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<DATE>2009-01-08</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>Emma Leeson Huber</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<ITEM>Corrected 2 illegibles of 10. Converted 8 illegibles To GAP DESC="illegible RESP="oxf".</ITEM>
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<BIBNO T="umi">99866291</BIBNO>
<VID>118559</VID>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>A Glimp&s;e of Divine Light, BREAKING THROUGH A Cloud of Errours. BEING An explanation of certain Pa&s;&s;ages exhibited by <HI>Anonymus,</HI> to the Commi&s;&s;ioners of <HI>White-Hall,</HI> appointed for Approbation of publick Preachers, again&s;t <HI>Io&s;eph Harri&s;on</HI> Go&s;pel-Preacher at <HI>Lund</HI>-Chappel IN LANCASHIRE, For the &s;uppo&s;ed delivering of which, he was denied Approbation. Publi&s;hed by the &s;aid IOSEPH HARRISON, and propo&s;ed to the con&s;ideration of all them that love our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t in &s;incerity.</P>
<Q><BIBL>ACTS 24.13, 14, 15.</BIBL>
Neither can they approve the things whereof they now accu&s;e me, But this I confe&s;&s;e unto thee, that after the way which they call Here&s;ie; So wor&s;hip I the God of my Fathers, Beleeving all things that are written in the Law and the Prophets, and have hope towards God, which they them&s;elves al&s;o allow.</Q>
<P><HI>London,</HI> Printed for <HI>N. Brook,</HI> and are to be &s;old at the <HI>Angell</HI> in <HI>Corn-Hill</HI> near the Royall Exchange, 1655.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="dedication">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>To my Chri&s;tian Friends and Acquaintance in the County of LANCASTER, More e&s;pecially the Church-meeting at LUND near <HI>Pre&s;ton</HI> in ANDERNES. Grace and Peace from God the Father, and Ie&s;us Chri&s;t our LORD.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Beloved in the Bowels of Je&s;us,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>_AS there hath alwayes been a reluctancy upon my &s;pirit, whiles &s;eeking for approbation from men: &s;o have I alwayes perceived a relu|ctancy upon the &s;pirits of men, when about to grant me that which is &s;o ordinary a favour. And though I will not &s;ay it made them more &s;crupulous how they approved: yet certainly it made me le&s;&s;e &s;cruple at their <HI>Non</HI>-approval, becau&s;e, I needed not (as &s;ome others) either Epi&s;tles of commendation unto you, or letters of commendation from them; you were our Epi&s;tle written in our hearts, known and read of all men. <HI>2 Cor. 3.2, 3.</HI> Neverthe|le&s;&s;e (as occa&s;ion hath been offered) I alwayes de&s;ired it. <HI>1.</HI> That I might live peaceably among&s;t, and keep a corre&s;pondency with the neighbouring Mini&s;ters, and not &s;eparate for circum|&s;tance, &s;o long as we agreed in the &s;ub&s;tance of the truth. <HI>2.</HI> That (while providence made way) I might not be charge|able (though I feared not my being trouble&s;ome) to any of you. <HI>3.</HI> The maintenance allotted to the place at which I u&s;ually preached, and near unto which I was born, did ari&s;e (as &s;ome of you know) from within the Precincts and Borderies thereof;
<PB REF="3">
and the people were generally willing, and freely petitioned, that it might be di&s;po&s;ed off to me rather than to &s;trangers, that exerci&s;ed at places farre remote, and yet with all earnestne&s;&s;e &s;ollicited for it, This la&s;t general call (in obedience to which, I with many others crowded up to <HI>London</HI>) cannot po&s;&s;ibly but have been heard of by every one of you, And my de&s;ire is, that you &s;hould truly know, what was upon my heart before, and in reference to my going thither; what entertainment I found there, and how it cometh to pa&s;&s;e, that you are now pre&s;ented with, and invited to peru&s;e, an explanation of the&s;e (Scarce intelligible) pa&s;&s;ages.</P>
<P>I was not freer in my &s;pirit to &s;eek for approbation now, than i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> the dayes of old; nor did I expect the&s;e in commi&s;&s;ion now, to be any freer in granting (to &s;uch as me) than men entru&s;ted by men with the like power, had formerly been. Though I profe&s;&s;e, <HI>1.</HI> That I honour &s;ome of the pre&s;ent Commi&s;&s;ioners exceeding highly for their works &s;ake; and am glad (as well for their &s;akes as the quiet of my own mind) that providence &s;o ordered things, that they were not pre&s;ent at this Tran&s;action, nor did &s;it to vote concerning me. Tender hearted Christians might perhaps have been troubled at them&s;elves afterwards, least they had offended &s;ome of the little and de&s;pi&s;ed ones. <HI>2.</HI> I could not be per&s;waded of &s;o much as an intended oppo&s;ition from, or by the brethren of the Cla&s;&s;is in the County of <HI>Lanca&s;ter,</HI> becau&s;e I knew <HI>1.</HI> That the Grandees of that party had refu&s;ed for the&s;e four years la&s;t pa&s;t, to ob&s;erve either the publick days of fa&s;ting or thanksgiving appointed by the State; And I did not think men of that zeal and &s;pirit, would &s;train their con|&s;ciences, and make u&s;e of that power (no not if they had been a&s;|&s;ured thereby to promote their own catholick cau&s;e) which they had &s;o lately refu&s;ed (meerly out of con&s;cience) either to pray or give thanks for according to <HI>2 Tim. 2.1.2.</HI> Their own con|&s;ciences might tell them, that though they alwayes have the happ to get and keep, that which is by them called the honour of main|tenance: yet men as di&s;putable as I in their account, de&s;erved countenance from the powers that be, as well as they. <HI>3.</HI> Nei+ther I, nor any friend of mine (that I heard of) ever
<PB REF="3">
harmed any of them either in their per&s;ons or e&s;tate; And though they were guilty,<NOTE PLACE="marg">A vindication of the an&s;wer to the Queries lieth by me in &s;cattered &s;heets: the publi&s;hing called for, and at hand.</NOTE> (as many reported) not only of delive|ring (as is pretended against me) but of acting &s;ome Illegal and Antinomian Pa&s;&s;ages; yet were they pa&s;&s;ed by in &s;ilence; no ad|vantage taken, nor information po&s;ted up again&s;t them. <HI>4.</HI> My conver&s;ation (to &s;ay no more of that) the&s;e very men have not excepted again&s;t, and the points wherein I &s;eemed to differ from them, whether in doctrine, wor&s;hip, or di&s;cipline, have been &s;o fully di&s;cu&s;&s;ed in writing, and pillars of that party &s;o farre en|gaged upon that account, that I deemed it incon&s;i&s;tent with the ingenuity of the men, either to fetch Arguments from <HI>Carters</HI> Topicks, or with <HI>Mr. Baxter,</HI> in a pa&s;&s;ion &s;ure, to Querie about the extent of the <HI>38.</HI> Article of our late Charter.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Reply to <HI>Crand. pag.</HI> 43.</NOTE> <HI>5.</HI> I was not con&s;cious to my &s;elf of any point of doctrine maintained or pub|li&s;hed by me, that differed really from the Chri&s;tian Religion contained in the Scriptures, and held forth as the publick pro|fe&s;&s;ion of this Nation. And therefore as the Law is good, &s;o if u&s;ed lawfully, I &s;aw not wherein po&s;&s;ibly I could be judged a Tran&s;gre&s;&s;or of it; But contrary to my expectation, letters were written to a Brother, or Brethren in <HI>London.</HI> The&s;e pa&s;&s;ages &s;ent up in that form, and in tho&s;e very words at they are pre&s;ented to you in the following page: And the minds of the Commi&s;&s;ioners, &s;o far as &s;ome of the&s;e mens Intere&s;ts could prevail (for I &s;peak not of them all) exa&s;perated and prejudiced again&s;t me. But to &s;ay no more of that. The method and manner of their procee|dings with me was briefly this, and thus.</P>
<P>At after ten dayes tedious attendance, I had the favour to be called in, and was then honoured with the pre&s;ence of a full Com|mittee: my certificate never que&s;tioned, nor any Querie propo|&s;ed to me to try my knowledge and utterance: or di&s;cover whe|ther the grace of God was in me of a truth. But the pa&s;&s;ages fol|lowing were di&s;tinctly read twice over; I was required to an&s;wer yea or nay, as to the matter of fact, had liberty to &s;peak what I thought meet in order thereunto, commanded to withdraw, recal|led at after a &s;hort pau&s;e, and heard the &s;entence of a <HI>Non po&s;se approbare: &s;cilicet,</HI> That the Brethren had con&s;ulted together, and could not grant the one of tho&s;e printed papers (which yet
<PB REF="4">
were &s;o common, that four hundred at lea&s;t had gotten of them) called an Approbation. One of the Commi&s;&s;ioners who appeared (as to me) more re&s;pective and ingenuous than any of the re&s;t, was plea&s;ed at after this to offer. <HI>1.</HI> A reference into the countrey for examination of things before witne&s;&s;es (as to the matter of fact) if I conceived my &s;elf wronged, and did de&s;ire it. <HI>2.</HI> A li|berty (as I apprehended) to an&s;wer tho&s;e pa&s;&s;ages in writing, and pre&s;ent it to the Commi&s;&s;ioners, unto the latter I &s;aid nothing. In order to the fir&s;t I an&s;wered: that for ought I knew, the men in our countrey that were be&s;t known to them, and to whom I &s;hould be referred were my profe&s;&s;ed adver&s;aries; to which the Gentleman replied, that I might leave the choice of per&s;ons for the di&s;charging of that duty wholly unto them. Whereupon I de|&s;ired a copy of the pa&s;&s;ages, and time to con&s;ider, both which were granted. And upon con&s;ideration, I did not think it meet to accept of the fir&s;t offer. Becau&s;e <HI>1.</HI> The letters of Reference (&s;ince gran|ted to neighbouring Mini&s;ters) were commonly directed to tho&s;e I took to be the Informers them&s;elves, a&s;&s;i&s;ted with &s;ome of their own brethren, and collected from that, compared with the entertainment I had already found; That this &s;ort of men, had &s;uch an influence upon, and were of that repute with the Com|mi&s;&s;ioners, that it was not po&s;&s;ible for them to account me any other than an evil Doer. They an&s;wered and &s;aid unto him, if he had not been an evil doer, we would not have delivered him up unto thee. <HI>Ioh. 18.30.2.</HI> I am willing to &s;ubmit to every ordi|nance of man for the Lords &s;ake: yet it &s;uited not with that Christian wi&s;dom and frame of Spirit the Lord hath given me, to de&s;ire and petition for orders of this nature, or voluntarily to put &s;uch a cau&s;e as this upon trial before the Judges qualified in &s;uch manner as I conceive them to be. <HI>3.</HI> If it be po&s;&s;ible, as much as lieth in me, I de&s;ire to live peaceably with all men, and therefore &s;eeing they have &s;mitten me on the one cheek, and taken away my cloak, which they knew to be the <HI>Summum</HI> jus, or utmo&s;t that could be done (by vertue of any Law or Ordi|nance yet in force) it was upon my heart to follow Chri&s;ts coun|&s;el, even offer them the other, and not forbid them to take away my coat al&s;o. If the quiet enjoying of the unrighteous Mammon
<PB REF="4">
will make them my friends, I love them &s;o well as not to &s;uffer them to incurre any further guilt by continuing my enemies. And not the latter; for <HI>1.</HI> I freely and publickly delivered my judgement upon &s;ome of the pa&s;sages (in&s;tead of returning my yea or nay) which was &s;o &s;tumbled at by the Commi&s;&s;ioners, that I thought my Writing would give no &s;atisfaction at al, but more of|fend. <HI>2.</HI> Though when called, I was willing to &s;ubmit my parts &amp; gifts, and my life and conver&s;ation, or any thing I can call mine, to the credit of Commi&s;&s;ioners impowred by the State: yet the doctrine I preach, being &s;uch as I cannot call mine own, I dare not &s;ubmit it to the vote of any man on earth: unle&s;&s;e they could make it out that they have their Commi&s;&s;ion immediately from Je&s;us Chri&s;t. <HI>3.</HI> I knew my &s;elf unable to an&s;wer <HI>De facto,</HI> to all or any of the&s;e pa&s;&s;ages, which I conceived would be chiefly, if not &s;olely expected. For fir&s;t, I took no notes in writing of any Sermon preached by me for this eight years last pa&s;t, and if I had, yet the&s;e being (as the Informers well call them) meerly pa&s;&s;ages, not po&s;itions or conclu&s;ions, it is not likely that I &s;hould have booked any of them, <HI>2.</HI> It is (&s;o far as I can learn from others, or collect by circum&s;tances) three years and a halfe at the lea&s;t, &s;ince the Sermon was preached; in which it is pre|tended that the&s;e pa&s;&s;ages were delivered, and I have not &s;o well &s;tudied the Art of memory, as to recollect pa&s;&s;ages of &s;o old a date. Nor can <HI>I</HI> hear that any of tho&s;e hundreds that were pre|&s;ent at that publick meeting (except only the&s;e Informers) re|member that <HI>I</HI> delivered any &s;uch; or can punctually call to mind any form of words then u&s;ed; &s;ave the text it &s;elf, <HI>Rom. 10, 6, 7.3.</HI> Though the pa&s;&s;ages, as here pre&s;ented without any thing con&s;equent or antecedent &s;ound &s;omewhat har&s;h; And tho&s;e that know me be&s;t, can &s;carce think that <HI>I</HI> &s;hould be &s;o &s;permalogical, or egregiou&s;ly act the part of a babler as <HI>(ip&s;is terminis)</HI> to deliver any &s;uch: Yet do <HI>I</HI> &s;o clearly di&s;cern &s;everal precious truths latent in, ob&s;cured by, and &s;truck at through this mi&s;t of words; that though <HI>I</HI> cannot own the words them|&s;elves &s;imply con&s;idered: yet can <HI>I</HI> not di&s;own the things hinted at by them, without making &s;hipwrack of faith and a good con|&s;cience.</P>
<P><PB REF="5">And hereupon <HI>I</HI> did re&s;olve to write an explanation of the&s;e pa&s;sages: that &s;o <HI>I</HI> might (according to the mea&s;ure of light and grace received) <HI>1.</HI> Vindicate clear and free tho&s;e truths of Chri&s;t, which <HI>I</HI> looked upon as contemned, darkened, and here impri&s;oned through the unrighteou&s;ne&s;s of men. <HI>2.</HI> That &s;uch &s;cruples and Queres might be removed, as may hereby have been ca&s;t into your minds, and di&s;quieted the peace of your &s;pi|rits. <HI>3.</HI> That <HI>I</HI> might di&s;charge mine own con&s;cience, and leave with you a rea&s;on of the hope that is in me; for the conviction, if not &s;atisfaction, of all &s;uch as &s;hall ask for, or expect it.</P>
<P>And now (my brethren) <HI>I</HI> hope <HI>I</HI> need not in the clo&s;e of all to put in one caveat more again&s;t my &s;elf, and tell you what &s;o ma|ny &s;ay, and you your &s;elves already know, <HI>Scil.</HI> that <HI>I</HI> am a man not only &s;ubject to the like, but more pa&s;&s;ions and infirmities, than other men. Yet however let me minde you, that though <HI>I</HI> pro|fe&s;&s;e, <HI>I</HI> neither &s;peak nor writ any thing but what <HI>I</HI> believe to be a truth; yet dare <HI>I</HI> not believe that all is true that <HI>I</HI> do &s;peak and write, nor do <HI>I</HI> think it &s;afe either for you or me to adhere to any expre&s;&s;ions, or form of words what&s;oever: but &s;uch as the holy men of God have left upon record who &s;pake as they were moved by the holy Gho&s;t: <HI>Sine verbo Dei temerarium e&s;t a&s;&s;erere quod videtur nobis bona con&s;equentia trahi,</HI> &s;aith <HI>Luther,</HI> It is a ra&s;hne&s;&s;e to a&s;&s;ert without the word of God that which &s;eemeth to us to be drawn from it by good con&s;e|quence. And hence <HI>I</HI> much admire the greatne&s;&s;e of the Beam, that is in &s;ome mens eyes. Daring to condemn others for a&s;&s;er|ting a perfection practical, when they them&s;elves practi&s;e to|wards others,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Reply to Mr. <HI>Blake,</HI> page 49.</NOTE> as if they were infallible in their judgements. <HI>I</HI> confe&s;&s;e &s;aith <HI>Baxter) I</HI> was well acquainted with the <HI>Genius</HI> of many of my reverend and newly honoured brethren. <HI>I</HI> thought that no godly man would have taken him&s;elf wronged, if a man told him he had error, no more than to tell him he had &s;in. I took it for granted, that <HI>Humanum e&s;t errare,</HI> and that we know but in part: and that &s;anctifying grace had &s;o farre de&s;troyed pride, and made the &s;oul apprehen&s;ive of its imperfections, that at lea&s;t men of eminent godline&s;&s;e, could have endured patiently to hear that they are not omni&s;cient nor infallible: &amp; that they have &s;ome
<PB REF="5">
ignorance with their eminent knowledge, and why not in the&s;e points as well as others. Try therefore all things, and hold fast that which is good. And with tho&s;e noble <HI>Bereans,</HI> &s;earch the Scriptures daily, whether the&s;e things be &s;o. Know no man after the fle&s;h, and though you hear others &s;ay, they are re&s;olved to think the wor&s;e, and that doubtle&s;s it is a Je&s;us of <HI>Nazareth,</HI> and not of <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> that is here held forth: yet do not you &s;ay, that you are re&s;olved to think the better of what is written: be|cau&s;e you know who it is that writ it: nor yet be ye affraid of their terrour, or drawn a&s;ide by the excellency of their &s;peech or wi&s;dom, from the &s;implicity of the truth: But look up unto God and the word of his grace, which is able to build you up &amp;c. Ac|counting, as I alwayes preach, Chri&s;t Je&s;us the Lord, and me</P>
<CLOSER><DATELINE>SCALES, <DATE>Aug. 18. 1654.</DATE></DATELINE>
<SIGNED>Your Servant for Ie&s;us &s;ake, IOSEPH HARRISON.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="list of passages">
<PB REF="6">
<HEAD>Certain Pa&s;sages concerning Mr. <HI>Harri&s;on,</HI> Preacher at LUND Chappel in the County of <HI>Lanca&s;ter.</HI></HEAD>
<LIST>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">Concerning the above named Mr. <HI>Harri&s;on,</HI> he hath in a publick A&s;&s;embly delivered the&s;e Pa&s;&s;ages following,</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>1.</HI> HEarken not to the letter which &s;aith labour, but look for the Spirit to work.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>2.</HI> The Law was not given to an unconverted people; but to a converted.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>3.</HI> I can preach that which <HI>Iohn Bapti&s;t</HI> could not: nay Chri&s;t in the fle&s;h preached not.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>4.</HI> Repentance is a not &s;aying in thy heart, <HI>Do this,</HI> that is, this or that Commandment of God.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>5.</HI> There are two &s;orts of people: Fir&s;t the uncalled, to them onely preach the Go&s;pel: Secondly the called, to them preach good works.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>6.</HI> But is it not good for a man to do all that he can? <HI>viz.</HI> in way of obedience to Gods Command|ments? <HI>An&s;wer.</HI> The &s;umme of all the Com|mandments is that of the Sabbath: Now to a chri&s;tian, the Sabbath is to cea&s;e from his own works, working according to a form, or letter.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>7.</HI> Chri&s;tians when they glory, glory in their &s;ins.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>8.</HI> Righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e or good works, are to be done by me: but they are not profitable to me, but to others.</ITEM>
</LIST>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 N="1" TYPE="passage">
<PB N="1" REF="6">
<HEAD><HI>The fir&s;t pa&s;&s;age,</HI> Hearken not to the letter which &s;aith labour, but looke for the &s;pirit to work.</HEAD>
<P>_THis pa&s;&s;age, though for the form Adver&s;a|tive, yet doth not the po&s;ition of the con&s;e|quent nece&s;&s;arily remove the Antecedent: For (if ever delivered) whether by way of de|hortation or Inhibition, it doth not in its na|turall bent re&s;traine <HI>&aacute; toto</HI> but <HI>tali;</HI> not from a Hearkening to the letter at all, but from &s;uch a carnall Hearkening to the letter (which &s;aith to us Labour) as is de&s;tructive to, or exclu&s;ive of an Evangelicall looking for the Spirit to work, and in effect amounts to no more than this, Hearken not (<HI>Scilicet,</HI> exclu&s;ively in the &s;en&s;e afore&s;aid) to the letter which &s;aith Labour; But even then (while &s;o hearkening) looke for the Spirit to work, which Chri&s;t hath promi&s;ed.</P>
<P>Letter may be taken, either largely for the whole book of Scriptures, or more &s;trictly and properly for the Law of <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> &s;o eminently lettered in tables of Stone, 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 3.7.</P>
<P>And then 2. the letter, or this Law, may be taken ei|ther materially for the &s;ub&s;tance of what is there required, or formally under the notion of a covenant as then di&s;pen|&s;ed by <HI>Mo&s;es.</HI> 3. By hearkening may be meant, either a meer
<PB N="2" REF="7">
Attentionall hearing or li&s;tening with the eare, or a heark|ning which <HI>Includes</HI> an <GAP DESC="foreign"> and is obedientiall. 4. Look|ing for the Spirit, may be interpreted either of a fanta|&s;ticall, opiniative, groundle&s;&s;e looking, or of a Chri&s;tian-like looking for the Spirit in faith, bottom'd upon the promi&s;e. And now,</P>
<P N="1">1 If by letter be under&s;tood the Scriptures or writings of the Old Te&s;tament and the New,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><P>The word is an In&s;trument of Gods Spirit, not coopera|tive, but pa&s;&s;ive, working only <HI>per modum objecti,</HI> as it containes a Declaration of the divine will, and it propo|&s;eth to the un|der&s;tanding &amp; will the things to be known, belee|ved and prac|tized.</P><P><HI>Blake</HI> of co|venants, Sec. 20. out of <HI>Mr. Pemble:</HI> Grace and faith. vbi vid. et <HI>Kend.</HI> an&s;wer to <HI>Goodwin.</HI> cap. 4 <HI>pag</HI> 163.</P><P>The power of the &s;pirit doth not work up|on the word, to put life into it, but it works upon our &s;oules to put life into them. <HI>Pemb.</HI> Vind. <HI>p.</HI> 122.</P></NOTE> then 1. Chri&s;tians are, and it is profitable for them to Hearken, &s;earch into, read and meditate therein, 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1.19. <HI>Acts.</HI> 17.11. 1. <HI>Tim.</HI> 4.13.</P>
<P N="2">2 If holdeth forth the <HI>Credenda et facienda,</HI> what&s;oever is nece&s;&s;arie to be beleeved and done by Chri&s;tians. <HI>Ioh.</HI> 20, 31. 2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 3.15.16.17. And yet 3. Chri&s;tians are not to look upon, or Hearken to the letter as able either to di&s;|cover to, or work in them what it holds forth, and re|quireth of them, or upon them&s;elves as able either to un|der&s;tand or conform thereunto; But acknowledging the letter, in regard of the things &s;ignified to be &s;pirituall, <HI>Rom.</HI> 7.14. and them&s;elves in regard of their owne powers to be altogether carnall, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 2.14. <HI>Rom.</HI> 7.14.18. they are to look up unto God by faith in Chri&s;t for the Spirit of promi&s;e, not onely to reveale to, but in their mindes, to work in them, not only to will but to doe, what is out|wardly and objectively repre&s;ented to them in the letter, <HI>Iohn.</HI> 16.13. <HI>Luke.</HI> 24.45. <HI>Phi.</HI> 2.13. <HI>Gal.</HI> 1.16. For 4. as the Scriptures are not tho life, but te&s;tifie the life to be in Chri&s;t, and the great &s;in therein condemned (even by <HI>Mo&s;es</HI>) is not comming unto Chri&s;t for the life, <HI>Iohn.</HI> 5.39.46. So the letter is not that which enlivens or changes the heart, but witne&s;&s;eth that to be done by the Spirit it &s;elfe. 2, <HI>Cor.</HI> 3, 6. And the great &s;in again&s;t the letter (even of the Go&s;pel) is looking for it or for &s;elfe, and not for the Spirit of Chri&s;t to worke accordingly as there is promi&s;ed, See <HI>Iohn</HI> 6.63. 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 3.3.</P>
<P N="2">2, If by the letter be under&s;tood the law taken <HI>mate|rialiter,</HI> or that which is held forth by Chri&s;t, and the Apo|&s;tles to be the &s;umme &amp; fulfilling of the Law: as love to God
<PB N="3" REF="7">
and to our neighbours, <HI>Rom.</HI> 13.8, 11. and <HI>wor&s;hipping of God in &s;pirit and in truth, Iohn</HI> 4.23 24. Then fir&s;t Chri&s;ti|ans as they are to hearken unto, &s;o really they are to delight in this law of God after the inward man, <HI>Rom.</HI> 7.22, <HI>It is written in their hearts and put into their minds,</HI> Heb. 8.10. <HI>They are taught of God to love one another.</HI> 1 The&s;. 4.9. <HI>They are circumci&s;ed from confidence in the fle&s;h</HI> for this very end, Scilicet, <HI>That they may wor&s;hip God in the Spirit, and rejoyce in Chri&s;t Ie&s;us</HI> 3. Phi. 3. And yet 2, Chri&s;tians are to looke for the &s;pirit in faith, to &s;trengthen them with might in the inward man, <HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> 3.16. And whereas thirdly, <HI>They find a law in their members, warring again&s;t the law of their mindes;</HI> and that though to will be pre&s;ent with them, yet how to doe that which is good they know not, they are to pray continually, that the God of peace will &s;anctifie them wholly 1 <HI>The&s;.</HI> 5, 23. <HI>and that through the Spirit they may mortifie the deeds of the body.</HI> Rom. 8.13.</P>
<P>Thirdly, If by the Letter be under&s;tood the Law taken Formaliter, Di&s;pen&s;ed by <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> Sub ratione foederis,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>vind. leg.</HI> pag, 142. The doctrine I wil in&s;i&s;t upon is this, that the Law was deli|vered by God on mount Si|nai in a cove|nant way page 220</NOTE> <HI>for as a law</HI> (&s;aith <HI>Mr, Burge&s;&s;e</HI>) it was <HI>Adams, Abrahams</HI> &amp;c. then though Chri&s;tians may heare, read, &s;peake of, and hearken to the letter which &s;aith labour, and it may be but u&s;eful in divers re&s;pects as is hereafter &s;hewne: yet are not Chri&s;tians bound to an <GAP DESC="foreign">, or obedientiall hearkening thereunto, as when it &s;aith unto them labour upon that ac|compt: but they are to hearken to the word which is nigh them, even in their mouthes and in their hearts, That is the word of faith which we preach, and to looke for the Spirit in faith to worke in them through the mini|&s;trie of the Spirit all &s;uch effects as Chri&s;t hath purcha&s;ed, and the Father hath promi&s;ed in that new covenant, of which the Man Chri&s;t Ie&s;us is the everla&s;ting Mediatour.</P>
<P>The <HI>Antecedent</HI> of this po&s;ition, which is Negative, is evident: for fir&s;t the Apo&s;tle oppo&s;es the Letter or law, as di&s;pen&s;ed by <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> unto the word of Faith or doctrine of the Go&s;pel which we preach, and dehorts from an obe|dientiall hearkening unto that, and exhorts to a hearing and Cordiall beleeving of this, as holding forth Chri&s;t the
<PB N="4" REF="8">
end thereof for righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e and &s;alvation to every one that beleeves, <HI>Rom.</HI> 10.4.5.6, 8.9, Secondly. <HI>We are not under the law but under grace.</HI> Rom. 6.14. <HI>I through the Law am dead to the Law,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Voluit dicere legem nobis e&s;&s;e mortuam, et &s;ic nos ejus jure &s;e|lutos: Sicut mu|lier mortuo ma|rito ejuslege li|beratur: &s;ed vi|detur rationem habere Iudaeorum ne tali &s;ermone hos offendat quanqu&auml; id ip|&s;um recte dicet <HI>ver&s;e 6.</HI> Pareus in <HI>Rom.</HI> Cap. <HI>7 ver&s;e 4.</HI></NOTE> <HI>that I might live unto God,</HI> Gal 2.19. <HI>Wee are become dead to the Law by the Body of Chri&s;t,</HI> that we &s;hould be married to another, even to him who is rai&s;ed from the dead, we are delivered from the Law, that being dead, wherein we were held, <HI>Rom.</HI> 7.46. Thirdly, The binding of Chri&s;tians to obey this Law, renders Chri&s;t unprofitable to them: for circumci&s;ion did it not &s;imply (for if &s;o, doubtle&s;s <HI>Timothy</HI> &s;hould not have been circumci&s;ed by any con&s;ent of <HI>Paul</HI>) but becau&s;e it was looked upon as making them debtors to doe the whole law, Gal. 5.2, 3, 4, <HI>and nece&s;&s;arily putting them under the cur&s;e for not doing of it.</HI> Gal. 3.10.12. If it be granted that Chri&s;ti|ans are freed from the Damnatorie, but not from the Man|datory power of the Law, and that the promi&s;&s;ory being accidental to a Law, this and the Directory e&s;&s;ential, Then note 1. that the que&s;tion is not about a Law, but this Law;<NOTE PLACE="marg"><P>The law is <HI>complexum quid</HI> containing in it command&punc; and ble&s;&s;ing and cur&s;ing; take command with|out ble&s;&s;ing and cur&s;ing and it is no more Law with <HI>Mo&s;es.</HI></P><P><HI>Ball.</HI> covenant <HI>page.</HI> 100.</P></NOTE> nor what is e&s;&s;entiall to, or will make up the defini|tion of a Law Politique, but what is e&s;&s;ential to, and wil make up the Definition of the <HI>Mo&s;aicall</HI> Law, which was di&s;pen&s;ed <HI>at Sinai, &s;ubratione foederis,</HI> and &s;o not after the u&s;ual manner of other Lawes, And now if wee beleeve <HI>Paul,</HI> and will not be &s;o very Logicall as to deny <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> de&s;cription to be a Definition; He de&s;cribeth the righte|ou&s;ne&s;&s;e which is of the Law, That the man which doth the&s;e things &s;hall live by them, <HI>Rom,</HI> 10.5. And <HI>Paul</HI> proves that as many as are of the works of the Law, are under the cur&s;e, Becau&s;e it is written, <HI>Cur&s;ed is every one that continueth not in all things that are written in the book of the Law, to doe them,</HI> Gal, 3.10. He propo&s;eth the&s;e texts as containing the Sum &amp; e&s;&s;entials of <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> Law. And can no more be de|nyed &s;o to doe (for ought I See) then that of <HI>Gen.</HI> 12.3. cited <HI>Gal.</HI> 3.8,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Nos igitur mor|tuos dicit legi &amp; legem nobis, quod eadem re|dit: nam mortuo altero conjugum nexus conjugij, utrin&s;&abque; &s;olutus e&s;t set po&s;itamor|te no&s;tra poni|tur etiam mors legis; quia lex nihil cum mor|tuis, &s;ed e&s;t ip&s;is mortua, hoc e&s;t nulla Par. vbi &s;upra</NOTE> to containe the Summe and e&s;&s;entials of the Go&s;pel. Secondly, The Law is &s;aid to be dead. <HI>Rom.</HI> 7.2.6. But how dead, if both e&s;&s;entiall parts be vnited and in their vigour? Can a man be &s;aid to be dead becau&s;e he wants &s;ome
<PB N="5" REF="8">
Integrall part, as a leg or Arme, So Long as the body and Soule, which are the e&s;&s;entials; remain in vnion. Thirdly, Beleevers under the Old Te&s;tament were freed from the Damnatory power of the Law, for they were ble&s;&s;ed with faithful <HI>Abraham,</HI> as well as beleevers now, <HI>Gal.</HI> 3, 9. But beleevers under the New Te&s;tament, are freed from this Law or covenant, as beleevers under the Old Te&s;tament were not, and therefore cannot their freedome be Inter|preted of a freedome from the cur&s;e or Damnatory power thereof, as is fully cleared by <HI>Mr, Shephard, The&s;,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><P>Tho&s;e that &s;ay the law is abo|li&s;hed as it is <HI>faedus,</HI> but not as it is <HI>regula,</HI> &s;ay true.</P><P><HI>Burg.</HI> vind. <HI>legis</HI> p. 204.</P></NOTE> <HI>Sab. part</HI> 1. <HI>pag.</HI> 73. they mu&s;t therefore of nece&s;&s;ity be &s;aid to be freed from the obligatorie power of the Law; at lea&s;t <HI>qu&aacute; foedus;</HI> and if &s;o, <HI>qu&aacute;</HI> di&s;pen&s;ed by <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> which is the point to be confirmed, Secondly, Chri&s;tians are to &s;erve God, not in the oldne&s;&s;e of the letter, but in the newne&s;&s;e of the Spirit, <HI>Rom.</HI> 7.6, whereas the Law or letter demands the &s;ervice to be done in the power of the old man, mena|ces death for the lea&s;t failing therein, and is di&s;enabled ei|ther from accepting or rewarding any obedience unle&s;&s;e &s;o done. <HI>Rom.</HI> 8.4. For though it be not again&s;t the &s;ervice done in the newne&s;&s;e of the &s;pirit, <HI>Gal</HI> 5.23. any more than the &s;atisfaction made by Chri&s;t in the fle&s;h; yet as this, &s;o that is not exactly, <HI>Idem,</HI> the &s;ame there required, at lea&s;t, not done <HI>per eundem,</HI> by the &s;ame, though being &s;pirituall and proceeding from the &s;pirit of Chri&s;t, it be really the <HI>tantidem</HI> the <HI>tantamounts,</HI> nay the <HI>Supramounts</HI> and farr more acceptable to the Father, who is both the Soveraigne over, and was the giver of the Law.</P>
<P>The con&s;equence of this po&s;ition which is affirmative is as plaine. For fir&s;t, Chri&s;t hath promi&s;ed to &s;end the Spi|rit. <HI>Iohn.</HI> 16.8, And the Scriptures plentifully declare both that and what he &s;hall worke when hee is come <HI>Ezek.</HI> 36.27, nay what he hath already wrought <HI>Gal.</HI> 5.22. And &s;ure then Chri&s;tians &s;hould looke for the &s;pirit to work, and to work tho&s;e very works in &amp; upon them in mea&s;ure which are promi&s;ed and have been wrought in others. Secondly, Chri&s;tians are encouraged to pray for the holy Spirit, <HI>Luke</HI> 11.13 and &s;ure not to be idle, but to worke either by, in, or
<PB N="6" REF="9">
upon them: and &s;hall they not looke for an an&s;wer to their prayers? Thirdly, Chri&s;tians are exhorted <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>Phil.</HI> 2.12. to work their own &s;alvation, That is (<HI>as Chamier</HI> Interprets it from the like phra&s;e <HI>Gen.</HI> 2,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Cham Tom. 3 lib. 4 cap. 8. Sect 13.</NOTE> <HI>Rev.</HI> 18) to be employed, and worke in tho&s;e things which con|cern their own &s;alvation, with feare, as in the pre&s;ence of God, and with trembling at the &s;en&s;e of their own weake|ne&s;&s;e and unworthine&s;&s;e, and that upon this ground, becau&s;e it is God that worketh in them <HI>&amp;c.</HI> And if, though wee be called upon and &s;aid to work, It is indeed not &s;o much wee that worke, as God that worketh in us: &s;hall we pre|&s;ume to &s;et our &s;elves to worke in conformitie to the let|ter? and not fir&s;tly, nay continually in much weakene&s;&s;e fear and trembling looke to and for God to worke both the will and dead by his own Spirit?<NOTE PLACE="marg">Totus liber ac|torum nihil ali|ud agit qu&aacute;m quod vocet ex lege non dari &s;piritum &s;anc|tum, &s;edexaudiru Evangelii <HI>Luth.</HI> loc: com: cla&s;. <HI>1.</HI> cap. <HI>28.</HI></NOTE> And fourthly. Seeing we re|ceived not the &s;pirit by the workes of the Law, but by the hearing of faith <HI>Gal.</HI> 3.2. wee are to looke for the &s;pirit to worke, not by the mini&s;trie of the Law, which &s;aith labour; but by the word of faith or doctrine of the Go&s;pell. For (as <HI>Reynolds</HI>) The Law can onely &s;hew what is good, gives no power at all to doe it, for that is the work of the Spirit by the Go&s;pell u&s;e of the law <HI>page.</HI> 388.</P>
<P>If any thinke that Chri&s;tians are hereby &s;et at liberty from all liberal commands &amp; &s;hal never work, but when &amp; as, and what the Spirit moves them, let him con&s;ider, fir&s;t. That there is a difference betwixt the commands of the Law, or letter (&s;trictly &s;o called) which requires obedience (though Spiritual) to be done in the power of the Old man which is carnall. And the co~mands of Chri&s;t, or given by the <HI>Apo&s;tles</HI> in the Name of Chri&s;t, which calls for an o|bedience Spiritual, but to be done in the power of the New man, which daily fights again&s;t and mortifies the old. Chri&s;tians may be &s;et at liberty from the&s;e, <HI>Act</HI> 15.20. And yet not &s;et at libertie from, but in a liberty to walk accordingly as is required by the&s;e. 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 3.17.1 <HI>Ioh.</HI> 5, 3, <HI>Mat.</HI> 11.30.</P>
<P>Secondly, It were well if Chri&s;tians did (but alas they doe not) work either &s;o often, or in that manner and
<PB N="7" REF="9">
mea&s;ure, nor alwaies what the Spirit moves them to, for fir&s;t, The Spirit, or inward man where the Spirit dwels, is willing <GAP DESC="foreign"> (as &s;ome read, <HI>Rom.</HI> 12.11.) to doe or &s;uffer upon all occa&s;ions, Its the fle&s;h thats weake. <HI>Mat.</HI> 26.41. Paul found <HI>the Law of his mind warring again&s;t the law of his members,</HI> Rom. 7.23, 25.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Paulus cos de|mu~ filios e&s;&s;e dei pronnnciat, qui ejus &s;piritu a|guntur, bi agi proprio &s;piritu, Divino autem vacuos e&s;&s;e vo|lunt qui &s;int filii Dei, ille &s;ervos Chri&s;ti. <HI>Calv</HI> Instit <HI>lib. 3</HI> cap. <HI>2.</HI> &s;ect. <HI>39.</HI></NOTE> And the Spirit again&s;t the fle&s;h, as wel as the fle&s;h again&s;t the Spirit <HI>Gal.</HI> 5.17. To wil was pre&s;ent with him, though how to doe that which was good, he found not, <HI>Rom.</HI> 7, 18. Secondly, One of our great &s;ins, reproved &amp; complained again&s;t, is quenching of the Spirit, 1. <HI>The&s;.</HI> 5.19. Grieving and re&s;i&s;ting the Spirit. <HI>Ephe&s;,</HI> 4.30. <HI>Acts.</HI> 7.51. <HI>Gen.</HI> 7.3. Nay Chri&s;tians as they live in the Spirit, are exhorted to walke in the Spirit and a&s;&s;u|red thereupon, that they &s;hall not fulfill the lu&s;ts of the fle&s;h <HI>Gal.</HI> 5.16. Thirdly, The mo&s;t liberall legall men confe&s;&s;e that they often re&s;i&s;t the good motions of the Holy Spirit, that <HI>Acti agunt,</HI> they act, when acted. That by the pow|er of their Habituall grace they cannot &s;tirre without the <HI>Antevening</HI> of &s;ome new exciting grace, &amp; that they attempt often to work in their owne time which is the night, ha|ving neglected Gods time, which is the day. Fourthly, Did Chri&s;tians deny, (as alwaies they &s;hould, and the Grace of God teacheth them, <HI>Tit,</HI> 2.12) to walk after the fle&s;h,<NOTE PLACE="marg">See the expli|cation of pa&s;|&s;age the 6 An|&s;were to quere the 4.</NOTE> they needed not labour, or worke before the &s;pirit, it were &s;ufficient for them to walke after it, <HI>Rom,</HI> 8.1. &amp; with the re&s;t of the Sonnes of God to be bid by the Spirit of God <HI>Rom.</HI> 8.14. to deny them&s;elves, take up their pre&s;ent cro&s;&s;es, and at his call follow him, not heeding the voice of &s;trangers <HI>Iohn,</HI> 10.4, 5, Thirdly, I doe not hold that the Spirit of Chri&s;t doth worke in Chri&s;tians or carry them out to worke any thing, but what is agreable to the directory &amp; Mandatorie part of the Scriptures, nor that it doth teach them to beleeve any thing, but what is agreable to the doctrine of the Go&s;pel, as recorded by the Prophets, and Apo&s;tles and doe there|fore, for the di&s;coverie and prevention of fal&s;e delu&s;ive &s;pi|rits, often inculcate tho&s;e &s;ayings, If any man think him|&s;elfe to be a Prophet, or &s;pirituall, let him acknowledge, that the things that I write are the commandments of the
<PB N="8" REF="10">
Lord, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 14.37. <HI>To the Law and to the Te&s;timonie if they &s;peake not according to this word, it is becau&s;e there is no light in them.</HI> I&s;a. 8.20. Fourthly, Though I dare not limit the Spirit that <HI>blowes where it li&s;teth,</HI> unto means, as if it could not, or often did not worke without them; yet doe I not de&s;pi&s;e prophecying, praying, reading, confe|rence <HI>&amp;c.</HI> but looke for the Spirit to worke in and by all &s;uch meanes as Chri&s;t hath appointed, and the Apo&s;tles who received immediately from him, have delivered unto us. For albeit, Fifthly, The Anointing, which the Saints have received of him, abideth in them, and they need not that any man teach them other things than what that Spi|rit (by which they were at fir&s;t begotten through the Go|&s;pel) dayly teacheth them, yet is there need of &s;peaking and writing to, and Harkening and adhering unto what is written and &s;poken both by fathers, young men, and lit|tle children, 1 <HI>Iohn.</HI> 2.13. 2 <HI>The&s;.</HI> 2, 15. <HI>Iude.</HI> 3. Fir&s;t, That Chri&s;tians may be put in remembrance of the&s;e things though they know them, and are already e&s;tabli&s;hed in the pre&s;ent truth, 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1.12. or once knew them, <HI>Iude.</HI> 5. Secondly, That they may be &s;tirred up by being put in re|membrance. 2 <HI>Pet,</HI> 1, 13, Thirdly, To di&s;wade them from the love of the world, by repre&s;enting the vanity thereof. 1 <HI>Iohn.</HI> 2, 15, 16.17, Fourthly, For the mutuall com|forting and confirming one another in the &s;aith, by ma|nife&s;tation of the &s;ame truth, <HI>Rom,</HI> 1, 22, 1 <HI>Iohn,</HI> 2, 21, Fifthly ly, For the di&s;covery and prevention of the Spirit of Ante-chri&s;t, which under a pretence of glorifying &amp; immediately communicating with the Father denies Ie&s;us Chri&s;t to have come in the fle&s;h to take away &s;innes, and our fel|low&s;hip with the Father, and his Son Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, con|trarie to 1 <HI>Iohn,</HI> 1.2.3 and 2, 23, 4, 3, Sixthly, That Chri|&s;tians may not be &s;haken in mind, or troubled either by Spirit, by word, by letter, or by &s;ignes and wonders, tel|ling, or foretelling &s;uch things as are not recorded by the Apo&s;tles for our learning, upon whom the ends of the world are come, 2 <HI>The&s;,</HI> 2, 2, 3, 15.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="2" TYPE="passage">
<PB N="9" REF="10">
<HEAD><HI>The &s;econd pa&s;&s;age.</HI> The Law was not given to an unconverted people, but to a converted.</HEAD>
<P N="1">1. BY the Law may be under&s;tood either that covenant of works, as made with <HI>Adam</HI> in <HI>Paradi&s;e,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><P>Stat igitur fir|mi&s;simu~ primu~ no&s;trae the&s;eos membrum. pre|cepta decalogi quatenus per Mo&s;en tradita &s;unt Iudet ad gentes nihil per tinere cum ad eos fuit mi&s;&s;us</P><P><HI>&amp;.c.</HI> &s;ic etium in &s;ignes Theologi omnes fentuint. <HI>Zanc, Tom.</HI> lib <HI>1 pag .223</HI></P><P><HI>Mu&s;cul in</HI> loc. <HI>com.</HI></P></NOTE> or that Legal Sub&s;ervient Covenant, added to the promi&s;e, be|cau&s;e of tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions, and ordained by Angells in the hand of a Mediatour <HI>Gal.</HI> 3.19. Secondly, By a converted peo|ple; may be under&s;tood, either only tho&s;e that are &s;uch <HI>Judicio certitudinis</HI> in a judgement of certaintie, which only can be pa&s;&s;ed by the Lord him&s;elfe, <HI>He alone knowes who are his.</HI> 2 Tim. 2.19. Or all tho&s;e that are &s;uch <HI>Judicio charitatis</HI> in a Iudgement of charitie, &s;oe farr as is meet for us to judge. <HI>Phi.</HI> 2.7. The Law taken in the fir&s;t &s;en&s;e in its primative In&s;titution, cannot properly be &s;aid to have been given either to a people converted, or unconverted, (tho&s;e very termes pre&s;uppo&s;ing the fall of man) but to <HI>Adam</HI> in the &s;tate of Innocencie, as the head, root and repre&s;entative of all mankind; as is evident from the event; <HI>Death having pa&s;&s;ed upon all men, for that, or in whom all have &s;inned.</HI> Rom. 5.12. The Law taken in the latter &s;ence was not given to the Gentiles, but to the Iewes, a circumci&s;ed people, a people that renounced the gods of the Heathens, &amp; vi&s;ibly wor&s;hip|ped and called upon the God of <HI>Abraham, I&s;aac,</HI> and <HI>Iacob,</HI> and by con&s;equence, &s;o farr as it is meet for us to judge, a converted people. And the truth of this appeares 1. From Gods owne de&s;ignation of the condition of that people,<NOTE PLACE="marg">There are &s;ome learned and &s;ol|lid divines as Zen. (He and River ma|ny Papi&s;t, as Snares &amp; Me|dina which hold the law as delivered by <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> not to be|long to us</NOTE> to whom he gave this Law, when as he calls them, and re|minds them in the preface, That they were by him brought out of the Land of Epypt, out of the hou&s;e of bon|dage: which agrees not with the condition of <HI>Pharaoh,</HI> or any that &s;tayed in the Land of <HI>Egypt,</HI> and hou&s;e of bon|dage, or were el&s;e where &s;cattered upon the face of the earth: could he &s;ay to them, or any of them; Thee have I brought out, and therefore thou &s;halt have. &amp;c?</P>
<P>Secondly, The Lord doth not promi&s;e I will be the Lord
<PB N="10" REF="11">
thy God upon condition that thou keep the&s;e command|ments:<NOTE PLACE="marg">&s;ect <HI>Burg.</HI> 7 <HI>page.</HI> 57.</NOTE> but declares ab&s;olutely to &amp; of that people, to whom he gave the Law both in the preface and in the five fir&s;t commandments, that he actually and Antecedently was the Lord their God. And now tho&s;e expre&s;&s;ions are u&s;ed in Scripture of no other people but the children of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> only, whom he had already taken into the covenant made with <HI>Abraham:</HI> the re&s;t were accounted <HI>Aliens</HI> from the Commonwealth of <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> and &s;trangers from the covenant of promi&s;e, having not hope, and without God in the world. <HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> 2.11.</P>
<P>Thirdly, The Law upon <HI>Mount Sinai</HI> (as is confe&s;t by all and is cleare <HI>Exod.</HI> 19.) was given <HI>Sub Ratione foederis,</HI> un|der the notion of a Covenant. but no other people entered into covenant but onely the children of <HI>I&s;rael.</HI> Mo&s;es came and called for the elders of the people. <HI>&amp;c.</HI> ver&s;e. 7. and all the people an&s;wered together and &s;aid. <HI>&amp;c.</HI> ver&s;e. 8. they an&s;wered for, &amp; thereby obliged, them&s;elves and their children; but neither did they, nor could they <HI>capitulate.</HI> or make any re&s;tipulation for the <HI>Gentiles</HI> whom they repre|&s;ented not, nor were the <HI>Gentiles,</HI> nor any for them, called to &s;uch a &s;tipulation as is evident from <HI>ver&s;e.</HI> 3, 16.</P>
<P>Fourthly. The Law was but <GAP DESC="foreign">, a thing added to another, not &s;et up as a compleat ordinance of, and by it &s;elf, and therefore mu&s;t be extended no further than that was, to which it was added as &s;ub&s;ervient; but that (<HI>Scilicet,</HI> the promi&s;e) belongs only to <HI>Abraham</HI> and his &s;eed, and not to the re&s;t of the world, and &s;o by con&s;equence did the <HI>Mo&s;aicall</HI> law: and hence doth the Apo&s;tle &s;ay of the <HI>Iews</HI> to them belongeth <GAP DESC="foreign"> the covenants <HI>Rom.</HI> 9.4. And of the <HI>Gentiles</HI> that they were &s;trangers <GAP DESC="foreign"> to the covenants.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mr. <HI>Burge&s;s</HI> him&s;elf under|takes to prove no more but that though when God gave the ten command|ments fo the people of I&s;ra|el, they were the pre&s;ent &s;ubjects to whom he &s;pake yet he did in|tend an obliga|tion by the&s;e lawe, not on|ly udon the Jewes, but al&s;o all other Na|tions, that &s;hould be con|verted and embrace their religion. <HI>Vind.</HI> lect 17. <HI>pag.</HI> 138.</NOTE> <HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> 2.11. Fiftly, The <HI>Gentiles</HI> were made <HI>Pro&s;elites,</HI> and circumci&s;ed before they were looked upon as obliged to, or by the Law of <HI>Mo&s;es;</HI> And hence <HI>Paul</HI> laies it down for a general rule, and thereupon dehorts them from &s;ubmitting to circumci&s;ion. If any among you be cir|cumci&s;ed, he is a debtour to doe the whole Law <HI>Gal.</HI> 5.6. Sixthly. The Scriptures hold forth the giving of the
<PB N="11" REF="11">
Law by <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> as a &s;pecial prerogative, and a peculiar pri|viledge vouch-&s;afed to the <HI>Iews,</HI> and not to, other nations. <HI>I have written to them the Honourable things of my Law,</HI> Ho&s;. 8.12. <HI>He hath not dealt &s;o with any nation.</HI> P&s;al, 47.19.29 <HI>When the Gentiles which have not the Law,</HI> Rom. 2.14. <HI>What advantage then hath the Iewes? much chiefly, becau&s;e un|to them were committed the oracles of God.</HI> Rom. 3.2. <HI>And it is recko~ed among&s;t their other priviledges, that unto the~ apper|taines the giving of the Law.</HI> Rom. 9.4. Seventhly. the A|po&s;tle writing to the Chri&s;tians at <HI>Rome,</HI> proves the Gen|tiles guiltie of &s;in from the Law of nature in the two fir&s;t <HI>Chapters.</HI> And the <HI>Iewes</HI> from the Law of Scriptures, <HI>Chap.</HI> 3. from <HI>ver&s;e,</HI> the fir&s;t to the 19. And that he might charge tho&s;e &s;innes home upon the <HI>Iewes</HI> (as the late Engli&s;h An|notatians ob&s;erve) he adds <HI>ver&s;e,</HI> 19. what&s;oever the Law &s;aith (<HI>Scilicet</HI> written) it &s;aith to them that are under the Law; <HI>i. e.</HI> to the <HI>Iewes,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Leges non dantur extra|ni is &s;ed in di|&s;enis leges ve|netae non obli+gant Romano <HI>&amp;c.</HI> Par iu <HI>Rom. 3.19.</HI></NOTE> as is Generally agreed by com|mentatores.</P>
<P>Eightly. The Law (&s;aith the &s;ame Apo&s;tle &s;peaking of the Law which was ordained by Angels. <HI>Gal.</HI> 3.19. and of him&s;elfe and his Countrimen the <HI>Iewes:</HI> as appeares from <HI>ver&s;e,</HI> 23, &amp; the commutation of the per&s;ons, <HI>ver&s;e</HI> 26) was <GAP DESC="foreign"> our Scholema&s;ter, or (as <HI>Leigh</HI>) our child-leader which led us who were children; and therefore not the Gentiles who were accounted as &s;ervants and not of <HI>Abrahames</HI> &s;eed, and only us while children And there|fore not now being the Sons of God by &s;aith in Chri&s;t Ie&s;us <HI>ver&s;e.</HI> 25.26.<NOTE PLACE="marg">it is no great danger to &s;ay that the lawes was abrogited as it was part of the matter of <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> law, the parts falling with the whole, and the matter with with the from; not in them|&s;elves and ab&s;o|lutely but tas, Part and as Phat matter Ca. <HI>p.</HI> to <HI>col.</HI> Silvanus <HI>Taylor.</HI></NOTE> The Gentiles before conver&s;ion neither were nor are accounted <GAP DESC="foreign"> children. And therefore not, to be looked upon as put by the father under their paedagogie of the Law; And now at conver&s;ion they receive the &s;pirit of adoption and are Sons, and &s;o freed from that &s;uppo&s;itive bondage of the Law, under which they &s;hould have come at that time, had not Chri&s;t by his death redeemed them from it <HI>Gal.</HI> 4.6.17.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="3" TYPE="passage">
<PB N="12" REF="12">
<HEAD><HI>The third pa&s;&s;age.</HI> I can preach that which <HI>Iohn Bapti&s;t</HI> could not, nay Chri&s;t in the fle&s;h, preached not.</HEAD>
<P N="1">1. THe compari&s;on, betwixt <HI>Iohn Bapti&s;t</HI> and me, or any other, now a Go&s;pel Preacher, is not in re&s;pect of any per&s;onall worth, whether naturall, acquired or given, as if in any of the&s;e we did excel <HI>Iohn Bapti&s;t</HI> and were thereby enabled to preach that which hee could not, nor in re&s;pect of the effects, and powerfulne&s;&s;e of preaching: for he went before him in the &s;pirit and power of <HI>Elias,</HI> he was filled with the Holy Gho&s;t, even from his mothers womb, many of the children of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> did he turne to the Lord their God.<NOTE PLACE="marg">There cannot be faith in a bea&s;t or &s;tone, any more then there can be in them therefore rea&s;on or the light of nature make man in a pa&s;&s;ive capaci|ty fit for grace although he hath no active ability for it and when he is compared to a &s;tone it is not in the former &s;en&s;e but in the latter. <HI>Burg.</HI> Vind. <HI>pag.</HI> 70</NOTE> <HI>Luke.</HI> 1.17. <HI>Nay he laid the Axe to the root of the Tree.</HI> Mat. 3.10. and feld down the very ge|neration of Vipers. He forced them to di&s;claime their le|gal priviledges, and righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, brought them to con|fe&s;&s;e them&s;elves &s;inners (even as vile as bea&s;ts, and as unfit as Stones. <HI>Mat.</HI> 3.7.8.9.) And to be wa&s;hed in the &s;ame water with Publicans (whom they loathed) for Remi&s;&s;ion of &s;innes. But the compari&s;on is in re&s;pect of the doctrine preached, and that not becau&s;e of any difference in the &s;ub|&s;tance of doctrine, as if <HI>Iohn</HI> had preached one Ie&s;us, and we another. No, for Ie&s;us is the &s;ame, ye&s;terday, to day and for ever <HI>Heb.</HI> 13.8. But only in re&s;pect of &s;ome difference nece&s;&s;arily ari&s;ing from the circum&s;tance of time, or the vari|ation of the &s;ubjects condition in the &s;everall times where|in we preach. He living before and wee &s;ince that Houre of Chri&s;t: whence we have the advantage to declare &s;ome things of, and concerning Ie&s;us, which <HI>Iohn,</HI> during his time, could not. And now 1. The making of the compari&s;on is warranted by Chri&s;t him&s;elf, Verily I &s;ay unto you, among them that are born of women, there hath not ri&s;en a grea|ter than <HI>Iohn</HI> the <HI>Bapti&s;t:</HI> notwith&s;tanding he that is lea&s;t in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he <HI>Mat.</HI> 11.11. Here Chri&s;t compares <HI>Iohn</HI> with tho&s;e that went before him
<PB N="13" REF="12">
and the lea&s;t in the Kingdome of heaven (that is the mi|ni&s;terie of the Go&s;pel &s;ay the <HI>Engli&s;h Annot</HI>) is com|pared with, and preferred before <HI>Iohn.</HI> Secondly,<NOTE PLACE="marg">See Engl, An|net in Luke 7, 28,</NOTE> That the matter of the compari&s;on, or the thing wherein they are compared, is their Doctrine (Differenced as is al|readie &s;aid) appeares. Fir&s;t, From that con&s;ideration, in and upon which this excellencie is a&s;cribed to <HI>Iohn</HI> above tho&s;e that went before him, which is (as <HI>Luke</HI> explaines) <HI>quatenus et quia;</HI> as, and becau&s;e of the eminency of his pro|phe&s;iing: among tho&s;e that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than <HI>Iohn Bapti&s;t:</HI> Luke. 7.28. that is, that &s;peakes &s;o fully and clearely concerning Chri&s;t, as <HI>Iohn</HI> doth; For whereas They did only <HI>praedicare venturum,</HI> foretell that he would come, <HI>Ille mon&s;trabat prae&s;entem,</HI> He plainly told and pointed him out as already come. <HI>Behold the Lambe of God.</HI> Iohn 1.29. <HI>et quanto majore~</HI> &amp;c. as <HI>Pareus</HI> And by how much, and in what &s;ence he maketh <HI>Iohn,</HI> greater than the Prophets of old: by &s;o much, and in the &s;ame &s;en&s;e doth he make the lea&s;t of the preachers of the Go&s;pel, more excellent then <HI>Iohn.</HI> So that they doe not foretel with <HI>Daniel</HI> after &s;eaventie weeks, the mo&s;t holy &s;hall be Anointed to fini&s;h tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion, and to make an end of &s;ins <HI>&amp;.</HI> Dan. 6.24. Nor tell with <HI>Iohn</HI> that the Lamb of God is come <GAP DESC="foreign"> which is taking away the &s;ins of the world But Evangelize with <HI>Paul</HI> what neither <HI>Daniel</HI> nor <HI>Iohn</HI> could: <HI>Scilicet,</HI> that now once in the end of the world, Chri&s;t hath appeared to put away &s;in by the &s;acrifice of him&s;elf, <HI>Heb.</HI> 9.26. or in <HI>Daniels</HI> word hath fini&s;hed tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion, made an end of &s;ins, made reconciliation for iniquitie and brought in everla&s;ting righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e. Secondly, From the vnanimous con&s;ent of prote&s;tant Expo&s;itors who thus Interpret the place, and clear it again&s;t the pa|pi&s;ts. Greater than <HI>Iohn</HI> in dignitie of office, and clearene&s;&s;e and fulne&s;&s;e of Doctrine, in a publi&s;hing the entire perfor|mance of all things foretold of Chri&s;t, as his Death,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Parcus in <HI>l<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">c,</HI></NOTE> Re&s;ur|rection, A&s;cention, and Calling of the Gentiles; which <HI>Iohn</HI> &s;aw not. <HI>Engli&s;h Annot</HI> And Thirdly, An occa|tional
<PB N="13" REF="13">
u&s;ing of this compari&s;on cannot (&s;oe farr as I ap|prehend) be altogether deemed un&s;ea&s;onable in the&s;e daies of ours, any more than in the daies of Chri&s;t; con&s;idering, that as the Iewi&s;h Doctors would allow no clearer nor fuller di&s;covery of the Me&s;&s;ias and his Kingdome, than what had been made of old by <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> and the Pro|phets: Soe, many of the Apo&s;tles and mightie Scripturall men in our I&s;rael will allow (in effect) no clearer nor fuller Go&s;pell than what was preached by <HI>Iohn:</HI> Scilicet That Chri&s;t is come, and is taking away the &s;ins of the world not that he is dead, or rather ri&s;en againe and hath taken them away, <HI>Heb.</HI> 1.3 Nay &s;ome are not &s;o cleare, but will needs make repentance continuall Bapti&s;me, wa&s;hing away &s;ins out of Gods &s;ight, And that not Sacramentall or <HI>Ratione &s;ignati,</HI> as bapti&s;me is &s;aid to doe, when di&s;pe<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">+&s;ced by the mini&s;ter: but in&s;trumentally as a <HI>medium</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 word"> meanes v&s;ed by Chri&s;tians them&s;elves: which is &s;uch a kind of wa&s;hing as (I beleeve) <HI>Iohn Bapti&s;t</HI> never knew of. And had not &s;uch Doctors as the&s;e that are &s;o great in the kingdome, need of &s;ome little <HI>Aquila</HI> or <HI>Pri&s;cilla</HI> to pluck them by the &s;leeves and expound unto them the way of God, more perfectly, <HI>Acts</HI> 18.26. Beza taught that he denied Ie&s;us to be the Me&s;&s;ias: <HI>qui, in eo vno, per vnicam ejus oblationem &s;emel factam non confidit &s;e&s;e a deo patre gratis per fidem Iu&s;tificatum, ac proinde tandem corpore et animo glorificandum.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Beza in 1 Iohn 222</NOTE> But wee that are lea&s;t in the king|dome, may blot out <HI>ju&s;tificatum,</HI> and in&s;teed of <HI>glorifican|dum</HI> write <HI>ju&s;tificandum,</HI> and yet <HI>(Sine operibus)</HI> it will not pa&s;&s;e for Orthodox and cla&s;&s;ical, with the Rabbies in our Northern I&s;rael, Brethren I am &s;ure (if not nearer kin) to the&s;e Informers.</P>
<P>Secondly, This latter compari&s;on (even as reported by the&s;e men) is not <HI>de po&s;&s;e</HI> as if he that were lea&s;t in the Kingdome of Heaven, could preach that which Chri&s;t in the fle&s;h could not. The very mention of this, &s;ounds har&s;h to Chri&s;tians cares, neither can I &s;ay that in any &s;ence its warrantable, and edifying to make a compari&s;on betwixt
<PB N="14" REF="13">
Chri&s;t and us: but only <HI>de facto</HI> that he thats lea&s;t <HI>&amp;c.</HI> can preach that which Chri&s;t in the fle&s;h, that is before his death upon the cro&s;&s;e, did not preach. Not as if he could ab&s;olutely preach that or any thing el&s;e without Chri&s;t, no: for without him we can doe nothing. But &s;uppo&s;i|tively in ca&s;e Chri&s;t be plea&s;ed to &s;trengthen and en|lighten, him by his Spirit, then he may doe this and all o|ther things as he &s;hall be called unto, And the truth of this is evident, For Fir&s;t, Chri&s;t while in the fle&s;h, never preached tho&s;e grand Articles of the Chri&s;tian, as di&s;tin|gui&s;hed from the Iewi&s;h, faith: <HI>Scilicet,</HI> That he him&s;elfe was crucified dead &amp; buried, de&s;cended into hell, ro&s;e again the third day from the dead and a&s;cended into heaven, which yet may now be triumphantly preached by him that is lea&s;t in this Heavenly Kingdom <HI>Rom.</HI> 8.34. Secondly, Chri&s;t tels his di&s;ciples in his la&s;t Sermon <HI>Iohn.</HI> 16.12, 13.14, <HI>That he had many things to &s;ay unto them</HI> which he forbare to declare at that time. Fir&s;t. becau&s;e of their Infirmities, <HI>yee cannot bear them now:</HI> Secondly be|cau&s;e he purpo&s;ed to &s;end his holie Spirit to comfort them after his departure <HI>Howbeit when the &s;pirit of truth is come</HI> &amp;c. Thirdly becau&s;e he knew this way of manife&s;tation to make mo&s;t for his owne glory. <HI>He &s;hall glorifie mee for he &s;hal receive of mine and &s;hew it unto you.</HI> If any aske which be the things that were not &s;hewed then, and &s;hould afterwards? Its conceived they are implyed in the&s;e words, <HI>He &s;hall &s;hew you things to come.</HI> And then if by things to come be ment &s;uch future Events as are the &s;ub|ject of prophe&s;iing (&s;trictly &s;oe called,) then were they &s;hewed afterward to <HI>Iohn</HI> and by him recorded in his booke of Revelation. If &s;uch Scriptural my&s;teries of the kingdome of heaven, as for the hight and depth, were not then Sutable to the di&s;ciples, but &s;hould after|wards (the Spirit once poured forth and Ie&s;us Glorified) be preached unto al the Saints, the~ were they revealed al after his Re&s;urrection &amp; a&s;cention to the Apo&s;tles and recorded in their Epi&s;tles: E&s;pecially to, and by <HI>Paul</HI> in the three
<PB N="16" REF="14">
fir&s;t chapters to the Ephe&s;ians (as <HI>Calvin.</HI> conceives) and &s;o may be preached (according to the mea&s;ure of grace re|ceived) by him that is lea&s;t in the Kingdome or Heaven.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="4" TYPE="passage">
<HEAD><HI>The fourth pa&s;&s;age</HI> Repentance is a not &s;aying in thy heart, doe this: that is: this or that commandment of God.</HEAD>
<P>I gave a di&s;cription of repentance (whether Theoreticall or Practicall) in my an&s;wer to the Queries: which be|ing come (as I verily beleeve) to the&s;e informers hands, before the collecting of the&s;e pa&s;&s;ages</P>
<P>Fir&s;t. I hope that they doe not looke upon this as a de|&s;cription, much le&s;&s;e a definition of repentance, but only an occa&s;ionall expre&s;&s;ion, holding forth &s;ome &s;ingle Act thereof, Secondly. I de&s;ire that they would be plea&s;ed Seve|rally to enter into their clo&s;ets, and there for a while com|mune with their owne hearts and be &s;till, <HI>Selah.</HI> And ha|ving compared their notes with what is written in their con&s;ciences, tell of a truth ethice (for <HI>Logicee</HI> I thinke they cannot) Fir&s;t, Whether or no they ever heard this pa&s;&s;age delivered by mee in the&s;e very words. Secondly. Whether or no by the rules of Orthographie it &s;hould be clo&s;ed with a period, or &s;pace left for &s;ome thing Exegeticall to extend or explaine it.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom 10, 6, 7,</NOTE> Thirdly, whether or no this Repentance, or not &s;aying in the heart, doe this: <HI>i. e.</HI> this or that commandment, had expre&s;&s;e reference to any other commandment, than this and that of a&s;cending or de&s;cending mentioned in the text: which being propo&s;ed at fir&s;t by way of Querie, by a de&s;tte&s;&s;ed &amp; di&s;tru&s;tful &s;oule, came afterwards oftentimes to be impo&s;ed upon the &s;oule it &s;elf as commandments from God, though really they be the dictates of its owne tormented con&s;cience. For 1 the &s;oul enquires who &s;hall, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> and if not &s;topt there by the word of grace, the next Querie is, &s;hall I? And then, Thirdly. neglecting the word of faith, is too apt, in the time of
<PB N="17" REF="14">
Temptation, to turn back to the <HI>Covenant of works,</HI> and look upon it &s;elf as bound by the law of God, or <HI>legal Co|venant;</HI> either to a&s;cend, that is, (as <HI>Diodate</HI>) to undertake by its own works to obtain a right to eternal life, or to de&s;cend, that is, to take upon its &s;elf the pains of death and hell, for &s;atisfaction for its own &s;ins. And doubtle&s;&s;e Evan|gelical repentance includes in it a not &s;aying in the heart, do this, that is, this or that commandement, whether of a&s;cending or de&s;cending, which are accounted, by a di|&s;tre&s;&s;ed, di&s;tru&s;tful &s;oul, to be the commandments of God or of Gods law yet in force; Of the fir&s;t, for the at|tempting to do, that is to bring down Chri&s;t from above. And of the &s;econd, for the attempting to do that, is to bring up Chri&s;t again from the dead, <HI>Rom.</HI> 10, 6, 7. And if ever &s;uch a pa&s;&s;age as this fell from me, in a publick A&s;&s;embly <HI>(Ni&s;i mentis &amp; memoriae inops)</HI> I am verily per&s;waded, and &s;peak it as in the pre&s;ence of the Lord: that fir&s;t it was grounded upon, and occa&s;ioned from that Text: <HI>Rom.</HI> 10.6, 7. Secondly, that it was intended <HI>per dicentem,</HI> by me that &s;pake it, in that &s;en&s;e, or to that effect as is before ex|plained. Though thirdly I dare not aver, but that the <HI>Di|cta,</HI> or the words &s;poken, &s;imply con&s;idered, might &s;ound har&s;hly in &s;uch mens ears, that: fir&s;t are accu&s;tomed to pre&s;s an active obedience from the law of works: &s;econdly, came filled with prejudice: and thirdly, never heard me preach, nor expre&s;&s;e my thoughts upon any &s;uch a &s;ubject, either before or &s;ince the&s;e pa&s;&s;ages were collected. I have an&s;wered thus farre to this pa&s;&s;age in <HI>Hypothe&s;i,</HI> though not to any of the re&s;t, becau&s;e I have &s;ome &s;pecial hints from the Text, which containes part of it, 1. To what purpo&s;e I might po&s;&s;ibly &s;peak. 2. What might be the ground of the&s;e Informers mi&s;apprehen&s;ions and mi&s;takes, 3. That the unprejudiced reader, (from this to which, <HI>De facto;</HI> I can &s;ay a little) may be directed in &s;ome mea|&s;ure, how to judge of their dealings with me in the re&s;t. I &s;hall now declare (as if this had not been &s;aid) what I conceive of the pa&s;&s;age it &s;elf in <HI>The&s;i.</HI></P>
<P N="1"><PB N="18" REF="15">1, Repentance is either legal, which con&s;i&s;ts chiefly in a &s;en&s;e of, and &s;orrow for the tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions of the law, and a re&s;tle&s;&s;e fear of the judgements threatned and de&s;erved, and this (I grant) is often followed, nay commonly accom|panied with a &s;aying in the heart, do this or that, or what &s;hall I do, this commandment or that commandment, to free my &s;elf thereby from fear and bondage; Thus the Jay|lour cries, Sirs, <HI>What mu&s;t I do to be &s;aved.</HI> Or Evangelical, which includes a Renunciation of a mans own Righteou&s;|ne&s;&s;e, or the works: The <HI>I&s;maels</HI> begotten of his own fle&s;h, by the law, and a turning unto Chri&s;t, who is the Lord our Righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, Sanctification, and Redemption, and this is that hereafter &s;poken of.</P>
<P N="2">2. By this or that commandment of God, may here be meant either fir&s;t tho&s;e <HI>&V;topian</HI> fancied commands, <HI>Deut.</HI> 30.12. to which the Apo&s;tle &s;eems to allude: <HI>Rom.</HI> 10.5, 6. Or &s;econdly, &s;ome of the ten commandments which are, and as they are the condition of the Covenant and Law di&s;pen&s;ed by <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> or thirdly, &s;uch &s;criptural commands which are, and as they are given by Chri&s;t him&s;elf (who hath all authority) for a Directory and Rule, to the lives and conver&s;ations of chri&s;tians:</P>
<P N="1">1. If by this or that commandment be meant tho&s;e <HI>&V;topian</HI> fancied commands which the deceitful heart of man (not being able to hear, or do the word that is nigh) en|quires to have fetched from heaven or beyond the Sea, that it may hear and do them; Then doth Repentance include not only a not &s;aying in thy heart; Do this, but what is not a not &s;aying in the heart: So much, as who &s;hall a&s;cend, or who &s;hall de&s;cend to inform thee of this or that commandment. For, 1. This is a &s;inful evading of the ju&s;t &s;entence of the Law already given by God, in&s;tead of &s;ubmitting to judgement, and acknowledging the &s;in and guilt. And an hypocritical arrogance enquiring for &s;ome new Law, as if God knew not how farre &s;hort all men come of keeping the old. <HI>Rom.</HI> 3.23.2. Its a neglecting to look up to the Brazen Serpent now, when &s;tung with
<PB N="19" REF="15">
the fiery, and a &s;eeking for devi&s;ed remedies, run for a covering, but not of Gods Spirit; and &s;o an adding &s;inne to &s;inne, like as <HI>Adam</HI> did when he &s;ewed Fig-leaves. <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 30.1.</P>
<P N="2">2. If by this or that commandment be meant this or that of the ten: as di&s;pen&s;ed by <HI>Mo&s;es;</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">In the original, they were &s;ub|mitted in the pa&s;&s;ive &s;ignifi|cation, which &s;uppo&s;eth that the great arro|gancy that is in a man natu|rally, being unwilling to deny his own righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, and to take Chri&s;t for all. <HI>Burg. Sect.</HI> 28. <HI>p.</HI> 254.</NOTE> and have their bent by him de&s;cribed, <HI>Rom.</HI> 10.4. <HI>He that doth them &s;hall live in them;</HI> then doth repentance include a not &s;aying in thy heart, <HI>Do this,</HI> that is, this or that commandment of God, that by doing of them, thou mai&s;t live in them. For there|by 1. Thou &s;hewe&s;t thy &s;elf ignorant of Gods righteou&s;|ne&s;&s;e. 2. Thou vainly goe&s;t about to e&s;tabli&s;h thy own righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e. And, 3. Thou rebelle&s;t again&s;t, in&s;tead of &s;ubmitting to, the righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of God. <HI>Rom.</HI> 10, 3.</P>
<P N="3">3. If by this or that commandment, be meant the &s;crip|tural commands, which are, and as they are given by Chri&s;t him&s;elf according to that: <HI>If ye love me, keep my Commandements.</HI> John 14.15. Then doth repentance in|clude a &s;aying in the heart; <HI>Do this,</HI> that is, this or that commandement of God; nay, all the commandements of God, together with a deniall of all ungodline&s;s and world|ly lu&s;ts, which war again&s;t the &s;pirit, and are contrary thereunto: <HI>Tit,</HI> 2.12. <HI>Acts</HI> 3.36. 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 7.10, 11.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="5" TYPE="passage">
<HEAD><HI>The fifth Pa&s;&s;age.</HI> There be two &s;orts of people, fir&s;t the uncalled; to them only Preach the Go&s;pel. Secondly the called, to them Preach good works.</HEAD>
<P>THis Pa&s;&s;age may be re&s;olved into three Queries. 1. Whether there be two &s;orts of people, the one cal|led, the other uncalled. 2. Whether the Go&s;pel only is to preached to the uncalled. 3. Whether good works are to be preached to the called. The fir&s;t, all &s;ober chri&s;tians hold in the affirmative, yet becau&s;e &s;ome there now are,
<PB N="20" REF="16">
that maintain an univer&s;al calling of all, of all &s;orts, active at lea&s;t, if not pa&s;&s;ive. Note,</P>
<P N="1">1. That by a people called, are not meant a people cal|led upon meerly by a Lecture read out of the book of con|&s;cience, or the Dictates of a natural light. For 1. <HI>Paul</HI> (before his conver&s;ion, or that light from heaven &s;hined about him, <HI>Asts</HI> 9.) had this light within him, and yet remained ignorant in unbelief: and at the height that this could lead him unto, per&s;ecuted Chri&s;t and the Church. Neither can it be &s;aid, that it was becau&s;e of his not mind|ing that light. For 1. He laboured alwayes as much as po&s;&s;ible for man to do, to follow that light, and profited more than his equals. 2. Touching the law he was blame|le&s;&s;e, and per&s;ecuted the Church out of pure zeale of acting according to this light. 3. He bears the Jews record, that they acted for God zealou&s;ly according to this legal light, and yet wanted knowledge; or that Evangelical true light, <HI>which &s;hines from God in the face of the Lord Je&s;us.</HI> 2 Cor. 4.6.4. The Jewes killed the Di&s;ciples, and yet judged from this light, <HI>that they did God good &s;ervice, not knowing</HI> (indeed) <HI>either the Father or the Son:</HI> Joh. 16.2, 3.2. Though <HI>all the Gentiles &s;hew the work of the Law writ|ten in their hearts:</HI> Rom. 2.15. yet not any work of the Go&s;pel. Nay, where is it &s;aid that this light ever convinced Gentile of &s;in, for not believing in Chri&s;t? <HI>Is not this to be done by the Spirit of Chri&s;t?</HI> Ioh. 16.8. Or where was ever Heathen &s;avingly converted, but by the fooli&s;hne&s;s of preaching? The world by wi&s;dom (that is this light im|proved to the utmo&s;t) knew not God, <HI>And therefore it plea&s;ed God by the fooli&s;hne&s;&s;e of preaching, to &s;ave them that believe:</HI> 1 Cor. 1.21.3. <HI>Adam</HI> had this light, and it taught him fir&s;t, <HI>That he was naked:</HI> 2. To <HI>Sew fig-leaves.</HI> 3. And when tho&s;e vani&s;hed at the voice of God, to &s;eek to hide him&s;elf, <HI>under a thick covering:</HI> But could neither teach him to confe&s;&s;e his &s;in and commit him&s;elf unto God, nor tell him any thing of the &s;eed of the woman, <HI>That &s;hould break the head of the Serpent.</HI> 4. The Apo&s;tle di&s;tin|gui&s;heth
<PB N="21" REF="16">
of a natural man, and of a &s;piritual man; <HI>And though he that is &s;piritual judgeth all things, yet the na|tural man receiveth not the things of the &s;pirit of God, for they are fooli&s;hne&s;&s;e unto him, neither can he know them, becau&s;e they are &s;piritually di&s;cerned:</HI> 2 Cor. 2.14, 15. Nay, what needed Chri&s;t to &s;end the Spirit of truth to lead the Di&s;ci|ples into all truth. If the light thy already had could have di&s;covered it to them, and effectually guided them there|unto?</P>
<P N="2">2. By a people called, are not meant a people called up|on meerly by a Lecture read from the book of the creature, the Sun, the Moon, the Stars, &amp;c. For 1. <HI>Though the heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament &s;heweth his handy works,</HI> &amp;c. Yet the <HI>P&s;almist</HI> concludes them all imperfect; <HI>As to the converting, making wi&s;e, and true en|lightening of the &s;oul,</HI> and a&s;cribes all tho&s;e effects unto the word of the Lord: <HI>ver&s;,</HI> 7, 8.2. <HI>Though the Philo&s;ophers and wi&s;e men might by contemplation come to know the eternal power and God-head,</HI> Rom. 1.20. Or, <HI>A Deum ab&s;olutum,</HI> (as <HI>Luther</HI> &s;peaks) yet could they know nothing of a God manife&s;ted in the fle&s;h, and ju&s;tified in the &s;pirit; which the Apo&s;tle calls <HI>the my&s;tery of godline&s;&s;e:</HI> 1 Tim. 3.16.3. God did not make u&s;e of any of the &s;tars of the old cre|ation, but created a new one (called his Star: <HI>Mat.</HI> 2.2.) And thereby led the wi&s;e men (blind fold as it were) in a way they knew not, to Ie&s;us Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>But thirdly, By a people called, are meant a people cal|led out of the world by the Spirit in the preaching of the Go&s;pel. <HI>To know the only true God, and Je&s;us Christ whom he hath &s;ent.</HI> Io. 17.3.</P>
<P>For, 1. This is the only means appointed by Chri&s;t, for calling a people to him&s;elf <HI>Mar.</HI> 16.5.2. Chri&s;t intercedes in a &s;pecial manner for tho&s;e that &s;hall be &s;o called. <HI>Neither pray I for the&s;e alone</HI> (meaning his Di&s;ciples) <HI>but for them al&s;o which &s;hall believe in me through their word,</HI> Iohn 17.20.3. People in the writings of the Apo&s;tles are denominated <GAP DESC="foreign"> called &amp; <GAP DESC="foreign"> a Church or people called out, only
<PB N="22" REF="17">
in reference to this call. 4. By this it is, that the true light comes into the world, not only <GAP DESC="foreign">, appears or &s;hines dimly through types and ceremonies, as under the Promi&s;e and Law:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Vide Heming. in <HI>Ioh. 1.9.</HI></NOTE> <HI>Iohn</HI> 1.1.4, 5, nor to one Na|tion only, as it did during Chri&s;ts abode in the fle&s;h: <HI>Iohn</HI> 1.11. But now <GAP DESC="foreign">, it &s;hineth forth clearly and effectu|ally, <HI>convincing the world of Sin, Righteou&s;ne&s;s, and Iudge|ment;</HI> according to Chri&s;ts promi&s;e, or enlightening eve|ry man, <HI>Iew</HI> and <HI>Gentile, Greek</HI> and <HI>Barbarian,</HI> even every creature, <HI>Iohn</HI> 1.9.16.8. <HI>Mark</HI> 16.15. And yet 4. Some people of each &s;ort, or <HI>&acirc; &s;inguli Generum,</HI> (in re&s;pect had to this Evangelical call) are &s;till uncalled, either negatively, as never having heard it: or po&s;itively (having heard) and yet not &s;o much as vi&s;ibly yielded them&s;elves obedient thereunto, both are evident. For if thou&s;ands live and die, and never hear &s;o much as that there is a Ie&s;us. 2. The Apo&s;tle witne&s;&s;eth that of tho&s;e, that heard, &s;ome mocked, &amp;c. <HI>Act.</HI> 17.32. and brings <HI>I&s;aiah</HI> complaining, <HI>Lord, who hath believed our Report:</HI> Rom. 10.16. Many may be called upon, <HI>activ&egrave;,</HI> or <HI>quoad actum praedicandi,</HI> and yet few called <HI>pa&s;&s;iv&egrave;,</HI> or <HI>quoad effectum praedicationis.</HI></P>
<P>In an&s;wer to the &s;econd Quere. I &s;ay fir&s;t the Go&s;pel is to be preached to the uncalled. For 1. Chri&s;t commands his di&s;ciples to go in to all the world and preach the Go&s;pel to every creature, <HI>Mark</HI> 16.15. <HI>Come, for all things are ready.</HI> Tho&s;e very men are invited that were, and while they were taken up with plea&s;ures and profits, in&s;omuch that at the fir&s;t hearing (with one con&s;ent) they began to make excu&s;e: <HI>Luke</HI> 14.17, 18. Secondly, preaching the Go&s;pel is the meanes by which God calls the unregenerate to his Kingdom and Glory: 1 <HI>The&s;.</HI> 2.9.12. <HI>It is the power of God unto &s;alvation:</HI> Rom. 1.16. <HI>In Chri&s;t Ie&s;us I have begotten you through the Go&s;pel:</HI> 1 Cor. 4.13. So that unle&s;&s;e Mini&s;ters will refu&s;e to u&s;e the means for conver&s;ion of &s;inners, they mu&s;t preach the Go&s;pel to &s;uch. Nay, there is a nece&s;&s;ity laid upon them, and woe unto them if they preach not the Go&s;pel. 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 8.16, Thirdly, were it not that the Go&s;pel
<PB N="23" REF="17">
is and ought to be preached to per&s;ons that are uncalled, why &s;hould tho&s;e be damned that obey not the Go&s;pel? 2 <HI>The&s;.</HI> 1.8. or how &s;hall they be convinced of &s;in that be|lieve not on Ie&s;us? <HI>Io.</HI> 16.9.</P>
<P>Secondly, if (only) be referred to the per&s;ons to whom we are to preach, and the &s;en&s;e of the Quere be this <HI>Scili|cet,</HI> whether the Go&s;pel is to be preached onely to the un|called. I an&s;wer, negatively, For 1. The Apo&s;tles in all their Epi&s;tles writing to Chri&s;tians, e&s;peciall <HI>Paul</HI> in the three fir&s;t Chapters to the <HI>Ephe&s;ians,</HI> preach the Go&s;pel.<NOTE PLACE="marg"><P><HI>Luther</HI> in <HI>loc. com cla&s;s.</HI> 3. <HI>loc.</HI> 9.</P><P>We &s;hould do us tho&s;e Stew|ards, that &s;et bread and &s;alt upon the table what ever di&s;h there is; &s;o we &s;hould alwayes preach Chri&s;t, and per&s;wade them to believe in him. <HI>Pre&s;ton</HI> &s;aith. <HI>pag.</HI> 77. <HI>Saul</HI> made a Law, that none &s;hould eat of any thing, and &s;o <HI>Jonathan</HI> mu&s;t not ta&s;t of the hony. <HI>Saeul</HI> indeed thought hereby to have the more enemies killed, but <HI>Jo|nathan</HI> told him, that if they had been &s;uffered to eat more honey, they &s;hould have bin more revi|ved and enabled to de&s;troy their adver&s;aries; thus the Papi&s;ts, they forbid us to eat of this hony, this precious comfort in Chri&s;t, as if thereby we &s;hould be hindred in our pur&s;uit again&s;t &s;in, whereas indeed it is the only &s;trength and power again&s;t them. <HI>Burge&s;s. vind. lect.</HI> 22. <HI>p.</HI> 209.</P></NOTE> <HI>Paulus ad Romanos undecem capitibus fidem fundat, &amp; quinque capitibus deinde mores &s;uperaedificat. Ad Galat. Quinque fidem uno &amp; &s;exto mores docet. Sic &amp; in aliis epi&s;t &s;uis facit.</HI> Second|ly, It is requi&s;ite and meet thus to preach, Fir&s;t to pre|vent the bewitching of Satan: <HI>Gal.</HI> 3.1. And natures con|tinual lu&s;ting either to return again to the Covenant of Works, or to be carried about with every wind of Do|ctrine, <HI>Eph.</HI> 4.14. Secondly, that chri&s;tians beholding as in a Gla&s;&s;e, the Glory of the Lord, may be changed into the &s;ame Image, from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord: 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 3.18, Thirdly, the Go&s;pel is &s;aid to work effectually in them al&s;o that believe: 1 <HI>The&s;.</HI> 2.13. and chri&s;tians, the more they grow in grace and in the know|ledge of the Lord Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, the more they grow in a &s;ence of their own weakne&s;&s;e and unworthine&s;&s;e, which occa&s;ions that faithful &s;aying, &s;till to be &s;ea&s;onable, and worthy all acceptation. <HI>That Ie&s;us Christ came into the world to &s;ave &s;inners,</HI> 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 1.15. Thirdly, The men that are mo&s;t zealous for pre&s;&s;ing the Law of works, will allow the Go&s;pel (if a conditional covenant may be called Go&s;|pel) to be preached to them&s;elves, and &s;uch like godly men whom they look upon as truly called. Nay, in old time,
<PB N="24" REF="18">
Chri&s;t might have been fea&s;ted at the Phari&s;ees hou&s;es, pro|vided he would never reprove them for taking the highe&s;t roomes to them&s;elves: <HI>Luke</HI> 14.8. nor appear a friend to Publicans and &s;inners. <HI>Luk</HI> 17.39.</P>
<P>Thirdly, if (onely) be referred unto the Go&s;pel, or the Doctrine to be preached, and the &s;en&s;e of the Quere be, whether only the Go&s;pel is to be preached to the uncalled? Then fir&s;t, Chri&s;t, in commi&s;&s;ion for preaching which he gave to the Apo&s;tles, mentions only the Go&s;pel, and in|&s;erts not a word touching the Law of <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> and he that in hearing that believes and is baptized (no mention of other works) &s;hall be &s;aved, and he that believes not, (what other works &s;oever he doth) &s;hall be damned: <HI>Mar.</HI> 16.16. Secondly, <HI>Paul</HI> profe&s;&s;eth that he was made an able Mini&s;ter of the New Te&s;tament, not of the letter, but of the Spirit: 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 3.6, and that God hath reconciled us to him&s;elf by Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and hath given unto us the mini&s;tery of reconciliation. 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 3.7.9. not of death and condemnation. 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 3.7.9.</P>
<P>Thirdly, the Law that was given by <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> to the <HI>I&s;ra|elites,</HI> onely as hath been &s;hewen, and not &s;o much as for the u&s;e of the <HI>Gentiles</HI> while &s;uch, but &s;uppo&s;itively and &s;e|condarily in ca&s;e they became <HI>Pro&s;elites,</HI> and were by cir|cumci&s;ion incorporated into the body of the <HI>Iewes:</HI> And for the Covenant of Works made with <HI>Adam,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">In his reply to <HI>Crandon. p.</HI> 43.</NOTE> Mr. <HI>Baxter</HI> him&s;elf to u&s;e his own words) doth now maintain that there is no &s;uch thing as a Covenant of works now in be|ing, to any on earth. However the work thereof is indele|bly and undeniably written in the heart: the con&s;cience bearing witne&s;&s;e, and the thoughts in the mean while ex|cu&s;ing and accu&s;ing one another. Fourthly, I di&s;tingui&s;h <HI>Inter praedicare legem, &amp; praedicare de lege,</HI> betwixt Preach|ing Law, and preaching of the Law: <HI>Praedicare de lege,</HI> or to preach of the Law, is to declare fir&s;t what the Law in its own nature requires; and what it behoveth them to do or die, that think to become righteous, or to get life by conformity thereunto: as <HI>Luke</HI> 10.25.28. <HI>Rom.</HI> 10.
<PB N="25" REF="18">
5. <HI>Mat.</HI> 5.22.28. Secondly, that none were ever able to perform it, all having &s;inned and come &s;hort of the glory of God: <HI>Rom.</HI> 3.23. Thirdly, that the <HI>Gentiles</HI> which had not the Law of <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> &s;inned again&s;t the Law of Na|ture. <HI>Rom.</HI> 1.32. <HI>Rom.</HI> 2.12.14, 15. And the <HI>Iewes</HI> who were under the law of <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> became guilty thereby be|fore God: <HI>Rom.</HI> 3.13.<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign"> &s;ine ad|jecto articulo generaliter ac|cipitur. <HI>Beza</HI> in loc.</NOTE> No fle&s;h could ever be ju&s;tified by the deeds of either law: <GAP DESC="foreign"> for by each law, whether of nature or Scripture, to the con&s;cience appealing, comes an acknowledgement of &s;in, <HI>Rom.</HI> 3.20. Fourthly, that what the Law could not do, in that it was weak through the fle&s;h, God &s;ending his own Son in the likene&s;&s;e of &s;inful fle&s;h, and for &s;in hath condem|ned &s;in in the fle&s;h, and fulfilled the righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of the Law in us, or is the end of the Law for righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e: <HI>Rom.</HI> 8.3, 4. <HI>Rom.</HI> 10.4. Fifthly, that though <HI>De facto,</HI> the Law without, &s;econded by the Law within, accu&s;e, ter|rify, and condemn; yet <HI>De jure,</HI> it hath nothing to do ei|ther to charge or condemn the elect of God: <HI>Rom.</HI> 8.33. <HI>Rom.</HI> 8.1. <HI>Gal.</HI> 3.13. <HI>Rom.</HI> 6.14. Sixtly, to tell, to whom, for what u&s;e, and untill what time the Law was given, and what great and precious priviledges we enjoy, who are freed from the bondage of it, <HI>Rom,</HI> 3.19.5.20.6.14. <HI>Gal.</HI> 3.19.4, 5. Seventhly and la&s;tly, to declare that love is <GAP DESC="foreign">, the fulfilling, &s;umme, and even the whole of the Law, which is now the new commandment of our Husband Chri&s;t, and not &s;imply required of us, as former|ly by our old Husband: but freely begotten in us by the immortal &s;eed of the Word, as fruit acceptable to God the Father; All which are plentifully done by the Apo&s;tle <HI>Paul,</HI> in his Epi&s;tles to the <HI>Romans</HI> and <HI>Galatians,</HI> and &s;hould now be done by Go&s;pel-Mini&s;ters as occa&s;ion is gi|ven, either by the pride of the Phari&s;ees, the poverty of the Publicans, or the ri&s;ing of &s;uch contentious di&s;putes about the Law, as did in the dayes of the Apo&s;tles, and are likely to continue till the end of the world. But as for preaching the Law whether given to <HI>Adam</HI> or by <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> as a Cove|nant
<PB N="26" REF="19">
of life and death, according as the Scriptures de&s;cribe them: <HI>Gen.</HI> 2 17. <HI>Rom.</HI> 10.5. <HI>Gal.</HI> 3.10. which is truly <HI>Prae|dicare legem,</HI> or to preach the Law indeed as yet alive (an abrogated, repealed, fulfilled, &s;atisfied Law, being no otherwi&s;e a Law, then a dead man, a man) as it was never commanded by Chri&s;t, &s;o was it never (that we read of) practi&s;ed by the Apo&s;tles, and by con&s;equence, not now to be revived by the Mini&s;ters of the Go&s;pel. And yet fifthly, This excludes not all preaching, that is minatory for tho&s;e that manife&s;t them&s;elves to be po&s;itively uncalled (e&s;peci|ally:) and all &s;orts (occa&s;ionally) &s;hould be taught, that he that believeth not the Son, &s;hall not &s;ee life, but the wrath of God abideth on him. <HI>Iohn</HI> 3.36. If the word &s;poken by Angels was &s;tedfa&s;t, and every Trangre&s;&s;ion and di&s;o|bedience, received a ju&s;t recompence of reward: How &s;hall we e&s;cape if we neglect &s;o great &s;alvation, which at the fir&s;t began to be &s;poken by the Lord, &amp;c? <HI>Heb.</HI> 2.7. To which we may adde &s;uch like; as <HI>Heb.</HI> 10.28, 29. <HI>Heb,</HI> 12.25. <HI>Acts</HI> 3.22, 23.</P>
<P>The third, <HI>Scil.</HI> whether good works are to be preached to the called. I affirm and &s;ay they are, and that in a &s;peci|al manner. For fir&s;t the&s;e things I will that thou affirm con&s;tantly, that they which have believed in God, might be careful to maintain good works: <HI>Tit.</HI> 3.8. <HI>Nam ii &s;oli &amp;c.</HI> as <HI>Beza in loc.</HI> Secondly, Chri&s;t having charged his Apo&s;tles, <GAP DESC="foreign">, to di&s;cipulate all nati|ons, which was done, as <HI>Mark</HI> explaines it by preaching the Go&s;pel, addes <GAP DESC="foreign"> not <GAP DESC="foreign">; and &s;o <GAP DESC="foreign"> not <GAP DESC="foreign">; <HI>Scilicet,</HI> teaching, not all the nati|ons, but &s;uch as &s;hould be di&s;cipled, or called by preaching of the Go&s;pel out of the nations, to ob&s;erve, &amp;c. <HI>Mat.</HI> 28.20. Thirdly, the called are his workman&s;hip created in Chri&s;t Ie&s;us unto good works: <HI>Eph.</HI> 2.10. They are redeemed from the hands of their enemies, <HI>That they might &s;erve him without fear, in holine&s;&s;e and righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e before him, all the dayes of their lives:</HI> Luke 1.74.75. <HI>God hath called us not to uncleanne&s;&s;e, but unto holine&s;&s;e:</HI> 1. The&s;. 4.7. <HI>Walk wor|thy
<PB N="27" REF="19">
of the vocation wherewith ye are called. Eph.</HI> 4.1. Indeed, i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> any be &s;o critical, as to make the word (preach) of no lar|ger extent, than <HI>praedicare</HI> among&s;t the Latins,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pi&s;cat. in <HI>Rom. 2.21.</HI></NOTE> when taken &s;trictly and properly, then is the Go&s;pel, or the triumph of Chri&s;t over the Law, Sin, Death, and the Devil, &amp;c. The proper object of preaching, and Mini&s;ters more fitly &s;aid to teach, then to preach good works to the called.</P>
<P>But if this Quere or part of the pa&s;&s;age (though indefi|nite) be intended to run in equipage with the former, and that to preach good works to the called; &s;hall amount to as much as to preach good works only to the called. Then con&s;ider that good works may be taken fir&s;t largely, as in|cluding all good works what&s;oever, though the immediate products of the Go&s;pel. As repentance and faith: or &s;econd|ly &s;trictly, as including only &s;uch works, as are mediate effect, &s;uppo&s;ing the precedency of faith, in which &s;en&s;e good works are commonly &s;aid to flow from, or follow after faith. If we take good works in the former &s;en&s;e. Its true, that good works, <HI>Scilicet</HI> faith and repentance, though not expre&s;&s;ely all good works, are to be preached to, and required from tho&s;e that are yet pa&s;&s;ively uncalled. For, 1. Chri&s;t him&s;elf having preached the Go&s;pel of the King|dom, or propo&s;ed the object which in&s;trumentally begets, immediately injoynes the duties, or calls for the Acts to be exerci&s;ed thereabout. Repent and believe the Go&s;pel. <HI>Scilicet,</HI> which I have preached: <HI>Mar.</HI> 1.15. Secondly, In the name of Ie&s;us, held out as the Saviour of &s;inners, re|pentance, and remi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins, or as the <HI>Syriaok</HI> conver|&s;ion into the remi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins, is to be preached unto all nations: <HI>Luke</HI> 24.47. Thirdly, <HI>Peter</HI> bids the <HI>Iewes</HI> re|pent and be converted: <HI>Acts</HI> 3.19. And <HI>Paul</HI> exhorts the Jaylor to believe on the Lord Ie&s;u: <HI>Acts</HI> 16.31. Take good works in the better &s;en&s;e and though it be true, that <HI>Sen&s;u divi&s;o,</HI> the uncalled &s;hould do the&s;e &s;ub&s;equent works, as love the Brethren: 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1.22. Call upon the name of the Lord: <HI>Rom.</HI> 10.14. &amp;c. as being now immediately called to obey the truth, and believe the Go&s;pel, by which they
<PB N="28" REF="20">
may be enabled and privileged thereunto: yet not <HI>Sen&s;u compo&s;ito,</HI> or while uncalled: For 1. People under com|mand &s;hould <HI>hoc agere:</HI> not only do the things comman|ded, but in that order as they are commanded to do them: when &s;ervants are bidden come, they &s;hould not then &s;ay, they'l go, and when they are bidden go, they &s;hould not then come, or do this, (though both due in their &s;ea&s;on) but when the Ma&s;ter &s;aith come, they are to come: when he &s;aith go, they are to go, and when he &s;aith, do this, then are they to do it. <HI>Mat.</HI> 8, 9. People therefore being im|mediately, and fir&s;tly called to repent and believe the Go&s;|pel,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><P><HI>Non per opera venitur ad fi|dem: &s;ed per fidem ad opera. Luther.</HI> What is the difference between Chri|&s;tians and Mo|rali&s;ts? and without this, what is our preaching? we may gather well neer as good in&s;truction to re&s;i&s;t vice, out of <HI>Plutarch,</HI> and out of <HI>Seneca,</HI> as out of <HI>Pauls</HI> Epi&s;tles.</P><P>But this diffe|renceth it, we preach Chri&s;t, and from Chri&s;t veriry, ability, and &s;trength to do all things el&s;e. Dr. <HI>Pre&s;ton</HI> of Faith. <HI>p.</HI> 74. <HI>Shepherd Sab. par.</HI> 1. <HI>The&s;.</HI> 101.</P></NOTE> &s;hould <HI>Hoc agere,</HI> not &s;et about doing other works of God, (though right, and due in their &s;ea&s;on) But do this work of God now required to be done: <HI>Scilicet, Believe on him whom he hath &s;ent.</HI> Obey the call which is, Fir&s;t to renounce our own righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, next to embrace the righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of Chri&s;t, which God freely offereth in the Go&s;pel: <HI>Engli&s;h Annotat.</HI> in <HI>Rom.</HI> 10.3. Secondly, All works which are required, and as required by Chri&s;t, &s;hould be done in faith. <HI>Heb.</HI> 11.6. For otherwi&s;e, though they may be good <HI>Ethic&eacute;,</HI> and both taught and done in <HI>Ge|nere moralium:</HI> yet are they not good &mdash;<HI>Theologic&eacute;,</HI> (as we now &s;peak) nor to be taught or done in <HI>Genere &s;piritua|lium:</HI> And if they mu&s;t be done in faith, then not before faith: But fir&s;t &s;hould men believe, and then through be|lieving, do all other works. <HI>Qui vult bene operari, non ab operando, &s;ed &agrave; credendo incipiat.</HI> Thirdly, the Apo&s;tles do con&s;tantly direct their practical exhortations to &s;uch as are vi&s;ibly called <GAP DESC="foreign">, teaching them, and onely them to ob&s;erve all things: &amp;c. according to <HI>Mat.</HI> 28.20. Fourthly, Believers only are in a condition for acting in an Evangelical way, and upon Evangelical grounds (and that an Active obedience is not now to be pre&s;&s;ed from, or to the Law, hath and &s;hall be fuller cleared) For as Mr, <HI>Shepheard</HI> no friend to <HI>Antinomians</HI> (in that very tract where he &s;o learnedly oppo&s;eth them) &s;aith; This caution is ever to be remembred, that &s;uch acting be not to make
<PB N="29" REF="20">
our &s;elves ju&s;t, but becau&s;e we are already ju&s;t in Chri&s;t; not that hereby we might get life, but becau&s;e we have life given us already; not to pacify Gods ju&s;tice, but to plea&s;e his mercy, being pacified towards us by Chri&s;t already. And if &s;o be that Believers are onely in a condition of thus acting; and obedience active, is not to be urged from the Law, I &s;ee not but the <GAP DESC="foreign">, or Appendants to the <GAP DESC="foreign"> or Go&s;pel, &s;hould pre&s;uppo&s;e the preaching of that as In&s;trumental, to bring per&s;ons into this condi|tion; and e&s;pecially, if not &s;olely, be preached to Believers. The end or &s;umme of the commandment is love, and that out of a pure heart, &amp;c. 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 1.5.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="6" TYPE="passage">
<HEAD><HI>The &s;ixth Pa&s;sage.</HI> But is it not good for a man to do all that he can, <HI>viz.</HI> in way of obedience to Gods commandments? <HI>An&s;w.</HI> The &s;umme of all the commandments, is that of the Sabbath: Now to a Chri&s;tian the Sabbath, is to cea&s;e from his own works, or working according to a form or letter,</HEAD>
<P>I Shall not here di&s;cu&s;&s;e; whether this Solution be per|tinent and full, as to the objection: But expre&s;&s;e the &s;umme of both in four Queries, and return an&s;wer &s;everally to each of them.</P>
<DIV2 N="1" TYPE="question">
<HEAD>The fir&s;t Querie.</HEAD>
<P N="1">1. Whether it be not good for a man to do all that he can, <HI>viz:</HI> in a way of obedience to Gods Commandments?</P>
<P N="1">1. Man may be con&s;idered either in the &s;tate of nature, or in the &s;tate of grace, Secondly, it may be &s;aid to be good for a man to do, &amp;c. either &s;imply in relation to the work it &s;elf, or in reference to the effects and con&s;equents of the work; that is, the procuring thereby either a Temporal, or a Spiritual good. Thirdly by commandments, may be meant, either the precepts of the Law as a covenant, writ|ten in nature or Scripture: or the commandments given, and as given by Chri&s;t who is Lord of all, even of the Sab|bath
<PB N="30" REF="21">
day. Fourthly, by way of obedience may be meant either a mans own way in which alone he can obey: or Gods way. <HI>Scilicet,</HI> Accordingly as he commands.</P>
<P N="1">1. It is good for a man in the &s;tate of nature to do all that he can in way of obedience to Gods commandments, under which&s;oever notion con&s;idered in relation to the work it &s;elf. For fir&s;t, <HI>Virtus per &s;e ip&s;a amabilis:</HI> vertue it &s;elf by it &s;elf is amiable, and vice hateful. Secondly, a work that is good, though only for the &s;ub&s;tance of it, is better then that which is evil, both for the &s;ub&s;tance and circum&s;tances. Thirdly, it is good and commendable for any man to walk according to that light vouch&s;afed unto him, and not to hold the truth in unrighteou&s;ne&s;&s;e. <HI>Rom.</HI> 1.18.</P>
<P N="2">2. It is good for a man in the &s;tate of nature to do all that he can, in reference to the procuring of a Temporal good. For fir&s;t, Becau&s;e <HI>Ahab</HI> humbled him&s;elf, the evil was not brought in his dayes, 1 <HI>Kings</HI> 21, 29. Secondly, the Phari&s;ees that gave almes, <GAP DESC="foreign">, have their reward, <HI>Mat.</HI> 6.2. though in the pre&s;ent ten&s;e all here, and with an (<GAP DESC="foreign">) a thing di&s;tinct from God, like <HI>E&s;au</HI>'s ble&s;|&s;ing gotten by &s;elfi&s;h tears, and not God for their reward. Thirdly, the wrath of God is exemplarily revealed in pu|ni&s;hing &s;uch as held the truth in unrighteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, and have followed lu&s;t contrary to the light of Law and Rea|&s;on. And though a man doing what he can, cannot pre|vent. Yet if fourthly, any &s;ay that to him eternal puni&s;h|ment &s;hall be mittigated, as to the degrees of it, I &s;hall not contend.</P>
<P N="3">3. It is not good for a man, in the &s;tate of nature, to do all that he can in his own way of obedience, to Gods com|mandments, however con&s;idered, in reference to the pro|curing of a &s;piritual good; that is, all or any of tho&s;e ble&s;|&s;ings, which are the peculiar purcha&s;e of the blood of Chri&s;t for his elect. For fir&s;t, This is a &s;eeking them as it were by the works of the Law, that is, a working to get a right to, or po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of the ble&s;&s;ings purcha&s;ed
<PB N="31" REF="21">
by Chri&s;t, as if that were to be obtained by the carnal ob|&s;ervance of an outward command; whereas they are freely given by Chri&s;t, through a lively faith begotten by the Spirit in the Evangelical publi&s;hing of them unto &s;inners, <HI>Rom.</HI> 9.32.4, 5. Secondly, All that a man (while &s;uch) can do (though pretended and intended in a way of obe|dience) really and in truth, is <HI>Rebellious Di&s;obedience. For the minding of the fle&s;h, is enmity again&s;t God.</HI> Rom. 8.7. and &s;o by con&s;equence the more he can do, the more he can rebell, and procures to him&s;elf the greater condemnation: <HI>The minding of the fle&s;h is death.</HI> Rom. 8.6. And &s;o the more, the more deadly: <HI>Homo non &s;olum nihil pote&s;t &s;uis viribus ad ju&s;titiam coram Deo, &s;ed etiam adjutus lege docen|te &amp; operibus per iegem extortis deterior efficitur.</HI> Thirdly, Neither Law, nor the commands under the Go&s;pel, re|quires any &s;uch obedience as this man can perform. For the Law requires that which is &s;piritual to be done in the life and power of the fle&s;h; &s;uch as man could have perform|ed at his fir&s;t creation. The commands under the Go&s;pel, call for an obedience Evangelical to be done in the life and power of the Spiris of Chri&s;t, &s;uch as the elect onely do and can perform after their &s;econd creation. If all that a man can do, were all or part of that a man &s;hould do; if his way of obeying an&s;wered to Gods of commmanding; or if the work, when done, were good by rule of any law, there were &s;ome probability of it being good, for a man to do all that he can in reference to the getting of &s;ome good by that Law: But all things here being otherwi&s;e, what can mans doing be good for? But as it is &s;in, &s;o to procure the wages of &s;in, which is death. There is none in, they are all gone out of the way, and thence are they altogether become unprofitable. <HI>Rom.</HI> 3.12. Thirdly, there is no promi&s;e in Scripture (of any &s;piritual good) made to a natural mans doings though he do all that he can, and how &s;hall any man call them good, in reference to the get|ting of that which God hath never promi&s;ed upon any &s;uch condition? Is not piety alone &s;aid to be profitable,
<PB N="32" REF="22">
1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 4.8. and that as, and becau&s;e it hath the promi&s;es. Fourthly, <HI>Paul</HI> did what he could in a way of obedience to Gods commandments, and yet he confe&s;&s;eth at la&s;t he gained nothing thereby, in reference to any &s;piritual good, but was a loo&s;er, and found all his doings to be dung, <HI>Phil.</HI> 3.7, 8. The natural mans looking for God to give him Chri&s;t, or the ble&s;&s;ings purcha&s;ed by him becau&s;e he doth this or that, or works more than other men, is not on|ly groundle&s;&s;e, having no promi&s;e whereupon to bottom it, but abominable; even as if a &s;ervant &s;hould expect a pearl from his Ma&s;ter, becau&s;e he throwes Dirt in his face, and that more con&s;tantly than other men; doth that which is abomination in his &s;ight, <HI>Luke</HI> 16.15. And yet will needs per&s;wade both him and others that he is doing acceptable &s;ervice, a prime piece doubtle&s;&s;e of that Religion, which derives it &s;elf, <HI>&agrave; religando,</HI> from binding of God to man, and not man to God. Fifthly, Chri&s;t reclaimes men in the &s;tate of nature, from doing all that they can in their own way of obedience to Gods commandments, to do that which is not onely beyond their abilities to do,, but be|yond their under&s;tandings, (while &s;uch) to think that they &s;hould do it,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Cen&s;et ne idem e&s;&s;e hominem hartari ad poeni|tentiam, &amp; ad utendum &s;uis naturalibus? O vere Papi&s;ti|cam caecitatem! qua&s;i non prius exuendus &s;it ve|tus homo cum factis &s;uis. Cham. Tom. <HI>3.</HI> lib <HI>4.</HI> cap. <HI>10.</HI> &s;ect. <HI>17, 18.</HI> Atque hic e&s;t &s;inis cur Augi|&s;tinus ex doctri|na Apo&s;tolica demon&s;trat, omnia infidelium opera e&s;&s;e peccata nempe ut omnes ad veram in Chri&s;tum fidem &s;ine qua quic|quid fit, peccatum e&s;t, hortetur et &s;timulet, quo|modo igitur damnari pote&s;t haec doctrina? im&ograve; contra do|ctrina quam ad|ver&s;arii tra|dunt efficit homines hypo|critas, retardat eos in &s;ua ip&s;e|rum infidelitate, efficit ut gloria~|tur in &s;eip&s;is re|tardat eos &agrave; fide in Chri&s;tum, &amp;c. <HI>Zanch: Tom. 4. lib. 4. p. 144.</HI> Concludimus ergo omnem &s;ollicitu|dinem et zelam quibus homines erga &s;alutem &s;u|am feruntur, omnem diligen|tiam quam ad|hibere po&s;&s;unt, e&s;&s;e vanam et frustaneam ma|gis noxiam qu&agrave;m utilem ad fidem et Spiritum reno|vationis. <HI>Cited by the Remon&s;t.</HI> Ex libello etc. Collat. Hagiae habit. p. <HI>297. Luther</HI> cla&s;. <HI>3.</HI> loc. <HI>11.</HI> Homo mer&egrave; pa&s;&s;iv&egrave; habet nec facit quidpiam, &s;ed fit totus.</NOTE> or how it is that God will have it done: <HI>Scilicet,</HI> To <HI>Repent and believe,</HI> or to cea&s;e from their own dead works, and dead way of working, and accept of Chri&s;t through a &s;aith (not gotten by them, but begotten by the word) as the end of the Law for righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e. What &s;hall we do (&s;ay the <HI>Iewes</HI>) that we might work the works of God? This (&s;aith Chri&s;t) is the work of God, &amp;c. Actively and Pa&s;&s;ively. The work now commanded to be done by you, and yet the work which onely is, mu&s;t and can be done by God, <HI>John</HI> 6.28, 29. <HI>Men and brethren what &s;hall we do,</HI> &s;ay tho&s;e, <HI>Acts</HI> 2.37? <HI>Repent,</HI> (an&s;wereth <HI>Peter</HI>) or abandon the pre&s;ent thoughts and actings of your minds, whereby you are alienated from God, and yield your &s;elves up as dead lo&s;t men, to be bapti&s;ed or bu|ried under water with Chri&s;t in Bapti&s;me, thence to be rai|&s;ed up by his mighty power alone to newne&s;&s;e of life. It
<PB N="33" REF="22">
is therefore good for a man (in&s;tead of doing what he can in his own formal Hypocritical way of obedience to the outward commands) Fir&s;t to learn experimentally from the lu&s;ting and rebelling of his own heart again&s;t Gods commandments, that he can do nothing but &s;in. That when the commandment comes, <HI>Sin reviveth; that &s;in taketh oc|ca&s;ion by the commandment, and worketh in him all manner of concupi&s;cence, Rom.</HI> 7.8, 9. Secondly, to acknowledge him|&s;elf a &s;inner and guilty of death. <HI>Rom.</HI> 3.19, 20. Thirdly, To dige&s;t judgement, or admit (without pleading for him&s;elf) the letter or law to condemn and kill him. <HI>Rom.</HI> 7.10, 11. Fourthly, Not to &s;tick to &s;ave him&s;elfe actively, by doing and conforming to the letter. But pa&s;&s;ively to &s;uffer God to work in him, upon him, and concerning him, the whole power of his will by the power of his word: for if dead, he may perhaps hear that which he ne|ver did nor could while he was alive, even (not the let|ter nor Epi&s;tle only &s;ent by me&s;&s;engers) but the voice of the Son of God, and in hearing, <HI>Believe and live.</HI> Joh. 5.25.</P>
<P>And here we conclude, that it is hurtful for a man in the &s;tate of nature to be active, or do all that he can, or any thing he is able to imagine he either can or &s;hould do in reference to the procuring the &s;piritual goods or ble&s;&s;ings purcha&s;ed by Chri&s;t, and fir&s;tly conferred upon his Elect, as Regeneration, conver&s;ion, faith and Repentance: and (that we may the more particularly prove and clear this) con&s;ider that here, and in order to the collation of the&s;e; it is true, that the &s;umme of all the commandments is that of the Sabbath, or a cea&s;ing of man from his own works, or working according to a form or letter. <HI>Nos praedicantes fidem omnino dehortamur ab operibus homines, ut praedicemus Sabbatum, non operando, &s;ed patiendo boni &s;umus cum patimur divinas actiones quieti ip&s;is.</HI> Your &s;trength is to &s;it &s;till. <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 30.7. For if man mu&s;t act or be active in reference to his
<PB N="34" REF="23">
Regeneration and conver&s;ion, which is the fir&s;t &s;pecial ble&s;&s;ing that is conferred by Chri&s;t. I ask fir&s;t, whether as an efficient principal, or in&s;trumental? Not as principal, for if &s;o, he might be &s;aid to Regenerate or beget him&s;elf, the old man to be the father of the new man; nay the new man the workman&s;hip of the old, made in him&s;elf by works Antecedent, and not created in Chri&s;t unto works &s;ub&s;e|quent: <HI>That which is born of the fle&s;h be &s;pirit,</HI> contrary to <HI>John</HI> 3.6. Not as in&s;trumental under God; for fir&s;t, <HI>We are not begotten by corruptible, but incorruptible &s;eed by the word of God which liveth and abideth for ever.</HI> 1 Pet. 1.23. <HI>Of water and the Spirit, not water and the fle&s;h.</HI> John 3.5, Secondly, If a man were actively in&s;trumental in his Regeneration, he might of nece&s;&s;itie be actuallie alive before regenerated; for how &s;hould man act before he have life? But man is not actuallie alive, before Regenerated, <HI>But dead in &s;in and tre&s;pa&s;&s;es.</HI> Ephe&s;. 2.1. And therefore not activelie in&s;tru|mental in his regeneration; nay, he is &s;o far from being an in&s;trument, that he is not &s;o much as the matter out of which life is educed, but only into which it is induced by the Spirit of life, <HI>in materi&acirc; privativ&acirc; non po&s;itiv&acirc; operatur Deus.</HI> Thirdly, <HI>Quid in&s;anius fingi pote&s;t,</HI> as <HI>Luther.</HI> Doth not the fle&s;h fight again&s;t the Spirit, <HI>at actu,</HI> and how then &s;hould it act for and with the Spirit, before, or in Regene|ration. Fourthly, he &s;hould not; for the Law doth not command any man to be born from above, or of the Spi|rit of Chri&s;t; And Chri&s;t doth not require any man to re|generate him&s;elf from below or in the power of his fle&s;h. All in this Kingdome of heaven is to be done in the pow|er of his own Spirit, the commands pre&s;uppo&s;ing the gi|ving of it in the Go&s;pel. And hence is that (as the Mini&s;te|rie of the Spirit) to be preached antecedentlie unto tho&s;e, even to every creature. And then doth this new husband, Chri&s;t call for the bringing forth of tho&s;e children to God, which he hath already begotten by that immortal &s;eed of the Word.</P>
<P>Secondly, If man be or &s;hould be active herein, he mu&s;t
<PB N="35" REF="23">
needs antecedently know and will his conver&s;ion, and the means of it, for otherwi&s;e he acts &s;en&s;uallie as a bea&s;t, not as a man: but he neither knowes, nor wills either of the&s;e antecedentlie, or till he be regenerated, but oppo&s;es and accounts them fooli&s;hne&s;&s;e. That he knows them not is plain, fir&s;t from 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 2.14. and <HI>Nicodemus</HI> ca&s;t. <HI>Iohn</HI> 3.4. who could neither apprehend the thing, nor tell any means or way to it (though Chri&s;t had already told him) <HI>But entering the &s;econd time into his mothers womb:</HI> The new man in this re&s;embling <HI>Melchi&s;edech,</HI> Heb. 7.3, being to a natural man (for oughr he can find in Scriptures) without Father, without Mother, and without De&s;cent, neither having beginning of daies, nor end of life; and that be|cau&s;e he is made not after the manner of the &s;onnes of men, but like unto the Sonne of God. Secondly, Chri&s;t &s;aith, <HI>The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou heare&s;t the &s;ound thereof, but can&s;t not tell whence it commeth, and whether it goeth: So is every one that is born of the Spirit.</HI> John 3.8. Thirdly, <HI>We must be known of God, before we can know God.</HI> 1 Cor. 8, 2, 3, Gal. 4.9. <HI>Quia cogniti &s;unt, ideo cogno|&s;cunt: I know my &s;heep, and am known of mine.</HI> John 10.14. <HI>Man must be born again or from above, before he can &s;o much as &s;ee the Kingdom of heaven.</HI> John 3.5. Nor can he ante|cedently will either of the&s;e. Fir&s;t, becau&s;e he cannot know them, and it is a general maxime, <HI>Ignoti nulla cupido.</HI> If there be none that under&s;tandeth; there is &s;ure for being any that &s;eeketh after God, <HI>Rom.</HI> 3.11. He knowes doing the old way, and naturally can will as the old end, &s;o the old way, to do, to be &s;aved: but not &s;uffering, which is the new. He can as little think of dying in, and to his own fle&s;h, with which he &s;o &s;weetly now conver&s;eth, as the Di&s;ciples, of Chri&s;ts &s;uffering tho&s;e things, and &s;o en|tring into his Glory. <HI>Luke</HI> 24.26. Oh what living man can think: that either we mu&s;t, or that the Captain of our &s;alvation was made perfect through &s;ufferings? <HI>Heb.</HI> 2.10. Secondly, the Text is plain. <HI>Iohn</HI> 1.13, <HI>Which were born not of blood, nor of the will of the fle&s;h, nor of
<PB N="36" REF="24">
the will of man, but of God.</HI> If any &s;ay, that a man may ante|cedently will regeneration, or conver&s;ion, by antecedane|ous works of grace, though not of nature. I an&s;wer, fir&s;t, <HI>It is &s;aid that God worketh in us, to will.</HI> Phil. 2.13. <HI>And to will is pre&s;ent with us, who are born of God,</HI> Rom, 7.18. but never that he worketh it in them that are unborn: So that &s;econdly, To will conver&s;ion is not a work of grace ante|cedent, but &s;ub&s;equent thereunto, and argues the Infant born and alive, though yet it cannot tell &s;o much; but only cries, thir&s;ts and hungers, for in this very willing, there is a turning towards God, and then undoubtedly a believing on the Lord Ie&s;us. And he that believeth, is born of God. 1 <HI>Iohn</HI> 5.1. Thirdly, Chri&s;t puts not the ex|cept of entring into the Kingdom upon mans doings, but upon Gods; he &s;ayes not, except a man beget, bear, or con|vert him&s;elf; but except a man be begotten, born again, or (as &s;ome read it) from above, and be converted, <HI>He can|not enter into the Kingdom of heaven,</HI> Mat 18.3. <HI>&V;bi mane|bit liberum arbitrium? ubi facere quod in &s;e e&s;t? cum hic fieri nos doceamur non facere; &amp; non nos operemar, &s;ed Deus ope|retur:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Luther</HI> loc. com. cla&s;&s;. <HI>2.</HI> lec. <HI>7.</HI></NOTE> <HI>facturae non factores &s;umus, funditus &s;cilicet ruit omnis Theologia &s;uperborum,</HI></P>
<P>Thirdly, Man neither is, nor &s;hould be active in refe|rence to the effecting either Faith or Repentance; for if &s;o, either as an agent in the producing of them, or as an agent in the u&s;ing of means to procure the producing of them from and by God: not in the former &s;en&s;e, for fir&s;t, faith is not of our &s;elves, it is the gift of God: <HI>Eph.</HI> 2.8. <HI>It is gi|ven to you on the behalfe of Chri&s;t to believe.</HI> Phil. 1.19. <HI>This is the work of God.</HI> Iohn 6.29. <HI>Him hath God exalted to give Repentance unto I&s;rael, and Remi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins.</HI> Acts 5.30. Secondly,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><P>Shepherd <HI>&s;ound Beleev, pag.</HI> 99, 100.</P><P>Baxt. <HI>Replytr,</HI> Kendall <HI>p.</HI> 132.</P></NOTE> Mr. <HI>Shepherd,</HI> Mr. <HI>Baxter,</HI> (and before them <HI>Camero</HI> and <HI>Ferrius,</HI> maintain, that God doth not infu&s;e a habit of Faith and Repentance, whereby men are enabled antecedently by an inherent habitual grace, to produce the acts of believing and repentance, but doth him&s;elf (&s;ay they) fir&s;t produce the fir&s;t acts, and then infu&s;eth habits
<PB N="37" REF="24">
whereby men are enabled to act afterwards.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Kendall <HI>again&s;t</HI> Goodwin. cap. <HI>4.</HI> pag. <HI>142.</HI></NOTE> And if we &s;hould &s;ay, with Mr. <HI>Kendal,</HI> that faith is in us as the ad|junct, and hath to God only the relation of an effect, that it denominates him alone the Authour of our believing, though us the Believers, becau&s;e the &s;ubjects: As the Boul only is &s;aid to runne, and yet it is the man that is the cau&s;e of the motion. I &s;ee little that Mr. <HI>Baxter</HI> is plea&s;ed, or that others can &s;ay again&s;t it, and not in the latter, For fir&s;t, God hath appointed means to be u&s;ed by the living, through which he hath promi&s;ed to beget faith in all the elect (though for the pre&s;ent dead) <HI>Go ye into all the world and preach the Go&s;pel,</HI> Mar. 16.15, but of means appointed of God for the dead to u&s;e, thereby to get faith, or to pro|cure the rai&s;ing of them&s;elves from and by God, we read not, If any &s;ay that prayer is a means, then fir&s;t, If by prayer be meant the interce&s;&s;ion of Chri&s;t, it is granted, for it is his interce&s;&s;ion alone that procureth the actual collation of all tho&s;e ble&s;&s;ings purcha&s;ed by him&s;elf in the fle&s;h, promi&s;ed in the new Covenant by the Father, and conveyed to us by the Spirit. But if by prayer be meant any petitioning of ours, then is prayer not a means to, but a con&s;equent of faith; for fir&s;t, <HI>How &s;hall they call on him, in whom they have not believed.</HI> Rom. 10.14? The interrogation is equivalent to a &s;trong negation, <HI>viz.</HI> they cannot. Se|condly, <HI>Chri&s;t taught his Di&s;ciples to pray in faith, not before, nor for faith.</HI> Mat. 21.22. unle&s;&s;e by faith be meant the in|crea&s;e thereof, and then we pray, <HI>Lord increa&s;e our faith.</HI> Luke 17.5. <HI>I believe, Lord help my unbeliefe.</HI> Mar. 9.24. Thirdly, he called them to leave all and follow him, be|fore they asked him any &s;uch a thing. <HI>You have not cho&s;en me, but I have cho&s;en you.</HI> John 15.16. and after he had called them, he pre&s;cribeth them a form of prayer, or teacheth them to pray after this manner, &s;aying. <HI>Our Father which art in heaven, &amp;c.</HI> Mat. 6.9. Luke 11.1, 2. And is it now agreeable to that form or letter, to teach men to preferre the petitions before they can &s;ay the <HI>Preface?</HI> or to enjoyn them to pray <HI>thy Kingdome come,</HI> before they can cry <HI>Abba,</HI>
<PB N="38" REF="25">
or, <HI>Our Father?</HI> The&s;e men (I fear) would teach their Scholars all the Alphabet of Chri&s;tianity before Chri&s;ts Cro&s;&s;e, all the petitions before the <HI>Preface,</HI> and it is doubt|ful then (that as &s;ome coppies do) they will leave out the conclu&s;ion al&s;o, and the ob&s;ervation of all the Command|ments, before that which &s;tands in the front, <HI>Scilicet, I am the Lord thy God which brought thee out of the land of Egypt.</HI> Secondly, God hath made no promi&s;e to an impenitent un|believing man (while &s;uch) that upon condition of u&s;ing &s;uch and &s;uch means, or performing &s;uch and &s;uch duties, he will be&s;tow upon him either of tho&s;e, where it is &s;aid either implicitly, or expre&s;&s;ely; if thou wilt do thus and thus, I will give thee faith, or I will give thee repentance? And how any doing or dutying of man, &s;hould be called means of getting any thing from God, unle&s;&s;e in a moral con&s;ideration, and way of cau&s;ation, as conditions to &s;ome promi&s;e; I have not yet learned from tho&s;e Ma&s;ters, that &s;tile one another the Orthodox Divines. Thirdly, though many enquired of the Apo&s;tles, <HI>What they &s;hould do to be &s;aved:</HI> yet did never any ask what they &s;hould do to get Faith, Repentance, Conver&s;ion, Regeneration, or to get Chri&s;t, into Chri&s;t; nor did the Apo&s;tles leave any Directions or Rules to be ob&s;erved by &s;uch Queri&s;ts in fu|ture times: but brought the word nigh unto them into their mouthes, and into their hearts, even the word of faith which we preach: and tells them, that faith comes by hearing, and that hearing is not an Antecedent act of their own, but that that al&s;o cometh by the word of God. <HI>Rom.</HI> 10.8.17. The legal re&s;olving of the&s;e Queries, and the teaching of <HI>Nicodemus</HI> Di&s;ciples how to beget them|&s;elves the &s;econd time by entring into their own fle&s;hly wombes, is left to the Grand Ca&s;ui&s;ts of the&s;e our dayes, who can direct their followers, how to beget that which is &s;pirit, of that which is fle&s;h, and how to get the fruits of the Spirit by doing the works of the Law; can either a&s;cend to heaven, or go beyond the Sea to fetch &s;uch commandments (as were neither given by <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> nor
<PB N="39" REF="25">
Chri&s;t) that their Di&s;ciples may hear and do them,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luther loc. com. cla&s;s. <HI>2.</HI> loc. <HI>7.</HI></NOTE> and have their reward. Fourthly, <HI>Luther</HI> and other &s;en&s;ible believing men a&s;&s;ert; that, <HI>Non nobis cogitantibus, &s;apien|tibus, volentibus, oritur in nobis fides Chri&s;ti: &s;ed incompre|hen&s;ibili &amp; occulto opere &s;piritus praevenitur qui&s;quis fide da|natur in Chri&s;to ad &s;olum verbi auditum, caetera omnem no|stram aliam operam;</HI> and witne&s;&s;e to the truth of, <HI>Rom.</HI> 10.20. I was found of them that &s;ought me not, I was made manife&s;t to them that asked not after me. <HI>Pri&ugrave;s oportet nos &agrave; Deo inveniri, qu&agrave;m ip&s;um quaeramus.</HI> Beza <HI>in</HI> Heb. 11.6. <HI>Antevertens venit ad vos regnum Dei <GAP DESC="foreign"> propriae &s;igni|ficat antevertere, &s;eu praevenire &amp; &s;ane regnum Dei ita ad nos pervenit ut praeveniat, hoc e&s;t veniat antequ&agrave;m nos ip&s;um quae|ramus.</HI> Pi&s;cat. in Mat. 12.28. <HI>Abraham</HI> (the father of the faithful) was called when he &s;erved other gods, and <HI>Paul</HI> (a patttern to them that come after) when he breathed out threatnings again&s;t the Church, and <HI>Matthew</HI> when he &s;ate at the receit of cu&s;tom. See <HI>Ball. covent. pag.</HI> 324.</P>
<P>Fourthly, It is <HI>Bonum in &s;e, &amp; bonum &s;ibi.</HI> Good in it &s;elf, and good for a man in the &s;tate of Grace, to do all that he can in Gods own way of obedience to the com|mandments which are given, and as they are given by Chri&s;t for &s;uch rea&s;ons, and in &s;uch re&s;pects as are &s;hewen in the explanation of the eighth pa&s;&s;age.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="2" TYPE="question">
<HEAD>The &s;econd Querie.</HEAD>
<P N="2">2. Whether that of the Sabbath be the &s;umme of all the Commandements.</P>
<P>The Commandement of the Sabbath may be taken either literally or my&s;tically: when taken literally, if we attend only to the outward form and draught thereof, forbidding (for divers rea&s;ons) all &s;ervile works on the 7^t^h day, &amp; en|joyning it to be kept holy. It is true, that then it is no more than one among&s;t the ten. But if we attend to the con&s;e|quents that depend upon the due keeping and neglecting thereof. It is frequently in Scriptures put for all the re&s;t, and the keeping of it calls for, as if it implied vertually and con|&s;equentially, all other duties: and the polluting of it declares
<PB N="40" REF="26">
again&s;t, as containing, or making way for all other &s;ins. <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 56.2. <HI>Ier.</HI> 17.22. when taken my&s;tically as relating to the &s;piritual, internal Sabbath, figured thereby (which <HI>Calvin</HI> conceives, <HI>Primarium in Sabbato locum tenni&s;&s;e</HI>) that of the Sabbath is the &s;umme of all the Command|ments. For fir&s;t, All the commandements (except the fifth) though implicitly they may be called affirmative, and &s;aid to require tho&s;e duties; the contrary whereof they forbid. Yet explicitly and according to the letter of them they are Negative, enjoyning a ce&s;&s;ation from our own works, or forbidding man to &s;in, which is in effect, a bidding man be quiet, for he can do nothing but &s;in. And the command|ment of the Sabbath requires this very thing, <HI>Scilicet, Fe|riationem &acirc; propriis operibus,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Calvin. In&s;tit. lib. <HI>2.</HI> cap. <HI>8.</HI> Sect. <HI>28.</HI></NOTE> <HI>ut Deum in nobis operari &s;ina|mus.</HI> A cea&s;ing from our own works, that we may &s;uffer God to work in us. Secondly, the Apo&s;tle <HI>Paul</HI> reduceth all the commandements to two. <HI>Rom.</HI> 8.4. <HI>Walk not after the fle&s;h, but after the Spirit;</HI> and this of the Sabbath compri|&s;eth both the&s;e, for though it be not lawful to do evil, or walk after the fle&s;h any day, yet are Chri&s;tians required to do good, or walk after the Spirit, even on the Sabbath day; and as the Prie&s;ts prophaned the Sabbath by killing Sacrifices, and were blamele&s;&s;e: So may Chri&s;tians cruci|fie the fle&s;h with its affections and lu&s;ts, and do nothing but what is acceptable to God and their rea&s;onable &s;ervice. Thirdly, In the &s;tate of glory when faith and hope &s;hall cea&s;e. 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 13.13. what other things &s;hall the Saints do, but keep this everla&s;ting Sabbath, and thereby be com|pleatly conformable to the will of God; which could not be, unle&s;&s;e the Sabbath were the &s;umme of that eternal rule of Righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, and law of love.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="3" TYPE="question">
<HEAD><NOTE PLACE="marg">Is demum ce&s;&s;a|re ab operibus &s;uiscen&s;etur, qui non agitur &s;uo arbitrio, nec con|&s;iliis &s;uis indul|git, &s;ed <HI>a</HI> Spiritu Dei diver&s;a pa|titur. <HI>Calv.</HI></NOTE>The third Querie.</HEAD>
<P N="3">3. Whether to a Chri&s;tian the Sabbath is to cea&s;e from his own works?</P>
<P>The Spiritual Sabbath, or rather the <GAP DESC="foreign"> &s;ig|nified by the <HI>Iewes,</HI> though it be not &s;imply a cea&s;ing from works; yet it is a cea&s;ing from our own works, that is,
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works done by our own &s;trength, according to the coun|&s;el of our own wills, and for our own ends as is evident, becau&s;e the Apo&s;tle expre&s;&s;ely &s;o de&s;cribeth it, <HI>Heb.</HI> 4.10. <HI>He that is entred into his re&s;t, he al&s;o hath cea&s;ed from his own works, as God from his.</HI> There remaineth another Sabba|ti&s;me (another I &s;ay) be&s;ides that Sabbath of <HI>Canaan,</HI> which Sabbati&s;me he defineth in the following ver&s;e: <HI>Pareus in loc.</HI> Secondly, the Prophets call for this ce&s;&s;ation or abne|gation of &s;elf, as the main thing intended in the com|mandment, <HI>I&s;.</HI> 58.13. Upon which &s;aith <HI>Calvin,</HI> the Pro|phet reckons the &s;everal kinds, by which he might make it evident, that the true ob&s;ervation of the Sabbath doth con&s;i&s;t in a denial of &s;elf and entire conver&s;ion. Hence do we clearly &s;ee wherefore God doth &s;o highly commend in Scriptures the ob&s;ervation of the Sabbath: for he looked higher than the external ceremony, that is, the re&s;t and quiet in which the <HI>Iewes</HI> did think their holine&s;&s;e to be? But rather would have the <HI>Iewes</HI> bid adieu to the affections and lu&s;ts of the fle&s;h, and yield up them&s;elves in obedience to him; Becau&s;e no man can live the life of the heavenly Kingdome; unle&s;&s;e he be dead to the world, and to him&s;elf. Now when that ceremony is abrogated, neverthele&s;&s;e the truth doth remain, becau&s;e Chri&s;t is dead, and is ri&s;en again, that we may have a perpetual Sabbath, that is, may keep holy-day, or cea&s;e from our own works, that the Spi|rit of God may act powerfully in us. Thirdly, the exam|ple of Gods re&s;ting from his works propo&s;ed for our imi|tation, both in the commandement it &s;elf, and <HI>Heb.</HI> 4. as like|wi&s;e the injunction to the <HI>Iewes</HI> for a total ce&s;&s;ation from all &s;ervile works, teach and confirm the &s;ame thing: <HI>Who|&s;oever doth work therein, &s;hall be put to death: ye &s;hall kindle no fire throughout your habitations. Exod.</HI> 35.2, 3. <HI>quod ni&s;i eximiu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">n aliquid,</HI> &amp;c. But unle&s;&s;e there had been &s;ome ex|cellent and &s;ingular thing in the Sabbath, it might &s;eem more cruel than was meet to command a man to be &s;lain only becau&s;e he had cut down a piece of wood. <HI>Tantum quoniam ligna exciderat: Calvin.</HI> Fourthly, though this
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Sabbath doth not imply a cea&s;ing from, but a &s;piritual act|ing of good works; yet it implies a cea&s;ing to account the good works acted to be ours or our own, according to that. <HI>Not I, but the Grace of God that is within me.</HI> 1 Cor. 15.10. <HI>I am crucified with Chri&s;t, nevrthele&s;&s;e I live, yet not I, but Chri&s;t liveth in me.</HI> Gal. 2.20. And hence love, joy, peace, faith, long-&s;uffering, &amp;c. are called by the Apo&s;tle, <HI>Not our works, but the fruits of the Spirit.</HI> Gal. 5.22. <HI>&V;&s;que eo patet haec hominis exinanitio, ut in bonis quoque operibus viole|tur Sabbatum quamdiu ea deducimus no&s;tra e&s;&s;e, rect&egrave; enim</HI> Augu&s;tinus <HI>(ultimo capite libri vige&s;imi &s;ecundi de civitate Dei) Nam &amp; ip&s;a bona opera nostra, quando ip&s;ius poti&ugrave;s in|telliguntur e&s;&s;e, quam no&s;tra, tunc nobis ad hoc Sabbatum adi|pi&s;cendum imputantur, dum vacamus ad videndum quod ip&s;e e&s;t Deus: quia &s;i nobis ea tribuerimus &s;ervilia erunt; quum de Sabbato dicatur, omne opus &s;ervile in eo non facietis.</HI> Cal. Harm. Exod. Levit. &amp;c. <HI>pag.</HI> 354.</P>
<P>And that to a Chri&s;tian, the &s;piritual internal Sabbath, or Sabbati&s;me, is a cea&s;ing, or to cea&s;e from his own works, is as evident.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Cbri&s;tus tune regnat in nobis quando nos ab operibus no&s;tris feriatos inhabi|tet, &amp; in Sabbato &s;uo per nos &s;an|ctificato ip&s;e in nobis manens facit omnia ope|ra no&s;tra. <HI>Luth.</HI></NOTE> For fir&s;t, The Apo&s;tle &s;aith, there remaines therefore a re&s;t or keeping of the Sabbath to the people of God. <HI>Heb.</HI> 4.9. And he that is entred into his re&s;t (and we which have believed, not only &s;hall, but do enter into Re&s;t, <HI>Heb.</HI> 4.3.) <HI>hath cea&s;ed from his own works, as God from his.</HI> ver&s;e 10. Secondly, Chri&s;tians are exhorted to enter in, <HI>Let us labour to enter into that rest,</HI> ver&s;e 11. Let us therefore fear, lea&s;t a promi&s;e being left to us of entering into his re&s;t, any of you &s;eem to come &s;hort of it. ver&s;e 1. And not only &s;o; but thirdly, It remaineth that &s;ome mu&s;t enter therein, <HI>And they to whom it was fir&s;t preached, entred not in becau&s;e of unbeleefe,</HI> ver&s;e 6&punc; and then by con&s;equence tho&s;e who believe the word preached, do enter in by faith. It profiteth for that end when mixed with faith in them that hear it. <HI>ver&s;e</HI> 2. for as <HI>(Beza) Si infidelitas arcet ab aditu, fides cert&egrave; introducit.</HI> Fourthly, Chri&s;t invites <GAP DESC="foreign">. All tho&s;e that labour and are hea|vie laden to come unto him, and promi&s;eth to give them
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this very re&s;t or Sabbath, and that doubtle&s;&s;e not only from their pa&s;&s;ive being burthened under guilt &amp; vanity, but their own active fruitle&s;&s;e labouring to free them&s;elves from it, they &s;hall re&s;t as well <HI>qua <GAP DESC="foreign">, Mat.</HI> 11.28. Fifthly, Faith in the very nature of it hot only im|plyeth a re&s;ting on Chri&s;t, by way of remembrance for &s;ome good and happine&s;&s;e to come by him, but a re&s;ting <GAP DESC="foreign"> in Chri&s;t by way of &s;atisfaction and complacencie, as our pre&s;ent good and happine&s;&s;e. <HI>In him all fulne&s;&s;e dwells.</HI> Col. 1.19. In <GAP DESC="foreign">, ye are compleat of filled full: through faith in him we have the &s;ub&s;tance of things hoped for. <HI>Heb.</HI> 11.1. Sixthly, Mr. <HI>Shepherd,</HI> as he doth mo&s;t learnedly argue for an external Sabbath to be ob&s;erved at certain times, and on &s;pecial dayes: &s;o doth he acknow|ledge an internal Sabbath from <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 66.3. <HI>Heb.</HI> 4.1, 2. which ought continually or every day to be ob&s;erved, it re&s;ting from all &s;in, and re&s;ting in God by Je&s;us Chri&s;t. <HI>The&s;.</HI> 77.80. And yet I do not hold that Chri&s;tians in this life can perfectly keep the Sabbath. For fir&s;t the fle&s;h is again&s;t the Spirit. <HI>Gal.</HI> 5. <HI>They find a law in their members, warring again&s;t the law of their minds, they cannot do the things that they would, when to will is pre&s;ent with them, how to do that which is good, they find not.</HI> Rom. 7. Secondly, <HI>Paul</HI> pre&s;|&s;ed towards the mark, trying if by any means he might at|tain unto the re&s;urrection from the Dead, and yet confe&s;|&s;eth that he had not yet already attained, neither was al|ready perfect. He followed after, and was perfectly ap|prehended of Chri&s;t Ie&s;us, but could not perfectly appre|hend. <HI>Phil.</HI> 3.11, 12, 13, 14. And hereupon as a wretched man crieth for deliverance from the body of this death, <HI>Rom.</HI> 7.24. <HI>De&s;ireth to depart and to be with Chri&s;t, which he reputed gain, and farre better.</HI> Phil. 1.21, 23. And that <HI>Paul</HI> not attain to a perfect conque&s;t over the fle&s;h till death, or his departure hence, and &s;o no to a parfect &s;ab|bati&s;ing from &s;inne and in Chri&s;t, &s;eemeth evident: Fir&s;t, from the time in which he maketh this acknowledgement of his, not having attained, which was (doubtle&s;&s;e) not long before his death. This Epi&s;tle being writ by <HI>Eupa|phraditus</HI>
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from <HI>Rome,</HI> where he was then impri&s;oned (and as &s;ome <HI>vinculis &s;ecundis</HI>) Chapter 1. ver&s;e 13. he had writ (if we credit either the Hi&s;tories of others, or what is evi|dent from his own writings) ten of his Epi&s;tles, fulfilled the greate&s;t part of the cour&s;e of his mini&s;tery, being a Profe&s;&s;or and a Preacher at lea&s;t thirty years, and pre&s;&s;ed &s;till toward the mark, trying if by any means he might at|tain. And if after all this, he acknowledged that he had not attained; &s;hall we profe&s;&s;e our &s;elves actually to have attained that which he could not? Secondly, After he had been caught into Paradi&s;e, or the third heaven, and heard un&s;peakable words not po&s;&s;ible for man to utter; There was given to him a Thorn in the fle&s;h, a me&s;&s;enger of Satan to buffet him, and that upon this ground, becau&s;e after that he was imperfect, and in danger to be exalted above mea&s;ure through the abundance or Revelations, 2 Cor. 12.7. And for this thing he be&s;ought the Lord thrice that it might depart from him. <HI>ver&s;e</HI> 8. But it was denied as in|con&s;i&s;tent either with his &s;afety, or the advancement of Gods Grace, Power, and Glory, <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 9. and fourteen years after this, he confe&s;&s;eth him&s;elf the &s;ame man, to &s;tand in need of the &s;ame pricks and buffettings, and that therefore mo&s;t gladly will he rather glory in his infirmities, that the power of Chri&s;t may re&s;t upon him, <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 2.9, 10.</P>
<P>Thirdly, there is no &s;uch thing mentioned either in any of his own or the Epi&s;tles of others that bear a latter date, and it is his own rule, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 4.6. not to think of men above that which is written. Thirdly, the life that we live in the fle&s;h, is not a life of &s;ence or of the fle&s;h, as if we did not die daily through the &s;trength of &s;in, or had not matter of confe&s;&s;ion, 1 <HI>John</HI> 1.8, 6. Of con|trition, 2. <HI>Cor.</HI> 7.10. and &s;elf-condemnation. 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 11.31. But the life that we live in the fle&s;h, is by the faith of the Son of God, <HI>Gal.</HI> 2.20. we walk by faith and not by &s;ight. 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 5.7. The God of hope filleth our hearts with peace and joy, not in &s;eeing, but in believing. <HI>Rom</HI> 15.13. And hence I do a&s;&s;ert with <HI>Calvin.</HI></P>
<P>That <HI>No&s;tram in illo beatam quietem hic inchoamus,</HI> &amp;c.
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in it we here begin our ble&s;&s;ed re&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Calv.</HI> In&s;tit. lib. <HI>2.</HI> cap. <HI>8.</HI> Sect. <HI>30.</HI></NOTE> in it we do daily pro|ceed in profiting more and more: But becau&s;e we have &s;till a continual warre with the fle&s;h, it &s;hall not be con|&s;ummated untill that &s;aying of <HI>I&s;aiah</HI> 66.23. be fulfilled concerning the continuing of new Moon with new Moon, of Sabbath with Sabbath, <HI>Even then when God &s;hall be all in all.</HI> Here is (indeed) had here perfection of the object, but not of the &s;ubject. Chri&s;t whom we enjoy is perfect, and can admit of no addition; But our manner of enjoying him is not &s;o. That then which we Chri&s;ti|ans hope for, is not to enjoy a more perfect re&s;t than now we do; but more perfectly to enjoy the &s;elf-&s;ame re&s;t. <HI>The &s;ame ye&s;terday, to day, and for ever.</HI> 1 Cor. 13.10, 12. Heb. 13.8. And that &s;econdly, This doth not de&s;troy, but confirm the external &s;olemnization of the Lords day, or fir&s;t day in the week, both in a ce&s;&s;ation from all &s;uch works, as may be either a <HI>vocamenta,</HI> or <HI>impedementa,</HI> and a diligent and &s;pecial waiting upon God in the publick di&s;pen&s;ing of &s;uch admini&s;trations as he hath in&s;tituted: the thus exerci&s;ing and &s;tirring up the gifts and talents which God hath given to &s;ome for the benefit of others upon a &s;pecial day, being a powerful means (as Mr. <HI>Shep|herd</HI> well &s;aith) to &s;abbatize every day.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="4" TYPE="question">
<HEAD>The fourth Querie.</HEAD>
<P N="4">4. Whether to a Chri&s;tian, the Sabbath be to cea&s;e from working according to a form or letter?</P>
<P>If by working according to a form or letter be meant, either a labouring in the fle&s;h, or power of the old man, according to the tenor of the legal literal commands, or a meere out&s;ide formall working (in our owne tyme which is always ready. <HI>John</HI> 7.6.) according to any pre&s;cribed forme or penned rule what&s;oever, then doth the &s;pirituall Sabbath imply a ce&s;&s;ation from working according to a form or letter. For fir&s;t, The&s;e are our own works both in re&s;pect of the principle and the end; done either fir&s;t, in the time of darkne&s;&s;e, to kindle a fire, and warm our &s;elves with the &s;parks thereof. <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 50.11. Or &s;econdly, to get
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prai&s;e of men,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Aliud erat Hy|pocritas e&s;&s;e: aliud tanquam Hypocritas. Voluit autem ne hypocritis quidem &s;imiles e&s;&s;e.</NOTE> <HI>Luke</HI> 16.15. Or thirdly, out of cu&s;tom and conformity, which is to be if not Hypocrites, yet <GAP DESC="foreign"> as the Hypocrites, <HI>Mat.</HI> 6.5. Or fourthly, to quiet con&s;ci|ence, and bribe the Bayliffe for &s;erving the Writ accord|ing to the Law, though it may be intended as well, as pre|tended to pacifie the angry Creditor, and get the debt book cro&s;&s;ed. Secondly, this is a &s;erving in the oldne&s;&s;e of the letter, and not in the newne&s;&s;e of the Spirit, as the Go&s;pel-commands require, or a wor&s;hipping without the Spirit and truth; which &s;ort of wor&s;hippers (though Sa|tan-like, they will needs pre&s;ent them&s;elves among&s;t the Sonnes of God) <HI>Iob</HI> 1.6. yet doth not the Father &s;eek for any &s;uch to wor&s;hip him. <HI>Iohn</HI> 4.23.24. Thirdly, This argues a man to have only <GAP DESC="foreign"> not <GAP DESC="foreign"> 2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 3.5. a legal form of godline&s;s, according to the directions whereof (though with a heart unpurified) he endea|vours to act, in the mean while denying and mocking at the power of godline&s;s. <HI>Scilicet,</HI> The free Go&s;pel-working Spirit, by which Chri&s;tians are acted. The Sons of God <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>aguntur</HI> (as the vulgar) are acted by the Spi|rit of God, <HI>Rom.</HI> 8.14. But if by working according to a form or letter, be meant no more than working &s;uch works as are agreeable to a form or letter (which differs, if we &s;peak &s;trictly,<NOTE PLACE="marg">The Law with out, though it be no rule of the &s;pirit, yet it is that rule ac|cording to which the &s;pi|rit guides us to walk, and by which we are to judge, whe|ther the gui|dance be the Spirits gui|dance or no. <HI>Shepherds The|&s;is.</HI> 87.47.</NOTE> from working according, &amp;c.) or be it working according to a form or letter (&s;uppo&s;e that form or letter to be the Evangelical <GAP DESC="foreign"> or <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>Rom.</HI> 6.17. 2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 1.13. not the legal <GAP DESC="foreign">. <HI>Rom.</HI> 2.20. 2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 3.5. and the works wrought accordingly as is there required, then doth the &s;piritual Sabbath not exclude, but imply a working according to a form or letter. For fir&s;t, The Spirit (as hath been &s;aid) works no other works, but &s;uch as are agreeable to this form. The works of the Spirit when wrought, being alwayes agreeable thereunto (though I dare not &s;ay) that the Spirit in working is at any time guided therby. Secondly, This form or letter re|quireth all our works to be wrought in God, <HI>Iohn</HI> 3.21. or in the Spirit, and not in the power or life, but in the
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weakne&s;s and death of &s;elfi&s;h fle&s;h. Thirdly, The rule or form may be ob&s;erved by Chri&s;tians in acting, and yet Chri&s;tians not alwayes ob&s;erve a form or rule, when and while they act. Artificers that have any acquired habit, may work agreeable to the rules of art, and yet not always by their artificial rules. The rule is alway <HI>Regula operis,</HI> a rule of the work, and it is wrong if not agreeable there|unto; but not alwayes <HI>Regula operantis,</HI> the rule of the worker (<HI>Scilicet</HI> in working) for it is not contrary to the rule, though he &s;ometime work without looking at it: So the work be wrought accordingly; and when wrought,<NOTE PLACE="marg">It is not e&s;&s;en|tial to the rule to give power to conform unto it (nor to command con|formity) but to be that accord|ing to which we are to be conformed. <HI>Shep. Sab. The&s;.</HI> 86.</NOTE> be according as is required in it. And he (when all is done) &s;ubmit his skill and work to be tryed by the &s;tand|ing rule. Fourthly, As the Spirit is the Pylate; So this form is the compa&s;&s;e, not by which he &s;teereth, yet ac|cording to which we are &s;teered. As the Spirit is the guide: So this form is the rule not by which he guideth, yet according to which we are guided. As Chri&s;t in Spirit is the King or Ruler, &s;o is this form the <HI>Magna Charta</HI> ac|cording to which he (though an ab&s;olute Prince) is plea|&s;ed to declare, we &s;hall be ruled by. Fifthly, As the Spi|rit ruleth and governeth according to the&s;e &s;ciptural laws enacted in heaven, and proclaimed by the Apo&s;tles on earth: So the&s;e Scriptural lawes require us to be ruled and governed by the Spirit of Chri&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg">As the Spirit leads us to the word, &s;o the word leads us to the Spirit, &amp;c. <HI>The&s;.</HI> 89.</NOTE> and make it death either to re&s;i&s;t the commands of this governour (who alwayes commands agreeable to the&s;e lawes) or yeeld obedience to any other, whether fle&s;h, world, or devil, who would rule according to their, or our wicked lu&s;ts. Sixthly, the Negative commands do <HI>obligare &s;emper &amp; ad &s;emper,</HI> always and unto all times: &s;o that it is a tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion of the Sab|bath, ever to obey either fle&s;h, world, or devil (&s;uppo&s;e that the Spirit did &s;u&s;pend his Actings for a time) The af|firmative <HI>Semper,</HI> but not <HI>ad &s;emper,</HI> alwayes but not unto all times (except that of walking after the Spirit, becau&s;e that virtually containeth all the re&s;t. And the Spirit is con|tinually moving, enclining, or powerfully working a
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Chri&s;tian to &s;ome or other of the duties there required;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Spiritus &s;an|ctus nunquam otio&s;us e&s;t: in piis &s;emper ali|quid agit quod pertinet ad reg|num Dei. <HI>Luth.</HI> Cla&s;. <HI>1.</HI> cap. <HI>11.</HI></NOTE> if not to tho&s;e (which commonly pa&s;t under the name of works and duties, yet to that which is the work of works, <HI>Scilicet,</HI> Believing, waiting, and re&s;ting in and upon God by Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, <HI>Exod.</HI> 14.13, 14. <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 50.10.30.7. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 27.14. <HI>Ioh.</HI> 6.29. And hence it is, that prayer is alwayes a duty, becau&s;e in <HI>Specie</HI> alwayes commands Chri&s;tians: and yet are not Chri&s;tians bound to be of the Sect of the <HI>Eu|chitae</HI> alwayes praying. The determining in <HI>individuo,</HI> when and which of the&s;e works is to be done by each par|ticular Chri&s;tian, is left to the holy Spirit, whom Chri&s;t hath &s;ent to govern and guide his Church by the law of light, life and love unto the end of the world. For other|wi&s;e fir&s;t Chri&s;t could not di&s;charge tho&s;e relations of Head, Husband, Bi&s;hop, King, Lord, and Captain: all which (keeping within the bounds of the General Law) Determine for tho&s;e under them. <HI>Qua tales,</HI> when, and which particular duties each &s;hall do, <HI>I &s;ay to this man go, and he goeth, to another come, &amp; he cometh, &amp; to my &s;ervant do this, and he doth it.</HI> Secondly, There would be no &s;in again&s;t the Holy Gho&s;t, but only again&s;t the letter; whereas the great &s;in is called the &s;in again&s;t the Holy Gho&s;t: and offering di&s;|pite to the Spirit of Grace, <HI>Acts</HI> 7.51. <HI>Heb.</HI> 10.29. <HI>Mat.</HI> 12.32. Thirdly, Chri&s;tians now &s;hould be in the &s;ame bondage as the <HI>Iewes</HI> were under the Law. <HI>Scilicet,</HI> bound <HI>Sub poena peccati &amp; mortis,</HI> to act at the meer commandment of the letter, <HI>Rom,</HI> 7.9. <HI>But the law of the Spirit of life in Chri&s;t Ie&s;us, haeth made them free from that law of &s;inne and death.</HI> Rom. 8.2.14. So that it is not the letter it &s;elf; when of it &s;elf commanding, or as &s;imply &s;poken by our neighbour, but to Ie&s;us Chri&s;t him&s;elf &s;peaking in the letter, or &s;peak|ing the things contained in the letter, that Chri&s;tians nextly and immediately owe their obedience. And hence it is clear, (for ought I yet &s;ee) that though &s;in <HI>De facto,</HI> when committed, be fir&s;tly and formally the tran&s;gre&s;&s;i|on of the letter or law without: yet in <HI>fieri,</HI> or in commit|ting, it is fir&s;tly and more directly again&s;t the Spirit or
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law of the mind, that is, within. And though it be gran|ted, that to cro&s;&s;e the Spirit, is not that which fir&s;tly ma|keth the fact &s;in: yet it is that which fir&s;tly maketh this or that Chri&s;tian a &s;inner. If thou wilt know, in the defini|tion of it, what is Rebellion, and what is &s;in, con&s;ult with the letter, or Law, 1 <HI>Iohn</HI> 3.4. But if thou wilt know in <HI>individuo,</HI> what is rebelling and &s;inning, or who rebells and &s;ins, look within thine own heart, even now &s;tanding out again&s;t &s;ome or other of the per&s;onal commands (which are alwayes legal) of Je&s;us Chri&s;t our King and Lord; Be|hold, I &s;tand at the door and knock, if any man hear my voice, &amp;c. <HI>Rev&punc;</HI> 3, 20. <HI>The words that I &s;peak are Spirit and life.</HI> John 6.63. If any ask, how &s;hall Chri&s;tians know when to do this, and when that, or which of the&s;e in par|ticular is to be done. Fir&s;t, mu&s;t they &s;et down the time them&s;elves, wherein they will perform &s;uch and &s;uch du|ties? Shall they appoint aforehand &s;uch an hour they will pray, and &s;uch an houre they will mourne for &s;inne, and &s;uch an houre they will do acts of charity? &amp;c. No; For fir&s;t, Chri&s;tians &s;hould &s;tand fa&s;t in the liberty wherewith Chri&s;t hath made them free. <HI>Gal.</HI> 5.1. And as in re&s;pect of times and &s;ea&s;ons they are not to be enbonda|ged, or impo&s;ed upon by others: &s;o much le&s;&s;e by them|&s;elves: what hath any man to do to be his own Law-ma|ker? By multiplying lawes, to multiply &s;ins? Or to bind him&s;elf in &s;uch things, as the&s;e in which Chri&s;t hath left him at libertie? <HI>Gal.</HI> 4.9, 10, 11. Sith &s;econdly, It is clear that Chri&s;t never appointed any &s;et times for his Di&s;ciples, nor ordered them to appoint any for them&s;elves to perform &s;uch and &s;uch duties in, but left them free both as to the particular times to perform the duties in, and as to the particular duties to be performed in &s;uch and &s;uch times. He &s;aid, <HI>When ye pray, pray thus:</HI> not, ye &s;hall pray, then, and there, and this; <HI>Mat.</HI> 6.6, 7, 9. and in like manner, <HI>When ye give almes, and when ye fast, and as often as ye do this, do it, &amp;c.</HI> Mat. 6.2, 3. Mat. 6.16.7. 1 Cor. 11.25, 26. Nay, where do the Apo&s;tles, throughout their Epi|&s;tles
<PB N="50" REF="31">
ever enjoyn any &s;uch thing to Chri&s;tians, or ever reprove them for the neglect of any &s;uch a duty. Thirdly, There is the &s;ame rea&s;on for Chri&s;tians to limit them|&s;elves unto certain places, <HI>&s;ubpoena peccati,</HI> as unto certain times which yet none do, which know (in any mea&s;ure,) what is meant by chri&s;tian liberty? Though neverthele&s;&s;e, fourthly Chri&s;tians out of a con&s;ideration of one anothers infirmities (while here in the fle&s;h) as well as for order, de|cency, and conveniencies &s;ake, both may and &s;hould ap|point times and places for a&s;&s;embling them&s;elves together, to provoke unto love and to good works, and &s;o much the more as they &s;ee the day approaching, <HI>Heb.</HI> 10.24, 25: 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 14.40. and are then in a &s;pecial manner to &s;tir up the <GAP DESC="foreign">, or gifts that are in them, 2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 1.6. being &s;trengthened <GAP DESC="foreign">, in, or by the grace that is in Chri&s;t Je&s;us, 2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 2.1. Secondly, mu&s;t Chri&s;tians wait for extraordinary impul&s;ions of the Spirit? No; For fir&s;t, though &s;ometimes, and upon &s;ome &s;pecial occa&s;ions, Chri|&s;tians are &s;aid <GAP DESC="foreign">, to be vehemently &s;tirred or &s;har|pened in Spirit,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Chri&s;tians may expect <GAP DESC="foreign">, to be led by the Spi|rit, Rom. 8.14. but not <GAP DESC="foreign">, to forcibly mo|ved or born anew, as the Prophets. Though men may thus de|pute and ap|point dayes to wor&s;hip God, yet they cannot &s;tate any &s;uch dayes, but only as Gods pro|vidence calls them to it, ac|cording to the pre&s;ent occa&s;i|on: Therefore it were certain|ly a &s;in, if a State &s;hould appoint once every year to be a fa&s;ting-day in a religi|ous way; God did &s;o, but men have no power to do &s;o, the rea&s;on is this; becau&s;e they do not know, but God may call them to rejoy|cing upon that day, they have nor the liberty of the time, &amp;c. <HI>Burroughs</HI> in Ho&s;. <HI>Lect.</HI> 8. <HI>pag</HI> 409.</NOTE> as <HI>Acts</HI> 17.16. yet not alwayes. The work of the Spirit may be irre&s;i&s;tible in it &s;elf, and infal|libly produce its effect in, or upon, and yet not work irre|&s;i&s;tibly as unto us. For &s;econdly, our Spirits are not &s;aid to be forced but freed, made free, or freely carried out to work by the Holy Gho&s;t. He worketh in us to will. <HI>Phil.</HI> 2.13. <HI>Thy people &s;hall be a willing people in the day of thy power, P&s;al.</HI> 110.3. Thirdly, The Spirit ordinarily worketh us to, or in us, this or that by propo&s;ing to us objects &s;utable to the eye or eare, as appeareth from tho&s;e Ordinances ap|pointed by Chri&s;t him&s;elf. And therefore thirdly, Chri|&s;tians (like the wi&s;e Virgins, <HI>With oyle in their ve&s;&s;els, with their lamps:</HI> Matth. 25.4.) &s;hould continually watch and wait for their Lord and Ma&s;ter Je&s;us, to call them forth to all or any of the&s;e, either immediately by &s;piritual &s;ugge|&s;tions, and heavenly impre&s;&s;ion upon their hearts and minds, or mediately by providential objective admini|&s;trations and occa&s;ions; as, and when it &s;hall &s;eem good
<PB N="51" REF="31">
unto him. For fir&s;t, <HI>Chri&s;tianus verus</HI> (as <HI>Luther, Cla&s;s.</HI> 3, <HI>loc.</HI> 1.) <HI>nec liber est, nec &s;ervus, neque Indaus, neque Gentilis neque ma&s;culus, neque foemina, neque Clericus, neque Lai|cus, neque orat, neque legit, neque facit, neque omittit; Sed ad omnia pror&s;us indifferens e&s;t faciens &amp; omittens &s;icut ad rati|onem &s;e&s;e res rel obtulerit, vel ab&s;tulerit.</HI> A true Chri&s;tian is neitner free nor bound, neither <HI>Iew</HI> nor <HI>Gentile,</HI> neither male nor female, neither Clerk nor Layman, neither pray|eth nor readeth, nor doeth, nor omitteth; but is altogether indifferent unto all things, doing and omitting each, as the matter or occa&s;ion &s;hall either offer or withdraw it &s;elf. Secondly, This is agreeable to the Evangelical <GAP DESC="foreign">, form or letter, which pointeth not out for Chri&s;tians a <HI>Tempus Phy&s;icum</HI> of houres, dayes, moneths, &amp;c. calculated by the motions of the Sun and Moon accordingly, as was done to the <HI>Iewes</HI> under the Law, as appeareth by their new Moons, and their other appointed &s;olemnities, which continued till the time of Reformation, or the pa&s;&s;ing away of old things, <HI>Heb.</HI> 9.10. 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 5.17. But a <HI>Tempus Theologi|cum,</HI> or <HI>Evangelicum,</HI> calculated by the motions of the Son of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, <HI>Mal.</HI> 4.2. which by its di&s;tance and pre&s;ence, and various workings in and upon things by an Occult influence cau&s;eth to Chri&s;tians, their Seed-time and Harve&s;t, cold and heat, Summer and Winter, day and night, a time to be born, and a time to die, a time to weep,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 6.18. He doth not &s;ay (&s;ay <HI>Zancby</HI> and others) <GAP DESC="foreign"> in every particular time, but <GAP DESC="foreign"> in every &s;ea|&s;on, every fit time, when ju&s;t occa&s;ion and opportunity is offered, <HI>Leigh: crit. &s;acr.</HI></NOTE> and a time to laugh, a time to keep &s;ilence, and a time to &s;peak, a time to love, and a time to hate, &amp;c. <HI>Eccl.</HI> 3.2, 3. &amp;c. according to that <HI>Mar.</HI> 2.19. <HI>Can the children of the Bride-chamber fa&s;t?</HI> (or as <HI>Luke</HI>) <HI>can ye make the children of the Bride-chamber fact, while the Bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the Bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.</HI> The pre&s;ence of the Bridegroom pointeth out and maketh it a day of fea&s;ting unto &s;uch children, what ever be the condition either of <HI>Iohn</HI> or the Phari&s;ees Di&s;ciples? <HI>But the dayes will come, when the Bridegroom &s;hall be taken away from them, and then &s;hall they fa&s;t in tho&s;e dayes</HI> The ab&s;ence of the Bridegroom pointeth out, and maketh it a
<PB N="52" REF="32">
time of fa&s;ting &amp; mourning to tho&s;e children, though may be, neither the Di&s;ciples of <HI>Iohn,</HI> nor the Phari&s;ees be trou|bled at the want of any &s;uch thing, to which accordeth that of <HI>Iam.</HI> 5.13. <HI>If any among you be afflicted, let him pray, is any merry? let him &s;ing.</HI> And hence it is, that nei|ther the <HI>Prie&s;t</HI> nor the <HI>Levite,</HI> that pretended to walk pre|ci&s;ely, according to the Mo&s;aical rules, but the good <HI>Sa|maritan</HI> (a man looked upon as irregular, and an <HI>Antino|mian</HI> by them) is &s;aid by Chri&s;t to be neighbour to him that fell among theeves, and propo&s;ed as an example to the Lawyer; Do thou likewi&s;e, that is, &s;hew mercy as this <HI>Samaritan</HI> hath done, when thou &s;ee&s;t a man in mi&s;ery, for that is the time to love indeed, and he is thy neighbour which way &s;oever he travels, or what countrey-man &s;oe|ver he be, <HI>Luke</HI> 10.29. and &s;ee 1 <HI>Iohn</HI> 3.17. 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 9.7. Secondly, The Leper of <HI>Samaria</HI> that returned back and gave thanks,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Fatemur bona opera fidem &s;e|qui debore, im&ograve; non debere, &s;ed &s;ponte &s;equi &s;i|cut arbor bona non debet fru|ctum facere, &s;ed &s;ponte facit. <HI>Luth.</HI> Cl. <HI>3.</HI> loc. <HI>9</HI></NOTE> as the pre&s;ent occa&s;ion required (according to 1 <HI>The&s;.</HI> 5.18. <HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> 5.20.) is commended above the nine that came from <HI>Iudaea,</HI> and went on forwards, according to the letter of the legal command, to &s;hew them&s;elves un|to the <HI>Prie&s;ts,</HI> Luke 17, 15, 16, 17, 18. Thirdly, The ble&s;&s;ed man is &s;aid to be like the tree by the Rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his &s;ea&s;on, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 1.3. not &s;o much working rationally, or upon con&s;ideration of what will follow his doing or not doing, as bearing fruits naturally from an internal principle of life in &s;uch a time as the hu&s;|band-man expects, and comes to &s;eek for it. <HI>Luke</HI> 13.6.7. Such a one was <HI>Timothy, Phil.</HI> 2.20, who naturally (or from his birth-principles, as the word implieth) cares for their e&s;tate. And the ble&s;&s;ed man, <HI>Ier.</HI> 17.7, 8. Thirdly, we read not that either the <HI>Patriarks</HI> before the Law, or Chri&s;t and his Apo&s;tles &s;ince the Law, pre&s;cribed certain times afore-hand, wherein they looked upon them&s;elves as bound to perform &s;uch and &s;uch duties: But they &s;tood alwayes ready <HI>(as in the volume of the Book it is written of them)</HI> to do the will of their God, yea his law was in their hearts. Fourthly, Chri&s;tians now (in the time of their
<PB N="53" REF="32">
darkne&s;&s;e, or rather in the time of lights apperance,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><P>Oratio e&s;t ardua &amp; magni labe|ris, &amp; longe dif|ficilem, quam praedicatio verbi.</P><P>Orare e&s;t diffici|limum opus, idea etiam cari&s;&s;i|mum a id. <HI>Luth.</HI> Cl. <HI>3.</HI> loc. <HI>17.</HI></P></NOTE> which makes them truly &s;ee darkne&s;&s;e and their own blindne&s;&s;e, and in the confe&s;&s;ionary part of their prayers) acknow|ledge, that they know not what to do or &s;ay, unle&s;s it plea&s;e God in much mercy by his Spirit to direct their minds, and move and work their hearts to that which is the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God. <HI>Rom.</HI> 12.2. we know not (they will &s;ay in the very day of trouble, when they ought to pray indeed) what we &s;hould pray for as we ought; <HI>But the Spirit it &s;elf maketh interce&s;&s;ion for us with Groanings which cannot be uttered, and he that &s;earcheth the hearts, knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, becau&s;e he maketh interce&s;&s;ion for the Saints, according to the will of God.</HI> Rom. 8.26, 27.</P>
</DIV2>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="7" TYPE="passage">
<HEAD><HI>The &s;eventh Pa&s;sage.</HI> Chri&s;tians when they Glory, glory in their &s;ins.</HEAD>
<P>THis pa&s;&s;age &s;eems to relate to the practice of Chri&s;ti|ans, what it is, that <HI>De facto</HI> they do glory in, when they glory, and not to the faith of Chri&s;tians, what it is that they believe <HI>De debito,</HI> when they glory, they &s;hould glory in. And now, there is a great difference in Theo|logy betwixt the&s;e Queries: <HI>Scilicet,</HI> what Chri&s;tians &s;hould do <HI>De debito,</HI> and what Chri&s;tians ordinarily do, <HI>De facto.</HI> To the fir&s;t (though it be not directly contain|ed in the pa&s;&s;age: yet for clearing both the truth and my &s;elf. I an&s;wer, Fir&s;t negatively) Chri&s;tians when they glory, &s;hould not glory in their own righteou&s;ne&s;s, for fir&s;t, we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteou&s;|ne&s;&s;e as filthy ragges, <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 64.6. Accounted by <HI>Paul</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>qua&s;i</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">, Dutig, or dogs-meat; fit to be thrown to the dogs of the conci&s;ion, and not to be re&s;erved as food for the &s;pirits of tho&s;e that have Je&s;us Chri&s;t to rejoyce in. <HI>Phil</HI> 3.3, 8. Secondly, Chri&s;t advi&s;eth, <HI>Not to let the left hand know what the right hand doth.</HI> Mat. 6.3. And though he
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him&s;elf be plea&s;ed in mercy to &s;ay, <HI>Well done thou good and faithful &s;ervant,</HI> Mat. 25.21. yet he teacheth us to &s;ay, (though we did all things that are commanded us) <HI>That we are unprofitable &s;ervants.</HI> Luke 17.10. Thirdly, The Phari&s;ee is checked for preferring him&s;elf before the Pub|lican, (though he acknowledged all the di&s;tingui&s;hing works to come from God) <HI>Luke</HI> 18.11, 14. See <HI>Phil.</HI> 2.3. And tho&s;e that pleaded, Lord, Lord, have not we &amp;c. ga|thering acquaintance with God from a recital of the more than ordinary works, which they had done in his name; Hear God profe&s;&s;ing unto them. <HI>I never knew you, Depart from me, ye that work iniquity.</HI> Mat. 7.22, 23. Mat. 25.44. Fourthly, It is of grace, not of works, lea&s;t any man &s;hould boa&s;t. <HI>Eph.</HI> 2.9. <HI>I will make mention of thy righteou&s;|ne&s;&s;e, even of thine only.</HI> P&s;al. 71.16. Fifthly, Glorying in our own righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, and duties, or performances, argues a re&s;ting and rejoycing in them, and &s;even of our eminent Divines (five now Commi&s;&s;ioners appointed, &amp;c.) A&s;&s;ert; That Chri&s;tians when they abound in much doing, and well doing,<NOTE PLACE="marg">In an Epi&s;tle prefixed to Mr. <HI>Burroughs</HI> Go&s;pel-con|ver&s;ation.</NOTE> &s;hould be &s;till as much afraid of re&s;ting in do|ing well, as of committing ill. And be content to have all flowers withered, that refre&s;h them without Chri&s;t. And when after humiliation and ca&s;ting down for &s;in, they begin to &s;tand upright (as they think) upon the legs of their prayers, performances, inherent graces, and qualifi|cations, and righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, and holine&s;&s;e, expre&s;&s;ed in their lives and conver&s;ations. They may, yet notwith&s;tanding all this be brought, not to glory in them&s;elves, but in Je&s;us Chri&s;t; and willingly come down from the throne of their own conceits, &s;ufficiencies, abilities, and lye at the foot|&s;tool and thre&s;hold of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t. That &s;eeing they know nothing; are nothing, have nothing, do nothing, they may be nothing in their own eyes, that Chri&s;t might do all their works in them and for them, and &s;o may whol|ly live upon Chri&s;t and to Chri&s;t, &s;till drawing vertue from him, &s;eeing a need of Chri&s;t and nothing el&s;e, and finding a fulne&s;s and help in him, and nothing el&s;e.</P>
<P><PB N="55" REF="33">Secondly, chri&s;tians when they glory, &s;hould not glory in their gifts, whether inward or outward, For fir&s;t, It is forbidden, <HI>Ier.</HI> 9.29. Let not the wi&s;e man glory in his wi&s;dom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches. Secondly, they are but common to the Reprobate and the Elect; No man knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before him. <HI>Eccl.</HI> 9.1. See <HI>Luke</HI> 10.20. Thirdly, who maketh thee to differ from another, and what ha&s;t thou that thou did&s;t not receive? Now if thou did&s;t receive it, why doe&s;t thou glory, as if thou had&s;t not received it. 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 4.7? Fourth|ly, gifts are be&s;towed upon us by God as in&s;trumental, to draw our hearts to glory in the mercy, bounty, and faith|fulne&s;s of him that gives, and that he is ours, though we, more unworthy than other men, <HI>Gen.</HI> 32.9, 10. and not in the enjoyment of the gifts them&s;elves, or that they are ours, and other men more unworthy than we. <HI>Luke</HI> 18.11. Thirdly, Chri&s;tians when they glory, &s;hould not glory in their &s;ins. For fir&s;t, chri&s;tians by their &s;ins grieve the ho|ly Spirit, whereby they are &s;ealed to the day of Redemption <HI>Eph.</HI> 4.30. and therefore are they to grieve and be hum|bled for their &s;ins, (which is incon&s;i&s;tent with glorying in them) nay, even for the &s;ins of their brethren. 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 5.2. And this godly &s;orrow worketh repentance, not to be repented of; <HI>Scilicet,</HI> A dete&s;tation and renunciation of all &s;ins, I am troubled that I made you &s;orry, and yet not, for what zeal, what revenge, &amp;c. 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 7, 8, 9, 10, 11? Secondly, Chri&s;tians &s;hould be &s;o far from glorying in, that they are, or ought to be a&s;hamed of their &s;ins: what fruit had you then in tho&s;e things, whereof you are now a&s;hamed. <HI>Rom.</HI> 6.21? And the carnal earthly minded chri|&s;tians glorying in the &s;atisfaction of their lu&s;ts, are &s;aid (as a thing mo&s;t abominable) to glory in their &s;hame. <HI>Phil.</HI> 3.19. Thirdly, the Saints, as <HI>Iob, David, Peter,</HI> &amp;c. are fre|quently brought by God to loath and abhorre &s;inne and them&s;elves, becau&s;e &s;inners: but never either to glory in their &s;ins, or in them&s;elves, becau&s;e they had &s;inned again&s;t
<PB N="56" REF="34">
that gracious God, <HI>Who doth neither behold iniquity in</HI> Ja|cob, <HI>nor &s;eeth perver&s;ene&s;s in</HI> I&s;rael. Numb. 23.17.</P>
<P>Secondly, I an&s;wer affirmatively, chri&s;tians, when they glory, &s;hould glory in the Lord: For fir&s;t, Chri&s;t of God is made unto us Wi&s;dom, Righteou&s;nes, Sanctification, and Redemption; that according, as it is written, <HI>He that glo|rieth, let him glory in the Lord.</HI> 1 Cor. 1.30, 31. Secondly, Glory is peculiar unto the Lord, <HI>My glory will I not give unto another,</HI> I&s;a. 42.8. <HI>Thine is the Kingdome, Power, and Glory.</HI> Mat. 6.3. Thirdly, <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith, I will glory <GAP DESC="foreign">, in mine infirmities, or in the weakenings, and di&s;enablings of my &s;elf, (from attaining ea&s;e in the fle&s;h) by tho&s;e cro&s;&s;es, pricks, or buffettings of Satans me&s;|&s;engers; yet not &s;imply in them as con&s;idered in them|&s;elves, but becau&s;e he found them In&s;trumental (through the wi&s;e and merciful ordering of his God) to take away all occa&s;ion of glorying in any fle&s;hly things, and to give occa&s;ion to the grace and mercy of God, to appear as &s;ufficient for him, and to the power of God to be made perfect through tho&s;e his infirmities, and to re&s;t in and over him. 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 12.9. that &s;o he might be brought to re&s;t, rejoice and glory (which is the true chri&s;tian &s;ab|batizing) only in the Lord. See <HI>Phil.</HI> 1.3.</P>
<P>That the an&s;wer to the &s;econd Querie may be more di|&s;tinct and clear, note fir&s;t, chri&s;tians are either formal, &s;uch only in outward profe&s;&s;ion: or &s;piritual, &s;uch al&s;o in deed and in truth. Secondly, The Pronoun (they) may relate either to the&s;e very Chri&s;tians meant in this pa&s;sage, or to &s;ome others &s;poken of in a precedent, connected (though here omitted) di&s;cour&s;e. Thirdly, The quantity of the Praedicate is not to be &s;upplyed with the adverb <HI>Semper,</HI> alwayes, or con&s;tantly, but with <HI>Maxim&acirc; ex parte,</HI> for the mo&s;t part, or mo&s;t commonly, or <HI>aliquando</HI> &s;ometimes, Fourthly, glorying is either inward in the heart, or out|ward in words, And then this either real, which is a pub|lication, or a publick narration of our &s;ins accompanied with a conceit of an excellency in, and a delight ari&s;ing
<PB N="57" REF="34">
from them, or imagined; and &s;uch only in the accompt of &s;ome &s;ort of men, being indeed nothing el&s;e but a publick confe&s;&s;ion of our &s;ins, accompanied with a dete&s;tation of, &amp; an inward compunction for them. Fifthly, Sins are either of ignorance or knowledge, either &s;uch as appear black and ugly, or &s;uch as appear white &amp; beautiful in the eyes of men.</P>
<P N="1">1. Formal Chri&s;tians when they glory, do mo&s;t com|monly glory both inwardly and outwardly in their &s;eemingly beautiful, if not ugly &s;ins. For fir&s;t, The Pha|ri&s;ees (an embleme of &s;uch) are &s;aid to &s;ound Trum|pets, <HI>Mat.</HI> 6.2. and make their brags <HI>De &s;plendidis peccatis,</HI> of their fair out&s;ide &s;ins, <HI>Luke</HI> 18.11. which though high|ly e&s;teemed by men, yet are abomination in the &s;ight of God. <HI>Luke</HI> 16.15. Secondly, The fal&s;e Di&s;ciples are &s;aid (as their common practice) to glory in appearance, or in the face, that is, in outward di&s;gui&s;ing, and that coloured &s;hew of mans wi&s;dom and eloquence. <HI>Engl. Annot.</HI> 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 5.12. and the embondaging of others to the legal yoke. <HI>Gal.</HI> 6.13. Thirdly, The Apo&s;tle &s;aith, <HI>That &s;uch profe&s;&s;ors as minded earthly things, gloried in their &s;hame.</HI> Phil. 3.19 And is it not apparant, that many in the&s;e dayes do ordinarily boa&s;t of, and rejoyce in, fulfilling tho&s;e lu&s;ts which they, like &s;laves, are &s;ecretly making provi&s;ion for; If not (I &s;ay) in fulfilling tho&s;e that are from-wards them, bringing &s;hame abroad, and want at home; as drunkenne&s;&s;e, whoredom, &s;wearing, and the like, yet in fulfilling tho&s;e that are to|wards them, bringing profit and worldly honour, as co|vetou&s;ne&s;s, pride, envy, &amp;c?</P>
<P>Secondly, The mo&s;t &s;piritual chri&s;tians, when they glo|ry, do in heart if not in words, &s;ometimes glory in their &s;ins, if not of knowledge, yet of ignorance, if not &s;uch as appear ugly, yet &s;uch as have a fairer &s;hew in the fle&s;h. For fir&s;t, Chri&s;tians cannot &s;ay their hearts are alwayes clean from any &s;in (except that again&s;t the Holy Gho&s;t) <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 19.12, 13. <HI>Ier.</HI> 17.9. and then doubtle&s;&s;e &s;ometimes not free from glorying in their &s;ins, at lea&s;t of ignorance. Secondly, The Chri&s;tians at <HI>Corinth</HI> walked &s;ometimes as men (<HI>Ene|vyings,
<PB N="58" REF="35">
strife, and divi&s;ions, and law-&s;uits, being among&s;t them,</HI> 1 Cor. 3.3.6.6.) and then con&s;equently they glo|ried &s;ometimes in fulfilling tho&s;e lu&s;ts, which for the pre|&s;ent they walked after. Thirdly, the Church at <HI>Laodicea</HI> (one of the &s;even to which Chri&s;t was plea&s;ed to write) did for a time glory in a covering, but not of Gods Spirit; &s;aying, <HI>I am rich and increa&s;ed with goods, and have need of nothing; And knew not that &s;he was wretched, and mi&s;erable, and poor, and blind, and naked.</HI> Rev. 3.17. Fourthly, Chri|&s;tians are &s;en&s;ible of, and often humbled for, many proud ri&s;ings, and &s;ecret boa&s;tings in their hearts, occa&s;ioned by the &s;ight and &s;ence, but of &s;ome out&s;ide fle&s;hly performance, whereby they think they have gained prai&s;e of men, and &s;eem to them&s;elves to differ from others. Ye are puffed up, your glorying is not good. 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 5.2.6.</P>
<P N="3"><NOTE PLACE="marg"><P><HI>Cham. Tom.</HI> 3. <HI>lib.</HI> 8. <HI>cap.</HI> 3. <HI>Sect.</HI> 24.</P><P><HI>David</HI> under|&s;tood this rea|&s;oning to be in|deed the true rea&s;oning of the covenant of Grace, and he pleaded thus with God. P&s;al. 25.11. Pardon my in|iquity for it is great: Lord my iniquity is great, therfore pardon it. <HI>Ser. Burroughs in</HI> Ho&s;. <HI>cap.</HI> 2. <HI>v</HI> 14. <HI>Lect.</HI> 12. This Therefore hath a &s;trange and wonderful. Wherefore, &amp;c.</P></NOTE>3. Spiritual Chri&s;tians, when they, that is, the formal profe&s;&s;ors glory in their own righteou&s;nes, or when they, that is, they them&s;elves glory really in the Lord, do then mo&s;t commonly in that imagined kind of glorying, glory in their &s;ins, that is, do publi&s;h or publickly declare (though with dete&s;tation of and hearty compunction for their &s;ins.) Fir&s;t, what great &s;inners they were before their conver&s;i|on, and how God prevented them with his mercy, calling to them before they ever looked after him. I was a bla&s;phe|mer, a per&s;ecuter, and injurious <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>Sed mi&s;ericor|dia &s;um donatus,</HI> as <HI>Beza,</HI> but I was had mercie on, be|cau&s;e I did it ignorantly in unbelief, 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 1.13. which la&s;t words, though &s;ome conceive added by way of exte|nuation, yet doth <HI>Chamier,</HI> out of <HI>Salmero</HI> interpret, as ad|ded by way of aggravation of his &s;in. <HI>Qau&s;i diceret, Deus vidit me per incredulitatem coecatum, ut maia mea non agno|&s;cerem, ide&ograve; mer&acirc; &s;u&acirc; mi&s;ericordi&acirc; praevenit me, peccatum enim cau&s;am e&s;&s;e &s;ummae bonitati ut &s;ubveniat,</HI> As if he &s;hould have &s;aid, God hath &s;een me blinded through un|beleef: &s;o that I could not acknowledg my mi&s;deeds, there|fore he hath prevented me with his meer mercie; for &s;in is a cau&s;e to infinite goodne&s;s, that it may come and help:
<PB N="59" REF="35">
and compares it with that parallel. <HI>Gen.</HI> 8.21. Secondly, what great &s;inners they yet are, though converted, ac|cording to that 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 1.15. <HI>Chri&s;t came into the world to &s;ave &s;inners, of whom I am chief.</HI> Thirdly, that the Law <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>Subintravit,</HI> or <HI>obiter &s;ubiit,</HI> as <HI>Era&s;mus,</HI> came in unexpectedly, as to the <HI>Iewes: Scilicet,</HI> Not that righ|teou&s;ne&s;s (as they imagined) but that the offence might abound <HI>Rom.</HI> 5.20. <GAP DESC="foreign"> was added as an appendant to the promi&s;e, <GAP DESC="foreign"> for tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions &s;ake.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Vide <HI>Zanch.</HI> fid. ob&s;. in cap. cap. <HI>13 Aph 7.</HI></NOTE> <HI>Gal,</HI> 3.19. <HI>Scilicet,</HI> To &s;ide with &s;in again&s;t the per&s;on, or to be the &s;trength of &s;in. 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 15.56. And not <GAP DESC="foreign"> as Chri&s;t was delivered, <HI>Scilicet,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Appo&s;iti&s;sim&egrave; igitur citatum hoc te&s;timoni|um ab Apo&s;to|lo &amp; rect&egrave; e&s;t explicatum <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">er <GAP DESC="foreign"> cum &s;i finis etiam declaretur non quidem ip&s;is peccatoribus &s;e Deo propo&s;itus fuos ad tempus tentationibus exponenti. Beza</HI> in Ro. 3, 4 If <HI>Gregory</HI> &s;aid truly of <HI>Adams</HI> &s;in, <HI>fael<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="2 letters"> culpa,</HI> it was a happy fault, &amp;c. no que&s;ti|on but God cat over-rule the &s;ins of his peo|ple for their own advantage As a godly man &s;aid, he go more good by his &s;ins, than by his Graces. <HI>Audeo dicere,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>Augustin.</HI> I dare be bold to &s;ay, that it is profitable for proud men to fall into mani|fe&s;t and open &s;ins, whereby they may be a&s;hamed, and made loath&s;om in their own eyes, this there|fore God doth to his people, to prevent &s;in, he letteth them fall into &s;in,</NOTE> for the taking away of &s;in from the per&s;on, or &s;iding with the per&s;on again&s;t &s;in, by conferring either ju&s;tifying, or &s;anctify|ing grace <HI>Iohn</HI> 1.17. <HI>Rom.</HI> 4.15. And that yet for all this, <HI>Where &s;in abounded <GAP DESC="foreign">, Grace did much more abound.</HI> Rom. 5, 20. Fourthly, that Chri&s;tians are divinely ordered, though never compelled, per|mitted, though never commanded to &s;in again&s;t God; that hence God may prove true, and every man a lyer: That as it is written, <HI>He may be ju&s;tified in his &s;ayings, and clear when he is judged.</HI> Rom. 3.4. Or that the mo&s;t &s;an|ctified man may come &s;en&s;ibly to know, that there is weakne&s;s and wickedne&s;s remaining in his heart, which as yet he never &s;aw, as it is evident in the ca&s;e of <HI>Hezekiah,</HI> and <HI>Peter:</HI> the one being left to him&s;elf, (for this very end) after a mo&s;t &s;olemn profe&s;&s;ion made to God of the upright|ne&s;&s;e of his life. <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 38.3.39.1, 2. 2 <HI>Chron.</HI> 32.31. The other after a mo&s;t zealous confe&s;&s;ion of the &s;trength of his faith, <HI>Mat.</HI> 26.33, 34. Fifthly, That as the Devil through his &s;ubtilty and malice doth often bring the greate&s;t evil to them out of their good works, <HI>Scilicet</HI> pride again&s;t God, and Ignorance of &s;elf-nakedne&s;&s;e, <HI>Rev.</HI> 3.17. So doth God through his infinite wi&s;dome and goodne&s;s, often bring great good out of their &s;ins, <HI>Scilicet,</HI> the advancement of his free mercy in pardoning them at their wor&s;t condition, when they have lea&s;t to &s;ay for them&s;elves, and again&s;t the
<PB N="60" REF="36">
Devil: and his &s;evere ju&s;tice in condemning the Devil at his be&s;t condition, when he hath mo&s;t to &s;ay for him&s;elf, and again&s;t them, witne&s;s his dealings with <HI>Adam, Gen.</HI> 3.14, 15. with <HI>David,</HI> 2 <HI>Sam.</HI> 12, 13. with <HI>Hezekiah,</HI> 2 <HI>Chron.</HI> 32.26. and with <HI>Peter, Luke</HI> 23.61, 62. And now, though this publication and penitential confe&s;&s;ion of &s;ins, be to a &s;ingle eye, and a &s;piritual man, in&s;trumental for the glori|fying of Gods grace &s;hining clearly in the gla&s;s of the Go&s;pel, above that cloudy appearance in the Law, the ca&s;ting down of man in him&s;elf, and the rendering of &s;inne mo&s;t odious and abominable: yet looked upon with a dou|ble eye, and to a carnal man, it is all one with a real glo|rying in, or a publick narration of our &s;ins, accompanied with a conceit of an excellency in, and a delight ari&s;ing from them. For fir&s;t, Let chri&s;tians confe&s;&s;e with <HI>Paul, I was a bla&s;phemer, a per&s;ecuter, and injurious, and yet I was had mercy on,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Burges</HI> In&s;tit. Lect. <HI>27.</HI> pag. <HI>237.</HI></NOTE> <HI>or God who is rich in mercy, for the great love wherewith he loved us, quikened us, when we were dead in tre&s;pa&s;&s;es and &s;ins.</HI> Eph. 2.4, and the&s;e men pre&s;ently conceit, that they teach people to commit tho&s;e &s;innes to prepare them for mercy or converting grace, and that they not on|ly deny good works to be the way to get &s;alvation. But a&s;&s;ert bad works to be the way to obtain ju&s;tification at the hands of God. Secondly, If chri&s;tians confe&s;s after the receiving of grace and mercy, that they are the chiefe&s;t of &s;inners, or count all things but lo&s;&s;e for the excellencie of the knowledge of Chri&s;t Ie&s;us their Lord, for whom they have &s;uffered the lo&s;&s;e of all things, and do count all things but dung, that they might winne Chri&s;t. <HI>Phil.</HI> 3.8. And the&s;e men conclude peremptorily, that they delight in committing the chiefe&s;t of &s;ins, and are profe&s;&s;ed enemies to all good works. Thirdly, if chri&s;tians recite that of <HI>Paul,</HI> the law entered that &s;in might abound; <HI>but where &s;in abounded, grace did much more abound:</HI> The&s;e men pro|claime them <HI>Antinomians</HI> again&s;t all Law, and unle&s;&s;e they will recant and u&s;e it, not only <GAP DESC="foreign"> as becometh the na|ture of a Law. 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 1.8. but <GAP DESC="foreign"> in the very
<PB N="61" REF="36">
place, and &s;teed of the Go&s;pel, they will not let to &s;wear, that they are <HI>Libertines,</HI> and teach men to continue in &s;in,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><P>God &s;uffered <HI>David</HI> to fall to cure his pride of heart, make him know him&s;elf, and magnifie the riches of his grace in his recovery.</P><P><HI>Ball. cove. pag.</HI> 155.</P></NOTE> that Grace may abound. <HI>Rom.</HI> 6.10. Fourthly, If chri&s;ti|ans confe&s;&s;e with <HI>David, Again&s;t thee, thee only have I &s;in|ned, and done this evil in thy &s;ight, that thou mighte&s;t be ju&s;ti|fied in thy &s;ayings, and over come when thou art judged.</HI> The&s;e men not under&s;tanding how the unrighteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of men &s;erveth to commend the righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of God, cen&s;ure them either to judge God unrighteous, who taketh ven|geance, or that it is mans duty to lye, that the truth of God may thereby more abound to his glory. <HI>Rom.</HI> 3.5.7. Or if fifthly and la&s;tly, we &s;ay, that out of the evil we do, God many times bringeth good: they will not &s;tick to affirm that we &s;ay, <HI>Let us do evil that good may come thereof: who&s;e damnation is ju&s;t,</HI> Rom. 3.8.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="8" TYPE="passage">
<HEAD><HI>The Eighth Pa&s;sage.</HI> Righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e or good workes are to be done by me, but are not profitable unto me, but unto others.</HEAD>
<P>THis Pa&s;&s;age &s;eemeth to contain three Po&s;itions, the fir&s;t A&s;&s;ertive. Righteou&s;ne&s;s or good works, are to be done by me: The &s;econd exceptive. But righteou&s;ne&s;s or good works are not profitable unto me. The third Re&s;tri|ctive. But righteou&s;ne&s;s or good works are profitable unto others. For the fir&s;t of the&s;e that it is true in <HI>The&s;i,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">The fir&s;t Po&s;i|tion prooved.</NOTE> is unque&s;tionable, and however it is already proved in the explanation of the fifth Pa&s;sage. If any take occa&s;ion from the Pronoun (me) and que&s;tion it in <HI>Hipothe&s;i,</HI> 1. Whether righteou&s;ne&s;s or good works are to be done by Mini&s;ters. 2. Whether by &s;uch as me, whom, tho&s;e that &s;tyle them|&s;elves able, godly, and Orthodox, repre&s;ent as Libertines and enemies to all good works. Then fir&s;t, not only good works of piety, &s;uch as preaching, praying, and the like, are to be done by Mini&s;ters, and &s;ins of another nature;
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Acted <HI>Cum privilegio,</HI> Mat. 23.14. But works of righte|ou&s;ne&s;s and charity. For fir&s;t, the Apo&s;tle &s;aith, <HI>Let ours al&s;o</HI> (that is, <HI>Homines no&s;tri ordinis</HI> as <HI>Beza</HI>) <HI>learn to main|tain good works, for nece&s;&s;ary u&s;es, that they be not unfruitfull.</HI> Tit. 3.14. And expre&s;&s;ely requires the&s;e as well as tho&s;e. 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 3, 2, 3. Secondly, <HI>Paul</HI> enjoyneth <HI>Timothy</HI> to be an example to the Believers, in word, in conver&s;ation, in chari|tie, 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 4.12. And <HI>Peter</HI> chargeth the Pa&s;tors in general to be examples to their flocks, 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 5.3. not to &s;tand like po&s;ts only, pointing out the way unto others, but to walk in it them&s;elves. Thirdly: <HI>Peter</HI> dehorteth them from fal&s;e lucre, from Lordline&s;&s;e and Domineering. 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 5.1, 2, 3. And <HI>Iohn</HI> wrot again&s;t <HI>Diotrophes,</HI> who loved to have the preheminence, and challenged him for prating again&s;t poor chri&s;tians with malicious words, and that not con|tent therewith, neither did he him&s;elf receive the bre|thren, but forbad them that would, and ca&s;t them out of the Church. <HI>Ioh, Epi&s;t.</HI> 3. <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 9, 10. Fourthly, <HI>Melanc|thon</HI> (who continued forty years at <HI>Whittemberg,</HI> and yet was alwayes expecting a removal before the end of four|teen dayes) found &s;pecial need during his time, both of exhorting and reproving the men of his own order, and thence often cried, <HI>Ab odio &amp; rabie Theologorum, libera nos Domine!</HI> and it is to be feared, that in the&s;e dayes of ours, there is not only need of reproving and cen&s;uring the <HI>Antinomian</HI> Mini&s;ters for neglecting works of piety. But likewi&s;e of exhorting and admoni&s;hing the Mini&s;ters counted Orthodox, to perform works of righteou&s;ne&s;s and charity, to deal tenderly with religion, <HI>And beware of offending the little ones.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Aphor. Epi&s;t. Dedica.</NOTE> Mat. 18.6. For fir&s;t, what Mr. <HI>Baxter</HI> &s;aith of the humane nature in Magi&s;trates, without blemi&s;h to Magi&s;tracy; I think may as truly be &s;aid of the humane nature in Mini&s;ters, without blemi&s;h to the Mini|&s;trie. That for the mo&s;t part it can as ill bear a high e&s;tate, as a mans brains can endure to &s;tand on the pinacle of a Stee|ple, never more &s;ubject to mi&s;-judge of things, than when advanced by the Magi&s;trate to &s;it in <HI>Cathedr&acirc;.</HI> Secondly,
<PB N="63" REF="37">
<HI>Saul</HI> (I meane the blind zealot) beginneth already to breath out threatenings, as if he had letters in his pocket, and were in hopes to mount to <HI>Dama&s;cus.</HI> Thirdly, if any enquire, <HI>Quid rerum nunc geritur in Angli&acirc;?</HI> The an&s;wer is, <HI>Con&s;ulitur de religione,</HI> And I learned in a Sermon (preached by the right worthy Vice-Chancellor at <HI>Oxford,</HI> in my way betwixt <HI>Lanca&s;hire</HI> and <HI>London</HI>) that <HI>Nunquam pejus de Religione con&s;ulitur qu&agrave;m c&ugrave;m incidit inter Reveren|di&s;&s;imos.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. Righteou&s;nes or good works are to be done in a &s;pecial manner by &s;uch as me. Fir&s;t, That with well doing we may put to &s;ilence the ignorance of fooli&s;h men. 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 2.15. Secondly, That we adorne the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things. <HI>Tit.</HI> 2.10. And make it evident to all, that we are not redeemed to &s;in, but from &s;in. Nor that we turn the grace of God into wantonne&s;&s;e, but are turned from wantonne&s;&s;e by the grace of God, which hath not onely brought Salvation, but Sanctification; freely and effectu|ally teaching us (what the law can onely tell to, and in appearance force from them, <HI>Scilicet,</HI>) That denying un|godline&s;&s;e and worldly lu&s;t, we &s;hould live &s;oberly, righ|teou&s;ly, and godly in this pre&s;ent world, <HI>Titus</HI> 2.12. Thirdly, To heap coals of fire upon the adver&s;aries heads: coales (I mean) <HI>Amoris,</HI> to de&s;troy the &s;inne (if po&s;&s;ible) for the per&s;ons &s;ake, which is the Go&s;pel-way: Not <HI>Furo|ris,</HI> to de&s;troy the per&s;on, if God will permit, for the &s;ins &s;ake, which is the legal way; knowing that it is written, <HI>Vengeance is mine, I will repay &s;aith the Lord.</HI> Rom. 12.19, 20. For fourthly, we are not only accounted by others, but really know and acknowledge our &s;elves, to be of the num|ber of tho&s;e Bankerupts, to whom much is forgiven: and that therefore there is much rea&s;on of our loving much. <HI>Luke</HI> 7.39 43. The debt-book is frankly cro&s;&s;ed without our paying of one farthing, and therefore it is not meet that we of all men &s;hould take our fellow-&s;ervants by the throats, &s;aying to any, <HI>Pay what thou owe&s;t: but be tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Chri&s;ts &s;ake
<PB N="64" REF="38">
hath forgiven us.</HI> Eph. 4.32. And hence fifthly, I cannot but admire the furious blindne&s;&s;e of &s;ome zealots in the&s;e dayes, that will maintain good works to be the cau&s;e, if not of acquiring, yet at lea&s;t of continuing, and not loo&s;ing Iu&s;tification; and yet dare pull their fellow-&s;ervants by the throats that owe them, I am confident, under the va|lue of an hundred pence, <HI>Mat.</HI> 18.28. contrary to that very Scripture, upon which they &s;eem mainly to ground this their a&s;&s;ertion.</P>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">The &s;econd Po|&s;ition, how true in the Negative.</NOTE>RIghteou&s;ne&s;&s;e or good works, are not profitable unto me or other Chri&s;tians: Fir&s;t, as procuring cau&s;es of election, for which opinion &s;oever be embraced, whether that which pre&s;enteth man as the object thereof, <HI>qua con|dendum, qua conditum, qua lap&s;um,</HI> or <HI>qua credentem,</HI> as to be created, as created, as fallen, or as believing; it matters not as to this, all implying the works we now &s;peak of, to be &s;ub&s;equent as fruits, and not antecedent as cau&s;es, or conditions of election. And however the Apo&s;tle &s;aith, <HI>That it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that &s;heweth mercy,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Vocation ac|cording to the purpo&s;e of God is free, not de|pending upon any precedent condition on our part requi|red, or whereby we are fitted or prepared to re|ceive grace of|fered, nor upon the good u&s;e of any natural gift vouch&s;afed. <HI>Ball: Covent. pag.</HI> 324,</NOTE> Rom. 9.16. The children being yet unborn, neither having done any good or evill, that the purpo&s;e of God according to election might &s;tand: not of works but of him that calleth, it was &s;aid unto her, <HI>The elder &s;hall &s;erve the younger, as it is written:</HI> Iacob <HI>have I loved, but</HI> E&s;au <HI>have I hated.</HI> Rom. 9.11, 12, 13. Nor &s;econdly, as the procuring cau&s;e of conver&s;ion or vo|cation; For fir&s;t, the contrary hath been cleared in the ex|planation of the &s;ixth Pa&s;&s;age. Secondly, it is evident, 2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 1.9. That God hath &s;aved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpo&s;e, and grace which was given us in Chri&s;t Ie&s;us, before the world began. Thirdly, Chri&s;t him&s;elf profe&s;&s;eth, <HI>That he came not to call the righteous,</HI> that is, men that can act, and do, and think them&s;elves able to perform &s;uch works, or offer &s;uch &s;acrifices as can <HI>De con|gruo</HI> at lea&s;t, if not <HI>De condigno,</HI> plead for the acceptance
<PB N="65" REF="38">
of their per&s;ons: But &s;inners that are &s;uch as can neither act, nor do, but find them&s;elves both unfit for, and unwor|thy of any other recompence &s;ave the wages of &s;in, which is death. He called indeed all, of all &s;orts, outwardly <GAP DESC="foreign"> to repent, but the&s;e alone effectually <GAP DESC="foreign"> to the thing repentance, <HI>Mat.</HI> 9.13. That is, unto an im|mediate and actual renunciation of all the works that they ever could, and now fain would plead for them&s;elves: that loo&s;ing all they have of their own, they may win the Kingdom of heaven, not as their right in law according as the Phari&s;ees laid claim unto it, but violently (at lea&s;t in the account of all &s;uch men) <HI>videlicet,</HI> as &s;inners, &amp;c. &s;oul|diers through the meer gift and ab&s;olute conque&s;t of their Captain Ie&s;us. <HI>Mat.</HI> 11.12, 13. <HI>Rom.</HI> 6.23. Nor thirdly, as procuring cau&s;es of ju&s;tification. For as our own works are not the matter of that legal righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e re|quired in the old covenant: So are they not the means of procuring that Evangelical righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, which is held forth in the new. Becau&s;e fir&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>See</HI> Crandons <HI>example of</HI> Bap. Aphor. pag. <HI>242&punc;</HI></NOTE> there is no Scripture that requireth them for that end, but calleth mens labouring with that intent, a &s;eeking for righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, as it were, by the works of the Law, and not by faith. <HI>Rom</HI> 9.32.2. <HI>To him that worketh, is the reward not reckoned of Grace, but of Debt,</HI> Rom. 4.4, So that if works were means to procure the new Covenant, Ju&s;tification, we were not ju&s;tified freely by grace, but of due and debt. It &s;hould not be &s;aid to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that ju&s;ti|fieth the ungodly <HI>His faith is counted for righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, but to him that doth work and meriteth, from him that ju&s;tifieth the godly, his work is imputed, for it is righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e.</HI> 3. Tho&s;e that a&s;&s;ert works to be means, or procuring cau&s;es: &s;ay not that they are &s;uch, <HI>Ratione valoris &amp; meriti propri&egrave; &s;ic dicti.</HI> By rea&s;on of any proportionable inherent worth: But on|ly <HI>Ratione pacti,</HI> as they are conditions to &s;ome promi&s;e or other, freely made by God; and if that be true, neither righ|teou&s;ne&s;s, nor good works, can be means or procuring cau|&s;es of the the new Covenant, Iu&s;tification, becau&s;e there is
<PB N="66" REF="39">
no promi&s;e thereof made to him that worketh or doth righteou&s;ne&s;s. It is no where &s;aid in Scripture, either ex. pre&s;&s;ely, or implicitely, that he that will work, or perform &s;uch and &s;uch duties, &s;hall be ju&s;tified by the blood of Je|&s;us, Nay, though we read, <HI>Acts</HI> 13.39. <HI>Who&s;oever belie|veth is ju&s;tified,</HI> yet it is no where &s;aid, <HI>He that will believe, &s;hall be ju&s;tified.</HI></P>
<P>Fourthly and la&s;tly, Righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e or good works are not profitable to me or other Chri&s;tians: either as the way through which we come, as the means by which we &s;hall get, or as the condition upon which we may ground our hope of eternal Glory.<NOTE PLACE="marg">It is onely Chri&s;t that opens heaven, it is onely Chri&s;t that is the way to hea|ven, be&s;ides him there is no way, no truth, no life. Mr. <HI>Ambro&s;e</HI>'s &s;e|cond birth <HI>pag.</HI> 6.</NOTE> Not as the way: For fir&s;t, not works, but Chri&s;t alone is in Scriptures called the way. <HI>Thomas</HI> &s;aith unto him, <HI>Lord, we know not whether thou goest, and how can we know the way: Ie&s;us &s;aith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man cometh unto the Fa|ther, but by me,</HI> John 14.5, 6. <HI>He hath con&s;ecrated for us a new and living way</HI> (in oppo&s;ition to the old dead legal way) through the vaile, that is to &s;ay, his fle&s;h, <HI>Heb:</HI> 10.20.2&punc; Works cannot be the way, becau&s;e they are neither the truth; that is, the &s;ub&s;tance of the Law, and ceremonies; nor the life which was held forth in the promi&s;es, for they being not the truth; we who are unworthy, mu&s;t not pa&s;s that way, and they, not being the life, we who are &s;old under &s;inne, cannot pa&s;&s;e: So that though works were granted to be a way in them&s;elves, yet it is impo&s;&s;ible, that they &s;hould be a way unto us. The Gulf is &s;o great, <HI>Luke</HI> 16.26. that there is no de&s;cending or a&s;cending, but by <HI>Iacobs</HI> Ladder which was put down by God, and not put up by men: and is of that length, that the top reacheth as high as God in heaven: and the foot as low as <HI>Iacob</HI> laid upon the &s;tone, <HI>Gen.</HI> 28.13, 14.3. A way is a &s;teady and immoveable thing mounted &s;o high, that the waters can|not overflow it, and thence called a high-way: but works are &s;andy and &s;lippery, &s;oon overflowed, and not able to bear us up in the time of Temptation: Though we know nothing by our &s;elves, yet who dare &s;tand upon this
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ground; and plead not guilty before God. 4. Faith might more probably be called the way to heaven than works: Sith as the Apo&s;tle &s;aith, by faith we &s;tand, 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 1.24, and have acce&s;&s;e by faith into the grace wherein we &s;tand, <HI>Rom.</HI> 5, 2. And yet is faith only &s;aid to be a coming in|to the way, as <HI>Ioh</HI> 6.35. and never called the way it &s;elf. Let therefore works be called (as they truly are) <HI>viae Regni,</HI> the wayes of the Kingdome: or motions of tho&s;e that are in the way, not upwards to God, for the good of them|&s;elves; but downwards to men for the good of others, or the going forth of Chri&s;tians from God (like the Angel, <HI>Heb.</HI> 1.14.) to do &s;ervice for Chri&s;t in the world: and not their coming to God by Chri&s;t (as in faith and prayer) to wait upon and conver&s;e with him in heaven. Not as a meanes. For fir&s;t, The Scriptures hold them forth as &s;uch. 2. If the works of Chri&s;tians be the means or in&s;tumental cau&s;e, then are Chri&s;tians them&s;elves con&s;tituted the prin|cipal cau&s;e: and con&s;equently the Authours of their own &s;alvation. And then it &s;hall not only be true that Chri&s;t is the Authour of eternal &s;alvation to tho&s;e that obey him. <HI>Heb.</HI> 5.9. But that Chri&s;tians are the Authors of their own &s;alvation by their obedience unto Chri&s;t. 3. Promi&s;es un|der the Go&s;pel that &s;eem mo&s;t legal, do not run like tho&s;e of the Law of <HI>Mo&s;es, He that doth the&s;e things &s;hall live by them, that is, by them as means of life:</HI> But &s;imply thus, He that doth &s;uch or &s;uch things, &s;hall live and be &s;aved, <HI>Sci|licet,</HI> by the mediation of Je&s;us Chri&s;t. Nor as conditions upon which we may ground our hope of glory. For fir&s;t, <HI>It is not works, but Chri&s;t in us, that is the hope of glory,</HI> Col. 1.27. In all other grounds there is yea and nay, a doubtful|ne&s;&s;e and uncertainty, which occca&s;ioned <HI>Bellarmines Tuti&s;&s;imum est, &amp;c.</HI> and therefore no &s;ure and &s;tedfa&s;t An|chorage for the &s;oul, <HI>Heb.</HI> 6.16. But all the promi&s;es of God in him are yea, and in him <HI>Amen</HI> unto the Glory of God; 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 1.20. And thence as there needeth not, &s;o there is not any other &s;ure and &s;tedfa&s;t ground of our future enjoying the things promi&s;ed, but the pre&s;ent in|dwelling
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of Chri&s;t in the heart by faith. 2. As other foun|dation or ground of hope can no man lay than that is laid, which is Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 3.11, So the very attempting to lay another ground, is both an overturning of the Faith, and a turning back unto the Law of <HI>Mo&s;es.</HI> It being not the title and intere&s;t to the Kingdom, or the <HI>Ius ad rem:</HI> But the po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of the Kingdom, or the <HI>Ius in Re,</HI> that was promi&s;ed in the law, and to be hoped for by the <HI>Iewes</HI> in ca&s;e they could ob&s;erve it. 3. Let works be made the condition upon which (as &s;ome a&s;sert) Chri&s;tians mu&s;t ne|ce&s;sarily ground their hope of Glory, and there will be no ground of hope left for &s;uch as walk in darkne&s;s, and have no light. <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 50.10. or that cannot by a reflexe Act di|&s;cern them&s;elves actually, performing &s;uch and &s;uch condi|tions. The conditional promi&s;es (as a learned writer ob|&s;erveth) being made rather to the Acts than Habits. And lea&s;t we,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ep. before Mr. <HI>Burrought</HI> Go&s;|pel-conver&s;a|tion.</NOTE> as well as they, &s;hould leave &s;uch poor &s;ouls com|fortle&s;s, con&s;ider. Fir&s;t, The admonition of the &s;even bre|thren in the forecited Epi&s;tle, <HI>Scilicet,</HI> there is a &s;turdy &s;toutne&s;s and unyieldingne&s;s of &s;pirit in men again&s;t the ble&s;sed truths of the Go&s;pel made known unto them, they mu&s;t have peace, comfort, and a&s;surance their own way, or el&s;e they reject all; They would find a principle of life and power within them&s;elves, and not go to Chri&s;t for it; they would bring &s;omething to Chri&s;t, and not fetch all from Chri&s;t, not knowing that the way which all believers have gone (after much wearying of them&s;elves to find &s;ome thing in them&s;elves) hath been at la&s;t to rowle them&s;elves wholly upon the free grace of God through Je&s;us Chri&s;t, &s;eeing nothing in them&s;elves, yet giving glory to God by believing. And if they could bring their hearts &s;o di&s;po&s;ed and qualified, yet they &s;ee the danger of re&s;ting in what they are, have, and do. And if want of &s;uch and &s;uch conditions and qualifications, had ground enough to keep them from Chri&s;t, it might have hindred any that ever did ca&s;t them&s;elves upon the free grace of God, becau&s;e they would &s;till have been at a lo&s;&s;e, finding a defect in them.
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2. That he that is born of God, may have the &s;eed remain|ing in him, that he cannot &s;in, and yet not always be able to bring forth the fruits of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e; at lea&s;t not always &s;ee him&s;elf &s;o bringing forth, for that the being of grace in, doth not nece&s;&s;arily infer the &s;eeing of grace by a chri&s;tian. That which we look upon as <HI>Luz,</HI> may be <HI>Bethel,</HI> the Lord in that place, and yet <HI>Iacob</HI> knew it not. <HI>Gen,</HI> 28.16. The promi&s;e made good and applied to the &s;oule, and yet the &s;oul not make good the condition, nor apply it &s;elf unto the promi&s;e: God be with us according to his word, <HI>Heb.</HI> 6.13. and yet we, as to our apprehen|&s;ions, at a di&s;tance from God, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 77.3, 10.2. The Scriptures hold it forth as a firme qualication for a belie|ver to &s;ee him&s;elfe unqualified <GAP DESC="foreign"> Poor or beggerly in &s;pirit, <HI>Mat.</HI> 5.3. and that then a man is in the fitte&s;t condition for the Kingdom of heaven to come to him: when he &s;ees him&s;elf able to perform no conditions whereupon he may ground his coming into the heavenly Kingdom <GAP DESC="foreign">, The poor are Go&s;pellized, <HI>Luke</HI> 7.22. (the rich need not, they can Go&s;pellize unto them&s;elves, both fetch down a promi&s;e &s;uitable to that condition they have performed, and form a faith <HI>ad libi|tum,</HI> out of that condition &s;utable to the promi&s;e) 4. Though they be promi&s;es made to &s;uch and &s;uch conditions, and &s;uch Chri&s;tians as have them, while they can certainly &s;ay,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><P>We &s;ay that a chri&s;tian in time of dark|ne&s;s and tem|ptation, is not to go by &s;ignes and marks, but obedientially to tru&s;t God, as <HI>David</HI> calls upon his &s;oul often.</P><P><HI>Burg. vind. Leg. pag.</HI> 34. <HI>Abraham</HI> after he had done many great works in the manner of Ju&s;tification, he pre&s;ented him&s;elf before the throne of grace: not only <HI>Sub forma pau|peris,</HI> but what it more, of an ungodly man, &amp;c. <HI>Ball. Covenant. pag.</HI> 72.</P></NOTE> and &s;ee they have them, may ground their hopes (though neither infallibly nor ultimately) thereupon: yet are there ab&s;olute promi&s;es, or rather declarations of everla&s;ting love through Ie&s;us Chri&s;t to poor wretched creatures, that can &s;ay nothing for, but all again&s;t them&s;elves: <HI>Scilicet,</HI> that they are ungodly, and the chief of &s;inners, 2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 2.25. And God by the&s;e, without tho&s;e, is able both to beget and increa&s;e faith in the heart of a &s;inner, and keep him by his mighty power alone, through faith in that word unto
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&s;alvation. He through the Spirit, waiting continu|ally for the hope of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e by faith, <HI>Gal.</HI> 5.5. For 5. Though &s;aith receive much refre&s;hment and encou|ragement from &s;ence, yet it receiveth life and nouri&s;h|ment only from the word, <HI>Rom</HI> 10.17. 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 2.2. <HI>Abra|ham</HI> the Father of the faithful, may part with <HI>I&s;aac</HI> (the only &s;en&s;ible ground he had of the accompli&s;hment of the promi&s;e) and yet his faith not be thereby de&s;troyed, but proved to be a true working faith indeed: And Chri&s;tians may loo&s;e the light of all their works, and yet not loo&s;e the life of faith nor ground of hope: but come experimen|tally to know the true difference betwixt faith and works: what it is to believe on him who ju&s;tifieth the ungodly, <HI>Rom.</HI> 4.5. and to be ju&s;tified by faith without the works of the Law. <HI>Rom.</HI> 3.28. <HI>O woman, great is thy faith, &s;aith Chri&s;t to her that believed, and yet &s;aw, and confe&s;&s;ed her &s;elf to be a dog.</HI> Mat. 13.27, 28. And as that (&s;aith Mr. <HI>Burges</HI>) is the be&s;t manife&s;tation of love, when it is carried out to an enemy: So is that faith when relying upon God, though feeling terrors, and hell within us. See <HI>Burge&s;&s;e justificat Lect.</HI> 14. <HI>Sect.</HI> 8. <HI>pag.</HI> 117. Citing and approving of <HI>Luthers</HI> two-fold pardon, the fir&s;t of meer faith, and obtaineth much of God: the latter of experience, and takes off from the excellency of faith.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">The &s;econd Po&s;i|tion, how true in the affirma|tive.</NOTE>RIghteou&s;ne&s;&s;e or good works are profitable to me and other Chri&s;tians. 1. As &s;ub&s;ervient, &s;ub&s;equent Te|&s;timonies of our adoption in Ie&s;us Chri&s;t. For there is a&s;|&s;urance in a believing &s;oule &s;ucce&s;&s;ively, or conjunctly, as plea&s;eth God to order: either primary, which is the re&s;ult of a direct act of the holy Spirit: or &s;ecundary, which is the re&s;ult of a reflexe act of an inlightened under&s;tanding. The fir&s;t cometh like faith, not by &s;eeing, but by hearing, and the active in&s;trument (if we may call it an in&s;tru|ment) by which the holy Gho&s;t gives, conveyes, or begets it, is by his own voyce, te&s;timony, or word: And the Pa&s;|&s;ive in&s;trument through which as the Conduit, it is con|veyed
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into the heart or inwards of a Chri&s;tian, is believing the Go&s;pel or word of reconciliation, as it is evident from <HI>Rom.</HI> 8.16. <HI>Eph,</HI> 1.13. 1 <HI>Iohn</HI> 5.10. <HI>Heb.</HI> 10.22. The &s;econd is collected from &s;ence, or a vi&s;ible di&s;cerning the effects and fruits of the Spirit of Chri&s;t in, and flowing from a believing heart, and is more properly called <HI>Scientia,</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">, knowledge from the effects, or an a&s;&s;urance of knowledge, than of Faith, 1 <HI>Iohn</HI> 2.3. 1 <HI>Iohn</HI> 3.14, 19. becau&s;e drawn by rea&s;on, enlightened from fore-granted premi&s;es, the one whereof at lea&s;t is evident to &s;ence. The former of the&s;e is independant as to works, infallible, hath its evidence in, and from its &s;elf, is fully &s;atisfactory to the Spirit of a Chri&s;tian, and is mo&s;t lively manife&s;t, and vigorous in the evil day. The latter is dependant upon works, will not amount to a <GAP DESC="foreign"> or full a&s;&s;urance, hath its evidence in and from the <HI>Ergo,</HI> or manner of inference, is very con|vincing and &s;ilencing to rea&s;on, becau&s;e grounded upon &s;ence, and is ordinarily had in the good Sun-&s;hine dayes of a Chri&s;tian. Secondly, they are profitable, &amp;c. to prevent Satans bringing believers into de&s;paire, or &s;haking us on, though he cannot &s;hake us from of the foundation of our faith. And hence doth <HI>Peter</HI> exhort Chri&s;tians to adde to their faith (through which they were already e&s;tabli&s;hed in the pre&s;ent truth, 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1.12.) <HI>Vertue, and to vertue knowledge, and to knowledge temperance, &amp;c. and a&s;&s;ureth them that if they do the&s;e things, they &s;hall never faile.</HI> 1 Pet. 1, 10. Becau&s;e by the con&s;tant going on in the&s;e, the advan|tage is taken from Satan of ca&s;ting &s;tumbling-blocks in our way, which the committing of gro&s;s, or di&s;cernably poy&s;onous &s;ins doth afford unto him, they being as it were Darts put into the devils hands, which he &s;ets on fire in hell, and &s;hoots with terrour through the Canon of the Law, to batter down that &s;piritual Kingdom of righte|ou&s;ne&s;&s;e, peace and joy, which Chri&s;t hath erected in us. 3. Though the Te&s;timony of my con&s;cience, or my own integrity and innocency, in &s;uch a particular cau&s;e or fact, be not able to bear me up to plead at the judgement &s;eat of
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God, for I know nothing by my &s;elf (&s;aith <HI>Paul</HI>) &amp;c. yet is the Te&s;timony of a good con&s;cience, or my own righte|ous dealing in &s;uch or &s;uch a cau&s;e, namely in&s;trumental; to encourage and embolden me, under, and again&s;t the fal&s;e ac|cu&s;ations, a&s;per&s;ions, and <HI>extra</HI>-judicial cen&s;ures and &s;en|tences of all &s;orts of men and creatures what&s;oever. <HI>Hic murus aheneus e&s;to, nil con&s;cire &s;ibi &amp;c.</HI> could the Poet &s;ay. And here <HI>Paul</HI> accounted it a very &s;mall thing to be jud|ged of them, or of mans judgement: 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 4.3, And <HI>Peter</HI> advi&s;eth Chri&s;tians to have a good con&s;cience, and telleth them that it is better if the will of God be &s;o, that they &s;uf|fer for well-doing, than for evil doing, 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 3.16, 17. Fourthly and la&s;tly, good works are profitable, &amp;c. To manife&s;t to others the reality of our faith, and the purity and undefiledne&s;&s;e of our Religon, and undefiled before God and the Father, is this. To vi&s;it the fatherle&s;s and widowes in their affliction, and to keep him&s;elf un&s;potted of the world. <HI>Iam.</HI> 1.27.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">The third po&s;i|tion proved. <HI>Calv.</HI> In&s;tit. lib. <HI>2.</HI> cap. <HI>8.</HI> Sect. <HI>54.</HI></NOTE>RIghteou&s;ne&s;s or good works are profitable unto others. For fir&s;t, The Apo&s;tle expre&s;&s;ely a&s;serteth, <HI>That they are good and profitable unto men.</HI> Tit. 3.8, 2. <HI>Calvin</HI> maketh the very e&s;&s;ence of works as good to con|&s;i&s;t in their being profitable unto others, and &s;aith, that in <HI>tota lege &s;yllaba una non legitur, &amp;c.</HI> In the whole Law, there is not one &s;yllable read, which pre&s;cribeth a rule to man concerning tho&s;e things, which he &s;hould either do or omit for the profit of his fle&s;h. In&s;omuch, that thirdly, It is <HI>Antinomiani&s;me</HI> with him, or contrary to the bent of the Law, for a man to love and doe for him&s;elfe fir&s;t, and then &s;econdly, <HI>To love, and do for his neighbour as for him&s;elf, making love to &s;elf the rule, and &s;o &s;uperiour to the love of his neighbour.</HI> This &s;aith he, was not the intent of the Lord in that Law, <HI>Thou &s;halt love thy neighbour as thy &s;elfe. Sedubi naturali pravitate &s;olebat.</HI> But whereas by a natural depravity the affection of love was wont to re|&s;ide within our &s;elves; He &s;heweth that it ought now to
<PB N="73" REF="42">
be diffu&s;ed another way, it being the property of true love, not to &s;eek her own things. 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 13.5. And hence, 4. it was in my thoughts to have di&s;cu&s;&s;ed the point a little with the&s;e Informers, and enquired how this work of theirs (dee|med &s;o righteous) can be called good; fith it will be hard to make it appear that it is profitable to any, &s;ave them&s;elves and me: To them carnally, and <HI>Per &s;e,</HI> feeding (though not filling) that which in them lu&s;teth unto envy; To me &s;piritually, and <HI>Per accidens,</HI> as the me&s;&s;enger of Satan was by his buffeting unto <HI>Paul.</HI> But becau&s;e I am per|&s;waded, it will be harder for them to kick again&s;t the prick they have made in their own &s;pirits, then it is for me to grapple with that they have made in my fle&s;h, I &s;hall be &s;i|lent as to that, and willingly (if my God &s;ee it good) &s;uffer here with <HI>Abel,</HI> as a man of vanity and nothing: and leave them <HI>Cain</HI>-like, men of great po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion, though &s;mally bettered if in the land of <HI>Nod.</HI> And yet I mu&s;t needs &s;ay, to give even <HI>Cain</HI> his due (the pattern of all &s;uch as &s;in again&s;t the law of love. 1 <HI>Iohn</HI> 3.12.) That he dealt farre more candidly with <HI>Abel,</HI> then they have done with me; for he fir&s;t talked with his brother, and then afterwards &s;lew him, <HI>Gen.</HI> 4.8. The&s;e men have bent their bowes, and &s;hot their Arrowes poy&s;oned well nigh four years in the Quiver, and are yet to talk and make it out, that their &s;a|crifice is of &s;o much worth, as to entitle them to the birth-right, and impower them <HI>cum privilegio,</HI> to tram|ple upon the necks of their poor younger brethren. But notwith&s;tanding this (my brethren) in your patience, do you po&s;&s;e&s;s your &s;oules. <HI>Mat.</HI> 21.19. give place unto wrath, <HI>Rom.</HI> 12.19. <HI>Let the Lord of the Vineyard do what plea&s;eth him unto the&s;e husbandmen,</HI> Luke 20.15.</P>
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<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
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