must bee heard , and so many times must pray in one day , and so many dayes in the weeke , or in the yeare , they must fast , &c. or else their soules can have no rest , but mistake mee not i pray , in imagining that i speake against the doing of these things , for i doe them all my selfe , but against resting in the doing of them , the which i desire not to doe . and thus you see that mans blinde understanding doth not onely present unto the sensuall appetite , sensuall objects , but also to the rationall appetites , rationall objects , so that mans poore soule is not onely kept from rest in god by means of sensuality , but also by means of formality : if satan cannot keep us from seeking rest in god , by feedeing our senses with our mother evahs apple , then he sets us to seeke him in away where wee shall never finde him , if he cannot doe it more grosely , then hee attempts to doe it more closely . nom. but , sir , i am perswaded that many men that are so religiously exercised , and doe performe such duties as you have mentioned , doe finde true rest for their souls in god. evan. ineeed i am perswaded there are some men that are carefull to performe such duties in obedience to the will of god in christ , as conceiving them to be the way , wherein he is accustomed to meete his people , and give them an extraordinary visit , as also conceiving them to be the meanes whereby hee doth ordinarily beget and increase faith , whereby they are enabled to draw neer to god in christ , and so to have peace and rest in him , and therefore if they doe omit any of these duties , when they conceive that god calls them thereunto , they are troubled in their mindes , and vexed at themselves for being disobedient to the will of god , and for missing his kinde visit , and omitting the meanes of increasing their faith , now such men as these may , and doubtlesse doe finde true rest to their soules in god , in the performance of religious exercises . but alas , i feare me , that the most part of such men as are so religiously exercised , and are of such dispositions as i have shewed , doe rather conceive , that as they have offended and displeased god by their former disobedience , so they must pacifie and please him by their future obedience , and therefore they are carefull to exercise themselves in this way of duty , and that way of worship , and all to that end , yea , and they conceiving that they have corrupted , defiled and polluted themselves by their falling into sin , they must also purge , clense and purifie themselves by rising out of sin , and walking in new obedience , and so all the good they doe , and all the evill they eschew is to pacifie god , and appease their own consciences , and if they seeke rest to their soules this way , why it is the way of the covenant of works , where they shall never be able to reach god , nay , it is the way to come to god out of christ , where they shall never be able to come neere him , he being a consuming fire . neo. then , sir , it seemeth to me , that god in christ apprehended by faith , is the onely true rest for mans soule . evan. i , there is the true rest indeed , there is that rest which david invites his soule unto , when he sayth , returne unto thy rest , ô my soule , for we which have believed have entred into his rest , saith the authour to the hebrews . and come unto me , sayth christ , all yee that labour and are heavie laden and i will give you rest . and truly my neighbours and friends believe it , wee shall never finde a hearts happinesse , and a true soules rest untill we finde it here , for howsoever a man may thinke if hee had this mans wit , and that mans wealth , this mans honour , and that mans pleasure , this wife , or that husband , such children , and such servants , his heart would be satisfied , and his soule would be contented , yet which of us hath not by our own experience found the contrary ? for not long after that we have obtained the thing we did so much desire , and wherein we promised our selves so much happinesse , rest and content , we have found nothing but vanity and emptinesse in it : let a man but deale plainly with his own heart and hee shall finde , that notwithstanding he hath many things , yet there is ever one thing wanting , for indeed , mans soule cannot be satisfied with any creature , no , not with a world of creatures : and the reason is because the desires of mans soule are infinite , according to that infinite goodnesse which it once lost in losing god ; yea , and mans soul is a spirit , and therefore cannot communicate with any corporall thing , so that all creatures not being that infinite and spirituall fulnesse which our hearts have lost , and towards the which they do still re-aspire , they cannot give it full contentment . nay , let mee say more , howsoever a man may in the midst of his sensuall fulnesse be convinced in his conscience , that he is at enmity with god , and therefore in danger of his wrath and eternall damnation , and be thereupon moved to reforme his life , and amend his ways , and endevour to seek peace and rest to his soul , yet this being in the way of works it is impossible that he should finde it ; for his conscience wil ever be accusing him , that this good duty hee ought to have done , and hath not done it ; and this evill he ought to have forborne ; and yet hee hath done it : and in the performance of this duty he was remisse , and in that duty very defective , and many such wayes will his soul be disquieted . but when a man once comes to believe that all his sins , both past , present , and to come , are freely and fully pardoned , and god in christ graciously reconciled unto him : the lord doth hereupon so reveale his fatherly face unto him in christ , and so make known that incredible union betwixt him and the believing soul ; that his heart becomes quietly contented in god , who is the proper element of its being : for hereupon there come● into the soule such peace flowing from the god of peace ; that it fils the emptinesse of the soule with true fulnesse , in the fulnesse of god ; so that now the heart ceaseth to molest the understanding and reason , in seeking eyther variety of objects , or augmentation of degrees , in any comprehensible thing : and that because the restlesse longing of the minde which did before cause unquietnesse , and disorder , both in the variety of mentall projects , and also in the sensuall and beastly exercises of the corporall and externall members , is satisfied and truly quieted , for when a mans heart is at peace in god , and is become truly full in that peace and joy , passing understanding , then the devill hath not that hope to prevaile against our souls , as hee had before , hee knows right well that it is in vaine to beat his hooke , with profits , pleasures , honour , or any other such like seeming good , to catch such a soule that is thus at quiet in god , for he hath all fulnesse in god , and what can be added to fulnesse , but it runneth over , indeed empty hearts like empty hogsheads , are fit to receive any matter which shall be put into them , but the heart of the believer being filled with joy and peace in believing , doth abhorre all such base allurements , for that it hath no roome in it selfe to receive any such seeming contentments , so that to speak as the truth is , there is nothing that doth truly and unfainedly root wickednesse out of the heart of man , but only the true tranquility of the minde , or the rest of the soul in god , and to say as the thing is , this is such a peace and such a rest to the creature in the creatour , that according to the measure of its establishment by faith , no created comprehensible thing , can eyther adde to it or detract from it , the increase of a kingdome cannot augment it , the greatest losses and crosses in worldly things cannot diminish it , a believers good works doe all flow from it , and ought not to return to it : neyther ought humane frailties to molest it , howver this is most certain , neyther sin nor satan , law nor conscience , hell nor grave , can quite extinguish it , for it is the lord alone that gives and mayntains it : whom have i in heaven but thee , sayth david , and there is none upon earth that i desire besides thee : it is the pleasant face of god in christ , that puts gladnesse into his heart , psal. 4.7 . and when that face is hid , then he is troubled , psal. 30.7 . but to speake more plainly though the peace and joy of true believers , may be extenuated or diminished , yet doth the testimony of their being in nature remayne so strong , that they could skill to say : yea , even when they have felt god to be withdrawing himselfe from them ; my god , my god , why hast thou forsaken me : yea , and in the night of gods absence to remayne confident , that though sorrow be over night , yet joy will come in the morning : nay , though the lord should seeme to kill them with wickednesse , yet will they put their trust in him , knowing that for all this , their redeemer liveth : so strong is the joy of their lord : these are the people that are kept in perfect peace , because their minds are stayed in the lord. wherfore , my deare friends and loving neighbours , i beseech you , take heed of deeming any estate happy until you come to find this true peace and rest to your souls in god , ô , beware lest any of you doe content your selves with a peace rather of speculation then of power ! ô , be not satisfied with such a peace as consisteth eyther in the act of oblivion , or neglect of examination ! nor yet in any brain-sick supposition , of knowledge theologicall and divine , & so frame rationall conclusions , to protract time , and stil the cryes of an accusing conscience , but let your hearts take their last farewell of all false felicities , wherewith they have been all of them more or lesse detained , and kept from their true rest : ô , be strong in resolution ! and bid them all farewell , and neyther stay in egypt by the flesh-pots of sensuality , nor yet in the wildernesse of religious and rationall formality ; but strip your selfe of all : putten on contentments , eyther in sensuall honours , profits , or pleasures , or religious exercises , and become truly poore , miserable and naked . nom. but stay , sir , i pray you , would you have our senses to be no longer exercised about any of their objects ? would you have us no longer to take comfort in the good things of this life ? evan. i pray you doe not mistake mee , i would not have you stoically to refuse the lawfull use of any the lords good creatures , which he shall be pleased to afford you : for i right well know that the minde of man hath a naturall motion towards its own delight and recreation in these things ▪ and that this motion still remains in the minde of him that is the most mortified , and hath taken his truest farewell of them , but yet in such a man , that motion which before was violent from the cry of the heart is now restrained ▪ so that his appetite is not so forcible , nor so unruly as it was before , the unrulinesse thereof being subdued in the peace of the heart , and and brought into a very comely decorum and order , so that now the sensuall appetite can with much more easiness and contentednesse be denyed the object of its desire ; yea , the sensuall appetite can in a good measure be content , with what is most repugnant to its desire , as with hunger , cold , nakednesse , yea , and with death it self , such is the wonderfull working of the hearts quiet and rest in god. so that although such a mans senses be still exer●ised in and upon their proper objects , yet is not his life sensuall , for his heart taketh no contentment from any such exercise , but is still ( for the most part ) exercised in a more transcendent communion , even with god in christ ; so that he useth the world , and the things of the world , as though hee used them not ; and receiveth no cordiall contentment from any sensuall exercise whatsoever , and that , because his heart is withdrawne from them , which withdrawing of the heart is not unaptly pointed at in the speech of the spouse , cant. 5.2 . i sleep , sayth she , but my heart waketh ; so , that it may be sayd , that such a man he is sleeping , looking , hearing , tasting , eating , drinking , feasting , &c. but his heart is withdrawne and is rejoycing in god his saviour , and his soul is magnifying the lord , so that in the midst of all sensuall delights his heart , and secretly sayth , i but my happinesse is not here . nom. but , sir , i pray you , why do you call rationall and religious exercises a wildernesse ? evan. for two reasons , first , because that as the children of israel , when they were got out of egypt , did yet wander many yeers in the wildernesse before they came into the land of canaan , even so doe many men wander long in rationall and religious exercises , after they have left a sensuall life , before they come to rest in god , whereof the land of canaan was a type . secondly , because as in a wildernesse , men often lose themselves and can finde no way out , but supposing ( after long travell ) that they are neere the place whither they would goe , are in truth further off : even so fareth it with many , yea , with all such as walk in the way of reason , they lose themselves in the woods and bushes of their works and doings , so that the longer they travell , the further they are from god , and true rest in him . nom. but , sir , you know that the lord hath endued us with reasonable souls , would you not then have us to make use of our reason . evan. i pray you doe not mistake mee , i do not contemn nor despise the use of reason , onely i would not have you to establish it to the chief good , but i would have you to keep it under , so that if with hagar , it attempt to beare rule , and lord it over your faith , then would i have you in the wisdome of god , like sarah , to cast it out from having dominion , in few words i would have you more strong in desire , than curious in speculation ; and to long more to feele communion with god , then to be able to dispute of the genus , or species of any question , eyther humane or divine : and presse hard to know god by powerfull experience , and though your knowledge be great , and your obedience surpassing many ; yet would i have you to be truly nullified , anihilated , and made nothing , and become fools in all fleshly wisdome , and glory in nothing , but only in the lord , and i would have you with the eye of faith sweetly to behold , all things extracted out of one thing , & in one to see al , in a word , i would have in you a most profound silence , contemning all curious questions and discourses , and to ponder much in your heart but prate little with your tongue ; be swift to heare , but slow to speake ; and slow to wrath , as the apostle james adviseth you : and by this meanes will your reason be subdued , and become one with your faith ; for then is reason one with faith , when it is subjugated unto faith , and then will reason keepe its true lists and limits , and you will become ten times more reasonable then you were before , so that , i hope , you now see that the hearts farewell from the sensuall and rationall life , is not to be considered absolutely but respectively , it doth not consist in a going out of either , but in a right use of both . and now for a conclusion let mee tell you , when any of your souls shall thus forget her own people , and her fathers house , christ her king shall so desire her beauty , and be so much in love with her , that like a load-stone this love of his shall draw the soule in pure desire to him again , and then as the hart panteth after the rivers of water , so will your souls pant after god , yea , then will your souls be so ravished with desire , and so sick of love , that it will bee manifest by your seeking him whom your soul loveth , and so shall your soule come to have a reall rest in god , and according to the measure of your faith , be filled with joy unspeakable and glorious ; and how can it bee otherwise , when your soule shall really communicate with god , and by faith have a true taste , and by the spirit have a sure earnest of all heavenly preferments , having , as it were , one foot in heaven , whilst you live upon earth , ô then what an eucharisticall love will arise from your thankfull heart ! extending it selfe , first towards god , and then towards man for gods sake , because his everlasting love in his christ is made known to your soule , so that then according to the measure of your faith , you shall not need to frame and force your selfe to love , and doe good duties , but being so assured of gods love to you in his christ , your soule will stand bound ever more to love god , and according to the measure thereof you will stand bound to the keeping of all his commandements , and this love of god in the heart will cut down selfe love , so that now you will be for god , and it will be your meat and drinke to doe his will whilst you live on earth , and much more when you come to heaven , the place of perfect and everlasting rest whither our lord jesus christ bring us all in his due time , amen . and now brethren , i commend you to god , and to the word of his grace , which is able to build you up , and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified . neo. well , sir , at this time i will say no more , but that it was a happie houre wherein i came to you , and a happie conference that wee have had together , surely , sir , i never knew christ before this day , ô what cause have i to thanke the lord for my comming hither ! and my two friends as a means of it , and , sir , for the payns that you have taken with me , i pray the lord to requite you , and so beseeching you to pray the lord to increase my faith , and to helpe mine unbeliefe , i humbly take my leave of you , praying the god of love and peace to be with you . nom. and truly , sir , i doe believe , that i have cause to speake as much in that case as you have , for though i have out-stript him in knowledge , and it may be also in strict walking , yet doe i now see , that my actions were neither from a right principle , nor to a right end , and therefore have i been in no better a condition then he , and truly , sir , i must needs confesse , i never heard so much of christ , and the covenant of grace , as i have done this day , the lord make it profitable to me , and i beseech you , sir , pray for me . ant. and truly , sir , i am now fully convinced , that i have gone out of the right way , in that i have not had regard to the law , and the works thereof as i should . but , god willing , i shall hereafter ( if the lord prolong my dayes ) be more carefull how i lead my life , seeing the ten commandements are the law of christ. and i beseech you , sir , remember me in your prayers , and so with many thanks to you for your pains , i take my leave of you , beseeching the grace of our lord jesus christ , to bee with your spirit . amen . evan. now the very god of peace , that brought again from the dead , our lord jesus , that great sheepherd of the sheep , through the bloud of the everlasting covenant , make you perfect in every good worke , to doe his will , working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight , through jesus christ , to whom be glory for ever and ever , amen . john 8.36 if the sonne make you free , you shall be free indeed . gal. 5.1 . stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith christ hath made us free . ver. 13. onely use not your liberty for an occasion of the flesh ; but by love serve one another . chap. 6. ver . 16. and as many as walke according to this rule , peace bee upon them , and mercie , and upon the israel of god. mat. 11.25 . i thanke thee ô father lord of heaven and earth , because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent , and hast revealed them to babes . 1 cor. 15.10 . i laboured more abundantly then they all , yet not i but the grace of god that was with mee . psal. 36.11 . let not the foot of pride come against me . loving reader , the printer drawing towards a conclusion , and wanting matter to compleat so many sheets , as was desired , i have thought good ( by reason of the sutablenesse of this with the former ) to adde these propositions following , which are proved by scripture : and gathered long since by patrick hambleton scottishman , and martyred : who was burned in scotland , the first day of march , anno 1527. the first proposition . he that loveth god , loveth his neighbour . this proposition is proved , 1 john 4.20 . if a man say i love god , and yet hateth his brother , he is a lyer : for how can hee that loveth not his brother whom he hath seene , love god whom he hath not seen . the second proposition . hee that loveth his neighbour as himselfe , keepeth all the commandements of god. this proposition is proved , matth. 7.12 . whatsoever he would that men should ▪ do unto you , even so do ye unto them , for this is the law and the prophets : and in rom. 13.8 , 9. hee that loveth his neighbour , fulfilleth the law. for this , thou shalt not commit adultery , thou shalt not kill , thou shalt not steale , thou shalt not bear false witnesse , thou shalt not covet : and if there be any other commandement , it is briefly comprehended in this , saying , thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy selfe , and in gal. 5.14 . all the law is fulfilled in this one word , thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy self . the third proposition . he that hath faith loveth god. my father loveth you because ye love me , and believe that i came out from god , john 16.27 . argument . he that keepeth the commandements of god , hath the love of god. he that hath faith keepeth the commandements of god. ergo , he that hath faith loveth god. the fourth proposition . hee that keepeth one commandement of god keepeth them all . this proposition is confirmed , heb. 11.6 . it is impossible for a man without faith to please god : that is , to keep any one of gods commandements as he should do ; then whosoever keepeth any one commandement hath faith . argument . hee that hath faith keepeth all the commandements of god. he that keepeth any one commandement of god hath faith . ergo , he that keepeth any one commandement , keepeth them all . the fifth proposition . hee that keepeth not all the commandements , keepeth none of them . argument . he that keepeth one commandement of god keepeth all : ergo , he that keeps not all the commanments of god keepeth not one of them . the sixth proposition . faith is the gift of god. argument . every good thing is the gift of god. faith is a good thing . ergo , faith is the gift of god. the seventh proposition . faith is not in our power . argument . the gift of god is not in our power . faith is the gift of god. ergo , faith is not in our power . the eighth proposition . he that hath faith is just and good . argument . he that is a good tree , bringeth forth good fruit , and is just and good . hee that hath faith is a good tree , and bringeth forth good fruit . ergo , he that hath faith is just and good . the ninth proposition . hee that believeth the gospel , believeth god. argument . hee that believeth gods word believeth god. the gospel is the word of god. ergo , hee that believeth the gospel believeth god. to believe the gospel is this , that christ is the saviour of the world , that christ is our saviour , christ bought us with his bloud , christ washed us with his bloud , christ offered himselfe a sacrifice for us , christ bare our sins upon his own back . the tenth proposition . he that believeth the gospel shall be safe . go yee unto all the world , and preach the gospel unto every creature ; hee that believeth and is baptised , shall be saved , mark 16.16 . a comparison between faith and incredulity . faith is the root of all good , incredulity is the root of all evill . faith maketh god and man good friends , incredulity maketh them foes . faith bringeth god and man together , incredulity separateth them . all that faith doth pleaseth god , all that incredulity doth displeaseth him . faith maketh a man good and righteous , incredulity maketh him evill faith maketh a member of christ , incredulity a member of the devill . faith bringeth a man to heaven , infidelity bringeth him to hell. a dispute between the law and the gospell . the law said pay the debt , the gospel said christ hath payd it . the law said thou art a sinner , the gospel said thy sins are forgiven thee . the law said the father of heaven is angry , the gospel said christ hath pacified it . the law said where is thy righteousnesse , the gospel said , christ is a believers righteousnesse . the law said thou art bound over to me , the devill and hell. the gospel said , christ hath delivered a believer from you all . no manner of works make us righteous . we believe that a man is justified by faith without the works of the law , rom. 3.28 . no man is justified by the works of the law , but by the faith of jesus christ , and we believe in jesus christ , that wee may be justified by the faith of christ , and not by the deeds of the law , for if righteousnesse come by the law , then christ dyed in vain , gal. 2. no works make us unrighteous . if any evill works make us unrighteous , then the contrary workes should make us righteous , but it is proved that no good works can make us righteous , therefore no evill works can make us unrighteous , if we be believers . works then make us neyther good nor evill . it is proved that works make us neither righteous nor unrighteous , therefore no works make us either good or evill , for righteous and good are one thing , and unrighteous and evill another . good works make not a good man , nor evill works an evill man , but a good man bringeth forth good works , and an evill man evill works . good fruit maketh not the tree good , nor evill fruit the tree evill , but a good tree beareth good fruit ▪ and an evill tree evill fruit . a good man cannot doe evill works , nor an evill man good works , for a good tree cannot beare evill fruit , nor an evill tree good fruit . a man is good before he doe good works , and evill before he doe evill works . a good man is known by his good works , and an evill man by his evill works , yee shall know them by their fruits , for a good tree beareth good fruit , and an evill tree evill fruit ; a man is likened to a tree , and his works to the fruit of the tree . if works make us neither righteous nor unrighteous , then it maketh no matter what we doe . i answer , if thou doe evill , it is a sure argument that thou art evill , and wantest faith , if thou doe good , it is an argument that thou art good , and hast faith , for a good tree beareth good fruit , and an evill tree evill fruit ; yet good fruit maketh not the tree good , nor evill fruit the tree evill ; so that man is good before he doe good works , and evill before he doe evill works . faith maketh the good tree , and incredulity the evill tree , such a tree , such fruit ; such a man , such works ; for all things which are done in faith please god and are good works , and all that are done without faith , displease god , and are evill works . whosoever believeth or thinketh to bee saved by his works , denyeth that christ is his saviour , for how is he thy saviour if thou mightest save thy selfe by thy works ? or wherefore should he have died for thee , if any works might have saved thee . now seeing that he hath paid the debt , thou needest not pay it , neither indeed couldst thou pay it , but shouldest be damned if his bloud were not , but sith hee was punished for that thou shalt not bee punished . finally , hee hath delivered thee from thy condemnation , and all evill , and desireth naught of thee , but that thou wilt acknowledge what hee hath done for thee , and beare it in minde , and that thou wouldest helpe others for his sake both in word and deed , even as hee hath holpen thee , for naught and without reward . o how ready would men bee to help others if wee knew his goodnesse and gentlenesse towards us , hee is a good and a gentle lord , and doth all for naught , therefore let us follow his steps . so that i doe not say , that believers should doe no good works , but i say men should not doe good works , to the intent to get the inheritance of heaven through good works , for if we believe we shall get remission of sins , or the inheritance of heaven through works , wee believe not to get the same for christs sake , neither doe we believe the promise of god that they are given us freely , and so we make god a lyar , for god sayth , thou shalt have the inheritance of heaven for my sons sake , thy sins are forgiven thee for my sons sake , but thou sayst it is not so , if thou think to win them by thy works . thus you see that i condemne not good works , but the false trust in them , for all the works wherein man putteth any confidence , are therewith poysoned and become evill . wherefore thou must doe good works , but beware thou doe them not to deserve any good through them , for if thou doe , thou receivest thy good , not as the gift of god , but as a debt to thee , and makest thy se●fe fellow with god , because thou wilt ta●e nothing of him for naught . presse not th●rfore to the inheritance of heaven through ●he presumption of thy good works , for if thou doe , thou shalt fall as lucifer fell for his pride . finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a41355-e580 gen. 3.24 . gal. 5.1 . 2 pet. 2.19 . burton me●a● pag. 8. notes for div a41355-e1100 portis apertis paradisum intrasse , tom. 1. notes for div a41355-e2920 tit. 3.9 1 cor. 4.21 . gal. 4.18 . act. 21.20 1 tim. 1.17 . rom. 3.27 gal. 6.2 . bal on the cov. of grace , p. 9. com. pla . eng . p. 118. lev. 18.5 . gen. 2.17 . ames . med . eng. p. 48. com. pla . p. 31. downham ▪ on just. p. 443.465 . bal on the covenant p. 6. walker on the covenant , p. 39. bal on the covenant p. 5. calv instit . fol. eng . p. 8. eccl. 7.27 basting , cat . p. 9. vrsin . cat . p. 517. calv inst . p. 190. col. 3.10 . eph. 4.34 . treat . of effectuall cal. p. 20. or thereabouts . hugo gr●● . defens . fid . p. 71. lightfoot miscela . p. 282. reynolds on ps. ●● p. 403. reynolds on psal. 110. p. 405 ●ibbens on gen. p. 77. bal on the cov. p. 11. reyn. on psal. 110. ● . 406. ps. 16.11 . walker on the covenant , p. 89. m. slat . on the 2● cov. deut , pathw . p. 304. reynolds on psal. 110. pag. 406. c●l . instit. p. 81. reynolds on ps. 110 p. 406. rom. 5.12 cal. iustit . p. 106 , 107 goodwin trium . faith. p. 85 pemble vind fid . p. 99. seven gold . cand . p. 3. basting cat. p. 10. vrban . reg. in ch . ser. to ema●s . p. 12. chos . ser. p. 9. com. pla . p. 14. reynolds on ps. 110 p. 407. lightfoot miscela . p. 183. ibid. com. pla . p. 13. hos. 13.9 . bolton , true boun ▪ p. 135. vrsin . cat . p. 112. vrsin . cat . p. 112. cal. instit. p. 117. bolton , true boun . p. 133. rom. 5.6 . rom. 8.2 . lightfoot miscela . p. 282. tindal , path . to holy scrip . p. 378. 2 tim. 1.9 ▪ eph. 3 11. rom. 1.2 . gal. 4.4 . reynolds on ps. 110. p. 407 , 408 williams , 7 gold . can . p. 319. hooker , ●ouls just . p. 177. cal. instit. p. 117. reynolds , psal. 110. p. 408. ibid. ames . med . p. 74. th. goodw. christ set forth , p. 75 ainsworth on the text . goodw. christ set forth , p. 75 ps. 40.7 , 8 cal. instit. p. 117. hookers souls just . p. 174 goodwin , christ set forth , p. 83 , 84. 1 cor. 15 , 47. 1 cor. 15.58 . bal of the cov . p. 289 ibid. p. 287 208. gen. 3 . 1● ▪ vers . 15. vrban reg. on christs sermon to ema●● . ainsworth . lightfoot miscela . p. 186. v●ug meth on bib p. 15 walker on cov. p. 59. gibben● on gen. mar. 14.42 . mar. 15.34 , 32. heb. 9.14 . ainsworth on the text . gen. 1.26 rev. 13.8 . walker on the cov. p. 42. ainsworth on gen. gibbens on gen. v●b . reg. on christs serm . to emaus . duples . trunesse of chr. relig . p. 226. gen. 12.13 . gen. 18.18 . gen. 20.12 . gal. 3. ● . heb. 7.12 . heb. 6.20 . jer. 23 6. isa. 9 6. dixon on the h●b . williams , 7 gold . can . p. 330 , 331 bal on the cov . p. 49. walker on the cov . p. 63. gen. 32.28.30 . seven gold . cand . p. 322 gen. 49.10 . b. babing . on the text . institut . p. 204. heb. 11.10 . gen. 49.18 . ainsworth on the text . tindal in his works , p. 430. ainsw . on exod. mar. 15.33 , 34 , 35. 1 cor. 10.2 , 3 , 4. bal on the cov . p. 110 bal on the cov . p. 213 ibid. p. 113 lightfoot miscela . p. 186. subst . of relig. octav . eng . p. 184 , 185 new cov. p. 317. o● cov . p. 128. bolton , true boun . p. 23. rom. 2.15 in m. bolton , p. 371. bullinger , com . plac . rom. 5 . 1● rom. 5 . 2● pembl . ●ind . fid . p. 155. bolton , 〈◊〉 bound . ● . 132 , 158. reinolds on the use of the law , d. willet on exo. 10 pembl . vind . fid . p. 154. gal. 3.19 . reynolds on the use of the law ibid. marshal , infants-baptisme . rom. 11.6 bolton , true boun . p. 157. reynolds on the use of the law . instit. p. 157. pembl . vind . fid . p. 164. instit. p. 159. exod. 19.8 pembl . ibid. bolton , true bounds , p. 22. cal instit. institut . pag. 402. walker on the covenant , page 155. dixon . on the hebr. heb. 12.19 , 20. b. babing . on gen. 20. luther o● gal. p. 153. walker on the covenant , p. 70 the author of the benefit of christs death . aynsworth , on deut deut. 18.15 , 16 , 17 18. ioh. 3.25 . levit. 1.1 . exod. 34.27 . exo. 24.4 . on the text . ainsworth . dixon on the heb. walker on the cov. pag. 13. com. places english calvins institut . lib. 2. cal. inst. p. 157. bolton , true bounds , p. 2●9 . in his preface to levit. heb. 11.4 . levit. 1.4 . b babing . on the text . on iob 1. institut . p. 239. ibid. 152. heb. 11.26 , 27. alleadged by dr. v●b . reg. cal. inst. p. 207. on gal. i am sure . inst. p. 198. walker on the cov. heb. 8.8 . vrsin . cat . p. 129. gal. 3.6 , 7 on gal pag. 116. on iusti. page 90. walker on the conant , page 122. page 29. heb. 13. ● . marshall of infants baptisme . ball on the covenant ▪ page 119. deut. 9.10 . deu. ●0 . 5 . reinolds on psal. 110. p. 35. rom. 10.4 bolton , true bound . p. 52. exod. 25.22 . on gala. pa. 171. calv. iust . p. 167. verse 19.20 . verse 9. verse 20. eccles. 9.2 num. ●0 . 12 . 2 chron. 35.21 , 22. num. 16.46 . matth. 22 23. boltons true bounds . pag. 259. ball on the cov●n . pag. 114. perkins on christs ser. on the mount . musculus ▪ com. pla . pag. 118. gray , in his serm. of the perfect . of a christ. in his preface to the rom. exp . tindal on ma● . bolton , true bounds . pag. 161. heb. 7 9. rom. 9.31.32 . rom. 10.3 2 cor. 3.14 . exod. 34.28 , 29. 2 cor. 3.7 . exod. 34.35 . calvins harm . p. 87. matth. 27.51 . tindal , alleadged by marbeck in com . pla . p. 112. 2 cor. 3.5 2 cor. 3.14 . gal. 4.4 . hooker souls justifica pag. 173. isai. 53.6 . luther on gal. pag. 137. heb. 10.5 , 6 , 7. visin . cat . pemble vindict . fid . forles on justification , p. 89. goodwins christ set forth , pag. 87. rom. 6.10 , 11. 1 cor. 15.20 . smith on the creed . on gal. p. 81. rom. 7.4 . doctor willet on the text. elton on the text. on the text. alledged by doctor willet on rom. see doctour willet again . fox that wrote the book of martyrs . on gal. p. 184. pag. 185. rom. 3.19 . rom. 6.14 . acts 13.39 . iohn 3.16 . boultons true bounds , p. 160. trunesse of christian religion . on gal. p. 133. chos . sermon , pag. 108. boultons true bounds , p. 97. pag. 162. boultons true bounds , p. 97 , 98. iudg. 9.18 , 19. discourse of true happines , pag. 64. matth. 5.20 . proposition , on gal. second , in octa . pag. 45. doctor downham of iustification , p. 149. acts 4.12 . iohn 14.6 . on gal. p. 17. doctor vrban regis , in his exposition of christs sermon going to emaus . 1 cor. 2.2 . reynolds on psal. 110. p. 1. matth. 26.73 . phil. 1.27 . mark 4.15 . 2 tim. 3.5 . 2 thess : 1.11 . 1 tim. 1.5 . diodat on the text. wilson on the romans , p. 17. doctor preston of faith , pag. 86. 2 cor. 13.5 . rom. 8.10 . chos . sermon , pag. 65. luther on gal. pag. 170. gal. 5.4 . gal. 3.19 . gal. 1.7 . gal. 3.10 . gal. 4.25 . gal. 5.7 . gal. 3.11 . heb. 11.6 . instit. pag. 370. on gal. 〈…〉 . on gal. p. ●5 . ball on the covenant , pag. 338. chos . sermon , pag. 65. matth. 21.31 . philip. 3.7 , 8 , 9. matth. 3.17 . reynolds on psal. 110. p. 7. luther on gal. p. 69 , 194. acts 16.31 . culverwell of faith , pag. 15. iohn 3.16 . doctor preston of faith , pag. 8. in a little book called the benefit of christs death . heb. 10.22 . iude verse 4. matth. 22.14 . 2 pet. 1.10 . heb. 4.1 . poore doubting christian , pag. 69. deut. 29.29 . 1 iohn 3.23 . doctor sibs souls conflict , pag. 621. gal. 2.20 . doctor preston of love , pag. 146. 2 cor. 5.20 , 21. rouse mystica● mariage , p. 1● christian liberty , p. 21. 1 sam. 1● . 25 . 2 cor. 5.19 . chos . sermon , pag. 299. chos . sermon , pag. 31 , 32 , 33. ephes. 1.6 . iohn 11.21 . luther on gal. pag. 17. iohn 5.22 . iohn 12.17 . 1 tim. 1.15 . rom. 4.5 . matth. 9.12 . ezek. 16.4 , 5 , 8. hos. 2.19 . mark 10.49 . luke 5.8 . chos . ser. p. ●● . luke 1.57 . chos . ser. p. 85 heb. 4.6 . hookers poore doubt . christ. pag. 108. revel . 3.20 . 1 tim , 1.13 . poore doubt . christ. p. 132. iohn 6.37 . psal. 25.11 . on gal. p. 20 , 21. isai. 55.1 . hookers poor doubting christian. pag. 151. cornw●ll , on gospel repentance . p. 6. isai. 55.3 . cornwell , on gospel repentance . p. 21. dike , of repentance . p. 11. luke 19.6 . acts 16.14 . 2 kings 7.4 . doct. preston of faith. p. 23. goodwins child of light . pag. 196. pag. 199. in a letter to him . hookers poore doubt . christ. pag. 52. iohn 17.21 . 1 iohn 4.13 . cant. 2.16 . hookers souls union , pag. 6 , 7 , 9 , 10. tindall parab . wicked mam. pag. 75. doubting christian , pag. 154. 1 cor. 1.30 . barnardine ochine in his serm. how a christian should make his last will. 1 cor. 3.22 . barnardine ochine in his sermon , how a christian should make his last will. 2 cor. 5.21 . christian liberty , p. 21 . 2● . pag. 24. pag. 25. on the new covenant . pag. 15. col. 2.14 . ephes. 1.4 . rom. 3.24 . boultons true bounds , p. 2●● . acts 13.39 . m. iohn fox upon election . doctor sibs souls conflict , pag. 55. instit. pag. 155. heb. 12.18 , 22 , 24. rom. 4.15 . isa. 58.1 . rom. 8.1 . greenhams afflicted conscience , p. 70. barnardine ochine in his sermon , how to answer before the judgment seat . luthers . chos . sermon , p. 99.100.101 . chos . sermon , pag. 42.99 . barnardine ochine in his sermon of predestination . 1 cor. 15.56 , 57. boultons true bounds , p. 7● . pag. 74. basting cat. pag. 9. reynolds use of the law , pag. 388. ezek. 16.6 . iohn 6.26 . ephes. 5.1 . iohn 14.15 . psal. 89.31 , 32 , 33. boultons true bounds , pag. 77 perkius on gal. 4.5 . allea●ged by docto● taylor , regu● vitae . pag. 21 acts 3.22 . matth. 17.4 , 5. col. 3.16 , 17. verse 18. verse 20. ephes. 5.6 . gal. 6.2 . rom. 14.9 . on gal. p. 59. institut . p. 403. boultons true bounds , pag. 31 heb. 10.1 , 2. chap. 9.14 . on gal. p. 182. rom. 7.12 , 14. on gal. p. 5. chos . sermon , pag. 103. com. places fol. english , 119 , 120. isai. 33.22 . 1 iohn 3.10 . chos . sermon , pag. 142. tindall parab . wicked mam. pag. 65.66 . chos . sermon , pag. 197. parab . wicked mam. pag. 68. discourse of true happines , pag. 35. on the heart , pag. 111. christian liberty , p. 39. chos . sermon , pag. 246. pag. 297. instit. pag. 162. calvin on iohn 3.34 . 1 cor. 13 9. in his works , pag. 86. benefit of christs death , pag. 85. christian liberty , p. 39. on gal. p. 150. 1 tim. 1.8 . titus 3.8 . titus 3 4 , 5. rom. 5.5 . 1 iohn 4.19 . dyke on repentance . p. 9. dyke of repentance , p. 21 ezek. 36.31 . zach. 12 . 1● . phil. 3.6 . on gal. p. 218. hosea 10 : 1. of love , p. 19 gal. 3.2 . 2 cor. 5.14 . doctor preston of love , pag. 29. towns assertion of grace , pag. 131. pag. 138. pathway to holy scripture , pag. 383. doctor preston of love , pag. 28. luke 1.74 , 75· matth. 10.28 . col. 3.24 . heb. 11.26 . gen. 15.1 . psal. 73.25 . psal. 17.15 . heb. 10.22 . tindall parab . wicked mam. pag. 89. 1 iohn 4.19 . psal. 16.12 . psal. 26.3 . iohn 14.6 . col. 2.6 . elton on the text. rom. 5.1 . isai. 26.3 . rom. 4.16 . rom. 3.24 . phil. 3.9 . 1 cor. 15.10 . isai. 65.6 . 1 cor. 4.7 . rom. 11.14 . heb. 4.2 . iohn 6.29 . rollock on iohn . i cannot certainly direct you in what page to finde al this , because the severall impressions do alter the pages , but in that booke where i had it , is in p. 330.340 , 344 , 346. wards life of faith , p. 6 , 7 , 8 74 , 75. poore doubting christian , pag. 159. pag. 154. barnardine ochine in his sermon of predestination . iohn 15.16 . on gal. p. 124. in his treatise of faith , pag. 20. wards life of faith , pag. 59. new covenant pag. 361. towns assertion of grace , pag. 142. wards life of faith , pag. 19. williams seven golden candlesticks , p. 394 wards life of faith , p. 6 , 7. wards life of faith , p. 68 , 69 , 70. on gal. p. 173. 1 cor. 13.9 . iames 3.2 . 1 iohn 1.4 . rom. 7.15 . on gal. p. 144. wards life of faith. p. 149. souls effectuall calling . p. 610. new covenant pag. 144. phil. 1.27 . chos . sermon , pag. 72. luke 17.5 . rom. 19.17 . poore doubting christian , pag. 148. boultons true bounds , pag. 1 ▪ ball on ▪ the covenant . pag. 41. 1 pet. 1.6 . 1 thes. 1.3 . gal. 5.6 . iohn 14.15 . psal 40.8 . 1 iohn 5 3. gen. 39.9 . luke 15.21 . dan. 9.27 . ezek. 36.31 . hosea 14.8 . isaiah 30.22 . rom. 2.4 . revel . 3.19 . culverwell of faith. p. 30 , 31. on gal. p. 66. chos . sermon , pag. 156. obedient christ man , pag. 120. levit. 26.43 . ier. 31.18 . verse 19. psal. 94.12 . 2 cor. 13.5 . doctor preston of faith , pag. 84. 1 iohn 3.19 . luke 7.47 . goodwin christ set ●orth , pag. 23. m. cotton of new england , in his thirteenth quest . poore doubting christian , pag. 37. goodwins child of light , p. 194. hosea 14.3 . luke 8.15 . 2 cor. 3.5 . iob 5.27 . philip. 1.27 . 1 thess. 1.3 . heb. 9.26 . heb. 9.24 . perkins on the creed , pag. 356 matth. 28.18 . reynolds on psal. 110. p. 9. harmony , pag. 329. matth. 8.13 . m. caryl at blackfriers . wilsons dictionary , p. 259. 1 tim. 4.8 . psal. 116.7 . heb. 4.3 . psal. 73.25 . psal. 22·1 . psal. 30.5 . iob 13.15 . iob 19.25 . nehem. 8.10 . isaiah 26.3 . iam. 1.10 . psal. 55.10.11 . psal. 42.1 . cant. 25. cant. 3.1 . acts 20.32 . heb. 13.20 , 21 notes for div a41355-e35090 major . minor. conclusion . major . minor. conclusion . major . minor. conclusion . major . minor. conclusion . major . minor. conclusion . major . minor. conclusion . iohn 4.26 . luke 1.47 . heb. 13.20 . revel . 1.5 . heb. 9. 1 pet. 2. object . answer . the mystery of faith opened up, or, some sermons concerning faith (two whereof were not formerly printed) wherein the nature, excellency, and usefulnesse of that noble grace is much cleared, and the practice thereof most powerfully pressed : whereunto are added other three sermons, two concerning death / by mr. andrew gray ...; all these sermons being now carefully revised, and much corrected. gray, andrew, 1633-1656. 1669 approx. 342 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 116 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2004-08 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a41843 wing g1617 estc r39450 18419754 ocm 18419754 107527 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial 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(eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a41843) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 107527) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 1634:15) the mystery of faith opened up, or, some sermons concerning faith (two whereof were not formerly printed) wherein the nature, excellency, and usefulnesse of that noble grace is much cleared, and the practice thereof most powerfully pressed : whereunto are added other three sermons, two concerning death / by mr. andrew gray ...; all these sermons being now carefully revised, and much corrected. gray, andrew, 1633-1656. [12], 216 p. printed by george swintown and james glen ..., edinburgh: 1669. errors in paging: p. 78 misnumbered 76. imperfect: tightly bound, with print show-through and some loss of print. reproduction of original in the british library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng church of scotland -sermons. faith -sermons. salvation -sermons. death -sermons. sermons, english -17th century. 2004-01 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2004-03 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2004-05 john latta sampled and proofread 2004-05 john latta text and markup reviewed and edited 2004-07 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the mystery of faith opened up : or some sermons concerning faith ( two whereof were not formerly printed ) wherein the nature , excellency , and usefulnesse of that noble grace is much cleared , and the practice thereof most powerfully pressed . whereunto are added other three sermons , two concerning the great salvation , ( one of these not formerly printed ) and a third concerning death . by mr. andrew gray , late minister of the gospel in glasgow . all these sermons being now carefully revised , and much corrected . joh. 3. 18. he that believeth not , is condemned already , because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten son of god. edinburgh , printed by george swinton and iames glen , anno 1669. mr. gray's mystery of faith. christian reader . among many weighty and soul pierceing sentences that you will find in these following sermons , this is one● ; that the professors of this ●ge , whether they go to heaven or hell , they will be the greatest debtors that shall be in ●ither place● : the 〈◊〉 to the free grace of god , and the other to his justice : and certainly , if we speak of those in this time , whose ●lessed lot it shall be to inherit the kingdom , ●hey cannot but acknowledge themselves in●ebted to his love , above all that have gone ●efore them ▪ for w●shing them from such ugly ●●llutions , ●● this generation hath been defiled ●ith ; for bringing them through so great tri●●ilations , preserving them in the midst of so ●●eat ten●ations , and dangerous s●ares as have ●compassed them ; yea , and still keeping in the ●●ght before them , notwithstanding of so many ●asts ( if we may so speak ) from all the four ●inds of , hell to blow it out . and on the other ●nd , if we speak of these whom in this ge●●ration shall perish ▪ assuredly their debt unto ●ivine iustice must be exceeding great , above ●●l who are gone down to the pit before them ; ●●cause the roll of their mercies will be found have been many ●●bits longer ▪ and many cu●s broader , than theirs who lived in the pre●ding ages ; and the great things that the ●●rd hath wrought in our dayes , have born a greater testimony against the wickednesse , hardnesse and atheism of this time , then of many former . but above all , the great measure of gospel-light that he hath no lesse plentifully offered , then wonderfully preserved to this generation , beyond all our ancestors ; hath undoubtedly made the sin of these who shall utterly reject their own mercy , so out of measure sinfull , and their unbelief so exceedingly inexcusable , that their guilt must needs justifie corazin and bethsaida , or sodom and gommorrah in that day when every man shall give account of himself to god : and amongst the many preaching witnesses that ( al as we are afraid ) shall compear in that day against many yet living in their pleasures , and dead while they live : this now glorified author cannot but be one , whose testimony must be very condemning , especially to the vain , loose , negligent and time-wasting youth in this age : for when h● was first drawn to the ministry , he was but youth indeed , scarce twenty years compleat ; f●● within that age , that by the constitutions o● this church ( except in case of more then common abilities which indeed he had ) is required for entring to that great and holy calling . and for the space of two years after ( whic● was all the time that the church enjoyed his labour , he was helped to presse the truths an● threatnings of god so home upon the conscience of his hearers , that as it was observed of him , b● one of his most learned and pious colleagu● master durham , who is now in glory with him he did many times cause the hair of their head stand up : the lord not only hereby verifying his word , that he can take the weak things of the world to confound the strong , and out of the mouth of babes can perfect his own praise , but designing also ( as would seem of purpose ) to send a boy out of the school for a reprover of the sluggishnesse of his people , that thereby the aged might be the more ashamed , and the younger more afraid : neither do wee think that this was all ; but truely when we consider what measure of graces , gifts and experiences the lord did bestow upon so young a person , and then with what humility , self-denial , gravity , prudence , diligence , authority and moderation he was helped to manage these talents during that short time of his ministry ; it may be justly conceived that the lord brought him forth to be a great conviction even to many of us in the ministery who came into our masters vineyard long before him , and will go out behind him : and indeed to us it looketh somewhat like the lords taking up of the little childe and setting him amongst the midst of his contending disciples in these times , that even they who would be greatest amongst us , might be least , and see somewhat of their own weaknesse . as to this little peece , whatever yee shall finde in it : it hath this to say for its self , that whereas many writings in the world , do intrude themselves upon the presse , yet this the presse hath violently thrust into the world : for some young student , from his good affection to the edification of the lords people , and ( no doubt ) from his high esteem of the precious author his memory , having given in to the presse a copie of some of these sermons , being only notes taken from his mouth when he preached them , no sooner were they seen abroad , but all the presses in the nation fell a labouring about them , so that ▪ ( if we mistake not ) in lesse no● two or three months time , three or four impressions were cast off , yet all of them so imperfect and maimed , that howbeit the excellency of the matter , and the fresh remembrance of the worthy author his name , made them very sweet to many ( especially those who had heard him preach ) yet the unsuitable dresse wherein they appeared and their mistakes of the first writers ( they being hardly able to take up every thing as it was spoken ) occasioning diverse material failings in the sense , besides lesser faults , could not but be a trouble to those who were acquainted not only with the singular graces , but parts also of that eminent youth . this gave occasion to some friends to speak a little what way these prejudices which both the truth and the authors name might ●ly under , by these uncorrect impressions might be taken off . and finding that the copie ▪ which by providence the worthy young gentlewoman who was his wife , had lying by her though it was but notes taken from his mouth , yet was the most correct that could be found : and that it also did contain the whole purposes that he had preached upon these texts ; yea , the whole purposes concerning faith , that he had preached according to that method , proposed in the first of the sermons formerly published . this was undertaken to be revised by some , who albeit none of the fittest for these imployments , yet rather or nothing should be done in the businesse , were con●tent to bestow some hours upon it , according a● other necessary imployments would permit . and now having sought out all the notes of these sermons which we could finde from other hands , and compared them with the copie abovementioned , wee do again present them unto the lords people , not with any confidence that our pains hath put any new lustre upon them ; only wee have some hopes that the whole subject being now before them , and these things in the way of expression helped , which either might seem to be somewhat unpleasant , or liable to mistakes , they shall not n●w be lesse edifying , nor lesse acceptable then formerly they were . we did not think fit to make any considerable alterations ●●●o the method , or other things of that kind , lost ●aply by straining his excellent purposes too much , to shape them to the ordinary rules , or to reduce them to that order which might best have pleased our selves we should have wronged the matter it self , at least , have put these to a losse who did hear him preach , and it may be ●ow upon their reading things in that same order as they heard them , will be the more readily brought under the impressions of that livelinesse , power and weight which ( it may be ) formerly they felt upon their hearts when he was speaking . if the method do not altogether satisfie some spirits , or the explication seem not so fult , or ●f they finde some introductions which possibly ●ead not in so close , or seem not so sib to the subject of the sermon , or happly now and then , there bee some little digressions from the main purpose , wee shall desire that this may not at all bee constructed to bee the authors ignorance of rules and method , or his want of abilities in humane learning : it being known to these who were best acquaint with him , that hee had indeed a scholastick spirit , and was in reading far beyond his age and opportunities for studying . but as to all these , wee shall intreat you rather to consider , 1. his age , and that his gift was but in the very moulding and breaking ( as wee speak ) in the point of order and method , when the lord was pleased to call him home from his work . 2. that every man hath his proper gift of god , wh● in his great wisdom ( and certainly for the good of his church ) doth so order , that there is somewhat singular and peculiar almost in every mans way , as to these things . 3. for any thing we know , hee had never that high esteem of this or any other of his labours , as to design an● of them for publick view : and these are bu● notes taken from his mouth . 4. we are perswaded hee studied more his hearers than himself . ye will easily perceive , when ye have bu● read a little , that hee hath been a man of a ver● zealous temper ; that the great ●ensil of hi● spirit , and that which hee did wholly spend himself about , was to make people know their dangerous condition by nature , and by all means t● perswade them to believe , and lay hold upo● the great salvation : and truely that a ma● in such a frame should lesse attend to these lesse things is not to be wondered at . and indeed , though these things be good in themselves , and worthy to be looked to in their own place , yet for a minister of the gospel , in all auditories , and upon all occasions , to pin up every purpose to such a method , and insist into such a measure of explications and criticismes upon words , it is but to ●etter himself , and to starve his people . 5. consider the dulnesse of the most part of hearers in this age , and how hard a thing it is to awake a sleeping world , and to get them but to think that it doth concern them to hear in earnest ; and possibly it was not a small piece of spiritual wisedome in him , ( and it may be not unfit to be imitated by others ) to begin or end all his sermons with an awakening word concerning heaven , or hell , or iudgement , and the danger of choising the evil , and refusing the good . 6. for digressions , the truth is , that his soul was so filled with such longings after heaven , and glory , and so inflamed with the love of christ , ( especially towards the latter end of his race ) that when he fell upon these subjects , upon which ( ye will see ) most of these digressions are , he could not well contain himself , nor easily bring off his own spirit ! a thing not unusual to the saints in scripture . and howbeit such things might seem somewhat singular ( in the time ) and not so coherent ; yet now we have grounds to apprehend that they were often strong influences of the lords spirit , stirring up a lamp ( as it were ) into a sudden blaze , that was not to burn long in his church . but now we shall detain you no longer , only this we may assure you of , that although these sermons are neither so exact , nor so full as doubtlesse they would have been , if they had come from the authors own pen , yet as we dare say , they were studied with prayer , preached with power , and backed with successe ; so also , if ye shall read them with consideration , meditate with prayer , and practise with diligence , ye shall neither find your time nor pains ill bestowed , but shall have cause to blesse the lord for this amongst other helps that he hath given , for making you meet for the inheritance of the saints in light . that it may be blest to this end , is the earnest desire and prayer of your servants in the work of the lord , ro. trail . jo. stirling . the mystery of faith opened up . sermon i. 1 joh. 3. 23. this is his commandment that ye should believe on the name of his son iesus christ , &c. this everlasting gospel ( in which there are drawn so many precious draughts and divine lineaments of the transcendent beauty of a crucified saviour , and of the riches of his unsearchable grace ) is a most precious and excellent thing , not onely because it doth contain most absolute and sublime precepts and commands , in the exercise and obedience of which , we do not only attain unto the highest pitch in holinesse , but likewise , because it containeth most rich and precious promises , in the possession and fruition of which wee are advanced to the highest pinacle of eternal blessedness , this is clear in the grace of faith ; for what doth more purifie the heart and stamp it with the image of the invisible god then this grace of faith ? and what richer promises are annexed to any duty then to this duty of believing , to wit , everlasting life , and fruition of god. so that if we have dwelt fourty dayes at the foot of mount sinai , and had been under the greatest discovering and condemning power of the law , we may yet come with boldnesse to mount sion , and there imbrace jesus christ , who is the end of the law for righteousnesse to such as believe ; upon which mount hee standeth holding forth the golden scepter of his peace , desiring us to imbrace him , and is crying out that word in isa. 65. 1. behold me , behold me . o may wee not summond angels , and these twenty four elders about the throne , to help us to wonder , that ever such a command as this came forth , that wee should believe on the name of the son of god , after that wee had broken that first and primitive command , that we should not eat of the forbidden tree : was not this indeed to make mercy rejoyce over judgement ? and o may wee not wonder at the precious oath of the everlasting covenant , whereby he hath sworn , that hee delighteth not in the death of sinners ? what ( suppose yee ) were poor adams thoughts when at first the doctrine of free-grace , and of a crucified christ jesus a saviour , was preached unto him in paradise ? what a divine surprisal was this , that heaven should have preached peace to earth , after that earth had proclaimed war against heaven ? was not this a low step of condescendency ? to behold an offended god preaching peace and good will to a guilty sinner ; what could self-destroying adam think of these morning and first discoveries of this everlasting covenant ? christ , as it were , in the morning of time giving vent to that infinite love , which was resting in his bosome and precious heart , before the foundation of the world was laid . wee know not whether the infinitenesse of his love , the eternity of his love , or the freedom of it , maketh up the greatest wonder ; but sure , these three joyned together , make up a matchlesse and everlasting wonder . would any of you ask the question , what is christ worth ? wee could give no answer so suitable as this , it is above all the arithmetick of all the angels in heaven , and all the men on earth , to calculate his worth , all men here must be put to a divine non plus ; this was iobs divinity , iob 28. 13. man knoweth not the price of wisedome . and must not jesus christ who is the precious object of faith , and wisedome of the father , bee a supereminent and excellent one , who hath that name of king of kings , and lord of lords , not onely ingraven on his vesture , ( which pointeth out the conspicuousnesse of his majesty ) but even also upon his thigh , to point out that in all his goings and motions , hee proveth himself to bee higher then the kings of the earth ? and howbeit the naked proposing of the object doth not convert , yet if once our souls were admitted to behold such a sight as christ in his beauty and majesty , and to bee satisfied with the divine rayes of his transcendent glory , then certainly wee should finde a blessed necessity laid upon us , of closing with him ; for christ hath a sword proceeding out of his precious mo●●h , by which hee doth subject and subjugate his own to himself , as well as hee hath a sword girded upon his thigh , by which hee judgeth and maketh war with his enemies . wee confesse it is not only hard , but simply impossible to commit a hyperbole in commending of him ; his worth being alwayes so far above our expressions , and our expressions alwayes so far beneath his worth , therefore wee may be put to propose that desire unto him , exalt thy self , o lord , above the heavens . but now to our purpose , being at this time to begin our discourse upon that radicall and precious grace of faith , wee intend to speak of it under this twofold notion and consideration : first , we shall speak of it as it is justifying , or as it doth lay hold upon the righteousnesse of a crucified saviour , makeing application of the precious promises in the covenant of free grace , which wee call justifying faith. and in the second place , we shall speak a little-unto faith , as it doth lay hold upon christs strength , for advancing the work of mortification , and doth discover the personal excellencies of iesus christ , by which wee advance in the work of holinesse and divine consormity with god , which wee call sanctifying faith. however , it is not to bee supposed , that these are different habits of faith , but different acts flowing from the same saving habit , laying hold and exercising themselves upon christ in different respects , and for diverse ends . now to speak upon the first , we have made choice of these words . the apostle iohn , in the former verse , hath been pointing out the precious advantages of the grace of obedience , and of keeping of his commands ; that such a one hath , as it were , an arbitrary power with god , and doth receive many precious returns of prayer : as likewise , that one who is exercised in the grace of repentance , is gods delight : which is included in this , that he doth these things that are well pleasing in his sight . and now in these words hee doth , as it were , answer an objection that might bee proposed , about the impossibility of attaining these precious advantages , seeing his commands were so large , and that hardly could they bee remembered . this hee doth sweetly answer , by setting down in this one verse a short compend or breviary both of law and gospel , viz. that wee should love one another , which is the compend of the law : and , the we should believe on the name of his son ; which is the compend of the gospel ; and by this he sheweth the christian , that there are not many things required of him , for attaining these excellent advantages ; but if he exercise himself in the obedience of these two comprehensive commandments , he shall find favour both with god and man. and as concerning this precious grace of faith , wee have , 1. the advantages of it implied in the words , and clear also from the scope , as ( no doubt ) all the commands have infinit advantages infolded in their bosome , which redounds to a believer , by his practising of them . and , 2. the excellency of it holden forth in the words , in that it is called , his command , as if hee had no other command but this . ( and the greek particle is here prefixed , which hath a great deal of emphasis and force in it , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ) but , 3. there is this also , the absolute necessity of this grace , holden forth here in this word , his commandment : as if he would have said , by proposing of this command , i do set life and death before you , and that ye would not conceive that it is an arbitrary and indifferent thing for you to believe , or not : but be perswaded of this , that as an infinite advantage may constrain you to the obedience of it , so absolute necessity must perswade you to act that which is of your everlasting concernment . and lastly , yee have the precious object ▪ upon which faith ( which is justifying ) doth exercise it self , and that is upon the name of the son of god ; and ( no doubt ) faith is that excellent grace , which doth elevate the soul unto a sweet and inseparable union with christ ▪ and is that golden and precious knot , that doth eternally knit the hearts of these precious friends together . faith is that grace that draweth the first draughts of christs precious image on our hearts , and by love doth accomplish and perfire them . now faith taketh hold not onely on the faithfulnesse of god , that hee is a god of truth , and that in him there is no lie : but likewise it taketh hold on the omnipotency of god , that hee is one to whom nothing is too hard : and on the infinite mercy and love of god , that hee is one who doth delight to magnifie this attribute above all his works : and these are the three great pillars of justifying faith. from the first , it answereth all these objections of sense , which do ordinarily cry forth , doth his promise fail for evermore ? and that with this one word , if hee hath once purposed it , hee will also do it , and if hee hath once spoken it , hee will also make it come to passe . from the second , it answereth all these objections that may arise from carnal reason and probability , which tend to the weakning of his confidence ; and these do oftemtimes cry out , how can these things be ? but faith laying hold upon the omnipotency of god , it staggers not at the promise , but is strong in the faith , giving glory to god. and it is the noble and divine exercise of this heroick grace of faith , that these objections of reason and probability , which it cannot answer , it will lay them aside , and yet close with the promise . which was the practice of believing abraham , who considered not his own body being weak , nor the barrennesse of sarahs womb . as likewise , it was the commendable practice of that woman , matth. 15. who not being able to answer the second trial of her faith from reason , yet notwithstanding , faith made her cry out , have mercy upon mee , o son of david . and from the last , a christian doth answer all the arguments of misbelief , which do arise from the convictions of our unworthinesse and sinfulnesse , which makes us oftentimes imbrace that divinity of peters , luk. 5 ▪ 8. depart from me , for i am a sinful man. but faith taking hold on the infinite mercy and love of christ , it answereth all with this , he walks not with us according to that rule of merit , but according to that precious and golden rule of love and boundlesse compassion . but before we shall speak any thing unto you of these things , wee would a little point out some few things to be known as previous to these : we shall not dwell long in pointing out the nature of justifying faith , it is that grace whereby a christian being convinced of his lost estate , and of an utter impossibility to save himself , he doth flee to the righteousnesse of jesus christ ; and unto him who is that precious city of refuge , and there doth abide till our high priest shall die , which shall not be for ever . or if ye will , it is a sweet travelling of the immortall soul , betwixt infinite misery , and infinite mercy , betwixt an utter impossibility to save our selves , and a compleat ability in him to save to the uttermost , betwixt abounding sin , and superabounding mercy . hence faith is often holden forth to us in scripture , under that notion of coming , isa. 55. 1. ho every one that thirsteth come ye to the waters . rev. 22. 17. whosoever will , let him take the water of life freely , heb. 7. 25. wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come to god by him . and we may say by the way , that if once a sinner could be brought to this , to count all his own righteousnesse but filthy rags , and to belive that a man is as really justified before god , by imputed righteousnesse , as if it were by inherent holinesse ; surely such an one were not far from the kingdom of god. neither shall we stand long to point out this unto you , that it is your duty to believe , for it is clear , not only from this place , but likewise from isa. 45. 22. look unto me , and be ye saved , all the ends of the earth . matth. 11. 28. come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden , and i will give you rest . joh. 14. 1. ye believe in god , belive also in me . isa. 55. 1. ho , every ▪ one that thirsteth , come ye to the waters ▪ and he that hath no money , come , buy without money and without price . but oh! it 's a great misery of many ( and that which may be a subject of perpetuall lamentation ) that we can neither be subject to the law , as commanding , to obey it , or as threatning , to believe it ; nor , to the gospel as promising , to imbrace it , and sweetly to receive it . o but that primitive temptation and delusion whereby sathan did deceive our first father , is that whereby he yet seeks to catch and delude many souls , viz. that though we eat of the forbidden fruit , and walk in the vain imaginations of our own hearts , yet he doth suggest this to us , that we shall not die , but shall once be as god. this is sathans great and de●●ding divinity ; and therefore , to inforce his great and precious command a little further , wee shall propose these considerations , first , that the gospel hath laid no obstruction in our way of closing with christ ▪ and partaking of the effects of the gospel ▪ but on the contrary , sheweth that the great impediment is our want of willingnesse , which wee lay in our own way : as is clear from ▪ ioh. 5. 40. yee will not come to mee that yee may get life : as likewise from rev. 22. 17. where the gates of the gospel are cast open , and whosoever will , are commanded to enter ▪ in : so that , although you may father your misbelief upon your inability , or that your spot is not the spot of his people , yet know , that the rise and original of it is , the want of willingnesse . but , to make this more clear , wee would have you knowing this , that all the qualifications annexed to this commandement of faith as that in matth. 11. 28. speaketh out the qualifications rather of these that will come than of all these that ought to come ; o● hee inviteth these , that through the spiri● of discouragement and misbelief , have the greatest reluctancy to come . and may no● that ▪ cardinal and soul-refreshing promise ioh. 6. 37. stop the mouth of misbelief so that it should have nothing to say ? h● that cometh unto mee , i will in no wayes cas● out . yee may reduce your misbelief rather to the sinfulnesse of your will , than to the sinfulnesse of your walk ; and if once yee could come the length of willingnesse to imbrace jesus christ , all other objectio● and knots should be sweetly loosed and dissolved . secondly , consider , that though we should pray the on half of our time , and weep the other , yet if we want this noble grace of faith , the wrath of god shall abide on us . what are all the works of these hypocrites , and these g●●string acts of law-sanctification , but a plunging of our selves in the ditch , untill our own cloaths abhorre us ; therefore it is , that after the prophet zachary ▪ hath made mention , in the 12. chapter of his prophesie , of making bitter lamentation for him whom wee have pierced , as for an only son ; yet in the beginning of the 13. chapter , he maketh mention of a fountain opened to the house of david , for sin and for uncleannesse : which may intimate unto us , that , although we have washed our selves with our own tears , yet there is use of the bloud of christ , and that we must bee washed in that fountain , even from our own righteousnesses , which are but as filthy rags . thirdly , consider that great and monstrous sinfulness that is in this sin of unbeleif , we will strain at a g●at , but many will easily swallow down this camel : we will tith mint and anise , and fast twice in the week , but neglect faith and love , and judgment , which are the weightier things of the law. and indeed , there are these things which speak out the sinfulnesse of unbelief . 1. that when the holy ghost is sent to convince the world of sin , ioh. 16. 9. he pitched upon this sin , as though there were no other sin of which the world had need to be convinced ; he will convince the world of sin , because they believe not on the son of god : and ( no doubt ) there is more sinfulnesse in that sin , than in many breaches of the morall law , it being a sin against matchlesse love , and against that which is the remedy of sin . 2. that it is called by way of eminency , disobedience , as is clear from heb. 4. 11. lest any of you fall after the same example of unbelief : or as the word may be rendered , lest any of you fall after that example of disobedience , eph. 2 ▪ 2. 3. that among all these that shall be eternally excommunicate from the presence of the lord , and from the glory of his power , these that are guilty ▪ of this sin of unbelief , they are put in the first place , rev. 21. 8. and , 4. that unbelief doth contradict and deny these three precious and cardinall attributes of god. 1. doth not unbelief contradict his faithfulnesse , and make him a liar ▪ 1 ioh. 5. 10 ▪ 2. doth it not contradict the infinitenesse of his power . and , 3 ▪ the infinitenesse of his love : and supposeth that there is something too hard for him , which his power cannot reach , nor his infinite love overcome . we may reduce many of our questions , and disputings of his good will , to this original , viz. to the disputing of his power . no doubt , if we belong to him , we shall once sing that note of lamentation over ▪ our unbelief , this is our infirmity , for changes are from the right hand of the most high. and lastly , to enforce this precious command of faith , consider that it is his command which speaketh forth this , that we must not take an indulgence or dispensation to our selves , to believe , or not to believe at our pleasure . and is it not a strange thing , that christians are lesse convinced of the breaches of the commandements of faith , then of other commands ? they think misbelief to be but a zoar , a little sin . and it proceedeth either from this , that the convictions of other sins ( as the neglect of prayer , or the sin of swearing , or committing adultery ) do arise from a natural conscience : ( for there is somewhat of natures light to make us abominate and hate them , when yet the light of nature will not lead us to the convictions of the sinfulnesse of misbelief , it being a gospel and more spiritual sin ) or it proceedeth from this , that unbelief doth ordinarily passe vail'd under the vizard of some refined vertue , as humility and tendernesse , though that rather it may be said , that it is pride and ignorance , cloathed with the garments of humility . and no doubt , christ doth account it obedience to this commandement of faith , the greatest act of humility , as is clear from rom. 10. 3. where it is called submission , they submitted not to the righteousnesse of god , or else it proceedeth from this , that we conceive that the commandment of faith , is not of so large extent as other commands , and so doth not bind us to the obedience of ●t . but know this , that it shall be the condemnation of the world , that they have not believed on the name of the son of god : and no doubt , but it is sathans great design and cardinall project , to keep us back from obedience to the commandement of faith , and that we should not listen to the precious promises of this everlasting gospel , but should reject the counsel of god against our selves , and refuse his precious and divine call . the second previous consideration that we would give , shall bee to show you what are the causes that there is so much disputing of our interest , and so little beleiving , that we are unstable as water , marring our own excellency , spending so much of our time in walking under a cloud and are so seldom admitted to read our names i● these precious and eternall records of heaven ? no doubt , these things have influence upon it ▪ viz. 1. that we are more judging of god by his dispensations , then by hi● word , supposing ever the change of his dispensations to speak forth the change of ou● state ▪ this is misbeliefs divinity , that whe● sense cannot read love in his face , but he appeareth to frown , and to cast a cloud ove● it , then it is presumption ( saith sense ) t● read love in his heart , or in his word . bu● know it was a self denying practice of , believing iob , to cry out , though he shoul● kill me , i will believe in him . therefor● make not dispensations your bible , other ▪ wise ye will stumble at the noon-ride of th● day , and shall halt in your way . knew y● never what such a thing as this meaned , to ascend in overcoming thoughts of his love , notwithstanding any thing that his dispensations might preach ? we conceive , that if the eyes of our faith were opened , we might see infinite love engraven on the darkest acts and most dismal-like dispensations of his to us , though it bee oftentimes written in dark and ●im characters of sense . 2 ▪ there is this likewise which hath in●●uence upon our so much disputing and misbelieving , viz. a guilty conscience , and the ●ntertainment of some predominant lust , which oftentimes occasioneth our walking in darknesse , and having no light : this is ●lear from 1 tim. 1. 19. where that precious ●ewel of faith can bee holden in no other place but in a pure conscience , that is that ●oyal palace wherein it must dwell ; and ●o doubt , if once wee make shipwrack of a ●ood conscience , wee will erre concerning our ●aith . a bosome idol , when it is intertained ●oth exceedingly mar the vigorous exercise ●f these graces , which are evidences of our faith . and certainly , grace rather in its ●egrees , than in its sincerity or simple being onely , is that which giveth the clear evidence of faith. therefore when we find not love ●● its high and eminent actings , wee hardly win to make it any clearly concluding demonstration of our faith. 3. as likewise , a bosome idol , when it is ●ntertained , maketh use to lose much of our ●igh esteem and reputation of jesus christ ; which doth exceedingly interrupt the sweet and precious actings of faith. for it is certain , that if once the immortal soul be united to jesus christ by the bond of love and respect , then our faith will increase with the increase of god. our intertainment of a bosom idol is ordinarily punished with the want of the sensible intimations of his peace , and of our interest in him ; so that sometimes his own are constrained to cry out , god hath departed from mee , and he answereth mee not , neither by dreams nor visions . 4. there is that likewise that hath influence upon it , our not closing absolutely with jesus christ , but upon conditions and suppositions . we make not an absolute and blank resignation of our selves over unto christ , to hold fast the covenant , notwith ▪ standing hee should dispense both bitter and sad things to us ; but wee conceive that christs covenant with believers , is like tha● covenant that god made with noah , tha● there should bee summer and winter , seed● time and harvest , night and day , unto christian. a christian must have his nigh● as well as his day : hee must once sowe i●● tears , before hee reap in joy ; and hee mus● once go forth , bearing his precious seed , b●fore hee can return bearing his sheaves in hi● bosome : and that this hath influence upo● our instability , may bee seen from this , th●● often a christian , after his first closing wit● christ , hee meeteth with desertion in poi●● of tendernesse , in point of joy , and in poi●● of strength , so that his corruptions see● now to be awaked more then formerly , th● hee wants those seeming injoyments of him which formerly he had : and that much of ●is softnesse of heart hath now evanished , which is clear somewhat from heb. 10. 32. that after they were enlightened , they ondured great fight of afflictions , for the word that ●● there rendered afflictions , signifieth inward ●roubles through the motions of sinne , as well as outward afflictions , gal. 5. 24. and god useth to dispense this way to his own , ●ot only to take trial of the sincerity of our ●losing with him , but to make our faith ●ore stedfast and sure . and no doubt , if we ●ose not absolutely with christ ( when ●nder these ▪ temptations and trials ) we will ●eject our confidence as a delusion , and sup●ose it to bee but a morning dream ; there●ore it were a noble and divine practice of a ●hristian to close with christ without re●ervation , seeing hee doth dispence nothing ●●t that which may tend to our advantage . ●nd we would say to such as are under these ●emptations , that if yee endeavour to resist ●●em , it is the most compendious and excel●●nt way to make your hearts , which now ●●e dying as a stone , to bee as a watered gar●●n , and as springs of water , whose waters fail ●●t , and to make you strong as a lion , so that 〈◊〉 temptation can rouse you up , but you all bee enabled to tread upon the high places the earth , and to sing songs of triumph over ●●ur idols . 5. there is this likewise which hath in●●ence on it , or building of our faith more ●●on sense then upon christ or his word ; and therefore it is , that faith is so unconstant and changeable as the moon , we not knowing what such a thing meaneth , to hope against hope , and to bee strong in faith , giving glory to god : and we would onely say unto you , that erect your confidence upon so sandy a foundation , that when the storm and wind of tentation shall blow , that house shall fall to the ground . as likewise , building of your faith upon sense , doth abate much of your joy , and much of your precious esteem of jesus christ , it being faith exercising it self upon an invisible object , that maketh the christian , to rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory , 1 pe● . 1. 8. 6. there is this last that hath influence upon it , even our sloathfulnesse in the exercise of our spiritual duties , by which faith should bee entertained . faith is a tender grace and a plant that must not be ruffled , bu● nourished through the sap of other precious graces ; but wee grow remisse in ou● spiritual duties , and do turn our selves upo● the bed of security , as the door upon th● hinges . and doth not our drowsinesse cloath us with rags , and make us fall into a deep sleep ; while as , if wee were diligent , o● souls should bee made fat and rich ? yea slothfulnesse doth not only impede assuranc● in this , that it hindereth the divine communications of his love and respect , by which assurance may bee keeped in life , cant. 5. 2 ▪ but also , it maketh our poverty come on us an armed man , and our want as one that travelleth . and withall , it letteth loose th● chain by which our corruptions are tyed , and maketh them to lift up their head , by which our assurance is much darkned and impared , and our hope is much converted into diffidence and dispair : and we would only say this , it is the diligent christian that is the believing christian ; and it is the believing christian , that is the diligent christian ; there being such a sweet reciprocation betwixt these two precious graces , that they die and live together . now thirdly , we shall shut up our discourse with this , in pointing out a little what are those things that do obstruct a christians closing with christ , and believing in his precious name . i. we conceive that this wofull evil doth ●pring and rise from that fundamentall igno●ance of this truth , that there is a god : as ●● clear from heb. 11. 6. where that is re●uired as a qualification of a comet , that he ●hould believe that god is : and assuredly ▪ ●ill once this precious truth be imprinted ●pon our souls , as with a pen of iron , and ●oint of a diamond , we will look upon the ●ospel as an u●opian fancy , and a deluding ●otion , to teach unstable souls , who know ●ot the way to attain unto real blessednesse . ●nd truly it is a fault in many , that they ●egin to dispute their being in christ , before ●hey know there is a christ : and to dispute ●heir interest in him before they believe his ●eing , and that there is such a one as is cal●●d christ. ii. our coming unto christ is obstructed from the want of the real and spiritual convictions of our desperate and lost estate without jesus christ , and that our unspeakable misery is the want of him ; which is clear from ier. 2. 31. we are lords , we will come no more to thee : and it is evident from rev. 3. 16 , 18. that such a delusion as this doth overtake many , that they can reign as kings without jesus christ , and that they can build their happinesse , and establish their eternal felicity upon another foundation . but , o that we could once win to this , to believe what we are without christ , and to believe what we shall be in the enjoyment of him ; with the one eye to descend and look upon these deep draughts , that the mystery of iniquity hath imprinted upon your immortal souls , and withall to reflect upon the wages of sin , which is death ; and be constrained to cry out , wo is me , for i am undone : and with the other eye to ascend and look to that help that is laid upon one that i● mighty , and to make use of the righteousnesse of a crucified saviour , that so what we want in our selves , we may get it abundantly made up in him . iii. there is this likewise that obstructeth our closing with christ , our too much addictednesse to the pleasures and carnal delights of a passing world ; which is clea● from luk. 14. 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22. matth. 22 5 , 6. where these that were invited to com● to the feast of this gospel , they do mak● their apologie , and with one consent do refuse it : some pretending an impossibility t● come , and some pretending an unavoidable inconveniency in coming : and o! what a rediculous thing is that poor complement , that these deluded sinners used to christ , i pray you have us excused ? and is it not the world the great plea and argoment , that they make use of , when they will not come and make use of christ ? iv. there is this lastly , which doth obstruct ones coming to christ , their unwillingness to be denyed to their own righteousness : which is clear from rom. 10. 23. and wee conceive if once these two were believed ( which are the great tropicks , out of which all these arguments may be brought to perswade you to imbrace christ ) to wit , the infinite excellency of his person on whom we are to believe , and the infinite losse that these do sustain , who shall be eternally rejected of him . we might be persuaded to entertain a divine abstractednesse and holy retirement from all things that are here below , and to pitch our desires alone upon him , who is the everlasting wonder of angels , and the glory of the higher house . o did we once suppose the unspeakable happinesse of these whose faith is now advanced unto everlasting felicity and fruition , and hath entered into that eternal possession of the promises : might we not he constrained to cry out , it is good for us once to be there ? christ weepeth to us in the law , but we do not lament : and he pypeth to us in the gospel , but we do not dance : he is willing to draw us with the cords of men , and with the bonds of love , and yet we will not have him to reign over us . may not angels laugh at our folly , that wee should so undervalue this prince of love , and should contemn him who is holden in so high esteem and reverence in these two great assemblies that are above , of angels , and of the spirits of just men made perfect ? christ hath now given us the first and second summonds , the day is approaching when the sad and wofull summonds shall be sent against us , of departing from him , into these everlasting flames , out of which there is no redemption : and this shall be the capestone of our misery , that we had once life in offer , but did refuse it ; and though there were four gates standing open toward the north , by which we might have entered into that everlasting rest , yet we choosed rather to walk in the paths that lead down to death ▪ and take hold of the chambers of hell . o but there are many that think the gospel cunningly devised fables and foolishnesse , ( they being unwilling to believe that which sense cannot comprehend , nor reason reach ) and this is the reason why the gospel is not imbraced , but is rejected as a humane invention ▪ and as a morning dream , &c. sermon ii. 1 joh. 3. 23. this is his commandment that ye should believe on the name of his son iesus christ , &c. there are three great and cardinall mysteries , in the unfolding of which , all a christians time ought to be spent . first , there is that precious and everlasting mystery of christs love and condiscendency , which those intellectual spirits , the angels , are not able fully to comprehend . secondly , there is that woefull mystery of the desperate deceitfulnesse and wickednesse of the heart , which no man was ever yet able fully to fathom and comprehend . and , thirdly , there is that precious mystery of that eternal felicity and blessednesse that is purchased unto the saints , that once they shall reign with christ , not a thousand years only , but throughout all the ages of everlasting and endless eternity : so that there is this difference betwixt the garden of everlasting delights , that christ hath purchased to the saints , and that first paradise and eden wherein man was placed : there was a secret gate in the first , thorow which a man that had once entered in , might go out again ; but in this second and precious eden , there is no accesse for going out . and all that is to be known of these three mysteries , is much comprehended in this , to know that they cannot fully be known ; paul was a blessed proficient in the study of the first mystery , and had almost attained to the highest classe of knowledge , and yet he is constrained to professe himself to bee ignorant of this : hence is that word , eph. 3. 19. that ye may know the love of christ , which passeth knowledge . and is it not a mysterious command , to desire people to know that which cannot be known ? the meaning whereof we conceive to be this in part , that paul pressed this upon them , that they should study to know that this mystery of christs love could not be known . ieremiah was a blessed proficient in the knowledge and study of the second mystery , he had some morning and twilight discoveries of that , and yet though in some measure he had fat homed that deep ; yet he is constrained to cry out , chap. 17. vers . 9. the heart is deceitful above all things , and desperately wicked , who can know it ? and indeed , that which solomon saith of kings , prov. 25. 3. may well be said of all men in this respect , the heavens for heighth , and the earth for depth , and the heart of man is unsearchable . the apostle paul also was a blessed proficient in the study of the third mystery , having some morning and twilight discoveries of that promised rest , and was once caught up to the third heavens , and yet when he is beginning to speak of it , 1 cor. 2. 9. he declareth all men to be ignorant of the knowledge of this profound mystery of mans blessednesse , and cryeth out , eye hath not seen , nor ear heard , neither have entered into the heart of man , the things which god hath prepared for them that love him . and if there bee any thing further to bee known of these mysteries , the grace of faith is found worthy among all the graces of the spirit , to open the seven seals of these great deeps of god. is not the grace of faith that whereby a christian doth take up the invisible excellency and vertue of a dying christ ? is not faith that precious grace by which a christian must take up the sports and blemishes that are within himself ? and is not the grace of faith , that precious grace that placeth a christian upon the top of mount pisga , and there letteth him see a sight of the promised land ? and doth open a door in heaven , thorow which a christian is admitted to see christ sitting upon his throne ? and faith hath not only a kind of omnipotency ; as is clear , that all things are possible to them that believe : but it hath a kind of omnisciency , and all knowledge that it can take up and comprehend the greatest mysteries of heaven , according to that word , prov. 28. 5. he that seeketh the lord shall understand all things , as if hee said , there is nothing dark to a believing christian , as there is nothing impossible to ● believing christian. as likewise , faith ●s that grace that must take aside the vail that is spread over the face of a crucified christ. and faith is that precious spy that goeth forth , and taketh up these wonderfull excellencies , that are in him . the grace of love , as it were , is born blind , and it hath nothing wherewith to solace it self , but that which is presented unto it by this noble and excellent grace of faith. now before wee shall speak any thing to these things that wee did propose to speak of it at the last occasion : wee shall yet speak a little unto some things which are necessary to be known , for the distinct up taking of the nature of justifying faith ; which is the great commandement of this everlasting gospel : and that which wee would first speak to shall be this . what is the reason and ground that the gospel conveyance of righteousnesse and life , ( and of the excellent things of this everlasting covenant ) should be through the exercise of the grace of faith ? for it is not said in the scripture that repentance justifieth , that love justifieth , or that mortification justifieth ; but it is faith only that justifieth , and it is faith by which a christian inheriteth the promises , so that is clear , that faith is that conduit-pype , through which are conveyed to us the great blessings of this everlasting covenant . i. and the first ground of it is this , it is through faith , that all our blessings may be known to be by love , and by free and unsearchable grace ; as is clear , rom. 4. 16. while the apostle is giving a reason why the inheritance is conveyed to a christian through faith ; it is of faith ( saith he ) that it might be of grace : for if the inheritance were conveyed to a christian through a covenant of works , then these spotlesse draughts of infinite love , and of unsearchable grace , should not be written on our inheritance , as is clear , rom. 4. 25. and it is that great designe of christ , to make his grace conspicuous in conveying salvation to us through faith. ii. there is this second ground likewise of it , that all the promises and blessings of this everlasting covenant might be sure and stedfast to us , therefore they are conveyed to us through the exercise of the grace of faith ; as is clear , rom. 4. 16. they are of faith ( saith he ) that they might be sure : or as the word is , that they might be settled , when the promises of life and of eternal salvation were conveyed to us through mans obedience , were they not then most uncertain and unstable ? but is not heaven your everlasting crown now , stedfast unto you , seeing you have that golden pillar of christs everlasting righteousnesse to be the foundation of your faith , and the strength of your confidence in the day of need ? iii. there is this third ground why the promises and excellent things of this gospel are conveyed to a christian through the exercise of faith , that all boasting and gloriation might be excluded , according to that word , rom. 3. 27. by what law is boasting excluded ? not by the law of works , but by the law of faith. and certainly , seeing christians have all the great things of heaven conveyed to them through the exercise of faith ; think yee not , that this shall be your first song when yee shall be within the gates of that new jerusalem ? not unto us , not unto us , but unto thee doth belong the glory of our salvation . o what a precious dignity were it , but for one half hour to be admitted to hear these spotlesse songs that are sung by these thousand times ten thousand , and thousands of thousands of holy angels , that are round about his throne ! doth not david that sweet singer of israel , now sing more sweetly no● he did while he was here below ? doth not deserted heman now chaunt forth the praises and everlasting song of him that sitteth upon the throne ? and doth not afflicted iob now sing sweetly after his captivity is reduced , and he entered within that land , where the voice of joy and gladnesse is continually heard ? would ye have a description of heaven ? i could give it no tearm so suitable as this , heaven is a rest , without a rest , for though there remain a rest for the righteous , yet rev. 4. 8. these four beasts that stand before the throne , they rest not night nor day , crying , holy , holy , holy , is the lord god almighty ; yet there is much divine quietnesse in that holy unquietnesse that is above . iv. there is this last ground why the blessings of the gospel , and life and righteousnesse are conveyed to us thorow the exercise of faith , that the way to attain to these things might be pleasant and easie ; we are certainly perswaded , that the way of winning to heaven by a covenant of works was much more unpleasant and difficult . but is it not an easie way of entring into the holy of holies , to win unto it through the exercise of faith ? are not all wisdoms wayes pleasantnesse , and are not all her paths peace ? was not that just self-denial in one , that said , he would not take up a crown though it were lying at his foot . but oh that cursed self-denial doth possesse the breasts of many ; so that though that crown of immortal glory and eternal blessednesse be lying at your feet , yet ye will not imbrace it , nor take it up . is not the hatred of many to christ covered with deceit , and therefore , your iniquity shall be declared before the congregation . now that what we have spoken upon this , might be more clear , and that the nature of ●ustifying faith be not mistaken , we would have you taking notice of these things . 1. that the grace of faith doth not justifie christian , as it is a work ; or because of any inherent excellency and dignity that is in this grace , above any other graces of the spirit ; ●ut faith doth alone justifie a christian instrumentally and objectively ; that is , it is ●hat by which a christian is just , by laying hold ●n the precious object of it , the righteousness of christ. and to clear this , we would only have you knowing this , that faith doth juifie , as it closeth with christ ; but not because 〈◊〉 closes with christ , which some vainly are ●old to assert ; because there is not any dig●ity or worth in the act of faith , in closing with christ that can be the foundation of our ●ustification , else it were to confound that precious decreet of free grace . 2. there is this that we would have you all knowing ; that faith is not the instrument of justification , ( as justification is taken in an active sense , ) though it is the instrument of justification , as it is taken in a passive sense : and the ground of this conclusion is this , because it is impossible that any action in man can be an instrument of any action in god : and therefore that phrase that you have so ordinarily spoken of , that faith justifieth , it is thus to be resolved , that we are justified by faith. 3. there is this that we would have you knowing , that betwixt a christians closing by faith with the righteousnesse of jesus christ , and the justification of a sinner , i say , there is no natural and indispensible connexion betwixt these two : but onely there is a connexion of divine appointment , and of free grace , though we conceive there is a natural aptitude in the grace of faith , to lay hold on the righteousnesse of christ , more then there is in any other grace of the spirit , as ye may see there is a more natural aptitude and fitnesse in the hand to receive then in any other organ of the body . 4. there is this also that we would have you knowing , that a christian in his first closing with christ , christ ( considered as crucified ) is the immediate object of his faith , and not christ considered in his personal excellencies . hence it is often in scripture , that christ as crucified , is holden forth as the immediate object of justifying faith ; as is clear , rom. 3. 5 , 24 , 25. and the ground of this assertion is this , because that it is the formall object of justifying faith , which doth formally justifie the sinne● ; and on which faith doth immediately lay hold as a ransome to satisfie justice , and as a righteousnesse in which the soul dare venture to be found when it shall stand before the judgement seat of god ; and certainly , this is christ as obedient to the death of the crosse . and it is likewise clear , that the thing which doth engage the soul to christ , is not onely because he is good in himself , but because he is good to us . 5. and there is this lastly , that we would have you knowing , that though faith doth alone justifie , yet faith doth not justifie being alone : hence is that which we have so often in schooles , fides justificat solum , licet non solitariè , that faith justifieth alone , though not being alone ; as iames doth speak , faith without works is dead , and is of no effect . now that which secondly we shall speak to , shall be this ; to point out to you some differences betwixt justifying faith , which is in a real believer , and temporary faith which is in an hypocrite , and one that is destitute of that everlasting hope , though he do pretend to have it . and first , that there is such a thing as temporary faith , is clear from luk. 8. 13. it is said there of some ▪ that they believed for a season , yea , in acts 8. 13. it is said of simon magus ( who was in the gall of bitternesse , and in the bond of iniquity ) he believed . and these in ioh 2. 23. when they did behold the miracles , they believed on iesus christ : and yet we conceive , that their faith was not sincere , and so this was not saving faith. and indeed ye may see a difference betwixt these two in the very name temporary ; for this is such a faith as doth not continue long with him that hath it , but doth evanish and passe away ; for as this is certain , that an hypocrite will not always call upon god , iob 27. 10. so that is also certain , that a hypocrite will not alwayes believe in god. i tell you , that the longest time a hypocrite doth keep his faith , iob hath set down in his 18. chap. vers . 14. their hope ( saith he ) shall bring them to the king of terrours , and then it shall be rooted out of them and their tabernacle ; their faith will bring them no further then the gates of death , and then their faith will flee away as a dream , and evanish as a vision of the night . ii. there is this difference likewise betwixt them , that temporary faith , it closeth with christ as a saviour , and for righteousnesse , but it closeth not with christ as a prince , and for sanctification ; but justifying faith taketh christ as well for a prince , as it taketh him for a saviour : and if solomon did discern who was the true mother of the childe by that , that she who would have the childe divided , was not the mother of the childe ; so we may say ▪ that they who would divide christ in his offices , it is an evidence that they are not among these who are actually made partakers of the adoption of children ; there is somewhat of this pointed at in ioh. 6. 66. where that which made many who were his disciples ( and did once believe ) desert him , was because of the hardnesse of his command , this is an hard saying , who can hear it ? and it is certain that it is a greater difficulty for a christian to take christ as a prince , then as a saviour : for by that he must make an absolute resignation of himself over to chrrst , never to be reduced . o when saw you such a sight of christ , that ye were constrained to cry our ( without a complement ) to him ; truly i am thy servant ▪ i am thy servant ? o were ye never ravished with one of his eyes , nor overtaken with one chain of his neck ? believe me , they who see him thus , do believe that his commands are not grievous . iii. there is this difference , that temporary faith is attained unto , without the exercise of the law , but justifying faith is not attained to without some measure of the exercise of the law : this is clear , mark 4. 5. where speaking of these temporary believers , it is said of them , that the fruit did immediately spring up , &c. are there not some ( it may be here ) who think they do believe , and yet were never in any measure trembling under the discovering & condemning power of the law ? is not that a mystery , that one should bring forth without travelling ? and is not this a mystery in christianity , that one should believe before he hath found the pa●gs of the new ▪ birth . i am afraid of this , that many of us have taken up our religion at our foot : for there are many who take up religion before religion take them up . but would ye know the properties of a christians faith ? it is a begotten faith , 1 pet. 1. 2. and not a faith that is taken up at our pleasure : and i would only say these two things to you , be perswaded of this , that hypocrisie may be spun with a ve●p small threed : so that the most discerning christian cannot take up that desperate enmity that is in them . how long did iudas lu●k under the name of a saint , even with these that were most discerning ? and there is this that we would say , that among all these that shall be eternally excommunicate from the presence of the lord , and from the glory of his power , hypocrites in sion shall have the bitterest cup of divine indignation presented unto them . hence it is , that christ , when he would tell the worst company that one shall have in hell , it is alwayes this : ye shall go to that place where hypocrites and sinners are : and so it would be of your concernment , that by the candle of the lord ye would search the inward parts of the belly , before ye go down to the grave with a lie in your right hand ; a deceiving heart having turned you aside . we confesse it is sad to consider these anxious disappointments that many in those dayes shall once meet with . iv. but there is this last difference betwixt justifying faith , and temporary faith , that there are three precious effects of justifying faith , which a temporary believer cannot win to . 1. to be denyed to all his enjoyments and attainments , and walk humbly under them , for we may say , that it is impossible for an hypocrite to be denyed to his enjoyments , he maketh such a deity of them , and worships them , or rather he worshippeth himself in them . there are three great graces that a hypocrite doth pursue after , ( though he rather seeketh them as gifts than as graces : ) knowledge , prayer , and humility : and though it be but little that he can attain of any of the three , ( or rather nothing in a saving way ) yet least of all can he attain to the last , yea , we may judge that there is alwayes within his bosome a standing conviction , that he could never win unto that gracious grace of humility . o could ye never win to this , to count your own righteousnesse as filthy rags , and to rejoice alone in the righteousnesse of a crucified saviour ? i would press this upon you by the way ( o christians of this generation ) forget your perfections ; and remember your imperfections ; have a holy oblivion of your attainments , but have a divine remembrance of your short comings , look more to what is before unperfected , nor to what is behind , and thus shall you evidence true justifying faith. 2. it is an effect of justifying faith to be under some constant and divine impression of the preciousnesse of jesus christ , according to that word , 1 pet. 2. 7. to you who believe , christ is precious ; it is not said , that christ was precious , or shall be precious , but it is said , he is precious , which doth import , ( as we use to speak ) a continued act ; did ye never know what it was to dwell twenty four hours under the impression of the matchlesse excellency and precious worth of a crucified saviour ? i will pose you with this . are there not some here ( and elsewhere ) that passe under the notion of saints , that never knew what it was to dwell half an hour under these high and elevaring thoughts of the preciousnesse of jesus christ ? so that wee professe we cannot tell whether we shall call him precious or undervalued : but wee may conjoyn these two names together ; that he is precious ( and yet ) undervalued christ. 3 ▪ by true justifying faith , a christian winneth to mortification of his invisible and predominant lusts , which is impossible for a temporary believer to win to . and is there not a great difference betwixt an idol when it is cast out , and an idol when it goeth out ? i will tell you the great mortification of hypocrites , the devil was living in them as one that was a black one , and now hee cometh again and transformeth himself into an angel of light : he was living in them before by his spirit of prosanity , and now hee liveth in them by the spirit of hypocrisie , and counterfeiting of these things that were never clear attainments , while it is the noble dignity of faith , act. 15. 9. to purifie the heart . but are there not many here who never knew what it was to mortifie one lust for christ ? can such a delusion overtake you o●athiests ▪ that ye shall reign with christ , if ye die not with him ? there is an opinion vented in these dayes , that there may be repentance in heaven , and i think it would seem that the christians of this age have much of that opinion , we are so little in repentance while we are here below : but know that faith and sanctification are two inseparable companions : and let me tell you , if ye would know the compend of the precious exercise of faith ? it is this , faith hath three great things , that it perpetually contemplates and views . 1. faith looketh to the promise , and there it doth rejoyce and rest upon it . 2. faith looketh to the duties that are commanded , and there it cryeth out , here am i , i will obey and hearken unto the voice of the word . and , 3. faith looketh to the crown , and there it doth exult and sweetly rejoyce in divine expectation . and o what a sight is that , to behold that everlasting prince standing at the end of our race , having a crown in his right hand , with this motto ingraven on it , hee that persevereth to the end shall be saved ? and what a faith suppose yee shall it be thought when wee shall get on that immortal crown of blessednesse ? what think ye is the exercise of these that are above ? o heaven , heaven , if we did know it , would we not be in a holy extasie of desire , till we were there ! and blessed be he eternally , that hath purchased that precious felicity to us . now we shall at this time shut up our discourse , by speaking a little to these things , in which a christian doth ordinarily meet with assurance of his interest in god , and is put to the divine actings of the grace of faith , for there are some sealing times to a christian. i. the first time of the sealing is , after the mortification of some predominante lust and idol , then they are admitted to read their names in these precious and ancient records of heaven , and to see ( in these books ) their unworthy names written by the hand of that everlasting prince . this is clear , rev. 2. 17. to him that overcometh will i give a white stone , and in the stone a new name written , that no man knows , saving he that receiveth it . and from that 2 tim. 4. 8. believe mee , more mortification would make more believing , but would ye know the original of misbelief ? it is the want of exercise of spiritual mortification of our lusts . i know not where the most part of us intendeth to lodge at night , but this is certain , that wee live with much contentment with our lusts , and these predominant idols that doth so much possesse us . ii. it is readily a sealing time to a christian , when hee is admitted to the divine enjoyment of these satisfying delights that are to be found in christ : when was it that the spouse cryed out so often , my beloved is mine , and i am his ? was it not when she was brought to the banqueting house , and his banner over her was love ? believe mee , more communion with an absent christ , would make more intimation ( in a divine manner ) of our peace with him : wee desire to blesse these that are above the reach of all these disputings , and questionings that wee are so much subject unto . iii. this is a sealing time to a christian , when hee is much in the exercise 〈◊〉 secret prayer , and of much conversing , and corresponding with god in that duty , as is clear from that word in dan. 9. 21. when daniel was praying at the evening oblation , in the ●3 . verse he meets with a divine intimation of his peace with god , o man greatly beloved of god ; as the original hath it , o man of great desires ; for he was desirable indeed , and precious to him who holdeth the saints in his ●ight hand . iv. this is also a sealing-time to a christian , when hee is called to the exercise of some great work , and is to be put upon some eminent holy employment , this is clear , ier. ● 5. where ieremiah being called to preach the gospel unto such a rebellious people , ●hen hee hath this eternal election declared ●nto him : before thou wast formed in the womb , i knew thee ; christ , as it were , giveth them that , to be meat to them for fourty dayes , and that in the strength of it , they may go many a dayes journey . v. there is also another sealing time : when ● christian is first begotten to a precious and everlasting hope : for when at first christians begin to be acquaint with christ , even then sometimes he declareth to them his boundless and everlasting love : and that is the ground why some of those who are but babes in christ , ●re so much in the exercise of diligence , so much in the exercise of the grace of love , and ●o much in the exercise of the grace of tendernesse , it is even because of the solemn impression of their interest in christ , that , as it ●ere , they are daily taken in to read their own names in legible letters , in the lambs book of life . vi. and there is this last time , that is ● sealing time to a christian , and that is , when he is put under some sad and afflicting dispensation : when the furnace is hot seven times more then ordinary , then doth god condescen●●o manifest himself to his own : when was it that iohn met with most of the revelation● of heaven ? was it not when hee was in the isle of patmos , for the testimony of jesus christ● kingdom , and patience of our blessed lord ? rev. 1. 9. and in that place , 2 cor. 4. 16. though our outward man decay , yet our inward man is renewed day by day . now wee would presse you to bee more serious in the exercise of this precious grace ▪ and i shall tell you the compend of christianity in these few words . 1. by faith to solace your selves in christs invisible vertues and excellencies . and , 2. by hope , to be● viewing that precious crown , and these everlasting dignities that are to bee given to the saitns . and , 3 ▪ by mortification , to be crucifying your idols . and , 4. by patience ▪ to bee possessing your souls , untill once ye● shall passe through that dark land , to tha● valley of everlasting delight . and as fo● those that contemne , and undervalue th● bloud of this everlasting covenant ( and 〈◊〉 would have all these that delight not in closing with christ , and these who have no● misbelief as their crosse , to consider this ) the wrath of the living and eternal god do●● abide upon them who do not believe , according ●● that word , ioh. 3. 36. he that believeth ●●ot , the wrath of god abideth on him . it is a remarkable phrase ; because of this the wrath of god will not bee a pilgrime to a mishbe●ever , that will turn aside to tarry but for 〈◊〉 night , but the wrath of god ( to them who will not believe ) shall bee their houshold ●ompanion , and shall dwell with them ; and ●o , wo to them eternally , who have this sad ●nd everlasting companion to abide with ●hem , the wrath of a living god. there is ●ne thing we would have these knowing , that among all these who are eternally to bee dearted from jesus christ , misbelievers are put ●● the foremost rank , rev. 21. 8. there he is to ●ut away the fearful and unbelieving . and ●om 2 thess 1. 18. when christ shall come from heaven with ten thousand of his saints , ( what ●o do ) it is even to execute vengeance on th●se ●hat obey not the truth of the gospel ▪ that is , who do not believe . and i pose your own hearts with this , whether or not your names ●ee written there in that ●oll , among these sho shall be cut off ? and that word , 2 thes. ● . 12. that they might be damned who believed ●ot , but took pleasure in unrighteousnesse . o but ●he wrath of a dying christ , and of a crucifi●d saviour is dreadful ! it is more sad and ter●ible then the wrath of god should have been 〈◊〉 christ had not died . i will tell you ( o ●ypocrites in sion ) the worst news that ever were published in your e●●s , and it is this , christ died and rose again , ( and to those that ●re begotten to a lively hope , they are glad ●●dings of great joy , and therein they may comfort themselvs ) but ye may wear a rough garment to deceive , and go to heaven in your own apprehension : but , o the sad disappointment that is waiting on many such ▪ and to close with this , we would obtest you ▪ as ye would answer to your terrible & dreadfull judge , that shall stand one day upon his throne , which he shall fix in the clouds , we obtest you by all the joyes of heaven , and we obtest you by all the everlasting pains of hell ▪ and we obtest you by all the curses that are written within the volume of this book , and by all the sweet & comfortable promises that are in this everlasting gospel , and by the love that ye owe to your immortal souls , and as ye would not crucifie christ afresh , believe , and imbrace the offers which are presented now unto you . know ye whether or not this shall be the last summonds that ye shall get to believe ? that so , if ye do reject it , christ shall come from heaven , and pronounce that sad and lamentable sentence to you , depart from me 〈◊〉 cursed , i know you not . now , to him that ca● blesse these things to you , we desire to give praise . sermon iii. 1 joh. 3. 23. this is his commandment that ye should believe on the name of his son iesus christ , &c. it was a command that solomon gave unto his son , prov. 22. 26. that he should not be surety for debt , nor should be one of those that stricketh hands ; but , o! what spotlesse breaches of that command hath our blessed lord jesus committed , when he did condescend to be surely for our debt , and to pay that , that was impossible for us to satisfie ? hath not christ made a precious exchange with sinners ? he wreathed about his own precious neck , that bond and yoke of our iniquities , and hath given to us that unweariable , easie , and portable yoke of his commandements ; among which this is ●ne , that wee should believe on him . spotlesse christ was made sin for us ▪ that sinful we might be made the righteousnesse of god in him : and is not this the condemnation of the world , that we will not believe in him ? that wee will not delight ourselves in loving of him ( and i would say this to you , that though you should weep the one half of your dayes , and pray the other half , yet , if ye want this noble grace of faith ▪ your righte●usnesse shall be but like a menstruous cloath and filthy rags before him : for what is pray●ng without believing , but a taking of his ●lessed name in vain ? what is our confer●ing upon the most divine and precious truths of god , without believing ? is it not ● lying to the holy ghost , and a flattering of god with our mouth ? and we would have you knowing this , that there is a sweet harmony that is now madeup betwixt moses and christ , betwixt the law and the gospel . the law bringeth us to christ as a saviour , and christ bringeth us back again ●o the law to be a rule of our walk , to which we must subject our selves . so then , would ye know the compend of a christian● walk ? it is a sweet travelling betwixt mount sinai and mount sion , betwixt moses and christ , betwixt the law and the gospel . and we conceive that the more deep that the exercise of the law be in a christians conscience , before his closing with christ , there is so much the more precious and excellent advantages waiting for him . i. there is this advantage that waiteth on the deep exercise of the law : that it is the way to win to much establishment in the faith , when once we begin to close with christ. o christians , would ye know that which maketh the superstructure and building of grace to be within you , as a bowing wall and as a tottering fence ? ( so that oftentimes y● are in hazard to raze the foundation ) it is this , yee were not under the exercise of the law before your believing in jesus christ. there are some who do not abide three dayes at mount sinai , and these shall not dwel● many dayes at mount sion . ii. there is this advantage that waiteth on the deep exercise of the law , it maketh christ precious to a mans soul. what is that which filleth the soul of a christian● with many high and excellent thoughts of christ ? is it not this , to have the law registrating our band , and putting us ( as we use to speak ) to the horn ? that is , to have the law cursing us , and using the sentence of condemnation against us . that which maketh us have such low and undervaluing thoughts of precious christ , is , because the most part of us are not acquainted with the deep and serious exercise of the law : that is a mystery to the most part of christians practice . ye know that there were four streams which went out from the paradise of god , into which man was first placed : and so we may say , that there are four golden streams , by which lost and destroyed man is brought back again to this eden and paradise of everlasting delights . first , there is the precious stream of christs righteousnesse , by which we must be justified . and secondly , there is that stream of his sanctification , by which we must be purified . thirdly , there is that stream of the wisedom of christ , by which we must be conducted through this wildernesse wherein we have lost our way . and fourthly , there is that stream of christs redemption , by which we must be delivered from the power of our enemies , and must turn the battel in the gate . it is by the redemption of christ that we shall once sing that triumphant song , o death , where is thy sting ? o grave , where is thy victory ? o but all these streams will be sweat and refreshing to a soul that is hotly pursued by the law. so long as we see not the uglinesse of our leprosie in the glasse of the law , we have our own abana and parphar , that we think may do our turn : but when once our case is truly laid open to us , then will we be content to wash our selves in iordan seven times . iii. there is this advantage that waiteth on the deep exercise of the law , that it maketh a christian live constantly under the impression of the sinfulnesse of sin . what is it that maketh sin exceeding sinfull to a christian ? is it not this , he hath been fourty dayes in moses school ? and we conceive that the ground why such fools as we make a mock of sin , is , because we know not what it is to be under the power of his wrath and the apprehensions of the indignation of god. but now to come to that which we intend to speak of : we told you , at the first occasion that we spake upon these words , that there were many excellent things concerning the grace of faith , holden forth in them . the first thing ( which was holden forth concerning this radicall grace of faith ) was the infinite advantage that redoundeth to a christian through the exercise of faith , and giving obedience to this command : which we cleared to be holden forth , not onely from the scope , but also from the nature of this command . and now to speak a little to the point , we shall propose these considerations , that may abundantly shew how advantagious ● thing this excellent grace of faith is . i. the first consideration , that speaketh it , is this , that faith maketh christ precious to a soul , according to that word , 1 pet. 2. 7. to you that believe , christ is precious . and we would have you knowing this , that faith maketh christ more precious to a soul , nor sense , or any other thing can make him . and first , faith maketh christ more precious nor sense , because the estimation which the grace of faith hath of christ , it is builded upon the excellency of his person : but the estimation of sense it is builded upon the excellency of his actings : so that , because he is such to them , therefore they love and esteem him . but that heroick grace of faith , it taketh up the excellency of christs person , and that maketh him precious to them . secondly , faith makes christ more precious then sense , because sense looketh to that love which christ manifesteth in his face , and in his hands , and in his feet : but faith looketh to that love which is in his heart . sense will cry forth , who is like to thee ? whose countenance is like lebanon , excellent as the cedar : whose hands are as gold rings , set with beryl , and whose legs are like pillars of marble set in sokets of gold. sense will look to the smylings of christ , and will wonder ; it will look to his dispensations and actings , and will be constrained to cry out , who is like unto thee ▪ but the grace of faith solaceth it self in the fountain from whence all these springs and sweet inundations of love do flow . thirdly , faith maketh christ more precious then sense ; because faith looketh not only to what christ is presently , but unto what christ is from eternity before time , and what christ shall be unto eternity after time ; but sense onely doth look to what christ is presently . and ye must conceive , that the sweet travelling of faith betwixt infinite love from eternity before , and infinite love unto eternity after , must make faith to fall in a sea of wondering , and raiseth the thoughts to the highest pito● of desire and estimation . fourthly , we may likewise adde , that the impression of the preciousnesse of christ , which sense maketh upon the soul , it is not so constant , not so single , as that which faith doth make . o but the grace of faith giveth the christian a broad look of christ , and letteth him see christ cloathed with ornaments of glory , and divine majesty . sense followeth christ rather that it might see his miracles ; and love , that it may be fed with loaves ; but faith follows christ for himself above all . ii. the second consideration to speak the advantage of it , is , that the grace of faith , it hath , as it were , an arbitrary power with god ; so that whatsoever a christian shall seek in faith , hee shall receive it . it is the noble gift that was once given to faith , that it should never seek any thing and bee denyed , according to that word in matth. 21. 22. and all things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer , believing , ye shall receive it : and that word in joh. 15. 7. abide in me , that is , believe , and the promise is annexed to this , whatsoever ye shall ask , yee shall receive : and it is clear likewise from the preceeding verse to our text , that if we obey this command of faith , whatsoever we shall ask of god , we shal receive it . and i would speak these two things to you from this . first , that oftentimes christ putteth a blank in a christians hand , who is much in the exercise of faith , according to that in matth. 20. 32. is there not an ample blank put into that mans hand , what wilt thou that i should do unto thee ? christ desireth him to fill up that blank with what he would ; and secondly , there is this which is one of the greatest steps of christs matchlesse condescendency , that oftentimes when his own have sought in their presumption a blank to be put in their hand , christ condescendeth to give it , according to that strange passage in mark 10. 35 , 36. the two disciples who present this desire to christ , we desire , say they , that whatsoever we ask , thou shall give it unto us , and presently that is answered , what will ye that i should do for you ? christ hath an infinite good will to satisfie the desires of his own : and that which yet more speaketh out christs boundlesse good will , to satisfie the desires of all that belong to him ; it may be cleared in that word , ioh. 16. 24. where he chargeth his disciples with this , hitherto ( saith he ) have ye asked me nothing ; ye must not suppose that peter , iames and iohn never sought a sui● of christ , but the meaning of that expression is this , ye sought nothing in comparison of that , which i was willing to give , and which your necessity did call for at my hands , which ye should have sought . iii. there is this third consideration to point out the advantage of faith , it is that grace , that keepeth all the graces of the spirit in life and exercise ; faith is that higher wheel , at the motion of which , all the lower wheels do move ; if so wee may speak , faith is that primum mobile , that first moves and turns about all these lower graces of the spirit , according to that , 2 pet. 1. 5. adde to your faith , vertue , and to your vertue , patience , and to your patience , brotherly kindnesse . first , the grace of faith keepeth in exercise the grace of love , as is clear , eph. 3 17. where these two graces are conjoyned : as likewise from rom. 5. 1. compared with verse 5. being justified by faith . then this effect followeth upon it , the love of god is shed abroad in our hearts : and so it is certain , that faith keepeth love in life . faith ( being the spy of the soul , and that intelligencer , and precious messenger ) it goeth out , and bringeth in objects unto love , faith draweth aside the vail , and love sitteth down and solaceth it self in the discoveries of faith. secondly , the grace of faith likewise , it keepeth the grace of mortification in exercise : as is clear not only from ephes. 6. 6. but from 1 ioh. 5. 4. this is our victory whereby we overcome the world , even our faith ; and it is certain , that faith keepeth mortification in exercise , and advanceth holinesse , not only because of this , that faith is that grace that presenteth to a christian the absolute purity and spotlesse holinesse of jesus christ : but also because it maketh them esteem their idols tastlesse as the white of an egge , and they become unto them as their sorrowfull meat . the best principle of mortification is this , the discoveries of the invisible vertues of jesus christ. that mortification which a●iseth from the lovely discoveries of the excellency of jesus christ , is most real and abiding , as these waters which riseth from the highest springs are not onely constant , but likewise most deep and excellent . thirdly , faith likewise hath influence upon mortification , as it doth take hold of that infinit strength that is to christ , by which a christian is inabled to mo●●ifie his corruptions . fourthly ▪ faith likewise maketh application of the bloud of sprinkling , by which wee are purified from dead works . fifthly , likewise the grace of faith keepeth in exercise the grace of humility , as is clear ▪ rom. 3. 27. by what law , saith he , is boasting excluded ? it is not by the law of works , but by the law of faith. sixthly , faith keepeth in exercise the grace of joy , as is clear , rom. 15. 13. now the god of hope fill you with all joy , and peace in believing : so that ye see the proper fruit of faith is , joy in the holy ghost . and certainly , did wee believe more , wee should rejoyce more . seventhly , and lastly , faith keepeth in exercise the grace of hope : for it is impossible for hope to bee in lively exercises , except faith once bee exercised : which may bee a shame unto you ; for how can wee hope to attain the thing that is promised , except our faith first close with the promise ? so there is this difference betwixt the grace of faith , and the grace of hope : the grace of faith closeth with the promises , but the grace of hope , it closeth with the thing that is promised . iv. there is this fourth consideration , that may speak out the excellency of the grace of faith ; it is that grace , by which a christian doth attain to most divine fellowship , and constant correspondency with heaven . would yee have that question resolved and determined , what is the best way , not to stir up our beloved , nor awake him untill he please ? it is this , be much in the grace of faith : this is clear from eph. 3. 17. that christ may dwell in your hearts by faith : by the exercise of all other graces , christ is but a sojourner , that turneth aside to tarry but for a night ; but by the exercise of this grace , he cometh to take up house with us . i will tell you what faith is , it is a ladder that reacheth betwixt heaven and earth : by the steps of which , a christian doth daily go up to heaven , and converse with the higher house . faith is that grace , ( as the apostle speaketh ) by which wee have accesse to the throne of his grace . faith ushers in the believer to the throne : and without it hee cannot have accesse there , nor joy when he is there . v. here is this advantage that attendeth the exercise of faith ; a believing christian is a praying christian : according to that word in mark 9. 24. where these two are conjoyned together , lord , i believe : and then hee falleth to his prayer presently after that confession , help thou my unbelief . and it is clear from psal. 63. 1. o god ▪ thou art my god , early will i seek thee , my soul thirsteth for thee . and sometimes faith is a most impatient grace : but we may alwayes say of it , that it is a most diligent grace . oh is it not the neglect of this precious exercise of faith and of the duty of secret prayer , that makes our leannesse testisie to our face , and maketh our souls as a barren wildernesse ? i am perswaded of this , ( that since christ had any followers , and since ever this everlasting go●pel was preached in paradise ) the exercise of secret prayer was never so much neglected . wee have turned over all our prayers into complements with god. we know not what ●t is to rise at mid-night and call upon god , and to inquire after our maker under the silent watches of the night . o but it is a sweet di●ersion from sleep , to retire our selves ( in the ●ilent seasons of the night ) from all thoughts ●bout ▪ worldly matters , and to converse with ●hat invisible majesty . vi. there is this sixth consideration to ●oint out the advantage of faith : that faith ●s that grace that doth facilitate a christians obedience , and maketh it most pleasant and ●asie ; this is clear from heb. 11. 8. by faith abraham , when commanded to go to a strange land , obeyed , and went out , not knowing whether ●e went : the word may be rendered , he did ●hearfully obey . and ver . 17. by faith he of●ered up his only son. would ye know the rea●on why his commands are your burden , and why his precepts are your crosses ? it is be●ause of this , yee do not believe : and so it is most certain , that it is impossible for a chri●tian to attain to a pleasant way of obedience , ●ithout the exercise of faith. faith holdeth ●p the crown to a christian , and this crown ●aketh him to obey . faith gathereth strength ●rom christ , and that strength maketh obe●ience very easie . faith ●aketh up the excellency of christ , and this maketh a christian to look upon his duty , more as his dignity , then his duty . and we are perswaded of this , that our chariot wheel should move more swiftly , ( like the chariots of aminadab ) if we were more in the exercise of the grace of faith. would ye know an answer to that question . what is the first most requisit for a christian while here below ? faith ; and what secondly is most requisit ? faith ; and what thirdly is most requisit for a christian ? even faith. faith above all things , and above all things , faith. vii . there is another advantage of it , that by faith our service and prayers are accepted of god. would ye know what is the prayer of a christian that is not in faith ? i● is a smoak in his nostrils , and a fire that burneth all the day . the unbelievers sacrifice is an abomination to the lord. this is clear from heb. 11. 4. by faith abel offered up unto god a more acceptable sacrifice then cain ; and we conceive that there are many unanswered prayers which we do put up , because we want that noble exercise of faith. viii . and lastly , we shall likewise add● this , that faith is the gra●e by which a christian hath that perfect and immediate sight ( as it were ) of great things that are promised to him ; faith bringeth a christian withi● sight of heaven , and faith bringeth a christian within sight of god ; according to tha● word , heb. 11. 1. faith is the evidence ● things not seen , and that noble pa●adox , th●● is said of faith , heb. 11. 27 ▪ by faith mos●● saw him that is invisible . is it not an impossible thing , to see that , which cannot be seen ? but the meaning of it is this , that faiths discoveries of god , are as certain and sure , as the discoveries of our bodily eyes are : faith is an intelligent grace , yea , it is a most sure and infallible grace ; what will faith not do ? and what can yee do who want faith ? now to enforce the advantages and excellencies of faith a little more , wee shall propose to you the disadvantages of that wofull sin of unbelief . i. there is this disadvantage of the sin of unbelief , that all the actions that proceed from an unbeliever , they are impure and defiled , according to that in tit. 1. 15. but unto them that are defiled , and unbelieving is nothing pure ; but even their mind and conscience is defiled . their prayer is unclean : yea , ( as solomon speaketh ) their plowing is sin : yea their going about the most excellent duties ( for matter ) is an abomination to god , according to that word , rom. 14. 23. what ever is not of faith , is sin . so the want of faith is the great polluter of all our actions and of all our performances . ii. there is this second disadvantage of misbelief , that it is impossible for one in the exercise of unbelief , to mo●tifie a lust or idol : and wee may allude unto these words in matth. 17. 20. when his disciples came to him and asked this question , why could wee not cast out this devil ? that was given as an answer , because of your unbelief : unbelief is that , which taketh up arms for our idols ; and doth most strongly defend them : for there is nothing that will kill corruption so much , as the exercise of faith : and when that is laid aside , we have laid by our weapons , and have in a manner concluded ● treaty of peace with our idols , that we shall not offend them , if they offend not us . iii. there is this disadvantage that waiteth upon the sin of unbelief , that such an one cannot win nor attain to the grace of establishment , but is alwayes as the waves of the sea , tossed to and fro , untill once hee win to the exercise of faith , as is clear from isa. 7. 9 ▪ except ye believe , ye shall not be established . iv. there is this disadvantage that waiteth on it ; it is the mother of hardnesse and stupidity of heart , according to that word in mark 16. 14. where he upbraideth then because of their unbelief , and then that danger followeth , to wit , hardnesse of heart , this is clear also from act. 19. 9. where these two sister ▪ devils are conjoyned and locked together , unbelief and hardnesse of heart , because it is unbelief indeed , that hindereth all the graces , by which the grace of tendernesse must be maintained . v. there is this disadvantage in the sin of unbelief , that it is big with childe of apostacy from god , and of defection from him , according to that word , heb. 3. 12. beware lest there be in any of you , an evil heart of unbelief ( and there the fruit of it ) to depart from the living god. and certainly it is no wonder , that unbelief travel in birth , till that cursed childe of apostacy be brought forth ; not onely because of this , that an unbelieve● loseth the thoughts of the excellency of christ , but also because he increaseth in his thoughts of love towards his idols ; for christ doth decrease in those who misbelieve , and their idols do increase in their love , and in their desires , and in their estimation . vi. there is this sixth disadvantage in the sin of unbelief , it hindereth the communication of many signall workings and tokens of the love and favour of the most high , according to that sad word that is in mat. 13. 58. at the close , he could not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief . unbelief , as it were , laid a restraint on christ , that he could not effectua●e these things which he was willing to perform . and ( to shut up our discourse at this time ) i would only adde these two aggravations , which may somewhat enforce what we have spoken ; ( i say ) there are these two aggravations in the sin of unbelief , even in his own who have a right ( and also his call ) to believe : 1. that after christ hath given most sensible discoveries of himself , wherein yee have seen him , as it were , face to face , yet wee will not believe : this is clear from ioh. 6. 36. though ye have seen me , saith christ , yet yee do not believe in me . there is not a manifestation of christs presence , but it is a witnesse against you , because of your unbelief . would ye heat the voice of sense , that is rectified ? it is this , believe on the son of god. secondly , that notwithstanding of the signal demonstrations of the power of christ , yet , though it were the mortifying of some lust and idol within them , yet they will not believe , but upon new temptations will doubt of his love to them . christ preacheth faith by his word , he preacheth faith by his fufferings , he preacheth faith by his dispensations , he preacheth faith by his promises , he preacheth faith by his rods , and if these five instruments will not ingage your hearts to believe , what can move them ? do not his two wounds in his precious hands , preach out this point of faith , believe him ▪ doth not that hole opened in his side , preach this doctrine , that we should believe in him . and these two wounds , that he received in his precious feet , do they not preach this , that we should believe on a crucified saviour ? and we would only say this , that sometime it is the case of his own , that after the convictions of this , that it is their duty to believe , and also after some desires to close with christ , yet they find inability to close with him . is it not certain that to will ( to believe ) is sometime present with you : but how to perform ye know not ? and i would have a christian making this foursold use of such a dispensation as that , ( which is most ordinarily ) when convictions of our duty to believe , and some desires to close with christ , is not followed with actual performances . 1. to study to have your convictions more deeply rooted within you ; for it doth sometimes follow , that resolutions and min●s to believe , are not blest with actual believing ; because the conviction of our duty to believe , is not deeply imprinted upon your conscience . 2. be convinced of that desperate enimity ( and that mystery of iniquity ) that is within you , that yee can have some will to do , without ability to perform . wee confesse , it is not an ordinary disease in these days , to have such a contrariety betwixt a christians will and his practice , our will for the most part being no better then our practice ; but sometime it is , which may make you cry forth , o wretched man that i am , who shall deliver me from this body of death . 3. that ye would be much in the imploying of christ , that as hee hath given you to will , so also hee might make you to do . christ is about to convince his own in such a dispensation as that , that faith is the gift of god : faith is so noble a grace , that it cannot be spinned out from our resolutions , nor from our endeavours ; faith is such a divine plant , as the fathers right hand must plant in our souls . 4. let it convince you of the excellency of the grace of faith ( for the difficulty of attaining to any thing may speak out the excellency of that thing ) there is no sin but it may be easily win at ; there is an easinesse and facility to overtake the paths of our idols : but the graces of the spirit are so excellent things , that wee must fight before we attain them . and you who are strangers to christ iesus ( and have never known what ●t is to close with him ) wee would request you in christs name to be reconciled to him . what know ye , o men , ( or rather atheists ) but this shall bee the last summonds that yee shall get to believe ? and that because yee disobey this precious summonds , there shall be one presented to you that yee cannot sit . i remember of one man , who looking upon many thousands that were under his command , weeped over them , when he considered how that within a few years all these should be laid in their graves , and should be in eternity . o but it were much of our concernment , to bee trying our selves how it is with us . we are not afraid that it is a breach of charity , to wish that but one of each ten that are within these doors , were heirs of the grace of life , and had the solide and spiritual expectation of heaven . i think , if christ were to come presently to speak to us ; hee might not onely say to each twelve that are here , one of you shall betray me : but wee are afraid , that hee would say to each twelve that are here , eleven of you shall betray mee , and but one only shall passe free . o doth it not concern you , to enquire where ye shall rest at night , when the long shadows of the everlasting evening shall be stretched out upon you ? i think there are some , that are so settled upon their lies , that if they were one day in hell , and saw all the torments that are there , and were brought from it the next day to live on earth , they would not repent . and more , there are some , that take them up one day to see the joyes of heaven , and bring them back again , they would ●ot pursue after these blessed and everlasting ●njoyments . o is not christ much underva●ued by us ? but i must tell you this , one wo ● past , but behold another wo is fast coming . o ●he s●reighing of these spirits that are enter●d into their everlasting prison-house , out of which there is no redemption . what shall ●e your choise , when christ shall come in the ●louds ? i am perswaded , there are many , ●o whom , at that day , this doctrine would be ●avishing , viz. that there were not a death , ●hat there were not a god , and that there were ●ot an eternity . oh! will yee believe , that ●he sword of the iustice of god is bathed in hea●en , and shall come down to make a sacrifice , ●ot ▪ in the land of idumea , nor in the land of bozra ; but hee is to make a sacrifice among his ●eople , who seemed to make a covenant with ●im by sacrifice . ah , ah , shall we say that ? ●f that argument were used to many ▪ , that within fourty dayes they should bee at their ●ong and everlasting home , they would yet ●pend thirty nine of these days in taking plea●ure upon their lusts ▪ i am perswaded of ●his , that there are many who think that the ●ay betwixt heaven and earth is but one days ●ourney ; they think they can believe in one day , and triumph at night : but o! it shall ●e a short triumphing that such believers as ●hese shall have . therefore , o study to close with a crucified saviour , rest on him by faith , delight your selves in him with love , and let your souls be longing for the day when your ●oice shall bee heard in heaven ( and o how ●weet shall it be sung ) arise , arise , arise , my love , my dove , my fair one , and come away : fo● behold your winter is past , your everlasting summer is come , and the time of the singing of birds is near : when christ shall come over these mountains of bether , hee shall cry , behold i come : and the soul shall sweetly answer , come blessed lord iesus , come . o what a life shall it be ! that with these two arms yee should eternally incircle christ , and hold him in your arms , or rather be incircled by him ? wait f●● him , for he shall come , and his reward is with him , and he shall once take home the wearied travellers of hope . sermon iv. 1 joh. 3. 23. this is his commandment that ye should believe on the name of his son iesus christ , &c. there are two great and excellent gifts , which god in the depth of his boundlesse love hath bestowed on his own . first , there is that infinit gift and royal donation , his own beloved son , jesus christ , which is called , the gift of god , ioh. 4 10. and secondly , there is that excellent gift of the grace of faith , which god hath bestowed upon his own , which is also called ▪ the gift of god , ephes. 2. 8. faith is the gift of god. and is it not certain , that these two gracious gifts ought to ingage ou● souls and hearts much unto him ? infini●e majesty could give no gift greater nor his s●● , and infinite poverty could receive , no ●●her gift so suitable as christ ; it was the most noble gift that heaven could give , and it is the greatest advantage for earth to receive it . and wee could wish that the most part of the study and practice of men ( that is spent in pursuit after these low and transient vanities ) might bee once taken up in that precious pursuit after christ. we could wish that all the questions and debates of the time were turned over into that soul concerning question , what shall we do to be saved ? and that all the questions , controversies , and contentions of the time were turned over into that divine contention and heavenly debate ▪ who should be most for christ , who should be most for exalting of the noble and excellent plant of ●enown ; and that all our judgings and searchings of other mens practices and estate might ●e turned over into that useful search , ●ro ●rove and examine our selves whether we be in ●he faith or not . and i would ask you this question , what are your thoughts concern●ng precious christ , seeing he is that noble ●bject of faith ? we would only have you ●aking along these things , by which christ may be much commended to your hearts : first , there was never any that with the ●yes of faith did behold the ma●ehlesse beau●y and transcendent worth of that crucified ●aviour , that returned his enemy . there is ●oul conquering vertue in the face of christ , ●nd there is a heart captivating and over●oming power in the beau●y of jesus christ. ●his first sight that ever persecuting saul got of christ , it brought him unto an endless● captivity of love . secondly , there is th● that we would say of precious christ , whic● may engage our souls unto him , that for al● the wrongs believers do to christ , yet hat● he never an evil word of them to his fatthe● but commends them : which is clear fro● that of ioh. 17. 6. where christ doth con●mend the disciples to the father for th● grace of obedience , they have keeped th● word : and for the grace of faith , verse 8 ▪ they have believed that thou didst send me and yet were not the disciples most defecti●● in obedience , both in this , that they did no●● take up their crosse and follow christ : and al●● in that , they did not adhere to him in th● day that he was brought to cajaphas hall and were they not most defective in the gra●● of faith ? as is clear from matth. 17. 17. a●● likewise from ioh. 14. 1. he is pressing the● to believe in him , and yet he doth comme●● them to the father , as most perfect in th● things . thirdly , there is this that w● would lastly say of him who is the noble o● ject of faith , look to the eminent depth● christs condescendency , and then ye will provoked to love him. was it not infi●●●● love that made christ to ly three dayes in t●● grave , that we might be through all the ag● of eternity with him ? was it not in f●●●● condescendency that made his precious he wear a crown of thorns , that we mig●● eternally wear a crown of glory ? was not infinite condescendency that made chr●●● wear a purple robe , that so we might w●● that precious robe of the righteousnesse of ●he saints ? and was it not matchlesse condescendency , that christ , who knew no sin , was made sin for us , and like unto us , that so we might become like unto him , and be made the righteousnesse of god in him. but to come to that which we intend main●y to speak upon at this time , which is that ●econd thing that we proposed to speak of ●rom these words : and that is concerning the excellency of this grace of faith , which we cleared was holden out in that , that faith was called his commandment , which is so ●alled by way of eminency and excellency . there are many things in scripture , which may sweetly point out the precious excel●ency of this grace of faith , and we shall only ●peak to these things . i. the first thing that speaketh out the ●xcellency of faith is this , it exerciseth it ●elf upon a most noble object ( to wit ) jesus christ : faith and love being the two arms ●f the immortal soul , by which we do im●race a crucified saviour , which is often ●ointed at in scripture : and we shall point ●t these three principall acts of faith , which ●t exerciseth on jesus christ as the object fit . 1. the first is , to make up an union be●wixt christ and the believer ( faith being ●ndeed an uniting grace , and that which ●nitteth the members to the head ) and to ●ake this more fully appear , we would point ●ut a little what sweet harmony and cor●espondency there is betwixt these two sister graces , ( to wit ) faith and love . faith i● that nail , which fasteneth the soul to chri●● and love is that grace which driveth that nai● to the head ; faith at first taketh but a tender grip of christ , and then love cometh i● and maketh the soul take a more sure grip o● him . secondly , ye may see that harmon● in this ; faith is that grace which take● hold ( as it were ) of the garments of chris● and of his words : but love ( that ambitio●● grace ) it taketh hold of the heart of chris● and , as it were , his heart doth melt in th● hand of love . thirdly , it may be seen i● this , faith is that grace , which draweth th● first draught of the likenesse and image christ upon a soul , but that ( accomplishin● grace of love , it doth compleat these fi●… draughts and these imperfect lineaments 〈◊〉 christs image , which were first drawn on th● soul. fourthly , by faith and love the hea●● of christ and of the believer are so unite● that they are no more two , but one spirit . 2. there is this second act that faith 〈◊〉 exciseth on christ , and it is in discovering t●● matchlesse excellencies , and the transce●dent properties of jesus christ , o wh●● large and precious commentaries doth fai●● make upon christ ? it is indeed that faith ●●spy , which doth alwayes bring up a go●● report of him . hence it is , that faith is c●●led understanding , colos. 2. 2. because it ●● that grace , which revealeth much of the pr●cious truth of that noble object . 3. and there is this third noble act 〈◊〉 faith , exercising it self upon christ , 〈◊〉 maketh christ precious to the soul , accor●ing to that word , 1 pet. 2. 7. unto you which ●elieve , hee is precious . and if there were ●o other thing to speak forth its worth , but ●●at , it is more then sufficient : for no doubt ●●is is the exercise of the higher house , to be ●welling on the contemplation of christs ●eauty , and to have their ●ouls transported ●ith love towards him ; and with joy in ●im . reason and amazement are seldome ●ompanions , but here they do sweetly joyn ●ogether ; first , a christian loveth christ , ●ecause of christs actings , and then hee lo●eth all these actings because they come from christ. ii. now secondly , this pointeth out the ●recious excellency of the grace of faith , it ●● that grace which is most mysterious and ●ublime in its actings , it hath a more divine ●nd sublime way of acting then any other ●race ; hence it called , the mystery of faith . ●hich speaketh this , that the actings of ●aith are mysteries to the most part of the world , and i shall only point at these things which may speak out the mysterious actings ●f the grace of faith. 1. faith can believe , and fix it self on a word of promise , although sense , reason and ●robability , seem to contradict the accom●lishment of that promise ▪ faith it walketh ●ot by the low dictates of sense and reason ; ●ut by a higher rule , ( to wit ) the sure word ●f prophecie , which is clear from rom. 4. 19. ●here abraham believed the promise , notwith●anding that sense & reason seemed to contradict it : hee considered not the deadnesse of his own body , neither the barrennesse of sarahs womb , but was strong in the faith , giving glory to god : as it is clear from heb. 11. 29 , 34. where faith believed their passing through the red sea , as through dry ground , which wa● most contrary to sense and reason : faith believed the falling down of the walls of iericho , by the blowing of rams horns . which thing● are most impossible to sense and reason ; for sense will oftentimes cry out , all men are ●iars ; and reason will say , how can such a thing be ? and yet that heroick grace of faith cryeth out , hath he spoken it : he will also do it , hath he said it ? then it shall come to passe . 2. faith can believe a word of promise , notwithstanding that the dispensations of god seem to contradict it ; as was clear in iob , who professed , hee would trust in god , though he should kill him . and no doubt , but this was the practice of believing iacob , hee trusted that that promise should bee accomplished , that the elder should serve the younger ; though all the dispensations of god , ( which he did meet with ) seemed to say , that promise should not be accomplished . 3. faith can believe a word of promise , even when the commands of god seem to contradict the accomplishment of that promise : this is clear in that singular instance of abrahams faith , that notwithstanding hee was commanded to kill his promised seed , ( upon whom he did depend the accomplishment of the promises ) yet hee believed that ●e promises should bee performed . and ●●ough there were indeed extraordinary and ●range trials of his faith , as he had natural ●ffections to wrestle with ; yet over the bel● of all these , believing abraham , he giveth ●aith to the promise , and bringeth his isaac ●o the altar ( though hee did receive him ●ack again ) this is clear from heb. 11. 17 , ●8 , 19. 4. faith can exercise it self upon the promise , notwithstanding that challenges and convictions of worthinesse and guilt do wait on the christian ; this is clear , 2 sam. 23. 5. that although his house was not so with god as did become , yet he believed the promise : as ●ikewise it is clear from psal. 65. 3. iniqui●ies prevail against mee : and yet that doth not interupt his faith , but he saith , as for our ●●●●gressions thou shalt purge them away . and ●ertainly , i● were a noble and precious act of faith to believe , notwithstanding of un●nswerable challenges of guilt ; the best way ●oth to crucifie our idols , and to answer ●hese challenges , is believing and hoping a●ainst hope , and closing with christ : this is most clear from isa. 64. 6 , 7. compared with ●ers . 8. where after strange challenges , the prophet hath a strange word , but now , o lord , ●hou art our father . there is an emphasis in ●he word ( now ) for all this , yet thou art ( now ) our father . 5. and lastly , this pointeth out the mysterious acting of the grace of faith , that it exerciseth it self upon an invisible object , even upon christ not yet seen , according to that word , 1 pet. 5. 8. whom having not seen , yet ye love , in whom though now ye see him not , yet believing , &c. i pose the greater part of you who are here , whether or not these bee two of the greatest paradoxes and mysteries unto you ? for , is not this a mystery , to love him whom wee never saw ? whom having not seen , yet ye love : to love an absent and unseen christ , is a mystery to the most part of the world : and is not this a mystery , to believe on him whom we never saw ? in whom , though ye see him not , yet believing . and i shall adde this , that faith can hold fast its interest with god , notwithstanding the most precious christian should call us hypocrites , and not acknowledge us , this is clear in the practice of iob ; and most clear from that word , isa. 63. 16. doubtlesse thou art our father , though abraham bee ignorant of us , and israel acknowledge us not . iii. thirdly , this pointeth out the excellency of the grace of faith , that faith , ( when it is in exercise ) is that grace by which a christian doth at●ain unto most sensible enjoyments . there is a great question that is much debated among christians , what is the way to win this happy length , to bee alwayes under the sweet and refreshing influence of heaven , and to have his dew alwayes coming down upon our branches ? i can give no answer to it , but this , be much in the exercise of faith : this is clear from that notion and name put upon faith , isa. 45. 22. it is called a look to christ , which is a most sensible act . if yee would know a description of faith , it is this , the divine contemplation of the immortal soul , upon that divine , excellent , and precious object , iesus christ. for god never made faith a liar , and therefore its eve is never off him that is the noble object of faith , jesus christ manifested in the gospel : as it is clear , ephes. 1. 13. after ye believed , ye were sealed with the holy spirit of promise , which preacheth out the excellent enjoyments these had after their closing with christ who is invisible . our faith is called a seeing , which speaketh out this , that faiths sight of god , is as certain as if we did behold him with our eyes , as is clear , heb. 11. 27. moses saw him by faith who is invisible . and we conceive that the ground which maketh the most part of us have such complaints , how long wilt thou forget us for ever ? it is this ; the want of the spiritual exercise of faith : and are there not some here who may cry out , it is more then thirty dayes since i did behold the king ; yea , there are some who may go a greater length , and cry out , i have lived these two years at ierusalem , and yet i have not seen the kings face ? yea , there are some here whose complaint may go a little higher , and cry forth , these three years and six moneths it hath not rained on me , but the clouds have been restrained and bound up , and the heavens have become brasse . and would you know the rise of these complaints , it is this , ye are not much in the spiritual exercise of faith. and to you , i would only say these two words , first , it is easier to perswade a reprobate that he is defective in the fear of god , and in his love to god , then to perswade some such , that they are wanting to god in their faith ; for they hold fast that peece of desperate iniquity till they die , secondly , we would say to these of you who have the valley of achor for a door of hope , and have tasted of the sweetnesse of christ , some of you will be lesse convinced ; for the neglect of the duty of faith , then for neglect of the duty of prayer , or of the duty of keeping the sabbath day . but i am perswaded of this , that if the noble worth of that transcendant object were known , we would have a holy impatience , untill once we did believe . iv. fourthly , this also pointeth out the excellency of the grace of faith , it is that grace by which a christian is advanced to the highest and most inconceivable pitch of dignity , and that is , to be the child of the living god : as is clear , ioh. 1. 12. to as many as received ( or believed in him ) he gave power or prerogative to become the sons of god. and certainly that noble prerogative of adoption is much undervalued by many : and i will tell you two grounds whereon the most part of men undervalue that excellent gift of adoption : first , they do not take up the infinit highnesse of god ( and what a one he is ) otherwise they would cry out with david , seemeth it a small thing in your eyes to bee a son to the king of kings ? secondly , we do not take up , nor understand these matchlesse priviledges which are given to them who are once in this estate , i am perswaded , if this were believed , that he who is a servant doth not abide in the house for ever , ( though he that is a son doth ) it would stir us up to more divine zeal in our persuit after faith . v. fifthly , this likewise pointeth out the excellency of the grace of faith , it is that grace , by which all other actions are pleasant to god , and are taken off our hand , as is clear , heb. 11. 4. by faith abel offered unto god a more excellent sacrifice then cain , which must be understood even of all other duties . and that word , vers . 6. without faith it is impossible to please god , speaketh this also , that by faith we do exceedingly please him . and this is a most sad and lamentable repoof unto many who are here , that their actions do not please god , because they are not in faith. would ye know a description of your prayers ? ( ye who are hypocrites , and destitute of the knowledge of god ) it is this , your prayers are the breach of the third command , in taking the name of the lord in vain ; for which he will not hold you guiltlesse . and would ye know what is your hearing of sermon ? it is an abomination to the lord , according to that word in tit. 1. 15. to the unbelieving and impure , nothing is clean . and as solomon doth speak , the plowing of the wicked is sin : so that all your actions that ye go about , are but an offence to the majesty of the lord. now we would speak to these two things before we proceed to the evidences of faith : ( to wit ) first , that there is a difference betwixt the direct act of faith , and the reflecting act of faith. for there may be a direct act of faith in a christian , when he is not perswaded that he doth believe ; but the reflecting acts of faith are these which a christian hath , when he is perswaded in his conscience that he doth believe . and we would secondly say , that there are many that go down to there grave under that soul destroying delusion , that they are in faith , and yet never did know what faith is : i am perswaded , there are many whom all the preachings in the world will never perswade , that they did never believe , their faith being born with them , and it will die with them , without any fruit . but faith being such an excellent grace , and so advantagious , ( whereof we have spoken a few things ) we shall speak a little further of it , first , in pointing out some evidences , by which a christian may know , whether or not he be indeed in the faith. secondly , i shall give you some helps whereby faith may be keeped in exercise . i. now there is this first evidence of faith , that a christian who doth believe , he accounteth absence and want of fellowship with christ , and communion with him , one of the greatest and most lamentable crosses that ever he had : as is clear , psalm 13. 3. lighten mine eyes , saith david , that is , let me behold , and be satisfied with thy face ; and the mo●ive that he backeth it with , is this , lest i sleep the sleep of death . david thought himself a dead man , if christ did withdraw his presence from him . also it is clear , cant. 3 , 1. ( compared with the following verses ) where absence from christ , and want of communion with him , was the greatest crosse the spouse had : and it is clear from ioh. 20. 11 , 12 , 13. where mary had a holy disdain of all things in respect and comparison of christ. but i will tell you what a hypocrite doth most lament , and that is , the want of reputation among the saints : that is the great god , and idol among hypocrites , and that which ( when not enjoyed ) hypocrites and ●theists lament most , the world , and the lust of their eyes : when they want these , ●hen they cry out , they have taken away my gods , and what have i more ? they think heaven can never make up the losse of earth . and certainly , if many of us would examine our selves by this , we would finde our selves most defective . i would pose all you who are here , who have taken on a name to be followers of christ , whether or not ye have been content to walk thirty dayes in absence from christ , and yet never to lament it ? hath not christ been thirty dayes and more in heaven , without a visit from you ? and yet for all this , ye have not cloathed your selves with sackcloath . i will not say , that ●his is an undeniable evidence of the totall ●a●t of the grace of faith ; but it doth eminently prove this , that the person who hath ●ome this length , hath losed much of his primitive love , and much of that high esteem which he ought to have of matchlesse christ : what can you find in this world , that maketh you converse so little with heaven ? i think that it is the noble encouragement of a christian , when hee is going down to his grave , that he hath this wherewith to comfort himself , i am to change my place , but not my company : death to the believing christian being a blessed transition and transportation to a more immediate , constant and uninterrupted enjoyment of god. but i believe , that if all who have the name of believers in this generation , should go to heaven , they might have this to say , i am now not only to change my place , but also my company ; for these seventy years i have been conversant with my idols , but now i am to converse with more blessed , divine , and excellent company . o that yee might be perswaded to pursue much after an absent christ. were it not a sweet period of our life , to breath out our last breath in his armes , and to be living in the faith of being eternally with him , which might be founded upon his word . ii. there is this second evidence of one that is in the faith : they do endeavour to advance that necessary work of the mortification of their idols , according to that word , 1 ioh. 3. 4. every man that hath this hope in him , purifieth himself even as he is pure , act. 15. 9. faith it purifieth the heart . and concerning this evidence ( lest any should mistake it ) i would say these things to you . first , the mortification of a christian , as long as he is here below , it doth more consist in resolutions then attainments . it is certain , that there are high attainments of a christian , in the mortification of his idols , but his resolutions go far above his performances . secondly , wee would say this , that those christians who never came this length in christianity , to make that an universal conclusion , and full resolution , what have i to do any more with idols ? they may suspect themselves , that they are not in the faith : for a christian that is in christ , he is universal in resolutions , though he be not so in practice , but defective in performances . a christian may have big resolutions with weak performances ; for resolution will be at the gate of heaven , before practice come from the borders of hell ; there being a long distance betwixt resolution and practice ; and the one much swifter then the other . and thirdly , wee would likewise say , that yee who never did know what it was to endeavour ( by prayer and the exercise of other duties ) the mortification of your lusts and idols ; yee may bee afraid , that ye have not yet the hope of seeing him as he is , and i would say this to many , who are settled upon their lies , and who never did know what it was to spend one hour in secret prayer for mortifying an idol , that they would beware lest that curse bee past in heaven against them ; i would have purged you , and yee would not be purged , therefore yee shall not bee purged any more till you die ; that iniquity of refusing to commune with christ in the work of secret mortification , i say , that iniquity shall not be purged away . and we would once seriously desire you , by that dreadful sentence that christ shall passe against you , and by the love ye have to your immortal souls , and by the pains of these everlasting torments of hell , that ye would seriously set about the work of spirituall mortification ; that so ye may evidence that ye have believed , and that ye have the soul-comforting hope of eternal life . i would onely speak this one word to you , ( and desire you seriously to ponder it , ) what if within twelve hours hereafter a summonds were given to you ( without continuation of dayes ) to compear before the solemn and dreadfull tribunal of that impartial judge , jesus christ : what suppose ye , would be your thoughts ? will ye examine your own conscience , what ye think would be your thoughts , if such summonds were given unto you . i am perswaded of this , that your knees would smite one against another , and your face should gather palenesse , seeing your conscience would condemn you , that ye had been weighed in the ballance and found light : o think ye that ye can both fight and triumph in one day ? think ye that ye can fight and overcome in one day ? think ye your lusts and unmortified corruptions so weak and faint hearted an enemy , that upon the first appearance of such imaginary champions ( as most part of us are in our own eyes ) that your idols would lay down arms and let you trample on them ? believe me , mortification is not a work of one day , or one year , but it is a work will serve you all your time , begin as soon as ye will : and therefore seeing you have spent your dayes in the works of the flesh , it is time that now yee would begin and pursue after him , whose works is with him , and whose reward shall come before him . iii. now there is this third evidence , by which a christian may know whether he bee in the faith or not , and it is , that christ is matchlesse and incomparable unto such an one , according to that word , 1 pet. 2. 7. to you that believe christ is precious , and that word that luke hath in his 7. chap. at the close , that shee to whom much was forgiven , loved much . now lest this likewise should prove a discouragement to any , i would only have you taking notice of this , that a christian may bee a believer , and yet want the sensible discoveries of this , that christ is matchlesly precious to him : but this is certain , that they which are in the lively exercise of faith , it is impossible then for them not to esteem christ matchlesse , and i would speak this likewise to many who are here ; have yee not been living these ten years in faith , and i would pose you with this , esteem yee not your idols more matchlesse then christ , and more of worth then hee ? it is impossible that there can bee any lively exercise of faith , and not esteem christ matchlesse , it is not to say it with your mouth , and contradict it with your heart will do the businesse : for if your hearts could speak● , it would say , i would sell christ for thirty pieces of silver : but my idols would i sell at no rate ▪ are there not many of you who love the world and its pleasures , better nor the eternity of joy ? oh , know yee not that word ( o yee desperately ignorant of the truths of god , ) that he who loveth the world , the love of the father is not in him : and yet notwithstanding of the light of the word , yee would sell your immortal souls ( with esau ) for a messe of po●tage : o but it is a poor bargain when yee have sold the eternity of joy for a passing world , and for its transitory delights ! i would earnestly know what shall be your thoughts in that day , when ye shall be standing upon the utmost line betwixt time and eternity . o what will bee your thoughts at that day ? but you are to follow on to an endlesse pain , ( by appearance ) and then yee are to leave your idols . i shall only desire , that ye may read the word , isa. 10. 3. what will ye do in the day of visitation , and in the desolation which shall come from far ? to whom will ye flee for help ? and where will ye leave your glory ? ye shall then preach mortification to the life , though all the time of mortification shall be then cut off . o but to hear a worldly minded man , when eternity of pain is looking him in the face , ( preach out concerning the vanity of this world ) might it not perswade you that the world is a fancy and a dream that shall flee away , and shall leave you in the day of your greatest strait . iv. and there is the fourth evidence of faith , that a christian , who doth truely believe , hee is that christian who intertaineth a divine jealousie and a holy suspition of himself , whether or not he doth believe ; i love not that faith which is void of fear , this was clear in the practice of believing noah , that though by faith he built the ark , yet hee had fear mixed with his faith. i know that there are some who are ignorant concerning this , what it is to doubt concerning eternal peace ; and more , it is not every one that doubteth , that certainly shal get heaven ; for i think an hypocrite may doubt concerning his eternal salvation ; however i think the exercise of a hypocrite under his doubtings , it is more the exercise of his judgement , then the exercise of his conscience : and i may say , that if all the exercise of the law which is preached in these dayes were narrowly searched , it would bee more the exercise of light , then the exercise of conscience , we speak these things as our doubt , which never was our exercise ; and we make these things our publick exercise which was never our private and chamber exercise . and i think that if all that a christian did speak to god in prayer , were his exercise , he would speak lesse , and wonder more . we would be speechlesse when wee go to god ; for often if we did speak nothing but our exercise , we would have nothing to say . and certainly it is true , that often wee fall into that wofull sin , of desperate lying against the holy ghost , by ●lattering god with our mouth , and lying unto him with our tongue . and i shall only say these two words ; there are some who have this for their great designe , viz. they would bee at peace with their conscience , and also they would bee at peace with their idols , they would gladly reconcile conscience and their idols together , that is their great designe . and there are some whose designe is a little more refined , they study rather to be reconciled with their conscience , then to be reconciled with god ; their great aim they shoot at , is this , to get their conscience quieted , though they know not what it is , to have the soul comforting peace of god to quiet them . v. now , there is this last evidence of faith , that justifying faith is a faith which putteth the christian to bee much in the exercise of these duties , by which it may bee maintained , for wee must keep faith as the apple of our eye : aod for that end , i would only give you these three things , by which faith must be keeped in exercise ; aud a real christian will bee endeavouring in some measure to attain unto these . i. it keepeth faith much in exercise , to bee much in marking and taking notice of the divine exercise and proofs of the love of god , wherewith a christian doth meet , as is clear from that word in rom. 5. 4. experience worketh hope . i durst be bold to charge the most part that are indeed in christ with this , that they are too little in remarking and taking notice of the experiences of his love . yee should mark the place of your experience , and much more yee should mark the experience it self : as is clear from scripture , that the very place where christians did meet with experience , in such ane enjoyment of god , they marked it , ezek. 1. 1. by the rivers of chebar the heavens were opened , and i saw the visions of god : and gen. 32. 30. iacob called the place peniel , the place of living , after seeing of the face of god : it was so remarkable unto him . and we conceive , that ye would mark these two things mainly in your practice . first , ye would mark ( if ye can possibly ) the first day of your closing with christ , and of your coming out of egypt : and we may allude unto that command ( if not more then allude unto it ) in . dent. 16. 1. observe the month of abib , and keep the passeover unto the lord thy god : for in the moneth of abib the lord thy god brought thee out of the land of egypt . and secondly , we would have you much in marking these experiences which have increased your faith , and which have strengthned your love , and which have made you mortifie your idols . these are experiences especially to be marked . 2. faith is keeped in exercise , and we win to the lively assurance of our interest in god : which we would presse upon you , by being much in the exercise of secret prayer . o but many loveth much to pray when abroad , who never loved to pray when alone . and that is a desperate sign of hypocrisie , according to that , matth. 6. 5. it is said of hypocrites , they love to pray , standing in the synagogues , and in the corner of the street ▪ s , that they might be seen of men : but it is never said of these persons , that they love to pray alone , onely they loved to pray in synagogues : but it is secret , and retired prayer , by which faith must be keeped in exercise . 3. and there is this likewise that we would presse , upon you , that ye would be much in ▪ studying communion and fellowship with god , that so your faith may be keeped in life . and o what a blessed life were it , each day to be taken up to the top of the mount pisga , and there to behold that promised land , to get a refreshfull sight of the crown every morning , which might make us walk with joy all alongs that day ! the heart o● a christian ought to be in heaven , his conversation ought to be there , his eyes ought to be there : and i know not what of a christian ought to be out of heaven ( even before his going there ) save his lumpish ●abernacle of clay , which cannot inherite incorruption till he be made incorruptible . and i shall say no more but this , many of us are readi●● to betray him with a kisse , and crucifie him afresh , then to keep communion with him : but wo eternally be to him by whom the son o● man is betrayed : and that doth crucifie christ afresh : it were better that a milstone were hanged about his neck , and he were cast into th● depth of the sea . i remember an expressio● of a man , not two dayes ago , who ( upo● his death bed ) being asked by one what h● was doing : did most stupidly , though mos● truly reply , that he was fighting with christ and i think that the most part of us ( if he prevent us not ) shall die fighting with christ. but know , and be perswaded , that he is too sore a party for us to fight with : he will once tread you in the wine presse of his fury , and he shall return with dyed garments from treading such of you as would not imbrace him : he shall destroy you with all his heart . therefore be instructed , lest his soul be disjoynted from you ( as that word in ier. 6. 8. ) and lest your soul eternally be separted from him : be instructed , i say , to close with him by ●aith . now to him who can make you to do so , we desire to give praise . in the two sermons next following , you have the rest of these sweet purposes , which the worthy author preached upon the same text ; never before printed . sermon v. 1 joh. 3. 23. this is his commandment that ye should believe on the name of his son iesus christ , &c. there are two great rocks , upon which a christian doth ordinarily dash i● his way and motion toward his rest 1. the rock of presumption and carnal confidence ; so that when christ dandleth them upon his knees , and satisfieth them with the breasts of his consolations , and maketh their cup to overflow , then they cry out , my mountain standeth strong , i shall never be moved and , 2. the rock of misbelief and discouragement ; so that , when he hideth his face and turneth back the face of his throne , the● they cry out , our hope and our strength is perished from the lord : we know not what i● is to bear our enjoyments by humility , no● our crosses by patience and submission . ●● but misbelief and jealousie are bad interpre ▪ ters of dark dispensations : they know no● what it is to read these mysterious character of divine providence , except they be writ●●● in the legible characters of sense ; misbelie●● is big with childe of twins , and is travelli●● till it bring forth apostacy and security ; an● no doubt , he is a blessed christian that ha●● overcome that woful idol of mi●belief , an● doth walk by that royal law of the wor● and not by that changeable rule of dispensat● ▪ on s . we conceive that there are three gre●● idols and dagons of a christian , that hindere●● him from putting a blank in christs hand concerning his guiding to heaven , there is pride , self-indulgence , and security . do we not covet to be more excellent then our neighbour ? do we not love to travell to heaven through a valley of roses ? and doe we not ambitiously desire to walk toward sion , sleeping ( rather then weeping ) as we go ? are there not some words that we would have taken out of the bible ? that is sad divinity to flesh and bloud , through many tribulations must we enter into the kingdome of heaven : we love not to be changed from vessel to vessel , that so our scent may be taken from us . there are three great enemies of christ : misbelief , hypocrisie , and profanity . misbelief is a bloudy sin , hypocrisie is a silent sin , profanity is a crying sin . those are mother evils , and i shall give you these differences betwixt them : misbelief crucifieth christ under the vail of humility , hypocrisie crucifieth christ under the vail of love , and profanity putteth him to open shame . misbelief denyeth the love and power of god , hypocrisie denieth the omnisciency of god , ●nd profanity denyeth the justice of god. misbelief is a sin that looketh after inherent ●ighteousnesse , hypocrisie is a sin that look●th after external holinesse onely , and pro●anity is a sin that looketh after heaven without holinesse : making connexion between ●hese things that god hath alwayes sepa●ate , and separating these things which he ●ath alwayes put together ; so that their faith shall once prove a delusion , and flie away as a dream in the night . but let us study this excellent grace of true and saving faith , which shall be a precious remedy against all those christ-destroying and soul-destroying evils . but now to come to that which we did propose thirdly to be spoken of from the words , which was the sweetnesse of this grace of faith ; no doubt , it is a pleasant command , and it maketh all commands pleasant , it is that which casteth a divine lustre upon the most hard sayings of christ , and maketh the christian to cry forth , god hath spoken in his holinesse , i will rejoyce . wee need not stand long to clear that faith is a sweet and refreshing command ; for it is oftentimes recorded in scripture to the advantage of this grace , and unspeakable joy and heavenly delight are the hand-maids that wait upon it . but more particularly to make it out , we shall speak to these things . the first is , that this grace giveth a christian a broad and comprehensive sight of christ , and maketh him to behold not only the beauty of his actings , but the beauty of his person : and there are these three precious sights that faith giveth to ● christian of christ. first , it letteth the christian see christ in his absolute and personal● excellency , taking him up as the eternal so● of god , as the ancient of dayes , as the father of eternity , as the expresse image of hi● fathers person , and the brightnesse of his glory ▪ and this filleth the so●l with divine fear an● admiration ▪ hence is that word , heb. 11. 27 ▪ that we see by faith him that is invisible . as if he had said , faith is that grace that maketh things that are invisible , visible unto us . secondly , it letteth the soul see christ in his relative excellencies , that is , what he is to us ; faith taketh up christ as a husband , and from thence we are provoked to much boldnesse and divine confidence , and withall , to see these rich possessions that are provided for us by our elder brother , who was born for adversity : faith taketh up christ as a blessed days man that did lay his hand upon us both : and from thence it is constrained to wonder at the condescendency of christ , it taketh him up as dying , and as redeeming us from the power of the grave , and from the hands of our enemies ; and this provoketh christians to make a totall and absolute resignation of themselves over unto christ , to serve him all the dayes of our life in righteousnesse and holinesse . and , thirdly , faith maketh the soul behold these mysterious draughts of spotlesse love , those divine emanations of love that have flowed from his ancient and everlasting love since the world began . would you know the great ground why we are so ignorant of him , who is the study of angels , and of all that are about the throne , it is this , we are not much in the exercise of faith . and if we would ask that question , what is the way to attain to the saving knowledge of god in christ ? we could give no answer to it but this , believe , and again believe , and again believe : faith openeth these mysterious seals of his boundlesse perfection , and in some way teacheth the christian to answer that unanswerable question , what is his name , and what is his sons name . there is this secondly that pointeth out the sweetnesse of faith , that it giveth an excellent relish unto the promises , and maketh them food to our soul. what are all the promises without faith ( as to our use ) but as a dead letter that hath no life : but faith exercised upon the promises , maketh a christian cry out , the words of his mouth are sweeter unto mee then the honey and the honey comb : as is clear from heb. 11. 12 , 13. it is by faith that wee imbrace the promises , and do receive them . thirdly , the sweetnesse of faith may appear by this , that it enableth a christian to rejoyce under the most anxious and afflicting dispensations that hee meeteth with while hee is here below ; as is clear from rom. 5. 1 , 5. where his being justified by faith hath this fruit attending it , to joy in ●ribulation ; and likewise from heb. 10. 34 , 35. doth not faith hold the crown in its right hand , and letteth a christian behold these infinit dignities that are provided unto them , after they have , as a strong man , run their race ; and when a christian is put into a furnace , hot seven times more then ordinary , it bringeth down the son of man jesus christ , to walk with them in the furnace : so that they walk safely , and with joy through fire and water , and ( in a manner ) they can have no crosse in his company . for would yee know what is the description of a crosse ? it is to want christ in any estate , and would ye know what is the description of prosperity ? it is to have christ in any condition or estate of life ; what can ye want that have him , and what can he have that want him ? he is that all ; so that all things besides him are bu● vanity . but beside this , faith doth discover unto a christian , that there is a sweet period of all his trials and afflictions that he can be exposed unto : so that he can never say that of faith which ahab spake of micajah , he never prophesieth good things to me ; but rather he may say alwayes the contrary , faith never prophesieth evil unto me ▪ it being a grace that prophesieth excellent things in the da●kest night , and sweetly declareth , that though weeping do endure for the evening yet joy cometh in the morning ; and that , though now they ●o forth weeping bearing precious seed , yet at last they shall return rejoycing , having sheaves in their bosome . and this may bring in the fourth consideration to point out the sweetnesse of faith , that it giveth a christian a refreshing sight of that ●and that is a far off , and maketh him to behold that inheritance that is provided for the saints in light : it goeth forth to the brook eshcol , and there doth pluck down those grapes that grow in emanuels land , to bring up a good report upon that noble countrey we are sojourning towards , and the city the streets whereof are paved with transparent gold . and howbeit it may be a perplexing deba●e between many and their own souls , whether or not these eyes that have been the windows through which so much uncleannesse hath entered , and these species of lust have been conveyed into the heart , shall once be like the eyes of a dove washed with milk and fitly set , and be admitted to see that glorious object , the lamb that sitteth upon the throne : or whether ever these tongues that have been set on fire of hell , and these polluted lips that have spoke so much against god , and heaven , and all his people , and interests , shall ever be admitted to sing these heavenly halelujahs amongst that spotlesse queer of angels , and that assembly of the first born ; or if these hands or feet that have been so active to commit iniquity , and so swift to run after vanity , shall even bee admitted hereafter to carry these palme branches , and to follow the lamb where ever hee goeth ; and whether ever these hearts that have been indeed a bethaven , and house of idols , may yet notwithstanding , bee a dwelling for the holy ghost : though these things ( wee say ) and such like may bee the subject of many sad debates to some weary souls , and cause many tossings to and fro till the morning : yet faith can bring all these mysteries to light , and looking within the vail , can let us see thousands of thousands who were once as ugly as our selves , yet now having washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the lamb , are admitted to stand before the throne of god , and serve him day and night . now there is that fourthly , which we● promised to speak of concerning this grace of faith from these words , and it is the absolute necessity that is of the exercise of this grace , which is holden forth in that word , his commandment ; which doth import these three things . 1. that all the commands that wee can obey without this commandement of faith , it is but a polluting of our selves , and a plunging of our selves in the ditch till our own cloa●hs abhor us . 2. that god taketh greater delight in the exercise of that grace of faith , then in the exercise of any other . and lastly , that as to the many imperfections which wee have in our obedience , there is a sweet act of oblivion past of them all ; if we make conscience seriously to obey this command of faith , which is indeed , the sweet compend of the gospel , all these things do most clearly appear , in that believing , here is called , his commandement , by way of excellency , as if this were his only commandement . but that we may yet a little more particularly point out the absolute necessity of faith ; there are these things that speaketh it forth to the full . 1. that though rivers of tears should run down our eyes , because we keep not his law , though we should never rise off our knees from prayer , and should all our life time speak to god with the tongue of angels ; and though we should constantly obey his commands ▪ yet without faith we should never escape that eternal sentence of excommunication from the presence of the lord ; there being no action that doth proceed from us which can please the majesty of the lord , unlesse it hath its rise from this principle of faith : as is clear from heb. 11. 6. without faith it is impossible to please god. and though we should offer unto him ten thousand rivers of oyl , and thousands of rams , and should offer up in a burnt sacrifice all the beasts that are upon the mountains , and the trees that are upon hills , this should be the answer that god should return to us , who hath required these things at your hands ? i take no pleasure in these solemn sacrifices ; because there is no way of attaining peace with god , but through the exercise of faith , making use of the spotlesse righteousnesse of ●esus christ. 2. let us do ou● outmost , by all the inventions we can , to bring down our body , and let us separate our selves from all the pleasures of the flesh : yet all our idols shall reign without much contradiction , except once we do attain unto this grace of faith , which is that victory whereby we must overcome the world , and the hand that maketh use of infinite strength for subduing of corruption , making the christian sweetly to take up that song , stronger is he that is with us , than he that is in the world . from all this that we have said , both of the sweetnesse of faith , and the necessity thereof , we would propose these few considerations , to two or three sorts of persons . 1. there are some who live in that vain imaginary delusion of attaining heaven through a covenant of works , and do neglect to seek salvation by faith in the righteousnesse of christ. and to these who build upon this sandy foundation , i shall say but these two words . first , how long shall ye labour in the fire of very vanity , do ye ever think to put on the capestone , know ye not that the day is approaching , when your house shall fall about your ears , your confidence shall be rejected , and your hope shall evanish as a dream , and flee away as a vision of the night . secondly , what a monstrous blindnesse , and what an unspeakable act of folly must it ●e●● to say , that christ was crucified in vain , which yet ye do practically assert , when ye go about to purchase a righteousnesse through the works of the law. 2. there are some who are secure in their own thoughts concerning their ●aith : they never questioned the realty of it , they never examined it . o ye whose faith is as old as your selves , ye say ye never knew what it was to dispute : and i may say , ye never knew what it was to believe . thou profane hypocrite , let me tell thee , a strong faith , and ye● strong idols , must needs be ● strong delusion ; thou wilt not obey the lord , thou wilt not pray , thou wilt not believe a threatning in all the word , thou wilt count all religion madnesse and foolishnesse , and yet thou wilt perswade thy self , thou believest in christ. o be not deceived , god is not mocked , and why will ye mock your selves ? shall i tell you that reprobates have a sa● religion , one day they must believe , and obey , and pray , and give a testimony to godlinesse : but alas too late , and little to their advantage . shall not he whom all the ministers on earth could scarce ever perswade to believe so much , as a heaven o● hell , or one threatning in all the book o● god , at last be forced to believe their ow● sense , when they shall see the ancient of days upon the throne , and shall hear the cryes of so many thousand living witnesses , come ou● both from heaven and hell , bearing testimony to the truth of threatnings and promises , that not one jot of them is fallen to the ground , and he who would never be perswaded to bow a knee to god in earnest all his life , shall he not then pray with greatest fervency , that hills and mountains might fall upon him , to cover him from the face of the lamb : and h● that would never submit to a command of god , must he not at last obey that dreadfull command , depart from me ye cursed into everlasting torment , &c. yea , he who was the greatest mocker in the world , shall then confesse , that they are blest who put their trust in the lord , as they are excellently brought in , though in an apocriphal book , wisd. c. 5. 4 ▪ crying out with great terror , while they behold that unexpected sight of the glorious condition of the godly . o here is the me● say they , whom we mocked , whose life w● accounted madnesse , and their end dishonourable : be wise therefore in time , and do that willingly , which ye must do by constrain● , and do that with sweetnesse and advantage that ye must do at length with losse and sorrow . thirdly , there are some who certainly have some hope of eternal life , but contenteth themselves with a small measure of assurance , and these i would beseech , that ye would be more endeavouring to make your calling and election sure , and would be endeavouring to see your names written in the ancient records of heaven : and this we shall presse upon you by several arguments . 1. those strong and subtil , and soul destroying delusions that are amongst many , who conceive they do believe ( as we were saying ) and are pure in their own eyes , who yet are not purged from their iniquities . o● are there not many of us that are in a golden dream , that suppose we are eating but when we awake our soul is empty , whose faith is a metaphysick notion , that hath no foundation , but mans apprehension ; and this shall never bear us through the gates of death , nor convey us in into eternity of joy . 2. may not this presse you to follow after assurance , that it is the compendious way to sweeten all your crosses : as is clear from hab. 3. 17 , 18. where the convictions of this made habbakuk to rejoyce in the god of his salvation ; though the fig tree did not bear fruit , and the labour of the olive did fail , and there were no sweetnesse to be found in the vine , and from heb. 10. 34. where they took joy●ully the spoiling of their goods , knowing within themselves that they had a better and an enduring substance : this is indeed that tree which if wee cast into the waters of marah , they will presently become sweet : for it is not below the child of hope to be much anxious about these things that he meets with here , when he sincerely knoweth that commandement shall come forth , lift up your head , for the day of your eternal redemption draweth near , even the day when all the rivers of his sorrow shall sweetly run into the ocean of everlasting deligh●s . 3. a christian that is much in assurance , he is much in communion and fellowship with god , as is clear from the song 1. 13 , 14. and song . 2. 3. where , when once she cometh to that , to be perswaded that christ was her beloved , then she sat down under his shaddow , and his fruit was pleasant ●nto her taste ; for the assured christian doth taste of these crums that ●all from that higher table , and no doubt , these that have tasted of that old wine will not straight way desire the new , because the old is better . and then 4. it is the way to keep you from apostacy , and making defection from god : faith is that grace that will make you continue with christ in all his tentations , as is clear from 2 pet. 1. 10. where this is set down as a fruit of making our calling and election sure , that if we no these things we shall never fail : faith makes a christian to live a dependent life ▪ for would you know the motto of a christian ? it is this , self diffidence , and christ dependence , as is clear from that word in the song 8. 5. that while we are walking through this wildernesse , we are leaning upon our welbeloved ▪ 5. this assurance will help a christian to overcome many tentations . there are four sorts of tentations that ass●ult the christian ; there are temptations of desire , temptations of love , temptations of hope , and temptations of anxiety , all which a christian through this noble grace of assurance , may sweetly overcome : he that hath once made christ his own , what can he desire but him ? as psal. 27. 4. one thing have i desired of the lord : what can he love more then christ , or love beside christ , all his love being drowned ( as it were ) in that o●ean of his excellencies , and a sweet complacency found in the enjoyment of him ? and as to hope ; will not assurance make a christian 〈◊〉 forth , now , lord , what wait i for ? my hope is in thee ? and when the heart is anxious , doth not assurance make a christian content to bear the indignation of the lord , and patiently submit unto the crosse , since there is a sweet connexion betwixt his crosse and his crown , rom. 8. 35 , 36. if he suffer with him , he shall also reign with him . and lastly , there is this argument to presse you to assurance , that it sweemeth the thoughts of death ; it maketh death unto a christian , not the king of terrours , but the king of desires : and it is upon these grounds that assurance maketh death refreshfull unto a christian. 1. he knoweth that it is the funerall of all his miseries , and the birth-day of all his blessed and eternal enjoyments . 2. that it is the coronation day of a christian , and-the day when he shall have that marriage betwixt christ and him sweetly solemnized : and that when he is to step that last step , hee knoweth that death will make him change his place , but not his company : and o that we could once win unto this , to seal that conclusion without presumption , my beloved is mine , and i am his : we might without presumption , sing one of the songs of sion , even while we are in this strange land , and taking christ in our arms , might sweetly cry forth , now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace , for my eyes have seen thy salvation . comfort your selves in this , that all your clouds shall once passe away , and that that truth shall once come to passe which was confirmed by the oath of an angel , with his hand lifted up towards heaven , that time shall be no more . time shall once sweetly die out in eternity , and ye may be looking after new heavens , and a new earth , wherein dwelleth righteousnesse . o long to be with him , for christ longeth to have you with him . sermon vi. 1 joh. 3. 23. this is his commandment that ye should believe on the name of his son iesus christ , &c. there are three most precious and cardinal graces , which a christian ough● mainly to pursue : there is that exalting grace of faith , that comforting grac● of hope , and that aspiring grace of love ▪ and if once a christian did take up that heavenly difference that is between those sister-graces , hee might be provoked to move after them most swiftly , as the chariots of aminadab . and there is this difference between those graces ; faith is a sober and silent grace , hope is a patient and submissive grace , love is an ambitions and impatient grace . faith cryeth out , o my soul be silent unto god : hope cryeth out , i will wait patiently for the lord , untill the vision shall speak ; but love it cryeth out , how long art thou a coming ? and it is waiting to hear the sound of his feet coming over the mountains of separation . that is the motto of hope , quod defertur non aufertur , that which is delayed ( saith hope ) is not altogether taken away and made void : and that may be the divine embleme of the grace of love. it is sight infolding desire in its armes , and it is desire cloathed with wings , ●reading upon delay and impediments . there is this second difference between these graces : the grace of faith , it embraceth the truth of the promises : the grace of hope , it embraceth the goodnesse of the thing that is promised ; but that exalting grace of love , it embraceth the promiser : faith cryeth out , hath hee spoken it , hee will also do it : hope ●ryeth out , good is the word of the lord , be ●● unto thy servant according to thy promise : and love , it cryeth out in a higher note , as is the apple tree amongst the trees of the ●ood , so is my well-beloved amongst the sons . ●hirdly , there is that difference between ●hese graces , faith it overcometh temptations ; hope , it overcometh difficulties ; but love stayeth at home and divideth the spoil : there is a sweet correspondence between those graces in this : faith it fighteth and conquereth ; and hope it fighteth and conquereth ; but love it doth enjoy the trophies of the victory . and , fourthly , there is this difference , the noble grace of faith , it shall once evanish into sight ; that noble grace of hope , it shall once evanish into possession and enjoyment ; but that constant grace of love ; it shall be the eternal companion of a christian , and shall walk in with him unto the streets of the new ierusalem . and i would ask you that question , what a day shall it be when faith shall ced● to sight ? what a day shall it be when hope shall yeeld its place to love , and love and sight shall eternally sit down and solace themselves in these blessed mysteries , these everlasting consolations of heaven world without end . and fifthly , there i● this difference , lesse will sa●isfie the grac● of faith , and the grace of hope , tha● will satisfie the grace of love ; faith , i● will be content with the promise , and hop● will be content with the thing that is promised ; but that ambitious grace of love , i● will be onely content with the promiser love glaspeth its arms about that preciou● and noble object jesus christ ; love is a ●● spicious grace , it oftentimes cryeth forth● they have taken away my lord , and i kno● not where they have laid him ; so that fai●● is oftentimes put to resolve the suspicions ●● love . i can compare these three graces to nothing so fitly , as to those three great worthies that david had , these three graces , they will break thorow all difficulties , were it a host of philistines , that so they may pleasure christ , and may drink of that well of bethlehem , that well of everlasting ●onsolation that ●loweth from beneath the ●hrone of god : love is like noah's dove , ●t never findeth rest for the sole of its foot , ●ntill once it be within that ark , that place ●f repose jesus christ. and sixthly , there is this last difference between them , faith taketh hold upon the ●●ithfulnesse of christ ; hope taketh hold ●pon the goodnesse of christ ; but love , it ●●keth hold upon the heart of christ. and ●hink yee not it must be a pleasant and soul●●freshing exercise , to be continually taken ●● in imbracing him , that is that eternal ad●iration of angels . must it not be an ex●ellent life , dayly to bee feeding on the finest the wheat , and to bee satisfied with honey ●● of the rock . o but heaven must be a plea●●n● place ! and if once we would but taste ●● the first ripe grapes , and a cluster of wine ●●a● groweth in that pleasant land , might not ●●e be constrained to bring up a good report it . but now to come to that which wee pur●●se mainly to speak of at this time . the 〈◊〉 thing concerning faith , that wee pro●●sed from the words , was the object up●● which faith exerciseth itself , which is 〈◊〉 set down to bee the mame of his son iesus christ. and that we may speak to this more clearly , wee shall first speak a little to the negative , what things are not the fit object of faith , and then to the positive , shewing you how this name of god , and of his son christ , is the sure ground upon which a christian may pitch his faith : for the first , yee must know that a christian is not to build his faith upon sense , nor sensible enjoy ments : sense may bee an evidence of faith but it must not bee the foundation of faith i know there are some that oftentimes cry out , except i put my fingers into the print ●● the nails , and thrust my hand into the hole ●● his side , i will not believe ; and indeed it is 〈◊〉 mystery unto the most part of us , to bee exercising faith upon a naked word of promise , abstracted from sense ; to love an absent christ , and to believe on an absent christ , are the two great mysteries of christianity . but that sense is no good foundation for faith , may appear . 1. that fait● which is builded upon sense , is a most unconstant , a most fluctuating and transient fait● i know sense hath its fits of love , and as were , hath its fits of faith : sometim●● sense is sick of love , and sometimes sense 〈◊〉 strong in faith , but ere six hours go about sense may bee sick of jealousie , and sick 〈◊〉 misbelief , as yee will see from psal. 30. 6 , 〈◊〉 sense , that bold thing , it will instantly 〈◊〉 out , my mountain standeth strong , i will ●●ver be moved ; but behold how soon it chan●eth its note , thou hides thy face , and i 〈◊〉 troubled . at one time it will cry for●●● who is like unto him that pardoneth iniquity , and that passeth over transgressions ; but ere many hours go about , it will sing a song upon another key , and cry out , why art thou ●ecome unto mee as a liar , and as waters that ●ail ? 2. that faith which is built upon ●ense , it wan●eth the promise of blessednesse , ●● this is annexed to believing , that is founded upon the word , according to that in ●oh . 20. 29. blessed are these that have not ●en , and yet have believed : nor hath that ●ith that is built upon sense such a solide ●y waiting on it , as faith that is built upon ●he naked word of promise , as may be cleared from that word , 1 pet. 1. 8. where faith exercising it self upon christ not seen , maketh a christian to rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory , a joy that doth not at●●nd believing , founded upon sense . 3. that ●ith that is built upon sense , it giveth not ●uch glory to god , for faith that is built ●●on sense , it exalteth not the faithfulnesse 〈◊〉 god , it exalteth not the omnipotency of ●od . i will tell you what is the divinity 〈◊〉 sense ; let me see , and then i will believe ; 〈◊〉 it knoweth not what it is to believe ●●on trust , and because the lord hath spoken 〈◊〉 his holinesse : and in effect , faith that is ●●ilt upon sense , is no faith , even as ●●m . 8. hope that is seen , is no hope ; and therefore , when the lord seeth a christian ●●king sense an idol , that hee will not be●●ve but when hee seeth or feeleth , this doth ●●en provoke the majesty of the lord to withdraw himself from that christian , and to deny him the sweet influences of heaven and these consolations that are above , so that in an instant hee hath both his sense and hi● faith to seek . 2. a christian is not to make his grace the object of his faith , that is when a christian doth behold love burning within him when hee doth behold influences to p●ay●● encreasing , and mortification waxing stro●● hee is not to build his faith upon them , thi● was condemned in the church , in ezek. 16 ▪ 14. compared with the 15 verse , i m●● thee perfect with my comlinesse : but the us● that thou didst make of it , thou didst put 〈◊〉 trust in thy beauty , and then thou didst pla● the harlot . it is certain , that grace when 〈◊〉 is the object of our faith , it doth provoke god to blast the lively exercise thereof , and to make a christian oftentimes have th●● complaint : wo to me , my leannesse ▪ my lea●●es●● testifieth to my face . i will tell you thr●● great mysteries of christianity , about grace the first is , to ride marches between the●● two , not to deny what they have , an● yet to bee denyed to what they have ; ma●● times , there is grace-denying , and not sel● denying ; but this is that wee would pres●● upon you to bee denyed to grace , according to that which is recorded of moses , his fa●● did shine and he knew it not , hee did mis●e●● ( as it were ) and did not at all bee puffed ●● with it ; for so the words wee conceive m●● run . secondly , it is a great difficulty f●● a christian to bee denied to his self denial , 〈◊〉 ●ee humble in ●his being humble : for if pri●● ●●n have no other foundation , it will build ●● self upon humility ; and a christian will ●●ow proud in this , that hee is growing humble . thirdly , it is a difficultie for a christian to examine his growing in grace , and not bee puffed up ; it is certain a christian ought to examine his growth in grace humbly , according to that , psal. 63. 8. my ●●ul followeth hard after thee , thy right hand ▪ ●●holdeth mee : hee doth not only take notice ●f this , that his soul did follow after god , ●ut of the measure of that pursuit , my soul ●●lloweth hard after thee , and yet sweetly acknowledgeth , it was not his own feet which ●●rried him , nor his own hand that kept him ●●om falling . 3. yee are not to build your faith upon ●our works ; and upon the righteousnesse ●f the law : i need not stand long to re●ure ●●at practicall popery that is amongst us , ●●at thinketh wee can go to heaven through 〈◊〉 covenant of works . i told you not long ●●●e , what your going to heaven through covenant of works speaketh ; even this ●●r●id blasphemy ; that it was an act of ●onstruous folly to send christ to die for ●●ers ; for , if you can go to heaven with●●t him , was not christ then crucified in 〈◊〉 . and i would tell you now , that ●● is speaketh out your damnable ignorance 〈◊〉 the weaknesse and deceitfulnesse of your ●●n hearts . o yee that are so great de●●ders of salvation by the covenant of ●orks , i beseech you , what is the rea●●● that yee break the covenant of works oftner then any ; for there is none th● thinketh they will go to heaven this way but these that are the greatest breakers of th● covenant of works . and is not that inconsistent , and most contradictory divinity , yo●● faith contradicting your practice , and you● practice telling you that your faith is a lie . fourthly , we must not mix our ow● righteousnesse with christ , as the object o● our believing : this is indeed an evill tha● often lodgeth in the bosome of the most refined hypocrite , when satan cannot preva●● to exclude christ altogether , then he is content with that whorish woman , to divide th● childe , and let the object of our faith be ha● christ , and half of self ; and the truth i● many of these poor unwise sons , who st●● long in the place of the breaking forth ●● children , do willingly hearken to this ove●ture , for fear it be presumption for such po●● wretches to meddle too boldly with the righteousnesse of christ ; but it were good suc● weak ones would consider that word , r●● 10. 2. where the holy ghost calleth th● making use of his righteousnesse , an act ●● submission , they have not submitted ( saith h●● unto the righteousnesse of christ. o will y●● not lay this to heart , that our lord will ta●● your believing , or your putting on his righteousnesse for an act of great humility , a●● will take your misbelief as a marvelous act 〈◊〉 the highest pride and presumption . fifthly , we are not to make providenc● the object of our faith . i know there ●● some that ask the ground of their right 〈◊〉 heaven , they will tell us , that god hath been ●ind to them all their dayes . i would only ●ay to such , he may be feeding you unto the day ●f slaughter , and no man knoweth love or hatred ●●y any thing that is before him . this much of ●he object of faith negatively . and now to speak to it positively , we see ●he text holdeth out christ himself as that excellent and compleat object of faith , this ●s his commandement , that we believe on the ●ame of his son : and thus faith closeth with christ in a fourfold consideration . first , it ●oseth with god in christ , not with god immediatly and nakedly ; for , hee dwelleth in ●●ght inaccessible , that no man can approach unto : he is higher then the heaven , what can we do ? ●nd deeper then hell what can we know ? job 11. ●herefore wee must approach unto him ●hrough a vail , even the vail of christ his ●esh , heb. 10 god is a consuming fire , and of ●●rer eyes then that he can behold iniquity : and therefore we must first cast our eye upon that ●essed days-man , that laid his hand upon us ●●th ; and look upon god as in christ recon●ling the world to himself , and so draw near ●nto him through a mediator , who is the first ●●d the last , and he that liveth and was dead , ●●d is alive for evermore , able to save to the ●termost all that come unto god by him , ●eing he liveth for ever to make intercessi●n for them . secondly , faith closeth with ●hrist , as tendered freely in a covenant of ●omise . we could have had nothing to do ●●th christ , if he had not been given of the ●ther , and offered himself in a free covenant of promise ; but he being thus holde● forth upon tearms of free love ( which dot● utterly abominat hyre ) and so nodle a proclamation issued forth under the great se● of heaven , that whosoever will , may come an● drink of the water of life freely ; upon th●● the poor creature draweth near by vertue 〈◊〉 a right , and stretching out the armes of mo●● enlarged affections , doth run upon him wit● that joyful shout , my lord and my god ; an● then maketh an absolute resignation of it se● unto him ; which is holden out in the scripture by that sweet expression of kissing 〈◊〉 the son. and there are three parts of chris● blessed body that the christian must endeavour to kisse and imbrace : the mouth ●● christ , the hand of christ , and the feet ●● christ : the kissing of his feet importing th● exercise of love , the kissing of his hands th● exercise of subjection , and the kissing of h●● mouth the exercise of communion and fellowship with him . thirdly , faith close● with christ as the purchaser and meritorious cause of all the good we receive : he is the person that hath purchased all these thi●● unto us , and there is not one blink of lov● there is not the smallest enjoyment that christian meeteth with , but it is the price the blood of christ ; christs precious blo● was laid down for it . fourthly , faith ●●seth with christ as the efficient and work● of all our mercies ; all our enjoyments th●● are far from him as the efficient cause , that ▪ he is the worker of all these things in 〈◊〉 it is his precious fingers that must accomplish that blessed work of grace , and they are from christ as the dispenser of these things ; christ is the great steward of heaven that doth communicate unto believers all the treasures of the higher house ; for him hath god the father sealed . o but that word that christ once spake , is much verified by himself , it is more blessed to give , then to ●eci●ve ; christ is that fountain and treasure 〈◊〉 whom all our gifts and graces are treasured ●p ; for , before the blessing come to believers , ●hey come to christ as the head , according ●o that word , 2 tim. 1 9. which grace was ●iven to us in him , before the foundations of the ●orld were laid : it was given to christ be●●e the world was made , and for that end , ●●at it might be communicate unto all his ●embers , and so out of his fulnesse we all ●eive , and grace for grace . but , secondly , the text holdeth forth ●ore particularly this excellent object of ●●th , to be the name of his son , that ye ●●ieve in the name of his son. and here ●●eed we may be at a stand . it is long ●●ce agur did non plus all the world ●●th that question , what is his name ? and ●●at is his sons name , if thou canst tell ? ●●ow little a thing can be known of him ! ●●d o how brutish is this generation ! that ●●w so much lesse then might be known him in such a day of the gospel . but ●t we may speak a little , according to our ●●k measure of faith , as closing with the ●●e of christ. his name is his glorious ●●●u●es , by which he revealeth so much of himself in the scriptures , as poor mortals can take up . wee did shew you before , that there was three of these that were the main pillars of justifying faith , faithfulnesse , omnipotency , and his infinite love and mercy : and how from these may bee answered all the objections of sense , of c●rnall reason , and of misbelief , arising from convictions of unworthinesse . and certain it is , that faith in all its conflicts , maketh much use of the names of christ. and there is not an objection that a poor tempted soul can make , but faith can frame an answer to it , out of some of these excellent name● of god , or of his son christ. it would bee a more longsome work then i intend to let you see this in all ; but i shall onely instance in that one glorious name of god , by which he proclaimeth his glory , exod. 34. the lord ▪ the lord god , mercifull and gracious , long suffering , and abundant in goodnesse and truth● keeping mercy for thousands , forgiving iniquit● transgression and sin , and that will by no mean● clear the guilty , &c. i think there are seve● ordinary objections which may bee answere● from that place . first , it is an ordinar● objection which misbelievers do make , th●● they are under the strength of their corruption , that they are black as the tents of keda● and not beautifull a● the curtains of solomon and doth not the first letter of that nam● answer this , that he is a mercifull lord : th● one importing his ability to save , and 〈◊〉 bring down every high imagination ? th● other importing , his infinite delight to h●● those who have no strength , and are under the power of their adversaries , the power of god being of no larger extent then his love . there is that second objection of misbelief , that wee have nothing to commend us to christ : but all that wee have to boast of , are infirmities and imperfections : and this is abundantly answered from that second letter of his name , that he is gracious : which importeth the freedom of the dispensations of his love that hee walketh nor with us , according to that rule of merit , but according to that golden and excellent rule of love. it is a great dispute whether mercy or grace be the greatest wonder , whether the love of christ , or the freedom of it bee the greatest mystery : sure both these put together make up a matchlesse wonder ? thirdly , misbelief will object , that wee have forsaken him dayes without number , and that wee cannot trace back our apostasie unto the first day of its rise : and is not that abundantly answered from that letter of his name , that hee is long suffering ? this being that glorious attribute in god , the glory of which hee desireth to magnifie above all his name . fourthly , misbelief doth ordinarily propose this objection , that wee have multiplied our transgressions , and have committed whoredoms under every green tree , and have given gifts to our lovers , even hyring our idols : so that wee may take up that lamentation , is not our sin great , and our transgression infinit : and is not that also answered from that letter of his name , that hee is abundant in goodnesse ? that though sin abound in us , yet grace doth much more superabound in him . wee confesse indeed , that there are some that may walk under that condition , that if they had no other exercise throughout eternity , but to make confession , they might confesse and never make any needlesse repetition : and truely in some respect , it is a mercy that we are mysteries unto our self : for , if wee did know compleatly the seven abominations of our hearts , and those mysterious actings of the body of death , we would be in hazard to choise strangling and death , rather then life : yet may not one glimpse of that abundant goodnesse satisfie us , and calm the storm . fifthly , saith misbelief , wee know that we have broken our vowes and covenants with god , and that all these things that wee have taken on , have been but as flax before the fire of tentation ; so that wee have no hope that he will have mercy upon these that have broken wedlock , and have not been stedfast in his covenant . but is not that abundantly answered from that letter of his name , that hee is abundant in truth : which speaketh , that though wee deny our selves , yet he abideth faithfull , and doth not alter the word that hath gone out of his mouth . it is the infinite blessednesse of man that though hee bee changeable , yet they have to do with one that is an unchangeable being . sixthly ; there is that objection : that notwithstanding all these things are matters of encouragement to some , yet they know not whether or not the lot of everlasting love have fallen upon them : and whether their names be in the ancient records of heaven . but this is answered from that letter of his name , hee keepeth mercy for thousands ? which sheweth us that great number of those upon whom the lot of everlasting love shall fall : and if there were no other sentence in all the scripture , ●his might be a sufficient matter of a song , and might make us cry out , who is like un●o him , whose compassions have no end , and who desires to magnifie his mercy above all his works ? and lastly , misbelief maketh this objection , they have sinned not onely against light , not onely against vowes , not onely after much enjoyment of god , but even after the application of threatnings : so that they conceive , that their maker will ●ot have mercy upon such . yet this is fully answered likewise from that letter of his name , he forgiveth iniquity , transgression ●nd sin : which three words doth abundantly speak forth ; that there is no transression which he will not pardon , there being but one particular amongst all that ●●nu●etable number of sins which lodgeth 〈◊〉 the heart of fallen man , that he declared ●●pardonable : and there is none of our ●iseases that is above the infinit a●●e of love , ●nd concerning which we can take up that ●omplaint , there is no balm in gilead , and ●●ere is no physician there . and though pro●idence may master up many impossibilities , ●et let faith take the promise in the one ●nd , and impossibilites in the other , and desire god to reconcile them ; that if we cannot see any connexion between providence and the word , yet may we reflect upon the omnipotency of god , that can make thing● that are seeming contrary sweetly to agree together , the comment●●y will never destroy the text , nor providence will never destroy the faithfulnesse of god : and let me give you this advice , that those objections of misbelief which you cannot answer , and , in ● manner putteth you to a non plus , and whe● ye have looked over all the names of god , y● cannot finde an answer to them , sleight them and cover them , as we have often told you was the practice of believing abraham , rom ▪ 4. 19. where that strong objection of misbelief appearing before his eyes , the deadness● of his body , and the barrenesse of sarahs womb ▪ it is recorded of him , he considered not thes● things : as it were , he had a divine transitio● from the objections of misbelief to the actin● of faith : and this is clear from matth. 15 ▪ 25 , 26. where that strong objection of misbelief being proposed against that woman the she was not within the compasse o● christs commission , she hath a noble way o● answering with this , lord have mercy upon m● and ( if so we may speak ) faith hath a kin● of divine impertinency in answering the objections of misbelief ; or rather a holy sleighting of them that gaineth the victory , whe● cavilling with tentations will not do it . the like also may be instanced in his so● name : o how glorious titles are given t● that prince of the kings of the earth , and 〈◊〉 that plant of renown , upon which the weakest faith may cast anchor , and ride out the greatest storm ; i shall not detain you long on this subject , but this we would have you know , that there is no strait nor difficulty that a christian can be exposed unto , but there is some name or a●tribute of christ that may sweetly answer that difficulty , and make up that disadvantage . is a christian exposed unto afflictions and troubles in a present world ? let him comfort himself in this , that christ is the shadow of a great rock in a wearied land ; is a christian under inward anxiety and vexation of mind ? let him comfort himself in this , that christ is the god of peace , and of all consolation ; is a christian under darknesse and confusion of spirit ? let him comfort himself in this , that christ is the father of lights , and is the eternal wisdom of god ; is a christian under the convictions of this , that he is under the power and dominion of his lusts ? let him comfort himself in this , that christ is redemption ; yea ( that i stay no longer ) if it were possible that a christian could have a necessity that he could not find a name in christ to answer it , he may lawfully frame a name to christ out of any promise in all the book of god , and he should find it forth-coming for the relieving and making up of that necessity , god would not disappoint his expectation . there is yet one thing further , in reference to the object of faith , which we shall desire you to tale notice of ; and it is the way of faiths closing with its noble object , and its testing on him : and this we conceive may be excellently taken up by our considering of the many several names that faith getteth in scripture , beyond any other of ●he graces of the spirit . it is called looking , isa. 45 22. look unto me : it is called abiding in christ , joh. 15. 4. abide in mee : it is called a keeping silence unto god , psal. 37. 7. my soul trust in god ; or as the word is in the original , my soul be silent unto god ; and that in psal. 62. 1. my soul waiteth ; or as the word is , truly my soul is silent unto god. likewise faith is called a leaning , psal. 7. 15. i have leaned upon thee from my mothers womb . faith is called an eating of christs flesh , john 6. 53. faith is called a casting of our burden upon god , psal. 55. 22. cast your burden upon god : and faith it is called a coming unto god , matth. 11. 28. and according to these different names , there are these seven noble properties & ma●chless differences of this grace of faith. the first is , that this is this grace by which a christian doth enjoy much communion with god : hence it is called a looking : which importeth , that faith is a continuall contemplation of the immortal soul upon that precious and excellent object jesus christ. there is that second property of saith , that it is that grace by which a communion with god is maintained : hence it is called an abiding in god. it is that grace whi●h maketh christ and the believer to dwell together . the third property of faith is , that it is a most submissive grace : hence it is called a keeping silence unto god : faith as it were , it knoweth not what it is to ●epine . it is the noble excellency of faith , it never knew what it was to misconstruct christ. it is the noble excellency of faith , it never knew what it was to passe an evil report upon christ. faith it will promise good things to a christian in the darkest night ; for , when love asketh faith that question , isa. 21. 11 , 12. watchman , what of the night ? watchman , what of the night ? or , when shall the morning break ? faith answereth it with the words that follow , ( onely a little inverting the order ) the night cometh , and also the morning ; the morning is approaching , that admitteth of no following night . there is that fourth property of faith , it is the grace which keep●th a christian in ●e severance , by its ●uilding upon the rock . hence it is called a ●eaning upon god ; for a christian by faith doth perpe●ually joyn himself to christ , so ●hat what ever trouble hee be cast into , by faith hee come●h up out of that wildernesse , ●eaning upon his beloved , and by faith hee is ●ed up to the rock that is higher then hee , ●here he may sit in safety , and even ●augh at ●eath and destruction when assailing him . ●here is that fifth property of faith , that ●●s the grace that bringeth satisfaction un●● the spirituall senses of a christian , by a ●ose and particular application of christ 〈◊〉 the nou●●ishment of the soul. hence it is ●lled an eating of the fl●sh of christ. there are ●ree senses that faith satisfieth , faith satisfieth the sense of sight , it satisfieth the sense of taste , and it satisfieth the sense of touch : faith will make a christian handle that eternall word of life : faith will make a christian see that noble plant of renown ; and faith will make a christian taste and see how gracious the lord is . and no doubt , these tha● have once satisfied their sight , they will b● longing to satisfie their taste . there is tha● sixth property of faith , it is that grace which giveth rest unto a christian : hence i● is called a casting of our burden upon him : i● is , as it were , the soul giving unto christ tha● unsupportable yoke of our iniquities , an● taking from christ that easie and portabl● yoke of his commandements . and seventhly , there is that last property of faith , i● is that grace by which sanctification is pro ▪ moved : hence it is called a coming to christ ▪ it is the soul in a divine motion and travelling from the land of egypt unto the land o● canaan : faith it is the soul in a pleasant motion from the land of the north , the land o● our captivity , unto that land of perfect liberty , all along going out by the footsteps of t●● flock , and walking in that new and living wa● even in him who is the way , the truth and t●● life . and now for a more full application 〈◊〉 this , we shall speak but to two things further . 1. we would have it considered , th● there are some that come unto the covena● of promise with lesse difficulty , and after ▪ more divine and evangelick way ; and the● are some that close with christ , in a mo●● difficult and legall way ; there are some that before they can come to mount sion , they must dwell fourty dayes at mount sinai . there are some , before the decreet of heaven shall be given to them , they must roa● as an ox , and must cover themselvs with sackcloath , having ashes upon their heads , we must be a benoni before we be benjamin , that is , we must be a son of sorrow , before we can be a son of consolation . but this is certain , that christ leadeth sometimes some to himself through a valley of roses : and i would only have you taking notice of these two , which though we conceive they b● not infallible in the rule , yet oftentimes experience maketh them out to be truth . 1. that there are three sorts of persons who are most ordinarily brought under great terrour , ●ere they close with christ. first , these who have committed some grosse and abominable sin that is most contradicting unto the light of nature . secondly , that person that sinneth much against light , before conversion : hence it is observed in all the books of the gospel , and in the book of the acts , there was a more gospel and love way of converting the gentiles , then was of converting the jews , see act. 2. 37. there is a sharp law exercise among them who had crucified the lord of life , and act. 9. paul that had been a grievous persecuter , at his conversion , he is first stricken dead to the ground before he be made a captive of the love of christ , and constrained to cry out , what wilt thou have me to do : but look to act. 8. and chap. 19. and there ye will find a more fair and smooth way of begetting sons to christ. and , thirdly , that person that is much in conceit of his own righteousnesse , he useth to be brought to christ through much terrour and exercise of the law : that is clear in paul , his condition also , phil. 3. and act. 9. compared , and certainly , who ever thinketh to come that length in self abasement , and will count as the apostle doth in that chapter , must dwell many dayes at mount sinai , and learn his arithmethick there . 2. we would have you taking notice of this , that though the person that is brought in to christ in a more smooth and evangelick way may have the preheminency of the person that is brought to christ after a more legall and terrible way in some things . yet we conceive , that a christian that is brought to christ through much of the exercise of the law , and through many of the thunderings of mount sinai , after he hath wone to see his right of christ , he is more constant in the exercise of faith ; and the reason of it is , because that an ordinary ground of misbelief is our not distinct uptaking either of the time of our conversion , which is oftentimes hid from these persons that are converted in a more evangelick way , as likewise this , that those persons that are brought to christ in a more gospelchariot , are sometimes put to debates , whether ever they were under the exercise of the law , and this maketh them often ( as it were ) to raze the foundation , and to cry forth , my hope , and my strength is perished from the lord. and now to shut up our discourse , we shall adde this one word of exhortation ; that ye would carefully lay hold upon that noble object , and exercise your faith upon him ; and i shall say but this , that all these that have this noble grace of faith , and that are he●●s of that everlasting inheritance : there is a fourfold crown prepared for you ; there is a crown of life that is prepared for him that shall sight the good fight of faith ; ●ut what may you say is a crown of life , except we have joy waiting upon that life ; ●or what is life without joy , but a bitternesse , and a burthen to it self ; therefore ●e shall have a crown of joy ; but what were ● crown of life , and a crown of ●oy , except we had the grace of holinesse , and were compleat in that ; therefore , ye shall have ●lso a crown of righteousnesse : but , what were life joy and righteousnesse , without glory ; therefore ye ●hall have likewise a ●●own of glory ▪ but what of all these , if that crown should once fall from our head , 〈◊〉 we should be deprived of our king●om ? therefore , take this to make up all ●he rest , it is an eternal crown of glory . ●hat word in prov. 27. n●a● the close , the ●●own ▪ saith solomon , doth not endure for ever : ●ut this precious crown that the hands of ●hrist shall fix upon the head of an over●oming christian , this is the mot●o that is ●●grav●n upon it , unchangeable and eter●all , eternal and unchangeable , and o what a day suppose ye shall that be , when tha● precious crown shall be put upon our heads ▪ what think you will be the difference betwix● christ and the believers in heaven . they shall have these four crowns which are indeed one ; but christ shall have upon hi● head many crowns , according to that word rev. 19. 12. but let me say one word also to you who are strangers from god , and ar● destitute of the grace of christ , and will no● by faith close with this excellent object ▪ there is a fourfold crown that once shall b● put upon your heads ; but do not misinterpret the vision : there is a difference betwix● the butler and the baker ; ye may prophesi● good things to your self , but there is a crow● of death which ye shall once have put upo● your heads ; ye shall be alwayes dying , an● never able to die : there is a crown of sorrow that ye shall have put upon your head when ye shall eternally sigh forth that lamentation , o to be anihilat , and reduced unto nothing ; when the reduction of you into nothing would be a heaven , when ye shall b● tormented in those everlasting flames . an● i would say this by the way , ye will be al● miserable , comfortlesse one to another , ther● will be no ground of consolation that ye shal● reap , for the community of your sorrow shall increase the degrees of that sorrow and there is another crown also that ye shal● put on , and that is a crown of sin , instead o● that crown of righteousnesse : would you kno● your exercise , o ye that are predestinate u● to these everlasting pains ? would ye kno● your exercise ? it is this , ye shall eternally blaspheme , and curse the god that made you . i am perswaded of this , that the terrours of hell will afflict you more , and doth , then that of the sinning perpetually in hell : ye would think nothing many of you to be in hell , if there were no pain there ; for the exercise of sin it will be your delight and life : but be perswaded of it , that when your conscience is awakened , the exercise of sinning shall exceedingly aggreage your pain . and there is this crown lastly , that ye shall put on , and that is the crown of shame : the prophet isaiah maketh mention of a crown of pride ; but ye that have put on that crown of pride , ye shall once put on that crown of everlasting confusion and shame , when ye shall not be able to lift up your eyes to him whom ye have peirced : i would fain desire you to know , what will be your exercise at these three dayes ; what will be your exercise when death shall be summonding you to remove , and ye shall first be entered heirs unto these everlasting pains ; i am perswaded ye will reflect much ? will ye not reflect upon many sermons that ye have heard , wherein ye have been invited to partake of the sweet offers of salvation . i remember of one , that upon his death bed cryed forth , a world for time , a world for one inch of time , one that perhaps did hold his head high , and no doubt was greater than the greatest here , his crown could not purchase on inch of time , but dying with this , call time again , call time again ; that petition was denyed , and so it shall be , i fear , to the most part that are here . i think it was a pretty hieroglyph●ck of the egyptians , they painted time with three hea●s ; the first head that painted out time that was past , was a greedy wolfe gaping , which importeth this , that our time past was mispent , and there was nothing left , but like a wolfe to gape for it again : and there was that second head of a roaring lyon , round , which import the time pr●sent , and for this end was so painted , that people might lay hold upon their present opportunities ; otherwise , it would be the matter of their ruine , and of their eternall undoing . and there was that last head , which was of a deceitfull dog , fawning ; which signified , that people they ●eceive themselves with the time to come , thinking they will be religious at their dea●h , and that they will overcome at their death , but this is ●●attery , no better then the fawning of a mad dog. i think wee may learn much of this , even to be provoked to lay hold upon ou● gol●●n opportunities , that wee sell not ●ur time but that wee buy it . there are two thi●●gs that a christian must not sell , that is , sell not the truth but buy it , and sell not your time but buy it . i am perswaded of this , that one moment of time is worth ten thousand worlds , if improven : and i would ask you , what advantage shall yee have of all things that yee have ●o●mented your selves about , when time shall be no more ? i suppose indeed , this is an ordinary evil amongst the people of this age , of which we have our own share and proportion . there are many that envy godlinesse , and the godly , the excellent ones that are in the earth , that think it a pleasure to vent their malice against such : i know that ordinary practice it is older by a thousand years then themselves , that they persecure godlinesse under the name of hypocrisie : they call godliness hypocrisie , and upon that account they begin and speak maliciously against it : onely ● would ask you this question , what will ●e say in that day when christ will ask that question at you , that gideon asked at zeba ●od zalmuna , who are these that ye killed with your tongue ? most it not be answered , every one did resemble the person of a king ? ● will ye not believe ! will ye not close with christ ? i know it is ordinary that we run ●pon these two extreams , sometimes we ●o not believe the threatnings of the law , ●nd sometimes we will not believe the pro●ises of the gospel . but i would only de●e to know , what if it had been so order●● in the infinite wisdome of god , that all ●●e letters of this book should have been ●●earnings ? what should have been our lot , ●●all the promises should have been s●raped ●t of it . but certainly this must be your ●t ▪ all ●he promises of the book of this co●nant shall be taken from you , and all the ●●ses thereof shall be a flying roll that shall ●●er within your houses , and shall there ●●●rnally remain . know this , o ye that are ●●emies to christ , know it and think upon it , every battel of the warriour is with confused noise , and with garments rolled in blood ▪ but that war that christ shall have against the hypocrites in zion , and those that are ignorant of him , and will not close with him it shall be with fewell of fire , and eternal i●dignation . o what will be your though●● suppose you , when christ shall come wi●● that two edged sword of the ●ury of th● lord , to enter to fight with you ? it i●●● delightsome exercise . oh that ye were n●● almost , but altogether perswaded to be christians , and that once christ might conq●● you with that two edged sword that proceedeth out of his mouth , that so ye might subject your selves to him , and make him t●● object of your faith. now to him th●● hath engraven upon his vesture , and on 〈◊〉 thigh , that he is the king of kings , and 〈◊〉 lord of lords , we desire to give praise . a sermon concerning the great-salvation . heb. 2. 3. how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation , which at the first began to be spoken by the lord , and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him . this everlasting gospel , which is preached unto you , is that glorious star , which must lead us to the place where blessed christ doth ●ly . this gospel and glad tydings of the great salvation is come near unto you : and christ is standing at the everlasting doors of your hearts , desiring that ye would open unto him . there is that one great request which heaven , this day , hath to present unto you , and it is , that ye would at last imbrace this great salvation freely offered by him . it is the thing for which ye are called to mourn this day , that since the dayes of your fathers , and since the beginning of your own dayes , ●e have stopped your ears from that sweet and chaunting voice of this blessed charmer . ye would never dance to christ when he pyped , neither would ye weep to him when he lamented . but to come to the words which we have read unto you : the apostle in the forme● chapter hath been discoursing most divinely , of the matchless and incomparable excellencies which are in our blessed lord jesus ; and in the first verse of this second chapter , h● draweth forth an exhortation from his former doctrine , which in short is this , that they would take heed to the blessed doctrine of the gospel : and not at any time to let it slip out of our minds , and that they would keep thi● gospel as a jewel of great price , and would not sell it , but that they would be induced to buy it . and this exhortation he presseth by two arguments . the first argument is in the second verse where he saith , if the word spoken by angel● was stedfast , and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward , &c. that is , if the transgression of the law , which was delivered but by the ministry of angels , and every disobedience to i● was so severely punished ; let that provoke you to take heed , that ye transgresse no● the precious gospel which was spoken by the lord himself . the second argument is in the word which we have read unto you , and it i● taken from the certain and infallible stroa● of the justice of god , which shall com● upon those who slight this great salvation ●t is impossible ( saith he ) that there can be a ●●ity of refuge for these who slight this great salvation . now in the words which wee have read , here are these six things to be considered . i. first , that it is an evil incident to the ●●earers of this precious gospel and great ●●lvation , to slight and undervalue it ; this is early presupposed in the words , otherwise here had been no ground or accesse for the postle to threaten so terrible things against ●●e slighters of it . ii. the second thing to bee considered in 〈◊〉 words , is , that the stroak and ruine of ●●ose who slight this great salvation , is ●●●tain , and infallible , it will surely come ●●on them : this is clear from these words , ●●w shall we escape ? as if he had said , there ●●no imaginable way for us to escape , if wee ●●glect ( this ) so great salvation : wee may ●●●e a city of refuge when wee are pursued the law ; or , when wee are pursued by ●●ictions , and wee may escape when wee 〈◊〉 pursued otherwayes by the justice of ●●d ; but if once wee slight this great ●●●vation , there remaineth no city of refuge ●●o door of escape left open ) unto us : for ●ere will the person flee that slighteth this ●●at salvation ? ii. there is this third thing whereof we ●●●l take notice from the words , that the ●●ak of the justice of god cometh justly ●n them who slight this great salvation ; truely it is a most equal and reasonable ●●●k , which is also clear from the words , how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation ! where he puts it home to their consciences , as if he had said , think yee not tha● it is just and righteous that ( if yee slight the great-salvation ) there should not be a doo● of escape left open unto you ? hee putteth the question home to their conscience to answer , yea , or no. iv. the fourth thing to bee considered i● the words , is this , that the slighting thi● great-salvation is a sin that hath many aggravations which attend and wait upon i● . and it hath two great aggravations from th● words which i have read ; the first great aggravation in that word of the text , great salvation , as if he had said , if it were not great salvation , yee might have some clo●● or excuse for your slighting of it : but se●ing it is such a great and eternal salvation● there is now no cloak left for your sin . the second aggravation is from the certainty 〈◊〉 this salvation : in these words , which at fi●● began to be spoken by the lord : and was conf●●med unto us by those that heard him , viz. 〈◊〉 apostles , whereby he telleth them , this great salvation is no notion no● fancy ; but a m●● certain , sure , and real salvation , which y●● they slight . v. the fifth thing whereof wee shall ●a●● notice from the words , is this , that the● are no persons ( be who they will , minister 〈◊〉 people ) who slight this great-salvatio● that shall have a door of escape . hence is , that the apostle putteth himself amo●● the rest , saying , how shall wee escape ; if 〈◊〉 neglect so great salvation ; that is , how shall paul , escape , if i neglect so great salvation ; ●nd so frustrat the grace of god ? vi. sixthly , we would take notice of this ●●om the words , that not only heart despi●●ng of this great salvation , but even also ●he very neglecting of it , hath a certain infallible and unspeakable ruine attending upon it 〈◊〉 now before wee begin to speak to any of ●hese six things ( which we have observed from ●●e words ) there are these two things where●●to we shall speak a little for clearing of the ●ords . first , what is meaned here by great ●alvation ; secondly , how it is said , that christ was the first preacher of it . first , wee conceive , that by the great-sal●ation , is understood the gospel , as is clear , ●ph . 1. 13. where it is called , the gospel of ●●r salvation , and act. 13. 26. it it called the ●ord of this salvation ; so that by the word of this salvation , is understood the gospel , ●●d these precious offers which are contained in it . and we conceive , it may be called 〈◊〉 great-salvation , in these eight respects . i. first , it is called the great-salvation , ●● respect of the price that was laid down ●or it : there being no lesse price laid down ●● purchase this great-salvation , then the ●loud of the son of god. from whence then ●oth salvation flow unto you ? it comes ●●nning to you in a stream of the blood of the 〈◊〉 of god. this is clear , heb. 9. 12. nei●●er by the blood of goats and calves ; but by ●is own blould he entered in once into the holy ●lace , having obtained eternal redemption for us . ii. secondly , it is called a great salvation , in respect of the many difficulties and oppositions which ly in the way of bringing it about . what great impediments ( suppose ye ) lay in christs way , before he could accomplish and bring about this great salvation ? was not the justice of god to be satisfied ? was he not to die , and be made like unto one of us ? was he not to●ly in the grave ? and was he not to bear the to●ments of hell , before this great-salvatio● could be accomplished , and brought to passe 〈◊〉 there were such impediments in the way o● bringing about this great salvation , that ●● all the angels in heaven had been set to the work , they had been all crushed under 〈◊〉 had it been but that one great impediment● to satisfie the iustice , and pacifie the wra●●● of god , even that was a passe , through which none could go , but the eternal son of god. it was so guarded that none durst adventure to enter it ( much lesse could any win through it ) save he only , who was mighty to save . iii. thirdly , it is called a great salvation in respect of that high estimation which the saints have of it . o what an high estimation have the saints of this gospel salvation ! there is no mercy which they think comparable to this , all other mercies are but little zoars in comparison of this great mercy , and gospel salvation . iv. fourthly , it is called a great salvation , in respect of these noble effects which this salvation bringeth about , and produceth● some of the great effects of the gospel ? david hath cleared , psal. 19. 7 , 8 , 9 , 10. is not this ● great effect ( of this gospel salvation ) to ●ring us out of nature into an estate of grace ? and that is an effect of this great salvation ? ●s not this a great effect , to make us who were enemies , become friends ? and that is ●● effect of this great salvation ? is not this ● great effect , to make us who were moving ●● the way to hell , move in the way to hea●●n ? and that is an effect of this great salvation . is not this a great effect , to make us who were far off , to be now made near ? and ●●t that is an effect of this great salvation . and is not this a great effect , to make us who were darknesse , become light in the lord ? and ●●at is the great effect of this gospel salvation : yea , i may say , time would fail me to tell ●f all the great effects of this great salvation ; ●ut o will yee come and see , and that will ●est resolve the question unto you , what the ●ble effects of this great salvation are . v. fifthly , it is called a great salvation , 〈◊〉 respect of the great advantages which ●oth redound to the person who imbraceth 〈◊〉 first , is not heaven a noble advantage ? ●●d that is the gain , which attendeth the ●●bracers of this great salvation . secondly , 〈◊〉 not jesus christ a notable advantage ? ●●d yet hee is the advantage which attendeth ●● imbracers of this great salvation ▪ ●●irdly , is not eternall communion with ●●d a notable advantage ? and that advantage attendeth the imbracers of this great ●●vation . fourthly , is not eternal liberation from the body of death , a great advantage ? and that attendeth the imbracers o● this great salvation . fifthly , is not eternall singing in the enjoyment of god a grea● advantage ? and that attendeth the imbracer● of this salvation . sixthly , is not eternal seeing of god as he is , a great and noble advantage ? and yet this ( as all the former ) attendeth the imbracers of this great salvation ▪ ye● , would ye be rich ? o then imbrace thi● great salvation . would ye be honourable come and imbrace this great salvation would ye be eternally happy ? o then com● and partake of this great salvation . vi. sixthly , it is called a great salvatio● in respect of all other salvations that eve● were accomplished . there was never a salvation , or victory obtained by any general 〈◊〉 captain ( unto a land or people ) that coul● have the name of great salvation in comp●rison of this . vii . seventhly , it is called a great-salvation , in respect of the authority of it . w● have spoken of the greatnesse ( as to the m●ritorious cause ) of it , and how great things doth effectuate : and also in respect of t●● authority of it , it is a great-salvatio● would ye know who is the author of th● great-salvation ? it is christ , heb. 5. 9. 〈◊〉 became the author of eternal salvation to 〈◊〉 them that obey him . and must not this salvation be suitable to him who is the author it . this is one of the most noble and irra●●ant beams of the majesty of the son of g●● the mediator , that he is the author of 〈◊〉 great salvation . viii . eighthly , it is called a great salvation , in respect of the continuance and duration of it . it is not a salvation which is but 〈◊〉 a day : but it is an eternal salvation , heb. 〈◊〉 . 12. he obtained eternal redemption for us . now the second thing whereunto we shall ●peak , for clearing of the words , is this , viz. how it is said , that christ was the first ●reacher of this eternal salvation . we do ●ot think that the words are thus to be understood , that the gospel , and this great salvation was never preached before christ came ●● the flesh ; but we think the meaning of the ●ords may be one of these three , if not all ●f them . i. first , that all the preaching of this great salvation under the law , did come ●ery far short in the point of fulnesse , in ●omparison of christs preaching of it ; there●ore is christ said to be the first preacher of his great salvation : as if he had said , i ●now adam , he preached of this great salvation : and enoch , he preached of this great salvation : and the twelve patriarchs , they ●reached of this great salvation : and all ●he prophets who went before christ , and 〈◊〉 now in heaven , they preached of this great salvation ; but all their preaching de●erved not the name of preaching in compa●ison of christs ; for , never man spake as he ●pake . thus christ was the first great preach●r of this great salvation . ii. secondly , this may be the meaning ●f it , that christ was the first preacher of ●●is great salvation , in respect of his clear way of preaching of it : for hee was the first preacher of it without types and shadows , hee was the first preacher of it clearly and fully , with so much demonstration and power of the spirit . iii. thirdly , the meaning of this ( that christ was the first preacher of this great salvation ) may relate to his appearing to adam in paradise , when he became the first and great preacher of this salvation , whe● hee did speak that word unto him , the see● of the woman shall tread down the head of the serpent . the first glorious preaching of thi● great salvation was , when christ preached i● to adam in paradise . and that was the firs● and glorious morning of this blessed gospel ▪ now we shall speak a little to the first o● these six things which we have observed fro● the words , viz. that there are many within the visibl● church , who are neglecters and slighters o● this great salvation ; ( do yee not all tak● with it ? ) it is clear , matth. 23. toward● the close , and chap. 22. 5. where these persons being invited to come to the marriage or feast of the gospel , it is said of them they made light of it . which are the sam● words in our text. and luke 14. 18 ▪ when they were invited to come , it is said they all with one consent began to make thei● excuse . and isa. 28. 2. this is the rest where with yee shall make them weary to rest , this i● the refreshing , yet they will not hear . no● is there a person here who dare deny thi● charge , that hee is a slighter of thi● grea● salvation ? i confesse i am afraid , that ye will ●ot take with it ; therefore i shall propose eighth sorts of persons who are slighters of this great salvation . and i charge you , as ye will answer to god one day , that ye search your hearts , whether ye be among the number ( in the catalogue ) of the slighters of this great salvation . i , the first sort of persons , who are slighters of this great salvation , are these per●ons who go about to establish their own ●ighteousnesse , and will not submit to the ●ighteousnesse of christ : ( in a word ) it is ●hat sort of persons , who think they may win to heaven by a covenant of works , and will not take the gospels way of travelling ●o heaven in the covenant of grace . and ●orely there is not a person here , who hath ●ot that cursed inclination to be as little ob●ieged to christ ( for his salvation ) as he can . we would go to heaven without the way , which is christ. and ( believe me ) there are ●any in this congregation , who go thus a●out to establish their own righteousnesse . and i shall propose six sorts of persons who ●●ll under the first rank . 1. the first sort are these who trust on ●heir own civility , and think these will car●y them to heaven ; these are the persons ●ho go about to establish their own righteousnesse . say they , i defy the world to ●●y any thing to me , i was evermore an ho●est man , and i trust therefore that i shall ●o to heaven ; but i say to thee , ( o atheist ●●at thou art ) thou shal● never win to heaven by these means , till thou come to christ with this , all my righteousnesse is lik● filthy rags . 2. the second sort are these , who buil● their confidence upon their denial of thei● good works , but yet come never this lengt● to make use of jesus christ. 3. the third ●ort are these , who buil● their confidence upon their duties ; the● think they will come to heaven by their goo● prayers , by their reading , and by their fasting ( like unto that pharisee , luk 18. 11 ) i than● god i am not like other men ▪ for i fast twi●● in the week : i pay tiths of all that i possesse● but i say unto thee , thy duties will neve● bring thee to heaven , if christ be not th● end of all thy duties , nor can ye perform an● duty without him . 4. the fourth sort of persons , who ●a● under this first rank of slighters of the gre●● salvation , are those who trust on their co●victions . if they have once been convinc● of their sin and miserable estate , they thi● their is no more to do , christ will never ●●ject them , so they sit down and build the hope upon these convictions . 5. the fifth sort of persons are these w● build their confidence upon their resolution ▪ say they , oftentimes i have resolved to be better man than i am : therefore i thi●● ( which is the fearfull delusion of many that god will accept the will for the deed : b●● it had been good for many , such a word h●● not been in the bible ; or that their cu●s●● eyes had never read it . but know this , t●● though thou had as strong resolutions as peter , or as good wishes as balaam had , if thou never labour to bring them to practice , god shall say to thee , depart from me , i know you not . and of you who build upon your resolutions , ye build upon a sandy foundation , these being many times a goodnesse but like the morning dew . 6. and the sixth sort of persons who fall under this first rank of slighters of the great salvation ( and wherein the evil is most subtill ) are these who build their salvation upon their graces ; these also go about to establish their own righteousnesse : but i say to thee , thy grace cannot be the foundation of thy hope , though they may be as evidences to strengthen thy hope . now are there none here who fall under this first rank of slighters of the great salvation ; or are there none here who will confesse that they have gone about to establish their own righteousnesse ? i say to thee , who will confesse , put a rope about thy neck , and come to christ ; for he is a mercifull king : i say to thee , come to christ with this , all my righteousness is like filthy rags : and if thou wilt come with this in sincerity , he shall say , bring forth the white robe and put it upon him : if thou can be brought to speak that in sincerity to christ , there shall be no more betwixt christ and thee , but , come and cloath him with the white robe . ii. secondly , these persons slight the great salvation , who delay their taking hold of the precious offers of the gospel : for there are many ( when we preach thi● gospel , and when we hold out the great salvation to them ) who say , i will follow christ : but i must first go home and bury m● father ; ( and so they delay to take hold o●●his great salvation ) but i say to you tha● ( who ever you be ) that thus delay to tak● hold on this great salvation , ye are the sligh● of it . is there a person within these doors , who dare , but acknowledge that he hath slighted this great salvation , and delayed to imbrace it ? o tell me ? what d● your consciences speak ? are there any bu● they must acknowledge they come unde● this second rank ? and i say to you , who have thus delayed , will ye yet imbrace it ? 〈◊〉 say even unto you who are old men ( now past sixty years , and have slighted this great salvation so long ) yet this day this grea● great salvation is offered unto you : wha● say ye to it ? o what do ye say to this offer ▪ are ye saying , i must now delay ( and not receive this great salvation ) till my harvest b● by , and over ? i say unto thee , that the harvest of the wrath of god is ripe , and he shal● put in his sickle , and cut thee down . i wil● say no more to these who thus slight thi● great salvation , but this , why stand ye all th● day in the market place idle , and doing nothing . o will ye at last be induced to tak● and imbrace this great salvation , before ●● be hid from your eyes . iii. thirdly , these persons are th● slighters of this great salvation , who complement with christ , when they are invite● to come and partake of it : and say silently ●o the minister , ( or rather to their own con●ciences ) i pray you have me excused at this ●ime , as these luk. 14. 18. but i would only ask at such , have ye any lawfull excuse , why ye will not come and partake of this great salvation ? is there any person here , that hath any lawfull excuse to present ? i shall never take that off your hand , have me excused : but be sure of this , i shall never excuse you , but accuse you : therefore i desire that these persons , who have slighted the great salvation , by complementing with christ , that they would complement no more wi●h him at all : but now imbrace it . iv. the fourth sort of persons who slight this great salvation , are these who give way to discouragements and unbelief , so that they will not come and partake of this great salvation : i say , such of you are slighters of it , and christ will esteem you such . oh if ye knew the worth and vertue of this great salvation , there would not be a tentation ( you could meet with ) ●hat would hinder you from imbracing it , but if thou could not answer these ●emptations , thou would not own them . i say unto such undervaluers and slighters of the great salvation as discouraged persons ( and these who stay long in the place of the breaking forth of children ) tha● when ye cannot answer your objections , which hinder you from closing with christ , i intrea● you disown them , as if you heard them not : say ●●e , think ye this lawfull ? i say , it is both lawfull and expedient : for it was the practic● of believing abraham , hee considered not 〈◊〉 own body , being dry as an old stick , nor th● deadnesse of sarahs womb . hee did not cons●der these things which might have been objections to keep him from believing . he● might have started at these two objections ▪ alas , i am old , and that objection could he● not answer : and my wife is past child hea●● , neither could hee answer that objection● what then did hee with them ? hee slighte● them both , and considered them not . secondly , i would say this to you , who thu● slight it because of discouragements : if ye● did know the worth of the great salvatio● which is in this gospel redemption that is offered unto you , although ye had an army o● objections to go through , yee would go through them all , to get a drink of the wate● of this well of bethlehem . v. the fifth sort of persons who sligh● this great salvation , are these who wil● not do so much as take care , and give pain● to hear this great salvation offered unto them ; for there are some persons who ( i● they come to the church ) desire to sit farrest off , and so never take care to hear a wor● of this great salvation : and such are dreadfull slighters of it . like unto these mentioned , ier. 6. 10. to whom shall i speak an● give warning , that they may hear ? behold their ear is uncircumised , and they cannot hearken , isa. 28. 12. but they would not hear , je●● 7. 10. who say , we are delivered to do all thes● abominations : yet they did come and stan●● before him , in the house which was called by his name . vi. sixthly , these persons are slighters of this great salvation , ( who when they hear it ) are no more ( nay not so much ) affected with it , ●hen if they were telling unto them the most senslesse history of thomas the rymer , or some other old fable ; like unto these mentioned , ier. 6. 10. the word of the lord is unto them a reproach , they have no delight in it . i would pose you all as in the sight of the author of this great salvation , ( men or women ) did you ever set your selves ( or took ye ever pains ) to bring up your hearts to the love of this great salvation ? was it ever the rejoycing of your hearts that christ dyed and rose again ? i do certainly believe it , ( and i am perswaded ) that there are decrees past in heaven against many of you . that in hearing ye shall hear , but not understand ; and in seeing ye shall see , and shall not perceive , for god hath made your hearts harder then the flint or adamant ; so that ye shall refuse to return when he doth exhort you . believe me , ( if i may so speak ) i think there is as much probability that the stones in the wall would hear ( if we would speak to them ) as soon as many of you . vii . seventhly , these persons are slighters of the great salvation , who did never complain that they wanted a right to this great salvation . i hope some of you are now convinced that ye never came within the compasse of this great ▪ salvation : i say yet unto you , if ye did never spend one hou● in secret weeping and lamenting , because y● had not a righ● to this gospel redemption● it is but too probable you never ha● yet ● right to it . yea , know it , that such of you would little care to let precious christ depar●● without any grief of heart ; i think if thi● were voiced within this house to ▪ day , whether or not shall christ go and depart , i doub● if there would be many heart diss●nters , though many tongue dissenters : oh , i fear there would be many hearts here , saying , o christ depart and go thy way : yea , there are many gadarens here , who prefer their ●ine and swine to precious christ , and would be●eech him to go out of their coasts . viii . eightly , these persons sligh● the great ▪ salvation , who never took pain● to engage their hearts to take hold of christ and the gospel . christ is near to you this day : the great salvation is near to you , and is now , even now offered unto you : therefore are there any who will take pains to lay hold on it ? i obtest you all who are here , by the beauty and excellency of him who is the author of this great salvation , that ye come and partake of it ; i obtest you by all the joyes of heaven that ye imbrace this great salvation , i obtest you by all the ●errous in hell , that ye imbrace it , i obtest you by the promises of the everlasting covenant , that ye imbrace it , i obtest you by all the curses which are written in this book of the covenant , that ye imbrace it , i obtest you by the love ye owe to your immortall souls , that ye would once be wise , and come and partake of the great salvation . may i now have it , saith thou ? yea , i say unto you all , ye may have it to day , ye may be partakers of it before ye go hence : and so before i proceed any further , i do in the name and authority of him who sent me here to day , ( and is the author of this great salvation ) freely offer it unto you ; therefore take it off my hand , embrace this great salvation offered to you to day ; but i know there will be eight sorts of humors ( within this house to day ) in relation to this great salvation , which now is offered unto you . 1. i think there will be some of gallio's disposition here to day , that will care for none of these things ; yea , there are many here who will not give a fig for this rich offer of the great salvation . but , i say , cursed be that person who puts on gallio's temper ( to day ) that will care for none of these things . 2. i fear there will be many of pilat's humor here ( to day ) who will say , they find nothing against the man ; yet will cry forth , take him and crucifie him . they find no fault with christ , and yet will be con●ent that he be crucified . now can ye say any thing against christ , who is the author of this great salvation ? produce your strong arguments ; are there any here who have any thing to say against him ? i am here to answer in his name : i hope there ●s not one here who hath any thing to say against the author of this great salvation . and why then do ye not take him ? see unto your selves , that there be none of pilats humor here to day , that will cry out , yee find nothing in christ why he should not be received and yet will bee content , that hee bee crucified . 3. there will bee many of the jews humor here to day , who cry forth , away with christ , away with christ , and give me barrabas . but oh what a hellish word is that , away with spotlesse christ , away with transcenden● christ , and give us the world ? now are there any here who will be so gross slighters of this great salvation ? will ye slight this great salvation , and imbrace your idols , which shal● once prove a crown of thorns unto you ? 4. there will bee some of felix humor found here to day , that will say , o christ , g● away at this time , and i will hear thee at a mos● convenient season ; but i say unto you wh● will not hear mee to day , nor imbrace th●● great salvation , i shall defy all the ministe●● in scotland to assure you , that ye shall get another offer , if ye send me away to day . ther● is not one that can , or dare , engage , that th● great salvation shall bee in your offer and more . therefore i say , let none of fel●● temper be here to day , that will say , they wi●● hear christ at a more convenient season . 5. there will bee some of balaams temper ( to day ) who will desire to die the deat● of the righteous , and to have their last 〈◊〉 like his ; yet they desire not to live the li●● of the righteous . but i say unto you , ye sha●● never die the death of the righteous , if ye live not the life of the righteous . 6. there will bee some of you here ( to day ) who ( i hope ) at least , will bee of agripa's humour , that will say , thou hast almost perswaded me to be a christian : i say unto thee , o wilt thou quickly out with that word almost , and put in that word altogether , and say , o precious christ , thou hast altogether perswaded me to be a christian : however , if thou come no greater length , i intreat thee come this length , that so thou may cry out , i am almost perswaded to imbrace christ the great salvation , and may be ere long ye will come further . 7. there will bee some of iudas temper here ( to day ) who will betray christ for thirty pieces of silver ; yea , some would sell christ , heaven , their idols and all , for lesse then thirty pieces of silver . 8. i think there will be many of esaus pro●ane temper here ( to day ) who will sell their birth-right for a messe of pottage . now will ye enquire at your selves , am i the person that will give my birth-right for a messe of pottage ? doth my heart say , i will sell my birth-right , because i am hungered and ready to die : what will it profit me ? give mee a messe of pottage , and i will quite my birth-right . i know it , there are not a few such here to ●ay ; therefore i intreat you , enquire at your selves what is your humour . oh shall the great salvation , that yee have slighted ●o long , bee slighted this day also , and shall there bee none to imbrace it ? oh inquire , and stand inlaw , lest the wrath of the most high pursue you . now i shall give you these seven considerations , which may provoke you not to slight ( but imbrace ) this great salvation . 1. the first consideration , that the not imbracing of this great salvation is one of the greatest acts of folly that can be , ier. 8 : 9. they have rejected the word of the lord , ( and immediatly is subjoyned ) . and , what wisedom is in them ? and so solomon doth assure you they cannot be wise who neglect this great salvation , prov. 1. 7. fools despise wisedom and instruction ; therefore , may not i say unto you , be who ye will ( though ye were the greatest heads of wit in all this place ) ye are but stark fools as long as ye neglect this . but would ye be wise indeed , and wise unto eternal life ? then i intreat you come and imbrace this great salvation . ii. the second consideration , to provoke you not to slight the great salvation , is this ▪ that the ruine and destruction of the slighters of it , is most certain and infallible , ier. 11. 11. where ( speaking of slighting the covenant ▪ which is indeed this same great salvation ) there is a therefore put to the threatning . therefore thus saith the lord , i will bring evil upon them which they shall not be able to escape i defy you all who are the slighters of this great salvation , to finde a back door , when justice shall pursue you : for there is n● door to escape if ye imbrace not this great salvation : but the earth will disclose your iniquity , and heaven will declare your sin . iii. thirdly , let this consideration provoke you not to slight this great salvation , that christ is exceeding serious , and earnest that ye would imbrace it . and i think that , isa. 28. 23. speaketh out his exceeding seriousnesse : where four times hee beggeth of his hearers , that they would give ear and hear his voice ( saying ) give ear and hear my voice , ●earken and hear my speech . what needeth all these exhortations ? but that christ is most serious , that they would imbrace the great salvation . and o that there were a person here ( to day ) as serious to the bargain as christ is ! but , be who yee will that slight this great salvation , ( believe me ) the day is coming wherein ye shall cry out , alas for my slighting of it . wilt thou therefore think presently with thy self ( o thou slighter of this great salvation ) what wilt thou say of thy slighting of it , when the devil shall be leading thee in thorow these dark gates of hell ? o slighter of the gospel , how many alaces wilt thou cry , when thou shalt be passing thorow these dark gates into thy everlasting prison ? wilt thou not then cry out . ( o me slighter of the everlasting salvation ) whither am i now going ? alas , now for my slighting the gospel : and as thou passest thorow , thou shalt meet with numbers of miserable comforters . there is not one in that prison who can comfort thee : but many dreadfull alaces shalt thou then both cry and hear , if thou imbrace not this great salvation . iv. fourthly , let this provoke you no● to slight the great salvation , that ye will get it for a very look . o ye within this house to day , ye will get this great salvation for one look , isa. 45. 22. look unto me , and b● saved , all the ends of the earth . for a very look ye will get this great salvation : and do y●● ever think to get heaven at a lower rate ? v. the fifth consideration , to provoke you not to slight this great salvation and more , is this , there is not one of you wh● is a slighter of it , but your slighting it shall increase your immortall bonds . man or woman , be who thou wilt , when thou art slighting this great salvation ; thou art but pla●ing a cord wherewith to bind thy soul eternally in these unquenchable flames , isa. 2● 22. be ye not mockers , lest your bonds be ma● strong ; i say therefore unto you , old me● mock not , lest your bonds be made strong : o● women , near unto your graves , mock not , l●● your bonds be made strong : young men , be 〈◊〉 not mockers , lest your bonds be made strong● young women , who are in the flower of yo●● time , mock not , lest your bonds be made strong ▪ but now alas , will there ( for all this ) ●e● person here to day who will be a mockers this great salvation ? vi. the sixth consideration , to provoke you not to slight this great salvation a●● more , is this , ye know not but that yo●● dayes may be near a close ; i say , ye kno● not , but the day of the preaching of this great salvation may be near unto a close . wh● knowest thou , o man or woman , but t●● shall be the last sermon that ever thou shalt ●ear concerning this great salvation ? and yet for all this , shall we be sent away without one consent to imbrace or receive it ? o will ye be perswaded to look to christ , and so to take him . vii . the seventh consideration , to provoke you not to slight the great salvation , is this , that there is a five fold salvation comprehended under this great salvation . i. the first is this , come and partake of this great salvation , and thou shalt have salvation from thy idols : and hereby i do proclaim liberty ( this day ) unto captives . i am sent forth ( this day ) with the keyes of your prison house , to open your prison doors unto you , if ye will imbrace this great salvation . i say unto you . o ye prisoners come forth and shew your selves ; for the keyes of your prison house are with us to open your prison doors unto you , therefore o come forth and embrace this great salvation . will there be any ( shall i think ) here that will refuse to come forth , o go forth and slee from the land of your captivity , and from the house of your bondage . ii. thou shalt have salvation from thy darknesse , and from thy ignorance ? i say unto you who understand no more of god then the stones in the wall , i command you to come forth , and partake yet of this great salvation ; and unto you shall light arise , even the day spring from on high shall visit you . iii. if ye will come and partake of this great salvation , ye shall have deliverance from all your fears . dost thou fear that thou shalt be poor : come and partake of this great salvation ; and thou shalt be delivered from it ? art thou afraid of hell ? come and partake of this great salvation , and thou shalt be delivered from that fear . art thou afraid at the wrath of god ? then come ( ● say ) and partake of this great salvation , and thou shalt have redemption from that and al● thy fears , with him is plenteous redemption and hee can make thee quiet from the fear o● evil . iv. if thou wilt come and partake of this salvation , thou shalt have deliverance from all thy anxieties , and from all thy cares : y●● are now carefull and anxious about many things ; come and partake of this great salvation , and it will make you carefull but only for the one thing necessary . v. if yee will come and embrace the great salvation offered unto you this day , yee shall be helped before yee go hence to sing that song , o death where is thy sting ? o grave where is thy victory ? now o will ye come and imbrace this great salvation , and yee shall b● more then conquerours thorow christ who love●● you are there therefore any here to day that would have victory over the devil , and over their own hearts ? then come and embrace this great salvation , and then your victory i● certain . but now to presse home this great salvation upon you a little further , there are nin● sorts of persons , who are invited to come and partake of this great salvation offered this day : and i charge you answer to your names when ye are called , and delay not to come . i. first , i invite and call here to day , all who are willing to come and embrace this great salvation . now , are there any of ●ou here to day , who are called willing ? ●hen i invite you to come , and imbrace this great salvation , rev. 22. 17. whosoever will , ●et him come : but oh , are there none here 〈◊〉 day who are named willing ? i intreat ●on , if there be any , do not deny your name , ●●t come when you are called and embrace this great salvation . ii. secondly , these persons who thirst ●●r it , are invited to come , and partake of ●●●s great salvation , rev. 22. 17. let him ●●t is a thirst , come . now if there be any ●ere who are named thirsty , let them come and partake of this salvation , and they shall ●e satisfied . iii. thirdly , are there any money-lesse ●●lk here to day ? let them come and partake of this great salvation ; are there no money-lesse folk here to day ? i mean not that money or coin in your purses , but want ●●e money ? that is , want ye righteousnesse ? ●hen i pray you , come and partake of this great salvation . i say , are ye so poor , that ●e have nothing but the fear of hell ? then i ●ay you come . if there be any here who have nothing to commend them to christ , but necessity : i say unto all such , o come , come , ●●me , and partake of this great salvation . iv. fourthly , these persons are invited ●o come ( and i wish there were many such ) who are weary : but oh! are there none here to day , who are called weary ? are y●● not weary in pursuit of yours ? if there be any such here to day , i say unto you , o weary folk , come , come , come , and partake of this great salvation , and of this excellent gospel redemption that was purchased at so dear 〈◊〉 rate . v. fifthly , these who are heavy loadened are invited to come , ( and i think all of you may answer to this name ) are ye heavy loaden●● o then come . but are there none here who are heavy loaden with sin , with misery , and estrangement from god ? if there be any such here , i say unto thee , old man , or young man , be who thou wilt , o come , and partake of this great salvation . vi. sixthly , are there any here to day who are called blind ? i say , if there be any o● you who think ye want eyes to see the precious excellencies of christ , i invite you to come and partake of this great salvation . vii . seventhly , are there any who are called lame here to day ? i say unto such , ● come , come , come , and partake of this great salvation : for we are sent forth to day , to call in the blind & the maimed , and the lame that they may come and imbrace this great salvation : therefore are there none he●● to day who may be called such : are ye neither blind nor lame ? i hope many of you will not deny that ye are such ; therefore say unto you ; o blind , halt and maimed com● come , and partake of this great salvation . viii . the eighth sort of persons invit●● are these who are sick , therefore if there be ●y sick folk here to day , be who ye will , i say ●●to you , o come and partake of this great salvation , for the whole need not the physician , ●●t the sick . ix . ninthly , are there any here to day who know not their name , or their conditi●● , i say unto you , o namelesse folk , come and partake of this great salvation , come to christ or the knowledge of your souls condition , ●ome as a namelesse one , and he shall not re●●ct thee , though thy case were so evil that thou could not give it a name ; for , of all ●●at come unto him he sendeth none away . now where do you find your name and ●●name ? o do ye not know it ? i hope now ●e may know ; therefore i intreat you answer to it , and so come away and partake of this great salvation . but i am afraid there be many strong iron●●rs in the way of some of you , which ye can●t win over . ah , how fast are some souls ●●cked in satans snare ; and therefore i shall ●eak a little for discovering of these bars , ●hat hinder from imbracing this great salvation , that so ye may be the better helped to remove them . i. the first great iron ▪ bar which keepeth ●olk from imbracing this great salvation , is ●he bar of ignorance ; and i am afraid that ●●is ( as a mighty bar ) hindereth many of you : ye are ignorant of your selves , and of ●he condition of your souls , ye are ignorant ●f the law and of its severity , and ye are ignorant of the precious gospel in its condescendency . o pray unto god that for christ sake , hee would break that great bar of ignorance ; for till that be done , christ may take up that complaint , ier. 5. 4. surely they are foolish , they know not the way of the lord , not the judgement of their god. i say , this bar o● ignorance keepeth you from embracing this great salvation . ii. the second bar which keepeth many from closing with christ , is the bar of presumption , for some will cry out , what nee● have i to embrace the great salvation ? have i it not already ? but i say unto thee , o fool thou art ( by all appearance ) yet in bondage ▪ o that this evil bar of presumption were put away ; for it is one of the greatest impediments which lyeth in the way of your imbracing this great salvation that is in your offer to day : therefore i say unto you , i● you will come no further ; i intreat you come this length , to confesse that ye want this gospel salvation and that yee are indeed strangers to this redemption purchased by christ. iii. the third bar that keepeth persons from imbracing this great salvation , is the bar of unbelief , yee believe not what wee say to you anent this great salvation , i know that some of you are of the stoicks and epicures humor , who cry out , what meaneth this man ? he seemeth to be the setter forth of some strange god. but i say unto you , i am no● the setter forth of any strange god , but it is jesus of nazareth whom i preach unto you ▪ alas , some of you thinketh this great salvation to bee some morning dream , or some golden fancy : but i say unto you , it is neither a dream nor fancy ; but a real truth that we preach unto you . iv. the fourth bar that keepeth persons from imbracing of this great salvation , is the bar of discouragement : this strong bar keepeth many so fast , that they cannot imbrace this great salvation though it bee freely offered unto them . i shall say no more to you , who are such , but counsell you to do as these four lepers did , 1 king. 7. 4. who sat at the gate of samaria : who said , why sit wee here till we die , if wee say we will ●nter ▪ into the city , then the famine is in the city , and we shall die there : and if we sit still ●●re ▪ we die also . now therefore come , and let us fall into the host of the syrians , if they save us alive , we shall live , and if they kill us , we ●●all but die . even so say i unto you , that if ●t abide in the state of unbelief , yee shall surely bee undone ; therefore go forth , for yee ●now not but god may work a great salvation for you : and if yee will quite your unbelief and close with christ in the offer of this great salvation ( by saith ) ye shal have no more to do , but eat and drink , and divide the spoil . v. the fifth bar which withholdeth persons from imbracing of this great salvation , 〈◊〉 the bar of unwillingnesse , yee will not ●me to thee , that yee may have life . and alas , that is an iron bar indeed , by which all that ●e in hell have barred themselves out of ●eaven . alace , shall yee bee such wretches ●lso . o what a dreadfull sound is that , wo ●nto thee , o jerusalem , wilt thou not be made clean ? when shall it once be ? ah , turn you ▪ turn you , why will ye die ? why will ye slight this great salvation ? o will none of you this day imbrace it ! vi. the sixth bar that withholdeth persons from imbracing this great salvation , i● the bar of worldly mindednesse : many of you are so fixed to the world , that yee cannot come and close with this great salvation . i may allude to that word spoken of saul . 1 sam. 10. 22. that hee hid himself among the stuffe : for many have buried and nested themselves in the midst of the world , that they cannot imbrace this great salvation . vii . the seventh bar which keepeth many from imbracing this great salvation , is the bar of hard heartednesse : there hath such 〈◊〉 stupidity and hardnesse of heart seised upon many , that , let christ preach as hee will to them ( by his word , or by other dispensations ) they are no more moved , then if his word and dispensations were a thousand miles from them . o that strong bar of hardnesse of heart , when shall the omnipoten hand of god break it ? viii . the eighth bar that hindereth many from imbracing this great salvation , is the bar of slothfulnesse . many of you cannot be at the pains to imbrace it : but i say unto you , there is but small pains in the way o● godlinesse : i say unto you , it may so easil● be had , that it is in your offer to day ; and 〈◊〉 ye will , ye may put forth your hand and take it . consider therefore what yee will do o will ye despise it ! i say will ye still negle● and despise it ( will ye but read that dread●●ll word , act. 13. 40. 41. behold ye despi●●s , and wonder and perish . tell me freely , would ye have us to return this answer to him who sent us , that ye are despisers of the great salvation ? say to it , are there none of you , who ( for all this ) will consent to partake of this great salvation ? o captives and prisoners , and ye who are in the bonds of ●atan , will ye come and partake of this great salvation , and you shall be made free . i have 〈◊〉 act of release for you to day ; if ye will ●ome , and make use of it , ye shall be set at ●●berty . but , oh shall the prison doors be ●st open , and yet none come forth ? but that ( i may come to a close ) i say yet unto ●●on , o poor prisoners go forth , go forth , and partake of this great salvation . oh , will ●e not come forth ? what holdeth you in ? the foundation of your prison house is taken to day , therefore if ye will but come ●orth and cast a look to christ , your very ●●kels shall fall off your hands , and ye shall ●● as those who were never bound . now i ●ave this with you : and to make you think ●pon it , i shall speak these five words unto ●ou , and i intreat you think upon them . 1. first , i have excellent tidings to tell ●●u ( i hope some of you will give ear to ●●em ) viz. there is a great person come ●ere to day , and that is the mighty author ●f this great salvation , who hath brought ●erlasting righteousnesse with him , desiring ●ou to make use thereof ; it is his desire that yee would take his excellent gift at his hand . these , i say , are the tiding● that have to preach unto you : and i hope never to be declared a liar for what i preach unt● you : i say yet unto you , that christ , th● author of the great salvation , desi●eth to give it freely unto you , if ye will but take it . but o will yee not take it ? i think , ●● yee did see an hundreth men lying in prison or dungeon , without all light , bread , o● water , and a great prince coming to them saying , i desire you all to come forth , an● partake of this great liberty which i bring unto you : and every one of them should answer , i scorn to come forth at this time ▪ would yee not think them exceeding grea● fools ? and yet i fear this act of great foll fall out in many of your , hands to day : tha● when christ hath given us the keyes , of you● prison doors , and they are opened , yee wi●● not come forth . but i must intreat you y●● to come forth and shew your selves ; fo● who knoweth , but wee may bee commande● to shut your prison doors again , and to se● them with seven seals : with an unalterab●● decree from heaven , never to bee recalled ▪ wherefore , o ye prisoners , go forth , go for● from your prison house . 2. secondly , i would say this to you that it is not without much ground th● this salvation ( offered to you ) is called great salvation . ( i know a little paper two or three sheets , might contain all t●● salvations that ever any man obtained : b● the world would not bee able to contain 〈◊〉 the books which might be written to the commendation of this great salvation ; yea , ( unto any who will imbrace it ) i say , first , if thou finde not this salvation above thy ●aith , then go thy way when thou art come ; but i know thou wilt finde it both above thy ●aith and hope . secondly , if thou finde it not above thy desires when thou a●● come ●nto it , then go thy way again : but were thy desires as the sand upon the sea shoare , thou shalt alwayes finde more in this salvation then ever thou could desire . thirdly , if this salvation be not above what thou can conceive , then go thy way when thou art come to it ; but think of it as thou can , it shall alwayes be above thy thoughts of it : fourthly , if this salvation be not above thy opinion of it , then go thy way when thou ●●it come unto it ; but i know thou wilt ●●nd it far above thy opinion of it . therefore seeing it is so great a salvation , as that all the world could not contain all the books ●ight be written in the commendation of it . o will ye imbrace it , even to day , while it is ●o your offer . 3. thirdly , i would say this unto you , 〈◊〉 perswaded , that there is no sin that will more provoke the majesty of god to punish you , then the sin of slighting the great-salvation . bring forth these murtherers saith the lord ( of the slighters of this invitation ) and slay them before me . i intreat ●●en enquire at your own hearts , what ye will answer when ye are reproved for slighting of it ( old men , will ye ask at your own hearts , what ye will answer to christ when he shall propose that question to you why slighted ye the great salvation ? old woman , what will ye answer , when he shall say to you , why slighted ye the great salvation ? young men , and young women , inquire at your own hearts what ye will answer when christ shall say to you , why slighted ye th● great salvation ? can ye imagine any answer unto that question ? o dreadfull shall the wrath of god be , that shall be executed upon the slighters of this great salvation ? 4. fourthly , i would say this unto you that heaven is waiting to hear , what acceptation the offer of this great salvation doth get among you . here is the great salvation , here is the offer of it , and here is th● commendation of it ; what say ye to it ? i● it not an excellent salvation ? is it not 〈◊〉 free salvation ? is it not a great salvation ▪ is it not an eternal salvation ? why then d● ye not welcome it ? can any of you say an●thing to the discommendation of it ? i know you cannot ? yea i da● say your own heart are admiring it as most excellent ; an● therefore o will ye accept it . alas shal the● be none here who will be found accepters 〈◊〉 this great salvation ▪ so freely offered to day ▪ 5. fifthly , i would say this to you , let a the angels praise him who the author 〈◊〉 this great salvation . all the saints roun● about the throne praise him who is the a●thor of this great salvation . all these wh● are expectants of heaven praise him who 〈◊〉 the author of this great salvation : all y●● to whom this offer is made , praise him who is the author of this great salvation . o heaven praise him who is the author of this great salvation , o all ye fowls of the air , praise him who is the author of this great salvation , o fire , hail , snow , vapors , stormy winds and tempests , praise him who is the author of this great salvation . all the tribes of the earth , praise him who is the author of this great salvation . our own soul praise him who is the author of this great salvation , and all that is within us blesse him who is the author of this great salvation . o who would not praise him , who is the author of this great salvation ? are there any here that will refuse to commend him ? o think upon him , and let not this be a day of slighting him ? now where are your hearts at this time ? i will tell you where many of your hearts are , they are thinking upon the world : but i am sure there are not many of them thinking upon this great salvation . now what resolution mind ye to go away with to day ? oh , have ye no resolution beyond what ye had when ye came hither to day ? are there any here who have this resolution , to whom shall we go , but to him who is the author of this great salvation , who alone hath the words of eternal life ? even the lord breath it upon you . or is this your resolution , that through christs strength ( forsake him who will ) ye will never forsake him ? or , have ye this resolution ▪ that ye will esteem more highly of the great salvation then ever ye did ? o that the lord may keep these in the imaginations of the thoughts of your hearts for ever . but as for you who have no resolutions to imbrace this great-salvation , o wherewith shall i commend it unto you ? do not your own necessities commend it ? but if nothing can perswade you to come away and imbrace it , then this place shall be a heap of witnesses against you : for it hath heard all the words of the law which he hath spoken unto you , josh. 24. oh cast your eyes upon these pillars of the house , and stones in the walls : i take them as so many witnesses , that they may speak , and testifie against you in the great day of the lord , if ye neglect this great salvation to day . therefore as ye go away , be thinking upon it , and whether or not ye minde to imbrace it , now while you may have it . this day i have set life and death before you : i have set before you both the great salvation and the great damnation ; and o that ye had understanding in all these things ; that y●● being wise might be provocked at last to imbrace this great salvation , the which we do yet again intreat you to think upon . is not heaven looking upon you at this time ▪ to see what ye will do with this great offe● of salvation which i have this day ( from the lord ) presented unto you ? now , ●● him , that can perswade you to imbrace thi● great salvation , this gospel redemption this blessed mystery into which the angel desire to pry , to him , who can bring yo● back from the pit ; and can enlighten you wit● the light of the living ? to him who hath th● keye● of your prison , who can open and none can shut , and can shut and none can open ; to him , who hath all power in heaven and in earth communicate to him , who can deliver you from the power of the grave , and can set you free from all your enemies , wee desire to give praise , amen . sermon ii. heb. 2. 3. how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation , which at the first began to be spoken by the lord , and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him . there are two great and most ordinary complaints in these dayes . 1. there are many who complain , that their estates and persons are in bondage , and that they are sold for slaves to the hands of strangers : but , o that wee could also turn over the complaint to this , that our souls are in bondage , and that we are yet in the gall of bitternesse , and in the bond of iniquity , that so we might be provoked to long for the great salvation that is in our offer . 2. there are many complaining ( and not without much cause ) that there is now such a tolleration of errours : but , o will thou complain also of this , that within thy heart there is a tolleration of lusts ; is there no● an act of tolleration concluded within thy breast , that the devil and all his company may reign in thee at pleasure : oh have ye not need of great salvation ; shall i tell you , that christ is cou●ting you to imbrace it , and that he putteth on all his most glorious robes , and manifesteth himself unto you , as a suiter making offer of himself and of his great salvation . o tell me , have ye seen him ? or do ye think to see him this day ? what robes had he on . there are five glorious robes wherewith he cloaths himself when he condescendeth to manifest himself to his people ▪ first , he cometh to his own with the garments of salvation , according to that word , zech. 9. verse . 9. rejoyce , o daughter of sion greatly , shout o daughter of ierusalem ; fo● behold , thy king cometh unto thee , he is just and having salvation ; ay , your king is come here to day , and will you not fall in love with him when he is cloathed with the garments of salvation , can ye ever have a more conque●ing sight of christ , then when he is cloathed with such an excellent robe , and offering you salvation . secondly , he appeareth to his own sometimes in garmenes dyed in blood , according to that word , isa ▪ 6. 3. verse 1 , 2. who is this that cometh up from edom with dyed garments in bloud , as one that treadeth the wine fat : and now i say to thee that will not look to christ when he appears in the garments of salvation , have ye a heart to refuse him , that have fought such a comba●e for you , who hath trode the wine-presse alone , and hath stained all his garments with the bloud of his enemies ; o● is there any here who dare refuse this salvation , when they see how he treade●h his enemies in anger , and trampleth them in his fury , and thus sprinkleth their bloud upon his garments . o tremble at this sight , and seek quarter from him in time , or he shall dy his garments with the blood of thy immortall soul. thirdly , christ appeareth unto his own , being cloathed with these humble robes of condescendency . when he came in the simititude of sinfull flesh : o what a sight wa● that ; to behold the prince of heav●n cl●ath●d with our nature ; what a sight was that to b● hold him that was cloathed with light as with a garment , to be cloathed with our infirmities , yet he condescended to cloath himself thus , that we might have accesse unto him and be partake●● of his gifts : o can we refuse him , when love hath thus pressed him to put on the beggar weed , that he might say to worms y● are my brethren , and my sisters . fou●thly , christ somtimes manifesteth himself , being cloathed with the garments of beauty , and ravishing majesty ; such was the sight that the spouse go● of christ , song . 2. vers . 8. as the apple tree among the trees of the wood , so is my beloved among the sons ; and song . 5. when she saw him , white and rudy , and the standard bearer of ten thousand , and such was that joyfull sight of him ▪ when his garments were as the light , and white as the snow which he had at the transfiguration , when these glorified ones did come ( as it were ) ambassadors from that higher house to make him a visit . and , fifthly , christ he sometimes appeareth to his own , in robes of dreadfull majesty , and terrible highnesse and loftinesse , when the soul upon the first sight of him remains dead , add there remains no more life in them ; such was the sight daniel got , in his 10. chapter , and such was the sight that iohn got of christ , rev. 1 verse . 17. and i would ask at all that are here , what a sight have ye gotten of christ to day , in which of all these robes have ye seen him in : it is true , we are not now to look for the extraordinary sights of him ; but yet if ever thou hast seen him in any of his wooing robes , sure he hath appeared matchlesse , and how shall ye then refuse him . but now to come to the words i was speaking unto you o● ; the first thing in the words , to wit , that there are many who live under the offer of this great salvation that do slight it , and do not imbrace it ; and now i shall only add a few things further unto you . 1. let me propose a few considerations to perswade you to imbrace the great salvation : god forbid we go a way before we imbrace this gospel salvation : and therefore , i charge you in his name , go not away before ye imbrace it . and to presse it home upon you , there are these eight or nine properties of this great salvation , that is offered unto you this day . and first , it is a free salvation , ye have no more a do , but to put forth your hand and take it : o come and take it : christ hath foughten for this salvation , and there is no more required of you , but ●o come and ●eap the fruits of his victory ; who ever will let him come , there is nothing that should move you to stay away , o captives bond slaves to satan , o prisoners of hope , will yee come and partake of the great salvation , what holds you from coming away and partaking of it , it is freely offered unto you : ●●y , believe it , christ requires no more of you , but that ye should come and take it out of his hand ; if yee consent to ob●y , the bargain is ended ; yee shall ea● the good of the land , isa. 1. secondly , this great salvation , is a compleat salvation , that is offered unto you to day , this is clear , luk. 1. vers . 17. that we might bee saved from our enemies , and from the hand of all that hate us , there is not any enemy that is in thy way , but if thou will come and partake of the great salvation , thou may have victory over it , so compleat a salvation is it that is in your offer this day ▪ o shall wee passe away , and not imbrace it : o shall our cursed hearts undervalue this compleat salvation that is come to your door , believe it , salvation is near unto you , if yee will take it . thirdly , it is a wonderfull salvation , it 〈◊〉 such a salvation as the angels desireth ●o pry into it , and it is such a salvation , ●hat all the prophets desire to pry into it ; ●t is almost six thousand years since all the ●ngels in heaven fell into a sea of wonder ●t this great salvation ; it is almost six thousand years since abel fell into a sea of wonder at this great salvation : and what think ye is his exercise this day ? he is even wondering at this great salvation : would ye ask at all the angels in heaven , would they not all say , o imbrace the great salvation ; would ye ask at all the saints that are above , would they not advise you to imbrace the great salvation : would ye ask at adam would he not say , o imbrace this great salvation : could ye ask at abel , would he not say , o imbrace this great salvation : and would not all the patriarchs say unto you ▪ o imbrace the great salvation : and do not all that have tasted of the sweetnesse of i● cry out unto you , come and imbrace the great salvation . the fourth property of his salvation is that it was bought at an exceeding dear rate it is a dear salvation . would ye know the difference between christs coming to thi● salvation , and your coming to it , it is this christ was forced to travell through all th● armies of the justice of god ; he was forced to drink of the cup of the warth of go● before he could come to purchase this grea● salvation ; and now what is required of yo● to obtain this , we may say no more , but pu● out your hands and take it ; will ye look t● the price that was laid down for this salvation , there is not a wound in the body o● christ , but it saith , this is a dear salvation there is not a reproach christ met with b●● it saith , o is not this a dear salvation : the●● is not a buffeting christ met with , but it sai● o is not this a dear salvation : there is not a necessity that he is put into , but it saith ▪ is not this a great and dear salvation . o sirs , will ye not come and take this great salvation , this dear salvation . what must i give for it say ye , i say , ye must give nothing for it ▪ come and take it without money , and without price ; it was dear to christ , but it shall be cheap unto you , o! is it not cheap to you , i assure you , if you will come to the market to buy the great salvation , there is none of you that needeth to stand for the price of it . o come and take it , and have it , and there shall be no more priging . fifthly , it is an everlasting salvation , that ye shall enjoy the fruits of throughout eternity , as is clear , heb. 9. 13. he became the author of eternal redemption unto us , it is a salvation that the devil can never be able to take out of your hand , if ye take it , ye shall never be robbed of it again . o come and partake of this great salvation , whereby the gates of hell shall never prevail against you . sixthly , it is an noble and honourable salvation , it is not to be taken out of one slavery to another , but it is to be taken out of prison that we may raign : luk. 1. verse 71. compared with vers . 74 it is , that we being saved , may serve him without fear in holinesse and righteousnesse , all the dayes of our life . i say , come , come , and partake of this great salvation , that your glory may be increased , and that ye may be exalted above the kings of the earth . seventhly , it is a most advantagious salvation : what are the advantages of any salvation that are not to be found in this : is there not peace to be found through this salvation , is there not liberty to be found through this salvation , is there not eternal enjoyment of god to be found through this salvation ; yea , all salvations are in this one salvation . lastly , it is a royal salvation , for it cometh to us from and through the son of god : christ is the author of it , and we conceive , christ may be said to be the author of this salvation , in these respects , 1. he is the meritorious cause that did procure it , it was the price of his bloud that was laid down for to purchase this great salvation . 2. he is the fountain from whence it floweth , according to that word which we have cited . heb. 5. 9. he became the author of eternal salvation . 3. he is the person that fitteth our spirits for partaking of it , and it is he that removeth mountains out of the way , that we may have fair accesse unto the great salvation . 4. it is he that must perswade our hearts to imbrace and take hold of it . he standeth without , and cryeth in to the heart , to imbrace the great salvation ; and he standeth within , making thy heart cry out , content , i will imbrace the great salvation ; he is indeed the person that commendeth 〈◊〉 and doth point forth this great salvation unto us , he is the noble minister of it , it began first to be preached by him . now , is there any of you that have fallen in love with the great salvation : that ye may try your selves , i shall give you some evidences of the persons that are near unto this great salvation . 1. is thy estimation of the great salvation increased , be what it was in the morning when thou came hi●her ; is thy estimation of the great gospel salvation a foot higher then it was in the morning , i say unto thee , thou are not far from the great salvation ▪ come away . 2. is thy desire after the great salvation increased be what it was in the morning ; hath thou stronger desires after the great salvation , then before thou came hither , that is an evidence thou art not far from it . 3. is thy thoughts of thy necessity of the great salvation greater then they were : thinketh thou that thou hast more need of the great salvation then ever thou thought●st before : and is thy opinion and thoughts of saving thy self , lesse then they were before thou camest hithe● ? art thou forced to cry out , none but christ can save me ? i say thou art not far from the great salvation : will thou come away . o that ye would once seal this conclusion with much heart ●eswasion . i am undone without christ ▪ i am undone without christ , who is the author of the great salvation . are there any of you that are sensible that ye are in the fetters of sin , and in the bonds of iniquity ? are ye brought to the conviction of this , that ye are yet in the gall of bitternesse ? i say , if thou be brought to this length , to be sensible of thy bonds , and art crying out , o redeemer , hasten and come away ; i say , if thou be sensible of thy bonds and imprisonment , and crying out , o thou that was anointed from eternity , to proclaim liberty to the captives , and the opening of the prison to them that are bound , o hasten and come away and redeem me , even poor me , sinking , sinning , perishing , self destroying me , thou art not far from the great salvation . 4. art thou a person who beginneth to weep because thou hast been so long a stanger to christ , and the great salvation : old men , that are here , how long have ye been strangers to the great salvation , and to the author of it ? now will ye shed one tear for your estrangement , and cry out , wo is me that christ and i have been so long asunder ▪ i say , if thou hast come that length , thou art not far from the great salvation , come away ▪ o pity your selves , make hast , make hast , and come away . but now in the third place , let me give you some evidence● by which ye may know more clearly , whither or no ye have imbraced this great salvation , that ye may know your selves , and that ye walk not down to your grave with a lie in your right hand ▪ the first evidence of a person that hath imbraced the great salvation , is , that he wil● have a high esteem of the saviour and author of the great salvation : hast thou ●● matchlesse esteem of matchlesse christ th● saviour of the world , that is a speaking evidence unto thee , thou art a partaker of th● great salvation : art thou come this length that thou cryeth out , none but christ , non but christ : it is a speaking evidence , that thou art come to be a partaker of the great salvation , when thou can cry out that word , ex●d . 15. 2. the lord is my strength and my song , ●he alone is become my salvation : if christ hath become thy salvation , then it is like he hath become thy song . i would ask this at you , were ye ever brought this length , that ye durst no● adventure to praise christ your alone , but was forced to call in all the creatures , and say , o magnifie the lord with me ? o that is an evidence that ye have imbraced his salvation . secondly , these who have imbraced the great salvation , will study to maintain and keep their grips of it : they will study to hold , fast so precious a jewel ; this is prest , gal. 5. ver . 1. stand fast in the liberty wherewith christ hath made us free ; yea they will study to walk suitably to this noble mercy , at least , they will strive and endeavour to do it , as is also prest , in that same verse . i say , if thou hast been made a partaker of the gospel of salvation , thou wilt strive to keep thy self from the power of these things that once triumphed over thee . thirdly , a person that is a partaker of the great salvation , will have a high esteem of this mercy and salvation ; so paul , when he speaketh of it here , he cannot but put some note of excellency to it , calling it the great salvation ; therefore , i say , if thou hast imbraced the great salvation , thou wilt have so high esteem of it , that not to be so subjected to it as thou should : or to be in subjection to the power of thy lust in any measure , will be his burden and affl●ction . the man will be sorry when he is brought forth from the house of his bondage , unto the red sea ; he will be sorry , that when he should have songs of triumph over his idols put in his mouth , that they should sing songs of triumph over him . fourthly , a person that hath imbraced the great salvation , he will be longing sometimes for the day when this salvation shall be compleat , when he shall sing that song with tha● numerous multitude which cannot be numbered , rev. 7 vers 9. o what a day shall it be , when thou shall begin to sing that song : after this , ( saith he ) i beheld , and lo , a great multitude of all people which ●o man could number , of all people , nations and languages stood before the throne , and before the lamb , cloathed with white robes , and palms in their hands , and they cried ; and how cryed they ? they cryed with a loud voice : they would not mutter the song , no● sing silently , but cryed with a loud voice : and what did they cry ? they cryed with a loud voice , salvation unto our god , who sitteth upon the throne , and to the lamb. i would onely ask at you that are partakers of the great salvation , what songs shall be put into thy mouth , when the waters of iordan shall divide themselves , that the ransomed of the lord must passe thorow : when thou shalt sing that song , psal 115. ver . 1. not unto us , not unto us , but unto thee belongs the glory of our salvation : o what a day shall that be , when that excellent song shall be put in thy mouth ; yea , what a day shall it be , when thou shal the cloathed with these excellent garments that are made mention of isa. 6. ver . 10. for hee hath cloathed thee with the garments of salvation , and hee hath covered thee with the robe of righteousnesse : o what robes are these ? did yee ever see such excellent robes at these must bee ? i think wee will misken our selves ; o do yee not think wee will misken our selves , when wee shall put on these excellent robes ? now therefore , is the bargain closed : or will yee go away before yee take this great salvation ? dare yee go out at these doors , and neglect ●he great salvation ? i would ask this at you , think yee it will not be most sad , that christ should tell this in heaven of you to night , i was preached to a pack of stones , that none of them would love me : will yee not bee feared that this report shall be carried back to heaven of you ? for what report can christ carry back but this ? now is the cord of this great salvation let down unto you : is there none of you that will take a grip of it ? o will ye flighter after it ! will yee make this a rejoycing day in heaven , that is a fasting day unto you , and the way to make it so , is to imbrace the great salvation . now what say yee to it old men , let mee speak to you , and ask your thoughts of the great salvation , gray hairs should bee a crown of glory , if it bee found in the way of righteousnesse , old men speak your minds , that young men may not have your bad example ; what say ye of this salvation ? is it not a most glorious salvation , is it not a most excellent salvation that is in your offer ; i intreat you speak your minds , tell christ ye are content to take the great salvation ; otherwise , who ever he be that will not partake of this gospel salvation ; i in the name and authority of christ our master , denounce eternal and irrevockable war against him ; put on your harnesse , ye shall not boast when you put it off again , the wrath and fury of god shall come upon thee to the uttermost if ye imbrace not this great salvation . other wars are but for a time ; the greatest captains that ever the earth did carry , are now laid down in the sides of the pit , and their swords broken under their heads . armies of ten hundreth thousand , a hundreth years time have laid them all in their graves , and ended all their contests , but there is no discharge of his war that shall be concluded betwixt christ and you , it shall become an eternal and most terrible war , which shall be but beginning when time is ended : now peace or war , which of them will ye choise ? dare ye send a charge to christ , and say ye will defy him ? i am afraid there shall be two things that many of us shall report to day . first , i am afraid there will be many that will give pharaohs report to the offer of the great salvation , and say , who is the lord that i should obey him ? i tell you who he is , he is glorious in holinesse , fearfull in praises , doing wonders ; o imbrace him before he go hence , and give not pharaohs report , lest yee bee drowned in the sea of his wrath , whence there shall be no recovery . secondly , i fear there will be many here to day , that will give demas report to this precious offer ; i will go and for sake christ ; and ●mbrace this present world : o bad exchange ; ●ursed be he that shall make it , will ye be of demas humor ; i fear there hath been many of that humor of a long time ; but i intreat you once be wise before you die . i confesse that proverb , old fools , are twice fools : i think old men that will not imbrace the great salvation , i think ye are triple fools ; what wait ye for , is there any thing can afford you any satisfaction but this great salvation . now are ye convinced old men , that christ is waiting for your answer ; i intreat you before ye go hen●e , speak your minds , what ye think of the great salvation ; ●s it not a lovely salvation , is it not lovely ●ow ? what say ye to it ; i am to go away , and the offer is to be taken up at this time , and it is hard to say , if ever ye shall have an offer again . i would only say this to you , and be sure of it , though i should never be ● partaker of this great salvation , yet i shall be a witnesse against you that are not partakers of it : i tell and declare unto yon , shall be a witnesse against you if ye imbrace not the great salvation . now , old ●en are ye perswaded to imbrace it ? let ●e ob●est you by the beauty of christ , come and partake of the great salvation , ye that ●●e travelling upon the borders of erernity . ●ow , if ye will give no more , give this , will ye go home and think upon it . i shall not bee uncharitable , nor enter to judge your thoughts ; i fear there shall bee many declared and found guilty among us , that we have declared unto heaven wee will not imbrace the great salvation , but have trod the bloud of the son of god under foot . now i intreat you , every one of you , ask at your selves if yee be the persons that will presume in your hearts to do so . now i shall leave it with you , let it not bee a witnesse against you . i shall leave it with this : o come away , old men , young men , old women and maids , come and imbrace this precious gospel salvation . yee may say , ye bid us come : but we cannot come . i desite no more of you● but to come with this : lord , i am content to come , but i cannot come . come once to that : for if once yee bee content to receive it , it will not bee long befor yee bee able to receive it . now shall christ depart , and will none of you say , yet are content to take him ? will yee charge your own consciences with this : am i content to take christ and the great salvation ? o blest , blest , blest be● he that is the author of this great salvation and bles● be hee that gets any of the ends of the cord of the great salvation , that we sink not under the wrath and fury of the lord come and imbrace this great salvation : and again i say , come and imbrace it ; for what can yee have if yee want it ? and what can y●● want if yee have it ? i shall say no more but close with that word , isa. 62. vers . 21 behold , the lord hath proclaimed to the end of the world , to those that are far off ; what hath hee proclaimed ? say yee to the daughter of sion , behold thy salvation cometh , behold it cometh . i say to you that are the ends of the world , salvation is brought near unto you : stout hearted and far from righteousnesse , the great salvation is brought near unto you , and will you send it away ? o consider what ye are doing : and to him that can perswade you to imbrace the great salvation , we desire to give praise . a sermon concerning death . psal. 89. 48. what man ( is he that ) liveth and shall not see death , &c. it is very hard to determine , where all that are here shall be within thirty years : for even ere that time come , many ( if not all ) of us who are here ●all have taken up our eternall lodging . ●nd whether we shall take it up in the eternity of joy , or the eternity of pain , is also hard to determine : onely this one thing i am sure of , that all of us shall shortly hee gone ; and ere long the shadows of death shall bee sitting upon our eye lids , and our eye strings shall begin to break , therefore i would the more seriously inquire at you ; what would ye think if death were approaching this night unto you ? think yee that jesus christ is gone up to prepare a place for you ? even for you ? surely i think wee are all near to eternity ; and there are some hearing mee to day , whom i defy the whole world to assure , that ever they shall hear another sermon ▪ therefore , i intreat ▪ you all to hear this preaching , as if it were the last preaching that ever yee should hear ; and o that we● could speak it as if were the last sermon that ever wee would preach unto you . believe me , death is another thing then we take it to b●t : oh what will many of us do in the day of our visitation : when desolation shall come from a far ; where will we flee for rest , and where will we leave our glory ? old rich men where will ye flee when death assaults you ? old poor men , where will ye flee when death assaults you ? old women , where will ye flee when death assaults you ? young women , where will yee flee when death assaults you ? it was an ancient observation of david , psal. 39. 5. that god had made his daye● as an hand breadth ; which either may relate to the four fold estate of man , viz ▪ hi● infancy , his child-hood , his man-hood , and his old age : o it may relate to the four-fold time of his life , viz. his morning , his forenoon , his afternoon , and his evening , yet all our lifetime is but a day . and o think ye not that our day is near unto a close ? now before that i begin to speak any thing from the words ; i shall speak a few things to these two questions ; which i conceive , may not altogether be unprofitable . quest. 1. whether is it lawfull for any to desire to die and to return unto their long and endlesse home ? whether it be lawfull for one to cry out , o time , time , flee away ( and all my shadows let them be gone ) that so long eternity may come ? answ. i say , it is lawfull in some cases for one to desire to die : for it was pauls desire , philip. 1. 23. i am in a strait betwixt two ▪ having a desire to depart , and to be with christ which is far better . and 2 cor. 5. 2. we groa●●arnestly , desiring to be cloathed with our house which is from heaven . i long greatly till the twentieth one year of my age come , when my minority shall be overpast , that i may be entered heir to that matchlesse inheritance . but to clear in what cases it is lawfull to desire to die . 1. i say , it is lawfull to desire to die , when it floweth from a desire of uninterupted fellowship and communion with christ , and conjunction with him : this is clear , 2 cor. 5 , 6. knowing that while we are present in the body , we are absent from the lord. therefore vers . 8. we are willing rather to be absent from the body , and to be present with the lord. also it is clear , philip. 1. 23. i am in a strait betwixt two , having a desire to depart , and to be with christ , which is far bettter . it was his great end to have neat and unmixed communion with christ. what aileth you paul ( might one have said ) may ye not be content to stay a while here ? nay , saith paul , i desire to be gone , and to be with christ ; wast thou never with him here paul ? 〈◊〉 have been with him , saith he , but what is all my being with him here , in comparison of my being with him above ? while i am present in the body , i am but absent from the lord. therefore i will never be at rest ( saith he ) get what i will , untill i get christ ▪ untill i get these naked and immediate imbracements of that noble plant of renow● the flour of the stalk of iesse , who is the light of the higher house , the eternal admiration of angels ? ii. it is lawfull to desire to die when it floweth from the excellencies of heaven , and from a desire to partake of these excellen● things that are there , this is clear , 2 cor. 5. 4 ▪ we groan being burdened , or as the word is we groan , as they who are pressed under a heavy burden , that we may be cloathed upon , &c ▪ what aileth you to groan so paul ? o saith he , i groan that mortality may be swallowe● up of life . iii. it is lawfull to desire to die , when it floweth from a desire to be freed from the body of death : and from these ●entations that assault us ; and from these oppressions whereunto we are subject by it . doubtlesse , paul desired to die on this account , when he cryed out ▪ rom. 7. 24. o wretched man that i am , who shall deliver me from the body of this death ? he longeth greatly for the day , wherein hee should be made white like the wings of a dove , covered with silver , whose feathers are of yellow gold . o saith paul , i am as one impatient till i be above , where i shall be cloathed with these excellent and cleanly robes , the righteousnesse of christ. oh , saith paul , i think every day as a year , till i be possessed of that kingdom where sathan cannot tempt , and the creature cannot yeeld , and where i shall be free from all my sears of sinning . now in all these respects , who would not desire to die ? but to guard all these , i would give you these four cautions . 1. caution . your desires to die should not be peremptory , but yee should desire to die with submission to the will of god , so that although he would fill up fifteen years more to your life , yee should be content to live it out . 2. caution . when your desires are hasty , and off hand , suspect them ; for some when they meer with an outward crosse ( without all deliberation ) will cry our , o to be gone , o that i were dead . but your desires to die , should be deliberate , but not hasty , or rash . 3. caution . it is not lawful to desire to die , because of personal affliction . many , when they meet with bitter afflictions , will cry out , o to be gone : they long for death , even upon that account , such were iobs desires , iob 20. 21 , 22. and chap. 6. ver . 7. 8. o that i might have my request , even that it would please god to destroy me , &c. this desire was very unlawfull . 4. caution . it is not lawfull to desire to die , when thy predominant idol is taken away from thee ; yet such was ionahs desire , chap. 4. 23. ionah thought his credit and reputation ( which was his idol ) was gone , and could never be regained : therefore he wished to die . but i would say this to you , that some will have ten desires for death , when they have not one desire for heaven . and what moveth christians to be so desirous to die ? it is not so much because of their hope , as because of their anxiety ; it is not so much because of their confidence , as because of their impatience . but i say unto you , when your desires of death are not accompanied with desires of heaven , suspect them . 2. i would say this , that there are some who will have ten desires for death ▪ when they will not have one for the death of the body of death ; but it were good for thee ( who are such ) to be desiring the death of the body of death , then should thou be in a more suitable ●rame to desire to die . 3. some will have hearty desires to die , and ye● when death cometh , they will be as unwilling to die as any . it hath been observed , that some who have much desired to die , when death came , have cryed out , o spare a little that i may recover strength , &c. 4. there is a great difference between a desire to die , and death it self . it is an easie thing to desire to die , but it is a very great business to meet with death , and to look it in the face , when it cometh . we think death ( ere it come near to us ) to be but childrens play , but when we meet with it , it maketh us change our thoughts . for it is a great businesse to die . quest. 2. is it lawfull for a christian to desire to live , when he is summoned to die ? answ. in some cases it is lawfull for a christian to desire to live , even when he is summoned to die ; which is clear from the practice of david , psal. 39. 13. where he prayeth , that the lord would spare him a little . it is also clear from the practice of good hezekiah , isa. 38. 3. when he was commanded to set his house in order , for he should die , and not live , he cryeth forth , remember now , o lord , how i have walked before thee in truth , and with a perfect heart : and have done , that which is good in thy sight , and hezekiah wept sore ; or as the word in the original , he wept with great weeping : but to guard this , take these two cautions . caution 1. thy desires to live ( when thou are summoned to die ) should not be peremptory , but with submission to the will of god , that if it bee his pleasure to remove thee presently out of time , thou should bee content to die . caution 2. thy desires to live should have gracious principles , and also a very gracious end , as is most clear from david , psal. 39. 13. where hee saith , o spare a little that i may recover my strength , before i go from hence and bee no more : his desire to live was th●● hee might have more victory over his idols , as if hee had said , my desire to live is , that i may have strength to wrestle with , and overcome my idols : and without all controversie , hezekiahs desire was a most precious and well grounded desire : however , i would say this unto thee , that thou shouldest examine thy desires to live , as much ( if not more ) as thy desires to die : for wee are ready to shun death if wee could , but hee is that universall king , unto whom all of us must be subject ere long . now in the words which are read unto you , there are these six things which may be clearly observed from them . i. first , that it is a most clear and infallible truth , ●at all persons shall once see death : as is 〈◊〉 in these words , who is hee that liveth an shall not see death . ii. secon●●● , that this truth ( that wee shall once see death ) is not much believed or thought upon by many , therefore it is that the psalmist doubleth the assertion . who is he that liveth , and shall not see death ? shall he deliver his soul ( that is his life ) from the hand ( that is ) from the power of the grave . iii. thirdly , that sometimes a christian may win to the solide faith of this truth , that once he must die , this the psalmist wan unto , as it is also clear in that word ( who ) who is he that liveth and shall not see death ? iv ▪ fourthly , that the certainty of this , that once we shall die should be still keeped in our minde , therefore that note of attention selah , is put to it ; as if he had said , take heed that there is none living that shall no● die ▪ v. fifthly , that howbeit some persons put the evil day far away , as if they were not to see death , yet is the day coming when they shall see death , and death shall take them by the hand . vi. sixthly , we shall take notice of this from the context , that the christian who is much in minding the brevity of his life , will believe the certainty of his death , the psalmist was speaking of the shortnesse of his life in the preceeding verse , and in this verse , he speaketh of the certainty of death ▪ now as for the first of these things observed , viz. that it is certain and most sure that we must all once die ; i hope there are none of you here who will deny it ; although i confesse few of you beleeveth it , yet said the woman of tek●ah , 2 sam. 14. we must all die and be like water spilt upon the ground that cannot be gathered up again , &c. god doth not accept the person of any , and iob 30. 32. i know thou wilt bring me to death , and to the house appointed for all living . and it is very clear , eccles. 8. 8. there is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit , neither hath he any power in the day of death , and there is no discharge in that war ; neither shall wickednesse deliver those that are given to it : it is also clear , heb. 9. 27. it is appointed unto all men once to die . so it is most clear that we must die . i remember of one philip king of macedonia , who had one substitute for this very end , to cry at his chamber door every morning , memento mori , memento mori , memento mori , remember thou art to die , and it is reported to have been the practice of the nobles of greece , and in the day wherein their emperour was crowned , that they presented a marblestone unto him , and he was inquired after what fashion he would have his tomb stone made : which practices speak forth this unto us , that although these were most destitute of light of the scriptures , yet were very mindfull of death . believe me , death may surprise us before we be aware , for it is most certain that we must die , but there is nothing more uncertain then the way how , and the time when we shall die . death will surprise some , as it did abel , in the open field , gen. 4. 8 , death will surprise some , as it did eglon in his parlour , iudg. 3. 21. and death will surprise some , as it did saul and ionathan in the flight , 1 sam. 31. now in speaking to this point , i shall first speak a little to these advantages which attend those that live within continuall sight of death . secondly , i shall give you some considerations to presse you to prepare for death . thirdly , i shall give you some directions to help you to prepare for death : and then we shall proceed unto the second point of doctrine which we observed from the text , and shall speak a few things from it unto you , and so come unto a close for this time . first then , we conceive there are these seven advantages which attend those who live within the continual ●ight of this truth , that they must die . i. first , the faith of approaching death will make a soul exceeding diligent in duty : this was our blessed lords divinity , ioh. 9. 4. i must work the work of him that sent me , while it is day : the night cometh , when no man can work ; that is , death is approaching , therefore i must work . it is clear also , 2 pet. 1. 12. compared with vers . 14. in the 12. vers . peter is exceeding diligenc● in his duty , and the ground of his diligence is in the 14. vers . knowing that shortly i must put off this my tabernacle , &c. yea , it is even the epicures argument , let us eat and drink , for to morrow we shall die ; and should not the christian much more cry out , let mee watch and pray , for to morrow i may die ? i say , if the epicures did make use of this notion , to make them vigorous in the pursuit of their pleasures : o how much more should a christian improve i● , for making him vigorous in the pursuit of his duty ? therefore i say unto you all , o bee diligent , for your night is drawing near . o christians , and expectants of heaven , are ye not afraid lest yee be nighted before ye have walked the half of your journey ? for if yee bee nighted on your journey to heaven , before ye come to the end of your race , there is no retiring place whereunto yee may turn aside to lodge : therefore , o work , work , work , while it is day ; for behold death is approaching , and then shall we all bee called to an account . ii. the faith of approaching death , will make a christian exceeding active in duty : hee will not only bee diligent , but also exceeding serious and zealous in the exercise of his duty : this is clear from that notable exhortation , eccles. 9. 10. whatsoever thy hand findeth to do , do it with thy might : and the reason is , for there is no work , nor device , nor knowledge , nor wisdom in the grave whether thou goest . wherefore o bee active while yee are alive , for ye shall never work any more after ye are dead ; and if ye leave but one work undone , there is no doing of it after death . there is no work ( saith solomon ) in the grave ; therefore , o be active . iii. the faith of this truth , that we must all die , will help a christian to be exceeding mortified to the things of a present world . oh , covetous men and women , would ye shake hands with cold death but once every morning , i should defy you to pursue the world so much as ye do . paul was much in the meditation of his change , which made him , 2 cor. 4. 18. to overlook these things that are temporary , while we look not ( saith he ) to the things that are seen , which are temporal , but to the things which are not seen , which are eternal , therefore , chap. 5. 1. knowing that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved , we have a building of god , an house not made with hands , eternal in the heavens , therefore in this we groan , earnestly desiring to be cloathed upon with our house which is from heaven . what aileth you paul ( might one have said ) may ye not take a look of the world ( no saith he ) for i know that if this earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved , i have a house with god , not made with hands , but eternal in the heavens : that is , i know that ere long , the pins of my tabernacle will be loosed , and it will fall down about my ears , therefore i must look for another dwelling house : and , 1 cor. 7. 24. the fashions of this world passe away , therefore , ●aith he , vers . 32. i would have you without carefulnesse , caring how to please the lord. and phil. 4. 5. let your moderation be known to all men , the lord is at hand . as if he had said , death is approaching and at hand , therefore i intreat you be sober : but i think many of us will be found like saul hid among the stuffe , that is , we will be lying amongst the middest of the pleasures of this passing world : but i say unto thee who are such an one , that death will break the strings of thy harp , and thy musick will quickly cease . o but death will make thee have a low esteem of the world . o blessed is the person who hath these thoughts of the world all along his way , which he shall have of it at death ? have not the most cursed wretches been forced to cry forth , oh , i would give ten thousand worlds for christ ? have not some persons ( who have had the moon upon their head , and that have made their belly their god ) being forced to cry forth at death ; o cursed person that i am that ever made the world my god ? alas that i contented my self with the world . therefore i say unto thee who art such an one , o stay thy pursuit after the world , for death is approaching that will cause all thy worldly comforts evanish . iv. when a christian believeth this truth , that he must die , it will be an exceeding great ●estraint to keep him from sinning , as is clear , iob 31. 13. compared with vers . 14. where iob reckoning over many good deeds done by himself , saith , what then shall i do when god riseth up ? and when he visiteth , what shall i answer him ? as if he had said , sirs mistake me not , i am not boasting much of my self , for i could not have done otherwise , else what should i do when god riseth up ? how could i answer to god if i had done otherwise ? i think it were a notable practice for each of you , when temptations begin to assault you , to say , o temptation , what will i answer to god , when he riseth up to reprove me , if i should yeeld unto thee ? likewise , eccles 11. 9. where solomon , disswading young men to pursue after vanity , bringeth this as a reason . know thou , that for all , these things , god will bring thee to judgement ; therefore i say unto thee , who art often tempted to sin . let 〈◊〉 and reckoning with god be still in thy sight , and i defy thee then to imbrace half so many temptations as now thou dost . i intreat you to answer all your temptations with that word , what shall i do when he riseth up ? and what shall i answer when he visiteth me ? v. when a christian liveth within the sight of this truth , that he shall once see death , it shall make him exceeding patient under every crosse wherewith he meeteth ; such a christian will hardly meet with a crosse , but he will quiet himself with this , death will put me beyond this crosse : this is but a cloud that will quickly passe away . and for this cause did divid so composedly put up that desire , psal. 39 4. lord make me to know my end , and the measure of my dayes : he was sure that the knowledge of his end would put him in a sober and patient frame . vi. the sixth advantage is this , the faith of approaching death , will teach the the person that hath it , to study saving wisedome , this is clear , psal. 90. 12. where david putteth up this request , so teach us to number our dayes , that we may apply our hearts unto wisdome . as if he had said , i will never think my self wise , till i know that blessed peece of arithmetick , how to number my dayes . i would desire every one of you all to think with your self every morning when ye arise , now i am a day nearer unto eternity then i was before : and at the end of every hour , now i am an hour nearer unto eternity then i was before . i say , think often , yea alwayes thus , i was never so near my death as i am now ; for , oh ! are we not all nearer to eternity to day , then we were yesterday ? vii . the seventh advantage , attending the faith of approaching death , is this , that it will make a christian very carefull in preparing for death . it is impossible for one to believe really that death is approaching , and not to prepare for it . say what ye will , if ye be not carefull in preparing for death , ye have not the solide faith of this truth , that ye shall die . believe me , it is not every one that thinketh he believeth this truth , that believeth it indeed . and o how dreadfull is it for an unprepared man to meet with death ? he desireth not to die , yea he would give a world for his life . but die must he whether he will or not : for death will not be requested to spare a little when he cometh ; and therefore i say unto you all , set your house in order , for ye shall surely die ; old men and women , set your house in order , for surely ye must die ; young men and women , set your house in order , for to morrow . ye may die , and be cut off in the flower of your age , think not that there are any who can sell time : for i say , ye shall never get time sold unto you . alas , i fear the most part of persons that dieth now , death findeth them at unawars ; for indeed the persons that die among us , when we come to visit them , we may give you a sad account of them , for we think they are comprehended under these four sorts . 1. first , when we go to visit some persons on their death bed , they are like unto nabal , their heart is dying and sinking ( like unto a stone ) within them ; they are no more affected with death , then if it were a fancy ; ( alas for the great stupidity that hath overtaken many ) therefore i intreat you delay not your repentance till death , left the lord take away your wit , so that ye cannot then repent for your senslesnesse and stupid frame of spirit . 2. a second sort we find in a presumptuous frame , saying they have had a good hope all their dayes , and they will not quite it now ; they will go down to the grave with their hope in their right hand : or rather they will go down to the grave with a lie in their right hand ; they live in a presumptuous frame , and they die in the same delusion . for when we tell them that by all probability they are going down to hell , they answer , god forbid , i was all my time a very honest man , or woman . but i love not that confession , for there are many such honest men and women in hell this day . 3. the third sort we find , having some convictions that they have been playing the fool all their dayes ; but we can get them no further : i shall only say to such , to go down to the gr●ve with convictions in their breast , not making use of christ , is to go down to hell 〈◊〉 a ca●●●e in their hand to let them see the way : and truly the greater part that die , die in this manner . 4. fourthly , there are some whom we find in a self righteous frame , trusting upon the covenant of works , and their own merits , and trusting by these to go to heaven : yet neglecting the offer of christs righteousnesse . but , alas , we find not one of a thousand in this frame , i desire to be dissolved , and be with christ , that 's best of all : and scarce do we find any in such a frame , o wretched man that i am , who shall deliver me from the body of this death ? therefore i say unto you all who are here , o will ye mind death before it take hold on you . oh mind your work now ; for ye will find that death shall be work enough for it self , though ye leave no work till then . viii . the eight advantage that attendeth the christian believing this truth , that once he must die , is this , death will not be so terrible to him as it is unto many when it cometh . what ( think ye ) maketh death a king of terrours ? what maketh many to shake like the leaf of a tree , when they are summoned to appear before gods tribunal ? it is even because of this , they have not been thinking on death before it came , so as to prepare for it , and i fear many in this place may be feared for death , and that when it cometh to them ; they will say unto death , at ahab said to elijah hast thou found me , o mine enemy ? surely , ●●ath will take you and bring you to the judgement seat of christ ; therefore study by all means to think often upon it ; and make ready for it : for ( believe me ) death is a very big word , for it will once make you stand with horrour in your souls , if your peace be not made up with god : i know not a more dreadfull dispensation then death and a guilty conscience meeting together . the second thing that i shall speak unto from this first observation ( viz. that it is a most certain and infallible truth , and all persons shall once see death ) shall be to give you some considerations for pressing you to prepare for death . i. the first consideration is this , that to die well , and in the lord , is a most difficult work ; therefore i intreat you prepare for death . it is a difficult work to communicate aright , it is a difficult work to pray aright , and it is a difficult work to con●er aright : but i must tell you , it is a more difficult work to die aright , then any of these . it is true , it is more difficult to communicate aright , then to pray aright , yet it is much more difficult to die aright , then to communicate aright : for it is a most difficult work to die in the lord. death will put the most accurate christian that is here , to a wonderfull search : and therefore i will tell you nine things that death will try in thee . 1. death will try both the reality and strength of thy faith. it may be easie for thee to keep up faith under many difficulties , but death shall put thy faith to the greatest stresse that ever it did meet with . yea , know this that the faith of the strongest believer may get ( and ordinarily doth get ) a set at death , the like whereof it never got before : therefore prepare for death . 2. death will try thy love to god , some persons pretend much love to him : but death will propose this question to such a person , lovest thou him more then these ? lovest thou him more then thy wife ? more then thy house ? more then thy friends ? but your unwillingnesse to die , giveth us much ground to fear that many have little love to christ , but much to the world , and so dare not answer the question , lord thou knowest i love thee . 3. death will try thine enjoyments , some of you may be ready to think that ye met with many enjoyments , so that ye might reckon ( as you think ) to fourty enjoyments and sweet out lettings : but beware that death bring them not down to twenty . i have known some , who thought they had met fourty times with god ; but when death came , it made them take down the count to the half , therefore seeing death will try the reality of thine enjoyments , o prepare for it . 4. death will try thy patience . thou may seem to have much patience now , but when death cometh ( and thou art put to die ) it will put thy patience to a great tryall , therefore prepare fore it . 5. death will try the reality of thy duties , yea even these duties wherein thou had most satisfaction , as thy communicating aright in such a place , thou hopest that is sure : thy reading the scripture at such a time aright , thou hopest that is sure : thou prayed at such a time aright , and hopest that is sure : thou meditated in such a place aright , and hopest that is sure . but ( believe me ) death may make thee change thy thoughts : for there are some persons who have communicated and prayed , &c. as right as any in this generation , who ( for all that ) will not find six duties wherein they can find satisfaction at death : therefore our need is great to prepare for it . 6. death will exceedingly try thy sincerity when it cometh : an hypocrite may go all alongs his whole way undiscovered , yet death may bring him to light , and make it appear what man he it . 7. death will discover unto thee many hid and secret sins , of which thou never had a thought before , yea , albeit thou thought these had been forgotten , death will let thee see them standing between thee and the light of his countenance . 8. death will accurately try thy mortification : some think they have come a great length in mortification ; but ( believe me ) death will try it and put it to the touch-stone . 9. death will try thy hope , whether it bee real or not . i shall onely say this , that all the other graces must low their sails to faith , and so it is faith must carry us thorow , being that last triumphing grace ▪ which must fit the field for us , when all the other graces will faint and ly by . it is faith that must enter us fairly within the borders of eternity , it is faith must gainstand all the temptations of death , yea , all the other graces must ( as it were ) stand by , and see faith strike the last stroak in this war. ii. the second consideration to presse you to mind death , is this , that yee are to die but once . o labour to do that well , which yee are to do but once , and the wrong doing of which can never bee helped . if yee pray not aright , ye may get that mended : if yee meditate not aright , yee may get that mended : and if ye communicate not aright , ye may get that also mended : but alas , if ye die not aright , there is no mending of that : therefore , o prepare for death , that ye may die well , seeing ye are to die but once . iii. the third consideration to presse you to mind death , is this , that they are pronounced blessed who die in the lord , rev. 14. 13. blessed are the dead which die in the lord , o let that provoke you to prepare for death , that so you may die in the lord , that is the only way to make you eternally happy . i confesse it is a question difficult to determine whether it be more difficult to die well , or to live well ; i shall not answer it , but rather desire you to study both . iv. the fourth consideration to presse you to prepare for death , is this , viz. that though thou put all thy work by thy hand before death , yet shalt thou finde that death shall have work enough for it self , yea , as much as thou shalt get done . it will then be much for thee to win to patience , it will be much for thee to win to the sight of thy justification : and it will then be much for thee to win to assurance : o then is it not needfull for thee , to put all thy work by thy hand before thy latter end come ? wherefore i may say to you as moses said in his song , deut. 32. 29. o that they were wise , that they understood this , that they would consider their latter end . o that ye had this piece of divine wisdome . i pray you consider that sad word , lament . 1. 9. she remembereth not her last end , and what of it ? therefore she came down wonderfully : so will the down coming of many in this generation be wonderfull , who consider not their last end . v. the fifth consideration , for pressing you to prepare for death , is this , viz. that their labour shall end , but their works shall not be forgotten , as is clear from that forecited place , revel . 14. 13. they rest from their labours , and their works follow them : and is not that a glorious advantage ? vi. the sixth consideration to presse you to prepare for death , is this , viz. that death may come upon you ere ye be awar : ye know not but death may surprise you this night , before you go home to your houses : and therefore let that presse you to study a constant preparation for death . vii . the seventh consideration to presse you to prepare for death , is this , viz. that as death leaveth you , so will judgement find you , if death shall leave you strangers to christ , ye shall appear before his judgement seat strangers unto him : therefore i intreat you all to prepare for it . i think that noble practice of paul exceeding worthy of imitation , 1 cor. 15. 13. i die dayly , which ( i think ) doth comprehend these three things . 1. that paul had death alwayes in his sight . 2. it comprehendeth this , that he endeavoured to keep such a frame , as that every moment he should be ready to die , so that whensoever death should put the summonds in his hand , he should be content to answer . 3. it comprehendeth this , that he laboured to lay aside and remove all things out of the way , that might detain him from laying down his tabernacle . o saith paul , i labour so to clear my self of all hinderances , as that when ever i shall be summoned to remove out of time , i may willingly lay down my life . thus paul desired alwayes to have his latter will clear ; therefore i would ask you this question , viz. when did you make your last testament ? i think it were suitable for us to be renewing our latter will every day ; for in so doing , paul made an excellent testament , the better of which , none that died since have made , 2 tim. 4. 7 , 8. i have fought a good fight , i have finished my course , i have keeped the faith ; these are very sweet articles , and then he addeth , henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousnesse , which the lord , the righteous iudge shall give me at that day : and think ye not that very sweet ? and he would leave some thing unto you in christs name , viz. and not for me only , but for all them that wait for his appearance . now i come to the third thing proposed , viz. to give you some directions for helping you to prepare for death . direct . 1. i intreat you , be much in preparation for death every day , for it is even a preparation for heaven , to be taking a sight of your grave and latter end every day . direct . 2. i intreat you , he much in these duties . first , in self examination , that your compts may be clear with god : for many a ragged compt will we have , when death and we shall meet . secondly , be much in the exercise of repentance , that so ye may have every fault of corruption in you mourned for , before death and you meet . thirdly , be much in the exercise of faith , making your calling and election sure ? fourthly , be much in the exercise of mortification , and that will help you to keep a loose grip , not only of the world , but also of your other idols ; and if ye be much in these , ye shall undoubtedly be prepared for death . direct . 3. be much in minding the excellent things of heaven . a christian that would be prepared for death , would have all his thoughts and conversation there . i think , it would be an excellent help ( in preparation for death ) to take a sight of the crown every day . direct . 4. labour alwayes to keep a good conscience void of offence towards god and men 〈◊〉 i say , labour to keep thy conscience clear , and that shall be a continual feast unto thee . direct . 5. slight not thy known duty , do not crucify any conviction , neither break any resolution : put these three together , and that will exceedingly help you to prepare for death : i say , see that ye adventure not to slight any known duty , see that ye adventure not to crucifie any conviction , and see that ye adventure not to break your resolutions now we come to the second thing which we observed from the words , viz. that this truth , that we shall once see death , is not much believed by many of us . and to make this appear , we shall only give some evidences unto you , to prove that we are not as yet prepared for death . i. evidence , doth not the unspeakable stupidity that have overtaken many , say , that we are not a people prepared for death ? alas , many of us would find our selves in a most stupid temper if we were presently to die ; for many of us are no more moved with the threatnings and terrouts of god , then if they did not belong unto us ; and this saith we are not as yet prepared for death . ii. evidence , that we are not prepared for death , is our pursuing so much after the vain and passing delights of a present world . many of us , rise up early , and go late to bed at night , and eateth the bread of sorrow all the day , and loading themselves with thick clay ; and i am sure , that such a person , ( being night and day taken up with the world ) is not prepared for death . i remember a word recorded of such a wretched one , who was exceedingly rich ; said he , i would give so many thousands of money , if death would give me but one day : yet he got it not . and o how suddenly will death surprise many of you as it did him ? iii. evidence , which speaketh forth our unpreparednesse for death , is our impatience under every petty crosse that we meet with , for the prepared christian will be patient under very sharp crosses . iv. evidence , that we are not prepared , is our not endeavouring to live within sight of our interest in god ▪ oh if wee were prepared for death , durst we live in so much uncertainty of our interest in god , and of our assurance of heaven ? v. evidence ▪ some of us can let our idols ly in our brest six years without repentance , and will never study to mortifie them , nor to repent for them ; and surely such are not prepared for death . now i intreat you seriously to minde what hath been said . and that yee may the more seriously think upon it , i will tell you some materiall challenges that your consciences at death will present unto you , therefore take heed , that yee may know how yee will answer . i. challenge . is the slighting of much precious time , and sinning away the precious offers of grace . o what will yee answer to that challenge , when death shall present it to you ? death will say ( or rather thine own conscience at death ) what ailed thee to sin away so many hours , without either praying , reading , or meditating● ? now have yee any thing to answer when death shall present this challenge to you ? i intreat you premedita●e what ye will say : i intreat you prevent death by presenting it first seriously to your selves . ii. challenge , that death will present unto you , will be , for the killing of many precious convictions which we have had . what will each of you answer at death , when your conscience proposeth this challenge to you ? thou met with such a challenge at such a time , and went home and crucified it , when at another time thou met with another challenge , and went home and crucified it : these challenges will be laid home to thy door , therefore think on them . iii. challenge , death will charge you for a formal hypocriticall way of going about duties : i say your conscience will then tell you , that ye went to such a communion with a selfish end : and a● another time ye prayed hyporritically and formally : and what will ye have to answer when ye meet with these challenges ? i confesse i know not what ye can answer to these ; but i charge you , be thinking what ye will answer , for it may be that these convictions shall ly on your consciences , that even this day ye have heard two searching sermons , and did meet with some convictions ; but made no good use of them ; yea , and ●● may be ye did sleep all the time . o what will ye answer , when it will be said to you , ye went to such a sermon and sleeped all the time : and ye went to such a communion , but had no other end before your eyes but to be seen of men ? i intreat you consider presently what ye will answer to these . iv. challenge , will be for your breaking of many precious resolutions . it will be said to some of you , that at the communion in this place , ye took on vowes , and did break them : i am sure ye cannot question the justice of this challenge : therefore see what ye will answer ? v. challenge , ye slighted many precious offers of the gospel ; o men and women in this city , what will ye answer to this ? i was often exhorted to take christ , and yet would never take him ; what will conscience say to that , when death shall table it before you ? i tell you what ye must then answer , o cursed i , that ever refused christ in the gospel , and ye shall then be confounded because this is your sin . ( believe me ) there was never an offer of this everlasting gospel , and of christ in it made unto you , that shall not at death ( before or after ) be brought to your remembrance ; and o how sad and doleful will it be to you , when christ shall open the book where your sins are written , and begin with the sin of slighting the great salvation ? thus i invited you when you were twelve years old , and ye would not come , i invited you when ye were thirty years old , and ye would not come , i invited you when sixty years old , and ye would not come : what will ye answer to this ? have ye any thing to say ? or must ye not stand speechlesse before your judge , when he shall put home this challenge unto you , therefore think seriously upon it , how ye will answer to it . vi. challenge , will be for your sinning oftentimes against light , and o how sad and painfull a challenge will that be at the day of death ! when it will be said , thou sinned with a witnesse in thy bosome that thou wast doing wrong : thy conscience will say , oftentimes did i tell thee this is sinfull , yet wouldest thou not abstain from it : and what will ye answer from this ? vii . challenge , oftentimes ye sinned upon every small temptations , and what will ye answer to that ? must ye not then confesse it , and say , o how often have i deserted christ and imbraced my idols upon a small temdtation ? now i intreat you be thinking what ye will answer to these seven most material challenges which certainly shall be presented to you at death . i assure you , ye must either answer all your challenges in christ , else ye will not get them well answered . therefore i would exhort you to imbrace the gospel and christ in it : that so let death propose never so many challenges unto you ▪ ye may answer them all as david did , viz. god hath made with me an everlasting covenant , ( and that will answer all your challenges ) though my house be not so with god , yet i have the everlasting covenant to build my salvation upon . now to presse you to make use of christ , i shall give you these four considerations . consideration 1. if ye imbrace not christ now , death will be very unpleasant to you . o what else can comfort thee , when going through the region of the shadow of death , but this , i am christs , i am christs ? is there any other thing can comfort thee in that day , but only this , i am christs , and he is mine ? consideration 2. if ye imbrace not christ and the great salvation now , it will be an hundred to one , if ever ye get time or libertie to do it , when ye are going to die . for although many delay their closing with christ till death , yet scarcely one of a hundred getteth favour to grip christ at death : therefore think on it , for ye will not get your mind so composed at death as ye imagine , nor all things done as ye suppose : therefore now imbrace the great salvation . consideration 3. if ye delay your closing with christ , till death seise upon you , ye shall never be able to make up that losse , for will the dead rise and praise god ? or shall any come from the land of forgetfulnesse , to take hold upon a crucified saviour ? therefor , o will ye take him for your salvation . consideration 4. if ye will take christ now , he shall be your guide , when ye are going through the valley and shadow of death . and o how blessed is the person that can sing that word , psal. 48. 14. this is my god , he will be my guide even unto death . if ye can sing that pleasant song , o how may ye be comforted , when your eye strings shall begin to break ? o how happy is hee who can say , though i walk through the shadow of death , yet will i fear no ill ▪ 〈◊〉 i know that the lord is with mee . now this is the acceptable day , and the year of salvation , therefore do not delay , but imbrace christ , lest death surprise you ere yee be aware , and so the acceptable day be lost . but unto these who think they may delay till death , i say , surely there are many damned atheists in hell that ( sometime ) did think as yee think : i will make all wrongs right when death and i shall meet : i hope that three dayes repentance will satisfie for all my wrongs : for i am sure there are many in hell , who did never get three dayes to think upon their former wayes ; therefore , o come , come , and imbrace christ presently : now are yee all perswaded of this truth , that yee shall once see death ? then study a tender walking ; for ( believe me ) there are many of us who shall go thorow death with many bruised bones , because of untender walking before god. we know it is not the multitude of words can perswade you to imbrace christ , for many of you never minded the thing : but ( believe mee ) death will p●each these things to you in a more terrible manner then wee can do at this time . therefore i say ●o each of you , o prepare to meet thy god ; for , if death finde you in an estranged estate from god , i defy the angels in heaven to free you out of that estate . and the day is coming wherein thou shalt cry out , o slighter of the great salvation that i am , i would give ten thousand worlds for one sermon again that i once heard , wherein christ was freely offered to me , when thou shalt bee tormented without hope of remedy ; therefore , while it is to day , harden not your hearts , for your late wishes shall not bee granted ( when yee are gone ) if yee make not haste . o therefore haste , haste in time , and come out from the land of your captivity , and from the house of your bondage , and take christ for your redeemer , the guide of your youth and old age . now unto him , who can lead you thorow all these steps betwixt you and heaven , be eternal praise . amen . finis . a sure guide to heaven, or, an earnest invitation to sinners to turn to god in order to their eternal salvation shewing the thoughtful sinner what he must do to be saved / by joseph alleine. alleine, joseph, 1634-1668. 1688 approx. 371 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 99 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2003-01 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a26695 wing a977 estc r28088 10390310 ocm 10390310 44948 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a26695) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 44948) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 1372:22) a sure guide to heaven, or, an earnest invitation to sinners to turn to god in order to their eternal salvation shewing the thoughtful sinner what he must do to be saved / by joseph alleine. alleine, joseph, 1634-1668. [14], 180 p. printed for tho. parkhurst, london : 1688. reproduction of original in the british library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng conversion -early works to 1800. salvation -early works to 1800. 2002-02 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2002-03 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2002-04 tcp staff (michigan) sampled and proofread 2002-04 john latta text and markup reviewed and edited 2002-05 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion a sure guide to heaven : or an earnest invitation to sinners to turn to god , in order to their eternal salvation . shewing the thoughtful sinner what he must do to be saved . by ioseph alleine late minister of the gospel at taunton in somersetshire . john 3. 3. except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of god. london , printed for tho. parkhurst at the bible and three crowns , at the lower end of cheapside near mercers chappel . 1688. to the reader that would be safe and happy . if it were only possible thou mayst live hereafter , and be called to account in another world for what thou dost in this , it would be thy wisdom to take the safest course , and not to run the constant hazard of being dragg'd by death to iudgment , before thou wert prepar'd to meet thy iudge . but another life , and a judgment to come , are more than possible ; there is an high probability , yea as great a certainty as can with reason he expected , that death will not put an end to thy being , that thou shalt live after the return of thy body to the earth , and that then thou shalt be tryed , and sentenced to such an happiness or misery , as will be incomparably greater than any thing , nay than all thou didst ever feel or see , hear of or imagine . these weighty truths are taught and establisht in some measure by the light of nature , but much more clearly and firmly by the oracles of god in the holy scriptures . besides what they say of the different states of separated souls , they plainly teach , and strongly assert , that god hath appointed a time in which he will judge the whole world by the mediator jesus christ ; that that great mediator who is god as well as man , will descend from heaven , attended by its glorious inhabitants , with triumphant acclamations to his royal throne ; that a mighty voice will cite all that ever dwelt on earth to make their personal appearance ; that that awakening and commanding summons shall be presently heard and obeyed by the dead , and they with the quick then remaining alive , shall all stand before the judgment seat ; that after a throughly searching and impartial tryal , which will reach mens several talents , trusts and opportunities of getting and doing good , and their most secret actions , words and thoughts , every one shall receive an unalterable sentence of absolution or condemnation ; and that then such as are approv'd and absolv'd , shall inherit an heavenly kingdom prepared for them from the foundation of the world , be like the angels their delightful companions , converse with their most amiable and loving saviour , beholding and partaking of his glory , yea resemble , see and enjoy god himself in compleated holiness , and everlasting bliss : and those on the other hand , that are reprobated and damn'd shall never be admitted into the regions of light , nor yet be favour'd with a glimpse thereof ; but suffer with devils in the blackness of darkness for ever , the perpetual gnawings of the worm that dieth not , and the extreme torments of unquenchable fire . seeing then these things cannot be denied , thou must be guilty of such woful abuses of reason as far exceed all the extravagancies of them that want it ; thou must be most grosly foolish , most unnaturally cruel to thine own soul , to thy whole self , if thou dost not earnestly desire to be one of those unto whom the lord shall say , come ye blessed , and not , depart ye cursed ; if thou dost not readily welcom , and diligently use any proper helps for the avoiding of the heaviest endless misery , and for the attaining of the purest , vastest , everlasting happiness . and such helps are now offered thee in this little book , which hath a taking tincture of the excellent author's flaming love to god , and useful charity to the souls of men ; and now it is in thine hand , let me tell thee , it cannot be refus'd the reading , or rea● without doing what it so plainly teacheth and affectionately urgeth , but at thy greatest peril . if thou wilt not be at a small expence of time and pains to read it over , if after the neglect of so many means of instruction this also be rejected , how justly mayst thou be destroyed for lack of knowledge ? how soon may the things which belong unto thy peace be hid from thine eyes ? a continued wilful want of understanding is large ground for fear , lest he that made thee should not have mercy on thee , and he that form'd and redeem'd thee should shew thee no favour : if thou readest , but dost not practise what scripture and reason so pathetically plead for , the increase of thy knowledge will increase thy sorrow , because it will aggravate thy sin ; for to him that knows his lords will , how and why to do good , and doth it not but the forbidden evil , to him 't is heinous , inexcusable sin , for which he is liable to be beaten with many stripes , in constant dreadful danger of severer punishment . i hope therefore thou wilt peruse so short a discourse , and art not unwilling to do it in such a manner as to grow acquainted with , and be perswaded to thy great duty , and which is inseparable from it , thy greatest advantage ; and that thou may'st not fail thereof , is the design of the following directions . 1. pray in the name of christ as thou art and shalt be enabled , for the more effectual assistances of the holy spirit . such is the corruption of our nature , that it utterly disables to make a saving use of outward means without inward aids . unless the spirit by his powerful operations work thee into a serious teachable temper , set home the attempts of gods messengers , and give them an efficacy far beyond their own , the most concerning truths and weightiest arguments can never be so represented and inforc'd , as to overcome thy sensual , worldly inclinations , rescue thee from the dominion of sin and satan , and bring thee back to god. thou must therefore pray , and that with becoming apprehensions of the great god , due regard to the gracious mediator , deep shame and sorrow for the ●ins thou confessest , ardent desires of all the grace thou beggest , and faithful improvements of such measures as thou hast already received . and if thou thus askest , with fervent importunity and persevering constancy , thou wilt undoubtedly find that god bade thee not to seek his face in vain . as our lord warrants us to argue , luke ii. if a man will not deny a friend what he is importunate for , and if a father will grant his son what he asks and wants , much more will thy heavenly father give thee the holy spirit for all needful purposes , to produce all those effects in thee , that are truly necessary for thine eternal salvation . 2. consider seriously what thou readest , and work it on thy soul as far as thou art concern'd therein . medicines for the body will operate though they are not thought of ; but spiritual remedies for the mind require its co-operation with them ; the clearest explications , fullest proofs and strongest motives about matters of nearest and greatest concernment will not do the soul any good , unless by thinking it apply them , and extract their vertue ; nor will the spirit heal its lamentable diseases , if his influences be not answer'd with suitable endeavours . work then as he works in and with thee ; take into most serious consideration whatever is apt to promote thy recovery ; lay those things closest to heart which are likeliest to cure the hardness thereof ; inculcate and urge them , and withal cry mightily unto him , who is able , and no less willing to help thee , till thou feelest his gentle force , and comest to a conquering resolution , that thou must and wilt do as thou art advis'd , till thou dost not only assent to the course propos'd as fit to be taken , but art steadily determin'd , that it is best for thee , that it is absolutely necessary , and must effectually be prosecuted ; that by the grace of god thou wilt thoroughly change thy heart and life , and so escape from the greatest evil , and make sure of the chiefest good . 3. when thou hast seriously consider'd and resolv'd , proceed presently to practise , with all thy might , and without the least delay . 't is commonly a work of some time to alter the temper of the soul , and change the course of the life ; and according to god's usual methods , the longer thou hast been accustom'd to do evil , the more time and pains will be requisite , to break the force of stubborn lusts , to weaken and subdue vitious habits , and to gain those of grace and goodness , to travel back the way thou hast gone wrong , and to get out of it into the path of life . 't is well then if there be days enough before thee to do the one thing needful , to be sure thou art not certain of an hour to spare , the loss of so small a part may prove the loss of all . besides , if thou putt'st off thy reformation though but for a little while , 't is a sign thou dost not really intend it at all , for thou purposest against conviction to add sin to sin at present , and how can that consist with an hearty design of growing good afterward ? delude not therefore thy self with such a desperate cheat , but imitate the royal ps●lmist , when thou hast thought on thy ways turn thy feet unto gods testimonies ; make haste and delay not to keep his commandments . 4. remember that conversion unto god is but the beginning of thy duty , that thou must afterward obey him all the days of thy life , and that there is no other way to preserve an interest in his favour , and a right to the great expressions thereof . they are the largest and the last discoveries of divine grace , that teach thee to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts , to live soberly , righteously and godly in this present world , and so doing to look for the blessed object of thy hope ; they plainly enough warn thee against drawing back unto perdition ; they threaten a final rejection if thou deniest thy saviour in words or works , and they oft direct and command thee to seek for glory and honour , and immortality , by patient continuance in well-doing ; to be faith ful unto death whatever it cost thee , that thy lord may give thee a crown of life : these may seem hard sayings , but they contain nothing like a reasonable discouragement . there 's misery more than enough in hell to necessitate a prevention by any temporary labours , wants and suff●rings , and an abundantly sufficient happiness in heaven to encourage a stedfast perseverance in the work of the lord , though it were more harsh and grievous than sinners imagine . and even at present , religion is not without a reward , yea thou wilt find it , if thou triest as thou shouldst , a reward to it self , when the main difficulties at first are over , thy duty will grow daily easier , it will have many pleasures mixed with it , and become at length it self the greatest . it will not abridge thy appetites of any desirable gratifications , but give them a new delicious relish of the fountain from which they flow . instead of the girds and twinges of a bad conscience , and dread of an after-reckoning , 't will settle peace within , and fill thee with comfortable reflections and joyful hopes ; and a loving , thankful , praising obedience will by degrees become thy sweetest employment . therein thou may'st draw still nearer to god , delight thy self in , and receive from him the desires of thine heart , thou may'st walk always in the light of his countenance , and feed on his loving kindness , which is better than life . in short , before thou ascendest to heaven thou may'st be in an heaven on earth , and find by happy experience , that the way to have all thou canst wish hereafter , is to be and do what is best for thy self here . useful questions , whereby a christian may every day examine himself . psal. 4. 4. commune with your heart upon your beds . every evening before you sleep ( unless you find some other time of the day more for your advantage in this work ) sequester your self from the world , and having set your heart in the presence of the lord , charge it before god to answer to these interrogatories . for your duties . q. 1. did not god find me on my bed , when he looked for me on my knees ? job 1. 5. psal. 5. 3. q. 2. have not i prayed to no purpose , or suffered wandring thoughts to eat out my duties ? mat. 15. 8 , 9. jer. 12. 2. q. 3. have not i neglected or been very overly in the reading gods holy word ? deut. 17. 19. josh. 1. 7 , 8. q. 4. have i digested the sermon i heard last ? have i repeated it over , and prayed it over ? luke 2. 19 , 51. psal. 1. 2. and 119. 5 , 11 , 97. q. 5. was there not more of custom and fashion in my family-duties than of conscience ? psal. 101. 2. jer 30. 21. q. 6. where in have i denied my self this day for god ? luke 9. 23. q. 7. have i redeemed my time from too long or needless visits ; idle imaginations , fruitless discourse , unnecessary sleep , more than needs of the world ? eph. 5. 16. col. 4. 5. q. 8. have i done any thing more than ordinary for the church of god , in this time extraordinary ? 2 cor. 11. 28. isa. 62. 6. q. 9. have i look care of my company ? prov. 13. 20. psal. 119. 63. q. 10. have not ineglected or done something against the duties of my relations , as a master , servant , husband , wife , parent , child , &c. eph. 5. 22. to chap. 6. v. 10. col. 3. 18. to the 4. v. 2. for your sins . q. 1. doth not sin sit light ? psal. 38. 4. rom. 7. 24. q. 2. am i a mourner for the sins of the land ? ezek. 9. 4. jer. 9. 1 , 2 , 3. q. 3. do i live in nothing that i know or fear to be a sin ? psal. 119. 101 , 104. for your heart . q. 1. have i been much in holy ejaculations ? neh. 2. 4 , 5. q. 2. hath not god been out of mind : heaven out of sight ? psal. 16. 8 jer. 2. 32. col. 3. 1 , 2. q. 3. have i been often looking into mine own heart , and made conscience even of vain thoughts ? prov. 3. 23. psal. 119. 113. q. 4. have not i● given way to the workings of pride , or passion ? 2 chron. 32. 26. james 4. 5 , 6 , 7. for your tongue . q. 1. have i bridled my tongue , and forced it in ? jam. 1. 26. jam. 3. 2 , 3 , 4 , psal. 39. 1. q. 2. have i spoken evil of no man ? tit. 3. 2. jam. 4. 11. q. 3. hath the law of the lord been in my mouth as i sate in my house , went by the way , was lying down , and rising up ? deut. 6. 6 , 7. q. 4. is there no company i come into , but i have dropped something of god , and left some good savour behind ? col. 4. 6. eph. 4. 29. for your table . q. 1. did not i sit down with no higher end than a beast , meerly to please my appetite ? did i eat and drink to the glory of god ? 1 cor. 10. 31. q. 2. was not my appetite too hard for me ? jude 12. 2 pet. 1. 6. q. 3. did not i arise from the table without dropping any thing of god there ? luke 7. 36 , &c. luke 14. 1 , &c. john 6. q. 4. did not i mock god , when i pretended to crave a blessing , and return thanks ? acts 27. 35 , 36. mat. 15. 36. col. 3. 17 , 23. for your calling . q. 1. have i been diligent in the duties of my calling ? eccles. 9. 1 cor. 7. 17 , 20 , 24. q. 2. have i defrauded no man ? 1 thes. 4. 6. 1 cor. 6. 8. q. 3. have i dropped never a lye in my shop , or trade ? prov. 28. 6. eph. 4. 25. q. 4. did not i ra●hly make , nor falsly break some promise ? psal. 106. 33. josh. 9. v. 14 , &c. psal. 15. 4. an addition of some brief directions for the morning . d. 1. if through necessity or carelessness you have omitted the reading and weighing of these questions in the evening , be sure to do it now . d. 2. ask your self , what sin have i committed ? what duty have i omitted ? against which of these rules have i offended in the day foregoing ? and renew your repentance , and double your watch . d. 3. examine whether god were last in your thoughts when you went to sleep ; and first , when you awoke . d. 4. enquire whether your care of your heart and ways doth increase upon your constant using of this course for self-examination ; or whether it doth abate , and you grow more remiss . d. 5. impose a task of some good meditation upon your selves while you are making ready , either to go over these rules in your thoughts , or the heads of the sermon you heard last , or the holy meditations for the purpose in the practice of piety , or scudder's daily walk . d. 6. set your ends right for all that day . d. 7. set your watch , especially against those sins and temptations that you are like to be most incident to that day . the contents . i. what conversion is not , and correcting some mistakes about it . ii. what conversion is , and wherein it consists . iii. the necessity of conversion . iv. the marks of the unconverted . v. the miseries of the unconverted . vi. directions for conversion . vii . motives to conversion . viii . conclusion . ix . counsel for personal and family-godliness . this same book is printed in large octavo of a bigger print for ease of antient persons . whereunto are annexed diverse practical cases of conscience judiciously resolved . printed for tho. parkhurst , &c. an earnest invitation to sinners to turn to god in order to their eternal salvation . dearly beloved , and longed for , i gladly acknowledge my self a debter to you all , and am concerned , as i would be found a good steward to the houshold of god , to give to every one his portion . but the physician is most solicitous for those patients , whose case is most doubtful and hazardous , and the father's bowels are especially turned towards his dying child . the numbers of the unconverted souls among you , call for my most earnest compassions and hasty diligence to pluck them out of the burning , iude 23. and therefore to these first i shall apply my self in these lines . but whence shall i fetch my arguments , or how shall i choose my words ? lord , wherewith shall i woo them ? wherewith shall i win them ? oh that i could but tell ! i would write unto them in tears , would weep out every argument , i would empty my veins for ink , i would petition them on my knees , verily ( were i able ) i would . o how thankful i would be , if they would be prevailed with to repent and turn . how long have i travelled in birth with you ? how frequently have i made suit to you ? how often would i have gathered you ? how instant have i been with you ? this is that i have prayed for , and studied for , for many years , that i might bring you to god : oh that i might but do it ! will you yet be intreated ? oh what a happy man might you make me , if you would but hearken to me , and suffer me to carry you over to jesus christ ! but , lord , how insufficient am i for this work ! i have been many a year wooing for thee , but the damsel would not go with me . lord , what a task hast thou set me to do ! alas , wherewith shall i pierce the scales of leviathan , or make the heart to feel that is hard as a stone ; hard as a piece of the nether milstone ! shall i go and lay my mouth to the grave , and look when the dead will obey me and come forth ? shall i make an oration to the rocks ? or declaim to the mountains , and think to move them with arguments ? shall i give the blind to see ? from the beginning of the world was it not heard that a man opened the eyes of the blind ; but thou , o lord , canst pierce the scales and prick the heart of the sinner . i can but shoot at rovers , and draw the bow at a venture , and do thou direct the arrow between the joynts of the harness , and kill the sin , and save the soul of a sinner , that casts his eyes into these labours . but i must apply my self to you , to whom i am sent : yet i am at a great loss . would to god i knew how to go to work with you ! would i stick at the pains ? god knoweth you your selves are my witnesses , how i have followed you in private , as well as in publick , and have brought the gospel to your doors , testifying to you the necessity of the new birth , and persuading you to look in time after a sound and thorough change . beloved , i have not acted a part among you , to serve my own advantage : your gospel is not yea● and nay . have you not heard the same truths , from the pulpit , by publick labours , and by private letters , by personal instructions ? brethren , i am of the same mind as ever , that holiness is the best choice , that there is no entring into heaven , but by the streight passages of the second birth , that without holiness you shall never see god , heb. 12. 14. ah my beloved ! refresh my bowels in the lord. if there be any consolation in christ , any comfort of love , any fellowship of the spirit , any bowels and mercies , fulfil you my joy . now give your selves unto the lord , 2 cor. 8. 5. now set your selves to seek him . now set up the lord jesus in your heares , and set him up in your houses : now come in and kiss the son , psal. 2. 12. and embrace the tenders of mercy . touch his scepter and live ; why will you die ? i beg not for my self ; but fain i would have you happy : this is the prize i run for , and the white i aim at . my soul's desire and prayer for you is , that you may be saved , rom. 10. 1. the famous lycurgus , having instituted most strict and wholesom laws for his people , told them he was necessitated to go a journey from them● and got them to bind themselves in an oath , that his laws should be observed till his return . this done , he went into a voluntary banishment , and never returned more , that they might , by vertue of their oath , be engaged to the perpetual observing of his laws . methinks i should be glad of the hard conditions which he endured ( though i love you tenderly ) so i might but hereby engage you throughly to the lord jesus christ. dearly beloved , would you rejoyce the heart of your minister ? why then , embrace the counsels of the lord by me : forgo your sins : set to prayer : up with the worship of god in your families : keep at a distance from the corruptions of the times . what greater joy to a minister , than to hear of souls born unto christ by him , and that his children walk in the truth ? 2 iohn 4. brethren , i beseech you suffer friendly plainness and freedom with you in your deepest concernments . i am not playing the orator , to make a learned speech to you , nor dressing my dish with eloquence , wherewith to please you . these lines are upon a weighty errand indeed , viz. to convince , and convert , and to save you . i am not baiting my hook with rhetorick , nor fishing for your applause , but for your souls . my work is not to please you , but to save you ; nor is my business with your fancies , but your hearts . if i have not your hearts , i have nothing . if i were to please your ears , i could sing another song . if i were to preach my self , i would steer another course ; i could then tell you a smoother tale : i would make you pillows , and speak you peace ; for how can ahab love this micaiah that always prophesies evil concerning him ? 1 kings 22. 8. but how much better are the wounds of a friend , than the fair speeches of the harlot , who flattereth with her lips , till the dart strike through the liver , and hunteth for the precious life ? prov. 7. 21 , 22 , 23. and prov. 6. 26. if i were to quiet a crying infant , i might sing him to a pleasant mood , and rock him asleep . but when the child is fallen into the fire , the parent takes another course ; he will not go to still him with a song or trifle . i know if we speed not with you , you are lost . if we cannot get your consent to arise , and come away , you perish for ever . no conversion , and no salvation : i must get your good will , or leave you miserable . but here the difficulty of my work again recurs upon me . lord choose my stones out of the rocks , 1 sam. 17. 40 , 45. i come in the name of the lord of hosts , the god of the armies of israel . i come forth like the stripling goliah , to wrestle , not with flesh and blood , but with principalities and powers , and the rulers of the darkness of this world , eph. 6. 12. this day let the lord smite the philistine , and spoil the strong man of his armour and give me to fetch off the captives out of his hand . lord choose my words , choose my weapons for me , and when i put my hand into the bag , and take thence a stone , and sling it , do thou carry it to the mark and make it sink , not into the forehead , 1 sam. 17. 49. but the heart of the unconverted sinner , and smite him to the ground , with saul in his so happy fall , acts 9. 4. thou hast sent me , as abraham did eliezer , to take a wife unto my master thy son , gen. 24. 4. but my discouraged soul is ready to fear the woman will not be willing to follow me . o lord god of my master , i pray thee send me good speed this day , and shew kindness to my master , and send thine angel before me , and prosper my way , that i may take a wife unto thy son , gen. 24. 12. that as the servant rested not till he had brought isaac and rebekah together , so i may be successful to bring christ and the souls of my people together , before we part . but i turn me unto you . some of you do not know what i mean by conversion , and in vain shall i persuade you to that which you do not understand , and therefore for your sakes , i shall shew what this conversion is . others do cherish secret hopes of mercy , though they continue as they be ; and for them i must shew the necessity of conversion . others are like to harden themselves with a vain conceit , that they are converted already , unto them i must shew the marks of the unconverted . others because they feel no harm , fear none , and so sleep upon the top of the mast ; to them i shall shew the misery of the unconverted . others sit still , because they see not their way out ; to them i shall shew the means of conversion . and finally for the quickening of all , i shall close with the motives of conversion . chap i. shewing the negative , what conversion is not , and correcting some mistakes about it . let the blind samaritans worship they know not what , ioh. 4. 22. let the heathen athenians superscribe their altar unto the unknown god , acts 17. 23. let the guileful papists commend the mother of destruction , hos. 4. 6. for the mother of devotion : they that know mans constitution , and the nature of the reasonable souls● operation , cannot but know , that the understanding having the empire in the soul , he that will go rationally to work , must labour to let in the light here . ignoranti● non est consensus . and therefore that you may not mistake me , i shall shew you what i mean by the conversion i pers●●de you to endeavour after . it is storied , that when iupiter let down the golden chaplets from heaven , all of them but one were stolen : whereupon ( lest they should lose a relique of so great esteem ) they made five others so like it that if any were so wickedly minded , as to steal that also , they should not be able to discern which was it . and truly my bel●ved the devil hath made many counterfeits of this conversion ; and cheats one with this , and another with that ; and such a craft and artifice he hath , in this mystery of deceits ; ( that if it were possible ) he would deceive the very elect. now that i may cure the damnable mistakes of some , who think they are converted when they are not , as well as remove the troubles , and fears of others , that think they are not converted when they are ; i shall shew you the nature of conversion , both negatively , or what it is not ; and positively what it is . we will begin with the negative . 1. it is not the ta●ing on us the profession of christianity . doubtless christianity is more than a name . if we will hear paul , it lies not in word , but in power● 1 cor. 4. 20. if to cease to be jews and pagans , and to p●t on the christian profession had been true conversion● ( as this is all , that some would have to be understood by it ) who better christians than they of sardis and laodicea ? these were all christians by profession , and had a name to live , but because they had but a name , are condemned by christ , and threatned to be spewed out , rev. 3. 1. 16. are there not many that name the name of the lord jesus , that yet depart not from iniquity ? 2 tim. 2. 19. and profess they know god , but in works deny him ? tit. 1. 16. and will god receive these for true converts , because turned to the christian religion ? what , converts from sin , when yet they do live in sin ? 't is a visible contradiction . surely if the lamp of profession would have served the turn , the foolish virgins had never been shut out , mat. 25. 3 , 12. we find not only professors but preachers of christ , and wonder-workers turned off , because evil workers , mat. 7. 22 , 23. 2. it is not the being washed in the laver of regeneration , or putting on the badge of christ in baptism . many take the press-money , and wear the livery of christ , that yet never stand to their colours , nor follow their leader . ananias and saphira , and magus were baptized as well as the rest . how fondly do many mistake here , deceiving , and being deceived ! dreaming that effectual grace is necessarily tied to the external administration of baptism ( which what is it , but to revive the popish tenent , of the sacraments working grace , ex opere operato ? ) and so every infant should be regenerated not only ( sacramento tenus ) sacramentally , but really and properly . hence men do fancy , that being regenerated already , when baptized , they need no further work . but if this were so , then all that were baptized ( in their infancy ) must necessarily be saved : because the promise of pardon and salvation is made to conversion and regeneration . acts 3. 19. 1 pet. 3. 4. mat. 19. 28. our calling , sanctification , ( as to the beginnings of it ) on conversion ( which are but the same thing , under different conceptions and expressions ) is but a middle link in the golden chain , fastned to election at the one end , and glorification at the other , rom. 8. 30. 2 thes. 2. 13. 1 pet. 1. 2. the silver cord may not be broken , nor the connexion between sanctification and salvation , between grace and glory , impiously violated , mat. 5. 8. if we were indeed begotten again , it is to an inheritance incorruptible reserved in heaven for us , and the divine power is engaged to keep us for it , 1 pet. 1. 5. and if the very regenerate may perish at last in their sins , we will no more say , that he that is born of god , his seed remaineth in him , and that he cannot sin , 1 ioh. 3. 9. i. e. unto death , nor that it is impossible to deceive the very elect , mat. 24. 24. and indeed were this true , then we need look no farther to see our names written in heaven , than only to search the register , and see whether we were baptized : then i would keep the certificate of my baptism , as my fairest evidence for heaven , and should come by assurance of my gracious state , with a wet finger ; then men should do well to carry but a certificate of their baptism under the registers hand , when they died ( as the philosopher would be buried with the bishops bond in his hand which he had given him for receiving his alms in another world , ) and upon sight of this , there were no doubt of their admission into heaven . in short , if there be no more necessary to conversion or regeneration , than to be turned to the christian religion , or to be baptized in infancy , this will flie directly in the face of that scripture , mat. 7. 14. as well as multitudes of others . for first we will then no more say , strait is the gate and narrow is the way ; for if all that are baptized , and of true religion are saved , the door is become heavenly wide , and we will henceforth say , wide is the gate , and broad is the way that leadeth unto life ; for if this be true , whole parishes , yea whole countries , and whole kingdoms may go in a breast , and we will no more teach , that the righteous is scarcely saved , or that there is need of such a stir in taking the kingdom of heaven by violence , and striving to enter in . surely if the way be so easie as many make it , that there is little more necessary , than to be regenerated in our baptism , and cry god mercy , and be absolved by the minister at our end ; 't is more ado than needs to put our selves to such running , and seeking , and knocking , and fighting , and wrestling , as the word requires as necessary to salvation . secondly , if this be true , we will no more say , few there be that find it ; yea we will rather say , few there be that miss it : we will no more say , that of the many that are called , but few are chosen , mat. 22. 14. and that even of the professing israel , but a remnant shall be saved , rom. 11. 5. if this doctrine be true , we will not say any more with the disciples , who then shall be saved ? but rather who then shall not be saved ? then if a man be called a brother , ( that is a christian ) and be baptized , though he be a fornicator , or a ●ailer , or covetous , or a drunkard , yet he shall inherit the kingdom of god , 1 cor. 5. 11. 1 cor. 6. 9 , 10. but the arminian will reply ; such as these though they did receive regenerating grace in baptism , are since fallen away , and must be renewed again , or else they cannot be saved . i answer , 1. that there is an infallible connexion between regeneration and salvation , as we have already shewed , and i itch to be farther evidencing but that 't is against designed brevity . 2. then men must be born again , which carrys a great deal of absurdity in its very face . and why may not men be twice born in nature , as well as in grace ? why not as great an absurdity to be twice regenerated as to be twice generated ? but 3. and above all , this grants however the thing i contend for , that what ever men do , or pretend to receive in baptism , if they be sound afterwards to be grosly ignorant , or profane , or formal , without the power of godliness , they must be born again , or else be shut out of the ki●gdom of god. so then they must have more to plead for themselves , than their baptismal regeneration . well , in this you see all are agreed , that be it more or less that is received in baptism , if ( when men come to years ) they are evidently unsanctified , they must be renewed again by a through and powerful change , or else they cannot escape the damnation of hell. friends and brethren be not deceived god is not mocked ; gal. 6. 7. whether it be your baptism , or what ever else that you pretend , i tell you from the living god , that if any of you be a prayerless person , ioh. 15. 14. or unclean , or malicious , or covetous , or riotous , or a scoffer , or a lover of evil company , prov. 13. 20. in a word , if you are not holy , strict and self-denying christians , heb. 12. 14. mat. 16. 24. you cannot be saved , except you be transformed by a further work upon you , and renewed again by repentance . thus i have shewed , that it is not enough to evidence a man to be regenerate , that he hath been baptized , effectual grace not necessarily accompanying baptism , as some have vainly asserted . but i must answer one objection before i pass . object . the sacraments do certainly attain their ends , where man doth not ponere obi●em , or lay some obstruction , which infants do not . sol. i answer , it is not the end of baptism to regenerate , 1. because then there would be no reason , why it should be confined only to the seed of believers , for both the law of god and the nature of charity , requires us to use the means of conversion for all , as far as we can have opportunity . were this true , no such charity as to catch the children of turks and heathens , and baptize them , and dispatch them to heaven out of hand ; like the bloody wretches , that made the poor protestants ( to save their lives ) to swear they would come to mass , and that they would never depart from it , and then put them forthwith to death , saying , they would hang them while in a good mind . 2. because it presupposeth regeneration , and therefore cannot be intended to confer it . in all the express instances in scripture , we find that baptism doth suppose their repenting , believing , receiving the holy ghost , acts 8. 37. acts. 2. 38. acts. 10. 47. mark 16. 16. and to imagine , that baptism was instituted for an end of which not one of the first subjects was capable ( for they were all adult persons and supposed to have faith and repentance according as they professed , and their children were not baptized till after them , in their right , ) were no little absurdity . were this doctrine true , baptism would make disciples , but we find it doth bespeak them such before-hand , mat. 28. 19. 3. because baptism , being but a seal of the covenant cannot convey the benefits , but according to the tenour of the covenant , to which it is set . now the covenant is conditional , therefore the seal conveys conditionally . the covenant requires faith and repentance , as the condition of the grand benefits , pardon , and life , acts 16. 31. acts 3. 19. and what the covenant doth not convey but upon these conditions , the seal cannot . so that baptism doth presuppose faith and repentance in the subject , without which it neither doth , nor can convey the saving benefits ; otherwise the seal should convey contrary to the tenour of the covenant to which it is affixed . 3. it lies not in a moral righteousness . this exceeds not the righteousness of the scribes and pharisees , and therefore cannot bring us to the kingdom of god , mat. 5. 20. paul , while unconverted touching the righteousness which is in the law blameless , phil. 3. 6. none could say black is thine eye . the self-justiciary could say , i am no extortioner , adulterer , unjust , &c. luke 18. 11. thou must have something more than all this to shew , or else ( however thou mayest justifie thy self ) god will condemn thee . i condemn not morality , but warn you not to rest here . piety includes morality , as christianity doth humanity , and grace reason . but we must not divide the tables . 4. it consists not in an external conformity to the rules of piety 't is too manifest , men may have a form of godliness , without the power , 2 tim. 3. 5. men may pray long , mat. 23. 14. and fast often , luke 18. 12. and heav gladly , mark 6. 20. and be very forward in the service of god , though costly and expensive , isa. 1. 11. and yet be strangers to conversion . they must have more to plead for themselves , than that they keep their church , and give alms , and make use of prayer to prove themselves sound converts . no outward service but an hypocrite may do it ; even to the giving all his goods to the poor , and his members to the fire , 1 cor. 13. 3. 5. it lies not in the chaining up of corruption , by education , humane laws , or the force of incumbent affliction . 't is too common and easie , to mistake education for grace ; but if this were enough , who a better man than iehoash : while iehojadah his uncle lived he was very forward in gods service , and calls upon him to repair the house of the lord , 2 kings 12. 2 , 7. but here was nothing more than good education all this while : for when his good tutor was taken out of the way , he appears to have been but a wolf chained up ; and falls on to idolatry . 6. in short , it consists only in illumination , or conviction , in a superficial change , or partial reformation . an apostate may be a man enlightned , heb. 6. 4. and a felix tremble under convictions , acts 24. 25. and a herod amend many things , mar. 6. 20. 't is one thing to have sin alarm'd only by convictions , and another to have it captivated and crucified by converting grace . many because they have been troubled in conscience for their sins , think well of their case ; miserably mistaking conviction for conversion . with these cain might have passed for a convert , who ran up and down the world , like a man distracted under the rage of a guilty conscience , till with building and business he had worn it away , gen. 4. 13 , 14. others think , that because they have given , off their riotous courses , and are broken off from evil company , or some particular lust , and reduced to sobriety and civility , they are now no other than real converts , forgetting that there is a vast difference between being sanctified , and civilized : and that many seek to enter into the kingdom of heaven , luke 13. 24. and are not far from it , mark. 12. 34. and arrive to the almost of christianity , acts 26. 28. and yet fall short at last . while conscience holds the whip over them , many will pray , hear , read , and forbear their delightful sins : but no sooner is this lyon asleep , but they are at their vomit again . who more religious than the iews , when gods hand was upon them ? psal. 78. 34 , 35. but no sooner was the affiction over , but they forgot god , and shewed their religion to be a fit , ver . 36 , 37. thou mayst have disgorged a troublesome fin , that will not sit in thy stomach , and have escaped those gross pollutions of the world , and yet not have changed thy swinish nature all the while , 2 pet. 2 , 20. 22. you may cast the lead out of the rude mass , into the more comely proportion of a plant , and then into the shape of a beast , and thence into the form and features of a man ; but all the while it is but lead still . so a man may pass thro' divers transmutations , from ignorance to knowledge , from profaneness to civility , thence to a form of religion ; and all this while he is but carnal and unregenerate , while his nature remains unchanged . application . hear then o sinners , hear as you would live ; so come and ●ear ; isa. 55. 3. why would you so wilfully deceive your selves , or build your hopes upon the sand ? i know he shall find hard work of it that goes to pluck away your hopes . it cannot but be ungrateful to you , and truly it is not pleasing to me . i set about it as a surgeon , when to cut off a putrified member from his well beloved friend ; which of force he must do , but with an aking heart , a pitiful eye , a trembling hand . but understand me , brethren , i am only taking down the ruinous house , ( which will otherwise speedily fall of it self , and bury you in the rubbish ) that i may build fair , and strong , and firm for ever . the hope of the wicked shall perish , if god be true of his word prov. 11. 7. and wert not thou better , o sinner , to let the word convince thee now in time , and let go thy false and self-deluding hopes , than to have death too late to open thine eyes , and find thy self in hell , before thou art aware ? i should be a false and faithless shepherd , if i should not tell you , that you who have built your hopes upon no better grounds , than these forementioned , are yet in your sins . let your conscience speak ? what is it , that you have to plead for your selves ? is it that you wear christ's livery ? that you bear his name ? that you are of the visible church ? that you have knowledge in the points of religion ? are civilized , perform religious duties , are just in your dealings ; have been troubled in conscience for your sins ? i tell you from the lord , these pleas will never be accepted at god's bar. all this , though good in it self , will not prove you converted , and so will not suffice to your salvation . oh look about you , and bethink your selves of turning speedily and soundly . set to praying , and to reading , and studying your own hearts ; rest not , till god hath made thorough work with you ; for you must be other men , or else you are lost men . but if these be short of conversion , what shall i say of the profane sinner ? it may be , he will scarce cast his eyes , or lend his fars to this discourse . but if there be any such reading , or within hearing , he must know from the lord that made him , that he is far from the kingdom of god. may a man be civilized and not converted ; where then shall the drunkard , and glutton appear ? may a man keep company with the wise virgins , and yet be shut out ? shall not a companion of fools much more be destroyed ? prov. 13. 20. may a man be true and just in his dealing , and yet not be justified of god ? what then will become of thee , o wretched man , whose conscience tells thee thou art false in thy trade , and false of thy word , and makest thy advantage by a lying tongue ? if men may be enlightned , and brought to the performance of holy duties , and yet go down to perdition , for resting in them , and sitting down on this side of conversion ; what will become of you , o miserable families , that live as without god in the world ? and of you , o wretched sinners , with whom god is scarce in all your thoughts : that are so ignorant , that you cannot , or so careless , that you will not pray ? o repent and be converted ? break off your sins by righteousness ; away to christ for pardoning and renewing grace : give up your selves to him , to walk with him in holiness , or else you shall never see god. oh that you would take the warnings of god! in his name i once more admonish you . turn you at my reproof , prov. 1. 23. forsake the foolish , and live , prov. 9. 6. be sober , righteous , godly , tit. 2. 12. wash your hands you sinners , purifie your hearts ye double minded , iames 4. 8. cease to do evil , learn to do well , isa. 1. 16 , 17. but if you will on , you must die , ezek. 33. 11. chap. ii. shewing positively what conversion is . i may not leave you with your eyes half open , as he that saw men as trees walking , mark 8. 24. the word is profitable for doctrine , as well as reproof ; 2 tim. 3. 16. and therefore having thus far conducted you by the shelves and rocks of so many dangerous mistakes , i would guide you at length into the harbour of truth . conversion then ( in short ) lies , in the thorow change both of the heart , and life . i shall briefly describe it in its nature and causes . 1. the author , it is the spirit of god ; and therefore it is called the sanctification of the spirit ; 2. thes. 2. 13. and the renewing of the holy ghost , tit. 3. 5. yet not excluding the other persons in the trinity : for the apostle ●eacheth us , to bless the father of our lord jesus christ , for that he hath begotten us again ; 1 pet. 1. 3. and christ is said to give repentance to israel ; acts 5. 31. and is called the everlasting father , isa. 9. 6. and we his seed , and the children which god hath given him , heb , 2. 13. isa. 53. 10. o blessed birth ! seven cities contended for the birth of homer : but the whole trinity fathers the new creature . yet is this work principally ascribed to the holy ghost , and so we are said to be born of the spirit , iob. 3. 8. so then it is a work above man's power . we are born , not of the will of the flesh , nor of the will of man ; but of god , iohn . 1. 13. never think thou canst convert thy self . if ever thou wouldst be saveingly converted , thou must despair of doing it in thine own strength , ier. 13. 18. it is a resurrection from the dead , rev. 20. 5. eph. 2. 1. a new creation , gal. 6. 15. eph. 2. 10. a work of absolute omnipotency , eph. 1. 19. are these out of the reach of humane power ? if thou hast no more than thou hadst by thy first birth , a good nature , a meek and chast temper , &c. thou art a very stranger to true conversion . this is a supernatural work . 2. the moving cause is internal , or external . the internal mover is only free grace . not by works of righteousness which we have done : but of his own mercy he saved us — by the renewing of the holy ghost , tit. 3. 5. of his own will begat he us , iam. 1. we are chosen and called unto sanctification , not for it , eph. 1. 4. god finds nothing in a man to turn his heart , but to turn his stomach : enough to provoke his loathing , nothing to provoke his love . look back upon thy self , o christian : take up thy verminous rags : look upon thy self in thy blood , ez. 16. 6. o reflect upon thy swinish nature , thy filthy swill , thy once beloved mire , 2 pet. 2. canst thou think without loathing of thy trough and draugh ? open thy sepulchre , mat. 23. 27. art thou struck almost dead with the hellish damp ? behold thy putrid soul , thy loathsome members . o stench unsufferable , if thou dost but sense thy own putrifaction ! psal. 14. 3. behold thy ghastly visage , they crawling iusts , thy slime and corruption . do not thine own cloaths abhor thee ? iob 9. 31. how then should holiness and purity love thee ? be astonished o heavens at this , be moved o earth , ier. 2. 12. who but must needs cry , grace ! grace ! zech. 4. 7. hear and blush you children of the most high ; o you unthankful generation ! that free grace is no more in your mouths , in your thoughts ; no more adored , admired , commended by such as you . one would think you should be nothing but praising and admiring god , whatever you are . how can you make a shift to forget such grace , or to pass it over with a slight and seldom mention ; what but free grace should move god to love you , unless enmity could do it , or deformity could do it , unless vomit or rottenness could do it ? how affectionately doth peter lift up his hands ? blessed be the god and father of our lord iesus christ , who of his abundant mercy hath begotten us again . 1 pet. 1. 3. how feelingly doth paul magnifie the free mercy of god in it ? god who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us ; hath quickened us together with christ ; by grace ye are sa●ed , eph. 2. 4 , 5. the external mover is the merit and intercession of the blessed iesus . he hath obtained gifts for the rebellious , psal. 68. 18. and through him it is , that god worketh in us , what is well pleasing in his sight , heb. 13. 21. through him are all spiritual blessings , bestowed upon us in heavenly things , eph. 1. 3. he interceedeth for the elect , that believe not , iohn 17. 20. every convert is the fruit of his travel , isa. 53. 11. o never was infant born into the world with that difficulty , that christ endured for us . how emphatically he groaneth in his travel ; all the pains that he suffered on his cross they were our birth pains , acts 2. 24. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , the pulls and throws that christ endured for us . he is made sanctification to us , 1 cor. 1 30. he sanctified himself ( that is , set apart himself as a sacrifice ) that we may be sanctified , iohn 17. 19. we are sanctified through the offering of his body once for all , heb. 10. 10. 't is nothing then without his own bowels , but the merit and intercession of christ , that prevails with god to bestow on us converting grace . if thou art a new creature , thou knowest to whom thou owest it , to christ's pangs and prayers . hence the natural affection of a believer to christ. the foal doth not more naturally run after the dam , nor the suckling to the dugs , than a believer to jesus christ. and whither else shouldst thou go ? if any in the world can shew that for thy heart that christ can , let them carry it . doth satan put in , doth the world court thee ? doth sin sue for thy heart ? why , were these crucified for thee ? 1 cor. 1. 13. o christian , love and serve the lord whilst thou hast a being . do not even the publicans love those that love them ? and shew kindness to them that are kind to them ? mat. 5. 46 , 47. 3. the instrument is either personal , or real . the personal is the ministry . i have begotten you to christ through the gospel , 1 cor. 4. 15. christ's ministers are they that are sent to open mens eyes , and to turn them to god , acts 26. 18. o unthankful world , little do you know what you are doing , while you are persecuting the messengers of the lord. these are they whose business is ( under christ ) to save you . whom have you reproached and blasphemed ? against whom you have exalted your voice , and lifted your eyes on high ? isa. 37. 23. these are the servants of the most high god that shew unto you the way of salvation● acts 16. 17. and do you thus requite them , o foolish and unwise ? deut. 32. 6. o sons of ingratitude , against whom do you sport your selves ? against whom make you a wide mouth , and draw out the tongue ? isa. 57. 34. these are the instruments that god useth to convert and save you , and do you spit in the face of your physicians , and throw your pilots over-board ? father forgive them , for they know not what they do . the instrument real is the word : we were begotten by the word of truth : this is it that enlightens the eyes , that converteth the soul , psal. 19. 7 , 8. that maketh wise to salvation , 2 tim. 3. 15. this is the incorruptible seed , by which we are born again , 1 pet. 1. 23. if we are washed , 't is by the word , eph. 5. 26. if we are sanctified , 't is through the truth , iohn 17. 17. this generates faith , and regenerates us , rom. 10. 17. iam. 1. 18. o ye saints , how should you love the word ? for by this you have been converted : o ye sinners , how should you ply the word ? for by this you must be converted : no other ordinary means but this . you that have felt its renewing power , make much of it while you live , be for ever thankful for it . tie it about your necks , write it upon your hands , lay it in your bosoms , prov. 6. 21 , 22. when you go let it lead you , when you sleep let it keep you ; when you wake let it talk with you : say with holy david , i will never forget thy precepts , for by them hast thou quickened me , psal. 119. 93. you that are unconverted , read the word with diligence , flock to it , where powerfully preached , fill the porches , as the multitude of the impotent , blind , halt , withered , waiting for the moving of the water , iohn 5. 3. pray for the coming of the spirit in the word . come off thy knees to the sermon ; and come to thy knees from the sermon . the seed doth not prosper because not watered by prayers and tears , nor covered by meditation . 4. the final cause is mans salvation , and gods glory , we are chosen through sanctification to salvation● 2 thes. 2. 13. called that we might be glorified , rom. 8. 30. but especially , that god might be glorified . isa. 60. 21. that we should shew forth his praises , 1● pet. 2. 9 , and be fruitful in good works , col. 1. 10. o christian , do not forget the end of thy calling , let thy light shine , mat. 5. 16. let thy lamp burn , let thy fruits be good , and many , and in season , psal. 1. 3. let all thy designs fall in with gods , that he may be magnified in thee , phil. 1. 20. why should god repent that he hath made thee a christian , as in the time of the old world , that he made them men ? gen. 6. 6. why shouldst thou be an eye-sore in his orchard , luke 7. by thy unfruitfulness ? or a son that causeth shame , as it were a grief to thy father , and a bitterness to her that bare thee , prov. 17 , 25. prov. 10. 5. o let the womb bless thee that bare thee , prov. 17. 21. he that begets a fool doth it to his sorrow ; and the father of a fool hath no joy . 5. the subject is the elect sinner , and that in all his parts and powers , members , and mind . whom god predestinates , them only he calls , rom. 8. 30. none are drawn to christ by their calling , nor come to him by believing , but his sheep , those whom the father hath given him , iohn 6. 37 , 44. effectual calling runs parallel with eternal election , 2 pet. 1. 10. thou beginnest at the wrong end , if thou disputest first about thine election . prove thy conversion , and then never doubt of thine election . or canst thou not yet prove it ? set upon a present and thorough turning . whatever god's purposes be , ( which are secret ) i am sure his promises are plain . how desperately do rebels argue ? if i am elected i shall be saved , do what i will ; if not , i shall be damned , do what i can . perverse sinner , wilt thou begin where thou shouldest end ? is not the word before thee ? what saith it ? repent and be converted , that your sins may be blotted su● , acts 3. 19. if you mortifie the deeds of the body , you shall live , rom. 8. 13. believe and be saved , acts 16. 31. what can be plainer ? do not stand still , disputing about thine election , but set to repenting and believing . cry to god for converting grace . revealed things belong to thee , in these busie thy self . 't is just ( as one well said ) that they that will not feed on the plain food of the word , should be choaked with the bones . whatever gods purposes be , i am sure his promises be true . whatever the decrees of heaven be , i am sure , that if i repent and believe i shall be saved ; and that if i repent not , i shall be damned . is not here plain ground for thee , and wilt thou yet run upon the rocks ? more particularly , this change of conversion passes throughout in the whole subject . a carnal person may have some shreds of good morality , a little near the list , but he is never good throughout the whole cloth , the whole body of holiness and christianity ; feel him a little further near the ridge , and you shall see him to be but a deceitful piece . conversion is not repairing of the old building , but it takes all down and erects a new structure : it is not the putting in a patch , or sowing on a list of holiness ; but with the true convert , holiness is woven into all his powers , principles , and practice . the sincere christian is quite a new fabrick , from the foundation to the top-stone , all fire-new . he is a new man , eph. 4. 24. a new creature . all things are become new , 2 cor. 5. 17. conversion is a deep work ; a heart work , acts 2. 37. and 6. 14. it turns all upside down , and makes a man be in a new world . it goes throughout with men , throughout the mind , throughout the members , throughout the motions of the whole life . 1. throughout the mind . it makes an universal change within . first , it turns the ballance of the judgment , so that god and his glory do weigh down all carnal and worldly interest , acts 20. 24. phil. 1. 20. psal. 73. 25. it opens the eye of the mind , and makes the scales of its native ignorance to fall off , and turns men from darkness to light , acts 26. 18. eph. 5. 8. 1 pet. 2. 9. the man that before saw no danger in his condition , now concludes himself lost and for ever undone , acts 2. 37. except renewed by the power of grace . he that formerly thought there was little hurt in sin , now comes to see it to be the chief of evils ; he sees the unreasonableness , unrighteousness , the deformity and filthiness that is in sin , so that he is affrighted with it , loaths it , dreads it , flies it , and even abhors himself for it , rom. 7. 15. iob 42. 6. ezek. 36. 31. he that could see little sin in himself , and could find no matter for confession ( as it was said of that learned ignoramus bellarmine , who it seems while he knew so much abroad , was a miserable stranger to himself ) that when he was to be confessed by the priest , could not remember any thing to confess ; but was fain to run back to the sins of his youth : i say he that could not find matter for confession , unless it were some few gross and staring evils , now sin reviveth with him , rom. 7. 9. he sees the rottenness of his heart , and desperate and deep pollution of his whole nature : he cries , unclean , unclean , lev. 13. 45. lord purge me with hyssop , wash me throughly , create in me a new heart , psal. 51. 2 , 7 , 10. he sees himself altogether become filthy , psal. 14. 3. corrupt , both root and tree , mat. 7. 17 , 18. he writes unclean upon all his parts and powers , and performances , isa. 64. 6. rom. 7. 18. he discovers the nasty corners that he was never aware of , and sees the blasphemy , and theft , and murder , and adultery that is in his heart , which before he was ignorant of . heretofore he saw no form , nor comliness in christ , no beauty that he should desire him ; but now he finds the hid treasure , and will sell all to buy this field . christ is the pearl he seeks , sin the puddle he loaths . now according to this new light , the man is of another mind , another judgment , than before he was : now god is all with him , he hath none in heaven nor in earth like him , psal. 73. 25. he prefers him truly before all the world ; his favour is his life ; the light of his countenance is more than corn , or wine , and oyl , ( the good that he formerly enquired after , and set his heart upon , psal. 4. 6 , 7. ) now let all the world be set on one side , and god alone on the other ; let the harlot put on her paint , and gallantry , and present her self to the soul ( as when satan would have tempted our saviour with her ) in all the glory of her kingdoms , yet the soul will not fall down and worship her ; but will prefer a naked , yea a crucified , persecuted christ before her , phil. 3. 8. 1 cor. 2. 2. not but that a hypocrite may come to yield a general assent to this , that god is the chief good : yea the wiser heathens ( some few of them ) have at last stumbled upon this , but there is a difference between the absolute and comparative judgment of the understanding . no hypocrite comes so far as to look upon god , as the most desirable and suitable good to him , and thereupon to acquiesce in him . this was the converts voice , the lord is my portion , saith my soul : whom have i in heaven but thee ? and there is none upon earth , that i desire besides thee . god is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever , psal. 73. 25 , 26. lam. 3. 24. secondly , it turns the byass of the will , both as to means and end . ( 1. ) the intention of the will is altered , ezek. 36. 26. ier. 31. 33. esay 26. 8 , 9. now the man hath new ends and designs . now he intends god above all , and desires and designs nothing in all the world so much , as that christ may be magnified in him , phil. 1. 20. he accounts himself more happy in this , than in all that the earth could yield , that he may be serviceable to christ , and bring him glory in his generation . this is the mark he aims a● that the name of jesus may be great in the world , and that all the sheaves of his brethren may bow to this sheaf . reader , dost thou view this , and never ask thy self , whether it be thus with thee ? pause a while , and breath on this great concernment . 2. the election also is changed , so that he chooses another way , psal. 119. 30. he pitches upon god , as his blessedness , and upon christ as the principal , and holiness as the subordinate means to bring him to god , iohn 14. 6. rom. 2. 7. he chooses jesus for his lord , col. 2. 6. he is not meerly forced into christ by the storm , nor doth he take christ for bare necessity , as the man begged from the gallows , when he takes the wife rather than the halter : but he comes off freely in the choice . this match is not made in a fright as with the terrified conscience or dying sinner ; that will seemingly do any thing for christ , but doth only take christ , rather than hell : but he deliberately resolves , that christ is his best choice , phil. 1. 23. and would rather have him to choose , than all the good of this world , might he enjoy it while he would . again , he takes holiness for his path : he doth not out of meer necessity submit to it : but he likes and loves it . i have chosen the way of thy precepts , ps. 119. 173. he takes god's testimonies not as his bondage , but as his heritage , yea his heritage for ever , v. 111. he counts them not his burden , but his bliss , not his cords , but his cordials , 1 iohn 5. 3. psal. 119. 14 , 16 , 17. he doth not only bear , but take up christ's yoke : he takes not holiness as the stomach doth the loathed potion , ( which it will down with rather than dye ) but as the hungry doth his beloved food : now time passes so sweetly with him ( when he is himself ) as that he spends in the exercises of holiness ; these are both his a●●●ent , and element , the desire of his eyes , and the joy of his heart , iob 23. 12. psal. 119. 82 , 131 , 162 , 174. psal. 63. 5. put thy conscience to it as thou goest , whether thou art the man ; o happy man , if this be thy case ; but see thou be thorow and impartial in the search . thirdly , it turns the bent of the affection , 2 cor. 7. 11. these run all in a new channel . the iordan is now driven back , and the water runs upward against its natural course . christ is his hope , 1 tim. 1. 1. this is his prize , phil. 3. 8. here his eye is , here his heart is . he is contented to cast all over board ( as the merchant in the storm , ready to perish ) so he may but keep this jewel . the first of his desires is , not after gold , but grace , phil. 3. 13. he hungers after it , he seeks it as silver , he digs for it as for hid treasure ; he had rather be gracious , than be great ; he had rather be the holiest man on earth , than the most learned , the most famous , most prosperous . while carnal , he said : oh if i were but in great esteem , and rolled in wealth , and swim'd in pleasure , if my debts were paid , and i and mine provided for , then i were a happy man ; but now the tune is changed . oh , saith the convert , if i had but my corruptions subdued , if i had such measures of grace , such fellowship with god , tho' i were poor and despised , i should not care , i should account my self a blessed man. reader , is this the language of thy soul ? his ioys are changed . he rejoyceth in the ways of god's testimonies , as much as in all riches , psal. 119. 14. he delights in the law of the lord , wherein once he had little favour . he hath no such joy , as in the thoughts of christ , the fruition of his company , the prosperity of his people . his cares are quite altered . he was once set for the world , and any scraps of by time , nothing ( too often ) was enough for his soul. now he gives over caring for the asses , and sets his heart on the kingdom . now all the cry is , what shall i do to be saved ? acts 16. 30. his great solicitude is , how to secure his soul. oh! how he would bless you , if you could but put him out of doubt of this ! his fears are not so much of suffering , but of sinning , heb. 11. 25 , 27. once he was afraid of nothing so much as the loss of his estate , or esteem , the pleasure of friends , the frowns of the great : nothing sounded so terrible to him as pain , or poverty , or disgrace . now these are little to him , in comparison of god's dishonour or displeasure . how warily doth he walk , lest he should tread on a sn●●e ? he feareth alway , he looks before and behind ; he hath his eye upon his heart , and is often casting over his shoulder ; lest he should be overtaken with sin , psal. 39. 1. prov. 28. 14. eccles. 2. 14. it kills his heart to think of losing gods favour ; this he dreads as his only undoing , psal. 51. 11 , 12. psal. 119. 8. no thought in the world doth pinch him , and pain him so much , as to think of parting with christ. his love runs a new course . my love was crucified ( said holy ignatius ) that is , my christ. this is my beloved , saith the spouse , cant. 5. 18. how doth augustine often pour his loves upon christ. o eternal blessedness , &c. he can find no words sweet enough . let me see thee , o light of mine eyes . come , o thou joy of my spirit ; let me behold thee , o the gladness of my heart . let me love thee , o life of my soul. appear unto me , o my great delight , my sweet comfort , o my god , my life , and the whole glory of my soul. let me find thee , o desire of my heart . let me hold thee , o love of my soul. let me embrace thee , o heavenly bridegroom . let me possess thee . his sorrows have now a new vent , 2 cor. 7. 9 , 10. the view of his sins , the sight of a christ crucified , that would scarce stir him before , now how much do they affect his heart ? his hatred boils , his anger burns against sin , psal. 119. 104. he hath no patience with himself ; he calls himself fool , and beast , and thinks any name too good for himself , when his indignation is stirred up against sin , psal. 73. 22. prov. 30. 2. he could once swill in it , with too much pleasure , now he loaths the thought of returning to it , as much as of licking up the filthiest vomit . commune then with thine own heart , and attend the common and general current of thine affections , whether it be towards god in christ above all other concernments . indeed sudden and strong commotions of the affections and sensitive part , are oft-times found in hypocrites , especially where the natural constitution leads thereunto , and contrariwise , the sanctified themselves are many times without sensible stirrings of the affections , where the temper is more ●low , dry and dull . the great inquiry is , whether the judgment and will be standingly determined for god , above all other good , real or apparent : and if the affections do sincerely follow their choice , and conduct : though it be not so strongly and sensibly , as is to be desired , there is no doubt , but the change is saving . 2. thorowout the members . those that were before the instruments of sin , are now become the holy utensils of christ's living temple , rom. 6. 16. 1 cor. 3. 16. he that before made , as it were , a baud or a barrel of his body , now possesseth his vessel in sanctification , and honour , in temperance , chastity , and sobriety , and dedicated to the lord , 1 thes. 4. 4. gal. 5. 22 , 23. 1 cor. 6. 19 , 20. the eye that was once a wandring eye , a wanton eye , a haughty , a covetous eye , is now employed , as mary , in weeping over her sins , luke 7. 38. in beholding god in his works , psal. 8. ● . in reading his word , acts 8. 30. in looking up and down for objects of mercy , and opportunities for his service . the ear that was once open to satans call , and that ( like a vitiated palate ) did relish nothing so much as filthy , as at least frothy talk , and the fools laughter , is now bored to the door of christs house and open to his discipline . it saith , speak , lord , for thy servant heareth . it cries with him , veniat verbum domini , and waits for his word ●s the rain , and relishes them more than the appointed food , iob 23. 12. than the honey , and the honey-comb , psal. 19. 10. the head , that was the shop of worldly designs , is now filled with other matters , and set on the study of god's will , psalm . 1. 2. psal. 119. 97. and tho man beats his head , not so much about his gain , but about his duty . the thoughts and cares that now fill his head are principally , how he may please god , and flie sin. his heart , that was a sty of filthy lusts , is now become an altar of incense , where the fire of divine love is ever kept in , and whence the daily sacrifice of prayer and praises , and sweet incense of holy desires , ejaculations , and anhelations are continually ascending , psal. 108. 1. psal. 119. 20. psal. 139. 17 , 18. the mouth is become a well of life , his tongue as choice silver , and his lips feed many ; now the salt of grace hath seasoned his speech and eat out the corruption , col. 4. 6. and cleansed the mouth from his filthy communication , flattery , boasting , railing , lying , swearing , backbiting , that once came like the flashes proceeding from the hell that was in the heart , iames 3. 6 , 7. the throat , that was once an open sepulchre , rom. 3. 13. now sends forth the sweet breath of prayer , and holy discourse , and the man speaks in another tongue , in the language of canaan , and is never so well , as when talking of god , and christ , and the matters of another world. his mouth bringeth forth wisdom , his tongue is become the silver trumpet of his makers praise , his glory , and the best member that he hath . now here you shall have the hypocrite halting . he speaks it may be like an angel , but he hath a covetous eye , or the gain of unrighteousness in his hand . or the hand is white , but his heart is full of rottenness , mat. 23. 27. full of unmortified cares , a very oven of lust , a shop of pride , the seat of malice . it may be with nebuchadnezzar's image , he hath a golden head , a great deal of knowledge : but he hath feet of clay , his affections are worldly , he minds earthly things , and his way and walk are sensual , and carnal , you may trace him in his secret haunts , and his footsteps will be found in some by-paths of sin . the work is not thorowout with him . 3. thorowout the motions , or the life , and practice . the new man takes a new course , eph. 2. 2 , 3. his conversation is in heaven , phil. 3. 20. no sooner doth christ call by effectual grace , but he straightway becomes a follower of him , mat. 4. 20. when god hath given the new heart and writ his law in his mind , he forthwith walks in his statutes , and keeps his judgments , ezek. 36. 26 , 27. though sin may dwell ( god knows a wearisome and unwelcome guest ) in him , yet it hath no more dominion over him , rom. 6. 7 , 14. he hath his fruit unto holiness , rom. 6. 22. and though he makes many a blot , yet the law and life of jesus is that he eyes , as his copy , psal. 119. 30. heb. 12. 2. and hath●●n unfeigned respect to all god's commandments , psal. 119. 6. he makes conscience even of little sins and little duties , psal. 119. 113. his very infirmities which he cannot help , though he would , are his souls burden , and are like the dust in a man's eye , which though but little , yet are not a little troublesome . [ o man dost thou read this , and never turn in upon thy soul by self-examination ? ] the sincere convert is not one man at church , and another at home , he is not a saint on his knees , and a cheat in his shop : he will not tithe mint and cummin , and neglect mercy and judgment , and the weighty matters of the law ; he doth not pretend piety , and neglect morality , mat 23. 14. but he turns from all his sins , and keeps all gods statutes , ezek. 18. 21. though not perfectly . ( except in desire and endeavour ) yet sincerely , not allowing himself in the breach of any , rom. 7. 15. now he delights in the word , and sets himself to prayer , and opens his hand , ( if able ) and draws out his soul to the hungry , rom. 7. 22. psal. 109. 4. isa. 58. 10. he breaketh off his sins by righteousness , and his iniquities by shewing mercy , to the poor , dan. 4. 27. and hath a good conscience , willing in all things to live honestly , heb. 13. 18. and to keep without offence towards god and men. here again you shall find the unsoundness of many professors , that take themselves for good christians . they are partial in the law , mal. 2. 9. and take up with the cheap and easy duties of religion , but they go not thorow with the work . they are as a cake not turned , half toasted , and half raw ; it may be you shall have them exact in their words ; punctual in their dealings ; but then they do not exercise themselves unto godliness ; and for examining themselves , and governing their hearts , to this they are strangers . you may have them duly at the church ; but follow them to their families , and there you shall see little but the world minded ; or if they have a road of family duties ; follow them to their closets , and there you shall find their souls are little looked after ; it may be they seem otherwise religious , but bridle not their tongues , and so all their religion is in vain , iam. 1. 26. it may be they come up to closet and family prayer ; but follow them to their shops , and there you shall find them in a trade of lying , or some covert and cleanly way of deceit . thus the hypocrite goes not thorowout in the course of his obedience . and thus much for the subject of conversion . 6. the terms are either from which , or to which . 1. the terms from which we turn in this motion of conversion , are sin , satan , the world and our own righteousness . first , sin. when a man is converted , he is for ever out with sin , yea with all sin , psal. 119. 128. but most of all with his own sins , and especially with his bosom sin , psal. 18. 23. sin is now the butt of his indignation , 2 cor. 7. 11. he thirsts to bathe his hands in the blood of his sins . his sins set a broach in sorrows . it is sin that pierces him and wounds him , he feels it like a thorn in his side , like a prick in his eyes , he groans and struggles under it , and not formally , but feelingly cries out , o wretched man ! he is not impatient of any burden so much as of his sin , psal. 40. 12. if god should give him his choice , he would choose any affliction , so he might be rid of sin. he feels it like the cutting gravel in his shoes , pricking and paining him as he goes . before conversion he had light thoughts of sin : he cherished it in his bosom , as uriah his lamb ; he nourished it up , and it grew up together with him ; it did eat as it were of his own meat , and drank of his own cup , and lay in his bosom , and was to him as a daughter : but when god opens his eyes by conversion , he throws it away with abhorence , isa. 30. 22. as a man would a loathsome toad , which in the dark he had hugged fast in his bosom , and thought it had been some pretty and harmless bird . when a man is savingly changed , he is not only deeply convinced of the danger , but defilement of sin : and o how earnest is he with god to be purified : he loaths himself for his sins , ezek. 36. 31. he runs to christ , and casts himself into the fountain for sin and for uncleanness , zech. 13. 1. if he fall what a s●ir is there to get all clean again ? he flies to the word and washes , and rubs , and rinches ; labouring to cleanse himself from all filthiness both of flesh and spirit : he abhors his once beloved sin , psal. 18. 23. as a cleanly nature doth the trough and mire , wherein he sees the swine delight . the sound convert is heartily ingaged against sin● he wrestles with it , he wars against it . he is too often foiled , but he never yields the cause , nor lays down the weapons ; but he will up and to it again , while he hath breath in his body . he will never give quiet possession , he will make no peace ; he will give no quarter , he falls upon it , and fires upon it , and is still disquieting of it with continual alarms . he can forgive his other enemies , he can pitty them , and pray for them , acts 7. 60. but here he is implacable , here is he set upon revenge : he hunteth , as it were for the precious life ; his eye shall not pitty , his hand shall not spare , though it be a right hand or a right eye . be it a gainful sin most delightful to his nature , or support to his esteem with carnal friends , yet he will rather throw his gain down the ke●nel , see hi● credit fall , or the flower of pleasure wither in his hand , than he will allow himself in any known way of sin , luke 19. 8. he will grant no indulgence , he will give not toleration , but he draws upon sin wherever he meets it , and frowns upon it with this unwelcome salute , have i found thee , o mine enemy ! reader , hath conscience been at work , while thou hast been looking over these lines ? hast thou pondered these things in thine heart ? hast thou searched the book within , to see if these things be so ? if not , read it again , and make thy conscience speak whether or no it be thus with thee . hast thou crucified thy flesh with its affections and lusts ; and not only confessed , but forsaken thy sins ; all sin in thy fervent desires , and the ordinary practice of every deliberate and wilful sin in thy life ? if not , thou art yet unconverted . doth not conscience fly in thy face , as thou readest , and tell thee that thou livest in a way of lying for thy advantage , that thou usest deceit in thy calling , that there is some way of secret wantonness that thou livest in ? why then , do not deceive thy self , thou art in the gall of bitterness , and bond of iniquity . doth not thy unbridled tongue , thy brutish intemperance , thy wicked company , thy neglect of prayer , of hearing and reading the word , now witness against thee , and say , we are thy works , and we will follow thee ? or if i have not hit thee right , doth not the bird within tell them , there is such or such a way , that thou knowest to be evil , that yet for some carnal respect thou dost tolerate thy self in , and art willing to spare ? if this be thy case , thou art to this day unregenerate , and must be changed or condemned . secondly , satan . conversion binds the strong man , spoils his armour , casts out his goods , turns men from the power of satan unto god , acts. 26. 18. before , the devil could no sooner hold up his finger to the sinner , to call him to his wicked company , sinful games , filthy delights , but presently he followed , like an ox to the slaughter , and a fool to the correction of the stocks , as the bird that hasteth to the prey , and knoweth not that it is for his life . no sooner could satan bid him lie , but presently he had it upon the top of his tongue , acts 5. 3. no sooner could satan offer a wanton object , but he was stung with lust . the devil could do more with him than god could . if the devil say , away with these family duties , be sure they shall be rarely enough performed in his house . if the devil say , away with this strictness , this preciseness , he will keep far enough from it : if he tells him there 's no need of these closet duties , he shall go from day to day , and scarce perform them . but now he is converted , he serves another master , and takes quite another course , 1 pet. 4. 4. he goes and comes at christ's beck , col. 3. 24. satan may sometimes catch his foot in a trap ; but he will no longer be a willing captive . he watches against the snares and baits of satan , and studies to be acquainted with his devices . he is very suspicious of his plots , and is very jealous , in what comes athwart him , lest satan should have some design upon him . he wrestles against principalities and powers , eph. 6. he entertains the messenger of satan as men do the messenger of death . he keeps his eye upon his enemy , 1 pet. 5. 8. and watches in his duties , lest satan should put in his foot. thirdly , the world. before a sound faith , a man is overcome of the world. either he bows down to mammon , or idolizes his reputation , or is a lover of pleasure more than a lover of god , 2 tim. 3. 4. here 's the root of mans misery by the fall ; he is turned aside to the creature instead of god , and gives that esteem , confidence and affection to the creature , that is due to him alone , rom. 1. 25. mat. 10. 37. prav . 18. 11. ier. 17. 5. o miserable man ! what a deformed monster hath sin made thee ? god made thee little lower than the angels , sin little better than the devils , iohn 6. 70. and 8. 44. a monster that hath his head and heart , where his feet should be ; and his feet kicking against heaven , and every thing out of place ; the world , that was formed to serve thee , is come to rule thee ; and the deceitful harlot hath bewitched thee with her enchantments , and made thee bow down and serve her . but converting grace sets all in order again , and puts god in the throne , and the world at his footstool , psal. 73. 25. christ in the heart , and the world under feet , eph. 3. 17. rev. 12. 1. so paul , i am crucified to the world , and the world to me , gal. 6. 14. before this change all the cry was , who will shew us any ( worldly ) good ? but now he sings another tune , lord list thou up the light of thy countenance upon me , and take the corn and wine whoso will , psal. 4. 6 , 7. before , his hearts delight and content was in the world ; then the song was , soul take thine ease , eat , drink , and be merry , thou hast much goods laid up for many years ; but now all this is withered , and there is no comliness that he should desire it , and he tunes up with the sweet psalmist of israel , the lord is the portion of mine inheritance ; the lines are fallen to me in a fair place , and i have a goodly heritage . he blesses himself , and boasts himself in god , psal. 34. 2. lam. 3. 24. nothing else can give him con●ent . he hath written vanity and vexation upon all his worldly enjoyments , eccles. 1. 2. and loss and dung upon all humane excellencies , phil. 3. 7 , 8. he hath life and immortality now in chase , rom. 2. 7. he trades for grace and glory , and hath a crown incorruptible in pursuit , 1 cor. 9. 25. his heart is set in him to seek the lord , 1 chron. 22. 19. and 2 chron. 15. 15. he first seeks the kingdom of hearen and the righteousness thereof , and religion is no longer a matter by the by with him , but the main of his care , mat. 6. 33. psalm 27. 4. now the gawdy idol is become nehushtan , 2 kin. 18. 4. and he gets up and treads upon it , as diogenes trampling on plato's hangings , saying calco , platonis fastum . before the world had the swaying interest with him ● he would do more for gain than godliness , 1 tim. 6. 6. more to pleasure his friend ; or his flesh , than to please the god that made him , and god must stand by till the world were first served ; but now all must stand by ; he hates father , and mother , and life , and all in comparison of christ , luke 1. 26. well then , pause a little , and look within : doth not this nearly concern thee ? thou pretendest for christ ; but doth not the world sway thee ? dost thou not take more real delight and content in the world , than in him ? dost not thou find thy self better at ease when the world goes to thy mind and thou art encompassed with carnal delights , than when retired to prayer and meditat on in thy closet , or attending upon god's word and worship ? no surer evidence of an unconverted state , than to have the things of the world uppermost in our aims , love , and estimation , iohn 2. 15. iames 4. 4. with the sound convert christ hath the supremacy . how dear is this name to him ? how precious is its savour , cant. 1. 3. psal. 54. 8. the name of jesus is engraven upon his heart , gal. 4. 19. and lies as a bundle of myrrh between his breasts , cant. 1. 13 , 14. honour is but air , and laughter is but madness , and mammon is fallen like dagon before the ark , with hands and head broken off on the threshold , when once christ is savingly revealed . here is the pearl of great price to the true convert ; here is his treasure , here is his hope , mat. 13. 44 , 45. this is his glory , my beloved is mine , and i am his , gal. 6. 14. cant. 2. 16. o 't is sweeter to him to be able to say , christ is mine , than if he could say the kingdom is mine , the indians are mine . fourthly , your own righteousness : before conversion , man seeks to cover himself with his own fig-leaves , phil. 3. 6 , 7. and to lick himself whole with his own duties , mic. 6. 6 , 7. he is apt to trust in himself , luk. 16. 15. and 18. 9. and set up his own righteousness , and to reckon his counters for gold , and not submit to the righteousness of god , rom. 10. 3. but conversion changes his mind ; now he casts away his filthy rags , and counts his own righteousness , but a menstruous cloth : he casts it off , as a man would the verminous ta●ters of a nasty begger , esay 64. 7. now he is brought to poverty of spirit , mat. 5. 3. complains of and condemns himself , rom. 7. and all his inventory is , poor , and miserable , and wretched , and blind , and naked , rev. 3. 17. he sees a world of iniquity in his holy things , and calls his once idolized righteousness , but flesh , i and loss , and dogs-meat , and would not for a thousand worlds be found in himself , phil. 3. 4 , 7 , 8 , 9. his finger is ever upon his sores , psal. 51. 3. his sins , his wants . now he begins to set a high price upon christs righteousness ; he sees the need of a christ in every duty , to justifie his person , and justifie his performances , he cannot live without him ; he cannot pray without him ; christ must go with him , or else he cannot come into the presence of god ; he leans upon the hand of christ and so he bows himself in the house of his god. he sets himself down for a lost , undone man without him . his life is hid in christ , as the life of man in the heart . he is fixed in christ , as the roots of the tree spread in the earth for stability and nutriment . before the news of a christ was a stale and sapless thing ; but now how sweet is a christ ? augustine could not relish his before so much admired cicero , because he could not find the name of christ ; how pathetically cries he , dulcissime , amantis . benignis . caris . &c. quando te videbo ? quando satiabor de pulchritudine tua ? medit. c. 37. o most sweet , most loving , most kind , most dear , most precious , most desired , most lovely , most fair , &c. all in a breath , when he speaks of and to his christ ; in a word , the voice of the convert , is with the martyr , none but christ. 2. the terms which , are either ultimate , or subordinate and mediate . the ultimate is god the father , son , and holy ghost , whom the true convert takes , as his all-sufficient and eternal blessedness . a man is never truly sanctified , till his very heart be in truth set upon god above all things , as his portion and chief good . these are the natural breathings of a believers heart : thou art my portion , psal. 119. 57. my soul shall make her boast in the lord , psalm . 34. 2. my expectation is from him , he only is my rock , and my salvation , he is my defence : in god is my salvation and my glory , the rock of my strength , and my refuge is in god , psalm 62. 1. 2 , 5 , 6 , 7. psalm 18. 1 , 2. would you put it to an issue whether you be converted or not ? now then let thy soul and all that is within thee attend . hast thou taken god for thy happiness ? where doth the content of thy heart lie ? whence doth thy choicest comfort come in ? come then and with abraham lift up thine eyes eastward , and westward , and northward , and southward , and cast about thee , what it is , that thou wouldst have in heaven or earth to make thee happy . if god should give thee thy choice as he did to solomon , or should say to thee , as ahashuerus to esther , what is thy petition , and what is thy request ? and it shall be granted thee , esther 5. 3. what wouldst thou ask ? go into the gardens of pleasure , and gather all the fragrant flowers from thence ; would these content thee ? go to the treasures of mammon ; suppose thou might'st lade thy self while thou wouldst from hence : go to the towers , to the trophies of honour : what thinkest thou of being a man of renown , and having a name like the name of the great men of the earth ? would any of this , all this suffice thee , and make thee count thy self a happy man ? if so , then certainly thou art carnal and unconverted . if not , go farther ; w●de into the divine excellencies , the store of his mercies , the hiding of his power , the deeps unfathomable of his all-sufficiency : doth this s●it thee best , and please thee most ? dost thou say , 't is good to be here ? mat. 17. 4. here i will pitch , here i will live and dye ? wilt thou let all the world go , rather than this ? then 't is well between god and thee : happy art thou , o man , happy art thou that ever thou wast born . if a god can make thee happy , thou must needs be happy ; for thou hast avouched the lord to be thy god , deut. 26. 17. dost thou say to christ , as he to us , thy father shall be my father , and thy god my god ? john 20. 17. here is the turning point . an unsound professor never takes up his rest in god ; but converting grace does the work and so cures the fatal misery of the fall , by turning the heart from its idols , to the living god , 1 thes. 1. 9. now says the soul , lord , whither should i go ? thou hast the words of eternal life , iohn 6. 68. here he centers , here he settles . o 't is as the entrance of heaven to him , to see his interest in god when he discovers this , he saith return unto thy rest , o my soul , for the lord hath dealt bountifully with thee , psalm 116. 7. and it is even ready to breath out simons song , lord , now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace , luke 2. 29. and saith with iacob , when his old heart revived at the welcome tidings , it is enough , gen. 45. 28. when he sees he hath a god in covenant to go to , this is all his salvation and all his desire , 2 sam. 23. 5. man , is this thy case ? hast thou experienced this ? why , then blessed art thou of the lord. god hath been at work with thee , he hath laid hold on thy heart by the power of converting grace , or else thou couldst never have done this . the mediate term of conversion is either principal , or less principal . the principal , is christ , the only mediator between god and man , 1 tim. 2. 5. his work is to bring us to god , 1 pet. 3. 18. he is the way to the father , iohn 14. 6. the only plank on which we may escape ; the only door by which we may enter , iohn 10. 9. conversion brings over the soul to christ , to accept of him , col. 2. 6. as the only means to life , as the only way , the only name given under heaven , acts 4. 12. he looks not for salvation in any other but him ; nor in any other with him , but throws himself on christ alone ; as one that should cast himself with spread arms upon the sea. here ( saith the convinced sinner ) here i will venture , and if i perish , i perish : if i d●● , i will die here . but lord suffer me not to perish under the pitiful eyes of thy mercy . intreat me not to leave thee , or to turn away from following after thee , ruth 1. 16. here i will throw my self , if thou kick me , if thou kill me , job 13. 15. i will not go from thy door . thus the poor soul doth venture on christ , and resolvedly adhere to him . before conversion the man made light of christ , minded the farm , friends , merchandise , more than christ , m●t. 22. 5. now christ is to him as his necessary food , his daily bread , the life of his heart , the staff of his life , phil. 3. 9. his great design is , that christ may be magnified in him , phil. 1. 20. his heart once said , as they to the spouse , what is thy beloved more than another ? cant. 5. 9. he found more sweetness in his merry company , wicked games , earthly delights , than in christ. he took religion of a fancy , and the talk of great enjoyments for an idle dream . but now to him to live , is christ. he sets light by all that he accounted precious , for the excellency of the knowledge of christ , phil. 3. 8. all of christ is accepted by the sincere convert . he loves not only the wages , but work of christ. ro. 7. 12. not only the benefits , but the burden of christ : he is willing not only to tread out the corn , but to draw under the yoak : he takes up the commands of christ , yea and cross of christ , mat. 11. mat. 16. 24. the unsound closes by the halves with christ ; he is all for the salvation of christ ; but he is not for sanctification : he is for the priviledges , but appretiates not the person of christ. he divides the offices and benefits of christ. this is an error in the foundation . whoso loveth life , let him beware here . 't is an undoing mistake , of which you have been often warned , and yet none more common . jesus is a sweet name , but men love not the lord jesus in sincerity , eph. 6. 24. they will not have him as god offers , to be a prince and a saviour , acts 5. 31. they divide what god hath joyned , the king and the priest. yea , they will not accept the salvation of christ , as he intends it ; they divide it here . every man's vote is for salvation from suffering , but they desire not to be saved from sinning . they would have their lives saved , but withall they would have their lusts . yea , many divide here again , they would be content to ha●e some of their sins destroyed ; but they cannot leave the lap of dalilah , or divorce the beloved herodias . they cannot be cruel to the right eye , or right hand ; the lord must pardon them in this thing , 2 kings 5. 18. oh be infinitely tender here ; your souls lie upon it . the sound convert takes a whole christ , and takes him for all intents and purposes , without exceptions , without limitations , without reserves . he is willing to have christ , upon his terms , upon any terms . he is willing of the dominion of christ , as well as deliverance by christ ; he saith with paul , lord , what wilt thou have me to do ? acts 9. 6. any thing lord. he sends the blank to christ to set down his own conditions , acts 2. 37. acts 16. 30. the less principal is the laws , ordinances , and ways of christ. the heart that was once set against these , and could not endure the strictness of these bonds , the severity of these ways , now falls in love with them , and chuses them as its rule and guide for ever , psalm 119. 111 , 12. four things ( i observe ) god doth work in every sound convert , with reference to the laws and ways of christ , by which you may come to know your estates , if you will be faithful to you own souls ; and therefore keep your eyes upon your hearts , as you go along . 1. the iudgment is brought to approve of them , and subscribe to them , as most righteous and most reasonable , psal 119. 112 , 128 , 137 , 138. the mind is brought to like the ways of god , and the corrupt prejudices that were once against them , as unreasonable , and intolerable , are now removed . the understanding assents to them all , as holy , just , and good , rom. 7. 12. how is david taken up with these excellencies of gods laws ? how doth he expatiate in their praises both from their inherent qualities , and admirable effects , psalm 19. 8 , 9 , 10 , &c. there is a twofold judgment of the understanding ; iudicium absolutum , & comparatum . the absolute judgment is , when a man thinks such a course best in the general , but not for him , or not under the present circumstances he is in , pro hic & nunc . now a godly mans judgment is for the ways of god , and that not only the absolute , but comparative judgment ; he thinks them not only best in general , but best for him . he looks upon the rules of religion , not only as tolerable , but desireable , yea more desireable than gold , fine gold , yea much fine gold , psalm 19. 10. his judgments are setledly determined , that 't is best to be holy , that 't is best to be strict , that it is in it self the most eligible course ; and that 't is for him the wisest and most rational , and desireable choice . hear the godly mans judgment , i know o lord , that thy judgments are right . i love thy commandments above gold , yea above fine gold ; i esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right , and i hate every false way , psalm 119. 127 , 128. mark he did approve of all that god required , and disallowed of all that he forbad , righteous o lord , and upright are thy judgments . thy testimonies that thou hast commanded are righteous , and very faithful . thy word is true from the beginning , and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever , psalm 119. 86 , 160. 162 , 163. see how readily and fully he subscribes , he declares his assent , and consent to it , and all and every thing therein contained . 2. the desire of the heart is to know the whole mind of christ , psalm 119. 124 , 125 , 169. psalm 25. 4 , 5. he would not have one sin undiscovered , nor be ignorant of one duty required . 't is the natural and earnest breathing of a sanctified heart , lord if there be any way of wickedness in me , do thou discover it . what i know not teach thou me , and if i have done iniquity , i will do it no more . the unsound is willingly ignorant , 2 pet. 3. 5. loves not to come to the light , iohn 3. 20. he is willing to keep such or such a sin ; and therefore is loth to know it to be a sin , and will not let in the light at that window . now the gracious heart is willing to know the whole latitude and compass of his makers law , psalm 119. 18 , 19 , 27 , 33 , 64 , 66 , 68 , 78 , 108 , 124. he receives with all acceptation the word that convinceth him of any duty that he knew not , or minded not before , or discovered any sin that lay hid before , psalm 119. 11. 3. the free and resolved choice of the will is determined for the ways of christ , before all the pleasures of sin and prosperitys of the world , psalm 119. 103 , 127 , 162. his consent is not extorted by some extremity of anguish , nor is it only a sudden and hasty resolve , but he is deliberately purposed , and comes off freely in the choice , psalm 17. 3. psal. 119. 30. true , the flesh will rebel , yet the prevailing part of his will is for christ's laws and government ; so that he takes them not up as his toil or burden , but his bliss . 1 iohn 5. 3. psalm 119. 60 , 72. when the unsanctified goes in christs ways , as in chains and fetters , he doth them naturally , psalm 40. 8. ier. 31. 33. and counts christs law his liberty , psalm . 119. 32 , 45. iames 1. 25. he is willing in the beauties of holiness , psalm . 110. 3. and hath this inseparable mark. that he had rather ( if he might have his choice ) live a strict and holy life than the most prosperous and flourishing life in the world , 1 sam. 10. 26. there went with saul a band of men whose hearts god had touched . when god touches the heart of his chosen , they presently follow christ , mat. 4. 22. and ( tho drawn ) do freely run after him● cant. 1. 4. and willingly offer themselves to the service of the lord , 2 chron. 7. 16. seeking him with their whole desire . 2 chron. 15. 15. fear hath its use ; but this is not the main spring of motion with a sanctified heart . christ keeps not his subjects in by force , but is king of a willing people . they are ( through his grace ) freely resolved for his service , and do it out of choice , not as slaves , but as the sun or spouse , from a spring of love , and a loyal mind . in a word , the laws of christ are the converts love , psalm 119. 159 , 163 , 167. desire , ver . 5 , 20 , 40. delight , ver . 77 , 92 , 103 , 111 , 143. and continual study , ver . 99 , 79. psalm 1. 2. 4. the bent of his course is directed to keep gods statutes , psalm 119. 4 , 8 , 167 , 168. 't is the daily care of his life to walk with god. he seeks great things : he hath noble designs , though he fall too short . he aims at nothing less than perfection : he desires it , he reaches after it , he would not rest in any pitch of grace , till he were quite rid of sin and had perfected holiness , phil. 3. 11 , 12 , 13 , 14. here the hypocrites rottenness may be discovered . he desires holiness ( as one well ) only as a bridge to heaven , and enquires earnestly , what is the least that will serve his turn ; and if he can get but so much as may just bring him to heaven , this is all he cares for . but the sound convert desires holiness for holiness sake , psalm 119. 97. mat. 5. 6. and not only for heaven's sake . he would not be satisfied with so much as might save him from hell ; but desires the highest pitch . yet desires are not enough . what is thy way and thy course ? is the drift and scope of thy life altered ? is holiness thy trade , and religion thy business ? rom. 8. 1. mat. 25. 16. phil. 1. 20. if not , thou art short of sound conversion . application . and is this , that we have described , the conversion that is of absolute necessity to salvation ? then be informed . 1. that strait is the gate and narrow the way that leadeth unto life . 2. that there be but few that find it . 3. that there is need of a divine power , savingly to convert a sinner to jesus christ. again , then be exhorted , o man that readest , to turn in upon thine own self . what saith conscience ? doth it not begin to bite ? doth it not twitch thee as thou goest ? is this thy judgment , and this thy choice , and this thy way , that we have described ? if so , then 't is well . but doth not thy heart condemn thee , and tell thee , there is such a sin thou livest in against thy conscience ? doth it not tell thee , there is such and such a secret way of wickedness , that thou makest no bones of ? such or such a duty , that thou makest no conscience of ? doth not conscience carry thee to thy closet , and tell thee how seldom prayer , and reading is performed there ? doth it not carry thee to thy family , and shew thee the charge of god , and the souls of thy children and servants , that be neglected there ? doth not conscience lead thee to thy shop , thy trade , and tell thee of some mystery of iniquity there ? doth it not carry thee to the ale-shop , or to the sack-shop , and round thee in thine ear for the loose company thou keepest there , the precious time thou mis-spendest there , for the talents of god which thou throwest down this sink , for thy gaming , and thy swilling , &c. doth it not carry thee into thy secret chamber , and read thee a curtain lecture ? o conscience do thy duty . in the name of the living god i command thee discharge thine office . lay hold upon this sinner , fall upon him , arrest him apprehend him , undeceive him . what , wilt thou flatter and sooth him , while he lives in his sins ? awake , o conscience . what meanest thou , o sleeper ? what , hast thou never a reproof in thy mouth ? what , shall this soul die in his careless neglect of god and eternity , and thou altogether hold thy peace ? what , shall he go on still in his trespasses , and yet have peace ? o rouse up thy self , and do thy work . now let the preacher in the bosom speak . cry aloud and spare not , lift up thy voice like a trumpet ; let not the blood of this soul be required at thy hands . chap. iii. of the necessity of conversion . it may be you are ready to say , what meaneth this stir ? and are apt to wonder , why i follow you with such earnestness , still ringing one lesson in your ●ars , that you should repent and be converted , acts 3. 19. but i must say unto you , as ruth to naomi , intreat me not to leave you , nor to turn aside from following after you , ruth 1. 16. were it a matter of indifferency , i would never keep so much ado . might you be saved as you be , i would gladly let you alone . but would you not have me solicitous for you , when i see you ready to perish ? as the lord liveth , before whom i am , i have not the least hopes to see one of your faces in heaven , except you be converted . i utterly despair of your salvation , except you will be prevailed with to turn throughly , and give up your selves to god in holiness and newness of life . hath god said , except you be born again , you cannot see the kingdom of god , iohn 3. 3. and yet do you wonder , why your ministers do so plainly travel in birth with you ? think it not strange , that i am earnest with you to follow after holiness , and long to see the image of god upon you . never did any , nor shall any enter into heaven by any other way but this . the conversion described is not an high pitch of some taller christians , but every soul , that is saved , passes this universal change . it was a passage of the noble roman , when he was hasting with corn to the city in the famine , and the mariners were loth to set sail in foul weather , necessarium est navigar● , non est necessarium vivere . our voyage is of more necessity than our lives . what is it that thou dost account necessary ? is thy bread necessary ? is thy breath necessary ? then thy conversion is much more necessary . indeed this is the ●●num necessarium , the one thing necessary . thine estate is not necessary ; thou maist sell all for the pearl of great price , and yet be a gainer by the purchase , mat. 13. 46. thy life is not necessary ; thou maist part with it for christ to infinite advantage . thine esteem is no● necessary ; thou maist be reproached for the name of christ , and yet happy , yea much more happy in reproach than in repute , 1 pet. 4. 4. mat. 5. 10 , 11. but thy conversion is necessary , thy damnation lies upon it , and is it not needful in so important a case to look about thee ? upon this one point depends thy making , or marring to all eternity . but i shall more particularly shew the necessity of conversion in five things ; for without this , 1. 〈◊〉 being is in vai● . is it not pity thou shouldst be good for nothing , an unprofitable burden of the earth , a wart , or wen in the body of the universe ? thus thou art , whilst unconverted , for thou canst not answer the end of thy being . is it not for the divine pleasure thou art and wert created ? rev. 4. 11. did not he make thee for himself ? prov. 16. 4. art thou a man , and hast thou reason ? why then bethink thy self , why and whence thy being is . behold god's workmanship in thy body , and ask thy self , to what end did god rear this fabrick ? consider the noble faculties or my heaven-born soul : to what end did god bestow these excellencies ? to no other , than that 〈◊〉 shouldst please thy self , and gratifie thy senses ? did god send men , like the swallows , into the world , only to gather a few sticks and dirt , and build their nests , and breed up their young , and then away ? the very heathens could see farther than this . art thou so fearfully and wonderfully made , psal. 139. 14. and dost thou not yet think with thy self , surely it was for some noble and raised end ? o man , set thy reason a little in the chair . is it not pity such a goodly fabrick should be raised in vain ? verily thou art in vain , except thou art for god. better thou hadst no being , than not to be for him . wouldst thou serve thy end ? thou must repent , and be converted . without this thou art to no purpose , yea , to bad purpose . first , to no purpose . man unconverted , is like a choice instrument , that hath every string broke , or out of tune . the spirit of the living god must repair , and tune it , by the grace of regeneration , and sweetly move it by the power of actuating grace , or else thy prayers will be but howlings , and all thy services will make no musick in the ears of the most holy , eph. 2. 10. phil. 2. 13. hos. 7. 14. isa. 1. 15. all thy powers and faculties are so corrupt in thy natural state , that except thou be purged from dead works , thou canst not serve the living god , heb. 9. 14. tit. 1. 15. an unsanctified man cannot work the work of god. 1. he hath no skill in it . he is altogether as unskilful in the work , as in the word of righteousness , heb. 5. 13. there are great mysteries as well in the practices , as principles of godliness : now the unregenerate knoweth not the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven , mat. 13. 11. 1 tim. 3. 16. you may as well expect him that never learn'd the alphabet to read , or look for goodly musick on the lute , from one that never set his hand to an instrument , as that a natural man should do the lord any pleasing service . he must first be taught of god , iohn 6. 45. taught to pray , luke 11. 1. taught to profit , esay 48. 17. taught to go , hos. 11. 3. or else he will be utterly at a loss . ] 2. he hath no strength for it . how weak is his heart ? ezek. 16. 30. he is presently tired . the sabbath what a weariness is it ? ma● . 1. 13. he is without strength , rom. 5. 6. yea stark dead in sin , eph. 2. 5. ] 3. he hath no mind to it ; he desires not the knowledge of god's ways , iob 21. 14. he doth not know them , and he doth not care to know them , psalm 82. 5. he knows not , neither will he understand . ] 4. he hath neither due instruments , nor materials for it . a man may as well hew the marble without tools ; or limn without colours , or instruments , or build without materials , as perform any acceptable service without the graces of the spirit , which are both the materials , and instruments in the work . alms giving is not a service of god , but of vain glory , unless dealt forth by the hand of divine love . what is the prayer of the lips without grace in the heart , but the carcass without the life ? what are all our confessions , unless they be the exercises of godly sorrow and unfeigned repentance ? what our petitions , unless animated all along with holy desires , and faith in divine attributes and promises ? what our praises and thanksgivings , unless from the love of god , and a holy grattiude , and sense of god's mercies in the heart ? so that a man may as well expect the trees should speak , or look for logick from the brutes , or motion from the dead , as for any service holy and acceptable to god , from the unconverted . when the tree is evil , how can the fruit be good ? mat. 7. 18. secondly , to bad purpose : the unconverted soul is a very cage of unclean birds , rev. 18. 2. a sepulchre full of corruption and rottenness , mat. 23. 27. a loathsome carkass full of crawling worms , and sending forth a hellish and most noisome favour in the nostrils of god. psalm 14. 3. o dreadful case ! dost thou not yet see a change to be needful ? would it not have grieved one , to have seen the golden consecrated vessels of god's temple turned into quaffing bowls for drunkenness , and polluted with the idols service ? dan. 5. 2 , 3. was it such an abomination to the jews , when antiechus set up the picture of a swine at the entrance of the temple ? how much more abominable then would it have been to have had the very temple it self turned into a stable , or a stye , and to have the holy of holies served like the house of baul ; to have the image of god taken down , and be turned into a draught-house ? 2 kings 10. 27. this is the very case of the unregenerate ; all thy members a●e turned into instruments of unrighteousness , rom. 6. 19. servants of satan ; and thy in most powers into receptacles of uncleanness , eph. 2. 2. tit. 1. 15. you may see the goodly guests within , by what comes out . for out of the heart proceed evil thoughts , murders , adulteries , fornications , theits , false witness , blasphemies , &c. this black guard discovers what a hell there is within . oh abuse unsufferable ! to see a heaven-born soul abased to the filthiest drudgery , to see the glory of gods creation , the chief of the ways of god , the lord of the universe , a lapping with the prodigal at the trough , or licking up with greediness the most loathsom vomit . was it such a lamentation , to see those that did feed delicately , to sit desolate in the streets ? and the precious sons of sion , comparable to fine gold , to be esteemed as earthen pitchers ; and those that were cloathed in scarlet , to embrace dunghils ? lam. 4. 2 , 5. and is it not much more fearful , to see the only thing that hath immortality in this lower world , and carries the stamp of god , to become as a vessel wherein there is no pleasure , ier. 22. 28. ( which is but the modest expression of the vessel , men put to the most sordid use . ) oh indignity intolerable ! better thou wert dashed in a thousand pieces , than continue to be abused to so filthy a service . ii. not only man , but the whole visible creation is in vain without this . beloved , god hath made all the visible creatures in heaven and earth for the service of man , and man only is the spokesman for all the rest . man is in the universe , like the tongue in the body , which speaks for all the members . the other creatures cannot praise their maker , but by dumb signs and hints to man , that he should speak for them . man is , as it were , the high priest of gods creation , to offer the sacrifice of praise for all his fellow creatures , psal. 147. and 148. and 150. the lord god expecteth a tribute of praise from all his works , psalm 103. 2. now all the rest do bring in their tribute to man , and pay it in by his hand . so then , if man be false , and faithless , and selfish , god is wronged of all , and sha●l have no active glory from his works . o dreadful thought to think of ! that god should build such a world as this , and lay out such infinite power , and wisdom , and goodness , thereupon , and all in vain , and man should be guilty at last , of robbing , and spoiling him of the glory of all . o think of this , while thou art unconverted , all the offices of the creatures to thee are in vain ; thy meat nourishes thee in vain , the sun holds forth his light to thee in vain , the stars , that serve thee in their courses by their most powerful , though hidden influence , iudges 5. 20. hos. 2. 21 , 22. do it in vain ; thy cloaths warm thee in vain ; thy beast carries thee in vain : in a word , the unwearied labour , and continual travel of the whole creation ( as to thee ) is in vain . the service of all the creatures , that drudge for thee , and yield forth their strength unto thee ( that therewith thou shouldst serve their maker ) is all but lost labour . hence the whole creation groaneth under the abuse of this unsanctified world . rom. 8. 22. that pervert them to the service of their lusts , quite contrary to the very end of their being . iii. without this , thy religion is in vain . jam. 1. 26. all thy religious performances will be but lost ; for they can neither please god , rom. 8. 8. nor save thy soul● 1. cor. 13. 2 , 3. which are the very ends of religion . be thy services never so specious , yet 〈◊〉 hath no pleasure in them , isai. 1. 14. mal. 1. 10. is not that man's case dreadful , whose sacrifices are as murder , and whose prayers are a breath of abomination ? isa. 66. 3. prov. 28. 9. many under convictions think they will set upon mending , and that a few prayers and alms will salve all again ; but alas , sirs , while your hearts remain unsanctified , your duties will not pass . how punctual was iebu ? and yet all was rejected , because his heart was not upright , 2 kings 10. with hos. 1. 4. how blameless was paul ? and yet being unconverted all was but loss . phil. 3. 6 , 7. men think they do much in attending god's service , and are ready to twit him with it , isa. 58. 3. mat. 7. 22. and set him down so much their debtor , when as ( their persons being unsanctified ) their duties cannot be accepted . o soul , do not think , when thy sins pursue thee , a little praying and reforming thy course will pacify god : thou must begin with thine heart . if that be not renewed , thou canst no more please god , than one that having unspeakably offended thee , should bring thee his vomit in a dish to pacify thee , or having fallen into the mire , should think with his loathed embraces to reconcile thee . it is a great misery to labour in the fire . the poets could not invent a worser hell for sisyphus than to be getting the barrel still up the hill , and then that it should presently fall down again and renew his labour . god threatens it , as the greatest of temporal judgments , that they should build and not inhabit , plant and not gather , and their labours should be eat up by strangers , deut. 28. 30 , 38 , 39 , 41. is it so great a misery to lose our common labours , to sow in vain and build in vain ? how much more to lose our pains in religion to pray and hear , and fast in vain ? this is an undoing and eternal loss . be not deceived . if thou goest on in thy sinful state , though thou sho●ldst spread forth thine hands , god will hide his eyes ; though thou make many prayers , he will not hear , 〈◊〉 . 1. 15. if a man without skill set about our work , and marr it in the doing , though he take much pains , we give him but small thanks . god will be worshipped after the due order , 1 chron. 15. 13. if a servant do our work , but quite contrary to our order , he shall have rather stripes than praise . gods work must be done according to gods mind , or he will not be pleased ; and this cannot be , except it be done with a holy heart , 2 chron. 25. 2. iv. without this , thy hopes are in vain , job 8. 12 , 13. the lord hath rejected thy confidence , ier. 2. 37. first , thy hopes of comfort here are in vain . 't is not only necessary to the safety , but comfort of your condition , that you be converted . without this you shall not know peace . isai. 59. 8. without the fear of god , you cannot have the comforts of the holy ghost , acts 9. 31. god speaks peace only to his people , and to his saints , pal. 85. 8. if you have a false peace , continuing in your sins , 't is not of gods speaking ; and then you may guess the author . sin is a real sickness , isai. 1. 5. yea the worst of sickness , 't is a leprosie in the head , lev. 13. 44. the plague in the heart , 1 kings 8. 38. 't is brokenness in the bones , psal. 51. 8. it pierc●●h , it 〈◊〉 i● racketh , it tormenteth , 1 〈◊〉 ● . 10. a man may as well expect ease , when his ●●scases are in their strength , or his bones out of joynt , as true comfort , while in his sins . o wretched man , that canst have no ease in this case , but what comes from the deadliness of the disease● you shall have the poor-sick man , saying in his lightness , he is well ; when you see death in his face . he will needs up and about his business , when the very next step is like to be into the grave . the unsanctified often see nothing amiss , they think themselves whole , and cry not out for the physician , but this shews the danger of the●r case . sin doth naturally breed distempers and disturbances in the soul●● what a continual tempest and commotion is there in a disconte●ted mind ? what an eating evil is inordinate care ? what is passion but a very feaver in the mind ? what is lust but a fire in thē bones ? what is pride but a deadly tympany ; or covetousness but an un●atiable and unsufferable thirst ? or malice and envy but venom in the very heart ? spiritual sloth is but a scurvy in the mind , and carnal security a mortal lethargy ; and how can that soul have true comfort that is under so many diseases ? but converting grace cures , and so eases the mind , and prepares the soul for a setled , standing , immortal peace . great peace have they that love thy commands , and nothing shall offend them , psal 119. 165. they are the ways of wisdom that afford pleasure and peace , prov. 3. 17. david had infinitely more pleasure in the word , than in all the delights of his court , psal. 119. 103 , 127. the conscience cannot be truly pacified , till soundly purified , heb. 10. 22. cursed is that peace , that is maintained in a way of sin , deut. 29. 19 , 20. two sorts of peace are more to be dreaded than all the troubles in the world ; peace with sin , and peace in sin . secondly , thy hopes of salvation hereafter are in vain : yea , worse than in vain , they are most injurious to god , most pernicions to thy self ; there is death , desperation , blasphemy in the bowels of this hope . 1. there is death in it . thy confidence shall be rooted out of thy tabernacles ( god will up with it root and branch ) it shall bring thee to the king of terrors , iob 18. 14. tho thou maist lean upon this house it will not stand . iob 8. 1● . but will prove like a ruinous building , which when a man trusts to ; it falls down about his ears . 2. there is desperation in it . where is the hope of the hypocrite , when god takes away his soul ? iob 27. 8. then there is an end for ever of his hope . indeed , the hope of the righteous hath an end , but then 't is not a destructive , but a perfective end ; his hope ends in fruition , others in frustration , prov. 10. 28. the godly must say at death , it is finished , but the wicked , it is perished ; and in too sad earnest bemoan himself , ( as iob in a mistake ) where now is my hope ? he hath destroyed me , i am gone , and my hope is removed like a tree , job 19. 10. the righteous hath hope in his death , prov. 14. 32. when nature is dying , his hopes are living , when his body is languishing , his hopes are flourishing ; his hope is a living hope , 1 pet. 1. 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but others a dying , yea a damning , soul-undoing hope . when a wicked man dieth , his expectation shall perish , and the hope of unjust men perisheth , prov. 11. 7. it shall be cut off , and prove like the spiders web , job 8. 14. which he spins out of his own bowels , but then comes death with the broom , and takes down all , and so there is an eternal end of his confidence , wherein he trusted . for the eyes of the wicked shall fail , and their hope shall be as the giving up of the ghost , job 11. 20. wicked men are setled in their carnal hope , and will not be beaten out of it . they hold it fast , they will not let it go . yea but death will knock off their fingers . though we cannot undeceive them , death and judgment will. when death strikes his dart through thy liver , it will let out thy soul and thy hopes together . the unsanctified have hope only in this life , 1 cor. 15. 19. and therefore are of all men most miserable . when death comes , it lets them out into the amazing gulf of endless desperation . 3. there is blasphemy in it . to hope we shall be saved , though continuing unconverted , is to hope we shall prove god a liar . he hath told you , that so merciful and pitiful as he is , he will never save you notwithstanding , if you go on in ignorance , or a course of unrighteousnes , isa. 27. 11. 1. cor. 6. 9. in a word , he he hath told you , that whatever you be or do , nothing shall avail you to salvation without you be new creatures , gal. 6. 15. now to say god is merciful , and we hope he will save us nevertheless , is to say in effect , we hope god will not do as he saith . we may not set god's attributes at variance . god is resolved to glorifie mercy , but not with the prejudice of truth , as the presumptuous sinner will find to his everlasting sorrow . object . why but we hope in jesus christ , we put our whole trust in god , and therefore doubt not but we shall be saved . ans. 1. this is not to hope in christ , but against christ. to hope to see the kingdom of god , without being born again , to hope to find eternal life in the broad way , is to hope christ will prove a false prophet . 't is david's plea , i hope in thy word , psalm 119. 81. but this hope is against the word . shew me a word of christ for thy hope , that he will save thee in thine ignorance , or prophane neglects of his service , and i will never go to shake thy confidence . 2. god doth with abhorrence reject this hope : those condemned in the prophet , went on in their sins , yet ( faith the text ) they will lean upon the lord , mic. 3. 11. god will not endure to be made a prop to men in their sins : the lord rejected those presumptuous sinners , that went on still in their trespasses , and yet would stay themselves upon the god of israel , isa● 48. 1 , 2. as a man would shake off the briars ( as one said well ) that cleaves to his garment . 3. if thy hope be any thing worth , it will purifie thee from thy sins , 1 iohn 3. 3. but cursed is that hope , which doth cherish men in their sins . object . would you have us to despair ? answ. you must despair of ever coming to heaven as you are , acts 2. 37. that is , while you remain unconverted . you must despair ever to see the face of god without holiness , but you must by no means despair of finding mercy , upon your thorough repentance and conversion ; neither may you despair of attaining to repentance and conversion , in the use of gods means . v. without this , all that christ hath done and suffered will be ( as to you ) in vain , john 13. 8. tit. 2. 14. that is , it will no way avail to your salvation . many urge this as a sufficient ground for their hopes , that christ died for sinners : but i must tell you , christ never died to save impenitent and unconverted sinners ( so continuing ) 2 tim. 2. 19. a great divine was wont , in his private dealings with souls , to ask two questions , 1. what hath christ done for you ? 2. what hath christ wrought in you ? without the application of the spirit in regeneration , we can have no saving 〈◊〉 ●●rest in the benefits of redempt●on . i tel● you from the lord , christ himself cannot save you , if you go on in this estate . i. it were against his trust . the mediator is the servant of the father , isa. 42. 1. shews his commission from him , acts in his name , and pleads his command for his justification , iohn 10. 18 , 36. iohn 6. 38 , 40. and god hath committed all things to him , entrusted his own glory , and the salvation of his elect with him , mat. 11. 27. iohn 17. 2. accordingly , christ gives his father an account of both parts of his trust , before he leaves the world , iohn 17. 4 , 6 , 12. now christ should quite cross his fathers glory , his greatest trust , if he should save men in their sins ; for this were to overturn all his counsels , and to offer violence to all his attributes . first , to overturn all his councels ; of which this is the order , that men should be brought through sanctification , to salvation , 2 thes. 2. 13. he hath chosen them , that they should be holy , eph. 1. 4. they are elected to pardon and life through sanctification , 1 pet. 1. 2. if thou canst repeal the law of gods immutable counsel , or corrupt him , whom the father hath sealed , to go directly against his commission , then and not otherwise , maist thou get to heaven in this condition . to hope that christ will save thee while unconverted , is to hope that christ will falsify his trust . he never did , nor will save one soul , but whom the father hath given him in election , and drawn to him in effectual calling , iohn 6. 34 , 37. be assured , christ will save none , in a way contrary to his fathers will , iohn 6. 38. secondly , to offer violence to all his attributes . 1. to his iustice. for the righteousness of gods judgment lies , in rendring to all according to their works , rom. 2. 5 , 6. now , should men sow to the flesh , and yet of the spirit reap everlasting life , gal. 6. 7 , 8. where were the glory of divine justice , since it should be given to the wicked according to the work of the righteous ? 2. to his holiness . if god should not only save sinners , but save them in their sins , his most pure and strict holiness would be exceedingly defaced . the unsanctified is in the eyes of gods holiness , worse than a swine or viper , mat. 23. 33. 2 pet. 2. 23. now what cleanly nature could indure to have the filthy swine bed and board with him in his parlour , or bed-chamber ? it would offer the extreamest violence to the infinite purity of the divine nature , to have such to dwell with him . they cannot stand in his judgment , they cannot abide in his presence , psalm 1. 5. psalm 5. 4 , 5. if holy david would not endure such in his house , no nor in his sight , psalm 101. 3 , 7. shall we think god will ? should he take men as they be from the trough to the table , from the harlots lips , from the stye and draff , to the glory of heaven , the world would think god were at no such a distance from sin , nor had such dislike of it , as we are told he hath● they would conclude , god were altogether such a one as themselves ( as they wickedly did , but from the very forbearance of god , psal. 50. 21. ) 3. to his veracity . for god hath declared from heaven . that if any shall say he shall have peace , tho' he should go on in the imagination of his heart : his wrath shall smoak against that man , deut. 29. 19 , 20. that they ( only ) that confess , and forsake their sins , shall find mercy , prov. 28. 13. that they that shall enter into his hill , must be of clean hands and a pure heart , psal. 24. 3 , 4. where were gods truth , if notwithstanding all this , he should bring men to salvation without conversion ? o desperate sinner , that darest to hope , that christ will put the lye upon his father , and nullifie his word to save thee ! 4. to his wisdom . for this were to throw away the choicest mercies , on them that would not value them , nor were any way suited to them . first , they would not value them . the unsanctified sinner puts but little price upon god's great salvation , mat. 22. 5. he sets no more by christ than the whole by the physician , matthew 9. 12. he prizes not his balm , values not his cure , tramples upon his blood , heb. 10. 29. now would it stand with wisdom , to force pardon and life , upon them that would give him no thanks for them ? will the all-wise god ( when he hath forbidden us to do it ) throw his holy things to dogs , and his pearls to swine , that would ( as it were ) but turn again , and rend him ? mat. 7. 6. this would make mercy to be despised indeed . wisdom requires that life be given , in a way suitable to god's honour , and that god provide for the securing his own glory , as well as man's felicity . it would be dishonourable to god , to set his jewels on the snouts of swine ( continuing such ) and to bestow his choicest riches on them , that have more pleasure in their swill , than the heavenly delights that he doth offer . god should lose the praise and glory of his grace , if he should cast it away on them , that were not only unworthy , but unwilling . secondly , they are no way suited to them . the divine wisdom is seen in suiting things each to other , the means to the end , the object to the faculty , the quality of the gift to the capacity of the receiver . now , if christ should bring the unregenerate sinner to heaven , he could take no more felicity there , than a beast if you should bring him into a beautiful room , to the society of learned men , and a well-furnished table : when as the poor thing had much rather be grazing with his fellow-brutes . alas , what should an unsanctified creature do in heaven ! he could take no content there , because nothing suits him . the place doth not suit him , he would be but piscis in arido , quite out of his element , as a swine in the parlour , or a fish out of water . the company doth not suit him . what communion hath darkness with light , corruption with perfection ? filth and rottenness , with glory and immortality ? the imployment doth not suit him : the anthems of heaven fit not his mouth , suit not his ear . canst thou charm thy beast with musick ? or wilt thou bring him to thy organ , and expect that he should make thee melody , or keep time with the skilful quire ? or had he skill , he would have no will , and so could find no pleasure , no more than the nauseous stomach in the meat , on which it hath newly surfeited . spread thy table with delicates before a languishing patient , and it will be but a very offence . alas , if the poor man think a sermon long , and say of a sabbath , what a weariness is it ? mal. 1. 13. how miserable would he think it , to be held to it to all eternity ? 5. to his immutability , or else to his omnisciency , omnipotency . for this is enacted in the conclave of heaven , and enrolled in the decrees of the court above , that none but the pure in heart shall ever see god , mat. 5. 8. this is laid up with him , and sealed among his treasures . now if christ , yet , bring any to heaven unconverted , either he must get them in without his fathers knowledge , and then where is his omnisciency ? or against his will , and then where were his omnipotency ? or he must change his will , and then where were his immutability ? sinner , wilt thou not yet give up thy vain hope of being saved in this condition ? saith bildad , shall the earth be forsaken for thee ? or the rocks moved out of their place ? job 18. 4. may not i , much more reason so with thee ? shall the laws of heaven be reversed for thee ? shall the everlasting foundations be overturned for thee ? shall christ put out the eye of his fathers omnisciency , or shorten the arm of his eternal power for thee ? shall divine justice be violated for thee ? or the brightness of the glory of his holiness be blemished for thee ? oh the impossibility , absurdity , blasphemy , that is in such a confidence ! to think christ will ever save thee in this condition , is to make thy saviour to become a sinner , and to do more wrong to the infinite majesty , than all the wicked on earth , or devils in hell ever did , or could . and yet wilt thou not give up such a blasphemous hope ? ii. against his word . we need not say , who shall ascend into heaven , to bring down christ from above ? or who shall descend into the deep , to bring up christ from beneath ? the word is nigh us , rom. 10. 6 , 7 , 8. are you agreed that christ shall end the controversie ? hear then his own words ; except you be converted you shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven , mat. 18. 3. you must be born again , john 3. 7. if i wash thee not , thou hast no part in me , john 13. 8. repent or perish , luke 13. 3. one word , one would think , were enough from christ ; but how often and earnestly doth he reiterate it , verily , verily , verily , verily , except a man , be born again , he shall not see the kingdom of god , iohn 3. 3 , 5. yea , he doth not only assert , but prove the necessity of the new birth , viz. from the fleshliness and filthiness of man's first birth , iohn 3. 6. by reason of which , man is no more fit for heaven than the beast is for the chamber of the kings presence . and wil● thou yet believe thine own presumptuous confidence , directly against christs words ? he must go quite against the law of his kingdom , and rule of his judgment , to save thee in this estate . iii. against his oath . he hath lifted up his hand to heaven , he hath sworn , that those that remain in unbelief , and know not his ways ( that is , are ignorant of them , or disobedient to them ) shall not enter into his rest , psalm 95. 11. heb. 3. 18. and wilt thou not yet believe , o sinner , that he is in earnest ? canst thou hope he will be forsworn for thee ? the covenant of grace is confirmed by an oath , and sealed by blood , heb. 6. 17. heb. 9. 16 , 18 , 19. mat. 26. 28. but all must be made void , and another way to heaven found out , if thou be saved , living and dying unsanctified . god is come to his lowest and last terms with man , and hath condescended as far as with honour he could , hath set up his pillars with a ne plus ultra . men cannot be saved , while unconverted , except they could get another covenant made , and the whole frame of the gospel , ( which was established for ever , with such dreadful solemnities ) quite altered ; and would not this be a distracted hope ? iv. against his honour . god will so shew his love to the sinner as withal to shew his hatred to sin . therefore he that names the name of jesus must depart from iniquity , 2 tim. 2. 19. and deny all ungodliness ; and he that hath hope of life by christ must purifie himself as he is pure , 1 iohn 3. 3. tit. 2. 12. otherwise christ would be thought a favourer of sin . the lord jesus would have all the world to know , though he pardon sin , he will not protect it . if holy david shall say , depart from me all you workers of iniquity , psal. 6. 8. and shall shut the doors against them , psal. 101. 7. shall not such much more expect it from christs holiness ? would it be for his honour , to have the dogs to the table ? or to lodge the swine with his children ? or to have abraham's bosom to be a nest of vipers . v. against his offices . god hath exalted him to be a prince and a saviour , acts 5. 31. he should act against both , should he save men in their sins . it is the office of a king. parcere subjectis , & debellare superbos . to be a terrer to evil doers and a praise to them that do well , rom. 13. 3 , 4. he is a minister of god , a revenger to execute wrath on him that doth evil . now should christ favour the ungodly ( so continuing ) and take those to reign with him that would not that he should reign over them , luke 19. 27. this were quite against his office : he therefore reigns , that he may put his enemies under his feet , 1 cor. 15. 25. now should he lay them in his bosom he should cross the end of his regal power . it belongs to christ , as a king to subdue the hearts , and slay the lusts of his chosen , psalm 45. 5. psalm . 110. 3. what king would take the rebels , in open hostility , into his court ? what were this but to betra● life , kingdom , government and all together ? if christ be a king , he must have homage , honour , sub●ection , &c. ma● . 1. 6. now to save men while in their natural enmity , were to obscure his dignity , lose his authority , bring contempt on his government , and sell his dear-bought rights for nought . again , as christ should not be a prince , so neither a saviour , if he should do this . for his salvation is spiritual , he is called jesus , because he saves his people from their sins , mat. 1. 21. so that should he save them in their sins , he should be neither lord nor jesus . to save men from the punishment , and not from the power of sin , were to do his work by halves , and be an imperfect saviour . his office , as the deliverer , is to turn away ungodliness from jacob , rom. 11. 26. he is sent to bless men in turning them from their iniquities , acts 3. 26. to make an end of sin , dan. 9. 24. so that he should destroy his own designs , and nullifie his offices , to save men abiding in their unconverted estate . application , arise then , what meanest thou o sleeper ? awake , o secure sinner , left thou be consumed in thine iniquities , say as the lepers , if we sit here we shall die , 2 kings 7. 3 , 4. verily , it is not more certain that thou art now out of hell , than that thou shalt speedily be in it , except thou repent and be converted , there is but this one door for thee to escape by . arise then , o sluggard , and shake off thine excuses . how long wilt thou slumber , and fold thine hands to sleep ? prov. 6. 10 , 11. wilt thou lie down in the midst of the sea , or sleep on the top of the mast ? prov. 23. 34. there is no remedy ; but thou must either turn or burn . there is an unchangeable necessity of the change of thy condition , except thou art resolved to abide the worst of it , and try it out with the almighty . if thou lovest thy life , o man , arise and come away . methinks i see the lord jesus laying the merciful hands of an holy violence upon thee ; methinks he carries it like the angels to let , gen. 19. 15 , &c. then the angels ●●●st●ned lot , saying , arise , lest thou be consumed , and while ●he ling●ed , the men laid hold upon his hand , the lord being mercifull unto him , and they brought him without the city and said , escape for thy life . stay not in all the plain , escape to the mountain , lest thou be consumed . oh how willful will thy destruction be , if thou shouldest yet harden thy self in thy sinful states but none of you can say , but you have had fair warning . yet methinks i cannot tell how to leave you so : it is not enough to me to have delivered my own soul. what , shall i go away without my errand ? will none of you arise , and follow me ? have i been all this while speaking to the wind ? have i been charming the deaf adder , or allaying the tumbling ocean with arguments ? do i speak to the trees or rocks , or to men ? to the tombs and monuments of the dead , or to a living auditory ? if you be men , and not senseless stocks , stand still , and consider whither you are going : if you have the reason and understanding of men , dare not to run into the flames , and fall into hell with your eyes open : but bethink your selves , and set to the work of repentance . what! men , and yet ●un into the pit , when the very beasts will not be forced in ! what , endowed with reason , and yet dally with death and hell , and the vengeance of the almighty ! are men herein distinguished from the very brutes , that they have no foresight of , and care to provide for the things to come ; and will you not hasten your escape from eternal torments ? o shew your selves men , and let reason prevail with you ; is it a reasonable thing for you to contend against the lord your maker ? isa. 45. 9. or to harden your selves against his word ? iob 9. 4. as though the strength of israel would lie ? 1. sam. 15. 29. is it reasonable that an understanding creature should lose , yea live quite against the very end of his being , and be as a broken pitcher , only fit for the dunghill ? is it tolerable , that the only thing in this world that god hath made capable of knowing his will , and bringing him glor● , should yet live in ignorance of his maker , and be unserviceable to his use ; yea should be engaged against him , and spit his venom in the face of his creator ? hear , o heavens , and give ear , o earth , and let the creatures without sense be judge , if this be reason , that man , when god hath nourished and brought him up , should rebel against him , isa. 1. 2. judge in ●our own selves : is it a reasonable undertaking , for bryars and thorns , to set themselves in battle against the devouring sire ? isa. 27. 4. or for the potsherd of the earth to strive with his maker ? if you will say , this is not reason , surely the eye of reason , is quite put out . and if this be reason , then there is no reason that you should continue as you be , but 't is all the reason in the world , you should forthwith repent and turn . what shall i say ? i could spend my self in this argument . oh that you would but hearken to me ! that you would pre●ently set upon a new course ! will you not be made clean ? when shall it once be ? what! will no body be perswaded ? reader , shall i prevail with thee for one ? wilt thou sit down and con●ider the forementioned arguments , and debate it , whether it be not best to turn ? come and let us reason together . is it good for thee to be here ? wilt thou fit still , till the tide come in upon thee ? is it good for thee to try whether god will be so good as his word ? and to harden thy self in a conceit , that all is well with thee , while thou remainest unsanctified . but i know you will not be persuaded , but the greatest part will be as they have been , and do as they have done . i know the drunkard will to his vomit again , and the deceiver will to his deceit again , and the lustful wanton to his dalliance again . alas , that i must leave you where you were ; in your ignorance or looseness , or in your lifeless formality and customary devotions ! however , i will sit down and bemoan my fruitless labours , and spend some sighs over m● perishing hearers . o distracted sinners ! what will their end be ? what will they do in the day of visitation ? whither will they flee for help ? where will they leave their glory ? isa. 10. 3. how powerfully hath sin bewitched them ? how effectually hath the god of this world blinded them ? how strong is their delusion ? how uncircumcised their ears ? how obdurate their hearts ? satan hath them at his beck . but how long may i call , and can get no answer ? i may dispute with them year after year , and they will give me the hearing , and that is all . they must and will have their sins , say what i will. though i tell them there is death in the cup , yet they will take it up . though i tell them 't is the broad way , and endeth in destruction , yet they will go on in it . i warn them , yet cannot win them . sometimes i think , the mercies of god will melt them , and his winning invitations will overcome them : but i find them as they were● : sometimes , that the terrour of the lord will persuade them ; yet neither will this do it . they will approve the word , like the sermon , commend the preacher ; but they will yet live as they did . they will not deny me , yet they will not obey me . they will flock to the word of god , and sit before me as his people , and hear my words ; but they will not do them . they value and will plead for ministers ; and i am to them as the lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice ; yet i cannot get them to come under christ's yoke . they love me , and will be ready to say they will do any thing for me ; but for my life , i cannot persuade them to leave their sins to forgo their evil company , their intemperance , their unjust gains , &c. i cannot prevail with them , to set up prayer in their families and closets , yet they will promise me , like the forward son , that said , i go sir , but went not . mat. 21. 30. i cannot persuade them to learn the principles of religion , though else they will die without knowledge , iob 36. 12. i tell them their misery ; but they will not believe but ●tis well enough ; if i tell them particularly i fear for such reasons their state is bad , they will judge me censorious ; or if they be at present a little awakened , are quickly lull'd asleep by satan again , and have lost the sense of all . alas for my poor hearers ! must they perish at last by hundreds , when ministers would so fain save them ? what course shall i use with them that i have not tryed ? what shall i do for the daughter of my people ? jer. 9. 7. o lord god help . alas shall i leave them thus ? if they will not hear me ; yet do thou hear me . oh that they might yet live in thy sight ! lord save them , or else they perish . my heart would melt to see their houses on fire about their ears , when they were fast asleep in their beds : and shall not my soul be moved within me , to see them falling into endless perdition ? lord have compassion , and save them out of the burning . put forth thy divine power , and the work will be done : but as for me i cann't prevail . chap. iv. shewing the marks of the unconverted . vvhile we keep aloof in generals there is little fruit to be expected . it is the hand-fight that does execution . david is not awaken'd by the prophet's hovering at a distance , in parabolical insinuations : he is forced to close with him , and tell him home , thou art the man. few will , in words , deny the necessity of the new birth ; but they have a self deluding confidence , that the work is not now to do . and because they know themselves free from that gross hypocrisie , that doth take up religion merely for a colour to deceive others , and for the covering of wicked designs : they are confident of their sincerity , and suspect not that mor● close hypocrisie ( where the greatest danger lies ) by which a man deceiveth his own soul , iam. 1. 26. but mans deceitful heart is such a matchless cheat , and self delusion , so reigning and so fatal a disease that i know not whether be the greater , the difficulty , or the displicency , or the necessity of the undeceiving work that i am now upon . alas for my unconverted hearers ! they must be undeceived , or undone ; but how shall this be effected ? hic labor , hoc opus est . help , o all-searching light , and let thy discerning eye discover the rotten foundation of the self-deceiver ; and lead me , o lord god , as thou didst thy prophet , into the chambers of imagery , and dig brough the wall of sinners hearts , and discover the hidden abominations that are l●king out of 〈…〉 the dark . o● send thine angel before me , to 〈◊〉 ●undry wards of their hearts , as thou didst before peter , ●●d make ever the iron g●●es to fly open of their own accord . and as jonathan no sooner tasted the hon●y , but his eyes were ●●lightned ; so grant o lord , that when the poor decei●ed ●●●ls with whom i have to do , shall cast their eyes upon the●e lin●s , their minds may be illuminated , and their consciences convinced and awakened , that they may see with their eyes , and hear with their ears , and be converted , and thou ●ayst heal them . this must be premised , before we proceed to the discovery , that it is most certain men may have a confident perswasion , that their hearts and states be good , and yet be unsound . hear the truth himself , who shews in laodicea's case , that men may be wretched , and miserable , and poor , and blind , and naked , and yet not know it , yea they may be confident they are rich and increased in grace , rev. 3. 17. there is a generation that is pure in their own eyes , and yet is not washed from their filthiness , prov. 30. 12. who better perswaded of his case , than paul , while yet he remained unconverted ? rom. 7. 9. so that they are miserably deceived , that take a strong confidence , for a sufficient evidence . they that have no better proof , than barely a strong perswasion , that they are converted , are certainly as yet ●●rangers to conversion . but to come more close ; as it was said of the adherents of antichrist , so here ; some of the unconverted carry their marks in their foreheads , more openly ; and some in their hands , more covertly . the apostle reckons up some , upon whom he writes the sentence of death , as in these dreadful catalogues , which i beseech you to attend with all diligence , eph. 5. 5 , 6. for this you know , that no whoremonger , nor unclean person , nor covetous man , who is an idolater , hath an inheritance in the kingdom of christ and of god. let no man deceive you with vain words , for because of these things cometh the wrath of god upon the children of disobedience . rev. 21. 8. but the fearful and unbelieving , and the abominable , and murderers , and whoremongers , and sorcerers , and idolaters , and ●ll liars , shall have their part in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone , which is the second death . 1 cor. 6. 9 , 10. know you not , that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of god ? be not deceived , neither fornicators , nor idolaters and adulterers , nor effeminate , nor abusers of themselves with mankind , nor thieves , nor covetous , nor drunkards , nor revilers , or extortioners , shall inherit the kingdom of god ? see gal. 5. 19 , 20 , 21. wo to them that have their names written in these bed-rolls : such may know , as certainly as if god had told it them from heaven , that they are unsanctified , and under an impossibility of being saved in this condition . there are then these several sorts , that , past all dispute , are unconverted , they carry their marks in their foreheads . 1. the unclean . these are ever reckoned among the goats , and have their names , whoever be left out , in all the forementioned catalogues , eph. 5. 5. rev. 21. 8. 1 cor. 5. 9 , 10. 2. the covetous . these are ever branded for idolaters , and the doors of the kingdom are shut against them by name , eph. 5. 5. col. 3. 5. 1 cor. 6. 9 , 10. 3. drunkards . not only such as drink away their reason , but withal , yea , above all , such as are too strong for strong drink . the lord fills his mouth with woes against these , and declares them to have no inheritance in the kingdom of god , isa. 5. 11 , 12 , 22. gal. 5. 21. 4. liars . the god that cannot lye hath told them that there is no place for them in his kingdom , no entrance into his hill ; but their portion is with the father of lies ( whose children they are ) in the lake of burnings , psal. 15. 1 , 2. rev. 21. 8 , 27. iohn 8. 44. prov. 6. 17. 5. swearers . the end of these , without deep and speedy repentance , is swift destruction , and most certain and unavoidable condemnation , iam. 5. 12. zech. 5. 1 , 2 , 3. 6. railers and back-biters , that love to take up a reproach against their neighbour , and fling all the dirt they can in his face , or else wound him secretly behind his back , psal. 15. 1 , 3. 1 cor. 6. 10. 1 cor. 5. 11. 7. thieves . extortioners , oppressors , that grind the poor , over-reach their brethren , when they have them at an advantage , these must know , that god is the avenger of all such , 1 thes. 4. 6. hear , o ye false and purloining and wastful servants : hear , o ye deceitful tradesmen , hear your sentence . god will certainly hold his door against you , and turn your treasures of unrighteousness into the treasures of wrath , and make your ill-gotten silver and gold , to torment you like burning metal in your bowels , 1 cor. 6. 9. 10. iames 5. 2 , 3. 8. all that do ordinarily live in the prophane neglect of god's worship , that hear not his word , that call not on his name , that restrain prayer before god , that mind not their own , nor their families souls , but live without god in the world , ioh. 8. 47. ioh. 15. 4. psal. 14. 4. psal. 79. 6. eph. 2. 12. and 4. 18. 9. those that are frequenters and lovers of evil company . god hath declared , he will be the destruction of all such , and that they shall never enter into the hill of his rest , prov. 13. 20. psalm 15. 4. prov. 9. 6. 10. scoffers at religion , that make a scorn of precise walking , and mock at the messengers and diligent servants of the lord , and at their holy profession , and make themselves merry with the weakness and failings of professors : hear , ye despisers , hear your dreadful doom , prov. 19. 29. 2 chron. 36. 16. prov. 3. 34. sinner , consider diligently , whether thou art not to be found in one of these ranks ; for if this be thy case thou art in the gall of bitterness , and bond of iniquity ; for all these do carry their marks in their foreheads , and are undoubtedly the sons of death . and if so , the lord pitty our poor congregations ; oh how little a number will be left , when these ten sorts are set out ! alas on how many doors , on how many faces must we write , lord have mercy upon us ! sirs , what shift do you make to keep up your confidence of your good estate , when god from heaven declares against you , and pronounces you in a state of damnation ? i would reason with you , 〈◊〉 god with them ; how canst thou say , i am not polluted ? jer. 2. 23. see thy way in the valley , know what thou hast done . man , is not thy conscience privy to thy tricks of deceit , to thy chamber pranks , to thy way of lying ? yea , are not thy friends , thy family , thy neighbours , witnesses to thy prophane neglects of gods worship , to thy covetous practices , to thy envious and malicious carriage ? may not they point at thee , as thou goest , there goes a gaming prodigal ; there goes a drunken nabal , a companion of evil-doors ; there goes a railer , or a scoffer , a loose-liver ? beloved , god hath written it , as with a sun-beam , in the book out of which you must be judged , that these are not the spots of his children , and that none such ( except renewed by converting grace ) shall ever escape the damnation of hell. oh that such of you would now be perswaded t● repent and turn from all your transgressions ; or else iniquity will be your ruin ! ezek. 18. 30. alas for poor hard'ned sinners ! must i leave you at last where you were ? must i leave the tipler still at the ale-bench ? must i leave the wanton still at his dalliance ? must i leave the malicious still in his venom ? and the drunkard still at his vomit ? however you must know that you have been warned , and that i am clear of your blood . and whether men will hear , or whether they will forbear , i will leave these scriptures with them , either as thunderbolts to awaken them , or as searing irons to harden them to a reprobate sence , psal. 68. 21. god shall wound the head of his enemies , and the hairy scalp of such a one , as goeth on still in his trespasses . prov. 29. 1. he that being often reproved hardneth his neck , shall suddenly be destroyed , and that without remedy . prov. 1. 24 , &c. because i have called , and ye refused , i have stretched out my hand , and no man regarded , &c. i will mock at your calamity — when your destruction cometh as a whirlwind . and now i imagine , many will begin to bless themselves , and think all is well , because they cannot be spotted with the grosser evils above mentioned . but i must further tell you , that there are another sort of unsanctified persons , that carry not their marks in their foreheads , but more secretly and covertly in their hands . these do frequently deceive themselves and others , and pass for good christians , when they are all the while unsound at bottom . many pass undiscovered , till death and judgment bring all to light . those self-deceivers seem to come even to heaven's gate with confidence of their admission , and yet are turned off at last , mat. 7. 22. brethren , beloved , i beseech you deeply to lay to heart , and firmly to retain this awakening consideration : that multitudes miscarry by the hand of some secret sin , that is not only hidden from others but ( for want of observing their own hearts ) even from themselves . a man may be free from open pollutions , and yet die at last by the fatal hand of some unobserved iniquity . and there be these twelve hidden sins , by which souls go down by numbers into the chambers of death . these you must search carefully for , and take them as black marks ( wherever they be found ) discovering a graceless and unconverted estate . and as you love your lives , read carefully , with a holy jealousie of your selves , lest you should be the persons concerned . 1. gross ignorance . ah how many poor souls doth this sin kill in the dark , hos. 4. 6. while they think verily they have good hearts , and are in the ready way to heaven ! this is the murderer that dispatches thousands in a silent manner , when ( poor hearts ! ) they suspect nothing , and see not the hand that mischiefs them . you shall find whatever excuses you have for ignorance , that 't is a soul-undoing , evil , isa. 27. 11. 2 thes. 1. 8. 2 cor. 4. 3. ah would it not have pitted a man's heart to have seen that woful spectacle , when the poor protestants were shut up a multitude together in a barn , and a butcher comes with his inhumane hands warm in humane blood , and leads them one by one blind-fold to a block , where he slew them ( poor innocents ! ) one after another by the scores in cold blood ? but how much more should our hearts bleed , to think of the hundreds in great congregations , that ignorance doth butcher in secret , and lead them blind-fold to the block ? beware this be none of your case . make no pleas for ignorance . if you spare that sin , know that that will not spare you . will a man keep a murderer in his bosom ? 2. secret reserves in closing with christ. to forsake all for christ , to hate father and mother , yea , and a mans own life for him , this is a hard saying , luke 14. 26. some will do much , but they will not be of the religion that will undo them ; they never come to be entirely devoted to christ , nor fully to resign to him : they must have the sweet sin : they mean to do themselves no harm : they have secret exceptions , for life , liberty , or estate . many take christ thus hand over head , and never consider his self denying terms , nor cast up the cost ; and this error in the foundation marrs all , and secretly ruins them for ever , luke 14. 28. mat. 13. 21. 3. formality in religion . many stick in the bark , and rest in the outside of religion , and in the external performances of holy duties , mat. 23. 25. and this oft-times doth most effectually deceive men , and doth more certainly undo them , than open looseness ; as it was in the pharisees case , mat. 23. 31. they hear , they fast , they pray , they give alms , and therefore will not believe but their case is good , luke 18. 11. whereas resting in the work done , and coming short of the heart-work , and the inward power and vitals of religion , they fall at last into the burning , from the flattering hopes , and confident persuasions of their being in the ready way to heaven , mat. 7. 22 , 23. oh dreadful case ; when a man's religion shall serve only to harden him , and effectually to delude and deceive his own soul● 4. the prevalency of false ends in holy duties . mat. 23. 25. this was the bane of the pharisees . oh how many a poor soul is undone by this , and drops into hell , before he discerns his mistake ! he performs good duties , and so thinks all is well , and perceives not that he is actuated by carnal motives all the while . it is too true that even with the truly sanctified , many carnal ends will oft-times creep in ; but they are the matter of his hatred and humiliation , and never come to be habitually prevalent with him , and to bear the greatest sway , rom. 14. 7. but now when the main thing that doth ordinarily carry a man out to religious duties , shall be some carnal end , as to satisfie his conscience , to get the repute of being religious , to be seen of men , to shew his own gifts and parts , to avoid the reproach of a prophane and irreligious person , or the like ; this discovers an unsound heart , hos. 10. 1. zech. 7. 5 , 6. o christians , if you would avoid self-deceit , see that you mind , not only your acts , but withal , yea , above all , your ends . 5. trusting in their own righteousness , luk. 18. 9. this is a soul undoing mischief , rom. 10. 3. when men do trust in their own righteousness , they do indeed reject christ's . beloved , you had need be watchful on every hand , for , not only your sins , but your duties , may undo you . it may be you never thought of this , but so it is , that a man may as certainly miscarry by his seeming righteousness , and supposed graces , as by gross sins ; and that is when a man doth trust to these as his righteousness before god , for the satisfying his justice , appeasing his wrath , procuring his favour , and obtaining of his own pardon : for this is to put christ out of office , and make a saviour of our own duties and graces . beware of this , o professors ; you are much in duties , but this one fly will spoil all the ointment . when you have done most , and best , be sure to go out of your selves to christ , reckon your own righteousness but rags , psalm 143. 2. phil. 3. 8. isa. 64. 6. neh. 13. 22. 6. a secret enmity against the strictness of religion . many moral persons , punctual in their formal devotion , have yet a bitter enmity against preciseness , and hate the life and power of religion , phil. 3. 6. compared with acts 9. 1. they like not this frowardness , nor that men should keep such a stir in religion . they condemn the strictness of religion , as singularity , indiscretion , and intemperate zeal , and with them a lively preacher , or lively christian , is but a heady fellow . these men love not holiness , as holiness , ( for then they would love the height of holiness ) and therefore are undoubtedly rotten at heart , whatever good opinion they have of themselves . 7. the resting in a certain pitch of religion . when they have so much as will save them ( as they suppose ) they look no further , and so shew themselves short of true grace , which will ever put men upon aspiring to further perfection . phil. 3. 13. pro. 4. 18. 8. the predominant love of the world. this is the sure evidence of an unsanctified heart , mar. 10. 37. 1 iohn 2. 15. but how close doth this sin lurk oft-times under a fair covert of forward profession ? luke 8. 14. yea such a power of deceit is there in this sin , that many times when every body else can see the man's worldliness , and covetousness , he cannot see it himself , but hath so many colours , and excuses , and pretences for his eagerness , on the world , that he doth blind his own eyes , and perish in his self-deceit . how many professors be here , with whom the world hath more of their hearts and affections than christ ? who mind earthly things , and thereby are evidently after the flesh , and like to end in destruction ? rom. 8. 5. phil. 3. 19. yet ask these men ; and they will tell you confidently , they prize christ above all , god forbid else ! and see not their own earthly mindedness for want of a narrow observation of the workings of their own hearts . did they but carefully search , they would quickly find that their greatest content is in the world , luke 12. 19. and their greatest care and main endeavour to get and secure the world , which are the certain discovery of an unconverted sinner . may the professing part of the world take earnest heed , that they perish not by the hand of this sin unobserved . men may be , and often are kept off from christ , as effectually , by the inordinate love of lawful comforts , as by the most unlawful courses , mat. 22. 5. luke 14. 18 , 19 , 20 , 24. 9. reigning malice and envy against those that disrespect them , or are injurious to them , 1 ioh. 2. 9 , 11. o how do many that seem to be religious remember injuries , and carry grudges , and will return men as good as they bring , rendring evil for evil , loving to take revenge , wishing evil to them that wrong them , directly against the rule of the gospel , the pattern of christ , and the nature of god , rom. 12. 14 , 17. 1 pet. 2. 21 , 23. neh. 9. 17. doubtless where this evil is kept boiling in the heart , and is not hated , resisted , mortified , but doth habitually prevail , that person is in the very gall of bitterness , and in a state of death , mat. 18. 34 , 35. 1 iohn 3. 14 , 15. reader , doth nothing of this touch thee ? art thou in none of the forementioned ranks ? o search and search again ; take thy heart solemnly to task . woe unto thee , if after all thy profession thou shouldst be found under the power of ignorance , lost in formality , drowned in earthly mindedness , envenomed with malice , exalted in an opinion of thine own righteousness , levened with hypocrisie , and carnal ends in gods service , imbittered against strictness : this would be a sad discovery that all thy religion were in vain . but i must proceed . 10. unmortified pride . when men love the praise of men , more than the praise of god ; and set their hearts upon mens esteem● applause and approbation , it is most certain they are yet in their sins , and strangers to true conversion . iohn 12. 43. gal. 1. 10. when men see not , nor complain of , nor groan under the pride of their own hearts , it 's a sign they are stark dead in sin . o how secretly doth this sin live and reign in many hearts , and they know it not , but are very strangers to themselves ! iohn 9. 40. 11. the prevailing love of pleasure , 2 tim. 3. 4. this is a black mark . when men give the flesh the liberty that it craves , and pamper , and please it , and do not deny and restrain it : when their great delight is in gratifying their bellies , and pleasing their senses ; whatever appearance they may have of religion , all is unsound , rom. 16. 18. tit. 3. 3. a flesh-pleasing life , cannot be pleasing to god , they that are christ's have crucified the flesh , and are careful to cross it , and keep it under , as their enemy , gal. 5. 24. 1 cor. 9. 25 , 26 , 27. 12. carnal security , or a presumptuous and ungrounded confidence , that their condition is already good , rev. 3. 17. many cry , peace and safety , when sudden destruction is coming upon them , 1. thes. 5. 3. this was that which kept the foolish virgins sleeping , when they should have been working ; upon their beds , when they should have been at the markets , mat. 25. 5 , 10. prov. 10. 5. they perceived not their want of oyl , till the bridegroom was come ; and while they went to buy , the door was shut . and o that these foolish virgins had no successors ! where is the place , yea where is the house almost , where these do not dwell ? men are willing to cherish in themselves , upon never so slight grounds , a hope that their condition is good , and so look not out after a change , and by this means perish in their sins . are you at peace ? shew me upon what grounds your peace is maintained . is it a scripture peace ? can you shew the distinguishing marks of a sound believer ? can you evidence that you have something more than any hypocrite in the world ever had ? if not , fear this peace more than any trouble ; and know that a carnal peace doth commonly prove the most mortal enemy of the poor soul ; and while it smiles and kisses , and speaks it fair , doth fatally smite it , as it were under the fifth rib . by this time methinks i hear my reader crying out with the disciples , who then shall be saved ? set out from among our congregations all those ten ranks of the prophane , on the one hand , and then besides , take out all these twelve sorts of close and self-deceiving hypocrites on the other hand , and tell me then , whether it be not a remnant that shall be saved . how few will be the sheep that shall be left , when all these shall be separated , and set among the goats ? for my part , of all my numerous hearers , i have no hope to see any of them in heaven , that are to be found among these two and twenty sorts that are here mentioned , except by sound conversion they be brought into another condition . application . and now , conscience , do thine office , speak out , and speak home to him that heareth or readeth these lines . if thou find any of these marks upon him , thou must pronounce him utterly unclean , levit. 13. 44. take not up a lie into thy mouth : speak not peace to him , to whom god speaks no peace . let not lust bribe thee , or self-love , or carnal prejudice blind thee . i subpoena thee from the court of heaven , to come and give in evidence : i require thee in the name of god to go with me to the search of the suspected house . as thou wilt answer it at thy peril , give in a true report of the state and case of him that readeth this book . conscience , wilt thou altogether hold thy peace at such a time as this ? i adjure thee by the living god , that thou tell us the truth . mat. 26. 63. is the man converted , or is he not ? doth he allow himself in any way of sin , or doth he not ? doth he truly love , and please , and prize , and delight in god above all other things , or not ? come put it to an issue . how long shall this soul live at uncertainties ? oh conscience , bring in thy verdict . is this man a new man , or is he not ? how dost thou find it ? hath there passed a thorough and mighty change upon him , or not ? when was the time , where was the place , or what was the means , by which this thorough change of the new birth was wrought in his soul ? speak conscience : or if thou canst not tell time and place , canst thou shew scripture evidence , that the work is done ? hath the man been ever taken off from his false bottom , from the false hopes , and false peace wherein once he trusted ? hath he been deeply convinced of sin , and of his lost and undone condition , and brought out of himself , and off from his sins , to give up himself entirely to jesus christ ; or dost thou not find him to this day under the power of ignorance , or in the mire of prophaneness ? hast thou not taken upon him the gains of unrighteousness ? dost not thou find him a stranger to prayer , a neglecter of the word , a lover of this present world ? dost not thou often catch him in a lie ? dost not thou find his heart fermented with malice , or burning with lust , or going after his covetousness ? speak plainly to all the forementioned particulars : canst thou acquit this man , this woman , from being any of the two and twenty sorts here described ? if he be found with any of them , set him aside , his portion is not with the saints . he must be converted and made a new creature , or else he cannot enter into the kingdom of god. beloved , be not your own betrayers , do not deceive your own hearts , nor set your hands to your own ruin , by a wilful blinding of your selves . set up a tribunal in your own breasts . bring the word and conscience together . to the law and to the testimony , isa. 8. 20. hear what the word concludes of your estates . o follow the search , till you have found how the case stands . mistake here , and perish . and such is the treachery of the heart , the subtilty of the tempter , and the deceitfulness of sin , ier. 17. 9. 2 cor. 11. 3. heb. 3. 13. all conspire to flatter and deceive the poor soul , and withal so common and easie it is to be mistaken , that it 's a thousand to one but you will be deceived , unless you be very careful , and thorough , and impartial in the enquiry into your spiritual conditions . oh therefore ply your work , go to the bottom , search as with candles , weigh you in the ballance , come to the standard of the sanctuary , bring your coin to the touch-stone . you have the archest cheats in the world to deal with : a world of counterfeit coin is going , happy is he that takes no counters for gold. satan is master of deceits , he can draw to the life : he is perfect in the trade : there is nothing but he can imitate . you cannot wish for any grace , but he can fit you to a hair with a counterfeit . trade wearily , look on every piece you take , be jealous ; ●rust not so much as your own hearts . run to god to search you , and try you , to examine you , and prove your reins , psalm 26. 2. psal. 139. 23 , 24. if other helps suffice not to bring all to an issue , but you are still at a loss , open your cases faithfully to some godly and faithful minister , mal. 2. 7. rest not , till you have put the business of your eternal welfare out of question , 1 pet. 2. 10. o searcher of hearts , put thou this soul upon and help him in the search . chap. v. shewing the miseries of the unconverted . so unspeakably dreadful is the case of every unconverted soul , that i have sometimes thoughts , if we could but convince men , that they are yet unregenerate , the work were upon the matter done . but i sadly experience , that such a spirit of sloth and slumber ( rom. 11. 8. mat. 13. 15. ) possesses the unsanctified , that though they be convinced that they are yet unconverted ; yet they oft-times carelesly sit still , and what through the avocation of sensual pleasures , or hurry of worldly business , or noise and clamour of earthly cares , and lusts , and affections , luke 8. 14. the voice of conscience is drowned , and men go no farther than some cold wishes , and general purposes of repenting and amending , acts 24. 25. it 's therefore of high necessity , that i do not only convince men , that they are unconverted ; but that i also endeavour to bring them to a sense of the fearful misery of this estate . but here i find my self aground at first putting forth . what tongue can tell the heirs of hell sufficiently of their misery , unless 't were dives's in that flame , luke 16. 24. where is the ready writer , whose pen can● decipher their misery , that are without god in the world ? eph. 2. 12. this cannot fully be done , unless we knew the infinite ocean of that bliss and perfection which is in that god , which a state of sin doth exclude men from . who knoweth ( saith moses ) the power of thine anger ? psal. 90. 11. and how shall i tell men , that which i do not know ? yet so much we know , as one would think would shake the hear● of that man , that had the least degree of spiritual life and sense . but this is yet the more posing difficulty , that i am to speak to them that are without sense . alas this is not the least part of man's misery upon him that he is dead , stark dead in trespasses and sins , eph. 2. 1. could i bring paradise into view , or represent the kingdom of heaven to as much advantage as the tempter did the kingdoms of the world , and all the glory thereof , to our saviour : or could i uncover the race of the deep and devouring gulph of tophet in all its terrors , and open the gates of the infernal furnace , alas he hath no eyes to see it , mat. 13. 14 , 15. could i paint out the beauties of holiness , or glory of the gospel to the life ; or could i bring above-board the more than diabolical deformity and ugliness of sin , he can no more judge of the loveliness and beauty of the one , nor the filthiness and hatefulness of the other , than the blind man of colours . he is alienated from the life of god , through the ignorance that is in him , because of the blindness of his heart , eph. 4. 18. he neither doth nor can know the things of god , because they are spiritually discerned , 1 cor. 2. 14. his eyes cannot be savingly opened , but by converting grace , acts 26. 18. he is a child of darkness , and walks in darkness , 1 ioh. 1. 6. yea the light in him is darkness , mat. 6. 2 , 3. shall i ring his knell , or read his sentence , or sound in his ear , the terrible trump of gods judgments , that one would think should make both his ears to tingle , and strike him into belshazzar's fit , even to appale his countenance , and loose his joynts , and make his knees smite one against another ? yet alas ! he perceives me not , he hath no ears to hear . or shall i call up all the daughters of musick , and sing the song of moses , and of the lamb ? yet he will not be stirred . shall i allure him with the joyful sound , and the lovely song , and glad tidings of the gospel ? with the most sweet and inviting calls , comforts , cordials , of the divine promises , so exceeding great and precious , it will not affect him savingly , unless i could find him ears , mat. 13. 15. as well as tell him the news . shall i set before him the feast of fat things , the wine of wisdom , the bread of god , the tree of life , the hidden manna ? he hath no appetite for them , no mind to them , 1 cor. 2. 14. mat. 22. 5. should i press the choicest grapes , the heavenly clusters of gospel priviledges , and drink to him in the richest wine of gods own cellar , yea of his own side , or set before him the delicious hony-comb of gods testimonies , psal. 19. 10. alas , he hath no tast to discern them . shall i invite the dead to arise and eat the banquet of their funerals ? no more can the dead in sin favour the holy food wherewith the lord of life hath spread his table . what then shall i do ? shall i burn the brimstone of hell at his nostrils ? or shall i open the box of spikenard , very precious● that filleth the whole house of this universe with its perfume , mark. 14. 3. iohn 12. 8. and hope that the favour of christ's ointments , and the smell of his garments will attract him ? psal. 45. 8. alas ! dead sinners are like the dumb idols , they have mouths , but they speak not ; eyes have they , but they see not ; they have ears , but they hear not ; noses have they , but they smell not ; they have hands , but they handle not ; feet have they , but they walk not : neither speak they through their throat , psal. 115. 5 , 6 , 7. they are destitute of all spiritual sense and motion . but let me try the sense that doth last leave us , and draw the sword of the word ; yet lay at him while i will ; yea though i choose mine arrows out of god's quiver , and direct them to the heart , nevertheless he feeleth it not ; for how should he , being past feeling ? eph. 4. 19. so that though the wrath of god abideth on him , and the mountainous weight of so many thousand sins , yet he goes up and down as light as if nothing ●iled him . rom. 7. 9. in a word he carries a dead soul in a living body , and his flesh is but the walking coffin of a corrupted mind , that is twice dead , iude 12. rotting in the slime and putrefaction of noisom lusts , mat. 23. 27 , 28. which way then shall i come at the miserable objects that i have to deal with ; who shall make the heart of stone to relent ? zech. 11. 12. or the lifeless carkass to feel and move ? that god that is able of stones to raise up children unto abraham , mat. 3. 9. that raiseth the dead , 2 cor. 1. 9. and melteth the mountains , nah. 1. 5. and strikes water out of the flints , deut. 8. 15. that loves to work like himself , beyond the hopes and belief of man , that peopleth his church with dry bones , and planteth his orchard with dry sticks ; he is able to do this . therefore i bow my knee to the most high god , eph. 3. 14. and as our saviour prayed at the sepulchre of lazarus , iohn 11. 38 , 41. and the shunamite ran to the man of god for her dead child , 2 kings 4. 25. so doth your mourning minister kneel about your graves , and carry you in the arms of prayer to that god in whom your help is found . oh thou all powerful iehovah , that workest , and none can lett thee , that hast the keys of hell and of death , pitty thou the dead souls that lie here intombed , and roll away the grave stone , and say as to lazarus , when already ●tinking , come forth . lighten thou this darkness , o inaccessable light , and let the day-spring from on high , visit the darksome region of the dead to whom i speak : for thou canst open the eyes that death it self hath closed . thou that formedst the ear , canst restore the hearing . say thou to these ears , ephphatah , and they shall be opened . give thou eyes to see thine excellencies ; a taste that may relish thy sweetness ; a scent that may savour thine ointments , a feeling that may sence the priviledge of thy favour , the burden of thy wrath , the intolerable weight of unpardoned sin , and give thy servants command to prophesie to the dry bones , and let the effect of this prophesie , be , as of thy prophet , when he prophesied the valley of dry bones into a living army , exceeding great , ezek. 37. 1 , &c. the hand of the lord was upon me , and carried me out in the spirit of the lord , and set me down in the midst of the valley , which was full of bones ; he said unto me , prophesie upon these bones , and say unto them , o ye dry bones , bear the word of the lord. thus saith the lord god unto these bones , behold i will cause breath to enter into you , and ye shall live . and i will lay sinews upon you , and will bring up flesh upon you , and cover you with skin , and put breath in you , and ye shall live , and ye shall know that i am the lord. so i prophesied as i was commanded , and as i prophesied , there was a noise , and behold a shaking , and the bones came together bone to his bone . and when i beheld , lo the sinew● and the flesh came up upon them , and covered them above , but there was no breath in them , then said he unto me , prophesie unto the wind , prophesie son of man , and say unto the wind : thus saith the lord god , come from the four winds , o breath and breathe upon these slain , that they may live , so i prophesied as he commanded me , and the breath came into them , and they lived , and stood up upon their feet , an exceeding great army . but i must proceed , as i am able , to unfold that misery , which i confess no tongue can unfold ; no heart can sufficiently comprehend . know therefore that while thou art unconverted . 1. the infinite god is engaged against thee . it is no small part of thy misery , that thou art without god , eph. 2. 12. how doth micah run crying after the danites ; you have taken away my gods , and what have i more ? judges 18. 23 , 24. o what a mourning then must thou lift up , that art without god , that canst lay no claim to him , without daring unsurpation ! thou mayst say of god , as sheba of david ; we have no part in david , neither have we inheritance in the son of jesse , 2. sam. 20. 1. how pittiful and piercing a moan is that of saul in his extremity ; the philistines are upon me , and god is departed from me , 1. sam. 28. 15. sinners , but what will you do in the day of your visitation ? whither will you flee for help ? where will you leave your glory ? isa. 10. 3. what will you do when the philistines are upon you ? when the world shall take its eternal leave of you ; when you must bid your friends , houses , lands , farewel for evermore ? what will you do then , i say , that have never a god to go to ? will you call on him , will you cry to him for help ? alas he will not own you , prov. 1. 28 , 29. he will not take any knowledge of you , but send you packing , with an i never knew you . mat. 7. 23. they that know what 't is to have a god to go to , a god to live upon , they know a little , what a fearful misery it is to be without god. this made that holy man cry out , let me have a god , or nothing . let me know him and his will , and what will please him , and how i may come to enjoy him , or would i had never had an understanding to know any thing , &c. but thou art not only without god , but god is against thee , ezek. 5. 8 , 9. nah. 2. 13. oh if god would but stand a neuter , though he did not own , nor help the poor sinner , his case were not so deeply miserable . though god should give up the poor creature to the will of all his enemies , to do their worst with him ; though he should deliver him over to the tormentors , mat. 18. 〈◊〉 that devils should tear and torture him to their 〈◊〉 most power and skill , yet this were not half ●o fearful . but god will set himself against the sinner ; and believe it , 't is a fearful thing , to fall into the hands of the living god , heb. 10. 31. there●s no friend like him , no enemy like him . as much as heaven is above the earth , omnipotency , above impotency , infinity above nullity , so much more horrible is it to fall into the hands of the living god , than into the paws● of bears or lions , yea furies , or devils . god himself will be thy tormentor ; thy destruction shall come from the presence of the lord , 2 thes. 1. 9. tophet is deep and large , and the wrath of the lord , like a river of brimstone , doth kindle it , isa. 30. 33. if god be against thee , who shall be for thee ? if one man sin against another , the judge shall judge him ; but if a man sin against the lord , who shall intreat for him ? 1 sam. 2. 25. thou , even thou , art to be feared ; and who shall stand in thy fight , when once thou art angry ? psal. 76. 7. who● is that god , that shall deliver you out of his hands , dan. 3. 15. can mammon ? riches profit not in the day of wrath , prov. 11. 4. can kings , or warriors ? no , they shall cry to the mountains and rocks to fall on us , and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne , and from the wrath of the lamb , for the great day of his wrath is come , and who shall be able to stand ? rev. 6. 15 , 16 , 17. sinner , methinks this should go like a dagger to thine heart , to know that god is thine enemy . oh whither wilt thou go , where wilt thou shelter thee ? there is no hope for thee , unless thou lay down thy weapons , and sue out thy pardon , and get christ to stand thy friend , and make thy peace . if it were not for this , thou mightest go into some howling wilderness , and there pine in sorrow : and run mad for anguish of heart and horrible despair . but in christ there is a possibility of mercy for thee , yea a proffer of mercy to thee , that thou mayst have god to be more for thee , than he is now against thee . but if thou wilt not forsake thy sins , nor turn thoroughly and to purpose unto god , by a sound conversion , the wrath of god , abideth on thee , and he proclaims himself to be against thee , as in the prophet , ezek. 5. 8. therefore , thus saith the lord god , behold , i , even i , am against thee . i. his face is against thee . psal. 34. 16. the face of the lord is against them that do evil , to cut off the remembrance of them . wo unto them whom god shall set his face against . when he did but look upon the host of the egyptians , how terrible was the consequence ? ezek. 14. 8. i will set my face against that man , and will make him a sign , and proverb , and will cut him off from the midst of my people , and you shall know that i am the lord. 2. his heart is against thee : he hateth all the workers of iniquity . man , doth not thine heart tremble to think of thy being an object of god's hatred ? ier. 15. 1. though moses and samuel stood before me , yet my mind could not be towards this people , cast them out of my sight , zech. 7. 8. my soul loathed them , and their souls also abhorred me . 3. his hand is against thee , 1 sam. 12. 14 , 15. all his attributes are against thee . first , his justice is like a flaming sword unsheathed against thee . if i whet my glittering sword , and my hand take hold on judgment , i will render vengeance to mine adversaries , and will reward them that hate me . i will make mine arrows drunk with blood , &c. deut. 32. 40 , 41. so exact is justice , that 't will by no means clear the guilty , exod. 34. 7. god will not discharge thee , he will not hold thee guiltless , exod. 20. 7. but will require the whole debt in person of thee ; unless thou canst make a scripture claim to christ and his satisfaction . when the enlightned sinner looks on justice , and sees the ballance in which he must be weighed , and the sword by which he must be executed , he feels an earth-quake in his breast . but satan keeps this out of sight , and perswades the soul while he can , that the lord is all made up of mercy , and so lulls it asleep in sin . divine justice is very strict ; it must have satisfaction to the utmost farthing ; it denounceth indignation and wrath , tribulation and anguish , to every soul that doth evil , rom. 2. 8 , 9. it curseth every one that continueth not in every thing that is written in the law to do it , gal. 3. 10. the justice of god to the unpardoned sinner , that hath a sense of his misery is more terrible than the sight of the bayliff or creditor to the bankrupt debtor , or than the sight of the judge , and bench to the robber , or of the irons and gibbet to the guilty murderer . when justice sits upon life and death , oh what dre●dful work doth it make with the wretched sinner ? bind him hand and foot , cast him , into utter darkness , there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth , mat. 22. 13. depart from me , ye cursed , into everlasting fire , mat. 25. 41. this is the terrible sentence that justice pronounceth . why sinner , by this severe justice must thou be tryed ; and as god liveth , this killing sentence shalt thou hear , unless thou repent and be converted . secondly , the holiness of god is full of antipathy against thee , psal. 5. 4 , 5. he is not only angry with thee ( so he may be with his own children ) but he hath a fixed , rooted , habitual displeasure against thee ; he loaths thee , zech. 11. 8. and what is done by thee , though for substance commanded by him , isa. 1. 14. mal. 1. 10. as if a man should give his servant never so good meat to dress : yet if he should mingle filth , or poyson with it , he would not touch it . gods nature is infinitely contrary to sin , and so he cannot but hate a sinner out of christ. o what a misery is this , to be out of the favour , yea , under the hatred of god! eccles. 5. 4. hos. 9. 15. that god can as easily lay aside his nature , and cease to be god , as not be contrary to thee and detest thee , except thou be changed and renewed by grace ! o sinner , how darest thou to think of the bright and radiant sun of purity , upon the beauties , the glory of holiness that is in god! the stars are not pure in his sight ; job 25. 5. he humbleth himself to behold things that are done in heaven , psal. 11. 3. 6. o those light and sparkling eyes of his ! what do they espy in thee ? and thou hast no interest in christ neither , that he should plead for thee . methinks i should hear thee crying out astonished , with the bethshemites , who shall stand before this holy lord god ? 1 sam. 6. 20. thirdly , the power of god is mounted like a mighty cannon against thee . the glory of gods power is to be displayed , in the wonderful confusion and destruction of them that obey not the gospel , 2 thes. 1. 8 , 9. he will make his power known in them , rom. 9. 22. how mightily he can torment them : for this end he raiseth them up , that he might make his power known , rom. 9. 17. o man , art thou able to make thy party good with thy maker ? no more than a silly reed , against the cedars of god , or a little cock-boat against the tumbling ocean ; or the childrens bubbles , against the blustring winds . sinner , the power of gods anger is against thee , psal. 90. 11. and power and anger together , make fearful work . 't were better thou hadst all the world in arms against thee , than to have the power of god against thee . there is no escaping his hands , no breaking his prison : the thunder of his power who can understand ? iob 26. 14. unhappy man that shall understand it by feeling it ! if he will contend with him , he cannot answer him one of a thousand . he is wise in heart , and mighty in strength ; who hath hardned himself against him , and prospered ? which removeth the mountains and they know it not , which overturneth them in his anger : which shaketh the earth out of her place , and the pillars thereof tremble : which commandeth the sun , and it riseth not , and sealeth up the stars . behold he taketh away , who can hinder him ? who will say unto him , what dost thou ? if god will not withdraw his anger , the proud helpers do stoop under him , iob 9. 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , &c. and art thou a fit match for such an antagonist ? o consider , this you that forget god , lest he tear you in pieces , and there be none to deliver you , psal. 50. 22. submit to mercy . let not dust and stubble stand it out against the almighty . set not briars and thorns against him in battle , lest he go through them , and consume them together ; but tay hold on his strength , that you may make peace with him , isa. 27. 4 , 5. wo to him that striveth with his maker , isa. 45. 9. fourthly , the wisdom of god is set to ruin thee . he hath ordained his arrows , and prepared the instruments of death , and made all things ready , psal. 7. 12 , 13. his counsels are against thee , to contrive they destruction , ier. 18. 11. he laughs in himself , to see how thou wilt be taken and ensnared in the evil day , psal. 37. 13. the lord shall laugh at him , for he seeth that the day is coming . he sees how thou wilt come down mightily in a moment ; how thou wilt wring thine hands , and tear thine hair , and eat thy flesh , and gnash thy teeth for anguish and astonishment of heart , when thou seest thou art fallen remedilesly into the pit of destruction . fifthly , the truth of god is sworn against thee , psal. 95. 11. if he be true and faithful thou must perish , if thou goest on , luke 13. 3. unless he be false of his word , thou must die , except thou repent , ezek. 33. 11. if we believe not , yet he abideth faithful , he cannot deny himself , 2 tim. 2. 13. that is , he is faithful to his threatnings , as well as promises , and will shew his faithfulness in our confusion , if we believe not . god hath told thee , as plain as it can be spoken , that if he wash thee not , thou hast no part in him , john 13. 8. that if thou livest after the flesh , thou shalt die , rom. 8. 13. that except thou be converted , thou shalt in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven , mat. 18. 3. and he abideth faithful , he cannot deny himself . beloved , as the immutable faithfulness of god in his promise and oath , afford believers strong consolation , heb. 6. 18. so they are to unbelievers , for strong consternation and confusion . o sinner , tell me , what shift dost thou make to think of all the threatnings of gods word , that stand upon record against thee ? dost thou believe their truth , or not ? if not , thou art a wretched in●idel , and not a christian ; and therefore give over the name and hopes of a christian. but if thou dost believe them , o heart of steel that thou hast , that canst walk up and down in quiet , when the truth and faithfulness of god is engaged to destroy thee ! that if god almighty can do it , thou shalt surely perish and be damned . why man , the whole book of god doth testifie against thee , while thou remainest unsanctified : it condemns thee in every leaf , and is to thee , like ezekiel's roll , written within and without with lamentation and mourning and woe , ezek. 2. 10. and all this shall surely come upon thee , and overtake thee , deut. 28. 15. except thou repent . heaven and earth shall pass away , but one jot , or tittle of this word shall never pass away , mat. 5. 18. now put all this together , and tell me , if the case of the unconverted be not deplorably miserable as we read of some persons , that had bound themselves in an oath , and in a curse to kill paul : so thou must know , o sinner , to thy terrer , that all the attributes of the infinite god are bound in an oath to destroy thee , heb. 3. 28. o man , what wilt thou do ? whither wilt thou fly ? if gods omnisciency can find thee , thou shalt not escape . if the true and faithful god will save his oath , perish thou must , except thou believe and repent . if the almighty hath power to torment thee , thou shalt be perfectly miserable in soul and body to all eternity , unless it be prevented by thy speedy conversion . ii. the whole creation of god is against thee . the whole creation ( saith paul ) groaneth and travelleth in pain , rom. 8. 22. but what is it that the creation groaneth under ? why , the fearful abuse that it is subject to , in serving the lusts of unsanctified men . and what is it that the creation groaneth for ? why , for freedom and liberty from this abuse ; for the creature is very unwillingly subject to this bondage , rom. 8. 19 , 20 , 21. if the unreasonable and inanimate creatures had speech and reason , they would cry out under it , as bondage unsufferable , to be abused by the ungodly , contrary to their natures , and the ends that the great creator made them for . it is a passage of an eminent divine ; the liquor that the drunkard drinketh , if it had reason as well as a man , to know how shamefully 't is abused and spoiled , it would groan in the barrels against him , it would groan in the cup against him , groan in his throat , in his belly , against him . it would fly in his face , if it could speak . and if god should open the mouths of the creatures as he did the mouth of balaam's ass , the proud mans garments on his back would groan against him . there is never a creature but if it had reason to know how 't is abused , till a man be converted , it would groan against him . the land would groan to bear him , the air would groan to give him breathing , their houses would groan to lodge them , their beds would groan to ease them , their food to nourish them , their clothes to cover them , and the creature would groan to give them any help and comfort , so long as they live in sin against god. thus far he . methinks this should be a terror to an unconverted soul , to think that he is a burden to the creation , luke 13. 7. cut it down , why cumbreth it the ground ? if the poor inanimate creatures could but speak , they would say to the ungodly , as moses to israel must we fetch you water out of the rock , ye rebe's ? numb . 2. 10. thy food would say , lord , must i nourish such a wretch as this , and yield forth my strength for him , to dishonour thee withall ? no. i will choak him rather , if thou wilt give me commission . the very air would say , lord , must i give this man breath , to set his tongue against heaven , and scorn thy people , and vent his pride and wrath , and filthy communication , and belch our oaths and blasphemy against thee ? no , if thou but say the word , he shall be breathless for me . his poor beast would say , lord , must i carry him upon his wicked designs ? no , i will break his bones , i will end his days rather , if i may have but leave from thee . a wicked man , the earth groans under him , and hell groans for him , till death satisfies both , and unburdens the earth , and stops the mouth of hell with him . while the lord of hosts is against thee , be sure the hosts of the lord are against thee , and all the creatures as it were up in arms , till upon a mans convertion , the controversie being taken up between god and him , he makes a convenant of peace with the creatures for him , iob 5. 22 , 23 , 24. hos. 2. 18 , 19 , 20. iii. the roaring lyon hath his full power upon thee , 1 pet. 5. 8. thou art fast in the paw of that lion , that is greedy to devour ; in the snare of the devil , led captive by him at 〈◊〉 will , 2 tim. 2. 26. this is the spirit that worketh in 〈◊〉 children of disobedience , eph. 2. 2. his drudge● they are , and his lusts they do . he is the ruler of the darkness of this world , eph. 6. 12. that is , of ignorant sinners that live in darkness . you pitty the poor indians , that worship the devil for their god , but little think that 't is your own case . why , 't is the common misery of all the unsanctified , that the devil is their god , 2 cor. 4. 4. not that they do intend to do him homage and worship , they will be ready to defie him , and him that should say so by them ; but all this while they serve him , and come and go at his beck , and live under his government . his servants you are , to whom you yield your selves to obey , rom. 6. 16. oh how many then will be found the real servants of the devil , that take themselves for no other than the children of god ? he can no sooner offer a sinfull delight , or opportunity for your unlawful advantage , but you embrace it . if he suggest a lie , or prompt you to revenge , you readily obey . if he forbid you to read , or pray , you hearken to him , and therefore his servants you are . indeed he lies behind the curtain , he acts in the dark , and sinners ●ee not who setteth them on work ; but all the while he leads them in a string . doubtless the l●ar intends not a service to satan , but his own advantage : yet 't is he that stands in the corner unobserved , and putteth the thing into his heart , acts 5. 3. iohn 8. 44. questionless iudas when he sold his master for money , and the chaldea●s and sabeans when they plundred iob , intended not to do the devil a pleasure , but to satisfie their own covetous thirst : yet 't was he that actuated them in their wickedness , iohn 13. 27. iob 1. 12 , 15 , 17. men may be very slaves and common drudges for the devil , and never know it ; nay they may please themselves in the thoughts of a happy liberty , 2 pet. 2. 19. art thou yet in ignorance , and not turned from darkness to light ? why thou art under the power of satan acts ●6 . 18. dost thou live in the ordinary and wilful practice of any known sin ? know that thou art of the devil , 1 iohn 3. 8. dost thou live in stri●● or envy , or malice ? verily he is thy father , io● . 8. 40. 41. o dreadful case ! however satan 〈…〉 his slaves with divers pleasures , tit. 3. 5. 〈…〉 to 〈◊〉 them into endless perdition . 〈…〉 with the ●pple in his mouth , 〈…〉 thou seest not the deadly sting 〈…〉 that is now thy temprer will be one 〈…〉 could b●● give thee to see how 〈…〉 how filthy 〈…〉 thou gratified , all whose pleasure is to set thee on work to make thy perdition and damnation sure , and to hear the 〈◊〉 hotter and hotter , in which thou must burn for millions of mi●●ions of ages . iv. the 〈…〉 like a mountain upon thee . poor soul ● thou feelest it not , but this is that which seals thy misery upon thee . while unconverted , none of thy sins are blotted out , acts 3. 19. they are all upon the score against thee : regeneration and remission are never separated ; the unsanctified are unquestionably unjustified and unpardoned , 1 cor. 6. 11. 1 pet. 1. 2. heb. 9. 14. beloved , it 's a fearful thing to be in debt , but above all in god's debt : for there is no arrest so formidable as his ; no prison so horrible as his . look upon an enlightned sinner , who feels the weight of his own guilt , oh how frightful are his looks , how fearful are his complaints ? his comforts are turned into wormwood , and his moisture into drought , and his sleep departeth from his eyes . he is a terror to himself and all that are about him , and is ready to envy the very stones that lie in the street , because they are senseless , and feel not his misery ; and wishes he had been a dog , or a toad , or a serpent rather than a man , because then death , had put an end to his misery , whereas now it will be but the beginning of that which will know no ending . how light soever you may make of it now , you will one day find the guilt of unpardoned sin to be a heavy burden . this is a milstone that whosoever falleth upon it shall be broken , but upon whomsoever it shall fall it shall grind him to powder , mat. 21. 44. what work did it make with our saviour ? it pressed the very blood ( to a wonder ) out of his veins , and broke all his bones : and if it did this in the green tree , what will it do in the dry ? oh think of thy case in time . canst thou think of that threat without trembling , ye shall die in your sins , john 8. 24. oh better were it for thee to die in a goal , die in a ditch , in a dungeon , than die in thy sins . if death , as it will take away all thy other comforts , would take away thy sins too , it were some ●itigation . but thy sins will follow thee , when thy friends leave thee , and all worldly enjoyments shake hands with thee : thy sins will not die with thee , 2 cor. 5● 10. rev. 20. 12. as a prisoners other debts will ; but they will to judgment with thee , there to be thine accusers , and they will to hell with thee , there to be thy tormentors . better to have so many fiends and furies about thee , than thy sins to fall upon thee and fasten in thee . oh the work that these will make thee ! o look over thy debts in time ! how much art thou in the books of every one of gods laws ? how is every one of gods commandments ready to arrest thee , and take thee by the throat for innumerable bonds that it hath upon thee ? what wilt thou do then , when they shall altogether lay in against thee ? hold open the eyes of conscience to consider this , that thou mayst despair of thy self , and be driven to christ , and fly for refuge , to lay hold upon the hope that is set before thee , heb. 6. 18. v. thy raging l●sts do miserably enslave thee . while unconverted thou art a very servant to sin , it reigns over thee , and holds thee under its dominion , till thou art brought within the bond of gods covenant , iohn 8. 34. 36. tit. 3. 3. rom. 6. 12 , 14. rom. 6. 16 , 17. now there 's no such tyrant as sin . oh the filthy and fearful work , that it doth ingage its servants in ! would it not pierce a mans heart to see a company of poor creatures drudging and toiling , and all to carry together faggots and fuel for their own burning ? why , this is the employment of sins drudges . even while they bless themselves in their unrighteous gains ; while they sing and swill in pleasures , they are but treasuring up wrath and vengeance for their eternal burnings ; they are but laying in powder and bullers , and adding to the pile of t●pher , and slinging in oyl to make the flame rage the fiercer . who would serve such a master , whose work is drudgery , and whose wages is death ? rom. 6. 23. what a woful spectacle was that poor wretch possessed with the legion ? would it not have pitied thine heart to have seen him among the tombs , cutting and wounding of himself ? mark. 5. 5. this is thy case , such is thy work . every stroke is a thrust at thine heart , 1 tim. 6. 10. conscience indeed is now asleep ; but when death and judgment shall bring thee to thy senses , then wilt thou feel the raging smart and anguish of every wound . the convinced sinner is a sensible instance of the miserable bondage of sin . conscience flies upon him , and tells him what the end of these things will be ; and yet such a slave is he to his lusts , that on he must , though he see it will be his endless perdition ; and when the temptation comes , lust gets the bit in his mouth , breaks all the cords of his vows and promises , and carries him headlong to his own destruction . vi. the furnace of eternal vengeance is heated ready for thee , isa. 30. 33. hell and destruction open their mouths upon thee , they gape for thee , they groan for thee , isa. 5. 14. waiting as it were with a greedy eye , as thou standest upon the brink , when thou wilt drop in . if the wrath of a man be as the roaring of a lion , prov. 20. 2. more heavy than the sand , prov. 27. 3. what is the wrath of the infinite god ? if the burning furnace heated in nebuchad●●zzar's fiery rage , when he commanded it to be made yet seven times hotter , were so fierce as to burn up even those that drew near it , to throw the three children in dan. 3. 19 , 22. how hot is that burning oven of the almighty's fury ? mal. 4. 1. surely this is seventy times seven more fierce . what thinkest thou , o man , of being a saggo●in hell to all eternity ? can thine heart endure , or can thine hands be strong in the day that i shall deal with thee , saith the lord of hosts ? ezek. 22. 14. canst thou dwell with everlasting burnings ? canst thou abide the consuming fire ? isa 33. 4. when thou shalt be as a glowing iron in hell , and thy whole body and soul shall be as perfectly possessed by gods burning vengeance , as the fiery sparkling iron , when heated in the ●iercest forge ? thou canst not bear god's whip , how then wilt thou endure his scorpions ? thou art even crushed , and ready to with thy self dead , under the weight of his finger , how then wilt thou bear the weight of his loyns ? the most patient man that ever was , did curse the day that ever he was born , iob 3. 1. and even wish death to come and end his misery , iob 7. 15 , 16. when god did but let out one little drop of his wrath . how then wilt thou endure when god shall pour out all his vials , and set himself against thee to torment thee ? when he shall make thy conscience the tunnel , by which he will be pouring his burning wrath into thy soul for ever ; and when he shall fill all thy powers as full of torment , as they be now full of sin ? when immortality shall be thy misery , and to die the death of a brute , and be swallowed into the gulf of annihilation , shall be such a felicity , as the whole eternity of wishes & an ocean of tears shall never purchase ? now thou canst put off the evil day , and canst laugh and be merry , and forget the terror of the lord , 2 cor. 5. 11. but how wilt thou hold out , or hold up , when god will cast thee into a bed of torments , rev. 2. 21 , and make thee to 〈◊〉 down in sorrows ? isa. 50. 11. when roarings and blasphemy shall be thine only musick , and the wine of the wrath of god , which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation , shall be thine only drink ? rev. 14. 10. when thou shalt draw in flames for thy breath , and the horrid stench of sulphur shall be thy only perfume ? in a word , when the smoak of thy torment shall ascend for ever and ever , and thou shalt have no rest , night nor day no rest in thy conscience , no ease in thy bones , but thou shalt be an execration , and an astonishment , and a curse , and a reproach for evermore ? ier. 42. 〈◊〉 o sinner , stop here ; and consider . if thou art a man , and not a senseless block , consider . bethink thy self where thou standest , why upon the very brink of his ●urnace . as the lord liveth , and thy soul liveth , there is but a step between thee and this , 1 sam. 20. 3. thou knowest not when thou lyest down , but thou mayest be in before the morning , thou knowest not when thou risest , but thou may 〈◊〉 drop in before the night . darest thou make light of this ? wilt thou go on in such a dreadful condition● as if nothing ailed thee ? if thou puttest it off , and sayest , this doth not belong to thee ; look again over the foregoing chapter , and tell me the truth , are none of these black marks found upon thee ? do not blind thine eyes , do not deceive thy self : see thy misery while thou mayst prevent it . think what 't is to be a vile cast-out , a damned reprobate , a vessel of wrath , into which the lord will be pouring out his tormenting fury , while he hath a being , rom. 9. 22. divine wrath is a fierce , deut. 32. 22. devouring isa. 33. 14. everlasting , mat. 25. 41. unquenchable fire , mat. 3. 12. and thy soul and body must be the fuel upon which it will be feeding for ever , unless thou consider thy ways , and speedily turn to the lord by a sound conversion . they that have been only singed by this fire , and had no more but the smell thereof passing upon them ; oh what amazing spectacles have they been ! whose heart would not have melted , to have heard spira's out-cries ; to have seen chaloner that monument of justice , worn to skin and bones , blaspheming , the god of heaven , cursing himself , and continually crying out , o torture , torture , torture , o torture , torture , as if the flames of wrath had already took hold on him ? to have heard rogers crying out , i have had a little pleasure , but now i must to hell for evermore ; wishing but for this mitigation , that god would but let him lie burning for ever behind the back of that fire ( on the earth ) and bringing in this sad conclusion still , at the end of whatever was spoken to him , to afford him some hope , i must to hell , i must to the furnace of hell , for millions of millions of ages ? o if the fears and forethoughts of the wrath to come be so terrible , so intolerable , what is the feeling of it ? sinner , 't is but in vain to flatter you , this would be but to toll you into the unquenchable fire ; know ye from the living god , that here you must lie , with these burnings must you dwell , till immortality die , and immutability change , till eternity run out , and omnipotency is not longer able to torment , except you be in good earnest renewed throughout by sanctifying grace . vii . the law dischargeth all its threats and curses at thee , gal. 3. 10. rom. 7. oh how dreadfully doth it thunder ? it spits fire and brimstone in thy face . its words are as drawn swords , and as the sharp arrows of the mighty , it demands satisfaction to the utmost , and cries justice , justice . it speaks blood and war , and wounds , and death against thee . oh the execrations , and plagues , and deaths , that this murdering piece is loaded with ( read deut. 28. 15 , 16 , &c. ) and thou art the mark at which this sno● is levelled . o man , away to the strong hold , zech. 9. 12. away from thy sins , haste to the sanctuary , the city of refuge , heb. 13. 13. even the lord jesus christ , hide thee in him , or else thou art lost without any hope of recovery . viii . the gospel it self bin deth the sentence of eternal damnation upon thee , mark 16. 16. if thou continuest in thine impenitent and unconverted estate , know that the gospel denounceth a much forer condemnation , than ever would have been for the transgression only of the first covenant . is it not a dreadful case to have the gospel it self fill its mouth with threats , and thunder , and damnation ? to have the lord to roar from mount sion against thee ? ioel 3. 16. hear the terror of the lord. he that believeth not shall be damned ; except ye repent ye shall all perish , luke 13. 3. this is the condemnation that light is come into the world , and men love darkness rather than light , iohn 3. 19. he that believeth not , the wrath of god abideth on him , ioh. 3. 36. if the word spoken by angels was stedfast , and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward , how shall we escape , if we neglect so great salvation ? heb. 2. 2 , 3. he that despised moses's law died without mercy : of how much sorer punishment shall he be thought worthy , that hath trampled under foot the son of god ? heb. 10. 28 , 29. application . and is this true indeed ? is this thy misery ? yea , 't is as true as god is . better open thine eyes and see it now , while thou mayst remedy it , than blind and harden thy self , till , to thine eternal sorrow , thou shalt feel what thou wouldst not believe ; and if it be true , what dost thou mean to loyter , and linger in such a case as this ? alas for thee , poor man , how effectually hath sin undone thee , and deprived and despoiled thee even of thy reason to look after thine own everlasting good ? o miserable caitiff , what stupidity and senselesness hath surprized thee ? oh! let me knock up and awake this sleeper . who dwells within the walls of this flesh ? is there ever a soul here , a rational understanding soul ? or art thou only a walking ghost , a senseless lump ? art thou a reasonable soul , and yet so far brutified , as to forget thy self immortal , and to think thy self to be as the beasts that perish ? art thou turned into flesh ? that thou savourest nothing but gratifying the sense , and making provision for the flesh ? or else having reason to understand the eternity of thy future estate , dost thou yet make light of being everlastingly miserable ? which is to be so much below a brute , as it is worse to act against reason , than to act without it . o unhappy soul , that wast the glory of man , the mate of angels , and the image of god! that wast god's representative in the world , and hadst the supremacy amongst the creatures , and the dominion over thy maker's works ! art thou now become a slave to sense , a servant to so base an idol , as thy belly ? for no higher felicity than to fill thee with the wind of mans applause , or heaping together a little refined earth , no more suitable to thy spiritual , immortal nature , than the dirt , and sticks ? oh , why dost thou not bethink thee where thou shalt be for ever ? death is at hand , the iudge is even at the door , jam. 5. 9. yet , a little while and time shall be no longer , rev. 10. 5 , 6. and wilt thou run the hazard of continuing in such a state , in which if thou be overtaken , thou art irrecoverably miserable . come then , arise , and attend thy nearest concernments . tell me whither art thou going ? what , wilt thou live in such a course , wherein every act is a step to perdition ? and thou dost not know , but the next night , thou mayst make thy bed in hell ? oh! if thou hast a spark of reason , consider and turn , and hearken to thy very friend , who would therefore shew thee thy present misery , that thou mightest in time make thine escape , and be eternally happy . hear what the lord saith ; fear ye not me , saith the lord ? will ye not tremble at my presence ? jer. 5. 22. o sinners do ye make light of the wrath to come ? mat , 3. 7. i am sure there is a time coming , when you will not make light of it . why , the very devils do believe and tremble , james 2. 19. what! you more hardned than they ? will you run upon the edge of the rock ? will you play at the hole of the asp ? will you put your hand upon the cockat●ice's den ? will you dance about the fire , till you are burnt ? or dally with devouring wrath , as if you were at a point of indifferency , whether you did escape it , or endure it ? o madness of folly ! solomon's mad-man , that casteth fire-brands and arrows , and death , and saith , am i not in jest ? prov. 26. 18. is nothing so distracted as the wilful sinner , luke 15. 17. that goeth on in his unconverted estate without sense , as if nothing ailed him . the man that runs on the cannons mouth , that sports with his blood , or le ts out his life in a frollick , is sensible , sober and serious , to him that goeth on still in his trespasses , psalm 68. 21. for he stretcheth out his hand against god , and strengthneth himself against the almighty . he runneth upon him , even upon his neck , upon the thick bosses of his buckler , job 15. 25 , 26. is it wisdom to dally with the second death , or to venture into the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone , rev. 21. 8. as if thou wert but going to wash thee , or swim for thy recreation ? wilt thou , as it were , fetch thy vieze , and jump into eternal flames , as the children through the bon-fire ? what shall i say ? i can find out no expression , no comparison whereby to set forth the dreadful distraction of that soul , that shall go on in sin . awake , awake , eph. 5. 14. oh sinner , arise and take thy flight . there is but one door that thou mayst fly by , and that is the strait door of conversion and the new birth . unless thou turn unfeignedly from all thy sins , and come in to jesus christ , and take him for the lord thy righteousness , and walk in him in holiness and newness of life ; as the lord liveth , it is not more certain that thou art now out of hell , than that thou shalt without fail be in it , but a few days and nights from hence . o set thine heart to think of thy case . is not thine everlasting misery or welfare that which doth deserve a little consideration ? lo●● again over the miseries of the unconverted . if the lord hath not spoken by me , regard me not . but if it be the very word of god , that all this miser● lies upon thee , what a case art thou in ? is it for one that hath his senses , to live in such a condition , and not to make all possible expedition for preventing his utter ruin ? o man , who hath bewitched thee , gal. 3. 1. that in the matters of the present life thou shouldst be wise enough to forecast thy business , foresee thy danger , and prevent thy mischief , but in matters of everlasting consequence shouldst be slight and careless , as if they little concerned thee ? why , is it nothing to thee to have all the attributes of god engaged against thee ? canst thou do well without his favour ? canst thou escape his hands , or endure his vengeance ? dost thou hear the creation groaning under thee , and hell groaning for thee , and yet think thy case good enough ? art thou in the paw of the lion , under the power of corruption , in the dark and noisome prison , fetter'd with thy lusts , working out thine own damnation ; and is not this worth the considering ? wilt thou make light of all the terrours of the law ; of all its curses , and thunderbolts ; as if they were but the report of the childrens pot● guns , or thou went to war with their paper pellets ? dost thou laugh at hell and destruction , or canst thou drink the envenomed cup of the almighty's fury , as if it were but a common portion ? gird up now thy lovns like a man , for i will demand of thee , and answer thou me , iob 40. 7. art thou such a leviathan , as that the scales of thy pride should keep thee from thy makers coming at thee ? wilt thou esteem his arrows as straw , and the instruments of death as rotten wood ? art thou chief of all the children of pride , even that thou shouldst count his darts as stubble ; and laugh at the shaking of his spear ? art thou made without fear , and contemnest his barbed irons ? iob 41. art thou like the horse that paweth in the valley , and rejo●ceth in his strength , who 〈◊〉 out to meet the armed men ? dost thou mock at fear , and art not affrighted , neither turnest back from gods sword ; when his quiver ratleth against thee , the glittering spear and the shield ? iob 39. 21 , 22 , 23. well , if the threats and calls of the word will not fear thee , nor awaken thee , i am sure death and judgment will. oh what wilt thou do when the lord cometh forth against thee , and in his fury falleth upon thee , and thou shalt feel what thou readest ? if when daniel's enemies were cast into the den of lions , both they and their wives and their children , the lions had the mastery of them , and brake all their bones in pieces , ere ever they came at the bottom of the den , dan. 6. 24. what shall be done with thee , when thou fallest into the hands of the living god ? when he shall gripe thee in his iron arms , and grind and crush thee to a thousand pieces in his wrath ? oh do not then contend with god. repent and be converted , so none of this shall come upon thee ; isa. 55. 6 , 7. seek ye the lord while he may be found , call ye upon him while he is near . let the wicked forsake his way , and the unrighteous man his thoughts , let him return unto the lord , and he will have mercy on him , and to our god , for he will abundantly pardon . chap. vi. containing directions for conversion . mark 10. 17. and there came one , and kneeled to him , and asked him , good master , what shall i do that i may inherit eternal life ? before thou readest these directions , i advise thee , yea , i charge thee before god , and his holy angels , to resolve to follow them ( as far as conscience shall be convin●●d of their agreeableness to gods word , and thy estate , and call in his assistance and blessing that they may succeed . and as i have sought the lord , and consulted his oracles what advice to give thee , so must thou entertain it , with that awe , reverence , and purpose of obedience that the word of the living god doth require . now then attend . set thine heart unto all that i shall testifie unto thee in this day ; for it is not a vain thing , it is your life , deut. 32. 46. this is the end of all that hath been spoken hitherto , to bring you to set upon turning , and making use of gods means for your conversion . i would not trouble you , nor torment you before the time with the forethoughts of your eternal misery , but in order to your making your escape . were you shut up under your present misery , without remedy , it were but mercy ( as one speaks ) to let you alone , that you might take in that little poor comfort , that you are capable of here in this world . but you may yet be happy : if you do not wilfully refuse the means of your recovery . behold , i hold open the door unto you , arise take your flight ; i set the way of life before you , walk in it , and you shall live and not die , deut 30. 19. ier. 9. 16. it pities me to think you should be your own murderers , and throw your selves headlong , when god and men cry out to you , as peter , in another case , to his master , spare thy self . a noble virgin , that attended the court of spain , was wickedly ravished by the king and hereupon exciting the duke her father to revenge , he called in the moors to his help , who when they had executed his design , miserably wasted and spoiled the country , which this virgin laying so exceedingly to heart , shut her self up in a tower belonging to her father's house , and desired her father and mother might be called forth ; and bewailing to them her own wretchedness , that she should have occasioned so much misery and desolation to her country , for the satisfying of her revenge , she told them she was resolved to be avenged upon her self . her father and mother besought her to pity her self and them , but nothing could prevail , but she took her leave of them , and threw her self off the battlements , and so perished before their faces . just thus is the wilful destruction of ungodly men . the god that made them beseecheth them , and cryeth out to them , as paul to the distracted jaylor , when about to murder himself , do thy self no harm . the ministers of christ forewarn them and follow them , and ●ain would have them back . but alas ! no expo●tulations , nor obtestations will prevail ; but men will hurl themselves into perdition , while pity it self looketh on . what shall i say ? would it not grieve a person of any humanity , if in the time of a reigning plague he should have a receipt ( as one said well ) that would infallibly cure all the country , and recover the most hopeless patients , and yet his friends and neighbours should die by the hundreds about him , because they would not use it ? men and brethren , though you carry the certain symptoms of death in your faces , yet i have a receipt that will cure you all , that will cure infallibly . follow but these few directions , and if you do not then win heaven , i will be content to lose it . hear then , oh sinner , and as ever thou wouldst be converted and saved , embrace this following counsel . direct . i. set it down with thy self , as an undoubted truth , that it is impossible for thee ever to get to heaven in this thy unconverted state . can any other but christ save thee ? and he tells thee he will never do it , except thou be regenerated and converted , mat. 18. 3. iohn 3. 3. doth he not keep the keys of heaven ? and canst thou get in without his leave , as thou must , if ever thou comest thither in thy natural condition , without a sound and thorough renovation ? direct . ii. labour to get a thorough sight and lively sense and feeling of thy sins . till men are weary and heavy laden , and pricked at the heart . and stark sick of sin , they will not come to christ in his way for ease and cure , nor to purpose enquire , what shall we do ? mat. 11. 28. acts 2. 37. mat. 9. 12. they must set themselves down for dead men before they will come unto christ , that they may have life , iohn 5. 40. labour therefore to set all thy sins in order before thee . never be afraid to look upon them , but let thy spirit make diligent search , psal. 77. 6. enquire into thine heart and into thy life , enter into a thorow examination of thy self , and of all thy ways , psal. 119. 59. that thou mayst make a full discovery , and call in the help of god's spirit , in the sense of thine own inability hereunto , for it is his proper work to convince of sin . iohn 16. 8. spread all before the face of thy conscience , till thine heart and eyes be set abroach . leave not striving with god , and thine own soul , till it cry out under the sense of thy sins , as the enlightned ja●lor , what must i do to ●e saved ? acts 16. 30. to this purpose . meditate of the numerousness of thy sins . david's heart failed when he thought of this , and considered that he had more sins than hairs , psal. 40. 12. this made him to cry out upon the multitudes of gods tender mercies , psal. 51. 1. the loathsome carcass doth not more hatefully swarm with crawling worms than an unsanctified soul with filthy iusts . they fill the head , the heart , the eyes and mouth of him . look backward , where was ever the place , what was ever the time , in which thou didst not sin ? look inward , what part or power canst thou find in soul or body , but it is poisoned with sin ? what duty dost thou ever perform into which poison is not shed ? oh how great is the sum of thy debts , who hast been all thy life long running upon the hooks , and never didst , nor canst pay off one penny ? look over the sin of thy nature , and all its cursed broad , the sins of thy life . call to mind thy omissions , commissions , the sins of thy thoughts , of thy words , of thine actions , the sins of thy youth , the si●s of thy years , &c. be not like a desperate bankrupt , that is afraid to look over his books . read the records of conscience carefully . these books must be opened sooner , or later , rev. 20. 12. meditate upon the aggravations of thy sin , as they are the grand enemies against the god of thy life , against the life of thy soul ; in a word , they 〈…〉 publi●k enemies of all mankind . how do david , ezra , daniel and the good levites aggravate their sins , from the consideration of their injuriousness to god , their opposition to his good and righteous laws , the mercies , the warnings that they were committed against , n●● . 9. da● . 9. ezra 9. o the work that sin hath made in the world . this is the enemy that hath brought in death , that hath robbed and enslaved man , that hath blacked the devil , that hath digged hell ; rom. 5. 12. 2 pet. 2. 4. iohn 8. 34. this is the enemy that hath turned the creation upside down , and sown dissention between man and the creatures , between man and man , yea between man and himself , setting the sensitive part against the rational , the will against the judgment , lust against conscience , yea worst of all , between god and man , making the lapsed sinner both hateful to god , and a hater of him , zech. 11. 8. o man , how canst thou make so light of sin ? this is the traytor that sucked the blood of the son of god , that sold him , that mocked him , that scourged him , that spit in his face , that digged his hands , that pierced his side , that pressed his soul , that mangled his body , that never left , till it had bound him , condemned him , nailed him , crucified him , and put him to open shame , isa. 53. 4 , 5 , 6. this is that deadly poyson , so powerful of operation , as that one drop of it shed upon the root of mankind , hath corrupted , spoiled , and poisoned , and undone his whole race at once , rom. 5. 18 , 19. this is the common butcher , the bloody executioner , that hath killed the prophets , burnt the martyrs , murdered all the apostles , all the patriarchs , all the kings and potentates , that hath destroyed cities , swallowed empires , butchered and devoured whole nations . whatever was the weapon that 't was done by , sin was it that did execution , rom. 6. 23. dost thou yet think it but a small thing ? if adam and all his children could be digged out of their graves , and their bodies piled up to heaven , and an inquest were made , what matchless murderer were guilty of all this blood ; it would be all found in the skirts of sin . study the nature of sin , till thy heart be brought to fear and loath it . and meditate on the aggravations of thy particular sins , how thou hast sinned against all god's warnings , against thine own prayers , against mercies , against corrections , against clearest light , against freest love , against thine own resolutions , against promises , vows , covenants of better obedience , &c. charge thy heart home with these things , till it blush for shame , and be brought out of all good opinion of it self , ezra 9. 6. meditate upon the desert of sin : it cryeth up to heaven : it calls for vengeance , gen. 18. 21. it s due wages is death , and damnation . it pulls the curse of god upon the soul and body , gal. 3. 10. deut. 28. the least sinful word or thought , lays thee under the infinite wrath of god almighty , rom. 2. 8 , 9. mat. 12. 36. oh what a load of wrath , what a weight of curses , what treasure of vengeance have all the millions of thy sins then deserved ? rom. 2. 5. iohn 3. 36. oh judge thy self , that the lord may not ●udge thee , 1 cor. 11. 31. meditate upon the deformity , and desilement of sin . 't is as black as hell , the very image and likeness of the devil drawn upon the soul , 1 john 3. 8 , 10. it would more affright thee , to see thy self in the hateful deformity of thy nature , than to see the devil . there is no mire so unclean , no vomit so loathsome , no carcass or carrion so offensive , no plague or leprosie so noisom as sin , in which thou art all inrolled , and covered with its odious filth , whereby thou art rendred more displeasing to the pure and holy nature of the glorious god , than the most filthy object , composed of whatever is hateful to all thy senses , can be to thee , iob 15. 15 , 16. couldst thou take up a toad into thy bosom ? couldst thou cherish it , and take delight in it ? why , thou art as contrary to the pure and perfect holiness of the divine nature , and as loathsome as that is to thee , mat. 3. 33. til● thou art purified by the blood of jesus , and the power of renewing grace . above all other sins fix the eye of consideration● on these two . 1. the sin of thy nature . 't is to little purpose to lop the branches , while the root of original corruption remains untouched . in vain do men lave out the streams , when the fountain is running , that fills up all again . let the axe of thy repentance ( with david's ) go to the root of sin , psal. 51. 5. study how deep , how close , how permanent is thy natural pollution ; how universal it is , till thou dost cry out with paul's ●ee●●ng , upon thy body of death , rom. 7. 2. look into all thy parts and powers , and see what unclean vessels , what fi●es , what dunghills , what sinks they are become . he● miser , quid sum ? vas ster quilimi 〈…〉 faetore & horrorc . august . 〈◊〉 . c. 2. the heart is never soundly broken , till throughly convinced of the heinousness of original sin . here fix thy thoughts . this is that , that makes thee backward to all good , prone to all evil , rom. 7. 15. that sheds blindness , pride , prejudice , unbelief into thy mind , enmit● , unconstancy , obstinacy , into thy will ; inordinate heats and colds into thy affections ; insensibleness , benummedness , unfaithfulness into thy conscience , slipperiness into thy memory , and in a word , hath put every wheel of thy soul out of order , and made it of an habitation of holiness to become a very hell of iniquity , iames 3. 6. this is that that hath defiled , corrupted , perverted all thy members , and turned them into weapons of unrighteousness , and servants of sin , rom. 6. 19. that hath filled the head with carnal and corrupt designs , mic. 2. 1. the hand with sinful practices , isa. 1. 15. the eyes with wandring and wantonness , 2 pet. 2. 14. the tongue with deadly poison , iames 3. 8. that hath opened the ears to tales , flattery , and filthy communication , and shut them against the instruction of life , zech. 7. 11● 12. and hath rendred thy heart a very mint and forge for sin , and the cursed womb of all deadly conceptions , mat. 15. 16. so that it poureth forth its wickedness without ceasing 2 pet. 2. 14. even as naturally , freely , and unweariedly , as a fountain doth pour forth its waters , ier. 6. 7. or the raging sea doth cast forth mire and dirt , isa. 57. 20. and wilt thou yet be in love with thy self , and tell us any longer of thy good heart ? o never leave meditating on this desperate contagion of original corruption , till with e●hraim thou bemoan thy self , ier. 31. 18. and with deepest shame and sorrow smite on thy breast as the publican , luke 18. 13. and with iob abhor thy self , and repent in dust and ashes , iob 42. 6 , 22. the particular evil that thou art most addicted to . find out all its aggravations . set home upon thy heart all gods threatnings against it . repentance drives before it the whole herd , but especially sticks the arrow in the beloved sin , and singles this out , above the rest , to run it down , psal. 18. 23. o labour to make this sin odious to thy soul , and double thy guards , and thy resolutions against it , because this hath , and doth , most dishonour god and endanger thee . direct . iii. strive to affect thy heart with a deep sense of thy present misery . read over the foregoing chapter again , and again , and get it out of the book into thine heart . remember when thou liest down , that for ought thou knowest , thou mayst awake in flames , and when thou risest up , that by the next night thou mayst make thy bed in hell. is it a just matter to live in such a fearful case ? to stand tottering upon the brink of the bottomless pit , and to live at the mercy of every disease , that if it will but fall upon thee , will send thee forthwith into the burnings ? suppose thou sawest a condemned wretch hanging ove● nebuchadnezzar's burning fiery furnace , by nothing but a twine thread , which were ready to break every moment , would not thine heart tremble for such an one ? why thou art the man : this is thy very case , o man , woman , that readest this , if thou be yet unconverted . what if the thred of thy life should break ? ( why , thou knowest not but it may be the next night , yea the next moment ) where wouldst thou be then ? whither wouldst thou drop ? verily upon the crack but of this thred , thou fallest into the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone where thou must lie scalding and sweltering in a fiery ocean , while god hath a being , if thou die in thy present case . and doth not thy soul tremble as thou readest ? do not thy tears bedew the paper , and thy heart throb in thy bosom ? dost thou not yet begin to smite on thy breast , and bethink thy self what need thou hast of a change ? o what is thy heart made of ? hast thou not only lost all regard to god , but art without any love and pity to thy self ? o study thy misery , till thy heart do cry out for christ , as earnestly , as ever a drowning man did for a boar , or the wounded for a chirurgeon . men must come to see the danger , and feel the smart of their deadly sores and sickness , or else christ will be to them a physician of no value , mat. 9. 12. then the man-slayer hastens to the city of refuge , when pursued by the avenger of blood . men must be even forced and fired out of themselves , or else they will not come to christ. ●twas distress and extremity , that made the prodigal think of returning , luke 1● . 16 , 17. while l●●o●icea thinks her self rich , increased in goods , in need of nothing , there is little hope . she must be deeply convinced of her wretchedness , blindness , poverty , nakedness , before she will come to christ for his gold , raiment , eye-salve , rev 3. 17 , 18. therefore hold the eyes of conscience open , amplifie thy misery as much as possible . do not flie the sight of it , for fear it should fill thee with terror . the sense of thy misery is but as it were the suppuration of the woun● , which is necessary to the cure. better ●ear the torments that abide thee now , than feel them hereafter . direct . iv. settle it upon thy heart , that thou art under an everlasting inability ever to recover thy self . never think thy praying , reading , hearing , con●●●sing , amending will do the cure. these must be attended ; but thou art undone if thou restest in them , rom. 10. 3. thou art a lost man , if thou hopest to escape drowning upon any other plank● but jesus christ , acts 4. 12. thou must unlearn t●y self , and renounce thine own wisdom , thine own righteousness , thine own strength , and throw thy self wholly upon christ , as a man that swimmeth casteth himself upon the water , or else thou canst not escape . while men trust in themselves , and establish their own righteousness , and have confidence in the flesh , they will not come savingly to christ , luke 18. 9. phil. 3. 3. thou must know thy gain to be but loss and dung , thy strength but weakness , thy righteousness rags and rottenness , before there will be an effectual closure between christ and thee , phil. 3. 7 , 8 , 9. 2 cor. 3. 5. isa. 64. 6. can the lifeless carcass shake off its grave cloths , and loose the bonds of death ? then mayst thou recover thy self who art dead in trespasses and sins , and under an impossibility of serving thy maker , ( acceptably ) in this condition , rom. 8. 8. heb. ●1 . 6. therefore when thou goest to pray , or meditate , or to do any of the duties , to which thou art here directed , go out of thy self , call in the help of the spirit , as despairing to do any thing pleasing to god , in thine own strength . yet neglect not thy duty , but lie at the pool , and wait in the way of the spirit . while the eunuch was reading , then the holy ghost sent philip to him , acts 8. 28 , 29. when the disciples were praying , acts 4. 31. when cornelius and his friends were hearing , acts 10. 44. then the holy ghost fell upon them , and filled them all . strive to give up thy self to christ : strive to pray , strive to meditate , strive an hundred and an hundred times , try to do it as well as thou canst , and while thou art endeavouring in the way of thy duty , the spirit of the lord will come upon thee , and help thee to do , what of thy self thou art utterly unable unto , prov. 1. 23. direct . v. forthwith renounce all thy sins . if thou yield thy self to the contrary practice of any sin , thou art undone , rom. 6. 17. in vain dost thou hope for life by christ , except thou d●part from iniquity , 2 tim. 2. 19. forsake thy sins , or else thou canst not find mercy , prov. 28. 13. thou canst not be married to christ except divorced from sin . give up the traitor , or you can have no peace with heaven . cast the head of sheba over the wall . keep not dalilah in thy lap . thou must part with thy sins , or with thy soul. spare but one sin , and god will not spare thee . never make excuses , thy sins must die , or thou must die for them , psal. 68. 21. if thou allow of one sin , though but a little , a secret one , though thou may'st plead necessity , and have a hundred . shifts and excuses for it , the life of thy soul must go for the life of that sin , ezek. 18. 21. and will it not be dearly bought ? o sinner , hear and consider . if thou wilt part with thy sins , god will give thee his christ ; is not this a fair exchange ? i testifie unto thee this day , that if thou perish , it is not because there was never a saviour provided , nor life tendred , but because thou preferredst ( with the jews ) the murderer before thy saviou● , sin before christ , and lovedst darkness rather than light , iohn 3. 19. search thy heart therefore with candles , as the jews did their houses for leaven , before the passover : labour to find out thy sins , enter into thy closet , and consider , what evil have i lived in ? what duty have i neglected towards god ? what sin have i lived in against my brother ? and now strike the darts through the heart of thy sin , as i●ab did through absalom's , 2 sam. 18. 14. never stand looking upon thy sin , nor rolling the morsel under thy tongue , iob 20. 11. but spit it out as poyson , with fear and detestation . alas , what will thy sins do for thee , that thou shouldst stick at parting with them ? they will flatter thee , but they will undo thee , and cut thy throat , while they smile upon thee , and poyson thee while they please thee , and arm the justice and wrath of the infinite god against thee . they will open hell for thee , and pile up fuel to burn thee . behold the gibbet that they have prepared for thee . oh serve them like haman , and do upon them the execution , they would else have done upon thee . away with them , crucifie them , and let christ only be lord over thee . direct . vi. make a solemn choice of god for thy portion and blessedness , deut. 26. with all possible devotion and veneration avouch the lord for thy god. set the world with all its glory , and paint , and gallantry , with all its pleasures and promotions on the one hand , and set god with all his infinite excellencies , and perfections on the other , and see that thou do deliberately make thy choice , iosh. 24. 15. take up thy rest in god , iob. 6. 68. set thee down under his shadow , cant. 2. 3. let his promises and perfections turn the scale against all the world . settle it upon thy heart that the lord is an all-sufficient portion , that thou canst not be miserable , while thou hast a god to live upon , take him for thy shield and exceeding great reward . god alone is more than all the world . content thy self with him . let others carry the preferments and glory of the world , place thou thy happiness in his favour , and the light of his countenance , psal. 4. 6 , 7. poor sinner , thou art fallen off from god , and hast engaged his power , and wrath against thee . yet know that of his abundant grace , he doth offer to be thy god again in christ , 2 cor. 6. 17 , 18. what sayest thou man ? wilt thou have the lord for thy god ? why , take this counsel , and thou shalt have him . come to him by his christ , ioh. 14. 6. renounce the idols of thine own pleasures , gain , reputation , 1 thes. 1. 9. let these be pulled out of the throne , and set gods interest uppermost in thine ●eare . take him as god , to be chief in thine affections , estimations , intentions ; for he will not endure to have any set above him , rom. 1. 24 , psal. 73. 25. in a word , thou must take him in all his personal relations , and in all his essential perfections . first , in all his personal relations . god the father must be taken for thy father , ier. 3. 4 , 19 , 22. o come to him with the prodigal , father , i have sinned against heaven , and in thy sight , and am not worthy to be called thy son , but since of thy wonderful mercy , thou art pleased to take me● , that am of my self a dog , a swine , a devil , to be thy child , i solemnly take thee for my father , commend my self to thy care , and trust to thy providence , and cast my burden on thy shoulders . i depend on thy provision , and submit to thy corrections , and trust under the shadow of thy wings , and hide in thy chambers , and ●ly to thy name . i renounce all confidence in my self , i repose my confidence in thee , i depose my concernments with thee . i will be for thee , and for no other . again , god the son must be taken for thy saviour , for thy redeemer and righteousness , iohn 1. 2. he must be accepted as the only way to the father , and the only means of life , heb. 7. 25. o then put off the rayment of thy captivity , on with the wedding garment , and go and marry thy self to jesus christ. lord i am thine , and all that i have , my body , my soul , my name , my estate . i send a bill of divorce to my other lovers . i give my heart to thee , i will be thine undividedly , thine ever lastingly . i will set thy name on all i have , and use it only as thy goods , as thy loan during thy leave , resigning ad to thee . i will have no king but thee : reign thou over me . other lords have had dominion over me : but now i will make mention of thy name only , and do here take an o●th of fealty to thee , promising and vowing to serve , and love , and ●ear thee , above all competitors . i disavow mine own righteousness , and despair of ever being pardoned and saved for mine own duties , or graces , and lean only on thine all-sufficient sacrifice and intercession , for pardon , and life , and acceptance before god. i take thee for mine only guide and instructer , resolving to be led and directed by thee , and to wait for● thy counsel , and that thine shall be the casting voice with me . lastly , god the spirit must be taken for thy sanctifier . rom. 8. 9 , 14. gal. 5. 16 , 18. for thine advocate , thy counsellor , thy comforter , the teacher of thine ignorance , the pledge and earnest of thine inheritance , rom. 8. 26. psal. 73. 24. iohn 14. 16. eph. 1. 14. iohn 14. 26. eph. 4. 30. awake thou northwind , and come thou s●●th , and blow upon my garden , cant. 4. 16. come , thou spirit of the most high● here is a house for thee , here is a temple for thee . here do thou rest for ●ver ; dwell here , and rest here . lo , i give up the possession to thee , full possession . i send thee the keys of my heart , that all may be for thy use , that thou mayst put thy goods , thy grace into every room . i give up the use of all to thee , that every faculty , and every member may be thine i●●●●ument , to work righteousness , and do the will of my father which is in heaven . secondly , in all his essential per●ections . consider how the lord hath revealed himself to you in his word : will you take him as such a god ? o● sinner , here 's the blessedest news that ever came to the sons of men. the lord will be thy god , gen. 17. 7. rev. 21. 3. if thou wilt but close with him in his excellencies . wilt thou have the merciful , the gracious , the sin-pardoning god , to be t●● god ? o yes , ( saith the sinner , ) i am undone else . but he farther tells thee , i am the holy and sin-hating god. if thou wilt be owned as one of my people , thou must be holy , 1 pet. 1. 16. holy in heart , holy in life . thou must put away all thine iniquities , be they never so near , never so natural , never so necessary to the maintaining thy fleshly interest . unless thou wilt be at defiance with sin , i cannot be thy god. cast out the leaven , put away the evil of thy doings , cease ●o do evil , learn to do well , or else i can have nothing to do with thee , isa. 1. 16 , 17 , 18. bring forth mine enemies , or there is no peace to be had with me . what doth thine heart answer ? lord i desire to have thee as such a god. i desire to be holy as thou art holy , to be made partaker of thy holiness . i love thee , not only for thy goodness and mercy , but for thy holiness and parity . i take thy holiness for my happiness . oh! be to me a fountain of holiness : set on me the stamp and impress of thy holiness , i will thankfully part with all my sins at thy command . my wi●ful sins i do forthwith forsake ; and for my infirmities that i cannot get rid of , though i would , i will strive against them in the use of the mea●s . i detest them , and will pray and war against them , and never let them have quiet rest in my soul. beloved , whosoever of you will thus accept of the lord for his god , he shall have him . again , he tells you ; i am the all-sufficient god , gen. 17. 1. will you lay all at my feet , and give it up to my dispose , and take me for your only portion ? will you own and honour mine all-sufficiency ? will you take me as your happiness and treasure , your hope and bliss ? i am a sun and a shield , all in one : will you have me for your all ? gen. 15. 1. psal 84. 11. now what dost thou say to this ? doth thy mouth water after the onions and flesh-pots of egypt ? art thou loath to exchange the earthly happiness , for a part in god , and though thou wouldest be glad to have god and the world too , yet canst thou not think of having him , and nothing but him , but hadst rather take up with the earth below , if god would but let thee keep it , as long as thou wouldst ? this is a fearful sign . but now if thou art willing to sell all for the pearl of great price , mat. 13. 46. if thine heart answer , lord i desire no other portion but thee . take the corn , and the wine , and the oyl whoso will , so i may have the light of thy countenance . i pitch upon thee for my happiness , i gladly venture my self on thee , and trust my self with thee . i set my hopes in thee , i take up my rest with thee , let me hear thee say , i am thy god , thy salvation , and i have enough , all i wish for . i will make no terms with thee , but for thy self . let me but have thee sure , let me ●e able to make my claim , and see my title to thy self , and for other things , i leave them to thee , give me more or 〈◊〉 , any thing or nothing , i will be satisfied in my god. take him thus , and he is thine own . again , he tells you ; i am the soveraign lord : if you will have me for your god , you must give me the supremacy , mat. 6. 24. i will not be an underling . you must not make me a second to sin , or 〈◊〉 worldly interest . if you will be my people , i must have the rule over you . you must not live at your down list . will you come under my yoke ? will you bow to my government ? will you submit to my discipline ? to my word ? to my rod ? sinner , what sayest thou to this ? lord i had rather be ●t thy command , than live at mine own list , i had rather have thy ●ill to be done , than mine , i approve of and consent to thy laws , and account it my priviledge to lie under them . and though the flesh rebel , and often break over bounds , i am resolved to take no other lord but thee . i willingly take the oath of thy supremacy , and acknowledge thee for my liege soveraign , and resolve all my days to pay the tribute of worship , obedience , and love , and service is thee , and to live to thee , as the end of my life . this is a right accepting of god. to be short , he tells you ; i am the true and faithful god. if you wi●l have me for your god , you must be content to trust me , 2 tim. 1. 12. prov. 3. 5. will you venture your selves upon my word , and depend on my faithfulness , and take my bond for your security ? will you be content to follow me , in poverty , and reproach , and affliction here , and to see much going out , and little coming in , and to tarry till the next world for your preferment ? mat. 9. 21. i deal much upon trust , will you be content to labour , and suffer , and to tarry for your returns till the resurrection of the just ? luke 14. 14. the womb of my promise will not presently bring forth ; will you have the patience to wait ? heb. 10. 36. now beloved , what say you to this ? will you have this god for your god ? will you be content to live by faith , and trust him for an unseen happiness , an unseen heaven , an unseen glory ? do your hearts answer , lord we will venture our selves upon thee , we commit our selves to thee : we roll upon thee , we know whom we have trusted , we are willing to take thy word , we will prefer thy promises before our own possessions ; and the hopes of heaven before all the enjoyments of the earth . we will wait thy leisure . what thou wilt here , so that we may have but thy faithful promise for heaven hereafter . if you can in truth , and upon deliberation , thus accept of god , he will be yours . thus there must be in a right conversion to god , a closing with him suitable to his excellencies . but when men close with his mercy , but yet love sin , hating holiness and purity , or will take him for their benefactor , but not for their soveraign ; or for their patron , but not for their portion , this is no thorow , and no sound conversion . direct . vii . accept of the lord iesus in all his offices , with all his inconveniences , as thine . upon these terms christ may be had . sinner , thou hast undone thy self , and art plunged into the ditch of most deplorable misery out of which thou art never able to climb up . but jesus christ is able and ready to help thee , and he freely tenders himself to thee , heb. 7. 25. iohn 3. 36. be thy sins never so many , never so great , of never so long continuance , yet thou shalt be most certainly pardoned and saved , if thou dost not wretchedly neglect the offer that in the name of god is here made unto thee . the lord jesus calleth unto thee , to look unto him and be saved , isa. 45. 22. to come unto him , and he will in no wise cast thee out , iohn 6. 37. yea he is a suitor to thee , and beseecheth thee to be reconciled , 2 cor. 5. 20. he cryeth in the streets , he knocketh at thy door , he wooeth thee to accept of him , and live with him , prov. 1. 20. rev. 2. 30. if thou diest 't is because thou wouldst not come to him for life , iohn 5. 40. now accept of an offered christ , and thou art made for ever . now give up thy consent to him , and the match is made , all the world cannot hinder it . do not stand off because of thine unworthiness . man , i tell thee , nothing in all the world can undo thee , but thine unwillingness● speak man , art thou willing of the match ? wilt thou have christ in all his celations to be thine ; thy king , thy priest , thy prophet ? wilt thou have him with all his inconveniences ? take not christ hand over head , but sit down first , and count the cost . wilt thou lay all at his feet ? wilt thou be content to run all hazards with him ? wilt thou take thy lot with him , fall where it will ? wilt thou deny thy self , take up thy cross , and follow him ? art thou deliberately , understandingly , freely , fixedly , determined to ●●eave to him in all times , and conditions ? if so , my soul for thine , thou shalt never perish , iohn 3. 16. but art passed from death to life . here lies the main point of thy salvation , that thou be found in thy covenant-closure with jesus christ , and therefore if thou love thy self , see that thou be faithful to god and thy soul● ere . direct . viii . resign up all thy powers and faculties , and thy whole interest to be his . they gave their own selves unto the lord , 2 cor. 8. 5. present your bodies as a living sacrifice , rom. 12. 1. the lord seeks not yours , but you . resing therefore thy body with all its members to him , and thy soul with all its powers , that he may be glorified in thy body and in thy spirit which are his , 1 cor. 6. 20. in a right closure with christ , all the faculties give up to him . the judgment subscribes , lord thou ●t worthy of all acceptation , chief of ten thousand : happy is the man that fin●eth thee . all the things that are to be desired , are not to be compared with thee , prov. 3. 13 , 14 , 15. the understanding lays aside its corrupt reasonings and cavils , and its prejudices against christ and his ways . it is now past questioning and disputing , and casts it for christ against all the world. it concludes , it 's good to be here , and sees such a treasure in this field , such value in this pearl , as is worth all , mat. 13. 44. oh here 's the richest bargain that ever i made , here 's the richest prize that ever man was offere● , here 's the sovereignest remedy that ever mercy prepared , he is worthy of my esteem , worthy of my choice , worthy of my love , worthy to be embraved , 〈…〉 , admired for ever more , rev. 5. 12. i approve of his 〈◊〉 his terms are rightteous & reasonable , full of equity and mercy . again the will resigns . it stands no longer wavering , nor wishing and woulding but is peremptorily determin'd : lord thy love hath overcome me , th●● h●st won me , and thou shalt have me : come in lord , to thee i freely open , i consent to be saved in thine own way , thou shalt have any thing , thou shall have all , let me have but thee . the memory gives up to christ : lord here is a store-house for thee . out with this trash , lay in thy trea●ure . let me be a granary , a repositor● of thy truths , thy promises , thy providences . the conscience comes in ; lord i will ever side with thee . i will be thy faithful register , i will warn when the sinner is tempted , and smite when thou art offended . i will witness for thee , and judge for thee , and guide into thy ways , and will never let sin have quiet in this soul. the affections also come in to christ. o saith love , i am sick of thee . o saith desire , now i have my longing . here 's the satisfaction i sought for . here 's the desire of nations . here 's bread for me , and balm for me , all that i want . fear bows the knee with awe and veneration . welcome lord , to thee will i pay my homage . thy word and thy rod shall command my motions . thee will i reverence and adore , before thee will i fall down and worship . grief likewise puts in , lord thy displeasure and thy dishonour , thy peoples calamities , and mine own iniquities shall be that that shall set me abroach , i will mourn when thou art offended , i will weep when thy cause is wounded : anger likewise comes in for christ : lord nothing so enrages me , as my folly against thee , that i should be so befooled and bewitched as to hearken to the flatteries of sin , and temptations of satan against thee . hatred too w●●● side with christ. i protest mortal enmity with thine enemies that i will never be friends with thy foes , i vow an immortal quarrel with every sin . i will give no quarter , i will make no peace . thus let all thy powers give up to jesus christ. again , thou must give up thy whole interest to him . if there be any thing that thou keepest back from christ it will be thine undoing , luke . 14. 33. unless thou wilt forsake all ( in preparation and resolution of thy heart ) thou canst not be his disciple . thou must hate father and mother , yea and thine own life also in comparison of him , and as far as it stands in competition with him , mat. 10. 37. luke 14. 26 , 27 , &c. in a word , thou must give him thy self , and all that thou hast without reservation , or else thou canst have no part in him . direct . ix . make ch●ice of the laws of christ as the rule of thy words , thoughts and actions , psal. 119. 30. this is the true converts choice . but here remember these three rules . 1. you must chuse them all . there 's no coming to heaven by a partial obedience ; read psal. 119. 6 , 128 , 160. ezek. 18. 21. none may think it enough to take up with the cheap and easie part of religion , and let alone the duties that are costly , and self-denying , and grate upon the interest of the flesh . you must take all or none . a sincere convert , though he makes most conscience of the greatest sins and weightiest duties ; yet he makes true conscience of little sins , and of all duties , psal. 119. 6 , 113. mat. 23. 23. 2. for all times , for prosperity , and for adversity , whether it rain or shine . a true convert is resolved in his way , he will stand to his choice , and will not set his back to the wind , and be of the religion of the times . i have stuck to thy testimonies , i have enclined my heart to perform thy statutes alway , even to the end . thy testimonies have i taken , as an heritage for ever , psal. 119. 31 , 111 , 117 , 44 , 93. i will have respect unto thy statutes continually . 3. this must not be done hand over head , but deliberately and understandingly . that disobedient son said , i go ●ir , but he went not , mat. 24. 30. how fairly did they promise ? all that the lord our god shall speak unto thee , we will do it ; and it 's like they spake as they meant , but when it came to tryal it was found that there was not such a heart in them , as to do what they had promised , deut. 5. 27 , 29. if you would be sincere in closing with the laws and ways of christ , first , study the meaning , and latitude and compass of them . remember , that they are very spiritual : they reach the very thoughts and inclinations of the heart ; so that if you will walk by this rule , your very thoughts and inward motions must be under government . again , that they are very strict and self-denying , quite contrary to the grain of your natural ine●inations , mat. 16. 24. you must take the strait gate , the narrow way , and be content to have the flesh curbed from the liberty it desires , mat. 7. 14. in a word , that they are very large : for thy commandment is exceeding broad , psal. 119. 96. secondly , rest not in generals ( for there 's much deceit in that ) but bring down thy heart to the particular commands of christ. those jews in the prophet seemed as well resolved as any in the world , and call'd god to witness , that they meant as they said : but they stuck in generals . when gods command crosses their inclination , they will not obey , ier. 42. 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6. compared with chap. 43. v. 2. take the assemblies larger catechism , and see their excellent and most compendious exposition of the commandments , and put thy heart to it . art thou resolved in the strength of christ , to set upon the conscientious practice of every duty that thou findest to be there required of thee , and to set against every sin that thou findest there forbidden ? this is the way to be found in gods statutes , that thou maist never be ashamed , psal. 119. 80. thirdly , observe the special duties that thy heart is most against , and the special sins that 't is most inclin'd unto , and see whether it be truly resolved to perform the one , and forgo the other . what sayest thou to thy bosom sin , thy gainful sin ? what sayest thou to costly and hazardous , and flesh displeasing duties ? if thou hal● est here , and dost not resolve , by the grace of god , to cross thy flesh , and put to it , thou art unsound , psal. 18. 23. psal. 119. 6. direct . x let all this be compleated in a solemn covenant between god and thy soul , psalm 119. 106. neh , 10. 29. for thy better help therein , take these few directions . first , set apart some time , more than once to be spent in secret before the lord. 1. in seeking earnestly his special assistance , and gracious acceptance of thee . 2. in considering distinctly all the terms or conditions of the covenant , expressed in the form hereafter proposed . 3. in searching thine heart , whether thou art sincerely willing to for sake all thy sins , and to resign up thy self , body and soul unto god , and his service , to serve him in holiness and righteousness , all the days of thy life . secondly , compose thy spirit into the most serious frame possible , suitable to a transaction of so high importance . thirdly , lay hold on the covenant of god , and rely upon his promise of giving grace and strength , whereby thou may'st be enabled to perform thy promise . trust not to thine own strength , to the strength of thine own resolutions , but take hold on his strength fourthly , resolve to be faithful , having engaged thine heart , opened thy mouth , and subscribed with thy hand unto the lord , resolve in his strength never to go back . lastly , being thus prepared , on some convenient time set apart for the purpose , set upon the work , and in the most solemn manner possible , as if the lord were visibly present before thine eyes , fall down on thy knees , and spreading forth thine hands toward heaven , open thine heart to the lord in these , or the like words . o most dreadful god , for the passion of thy son , i beseech thee accept of thy poor prodidigal now prostrating himself at thy door ; i have fallen from thee by mine iniquity , and am by nature a son of death , and a thousand-fold more the child of hell by my wicked practice : but of thine infinite grace thou hast promised mercy to me in christ if i will but turn to thee with all my heart : therefore upon the call of thy gospel , i am now come in , and throwing down my weapons , submit my self to thy mercy . and because thou requirest , as the condition of my peace with thee , that i should put away mine idols and be at defiance with all thine enemies , which i acknowledge i have wickedly sided with against thee , i here from the bottom of my heart renounce them all , firmly covenanting with thee not to allow my self in any known sin ; but conscientiously to use all the means that i know thou hast prescribed , for the death and utter destruction of all my corruptions . and whereas i have formerly inordinately and idolatrously let out my affections upon the world , i do here resign up my heart to thee that madest it , humbly protesting before thy glorious majesty , that it is the firm resolution of my heart , and that i do unfeignedly desire grace from thee , that when thou shalt call me hereunto , i may practise this my resolution through thy assistance , to forsake all that is dear unto me in this world , rather than to turn from thee to the ways of sin ; and that i will watch against all its temptations , whether of prosperity , or adversity , lest they should withdraw my heart from thee : beseeching thee also to help me against the temptations of satan , to whose wicked suggestions i resolve by thy grace never to yield my self a servant . and because my own righteousness is but menstruous rags● i renounce all confidence therein , and acknowledge that i am of my self a hopeless , helpless , undone creature , without righteousness or strength . and forasmuch as thou hast of thy bottomless mercy offered most graciously to me wretched sinner , to be again my god through christ , if i would accept of thee : i call heaven and earth to record this day , that i do here solemnly avouch thee for the lord my god , and with all possible veneration , bowing the neck of my soul under the feet of thy most sacred majesty , i do here take thee , lord iehovah , father , son , and holy ghost , for my portion , and chief good , and to give up my self , body and soul , for thy servant , promising and vowing to serve thee in holiness and righteousness all the days of my life . and since thou hast appointed the lord jesus christ , the only means of coming unto thee , i do here upon the bended knees of my soul accept of him as the only new and living way , by which sinners may have access to thee , and do here solemnly joyn my self in marriage covenant to him . o blessed jesus , i come to thee hungry and hardly bested , poor and wretched , and miserable , and blind , and naked ; a most loathsom , polluted wretch , a guilty , condemned malefactor , unworthy for ever to wash the feet of the servants of my lord , much more to be solemnly married to the king of glory , but sith such is thine unparallel'd love , i do here with all my power accept thee , and do take thee for my head and husband , for better for worse , for richer , for poorer , for all times and conditions , to love , honour , and obey thee before all others , and this to the death ; i embrace thee in all thine offices : i renounce mine own worthiness , and do here avow thee to be the lord my righteousness , i renounce mine own wisdom , and do here take thee for mine only guide ? i renounce mine own will , and take thy● will for my law. and since thou hast told me that i must suffer if i will reign , i do here covenant with thee to take my lot , as it falls , with thee , and by thy grace assisting , to run all hazards with thee , verily supposing that neither life nor death shall part between thee and me . and because thou hast been pleased to give me thy holy laws , as the rule of my life , and the way in which i should walk to thy kingdom , i do here willingly put my neck under thy yoak , and set my shoulder to thy burden ; and subscribing to all thy laws , as holy , iust , and good , i solemnly take them as the rule of my words , thoughts and actions , promising that though my flesh contradict and rebel , yet i will endeavour to order and govern my whole life according to thy direction , and will not allow my self in the neglect of any thing that i know to be my duty . only because through the frailty of my flesh , i am subject to many failings ; i am bold humbly to protest , that unallowed miscarriages , contrary to the setled bent and resolution of my heart , shall not make void this covenant , for so thou hast said . now almighty god , searcher of hearts , thou knowest that i make this covenant with thee this day , without any known guile , or reservation , beseeching thee , that if thou espiest any flaw or falshood therein , thou wouldst discover it to me , and help me to do it aright . and now glory be to thee , o god the father , whom i shall be bold from this day forward , to look upon as my god and father , that ever thou shouldst find out such a way for the recovery of undone sinners . glory be to thee , o god the son , who hast loved me , and washed me from my sins in thine own blood , and art now become my saviour and redeemer . glory be to thee , o god the holy ghost , who by the finger of thine almighty power hast turned about my heart from sin to god. o dreadful iehovah , the lord god omnipotent , father , son , and holy ghost , thou art now become my covenant friend , and i through thine infinite grace , am become thy covenant servant , amen . so be it . and the covenant which i have made on earth let it be ratified in heaven . the authors advice . this covenant i advise you to make , not only in heart , but in word ; not only in word , but in writing ; and that you would with all possible reverence spread the writing before the lord , as if you would present it to him as your act and deed. and when you have done this , set your hand to it . keep it 〈◊〉 a memorial of the solemn transactions that have passed between god and you , that you may have recourse to it in doubts and temptations . direct . xi . take heed of delaying thy conversion , and set upon a speedy and present turning . i made haste , and delayed not , psal. 119. 60. remember , and tremble at the sad instance of the foolish virgins , that came not till the door of mercy was shut , mat. 25. and of a convinced felix , that put off paul to another season , and we never find that he had such a season more , acts 24. 25. o come in while it is called to day , lest thou shouldst be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin ; lest thy day of grace should be over , and the things that belong to thy peace should be hid from thine eyes . now mercy is wooing of thee . now christ is waiting to be gracious to thee , and the spirit of god is striving with thee . now ministers are calling , now conscience is stirring ; now the market is open , and oyl may be had , thou hast opportunity for the buying . now christ is to be had for the taking . oh! strike in with the offers of grace . oh! now or never . if thou make light of this offer , god may swear in his wrath thou shalt never tast of his supper , luke 14. 24. direct . xii . attend conscientiously upon the word as the means appointed for thy conversion , james 1. 18 , 19. 1 cor. 4. 15. attend , i say , not customarily , but conscientiously ; with this desire , design , hope and expectation , that thou mayest be converted by it . to every sermon thou hearest , come with this thought , oh , i hope god will now come in . i hope this day may be the time , this may be the man by whom god will bring me home . when thou art coming to the ordinances , lift up thine heart thus to god. lord let this be the subbath , let this be the season , wherein i may receive renewing grace . oh let it be said , that to day such a one was born unto thee . object . thou wilt say , i have been long a hearer of the word , and yet it hath not been effectual to my conversion . ans. yea , but thou hast not attended upon it in this manner , as a means of thy conversion , nor with this design , nor praying for , and expecting of this happy effect of it . direct . xiii . strike in with the spirit , when he begins to work upon thy heart . when he works convictions , o do not stifle them , but joyn in with him , and beg the lord to carry on convictions to conversion . quench not the spirit ; do not out-strive him : do not resist him . beware of putting out convictions by evil company , or worldly business . when thou findest any troubles for sin , and fears about thine eternal state , beg of god that they may never leave thee till they have wrought off thy heart throughly from sin , and wrought it over to jesus christ. say to him , strike home , lord , leave not the work in the midst . if thou seest that i am not yet wounded enough , that i am not troubled enough , wound● me yet deeper , lord. o go to the bottom of my corruption , let out the life-blood of my sins . thus yield up thy self to the workings of the spirit , and hoise thy sails to his gusts . direct . xiv . set upon the constant and diligent use of serious and fervent prayer . he that neglects prayer , is a prophane an unsanctified sinner , iob 15. 4. he that is not constant in prayer , is but an hypocrite , iob 27. 10. ( unless the omission be contrary to his ordinary course , under the force of some instant temptation . ) this is one of the first things conversion appears in , that it sets men on praying , acts 9. 11. therefore set to this duty . let never a day pass over thee , wherein thou hast not , morning , and evening , set apart some time for set and solemn prayer in secret . call thy family also together daily and duly , to worship god with thee . wo be unto thee if thine be found amongst the families that call not on gods name , ier. 10. 25. but cold and lifeless devotions will not reach half way to heaven . be fervent , and importunate . importunity will carry it . but without violence the kingdom of heaven will not be taken , mat. 11. 12. thou must strive to enter , luke 13. 24. and wrestle with tears and supplications , as iacob , if thou meanest to carry the blessing , gen. 32. 24. comp . with hos. 12. 4. thou art undone for ever without grace , and therefore thou must put to it , and resolve to take no denyal . that man that is fixed in this resolution ; well i must have grace , and i will never give over , till i have grace , and i will never leave seeking and waiting , and striving with god , and mine own heart , till he do renew me by the power of his grace ; this man is in the likeliest way to win grace . obj. but god heareth not sinners , their prayer is an abomination . ans. distinguish between sinners . 1. there are resolved sinners : their prayers god abhors . 2. returning sinners ; these god will come forth to , and meet with mercy , though yet afar off , luke 15. 20. though the prayers of the unsanctified cannot have full acceptance ; yet god hath done much at the request of such , as at ahab's humiliation , and ninevehs fast , 1 kings 21. 26. ionah 3. 8 , 9 , 10. surely thou mayst go as far as these , though thou hast no grace : and how dost thou know but thou mayst speed in thy suit , as they did in theirs ? yea , is he not far more likely to grant thee , than them ; since thou askest in the name of christ , and that not for temporal blessings , as they , but for things much more pleasing to him , viz. for christ , grace , pardon , that thou mayst be justified , sanctified , renewed and fitted to serve him ? turn to these soul incouraging scriptures , prov. 2. 1 , to 6. luk. 11. 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13. prov. 8. 34. 35. is it not good comfort , that he calleth thee ? mark 10 49. doth he set thee on the use of means , and dost thou think he will mock thee ? doubtless , he will not fail thee , if thou be not wanting to thy self . o pray and faint not , luke 18. 1. a person of great quality having offended the duke of buckingham , the kings great favourite , being admitted into his presence after long waiting , prostrates himself at his feet , saying , i am resolved never to rise more , till i have obtained your grace's favour , with which carriage he did overcome him . with such a resolution , do thou throw thy self at the feet of god. 't is for thy life , and therefore follow him , and give not over . resolve thou wilt not be put off with bones , with common mercies . what though god do not presently open to thee ? is not grace worth the waiting for ? knock , and wait , and no doubt but sooner or later , mercy will come . and this know , that thou hast the very same encouragement to seek and wait , that the saints now in glory once had : for they were once in thy very case . and have they sped so well ? and wilt thou not go to the same door , and wait upon god in the same course ? direct . xv. forsake thy evil company , prov. 9. 6. and forbear the occasions of sin , prov. 23. 31. thou wilt never be turned from sin till thou wilt decline and forego the temptations of sin . i never expect thy conversion from sin , unless thou art brought to some self-denial , as to fly the occasions . if thou wilt be ●ibling at the bait , and playing on the brink , and tampering and medling with the snare , thy soul will surely be taken . where god doth expose men in his providence , unavoidably , to temptations , and the occasions are such as we cannot remove , we may expect special assistance in the use of his means . but when we tempt god by running into danger , he will not engage to support us , when we are tempted . and of all temptations one of the most fatal and pernicious , is evil company . oh what hopeful beginnings have these often stifled ! oh the souls , the estates , the families , the towns that these have ruined ! how many a poor sinner hath been enlightned , and convinced , and hath been just ready to give the devil the slip , and hath even escaped his snare and yet wicked company have pull'd him back at last , and made him seven fold more the child of hell. in one word , i have no hopes of thee , except thou wilt shake off thy evil company . christ speaketh to thee , as to them , in another case ; if thou seek me , then let these go their way , joh. 18. 8. thy life lies upon it : forsake these , or else thou canst not live , prov. 9. 6. wilt thou be worse than the beast , to run on , when thou seest the lord with a drawn sword in the way ? numb . 22. 33. let this sentence be written in capitals upon thy conscience , a companion of fools shall be destroyed , prov. 13. 20. the lord hath spoken it , and who shall reverse it ? and wilt thou run upon destruction , when god himself doth forewa●● thee ? if god do ever change thy heart it will appear in the change of thy company . oh fear , and fly this gulf by which so many thousand souls have been swallowed into perdition . it will be hard for thee indeed , to make thine escape . thy companions will be mocking thee out of thy religion , and will study to fill thee with prejudices against strictness , as ridiculous and comfortless . they will be flattering thee , and alluring thee ; but remember the warnings of the holy ghost , my son , if sinners entice thee , consent thou not . if they say come with us , e●st in thy lot among us ; walk not thou in the way with them , refrain thy foot from their path . avoid it , pass not by it , turn from it , and pass away . for the way of the wicked is as darkness , they know not at what they stumble . they l●y wait for their own blood ; they lurk privily for their own lives . prov. 1. 10. to the 18. prov. 4. 14. to the 19. my soul is moved within me , to see how many of my hearers are like to perish both they and their houses , by this wretched mischief , even the haunting of such places , and company , whereby th●y are drawn into sin , once more i admonish you , as moses did israel , num. 16. 26. and he spake unto the congregation , saying , depart , i pray you , from the tents of these wicked men . oh! flee them as you would those that had the plague-sores running in their fore-heads ; these are the devils panders , and decoys ; and if thou dost not make thine escape , they will toll thee into perdition , and will prove thine eternal ruin . direct . xvi . lastly , set apart a day to humble thy soul in secret , by fasting and prayer , to work the sense of thy sins and miseries upon thy heart . read over the assemblies exposition of the commandments , and write down the duties omitted , and sins committed by thee against every commandment , and so make a catalogue of thy sins , and with shame and sorrow spread them before the lord. and if thy heart be truly willing to the terms , join thy self solemnly to the lord in that covenant , set down in the ixth . direction , and the lord grant thee mercy in his sight . thus i have told thee , what thou must do to be saved . wilt thou not now obey the voice of the lord ? wilt thou arise and set to thy work ? oh man , what answer wilt thou make , what excuse wilt thou have , if thou shouldst perish at last through very wilfulness , when thou hast known the way of life ? i do not fear thy miscarrying , if thine own idleness do not at 〈◊〉 undo thee , in neglecting the use of the means , that are so plainly here prescribed . rouze up , oh sluggard , and ply thy work . be doing , and the lord will be with thee . a short soliloquy for an unregenerate sinner . ah wretched man that i am ! what a condition have i brought my self into by sin ? oh! i see my heart hath but deceived me all this wh●●e , in flattering me , that my condition was good . i see , i see , i am but a lost and undone man ; for ever undone , unless the lord help me out of this condition . my sins ! my sins ! lord , what an unclean , polluted wretch am i ! more loathsome and odious to thee , than the most hateful venom , or noisome carcase , can be to me . oh! what a hell of sin is in this heart of mine , which i have flattered my self to be a good heart ? lord , how universally am i corrupted , in all my parts , powers , performances ? all the imaginations of the thoughts of my heart , are only evil , continually . i am under an inability to , averseness from , and enmity against any thing that is good ; and am prone to all that is evil . my heart is a very sink of all sin : and oh the innumerable hosts , and swarms of sinful thoughts , words , and actions , that have flown from thence . oh the load of guilt that is on my soul ! my ●●ad is ●ull , my heartfull , my mind and my members , they are all full of sin . oh my sins ! how do they stare upon me ! how do they witness against me ! wo i● me , my creditors are upon me , every commandm●●● taketh hold upon me , for more than ten thousand 〈◊〉 talents , yea ten thousand times ten thousand . how endless then is the sum of all my debts ? if this whole world were filled up from earth to heaven with paper , and all this paper written over , within and without , by arithmeticians : yet when all were case up together , it would come unconceivably short of what i owe to the least of gods commandments . wo unto me ! for my debts are infinite , and my sins are increased . they are wrongs to an infinite majesty : and if he that committeth treason against a silken mortal , is worthy to be racked , drawn and quartered : what have i deserved , that have so often lifted up my hand against heaven , and have struck at the crown and dignity of the almighty ? oh my sins ! my sins ! behold a troop cometh ! multitudes ! multitudes ! there is no number of their armies . innumerable evils have compassed me about : mine iniquities have taken hold upon me ; they have set themselves in aray against me . oh! it were better to have all the regiments of hell come against me , than to have my sins to fall upon me , to the spoiling of my soul. lord , how am i surrounded ? how many are they that rise up against me ? they have beset me behind and before : they swarm within me and without me : they have possessed all my powers , and have fortified mine unhappy soul , as a garison , which this broo● of hell doth man , and maintain , against the god that made me . and they are as mighty , as they be many . the sands are many , but then they are not great : the mountains great , but then they are not many . but wo is me ! my sins are as many as the sands , and as mighty as the mountains . their weight is greater than their number . it were better that the rocks and the mountains should fall upon me , than the crushing and insupportable load of my own sins . lord , i am heavy loaden ; let mercy help , or i am gone . unload me of this heavy guilt , this sinking load , or i am cr●●hed without ●ope , and must be pressed down to hell. if my grief were thorowly weighed , and my sins laid in the balances together , they would be heavier than the sand of the sea , therefore my words are swallowed up : they would weigh down all the rocks and the hills , and turn the balance against all the isles of the farth● o lord , thou knowest my manifold transgressions , and my mighty sins . ah my soul ! alas my glory / whither art thou humbled ? once the glory of the creation , and the image of god ; now , a lump of filthiness ; a coffin of rottenness , replenished with stench and loathsomness . o what work hath sin made with thee ? thou shalt be termed forsaken , and all the rooms of thy faculties desolate , and the name that thou shalt be called by is , ichabod , or , where is the glory ? how art thou come down mightily ? my beauty is turned into deformity , and my glory into shame . lord , what a loathsome leper am i ? the ulcerous bodies of iob or lazarus were not more offensive to the eyes and nostrils of men , than i must needs be to the most holy god , whose eyes cannot behold iniquity . and what misery have my sins brought upon me ? lord , what a case am i in ? sold under sin , cast out of gods favour , accursed from the lord , cursed in my body , cursed in my soul , cursed in my name , in my estate , my relations , and all that i have . my sins are unpardoned , and my ●oul within a step of death . alas ! what shall i do ? whither shall i go ? which way shall i look ? god is frowning on me from above ; hell gaping for me beneath ; conscience smiting me within ; temptations and dangers surrounding me without . oh , whither shall i flee ? what place can hide me from omnisciency ? what power can secure me from omnipotency ? what meanest thou , o my soul , to go on thus ? art thou in league with hell ? hast thou made a covenant with death ? art thou in love with thy misery ? is it good for thee to be here ? alas what shall i do ! shall i go on in my sinful ways ? why then certain damnation will be mine end : and shall i be ●o besotted and bemadded , as to go and sell my soul to the flames , for a little ale , and a little ease , for a little pleasure , or gain , or content to my flesh ? shall i linger any longer in this wretched estate ? no , if i tarry here , i shall die ; what then ? is there no help , no hope ? none except i turn , why , but is there any remedy for such woful misery ? any mercy after such provoking iniquity ? yes , as sure as god's oath is true , i shall have pardon , and mercy yet , if presently , unfeignedly , and unreservedly i turn by christ to him . why then i thank thee upon the bended knees of my soul , o most merciful jehovah , that thy patience hath waited upon me hitherto : for hadst thou took me away in this estate , i had perished for ever . and now i adore thy grace , and accept the offers of thy mercy . i renounce all my sins , and resolve by thy grace , to set my self against them , and to follow thee in holiness and righteousness all the days of my life . who am i , lord , that i should make any claim unto thee , or have any part or portion in thee , who am not worthy to lick up the dust of thy feet ' yet since thou holdest forth the golden scepter , i am bold , to come and touch . to despair , would be to disparage thy mercy ; and to stand off when thou biddest me come , would be at once to undo my self , and rebel against thee , under the pretence of humility . therefore i bow my soul to thee , and with all possible thankfulness accept thee , as mine , and give up my self to thee , as thine . thou shalt be soveraign over me , my king , and my god : thou shalt be in the throne , and all my powers shall bow to thee , they shall come and worship before thy feet . thou shalt be my portion , o lord , and i will rest in thee . thou callest for my heart . o that it were any way fit for thine acceptance ! i am unworthy , o lord , everlastingly unworthy to be thine . but since thou wilt have it so , i freely give up my heart to thee : take it ; it is thine . oh that it were better ! but lord , i put it into thine hand , who alone canst mend it . mould it after thine own heart ; make it as thou wouldst have it , holy , humble , heavenly , soft , tender , flexible , and write thy law upon it . come , lord jesus , come quickly : enter in triumphantly : take me up to thee for ever . i give up to thee , i come to thee , as the only way to the father , as the only mediator , the means ordained to bring me to god. i have des●royed my self , but in thee is my help . save lord , or else i perish , i come to thee with the rope about my neck . i am worthy to die , and to be damned . never was the hire more due to the servant , never was penny more due to the labourer , then death and hell , my just wages , is due to 〈◊〉 for my sins . but i fly to thy merits , i trust alone to the value and virtue of thy sacrifice , and preva●●●cy of thine intercession . i submit to thy teaching , ● make choice of thy government . stand open 〈…〉 doors , that the king of glory may come in . o thou spirit of the most high , the comforter and sanctifier of thy chosen ; come in with all thy glorious train , all thy courtly 〈◊〉 , thy fruits , and graces . let ●●e be thine habitacion . ● i can give 〈◊〉 but what is thine 〈◊〉 already ; but here with the poor widdow , i cas● my two mi●es , my soul , and my body into thy treasury ; fully resigning them up to t●●●e , to be sanctified by thee , to be servants to thee . they it all ●e thy patients , cure thou their malady ; they shall be thy agents , govern thou their mo●●c●s . too long have i served the world , too long have i hearkned to satan , but now i renounce them all , and will be ruled by thy dictates , and directions , and guided by thy counsel . o blessed trinity ! o glorious unity ! i deliver up my self to thee ; receive me ; write thy name , o lord , upon me , and upon all that i have as thy proper goods . set thy mark upon me , upon every member of my body , and every faculty of my soul. i have chosen thy precepts . thy law will i lay before me : this shall be the copy , which i will keep in my eye , and study to write after . according to this rule do i resolve , by thy grace , to walk : after this law shall my whole man be governed . and though i cannot perfectly keep one of thy commandments , yet i will allow my self in the breach of none . i know my flesh will hang back : but i resolve , in the power of thy grace , to cleave to thee , and thy holy ways , what ever it cost me . i am sure i cannot come off a loser by thee , therefore i will be content with reproach , and difficulties , and hardships here , and will deny my self , and take up my cross , and follow thee . lord jesus thy yoke is easie , thy cross is welcome , as it is the way to thee . i lay aside all hopes of worldly happiness . i will be content to tarry till i come to thee . let me be poor and low , little and despised here , so i may but be admitted to live , and reign with thee hereafter . lord , thou hast my heart and hand to this agreement . be it as the laws of the medes and persians , never to be reversed . to this , i will stand ; in this resolution , by grace i will live and die . i have sworn and will perform it that i will keep thy righteous judgments . i have given my free consent , i have made my everlasting choice . lord jesus confirm the contract , amen . chap. vii . containing the motives to conversion . though what is already said of the necessity of conversion , and of the miseries of the unconverted , might be sufficient to induce any considering mind to resolve upon a present turning , or conversion unto god : yet knowing what a piece of desperate obstinacy and untractableness the heart of man naturally is , i have thought it necessary , to add to the means of conversion and directions for a covenant-closure with god in christ , some motives to perswade you hereunto . o lord , fail me not now at my last attempts . if any soul hath read hitherto , and be yet untouched , now lord fasten in him and do thy work ; now take him by the heart , overcome him , perswade him , till he say● thou hast prevailed , for thou wast stronger than i. lord ; didst thou not make me a fisher of men ? and have i toiled all this while and caught nothing ? alas that i should have spent my strength for nought ! and now i am casting my last ; lord jesus , stand thou upon the shore , and direct , how , and where i shall spread my net , and let me so enclose with arguments the souls i seek for , that they may not be able to get out . now lord for a multitude of souls i now for a full draught● o lord god , remember me i pray thee , and strengthen me this once , o god. but i turn me unto you . men and brethren , heaven and earth do call upon you , yea hell it self doth preach the doctrine of repentance unto you . the angels of the churches travel with you , gal. 4. 19. the angels of heaven wait for you , for your repenting and turning unto god. o sinner , why should the devils make merry with thee ? why shouldst thou be a morsel for that devouring leviathan ? why should harpies and hell-hounds tear thee , and make a feast upon thee , and when they have got thee into the snare , and have fastened their talons in thee , laugh at thy destruction , and deride thy misery , and sport themselves with thy damnable folly ? this must be thy case , except thou turn . and were it not better thou shouldst be a joy to angels , than a laughing stock and sport for devils ? verily if thou wouldst but come in , the heavenly host would take up their anthems , and sing , glory be to god in the highest ; the morning stars would sing together , and all the sons of god shout for joy , and celebrate this new creation as they did the first . thy repentance would , as it were , make holy-day in heaven , and the glorious spirits would rejoice in that there is a new brother added to their society , rev. 22. 9. another heir born to their lord , and the lost son received safe and sound . the true penitents tears are indeed the wine that cheareth both god and man. if it be little , that men and angels would rejoice at thy conversion , know that god himself would rejoice over thee , even with singing , and rest in his love , luke 15. 9. isa. 62. 5. never did iacob with such joy weep over the n●ck of his ioseph as thy heavenly father would rejoice over thee , upon thy coming in to him . look over the story of the prodigal . methinks i see how the aged father lays aside his estate , and forgets his years : behold how he runneth ! luke 15. 20. oh the haste that mercy makes ! the sinner makes not half that speed . methinks i see how his bowels turn , how his compassions yearn . ( how quick-sighted is love ! ) mercy spies him a great way off , forgets his riotous courses , unnatural rebellion , horrid unthankfulness , debauched practices ( not a word of these ) but receives him with open arms , clasps about his neck , forgets the nastiness of his rags , kisses the lips that deserve to be loathed , the lips that had been joined to harlots , that had been commoners with the swine , calls for the fatted calf , the best robe , the ring , the shooes , the best cheer in heavens store , the best attire in heavens wardrobe , luke 15. 6 , 9 , 23. yea the joy cannot be held in one breast , &c. others must be called to participate : the friends must meet and make merry . angels must wait but the prodigal must be set at the table under his fathers wing . he is the joy of the feast : he is the sweet subject of the fathers delight . the friends sympathize , but none knows the felicity the father takes in his new born son , whom he hath received from the dead . methinks i hear the musick and the dancing at a distance . oh the melody of the heavenly choristers ! i cannot learn the son● , rev. 14. 3. but methinks i over-hear the burden , at which all the harmonious quire with one consent strikes sweetly in , for thus goes the round at heavens table , for this my son was dead , and is aliv● again ; was lost , and is found , luke 5. 23 , 24 , 32. i need not farther explain the parable . god is the father , christ the cheer , his righteousness the robe , his graces the ornaments , ministers , saints , angels the friends and servants , and thou that readest ( if thou wilt but unfeignedly repent and turn ) the welcome prodigal , the happy instance of all this grace , and blessed subject of this joy and love . o rock ! oh adamant ! what! not moved yet ? not yet resolved to turn forthwith , and to close with mercy ? i will try thee yet once again : if one were sent to thee from the dead , wouldst thou be perswaded ? why , hear the voice from the dead , from the damned , crying to thee that thou shouldst repent . i pray thee that thou wouldst send him to my fathers house , for i have five brethren , that he may testifie unto them , lest they also come into this place of torment . if one went unto them from the dead , they will repent , luke 16. 27 , 28 , &c. hear , o man , thy predecessors in impenitence preach to thee from the infernal gibbets , from the flames , from the rack , that thou shouldst repent . o look down into the bottomless pit. seest thou how the smoak of their torment ascendeth for ever and ever , rev● 14. 11. how black are the fiends ? how furious are their tormentors ? 't is their only musick to hear how their miserable patients roar , to hear their bones crack . 't is their meat and drink , to see how their flesh frieth and their fat droppeth , to drench them with burning metal , and to rip open their bodies , and to pour in the fierce burning brass into their bowels , and the recesses and ventricles of their hearts . what thinkes● thou of those chains of darkness , of those instruments of cruelty ? canst thou be content to burn ? seest thou how the worm gnaweth , how the oven gloweth ? how the fire rageth ? what say'st thou to that river of brimstone , that dark and horrible vault , that gulf of perdition ? wilt thou take up thy habitation here ? o lay thine ear to the door of hell. hearest thou the curses and blasphemies , the weepings and the wailings , how they lament their folly , and curse their day ? mat. 22. 13. rev. 16. 9. how do they roar and ●ell , and gnash their teeth ? how d●ep are their gronas ? how feeling are their mo●ns ? how unconceivable are their miseries . if the sh●ieks of 〈…〉 , and abiram , were so terrible ( when the earth 〈◊〉 asunder , and opened her mouth , and swallowed them up , and all that apper●ained to them , ) that all israel fled at the cry of them , 〈◊〉 16. ●3 , ●4 . oh how fearful wor●id the cry be , if god should take off the covaring , from the mou●h of hell , and let the cry of the damned aseend in all its te●ror among the children or men ? and of all their moans and miseries , this the piercing , killing emphasis and burden , for ever , for ●v●r . why , as god liveth , that made thy soul , thou art but a few hours distant from all this , except thou repent and be converted . oh! i am even lost and swallowed up in the abundance of those arguments that i might suggest . if there be any point of wisdom in all the world , it is to repent and come in , if there be any thing righteous , any thing reasonable , this is it . if there be any thing in the world that may be called madness , and folly , and any thing that may be counted sottish , absurd , brutish , unreasonable , it is this , to go on in thine unconverted estate . let me beg thee , as thou wouldst not wilfully destroy thy self , to sit down and weigh , besides what hath been said , these following motives , and let conscience speak , if it be not reason , that thou shouldst repent and turn . 1. the god that made thee doth most graciously invite thee . first , his most sweet and merciful nature doth invite thee ; oh the kindness of god , his working bowels , his tender mercies ! they are infinitely above our thoughts , higher than heaven , what can we do ? deeper than hell , what can we know ? iob 11. 7 , 8 , 9. he is full of compassion , and gracious ; long suffering , and plenteous in mercy , psal. 86. 15. this is a great argument to perswade sinners to come in . turn unto the lord your god , for he is gracious and merciful , ●low to anger , of great kindness , and repenteth him of the evil . if god would not repent of the evil , it were some discouragement to us , why we should not repent . if there were no hope of mercy , it were no such wonder , if rebels should stand out ; but never had subjects such a gracious prince , such piety , patience , clemency , pity to deal with , as you have . who is a god like unto thee that pardoneth iniquity ? &c. mic. 7. 18. oh sinners : see what a god you have to deal with ; if you will but turn , he will turn again , and have compassion on you , he will subdue your iniquities , and cast all your sins into the depth of the sea , v. 19. return unto me , saith the lord of hosts , and i will return unto you , mal. 3. 7. zech. 1. 3. sinners do not fail in that they have too high thoughts of gods mercies , but in that , 1. they overlook his iustice. 2. they promise themselves mercy out of gods way . his mercy is beyond all imagination , isa. 55. 9. great mercies , 1 chron. 21. 13. manifold mercies , neh. 9. 19. tender mercies , psal. 25. 6. sure mercies , isa. 55. 3. everlasting mercies , psal. 103. 17. isa. 54. 8. and all thine own , if thou wilt but turn . art thou willing to come in ? why the lord hath laid aside his terror , erected a throne of grace , holds forth the golden scepter : touch and live . would a merciful man slay his enemy , when prostrate at his feet , acknowledging his wrong , begging pardon , and offering to enter with him into a covenant of peace ? much less will the merciful god. study his name , exod. 34. 7. read their experience , neh. 9. 17. secondly , his soul encouraging calls and promises do invite thee . ah what an earnest suiter is mercy to thee ! how lovingly , how instantly it calleth after thee ! how passionately it wooeth thee ! return , thou back-sliding israel , saith the lord , and i will not cause mine anger to fall upon you ; for i am merciful , saith the lord , and i will not keep anger for ever . only acknowledge thine iniquity . turn o back-sliding children , saith the lord , for i am married unto you : return and i will heal your back-slidings . thou hast plaid the harlot with many lovers , yet return unto me , saith the lord , jer. 3. 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 22. as i live , saith the lord god , i have no pleasure in the death of the wicked but that he turn from his way and live ; turn ye , turn ye , from your evil ways , for why will ye die , o house of israel ? ezek. 33. 11. if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed , and keep all my statutes , and do that which is lawful and right , he shall surely live , he shall not die . all his transgressions that he hath committed , they shall not be mentioned unto him : in his righteousness that he hath done shall he live . repent and turn your selves from all your transgressions , so iniquity shall not be your ruin . cast away from you all your transgressions , and make you a clean heart , and a new spirit , for why will ye die , o house of israel ? for i have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth , saith the lord god , wherefore turn your selves , and live ye , ezek. 18. 21 , 23 , 30 , 31 , 32. oh melting , gracious words ! the voice of a god , and not of a man ! this is not the manner of men , for the offending sovereign to sue to the offending traiterous varlet . oh how doth mercy follow thee , and plead with thee ! is not thy heart broken yet ? oh that to day you would hear his voice ! 2. the doors of heaven are thrown● open to thee ; the everlasting gates are set wide for thee , and an abundant entrance into the kingdom of heaven administred to thee . christ now bespeaks thee , ( as she her husband ) arise and take possession , 1 kings 21. 15. view the glory of the other world as set forth in the map of the gospel . get thee up into pisgah of the promises , and lift up thine eyes westward , northward , southward , and eastward , and see the good land that is beyond iordan , and that goodly mountain . behold the paradise of god , watered with the streams of glory . arise and walk through the land , in the length of it , and in the breadth of it , for all the land which thou seest , the lord will give it to thee for ever , if thou wilt but return , gen. 13. 14 , 15 , 17. let me say to thee , as paul to agrippa , believest thou the prophets ? if thou believest indeed , ●o but view what glorious things are spoken of the city of god , psal. 87. 3. and know , that all this is here tendred in the name of god to thee . as verily as god is true it shall be for ever thine , if thou wilt but throughly turn . behold the city of pure transparent gold , whose foundations are garnished with all manner of precious stones , whose gates are pearls , whose light is glory , whose temple is god. believest thou this ? if thou dost , art thou not worse than distracted that wilt not take possession , when the gates are flung open to thee , and thou art bid to enter ? o ye sons of folly , will ye embrace the dunghills , and refuse the kingdom ? behold , the lord god taketh you up into the mountain , shews you the kingdom of heaven , and all the glory thereof , and tells you , all this will i give you , if you will fall down and worship me : if you will submit to mercy , accept my son , and serve me in righteousness and holiness . o fools , and slow of heart to believe ! will you court the harlot , will you seek and serve the world , and neglect the eternal glory ? what! not enter into paradise , when the flaming sword , that was once set to keep you out , is now used to drive you in ? but you will say , i am uncharitable , to think you infidels and unbelievers . why , what shall i think you ? either you are desperate unbelievers that do not credit it , or stark distracted , that you know and believe the excellency and eternity of his glory , and yet do so fearfully neglect it . surely you have no faith , or no reason ; and i had almost said , conscience should tell you so , before i leave you . do but attend what is offered you , oh blessed kingdom ! a kingdom of glory , 1 thes. 2. 1. a kingdom of righteousness , 2 pet. 3. 13. a kingdom of peace , rom. 14. 17. an everlasting kingdom , 2 pet. 1. 11. here thou shalt dwell , here thou shalt reign for ever ; and the lord shall set thee in a throne of glory , mat. 19. 28. and with his own hand shall set the royal diadem upon thine head , and give thee a crown not of thorns ( for there shall be no sinning nor suffering there , rev. 21. 27. 22 , 3 , 4 , 5. ) not of gold ( for this shall be viler than the dirt in that day ) but a crown of life , iames 1. 12. a crown of righteousness , 2 tim. 4. 8. a crown of glory , 1 pet. 5. 4. yea thou shalt put on glory as a robe , 1 cor. 1. 15. 53. and shalt shine like the sun in the firmament in the glory of thy father , mat. 13. 43. look now upon thy dirty flesh , thy clay , thy worms meat : this very flesh , this lump , this carcase shall be brighter than the stars , dan. 12. 3. in short , thou shalt be made like unto the angels of god , luke 20. 36. and behold his face in righteousness , psal. 17. 15. look in now and tell me , dost thou yet believe ? if not , conscience must pronounce thee an infidel , for it is the very word of god that i speak . but if thou say , thou believest , let me next know thy resolutions . wilt thou embrace this for thy happiness ? wilt thou forgo thy sinful gains , thy forbidden pleasures ? wilt thou trample on the worlds esteem , and spit in the harlots face , and stop thine ears at her flatteries , and wrest thee out of her embraces ? wilt thou be content to take up with present reproach and poverty , if it lie in thy way to heaven , and follow the lord with humble self-denyal , in a mortified and flesh-displeasing life ? if so , all is thine , and that for ever . and art not thou fairly offered ? is it not pity but he should be damned , that will needs go on and perish , when all this may be had for the taking ? in a word , wilt thou now close with these proffers ? wilt thou take god at his word ? wilt thou let go thy hold-fast of the world , and rid thy hands of thy sins , and lay hold on eternal life ? if not , let conscience tell thee whether thou art not distracted , or bewitched , that thou shouldst neglect so happy a choice , by which thou mightest be made for ever . 3. god will settle unspeakable priviledges at present , upon thee , 1 cor. 3. 22. heb. 12. 22 , 23 , 24. though the full of your blessedness shall be deferred till hereafter , yet god will give you no little things in hand . he will redeem you from your thraldom , iohn 8. 36. he will pluck you from the paw of the lyon , col. 1. 13. the serpent shall bruise your heel , but you shall bruise his head , gen. 3. 15. he shall deliver you from the present evil world , gal. 1. 4. prosperity shall not destroy you ; adversity shall not separate between him and you , rom. 8. 35 , 37 , 38. he will redeem you from the power of the grave , psal. 49. 15. and make the king of terrors a messenger of peace to you . he will take out the curse from the cross , psal. 119. 71. and make affliction the fining-pot , the fan , the physick , to blow off the chaff , purifie the metal , and purge the mind , dan. 12. 10. isa. 27. 9. he will save you from the arrest of the law , and turn the curse into a blessing to you , rom. 6. 14. gal. 3. 14. he hath the keys of hell and death , and shutteth that no man openeth , rev. 3. 7. and 1. 18. and he will shut its mouth , as once he did the lions , dan. 6. 22. that you shall not be hurt of the second death , rev. 2. 11. but he will not only save you from misery , but install you into unspeakable prerogatives . he will bestow himself upon you , he will be a friend unto unto you , and a father to you , 2 cor. 6. 18. he will be a sun and a shield to you , psal. 84. 11. in a word , he will be a god to you , gen. 17. 7. and what can be said more ? what you may expect that a god should do for you , and be to you , that he will be , that he will do . she that marries a prince , expects he should do for her like a prince , that she may live in a suitable state , and have an answerable dowry . he that hath a king for his father or friend , expects he should do for him like a king. alas , the kings and monarchs of the earth , so much above you , are but like the painted butter-flies amongst the rest of their kind , or the fair coloured palmer-worm amongst the rest of the worms , if compared with god. as he doth infinitely exceed the glory and power of his glittering dust , so he will beyond all proportion exceed , in doing for his favourites , whatever princes can do for theirs . he will give you grace and glory , and withhold no good thing from you , psal. 84. 11. he will take you for his sons and daughters , and make you heirs of his promises , heb. 6. 17. and establish his everlasting covenant with you , ier. 32. 40. he will justifie you from all that law , conscience , satan , can charge upon you , rom. 8. 33 , 34. he will give you free access into his presence , and accept your persons , and receive your prayers , eph. 3. 12. eph. 1. 6. 1 iohn 5. 14. he will abide in you and make you the men of his secrets , and hold a constant and friendly communion with you , iohn 14. 23. iohn 15. 15. 1 iohn 1. 3. his ear shall be open , his door open , his store open at all times to you . his blessing shall rest upon you , and he will make your enemies to serve you , and work about all things for good unto you , psal. 115. 13. rom. 8. 28. 4. the terms of mercy are brought as low , as possible , to you . god hath stooped as low to sinners , as with honour he can . he will not be thought a fautor of sin , nor stain the glory of his holiness , and whither could he come lower than he hath , unless he should do this ? he hath abated the impossible terms of the first covenant , ier. 3. 13. mark 5. 36. acts 16. 31. acts 3. 19. prov. 28. 13. he doth not impose any thing unreasonable , or impossible , as a condition of life upon you . two things were necessary to be done , according to the tenour of the first covenant by you . 1. that you should fully satisfie the demands of iustice for past offences . 2. that you should perform personally , perfectly , and perpetually the whole law for the time to come . both these are to us impossible , rom. 8. 3. but behold gods gracious abatement in both . he doth not stand upon satisfaction , he is content to take off the surety ( and he of his own providing too ) what he might have exacted from you , 2 cor. 5. 19. he declares himself to have received a ransom , iob 33. 24. 1 tim. 2. 6. and that he expects nothing but that you should accept his son , and he shall be righteousness and redemption to you , iohn 1. 12. 1 cor. 1. 30. and for the future obedience , here he is content to yield to your weakness , and remit the rigour . he doth not stand upon perfection ( as a condition of life , though he still insists upon it as due ) but is content to accept of sincerity , gen. 17. 1. prov. 11. 20. though you cannot pay the full debt , he will accept you according to that which you have , and take willing for doing , and the purpose for the performance , 2 cor. 8. 12. 2 chron. 6. 8. heb. 11. 17. and if you come in his christ , and set your hearts to please him , and make it the chief of your cares , he will approve and reward you , though the vessel be marred in your hands . oh consider your makers condescention . let me say to you , as naaman's servant to him : my father , if the prophet had b●d thee do some great thing , wouldst then not have done it ? how much rather , when he saith unto thee , wash and be clean ? 2 kings 5. 13. if god had demanded some terrible , some severe and rigorous thing of you , to escape eternal damnation , would you not have done it ? suppose it had been to spend all your days in sorrow in some howling wilderness , or pine your selves with famine , or to offer the fruit of your bodies for the sin of your souls , would you not have thankfully accepted eternal redemption , though these had been the conditions ? yea farther , if god should have told you , you should have fryed in the fire for millions of ages , or been so long tormented in hell , would you not have gladly accepted it ? alas , all these are not so much as one sand in the glass of eternity . if your offended creator should have held you but one year upon the rack , and then bid you come and forsake your sins , accept christ , and serve him a few years in self-denial , or lie in this case for ever and ever : do you think you should have stuck at the offer , and disputed the terms , and have been unresolved , whether you were best to accept of the motion ? o sinner return and live ; why shouldest thou die , when life is to be had for the taking , and mercy should be beholding to thee ( as it were ) to be saved ? couldst thou say indeed , lord , i know that thou wast an hard man , mat. 25. 24. thou hadst some little excuse ; but when the god of heaven hath stooped so low , and bated so far , if now thou shouldst stand off , who shall plead for thee ? obj. notwithstanding all these abatements , i am no more able to perform those conditions , ( in themselves so easie ) of faith and repentance , and sincere obedience ; than to satisfy and fulfil the law. answ. these you may perform by gods grace enabling , whereas the other are naturally impossible in this state , even to believers themselves . but let the next consideration serve for a fuiler answer . 5. wherein you are impotent , god doth offer grace to enable you . i have stretched out my hand , and no man regarded , prov. 1. 24. what though you are plunged into the ditch of that misery , from which you can never get out ? christ offereth to help you out ; he stretcheth his hand to you , and if you perish , it is for refusing his help . behold i stand at the door , and knock : if any man open to me , i will come in , rev. 3. 20. what though you are poor , and wretched , and blind , and naked , christ oftereth a cure for your blindness , a cover for your nakedness , a remedy for your poverty , he tendreth you his righteousness , his graces , i counsel thee to buy of me gold , that thou mayst be rich , and white rayment , that thou mayst be cloathed , and anoint thine eyes with eye-salve , that thou mayst see , rev. 3. 17 , 18. do you say the condition is impossible , for i have not wherewith to buy ? you must know , that this buying is without money , and without price , isa. 55. 1. this buying is by begging , and seeking with diligence and constancy in the use of god's means , prov. 2. 3 , 4. god commandeth thee to know him , and to fear him . dost thou say , yea but my mind is blinded , and my heart is hardened from his fear ? i answer , god doth offer to enlighten thy mind● and to teach thee his fear : that is presented to thy choice , prov. 1. 29. for 〈…〉 hated knowledge , and did not choose the fear of the lord. so that now , if men live in ignorance and estrangement from the lord , it is because they will not understand , and desire not●●e knowledge of his ways , job 21. 14. if thou cryest after knowledge , if thou sea●e●t her as silver , &c. then shalt thou understand the fear of the lord , and find the knowledge of god , prov. 2. 3 , 4 , 5. is not here a fair offer ? turn you at my reproof . behold i will pour out my spirit unto you , prov. 1. 23. though of your selves you can do nothing , yet you may do all through his spirit enabling you , and he doth offer assistance to you . god bids you wash and make you clean , isa. 1. 16. you say you are unable as much as the l●●pard to wash out his spots , ier. 13. 23. yea but the lord doth offer to purge you , so that if you be fi●thy still , 't is through your own wilfulness , ezek. 24. 13. i have purged thee , and thou wast not purged , jer. 13. 27. o jerusalem , wilt thou not be made clean ? when shall it once be ? god doth wait when you will be made clean , when you will yield to his motions , and accept of his offers , and let him do for and in you , what you cannot do for your selves . you do not know how much god will do upon your importunity , if you will but be restless and instant with him , luke 11. 8. and 18. 5. if god hath not bound himself by express promise to wicked men , to give them grace in the diligent use of the means , yet he hath given them abundant encouragement to expect it from him , if they seek it earnestly in his way . his most gracious nature is abundant encouragement . if a rich and most bountiful man should see thee in misery , and bid thee come to his door , wouldst thou not with confidence expect , at thy coming to find some relief ? thou art not able to believe , nor repent : god appoints thee to use such and such means , in order to thy obtaining faith and repentance : doth not this argue that god will bestow these upon thee , if thou doest ply him diligently in prayer , meditation , reading , hearing , self-examination , and the rest of his means ? otherwise god should but mock his poor creatures , to put them upon there self-denying endeavours , and then when they have put hard to it , and continued waiting upon him for grace , deny them at last . surely if a sweet natured man would not deal thus , much less will the most merciful and gracious god. i intended to have added many other arguments , but these have swoln under my hands , and i hope the judicious reader , will rather look upon the weight than the number . the conclusion of the whole . and now , my brethren , let me know your minds , what do you intend to do ? will you go on and die , or will you set upon a thorow and speedy conversion , and lay hold on eternal life ? how long will you linger in sodom ? how long will you halt between two opinions ? 1 kings 18. 21. are you not yet resolved whether christ or barabbas , whether bliss or torment , whether the land of cabul , 1 kings 9. 13. or the paradise of god be the better choice ? is it a disputable case , whether the abana and phar●har of da●●●us , be better than all the streams of eden ? or whether the vile puddle of sin , be to be preferred before the water of life , clear as cristal , proceeding , out of the throne of god and of the lamb ? can the world in good earnest do that for you , that christ can ? will it stand by you to eternity ? will pleasures , titles , lands , treasures , descend with you ? psal. 49. 17. 1. tim. 6. 7. if not , had you not need look after somewhat that will ? what mean you to stand wavering , to be off and on ? foolish children ! how long will you stick between the womb and the world ? shall i leave you at last no farther than agrippa , but almost perswaded ? why you are for ever lost , if left here . as good not at all , as not altogether christians . you are half of the mind to give over your former negligent life , and to set to a strict and holy course : you could wish you were as some others be , and could do as they can do . how long will you rest in idle wishes , and fruitless purposes ? when will you come to a fixed , full , and firm resolve ? do not you see how satan gulls you , by t●mpting you to delays ? how long hath he toll'd you on in the way of perdition ? how many years have you been purposing posing to amend ? what if god should have taken you off this while ? well , put me not off with a dilatory answer : tell me not of hereafter . i must have your present consent . if you be not now resolved , while the lord is treating with you , and wooing of you , much less are you like to be hereafter , when these impressions are worn out , and you are hardened through the deceitfulness of sin . will you give me your hands ? will you set open the doors , and give the lord jesus the full and present possession ? will you put your names into his covenant ? will you subscribe ? what do you resolve upon ? if you are still upon your delays , my labour is lost , and all is like to come to nothing . fain i would , that you should now put in your adventures . come , cast in your lot , make your choice : now is the accepted time , now is the day of thy salvation ; to day if you will hear his voice . why should not this be the day from whence thou shouldest be able to date thine happiness ? why shouldest thou venture a day longer , in this dangerous and dreadful condition ? what if god should this night require thy soul ? o that thou mightest know in this thy day , the things that belong unto thy peace , before they be hid from thine eyes ! luke 19. 42. this is thy day , and 't is but a day , iohn 9. 4. others have had their day , and have received their doom ; and now art thou brought upon the stage of this world , here to act thy part for a whole eternity . remember , thou art now upon thy good behaviour for everlasting . if thou make not a wise choice now , thou art undone for ever . look what thy present choice is , such must thine eternal condition be , luke 10. 42. luke 16. 25. prov. 1. 27 , 28 , 29. and is it true indeed ? is life and death at thy choice ? yea 't is as true as truth is , deut. 30. 19. why then , what hinders but that thou shouldest be happy ? nothing doth or can hinder , but thine own wilful neglect , or refusal . it was the passage of the eunuch to philip ; see here is water , what doth hinder me to be baptized ? so i may say to thee : see , here is christ , here is mercy , pardon , life , what hinders but that thou shouldst be pardoned , and saved ? one of the martyrs as he was praying at the stake , had his pardon set by in a box ( which indeed he refused , deservedly , because upon unworthy terms . ) but here the terms are most honourable and easie . o sinner , wilt thou burn with thy pardon by thee ? why do but forthwith give up thy consent to christ , to renounce thy sins , deny thy self , take up the yoak and the cross , and thou carriest the day , christ is thine , pardon , peace , life , blessedness , all are thine : and is not this an offer worth the embracing ? why shouldest thou hesitate , or doubtfully dispute about the case ? is it not past controversie , whether god be better than sin , and glory better than vanity ? why shouldest thou forsake thine own mercy , and sin against thine own life ? when wilt thou shake off thy sloth , and lay by thine excuses ? boast not thy self of to morrow , thou knowest not where this night may lodge thee , prov. 27. 1. beloved , now the holy spirit is striving with you . he will not always strive . hast thou not selt thy heart warmed by the word , and been almost perswaded to leave off thy sins , and come in to god ? hast thou not felt some good motions in thy mind , wherein thou hast been warned of thy danger , and told what thy careless course would end in ? it may be thou art like young samuel , who when the lord called once and again , he knew not the voice of the lord , 1 sam. 3. 6 , 7. but these motions and items are the offers , and essays , and calls , and strivings of the spirit . o take the advantage of the tide , and know the day of thy visitation . now the lord jesus stretcheth wide his arms to receive you . he beseecheth you by us . how movingly how meltingly , how pitifully , how passionately he calleth ! the church is put into a sudden extasie upon the found of his voice , the voice of my beloved , cant. 2. 8. o wilt thou turn a deaf ear to his voice ? it is not the voice that breaketh the cedars , and maketh the mountains to skip like a calf , that shaketh the wilderness , and divideth the flames of fire , it is not sinai's thunder ; but the soft and still voice . it is not the voice of mount ebal , a voice of cursing , and terror ; but the voice of mount gerizim , the voice of blessing , and of glad tidings of good things . it is not the voice of the trumpet , nor the noise of war , but a message of peace from the king of peace , eph. 6. 15. 2 cor. 5. 18 , 20. methinks it should be with thee as with the spouse ; my soul failed when he spake , cant. 5. 6. i may say to thee , o sinner , as martha to her sister . the master is come , and he calleth for thee , iohn 11. 28. oh now with mary arise quickly , and come unto him . how sweet are his invitations ! he cryeth in the open concourse , if any man thirst let him come unto me and drink , iohn 7. 37. prov. 1. 21. he broacheth his own body for thee . o come and lay thy mouth to his side . how free is he ! he excludeth none . whosoever will let him come and take the water of life freely . rev. 22. 17. whose is simple , let him turn in hither . come eat of my bread , drink of the wine which i have mingled . for sake the foolish , and live , prov. 9. 4 , 5 , 6. come unto me , &c. take my yoak upon you , and learn of me , and ye shall find rest unto your souls , mat. 11. 28 , 29. him that cometh to me , i will in no wise cast out , john 6. 37. how doth he bemoan the obstinate refuser ? o jerusalem , jerusalem , how often would i have gathered by children , as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings , and ye would not ! mat. 23. 37. behold me , behold me : i have stretched out my hands all the day to a rebellious people , isa. 65. 1 , 2. o be perswaded now at last , to throw your selves into the arms of love . behold , o ye sons of men , the lord jesus hath thrown open the prisons , and now he cometh to you ( as the magistrates once to them , acts 16. 39. ) and beseecheth you to come out . if it were from a palace , or a paradise that christ did call you , it were no wonder if you were unwilling ( and yet how easily was adam tolled from thence ? ) but it is from your prison sirs , from your chains , from the dungeon , from the darkness that he calleth you , isa. 42. 6 , 7. and yet will you not come ? he calleth you unto liberty , gal. 5. 13. and yet will you not hearken ? his yoak is easie , his laws are liberty , his service freedom , matth. 11. 30. iames 1. 25. 1 cor. 7. 22. and ( whatever prejudices you have against his ways ) if a god may be believed , you shall find them all pleasure and peace , and shall tast sweetness and joy unutterable , and take infinite delight and felicity in them , prov. 3. 17. psal. 119. 165. ● pet. 1. 8. psal. 119. 103 , 111. beloved , i am loth to leave you . i cannot tell how to give you over . i am now ready to shut up , but fain i would drive this bargain between christ and you , before i end . what! shall i leave you as i found you at last ? have you read hitherto , and are not yet resolved upon a present abandoning all your sins , and closing with jesus christ ? alas , what shall i say ? what shall i do ? will you turn off all my importunity ? have i run in vain ? have i used so many arguments , and spent so much time to perswade you , and yet must sit down , at last in disappointment ? but it is a small matter that you turn me off : you put a slight upon the god that made you ; you reject the bowels and beseechings of a saviour , and will be found resisters of the holy ghost , acts 7. 51. if you will not now be prevailed with to repent and be converted . well , though i have called you long , and ye have refused , i shall yet this once more lift up my voice like a trumpet , and cry from the highest places of the city , before i conclude with a miserable conclamatum est . once more i shall call after regardless sinners , that , if it be possible . i may awaken them . o earth , earth , earth , hear the word of the lord , jer. 22. 29. unless you be resolved to die , lend your ears to the last calls of mercy . behold , in the name of god i make open proclamation to you . hearken unto me , o ye children . hear instruction , and be wise and refuse it not , prov. 8. 32. 33. ho , every one that thirsteth come ye to the waters , and he that hath no money , come ye , buy and eat ; yea , come , buy wine and milk , without money and without price . wherefore do you spend your money for that which is not bread , and your labour for that which satisfieth not ? hearken diligently unto me , and eat ●e that which is good , and let your soul delight it self in fatness . incline your ear and come ye unto me ; hear and your soul shall live , and i will make an everlasting● covenant with you , even the sure mercies of david , isai. 55. 1 , 2 , 3. ho , every one that is sick of any manner of disease or torment , mat●h . 4. 23 , 24. or is possessed with an evil spirit , whether of pride , or fury , or lust , or covetousness , come ye to the physician ; bring away your sick . lo , here is he that healeth all manner of sickness , and all manner of disease among the people . ho , every one that is in debt , and every one that is in distress , and every one that is discontented , gather your selves unto christ● and he will become a captain over you . he will be your protection from the arrests of the law ; he will save you from the hand of justice . behold he is an open sanctuary to you , he is a known refuge , heb. 6. 18. psal. 48. 3. away with your sins , and come in unto him , lest the avenger of blood seize you , lest devouring wrath overtake you . ho , every ignorant sinner , come and buy eye-salve that thou may'st see , rev. 3. 18. away with thine excuses ; thou art for ever lost , if thou continuest in this estate , 2 cor. 4. 3. but accept of christ for thy prophet , and he will be a light unto thee , isa. 42. 6. ephes. 5. 14. cry unto him for knowledge , study his word , take pains about the principles of religion , humble thy self before him , and he will teach thee his way , and make thee wise unto salvation , mat. 13. 36. luke 8. 9. iohn 5. 39. psal. 25. 9. but if thou wilt not follow him , in the painful use of his means , but sit down , because thou hast but one talent , he will condemn thee for a wicked and slothful servant , mat. 25. 24 , 26. ho , every prophane sinner , come in and live : return unto the lord , and he will have mercy upon thee . be in●●eated . oh return , come : thou that hast filled thy mouth with oaths , and execrations , all manner of sins and blasphemies shall be forgiven thee , mark 3. 28. if thou wilt but throughly turn unto christ , and come in . though thou wast as unclean as magdalen ; yet put away thy whoredoms out of thy sight , and thine adulteries from between thy breasts , and give up thy self unto christ , as a vessel of holiness , alone for his use , and then , though thy sins be as 〈◊〉 , they shall be as wooll , and though they be as crimson , they shall be as white as snow , luke 7. 37. hos. 2. 2. 1 thes. 4. 4. isa. 1. 18. hear , o ye drunkards , how long will you be drunken ? put away your wine , 1 sam. 1. 14. though you have rolled in the vomit of your sin , take the vomit of repentance and heartily disgorge your beloved lusts , and the lord will receive you , 2. cor. 6. 17. give up your selves unto christ , to live soberly , righteously and godly ; embrace his righteousness ; accept his government ; and though you have been swine he will wash you , rev. 3. 6. hear o ye loose companions , whose delight is in vain and wicked society , to sport away your time in carnal mirth and jollity with them , come in at wisdoms call , and choose her , and her ways , and you shall live , prov. 9. 5 , 6. hear , o ye scorners , hear the word of the lord : though you have made a sport at godliness , and the professors thereof ; though you have made a scorn of christ , and of his ways ; yet , even to you doth he call , to gather you under the wings of his mercy , prov. 1● 22 , 33. in a word , though you should be found among the worst of that black roll , 1 cor. 6. 9 , 10. yet , upon your through conversion , you shall be washed , you shall be justified , you shall be sanctified , in the name of the lord jesus , and by the spirit of our god , ver . 11. ho , every formal professor , that art but a luke-warm and dough-baked christian , and restest in the form of godliness , give over thy halving , and thy halting , be a throughout christian , and be zealous and repent , and then though thou hast been an offence to christ's stomach , thou shalt be the joy of his heart , rev. 3. 16 , 19 , 20. and now bear witness , that mercy hath been offered you . i call heaven and earth to record against you this day , that i have set before you life and death , blessing and cursing ; therefore choose life , that you may live , deut. 30. 19. i can but woo you , and warn you : i cannot compel you to be happy , if i could , i would . what answer will you send me with to my master ? let me speak unto you as abrahams servant to them , and now if you will deal kindly and truly with my master , tell me , gen. 24. 49. o for such a happy answer , as rebekah gave to them , gen. 24. 57 , 58. and they said we will call the damsel , and inquire at her mouth : and they called rebekah , and said unto her , wilt thou go with this man ? and she said i will go . o that i had but thus much from you ! why should i be your accuser , mat. 10. 14 , 15. who thirst for your salvation ? why should the passionate pleadings and wooings of mercy be turned into the horrid aggravations of your obstinacy and additions to your misery ? judge in your selves . do you not think their condemnation will be doubly dreadful , that shall still go on in their sins , after all endeavours to recall them ? doubtless , it shall be more tolerable for tyre and sidon , yea for sodom and gomorrah , in the day of iudgment , than for you , mat. 11. 22 , 24. beloved , if you have any pity for your perishing souls , close with the present offers of mercy . if you would not continue and increase the pains of your travelling ministers , do not stick in the birth . if the god that made you have any authority with you , obey his command and come in . if you are not the despisers of grace , and would not shut up the doors of mercy against your selves , repent and be converted . let not heaven stand open for you in vain . let not the lord jesus open his wares , and bid you buy without money and without price , in vain . let not his ministers and his spirit , strive with you in vain , and leave you now at last unperswaded ; lest the sentence go forth against you , the bellows are burnt , the lead is consumed of the fire , the founder melteth in vain . reprobate silver shall men call them , because the lord hath rejected them , jer. 6. 29 , 30. father of spirits , take the heart in hand that is too hard for my weakness . do not thou have ended , though i have done . half a word from thine effectual power , will do the work . o thou that hast the key of david , that openest when no man shutteth , open thou this heart as thou didst lydia's and let the king of glory enter in : and make this soul thy captive . let not the tempter harden him in delays . let him not stir from this place , nor take his eyes from these lines till he be resolved to forgo his sins , and to accept of life upon thy self-denying terms . in thy name , o lord god , did i go forth to these labours , in thy name do i shut them up . let not all the time they have cost , be but lost hours ; let not all the thoughts of heart , and all the pains that have been about them , be but lost labour . lord put in thine hand into the heart of this reader , and send thy spirit as once thou didst philip , to join himself to the chariot of the eunuch , while he was reading the word . and though i should never know it while i live , yet i beseech thee , lord god , let it be found at that day , that some souls are converted by these labours , and let some be able to stand ●●r●h and say , that by these ●ers●asions , they were won unto thee . amen , amen . let him that reade hsay , amen . mr. alleine's counsel for personal and family-godliness . beloved , i despair of ever bringing you to salvation without sanctification : or possessing you of happiness , without perswading you to holiness . god knows i have not the least hope ever to see one of your faces in heaven , except you be converted and sanctified , and exercise your selves unto godliness . i beseech you study personal godliness , and family-godliness . 1. personal godliness . let it be your first care to set up christ in your hearts . see that you make all your worldly interests to stoop to him , that you be entirely and unreservedly devoted unto him . if you wilfully , and deliberately , and ordinarily harbour any sin , you are undone , psal 68. 21. ezek. 18. 20. see that you unfeignedly take the laws of christ , as the rule of your words , thoughts , and actions ; and subject your whole man , members and mind faithfully to him , psal. 119. 34. rom. 6. 13. if you have not a true respect to all gods commandments , you are unsound at heart . psal. 119. 6. oh study to get the image and impress of christ upon you within . begin with your hearts , else you build without a foundation . labour to get a saving change within ! or else all external performances will be to no purpose . and then study to shew forth the power of godliness in the life . let piety be your first and great business . 't is the highest point of justice , to give god his due . beware that none of you be a prayer-less person ; for that is a most certain discovery of a christless and a graceless person of one that is a very stranger to the fear of god. psal. 14. 4. i●b 15. 4. suffer not your bibles to gather dust . see that you converse daily with the word , iohn 5. 39. that man can never lay claim to blessedness , whose delight is not in the law of the lord , psal. 1. 1 , 2. let meditation and self-examination be your daily exercise . but piety , without charity , is but the half of christianity , or rather impious hypocrisie . we may not divide the tables , see therefore that you do justly , and love mercy , and let equity and charity run like an even thread , throughout all your dealings . be you temperate in all things , and let chastity and sobriety be your undivided companions . let truth and purity , seriousness and modesty , heavenliness and gravity , be the constant ornaments of your speech . let patience and humility , simplicity and sincerity , shine out in all the parts of your conversations . see that you forget and forgive wrongs , and require them with kindness , as you would be found children of the most high. be merciful in your censures , and put the most favourable construction upon your brethrens carriage , that their actions will reasonably bear . be slow in promising , punctual in fulfilling . let meekness and innocency , affableness , yieldingness and courtesie , commend your conversations to all men . let none of your relations want that love and loyalty , that reverence and duty , that tenderness , care and vigilanc● , which their several places and capacities call for . this is throughout godliness . i charge you before the most high god , that none of you be fourd a swearer , or a lyar , a lover of evil company , or a scoffer , or malicious , or covetous , or a drunkard , or a glutton , unrighteous in his dealing● unclean in his living , or a quarreller , or a thief , or a backbiter , or a railer : for i denounce unto you from the living god , that destruction and damnation is the end of all such , prov. 13. 20. iam 5. 12. rev. 21. 8. 1. cor. 6. 9 , 10 gal. 5. 19 , 20 , 21. 2. family godliness . he that hath set up christ in his heart , will be sure to study to s●t him up in his house . let every family with you be a christian church ; 1 c●r . 16 19. every house a house of prayer ; let every housholder say with i●shua , i and my ●●●se wi●● serve the lord ; josh. 24. 15. and resolve with david , i will walk within my house with a perfect heart , psal. 101. 2. let me press upon you a few duties . in general . first , let religion be in ●●●r families , not as a matter by the by ( to be minded at leisure when the world will give you leave ) but the standing business of the house . let them have your prayers as duly as their meals . is there any of your families , but have time for their taking food ? wretched man ! canst thou find time to ●at in , and not find time to pray in ? secondly , settle in upon your hearts , that your souls are bound up in the souls of your family . they are committed unto you , and ( if they be lost through your neglect ) will be required at your hands . sirs , if you do not , you shall know , that the charge of souls is a heavy charge , and that the blood of souls is a heavy guilt . o man , hast thou a charge of souls to answer for , and dost thou not yet be●tir thy self for them , that their blood be not found in thy skirts ? wilt thou do no more for immortal souls than thou wilt do for thy beasts that perish ? what dost thou do for thy children , and servants ? thou providest meat and drink for them , agreeable to their natures , and dost thou not the same for thy beasts ? thou givest them mediclnes , and cherishest them when they be sick , and dost thou not as much for thy swine ? more particularly . 1. let the solemn reading of the word and singing of psalms , be your family exercises , isa. 34. 16. ioh. 5. 39. psal. 118. 15. [ see christ singing with his family , viz. his disciples , mat. 26. 30 lu 9. 18. ] 2. let every person in your families be duly called to an account , of their profiting by the word heard or read , as they be about doing your own business . this is a duty of consequence unspeakable , and would be a means to bring those under your charge , to remember and profit by what they receive . see christs example in calling his family to an account , mat. 16 , 11 , 13 , 15. 3. often take an account of the souls under your care , concerning their spiritual estates ; [ herein you must be followers of christ. mat. 13. 10 , 36 , 51. ●ark 4 10 , 11. ] make inquiry into their conditions , insist much upon the sinfulness and misery of their natural estate , and upon the necessity of regeneration and conversion , in order to their salvation . admonish them gravely of their sins , encourage beginnings . follow them earnestly , and let them have no quiet for you , till you see them in a saving change . this is a duty of high consequence , but ( i am afraid ) fearfully neglected . doth not conscience say , thou art the man ? 4. look to the strict sanctifying of the sabbath by all your housholds , exod. 20. 19. lev. 23. 3. many poor families have little time else . o improve but your sabbath days as diligently in labouring for knowledge , and doing your makers work , as you do the other days in doing your own work , and i doubt not but you may come to some proficiency . 5. let the morning and evening sacrifice of solemn prayer , be daily offered up in all your families , psal. 92. 1 , 2. exod. 30. 7 , 8. luke 19 , 10. beware they be not found among the families that call not upon gods name , for why should there be wrath from the lord upon your families ? ier. 10. 25. o miserable families , without god in the world , that are without family prayer ! what ! have you so many family sins , family wants , family mercies , what ! and yet no family prayer● ? how do you pray with all prayer and supplication , if you do not with family prayer ? eph. 6. 18. say not , i have no time , what , hast thou all thy time on purpose to serve god , and save thy soul ? and yet is this it for which thou canst find no time ? find but a heart , and i will find time . pinch out of your meals , and sleep , rather than want for prayer . say not my business will not give leave . this is the greatest business to save thy self , and the souls committed to thee . besides , a whet will be no let . in a word the blessing of all is to be got by prayer , ier. 29. 11 , 12. 2 sam. 7. 29. and what is thy business without gods blessing ? say not , i am not able . use the one talent , and god will increase , mat. 25. 24. &c. helps are to be had , till thou art better able . but if there be no other remedy , thou must join with thine abler neighbour , god hath special regard to joint-prayer , iam 5. 4 10 19 ac●s 12. 5 , 10 , 12. 2 cor. 1. 11. and therefore you must improve family advantages for the performing of it . 6. put every one in your fami●●●s upon private prayer . observe whether they do perform it . g●t ●hem the help of a form , if they need it , till they are able to go without it . direct them how to pray , by mindi●g ●hem of their sins , ●ants , and mercies , the materials of prayer . this was the practice of iohn , and of jesus , luke 11. 1 , 2 , &c. 7. set up catechising in your families , at the least once every week . have you no dread of the almighties charge , that you should teach these things diligently to your children , and talk of them as you sit in your houses , &c. deut 66 , 7 , 8 , 9. & 4. 9 , 10. & 11 18 , 19 , 20. and train them up in the way wherein they should go , prov 22. 6. the margin . hath god so commended abraham , that he would reach his children and houshold , gen. 18. 19. and that he had many instructed servants , gen. 14. 14. see the margin , and given such a promise to him thereupon , and will not you p●t in for a share , neither in the praise , nor the promise ? hath christ honoured catechi●ing with his presence , lis. 2. 46. and will you not own it with your practice ? say not , they are careless , and will not learn : what have you your authority for , if not to use it for god , and the good of their souls ? you will call them up , and force them to do your work ; and should you not at least be as zealous in putting them upon gods work ? say not , they are dull , and are not capable : if they be dull , god requires of you the more pains and patience , but so dull as they are , you will make them to learn how to work ; and can they not learn as well how to live● are they capable of the mysteries of your trade , and are they not capable of the plain principles of religion ? well , as ever you would see the growth of religion , the cure of ignorance , the remedy of prophaneness , the downtal of error , fulfil you my joy in going through with this duty . will you answer the calls of divine providence ? would you remove the incumbent , or prevent the impending calamities ? would you plant nurseries for the church of god ? would you that god should build your houses , and bless your substance ? would you that your children should bless you ? that your servants should bless you ? oh then set up piety in your families as ever you would be blessed , or be a blessing ; let your hearts and your houses be the temples of the living god , in which his worship ( according to all the forementioned directions ) may be , with constancy , reverently performed . prov. 29. 1. he that being often reproved hardeneth his neck shall suddenly be destroyed and that without remedy . oh be wise in time that you be not miserable to eternity . books lately printed for tho. parkhurst , &c. 1. a discourse concerning old age tending to the instruction , caution and comfort to the aged . by rich. steel minister of the gospel . 2. bapris●●● 〈◊〉 renewed , being some meditations on psalm 〈◊〉 by o. heywood m. a. finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a26695-e1890 the terms of our communion are either from which , or to which . the terms from which we must turn , sin , satan , the world and our own righteousness , which must be thus renounced , the terms to which we must turn , are either ultimate or mediate . the ultimate is god the father , son and holy ghost , who must be thus accepted . the mediate terms are either principal , or less principal . the principal is christ the mediator , who must thus be embraced . the least principal are the laws of christ which must be thus observed . evidence for heaven containing infallible signs and reall demonstrations of our union with christ and assurance of salvation : with an appendix of laying down certain rules to be observed for preserving our assurance once obtained / published by ed. calamy ... calamy, edmund, 1600-1666. 1657 approx. 418 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 126 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2004-03 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a31952 wing c240 estc r3864 11791626 ocm 11791626 49225 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a31952) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 49225) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 18:13) evidence for heaven containing infallible signs and reall demonstrations of our union with christ and assurance of salvation : with an appendix of laying down certain rules to be observed for preserving our assurance once obtained / published by ed. calamy ... calamy, edmund, 1600-1666. [26], 209, [15] p. printed for simon miller ..., london : 1657. reproduction of original in union theological seminary library, new york. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng salvation. 2003-11 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2003-12 spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images 2004-01 john latta sampled and proofread 2004-01 john latta text and markup reviewed and edited 2004-02 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion evidence for heaven : containing infallible signs and reall demonstrations of our union with christ and assurance of salvation . with an appendix of laying down certain rules to be observed for preserving our assurance once obtained . published by ed. calamy b. d. and pastor of the church at aldermanbury london . phil. 2.12 . work out your own salvation with fear and trembling . 2 pet. 1.10 . give diligence to make your calling and election sure . 2 cor. 13.5 . examine your selves , whether ye be in the faith , prove your own selves , know ye not your own selves , how that iesus christ is in you , except ye be reprobates . london , printed for simon miller at the sta● in pauls church-yard toward the west end 1657. an epistle , to the reader . there are two things which ought to be the chief aim of all those who desire to live holily , and dye happily . the one is , to get an interest in christ , the other , to get an assurance of their interest in him . the first of these is absolutely necessary to salvation . the second , is absolutely necessary , though not to our salvation , yet to our consolation . without the first , we cannot dye happily . without the second , we cannot dye comfortably . it must not be denied , but that a man may have true grace , and yet want the assurance of it , he may be a child of light in darknesse , he may have the direct act of faith , and yet want the reflect act , he may have the sanctifying work of the spirit , and yet want the witnessing work . ( though no man can have the witnessing work , who hath not the sanctifying , yet a man may have the sanctifying , and yet want the witnessing work of the spirit ) ioseph may be alive and yet his father iacob may think him dead , true grace may be in us , and yet we may not only not know it , but beleeve the contrary . this condition though it be sad , yet it is not damnable . for as a wicked man is never the nearer heaven , because he presumptuously conceits he is in the way to heaven , no more is a child of god the nearer hell , because he thinks he is in the way to hell. christ was not therefore a gardiner , because mary thought so , neither was ioseph therefore dead , because iacob imagined him to be dead . he that beleevs shall be saved , whether he knows it or knows it not ; he that walks in heavens way shall certainly at last come to heaven , though he thinks himself out of the way . notwithstanding all this , though the grace of assurance be not simply , and absolutely necessary , yet it is a most precious jewell , without which we can neither ●e comforted while we live , nor willing to part with life . it is a heaven upon earth , a heaven before we come to heaven . the prelibation and pregustation of heaven . it is the hidden manna , abraham's bosome , the joy of the lord , and the peace of god which passeth all understanding . it is to be laboured after with all labour . and therefore the apostle perswads us , to give diligence to make our calling and election sure . the subject of this ensuing treatise , is to direct and teach us how to get an infallible assurance of salvation : here are severall marks and characters propounded of a man in christ , the work is very weighty , and of great concernment , for whosoever undertakes to lay down marks of a child of god , must be carefull of two things . 1. that he doth not propound evidences of grace , which are proper only to eminent christians , as belonging to all true christians , least herein he makes sad the hearts of those whom god would not have made sad . 2. that he doth not mention such characters of a true child of god , which may be found in an hypocrite , least he makes glad the hearts of those whom god would not have made glad . the author of this book hath brought very many marks of a true justifying faith , of a distinguishing love of god , of of repentance unto life and of a new creature , &c. now though thou canst not apply all of them as thy portion ; yet if thou canst apply many of them , and sincerely labourest to be capable of applying the rest , thou art in a happy condition . there are two wayes by which a man may come to know his interest in christ. the one is by the witnesse of his own spirit . the other by the witnesse of gods spirit . there are some who say , there is but one witnesse , the witnesse of gods spirit ; this i grant is the chief witnesse ; but i conceive , that the scripture doth also hold forth , the witnesse of a mans own spirit as well as of gods spirit , rom. 8.16 . it is not said , the spirit witnesseth to our spirits , but with our spirits , that we are the sons of god. wherenote , that a mans own spirit is a co-witnesse . this witnesse of a mans own spirit is nothing else , but the testimony of an illightened andrenewed conscience reflecting upon its grace and assuring the soul that it is in christ , &c. of this way of assurance , the apostle speaks , 2 cor. 1.12 . 1 iohn 2.3 . 1 iohn 3.21 . heb. 13.18 . act. 24.16 . when a mans conscience bears him witnesse upon scripture grounds , that he doth beleeve and repent , and that he is a new creature , this is instead of a thousand witnesses , and it is a continuall feast , in the worst of times . but now because the voice of conscience is sometimes so low a voice , as that the spirit of a man cannot heare it , especially when it is disturbed , and distracted with the voice of sin accusing , and condemning him , and because the voice of conscience is sometimes uncertain , so as the soul knoweth not what the verdict of it is . and because also the eye of conscience is sometimes blind , ( through ignorance , ) and cannot see the garces it hath , and is ready to beare false witnesse against it self , and to say , it is not justified , when it is . or if not blind , yet it is many times dimme , and cannot see the happy condition it is in . and sometimes it is infested with melancholly , which makes it look upon its own condition with black spectacles . and because the graces of gods spirit in his children are sometimes so small and little , or at least so blotted and blurred , that conscience cannot read the graces god hath given it . hence it is , that god out of his great goodnesse hath afforded us another witnesse , besides the testimony of conscience , which is the witnesse of his own spirit , witnessing with our spirits that we are the sons of god. this indeed is the great , and the infallible witnesse , therefore it is compared to a seal , whereby we are sealed to the day of redemption , and to an earnest , and it is called the comforter , and the spirit of adoption , by which we are enabled to cry , abba father . of both these witnesses this treatise speaks to very good purpose . one thing more i must add , which will unto many seem very wonderfull and almost incredible . the author of this book is a gentlewoman , belonging to the congregation of alderman-bury ; and one who for these thirty years , by reason of an affliction lying upon her , hath been in a great measure , deprived of those publique spirituall helps which others enjoy , and also of those private helps , which good christians do , or might partake of by the communion of saints . this makes good that text of scripture . out of the mouths of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise . and that other , that the strength of god is made perfect in weaknesse . church history tels us of a captive woman , whom god made instrumentall to convert the whole nation of the iberians , to the christian faith. and the book of god tels us of priscilla , who was made able by grace to expound the way of god more perfectly unto apollo himself , an eloquent man , and mighty in the scriptures . and that she and her husband aquila were helpers in christ iesus unto saint paul , and that for his life , they laid down their necks . much is spoken by the same apostle , in commendation of divers women . i hope no man will contemn this book , because written by a woman , but rather admire the goodnesse , love , and power of god , who is able to do such great things , by such weak instruments . no man will refuse pearls , or precious stones , though handed to him by the female sex. it is her great desire that her name may be concealed . all that i will say of her is ; that she is a precious iewell , though in a contemptible box , and a very great ornament to the congregation of which she is a member . if any reap any spirituall advantage by reading of this book , she hath obtained the hight of her ambition ; onely she craves their prayers , that god would blesse her and hers , that the lesse help she hath from men , the more she may have from god , and the incomes of his holy spirit , that though she wants an outward eare , to hear the voice of gods ministers speaking to her outward man , yet she may have an inward ear to hear god speaking to her soul words of everlasting consolation . and this is also the prayer of thy servant in the work of the ministery , edmund calamy . the preface . christian reader . assurance , well-grounded assurance of the love of god , and a mans own salvation , is a thing much to be desired and laboured for , by all that have immortall souls ; but a thing industriously sought after by few , and attained by fewer . the most people in the world trouble their heads little about it , and their hearts lesse ; know not what it is , nor how to go to worke to attain it , some think it is impossible to attain it ; others seek not after it , some desire it , but cannot acquire it , others enjoy it , but do not impart it , hence it comes to passe , that few reap the comfort of it , i think it not amisse therefore , to speake somewhat of it , seeing it is a thing without which , we can neither live , nor di● with sound comfort in our souls , much l●sse tr●umph over d●ath , the king of terrours : i shall here in the first place premise three thing● , or lay dow● three conclusions and for brevity sake , i will only name them ; the first is this . the first . that there are some , that are chosen to salvation , predestinate , elect . o●dained to eternal life , beloved with an everlasting love , vessels of mercy prepared unto glory , before the world began , and kept by the mighty power of god unto salvation ; and all these , shall be certainly saved and glorified . the second . that it is possible for a child of god in this life , to attain some good assurance , and true evidence , that he is of this number . the third . that it is the duty of every christian to labour for assurance of the love of god , and his own salvation . but here the great question will be , how shall i do this ? how shall i go to work to attain this precious jewel of assurance which you speak of ? this question , the ensuing discourse tends to the resolution of , therefore i will here only , lay down some rules to be followed , by every one that desires to attain some good assurance , or evidence for heaven , while he is here . first . he that would obtain this precious jewel and invaluable treasure of good assurance , must ask it , he must ask it of him , who hath said , ask and ye shall receive , that your joy may be full . he that purchased heaven for us , purchased the evidences of heaven also , but he doth not alwayes commit them to the heirs custody : christ doth not alwayes deliver the evidence , and the ●nowledg of it , with the right and title to heaven : nay , he doth many times withhold the evidence of heaven from those , to whom he gives rig●t and title to heaven , for speciall reasons : therefore for this , christ must be sought unto , injuired of , as the scripture speaks . a plain jacob by much wrestling with god , may obtain some good evidence of his favour , as well as an eloquent orator , or a learned clark : therefore if thou wouldest obtain some good evidence for heaven , and a happy eternity , then go to god with the language of abraham , gen. 15.8 . when god had told abraham , he would give the land of canaan to his posterity , abraham beleeved god , he beleeved gods promise should be made good , yet desires to be further confirmed in this , and therefore saith , lord , god , whereby shall i know that i shall inherit it ? so say thou to the lord , respecting that land above , of which canaan was a type , lord , god , whereby shall i know that i shall inherit it ? say to god , as tamar said to judah , give me a pledg of thy promise , untill thou performest it , say to god , as rahab said to the spies , give me a true token ; give me the earnest of the spirit , give me some grace that may assurs me of glory , and open my eyes to see this grace bestowed on me , give me the blessing of joseph , who was able to say , i feare god ; give me the blessing of paul , who was able to say , i know whom i have beleeved . and put th●se promises in suit , isai. 32.17 . joh. 14.20 . secondly , he that would get this precious jewel of assurance , must seek it , he must seek it , where it is to be found , and as it is to be sough● after . 1. he must seek it , where it is to be found , seek it in iesus christ , and vnion with him , and seek iesus christ , and the demonstrations of vnion with him ▪ in the word of god , in all the ordinance of god , and duties of a christian , and in the work of god , in , and upon himself . he that will conclude according to truth about his spirituall and eternall estate , must diligently try himself , and his graces by the truth ( to wit ) the word of god , which is the only true touchstone we have to try our selves by , the heart is deceitfull above all things , and despeperately wicked , who can know it ? there is nothing in the world that sooner deceives us , or so much abuses us , as our own hearts , they are not to be consulted with nor trusted to , without the word , but tried by it ; therefore search the scriptures , and search thy self . if we go to the creatu●e for assurance , and go from creature to creature for it , as the bee goes from flower to flower , the creatures may all reply in the language of job ▪ and say , it is not in me , neither is it to be found in me , it cannot be gotten for gold , neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof . honour may say it is not in me , neither is it to be found in me ; and riches may say , it is not in me , neither is it to be found in me ; gifts may say , it is not in me ; and learning may say , it is not in me , neither is it to be found in me ; and thus may all the creatures reply . but where then is assurance to be found ? and where is the place thereof , seeing it is hid from the eyes ●f the most , and kept close from many of gods iewels ? the world sayes , we have heard of the fame thereof , but know not what it is ; gods people say , we thirst after it , but know not where to find it ; thou that thus complainest , go to the word , and it will tell thee in the word , and in the wildernesse , assurance is usually found , go thou to the word to seek it , follow the counsell of christ , thou that long●st after assurance , but knowest not where to find it . go thy wayes forth by the footsteps of the flock , and feed thy kids , beside th● sheepherds tents ; frequent the word preached , read the word printed ; seek for evidenc● in grace , and not in gifts , in renewing grace , not in morall grace , seek it in the nar●ow way ; these are the paths wherein the flock of christ have gone before us , and which they have trodden out unto us ; follow their foot steps , if thou wouldest attain assurance , go not in untroden paths to seek it , it is a pearl that is not to be found in every place , seek it therefore where it is to be found : this is the first branch of the second rule . 2. the second is this , he that would get assurance must seek it as it is to be sought after ; he must seek it according to the scripture directory , that is , diligently , orderly , humbly , perseveringly . first , he must seek it diligently , give diligence to make your calling and election sure , saith the text : he that would get assurance must seek it diligently and industriously , he must seek it , as solomon teaches us to seek wisdoms and understanding ; seek for it , as for silver , and search for it , as for hid treasure ; it is treasure , which lies hid , and lies deep in the bowels is the scripture , and he that will obtain it must dive deep for it , and dive with his eyes open , as the indians are said to do for pearl , he must labour for it industriously , as labourers do in silver-mines . secondly , he must seek it orderly , he must follow the vein ; he must not begin where god begins , but where god ends ; he must not begin at the root to fi●d the branch , but by the branch discry the roote , my meaning is , he must not begin with gods decree in predestination , which is the root of salvation ; but with regeneration and justification , which are branches issuing out of this root , other wayes he may destroy the tree ere he is aware , i mean himself , and all hope of heaven and salvation , as i have known some do , and fall into utter desperation ; the truth is , he that will not beleeve , untill he read god's decree in heaven , must never look for any assurance of heaven here , nor fruition of it hereafter ; if you will not beleeve , you shall not be established , saith the text ; he that will reach to heaven by jacobs ladder , must begin at the lowest step ; this is the scripture way to get assurance ; christs directory prescribes it , when iesus christ would instruct nicodemus about his spirituall and eternall estate , he did not send him to heaven , to read the records of the celestiall court , but sent him to read himself over , to search his own heart and life , to consider whether he were regenerate and born again , whether he were ingrafted into christ , and made a new creature , yea , or nay ; christ directs him to the effect to find out the cause , not to the cause to find out the effect , which teaches us , that he that would get some good evidence of the love of god and his own salvation , must begin at home with the workings of god , in and upon himself , he must consider what work the spirit of god hath done in him , what sight of sinne , what sense of sinne , what sorrow for sinne , what l●athing and forsaking of sinne , he hath wrought in him , what grace or desire of grace , or prizing of grace , the spirit of god hath wrought in him ; the father himself loveth you , saith christ. but how shall that appeare ? why the next words tell us , ye have loved me , and beleeved , &c. the father himself loved you , because ye have loved m● , and beleeved that i came out from god : it is as if christ had said , your faith to me , working by love to me , demonstrates it ; for christ doth not here make our faith , or our love the cause of gods love to us , but the discoverer of it : and the apostle tells us , that whom god did foreknow he also did predestinate , to be conformed to the image of his sonne , and ver . 30. saith , that whom he did predestinate , them he also called ( to wit ) inwardly and effectually , according to his purpose , by giving them saving grace ; and whom he thus calleth , them he also justifieth ▪ and whom he justifieth , them he also glorifieth ; and here the apostle followeth the example of his lord and master , leading us to the cause by the effects , and to the end by the meanes , hence it is evident , that he that would get assurance of his election , must seek it in the workings of god , in , and upon himself ; he must consider , how his justification i● evidenced by his sanctification , and his election by both . sanctification is gods work in us , justification is gods work upon us , both together are certain pledges of his good will towards us in the third place , he that would seek assurance , as it is to be sought after , must seek it humbly , with feare and trembling , the scripture calls upon us so to do , work out your own salvation with feare and trembling , a seeker of assurance , must seek humbly upon his knees , and he must seek tremblingly , with a holy feare and jealousie , least he should mistake and miscarry ; for though it be possible for a child of god to know his estate , yet it is very difficult . fourthly , he must seek perseveringly , he must never give over asking untill he receive , never give over seeking untill he find what he seeketh ; he must follow the example of the spouse seeking her beloved , inquire of the watchmen , the ministers of the gospel , where , and how to find , what he seeketh ; and followeth christ by earnest prayer , as the woman of canaan did , untill he obtaine his suit , and he must not rest satisfied with the beginnings thereof but still labour for increase . the scripture speaks of assurance and full assurance of hope a of assurance and sull assuranc● of faith b of the riches of full assurance ▪ of understanding c and of great boldnesse in the faith , d to be attained in this life ; and this the apostle prayed for ▪ for the ephesians , e and laboured to beget in the colossians , as appears by the forecited place , and this the scripture exhorts all christians to labour for , f and saith , that he that doth these things shall never fall , but an entrance shall be ministred unto him abundantly , into the everlasting kingdom of our lord jesus christ , which one would think were argument enough to perswade any immortall soul to seek after it . thus of the second rule propounded for the getting of assurance ▪ the third is this , he that would get assurance of the love of god , must work by the help of the spirit of god , who searcheth all things , yea , the deep things of god as the scripture saith , g and beareth witness with our spirits that we are the children of god ; the word cannot without the spirit ; the spirit will not ▪ without the word assure us o● eternall happinesse ; therefore he that would get assurance must work by the help of the spirit , he must try himself and his graces by the word , through the help of the spirit . in the fourth place , he that would get assurance must carefully avoid all the hinderances thereof , in the generall he must shun and avoid all sinne , more especially these sinnes . ignorance , atheisme , prophannesse and hypocrisie , vnbelief and impenitency , erronious opinions , presumption and desperation , neglect of the meanes of grace , formall vse of them , and rebellion against them , strangnesse with god , and iesus christ. fifthly , he that would get assurance , must labour for all those qualifications and graces which may render him capable ●f it , and which god usually imparts this blessing to ; first , he must become a new bottle , i mean a new creature , for assurance is new wine , and christ will not put it into an old bottle , for it would burst the bottle , labour therefore for grace , trush of grace , every renewing grace ; but more especially these graces , knowledg , faith , sincerity , heart-humility , contritition accompanied with convertion and new obedience : assurance will not dwell in an ignorant , vnbelieving , hypocriticall heart , therefore he that would attain it must labour for those graces which are contrary to these vices ; god dwels as a reviver in the heart of the humble and contrite sinner , he revives the spirit of the humble , and the heart of the contrite ones ; iesus christ puts the strongest wine in broken bottles , i do not say into old , but into broken bottles , he binds up the broken hearted ; he therefore that would get assurance , must labour for an humble and broken heart a wise father will not assure a prodigall and disobedient child of his inheritance , while he continueth such , no more will our heavenly father ; he therefore that would get assurance of inheritance with the saints in light , must come home to his heavenly father with a submissive and obedient heart , with a heart obedient unto all his heavenly fathers will. it is not every one that hath truth of grace , that attains assurance , but he that hat● truth of grace and strength of grace , true faith and strong faith : therefore in the second place , labour for strength of grace , strength of faith and every other grace ; it is not every one that hath truth of grace and strength of grace , that attains to assurance , but he that hath grace and knows that he hath it : therefore if thou wouldest attain assurance , labour to know the grace of god in thee . in the third place ; labour to know that thou ha●● grace , that thou hast a true justifying faith , that thou hast sincerity , &c. grace in gods children , is many times hidden from themselves , and that is the reason why they reap so little comfort of it , so little evidence by i● ; they do not know that they have received an earnest penny of god ; they do not know gods ingagements of himself unto them ; therefore if thou wouldest get assurance , try and prove all thy graces , whether they be true and reall , evangelical and renewing , yea , or nay , especially these graces , faith , lov● ▪ repentance , obedience , poverty of spirit , sincerity , &c. that thou maist know thou hast truth of saving grace , such grace as is crowned with glory , and pray to god for sens● of grace , fourthly , get righteousnesse , evangelicall righteousnesse , righteousnesse of iustification , and righteousnesse of sanctification ; assurance is an effect of righteousnesse , though not an inseparable concomitant of it . the work of righteousnesse shall be peace , and the effect of rrighteousnesse quietnesse and assurance for ever ; labour therefore to get christs merit for thy iustification , and christs spirit for thy sanctification . fifthly , labour to beleeve , as if there were no law to condemn thee , and to live , as if there were no christ to save the● ; labour to beleeve stedfastly , and walk exactly with god and man ; when stephen beheld the glory of god ▪ the text saith , he looked up stedfastly into heaven , and it 's certain , that though a weak faith may bring a man to heaven and glory , yet it will not bring a man to behold the glory of god , whilst he is here below , it will not bring him to the riches of full assurance ; therefore if thou wouldest attain this , labour for a strong and stedfast faith , joyned with a holy life . these qualifications he must labour for that desires assurance . sixtly , he that would get assurance , must deny himself in point of finne , and in point of righteousnesse ; first , he must deny himself in point of sinne , he must not spare a right hand , nor a right eye , but if it offend , cut it off , pluck it out , as christ speaks ; he must deny himself in his darling finne , he must not allow himself in any one known finne , nor in the omission of any one known duty towards god or towards man ; want in this , is that which satan usually makes his great battering ingen to overthrow , ( if it were possible , ) the faith and hope of gods elect , and that whereby he hinders them from getting or keeping this rich jewell of evidence . allowance of sinne and assurance cannot stand together , they are as contrary as fire and water , the one will out the other : therefore he that would get assurance , must deny himself in point of sinne . secondly , he must deny himself in point of righteousnesse , he must renounce all his own righteousnesse , in point of justification before god , and count them all losse , and drosse , and dung , and build upon a sure foundation , viz. the rock christ. he that would attain to the assurance that paul had , must renounce himself , and rely on christ , as paul did , he must refer god wholly to christ for satisfaction , and himself wholly to christ for righteousnesse . again , he that would get assurance , must live for it ; he must apply himself to do the will of god in every thing , he must act and exercise all his graces , and labour to grow and increase in grace still ; he must add grace to grace , and one degree of grace to another , as the scripture exhorts and commands us to do ; single grace is not assuring grace , neither is not growing grace , assuring grace ; that grace which is assuring , is consociate and growing , and some wayes acting . therefore let thy knowledg run down in practise , this is the way to get assurance ; this is to lay a good foundation against the time of need ; this is to be a wise builder for eternity , as christ saith ; this is the way to get assurance for ever , to get assurance , which no rain of temptation , nor floods of affliction , nor winds of misapplyed scripture , shall ever be able to overthrow . in the next plac● , he that would get assurance of his safe and happy condition , must labour to grow into familiarity , and intimate acquaintance with iesus christ , who was in the bosome of his father , when his decree concerning el●ction was made , and was an agent in it , that so by him , as by a bosome friend , he may be made acquainted with the privy-counsells of heaven , and bosome-secrets of god : iesus christ who is wisdome it self , will not impart himself and the secrets of god and heaven to strangers , but reserves himself in such matters for intimate friends , therefore if thou wouldest know and be assured , that thy name is written in heaven , be much with christ , be intimate with christ , lodg him all night between thy breasts , as the spouse speaks , and he will be a bundle of mirthe unto thee , he will be unto thee , as jonathan was unto david , a discoveror of his fathers intentions ; if thou desirest assurance , delight thy self in christ , and he will give it thee in due time , and he will further say unto thee , as jonathan did to david . whatsoever thy soul desireth , i will even do it for thee : all things that i have heard of my father , i will make known unto thee , and ye shall know that i am in my father , and you in me , and i in you . finally , he that would get assurance of the love of god and his own salvation , must p●ay earnestly for the witnessing spirit , and pray for the witnesse of the spirit ; pray that th● spirit of god may beare witnesse with his spirit that he is beloved of god , and chosen to salvation through iesus christ : this , and nothing lesse then this , will satisfie conscience in point of assurance ; when no voice without thee can do it , this voice within thee will do it . thus 〈◊〉 for the rules to be followed , for th● getting of assurance , i would now add some motives to perswade the reader to seek after it , but i feare i should be too tedious , only let me tell thee , that assurance is a thing of incomparable worth , a thing which no man knoweth , but he that hath is , a thing that no man prizeth so much , as he that wants it ; in a word , it is a thing of such incomparabl● worth , that a man cannot buy it at too deare a rate : could a man but know its goodnesse , and taste its sweetnesse , he would think no labour too much to attain it , no sinne too sweet to part with for it , no sufferings too much to preserve it , no care and industry too much to increase it ; for it is ( indeed ) next grace , the most precious and delectable love token , that we can possible receive from iesus christ the bridegroom of our souls , in his bodily absen●e . and if this will not perswade thee , reader , to seek after it , i leave thee to him to perswade , who perswaded japhet to dwell in the tents of shem ; what god hath bin pleased to impart unto ●e on this subject , i have commited to writing , more than this , i dare not do , for going out of my sphere , and lesse then this , i could not do , least i should be blamed of my h●avenly father , for hiding my talent in a napkin , and burying divine love in a dunghill ; if ever this little draught of evidence , which i penned for my own use , and hope to leave to my children for theirs , should by any providence come abroad to publique view , my desire and hope is . that this little draught of evidence may ( through gods blessing ) be helpfull to some of christs lambs , to some poor souls , which thirst after assurance on scriptures-grounds , and in●ite others of profounder judgments , and greater abilities , to search th● scriptures , by them to make discovery of the way to get this precious and invaluable iewell of sound assurance . if thou findest any thing of god in the ensuing evidence , or gettest any good by 〈◊〉 bless god for it , give him the glory of it : this is the desire of thy friend that wishes the blessing of assurance to all that are in christ iesus our lord. evidence for heaven . union with christ , evidence for heaven . question . how may i come to be truly , and infallibly assured of my salvation ? by examining thy self touching thy union with christ , if thou hast union with christ , thou shalt certainly be saved , for the scripture saith , there is no condemnation to them that are in christ iesus , rom 8.1 . if ye be christs , then are ye abrahams seed , and heires according to promise , gal. 3.29 . he that hath the sonne , hath life , to wit , life eternall , 1 joh. 5.12 . by all which it is evident , that whosoever hath a true and real interest in christ , shall certainly e saved . the major part of this assumption , is cleer from these scriptures , to wit , that he that hath union , shall certainly be faved : but how shall the minor appear . viz , that i have union with christ , how shall i be ascertained of this ? to get assurance of this , thou must diligently examine thy self , whether thou hast the spirit of christ , or not ? he that hath not received the spirit of christ , hath no union with chrift , if any man hath not the spirit of christ , he is none of his , rom. 8.9 . he that hath received the spirit of christ , hath undoubtedly union with christ : for the apostle makes this a sure argument of our union with christ , hereby we know that he abideth in us , by the spirit which he hath given us , 1 joh. 3.24 . thereby know we that we dwell in him , and he in us , because he hath given us of his spirit , 1 joh. 4.13 . again , paul delivers this as a positive truth , viz that he that hath the spirit of god dwelling i● him , is not in an estate of condemnation , but in a state of salvation . rom. 8.9 . ye are not in the flesh , but in the spirit ; if so be that the spirit of god dwell in you ; but without christ , without vnion with christ , there is no salvation sor man : therefore it follows by necessary consequence , that he that hath the spirit of christ dwelling in him , according to the meaning of the apostle in this text , hath undoubtedly union with christ. here note , that the first and radicall union between christ and his members , is by conjunction ; this union by conjunction is a true and reall uniting of our persons , bodies and souls , to the person of christ , god and man : to the person of christ , as our mediator ; and it is then effected , when the lord is joyned to the soul , and the soul to the lord , so as they are made truly one . this union between christ and his members is made by the spirit of god , whose office it is to joyn christ and his members together , it is the spirit immediately on christs part , but the spirit mediately on our part , that makes this union . christ by an actuall habitation of his spirit in his elect , really joyns himself unto them and becoms truly one with them . christ by his spirit works unfeigned faith , in the hearts of his elect , by which they habitually abide in him , joyn themselves unto him , and become truly one with him : christ and his members thus joyned together , are one by conjunction . to get assurance of thy union with christ then , thou must of necessity begin here , viz. with a diligent search , whether thou art indued with the spirit of christ , yea , or nay ; and in searching after this take notice , that the spirit of god is said to be given , either essentially , or virtually . essentially unto christ onely ; virtually unto us : so as when the scripture speaks of giving the holy spirit of god to man , of the receiving of the spirit by man , and of the dwelling of the holy spirit in man. in these texts and the like , we are not to understand the essence of that person in trinity , but the vertue , efficacy , and operation of that person , secondly , note that the spirit of god is virtually given unto man , either as a qualifier only , or as a sanctifier : as a restrainer , or as a renewer , and that reception of the spirit , and dwelling of the spirit , which the scripture makes an argument of ou● union with christ , is not that common efficacy , and dwelling of the spirit , whereby he is a restrainer and qualifier onely ; but that speciall efficacy and virtue of the holy spirit of god , whereby he becometh a renewer , and sanctifier of us . to get assurance of the union with christ , then thou must diligently and seriously examine thy self , touching the spirituall virtue , efficacy and operation of the holy spirit of god in thy soul , manifested in and by those speciall graces , which the holy spirit of god works in the hearts of the elect , and of them onely , thence called by divines for distinction sake , sa●ct●fying , or renewing grace . the spirit of god as a sanctifier , the world cannot receive , as the language of christ intimates , ioh 14.17 . sanctifying or renewing grace , christ bestows upon his spouse onely , it is his love-token to her , in her military life , though christ be liberall in bestowing gifts upon all sorts of people , yet he keeps these jewels for his spouse , and bestows them on her onely , on whom he bestows himself : well may they therefore serve to demonstrate our union with christ , and the habitation of his ●pirit in us , after a speciall manner , wheresoever they are bestowed ; hence it is , that this g●ace , and glory are coupled together , psal. 84 11. amongst those speciall graces , which demonstr●●● the holy spirits saving habitation in ●s , the first which i will here speak of , is faith , to wi● , justifying faith. we having the ●ame spirit of faith , we also believe , saith the apostle , 2 cor. 4.13 . hence it is evident that whosoever is indued with the holy spirit of god , savingly beleives , he beleives with a justifying faith , for as much as the spirit works this true justifying faith in all those in whom he dwelleth savingly . therefore if thou wouldest get a true testimony of the holy spirits dwelling in thee after a speciall and saving manner , thou must diligently try and examine thy self , whether thou hast this grace of faith , true justifying faith wrought in thee or not . if thou hast this grace of justifying faith , thou hast that which is an infallible character , and a reall testimony of the holy spirits saving habitation and operation in thee , of thy union with christ , and eternal salvation by him , as the apostle intimates , 1 iohn 5.10 . where he saith , he that believeth in the son of god , hath the witnesse in himself : the truth of this assertion will more clearly and fully appear , by that which follows . this faith is a speciall work of the spirit of god in man , as appears by the language of the apostle , eph. 1.19 , 20. where the apostle speaks of it , as a work of gods almighty power ; no less then that which he wrought in christ , when he raised him from the dead , and set him at his own right hand in glory . and in that it accompanieth predestination , and is a grace proper and peculiar unto the elect , as appears by , 2 thes. 2.13 . compared with , tit. 1.1 . he that with this saith beleiveth in christ , eateth the flesh of christ and drinketh his blood ; and christ saith , he that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood , dwelleth in me and i in him , john 6.56 . and hath he not then union with christ ? surely yes ; for he lives in christ , and christ in him , really , spiritually ; he is one with christ , and christ with him . of this faith christ affirmeth , that it is accompanied with salvation , iohn 3.36 . he that believeth on the son , hath everlasting life , and john 6.54 . he saith , wheso eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath eternall life : he that believ●th on me , hath everlasting life , joh. 6.47 . this faith is called an evidence , heb. 11.1 . the evidence of things not seen . and true it is , that this faith alwayes is an evidence , though it do not alwayes give evidence to the subject in which it is , beleeve and be saved , are coupled together , luk. 8.12 . finally , unto this faith is annexed in scripture , many special and absolute promises of salvation , the scripture faith , that whosoever beleiveth in christ shall not be ashamed , rom. 10.11 . beleive in the lord i●sus christ , and thou shalt be saved , act. 1● . 31 . christ saith , he that believeth in me , though he were dead , yet shall he live , joh. 11.25 . he that liveth and believeth in me shall never die , ver . 26. ( he shall never dye eternally , ) he that eateth me shall live by me : he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever , joh. 6.57 , 58. verily , verily i say unto you , he that heareth my word , and beleiveth in him that sent me , shall not come into condemnation , but is passed from death unto life , joh. 5.24 . by all which it is evident , that justifying faith , for of that these texts speak , is a sure earnest of our inheritance with the saints in light , in joy unspeakable , and full of glory . whosoever hath the one here , shall certainly have the other hereafter . on this ground the apostle exhorts all christians that would make sure for heaven , and get a good evidence of their own salvation , to examine themselves , whether they be in , the faith , yea or nay , and prove themselves , 2 cor. 13.5 . it is , as if the apostle had said , make sure of this , that your faith is right , and make sure of all ; if you have this grace , you shall have glory also . faith is the grace , and the only grace , whereby we are justified before god , by it we eate of the tree of life , ( jesus christ ) and live for ever : it is therefore the fittest grace of all , to satisfie conscience in this weighty matter , and to make up conclusions from , about our eternall estate . this satan knows full well , and therefore when he would flatter a man to hell , he perswades him , that his faith is right good , when indeed there is no such matter ; and when he would overthrow all hope of heaven in a man , and drag him into despaire , he perswades him , that his faith , though never so good , is but a feigned and counterfeit thing , and the poore soul , is ready to say , amen . it mainly concerns all persons therefore , that would here get a good evidence for heaven , throughly to try their faith , whether it be a shield of gold , or but a shield of b●asle ; whether it be an unfeigned , or but a feigned faith ; whether it be a justifying , or but a temporary faith ; whether it be a faith that justifies before god , or but only before men ? in the searching of thy soul , for this grace of faith , or any other renewing grace , thou art to have respect to the truth of it , more than to the measure and strength of it : christ hath so , he absolutely requires truth of belief , but not strength of belief : nay he so esteems truth of belief , that wheresoever he findeth it , in the least measure , he will accept it and reward it , with eternal life ; he will not quench the smoking flax ; he will not suffer that soul that hath but the least grain of true faith to miscary . but you will say . what is this faith you speak of , and how may it be discerned from a temporary faith ? i will first describe it , and then descry it , as god shall inable me . justifying faith is a speciall work of the spirit of god upon the soul , causing a man to lay hold on the speciall promises of mercy , and salvation by christ , and all other promises , which are , in him , yea , and in him , amen , and rest upon him that hath promised , for the accomplishment of his word . i judg it not necessary , nor meet for me to take this description asunder , or speak of the several terms of it , and therefore pass it by . in a word or two only , i will briefly declare , why i call this faith a work of the spirit , and why a speciall work of the spirit . 1. i call this faith a work of the spirit of god , because it is not natural ; were it natural , it would be common , but all men have not faith , as the scripture saith , 2 thes. 3.2 . 2. few have this faith , as the parable of the seed shews , mar. 4.2 . to 9. it is a work supernatural and divine . 3. i call this faith , a speciall work of the spirit , to distinguish it from that common work of the spirit , which is in unregenerate persons . having thus briefly described this faith , i am in the next place to descry it , and distinguish it from all other ; this i shall do for brevity sake positively . this faith then , as i humbly conceive , may be discerned and differenced from all other kinds of faith , by these concurrent and essentiall properties of it , which here follow . this faith is bred , fed , and nourished , ordinarily , by the word preached , as appears by rom. 10.14 , 17. secondly , this faith as it is begotten by the word , so it is grounded upon the word , upon the written word of god ; not fancy , but the word is the ground of it . it gives firm , absolute , and unlimited assent to the whole word of god , promises , threatnings and commandements , so farre forth as it doth apprehend it to be of god ▪ simply because it is of god ; the whole word of god is the generall ground and object of it . i consent to the law , that it is good , holy , and just , and good , saith a true believer , rom. 7. ver . 16 , 12. believing all things that are written in the law and the prophets , act. 24.14 . but the more special object of it is the promises of the gospel . this faith is seated in the heart , the heart is the most proper subject of it , with the heart man believeth unto righteousness , saith the scripture , rom. 10.10 . justifying faith is not barely notionall , but reall ; it is not a bare head-assenting , but a heart-consenting , what the understanding saith is true , the will saith is good , and embraceth it . this faith is an unfeigned faith , as is evident , 1 tim. 1.5 . and 2 tim. 1.5 . an hypocrites faith is but feigned faith , but justifying faith , is unfeigned , how weak soever it be , it is true and real , it carrieth the whole heart to god in obedience , as well as the whole outward man. this faith is a christ-receiving faith , it receiveth and embraceth whole christ , christ as a saviour and christ as a lord in all his offices , prophet , priest , and king , and it causeth him that hath it , to give up himself wholly to christ , to be ruled by him in all things , according to his word : thus the gospel tenders christ , and thus a true beleever receiveth christ : my lord and my god , saith believing thomas , of christ , and it is the property of justifying faith , thus to embrace christ , they gave themselves unto the lord , ( saith the apostle ) of some true believers , 2 cor. 8.5 . and this is universally true of all that are true believers , they give themselves unto the lord ( as aforesaid , ) and that freely and voluntarily . this faith puts a price upon christ above all things , and cleaves to the mercy of god in christ , as better then life , both positively , and comparatively . to you which believe he is pretious , 1 pet. 2.7 . he is the chiefest of ten thousand , a fairer then all the childrenof men , b he is altogether lovely . c as the apple-tree amongst the trees of the forrest : so is my beloved among the sonnes , d his mouth is most sweet , e his love is better then wine , f thy loving kindness is better than life , saith the believing soul to christ , g whom have i in heaven , but thee ; and there is none that i desire upon earth , in comparison of thee , h what things were gain to me , those i counted loss for christ ; yea , doubtless , and i count all things but loss , for the excellency of the knowledg of christ iesus my lord , and do count them but dung , that i may win christ , and be found in him , saith a believing soul , i by all these places it is evident , that it is the property of a true faith , highly to prize jesus christ ; a true believer prizeth christ in all things , places , persons , and conditions , above all things , and beyond all time , in the eighth place ; this faith relyeth wholly on the merit of christ for salvation , for justification , disclaiming all confidence in the flesh , and excluding all boasting in our selves : as appears by the language of the apostle , act. 4.12 . and phil. 3.3 , 9. and have no confidence in the flesh . not having mine own righteousness , which is of the law , but that which is through the faith of christ. where is boasting then ? it is excluded . by what law ? of works ? nay ; but by the law of faith , rom. 3.27 . this faith opposeth the mercy of god in christ against all sinne , as greater then all . the blood of iesus christ his son , cleanseth us from all sinne , saith a believer , speaking of believers , 1 john 1.7 . because god hath said , he shall redeem israel from all his iniquities , psal. 130.8 . all manner of sins and blasphemies shall be forgiven unto the sons of men , but the blasphemy against the holy ghost , mat. 12.31 . this faith , as it lays hold on the promises of god , so it makes him that hath it , carefully observe the conditions of the promises on his part , lord , i have hoped in thy word , and done thy commandements , saith a true believer , ps. 119.166 . thereby intimating ; that it is the property of a true faith , thus to rest on gods promises ; a true believer applies christ unto himself , and himself unto christ , the promises to himself , and himself unto the promises , unto the conditions of them . it is the property of this faith to adhere to christ , even when it cannot see him , nor apprehend one jot of love from him , when he hideth his face from the soul , and speaks bitter things , and doth bitter things unto the soul , behold ( saith job ) i go forward , but he is not there ; and backward , but i cannot perceive him , on the left hand , where he doth work , but i cannot behold him . he hideth himself on the right hand , that i cannot see him . he writeth bitter things against me , and maketh me possess the iniquities of my youth ; he putteth my feet in the stocks , &c. but concludes . though he slay me , yet will i trust in him . when god hid his face from iob , and he could neither apprehend his love , in his providences , nor in his promises , yet he adhered to him still . this the scripture cals for , isa. 50.10 . therefore it follows , that this a true believer in some measure doth : it is the property of a true believer to adhere to christ as asahel adhered to abner , and elisha to elijah ; asahel would not turn aside from abner , though he dyed by his hand : elisha would not leave elijah what ever became of him , as the lord liveth , and as thy soul liveth , i will not leave thee , said elisha to elijah ; and so saith a true believer to christ ; take from me what thou wilt ; do with me what thou wilt , i will not leave thee , i will cleave unto thee still ; though i cannot see thee , i will trust in thee , i will dye in thine arms . in the twelfth place , this faith is a working faith , it is not idle but operative and working , as the apostle intimates , iam. 2. ver . 20.14 . faith without works is dead and cannot save ; living faith , is working faith , justifying faith , though it do not justifie ( by working ) yet is still working . it purifieth and clenseth , and that not the outward man only , but the heart also , act. 15.9 . it sanctifieth , act. 26.18 . ( to wit ) sincerely , universally , soul and body , and the spirit of our mind , as the scripture speaks ; it spurreth on to obedience , active and passive , sincere , universal , and constant , as appears at large , heb. 11. where all those worthies there spoken of , are said to have done and suffered all those admirable things there mentioned by faith. this faith makes a man patiently wait on god , for the accomplishment of all that good which he hath promised in his word , in a conscionable use of all those meanes , which he hath ordained , warranted , sanctified , and affordeth for the serving of his providence , and accomplishing of his promises . the former part of this assumption , is evident by the language of the prophet , isai. 28.16 . he that believeth maketh not haste ; and by that which is spoken of believers , heb. 6.12 . the latter is as evident by the practice of the saints . david believing the word of the lord concerning his sonne solomon , and his building of the temple , was very instant with the lord to make good his word , and what he had promised ; very carefull and conscionable in instructing his son , to walk with god in uprightness of heart , according unto all the commandements of the lord , and in providing materials for the work of the lords house and encouraging his son to the work , as appears by the 2 sam. 7. compared with 1 chron. 28. and 29. chapters . daniel believing the word of the lord concerning the return of the captivity of iudah , was very instant with the lord , by fasting and prayer to accomplish what he had promised , as appears , dan. 9.2 , 3. hezekiah believing the word of the lord concerning his recovery out of a dangerous sickness , diligently used the meanes that the prophet directed him unto , 2 kings 20.7 . and paul , to instance in no more , beleiving that grand promise , that the seed of the woman , should break the serpents head . and that the god of peace would bruise satan under his feet , and that sin should not have dominion over him . when buffeted by satan , prayed frequently , and prayed fervently , he besought the lord thrice : when the law of his members rebelled against the law of his mind , and led him captive to the law of sin . he groaned under this burden , bewailed his condition , sought the lord by prayer for help , exercised faith on christ ; and beat down his body and kept it under , as appears , rom. 7.23 , 24. compared with 1 cor. 9.27 . the same apostle believing the word of the lord , concerning the preservation of himself , and his companions , in a dangerous voyage at sea , diligently exhorted them to use all good meanes tending unto their preservation , sounded the depth , cast anchors , abode in the ship , &c. act. 27. all these meanes these worthies used to serve the divine providence ; and these examples plainly evidence , that it is the property of true faith thus to depend on god , for the accomplishment of his word . this faith makes a man open-hearted , and open-handed towards his brethren in misery and want mercifull according to the divine rule ; ready out of a fellow-feeling of others misery , bountifully , cheerefully , and constantly , to do good unto all in misery , according to ability , but specially to the godly ; not for his own glory , but gods , for the honour of christ and the gospel , as appears by the language of the apostle , iam. 2.15 , 16. compared with the 1 chap. 27. and that which is spoken of believers in the primitive church , act. 2.44 , 45.4.34 . this faith makes a man very industrious , in labouring to keep a good conscience in all things , and to walk inoffensively towards god , and towards man in all things , as appears in the apostle paul. paul having made a confession of faith , and hope towards god , act. 24.14 , 15. in the 16. ver . of the same chap. he declares , how his faith did operate . and herein do i exercise my self , to have alwayes a conscience void of offence towards god and towards man. and this language of his doth plainly evidence , that it is the property of a true faith thus to operate . all these are real testimonies , that true justifying faith , is no idle faith , but operative and working . it worketh by love . this the scripture a●firmeth , gal. 5.6 . neither circumcision , nor vncircumcision availeth any thing , but faith which worketh by love : thence it is evident , that true faith worketh by love . and this is indeed the great distinguishing character of it , it worketh by love to god , and the things of god , and by love to man for gods sake . a true believer works all his works in love to god and christ ; his whole labour in point of obedience , is a labour of love ▪ he sees an unfathomed depth of divine love , declared toward him by god in christ , and this constrains him to love god in christ again ; and out of love unto him that dyed for him , to give up himself unto him ▪ and lay out himself for him . the love of christ constraineth me , saith a true believer , 2 cor. 5.14 , 15. he is holy and blamelesse before him in love , ephes 1.4 . my soule hath kept thy commandements , and i love them exceedingly , saith a true believer , ps. 119.167 . this faith is alwayes accompanied with true repentance ; he that truely believes unfaignedly repents ; this is evident by the language of the prophet , zach. 12.10 . this faith is alwayes accompanied with new obedience . this faith is a holy faith , it 's so called , iud ▪ v. 20. and it makes the subject holy in which it is , inwardly , outwardly , universally holy , though not perfectly holy in this life . this faith is a world-contemning , and world over-coming faith ; it contemns the world , both in the good and evill of it , as appears in moses , heb. 11.24 . to 28. i● overcometh the world , as saith the scripture . this is the victory that overcometh the world , even your faith who is he that overcometh the world , but he that believeth , &c. 1 john. 5.4 , 5. i may add to this , and say , it is a flesh-over-coming , and a devill-overcoming faith : for howsoever a true beleever be many times put to the worse for a time , and foiled by one or other of these enemies , yet in the end he overcometh them all , and is more then a conqueror through christ that strengtheneth him , and overcometh for him . this faith is a heart humbling faith ; it is the property of this faith to make an humble heart , as the language of christ , iohn 5.44 . intimates how can ye believe ( saith he ) which seek honour one of a another ? a true beleever eyes god in all gifts , and in all blessings , spirituall and temporall , and ascribes all unto free grace ; he , and he only labours for and learnes of christ , heart-humility , and groans under the sense of the want of it , and hence it is evident that true justifying faith is heart-humbling faith. this faith is a god-glorifying faith , it makes a man preferre god above himself , and his glory above all things , respecting not himself , willing to deny himself unto the death , to advance the honour of god , and humbly to submit to the will of the lord in every thing ; as appears in abraham , iob , eli , david , paul , and many other true beleevers . abraham was by this faith transported so far above himself , that he willingly offered up his dear isaac , to advance the honour of god , when he tryed him . iob was by this faith brought humbly and patiently to submit to the will of the lord in every thing , as one desirous to advance his name . ely was by this faith brought sweetly and humbly to submit to the good pleasure of the lord : when samuel told him , what evill the lord would bring upon him , and his house , he meekly replies , as one d●sierous to advance god in all , it is the lord , let him do what seemeth him good . it is , as if he had said , let him do with me or to me what he will , so he may have glory by it , i am content . david did the like , 2 sam ▪ 15.26 . but above all , the apostle paul is a notable example of this , who was by this faith carried so farre above himself , that he cared not what betided ●im , sink or swim , so christ might be magnified thereby , bonds , and afflictions , and death were nothing to him to undergo , so christ might have honour thereby : nay he would rather lose his eternall crown , then eclyps the honour of christ , as his language , act. 20.23 , 24.21 , 13. does plainly evidence his resolution , that christ should be magnified in him , whatever he underw●nt , phil. 1.20 . rom. 9.3 . it is the property of a true faith to preferre god above all , but an evidence of a strong faith thus to preferre god above all . this faith is a growing faith. true faith how weak soever or how strong soever , is alwayes accompanied with cordial desires and real indeavours to grow and increase , and bring forth more fruit , as the language ▪ of beleevers shews , lord increase our faith , said the disciples to christ ; lord i beleeve , help thou my unbeliefe , saith another beleever : i count not my self to have apprehended , but this one thing i do , forgetting those things which are behind , and reaching forth to those things which are before , i press toward the mark , saith a third , phil. 3.13 , 14. by all w●ich it is evident , that true faith is growing faith : a true beleever never thinks he hath faith enough , but still prayes for and labours after increase . this faith is a supporting faith ; it is a faith which a christian may and must live by in all conditions , as appears , h●b . 2.4 . the just shall live by his faith. he that hath this faith we speak of , shall live by it , in prosperity and in adversity , in life and in death . finally , this faith is permanent and persevering , it holds out unto the death , it is never totally lost ; a true beleever , as he lives in the faith , so he dyes in the faith ; the apostle speaking of true beleevers , saith , these all died in the faith , heb. 11.13 . and true it is , that a true beleever alwayes dyes in the faith , in the faith of adherence , if not of evidence ; this is vigour fit and but fit to give the denomination of a true beleever , we are made partakers of the holy ghost , if we hold the beginning of our co●fidence stedfast unto the end , saith the text , heb. 3.14 . these words plainly evidence , that justifying faith is persevering faith , it holds out unto the death and ends in fruition , it can never be totally nor finally lost ; and this indeed is it's distinguishing property , and it is the property of every renewing grace ; every renewing grace holds out unto the end ; that grace which weares the the crown of glory is persevereing , revel . 2.10 . it is not alwayes so in appearance , but in truth ; a true beleever may at sometimes , and in some cases , seem both to himself and to others , to have loft his faith , and his other graces as many examples in scripture shew ; but yet as ieb speaks , the root of the matter is within him still ; truth of grace in the inward parts ▪ and it abideth there . however a true beleever may and sometimes doth , for a time lose the comfort of his grace , and the fight of his grace , and the power of acting of his grace , yet he hath this priviledg above all formalists , he never totally loseth the habit of any renewing grace : these gifts of god are without repentance . wouldest thou then know , whether thy faith be sound and saving , and such as consequently demonstrates the holy spirits saving habitation in thy soule ; try and examine thy saith , by these properties and scripture-characters of a true jus●ifying faith , and if it hold correspondency with them , know for thy comfort , that it is such as really demonstrates the holy spirits saving habitation , and special operat●on in t●y soul , thy union with christ , a●d e●ernal salvation by him , whatsoever satan or thine own conscience abused by satan , may at any time hereafter say to the contrary , and give the lord the praise . the end of thy faith shall be the salvation of thy soul , as the scripture speaks , 1 pet. 1.9 . love . another grace demonstrating the holy spirits saving habitation in us , is love , to wit , sincere love. god is love , and where god dwelleth by his spirit , he worketh love , to wit , sincere love to god , and sincere love to man for gods sake . and this love is a speciall work and fruit of the holy spirit of god in man , as appears by the language of the apostle , my little children , let us not love in word or in tongue , but in deed and in truth ; and hereby we know that we are of the truth , and shall assure our hearts before him : and gal ▪ 5. ●2 . it is said , the fruit of the spirit is love. more particularly , that sincere love to god is a special work of the spirit of god , and such as accompanies salvation , is evident by the great good that this grace is attended with , both here , and hereafter ; here all things , how bad soever in themselves , work together for good unto them that love god , rom. 8.28 . and many promises of temporall and eternall good , are made unto this grace , psal. 91.14 , 15 , 16. a crown of life is promised unto it , iam ▪ 1.12.25 . much good attendeth this grace here , but as it is written , eye hath not seen , nor eare heard , neither have entred into the heart of man , the things which god hath prepared for them that love him , 1 cor. 2.9 ▪ such is the happiness , joy , and glory which god hath prepared for them that love him , that it cannot enter into us , till we shall enter into it : it must therefore needs be a special work of the spirit of god in us , and a sure pledg of salvation . he that sincerely loves god , hath that in him , which is a sure argument that he is greatly beloved of god , a i love them that love me ▪ saith christ , b we love him because he first loved us , saith the apostle . and must not that needs be a special work of the spirit of g●d in man , which strongly argues the special love of god towards man ? surely , yes . but sincere love to god , strongly argu●s special love in god towards him that hath it , therefore sincere love to god must needs be a speciall work of the spirit of god in whomsoever it is . that sincere love to man , for gods sake , is a speciall work of the spirit of god in man , is evident by that which follows : sincere love to man , for gods sake , in whomsoever it is , is a real testimony of his union with christ , regeneration and new-birth , and that he is indeed a true disciple of jesus christ , as these scriptures following plainly evidence , c this is his commandement , that we beleeve in the name of his son iesus christ , and love one another , as he gave us commandement , and he that keepeth his commandement ( dwelleth in him , and he in him ) d he that dwelleth in love , dwellth in god , and god in him . if we love one another , god dwelleth in us , and his love is perfected in us , &c. these texts cleerly demonstrate , this love to be a real testimony of union with christ , love is of god , and every one that loveth , is born of god. e we know that we are passed from death unto life , because we love the brethren , saith the apostle . and these texts plainly evidence , this love to be a true testimony of our regeneration and new birth . love one another , saith christ , as i have loved you , meaning for the kind of love , by this shall all men know that you are my disciples , if you have love one towards another . these texts plainly demonstrate this love , we speak of , to be a true character of a true disciple of jesus christ : and must not that needs be a special work of the spirit of god in man , and a true testimony of his saving habitation in us , which is a real testimony of our union with christ , and renovation by him , and dependance on him ? surely yes . but sincere love to man , for gods sake , is eminently all this ; therefore this love must needs be a special work of the spirit of god , and a sure testimony of his saving habitation in whomsoever it is . sincere love is a grace , without which all profession of religion is but guilded hypocrisie ; where love is , god dwels , but where it is not , the devil dwels ; the more love , the more like to god ; the less of it , the more like the devil . wofull experience shews , that those men which have great parts and gifts , and little or no love , shew more of the devils nature , then of gods , and act more like the devil , then god , where they have power . love is the sweetest flower in all the garden of god , but it is a flower which the devil cannot indure the smell of , because he is not capable of it , and knows that where love dwels , he must vanish ; and therefore it is his main design to destroy love , if possible , in all sorts and sects , and to root it up and banish it from the hearts of all men ; the devil is well content , that men should pray , preach , read , hear sermons , and make a faire shew outwardly , provided this spring not from love , nor tendeth not to the increase of love , to god nor man ; but if he see love be the root and fruit of mens services , then he goes cunningly , and serpent-like to work , to make breaches in this wall , that he may get in and destroy this flower , he deviseth wayes to divide mens judgments , to the end he may destroy this affection of love out of their hearts ; if he prevaile not this way then he will raise up jealousies to destroy love and charity , yea sometimes render the best of graces , the worst of vices ; and as in tempting a carnal man , he sometimes stiles lust , love , so in tempting a spiritual man , he somtimes stiles sincere love , lust ; and by these wiles makes a breach on charity , to the end he may get into the garden of god , and root up this sweet grace of love. seeing then that this grace of sincere love to god and man , is a speciall work of the holy spirit of god , and a grace that he worketh in all those in whom he dwels savingly , to get a true testimony of the holy spirits saving habitation in thee , thou must diligently examine thy self , touching thy love to god , and touching thy love to man : 1. examine thy love to god , see whether that be sound and sincere , yea or nay , 2. examine thy love to man , and see whether that be such as the scripture makes a note of the holy spirits saving habitation in us , yea or nay . but how shall i know , whether my love to god be sound and sincere , yea or nay . by considering , 1. what sincere love to god is ; and , 2. what the properties and effects of it are . sincere love to god , is a spirituall affection , causing a man to prize god more , and obey him rather then any thing in the world besides . the properties and effects of sincere love to god are these ▪ 1. sincere love to god is seated in the heart , in the midst of the heart , and it carryeth the whole heart and soul to god in obedience , as well as the whole outward man. that sincere love to god is seated in the heart , in the midst of the heart , and carries the whole heart to god , will appear thus ; that which god in his word requires , and commands , that true grace doth in its measure , and in a gospel way give unto him : but god in his word requires that we should love him with the heart , with the whole heart , and soul ; and , therefore this command doth sufficiently intimate this truth , to wit , that sincere love to god is seated in the heart , and carries the whole heart to god , &c. here note , 1 ▪ by the whole heart is meant , every faculty of the soul , the whole inner man , the heart wholly , sincerely , so as it is not divided between god and the world , between god and sinne , between god and satan , as the hearts of all hypocrites are , but is downright and wholy for god. 2. my whole heart may then be said to be carried to god , when i cleave to him in affection , more then to any thing besides ; account him my chiefest happiness , from a due consideration of his perfection ; rejoyce in him above all things ; feare his displeasure more then all persons or things ; depend upon him for all things , and aime at his glory principally in all things . secondly sincere love to god , is fastened upon god principally , for that divine excellency and spirituall beauty which is in him , and which he doth communicate unto his people , because of the savour of thy good oyntments , thy name is as oyntment poured forth , therefore the virgins love thee , saith the text , cant. 1.3 . spirituals and not temporals , as this text shews , are the principall attractives of a sincere and virgin-love to christ. 3. sincere love to god , is not guided by sense , but by faith , as the language of the apostle f intimates ; therefore saith the apostle , whom having not seen , we love , whom having not seen with corporall eye nor invisible favours , you still cleave to in affection . this is further evidenced in holy iob , who continued to love god , and obey him , even when he could not see one glimpse of his countenance , neither within him , nor without him , as appears by iob 23.8 , 9 , 10 , 11. verses . and this plainly shews , that his love was guided by faith , and not by sense , as it is the property of sincere love to be . 4. sincere love to god , is a very strong love , love is strong as death , cant. 8.6 . sincere love to god will make a man to resolve , ●●augre all opposition , to obey unto the death ; it will constrain a man to do or suffer any thing , that god shall see good to impose upon him for tryall-sake , without repining in toung or in heart against god ; it will make a man serve god with all his might , therefore saith the apostle , the love of christ constraineth us : it beareth all things , it endureth all ●●ings . 5. sincere love to god , is an indearing affection , it indears christ unto a man above all things in the world besides , so as he will willingly part with all things else , rather then christ ; christ in his merit , christ in his spirit , christ in his ordinances , and in his ministers and people , is deare unto a sincere lover of christ above all things here below ; this is lively set forth unto us in the parable of the merchant man , mat. 13.44 , 45 , 46. he left all for the pearl , the pearl was dear unto him , and he was in love with it ; hence it was that he slighted all in comparison of it . that love is an indearing affection , is further evident by the language of the spouse in love with christ , cant. 5.10 . he is the chiefest of ten thousand , saith she , meaning of all ; and likewise by the practise of the saints , which have sincerely loved christ , they have willingly parted with their fine cloathing for his sake , and worn sheep-skins and goats-skins , they have parted with fine dwellings , and lyen in dens , and caves , they have parted with all , even to their precious lives , nay these also they have willingly laid down for his sake , in the cruellest way , that bloody persecutors could invent , refusing base deliverance , to advance the honour of christ , when he called them forth to suffer , as appears heb. 11. their love to christ did indeare christ to them above all things . here note , 1. that sincere love to christ is strong in all , but not in all according unto the same equal degrees ; it indears christ unto all that have it , above all things , but makes not all to declare it with the like forwardness and courage , nor to declare it at all times alike , as many instances in scripture shew ; according to the measure of our faith , so is our love ; if a man beleeve only as a bruised reed , as a weakling in christ , his love will only smoak as flax towards christ , but if he be strong in faith , his love will flame , it will declare it self with much zeale and fervour of spirit . 2. that , that love to christ , which preferrs any one thing whatsoever before christ , or subjoyns any one thing in the world coequal with christ , is no sound sincere love , neither is it worth any thing in christ 's account , as his own language shews ' , he that loveth father , or mother more then me , is not worthy of me : and he that loveth sonne or daughter more then me , is not worthy of me , matth. 10.37 . 3. that love to christ which fals off from christ , when tryals , tribulations and persecutions come , and will not beare the cross for christs sake , when he cals thereunto , is no sincere love , but an hypocritical , as christ shews , mat. 10.38 . he that taketh not up hi● cross , and followeth after me , is not worthy of me : and further illustrates in the parable of the ftony ground , mat. 13.20 , 21. that love to christ which makes not a man to account all things but loss , and dross , and dung for christ , and to set such a price on chrift , and his hopes by him , that he resolves through the help of christ , to part with any thing which may hinder him from doing christ faithful service , how neare or dear soever it be , or ought to be , yea with life it self , or whatsoever contentments may indeare it unto him , when christ cals him to it , is no sound nor available love , as christ shews when he saith , if any man come to me , and hate not his father , and mother , and wife , and children , and brethren , and sisters , yea , and his life also , he cannot be my disciple , luke 14.26 . hence it is evident , in the next place , that sincere love to god , is a very tender love , yea , a love more tender towards god then towards any thing else , besides god , persons or things , and will make a man willing rather to part with all , persons or things ; how neare or deare soever , then with god ; yea , so tender a love it is , as it will not suffer a man to go in any way , though never so pleasing to flesh and blood , that he knows displeaseth the lord , nor transgress the least of gods commandements with knowledg , without grief of heart , as appears in the example of ioseph and david . ioseph sincerely loved his god , and this love constrained him to contemn the carnall love of his miftress , and the carnal pleasure proffered him by her , for fear of displeasing god. david sincerely loved his god ; and hence it was that his heart smote him , for cutting off the lap of sauls garment ; a small matter one would think , yet ( saith david ) he is the lords annointed . i have therefore transgressed his commandement in laying violent hands on him , and was therefore grieved ; his love constrained him to grieve . hence it appeareth , in the next place , that sincere love to god , produceth and preserveth a tender conscience , a holy feare of god in the heart and soul , and a holy hatred of all sin , how shall i do this wickedness and sin against my god , saith the soul that sincerely loves god , when tempted to sinne by the world , the flesh , or the devil : god hates all iniquity , and he that fincerely loves god , hates what he hates , therefore ( saith the psalmist ) you that love the lord , hate evill , to wit , because god hates it . sincere love to god makes a man love the whole will of god , i love thy command●m●nts , saith david , above gold , yea , above fine gold : i esteem all thy pr●cepts , concerning all things to be right , and hate every false way . this language of david shews , that he loved the whole will of god , even that which did cross and condemn that sinne , which his nature was most prone to ; and it is the nature of sincere love to god , to make a man thus to love the will of god. a sincere lover of god , loveth not the word of god the less , but ●●e more for discovering his darling sinne , and so consequently he loves not , nor esteems not the faithfull ministers of the word the lesse , but the more for their faithfulnesse , in discovering and opposing sinne , predominate sinne whether personal or national . sincere love to god is an obediential love , it makes a man cordially obey the will of god , rather then any thing in the world besides . this is evident by the language of christ , g if a man love me , ( saith christ , to wit , sincerely ) he will keep my words . he that hath my commandements , and keepeth them , he it is that loveth me , ibid. v. 21. and by the language of his beloved disciple , h this is love , that we walk after his commandements . the great character of sincere love to god , set by christ and his beloved disciple , is obedience , to wit , cordiall obedience to all the revealed will of god ; and hence it is evident ▪ that sincere love to god is an obedientiall love. that this love leads a man to obey god rather then any thing in the world besides , is manifest by the carriage of such in all ages of the world , in whose hearts the sincere love of christ hath dwelt ; the three children in captivity , being commanded of men to do what they were forbidden of god , chose rather to obey god then man. peter and iohn , being forbidden of men , to do what they were commanded of god , reply , whether it be right in the sight of god to hearken unto you , rather then unto god , judge ye , and chose rather to obey god then man , as the words following shew : and thus it is with other sincere lovers of god , if god and man , god and sin , god and satan , come in competition , or opposition , all craving obedience : if sincere love to god be in the heart , it will soone end the controversie , and cause a man to obey from the heart , god before all ; sincere love to christ will make a man think christ's yoke easie , and his burthen light , his commandements not grievous ; it will make a man obey actively and passively , and resist unto blood , striving against sinne , as the scripture speaks . sincere love to god mortifieth in us the love of the world , if any man love the world the love of the father , ( to wit , the sincere love of the father ) is not in him , 1 joh. 2.15 . this language of iohn , intimates thus much unto us , ( to wit ) that where the sincere love of god dwels , it mortifieth the love of the world , to wit , those things in the world , which are properly said to be of the world , and enemies unto god , as all unchast loves , diabolicall love , and inordinate love of carnall things , the lusts of the flesh , the lusts of the eyes , and the pride of life ; all which are enemies unto god , and his grace in us , and cannot subsist with the love of god , being contrary unto it . sincere love to god makes a man very sensible of gods dishonour , and grieve at it , as ionathans love to david , made him very sensible of the dishonour his father did him , and grieve at it ; so sincere love to god makes a man very sensible of the dishonour done to god , and grieve at it , it makes him sensible of the dishonour done to god by others , but most sensible of the dishonour done to god by himself , and grieve at it ; this appears in david , david sincerely loved god , and this made him grieve at the dishonour other men did to god , but most of all at the dishonour which himself had done to god , the consideration of this made his heart pant , and his strength fail , and made him go mourning all the day long . sincere love to god makes a man prize the light of gods countenance , and the apprehension of his love in christ , above all things in the world , lord , lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon me , this putteth gladness into my heart , more then corn and wine . let him kiss me with the kisses of his lips , for his love is better then wine . this is the language of sincere lovers of god and christ , and a clear evidence it is of the truth asserted , and lively demonstrates the judgement and affection of a sincere lover of god and christ. sincere love to god makes a man delight in communion with god by prayer , meditation , and the use of all his other ordinances here , and long for the marriage-day of the lamb , to the end he might enjoy a more near union , and sweet communion with christ his well-beloved , and be perfectly conformed unto his holy will , as the language of sincere lovers of god shew , i my soul thirsteth for god , for the living god , when shall i come and appear before him , k oh god! thou art my god , early will i seek thee , my soul thirsteth for thee , my flesh longeth for thee , &c. l i have a desire to depart , and to be with christ , which is best of all m come lord iesus , come quickly this longing desire to depart and to be with christ , and to have christ come to consummate the mysticall marriage , though it be a fruit of love , yet it is not an inseparable property of sincere love , neither is it in all , that sincerely love god , nor in all in whom it is , is it at all times alike , but in those only which apprehend the love of god in christ towards them , and at such time , as they apprehend it ; and this is not every sincere lovers portion here , therefore a christian ought not to judge his love to god unsound , onely because he wants this longing desire to be with christ , and to have christ come to consummate this mystical marriage , but to have recourse to the foresaid properties of sincere love , for the tryall of his love , when this fails , and to such as follow . sincere love to god is a constant growing love , and an everlasting love , it holds out in all times and seasons , and variety of conditions , prosperity and adversity , praise and persecution , health and sickness , plenty and poverty , liberty and bonds , yea , in death it self , and after death through all eternity ; death doth not terminate this grace , but perfect it ; therefore saith the apostle of a sincere lover , n he dwelleth in love , and of this love , o it never faileth . a man that sincerely loves god continues to love him , when he hides his face from him , and he cannot see him , nor one glimpse of his favor , neither within him , nor without him ; yea , when he frowns upon him ▪ and shewes himself marvelous unto him , as iob speaks , and the arrows of the almighty stick fast in his soul , and satan , and his own conscience deluded by satan , tells him , he shall never see the face of god with comfort ; and however god carryes himself towards him , yet he dares not from thence take leave to vary his carriage towards god , but loves him still , for better , for worse , and obeys him to the utmost of his power : which shews in the next place , that he that sincerely loves god , loves him for nought . that man may be said to love god for nought , who loves him principally for himself , and not for his , who loves him , because he is of all things most lovely , who had rather have god without all , then all without god , for his portion ; who had rather have a houseless christ , a harbourles● christ , a hated and a persecuted christ , th●● all the honours , pleasures , and riches of the world without christ ; who had rather have grace without glory , then glory without grace ; who had rather have the gospel , and gospel-ordinances in power and purity , with poverty and trouble , then peace and plenty without them ; who had rather christ should reign , then himself ; who desires christ may encrease , though he himself decrease ; and truth live , though he die ; who preferrs the interest of god and christ before his own interest ▪ or any interest whatsoever ; who labours more to get , and to keep a good conscience , then a good estate in the world ; in a word , he that loveth god , more then these earthly contentments , he , and he only , may be said to love god for nought , and to love him sincerely , as christs language to peter intimates , lovest thou me , more then these ? as if he had said , if thy love be not more to me then to these earthly things , it 's worth nothing in my account ; if it be ●ore to me , then to ●hese ▪ if it adhere to me with the loss of these ●hat shews it is not for these , but for nought that thou lovest me , and this argues thy love sincere . sincere love to christ is very industrious , and it makes the subject in which it is very industrious in following after the lord , and the things of the lord ; and the more it aboundeth , the more industrious the soul is in following after her beloved ; this is evident by the language , and practice of such , as have sincerely loved the lord in all times , i p follow after , saith the apostle . my soul followeth hard q after thee , saith another sincere lover of god. early will i seek thee , &c. and the spouse in the canticles , r sought night and day after her beloved : mary magdalen s and other lovers of christ , were very industrious in seeking after him : all which evidently demonstrates the truth asserted ( to wit ) that sincere love is very industrious . sincere love to god and christ , makes the soul unsatisfied in thinking and speaking of the divine excellencies , wisdome , beauty and majesty of god and christ : love of what kind soever , delights in the comtemplation of the object which it fastens on ; the soul delights to be still thinking and speaking of her beloved , whatever it be , as every ones experience can te●● him ; the soul that sincerely loves god doth no less : see an instance of this in the spouse in the canticles , she thinks of her beloved , a●d speaks of her beloved , as one unsatisfied with the thoughts and praises of him , as one resolved to win ( if it were possible ) all the world , to love what she loved ; and this lively demonstrates the sincerity of her love , and the nature of sincere love . sincere love to god is a soul-warming affection , it warmeth that heart , in which it is , with a spirituall heat , with a holy zeal for god , and the things of god ; yea so warmeth it , that many waters cannot quench it , nor floods drown the fire , which it kindleth within : this is evident by the zeal of those , which have sincerely loved god in all ag●s , we may take all the saints for an example of this , but i will instance only in moses , and p●ul ; moses , who was the meekest man upon the earth , had his spirit so warmed with the love of god in his heart , tha● the fire of zeal brake forth in an unquenchable flame in him , when he saw god dishonoured , and an idol magnified by the people of god. and paul's spirit was hereby so stirred within ●im , when he saw the people given to idola●ry , that he could not forbear to reprove it , whatever he underwent for it ; all these had their hearts so warmed with the love of g●d , that neither water nor bloud , could quench the flame that love had kindled ; which evidently demonstrates this love to be a heart-warming affection . though sincere love to god do warm the hearts of all , in whom it is , with a zeal of god , yet doth it not warm the hearts of all alike , according to the measure and degree of love in the heart , such is the zeal that issueth out of it . sincere love to god is a soul-humbling affection , it thinks it can never do , nor suffer enough for god , and thence it is , that it doth not glory in any doing or suffering , it comes stil short of what it should do , and what it would do , and therefore is not puffed up with what it doth , but rather humbled by its failings ; knowledge puffeth up , but love casteth down the soul. sincere love to god is a heart-softening affection , as is evident by the carriage of nathan towards david , when the lord sent nathan to awaken david , and call him to repentance ; what did nathan , but labour to set an edge on david's love , by setting the loving kindness of the lord before him , as one knowing , that if any thing melted his heart , this would do it , and this we see did it , which plainly shews , that love is a heart-softening affection . this is yet farther evident in other of the saints , iosiah loved his god , and hence it was that his heart melted , when he considered , how he and his people had offended god by walking contrary to his statutes ; mary magdalen sincerely loved christ , and hence it was that her heart was so mollified and melted , for the sinne she had committed . love softeneth the heart in which it is ; nothing more , nothing so mollifying as love ; love delated , and love apprehended mollifyeth the heart , as oyl doth the hand . the way to encrease sorrow for sinne , is to encrease love to god ; grief is but an effect of love , love is the leading affection to grief , anger , hatred , and desire ; grief springs not so naturally from any thing , as it doth from love , there is no grief so kindly , none so pier●ing , none so lasting and wasting , as that the 〈◊〉 springs from pure love . object . but this property of love makes me to question the truth of my love , for i find my heart is hard , i cannot grieve for sinne , as i should , or as i would . answ. softness of heart hath other appearances , besides grief , it shews it self in yeelding to walk in the statutes of the lord , and keep his ordinances , and do them , inflexibility and readiness to obey the known will of the lord , without standing out against any part of it , and to these a child of god should have recourse in such case . sincere love to god is a sinne-abating affection ; this i gather from the propheticall prediction of jesus christ , concerning these times , because iniquity shall abound , the love of many shall wax cold ; hence it is evident , that the abounding of iniquity , springs from the totall want or decay of love ; if love did abound , iniquity could not abound , it would abate the force of it ; love is therefore called a breast-plate . the abating of iniquity , is according to the abounding of love ; in what measure love aboundeth , in that measure sinne abateth ; but as love decayes , abates , and cools , iniquity abounds . while the church of ephesus continued in her first and fervent love , we read of no complaints of her , but when her love abated , her in●quity abounded . sincere love to god will abate sinne in a person , church , or nation , if it be in the person , church , or nation . sincere love to god , is an establ●shing affection ; this i ga●her from the language of the apostle , 2 thes. 2.10 , 11. because they received not the love of the truth , t●at they might be saved , for this cause god shall send them strong delusions to believe lies , &c. hence it is evident , that had these ( of whom the apostle speakes ) received the love of the truth , had they sincerely loved the god of truth , they had continued in the truth , in the knowledge of it , in the belief of it , in the obedience of it , and neither totally nor finally apostatized from the truth ; which strongly argues , love is an establishing affection . the knowledge of the truth , without love of the truth ( to wit ) sincere love , is utterly unavaileable unto salvation ; the knowledge of the truth without love of the truth , is unvaled to uphold in the profession , and obedience of the truth . he whose judgement is unsound , is in danger to be corrupt by flatteries , as the prophet daniel speakes ; but he whose love is unsound , is in more danger to be corrupt by flatteries . he whose love is sound , may through frailty fall , and through fear of some corporall evil , become guilty of partiall apostacy ; but he shall never fall away totally nor finally from the god of truth , nor from the truth of god : by all which it appears , that love is an establishing affection . sincere love to god , is not lessened by encrease of knowledge , but encreased with it ; he that loves god sincerely , his knowledge doth not lessen his love to god , or the ordinances of god , or the ministers of god , but encreaseth it ; his love doth abound more and more , as his knowledge doth abound more and more ; this is sufficiently intimated by the language of the apostle , phil. 1.9 . he whose light doth not encrease , but rather decrease his love , hath cause to question his love , and his light too . finally , sincere love to god , alwayes produceth sincere love to man for gods sake ; this is evident by the language of the apostle , if any man say , i love god , and hate his brother , he is a liar ; for he that loveth not his brother , whom he hath seen , how can he love god , whom he hath not seen ? as if the apostle had said , it is impossible for that man to love god sincerely , which loveth not his brother ; if a man love god , this love will constrain him to love his brother , it will produce love to man for gods sake ; this is farther intimated , ver . 21. by these few proper●ies , effects , and appearances of a sincere love to god , i conceive a christian may judge aright of his love to god , and so consequently of his condition . quest. but how shall i know , whether my love to man be sound , and such as demonstrates the holy spirits saving habitation in me , or not ? answ. by considering , 1 , what sincere love to man is : and , 2 , what the appearances of it are . sincere love to man , demonstrating the holy spirits saving habitation in the soul , is a free affection of the soul , delated on man for god , and according to the rules of god given in the holy scriptures . and it is manifest thus , it issueth out of the love of god , and is carried to man for god , for gods sake , as the apostle plainly shews , by this we know we love the children of god , when we love god and keep his commandements , &c. as if he had said , by this we know , that our love towards man is sound , and such as demonstrates the holy spirits saving habitation in us , even by this , that it issueth out of the love of god , as the spring and fountain of it , and is delated on man , for gods sake , for so much that phrase [ keep his commandements , ] implies . god commands us to love one another , and to aim principally at his glory herein ; now when a man doth this , when he makes gods commandement , the efficient cause of his love towards his brother , and gods glory the finall cause of it , then doth he love him for god , for gods sake . a mans love to his brother , then issues out of the love of god , and the commandement of god is the efficient cause of it , when he loves him , because god commands him so to do , and out of love to god commanding . a man then makes the glory of god the finall cause of his love towards his brother , when he therefore delates his love upon him , that he may acquire and gain honour to god and his gospel , which he hath called him to the profession of thereby , and makes this his utmost scope , and ultimate end in loving him . secondly , that love to man , which demonstrates the holy spirits saving habitation in the soul , is a love squared by , and congruous to the rule of god ( to wit ) the holy scriptures . that love which is squared by , and congruous to the rule of god , is an universall love , a love which extendeth it self to all a the saints , yea to all b men , good and bad , yea to very c enemies , because god requires this at our hands , that we should love our enemies ; and in this respect i may call it a singular love . it worketh no d ill to any , deviseth not e evill against any , no , thinketh no f evill to any ; but good g to all , but is more abundant , more tender and strong towards the godly then towards any other ; he that loveth him that begat , loveth him also that is begotten of him , saith the apostle h . the words imply a speciall love , or love after a speciall manner , it is as if the apostle had said , he that loves god in sincerity , loves the children of god after a speciall manner ; love the brotherhood , saith the apostle , i meaning after a speciall manner , and this he doth , that loves god sincerely , his love in reference to them , is a love of large extent ; it extendeth even unto loss of life , in some cases ; as in case the honour of god may be advanced thereby , or a publick good procured unto the brethren ▪ the church of god thereby ; this i think is the apostles meaning , in the 1 ioh. 3.16 . if sincere love to god and man , be in the heart of a man , it will constrain him , in such cases as these , to deny himself unto the death , to advance the honour of god , and the churches good ; it will make him preferre the churches good before his own , witness k aquila and priscilla , whose love to god and the church , constrained them to yeeld their own lives , to preserve paul's : the like exm●ples we have in moses and paul , whose love to god and the church , caused them to slight life , and deny themselves to the death , and beyond it too , for the advancing of gods glory , and the churches good . then again , that love to man which is congruous to the rule of god , is a love paralleling the love of christ towards us , for the kind of it ; christ commands us , to love one another , as he hath loved us , l and he whose love is congruous to this rule , doth this for kind , though not for measure . that love which is congruous to the rule of god and the love of christ , is a free-love . m he that loves his brother according to christs rule , and christs example , loves him freely . it is a condescending love , n it will make a man condescend to men of low estate , condescend to his brother that cannot come up to him , by reason of his mean place , education , parts or gifts . it is an establishing love ; a grace without which the heart of a man can never be established in grace , as i gather from the language of the apostle , o to the thessalonians . it is a reall love , a love not terminated in p words , but manifested in deeds , according to q ability . it is a uniting love , it knits the hearts of christians together , as appears by the language of the apostle , r makes them of one heart and of one soul , s witness the saints in the primitive church . it is a growing love , and encreaseth still , 1 thes. 3.12 . it is a covering grace , it covereth all infirmities in the godly , so farre forth , as the glory of god may not be any way prejudiced , but advanced thereby , and forgiveth all trespasses done by the ungodly , so farre forth likewise , as may be gathered from the language of solomon : love ( saith he ) covereth all sinne ; and the language of peter , charity shall cover the multitude of sinnes . in reference to the godly , it is a love in the truth , and for the truths sake ; as appeares by the language of s● iohn concerning the elect lady , 2 joh. 1.2 . i then love my brother in the truth , when the bond that links me and him together , in a christian conjunction , is the true and constant profession of the truth . i may then be said to love my brother for the truths sake , when that grace and truth which is in him , is the principall attractive of my love ; for that love which is delated on the godly by a godly heart , hath grace for the principall attractive of it , and not base by-respects , and therefore continueth as long as grace lasteth , though other motives to love fail , and such occurrences fall out , as usually extinguish a love led by by-respects , therefore saith the apostle of this love , it never faileth , it is still growing and encreasing in a state of imperfection , and at length perfected in heaven , it never faileth . it is a love that suffereth long , is kind , envieth not , vaunteth not it self , is not puffed up ; doth not behave * it self unseemly , seeketh not her own , is not easily provoked , it rejoyceth not in iniquity , but rejoyceth in the truth , it beareth all things ; believeth all things , loveth all things , endureth all things , 1 cor. 13.4 , 5 , 6 , 7. it is a heart-softening affection , a heart-mollifying love ; this is intimated by the language of the apostle , heb. 3.13 . exhort one another daily , while it is called to day , lest any of you be hardened , through the deceitfullness of sinne . hence it is evident , that if our love one towards another were such , as it should be , and did operate as it should do , it would soften and mollifie our hearts : congruous love is mollifying . here note two or three things ; christians frequently complain of hardness of heart in these dayes , and not without cause , but few i believe take notice , that want in love is the cause of it ; strangeness weakens , cools and abates love , nothing more , this it doth in man towards god , and in man towards man , and as love abates , and strangeness grows , the heart contracts hardness more and more , probatum est . whilest the galatians love towards paul continued , they were pliable within and without , they would have parted with any thing to have done him good , but when once their love abated , their hearts were hardned towards him , and his message too . love and intimate converse melts the heart , nothing more ; strangeness hardens it , nothing the like ; intimate converse with god , encreaseth love to god , and melteth the heart ; intimate converse with the godly-wise , doth the like . our great hardness of heart , and unprofitableness under the great meanes of grace in publick , i may truly say , hath in great part sprung from the gross neglect of the duties of christian love ; and the great strangeness that is grown amongst christians , in these times , where we meet , but in complement usually . but when god shall give his people one heart , and one way , to serve him , with one consent ; when their love shall abound , one towards another , and operate without these obstructions of division , in judgement , and affection [ they shall then have hearts of flesh , and not of stone : ] as appears by ier. 32.39 . and zeph. 3.9 . compared with ezek. 36.26 . which places have reference to one and the same time . it is said of leviathan , job 41. that the flakes of his flesh are joyned together : they are firme in themselves , they cannot be moved . his scales are one so neer another , that no air can come between them . they are joyned one to another , they stick together , that they cannot be sunder●d . the lord jesus christ is the great leviathan of heaven and earth , and his people are his scales , and the flakes of his flesh ; and were they so joyned together in christian love and society , that no air of temptation could come between them , they would be firm in themselves ; and so stick together , that they could not be sundered , yea , in their neck would strength remaine , and sorrow would be turned into joy before them . i wish all the saints to whose view this may come , may take these things into consideration . great is the latitude of christian love , of love congruous to the rule of god ; for they whose love is congruous to the rule of god. grudge not a one against ●●e other ; speak not evil b one of another : do not bite c and devour one another ; devi●e ●ot evill one against another ; d ; do not oppress , over-reach , or defraud e one another , i● any matter ; render not evill f for evill unto any man ; say not i will do g so to him , as he hath done to me , i will ●ender unto the man according to his deeds ; they bear not false h witness against their neighbour , nor bear witness , without i cause against their neighbour , nor deceive with their lips ; lay not wait against the dwelling of k the righteous ; spoil not his resting place ; adde not affliction l to the afflicted ; rejoyce not in their m enemies fell , much less in their brothers ; hate not their brother in n heart ; stand not against the blood o of their neighbours , out of desire of revenge , nor upon a politicall account ; are not as cain * who slew his brother ; they judge not their p brother , nor set at nought their brother ; give no offence q willingly to any , but endeavour , as much as lawfully they may , to live peaceably r with all men ; they put away all s bitterness , and wrath , and anger , and ●lamour , and evill speaking , with all malice ; love one another as t god gave us commandement ; love one another , as christ hath loved u us ; love as * brethren ; love without x dissimulation , cordially , y unfeignedly , out of a pure heart , fervently ; love not in word z and in tongue only , but in deed and in truth ; they walk a in love ; abound b in love , grow c in love , speak the truth d in love , serve one another e in love , continue f in love , are kindly affectionated one towards another g with brotherly love ; rejoice with them h that rejoyce , and weep with them that weep ; in honour preferre i one another , have compassion k one of another , are pitifull , are courteous l one towards another , tender m hearted ; if rich , they are rich in good works ready to distribute , willing to communicate , shew mercy o with cheerfullness , they beare one anothers p burdens . if strong , beare the infirmities q of the weak , support r the weak , beare one with another , a●d forbeare one s another ; forsake not the t assembling of themselves together , but exhort one another daily , edify one another u and comfort one another , with the word of the lord ; * teach and admonish one another , consider one another to provoke x unto love , and to good works , confess their faults one y to another ; this ( i think ) is meant , at least chiefly , of faults committed one against another , and pray one for another ; pray for all men , even enemies ; † do good unto all , a but especially unto the houshold of fai●h , they are not overcome of evill , but b labour to overcome evill with goodness ; they do as they would c be done by in all things ; they esteem d very highly in love , for their works sake , their lawfull and faithfull ministers , especially those in whom they have propriety ; they receive e one another , as christ received us to the glory of god ; and be at peace among themselves . then again . he whose love to his brother is congruous to the rule of god , goes not up and down as a tale-bearer , f he seeks not his own , g but his brothers good ; labours to avoid whatsoever may offend h or weaken his brother , or be a stumbling block unto him ; labours to please i his brother for his good , to edification ; he loves his neighbour as himself ; k doth good freely , l looking for nothing again ; he saies not as cain , am i my brothers keeper ? but watches over his brother for his good , and reproves m his brother in love , according to christ's rule n privately and publiquely , if need be ; informs against his brother o in such place and case , as christ commands him , and with-draws from his brother in case of p scandall or contempt of the churches lawfull constitutions and censures ; or in case he cause divisions q or offences in the church , contrary to the doctrine of the holy scriptures ; mourns r for his brother , and praies for s him in such cases . labours to restore t his brother in the spirit of meekness , when overtaken in any fault , and returns to him u when he turns to the lord. forgives * him and comforts him , and confirms his love towards him ; he forgives his brother his trespasses from his x heart , as often as he y offendeth , and repenteth , freely , as z christ forgave us ; for christ's sake , and as god hath forgiven us . all these qualifications the scripture cals for , in my love towards my brother , as these quotations in the margin do manifest ; therefore that love towards man , which is congruous to the holy scripture , must needs have these qualifications in it , ergo . but here the soul conscious to its own wants and failings , will be ready to reply , as the disciples did to christ , when he told them , how hard a matter it was for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven ; who then can be saved , said the disciples ? so the soul will be ready to say here , if all this be in that love which is congruous to the rule of god , who then can say his love is congruous to the rule of god ? surely none , for in much of this we faile all . he that truly wills , desires , and indeavours to do all this , that christ may have the honour of it , doth it in a gospel-sense , and in gods acceptation , who accepts the will for the deed : where ability is wanting , this must be granted , otherwise no child of adam could conclude on the affirmative . now for other appearances of love , they are these ; what a man loves , he prizes accordingly ; what a man loves , he delights in accordingly ; what a man loves , he desires to enjoy ; what a man loves , he cannot hear reproached , reviled , and spoken against , but with grief of heart : this needs no proving , every ones experience , will testifie the truth of it . wouldest thou know , whether thy love to god and thy love to man be sound , and such as demonstrates the holy spirits saving habitation in thy soul or not ? then go through what hath been said in this little epitomie , touching love to god , and love to man ; and consider , whether thy love be truly such , yea or nay ; and if thou findest it truly such , though but weakly , conclude thou maist safely to thy comfort , that thy love is such , as really demonstrates thou art beloved of god and indued with the holy spirit of god savingly : for love indeed and in truth , argues that we are of the truth , and shall assure our hearts before him , as the apostle affirms , 1 ioh. 3.18 , 19. therefore if thou upon a true tryal , findest by this that hath been said , that thou hast any truth of love to god and thy brother , argue not against thy self , or thy love , but bless god for that love thou hast , and labour to grow and increase in love to god and man daily . repentance . another grace of the holy spirit of god , demonstrating his saving habitation in the ●oul , is repentance ( to ●●t ) true gospel-repentance . i ( s●ith the lord ) will pour upon the house of david , the spirit of grace and supplications ; and they shall look upon him , whom they have pr●●●ed , and they sh●ll mourn for him , &c. zach. 12 10. this text plainly points out unto us two things ▪ 1. that wheresoever the holy spirit of god dwelleth savingly , in what soul soever he resideth , as a sanctifier , there he worketh true faith and repentance . 2. that in whomsoever these graces are wrought , they are a true and real testimony of the holy spirits saving habitation in that soul , ●or as much as it is proper and peculiar unto the spirit of god alone , to work these in the heart of man. here note , three or foure things , 1. that the grace of repentance , though it be a distinct grace from faith , yet is it an inseparable concomitant of justifying faith , coupled with it in infusion , and he that totally wanteth either , hath neither . secondly note ; that faith , and love , and repentance , and every other renewing grace habitually considered , are coequal , the habit of every grace being infused together : so that where there is one grace in truth , there is every grace in truth , in the habit of it , in some measure . and thirdly , that although every grace of the spirit , habitually considered , be coequal , yet these actually considered , and according to their manner of working , and appearing in us precede each other ; faith precedes love , and faith and love precedes repentance , repentance being a fruit of faith and love . fourthly , that grace ( to wit ) renewing grace , and glory , are inseparably linked together : he that hath the one shall certainly have the other , for this grace is the earnest of our inheritance . lastly n●te , that this grace of repentance , is a renewing grace , a speciall work of the spirit of god in man , a●d a grace that he worketh in all that truly beleeve and love . that repentance is a renewing grace , a special work of the spirit of god in man , is evident by those special promises , which are made unto it in holy scripture , of spiritual and eternal blessednesse . he that confesseth , and forsaketh his finne ▪ shall have mercy , prov. 28.13 , if my people , which are called by my name shall humble themselves , and pray and turn from their evill wayes , then will i hear from heaven , and will forgive their sinne , &c. 2 chron. 7.14 . and the red●emer shall come to sion , and to them that turn from transgression in iacob , saith the lord , isa. 59.20 . again , when , i say unto the wicked , thou shalt surely dye , if he turn from his sinne , and doe that which is lawful and right , he shall surely live , he shall not die , none of his sinnes that he hath committed , shall be mentioned unto him ; he hath done that which is lawfull and right , he shall surely live , ezek. 33.14 , 15 , 16. all sins ( all manner of sinns , ) and blasphemies shall be forgiven unto him . mark 3.28 . matth. 12.31 . compared , though your sinnes be as scarlet , they shall be made as white as snow ; though they be red like crimson , they shall be as wooll , isai. 1.18 . and act. 11.18 . true repentance is called , repentance unto life . by all which it is evident , that it is a renewing grace , a special work of the spirit of god in man. repentance being a special work of the spirit of god in man , and an inseparable concomitant of a justifying faith , is therefore a true touchstone , to try our selves and our spiritual estate ▪ by , and such an one as all must try themselves by , that will gather to themselves , a true testimony of their eternal happiness by christ , and make their calling and election sure in the subject . but what is this grace of repentance ? how may it be defined ? repentance is a divine quality wrought by the spirit of god in the soul , whereby a sinner , is so much touched in heart for his sinnes that he truly turns from them all unto the lord. i think it not necessary , nor meet for me , to discuss the termes or genus of this description : but here no●e , 1. that repentance unto salvation , is an evangelical grace , a gospel-grace ; the law knows no repentance , cals for none , nor works none ; it is the gospel and the gospel onely , that knows repentance , cals for it , and works it : moses cals not for repentance , but christ doth , mar. 1.15 . that this repentance consisteth of two essentiall parts , ( to wit ) contrition and conversion , humiliation and reformation ; therefore he that would make a true trial of his repentance , must have recourse unto both of these . that it is evangelical contrition , and not legall , that is the first essential part of repentance , unto life ; it is cordial reformation , and not feigned , that is the second essential part of repentance unto life . but what is this evangelicall contrition ? and how may i discern , whether i have it or no ? evangelical contrition , is a godly sorrow of soul for all sinne , arising from the apprehension of a gracious god displeased by sinne , and thou maist discern it by this which here follows . 1. evangelical sorrow springs out of the love of god , and hatred of sinne , and increaseth the love of god , and hatred of sinne in the soul ; the love of christ constraineth the soul to hate sinne , and to mourn and grieve for sinne ; and the bitterness of this sorrow and grief for sinne , sweeteneth the love of god in christ unto the soul , and inbittereth sinne : and hence it comes to pass , that the soul loves christ more , and hates sinne more after it hath once felt this sorrow and been soked in it , then ever it did before . 2. evangelicall sorrow is mixed with faith ; the evangelical mourner , bewailes his sinne , and rests on the mercy of god in christ , and the promises which are in him , yea , and in him , amen , for the pardon of his sinne , and the mortification of his corruptions , and grace to amend . faith of adherence , is an inseparable concomitant of evangelical sorrow , although faith of evidence be not so . he that sorrows for his sinne and rests not on christ for the pardon of his sinne , his sorrow is legal , and not evangelical , desperation and not contrition . 3. evangelical sorrow is mixed with hope ; the evangelical mourner , mourns not without hope , he hath hope of obtaining mercy , even in the deepest of his sorrow for sinne , as appears by his carriage in his mourning ; he despaires not , but seeks to god for mercy ; his sorrow drives him to god , and not from god ; as is evident by the example of the prodigall , in his deepest distresse , he despaires not , but goes to his father for mercy ; but had he not had hope of obtaining mercy , he would have despaired , had he not had hope of obtaining mercy , he would never have gone to his father to seek it . 4. evangelical sorrow is mixed with joy , being mixed with faith and hope ; the evangelical mourner looks upon his sorrow as a sacrifice , with which god is well-pleased , and therefore joys that he can sorrow , that he can offer this sacrifice to god , the sacrifices of god are a broken and a contrite heart , and spirit : a broken , and a contrite heart , o god , thou wilt not despise , saith the scripture , psal. 51.17 . and this the contrite heart beleeves , and therefore joys , when it can sorrow . 5. hence it comes to passe , that the evangelical mourner , is an agent , as well as a patient , in the action of mourning . he strives to provoke and quicken his dull heart , and soul , to mourn , and thinks no labour too much to bestow , to bring his soul to a godly manner of mourning ; he desires nothing more then to turn his carnal mirth into godly mourning , be afslicted , and mourn , and weep , saith the scripture , let your laughter be turned into mourning , and your joy into heavinesse , jam. 4.9 . this , this soul labours wonderfully to do , and nothing grieves him more , than that he cannot more grieve for sinne : he labours to make his carnall mirth the matter of his spiritual mourning , and wishes , o that mine eyes were a fountain of tears , that i could weep day and night , for the sinne of my nature , and the sinne of my life , and the iniquity of my people . 6. evangelical sorrow , is a heart-mollifying sorrow , it softeneth the heart , and makes it very tender and pliab●e , sensible of the least sinne , and the least displeasure of god for sin : hearts broken with evangelicall sorrow , are like broken bones , very sensible of every touch . hearts broken with evangelical sorrow are very pliable to the will of the lord above all other , lord , what wilt thou have me to do ? saith a contrite soule , act. 9.6 . as if he had said , declare thy will , lord , and i am ready to obey it , to the utmost of my power , whatever it be . such as the measure of this sorrow is , such usually is the softness of the heart , and the pliability of the will ; the more of this sorrow the soul hath , the more tender is the heart made thereby , and the more pliable is the will ; the less of this sorrow the soul hath , the less softening hath the heart , and the less yielding is there in the will , to the will of the lord. 7. evangelical sorrow is a heart meekening sorrow ; it meekeneth the heart , and maketh it humbly stoop to the yoke of christ , and patiently bear the chastising hand of christ , during the good pleasure of christ. i will beare the indignation of the lord , because i have sinned against him , untill he plead my cause , and execute judgment for me , saith the contrite soul , mich. 7.9 . it moderateth anger and maketh all calm within and without . 8. evangelical sorrow is a heart-humbling sorrow , it maketh the heart humble and lowly ; the more of this sorrow there is in the heart , the more humble it is , and the less of this there is in the heart , the prouder it is , the more fearless and careless it is of sinne ; i am no more worthy to be called a sonne , make me as a servant , ( or any thing , the meanest imployment ) in my fathers house , is too good for me , saith the contrite soul. i am but a walking-dunghill , and fitter to be set on a dunghill , then on a throne , saith the contrite soul. 9. and hence it is , that the soul evangelically contrite , admires free grace , in every favour that it receives , spiritual or temporal , and is the thankfullest soul of all others , for mercies received ; what shall i render unto the lord , for all his mercies towards me , saith a contrite soul ? this soul speaks to it self in the language of the lord to ierusalem , i was polluted in my blood , and cast out to the loathing of my person , and no eye pitied me , to do any office of love unto me : and then the lord had compassion on me , and washed me with water , yea , with blood , with the blood of his sonne he throughly washed away my filth , and annoynted me with oyl , indued me with his spirit , and his grace , &c. i had forfeited all right to heaven and earth into the lords hand , and he hath given me all back again freely , and put me in a better condition , than i was in before . o the deepnesse of the riches of the justice and mercy of god! 10. in the tenth place , evangelical sorrow , is a sorrow that keeps the soul in a sweet heavenly frame , for all holy and heavenly duties ; it sweetly fits the soul for all holy performances . sorrow that flowes from the apprehension of love in god , is fresh and lively , and full of spirits ; so that a man never performs any holy duty better , then when his heart is filled with this sorrow : set a soul filled with this sorrow , to pray , and he will pray sweetly , and heavenly , fervently , and effectually ( to wit ) in faith , and so prevaile much with god ; set him to hear , and he will hear humbly , and the whole word of the lord will be sweet unto him , every precept and every threatning of the lord , every bitter thing will be sweet unto him , every crum that fals from his table will he gather up , as precious food : set a soul filled with this sorrow to divine meditation , and he will do it with great , delight and freedome : set him to receive the sacrament of the supper of the lord , and he will do this action in its beauty , he will looke upon him , whom he hath pierced and mourn , for his sinne that hath pierced him , and every other holy duty will he perform , with a more heavenly mind , than others , which have not felt this sorrow , or not in that measure , which he hath done . 11. the soul evangelically contrite , sorrows not so much for suffering , as for sinning ; not so much for being displeased , as for displeasing , and dishonouring god by sinne , it is grieved for its sinne , because the holy spirit of god is grieved by its sinne , and broken with its whorish heart , as the prophet speaks , and is melted by the consideration of the incomparable goodness of god , and his kindnesse , and love in christ towards its self , abused by its self , rather then broken with horrour , threatnings , punishments , or slavish feare ; against thee , thee only have i sinned , and done this evill in thy sight , saith the contrite soul , and this is that which pierceth his soul. 12. the soul evangelically contrite , longs after freedome from sinne , more than freedome from suffering ; it saies with the church , lord , take away all mine iniquity , not with phara●h , the plague ; lord , look upon my affliction and my pain , saith the contrite soul , and ease me of that , if it be thy blessed will , but however forgive all my sinnes , deliver me from all my transgressions . wash me throughly from mine iniquity , and cleanse me from my sinne : hide thy face from my sinnes , and blot out all mine iniquities . o wretched man that i am , who shall deliver me ( and when shall i be delivered ) from the body of this death ? this is the language of contrite souls . the soul evangelically contrite , counts sin the worst evill , and christ the best good ; the guilt of sinne , the power of sinne , and the being of sinne , is of all burdens the heaviest unto a contrite soul , and that which of all other it longs to be freed from . 13. the soul evangelically contrite , priseth christ as the chiefest good , as the only true good ; it is not satisfied with any thing without christ , it is not fully satisfied with any thing but christ , christ in his blood , christ in his spirit , christ in his ordinances , christ in his ministers , christ in whomsoever his image is stamped is precious , above all earthly things , unto the contrite soul ; thou art my beloved and my desire is towards thee , saith the contrite heart to christ. to the soul evangelically contrite , the light of gods countenance , and the sense of his love in christ , is more worth than all the treasures , and pleasures in the world , lord , lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon me ; thy love is better than wine , ( better then corn and wine , ) it strengthens more , it comforts more , it puts gladness in my heart , more then corn and wine , more than the choicest creatures in the world , saith the contrite soul. when once this contrition had ceazed on davids heart , his soul did thirst for god , as the thirsty land for rain , and as the chased hart for the water-brooks . and not after god only in his immediate dispensations , but in his mediate also , after god in his ordinances , in his sanctuary , as appears , psal. 63.2 . & 84.10 . & 27.4 . and thus did mary magdalen , and paul , and other saints , under the new testament , when once this contrition had ceazed on their hearts , they were very industrious seekers of god in his ordinances ; by which it is eminently evident , that it is the nature of evangelical contrition , of hearts evangelically contrite , to prize highly communion with god , in his ordinances . as it was with david , and mary , and the other saints here , so it is with every soul evangelically contrite , he hath the same judgement of and affection towards gods ordinances , in truth , though not in the same degree . such as the measure of contrition wrought in the soul is , such usually is the measure of his affection to , and thirst after these divine excellencies forementioned . 14. the soul evangelically contrite , disclaims all righteousnesse of its own , and rests wholly on the merit of christ , for justification before god , we are all as an unclean thing , and all our righteousnesses are as filthy raggs , saith the contrite church , isai. 64.6 . what things were gain to me , those i counted loss for the excellency of the knowledge of christ iesus , my lord , and do judg them , but dung , that i may winne christ , saith the apostle , phil. 3.8 , 9. when once this evangelical contrition h●d ceazed on the heart of paul , he renounced all his own righteousnesse , all before conversion and all after conversion , ( his old man and his new ) in matter of justification , and rested wholly upon the merit of christ , which plainly demonstrates the truth asserted . 15. evangelical sorrow is a lasting sorrow , and a wasting sorrow ; when once it hath ceazed upon the heart of a christian , it doth not pass away , as the morning cloud , and early dew , or a land-flood , but continueth and riseth up , as a spring , and is never exhaust , till sin , the cause of it , be wholly taken away , and not only the guilt , and punishment of sinne , but the very being of sinne , till total deliverance from this body of death be granted . this is evident in the apostle paul , when once this sorrow had ceazed on his heart , he did not cease to bewail his proness to sinne , till his being in this world ceased , as appears , rom. 7. ver . 14.24 . and as it is a lasting sorrow , so it is a wasting sorrow , it consumes the body of death , it brings a consumption on sinne , it weakeneth the power of naturall corruption , and warreth succesfully against the most giant-like corruption , it comes from the heart of a sinner , and it goes to the heart of sinne . 16. finally evangelical sorrow , is a reforming sorrow , it makes a man truly turn from sinne , from all sinne , unto the lord , and this is indeed the great distinguishing character of it , and that which demonstrates the truth of it , contrition without conversion is not repentance unto life ; he that sorrows for his sinne , and turns not from his finne , unto the lord , his sorrow is but a sorry one : humiliation without reformation , ( saith one ) is but a foundation without a building , and reformation without humiliation , is but a building without a foundation , a building which will not stand . humiliation and reformation god hath coupled together , in his gospel-promises , wherein repentance is fully described ; therefore repentance unto life , must needs consist of both these : evangelical contrition and true conversion are so coupled together , that they cannot be sundered ; wheresoever sorrow for sinne is found , it is attended with true turning from sinne , unto the lord. and this is the second essential part of true repentance . and this the scripture cals conversion . repent and be converted , saith the apostle in the forecited place , act. 3.19 . it is , as if he had said , mourn for sinne , and turn from sinne , if ever you would have your sinnes to be done away . he that truly turns from sinne , turns from all sinne ; he that turns not from all sinne , doth not truely turn from any sinne ; god requires a sinner , to turn from all his transgressions , and he that truly turns from sinne , doth this ; he turns from all sinne in affection , in purpose and resolution he allows not himself in any known sinne , he loaths all sinne , and conscionably indeavours to forsake all sinne , and get every corruption mortified , therefore saith the apostle , godly sorrow worketh repentance unto salvation , his meaning is , it produceth reformation ( to wit ) a true turning from all sin unto the lord. he that truly turns to the lord , doth it not feignedly , as hypocrites do , but unfeignedly , cordially , with his whole heart , as the prophet speaks , with full purpose of heart , to walk in all the wayes of god ; this the apostle cals , repentance unto salvation , and this is attended with carefulnesse , and circumspection for time to come , cleering of our selves , or apologie for our selves of our detestation of our fact ; indignation or exceeding anger with our selves for our offences ; feare , ( to wit ) feare of relapsing into our former sinnes again ; vehement desire ( to wit ) after strength and assistance from christ , for the present , and future time ; zeal ( to wit ) in the performing of all good duties , contrary to our former special sinnes ; revenge ( to wit ) a holy revenge on our selves , subduing of the body , and keeping it under , lest it should hereafter be an instrument of sinne , as it hath formerly been . all this is evident by the language of the apostle , in the forecited place , 2 corinth . 7.11 . wouldest thou then know , whether thy repentance be repentance unto life , or no ? whether it be such as truly demonstrates the holy spirits saving habitation in thy soul , and the truth of thy faith , yea , or nay ? thou must then have recourse to both the parts of true repentance fore-mentioned ( to wit ) contrition and conversion ; and if by what hath been said , it appears to be truly such , know that it is a sure argument of thy eternal happinesse , bless god for it and labour to grow in it . obedience . another work of the holy spirit of god on man , demonstrating his saving habitation in man , and a mans eternal salvation by christ , is obedience ( to wit ) sincere , and cordial , evangelical obedience , to the revealed will of god. this obedience , and this onely , god requires and accepts of his elect , in and through jesus christ. that this obedience is a work of the spirit of god in man , appears both by argument and by scripture ; 1. by argument thus ; naturally the heart of man is obstinate , stubborne and disobedient to the will of the lord ; deceitfull above all things , and hypocritical in all its wayes , doting on legal , and never minding evangelical obedience ; and nothing can make such a change in the heart and soul of a man , as of stubborne and disobedient , of hypocritical and deceitfull , to become sincere and cordial in obedience , and of a doter on legal , to become an evangelical obeyer of the will of the lord : but the almighty spirit of god , whose proper office it is , to renew the image of god in fallen man ; therefore this obedience must needs be the work of the spirit of god , in whomsoever it is . by scripture this is evident likewise , i will put my spirit within you ( saith the lord ) and cause you to walk in my statutes , and keep my iudgments , and do them , ezek. 36.27 . hence it is evident , that it is the spirit of god , which works the heart of man to obedience . that this obedience is a work of the spirit of god in man , demonstrating his saving habitation , and sanctifying operation in man , is evident by the language of the apostles , we are his witnesses of these things , and so is also the holy ghost , whom god hath given ( to wit ) savingly , to them that obey him , ( to wit ) cordially and evangelically , act. 5.32 . and by that of peter , we are elect according to the fore-knowledge of god the father , through sanctification of the spirit unto obedience , 1 pet. 1.2 . that this obedience is such a work of the spirit of god in man , as demonstrates his eternall salvation by christ , is farther evident by these scriptures following : christ being made perfect became the author of eternall salvation , unto all them that obey him , heb. 5.9 . obey my voyce ( saith the lord ) and i will be your god , and ye shall be my people , jer. 7.23 . if ye will obey my voice indeed , and keep my covenant , then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me , above all people , and ye shall be unto me a kingdome of priests , and an holy nation , exod. 19.5 , 6. not every one that saith unto me , lord , lord , shall enter into the kingdome of heaven , but he that doth the will of my father , which is in heaven , mat. 7.21 . he that doth the will of god abideth for ever , 1 joh. 2.17 . by these texts it is evident , that th●s obedience is such a work of the spirit of god in man , as lively demonstrates his eternal happiness . quest. but what is this obedience you speake of ? how may it be defined ? sol. it is a special work of the spirit of god in man , whereby he is inabled to apply christ unto himself , according unto all his promises , and himself unto christ , according unto all his precepts . under these two general heads , the whole work of obedience is comprehended , as is evident from the words of the new covenant ; i saith the lord will be your god , and ye shall be my people , jer. 31.33 . what doth the lord require herein on our part ? but to take him for our god , and yield up our selves unto him , as his people , to apply christ unto our selves , and our selves unto christ , as aforesaid . this is the obedience of faith , this is evangelical obedience , the obedience which the gospel cals for , and which it only accepts . what shall we do , that we might work the works of god ? said some to christ , ioh. 6.28 . christ replyes , ver . 29. this is the work of god , that ye believe on him , whom he hath sent . in these few words , is comprehended the whole work of obedience , the whole work assigned us by god , this is the work of god , &c. it is , as if christ had said , you naturally seek heaven by works , but altogether mistake that work of works , which is only acceptable , and effectual to attain its end , beleeve on him whom he hath sent ; beleeve on him , who hath fulfilled the law for us , and will fulfill the law in us ; this is the work of god assigned to us , and a work which god worketh in us , and this is unto flesh and blood , of all works the hardest . here note these corollaries . corol. 1. that the obedience of faith is of all works the most difficult unto flesh and blood ; this requires a man to deny himself totally , which flesh and blood will rather deny god himself , then do . we rejoyce in christ iesus and have no confidence in the flesh , &c. 2. our souls naturally had rather dye , and put off their immortality and everlasting being , then put on the lord jesus christ. they will not come to me . 3. we all naturally dote upon works , and say , as the young man in the gospel , that came to christ , what shall i do that i may inherit eternall life ? but the work of works , beleeve in the lord iesus christ , we are of all other the farthest from , till the spirit of god work in us . these from our saviours mouth , i have deducted , this is the work of god , that ye beleeve in him whom he hath sent . 4. man naturally is so proud , that he will not seek after god , saith the psalmist , that is , ( god in christ ) for no otherwise can god be approached unto ; he thinks himself rich , and to need nothing , and knows not that he is poor , and blind , and miserable , wretched and naked , and therefore scornes to seek to god in christ for wealth . he will rather make a covering of figg-leaves than of christs righteousnesse , rather cover himself with rotten raggs , than be beholding to christ for his robe . 5. man regenerated , so far forth as carnal , is very unwilling to be beholding to christ wholly , for all the good he stands in need of ; hence it is , that many regenerate persons will rest on promises no further , than they can find themselves to obey precepts , weary themselves out with labouring to fulfil the law , and never study the obedience of faith , which is to renounce all that we can do , to put no confidence in the flesh , but rest only on what christ hath done , and suffered for us , beleeving that every promise shall be made good to us , so farre forth as may be good for us ( for christ's sake . ) this is to apply christ unto our selves . and our selves unto christ ] according unto all his precepts : this is the latter clause in the description of evangelicall obedience : a christian by the obedience of faith , opens the everlasting doors to the king of glory , to come in , and take possession and rule all in his heart and in his life : he resigns up all to be ordered by him , who so loved him , that he gave himself for him , so that not he , but christ liveth , * ruleth , and ordereth all : every thought is yielded up unto the obedience of christ , with desire that he will bring it into subjection , 2 cor. 10.5 . faith doth both receive and give ; it is faith that applies christ to the man , and the man to christ , as appears by ioh. 1.12 . compared with 2 cor. 8.5 . faith makes him ours , who makes all happiness ours ; faith makes him ours , in whom we are compleat , and generates love in our souls to him that hath loved us , and given himself for us , and this love constrains us to live , not unto our selves , but unto him which dyed for us , and rose again , 2 cor. 5.14 , 15. and this is that obedience , which the gospel cals for , and which only it accepts ; and this , if fincere and cordial , is very acceptable with god , though many wayes deficient . it is the gospel , and the gospel only , that cals for this obedience ; the law doth not require us to apply our selves unto christ , no more than it doth require us to apply christ unto our selves , but barely saith , do this , and live , transgrefse this and dye , the gospel doth not barely call for this obedience of faith , but promises to give it , and works the heart unto it , yea freely gives it us as a gift , they shall looke on him , whom they have pierced , &c. zach. 12.10 . i will put my spirit within you , and cause you to walk in my statutes , saith the lord , &c. ezek. 36.27 . to you it is given in the behalf of christ ; not only to beleeve on him , but also to suffer for his sake , saith the apostle , phil. 1.29 . these things premised , i proceed to the tryal of obedience ; and for the more perspicuity , propound this question . quest. how may i discern , whether my obedience be sincere and cordiall obedience , yea , or nay ? answ. thou mayest discern it , by the efficient cause , by the final cause and by the properties of cordial obedience : the efficient cause of cordial obedience , is the love of god ; the final cause thereof , is the glory of god. 1. the efficient cause of cordial obedience , is the love of god ; cordial obedience springs out of love to god , and he that cordially obeys the will of god , obeys it in love to god , not slavish feare , nor self love , nor vain glory ; but lo●e to god , is that which leades him to obey the will of god : therefore saith the apostle , the love of christ constraineth us , 2 cor. 5.14 . here note these two things , 1. that whatsoever a man doth in way of obedience to the will of god , be the action never so good , or glorious in it self , is no wayes acceptable unto god , except it spring from love ; a pregnant proof of this we have , 1 cor. 13.1 , 2 , 3. where the apostle shews at large , that all obedience without love , comes to just nothing ; all parts and gifts , all faith and obedience , though it be to the death , and the cruellest death , that possibly may be , without faith working by love , without obedience springing from love , comes to just nothing at length , it profiteth me nothing , saith the apostle . on the other hand , though we can do but little for god , if that little we do , issue out of love to god , it is very pleasing to , and acceptable with god , who looks more on our affection , than our action ; thou hast ravished my heart , my sister , my spouse , thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes , &c. how faire is thy love , my sister , my spouse ? how much better is thy love , then wine ? &c. cant. 4.9 , 10. i conclude this therefore , with the saying of a worthy man , a christians affection is his perfection in this fraile condition . the final cause of cordial obedience , is the glory of god : he that cordially obeys the will of god , propoundeth the pleasing of god , and the glory of his name , for his direct , chief , and ultimate end , in all that he doth , in way of obedience , according to the direction of the holy ghost by the apostle , 1 cor. 10.31 . and these two , the efficient , and the end , denominate the action . 1. the properties of cordial obedience , are these ; cordial obedience is free and willing obedience , voluntary , and not forced . to whom ye yield your selves servants to obey , his servants ye are , saith the apostle , rom. 6.16 . it is willingnesse in obedience , that is the beauty of obedience , and that which god chiefly looks to in obedience , if you be willing and obedient , or willingly obedient , then so and so , ye shall eat the good of the land , isai. 1.19 . if there be first a willing mind , it is accepted , according to that which a man hath , not according to that he hath not , 2 cor. 8.12 . if i do this thing willingly , i have a reward , 1 cor. 9.17 . by all these places it is evident , that cordial obedience , is willing obedience : this was that which rendered abraham's obedience so lovely in the eye of god , he rose early to go about the offering up of isaac , which shews , he did it willingly . he whose obedience springs from love to god , hath his heart first warmed with the sense of gods love to him ; and he that aims principally at the glory of god , in his obedience , hath his heart humbled , when he hath done the best that he can , for that he cannot bring more glory to god , and hence it comes to pass , that he is willing , and ready to obey ; he consents to obey , and that without grudging or repining , even when he comes short of doing , what he desires to do . what i would , that do i not , saith a cordial server of christ. 2. cordial obedience , is universal obedience , and that both in respect of the subject , and in respect of the object , it is yielded of the whole man to the whole will of god ; the soul , according to all the powers and faculties thereof , is only , and wholly for christ , in its scope and bent , the understanding , the will and the affections , are in their scope and bent , only and wholly for christ , therefore saith the apostle , of such as were cordial servers of christ , ye have obeyed from the heart , &c. rom. 6.17 . the body and all its members , are yielded up wholly , and only to christ , to the service of christ , for the magnifying of christ , shall i take the members of christ , and make them the members of an harlot , saith the cordial server of christ ? god forbid , 1 cor. 6.15 . god requires the whole man , soul and body , to be wholly yielded up unto him , unto his use and service , in obedience , ye are bought with a price , therefore glorifie god in your body , and in your spirit , which are gods , saith the text , 1 cor. 6.20 . god requires soul and body ( to wit ) the whole man to be ( wholly ) yielded up unto him , unto his use and service in obedience , in obeying ( all his revealed will ) touching , beleeving , doing , and suffering , take diligent heed , to do the commandement and the law , which moses the servant of the lord commanded you , to love the lord your god , and walk in all his wayes , and to keep his commandements , and to cleave unto him , and serve him with all your heart , and with all your soul , josh. 22.5 . and again , exo ▪ 23. ver . 20 , and 22. behold i send an angel before thee , if thou shalt indeed obey his voice , in all that i speak , then i will be an enemy unto thy enemies , &c. saith the lord. go ye and teach all nations , saith christ to his apostles , what should they teach them ? why , teach them to observe ( all things ) whatsoever i have ( commanded you ) mat. 28.19 , 20. the apostle useth the like phrase , 2 cor. 2.9 . where he cals for obedience in all things : here is universal obedience unto the whole will of god , required in the whole man , and he that cordially obeys the will of god , obeys according to this rule of god ( to wit ) universally . he yeelds up his whole man , to the obedience of the whole will of the lord , without picking and chusing in the wayes of god , without reservation , or exception , or desire of dispensation . however he failes in his obedience , and comes short of what he ought to do , and desires to do , yet he determines not to reserve any part of himself from christ , nor to stand out against any part of his holy will , but hath his heart and mind ready prest , to obey every of his commandements , which he knows , as well as any , the least as well as the greatest , and the greatest , as well as the least ; he thinks not tithing of mint and comin too small a precept to make conscience of , nor a right hand , nor a right eye , nor an only isaac , nor life it self , or whatsoever may indeare it unto him , too much to sacrifice , when christ shall call for it at his hands ; he resolves to obey those precepts , which cross his corrupt nature most , and the sinne of his constitution , as well as those which it can better brook ; he resolves to obey both law and gospel , in every precept , negative and positive , to his utmost power ; his obedience is of as great a latitude as the whole will of god ; he hath respect unto all gods commandements , as the psalmist speaketh . 3. cordial obedience is conscionable obedience : he that cordially obeys the will of god , obeys not out of by respects , but for conscience sake : conscience of duty leades him to the performance of duty , so that he , as of sincerity , as of god , in the sight of god , obeys the will of god , as the apostles phrase is , 2 cor. 2.17 . he that obeys the will of god , out of love to god , and conscience of duty , esteems all gods precepts , concerning all things , to be right , and hates every false way , one as well as another , even vain thoughts ; he consents to the whole will of god ; that it is good , and delights in the whole will of god , after the inward man , and with the mind serves the law of god , even when the flesh is captivated by the law of sinne : his heart inclineth to perform the statutes of the lord alwayes , even unto the end , and he wisheth , that his wayes were so directed , that he might keep all the statutes of his god. the will of his god is deare unto him above all things , above a silver and gold ; above b necessary food ; above c life , and all the comforts of it . and he is tender of it , as of the apple of his eye , according to that of solomon , prov. 7.2 . to him , the yoke of christ is easie , and his burthen light ; his commandements are not grievous , for he delights to do his will. 4. cordial obedience , is constant and persevering , it holds out in all times and seasons , and variety of conditions , as moses and christ intimate . d and true it is , that he which cordially obeys christ , continues to obey him , in prosperity & adversity , in time of peril , as well as in time of praise , when multitudes disobey and oppose the will of christ , as well as when they seem to stand for the will of christ , when all formal servers of christ forsake him , and cry , crucifie him , as well as when they followed him , and magnified him , with hosanna : he resolves with peter to follow christ , though it be alone , and labours to follow christ , as ruth followed e naomi , as elisha f followed elijah , and asahel g followed abner , and doth it , as is evident by many ●●●mples in holy writ , noah , ioshua , and elija● 〈◊〉 mary magdalen , and other wome● 〈…〉 followed christ , were notable exam●●● 〈◊〉 , in their time . here note these four things , 1. that opposition doth not take off , but rather spur on a cordial server of jesus christ. 2. that he that cordially obeys the will of christ , is conformable unto christ in obedience : he obeys the will of christ , as christ obeyed the will of his father , for kinde , though not for measure , and degree , ( to wit ) freely , universally , constantly , even unto the death : in all which respects , cordial obedience , may be styled singular obedience . 3. and thirdly note , that notwit●standing all this , one that cordially serves and obeys christ , may , and sometimes doth desist for a time , through strong temptations , and humane weaknesse , according to outward appearance . this was peter's case , when he denyed his master , yet his heart still moved towards his master , his affections still yerned towards christ , even whilst his tongue denyed him , as appeares by the consequence . 4. lastly note , that he that cordially desires , and really indeavours , to obey the will of the lord , if it were possible , exactly and perfectly , from right grounds , and for right ends , doth this in gods account , god who will accept the will for the deed , accepts this desire and indeavour ( in and for christ ) as obedience ; he that consents to obey , doth obey in gods account . to get a sure testimony to thy self then , of the holy spirits saving habitation in thy soul , and of thy eternal salvation by christ , examine thy obedience 〈◊〉 these rules of trial , and if it be correspond●●● with them , know that it is such as 〈◊〉 ●●●onstrates the holy spirits saving operat●●● 〈◊〉 thee , and thy eternal salvation by christ , and give him the glory of all , and humbly , and beleevingly seek to him , to better thy obedience daily , that god may have glory by it . poverty of spirit . matth. 5.3 . blessed are the poor in spirit , for theirs is the kingdom of heaven . this is jesus christs own position , therefore it needs no proof , but cals for belief . christ in these words bequeathes the kingdom of heaven , not 〈…〉 only , but by deed of gift ( if i may so 〈◊〉 to the poore in spirit , blessed are the poor in spirit , for theirs ( is ) the kingdome of heaven , &c. by the kingdom of heaven in scripture , is sometimes meant , the kingdom of grace , and sometimes the kingdom of glory ; both these , as christ here affirms , belong to them that are poor in spirit ; blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven , &c. the poor in spirit , ] are a generation , mean and base in their own eyes , and in the eyes of the world too , but a generation very precious in the eye of jesus christ , a generation very blessed , and highly honoured by christ himself ; a kingdom of grace , and a kingdom of glory is here by christ assigned to them ; blessed are the poor in spirit , for theirs is the kingdom of heaven . for the better understanding of these words , note , that a man may be two wayes poor in spirit ; he may be gracelesly poor , or graciously poore in spirit ; gracelesly poor are all the posterity of adam , as they come into the world ; but this is not a blessed , but a cursed poverty of spirit . graciously poor in spirit , are all those , in some measure , in which christ is formed ; graceless poverty of spirit , is natural ; but gracious poverty of spirit is supernatural , evangelical and divine ; natural poverty , or graceless poverty of spirit , is cursed , but gracious and divin poverty of spirit is blessed , blessed are the poor in spirit , fortheirs is the kingdom of heaven . it is a gracious poverty of spirit , and not graceless poverty of spirit , to which christ assigns the kingdom of heaven . the frame of his spirit , which is gracelesly poor , is lively pictured , iob 11.12 . man is born like a wild asses-colt . job . 39.7 , 8. he scarneth the multitude of the city , he regardeth not the crying of his driver , the range of the mountains is his pasture , and he searcheth after every green thing . a proud , impudent , silly , vain creature . these words declare man gracelesly poore in spirit to be . thou sayest thou art rich , and hast need of nothing , and knowest not that thou art wretched , and miserable , and poor , and blind , and naked , rev. 3.17 . this is gods description of man graciously poor in spirit , but this is not that poverty of spirit , which i am seeking after , not that on which christ pronounces ▪ [ blessed , ] not that on which the kingdom of heaven is intailed , therefore i pass by it . quest. but what is that poverty of spirit , which christ pronounceth blessed , and on which he entailes the kingdome of heaven ? how may it be described ? answ. it is a speciall work of the sanctifying spirit in the soul , whereby a man is brought to see and feel his own emptiness of grace , and christs fulness ; and is truly humbled , in regard of the one , and in some measure comforted , in regard of the other , as one that hopes to receive of his fullness , grace for grace . this is that gracious poverty of spirit , which christ pronounces blessed , and on which he intailes the kingdome of heaven ; and the appearances of it are these which follow . 1. a man graciously poor in spirit , abhors himself , and loaths himself , because of all his abominations ; he is worse in his own eies , than he can be in any mans else ; he sees a fullness of sinne in his nature , and a fullness of sinne in his conversation , and yet not such a fullness as he would see , iob 13.23 . he is in his own account , the chief of sinners . 1 tim. 1.15 . 2. a man graciously poor in spirit , sees in himself a great emptiness of grace ; he sees that he is not sufficient of himself to think a good thought ; he is in his own account , the poorest man , in the best things of all , that look after them , less than the le●st of all saints ; he disclaimes all his own righteousnesses , and accounts them as rotten raggs , and abominable things , in reference to justification before god ; he forgets all that is behind ; if he cast up his parts , his gifts , and his graces , he concludes , circumcision is nothing , nor vncircumcision is nothing ; his faith , his love , his repentance , his obedience , all put together , nothing ; he brings in the totall summe in meer ciphers ; i am nothing , yea worse then nothing , saith this soul ; can a man be profitable unto his maker ? i am unprofitable to god and man : when saw i thee a stranger , and took thee in ? or naked , and cloathed thee ? &c. wherefore is there a price in the hand of a fool ? saith this soul. 3. a man graciously poor , or blessedly poor in spirit , is a man of a contrite spirit , a man that trembleth at the word of the lord ; to him will i look , saith the lord , that is poor , and of a contrite spirit , and trembleth at my word , isa. 66.2 ▪ in this text , poverty of spirit , contrition , and the effect of it , tr●mbling at the word of the lord , are joyned together as linkes of a chain ; so as he that hath one of them , hath all of them , in some measure . as for contrition , it hath been already spoken of from ( pag. 56. to pag. 64. ) to which i refer the reader . 4. a man graciously poor in spirit , as he sees a fullness of sinne , and an emptiness of grace in himself , and bewailes it ; so he sees a fullness of grace in christ , a fullness of mercy with god in christ to pardon him , and heal him , to justifie him , and sanctifie him , and fill him with all grace ; and this is attended with some hopes , to be made a partaker of it ; the truth of this is evident in the poor publican , he saw a fullness of sinne in himself , and an emptiness of grace ; and he saw a fullness of mercy in god ; and merit in christ , to take away his sinne and garnish his soul with all grace , and had some hopes to attain this , otherwise he would never have gone to god for mercy . a man graciously or evangelically poor in spirit , hath some hope of obtaining mercy . 5. and this makes him very industriously to seek after the lord , in a conscionable use of all those means , which he hath appointed ; i will arise , and go to my father , &c. saith the poor prodigal . when once this poverty of spirit had seized on his spirit , he thought no labour too much to attain what he sought ; draw me , we will runne after thee , saith the spouse , graciously poor in spirit , cant. 1.4 . 6. a man graciously poor in spirit , esteems spirituall riches the best riches ; and for them , he will with the merchant-man , give the best price ; for th●m he will part with all carnall things , and count them but dung ; he doth hunger and thirst after righteousness , more than after riches ; after the riches of grace , more than after the riches of the world . 7. a man graciously poor in spirit , is a man of a humble spirit ; if god dispense his gifts liberally unto him , or make greater discoveries of himself , his mind , and will unto him , than he doth to others , he will humbly , and thankfully , and really ascribe all the glory thereof unto the lord , and his free grace , and say as daniel , as for me , this is not conferred upon me , for any wisdome , or goodness , that i have more than other , but of free grace , for christs sake , bestowed upon me , therefore to him be all the glory : who am i , or what is there in me , that god should shew such favour unto me , above what he doth unto other this is vigor fit , and ●●t fit , to give the denomination of a man graciously poor in spirit . 8. a man graciously poor in spirit , is the contentedst man with his condition of all others ; i went out full , but the lord brought me home empty , saith a soul gratiously poor in spirit , and yet she was contented with her condition . shall we receive good at the hand of god ? and shall we not receive evill ? shall the thing formed , say to him that formed it , why hast thou made me thus ? it is the lord , let him do with we , as seemeth good to him . this is the lan●uage of soules graciously poor in spirit : such a soul lookes upon every thing , as a mercy , that is on this side hell , and how bad soev●r his condition be , thinks it too good for him . 9. a man graciously poor in spirit , justif●es god in all his deali●gs , even under his sadest providences , and dispensations of justice ; the lord is righteous in all his wayes , ( saith this soul , ) i am justly under this condemnation , for i receive the due reward of my deeds , for i have rebelled against his commandmen●s , &c. 10. the soul gracio●sly poor in spirit , gr●anes under that privy pride , which he finds in himself , as that which is the great burd●n on his spirit , and that which he longs to be delivered from ; oh wretched man that i ●m , who shall deliver me ? and when shall i be delive●ed ●rom ▪ this corrupt nature of mine , which exalts it s●lf against god , and hinders the influence of his gr●ce in me ? these appearances of gratious poverty of spirit , may serve to dis●ry a soul graciously and blessedly poor in spirit ; try thy spirit by them , and if by what hath been said , thou findest this qualification in thy self , in any measure , bless god for it , labour to grow in it , and remember the words of our lord jesu christ , blessed are the poor in spirit , for theirs is the kingdome of heaven . death to sinne. rom. 8.10 . if christ be in you , the body is dead , because of sinne ; but the spirit is life , because of righteousness . in these words , the apostle lays down two great characters of our union with christ , or christ resident in us ; the first this , the body is dead , because of sinne ; the second this , the spirit is life , because of righteousness ; christ is in you ( saith the apostle ) except ye be reprobates , 2 cor. 13.5 . if christ be in you , it will appear thus , the body is dead , because of sinne . the body , here spoken of , is not a body of flesh , not a body celestiall , nor a body terrestiall , but a body diabolicall , a body of sin , as the members , mentioned col. 3.5 . demonstrate ; and likewise the language of the apostle , rom. 7.24 . where he calls corrupt nature the body ; and more plainly , rom. 6.6 . stiles it , the body of sinne , ephes. 4.22 . the old man ; this is the body here meant . the body of sinne , is the depravedness and corruption of our whole nature , by reason of which we are naturally averse to all good , and prone to evill continually , and so liable to all misery , and therefore the apostle calls it , a body of death . the body is alive in all those , in whom christ lives not ; but where christ lives , this body dies . if christ be in you , the body is dead , because of sinne , &c. death to sinne is double ; there is a death to the guilt of sinne ; and a death to the power , reign , and dominion of sinne . death to the guilt of sinne , is a perfect fredome from all sinne , by the death of christ for our sinne ; thus all in whom christ lives , are dead to sinne totally . we are dead to the guilt of sinne , by the body of christ , who died for us : the death of our dear saviour hath purchased , and perfected this death for us : the bloud of iesus christ cleanseth us from all sinne ; 1 joh. 1.7 . from all sinne past , present , and to come ; he that is thus dead , is freed from sinne , as the apostle speaks , rom. 6.7 . redeemed from all iniq●ity , tit. 2.14 . and this is the great priveledge of all those in whom christ lives , of all the true member● of jesus christ : christ undertakes for them , as iudah did for benjamin , i will be s●rety for him ; of my hand shale thou require him : if i bring him not unto thee , and set him before thee , then let me bear the blame for ever , said iudah to his father , gen. 43.9 . thus christ undertakes for all his members , for all his elect , so as they may , and ought , to turn all charges brought against them , over to christ ; all inditements from god , or satan , or conscience abused by satan over to christ their surety . * who shall lay any thing , to the charge of gods elect ? ( saith the apostle ) it is god that justifieth , who is he t●at condemneth ? &c. so may he that is thus dead to the guilt of sinne , say , what sinne is it that can condemne me , that can b●ing in an in●ictment against me ? it is christ that died , it is christ that died for me , and by his death , perfected this death for me , i am now compleat in him ; in this resp●ct , who is it , or wh●t is it then , that can lay any thing unto my cha●ge , that can seperate me from the love of god in christ jesus ? sin , my worst enemy cannot do it , for i am totally dead to the guilt of it , by vertue of my union with christ ; is ch●ist be in y●u , the bo●y is dead , because of sinne perfectly ●ead to the guilt of sinne . though just●fication acquits a sinner from all sinne , in gods determination , yet is not his p●r●●n formally granted , nor actually ; put in ex●●u●i●n un●●ll sued out , and the tr●bute of ac●u●ll repentance , for k●own sinne is ●aid , ( except in some cases ) viz. in case of the want of t●e use of 〈◊〉 as in children , and dis●●●cted persons , in whom conscience cannot do its ●●ffice , be●●us● of debility in the under●●anding : thi● ( with submission to a better ju●gement ) i humbly conceive to be according to t●uth , and no●e it , to vindicate my s●l● , and cau●ion the reader concerning that antinomi●● tenet , about justification , so common in these daies . thus is a true believer perfectly dead to the guilt of sinne , by the death of christ for his sinne , but to the power , dominion , and being of sinne , no child of adam is totally dead in this life , no not the best of the children of god , but dying daily ; therefore ( saith the apostle , ) i die daily , &c. if any man thinks himself freed from sinne , or perfectly dead to sinne in this sence , he deceives himself , and the truth is not in him , 1 joh. 1.8 . for totally dead to sinne , in this sence , was never any sonne of man , in this life , but he that was the sonne of god ( to wit ) jesus christ. totally dead to the power , and being of sinne is not he , that is totally dead to the guilt of sinne , untill this earthly house be quite pulled down , and death that last debt , and wages of sinne to the godly paid , then , and never till then , is he , in whom christ lives , totally freed from the power and being of sinne . by the mercy of god , death , which was to man the wages and punishment of sinne , is made unto all true believers , the end of sinne ; the worker of death ( to wit , sinne ) doth perish , by its own workes sinne is slain , and abolished by death . totall death , to the power , and being of finne , is one great part of the privative gain , which death brings to all that are in christ , to all that die in the lord : death the devorcer of soul and body , brings perfect death to the power and being of sinne , the enemy and burden of soul and body . perfectly dead to the power and being of sinne , is no man here , this death belongs to that other world ; but truly dead to the power and reign of sinne , are all those here , in whom christ lives ; and this is that death which this text points at , if christ be in you , the body is dead , because of sinne , &c. all in the state of nature , are dead in sinne ; all in a state of grace , are dead to sinne , according to the meaning of this text , dead to sinne , in a gospel sence . death to the power and reign of finne , is one part of the renovation of our natures , consisting in that which the scripture calls mortification , by vertue of which , the love of sinne , and delight in sinne , which is indeed , the life of sinne , is destroyed ; at this death the apostle points , rom. 6 2. how shall we that are dead to sinne , live any longer therein ? as if he had said , how shall we that are dead to the guilt of sinne , take pleasure in the filth of sinne , or wallow in any sinne with delight ? it is impossible ; for death to the guilt of sin , alwayes produceth death to the power and dominion of sinne ; if christ be in you , the body is dead , because of sinne . is christ be in you , as a iustifier , he is in you , as a sanctifier also , the body is dead , because of sinne . christ and sinne , may dwell in the same subject at the same time ; yea christ may live , where sinne doth dwell ; christ liveth in me ; sinne dwelleth in me , saith the apostle ; but christ and sinne cannot both live , and reign together , in the same subject at the same time . caesar and pompey might better have lived and reigned togeher , than christ and sinne ; where either of these lives , it reigns , and both cannot reign together ; if christ be in you , the body is dead , because of sinne . this body ( to wit ) sinne , whilest alive rules and reignes , as a husband , as a lord and master , and is obeyed freely and willingly , ( with the consent of the whole will , ) so much that phrase of the apostle , to whom ye yeeld your selves servants to obey , doth imply . but when christ once espouseth a soul unto himself , he divests this lord of his power , he puts this husband to death , and assumes all the rule and domination to himself : and the soul thus espoused , yeelds to obey him , as her sovereign lord and sole commander ; we have no king but caesar , said the iews ; so saith the soul dead to sinne . i have no king but christ , i yeeld my self willingly to no other ; therefore saith the apostle , if christ be in you , the body is dead , because of sinne , that is the desire , and bent of the soul , which is naturally to sin , and for sinne , is turned from sinne , and against sinne ; so that the body of sinne cannot without much reluctancy and opposition bear sway , where christ dwells . 1. the body of sinne , whilest alive , makes a willing sinner , but when dead , a nilling sinner ; i do that , which i would not , saith the soul dead to sinne ; rom. 7.16 . the soul alive to sinne , in sinning , doth the evill which it would do ; but the soul dead to sinne in sinning , doth the evill which it would not do . 2. the soul alive to sinne , allows it self in sinne ; in some sinne or other , every soul in whom this body is alive allows it self ; but the soul dead to sinne , allows not it self in any known sinne ; what i do , i allow not , saith a soul dead to sinne , rom. 7.15 . i do this , and i do that , which i should not , through humane frailty , and the violence of temptation , from without and from within , or true necessity ; but i allow not what i do , i do not resolve in cold bloud , that thus and thus i will do , but the quite contrary . the soul that is truly dead to sinne , allows not it self in any one known sinne . the soul that is alive to sinne , is in league with finne , it makes leagues with sinne , as the israelites did with the inhabitants of canaan ; there is no unregenerate person , but he is in league with some sinne or other , and though he lay some tribute upon his sinne , or upon himself for his sinne , yet he continues his league with sinne still , and intends not the ruine of sinne , nor the utter extirpation of sinne : but the soul that is dead to sinne , doth not make a league with any one sinne , but his design is to ruine sinne , all sinne ; he will not covenant to sinne , as iudas and the chief-priests did , but covenant against sinne , as iob did , iob. 3 1. ● . this is the second character of a foul dead to sinne . as saul should have dealt with amalek , so doth the soul dead to sinne , deal with sinne ; it spa●es none , it warrs against the whole body of death , against every sinne . 3. the soul alive to sinne , in sinning , doth the evill which he loves ; but the soul dead to sinne , in sinning , doth the evill which he hates ; what i hate , that do i , saith a soul dead to sinne , rom 7.15 . the soul alive to sinne , though he refrain from sinne , yet he loves it still ; but the soul dead to sinne , though he fall into sinne , and be many times overpowred by sinne , yet he doth not love sinne , but hates it , so farre forth as regenerate . object . but conscience may here reply in some soul , and say ; i cannot by this conclude that i am one dead to sinne , but rather , that i am one alive to sinne , for i find much inclination in my will to sinne , and much adhering in affections to sinne . answ. 1. if this alone were sufficient to give the denomination of a soul alive to sinne , then no soul living in a body of flesh , could conclude , that he were truly dead to sinne , for their is no soul inhabiting this earthly house , no not the best alive , but hath cause thus ●o complain . 2. but secondly , every soul , dead to sinne ; doth bear the image of a double person , he beares the image of the first adam , and the image of the second adam : he is partly flesh , and partly spirit , and he is thus in every faculty of his soul ; there is flesh in every faculty of his soul , sinne dwelling in every faculty ; this therefore doth not render the soul alive to sinne . 3. then thirdly , thou speakest in this , as one seeking after a perfect death , to the power and being of sinne in thy self ; but the apostle , in this text , points only at a true death to sinne ; and truly dead to sinne , he may be , and is , to whom sinne is a burthen . so much for ●●swet to this objection . 4. in the fourth place , the body of sinne , i● truly dead , wastes and decayes ; there is a decaying in this body , and a wasting away , as in the natural body , when once dead ; therefore saith the apostle , i die daily , thereby implying , that where there is a true death to sinne , there is a true decaying of sinne . object . but conscience in some may here reply again , and say , i cannot hence conclude , that i am one truly dead to sinne ; but rather see cause to conclude on the contrary , for i do not find that corruption doth decay and wast away in me , but rather that it grows stronger and stronger . answ. strong apprehensions of corruption , are no argument of the strength of corruption , at least , if they be accompanied with loathing of them , and warring against them , in the strength of christ ; but rather symptomes of a new life ; this therefore should not cause any to conclude , that there is no death to sinne in him , but rather excite him to cleave closer to christ , who hath begun this death in him , and will at the length perfect it . 5. in the fifth place , the soul that is truly dead to sinne , is universally dead to sinne ; he is dead to every sinne , and he is dead to sin in every faculty of his soul , though but in part , yet in every part of soul and body ; this , and no less then this , will serve to demonstrate a man truly dead to sinne , in a gospel-sence . 6. finally , the soul that is truly dead to sinne , is alive to righteousness ; the soul that is dead in sinne ▪ is alive to sinne , and the soul that is dead to sinne , is alive to righteousness ; if christ be in you , the body is dead , because of sinne , but the spirit is life , because of righteousness . this is the next thing to be spoken of , and it is the second character , laid down by the apostle , to demonstrate christ resident in us , the spirit is life , because of righteousness . by spirit in this text , is meant ( as i conceive ) the regenerate part of man , and nothing else ( to wit ) that which is born of the-spirit : in this sence , i take the word spirit here , because it is set in opposition to the forementioned body ; which body ( as is evident ) is the unregenerate part , or old man ; so this word spirit is used by the apostle unto the galathians , the flesh lusteth against the spirit , and the spirit against the flesh ; the regenerate part lusteth against the unregenerate ; so christ useth the word spirit , joh. 3.6 . that which is born of the spirit , is spirit , but the spirit is life , because of righteousness : it is , as if the apostle had said , if christ be in you , it will appear by this , the spirit is life , because of righteousness . that is , the regenerate man is alive because of righteousness ; he is alive because of a double righteousness , or because of righteousnes in a double sence . 1. he is alive , because of the righteousness of justification , and , 2. because of the righteousness of sanctification . that man is truly and perfectly alive , because of the righteousness of justification , which hath christs righteousness imputed unto him for righteousness . a man thus alive to righteousness , lives either the life of hope , the life of faith , or the life of sence ; and this life satan doth labour much to deprive him of . where the soul is thus alive , because of the righteousness of justification , that soul is alive indeed , because of the righteousness of sanctification ; and this is that life which this text points at , if christ be in you , &c. the spirit is life , because of righteousness ; if christ be in you as a justifier , he is in you as a sanctifier ; if christ be in you , the body is dead because of sinne , but the spirit is life , because of righteousness . the truth of this assertion , doth further appeare thus ; whom he justisieth , them he also glorifieth , saith the text , rom. 8.30 . but without holinesse no man shall see the lord , therefore it follows by necessary consequence , that he that is justified hath this qualification in him , to wit , sanctification , otherwise he could not see the lord or be glorified . to whom christ is made righteousness , he is made sanctification also , 1 cor. 1.30 . this may suffice for the confirmation of this truth . that man is alive , because of the righteousness of sanctification , which hath the righteousnesse of the quickning spirit imparted unto him , for the inlivening and regulating of his whole man. a christian , in this world , is alive , because of the righteousnesse of sanctification truly , but imperfectly , his spirit is alive , because of righteousnesse , that is , his understanding , will , and affections , &c. all the members of his body , his whole nature , so farre forth as regenerate , is alive , because of the righteousnesse of sanctification ( i say ) so farre forth alive , ( that is ) so farre forth , he approves of righteousnesse , imbraceth righteousnesse , and lives in the practise of righteousnesse , out of love to the god of righteoufnesse . this is evident in the apostle paul , as soon as christ had taken up his dwelling in paul , and he was once alive to righteousnesse , his whole man so farre forth as regenerate , was turned about to another point , he had another judgment of the things of god than he had before and accordingly imbraced , what he before refused ; his heart was warmed with a love to the will and wayes of god , and desire to walk therein ; lord , what wilt thou have me to do ? ( saith he ) command what thou wilt , i am ready prest to obey thy will. and his great care was , to have alwayes a conscience void of offence towards god , and towards man , as himself affirms , act. 24.16 . and thus it is with every man alive to righteousnesse , he hath the same frame of spirit that paul had , the same grace that he had , as a man alive to righteousnesse , though not in the same measure . every man in whom christ lives , is alive because of righteousnesse , but every one is not alike alive , every one in which christ lives , is truly alive , because of righteousnesse , but every one is not strongly alive to righteousnesse , some are more vigorously alive then others . as christ is more or lesse in a man , so is he more or less alive to righteousnesse . a man truly alive to righteousnesse , hath these appearances ; 1. he is of all other men the most sensible of his own unrighteousnesse , he sees more unrighteousnesse , then righteousnesse in his best actions , more flesh then spirit in himself , as appears in paul , rom. 7. 2. the body of sinne , which is dead , stinks in the nostrils of him which is truly alive to righteousnesse , as the dead corpse of a man doth in the nostrils of him that is alive , in a natural sense . 3. lastly , a man truly alive to righteousnesse , is a new creature , of whom i shall speak in the next place . wouldest thou then know whether christ be resident in thee , yea or nay ; consider seriously what the holy ghost doth in this text affirm ; if christ be in you ▪ the body is dead , because of sie● but the spirit is life , because of righteousness● ; and go through what hath been here said , on this ●ubject , and if it hereby appear , that thou are one truly dead to sin , and alive to righteousnesse , conclu●e thou mayest safely , that the lord is thy portion , that christ is resident in ●ny soul , who having once taken possession there , will not be ●uted ; christ in thee , the hope of glory , will assuredly bring the soul and b●dy , to live with him in glory ; if we be dead with him , we shall also live with him , saith the text ▪ 2 tim 2.11 therefore i● we be dead with christ , and risen again with him , we shall assuredly live together with him in glory . a new creature . 2 cor. 5.17 . if any man be in christ , he is a new creature . every one that is out of christ , is ou● of the root of life , out of the stock of grace , out of the way , the only true way unto eternal happiness , and thus are all the posterity of adam by nature . it mainly concerns every one therefore , to consider seriously , what he bottoms upon , the old adam or the new , one of these two all flesh standeth on : how we shall come to the knowledg of this , this text tels us , if any man be in christ , he is a new creature . these words , as they are in themselves an intire sentence , contain in them a true and lively description of a man in christ ; in them the apostle lays down posit●vely , one great character of a soul resident in christ , he is a new creature . this he layes down indefinitely [ if any man , &c. ] as if he had said , if any man , of what nation , station , quality , rank or condition soever [ be in christ ] it will appear thus , he is a new creature . quest. but what is it to be in christ ? answ. to be in christ , according to the meaning of this text , is to be truly and really united unto christ , or ingrafted into christ , as a sience is into the stock , incorporate into it , and made truly one with it , and every one that is thus in christ , is a new creature . quest. but what is that ( may some say ) what is a new creature ? answ. a ●ew creature , according to his formality , is a creature wholly new ( i say ) a creature wholly new , so saith the apostle in this text , old things are past away , all things are become new . by a creature wholly new , i do not mean a creature void of humane frail●y , nor a creature totally freed from the being or power of corrupt nature , not a creature exempt from the exercise of temptations , but a creature renewed in every part , though but in part , and freed from the evil of temptations . his appearances are many , for a new creature , according to the meaning of this text , is one that is born again , born of the spirit , as christ speaks ; he is one in whom christ is formed , one in whom christ lives ; he is one that is sanctifi●d throughou● , in soul and body , and spirit of his mind as the 〈…〉 one holy 〈…〉 and 〈…〉 he is 〈…〉 from the 〈…〉 old thing● 〈…〉 new , as this text speaketh ; he is one whose heart and spirit , principles and practises are all new and holy ; he is one , who having received a new life from christ , desires and endeavours to live , as a new creature unto christ only : one that in every condition , labours to live for the honour of christ , and so as he may truly say , to me to live is christ ; to me , thus and thus to live , is for the honour of christ : he is one in whom the name of christ is glorified , and the gospel held forth : one , who in all things whatsoever he doth , in word or deed , labours to do all in the name of the lord iesus christ , to the glory of god by him : one , who desires and endeavours to have his whole conversation , such as becometh the gospel of christ , and to have every thought brought in subjection to the obedience of christ. he is one , who though he have fleshly lusts in him , doth not make provision to fulfill them , he doth not habitually design , and take thought , how to fulfill them , but how to mortifie them : he is one , who though he walk in the flesh , doth not warre after the flesh , but against the flesh ; he makes not his liberty an occasion to the flesh : he is one , who though he cannot live without sinne , doth not allow himself in any known sinne , but hates every false way , and groans under the remainder of the old man in him , as his greatest burden ; he is one , that carries a holy jelousie over h●mself , and all his wayes , and thence labours to keep a spirituall watch within , and without ; he is one , that worships god in the spirit , and puts no confidence in the flesh : one that servs god in newness of spirit , not in the oldness of the letter ; one that labours to be filled with the spirit : he is one , whose conversation is in heaven , whilst he is on earth ; one that delights in the law of god after his inward man , he delights to do the will of god. he is one of another spirit , then the world hath ; one that walks by another rule then the world doth , to wit , the word of god. he is a growing crea●ure , he grows in grace ; he forgets what is behind , and reacheth forth to that which is before : he aims at perfection , and presseth towards this neark . he is one , that lives in christ , as a branch in the vine and brings forth fruit in him : he is one in whose nostrils the whole body of death , and every part and member of it stinks : one that labours to abstain from all appearance of evill , * and to be holy and blameless before god , out of love to god : he is one that minds the things of the spirit , is led by the spirit , and walks after the spirit : he is a world-contemning , and a world-overcoming creature : he is one that labours to deny himself , and take up his cross and follow christ , as caleb a did ( to wit ) fully ▪ and as david did , of whom god saies , b he followed me with all his heart , to do that only which was right in mine eyes ; and as ruth , c followed naomi , as elisha followed d elijah , and asaebel e followed abner , he would not leave abner , though he died by his hand . a new creature is one , that counts himself a stranger and a pilgrim in this world , and lives like a stranger a and pilgrim in this world : one , whose conversation here , declares that he minds , desires , and seeks after a better country , then this world affords ( to wit ) an heavenly . he is one , that makes it his chiefest work to glorifie god , and save his soul : one to whom the talent of time is very precious : one , that labours to use every talent , wherewith he is in●rusted , according to the will of his lord , and for the honour and glory of his lord : one that labours so to walk before god here , that whether present or absent , he may be accepted of him : one that labours to honour god by using lawfull things lawfully , as well as by shunning things unlawfull in themselves : he is one that labours so to keep his account here , that he may give it up with joy , when the day of account comes : he is one , that doth not commit sinne : one that seeks not his own , but christs , and his brothers good : one whose affections are set on things above , more then on the things below . he is one , to whom the preaching of the cross of christ , to wit , the gospel , is the wisdom of god , and the power of god : one , who being born again , as a new born babe , desires the sincere and nourishing milk of the word , that he may grow thereby : one that hears the voice of christ , speaking in his word , by his ministers , knows it , and obeys it , and declines the voice of a stranger : he is one , to whom the whole word and will of god is sweet , every bitter thing in it sweet : he accounts no truth gall and wormwood , as some phrase it : he is one , to whom all gospel-ordinances are sweet and delectable : he is one that deserts not old truth to follow new light , but makes it his sunne to discover the verity of it : he is one , that receiveth the ambassadors of christ , ( to wit ) the lawful and faithful ministers of the gospel , as christ himself , and esteems them very highly in love , for their work sake : he is one that delights in the law of god after his inward man : one that labours to live by saith , in every condition , prosperity and adversity : one to whom the yoke of christ is easie , and his burden light : one to whom none of christs commandements are grievous ; he is one that continu●th in the word of christ , in the love of it , in the belief of it , in the obedience of it ; he is one faithfull unto the death ; he is one , which how high soever he be in place , in parts , in gifts or grace , is low in his own eyes , little in his own fight , his heart is lowly still ; hence it comes to pass , that when he hath done his best to follow the rule of righteousness , he abh●rs himself for his unrighteousness , and accounts himself a wretched man : finally , he is one that is joyned to the lord iesus christ , and one spirit with him . all this , and much more then this , the scriptures affirm to be in a new creature , as all that are acquainted wit● the holy scriptures know : who so desires to be better informed , touching a new creature , may consult learned dr preston on a new creature ; but a prefect enumeration of all the qualifications of a new creature , is no where to be found , but in the holy scriptures , which indeed do picture him to the life , and to them i refer the reader , for full satisfaction herein : and for the benefit of those which are unacquainted with the scriptures , or want time , or ability , to collect a cleare and sound evidence of a new creature from the scriptures , i will reduce this long description of a new creature to seven particulars , and speak of them particularly , what god hath been pleased to impart unto me , that if ever god in his providence should any wayes bring this manuscript to publique view , it may be helpful to some poor souls this way . first , a new creature is one , in whom iesus christ , the new man is formed , ( to wit ) truly formed ; the truth of this is evident , by the language of the apostle , gal. 4.19 . my little children ( saith he ) of whom i travell in birth again , untill christ he formed in you , &c. which words do clearly and strongly prove , that when christ is formed in the creature , the creature is then new and not before , it is then a new creature , and not till then , it is then born again , born of god , and new indeed . regeneration may well be called a forming of christ in us , for it formes christ in the understanding , in the will , in the affections , in the conscience , in all the faculties of the soul , in all the parts and members of the body , in the whole man , in the whole life and conversation . here note two or three things ; first , that god forms christ in the whole man , where he forms him truly ; god forms christ in the whole man , by conforming the whole man to christ. 2. when every faculty of the soul , is in its scope and bent for christ , then is christ formed in the soul , when every facultie of the soul and member of the body is bent for christ , then is christ formed in the whole man. 3. when a mans will , desire , aim and indeavour , is to square his whole life by the word of god , as his rule , then is christ formed in his conversation , then is he a new creature in gods account , who measures man more by his will and affection , then his action , as appears by 2 cor. 8.12 . compared with prov. 23.26 . wouldest thou then know , whether thou art a new creature , yea , or nay ; consider then , whether christ be formed in thee ( ●o wit ) truly formed , yea or nay ; ask thy soul the question that saul asked the wi●ch ? what form is he of ( said he ) what sawest ●hou ? so do thou ask thy soul , what form art thou of , o my soul ? whose image dost thou beare , christ's or satans ? if christ's , truly though weakly , this argues thy state good , thy creation ●tw , this demonstrates thee a creature new , a new creature . then again , say as he , what seest thou ? what seest thou o my soul in thy self ? what light ? what darknesse ? if nothing but darknesse ? what darknesse is it ? affected darknesse or afflicting darknesse ? if afflicting darknesse , this speaks the creature new . if thou descriest light in thy understanding , consider then , how it operates , how it regulates , how it transforms . 1. consider , how that light which thou hast , be it more or lesse , doth operate , whether it puffeth up or casteth down thy soul , whether it lifteth up thy soul , in praise or in pride , whether it give glory to god or self ; renewing light is humbling . god glorifying ; the more iob saw of god , the more he abhorred himself ; the more a new creature knows god and himself , the more he loaths himself , and admires his god , and desires to advance him . consider , what affection sutable to its notion that light which thou hast produceth in thee ; what love to god , and the things of god ; what love to man for god ; what hatred of sinne , what joy in the lord , what desire to injoy the lord in all , and above all things ; what comfortable hope of increase of grace and glory ; what trust in god , and desire to do for god , and be with god , it generates in thee . consider , what power of godlinesse thy light produceth in thee , what self-discovery , what self-denyall it hath begotten in thee , especially touching thy predominate sinne ; what contempt of the world in the good and evill of it , what conscience of sinne , of duty , and the manner of it , what conjunction of duties of the second table with the duties of the first table ; what contentation with thy state , what watchfulnesse over thy heart , and all the out-goings of it ; what willingnesse to take christ with the cross ; what desire and indeavour to help others ; what hunger and thirst after all those means , which god hath appointed for the increase of it , and all grace in us ; what fruitfullness in righteousness , &c. saving illumination produceth fruitfulnesse . secondly , consider how that light which thou hast , doth regulate and reform thee , consider how it regulates thy judgment , thy will and affections ; how it reforms thy life and all thy actions , and conforms them to the word and will of christ : consider , what death to sinne , what life to righteousnesse it produceth in thee , what through reformation it hath begotten in thee ; renewing light is reforming light ; universally reforming , inwardly reforming , and perseveringly reforming . thirdly , consider how that light which thou hast , transforms thee . consider , what transformation it makes in thee . renewing light is transforming light ; light from the sanctifying spirit of christ , transforms into the image of christ ; christ truly formed in the understanding speaks the man transformed , by the renewing of his mind , as is evident by the language of the apostle , rom. 12.2 . be you transformed by the renewing of your mind , &c. consider , how that light which thou hast , elevateth and raiseth thy soul from earth to heaven ; and if thou findest that the light that is in thy understanding do thus operate , thus regulate , and thus transform , truly though weakly , be it more or lesse , know , it lively demonstrates christ formed in thy understanding , thy light renewing light , and thee a creature new . of christ formed in the other faculties of the soul , ( to wit ) will and affection , and in life and conversation , more shall be spoken in due place : for the present , note this . as christ the new man , is more or lesse formed in the creature , so the creature is more or lesse new . when christ shall be perfectly formed in the crea●ure , then , and never till then , the creature shall be perfectly new , according to degrees . thus far of the first appearance of a new creature , he is one in whose understanding christ is formed : 2. the second appearance of a new creature , which i mean to insist on , is this : he is one that hath a new heart , this conclusion i deduct from the language of the lord , ezek. 36.26 . where the lord speaking of making the creature new , begins at the heart : a new heart will i give you , and a new spirit will i put within you , saith the lord , &c. satan doth his best works without , but god and nature do their first works within . nature begins its work within , as philosophers and anatomists conceive ; in natural generation , the heart , lives , and brain , parts which have in them , the begining of motion , are the first in being , though not the first in appearing , nor the first perfected , say they . so in spiritual generation ( to wit , ) regeneration , where it is true and reall , the work is begun within , in the heart and spirit , that is made new first , although perfect●d last , words and actions , which are but the effects of these causes , appear before them , and give demonstration of them , but these , as the cause , must needs preceed the effect . a man by a common work of the spirit of god on him , may be made another man then formerly he was , and yet not be a new creature ; he may have another heart then formerly he had , and yet not have a new heart ; he may be qualified with moral grace in a high degree , and inabled to do much for god , and yet not be a new creature , as appears in saul and iudas ; when god brought saul to the kingdom of israel , according to samuels prop●esie , the spirit of the lord came upon him , and ●e became another man , and the text saies , god gave him another heart , 1 sam. 10. ver . 6 , 9. a he●rt other wayes qualified then formerly . and saul was valiant and prosperous in his enterprises against the philistins , and gifted for ruling , yet saul never was a new creature , he never had a new heart : iudas when called to the apostleship by christ , was by the spirit of chrift gifted for the work whereunto christ called him , he was made another man then he was before , yet was he not made a new creature , he never had a new heart ; he was gifted for the church , but not for his own salvation . there is a vast difference , between being made another man , and being made a new man , as these instances declare ; neither saul nor iudas ever were new creatures , nor ever had a new heart , nor any renewing grace wrought by the spirit of god in them . a new heart is proper and peculiar to a new creature , fit , and but fit , to give the appearance of a new creature . the creature therefore is to be accounted new , only as it can derive newnes from within , newnes from the heart and spirit ; all without may be new , all the apparel new , and yet the person old that weares it ; so all without may be new in appearance , profession , words and actions , all new , and yet the creature old still ; the newness of the creature consists chiefly in the renovation of the inward man ; i say ( chiefly ) not only . a new creature is one all glorious within , one that hath the root of the matter within him , as iob speaks ( to wit ) integrity in his inward parts , a new heart and spirit . he therefore that will judg aright of his own spiritual estate , must needs begin where god begins , at the heart and spirit , he must confider , whether he have a new heart or not . quest. but you will say , what is a new heart ? and , how may i discern whether i have a new heart , yea , or nay ? ans. a new heart , considered according to its formality , is a heart wherein christ is formed , a heart indued with renewing grace , and acted by it , a heart made one with the lord , a heart wherein christ is resident and president ; and it may be discerned by divers appearances . take this discription of a new heart , in which expression you like best , it comes all to one , it is not my work , nor purpose to speak of the terms of this description , therefore i passe from it , to the appearances of a new heart . 1. a new heart is a heart washed from wickednesse , this is intimated by the language of the lord to ierusalem , jer. 4 ▪ 14. o ierusalem wash thy heart from wickednesse , that thou maist be saved , &c. quest. but you will say , how shall i know , whether my heart be washed from wickedness , or not ? ans. i will mention only one character of a heart washed from wickednesse , which is this ; in a heart washed from wickedness , vain thoughts do not lodg as welcome guests , and if not vain thoughts , then much lesse wicked thoughts : this is plainly hinted in this text , wash thy heart from wickedness , that thou maist be saved ; how long shall vain thoughts lodg within thee , it is as if the lord had said ? thy willing lodging of vain thoughts within thee , plainly demonstrates thy heart is not washed from wickednesse , for were thy heart washed from wickednesse , vain thoughts would not , nay they could not lodg within thee , as welcom guests . vain thoughts may , and oftentimes do , arise in the best and most holy man or woman alive , but they do not lodg with such a person as welcome guests . object . but may some say , i cannot from this conclude , that my heart is washed from wickedness , but rather that it is not washed from wickedness , for i find that vain thoughts do not only arise in me , but lodg with me , abide with me long , and many times with delight , i do not only think vain thoughts , but many times bid them welcome . ans. this know , that every one whose heart is washed from wickednesse , beares the image of a double person ; he beares the image of a person washed , and of a person unwashed , of the old man , and of the new ; and so farre forth as he is washed and clensed , he doth decline and hate vain thoughts , but so farre forth as unwashed and unregenerate , they are welcome and pleasing to him ; the heart that is washed from wickednesse is not perfectly but imperctfely washed : hence it comes to pass , that there is in it both a detesting of , and a delighting in ( the same thing , ) at the same time ; vain thoughts lodg not with the regenerate part of the man , as welcome guests , whatever they may do with the unregenerate part . vain thoughts , as satans souldiers , may quarter upon a man , whose heart is washed from wickednesse , will he , nill he , but they are not welcome guests , but wearysome guests to him , so farre forth as washed . whosoever therefore can find , that he doth truly hate and decline vain thoughts , ought not hence to conclude , that his heart is not washed from wickednesse , nor that he hath not a new heart , but rather to conclude with the apostle , rom. 7.17 . it is no more i that do it , but sinne that dwelleth in me ; it is no more i , as washed and sanctified , that welcome these guests , but it is sin that dwelleth in me that doth it . 2. secondly , another appearance of a new heart is , purity : a new heart is a pure and simple heart : that which is in ezekiel called , a new heart , is by christ called , a pure heart , mat. 5.8 . and a blessed heart ; which plainly declares , that a new heart is a pure heart . a pure heart is of all other the most sensible of its impurity , it still finds more impurity , then purity in its self , and therefore goes to christ for more cleansing stills , to the blood of christ , to the spirit of christ , to the ordinances of christ , with the desire and language of david , create in me a cleane heart , o lord , and puts that promise in suit , ezek. 36.25 . a pure heart will not mix with any impure thing , but is still purging it out , it is like a pure fountain , still purging it self , it makes a man very industrious tokeep a pure conscience . to keep himself pure from the pollutionsthat are in the world through lust , pure in thought , in word ▪ and in deed : a pure heart desires to have all pure within and without . a pure heart loves the pure word of god , for the purity of it , not for the novelty of it ; thy word is very pure , therefore ●h● servant loveth it , saith a pure heart , psal. 119.140 . a pure heart makes the pure word of god its rule to walk by in all things , and labours to order its conversation by this , both towards god and towards man in all things . the purity of the heart in the state of grace , consists in the simplicity and sincerity of holinesse , not in the perfection of it ; its purity is evangelical . the purity of sincere holinesse , is fit , and but fit to give the appearance of a new heart . 3. a new heart is an upright heart : uprightnesse is another expression , whereby a new heart is deciphred in scripture ; in divers places , when the heart is made new , it is made upright ; uprightnesse therefore is fit , and but fit to give the appearance of a new heart ; uprightnesse of heart being that which makes the great difference between a true child of god and an hypocrite . an upright heart , by the grace of regeneration , is not a heart totally void of hypocrisie , but a heart indued with sincerity , which is contrary to , and warreth against hypocrisie , such a heart christ cals , an honest and good heart , luk. 8.15 . the appearances of uprightnesse of heart are very many , but for brevity sake , i will mention only some few , which an upright heart cannot well be without . an upright heart , is a heart set against all sinne ; original , as well as actual ; secret , as well as open sinne , applauded , as well as down cr●ed sins : sinne and uprightnesse , by the grace of regeneration , are direct antipodes , flat contraries , and the heart fo farre forth as upright , is set against all sinne , but most against that sinne , which is more its own then other ( to wit ) its predominate sin , as the language of an upright man declares , psal. 119. ver . 101. & 104. compared with 2 sam. 22.24 . an upright heart ▪ is a heart careful of all duty , and desirous to correspond all circumstances in duty ; integrity and uprightnesse , shews it self by yielding universal obedience to all gods revealed will , 1 king 9 4. it makes a man studious and careful to approve himself upright towards god , and towards man in all things , act. 24.16 . it makes a man very desirous to know , what god would have done , and how he would have it done : the upright heart saith as paul , lord , what wilt thou have me to do ? and with manoah , intreats the lord to shew him , how he would have him to do it , let the angel come again and teach us , what we shall do unto the child that shall be born , said manoah to the lord , when his wife told him , what tidings the angel of the lord had brought her a of sonne ; and not only fo , but inquires farther , how he should do it , how shall we order the c●ild , and how shall we do unto him ? said he , iudg. 13. ver . 8 , 12. and it is the property of an upright heart , to desire to know gods will , and to do gods will , as he would have it done , and so as it may be accepted of him ; i will worship the lord in the beauty of holinesse , saith an upright heart , i will seek the lord , and i will do it early , in the morning will i direct my prayer unto thee , and will observe what becomes of it , saith an upright man. an upright heart , is an humble heart , the heart that is lifted up is not upright ; so much pride , so much hypocrisie there is in the heart ; so much integrity and uprightnesse , so much humility is there in the heart : christ formed in the heart , and the heart , must needs resemble him in humility , for he was meek and lowly in heart ; an upright heart is a levelled heart . an upright heart , is a heart in love with christ , the upright love thee , saith the spouse to christ , cant. 1.4 . an upright heart , is a heart espoused to christ and faithfull to him ; a heart intire to christ , whether present or absent , a heart which desires that all its approaches to christ might be in marriage-dresse , psal. 45.14 . an upright heart , earnestly and cordially desires that all were like it self , sincere and upright , witnesse the language of an upright man , act. 26.29 . and wishes well to all that are such . an upright heart , delights to walk by an upright rule and in an upright way , i delight to do thy will , o god , saith an upright heart , psal. 40.8 . i will behave my self wisely in a perfect way , i will walk within my house with a perfect heart , psal. 101.2 . an upright heart begins the work of reformation at home , as the language of christ , mat. 7.5 . intimates . thou hypocrite first cast out the beam out of thine own eye , &c. thereby intimating , that it is the nature and property of sincerity and uprightnesse to begin at home , to labour for self-reformation in the first place , and then reformation of all under its charge , psal. 101.78 . integrity and uprightnesse is no patron of tolleration , it cannot tollerate sinne , where it hath power to suppress it or restrain it . an upright heart delights in uprightnesse in whomsoever it finds it , more then in any other qualification whatsoever , it knows that all parts put together without this , will not make a good whole , and therefore esteems uprightnesse , more then any other qualification whatsoever , psal. 101.6 . an upright heart , is a faithfull heart , it is so called , neh. 9.8 . where it is said of abraham , who had an upright heart , that god found his heart faithfull before him : an upright heart is a heart faithfull to god , and faithfull to man ; it is faithfull to god absolutely , and first , it is faithfull to man , relatively and conditionally , with reference to god and the conditions between it and others . an upright heart is not satisfied with a bare forme of godlinesse , but labours for the power of godlinesse ; it is not satisfied without works , but labours to have all glorious within ; it labours to do all duties after a spiritual manner , and so as they may be accepted of god , and it labours conscionably to practise what it doth profess and teach others , do and teach . an upright heart is a heart stedfast with god , stedfast in his covenant , as it is easie to be gathered , from that which is spoken of the israelites , psal. 78.37 . their heart was not right with god , that is , their hearts were not sincere and upright : but how doth that appeare ? why the next words tell us , they were not stedfast in his covenant ; had their hearts been sincere and upright , they had been stedfast in his covenant they would wilfully have broken it , and cast it behind their backs . an upright heart longs and desires still to be more upright , it groanes under the guile that it finds remaining in it self , and warrs against it , and longs to be delivered from it . an upright heart is a heart perpendicularly , directly and chiefly for god , in all its aimes and ends ; it exalts god in all things , and above all things , because he only is to be exalted : uprightnesse exceedingly desires , and indeavours to improve every price in its hand to the glory of god the giver , ioh. 7.18 . an upright heart is not satisfied with its own tryal , but desires god should try it , and goes to god to do it ; thus did upright david , psa. 26.2 . & 139.23 ▪ 24. and upright iob. let me be weighed in an even balance , saith he , iob 31.6 . an upright heart can comfor●ably appeal to god in its worst condition , except in some cases ( viz. ) in case of ignorance of its own integrity , or in case of some guilt charged upon it by god , conscience , or satan , or in case of some temptation , wherein satan by his sophistery mis-represents him to himself , and fantacy joyning with satan , gives a false idea and representation of things to the understanding , whereby it comes to passe , that conscience doth accuse , when it should excuse ; in such cases , an upright heart cannot , nor dares not to own its own integrity , nor appeal to god , but if it be not hindered by the interposition of some one of these , or the like , it can comfortably appeal to god in its worst condition , as is evident by divers examples , as in hezekiah , 2 king. 20.3 . and in iob , job 23. ver . 10 , 11 , 12 chap. 16.17 . and in ieremiah , jer. 12.3 . david , 1 chro. 29.17 . paul , 1 thes. 2.10 . an upright heart is a soyl , wherein the immortall seed of the word takes kindly rooting , springs up , and brings forth fruit , in some measure , more or lesse , as christ affirms in that parable , mark 4.8 . integrity or uprightnesse is a growing and spreading plant , it is a plant which how small soever it be at its beginning , if once planted , grows greater and greater , it is alwayes greater at last , then at the first ; this bildad hinted to iob , job 8.7 . and this christ plainly affirms in the parable of the mustard seed , mat 13.31 , 32. uprightnesse is a plant that will thrive , though in a barren soyl . finally , integrity or uprightnesse is an abiding plant ; it is a plant that will live under a torrid or a friged zone , a plant that will bide the hottest summer and the coldest winter ; my meaning is , it will hold out in the hottest persecution , and in the greatest defection ; an upright heart abides in the truth , and the truth abids in it : the upright do hold on his way , job 17.9 . an hypocrite may professe the truth , and go farre in the profession of it for a time , but he will not alwayes abide in it , sooner or later he will fall off quite , as is evident by those texts quoted in the margin ; but an upright heart will hold on its way , & hold out upright in crooked times , it will hold fast its integrity whatever it part with else , as god and an upright man affirms , iob 2.3 . and 27.5 , 6. as an hypocrite will not abide in the truth , no more will the truth abide in him : truth may be in an hypocrite for a time , but it will not abide in him ; god doth sooner or later take it quite from him ; but truth in an upright heart , it abideth there , so saith the apostle , the annointing which ye have received of god abideth in you , 1 joh. 2.27 . truth in an upright heart is in its proper element , and therefore abideth there . these appearances of an upright heart , which i have collected from the bare word , i thought not amisse here to insert , and for brevity sake , i will multiply no more , but proceed to the fourth appearance of a new heart . 4. a new heart is a self loathing heart , as appears by ezek. 36.26 . compared with ver . 31. a new heart will i give you , saith the lord , and what follows ? then shall ye remember your own evill wayes , and your doings that were not good , and shall loath your selves in your own sight , &c. thence it is evident , that a new heart is a self-loathing heart , it loaths it self for all its iniquities , and for all its abominations , for all its guilt of sinne , and for all the filth of sinne that it sees in its self , for its inward corruptions as well as its outward transgressions . 5. a new heart is an obedient heart , a heart made pliable to the will of god , as appears by the fore-cited place , ezek. 36. a new heart will i give you , saith the lord , v. 26. and cause you to walk in my statutes , and keep my judgments , and do them , ver . 27. hence it is evident , that a new heart is a heart pliable to all the revealed will of god , a heart on which the word of god , and the works ofgod make impression , and it is therefore called a heart of flesh , ibid v. 26. 6. a new heart is a heart new principled ; it hath in it principles above nature , above morality ( to wit ) divine principles , principles of grace , by which the whole new man is acted . 7. another appearance of a new heart , is this , a new heart is alwayes accompanied with a new spirit , a new heart will i give you , and a new spirit will i put within you , saith the lord , ezek. 36.26 . a new heart and a new spirit are here coupled in infusion by the lord , which shews , they are twins born together , they alwayes go together , live everlastingly together ; this david pointed at , psal. 51.10 . create in me a clean heart , o god , and renew a right spirit within me , &c. david knew that where god gave a new heart , he gave a new frame of spirit also , and therefore he puts both into his bill , when he put this promise in suit ; when god makes the heart new , he makes the spirit new also , he frames it of another fashion , points it towards another course , raiseth it from earth to heaven , meekeneth it , and makes it more easie to be intreated . 8. the principles then being new and the spirit new , where the heart is made new , it must needs follow in the next place , by necessary consequence , that the life and conversation is new also , for these being made new , cannot but produce newnesse of life ; therefore i conclude this thus , a new heart alwayes produceth a new life ; if the heart be new , the life will be new also ; christ if truely formed in the creature , is formed in every part of the creature , in the whole man , in the whole life and conversation of the man , from his convertion , and new birth ; this is the last , but not the least demonstrator of a new heart , of a new creature , and such , as without which , no man can ever safely conclude , that his heart is new or his creation new ; he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world , that we should be holy and blamelesse before him in love , eph. 1.4 . this therefore is vigor fit , and but fit to give the appearance of a new heart , of a new creature . thus much of the second appearance of a new creature , he is one that hath a new heart . 3. in the third place , a new creature is one that lives in christ , the new ftock , as a branch in the vine ; and brings forth fruit in him . that a new creature is one that lives in christ the new stock , is evident by the language of the apostle in this text , if any man be in christ , he is a new creature ; hence it is evident , that he is in christ , or else he is not a new creature , first in christ and then a new creature ; as dr preston doth well observe . a new creature is one that hath his abiding in christ , one that lives in christ , as his stock ; if you ask him the question , that the two disciples asked christ , master , where dwellest thou ? he may say , in christ. that a new creature is one that lives in christ , and hath his abiding in him , as his stock , is evident by the language of christ , ioh. 15.6 . if any man abide not in me , he is cast forth , as a branch withered &c. that he bringeth forth fruit , is evident by the language of christ in the 5 , & 6. verses of that chapter , he ●hat abideth in me , and i in him , the same bringeth fo●th much fruit ; and not only beareth fruit , but beareth fruit in christ , as a branch in the vine , as the language of christ in the 2 v. of that chap. implies , every branch that beareth not fruit [ in me ] he taketh away ; hence it is evident , that a new creature , is one that beareth fruit in christ , as a branch in christ , the true vine ; and this is that which distinguisheth him from a meer morall creature , both may be fruitfull in righteousnesse , and bring forth much fruit , as appears in the scribes and pharisees , who were a generation fruitfull in righteousnesse , and brought forth much fruit , and so do many others which have but morall grace , as appears , mat. 7.22 , 23. but herein lyes the difference , as to this point , between a meer morallist , and a new creature . a meer morallist brings forth fruit in himself , that is , from his own principles , by a common assistance from christ , he being but self , and in the state of nature still , and he brings forth fruit to himself , as ephraim did , to his own honour , and praise , and glory ; self is his utmost end in all he doth ; but a new creature brings forth fruit in christ , he is fruitfull in righteousnesse , as a branch in christ the true vine ; his fruitfulnesse issueth out from supernatural and divine principles , from a special work of the spirit of christ in him . quest. but how may i discern , whether my fruitfulnesse in righteousness issue from a common assistance of the spirit of christ , to wit , naturall and moral principles only , or whether i be fruitfull in righteousnesse as a branch in christ the true vine ? sol. 1. fruitfulnesse in righteousnesse issuing from natural and moral principles only , is not universal but partial , but he that is fruitful in righteousnesse as a branch in the vine , is fruitful in every good work , at least in his aime and indeavour . 2. fruitfulnesse in righteousnesse , issuing from moral principles , is usually more exemplary in circumstantials , then in substantials , more in mint and annise , then in judgment and mercy ; but he that is fruitfull in righteousnesse , as a branch in the vine , sunders not what god hath coupled together , but places substantials in the vant-gard , in the first place . 3. fruitfulnesse in righteousnesse , issuing from morall principles is usually more in the eyes of men , than in the eye of god : such as are fruitfull in righteousnesse from their own principles , are more studious to make all things seem good and glorious in the eyes of men , than they are to approve the righteousnesse of their hearts or wayes to god ; but he that is fruitfull in righteousnesse as a branch in the vine , is more studious and carefull to approve the uprightnesse of his heart and actions to god in all things , than to make things seem good in the sight of men ; he is more desirous to be fruitfull then to seem fruitfull . 4. fruitfulnesse in righteousnesse , proceeding from naturall and morall principles , is usually attended with much pride inwardly in heart , if not outwardly in expression ; and the more fruitfull this man is , the more proud he is : contrarywise fruitful in righteousnesse as a branch in the vine , is attended with much humility ; a man that is fruitful in righteousnesse , as a branch in the vine , sees that he hath no sap , but what he hath from the stock , into which he is ingrafted ; no sufficiency in himself to any good ; he sees that his good motions , affections and actions , flow all from christ , and therefore he humbly ascribes all to christ ; the glory of all his fruitfulnesse , he layes on christs shoulders , he shall beare the glory , saith this soul , he dares take none to himself , though tempted thereunto by satan , but sayes of christ , as mephibosheth did of ziba , let him take all , who is all in all , who am i ? and what am i , that i should offer , after this manner . thus his being filled with the fruits of righteousnesse , redounds to the glory of christ , who is his righteousnesse : the more fruitfull a branch in the vine is , the lower he is . that fruitfulnesse in righteousnesse , proceeding from natural and morall principles only , is attended with these forementioned effects , is evident in the scribes and pharisees , who were men very fruitfull in righteousnesse from their own principles , yet did pick and chuse in the wayes of god ; tythe mint and annise , and omit the weightier matters of the law , and of the gospel too ; strain at a gnat , and swallow a camel , as christ tells them , mat. 23. were very industrious to make all they did , feem good and glorious in the eyes of men , but cared not how rotten their hearts were ; the more fruitfull they were , the more proud they were ; all this christ taxes them with , mat. 23. and thereupon cals them , not new creatures , not fruitfull branches in the v●nt , but whited sepulchers , graves , fools , blind , hypocrites , &c. that fruitfulnesse in righteousnesse , proceeding from divine principles , from a christian , as a branch in the vine , doth produce effects contrary to these forementioned , is evident in david and paul , and other fruitfull branche● of the true vine . they were not partiall in the wayes of god , but had respect unto all gods will , psal. 119.128 their great care was to approve their hearts and their wayes to god , as appears , psal. 139.23 . & 119.80 . compared with the 2 cor. 5.9 . their fruitfulneffe did not produce pride , but humility , as appears by the language of as fruitfull a branch , as ever was , eph. 3.8 . less than the least , &c. in the fifth place , fruitfulnesse in righteousnesse , proceeding from moral principles , is usually attended with repose and trust in the work done ; he that is thus fruitfull , rests in the work done ; thus it was with the pharisee that pleaded his actions , his repose was in them , as christs language to the publican intimates ; but contrarywise , he that is fruitfull in righteousnesse , as a branch in the vine , as a branch truly and really in the vine , rests not in any works done by him , but renounces all , in matter of justification ; he sees more unrighteousnefse then righteousnesse in his best actions ; all our righteousnesses are as filthy raggs , said the fruitful branches , isai. 64.6 . all as dross and dung , saith another fruitfull branch , phil. 3.8 . we are unprofitable servants , and have done nothing , that is worth any thing . lord , when saw we thee an hungred ? or athirst ? or a stranger ? or naked ? or sick ? or in prison ? and did minister unto thee ? say the fruitfull branches , matth. 25.37 , 38 , 39. which language evidently declares , that their repose and trust was not in their actions . in the fixth place , fruitfulnesse in righteousnesse , issuing out of morall principles , brings no true peace to the mind and conscience of a man , as appears in the young man that came to christ , to ask , what he should do to be saved ? he was very fruitfull in righteousnesse from his own principles , as appears by his own language , yet very scrupulous , how it would go with him at the last ; which shews , that the effect of his fruitfulnesse was not quietnesse , but unquietnesse ; not confidence , but diffidence : but on the other side , fruitfulnesse , as a branch in the vine , brings sweet peace and rest to the mind , and conscience of a man , as appears , isai. 32.17 , there the lord promises his people , that the work of righteousnesse shall be peace , and the effect of righteousnesse , quietnesse and assurance for ever . the more fruitful in righteousnesse a man is , as a branch in the vine , the more contentment and rest shall he have within himself . object . but do we not see the contrary , may some say , are not many fruitfull branches in the vine very unquiet , and restless , and unsatisfied in conscience about their eternall estate ? answ. this , if granted , doth not null the truth asserted ; for , first , this unquietnesse doth not spring from their fruitfulnesse , but rather from that unfruitfulnesse , which they see in themselves : secondly , the text doth not say , that it alwayes is quietnesse , but it shall be peace and quietnesse , it shall yield him peace and quietnesse at the last , it shall end in peace and quietnesse , and assurance for ever , that shall be the issue of it , with this david concurreth , psal. 37.37 . seventhly , fruitfulnesse in righteousnesse , proceeding from naturall and morali principles , is usually stinted at a stay , bounded and limited by carnal reason ; so far it will go , but no farther ; this is evident in saul , seven dayes he would stay for samuel , but no longer , if samuel come not then , he will offer sacrifice himself ; this mans fruitfulnesse doth not increase , but decrease : but fruitfulnesse in righteousnesse , proceeding from a branch in the vine , is a thriving and a growing fruitfulnesfe , a branch in the vine proposeth no other period to himself in piety , then perfection , and this he labours to the utmost of his ability , through the help of his heavenly husband-man to attain , and goes on dayly by degrees towards , so that he brings forth most fruit in age , as the psalmist speaks , psalm 92.14 . eighthly , fruitfulnesse , proceeding from natural and moral principles , is many times attended with malice ag●inst those that are fruitful in righteousnesse , as branches in the vine , as is evident in the scribes and pharisees , who whre men very fruitful in righteousnesse from their own principles , they prayed , and fasted , and gave alms , tythed mint , and anice , and cummin , and yet were very malicious against christ and his disciples , none more malicious than they were : but fruitfulnesse in righteousnesse , proceeding from a branch in the vine , is not attended with malice to any but with love to all , even to very enemies . ninthly , a man fruitful in righteousnesse from his own principles , brings forth fruit from the good treasure of his brain , and such maxims as are fastened there ; this did the pharisees , and thus do all meer moralists ; but a man fruitful in righteousnesse , as a branch in the vine , brings forth fruit out of the good treasure of his heart , as christ affirmeth , luk. 6.45 . a good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth good things , or , that which is good . a branch in the vine , out of an ho●est and good heart bringeth forth fruit , so saith christ , luk 8.15 . here nore one main difference that is between an evill man and a good , or a meer formalist and a branch truly in the vine ; in an evill man , or a meer formalist , his heart is the treasury of all the evill , which he bringeth forth , but not of the good ; but a good man , or a branch truly in the vine , his heatt is the treasury of the good fruit which he bringeth forth : in the heart of an evill man ( to wit ) a man out of christ , dwelleth no good thing , nothing that is truly and spiritually good , therefore ( out of it ) can come no such fruit : but in the heart of a good man ( to wit ) a branch truly in the vine , dwelleth a principle of faith and love , from which his fruitfulnesse springs ; these constrain him , or lead him along , as the apostle speaks , 2 cor. 5.14 . and herein lies the great and main difference , that is between the fruitfulnesse of a man in christ , and a man out of christ , between a branch in the vine , and a meer motalist , both bring forth fruit , good fruit ; but the one bringeth it forth out of the treasure of an honest and good heart , and the other doth not so ; this christ confirms in that forecited place , luk. 6.45 . in the tenth place , a man whose fruitfulnesse in righteousnesse , springs from naturall and moral principles only , his fruit doth not remain , but rots before it is ripe , fals before it is fit to be gathered : how much fruit soever the best meer moralist brings forth , he brings none at all to perfection , as these texts here quoted do excellently and elegantly set forth , iob 15.33 . he shall shake off his unripe fruit , as the vine , and cast off his flower , as the olive , mat. 13.6 . and when the sun was up , they were scorched , and because they had not roote , they withered away , and bring no fruit to perfection , luk. 8.14 . here we have the period of the fruitfulnesse of the best meer moralist , set down by the holy ghost , all his fruit comes to just nothing at last : but contrarywise , he that is fruitfull in righteousnesse , as a branch in the vine , his fruit remaineth and ●indly ripeneth , as appears by ioh. 15.16 . i have chosen you , and ordained you , saith christ of the living branches of the vine , that ye should bring forth fruit , and that your frui● should remain : and it is said of such an one in ier. 17.8 . that he shall not cease from yielding fruit : and luk. 8.15 . he brings forth fruit with patience : and psal. 1.3 . he bringeth forth his fruit in his season ; by all which it is evident , that a branch truly in the vine , hath this priviledg and character , beyond the best meer moralist or formalist whatsoever , how little soever his fruit of righteousnesse seems to be , either in his own eyes or the eyes of other men , yet his fruit remaineth and kindly ripeneth , it cometh to perfection at the length . eleventhly , a man fruitfull in righteousnesse from naturall and morall principles , brings forth fruit to himself only , as israel did , israel is an empty vin● , he bringeth forth fruit to him●elf , hos. 10.1 . israel was a fruit-bearing vine , yet but an empty vine ; how comes this to passe ? why the next words tell us , he brings forth fruit to himself . thus it is with a man , whose fruitfulnesse springs from naturall and morall principles only , he brings forth fruit to himself , to his own base ends , his own honour , profit , and the like ; but he that is fruitfull in righteousnesse , as a branch in the vine , bringeth forth fruit unto god , to the glory of god , as the scripture speaks , rom. 7.4 . his fruitfulnesse springs from , and depends upon christs conjunction with his soul , and tends chiefly to the advancing god in christ , god is both the efficient and fina●● cause of his fruitfulnesse . lastly , a fruitfull branch in the vine , is usually most pulled and cudgelled , ●ressed and oppressed ; ioseph was a fruitfull branch in the vine , even a fruitfull bough by a well , whose branch runs over the wall , yet the text tels us , that the archers sorely grieved him , they shot at him , and hated him , gen. 49.22 , 23. as it was with ioseph , so it is usually with other fruitfull branches in the vine , satan and men stirred up by satan , do impugne , molest and trouble them more than they do meer moralists , this jesus christ hinted to his disciples , when he told them , in the world ye shall have tribulation . lay all these together , and make a touch-stone of them to try thy fruitfulnesse by , and according as thou findest it , agree or disagree with them , make up the conclusion . a fourth character or appearance of a new cre●ture , is this , he is one that sinneth not , one that doth not commit sinne , so saith the text , 1 ioh. 3.6 . whosoever abideth in him sinneth not ; and ver . 9. whosoever is born of god ▪ doth not commit sinne ; this assertion is a touch-stone of the holy ghosts making , therefore it must needs be both necessary and safe for a christia● to try himself by , and this i thi●k is such , as ( if rightly understood ) may afford much comfort , to a poore child of god , when many other appearances of his new birth are hidden from him , though in the letter ( i confess ) it seems one of the unlikeliest texts in scripture so to do . whosoever abideth in him , sinneth not , saith the ●ext ; what shall i hence conclude , that a branch in christ , a true beleever , a new creature , is totally freed from the power , act , and being of sinne , so that he doth not nor cannot sinne actually ? ( god forbid ) this were to give the scripture the lye , which saith , that in many things we sin all , even [ we ] that are born again . and if we say that we have no sinne , we deceive our selves , and the truth is not in us , 1 ioh. 1.8 . and rom. 7.23 . a new creature saith , i see a law in my members , rebelling against the law of my mind , and leading me captive to the law of sinne , which is in my members . he doth not say ( i saw ) as one speaking of the time past , before conversion , but [ i see ] as one speaking in the ( present tence ) and of the time after conversion ; he doth not say , bringing me into captivity to the law of sinne ( which was ) in my members , but ( unto the law of sinne which is in my members ; ) by all which it is evident , that this text means no such thing as immunity and freedom from the motions , act , or being of sinne : he therefore that shall hence conclude , that he is totally freed from the power and being of sinne , so that he doth not nor cannot sinne no more than the glorified saints , or christ himself , doth make of a touch stone , a mill-stone to grind him to powder . object . but if this be not the meaning of this scripture , what then is the meaning of it ? answ. the meaning of it ( ●s i humbly conceive ) is this , that a true beleever , one that lives in christ , and christ in him , one that 〈◊〉 again , and made a new creature , sinne●●ot as an u●regenerate person doth , he give● not himself over to the commission of any known sinne , neither allows himself in the omission of any known duty ; he is not a willing slave to any sin ; he sins not knowingly , without damping and quenching , in some measure , for some time the actings of grace , and the spirit of god in him , he doth not commit sin ; he doth commit sinne in the apostles sense ( as i conceive ) which doth sin of purpose , and with the consent of the whole will , and with the whole sway of his affections , this every one in the state of nature doth , he sins with the consent of the whole will , and with the whole sway of his affections , and must needs do so , because he hath no principle fastened on those faculties to cross him , therefore in sinning , he doth the evill which he would do , the evill which he loves . but it is quite other wayes with a child of god , who is born again , and made a new creature , put in a state of grace ; he doth not ( so sin , ) neither indeed can he , because his feed ( to wit ) the grace of the spirit remaineth in him ; though he sinne , and sinne in many things , yet doth he not sinne with the consent of his whole will , nor with the whole sway of his affections in any thing . ( the evill which i would not that do i ) saith a new creature , what i hate that do i. the will , as all other faculties of the soul , is but in part renewed ; christ is formed in it imperfectly , it hath in it ( at the best estate here ) a regenerate part , and an unregenerate part , and so far forth as it is renewed , it doth nill the evill which the unregenerate part doth chuse ; therefore a regenerate man saith , it is no more i that do it , and so the apostle here , he that is born of god , doth not commit sin , because he doth it not as regenerate , but as unregenerate . so for the affections ; a renewed man cannot sinne with the whole sway of his affections , because the renewed part of them doth decline , and oppose what the unrenewed part of them doth imbrace and cleave to . this contradiction , in the same faculty of the soul , is proper and peculiar to a child of god , in his state of imperfection , and may therefore well serve to decipher him out , and distinguish between a new creature and a meer naturalist . for although there may be , and oftentimes is , a contradiction and combate in an unregenerate person , between severall and distinct faculties of the soul , the appetite against reason , the will or affections against conscience , yet there never is a contradiction in the same faculty of the soul , in an unregenerate person , neither indeed can there be , for there is nothing in it to oppose ; this combate is peculiar to a new creature , where there is flesh and spirit in the same faculty , and what the one chuseth , the other refuseth , it may therefore well be a christians touch-stone to try himself by . there is yet another way , whereby a man may be said to commit sinne , which is far more dangerous than the former , yea , remedilesse , and that is , when a man doth wilfully and obstinately oppose that which the word of god , and the spirit of god doth throughly convince his conscience is the truth , and ought to be followed , out of meer malice , scorn and contempt , and this is that which ( i think ) this text points at chiefly ; but ( thus ) a child of god , a member of christ , a new creature cannot commit sinne , because his seed remaineth in him , as the apostle here speaks , he that thus commiteth sin is of the divell , and sealed by him to hels eternity , 1 ioh. 3.8 . ch . 5.16 . mat. 12.32 . in the fifth place ; a new creature , is one that groans under the remainder of the old man in him ( to wit ) the naturall propensity which he finds in himself to all evill ; the inticing tempter of corrupt nature , which makes him a verse to all good , and prone to all evill , as that which spoiles all his good dutyes , as that which is his greatest burden , bewailes it as that alone which makes his condition wretched and miserable , longs earnestly for a total deliverance from this burden of corrupt nature , prayes earnestly for strength against all the inticings thereof , and rests of christ by faith , in the use of all lawfull meanes by him appointed , for a total deliverance at length , and strength against all the inticings thereof , until total delivera●ce be granted , all which is evident in paul , rom. 7. and truly i never yet found any burden like this burden , though i have born many ; this burden alone had not christ borne the heavior end of it , had sunk my soul in despaire , or driven it upon desperate attempts ; the time hath been , when to have been freed from the power of natural corruption , my soul hath chosen death , rather than life , and longed for d●ath , more then for hid treasures , as iob speaks ; yea , when it would have joyed in that which nature abhors , an untimely death by the hand of man , would have infinitely more joyed me , than the acquiring of the whole earth with all it affords , only for the freeing of my soul from the power of corrupt nature , which was so potent , that my unbeleeving heart did often conclude , that i should one time or other fall by it , and by it be undone to all eternity ; yet the lord was my stay , and prevented what i much feared , and out of this deep the lord at length delivered me , to the glory of christ my keeper and deliverer , and the incouragement of others in the like case ; i speak this , much more i could speake on this subject experimentally , but i forbeare . in the sixt place , a new creature is one , that minds the things of the spirit , is led by the spirit , and walks after the spirit ; these expressions tend all to one and the same end , namely , to denominate a new creature , therefore i put them together . a new creature , is one that minds the things of the spirit , so saith the text , rom. 8.5 . they that are after the sl●sh , do mind the things of the flesh , but they that are after the spirit , the things of the spirit ; as carnall hearts mind carnall things , so spirituall hearts , mind spirituall things ; a new creature minds the things of the spirit , after the rule of the spirit , the word of god ; he minds the things of the spirit in the first place , he minds them savourly , chiefly and principally , more than the things of the flesh , and declares it by following after them industriously ; the apprehension of the love and favour of god , and that which leades thereunto ( to wit ) the pure ordinances of god , are the only jewels which he esteems and follows after , and for the acquiring and retaining of these , he will part with all the good of the world , and count it but dung , as is evident in the parable of the merchant-man , who sould all to buy the pearl : a new creature , his great care , desire , and indeavour is , to be more new : o that i were more dead to sinne , more alive to righteousnesse ! that i were lesse in the flesh , more in the spirit ! lesse in my self , more in christ ! saith a new creature ; and these are the things which he minds and follows after . he is led by the spirit of god , so saith the apostle , rom. 8.14 . as many as are led by the spirit of god , they are the sons of god. this language plainly shews who are the adopted sonnes of god , and so consequently , who are new creatures ; for to be such a sonne of god , as this text speaks of , and to be a new creature , is all one in effect , and he that is such , is led by the spirit of god ; that is his mark , set by the holy ghost , by the hand of the apostle . the spirit of god may be said to lead man two manner of wayes ; more generally , or , more specially ; as a qualifier only , or as a sanctifier ; and that leading of the spirit which denominates our son ship , or the creature new , is not the more generall , but the more speciall leading of the spirit ( to wit ) the spirit leading , as a sanctifier , as an inward sanctifier , as well as an outward . a man may then be faid to be led by the spirit of god , according to the meaning of this text , ( as i humbly conceive ) when h● , by a speciall work of the spirit of god upon his soul is inabled voluntarily , and cordially to resign up himself , in all things to be guided by the spirit of god , and cordially and couragiously to decline all other leaders ( contrary unto this . ) 1. he that is thus led by the spirit of god , is not under the law , saith the apostle , gal. 5.18 . if ye be led by the spirit , ye are not under the law : by [ law ] in this text , some divines take to be meant the moral law , and so taking it , conclude , that he that is led by the spirit , is freed from the curse of the moral law , which is very true ; of this mind was mr perkins : others by law here , understand the domineering power of corrupt nature , that which the apostle cals , the law of sinne , rom. 7 25. of this mind was luther : [ law ] thus taken , the conclusion is , that he that is led by the spirit of god , is not under the domineering , reigning power of sinne ; he is no servant of sinne , he doth not voluntarily yeeld himself to obey any sinne in the lusts thereof , as an unregenerate person doth , with free consent ; [ law ] taken in this latter sence , is that which ( i think ) this text points at , by the scope of this chapter , and all the passages of it ; and taken in this sense , i am sure it is most for my purpose , therefore i pitch upon it ; he that is led by the spirit of god , as a sanctifier , is in great measure freed from this law of sinne . when this law , ( to wit ) lust , leads , as commander in chief , the person is soon led away with a spirit of errour and inticers thereunto , as the apostle shews , ● tim. 3.6 . 2. but he whom the spirit of god leads , as commander in chief , beleeves not every spirit , but tries the spirits whether they are of god , as the apostle exhorts all christians to do , 1 ioh. 4.1 . he makes the written word his touchstone to try them by ; he knows that whatsoever is revealed contrary to the word of god , is not of the spirit , for the spirit of god doth not dispense things contrary unto , but agreeable with the word of god , as christ affirms , ioh. 16.13 , 14 , 15. the spirit ( saith christ ) shall not speak of himself , but he shall glorifie me , for he shall receive of mine and shew it unto you ; he shall take of mine , and shew it unto you ; which language plainly shews , that the spirit of god doth make use of the word of god , and revealeth the meaning of it , but never contrad●cts it : note this , all you that boast of the spirit , and yet slight and contemn the word . 3. he whom the spirit of god leads after a special manner , he leades into all truth , as christ affirms , ioh. 16.13 . he shall guide you into all truth , that is , into all truth necessary for you , in such a sphere and condition , as god hath assigned you unto , truth in judgment , in heart , in practice . but here note , that although the spirit of god doth lead into all truth , yet the spirit doth not this all at once ; neither doth the spirit this ordinarily , without the reading and preaching of the word , but by it , specially where it may be had . 4. he whom the spirit of god thus leads , he fits and inables to walk with god , under ordinances , as appears by ezek. 36.27 . where god gives his spirit , he gives him for a leader , and whom the spirit of god leads , it inables to walk with god , in the use of his ordinances , as that text plainly shews , ( even in the most glorious times of the gospel , for of these the prophet here speaks . ) note this , all you that boast of the spirit , and think you are led by the spirit , and yet cry down ordinances . 5. he whom the spirit of god thus leads , he quickeneth in some measure , rom. 8.11 . where the spirit of god dwels as a leader , he dwels as a quickener , he quickeneth our souls even while they dwell in houses of clay , in mortal bodies , he quickeneth them in every faculty , and to every holy duty , though not all in like measure , nor to all duties at the same time . note this , all you that not being under a temptation to distrust , think you are led by the spirit of god , and yet find no quickening at all by the spirit , neither desire any , nor feel want of it . 6. he that is thus led by the spirit of god , worships god in spirit and in truth , he doth serve god in newnesse of spirit , as the apostle affirms , phil. 3.3 . he doth inwardly , and sincerely , worship and serve god as well as outwardly and formally : he knows his leader is not pleased with any outward performances , severed from the service of the spirit ( to wit ) the inward man , and therefore he strives with all his might , to exercise all the powers of his soul , and act , and improve all his graces in , and by the service of god , being exceedingly desirous to serve his leader acceptably . note this , all formal and persunctary servers of god , that think you are led by the spirit of god , and all gods people , that think you are not led by the spirit of god , and yet exceedingly desire and labour thus to do . 7. he whom the spirit of god thus leadeth , he helpeth his infirmities , the spirit ( saith the apostle ) helpeth our infi●mities , meaning theirs to whom he is a leader ; but how doth the spirit that ? why , by discovering our infirmities unto us , and supplying what is wanting in us , out of christs fulnesse , which he holds up and applies to us . the text doth not say , that the spirit perfectly cureth our infirmities , [ but he helpeth our infirmities , ] he helpeth them , by doing that for us , which we cannot do our selves , rom. 8.26 . this each mans experience , which is thus led by the spirit will tell him . 8. he that is thus led by the spirit , finds so much sweetnesse in his leader , that he still desires to be more led by him , to be filled with the spirit , as the scripture speaks ; he never thinks he hath enough of the spirit , but still desires more , and his soul follows hard after the lord in prayer , and in the use of all meanes by him appointed , for the attaining a greater measure of the spirit than he yet hath . 9. he that is thus led by the spirit of god , is led by the written word of god , the revealed will of god , which is the instrument , rule , and demonstrator of the spirit of god , in reference to man ; and he that hath the word of god , or might have , and will not be led by it , hath no ground to conclude , that he is led by the spirit of god , as it is evident by isai. 8.20 . these leaders ( to wit ) ( the word and the spirit , ) are never opposite one to another . 10. he that is thus led by the spirit of god , is chary of the sword of the spirit ( the word of god ) and fights with it against all his spiritual enemies , the world , the flesh , and the divel ; this is evident in the natural sonne of god , jesus christ , mat. 4.4 , 7 , 10. and in many of the adopted children of god , of whom we read in scripture . note this , all you that slight the wor● of god and fight not with it , but against it , and yet make your boast , that you are led by the spirit . 11. he that is thus led by the spirit of god doth walk in the spirit , and he doth walk after the spirit ; but what is it to walk ●n the spirit , or to walk after the spirit ? these expressions ( i think ) differ not much . to walk in the spirit ( saith luther ) is to wrestle in spirit against the flesh , and to follow spirituall motions . walking in the spirit ( saith mr perkins ) is to order our lives according to the direction and motion of the spirit . a man may then be said to walk after the spirit ( saith ios. ex●n . ) when in respect of the trade and course of his life , he walks not according to the guidance , and motion of his corrupt nature , but of the holy spirit . hence ( i conceive ) a man may then be said to walk [ in and after the spirit ] when he walks not after the flesh , as the apostle speaks ; but after the rules of the spirit , given in the word of god , and according to the motions , dictates , and guidance of the spirit ( which are never contrary unto , but agreeable with the word of god ) when he doth not voluntarily , and approvedly obey the dictates of corrupt nature , but the word and spirit of god , when he doth walk according to the rule of the written word ( at lest , in his aim desire and endeavour . here note two or three things ; he that is thus led by the spirit of god , walks after the spirit , more strongly , or mor● weakly , as he is more or lesse new . he walks after the spirit , more swiftly , or more slowly , as chris● by his spirit draws him more strongly or mor● weakly ; some christ by his spirit draws more strongly and they run after him , as the church speaks , cant. 1.4 . they follow their leader vigorously , unweariedly , wit● delight ; others he draws more weakly , 〈◊〉 they walk more slowly after him , according to the different dispensations of the spirit of god ; so doth man move more strongly or more weakly , more swiftly or more slowly , in the wayes of god. then again note this , man at his best estate here follows his leader , walks after the spirit , but as a blind , lame impotent creature , if at one time he runs after his leader , and follows him vigorously , at another time he is weary and walks slowly ; now he stumbles , and anon fals , and were it not that his leader , is very able , wise , and watchfull , he would give over quite and fall irrecoverably . 12. in the next place , a man that is thus led by the spirit of god , is a curagious and resolute opposer of all leaders , contrary unto this leader ; if the world tempt and strive to be his leader , he opposes that ; if the flesh tempt , and strive to be his leader , he opposes that ; if the divell tempt , and strive to be his leader , he resisteth him ; and all this he doth in the strength of the spirit of god , whom he hath chosen for his leader ; all this is evident in paul , a man led by the spirit of god , after a special manner ; his courage and resolution was such , that he maintained a constant warre with these three enemies , on this ground , that they would have been his leader , they had led him before , & would have led him again , but this he had rather dye then yield to , when once led by the spirit , as his own testimony , in divers places proves . he that thus doth , may be , and sometimes is led captive , by some one or other of these enemies ; this the apostle paul sadly complains of , as an experimented truth , rom. 7.23 . 13. finally he whom the spirit of god thus leads , he leads so long as he needeth leading ; he will lead us over death , unto glory , psal. 48.14 . compared with psal. 73.24 . he whom the spirit of god once leads as a sanctifier , he never totally nor finally gives over leading , but leads him through grace unto glory . lay all these things together , and consider , whether it be thus with thy selfe , yea , or nay ; and if upon a true tryal thou findest it thus with thee ; conclude thou mayst safely , that thou art one led by the spirit of god after a special manner , and so consequently a sonne of god by adoption , an heir of heaven , a new creature . the seventh and last appearance of a new creature , which i will mention here , is thi● ; he is one that is joyned to the lord jesus chr●i● , and one spiri● with him . that he is one joyned to the lord jesus christ , is evident from the words of this text , if any man be in christ , he is a new creature ; here it is granted , that a new creature is in christ ; e●go , it must needs then be granted , that he is joyned to christ ; for to be in a thing , is more then to be joyned to it , and the greater doth necessarily comprehend the lesser ; but according to the meaning of the apostle here , these expressions of being in christ , and being joyned to christ , i conceive comes all to one . that he that is thus united to christ , is one spirit with christ , is evident by the language of the apostle , 1 cor. 6.17 . he that is joyned to the lord , is one spirit ; in these few words we have a compleat description of a new creature , in his conjunction with christ , and in his conformity to christ ; in his union with christ and communion with him ; of this union with christ , what it is , and how effected the reader may see more in pag. 2 , 3. this only i will add here , and so proceed ; that the joyning to the lord , here spoken of , is not a bare joyning in nature only , by christ's participation of our humane nature , neither is it a joyning in glory ; but it is a joyning to the lord in grace . a new creature is one then , that is joyned to the lord in grace ; and he that is thus joyned to the lord is one spirit , that is , he is one spirit with the lord jesus christ , he is one with christ in every thing , one with christ , in affection ; one with him , in action ; one with him , in function ; one with him , in life and conversation ; christ is formed in him in all these , and he thereby made one spirit with christ. 1. he is one with christ in affection ; christ is formed there , he loves what christ loves , and hates what christ hates ; christ loves righteousnesse , and hates iniquity ; all iniquity , heb. 1.9 . and so doth he that is joyned , united and married to the lord , and so become a new creature , he loves righteousnesse and hates iniquity , as truly , though not so strongly , as christ doth , as the language of such an one declares , psalm 119. verse 127 , 128. 2. he is one with christ in action ; christ is formed there ▪ he walks by the same rule , he obeys the same law that christ doth ( to wit ) the will of the father ; the rule of christ's action was the will of his father . i ( saith he ) came down from heaven , not to do mine own will , but the will of him that sent me , joh. 6.38 . i seek not mine own will , but the will of the father which hath sent me . joh. 5.30 . my meat is to do the will of him that sent me , and finish his work joh. 4.34 . not as i will , but as thou wilt , mat. 26.39 . christ and a new creature , walk by one and the same rule ; the head doth not walk one way , and the members another ; the head doth not walk ●y one rule , and the members by another , but both by one and the same rule , to one and the same end ( to wit ) the glory of the same god ; christ's rule was the will of the father , christ's ultimate end of all his actions , was the glory of the father , and he that is joyned to the lord jesus christ ▪ is one with him in this ; christ and a new creature are one in their ends and aimes ; lord , what wilt thou have me to do ? saith a new creature , i desire thy will should be the rule of my action ; i desire christ may be magnified , in my body , whether it be by life or by death ; this is the language of one joyned to the lord jesus christ , and one spirit with him ; he that seeketh the glory of him that sent him , the same is true ( saith christ ) and he that seeketh the glory of christ , according to the rule and examp●e of christ , the same is [ new ] say i. 3. thirdly , christ and a new creature , are one in function ; christ is a prophet , and he that is joyned unto him , is one with him in this ; chris● is a prophet to teach his members , and his members are one prophet with him , to exhort and build up themselves and one another in their m●st holy faith ; but with these differences . christ hath the spirit of prophesie , as a fountain , and without measure , in all fulnesse ; but h●s members as streams issuing from that fountain , by gift , and of his ●ulnesse ▪ ch●ist is an universal prophet to teach all his pe●ple , without limitation of persons or place ; but all his members are not so , they are limited prophe●s , and m●y not go beyond the bounds of their proper sp●ere , not beyond the bounds set by this great prophet , in his word . christ is a priest , and he that is joyned to him , is one with him in thi● ; christ hath made all ●is members priests to god , rev. 1.6 . to offer up spirituall sacrifice to god ; christ hath offered up himself to god , he dyed and s●crificed hims●lf to god ; and he that is j●●ned unto him is made conformable unto his death , he hath sacri●iced all to christ , his whole self , his own reason , will , righteousnesse and wickednesse ; all within him and without him ; he is become dead to sinne , dead to his own righteousnesse , dead to the world , dead to all by the body of christ ; they that are christs have crucified the flesh , with the affections and lusts , saith the apostle , gal. 5.24 . christ is a king , to rule over his people , and over his enemies , and he that is joyned unto the lord christ , is one with him in his kingly function ; he hath made us kings , saith the text , rev. 1.6 . kings in a spiritual sense , to rule over our thoughts , affections , words , and actions , over all our lusts , so as sin doth not rule , nor reign in us , within nor without , as an approved lord , christ and a new creature are one in life and conversation ; a new creature , is one dead with christ , and risen again with him , to newn●sse of life ; he that is joyned to the lord is one spirit , christ is formed in his life and conversation , by transforming him , in hi● life and conversation , and conforming him in his lise and conversation , to the image , and example of christ ; so as he may truly say with the apostle , it is no more i that live , but christ that dwelleth in me . christ was holy and harmlesse in his nature , life and conversation , heb. 7.26 . he w●s inwardly holy , as well as outwardly holy ; holy in his thoughts , in his affections , in his words , and in his actions ; holy in all mann●r of conversation , in all places , in all company , in all times , and variety of conditions : holy in life , and holy in death , and he that is joyned to the lord jesus christ , is holy as he is holy ; but with this difference . christ our head was holy by nature , but we his members , are holy by grace only . christ our head was holy with a perfect holinesse , but we his members have only a sincere holynesse in this life , our conformity unto christ is in kind , not in degree . christ our head had a derivative holynesse ; he could derive holynesse into his members , and infuse it into them which had none ; but this is proper and peculiar unto him ; this cannot the best of his members do . he that is joyned unto the lord , is one spirit ; one holy spirit dwelleth in the head , and in the members ; in the head without measure , in the members , as it seemeth good unto the head to infuse it . christ and his have one heart , and they have chosen one way ; one way of holynesse , leading to a place of perfect holynesse and happinesse ; they speak one language , mind one thing , aim at one end ; one they are in the state of grace , and one they shall be for ever in glory ; he that is joyned to the lord , is one spirit . a new creature , a true member of jesus christ , is better known by his spirit , then his outward man ; for the root of the matter , ( as iob speaks ) is within him , his circumcision is inward , in his heart and spirit ; he is one spirit with the lord jesus christ. ye know not what spirit ye are of , said christ to his disciples , luk. 9.55 . but this text shews what spirit a new creature , a true member of christ is of , he is one spirit with christ ; he that is joyned to the lord , is one spirit . a new creature , one joyned to the lord in grace , is very watchful over his outward man , over his words and deeds , but especially over his heart and spirit , to keep them stedfast with god : thus was christ , and he that is joyned to the lord , is one spirit . quest. but what spirit was the lord iesus christ of ? answ. 1. the spirit of christ was a spirit of truth , it is so called , ioh. 14.17 , & 16.13 . we read of a lying spirit in the 2 chro. 18.21 , 22. and this is powred out in these dayes , wherein so many lyes and slanders are daily broached to the dishonour of god , and the truth ; but this spirit is not one with christs spirit , but with antichrists ; christs spirit is the spirit of truth , but antichrists spirit is the spirit of falshood , error and all deceiveableness , as appears by the 2 thes. 2.10 . 2. christ was of a humble , meek , and lowly spirit , as himself affirms , matth. 11.29 . and the prophet zechariah of him , zech. 9.9 . of this christ gave many reall testimonies when here on earth ; he was not only humble , meek , and lowly in his carriage , and in shew , but in heart and spirit ; he was really such , as his birth , life and death did testifie . 3. christ was of a just and righteous spirit ; so saith the prophet zech 9.9 . he is just ; christ was not only morally just ; but he was divinely just , as is evident by his government ; the revealed will of god is the cannon by which he rules , they which walk contrary unto it , sooner or later he punisheth ; and they which walk according to it , he sooner or latter rewardeth ; he doth judg with righteousness , and reprove with equity , ( saith the prophet ) isai. 11.4 . 4. christ was of a mercifull , tender , and compassionate spirit ; he had compassion on the souls of his enemies , as that text , ezek. 16. ver . 4 , 5 , 6. with many others shew ; he had compassion on soul and body , when he beheld ierusalem , and thought on her sinne and sufferings , he pittied her , prayed for her , admonished her , and wept over her , luke 19.41 , 42. all which were reall testimonies of his compassionate spirit , and the texts in the magin illustrate this . 5. christ was of a holy and heavenly spirit : he was holy , saith the author to the hebrews ; his spirit is called , a holy spirit , eph. 4.30 . christs spirit was heavenly , he was all for the things of the other world ; his thoughts , words and works all steered their course thither-wards , which evidently declared his heavenly spirit . 6. christ was of a publique and industrious spirit , he sought not his own , but our good ; when on earth , he was still doing good to soul or body , mat. 4.23 . he minded not himself , his own ends , or ease , but his fathers businesse , and that he followed industriously , as appears by luk. 2.46 , 49. compared with ioh. 4.34 . which plainly shews , he had a publique and industrious spirit . 7. christ was of a soft and flexible spirit , he had a spirit pliable to all his fathers will , a spirit easie to be intreated , a sympathizing spirit , in all their afflictions he was afflicted ( saith the prophet ) isai. 63.9 . he had a broken and a contrite spirit , a spirit broken with sorrow for our sinnes , all which were reall testimonies of his soft and flexible spirit . 8. christ was of a lively spirit , and of a descerning spirit , he had a spirit directly opposite to that spirit spoken of isai. 29.10 . he had a spirit , spiritually alive ; hence it was , that he was of quick understanding in the feare of the lord , as the prophet speaks , isa. 11.3 . 9. christ was of a patient spirit , he had a spirit slow to anger , and long suffering , he took all patiently , from god and man , without repining in heart or tongue ; he was oppressed , and he was afflicted , yet he opened not his mouth , saith the prophet , &c. isa. 53.7 . when he was reviled , he reviled not again ; when he suffered , he threatned not , 1 pet. 2.23 . these were reall testimonies of his patient spirit . 10. christ was of a loving spirit , even towards his very enemies , he prayed for his enemies , luk. 23.34 . died for his enemies , rom. 5.10 . and all this out of love to them , which was a reall testimony of his loving spirit . 11. christ was of a praying spirit , he spent much time in prayer , as the evangelists shew , with much delight and industry , as appears by mar. 1.35 . mat. 14.23 . luk. 6.12 . ioh. 17. chap. which shews he was of a praying spirit . 12. christ was of an obeying spirit , of a self-denying spirit ; he denied his own will ( as man ) to do his fathers will , as appears by luk. 12.14 . compared with ioh. 5.30 . the last words , matth. 26.39 . phil. 2.8 . by all which it is evident , that christ was of an obeying spirit . 13. christ was of a thankfull spirit , that which was matter of joy to him , he made matter of praise and thanksgiving to his father , as appears by matth. 11.25 . mar. 6.41 . christ had a spirit thankfull to god , and thankfull to man ; whatever kindnesse was shewed unto him , returned upon the head of the doer with abundant recompence , and this lively domonstrates his thankfull spirit . 14. christ had a spirit delighted in the exercise of all gods ordinances , and all holy duties , as his frequent exercise therein , and exhortation thereunto , do fully evince ; he was still ready to take every opportunity to instruct the people , as appears by mat. 5.1 . mar. 2.2 . & 6.34 . luk. 5.1 , 3. and he exhorted his disciples to duty , mat. 9. ult . by which it is evident , that his spirit was delighted therewith . 15. christ was of a world contemning spirit , as his birth , life , and death , did fully declare and evince , for in all these he shewed his contempt of the world , both in the good and evill of it . 16. christ was not of a time-serving , but of a god-glorifying spirit ; he sought not his own , but his fathers glory , in all times and things , as his own language , ioh. 12.28 . & 17.4 . shews , christ sought his fathers glory in all things , and above all things ; which evidently declares , he had a god-glorifying spirit . 17. christ was of a faithfull spirit ; he was faithfull to god in all things ; he was faithfull to him that appointed him , saith the author to the hebrews , heb. 3.2 . he was a faithfull high-priest , he is called , faithfull and true , rev. 19.11 . the faithfull and true witnesse , rev. 3.14 . by all which is evident , that christ was of a faithfull spirit . 18. christ had an elivated spirit , his spirit was raised above the world , and the things of the world ; his spirit did sore aloft and solace it self , in the things of the other world ; it did solace it self in god , in what he did injoy in god , before he left the bosome of his father , and what he should injoy with him again , when he had finished the work , which his father gave him to do . this is evident by the language of christ , ioh. 17.5 . and by that which is spoken of him , heb. 12.2 . 19. christ was of a stable spirit ; he did not stagger in spirit , or reel up and down from one opinion to another , but his spirit was stedfast with god , and unmoveable , in calmes and in storms ; he was yesterday , and to day , and the same for ever : how variable soever the world was in their opinion of him , yet he was still the same , as appears , heb. 13.8 . which evidently demonstrates , his spirit was stedfast with god. 20. in fine , christ had a spirit full of all divine excellency and beauty , he had a spirit of wisdome and vnderstanding , a spirit of counsell and might , a spirit of knowledge and of the feare of the lord , a spirit indued with all divine excellency , as the prophet shews , isa. 11.2 , all these qualifications were in the spirit of the lord jesus christ ; and he that is joyned unto the lord , he that is ingrafted into christ , and made new by him , is one spirit with him ; he that is joyned unto the lord is one spirit , saith this text. here note , that this text doth not say , that he that is joyned unto the lord is equal with him , but that he that is joyned unto the lord [ is one ] with him , he that is joyned unto the lord is one spirit ; christ , and he that is joyned unto him , are one in spirit . the particulars fore-mentioned , shew what spirit the lord jesus christ was of , and this text tels us , what spirit he that is one with christ is of , what spirit a new creature is of ; he that is joyned to the lord , is one spirit , he is one spirit with the lord. as face answers face in water , so doth the heart of man to man , saith solomon ; as a picture answers to the life , so doth the spirit of a new creature , answer to the spirit of christ , saith the text , he that is joyned to the lord is one spirit . wouldest thou then know thy self , and thy condition truely , i know no rule in scripture more infallible , than this in this text , he that is joyned to the lord is one spirit ; consider what hath been said on this text ; consider what spirit christ was of , and then examine thy self whether thou art one spirit with him ; consider whether the spirit that is in thee , do truly answer to the life , to the spirit of christ ; if so , know that it argues thy state good , thy creation new , christ and thee truely one . object . but i find so much hypocrisie , so much pride , so much hardnesse of heart , and unholinesse in my self , may a poor soul say here , that i cannot hence conclude , that i am one joyned to the lord , and one spirit with him ; but rather that i am joyned to the devill , and one spirit with him : i cannot hence conclude , that i am a new creature , but rather that i am in the state of nature still . answ. this text doth not say , that he that is joyned to the lord is totally freed from these corruptions , but that he is one spirit , he is one spirit with the lord iesus christ , he is one with him in spirit : and this a man may be said to be , when he hath these divine qualifications of spirit forementioned , truely wrought in him , though weakly and imperfectly , and much flesh , much corruption remaining in him ; this must be granted , otherwayes no man in this life could be said to be joyned to the lord , and one spirit with him . 2. but secondly , a true sense of these corruptions , accompanied with a loathing of them , and warring against them in faith , is so farre from rendering thee such as the objection speaks of , that it strongly argues the clean contrary ( to wit ) that thou art indeed joyned to the lord , and one spirit with him ; that thou art incorporate into christ , and made new by him ; for it is from christ , and that new quality of grace , which he hath infused into thy soul , that this sense of corruption and antipathy springs ; hence it is that corrupt nature becomes a burden on the spirit , naturally it is not so . the apostle paul , when joyned to the lord ▪ and one spirit with him , when ingrafted into christ , and made new by ●im ; then , and never till then , did he groan under this burden ; then , and not before , did he complain of this body of death , and the motions of lusts that warre in our members . wouldest thou then know from scripture-grounds , what thy condition is ; whether christ be in thee and thou in christ , go through what hath been said on these two texts ; if christ be in you , the body is dead , because of sinne , &c. and this we are now upon ; if any man be in christ he is a new creature . consider whether thou art become dead to sinne , alive to righteousnesse , a new creature : consider whether christ be formed in thee , whether thou hast a new heart , whether thou livest in christ , as a branch in the vine , and bringest forth fruit in him : whether thou art one that doth not commit sinne , in a scripture sense : whether thou art one that groans under the remainder of the old man in thee , as thy greatest burden : whether thou art one that minds the things of the spirit , that art led by the spirit , and walks after the spirit . finally , whether thou art one spirit with the lord iesus christ : and if upon a true tryall of thy self , thou findest by what hath been said , that it is thus with thy self , conclude thou maist safely ( as i conceive ) to thy comfort , with the church in the canticles , my well-beloved is mine , and i am his ; that thy estate is good , thy interest in christ true and real , and thy title to heaven , such as no enemy whatsoever , no not satan , nor sinne , shall be able to deprive thee of it , whatever satan or thy own conscience , abused by satan , may say to thē contrary . fatherly chastisements . heb. 12.6 . whom the lord loveth he chasteneth , and scourgeth every sonne whom he receiveth . in these words , the apostle fetcheth an argument of divine and fatherly love , from a rod , and concludes sonneship , by adoption , from chastisement , whom the lord loveth he chasteneth , and scourgeth every sonne whom he receiveth the position of the apostle , is confirmed by a plurality of witnesses , both solomon and christ concurre with paul herein ; whom the lord loveth he correcteth , even as a father the son in whom he delighteth , saith solomon , prov. 3.12 . as many as i love , i rebuke and chasten , saith christ , rev. 3.19 . the truth of this position hath been experimented by a cloud of witnesses , by all the sonnes and daughters of god , that have gone before us unto glory , and will be by all that shall follow after us , and therefore needs not much proving . the apostle tells us , that through many afflictions , we must enter into the kingdom of god. and in ver . 8. of this chap. saith , that if ye be without chastisement ( whereof all are partakers ) then are ye bastards , and not sonnes . immunity from correction , is rather a character of a bastard , than of an adopted son of god ; it is rather a note of an ismael , than of an isaac ; it is rather the mark of a goate , than of a sheep ; it is rather a demonstrator of a child of this world , than of a disciple of christ : for the crosse is a reculicen which all christs disciples must weare , as he himself tels us : in a word , it is rather a badge of an heire of hell , than of an heire of heaven ; of a reprobate , rather than an elect , and adopted child of god , for chastisement is the universal lot of all gods children , as this text tels us , whom the lord loveth he chastiseth , yea , scourgeth . the most people in the world , fetch their evidence of gods love , from gods liberall dispensations of his gifts , either natural or supernatural , eternal or internal , transient gifts : i have this gift liberally dispensed to me of god , saith one , and i have that gift liberally dispensed to me of god , saith another . i have health ( saith one ) and i have wealth , saith another ; i have no changes , but constant prosperity , through my pollicy in winding with the times : i have esteem in the world , and successe in every thing i go about ortake in hand ; therefore doubtlesse god loves me ; ergo. another looks higher than this , and saith , i have natural parts , and supernatural gifts liberally dispensed to me of god , above what many others have : i have wit and understanding , &c. more than many others : i have knowledg , and i have utterance , and herein excell many : i have esteem among the godly wise , and a name to live : i have a form of godlinesse , and a shadow of every grace of the spirit , many talents in my hand , and hence conclude , god doubtlesse loves me , whoever he hates , ergo. but neither of these argue well for their sonneship , nor their eternal estate ; for no where doth the scripture make any of these signs of gods special love , or our adoption . it is evident by scripture , that a cain may prosper in the world as well as an abel , and a glutton excell a lazarus , in these contingent things : an ahithophel , through his policy , may enjoy prosperity , while a paul suffereth all adversity : a sonne of beliall , may weare purple and scarlet , and fare deliciously every day , while a sonne of god weares sheep-skins , and goats-skins , and lives upon gods providence : a nebuchadnezzar may have successe in his enterprises , as well as a ioshua for a time , philistins may triumph , while israelites are led captive : a iudas may have as good natural parts , and supernatural transient gifts , as a paul , or a iohn , as a chosen vessell or a beloved disciple , yea , happily more : a iesabell may be as beautifull in the eye of man , as a rebeckah : a pharisee more exemplary in a form of godlinesse , than a nathaniel : an hipocrite may be more like a beloved child of god , in his own eyes , and other mens too , than a true child of god. a foolish virgin may have as faire a lamp in her hand , as a wise . by all which it is evident , that none of these things , are sufficient to denominate a man , beloved of god , after a special manner , nor to render him an adopted son of god. in these words the apostle lays before us , things quite contrary to these ( to wit ) chastisement and scourging , as signs of gods love ; here is love written in characters , a hand that every one cannot read , a hand that few can read right ; here is love wrapped up in a rod , which none but a loving and beloved child , can draw out , or well apprehend ; none but a child , savingly indued with the spirit of his heavenly father , can see his love , when he feels his rod , or argue his sonneship , from his chastisement . to fetch an evidence of gods love , and a mans own adoption from gods chastisements and scourgings , is peculiar to a child of god , and it is his prerogative , thus to do . it is not every adopted child of god neither , that can thus argue his sonneship ; i am chastised of god , therefore i am beloved of him ; i am scourged more than many others , therefore doubtlesse i am beloved more than others : it must be a child , grown to some maturity in grace , that must thus conclude ; whom the lord loveth , he correcteth , &c. love , as attributed unto god , is not a quality ; as it is in man , but an effect of tree grace , and it is either more generall or more speciall : of the more generall love of god towards man , we read in mar. 10.21 . where it is said , of the young man that came to christ , that iesus beholding him , loved him . of the more speciall love of god towards some , we read ierem. 31.3 . 2 thes. 2.16 . iohn 13.1 . the more generall , or common love of god , is manifested in , and by his common gifts and dispensations , such as the young man that came to christ was indued with ( to wit ) great place in the world , great possessions , morall righteousnesse , desire of , and indeavour after eternall life , with the injoyment of temporall felicity , and predominate corruption . but the more speciall love of god towards man , is manifested in , and by his fatherly chastisements and scourgings , as this text tels us , whom the lord loveth , he chastiseth , &c , whom the lord loveth ] after a speciall manner , he sooner , or later certainly chastiseth ; he scourgeth every sonne whom he receiveth unto glory . the chastisements of god , are many for number , various for kind , differing in measure , duration , and immediate causes ; but my purpose is not to discuss these , but to consider , when gods chastisements , of what kind soeever , are sure and certain pledges of his more speciall and eternall love towards a man ; which to find out , i will premise these foure things . first , that chastisements and sufferings from god , are not pledges of divine love towards all : a man may be chastised of god , and yet not be beloved of god , but hated , as esau was ; all things saith solomon , come alike to all , and if all things , then chastisements alike to all ; eliphaz tels us , that a man is born to trouble ( it is as incident to him ) as to the sparks to fly upward , job 5.7 . troubles are chastisements ; and these do not argue love to all that are visited with them . the second thing premised , is this ; that although chastisements and scourgings , are not pledges of gods love to all , yet they are to some . thou in very faithfulnesse hast afflicted me , saith the psalmist , psal. 119.75 . the third thing premised is ; who they are to whom chastisements and scourgings are pledges of divine love ? they are pledges of divine love to them and to them only , to whom all things work together for good ( to wit ) to the adopted children of god ; when we are judged , we are chastened of the lord , that we should not be condemned with the world , saith an adopted son of god , of himself and his brethren , 1 cor. 11.32 . the fourth thing premised is ; when chastisements and scourgings are pledges of divine love , and that is , when they are sanctified : sanctified chastisements , and they only , are pledges of gods speciall love toward man. quest. but how shall i know , whether gods chastisements be sanctified ●o me , or not ? answ. chastisements sanctified , have many appearances , many effects they produce , whereby they may be known , a few of which i will mention , instead of many . 1. chastisements sanctified , make a man to reflect on himself , read himself over , and call his sinnes to remembrance , as appears in iosephs brethren , gen. 42.21 . and iob 7.20 . 2. chastisements sanctified , lead to repentance ; ephraim was by chastisements sanctified , brought to repentance , ier. 31.18 , 19 ▪ and so was manasseh , and the prodigall : by which it is evident , that chastisements sanctified , make a man turn from his evill way unto the lord ; they make a man turn to him that smiteth ; they regulate the whole man ▪ and conform him to the whole will of god , they better his obedience ; before i was afflicted , i went astray , but now i have learned to keep thy word , saith david , psa. 119.67 . and it 's said of jesus christ , though he were a sonne , yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered , heb. 5.8 . 3. chastisements sanctified , make a man humble , vile in his own eyes ; my soul hath them still in remembrance , ( saith the church of her afflictions ) and is bowed in me , lam. 3.20 . i am black ( saith the spouse , when under the sun of persecution ) by my mothers children . look not upon me , because i am black , &c. the churches afflictions were sanctified , and hence it was , that she was humbled by them , and become vile in her own eyes . 4. chastisements sanctified , wean a man from the world , mortifie in him the love of the world , and deaden his affections to the noblest vanities of the world ; they draw the heart from all things here below , and work it to a holy contempt of them , and inhance the price of grace and glory . 5. they drive the soul to god , and indeare communion with him ; they will make a man pray frequently , and pray fervently ; seek the lord early , and seek him earnestly , wrestle with god in prayer , witnesse iacob and the prodigall . 6. chastisements sanctified , beget and increase love in the chastised , towards the chastiser ; rebuke a wise man , and he will love thee , saith solomon , pro. 9.8 . chastisements sanctified increase love to god. 7. chastisements sanctified meeken the heart , and moderate anger , mortifie in man hatred and malice , which generate thoughts and desires of revenge , against the instruments in gods hand ; they beget patience under all strokes ; i have sinned , therefore i will beare the indignation of the lord , saith the soul , whose chastisement is sanctified , and justifiesgod in all his dealings . 8. chastisements sanctified , soften the heart , and make it pliable to the will of god ; they subject a man unto christs yoke . 9. they fit a man for any condition that god cals him unto , prosperity or adversity ; they fit him to abound , and fit him to want , fit him to live to christ , and fit to him to dye for christ ; they fit a man to live to christ here , and to live with christ heareafter in heaven . 10. they make a man long to be dissolved , to be with christ , yet patiently to wait on god all the daies of his appointed time , untill his change come , rom. 5. ● . job 14.14 . 11. sanctified chastisements indeare to a man , his fathers house , his house of grace , and his house of glory ; they did thus operate in david , psa. 42. and in israel in captivity , psal. 137.1 , 6. and in the prodigall , luk. 15. when his chastisement was sanctified unto him , it indeared his fathers house . 12. sanctified chastisements will make a man labour to excell in grace ; there is no man so covetous after grace , as he to whom gods chastising hand is sanctified ; there is none so sensible of the want of grace , nor of the worth of grace , as this soul is , therefore such an one usually labours , above all others , to excell in grace . 13. finally , sanctified chastisements , leave impression behind them , when they are gone ; they do not only make impression , while they are present , as unsanctified chastisements many times do , but they leave impression behind them , when they are removed ; impression of holy feare , of love , of humility , of watchfulnesse , of holinesse , of compassion towards others under gods chastising hand ; they yield the peaceable fruit of righteousnesse , to them that have been exercised thereby , and the like ; they do not barely produce good purposes and promises , but resolve them into performances , according to ability and opportunity . by some one or other of these , every one may perceive , whether gods chastisements be sanctified to him , or no ; and so consequently , whether gods rod , upon himself , be a sign and pledg of gods speciall love towards him , or not . object . but god chastises in wrath and displeasure , as well as in love , in my wrath i smote thee , saith god of his own people , isa. 60.10 . in a little wrath i hid my face from thee , &c. isai. 54.8 . how shall i then know , whether god chastise me in love or in displeasure ? sol. to find out this , consider , 1. that those which the lord here speaks of , though they were the lords own people by profession , yet they were not all such by true conversion , they were not all beloved , after a speciall manner . 2. know , that god may , and often times doth , chastise in wrath , and yet in love too ; when god chastiseth his own adopted child , he many times doth it in wrath , and displeasure towards his sin , but alwayes in love to his person . wouldest thou then know , whether thou art chastised of god in love , or not ; consider , whether thou art an adopted child of god , or not ; try thy selfe by what hath been formerly said , and if thou findest , that thou art truely such , conclude thou mayest certainly , that all thy chastisements do spring from love ; for whatsoever stroks god smites such an one with , he doth it in love to his person , ( this is a sure rule ) though god speak bitter things against thee , as iob complains he did against him , and do bitter things unto thee , yet all springs from his love , though he bide his face from thee for a while , and chastise thee with s●ourging , he doth it in love to thy person ; all gods dealings with thee , spring from his love , his love is the efficient whatsoever be the meritorious or immediate cause of thy chastisement ; when god is angry with thee , and smites thee for thy sinne , it is in love to thy person , he loves thee still . is ephraim my deare sonne , is he a pleasant child ? for since i spake against him , i do earnestly rem●ember him still , &c. ier. 31.20 . all gods children , even the best of them all here , have faults , many faults ▪ and god will not suffer them to go unchastised ; children are sure of chaftisement , however servants speed ; legitimate sonnes are sure of chastisement , when they offend , however bastards escape ; god hath no time to chastise his children , but here , therefore they are sure of chastisement here ; it will not stand with gods love to passe by them , and wink at their faults ; the nearer in relation , the surer of correction , the dearer in affection , the surer of chastisement ; whom the lord loveth , he chastiseth , and scourgeth every sonne , whom he receiveth . wouldest thou then get a true evidence of the speciall love of god towards thee , and of this adoption by jesus christ , consider well of two things : first , whether thou hast been chastised of the lord , yea , or nay ? secondly , whether thy chastisiments are sanctified to thee , or not ? and if thou canst truely conclude on the affirmative , thou hast good ground to beleeve , that thou art one beloved of god , after a speciall manner ; that thou art an adopted child of god , and an heir of heaven : but if thou hast been altogether free from , or unprofitable under gods chaftisement , thou hast just cause to feare , whether thou art an adopted child of god , or not ; at least that thou art not yet brought home to thy heavenly father ; for whom the lord loveth , he ( certainly sooner or later ) chastiseth , as the text tels us , whom the lord loveth , he chastiseth , and scourgeth every son , whom he receiveth . gospell sufferings , or suffering as a christian. 2 tim. 2.12 . if we suffer , we shall also reign with him . in these words , the apostle briefly layes before us another and a higher evidence of our salvation ( to wit ) suffering . heaven the kingdom of glory , where jesus christ reigns , is here promised to sufferers : but to find out , what kind of sufferers they are , to whom this great reward is promised , we must consult with other scriptures , for it is not to all kind of sufferers , that this promise is made . before i speak of the kind of suffering , here spoken of , i shall here note foure or five things . first , that suffering is a lesson very hard to flesh and blood to learn ; which the apostle knowing , as a wise scholemaster , sets before us , his schoolers , that which we all naturally desire ( to wit ) soveraignty , as the reward of this service , as a motive to quicken our dull hearts to buckle to our duty . if we suffer we shall also reign with him . 2. active obedience is a lesson hard to learn ; passive obedience is a lesson harder to flesh and blood to learn ; neither of them can we learn to any purpose , unlesse christ be our schoolemaster , but both of them will christ teach us , so far forth as he sees it necessary for us , if he once undertake the work . 3. suffering is of divers sorts , good or bad , according as the true cause of it is ; a man may suffer for well doing , or for evill doing , it is to sufferers for well-doing , not to sufferers for evill doing that the crown is promised . 4. suffering is either just , or unjust ; suffering is alwayes just from god , but not alwayes just from men , it is not to just suffering , but to unjust suffering from men , that this promise is made . 5. it is not to sufferers for the evill of sinne , nor to sufferers of the evill of sinne , to which the crown is promised : but to sufferers of the evill of punishment for the avoiding of the evill of sinne , that it is promised , as ●ppears by comparing this text with some others ; peter explains pauls meaning here , touching suffering , 1 pet. 3.14 . if ye suffer for righteousnesse sake , happy are ye , chap. 4.14 . if ye be reproached for the name of christ , happy are ye , &c. christ concurreth in this , matth. 5.10 , 11 , 12 , & 19.29 . hence it is evident , that it is not to all kind of suffering , but only to gospel-suffering , that this great reward is promised . i will not here stand to distinguish between suffering for righteousnesse sake , and suffering for christs sake , or for his name sake , but leave it for them whose proper worke it is . 1. but here note , 1. that the sufferings of the gospell comprehend both the doctrine of the gospell , and the discipline of the gospell , and gospell-conversation , and a man is a sufferer for the gospel , that suffers in the defence of either of these , or for either . 2. and secondly . note , that it is not suffering as an evill doer , but suffering as a christian , that denominates an heir of heaven ; let none of you suffer as a murderer , or as a thief , or as an evill-doer , saith the apostle ; yet if any man suffer ( as a christian ) let him not be ashamed , but let him glorifie god on this behalfe , 1 pet. 4.15 , 16. hence it is evident , that it is to him only that suffers as a christian , that this promise of reigning with christ is made ; the apostles meaning in this text then , is , that if we suffer as christians , we shall reign with him in glory . quest. but what is it to suffer as a christian ? or when may a man be said to suffer as a christian ? answ. to suffer as a christian , is to suffer as christ did suffer ; and a man may be said to suffer , as a christian , when he is truly conformable to christ in suffering . christ suffered for the will of his father , for the fulfilling of the will of his father , and he suffered according to the will of his father ; now when a man doth these two , when he suffers for the will of christ , and suffers according to the will of christ , then doth he suffer as christ did , then may he be said to be conformable unto christ in suffering , and to suffer , as a christian. a man then suffers for the will of christ , when he suffers for doing that which christ would have him to do , or for refusing that which christ would not have him to do . a man then suffers , according to the will of christ , when he suffers as the word of god requires him to suffer , ( viz. ) when he suffers out of love to god , and suffers beleevingly , patiently , joyfully , couragiously , and perseveringly ; for confcience towards god , that god may have honour thereby , and glorifies god for suffering . my purpose is not to enter upon an accute discourse of either of these , but briefly to assert what i think necessary for the right understanding of them , as god shall inable me . 1. it is the will of christ , that he that suffers for his will , should suffer out of love to his will , and he that doth suffer for the will of christ , and doth not suffer out of love to the will of christ , doth not suffer according to the will of christ , this is evident by the language of the apostle , 1 cor. 13.3 . though i give my body to be burned , and have ●ot love , it profiteth me nothing ; it is as if the apostle had said , it is the will of christ , that i should suffer out of love to him , and if i do not thus , all my suffering is worth nothing , it is not according to the will of christ , nor worth any thing in gods account ; it comes to just nothing at last , it profiteth me nothing , &c. a● all our active obedience , so all our passive obedience , must spring out of love to god , as the efficient cause of it , else it is worth nothing with god. 2. it is the will of christ , that he that suffers for his will , should suffer beleevingly ; this appears thus , it is the will of christ , that he that suffers for his will , should suffer patiently , joyfully , couragiously and perseveringly , but this a man cannot possibly do , except he beleeve ; therefore it follows by necessary consequence , that it is the will of christ , that he that suffers for his will , should suffer beleevingly . this is also evident by scripture , ioh. 14.1 . where christ making a speech ●o his disciples to fit them for suffering , bids them beleeve , thereby declaring , that his will was , that they should suffer beleevingly ; and intimating , that if they did not suffer beleevingly , they did not suffer according to his will , although they suffered for his will. a man may be then said to suffer beleevingly , when he by faith committeth the keeping of his soul unto god in well-doing , as the apostle peter speaks ; when he beleeves that christ will be with him in all his sufferings , strengthen him to suffer , carry him through all that he cals him to suffer , and abundantly reward all his sufferings for his sake , according to his word . 3. it is the will of christ , that he that suffers for his will should suffer patiently ; god cals for patience in suffering ; be patient in tribulation , rom. 12.12 . in your patience , possesse ye your souls , luk. 21.19 . we should follow christ in patient suffering , saith the apostle , for even hereunto are we called : hence it is evident , that he that suffers for the will of christ , doth not suffer according to the will of christ , except he suffer patiently . divine patience , or patience considered , as a divine quality , is the issue and creame of many graces ; it is a diamond in the midst of a triangle , ( to wit ● a vertue between stupidity , despising the chastisement of the lord , and fainting under it ; it is a grace which keeps a man quiet within , when all things are troublous , and very unquiet without ; it is a grace which possesses a man of himself , when dispossessed of all earthly comforts ; it is a speciall work of the spirit of god in the soul , enabling a man not stupidly , but quietly to bear whatsoever god lays upon him , without feeling murmuring , or repining , against god or man , in heart or in tongue , or fainting under his chastising hand . when it is thus with a sufferer for christ , then may he be said to suffer according to the will of christ in this particular ( to wit ) patiently . 4. christ requires joy in sufferers for his will ; count it all joy a when you fall into divers temptations . rejoyce , and be exceeding glad b saith christ. rejoyce in that day and leap for joy . c it is divine joy , or the joy of grace , that christ here calls for in sufferers for his will ; it is that joy , which nehemiah calls , the joy of the lord. and this is a holy passion of the soul , issuing out of the apprehension of what christ hath done for it , and will do for it , reviving , elevating , and strengthening the soul , and carrying it above it self . it is a wing grace , which whiles the soul is actually possessed of , is thereby carried above it self , above the world , and above satan . faith and joy are the two wings of the soul , which bear it up , both in doing and suffering ▪ if either of these be c●ipt , the soul is much hindered thereby , and exposed to many dangers . joy , as all other graces of the spirit , hath different degrees in different times and subjects , and is usually greatest in the greatest sufferers , and sufferings for christ. when a man is spoiled in his estate , spoiled in his good name , spoiled in his body , or any thing respecting the preservation or felicity of this life , for his faithfullness to the word and will of christ ; and yet with the good prophet , rejoyces in the lord , and joys in the god of his salvation , then may he be said to suffer joyfully , then may he be said to suffer according to the will of christ , in this particular . 5. christ in his word , calls for courage , in sufferers for his will ; the will of christ is , that he that suffers for a good cause , should not be ashamed d of his cause , nor of his sufferings . if any man suffer ( as a christian ) let him not be ashamed . e be not thou ashamed of the testimony of the lord , f nor of me his prisoner , saith paul to timothy . the will of christ is , that he that suffers for his will should not be afraid . g if ye suffer for righteousness sake , happy are ye , and be not afraid of their terrour nor be troubled . fear them not , saith christ , thrice in one chapter . h fear no● them that kill the body , but are not able to kill the soul , phil. 1.28 . christ compares his church i to a company of horses in pharaohs chariots , which in all probability were the best in egypt , and like to the war-horse , which the lord describes to iob , job 39. very couragious in the hottest battell . christ by this metaphor hints unto us , that his will is , that we should be very bold and couragious , in whatsoever we do , or suffer for his sake , and that he expects it at our hands ; his will is , that we should be like a company of horses in pharaohs chariots , full of spirits and courage , in doing and suffering , and not like a company of jades in a dung-cart , spiritless and unfit to bear any thing , for his sake . it is christian-courage that christ requires in sufferers for his will. christian courage , is a grace of the ●pirit , whereby a man resolves ( through the help and assistance of jesus christ ) to cleave close to his word and will , and boldly to stand for it , mauger all opposition ; and chuses rather to suffer any thing , than omit any thing , or commit any thing , that should derogate from the honour of christ. a man doth then declare christian courage , when he is not ashamed , nor afraid to own a good cause , or appear in it , because of suffering ; when he can suffer for the gospel , or any ordinance of god , and truly say with the apostle , k though i suffer these things , neverthel●ss i am not ashamed ; i am not ashamed of the gospel of christ , nor of the cause of god. and when with the three children , l he slights the torment , and the tormentor ; resolving in the strength of christ , to do his duty , whatsoever he suffer for it , and to cleave close to the word and will of christ , whether deliverance , or no deliverance arise here ; when he is more afraid to displease god than man ; when he is more afraid of losing things spiritual and eternal , than of losing things temporal ; when he chooses to suffer , rather than sinne ; when he endureth the cross , and despiseth the shame ; when he refuseth base deliverance , and yeeldeth his body rather than his cause , ( his cause being good ) into a tyrants hand . when a sufferer for a good cause , doth thus declare his courage , he declares it in a high degree , and suffers according to the will of christ , in this particular . 6. christ in his word requires perseverance unto the end ▪ in suffering for his will ; and it is unto the persevering sufferer , that this great reward of reigning with christ , is promised ; be thou faithfull unto the death , and i will give thee the crown of m life . he n that shall endure unto the end ▪ the same shall be saved . christian perseverance , is a conftant holding out in the truth to the last breath , in the belief , love , profession , and practice of the truth . and this he may be said to do , that doth never totally , nor finally apostatize from the truth once received . it is possible , for one that perseveres in suffering , at some time , and in some kind , and measure , to desist from his former forwardness , through strong temptations and humane frailty ; witness peter , who through fear denied his master , and forsware him , and yet did after suffer for him . 7. the will of christ is , that he that suffers for his will wrongfully , should do it for conscience sake , for conscience towards god o ; conscience of his duty should be the principall motive , inducing him to suffer ; i do not say , the only , but the principall motive . a man may then be said to suffer for conscience towards god , when conscience of his duty , is the thing that puts him upon suffering ; when he to avoid sinne , or performe duty , exposes himself to suffering ; when he out of scruple in conscience , of the lawfullness , or unlawfullness of a thing , commanded or forbidden by authority , refuseth it , and chooses rather to suffer in his outward man , than to baffle his conscience , or displease god , by rebelling against lawfull authority ( which is gods ordinance ; ) he that doth thus suffer , doth suffer for conscience towards god , and according to the will of christ , in this particular . 8. the will of christ is , that he that suffers for his will , should aim at his honour and glory therein ; this appeares thus ; whether you eat or drink ▪ or whatsoever you do , do all to the glory of god , saith the text , 1 cor. 10.31 . that is , do it so that god may have glory thereby , do it aiming at the honour and glory of god therein ; hence i argue thus . if it be the will of christ , that i should aim at his honour and glory in all that i do , then it is the will of christ , that i should aim at his honour and glory , in all that i suffer , for suffering is doing : but it is the will of christ , that i should aim at his honour and glory , in all that i do : therefore it is the will of christ , that i should aim at it , in all that i suffer . a man may then be said to aim at the honour and glory of christ , in suffering , when he makes that his direct , chief and utmost end , in all that he suffers ; when he makes the honour and glory of christ , the finall cause of all his sufferings ; when he suffers not out of vain glory , but that christ may be magnified thereby , when a man doth thus suffer for the will of christ , then doth he suffer according to the will of christ , in this particular . 9. finally , the will of christ is , that he that suffers for his will , shoul● glorifie god , for suffering . if any man suffer , as a christian , let him not be ashamed ; but let him glorifie god on thi● behalf , 1 pet. 4.16 . a man doth then glorifie god for suffering . 1. when he boldly and thankfully acknowledges the favour of the lord towards him , in calling him forth , and enabling him to suffer , for his sake . 2. when he makes his sufferings , the matter of his joy and thanksgiving ; when he rejoyces and praises god , that he is counted worthy to suffer in any kind for christs sake . 3. when he doubles his diligence in duty upon this account ; thus did the apostles glorifie god , for suffering , phil. 1.29 . act. 5.41 , 42. art thou then a sufferer ; consider whether thou sufferest as a christian , yea , or nay ? whether thou sufferest for the will of christ ? and whether thou sufferest according to the will of christ ? and if thou canst truly conclude on the affirmative , thou hast good ground to conclude , that thou art one that shall reign with jesus christ , in his everlasting kingdome : if ye suffer , ye shall also reign with him ; and not only reign with christ , but reign with him in greater glory : for our light affliction , which is but for a moment , worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory , 2 cor. 4.17 . suffering as a christian , is a reall testimony of a reall christian ; and suffering as a christian is a high evidence of gods speciall love towards a person . dost thou then suffer and suffer as a christian ; thou maist then safely conclude , i shall reign with christ : henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness ; an exceeding , and eternall weight of glory : a kingdome that cannot be shaken ; a crown that cannot be taken ; glory that cannot here enter into my heart to conceive ; glory that cannot be measured ; glory that fadeth not away , but remaineth through all eternity ; glory that cannot enter into me , i shall one day enter into . i now suffer with christ , and for christ , i shall one day be glorified with christ , and by christ , whatsoever satan or the world may say to the contrary . sealing by the spirit . ephes. 4.30 . grieve not the holy spirit of god , whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption . — [ whereby ye are sealed , &c. ] that which i pitch upon in this text , as most for my purpose , is this , that the holy spirit of god doth seal the elect unto the day of redemption . the whole trinity doth concur in this work of sealing soules to eternall happiness ; but sealing is here attributed to the third person in trinity ( to wit ) the holy spirit of god , because it is a work most proper to his office ; it is the holy spirit of god that sealeth soules to the day of redemption , as the apostle here tells us . the persons sealed , by the holy spirit of god , are the elect of god , true believers , as the apostle intimates by that particle [ ye ] whereby [ ye ] are sealed , speaking of true believers . these , all these , and none but these , the holy spirit of god doth seal unto the day of redemption , unto the day of the full manifestation of our redemption , unto the day of the redemption of our bodies from corruption , and the fruition of the redemption of our souls and bodies from hell , by jesus christ. sealing is a metaphor taken from merchants , who use to seal their own wares , for speciall ends . the divine seales of god , are of a double kind , and of a double use ; they are of a double kind , they are either externall , or internall ; outward or inward ; ● . externall , or outward , and such a seal was circumcision in the time of the law , it is so called by the apostle , rom 4.11 . and such are our sacraments ▪ baptism , and the lords supper , now in the daies of the gospel . 2. internall , or inward ; the internall or inward seal of god , is the seal of the holy spirit of god , metaphorically so called ; and this is that which this text points at . seales are of a double use , they serve to demonstrate , and to confirme ; they signifie , and ratifie ; i speak after the manner of men ; gods seales do no less , they demonstrate , they confirme ; but gods externall seales , without the internall seal of the spirit of god , cannot assure any soul , of the speciall love of god , nor of his adoption ; many outwardly sealed go to hell , the outward seales alone , cannot seal any soul unto the day of redemption ; it is the inward seal of the holy spirit of god , that seales us unto the day of redemption , as this text tells us , grieve not the holy spirit of god , whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption . the internall , or inward divine seal of the spirit of god , is twofold , demonstrative , or confirmative ; the holy spirit of god seals the elect to the day of redemption two wayes , 1. with a seal of demonstration , 2. with a seal of confirmation . the seal of demonstration ; set by the spirit of god , i call that a speciall work of the holy spirit of god , whereby a sinfull soul is truly regenerated , and the image of god stamped upon him . the seal of confirmation , i call that a speciall work of the holy spirit of god within us , whereby we are perswaded and assured , after an immediate manner , that we are the children of god , adopted in christ , and beloved with an everlasting love . both these seales agree in their efficient cause , for they are both the speciall workes of the holy spirit of god , whereby the soul is marked for , and assured of eternall happiness , when this life is ended . of the first of these seales ( to wit ) the seal of demonstration , i shall speak something from this text , as god shall enable me ; and somewhat of the other ( to wit ) the seal of confirmation from another text , if the lord permit , and so conclude this work . before i speak further of this seal of demonstration , or the appearances of it , i will here premise six things . first , that as a merchant sets his seal upon his wares , by which he demonstrates such and such wares to be his , and distinguisheth them from all other ; so god sets his seal upon his people ( to wit ) this seal of regeneration , by which he demonstrates them to be his , and distinguisheth them from all the people in the world , profane , morall , hypocriticall : this i may call gods broad-seal , sealing a soul to the day of redemption . secondly , this seal god sets upon all his wares ; all his adopted children , are sooner or later sealed with this seal : every reall saint , every one that is effectually called , hath this seal of demonstration set upon him , regeneration wrought in him , gods image stamped upon him . but all the children of god have not this in like measure , the impression is not alike visible in all , neither to the parties themselves , nor to others ; some bear this impression , as babes ; others , as men grown up to some maturity ; all gods adopted children bear this impression truly , but none of them perfectly in this life . the third thing premised is this , that this seal of demonstration ( to wit ) true regeneration , is of absolute necessity unto salvation ; for , without holiness no man shall see the lord , heb. 12.14 . no man shall ever inherit the kingdome of glory , that hath not this seal set upon him in the kingdome of grace . christ will own none of these wares for his , in that other world , whom he doth not thus seal in this world , it stands not with his justice to own such . the fourth thing premised is this , that this seal of regeneration demonstrates to god , to man , to others , and to a mans self , except in some * cases , that he is gods ; he hath chosen us in him , before the foundation of the world , through sanctification of the spirit , and belief of the truth , 2 thes. 2.13 . fifthly , this seal of regeneration , is such as others may discern ; therefore i call it , a seal of demonstration : the image of god , if once stamped in truth upon the soul , cannot be hid no more , than fire in a mans bosome ; the love of god in the heart , will shew it self in the outward man ; nay , this seal of regeneration is many times more obvious unto others , than unto the parties themselves : this seal is so lively stamped on some of gods people , that it shews it self very eminently in the eies of others , when they that have it , cannot , nor will not , behold it in themselves . the sixth and last thing premised is this , that this seal of regeneration , whereever it is truly stamped by the holy spirit of god , is gods mark , and the soules earnest for heavens eternity ; the lord hath set apart him that is godly for himself , psal. 4.3 . the person thus sealed is a sequestred person , sequestred for the lords use , sealed unto the day of redemption ; where note , that this seal of regeneration , doth confirme and make sure the love of god unto the person on which it is set , as well as the other , though not alwayes to the apprehension of the person . object . but satan doth many times counterfeit this seal , and thereby cheats and cosens many a soul ; he counterfeiteth holiness , and perswades the soul , that is but seemingly regenerate , that he is truly regenerate ; and him that hath but civill holiness , that he hath saving holiness ; and by this sophistry of his , cheats and undoth many a soul ; how shall i then come truly to discern , whether the demonstrative seal , set upon my self , be indeed the seal of the holy spirit of god ▪ or but the counterfeit set by satan ? answ. 1. wheresoever there is true regeneration wrought by the holy spirit of god , satans seal , which is upon our soules , as we come into the world , is cancelled , corruption is not barely restrained , but mortified ; the body is dead , because of sinne , as the scripture speaks ; the soul is bent against every sinne , it allows not it self in any known sinne , it hates all sin , but where satan counterfeits this seal , corruption is but restrained , the heart loves it still , and cherisheth some one sinne or other . 2. the soul ●hus sealed by the holy spirit of god , beares the image of god , the image of god is stamped upon it ; as the seal is , so is the print which it makes ; the spirit of god is a holy spirit , and the soul that is sealed by it is a holy soul : he is renewed in the spirit of his mind ; holiness is stamped upon his heart and spirit ▪ and from thence spreads it self through the whole man , and through the whole life ; from the time of conversion , regeneration , wrought by the spirit of god , makes the heart pure and holy , as well as the outward man ; therefore the apostle calls it , holiness of truth , ephes. 4.24 . and saith in another place , the spirit is life , because of righteousness . christ makes it a note of a good man , that he can derive goodness from within , luk 6 45. therefore i may safely pitch upon it , that holiness engraven upon the heart and spirit of a man , and from thence , declaring it self in the whole man , and in the whole life , is vigor fit and but fit to give the denomination of a soul thus sealed ; regeneration wrought by the spirit of god is begun in the inward man ; it is universall , and goes through every faculty of the soul , and every part and member of the body , through the whole life and conversation ; he that is truly sanctified , is sanctified throughout , and holy in all manner of convers●tion ; he that is sealed by the holy spirit of god , beares the image of god in all these . but satans counterfeit seal of demonstration , stamps his own image ; he is seemingly an angel of light , whilest really a devil ; and he that is thus sealed by satan , resembles him in this , he is a seeming saint , a reall devil ; so christ spake of iudas , have not i chosen you twelve , and one of you is a devil ? he that is thus sealed by satan , hath holiness painted on his outside , but wickedness graven on his heart , as is evident in the scribes and pharisees , who were thus sealed by satan ; they were outwardly holy ( as christ shews at large , mat. 23. ) but inwardly very ugly and rotten , and therefore calls them , whited sepulchres , not sealed soules . civill holiness may , and many times doth enable a man to carry himself civilly , and holily in the eies of men ; but saving holiness makes a man studious , and carefull to approve himself unto god , in his very thoughts and affections , and in the motions of his heart , as well as the motions of the outward man ; yea , this is that which he is most carefull of , and industrious about , that is sealed by the holy spirit of god , his chief work is within doors ; his principall care , desire and endeavour , is to approve his heart unto god , and so walk , that he may be accepted of him , and glorifie him . then again , civill holiness springs from morall principles , good education , and the like ; but saving holiness springs from love : love to god is the root out of which it springs , as the apostle shews , eph. 1.4 . the soul that is thus sealed by the spirit of god , his holiness springs from love to god , the love of christ constraineth him thereunto . the soul that is thus sealed by the holy spirit of god , dares not sunder what god hath coupled together ( to wit ) holiness towards god , and righteousness towards men : a man truly regenerate , is carefull of both , witness paul , act. 24.16 . he makes conscience of all sinne , and of all duty ; he warrs against all sinne , and hath r●spect unto all gods commandments . the soul thus sealed by the holy spirit of god , is one in whom sinne dwelleth as a rebell , and ruleth as a tyrant only : he is one that is of all men the most sensible of , and affected with carnallity in himself ; i am carnall ( saith he ) sold under sinne , rom. 7. he is one that serves the lord , with all humility of mind , act. 20.19 . the more holy , and the more righteous a soul sealed by the holy spirit of god is , the more humble he is ; christ and paul were notable examples of this . he that is thus sealed by the holy spirit of god , is a world-overcoming creature , a flesh-overcoming creature , and a devil overcoming creature ; he is more than a conquerour ( over all these ) through christ that hath loved him , and sealed him by his spirit . he is one that is a new creature , and of this something hath been already spoken in this treatise , to which i refer the reader , for a farther discovery of a regenerate person . in fine , he that is thus sealed by the holy spirit of god , is one that holds on his way , and grows in grace . i joyn these together , so doth iob , the righteous shall hold on his way , and he that hath clean hands shall be stronger and stronger , job 17.9 . this seal of the holy spirit of god , hath this priveledge , above and beyond all other seales , the impression which it makes remaineth and increaseth . this seal of demonstration , if once truly stamped , by the spirit of god , on a soul , abideth there , the impression never weares out ; this annointing abideth , as iohn speakes , 1 ioh. 2.27 . truth of grace in the heart , and it abideth there , and the heart abideth in the truth ; when god gives a man truth of grace , he gives it him , to have and to hold for ever ; the soul thus sealed beares in it the marks of the lord jesus unto the death , and most eminently after death in glory ; this seal of the holy spirit of god is lasting , and everlasting ; true regeneration , seales a man to the day of redemption , but this it could not do , were it not a lasting substance . this may suffice to discerne the reality of this seal of demonstration by ( to wit ) true regeneration , and to distinguish it from that counterfeit set by satan ; i do not intend an innumeration of the qualifications and appearances of a regenerate person here , but only endeavour to discry him , and distinguish between him , and one but seemingly regenerate , and therefore strik● 〈◊〉 , and proceed to the other seal of the holy spirit of god , ( to wit ) the seal of confirmation , mentioned before , and for this purpose shall pitch upon ; rom. 8.16 . spirits witness with our spirits . rom. 8.16 . the spirit it self , beareth witness with our spirit , that we are the children of god. this is the last , but not the least evidence , that a child of god hath in this life , for heave●s eternity ; of this ▪ i ●ay say , as david said of 〈◊〉 sword , there is none like that , give it me ; there is no testimony to that of the spirit of god , witnessing with our spirits , to satisfie conscience , to resolve all doubts , remove all scruples , and end all controversies , about our eternall estate . when the spirit of god beareth witness with our spirit , that we are the children of god ( to wit , ) by grace and adoption , the soul then enjoys heaven upon earth , and hath meat to eat , that the world knoweth not of ; it is sealed unto the day of redemption , indeed with a seal of confirmation , and it knoweth that it is so . the spirit it self , beareth witness with our spirit , that we are the children of god : hence it is evident . that no mans own spirit , can truly ass●re him , of the love of god towards him , nor ● his adoption , unless the spirit of god concur , and bear witness with his spirit , no more than a mans own deed or seal , can assure him of what is delegated or assigned unto him by another . neither is it the spirit of god alone , simply and singly considered , that doth this , but it is the spirit of god concurring with our spirits , the spirit bearing witness with our spirit , that doth assure us of the love of god , and our adoption . when the spirit of god by a speciall work of his upon our soules , convinces them of the speciall love of god towards us , of our justification , and sanctification , and we by faith assent thereunto , then doth the spirit bear witness with our spirit , according to the meaning of this text ( as i conceive ) then is the soul sealed unto the day of redemption , with a seal of confirmation . and this is that seal , which i am now to speak of , and that which this text points at ; this may be called gods privy seal , sealing a soul unto the day of redemption ; of this seal the apostle speakes , eph●s . 1.13 . in whom after ye believed , ye were sealed with the holy spirit of promise , &c. before i speak of the appearances of this seal of the spirit of god , i shall here note two or three things . this seal of confirmation , god sets upon some of his people , but this he doth not set upon all his people ; the spirit of god doth ●hus bear witness with our spirits in some of gods children , but it doth not thus bear witness with our spirits , in all gods children . neither doth it thus bear witness , at all times in those in whom it doth at some : the scriptures afford frequent examples of this . 2. this testimony or witness of the spirit of god , in whomsoever it is , proceedeth from , and dependeth on free grace , and is a token of royall favour , to whomsoever it is granted ; it is christs golden scepter held up to the soul. 3. this seal or testimony of the holy spirit of god , though it be the ratifier of our redemption , and salvation in our hearts , yet it is not the meritorious cause of it , neither is it absolutely necessary unto salvation . 4. this seal of the holy spirit of god , on whomsoever it is set , is an earnest , and but an earnest , of that inheritance , which he shall one day be possessed of , with the adopted children of god in heaven : this is evident by the language of the apostle , eph. 1.14 . obj. but satan doth sometimes coun●erfeit this seal too , he perswades the soul , that it is in a good condition , and highly favoured of the lord , and draws the soul to presume upon it , when as it is indeed in the very gall of bitterness , and bonds of iniquity : how shall i then discern a true and well-grounded perswasion , and the testimony of gods spirit , from a presumptuous concei● , and the devils delusion . answ. we must try the spirits , try the testimony that we have ( if any , ) so saith the apostle , 1 ioh. 4.1 . believe not every spirit , but try the spirits , whether they are of god. object . but how shall i do that ? how shall i try the testimony that i have , whether it be of god or no ? answ. by the rule of faith , the written word of god , as the lord directeth , isa. 8.20 . luk 16.29 . the written word of god ( to wit ) the holy scriptures , is the only true touch-stone that we have , to try the spirits , and their testimony by . and it affirms , first , that a true testimony of the holy spirit of god , is ever agreeable , and exactly answerable unto the written word of god : gods witnesses do never disagree in their testimony , the word of god , and the spirit of god speak the same thing ; as a pair of indentures do exactly answer one another , so doth the testimony of the spirit of god , exactly answer to the testimony of the word , the word of god and the spirit of god speak the same thing ; to the law , and to the testimony , saith the lord , if they speak not according to this word ▪ it is because ther● is no life in them , isa. 8.20 . he●ce it is evident , that if the written word of god , do not concur with the testimony that thou hast , that testimony is not the testimony of the holy spirit of god , but a meer delusion of satan , a dead and counterfeit thing ; it is not a sealing unto the day of redemption , but a sealing unto the day of destruction . secondly , the word affirms , that whosoever is sealed by the holy spirit of god , with this seal of confirmation , is first sealed by him with a seal of demonstration ; this seal of the holy spirit of god is not an antecedent to , but a subsequent of the other seal of demonstration , it doth not precede , but follow after faith and sanctification ; in whom after ye believ●d , ye were sealed with the holy spirit of promise , saith the apostle , speaking of this seal , eph. 1.13 . hence it is evident , that a man is first a true believer , he hath first a true faith , a true and reall interest in christ ; he is justified , and sanctified , and made a new creature , before thus sealed by the holy spirit of god. here i desire the reader to note two or three things . first , that it is a true believer only , that is capable of this seal of the holy spirit of god , he that believeth on the sonne of god hath the witness in himself , 1 joh. 5.10 . he only that believeth aright , hath this witness of the spirit of god in himself , he only that hath a justifiing faith , is thus sealed by the spirit of god. secondly note , that this testimony of the spirit of god is one of the kisses of christs mouth , which the church prayes for , cant. 1.2 . but christ doth not thus kiss and embrace his children , when they be all filthy and nasty , he doth first cleanse them by his blood , and by his spirit , justifie them and sanctifie them , renew and heavenlize them . thirdly note this , that the spirit , and the water and the blood , do concur in their testimony , where the spirit of god doth be●r witness , so saith the scripture , 1 ioh. 5.8 . there are three which bear witness in the earth , the spirit , and the water and the blood , and these three agree in one . fourthly note , that the blood and the water may , and sometimes do , bear witness , where the spirit of god doth not thus bear witness with our spirits , that we are the adopted children of god : but the spir●t of god doth never thus bear witness , where the blood , and the water do not bear witness . christs blood doth satisfie for sinne , and his spirit cleanse from sinne , wheresoever his spirit doth thus bear witness ; he therefore that thinks he is sealed by the spirit of god with a seal of confirmation , and yet is not sealed with the seal of demonstration , is but deluded and bewitched by satan , and in a fools paradice . in the third place , whomsoever the holy spirit of god doth seal , with a seal of confirmation , whomsoever he doth assure of the fatherly love of god towards him , he doth qualifie with the disposition of a son ( to wit ) love to his heavenly father , fear of offending him , desire , care , and endeavour to walk before him in all wel-pleasing , obeying his voice out of love , mourning for its offences , and depending on god its heavenly father for all things . the soul thus sealed apprehends much love in god , and this generates much love in it towards god again , and the things of god ; this , saith this soul , is no common favour , but a singular ; all of my brethren eat not of this bread , wear not this raiment ; this is benjamin's portion , and it calls for much love from me , much filial fear and care , more duty and better done . and hence it comes to pass , that this soul grows not careless and fearless , but more carefull and conscionable in duty , and tender of doing any thing that may displease god , grieve the holy spirit of god , whereby he is sealed ; quench the motions thereof , or cause him to suspend his testimony . the soul thus sealed by the holy spirit of god , is never better pleased with it self , than when it can weep over christ , whom it hath pierced , and find christ bleed over it ; it is never well , but when in this frame , it desires nothing more than such a frame of spirit , as cannot look upon sinne , but it sighs for sorrow , nor upon its saviour , but it smiles for joy . when christ thus imparts himself to the soul , this soul speaks to christ , as god once spake to abraham , now i know that thou lovest me , seeing thou hast not with-held from me , thy sonne , thine only sonne , whom thou lovest , said god to abraham : so saith this soul to christ , now i know that thou lovest me , seeing thou hast not with-held from me this grace that is so lovely in thy sight , but when it cannot find christ thus present with it , it is troubled . fourthly , the soul that hath this seal , or testimony of the spirit of god , hath a spirit of prayer ; in whomsoever the spirit of god is a spirit of adoption , he is also a spirit of supplication ; whomsoever the spirit of god doth assure of the fatherly love of god towards him , he enables to cry abba , father , and maketh request for him with unutterable rhetorick ; he enables the soul to pour it self forth to god , in supplication and thanksgiving ; this is evident by gal. 4.6 . rom. 8.15 , 26. the soul thus sealed by the spirit of god , longs after , and delights in , approaches to god , and god approaches to it in all his holy ordinances ; let me see his countenance , let me hear his voice , saith the soul thus sealed , for sweet is his countenance , and his voice pleasant , it delights to meditate on , and walk with its god , it doth not leave off duty , but performs it more conscionably and spiritually . in the fift place , sound assurance produces fruitfullness ; the soul that is by the spirit of god , assured of the grace and favour of god towards it , is usu●lly the fru●tfullest in righteousness , as is ev●dent by the language of the apostle , col. 1.6 . after the colossians knew the grace of god in truth , they were more fruitfull in righteousness , than ever . sound assurance of the love of god , produces care and industry , in the work and wayes of god , as is evident by the language of the apostle , 2 cor. 5.1 , 8. we know , we are confident , saith he of himself , and other believers ; and what follows ? therefore we labour , that whether present or absent , we may be accepted of him , ver . 9. these mens assurance produced not carelesness and sloth , but care and industry , and it is the property of good assurance so to do . this condemns that popish tenet , that assurance of salvation is the destroyer of all piety and charity . and it condemns that assurance that is fruitless or careless . in the sixt place , sound assurance produces joy , 1 pet. 1.8 . faith of evidence and joy , are inseperably united , they are twins born at once , and if assurance die , joy dies with it ; in whomsoever the spirit of god is a spirit of confirmation , he is a spirit of consolation ; the soul that is assured of the love of god towards it , cannot but rejoyce in it ; spiritual consolation doth not spring so naturally from any thing , as it doth out of the witness of the spirit ; joy may be ( i mean some kind of joy ) where assurance is wanting , but assurance never goes without joy , spirituall joy . there is a generation ( as solomon tels us ) which in the midst of laughter , their heart is sad ; and there is a generation , which in the midst of sadnesse , their heart rejoyceth ; and those which are thus sealed by the holy spirit of god are they , such is the power of sound assurance , that it will make ( i mean instrumentally ) the heart to joy , whilst the outward man sorrows ; it will fill the heart , with joy unspeakable , and full of glory , whilst the outward man is filled with shame and contempt ; yea ▪ sound assurance is for the most part , then strongest , and shews it self with most vigor and light somenesse within , when the greatest damp of outward discomforts , lye upon the person , and the world most frowns upon him , or persecutes him , for his frowardnesse and faithfulnesse , in the cause of god. when paul and silas had much cause to sigh , for their usage amongst men , they then sang and rejoyced , act. 16.25 . when the apostles did suffer shame for christ , then did they most rejoyce , act. 5.41 . when the people of god were spoiled of their goods , and spoiled in their persons , then did they rejoyce ; and whence sprang their joy in this disconsolate condition , but from their assurance ? they took joyfully the spoiling of their goods [ knowing ] that they had in heaven , a better , and induring substance , heb. 10.34 . assurance of gods favour , produceth joy according to its measure and degree , assurance of hope , produceth joy , assurance of faith , produceth more joy ; the riches of the full assurance of understanding , most of all . the joy that springs from assurance , is a heart strengthening joy , a life lenghtening joy , and a joy that no man can take from us , it is a soul inlarging , a shame despising , a god-glorifying , a world-overcoming , and a sin-overcoming grace . in the seventh place , sound assurance produceth humility ; this seal of confirmation , when set by the spirit of god , doth work the soul to more humility of mind , then usually is in others ; the apostle paul is a notable instance hereof , he was thus sealed by the holy spirit of god , when he said , i am perswaded that neither death nor lfe , angels , principalities , nor powers , nor any other thing , shall be able to separate me , from the love of god , which is in christ iesus our lord ; and then did be serve the lord with all humility of mind , and with many tears , as himself saith , act 20.19 . sound assurance is heart-humbling , heart-molifying . sound assurance , leaves not the soul without a holy jelousie of it self , nor without a christian watch ; this is evident in the apostle paul , rom. 8.38 , 39. compared with 1 cor. 9.26 , 27. i am perswaded ( saith he ) that neither dea●h , nor life , nor any other creature , shall be able to separate me from the love of god , &c. yet was he not hereby taken off from , but rather incited to a holy jealousie of , and watchfulnesse over himself and all his wayes , as appears by the forecited place . sound assurance , and holy jealousie may well stand together ; and he whose assurance is void of holy jealousie and watchfulnesse , hath great cause to be jealous of his assurance . sound assurance is not the destroyer , but the nurse of holy jealousie and watchfulnesse ; neither is holy jealousie an enemy to , but a preserver of sound assurance . in the ninth place , sound assurance works the heart to more contempt of the world , and the things of the world , then others usually attain to , and it doth mightily quicken and spur forward the soul to more holinesse , hatred of sinne , and zeal , and courage in the cause of god ; moses and paul are pregnant examples of this ; of the effects of this seal in moses , we may read in heb. 11. v. 24 , 25 , 26 , 27. exod. 32.31 , 32 and in paul , phil. 3. v. 7 , to 15. act. 20. v. 19 , to 25. in the tenth place , sound assurance will bide the trial , and it is willing to be tried ; it shuns not the light , but comes to the light , that its reality might be made manifest . sound assurance is not usually injoyed long without some buffetings of satan ; the soul that is t●us sealed by the spirit of god , hath u●ually some thorne in the flesh , some messenger ( or other ) of satans to exercise it , and humble it : thus it was with the apostle paul , when thus sealed by the holy spirit of god , as appears by 2 cor. 12.7 . and thus it is with other of the children of god , who are thus sealed by the spirit of god , as each mans experience will witnesse ; to this i set a probatum est . sound assurance of the love of god , makes the soul long for the full fruition of it ; this seal of the holy spirit of god , moves the soul nothing more , to desire to be dissolved , to be with god ; how long , lord ? saith this soul , come lord iesus , come quickly : i have a desire to depart , and to be with christ , saith a soul thus sealed , phil. 1.23 . the soul thus sealed by the spirit of god , longs to be with god , yet labours to wait patiently for him , all the daies of his appointed time ; iob was thus sealed by the spirit of god , when he said , i know that my redeemer liveth ; he was assured that christ was his redeemer , and he longed to be with him , yet patiently waits for him , not a day or two , but all the daies of his appointed time , iob 14.14 . he that presumeth , many times makes more haste , than good speed ; but he that beleeveth maketh not haste . finally , he that is thus sealed by the spirit of god , is also led by the spirit of god , ( mark that ) he is led by the spirit of god , after a speciall manner , as many as are led by the spirit of god , they are the sonnes of god , saith the text , rom. 8.14 . so many as are led by the spirit of god as a sanctifier , ( and no more , have good ground to conclude ) they are the children of god , by this rule of the apostle , and so consequently to conclude , that the testimony that they have of their adoption ( if any ) is the testimony of the spirit of god. having thus briefly spoken of this feal of confirmation , set by the spirit of god , and severall appearances of it , i shall here desire the reader to take notice . that this seal of confirmation , on whomsoever it is set by the spirit of god , is usually the resolution of many doubts , the blessing of many prayers and teares , the fruit of a strong and well grounded faith , or the rich reward of long patience in suffering evill , for doing good and eschewing evill , or the victory and triumph of a sore spirituall warre , or the fragrant flower of a well-dressed garden , the rich crop of a well-manured field , or the pearl purchased , with the adventure of all the glory and crown , of high degrees in grace and holinesse , the blessing of much acquaintance with , and experience of the word and waies of god , and exact walking therein , the begining of heaven upon earth , a cordiall to keep from fainting under some great burden , the frui●ion of sweet submission unto christs yoke , or a stock put into our hands by god , for some great after-trading for god , in doing or suffering : in a word , it is the most secret , sweet , and soul-ravishing manifestation of the love of christ , that the spouse of christ is capable of on earth . this is that hidden manna , and new name mentioned ▪ rev. 2.17 . which no man knoweth , ●ut he that hath it . this christ promised to his church , in the day of her sufferings for his sake , as a speciall means to support her under , and carry her through , and above all the troubles , that she should meet with in the world for her close cleaving to his word and will , at that day ( saith he ) ye shall know , that i am in the father , and you in me , and i in you , john 14.20 . having spoken somewhat of the signs and demonstrations of these seales of the holy spirit of god severally : i will only add a word or two concerning such signs and effects , as are proper to them both , joyntly considered , and so conclude this manuscript . the soul that is thus sealed by the holy spirit of god ( to wit ) with the seal of demonstration , and the seal of confirmation . 1. doth earnestly long , and desire to be more sealed ; he or she , that hath truth of grace , doth earnestly long for , and indeavour after , more grace , higher degrees of grace ; he still presses towards the mark , phil. 3.13 . he prayes for , and indeavours after , what christ hath promised , in the name of the whole trinity to give , cant. 1.11 . borders of gold , with studs of silver , augmentation of all grace . the soul that is by the spirit of god , perswaded and assured of the fatherly love of god , counts not that it hath enough , but longs still to be more and more confirmed in it ; the tast that it hath of the sweetnesse and goodnesse of this wine , makes it long to drink deeper of it , and to desire flaggons of it , cant. 2 5. the sweetnesse , strength and comfort which the soul finds in , and by the apprehension of the love of god , makes it long and labour to apprehend it more : paul was assured of the love of god , and he did exceedingly desire , and labour to apprehend it more , as will appear by rom. 8.38 , 39. compared with phil. 3.12 , 13. the apprehension of the love of god , doth not satiate the soul , but whets it , and sets appetite upon it ; and hence it comes to passe , that 2. the soul that is thus sealed by the spirit of god , highly prizes all those means , ordinances , and instruments of god , whereby it came to be thus sealed , and industriously , and conscionably uses them , for the carrying on and perfecting of this work begun in it : the soul thus sealed by the spirit of god , knows experimentally , that it is but whilst the king sitteth at his table , as the church speaks , cant. 1.12 . that his spicknard sendeth forth the smell thereof ; but whilst christ continues his powerfull presence in his holy ordinances , and his speciall spirituall presence in the soul , that grace doth thrive , or send forth any good savour , by thoughts , words , or deeds , and therefore it longs earnestly after , and prayes fervently for all these , as that which is the life of its life , and the soul of its soul , the chariot of the spirit , whereby he descends into our hearts and carryes them up to heaven . he knows ex●er●mentally that all helps , publique and private , are little enough , to keep this seal faire unto the day of redemption , and therefore slights none , but carefully and conscionably uses all that god affords him . he knows that he is never the neer for that priviledg of free accesse to the throne of grace , that christ hath purchased for us , unlesse he make use of it , and therefore leaves not off praying ; he finds experimentally , that he is little or nothing the better for the publique meanes ( at least in heart ) unlesse he duly and conscionably use all private helps too ; and therefore , as one sensible of his own wants and weaknesse , and the spirits worth and sweetnesse , he waits for the movings of the spirit at all these pooles . but contrary wise , the soul in which satan counterfeits these seales of the spirit of god , when it is once thus sealed by him , is many times ready to say as esau , i have enough ; and with laodicea , i am rich , and increased with goods , and have need of nothing , neither grace , ordinances , nor ministers ; leaves manna , and loaths it , declines and deserts the ordinances , churches , and ministers of christ , and fals off from , or ( at least ) grows cold and customary in duty , which evidently demonstrates it to be satans seal , and not the seal of the holy spirit of god , that is upon it . 3. the soul thus sealed by the holy spirit of god ▪ obeys the truth of god , as it is discovered unto him by his word and spirit , in his ministers ; and he that doth not apply himself to do this , and yet thinks himself sealed , is but bewitched , his testimony that he hath , is but a bewitching , as the apostle intimates , gal. 3.1 . whosoever therefore thinks himself sealed by the holy spirit of god , with a seal of demonstration , and with a seal of confirmation , and yet doth not these three things , is deceived , and deceiveth his own heart ; it is satans seal , and not gods , that is upon him ; his sealing is a sealing to the day of destruction , not a sealing to the day of redemption . having finished what i promised , i shall now draw to a conclusion of the whole , and shall conclude this thus . having travelled through the holy scriptures , and seached the records thereof ▪ to see what i might find therein , that might intitle me to the inheritance of the saints in light , i have taken notice of divers remarkable places of scripture , very helpfull for this purpose , some of which i have studied industriously , according to my poore ability , and through the help of my gracious god , have acquired some comfort and satisfaction thereby in this weighty matter of evidence : what the lord hath been pleased to impart unto me , in this weighty matter . i have committed to writing for my own present and future benefit , and that i might leave it for a legacy to my children after me , which having done , i commit this work , and the reader of it to the blessing of god , through jesus christ. trin. vni deo gloria . an appendix , to the foregoing discourse . containing certain rules to be observed by every person , that hath attained any good assurance of the love of god , and his own salvation , and desires to retain it . forasmuch as assurance of the love of god , and a mans own salvation , is a pearl of great price , hard to be gotten , but quickly lost ; and being once lost , harder to be regained , than gotten at first , as many examples in scripture shew , and many christians experience will tell them ; i think it necessary , both for my own behoof and the readers , to adde to this little draught of evidence , some few rules of direction to be observed , for the keeping of this precious jewel , when it is once attained ; but before i mention them , i desire the reader to take notice of four things , first , that although a christian , which hath once a true and real interest in jesus christ , cannot lose his inheritance , nor misse of salvation , yet he may lose his evidence ( i mean his assurance of it ) and feare himself to be but an hypocrite , and a lost creature , and satan labou●s above all things , to rob him of his evidence , whom he cannot rob of his inheritance . secondly note . that evidence of our interest in god and christ , is a gift of gods free grace , and it dependeth upon gods free will ; i do not remember any particular promise in the bible , that god hath made ( ordinarily ) to give this blessing of assurance unto his people , or to continue it unto them alwayes , unto whom he gives it ; on whomsoever god bestows this grace of assurance , it is over and above what he hath covenanted with his people to give them ; and i call it ( a gift of free grace ) in this respect ; god gives this blessing at pleasure , and he may take it away at pleasure ; we hold it as tenants at will , and when the lord pleaseth , he may reverse his grant , or suspend his favour . thirdly , that god usually , ( i do not say alwayes ) continues this blessing , or suspends it , according to the use or abuse of it ; god varies his carriage towards the creature in respect hereof , as the creature varies its carriage towards him ; though gods love towards his people be alwayes the same , yet his discov●ries of it are not alwayes the same ; though the spirit of god be alwayes a leader to his people , yet be is not alwayes a witnessor to them ; the spirit of god many times suspends his testimony from those , to whom he continues his guidance . fourthly , it behooveth every one therefore , to whom the lord vouchsafeth this royall favour , to study how to carry himself , so that he may still enjoy it , this hath been my work and indeavour ever since the lord hath vouchsafed me any sence of his love , and evidence of my interest in christ , for this purpose i have propounded to my self , and shall here briefly commend to the reader , these rules , which follow . 1. having once gotten any good assurance of the love of god , and thy own salvation , thus do ; lay up this jewell safe in the cabbinet of a tender conscience . 2. set a guard about it , guard it with the feare of god , and spirituall watchfulnesse ; in the feare of the lord is strong confidence . * therefore be thou in the feare of the lord all the day long ; all the day of thy life , all thy life long ; and labour to keep a constant , spirituall watch over thy heart , over thy whole man and thy whole life . a what i shall say more concerning this subject , i shall conclude in two sorts of rules ; the first , negative , the second , positive ; the negative rules are these . peace being spoken to thy soul , take heed of doing any thing that should infring or interrupt it , take heed of returning unto folly ; take heed of relapsing into any sinne ; this rule the word prescribes , on this very ground , b beware therefore of returning unto former , or like offences . beware of eating , touching or looking after forbidden fruit ; all sinne is forbidden fruit , therefore take heed of it , and the first motions thereunto ; remember adam and eve , who were by their externall senses led to eat of that fruit , which god had forbidden them to eat , or to touch , and thereby lost that sweet communion with god , which they had before , and that influence of his grace , which they had and might still have had , had they not eaten of that fruit . shun all sinne , hate and abhor all sinne , especially scandalous sinnes ; remember reuben and david ; reuben by one scandalous act , loft his priviledg , and david by one scandalous act lost his evidence . take heed of secret sinnes , allow not thy self in , give not way to any secret sinne , for these often interpose between god and the soul , between the sonne of righteousnesse , and the soul , and eclyps the light of gods countenance , and the bright beames , and ra●es of the sun of righteousnesse from us , thou hast set our iniquities before thee , our secret sinnes in the light of thy countenance , saith the psalmist , psal. 90.8 . therefore beware of these . take heed of sinning against l●ght , against any light ▪ naturall , morall , or divine : sin not presumptiously . take heed of backsliding in heart , in profession or in practise , from the truth of god , or power or form of godlinesse . be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines , they are very unsetling ; but beware lest ye be led away with the error of the wicked , and fall from your own stedfastnesse , as the scripture speaks . take heed of abusing lawfull things , meate , drink , marriage , apparell , christian liberty , and the like ; take heed of abusing any of these , by unlawfull use of them ; the creature , as it is empty of what it promiseth , so it is inticing and insnaring with what it hath , and therefore had need to be warily used , or it may soone be abused , and the abuse of it , grieve the holy spirit of god , and cause him to suspend his testimony , and god to hide his face from thee . take heed of preferring the injoyment of any thing , before the injoyment of god in christ , and communion with him , or equalizing any thing with it . take heed of despising , slighting , neglecting , or formall using of ordinances , or holy duties . take heed of melancholly . i mean , that humour which is properly so called ; give not way to it , feed not thy self with it . take heed of carnal-confidence , put no confidence in the flesh , nor in any inherent thing ; seek not after righteousnesse in thy self , to justifie thy person before god , or build upon . take heed of unnecessary diffidence , and f●aggering at the promises of god through unbelief , and neglecting thy watch . take heed of spiritual pride ; it is an ill flower springing out of a good stemm , it often breeds contention between god and man , and brings men into fits of a spiritual falling sickness , wherein they lye like dead men , and only fome out their own sh●me , therefore beware of it . take heed of grieving the holy spirit of god , grieve not the holy spirit of god , whereby ye are sealed to the day of redemption ; by slighting his testimony , or doing any thing contrary and disagreeing to his will. thus much of the first sort of rules ▪ which are purely negative , and respect things to be avoided , by him that would keep his evidence : i shall now speak of the 2. sort of rules , which respect things to be done , by those that having attained some good evidence for heaven , desire to keep and retain it . 1. if thou wouldest keep thy assurance ▪ labour to walk worthy of it , to be thankfull for it , and give god the glory of it ; we sorfit many blessings by our ingratitude , and god often takes that from us , the glory of which we do not freely give to him . 2. if thou wouldest still keep thy assurance , walk humbly with god , and walk humbly with man , in the enjoyment of it . 3. if thou wouldst keep thy assurance , labour to follow the counsel of the apostle , eph. 4.17 . ye hence forth w●lk not as other gentiles walk , in the vanity of their mind , &c. ye that have obtained of the lord , such a choise favour as this ; ye which know in some measure , what it is to enjoy god , and communion with him ; ye that have some ●ssurance of an inheritance that fadeth not away , walk not in the vanity of your minds , nor after the vanities of the world , as others do that n●ver had such a jewell , as this , bestowed upon them . but see that ye walk circumspectly , not as fools , but as wise , redeeming the time , as the scripture directs , e●hes 5 15 , 16. labour to walk exactly with god , and exactly with men , and redeem the time by improving of it ; walk worthy of god , as we are bid , 1 thes , 2.12 . 4. if thou wouldest still retain thy assurance , practice that good thou dost know , be careful of all duty towards god , and towards man , in every relation wherein thou standest , and not only of the matter of duty , but also of the manner of performing it . 5. if thou wouldst still retain thy assurance , take upon thee christs yoke : follow christs steps , and labour to walk according to christs rule in every thing . labour to be strong in the lord , and in the power of his might . put on the whole armour of god , that ye may be able to stand against the wiels of the divell : above all , take the shield of faith , wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked , ephes. 6.10 , 11 , 16. 7. if thou wouldest still retain thy assurance , study the grounds of thy assurance ( viz. ) the promises of god : study their freenesse , their latitude , their stability , their author , and his faithfulnesse , and study thy interest in the promises , and labour to live upon the promises . 8. in the eight place , if thou wouldst still retain thy assurance , rest not satisfied , with any measure of assurance attained , but still la●our to increase thy assurance ; count not thy self to have attained , or to have apprehended assurance enough , but forget what is behind , and reach forth to that which is before ; follow after more , presse towards the mark , as the apostle did , phil. 3.12 , 13 , 14. labour for increase of assurance ; labour for the riches ( for all riches ) of the full assurance of understanding , as the scripture speaks * labour to apprehend the breadth , and length , and depth , and heighth of the love of god , and to know the love of christ , which passeth knowledg , to be filled with all the fullnesse of god , as the scripture speaks , eph. 3.18 , 19. quest. but you will say , how shall i do this ? what may i do to increase my assurance , and better my evidence ? answ. if thou wouldest increase thy assurance , and better thy evidence , thou must do these eight things . 1. thou must diligently and conscionably continue to use all those means and ordinances , for the increasing of thy assurance , which thou didst use for the getting of it , and labour to be made better by those meanes thou usest . 2. labour to grow up into christ the head , from whom all the body , by joynts and bands , and all our graces by participation of his fulnesse , have nou●ishment ministred unto them , and increase with the increase of god. 3. dye daily unto sinne , and live unto righteousnesse , labour to be more like god and heaven daily , if thou wouldest have more assurance of thy interest in god and heaven . 4. in the fourth place , if thou wouldest increase thy assurance , stir up the gift of god , that is in thee ; exercise and act grace , labour to grow and increase in grace , to be strong in grace , in all grace ; but especially in the grace of faith ; he that increaseth knowledg ( saith solomon ) increaseth sorrow ; so he that increaseth faith increaseth assurance . 5. in the fifth place , if thou wouldest still injoy thy assurance and increase it , then labour to improve the assurance thou hast , be it more or lesse , to the glory of god , thy own and thy brothers good ; they that improved their talents , had a continuance , and an increase of them , whilst h● that improved not his talent had it taken from him . 6. in the fixth place , if thou wouldest increase thy assurance , diligently follow every good work ; labour to be fruitfull in every good work . 7. then again , if thou woulde●● increase thy assurance , use well the office , place , calling , and relations , which god hath set thee in ; this is the way to attain great boldnesse in the faith , as is easie to be gathered , from the language of the apostle , 1 tim. 3.13 . 8. finally if thou wouldest increase thy assurance , pray for the increase of it ; urge god with that general promise , mat. 25.29 . for the obtaining of this particular blessing of increase of assurance . thus much for answer to the foresaid query , ( viz ) what we must do to increase our assurance and better our evidence . i return now to the work in hand , which is to propound more rules to be observed by those , who having attained some good evidence for heaven , desire to retain it ; i have already propounded eight rules , i come new to the ninth . 9. if thou wouldst still retain thy assurance , then labour to keep a holy jealousie over thy self , and over all thy performances , and wayes ; holy jealousie is no destroyer , but a nourisher and strengthener of good assurance . 10. if thou wouldest still injoy thy evidence , then labour to profit by all gods chastisements ; god many times deserts his people , and hides his face from them , because they do not profit by lesser chastisements ; he useth greater rods , because lesser will not serve the turn : labour therefore to discern gods design in every stroke of his , and to answer gods ends in every correction . 11. in the next place , if thou wouldest still injoy thy assurance , then call thy selfe often to account , and when thou espiest any failings in thy selfe , speedily humble thy self before the lord for them , renew faith and repentance , seek pardon and reconciliation , apply the blood of christ for thy cure , let not conscience lye under the guilt of any known sinne unrepented of ; if our hearts condemne us not , then have we confid●nce towards god , 1 john 3.21 . labour therefore so to try , judge and condemn thy selfe that thy heart may not condemne thee ; labour so to act repentance upon every occasion , that conscience may not find any guilt unrepented of , to charge thee with ; labour to prevent conscience herein , by doing that thy self now , that it would do hereafter , by being such a self condemning sinner , that thou maiest avoid a self-condemning conscience : he that is not a self condemning sinner here , shall be sure of a self condemning conscience hereafter ; therefore o christians ! iudg your selves , that you be not judged of the lord ; condemn your selves , that you be not condemned of conscience ( at least not justly . ) 12. l●t your conversation be such , as becometh the gospell of christ , in simplicity and godly sincerity : this was ground of confidence and rejoycing to the apostles , 2 cor. 1.12 . it may be so to thee , nay it will be so to thee , whiles conscience speaks truth . 13. cast thy self wholly upon the merit of christ for righteousnesse , to justifie thy person before god. 14. stand fast in the lord , labour to keep the faith ; paul saith , i have kept the faith , and hence infers , henceforth there is laid up for me , a crown of righteousness , 2 tim. 4.7 , 8. 15. then again , if thou wouldest keep thy evidence . hold fast ( not only ) the faith , but also the profession of thy faith , without wavering , as the author to the hebrews exhorts all christians to do , heb. 10.23 . 16. in the next place , if thou wouldest still retain thy assurance , then pray for the continuance of it , and live for the continuance of it ; follow the counsell of christ to his disciples , watch and pray , that ye enter not into temptation . 17. remember that the foundation of god standeth sure , and his gifts of saving grace are without repentance , and his love towards his , is an everlasting love . 18. finally if thou wouldest still retain thy evidence for heaven and secure it from danger , from satan , and all his devices , then intrust jesus christ with it who purchased it for thee ; he and he only , is able to secure it . thus much for the rules to be observed by every one , that having attained some good evidence for heaven , desire to preserve and retain it . now the lord of his infinite mercy in christ , inable me so to follow these rules , and all the rules of his holy word , that i may never know experimentally , what a deserted condition is , but still enjoy the light of his countenance , and the sence of his love , and in death triumph over death , in assurance of life and happinesse that shall never end , that christ may be magnified in me , both in life and in death , and of me through all eternity . amen , amen . finis . courteous reader , these books following are print● or sold by simon miller , at the star in st. pauls church-yard . small folio . the civil wars of spain in the reign of charles the fifth , emperor of germany , and king of that nation , wherein our late unhappy differences are paralleled in many particulars . a general history of scotland , from the year 767. to the death of king iames , containing the principal revolutions and transactions of church and state , with politicall obseruations , and reflections upon the same : by david hume of godscroft . the history of this iron age. doctor lightfoot his harmony on the new testament . in qarto large . barklay his argenis translated by sir robert le grise knight . quarto small . abraham's faith ; or the good old religion , proving the doctrine of the church of england to be the only true faith of gods elect ; by i. nicholson minister of the gospell . the anatomy of mortallity : by george stroad . aynsworth , on the camicles . paul bayn , his diocesans trial. gralle against appolonius . a treatise of civil pollicy ; being a clear decision of 4● . queries , concerning prerogative right and priviledg , in reference to the supreme prince and the people : by samuel rutherford professor of divinity of st andrews in scotland . politick and military observations of civill and military government , containing the birth , increase , decay of monarchies , the cartiage of princes and magistrates . mr. tinchin his meritorious price of mans redemption cleared . a●●rology theologized , shewing what nature and influence the stars and planets have over men , and how the same may be diverted and avoided . the harmony of confessions . 4o. octavo . florus anglicus with cuts , the reconciler of the bible , wherein above 2000 , seeming contradictions are fully and plainly reconciled . a view of the jewish religion 〈◊〉 their rites , customes , and ●●●emonies . ed. vvaterhouse esq his dis●●rse of piety and charity . a view and defence of the re●ormation of the church of england , very usefull in these times . mr. peter du moulin , his antidote against popery ; published on purpose to prevent the delusions of the priests and jesuites who are now very busie amongst us . herberts devotions , or a companion for a christian , containing meditations and prayers , usefull upon all occasions . mr. knowles , his rudiment , of the hebrew tongue . a book of scheams or figures of heaven ready set for every foure minutes of times , and very ●seful for all astrologers . florus anglicus , or an exact hi●tory of england , from the reign of v●illiam the conqueror , to the death of the late king. lingua , or the combate of the tongue and the five senses for superiority : a serious comedy . the spirits touchstone ; being a clear discovery how a man may certainly know whether he be truly taught by the spirit of god , or not . the poor mans physitian and chirurgion . the idol of clowns . the christian moderator in 3. parts . the golden fleece , or a discourse of the cloathing of england duodecem . doctor smith's practice of physick . the grammer war. posselivs apothegmes . faciculus florum . crashaw's visions . helvicus colloqu●es . the christian soulder , his combate with the three arch enemies of mankind , the world , the flesh , and the devil . in 24. the new testament . the third part of the bible . plaies . the ball. chawbut . martyr'd souldier . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a31952-e190 is. 50. ●0 . iob 13.15 . 2 pet. 1.10 . laetitia bonae c●nscientiae est paradisus animarum , gaudium angelorum , hortus delicia rum ●ger benedictionis , templum solo monis , aula ●ei , habitaculum spiritus sancti . bernard . eph. 4.30 . eph. 1.14 . ioh. 16.7 . rom. 8.16 . mat. 21.1 . 2 cor. 12.9 . socratis historia . li. 1 ca 16. act 18.24.26 . rom 16.23 . phi. 4.2 , 3 rom. 16.1 , 6 , 12. notes for div a31952-e1530 con 1. con. 2. con. 3. quest. answ : rule . 1 ▪ joh. 16 . 2● iosh. 2.12 . the second rule . jer. 17.9 . iob 28.14 , 15. cant. 1.8 . in the use of all means . 2 pet. 1.10 . isa. 7.9 . iohn 3. ioh. 16.27.29 . rom. 8. phil. 2 . 1● a heb. 6.11 . b heb. 10.22 . c col. 2.2 . d 1 tim. 3.13 . e eph. 1.18 . f 2 pet. 1.10.11 . rule 3. g 1 cor. 2.10 . ro● 8.16 . rule 4. rule 5. a true beleever only is capable of assurance . isa. 57.15.66 , 2. labour to do thy duty . isa. 32.17 . act. 7.55 . hab. 12.14 . mat. 5.8 . rule . 6. rule 7. 2 pet. 1.5 , 6 , 7.3.18 . luk. 6.47 , 48. rule 8. 1 can. 13. notes for div a31952-e3630 quest. answ. he that is in christ , chosen in him before the foundation of the world , eph. 1.4 . object . answ. note . thi● union is 〈…〉 b●t mystical . as an inward sanct●fier . renewing grace is the earnest of the spirit . th● donation or ●●mmunication of this grace by the spirit of god is the inward and effectuall call of god , whic● demonstrates our election . by this faith ch●ist dwels in our hearts . christ is become the end of the law for righteousness to every true believer , rom. 10.4 . all that believe aright , are justified from all sinn , act. 13.39 . rom. 3.26 . believers do eater in●o rest , heb. 4.3 . although a reprobate may have faith and divers kinds of faith yet he never hath this faith. note . quest. sol. justifying fai●h described . property , 1. a cant. 5.10 . b ps. 45.2 . c cant. 5.16 . d cant. 2.3 . e cant. 5.16 . f cant. 1.2 . g ps. 63.3 . h psal. 73.25 . i phil. 3.7 , 8 , 9. job 23.8 , 9. job 13. ●6 , 27. ver . 15. 2 sam 2. 2 kin. 2.4 . the holy ghost originally as the author , faith instrumentally as the meanes sanctifieth . 2 cor. 12.7 , 8. good faith is full of good workes 13. property . faith ove●cometh not at once , but by degrees , it is still overcoming , and at length overcometh . 1 s●m . 3.18 . note . luk. 17.5 . mark. 9.24 . ioh. 8.31 . matt. 24.13 . col. 1.23 . note . iob 19.28 . 1 iohn 3.8 , 19. psal. 145.20 . a prov. ● . 17 . b 1 ioh. 4 19. c 1 ioh. 3.23 , 24. d 1 ioh. ● . 16 . ibid. v. 12. 1 ioh. 4.7 . e 1 ioh. 3.14 . ioh. 13.34 , 35. quest. answ. sincere love to god , what. mat. 22.37 . prop. 2. he that loves god aright , loves him for himself . f 1 pet. 1.3 . ● cor. 5.14 . it makes a man tender of offending god. gen. 39.8 , 9. 1 sam. 24.4 , 5 , 6. ps. 97.10 . psal. 119.127 , 128. note . g ioh. 14.23 . h 2 ioh. 6. 1 ioh. 2.5.1 , 5 , 3. dan. 3.12 , 18. act. 4.19 . 1 ioh. 5.3 . psal. 119 158 psal. 51.4 . psal. 38. psal. 4.6 , 7. cant. 1.2 . i psal. 4● . 2 . k psal. 63.1 , 2. l phil. 1.23 . m rev. 22.20 . note . n 1 ioh 4.16 o 1 cor. 13.8 . he that fears god aright , feates him for nought , 〈◊〉 the lan●●●ge of ●●can concern●ng 〈◊〉 ●●●●mates , io● 1.9 . so he that loves god aright , loves him for nought . p phil. ● . 12 . q psal. 63 ▪ 8. & v. 1. r cant. 3.1 , 2. s joh. 20.1 . mat ▪ 28.1 . ubi amor , ibi oculus . cant. 5.10 . to the end . cant. 8.7 . exod. 32.19 , 20. act. 17.16 . &c. note . 2 sam. 12 no●e . mat. 24.12 . therefore ioshua and iude exhort us to look to our love , iosh. 23.11 , 12. iude v. 21 note . as we thri●e in love , so we th●ive in all grace that iss●es out of love . note . this was peter's c●se . note . 1 joh. 4.20 . sincere love to man , what . 1 ioh. 5.2 . note . a col. 1.4 . b 1 thes. 3.12 . c mat. 5.44 . d rom. 13.10 . e prov. 3.29 . f 1 cor. 13.5 . g luk. 6.30 h 1 ioh. 5.1 i 1 pet. 2.17 . k rom. 16.3 , 4. l joh. 13 34 mat. 10.8 . m luk. 6.35 . n rom. 12.16 . o 1 thes. 3.12 , 13. 1 joh 2.10 . p 1 joh. 3.17 , 18. jam. ● . 15 , 16. q luk 3.11 . r col. 2.2 . s act. 4.32 . prov. 10.12 . 1 pet. 4.8 . it is an everlasting love . 1 cor. 13.8 . * and is thereby distinguished from a carnall love , which oftentimes doth . christian love and carnall love herein differ . note . this me thinks is very observable . b jam. 4.11 . c gal. 5.15 . d prov. 3.29 . e 1 thes. 4. ● . f 1 thes. 5.15 . g prov. 24 29. h exod. 20.16 . i prov. 24 28. k prov. 24 15. l prov. 22.22 . m prov. 24 17. n levit. 19.17 . o verse 16. 1 joh. 3.12 . * gain was wicked , and slew his brother , yet was he not so impudent as to give god thanks for it , when he had done , much less did he call out adam thereunto . obadiah ver . 12 , 13 14. p rom. 14.13 , 10 , 21. q 1 cor. 10.32 . r rom. 12.18 . s eph. 4.31 . t 1 joh 3.23 u ioh. 15.12 . * 1 pet. 3.8 . x rom. 12.9 . y 1 pet. ● . 22 . z 1 ioh. 3.18 . a ephes. 5.2 . b 1 thes. 3.12 . c 2 pet. ● . 18 . d ephes. 4.15 . e gal. 5.13 . f heb. 13.1 . g r●m . 12.10 . h ver . 15. i rom. 12 10. k 1 pet. 3.8 . l ibid. m eph. 4.32 . 1 tim. 6.18 . o rom. 12.8 . p gal. 6.2 . q rom. 15.1 . r act. 20.35 . s col. ● . 13 . t heb. 10.25 . u 1 thes. 5.11 . * col. 3.16 . x heb. 10.24 . y james 5.16 . 1 tim. ● . 1. † matth. 5 . 4● . a gal. 6.10 . b rom. 1● . ●● ▪ c luke 〈…〉 1. matth. 7.12 . d 1 thess. 5. ●● , 13. e rom. ● 5. 1 t●●ss . 5.13 . f lev. 19.16 . g 1 cor. 10.24 . h rom. 14.21 . i rom. 15.2 . k lev. 19.18 . mat. 22.39 . l lu 6.35 . m lev. 19.17 . n mat. 18.15 , 6. o ib. v. 17. p 1 cor. 5.11 . 2 thes. 3.6 , 14. mat. 18.17 . or in case of heresie , 1 tim. 6. v. 3 , 5. q rom. 16.17 . r 1 cor. 5.2 . s ia. 5.16 . t gal. 6.1 . u phi. v. 12. * 2 cor. 2.7 , 8. x mat. 18.35 . y luk. 17.4 . mat 18 . 2●.22 . z col ● . 13 . & eph. 4.32 . object . answ. this , and no less then this , is vigor fit to give the appearance of a sincere love. the gospel joines repentance and remission of sins toge●her , luk. 2● . 47 . act. 5.31 . repentance unto salvation , 2 cor. 7.10 . note . quest. sol. note . this is evident by the words in the proclamation of the king of nineve ion. 3.8 . quest. answ. it is for inward fins , as well as outward . note . luk. 1. note . it makes the soul to justifie god in all his dealings , as appears by , neh. 9.33 . lam. 1.18 . luk. 23.41 . luk. 15.19 . ezek. 16. note . eze. 6.9 . ps. 51.4 . hos. 14 2. ps. 25.18 . psa. 39 8. psa 51.2 , 9. note . note . psal. 4.6 . cant. 1.2 . psal. 4.7 . psa. 63.1 . psa 42.1 . paul mourned for his sin after he was justified from his sinne . this is fruit fit , and but fit for real repen●ance . pro. 28.13 . 2 chron. 7.14 . isai. 1.16 , 17. act. 3.19 . ezek. 14.6.18.30 . 2 cor. 7.10 . ier. 24.7 . 1 kin. 8.48 . * gal. 2.20 . love the lord thy god , and walk ever in his wayes , are joyned together , deu. 19.9 . note . deut. 30.2 . act. 3.22 . thus did zacharias and elizabeth obey god , luk. 1.6 . psal. 119.6 . a ps. 119.72 . b iob. 23.12 . c act. 20.23 , 24. d deut. 19.9 . deut. 5.29 . iohn 8.31 . e ruth . 1.16 . f 2 king. 2. g 2 sam. 2. ver . 19. to the 24. note . 2 cor. 8.12 . eph. 3.8 . he tremble●h at the word , when it is rightly applied , yea sometimes when it is wrongfully applied by satan , conscience , or m●n . d●n . 2.10 he thinks not the better of himself for what he doth or for what g●d doth by him . ruth 1.21 . lam. 1.13 . luk 23 , 40 , 41. rom. 7.24 . heb. 10.14 . * 〈…〉 . 〈◊〉 . 〈…〉 when sin is sentenced to death and dying , then is it dead in gods account , and in scripture phrase . note . gal. 2.20 . rom. 7.17 . rom. 6.16 . the evill which i would not , v. 19. note . note . caution . a creature universally wed . the app●arances of a new crea●ure . a new creature doth not allow himself in any one known sin , nor in omit●ing any known duty . he is one that doth not follow after sin● , but after grace . * to clense himself from all filthinesse of the flesh and spirit . 1 ioh. 5.4 . a numb . 14.24 . b 1 king ▪ 14 8. c ruth 1.16 . d 2 kin● 2. e 2 sam. 2. ve● . 19 , to the 24. jesus christ formed in thee the first demonstration of thy new creation . 1 sam. 28.14 . & 13. the new man is renewed in knowledg col. 3.10 . renewing light ishumble , and humbling . iob 24.5 , 6. 1 col. 1.6 . persons savingly inlightened , walk as children of light . eph. 5.8 . 2 cor. 3.18 . note . a new heart the second demonstration of a new creature . note . note . the newness of the heart , consisteth not in the substance of it , but in the quality of it ; when the heart is made new , the substance is not altered , but the quality isaltered : a renewed heart , is in scripture called a new heart . job 19.28 . such as the heart is , such is the man. a new heart , is in scripture called by divers names , and set forth by divers properties , some of which i will here speak of , as god shall inable me . note . note . note . note . a heart wherein there is no guile reigning . prov. 16.17 . psal. 19.12 , 13. an uprightheart goes not after any known s●n , but p●●ys and fights against all sinne . ps. 101.3 . conscienciousin private duties , as well as exact in publique duties . an upright heart makes a man studious and carefull to walk uprightly . psa. 29. ● . psa. 63.1 . ps. 53. ●6 . hab 2.4 . ps. 125.4 . this it doth , because god delightsin uprightness , more then in any other qualification . iob 13.23 . iob 16.19 . iob 13.6 . uprightnesse if once in the heart will never out . iob 27.10 . iob 15.33 . iob 18.16 . mat. 13.5 , 6. iob 23.11 , 12. hence it is that the scripture calls for renovation in spirit in professors of religion . eph. 4.23 . the third demonstration of a new creature is living in christ and bringing forth fruit in him . col. 1.10 . this he finds by experience . 1 sam. 13.8 . note . luk. 6.45 . a new creature is ●ne that doth not commit sin . this is his four●h demonstration . therefore an unregenerate person is said to be the servant of sin . a regenerate person is not a servant of sin but a captive to the law of sin . he that is born of god doth not commit that sin unto death , the sin against the holy ghost . this body of death is worse to a new creature , and this is his fifth demonstration . iob 3 21. a new creature minds the things of the spirit , and is led by the spirit , this is his sixt demonstration . psal. 4.6 . ps. 63.3 cant. 1.2 . note . when a man may be said to be led by the spirit . note . note . nor at all times alike . note . and according as the burdens which he goes under , beheavior or lighter . note . a new creature is one joyned to the lord jes●s christ , and one spirit with him ▪ this is his seven●h demonstration . a rege●ative and sensitive s●ul , is comprehended under a rationall , so is a joyning to christ under a being in christ. ioh. 7.18 . spi●i●uall p●i●st● col. 2.12 . note . note . job 19.28 . his goverment is spirituall , yet external and internall . mat. 26.41 . mark. 6.34 . mat. 9.36 . mat. 15.32 . mat. 14.14.27 . isai. 42.3 . luke 23.34 . act. 10.38 . heb. 5.7 . luk. 22.44 . prov. 8.30 . note . thus from providences . 1 cor. 11.32 . to them that love god. cant. 1.5 , 6. g●n 32. mic. 7.9 . thus did pauls bonds operate in him , phil. 1.23 . heb. 12.11 . note . p●al . 89.30 , 31 , 32. gospell-doctrine , gospell-discipline , gospell-conversation . note . 1 pet. 2.21 , 23. divine patience , what ? a ja. 1.2 . b mat. 5.12 . c lu. 6.23 . divine joy , what ? hab. 2.17 , 18. d mar. 8.38 . e 1 pet. ● . 16 . f 2 tim. 1.8 . g 1 pet. 3.14 . h mat 10.26.28 , 31. rev. 2. ●0 . i cant. 1.9 . note . christian courage . k 1 tim. 1.2 . rom. 1.16 . l dan. 3.18 . thus did the three children we read of in daniel , declare their courage . rom 2.7 . m rev. 2.10 . n mat. 24.13 . perseverance . not● ▪ o 1 pet. 2.19 . i think it not fit here to define conscience , and therefore will pass by that . note . this christ in●●●nated to peter , joh. 13 8. and plainly told nicodemus , joh. 3.5 . * viz. in case of ignorance , temptation , desertion . such a seal was set upon those , mentioned phil. 4.3 . whose names the apostle judged were in the book of life . the saving graces of the spirit , are called , the earnest of the spirit , 2 cor. 5.5 . hates fin for its evil nature , and because god hates it . eph. 4.23 . saving holiness springs from divine principles he is still figh●ing against these , and at last overcomes them all . note . note . joh. 16.13 , 14 , 15. note . all gods adopted children , have hannah's portion , love , speciall love , but all of them have not be●jamin's double portion ( to wit ) love , and the assurance of it ; this is a choice favour , a high priviledg . he hath the spirit ofprayer , though not the gift of prayer note . note . sound assurance makes the soul to triumph over death the king of terrors , as appears in paul , rom. 8.38 39. & 1 cor. 15.55 . note . some singular doing or suffering for god , or from god , by means of sin , or satans or men . notes for div a31952-e36880 * prov. 14.26 . a follow the counsel that moses gave to israel , deut. 4.9 . take bred to thy self , and keep thy soul with all diligence , &c. negative rules . b ps 85 8. sin not away thi● blessin● give not r●ines to any lust ; keep thy self from the accused 〈◊〉 ▪ 2 pet. 3.17 . remember that god never gave any man any qualification , how glorious soever to the end he should glory in it ▪ gods people may often say of their pride , as ieph●●●● did of 〈◊〉 daughter alas my pri●e , thou hast brought me very low walk according to the ruls of the scripture . * 2 col. 2. labour to grow in grace daily . mat. 25. pray that the spirit of god may still bear witnesse with thy spirit of gods love towards them . the cause and cure of ignorance, error, enmity, atheisme, prophanesse, &c., or, a most hopefull and speedy way to grace and salvation, by plucking up impediments by the roote reduced to explication, confirmation, application, tending to illumination, sanctification, devotion / by r. younge ... younge, richard. 1648 approx. 379 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 152 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2003-03 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a67743 wing y143 estc r16605 12545839 ocm 12545839 63051 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a67743) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 63051) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 952:31) the cause and cure of ignorance, error, enmity, atheisme, prophanesse, &c., or, a most hopefull and speedy way to grace and salvation, by plucking up impediments by the roote reduced to explication, confirmation, application, tending to illumination, sanctification, devotion / by r. younge ... younge, richard. [60], 242 p. by r.i. for n. brook ..., printed at london : 1648. reproduction of original in bodleian library. index: p. [39]-[60] created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng grace (theology) -early works to 1800. salvation -early works to 1800. calvinism -great britain. 2002-11 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2002-12 spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images 2003-01 john latta sampled and proofread 2003-01 john latta text and markup reviewed and edited 2003-02 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the cause and cure of ignorance , error , enmity , atheisme , prophanesse , &c. or , a most hopefull and speedy way to grace and salvation , by plucking up impediments by the roote . reduced to explication , * confirmation , application : tending to illumination , sanctification , devotion . by r. younge of roxwell in essex . they call evill good and good evill , &c. they justifie the wicked , and take away the righteousnesse of the righteous from him , isai. 5.20.23 . wherefore slew cain his brother , but because his own works were evill , and his brothers good , 1 joh. 3.12 . i was before a blasphemer , and a persecutor , and injurious , but i obtained mercy , because i did it ignorantly in unbeliefe 1 tim. 1.13 . printed at london by r.i. for n. brook at the signe of the angel in cornhill , mdcxlviii . courteous reader , having perused this cause and cure of enmity ; prophanesse , &c. we finde it to containe , a lively description of the worlds envy and hatred to the godly : together with a perspicuous discovery , of the originall , continuance , properties , and causes of the same . in which also the ignorance , atheisme , and prophannesse of most men ; are pithily & pathetically painted out ; & the remedies of either prescribed , with many forcible inducements to a pious life , and religious conversation : saving knowledge , and true wisdome soundly described , and distinguished from their counterfiets ; with the meanes to attain both : the necessity of repentance , &c. prest home . all which , is laid down pithily , orderly , and ellegantly : with much , both sinuous strength of argument , and variety of gracefull , and delightfull illustration : which may draw on the reader , to his no small benefit , and ( through gods blessing ) prove of much use , to all sorts that shall reade the same : whether for information , or direction ; diswasion from evill , or confirmation in good : as tending much to the comforting of beleevers in their sufferings ; and to the reclayming , or ( at least ) the convincing of such as any way oppose the way of truth . so that whatsoever time , labour or dilligence ; thou shalt spend in often reading the same : we doubt not , but the profit wil recompence thy paines abundantly . george vvalker . edm. calamy . joseph caryll . an advertisement to all such ; as speake evill of the way of truth : and of the things which they understand not , 2 pet. 2.12 . my brethren , many of you to my knowledge ; have read this cure , and highly approv●d of it : but for want of acquaintance with your owne hearts , you thinke it concernes others , not you . as david thought of nathans parable , 2 sam. 12.1 . to 8. and ahab of the prophets , 1 king. 20.39 . to 43. when it concerned no lesse , then his owne life . so that these lines to you ( for want of application ) are but as so many characters , written in the water , which leave no impression behind them . for you are the same men ●till , as bitter malignants to the power of godlinesse ; and as much forestalled with prejudice against the religious as you were before . though i did hope better things , both of you and it : & that upon good probability . for it cannot be denyed ; but i have said sufficient in this , and the succeeding parts ( which sundry of you have read also ) if not to convert , yet at least to convince all gainsayers : and consequently to stop the mouth of iniquity , which is set so wide-open : to quench those tongues , which are set on fire from hell ; and to charm the mouth , of the most envious momus , that ever hell did hatch ; from barking at professors , and practisers of piety . which makes mee feare , that what this will not effect , no ordinary meanes are like to doe . as what can bee further expected ? no glasse can more lively represent your faces , than this booke does your hearts ; onely this is the misery , as when a child beholds his owne face in a glasse ; hee thinkes hee sees another child's face , and not his owne : so fares it with you . which is the sole cause , that in the middest of so much means so few are converted : for otherwise , the word of god is so powerfull ; and the gospel so ravishing : that the world could not stand before it , without submitting to it . whereas for want of applying it to their owne consciences : every one can evade , whatsoever their ministers can speak to them out of the word . i have shewne you what god in his word speakes , and proved that your condition is no whit better then the condition of caine , and ishmael , and hamman , and eliab , a●d goliah , and michal , and doeg and shemei , and rabshekah , and tobia , and sandballat , and pashur , and zedekiah , and herod , and saint paul before his conversion , and ananias the high preist , and demetrius the silver-smith , and alexander the copper-smith , and elimas the sorcerer . what , doe you looke that christ iesus himselfe from heaven should call to you severally by name ; as he did to saul : and say ho ishmael such an one ; or ho elimas such an one ; why doest thou persecute me ? i am jesus whom thou persecutest , acts 9.4 , 5. and this booke is an epistle , which i have caused to be writ unto thee ; therefore see thou bee warned by it , and perswaded to repent : or i will come against thee shortly , and will fight against thee , with the sword of my mouth , except thou amend , rev. 2.6 . — & 3.20 . and yet if christ himselfe should doe so : i question whether you would bee any more warned , or reclaimed by it ; than hazaell was , when the prophet told him what abominable wickednesse hee should commit , 2 kings 8.12 , 13. &c. abraham tels dives as much in effect , lu. 13.31 . i know you thinke well of your selves , and so did hazaell : which made him answer the prophet , what is thy servant a dog ; that i should doe this great evill ? though hee afterward did it , and was worse then any dogge . yea , you call your selves christians , and will face us downe , that you are the servants of god : and that the word may prove your baine , the prophanest of you can snatch the comfort of every promise you hear ; as belonging to you , witnesse my sovereign antedote , in which there is not one word of comfort for ; or intended , for you that are scoffers : but for such as suffer reproach for the name of christ , and for well-doing . yet it is admirable to consider , how you comment upon those comforts , and apply every passage therein ; to your selves , & against the godly : in which case it is hard to say , whether your applying the promises in that , and such like books and sermons : or your not applying the threats , and precepts in this , and the like , will most occasion your finall impenitency . and whether it best pleases satan , that you thus read , and heare gods word ; or that you neither reade , nor heare it at all . oh the many wayes that satan hath , to gull , and delude carnall men : and how willing , and apt they are to gul , & delude themselves ! but consider ! hath god made any promise to scoffers ? or can the crosse of christ , save them that continue malitious enemies to his crosse ? phil. 3.18 . no , god hath promised to shew mercy unto thousands , of them that love him & keep his cōmandments exod. 20.5 , 6. and to forgive the most unrighteous , if they will forsake their evill wayes , and returne unto him , isay 55.7 . and christ hath made a generall proclamation , that whosoever ( have they formerly been never so wicked and vicious ) shall repent and beleeve , and obey the gospell shall be saved , marke 16.16 . heb. 5.9 . but withall christ hath no lesse told us , ( and i pray marke it ) that except we repent , and beleeve , we shall for ever perish , and bee damned marke 16.16 . luke 13.3 , 5. and threatned , that hee will come the second time , in flaming fire , to render vengeance unto them , that know him not ; and that obey not his gospell , 2 thess. 1.7.8 . psalm . 11.6 . adding , that no unrighteous persons , shall inherit the kingdome of god : but shall have their part , and portion in that lake , which burneth with fire and brimstone , which is the second death , 1 cor. 6.9 , 10. gal. 5.21 . revel . 21.8 . and that without holinesse , no man shall see the lord , heb. 12.14 , and god no lesse tels us , that hee will recompence every man , according to his workes , be they good or evill , revel . 20.13 . and 22.12 . rom. 2.6 . jer. 25.14 . and 32.19 . and 50.29 . and 51.56 . ezek. 7.4.8 , 9. and 9.10 . and 11.21 . and 16.43 . yea hee tels us expresly ; that he will not be mercifull unto such , as flatter themselves in an evill way : but that his wrath , and jealousie shall smoake against them ; and every curse that is written in his booke shall light upon them , &c. deut. 29.19 , 20. and that if we will not regard , nor hearken unto him , when he calls upon us for repentance : he will not hear , nor regard us , when in our distresse , and anguish we shall call upon him for mercy : but even laugh at our destruction , and mocke when our fear commeth , prov. 1.24 . to 33. neither is salvation more promised to the godly , in any part of the bible ; old testament or new : than eternall death , and destruction is threatned to the wicked . for though to all repentant sinners , he is a most mercifull god : yet to wilfull , and impenitent sinners he is a consuming fire heb. 12.29 . deut. 4.24 . doe you indeed beleeve , that hee who is truth it selfe ; speakes as hee meanes in his word ? or will you hearken to god , and christ , rather than to satan and your deceitfull heart : that would gull you of your soule , and plunge you into everlasting horror ? if so , take notice ; that christ came not to be a patron for sin ; but that he might destroy the body of sin , and the workes of the devill in us 1 iohn 3.8 . and to sanctifie , as well as to save us , rom. 6.5 , 6. titus 2.11 , 12 , 14. luke 1.74 , 75. and that the very end of gods electing , and of christs redeeming us , was : that we might be holy , ephe. 1.4 . matth. 19.17 . and therefore hee binds it with an oath : that whomsoever he redeemeth , out of the hands of their spirituall enemies : they shall worship him in holinesse , and righteousnesse all the dayes of their lives , luke 1.73 , 74 , 75. 1 pet. 2.24 . nor ought any indeed , to call upon christ ; or once to name him with their mouthes : except they depart from iniquity 2 tim. 2 . 1● . and this do all that are spirituall , 1 cor. 2.14 , 15. such as resolve to doe gods will , psalm . 111.10 . ( to whom alone christ reveales himselfe savingly , iohn 15.14 , 15. 1 iohn 2.20 . ) know : that if you were christians indeede , as you say you are : you would immitate christ , and indeavour to square your lives according to his gospell , 1 iohn 2.4 , 5 , 6. iohn 15.14 , 15. or if you were gods servants , you would doe what hee commands ! 1 iohn 1.6 , 7. mall . 1.6 . ier. 7.23 . and 26.13 . but certainly , as linacre said long since , so may i now . either the new testament is none of christ's gospell : or you are not christians , iohn 8.31 . gal. 5.24 . 1 iohn 5.3 . and so of the old , either it is none of god's word : or you are none of his servants . as marke what the holy ghost saith ; rom. 6. know ye not , that to whom ye yeeld your selves as servants to obey ; his servants ye are to whom ye obey ? v. 16. to 23. 2 pet. 2.19 . and 2 cor. 5. if any man be in christ , he is a new creature , v. 17.2 tim. 2.19 . and our saviour himself , who affirmes that wee are the children of the devill : if wee doe the workes of the devill , iohn 8.34 , 44. luke 14.26 . and what worke , or service , can the devil put you upon like this ? which both blockes up the way to heaven so ; and opens such a flood-gate to all prophanesse : that few , or scarse any , doe sufficiently discerne and deplore . but that satan is your father , your king , and your god : and how you advance his kingdom , by your daily scoffs , reproaches , &c. 1 in detaining many from entering into a religious course . 2 in staggering many who have made some progresse in the way . 3 in keeping many from doing the good which they would , or appearing the same which they are . 4 in beating many cleane off from their profession . 5 in hardening many and making them resolve against goodnesse . 6 in intentionally slaying many with death eternall . the insuing pages , sufficiently shew . onely i would ( if it were possible ) make your selves acknowledge , that you are the men there spoken of . for though all experiensed christians know , and god in his word tels you plainely : that satan is the god of all unbeleevers , 2 cor. 4.4 . and their king , iohn 14.30 . and 12.31 . and their father , gen. 3.15 . iohn 8.44 . and that they are all his servants , kept by the devill in a snare ; and taken captive of him at his will , 2 tim. 2.26 . and that hee ruleth by , and worketh his pleasure in ; all the children of disobedience , ephe. 2.2 , 3. yet poore soules , you know it not : as those foure hundred of ahabs prophets , in whom this evill spirit spake ; did not know that satan spake by them , 1 kings 22.22 . neither did iudas know , when he eate the sop that sathan entred into him ; and put it into his heart to betray christ iohn 13.2 . for hee had more plausible ends in it , as thinking that christ could at pleasure , deliver himselfe out of their hands , and the like . neither do magistrates ( when they cast the servants of god into prison ) once imagine ; that the devill makes them his jaylors : but hee doth so , whence that phrase of the holy ghost , the devill shall cast some of you into prison , rev. 2.10 . they are his instruments , but hee is the principall author . neither did ananias , and saphira once thinke ; that satan had filled their hearts , or put that lye into their mouthes , which they were strooke dead for , acts 5. yet the holy ghost tels us plainly , that hee did so , ver . 3. no , eve in paradise : had not the least suspision , that it was sathan that spake to her by the serpent : nor adam , that it was the devills mind in her mouth : his heart in her lips , when tempted to eate the forbidden fruite . nor did david once dreame , that it was sathan , which moved him to number the people , 1 chron. 21.1 . much lesse did peter ; who so dearly loved christ ; imagine that he was set on by sathan , to tempt his own lord and master with those affectionate words ; master pity thy self : for if christ had pitied himselfe , peter , and all the world had perished . yet hee was so , which occasioned christ to answer him ; get thee behind me sathan mat. 16.22 , 23. whence we may argue , that if sathan can make the best , and wisest of gods children and servants : who hate the very appearance of evill , 1 thess. 5.22 . iude 23. eph. 5.27 . 2 pet. 3.14 . iam. 1.27 . have the eye of faith , and the spirits direction , and know the minde of christ , 1 cor. 2.12 , 13 , 15 , 16. iohn 10.14 above others ; to doe him such service unwittingly , and besides their intention : how much more can he prevaile with , and make use of his owne servants , and children ; that delight only in wickednesse , and have not the least knowledge of , or ability to discerne spirituall things , 1 cor. 2.14 . 2 cor. 4.4 . 1 tim. 4.2 . but will you know , how it comes to passe ? that you call evill good , and good evill ; put darkenesse , for light and light for darkenesse ; bitter for sweet , and sweet for bitter : that you justifie the wicked , and take away the righteousnesse of the righteous from him , isai. 5.20.23 . and so fight under sathans banner against gods people : and yet take your selves to bee ( not sathans but ) gods servants ? i will shew you five maine reasons of it ; i pray marke them . first , so long as you are in your naturall condition ; you have eyes and see not , eares and heare not , hearts and understand not spirituall things : as christ himselfe plainly affirmes matth. 13.15 . and his apostle , acts 28.27 . and before them both the prophet isay chap. 6.9.10 . and the reason of that is , you have a vaile or curtaine drawne over your hearts : which is never taken away untill ye turne to the lord by repentance : at which time it is taken away , as you may reade , 2 cor. 3.14 , 15 , 16. rom. 12.2 . 1 cor. 2.14 , 15 , 16. secondly long custome , and the commonnesse of this sinne ; hath taken away the sense of it , 1 tim. 4.2 . heb. 3.13 . yea , quite turned it from a sin ( and that the greatest ) to a vertue . as how many in this land , for all they are traytors to god ; and take up armes against all that worship him in spirit & in truth : would yet be counted ( and are so by the blind world ) not onely honest men ; but good christians ? whereas if it were not so common , and in fashion : they would be counted very atheists , and devills : and so they are accounted of all , but them that are atheists . how many that scoffe at , traduce , and nick-name the conscionable puritans ; and hate them , even for the graces of gods spirit which shine in them : would yet be counted religious men ? whereas if it were not so usuall , and that custome had not bleered mens minds : it would bee counted no better than open rebellion , and blasphemy against god : & so it is counted , by all but them that use it . this sin is counted no sin ; and yet it is the most desperate sinne ; and does more hurt than all his fellowes . thirdly , to helpe forward : when god sends to you his gospell , thereby to cure and save you ; you will not be cured , jer. 51.9 . yea , you so hate the light of the gospell ; that you shun it all you can least your deeds should be reprooved , john 3.19 , 10. or else you stop your eares , and shut your eyes ; least you should see with your eyes , and heare with your eares , and should understand with your hearts ; and should he converted , and christ should heale you , as himselfe affirmes , matth. 13.15 . and what is light to him , that will shut his eyes against it ? or reason to him that will stop his eares from hearing it . fourthly , here upon ; because you will not receive the truth in love , that you might be saved : for this cause , god gives you up to strong delusions ; that you should beleeve a lye . that all of you might be damned , who beleeve not the the truth ; but take pleasure in unrighteousnesse : they are the very words of the holy ghost , 2 thess. 2.10 , 11 , 12. of which see more , rom. 1.21 . to 32. fiftly and lastly , sathan the god of this world ; hath blinded your mindes , that the light of the glorious gospell of christ , which is the image of god ; should not shine unto you , 2 cor. 4.3 , 4. ephes. 2.2 . 2 thess. 2.9 , 10. 1 tim. 4.2 . for as sathan is the prince of darkenesse , so hee rules in the darkenesse of the understanding : dealing with wicked men , as faulkoners do with their haukes , who that they may carry them quietly , and doe what they list unto them : first blinde their eyes with a hood . neither could men else hear the gospell ( day after day , and yeare after yeare ) which is the strong arme of the lord , and the mighty power of god to salvation , rom. 1.16 . and the sword of the spirit , ephe. 6.17 . and like as a fire or an hammer that breaketh even the rocke in peeces . ier. 23.29 , 30. and that irresistable cannon shot , that is mighty to beat downe all the strong holds of sinne and sathan , 2 cor. 10.4 . quick and powerfull and sharper then any two edged sword ; and peir●eth even to the dividing asunder of the soule and spirit , and of the joynts and marrow , and to the discerning of the very thoughts , and secret intents of the heart , heb. 4.12 . and stand it out , even refusing the free offer of grace and salvation . neither could they other then hate sin , & love holinesse : for ( besides that any wise man , would rather be saved than damned ) plato a very heathen could say , that vertue if it be clearly seene ; moves great love and affection . yea , if wee could descerne good from evill perfectly ; that subtile serpent , could deceive no longer . and because hee cannot force men against their wills ; ( which leaves us without excuse ) for though that old sheba , blowes many an inticing blast , to carry us away from our true allegiance to christ iesus our king : yet the minde of man is not capable of a violation , either from man or sathan : therefore he useth his utmost pollicy to perswade us . and by desception of our reason ( whereby we mistake vertue for vice , and vice for vertue ) hee cheefly prevailes . for no vice could ever bee loved but for the seeming good which it makes shew of . and sathan is so cunning a sophister , and so dexterous a retoritian in perswading : that hee desires no more , then to bee heard speake . as what thinke you ; if that old serpent and sophister , did so easily perswade eve by himself , and adam by her to beleeve what hee spake : though they had heard god himselfe say the contrary immediatly before : what hope have wee to stand out ? being so extreamly degenerated . if they in the state of innocency , when they had wisdome at wil , and reason at command ; found him too hard for them ; when they fell once to argue the case with him ; how much more too weake shall wee finde our selves , that are as wee are ; and when our owne flesh is become our enemy , and his cunning soliciter . my brethren ! be no longer deceived , but hearken more to what god speaks in his word ; lesse to the tempter : for hee will set a faire coulour , upon the foulest sinne that ever was committed , witnesse his words to eve , when shee eate the forbidden fruite , at the price of death eternall , gen. 3. witnesse the glorious pretences which hammon made to ahashuerosh ; that he might procure that bloody decree , against all the iewes , ester 3. and a thousand more which i could reckon up . and so on the contrary , what good action can bee so splendent , and glorious ; but hee will bring reasons in appearance , to make it , not onely faulty , but odious ? witnesse our saviours casting out devills : which saith he ( by the mouthes of the scribes and pharisees ) is done through belzebub : hee will make the people beleeve , that either the action is evill ; or if good , not god but himselfe will have the glory of it , matt. 12.24 . yea , through sathans subtilty , christ was made the greatest offender ; that offended not once in all his life , which would make a wise man suspect his owne judgement or the common fame , & to examin things throughly , before they condemne one , whom they know no evill by . but not to weary you with instances , if hee can perswade men ( as hee hath done millions ) that they shall doe god good service , in putting his prophets to death : as christ himselfe expresly tell us , iohn 16.2 . what can hee not perswade them to ? as what stone so rough , but hee can smooth it ? what stuffe so pittifull , but hee can set a glosse upon it ? for like a beare , hee can lick into fashion , the mostmis-shapen , and deformed lumpe . or like a dogge , heale any wound hee can reach with his tongue . yea , your selves cannot choose but know ( except you bee starke blinde ) what golden eloquence , he will whisper in your eares ; what brasen impudence , what subtile shifts , what quainte querks , what cunning conveyances ; what jugling , shuffling , and packing hee will use ; to make any sin feasible , like the hare which if shee dare not trust to her speed ; she will try the turne . and so on the contrary , to discourage gods people in good . neither could concupisence bring forth sin , without the consent of reason : and reason would never consent , so long as the eyes are open . yea ▪ if the light of knowledge , might freely shine in the soule ; sathans suggestions would soon make him ashamed , and vanish with all his workes of darknesse . or if temptations , might bee but turned about and shewne on both sides ; his kingdome would not be so populous , wherefore when he sets upon any poore soule ; he shews the baite , hides the hooke . whence it is , that sathan hath more servants to fight for him here below ; then the trinity which made us : else how should that bee true , which our saviour christ , and his apostles so often inculcate ? viz. that the whole world lyeth in wickednesse , 1 john 5.19 . that the number of those , whom sathan shall deceive , is as the sand of the sea , revel . 20.8 . and 13.16 . isay 10.22 . rom. 9.27 . that the greatest number , goe the broade way to destruction : and but a few the narrow way , which leadeth unto life matth. 7.13 , 14. that many are caled ( viz. by the outward ministery of the word ) but few chosen , matth. 20.16 . and 22.14 . sad predictions ! oh that we could not apply them ! but experience shewes , that among them that call themselves christians ; scarse one of an hundred ; whose practise is answerable ; either to the gospell , their christian profession , or the millions or mercies they have received . yea , notwithstanding the holy ghost tells us in the word ; and wee heare it dayly ; that every man shall be judged according to his workes ; be they good or evill , revel 20.13 . and 22.12 . and that we shall give an account , at the day of judgement : for every idle word wee speake , matth. 12.36 . and that wee neede no other ground of our last , and heaviest doome : then ye have not given , ye have not visited &c. matth. 25.41 . to 46. and that the righteous , shall scarsly be saved , and that many shall seeke to enter in at the strait gate and shall not be able , luke 13.24 . the which scriptures , if they bee true ? what manner of persons ought we to be in all holy conversation , and godlinesse as the apostle speakes , 2 pet. 3.11 . and yet most men live , as if the gospell were quite contrary to the rule of the law : as if god were neither to bee feared , nor cared for . as if they were neither beholding to him , nor affraid of him : both out of his debt and danger . yea , as if there were no god to judge , nor hell to punish , nor heaven to reward . i cannot think of it without astonishment ! i remember cyprian , brings in the devill triumphing over christ in this manner ; as for my followers sayth the devill ; i never dyed for them , as christ hath done for his : i never promised them so great reward , as christ hath done to his : and yet i have more followers than hee ; and they doe more for me , than his doe for him . oh that men would duly consider how true this is , and amend before the draw-bridge bee taken up : but this is the misery , and a just plague upon our so much formality , and prophanesse under our so much meanes of grace : there bee very few men , that make not the whole bible , and all the sermons they heare ; yea , the checks of their owne consciences , and the motions of gods spirit utterly in-effectuall for want of wit and grace to apply the same to themselves , whereas if they would rightly and ingenuously apply but one text or two , as matth. 7.12 . and 16.26 . or the like unto their owne soules : as they can unto others ( being better able to discerne others moates , than their owne beames ) they might be everlastingly happy . but this is the gift of god alone , and naturall men love their sins , better than their soules . objection , but you will say , what is this to us ? wee live unrebukably , wee pay every man his owne ; wee are temperate , chaste , &c. wee goe duely to church ; pray in our families ; make conscience of swearing , lying , &c. answer , but does it flow from a pious and good heart sanctified by the holy ghost , 1 tim. 1.5 . acts 15.9 . is it done in faith , and out of right ends as out of love , and obedience ? because god commands the same ; that hee may bee glorified , and others edified thereby . otherwise , all your best performances ; are no better in gods account ; then the offering of swins blood : or the cutting off of a dogs neck , as himselfe shewes isay 58. chap. and 66.3 . 1 john 3 12. matth. 7.22 , 23. againe doe you pay god his dues also : doe you repent , and beleeve the gospell : precepts and menaces , as well as promises ? doe you declare your faith by your workes ? doe you pray by the power of the spirit ? and with the understanding also ? 1 cor. 14.15 . doe you receive the word with good and honest hearts ? reade , conferre and meditate upon it ? and also bring forth the fruits of it in your lif and conversation ? doe you sanctifie his sabbaths ? and see that all under you doe the same ? love his children , promote his glory , and strive to gaine others to imbrace the gospell ? instruct your children and servants , and teach them to feare the lord ? doe you feare an oath ? hate a lye , & c ? love zeale , and devotion in others ? make conscience of evill thoughts ? vaine , and unprofitable words ? grieve for your unprofitablenesse under the meanes of grace ? for the evill which cleaves to your very best actions ? and for sins of omissions , & c ? no , you may bee good morrall honest men : but none of these graces , grow in the gardens of your hearts . you have a forme of godlinesse , but you deny the power of it : and are reprobate to every good worke 2 tim. 3.5 . titus 1.16 . yea , have you not strange conceits , and base thoughts of the best men ? doe you not deeply censure , & condemne the generation of the just ? and thinke the worse of a man , for having of a tender conscience ? doe you not envy , hate , scoffe at , nick-name , raile on and slander the people of god ; and mis-consture their actions and intentions ? watch for their halting , and combine with others against them ? doe you not with festus , account zeale madnesse ? and religion foolishnesse with michal ? for men of the world , think the religious fooles , and madde-men : but the religious know them to be fooles and madde-men . doe you not sharpen your tongues in gall ; and dip your pens in poyson , to disgrace the graces of god in his children ? yea , have you not beaten off many from being religious by your scoffes and reproaches ? and made them resolve against goodness ? and staggered others , that have made some progresse in holinesse ? yes , every place where you come , and all that you are conversant withall , can witnesse it . yea , you hate zeale , and devotion so invetterately ; that you can in no wise , bear with it in others . i speake not by rote ; for would i be so uncivill as you are , or doe by you , as you by others : i could name hundereds of you : though you will not confesse it , when taken in the manner ; but justifie your so doing , by many collourable pretences . for poore soules , you are so ignorant of sathans wiles , ephes. 6.11 . that with saint paul before his conversion , you persecute the church of god : even out of zeale , to the traditions of your fathers , gal. 1.13 , 14. phil. 3.6 . which is the case almost of who not ! for this sinne , is so epidemicall that take forty men where you please city or country , as they dwell , passe the streets , or sit in their pues : and nine and thirty of them are malignants to the power of religion . you will say it is a big word ; but i have warrant for it : doth not our saviour say , you shall be hated of all men and nations for my names sake , matth , 10.22 . and 24.9 . which infers , that all who are not hated for religion , are haters of religion . neither is christ's name , any where more spoken against , then in israel , luke 2.34 . where all professe themselves to bee gods people . the like place you have matth. 5.11 . and what is meant by these words ? i will put enmity betweene the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman , gen. 3.15 ? but that all men living , are either the womans , or the serpents seed . as for other sins , one man is given to lust , another to intemperance , a third to swearing , a fourth to cousening , some to more than one , some to all of them : but who is not tainted with this sinne ? who is not an open or secret enemy to holinesse ? by reason of that generall contempt , which is cast upon professors . yea , who is there , even of those that have resigned up their pride , and their lust , and their lying , and their co●sening ; or what other sinnes they have beene prone to ? with whom this sinne doth not remaine , as though they had a dispensation for this evill . yea , and thinke they doe wond●rous well in it for they delude themselves , with a multitude of mispris●ons , and false surmises against the godly ; the soules of most men , being drowned in their senses ; and carried away with weake opinions , raised from vulgar mistakes , and shadowes of things . and which is worst of all ; they have so hardned their hearts , and so seared their consciences , with accustomary using it , even from their infancy : that a man were as good speake to a stone , ( ezek. 11.19 . ) as admonish them of it , having pharoah's curse upon them , an hard heart , and a seared conscience . and a bruit beast , is as capable of good councel as they . yea , braying in a morter , as solomon speakes would not alter them prov. 27.22 . neverthelesse , though they resemble those beasts that went into the arke uncleane ; and came out againe uncleane : yet it shall comfort me , that i have done my best , to plucke up this infectious weede out of mens hearts : that i have hopefully ministred unto them ; whom i cannot cure . and that i have brought water enough , to wash these blackamores white : if it were in the power of water to do it besides i did it as well for the godlies sake , as for theirs : i considered , how my selfe was formerly forestalled with prejudice against goodnesse ; and how extreamly i mis-judged both actions and persons ; by reason of that generall contempt , which was cast upon professors : which for many yeares hindred me from entering upon a religious course . yea , when god of his free grace , and good pleasure had brought me out of darknesse , into his marvellous light : and touched my heart with the load-stone of the gospell : that i was not beaten off againe , from ever being religious ; ( through the daily scoffes , and reproaches which in every place i met withall ; for refusing to doe as others , with whom i was conversant ) no reason can be rendered but that of the apostle , whom he did predestinate ; them he also called , and justified , and saved . rom. 8.30 . and o the depth , rom. 11.33 . wherefore when once my judgement was cleared , and my prejudice cured : by the sage councell of a friend , and by pondering these few scriptures , 2 tim. 3.12 . mat. 10.22 , 23. &c. and 24 . 9●● luke 2.34 . and 4.29 . iohn 15.20 . gen. 3.15 . 1 iohn 3.13 . 1 pet. 4.12 , 13 , 14. luke 14 , 27. and 6.26 . mat. 5.10 , 11 , 12. phill. 1.28 , 29. both of them being driven home , or set on by the rodde of affliction : by gods grace , i not onely shooke off this slavish yoke of bondage and feare , in which sathan for the present held mee : but probably conjectured , that god would inable mee to discover and sound this depth of malice in sathan & his adherents , which makes them so swel and rage against the godly : and thereby so convince the one , that they should not dare to pervert the straight wayes of the lord , by turning away the weake from the faith : and so furnish the other , with armour of proof against their scornes that they might see there was no cause ; nor have the least thought , or purpose of returning . for the effecting whereof , i have not beene sparing in either paines or prayer to god ; for divine a●sistance ( it being a subject , that none , ( as i conceive ) have hitherto handled ) which i found extended to me , blessed bee his holy name beyond my expectation . indeed we may speake to the eare , but god alone hath the key of the heart , acts 16.14 . to whose blessing i leave the successe , and its use to the world . humbly beseeching the almighty , that these lines may not rise up in judgement against those hazaells ; that have read them and are never the better : and so instead of curing their sinne , prove a meanes to increase their torment . r. y. an alphabeticall table , both for the book , and for the advertisement . a. actions , our best actions abominable , except they proceed from right ends , and a heart sanctified . advertisement . aa . accuse , wicked accuse the godly of many things , but prove nothing . page 68 they will coyne matter to accuse us . 70 they dazle mens eyes with false accusations . 73 and have a great advantage therein of the godly . 63 they have so hardened their hearts , that we were as good admonish a stone . ad. ee adversities , distinction of them . 27 agree , impossible the good and bad should ever agree . 132 carnall men can agree with any , so they be not religious . 133 though they differ in other things , they will agree against the godly . 133 agreement in some points doth but advance hatred the more . 136 anthipathy , a secret enmity , and antipathy between the wicked and the godly . 2 look enmity . all means ineffectuall for want of application . ad. a. b want of application the cause of all impiety . ad. a. b.z what chiefly concernes us wee apply to others . ad. a. z the most prophane can apply the promises which belong only to such as suffer for well-doing . ad. d hard to say whether their applying the promises , or not applying the precepts and threats , doth most occasion their finall impenitency . ad. e assitance , divine assistance in time of triall . 192 atheisme , fruits of it wherewith the lands abounds . look unbeleef . 23 atheists on earth , none in hell . 214 fire and brimstone shall confute all atheists . 219 the most grounded atheisme hath a mixture of beleefe . 215.217 atheists would give all they have to bee sure there were no bell . 216 their convicted consciences shall be witnesses against their unbeleefe . 218 none so confirmed in atheisme , but will feare in time of danger . 211 at least on their death beds they confesse a god. 212 b. beliefe , unbeliefe , a cause of persecuting us . 202 proved by testimonies . ibid. by examples . ib. by experience . 204 men think they believe , but do not . ib. evidences of mens unbeliefe . 205 a carnall heart flint to god , wax to satan . 221 that most men believe not an hell , proved undeniably . 226 did men believe the word , or a judgement to come , they durst not live as they doe . 208.226 carnall men believe the promises , but neither the precepts , nor threats . 222 all men apt enough to presume upon gods mercy . 220. ad. d all true believers the children of god. 131 all unbelievers children of the divell . ib. sathan the god , king , and father of all unbelievers . ad. k admonition to beware , before it proves too late . 230 all that hath or can be spoken , will prove fruitlesse , except gods blessing doe accompany it . ad. hh bruising the head , what is meant by it . 32. and what by bruising the heele . 33. byble gen. 3.15 . an epitomy of it . 35 c causes of hatred and persecution eleven . 127.239 censure , they censure our actions , and misconsture our intentions . 64 they passe over our good parts . 69 look murmuring . to censure all for the faults of a few , is only the part of a fool . 148 but most are such fooles and beasts . ib. if christians , we will imitate christ , if gods servants , we will doe what he commands . ad. h christians , if a tithe of them be christians that are so called , there are millions of christians in hell . 232 they combine together , and lay divelish plots to destroy the godly . 105 they will easily finde occasion . 107 our serving of god shall be ground sufficient . 108 or a ministers saving of soules . ibid. the manner of their consultations . 106 would we accompany them in evill , their malice would cease . 144 they condemne us that themselves may be justified . 66. look judging . means to confirm , comfort and strengthen us against the worlds hatred . 12 to consider before it prove too la●e . 214 they will make an evill construction of whatsoever we doe or speake 6 constancy , such as feare god as immoveable as a rock . 253. looke profession . they contemne the godly which is not for want of ignorance . 56 contempt of religion makes many resolve against goodnesse . 6 contrariety a maine cause of hatred and persecution . 130 they are contrary and differ , 1. in their judgements touching wisdome , happinesse , fortitude , sin , holinesse . 138 2. in their passions and affections of love , feare , anger , ioy , &c. 139 3. in their practice , and this breeds many a quarrell . 139 sufficient hath been spoken to convince the most malicious . ad. b they give devilish counsell against us . 72 miserable condition of cowardly christians . 4 christ and his crosse inseparable . 10 they use to curse the godly . 87 and those that least deserve the same . 90 curse us that they may discourage us . ib. though they curse , yet god will blesse . 91 how miserably cursers shall bee cursed . 91 they that curse us , would kill us if they durst . 89 d. of denying christ a memorable example . 5. look profession . foule mouthed men and women are devills in scripture phrase 83 good men may differ in many things , yet agree in the maine . 157 a vast difference betweene another discipline , and another doctrine . 158 discretion eats up devotion . 156 wicked men thinke they grace themselves by disgracing others . 79 how fitly they are called dogs . 81 e. an enmity or war proclaimed betweene the wicked and godly . 15 the author proclayming ib. the captaines and souldiers betweene whom . 16 severall uses of instruction . 17 the certainty of this war. 20 foure lessons of instruction . 21 the end why , threefold . 23 god the author , without being the author of sin . 24 of which sundry reasons . ibid. the same further cleared . 26 originall sin the originall of this discord . 23 the time threefold . 28 vse of comfort . 29 the manner of their venting it . 30 the place threefold . ibid. what will be the issue , and who shall get victory . 32 this war is perpetuall . 28 it was before the flood . 40 after the flood before the law . 41 after the law before christ. ib. in the time of christ and his apostles . 42 after the apostles in the time of the ten persecutions . 43 from the primitive times hitherto . 44 in the times wherein we live . 46 it will continue to the worlds end . 50 application of the point . 52 twenty two signes or properties of this enmity . 53 foure mentall . ib. eleven verball . 62 seven actuall . 98 eleven causes of this enmity . 130 first cause is contrariety . ibid. this enmity makes them forget all naturall affection . 49 severall uses of their enmity . 124 , 125 to informe us whether we be children of the devill or members of christ. 125 application of the point . 52.168 they envy the godly , because better then themselves . 139 application of the point 142 and because they fare better . 166 application first to unhallowed ministers . 168. secondly to the rabble . 171 the good mans honour is the envious mans torment . 168 envy the devils cognizance , as love is christs 54 example of the multitude . 239 some of their excuses . 151 genesis the 3.15 . opened and explained . 14 f. triall of a christian by the fruits of his faith . ad. aa , bb naturall men feare visible powers , not the invisible god. 210 morall men count zeale madnesse , and religion foolishnesse . ad. cc. to bee a christian requires fortitude . 160 g. wicked men manifest their enmity against the religious by their gesture . 98 as the tongue speaks to the ear , so the gesture speaks to the eye . 99 gods goodnesse aggravates our wickednesse . 234 no living for the godly if their enemies hands were allowed to be as bloody as their hearts . 93 nothing more contemned then goodnesse . 143 h. all naturall men hate the religious . 2.60 the best men most hated and spoken against . 1 all the saints have been hated and persecuted . 11 they so hate holinesse , that they will hate men for it . ad. cc all hated for religion , or haters of religion . ad. dd originall of this hatred . 14 they will hate a man to the death for being holy . 6. look persecution . none but the desperately wicked will malice his brother for goodnesse . 165 they will hate us , because they have hurt us . 104 causes of the worlds hatred eleven . 127 many wives , children and servants hated for being religious . 135 hatred for religion the most bitter , implacable , &c. 136 their hatred extends to the whole generation of the godly . 60 but they have not so much authority as malice . 61 though their punishment shall be never the lesse . ibid. they will neither heare themselves , nor suffer others . 104 they come not to be caught by a minister , but to catch him , 109 but are taken in the snare they spread for others . 110 as they belong to hell , so they speak the language . 89 a holy life cannot escape persecution . 47 we may appeale to themselves who are the honester men . 145 an humble man will never bee an heretique , 102 see pride . they will hurt and maime the godly . 115 i. ignorance a main cause of hatred and persecution . 172 proved by testimonies . 173 by examples , ib. by experience . 176 ignorance the cause of all sin . 175 the more ignorant the more malicious . 177 ignorance ever makes the worst construction of things . 178 ignorance causeth suspition , suspition hatred , &c. ib. look wisdome , knowledge : objection that great schollers and wise men doe the same , answered , 179 they have inlightned heads , but darke hearts . 179 their deeds prove them ignorant . 180 that indifferent to one , that is not so to another . 58 to be scrupulous no ill signe , 159 in cases of a doubtfull nature , best to take the surest side . ib. it is well for the innocent , that the wicked cannot keep their own counsell . 94 they judge others by themselves . 67 look censure , meanes to cleare our judgements touching the worlds hatred . 8 men may doubt , but the devils beleeve a judgement to come . 219 the worst of men can justifie and think well of themselves . ad. d. five main reasons why they fight under sathans banner , and yet thinke themselves gods servants . ad. n. 1 their ignorance of spirituall things , ib. 2 long custome of this sin hath taken away the sense of it . ad. o. 3 they reject all meanes of being bettered , ad. p. 4 because they will not receive the truth , they are given up to beleeve lies . ib. 5 sathan the prince of darkenesse blindes them . ad. q k. what knowledge is peculiar to the godly , and what common to them with hypocrites 188 no attaining supernaturall knowledge by any naturall meanes , 190 saving knowledge such a jewell , that god gives it to none but his children . ib. of which many instances , 191 the same further amplified , 192 see more of this in wisdome and in ignorance . l. were it not for the law , there were no living among wicked men . 49 the first part of conversion is to love them that love god , 180 nothing hath proved more successefull to sathan than lyes . 79 wicked men lye , when they speak the truth , 88 look slander . m. carnall men think us mad , but wee know them so . 76 malignants as witlesse as wicked , 175 wicked mens malice , makes them like beasts or stocks . 116 their malice a good signe wee belong to god , 13. look hatred . mercy , salvation not more promised to the repentant , than damnation is threatned to the impenitent . ad. e christ came not to be a patron for sin , but to destroy sin in us , and to sanctifie as well as to save us , ad. g. if we will not hear christ now , he will not hear us hereafter . ib. a powerfull ministery most opposed . 101 nor will they be appeased . 103 of misprisson , 239 men mistake good for evill , and evill for good . ad. r. most men will doe as the most doe . 163 they murmure against the godly . 62 and against god himself . ib. for being better than themselves . 63 they would murther the saints , 117 look cruelty . instead of arguments they take up armes , ib. are exceeding salvage and bloody , 118 of which five reasons . 119 n. naturall men want both the light of the spirit , and the eye of faith . 189 all naturall men the devils chidren , 131 their manner is to nickname the godly . 78 number few , compared with the multitude , shall be saved . ad. x. the difficulty of entring the straite gate , ad. y. most men live as if they had no soules . ib. o. we must obey god rather then great ones , 153 but this they call great disorder . ib. how far we fall short of primative christians in our obedience . 333 occasion of writing upon this subject , ad. gg. where christ comes , there will be opposition . 143 order and distribution of the whole book . 37 originall sin , the originall cause of all discord . 23 p. no peace to be expected between the seed of the serpent , and the seed of the woman , 21 wicked men persecute the godly for being better than they . 139 of which many examples , 140 and further amplified . 142 formall christians the greatest persecuters of true christians . 145 yet none think better of themselves , 155 tongue-taunts in gods account is persecution . 165 the woful reward of persecuting christs members . 64 , 77 , 206 but they blesse themselves , and think to speed as well as the best . 208 why persecuters are not alwayes punished here , 207 look hatred they cry up practise , to cry down preaching 170 the preaching of some ministers the cause of hatred and persecution . 140 prejudice blindes them . 65 no reclaiming such as are forestalled with prejudice , 7 prejudice , how to have it cured , and our judgements cleared . 8. ad. ff. the prelates more r●ady to yeeld their aide , then the rabble to ask it . 74 wicked men all in extreames , and either presume or dispaire , 223. look faith . they are prone to imprison us . 111 not for any crime . 112 but to prevent further dispute , ib. and for other the like reasons . 113 good men will hold their profession though they lose their lives . 161 common protestants can be of any religion . 154 r. they rejoyce at our supposed evill estate . 58 but most if they see us sin . 59 religion most opposed by formall professors 9 most men can be of any religion , which shews they are truly of none . 234 they think to adde to their own reputation by detracting from others . 104 they revile and raile on the godly , 80 they so hate righteousnesse , that they will hate men for it . 75 s. satan speakes in and by scoffers , but they know it not , of which many examples , ad. l satan more servants here than god , ad. x satan prevailes most by desception of our reason , ad. r. satan desires no more than to be heard speak ad. s. hee will put a faire collour upon the fowlest sin , and make the best action odious , ad. t he hath perswaded millions that they do well in persecuting the saints . ad. v if satan shewed the book with the baite , his kingdome would not be so populous , ad. x scandalous lives of some professors , one cause of hatred and persecution , 240 wicked men use to flout and scoffe at the religious . 75 even for their zeale , purity and holines , 124 they would scoffe us out of our faith , 159 and would effect the same , did not god support us . 160 millions beaten off from being religious , by their scoffes and reproaches , 3 some will better abide a stake , then others a scoffe ▪ 164 scoffing counted no sin , and yet worse than all its fellows , ad. o. p the great evill that scoffers doe . ad. i. k all scoffers as bad as cain , ishmael , &c. ad. c they are satans servants , ad. i the reason why all are not beaten off from goodnesse by their scoffes . ad. f f to be scoft out of our goodnesse , how ridiculous . 162 the character of a malicious scoffer . 149 no greater argument of a foule soule , 77 they scoffe at us , god laughs at them , 76 good counsell for scoffers , 237 separatiō a main cause of persecution , 240 flocking after sermons another cause . ib. satan and sin doe besot the wicked . 220 they use to slander the godly , 83 they traduce whom they cannot sed●ce , 65 slanderers do satan the best service , 84 great wits not apter to raise slanders , then others to beleeve them , 85 a slander once raised , never dies , ib. at least it leaves the scar of suspicion , ib. wise men wil examin before they believe 86 their policy in slandering us , 87 they slander us out of policy . 147 slanders both make and increase jealousies , & disable us from discerning the truth . 84 their matchles malice in slandering us . 73 it is satan that speakes in and by the slanderer . 78 a slander is the devils heart in their lips 83 singularity our great and grievous crime , 152 they use to smite the godly , and confute them with fists , 114 their arguments are al steele and iron , ib. because the law bindes their hands , they smite with their tongues , 80 how satan playes the sophister , 158 they speak evill of us , because they cannot do evill to us . 81 they think not as they speak , 146 satan gets more by subtlety than by violence , 63 suffering , our saviour suffered 22 severall wayes from ungodly men , 121 let none look to fare better than christ. 126 what a multitude have lost their lives for professing christ , 42 comfort for such as suffer . 126 god will assist such as suffer for him . 22 t. they are wont to carry tales of us to the rulers , 67 how to hear the talebearer , 70 no musick so sweet , as to hear well of themselves , ill of the religious . 71 the tale-bearers end. ib. the theefe , most forward to cry stop theef , 87 they use to threaten the godly , 93 speaking of truth , a main cause of hatred and persecution . 239 wicked men fly the light . 101 they use to withstand and contrary the truth by us delivered . 100 v. they will undermine us in talk that they may betray us . 95 their cunning in this case . ib. and dissimulation . 96 they have borrowed this craft from satan , who sets them on worke . ib. beware we trust them not . 97 w. a war proclaimed between the wicked and the godly , 15 the time when . 28 warning , no expecting a voyce from heav●n as saul had . ad. c and yet if they should it would not do ad. d they are forced to give us warning that we may prevent them . 94 all wicked men are the serpents seed . 16 we cannot anger them worse then to doe well . 137 wicked beholding to the godly for their lives . 174 how strangely they gull themselves , 150 many that have a depth of knowledge are not soule wise . 181 examples of many wise in the worlds esteem yet fools in gods account . 182 with god the greatest sinner is the greatest foole : and he most wise that is most religious . 182 god regards not braine-knowledge , except it seaze upon the heart also . 183 rightly a manknows no more then he practiseth . 184 saving knowledge or wisdom described . 185. that the meanest beleever knows more then the profoundest clark . 186 in what sense the word calls worldly men wise men . 187 strong braines too wise to be saved . 102 vengeance makes wise , whom sin makes foolish . 213 they that would have this tallent , must resolve to improve it . 194 the way to obtain true wisdome , ib. instruction from the premises , 195. first , for all naturall men , ibid. secondly , for such as speak evill of the way of truth , 196. thirdly , for gods people , 198. a fourth vse , 199. a fifth , 200. a sixt , 200. a seventh vse 201 , look more in knowledge . & in ignorance what is meant by the woman and her seed , 17 their words are to be slighted , 82 if we cannot concoct ill words , we would never indure blows , 162 they will cavill against the very word of god , and oppose the messengers . 101 z. they are zealous against all that are zealous . 76 they per●ecute us out of zeale , ad. cc which is the case of all morrall men , ad. ib. the cavse & cvre of ignorance , error , enmity , atheisme , prophaness , &c. sect i. question . how is it , that the practice of christianity is every where spoken against , under the name of schisme , as the chiefe iewes told paul in his time ? acts 28.22 . and that so soone as men become religious and conscionable , they are made a by-word of the people , iob 17.6 . a song of the drunkards , psal. 69.12 . and generally hated of all , math. 10.22 . answer . know yee not ( saith st. iames ) that the amity of the world , is the enmity of god ? and that whosoever will be a friend of the world maketh him●elfe the enemy of god ? james 4.4 . a wicked man ( saith solomon ) is abomination to the just , and be that is upright in his way , is abomination to the wicked , pro. 29.27 . there is a naturall enmity , and a spirituall antipathy betweene the men of the world and the children of god ; whence it is that the holy ghost ( who can give most congruous names to natures ) useth in the scripture , gods dictionary , not only to call wicked men adders , alpes , cockatrices , serpents , dragons , lyons , tygers , &c. psal. 10.9 . & 74.13 . & 80.13 . & 140.3 . esay 14.29 . dan. 7. zeph. 3. math. 23.33 . which are the mortallest enemies to mankind that live ; but most frequently wolves , and the godly sheep , behold ( saith our saviour to his apostles ) i send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves , mat. 10.16 . between whom there is a strange contrariety and antipathy living , and dead , as both naturalists and lutinists observe . it is an everlasting rule of the apostles , he that is borne after the flesh will persecute him that is borne after the spirit , gal. 4.29 . not because he is evill , but because hee is so much better then himselfe . 1. iohn 3.12 . because his life is not like other mens ; his wayes are of another fashion , wis. 2.15 . for therefore speak they evill of you , because yee will no longer run with them to the same excess of ryot , 1. pet. 4.4 . sect . 2. quest. bvt are not many discouraged , and others beaten off from being religious , through the daily scoffes and reproaches , which in every place the godly meet withall , for refusing to do as others do with whom they are conversant ? answ. yea millions , there being no such rub in the way to heaven as that generall contempt which the devill and the world have cast upon religion and the practisers of piety ; which makes our saviour pronounce that man blessed that is not offended in him , math. 11.6 . for hereby it is growne to that , that men feare nothing more then to have a name that they feare god , and are more ashamed to be holy then prophane , because holiness is worse intreated then prophaneness : with peter we are apt to deny our religion , when we come in company with christs enemies : and with david , to dissemble our faith , when we are amongst philistims . like those white-livered rulers , iohn 12.42 . who loved the praise of men , more than the praise of god , we choose to conceale our knowledge of , and love to christ , lest we should be mockt , have so many frownes , and frumps , and censures , and scoffes , be branded with that odious and stigmaticall name of an hypocrite , &c. true , with nicodemus , we owe god some good will , but we dare not shew it because of this , we would please him , yet so as we might not displease others , nor our selves . like the young man in the gospell , we will follow christ , so christ propound no other conditions , then what we like of : but what will be the issue , our saviour saith expresly . that he will be ashamed of such at the latter day , who are now ashamed for his sake , to beare a few scoffes and reproaches from the world , mark 8.38 . a sad saying for all such : which considered seriously , would alter the case with many ; as it fared with vstbazanes an old noble man , and a christian , that had been sapores the king of persias governour in his minority : who when sapores raised a great persecution against the christians was so terrified , that he left off the profession : but sitting at the court gate when simion an aged holy bishop was led to prison , and rising up to salute him ; the good bishop frowned upon him , and turned away his face with indignation , as being loth to look upon a man that had denied the faith : whereupon vsthazanes fell a weeping , went into his chamber , put of his courtly garments , and brake out into these words ; ah! how shall i apeare before god , and my saviour whom i have denied ; when simion a man will not indure to look upon me : if he frown how will god behold me when i come before his tribunall , &c. for this phisick so wrought with him , that he recovered not only health , but such spirituall strength , that he went boldly to the king , profest himselfe a christian , and dyed a martyr gloriously . sect 3. bvt secondly , it so forestaleth ( such as are without ) with prejudice against goodness and circumspect walking , that they resolve never to be religious so long as they live : as how many not only stumble at christ , the living and chief corner stone , elect of god , and precious , but quite fall as at a rock of offence : yea , ●tterly disallow of the things that are excellent , only through the contempt which is cast upon religion ? 1 pet. 2.7.8 . what such mens thoughts are we may heare from the damned in hell , we fooles thought their lives madness &c. wisd. 5.3.4 . and experience shewes , that they will hate a man to the death , though he have nothing to condemne him , but his being holy . yea , where satan hath once set this his porter of prejudice , though christ himselfe were on earth , that soule would stumble and be offended at his very best actions , as we see in the scribes and pharisees , who made an evill construction of whatsoever he did or spake : for when he wrought miracles , he was a sorcerer : when he cast out devils , it was by the power of devils : when he reproved sinners , he was a seducer : when he received sinners , he was their favourer : when he healed the sick , he was a breaker of the sabbath , &c. iohn 8. nor can the highest eloquence of the best preacher ever reclaime such . for first , words are vagabonds where the admon●shed hath an evill opinion of the admonisher secondly , they are resolved against yeelding . thirdly , let them be convinc't by strength of argument , the thought of those things presently passes away like the sound of a bell that is rung . o this is a difficult devill to be cast out , even like that which we read of , math. 17.16 . for as all the disciples could not cast out that devill , no more can all the preachers this : for the cure of prejudice alone in one man , is more then to cure the seaven deadly sins ( as the papists tearme them ) in another . nay ( if i may speak it with reverence ) what meanes can god use that shall be able to convert such an one ? the nine plagues shall not prevaile with pharaoh , the graves opening , the dead arising , the vayle of the temple renting the light of the sun fayling , the centurion confessing , &c. will do no good upon the scribes and pharisees : yea , though ahab be told from the lord , that if he go to war he shall perish , yet be goeth and speeds accordingly . sect . 4. quest. bvt how should weak christians know the mystery of this iniquity , shake off this slavish yoke of bondage and feare , in which satan for the present holds them ? answ. search the scriptures , and they will so cleare your judgement , and cure your prejudice , that in some measure you shall be enabled to quench those fiery darts , ephes. 6.16 . i meane , the reproaches of those evill tongues , which are set on fire from hell , iames 3.6 . for virgil most excellently and profoundly couples the knowledge of cause , and the conquest of all feares together . first for the informing of your judgement , our saviour christ and his apostles hath abundantly foretold the same . of a multitude of predictions i 'le only instance three or foure . all that will live godly in christ iesus shall suffer persecution , 2. tim. 3.12 . not some , but all : and what all , but even all that will live godly ? now , methinkes , if there were no other texts in the bible but this one , it were omnisufficient to take away prejudice and wonder touching the worlds hatred and calumny : but the scriptures are full of the like , ye shall be hated of all men and nations ( saith our saviour ) for my names sake , math. 10.22 . & 24.9 . not of a few , but of all men and nations , that is , all naturall men , or the greatest part of men in all countries and nations , yea , and for no other cause , but for professing of christs name . neither is christ a signe to be spoken against of many in babylon , or assyria , but of many in israel , luke 2.34 where religion is profest publickly . yea , when sincerity is wanting , the nearer the line with any opposition , the greater eclips . the gadereans but besought christ to depart , his own country men drave him out , and cast him down headlong , luk 4.29 . yea , who was his greatest enemy but his greatest friend , even one of his houshold-chaplains ? and who but ieremies familiars watched for his haulting ? againe ( saith our saviour ) the servant is not above his master , iohn 15.20 . but christ having suffered so much , if we should rest , the servant were above his master , which were senslesse to thinke : for could not his wisdome , innocency , and holinesse , fence him from these scornes , and can thine fence thee ? besides , that ancient prediction must bee fulfilled , i will put emnity between the seed of the serpent , and the seede of the woman gen. 3.15 . but , if there bee no war betweene the men of the world , and the children of god ; if they should not hate and persecute us , this prediction were not fulfilled : yea , all the former predictions of christ , and many , that i omit , should bee false ; which were blasphemy once to thinke . wherefore marvell not my bretheren , though the world hate you , as saint iohn speakes , 1 iohn 3.13 . neither count it strange , as saint peter hath it , concerning the fiery tryall which is among you , to prove you , as though some strange thing were come unto you , 1 pet. 4.12 , for christ and his crosse are unseparable , luke 14.27 . whence that definition of luther that a christian is a crosse-bearer . againe , search the whole bible over and you shall not finde one holy man mentioned , without mention of something hee suffered from ungodly men ; as it were easie to instance , how abel , lot , noah , righteous men abraham the father of the faithfull , isaac , iacob , ioseph patriarches and fathers of the church , meek moses , upright sam●●l , holy david , wise solomon , all the lords priests , prophets , apostles ; yea the harmlesse babes and our saviour christ himselfe , did severally suffer from wicked and ungodly men , yea , never man came to heaven , but first hee passed through this purgatory : god had one sonne without sinne , but never any one without suffering ; which makes our saviour say , woe be to you , when all men speake well of you , that is , when evill men speake well of you , for so did the iews of the false prophets , luke 6.26 . whereas hee pronounceth them blessed , which heare ill for well doing , mat. 5.11 . which leads mee to the second point . sect . 5. secondly , for scriptures to confirme , comfort , and strengthen weake christians against the worlds hatred and calumny , these would be applyed which follow . blessed are they ( saith our saviour ) which suffer persecution for righteousnesse sake , for theirs is the kingdom of heaven , mat. 5.10 . and againe , b●essed are yee when men shall revile you , and persecute you an● say all manner of evill against you falsly for my sake , rejoyce and bee exceeding glad , for great is your reward in heaven , for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you , ver . 11.12 . and saint peter , rejoyce , inasmuch as yee are partakers of christs sufferings , that when his glory shall be revealed , yee may bee glad also with exceeding joy , for if yee be reproached for the name of christ , happy are yee , for the spirit of glory and of go● resteth upon you ; which on their part is evill spoken off , but on your part is gloryfied , 1 pet. 4.12 , 13 , 14. loe here is reward enough for all that men or divills can do against us : and what will not men undergoe , so their reward may be answerable ? this hath made thousands even ambitious to imbrace the flames . your cruelty is our glory , said the martyrs in tertullians time , to their persecutors ; for the harder wee are put to it , the greater shall our reward bee in heaven . it is to my losse ( said gordius the martyer ) if you bate mee any thing of my sufferings . but yet further , what saith saint paul ? in nothing feare your adversaries , whose malice is to them a token of perdition , but to you of salvation , and that of god , phil. 1 28. yea , in the same chapter , ver . 29. he preferreth the gift of suffering before the gift of beleeving : and in his epistle to the church of thessalonica peremptorily concludeth , that they are elect of god , from this ground , that they received the word in much affliction with joy in the holy ghost . they that dwell where sathans seate is , holding fast christs name , without denying his faith : are protestants indeed , revel . 2.13 . examine these scriptures againe and againe , for every word of them is ponderous , and consider of whom and by whom they were spoken : then certainly thou wilt confess , that if their be any nectar in this life , 't is in sorrows wee indure for righteousnesse . and methinks , when i heare goodnesse calumniated , i beare it the easier , because the servants of vice do it . sect . 6 quest. what is the original ground of the worlds hatred ? ans. that proclamation which god himselfe made in paradise gen. 3.15 . where hee saith unto the serpent ; i will put enmity between thee , and the woman , and betweene thy seed● , and her seed , hee , or it , shall bruise thine head , and thou shalt bruise his heele . quest. as to the building of an house , it is needfull , first to lay a good foundation , before wee either raise the walls , or cover it with the roofe : so this text being the foundation , roote , or spring of our insuing discourse , it is necessary ( for the better supporting , and also conceiving of that which follows ) clearly to open it , or take it in peeces , that every part may bee viewed severally . ans. the whole frame , or substance of the text being a generall proclamation of vvarre , even of its owne accord , falls , or empties it selfe into ten parts ; and they especially leade us to consider these particulars , viz. the thing , proclaimed , the author , proclaiming , the captains & souldiers , between whom , the cause why , the end wherefore , the time when , the manner how , the place where , the continuance , the issue & effects . quest. the whole being thus let fall into parts , let us take up each severall in order , and view it . and first tell me what is intimated , by this enmity which is here proclamed . ans. by enmity is ment , a bitter , inveterate , irreconsiliable and endlesse hatred and devision ; opposite to that amity and familiarity , which formerly had been betweene the woman and the serpent . breifly it is the very gall of the prince of darkenesse . quest. who was the author and proclamor of it ? ans. the authour and principall efficient of it , is god himselfe : for it we looke a little backe to the preceding verse , wee shall see that this ( i ) is iehovah ; the eternall god , and lord of hosts . quest. betweene whom was this enmity proclamed ? ans. between the serpent , and his seed on the one side : and the woman , and her seed on the other . quest. what is meant by the serpent , and his seede . ans. by the serpent wee are to understand sathan who opened the serpents mouth ; and caused it to speake with mans voyce . as the lord by an angell , opened the mouth of balaams asse , num. 22. secondly , by the serpents seede , is ment the whole generation of wicked men , as interpreters conclude generally : and other scriptures make cleare , calling them serpents , generations of vipers , and children of the divell . mat. 23.33 . iohn 8.44 . and 1 iohn 3.10 . yea ! when sathan by seducing adam , to breake gods law in eating the forbidden fruite , had deformed him after his own image ; as god had formed him after his : hee intituled all his heires to that name the seede of the serpent . iohn 8.44 . of which more hereafter . quest. what is meant by the woman and her seed ? ans. by the woman is meant eve : by her seede , wee are to understand first and cheifely christ ; the singular seede , who was so the seed of the woman , as that hee was not of the man. gal. 4.4 . being borne of a virgin. esay 7.14 . secondly it implyeth all the elect his members ; who are not only eves seede , as she was the mother of all liveing by nature ; but by faith also : as else where they are called the seed , or children of abraham gal. 3.29 , quest. what may bee gathered from these tearmes thus explicated ? and what instructions afford they ? ans. 1. that there was a twofold kingdom set up in this world : a kingdome of darkenesse , of sinne , and of misery ; and a kingdome of light , of holinesse , and of happinesse : the king , and cheife commander of the one being sathan , the prince of darkenesse ; the god of this world , ( that is of all wicked men in this world ) and cheife of evill spirits , his subjects all the sons of adam , without exception , or exemption of any ; even the elect before calling , and regeneration ; and the reprobate without limitation . and the king of the other being christ , called in scripture the wonderfull councellor , the mighty god the everlasting father and prince of peace , the lord of lords and king of kings . isa. 9.6 . rev. 17.14 . who is also the chief of men , even the chief son of man. his subjects , the godly alone , by which i understand so many of the elect , as are regenerate : though indeed wee have all received our presse-money in baptisme , and ought every one according to our ingagement ; maintain this fight against the devil and the world. 2. that sathan hath more subjects , th●n any emperor in the world ; yea , more men to serve and fight for him ; th●n the trinity which made us : that the little handfull of the church , is invironed , and besieged with a numberless multitude of deadly enemies : all the armadoes and troopes of devills , all the companies of the wicked , all the forces and powers of hell ; have bent their bowes , and made ready their arrowes , that they may privily shoote at the righteous ; who are the only marke of their malice , and white at which they levell . psa. 11.2 . i confesse among us christians : christ is the subject of all tongues ; oh that hee were the object of all hearts ! but whereas the schoole disputes of him , the pulpit preaches of him , hipocrites talk of him , time servers make use of him , polititians pretend him , profane men swear by him , civill honest men persecute him , millions professe him , few love him , few serve him , few care to honour him . godly men even amongst us christians , are like timber trees in a wood ; here one and there one ; yea , it is to bee feared , that as once in israel , a thousand followed baal , for one that followed god : so now in england , many serve the world , and the flesh and the devill , for one that truely serves god in sincerity , truth and holinesse . 3 if our enemies are so many in number , so great in might , in malice , in experience and cunning ; as from hence wee are informed : yea , if wee have enemies inferiour , as wicked men , exterior , as the world ; interior , as the flesh ; superiour , as the devill ; it behooves us not to trust to our owne strength ( hercules himselfe could not coape with two adversaries at once ) but to implore the assistance of almighty god , and christ our captaine ; whose weakenesse was too strong for all their power and might ; the which beeing done ; feare not a strong enemie against thee , seeing thou hast a stronger friend with thee . sect . 7. quest. what collect you in particular from those words ; i will put enmity &c. ans. this shewes the stabillity , and certainty of it , for with god , neither doth his word disagree from his intention ( because hee is truth it selfe ) nor his deede , from his word , because hee is power it selfe : god is not as man , that hee should lye ; neither as the sonne of man that he should repent : hath hee said , i will put enmity , and shall be not do it ? or hath he spoaken the word , and shall not hee accomplish it ? numb . 23.19 . heaven and earth shall passe away , but one jott , or tittle of ●is word shall not passe , til all bee fulfilled , mat. 5.18 . quest. what instruction affords this ? ans. 1 that to be without reproaches , or persecutions , wee may rather wish then hope ; for what peace can we looke for , betweene the seede of the woman , and the seede of the serpent , seeing god himselfe from the beginni●g hath set them at enmity ? yea , once to expect it were an effect of frenzy , not of hope . 2 since we can expect no peace f●om the serpents seede ; let as many as are of the womans seede , and of christs side ; ●nanimously hold together . it is hard to say , whither bazil ▪ and eusebius , who perceiving the arrians to improve a difference between them ; to the prejudice of the orthodox ; soone reconciled themselves , and united their forces together against the common enemy , are more to bee commended , or the pope to bee abhorred , who was so busie and hot against luther , that hee neglected to looke to all christendome against the turke . which declared , that hee could easier disgest mahometisme , then lutheronisme . the case of too many in our dayes , that thinke they love christ fervently , though wee may justly suspect the contrary , by their being so busie , and hot against the reformation established . against which they cannot bring any expresse scripture ; only they seek straws to put out their own eyes , & puzzell others withall . as bernard speaks of som● in his time ; and sure i am , it would argue more love to christ , and obedience to his gospell ; if they would ioyne with the godly party , against atheists , and papists . as , let but two mastifes bee jarring betweene themselves : when the bare comes they forget private strife , to assayle their common enemy . and certainly they might bee as firme friends to truth ; although they were not such bitter enemies to peace . for as the case standeth it is hard to determine whether they more intend to doe god service ; or really doe the devill and his instruments service ; by their contradicting , and aspersing all that are not of their owne judgement . 3 if the lord have put this enmity , betweene us and the wicked . here is warrant in opposing , comfort in suffering . 4 if the seede of the woman , fight on christs side , and they have gods word for their warrant : they are sure to have him assist them , and prevent their enemies : and is not that god wee fight for able enough to vindicate all our wrongs ? sect . 8. quest. what occasioned the lord to proclaime this enmity ? ans. adams si●ne in eating the forbidden fruite . a●d sathans malice in moving , and seducing him thereunto , was the meritorious cause : the originall of this discord , is from originall sin . quest. what was the finall cause or end why god proclaimed it ? ans. his end was threefold , in regard of himselfe , the wicked , and the godly . 1 in regard of himselfe : his principal ●nd was his owne glory , which should a●ise from the manifestation , or admirable composition of his justice , mercy , holinesse , wisdome , power , and providence herein . 2 in regard of sathan , and wicked men● that hee might for the present punish one sinne with another , and in the end take due vengeance on them in their greater condemnation , and finall ruine and destruction . 3. in regard of the godly for their greater good , as namely that they might , by this affliction and chastisement , be stopt in their course of sin , be brought to the ●ight of their evills pas● , and made repent of them , and prevented from si●ning for the time to come , and lastly to keep them in continuall exercise , that so they might walke on in the way of holiness which will bring them to eternall happiness , and not to be condemned with the world . sect 9. quest. but how can god be the author of it , without being the author of sin ? ans. very well ; even as the temporal magistrate may put a fello● to death , without committing of murther : that he , which is the fountaine of all good , is not the author of any evill herein , may appeare . 1. by considering how the case stood at this time , with adam and al his posterity , being condemned persons , every moment expecting , and waiting for that direfull sentence to be executed , and inflicted upon them , which god before had threatned , in case they should transgress his royall command gen. 2.17 . namely the sent●nce of death . which was threefold , viz. of body which is the temporall death . soule , which is the spirituall death . body , and soule which is eternall death . opposite to that three-fold life of nature , grace , glory . the which if it had been fully , and universally accomplisht , we could have had nothing to say , but that god was just ( as now we have no reason to give why so many should be redeemed , but because he is mercifull ) yet because he would , according to his nature in justice remember mercy , he ordained a saviour , and remedy even christ implyed in the pronoune relative , hee , for so many as he had before predestinated , to be borne againe by his word and spirit . iohn 3. to a lively faith , whereby they might lay hold on this remedy , yet with all hee did appoint , that this their way to heaven should be thorny and troublesome . to which end he mixed with the sweet promise of salvation , the bitter ingredient of griefe and sorrow , implyed in the word enmity , but yet more to justifie this judgement of god : that is , to make it appeare just . 2 it will appeare if we distinguish the ends of god , sathan , and wicked men . to which purpose i will instance in our saviours example ; iudas delivered him to death for gaine , the iewes for envy , pilate for feare , the devill provoked each of them , through this enmity ; christ himselfe to obey his fathers will , god the father in love to sinners , and for their redemption , each did one and the same thing . but to contrary ends : so when this enmity breaks forth in the wicked , sathan hath a hand in it as a malicious author , as when he entred into iudas and made him betray christ , luk 22.3 . man himselfe as a voluntary instrument , as when pharoah hardened his owne heart against the children of israel exod. 9.34 . god as a most righteous judge , and avenger , as when hee also hardened pharoahs heart , exod. 9.12 but how ? even by permitting the seed of the serpent , from his owne malicious inclination to hate the seed of the woman : not by infusing this malice , nor by withdrawing any grace , but only by denying that grace which hee was not bound to give : he doth not infuse corruption , he doth not with hold the occasion , even as when the rider gives his fiery horse the reyns , we saie he puts him on ; in mercy infusing this enmity into the seed of the woman , against the seed of the serpent : not against their persons , as they are his creatures , but only against their condition , disposition , and wicked conversation ; we and the devill should never have falne out , we agree but too well , but that god hath put an enmity between us . yea in the last place , as god turned the treachery of iudas , not only to the praise of his justice , mercy , &c. but to the good of all beleevers , so he turnes this enmity of sathan and wicked men , to his childrens great advantage , and his own glory . and hereupon is that distinction of adversities : as they come from sathan , they are usually called temptations ; as they come from men , persecutions ; as from god , afflictions . and well may hee work good , by evill instruments , when every prince , or magistrate hath the feat to make profitable instruments , aswell of evill persons as of good : and each physitian can make poyson medicinable . sect 10. q. this rub being removed , and the passage made cleere : proceed in the wayes of your text , and shew me the time of this enmity . ans. first i will make a distinction , and then give the answer . the circumstance of time is twofold ; the time when it was proclaimed , and the time that it is to continue . 1. if wee consider the time when it was first proclaimed ; it was immediatly after the fall ▪ when adam had newly sinned : not long after the creation : even when time it self was not a week old , as is probably conjectured by the learned . 2. if we consider the time that this enmity is to continue , it is either generall , or particular ; the generall time is here set downe in the text indefinitly , i will put enmity between ●hee and the woman , and between they seed and her seed , which being without limitation , is to be understood largely , and so signifies that it is perpetuall without end , from the beginning of time ▪ to the end of all time , when time ( saith one ) began , this malice first began , nor will it end but with the latest man : it is an everlasting act of parliament , like a statute in magna charta . 3 if we consider the time more strictly , then it signifies in the subject possest of it , the whole time of a wicked mans life : or if in time he becomes the womans seed by a new birth , then it signifies that part of his life , which went before regeneration : but in the object of it , for the whole time of a godly mans spirituall life , after he is become the womans seed , even from the morning of his new birth , to the evening of his departure hence , without intermission which makes the psalmist cry out , for thy sake are we killed all the day long , psal. 44.22 . quest. what way wee gleane from hence ? answ. some comfort , in that this war shall once have an end : the israellites shall not alwayes live under the tyranny of pharaoh , or travells of the wildernesse : nor the seed of the woman alwayes under this heavy yoak of affliction and persecution : for death shall free us from our sorrowes , aswell as from our sinnes , yea as this is their time to persecute , ours to suffer , so their time will come to suffer , ours to triumph , let me rather feele their mallice , then be wrapt up in their vengeance . sect . ii. quest. what is their manner of venting this enmity ? answ. sathan the prince of darknes , and his adherents the wicked world : do war against christ and his members two wayes , by persecutions , and by perswasions , under which two generalls , are comprised divers and sundry particulars , which i shall severally speak of , when i come to the properties of this enmity , in the meane time we are to take notice , that all sathans businesse was , and is ( at , and ever since the fall of adam ) to slay soule● , 1 peter 5.8 . iob. 1.7 . neither doth he want instruments in all places , to further , and promote this his designe . quest. now a word of the place where . answ. the circumstance of place , is threefold . 1. if we consider the place strictly , in respect of the subject in whom it resides : then it is principally the heart of man unsanctified . 2. if we consider the place , where it was proclaimed , then it is paradise , or the garden of eden , as verse 23. shewes . 3. but if wee consider the place , where they exercise this enmity , then it is the place of this miserable world , where the church is militant indeed , revel . 12.7 . it is said there was warre in heaven , michael and his angells , fought against the dragon : and the dragon fought and his angells ; but this cannot fitly be construed of heaven in heaven , but of heaven on earth : for in heaven the church is triumphant , and the devill in the beginning was cast out of that heaven , 2. peter 2.4 . and there is no warfare , but all wellfare , no jarr ; but love and peace ; yea such a peace , as passeth all understanding , so that by heaven there , is meant , the church of god on earth ; called in holy scripture heaven , and holy ierusalem above ; for that her chiefe treasure is in heaven . math. 6.20 . her affections in heaven . colos. 3.2 . her conversation in heaven , phil. 3.20 . and for that the lord of heaven , dwells in her heart by faith . ephes. 3.17 . sect . 12. quest. what is promised shall be the issue , or effect of it ; and who shall get the victory ? answ. the issue or effect is declared in these words ; he shall bruise thine head , and thou shalt bruise his heele . the meaning whereof is this . 1. by bruising of the head , is meant sathans overthrow , and finall ruine and distruction by christ , in respect of his power , dominion , and workes , iohn 12.31 . and 1. iohn 3.8 . to which purpose the words of the apostle , are very significant . hee also himselfe tooke part of our flesh and blood that through death he might destroy him , that had the power of death , that is the divell , heb. 2.14 . and he being overcome , his seed are overcome , and perish with him , revel . 12.9 . iohn 14.13.30 . and 12 , 31.32 . and this is the first promise of grace , and life made to eve , and all mankind , now dead in sin , and enemies to god. collos. 2.13 . and 1.21 . neither is it only meant of christ in his owne person , but it implyes that all his members , by resisting the devill stedfastly through faith in him , shall have victory also 1 corinth . 15.57 . given them by the god of peace , who shall bruise sathan under our feet shortly , as the apostle speaketh plainely , rom. 16.20 . faith in the lamb , shall put this roaring lyon to flight : they overcame him by the blood of the lamb , reve. 12.11 . secondly by his heele bruising is meant , 1. first christs holy wayes , which sathan should by all means ( either of temptations , or persecutions ) seek to suppresse : 2. and secondly his humane nature , which sathan should afflict all manner of wayes , untill he brought upon him that shamefull , death of the crosse , ga● . 3.13 . that painefull , and death of the crosse , ga● . 3.13 . that cursed , death of the crosse , ga● . 3.13 . for then his heele was bruised , when his body was crucified . and it was no more then the bruising of his heele ; his divine nature being impassible and untouched ; where note that it was the politick malice of the devill and the world , that aymed by the death of the generall , to disband the army . so long as christ lived on earth , we read of no persecution against his disciples , math. 9.15 . but let him be once removed , and then there is havock made of the church , stephen is stoned , peter crucified , paul beheaded , some strangled , some burned , some broyled , some brained , all but only st. iohn murthered . and thirdly it is meant , that all who beleeved in christs name , shall suffer bruising , in one kinde or other for his sake : and then his heele is bruised , when his members are afflicted : but all the hurt they can do is , but to bruise the heele . bruise them in their persons , estates , good names ; for to hurt their best parts , their soules , they shall never be able : yea all this bruising in the end shall turne to the further good . of their soules , here in grace , hereafter in glory . and so you have the matter , the author , the subject , the object , the cause , the end , the time , the manner , the place , the continuance , the issue and effects of this enmity . sect . 13. quest. by your opening of this text , and unveyling of the termes : i see it looketh two severall wayes , and that it reacheth out as it were with one hand , a blessing to all beleevers , aswell as a curse with the other to all wicked men and spirits . answ. yea it is like a checker ; halfe white , halfe black . consisting as much of mercy and consolation , as judgement and terror : resembling moses who saved the israelites , and slew the egyptians . for as harsh as the words sound , they are so full of grace , and mercy ; and containe so much in a little , that this text may well be called the gospells epitome ; yea the marrow , or pith of the whole bible , compiled by wisdome it selfe ; a short , yet absolute sum of all holy faith , yea the foundation of all whatsoever the prophets and apostles have written , or ministers do preach ; the key of the scriptures , as ambrose calls the creed ; it is but of a short sound , but of a large extent ; little in shew , infinite in sence . in fine , it is so large for matter , so short for phrase , so profound for depth , so sweet for consolation , and yet so terrible for severity , that it well suites with the author who spake the words and none els . quest. i perceive then , that to draw this well dry , to dig this mine to the bottome , and to speak of each severall , in this universe were an herculean work , and fit for some divine theseus , or solomon . besides it would require too large a vollume , for common use : wherefore it shall content mee , you only anatomize that part or member of the whole which is here termed enmity , by laying open the veines , and arteries thereof ; it being the very point , or mayn center , the pole , or cardinall axeltree , upon which this text moves , and is turned . and that will be sufficient : for where prevailing is by lyes , there discovery is victory ; yet lest the pages should still grow , as fi●h into a multitude , garble your notions , and give us but the very marrow of the matter . and because method to the matter is as fashion to apparell ; and form to building , propose what shall be your order of distribution . ans. as the throne of solomon was mounted unto , by six staires : so this throne of sathan , this strong hold of the wicked , may be mounted unto ( for i only intend a discovery at this time ) by a ladder of six steps , set upon this ground which is already laid , or if this originall , be counted for one step , then the ladder consists of seaven staves , answerable to the seven steps which led up to that temple in ezekiels vision , ezek. 40.26 . for i will draw all our present discourse , to one of these heads : ( taking liberty so to place them , as may serve best for my purpose , and the readers benefit . ) viz. the originall , of enmity . the continuance , of enmity . the properties , of enmity . the causes , why wicked men hate and persecute the godly . the ends , why wicked men hate and persecute the godly . the reasons why , god permits them ; the reasons why , the godly suffer it so patiently . these seaven shall limit my speech , and your patient attention , and i take them only to be inherent in the words , there be some short adherent circumstances , which i shall salute as i passe , they may be within the circumference , these are in the heart and center ; and these alone as i suppose , may serve as spectacles , to see the devill ●nd his workes by , in the matter of hatred and persecution . sect . 14 quest. to begin with the second point proposed ( having dispatched the first ) and to proceed from explication to confirmation , and so to application . how prove you that there hath been in all ages past , is now , and ever shall be between these two kings sathan and christ , and their regiments , the wicked and the godly , a perpetuall war , enmity and strife , according to the lords prediction or proclamation ? ans. for proofe i could produce testimonies and examples innumerable there being scarce a page in the bible , which doth not ●ither expresse or imply somewhat touching this enmity , yea as if the scriptures contained nothing else , the holy ghost significantly calls them the book of the battailes of the lord , numb . 21.14 . as rupertus well observes . and because examples , give a quicker impression then arguments : the proofe shall be by induction of particuler instances collected from the scripures and ecclesiasticall history , wherein i will be briefe , and only mention , three in every age ( though the sea of examples hath no bottome ) for that i shall be forced to speak more at large when i come to the properties and causes of enmity . the continuance of the worlds enmity in all ages . viz. 1. in the old world before the flood . 2. after the flood , before the law. 3. after the law , before christ. 4. since the gospell in the time of christ and his apostles . 5. after the apostles for the residue of the ten persecutions . 6. from the primitive times and infancy of the church hitherto . 7. for these present times wherein we live . 8. for the time to come unto the worlds end . 1. to begin with the first age , viz. the old world before the flood . wee read of this war , enmity and strife between cain and abell , 1 iohn 3.12 . betweene lamech and the holy seed , gen. 4.23.24 . and between those wicked gyants , which moses speaks of , and the sons of god , gen. 6.2 . to .12 . yea , those gyants bad battle to heaven , as our mythologists add , to ver . 4. sect . 15. 2. after the flood , before the law , between all the men of sodom and righteous lot , gen. 19.4.9.11 . 2 pet. 2.8 . between hagar and ishmael , the bond woman and her son , and sarah and isaac , the free-woman and her son , gen. 21.9.10 . gal. 4.29 . and between esau and iacob , first in the wombe , the more plainely to shadow out this enmity , gen. 25.22.23 . and after they were borne , gen. 27.41 . sect . 16. 3. after the law , before christ , between doeg and the eighty five priests , which he slew with the edge of the sword , 1 sam. 22.18.19 . between iezabell and all the prophets of the lord , which she destroyed , 1 kings 18.13.14 . and between the heads in israel in micahs time , and all that were good , micah 3.2 . sect . 17. 4. since the gospell , in the time of christ and his apostles this enmity so manifested it selfe , not only in the gentiles , but in the iewes , gods ow●e people , who first moved those persecutions against christ and his members , that having beheaded iohn baptist his harbinger , and crucified himselfe the lord of life , we read , that of all the twelve , none dyed a naturall death save onely saint iohn , and he also was banished by domitian to pathmos ; and at another time thrust into a tun of seething oyle at rome , as tertullian and saint hierom do report : see acts 7.51 . to 60. & 12.1 . to 5. rom. 8.36 . iohn 21.18.19 . now all these , besides many other of his disciples , suffered martyrdome meerely for professing the faith of christ ; whereof some were stoned , some crucified , some beheaded , some thrust thorow with speares , some burnt with fire , with a multitude of other beleevers , for ecclesiasticall history makes mention of two thousand which suffered the same day with nicanor , acts and monuments , page 32. which makes saint paul cry out , i think that god hath set forth us the last apostles , as men appointed to death , 1 corinth . 4.9 . sect 18. 5. after the apostles , if we consider the residue of the ten persecutions , raysed by the romans against the christians , which was for three hundred yeares , till the comming of godly constantine , we find that under dioclesian , seaventeen thousand christians , were slaine in one month : amongst whom also was serena the emperesse , yea under him and nine other emperors , there was such an innumerable company of innocent christians put to death and tormented , that st. hierome ( in his epistle to chromatius and heliodorus ) saith , there is no one day in the whole yeare unto which the number of five thousand martyrs might not be ascribed , except only the first day of ianuary , who were put to the most exquisite deaths and torments that ever the wit or malice of men , or devils could invent to inflict : we read of no lesse then twenty nine severall deaths that they were put unto , if no other be omitted . sect . 19. 6 from the primitive times and infancy of the church hitherto the turk and the pope have acted their parts , in shedding the blood of the saints , as well as the iewes and roman emperours : touching which , for brevities sake , i referre you to the book of acts and monuments . yet because a tast may please some , i will insert what the holy ghost hath foretold in the revelation , touching the pope , who calls himselfe christs vicar and supreme head of the church : the angell , speaking of the whore of babylon , saith , shee was drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of iesus , revell . 17.6 . which in part was fulfilled in england , under the raigne of queene mary , when in one yeare , a hundred seventy six persons of good quality were burnt for religion , with many of the common sort : and in france , for before these late bloody massacres , there were more then two hundred thousand which suffered martyrdome about transubstantiation : for the chiefe persecutors of christ and his followers , are not atheists , or turks , or iewes , but such as hold great place in the church , antichristians and pseudochristians , which makes our saviour say they shall excommunicate you , that is , they shall blot out your names from among gods people , or cast you out from the visible outward communion of the saints . and indeed , vertue hath ever suffered most from those , which should and seeme to uphold her : and instruders upon other mens right can indure any man , how bad soever , rather to live by them , then the servants of him whom they intrude upon , as you may see , mat. 21.33 . to 39. where those farmers of the vineyard killed the servants , who came to receive their masters rent : they did not kill the theeves and robbers , and spoylers of the vineyard , but the servants ; yea , and the son too , and the end of all was , that they might take the inheritance . yea , the godly have ever suffered most from such as professe the same faith and religion with them . it hath been the complaint almost of all the fa●●ers and saints of god , which have written , that the faithfull , in their several times , were hated , traduced , calumniated , slandered reproached , accused , persecuted and condemne● of such as professe the same religion with them , ( ●hough under o●her pretences , yet only fo their au●ier and holy lives , that they stucke close to the truth , made conscience of their wayes , and would not rush so boldly into sin as others . ecclesiasticall history . lib. 6. chap. 4.5.16 . sect . 20. 7 to come unto these present times wherein wee live . is the world mended with age ? yea , i would to god we did not find , that as it is in the little world , the older it grows the more diseased ; so in the great world , the older the more vicious ; that the consummation of times and sins were not met together upon us . but as commonly in a diseased body all the humours fall down into the legs or feet , and make an issue there : so the corruption of all ages hath sliden downe into this of ours , as into the feete . many ( saith the apostle ) walke , that are enemies to the crosse of christ , phil. 3.18 . if many in saint paules time , more now ; for satan , who was then bound is now loosed again out of his prison , and hath great wrath ▪ because he knows he hath but a short time , revel . 12.12 . to speake onely of the entertainment which piety finds among such as would be counted ( not only christians but ) protestants , which principally i intend . is it possible for a man to live a conscionable and unreprovable life , abstaine from drunkennesse , swearing , prophaning the lords day , separate himselfe from evill , yea , wicked company , be zealous for the glory of god , &c. without being traduced , calumlumniated , hated , slandered and persecuted for the same ? no , it is not possible : for if our righteousnesse doe but exceed the righteousnesse of a swearer , or a drunkard , we are sure to be persecuted for our righteousnesse , as abel was persecuted of caine , because his sacrifice was better than his . if a man walk with god , he is too precise : if he will be more than almost a christian , he is curious , phantastical , factious , and shall be mocked with the spirit , as if the spirit of god were a spirit of dishonour and shame . how common a thing is it to wound all holinesse under the name of puritan , a name so full of the serpents enmity , as the egge of a cockatrice is full of poyson ? what should i say ? the world is growne so much knave , that 't is now a vice to be honest . o the deplorable condition of these times ! even the devill himself durst not have been so impudent , as to have scoft at holinesse in those ancient and purer times : but now i could even sinke downe with shame , to see christianity every where so discountenanced : our very names come into few mouths , out of which they returne but with reproaches . amongst the rest of our sins , o god , be mercifull to the contempt of thy servants . true , blessed be god , and good laws , we suffer little but the lash of evill tongues ; but were wicked mens powers answerable to their wils and malice , they would deliver us up to be afflicted , put us out of the synagogues , excommunicate and kill us , as our saviour shewes , iohn 16.2.33 . and mat. 24.9 . yea , their enmity and hatred would be so virulent and bitter , that the brother would betray the brother to death the father , the son , and the children would rise up against their parents and cause them to dye , the kinsman against the kinsman , and the friend against the friend , only for professing christs name , & being religious , as himselfe affirmes , math. 10.34 , 35 , 36. luke 21.16.17 . neither is it strange , for this was one of the endes of christs comming into the world , as appeares , mat. 10.34.35 . where himselfe saith , think not that i am come to send peace , but the sword ; meaning between the seed of the serpent & the seed of the woman ; for i am come to set a man at variance against his father , the daughter-in-law against the mother-in-law , and a mans enemies shall be they of his owne houshold , luke 12.51 , 52 , 53. neither want we precedents of this ; for , by whom was upright abel persecuted and slain , but by his owne brother caine ? who scoffed at righteous noah , but his owne son cham ? by whom was that vertuous and religious lady barbara put to death , for imbracing the christian faith , but by her owne father dioscorus ? who made serena the empresse , a martyr for her faith in christ ? but her owne husband dioclesian . who helped to burne bradford ? but bourne , whose life he had formerly saved . and lastly , by whom was our saviour christ betrayed , bu● by his owne disciple iudas ? sect . 21. 8. for the time to come , as this strife and enmity in the wicked against the godly , was early in its entrance , taking its first being in the beginning of time , and hath constantly continued hitherto : so it will be long in continuance , and endure to the end of time , as the scripture shewes : yea , the last remnants of time are likely to have the most of it , because as in them love shall wax cold , math. 24.12 . so as love groweth cold , contention groweth hot . more expresly the holy ghost foretels , that in the last dayes shall come such perilous times , that all who will live godly shall suffer persecution , and that toward the end of the world there shall be scoffers , false accusers , cursed speakers , fierce despisers of them that be good , such as shall turne the grace of god into wantonnesse , and deny god the only lord , and our lord iesus christ ; and being fleshly , not having the spirit , they shall speak evill of the things which they know not ; and whatsoever things they know naturally as bruit beasts , which are without reason , in those things they shall corrupt themselves ; and that many shall follow their damnable wayes , whereby the way of truth shall be evill spoken off : and that as iannes and iambres withstood moses : so these also shall resist the truth , being men of corrupt mindes , reprobate concerning the faith , being before of old , ordained to condemnation , 2 tim. 3.1 . to 13. 2. pet. 2.2 . & 3.3 . iude 4.10 . 16 , 18 , 19. and so much of the continuance . now to wind up with a word of application : if it be so , that all the godly that have gone before us have been envyed , hated , traduced , nick-named , and persecuted by wicked men , and all that come after us shall be ; let no particular member of the church look to faire better then the whole body : we see the patriarchs went this way , the prophets this way , the apostles this way , the martyrs this way , this way went all the saints and servants of god , and do we look for an easier way ? yea , if the dearest of gods children in former ages have suffered so much for christ , beene put to such cruell deaths and torments for keeping of a good conscience ; let us praise the lord , who hath dealt with us farre otherwise ; and pray for good magistrates to whom , next under god , we owe the thanks : yea , if our fore-fathers so willingly underwent those fiery tryals , let none for shame shrink-under the burthen of an aiery tryall only . 2. if the brother persecute the brother , the son , the father , the parent his childe , the hnsband his wife the disciple his lord , thinke it not strange to be persecuted of any ; for lightly they which are not persecuted , are persecutors themselves . sect . 22. quest. having proved the continuance of this enmity in all ages , now tell us what be the signes and properties of it . ans. they are either mentall , verball or actuall . the first whereof are inward and secret , the two later outward and manifest . quest. what are the mentall properties , which you call inward and secret . ans. they are foure in number . it being their manor 1. to envy the good estate of the godly . 2. to contemne the meane estate of the godly . 3. to rejoyce at the evill estate of the godly . 4. to hate them . first , it is 〈…〉 ner of wicked men , out of enmity to envy the vertuous and good estate of the godly : for envy shall lead the troope , as iudas lead the souldiers ; and it may challenge the first place in the right-hand file ( as pride doth in the popes catalogue of the seaven deadly sinnes ) because it was the eldest and first borne sin that ever was in the devill , after he was cast out of heaven , and the first that ever he begate upon our nature , after we were cast out of paradice ; which makes st. austin therefore call it ( as by a kind of excellency ) the devills sin . thus caine envied his brother abel , gen. 4.5 . saul , david , 1 sam. 18.28.29 . and those unbeleeving iewes , paul , acts 17.13 . the wicked take as much delight to see the vertuous life of an holy man , as sore eyes do to look upon the sunne . how contrary are good angels and evill men ? the angels rejoyce at that , whereat these powte and stomack ; they are ready to cry and burst for anger , at that which makes musick in heaven . but why is it ? these antipodes to vertue , having lost all good themselves , are vexed to see it in another : a true note to know the serpents seed by , for it is the devils cognizance , 1. iohn 3.14 , 15. as love is christs , iohn 13.35 . and as it is the very lees of vice ; so it hath a punishment answerable : for by a just judgement of god , their owne malice turnes back into their owne bowels , as it is psalm . 7.14 , 15 , 16. and slayeth them , as the swords of gideons enemies kild themselves , iudges 7.22 . for that none might have cause to envy the envious man againe , but all to pity him ; envy it selfe is a fire , which consumes that fuell ; a worme which gnaweth that gourd ; a viper , which eats through those bowels ; a moath , which fretteth that garment wherein it is bred , nourished and maintained ; it is the consuming of the flesh , and rotting of the bones : prov. 14 30. and for hereafter , if wicked men thus envy the vertuous and good estate of the godly in this world , which is but their hell , or at least their purgatory ; how will it gall them , when they shall see abraham , and isaac , and iacob , and all the prophets and saints of god in the kingdome of heaven , and themselves thrust out of doores , and cast into the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone ? this shall make them gnash their teeth for envy , as our saviour shewes , luke 13.28 . math. 8.11.12 . but how just is it with god , that this fire of envy should be punished with the fire of hell ! sect . 23. 2. secondly , it is their manner and property to contemne the supposed meane estate of the godly , as samballat , tobiah and gershom , with the rest of that crue , contemned nehemiah and the iewes , nehem. 4.1.2 , 3. thus rabshakeh contemned hezekiah and his people , 2 kings 18.19 . to 36. and the epicurean philosophers paul , acts , 17.18 . whereas misery , with good natures , is made a loadstone of mercy ; with base mindes , it is contrarily made a footstoole for pride to trample on ; and nothing so midnights the soule of him that is falne , as scorne and contempt . but you may observe that arrogancy is a weed that ever grows on a dunghill , and from the ranknesse of that soyle , she hath her heighth and spreadings ; for they are but puft mindes , and frothy wits , that get so to the top , and bubble thus above inferiours . as what makes them contemne us , but , together with pride , their ignorance ? for alass● , they take notice of our misery , not of our happinesse . noahs vertues are not chams admiration ; but his drunkennesse is his sport . wicked men are like those ill taught children , 2 king. 2.24 . that could upbraid elisha with his bald head , but had not the wit to consider how god had crowned that head with vertue and honour . o that they could but see all , that they would but say all : as ephialtes , when one cast him in the teeth with his poverty , answered , why dost thou not make rehearsall of other things also , as that i love law , and regard right ? but indeed , this were to cleane our faces , and foule their owne . but let them insult for a while , they cannot sit upon so high a cogge , but may with turning prove the lowest in the wheele : as it fell out with hammon , who being now made lackey to a despised iew , begins to envy , where halfe an houre since he had scorned ; and misery , like a vulture , must have some body to prey upon . there is a continuall vicissitude of things : the righteous is delivered out of trouble , and the wicked cometh in his stead , prov. 11.8 . the wicked shall bee a ransome for the righteous , and the transgressor for the upright , prov. 21.18 . sect . 24. 3. thirdly , it is their manner , to rejoyce at the supposed evill estate of the godly , as the princes of the philistims did at sampsons blindnesse and bondage , whom they insulted over , and made their laughing stock , iudg. 16.25 . peninna at hannahs barrennesse , especially when shee went up to the house of the lord , 1. sam. 1.6.7 . and the iewes at the disciples , and the rest of the church , when herod vexed some , and slew others , acts 12.1.2 , 3. wicked men feed themselves with others adversity , as beetles are fed with their fellowes dung : and like flesh-flies , make the wounds of gods children their chiefe nourishment : yea , crocodile-like , they would , if they might , fatten themselves with the warmest blood of godly mens lives . and not so onely ; for we have a generation , whose onely rejoycing is , cham-like , to see another fall into some grosse sin , or infirmity : yea , as luther speaks , they hunger and thirst after the scandals of the godly : and if at any time through humane frailty , they doe fall into some evill , like hungry hogges , they muzzle in their excrements , and feast upon them , as upon dainties ; there being nothing that so glads their hearts , that so opens their mouths with so much insolency and triumph ; as what cure will they take to spread the same abroad by a common fame : yea , it were well , if they would not play the curres , and open when they are able to sp●ing no game . but they must needs be filthy creatures , that feed upon nothing but corruption . to delight in mens sinnes , is the sport of devils : recovery from those sinnes , is the joy of good men and angels . cham derides his fathers nakednesse ; it should have been his sorrow : he makes it his sport . but it is ill for a man to make himself merry , with that which angers god. sect . 25. 4. it is their manner to hate the religious , as all carnall men hate the members of christ , matth. 10.22 . thus ahab hated eliah , as himselfe confessed , 1 king. 22.8 . yea , so inveterately , that there was not one kingdome or nation , where he had not sent to take away his life , 1 king. 18.10 . and haman mordecai , which was so deadly , that he thought it too little to lay hands on mordecai only ; wherefore he sought to destroy all the iewes , the people of mordecai , that were throughout the whole kingdome of abashuerus , hest. 3-5 , 6. for the effecting of which , he obtained that bloody edict , ver . 6.9 . and lest it should want successe , he offered ten thousand talents of silver into the kings treasury , to have it effected . hest. 3.9.13 . and such another was cruell arundel , sometime arch-bishop of canterbury ; who vowed and swore , he would not leave a slip of professors in this land ; for you must know , that their hatred extendeth not to this , or that person alone , but to the whole generation of gods children and people . as what saith the wicked in davids time ? come , let us cut them off from being a nation & , let the name of israel be no more in remembrance . let us take for our possessions the habitations of god , psa. 83.4.12 and the world is no changling ; for this age wants not many such hamans and arundels , who so hate the children of god , that they wish , as caligula once did of the romans , that they had all but one neck that so they might cut it off at a blow , where it in their power , mic. 3.2 . ps. 83.4 but our comfort is , they have not so much authority as malice ; resembling the serpent porphyrus , which abounds with poyson , but can hurt none , for want of teeth : though their punishment shall be never the lesse . for as the will to doe god acceptable service , is accepted , as if it were service indeed : so the intent and offer of wrong shall be judged for wrong , in that court of justice . good and evill thoughts and desires in gods account are good and evill workes : and so much touching the mentall properties of this enmity . sect . 26. quest. what are their verball properties ? ans. they are eleven in number : and are manifested . 1. in murmuring against the persons of the godly . 2. in misconstruing of their actions and intentions . 3. in carrying tales of them to others . 4. in perswading others against them . 5. in scoffing at them . 6. in nicknaming them . 7. in rayling on them . 8. in raysing slanders of them . 9. in cursing them . 10. in threatning of them . 11. in undermining of them by flattery . first , ungodly men verbally manifest their enmity by murmuring against the children of god : as labans sons murmured against iacob , gen. 31.1 . the israelites against moses and aaron ; yea , against god himselfe ; for which , the utmost part of the host was consumed with fire from heaven , num. 11.1 . & 14.2 , 3. and lastly , the labourers in the vineyard against the master of the house , and their fellowes , matth. 20.11 , 12. and have not we the like murmurers ? o that so many loaves and fishes , as did feede five thousand in the wildernesse , would but stop their mouthes , who amongst us doe both vex at others plenty of grace , and their owne want ! that doe murmure against the godly , even for no other cause , but that they alone should bee the men in whom no crime , or fault scandalous can justly bee found : that make it their grace , both before and after dinner , to disgrace some innocent . but so it is , that the baggage world desireth nothing more , then to scarre the face that is fairer then her selfe : whence she takes occasion , in every company , to ●rect the faylings of holy men very high , like saint pauls , for the gaze of all ; whereas they hide their good parts under ground , like saint faiths , that none may note them . wherein also is another disadvantage , that cannot be helped . the multitude will sooner beleeve them , then our selves . affirmations being ap●er to win beliefe , then negatives are to uncredit them : whereby ●t fals out , that piety is every where pusht at , an● the religious murmured at , and clamoured against in all places . if such men would know their wages : let them looke , 2 pet. 2.12 . and there they shall finde , that as their tongues have walked against heaven , so they shall be confined to hell : and in the meane time , cursed is hee ( saith the holy ghost ) that smiteth his neighbour secretly ; and let all the people say , amen , deut. 27.24 . sect . 27. 2. by censuring their actions , and mis-construing their intentions● as eliab : did davids zeale for gods glory to be pride and malice , 1 sam. 17.28 . and those wicked ones , his fasting and mourning to be hypocrisie , psalm . 35.13 . to 17. thus iobs friends condemned him for an hypocrite , iob 4.6 . to 11. and the iewes , christianity to be heresie ; and paul , the preacher of it , a pestilent fellow , a mover of sedition , and maintainer of schisme ; yea , all the disciples to be deceivers , 2 cor. 6.8 . and thus too many in our dayes , will definitively censure men for hypocrites , whom they scarce know superficially : yea , ( which is worse ) only because their works are good . prejudice casteth a false colour upon the best actions : and basenesse , what it cannot attain to , it will vellicate and deprave . but what saith sincerity ? while my conscience is innocent , the worlds suppositions cannot make me culpable : let me rather , with eliah and micah , doe well , and heare ill ▪ then , with ahab and iezabel , do ill and be flattered . the accuser of the brethren makes choyce of wicked men , to t●aduce those whom he cannot seduce as he desireth ; as we may plainly see in our saviours example ; who notwithstanding he fulfilled all righteousnesse , and did all things well ; for in his mouth was found no guile , nor fault in his manners , nor error in his doctrine ; which of you ( said he ) can rebuke me of sinne ? yet the world traduced him for a samaritan , a blasphemer , a sorcerer , a wine-bibber , an enemy to caesar , and what not ? a deceiver and yet true , was s. pauls motto , 2 cor. 6.8 , &c. and as it was then , so it is now . wicked men deale with the godly , as sometimes a lustfull person will doe by a chaste woman , when he cannot take away her honesty , he will take away her credit ; brag of effecting his will with her , when yet he could never have admittance into her company . bad natures , whom they cannot reach by imitation , they will by detraction : like the fox , what they cannot attain to , they will depresse , and seem to despise : their cunning is to condemne others , that themselves may be justified . as caligula took off the heads from the images of the gods , to set up his owne : or as merchants , who to raise the price of their own commodities , will beat down the prices of others . and have they not reason thus to do ? yes : for how is a vicious person discredited , and made contemptible , by the vertuous life of an holy man ? we know straight lines help to shew the crooked . and it is easie to guesse , the pharaohs fat kine made the lean ones more ill-favoured . a swarthy and hard-featured visage , loves not the company of cleare beauties . again , another reason is , they judge others by themselves : now they doe all their good in hypocrisie , and so thereafter judge of others . saint chrysostome hath given the rule , as it is a hard thing ( saith he ) for one to suspect another to be evil who is good himselfe : so it is as hard for him to suppose another to be good , who is himselfe ill . and we see it fulfilled in nero , who verily beleeved , that all men were foule libidinists , because himselfe was such an one . sect . 28. 3. wicked men manifest their enmity against the religious , by carrying tales of them unto others : as c ham carried tales to his brethren of noahs nakednesse , his tongue was the trumpet to sound forth his fathers shame , gen. 9.22 . thus doeg carried tales to saul of david , and ahimelech , 1 sam. 22.9 , 10. and the zip●ins , two severall times brought tidings to saul , where david had hid himselfe , to the end saul might slay him , 1 sam , 23.19 , 20. & 26.1 . and those libertines , with other suborned men against steven , to the counsell of priests , acts 6.8 . to 15. and of this burthen many amongst us are in continuall travell . for how frequently doe debauched drunkards , and incorrigible sinners ( resembling their father the devill , who both by name revel . 12.10 . and by nature , iob. 1.7 , 8 , 9. is a continuall accuser of the brethren ) carry tales to their fellowes , of such as will not consort with them ? yea , of their faithfull ministers , especially if hee thunders in his doctrine , and lightens in his conversation , as gregory nazianzen speakes of basil ? yea , and thinke they doe as good service in it , as secretaries , and espialls of princes , do to the state , when they bring in bills of intelligence ? but doe they , as they ought , with an upright minde tell both our vertues and vices impartially , as swetonius writeth of the twelve caesars , and so leave the upshot to collection ? no , but rather , as the iewes did by paul , acts 24. charge us with many things , as that we are pestilent fellowes , movers of sedition , and maintainers of schisme , but proving nothing , verse 13. and indeed , how should they , when every word they speake is a slander ? or if otherwise , they look on our infirmities , they looke not on our graces , on our repentance ? no these flyes skip over all a mans sound parts , i meane his excellencies ; to fasten on a scab , or ulcer ; resembling our prognosticators , that are more diligent to make mention of foule weather than of faire ; stormes and thunder they much harp upon , but calme and serene dayes passe them un-observed : whereas an ingenious nature would passe over the evill where he findes more good ; considering wee are full of faults by nature ; good , not without our care and industery ; for a minde well qualified , is often beholding to the industry of the owner : and vlysses as homer relates , was so applauded for the accutenesse of an ingenious minde , that men spared to object unto him the deformity of his body . but these contrarily , for want of matter to expect against , will coyne it of their owne heads . and that they may deliver themselves with the greater emphasis , will affirme as that gymnosophist in plutarch did , of those orators to alexander , that every one of them doth exceed his fellowes , and sweare that the matter is so cleare and manifest , that all the towne rings of him ( meaning the good fellows of the towne ) and to speake truth , the parties faults are so cleare and evident , that you may see them as well in the darke , as with a candel , as appeares by the sequell . for ●re there not some godly and faithfull , both christians and preachers , that have beene often ( i say not ninety five times ) accused by them , as aristophanes was by the athenians , and every time found innocent ? though no thankes to their accusers , for they indeavour all they can to corrupt such as heare them , and fore-stall their judgements against the good and goodnesse . o that men were so wise , as to heare the tale-bearer with indignation , examin before they trust , beleeve his reports , if infallibly true , with unwillingnesse , acknowledge it with griefe , hide our neighbours faults with honest excuses , and bury them in silence : for commonly it fares with the first relator , as it doth with a stone throwne into the water , which of it selfe makes but one circle , but that one begets a hundred , and so both offends and infects many others , but alwayes prooves himselfe to be uncharitable . it were good for other men if tale-bearers would consider this , but better for themselves . true , the wise and honest are able , as so many angels of god , to discerne truth from slander ; though to the grief of many good hearts , no musick can be so sweet to the eares of others , as to heare well of themselves , ill of the religious . and these , as they often set the former on worke , so they are resolutely opinionated in beleeving of lyes ( as saint austin speaks of the priscillianists ) whereby they supererogate of satan . but what is the end of these tale-bearers , and informers against good men ? follow them to their ends , and you shall see , that if ever the lord open their eyes to see this their fact , they are even in this life rewarded with the strappadoes of an humane soule , rackt in conscience , and tortured with the very flashes of hell fire , and not seldome forced to lay violent hands upon themselves , being never well , nor in their owne place , till they bee in hell , acts 1.25 . sect . 29. 4. it is their manner to perswade and give devillish counsell to others , like themselves , to persecute the godly , as balaam gave w●cked councell to balack against the children of israel . when he could not be suffered to curse them , revel . 2.14 . th●s the princes and rulers did to zedekiah the king against ieremiah , saying , wee beseech you , let this man bee put to death for thus he weakneth the hands of the men of warre , &c. ier. 38.4 . and the iewes of thessalonica to the people of berea against paul , acts 17.13 . that the enemies of the crosse of christ , are still accustomed to deale after this manner with the religious , i need not demonstrate ; plain things , which our selves are daily witnesses of , need no proofe . onely note their matchlesse malice herein ; who , that they may be sure to prevaile , first dazell their friends eyes with false accusations against us , as true and certain , as that naboth did blaspheme god and the king ; and their associates are as sure of it , as darius was , that the idoll bell did eate and drinke every day forty sheep , twelve kakes , and six great pots of wine , because threescore and ten of the priests gave it out so : and that their mortall enmity may be taken for a zeale of the churches good , as iudas would have his covetousnesse taken for charity , iohn 12.6 . and the pharisees their cruelty thought piety , matth. 23.14 . all the reproaches that the devill , and these his scavengers , can rake out of the channels , of hell , shall be flung in our faces , the worst language that hath ever been dipt in the forge , or tipt at the fire of hell , shall be bestowed upon us ; wherein they resemble those ancient enemies of the gospel , who clad the martyrs in the skins of wild beasts , to animate the dogs to teare them . this evill world hating true christians ( as it did christ ) without a cause ; readily takes up arms against the most innocent , and so cloathing them with pretended causes , to colour that her hatred , ( for as no man loves evill , but under the shew of good : so no man will appeare to hate what is good , but under the appearance of evill . ) truth it selfe is arraigned , as a deceiver : and he by whom kings reigne , represented as an enemy to caesar : and under such representations to the people , he is crucified by them . though perhaps this is more then needs , for not seldome the counselled are more ready to yeeld their ayd , then they are to ask it ; being of maximinus his humor , who seeing none offer themselves , set on work certain vile persons to accuse the christians of heynous crimes , that so he might persecute them with more shew of reason ; for that one may supply the others defects , the first finds an head , the second a tongue , the third hands : as vlysses may contrive , but diomedes must thorow with it : so altogether deale with the poore minister , or christian , as the soldiers did with christ , first blind him , then strike him , and last ask him , who is it that smote thee ? and he may answer the best man of them , it was thou , o mine enemy , thou wast an achitophel in the one , a doeg in the other , a belial in both . and let such men know , that this their instigation will end at last , either in anguish or confusion , teares or torment will become their recompence . sect . 30. 5. it is the manner and custome of wicked men to scoffe at the righteous , as ishmael scoft at isaac , gen. 21.9 . rabshakeh at hezekiah , and his people , 2 kings 18.27 . and the philosophers at paul , acts 17.18 to 21. and to this day the world is too full of scoffing atheists , and mockers of piety . michal was barren , yet she hath too many children , that scorn holy exercises ; every houshold almost hath some in it , if not many , of the brood of cham and ishmael : so that if any one refrain from impiety , refuse to doe as the rest in all excesse of ryot , he is made both their prey and laughing-stock : yea , if he be so bold as to preach righteousnesse to them , by voyce or by example , there is instantly some tobiah , or sanballat , steps up to flout him . they so hate righteousnesse , that they will hate a man for it , and say of good living , as festus did of great learning , it makes a man mad . but they cannot know who are sober , that are mad themselves . achish and his courtiers thought david mad , yet he was the wisest man amongst them . yea , as old men answer young men , you thinke us fooles , but we know you are not wise : so answer we these , you think us mad that are so hot against sinnes , but wee know you mad that are so cold for your soules . dogges will bark at the moone : and what all men commend , you have some thersites take delight to blast . lot vexed himselfe because hee saw men bad : these , because men are good : not because gods law is broken , but because others keep it better then themselves . but these are brinish & ill made candles , which so sparkle and spit at others : it is a cursed zeale in these men , to maligne the good zeale of all men . but let them alone , they need no help to be miserable : for as they scoffe at us , so god laughs at them , he that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh , the lord shall have them in derision , psal. 2.4 . yea , judgements are prepared for these scorners , and stripes for the backs of these fooles , prov. 19.29 . god shall raine down fire and brimstone upon such scorners of his word , and blasphemers of his people as thou art , said mr. philpot the martyr , to mocking morgan and the rest of his persecuters . if they smart not here , as cham did , whose scoffing only brought his fathers curse , and gods upon that : and the two and forty children who were devoured of wilde beares for scoffing at elishas bald head , 2 king. 2.24 . and foelix , who for one malicious scoffe , did nothing day and night but vomit blood , till his unhappy soule was fetcht from his wretched carkasse : and pherecydes , who was consumed by worms alive , for giving religion but a nick-name ; a small matter if thou mayst be made judge . and lucian , who for barking against religion like a dog , was by a just judgement of god , devoured of dogs . for this let me tell them , what ever the d●vil blinding them , they think there cannot be a greater argument of a foule soule , then the deriding of religious services : yea , to be a scoffer , is the depth of sin : such an one is upon the very threshold of hell , as being set down in a resolute contempt of all goodnesse . sect . 31. 6. it is their manner and property to nick-name the godly , as ahab nick-named eliah , the troubler of israel , 1 kings 18.17 . the wicked , iob and david hypocrites , psalm 35.13.14 . iob 4.6 . to 11. the courtiers , ieremiah an enemy to the common-wealth of israel . the iewes , paul a factions and seditious fellow , acts 24.14 . yea , they tearmed all the disciples sectaries , schismatickes , subverters of the state , &c. 1 cor. 4.9.10 . and the same devill , who spake in ahab , and those wicked ones of old , now speaks in our loose libertines , who nick-name the conscionable , puritanes , and seditious persons : for doe but examine who they be which cast these aspersions upon the godly , and you shall find , that the hand of ioab , i mean the devill , is in this businesse . alas , poore soules ! they are but set on by that subtile serpent , as zebede was by her sonnes , matth. 20.20 . mark. 10.35 . it is but his heart in their lips . and satan hath ever found it infinitely successfull , to give every vice a title , and every vertue a disgrace ; for still hee hath found , that the rude and unstable multitude , onely look upon the vizard and out-side of things , which he pleaseth to put upon them , and so judge according to appearance , not righteous judgement . neither doth the devill onely gain by fastning reproachfull nick-names upon the religious , but his servants gain too ; much like the thiefe , who meeting with a full purse , not onely takes it away , but returnes a stab : for in making vertue contemptible , and in depraving the godly , they are at least upon even ground with them , if they have not the better : for were all the world ugly , deformity would be no monster . among the myconians baldnesse is no unseemly thing , because all there are born bald : and hereupon infamous persons love to mitigate their owne shame , with others discredit . as aesops fox , when she had lost her taile , would have redeemed her shame , by perswading all her fellow-foxes to cut of theirs ; yea , by despressing the good , they may possibly get the start of them . even heliogabulus , that beastly monster , thought to make hims●●●e the sole god , and be only worsh●●pped , by banishing all other religions o●t of the world. ●●t let these depravers take heed , lest im●●●ting the fact of censor fulvius , wh●● untiled iunos temple to cover his ow●● house , they partake of the like judgement , run mad , and dye despairing ▪ sect . 32. 7 it is their manner to revile and rayle on them , as goliah reviled and rayled on the host of israel , and their god , 1 sam , 17.45 . shimei , upon david , calling him murtherer , and wicked m●n , 2 sam 16.7 . and likewise the mig●●y men , psal. 31.13 . and the iewes up●n paul and barnabas , acts 13.45 . calumny is every good mans lackey , which followes him wheresoever hee goes ; for the devill hath his servants in every corner ; and rotten lungs can never send forth sweet breath . if the law bind their hands , yet they will be smiting with their tongues : and if the law keepe them in awe for smitting on the mouth , yet they will doe what they dare , , they will smite with the mouth . it is with these men , as it was with zoilus , that common slanderer , who being demanded why hee spake evill of such and such , answered , because i cannot doe them evill : or else , like another parisian vigils , wee should feele their swords , before we heard their alarums . when the devills hands are bound , he vomits a flood of reproaches with his tongue revel . 12.15 . what say they ? since we cannot attaine to their vertues , let us revenge our selves with rayling against them . it is not for nothing , that wicked men are so often is scripture called dogs , as psalm . 59.6 . deliver my soule , or my darling , from the power of the dog : and they make a noyse like a dog , and goe round about the city , beware of dogs , saith s. paul , philip. 3.2 . which either grin with malice , or barke with reproaches , or bite with mischiefe . but blessed be god , although some of these dogs have teeth like swords , and jaws like knives , as solomon speakes , prov. 30.14 . and smite cruelly , as ieremy complaines , chap. 18.18 . which deserve , like shepheards curres , to have their teeth beaten out , to prevent their biting ; yea , and their chaps muzled , for feare of opening ; yet most of them are tooth-lesse curres , which though they barke , yet they cannot bite ; and cowardly curres , for if you note such an one , he seldome unbuttons his tumoured brest , but when he finds none to oppose the bignes of his looks and tongue . and for such our only way is , either to slight them , as king philip did nicanor in the like case ; who being told by smitichus of his evill reports and raylings , answered , nicanor is not esteemed by the worst in macedonia . or else stop their mouths with some good turne , as aeneas , in the fiction , cast cerberus the hell-hound a sweet morsell , that hee might not barke against him . the doore , when it hath been oyled , leaves creaking ; and this is good policy : for barking curres oft-times great mastiffs wake . but as if the tearme of dogge , were of too narrow extent , the scripture elsewhere calls them devils . saint pau● , 2 tim. 3.3 . ( as bishop andrews observes from the originall ) foretels , that in the latter dayes there shall bee men devils , foule mouthed men , evill speakers , and 1 tim. 3 11 he speaketh of women-devils , whose speeches are calumnious . and wherefore is the devill called by that name , but by reason of his foul mouth in defaming ? yea a calumny , saith one of the fathers , is the devils minde in the mouth of a man , his arrow shot by mans bow ; he lendeth him his lyes and malice , and borroweth his tongue to utter them because the devill wants a tongue . i close up this point with those words of the prophet , either convert the persons or confound the lying lips , o god , that speake against the righteous . sect . 33. 8. it is their man●er to raise slanders of the godly , as those wicked men slandered naboth , saying , he hath blasphemed god and the king , confirming the same with an oath , 1 kings 21. thus the wicked slandered david , psalm . 57.4 . and the multitude iohn baptist , saying he had a devill , matth. 11.18 . it is satans policy ( because report both makes jealousies , where there are none , and increaseth those that are ) to abuse our eares in hearing , our tongues in speaking , and our hearts in beleeving lyes , to disable us from discerning the truth . yea , this stratagem of raising slanders upon good men , like a huge and mighty polyphems , hath done such service to the uncircumcised , that examples thereof in scripture are like moats in the sunne : and it were easie to parallel former ages with this of ours , for well may we take up those words of the psalmist , the wicked bend their bow , and make ready their arrows upon the string , that they may secretly shoot at them which are upright in heart , psalme 11.2 . innocency is no shelter against evill tongues . malice never regards how true any accusation is , but how spitefull . and great wits are not more ready , with the high priests and elders , matth. 28.12 , 13. to raise these slanders , then the common sort are apt to beleeve the same ; as we see by our saviours example , ver . 15. and how many particular persons know , to their smart , that a slander once raised will scarce ever dye ; for comming once into the mouth of the vulgar , true or false , like wild-fire it can never bee quenched ; for even death it selfe , which delivereth a man from all other enemies , is not able to deliver him from this of the tongue . whereas truth hath much adoe to be beleeved , a lye runs far before it can be stayed . however , a man once wounded in his good name , is not cured without scarres of suspition . yea , commonly , as a little ball rowled in the snow gathers it selfe to a great lump : so the report that is but a little sparke at first , proves a great flame , by that it hath past through many mouths . but did not mens owne wickednesse blinde them , were they not absolutely turned fooles , they would thus argue : not he that is accused , but he that is convicted is guilty , as lactantius hath it . in the chancery are many accusations they never meane to prove : neither doth any law condenme a man , till hee comes to his answer . upright cato was fifty times undeservedly indited and accused by his fellow citizens , yet was every time acquitted and found innocent . the orator tertullus , when hee would plead against paul , sayes , wee have found this man a pestilent fellow , acts 24.5 . but , if you marke it , this foolish tertul●us mistooke the antidote for the poyson , the remedy for the disease : indeed , he hath some wit in his anger , and so have his followers in slandering such as excell in vertue : for whereas formerly the splendor of the others vertues hath obscured the meannesse of their credit , as the lesser light of a candle is obscured by the greater light of the sun : so now by clouding and depraving him and all his fellows , himselfe shall be judged vertuous , ve●y cheap , accounted a man of honesty and honour , though a paricide or a sacrilegious person . and is it not good policy for a swinish drunkard , or a beastly liver to fling durt in a holy mans face , when , first , any colour seemes the fairer , when as blacke is by ? secondly , when ( being conscious of their owne defects ) by this meanes they draw away mens thoughts , and consideration of the beholders , from climbing up into their faults , while they are fixed and busied upon a new object ? one colour wee know , being laid upon another , doth away t●e former , and remains it selfe . a cut-purse in a throng , when he hath committed the fact , will cry out , my masters , take heed of your purses ; and he that is pursued will cry , stop theefe , that by this meanes hee may escape unattached . sect . 34. 9. it is usuall with them to curse the godly , as goliah cursed david , 1 sam. 17.43 . and also shimei , 2 sam. 16.7 . to 15. thus the heathen cursed israel , zach. 8.13 . and thus wicked in all ages shall be so drunke with malice , that they shall spew out cursing and slander against the godly , as our saviour hath foretold , mat. 5.44 . and experience proves , that not a few amongst us doe steep their words in hate and curses against the good , carrying this deadly poyson , these arrows , swords , knives , razors in their mouthes , wherewith to interlace their discourse , whether in reviling the present , or backbiting the absent . there is a generation ( pity they should be called christians ) all whose prayers are curses , and all their relations lyes : or if sometimes they lend the truth their voice , they are but false witnesses in speaking of it ; for their hearts are of another judgement . as let them say with their mouths , i beleeve in god , or our father which art in heaven , or god spake these words , &c. even in this they lye , for in their hearts they thinke there is no god at all : or if with their hearts they beleeve , and with their tongues confesse that there is a god , at least by their works they deny him , and the power of his word . so that all the difference between them , and very infidels , is only this , the one are infidels in their hearts , the other are infidels in their lives , as augustine pithily . and what 's the reason they curse us , but this ? they are the devils best schollers , and of his highest forme ; the language of hell is so familiar unto them , that they speake not a word of our countrey language : and indeed , how should they speake the language of canaan , to whom blasphemy is become the mother tongue ? secondly , they curse us because they cannot be suffered to kill us ; for in heart and gods account they are no better then murtherers ; nor will it bee any rare thing at the day of judgement , for cursers to be indited of murther : they would kill us , if they durst : they doe kill , so far as they can . i would be loath to trust his hands , that bannes mee with his tongue . it is easie to guesse how they would deale with us , if we were at their mercy . he that smiled on david in his throne , curseth him in his flight : now his unsound and treacherous heart discovers it selfe in a tongue full of venome , a handfull of stones ; and had not david been yet too strong for his impotent subject , he had then breathed his last . prosperous successe hides many a false heart , as a drift of snow covers a heape of dung : but when that white mantle melts , the filthy rottennesse will soon appeare . neither is it any sinne we commit , or offence wee give them , that they curse us . who could have lesse deserved those curses , those aspersions , those stones , then david ? had shimei beene other then a dog , hee had never so rudely barked at so harmeles a passenger . that head deserved to be tonguelesse , that body to be headlesse , that thus blasphemed an innocent , though hee had beene lesse then the lords anoynted . againe , why would they kill our bodies , but because they could not slay our soules ? for it is soule-blood which the serpent and his seed thirst after , as i shall shew afterward . but alasse , if all their curses and threats , all their aspersions and anti-christian slanders , could flout us out of the integrity of our devotion , when our forefathers feared not the flames , we were fearfull cowards . as for their banning of us , we have learnt from solomon , that the causelesse curse shall not come , prov 26.2 . or at least , it shall not come where the curser meant it . yea , the psalmist tells us plainly , that though they curse , yet god will blesse , psalm . 109.28 . and his blessing shall doe us good , while their curses hurt none but themselves : for what saith the holy ghost in the same psalme , speaking of the desperately wicked , whose brand is , that they love cursing . the words are these , as he loved cursing , so shall it come unto him ; and as he loved not blessing , so shall it be far from him . as be cloathed himselfe with cursing , as with a rayment : so shall it come into his bowels like water , and like oyle into his bones . let it be unto him , as a garment to cover him , and for a girdle , wherewith he shall be alwayes girded , ver . 17 , 18 , 19. heare this all yee whose tongues run so fast on the devils errand , yee loved cursing , you shall have it , both upon you , about you , and in you , and that everlastingly , if you persevere and goe on . for if christians be charged to blesse their enemies ; what will bee their case , that curse their friends ? yea , if he which but curseth satan curseth his owne soule , as it is , eccles. 21.27 . what doth he that curseth the saints and deare children of god ? surely , their curses shall bound backe into their owne breasts , as the stones , which shimei threw at david , did rebound upon shimei , and split his heart ; yea , and at last knockt out his braines . cursing mouthes are like ill made peeces , which while men discharge at others , recoile in splinters upon their owne faces . their words and wishes bee but whirle-winds , which being breathen forth , returne againe to the same place ; cursed be he that curseth thee , gen. 27.29 . yea , hee shall be cursed with a witnesse , for even christ , which came to save the world , shall say unto them at the last day , depart yee cursed into everlasting fire , prepared for the devill and his angels , matth. 25.41 . where they shall doe nothing but curse for evermore , revel . 16.11.21 . and indeed , who should goe to hell , if cursers should be left out ? wherefore let all those learne to blesse , that looke to be heires of the blessing . sect . 35. 10. it is their use to threaten the religious , as all the men of sodome threatned just lot , that they would deale worse with him then with the angels , gen. 19.9 . iehoram , elisha , saying , god do so to me , and more also if the head of elisha shall stand on him this day , 2 kings 6.31 . and thus paul , before his conversion , breathed out threatnings and slaughter against the disciples , acts 9.1 , 2. it were no living for godly men , if their hands were allowed to bee as bloody as their hearts . but men and devills are under restraint of the almighty . neither are their words more swelling , or their designes more lavish , then their atchievements be vaine , and their execution short . benhadad sends great words unto the king of israel , as if it were nothing to conquer him : but stay the proofe , benhadad flyes , and israel pursues . commonly they that least can doe , best cavill can , and make the greatest flourish . however , it is well for the innocent , that wicked men cannot keepe their owne counsels , as god fetcheth their thoughts out of their owne mouthes , many times , even against their wills , for the good of his children ; as we may see in esau , when hee purposed the death of iacob ; and in saul , touching david ; and in iezabel touching elisha ; whose threats did preserve them , whom they meant to kill . the wisdome and power of god could have found evasions for his prophets , with their enemies greatest secrecy : but now they need no other meanes of rescue , then their own lips . and it is a mercy ( deserving thanks ) from god , that the lightning of anger in a cruell mans eyes , gives us warning of the thunderbolt in his hand . but this concernes us only , when we are threatned by the potent : in other cases , our best way will bee to stand it out : for many a foe hath spoken bravely , who in the push hath made more use of his heels , then of his hands : their threats being but like a boyes squib , that onely flashes , and cracks , and stinks , but is nothing . sect . 36. 11. it is their manner by subtlety to undermine the godly in talke , that they may betray them , as saul caused his servants to undermine david by flattery , thereby to worke his confusion , 1 sam. 18.17 . and againe , verse 21.25 . thus those false prophets , and other enemies of the truth undermined ieremiah , seeking every way to destroy him , ier. 18.18 . to the end of the chap. and thus certaine of the synagogue sought to undermine steven , that so they might have matter wherby to informe the councell against him , acts 69 , 10. their chiefe principle is that of lysanders , vvhere the lyons skinne will not suffice , we must adde a scantling of the foxes . whereupon , as intelligencers for states , mingle themselves with all companies , but use their best art to keep themselves concealed : so doe these , you may travell with such an one as far as the indies ; and yet finde the way into his heart a farther journey . for as high-way-men , lighting into true meaning company by the way , can talke of sincere dealing , and uprightnesse , against robbery and oppression , to take off suspition , till they spy their opportunity : so will they have semblances of religion , pretend great love ; yea perhaps doe you a reall curtesie ; but with the same intent that saul gave michall to david , which was only to ensnare him . like fowlers and anglers , when they meane to catch and snare us , they hide their nets , and cover their hooks with the pleasing baites of flattery , setting a sunshine countenance upon cloudy thoughts : yea , when they intend to murther , then speake they fairest ; when deadly malice dives deepest into their hearts , then the smoothest words floate in their mouthes , as no faces looke lovelyer then the painted . now this kind of undermining they have borrowed from satan , that old serpent , and arch-polititian , who in the beginning useth this complement to our first parents , ye shall be as gods : when his drift was , to have them devils , gen. 3.5 . yea , he sets them on worke , who never ceaseth , either by himselfe , or by his servants to tempt and undermine the people of god , 1 pet. 5.8 . especially at such times , as they are , or should be addressing themselves to some notable workes in performing the will of god , as we may see , ier 1.6 . ezek. 3.14 , 15. nehe. 2.48.19 . & 6.5 , 6 , 7 , 10. acts 6.9 , 10. matth. 4.1 . but beware we trust them not , for these hypocrites never wound so deadly , as when they stroak us with a silken ●and being like the mistaken lanthorne in eighty eight ; for under pretence of guiding , they will draw us into hazzard and losse among our enemies ; and whosoever puts confidence in their words , shall finde them to resemble sinking floores , which will then fail us , when our weight is on them . and so much of the verbal properties of this enmitie . sect . 37. qu. in the last place what are the actuall properties ? answ. thirdly , wicked men actually manifest their enmitie against the religious in seven particulars : viz. 1. by scornefull gestures . 2. by withstanding their doctrine . 3. by combining together against the godly . 4. by imprisoning the godly . 5. by striking the godly . 6. by hurting the godly . 7. by killing the godly . first , by gesture , as goliah against david , when he looked upon him with a disdainfull countenance , 1 sam. 17.42 . which is a kinde of brow-beating ; and other wicked ones , who made mowes , and nodded the head at him , psalme 22.7 . gaped upon him with their mouthes , as ramping and roaring lions , verse 13. gnashed their teeth at him , at publique meetings , psal. 35.16 . shaked their heads at him , psal. 109.25 . thus iob complaines , that his enemies opened their mouthes against him , iob 16.10 . and isaiah , that the scoffing idolaters gaped and thrust out their tongues against the godly , in his time , isai 57.3 , 4. and the labourers in the parable are said to have an evil eye against the master of the vineyard , because he was good , matth. 20.15 . many will speak , that dare not strike ; and some will make mouthes , that fear to speak . now this of gesture is a silent foe ; yet upon inquisition made , i finde none more guilty of the serpents enmitie , than he , who speakes with his brow , and striketh with his eyes ; who , because his tongue cannot us●ly condemn a man , he will leave him suspected of ill by silence , or some disdainfull gesture : for , as his ma●estie said most aptly and elegantly , as the tongue speaketh to the ear ; so the gesture speaketh to the eye . and though such an one be silent for want of words , yet he is not so for want of malice , even scoffes and nick-names , slander and cur●ing stickes in his teeth , and onely dares not freely come forth , because he is guilty of his owne faultinesse : and were he not a monstrous coward , not daring to speak or act for fear of ●ustice , there would be no dealing with him : yet bad as he is , being dumbe , i finde him uncapable of a verdict , and so dismisse him to leade the van , which is both a punishment to himselfe and those that follow . sect . 38. 2. it is their manner to withstand and contrary the doctrine which they are commanded by god to deliver . thus zidkiah the false prophet withstood and contraried michaia's doctrine , 1 kings 22.24 . the priests , prophets , and all the people , ieremiahs , saying , why hast thou prophesied in the name of the lord , that this house shall be like shilo , and this citie shall be desolate , and without an inhabitant ? ierem. 26.8 , 9. and thus elimas the sorcerer withstood and contraried paul and barnabas in their preaching , acts. 13.8 . and this is still the manner of wicked men ( being better acquainted with wrangling than reasoning , and deeper in love with strife that truth ) even to cavill against the good word of god , and oppose the messenger , and what they cannot maintain by reason , a feminine testinesse shall outwrangle . these night-birds know right well , that where the sun shines , there is small place for them to appear : whence the ministers preaching is as great a vexation to them , as their conversation is to him : and in case he hath a ●ire in his tongue kindled with a coal from the altar , they have a sea of water in their hearts to quench it . but if some one be more specially gifted in convincing of sin , he is sure to have treble opposition : if he molest satan , and dispossesse him of his strong holds , satan will molest him with a powder ; all the drunkards in that parish shall fall about such a ministers eares ; yea , perhaps some neighbour ministers that pretend gravitie and good will to god , shall more than set them on : for vertue fares hardest oftentimes from such as should uphold her . when henry zu●phen was preacher at breame ; the catholiques sent their chaplaines to evey sermon to trap him in his words : but the greater part of them that were sent to hearken , were thereby converted : and did openly witnesse for him to his adversaries teeth , that they never in all their life had heard the like , at which the monkes and cardinals were mad . the case of our prelates , during the time of their high commission . none so deep in hell , as knowing men : strong braines are commonly too wise to be saved by the foolishnesse of preaching . but paul the babler must be both heard and admired , before heaven can be had : yea , great doctors must acknowledge themselves but great dunces , in comparison of meaner men ; speaking by the spirit of god : as it fared with the philosopher , when he read the fir●t chapter of saint iohn's gospel , who said , this barbarian hath comprised more s●upendious stuffe in three lines , than we have done in all our voluminous discourses . and indeed , the wisedom from above is gentle , easie to be perswaded ; when better , reason is alleadged , iames 3.17 . as in peter , iohn 13.8 . first , peremptory , but after conviction pliable . an humble man will never be an heretique : shew him his errour , he will soon retract it . iohannes bugenhagius a reverend dutch divine lighting upon luthers book , de captivitate babylonicâ , and reading some few pages of it as he sate at supper , rashly pronounced him the most pestilent and pernitious heretique that ever the church had been troubled with since the times of christ : but a few dayes after , having seriously read over the book , and well weighed the matter , he returned to his colegioners , and recanted what he had said , affirming and proving , that luther onely was in the light , and all the world besides in grosse darknesse , so that many of them were converted by him , and won to imbrace the same truth . thus satan and his instruments deal like our pirats , who will set upon rich laden ships , but passe by those that are empty . nor are they to be appeased after they have once begun , for that which rashnesse and follie have brought forth , pride afterwards and contumacie shall maintain to the last gaspe . usually , an ill cause once undertaken , shall be maintained , though with bloud . nay , rather than want cause , they will now hate such a minister , because they have formerly hurt him : as many husbands hate their wives , onely because themselves have wronged them , or at least love them the lesse for their owne faults : all which they will defend with their tongues , though they condemne it with their consciences . which men are like those wicked iewes , acts 13 45. who would neither believe the doctrine which paul preacht , nor abide that the gentiles should be brought to the faith of christ : for they not onely forbear to hear such a mini●●er themselves , but will dehort all their familiars : in imitation of the high prie●●s , scribes , and pharisees , who in their own opinion were too good , too wise , too holy to receive christ into their companie ; and , not content to seque●●er themselves from christ , they disdained also that he should be conversant with publicans and sinners . pride was ever envious and contumelious , thinking she addes so much to her own reputation , as she detracts from others : and indeed the twinckling starres at the approach of the sun lose their light , and after regain it not , untill darknesse be upon the deep : yea , the whiter the swan is the more black is the crow that 's by her . sect . 39. 3. they will combine themselves together , and lay devilish plots to destroy the godly , as the new king of egypt with his people did against the children of israel , when they perceived them to multiply so fast , exod. 1.9 , 10. thus the hundred and twenty governours combined together to worke daniels overthrow , dan. 6. and thus demetrius the silver-smith , and the rest of the crafts-men , which made gain by the silver temples of diana , combined themselves together , to conspire the death of paul's companions , acts 19. and when paul was rescued by lysias , the next day there were more than forty of the iewes , which bound themselves by a curse , saying , they would neither eat nor drinke ▪ till they had killed paul ; in which conspiracie the chief priests and elders were likewise assistants , acts 23.10 , 14. the apostle saith , if god be on our side , who can be against us ? but saint chrysostome , in opening of those words saith , nay rather , who is not against us , if god be with us ? for , they cast their heads together , saith david , with one consent , and are confederate against god , and his secret ones , imagining crafty counsel against them , saying , come , let us root them out , &c. psal. 83.3 , 4 , 5. how wicked men agree in persecuting the truth , and professours thereof , we may see , acts 4.26 , 27. & mark 14. where even old annas , and that wicked bench of grey-headed scribes and eld●rs , are content to break their sleep to do mischief , and make noon of midnight . as for the manner of their consultations , they are lively exprest by the author of the book of wisdom , who bringeth them in , saying thus , one to another , come , let us lie in wait for the righteous , because he is not for our turne , but is clean contrary to our doings : he upbraideth us with our offending the law : he was made to reprove our thoughts : it grieveth us also to look upon him , for his life is not like other mens , his wayes are of another fashion , he vaunteth to have the knowledge of god , and counteth us as bastards ; he withdraweth himselfe from our wayes as from filthinesse ; he commendeth the latter end of the just , and boasteth that god is his father . wherefore let us see if his workes be true ; let us prove and examine him with rebukes and torments ; let us condemne him to a shamefull death . and then gives the reason : such things do they imagine , for their own wickednesse hath blinded them , and they do n●t understand the mysteries of god , neither hope for the reward of righteousnesse , nor can discern the honour of the soules that are faultlesse , wisd. 2.12 . to 23. qu. i , but what have they whereupon to ground their accusations ? for the religious mans life is commonly like paul's , phil. 3.6 . unrebukable , and he walketh in all the commandments and ordinances of the law , without reproof , as zacharie and elizabeth did , luke 1.6 . answ. he that studies quarrels will easily finde occasion . when the governours were resolved that daniel should die , they soon found pretences . as suppose it be a private christian , they will lie in wait to finde faults in him , and turne good into evil , and are of so prying an observation , that they will look farther into his actions , than the best man would willingly have them search . nor can you easely finde the man that is not quick-sighted in other mens faults , blinde to his own . but being disappointed of their hopes , hear what they say , we shall not finde an accusation against him , he is so faithfull , except we finde it concerning the law of his god , dan. 6.5 . and his punctuall obedience to gods lawes , and ●●icking close to the word of truth , shall serve for a need . or secondly , if he be a minister , they will assemble together to hear him pray and preach , that so they may catch something out of his mouth , whereof they may accuse him , as the scribes and pharisees dealt with our saviour , luke 11.54 . and those governours with daniel , wherein he shall not be able to speak so warily , but they will finde matter enough to insnare him , as the words shall be wrested , though indeed , to have a great audience onely shall be made crime enough : you know when the jewes saw that a great companie were at paul's sermon , they were filled with envie , and fell to contradiction and blasphemie , acts 13.45 . and the high priests and pharisees , when our saviour was so flocked after , said among themselves , perceive ye not , behold , the world goeth after him , and if we let him thus alone , all men will beleeve in him , iohn 11.48 . and 12.19 . they were like the dog in the manger , that will neither eat hay himselfe , nor suffer the horse ; yet they had a reason for it , as these have : rome thinkes that the gospels rising , must needs be her falling , as when the day comes , the night must end . indeed , opinion makes them coyn that for a reason , which others will not assent unto : yea , what is truth to these men , is errour to others more wise . and when once he is questioned , every one , like iael to sisera , will drive a nail , to keep him from rising again . o the wicked mindes that many go to church withall , and the great dangers that ministers are liable unto , did not god mightily support them ! many of their hearers being like that lawyer , which stood up to tempt christ ; for they come not to be taught by him , but to catch him . in which case , let him preach like an angel , yea , like christ himselfe , he shall speak to no more purpose than beda did , when he preacheed to an heap of stones . it is well known , saith erasmus , that many points are condemned as hereticall in luthers books , which in austens and bernards books are received for good and orthodox . but what saith david ? though they have conceived mischief , and do travail with wickednesse , yet they shall bring forth a lye , psal. 7.14 . for , the lord breaketh their counsels , and bringeth their devices to naught , psal. 33.10 . yea , while the ungodly are whetting a knife to cut our throats . god is whetting a sword to cut their throats . shall the powder thinke to blow up the house , and scape it selfe from burning ? no , it is a true rule , that of evil premises doth not follow a good conclusion , but from evil seeds come evil plants . sect . 40. 4. they are very proan to imprison the godly , cause or no cause ; as ahab commanded michaiah to be put into the prison house , and sed with the bread of affliction , and with the water of affliction , 1 kings 22.27 . thus the malicious priests procured ieremiah to be shut up in prison , ier. 36.5 . and thus our saviour shewing what entertainment the faithfull should finde in the world , foretelleth that wicked men shall lay hands on them , and deliver them up to the assemblies , and into prisons , bring them before kings and rulers , for his names sake , luke 21.12 . as iohn baptist , peter , paul , and many other of the apostles , were put into the common prison by herod , and the synod of priests , when they preached in christs name , acts 5.18 . and 12.4 . and 4.3 . and 22.25 . and 28.17 . and 2 cor. 11.23 . and ● presume the common people were more glad of the churches losse herein , than they would have been of their own gain . but why into prison ? why not unto death ? no thankes to satan , nor his seed , they would destroy all . yea , why are not our sanctuaries turned into shambles , and our beds made to swim with our blouds , but that the god of israel hath crossed the confederacie of balak , and their wickednesse doth not prosper , their studies are the plots of our ruine , and the best they intend , is the destruction and overthrow of religion , or the religious , or both . again , why these , and a thousand more in all ages shut up in prison ? what was their delinquencie ? even this . they were too good , too holy to be endured . what was it but iosephs goodnesse , that brought him to the stockes and irons ? and so of michaiah , ieremiah , the apostles , and all the saints in succeeding ages . and to speak truly , this is a deep point of policie in our adversaries : for when all their arguments faile , by this meanes they get the better , and withall prevent further dispute . in the mid● of their anger they use this discretion , stand not to argue , le●● thou be overcome , and let the accused plead what he can for his owne innocencie : the wolfe would answer the lamb , indeed thy cause is better then mine , but my teeth are better then thine , i will devour thee : so the devill puts off the fox , and puts on the lyon. againe , we know the moone hath so much the lesse light , by how much it is neerer the sun ; yea , so long as the sun shines above the horizon , the moone is scarcely seene . and we use to say of homer , that the dazling beames of his sunne makes all other poets , like little stars , loose their light . this made dionysius , when he could not equall philoxenus in poetry , nor match plato in discourse , condemne the one to the stone-quarries , and sell the other as a slave into the i le of agina . and out of like consideration , have the wicked alwayes dealt with the godly , even as iulian the apostate did by our saviour , who tooke down his image in contempt , that he might set up his owne in the same place , and have the people worship it , which he knew they would never doe , so long as the other was reverenc'd . sect . 41. 5 they often manifest their enmity against the religious by striking them , as zedikiah , the false prophet , strook michaiah on the cheek , 1 king. 22.24 . thus pasher strooke ieremiah , ier. 20.2 . and the princes also , chap. 37.15 . and thus ananias the high priest caused paul to be smitten on the mouth , acts 23.2 . and the iewes whipt him five times with forty stripes save one , and others beat him with rods , 2 cor. 11.23 , 24 , 25. and thus our rough adversaries of rome stopt our martyrs mouthes , and refuted them , not with reasons , nor by law ( for the law hath no power to strike the vertuous ) but with fists . when polititians rhetorick failes , carters logick must do the feat . their arguments are all steel and iron , they speake dagger points : as ioab discoursed with amaza in the fifth rib. so zedikiah disputed with the prophet a word and a blow ; yea , a blow without a word ; for hee smote him first , and spake to him afterwards . every false prophet is like iulius the second , who threw saint peters keyes into the river tiber , protesting , that thenceforth he would use and helpe himselfe with saint pauls sword . and in case they cannot have their wills , they resemble achillis , who is fained to eate his owne heart , because he might not be suffered to fight . sect . 42. 6 it is usuall with them to hurt and maime the godly : as the whole congregation of the children of israel would have served those true hearted spyes , for seeking to appease the tumult , and speaking well of the land of can●a● , had not the glory of the lord appeared in the tabernacle of the congregation , numb . 14.10 . thus the philistims put out sampsons eyes , when they had bound him , iudg. 16.21 . and thus the iewes of an●iochia and ico●●m hurt paul , when they ●toned him , and drew him out of the city , supposing he had beene dead , act. 14.19 . neither have succeeding ages wanted alexanders , who have done much hurt to gods people : for not seldome when reason and railing failed , have they come to plow-mans logick , gun-powder arguments , open violence , taking up swords to strike , or stones to cast at us , though they incurre by it the danger of the law. whereas religion makes wild beasts civill ; atheisme , and impiety makes of wise meu beasts and ●ools . how many have been known , like him in esop , who willingly lost one eye , that his fellow might loose both . yea , whereas the drift of such an ones preaching , in case he be a minister , is to make them like him , in whose name they preach : contrarily , the very word of god , by accident , makes them degenerate into stockes and stones : for hearing but their sins layd open , and the judgement due thereunto , they become so stupid and in sensible of reason , that now , maugre all admonition , the quarrell must end in blood : yea , away with such a fellow from the earth , for it is not meet that he should live , acts 22.22 . sect . 43. 7 and lastly , it is their manner out of enmity to slay the godly , as doeg slew ahimeleck and the re●t of the prie●s , even fourscore and five persons , and nob the city of priests , whom he smote with the edge of the sword , both man and woman , child and suckling , at sauls command , 1 sam. 22.19 . thus iezabel slew all the prophets of the lord she could finde , 1 kings 18.4 . and herod , all the male children that were in bethlehem , and al the coasts thereof , from two years old and under , that hee might make sure worke with christ , matth. 2.16 . and thus the inhabitants of ierusalem , gods owne people , chosen out of all the world , used to make such havock of their own prophets , that out saviour bemoaning her case , cryeth out , o ierusalem , ierusalem , which killest the prophets , and stonest them which are sent unto thee , &c. matth. 23.37 . and thus it fares with the saints & servants of god at this day , in such places where wicked men may have their wills . whereas those romish doctors are appointed for the saving of many , they are all for distruction : like rash empiricks , they can cure no way ; but by letting of blood ; and hereupon they turn their massing into massacring ; the school into a camp ; arguments , into armes ; teaching all their proselytes dismall conclusions : as it hath been no rare thing , for some of their priests in queen maries reign , when in arguments they have found the weaknesse of their pens , to fall to their pen-knives : in●●ead of arguments they take up armes ; and instead of zeale and the spirituall word , they use fire and the sword ; yea , treasons , are their best reasons ; the spanish inquisition , is their grammer ; fire and fagot their rheitorick ; fleete and fetters , their log●ck ; the canons roar , their musick ; poysoning , their physick ; yea , their very building of the church , is by blowing up of common-wealths ; and instead of fighting for god , they fight against god and his leivtenant . and if at this day they catch but a protestant in their net , it is a miracle if ever he escapes death , without making shipwracke of faith and a good conscience . for if we will not obey them rather then god , they have a law by which men ought to dye , a law like draco's , written with blood , and sealed with death . of which their savage proceeding , there are many reasons to be rendered . first , they must doe the workes of their father the devil : he is a murtherer , and so his children are given to blood , iohn 8.44 . secondly , that their deeds of darknesse may not come to light vriah must be put to death , least davids adultery bee discovered , and himselfe disgraced . a living curre you know , will doe more harme then a dead lion : and it is a sure rule , that of egges fried in the pan come no ill chickens . thirdly , the wicked through malice seek by all meanes to cut off the godly , because their sinfull and wicked lives are reproved by their godly conversation : neither can they follow their sinnes so freely as they would , nor so quietly , without detection or check . now if abels good works reprove caines evill deeds , let caine but take away the cause , kill abel , and the effect shall not follow . fourthly , whereas the godly are too hard for them in disputing : take steven for an instance : they will be even with him , by casting of stones , stop his mouth with brick-bats , fetch arguments from the shambles ; and this they are sure will doe , when all other hopes and helps fayle . so they make their party good , if not with arguments of reason , yet with arguments of steele , and iron . but this is a very hard way of confuting . fifthly , their glory and credit with the world is ecclipsed , by suffering these which excell in vertue , this made adrian and nero to kill all such as ecclipsed their glory by any demerit : and mercine , you know , was murthered of her fellowes , because she did excell the rest in beauty . thus herod , thought he could not be king , if christ should reigne . yea , as though hee had beene of the race of the ottamans , he thought hee could not reigne , except the first thing hee d●d , hee killed all the males in bethlehe , m from two yeares old and under : and the pharisees that they should be despised , if christ were regarded . and so much of the actual properties of this enmity . sect . 44. q. in how many of these kindes did our saviour himself suffer ( whose example hitherto you have omitted ) in his own person of the jewes , his countrey-men and kinsfolke ; yea , of the chief priests , scribes , and pharisees , who were teachers and expounders of the law , and which sate in moses chair ? answ. in every one of the 22. for as touching the mental properties . 1 they envied him , matth. 26.15 . 2 they contemned him , matth. 12.24 . & 13.55 . 3 they rejoyced at him in his miserie and distresse , matth. 27.29 . 4 they hated him , iohn 7.7 . 2. touching the verbal . 1 they murmured against him , luke 15.2 . 2 they misconstrued his actions and intentions , matth. 11.19 . 3 they carried tales of him , mat. 12.14 4 they gave devilish counsel against him , matth. 27.20 . 5 they scoft at him , matth 27 42. 6 they nick-named him , matth. 13 55. 7 they railed on him , luke 23.39 . 8 they slandered him , matth. 28 13. 9 they cursed him , gal 3 13. 10 they threatened him , iohn 11.53 . 11 they undermined him in talke , that they might accuse him , matth. 22.15 . 3. touching the actual . 1 they used disdainfull gestures before him , matth. 2● . 29.39 . 2 they withstood and contraried his doctrine , luke 5.21 . matth. 9.34 . 3 they combined together , and laid plots to destroy him , matth. 12.14 . 4 they took him prisoner , mat. 26.57 . 5 they smote him , luke 22.64 . 6 they hurt and wonnded him , matth. 27.29 . iohn 19 34. 7 they put him to death , even that cursed death of the crosse , matth. 27 . 3● . that the scriptures might be fulfilled which saith , and thou shalt bruise his hell ; for all that he suffered was but in his humanity , and so no more than the bruising of his heel . and why all this ? not for any evil they found in him ; for their own words are , he hath done all things well , marke 7.37 . he hath done , such was his power ; all things , such was his wisedom : well , such was his goodnesse : and yet crucified , and abused every way he must be . it was indeed for his zeal , purity , and holinesse , and because his life and practice was clean contrary to theirs , his doctrine too powerfull and pure for such carnal hearts to imbrace or endure . so that it is plain , and all men may see , who are not dead in sense , how it would fare with us , might our enemies , the same seed of the serpent have their wils . sect . 45. q what uses may this serve for , which hath been spoken touching the properties of this enmity , and our saviours suffering ? answ. first , by this tast of it's fruits learne we to detest them all . secondly , it may serve to informe every man , whether he be of the serpents seed , a childe of the devil , as he came into the world , or regenerate , and so become of the womans seed , a childe of god , and member of christ : for as our saviour saith , speaking of false prophets , by their fruits ye shall know them : so i of the seed of the serpent , and children of the devil , by these 22 fruits of enmity you shall know them , as well as you shall know the life by breathing , or the day by it's light . wherefore all ye that read , reflect and cast your eyes on these examples , which are such lively emblems and representations of your selves , if you be the serpent's seed , and yet in your sinnes . yea , let it make you tremble ; for know assuredly , that if this spawn of enmity , formerly spoken of , remain in you ; if any of these ●ayes you persecute christ in his members , or but hate the good , because they will not be so evil as you are , you have not cast off this serpentine quality , which you drew from the loines of old adam ; but it is an infallible signe , that you are of the serpents seed , children of the devil , enemies to god , and all goodnes , the brethren of cain , yea , cain himselfe in another person , and without repentance , your portion shall be with cain , and the rest of that cursed crue . on the other side , doth any conscionable christian finde himselfe hated & persecuted by ungodly men for wel-doing , for christ's sake , for religion and righteousnesse sake ? let him be comforted ; for it is a manifest signe , and a notable strong evidence , that he is of the womans seed , regenerate and borne a new , the childe of god , a member of christ's mystical bodie , and an heir of eternal life . thirdly , these examples being written to admonish us , upon whom the ends of the world are come , may informe the godly what they are to expect from the world : shall any hope to be free from suffering , or t●●●ke it a strange thing , when he doth suffer for wel-doing , when our saviour christ himselfe suffered so much as he did , being the onely begotten son of god , full of grace and truth ? no , the disciple is not above his master , nor the servant above his lord : if they have persecuted christ , they will persecute you also , iohn 15.20 . if they have called the master of the house beelzebub , how much more them of his household ? matth. 10.25 . yea , senselesse were it once to thinke , that the same enmity which spared not to strike at the head , will forbear the weakest and remotest limbe . wherefore arme thou us , o god , with an expectation of that evil which we cannot avoid , yea , make thou us as strong , as satan and his instruments are malicious , and then let them do their worst . and so much of the kindes and properties of this enmity . sect . 46. the causes . q what are the causes , why wicked and ungodly men thus hate , and persecute the religious ? answ. the causes being divers , may yet be reduced to three heads , for either they be causes in regard of god his justice . mercy . wisedom . power . satan his permitted malice . subtiltie . strength . men wicked . godly . and these we might further branch , subdivide and distribute into cause● internal , material , formal , natural . artificial . external , efficient . properly . improperly , meritorious . instrumental . final . and those are either 1. next : or , remote . 2. by themselves : or , by accident . 3. sufficient : or , insufficient . but the time would be too short , o● this treatise too long , if i should speak of every one : yea , talking fabius would be tyred , before he could relate halfe of what is requisite to be spoken of each ; for they require whole volumes : besides , instructions , if they exceed , are wont , as nailes , to drive out one another . q1 . then select out the principal , i mean , such as in regard of our edification , are most behoovefull for us to know . and least the pages should still grow , as fish , into a multitude , garble your notions , and give us onely the marrow of the matter . answ. the causes best deserving our discovery , and the worlds notice , i take to be eleaven 1. contrariety , 2. ignorance , 3. separation , 4. speaking of truth , 5. infidelity , 6. example of the multitude , 7. the preaching of some ministers , 8. the scandalous lives of some professours , 9. flocking after sermons , 10. misprision , 11. that they may have more company here in sin , and hereafter in torment . first , a main cause why wicked men hate and persecute the godly , is the contrariety of their natures . q1 . how contrary are they ? answ. as contrary and opposite one to the other , as are god and the devill ; for the one are children of god , 2 cor. 6.18 . gal. 3.26 iohn 1.12 . and partake of the divine nature , 2 peter 1.4 being begotten , iames 1.18 . and borne a new of god , iohn 1.13 . 1 iohn 3.9 by the immortal seed of the word , iames 1.18 . and the spirit 's powerfull working with it , iohn 3.5 , 8. whereby they are become like god in holinesse , 1 peter 1.15 . and not children onely , but heires also , even the heires of god , and heires annexed with christ , rom. 8.17 . being his brethren , rom. 8.29 . members of his b●dy , 1 cor. 12.27 . bone of his bone , and flesh of his flesh , ephes. 5.30 . having his spirit dwelling in them , rom. 8.9 to witnesse with their spirits , that they are the children of god , verse 16. and being temples of the holy ghost . 1 cor. 6.19 . and the other are the seed of the serpent , and children of the devil , and so partake of his nature , 1 iohn 3.8 , 10 , 12 , 14 acts 13.10 . iohn 6.70 . and 8 . 4● . and 14.30 . and 16.11 . matth. 13. 38 ▪ 39. 2 cor 4 4. 2 tim. 2.26 . gen. 3 15. and 5.3 . ephes. 2.1 . to the end , and 5.14 . 1 cor. 15.22 . rom. 5.12.18 . titus 3.3 . to 8. 1 peter 2.9 , 10 , 25. iohn 3.3.5 6. which being so , they must needs be very contrary , and if contrary , no marvell they should so ill agree , although god had not proclaimed an enmity between them . for there can be no amity , where there is no sympathy ; no reconciling of the wolfe and the lambe ; the windes and the sea ; no neighbourhood , no alliance , no conjunction is able to make the cursed ▪ seed of the serpent , and the blessed seede of the woman ever agree : for fire and water , light and darknesse , heaven and hell are not more contrary . one bloud , one belly , one house , one education could never make cain and abel accord , iacob and esau , isack and ishmael at one : yea , though they be man and wife , parent and childe , yet if they be not like , they will not like , 2 cor. 6.14 , 15. and indeed , what is the corporal sympathy to the spiritual antipathy ? can there be such a parity between the parent and the childe , the husband and the wife , as there is a disparity between god and satan ? no certainly , sect . 47. a wicked man can agree with all that are wicked , be they papists , or turkes , or atheists , profane and loose persons , civil or moral men , for all these agree with him in blindenesse and darknesse : as who feeles the smart of their tongues , or hands ? not the idolater or vile person , not the professed atheist , the canker-fretting arminian , or state-betraying jesuite : for with all these they are haile fellow , well met : but with sincere christians and practicers of piety , he can never agree : the religious shall be sure of opposition , because their light is contrary to his darknesse ; grace in the one is a secret disgrace to the other . yea , let wicked men be at never so much odds one with another , yet they will concurre and joyne against the godly : as for example , edom and ishmael , moa● and the hagarens , gebal and ammon , amalek and the philistims , the men of tyre and assur had each several gods ; yet all conspired against the true god psal. 83 5. to 9. manasses against ephraim , and ephraim against manasses ; but both against iudah . he●od and pilate two enemies , will agree , so it be against christ : they will fall in one with another , to fall out with god. the sadduces , pharisees , and herodians were sectaries of divers and adverse factions , all differing one from another ; and yet all these joyne together against our saviour , matth. 22. the libertines , cyrenians , alexandrians , cilicians and asians , differ they never so much , will joyne in dispute against stephen , acts 6.9 . herod neither loved the iewes , nor the iewes herod , yet both are agreed to vex the church . i cannot think of a sitter emblem of a naturall man , than lime , which agreeth well with all things that are dry , and of it's own nature ; but meeting with water , a thing directly opposite , it breakes , burnes , ●welles , smokes , crackles , skips , and scatters : so nature will give a man leave to be any thing , save a sound christian , and agree with all others , ●e their conditions never so contrary , provided they agree in the main , are all seed of the same serpent . but let the natural man meet with one that is spiritual , they agree lik heat and cold : if one stays , the other flies ; or if both stay , they agree like two poysons in one stomacke , the one being ever sicke of the other , be they never so near allyed . as how many a wife is so much the more hated , because a zealous wife ? how many a childe lesse beloved , because a religious childe ? how many a servant lesse respected , because a godly servant ? and no marvell ; for though they dwell in the same house , yet they belong to two several kingdomes ; and albeit they both remain upon earth , yet they are governed by two severall lawes , the ones burguship being in heaven , philip. 3.20 . and the other , being a denizon , belonging to hell : as irish-men are dwelle●s in ireland , but denizons of england , and governed by the statutes of this kingdome . sect . 48. neither is this of theirs an ordinary hatred , but the most bitter , exorbitant , unlimited , and unplacable of all others . no such concord , no such discord , faith one of the learned , as that which proceeds from religion . my name , ●aith luther , is more odious unto them , then any thiefe , or mur●herer : as christ was more detestable to the iewer then barrabas . behold , saith david , mine enemies , for they are many , and they ●ate me with a cruell hatred , psal. 25.19 . yea , so cruell , that it makes their teeth gnash , and their hearts burst againe , act. 7.54 . which made the truths adversaries give saint paul stripes above measure , 2 cor. 11.2 , 3. and the heathen emperours to devise such cruell tor●ures , for all those which but profest themselves christians . yea , agreement in some poynts , when there are differences in the maine , does but advance hatred the more : witnesse the reigne of queen mary , and the butchery over al france of above two hundred thousand protestants ; besides the many thousands of late yeares : yea , aske from east to west , from one pole to the other ; search all records under heaven , if ever there was the like of the intended powder-plot . you cannot anger a wicked man worse , than to do well : yea , he hates you more bitterly for this , and the credit you gaine thereby , than if you had cheated him of his patrimony , with your owne discredit . but that there is no hatred so virulent and bitter , as that which is occasioned by vertuous living , and professing of christs name ; our saviour himselfe proves copiously , matthew 10. luke 21. sect . 49. quest. wherein consists their unlikenesse and contrariety ? answ. chiefly , in foure particulars ; though indeed there bee more differences between the children of god and the children of the devil , than there are betweene men and beasts . first , they exceedingly differ in their judgements touching wisdome . 1 cor. 1.18.20 , 23. and 2.14 . and 4.10 . luke 6.27 . to 36. acts 26.24 . wisd. 5.4 . gen. 41.8 . iob 5.13 . prov. 28.11 . ier. 4.22 . 1 cor. 3.19 . exod. 1 10. iosh. 9.4 . titus 3 9. prov. 10. ver . 18. rom. 16. ver . 19. happinesse , luke 6.26 . and 8.13 . ia. 4.4 . mark. 16.16 . iob. 3.16 , 18. and 8.34 , 36. rom. 6.16.18.22 . psal. 2.3 , 4. and 10.3 . and 21.4 . 2 tim. 2.26 . mal. 3.15 . revel . 3.17 . 1 thes. 5.3 . fortitude , prov. 28.1 , 2. rev. 13.6 , 7. and 12 , 13 , 17 mar. 13.9 . acts 7.52 . mat. 10.28 . gal. 4 29. ioh. 16.2 . sinne , luke 16.15 . prov. 13.19 . marke 7.5 , 11 , 12 , 13 , luke 7.33 , 34. matth. 7.14 . 1 pet. 4 18 psal. 35.13.16 . holinesse , acts 26.9 . exod. 8.26 . 1 cor. 4.10 . and 2.14 . prov. 13.19 . psal. 14.1 ier. 44.16 . to 19. yea , they are of a reprobate judgement touching actions and persons isa. 5.20 . and so speak , thinke and doe all by contraries , like heliogabalus who wore shooes of gold , and rings of leather . or the black-moores who judge of beauty by contraries . wherefore read their words as scholars doe hebrew , backward , and you have the meaning : for instance do they call thee puritan as nothing more frequent in their mouths , understand by it saint for a christian indeed ( as thou art ) is a puritan in the devils language , and a christian in name onely ( as such an one is ) is an atheist in gods language . secondly , they no lesse differ in their passions and affections of love , psalm , 119.57 , 72 , and 17 , 14. feare , prov. 28.1 , 2. 1 tim 4.1 . rom. 2.14 , 15. anger , acts 7.52 . to 60. and 5.30 . to 34. prov. 12.10 . rev. 18.19 , 20. joy , 1 pet. 2.7 , 8. ioh. 3.15 . mat. 11.19 . and the like , which for brevities sake i forbeare . thirdly they differ no lesse in practice , & this breeds many quarrels : as what more common than for all sorts and kinds of men to hate , scorne , persetute , reproach , revile , accuse , slander and condemn the religious , because their owne workes are evill and wicked , and the others good , holy , and righteous . wherefore slew caine his brother , saith saint iohn , but because his own workes were evill , and his brothers good ? 1 ioh. 3.12 . why was ioseph accused of his mistris for an adulterer , and thereupon committed to prison , but because hee would not bee an adulterer like her ? genesis 39. yea , it was his party-coloured coat , composed of all kinds of graces and blessings that formerly procured his brethrens hate . and what is it that iobs wife expostulates with him about , but his integrity ? as if shee tooke it ill , that he took it no worse : his patience made her impatient . wherefore was holy david , as himself complaines , almost in every psalme had in derison , hated , slandered , reviled , contemned and made a proverbe and song of the drunkards , and other wicked men which sate in the gate ? but because he followed the things which were good and pleasing unto god and in him part his trust ? psal. 11.2 . and 22.6 , 7 , 8. and 37.14 . and 69.10 , 11 , 12. and lastly ( for i might bee endlesse in the prosecution of this . ) why were all the just , in solomons time , had in abhomination and mockt of the wicked , but because they were upright in their way , and holy in their conversation , prov. 29.27 . or those numberlesse martyrs , whose soules saint iohn saw under the the alter ( rev. 6.9 . ) killed , but for the word of god , and for the testimony which they maintained ? and the master himselfe ? not for any evill as themselves are forced to confesse , marke 7.37 . which examples sufficiently prove , that all wicked men are like the women of lemnos , who when they had every one slaine their husbands and kinsmen , exiled hypsipyle the kings daughter , for that she alone saved her father alive . that great dragon the devill , and these his subjects , make warre and are wroth with none but the woman , and the remnant of her seed , which keepe the commandements of god and have the testimony of iesus christ , revel . 12.17 . all was quiet at ephesus before saint paul came thither : but then there arose no small strife about that way ▪ acts. 19.23 . &c. a wolfe flys not upon a painted sheepe ; we can with delight look upon the picture of a toa●● it is your active christian , that is most spighted , and persecuted . sect . 50. but to apply this to our selves . i would faine know , whether the power of godlinesse , the sincere profession of the name of christ , according to the vow which we made in baptisme , all kind of purity and holinesse , doth not live in persecution among us , as protestants doe in spaine ? is it not a capitall crime to bee vertuous ? is not the name of an honest man , who makes conscience of his wayes , growne odious ? is not circumspect walking , the zeale of gods glory in promoting the best things , frequent hearing of sermons , singing of psalmes holy conference , brotherly admonition , &c. counted a vice , and that vice called puritanisme ? and must not hee who is called a puritan , be derided , hated , persecuted , slandered and laught to scorne ? how many may complaine with ieremy , that because they live a godly life themselves , and call upon others to doe the same , they are cursed of everyone , and counted contentious ? ier. 15.10 . it faring with professors , as it did with caius selius : of whom the heathen were wont to say , that hee was a good man , but he was a christian. yea , let but a sparke of fervent devotion breake out in a family , all the rest are up in clamors ; as when bels ring disorderly , every man is ready with his bucket to quench the fire ; disgraced he must be for a puritan , but onely by laodiceans . indifferency strives to dash zeale out of countenance , the reason is , wheresoever christ comes , there will be opposition . when christ was borne , all ierusalem was troubled , and herod cut the throats of all the children in bethlehem : so when christ is borne in any man , the soule is in an uproare , and satan with his instruments are ready to kill in him every good motion , though it be never so little a babe . that which the antients did cheifly admire ( goodnesse ) we do most of all contemne : for is not the godly man more dispised for his godlinesse , then the wicked for his wickednesse ? are not the members of christ more hated , and worse intreated by us , then the limbs of the devill ? what suppressing and disgracing is there of hels , and romes cheifest adversaries , under the aspersion and pretence of puritanisme . whereas if the same men , would but beare them company in their sins , bee drunke , sweare , temporise , contemne holinesse , mispend their time , haunt play-houses and tavernes , play the good fellows , and doe as the rest doe , they should have the approbation & good word of the greatest number ; yea , if they would not be precise in their actions , nor reprove others for their evill courses ; if they would not speake against pluralities , non-residents , lazy and good-fellow pastors , who either starve or quite neglect , or else mis-leade their flocks ; if they would but bee prophane and wicked , and make no bones of sinne , their malice would cease , and wee should not have a puritan in all the world. sect . 51. as let mee appeale from their tongues to their hearts , and from their mouthes to their consciences , whether this be not the greatest cause of their quarrell , we refuse to pledge them in their wicked customes . or we will not breake gods law , to conforme to theirs . it faring betweene us and our adversaries ; as betweene socrates , and the athenians : who said unto them in his apollogie , i love , and imbrace you , o athenians ▪ but yet i will obey god rather than you . yea , may not all see ( saving such as the p●ince of darknesse hath blinded ) that those for the most part , whom the world speakes so basely of , are before men , in respect of any scandalous offences or open crimes , unblamable , and may say with the lamb , whom they follow , which of you can rebuke me of sinne , though with paul , 1 tim. 1.15 . they think themselves the worst of sinners ? and doe not their adversaries know , that the men whom they terme puritans , are honester men , and more righteous than themselves , as pharoah was forc'd to confesse touching moses ? exod. 10.16 , 17. and saul touching david ? 1 sam. 26.21 . yea , i know they are perswaded well of them , even when they speake most to the contrary , though i expect not they should use them thereafter . we know pilate judged christ guiltlesse , but yet he put him to death . and festus acknowledged that paul was without crime , yet he left him in prison . i dare say tertullus knew that he lyed , when hee called paul a pestilent fellow : his conscience could not chuse but answer him , thou lyest in thy throat tertulus , paul is an honester man than thy selfe . and must not these mens consciences tell them , that the same they accuse so , are in their lives the most unreproveable of the land ? yea , i will appeal to their greatest adversaries , whether the protestant at large , or those who are called puritans , be of the purest religion , and most reformed to the primitive church ? for not seldome are wicked mens judgements forced to yeeld unto that truth , against which their affections maintaine a rebellion ▪ and yet , as if they would stamp gods image on the devills drosse , and the devills image on gods silver , they justifie those actions and persons , which god condemnes , and condemn those which he justifies . true these enemies to holines spare not to cast asper●●ions on us , else how should they worke their wills ? how should naboth be cleanly put to death , if he be not first accused of blasphemy ? 1 kin. 21.13 . and the like of ioseph , eliah , ieremiah , susanna , paul , stephen , and our saviour christ himself but if you marke it , they are as guilty of the crimes whereof they be accused , as ioseph was , in forcing of his mi●tris , or as naboth and the rest were , of those things which were layd to their charge . i speak not of those monsters , those white devills who make religion a stalking hor●e to villany . i know too many dishonour god , by wearing of his livery . but what was satan to the children of god , iob 1.6 . though hee thrust himselfe into their company ? or what wise man will tax all the apostles because one was a iudas . to argue , because some are so and so , therefore the rest are alike , is a saplesse reason , only becomming a foole . an argument , that deserves rather laughter , than beleife . yet most men are 〈◊〉 fooles , or rather brute beasts , led with sensuality , and made to be taken and destroyed , as saint peter speaks , who because they love to speake evill of the way of truth , 2 pet. 2.2.12 . if they see but an hipocrite discover himselfe , they not onely harden themselves in their sinnes , and , as it were , breake their owne necks at this stumbling block , being satans trap , set on purpose to catch their blinde soules in , but condemn all the rest of his profession to be such as he is , save that they dissemble their hypocrisie more closly & cunningly ; which is as equal and ●u●t , as it was for simeon and levi to murder all the sechemites for the offence only of hamors son. but as all are not theeves that dogs bark at ; so all are not hypocrites which they terme so . but admit there were more than there are : the faults of many , should not make us uncharitable to all : nor the goodnesse of some , make us credulous of the rest . sect . 52. indeed , as all our enemies are not alike witty , so they are not alike malicious , for some transcend this way , as doeg did the rest of sauls servants another way , you shall know such an one by these few markes ; his hatred is so inveterate and universall , that hee spends all his wits in frothy scoffes , and invectives against the whole people of god ? and as if the door were not wide enough except he set open all the windows , and break downe the walls to let in this infectious ayre , his tongue scrues something against the religious into all discourses ; and when his owne invention failes , it shall be supplyed with what he hath heard : for as the papists never found any error spued out by the ancients , but they have licked it up , superstitiously to abuse the same : so he never heares of any scoffe , slander , or devillish invective formerly devised , but he licks it up , that he may spit it out againe in the face of some professor , or on the other side poyson those with whom he doth converse ; being to his company like a mad dog , that so biteth every one he meets , that they become madde too , and as apt to bite others as himselfe ; or in case he meets with another like himselfe in wit and malice , it may bee said of them , as diogenes spake of two ill conditioned women , when hee saw them talking , see how the viper and the aspe are changing poyson . and nothing so tickles the spleen , or glads the heart of such , as that discourse which may most shame profession , disgrace relion , and dishonour god. but , o that ever those tongues , which dare call god father , should suffer them●elves thus to be moved and possessed by that uncleane spirit ! or that ever the church should own such for her children . in the primitive times , the church would have denied her blessing to such a sonne , that should have thought himselfe disparaged by serving christ , and wearing of his livery , although hee had not scoft at others : yet this man flatters himself that he is a christian ; yea , you cannot beat him from it , but that he is as good a christian as the precisest , and shall goe to heaven as soone . but let him that reads , consider whether it be not a fearefull thing , to lend to satan the heart for devinng , the tongue for uttering , and the eare for hearing of calumnies , and all this to disgrace the grace of god in his children , and make it fruitlesse to themselves and others . o impiety to be abhorred : such sport on earth is only sport for the fiends in hell , and let them look to it , for such joyes may chance to cost them eternall mourning ; yea , certainly , if the infernall tophet be not for them ( in case they repent not ) it can challenge no guests ; for i may well say unto such an one , many sinners have done wickly , but thou surpassest them al ; thine is such a superlative , such a soul murthering sin , that no other sin can paralel it . sect . 53. but thou hast plenty of excuses to pacify thy blinded and benummed conscience : yea , thou wantest not some carnall reasons to make it good , as an easie in●ention may put false matters into true sylogismes : and amongst the rest , thou wouldest not have men singular : wherefore that they may have lesse zeale and more temper , thou seekest to allay their heat with frumps , and scoffes , and taunts , and jeeres ; as how often doe we hear remisse professors strive to choake all forward holinesse and zeale by commending the golden meane ? for carnall men ( who cleave as close to custome , and example of the greatest number , as clay to a cart wheele ) thinke every one exorbitant , that walketh not after their rule , 1 pet. 4.4 . as the sodomites thought of lot , gen. 19.9 . the hundred and twenty governours of daniel , dan. 6.11 . and the caldeans of shadrach , meshech , and abednego , dan. 3.10 . to 30. daniel of all darius his servants was so bold as to pray three times a day , not in contempt of the king of babilons decree , but in zeale and obedience to the god of heavens command : the governours ●●ranging at it , accuse him , and say , this daniel which is of the captivity , regardeth not thee o king , nor the decree which thou hast signed ; but doth so and so : wherfore command we pray thee , that he be cast into the lyons den , for no decree , nor statute which the king establisheth may be altered , dan. 6. again , what disorder is this that i heare of you , saith nebuchadnezzer to shadrach , meshech , and abednego : will you not serve my gods , nor worship the golden image that i have set up , dan. 3.14 . who answered no , be it knowne unto thee o king , wee are not carefull to answer thee in this matter : they were all as stiffe as if they had eaten a stake , and they could not bow to an idoll : as the godly have been in all ages , not being able to wheele with the times . yea , they that truely fear god are usually as immoveable as the sun in its course , because they thinke , and speak , and live by rule , and not by example , and hold themselves as fast tyed , as if they had the oath given them , which the 〈…〉 solemnly presented to their judges , 〈◊〉 to sw●rve from t●eir consciences wh●●●●mmand soever they should 〈…〉 themselves to the contrary 〈…〉 strictnesse is a great eyesore 〈…〉 men : who hate singularity , almost as they doe sanctity , which makes them so cry it down . and no marvell , for these men , and so all protestants at large , so scorne to be singular , that they will conform to any religion the state shall establish : yea , should they be commanded to worship a calfe with the israelites , exod. 32.4 . or a golden image with the chaldeans , dan. 3.7 . they would instantly doe it ; as the times of queene mary , witnesse : good honest men , let them injoy their communities ; peace , and plenty : any religion shall serve their turne . they are as indifferent as doctor kitching , who being abbot , was first the popes sworne servant : then an halfe papist , king henry having cast off the pope : a protestant under edward the sixt : a downe right papist with queene marie : and a parliament protestant againe , when hee tooke the oath of supremasy under queene elizabeth . of whose faith i take most protestants at large to be ; for let them hear of a change in religion , it shall never a whit trouble them : what cares a stupified worldling , for the removall of our candlestick ? what is it to him if the superstition , and blindnesse of popery did over-shadow the land ? and turne day into night : it is nothing to him , if he can but see to get money . light or darknesse , scripture or tradition , the king or the pope , christ or antichrist , are all one to him ; to heare a sermon , or see a masse , he likes them both alike . perhaps they may thinke better of themselves ; and untill they be put to it , resolve stoutly : but a temporaries religion , and flashes are but like conduites running with wine at the coronation : that will not hold , or like a land flood , that seemes to be a great sea , but comes to nothing . now these are the men ( if you observe them ) that cry out so against singularity : which imputation , together with their extolling the meane , is a cunning discouragement , but it is the devils sophistry ; for the meane of vertue , is between two kindes , not betweene two degrees : it is a meane grace , that loves a meane degree of grace . yet this is the onely staffe , with which the world beates all that are better then themselves . what will you be singular ? or are you wiser then all ? or what is this but want of discretion ? and to speake truth , that which worldly men call discretion , eates up all true wisedome : their discretion and moderate stayednesse , devoures all true honesty , and goodnesse . but shall lot ▪ leave his righteousnesse for such an imputation of singularity ? or shall he not depart sodom , because the whole city thinkes it better to stay there still ? shall noah leave building the arke , and so himselfe , and his whole houshould perish , because all the world else thinkes him haire-brained ? or must the name of a puritan , dishearten us from the service of god ? no , but as saint paul said in his apollogy , acts 24.14 . after the way which they call heresie , so worship i the god of my fathers : so wee in this case , after the way which prophane men call puritanisme , let my soule desire to serve iesus christ. sect . 54. ob. i grant ( will the more moderate worldling say ) in such cases wherein the word of god is expresse , singularity is not lawfull onely , but laudable : but ( which makes my spleene rise ) they will not conforme to things indifferent answ. a seduced heart deceives thee in so saying , why else doest thou cast the same aspersions , upon such as are conformable . but admit they onely are thornes in thine eyes ▪ doest thou well to hate al that are not of thy own judgement , or that have tenderer consciences then thy selfe ? no , for honest and good men may differ in opinion , not only in things triviall , but in matters of great moment ; provided they agree in the fundamental articles of the catholique faith , and yet may , and ought to continue brotherly love and communion , as members of the same mysticall body : as many examples witnesse , both of eminent christians , and fathers of the church : as also our saviours words , who speaking of the fundamentall poynts , penneth the league thus , he that is not with us , is against us , but o● poynts not fundamentall thus , he tha● is not against us , is with us . wherea● these differ from thee ( if thou beest a true protestant as thou wouldest bee thought to be ) in nothing materiall , for there is a vast difference , between another discipline , and another doctrine : and they little differ , that agree in matter . only their consciences are not so large as thine : and thou thinkest those things indifferent , which they cannot assent unto though they take more paines to satisfie and informe themselves then thou doest . but admit they be things of an indifferent nature , even actions of indifferency , when once they are felt to trench upon the conscience , lay deep obligations upon the soul , even whiles they are most slighted by carelesse hearts : there being no lesse difference in consciences , then stomacks , of which some will digest the hardest meats , and turne over substances not in their nature edible , whiles others surfeite of the lightest food , and complaine even of dainties . and indeed , every gracious heart is in some measure scrupulous , and findes more safety in feare then in presumption : and certainely , in cases of a doubtfull and questionable nature , it is ever good to take the surest side , and which draws neerest to probability . many things are of so questionable a nature , that much may be said on either side : now if i chuse that side , on which i am sure i shal not sin , i deserve to be excused , rather then censured ; if i use them it is possible i may sin , it may be they are not sinfull : yet i am not so sure of it that i shall not sin if i use them , as i am sure i shall not sin , nor break any of gods commandments if i doe not use them . this i may be bold to build upon , he that sayles amongst rocks , it is possible hee may escape splitting , but hee is not so sure to keep his vessell safe , and whole , as he that sayles in a cleare sea , where no rocks are at all . sect . 55. qu. bvt to speak really , and as the truth is , why doe they use all these discouragements ? an. their onely aime is , to make us square our lives according to their rule ; as that gya●t did proportion the bodies of all his guests , to the bed of his harlot ; yea , if they would give their tongues liberty to acquaint us with their hearts and consciences , they must needs confesse , that they use that odious nickname ( devised by satan himselfe ) for no other end , but to slout men out of their faith and holy profession , and to bring the very truth of religion , and power of godlinesse into contempt and scorn . and indeed , whom not heroicall in fortitude ( the case standing as it doth ) would it not discourage and beat back to the world ? but thanks be given to god , his spirit herein so hardneth and steeleth his servants , that their faces are like flint , and themselves like brazen walls , and defenced cities , though otherwise soft in affection , and true professors of meeknesse . yea , undoubtedly , he must be more then man ( that is , more spirit then flesh ) that can contentedly make himself contemptible to follow christ , be pointed at for singularity , endure so many base and vile nicknames , as are every where cast upon the conscionable ( for there is scarce a house , but is haunted with these kinde of spirits , familiars , visible and carnall devills , soule-murtherers ) have his religion ●udged hypocrisie ; his christian prudence , cra●t and policy ; his godly simplicity , sillinesse his zeale , madnesse ▪ his punctuall obedience to gods laws , rebellion to princes ▪ his contempt of the world , ignorance : his godly sorrow , dumpishnes , &c. for these and the like as unseasonable fro●s , nip all gracious offers and beginnings in the bud , and as much as in them lyeth , with herod labour to kill christ in young professors yea , the censures and scoffs of these atheists and worldlings , like the blasts of rams-hornes before the wals of iericho , lay al the strength of a young beginners vertues levell at one utterance : yea , it is the only remora & greatest cause of arrest , if any looke heaven-ward , that makes them recoyle . true , a wise man will not be scoft out of his money , nor a just man be flouted out of his faith ▪ yea , like iohn baptist , hee will hold his profession , though hee loose his head for it . if christ have but once possest the affections , there is no dis-possessing him againe . the league that heaven hath made , hell wants power to breake . if the sweet doctrine of christ be once gotten into the heart , it cannot be got out againe by all the torments which wit and cruelty can devise , as we see in the martyrs . neither would hee ever endure a blow , who cannot concoct a foule word . hee that is discouraged and made returne with an ishmaelitish persecution of the tongue : how would hee endure a spanish inquisition , or those marian times ? hee that is so frighted with a squib , how would he endure the mouth of a cannon ? but to proceed . for a man to bee scoft out of his goodnesse , by those that are lewd , is all one , as if a man that seeth should blind-fold himselfe , or put out his eyes , because some blind wretches revile and scoffe at him for seeing : or as if one that is sound of limbs , should limpe , or maime himselfe , to please the criple , and avoid his taunts . for my part , i had rather live hated of all men for goodnes , then be beloved of al for vice ; and rather please one good man , then content a thousand bad ones ; his single authority being sufficient to countervaile the disdain of a whole parish of sensualists . yet experience shewes , that divers are content to be misled with the multitude , rather then be an obiect of their scorne and derision . yea thousands hold it the best and safest way , in differences of religion , without further question , to take the stronger part ; that so doing as the most doe , they may have the fewest to finde fault with them , and al through base cowardlinesse . which bashful devill never leaves a great many , so long as they live ; whereby with the rich man , luke 16. they never thinke of heaven , till tormented in the flames of hell . whereas satan formerly assaulted the church by violence , now he doth it by deceit : and certainly the devill gets more by such discouragements , and the reproaches that are cast upon religion , then he did formerly by fire and faggot ; for then the blood of the martyrs was found to be the seed of the church , others ( phoenix-like ) springing out of their ashes , wheras now multitudes of souls are scoft out of their religion by wicked men . but i grieve to see how they wrong themselves , in thus wronging others : for in that wicked men do so mock and deride such as are in love with heavenly things , it is hard to say whether they doe most offend in hindering the honor of god thereby , or their neighbours wel-fare , or their own salvation . alas , some men will better abide a stake , then some others can a mocke . zedikiah was willing to hearken to the prophets councell , but that this lay in his way , the chaldeans would mock him , ier. 38.10 . it was death to him to bee mock'd . a generons nature is more wounded with the tongue , than with the hand : yea , above hell there is not a greater punishment , then to become a sannio , a subject of scorne : as sampson , i doubt not , found . alcibiades did professe , that neither the proscription of his goods , nor his banishment , nor the wounds received in his body , were so grievous to him as one scornfull word of his enemy c●esiphon . thou thinkest not tongue-taunts to be persecution , but thou shalt once hear it so pronounced in thy bill of inditement , ishmael did but flout isaack , yet saint paul saith , he persecuted him , gal. 4.29 . god calls the scorning of his servants by no better a name , then persecution . and what ever thou conceivest of it , let this sault be as far from my soule , as my soule from hell . and thus you see , that nothing but goodnesse is the whet●●on of their malice ; which being so , are not we heathenish christians ? what honour of christ is there among us , wher religion makes one contemptible ? is this christian-like ? such men may bee christians in shew , or name , but they are devills indeed ( however they flatter themselves ) resembling the high priests , scribes , & pharisees , who called themselves the church : while they went about to kill the head of the church : who the same night that christ instituted the sacrament , and consulted how to save them , did consult how they might destroy him : yea , let any indifferent stander by , ●udge whether thou beest not bottomlessely ill , who doest malice goodnesse in others , who art displeased with us , because we please god , and murmurest like the scribes and pharisees at the same things , whereat the angels rejoyce : for none but a caine , or a devill in condition , will envy , because his owne workes are evill , and his brothers good . they are desperately wicked , that cannot indure so much as the sight of godlinesse : as he was fearefully idle , that seneca speaks of , whose sides would ake to see another worke : neither couldest thou doe so if the devill were not in thine heart . and so much touching the third difference betweene the seed of the serpent , and the seed of the woman . sect . 56 4 fourthly , as they hate and persecute the godly , because they doe well : so likewise , because they fare well , and are accepted before them . as why was caine wroth with his brother abel , and after slew him , as affirmeth the holy ghost , but because , the lord had respect unto abel , and to his offering : but unto cain and his offering , he had no respect ? gen. 4.4 , 5. why did esau hate iacob , and purpose to kill him , but because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him ? gen 27.41 . isaacs blessing bred esaus hate . again , wherefore did the philistines and abimelek envy isaac , stop up his wells , and banish him from them , but because the lord so abundantly blessed isaac , as appeares , gen. 26 12. to 18. wherefore did iosephs brethren hate him , not being able to speake peaceably unto him , and after sell him into aegypt , but because his father more favoured him , and they feared he should reigne over them ? gen. 37.4 . if ioseph be his fathers darling , he is his brethrens eye-sore . wherefore did saul persecute david , and pursue after him from place to place to take away his life , but because he was so praised and preferred of the people before himselfe , and , the lord was with david , and prospered him in every thing he tooke in hand , 1 sam. 18.12 , 13 , 28 , 29. davids successe is sauls vexation : yea , he findes not so much pleasure in his kingdome , as vexation in the prosperity of david . and lastly , ( for i passe by the elder brothers envy in the parable against his younger brother , when his father so royally entertained him at his return , luk. 15.28 . which is meant of the iewes envying the gentiles conversion ; and many the like instances . ) why was eliab wroth with his younger brother , 1 sam. 17.28 . but because he should bee more exalted ? and i doubt me , whether davids brethren were more glad , that goliah was slaine , or angry that hee was slaine by their brother : for envy is sicke , if her neighbour be well ; and the good mans honour , is the envious mans torment : as it fared between haman & mordecai as hereafter the glory of christ shall adde to these reprobates confusion , when they are driven to confesse , this is he , whom we once had in derision . sect . 57. but to apply what hath been collected out of the word . see whether these examples sute not with some , and not a few in our times . as , first , why doe a sort of ministers ( none of the best ) i meane such as live ill and viciously , or preach ill and unprofitably , or both live ill , and preach ill , maligne , hate and traduce , yea , promote against such as preach more faithfully and powerfully , and live more holily and unblameably , but because god honours their ministery with the conversion of soules , and their words are with such power , that the people flocke after them , as they were wont after christ ▪ while in the meane time themselves are neglected and dis-esteemed , being as they suppose far greater scholers ( for if a minister preach profitably , they will give it out hee is no scholer , neither can they doe satan a greater pleasure ) and their sermons more elaborate , for they will be as long in the conception and breeding of them , as an elephant is of her young ; which being borne onely amazeth the hearers , and makes them at their wits end with admiration , their owne bosomes will tell them , that i speake truth . againe , why doe these men inveigh and preach against preaching ? as , what needs so much preaching , say they ( and all stupified sensualists ) it was never a good world , since so many lectures were set up : there was more love , and charity , and plaine-dealing among our fore-fathers ( they meane in time of popery ) who were only verst in the lords prayer , creed , and ten commandments ; one sermon well remembred , and put in practise , is better then ten ; yea , quoth a minister in the pulpit , that preacht ( himselfe ) once in six weekes , that hee might silence his parishioners , who complained for want of their daily food , you will finde this sermon more then you will be able to practise this two months ; and no question , spake out of feeling ; for he having lived already above five ages , could never yet put those five words of his text into practise , viz. repent and beleeve the gospel . but the reason of this their murmuring is easie : carnall worldlings cry up practise , to cry downe knowledge , as you may see by their own practise : even as cunning papists will extoll saint iames , onely to disparage saint paul. this point would be further applied , but let conscience doe it ; for it is a sore that will not endure rubbing : onely this , if any man be vexed at his brother , because he fares better , and is better accepted , because he is favoured and respected of god and good men , while himselfe is neglected and disesteemed of both ; much more , if hee belch out his spleene against the religious , because they are praised and preferred before himselfe ; let him know , that this could not be if hee were not full of the venome of the serpent , psal. 112.10 . pro. 14.30 . sect . 58. secondly , this may be applied to people of the looser sort . as , why doe their hearts rise against every holy man they see ? as some stomacks , rise at sweet-meats . why doe all drunkards and vicious livers hate the religious , and so belch out their enmity and spleene against them , in raising and spreading of slanders as they doe ; but although , partly to rescue themselves from contempt , and procure a contrary esteeme , by putting a foule and ugly vizard upon vertue , and decking up vice in a gorgeous and comely attire ; yet chiefly , because they are precious in gods sight , his peculiar , and chosen people out of all the world , the children of god , and members of christ , temples of the holy ghost : yea , chiefly , because they partake of the divine nature , and are one with the father and the sonne ? iohn 17.14 , 21 , 22. 2 cor. 6.18 . this is the eye-sore of our enemies and let envy looke herselfe blinde . and so much of the first cause . sect . 59. quest. what is the second cause , why ungodly men hate and persecute the religious ? answ. their ignorance of god , of christ , and the scriptures . quest. how is that proved ? answ. by testimonies , examples , reason , and our own experience . 1. first , by testimonies : they shall hate and persecute you , yea , they shall excommunicate and kill you for my names sake , saith our saviour to his disciples , because they have not knowne the father , nor me , john 16.2 , 3. and 15.21 . and again they are an offence unto us , because they understand not the things which are of god , but the things which are of men , matth. 16.23 . and are deceived , because they know not the scriptures , neither the power of god , matth. 22.29 . luke 19.42 . 2. secondly , by examples and reason . this the apostle confesseth to have been the cause of his persecuting the church , 1 tim. 1.13 . who so soon as he was inlightned with the saving knowledge of the truth , changed his note , with his name , and preached that faith , which before be persecuted , it s worth the noting , how he was no sooner informed , but he was reformed . now if we looke upon him as saul , wee shall see what we are by generation ; if wee looke upon him as paul , we shall see what we are , or should be , by regeneration . neither is it strange , that the world through ignorance , should hate and persecute the members of christ : for upon the same ground , they even crucified christ himselfe , father forgive them , saith he of his murtherers , for they know not what they doe . and why have the kings of the earth , in all ages banded themselves together against the lord , and against his christ , psal. 22. but because they knew him not . john 15.21 . for if the princes of this world had knowne , they would not have crucified the lord of glory , as the holy ghost speakes , 1 cor. 2.8 . alas poore ignorant soules , they did but imitate oedipus : who killed his father laius king of thebes ; and thought he had killed his enemy . and what do the cavaliers now , in killing the saints ? but as if one with his hatchet , should cut off the bough of a tree ; upon which hee standeth . for they are beholding to the religious , for their very breath . neither is their great plot , any other peece of policy ; then as if the sodomites , should make hast to turne out lot and his family : that fire and brimstone may make hast , to destroy them . for as when noah , and his family were once entred the arke , the flood came and destroyed the first world , gen. 7.11 , 13. so the number of christs church being accomplished fire shal come down to destroy the second world , at which time , the devill and all reprobates shall be laid up in hell . oh the wickednesse , and witlesnesse of our malignants ! methinkes the parliament , may justly twit their unnaturall country : as themistocles once did his athenians , with these words : are yee weary of receiving so many benifits by one assembly . and certaynly if ever it shal be dissolved without their consent , ( which god forbid ) it would faire with the causers of it , ( mens eyes being opened ) as it did with the authors of socrates his death : which i finde thus reported . after that socrates was put to death at athens ; arastophones rehearsed a tragedy of his , concerning palamides : at the hearing whereof , the people were so moved : that they presently fel upon the authors of socrates his death , and drew them forth to punishment . but to return , to what we intend : if we consider it rightly , we shall find , that ignorance is the cause of all sin . sin indeed at the first was the cause of ignorance , but now ignorance is the cause of sin : swearing , and lying , and killing , and stealing , and whoring abound , saith the prophet , because there is no knowledge of god in the land , hos. 4.1.2 . it is a people that doe erre in their hearts . saith god , why ? because they have not knowne my wayes , psal. 95.10 . sect . 60. 3 thirdly , experience proves , that none are so farre transported with a mad and supertitious zeale against the religious , as the rude rabble who can yeeld no other reason , or confession of their faith , if they be asked , then this , that they are no puritans , or that they hate a puritan from their soules ; when as the devill himself , who hates the puritan they mean , most of any , can make as good a confession of his faith as this . for who are the greatest censurers , and the violentest opposers of goodnesse , are not the ignorant fry , who have more rage than reason and the more fottish still , the more insolent . as reprove one of them for swearing , or drunkennesse , or unjust dealing , or for prophaning the lords day , for atheisme , and the like , you are sure to be branded with the odious title of puritane , yea you are factious , and schismaticall , if ye will not be drunke , and every whit as lewd as they are . it is worth a large smile , to observe what a clamour the blundering rabble will make against the people of god , if one in their company but mention the word puritane , or tell them how scrupulous and precise such an one is . o what a number of sharp and deadly arrows will each of them shoot , both at the good and goodnesse , maugre all admonition ! for each being stung with the gad-slie of mis-governed zeale , as paul was before hee knew christ , they presume to affirm with incredible impudence , accompanied with invincible ignorance , that there are not worse men in the world then the religious . wherein it is hard to say , whether ignorance or malice , doe more abound : whether it be more out of the strength of will , or weaknesse of judgement . it is the nature of ignorant and carnall men ( that walke after the flesh in the lusts of uncleannesse , whom saint peter calls bruit beasts , led with sensuality ) to speake evill of the things they understand not 2 pet. 2.12 . especially in judging acts of zeale and piety , their opinion still lights upon the worst sense , like them in the s●cond of the acts , who mocked the apostles when they were filled with the holy ghost , and hearing them speak languages , which they understood not , cried out , these men are drunke with new wine . untill we be borne againe , we are like nicodemus who knew not what it was to be born again , iohn 3.4 . untill we become zealous our selves , wee are like festus , who thought zeal madnesse , acts 26.24 . untill we be humble our selves , we are like michal , who mocked david for his humility , and thought him a foole , for dancing before the arke , 2 sam. 6.16 . yea , to such as shall perish , or are for the present in a perishing condition , all religion seemes foolishnesse , 1 cor 1.18 . and thus you see in grosse , that ignorance is a main cause of hatred and persecution . wee shall more clearly discerne how it comes to be so , if we note the root , ignorance , the stem , suspition , or iealousie , the sap , hatred , the fruit , persecution . severally , and apart ; for ignorance causeth . suspition ; and suspition , hatred ; and hatred , persecution . but i cannot stand upon these . sect . 61. qu. if ignorance be such a generall cause of hatred and persecution , as you have shewre , what is the reason , that so many great scholers and wise men do also hate and persecute the godly ? ans. great scholers they may bee , and wise men also , in the worlds esteeme , but in the maine , and in gods account they are nothing so : for admit they have inlightned heads , sufficient to leave them without excuse , yet because they withhold the truth in unrighteousnesse , and doe not glorifie god with their knowledge , neither are thankfull , but become vain in their imaginations , their foolish hearts are darkned ; and so while they professe themselves to be wise , in changing the truth of god into a lie , they become fools , and expresse it , by thus hating god and his children , romans 1.18.21.22.25.30 . so that ignorance is the cause even in them also . and indeed if they were wise , they would foresee the torments of hell , and prevent them , as bernard speakes . or if they knew god , they would keep his commandments , for hereby , saith saint iohn , is it knowne that wee know god , if we keep his commandements , 1 john 2.3 . but he that saith i know him , and yet keepeth not his commandements , is a lyar , and there is no truth in him , ver. 4. yea these have sworne to keepe the commandements , and to deny the world , and yet are not content with their owne disobedience , unlesse they cast aspersions upon them that obey . againe thirdly , if they knew christ , they could not but love him ; and loving him , they must needs love his members , not persecute them ; for it is the very first part of our conversion , to love them that love god , 1 joh. 3.14 . and 4.7.8 . and joh. 13.35 . but so many as are enemies to the crosse of christ , shew that they never knew god in christ. as for their wisdome and learning ; you must know that men may be ●xquisitely wise , and incomparably learned in the worlds opinion , and yet very fooles in gods account , 1 cor. 3.19 . as sharp-eyed as eagles in the things of the earth , and yet as blinde as beetles in the matters of heaven . and knowledge consisteth not so much in the quantity , as in the quality : not in the greatnesse , but in the goodnesse of it . for as a little precious stone is of more worth then many other stones of greater bulke : so one drop of wisdome guided by the feare of god , is more worth then all humane learning . one sparke of spirituall , experimentiall and saving knowledge , is worth a whole flame of secular wisdome and learning . one scruple of holinesse , one dram of faith , one graine of grace , is more worth then many pounds of naturall parts . but learning and grace doe not alwayes keep company together . yea , o lord , how many are there , that have a depth of knowledge , yet are not soule-wise ! that have a library of divinity in their heads , and not so much as the least catechisme in their consciences ? no rare thing for men to abound in speculation , and be bar●en in devotion : to have full braines , and empty hearts ; cleare judgements , and defiled affections ; fluent tongues ; and lame hands : yea , you shall heare a flood in the tongue , when ye cannot see one drop in the life . for example , i might instance in balaam , whom the holy ghost stiles a foole , 2 peter 2.16 . and iudas mat. 27.3 , 4 , 5. and paul , before his conversion , who ( even while hee was a persecuter like these men ) was eminent among the pharisees for wit and learning , but a very ideot among the apostles . and lastly , the priests , scribes and pharisees , who were matchlesse for their wisdome and learning , as wanting nothing , that either nature or art could inrich them withall : yea , and they were chiefly learned in the scripture , gods oracles , which will make a man wise , or nothing : and yet our saviour ( who could not bee deceived ) calls them foure times in one chapter blinde , and twice fools , mat. 23.16.17.19.24.26 . because they wanted faith and holinesse , which are the sinewes and nerves , yea the soule of saving knowledge , inlivening , feeding and strengthening the same ; for in the dialect of the scripture , a fool is a naturall man , and a wise man , a man sanctified . alas ! god regards not lip-learning , and tongue-wisdome , and braine-knowledge , except it ceize upon the heart also , and lead captive the affections to the government of the gospel , whereby wee are changed and transformed into new men , after the image of christ , 1 cor. 2.12 . eph. 4.20 . to 25. col. 3.10 . except we digest our knowledge into practise , and imploy our wisdome to his glory that gave it , our neighbours good , and the furthering of our owne salvation : for with him wickednes is folly , and the greatest sinner is the greatest foole : and he most wise , that is most religious , and that offends least , prov. 1.7 . iob. 28.28 . prov. 9.10.12 . and 11.3 . deut. 4.6 . hosea 14.9 . iames 3.13.17 . 2 tim. 3.15 . and he that is truly wise , thinks that to be wisdome , and folly , which god thinks so . neither is that worth the name of knowledge which may be heard only , and not seen . good discourse , is but the froth of wisdome ; the pure and solid substance of it , is in well framed actions . what saith the scripture ? keepe the commandements of god , and doe them , for this is your wisdome and understanding before god and men , deut. 4 6. and again , he that is a wise man and indued with knowledge , will shew it by his conversation in good works , iames 3.13 . for , sect . 62. rightly , a man knows no more then he practiseth . it is said of christ , 2 cor. 5 , 21. that he knew no sinne , because he did no sin : in which sense , hee knows no good , that doth no good . and certainly , they who wander in the by-paths of sin and errour , declare themselves ignorant of the right way of salvation , rom. 3.17 . saving knowledge of the truth works a love of the truth knowne ; it is an uniforme consent of knowledge and action , iob 28.28 . he onely is wise , saith solomon , that is wise for himself , prov. 9.12 . he whose conscience pulleth all he hears and reads to his heart , and his heart to god ; who turneth his knowledge to faith , his faith to feeling , and all to walke worthy of his redeemer he ; that subdues his sensuall desires and appetite to the more noble faculties of the soule , reason , and understanding , and makes that understanding of his serve him , by whom it is , and doth understand ; hee that subdues his lust to his will ; submits his will to reason , his reason to faith ; his faith , his reason , his will , himself , to the will of god , this is practicall , experimentall , and saving knowledge , to which the other is but a bare name or title . for , what is the notionall sweetnesse of honey , to the experimentall taste of it ? it is one thing to know what riches are , and where they bee ; and another thing to bee master of them . it is not the knowing , but the possessing of them , that makes rich . what saith one ? no more then the knowledge of goodnesse , maketh one to be named a good man ; no more doth the knowledge of wisdome only , cause any person properly to bee called a wiseman . and certainly , that wisdome and learning is little worth , which nothing profits the owner of it , either to vertue or happinesse . these things if ye know , happy are yee if yee doe them , iohn 13.17 . so that he is the best scholer , that learnes of christ obedience , humility , &c. he the best arithmetician , that can adde grace to grace . he the best learned , that knows how to be saved . yea , all the arts in the world are artlesse arts to this . but alas ! naturall men are so farre from being thus learned , that not one of them doth really , and by his owne experience know the chiefe points of christian religion ; such as are , faith , repentance , regeneration , the love of god , the presence of the spirit , the remission of sinnes , the effusion of grace , the possession of heavenly comforts ; he knows not what the peace of conscience , and joy in the holy ghost is , nor what the communion of saints means ; he knows not what it is to have a certaine and experimentall feeling , with a continuall proofe of gods favour , in the whole passage of a mans life , and practise , &c. prov. 24.7 . when every of these are easie and familiar to the meanest and simplest beleever . sect . 63. object . but the word of god in divers places calls worldly men wise men ; yea ascribes the greatest wisdome and knowledge to the wicked . answ. it s true , but in what sense ? doe ye not perceive , that god either speaks it in a holy derision ? as , gen. 3.22 . is to be understood : or else hee speakes it in the person of the wicked , calling it wisdome , because worldly men deem it so : as in another place , he calls preaching , the foolishnes of preaching , because the wicked esteem preaching but foolishnesse : and as christ calls the pharisees just , because they justified themselves , luke 15.7 . or thirdly , he meanes the wisdome of the flesh , or of the world ; and that is as much , as if he had said in other words , foolishnesse : for the wisdome of the world is foolishnesse with god , and no lesse then twelve times infatuated by the wisdome of god in one chapter , 1 cor. 2. but to make it more plain , that no naturall man is a wise man , we must know that there is a speculative knowledge in the brain common to hypocrites with gods children , heb. 6.4 . and there is a spirituall and heavenly wisdom , a practicall , experimentall and saving knowledge in the heart , which keepes a man from every evill way , prov. 2.12 . peculiar to the godly alone , ephes. 4.8 . and 5.8 . the naturall man , saith paul , perceiveth not the things of the spirit of god , for they are foolishnesse unto him : but the spirituall , who have the mind of christ , understand all things , even the deepe things of god , 1 cor. 2.14 , 15 , 16. and again , we speake the wisdome of god in a mystery ; even the hid wisdome , which none of the princes of this world have knowne , 1 cor. 2.7 , 8. see 1 thess. 5.4 , 5. whence it is , that naturall men are said to be in darknesse , ephes. 5.8 . matth. 4.16 . whereas the regenerate are called , children of the light , and of the day , 1 th●ss . 5.4 , 5. luke 1.79 . which comparison is very emphaticall . for as the soule , is the lamp of the body ; and 〈◊〉 reason , of the soule ; and religion , of reason ; and faith of religion : so christ is the light and life of faith . whence it followes , that as meere sense is uncapable of the rules of reason : so reason is no lesse uncapable of the things which are supernaturall . and as to speake , is only proper to men : so to know the secrets of the kingdome of heaven is onely proper to beleevers . sense is a meere beasts ; reason , a meere mans ; divine knowledge is onely the christians . now if it be askt , why a naturall man perceiveth not the things of the spirit of god ? saint paul , in the place before quoted , answers ; he cannot know them , because they are spiritually discerned , 1 cor. 2.14 . for if they be spiritually discerned , how should they discern them , that have not the spirit ? for as no man can see the sun , but by the light of the sun : so no man can know the secrets of god , but by the revelation of god , 1 cor. 12.8 . mat. 16.17 . to know the mysteries of the kingdome of heaven , wee must have hearts ▪ eyes and eares sanctified from above , deut. 29.2 , 3 , 4. psal. 111.10 . luk. 24.45 . iohn 15.15 . rom , 8.14 , 15. neither is spiritual and ●●avenly wisdome the fruit of time and study , as the naturall is . it is not eloquence , nor logicall demonstrations , that can make us capable of it . we cannot attaine to supernaturall and celestiall knowledge , by any naturall and terrestriall meanes . no learning , nor experience will serve to know that great mystery of godlinesse , and hid wisdome , spoken of , 1 cor. 2.6 , 7 , 8 , 10 , &c. to know the riches of the glory of gods inheritance in the saints , to know the love of christ , which passeth knowledge , &c. ephes. 1.17 , 18. and 3.19 . because this wisdome descendeth from above , iames 3.17 . sect . 64. 2 secondly , as none can attaine to this precious grace of saving knowledge , except it be given them from above : so , it is a jewell of such worth , that god gives it to none but his children the godly , and such as hee knows wil improve their knowledge to his glory . the servant ( saith christ , meaning the ungodly man ) knoweth not his masters will , but i have called you friends ( speaking to his apostles , and in them , to all that are converted ) for all things that i have heard of my father , have i made knowne unto you , john 15.15 . surely , saith solomon , to a man that is good in his sight , god giveth wisdome and knowledge , eccles. 2.26 . intimating , that he doth not so to the evill man. the wise , that is , the godly , saith daniel , shall understand , but none of the wicked shall have understanding , dan. 12.10 . a scorner seeketh wisdome , and findeth it not ; but knowledge is easie to him that wil understand . pro. 14.6 . that is , to him that will be bettered by his understanding . wicked men understand not judgement , but they that seeke the lord , understand all things , prov. 28.5 . and 3.32 . they which observe the commandments , have a good understanding , saith david , psal. 111.10 . the rest have an ill understanding , and a vain ; an understanding , like that of the scribes and pharisees , which was enough to condemn them , but not to save them . such as are delivered up to councells , and brought before rulers , and kings in defence of the gospell : are straitly charged by our saviour , neither to premeditate , or take thought before hand how , or what to answer : because the holy ghost shall teach them in that very houre ; what they ought to say , or rather , the holy ghost shall speake in them , mark. 13.9.11 . luk. 12.11 , 12. and which of the martyrs did not finde the same verified ? alice drivers , being a poore mans daughter ; and brought up at the plow : in defence of gods truth , and in the cause of christ at her examination ; put all the doctors to silence ; so that they had not a word to say , but one looked upon another . indeed bonner thought , hee had non-plust a plaine fellow with his sophistry about the reall presence : but he answered him to the purpose , my lord ( quoth he ) i cannot so well dispute for the truth , as you can against it : but i can burne for the truth , which you will never doe . and did it , a good argument to prove , that he knew truth from falshood , better than the bishop . thus as no man can see god , and live : so no man can see christ , who is god , sitting at the right hand of his father in heaven , so long as hee lives a meer naturall man , 1 cor. 2.14 . god will not powre new wine , but into new vessells , matth. 9.17 . christ is said to have expounded all things to his disciples apart , to shew , that if we will have christ to teach us , wee must goe apart from the world . if any will doe gods will , saith our saviour , he shall know the doctrine , whether it be of god , or no , iohn 7.17 . so that no man can learne this doctrine , but he that doth it : as no man could learn the virgins song , but they that sang it , revel . 14.3 . yea , if the feare of the lord , as solomon speakes , is the beginning of wisdome , how should they have wisdome , that have not the feare of the lord ? all unrepentant sinners are enemies to god , servants to satan : now we men , doe not tell our secrets to enemies ; neither will an artificer teach another mans servant his trade : but the righteous are christs friends , and brethren , and sisters , and father , and mother , between whom there is a kinde of familiarity , so that he makes them of his counsell , his secrets , saith solomon , are with the righteous , pro. 3.32 . and again , psal. ●● . 14 . the secrets of the lord are revealed to them that fear him , and his covenant is to give them understanding . see this in abrahams example , shall i hide from abraham that thing which i do ? saith god , gen. 18.17 . as if this were an offence in god , if he should tell the righteous no more then he tells the wicked . be●ides , what should he doe with a talent , that will not improve it ? and let a wicked man know never so much he is resolved to be never the better man. and they that are unwilling to obey , god thinkes unworthy to know : which is but equity . indeed , if they will put off , concerning their former conversation , the old man , with his corruptions , and deceiveable lusts , and be changed , by the renewing of their mindes and by putting on the new man , which after god is treated in righteousnesse and true holinesse , ephe. 4.20 . to 25. col. 3.10 . 2 cor. 5.17 . 1 joh. 4.7 . then they shall see what the good and acceptable , and perfect will of god is , as saint paul , and our saviour christ shews , rom. 12.2 . matth. 5.8 . for god in the person of wisdome hath made a generall promise to all that will serve him , prov. 1. if thou wilt turne , saith god , at my correction , i will powre out my heart unto thee , and make thee understand my words , verse 23. but else , they shall blindly goe on in persecuting christ and his members , perhaps to the killing of his prophets , and thinke also that they doe god good service , iohn 16.2.3 . for as they like not to retaine god in their knowledge , saith the apostle , so god shall give them over to vile affections , and to a reprobate minde , rom. 1.28 . and because they will not receive the truth in love , that they might be saved , therefore god shall send them strong delusions , that they might beleeve lyes : that all they might bee damned , which beleeve not the truth , but had pleasure in unrighteousnesse , 2 thes. 2.10.11.12 . and is it not iust with god , to say , they would none of christ , let them welcome sathan and antichrist ? sect . 65. quest. what instruction from the premisses ? ans. as it ought to stop all wicked mens mouthes : so it may both serve for direction and comfort to the godly , and to informe all . first , if it be so , that all naturall men are uncapable of divine and supernaturall knowledge , that they are blinde touching spirituall things : let not any carnall wretch hereafter dare to speake evill of the things , actions and persons , which are out of the reach of his capasity , but silently suspend his judgement , untill he is better informed . for as it pertaineth not to the rusticke to judge of letters , so it belongeth not to naturall men to judge of spirituall things . and in matters of sensure , nothing but a certaine knowledge should make us give a certain judgement ; & in the mean time , confesse , that ioseph may know his brethren although they know not him . he which is spirituall , discerneth all things ; yet he himselfe is iudged of no man , 1 cor. 2.14 . that is , of no naturall man. 2. let those that have used to speake evill of the way of truth , learne to kicke no more against the pricks , lest they bring the same curse upon themselves , that those did , which brought up an evill report of the holy land , viz. that , as they never entred into the terrestriall canaan : so these never enter into the celestiall . yea , put case they shall think to doe god good service in it : for there is a way . saith solomon , that seemeth right to a man , but the issues thereof are the wayes of death pro. 14.22 . as many shall thinke , they doe god good service , in putting his children so death , ioh. 16.2 . even that monke thought no lesse , who poysoned henry the seventh emperor of germany with the sacramentall bread . and so did the powder traytors , intending to blow up the whole state. maximinian thought , the blood of christians would be an acceptable sacrifice to his gods. so francis the second of france ; and phillip the second of spaine : thought of the lutherans blood in their dominions . in the sixth councell of toledo it was inacted ; that the king of spaine , should suffer none to live in his dominions that professed not the roman catholique religion : whereupon king philip having hardly escaped shipwrack , as he returned from the low countries said : he was delivered by the singular providence of god , to root out lutheranisme ; which he presently began to doe ; prosessing that he had rather have no subjects then such . in which opinion many depart : but as men go to a lottery , with heads full of hopes : but returne with hearts full of blankes ; so will it one day fare with these men . 3 if all who deride and persecute the godly , are ignorant persons , as hath been proved : then let not gods children be discouraged , maugre all slander and opposition ; nor thinke the worse of themselves , if such reproach them never so . the corinthians exceedingly slighted paul , he was this and he was that ; but what saith pa●l ? with me it is a very small thing , that i sh●uld be judged of you , 1 cor. 43.3 , 4 ▪ alasse ! the best of them ●aw no more than saint pauls outside ; the grace of his heart , the raptures of his soule , the ravishing delights of the inward man , and the like spirituall priviledges , more glorious than the states of kingdomes , were to these sensualists as a covered messe . and indeed , naturall men are as ●it to judge of spirituall matters , as ●●●nd men are fit to judge of colours . we know litle child●ē will often laugh at wise men when they are about serious & necessary affairs & busines , which notwithstanding is not an argument of the unworthines of the things they laugh at , but of the folly of them which laugh . wil the merchāt be discouraged , because his wine pleaseth not a sick mans palat ; when those that are in health commend it , and himselfe knowes it to be good ? much lesse cause have we to be discouraged , having more certainety to rely upon . our enemies have sense , reason , and experience to confirme their judgements ; but we have them , with an advantage of three infalliable witnesses , gods word , and spirit , and faith. wherefore henceforward let us take our saviours councell , and seeke to justifie our judgements to the children of wisdome , of whom she is justified ; and not to fooles , by whom shee is daily crucified . neither let any thinke the better of such whom they extoll , for the blinde eate many a flye . 4 this shews that they suspect much , because they know little , as children in the darke suppose they see , what they see not . they complaine , like the owle , of the glory of the sun , when the fault is in their own eyes , they are blind , yet the misery is , they see not that they are blinde ; and therefore believing that they see , they accuse others of schisme , when indeed themselves are only guilty of prejudice ; as a blinde man running against one that seeth , calls him blinde that did not shunne him . they are like harpast , a blinde woman in seneca's family , who would not be perswaded that shee was blinde ; but found fault with the house wherein she was , as being over darke . 5. if none are truly wise , but such as have past the second birth , it gives us to understand that the regenerate ( for the most part ) sleep nigh halfe their time in ignorance , that the wicked are never awake . and if this wisedome commeth downe from the father of lights , and that we cannot have it , except god vouchsafe to give it us ; it may teach us to be humble , ioh. 42.6 . and not like the ape , that is proud of his masters jacket . heavenly notions grow not in us , we spin them not out of our owne breasts : and thankfull ; for it they be given , let us not forget the giver . 6. if all naturall men are like blinde sampson without his guide , not able without the holy ●hosts direction to finde out the pillars of the house , the principles of faith , let us not wonder that they swerve so much from the godly , in their judgements and practice . is it any strange thing , to see a blinde man stumble and fall ? yea , let us condole all their disasters , and drop some teares , in pity and compassion for their great and grievous misery . 7. and lastly , if with god one sparke of spirituall experimentall and saving knowledge be of more worth than all secular wisdome , and learning ; then strive we for that knowledge which will make the knower blessed . let us so be learned ; that we may bee saved . let us not in our hearing , and reading , and communication , doe as little children , that looke only upon the babyes in a booke , without regard to the matter therein contained : but like men in years , have more respect to the pith and solidity of the matter , than to the phrase ; and to the profit of our soules than the pleasing of our senses . and so much of the second cause . sect . 66. quest. what is the third cause , why ungodly men hate and persecute the religious ? answ. their infidelity and unbeliefe . quest. how doth that appeare ? answ. i will demonstrate it beyond deniall . why doe the heathen rage , saith david , and the people murmure , the kings of the earth band themselves , and the rulers take counsell together , against the lord , and against his anointed , saying , let us breake their bands , &c. psalm . 2.1 . to 4. but this they thinke alwayes , there is no god , god is not in all their thoughts , psal. 10.4 . and againe , they breake in peeces thy people , o lord , and afflict thine ●eritage , &c. the reason followes , they say the lord shall not see , neither shall the god of jacob regard it , psalm . 94.5 , 6 , 7. and what saith our saviour to the iewes , ye seeke to kill me , because my word hath no place in you , john 8.37 . that is , they beleeved not what he● spake , nor the scriptures which testified of him . if yee will see it in examples , look 2 king. 18.35 . dan. 3.15 . exod. 5.2 . or if in the new testament , see acts 17. where the holy ghost makes a decision between such as did , and such as did not beleeve ; paul , when in the synagogue he disputed with them , by the scriptures , opening and alleadging that christ must have suffered , risen againe , &c. for saith the text , so many of the jewes as beleeved , and of the grecians and chiefe women as feared god , joyned themselves in company with paul and silas . but those that beleeved not , mooved with envy , tooke unto them certaine vagabonds , and wicked fellowes , with the multitude , and made a tumult in the city , and assaulted the house of jason , drawing out him , and as many of the brethren as they could finde , and brought them before the people , and the heads of the city , crying ; these are they which have subverted the state of the world , and they all doe against the decrees of caesar , &c. and lastly , looke but 1 tim. 1. you shall heare saint paul most ingenuously confessing , i was a blasphemer , a persecuter , and an opposer of christ , and his members ; but i did it ignorantly , through unbelie●e , v. 13. now they which thinke , all whatsoever is written in scripture , of god , of christ , and of his kingdome of grace here , and glory hereafter , to be but a fable : as that impious pope did , who was not ashamed blasphemously to boast what he had gained by fabula de christo : and all machivillian atheists , who thinke religion to be but a politicke device , to keep men in awe , do ; whose number is greater than is supposed . these , i say , must needs think them madde and foolish , who lose thereby either profit , or pleasure , and use them accordingly . sect . 67. true , this might seeme an absurd position , if i should presume upon an appeale to their owne blinded consciences ; for they thinke , they believe in god , and the scriptures , as wel as the precisest : and so did those iews , iohn 5. which persecuted iesus , and sought to slay him , thinke they beleeved moses writings : but it is plain , they did not , by christ's answer to them , who knew their hearts better than themselves : his words are , had ye beleeved moses , yee would have beleeved me , for he wrote of me : but if yee beleeve not his writings , how should ye beleeve my words ? ver . 46 , 47 , and againe , ye have not my fathers word abiding in you , for whom he hath sent , him yee beleeve not , ver. 38 , 39. so bring these , that persecute any of gods children for well doing , to the tryal , and their owne consciences shall testifie before god , that they neither beleeve the old testament nor the new. for did they beleeve that the godly are unto god as the signet upon his right hand , jer. 22.24 . zach. 2.24 . yea , as the apple of his owne eye . zach. 2.8 . and that whatsoever wrongs and contumelies are done to his children , he accounts as done to himselfe , psalm . 44.22 . and 69.7 , and 74.4 , 10 , 18 , 22 , 23 , and 83.2 , 5 , 6 , and 89 , 50 , 51 , and 139 , 20. prov. 19.3 . rom. 1.30 and 9.20 , matth. 10.22 . and 25.45 . luk. 21.17 . 1 sam. 17.45 . esay 37.4.22 , 23.28 . and 45.9 . and 54 , 17. act. 5.39 . and 9.4 , 5. iob 9.4 . 1 thess , 4.8 . iohn 15.18 , 20 , 21 , 23 , 24 , 25. num. 16.11 . 1 sam. 8.7 . they durst not hate , revile , slander , deride , nicke-name and persecute them , as they doe . more particularly , did they really and indeed beleive god , when he saith in his word , that whosoever shal offend one of those little ones , that beleeve in him , it were better for him rather that a milston were hung about his neck , & that he wer cast into the sea , marke 9 42. that he will destroy them for ever , and roote them out of the land of the living , whose tongues imagine mischeife , and are like a sharpe razer , that cutteth deceitfully , loving to speake evill , more than good , psalm . 52.2 . to 5. that hee will confound such as persecute his children , and destroy them with a double destruction , jer. 17.18 ▪ yea , that he will render unto their enemies seaven fold into their bosome , their reproach , wherewith they have reproached the lord , psalm . 79.12 . in fine , that he will rayne upon them snares of five and brimston , with storms and tempests , psal. 11.6 . and after all , cast them into a furnace of fire , where shall be wailing and guashing of teeth , for evermore : when the just , whom they now dispise , shall shine as the sun in the kingdome of their father : they durst not doe as they doe to the godly . yea , if they did beleeve but that one place , 2 kings 2.24 . where god caused two and forty little children to be devoured of wild beares , onely for nick-naming elisha , they durst not nick-name the religious as they doe . indeed god doth not alwaies , nor often so eminently punish persecutors in this life as here it fared with these children : or as it did with lucian , who for barking against religion like a dog ; was by the just judgement of god devoured of dogges , or as it did with nighti●gall , parson of crondall in kent : who was strook dead in the pulpit , while he was belching out his spleen against religion and goodnesse . or as it did with stephen gardiner : who would not sit downe to dinner , till the newes came of the good bishops burnt at oxford . but then came out rejoycing , and saying to the duke of norfolk ; now let us goe to dinner : but it was the last that ever he are , for it . or as it fared with arundal arch-bishop of canterburys : and stephen gardiner bishop of winchester in their times : who putting to silence , both the word of god and those that purely preached it : were themselves put to silence , and so smitten in their tongues that they could not swallow their meat , nor speak for a good space before they died . true some flagitious persons god punisheth here : least his providence ; but not all , least his patience , and promise of a generall judgement should bee called in question . but , alasse ! they are so farre from beleeving wha● god threatens in his word , against these sinnes ; that they blesse themselves in their hearts , saying , we shall have peace , we shall speed as well as the best , although we walke according to the stubburnnesse of our own wills ; so adding drunkennesse to thirst , deut. 29.19 . yea , they preferre their condition before other mens , who are so abstemious , and make conscience of their wayes ; even thinking , that their god deceiveth them with needlesse feares and scruples , as once rabshekab would have perswaded the iewes , touching their trust and considenec , 2 kings 18.22 , 25 , 30 , 32 33 35. yea , how ●'st possible , that any wicked man should beleive what is written of god in the scripture , especially touching his justice , and severity in punishing sin , with eternall destruction of body and soule ? for did they really and indeed beleive god , when he saith , that his curse shall never depart from the house of the swearer , zac. 5. they durst not sweare , yea and forsweare as they doe ; much lesse durst they take a pride inoathing of it , resembling ballio the baud in plautus , who was not ashamed , but even proud of carting . yea , which is worse , reprove a swearer , and hee will sweare the more to spite you : which were not possible ; if beleeving god , they did not , what in them lies , give themselves over to the devill . againe , did they beleeve , that neither fornicacors , nor idolaters , nor adulterers , nor theeves , nor murtherers , nor drunkards , nor swearers , nor raylours , nor lyers , nor covetous persons , nor extortioners , nor unbelevers , nor no unrighteous men shall inherit the kingdom of heaven ; but shall have their part in that lake which burneth with fire and brimstone , which is the second death , 1 cor. 6 9 , 10. revel . 21.8 they durst not continue in the practice of these sinnes , without feare , or remorse , or care of amendment . did they beleeve that except their righteousnesse doe exceed the righteousnesse of the scribes and pharisees , they shall in no case enter into the kingdome of heaven , matth. 5.20 . and that without holinesse no man shall see the lord , heb. 12.14 . with many the like , it were impossible they should live as they doe . yea , if they did in good earnest beleeve , that there is either god , or devill , heaven , or hell , or that they have immortal soules , which shall everlastingly live in blisse , or wo , and receive according to that they have done in their bodies , whether it be good or evill , 2 cor. 5.10 . they could not but live thereafter , and make it their principall care , how to be saved . but , alasse ! they beleeve what they see , and feel , and know ; they beleeve the lawes of the land , that there are places and kindes of punishment here below , and that they have bodies to suffer temporall smart , if they transgresse ; and this makes them abstaine from murther , felony , and the like : but they beleeve not things invisible , and to come ; for if they did , they would as well , yea , much more , feare him that hath power to cast both body and soul into hell , as they doe the temporall magistrate , that hath onely power to kill the body : they would think it a very hard bargaine , to win the whole world , and lose their owne soules , luk. 9.25 . but , alasse ! if visible powers were not more feared than the invi●ble god , and the halter more than hell ( naturall men being like beasts , that are more sensible of the flash of powder , than of the bullet ) the world would be over-runne with outrage : whereas now , even the worst of the serpents seed , by reason of authority , are kept in a meane between devils & christians ; so living like beasts because they think they shall die like beasts , without any answer for ought they have either acted , or left undone . sect . 68. true , they doe not alwayes , nor at any time altogether , think there is no god , or judgement to come . not alwayes , for though at present they thinke their villany is uns●ene , because it is unpunished , according to that in the psalmes , the wicked thinketh there is no go● , and the reason followes , his wayes alway prosper , psalm . 10 4 , 5 yet none as plato speakes , are so confirmed in atheisme , but some great danger will make them fly to the aide of a divine power . extremity of distresse will send the prophanest to god : as the drowning man stretcheth out his hand to that bough , which he contemned whiles he stood safe on shore : even sardanapalus who for all his bould denying of god , at every hearing of thunder was wont to hide his head in a hole . yea , in their greatest jollity , even the most secure heart in the world hath some flashes of feare , that seaze on them like an arrest of treason ; for conscience cannot but sometimes looke out of it selfe , and see what it would not . at least , on their death beds they would give all the world to bee sure what the scripture speakes of hell were not true ; though all their life they supposed it but a fable . how oft doe those ruffians , that deny god at the tap-house , preach him at the gallowes : and confesse that in sobriety of spirit , which they oppugned in wantonnesse . and not seldome are the most lethargized consciences so awakened ere they goe to hell , that , spira-like , they depart desolate and desperate in , and into hellish horrors . prosperity doth so tympanize mens soules , and entranse them from themselves , that they forget they had a maker . who is god ? saith pharoah . there is no god , saith nebuchadnezar . what god can deliver out of my hand ? saith rabshakeh . i am god , saies alexander . but nebuchadnezer found there was a god. pharaoh found what that god was . rabshakeh found , to his cost , that there was an almighty god , able to deliver in the valleys ▪ as well as on the hills . alexander found hee was not as hee supposed , and confest that hee knew himselfe mortall by two things , viz. sleepe ▪ and lust. and so it shall fare with these in the end . they that would stultizare in culpa , shall be forced sapere in poena . vengeance shall make them wise , whom sinne hath made , and left foolish . at least , in hell they shall know there is a righteous judge , that will reward every man according to his deeds ▪ & confesse , that what they once vainly imagined , was but imagined . there may bee atheists on earth , there are none in hell . a pope of rome being on his death bed , said , now comes three things to tryall , which all my life i have made doubt of : whether there be a god , a devill , and whether the soule be immortall : it was not long ere hee was fully resolved with a vengeance . and so shall you , o yee fools , when that houre comes , though yee flatter your selves for the present , like that desperate pirate , who when ( ransacking and rifling a bottom ) he was told by the master , that though no law co●ld touch him for the present , he should answer it at the day of judgement ; replyed , nay , if i may stay so long ere i come to it , i will take thee , and thy vessell too . nothing more certain than death . amongst lawes , some are antiquated , as that of divorce : some changed , as that of circumcision : some dispensed withall , as that of the sabbath ( in cases of necessity , matth. 12.1 . to 14. ) but this statutum est , that all shall dye , and come to judgement , it is neither antiquated nor changed , nor dispensed withall . and as nothing is more certain than death : so nothing more uncertaine than the houre thereof : thy pulse may leave beating , before thou canst fetch thy breath . wherefore thinke not , as lot's sons in law , that we speake in jest : least you feel the fire & wrath of god in earnest . sect . 69. 2 secondly , nor at any time doe they altogether thinke there is no god , &c. for as the best faith is but like the twilight , mixed with some degree of darknesse and infidelity : so the most grounded atheisme , is mixed with some degree , either of beleife or doubting . what saith david , the foole hath said in his heart there is no god : in his heart he hath said it , but in his heart hee never beleeved it : no foole ever thought it peremptorily ; he would fain have it so : he cannot beleive it so : it is an opiniō which he suggests to his heart , not which his heart suggests to him : and this makes him fearful to dye , & to dye fearfully . tully speaking of metrodorus , an atheist in his time , saith , nec quemquam vidi , qui magis ea timeret , quae timenda esse negaret . they that make a flout of hell , affirmant mihi & tibi , non sibi ; noctu , non interdiu ; their mouthes tell us so , their hearts doe not tell their mouths so . no hell i dare say , if there were a generall collection made throughout the whole world , that there might bee no judgement day , these men would be none of the backwardest . yea , if they had as many provinces , as ahasuerus had , they would give an hundred and six and twenty of them to bee sure of it . the consciences even of wicked men can never bee so charmed , or over-ruled , either by arguments , or the temptations of sathan , that they can let goe the sense of a god-head . we are all borne idolaters , and chuse rather to adore the sunne , the moone , yea the meanest of all creatures , rather than not acknowledge a deity . you may sooner get a conscience to beleeve all the fables in the popish legend , or turkish alcaro● , than that this universall frame is without a minde . — prima est haec ultio , quod , se iudice , nemo nocens absolvitur — so that to say truely , they doe not , and yet they do beleive there is a god , and a hell : for when they admit conscience into their councell , they doe beleeve : but because they would rather not beleeve it , they stifle conscience , stop their owne eares , and flatter their hearts with the contrary opinion : like as it fared with the philistims of ashdod , 1 sam. 6. who when they had stood out that sore judgement seven months , and brought upon their god dagon , and the whole countrey , a very great destruction , and perceived , that all which were guilty of keeping and prophaning the arke , suffered in the judgement , and onely they ; at last could bring forth this conclusion , peradventure it is god's hand that smote us ; yet , it may bee , it is but a chance that hath hapened unto us , ver. 9. wherein it is evident , they did half beleeve , and no more ; their consciences told their hearts there was a powerfull god , to revenge the prophaning of his arke ; but their hearts were very loth to give assent thereunto : and so fares it with these , when they wrong and persecute his children , or they may be likened to those untoward israelites , exod. 16. who did in part beleeve god , when hee told them , if they reserved of the manna untill morning , it should stinke ; and that if they went to gather it on the sabbath , they should finde none , who would have thought it foule scorne , if one should have told them , they beleeved no such thing : for all they had seene so many miracles , yet t is apparent , they did but halfe beleeve him : for what else made them try whether hee spake true or no , after they were flatly forbidden ? ver . 20. or , lastly , they are like the unbeleeving iewes , who considering the oracles that christ spake , and the miracles which he wrought , were forced to testifie both these of him ( for all they hated him ) never man spake as this man doth ; and we never saw it on this fashion : yet this have yee seen , and beleeve not , saith our saviour iohn 6. 36. they saw , they heard , they wondered , they were convinced , yet they beleeved not : therfore their own eyes in seeing ; their own eares , in hearing ; their own hearts , in wondring ; their own convicted reasons shall but witnesse against their unbeleefe , ioh. 16.9 . and indeed , if they did not in some part beleeve a judgement to come , they should be worse than the very devills themselves : there is no hell , quis daemonum hoc asseret ? what devill will so affirme ? they know it , and feele it , why ( say the legion to christ ) art thou come to torment us before the time , matth. 8.29 . and shall not men tremble to deny , what the devils confesse ? sayes chrysostome . wherefore beleeve it peremptorily , ● ye fooles & mad men ; yea believe it , & avoid it , & by beleeving to purpose , ye shall avoyd it : otherwise , if ye will give more credit to your deceitful hearts , than to what the word speaks as eve beleeved the word of the serpent , adam the word of eve , both before the word of god , god will leave you to be confuted by fire & brimston ; if you wil not beleive what is written , you shall feele what is written . sect . 70. ob. but here it will be objected , that the wickedest man that lives , presumes upon gods mercy in christ , and thinkes he shall be saved , as well as the ●heife upon the crosse ; yea , hee will prove by scripture , that at what time soever h● repents , his sinnes shall be pardoned , ezech. 18.21 , 22. yea , there is scarce a man on earth , but hee thinkes to goe to heaven . answ. true , the flesh prophesies prosperity to sin ; yea life , and salvation , as the pope promised the powder traytors ; ●nd to this the devill sets his s●ale : whe●●upon while prosperity lasteth , they can turne the grace of god into want●n●esse , and even apply christ's passion , as a warrant for their licenciousnesse ; and take his death , as a licence to sin ; his crosse , as a letters pattent to doe mischeife . yea , the devill and sinne so infatuates and besots them , that they thinke to have part in that merit , which in every pa●t they have so abused ; to be purged by that blood which now they take al occasions to disgrace ; to be saved by the same wounds , which they swear by , and so often swear away ; to have christ an advocate for them in the next life , when they are advocates against christ in this ; and that heaven will meet them at their last hour , when all their life long they have galloped in the beaten road toward hell. the devil makes large promises , and perswades his , they shall have what they desire ; yet ever disappoints them of their hopes , as he did our first parents : diabolus mentitur , ut fallet ; vitam pollicetur , ut perimat , saith saint cyprian . but all one , their carnall hearts shall be flint unto god , wax to the devil , who blowes this presumption into them ; whereby they believe the promises , let go the threatnings : you shall die , saith god , is heard , but you shall not die , saith the devil , is believed , as it fared with eve , when she eat the forbidden fruit . yea , they believe the promises , that they shall have them ; but they believe not the precepts , to do them ; nor the threatnings , that they shall suffer them , for their not believing and disobedience ; which shewes , that they truly believe neither . yea , this makes it plain , that either they believe there is no god at all , or else that god is not just , and true , nor speakes as he meanes in his word ; which is worse : or if they do believe that he is a just and true god , they believe also that they shall be punished ( as he threatens ) for their provoking of him ; and they provoke him , that they may be punished ; which is worst of all . so that take them in the best sense , they are but like david's fool , which saith in his heart there is no god , and lives thereafter : which is never a whit strange , for it is usuall with them to thinke there is no god , for whom it would make that there were none : what we would have to be , we are apt to believe . i confesse , it is hard for men to believe their own unbelief in this case : they that be most dangerously sicke , are least sensible of their own sicknesse ; much more hard to make them confesse it ; for he whose heart speakes atheisme , will confesse with his tongue , that he believes there is a god , and that he is just , and true , and that every tittle of his word is equally ●rue : which being granted , this must necessarily follow , that god will as well punish the disobedient , as reward the obedient ; which in another fit they are apt enough , yea too forward to believe . for it is satan's method , first to make men so senselesse , as not to feel their sinnes at all ; and then so desperate , that they feel them too much : in the first fit men live as if there were no hell : in the last they die as if there were no heaven ; for wicked men are altogether in extremes ; at first they make question whether this or that be a sin , at last they apprehend it such a sin , that they make question whether it can be forgiven : either god is so mercifull , that they may live how they list ; or so just , that he will not pardon them upon their repentance . sect . 71. but to prevent after claps , let this point be argued in the court of thy conscience : say , whether thou art guilty , or not guilty . he that believes the promises of god , to be true , believes also the commands and threatnings , and thereupon feares god , and makes conscience of sin ; otherwise , if thou beest as it were a dead man , continuing under the burthen of notorious crimes , without sorrow , or fear , or remorse , or care of amendment , ephes. 2 1. if thou art of a reprobate judgement touching actions , and persons , esteeming good evil , and evil good , if the devil hath so bewitched thee , that thou preferrest hell to heaven , and blamest those that do otherwise : if , ishmael-like , thou mockest ; or , cham-like , thou scoffest at the religious , or usest bitter jests against them , psal. 1.1 . ephes. 5.4 . if thou raisest slanders of them , or furtherest them being raised , psal. 4.2 & 31.18 & 35.20 . as the red dragon , rev. 12. cast a floud of water out of his mouth , after the woman , when he could not reach her with his clawes , verse 15. or any way opposest them ; for the opposition of goodnesse , gives thee the title of wickednesse , which alone is the enemy thereof , and shewes that thou art a souldier of the great dragon , who goes out to make war with that blessed seed , which keep the commandments of god , rev. 12.17 . these or any one of these , shew that thou hast neither part nor fellowship in the christian beliefe ▪ that thou art an infidell , yea an atheist , which is a higher degree of infidelity , and that thou doest no way differ from an heathen , but onely in the saying of a pater noster , a creed , and , it may be , the ten commandments : neither hast thou any more of a conscience , than fear , which fear also arises more from the power of the magistrate , than from the omnipotency of a god. but to make thy selfe confesse this , examine thy beliefe by thy life ; for infidelity is the bitter root of all wickednesse , and a lively faith the true mother of all goodnesse . indeed if pride , sw●aring , prophaning of the lords day , drunkennesse , adultery , contempt of religion and all goodnesse were fruits of faith , then the world were full of believers ; but faith purifieth the heart , acts 15.9 . and worketh by love , gal 5.6 . consumes our natural unnatural corruptions , and sanctifieth the whole man th●oughout , 1 thes. 5.23 . acts 26.18 so that our faith to god is seen in our faithfulnesse to men : shew me thy faith by thy workes , saith s. iames , that is , thy invisible beliefe , by thy visible life : for the hand is the best commentary of the heart . what a man does , i am sure he thinkes : not alwayes what he speakes . men may say they believe the word , but certainly they would never speak as they speak , thinke as they thinke , do as they do , if they thought that their thoughts , words and deeds , should ever come to judgement . if men believed that heaven were so sweet , and hell so intolerable , as the word makes them , they would be more obedient upon earth ; the voluptuous would not say , with esau , give me the pottage of pleasure , take who will the birth-right of grace here , and glory hereafter ; the covetous would not say , take you heaven , let us have money . i le clear it by a similitude . if a physician should say unto his patient , here stands a cordial , which if you take will cure you ; but touch not this other vial , for that is deadly poyson , and he refuseth the cordial , to take the poyson ; in this case , who can chuse but conclude , that either he believed not his physician , or preferred death before life ? but go on . if men but believed , that god alwayes beholds them , they durst not sin . no thiefe was ever so impudent , as to steale in the very face of the judge . o god , let me see my selfe seen by thee , and i shall not dare to offend thee . againe , if men believed , that there is a place of darknesse , they would fear the workes of darknesse . if lot's sonnes-in-law had believed their father , when he told them the citie should suddenly be destroyed with fire and brimstone , and that by flying they might escape it , they would have obeyed his counsel . if the old world had believed , that god would indeed , and in good earnest bring such a floud upon them , as he threatned , they would not have neglected the opportunity of entring the arke , before it was shut up , and the windowes of heaven opened : much lesse would they have scofft and flouted at noah , while he was building it : so if you did firmely believe what the scripture speaks of hell , you would need no intreaties to avoid it : yea , cast but your eyes upon that fiery gulf with a full perswasion of it , and sin if you dare ▪ you love your selves well enough to avoid a knowne paine , wee know that there are stocks and bridewells , and goales , and dungeons , and racks , and gibbits for malefactors , and our very feare keeps us innocent : were your hearts equally assured of those hellish torments , ye could not , yee durst not continue in those sinnes , for which they are prepared : yea , if you did truly beleeve a hell , there would bee more danger of your dispaire , than of your security . yea , had you but so much of an historicall faith , as to beleeve the scriptures , touching what god hath already inflicted upon sinners ; as , upon the angells , the old world , sod●me and gomorrah , pharoah and the egyptians , nadab and abihu , chora , d●than , and abyram , with their 250 captaines , and many thousands of the children of israel , together with the whole nation of the iewes , hammon and balaam , saul and doeg , absolon and achytophell , ahab and iesabell , senacherib and nebuc●adnezar , the two captaines and their fifties , herod and iudas , annanias and saphirah , with a world of others . much more , if you did beleeve how severely he hath dealt with his owne children , when they sinned against him . viz. with moses , & aaron , and eli , which were in singular favour with him ; yea , with david , a man after his own heart , and that after his sin was remitted ; it were impossible but you woulde feare to offend so jealous a god : for thus you woulde argue , if god be so just and severe to his owne children , who were so good and gracious ; how shall i , a wicked and ungracious servant , that never did him a peece of good service all my dayes , looke to be dispensed withall ? if the godly suffer so many , and grievous afflictions here ; what shall his adversaries suffer in hell ? if sampson be thus punished , shal the philistims escape ? if the righteous shall scarcely be saved , were shall the ungodly and sinner appeare ? as the scripture speakes : 1 pet. 4.18 . for thou canst not imagine , that he will deale after a new and extraordinary way with thee , and so breake the course of his so just , and so long continued proceedings . sect . 72. wherefore dally no longer with your owne soules . are ye christians in earnest ? doe yee beleeve the word ? or do you not ? if ye do not ye are worse than the devill : f●r the devills bel●eve and tremble ; they have both faith and feare , whereas thou hast neither feare nor faith . if you be christians , there is an hell in your creed : if there be an hell , how dare you teare heaven with your bla●phemies , and bandie the dreadfull name of god in your impure mouthes , by your bloody o●thes and execrations ? how dare you ex●rcise your saucy wits in prophane s●offes at religion , and disgrace that blood , whereof hereafter you would give a thousand worlds for one drop ? it is no light or sleight offence , to contemne the brethren of the son of god : but thou fightest against the very graces of gods spirit , where-ever they appeare ? and notwithstanding thou didst vow in thy baptisme , to fight under christs banner , against the world the fl●sh and the devill , and to continue his faith●ull souldier and servant unto thy lives end ▪ as good reason , since he laid downe his life to redeeme thee , and hath ever since protected and provided for thee ; for a very dog will fight for his master that feeds him : thou contrarily takest part with the world , the flesh and the devill , his mortall enemies , and takest up armes to fight against christ. againe , if there be an hell , and but a tithe of them christians , who call themselves so ; what meanes our grinding of faces , like edged tooles , and our spilling of blood , like water ? what meanes our racking of rents , our detention of wages , our incredible cruelty to servants , our inclosing of commons , ingrossing of commodities , our griping exactions , with streining the advantages of greatnesse , our inequall levies of legal payments , our spightfull suites , griping usury , our bouzing and quaffing , our bribery , perjury , partiallity , our sacriledge , simonaicall contracts , and soule-murther , our scurr● prophanesse , cousoning in bargaines , breaking of promises , perfidious underminings , pride , luxury , wantonnesse , contempt of gods messengers , neglect of his ordinances , violation of his dayes , & c ? when if the word of god be true , we need no other ground of our last and heaviest doom , than ye have not given , ye have not visited &c. mat. 25.41 . to 46 ▪ certainely , if the tythe of us be christians , which call our selvrs so , there are abundance of christians in hell : for what eyes can but runne over , to see for the most part , what lives men leade ? there was a woman much spoken of in some parts of this land , that lived in a professed doubt of the d●ity , yea , even after illumination and repentance , she could hardly be comforted ; she often protested , that the vicious and offencive life of a great learned man , in the towne where she dwelt , did occasion those damned doubts in her minde . and we reade that linacre reading upon the new testament the fif●h sixth and seaventh chapters of saint matthews gospell , and comparing those rules with christians lives , hee threw downe the booke , and burst forth into this protestation , either this is not god's gospell , or we are not christians . let any man looke upon the lives of most men , and then say , whether the argument be not without all exceptions . or let any compare christians , that live now under christian governours : with those that lived formerly , under heathan persecutors ; and it will force them to confesse the same . athenagoras told the emperor , in the primitive times : that there was not one of the christians evill manured ; unlesse it were such as dissembled themselves christians for some by , and sinister ends . and tertullian saith of the christians in his time : non aliunde noscibiles quam de emendatione vitiorum . and chrisostome speaketh of many in his daies , whose lives were angelicall , they so walked up to their principles . it is the abstract of religion , to imitate him whom we worship : neither are we worthy to be called christians , except wee be like him in workes : wee are not like christ , except we doe whatsoever god commands , and suffer whatsoever he inflicts : now we are naught at doing , but when it comes to suffering , we are gone : it is the happinesse of these cold times , that wee are not put to the hot fire , for tryall of our faith and love : if the wheele should turne , which the mercy of god forbid , how many would turne from christ , rather than burne for him ? alasse ! the greatest number are like orbilius the grammarian , who not onely forgot the letters of his book , but even his own name : for they not only forget what is written in christ's gospell , but they forget also that they are christians , & can be of any religiō , for a need which shewes their hearts are truely of none . true , gods seede is sowne , but the devills fruit comes up : and , like the iewes we bring christ vinegar , when he thirsts for wine . but what a shame ? what a prodigy is this ? we are bound to praise god above any nation whatsoever , ( for what nation under heaven in●oyes so much light , or so many blessings as we ? ) above any creature , for all the creatures were ordained for our sakes : and yet heaven , earth and sea , all the elements , all the creatures obey the word of god ; onely men , for whom they were all made , ingratefully rebell against it . the which , as it mightily aggravates our unthankfulnesse ; so when time comes , it will gall our consciences to death . yea , when we shall consider , that christ hath removed so many evils from us , and conferred so many good things upon us , that they are beyond thought , or imagination ; and that our recompence of his love , hath been onely to do that which he hates , and hate those whom he loves : it will make us speechlesse ( like him in the gospel , who wanted his wedding garment ) as neither expecting mercy , nor daring to aske it : for know this , that thy own conscience will once sting thee , like an adder , to thinke what christ hath given , and what he would have forgiven thee , if thou would'st but have repented : to thinke how often thou hast been invited to heaven , how easily thou mightest have escaped hell , how often christ by his embassadours offered thee remission of sinnes , and the kingdom of heaven freely , if thou wouldest but believe and repent , and how easily thou mightest have obtained mercy in those dayes , how near thou wast many times to have repented , and yet didst suffer the devil and the world to keep thee still impenitent , and how the day of mercy is then past , and will never dawn again . for the same devil that now shuts your eyes , and labours to keep you blinde , during the presumption of your life , will open them in the desperation , that shall wait on you at death , or in hell : as it fared with the rich man , who when he was in hell , lift up his eyes to heaven ; but never before , luke 16.23 . those scorching flames opened them to purpose : sinne shuts up mens eyes , but punishment opens them . satan seldome lets us see our folly , till we be plunged into some deep extremity ; but then he writes it in capital letters , and pines it on our foreheads ; like one riding to the pillory : especially on our death-beds , hee shewes us all our sinnes , in multiplying glasses . that subtil syren , with orphean a●ers ; and dexterous warbles : leads us to the flames of hell , and then derides us with contempt , and triumph . like a cunning courtezan ; that dallies the ruffian to undoe himselfe ; and then paies him with a fleere and scorne . sect . 73. but i hope i have said enough , and that thou art convinc'd in thine own conscience , that hitherto thou hast been a meer atheist , and that through atheisme , thou hast hated , reviled , and persecuted the godly : if not , truth is as much truth , when it is not acknowledged , as when it is . now if thou dost confidently , and without peradventure beleeve what the scripture speaks of god , heaven , hell , &c. if thou beleevest the threatnings and precepts , as well as the promises , and if thou bearest any love to thine owne soule , break off thy sins by repentance , and oppose the good no longer : give no credit to the flesh , or the devill , which prophe●●e prosperity to sinne ; but beleeve god and the scripture , which manifestly proves , that every man shall bee judged according to his works , revel . 12.13 . & 22.12 . make not christ a boulster for sin , nor gods mercy a warrant for thy continuance in an evill course . bee not therefore evill , because hee is good , least like the foolish builder , thou commest short of thy reckoning ; for christ came to destroy the workes of the devill , iohn 3.3.8 , 9 , 10. and not to be a patron of sin ; and there is mercy with god that hee might be feared , not that he might be despised , blasphemed , &c. psalm . 130.4 . yea , know this and write it in the table-booke of thy memory , and on the table of thine heart , that if god's bountifullnesse and long suffering towards thee , does not leade thee to repentance ; it will double thy doome , and increase the pile of thy torments : for every day , which does not abate of thy reckoning , will increase it , qui numerat dotes , numerat dies ; and thou by thy hardnesse and impenitency , shalt but treasure up unto thy selfe wrath against the day of wrath , and the declaration of the ●ust judgement of god , romans 2 ▪ 4 , 5 , 6. and so much of the third cause . sect . 74. there are eight other causes ( as they make them ) why they thus hate and persecute us . the first is , speaking of truth , for which see 1 king. 22.8.17.23 , 24.26.27 . ier. 11.19 . and 26.8 , 9.11 . and 36.23.26 . and 38.4 , 5 , 6. amos 5.10 . mark 6.16 . to 29. act. 16.19 . to 25. and 17.5.6.7.13 . and 18.11.12 , 13. and 19.26 . to 34. and 21.27 , 28.30.31 . and 22.22 , 23. and 23.1 , 2.12 , 13.14 . gal. 4.16 . the second is , misprision , for which see act. 24.14 . and 26.9.10.11.24 . 1 king. 18.17 , 18. psalm . 14. 1 ier. 44.17 , 18 , 19. wisd. 5.4 . matth. 7.14 . and 13.55 , 56 , 57. and 28 , 15. mark. 5.39.40 . and 7 , 5 , 8.9 . iohn 2.19 , 20.21 . and 3.3.4 . and 7.15.23 , 24. and 8.15.57 , 58 , 59. & 9.16 & 16.2 . act. 2.13 . 2 thess. 2.10.11 , 12 , rom. 8.5 , 6 , 7 , 8. 1 corinth . 1.18 . to 29. and 2.7 , 8 , 10 , 11.12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16. and 3.18 , 19 , 20. 2 timothy 2.26 . 1 pet. 2.7 , 8. revel . 3.17 . the third is , example of the multitude , touching which read gen. 19.4 . to 12. numb . 14.2 , 3 , 10. and 16.1 , to 4. matth. 27.20.25 , 27 , 39 , 49. act. 19.24 to 30. the fourth is , separation , for which looke gen. 39.12 . to 21. psal. 26.4.5 . and 101.7 . and 119.63.115 . prov. 5.8 . and 23.20 . ier. 15.19 . wisd. 2.16 . ioh , 15.19 1 cor. 5.11 . 2 cor. 6.17 . ephes. 5.7 . 2 thess. 3.6.14 . 1 pet. 4.4 . rev. 18.4 . the fifth is , the preaching of some ministers , for which see ier. 5.31 . and 8.11 . and 23.13.14 , 15 , 16 , 17.21 , 22 , 26 , 27.31 , 32. ezek. 22.25 , 26 , 28. mat. 9.34 . mar. 13.22 . ioh. 5.43 . act. 13.8 . and 20.29.30 . romans 16.17 , 18. 2 cor. 2.17 . and 11.13.14.15 . 1 tim. 4.1 , 2 , 3. 2 tim. 3.8 . 2 pet. 2. ch . and 3.3 . the sixth is , the scandalous lives of some professors , for which see gen. 9.21.22 . and 12 , 18 , 19. and 19.33 , 35 , 36. and 20.2.12.16 . and 34.13 , 14 , 15 , 16.25 , 26. to 31. 1 sam. 2.12 . to 18. 2 sam. 12.14 . mat. 7.15 . and 18.7 . and 23.3.14 23 , 24 , 25 , 27. and 26.14 , 15 , 16.70.72.74 . and 27.5 . the seventh is , flocking after sermons for which looke ioh. 11.48 . and 12.19 . and 6 , 2. & acts 13.45 . matth. 4.24 , 25. and 15 , 30. mar. 3.10 . and 8.1 . and 10.1 , 2. luke 5.15 . and 6.17 , 18 , 19. eightly , the finall cause is , that they may have more company here in sinne , and hereafter in torments . for which turne to , psal. 35.4 , 7 , 12. & 40.14 . & 56.6 & 59.2 , 3. matth. 23.13 , 15. luke 11.52 . iohn 11.48 . and 12 , 10 , 11. and 15.19 . act. 26.11 . 1 pet 4.4 . revel . 12.17 . and 13 , 15. but they are all so prolix , and yet so unmeete to be abbreviated , that if i should handle them , and make of all but one volume , they would so swel the heape , that not a few would bee deprived of the whole . hee will buy a manuall , or enchiridion , that will not buy , a commentary : and hee will read a curranto , that will not reade a chronicle history . yea , it may happen to meet with patients so desperate : that although they acknowledge it is of absolute necessity for them to be informed touching these things , yet having queasie stomacks ; if they see their potion bigge , aswell as bitter : will resolve to suffer , yea , to dye rather than take it . that will bee swallowed by morsells , and easily disgested : which being taken all at once , will not only cloy , but surfeit . wherefore i have devided the whole into parts ; of which five are already published viz. the cure of misprision compleat armory against evill society characters of the kinds of preaching . sin stigmatized . the victory of patience . finis . imprimatur , john downeham . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a67743-e10 * of gen. 3.15 . notes for div a67743-e340 what chiefly concerns our selves , we apply to others . and this makes all meanes to prove ineffectuall . sufficient hath beene spoken to convince the most malitious . the reason why so few are converted . al scoffers as bad as cain , ishmael , &c. no expecting a voice from heaven , as saul had . and yet if so , it would not p●evail with them the worst think well of themselves . the most prophane can apply the promises which belong not to th●m . hard to say whether their applying the promises , or not applying the precepts and threats most occasions their impenitency . salvation not more promised to the penitent , then damnation threatned to the impenitent . if we will not heare christ now , he will not heare us hereafter . christ came not to be a patron for sin but to sanctifie as well as to save us . if christians we wil imitate christ , if gods servants , we will obey him . but scoffers are satans servants . the great evill that scoffers do satan the god , king , and father of all unbelievers . satan speakes in and by scoffers but they know it not . of which many examples . 1 tim. 6. ●4 , five main reasons why they fight under sathans banner , and yet thinke themselves gods servants . 1 their ignorance of spirituall things . 2 the commonnesse of this sin hath taken away the sense of it . this counted no sin and yet worse then all his fellows 3 they reject all meanes of being bettered ▪ 4 because they will not imbrace the truth they are given up to beleeve lyes . 5 the prince of darkenesse blindes them . satan prevailes most by desception of our reason . we mistake good for evill and evill for good . sathan desires no more then to beheard speake . he will put a faire coulour upon the foulest sin and make the best action odious . he hath perswaded millions that they doe wel in persecuting the saitus . if sathan shewed the hooke as well as the b●ite his kingdom would not be so populous . sathan more servants here then god. few compared with the multitude shall be saved . the difficulty of entring the strait gate . 1 pet. 4.18 . yet most live as if they had no soules . the foolish ingratitude of ungodly men . want of application on the cause of al impiety . all performances abominable except they proceed from right ends and a heart sanctified tryall of a christian by the fruites of his faith . morrall men count zeal madnesse , and religion foolishnes they so hate holinesse that they will hate men for it . they persecute us out of zeal which is the case of not a few . all hated for religion , or haters of reigion . they have so hardened their hearts that we were as good admonish a stone . the reason why al are not beaten off by their s●offes . how to have our ●udgments cleared and our prejudice cured . occasion of writing upon this subject . all ineffectual except god give a blessing notes for div a67743-e19130 the religious hated , and spoken against of all , and every where . a secret enmity & antipathy betweene the wicked and godly . millions beaten off , from being religious : by the scoffs , & reproaches of wicked men . the mise●●ble ●ondition of cowardly christians a remarkable example . the contempt of religion makes many resolve against goodness . they will make an evill construction of what soever we do , or speak . no reclayming such , as are forestaled with preiudice . meanes to cleare our iudgments touching the worlds hatred . religion most opposed , by formall professors . christ & his crosse inseparable . all the saints have been hated and persecuted . meanes to confirme comfort , & strengthen us against the worlds hatred . their malice a good signe we belong to god. the originall of the worlds hatred . gen. 3 15 opened & explained . an enmity proclaimed , and what it is . the author proclaiming . the captaines and souldiers between whom , all wicked men are the serpents seed . what is meant by the woeman and her seed . severall uses of instruction . 1. vse . 2 use 3 use the certainty of this war. lessons of instruction from hence . 1 lesson . 2 lesson . 3 lesson 4 lesson originall sin the orig●nall of this dis●cord . the end why ●hreefo●d , god the author without being the author of sin . 1. reason . 2 reason . the same further cleared . the distinction of adversi●ties . the time when this warr was proclaimed . 2. the time that it is to continue . 3. the time more strictly in regard of the subiect and obiect . a vse of comfort . the manner of their venting this enmity the circumstance of place three-forld . what will be the issue & who shall get the victory . what is meant by brusing the head . what by bruising the heele . this text an epitomy of the whole bible . order and distribution of the whole booke . the continuance of it in all ages . 1 it was before the flood . 2 after the flood before the law. 3 after the law before christ. 4 in the time of christ and his apostles . what a multitude have suffered for professing christ. 5. after the apostles in the time of the tenne persecutions . 6 from the primitive times hitherto . formall christians the greatest persecutors of true christians . 7 in the times wherein we live . a holy life cannot escape persecution . this enmity makes them forget all ●●turall affection . 8 it will continue so long as time continues . application of the point . twenty two signes or properties of this enmity . 1 they envy the godly . envy the devills cogni●ance as love is christs . 2 they contemne them which is not for 〈◊〉 of ignorance 3 they reioyce at our supposed evill estate . but most if they see us sin . 4 they hate the godly . their hatred extends to the whole generation of the godly . but they have not so much authority as malice . though their punishment shall be never the lesse . 5 they murmure against the godly and god himselfe . for being better then them selves . they have a great advantage of the godly . their miserable condition . 6 they sensure our actions and mis-consture our inteutions preiudice blindes them . they traduce whō they cannot seduce they condemne others , that thems●lves may be justified . they iudge others by themselves 7 they carry tales of us to the rulers . charge us with many things but proove nothing they passe over our good partes they will coyne matter to accuse us . how to heare the tale-bearer . no musick so sweet as to heare well of themselves ill of the religious . the tale-bearers end . 3 they give divelish councel against us . they dazell mens eyes with false accutions . their matchlesse malice in slandering us . the prelates more ready to yeeld their ayd then the rude rabble to aske it . 9. they flout and scoffe at the godly . they so hate righteousnesse , that they hate men for it . they think us mad , we know them to be mad . they are zealous against all that are zealous . they scoff at us , god laughes at them . their punishments . no greater argument of a foule soule 10. they use to nick-name the godly . it is the devill that speakes in and by them . nothig hath proved more successfull to satan , then lies . wicked men think to grace themselves by disgracing the godly . 11 they revile and raile on the godly . because the law bindes their hands they smit with their tongues . they speak evill of us because they cannot do evil to us . how fitly they are termed dogs . their words are to bee ●lighted . foule m●uthed men and women are devills in the scripture phrase . satans heart in their lips . 12. they raise slanders of the godly . evill reports both make and increase iealousies , and disable us from discerning the truth . slanderers satans best servants great wits not apter to raise slanders then othes to beleeve them . a slander once raised never dyes . at least it leaves a scar of suspition behinde . wise men will examine before they beleeve . their policy in slandering us . the theef most forward to cry stop theefe . 13. they will curse the godly . wicked men lye when they speake the truth . as they belong to hell , so th●y speak the language . they that curse us would kill us if they durst . they curse those that least of all deserve it . they curse us that they may discourage us . though they curse , yet god will blesse . how miserably cursers shall be cursed . 14. they use to threaten the godly . no living for the godly if their enemies hands were alowed to be as bloody as their hearts well for the innocent that the wicked cannot keep their own councell . they are forced to give us warning that wee may prevent them . 15. they will undermine us in talke that they may betray us . their cunning in this case . and dissimulation they have borrowed this craft from satan who sets them on worke . b●ware we trust them not . 16 they manifest their enmitie against the religious by their gestu●e . as the tongue speaketh to the ear , so the gesture speaketh to the eye . 17 they will withstand and contrary the truth by us delivered . they will cavill against the very word and oppose the messengers . they fly the light . a powerfull minister most opposed . strong braines too wise to be saved . an humble man will never be an here●ique . nor will they be appeased . they will hate us because they have hurt us . they neither hear him themselves nor suffer others . they adde to their own reputation by det●acting from others . 18 they combine together , and lay devilish plots to destroy the godly . the manner of their consultations . they will easily finde occasion . for our serving of god shall be sufficient . or saving of soules . they com not to be caught by a minister but to catch him . but are taken in the snare they spread for others . 19 they are proane to imprison the godly . not for any crime . but to prevent further dispute . and other the like reasons . 20 their usuall way of confuting is with fists . their arguments are all steel and iron . 21 they will hurt & maime the godly their malice makes them like beasts or ●●ocks 22 usuall with them to murther the saints . instead of arguments they take up armes . they are savage and bloody . of which five reasons . 1 reaso● . 2 reason . 3 reason . 4 reason . 5 reason . our saviour suffered two & twenty wayes of ungodly men . 4 mental properties 11 verball properties . 7 actuall properties . it was for his zaale purity and holinesse . severall uses of their enmity . 1 use. 2 use. to informe us whether we be children of the devill or members of christ. comfort for such as suffer . 3 use. let non look to fare better than christ. 11 cause● . 1 the contrariety of their natures . all true beleevers ▪ the children of god. all natural men children of the devill . impossible the good and bad should agree . naturall men can agree with any so they be not religious . yea differ they in other thngs they will joyne against the godly . many wives , children and servants hated for being religious . hatred fo● religion , the most bitter and implacable agreement in some points does but advance hatred the more . we cannot anger them worse then to doe wel wherein this contrariety consists . they differ in their judgements . 1 touching wisdome . 2 touching happinesse . 3 touching fortitude . 4 touching sin . 5 touching holinesse . secondly ▪ they differ in their passions & affections . thirdly , they differ in their practice . wicked men persecute the godly for being better then they . of which many examples . the same applyed . where christ comes ther will be opposition . nothing more contemned then goodnesse . would we accompany them in evill , their malice would cease . we may appeale to them●elves who are the honester men . they think not as they speak . they asperse us out of policy . to tax all for the faults of a few , is only the art of a fool . most m●n fooles and beasts . the character of a malicious scoffer . how strangely wicked men gull themselves some of the● excuses . singularity our great and grevious crime . to obey god rather than men great disorders common protestants can be of any religion . yet none think better of them selves . how satan playes the s●phister . discresion eates up devotion . goodmen may differ in many things ; yet agree in the main , a vast difference between another discipline , and another doctrine . that indifferent to one , that is not so to another , ●o be scrupulous 〈◊〉 ill signe . in cases of a doubtfull nature , we should take the surest side . they woul●●●our us ou● of our faith and effect the same did not god support us , to be a christian requires fortitude . good men will hold their profession though they lose their lives . if we cannot concoct evill words , we would nev●r endure blowes . to be scoft out of our goodnesse how rediculous the most will doe as he most to , satan gets more by subtilty than by violence . some will better abide a stake than others a mock . tongue-taunts in g●ds account is per●ecution . none but the desperately wicked wil malice an other for goodnesse . 4 they are wroth with us becu●se we fare better then they of which many examples . the good mans honour , the envious mans torment . application first to unhollowed ministers . they cry up practise to cry down preaching this sore will not endure rubbing . application thereof to the rabble . a second cause is ignorance proved 1. by testimonies . 2 by examples . wicked beholding to the godly for their lives . malignants as witlesse as wicked . 3 by experience . the more ignorant the more malicious . they allwaies make the worst construction of things ignorance causeth su●pition su●pition hatred , &c. ob. that great scholers and wisemen doe the same , answered . their actions prove them ignorant . the first part of conversion is to love them that love god. many that have a depth of knowledge are not soule-wise . examples of many wise in the worlds esteem , but fools in gods account . with god the greatest sinner is the greatest fool , and he most wise , that is most religious . god regards not braine knowledge , except it seize on the heart also . rightly a man knows no more then hee practiseth . saving knowledge described . that the meanest beleever knows more then the profoundest naturian . in what sense the word ca● worldly men wisemen . what knowledg ! is peculiar to the godly , and what common to them with hipocrits . naturall men want both the light of the spirit , and the eye of faith . no attaining supernatuaral kuowledg by any natural means . saving knowledg given to none but good men . of which many instances . divine assistance in time of tryall . the same further amplified . they that would have this talent must resolve to improve it the way to obtaine true wisdome . instruction from the premises . 1. for all naturall men . 2 for such as speake evill of the way of truth , when they doe worst they think they doe well . 3 for gods people . a fourth use. a fifth use . a sixt use . a seventh use . the third cause is unbeleefe . prov●d , 1 by testimonys . 2. by examples . men think they beleeve , but doe not . evidences of mens unbeleife . the woful reward of persecutors . why persecutors are not punished here but they blesse themselves and think to speed as well as others . did men beleeve the word they durst not live as they doe . natural men feare visible powers but not the invisible god. none so confirmed in atheisme but feare in time of danger . at least on their death beds they con●esse a god. vengance makes wi●e whom sin makes foolish . atheists on earth but none in hell . to consider before it prove too late . the most grounded atheisme h●th a m●xture o● bele●fe . atheists would give all they have to be sure there were no hell . they doe and yet do not beleive a god , &c. their convicted consciences shal but witnesse against their unbeleefe . men may doubt , but the devils beleeve a judgement to come . fire and b●imstone shall confute all athe●sts . they that beleeve not the threa●s can yet pre●ume upon gods mercy . the devill and sin do infatuate and besot the wicked . a carnall heart is flint to god , wax to the devil . carnall men believe the promises but not the precepts nor threats hard for men to believe their own unbeliefe . wicked men either presume or despaire . notes of triall touching beliefe and unbeliefe . h●w men may examine themselves men would never do as they do if they thought they shold be called to an account . most men beleive not an hell proved undeniably . did men beleeve what god hath already inflicted on the angels old world sodom &c. they would not live as they doe . admonition to bew●r before it proves too late . fruits of atheisme wherewith the land abounds . if a tithe of us are christians then there are milions of christians in hell . how far we come short of primative christians most men can be of any religion which proves they are truly of none . how gods goodnesse aggravates our wickednesse . mens eyes will be opened on their death-beds or in hell . good councell for scoffers . eight other causes of hatred and persecution . 1 speaking of truth . 2 misprision 3 example of the multitude . 4 seperation . 5 the preaching of some ministers . 6 the scandalous lives of some professors , 7 flocking after sermons . that they may have more company here in sin , and hereafter in torment conclusion . the saints desire, or, a cordiall for a fainting soule declaring that in christs righteousnesse onely ... there is life, happiness, peace ... also the happy estate of a man in christ ... / by samuel richardson. richardson, samuel, fl. 1643-1658. 1647 approx. 526 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 218 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2007-01 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a57248 wing r1413 estc r35326 15247309 ocm 15247309 103276 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a57248) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 103276) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 1193:3) the saints desire, or, a cordiall for a fainting soule declaring that in christs righteousnesse onely ... there is life, happiness, peace ... also the happy estate of a man in christ ... / by samuel richardson. richardson, samuel, fl. 1643-1658. 481 p. in various pagings. printed by m. simmons, and are to be sold by hannah allen ..., london : 1647. errata: prelim. p. [16]. reproduction of original in the union theological seminary library, new york. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng salvation. christian life. theology, doctrinal. 2005-10 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-10 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2006-05 ali jakobson sampled and proofread 2006-05 ali jakobson text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-09 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the saints desire ; or a cordiall for a fainting soule . declaring that in christs righteousnesse onely , ( and in nothing else ) there is life , happinesse , peace , strength , comfort , joy , and all fulnesse of perfection . also , the happy estate of a man in christ , the life he lives , wherein he is exercised , his experiences , and his desires to enjoy god , &c. surely shall one say , in the lord have i righteousnesse and strength , even to him shall men come , isa . 45. 24. i will make mention of thy righteousnesse , even of thine onely , psal . 71. 16. and these things write wee unto you , that your joy may be full , 1 joh. 1. 4. by samuel richardson . i heard sweet jesus christ unto me say , rise my love , my faire one , and come away . london , printed by m. simmons , and are to be sold by hannah allen , at the crowne in popes-head-alley . 1647. to the right honorable , sir thomas fairfax , captain generall of all the parliaments forces in england ; and oliver cromwell , esquire , lievtenant generall to the said forces , such honour as is promised to all that honour the lord christ . right honourable ; you two are so joyned , as it were in one , that it may be said of you , which was said of jonathan and david , ( two mighty warriours ) that their hearts were so knit , that they loved each other as their own soules ; they had such sweet experience of each others faithfulnesse , that it was not in the power of saul ( though a king ) to break it , or cut it asunder ; and although many have attempted to doe the like to you , yet their labour hath been fruitlesse ; it hath bin a joy to many to see the effects of love so freely flow forth from each to other interchangeably , which is amiable , sweet , and lovely . moreover , god hath raised you up , and set you in high places , where opportunities flow of doing good ; and which is more , god hath given you hearts to improve these opportunities to his glory , and the good of his people . you have also had many and great experiences of his protection , presence , & blessing , even to admiration ; it is the lord alone , who hath wrought all your works for you : surely you may well stand astonished at his dealings with you ; all you can doe , is too little for him who hath done so much for you ; you know the sorrows , sufferings , and sighings of the people of god in this kingdome , have been many and great , by reason of the prelates lording it over them in matters of religion ; and their sorrows and sufferings are like to be greater , if the plots and snares laid against them take place , therefore now is the time for the righteous in authoritie to shew themselves for the people of god ; and such as sleepe and slumber had need quickly to be awaked , that they might rowse up themselves , & shake off that feare and faintnesse which possesseth their hearts , & arme themselves with resolution & courage , to hazard all , even life it selfe , upon a possibility of doing the least good , ( for to do good we live ) we rejoyce that god hath chosen you , ( with many others ) whom god hath kept waking for such a time as this . next under god our eies are upon the house of commons of england , to deliver us from temporall slavery , to free us from the oppression of men in matters of religion ; we trust they will effect this work fully , ( and god shall give them a full reward ) as good job , who was a father to the poore , and the cause he knew not he searched out , and brake the jawes of the wicked , and plucked the spoile out of his teeth . it is a great honour unto you , that you have done valiantly , & so have been speciall instruments to save this kingdome from destruction , & that god hath made you and your armies so victorious ; but it is a greater honour unto you , that you are of the number of those that love the truth and people of god , and endeavour to rescue them from the hands of cruell and unreasonable men : the people of god are in the love of god , and ( which is more ) they are one with god , therefore god takes the good done to them as done to himselfe , abide by them , and you shall be in safety ; hold together , for they that seek their lives , seek yo●●● also : and as you have pleaded their cause , ( with many other worthies with you ) so still goe on & prosper , the lord is with you , you valiant men , the saints love you , they pray & praise god for you ; england fareth the better for you , childrē unborn shall praise you , & blesse god for you , & the memorial of your names shal be for ever precious . most noble worthies , i may seeme to passe the bounds of modesty , so to presse into your presence , but such is your humility and love , that you can passe by any defect in that kinde , and accept of that which is presented in love . and seeing god doth not despise the day of small things , i trust you will not ; the great respect you have shewed to the truth , and people of god , hath imboldened me to present you with the best i have , in love , out of a deep respect unto you ; the perusall and acceptance of which , i submit to your wisdomes , and humbly take my leave , and remaine your honours much oblieged , samuel richardson . to all fainting and discouraged soules , who are lost and fatherlesse . behold , i bring you tydings of great joy , that jesus christ came from heaven to seeke and save you , luk. 19. 10. you shall enjoy mercy , life , and glory by him ; for in him the fatherlesse finde mercy , hos . 14. 3. you are they who hunger and thirst after christ , and his righteousnesse ; this desire is from the in-being of the light and life of christ in you , therefore thou art for the present blessed , and shalt be satisfied , mat. 5. 6. therefore you may be sure , god is at peace with you , he hath loving kindnesse for you , which is better then life : yea all is yours , for god is yours , and that for ever : is not this , as good news from a farre countrey , welcome and savoury ? oh what can be more sutable , pleasant , profitable , or delightfull , better or more desireable ? christ will give you that peace which cannot be taken from you : oh the fulnesse , sweetnesse , gloriousnesse , and infinitenesse of this peace ! it passeth our understandings , we cannot fully impart it , because we doe not fully know it ; for we know but in part , yet a part wee know through grace , though many see not this peace , nor know not the way of it , to whom i have endeavoured to declare that mystery of love and grace revealed to me , desiring to obey christs command , when thou art converted , to strengthen thy brethren . and diddest thou know the freenesse , fulnesse , sutablenesse , sweetnesse , and durablenesse of gods rich grace to a creature who is nothing in his own eyes , who hath interest in it , and therefore may apply it , thou couldst not but be ravished with it . consider what god hath given thee , and sent unto thee , and put into thy hand , even some of his rarest and choicest dainties , from his banquetting house , some flagons of his most excellent and richest wine , which is full of spirit and life , one taste is able to cheare and revive thy heart , yea raise and ravish thy fainting soule with love into love , yet drinke freely , the more the better , be filled with them , there is enough , christs dainties are durable , his fountain is bottomlesse and infinite , it can never be exhausted or drawne dry , therefore eate , o friends , and drinke abundantly , and be drunke with them . here are means proposed , with some scriptures , which tends to settle a troubled soule in the sweet enjoyment of the love of god : if god please to blesse them , they will be sweet and profitable to thee , in stead of darknesse , light shall shine clearly , sweetly , pleasantly , it 's the lord onely that can cause the soule to see this light , and love , so as to live in it , being over-powered with it , and to walke sutable unto it ; if the lord shall please to blesse this to thy soule , acknowledge his goodnesse with thankfulnesse and joy , as some have done ; the lord give thee wisdome to know the truth , and to receive thy own portion , without which nothing can doe thee good , 1 cor. 3. 6 , 7. men may speake comfort , but they cannot comfort , it 's god that creates the fruit of the lips , peace : if he speake the word , it 's done , gen. 1. 3. the lord speake so to thee , that thou maist profit by it , and that thy joy may be full . also to you belong all the promises of this life , and that to come , heb. 6. 17. which rich treasure , god hath imparted in severall parts , that all the sonnes and daughters of truth might be comforted in , and satisfied with the injoyment of god in them . to this end here are comprized many principal promises , that you may with more ease and speed finde them , and suck sweetnesse from them , our lives cannot be sweet without them , in respect of the many miseries that attend us within and without : but those that live by faith are not troubled in a world of troubles , faith supplies all wants , this life of faith is the highest , therefore the best ; such as live it , know it to be a sweet , precious , and powerfull life , as appeares , heb. 11. faith honours god most , and god honours them most that live by faith , by it the saints wrought righteousnesse , stopped the mouths of lyons , of weake were made strong : by faith jacob had power with god , hos . 12. 3 , 4. by it job could trust god , though god should kill him , job 13. 15. by faith we live to god a life of joy in god our righteousnesse , as if we had never sinned : by faith we live above sin , infirmities , temptations , desertions , sense , reason , feares , doubts , &c. it sweetens the sweetest mercies , yea the bitterest miseries , faith makes great afflictions to be as none , it maintaines the soules strength and comfort . christ lives in our hearts by faith , by it wee obey god : faith makes christs yoke easie and sweet ; the fruition of god is all the soule can desire ; faith helps the soule to this , it puts the soule into possession of heaven while the body is on earth ; by it we view the glory of heaven , to know its worth , to enjoy the purchaser and purchase it selfe , by faith we know our selves to be happie , even then when to a carnall eye we seeme most miserable ; by faith we can part with the sweetest outward comforts , and welcome death , because wee know we leave the worst place and things , and goe to better ; they that live by faith , live upon god himselfe , and are feasted in our lord jesus banquetting house , where there is all the desirable dainties , and enough . eate then o friends , drinke , yea , drinke abundantly o beloved , because it is the pleasure of our sweet lord jesus that his doe so , it 's their portion , duty , and priviledge , to digest , refresh , and make their soules merry with his dainties , to enjoy himselfe in them , that so their joy may be full . and because it is the will of christ that those who have found rest and peace in him should take his yoke upon them , as appeares , mat. 11. 38 , 39. here is added the saints dutie and service to christ , and the rather , for now is the time the love of many waxeth cold to god and man , religion is esteemed of many to be but a bare notion , or a little speculation , nothing of practise , iniquitie abounds , many depart from the faith to needlesse disputes and principles , that destroy the foundation of religion , no law , no transgression , no sinne , all alike , as appeares , rom. 4. 15. so that many run the round , began at nothing , and end in nothing , so that many in stead of submitting to the yoke of christ , cavill against it , so that few will submit unto it , notwithstanding it 's holy , just , light , easie , sweet , and a law of love . call persons to obey christ , and men are apt to think it legall and slavish , but if men were to worke for life , it were so indeed , we cannot doe any thing to procure the pardon of sinne , we only desire such as have received mercy and life from christ , to act from the same life and power , according to the word of christ , to christ againe out of love and thankfulnesse ; surely such as have received mercy from him , vehemently desire to obey him , esteeming it a great priviledge to be imployed in his service ; also in keeping his cōmands , there is great reward , psal . 19. by nature we are prone to desire libertie , and abuse it ; we need to be exhorted that we use not our libertie as an occasion to the flesh , gal. 5. to sloath and ease , &c. libertie to sinne is no libertie , but the greatest bondage that can be to have a free heart to serve god , and the lets outwardly removed is sweet libertie to enjoy god , is libertie to be set free by christ from sin , satan , hell , is to be freed indeed ; and though we have nothing to doe to be saved , we have something to doe for his glory , which is to be our meat and drinke , therefore let no difficultie hinder thee in serving thy lord , say not it is impossible , consider luk. 1. 6. 1 pet. 4. 13. 19. presse after perfection , the neerer the better , watch and pray to prevent sinne , to doe good , make it thy businesse to keepe christs commands . indeed all have not the like time to spend herein , the necessitie of outward things , hinders many that they cannot doe what otherwise they might and would , one wants time , another a heart , another both , we should consider whether we spare that time for these things we might , we can and will spare time for what we list and love , though they be things of lesse moment ; consider song 8. 6 , 7. were we so full of love , wee could not but spare some time , not onely from our recreation and idle visits , but from our sleepe and callings , wee would redeeme time , and cut off needlesse expences too by time ; that time is sweet and precious , in which the soule beholds god , and glory , and hath communion with him : when wee consider how farre short we come of our dutie , we may say with griefe and sorrow , lord , what is man , a very vanitie ; and notwithstanding wee come farre short of what we ought to doe , wee are not to sit downe discouraged , but to live by faith in all infirmities above infirmities , beholding and enjoying thy joy and peace with god : when thou art at the worst , as knowing no infirmitie can lessen the love of god to those who are his , yet are wee to take notice wherein wee come short with griefe , looking up to him by faith for more strength , to serve him better , esteeming it a great priviledge to be circumspect in all our actions to god and man. there be some other sever all things contained in this treatise , which i trust will be of use to some : and as for the directions concerning the scriptures , they have been observed by many to be necessary to cut off many errors . i have added some other things : my whole aime and scope in all i have written , is , first , to sustaine , comfort , and incourage the discouraged soule from sinking in despaire , by reason of their many and great sinnes : secondly , to withdraw the soule from the life of its own hand , to the life of the lord jesus christ for salvation . thirdly , that the soule might know and live in the assurance of the love of god , which will fill the soule full of life , sweetnes , and joy . fourthly , that the soule should obey christ , and live to his glory , and suffer for him . fiftly , to prevent errors , and to recall such of the lords , who have through mistake fallen into them by the wiles of satan . you are not to expect vaine philosophy , nor intising words of the wisdome of man ; for here it is not : i have desired and endeavoured to make the truth appeare by the evidence and demonstration of the holy scriptures , as that which is most safe and profitable for our soules to venture themselves upon ; and seeing they are to be our onely rule , search the scriptures to see whether what i have declared be so or no , and i trust you shall find it true and sweet , ( though others , through mistake , may call it error . ) now the lord of heaven and earth , enable thee and all his to looke up to him to be taught by him , to enjoy him , and to walke so before him , that they may honour him , and that their joy may be full . extoll him that rideth upon the heavens by his name jah , and rejoyce before him , psal . 68. 4. the most mightie whose name is jah , his servant samuel richardson . faults escaped in the printing . page . line . word . read. 33. 23. filled . fitted . 55. 3. eph. colos . 56. 10. live , leave . 111. 23. pauls , parts . 185. 26. shau , shall . 219. 3. sure , fa●re . 265. 17. difference , discerne . 256. 26. save , serve . 276. 6. meanes , mens consequences . 315. title . free grace , free will. 318. 12. of ours , dash out . 325. 12. men . if men . 365. 14. noyse , voyce , the other mistakes correct , or passe by in love . the miserable estate of a man by nature . isai . 44. 20. he feedeth upon ashes : a deceived heart hath turned him aside , that be cannot deliver his soule , nor say ; is there not a lie in my right hand ? these words declare the dead and miserable estate of a man by nature . 1. in this he is described to be one that is without knowledge and understanding ; for he hath shut their eyes that they cannot see , and their hearts that they cannot understand , vers . 18 , 19. they are in the state of nature , in the state of death , as appeares , vers . 16 , 17. 2. the food he eateth is described to be ashes . 3. he hath an appetite unto them , he lives upon them ; he feedeth upon ashes . 4. the end of his feeding is , that he might live , and deliver his soule . 5. but he is mistaken , he is deluded , he is turned aside . 6. the cause of this delusion , is from his owne heart , which deceives him , and turnes him aside . 7. here is the strength of his delusion , in that he cannot say , is there not a lye in my right hand ? 8. the sum of all is , his soule is taken prisoner by satan , he is a captive to him , and so kept by him that he cannot deliver his soule . ashes . ] that is to say ; 1. groundlesse hopes ; 2. false conclusions ; 3. idolatry ; 4. duties ; 5. ordinances ; 6. comforts ; 7. joyes ; 8. ravishment ; 9. or what else soever yee can name , except jesus christ , is ashes . jesus christ is the true bread ; other things may be taken for bread , and in appearance , have the same colour , and forme , like this bread , but let them seeme what they can , they are no bread indeed , but ashes . but christ is the true bread , his flesh is meat indeed , and his bloud drinke indeed ; he is the living bread which came downe from heaven ; if any man eate of this bread , he shall live for ever , joh. 6. 32. 35. 48. 51. 55. &c. feedeth upon ashes . ] this implies he hath an expectation to injoy satisfaction from them , his going to them , application of them , contentednesse with them , declares he hath satisfaction in them , and lives upon them . the words opened . by heart is meant the understanding and will. deceived heart , mis-informed by satan , darkened . aside , from christ , in whom is deliverance , rest , and satisfaction . turned him , viz. the understanding and will , hath a power to turne the soule . soule , is meant the whole man , a principall part being put for the whole . deliver , escape the danger he is in . a lye , viz. that is that which will deceive me , in not being unto me that i take it for , that which will not be that to me i need , that which will not performe that it promiseth to be to me . hand , that which holds , mystically the understanding , &c. right hand , that is most eminent for use , viz. in those things which are most eminent , that are of greatest concernment , the soule is deceived . 1. a naturall man is sensible of the want of something he needs for his soule , therefore he saith ; wherewith shall i come before the lord ? shall i come before him with burnt offerings , with calves of a yeare old ? will the lord be pleased with thousands of rams , or with ten thousands of rivers of oyle ? shall i give my first-borne for my transgression , the fruit of my body for the sinne of my soule ? micah 6. 6 , 7. all this is ashes . 2. there is not any life or strength to be expected from ashes , they are no food fit to eate ; as ashes naturally corrupts the body , and destroys it , so here they fill the soule with corruption , and will kill and destroy the soule at last , as they that have no bread must dye for hunger , luk. 15. 17. 3. the food naturall men live upon is ashes , they have no better food to live upon , bread they have none , they know not where any better is , nor doe they desire and bread , isa . 55. 2. ashes is sutable to their natures , judgements , desires , affections , they know no danger in eating of ashes , they thinke it is a happinesse to have them , and that they shall have satisfaction from them . eaters of ashes are in a dangerous condition , they must dye spiritually and eternally : there be many that eat ashes , they thinke and dreame they eat bread , but they are deceived , as isai . 29. 8. they follow vanitie , hab. 2. 3. the east winde , hos . 12. 1. and lay out their money for that which is no bread , isai . 55. 2. what doest thou eate and live upon bread or ashes , when thou art empty ? 1. what doest thou eye , whether doest thou goe ? goest thou to nothing but to christ ; onely wee have hope in christ , 1 cor. 15. 19. is thy hope onely in christ ? 2. in what doest thou find peace , comfort , contentment , satisfaction in ? is it in nothing else but christ ? phil. 3. 8. 3. where lyeth thy life and strength ? is it in nothing but in christ ? without me yee can doe nothing , joh. 15. 5. col. 3. 11. will no peace , comfort , praise of men , duties , ordinances , joyes , ravishments , satisfie thee ? will nothing but jesus christ , but christ is all in all , col. 3. 11. if it be so , it is well . comfort to all that eat this bread , yee shall be satisfied , yee doe live , and shall live for ever , joh. 6. oh you may well be thankfull for this so great mercy , that yee have bread to eat , which others have not , nor know not of , they famish and dye for want of bread ; yet thou hast enough , and shalt ever have enough ; in my fathers house there is bread enough , and to spare . luk. 15. 17. 4. there is nothing in him that can helpe him ; if he follow his own heart , he is misled , his heart is deceived , it turnes him aside , and leads him to death ; if he follow his light , his understanding , he follows darknesse , his light is darknesse , mat. 6. 33. ( man in himselfe is irrecoverably lost ) he that walketh in darknesse , knoweth not whither he goeth , joh. 12. 35. we were sometimes darknesse , ephes . 5. 8. 5. consider mans heart is not to be hearkened unto , because it turnes the soule aside from christ ; what , doest thou hearken unto , and live upon , thy owne heart , &c. or on christ ? 1. many in stead of living upon god , live upon a deceived heart , as pro. 3. 5 , 6. 7. 2. others live upon sense . 3. others live upon corrupt reason . 4. some build their hope of salvation upon other mens judgements , who if they be godly , may easily be mistaken in a close hypocrite . 5. many live upon the report of others , which appears by this , that if men speak not well of them , they are greatly troubled , & are not able to beare it , by which it appeares their life is in it ; it was no wonder laban made such adoe in searching for his images , because they were his gods . 6. many live upon their reformations , they thanke god they are not so bad as they have been , therefore they have hope ; it 's well when men grow better , yet abstinence from evill , is no evidence of grace ; for men may forbeare the acts of sinne for feare of hell or men , &c. 7. others live upon duties , and as they are increased , their hope and confidence in god is increased , but if their duties faile them , their hope and comfort is gone ; by which it appeares , they live upon what they doe , and not upon god ; these count their duties , which is their righteousnesse gaine : but if they belong to god , they must count againe , as paul did , this their gaine to be losse for christ , phil. 3. 8. 8. some live upon their peace , they thanke god , they are quiet , there is no terrors , nor feare of hell in them , therefore thinke they are in a good estate : a most subtill delusion . 9. others live upon groundlesse hope , because their sinnes are few or small ( as they thinke ) they have hope . 10. many live upon their inward comforts and joy , which appeares by this , that whilst they last , they have much assurance of the love of god , and are sure of salvation ; but as soone as their comfort , joy , which was sensibly felt , leaves them , their confidence went with their comfort , and leaves them in a sad condition . 11. others upon ravishments and excasies of glory , &c. 12. many live upon the ordinances of men , and stand ready resolved to be of any religion the authority will impose upon them ; and the more easie it is for their persons and purses , the more it shall have of their hearts . 13. yea and many there be that live upon the ordinances of god , without god , these so they may frequent the ordinances ; they are satisfied , though they see not god in them , and be never the better for them . 14. others live upon their confidence of salvation . 15. and some live upon creature-comforts , and conclude , because they possesse them , god loves them . 16. and many live upon the devill , and his word , that is , when satans suggestions are hearkened unto , liked , beleeved , imbraced , obeyed , as if he should say , their sinne shall never be pardoned , nor subdued , they beleeve him , and are ruled by him ; this is to live upon the devill , as to hearken unto god , as isa . 53. 3. to beleeve in him , 1 joh. 3. 23. and to submit themselves to god , jam. 4. 7. is to live upon god. a false foundation and a false life goe together , therefore whosoever they be that live upon any thing besides god in christ , as their foundation is unsound , so certainly it will deceive them , whatsoever their sparkes be , they must and shall lie downe in sorrow , as isa . 50. 10. they are all lying vanities , and they that hearken unto them forsake their own mercies , as jonah 2. 8. a man is prone to follow the advise of his heart . the reason is : 1. because he thinkes his heart knows . 2. that his own heart will not deceive himselfe ; but who so trusteth in his owne heart is a foole , prov. 28. 26. isai . 10. 7. jer. 23. 26. 3. he is ignorant of the desperate wickednesse of his heart ; the heart is deceitfull above all things , and desperately wicked , who can know it ? jer. 17. 9. 4. he knows no better counsellor ; happy is he who is so acquainted with his hearts deceitfulnesse , that he will not trust to it , nor hearken unto it . 5. the heart is the ●a●se of all the errors and miscarriages of men ; for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh , luk. 6. 45. mat. 15. 19. what men thinke , speake , or doe , is from the heart . 6. a man by nature desires that his soule may be delivered , because he apprehends his soule is in danger , and that it is of great concernment unto him for his soule to be delivered . 7. a naturall man doth indeavour to save and deliver himselfe : men seeke deliverance for themselves from themselves . reasons . 1. he judgeth it a reasonable thing that his soule be delivered . 2. he knows no other way of deliverance , save that of his own , either wholly or in part . 3. he thinkes it concerns him most , therefore it is his dutie to doe it , who else should ? 4. he is perswaded he may deliver his soule , or that without him it cannot be delivered . man can do no better , till god manifest to him the perfection of christs righteousnesse , then shall he see the insufficiency of his own , rom. 10. 3. 8. he cannot deliver his soule , all that man can doe , it is impossible for man to save himselfe in whole or in part , it is beyond his power , he cannot doe it ; untill a soule be convinced he cannot deliver himselfe , he rests in himselfe : god hath not left it to the will and power of man to deliver himselfe . reasons . 1. that no man may boast , ephes . 2. 9. that the pride in man might be dashed in pieces . 2. that no man might live in and upon himselfe , nor joy in himselfe , but rejoyce in the lord jesus christ , and have no confidence in the flesh , phil. 3. 1. 3. 3. that gods power and free love might be manifested ; that we might know the exceeding greatnesse of his power to us-ward , who beleeve his mightie power , eph. 1. 19. 4. that god might have all the glory , ephes . 1. 6. that no flesh should glory , 1 cor. 1. 29. gal. 6. 14. in the lord shall all the seed of israel be justified , and shall glory , isa . 55. 25. 9. all wayes besides christ are by-paths , aside out of the way : i am the way , joh. 14. 6. 10. christs way and mans way are contrary each to other : christs way leads the soule to christ ; mans way leads to himselfe , to deliver himselfe . 11. wee should not be led aside from christ by any thing ; hearken then onely to chr●●● 12. nor say , is there not a lye ? and that is , he cannot aske a question , &c. 13. the meanes of deliverance is so hid from man , that he hath no power to use them . 14. a lye , all that man doth rest upon while he is in the state of nature , is nothing but a lye ; oh , he is miserably deluded . 15. the strength and confidence of a deluded man , may be so great , that it may seeme to him unreasonable once to question it . 16. mens confidence of salvation , may be greater and stronger then the faith of some of the lords ; and yet it is false and nothing but the delusion of a deceived heart , and satan . 17. the greatnesse or strength of any mans confidence , cannot assure him that hath it , that it is not a delusion ; but it is proved to be true or false by the ground of it , the cause and foundation of it . if it be built or caused by any of mans qualifications , either abstinence from sin , doing good , or from his inward peace , comfort , joy , &c. it 's false . but if it be founded upon christ , onely in his free grace , from the word and promise of god , rom. 15. 4. in his word doe i hope , psal . 130. 5. but i hope in thy word , psal . 119. 81. it is true ; did god so convince thee , that thou becamest lost and fatherles , hos . 14. 3. and perswaded thee he had mercy for thee , and caused thee to hope in him for it , psal . 33. 18. 21. 22. it is no delusion . finis . newes from heaven , or a cordiall for a fainting heart . 2 cor. 5. 20 , 21. now then we are ambassadors for christ , as though god did beseech you by us , we pray you in christs stead , be yee reconciled to god. for he hath made him to be sin for us , that knew no sin , that we might be made the righteousnesse of god in him . behold , and hearken , for here are tydings of great joy , that christ alone doth free the soule from sin , and makes the soule to enjoy the righteousnesse of god in him ; in which is sure , sweet , cleare , full , durable , divine consolation , sufficient to cheare , revive , raise and ravish the sinking soule , by reason of sin , in the want of a righteousnesse of god in him . these words containe many divine truths , i shall endeavour to declare some observations from them for our instruction and consolation . in that he saith , be yee reconciled to god , you may observe , that the best estate of men by nature is an estate of enmitie against god , who is the chiefest good ; for if these need any reconciliation , how much more enemies ? rom. 5. 10. for he hath made him to be sin for us . god hath in his wisdome and love found out a way to save lost man , and hath sent the lord jesus to effect it , zach. 9. 10 , 11. and manifest it , and hath sent ambassadors , and given us his word to declare his great grace , joh. 1. 17. infinite love , joh. 3. 16. and the unsearchable riches of christ . be yee reconciled to god , for he hath made him to be sin for us . that there needs strong reasons and earnest intreaties , yea the arme of the lord must be revealed in them , to reconcile a sinfull soule to god , isa . 53. 1. as though god did beseech you . god is more willing to pardon a sinner , yea the chiefe of sinners , then any soule is or can be willing to be pardoned . this appeares in that god seeks to us to be reconciled ; man seeks it not : i was found of them that sought me not , isa . 65. 1 , 2 , 3. and in that god beseecheth a lost sinner to be reconciled to god ; and when we prodigals turne to god , being turned by god , we doe but goe , and that softly ; but god who is that father , runneth to receive us , as luk. 15. 18. 20. and as running expresseth much more willingnesse , then an easie going , so it is here . god beseecheth you by us , wee pray you in christs stead . it appeares that all the doubts and feares the soule or satan can frame , as if god were unwilling to pardon a lost sinner , ( luk. 19. 10. ) are all groundlesse and false ; for he prayeth and beseeches to be reconciled , as if he should say , goe tell such a soule from me , i will have him to be reconciled to me , i am not angry with him , he need not doubt of my love , which is infinite , without time or measure , i am all-sufficient , i can and i will passe by all his wickednesse against me . be yee reconciled ; we pray you . that even such sinners as god sends after , and will save , they have many hard thoughts of god , they are so foolish and so deceived by sin , that they are contented to be as they are , and stand in need to be prayed and intreated to be reconciled to god. as though god did beseech you by us . that all those into whom god hath put this word of reconciliation , when it is declared unto us by them , or in his word , we ought to receive it , and beleeve it , as if god did immediately speak unto us , for they speake in his stead : so also it is the duty of the ambassadors of christ to declare nothing but the message they receive from christ , according to the word of christ . we pray you , be yee reconciled to god ; for he hath made him to be sin for us . the way god takes to reconcile a sinner unto himselfe , is the discovery of his free grace and love of god done to man through christ . the discovery of this to the soule , expels ignorance , and slayeth the soules enmity against god ; and by his love he draweth the soule to god in love again ; gods way of saving man is onely in a way of love ; therefore he saith , behold , i will allure her , and speake comfortably unto her , hos . 2. 14. his love is free , full , and eternall ; i will love them freely , hos . 14. 4. i drew them with cords of a man , with bands of love , hos . 11. 4. be reconciled ; for he hath made him to be sin for us . it appeares that the sense and guilt of sin , doth hinder the soule from being reconciled ; sin causeth the soule to desire to be at a further distance from god , as luk. 5. 8. that before a sinner can be reconciled unto god , he must understand and know the cause , way , and meanes of his salvation , ( i say not before god loves him ) therefore as it is declared ; that all have sinned , and come short of the glory of god , &c. rom. 3. so he declares that jesus christ is made sin for us , and that wee are justified freely by his grace , through the redemption that is in jesus , whom god hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his bloud , to declare his righteousnesse for the remission of sinnes , that he might be just , and the justifier of him that beleeves in jesus , rom. 3. 23 , 24 , 25 , 26. see rom. 5. 10 , 11. 13. 19. rom. 6. 23. titus 3. 5. he hath made him . god the father hath set apart the lord jesus to save man , heb. 9. 14. 22. rev. 13. 8. there is no other name whereby we may be saved , but by the name of jesus , act. 4. 12. which knew no sinne . christ knew no sin in himselfe personally , luk. 1. 35. nor inherently , heb. 14. 5. nor experimentally , joh. 8. 40. and seeing christ is so holy a person and so qualified as he is , col. 2. 3. none ought to doubt of the sufficiency , meritoriousnesse , and effectualnesse of whatsoever he hath undertaken to doe : for by once offering the sacrifice of himselfe , he hath for ever perfected them that are sanctified ; that is , set apart , heb. 10. 10. 14. so that the sinfull soule ought to cast away all discouragements , and to rest satisfied in this full , perfect , and infinite satisfaction , and not suffer their foolish hearts to seeke after , or desire any other , for as there is none to be found elswhere , so there needs none ; for be thy sinnes never so great , or many , this one satisfaction of the lord jesus is sufficient . made him to be sinne . god hath imputed our sinnes unto christ , and so laid them upon him , esa . 53. 5. that they are not ours no more but christs , who hath freed us from them , who will disanull them , and so free himselfe of them , so that he shall appeare without sin , heb. 9. 28. the way and meanes god hath chosen to free a sinner from sin , is onely by jesus christ , that he might undergoe the penalty of sin , or else no man could be saved , as these scriptures declare , joh. 1. 1. 7. joh. 1. 29. rom. 8. 2. ephes . 2. 14 , 15. rev. 1. 5. heb. 9. 22. col. 1. 20. zach. 9. 11. for sin must be charged upon christ , or the sinner , and our happinesse lyeth in this , that our sinnes are not imputed unto us , psal . 32. 1 , 2. rom. 4. 8. our sins cost christ deare , that they might cast us nothing , rom. 5. 9. 1 pet. 1. 18 , 19. for us . the word , us , and wee , in this verse , must be understood for them in the 19. verse , to whom god doth not impute their trespasses : so that they are blessed , psal . 32. 1 , 2. rom. 4. 7. for they shall not misse of glory , because they have redemption by his bloud , and remission of sinnes , as col. 1. 14. rom. 5. 10. therefore by the words , us , and wee , cannot truly be understood every son and daughter of adam . for so large as the purpose of god is of saving men , so large is the meanes of this salvation , so large is the declaration to be , so large is the particular application of salvation to be , & so large is the effect of salvation it selfe ; none of these are any larger then the other . if any reply that christ in the declaration is offered to all , therefore the particular application of salvation is to be to all . i answer , that christ is not offered to all , nor to none at all : true , it is the gospel is to be preached to every creature , and that all persons whosoever will are called to come to christ to drinke , &c. but what scripture saith , christ is offered to any person , much lesse to all the world ? god so loved the world , that whosoever beleeves in him , should not perish , but have everlasting life . this is a declaration of what persons god will save : the word of god is a declaration of the will of god ; now for to declare a thing , and to offer it , is not one thing ; for one may declare to another , the riches that he or another hath , and yet not offer any of them , nor it may be cannot ; and so a man may give that to another , which he never offered him . it 's safest to keep to the language of the scriptures ( which forme of words are sound ) especially in this age , in which men catch up expressions , and by them abuse god , and his truth , and themselves ; for if one affirme , that god offereth christ to all ; men reply , doth not god meane as he saith ? and if god offers christ , and man hath not a sufficient power to receive him ; they are mocked , and god is unjust , &c. and that men have free-will , and such like stuffe , so that yee may see how one error draweth many after it , and it 's oft grounded upon an unsound expression . made sin : made the righteousnesse of god. after what manner christ became a sinner , after the same manner wee are made just ; but he became a sinner not by any infusion of our corrupt qualities , but by imputation onely : therefore wee are just before god , not by infusion of any habituall grace into our corrupt natures , but by imputation of his righteousnesse ; god imputeth righteousnesse without works , rom. 4. 6. if this were well minded , it might answer and remove some temptations , which are occasioned by apprehending the contrary . the righteousnesse of god. christs righteousnesse is the righteousnesse of god. that righteousnesse which freeth a sinner from the curse of the law is a perfect righteousnesse , heb. 1. 8. rom. 9. 5. mat. 6. 33. rom. 4. 6. therefore prize it highly . mans righteousnesse is imperfect , and could not justifie him before god ; enter not into judgement with thy servant , for in thy sight shall no man living be justified , psal . 143. 2. dan. 9. 18. tit. 3. 5. 7. all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags , &c. isai . 64. 4. 6. god reveales to a soule christs righteousnesse , and the soules interest unto it , joh. 16. 14. to comfort the soule , and cause the soule to love god againe , he doth not comfort us in the sight of our own righteousnesse , before he declares and comforts the soule in the righteousnesse of christ . righteousnesse in him . that righteousnesse which justifieth us before god , as it is not ours , so it is not in us , but as it is christs righteousnesse , so it is in him : in the lord have i righteousnesse and strength : in me you shall have righteousnesse and strength , isa . 45. 23 , 24 , 25. the cause or forme of our justification , is by a reciprocall translation of our sin unto christ , and his righteousnesse unto us : both which is done by god for us . that we might be made . whatsoever jesus christ hath done and suffered , was for those whose sinnes were laid upon him , who are stated in him , ephes . 1. 4. and are fully pardoned by him , rev. 1. 5. by the obedience of one man ( viz. christ ) many are made righteous , rom. 5. 19. by his stripes we are healed , isa . 53. 5. the bloud of jesus christ cleanseth us from all sin , 1 joh. 1. 7. in him . god considers his to be in christ , before they had a beeing in themselves , ephes . 1. 4. and he never lookes upon his children out of him , for they are never out of him : they dwell in christ , joh. 6. 56. and shall ever live , joh. 9. 25. and be found in him , phil. 3. 8. christ and all true beleevers are so united together , that they are but one ; one body , one spirit , bone of his bone : oh what union is like to this , that is so reall , full , and intire , wonderfull , glorious , spirituall , eternall , and infinite ! 1 cor. 6. 17. gal. 5. 30. &c. joh. 15. 5. joh. 17. 22 , 23. if our faith in christ were as strong as our union with christ , wee should ingrosse and possesse all that is in heaven , and nothing in the earth could trouble us . the state of a beleever in christ , as considered in him , is an estate of perfection ; we are complete in him , col. 2. 9 , 10. 13. as christ is , so am i ; as i am , so is christ , joh. 1. 17. what is christs is mine ; what is mine is his ; christs righteousnesse is mine : i am all righteous , i need no more , nor no other righteousnesse ; as i am in christ , i am as righteous and as acceptable as christ ; god seeth no sin in me , because there is none ; for , i am all faire , there is no spot in me , song 4. 7. song 2. 10. ephes . 5. 25 , 26 , 27. for as he is , even so are we in this world , 1 joh. 4. 17. thou hast cast all my sinnes behinde thy backe , isa . 38. 17. as far as the east in from the west , so far hath he removed our transgressions from us , psal . 103. 12. seventy weeks are determined upon the people , and upon the holy citie , to finish the transgressions , and to make an end of sinnes , and to make reconviliation for iniquitie , and to bring in an everlasting righteousnesse , to seale up the vision , and prophecy , and to anoynt the most holy , dan. 9. 24. i will greatly rejoyce in the lord , my soule shall be joyfull in my god , for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation , he hath covered me with the robe of righteousnesse , isa . 61. 10. all saints are alike clothed with christs righteousnesse : the meanest , the weakest , as the best , and is as acceptable by it as the best : oh they are all alike perfect , righteous , and glorious , as they are in christ ! oh , here is strong consolation for thy fainting heart , to refresh it selfe withall ! drinke , o friends , and make yee merry , o welbeloved ; yea drink , drink abundantly in this fountaine that is bottomlesse , and therefore can never be drawne dry , song 5. 1. in the most perfect saints , as they are in themselves , there is much sin , 1 joh. 1. 10. and god doth see it ; yet god cannot condemne them to wrath for it , no more then god can condemne christ for it , who shall appeare without sin , heb. 9. 28. they being in him who hath suffered for it ; and justice neither will nor can exact the payment of a debt twice : now it 's justice in god to justifie , rom. 3. 25. yea , god is as just in pardoning a sinner by the bloud of christ , as he is just in condemning any ; and now thou hast a full pardon by justice as well as mercy , therefore drinke freely , song 5. 1. for us . that which is spoken in generall to beleevers , every beleever is to apply it to himselfe in particular ; so paul , he loved me , and gave himselfe for me , gal. 2. 20. for us , for me . the word and promise of god , that it is for me , is that which my soule should fix its eye upon , and by faith for ever relie upon , and be a full satisfaction to my soule ; knowing that the word and promise of god is the onely ground of my faith , and is securitie sufficient for my salvation . as soone as the soule is convinced , that jesus christ is made sin for me , and that i am made the righteousnesse of god in him , all the soules doubts , feares , objections vanish , and christ is beleeved in , and lived upon , with thankfulnesse and joy . jesus christ being made sin for me , is as good for me , yea better for me , then if i had never sinned ; as much better as a spirituall body is better then a naturall , as much better as the image of the heavenly is better then the image of the earthly ; yea , as much better as strength is better then weaknesse , and as heaven is better then earth , 1 cor. 15. 43 , 44. to 55. but , saith a discouraged soule , i cannot beleeve the lord jesus was made sin for me . why not for thee ? because my sins are greater then others be ; for my sins have all the aggravations upon them that can be . for mine are many . so were theirs in the second and third chapter of jeremiah , yet notwithstanding god pardoned them all , as appeares , jer. 3. 21. to 25. but my sins are great and hainous . so were theirs , and so were manassehs , as appeares , 2 king. 21. 4. 9. 11. 16. and so was the womans , luk. 7. 47. and so was pauls , 1 tim. 1. 15. yet god pardoned them all , as he hath done others . but my sins are against the gospel . so was pauls , he persecuted them that professed the gospel , and made havock of the church , entring into every house , haling men and women , and committed them to prison , act. 8. 3. and christ died for them that slew him , act. 2. 23. 38. but mine are af●er many mercies . so was solomons , who sinned against god after the lord appeared unto him twice , 1 king. 11. 9. but i have sinned against gods intreaties to returne . so did they ; i said after shee had done all these things ; turn thou unto me , but shee returned not , jer. 3. 7. but i have sinned against gods reproofes . so did they ; thou hast a whores forehead , that refusest to be ashamed , jer. 3. 3. 8. but i have sinned against gods corrections in not being reformed by them . so did they ; in vaine have i smitten your children , they have received no correction , jer. 2. 30. but i have committed one sin often . so did they ; thou hast played the harlot with many lovers , jer. 3. 1. 6. but i have continued sinning for a long continuance of time . so did they ; we have not obeyed the voyce of the lord from our youth unto this day , jer. 3. 25. & 2. 22. but my sinnes are against knowledge and conscience . so was davids sin concerning bathshebah , and putting to death vriah . and so did peter sin when he said and swore he knew not christ , and that he was not with him , mat. 26. 69. to 75. but i am fallen back from what i have been . so did they ; returne thou backsliding israel , jer. 3. 6. 12. but i have willingly and resolvedly forsaken god. so did they ; saying , we are lords , wee will come no more at him , jer. 3. 31 , 32. but i have willingly chosen sin . so did they ; saying , i have loved strangers , and after them will i goe , jer. 2. 25. but i have seduced others , and caused them to sin . so did they ; thou hast also taught the wicked ones thy wayes , jer. 2. 33. and manasseh seduced them to doe more evill then did the nations whom the lord destroyed ; and made judah also to sin , 2 king. 21. 9. 11. 16. and paul compeld men to blaspheme , act. 26. 11. 16. manasseh a great sinner obtained mercy , 2 chron. 33. 18 , 19. and a lesser sinner perisheth in his sin ; that men may know , the lord will have mercy on whom he will , rom. 9. 15. but i have committed as much sin as i could . so did they ; behold thou hast spoken and done as evill things as thou couldst , jer. 3. 5. but my sins are after vowes and covenants . so were theirs ; thou saidst , i will not transgresse , when upon every high hill , and under every greene tree thou wanderest , playing the harlot , jer. 2. 25. but i have justified my selfe in all my sinnes . so did they ; because thou saidst , i have not sinned , i will plead with thee , jer. 2. 35. but i despaire , and have no hope of mercy . this is worst of all ; yet so did they ; thou saidst there is no hope , jer. 2. 25. and when i cry , he shutteth out my prayer , and i said , my strength , and my hope is perished with the lord , said jeremiah , lam. 3. 8. 18. and job said , my hope hath he removed like a tree , job 19. 10. my dayes are spent without hope , job 7. 6. 13 , 14 , 15 , 16. david in his hast , said , i am out off before thine eyes , psal . 31. 22. abraham beleeved against hope , rom. 4. 18. yee were sometimes afar off , without god , and without hope , ephes . 2. 12. yet at last they were made nigh by the bloud of christ , eph. 2. 13. behold , all these were once like unto thee , and the lord hath had mercy upon them , and so he may have mercy upon thee also , therefore poore soule , be not out of hope , mind what david said , i was brought low , and he helped me , psal . 116. 6. god is able to save to the uttermost , heb. 7. 25. consider what the name of the lord is , exod. 34. 5 , 6 , 7. oh the unsearchable riches of his grace ! all that know his name will trust in him , psal . 9. 10. and because the greatnesse of sin is one of the greatest discouragements to a soule under the sense of sin ; consider these things which are incouragements of hope unto thee . 1. incouragement to hope . the multitude or greatnesse of sinne , ought not to be a discouragement unto thee , because the fewnesse or smalnesse of thy sinnes are not to be any ground , or cause of thy confidence in god for pardon ; but in the promise of god of pardon , in which promise the truth and faithfulnesse is . 2. incouragement to hope . because the word of god doth no where say , that great sinners shall not be saved , therefore to conceive so is folly , and no lesse then a delusion of satan . 3. incouragement to hope . because the word of god saith the contrary , that jesus christ came to save sinners , yea and the chiefe sinners , and this is a saying worthy of all acceptation , 1 tim. 1. 15 , 16. come now let us reason together , saith the lord , though your sinnes were as crimson , they shall be made white as snow , though they were red like scarlet , they shall be made as wooll , isaiah 1. 18. the word of god declares many great and sweet promises to great sinners , as jer. 3. isa. 55. 7 , 8 , 9. & 43. 24 , 25. there be many examples of great sinners received to mercy , as manasseh , 2 chron. 33. 18 , 19. paul , and one who was a sinner with a witnes , luk. 7. 37. 47. and many others , yea the rebellious also , psal . 68. 18. 4. incouragement to hope . because there is a fountaine set open for sin and for uncleannesse , zach. 13. 1. and christ is mightie to save , isa . 62. 1. he will abundantly pardon , isa . 55. 7. and his compassions faile not , lam. 3. 22. 5. incouragement to hope . because great sinners that are heavie laden with sinne , are called to come to christ , mat. 11. 28. if any man thirst , let him came to me and drinke , joh. 7. 37. every one that thirsteth , come ye to the waters , isa . 55. 1. rev. 22. 17. 6. incouragement to hope . the saints have made their greatnesse of sinne an incouragement to beleeve ; lord , pardon my sinnes , for they are great , psal . 25. 11. how great is his goodnesse ? much greater then thy sinnes , zach. 9. 17. isa . 43. the greater our sinnes are , the greater our faith should be . loe here is great consolation . 7. incouragement to hope . because god doth not sell christ or grace , but he gives christ , and all that is his freely ; yee that have no silver , come buy and eate , come buy without money , isa . 55. 1. and the spirit , and the bride say , come , and let him that heareth say , come , and let him that is athirst , come , and let whosoever will take of the water of life freely , rev. 22. 17. jesus stood , crying , saying , if any man thirst , let him come to me and drinke , joh. 7. 37. 8. incouragement . because such as jesus christ saves , are unworthy , ungodly , and without works , rom. 4. 5 , 6. the most perfect saint that ever hath been , did stand in need of mercy , and was unworthy . behold , he found no stedfastnesse in his servants , and chargeth his angels of folly , how much more in them that dwell in houses of clay ? job 4. 18 , 19. and all those whom god hath revealed his sonne unto , they see an exceeding transcendent beautie in him ; and he is precious unto them , 1 pet. 2. 7. they loth and abhor themselves , job 42. 6. because they see in themselves nothing else but vilenesse , filthinesse , and unworthinesse , ezek. 16. 63. and it sets out the mercy of god the more , that it is freely given unto the unworthy , ezek. 16. 9. incouragement . it makes most for the glory of god to give great things , and is it not a disparagement for a king to doe otherwise ? the lord is a great king , a mightie god , isa . 9. 6. he doth great things past finding out , and wonders without number , job 9. 10. feare not , the lord will do great things , joel 2. 21. for with god nothing shall be impossible , luk. 1. 37. measure not the lord by thy selfe : for my thoughts are not your thoughts , neither are your wayes my wayes , saith the lord ; for as the heavens are higher then the earth , so are my wayes higher then your wayes , and my thoughts then your thoughts , isa . 55. 8 , 9. and those who are made wise by god , looke not so much to their basenesse as unto his greatnesse , zach. 9. 17. 10. incouragement . that which moves god to shew mercy , is onely in himselfe , nothing in the creature , ezek. 16. 3. to 9. nor any thing the creature can doe , cannot move god to shew mercy ; i will doe away thy sinnes for my names sake , isa . 43. 25. god shews mercy , because he will , micah 7. 18 , 19. 11. incouragement . the greater our sinnes are , and our sensiblenesse of unworthinesse , the more we shall love god when we know that our sinnes are pardoned , luk. 7. 41 , 42 , 43 , 47. 12. incouragement . the mercy of god is infinite , it hath no part or forme , therefore it is not capable of any addition or defect : therefore infinite , shouldst thou need thousands of seas of mercy to pardon thy sinnes . god hath not the lesse , notwithstanding he hath given so much . if i had all the sins upon me , that can be committed , or but one sinfull thought , this consideration makes it all one . oh , i , worlds of sin in this ocean vanish and come to nothing , rom. 11. 33. oh the depth of the unsearchable riches of christ ! ephes . 3. 8. 13. incouragement . the name of god it 's infinite also : the father of mercies , 2 cor. 1. 3. yea it 's the nature of god. the lord is very pitifull , and of tender mercies , jam. 5. 11. all mercy and pitie is from him , and all that is , or hath been , is but a drop to that ocean of that pitie and mercy that is in him . we are ready to sin , but god is much more ready to forgive ; mercy pleaseth him , it 's his delight , micah 7. 18. he is plenteous in mercy , psal . 86. 5. thou art a god ready to forgive . 14. incouragement . the price that is for the sinnes of such as beleeve , is infinite also ; count all thy sins , and still they are the acts of a finite creature ; and is not christ satisfaction above them ? he is god , 1 joh. 5. 20. his righteousnesse is farre greater then thy sinnes : therefore be they great or small , he is able to disanull them all . 15. incouragement . the covenant of grace , is not made with us , nor can it be broken by us , but with christ : if they break my statutes , and keep not my commandements ; neverthelesse , my loving kindnesse will i not take from him , nor suffer my faithfulnesse to faile ; my covenant will i not breake , nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips , psal . 89. 31. 33 , 34. my covenant shall stand fast with him , vers . 28. so then the covenant is made with christ , and that it was not made for our good workes , nor can we disanull it by our sinnes ; for it 's sure , perpetuall , and everlasting , heb. 13. 20. it 's not founded upon a rotten and sandy foundation , as thy selfe and duties are . oh wonder at gods wisdome and love , that it is not made with us , nor is it in our keeping , loe it 's founded upon the word & promise of an eternall god , and what ever is in god is god , god is unchangeable , micah 3. 6. therefore the covenant stands sure for ever , heb. 13. 20. but the discouraged soule still replieth ; i am perswaded i have committed the sin against the holy spirit , and that is unpardonable , heb. 6. 4. those who have committed this sin , tread under foot the sonne of god , and count the bloud of the covenant an unholy thing , and doe hate god and christ , joh. 15. 24. in that thou art afraid thou hast committed this sin , it is certain thou hast not committed it , because such as have so sinned are past feare or feeling , being given up to a reprobate sense , ephes . 4. 19. i am afraid the day of grace is past to me , and so nothing can doe me good . you must not give way to such a thought ; who knows but the lord may returne ? jonah 3. 19. is this the way thinkest thou to enjoy the assurance of his love , to nourish jealousies against his love ? surely this is not the way . shouldst thou not rather say as david did , how precious are thy thoughts to me , o god ? great is the summe of them , if i should count them , they are more then the sands , psal . 139. 17 , 18. the number of the sands are many , yet gods thoughts of love exceeds them ; be not afraid , onely beleeve , mark. 5. 36. christ received sinners , luk. 15. 1 , 2. if thou thinkest the day of grace is past , because thy sinnes are great , &c. this will not prove it : minde what god saith ; i have spred out my hand all the day to a rebellious people , that provoke me to anger continually to my face , isa . 65. 2 , 3. if thou desirest to returne to god , thy day of grace is not past , rev. 2. 20. if we confesse our sinnes , he is faithfull and just to forgive us our sinnes , &c. 1 joh. 4. 9. i doe not beleeve i am elected , &c. so nothing can doe me good . this is a secret , and you must not meddle with gods secrets ; secret things belong to god , and revealed things to us , deut. 29. 29. it 's one of satans deceits to tell a soule that god hath no mercy for him , when the soule hath obtained mercy , or when it is not farre from him . it is certaine , these thoughts come from satan , because they are contrary to god in his word , as gen. 3. 2 , 3 , 4. it 's the nature of unbeliefe , to be inquisitive and curious to find out any pretence , that it may seeme to doe well in not harkening to what god saith in his word , heb. 10. we must not hearken unto satan , nor yeeld to him , but resist him ; meddle not with election , fix thy eye upon christ , as a sutable good for thee , who is able to save thee , and wait upon him in the use of his meanes , till he shall give thee faith , that by it thou mayst know thy selfe to be elected , act. 13. 48. but i have used the meanes , and yet i am no better , but worser , therefore god will never doe me good . are you sure you have used all gods meanes , doest thou know the number of them ? and have your ends been all good & right placed , and have you used them in a right manner , measure , time , in sinceritie , humilitie , which i question ; and have you not rested in the use of means ? have you set god above his meanes , and expected his blessing upon them , without which they could doe no good ? if thou hast not used them all in faith , say not , thou hast used the meanes ; what are all meanes without faith ? they are as a shadow without the substance , heb. 11. 1. the word they heard profited them not , for want of faith , heb. 4. 2. it is no good reason to say , because god hath not answered me , and supplied me , therefore he never will consider , isa . 64. 4. isa . 8. 17. they which had not obtained mercy did , 1 pet. 2. 10. they shall not be ashamed that wait for me , isa . 49. 23. there be many that doe satisfie themselves with the meanes , and their frequenting them , and in what they doe : that it is just with god , yea a mercy to blast all , to shew their emptinesse , that we might look and long for christ , to blesse the meanes , and be all in all unto us . men beleeve not that faith is the gift of god , and the spirits work , phil. 1. 29. so that they goe not to god in his promise for faith , but endeavour to make a faith of their own to carry to god. if thou hast a will that onely christ should save thee , god hath begun his work in thee , and he will finish it , heb. 12. 2. and one day thou shalt know thy selfe to be pardoned , and all thy sins shall be subdued . consider god may have mercy for thee , though thou knowest it not ; for mens sinnes are first forgiven , before they are to beleeve it , or can be assured of it ; for if men should beleeve , that their sins are forgiven before they be forgiven , they should beleeve that which is false ; neither can any mans beleeving make that to be , which had not a being before : faith declares to us our pardon ; but our beleeving neither pardons nor procures the pardon of any sin ; if it could , what need was there of the death of christ ? i have waited a long time , and many have received mercy since , but not i. even the lords servants have waited a long time for god , or at least they thought the time long ; david said , i am weary of my crying , my throat is dryed , mine eyes faile , while i waite for my god , psal . 69. 3. if god have given thee a heart to wait upon him , thou art blessed ; blessed are all they that wait for him , isa . 30. 18. waiting implies perseverance , patience , long-suffering , in holding out , notwithstanding the tediousnesse of the time deferred , courage in breaking through all difficulties that stand between waiting , and to continue waiting , though all things seem contrary , till we enjoy what we waited for ; i wait for my god , psal . 69. 3. i am now old in yeares , and if god had intended to have done my soule good , surely he would have done it before this time , and now death is ready to take me away . yea , though it be thus with thee , yet mercy may be thy portion at last , if mercy come at last , it will be sweet , and it may come at last . the thiefe was saved upon the crosse , mat. 20. luk. 23. oh how neere was he unto his end before mercy came unto him ! you may not set a time to god , in which he shall shew mercy , for he giveth what he will , and when he will , and will not be tyed to thy time ; it 's an exceeding great grace for god to shew mercy , though it be at the last , as he did to the thiefe upon the crosse . god hath all houres in the day to work , the last houre god useth to call some , as well as the third ; see mat. 20. 1. to 10. for there is nothing too hard for god. if i were filled with qualifications , as humblenesse , and brokennesse of heart , and tooke delight to heare and pray , as others , i could have hope , but now i cannot . alas , poore soule , thou art greatly deluded , for these things can no way fit the soule for mercy . why doest thou seek the living among the dead ? luk. 24. 5. why doest thou look at , and rest in , such things as these ? for haddest thou these in the greatest measure , they could not procure thy happinesse , nor stand thee in any stead ; oh nothing but christ can doe thy soule any good , and truly comfort thee . consider , what qualifications had they in ezekiel 16. 3. to 9. of whom god was found ? surely they had none , except sinfull ones . what , saith god ; i was found of them that sought me not , isa . 65. 1 , 2 , 3. tell me , what qualifications had they who were enemies ? yet christ died for them , rom. 5. 9 , 10. all that are saved are saved by grace , without any cause or condition in man , 2 tim. 1. 9. under colour of devotion , yee overthrow christ ; can your duties , &c. procure christ , or what use is there of christ , if yee can have what yee need without him ? yee would have power , abilitie , and inlargements before yee dare believe in christ ; oh the greatnesse of thy pride and folly ! doth not christ say true , that without me yee can doe nothing ? joh. 15. 5. as in nature none can worke before they have life ; so none can doe any thing that is spirituall , before they live spiritually . christ must be in thee before thou canst beleeve : the soule must beleeve before it can finde any sanctification , or workes at all in it selfe , yea without any regard to workes in any measure whatsoever , for there is nothing to be done by man to be a preparation to his sanctification ; see rom. 4. 5. & 5. 8. 10. thou hungerest and thirstest after a righteousnesse of thine own , and wouldst establish it , but it must be renounced . i confesse , this self-deniall is very hard ; oh , how hard is it for the soule to be taken off its own bottom of workes , and of self-concurrence ! strip them of all that is their own , and yee take away their lives ; they must and will have something , some humblenesse , and brokennesse of heart , some teares , some good workes , or abilities , or a good heart ; something they must have , for they think it cannot be , that they should be accepted , pardoned , and saved , and they to doe nothing at all themselves for it : therefore as soone as they begin to espie a flaw in what they doe , for who can say his heart is cleane ? job 25. 4. they betake themselves to breake their hearts , to make god amends for all , and thinke if they can but attaine unto such a deep measure of humiliation and sorrow for sin , then they think they have an evidence for heaven : but alas , this is no evidence , save onely of great ignorance , in that they see not death in their best duties : the lord may say to you who worke so hard for life , thou hast found the life of thy hand , therefore thou wast not grieved , isa . 57. 10. thou comfortest thy selfe in thine own sparkes , but ( sorrow is all the comfort such comfort can produce ) yee shall lie downe in sorrow , isa . 50. 11. when we say our good works are not the way to life , men esteeme it a grievous error , yet christ saith , i am the way , joh. 14. 6. are thy works christ or no ? if no , then they are not the way , for christ saith true , and if jesus christ is to be unto us all in all , col. 3. 11. our best workes are to be unto us nothing at all , our workes make us not the better before god , nor to be more beloved of god , but declare us to be what wee are made by god : the papists doe good works to be saved , but we abhorre it , because it is condemned by god , therefore all those who expect and hope for mercy , because they leave their sinnes , as they say , and do many good works ; consider what i say unto thee , alas , poore soule , thou art still in the state of nature , in the gall of bitternesse , thou art not quite plucked up off of thine own stocke of self-workes , and self-concurrence with christ , and therefore art not planted into christ , thou art ignorant of the righteousness of god , which is the cause why thou goest about to establish thine own righteousnesse , and so long as thou doest so , thou canst not submit to the righteousnesse of god , rom. 10. 13. but diddest thou know what a righteousnesse christ is , thou couldst not but have preferred it before thine own righteousnesse , yea it would be esteemed by thee but drosse and dung to his , as phil. 3. 8 , 9. and unlesse the lord jesus open thine eyes , and reveale his righteousnesse unto thee , thy righteousnesse ( which thou joynest with christs for salvation ) will of a certaine worke thy destruction unto all eternity . publicans and harlots are neerer salvation then thee , when you who worke for life are pharisees , and if you dye in this estate , you must perish , mat. 21. 31 , 32. luk. 7. 29 , 30. i know many will cavill , and say , if christ must doe all , and man nothing , then men need not care what they doe , but live as they list . answ . as it is our dutie , so it is our desire to doe whatsoever the word of god requires , but we are not commanded to doe any thing to procure the pardon of our sinnes , but in reference to service and dutie , i count my selfe to be never the neerer heaven for my best workes , then if i had done nothing else but blaspheme god. but what saith the scriptures , now to him that worketh , is the reward not reckoned of grace , but of debt , but to him that worketh not , but beleeveth on him that justifieth the ungodly , his faith is counted for righteousnesse , rom. 4. 2 , 3 , 4 , 5. wee are saved , not according to our workes , but according to his own purpose and grace , 2. tim. 1. 9. when wee were enemies , wee were reconciled to god by the death of his sonne , rom. 5. 10. i will doe away thy offences for my names sake , isa . 43. 25. a new heart also will i give thee , ezek. 36. 26 , 27. 31. i have seene his wayes , and will heale him , isa . 57. 17. i have blotted out thy sinnes , returne unto me , &c. isa . 44. 22. when thou wert polluted in thy own bloud , i said unto thee , live. when thou wert in thy bloud , thy time was the time of love , and i covered thy nakednesse , &c. ezek. 16. 6. 8. all unto whom the mystery of gods love and free grace is revealed , they cry grace , grace , christ , christ ; christ is all in all , nothing but christ , their prayers , teares , duties , devotions , and all of theirs , is nothing to them in respect of acceptation , or justification , or salvation , they are now dead to working , they doe no workes in the world to attaine any of these , all theirs is vanished , and is quite drowned in the infinite ocean of gods free grace . it is so that god might have all the glory , eph. 1. 6. jer. 9. 24. and that man might not boast , rom. 3. 9. but obey god freely , luk. 1. 74. but i have no worke of grace wrought in me . the spirit shall convince the world of sin , and of righteousnesse , joh. 16. 7 , 8 , 9 , 10. god hath begun his worke in thee , if he hath convinced thee of sinne , and of righteousnesse . to be convinced of sin implies ; such a discovery of sinne which causeth the soule to see her selfe guiltie and utterly lost and undone , by reason of sin , they confesse themselves are vile , and they abhorre themselves , job 42. 6. they loath themselves for their deeds , ezek. 20. 43. este●ming themselves as beasts , psal . 73. 22. the soule is convinced , so as to have no hope , jer. 2. in any thing it can doe to helpe it selfe out of that miserable state of sin , he is undone in nature , he cannot doe any thing from whence he may expect salvation , or have any hope of it ; for a man cannot expect life and salvation from christ alone , untill the soule be taken off of all other things in respect of life . this vision of god causeth the soule to see themselves , and say , there remaineth no strength in me , my comelinesse is turned in me into corruption , dan. 10. 8. that is , my best workes , my righteousnesse is defiled , and is sinne ; now sinfull selfe , and righteous selfe are alike ( if there be any difference , the last is the worst , now the creature hath nothing to procure christ , nor no strength to beleeve in him ) the holy spirit discovers to the soule , that there is nothing but darknesse and death in our best duties . he is so convinced of sinne , that he justifieth the justice of god , if he perish in his sin , as psal . 51. 4. gen. 44. 16. see leviticus 26. 41 , 42. micah 7. 9. 2. sam. 15. 26. lam. 3. 28 , 29. it is from grace to be taken so off of nature , and he that is so taken off of nature , hath grace , is begotten and borne of god. for when the soule is taken off his own bottom , it must have another to rest upon , or else it sinkes , therefore when god takes away the soules false soundation , which was her false hope , god gives the soule a better in himselfe . the teaching and drawing of the father , joh. 6. is this , that all men have sinned , and are in an estate of death , and that in christ there is a ransome , in which is life and all happinesse , and that this jesus and all that he hath done is for him . when the soule hath heard and learned this , there is a power goeth with this teaching , which carrieth the soule by faith to christ beleeving in him ; for the teaching of the father and faith goeth together ; every one that hath heard and learnt of the father commeth unto me , joh. 6. so that to convince the soule of righteousnesse , is to be convinced of christ , to reveale jesus christ to the soule , that in him onely is helpe , and in his righteousnesse is deliverance ; i have laid help upon one that is mightie , psal . 89. 19. isa . 63. 1. so fix and settle the eye of the soule upon christs righteousnesse onely , at least putting the soule under the hope of it ; for as soone as god hath stripped the soule of all hope in and from it selfe , he turnes the soule to christ , and puts it under hope , ezek. 16. 5 , 6. when the soule seeth nothing but death , god saith , live , ezek. 16. 6. and when the soule is a going downe into the pit , god saith , stay , hearken , i have found a ransome for thee , job 34. 23 , 24. christ calls , come to me , and be saved , and the power of god goeth along with this call , workes faith , carrieth the soule to christ as his own , having possession of him . when this is manifested to the soul , faith acts in the love of god in pardoning his sinne , greatly wondering at the greatnesse of his goodnesse , or astonished with the glory of his present condition , the heart being taken up , as luk. 1. 41. 43. though for the measure of it , it is not in all alike . for the first , to be convinced of sinne then is more then a bare notion that it hath sinned , for this may be in one that rests in themselves , and in something else besides christ , and perish in this condition ; for by the letter of the law , and the light of reason , men may see and say they have sinned ; as saul and judas did : but those the spirit convinces of sinne , they are convinced to purpose , because it is thorowly ; the spirit shall convince the world of sin , joh. 16. 8. the spirit discovers to the soule that she hath chosen something else besides christ , upon which the soule resteth , and satisfieth her selfe withall , and expects mercy and comfort from by reason of them , and that they are her best services , and other lying vanities , as groundles hopes , peace , joy , comfort &c. telling the soule that there is nothing but death and darknesse in them , and that if the soule rest in any of them , there is nothing but death and destruction for them ; and there is a secret power of god which goeth along with this teaching , which turneth the soule from darknesse , viz. selfe , satan , and all lying vanities , to light , to christ , where life is , the spirit reveales to the soule a sufficiency of life in christ , and it needs seek life in nothing else ; also the spirit of god perswades a soule that this life is for him , therefore he is to look to christ for it , and wait upon him for pardon and life , and that the soule shall not lose her waiting , and so be deceived , but shall certainly have it at last , isa . 57. 13. these things must be wrought in truth , and in a measure in every soule that hath grace , though for the measure of this , it is not in all alike ; for in some it is in a small measure , as it was in those who are named to be carnall , and not spirituall , yet then they were babes in christ , therefore their state was happy , & safe , 1 cor. 3. 1. 3. but when this is wrought in any measure , in the same time faith is wrought , and as the measure of this worke is wrought in the soule , more or lesse , in the same measure faith is wrought in the soule , and as it appeares to the soule , so accordingly faith appeares to the soule : and when the soule seeth it selfe to be lost by reason of sin , and seeth all to be in christ for life , and is taken off from resting upō any thing else besides christ , and to expect all from christ , resting upon christ , though this be but in the smallest measure wrought in the soule , now this instant time faith is wrought , jesus christ is formed in the soule , and the soule is converted ; for this teaching of the father and faith are inseparable , joh. 6. 45. 47. i cannot beleeve . it is not in the power of the creature to beleeve in christ , phil. 1. 29. therefore look not upon faith as a worke of thine own , nor is faith any condition of the covenant required on thy part ; for as the covenant of grace is not made with man , but with christ , as appeares , psal . 89. 27 , 28 , 29 , 30. nor is there any condition in the covenant of grace required on mans part , neither is there any thing to be done by man to cause him to have an interest in the covenant of grace , or to partake of it , for the covenant of grace and life by christ is every way free and unconditionall on mans part , else how doth it differ from a covenant of works , if there were any thing to be done by us to have interest in it ? and if faith were a condition required on our part to partake of the covenant , or else not , i see not but we are now in as bad a condition as to be under the covenant of works , it being as hard and impossible for man of himselfe to beleeve in christ , as it is to keep the whole law , as the scripture declares . how hard it is to beleeve , the experience of many can testifie , to beleeve is a fruit of the spirit , gal. 5. 22. we must be in christ , before wee can beare fruit , joh. 15. 4. therefore we must be in christ , before wee can beleeve ; he that hath the spirit of christ hath christ , wee have the spirit of christ before wee beleeve , therefore we have christ before we beleeve , rom. 8. 9 , 10 , 11. men are ordained unto eternall life before they beleeve , acts 13. 48. faith is a grace of the covenant on gods part to be given to those who are given to christ ; faith is given to some , that by it they may know their interest in christ , and by it live upon him : faith is no condition of the covenant , therefore they mistake who conceive faith to be a condition of the covenant , either required on mans part to partake of the covenant of grace , or given to men , and then required of them as a condition ; although the scripture expresseth , that he that beleeves shall be saved , yet is not faith any condition of salvation ; but such expressions are to be considered as a declaration to us what persons shall be saved , viz. such as beleeve : it is an information to such as know not who shall be saved , and if any desire to know who shall be saved ; the answer is , he that beleeves shall be saved , joh. 3. 16. if faith did give us interest in christ , when faith did not appeare to act , it would appeare to us , that we had no interest in christ , and that wee were not justified by him . i know not whether i am bidden to beleeve or no , for some shall not be saved , and if i be one of them , if i should beleeve i should be saved by christ , i should beleeve a lye ▪ the gospel declares that whosoever beleeves in christ shall be saved , joh. 3. 16. therefore those who beleeve , cannot be any of them that shall perish ; and the word saith , be that beleeveth not , is condemned already , joh. 3. 18. and shall not see life . what god saith is truth , and truth ought to be beleeved , and whatsoever is contrary to truth , no man is bound to beleeve , therefore no unregenerate man is commanded to beleeve the forgivenesse of his sinnes in any other way then gods word holds forth forgivenesse of sinnes , which is , he that beleeves shall be saved , and have everlasting life . men are commanded to beleeve they shall have benefit by christ , life and salvation by christ , if they beleeve , joh. 3. 16. and no man is commanded to beleeve he shall be saved by christ , whether he beleeves or no ; for this is contrary to the word which saith , he that beleeves not , is condemned already , joh. 3. 18. no man is to beleeve that which is not true , yet this hinders not , but all that see an absolute necessitie of christ , shall enjoy him , & they ought not to distrust in him , but to cast away all their doubts and feares , and beleeve in him , and rest upon him for ever , as simon peter said to christ , master to whom shall we goe ? thou hast the words of eternall life , joh. 6. 67 , 68. but i have no love to christ , i am an enemie to christ , i am not fit for christ . the reason thou doest not love christ , is because thou seest not thy sinnes to be pardoned by christ , didst thou know he loves thee , thou wouldst love him , the love of christ would constraine thee to love him , 2 cor. 5. 14. we love him , because he first loved us , 1 joh. 4. 19. doest thou apprehend thy selfe to be an enemy to god ? so were all those once that ever did beleeve , ephes . 2. 12 , 13. while we were enemies , wee were reconciled to god by the death of his sonne , rom. 5. 8. 10. enemies cannot discerne christ , yet god gives christ to such . thou canst not fit thy selfe for christ , & if thou seest such a necessity of christ , as without him thou art undone ; thou desirest christ , and goest to christ ; he that commeth to me , i will in no wise cast out , joh. 6. 37. hearken what christ saith , you shall speed , you have the promise of christ , which is security sufficient to satisfie thy soule ; for christ is in you , and no man can hunger and thirst after righteousnesse , viz. christ , but such as are blessed , mat. 5. 6. and the spirit of god dwels in you , and christ is in you , and they that are led by the spirit of god out of themselves to christ , for light , and life , and strength , are the children of god , rom. 8. 9 , 10 , 11 , 14. indeed , there are many sweet promises in the word , but they are all for beleevers , but i am none . i grant none may apply a promise of life , but onely such as beleeve , yet the promises are for all the elect , thou knowest not but thou art one of them , & when god shall please to give thee faith , thou shalt know thy interest in them , act. 13. 48. in the meane time , stay thy selfe with this , that the lord jesus gave himselfe for enemies , and justifieth the ungodly , rom. 4. 5. whilest wee were yet sinners , christ dyed for us : while we were enemies , we were reconciled to god by the death of his sonne , rom. 5. 8. 10. therefore be not discouraged , god may save thee also . the lord saith , i will have mercy upon her that hath not obtained mercy , and i will say to them which were not my people , thou art my people , and they shall say , thou art my god , hos . 2. 23. oh sweet place ! therefore by no meanes yeeld not to thy feares , nourish no jealousies against god , but resolve in christs strength to cleave to his word , as psal . 119. 49. and here hold , saying , my beloved is mine , and i am his , song 2. 16. i would gladly beleeve , but i dare not . thou shouldst not admit nor give way to any discouragement to hinder thy going to christ , seeing christ cryed , saying , if any man thirst , let him come to mee and drinke , joh. 7. 37. the spirit and the bride say , come , and whosoever will , let him come , rev. 22. 17. the lord takes pleasure in them that feare him , and in them that hope in his mercy , psal . 147. 11. he will not quench the smoaking flax , mat. 12. 20. from whence is thy feare , sure it is occasioned or much increased by them who bid persons beleeve , & forbid them againe by their saying , take heed what you doe , you may be deceived ? it is not so easie a matter to beleeve , you must first be so sensible of sin , and so humbled for it , &c. before you may beleeve . now they conceit , they are not so and so qualified , therefore they dare not beleeve : also they are scared with the many things hypocrites may doe , how farre they may goe , and so set them short of hypocrites ; which must needs discourage them , yet the word of god requires no such teaching , for men to learne before they may beleeve ; for when the soule seeth it selfe lost by reason of sinne , and is at a stand , not knowing what to doe , the first thing they are to doe , is to beleeve in jesus christ , as appeares , acts 16. 31. the word requires nothing of them before they may beleeve , therefore wee may not , for none may presume above what is written . if thou desirest to beleeve , thy will is in part regenerated , and thou doest in some measure beleeve , though weakly , as he did that said , lord , i beleeve , help my unbeliefe , mark. 9. 24. gods servants are described by a desire to feare his name , nehe. 1. 11. psal . 145. 19. psal . 147. 11. there can be no desires without faith , 1 pet. 2. 2 , 3. a man cannot desire that which he beleeves not to be ; so heb. 11. 6. many give god their hearts , and doe not know it , and so are troubled , because they do not know what is meant by the heart , nor where it is seated . i speak not of the heart of flesh , rom. 8. 5 , 6 , 7. there is a carnall minde and a spirituall minde in men , i speake of the heart mystically and spiritually , which is principally seated in the will , so that what it wills or desires , there is the heart , and to that which the will most wills or desires , to that is the bent of the heart unto . now if the soule were to have its choice of every thing , that one thing that the soule should chuse , would any question whether they loved it , and that their hearts were not unto it ? for as no soule can be sensible of the want of christ , untill the soule be possessed of him , rom. 8. 10 , 11. so no soule can desire christ above all things in the world , if they might have their choice , unlesse christ have their hearts , and they dearly love him , and beleeve in him ; for christ is precious to them that beleeve , 1 pet. 2. 7. and to none else . so the seat of faith is in the heart , which is in the understanding , and will , but more principally in the will , so that if our wills be renewed , our hearts are renewed , rom. 8. 5 , 6. paul saith , to will is present with me ; good i would doe ; so then with my minde i serve the law of god , rom. 7. 18 , 19. with 21. 25. it appeares that the will is one with the minde , and the heart is one with them , these three are one , and alwayes goe together , and are alike spirituall . christ saith , where your treasure is , there will your heart be also , mat. 6. 21. that is , the mind and affections : and by affections in eph. 3. 2. is meant the heart , for the heart and affections are one thing . there be them that beleeve , and yet they know not whether they beleeve or no : so that it is possible for them to call their faith unbeliefe , as the blind man did , mark. 9. 24. lord help my unbeliefe ; which must not be understood of unbeliefe , for it is not a lawfull request to pray that sin may be increased , for unbeliefe is a sin , and the ground or cause of the soules departing from god , as heb. 3. 12. many mistake faith , some have thought , comfort , joy , or ravishments of soule with god , to be faith , and so have concluded , because they had not them , they had no faith . it is not mens beleeving , but the object of faith , that gives faith its denomination , or name , for there be divers kinds of faith ; there is a naturall faith , as luk. 8. 13. and a divine faith , or the faith of gods elect , titus 1. 1. faith and its object is not to be separated , because faith and its object is one and the same , it is too strict therefore to give a distinction or definition of faith without its object . he that beleeveth that jesus christ is the sonne of god shall be saved . all is included in this , he that beleeves this , must 1. know christ to be the anointed , luk. 23. the saviour of his people from their sinnes , mat. 1. 21. 2. to beleeve in christ , to rest upon him , to live or stay upon the lord , pro. 3. 5. to beleeve in him , rom. 10. 9. 11. psal . 17. 6. to cleave to god , deut. 30. 20. joh. 23. 6. acts 11. 23. psal . 119. 30 , 31. to hope in him , psal . 147. 11. 3. to own and confesse christ ; simon said , thou art the christ , the sonne of the living god , mat. 16. 16. rom. 10. 9. any man may say , that jesus christ is the sonne of god , yea the devils confesse this ; i know thee who thou art , jesus christ the sonne of god , therefore this cannot be the faith of gods elect , and so not the faith of the gospel . 1. there are three things to be considered in the nature of faith ; first , illumination ; secondly , for the soule to trust in christ for pardon and life ; and the third is the application of him . the first , is when a man consents to the word , that it is true , and this is called faith , and this the devill doth ; thou beleevest there is one god , thou doest well , the devill doth so , james 2. mark. 5. 8. acts 16. 17. the second , is to beleeve that jesus is the christ ; which implies a seeing and knowing all to be in christ for life and salvation , and so to rest upon him for it ; he that thus beleeves in christ , is brought by christ over to christ , and so centred upon him , that he will never goe from him , joh. 6. 58. my soule wait thou on god , for my expectation is from him , psal . 62. 5. and this no devill never did . the third , is to beleeve with an application of christ as their own in particular , therefore to beleeve in christ , is more then an illumination , or a saying so , or reformation ; for where faith comes , old things are done away , and they are new creatures , there is a light set up in that soule , now they know all is by christ , and that there is no way or meanes of life , but by christ , and close with christ , and rest upon him . secondly , the scriptures cleerly prove that to beleeve that jesus christ is the sonne of god , is the faith of the gospel , for the word of god is the ground of faith , and the soules salvation depends upon the truth of what god saith , and faith looks onely to what god saith , and rests upon it ▪ and sets to its seale that god is true . and that so to beleeve that jesus christ is the sonne of god , is the faith of the gospel , i prove by these reasons . 1. because this is the faith which the apostles preached and witnessed unto , and the faith which is recorded unto us in the scriptures , acts 18. 28. 1 joh. 2. 22. 2. because none can say ( knowingly ) that jesus is the lord , but by the spirit , 1 cor. 12. 3. 3. because upon the profession of this faith , christ builds his church , mat. 16. 16. 18. 4. upon the profession of this faith the baptisme of christ is dispensed , as act. 8. 37. 5. they who have this faith dwell in god , and god in them , 1 joh. 4. 15. 6. this faith flesh and bloud cannot reveale , but god reveales it to the soule , mat. 16. 16 , 17. 7. such are borne of god ; whosoever beleeves that jesus is the christ , is borne of god , 1 joh. 5. 1. 8. this is the faith that overcommeth the world , 1 joh. 5. 4 , 5. 9. because such as have this faith are pronounced blessed , mat. 16. 17. and shall never dye , joh. 11. 25 , 26. 10. because he that hath this faith shall be saved ; if thou shalt confesse with thy mouth the lord jesus , and shalt beleeve in thy heart , that god hath raised him from the dead , thou shalt be saved , rom. 10. 9. jesus said , i am the resurrection , and the life , & whosoever beleeveth in me , shall never dye ; beleevest thou this ? shee said unto him , yea lord , i beleeve that thou art the christ the sonne of god , &c. joh. 11. 25 , 26 , 27. to beleeve this record , implies an assent that it is truth , with a resting or hoping to have interest in it , to be made one with it , is faith , though it be a lesser degree , ( then a full and certain assurance of life by him for himselfe in particular ) see isa . 45. 21 , 22. those in mat. 5. 3 , 4 , 5. who mourne , and hunger , and thirst after christ are blessed , and shall be satisfied , though they want the application of christ ; therefore besides the illumination which wicked men and devils may have as well as a beleever , there is a two-fold act of faith , the first is a direct act to beleeve christ is , in whom is life , &c. this is to beleeve the record god hath given concerning his sonne , and that he came into the world to save sinners , 1 tim. 1. 15. 2. chron. 20. 12. look unto me and be saved , isai . 45. 22. and so trust in christ for life from a hope of mercy , but this hope is without a certainty ; these are blessed , as appeares mat. 16. 17. turne ye to the strong hold ye prisoners of hope , zach. 9. 12. secondly , the reflect act of faith , which is ( to beleeve christ came to save them from their sinnes , as mat. 1. 23. ) to know i beleeve ; he that hath this measure or degree of faith , trusts in christ from a knowledge of an interest in him , we beleeve and are sure , joh. 6. 69. he that hath this act of faith , hath the former , but there be some which have the first act of faith , but have not attained the second , yet their hearts are turned unto christ , and fixed upon him , and they long for him , hope in him , and rest upon him alone for life and salvation , these have faith , which causeth them to depend on christ , which none can doe but such as are possessed with christ , though at present they may not know it , yet are they blessed , mat. 5. 6. and in his name they doe trust , mat. 12. 21. the apostle saith , these things have i written unto you that beleeve on the name of the sonne of god , that yee may know that yee have eternall life , and that yee may beleeve on the name of the sonne of god , 1 joh. 5. 13. so that these words declare they did but weakly beleeve , and that they did not know that they were possessed with eternall life , ( yet they were ) therefore they had not that particular knowledge , or assurance of the love of god , yet did beleeve in christ . some conceive they have no grace , because they never had so deep a measure of sorrow for sin as some others have , &c. the word of god declares that those that beleeved had not one and the same measure of sorrow ; the scripture declares no sorrow in lydia receiving the word , act. 16. 14. but it is said that the jaylor trembled , being in feare , act. 16. 29. the word of god is to be our rule , isa . 8. 20. and not mens conceits . the greatest measure of sorrow , griefe , feare , terror for sinne , that ever any had , made them not to be loved of god , nor to obtain mercy from god ; nor did sensiblenesse of sin ever drive the soule to christ , but ever from christ : as peters sensiblenesse of his sin , caused him to bid christ to depart from him , lord depart from me , for i am a sinfull man , luk. 5. 8. therefore a deep sensiblenesse of sin hinders the soule in beleeving of christ , and drives it further from christ . thou hast no cause to complain , if god deales more gently with thee , then he doth with some others ; it's a great mistake to thinke that god delights in slavish feares or teares . what is the greatest sensiblenesse of sin worth that proceeds not from faith , and floweth not from the apprehension of pardon & love , in so evill requiting god , look not to sensiblenesse of sinne , but to christ , thy very sensiblenesse of sin is not free from sin , and it deserves nothing but death , but in christ is life . if thou wert ever fatherlesse , which is for the soule to be stripped of all , that none of thy workes , nor means , nor men , nor angels , nor nothing besides jesus christ can stand thee in any stead , nor satisfie thee , being resolved to wait upon christ , untill he please to manifest his free love in pardoning thy sinnes ; this is the worke of god in thee , yea this is a great and sweet work of the gospel , and such a work as never was in any , but such as shall be saved . if thou renouncest all thy own sufficiency , so as thy best duties cannot satisfie thee , certain it is there is a better sufficiency come in place . i feare my faith is not the faith of gods elect , because it is attended with so many doubtings . feares and doubtings are no fruits of faith , but of unbeliefe , and as feares and doubts increase , the stronger is unbeliefe in the soule ; so the soule is ready to judge that where so great unbeliefe is , there is no faith : yet the scriptures declare that in those who had true faith , the faith of gods elect , yet at the same time have had much unbeliefe also in them , so as they have been filled with doubts and feares , joh. 13. 1. and from hence it was that he in mark. 9. 24. called his faith unbeliefe , because he was sensible of his great unbeliefe : and was not unbeliefe strong in thomas , when he said , he would not beleeve ? joh. 20. 24 , 25. and seeing that a child of god may have true faith , notwithstanding they may also have many feares and doubtings , thou knowest not but the cause may be so with thee , therefore take heed that yee deny not your selves to have faith , lest yee call weak faith , no faith , and light , darknesse , and grace , sin ; for to doe so is very evill ; woe unto them that call evill good , and good evill , that put darknesse for light , and light for darknesse , that put bitter for sweet , and sweet for bitter , isa . 5. 20. those that put faith for unbeliefe doe so ; pray to god to strengthen thy faith , as he did , mark. 9. 24. and use meanes to remove such things as strengthen unbeliefe , and hinder the sight of thy faith ; as ignorance is one cause of doubting , also an over-sensiblenesse of infirmities , sleighting gods meanes , neglect of duty , or a formall performance , or nourishing sinne more or lesse , pronenesse to sin , harkening to satan , to sense , to carnall reasonings , nourishing feare and unbeliefe , &c. also endeavour to doe that which is a means to strengthen thy faith , know the perfection of the state of a beleever in christ , in which the weakest and most imperfect beleever , is as perfect , as much justified , accepted , and as happy as the best , live upon christ alone , make choice of and mind the sutablest promises for thee to feed and strengthen thy faith , walk with god , pray in faith , aske his spirit , and thou shalt have it , luk. 11. 23. this spirit will revive , and fill thy soule with joy and peace in beleeving , and make thee so wise and strong ( in his time ) that thou shalt not cast away thy confidence any more , heb. 10. 34. and as gods love ( which is perfect , full , free , ) is discovered to thy soule in the same measure thy doubts and feares are cast out ; for perfect love casts out feare . and although you are to use meanes , yet meanes are but means , not causes of increase of grace , it 's the operation of the spirit of god in the soule , which is as god pleaseth , therefore looke up to god for faith . i feare my faith is but presumption . i feare the ground of this is thy not knowing , or not minding what faith is , and what presumption is . what faith is , see objection 15. and concerning presumption , this word may be understood in a twofold consideration ; first , for such a confidence as is without a ground ; or secondly , against a ground . for the first , he that presumes he hath a confidence of pardon , but it is without any ground , he hath no word of god for his confidence , and it may be he can give no reason at all for his confidence , much lesse a good reason : that this discouragement may be answered , and removed , consider wherein faith and presumption differs . he that presumes , he hath no ground , no word of god for his confidence , here confidence is fetched from their own conceits , they seek no life in christ , his word , and promise . 1. but he that truly beleeves in christ , his confidence is from the word ; wee through the scriptures have hope , rom. 15. 4. in his word doe i hope , psal . 130. 5. but i hope in thy word , psal . 119. 81. 2. he that truly beleeves in christ , doth not receive any promise of life , but in and through christ in the riches of his grace . but he that presumes if he receives a promise he receives it upon his qualifications , without respect to christ , and he gathers conclusions of life from what they are and can doe , their own righteousnesse was never to them as drosse and dung , as phil. 3. 8. so they depend upon their faith , and not upon christ by faith : the ground of their confidence is , because they are so good , or not so bad as others , as the proud pharisee , but he was never fatherlesse , hos . 14. 3. nor did they ever receive the sentence of death in themselves , 2 cor. 1. 9. so they were ever confident , and it was ever very easie for them to beleeve . 3. he that beleeves , his hope and trust is onely in god , and they hope in his mercy ; the eyes of the lord are upon them that hope in his mercy , psal . 33. 18. 21. 22. and this is the work of god to perswade the heart to rest upon the free mercy of god in christ , psal . 13. 5. psal . 33. 18. i trust in the mercy of god for ever and ever , psal . 52. 8. with the lord there is mercy , psal . 130. 7. god is rich in mercy , eph. 2. 4. presumption cannot doe so , joh. 12. 37. 1 pet. 19. 20. joh. 6. 28 , 29. for the second , so the confidence of the presumer is contrary to the word of god , the word approves of no such confidence , but protests against them and their confidence , as appeares , jer. 7. 9. 15. so their presumption hardens them , and makes them bold to venture upon sinful practises , as lying , stealing , drunkennesse , uncleannesse , cheating , and the like , as theirs was , jer. 7. 9. &c. 4. he that truly beleeves , abhorres that which is evill , and cleaves to that which is good , rom. 12. 9. every man that hath this hope in him , purifieth himselfe as he is pure , 1 ●oh . 3. 3. purifying their hearts by faith , acts 15. 9. the grace of god teacheth us to deny ungodlinesse and worldly lusts , and to live soberly , righteously , and godly in this present world , tit. 2. 11 , 12. christ is precious to them that beleeve , 1 pet. 2. 7. they count all things but losse for christ , and for him they will suffer the losse of all things , as phil. 3. 8. yet many there be who say they are confident , &c. and yet they dare not speak for jesus christ , his truth , his servants , &c. these are far from suffering the losse of all things for him : so others can hold arminianisme , and free-will , setting themselves and their endeavours above god , and his grace , in affirming that notwithstanding all the grace god affords to any man , yet unlesse man shall please to will and improve it well , ( for as they say he may choose whether he will or no ) it shall never be effectuall to him ; if it be so , they may thank god for his grace , without which they can doe nothing , but much more themselves , for saving themselves ; for others had as much grace as they ( as they say judas had ) shall be damned , and they had been damned also , if they had not willed well , &c. and it was in their power and choice , whether they would will well or no : which is so contrary to the scriptures ; so then it is not of him that willeth , nor of him that runneth , but of god that sheweth mercy , rom. 9. 16. not that we are sufficient of our selves to thinke any thing of our selves , but our sufficiency is of god , 2 cor. 3. 5. surely all those who have tasted of gods free grace , cannot but admire it , and be thankfull for it , and loath with the greatest indignation whatsoever shall intrench upon it , although it were but in the least degree . i have no grace , because i grow not in grace , my life is not holy , nor am i like unto others who are the lords . doest thou know thy age or degree in grace ? what , art thou a child , or a yong man , or a father ? 1 joh. 2. 12 , 13. there is a great difference between a childe and a man in nature , so great is the difference between a babe in christ , 1 cor. 3. 1. and a man in christ , 1 joh. 2. 13. also confider if thou canst , whether if thou beest a babe in the wombe , or borne , heb. 5. 13. he is a babe , as a childe is begotten and alive while it is in the wombe , before it be borne ; so thou maist be begotten from above , and alive , before thou canst be borne . christ must first be formed in us , before we can be new borne babes , gal. 4. 18. 1 pet. 2. 2. and when thou art delivered out of the state of bondage , which is a place of darknesse , of feares concerning thy soule , thou art not borne and brought forth ; and as the wombe is a place of bondage , so here ; and therefore canst not doe that service others doe : if thou beest but new borne , there cannot that be expected from thee , as there is from a man in christ ; as there is a difference between a childe and a man in nature , so there is here ; learne to distinguish between the grace it selfe , and the exercise of it ; it 's not the having of grace , but the exercise of it , which attaines to a holy conversation , by the operation of the spirit ; and when a soule is delivered from its enemies , as satan , terrors , wrath , curse , it 's borne , being delivered we serve , luk. 1. 47. deliverance is before working : the time of doubting is a barren time , men cannot fight and worke at the same time . regeneration consists in being begotten to the lord , to have union with him , joh. 17. 22. 23. 19. and for god to convey his power into the soule , by which it is made conformable to the will of christ , and lives by faith in the sonne of god , gal. 2. 20. is another thing in some of the lords : the first is , where the latter is not , at least in the degrees of it ; beleevers are of severall growths and states ; as , first , babes , children ; secondly , young men ; thirdly , fathers , 1 joh. 2. 12 , 13. can babes work ? and yet if they die in that estate , they shall not misse of glory . 1 job . 2. 12. it is one thing to be justified , and another to be sanctified , so it is one thing to live , another to be borne , and to worke is distinct from both : there is as much difference between some of the lords , as there is betwixt willing and doing ; some are termed carnall , 1 cor. 3. 1. others spirituall . thou maist be begotten , but not borne , ( if in bondage ) and then it is not the season of growing , as another season is . if thou beest ignorant , or in temptation , thy understanding is clouded , and thy heart being distempered with feare , so as job 23. 8 , 9. and thou art not fit to judge of thy growth ; is a new borne babe , 1 pet. 2. 2. fit to judge of its growth ? also consider , it may be , thou art in gods way , and so thou doest not use his meanes , or not rightly ; consider psal . 1. 3. with song 4. 12. there thou shalt grow . i am much tempted by satan , that i have no grace . satan tempts christs babes to cast away their confidence , which is forbidden , heb. 10. 35. therefore if satan tell yee , that yee have no faith , thou maist reply , if i have it not in the act to my knowledge , i may have it in the grace it selfe ; if he say that he knows , and you know you have no grace at all . reply , the devill knows not , and if i should thinke so i may be deceived ; as fire raked up in ashes appeares not , and gives neither light nor heat , so corruption doth hide and obscure grace , 1 cor. 3. 1. and if i have no grace , why let yee me not alone , as yee doe others , and as yee did me when i tooke my fill of sin ? then ye told me i had faith , when i had none , i have found yee a lyer , therefore i will not hearken unto you , and i am the more confident i have grace , because ye tell me i have none , he is a lyer , and the father of it , joh. 8. 44. but suppose i have no grace , there is no reason why i should despaire , because every one of the lords were once without grace in the estate of nature ; at that time yee were without christ , being aliens from the common-wealth of israel , strangers , &c. having no hope , and withou● god in the world , but now in christ jesus yee who sometimes were afar off , are made nigh by the bloud of christ , eph. 2. 12 , 13. which in time past were not a people , but are now the people of god , which had not obtained mercy , but now have obtained mercy , 1 pet. 2. 10. many are ordained unto eternall life , which did not actually beleeve , nor had any grace at all ; i nor any doe not know , but i may be one of them also , therefore i know no reason to despaire , nor will despaire doe me any good , it is better to use the means , wait upon god , trust him with my soule , if mercy come i shall be happy , and shall have cause to praise him . there is nothing too hard for god , lord , if thou wilt thou canst make me cleane , jer. 32. 17. mat. 8. 2. i cannot pray , nor doe any thing to purpose , therefore i have no grace . unbeliefe deads the heart , and hinders thy living upon christs strength . it is so with thee , that thou mightst see a need of christ , joh. 15. 5. and live upon him , who hath promised to be a full supply to his . if god hath given thee a desire to obey him , say not it is nothing , because god saith it's something , 2 cor. 8. to 11. he gives this , and if this be all thou hast , it is accepted , vers . 12. and he will grant thy desire ; he will fulfill the desire of them that feare him , he also will heare their cry , and will save them , psal . 119. 19. christ will not quench the smoaking fl●x , isai . 42. when we see no fire , we know there is fire by the smoake ; holy desires cannot be in a soule that hath no grace , psal . 145. 19. desire after grace is an act of spirituall life ; an act is from a faculty , a faculty is from life and being , a dead man cannot desire , none can desire that which they beleeve not to be , nor that they doe not love ; desires if spirituall they flow from faith & love , and are a part of what it desires . a will to obey , may be all that a beleever can find in himselfe at some time ; to will is present with me , but how to performe that which is good i find not ; for the good i would i doe not , but the evill i would not , that i doe , rom. 7. 18 , 19 , 20 , 21. presse after obedience to god , yet know our greatest holinesse cannot justifie us before god ; for by grace are yee saved through faith , and that not of your selves , &c. not of workes , lest any man should boast , ephes . 2. 8 , 9. even the strongest of the lords , are but weake creatures , and the highest perfection they can attaine unto in this life , is a fight of our imperfections , and a desire and endeavour to obey , and to live upon christ by faith ; see phil. 2. 12 , 13. and was not paul one of the most strongest beleevers ? see rom. 8. 37 , 38 , 39. yet what saith he of himselfe , and his words are the word of god ; that which i doe i allow not , for what i would , that i doe not , but what i ha●e , that doe i : to will is present with me , &c. rom. 7. 14. to 25. he had no power to doe what he would , yet he lived by faith in the sonne of god , gal. 2. 20. i find no willingnesse to duties , i find no relish in them , so that i often omit them . unwillingnesse to duties , argueth much corruption , from whence omissions often flow . god may have begun his work in thee , although it be thus with thee , it may arise from divers causes , as from unbeliefe , doubting of acceptance of person and dutie ; and it 's no wonder , if such have little list to obey ; also eying infirmities , and not christ also with them , and not exercising grace , especially faith ; little love to christ , loving temporall things , deads the heart , and makes it carnall , weaknesse of grace , or from gods not affording present strength , sloath and ease that slayeth the soule , undiscreet doing duties out of their season , ignorance of the nature of duties , and what god requires in some causes , ignorance of the sweetnesse of spirituall duties . so the soules sicknesse , which hinders the soules relish of spirituall things : also weaknesse of body is a great enemy to action ; my flesh and my heart fayles , but god is the strength of my heart , and my portion for ever , psal . 73. 26. he never fayles . surely , i am deceived , i have no grace , because i am not able to subdue my passions . this declares rather weaknesse of grace , then otherwise , and it 's certain , it is not from a want of truth of grace , if thou doest that which thou wouldst not , as rom. 7. 14. to 25. in our selves we are imperfect at the best , gal. 6. 1. the strongest is not able to stand alone ; also some of the lords partake more of naturall choler , which increaseth naturally , and as that choler is , we are more or lesse hasty and passionate . a wicked man may be naturally patient , and a childe of god may be sinfully passionate , jam. 5. 17. thou shouldst not measure gods love to thee , nor the truth of his grace in thee by thy mortification of sin , consider rom. 7. god may for ends best knowne unto himselfe , suffer corruption to be too strong for thee , it may be , to abase thee more , as paul , rom. 7. that thou maist see what need thou hast of a lord jesus to pardon and heale thee ; who knoweth but god may leave thy personall sanctification the more imperfect , that we may minde and behold jesus christ , and our righteousnesse in him , and so live the more in him , and our joy the more in our justification by him ? rom. 4. 6 , 7. it 's one thing to have thy sinnes forgiven , or not imputed , psal . 32. 1 , 2. and another thing to be clensed from it ; live in the apprehension of the love of god , and down goeth sin , and all discouragements , so live in discouragements , and sinne prevailes , as psal . 77. 2. 7 , 8 , 9 , 10. wee ought not to fetch our comfort from our subduing of sinne , but in christ , in whom we want no righteousnesse , 1 cor. 1. 30. christ is ours , and we are christs , and christ is gods. when we are at the best , we may not live in our selves , nor by sight , but by faith , and when we are at the worst , we are to live upon christ by saith , and comfort our selves in him , and in him onely : many when they want strength or comfort , they seek what they want from their duties , and comfort themselves in their abstainings from sin , but for christ he is not in all their thoughts , psal . 10. 4. what i once felt is now decayed . the ground of our faith is god in his word , and not our sight and feeling , that is sensuall , 2 cor. 5. 7. we live not by sight ( and feeling ) but by faith . whilst thou maintainest feares and jealousies of gods love to thee , it is no wonder it is so with thee : call to minde the dayes of old ; as psal . 77. it 's certain , if ever god manifested his love unto thee , he is still and ever will be the same unto thee , having loved his owne , he loved them unto the end , joh. 13. 1. with him there is no variablenesse or shadow of turning , jam. 1. 17. a child of god may decay in parts , sight , feelings , and exercise of grace for a time , as phil. 4. 10. these are sometimes more and sometimes lesse , but alwayes as god seeth best , that wee might rest and relie upon nothing but christ . i see and feele nothing in my selfe , or all is as nothing to me , save onely jesus christ , who is all in all to me . we ought to beleeve that we neither see nor feele ; faith is the evidence of things not seene , heb. 11. 1. to live by faith , is to walke after the spirit , and to live by sight and feeling , is to live after the flesh , rom. 8. 1. i am discouraged , because nothing is made good to me , i doe not possesse it . if thou beest included , and art under the promise of it , and under the hope of it , thou shalt possesse it . it may be made good unto thee , without thy possession of it , for wee must not ground faith in the possession of what it beleeves , possession is sutable to sense , and there is neither faith nor hope in what we possesse . to have right in it , and to possesse it , are two things , they died in faith , and yet they did not possesse what they beleeved , heb. 11. 17 , 18. the possessiō of things gives no being unto faith , nor is essentiall unto it , no otherwise then as faith gives being unto it . abraham beleeved he should have a sonne ; here was his faith , rom. 4. 3. 17. 18. yet he did not possesse his sonne , his sonne had no being but in the promise of god , therefore to place enjoyment to be essentiall to faith , is a very great mistake . as a man must first beleeve god is , before he can goe to god , heb. 11. 6. so a man must first beleeve in christ , to have remission of sinnes by him , and after receive remission of sinnes , as appeares , acts 10. 43. it thou hast power to close with god in the truth of his word , as sarah did , that shee should have a sonne , not onely before shee had him , but against reason shee beleeved shee should have him , thou hast faith . but i am not assured that i shall be saved , therefore i have no faith . faith and assurance , is not one thing , but are differing and distinct ; assurance cannot be without faith , but faith may be without assurance ; for assurance is not the proper act of faith ; assurance is an effect of faith , and a higher measure then that is , and the greater our feeling of assurance is , the lesser our faith is . faith in the act is an assenting or cleaving to the truth and faithfulnesse of god in his promise , not from any thing shee feeles in her selfe ▪ but from something it apprehends in god , in his word , rom. 4. 20 , 21 , 22. the act of faith is sometimes attended with much strife and strugling , for satan saith to the soule , it 's in vaine for thee to looke to christ , to beleeve in christ , christ saith , come unto me , beleeve i will ease thee . now for the soule to rest upon the fidelitie and abilitie of christ in his promise , is no small measure of faith : assurance is not from the habit of grace , nor from the direct act of faith , but from the reflect act of faith , which is for a man to see and know that he beleeves ; which assurance is from the immediate testimony of the spirit of god in the conscience of one who is already a beleever , causing the soule to know it beleeves . the spirit it selfe beareth witnesse with our spirits , that we are the children of god , rom. 8. 16. now abideth faith , 1 cor. 13. 13. therefore faith doth at all times one way or other , sufficiently evidence the truth of our estates , if we did at all times truly discerne the testimony or true act of faith ; and the reason why we discerne it not , is for want of a full measure of faith , to withstand all that is opposit to faith ; for some there be , who have faith , yet by reason of their ignorance , and unskilfulnesse , as heb. 5. 14 , 15. & 10. 15. forgetfulnesse : babes are unskilfull , and have not experience of gods dealings with his , both for order and manner ; so that when faith doth not so lively act , and when christ doth not clearly appeare in the soule , he begins to doubt whether he be not deceived ; and when the lord appeares againe , the doubt is dissolved , and the soule is satisfied , and he is armed with experience against such a time appeares againe , if he be able to judge , and neglect not to marke well , but where use and exercise is wanting , there is not so cleare a discerning , heb. 5. 11 , 12. i feare the opposition that is in me , is not between christ and satan , or the spirit against the flesh , but from my corrupt will , & my inlightened conscience . i grant all the combates in men are not right , and many are deceived herein ; yet the difference may easily be discerned ; understand it thus ; 1. the naturall conscience ( although it be inlightened ) acts onely in a naturall way , at the most it is but morall , as not to lye , sweare , steale , and such grosse acts . 2. it stirres not , unlesse it be forced , and onely unto that it is forced unto . 3. it sets one faculty against another , as the will and affections against the understanding , but the spirit of christ causeth an opposition in the same faculty , as in the will , &c. 4. conscience inlightened without grace , it strikes onely at the branches of sin , but not in the roote . 1. whereas the spirit of god makes a free , full , constant , impartiall resistance against all sin . 2. and discovers unto the soule her secret corruptions in their colours , and the spirit over-powers the soule , so as it causeth the soule to hate sin , and leave it . 3. the spirit causeth the soule to be more glad when sin is more discovered . 4. the spirit of god teacheth the soule effectually to oppose all sinne ( even the appearance of evill ) equally , proportionably and orderly . i am so troubled with hideous temptations , as i beleeve no childe of god is . christ was tempted , mat. 4. and i know no kind of temptation that god in his word hath promised that his child shall not be tempted unto ; there hath no temptation taken you , but such as is common to man , therefore beleeve and take comfort in the wisdome and faithfulnesse of god , who will not suffer you to be tempted above that yee are able , but will with the temptation also make a way of escape , that yee may be able to beare it , 1 cor. 10. 3. if they be burthensome and hatefull unto you , and you cry out to god for help against them , they shall not be laid unto thy charge ; for as it was with the damsell in deut. 22. 25 , 26. even so is this matter . i feare that when persecution comes , i shall not suffer , nor hold out unto the end , but dishonour god , betray his truth , shame and grieve his people . cast all these cares and feares upon the lord , as phil. 4. 10. in nothing be carefull , he will care for thee ; i will never leave thee , nor forsake thee , heb. 15. 5. god will take care for his glory , truth , and servants , his wisdome and power and faithfulnesse shall order all . others are discouraged , because they are not filled with joy and comfort , &c. faith may be strong , when joy is absent ; david had faith when he had no joy ; restore to me the joy of thy salvation , psal . 51. 12. he refused comfort , and he wanted it , psal . 77. 2. such as judge their condition to be good , because they are filled with joy , they are mistaken , and build upon a wrong foundation , in that they are not founded upon jesus christ alone , so as to look to him , and live upon him onely . if some persons had joy , they would make it a christ to them , and live upon it , and so abuse christ , and themselves , and their joy : and it 's a mercy for such to want joy , till they can better use it . others are discouraged , because their soules are filled with terrors , saith one , oh , i feel the wrath of god in my soule , i have a hell in me , and so have been for a long time . this is a sad condition , yet thus it may be with one who is the lords ; for thus it was with heman , who said , lord , why castest thou off my soule , why hidest thou thy face from me ? i am ready to dye whilst i suffer thy terrors , i am distracted , thy fierce wrath goeth over me , thy terrors have cut me off , psal . 88. 15 , 16. and job cryed , he hath kindled his wrath against me , and counts me unto him as one of his enemies , see job 19. 10 , 11. & 7. 6. 13 , 14 , 15 , 16. and david in temptation judging himselfe according unto the law , to sense , and feeling , said , i am cast out of his sight , psal . 31. 22. horror hath overwhelmed me , psal . 55. 5. & 77. 8 , 9. and jeremiah said , he hath led me into darknesse , but not into light , he hath broken my bones , and compassed me with gall , he hath made my chaines heavy , he hath filled me with bitternesse , thou hast removed my soule far off from peace , and i said my strength and my hope is perished from the lord , lam. 3. 2. to 19. the lord hath his way in the whirlewind , and in the storme , nahum 1. 3. some conceive that if god loved them , there should be no such tempests in their soules , but should injoy a sweet calme , in stead of wrath and terrors , sweet peace and joy : indeed it is so with many , but it 's not so with all that are the lords , as appeares ; job saith to god , why doest thou not pardon my transgressions , &c. thou hast set me as a mark against thee , so that i am a burden unto my selfe , see job 7. 18 , 19 , 20 , 21. 13 , 14. because it was so with gideon as it was , he could not be perswaded that god was with him ; the angel said , god was with him , judg. 6. 12 , 13. therefore he was mistaken , and so maist thou be , if thou judgest thy selfe not to be the lords , because thou art filled with terrors , &c. comfort depends not upon any freedome from terrors , but upon the spirits revelation of truth , and application of it unto the soule . the greatest peace any saint doth possesse , is not to be either a ground or an incouragement for their beleeving , so also there is no terrors any can possesse , ought to be any discouragement in beleeving , for our happinesse is not from any thing we feele or apprehend in our selves , but in that we are knowne of god , who loves us and comprehends us in himselfe , and his not imputing our trespasses unto us , psal . 32. 1 , 2. a soule being in such a sad condition , should consider what the lord saith in isa . 8. 20. and to cast all their feares of hell upon god in a promise , to trust in the lord ; for in jehovah is strength for evermore , isa . 26. 3 , 4 : when thou art in the flames of this fire , thou shalt not be burnt ; with god nothing is impossible , luk. 1. 73. o troubled soule , the tender mercies of our god hath visited us , and so it may visit thee also , and give light to thee that sittest in darknesse , and in the shadow of death , to guide thy feet in the way of peace , luk. 1. 78 , 79. thou wilt keep him in perfect peace , whose mind is stayed on thee , because he trusts in thee , isa . 26. 3 , 4. what was that which brought thee so low , but poring so much upon thy sins , untill thou wert filled with despaire , and thy omissions and commissions against conscience increased thy horror ? do the contrary , and first beleeve , then repent , and see that yee daube not your selves over with your duties ; and know that which is a great cause of mourning , is no cause of despaire , therefore cast not away your confidence , heb. 10. 35. for yet a little while , and he that shall come will come , and will not tarry , heb. 10. 37 , 38. therefore say as the prophet said , when i sit in darknesse , the lord shall be a light unto me , he will bring me forth into the light , and i shall behold his righteousnesse , micah 7. 8 , 9. i am in great misery and want outwardly , by reason of poverty , if god did love me , i should not be so much neglected as i am . thou shouldst not reason so ; what thinkest thou of the condition of those who wandred about in sheep-skins , goat-skins , in deserts , mountaines , dens and caves of the earth ? i feare they were more destitute of outward comfort then thee , and suffered more hunger , cold , and nakednesse then thee ; hast thou not a house , not a bed to lie on , the places where they wandred afforded not these things unto them ; art thou destitute , afflicted , and forsaken ? so were they whom god loved , and esteemed the world not worthy of , heb. 11. 37 , 38. poverty and want hath attended and kept company with many a deare childe of god ; job was poore — yea the churches of jesus christ have been poore ; the church of corinth was poore , 2 cor. 8. 14. the church of smyrna was poore , rev. 2. 9. the church of macedonia was in deep poverty , 2 cor. 8. 1 , 2. and our lord jesus christ was poore , 2 cor. 8. 9. and thou maist be very poore , and yet god may love thee , as he loves jesus christ , joh. 17. 26. the poore receive the gospel , and the profession of the gospel of christ , have made the rich poore , in that for christ they have suffered the losse of all things , phil. 7. 8. in thy greatest want be content to be like christ in poverty , as well as in glory , joh. 17. 24. for the time will quickly come , in which you shall feele no want , nor suffer no hunger , cold , or nakednesse . there is no state and condition under the sun that is free from satanst ēptations , those who have more abundance of outward things , he suggests & insinuates unto them , that these things are all they are like to have , & that seeing they have a heaven here of outward contents , they must not expect another hereafter . and to those who have greater gifts and parts , he saith , they are not given to them in love , but onely for the benefit of others , and is ready to discourage them ; satan is ready to get an advantage of us , wee are not ignorant of his devises , 2 cor. 2. 11. the lord teach his to know the depths of satan , rev. 2. 24. to know his stratagems and to resist him . and as there is no state under the sunne free from trouble , so it is a sweet comfort unto all that are the lords , that there is no state and condition , but as god can , so he will support his in , and under it , and make it sweet and comfortable unto them , yea the best for them ; for all things shall work for good to them that love god , 1 cor. 10. 13. rom. 8. 28. who shall separate us from the love of christ ? shall tribulation , or distresse , or persecution , or famine , or nakednesse , or perill , or sword ? i am perswaded that neither death , nor life , nor angels , nor principalities , nor powers , nor things present , nor things to come , nor height , nor depth , nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of god , which is in christ jesus our lord , rom. 8. 35. 38 , 39. i cannot see god , surely god hath forsaken me . sometimes god hides himselfe from his , as the scripture declares ; verily thou art a god that hidest thy selfe , isa . 45. 15. i opened to my beloved , and he had withdrawne himselfe , song 5. 6. behold , i goe forward , but he is not there , and backward , but i cannot perceive him ; on the left hand where he doth work , but i cannot behold him ; he hideth himselfe on the right hand , that i cannot see him , job 23. 8 , 9. our carnall reason , and corrupt heart , and satan with his suggestions , are so neere us , before our eyes , that we cannot see god , and wee hearken so much to what they say , that we minde not the voyce of the spirit , rom. 8. 16. it is one thing to know , and another thing to know that wee know : christ said , they knew ; they said , they knew not ; christ said , whither i goe yee know , and the way yee know ; thomas said unto him , lord , we know not whither thou goest , how then can we know the way ? christ spake true , and they knew not that they knew , joh. 14. 3 , 4 , 5. so shee saw jesus standing , and knew not that it was jesus . when their eyes were opened , they knew him , luk. 24. 31. paul prayed that they might know the hope of their calling , ephes . 1. 18 , 19. when god hideth his face , we are to wait upon him , and look for him , isa . 8. 17. for he will returne againe ; but sion said , the lord hath forsaken me , & my lord hath forgotten me . can a woman forget her sucking childe , & c ? yea shee may , yet will not i forget thee , isa . 49. 14. for a small moment have i forsaken thee , but with great mercy will i gather thee , isa . 45. 7 , 8. when god absents himselfe from his , his love and care is the same unto them , as it is when he most manifests himselfe to them . another is discouraged , saying , i thought i had true faith , but since i fell into a great sin , i am perswaded if i had been the lords , i should not have been so left of god , as i was to sin so as i did . say not so , but consider that even some of the children of god , he hath suffered to fall , if not into the same sinnes , yet as great ; david sinned in adultery and murder ; how greatly did solomon sin after he obtained mercy , 1 king. 11. 9. and peter denied christ with an oath , yet his faith was not voyd or nought , christs prayer was heard ; i have prayed for thee , that thy faith faile not , luk. 22. 32. therefore his faith never fayled him . these examples are recorded in scripture , to set forth the glory of the riches of gods free grace , eph. 2. 4. that men may know what god can doe , and that great sinners might not despaire or faint under their sin , therefore christ saith , all sinnes shall be forgiven unto the sonnes of men , and blasphemies , mark. 3. 28. if any man sin , we have an advocate with the father , jesus christ the righteous , 1 joh. 2. 1. the bloud of jesus christ makes us cleane from all sin , 1 joh. 1. 7. to despaire of the mercy of god , because our sinnes are great , were to limit god in his mercy , which is a greater sin , and an adding sin to sin , therefore for the greatest sinne a beleever can commit , he ought not to moane without hope ; for no sin he can commit , can never put him into a state of condemnation , or under the curse , rom. 8. 1 , 2 , 3. and whilst we live in this world , god healeth not our sinfull natures wholly , nor takes it away quite ; the flesh lusteth , rom. 7. yet god ever esteemes his as they are in christ , ( and not simply as they are in themselves ) eph. 1. 4. 1 cor. 1. 30. paul saith , i my selfe keep the law of god , but with my flesh the law of sin . sin doth the evill that beleevers doe see , rom. 7. 15. 17. 20. 1 joh. 3. 9. consider nehe. 9. 16 , 17 , &c. he knoweth our frame , and remembreth that wee are but dust , psal . 103. 14. god is never an enemy to his , though they greatly sinne against him , psal . 51. we are not beloved for our own sakes , nor any thing in our selves , but for christ in whom god is well pleased , mat. 3. 17. therefore nothing in us , or that we doe , can make us to be loved more or lesse . god may well say of himselfe ; i am the lord , i change not , mal. 3. 6. his love is as himselfe , ever the same ; and christ in whom we are beloved ever the same , heb. 13. 8. therefore a beleevers hope , joy , and cōfidence , is to be ever the same in christ , ps . 23. 1. so we are commanded to rejoyce alwayes , psal . 5. 11. & 32. 11. let them exceedingly rejoyce , psal . 40. 16. psal . 68. 3. and to rejoyce evermore ; againe i say rejoyce , 1 thes . 1. 5. 16. phil. 4. 4. the joy of the lord is our strength , neh. 8. 16. oh there is enough in the lord jesus to satisfie thee at all times , he is an unchangeable object of true joy , in him onely is all our hope and happinesse , whose bloud hath payd all the debt of all thy sinnes ; it 's christ that died , who now shall condemn ? surely none , rom. 8. 33. therefore let not thy fall cause thee to question the love of god , seeing thy salvation depends not upon thy repentance or holinesse , but from gods free grace , rom. 9. 15 , 16. isa . 43. 24 , 25. & 57. 17. ezek. 16. 1. to 9. my little children , these things i write unto you , that yee sin not , 1 joh. 2. 1. and for any to turne the grace of god into wantonnesse , that is , the sweet mercy and consolations of god , to incourage them in their sinning , they are led by the spirit of the devill , he is their father , and his works they do , joh. 8. i speak to you that regard iniquitie , psal . 66. 18. that love sin , and delight in it , and are bold and venturous upon it , and can drinke downe iniquitie like water , job 15. 16. you at present are in the gall of bitternesse , and whiles it is so with them , here is no consolation for them , th●●e may not be numbred with them who through weaknesse and temptation , or want of watchfulnesse , are overtaken , and fall into sinne , which they hate , by not shunning the occasions of sinne , &c. surely all the lords have need to pray , as david did to god , hold up my goings in thy paths , that my footsteps slip not , psal . 17. 5. howsoever it be , be not out of hope , although thou didst persecute the truth , as paul did , and them that professed it , act. 9. 1 , 2. yet afterwards he preached the faith , gal. 1. 23. thou knowest not but god may convert thee also . the servant of god having fallen into sinne , is to rise by faith ; for , shall a man fall , and not rise ? jer. 8. 4. when i fall , i shall arise , micah 7. 7. who is a god like unto thee , that pardoneth the iniquitie , and passeth by the transgressions of the remnant of his people ? micah 7. 18 , 19 , 20. god subdues the corruption that is in his , not all at once , but by degrees ; therefore he saith , i will be mercifull to their unrighteousnesse , and their sinnes will i remember no more , heb. 8. 12. god hath nothing against those who are in christ , 1 cor. 1. 30. yee are in christ . but alas , i feele my heart is hardened . there is much hardnesse of heart in a childe of god , and they feele it , and complaine of it , and mourne under it , which is from the new heart in them . to feele hardnesse is from softnesse , and the condition of an experienced childe of god : o lord , why hast thou made us to erre from thy wayes , and hardened our hearts from thy feare ? doubtlesse , thou art our father : thou , o lord , art our father , isa . 63. 16 , 17. their hearts were hardened , yet they were the children of god. motives or incouragements to beleeve . notwithstanding faith is the gift of god , eph. 2. 8. phil. 1. 29. it floweth from the spirits operation in the heart , therefore our beleeving is said to be the worke of god , joh. 6. 28. the operation of god , col. 2. 12. the spirit of faith , 2 cor. 4. 13. the spirit inlighteneth our understandings , and boweth our hearts to beleeve . so that without the spirit of christ , we can doe nothing , joh. 15. 5. ephes . 1. 19. it is through grace that men beleeve , act. 18. 27. yet men are to use the meanes ; for when in the preaching of the word , we bid persons to doe so and so , we expect the holy spirit of god to put power to the words spoken , to make them effectuall to enable the creature to obey ; as , he said unto me , sonne of man , stand up upon thy feet : and the spirit entred into me when he had spoken unto me , and set me upon my feet , ezek. 2. 1 , 2. and the dead shall heare the voyce of the sonne of god , and they that heare shall live , joh. 5. 25. else it were in vaine to speak to dead men , 1 pet. 4. 6. to beleeve , &c. is a spirituall worke , and all men by nature are spiritually dead , eph. 2. 1. & 5. 14. onely they beleeve whose hearts god opens , as acts 16. 14. none can beleeve but they to whom it is given , phil. 1. 29. therefore such words as these , beleeve in the lord jesus , and thou shalt be saved , act. 16. 30 , 31. in this sense are to be understood ; for it is not in him that willeth , and him that runneth , &c. rom. 9. 16. it is god that worketh both to will and to doe . incouragements to beleeve . 1. because the gospel is to be preached to every creature ; he that beleeves shall be saved , act. 16. 16. there is no precept or command for any to doubt , none are exempted or forbidden to beleeve , see act. 16. 30 , 31. 1 joh. 3. 23. but men are commanded the contrary , and to follow after faith , and to lay hold on eternall life , 1 tim. 6. 11. 2. by beleeving we come to know our interest in christ , and of our salvation by him ; whosoever beleeves in him shall not perish but have everlasting life , joh. 3. 15 , 16. he that beleeves in the sonne , hath everlasting life , vers . 36. see joh. 6. 40. 3. by beleeving , we honour god , he that receives his testimony , hath set to his seale , that god is true , joh. 3. 33. & joh. 5. 10. therefore none can beleeve too soone , or too confidently , or too constantly . 4. if yee beleeve not , surely yee shall not be established , isa . 7. 9. there is no true quietnesse and settlement of soule , without beleeving ; also thou standst by faith ; thou fallest into sinne by unbeliefe , rom. 11. 20. heb. 9. 12. the word preached ( is precious and powerfull , yet it ) profited them not , because it was not mixed with faith , heb. 4. 2. 5. it 's faith that rids the soule of all its distempers , doubts , feares , discouragements , rom. 5. 1. ( we may not separate the spirit from faith , nor faith from the spirit . ) 6. by faith in christ , thou shalt be kept in perfect peace , it will sweetly , transcendently refresh thy soule , thou wilt keepe him in perfect peace , because he trusts in thee , isa . 26. 3 , 4. being justified by faith , we have peace with god , rom. 5. 1. by faith we apprehend christ our justification , the fruit of which is joy and peace . 7. by unbeliefe , we adde sin to sin in the highest nature , if we beleeve not what god saith , our act of unbeliefe accuseth god to speake falsly , he that beleeveth not hath made god a lyer , 1 joh. 5. 10. it is impossible for god to lye . the strength of israel cannot lye , 1 sam. 15. 29. nor can it be any dishonour to god , nor hurt to thy selfe , to hope in his mercy , and to beleeve in him ; therefore when thou art tempted to unbeliefe , set before thee the evill of unbeliefe . 8. as bad as thou canst be , have been received to mercy ; jesus christ came to save sinners ; this is a faithfull saying , and worthy of all acceptation , 1 tim. 1. 15 , 16. when thou layst in thy bloud , behold it was a time of love , ezek. 16. 8. he justifieth the ungodly , rom. 4. 5. while we were yet sinners , christ dyed for us , rom. 5. 8. 10. therefore have hope . feare not , but beleeve , luk. 8. 50. the lord will command his loving kindnesse in the day time , and in the night , psal . 42. 8. hope thou in god , vers . 5. be not afraid , onely beleeve , mark. 5. 36. 9. unbeliefe straitens thy heart , and stoppeth thy mouth , hinders thy thankfulnesse ▪ and praising of god ; thou shalt be dumb , because thou beleevest not , luk. 1. 20. 10. unlesse we beleeve , we can never glorifie god ; he staggered not at the promise of god through unbeliefe , but was strong in faith , giving god the glory , rom. 4. 20. quest . from whence is it that many of the lords children have so many doubts and feares . answ . it ariseth from many severall causes ; as , 1. from ignorance of the fulnesse and freenesse of the promise , isa . 55. 2. or mindlesnesse and heedlesnesse of the promise , heb. 2. 1. 3. and from corruption in the heart , opposing grace , rom. 7. 4. and from the bodies distemper with melancholy , 5. or from the conscience ( being inlightened ) which sides with the law against it selfe , rom. 7. 24. 6. or from unskilfulnesse in the word of righteousnesse , heb. 5. 13. 7. and from unbeliefe , which takes the law and applies it to it selfe , which occasioneth feares , and feares doubts . 8. and from loose walking with god. 9. or from the spirits not operating in the soule ; the spirit when it acts , speakes peace , and causeth faith to act more strongly , rom. 8. 16. meanes to quiet and settle a troubled soule in assurance of the love of god ; god gives peace to his by meanes , as appeares 2 thes . 3. 16. commune with thy heart , and make diligent search to find out what it is that troubleth thee , psal . 77. 6. aske a reason of thy soule , why it is disquieted , why it is cast downe , psal . 42. 11. why art thou cast downe , o my soule ? why art thou disquieted ? psal . 42. 5 , 6. examine from whence all thy discouragements come , they come not from god , for his voyce is onely comfort unto his people , he hath declared himselfe to be mercifull , and gracious , and slow to anger , and plenteous in mercy ; he hath not dealt with us after our sinnes , nor rewarded us according unto our iniquities , psa . 103. 3 , 4. 8. 10. &c. his voyce is comfort , comfort yee my people , speak yee comfortably to jerusalem , cry unto her , that her warfare is accomplished , that her iniquitie is pardoned , isa . 4. 1 , 2. i know the thoughts that i thinke towards you , saith the lord , thoughts of peace , and not of evill , jer. 29. 11. nor come they from christ , he doth not trouble nor discourage any ; he binds up the broken-hearted ; he proclaimes peace , liberty , he comforts all that mourne , he gives beautie for ashes , the oyle of joy for mourning , and garments of praise , for the spirit of heavinesse , &c. isa . 61. 1 , 2 , 3. luk. 4. 18. he is gracious and piti●ull , he will not quench the smoaking flax , nor breake the bruised reed , isai . 42. 3. his voyce is full of love & tendernesse , all his words are sweet words ; as , let not your hearts be troubled , joh. 13. 1. feare not , it is your fathers pleasure , to give you a kingdome , luk. 12. 32. cast you● care upon me , i will care for you , phil. 4. 6. christs voyce is open to me ; my sister , my love , my dove , my undefiled , song 5. 2. on sweet words of christ to his ! nor come they from the holy spirit of god , he is the greatest and most sweetest comforter , he causeth no discouragements , but removes them all , by revealing and applying to the soule the love of god , and carrieth the soule by faith from all discouragements to god , who is love & peace , where the soule is to rest , psal . 116. 7. and to be filled with his sweet peace . therefore all our discouragements do proceed , 1. from the devill , who is an enemy to faith ; he taketh the word out of mens hearts , lest they should beleeve , luk. 8. 12. 1 thes . 3. 5. 2. our own hearts ; take heed , brethren , lest there be in any of you an evill heart , in departing from the living god , heb. 3. 12. 3. or the lying vanities we have chosen : but they that harken unto lying vanities , forsake their own mercy , jonah 2. 8. give no way to any discouragement at all , though it doe seeme never so just and reasonable , &c. this was davids sin to admit of a parley with that which might tend to discourage him ; saying , will the lord cast off for ever ? doth his promise fayle for evermore ? i said this is my infirmitie , psal . 77. 7 , 8 , 9 , 10. as soone as he saw his infirmitie , he had other thoughts of god , saying , who is so great a god as our god ? thou art a god that doest wonders ; and his footsteps are not knowne , vers . 14. 19. if god in his greatnesse were knowne , and the wonders he doth knowne , and his footsteps , the way he goeth knowne , men would admire him , and rejoyce at that for which they now mourne . when thou art tempted to unbeliefe , set before thee the evill of this sinne in it selfe , and the effects of it . learne to know and distinguish between the voyce of christ , and all other voyces , that thou maist say , it is the voyce of my beloved that knocketh , and hearken unto it , song 5. 2. christs voyce is peace to his , luk. 24. 26. thy sinnes are forgiven , luk. 7. 48. i will remember them no more , heb. 10. 17. therefore that voyce that tends to hinder the peace of the saints , suits with satan , and is not the voyce of christ : i will heare what the lord will speake ; for he will speake peace to his people , psal . 85. 8. satan also speaks in the soule , saying , is not this a delusion ? is it likely to be from god ? hast thou a heart fit for christ ? and because this last voyce is more sutable to reason , the soule is ready to close with it , and to conclude against god , and his own soule , that the voyce was not from god , but a delusion of satan , mistaking christs voyce to be the voyce of satan , and satans voyce to be the voyce of christ , which is a miserable mistake . therefore learne to know the severall colours , sounds , and voyces , which are for god , and which are for satan , 1 cor. 14. 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11. or else you will mistake and come unprepared to the battell , 2 cor. 7. 5. learne to know and distinguish between the voyce of the gospel , and the voyce of the law ; the law saith , cursed is every one that continueth not in all things that are written in the law to doe them , gal. 3. 10 , 11. when there is any worke required to be done upon paine of punishment , or upon promise of eternall life , it is the voyce of the law ; the law requires a doing of something for life . m●ses describes the righteousnesse of the law , that the man that doth these things , shall live by them , rom. 10. 5. but the voyce of the gospel is otherwise , that christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law , being made a curse for us , gal. 3. 13. and to him that worketh not , but beleeveth on him that justifieth the ungodly , his faith is counted for righteousnesse , rom. 10. 5. see 9. verse to 13. and that his mercy is above what we can aske or thinke , eph. 3. 20. so the promises of li●e , they are free without condition , and the gospel declares what god workes in us , and freely gives unto us , i will love them freely , hos . 14. 4. if some persons did listen more to the promise , which is the voyce of the gospel , and not unto the voyce of the law , or the voyce of corruption , they should enjoy more peace , and lesse trouble . meddle not with the threatnings in the word , so as to apply them to thy selfe , because they belong not unto thee , they are no part of thy portion , they have nothing to doe with a beleever , nor he hath nothing to doe with them ; the threatnings are for them that are under the law , but wee are not under the law , but under grace , rom. 6. 14. a beleever having sinned , through weaknesse , applieth the threatnings against that sinne to himselfe , not considering that christ hath satisfied for the sinnes they commit ; christ being made a curse for us , gal. 3. 13. be sure yee judge not your state by false principles ; as , to be bad for the want of that , which if thou haddest it , would not prove thy state good , as knowledge , memory , p●●ls sensiblenesse of sin , &c. nor judge thy state bad for the having of that which if thou wert freed from , would not prove thy estate good , as passion , temptations , discontentednesse , &c. if this rule were observed , some should not be so troubled as now they are . take heed you be not overwhelmed with sin , therefore eye not so much thy infirmities : beware of such a minding of sin , and such a complaining of it , either to gods , or man , as may discourage , oppresse , and trouble thy soule , for this is sinfull . davids experience might teach him this ; i complained , and my spirit was overwhelmed ; i am so troubled that i cannot speake , psal . 77. 3 , 4. 8. therefore hearken not to thy faylings , corruptions , doubts , feares , for as they are all against god , so they are all against thy soule . there is no grace , no mercy from them , therefore what thou seest and feelest , see not , consi●er not , forget , and what thy sense sees not , see . faith is the evidence of things not seene , heb. 11. 1. walke by faith , not by sight , 2 cor. 5. 7. eye christ onely , mind him , meditate upon him , and his rich and free grace , fetch all thy comforts from him , who is made to thee , wisdome , righteousnesse , sanctification , and redemption , 1 cor. 1. 30. if thou attendest only to god in his promise , thou shalt finde rest , psal . 116. 7. o beleever , eye not so much thy selfe , or thy sinnes , as christs full and perfect satisfaction , which was offered and accepted for all thy sinnes , heb. 10. 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18. oh therefore live , and rest thy soule upon thy sweet lord jesus christ alone , & place all thy confidence in him . doest thou not heare god say to thee , cast away all thy feares , and come to me , i will settle thee , comfort , quicken , uphold thee , and be better to thee then thy selfe can be ; i will be all in all unto thee ? know the happinesse and perfection of the state of a beleever in christ , he is cleane from all sin by the bloud of christ , 1 joh. 1. 7. they are removed from us , psal . 103. 12. a beleever in christ is accepted of god in him , as perfect , righteous , and comely , as christ is ; for christ saith to his ; thou art all faire my love , there is no spot in thee . there is not any sin a beleever can commit , can be a ground sufficient to question the love of god , nor ought they to cast away their confidence in god , for any thing they doe , or can befall them , nor ought they to cause any unquietnesse of spirit in them , heb. 10. 19 , 20. 22. 25. for now there is none that can lay any thing to the charge of gods elect , as rom. 8. 1. oh meditate on this truth , until thy heart be over powered with it , and thou injoy the sweetnesse of it , and ever mind it seriously , thy full freedome and sweet libertie thou hast in christ , gal. 5. 13. learne to distinguish between thy justification and thy personall sanctification ; the first is perfect and compleat in christ ; the latter is in our selves , and is weake , and imperfect , and uncertaine , as appeares , rom. 7. let us looke off our sinnes , and looke upon gods sweet promise , who saith , their sinnes and iniquities will i remember no more , heb. 10. 17. so that now wee may draw neere with a true heart , in full assurance of faith , for he is faithfull that promised , vers . 22 , 23. let not thy comfort depend upon thy personall sanctification , because from it there can no sure selected constant comfort flow . to seek comfort from sanctification , and not from their justification in christ , is a cause of much trouble in many a weake beleever ; for sanctification hath nothing to doe with justification , nor salvation , as any cause of it . also sanctification admits of degrees , but justification admits of neither rules nor degrees , and is more glorious then sanctification : our justification depends not upon our apprehending of it , nor in our receiving of it , but upon the effectualnesse and merit of what our sweet lord jesus hath done for us , heb. 10. 14. 18 , 19. so that now wee may well have boldnesse to enter into the holiest by the bloud of jesus , vers . 20. justification is apprehended by faith , heb. 11. 1. joh. 8. 56. faith doth evidence to us our justification ; for the scripture saith , all that beleeve are justified , act. 13. 39. it is possible to have a full assurance of faith , heb. 10. 22. therefore faith is an unquestionable evidence : and when faith is hidden and doubtfull , justification is not apprehended ; and when faith is hidden and doubtfull , sanctification is not evident but doubtfull , and so cannot evidence to us our justification : the effects of sanctification cause men to question their justification , therefore no effect of sanctification can evidence to the soule its justification ; and that soule that by faith apprehends his justification by christ , not onely knoweth it , but may live upon it , injoying the sweet fruit of it , peace , joy , strength , without any considering the effects of sanctification in himselfe . and seeing christ is made sanctification to a beleever , 1 cor. 1. 30. why may not a beleever live upon his own , and say , i have sanctification in christ , which is perfect , my actuall righteousnesse doth often faile me , but christs righteousnesse indures for ever , psal . 111. 3. therefore i will fetch all my comfort from christ , and my justification by him ; and as wee are not to conclude our justification from any effect of sanctification , so wee are not to conclude that apprehension of justification to be from god , as shall take men off the meanes and rules of sanctification , because it is to the dishonour of god for men not to walke holily , according to the word of god , tit. 2. 14. prize and preserve the peace of thy conscience . be sure yee allow your selves in no sinne , but in the power and strength of christ , to hate and abhorre with the greatest indignation all sinne , and the appearance of evill ; it is better to dye then to sinne : there is that which accompanieth sinne , which strikes at a beleevers peace and comfort , and will damp , straiten and oppresse their comfort , joy , and peace in god , unlesse god doth wonderfully strengthen their faith in him . and such as live by faith , and injoy sweet peace in him , have found sin to be an enemy , and a let to their faith and comfort , it having often unsetled , and disquieted , and clouded their soules peace , though indeed it ought not so to doe , for we are to remember that sweet place , heb. 10. 17. their sinnes and iniquities will i remember no more . this alone is able to settle a soule , it being full of sweetnesse and life . doe not trouble thy selfe with any thing that may befall thee ; in case thou wert certaine great troubles shall befall thee , be not troubled at any trouble , much lesse for future trouble , nor thinke not to incounter with & supply a future trouble , with a present strength ; if many and great troubles come , god is alsufficient , and will remove them , or give strength to beare them when they come , 1 cor. 10. 13. mind seriously those promises of god that are sutable to thy condition , separate thy selfe to meditate upon them , as prov. 18. 2. hide them in thy heart , as mat. 13. 44. there is strength and sweetnesse in the promise , thou maist venture thy soule upon god in his promise , and live upon it , thou knowest not but god may reveale his promise to thee , and settle it sweetly and fully upon thy soule by his almightie power , as ephes . 1. 19 , 20. therefore let not gods promises be strange to thee , but feed upon them , eat them ; eate o friends , drinke abundantly o beloved , song 5. 1. leave not the promise , untill thou beest refreshed , revived , raised , ravished with gods rich grace and infinite free love , and thy heart inlarged with thankfulnesse and obedience unto god againe for the exceeding riches of his mercy , eph. 2. 9. his plenteous redemption , psal . 130. 7. treasure up experiences of gods goodnesse unto thy soule , but who among you will give eare to this ? who will hearken and heare for the time to come ? isa . 42. 23. remember the dayes of old , i have considered the dayes of old , and the yeares of ancient time , psal . 77. 5. thou hast been my helpe , psal . 63. 7. i was brought low , and he helped me , see 2 tim. 4. 17 , 18. psal . 89. 49. keepe thy heart calme and quiet from all passions , as feare , griefe , &c. the still soule can best heare and know christs voice , his still voyce ; but where feare , vexation , and distempers dwell , they are not aware of christ , nor themselves , and commonly they that feare most have least cause , as they had the angel of the lord came upon them , and the glory of the lord shone round about them , and they were sore afraid ; and the angel said unto them , feare not , for behold , i bring you tidings of great joy , luk. 2. 9 , 10. when the soule is troubled with any passion , it is not at the command of faith , luk. 24. 41. the violence of their joy hindred their faith , let not your hearts be troubled , joh. 13. 1. quietnesse is the stay of the soule to doe or receive . be contented with thy present estate , and fill not thy head , heart , or hand , with any more businesse then thou must needs . consider heb. 13. 5. take heed of the cares of this life , luk. 21. 34. 15. trouble not thy selfe with needlesse supposed feares , if thou doest , thou drawest upon thy selfe reall sorrow , and unnecessary discontent ; there be many that are possessed with bitter sorrows from supposed sufferings . order thy conversation aright , to him that ordereth his conversation aright , will i shew the salvation of god , psal . 50. 23. want of wisdome to dispose of , of diligence to dispatch , what necessitie requires to be done in the right time and place , hath produced such inconveniences , as hath unavoydably caused trouble , a disquieted and an unsetled spirit . walke with god in his wayes , ordinances , they are for thy comfort , strength , joy and peace in him ; there is no quiet to those that worship the beast , rev. 14. 10 , 11. use gods means , but live not upon ordinances , but upon god in them , for meanes alone are not sufficient to doe us any good , 1 cor. 1. 21. doe not sleight nor refuse gods consolations , let them not seeme small unto thee ; are the consolations of god small with thee , job 15. 11. o soule own that comfort god gives thee , if it seeme small to thee , it s thy own , own it , lest yee live to complaine , saying , as david did ; my soule refused to be comforted , psal . 77. 2. and to wish yee had that yee despised ; be thankfull to god for what thou hast received , and hold that fast , and let nothing goe that may tend to thy peace ; rest satisfied in christs righteousnesse , and adde nothing unto it ; i will make mention of thy righteousnesse , even of thine onely , psal . 71. 15 , 16. 19. 24. thy righteousnesse is an everlasting righteousnesse , psal . 119. 142. see psal . 22. 31. & 35. 28. & 50. 6. & 51. 14. jer. 33. 16. the perfection of christs righteousnesse is held forth unto us , and doth alwayes lie before us for us , that we might ever be comforted with it , and rejoyce in it , with thankfulnesse for it , seeing it so perfect , and full of divine consolation . oh here is enough to refresh and satisfie all the lords to all eternitie , so that we have enough , we need no other , nor no more righteousnesse . meditate on gods goodnesse unto thee , let his loving kindnesse be ever before thy eyes ; wee have thought of thy loving kindnesse , o god , psal . 48. 9. beleeve in god , i , in christ , want of faith , or want in faith , is the cause of trouble in the soule ; yee beleeve in god , beleeve also in me ; and let not your hearts be troubled , joh. 13. 1. faith in christ quiets and settles a troubled soule . thou canst not be too confident in resting upon christ in his free grace , psal . 30. 5. therefore come boldly to the throne of grace , heb. 4. 16. those who know god , will trust him with their bodies and soules , and that upon his word ; all that know thy name , will trust in thee , psal . 9. 9 , 10. but a foole neither will , nor can doe so ; o foole , and slow of heart to beleeve , luk. 24. 25. but those who are made wise by god , will trust in the word of the lord , isa . 26. 3 , 4. and say , in his word doe i hope , psal . 130. 5. when the lord pleases to settle a soule in the assurance of his love , he causeth the soule to trust in his word ; remember thy word unto thy servant , upon which thou hast caused me to hope , psal . 119. 49. god by his word conveys that to the soule , which is sutable to its wants , and by his power and authoritie settles it upon the soule . above all , take the shield of faith , eph. 6. 16. feare not , beleeve , luk. 8. 50. yea , cleave to god in his promise , even then when thou art in thy greatest feares , and most sensible of thy unworthinesse ; trust in him at all times , god is a refuge for us , selah , psal . 62. 8. if at all times , then at the worst times also ; yea even then beleeve , and heare nothing against thy beleeving god in his promise . abraham beleeved against hope , rom. 4. 18. so should wee doe ; oh beleeve god intends thy good ; christ came to seeke and to save the lost , luk. 19. 10. lost , viz. in the sight and sense of thy own sin and misery , and in thy own sufficiency . improve thy doubts , feares , temptations against beleeving , to incourage thee in beleeving ; for hast thou not by experience found , that it is but in vaine to hearken unto any of them ? consider often and well these places , rom. 16. 20. heb. 10. 35 , 36 , 37. rev. 3. 11. 1 pet. 4. 19. & 5. 7. and search the scriptures . reading helpeth mens judgements , memories , affections , confirmes our faith , and fits us to answer the temptations of satan . renounce all lying vanities , hearken unto none of them . first , hearken not to the voyce of thy heart , it is a lying vanitie , it will deceive thee , pro. 3. 5 , 6 , 7. isa . 44. 20. secondly , hearken not to satan . thirdly , hearken not to sense ; thomas said , he would not beleeve , unlesse he might see and thrust his hand into his side , joh. 20. 24 , 25. but this sensuall practise is to be abhorred by us ; for this is to consult with flesh and bloud , which cannot discerne spirituall things , 1 cor. 2. 14. and is condemned by god , gal. 1. 16. so some persons will see such a holy frame of spirit in themselves , and feele such a sin subdued , &c. before they will beleeve , yet faith looks not to such things as these , but onely to god in his word ; therefore wee must not live by sight , but by faith , 2 cor. 5. 7. and blessed are they that have not seene , yet have beleeved , joh. 20. 29. fourthly , hearken not to carnall reason , if it be hearkened unto , thou canst not beleeve , nor submit to god , nor be setled ; for doth not reason say , that a virgin cannot bring forth a childe , and a woman of ninetie yeares is past conceiving a childe , therefore reason saith it cannot be , and so contradicteth god himselfe ? gen. 17. 16 , 17. mat. 1. also can reason beleeve , that by faith the walls of jericho fell downe , and that the saints stopped the mouths of lyons , and quenched the violence of fire by faith , yet faith did it , heb. 11. 30. 33 , 34. or is it likely or possible to reason for a man to walke upon the sea as pe●er did ? mat. 14. 29. and did not christs command seeme vaine to peters reason , that he should cast in his net into the sea , seeing he had cast it in so often , and fished all night , and catched nothing ? luk. 5. 8. can reason conceive how the dead , who are eaten with beasts , or fishes , or turned into dust , can be raised to life ? or that the sea can be divided , the sunne goe backward , or the rockes yeeld water in abundance ; surely there cannot be any reason given for them . and seeing sense and corrupt reason is so contrary to god in his word , why should we hearken unto them , when they say the soule hath no grace , because sense seeth none , and that god will not pardon their sinnes , because there is no reason to reason why he should , nor no way to reason which way it can be , yet it may be , for with god all things are possible , mat. 19. 26. they that hearken unto lying vanities , forsake their own mercies , jonah 2. 8. 5. live not upon duties ; 6. nor upon good report ; 7. nor upon groundlesse hopes ; 8. nor upon peace ; 9. comfort ; 10. joy ; 11. raptures ; 12. ravishments : though they all be true or false , live upon god alone , and upon nothing else besides god in christ ; if thou doest live upon any thing else , as thy foundation is unsound , so it will deceive thee ; and whatsoever their sparkes may be , they must and shall lye downe in sorrow , isa . 50. 10. let not thy comfort depend upon gods actings or dispensation to the inward or outward man , if thou doest , thou canst not be setled , for they are oft changeable and cōtrary one to another ; one day thou maist have peace , joy , strength , another none of these ; to day god may shew himselfe to thee , and in a moment of time he may hide himselfe ; to day rich and injoy many friends with health , to morrow sicke , and poore , and friends all gone , &c. gods acting in us , and upon us , is not alwayes as he is unto his : as god is in himselfe unchangeable , ever the same , so he is to his ever the same , however he may seeme to be , heb. 13. 8. isa . 45. 7 , 8. 15. with song 5. 6. isa . 8. 17. therefore make a good construction of all that god doth do to thee , his actings in us , or upon us , is the accomplishing of his will , for his glory , and the good of his ; that which i thinke worst for me , may be best for me , however it be , god is good , and good to me , psal . 73. 1. this i see and say , and injoy in both . pray to god , that he may give unto thee the spirit of wisdome and revelation in the knowledge of him , that yee may know what is the hope of your calling , eph. 1. 17 , 18 , 19. say unto my soule , i am thy salvation , psal . 35. 3. i beseech thee shew me thy glory , exod. 33. 18. cause thy face to shine upon me , psal . 80. 3. establish , o god , that which thou hast wrought in us , psal . 68. 22. avoyd sadnesse of spirit , and rejoyce evermore , 1 thes . 5. 16. sadnesse of spirit hinders us in thankfulnesse to god , also it breeds uncomfortablenesse and unsetlednesse in us , an unchearfull spirit is unfit for duty , for what wee goe about unchearfully , we are soone weary in it , if not of it . when our spirits are calme , united , and chearfull , then we act more comfortably ; and such a frame of spirit is fittest to praise god , sadnesse of spirit fitteth us to yeeld to discouragements , if we be sad , wee injoy not the comfort of any thing ; chearfulnesse is as it were the life of our spirits , chearfulnesse inlargeth our spirits , and fits us to receive happinesse , and to expresse it . frequent and wisely improve those whom god hath setled , who are able to direct thee , and informe thee in the knowledge of the grace that is revealed , in which is fulnesse of joy , 1 job . 1. 4. mind and remember that which makes for your peace and joy ; if yee forget your resting place , as jer. 50. 6. it is no wonder if yee be troubled ; yee have forgotten the exhortation that speaketh unto you as unto children , heb. 12. 5. wee have no present actuall comfort further then we have remembrance . know , no meanes of themselves are sufficient to quiet and settle thy soul , it 's the work of the spirit to answer all discouragements , it is god alone that creates the fruit of the lips peace ; peace to him that is afar off , and to him that is neere , saith the lord , and i will heale him , isa . 57. 19. it 's god which stablisheth us , 1 cor. 1. 21. these things i write unto you , that your faith and hope may be in god , 1 pet. 1. 21. now the god of peace , give you peace alwayes by all meanes , 2 thes . 3. 16. vse of exhortation to all that beleeve . 1. to admire the greatnesse and sweetnesse of gods love in his free grace to thee , it is a mercy to heare of it , how much more to have interest in it , and to injoy it , being possessed of it , isa . 61. 2. take thy own portion and treasures provided for thee , col. 2. 3. and ever live in the eternall love of god in christ to thee , this object is sweet , s●ll , durable , sufficient to satisfie thee at all times , rest satisfied in christ . 3. dedicate thy selfe , and all thou hast freely to him , who gave himselfe fully and freely for thee , who suffered , yea dyed so freely for thee . oh how should this love ingage our hearts to walke with god , to be holy as he is holy , &c. yea doe all , and suffer for him ! for the wayes of the lord are right , and the just shall walke in them , hosea 14. 9. 4. declare to others gods goodnesse unto thy soule , use meanes that others may injoy the same mercy with thee ; be yee mercifull , as he is mercifull , forgive and give unto others soules or bodies freely : for so thou hast received . 5. be content with thy estate , inward or outward , though many crosses and miseries attend thee ; for if god be enough ( as he is ) thou hast enough ; oh let not many nor great troubles , inward or outward , dismay thee , 1 cor. 10. 13. for though they may seeme long , yet they cannot last long : the god of peace shall bruise satan under your feet shortly , rom. 16. 20. loe i come quickly , rev. 22. 20. 6. as christ is all thy happinesse , so let him be all thy comfort , and the supply of all thy wants , expect all you need and can desire , yea that god can give , that is for thy good , it is certaine thou shalt have all thou needest , psal . 34. 10. seeing he hath freely given us his sonne , how shall he not with him give us all things freely ? rom. 8. 32. 7. watch and pray , lest yee ( fall into temptation , and ) abuse this favour , and turne this grace into wantonnesse . 8. stand fast in this libertie of christ , in which he hath made you free , as gal. 5. 1. 9. rejoyce alwayes , evermore , and let thy joy be full in god thy portion ; they shall rejoyce in their portion , isa . 61. 7. 10. be wonderfully thankfull to god for all his exceeding grace and mercy unto thee , in that he hath given thee beautie for ashes , and everlasting joy shall be to thee , isa . 61. 3. 7. 2. vse of comfort and consolation to all that beleeve . oh deare , yea most deare and precious souls , who can expresse your happinesse & glory ? for the lord hath done great things for us , whereof we are glad , psal . 126. 3. oh now the great work of your redemption is finished to your hands by him whose works are all perfect , heb. 10. 14. so that there is nothing of this work left for thee to doe . now thou maist come unto the throne of grace boldly , now all is payd , it 's god that justifieth , who shall condemne ? surely none , rom. 8. 38 , 39. it 's not sin , nor satan , nor any thing else shall hinder thy interest in christ , or injoyment of him , for thy union with the lord jesus shall never be dissolved , christ lives for ever , heb. 7. 25. and seeing christ lives yee shall live also , joh. 14. 19. therefore thou art not onely happy now , but thou shalt be so for ever , thou shalt receive the end of thy faith , the salvation of thy soule , 1 pet. 1. 9. joh. 5. 24. christ is enough to comfort us in the sight of all our sinnes , and to make us happy in all our miseries . there is a day a coming , which will make amends for all ; in the meane time , make mention of the loving kindnesse of the lord , and the praises of the lord , according to all the lord hath bestowed on us , &c. according to the multitude of his loving kindnesses , psa . 63. 7. who is wise , and be shall understand these things , prudent , and be shall know them , hosea 14. 9. the perfection and happinesse of a beleever in christ . some briefe observations or meditations on some part of the 16. psal . which psalm is a prophesie of christ , as appeares acts 2. 25. to 35. verse . psalme 16. in this psalme appeareth the wonderfull goodnesse of god in christ , to all the sonnes and daughters of christ , and the exceeding great and happy estate of all that are in him . preserve me , o god ] there is no preservation in any thing , but god. preserve me ] christ in the dayes of his flesh put up strong crys and supplications to his father . for in thee doe i put my trust ] there is no trust to be put in any thing but in god. i put my trust ] christ as he was man had faith , and it was in god. thou art my lord ] christ honours the father in acknowledging him onely ; yet christ and he are one . my goodnesse extendeth not to thee , but to the saints that are in the earth . my goodnesse ] christs goodnesse was from himselfe , therefore his own . goodnesse ] jesus christ is full of goodnesse , col. 2. 3. therefore all that christ hath done is wonderfull , excellent , and meritorious , in this is our happinesse and comfort . extendeth not to thee ] viz. god. god is perfect and infinite , therefore he is not capable of any addition of goodnesse . oh admire his perfection . but to the saints , &c. those who are saints , had no goodnesse of their own , their righteousnesse is of me , saith the lord , isa . 54. 17. christs goodnesse was for the saints , they stood in need of it . extendeth ] it reacheth the saints , they shall injoy the fruit of it ; there is no place of the earth that is out of the reach of christ . this goodnesse of christ was not for every person in the world , but to the saints that are in the earth . saints ] christs goodnesse made them saints ; christ found them no saints , but wicked sinners ; oh saint admire the riches of christ , and his love to thee ; the saints goodnesse is in christ . o soule rest satisfied in christs goodnesse , which is thine , rejoyce in it , and admire at it , be thankfull for it , walke sutably unto it , and improve this goodnesse against all thy doubts and feares , &c. to the excellent ] the saints are excellent to christ , yea , all of them are alike excellent , beautifull , glorious , unspeakeable , infinite , excellent , with the excellent beauty of christ , ezek. 16. 14. they are more excellent then the whole creation of heaven and earth . christ calls them excellent , and he esteemes them so , eph. 5. 27. oh saint esteeme thy selfe as christ doth to be excellent in his excellency ; for thy beauty it is perfect through my comelinesse i have put upon thee , saith the lord god , ezek. 16. 14. i will greatly rejoyce in the lord , my soule shall be joyfull in my god ; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation , he hath covered me with the robe of righteousnesse , isa . 61. 10. o glorious saint , the world knows not thy worth , therefore it esteemes thee not , yet sleight not thy selfe , because christ hath made thee excellent . in whom is all my delight ] jesus christ is fully pleased and contented with his . all my delight ] an infinite delight christ takes in his . all ] one saint is esteemed by christ to be of more worth , then the whole creation of heaven & earth , those things have none of his delight , the saints have it all , the quintessence of all fulnesse . all ] infinite is the love and contentment that christ takes and gives to them . o precious saint , delight thy self in god , rest satisfied with him , in his love , and the delight he takes in thee . their sorrowes shall be multiplied that hasten after another god : their drink-offerings of bloud will i not offer , nor take up their names into my lips ] as for the wicked , it is not so with them , they are not in so happy a condition , they shall finde the contrary from christ , he will not once name their names to god , nor offer their offerings to his father . their offerings of bloud ] their costly services shall be rejected , they shall finde no entertainment , no acceptāce from christ , they shall have no peace , nor comfort , no cessation of sorrow , their sorrowes shall never have an end ; their sorrowes shall increase and be multiplied , therefore they are in a miserable condition . mine inheritance and lot ] christs lot and inheritance is his people ; the lords portion is his people , deut. 32. 9. mine ] christ layeth claime to his people , to have an interest in them , christ is not ashamed to own them to be his , heb. 2. 11. the saints are not their owne but christs , 1 cor. 6. 19 , 20. 1 cor. 3. 23. seeing the saints are christs , they are to doe all for him , to serve him , to be at his disposing onely , and not at their own . inheritance of my cup ] christs people are his by purchase ; let this cup passe from me ; they cost a great price , even the precious bloud of christ , 1 pet. 1. 19. he that payd so much for his , will not lose them , nor leave them , heb. 13. 5 , 6. the lord is the portion of mine inheritance ] the saints have god for their portion ; the lord is my portion , saith my soule , lam. 3. 24. thou art my portion , o lord , ps . 119. 57. the portion of a childe of god is infinite , because god is infinite : god esteemes nothing too much for his , in that he declares himselfe , and all that is his to be theirs . the saints are infinitely happy in having such a portion , jer. 10. 16. happy is that people that is in such a ease , yea happy is that people whose god is the lord , psal . 144. 15. a saints portion can never be spent , nor lost ▪ god is my portion for ever , psal . 73. 26. none are so rich as a saint ; the poorest saint shall never want ; the lord is my shepherd , i shall not want , psal . 23. 1. there is no want to them that feare him , they shall not want any good thing , psal . 34. 9 , 10. oh rich and happy saint , admire free grace , which doth abound to thee ; be content with thy portion , and well thou maiest , for more thou canst not have ; rejoyce in thy portion , for it will be a full supply to thee ; they shall rejoyce in their portion , isa . 61. 7. be thankfull for thy portion , for it was freely given thee , hos . 14. 4. esteeme not any thing too much for him , who esteemes nothing too much for thee . be content if outwardly poore , because richer thou canst not be , in that thou art an heire of glory : improve thy portion , and live upon it richly . thou maintainest my lot ] god hath undertaken to preserve the saints , and he doth it ; christs inheritance can never be lost , because it is maintained by god : the saints safety and perseverance depends not upon themselves , nor anything below god , but upon god , who maintaines and upholds them . the saints are sure to persevere , it is impossible they should fall finally , or misse of glory , because they are maintained by god. 1. they shall never perish , neither shall any man plucke them out of my hand ; and none are able to plucke them out of my fathers hand , joh. 10. 28 , 29. 2. for they are in the love of god , eph. 2. 5. joh. 17. 26. 1 joh. 3. 1. 16. & 4. 16. they shall ( unavoydably ) come unto mee , joh. 6. 36 , 37. 3. god hath promised to preserve them , heb. 13. 5. for he hath said , i will never leave thee , nor forsake thee . 4. god is faithfull , 1 cor. 1. 9. 1 thes . 5. 23 , 24. jer. 31. 40. and immutable , i am the lord , i change not , mal. 3. 6. 5. and onely wise , he knows how to preserve them , rom. 16. 27. 6. he hath power enough to preserve them , 1 pet. 1. 5. 7. because they are in christ , ephe. 1. 4. who shall ever live ; because i live , yee shall live also , joh. 14. 19. 8. because they are so united to god , that god & they are but one , jo. 17. 23. i in them , and thou in me , that they may be made perfect in one , joh. 17. 23. oh sweet and happy union that is so intire , reall , full , and eternall ! 9. because god dwells in them , and they in him , 1 joh. 4. 13. joh. 17. 23. therefore they are secure and safe enough , being out of the reach of all the devils in earth or hell . the lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places , yea i have a goodly heritage ] christs lot and inheritance is his saints , who are delightfull and precious unto him , deut. 32. 9. i have a goodly heritage ] christ is wonderfully taken with the saints comelines , it is a maine part of the excellency of christs inheritance , that it cannot be taken from him , nor spent , nor lost . goodly heritage ] christ hath a high esteeme of his ; thou art all faire , my love , there is no spot in thee , song 4. 7. they are without spot or wrinkle , eph. 5. 25. to 28. 1 joh. 1. 7. psal . 51. 5. rev. 19. 8. my beloved spake and said unto me , rise up my love and faire one , and come away , song 2. 10. oh happy saint , have thee a high esteem of christ , he is satisfied in thee , and be thou satisfied in him , rejoyce in nothing else but him , psal . 33. 21. and sing praises to him . the saints communion with god by faith. the life of faith in effectuall calling , justification , sanctification , infirmities , in graces , in means , in time past , in prosperity and adversity , in glorification , and to dye by faith. wherein the life of faith consists . it is in the communion the soule hath with god in christ , and the soules injoying of christ in his promises , both spirituall and temporall . 1. faith in effectuall calling . it is the soules cleaving and depending upon christ in his promise for pardon and life , 1 joh. 12. 1. joh. 3. 23. upon such places as these , 2 cor. 5. 20. mat. 11. 28. mat. 5. 2. the life of faith in justification . the lord having spoken peace to the soule , that jesus christ hath fully satisfied for all his sinnes , so as they are all done away , and shall be remembred no more , isa . 53. 5 , 6. jer. 31. 34. &c. and that as the soule is happy , so it injoyes the comfort of it , and is filled with joy and peace in beleeving , and now the soule lives a life of comfort , chearfulnesse and holinesse , 1 pet. 2. 24. rom. 5. 1. so that no sinne nor satan ( and if corruption increase , and god hides himselfe , or seemes an enemy ) not any thing can cause this soule to let goe the lord , and cast away its confidence ; though he slay me , saith job , yet will i trust in him , job 13. 15. rom. 8. 38 , 39. isa . 54. 7 , 8. & 63. 16 , 17. some hold the act of faith is that which god accepts to justification , but this is a mistake , because it makes christ inferior to faith , and in ascribing such an honour to faith , they dishonour christ , for although they doe not exclude christ wholly , yet in the act of justification , it gives all to faith . they say , as the act of adams sin condemned him , so our act of faith justifieth us . answer ; adams sinne was enough to condemne him and us , but our faith cannot save others , nor our selves . they reply , wee are justified by faith . answ . christ is called faith , gal. 3. 23. before faith came : which must be understood of christ . wee are justified before god in his sight onely by christ , rom. 3. 20. 24. my righteous servant ( christ ) shall justifie many , isai . 53. 11. we are not justified before god by faith which is in us , but by christ , by his bloud ; justified by his bloud , rom. 5. 9. that which saves us is the bloud of christ ; jesus christ hath loved us , and washed us from our sinnes in his bloud , rev. 1. 5. also wee are said to be justified by faith , because it is the instrument whereby we apprehend and apply christ our righteousnesse : by faith wee know our selves to be justified , rom. 5. 1. though faith be a grace of god , yet as it is an act , it is a worke , and to be justified by it , is to be justified by a worke of our owne ; for with the heart ( man ) beleeveth , rom. 10. 9 , 10. that which justifieth us , must be perfect , and so it is no act of ours ; for all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags , &c. isai . 64. 6. not of workes , least any man should boast , ephes . 2. 9. before wee had faith , it seemes , wee were not in christ , or in him and not justified ; for wee were in him before the world was , ephes . 1. 4. and that at one time god should be angry with us ( as he is with all unjustified persons who are out of christ , heb. 12. 29. he hateth all the workers of iniquitie , psal . 5. ) and that our beleeving should make him to be at peace with us : this is to make god changeable like man , which is contrary to the word ; for with him is no variablenesse , jam. 1. 17. i am the lord , i change not , mal. 3. 6. nothing can be charged upon gods elect , rom. 8. 1. therefore they are justified , 2 cor. 5. 19. those who have no sin upon them are justified , but christ hath taken away all the sinnes of the elect , job . 1. 29. with isai . 35. 8. 1 pet. 2. 24. rom. 6. 6. and to say , wee are not justified before god untill we beleeve , is to say jesus christ hath not justified us , which is contrary to the scriptures , which saith , wee are accepted in the beloved , in whom we have redemption by his bloud , ep. 1. 6 , 7. we are justified by his bloud , rom. 5. 9. jesus christ hath loved us , and washed us from our sinnes in his own bloud , rev. 1. 5. wee were reconciled by the death of his sonne , rom. 5. 9 , 10. a full satisfaction , heb. 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14. and in this god is well pleased before wee beleeve , mat. 3. 17. isai . 53. 11. also to say , we are not justified before god , or in his sight , untill we beleeve , is to say , we must adde our work to christ , to make up our justification before god , and if it be so , then wee in part save our selves ; and if we doe joyne with christ in this worke , why may wee not joyne with him in the glory of it ? for that may be esteemed one of the greatest parts of our justification , without which we cannot be justified . but this derogates from christ , and all such tenets we are to hate with execration . for , saith christ , i have troden the wine-presse alone , and of the people there was none with me , isai . 63. 3. wee rather say , if wee beleeve not , yet he abideth faithfull , he cannot deny himselfe , 2 tim. 2. 13. what the lord jesus christ hath done for us , is perfect , and is by god imputed to us , so as it is really ours , though it be inherent in another , and by beleeving it , wee know it to be ours , rom. 4. 24. first , not any shall be saved by christ , but those who were predestinated in him , according to his eternall purpose , eph. 1. 4 , 5. & 3. 11. and that there was not any foreseene faith or works in any kinde why he chose these rather then others , the will of god was the cause one was chosen and not another ; all was according to the good pleasure of his will , to the praise and glory of his grace , ephes . 1. 5 , 6. are we better then they ? no , in no wise , &c. rom. 3. 9. it was from his great love , wherewith he loved us , ephes . 2. 4. this love of god was the cause of gods sending christ , joh. 3. 16. and the chiefe cause of mans election and salvation , 1 joh. 4. 10. eph. 1. 4. joh. 17. 23. and that it is impossible for this great love to decrease or increase , because it is infinite , as appeares by psal . 139. 17 , 18. jam. 1. 17. god is perfect and infinite , he knows and understands all things that ever were , are , or shall be at once : so he is one pure act , therefore when we were chosen in christ , wee were justified and compleat in him , god looked upon the elect to be in christ before the world was , ephes . 1. 4. and so he ever lookes upon the elect : so that they ever appeare to him perfect and righteous as christ ; for they are one , and are in him , 1 cor. 1. 30. yee are in christ jesus , and ever shall be in him , being justified freely by his grace in his sight , rom. 3. 20. 24. god properly was never wroth with christ , nor the elect , and therefore christ could not suffer gods wrath ; see heb. 2. 9. so that in respect of their justification , god seeth no sinne in any of the elect , even before their calling and after . and as it is gods will , so it should be ours , to set his glory above our salvation , that in the ages to come , he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindnesse towards us , to the praise of the glory of his grace , ephes . 1. 5 , 6. ephes . 2. 7. secondly , in time the elect did breake a holy and just law , and so lay under the curse and wrath of it , which was death , rom. 3. 21. 23. christ in our nature for our persons suffered death , heb. 2. 9. ( the penalty ) to free all the elect , so that they are now actually justified by justice ; that he might be just ( rom. 6. 15. ) & 3. 25 , 26. if god should have justified us , without this propitiation , after he had made this law , and we breaking it , he could not have been just , but having received this propitiation , he could not be just , if he did not justifie the elect , that he might be just , and the justifier , &c. rom. 3. 26. thirdly , the soule by faith doth apprehend and apply christ , and what he hath done , to be for him , by which it knoweth it selfe to be justified in the sight of god , and in the word , and in his own conscience . whence flowes joy and peace in beleeving , rom. 5. 1. because all that beleeve are justified ; and as many as were ordained to eternall life beleeved , act. 13. 39. 48. so that by beleeving , i know i am ordained to eternall life , because gods word saith so , and that wee are justified in his sight without the deeds of the law , rom. 3. 20. 28. viz. by faith wee apprehend our selves to be freely and fully justified by christ , without any workes of our own , gal. 2. 16. without any addition of inherent goodnesse in us , &c. fourthly , by our workes in our outward subjection to christ , to his word , we declare to men ( as farre as they can judge ) that we have the faith of gods elect , 2 pet. 1. 1. thou , o lord , knowest the hearts of all men ; but faith without workes is dead to men , and buried also , james 2. 18. 20. if there be no workes , they can see nothing of it ; shew mee thy faith by thy workes ; yee see then how by workes a man is justified , 21. 24. in the 1. we are justified in respect of the knowledge and purpose of god in his sight , rom. 3. 20. in the 2. we are actually and vertually justified in justice by the bloud of christ , which payd the debt : now the full price , the full debt being paid , is it justice in law by god or man , to require it againe ? surely no. in the 3. wee are justified in our consciences , by the holy spirits manifestation and application of christs righteousnesse unto us . in the 4. and last , we are justified before men , or unto men . object . if it be so , that men are loved of god , &c. before they repent and beleeve , then men may live as they list , &c. answ . we are to own and confesse the truth , and not what men of corrupt minds , and base spirits , will say , and will doe : the apostle saith , if any man sin , we have an advocate with the father , jesus christ the righteous , 1 joh. 2. 1. but what if one say , it seemes the apostle incourages men to sin , to tell them there is an advocate , who is alwayes heard . and the apostle saith , where sinne hath abounded , grace did abound much more , rom. 5. 20. by the apostles answer ( it appeares some did say , they might continue in sin that grace might abound ) what shall wee say then , shall we continue in sinne , that grace may abound ? god forbid : how shall we that are dead in sin live any longer therein , &c. rom. 6. 1 , 2. but this is an old cavill and slander cast upon those that teach the truth , as the apostle saith it was then in his dayes ; we be slanderously reported , and as some affirme , that we say , let us doe evill that good may come , whose damnation is just , rom. 3. 8. their exception is against the truth of god , and therfore we leave them to god to answer and satisfie them . and though all the elect are freed from the curse of the law , yet we establish the law , rom. 3. 31. we receive the law from the hand of jesus christ to be a rule for us to walke by ; and herein is my father glorified , that yee bring forth much fruit , joh. 15. 8. and the saints injoy sweet priviledges by walking close with god ; see 1 pet. 4. 14. to him that orders his conversation aright , will i shew the salvation of god , psal . 50. 23. god sheddeth his love into the hearts of his ( in his time and measure ) which love so constraines them , that they cannot choose but love god againe for his great love , rom. 5. 5. ephes . 4. 6. 2 cor. 5. 14. which love as it is apprehended by them , so it constraines them to obey him ; and there is no faith true , but that which workes by love , gal. 5. 6. and to all that love god , his commandements are not grievous , joh. 14. 15. 1 joh. 5. 1. 3. and god hath chosen us that wee should be holy and without blame before him in love , ephes . 1. 4. & 2. 10. & 4. 1. but this doctrine hath ever been slandred and opposed by papists , arminians , and such as they are ; but let those that can see , judge whose lives are most according to the word , they that hold with it or against it . 3. the life of faith in sanctification . this consists in two branches . the first , is the soules cleaving to god in christ our sanctification , which is for my pardon , and peace , and assurance of glory , 1 cor. 1. 30. who is made unto us sanctification . the second , is the soules cleaving to christ in his promises , to change my nature , clense and renew my heart and life , and to worke all our workes for us , and be a quickning spirit in us , 1 cor. 15. 45. i will heale their backslidings , hos . 14. 5. he will subdue our iniquities , micah 7. 19. sinne shall not have dominion over you , &c. isa . 57. 18 , 19. i have seene his wayes and will heale him ; and heale all thy diseases , psal . 103. 8. this was christs prayer , sanctifie them with thy truth , thy word is truth ; for their sakes sanctifie i my selfe , that they also might be sanctified through the truth , joh. 17. 17. 19. there is much unevennesse in us , it should be a great griefe unto us , that we cannot honour god no more in our conversation , & that our spirits are so much estranged from him as they are , and unto holy and divine things , which should be familiar , and more delightfull unto us . all that are the lords have received great love from him , which should greatly ingage their hearts , to walke as becometh saints , in a holy course and conversation , according to the word of god , every day , and all the day long to injoy god , and obey him according to his word . of infirmities . an infirmitie is such a weaknesse , as when the heart is upright , yet by reason of some impediment it cannot doe the good it would , and doth the evill it would not . infirmities are the imperfections of good actions . there is an infirmitie which ariseth from some impediment which a man would faine remove but cannot . there is an infirmitie that ariseth for want of growth in grace . a sin of infirmitie is alwayes with griefe and sorrow , and where there is no griefe for it , it is no infirmitie . it is a sin of infirmitie in him who desires to be informed of it , and to be reproved for it , and to know how to leave it , when he is ashamed of it , and will not plead for it , but complaine to god against it , and is grieved & humbled for it , and useth meanes against it . there is no childe of god that is wholly free from infirmities , therefore every beleever is to live by faith in all their infirmities . 4. the life of faith in infirmities . which consists in two things . first , it is the soule cleaving to god in christ , that he will be to us according unto his promise , a god of love and mercy unto us for ever , notwithstanding all our omissions and commissions , excesses and defects . secondly , and that he will supply all our wants for soule or body , as if we had never sinned , according to his covenant with jesus christ , and us in him , that it shall stand fast for ever with him , psal . 89. 27 , 28 , 29. for the first , if any man sin , we have an advocate with the father , 1 joh. 2. 1. who forgiveth all thy iniquities , psal . 103. 3. whom he loves once , he loves to the end , joh. 13. 1. i am the lord , i change not , mal. 3. 6. jesus christ the same , yesterday , and to day , and for ever , heb. 13. 8. i will make an everlasting covenant with you , even the sure mercies of david , isai . 53. 3. which is confirmed by two immutable things , oath and covenant , &c. that wee might have strong consolation , heb. 6. 17 , 18. through the bloud of the everlasting covenant , heb. 13. 20. if his children forsake my law , and walke not in my judgements , if they breake my statutes , and keepe not my commandements ; then will i visit their transgressions with a rod , and their iniquitie with stripes : neverthelesse , my loving kindnesse i will not take from him , nor suffer my faithfulnesse to faile ; my covenant will i not breake , my mercy will i keep for him , and my covenant shall stand fast with him , psal . 89. 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34. they and our fathers dealt proudly , and hardened their neckes , and hearkened not to thy commandements , and refused to obey , &c. but thou art a god ready to pardon , gracious and mercifull , and slow to anger , and of great kindnesse , and forsakest them not , nehe. 9. 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20. in our greatest falls , when the soule is subject to doubt of pardon , consider our god will abundantly pardon , &c. isa . 55. 7 , 8 , 9. i am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for my names sake , isa . 43. 25. and am mighty to save , isa . 63. 1. with the lord is plenteous redemption , psal . 130. 7 , 8 , 9. i have blotted out thy sins , returne unto mee ; for i have redeemed thee , isa . 44. 22. he knoweth our frame , and remembreth that we are but dust , psal . 103. 14. if thou shouldst mark iniquities , o lord , who shall stand ? but there is forgivenesse with thee , that thou mayest be feared , psal . 130. 3 , 4. but the mercy of the lord is from everlasting to everlasting , upon them that feare him . as a father pitieth his children , so the lord pitieth them that feare him , psal . 103. 13. 17 , 18. thou art a god ready to forgive , and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee , psal . 86. 5. but thou art a god ready to pardon , gracious , and mercifull , and slow to anger , and of great kindnesse , and forsakest them not , though they dealt proudly , and hardened their neckes , and hearkened not to thy commandements , and refused to obey , neh. 9. 16 , 17. he hath not dealt with us after our sins , nor rewarded us according to our iniquities , ps . 103. 10. he was wounded for our transgressions , he was bruised for our iniquities , the chastisement of our peace was upon him , & with his stripes we are healed , isa . 53. 6. god hath in wisdome and love left sin in his , to keepe them humble in the sense of sinne , and that wee may know what we are , and our strength , that wee might exercise the graces of the spirit , faith for pardon , wisdome , watchfulnesse , self-deniall , &c. which we could not doe , if wee had no sinne , and that we might long to be in heaven , where we shall injoy a full freedome from all sinne : and that wee might love and prise christ more , seeing we stand in such need of him to pardon and heale us , and that wee might daily depend upon christ against it , and live upon the fulnesse of christ , which wee should have no need in this kinde , if we could not sinne , and that wee might not scorn nor insult over any , and that gods power may appeare in preserving a little grace in a soule so full of sinne : and also the power of his grace in subduing so many and so strong sinnes , and that wee might admire that rich grace , that can love such as we are , and pardon our so many and great sinnes . the use of this is , if it be so , first , expect not full freedome of sinne here , as some dreame . secondly , doe not sinne that grace may abound , god forbid , rom. 6. 1 , 2 , 3 , 8. but in obedience to god , and love to him , use all meanes against it , all thy dayes strive against it in the strength of christ , the love of christ will teach thee , and cause thee to doe so . thirdly , be not over-pressed and sunk under it , but live by faith in all infirmities ; say as paul , i glory in my infirmities , not as they are sins , but because by them gods power and goodnesse is the more seene , both in pardoning , and healing , see rom. 5. 20. & 6. 1 , 2. 2 cor. 12. 9. rom. 3. 7 , 8. &c. what if i should say , all the lords are the more happy they were sinners , else how could they have been capable of mercy , and heaven , and union with god , &c. if there were not evill , it would not be knowne what is good ; justice and mercy had not been known , therefore how could ▪ god be knowne ? his wisdome in drawing good out of evill , nor his infinite love in sending christ to dye , could not have been known , and man could not come to that full happinesse in christ , if there had not been sin . sin should not hinder our faith , it is hard to beleeve the pardon of seventy seven sinnes in a day , yet faith is able to beleeve it , and also to keep a sinner from being perplexed in his spirits with any sinne or trouble , so as to hinder the soule from rejoycing in god all the day long : faith looks to jesus christ , his bloud , intercession , and obedience , who hath payd all our debts , 1 joh. 2. 1. and now wee are not under the law , but under grace , rom. 6. 15. so that the weakest beleever may say in the middest of all , my imperfections have as much of the love or god , and union with him , acceptation , reconciliation , full and perfect righteousnesse in christ , to cover all my defects , as the best saint ever had , and my state shall be as happie as any of theirs , and were it not for christ , all their holinesse could not helpe them , and they might cry they are unprofitable in all , and had also perished in their sinnes . can a man be profitable to god , job 35. 7 ? surely no ; and what shall hinder me of having as much happinesse and glory in heaven , as the best saint ? oh who can expresse the sweetnesse that is in this doctrine of free grace to an humble soule ! and it is wonderfull sweet , and it is a strong tie to god in all holinesse . i know men of base spirits , unbeleevers will catch at what i say , but if they doe , who can helpe it ? the children must have bread , and if such dogs will snatch it , to their perill be it ; as for you who love sin , so as you are not willing to part with your sinnes , that you desire to make leagues and covenants with sinners , hell , and death , and the devill , you take incouragement to sin , because god is rich in grace , &c. oh consider , if yee have hearts , yee are those who turne the grace of god into wantonnesse , yee are still in your sinnes , yee are the dogs , touch it not , it is not for you ; christ saith , it is not meet to cast the childrens bread to dogs , ma● . 7. 6. a childe of god is described by a desire to feare the name of god , nehe. 1. 11. 1. those that live the life of faith in infirmitie , they eye christs sanctification , and injoy comfort in it . 2. there is a harmony between that soule , and gods command , speake lord , for thy servant heareth , 1 sam. 3. 10. 3. he is not offended at christ , at any thing he requires ; blessed is he that is not offended in me , mat. 11. 6. for this is the love of god , that we keepe his commandements , and his commandements are not grievous , 1 joh. 5. 3. 4. he lookes at the word of god for his rule , and his desire is wholly to be ruled by it , he will trust god , and relie upon his word . 5. he eyeth christs strength in his promise for helpe , and by faith makes it his own , psal . 46. 6. surely in the lord have i righteousnesse and strength , isa . 45. 24. 6. he will with courage incounter against what ever opposeth god , and contend earnestly for the faith once given to the saints , jude vers . 3. 7. he is sensible of good and evill , and layeth to heart his own and others sins , acts 20. 31. 8. no sinne he commits doth so discourage him , and sinke him , but he can joy and rejoyce in christ , his joy and sorrow is not legall , but evangelicall , or spirituall , and therefore may be in one saint both at one and the same time , 1 thes . 5. the second branch of this life of faith in infirmities , it is to live upon christ in his promise , to helpe us against all our infirmities , upon such places as these . if thou beest in deadnesse of heart , consider , behold my servant shall sing for joy of heart , isai . 65. 14. in thy name shall they rejoyce all the day , psal . 89. 16. in dumbnesse , consider , the tongue of the dumbe shall sing , &c. isa . 35. 36. the mouth of the righteous shall speake wisdome , and his tongue talkes of judgement , psal . 37. 30. in forgetfulnesse ; the spirit shall bring all things into your remembrance , joh. 14. 26. when thou art in feare of want , consider , there is no want to them that feare him , psal . 34. 9. trust in the lord , and doe good , and verily thou shalt be fed , psal . 37. 3. seeke yee first the kingdome of god , and his righteousnesse , and all things else shall be added unto you , mat. 6. 34. take no thought , for to morrow shall take thought for it selfe , sufficient to the day is the evill thereof . take no thought for your life , what yee shall eate , or what yee shall drinke , nor yet for your body , what yee shall put on : is not the life more then meate , and the body then rayment ? behold the fowles of the ayre , they neither sow nor reape , nor gather into barnes , yet god feedeth them , are yee not much better then they , o yee of little faith ? which of you by taking thought can adde one oubit unto his stature ? take no thought ( for after these things seek the gentiles ) you heavenly father knoweth that yee have need of these things , mat. 6. 25. to the end ; see rom. 8. 32. luk. 12. 15. cast all your care upon him , for he careth for you , be carefull for nothing ; but in every thing , let your requests he made known to god with thankesgiving , phil. 4. 6. 1 pet. 5. 7. let your conversation be without covetousnesse , and be content with such things as yee have ; for he hath said , i will never leave thee , nor forsake thee , heb. 13. 5. in thy ignorance , consider , wee have such an high priest as can have compassion on the ignorant , heb. 5. 2. if any want wisdome , let him aske it of god , who gives liberally , and it shall be given him , but let him aske in faith , without wavering , jam. 1. 5. having fallen into passion , to keepe thee from sinking under it , consider what the apostles said , wee are also men of like passions with you , acts 14. 15. elias was a man subject to the like passions as we are , &c. jam. 5. 17. and so of all other infirmities ; he will heale all thy diseases , &c. psal . 103. 8. if wee did live in christ by faith more , our infirmities would be lesse . for a supply of all wants ; my god shall supply all you need , according to his riches by christ jesus , phil. 4. 6. 19. christ is able , and will supply all our wants . 5. the life of faith for graces , and in the exercise of them . to beleeve ; they shall trust in the name of the lord , zeph. 3. 12. this is his commandment , that yee should beleeve on the name of his sonne jesus christ , 1 joh. 3. 23. to increase in faith ; they shall grow from faith to faith , rom. 1. 17. to live by faith ; the just shall live by faith , rom. 1. 17. to continue in the faith ; he that beleeves in me , though he were dead , yet shall be live , &c. luk. 22. 32. 1 pet. 1. 5. in exercise of faith ; thou wilt keep him in perfect peace , whose mind is stayed on thee , because he trusts in thee , isa . 26. 3. joh. 11. 25. & 7. 38 , 39. he is a buckler to all them that trust in him , psal . 18. 30. he that puts his trust in the lord , mercy shall compasse him about , psal . 32. 10. to know god ; thou shalt know the lord , pro. 1. 23. they shall all know mee , jer. 31. 33 , 34. to love god ; thou shalt love the lord thy god with all thy heart , mat. 22. 17. the lord thy god will circumcise thy heart , that thou maist love him with all thy heart and soule , deut. 30. 6. i have declared thy name , that thy love wherewith thou hast loved me , may be in them , joh. 17. 26. in loving god ; he that loves me , shall be loved of my father , and i will love him , and manifest my selfe unto him , and dwell with him , joh. 14. 21. 23. to seeke god ; that they should seeke the lord , act. 17. 27. seeke yee the lord. in seeking god ; blessed are all they that seeke him with their whole heart , psal . 119. 2. the lord hath not forsaken them that seeke him , psal . 9. 10. your hearts shall live that seeke him , psal . 69. 32. they shall praise the lord that seeke him , psal . 22. 26. they that seeke the lord , shall not want any good thing . to feare god ; i will put my feare in their hearts , and they shall not depart from me , jer. 32. 39 , 40. they shall feare the lord and his goodnesse in the latter dayes , hosea 3. 5. in fearing god ; the lord takes pleasure in them that feare him , psal . 147. 11. he that feares the lord , him shall he teach the way that he shall choose , psal . 25. 12. there is no want to them that feare him , ( viz. feare lest they sinne against him ) psal . 34. 9. he will blesse them that feare the lord , both small and great , psal . 115. 13. to hope in god. in hoping in god ; the lord takes pleasure in those that hope in his mercy , ps . 147. 11. wee are saved by hope , rom. 8. 24. happy is he whose hope is in the lord , ps . 146. 5. be of good courage , he shall strengthen your hearts , all yee that hope in the lord , ps . 31. 24. to waite on god ; waite , i say , on the lord , and he shall strengthen thy heart , psal . 27. 14. in waiting on god ; they shall not be ashamed that waite for me : blessed are they that waite for him . since the beginning of the world , men have not heard , nor perceived by the eare , neither hath the eye seene , o god , besides thee , what he hath prepared for them that waite for him , isa . 49. 23. isa . 30. 18. 1 cor. 2. 9. to delight and rejoyce in god ; thou shalt have thy delight in the almightie : thou shalt rejoyce in god ; in thy name shall they rejoyce all the day : our hearts shall rejoyce in him , isa . 41. 16. psal . 89. 16. psal . 33. 21. to praise god ; the living , he shall praise thee ; daily shall he be praised ; they shall praise the lord : who so offereth mee praise , glorifieth me , isa . 38. 19. psal . 72. 15. psal . 63. 3. psal . 22. 26. psal . 50. 23. to injoy peace with god ; let him take hold on my strength , that he may make peace with me , and he shall make peace with me , isa . 27. 5. to love the saints ; this is his commandement , that we should love one another , 1 joh. 3. 23. little children , love one another ; see that yee love one another with a pure heart fervently , 1 joh. 4. 7. 1 pet. 2. 22. by this shall all men know , that yee be my disciples , if yee love one another , joh. 13. 35. 1 joh. 3. 14. to love enemies ; love your enemies , doe good , lend , hoping for nothing againe , and your reward shall be great , &c. mat. 5. 43 , 44. luk. 6. 35. to judge our selves ; they shall judge themselves worthy to be destroyed : judge your selves , and yee shall not be judged , ezek. 36. 31. 2 cor. 11. 31. to mourne for sinning against god ; i will powre upon them the spirit of grace , and they shall mourne : your sorrow shall be turned into joy ; blessed are they that mourn , ( in faith ) for they shall be comforted , zech. 12. 10. joh. 16. 20. mat. 5. 4. in poverty of spirit ; to him will i look , saith god , that is poore , and of a contrite spirit , &c. blessed are the poore in spirit , for theirs is the kingdome of heaven , isa . 66. 2. mat. 5. 3. in desires after christ , &c. hoe every one that thirsteth , come yee to the waters and drinke , if any man thirst , let him come to me and drinke , i will give to him that is athirst of the fountaine of water of life freely . blessed are they which doe hunger and thirst after righteousnesse , for they shall be filled . a bruised reed shall be not breake , and the smoaking flax shall be not quench . and if there be a willing mind , it is accepted according to that a man hath . by faith abraham offered isaac . of a truth , this poore widow hath cast in more then they all . the desires of the righteous shall be granted , isa . 55. 1. joh. 7. 37. rev. 21. 6. joh. 7. 33. mat. 5. 6. isa . 42. 3. 2 cor. 8. 10 , 11 , 12. gen. 16 , 17. with heb. 11. 27. luk. 21. 3. prov. 10. 24. psal . 37. 4. to be meeke ; seeke meeknesse : the meeke will he teach his way ; and will save all the meeke of the earth ; he will beautifie the meeke with salvation , psal . 25. 9. psal . 76. 9. psal . 149. 4. to be sincere ; thou lord , requirest truth in the inward parts : blessed are the pure in heart , for they shall see god , psal . 51. 6. mat. 5. 8. to confesse our sinnes ; confesse thy sin . if we confesse our sinnes , he is faithfull and just to forgive us our sinnes , and to cleanse us from all iniquitie : if any man say , i have sinned and perverted that which is right , and it profiteth me not , he will deliver his soule from going downe into the pit , and his life shall see the light , 1 joh. 1. 9. job 23. 27 , 28. to forgive others ; forgive , unto seventy seven times in a day thou shalt forgive : forgive , and yee shall be forgiven : if yee forgive men their trespasses , your heavenly father will forgive your trespasses against him , luk. 17. 4. mark. 11. 25 , 26. & 6. 37. mat. 6. 14. ephes . 4. 23. to be a peace-maker ; blessed are the peace-makers ; for they shall be called the children of god , mat. 5. 9. to devise good ; mercy and truth shall be to them that devise good ▪ the liberall deviseth liberall things , pro. 14. 22. isa . 32. 8. to selfe-deniall ; if any man will come after me , let him deny himselfe , ma● . 16. 15. to watch ; but let us watch and be sober : blessed are those servants , whom the lord when he cometh , shall find watching : blessed is he that watcheth , ma● . 13. 37. 1 thes . 5. 6. rev. 16. 15. luk. 22. 37. mat. 24 ▪ 47. to be patient : be yee also patient : in your patience possesse your s●ules , james 5. 8. luk. 21. 9. after he had patiently indured , he obtained the promises , heb. 6. 15. to be contented ; be content with those things yee have , heb. 13. 5. to resist the devill ; resist the devill , and he will fly from you , jam. 5. 4. to resist sin ; sin shall not have dominion over you , rom. 6. 14. not to be afraid of the world ; yee are of god , little children , and have overcome them ; and greater is he that is in you , then he that is in the world , joh. 16. 33. see 1 joh. 4. 4. to subdue the flesh ; if yee mortifie the deeds of the flesh by the spirit , yee shall live , rom. 8. 13. live to the glory of god , and your own , and the saints comfort . to be mercifull ; be yee mercifull as your heavenly father is mercifull : blessed are the mercifull , for they shall obtaine mercy , mat. 5. 7. jam. 2. 13. to give to the poore ; see that yee abound in this grace also . cast thy bread upon the waters , and after many dayes thou shalt find it . he that gives to the poore shall not lacke : blessed is he that considereth the poore , the lord will deliver him in the time of trouble ; the lord will preserve and keepe him alive , and he shall be blessed upon the earth ; thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies ; the lord will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing ; thou wilt make all his bed in his sicknesse , eccl. 11. 1. pro. 28. 17. psal . 41. 1 , 2 , 3. to give chearfully ; god loves a ohearfull giver , 2 cor. 9. 7. to give bountifully ; he that soweth bountifully , shall reap bountifully ; the liberall soule shall be made fat , and he that watereth , shall be watered himselfe : if thou draw out thy soule to the hungry , and satisfie the afflicted soule , then shall thy light rise , &c. 2 cor. 9. 6. prov. 11. 25. isa . 48. 10 , 11. who so shall give a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple ( because he belongs to christ ) verily , i say unto you , he shall not lose his reward ( in heaven ) mat. 10. 42. mark. 9. 41. 6. the life of faith in the use of meanes . it is the souls cleaving to god in christ for a blessing upon his ordinances , or the meanes he hath appointed , that we may receive strength from them , and profit by them . the way of the lord is strength to the upright , pro. 9. 29. i am the lord that teacheth thee to profit , isa . 48. 17. faith beleeves god will blesse his own meanes , seeing he hath appointed them all to this end , therefore all must needs be effectuall . so it is the duty of a beleever to use all constantly , closely , wisely ; despise not them , because they seem weak and silly to flesh and bloud ; know by their use ( under god ) a holy life is preserved , and observe how thou thrivest by them : use all , if by any meanes thy wants may be supplied , phil. 3. 11. and honour not any of them , as to exclude or sleight another . some there be that are guiltie herein , men onely prise that themselves like . but oh yee sonnes and daughters of god , love yee and use yee all gods meanes , they are all for his glory , and thy good ; let not any of them be a stranger to thee , the neglect of one may hinder the fruit of another : the command is to all the lords to use all , and if we be weake in the use of meanes , what should we be if wee used them not ? let not the difficultie of any dismay thee , consider seriously the soveraigntie of god in all his commands , and what obedience to god meanes , and what god requires , for matter , manner , measure , time , and end . to pray ; consider such places as these . pray continually . i will powre upon them the spirit of grace and supplication : aske and ye shall have : if yee which are evill , know how to give good gifts unto your children , how much more shall your heavenly father , give the holy spirit to those that aske him ? and all things whatsoever yee shall aske in prayer beleeving yee shall receive . what things soever yee desire when yee pray , beleeve that yee receive them , and yee shall receive them . verily i say unto you , whatsoever yee shall aske the father in my name , he will give it you : and it shall come to passe before they call i will answer , and while they yet speake , i will heare , 1 thes . 5. zech. 12. 10. mat. 7. 7 , 8 , 9 , 11. luk. 11. 13. mat. 21. 22. mark. 11. 24. mat. 16. 23. isa . 65. 24. to read the word ; give attendance to reading : behold , i will powre out my spirit upon you , and make knowne my words unto you , 1 tim. 4. 13. rev. 1. 3. pro. 1. 23. to meditate ; thou shalt meditate therein day and night . blessed is the man that meditateth on thy law day and night : my meditation of him shall be sweet : the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding , josh . 1. 8. 1 tim. 4. 15. psal . 1. 1 , 2. psal . 104. 34. psal . 49. 3. to holy conference ; the mouth of the righteous speakes wisdome : the lips of the wise disperse knowledge : my words shall not depart out of thy mouth : they that feared the lord , spake oft one to another , &c. they that love it shall eate the fruit thereof , prov. 15. 17. pro. 18. 21. ma●a . 3. 16. psal . 37. 30. psal . 71. 24. isa . 59. 21. to heare christ and his ministers ; blessed is the man that heares me , watching daily at my gates : heare and your soules shall live , pro. 8. 34. isai . 55. 3. to be baptized ; see here is water , what doth hinder me to be baptized ? and philip said , if thou beleevest with all thy heart , thou maiest ; and they went both downe into the water ▪ and he baptized him , acts 8. 36 , 37 , 38. he that beleeves and is baptized , shall be saved , mark. 16. 16. for saints to receive the lords supper ; doe this in remembrance of me ; it was given for you ; take , eate , this is my body ▪ luk. 22. 19. joh. 6. 58. to be prepared for duties ; thou wilt prepare their hearts : if thou prepare thy heart , &c. psal . 10. 17. job 11. 13 , 14 , 15. to obey god ; as soone as they heare of me , they shall obey me , ezek. 36. 27. to be fruitfull in season ; his leafe shall be greene , and he shall not cease from yeelding fruit ; he shall bring forth his fruit in season , his leafe shall not wither , jer. 17. 8. psal . 1. 2 , 3. for abilitie to obey god ; the righteous also shall hold on his way , and he shall be stronger and stronger : they goe from strength to strength every one of them ; surely shall one say , in the lord have i righteousnesse and strength , my god shall be my strength : i will goe in the strength of the lord : he gives power to the faint , and to them that have no might be increaseth strength : they that wait upon the lord , shall renue their strength , they shall mount up with wings , as eagles , they shall run , and not be weary , and shall walke , and not be faint . i can doe all things through christ that strengthens me . god gives strength and power to his people , blessed be god , job 17. 9. psal . 84. 7. isa . 45. 24. isa . 49. 5. isa . 40. 29 , 30 , 31. phil. 4. 13. psal . 68. 35. in all temptations ; that it shall not be above that wee are able to beare , and for a good issue out of all temptations . there hath no temptation taken you , but such as is common to man , but god is faithfull , who will not suffer you to be tempted above that yee are able , but will with the temptation also make a way to escape , that yee may be able to beare it , 1 cor. 10. 13. jam. 1. 12. rom. 6. 20. to know the truth ; he that will doe his will , he shall know whether the doctrine be of god , or no : the spirit of truth will guide you into all truth : the meeke will he teach his way : he that feareth the lord , will he teach in the way he shall choose , joh. 7. 17. joh. 16. 13. psal . 25. 9. 12. for direction in all our wayes ; i will direct all his wayes ; i will instruct thee , and teach thee in the way that thou shalt goe . i will guide thee with my eye : for this god is our god for ever and ever , and he will be our guide , even untill death , isa . 45. 13. ps . 32. 8. psal 48. 14. to reprove others ; thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart ; thou shalt in any wise rebuke him , and not suffer sin upon him he that rebuketh a man , afterwards shall find more favour then he that flattereth with his tongue : the feare of man bringeth a snare , but to them that rebuke him shall be delight , and a good blessing shall come upon them , levit. 19. 17. pro. 28. 23. pro. 29. 25. pro. 24. 25. to correct children , &c. the rod and reproofe give wisdome , but a childe left to himselfe bringeth his mother to shame ; but if thou beatest him with the rod , he shall not dye ; thou shalt beat him with the rod , pro. 25. 15. pro. 29. 15. pro. 23. 13 , 14. for husbands to love their wives ; husbands love your wives , ephes . 5. 25. 28. 33. for wives to obey their husbands ; wives obey your husbands in every thing ( lawfull ) ephes . 5. 24. for children to obey their parents ; children obey your parents in the lord , ephes . 6. 1 , 2. for servants to obey their masters ; servants be obedient to those that are your masters , ephes . 6. 5 , 6 , 7. to obey gods commands ; in keeping them there is great reward , psal . 19. 11. blessed are they that do his commandements , psal . 19. 11. prov. 37. 27. rev. 20. 6. rev. 22. 14. to leave false worship ; see 2 cor. 6. 16 , 17 , 18. to dwell in sion , and to injoy the priviledges thereof ; the ransomed of the lord shall come to sion with joy : i will take one of a citie , and two of a family , and bring them to sion ; they that love his name shall dwell therein , isa . 35. 10. jer. 3. 14. psal . 69. 36. to be fruitfull there ; those that are planted in the house of god , shall flourish in the courts of our god , and bring forth fruit in old age , and be fat and flourishing : all that see them shall acknowledge them , that they are the seed of them which the lord hath blessed : they goe from strength to strength every one of them in sion , &c. ps . 92. 13 , 14. isa . 61. 9. & 62. 12. psal . 84. 7. that god is present there ; he dwels in his church ; he walkes in the middest of the seven golden candlestickes : thou that dwellest in the gardens , rev. 2. 1. with rev. 1. 10. song 5. 1. & 6. 2. & 8. 13. for the acceptation of their services there ; see song 5. 1. with deut. 12. 5 , 6 , 7. for his blessing there ; the lord shall blesse thee out of sion ; i will abundantly blesse her provision ; they shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatnesse of thy house : blessed are they that dwell in thy house , for they shall he still praising thee , psal . 132. 15. psal . 36. 8. psal . 84. 4. for protection there ; thou shalt hide me in the time of trouble , in the secrets of thy tabernacle , psal . 27. 4 , 5. for saints to agree in the truth ; i will give them one heart , and one way , jer. 32. 39. to have joy and gladnesse there ; the lord shall comfort sion , and joy and gladnesse shall be found therein , thankesgiving and the noyse of melody , isai . 51. 3. in reproaches for christ ; blessed are yee when men revile you for my sake falsly , rejoyce and be glad , and leape for joy ; for behold , great is your reward in heaven : in like manner did they revile the prophets , &c. luk. 6. 22 , 23. 1 pet. 1. 14. in persecution for christ ; all that will live godly in christ jesus , shall suffer persecution : blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousnesse sake , for theirs is the kingdome of heaven : if we suffer with him , wee shall also reigne with him , 2 tim. 3. 12. mat. 5. 10. 2 tim. 2. 12. rom. 8. 18. in losses for christ ; he that forsakes house , or brethren , or father , or mother , or house or lands , he shall receive a hundred●old here , and in the world to come eternall life , mark. 10. 29. 30. mat. 19. 28 , 29. in imprisonment for christ ; the devill shall cast some of you into prison , that yee may be tryed , &c. rev. 2. 10. in death for christ ; he that loseth his life for my sake , shall finde it : be thou faithfull unto death , and i will give thee a crowne of life , mat. 10. 39. rev. 21. 7. rev. 2. 10. for the calling of the jewes ; see isa . 60. 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , &c. for the destruction of antichrist , and all the enemies of the sonnes of sion ; see rev. 17. 16. & 18. 8. 21. &c. 7. the life of faith concerning protection from dangers , and for a supply of all wants . for protection ; he shall give his angels charge over thee : the lord is thy keeper : i will preserve thee , and keepe thee : he withdraweth not his eyes from the righteous : there shall not a haire of your heads perish , psal 91. 11. psal . 121. 8. isa . 49 ▪ 8. job 36. 7. luk. 21. 18. christ prayed , holy father , i pray thee keepe them from ●●ill , joh. 17. 15. to be delivered from the wicked ; the lord shall helpe them , and deliver them from the wicked , and save them , because they trust in him , 2 thes . 3. 2 , 3. psal . 34. 40. to be delivered from the harlot ; who so pleaseth god , shall escape from her , eccle. 7. 26. to be delivered from unreasonable creatures ; the beast of the field shall be at peace with thee : thou shalt be at league with the stones of the field , pro. 5. 23. if in warre ; he shall redeeme thee from the power of the sword , job 5. 20. if in famine ; in famine he shall redeeme thee from dearth , job 5. 20. to finde pitie in captivitie ; he made them also to be pitied of those that carried them captives , psal . 106. 46. if in water ; when thou passest through the waters , i will be with thee , and through the rivers , they shall not overflow thee , &c. isa . 43. 2. if in fire ; when thou walkest through the fire , thou shalt not be burnt , nor shall the flame kindle upon thee , isa . 43. 2. if in sicknesse ; the lord will strengthen thee upon the bed of languishing ; thou wilt make all his bed in his sicknesse ; and heale all thy diseases , psal . 41. 3. psal . 103. 3. exod. 23. 25. to be preserved from all evill ; he shall deliver thee in six troubles , yea , in seven there shall no evill touch thee : he shall preserve thee from all evill , job 5. 19. 2 thes . 3. 3. psal . 121. 7. for clothing ; take no thought for your body , what yee shall put on , is not the body more then rayment ? for your heavenly father knoweth yee have need of these things : why take yee thought for rayment ? consider the lilies , &c. shall be not much more cloth you , o yee of little faith , mat. 6. 25. see psal . 37. 16. mat. 6. 28. 30. 3● . for food in famine ; trust in the lord , and verily thou shalt be fed : bread shall be given him , his waters shall be sure , psa . 37. 3. isa . 33. 16. in the dayes of famine they shall be satisfied , isa . 37. 19. for dwelling ; he shall dwell on high , isa . 33. 17. to be hid in a time of danger ; set a marke upon their foreheads , &c. in that day it shall be said to jerusalem , feare thou not , and to sion , &c. the lord thy god in the middest of thee is mightie , he will save , &c. zeph. 3. 16 , 17. god will remember his ; thou shalt not be forgotten by me , isa . 44. 21. for successe of our labour ; whatsoever he doth shall prosper : thou shalt eate of the labour of thy hands : they shall not build , and another inhabit , they shall not plant , and not eate ; they shall not labour in vaine , &c. for they are the seed of the blessed of the lord , &c. psal . 1. 3. psal . 128. 2. pro. 12. 11. 14. isa . 65. 22. if thou be falsly accused ; consider , he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light , &c. psal . 37. 6. for a good name ; consider , pro. 10. 7. zeph. 3. 20. isa . 56. 5. psal . 111. 6. for children ; thy wife shall be a fruitfull vine ; thou shalt see thy childrens children , psal . 121. 3. 6. for sleepe ; so he giveth his beloved sleep : thy sleepe shall be sweet , psal . 127. 2. pro. 3. 24. job 11. 19. zeph. 3. 13. for a supply of all we need ; my god shall supply all your needs , phil. 4. 9. 6. if in prospericie ; consider jer. 29. 5 , 6. these things yee may have , and use them while they last , and while god sees good we shall not meet with any change , but change or no change , god will never change , but be to us ever the same , heb. 13. 5 , 6. 8. the life of faith in adversitie . which is for the soule to submit to god , and to be contented to be in a hard or low condition , if god so order it , and to be fitted to say , as jesus christ did ; the cup which my father hath given me , shall i not drinke it ? joh. 18. 11. see phil. 4. 11 , 12. and as jesus christ had not any trouble , nor not an houre sooner then god predestinated , job . 8. 20. so ought we to beleeve , that all trouble of what kinde soever , shall not , nor cannot come unto us , untill the lord see fit to send it , and that as christ did passe through all , so certainly we shall , and that quickly , joh. 7. 30. joh. 16. 33. in every affliction and crosse that comes upon thee , beleeve and say , it may be the lord will doe me good by this crosse , rom. 8. 28. it is appointed of my father for my good , i stand in need of it ; if need be yee are in heavinesse for a season , 1 pet. 1. 6. and while it continues with me , the lord will be both light , peace , and strength unto me , untill the time come ( which cannot be long ) that afflictions , crosses , and troubles , shall be no more , when i shall rest from all ●abour , paine and sorrow . that god will be with his in trouble ; i will be with him in trouble : the lord will be a refuge to his in time of trouble , psal . 91. 15. psal . 9. 9. psal . 37. 39. that the trouble shall not be above our strength ; i will correct thee in measure , jer. 30. 11. see 1 cor. 10. 13. to gaine by afflictions ; god afflicts us for our profit , that we might be partakers of his holinesse , heb. 12. 11. &c. see job 13. 23. for deliverance out of trouble , &c. many are the troubles of the righteous , but the lord delivers them out of them all , joh. 5. 19. psal . 19. 17 psal . 50. 15. for speedy deliverance ; my salvation shall not tarry , isa . 46. 13. 9. every day to live the life of faith concerning the time past . which is to consider and call to remembrance , and to see god in his dealings to us , ours , and others , both for soule and body ; i have considered the dayes of old , and the yeares of ancient time , psal . 77. 5. this is to injoy time past , as present . david made this a part of his meditation ; oh how sweet is it to muse of gods mercies unto us from our birth ; that i should be borne of such as feared god , and so injoy better education then others , or else that i should be borne of haters of god , and instead of good education had bad , and was brought up in ignorance and prophanenesse , and how i have been tempted to desperate sinnes , or healed those breaches , & how strangely god brought us to better places unexpected or undeserved , and how neere ( and often ) we have been to be cut off by death , by sicknesse , casualties , desperate practices by others , and by our selves , and how great bondage we have been in by sinne , being filled with despaire , terror , and wrath , without hope of ever being pardoned , ephes . 2. 12 , 13. and yet for god to fill my soule with joy & peace in beleeving , rom. 5. 1. and in how great bondage i was unto sinne , not able to restraine my selfe , and out of hope of ever having strength against such strong lusts , and yet god hath subdued them . oh great change ! and also how we were convinced of our state of death we are in by nature , and by what meanes . but ▪ if we had been borne in india , or turkey , or rome , we should either have never heard of a jesus , or seene no light , or to no purpose . also how god hath preserved us in babylon , and brought us out of it ( if thou beest so ) and preserved us from the errors of the wicked rotten tenets , as pelagianisme his free will and power by nature , arminianisme with his free will so by grace , as he may choose whether he will be saved or no , and so under pretence of inlarging gods grace , robs him of all , to grace himselfe in his indeavours , and sets the crowne upon his own head . so some deny the morall law and word of god to be a rule to them to walk by , and so are lawlesse ; ( and where there is no law , there can be no transgression ) and now are the last times , in which iniquitie and abominable errors doe abound ( and shall more abound ; that which god hath said shall be , must be , no man nor men can hinder it ) some denies election and originall sinne , &c. the lord in mercy open their eyes , i was once wrapped up and sunke in arminianisme , and had so continued , but the lord in mercy pulled me out . oh how sweet should that love be to us , which keepes us from these errors , or brings us out of them ! and the lord will in his time be full redemption to all his . also consider how we have been freed from many sorrows and sicknesses , which others indure , having little or no rest day or night : and what meanes we injoy for our soules , which others want , ( and it may be never heard of ) and blesseth them unto us . also in what straits wee have been in , & how the lord hath helped us in them , and delivered us from them : and how god hath provided , and doth provide for us , meanes of living , friends and comforts , strangely and unexpected , and how strangely god hath given us good wives or husbands , or so orders it that bad ones sends us to god , or weanes us from the world ; &c. these mercies with a thousand more to us and ours , requires our meditation , to strengthen our faith , and to endeare our hearts to god exceedingly , and to be more inlarged in thankfulnesse , and to sucke sweetnesse in the remembrance of such experiences . mercies forgot , are as nothing to us , and wee cannot be thankfull to god for them , though they were never so many or great ; who so is wise , and will observe these things , shall understand the loving kindnesse of the lord , psal . 107. 43. 10. every day to live the life of faith in glorification . which is to behold the rest , peace , glory and happinesse , &c. in heaven which is provided for us , and also to beleeve that god will give us after this life all these things with himselfe , which he hath promised us in his word ; see acts 20. 23. acts 26. 18. 1 pet. 1. 4. for the resurrection of my body ; he that beleeves in me , i will raise him up at the last day , joh. 6. 40. to have a spirituall body ; it is sowen a naturall body , it is raised a spirituall body , 1 cor. 15. 44. our bodies shall be more glorious then the sun in the firmament , because that is but a naturall body . to have a powerfull body ; it is raised in power , 1 cor. 15. 43. to have a glorified body , and like christs ; it is raised in glory , 1 cor. 15 ▪ 43 , 44. who shall change our vile body , that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body , phil. 3. 21. to have fulnesse of knowledge ; and to know the love of christ , which passeth knowledge , and be filled with the fulnesse of god , ephes . 3. 19. and know even as i am known , 1 cor. 13. 12. to have fulnesse of joy and pleasures ; in thy presence is fulnesse of joy , and at thy right hand are pleasures for evermore , ps . 16. 11. joy inward , pure , spirituall , full in heaven , wee shall have no misery , no hunger , cold , nakednesse , paine , griefe , wearinesse , but rest , 2 thes . 1. 7. to have rest ; i shall have rest ( 2 thes . 1. 7. ) without labour : in this rest , tranquillity ; in this tranquillity , contentment ; in this contentment , joy ; in this joy , varietie ; in this varietie , securitie ; in this securitie , eternitie . to have life ; we shall also live with him , 2 tim. 2. 11. your life is hid with christ in god , col. 3. 3. when christ who is our life shall appeare , col. 3. 4. to have everlasting life ; who shall receive life everlasting in the world to come , luk. 18. 30. mat. 19. 29. joh. 4. 40. then shall i never die , nor end , being for continuance eternall . to injoy the presence of god with saints and angels ; when christ our life shall appeare , then shall we appeare with him in glory , col. 3. 4. father , i will that they which thou hast given me , be with me where i am , joh. 17. 24. to see the lord as he is ; beloved , now are we the sonnes of god , and it doth not appeare what we shall be , but we know when we shall appeare , we shall be like him , for we shall see him as he is , 1 joh. 3. 2. then shall we see him face to face , 1 cor. 13. 12. to behold his glory ; that they may behold my glory , joh. 17. 24. sight is higher then presence . to be transformed into glory ; we are changed into the same image from glory to glory , 2 cor. 3. 18. this shall be more full in glory ; then shall wee appeare with him in glory , col. 3. 4. to have full communion with god ; wee shall be filled with the fulnesse of god , ephes . 3. 19. union is higher then sight , communion is higher then union , as it flowes from it , full communion is more ; we shall have as much as we shall desire , wee shall be filled with it , wee shall injoy the quintessence of all sweetnesse , fulnesse , goodnesse in god , and shall be raised , inflamed , and ravished with him , and be wholly taken up with admiring and praising him , without any intermission or wearinesse ; this is our greatest good and blessednesse , and the end of our being . to be for ever with the lord ; so shall wee be ever with the lord , 1 thes . 4. 17. eternall communion with god. as it is written ; eye hath not seene , nor eare heard , neither hath entred into the heart of man , the things which god hath prepared for them that love him , 1 cor. 2. 9. it transcends the utmost expectation of the most inlarged heart ; wherefore comfort one another with these words , vers . 18. faith beleeves the promises of glory , and so lives comfortably in expectation of fruition , when faith shall end in vision , our eternall joyes draws on apace ; in the meane time , lay hold on eternall life , let faith beleeve it , and hope expect it , and patience waite for it , to make this life tolerable , bepatient , indure all , it will not be long ere glory come and continue for ever ; for this cause wee faint not , 2 cor. 4. he that lives by faith in glorification , lives a sweet comfortable life in christ his righteousnesse , and is fruitfull , sincere , and content . lastly , to dye by faith . which is to resigne up our soules to god , beleeving death shall be a passage to glory ; when christ who is my life shall appeare , then shall i appeare with him in glory , col. 3. 4. these all dyed in faith , heb. 11. 13. the righteous hath hope in his death , pro. 14. 32. blessed are the dead that dye in the lord ; for they rest from their labours , and their workes follow them , rev. 14. 13. when i awake i shall be satisfied in thy likenesse , psal . 17. 15. why should i feare that i would not escape ? what hurt will it be to me to enter into glory ? i cannot have my happinesse , unlesse i goe unto it . the saints daily duty and desire . the severall branches of the saints daily duty and desire to walke with god every day . 1. when i awake , to thinke on god , and to be thankfull to him for rest , and sleepe , and preservation , from sin , satan , and dangers , satisfying my soule with the lord , craving his strength to walke with him all the day long , reverently and seriously to minde him and obey him . when i awake i am still with thee , ps . 139. 18. i shall be satisfied when i awake with thy likenesse , psal . 17. 15. see act. 11. 23. commune with your heart upon your bed , and be still , psal . 4. 4. it is good to season , strengthen , and perfume our spirits ( if time will permit ) with some sweet thoughts of god , as that jesus christ is the same yesterday , and to day , and for ever , heb. 13. 8. he is not changed . here is strong consolation in this sweet meditation , my meditation of him shall be sweet , psal . 104. 34. it is good for me to draw neere to god , psal . 73. 28. to make him the object and end of all my actions . o that my understanding had a more full , cleare , and glorious sight of him , and a more perfect , inward , eternall , and full communion with him , then should my will and affections be more satisfied and more inflamed with unwearied desires , high and restlesse aspirations after fresh additions of intercourses and communion with him . the sight of god to a saint is glorious , and the knowledge and often meditation of him will raise and inlarge the soule : every childe of god hath in him an earnest desire to have communion with him , to injoy his blessed presence , and to see his glory . as the hart panteth after the water-brookes , so panteth my soule after thee , o god. my soule thirsteth for god , when shall i come and appeare before him ? psal . 42. 1 , 2. nor will a seldome communion satisfie them , it must be frequent and full : it is a contempt of god to be willing to live without him , and so much he injoys god as he seriously minds him , and so much as wee desire god , we follow after god , for desire is the soules following of god ; and as god draweth we follow , song . 1. 4. unlesse the lord fix and fasten the heart upon himselfe , it will be fixed on things below , and wander after vanities , and fill both head and heart with them : he that knoweth what it is to injoy god , is sensible of the want of him , and thinkes he can never have enough of him , his soule will faint for him , because nothing lesse then god can content him , psal . 119. 81 , 82. jer. 14. 8. psal . 13. 1. exod. 33. 13 , 14 , 15. 18. so the soule lives where it loves , and where it loves it lives , and there is nothing more active and stronger then love ; for love is as strong as death , the coales thereof are coales of fire , which hath a most vehement flame , song 8. 6 , 7. 2. live by faith . every day to live by faith , ( in all estates and conditions ) the communion the soule hath with god is by faith , in justification , in sanctification , in infirmities , in graces , in meanes using , in duties , and for a supply of all wants , every day to live the life of faith in glorification . 3. watch heart . that every day i watch my heart , to keepe it continually still , cleane , spirituall , content , and that i observe warily the first and secret motions of my heart , least i be unawares catched and insnared in sinne , and that i doe not receive any thing without it be warranted in the word of god. keepe thy heart with all diligence , for out of it are the issues of life , pro. 23. 17. thy heart is deceitfull , take heed of it , consider jer. 17. 9. heb. 3. 12. luk. 6. 45. if wee cease to watch our hearts , they quickly become vaine . consider how it was with david , 2 sam. 12. 9. and peter , mat. 26. 72. our experience might teach us , that our hearts are worse then wee tooke them to be , when wee are crossed or tempted , wee shew what metall wee are made of : the best have cause enough to looke to themselves ; if one sinfull thought be admitted concerning the sweetnesse and pleasure of sinne , the will is ready enough to accept the motion , consent , forecast the accomplishment , the affections adde heat and strength , the heart travels with iniquitie , and in time by opportunitie sin is brought forth : and delight and custome wraps a man up in sinne , that he cannot get out ; such carelesnesse may cost deare , though the elect shall misse hell ; lord , bold up my goings in thy paths , that my footsteps slip not , psal . 17. 5. hold thou me up , and i shall be safe ; and i will have respect unto thy statutes continually , psal . 119. 117. 4. watch thoughts . every day to watch that my thoughts be holy or lawfull , and seasonable , to ranke , order , and confine them within an holy compasse , that i may gaze and meditate on god , his unmeasurable goodnesse , greatnesse , beautie , glory , and to bring under and destroy every wicked and vaine thought and desire , &c. it is no burden to fix our minds and thoughts on things above , where our life , and joy , and treasure is ; where your treasure is , there will your hearts be also . the more wisdome leads us on high , the more is our joy , and the more we avoyd the snares below , and the more wee injoy god in the invisible workings , intentions , desires , elevations of heart , with thoughts of sweetest raptures , in which is peace , joy , triumph , searching into the mysteries of grace , in which is light , is truth in its clearnesse , purenesse , fulnesse , in gazing upon the most glorious object , admiring god in his infinite attributes , to contemplate on gods boundlesse mercy in christ ; such as are exercised herein , injoy great sweetnesse and delight , they see and say , as david , how precious are thy thoughts to me , o god , &c. psal . 139. 17. such thoughts raise the heart , and make it spirituall , joyfull , and thankfull , willing and serious in all duties , and holy services . 5. hearken unto conscience . every day to watch and hearken to the noyse of conscience , that i may prise the peace of it , indeavour to informe it , and to doe nothing that shall offend it : and herein doe i exercise my selfe , to have alwayes a conscience voyde of offence towards god , and towards man , acts 24. 16. holding the mystery of faith in a pure conscience , 1 tim. 3. 9. 6. watch affections . every day to watch that my affections be set right , and that they move not without or contrary to my judgement , and that they be set upon right objects , and that they soare not too high , nor descend too low , but according as the object deserves ; meanly affecting meane things , and not affecting corrupt reason , as passion , &c. that my delight be not set immoderately upon any earthly things , though never so excellent , desirable , or amiable , and so to injoy them , as expecting every day or houre to lose them . set your affections on things above , col. 3. 1. 5. affections are the pulses of the soule , and shew the state of it ; the affections are the motions of the will , and the will is the principall seate of grace ; grace hath its birth in the understanding , but her seate is more principally in the will actually and formally , therefore the will is much to be observed in its tempers , inclinations , motions , which are the affections of the soule : all affections may be comprehended in love and hatred ; the first comprehends desire , delight , joy , hope , these are the acts of love , and these are chiefly to be given to god , wee must make him our trust , love , joy , delight , and our all in all , esteeme and affect all things else under him and for him ; he is all-sufficient , therefore we may well content our selves with him , and to love him dearly , then are the affections set right , when with god wee are sicke of love , song 2. 5. forsake not god , who is a living fountaine , for broken cisternes , jer. 2. love is the sweetest affection , it 's pity it should be spent and lost upon vanities . and when we set our affections strongly on things below , it 's a mercy for god to take them from us , to teach us and cause us to take more delight in god himselfe , and those true , unspeakeable , and everlasting delights , prepared for the saints with himselfe . surely wee have cause to lament , that we are so ready to set our affections on things below , that they are so strong and unruly , and so hardly subdued , that it is not an easie thing to master our wils and appetites , they so rage and dote so vehemently after vanities : vanitie of vanities , all is vanitie , eccl. 1. 2. 7. watch time . that every day i watch and endeavour to redeeme time , because it is precious , to improve it , to know truth , to injoy and obey god , and to serve others in love , redeeming the time because the dayes are evill , eph. 5. 16. also our time is short , it 's but as a thought , a shadow , a dreame , a span long , it is our duty and wisdome to preserve and redeeme time for every purpose and action . paul improves his time , by the space of three yeares i ceased not to warne every one night and day with teares , &c. act. 20. 31. yet we lose many houres needlesly , in sleeping , in trifling , in idle visits , &c. in which time good might have been done to many . 8. watch senses . every day to watch the windows of my soule , my senses , as eares , eyes , from unlawfull objects , and lawfull , when i perceive they would suck evill from them , and shutting my eyes and eares , if need be . he shall dwell on high , &c. that stoppeth his eares from hearing of bloud , that shutteth his eyes from seeing of evill , isa . 33. 15 , 16. thus we are commanded , to take heed , watch , and pray , mark. 13. 35. so take heed what yee heare . it was davids desire to god , turne away mine eyes from beholding vanitie , psal . 119. 37. job saw a necessitie to make a covenant with his eyes , job 31. 1. for satan is ready to convey much evill insensibly through these floud-gates of sin ; bad discourse inflames lust ; davids roving eye caused him to fall foully , and procured him much vexation and griefe ; who could have thought an idle glance could occasion so much mischiefe ? expect no better fruit in suffering your hearts to run after your eyes ; fancy will take fire before we be aware ; but a foole will take no warning , he will have his eyes in every corner of the earth , prov. 17. 24. he must and will hearken unto a tale-bearer , prov. 25. 23. and so he hath his heart filled with anger and revenge , but when he is wiser , he will cry out with shame and griefe , that all is vanitie and vexation of spirit , as eccles . 1. 2. 9. in outward things . every day to watch to make some good use , and draw instruction from the creatures and passages of gods providence , so to mind heavenly things by naturall . so did christ upon mentioning of bread , mat. 16. these things below make themselves wings , and fly away ; but fly thee , by them , from them , before them . 10. watch in lawfull things . every day to watch narrowly with care and heedfulnesse in the use and injoyment of things lawfull , viz. meat , drinke , sleepe , apparell , marriage , visitations , and recreations , &c. our nature is prone to excesse herein , and we oft sinne more , and are in greater danger , by lawfull things , then by unlawfull , because wee feare grosser evils more then we do the secret insnarements that attend lawfull things , so that many are deceived , and insnared , and insensibly drawne into many excesses , before we be aware , to the dishonour of god , & griefe of our selves , and others ; the fooles minde was all for his ease and his belly , meate and drinke , luk. 12. 19. 11. watch in things indifferent . every day to watch that i use not indifferent things securely and carelesly , but to have regard to others weaknesses , indevouring that my actions be such as i may defend with a good conscience . all things are pure , but it is not lawfull to doe things with offence , it is good neither to eate flesh , nor drinke wine , nor do any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth , or is offended , or made weake , rom. 14. 21 , 22. these words doe prove that wee ought to forbeare the doing of that which is in it selfe lawfull ( if it can be omitted without sin ) in case another is not perswaded of the lawfulnesse of it , and so is offended at it : i grant he takes offence when none is given , for if i doe that which is lawfull , i give no offence ; therefore in being offended it is his fault and weaknesse , yet if i know he is offended with it , and yet shall do it , & he therewith is grieved , &c. i in so doing sin against god and him ; though otherwise i might doe it , yet in this case it is condemned in the word , and it cannot defend it with a good conscience . 12. watch against sinne . every day to take heed and watch against every sin , and that i defend no sinne in my selfe , nor lessen it under no pretence of corruption , temptation , or for the sweetnesse or smalnesse of it ; nor inwardly favour it , but to resolve against all sinne , with the occasions of it , and the appearance of it , to be jealous against it , and fearful of falling by it , and ever to shew some dislike of it , levit. 19. 17. looke we to sin at the first motion of it , consider we the roote of it , and the end of it , and presently looke up to god for strength against it , beleeve and pray against it , and avoyd all the occasions of it : come not neere the doore of her house , pro. 5. 8. first , we should be afraid to sinne , because we are commanded to do otherwise by god ; secondly , lest by it we dishonour god , his truth , and servants ; thirdly , lest by it we incourage others to sin ; fourthly , and fill our soules with sorrow , because wee have sinned against so great , and gracious , and loving father . a sensiblenesse of sinne , and a heart easily touched with remorse for it , may stand with the assurance of pardon of it , and when any hath by reason of frailtie sinned , though it seeme to be in the least measure , abhorre it with the greatest detestation , and cover it not with any excuses or pretenses whatsoever ; see ezra 9. 2 , 3. rev. 2. 2. 13. every day watch the tongue . to watch that my speech be not vaine , and idle , and frothy , but powdered with salt , to take heed of speaking against others , especially such as are the lords , that i disgrace none , nor insult over any , remembring my own weaknesses , and that i wrest not mens actions and words , but take them in the best sense , so farre as i can , with a good conscience , and without prejudice of the truth . idle words are forbidden ; let your speech be alwayes with grace , seasoned with salt , &c. col. 4. 6. neither filthinesse , nor foolish talking , nor jesting , which are not convenient , but rather giving of thankes , ephes . 5. 4. my tongue shall talke of thy righteousnesse all the day long , psal . 71. 24. if you love to finde fault , lay on there where you see most , which will be your selfe , if you can see . consider , hast thou no unbeliefe , psal . 31. 22. & 116. 11. privy pride , 2 cor. 12. 7. secret hypocrisie , psal . 51. 10. atheisme and thoughts of blasphemy , self-love , self-seeking , self-confidence , psal . 30. 6. unprofitablenesse , psal . 106. 6 , 7. nehe. 9. 35. hardnesse of heart , isa . 63. 17. blindnesse of mind , ignorance , pro. 30. 2 , 3. unruly passion , psal . 73. 3. 22. securitie , lukewarmnesse , song . 1. 6. abusing lawfull things , deut. 32. 15. nehe. 9. 38. unthankfulnesse for mercies , hos . 8. 12. and want of mourning for the sinnes of others , ezek. 9. 4. isa . 42. 19 , 20. want of courage for the truth , jer. 9. 3. deadnesse , dulnesse , heavinesse , wearinesse , indevotion , distractions , and indisposednesse of heart in holy duties , mat. 26. 40 , 43. hast thou no forgetfulnesse , mat. 8. 18. inconstancy , hos . 6. 4. doest thou walke comfortably in thy christian course ? art thou never cast downe , psal . 43. 5 ? the secret evils in us , might put us in remembrance of our selves , and silence us from insulting and disgracing others for their weaknesses . 14. observe the frame of my spirit . every day to observe the passages of my spirit before god in my actions and duties , and expect strength from christ in the use of meanes to act , and whether i be sutably and inwardly affected with a sensiblenesse of what i want of god , or from god , or thankfull and humble , eying my defects , and with what faith and fervency i seeke god , and observing how god answers my prayers , and wait upon him for an answer of them . 15. watch to doe others good . every day to desire and indeavour to doe my dutie , according to my relation and station , to give a good example , religious instruction , loving admonition , seasonable reproofes , &c. using meanes to doe all the good i can to others soules and bodies , with an earnest intention , with all care and deare affection . see acts 10. 24. joh. 1. 40 , 41. if a husband , if thou art a father , or a master , or a wife , or a childe , or a servant , be a friend to friends , and to enemies doe good ; be thou an example , in word , in conversation , in charitie , in spirit , in faith , in puritie , 1 tim. 4. 12. 16. watch to prevent evill . every day that i stand upon my watch , every moment to prevent evill , and to prepare and receive good , having an eye to observe , and a heart bent to resist all satans assaults , either from the world or flesh , alone or with others , knowing satan watcheth to doe me a mischiefe ; and to consider that my fathers eye is upon me , who hath commanded us to keepe his precepts diligently , psal . 119. 4. oh that my wayes were so directed to keepe thy statutes , psal . 119. 5. i said i will looke to my wayes , psal . 39. 1. watch and pray , lest yee enter into temptation , mat. 26. 41. watching keeps the soule awake , ir is to have grace in a readinesse for action . 17. watch against occasions of sinne . every day that i decline watchfully all occasions of falling from my first love , fervency , heavenly mindednesse , as dead company , formalnesse in religious duties , coldnesse , or neglecting , the meanes , praise of men , profit , outward pompe , mirth , pleasure , ease , outward contentments , that i exceed not , nor sinke not under any of them , but set light by others favours and frownes . seeke not your selfe out of your selfe , in the conceits of other men , he that is little in his own eyes , will not be troubled if he seeme so to others , he that is troubled because others words answer not his desires , he shall never live quietly , and he that priseth others praises , he injoyeth neither god nor himselfe . 18. to sympathize with others . every day to take notice and sympathize with the sorrowes and sufferings of those that are the lords , and to be content to stand or fall into any sorrow or sufferings with the church of christ , to part with estate , friends , libertie , life . if i doe not remember thee , let my tongue cleave to the roofe of my mouth , psal . 137. 6. lam. 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5. chapters . 19. to meditate . every day to meditate upon god in his goodnesse unto me , and mind what god hath prepared for me in heaven , and how i may be preserved from sin , selfe , &c. and order my conversation aright . isaac went out to meditate in the field at eventide , gen. 24. 63. doe so , or enter into thy closet , mat. 6. 6. consider psal . 1. 2. & 32. 4 , 5 , 6. heb. 10. 38. jos . 1. 8. the book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth , but thou shalt meditate therein day and night . meditation is wonderfull sweet and profitable , by it wee winde up our minds from things below , col. 3. 4 , 5. and injoy god , and thy selfe , and live in heaven while thou art in the earth , refreshing thy selfe with the great varietie of those invisible comforts in heaven , the interest , joy , rest , that thou shalt finde at last : we might meditate of the miseries , frailtie , and shortnesse of the time we have to live here , and how we may prevent sin , beare the crosse , deny our selves , live by faith , be contented in want , grow in grace , escape temptations , keepe a good conscience , and what is my duty to god and man , and-wherein i come short , what mercies i injoy , and how i live by faith in every thing , how i profit by afflictions , or am thankfull to god for his sweet mercies to my soule or body , and a thousand profitable things , in which the soule may finde sweetnesse ; and if yee be risen with christ , seeke those things that are above , col. 3. 1. by faith and meditation , keepe thy heart above , to view thy everlasting glory , filling thy selfe with joy , injoying the joyes of heaven , which i shall certainly and quickly injoy , unutterable , unconceivable , and infinite , bottomlesse , boundlesse , endlesse . oh the ocean of the joyes of heaven , the greatnesse of sweetnesse in so great confluence of all joyes , pleasures , and delights , which shall be for ever , and never have an end ! 20. watch to deny selfe . that i daily deny my selfe , wit , wisdome , carnall reason , learning , favour of men , applause , passion , ease , libertie , and all things for god. consider , luk. 14. 20. 33. mat. 16. 24. mark. 8. 34. luk. 9. 23. it is good thus to crosse our selves , if we could deny our selves , every thing would be easie for us to doe ; for all things are so sure under us , as we are above our selves : in the same measure we are spirituall , or live by faith , so much we deny our selves , such as cannot deny themselves , are not able to indure the troubles and indignities of this world , but will shrinke and fall off in the day of battell , luk. 14. 28. 31. 21. to be humble . that in all my actions , i be humble , and meeke , sincere , serious , fervent , chearfull . for humilitie and meeknesse , consider mat. 11. 29. sinceritie , deut. 18. 13. ephes . 6. 14. joh. 1. 47. without faith and sinceritie all is nothing worth . fervency , fervent in spirit , serving the lord , rom. 12. 11. jam. 5. 16. fervent prayer . chearfulnesse ; rejoyce evermore , 1 thes . 5. 16. a chearful and a willing spirit is most sutable and acceptable , wee oft looke not so much what is done , as from what affection it is done , an unchearfull spirit is soone weary , if we be overwhelmed with sorrow , feare , &c. and if we be filled with lightnesse , vanitie , wee are unfit for any service of god. 22. watch in use of meanes . that i use the meanes to injoy and increase in holy resolutions , desires , purposes , &c. to injoy god , and the things of god for god. with my whole heart have i sought thee , o let me not wander from thee , psal . 119. 10. if resolution be wanting , if thou beest forgetfull , sloathfull , thou art like to be a poore christian . oh the strong and restlesse desires , and the unweariednesse thereof after god , of a heart touched with his love , and tasted of his sweetnesse ! 23. watch to joy in god. that every day i rejoyce in god , my union with him , and interest in him , and priviledges , and happinesse by him , &c. and in the exercises of his graces , and his word , and saints , as the temptations , chiefest joy , and greatest advantage . i was in his love before the world was , love was the cause he shed his bloud for me , it is his love that preserves me , and crowned with it i shall be to all eternitie . 24. that i scorne none . that i sleight none , nor checke any with their deformitie of body , dulnesse , or weaknesse of wit , or memory , meannesse of outward estate , birth , or smalnesse of gifts , parts , &c. and to pitie those who are still in their sinnes . consider , who made the difference between him and thee , see 1 cor. 4. 7. job 10. 10. psal . 39. 13 , 14. 16. isa . 28. 26. in spirituall things , ezek. 16. isa . 43. 25. rom. 5. 11. 2 tim. 1. 9. phil. 1. 29. rom. 3. 24. ephes . 2. 10. the free grace and love of god onely maketh the difference , and if god should convert him , he may soone become better then thee or me . 25. to know the vanitie of the creature . every day to consider the vanitie of these outward things , and the hurt wee receive by them , how wee exceed in our affections unto them , notwithstanding they are not ours , and may in a lesse time then an houre be taken all from us , or us from them , and that we are often distracted and unsetled by them , to the end i may with more content want them , and be weaned from them in my injoyment of them , and so to use the liberties of this life soberly , so as to be bettered by them . all things below are full of transitorinesse , mortalitie , and change , vanitie of vanities , &c. all is vanitie , eccl. 1. 2. these things are under the sunne , eccle. 2. 7. ( but above is constancy , and eternitie of all excellencies , perfections , and pleasures ) we have no certainty of any thing below , eccl. 1. 2. 1 cor. 5. 25. pro. 23. 4. luk. 12. 15. experience makes it appeare , the more men possesse of outward things , the lesse many use and injoy , the more wee love them , the more we are crossed with them , and the more they have , the more they are in want , because of their insufficiency , uncertainty , and perishing nature . religion oft payeth for mens getting riches , and oft suffers most by them . 26. watch in solitarinesse . that every day i be well imployed , especially in my retirednesse , and solitary seasons , to prevent needlesse feares , thoughts of the pleasures of sinne , past , present , or to come , lest such thoughts cause sinne upon supposition . experience may teach some , that satans temptations have come more frequenter and stronger , when alone , and that they have then sinned more freely in their imaginations ; oh cursed contemplation , that pollutes soule & body with sensuall filth , gen. 38. 9 , 10. and renewed guilt ; nor is it good for a weake beleever to affect solitarinesse , satan is more bold when thou art most solitary , and his temptations then take a deeper impression . 27. watch to speake for truth , &c. every day , as occasion is offered , that i earnestly contend for the truth , jude ver . 3. own it , maintaine it , and those that are unjustly accused , and count it a glory to be reproached and disgraced for christ and his truth , 1 pet. 4. 14. 28. watch to doe duties . every day to catch at all opportunities of receiving and doing good , shunning evill , and with constancy nourish all good and holy desires , and consider what times we live in , and what they afford , and how i may be most usefull and fruitfull , that i may finish my course with joy . my beloved spake , and said unto me , rise up my love , my faire one , and come away , song 2. 10 , 11. our sloth , and our corrupt selfe , love , ease , carelesnesse , inconstancy & unsetlednesse hindreth us more then we are aware of , of going to our beloved . 29. watch against covetousnesse . every day to take heed , and beware of covetousnesse and earthly mindednesse . consider , mat. 25. 14. luk. 6. 2. mat. 6. 25. to the end , phil. 4. 6. 1 tim. 4. 8 , 9 , 10. jam. 5. 1 , 2 , 3. pro. 23. 5. 1 pet. 5. 7. luk. 2. 7. mat. 8. 20. to avoyd covetousnesse , meditate on such places as these . covetousnesse deceives and hurts all , jam. 5. 3. if we had riches , wee cannot keep them , they shall soone be taken from us , or us from them . let such as thinke they cannot be happy without outward riches , consider if earth be better then heaven , where there is none of this thicke clay to load themselves withall , hab. 2. 6. 30. to looke for trouble . every day to expect trouble and crosses , and looke upon all that befals me , as appointed and ordered by god for my good in his wisdome , love , and mercy , that so i may be thankfull for them , and not fret , knowing nothing can befall me without the will of god , and that it is sent in love , and is best for me , and that god will supply with his all-sufficiency whatsoever i shall need , and that i desire not freedome from trouble , but a free spirit , and an inlarged heart to god in it , and to expresse in every trouble , wisdome , patience , humilitie , comfort , willingnesse , contentednesse , thankfulnesse , and faith in god , and that i indeavour to comfort others in their trouble . we should not looke to be exempted from troubles , the whole course of a saint in this life is a life of trouble , and suffering , yea , more then other men , psal . 73. 5. all our crosses , &c. are christs servants , they are under christ , they come and goe at his command , and they are sent to doe them good , and are called backe when they have done what they come for ; therefore be not impatient at them , fret not , psal . 39. 9. a saint should be so fixed upon god , that nothing below should move him , so as to disquiet him ; for to say they cannot indure and beare such a crosse o● trouble , is an expression as is unfit and unsutable for a saint , phil. 4. 11. 13. our spirit should be above , and rule and over-rule things below , and not be ruled by them ; a saint should be under nothing beneath it selfe : if we should rejoyce in trials , &c. inward , outward temptations , desertions , conflicts , outward troubles , and death it selfe , ( is to make us capable of a fuller injoyment and communion with god , jam. 1. 2. &c. ) how much more should we be content and patient ? 1 thes . 4. 18. lord , i will beare any thing , because my sinnes are forgiven me : a conscience so set at libertie , can with ease undergoe a great burden . bees gather honey of bitter flowers as well as sweet , and cannot we doe so from bitter conditions ? outward bondage is not much to an inlarged and free spirit ; what can doe much hurt , when all is well within ? all is light and easie to him that can deny himselfe . what god takes away one way , he can give it in another , which will be better ; how ever it be , yet god is good ▪ and good to me , who will ever remaine so to be , and be the same to me . we have his promise , that wee shall not want any thing that is good for us , psal . 349 , 10. therefore when i thinke i want , i will not beleeve i want , and that i have what i want , when i doe not see it , when i see not outward things , i see god can give , and i may have the comfort of them without them , esteeme god above all , and set him against all ; what god conveyd before by meanes , he instilles immediately from himselfe ; the immediate comforts are the strongest ; see joh. 16. 32. and when all forsooke paul , yet god stood by him ; and so it was with christ , psal . 69. 20. saints that are poore , and under abasement , may be richer in faith , jam. 2. 5. and have more experience of gods faithfulnesse , care , and love , and see more of their own hearts , be more humble , more spirituall , and live more upon god , and more weaned from the world , then those saints who are richer ; the meanest are as happy , and as free from cares as the richest , and their sleepe is as sweet ; therefore take we heed of sin , and then let come what can ; sin not , to avoyd trouble , for that is the way to bring greater trouble upon thee , for sin defiles , distracts , insnares , and straitens a soule ; where the spirit is inlarged , it is not much troubled at outward bondage , if it be lightsome , outward darknesse will not be burdensome , if the spirit be sound , it can beare troubles , sicknesse ; nothing can be very ill , when all is well within , what can be grievous to him , whose eye is fixed in heaven , and knowes it to be his owne ? heb. 12. 2. we should not looke so much at trouble , or freedome from it , as to god for profit by it , comfort in it , strength to beare it ; oh let no trouble trouble thee , for when god seemes to leave thee , he is neere to helpe thee , when he hides himselfe , he seeth and will provide helpe for thee ; as gen. 22. 14. he is all sufficient , gen. 17. 1. and he is faithfull that hath said , all is ours , 1 cor. 3. 23. and that wee shall not want that which is for our good , psal . 34. 9 , 10. the same faithfulnesse will make it good ; therefore i shall not want what ever can come , should each saint say . 31. watch to shew mercy . every day as occasion is offered , to shew mercy and pity to others in their misery , to supply their necessities , freely and willingly , according to my ability , and that i be more industrious , and more moderate in expences , to supply others wants , especially the saints , if it be above my abilitie , with an open heart , hand , house , joyfully and compassionately to supply the saints necessities : consider mat. 5. 42. mat. 7. 12. they that have no money must sell something to give ; sell that yee have , and give almes , &c. luk. 12. 33. as we have opportunity , let us doe good to all men , especially to the houshold of faith , gal. 6. 10. surely wee should desire and indeavour to ease as many mens burdens as we can , it is our duty to be helpfull , and helpfulnesse includes mercy and tender compassion , love , goodnesse , and such like vertues . in lending , and suretiship , men must not be rash , nor hard-hearted , it is a duty to lend to such who make conscience , and are carefull and industrious to pay at the time . i am sorry when i heare how many have suffered in this kinde , it is a sinne to lend to such as have no care and conscience to pay : men had need to have good experience of mens faithfulnesse and carefulnesse , before they t●ust them with much : the experience of many have taught them this : notionall knowledge in this is best . 32. that i grieve not the holy spirit . every day to watch that i quench not , nor grieve the holy spirit . grieve not the holy spirit , ephes . 4. 30. weequench and grieve the spirit , when we neglect the motions thereof , & sleight the comforts of the spirit , and seek comfort from the flesh , and feed upon lusts , when we spend our thoughts to content the outward man , & use spirituall thing● for carnall ends , or father the worke o● the flesh upon the spirit , or sleight gods way , allow of any sinne in my selfe , or others , to plot or contrive sinne , or cavill against any truth , or doe duties in my own strength , omit duty , or sleightly performe it , to neglect or sleight the graces of the spirit in any , or despise a saint for his infirmities , and the like . 33. to take notice of gods mercies . every day to take notice of gods mercies to us , and others , and to acknowledge gods goodnesse for them ; in all things give thanks , 1 thes . 5. 14. 34. to be thankfull . every day will i blesse thee , and praise thy name , ps . 145. 2. 35. to grow in grace . every day to grow in grace and knowledge , 2 pet. 3. 18. 36. present condition is best . every day to beleeve my present state and condition of soule and body to be best for me ; we know that all things worke together for good to them that love god , rom. 8. 28. 37. to cast my care upon god. every day to cast all my care upon god , in the use of meanes , phil. 4 ▪ 6. 38. to look for death . every day to desire to dye , and to look for death ; all the dayes of my appointed time will i waite till my change come , job 14. 14. 39. to know my selfe . every day to observe my profiting in religion , 2 pet. 3. 18. 40. to take notice of our failings . every day to take notice of my sinnes , omissions , and commissions , to be humbled by them , and more watchfull for the future against them , and to live the life of faith in all infirmities , as if i had never sinned , living all the day long in the sweet injoyment of the love of god , and so to lie downe in the apprehension and sweet injoyment of it . finally , brethren , whatsoever things are true , whatsoever things are honest , whatsoever things are just , whatsoever things are pure , whatsoever things are lovely , whatsoever things are of good report , if there be any vertue , if there be any praise , thinke on these things , those things which yee have both learned , received , and heard , ( from the lord jesus christ , that ) doe , and the god of peace shall be with you . some considerations against sinne , which are necessary to prevent sinne . 1. consider , it 's gods command that wee avoyd sinne , and subdue it , rom. 6. the command of god ought to be wonderfull powerfull in us , and over us , and did wee know the majesty and authority of the command of an infinite and eternall god , we neither could nor would doe that he forbids to be done . 2. know , it 's the worke of god to subdue the least sinne , we cannot do it of our selves , therefore christ saith , without me yee can doe nothing , joh. 15. 5. yet we are to use the meanes he appoints against sinne , and to strive against it in his strength , and alwayes resist sinne and satan . 3. consider sinne in the nature of it , and in the root and fruit of it ; the want of a true sight of sinne , is a cause why men love sinne , and sleepe so securely in it . 4. consider , sinne is the price of bloud , mat. 27. 6. 5. consider , there is nothing in sinne why we should desire it , there is no true sweetnesse in sinne , no true contentment and satisfaction there : the fruit sinne beares is miserable destruction at the best , is wounds , sorrow , bitternesse , shame , &c. i appeale to your experience , what fruit have yee ever found come of ●inning ? did it not fill you with horror , or rob you of peace , or disable you for the service of god , &c. what fruit had you of those things whereof you are now ashamed ? rom. 6. 21. pro. 23. 8. sinne fights against your soules , 1 pet. 2. 11. it disgraces the truth , grieves the saints , by it we doe what we can to destroy others , harden their hearts , and hinder them of receiving the truth , incourage men in sinne , and open their mouths against god , and his truth and servants . 6. be sure you avoyd the occasions of sin , as evill company , psal . 119. 63. pro. 13. 20. & 6. 9. places and provocations of sin , idlenesse , carnall joy , excesse in apparell , shut your eyes , stop your eares , take heed to thy tongue , take heed of excesse in eating and drinking , and pampering the body : some have so pampered their bodies , that they could not rule them , their want herein hath caused them to want no sorrow , and such as avoyd not the occasions of sinne , let them not looke to be preserved from sinne ; walke circumspectly , not as fooles , but as wise , ephes . 5. 15. 7. aske advice of fit persons , and crave the prayers of such as are the lords , that thou maist withstand sinne , and satan , and get others to watch over you , that you order your steps by his word , psal . 119. 133. receive reproofe willingly , and profitably , and thankfully . 8. indeavour to know satans stratagems , be not ignorant of his enterprises , he useth to double his assaults when he is resisted , that so he might perswade men , the more he is resisted , the more they shall fall into sinne , as if it were in vaine to resist him , but resist and give no place to the devill , eph. 4. 27. jam. 4. 7. if yee yeeld to satan now , it will be the harder to deny him the next time . 9. consider your relation and station , art thou partaker of the promises of christ , ephes . 3. 10. an heire of christ , a fellow-citizens of the saints , and of the houshold of god , eph. 2. 19 ? oh then doe not so dishonor christ , to take a member of christ and make it a member of satan , to serve sinne , this were a great wrong to christ ; we were sometimes darknesse , but now we are light in the lord , walke as children of the light , ephes . 5. 8. and seeing we are the sonnes and daughters of god , gal. 4. 6. kings and priests to god , rev. 5. 10. it is wonderfull unsutable for such to sinne , for that were to serve satan , and doe his drudgery , eph. 4. 20. yee have not so learned christ , eph. 4. 17. this i say and restifie in the lord , that yee henceforth walke not as the gentiles walke , in the vanitie of their minds . christ gave himselfe for his , that they should be holy , tit. 2. 14. rom. 6. 10. see 1 joh. 3. 2. 2 cor. 6. 18. wee were chosen to be holy , therefore i may not sinne , ephes . 1. 4. rom. 8. 29. 10. consider the eye of god is ever upon you , heb. 4. 14. pro. 15. 3. & 16. 6. 11. let the love of christ constraine you to hate and oppose every evill way . 12. nourish the motions of the spirit , quench not the spirit , walke in the spirit , and yee shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh , gal. 5. 16. nourish zeale and hatred against every sinne . 13. examine your selves and wayes daily , keepe your heart as your life , pro. 4. 23. reforme the inside , job 14. 4. and satan shall not prevaile . 14. consider the shortnesse of time we have here to live , our time is short , also the pleasures of sinne are but for a season , heb. 11. 25. 15. know your interest in christ , and profit by affliction , both which destroys sinne . 16. hearken unto the noyse of conscience , if conscience saith , doe it not , hearken unto it , doe it not , lest conscience be silent , and yee hardened . 17. when the pleasure of sinne is presented unto thee , present to thy thoughts the sting sinne will leave behinde it , with the many evils that attend it , also present to thy selfe , a greater and better pleasure and sweetnesse , which is thine , and that thou , if thou be the lords , shall injoy for ever with him , oh minde home , and what is there , pleasures for evermore ; set your affections on things above , where your crowne of glory is , 1 cor. 9. 24. such as thinke on the supposed pleasure and sweetnesse of sinne are deceived and inshared by it , but give no eare to the lying noyse of sinne and satan , they have faire pretences for a foole , as pro. 23. 2. as that you may be saved notwithstanding , or resist it the next time , but oh the deceitfulnesse of sinne . 18. pray to god earnestly and constantly for strength against sinne , with thankfulnesse for any preservation from sinne : watch and pray at the first approach of sinne , change thy object and fall to prayer , phil. 4. 6. 19. beleeve god will give thee strength and subdue all thy iniquities , in his time thou shalt overcome them , be not discouraged , if thou beest sometime too weake , give not over , continue resisting , in due time thou shalt prevaile , beleeve your prayers shall be answered , and that as there is strength enough in christ to subdue sinne , and that you shall injoy it ; we are never overcome by sinne , but by reason of the weaknesse of faith : therefore above all , take the shield of faith , eph. 6. 16. eph. 4. 12 , 13. 20. apply sutable promises against sinne , consider eph. 5. 5 , 6 , 7. rom. 6. 11. psal . 119. 6. god hath said , sinne shall not reigne over you , rom. 6. do as mat. 17. 21. the lord will preserve you from every evill worke , and preserve you till he bring you to glory . the necessitie , excellency , and benefit of prayer . the lord our god hath commended prayer to be a helpe to us in all our necessities , and that we might love it , and improve it to his glory and our good , saying , aske and it shall be given you , mat. 7. 7. call upon me in the day of trouble , and i will deliver you , isa . 50. 15. prayer hath great promises annexed unto it , james 4. & 5. mat. 7. it procures wisdome , james 1. 5. the spirit of grace is given to such as pray . luk. 11. 13. it quickens the graces of god in us , it 's a remedy against all evils , joh. 3. 8. 10. psal . 107. prayer is a means to fit us for those good things our soules desire , jam. 1. 5. consider exod. 14. 15 , 16. jonah 2. 1. 10. it hath healed the sicke , and raised the dead , unloosed chains , and unlocked prisons , and delivered the saints of old , act. 12. 5. 7. 11. and of late , and put in persecutors in their places . it hath set free the lambes , and shut up the wolves ; we may truly say , the lord hath slaine og , king of basan , for his mercie indures for ever . and prayer caused the sunne to goe backe , yea to stand still , josh . 10. 12. by it we beare great burdens , and are made better by them : understand me of prayer in faith : by it jacob prevailed with god , hos . 14. 3 , 4. god delights to heare his pray , song 2. 14. by it we draw neere to god , and have communion with him , and in a sort are familiar with god , and know his minde , it ingageth gods power and truth . prayer is the most universall helpe , it is good for all , and at all times , in all things , and is most easie and ready to the lords , in all places , in all times . would you doe good to your brethren , friends , enemies , frequent and improve this spirituall and heavenly dutie . concerning the duty of prayer . to prayer three things are necessary , 1. a spirituall disposition before ; 2. a spirituall behaviour in , 3. and a spirituall carriage after . the first includes preparation to this duty . that preparation is a dutie god requires , consider , 1. god commande it . god saith , i will be sanctified in them that draw neere me , levit. 10. 3. prepare to meet thy god , amos 4. 12. prepare your hearts unto the lord , 1 sam. 7. 3. prepared for every good worke , 2 tim. 2. 21. 2. the saints have practised it . jehosaphat prepared his heart to seek god , 2 chron. 19. 3. ezra prepared his heart , ezra 7. 10. o god my heart is fixed . object . this is gods worke . answ . true ; thou wilt prepare their hearts , o god , psal . 10. 17. in the use of meanes . 3. there are promises annexed to preparation . if thou prepare thy heart , &c. see job 11. 13. see what is promised vers . 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19. an evill not to doe it . and rehoboam did evill , because he prepared not his heart to seeke the lord , 2 chron. 12. 14. what preparation is in generall ? preparation , it is an holy consideration of god , with whom we have to doe , and how unfit wee are to have so neere communion with him , that our spirits may be composed , and our whole man rightly disposed , craving his strength to inable us to a right performing of this holy dutie . in particular . 1. for the person , he must be accepted , must be a sonne , rom. 8. 15. also all that pray , ought to put away all wrath , strife , envie , &c. god esteems so highly of peace , that he will have his service stay till it be accomplished , mark. 11. 25. mat. 5. 24. therefore we should take heed , that there be no such distempers found in us by him who knows our hearts , for it will choake conscience , and weaken our boldnesse with god ; if we regard iniquitie , god will not heare our prayers , psal . 66. 18. such as love their sins , god loatheth their prayers ; the prayer of the wicked is abomination to god : god looks at the heart . christ saith , when thou prayest , forgive : such a forgive not others , pray without life . 2. prize prayer , have it in that esteeme which god puts upon it , god hath honoured prayer , so that every one that useth it is the better for it ; for every one that asketh receiveth , mat. 7. 8. 3. set times apart for to pray , and separate thy selfe to some place where thou maist be alone , and out of the hearing of others , if thou canst , that so thou maist freely powre out thy soule to god without hypocrisie ; for a mans desire he will separate himselfe , pro. 18. 1. christ chose a time before day , early in the morning , and one of the places he chose was a wildernesse , mark. 1. 35. sometimes a mountaine , and a garden , and when that cannot be had , he faith , when thou prayest enter into thy closet , &c. wee should so pray and worship god , as men set free from all other things . so we need avoyd all occasions of hypocrisie ; hypocrites stand in corners of the streets , because they love to be seene of men . 4. before thou prayest , spend a little time , some thoughts concerning what god is , and what may raise thy heart , and incourage thee to draw neere to god. consider what be thy chiefe wants , lets , temptations , corruptions , also to consider the sutable promises of a supply fits the soule to pray : also to consider what mercies we have received above others , and what cause wee have to be thankfull to god. 5. prayer requires our ends to be holy , and right placed , as to injoy god , and for grace to obey him : and last and least of all , for such things as chiefly concerne our selves , as peace , &c. if the end be nought , or good , and not right placed , we aske amisse , jam. 4. 6. deny thy selfe and come empty headed , hearted , handed , of all that is thy own , that god and his grace may be all in all : emptinesse raiseth our hearts in prayer . 7. mind thy own inabilitie to doe any thing that is spirituall , and looke up to christ by faith for strength , eying his promise ; we are no more able to pray or doe any spirituall worke of our selves , then to remove a mountaine at once . 8. consider god in his attributes , that he is great , gracious , mercifull , slow to anger , &c. and that he is so to thee , and that he is neere thee , yea present with thee ; all in god is ready to helpe his , his ocean of grace cannot be exhausted , spent , his fountaine doth nothing decay , though multitudes draw from it . 9. when thou comest to god , thinke thou canst not have too high thoughts of god , nor too low ones of thy selfe : dust and ashes , gen. 18. 27. a worme , corruption , so job . thou canst not set god high enough , nor thy selfe low enough ; if we could see our own filth , we should stinke worse then the filthiest carrion in our own nostrils . 10. come to god with a heart that is large & chearfull , by faith in assurance of person and prayer accepted , hate suspitions and jealousies of god , see ps . 65. 2. & 7. 7. 4. 7. aske chearfully : such as goe not chearfully to god , know not what a god they go to , say to thy soule , come , o soule , rejoyce , be chearfull , for thou art a going to thy god. 11. be abased under thy pride , formalitie , coldnesse , dulnesse , deadnesse , and breake through all impediments to goe to god in prayer . 12. empty thy selfe of all distractions , cares , and clogs of spirit , that thou maist be free when thou comest to god , hold thy heart close to god , in love , zeale , meeknesse , &c. 13. observe fit times and seasons to goe to god in , yet prefer that season wherein god and thy own heart sends thee to prayer before a set time , imbrace it gladly and quickly , so sweet a motion of the spirit , put it not by till another time ; i prevented the dawning of the morning , and cryed , psal . 119. 147. with mark. 1. 35. 14. be sensible of others wants , especially for such as are the lords , that you may pray with a feeling of their necessities . 15. pray for grace to stirre thee up to pray , and fit thee with sutable matter , sutable to the occasion , either for the church , thy selfe , or others , and to enliven us in all , abhorre forme and fashion , pray not in print , they are deadly enemies to spiritualnesse ; pray from an inward feeling and sensiblenesse of thy wants : book-prayers is such a crutch , as it makes them that use it quite lame ; we are not so much to looke to a set order of words , as to a well ordered heart ; weak expressions in uprightnesse of heart , the lord likes well , but if there be nothing but well framed sentences , god abhorres them . 16. above all come to god in faith , rom. 10. 14. how shall they call on him on whom they have not beleeved ? see heb. 11. 6. jam. 1. 6. mark. 11. 24. this is the most spirituall grace to come to god with above all other , no other save this can fasten upon a promise , thou canst not see god without faith ; whatsoever thou needst , beleeve that promise , every one that asketh receiveth , mat. 7. 8. christs incense and odors of his sacrifice , rev. 8. 4. is for him that beleeves . faith gives force and life to prayer , it troubles not satan to make a thousand prayers full of teares , if they be without faith ; according to our faith , so is our prayer , rom. 8. 38. faint faith , faith prayers ; prayer without faith is but beating the ayre ; according to thy faith , be it unto thee . consider mat. 21. 22. all things are possible to him that beleeves , mark. 9. 22. let him aske in faith , saith james , nothing wavering ; that is , in a certain assurance to be heard , and that his request shall be granted , jam. 1. 6. 17. read and meditate before prayer , if time will permit , for the better preparing our hearts thereunto . the graces of the spirit , uprightnesse , purenesse , thankfulnesse , integritie , soundnesse of heart , and the like , these will inable , inliven and fit thee to pray . these well observed , and god blessing them , will fill thee with heavenly affection , and rid thee of thy own inventions , manner , and ends , &c. oh all yee sonnes and daughters of the most high , in this fulness go forth to meet your god with joy and full assurance of a supply of what yee need . concerning a right manner , and spirituall behaviour in the duty of prayer ; observe , 1. fix thy mind and faith upon god in the flesh of christ , who is god with us , and neere us , else he cannot be comprehended by us , eye the flesh of our advocate , united to the deity , and hold the eye of thy faith upon it , ( all the while thou art in prayer ) which gives life and strength to prayer , else thy prayer is but a morall devotion , a meere shadow ; by the flesh of christ so united , we have union with god , and accesse to god , which else could not ; and the more our faith layeth hold upon this flesh of christ so united to the divinitie , and we also by it , the more the ordinance imparts gods goodnesse unto the soule , for whatsoever vertue there is in any thing , it 's conveyed by application , and touching of it ; that whereby wee touch god is our faith , which never toucheth him , but it draweth vertue from him : but that in which our happinesse consists , is our union with the divinitie by christs humanitie , which is full , and admits not of any degrees . 2. pray in knowledge , and not in ignorance , joh. 5. 14. 3. watch and pray against satans discouragements , sloath , ease , vanitie of minde , that if it were possible , no vaine thought might come in all the while . 4. pray as thy present state , condition , and frame of spirit requires . 5. strive for the best affections thou canst in prayer , & those ravishing , which may carry thee furthest from thy selfe , and neerest to communion with god , and looke to the bottome upon which thy affections stand , as faith , and inward grace , and eying a promise ; serve god with all thy might , courage , & strength , with frequency and fervency , for time , zeale , & intention , long prayers oft dead others affection ; it 's good to pray briefly , and often , as christ , mat. 26. 39. consider what others can beare , minde the time , occasion , and season ; in long prayers , we must take heed of custome , superstition , and ambition , and in short , of prophanenesse and carelesnesse ; whether long or short , you must pray with affection , as joy , desires and griefe . 6. when thou prayest to one in the deity , mind all three , and sever them not , the object of our worship must be the union of the flesh with the trinitie . 7. give god all thy heart , and see that thy heart and tongue goe together all the while , and observe when , and in what the heart draws backe , &c. 8. if thou canst , observe gods order , first , expresse gods greatnesse , next his goodnesse , and his goodnesse to thee , his large love , and thy ill requiting him ; be thankfull for former mercies , 1 chron. 15. 13. seeke and aske spirituall blessings before earthly , &c. if time will permit , confesse thy sins freely to god , with inward griefe , and in faith beg , the spirit of supplication and mourning , zech. 12. 10. and let all mourning flow from faith of thy person accepted , and sinnes forgiven , or else all thy mourning and teares are worth nothing , and no better then the howllng of a dog , but that mourning which flowes from faith of pardon , is a sweet grace , and an acceptable sacrifice to god. in thankesgiving , it is fit we should be as much and as large in it , as in requests , be as ready to be thankfull for mercies thou hast , as to aske new ones , spirituall , temporall , &c. be thankfull for all , to thee , thine , and others , and thou shalt not be barren , for either matter or manner , wee ought to be more ready to be thankfull , then to crave what wee want , wee should prefer . god before our selves . in supplication , aske the spirit of prayer , to pray in the holy spirit , and in understanding , &c. and aske all graces , and temporall things in faith , and a blessing upon all , and be content to be at gods dispose in all , and wait gods time , know if god heareth thee not in that kinde thou desirest , he intends that which is better for thee in stead thereof ; god hath not absolutely promised thee measure of grace , and temporall things in particular , and so sometimes denies them in love to his , because not fit for them , therefore aske with submission . adde fervency and importunitie , as one loth to be sent away empty , and let thy earnestnesse be according to the degrees of goodnesse of things prayed for , or of thy necessitie of them . the life of prayer consists in the heat of earnest and fervent desires , rom. 15. 30. & 8. 16. psal . 143. 6. of a cold prayer , expect not more then a cold answer ; if a righteous mans prayer be not fervent , it will not prevaile , jam. 5. oh lord , give me what i come for , cease not knocking till yee speed : what we need wee have in god , and this is ours ( oh sweet love ) turne feares into hopes , complaints into prayers , and thy lamentations into supplications , and christ will turne thy darknesse into light , and thy deadnesse into life , thy bondage into libertie , and thy weaknesse into strength . covet the best measure of grace , and rest in that measure god thinks best forthee ; pray often , 2 cor. 12. 10. see isa . 26. 26 , 27. be thankfull to god in prayer for what thou obtainest from god by prayer , and in prayer use that gesture that most befits the duty , and most befits thee for the dutie , weigh it well , consider the weaknesse of thy body , yet abhorre unreverence in prayer , both in soule and body , acts 7. 60. concerning a spirituall carriage after prayer . 1. as soone as the dutie is ended , especially if inlarged and before others , eye some one or more of thy defects ( in prayer ) to keepe thy soule humble , and also eye what was of god in dutie , to the end thou maist be thankfull , and not dejected and overcome in viewing thy weaknesses and distempers : view all the parts of thy prayer , how it was performed ( if thou canst ) both for matter , manner , heart and affection , and consider what feelings , desires , comforts god gave thee in prayer : take heed thou doest not over-like thy prayers , nor thinke that god dislikes them , because thou seest not what thou shouldst in thy prayers . 2. renounce all that is our owne in prayer , feelings , hopes , affections , zeale ; as they are the ordinance of god , so i prise them , but as they are acts of mine , they stinke in my nostrils , yet the lords fire shall heat me , my power is perfected in my infirmity : very gladly will i be under infirmitie , that his power may be magnified in me , 2 cor. 12. 8 , 9. 3. watch that satan wound thee not with thy prayers ; if thou beest in any measure sensible of sinne , thy defects in dutie , satan is ready to tell thee , if thou hadst the spirit of god , then shouldst thou have the spirit of prayer , and if thou hadst it , it should be otherwise with thee then it is , but if the soule consent to what he saith to be true , yee both agree to wound thy faith and confidence in god , not onely for an answer of thy prayer , but of thy persons acceptance . nay , rather charge all upon thy corruption and want of preparation , & exercise of grace , and be the more carefull and watchfull for time to come , and learne to distinguish between a nullity and a defect ; and in a word , if thou art sensible of thy sin in praying , and art sorry for it , thy imperfection is passed by , and thou doest not pray in fashion . the spirit of god discovers deadnesse , indisposition , and unbeliefe , and the like in prayer , flesh and bloud cannot discover these , and the spirit of god onely makes the conscience tender and pliable . 4. let the frame of thy spirit be alwayes thankfull and chearfull after prayer , whether thou beest inlarged or straitned , inwardly or outwardly , alone or with others ; for when thou art at the best , thou standst in need of a jesus , looke upward then by faith upon thy advocate , and when thy defects are most , and thou art at the worst , will not the same jesus save thee ? yea surely , and if thou groundest thy comfort upon a right bottome rightly , thy comfort and the cause of it is the same ; because christ is the same , heb. 13. 8. and if christ be thine , shall not he disanull all thy sinnes as well as one , seeing he is able and willing ? but this is the childrens bread , this pearle is not to be cast to swine . 5. if in prayer thy heart have been opened and inlarged , thy faith strengthned , and thy conscience eased , &c. count it a sweet mercy , be thankfull to god for all ; for want of taking notice of gods goodnesse , and thankfulnesse for it , it is just in stead of light to possesse darknesse , and for feeling to finde deadnesse , &c. 6. presse after ( what thou hast prayed for ) in the use of meanes , pro. 2. 3 , 4 , 5. there is the prayer , indeavour , and blessing . as he that makes prayer the end of his prayer , rests in his prayer , and prayes to no purpose : so he that doth not in good earnest pursue with zeale and conscience the grace & good things he prays for , ioseth his prayer . the saints pray to put their prayers in practise , & we tempt god to aske that wee use not meanes to attaine , our indeavours must second our prayers , pro. 20. 4. it is for hypocrites to pray and returne to their lusts with more freedome , as if they intended to have libertie to sinne . such prayers are odious to god : take we heed that what we build up with prayer , wee pull not downe by our practice , by remisnesse , sleightnesse , frothinesse of spirit , it had been well if this knowledge had not been experimentall , but a word is sufficient to the wise . 7. expect and wait patiently for a full answer of thy prayers in gods time and way , consider psal . 40. 1. rev. 3. 10. hab. 2. 2 , 3. wee should be loth to lose any part of the answer of our prayers , and that we may wait , wee must first be sure we have a promise that wee shall speed , that wee may feed our minds with the meditation of it : this is necessary , for the time of fulfilling may be long , lest wee faint , psal . 147. 11. psal . 135. 6 , 7. have patience and tary ; that comes hardly , is oft most prized , but lightly come , lightly goe : god knows the fittest season to doe us good , take not a delay for a deniall , many things god hath promised , he hath not set down the time or yeare , but when it 's best for us , let god alone for the time , and ye shall see what god will do . watch we what event our prayers have , and observe gods dealings with our selves , and others , both with his , and his enemies : and be thankfull for any answer of prayers . the saints are often afflicted , that they may often pray , and that often praying , they might pull downe many benefits from the lord , and returne many praises unto him ; wee sinne against god , and hurt our selves for want of thankfulnesse . for hearing the word . 1. labour to be informed of the excellency and preciousnesse of the mercy to heare the word , and that no treasure of this world is like it for goodnesse , beautie , and truth , there is nothing like the word , it informes , convinces , comforts , what comfort is like to this , if the heart be not lost in profits , pleasures , forth and ease ? 2. prize the word , 1 pet. 2. 3. above all things we prize precious things , and for such as love their lusts , let them consider ezek. 14. 7 , 8. 3. heare not for noveltie , &c. but let your ends be good in obedience to god , to know and practise . 4. deny thy selfe , thy own wisdome , see the lord in all , be a foole that thou maist be wise ; set god above all , and say , speake lord , for thy servant heareth . 5. come in faith , beleeve god can speake in particular to thee , whether weake or strong , and supply thy wants , micah 2. 7. to the end , isa . 48. 17. eye the promise ; if any man will doe his will , he shall know whether the doctrine be of god or no , joh. 7. 17. heare and your soules shall live , isa . 55. 3. beleeve the promises , meditate on them , plead them , apply them as thy own portion , and rest satisfied and contented with them , they that have the promise are sure enough . 6. come with a resolution to learne and a heart resolved to practise what god saith ; say as david , psal . 119. 33 , 34. psal . 86. 11. and covet earnestly the best gifts , 1 cor. 12. 31. consider 1 cor. 12. 4. & 1 cor. 3. 4. 22. 7. come emptie in the sense of want , he filleth the hungry , but the full are sent emptie away , luk. 1. 51. pro. 27. 7. emptie of distractions , and worldly thoughts and affections , exod. 3. 5. emptie of prejudice of man , gifts , or meanes , be humble , the humble he will teach , psal . 25. 9. 8. pray to god to prepare thy heart , and to open thy eyes , psal . 119. 18. shew me thy truth , and blesse it to me , pray that he that speakes may not seeke himselfe , and so rob god , and that he may speake as he ought to speake , col. 4. 4. in hearing , take heed to your eyes , eares , hearts , luk. 8. 18. ezek. 40. 4. 1. consider thou art in the presence of god , and consider job 21. 6. psal . 16. 8. acts 10. 33. 2. attend diligently , isa . 55. 23. watch that nothing come between thee and it , sleepe not , wander not , gaze not , luk. 8. 18. consider act. 8. 6. and the people with one accord gave heed to those things that philip spake . 3. heare for thy selfe , and mind especially that which most concernes thee . 4. heare with understanding and judgement , mat. 13. 13. mat. 15. 10. joh 21. 11. put a difference between truth and error , the simple beleeveth every word , prov. 14. 15. take heed what yee heare , mark. 4. 24. and whom yee heare , and how yee heare . 5. if thou canst , observe the methode and scope of the speaker to helpe memorie . 6. heare with thy heart and affection , as one that longeth for it . 7. mixe the word with faith , beleeve it , obey it , beleeve it 's true , and thine , ● pet. 2. 3. if tasted . 8. heare it as the word of god , or else it can doe thee no good , see 1 thes . 2. 13. apprehend and digest well what gods soveraigntie of god is in a command , and the tie of obedience of the creature to god meanes ; consider the insolency of the creatures that dare reject the word of the lord. come buy and eate , isai . 55. 1. buy gold , &c. rev. 3. 18 forsake all , mat. 19. 27. if thou seekest her as silver , pro. 2. 4 , 5. hearken and eate , isa . 55. 2. in eating is required appetite , chewing , taste , relish , pleasure and delight , nehe. 9. 25. let the word sinke downe , luk. 9. 44. hide it in your hearts , psal . 119. 11. after hearing . 1. if god hath manifested himselfe any way in his word , be thankfull , oh that the lord should reveale himselfe to me , and not unto the world , joh. 14. 22. consider mat. 13. 17. psal . 147. 20. 1 cor. 14. 25. 2. hold fast that thou hast , lose it not in the ayre of the world , let nothing rob thee of it , let memory call upon consciscience , and conscience upon thee . 3. examine and prove what yee have heard , as 1 thes . 5. 21. acts 17. 11. and consider acts 8. 34. rom. 3. 8. 4. what good soever thou receivest , give glory to god , not to man , for he is but as an instrument in the hand of god , he that planteth and watereth is nothing , but god it is that gives the increase , 1 cor. 3. 7. it is not in the graces of men . also consider acts 8. 1. with acts 11. 19. 21. nor learning , for acts 4. 13. so then god doth all . 5. muse and meditate on what thou hast heard , thinke on these things , phil. 4. 8. deut. 3. 39. shee pondered , luk. 2. 19. meditation helps memory and affection , and works an inward feeling of it , if god blesse it , but if we meditate not on it , it doth us no good . 6. apply what thou hast heard to thy occasions , which are many . 7. practice what thou hast heard , this is the end of hearing , deut. 5. 1. mat. 7. 26 , 27. wee have no benefit by it , if wee practise it not , jam. 1. 25. god lookes for fruit , if we injoy meanes , isa . 5. 2. mat. 21. 34. luk. 13. 7. where much is given , much is required , luk. 12. 48. see joh. 8. 47. job . 12. 40. practice presently ; i made haste and delayed not , psal . 1. 19. 60. gen. 7. 23. with 22. 3. abraham went presently ; that which we put off till hereafter is seldome done . consider pro. 24. 33 , 34. many motions through delay have come to nothing : they were not to stay , but to step in presently as soone as the angel stirred the water , joh. 5. 4. 8. omit not opportunities , for thou knowest not whether god will blesse this or that , eccl. 11. 6. concerning reading . to read with profit requires diligence , wisdome , preparation , meditation , conference , faith , practise , prayer . for the first consider pro. 2. 12. mat. 13. 54. 2. wisdome is necessary for the choice of matter , order , time ; for the matter , it must be sutable to our necessities and capacities ; for order , first that which concerns the foundation , and after the building : also order is a helpe to memory and understanding , and for want of order , some read much , but profit little : also wisdome must difference the fittest time to read in respect of other businesse : god hath made every thing beautiful in its time , eccle. 3. 11. 3. preparation requires , first humilitie , and a sensiblenesse of our own insufficiency , to teach our selves , and prayer to god to teach us , and to give us sound judgements and good affections . secondly , faith in christ , for him to open the booke that is sealed , and the heart also beleeving he will blesse his meanes unto us . thirdly , a heart prepared to learne , pro. 17. 16. such as received the word with a good & an honest heart , brought forth fruit , luk. 8. wherefore is there a price in the hand of a foole to get wisdome , seeing he hath no heart to it ? after wee have reade , meditate . meditation makes that we have read to be our own ; blessed is he that meditateth in the law day and night , psal . 1. 2. and unlesse by meditation the judgement be refined and setled , and worke it upon our affections , and lay up what we reade in our minds , all our reading and hearing will come to nothing . conference with others , who are able to direct us , is necessary to informe us in what we understand not . the word must be mixed with faith , else it profiteth us nothing , heb. 4. 2. luk. 18. 18. the end of reading is to practise , and the best way to know is practise ; he that will doe his will , he shall know it . without prayer we cannot well use the meanes , nor expect a blessing by them , 1 cor. 2. david prayed and praised god , blessed art thou , o lord , teach me thy statutes , psal . 119. he that profits by hearing and reading . 1. he must have his mind turned to christ , and fixed upon him in his word , as psal . 119. 15. mark. 7. 14. he must beleeve , and he shall know . 2. he must not be wise in his own eyes ; the humble he will teach , psal . 34. psal . 119. 3. pray continually , 1 thes . 5. 4. search the scriptures , joh. 5. 39. 5. his end must be good , 1 cor. 10. 31. 6. he must love the word , psal . 119. 7. he must resolve to obey , john 7. 17. of meditation . meditation is a serious reviving of those truths we have heard , or the administrations of god towards us or others , of that which we know , wee further debate upon it , that both mind and heart being seasoned with the savour thereof ( in applying it to our selves , that wee may have some use of it in our practise ) and be furthered thereby to dutie . in which the memory is exercised to remember some things past , also the understanding gathering some other things , as namely in finding out the causes , fruits , properties , as when a man meditateth on the word , remembreth and museth on it , so going from point to point , applying generally some things unto himselfe , and wisely examining how the case stands between the lord and himselfe , in those things whereby he hath his heart thereby stirred up to put some things in practise . the worke wrought in the affections , is that they are framed , either to love or hatred , joy or sorrow , love , feare , according to the diversitie of the thing , with the reasonable part , hath seriously considered of . of the excellency of meditation . meditation is a pondering in the heart , a considering , a weighing with our selves ; by meditation we retaine truths , and are inriched by them , and it makes them sweet unto us , by it we ascend up to heaven ; it 's the life of all meanes , the way to knowledge , the mother of wisdome , it refines the judgement , and cuts off errors within and without , it increaseth love , it makes the mercy of god fresh unto us , it is the life of hearing , reading , conference , praying , &c. by it all meanes are made profitable unto us , it reveales truth to us , and acquaints us with our selves , it makes all to become our owne , it removes lets , and settles truths upon our spirit , it breeds good affections , and quickens them , and makes us profitable to others , and makes things easie & sweet unto us , and fires the soule with love , it helpeth the memory , and stirres up affection , and filles us with experiences , and inableth us to apply it to our owne use , and benefit of others . judge then how usefull this duty is , and what a treasure we forgoe when we neglect it . before meditation . 1. reade and conferre with reverence and diligence , psal . 119. reading the word fits us to meditate on it . 2. be sure thou hast fit texts or occasions of matter forelaid , sutable to thy wants , and spirits , provide matter sutable , of all sorts , precepts , promises , &c. be not barren of fit matter to meditate on , fit for thy necessitie and capacitie . 3. choose a fit time , the morning is the fittest time for religious duties , and noon , and evening , day and night , psal . 1. 3. we ought to frequent this duty , for the morning , psal . 119. 147. mark. 1. 35. for the night , vers . 148. in the morning our memories are the quickest and strongest , and our selves the readiest to conceive things , our naturall powers being revived , have the greatest libertie ; at night we are more dull and heavie : idolaters will rise early in the morning to worship an idoll . oh that we were so wise to prevent the morning light , psal . 119. 147. mary came early to the sepulchre , mat. 28. the holy spirit came upon them in the morning , act. 2. it was the third houre of the day : consider jer. 7. 13. joh. 8. 2. mat. 21. 28. 4. separate thy selfe to this worke ; for a mans desire he will separate himselfe , pro. 18. 2. 5. choose a fit place , as for prayer , so for meditation , where thou maist not be disturbed by any thing . 6. love the word of god , and meditation will follow , psal . 119. what we love , we thinke on , love drawes our affections , according to the love we have to any thing , so accordingly is our pleasure , study , and delight in it . 7. beleeve god will blesse it unto thee . 8. pray to god to blesse it unto thee . in meditation . 1. looke up to god and mourne for thy estrangement of spirit from holy things , which should be familiar , and bend thy selfe ( after separation of thy thoughts from frothy things ) to consider seriously of the truths set before thee , and looke up to god for strength to resist a hard wandering dead defiled heart , which makes thee weary of the worke of god. 2. let the word of god be the object of thy meditation , psal . 1. 2. psal . 119. 99. and from generals proceed to particulars . 3. meditate but of one thing at once , and at one time , and observe order , 1. travell with our memories ; 2. judgement ; 3. our affections , before we come to make use of it in our hearts : after our memories , let thy judgement consider what weight the thing is of , & how it concerns gods glory , our selves , or others , and whether we have it at all , or in such a measure as we need , and may have ; how we came by it , what are the lets of getting and injoying it , and how they may be removed , what meanes are to be used to attaine it , both for manner , measure , end , time ; and having so done , rest not in overfights , but stirre up and provoke our affections accordingly , and so worke it upon our hearts . take an instance , when we come to make use of that we meditate of in our hearts and affections , thus put case it be some speciall promise , how happie were i if i could injoy it , what things here below are like unto it ? then proceed to remove all the objections and temptations against it , lay all in the promise , and hold the promise untill thou canst sucke sweetnesse out of it , till faith and comfort issue in thy soule ; if any should do all this , unlesse god adde his blessing , & with his almighty power blesse meanes to us , all is nothing , yet wee must use the meanes . 4. if in meditation , thy minde rove and wander after other matters , as soone as thou perceivest it , sigh deeply to god , and fall to prayer to be established , from whence satan & our corruptions would draw us , and having desired the lord to deliver thee from a vaine , light , and frothy spirit , &c. fall to meditation againe . after meditation . 1. wee must ever be mindfull to be humble and thankfull . 2. the more thou meetest with the lord in this way , let it more incourage thee to frequent it , and make it a great part of thy communion with god , and be as joyfull when god hath blessed it unto thee , as any can be when they finde a mine of gold , or great spoyle . directions for the understanding of the sense of the letter of the scriptures . 1. when the word ( one god ) is expressed , the father , and the holy spirit is included , as appeares in joh. 17. 3. 2. all the attributes or workes of god are proper to any of the three without exception of any of them , so christ is said to create the worlds , heb. 1. 2. 3. repentance in god , notes no change in god , ( who is immutable ) but in the thing or action . 4. the word ( of god ) notes authoritie , sometimes it notes onely excellency , as , psal . 1. 5. 17. 5. the scriptures must not be understood against christ , but for christ . 6. whatsoever is truly and soundly collected from scripture , is to be beleeved and rested upon , as well as that which is expresly written , yet no ordinance of christ , nor the administration of it , but it is plainly expressed in scripture , and depends not upon consequences , much lesse meanes . 7. it is usuall in scripture to attribute that to the instrument , that efficacy and force which belongs to the author , as 1 tim. 4. 16. rom. 3. 28. & 5. 4. deut. 5. 22. heb. 13. that good meanes may be respected , and bad sleighted . 8. in a parable , the minde , scope , and intention of the spirit of god is to be marked above all , it must be expounded and no further strained then things agree with the principall drift , as mat. 20. 1 , 2. the scope is , god is not a debtor to no man : straine no parable . 9. we may not interpret scripture by allegories , unlesse we be able to prove the allegoricall sense by some other place of scripture . 10. in interpreting scripture , we must take the sense from the word , and not bring one to it . 11. comparison of places together , darker with plainer , is the way to understand it . nehe. 8. 8. 12. there can be but one onely proper true sense of one place of scripture , which we are chiefly to search after , and rest in ; wee may not make every scripture speake every thing . 13. the literall sense of scripture which ariseth from the words duly understood , is the onely true and proper sense . 14. scriptures must be understood according to the largest extent of the words , except there be some restraint of them by the matter , phrase , and scope of them , ( as the word grace , 1 pet. 1. 13. ) or by some other place of scripture it appeares they must be restrained . 15. they must be expounded simply , according to the letter , except necessitie compell to depart from a literall sense to a figurative . 16. wee must not take a figurative speech properly , nor a proper speech figuratively , mat. 26. 26 , 27. this is my body , is a figurative speech ; it is a great servitude to take signes for things , of which words be but signes . 17. where there is a sentence in scripture , which hath a tropicall or borrowed word , we may not think the whole place figurative , as mat. 26. 28. 18. that which is said to one , must be understood to be said to all in the like case and condition , as appeares by comparing joshua 1. 5. with heb. 13. 5. for of the like things there is the like reason and judgement to be given , let the circumstances be considered wisely . 19. a particular example will afford a generall instruction , when the equitie of the thing done is universall , and the cause common , otherwise not . 20. the scripture puts upon dead things the person of such as speake , by a fiction of a person , ps . 19. the firmament speakes , &c. so rom. 19. 20 , 21. psal . 98. 7 , 8. by this manner of speech wee are moved to affect the things spoken , and more easily brought to understand them . 21. by bodily things the scripture leads and lifts us up to divine : thus a hand applied to god , signifieth his working power , so an eye , his knowledge , a heart his will , his foot his presence or government , wings , his care or protection , a mouth , his word or commandement , a finger , his might , and a soule put for the essence of god. 22. the scripture ascribes the names of things unto the similitudes and representations , as 1 sam. 28. 14 , 15. 23. that exposition that causeth an absurditie to follow , is a false exposition , rom. 4. 14. & 10. 14 , 15. 24. the word heart , is commonly put for the soule of man. 25. there is such a necessary and mutuall relation between faith , and christ the object , that where one of these is expressed alone , the other is included ; christ onely is the matter of our righteousnesse . 26. the scripture divers times expresses the antecedent by the consequent , rom. 9. 33. with isa . 28. 16. for not making haste in isaiah , paul saith , shall not be ashamed , shame & confusion being an effect which followeth haste . 27. the scripture useth one word twice in one sentence , with a different signification , joh. 4. 35. harvest is taken first for earthly , and in the latter place for spirituall harvest . so the word water in joh. 4. 13 , 14. first , elementary ; secondly , spiritually , viz. the graces of the spirit . 28. the word of commanding is often put for wishing , as , let thy kingdome come , ●hy name be hallowed , that is , oh that thy name were hallowed ; let him kisse me , song 1. 1. for oh that he would kisse me . 29. crying in scripture doth often betoken a strong noyse outwardly , but inwardly compunction and fervency of spirit and affection , rom. 8. 15. heb. 5. 7. 30. things proper to the body are ascribed unto the soule , as hunger & thirst , to declare the earnest desire of the soule ; because the soule is unknowne unto us , the scripture very oft speaketh of invisible things by visible , and shadoweth spirituall by corporall . 31. a hyperbole is sometimes in scripture , this kind of speech expresseth more then can be signified , by the proper acceptation of that speech it increaseth the truth , as gen. 13. 16. & 15. 5. the meaning is no more then that his posteritie shall be very great , as gen. 17. 4. so joh. 21. 25. 32. it is usuall in scripture to put ( all ) for many , 1 tim. 2. 3. mat. 3. all jerusalem , and mat. 4. 23. all diseases ; so on the other side , many is put for all , as rom. 5. 9. and whether all or many is meant , may be knowne by observing the matter handled . 33. nothing is for little , joh. 18. 20. also small and none for few , act. 27. 33. and alwayes for often . 34. the negative particle ( not ) is often put comparatively and respectively , not absolutely and simply , as hosea 6. not sacrifice , viz. rather then , or not sacrifice in respect of mercy , see jer. 32. 33. so not is put for seldome , luk. 2. 37. 35. the word ever or everlasting , doe not properly signifie eternitie , in every place where it is used , but great continuance , as psal . 32. 14. 36. in scripture the word ( untill ) doth not alwayes exclude the time following , but signifies an infinite time , or untill , viz. eternitie , 1 cor. 15. mat. 28. 28. mat. 5. 26. that is to say , never , and also a certaine limit of time . 37. the copulative particle ( and ) is often when it is not joyned to other matter , as psal . 4. ezek. 2. 1. & 5. 1. and so often else-where : also this particle therefore or then , is not alwayes illative or argumentative , rom. 8. 1. o● it coupleth words outwardly to that which the prophet heard inwardly . 38. the particle ( if ) is not alwayes a note of doubting , but of reasoning , as rom. 8. 31 : joel 1. 14. acts 8. 22. sometimes it notes the difficultie of the dutie , and sometimes the necessitie of the thing , and sometimes it is put for doubtingly , mat. 3. 14. 39. when a substantive is repeated or twice mentioned in one case , it signifieth emphasis or force , as lord , lord ; secondly , a multitude , as droves , droves , gen. 32. 16. many droves : thirdly , distribution , as 1 chron. 16. a gate , a gate , 2 chron. 19. 5. levit. 17. 3. a citie , and a citie , that is , every citie : fourthly , diversitie or varietie , as pro. 20. 20. a weight and a weight , that is , divers weights ; an heart and a heart , divers or a double heart . 40. a substantive , repeated in divers cases , if it be in the singular number , it argueth certainty , as sabbath of sabbath , lamentation of lamentation , micah 3. 4. if it be in the plurall number , it signifieth excellency , as eccl. 1. 1. vanitie of vanities , song of songs , cant. 1. god of gods , psal . 136. 2. king of kings , lord of lords , for most high and excellent . 41. repeating of an adjective , and of a substantive , sometimes signifies increasing , as holy , holy , holy , jehovah , jehovah , temple , temple , &c. 42. a verbe repeated or twice gone over in a sentence , makes a speech more significant , or else it shewes vehemency , certainty , speedinesse , as to dye , by dying , gen. 2. and is my hand shortened in shortening , isai . 30. 2. 43. a conjunction doubled , doth double the deniall , and increase it the more ; shall not perceive , mat. 13. 14. 44. a figurative speech affords matter to nourish our faith , as mat. 15. 35. 1 cor. 12. 12. acts 9. 4. 45. an ironie , which is when the contrary to that which is spoken is meant , carrieth with it a just reprehension of some sinnes , as gen. 3. last . judg. 10. 14. mark. 7. 9. 1 kings 22. 15. goe up and prosper , 1 king. 18. 27. 46. questions doe sometimes affirme an earnest affirmation , as gen. 4. 7. josh . 10. 13. joh. 4. 35. gen. 37. 13. 1 kings 20. 2. sometimes they signifie a forbidding , as , why should the gentiles say , where is their god ? psal . 79. 10. also 2 sam. 2. 22. and sometimes they argue affection of admiring , compassion , fault-finding , and complaining , as psal . 8. 10. isa . 1. 21. psal . 22. 1. 47. confession and yeelding , hath sometime in it a deniall and reprehension , as 2 cor. 12. 16 , 17. 48. the word , behold , is not used alwayes , or onely to stirre up attention , as the report of some weighty or admirable thing , but most commonly it signifieth a thing manifest and plaine , where men may take knowledge , as psal . 51. 6. mat. 1. 23. and often else-where . 49. doing doth sometimes import beleeving , as mat. 7. 2. joh. 6. 40. 50. negative speeches in scripture be more vehement and forcible then affirmative . 51. grammer must give place to divinitie , because things are not subject to words , but contrariwise . 52. the placing of things before which should come after , and some things after which should be before , is frequent in scripture . 53. we are commanded to be perfect , viz. in uprightnesse , shining to all duties , for perfection in measure and degree , wee are not capable of in this world . 54. all places of scripture have this proper to them , that they be interpreted by the matter handled , and phrase , scope , end , which is aimed at , or by circumstances of time , persons , places , also by precedence and subsequence , by conferring scripture and analogie of faith . 55. scripture hath allegories , as gal. 4. 22 , 23 , 24. an allegory is ever to be expounded according to the meaning and drift of the place where it is found , allegoricall senses are not of private motion , but to be followed where wee have the spirit for our precedent and subsequent , by conferring scripture and analogie of faith . 56. numerall words , as , 5 , 7 , 10 , &c. notes not alwayes a certaine time , as seventie weeks of captivitie , &c. yet a certain finite time is put for an uncertaine oftentimes , as , to fall seven times , to forgive seventie times seven , and the like . also divers numbers be propheticall , as the number of daniels weekes , or mysticall , as the number , rev. 13. 8. 57. the scripture often in one word saying , uttereth one thing plurally , and many things singularly , as , blessed is the man , &c. heare , o israel , and thou shalt not have any strange god , because god would have every one to take to himselfe that which is meant of that societie and kind whereof he is one . 58. in setting downe numbers , the scripture is not exact to reckon precisely , as luk. 3. 23. act. 1. 15. 59. it is usuall in scripture , by a part to signifie the whole , as rom. 13. let every soule be subject , for every person , man and woman ; and the whole sometimes notes onely a part , mat. 3. 5. all judea , that is , a great part . 60. some wishing speeches be not so much prayers as prophesies , foretelling what shall be , rather then desiring they should be as imprecations against judas , &c. 61. the scripture repeats the same things in the beginning and end of the sentence , as , psal . 33. 10. it is done by way of explication , sometimes for confirmation , sometimes for expressing or exciting zeale , as , isa . 3. 9. joh. 1. 3. psal . 6. 9 , 10. 2 king. 9. 10. rom. 11. 8. 62. in sundry places of the old testament , cited by christ and the apostles , the sense is kept , but not alwayes the same words , as , rom. 10. 15 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21. and else-where . to teach us , that the scripture is considered by the meaning , and not by the letters and syllables . 63. some places in the old testament , which seeme meere historical , containing bare narrations of some things done , yet are mysticall withall , and have a hid and spirituall sense ; as jonah's being in the whales belly , holds forth christs death , buriall , resurrection , for it pleaseth god to make some histories already done , to be types and prophesies of things afterwards to be done ; as that of hugar and sarah , gal. 4. 64. the scripture hath sundry words which according to the place where they be used , doe signifie divers , yea even contrary things , as leven , to signifie the nature of the gospel , mat. 13. and also heresie and superstition , mat. 16. 6. 12. and sometime for sinfull corruption , as , 1 cor. 5. so a lyon signifieth christ and the devill , 1 pet. 1. 5. likewise serpent is put in good part , mat. 10. 16. and in ill part , gen. 3. 1. because these things have severall properties and contrary . 65. where the text of scripture is ambiguous , as it cannot be found out by us after diligent search , to which sense of two or three to leane unto , that text may be interpreted in both senses , if analogie of faith will suffer , & they be not against the circumstances of the text , for we must not swerve from the generall scope of the whole word , faith in christ , and love to god , and our neighbour . 66. many things be first generally spoken , and presently declared by particulars , as , 2 tim. 3. 1 , 2. there be many such examples . 67. some things in scripture are incomprehensible by our reason , yet true . 68. such scriptures as have shew of repugnancy , are easily reconciled by an intelligent reader , as , 1 tim. 2. 3. with rom. 9. not all . by all is not meant every one , but of all sorts and kinds of men , rich and poore , &c. see joh. 5. 17. gen. 2. 2. that is , from making more workes anew of nothing . so mathew speaks of a staffe which might cumber and burden , but marke of one that might ease and relieve a traveller , mat. 10. 10. mark. 6. 8 , 9. 69. some things are said in scripture not according to the truth of the things , but after their profession , appearance , or visibilitie and opinion of the times , as others thought . thus the scribes & pharisees are termed righteous , luk. 15. and thus hypocrites are said to have faith , jer. 2. 18 , 19. 70. the scriptures doe not allow alwayes the things & actions from whence similitudes be fetched , as the manners of theeves , and unjust stewards , and judges . 71. some of christs workes were miraculous , and proper to him as mediator ; but christs morall duties were given us for example and patterne , mat. 11. 29 , 30. 1 pet. 2. 21. 1 joh. 2. 6. that we should walke as he hath walked . 72. by the words poore and needy in the scriptures is often to be understood all gods people , poore or rich . 73. when sinfull actions are attributed to god , as to provoke others to anger , to envie , or to harden pharaohs heart , and the like , we must know god tempts none to sinne , as jam. 1. but he doth it by delivering them over to satan , & their lusts , to be hardened , god oft punisheth sin with sin , rom. 1. 74. sundry interrogations in scripture , as , rom. 10. 14 , 15. have the force of a negative , that is to say , they cannot . some againe do so aske a question , as they require & have an expresse answer , psal . 15. 1. rom. 11. 1. & 3. 12. it is to quicken attention , or to urge more vehemently the affection , or to prepare way for some weightie discourse . 75. the title ( god ) is sometimes put absolutely , and in the singular number , then it notes the creator , or the essence . sometimes it is used with an addition , as in exodus , i have made thee god of pharaoh , or in the plurall number , psal . 84. i have said yee are gods ; and vers . 1. in the assembly of gods , then it belongs to the creator , see rom. 1. 7. sometimes essentially , as joh. 4. 24. god is a spirit . so the word father is sometimes put essentially for the deity , mat. 6. our father . sometimes distinctly , the father is greater then i. ignorance in these rules causeth errors concerning god. 76. words of knowledge and sense doe signifie ( besides ) action and affections , as . god knoweth the wayes of the righteous , psal . 1. 6. and that he knoweth who are his ▪ 2 tim. 2. 19. apoc. 2. 3. is meant he knowes them with love , favour , and approbation , to reward and crown them . also it is said , whom he foreknew , rom. 11. 2. with 1 pet. 1. 2. is meant his eternall love imbraceth these as his owne ; for he knew barely before all reprobates and devils , and their works too , but not with favour and allowance . also the word , remember , is a word of sense , yet it often importeth care , love , delight , 1 cor. 11. doe this in remembrance of me . ( gen. ●8 . ) 77. legall and evangelicall promises must not be distinguished by bookes , but by the nature and condition of the promises ; for legall promises may be found in bookes of the new testament , as , rom. 2. 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13. & 10 ▪ 5 gal. 3. 10. 12. and evangelicall promises of grace are in the old testament , as , psal . 132. 1 , 2. jer. 32. 31 , 32. &c. observe them according to these two rules following . 78. if promises of temporall or eternall things are propounded upon condition of workes , they are legall , christ onely hath kept the law , and they which beleeve are to claime them by this tide conveyed to them by faith in christ . 79. all promises for this life or a better , which are made as one condition , of beleeving , repenting , working , ( for these are workes though imperfect ) are onely effects and fruits of faith , and not conditions nor causes , but are onely to declare what persons god will save ; godlinesse hath the promises , &c. 1 tim. 6. he that beleeveth , &c. joh. 3. and to understand them in any other sense is legall , see psal . 1. 1 , 2 , 3 , 2 cor. 7. 10. 80. touching such places ▪ where morall duties are commended and commanded , they must be understood according to these rules following ; as , 1. though no word be spoken o● christ , yet it must be understood that he alone is the whole cause of every part of our salvation , act. 4. 12. 81. all morall duties are then commended in any partie , when the partie which doth them , is first in christ , and his sinnes pardoned through his death , as 1 pet. 2. 5. heb. 11. 6. our best duties are imperfect , if in christ accepted , if out of christ , mens best duties cannot cause them to be accepted . 82. all good workes must have a pure heart , gods glory for the beginning and the end , having a conscience to god in obedience to his word : unlesse the person be accepted , the bare deed or action cannot please god. 83. where blessednesse is promised to morall duties doing , those places are not to be considered as causes thereof , ( for christ is the cause of all ) out onely to declare what persons they are which god doth save ; and what the saints dutie is to doe . 84. these duties must not be understood in the strictnesse and rigour of the morall law , but of a continuall and unfained desire , purpose , and indeavour to doe them . this rule prevents scruples and feares , which weake ones have through the sense of their wants and failings . 85. the scriptures use to call them sonnes , which by nature are no sonnes to them whose sonnes they are called , but they are sonnes legally , and by succession : thus salathiel , being sonne of neri naturally , luk. 3. 27. is legally and by succession made the son of jechoniah , whom he succeeded in the kingdome , as mat. 1. 12. 86. after this manner zedekiah or jehoiakim , 1 chron. 36. 10. and his sonne , 1 chron. 3. 16. his brother by generation , his sonne by right of succession . by this rule the two evangelists , matthew and luke are reconciled in their genealogie ; for luke followeth the naturall order , and matthew the legall order . 87. many things are said in scripture by anticipation and recapitulation . 88. in scripture some things are spokē well , when righteous things are taught rightly , as , repent and beleeve , &c. or secondly , when evill things are taught evilly , when wicked things are perswaded , as , to curse god and dye . or thirdly , when good things are uttered evilly , when some right thing is said with a perverse mind , as joh. 9. be thou his disciple . or fourthly , evill things well spoken , and dishonest things uttered in honest termes ; as , david went in to bathsheba , and rom. 1. 26. 89. the scripture speaks many things in the person of the ungodly men , whose crooked words it doth report unto us as well as their deeds . 90. that word which seemeth to forbid goodnesse , or to command wickednesse , is a figurative speech , as , vnlesse a man eate my flesh , &c. this is wickednesse , because the word is pure , it cannot allow any thing against honesty of manners , or veritie of faith . 91. tropes and figures in scriptures are not to be accounted lies ; as for christ calling herod a fox , and himselfe a vine , a dore , &c. because there is no purpose to deceive in them , but by meet resemblance to expresse the truth . 92. similitudes are rather to make darke things plaine , then to prove any doubtfull thing ; similitudes are not argumentative , as stewards in joh. 15. 93. to make allegories and figures , where none are in exposition , is licentious , dangerous , and hurtfull . 94. in things that be subordinate , the affirming the one doth not sollow the denying of the other . 95. all interpretations must be fit as well as true . 96. it is a ready way to all error , to interpret scripture by prejudice , in favour of some opinion of our owne . 97. in scripture a betrothed woman is called a wife , mat. 1. 20. and so of the man , deut. 22. 23. because betrothing is an essentiall part of marriage , yet the solemnization is necessary unto comelinesse and avoyding of offence . 98. that interpretation is corrupt that builds not up in faith and love . 99. a figurative speech in scripture does more affect us with delight , then if the same thing were spoken plainly without figures . psal . 23. 1. gods care is set out by a metaphor of a shepheard , and isai . 5. 1 , 2 , 3. also see joh. 15. 1 , 2. for new things ingender delight . 100. when the scripture speaks somewhat darkly , it useth for the most part to joyne thereto some plaine thing in the same place to give light to it , as , isa . 51. 1. the latter part of the 1. verse is somewhat hard , is opened in the beginning of the second verse . so isaiah the 1. the third verse expounds the second ; and the former part of the first verse of isai . 53. expounds the latter , and rom. 10. the 5. and 6. verses , expounds the 3. & 9. 13. 8. saith the word is neere , that is , the gospel . see the like , rom. 8. 20. 31. 2 tom. 4. 6. rom. 11. 7 , 8. 1 cor. 5. 9. yet this rule holds not alwayes . demonstrations , that the holy scriptures , called the bible , are of god , and from god. the scriptures are from god , or from men , they are not from men , because neither the folly , nor the wisdome of men cannot effect such a worke . 1. because men as men cannot understand the meaning of them , nor agree upon any meaning of them : so that it appeares they are a mystery above the reach of nature . 2. they are not from men , because they condemne that which is most excellent in man , as the wisdome of man , &c. it being contrary to nature , for to condemne that which is most excellent in nature , the scriptures declare natures wisdome in the things of god to be foolishnesse , & the wisdome in man esteemes the wisdome of god to be foolishnesse . 3. it is not from men , because the whole scope of the scriptures tends to destroy that which the nature of men love most . 4. because that which the scriptures require , is not onely contrary to the nature of man ( so that men delight and choose to read any booke rather then the scripture ) therefore before men can submit unto it , they must deny themselves . so also that which it requires , is beyond the power of men , and requires a divine power , as the scriptures and experience teach . 5. it is not from men , because the more any is ruled by it , obeying it , the more such are hated and persecuted by men , which sheweth it came not from nature . 6. the scriptures came from god , because they tend to god , it being a rule in nature , every thing tends to its center , a stone to the earth , the waters to the sea from whence they came . so the scripture ru●s to god ; shews god in his goodnesse , wisdome , power , love , there is in them a divine wisdome , they speake for god , they call men to god , to be for god. 7. they are not from men , because the way of bringing them forth into the world , was contrary to the wisdome and expectation of men , who in great matters imployeth great ▪ honourable , and wise men , but god takes a quite contrary course , he chooseth such who were meane & contemptible , silly tradesmen , as fishermen , and tent-makers , &c. to be the publishers and penmen of the scriptures . 8. they are from god , because god hath wonderfully continued them ▪ preserved them strangely ; first , in making the jewes , who were enemies unto christ , and the scriptures , great preservers of them ; also preserving them when the greatest power hath sought their destruction , by searching for them , and burning them , &c. the like preservation cannot be declared of any writings of men , which have had so great opposition . 9. the miracles that were wrought at the first publishing of them , ( shewes them to be immediately from god ▪ ) and for the proofe of this wee have the testimony of them who lived in christs time the jewes , who would not own christ , nor his doctrine , yet in their writings they confesse , there was one jesus who did such miracles as the scriptures declare , as josephus ; and others testifie . 10. wee know the scriptures to be from god ▪ because wee see some of the prophesies accomplished in our dayes , according to the saying of christ , that there shall arise false christs , and false prophets , that shall say , i am christ , mat. 24. 5. 24. there being now two or three , or more , that have said so of themselves : also the division foretold in luke 12. 52 , 53. from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided , the father against the sonne , and the sonne against the father , and the mother against the daughter , &c. which is now accomplished in these dayes , for when there hath been but five persons in one family , every one of them of a severall opinion concerning religion . the spirit speaketh expresly , that in the latter times some should depart from the faith , giving heed to sed●cing spirits and doctrines of devils , 1. tim. 4. 1. &c. how many lies are now held and received for truths , so that men dare speake against the scriptures , deny the resurrection of the body ; others teach that men and devills shall be saved ; and that the soule is mortall ; and that there is neither heaven nor hell ; with divers other opinions , that i am ashamed to name some of them which are held for truths ; this know also , that in the last dayes perilous times shall came , for men shall be lovers of their own selves ; covetous , boasters , proud , blasphemers , disobedient to parents , unthankfull , unholy , without naturall affection , truce-breakers , false accusers ▪ incontinent , fierce , despisers of those that are good , traytors , heady , high minded , lovers of pleasures more then lovers of god , having a forme of godlinesse , but denying the power thereof , 2 tim. 3. 1. &c. which things our eyes have seene come to passe , more then ever hath been heard of by any that have been before us , and are like to increase more and more . and thus it must be that the scriptures may be fulfilled ; and if men must have a reason for every thing in religion ; for , saith one , how can the dead body eaten by another creature be raised againe ? to whom i reply , god is said to be without beginning , ( and so he is , else he could not be god ) but what reason can be given , that god never had a beginning , or that god is ever present in all places , and knoweth , and ordereth all things , yet he is so , yet i see not how reason can reach these things , &c. to beleeve the scriptures is a worke of faith , and unlesse the holy spirit of god perswades the truth of them , there will be doubting ; the lord perswade his of the truth of the scriptures , and of their interest in the same . that christ dyed not for the sinnes of every man in the world . some men affirme that christ dyed for all the sinnes of every person in the world , and yet they shall not all be saved : to whom we reply , how can it agree with the wisdome of god , to grant that which he knew would never profit ? as for god to give christ to dye for the salvation of man , and yet decree to condemne him ? and doth not christ lose the end of his death , to dye for their salvation who yet perish ? or is it justice to require the payment of one debt twice ? is there remission of sinnes in christ for every man , but no righteousnesse , no everlasting life for them ? did christ purchase salvation , but not the application of salvation , which is necessary to salvation ? how doth it appeare , christ purchased salvation , or enough for salvation , or is the death of christ of an uncertain event ? is christ appointed to death , to purchase a possibilitie of salvation , but not salvation it selfe , with the application of it , then christ shed his bloud to save man , and yet no man saved by it ; for if it depends upon mans beleeving of it , why may not all of them perish as well as any of them ? and if it be so , if man please , christ shall lose the end of his death : but it clearly appeares , that all those for whose sinnes christ dyed , are justified by his bloud , and shall be saved from wrath through him ; for if when we were enemies , we were reconciled to god by the death of his sonne , much more being reconciled , we shall be saved by his life , rom. 5. 8 , 9 , 10. & b. 3. 4. ( but this subject is handled at large by john spilsbery in his book intituled , gods ordinance ) if the sonne shall make you free , then are you free indeed , joh. 8. else not . but upon second thoughts , they affirme that christ never dyed for the sinne of unbeliefe , and that finall unbeliefe is the unpardonable sin . answ . it cannot truly be denied , but unbeliefe ( is a not beleeving christ ) which sinne is most immediately and directly against christ , which sin is pardonable , with all manner of sin and blasphemy , which christ saith , shall be forgiven unto the sons of men , as appeares mat. 12. 31 , 32. therefore not beleeving in christ , is not the unpardonable sinne also . such as beleeve , have been guiltie of unbeliefe , which is pardoned in them , and if the sin of unbeliefe , which is none of the least sinnes , is pardoned without the bloud of christ to the elect who beleeve , why might not all other sinnes in like manner be so pardoned to them , and then shall not the bloud of jesus christ be shed in vaine , because by their reason their sinnes might have been pardoned without it , as well as their unbeliefe . and seeing without shedding of bloud there is no remission , heb. 9. 22. let them declare how unbeliefe can be remitted : also if the bloud of jesus christ his son , cleanseth us from all sin , then from unbeliefe also , 1 joh. 1. 7. also if finall unbeliefe were the sin against the holy spirit that is unpardonable , then it could not be cōmitted before death , there is a sin unto death , if thou see thy brother sin , &c. but if a man could not commit this sin before he dye , he could not be seen so to sin , 1 joh. 5. 16. which sin is described heb. 10. 29. therefore finall unbeliefe is not this sin here spoken of . to conclude , christ dyed not for the sinnes of all the world ; for christ saith , he layeth downe his life for his sheepe , joh. 10. 15. you beleeve not , for yee are not of my sheepe , vers . 26. yet as many as were ordained to eternall life beleeved , acts 13. 48. see joh. 17. 2. 19. 24. 29. the end of redemption is application , phil. 1. 29. joh. 6. 37. 39. the scripture saith , he tooke upon him the seed of abraham , heb. 2. 16. and how abrahams seed is considered , appears gal. 3. 16. 22. 29. such as are christs , such as beleeve are abrahams seed . and seeing all adams posteritie cannot be considered to be abrahams seed in no sense , therefore there is no ground to cōceive that christ dyed for the sinnes of all the seed of adam , as they affirme . that all men under the gospel , have not sufficient grace given them for conversion . for the word sufficient grace , how can we conceive that grace to be sufficient in power , which is not sufficient in performance of the worke ? for seeing conversion follows not , how is it sufficient to conversion ? is that sufficient to conversion that never attaines it ? is that medicine sufficient to cure such a disease , which being taken doth not cure it ? sufficient and effectuall is all one . and seeing many were never converted , it must of necessitie follow , that sufficient grace was never given unto them ; for if sufficient strength be put to move the earth , motion must needs follow . the reason why they came not to christ , was because the father did not draw them , joh. 6. 44. and inwardly teach them . god must give a heart to perceive , and eyes to see , for miracles cannot doe it , deut. 29. 3 , 4. joh. 12. 37 , 38. the arme of the lord must be revealed . they say it was because they would not beleeve . wee answer , they neither would nor could , the lord saith , they could not beleeve , joh. 12. 39. therefore man cannot finally hinder his conversion ; for whom god will save , no power of man can destroy . man in his first conversion is wholly passive , we cannot worke it in our selves , nor hinder gods working of it , because we are dead in sinnes , ephes . 2. 1. col. 2. 13. ephes . 5. 14. and spiritually blind , rev. 3. 18. eph. 4. 17. & 6. 8. mat. 6. 23. luk. 4. 18. joh. 1. 5. acts 26. 18. 1 cor. 2. 14. our hearts stony and destitute of goodnesse , ezek. 36. 26. & 11. 19. gods worke in converting us is a raising from the dead , eph. 2. 5. col. 2. 12. rev. 20. 6. joh. 5. 21. 25. a restoring the sight to the blind , luk. 4. 18. a new birth , joh. 1. 13. & 3. 3. another creation of him , eph. 2. 10. psal . 51. 12. 2 cor. 5. 17. gal. 5. 15. the giving of a new heart , ezek. 9. 19. so that man cannot prepare himselfe to conversion . god regenerateth man that he may beleeve . the tree must first be good , before it can bring forth good fruit . how can they that are evill speake good things ? mat. 12. 34. it 's an error therefore to thinke that mans conversion to god begins in some act man performes , and not in a worke first wrought in us by god. they alledge , isai . 55. 11. to prove the word and the spirit goeth together . ans . not to make it powerfull in the conversion in all . they reply , act. 7. 51. yee have alwayes resisted , &c. ans . true ; in resisting the outward means , but it cannot be proved that they resisted in the inward work of god upon their hearts . from mat. 25. 29. they affirme , that he that useth nature well , shall have grace . this text is to be understood of the gifts of the ministery in the improvement of them , the increase is in the same kinde , nature and grace are not so . also it 's plaine , grace hath not been bestowed upon such as used nature best , as appeares by the rejection of the sidonians and capernaits , who were better fitted for nature . therefore the well using of nature , is no preparation for the receiving the gospel . and to what end shall god give meanes sufficient to work faith and repentance in such as he hath not appointed to life ? but all that are given unto christ , doe in time come to him , and he brings them to everlasting life , joh. 6. 37 , 39. to you it is given to beleeve , phil. 1. 29. reasons why wee dissent from such as hold free will. 1. because it exempts the creature from being under the power of god , for that which giveth a creature power to doe as he will , when god hath done all he may unto him , that doth make him no instrument subject to gods power ; for they affirme , that god doth not worke in his omnipotency , but leaves it to the free will of the creature . it is one thing to be able to doe a thing by perswasion , and another to doe it by power which i cannot refuse , this latter they deny . 2. it denies gods decree to be infallible , for either god determines in such and such cases , with the circumstances thereof , or not , if not , then he cometh short of the creature herein , for he determineth such things in his matters . 3. if god doth not determine and apply the creature to will and worke that which he worketh in the creature , then the creature is the cause why god willeth this or that , and by consequence is the cause why he willeth this or that , but the creature is not the cause , &c. gods working this or that , must either goe before the will , and so cause it to will , or else it must follow , accomplishing that which mans will willeth , the latter makes god to follow and tend on mans will. also it makes the will of man to have a casuall force in god himselfe , as if god should say , i will work conversion , faith , &c. in such a person if he will. 4. if libertie of will stands in such a power , free for exercising good or evill , then christ had not libertie of will , son he had libertie onely to work that which was good ; nor hath man of himselfe any libertie or power to come to christ ; for , saith christ , none can come to me , except the father draw him , joh. 6. 44. 37. so that they are deceived who make god by his grace to convert us . so that he leaveth it in our power , whether we will be converted or no : but who can resist that which god worketh by his almightie power , eph. 1. 20 : when he putteth forth this his power which raised christ from the dead ? and if this could be resisted , it were not almightie . the apostle saith , that the power did worke in him mightily , col. 1. last , eph. 3. 20. 5. because god in his good pleasure of his will , doth freely and effectually determine of all things whatsoever he willeth , he doth all things according to the counsell of his own will , ephes . 1. 11. all things are in the minde of god before they are in themselves , and what he willeth , he effecteth in his time , and nothing is done , if he willeth it not to be done , psal . 115. 3. & 135. 6. jehovah doth whatsoever he pleaseth . the will of god is the first cause of things ; by thy will they are , rev. 4. 11. he by willing makes the object , jer. 1. 18. he hath mercy on whom he will , rom. 9. 18. and there is no cause to be given of his will ; it 's god that worketh in you to will and to doe , phil. 2. 17. and such as make the will of god to depend upon the creature , as if he beleeves , god wills his salvation , if he beleeves not , he wills his damnation , makes gods will mutable , and to depend upon the act of the creature ; and then it will follow , so often as the will of the creature changeth , so often god changeth , and then god will doe this or that if man will : but whatsoever god willeth in all things he willeth effectually , so that he cannot in no wise be hindered or disappointed ; for if god should will any thing he could not obtaine , there should be imperfection in god , and if he can obtaine it and will not , how then doth he will it ? isai . 46. 10. every decree of god is eternall , 1 cor. 2. 7. acts 15. 18. and remaines alwayes immutable , numb . 23. 23. pro. 19. 21. and as many as were ordained to eternall life beleeved , act. 13. 38. whom he predestinated , them he called , rom. 8. 30. god did from eternitie know every severall thing , with all the circumstances thereof , and knowes how to apply the fittest occasion to every thing , and how to effect all things : he that frames the heart , observeth all their workes , psal . 33. 15. isai . 44. 2. even those things that seeme to happen most freely god determines of according to his will , of the very heart of man , psal . 33. 15. 1 sam. 10. 9. 26. pro. 21. 1. of a man killing another by chance , exodus . of the lot cast into the lap , pro. 16. 33. of sparrowes falling , mat. 10. 29 , 30. of lilies , flowers , and grasse of the earth , mat. 6. 28. 30. yea of all creatures and things , joh 38. psal . 104. isai . 45. 7. jer. 14. 22. that the bones of christ should not be broken . by all which it appeares , the will of god determined the certainty of the event . and if god should not determine of all things , the will of god should not be simply and universally the first cause ; and to deny him to be the first cause , implies that there are two first beginnings , or more then two , which cannot be truth . and for any to say , that man hath power to resist all god can worke for his conversion , is to put grace in mans power , ( and not mans will under the power of grace ) is to say , that man is able to frustrate gods counsell concerning his conversion , and power to resist all that god can worke herein , is to affirme , that man hath power to frustrate gods counsell ; and if it be so , will it not follow that man hath power to make god a lyer ? if god by his omnipotent power inclines the wills of men whither he willeth , then he hath them more in his power then man hath ; then his will decreeing is the cause necessitie followeth , and the will of the creature is not the cause of the necessitie of things . the scriptures declare that god workes all things after the counsell of his will ( not mans will ) and made all things for himselfe , pro. 16. 4. isa . 43. 6 , 7. object . then you take away the libertie of the will , if man have no power to doe otherwise . ans . 1. that which doth ( not having power to doe otherwise ) from second causes , compelling it so to doe in that it is not free : gods will in himselfe is the first cause of all things , and this omnipotent will of god doth determine the creature . 2. men ground the freedome of will falsly , for the freedome of will as it is a faculty voluntary or elective , doth not require this indifferency of the inclination in exercise , for it is bound by gods decree , so as not any thing can be done but what he hath determined , yet nothing can satisfie some , unlesse it be granted , that they have power of will to crosse gods decree . 3. if the cause why god chooseth me ( and not another ) is because i will , &c. then it is not meerly from his will , and then you deny the freedome of gods will. also if a man hath libertie of will to resist gods will and worke , so as god shall not convert him , it will follow that when we are converted , we convert our selves , which is contrary to the scriptures , as , psal . 51. and doe not they give the scriptures the lye , that say the will of an unregenerate man may be free to righteousnesse , will it , and imbrace it when it is proposed : but if a seeing eye were in darknesse , it could not discern any thing , how much lesse shall the blind see ? by nature we are blind , rev. 3. 17 , 18. wee are darknesse , till we be made light in the lord , eph. 5. 8. darknesse cannot comprehend the light , joh. 1. 5. the naturall man cannot receive the things of the spirit , for they are foolishnesse to him , 1 cor. 2. 14. therefore the saints pray to god to reveale to them the knowledge of christ , and to inlighten their eyes by the spirit of wisdome and revelation , eph. 1. 17 , 18 : mans will being wholly inthralled into sinne , as appeares rom. 6. 20. & 8. 6. the carnall mind is enmitie to god , it is not subject to the law of god , nor can be ; how then can it will , desire , and receive grace by nature ? as god commanded pharaob to let israel goe , yet he could not , for god hardened his heart that he could not be willing , joh. 12. 39. with rom. 11. 32. they confesse , that unlesse god give faith , it 's impossible for men to beleeve ; so then the reason men doe not beleeve , is because god doth not give them faith , phil. 1. 29. but to what purpose is it for god to give christ to dye for mens sinnes , seeing as they confesse , they shall have no benefit by him unlesse they beleeve , and that they cannot doe without god , and god doth not give them faith ( if he did , they could not but beleeve ) what great love is this which is shewed to them ? the substance of those famous , or rather infamous opinions of ours , of such as hold free will , and that christ dyed for the sinnes of all adams posteritie , is that god wills the salvation of all men , but he is disappointed of his will. those whom god will save by his antecedent will , he will destroy by his consequent will : that god doth seriously intend the salvation of all persons , yet neverthelesse , he calls men by a meanes , and time , that is , not apt , nor fit , by reason whereof those who are so called , doe not follow gods calling . that faith is partly from grace , and partly from free will ; that god is bound to give all men power to beleeve . they distinguish between the obtaining of salvation , and the application of salvation ; the first , they say , is for all ; the second is onely for them that beleeve , but the application of salvation is neither willed , nor nilled to men . that man may determine and open his own heart , and receive the word of god ; that the reprobate may be saved ; that the number of the elect is not certain ; that the decree of reprobation is not peremptory ; and that a reprobate may convert himselfe ; and that faith is not of-meere grace . they bring in god speaking thus ; i decree to send my sonne to save all who shall beleeve ; but who and how many they shall be , i have not determined , onely i will give to all men sufficient power to beleeve , but he shall beleeve who will himselfe : i will send christ to dye for the sinnes of many , whom i know it shall not be effectuall at all unto , to whom i will never give faith , and notwithstanding christ hath satisfied for all their sinnes , yet they shall suffer my wrath for them for ever . that god did not elect for foreseene faith. vvee grant god knew all that ever was , is , or shall be , but we deny that god did elect to life any for any thing he did foresee in them ; for if god should looke out of himselfe to any thing in the creature , upon which his will may be determined to elect , were against his al sufficiency , as if he should get knowledge from things we doe , implies an imperfection of knowledge , and of will , if he should see some thing in us before he can determine , as if god were in suspence , saying , i will choose this man if he will , i will upon foresight of my condition absolutely choose him . to say , i will elect 〈◊〉 , if they beleeve , is a conditionall election , and if they can doe this without god , then god is not omnipotent ; if they say , he will give them faith to beleeve , then it is all one with an absolute will , as i elect to life , and i will give these faith ; far whom he predestinateth , them he calleth , &c. rom. 8. it seemes god wills our salvation , if we beleeve , that is , he wils the having a thing on a condition , that he will not worke , and then it is impossible , unlesse the creature can doe something that is good , which he will not doe in him , or on a condition , which he will worke , and then he worketh all he willeth , or on such a condition as he seeth the creature cannot performe , nor himselfe will not make him performe ; and this were frivolous . also to say god decreed to send christ to save all , if they will beleeve , i see they neither will nor can , therefore i will condemne them . joh. 12. 39. god hath shut up all in unbeliefe , as , rom. 11. 32. therefore they could not beleeve , because he hath blinded their eyes , and hardened their hearts , that they should not see with their eyes , nor understand with their hearts , and be converted , joh. 12. 39 , 40. concerning infants baptisme . some reasons why we dissent from it . 1. because we finde no command nor example in the word of god , that any infants were baptized , and wee are forbidden to presume above what is written . and if we should admit of any one thing in the worship of god which we finde no warrant for in the word , we should be forced by the same reason to admit of many , yea , any invention of men . 2. because god requires that such as are baptized , should first be made disciples ; beleeve and repent , &c. mat. 28. 19. acts 8. 12 , 13. 36 , 37 , 38. acts 2. 38. 41. mat. 3. 6. mark. 1. 4 , 5. acts 10. 44. 47 , 48. 3. because christ in his testament , which is his last will , the legacies therein contained are given to such as beleeve , and to none else , gal. 3. 6 , 7. 14. 23. 29. rom. 8. 17. & 14. 11 , 12. these are the heires of the kingdome of christ , with the priviledges thereof , jam. 1. 18. 1 pet. 2. 23. joh. 1. 12 , 13. 1 joh. 3. 9. 10. those that beleeve are the seed of the righteous , and of the promise , isai . 43. 5. with rev. 12. 17. gal. 4. 26. 31. 4. because the matter of the church of christ ought to be saints , living stones , as , 1 pet. 2. 5. 9. eph. 2. 19. to 23. & 4. 6. 1 cor. 12. 12 , 13. 25 , 26 , 27. eph. 5. 25 , 26 , 27. joh. 4. 23. act. 20. 28. rev. 17. 14. 5. because god in his word denies fellowship and communion with such as do not beleeve , joh. 3. 5 , 6. 36. heb. 11. 6. rom. 9. 8 , 9. they which are the children of the flesh , these are not the children of god , but the children of the promise are counted for the seed . if yee be christs , then are yee abrahams seed , and heires according to promise , gal. 3. 29. for yee are the children of god by faith in christ jesus , vers . 26. those god owns for his in his word are purchased by his bloud , who are called , chosen , and faithfull , 1 pet. 2. 5. 9. jam. 4. 23. eph. 2. 19. to 23. & 4. 16. rom. 8. 29 , 30. rev. 11. 7. eph. 1. 4 , 5 , 6. 2 thes . 2. 13 , 14. 1 pet. 1. 2. act. 2. 47. & 13. 48. the naturall posteritie of beleevers are not so much as in appearance such . but because this controversie is handled largely in severall treatises , such as desire further satisfaction , may have recourse to them . some affirme , that the children of beleevers in church-fellowship , are to be baptized , which is now practised in new-england , and else-where . there are three doubts to be answered . 1. what if neither of my parents , nor their parents can be proved beleevers ? 2. nor any members of a true visiable church ? 3. if i were baptized with god-fathers & god-mothers , common-prayer-book , crosse , and surplice , and by a minister made by the bishops , all which are now found out to be antichristian , and the manner of baptisme was also by springling water upon my face ; concerning which the scripture is silent : how may i be assured god will own such a baptizing for his ordinance , seeing also themselves confesse , that no man may lawfully baptize but a true minister that hath a lawfull calling ? and although wee conceive men able to preach the gospel may baptize , yet we doe not beleeve god sends such to baptize , whom he hath not informed of the manner how to doe it , which is not by sprinkling water on the face , but by dipping in the river , as , mat. 3. 16. acts 8. 38. that the gift of miracles is not essentiall in him that dispenseth baptisme . that some of those that did baptize , did miracles we grant , and that all that baptized did so , cannot be proved ; john baptized , yet he did no miracle , joh. 10. 41. nor apollo , &c. and seeing that the scriptures doe not declare that the gifts of tongues , or miracles , or laying on of hands , is to be in those that dispense baptisme , we have no word to warrant such a restriction ; men are to administer baptisme by vertue of gifts . 1. then that gift and ministery which god in his word owns , is to be acknowledged sufficient for his ordinance ; but some one or more of those gifts in 1 cor. 12. 8 , 9 , 10 , 11. 28 , 29. &c. still continue , as they confesse ; ergo. 2. all the gifts of the spirit are of the same nature , viz. spirituall , though divers in operation , and are of equall authoritie , and so to be esteemed by us , 1 cor. 12. 7 , 8 , 9. 24. 3. as in the naturall body , wee honour and put comelinesse upon those parts which we think least honoured , for our comely parts have no need ; so ought we to doe the same in spirituall gifts , as , 1 cor. 12. 23 , 24. doe they so who tie the administration to one of the gifts of the spirit , and not to another ; and doe not they who seeke to honour one gift , to the dishonour of another , dishonour all the gifts of the spirit ? for as it is in the body , 1 cor. 12. 26. so it is in this case ; and this was the corinths sin , as appeares 1 cor. 12. 4. wee are all baptized by one spirit , 1 cor. 12. 13. he saith not by the gift of miracles , &c. and he that is baptized by any gift of the spirit , is baptized by the same spirit , vers . 28 , 29 , 30. 5. if the administration of baptisme be not annexed to the operation of one gift of the spirit , more then to another of the same spirit , then wee may not so annex them : but to the operation of any one gift of the spirit , baptisme is not annexed : ergo : for proofe , see 1 cor. 12. 7. to 14. 6. if god workes in all the operations of the spirit , then to be baptized by any of the operations of the same spirit , it must be acknowledged to be the baptisme of the same god : but the first is true , 1 cor. 12. 6. ergo , the latter is true also . 7. if the apostles might baptize , because they were apostles , then might they baptize in case they had not the gift of miracles and tongues , &c. for it is one thing to be an apostle , and another to have the gift of tongues or miracles , as appeares 1 cor. 12. 28 , 29 , 30. they were severall gifts , & though they might have the gift of miracles , it 's not because they were apostles ; for they were given according to the good pleasure of his will ; he divides to every man severally as he will , 1 cor. 12. 11. 8. if any affirme baptisme was to be administred by those who had such gifts of miracles , &c. because those gifts were greater in operation , and so the greater gifts : i answer , the gift of faith is greater then the gift of miracles , for a man may perish with the latter . they confesse , some of these gifts still continue , if the rest are not , then these are the greatest now , and so baptisme may be dispensed by him that hath any of them , and if they be ceased , might it not be , because they were idolized above the rest of the same spirit ? 9. it is said , that apollo conferred the gifts of the holy spirit by laying on of hands , because he baptized not untill he had learned the principles of religion , and so understood the ministery of the spirit . i answer , it follows not , because it is one thing to understand the ministery of the spirit , and another to worke miracles , and conferre the gifts of the holy spirit , and speake with tongues , &c. as it is one thing to learne the doctrine of baptisme , and laying on of hands , and the resurrection of the dead , as heb. 6. 2. and another thing to have the gifts , and to conferre them by laying on of hands ; it is one thing to learne and beleeve the resurrection of the dead , and another to raise the dead . 10. they affirme , that those that beleeve in truth , are of the body of which christ is the head , and that they are of the church , and that many now beleeve . whence i also inferre , those who are of the church of christ , they have the power of christ , because christ is theirs , and christ and his power are never separated , mat. 28. 20. ergo , they have the power of christ , as , 1 cor. 3. 21 , 22. therefore they have authoritie to administer the ordinance of christ . they grant , many have right to baptisme by the free gift of god , and the bloud of christ . ans . be it so . i cannot beleeve that god gives his a right to any thing that would doe them no good ; and if the injoying the ordinance be good , how can we thinke that god so orders it , that they cannot come by it ? psal . 34. christ purchased no priviledge for his , which they may be as well without ; is not gods power as great as his love ? and as the communion of saints , baptisme , and the supper , are the priviledges of the saints , given them in love , so god hath appointed a way for them to injoy them , and so to affirme , holds forth as much wisdome and love in god to them ; as to say , god hath given them a right to such priviledges , but hath not afforded them any way , or meanes for them to come by them , that they might injoy them . but this subject is handled at large in john spilsberies booke , intituled , gods ordinance . it is foretold that antichrist shall come with signes and wonders , as , mat. 24. 23 , 24. and 2 thes . 2. 9 , 10. we are not to looke for christ to come in this way , yet it may be said of some , except yee see signes and wonders ( to sense ) yee will not beleeve , joh. 4. 48. observations and experiences . of the attributes of god. they are fountaines of comfort , and rocks of strength to his , and those that eye them , live comfortably upon them . of affections . the affections doe oft perswade the judgement . our affections oft deceive our selves , and others , and goe for spirituall , when they are naturall . in our greatest earnestnesse , wee have most cause to examine our hearts and affections . all the disquietnesse and distempers within us , and by us , is occasioned by the want of bounding and well ordering our affections . our affections of joy and sorrow will exceed their bounds , unlesse they be forced . when the object is spirituall , and the motive is spirituall , the affection is spirituall . if our affections , anger , griefe , joy , &c. doe fit us to pray , they are spirituall , else not . our affections come farre short of that which we thinke we have in our judgements . our affections declare to us what we love . wee have many occasions of doing good , but we often want hearts and affections to improve them . the quicknesse of our affections depends much upon the spirits of our bodies . if our affections were answerable to our apprehensions of god , &c. they would destroy our bodies , because they could not beare it . of actions . that which is the ground , cause , and end of a mans action , in that he lives , whether it be god or selfe ; in those actions that concerne our selves we often exceed in , but such actions as are for god chiefly , we are hardly drawne unto , but easily drawne from . if satan cannot corrupt the action , he will indeavour to corrupt the judgement and affection . many conceive that some of those things god commands , are needlesse , but it is a great error . of afflictions . afflictions are little , light , short , and seasonable , though they oft seeme to be many , great , and long . affliction breeds patience , humbleth and mortifieth selfe , teacheth a saint experience , and sends him the oftener to god. god is alwayes present with his , yet in afflictiō they least see him , by reason they looke so much to the affliction , if oppressed with it , but some see god best in afflictions . god is as sweet and may be as much injoyed in adversitie , &c. as in prosperitie ; not any affliction could trouble a childe of god , if he knew wherefore god did send it . of assurance of the love of god. he that hath assurance of gods love , can trust himselfe with god in any estate and strait . he that hath assurance of the love of god , can part with any thing for god. of christ . christ is sweet in meditation , more sweet in contemplation , most sweet in fruition . union with christ is equall alike to all who have union with him ; and union with christ is the greatest happinesse and honour a beleever can injoy . such as have union with christ , should spare no cost for him , although no cost of ours can procure him . christs servants are for the most part poore , and they appeare to the world very silly and contemptible . of corruption . corruption cannot be reformed . corruption neither will nor can subdue corruption . of counsell . there is much safetie in many counsellors , who are wise and faithfull . such as follow their own counsell , doe often prove burthens to themselves and others . of creatures . the creatures are full of emptinesse . the reason why we are so subject to be drawne away with the creatures , is because we see not the emptinesse of them . we oft love creatures more before we had them , then when we had them , because we expected more from them , then was in them . all things below are fading , part wee must with them , and with life also ere long . so much as the creature takes away in parting , so much our life was in it . he is not troubled at the coming and going of the creatures , when the heart is fixed on god. the love of creatures hinders us in good things , but the wise use of them doe much further us . a childe of god useth many things spiritually , which others use carnally . god often bestows abundance of outward things upon some , not for themselves , ( for they need them not ) but that they might supply the wants of others ; and many of them keepe them for themselves . concupiscence . concupiscence is strong and raging , and hardly tamed , yet it is to be attained with difficultie . comfort . wee oft seeke comfort in creatures , which have no power to comfort ; all my comfort is in christ , if i live , he will provide for me , if i dye , he will receive me . custome . forme and custome are deadly enemies to spiritualnesse . custome without truth , is but an old error . custome so shuts mens eyes , that they cannot see the true visage of things . custome makes hard things easie , and bondage no burden , and addes delusion to blindnesse . the rich observe customes , but the poore pay deare for them , for they are starved by them ; if that which is spent at burials were wisely bestowed upon the poore , it were farre better : and so in other needlesse customes . of conscience . sinning against conscience exceedingly hardens the heart . conscience can see best in darknesse , and speake most lowdly in silence . conscience is a very tender thing , a small thing will trouble it , but a blind conscience will swallow up any thing . the naturall conscience will be satisfied with the outside of a dutie . crosses . crosses are not pleasing to the flesh , but profitable to the spirit . the more crosses a saint hath , the more they doe him good , and is the more like christ . great crosses are good physicke for great stomackes . contentment . earthly contents are present to our sense . no earthly thing can give content . joy in god breeds content . so much as wee deny our selves , so much contentment we have . contemplation . divine contemplation , makes us high in thoughts , and rich in expectation . contemplation of gods free love , and the soules interest in it , doth revive , raise , and inlarge the soule . to contemplate on the things above , is most pleasant of all things to them who have tasted the sweetnesse of them . covetousnesse . such as are not contented with that they have , are covetous . distrust of god causeth covetousnesse , which is the root of all evill . so much as we are discontented with our estates , so much covetousnesse there is in us . covetousnesse doth us and others more hurt then we are aware of . such as thinke themselves least covetous , are most covetous . a child of god knows not how to be revenged upon his selfe for his covetousnesse of the things of this world . contraries . every contrary , the more it is resisted , the more it appeares . deadnesse of spirit . deadnesse of heart is an enemy to action : he that will support diligence , must support chearfulnesse : deadnesse is the grave of many graces . such as come to god unchearfully , oft returne unthankfully . spirituall deadnesse , is a great griefe to a childe of god. delayes . delayes a rise from sloath . the more we delay , the more we may . by deferring wee presume upon that we have not , and neglect that we have . to morrow , to morrow , cozens many a man. death . death hath something to say to every man , and would faine be heard , but men are not at leisure . every man must dye . the day of death is the first day of life . he whose hopes are in heaven , is not much afraid of death . death is to him no misery , whose hope is in eternitie . death when it seemes to dispossesse a saint of all , it possesseth him of all things . such as are spiritually dead , are not aware of it ; they onely mind and savour the things of the flesh . difficulties . difficulties are discouragements ; and handsome excuses are welcome to a sloathfull heart . love will carry on through all difficulties , and to undergoe all manner of torments . dreames . an evill dreame shews some evill that prevailes in the heart . by dreames god may foreshew some sin to come , which we are in danger to fall into , which we are not afraid of . selfe-deniall . they live the sweetest lives that most deny themselves . there are very few that do deny themselves , but many can deny christ , and his truth . selfe may be denyed a little in one kinde , if it may please selfe much in another . distractions . distractions of minde in duties , is either from our minding other things , or resting in our own strength , or from a not serious setting our minds on the thing propounded by us ; for that which the heart is throughly set upon , it is so attentive to it , that it can be present to no other thing at that instant , especially to hinder the thing in hand . the want of a wise ordering and dispatch of businesse causeth a great distraction in men . duties . it is no wonder some doe so much , because they expect heaven for what they doe . such duties as flow not from faith and love , are legall and slavish . many will own and confesse their dutie in the generall , that will wholly deny it in particular , especially when it concernes themselves . a beleever , as he is a beleever , he doth fetch all from god , refer all unto god , and doe all for god. examples . the examples of men is not to be any rule to walke by . mens example is very forcible , when it is universall . the worst examples are most observed . excuses . when we have sinned , satan and our corruptions help us to cover it with excuses ; which is to cover a lesser evill with a greater . it is easie to frame an excuse for any evill . education . good education doth oft cause an outward reformation . evill education is a great provocation to sinne . excesses . men doe too little , or too much : men love extreames ; as many eate too little , or too much ; worke too little , or too much . most men are drowned in adversitie , or drunke with prosperitie . extraordinary . for men not to seeke themselves is extraordinary . to practise the truth against great opposition , to be the more humbled by knowledge , and to goe against custome , is extraordinary . for a man to refuse to joyne house to house when he can , is extraordinary . for the rich to take reproofe willingly and profitably of the poore , is extraordinary . for to part with riches as freely as they were received , is extraordinary . ends in duties . the end rules the meanes , and is above them . a beleever is ever true to his end , but he often failes in the meanes . error . when errors prove profitable , many will imbrace them . ignorance is the foundation of error . it 's common for error to be called truth , and truth to be called error . effects . effects are in order to second causes , not to god , who most certainly , necessarily , and wisely hath willed them ; and nothing falls out accidentally , as referred to him whose wise intention reacheth every thing . favour of men . the favour of men is a vanitie , yet much desired . the favour of men is an uncertaine thing , soone got , and soone lost . men desire the favour of men , god denies it to some , to exercise their faith , weane them from the world , or because we performe not our duties unto them . folly. many never see their folly , untill it be too late . feares . feares make the understanding weake , and the judgement dull . feares hinder the certainty of faith . so much as we feare men , wee forget and sleight god. faith. where god gives faith , he gives trials also to exercise it . faith quiets , comforts , and strengthens the soule . we injoy christ by faith , and not by feeling . when faith is at the greatest , then there is the least feeling . as our faith is , so are we incouraged to obey god. the more faith , the lesse feare . god. gods presence in every place is a great comfort to his . they that live upon god alone , live most comfortably , for there is satisfaction , and no changes , he feares nothing that can befall him , he lives comfortably in all . grace . grace is exceeding strong ( especially faith & love ) to carry a man through all . god will exercise the graces that are in his . the more grace any have , the more need to pray , because satan is most ready to tempt such . griefe . we cannot heartily be grieved for that sin in another , of which wee make not conscience in our selves . it is a griefe to a childe of god , to speake of any good they finde a want of in themselves . if we did not immoderately love outward things , we would not grieve at the losse of them , nor keepe such a doe to get them . of gifts . the greater gifts spirituall or temporall , the prouder the flesh is , and the readier satan is to assault . good. a man may doe good in the strength of a lust . wee oft doe least good to them to whom we owe most . there be many good things will decay if let alone , but evill things let alone will increase . parents thinke they doe their children great good , when they can make them rich and great in the world , they make them the greater sinners ; for then they shall have little else to doe but to waste the creatures , and live in excesse , idlenesse , lust , pride , and oppression . glory . when we thinke wee most seeke the glory of god , we too often most seeke our owne . what a man trusts in , he glories in , and what a man glories in , he trusts in , and is confident of . healing . god sometimes healeth corruption by not healing it . hope . the saints hope is in heaven in god. the naturall mans hope is to get honour , fine cloaths , good cheare , ease , and pleasures . hearts . many mens brains deceive their hearts . what the heart likes best , the minde studies most . habits . in acquired habits the act goeth before the habit , and prepares for it , but in infused habits it is contrary , for as we have first the facultie of seeing before we see , so we have first the infused habit , before we exercise the operation of it . humilitie . one may be humbled , but not humble . when we are content to be admonished of our faults sharply by our inferiors , we have some humilitie . honour . the honour of men , is a very shadow , a vanitie . the more men desire honour , the lesse they deserve , & the lesse they often have . hatred . that sin which a childe of god loved most before conversion , he hates most when he is converted . joy. while we live here , we have joy and griefe mixed : this life , nor our bodies will not admit of perfect joy . outward joyes make a great noyse , but never truly heate and comfort the heart . there is no sound joy in earthly things , they reach not the heart , but the fancy . in temporall things , our joy is greater then the cause ; in spirituall things , the cause is greater then the joy . every heart seekes joy such as it is . spirituall joy opposeth carnall , and carnall opposeth spirituall ; the more we relish heavenly , the lesse we relish earthly . now joy is in the saints , when they are in heaven they shall be in joy . ignorance . ignorance is the cause of prophanenesse , and all evill . devotion with ignorance breeds superstition , and idolatry , and persecution . hope with ignorance causeth presumption . feare with ignorance causeth desperation . impossible things . it is impossible to be conformable to christ , and to the world ; to please god , and the world . of idlenesse . an idle person is fit for nothing , but sinne and temptation . an idle life is much loved and entertained of most men . knowledge . that knowledge that is from god , subjects the soule to god. that knowledge that is onely in the braine , is notionall , and neither subdues sinne nor satan . if we know good things , wee cannot but love and affect them . love. that love which is not constant is false . love is most active , when it is least knowne , and cannot be requited . love and labour goe together , as our longing is to injoy god , so is our love to him ; if wee greatly love the lord , wee greatly long to injoy him ; for as our love is to any thing , so accordingly is our indeavour to injoy it . such love the way of god , who hate all things that are contrary unto it , and practise it when it is most despised . such things as we love , we keepe with care , possesse with joy , and lose with griefe . live. we live in that we mind and love , and are made like the things we love . the most seeke life in the regions of death , where it is not . many in this naturall life have comforts few , crosses frequent , pleasures short , and paines lasting . light. light causeth them that see it to follow it . libertie . we are more prone to desire libertie , then to know how to use it . many of the saints abuse their libertie they have in christ . it is the greatest libertie to injoy god , and to have a free heart to serve him . such as plot and plead for libertie for the flesh , are very carnall . of losses . there is no losse in losing for god. what we lose for god , shall be made up unto us in god. the benefit which follows the losse of outward things , is that they are never troubled with them more . motions . forced motions cannot be perpetuall . minde . when our minds are not fixed , they rove every where , and are no where to purpose . such as mind the things above , savour them , and have interest in them . mirth . when men are most chearfull & merry , they are most free and bountifull . naturall mirth ends in sadnesse and sorrow . in naturall mirth , when wee are most merry , we are neerest to danger . the mirth of the wicked is vanitie and madnesse . mercies . many possesse many mercies , and yet want the comfort of them . wee injoy more mercies then we are aware of . occasions . the more secret and colourable any occasion of evill is , the more men are indangered by it . obedience . our obedience to god is most direct , when there is nothing else to sweeten the action . of peace . men cannot give peace : untill the lord speake peace to the soule , there is no peace . where there is no peace , there may be quietnesse or silence . gods people are a peaceable people . passion . the causes of anger and passion , are ignorance and pride . promises . the wicked desire promises for peace , and not for strength against sinne . the promises make the people of god not carelesse , but more fruitfull and serviceable . there were never any ashamed that rested onely upon god in his promise . one promise from a man will please some men more then ten from god. of prayer . there is no dutie in religion that is so much counterfeited as the duty of prayer is . verball prayer causeth great deadnesse . some pray when they should sleepe , and sleepe in prayer , and pray when they should work , but wisdome divides to each its proper time and season . of povertie . the heires of the earth are oft pinched with povertie , and saints who are kings lie in prison . it is better to be poore and weaned from the world , then rich and covetous . men are much afraid of povertie , yet it never did any hurt . pride . the proudest men are the weakest , and most troubled with discontent . principles . when that which is taken for a principle of truth , is a principle of error , the more it is relied on , the worse it is . pleasure . such as have their eyes open , see outward pleasures to be very meane things . sin is desired for the pleasure of it , but there is in sinne more griefe and misery then pleasure . the more carnall a heart is , the more it affects naturall pleasures . sinfull pleasure ends in sorrow . quietnesse . when quietnesse is in the heart , there is not much disquietnesse in the tongue . he can easily be at peace with men , who knows he is at peace with god. reports . such as cannot with patience beare ill reports , cannot live a comfortable life . such as are much joyed at good reports , will be much grieved at ill . oft times the best suffer , ( the worst reports , ) because they will be no worse . there is not a good man that can escape evill and false reports from the wicked . riches . riches are uncertaine , wee must leave them , they insnare many , but there are but few that are drawne the nearer to god by them . the greedinesse of riches are more sharpened by the having of them , then by their wants . riches are the destruction of many . commonly the richest men doe the least good to others . riches make many afraid to confesse christ and his truth , &c. religion . it is impossible for every man to be of one religion and judgement , because their lights and ends differ . where religion is in truth , it is in power , and enableth a man to practise it . a forme of religion onely with riches is imbraced , rather then the power of religion with povertie . most men love that religion best , which best suits with their lusts , as , honour , pleasure , eas● , and their bellies . a little religion goes a great way in rich persons . reproofe for sin . those that complaine , because they are reproved for sinning , shew their folly . poore persons have a priviledge above the rich , in that they are reproved . such as are wise count reproofe a priviledge . sinne. many sinne by omission and commission at one and the same time , and yet know of neither . some sinnes of omission may exceed some of commission . the beginning of sinne is oft by the devils concupiscence suggesting evill thoughts , evill thoughts cause delight , delight consent , consent ingendreth action , action causeth custome , and custome causeth necessitie : custome winneth strength by time , and is more fierce then nature ; one sinne draweth on another ; grant a little , and a great deale will follow . the more there is of the will in the acting of sin , the greater the sinne is . the more deliberation and the weaker temptation any hath , and yet sinneth , the greater the sinne is . according as mens sight of sinne is , so they hate it , and them selves for it . the lesse sensiblenesse of sinne there is after sinne is committed , the greater is the hardnesse of heart . ignorance and unbeliefe , and want of consideration and meditation , and not shunning the occasion of sinne , causeth much sinne . such as the more they fall into sinne , the more they hate it , and are grieved for it , and the more they goe to god against it with faith , they shall conquer it . satan . it is the great designe of satan to draw the saints from god , his truth and people , and that we neglect the meanes , or wholly relie upon them ; in good things he severeth the meanes from the end , in evill hee separateth the end from the meanes . sorrow . it is the nature of sorrow to bring the soule downe . senses . our senses every day decay by little and little , though we take not notice of it . truth . jesus christ is the truth , and his word is truth . no man can teach himselfe or another the mystery of truth . whatsoever is without , or against the word , is not truth . that which the most men doe is not truth . the authoritie of men is not alwayes for the truth . that which carrieth the greatest shew of humilitie is not truth . neither the learned , nor the unlearned , can know the truth , untill god shall please to teach it them . mans reason cannot dive so deepe as the truth lyeth . he that is naturally wise , is least capable of divine things . the greatest enemy that truth hath , is concealement , for the more manifest truth is , the more gloriously it appeares . if truth may have libertie to goe abroad , it will quickly suppresse errors . thirst . spirituall thirst is as strong as naturall thirst , yea , stronger . time. time is not valued to its worth . time past cannot be recalled againe . time ill spent turnes to great losse , and ends in deepe sorrow . temptations . temptation tri●th mens strength ; he is strong that stands in strong temptations . when temptation is absent , a foole is wise , and the froward patient . those temptations are most dangerous which suits best with holy ends . strong and lasting temptations , are to shew us our selves , and humble us . an over-much fearing a temptation and a weak purpose to resist it , weakeneth us , and incourageth satan to tempt . when we are tempted , it is best presently to fall to prayer , and not to stand reasoning with the temptation . trials . they who are least exercised with trials , have the least wisedome and experience . trouble . there is nothing but trouble under the sunne . the lesse trouble men expect , the more they oft meet withall . a troubled soule cannot doe good , nor receive good . a soule cast downe by selfe , or satan , rests not in god , but in trouble . selfe cannot stay , nor checke it selfe , much lesse recover it selfe out of sinfull trouble . vsury . to pay use when the profit is uncertaine , is a meanes to fill men with troubles , cares , distrust , if not with oppression . want. it is a sin and a dishonour to a childe of god , to say or thinke he shall want , or to say , what shall i doe ? a childe of god never wants , though he may thinke he wants ; for he is possessed of all things . if hands , estate , or friends faile , god will send supply some other way . he that suffers want contentedly , is a strong man. of weeping . excesse in weeping , is against nature , reason , and religion . many make a god of other teares . world. such as are full of the things of this world , are emptie enough of spirituall things . according as the world is sweet unto us , the things of god are bitter to us . the world is a deadly enemy to spiritualnesse . he that is full of worldly businesse , needs no other troubles . will. many prefer their wills before their lives ; for when they are crossed , they wish for death . when we want a will to do any thing , we pretend want of power , and say , i cannot . to will is naturall , but to will well , to will spiritually , is supernaturall . those vertues that grace the will , as , love , grace , mercy , justice , are more glorious then ●hose that grace the understanding , as power and wisdome , &c. weaknesse . the wisest saint is most sensible of his own weaknesse . weaknesse with watchfulnesse will stand , when great strength with selfe-confidence faileth . watchfulnesse . spirituall watchfulnesse is a speciall grace of god , a chiefe part of godlinesse , a speciall helpe to holinesse , and a great priviledge of a saint . because the saints watch no more , they fall so much . there is no good order in their lives , who watch not . a wonder . naturall men wonder at worldly and sensuall things . it is no wonder for a naturall man to seeke himselfe in all things . zeale . every man is zealous , either for god or himselfe . these few experiences , i present unto thee for a taste , though many more might be added , which i leave thee to finde out by experience ; also considering there are many sweet experiences recorded in the scriptures , especially in the proverbs and ecclesiastes , and also in other places in the bible , to which i referre thee . grave counsels . concerning actions . let all your actions have a good foundation , a word of god to warrant them , else they are evill : to do things not required by god , is the error of the wicked , 2 pet. 3. 17. god will say , who required this at your hands ? as , isa . 1. 12. consider deut. 12. 32. ephes . 4. 14. first looke that what yee doe be lawfull , next consider that it be expedient , the circumstances of time , place , persons , must be wisely considered : to a good action is required that all the circumstances be good also : next , looke to your ends , why yee doe what yee doe , for the end and scope of an action conduceth to the being of it : if two duties come together , doe the chiefest first , unlesse workes of mercy and necessitie hinder , and looke to doe every dutie required of thee ; to doe one , and neglect another , is uncomely ; give each dutie its due respect ; and looke with what affections yee doe what yee doe : serve the lord with the best , and serve him fully for measure and degree ; he that doth these things , his conversation is beautifull and savoury . concerning the judgement and affections . ever suspect your judgement and affections when the cause concernes your selves . often call your affections to account . when your affections exceed their bounds , aske thy soule the reason of it . let not your judgement be taken captive by your affections . make not your affections knowne in company as little as may be , unlesse the cause be extraordinary . concerning afflictions . sleight not affliction , nor let it over-presse thee , it 's appointed , 1 thes . 3. 3. rom. 8. 29. there is a fruit of the least crosse , looke more at the fruit then deliverance from the crosse , the longer it continues , the more thou maist get by it . labour to know the cause of every affliction . all that are the lords , are to stay themselves in the love of god , and attend upon him for the time , manner and measure of their deliverance . bondage . esteeme that bondage that causeth thee to sin , or keeps thee from god. conscience . conscience is a very tender thing , and must be tenderly used . prize and preserve a tender conscience , and hearken to the noyse of it . take heed yee wound not your consciences to please your affections . creatures . use the creatures so as thou beest not unfitted by them to serve god and man. god gave not the creatures to hurt us . companion . in the choice of a companion consider what soundnesse of judgement there is , what knowledge and sensiblenesse of their own inward corruption , and whether they speak of others infirmities with compassion ; never trust him who will conceale any sinne he seeth in thee . crosses . be not offended at crosses , they may doe thee much good , and let out sinfull selfe . concupiscence . to avoyd concupiscence be temperate in all things , dyet , sleepe , apparell , recreation , &c. and feare thy selfe , watch thy senses , and avoyd the occasion of it , as , persons , times , places , be frequent in fasting and prayer , and looke up to god for strength against it . desires . we had need to use meanes to moderate our desires to things below . we should rather endeavour to make our desires equall to our estates , then to make our estates equall to our desires . excuses . be afraid to cover over any evill with an excuse . of errors . if you would be kept from errors , pray to god , search the scriptures , and be well grounded in the principles of truth . of others falls . let the consideration of the many great falls the saints have had , cause thee to feare thy selfe . a friend . esteeme him thy friend that would hinder thee in sinne . griefe . discover not thy griefes to many , and choose such as are able and willing to helpe thee . the lord is loving and pitifull , able and willing to help ; it 's best to complain to him . of good . to doe good , we live therefore , thinke not much of doing a little good , though it be with great trouble . esteeme not that to be the chiefest good , that may be taken from thee . concerning thy estate . judge not thy estate by thy knowledge , affections , and actions , but by the principle . men. be sure yee try men well , and have good experience of their faithfulnesse , before yee trust them with much . reproofes . receive reproofes willingly and profitably . reproaches . sleight not reproaches , he that is not guiltie , may be guiltie in part , or hath been , or is in another kind , &c. so it 's but a mistake , thou maist be guiltie in the same kind , it may be sent to humble thee , and give thee warning of the same sinne . of successe . judge not of the goodnesse of thy action by the successe , but judge thy successe by the goodnesse of the action , &c. of sinne . judge not sin alwayes by the matter or act of it , but by the rule and greatnesse of the authoritie of the commander that forbids it , and bring in all the circumstances and aggravations of it . of speech . when thou speakest of thy selfe , speak modestly , without vanitie and boasting . time. redeeme the present time to do good , depend not upon the time to come , which is uncertain , and not at thy disposing . counsell to the unmarried . 1. thinke not of marrying , untill yee have first sought god by earnest prayer , for strength and contentednesse to live a single life . 2. use such meanes as may best enable and fit thee for a single life : observe a wary and temperate dyet , company , fasting , and prayer , meditation on god , &c. diligence in thy calling : it may please god by these , and the like meanes , thou maist attaine the gift of chastitie . 3. be informed of the conveniences and inconveniences of a married life : consider whether you be able and willing to drinke of the bitter cup of discontents , which the married oft drinke of : what cares and burdens attend that state . if upon the use of meanes for some space you finde god inclines your heart to marry , feare nothing , but cast thy care upon god , and be as wise as thou canst , and venture upon a wife or husband . 1. pray to god to give thee a wife , ( or husband ) that may be a meet helpe for thee ; a vertuous wife is called a gift of god , the crowne of her husband ; crownes are precious and honourable ; happie is he that hath such a crowne ; her price is farre above rubies , pro. 31. 10. no jewell is to be compared unto her ; shee is worth the asking . 2. doe nothing rashly , snatch not up the first that comes to hand , prove shee well or ill ; shee may please well for a moment , and be a thorne in thy side for ever after . 3. if thou beest the lords , marry in the lord , love such as the lord loveth : that which is desireable in a man is his goodnesse , pro. 19. 22. so in a woman : men seeke wealth and beautie , though they have no religion , but these things cannot supply the want of religion : great portions , and great stomacks , high spirits , costly fashions , and great expences oft goe together ; externall things will quickly blast , and the most resolved loves vanish quickly , when the fuell of love faileth . 4. choose one that i● sutable to thee ; first , sutable in religion ; how can there be amitie and love , where divers religions are , seeing no opposition is so strong as that which is for religion ? consider deut. 22. 11. job 1. 8 , 9. 2 cor. 6. 15. apply it . secondly , sutable for age , some mary as old againe , others as young againe , &c. but unsutable matches are dishonourable . thirdly , sutablenesse in dispositions are to be looked to , lest yee smart for it ; because yee are not made of brasse but of flesh , a few odious qualities will in time weare off much doating delight . fourthly , sutable in respect of condition of life , and abilitie of body , to labour and fare as thy abilitie requires , such wives as must fare and weare that which is costly , and so weake not able to labour , are fit for such as can beare it , in respect of their estates and minds . 5. take heed of wronging your selfe , or any others ; take heed what yee promise , if yee give your promise , then your libertie is gone , and another is added to you , it may be to your perpetuall griefe , and make as much conscience , not onely of keeping your promises with others , but take heed lest yee expresse your selfe in such a way as shall justly cause it to be interpreted love in that kinde . a man may make a profession of love , and yet so expresse himselfe as he shall not be ingaged by promise , ( when by his practise he is ) and so at pleasure depart , to the great wrong and hazard of the other partie , without giving any sufficient reason of it ; the wrongs in this kinde are fit to be severely punished by the magistrate for an example to others . 6. marry with parents consent , deut. 7. 3. 1 cor. 6. 36. unlesse they extend their authoritie to the hurt of soule and body : in some cases the want of parents consent hinders not , as in case the partie hath been married before , or numb . 30. 4. or exod. 22. 16. mutuall counsell to husbands and wives . 1. have you both a high esteeme of mariage , if you prize not mariage , who shall ? you should preserve the honour & comfort of mariage , and say , what is equall to mariage for the being and well-being of life , it 's the prop of mutuall content , the ayd of nature , the perfection of health , wealth , beauty , honour , experience , no condition is sweet where mariage supplies it not , it 's the preservation of chastitie , the pillar of the world , and of the church , the glory of peace , and the life of the dead ; nothing is so precious in worldly respects as that for which the husband loveth and desireth the wife , and shee him ; no union so strong as this , no joy in any outward union so contentfull as this , &c. 2. nourish love , and abhorre all occasions to the contrary , strive who shall love each other with the most cordiall affection ; love is given to both , to make the miseries of mariage tolerable , therefore live and love , and cease not to love , till yee cease to live : have a care yee lose not your first love : and so demeane your selves , as may best draw forth each others heart in all love and amitie , and ever be ready to expresse love and sympathy , avoyding a peevish carriage , which provokes to wearinesse , impatience , and discontent . 3. beare with each others infirmities , fret not , cavill not at them , cover them with tendernesse : if you have a bad bargaine , make the best of it you can , now it is too late to complaine ; impart not your discontents to strangers , aske no counsell of them but with a free consent of both , when necessitie requires it . observe it , such as complaine to others , they shew their clamorous and turbulent spirits , and want of wisdome and love ; if thy husbands or wives vertues be but small , make them great by contemplation , and put upon them the great value of their worth : an eying each others infirmities , deads and kils the affection of love . 4. observe each others tempers to prevent discontents , and preserve your first love . 5. if there fall out a difference between you , be both freely willing the word of god may decide it , and to submit unto it , feare breaches , and know a small sparke of difference may increase a great flame , if not timely prevented . 6. be both chaste , and love each others company , and be faithfull each to other ; let one purse , one bed , one house , serve them that are but one . 7. be industrious and provident , that neither of you may want . 8. hinder not each other in serving of god. 9. tender each others good name . 10. find as little fault one with another as possibly you can , and then expresse them not in anger , but in love , and when yee be both alone . counsell to the wife . 1. love your own husbands , and expresse your love in a reverend , amiable and modest manner , in thy husband thou maist behold authoritie , government , forecast , soveraigntie ; from man thou first receivedst thy being , from thy husband thou enjoyest countenance , protection , direction , honour , love , &c. 2. honour your husband inwardly in your heart , and outwardly in your actions , esteeme him as he is your superior and head , and yeeld to him , let your will be subject to his , you must have no will but his , if he speake the word , you must not contest , but in humilitie yeeld , if he be angry , be yee silent , set before you what the carriage of the church ought to be to christ , to be a patterne for you , and know where love is , duties are frequent , and acted with ease and delight . 3. obey thy husband ; obedience is a hard word , many a proud stout stomack neither will nor can yeeld their neckes to the collar of subjection in every thing ; the lord knew how it would come to passe , that both husband and wife would both have their wills , though each were quite contrary to the other , therefore god thought fit to order it as he would have it , that the wife should yeeld to her husband , and be obedient to him in every ●hing ; wives submit your selves unto your own husbands , as unto the lord ; for the husband is the head of the wife , even as christ is the head of his church , &c. therefore as the church is subject unto christ , so let the wives be unto their own husbands in every thing , ephes . 5. 22 , 23 , 24. therefore know , o woman , whosoever thou art , rich or poore , that god hath commanded you to be subject to your husband , and if you doe it not , god will call you to an account for it one day , though it may be , your husband be contented to let it passe , in the feare of god consider it , and tremble at the thought of living in the breach of so plaine and cleare a command ; consider christ is the author of salvation to all that obey him , heb. 5. 9. and no more ; therefore goe to god for humilitie and selfe-deniall , to stoop to thy husbands command ( if it be lawfull ) 1. because god hath commanded it , & though mariage be an equall state , yet the carriage of both is not to be the same , therefore let thy love to thy husband be with a loyall sweet subjection , without slavery , and thy obedience shall be a blessing to thee , and an increase of thy inward peace and joy ; also thou shalt avoid many quarrels , envie , and discontents , which others indure , also by thy obedience thou shalt honour god , and be a good patterne to others to doe so also . counsell to the husband . 1. consider the command of god is upon you , that yee love your own wives , and be not bitter unto them , let love descend , first from thee , shee is a deserving object of love , shee hath forsaken all for thee , and perhaps is shiftlesse without thee , great are her burdens and paines in conception , and bearing children , &c. let thy love to her be full and free , love her in some sense better then thy selfe , and let thy love be conveyed to her with royaltie without tyranny : husbands love your wives , even as christ also loved his church , and gave himselfe for it , so ought men to love their wives as their own bodies ; he that loveth his wife , loveth himselfe , ephes . 5. 25. 28. for no man ever yet hated his own flesh : they two are one flesh , 29. 31. 2. let her share with thee in the benefit of thy ( graces , gifts , ) estate , if thou hast plenty , let her have plenty also , shee shall be sure to share with thee in the ill , in povertie , sicknesse , disgrace , and other miseries , oh therefore let her share in thy plenty also ; let her have for delight as well as thy selfe , make her cause thy own , and doe so as thou wouldst be done unto , and give it her freely without asking . some men have much , and spend much upon their pleasures , but allow their wives just nothing ; such give their wives ground enough to question their loves to them , because love is bountifull where there is plenty ; why should not part of that which is yours be hers , for her necessitie and comfort ? 3. ease thy wife as much as thou canst , though shee be bound to obey thy command , yet it 's like you need not command so many things , or not so frequently , and so the burden of subjection may be much lighter to her ; if shee be willing to obey , spare her ; if unwilling , forbeare her , that shee may sinne lesse . say not , that thou wilt make her , be not too confident of thy strength to mould thy wife into subjection , as wise and strong as thou art , could not doe it , ( onely god can make a stout stomack to yeeld to a weake and wilfull governour ) victory is not alwayes to the strong , eccl. 9. 11. it 's ill grapling with a head-strong woman , shee may be weake in body , but strong in mischiefe ; the tongue is an unruly member , no man can tame ; be not so mad as to strike thy crowne , nor cast it in the dirt ; if shee answers not thy desires , informe her of her dutie from the scriptures , and pray to god to set it home upon her conscience ; if god be not regarded , who shall ? 4. honour thy wife , right her wrongs , suffer none to sleight nor abuse her in no kinde , &c. follow christs carriage to his church , which is most loving , meeke , and sweet . 5. provide all things needfull for her , that shee may live comfortably with thee ; and whether shee be good or bad , you ought to doe what you can to provide meanes , that shee may live comfortably after you in this world . 6. dwell with her , deprive her not of the benefit of thy presence , by long journeys , &c. unlesse absolute necessitie inforce it , and rather erre with over-loving thy wife , then otherwise . thus i have thought fit to mention some few things , which so much concerne the comfort of a married life . this may be of use to some of those into whose hands it may come , though this is more largely handled in severall treatises . the remedy of feares . some few observations from isai . 41. 10. feare not , for i am with thee , be not dismayd , for i am thy god , i will strengthen thee , yea i will helpe thee , yea i will uphold thee , &c. obs . 1. some things are terrible to a saint , which he is subject to feare . 2. it is the will of god , that his people be not troubled , but to live a sweet and quiet life , in , and upon god. 3. god is alwayes present with his , to keepe them from evill , and doe them good , though they know it not , or consider it not . 4. feares arise in not beholding the presence of god. 5. the consideration of the presence of god , a remedy against feares . 6. i am thy god ; when a childe of god is at the worst , still god is his god. 7. the knowledge of an interest in god , is enough to raise a soule out of all its feares . 8. i will strengthen thee ; god is ingaged by promise to helpe and strengthen his . 9. the saints should minde gods promise , and live upon it . 10. the promise of god is enough to quiet and settle a soule from feares . 11. the weakest saint with god shall prevaile . 12. strengthen thee ; there is strength enough in god. 13. the saints strength is god. 14. it 's in vaine for men to oppose the saints , for god is with them to helpe them . 15. i will help thee ; the saints in themselves are weake , and cannot helpe themselves . 16. there is no helpe but in god ; creatures cannot helpe , they are vanitie . 17. so much as the soule rests upon the promise of god for helpe , so much its freed from feares in the greatest appearance of dangers . 18. vphold thee ; the trialls of the saints are above their strength , they cannot stand without god , god upholds his . 19. strengthen , helpe , uphold ; god applies himselfe sutable , and in particular , to the wants of his people . 20. when god will preserve a man , it is not any thing that can hurt him . from all which wee may observe . obs . 1. that the ground of feares are ignorance , as , psal . 62. 11. forgetfulnesse , isa . 12. 13. and living by sense , & not by faith . obs . 2. that it is unreasonable , and sinfull for a childe of god , to feare men , or be dismayed at any thing . reas . 1. because it 's against gods command , which saith , feare not , &c. 2. they have the presence of god to keepe them . 3. they have an interest in god , which is a happinesse beyond all miseries . 4. because nothing can befall them , but what god appoints , who loves them infinitely . 5. because whatsoever befalls them , shall doe them good , rom. 8. 6. the bitternesse shall be but short , rom. 16. 7. feares never doe any good , but hurt ; they dishonour god , his truth , and people , and oft cause an omission of dutie . 8. feare is unsutable for a saint , rev. 21. lastly , feares are unreasonable for a childe of god , because god hath given unto them many great , sweet , and precious promises , that they shall not want no good thing , psal . 34. for he hath said , i will never leave thee , nor forsake thee , heb. 13. 5. therefore they are well enough , they need not care , nor feare , but in god alwayes rejoyce , and sing praises to him . now unto him that is able to doe for us abundantly , above that we are able to aske or thinke , be praise and glory in all the churches of the saints to all ages , amen . a table of some of the principall things contained in this treatise . a. vvhat it is to feed upon ashes , 2 , 3. 5. assurance & faith differs , 82 , 83. all that have faith have not assurance , 82 , &c. b. christ is the true bread , 3. 5 , 6. men beleeve before they know it , 61. men are in christ before they beleeve , 46 , 47. what all men are to beleeve , 48 , 49. such as desire to beleeve , have faith , 53. 101. a beleevers comfort , hope , joy , should be alwayes the same , 97 , 116. the state of a beleever in christ , is a state of perfection , 13. 113. 149. such as see a beauty in christ , loath themselves , 23. 41. mans beleeving procures no pardon of sinne , 46 , &c. c. christ is enough , 132. and minde him , 112. 113. 79. 131. christ proclaimes peace to his , 106 , 107. christ and a beleever are one , 12. christs holiness is the saints happiness , 121. christs bloud saves his , 12. 145 , 147. christ is the way to life , 13. 36 , 37 , 38. christ highly esteemes of his , 136 , 137 , 142. christ being made sin for me , is better for me then if i had never sinned , 15 , 16 , 161. christ dyed not for the sinnes of adams posteritie , 7 , 8. comfort to all that are in christ ▪ 12. 65. 132 vnlesse christ had dyed , man had not been saved , 7. the saints are to live onely upon christ , 79. the saints comfort is in christ , 79. who live upon christ , 15. 38 , 39. 79. 80. such as are christs should serve him , 153. the covenant of grace is not made with man but with christ , 26. the covenant of grace is unconditionall on mans part , 46 , 47. there is not any thing required of man to doe to make him partaker of the covenant of grace , 46. the consolatiōs of god are to be prized , 121. the comfort of the saints is not to depend upon their personall sanctification , and why ? 114 , 115. the confidence of a beleever should be ever the same , and why , 113 , 114. 121 , 122. all our cares are to be cast upon god , trusting him in all estates , and why , 129 , 130. corruption may be strong in a saint , and why , 96 , 97. 159 , 160. a man may be confident of his salvation , and yet be deluded , and why , 14 , 15. 67. grave counsels , 363. to the unmarried , 369. to the married , 372. 375. 378. d. causes of doubting , 65. 105. the fears and discouragements in many are groundlesse . 3. and from the devill , 106. it is an infirmitie to give way to any discouragement , 108. 79. we are to looke to christ , and not at discouragements , 52. 113. there hath been discouragements in many of the lords , 87 , 88 , 89. grounds of discouragements and feares , 16 no man is to despaire , 158. the time of doubting is a barren time , 71. no man can deliver his soule , & why , 12 , 13. there is death in our best duties , 41. it is not any thing man can do that can make him to be loved of god , 24 , 25 , 97. the saints daily duty and desire , 199 , &c. causes of unwillingnesse to duties , 77. e. election not for foreseene faith , 320. 148. it is impossible for the elect to perish , and why , 140 , 141. we should be content with our present estate , 130 , 131. 127. treasure up experience of gods goodnes , 119. severall experiences , 331. f. there be divers kinds of faith , 55. faith what , 56 , 57 , 58. 61. many are mistaken in faith , 55. faith is not to be placed in enjoyments , 80. faith looks not at sight nor feeling , 80. 124. faith is so small and weak in many , that they cannot discerne it , 47. 83 , 84. 86. when faith is wrought by god in the soul , 45 faith is where spirituall desires are , 75. 53. we should ever live by faith , 79. 123. faith quiets and settles the foule , 103. 122. faith evidenceth to us our justification , 115 the word and promise of god , is the onely ground of faith , 15. 123. the act of faith is a worke , 145. faith is no condition of the covenant of grace , 46 , 47. we should not yeeld to feares , 51. 102. we should not feare want , & why , 165. 227 what it is to be fatherlesse , 63. a remedy against feares , 381. wherein the life of faith consists , 143. the saints are to live by faith in justification , 154. in sanctification , 154. in infirmities , 156 , &c. for graces , 167. in use of meanes , 175. for protection and supply of all wants , 148. in adversitie , 188. in the life past , 189. for glorification , 193. and to dye by faith , 197. g. god is ready to forgive , 25 , 26. god is unchangeable , 80. 95. 97. god oft hides himselfe from his , 94. god was found of them that sought him not , 34. god is not an enemy to his , though they greatly sin against him , 26 , 27. 97. 146. gods free grace is to be admired , 127. god gives christ to enemies , 50 , 51. god never fayles his , 78. god draweth the soule to christ , 41. the manner of gods drawing men to christ , 42 , &c. gods children are in various conditions , 127. of the growth of the saints , 70 , 71 , 72. h. heart , what , where it is seated , 53 , 54. what it is to give god the heart , 54 , 55. there is hardnesse of heart in a child of god , 100. the heart of man is not to be hearkened unto , and why , 7. we should watch our hearts , 202. why men follow the counsell of their owne hearts , 10 , 11. incouragements to hope , 20 , 21. the happinesse of beleevers depends not upon their doings , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39. 46. of hearing the word , 259. i. how men are made just before god , 10. 121. no effect of sanctification can evidence justification , and why , 115 , 116. it is one thing to be justified , and another to be sanctified , 114 , 115. who are fit to judge of mens estates , 111 , 128 many mens apprehension of justification , is not from god , and why , 116. 162 , 163. what an infirmitie is , 155 , 156. when men live by faith in infirmities , 163. k. it is one thing to know , & another to know that we know , 94. 61. l. what it is to be lost , 123. god loves us before we love him , 49. the love of god being discovered , scatters all discouragements and feares , 5. we are not to answer gods love by our mortification of sinne , 78. god loves freely , 110. 23. false lives men live , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 124. m. fallen man cannot helpe himselfe , 6. 12 , 13 , the mercy of god is infinite , 25. see 33. 51. such as have received mercy from god , should be mercifull to others , 130. that which moves god to shew mercy , is in and from himselfe , 24 , 25. meanes to settle a soule in assurance of the love of god , 105 , &c. meanes alone are not able to settle a soule , 66 of meditation , 268. 122. that miracles are not essentiall to the administrator of baptisme , 325. o. the saints are not their own but christs , 138 obedience is the saints duty , 38 , 116. 130 p. pray to god , 127 , 128. of prayer , 290. we should minde sutable promises , 118. 65. presumption what , 66. peace none can give but god , 109. god is the portion of his people , 139. the saints should rejoyce in their portion , 131. god will pardon a lost sinner , 3. 26. the poverty of saints , 91 , 92. q. mens qualifications are worth nothing , 34. the quiet soul is fittest to receive comfort , 119 r. mans righteousnesse is not onely imperfect , but also filthinesse , 11. such as prize their owne righteousnesse , know not christs , 121. 35. 37. such as prize their own righteousnesse , are in a sad condition , 37 , 38. that righteousnesse which justifieth us is not in us , 11 , 121. christs righteousness is the saints comfort , 39. 22. christs righteousness is perfect , 10 christs righteousness is sufficient to satisfie us at all times , 98. 122 , 123. 26. the meanest saint is as righteous as the best , 14. 139. the saints are to rejoyce in god , 97. 107. regeneration , wherein it consists , 72. concerning reading the scriptures , 177. carnall reason to be abhorred , & why , 125. s. christ saves none but the ungodly , 23. sin should humble the saints , 155. 159. 14. sin drives the soule from god , 5. 62. the greatnesse of sin ought not to hinder any in beleeving , 39. 104. 18 , 19. 21. 112. what the unpardonable sin is , 27. of sensiblenesse of sin , 62 , 63. to be convinced of sin , what , 40 , 41. 43. why sin is left in the saints , 159 , 160. the sins of a beleever are laid upon christ , & now they are christs , & not their own , 113. no man ought to allow himself in any sin , 117 it's possible for a childe of god to fall into a great sin , 95 , 96 , 24. considerations against sin , 233. &c. the saints have made the greatnesse of sin an incouragement to hope , 22. why god leaves sin in his , 78 , 79. whether the combate in men be from the spirit or no , 84 , 85. the sins of the elect are forgiven them before they know it , 31 , 32. satan is not to be hearkened unto , 9 , 10 , 29. what it is to live by sense , 124 , 125. why men seeke to save themselves , 11 , 12. such as god saves , he causeth to understand the way of salvation , 5 , 6 , 7. the satisfactiō of christ satisfieth the soule , 7 the holy scriptures are the word of god , 298 sufficient grace is not given to all , 307. t. terrors should not hinder faith , 80 , 81. 87. temptations against beleeving , should incourage us in beleeving , 123. 86. how a soule tempted may answer satan , 73. weake beleevers are not to apply the threatnings to themselves , 111. how to prevent trouble , 120. v. causes of unbeliefe , 105 , 124. lying vanities are to be renounced , 124. we should put a difference between christs voyce , and other voyces , 108 , 109. 329. &c. and between the voyce of the gospel , and the voyce of the law , 110. we should know christs voyce , and hearken unto it , 108 , 109. w. to waite upon god , what , 32. 44. 95. good works justifie us before men , 151. deliverance is before our working , 35. 71. of the freedome of the will , &c. 3. 10. 318. a song of the love of god to such as are in christ . the love of god hath been to me full great , in leaving me in such a state to be ; and then to set me free from this estate , he gave his onely sonne to dye for me . which is a greater happinesse to me , then if i had not been in misery . i was as vile as any man could be , and my vile state did openly appeare ; when god in love did please to look on me , and caused me a joyfull voyce to heare . for passing by me , he to me said , live , which voyce of his unto me life did give . when i heard this sweet voyce of god to me , vpon my heart effectually it wrought ; that i was then so set at libertie , that oft times i did ponder in my thought . from sin , satā , curse , wrath & hell , so free , that i feare not what they can doe to me . love caused god for me his sonne to give ; love caused jesus christ for me to dye ; love caused god to say to my soule , live ; love in my soule doth againe reply ( forth in songs , how lovingly christ did come a mighty price , & ransom of great worth . what glorious sight of love is this i see , that being had before the world could be ; without al time , boūds , measure , or degree , is this his love which he hath set on me . one glorious sight of this so great love , will cause a soule for to be sicke of love . this love made known to me , made me to muse , that ever god should be to me so good ; to give his son for me , and me to choose , which was his enemy , and in my bloud ; when i fled from him , after me came he , i sought not him , but he sought after me . the love of god to me is passing great , which had a being ere the world began ; it boundlesse is , and every way compleat , and lōger doth indure then this world can . like love to this hath never yet been heard , and there is none can be to this compar'd . that many in their sins should be destroyed , whose first condition was as good as mine ; and yet to me this mercy is injoyd ; thus being freed i shall in glory shine . this shews his love to me was great & free , and could not be deserv'd at all by me . oh , who could wish himself a thing so rare , as to be hemd in , and compact about , with boundles love , oh ! who can it declare , or who by fadoming can finde it out ? my heart , my hand & tong are all too weak of matchlesse love , to thinke , or write , or speak . it is through faith appli'd so excellent , it comforteth and elevates on high the saddest heart , and fils it with content ; yea it revives a soule ready to dye . the apprehending it , brings joy & peace , when it is clouded , peace & joy doe cease . each soule that doth this boundlesse joy possesse , may well be swallowed up in admiration ; and to the praise of god may it expresse , and often have it in his meditation . well may it cause him to serve , feare , and love this boundlesse lover , ever god above . a song that jesus christ is all in all to his . christ is his fathers chiefest choice , and i in him the very same ; why should i not in him rejoyce , who am secured from all blame ? in god through christ , the saints rejoyce , when they know they in christ are found ; through christ they with a joyfull voyce , in singing doe his praises sound . i now in christ have beautie bright , i am compleat in him alone , being clothed in his robe that 's white , in him i have perfection . in me god doth , through christ delight , in god through christ i interest have ; through christ i may come in his sight , and needfull things may aske and have . my priviledges are full large , through christ my saviour and my king ; who onely under-went the charge , me to redeeme , and me home bring . and now i am by him set free , vnion with him for to injoy ; the thought of it so cleaves to me , that nothing can me much annoy . what is it worldly men desire , but beautie , riches , and fine fare ; with pleasures , ease , and rich attire , things which the world in them do share ? and what these things to them can be , the same is christ to me and more ; and what thy best workes are to thee , better to me is christ my store . christ is my light , my life , and power , my prophet , priest , and king is he ; my husband , head , and saviour , oh , none but jesus christ for me . should my performances grow slacke , and should i dead and lumpish be ; or should god seeme to turne his backe , my part in christ shall comfort me . though my corruptions should increase , and sinne should seeme to master me , yet christ shall be my health and peace , my strength and righteousnesse is be . in life and death so shall i be , for all things else are vanitie ; what ever my condition be , nothing but christ shall comfort me . for christ to me is all in all , in life and death , advantage he vnto me is , and sure he shall more then a conquerour make me . and in this doth my joy abound , that i in christ am ever found , where all perfections doe abound , and i with him shall be crown'd . therefore i shall set forth his praise , and honour him while i have breath , yea , him love , feare , and serve alwayes , from henceforth to my day of death . finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a57248-e220 1 sam. 18. 1. 3. & 20. 42. prov. 12. 26. prov. 29. 2. 2 epis . joh. 8. job 29 1 sam. 16. 18. joh 2 prov. 10. 30. judg. 6. 12. luk. 1. 3. zach. 4. 10. notes for div a57248-e530 2 pet. 1. 19. notes for div a57248-e1630 obser . notes for div a57248-e3240 obs . 1. obs . 2. obs . 3. obs . 4. obs . 5. obs . 6. obs . 7. obs . 8. obs . 9. ob. 10 obser . 11. obser . 12. obser . 13. obser . 14. obser . 15. obser . 16. ob. 17 obser . 18. obser . 19. obser . 20. obser . 21. obser . 22. obser . 23. obser . 24. obser . 25. obser . 26. obser . 27. obser . 28. obser . 29. obser . 30. obj. 1. ans . obj. 2. ag. 1. ans . ag. 2. ans . ag. 3. ans . ag. 4. answ . aggr. 5. answ . aggr. 6. answ . aggr. 7. answ . ag. 8. answ . ag. 9. answ . aggr. 10. answ . aggr. 11. answ . aggr. 12. answ . ag. 13. answ . aggr. 14. answ . aggr. 15. answ . aggr. 16. answ . aggr. 17. answ . aggr. 18. answ . 1. incoura . 2. incoura . 3. in coura . 4. incoura . 5. incoura . 6. in coura . 7. incoura . 8. incoura . 9. incoura . 10. incoura . 11. incoura . 12. incoura . 13. incoura . 14. incoura . 15. incoura . 3. ob. answ . 4. ob. ans . 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 5. ob. ans . 1 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. ob. ans . 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. obj. 7. ans . 1. 2. obj. 8. ans . 1. 2. 3. obj. 9. ans . 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. obje . 10. answ . 1. 2. 3. 11 ob. answ . 12. ob. answ . 13. ob. ans . 1. 2. 3. 14. ob. answ . 15. ob. ans . 1. 2. 3. obje . 1. discoura . ans . 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 2. discoura . answ . 3. discoura . answ . 4. discoura . answ . 5. discoura . ans . 1. 2. 3. 4. 6. discoura . ans . 1. 2. 3. 7. discoura . ans . 1. 2. 8. discoura . answ . 9. discoura . ans . 1. 2. 3. 4. 10. disco . ans . 1 2. 3. 4. 11. disco . ans . 1 2. 3. 12. disco . answ . 13. disco . answ . 14. disco . answ . 15. disco . answ . 16. disco . ans . 1 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 17. disco . ans . 1. 2. 3. 18. disco . ans . 1 2. 3. 4. 19. disco . ans . 1 2. 3. 4. 20. disco . ans . 1 2. 2. vse . notes for div a57248-e18050 ver . 1. ver . 2. ver. 3. ver . 4. ver. 5. ver . 6. notes for div a57248-e29340 meditate . cōference . faith. practise . prayer notes for div a57248-e48700 eph. 2. 4. rom. 3. 9. rom. 3. 24. joh. 3. 16. 1 cor. 2. 9. 1 cor. 15. 45 ezek. 16. 3 ezek 16. 6 ezek. 16. 6 ezek. 16. 6 ezek. 16. 6 gen. 1. 3. ezek. 16. 6 eph. 5. 14. rom. 8. 37. 1 cor. 2. 9. joh. 8. 36. rom. 8. 38. gal. 4. 4 , 5. joh. 10. 18. ezek. 16. 6 ps . 116. 7. heb 10. 7. mat. 10. 45 2 joh. 3. 1. eph. 1. 4. eph. 1. 4. eph. 2. 4. eph. 3. 19. song 5. 8. 1 joh. 3. 1. rev. 1. 5. eph. 1. 4. ezek. 16 6 jer. 3. 7. isa . 65. 1. eph. 2. 4. eph. 1. 4. 1 ioh. 3. 2. 1 cor. 2. 9. rom. 5. 7. rom. 5. 7. ioh. 8. 21. isa . 64. 6. rom. 5. 1. ioh. 17. 24. hos . 14. 4. isa . 64. 6. psal . 63. 3. rom. 8. 39 eph. 3. 19. hos . 11. 4. eph. 3. 19. 1 cor. 13. 9 rom. 3. 30. col. 3. 1 , 2. rom. 5. 1. eph. 5. 14. rom. 5. 1. rom. 7. 24. 1 pet. 1. 6. eph. 3. 8. rom. 7. 25. joh. 16. 22. 2 cor. 5. 14 2 co. 13. 11 notes for div a57248-e50150 mat. 3. 17. eph. 1. 4. phil. 4. 4. rom. 8. 38 phil. 3. 3. phil. 3. 9. psal . 66. 1. psa . 18. 49 eze. 16. 14 col. 2. 10. rev. 19. 8. col. 2. 3. mat. 3. 17. 1 cor. 3. 21 heb. 10. 19 mat. 21. 22 gal. 4. 7. psal . 2. 6. rom. 5. 8. eph. 2. 13. heb. 10. 11 joh. 17. 21. joh. 17. 24. rom. 8. 35 psal . 4. 6. luk. 12. 19 luk. 12. 19 psal . 49. 6. psal . 49. 6. phil. 3. 8. rom. 10. 3. phil. 3. 7. col 3. 4. acts 7. 37. luk. 2. 11. 1 cor. 15. 19 rom 7. 18. joh. 15. 5. mar. 15. 34 1 cor. 1. 30 ro. 23. 24. rom. 7. 23 eph. 2. 13. psal . 71. 16 phil. 3. 7. phil. 3. 8. rom. 8. 38 psal . 71. 16 col. 3. 11. phil. 3. 21. gal. 6. 14. rom. 8. 37 1 pet. 1. 8. phil. 3. 3. col. 2. 3. rom. 8. 17. phil. 4. 13. 2 cor. 5. 14 col. 3. 23. rev. 2. 10.