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<DATE>2010-04-16</DATE>
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<NAME>John Pas</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<STC T="W">M850</STC>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>MARY MAGDALEN'S Tears wipt off. OR The VOICE of PEACE TO AN UNQUIET CONSCIENCE.</P>
<P>WRITTEN By Way of Letter TO A PERSON of QUALITY.</P>
<P><HI>AND</HI> Publi&s;hed for the Comfort of all tho&s;e, who Mourn in <HI>Zion.</HI></P>
<P><HI>LONDON</HI> Printed by <HI>J. C.</HI> for <HI>T. Garthwait,</HI> at the Little North-door of S. <HI>Pauls.</HI> 1659.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="to the reader">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="2">
<OPENER><SALUTE>Reader,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>_THe Publi&s;her of this Trea|ti&s;e, having in his eye no fear of thy di&s;like, nor re|gard of thy applau&s;e; hath no other &s;ollicitation, for thy peru&s;al there|of, then the opinion he hath, that it may be &s;erviceable, to the good of thy Soul. He thinks he &s;hall be guil|ty of a very <HI>charitable mi&s;take,</HI> if thou finde&s;t an errour in his con|jecture; and thou more obliged to offer, then he to ask thy pardon for it. To pre&s;cribe <HI>preventive</HI> or <HI>re|cuperative</HI> medicines, in a <HI>great
<PB REF="3">Plague-time,</HI> is no piece of <HI>im|pertinent officiou&s;ne&s;s,</HI> but a <HI>prudent di&s;charge</HI> of <HI>duty</HI> to the Publick. If thou be &s;o <HI>whole, as not to need a Phy&s;itian;</HI> thou ha&s;t had good luck, having lived in &s;o <HI>licentious</HI> an age, and a|mong&s;t <HI>children that are Corrup|ters.</HI> Give <HI>God</HI> the <HI>glory</HI> of his <HI>Grace,</HI> and de&s;pi&s;e not the good wi&s;hes of thy <HI>Brethren.</HI></P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="table of contents">
<PB REF="3">
<HEAD>A Short TABLE of the principall Contents in this Book.</HEAD>
<LIST>
<ITEM>OF the Secret and Revealed will in God. &amp;c. page <HI>12</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Of the Day of Grace being &s;pent. page <HI>14</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Of Sins of Ignorance and Wilfulne&s;s. page <HI>19</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Of Pre&s;umptuous Sins. page <HI>20</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Of Sins after Bapti&s;me. page <HI>22</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Of want of Sorrow for Sin. page <HI>26</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Of Gods accepting Mens Per&s;ons. page <HI>29</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Of Per&s;onall A&s;&s;urance. page <HI>36</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Of Sacerdotall Ab&s;olution, and Gods Ratifica|tion thereof. page <HI>38</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Of <HI>E&s;au</HI> &s;eeking the Ble&s;&s;ing, &amp;c. page <HI>50</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>The Example of the <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> that provoked God <HI>Ten</HI> times in the Wilderne&s;s. page <HI>52</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Of A&s;&s;urance of Salvation. page <HI>54</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Of the <HI>Witne&s;s</HI> and <HI>Te&s;timony</HI> of the Spirit. page <HI>56</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>The Combat between the Fle&s;h, and the Spirit. page <HI>63</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Of the Motions to Sin in Regenerate per&s;ons. page <HI>68</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Of perfect and un&s;inning Obedience. page <HI>73</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Of the Mea&s;ure of well doing in Holy and Ver|tuous Actions, as in Prayer, Alms, Fa&s;ting. page <HI>75</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>S. Math. <HI>19.12. He that is able to Receive it, &amp;c.</HI> whether an Advice, &amp;c, page <HI>86</HI></ITEM>
<PB REF="4">
<ITEM>Of <HI>Loving the Lord with all our Soul, &amp;c.</HI> and not doing <HI>every thing</HI> we have ability to do. page <HI>89</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Of Doing Holy and Vertuous Actions in the want of Charity. page <HI>92</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Of making a mans &s;elf the end of his Actions. page <HI>59</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Again&s;t the Fear of Death. page <HI>98</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Of the Falling away from Grace. page <HI>103</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Of Conver&s;ion. page <HI>105</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Of Relap&s;es into Sin, and Injection of Bla&s;phe|mous thoughts. page <HI>107</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Of Want of Children. page <HI>112</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
</DIV1>
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<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<PB N="1" REF="4">
<HEAD>MARY MAGDALEN'S Tears wip't off, OR The VOICE of PEACE <HI>To an Unquiet Con&s;cience.</HI></HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>MADAM,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>_I Thank you for your Charity to me, in <HI>calling</HI> me to my Prayers, and &s;hall by Gods Grace, endea|vour to requite it, by a <HI>counter-change</HI> of Charity, in praying for you, as you have de&s;ired me. I cannot &s;ay, that I am &s;orrie that you &s;tand in need of being <HI>prayed for:</HI> we all do <HI>&s;o,</HI> and they mo&s;t of all, and the more for that, who think they <HI>need</HI> not <HI>other mens prayers:</HI> But <HI>Madam,</HI> as I cannot but admire your Humility in this pious reque&s;t, (who&s;e gracious Heart, like the <HI>Trea&s;urie</HI> of the <HI>Temple,</HI> accepts of <HI>Mites</HI> as well as <HI>Talents</HI>) &s;o, I am not a little a|&s;hamed of mine own indigence, and empti|ne&s;s, and (which is wor&s;t of all) of my own
<PB N="2" REF="5">unworthine&s;s. I &s;peak it in good earne&s;t <HI>Ma|dam;</HI> and being by your <HI>call</HI> for my prayers become very &s;en&s;ible of my unfitne&s;s, at lea&s;t for the <HI>Interce&s;&s;ional</HI> part of that duty; I can a&s;&s;ure my &s;elf, that as I tru&s;t you will not be the <HI>wor&s;e;</HI> &s;o &s;hall I be much the <HI>better,</HI> for my <HI>praying</HI> for you.</P>
<P>But <HI>Madam,</HI> for my prayers only, I pre|&s;ume you did not &s;end me that <HI>Summons:</HI> I cannot then but e&s;teem my &s;elf obliged, to render a duty to you, of the &s;ame impor|tance; but more immediately tending to the production of that effect, which you have de&s;ired me to pray for; and which (perhaps) if more <HI>timely,</HI> and <HI>individu|ally</HI> applyed, the <HI>Di&s;ea&s;e</HI> had not been &s;o in|veterate, and raging as it is; nor you &s;o di|&s;tru&s;tful of the vertue and efficacie of <HI>Reme|dies</HI> as you are.</P>
<P>By &s;ome &s;cattered expre&s;&s;ions of my <HI>Friend,</HI> that delivered your me&s;&s;age to me, I very confidently &s;u&s;pect your langui&s;hing under the wa&s;ting torment of a <HI>wounded Spi|rit:</HI> but How long, by what cau&s;e, or upon what occa&s;ion; I have no hint, upon which I may rea&s;onably ground a Pre&s;umption. So innocent hath been that <HI>Act</HI> of your Life, of which I have been a <HI>Spectator;</HI> &s;o rational, clo&s;e, and undi&s;tracted your di&s;cour&s;e; that I dare confidently affirm, no <HI>Indications</HI> of this &s;ecret <HI>Maladie</HI> did ever pre&s;ent them|&s;elves to the mo&s;t acute ob&s;erver of your
<PB N="3" REF="5">Conver&s;ation with us. My thoughts concer|ning &s;uch a State in general, I have judged it my duty to deliver; but how pertinent, or conducent to the removal of the particular cau&s;e of your trouble, I am not able to di|vine; for the rea&s;ons before mentioned.</P>
<P N="1">1. The Soul of man comes out of the hands of her Creator, like a rich and curious Watch; carrying in her &s;elf, as the Cau&s;es of her own motion; &s;o no di&s;order, till &s;he fall under unskilful, or unruly fingers. Her fir&s;t immer&s;ion into the Bodie, renders her not only lyable to the guilt of Original &s;in, but to the future turbulencies, and exce&s;&s;es of tho&s;e faculties common to us and Bea&s;ts: which, becau&s;e in them govern'd only by an uncontroulable in&s;tinct of nature, are wholly &s;inle&s;s, and have in them no other tendency, but the pre&s;ervation of that creature in which they work: but with man it is much other|wi&s;e; who&s;e appetites are &s;ubjected to a rational choice, under the penalty exacted by a Law, wholly commen&s;urate with rea&s;on, and the noble dictates of a Soul, emancipated from the Sugge&s;tions, and delu&s;ions of fle&s;h and blood.</P>
<P N="2">2. Hence is it that &s;he receives in us no wounds, but by our own hands: her Peace is never broken, but by Errours in our Electi|on; and that mo&s;t times but radically nei|ther; the true re&s;entment of our guilt and danger, being &s;ub&s;equent to a reflexive act of
<PB N="4" REF="6">the Soul; from whence proceed tho&s;e <HI>Smiting Thoughts,</HI> able to wear out, or rend an heart of <HI>Adamant.</HI></P>
<P>The &s;ource or &s;pring whereof u&s;ually are the con&s;ideration either 1. of what we have been; or of 2. what we are; or of 3. what we &s;hall or may be hereafter; the guilt of &s;in acted, the prevalency of &s;inful di&s;po&s;itions in our nature, and of enormous habits in our per&s;ons; the fear of Relap&s;es, and horrour of future puni&s;hments, are that which &s;et mens &s;ouls upon <HI>Tenter hooks:</HI> and few there be, who have been guilty of any gro&s;s &s;in, who&s;e Prepentance (if true) hath not given them &s;ome ta&s;te of this bitter Cup, apporti|onate to the cour&s;e of their unregenerate life.</P>
<P N="3">3. What we have been] is of the &s;ame la|titude in our Regeneration, from whence we are to compute our <HI>Spiritual life;</HI> as in our Creation, from whence we de|rive our <HI>Natural being.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 15.22. <HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> 2.1. <HI>Rom.</HI> 11.32, <HI>Gal.</HI> 3.22.</NOTE> As from <HI>Adam all lived,</HI> &s;o <HI>in Adam all dyed: all dead in Sins and tre&s;|pa&s;&s;es: God hath concluded all under &s;in, that he might have mercy upon all.</HI> Only the Difference is in the circum&s;tances, &s;ome greater, &s;ome le&s;&s;er &s;in|ners then others: &s;ome longer, others le&s;&s;e while dead in &s;ins and Tre&s;pa&s;&s;es: but the danger, without repentance, is the &s;ame to the &s;inner; the Cure the &s;ame to the Phy|&s;ician.
<PB N="5" REF="6">To him the &s;ame thing, to rai&s;e <HI>Jairus</HI> daughter to life, yet &s;carcely cold <HI>Mar.</HI> 5.22. as to bring <HI>Lazarus</HI>'s &s;tinking carca&s;e out of his grave, <HI>John</HI> 11.43. Both &s;upernatural works, and a &s;upernatural Worker required to both: yet both effected without any <HI>In|ten&s;ion</HI> of the power by which it was done, becau&s;e in&s;initely able to work.</P>
<P N="4">4. But as &s;ome of tho&s;e blinde men, whom our Saviour re&s;tored to &s;ight, &s;aw at the very fir&s;t as perfectly, as ever after: but others when their eyes were fir&s;t opened, <HI>&s;aw men as Trees walking, Mark</HI> 8.24. &s;o are not the &s;ame apprehen&s;ions of their &s;piritual e&s;tate to all <HI>Penitents;</HI> though <HI>equally</HI> re&s;tored to Grace, and favour with God, and <HI>Federally</HI> ju&s;tified from the guilt of <HI>pa&s;t</HI> Sins. The Cau&s;es hereof are various, ari&s;ing partly from the <HI>Complexi|on,</HI> and <HI>natural</HI> or <HI>acqua&s;ite</HI> temper of the Per|&s;ons them&s;elves; partly from &s;ome errors in &s;uch, who applyed to them the <HI>outward means,</HI> and <HI>mini&s;tration</HI> of their Repentance; partly from &s;ome <HI>outward accidents</HI> of life; and partly from the <HI>Sugge&s;tions,</HI> and <HI>Delu&s;ions of Satan,</HI> with &s;uch like.</P>
<P>Some per&s;ons are naturally more apt to impre&s;&s;ions of Sadne&s;s, Fear, and Di&s;tru&s;t, then are others. Penetrating and quick re|&s;entments of danger, once certainly incurr'd, render &s;ome <HI>weak &s;pirits</HI> di&s;tru&s;tful of their &s;afety a long time after, be it never &s;o &s;ure and vi&s;ible: like men &s;tartled out of Melan|cholick
<PB N="6" REF="7">and frightful dreams, who although awake, cannot pre&s;ently be per&s;waded, that they are free from peril. The very apprehen|&s;ion of the danger, his churli&s;hne&s;s and folly had ca&s;t him into, made <HI>Nabals</HI> heart <HI>dic</HI> within him. 1 <HI>Sam.</HI> 25.37.</P>
<P>It cannot be denyed by the <HI>&s;tronge&s;t</HI> Chri|&s;tian, that the guilt of &s;in once truly appre|hended, with all the con&s;equents of horrour it draws after it, is able to &s;ink a very clear and &s;erene &s;oul, into an <HI>Aly&s;&s;e</HI> of black, and &s;ad thoughts: from which nothing is able to <HI>buoy,</HI> and rai&s;e it up; but the light of Gods countenance, &s;hining upon, and influencing <HI>that &s;pirit,</HI> by <HI>forcible</HI> a&s;&s;i&s;tances of Grace. But yet mo&s;t evident it is, that the <HI>mourning</HI> of &s;ome Chri&s;tians is like that of <HI>Rachel,</HI> they will not be comforted: yea &s;o predominant in them, &s;ometimes, is that torpid and pen|&s;ive humour; that it converts comforts them|&s;elves, into matter of di&s;comfort: the good|ne&s;s, patience, and long-&s;uffering of Almigh|ty God, together with his unfeigned offers of mercy, and pardon to all that truly turn unto him, (tho&s;e high and excellent <HI>Cordials</HI> for &s;oul-&s;ick Chri&s;tians) being by the pre|judices of a <HI>mi&s;guided Imagination,</HI> corrupted into mo&s;t bitter jealou&s;ies, either again&s;t God or them&s;elves.</P>
<P>Sometimes their &s;piritual troubles &s;pring from the pa&s;&s;ions or unskilfulne&s;s of the <HI>Mi|ni&s;try,</HI> under which &s;uch per&s;ons live: who
<PB N="7" REF="7">either wanting the &s;agacity, dexterity, (or which is mo&s;t to be feared) the Charity of the Apo&s;tle, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 19.20, 22. <HI>to become all things to all men;</HI> e&s;pecially in that mo&s;t Chri|&s;tian and whol&s;ome branch of it, the <HI>being weak with them who are weak,</HI> in the Flock of Chri&s;t; thunder out the threatnings of the Go&s;pel, <HI>promi&s;cuou&s;ly</HI> in the ears of all; <HI>making their hearts &s;ad, whom God hath not made &s;ad, Ezek.</HI> 13.22. and &s;o <HI>vexing them whom God hath wounded, P&s;al.</HI> 69.27. in&s;tead of calling, encouraging and comforting &s;inners under Repentance <HI>(that &s;mall and &s;till voice)</HI> terri|fying them with the Menaces of the Law, <HI>(that loud and furious winde)</HI> and ca&s;ting up|on men &s;trong &s;u&s;pitions of their having e|lap&s;ed the time of mercy; &s;eeming to ante|date the <HI>great and terrible day of th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"> Lord,</HI> by taking the &s;entence of condemnation out of his mouth. Not con&s;idering, that the Mi|ni&s;ters of the Go&s;pel have their Commi&s;&s;ions dated from <HI>Sion,</HI> and not from <HI>Sinai;</HI> and that the method, and language of S <HI>Paul</HI> in the Pulpit, is not only more &s;uitable to that Me&s;&s;age of Peace, but mo&s;t imitable by us; becau&s;e it proved &s;o &s;ucce&s;sful, in the bu&s;ine&s;s of <HI>Reconciling men to God.</HI></P>
<P>I know that a <HI>Son of Thunder</HI> may have much &s;aid on his behalf, from the&s;e evil and deaf times in which we live: <HI>to lift up the voice like a trumpet, and to &s;hew the people their tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions, and the hou&s;e of Jacob their &s;ins,
<PB N="8" REF="8">I&s;ai.</HI> 8.1 is a dutie, &s;trongly and indi&s;pen&s;a|bly lying on a Mini&s;ter of the Go&s;pel at all times, much more in &s;uch an age as this we live in; wherein &s;o many thou&s;ands of Chri|&s;tians <HI>hold the truth of God in unrighteou&s;ne&s;s, Rom.</HI> 1 18. and <HI>turn his Grace into wantonne&s;s, Jud.</HI> 4. ju&s;tifying not only <HI>Samaria,</HI> but <HI>So|dom</HI> and her <HI>Si&s;ters;</HI> by outballancing her, and them, in all manner of <HI>carnal,</HI> and <HI>&s;piri|tual</HI> pollutions: but that we &s;peak is <HI>mo&s;tly</HI> again&s;t the undue care of &s;ome <HI>Preachers</HI> of the Go&s;pel, not &s;ufficiently <HI>heeding</HI> and <HI>di&s;|criminating</HI> &s;uch, who mourn in <HI>Zion, Eze.</HI> 9.4. upon who&s;e foreheads <HI>Ezekiels</HI> mark hath pa&s;t, and again&s;t whom the &s;everities of tho&s;e Comminations ought not to be u&s;ed.</P>
<P>Sometimes this <HI>Trouble of minde,</HI> (if it doth not wholly &s;pring, yet) receiveth much &s;trength and nouri&s;hment, from &s;ome <HI>Acci|dents</HI> of life. Every unu&s;ual circum&s;tance in providential di&s;pen&s;ations, in the apprehen|tions of &s;uch men, carries with it the Shape and Terror of <HI>Divine Revenge:</HI> and all lo|ving corrections, of a mo&s;t wi&s;e and merci|ful <HI>Father,</HI> are reckoned upon, as the <HI>&s;ad Pre|&s;ages</HI> of everla&s;ting Torments. Nothing but the angry frowns of a terrible Judge, flame|ing Torches, Fire and Brim&s;tone, are the <HI>Sceanes</HI> and <HI>Phanta&s;ms</HI> of &s;uch clowded brains: yea, &s;o &s;ullen and di&s;tru&s;tful, is the Repen|tance of &s;uch men, that they &s;u&s;pect every ble&s;&s;ing, and good thing, that God be&s;tows
<PB N="9" REF="8">upon them in this world, as &s;o many <HI>golden Balls</HI> ca&s;t out before them, to betray them in their <HI>Race.</HI> They eat, drink, &s;leep, conver&s;e with &s;uch anxiety of Spirit, that they there|by become intollerable to them&s;elves and others. Again,</P>
<P>Satan mo&s;t times hath a deep hand in the&s;e troubles; who being unchangeably malitious toward mankinde, ince&s;&s;antly di&s;turbs the Peace of &s;uch Chri&s;tians whom he cannot ruine. Yet &s;o &s;ecret and clo&s;e are his <HI>Devices,</HI> that many prudent Chri&s;tians are not able (as indeed it is very difficult) to di&s;cern, betwixt his <HI>injections,</HI> and the <HI>motions</HI> of their own <HI>Appetites.</HI> By which error Satan exceed|ingly troubles their quiet, and &s;ets them in|to perpetual quarrels again&s;t them&s;elves, whereby he thinks it not impo&s;&s;ible, at la&s;t to <HI>ingulph</HI> them in <HI>De&s;pair.</HI></P>
<P>To this may be added, that &s;ome <HI>Fal&s;e Principles</HI> have in them a very immediate tendency to beget trouble in mens mindes, who are of <HI>in&s;table judgments,</HI> but yet of a <HI>good and ingenuous di&s;po&s;ition:</HI> tho&s;e e&s;pecially concerning the <HI>Irre&s;i&s;tibility of &s;aving Grace,</HI> the <HI>nece&s;&s;ity of ones believing him&s;elf to be Ju|&s;tified, unconditionate Election to Salvation,</HI> with &s;ome others, who&s;e fal&s;ity is plainly demon&s;trated, by many excellent <HI>Treati&s;es</HI> of learned, judicious, and pious <HI>Divines.</HI></P>
<P>Neither is it a con&s;ideration impertinent to the matter in hand, that there is a diffe|rence
<PB N="10" REF="9">worthy our ob&s;ervation, betwixt Sin in the <HI>Memory,</HI> and in the <HI>Con&s;cience</HI> of a &s;inner; the not perception whereof, may cau&s;e great trouble, and di&s;quiet in mens mindes. For as the <HI>Con&s;cience</HI> and the <HI>Memory</HI> are not re|ally one and the &s;ame thing; &s;o neither is &s;in to be accounted of the &s;ame <HI>concernment</HI> to the &s;inner, when it is only repre&s;ented by the <HI>Memory,</HI> and when charged upon him by his <HI>Con&s;cience.</HI> U&s;ually, proportionable to the mea&s;ure of our <HI>Faith and Repentance</HI> is our Peace of <HI>Con&s;cience;</HI> by the&s;e are the Marks and Characters of our guilt purged away by degrees: but the <HI>tran&s;ient Act</HI> of &s;in commit|ted, is ever recollected by the <HI>Memory,</HI> appor|tionately to the natural vigour of the fa|culty in every man. And from hence it is, that in the fourfold di&s;tinction of <HI>Con&s;cience,</HI> there is one &s;ort which is &s;aid to be <HI>good,</HI> but not <HI>quiet:</HI> which (for my own part) I con|ceive to be an <HI>effect,</HI> produced betwixt the <HI>memorative</HI> and <HI>imaginative</HI> faculties; rather then a true, and di&s;tinct &s;tate of <HI>Con&s;cience</HI> in a Chri&s;tian; it being, to my under&s;tanding, equally po&s;&s;ible for the <HI>Imagination,</HI> to act and per&s;onate <HI>Con&s;cience</HI> (in &s;ome men) as well in the <HI>punitive</HI> and <HI>vindicative,</HI> as in the <HI>affirmative</HI> and <HI>interpretative</HI> power of Law. Where the <HI>Imagination</HI> (as con&s;cience) may <HI>make Law</HI> to govern mens actions, as in <HI>&s;ome</HI> it confe&s;&s;edly doth: it is not di&s;proportiona|ble to &s;tea&s;on to believe, that <HI>Imagination</HI>
<PB N="11" REF="9">may likewi&s;e perplex, and puni&s;h <HI>tho&s;e men,</HI> for the breach of &s;uch <HI>Laws,</HI> as likewi&s;e <HI>Con&s;cience</HI> doth.</P>
<P N="5">5. But let the Cau&s;es and <HI>Occa&s;ions</HI> of the&s;e <HI>Di&s;tempers</HI> be what they will; be it the <HI>Con|&s;cience,</HI> or <HI>imaginative Faculty,</HI> or <HI>Memory,</HI> or <HI>all,</HI> or any other thing, that procures, or promotes this trouble; u&s;ually, the&s;e are the effects thereof, in &s;ad reiterated Objections.</P>
<DIV2 N="1" TYPE="objection">
<HEAD>OBJECTION I.</HEAD>
<P>My Sins are not as other mens, they are not the <HI>Spots of Gods Children:</HI> they have the&s;e Circum&s;tances, that render them mo&s;t formi|dable. They are <HI>1.</HI> more then other mens, <HI>2.</HI> greater, <HI>3.</HI> more loved, <HI>4.</HI> longer lived in, <HI>5.</HI> le&s;s grieved for, then the Sins of other men.</P>
<DIV3 TYPE="solution">
<HEAD>SOLUTION.</HEAD>
<P N="6">6. PUt all the&s;e Circum&s;tances together, but the la&s;t (which &s;hall be an|&s;wered by it &s;elf) your &s;ins can be but great, many, loved, relap&s;ed, and perhaps after &s;harp Corrections for them, Vows again&s;t them, &s;ence of &s;trength and ability through grace, to oppo&s;e, re&s;i&s;t, and overcome them, and all the mo&s;t powerful temptations to them, and this acknowledged, and owned
<PB N="12" REF="10">by your &s;elf, in your impa&s;&s;ionate, and de|liberate thoughts.</P>
<P>Now what hinders the Remi&s;sion of &s;uch Sins? are the&s;e the fir&s;t <HI>Scarlet &s;ins</HI> that have ever been brought before the <HI>Throne of Grace,</HI> to receive another <HI>tincture</HI> by the hands of Mercy and pardon? is there any incapacity in the Sinner, any defect in the means, any qualification in the &s;ins them&s;elves, any barre or ob&s;tacle to the Judge, that the&s;e &s;ins, that &s;uch a &s;inner &s;hould not be remitted?</P>
<P>What makes you uncapable of Pardon? any <HI>Decree</HI> concerning your per&s;on, in Gods <HI>&s;ecret Will?</HI> in his <HI>revealed Will</HI> there is no|thing but <HI>grace</HI> and <HI>mercy</HI> offered to you, be|cau&s;e to <HI>all that truly repent and turn unto him, Ezek.</HI> 18.21, 22. but if you &s;u&s;pect the <HI>Will of Gods purpo&s;e,</HI> what he hath deter|mined concerning your Per&s;on, in that <HI>Will.</HI> you mu&s;t know, that as there are not two <HI>Wills</HI> in the <HI>Divine Maje&s;ty,</HI> nor two <HI>con|tradictory Acts</HI> of one and the &s;ame <HI>Will:</HI> So may you a&s;&s;ure your &s;elf, that what may directly be concluded from his <HI>Revealed Will</HI> concerning the &s;alvation of mankinde, you have your <HI>joynt-intere&s;t</HI> therein, with the re&s;t of the <HI>Redeemed World:</HI> and that no <HI>Decree</HI> hath from all eternity been pa&s;t again&s;t you, whereby a barre is &s;et again&s;t all your good and &s;quare endeavours, and your per&s;on re|jected into a <HI>fatal nece&s;&s;ity</HI> of being damned. Impo&s;&s;ible indeed it is that &s;uch <HI>dormant At|tainders</HI>
<PB N="13" REF="10">&s;hould lye again&s;t the Per&s;ons of &s;ome men, for the Prevarication and Rebel|lion of our fir&s;t Parents, and yet that <HI>General Act</HI> of the <HI>Grace and Favour of Almighty God,</HI> be &s;o <HI>&s;olemnly proclaimed</HI> by that great <HI>Am|ba&s;&s;ador</HI> of our <HI>Reconciliation,</HI> 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 2.4.</P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="2" TYPE="objection">
<HEAD>OBJECTION II.</HEAD>
<P>But I have made my &s;elf <HI>uncapable</HI> by lo&s;ing the opportunities, and heretofore <HI>de&s;pight|fully u&s;ing</HI> both the inward, and outward means of my <HI>Calling,</HI> and therefore ju&s;tly is that fallen upon me, foretold and threat|ned in, <HI>Prov. 1.24. Becau&s;e I have called, and ye refu&s;ed, I have &s;tretched out my hand, and no man regarded, &amp;c.</HI> v. <HI>26. I will laugh at your Calamity, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<DIV3 TYPE="solution">
<HEAD>SOLUTION.</HEAD>
<P N="7">7. IF by the <HI>Opportunity</HI> or <HI>Sea&s;on</HI> of re|penting unto Salvation, you mean one <HI>point</HI> of time, wherein God doth <HI>&s;uffici|ently once for all,</HI> or <HI>as the la&s;t tendrie thereof,</HI> not only offer us the <HI>means</HI> of <HI>Grace,</HI> but al|&s;o <HI>&s;ufficiently prepare</HI> and <HI>di&s;po&s;e</HI> the Will to receive it: I doubt not, but that an&s;wer of our Saviour to his Di&s;ciples, <HI>Act.</HI> 1.7. will be very applyable to you, <HI>It is not for
<PB N="14" REF="11">you to know the times or the &s;ea&s;ons, which the Father hath put in his own power.</HI> As Grace it &s;elf is the <HI>free</HI> and <HI>unde&s;erved guift</HI> of God, &s;o are the <HI>circum&s;tances</HI> of giving it, for time, manner, and mea&s;ure, His; and di&s;po&s;ed of according to the <HI>Will of his purpo&s;e,</HI> where|with you are not made acquainted, nor privie to any determination concerning your &s;elf, unle&s;s you have had, &s;ome known Reve|lation thereof. I believe that the <HI>Day of grace,</HI> as far as we are able to collect is not <HI>&s;hut up;</HI> nor the <HI>Sun of Righteou&s;ne&s;s,</HI> that at our Sa|viours Bapti&s;m <HI>ro&s;e upon our Souls, with healing in his Wings,</HI> &s;et, and gone down over us, till our life be ended. Some were called at <HI>the eleventh hour,</HI> when there was but one <HI>hour</HI> more to work in: yet by the bountiful pro|mi&s;e of the Lord of the Vineyard were re|warded with the <HI>penny, i. e.</HI> everla&s;ting life, as well as they who <HI>bore the burden and heat of the day, Matth.</HI> 20.9. Sincerity of Re&s;o|lution is pretious in Gods eye: and where &s;ufficient time to approve the &s;ame by good works is not allowed; I doubt not of the &s;avable &s;tate of that &s;oul. Yet I do profe&s;s, not to believe, that &s;uch an one &s;hall have an equal &s;hare of glory, with Saints of the <HI>fir&s;t magnitude;</HI> neither can there in rea&s;on be &s;o com&s;ortable a po&s;ture of minde lookt for in &s;uch an one: this being mo&s;t common|ly the Re&s;ult of that experience we have of our own repentance, by bringing forth fruits
<PB N="15" REF="11"><HI>worthy</HI> of it; which ought, when time and means permit, to carry in them a due pro|portion, to the continuance, and vilene&s;s of our former unregenerate life.</P>
<P>Now, though Almighty God doth &s;ome|time accept the will for the deed, <HI>viz.</HI> a <HI>firm</HI> and <HI>irrefragable Temptation-proof Re&s;olution</HI> of Conver&s;ion for all <HI>future actual performances</HI> thereof; as being able to Fore&s;ee, that that man would perform his re&s;olutions, in ca&s;e God did permit him &s;o much time: yet &s;hould no man upon this Con&s;ideration, deferre his Repentance, but rather mo&s;t <HI>&s;tudiou&s;ly</HI> im|brace the pre&s;ent time offered; not only for that this is to be interpreted an affront of the Divine Maje&s;ty, <HI>by turning the Grace of God into wantonne&s;s;</HI> but for that no man is a&s;&s;ured, that ever he &s;hall have any &s;uch <HI>late, and pre|tious minute</HI> vouch&s;afed unto h m; or if it be, can po&s;&s;ibly have any a&s;&s;urance, that he will be true to his word with God, in his Vows and Re&s;olutions; God alone, with whom all future things are pre&s;ent, being able to foreknow the &s;oundne&s;s, and &s;teadine&s;s of &s;uch <HI>&s;hipwrackt ingagers.</HI> And as the&s;e depen|dencies are &s;eldom &s;o &s;ucce&s;sful (at lea&s;t not &s;o often) as many men imagine, and in Charity we may very farre hope; &s;o would I have them to be e&s;teemed, as &s;uch, which can have no right <HI>A&s;pect</HI> upon, nor incourage|ment from, the <HI>u&s;ual, regular</HI> Proceedings of the <HI>Divine Maje&s;ty:</HI> but are rather to be layd,
<PB N="16" REF="12">on the <HI>unpromi&s;ed exce&s;&s;es</HI> and <HI>&s;uperabundan|cies</HI> of an infinite goodne&s;s, extending it &s;elf to a &s;inner, Repenting him of his &s;ins, be|yond the full and free limits of the <HI>fir&s;t gra|cious</HI> Conce&s;&s;ion of Pardon: from a Rely|ance on which, as I would not deterre any the mo&s;t grievous offender; who&s;e neglects and former Supinity had ca&s;t him on this <HI>little Plank,</HI> in a Sea of Perplexities; &s;o do I almo&s;t a&s;&s;ure my &s;elf, that &s;uch a Chri&s;tian, who dares continue in &s;in, upon the confi|dence of this <HI>&s;uperabundance of grace,</HI> &s;hall never be partaker thereof; this being a <HI>Pearl</HI> of too incomparable a value, to be ca&s;t be|fore that <HI>Swine,</HI> who hath &s;o contemptuou&s;ly <HI>trampled</HI> it under his feet.</P>
<P>Yet, if you mark it, your Ca&s;e is far dif|ferent from the &s;tate of &s;uch a man, who hath neglected (&s;ay de&s;pi&s;ed) the offers of mercy till the la&s;t minute of his life, wherein he rather &s;natches after, then imbraces pardon; being more &s;en&s;ible of his own danger, then the love of God: for (ble&s;&s;ed be God) you have not received any <HI>Summons,</HI> to a &s;peedy <HI>account of your &s;teward&s;hip,</HI> by a decrepid old age, or a violent di&s;ea&s;e, or other contin|gency; but have made it your ble&s;&s;ed choice, to <HI>double your Pace</HI> in the wayes of Holine&s;s; having yet, (as far as we are able to gue&s;s) the <HI>Po&s;tmeridian</HI> part of your <HI>Day</HI> before you; time enough by the good ble&s;&s;ing of God, to fini&s;h your <HI>Task</HI> which is &s;et you, <HI>ere
<PB N="17" REF="12">the night come wherein no man can work, Jo.</HI> 9.4.</P>
<P>As for your <HI>De&s;pightfully u&s;ing the Spirit of Grace,</HI> Heb. 10.29. (as you phra&s;e it after St. <HI>Paul</HI>) an expre&s;sion more &s;uitable to a &s;tate of <HI>Apo&s;tacy</HI> than <HI>&V;nregeneracy,</HI> (as you would have me &s;uppo&s;e yours to be) as in your former cour&s;e of life, you &s;et (if I may be|lieve your &s;elf) too little an e&s;teem, upon the wayes of God (the manner of unregent|rate men:) &s;o have you now too bitter a cen|&s;ure upon your own, the &s;ins of our unrege|nerate life, being after conver&s;ion, by all <HI>Divines</HI> (I pre&s;ume) accounted araungable, under the &s;tyle of Infirmities; and therefore of what &s;ort &s;oever, yet pardonable upon Repentance.</P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="3" TYPE="objection">
<HEAD>OBJECTION.</HEAD>
<P>I grant (&s;ay you) that it may be with &s;ome Chri&s;tians as with St. <HI>Paul;</HI> he was a mo&s;t violent Per&s;ecutor of the Church, but then it was in a &s;tate of <HI>Ignorance</HI> and <HI>Unbelief,</HI> and therefore he &s;ayes, <HI>God had mercy upon him, becau&s;e he did it through Ignorance, and in Infidelity:</HI> From whence 'tis ea&s;y to in infer, that had St. <HI>Paul maliciou&s;ly</HI> and <HI>knowing|ly</HI>
<PB N="18" REF="13">acted tho&s;e outrages against the Church of <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> he had undoubtedly been excluded from all hopes of Pardon; What think you then will become of me, <HI>Who knew the will of my Ma&s;ter and did it not.</HI></P>
<DIV3 TYPE="solution">
<HEAD>SOLUTION.</HEAD>
<P N="8">8. THat Saint <HI>Paul</HI> did Ignorantly per&s;e|cute the Church of <HI>Christ</HI> is unque&s;tio|nable; and that if Saint <HI>Paul</HI> had done the &s;ame Knowingly, and Maliciou&s;ly, he had not had any grounds to expect Pardon may pro|bably enough be true; but I do not take it to be out of all Que&s;tion, but the Inference from hence again&s;t your &s;elf is <HI>Illogical,</HI> and will by no means follow upon tho&s;e <HI>Premi&s;es.</HI> For thus your Argument &s;tands, Saint <HI>Paul</HI> had mercy from God for per&s;ecuting the Church of <HI>Chri&s;t Ignorantly,</HI> therefore who|ever committeth any &s;in <HI>again&s;t Con&s;cience and Knowledge</HI> &s;hall not have mercy, and &s;uch &s;ins I am guilty of.</P>
<P>I &s;hall not &s;tand to &s;hew you the <HI>fal&s;ity</HI> of this way of rea&s;oning, but only di&s;cover unto you how erroneous your Principles are, and that &s;o evidently, as I need not torture you into a confe&s;sion thereof; Do you profe&s;s to believe that there is an equality in all kinds of Sin? that Adultery is not a greater &s;in than Swear|ing? Murder or Idolatry than Sabboth breach?
<PB N="19" REF="13">Rebellion than Theft? I am a&s;&s;ured you are not involved in this gro&s;s error. But then do you believe, that that circum&s;tance [of doing it Knowingly] can render the &s;ame &s;in unpar|donable, which if done Ignorantly will upon Repentance undoubtedly be forgiven. <HI>Who then can be &s;aved?</HI> What were the &s;ins of <HI>Da|vid</HI> and of Saint <HI>Peter?</HI> were they not &s;ins a|gain&s;t Knowledge, yet Repentance re&s;tor'd both of them to their former &s;tation in Gods favour, you cannot &s;uppo&s;e that tho&s;e per|&s;ons with whom our Saviour conver&s;t, were all of them Sinners only out of Ignorance: <HI>Mary Magdalen</HI> was never held to be <HI>Ignorant</HI> (much le&s;s to be <HI>Inculpably</HI> &s;o,) that her cour&s;e of Life was not agreeable to the Law of God: yet &s;o dear was &s;he to our Saviour, upon her hearty Repentance, <HI>That after his Re&s;ur|rection he appeared fir&s;t to</HI> Mary Magdalene, <HI>out of whom be had cast &s;even Devils,</HI> Mar. 16.9.</P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="4" TYPE="objection">
<HEAD>OBJECTION IV.</HEAD>
<P>But under the Law the Soul that did ought <HI>pre&s;umptuou&s;ly,</HI> was to be cut off from <HI>I&s;rael.</HI></P>
<DIV3 TYPE="solution">
<HEAD>SOLUTION.</HEAD>
<P N="9">9. <HI>WE are not under the Law but under Grace,</HI> and Saint <HI>Paul</HI> tells us plain|ly,
<PB N="20" REF="14">that a main branch of that Priviledge is, <HI>That by Him,</HI> (i. e. <HI>Chri&s;t</HI>) <HI>all that believe are ju&s;tified from all things, from which Ye</HI> (i. e. <HI>the Jews</HI>) <HI>could not be ju&s;tified by the Law of</HI> Mo&s;es, <HI>Act.</HI> 13.39. from whence 'tis clear, that Remi&s;sion of &s;ins is given to all Sinners, who repent and believe the Go&s;pel. Be&s;ides, every &s;in that a man commits again&s;t Know|ledge, is not a &s;in of <HI>Pre&s;umption,</HI> or a &s;in committed with an <HI>high Hand;</HI> Pre&s;umption is not an error of, or in the Under&s;tanding, but in the Will; at lea&s;t is much more fixt in the Will, than in the intellectual faculty, and therefore to &s;in again&s;t Knowledge, and to &s;in Pre&s;umptuou&s;ly are not convertible, and the &s;ame thing; Pre&s;umption being not only the highe&s;t degree of Wilfullne&s;s, and very properly plac'd under the v ce of <HI>Auda|city;</HI> but it reflects more upon the per&s;on of the Law-maker, than on the Law it &s;elf; and the contempt of per&s;ons in Authority is ever more grievou&s;ly puni&s;hed than the breach of &s;uch Laws and con&s;titutions, as are made by them.</P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="5" TYPE="objection">
<HEAD>OBJECTION V.</HEAD>
<P><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> to relap&s;e into &s;in, after not only Re&s;olutti|ons but Vows again&s;t it, as they who &s;in after Bapti&s;m do, is intollerable and a &s;ign of one
<PB N="21" REF="14">that hath forfeited the Grace, that is given him, and is <HI>judicially hardned</HI> by God.</P>
<DIV3 TYPE="solution">
<HEAD>SOLUTION.</HEAD>
<P N="10">10. TO &s;in, and to relap&s;e into &s;in after a Vow again&s;t it, is that thing indeed which every bapti&s;ed Chri&s;tian doth: and in tho&s;e who are <HI>Adult,</HI> or at years of di&s;creti|on (not invincibly ignorant of their Obliga|tion) is infallibly not only a very great Ag|gravation of &s;in, but a &s;in it &s;elf: and &s;uch an Offendour is (in very truth) not only a great Di&s;honor to the Go&s;pell of <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> but a great <HI>&s;candol</HI> to the <HI>Communion of Saints;</HI> di&s;-inherited (and that actually) of his in|tere&s;t in the Kingdom of Chri&s;t, while&s;t he continues in that &s;tate of Impenitency: but when the cour&s;e is broken, the ca&s;e is quite the contrary; and the <HI>Prodigal</HI> returning, capable of as benign and as ho&s;pital a <HI>Recep|tion</HI> in his Fathers hou&s;e, as was that other Son, able to boa&s;t of his good demeanour from his Childhood. This is the ca&s;e of Re|pentant Sinners, and for &s;uch it is, that when they (nay though but a &s;ingle one) return, <HI>There is joy in the pre&s;ence of the Angels of God.</HI> Luke 15.12.</P>
<P>But for the <HI>&V;ow in the Bapti&s;me,</HI> I am not for the pre&s;ent) of opinion, that it is any aggravation of &s;in, till the bapti&s;ed Per&s;on comes to years of Di&s;cretion, and hath ei|ther
<PB N="22" REF="15">actually taken upon him the perfor|mance of his <HI>Bapti&s;mal vow,</HI> or el&s;e hath at|tain'd &s;o much knowledge of his Profe&s;sion, as that he hath, or may have information, that he was initiated thereinto, and admit|ted under &s;uch a <HI>&s;olemn Stipulation.</HI> But when <HI>I</HI> &s;peak of <HI>Actual</HI> taking upon him the performance of this Vow, I do not mean that &s;olemn, direct, oral, and publick tran&s;|ferring the Obligation on him&s;elf in <HI>Epi&s;co|pal Confirmation:</HI> but al&s;o the doing any Chri&s;tian duty of Communion, whereby he doth (though but <HI>implicitely</HI>) own his Faith, and con&s;equently his Obligation thereto, made on his behalf by <HI>Suretyes</HI> in his Bap|ti&s;me.</P>
<P>And again, you mu&s;t conceive, that every willfull &s;in again&s;t Knowledge and Con&s;ci|ence (even in tho&s;e who are <HI>adult,</HI> and have Actually put them&s;elves under the perfor|mance of the Vow) is no <HI>abdication</HI> of our Vow in Bapti&s;me, neither do I apprehend that Per&s;on which &s;o offends to be guilty of Perjury, upon every Act of &s;uch &s;in of Wil|fullne&s;s, no more than I believe, that every &s;ingle di&s;obedience of her Husband may be interpreted to be a perjury in the Wife, be|cau&s;e &s;he hath promi&s;ed, and &s;olemnly vowed to obey him in the <HI>Mariage Con|tract.</HI></P>
<P>I confe&s;s, that an habitual cour&s;e of wil|full &s;in, in &s;uch as do own their profe&s;si|on;
<PB N="23" REF="15">nay that any &s;in pre&s;umptuou&s;ly commit|ted again&s;t the <HI>Divine Maje&s;ty,</HI> doth imply a breach of this <HI>vow,</HI> as well as final <HI>Apo&s;tacy;</HI> yea that the abnegation of any evident <HI>Fun|damental</HI> of Religion, as <HI>the Re&s;urrection of the Dead,</HI> the Doctrine of the ever <HI>ble&s;&s;ed and holy Trinity,</HI> (after <HI>fir&s;t and &s;econd Admoniti|on,</HI> Tit. 3.10. &amp;c. is) a breach of the Vow in Bapti&s;me, but that every Act of willfull &s;in is &s;uch, is to my Apprehen&s;ion no more a truth, than for a Chri&s;tian of the Prote&s;tant per&s;wa|&s;ion to deny <HI>Chri&s;ts local de&s;cention into Hell,</HI> (which hath no undenyable ground in Scrip|ture) and for that error (for to that <HI>Per&s;wa|&s;ion</HI> the Church is not infallible) to be held guilty of perjury in breaking, the <HI>&s;econd</HI> clau&s;e, or branch of this Vow in <HI>Bapti&s;me,</HI> re|quiring him to <HI>believe all the Articles of the Chri&s;tian Faith,</HI> as well as doth the <HI>fir&s;t</HI> and <HI>third,</HI> exact from him a <HI>for&s;aking of the Devil, the World, the Fle&s;h, and the keeping of Gods holy Will and commandements all the days of my life.</HI></P>
<P>But let the mo&s;t that you fear be granted, &amp; you be held guilty of as many perjuries, as you committed other &s;ins, and this not only in your own e&s;teem, but in the opinions of lear|ned <HI>Divines,</HI> yet &s;till this may render that condition to be more lamented, but it can|not make it irrecoverable; for is there any thing in Scripture more frequent than Gods Me&s;&s;ages by his Prophets to the People of the <HI>Jews,</HI> calling them to repentance, &amp; that after
<PB N="24" REF="16"><HI>Covenant-breach,</HI> and promi&s;ing them pardon if they would repent, and convert unto him? The Prophet <HI>Jeremy</HI> may &s;uper&s;ede your &s;earching any other Scriptures to this pur|po&s;e who indeed is abundant in tho&s;e pro|mi&s;es of Mercy, and therefore a Book very fit to comfort every penitent Soul, and like|wi&s;e as fit by rea&s;on of the Threatnings therein to convert the Impenitent.</P>
<P>As for that you &s;peak concerning <HI>judicial induration,</HI> or Gods hardening mens hearts in Judg ement;<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Mat.</HI> 25.28. <HI>Luke</HI> 8.18.</NOTE> I confe&s;s, that there is a taking away the <HI>Ta|lent</HI> from the &s;loathfull Ser|vant, a withdrawing of Grace from him that doth not u&s;e it, to that end for which it was given him by God: but that &s;uch a judgement is not (ordinarily) revea|led, &s;ave by the trea&s;uring up of wrath again&s;t the day of wrath, the final impenitence of him who is thus <HI>judicially</HI> hardened by God, will be difficult to prove, there being no very &s;ure example of this <HI>Induration</HI> in Scripture, &s;ave that of <HI>Pharoah,</HI> in whom tho&s;e con&s;equents were mo&s;t vi&s;ible, and of tho&s;e ob&s;tinate and incredulous <HI>Jews</HI> to whom our Saviour preach'd, or in who&s;e pre|&s;ence, or Country he wrought &s;o many Mi|racles, mentioned in <HI>Mat.</HI> 13.14, 15. but that you are in danger of &s;uch <HI>judicial</HI> Indu|ration as this, is a very remote fear, and to my judgment wholly incon&s;i&s;tent with your pre|&s;ent Chri&s;tian Deportment.</P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="6" TYPE="objection">
<PB N="25" REF="16">
<HEAD>OBJECTION.</HEAD>
<P>But you &s;ay, my Sins are confe&s;&s;edly very great, (being accompanyed with &s;uch circum&s;tances as they are) even withall the <HI>Allowances</HI> your Charity or Judgement can afford them: they cannot then but require a proportionable Grief for them, which as yet I find not in my &s;elf; <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> Rod that drew water from Rocks of the Wilderne&s;s, being not able to break and wound my &s;tony Heart into Rivers of Tears, &s;uch as are fit to clean&s;e and wrince away the&s;e &s;tains of Sin.</P>
<DIV3 TYPE="solution">
<HEAD>SOLUTION VI.</HEAD>
<P N="11">11. THis complaint is but a retrive of one of tho&s;e <HI>Aggravations</HI> of your &s;ins men|tioned by you at the fir&s;t, and by me deferred to be &s;atisfied at that time. I &s;ay therefore that it cannot be denyed, but that Grief for &s;in committed ought to bear &s;ome proportion with the heinou&s;ne&s;s of our Crimes for which we de&s;ire to grieve and lament: but you may be very unfit to judge of this proportion; e&s;pe|cially &s;eeing your <HI>Grief</HI> and <HI>Revenge,</HI> with an intermixture of other <HI>Ira&s;cible pa&s;sions,</HI> hath made you already too obnoxious to the <HI>devi|ces</HI>
<PB N="26" REF="17">of Satan, 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 2.11. and <HI>Peter</HI> three times denyed that he knew his Ma&s;ter, <HI>Mark</HI> 14.66. and that with Cur&s;ings and Swear|ings, <HI>Imprecations</HI> (perhaps) upon him&s;elf if he knew any <HI>&s;uch man, Luk.</HI> 22.55. Here was a Complication of very gro&s;s &s;ins, as Swearing, Cur&s;ing, Denyal of his Ma&s;ter, whom lately he profe&s;&s;ed to be the <HI>Son of God;</HI> and all this a flat Perjury; yet you never read of Tears &s;hed for the&s;e Sins more then once:<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Mat.</HI> 26.75. <HI>Mar.</HI> 14.72. <HI>Luk.</HI> 22.62.</NOTE> but then they are recorded to be <HI>Bitter</HI> ones, what they wanted in the <HI>Extrin&s;ecal</HI> Proportion to the Standard of mans Judgement, they had in the <HI>Intrin&s;ick</HI> value, mo&s;t proportion|able to the Judgement of God.</P>
<P>You mu&s;t know then, that Grief and Shame, and &s;uch like <HI>Affections</HI> of the <HI>Ira&s;cible Appe|tite,</HI> are parts of that <HI>corrective</HI> Ju&s;tice, which we execute upon our &s;elves; and very pro|perly on the <HI>lower Soul,</HI> becau&s;e that hath been mo&s;t in&s;trumental in our Sins, and hath likewi&s;e had the greate&s;t &s;hare of the Sen&s;ual Plea&s;ure received in &s;inning; as al&s;o for that &s;he is the mo&s;t proper in&s;trument to macerate and cha&s;tize the Body, (the other <HI>A&s;&s;ociate</HI> and <HI>Con&s;pirator</HI> in offending.) That which ought to give the greate&s;t &s;atisfaction to the Penitent, concerning the <HI>Truth</HI> and <HI>Mea&s;ure</HI> of his Sorrow for Sin, is the Aver&s;ation of his <HI>Spirit</HI> and <HI>Minde</HI> to <HI>all</HI> former evil wayes,
<PB N="27" REF="17">as &s;uch; with a full Re&s;olution, and &s;incere Endeavour, to avoid and fly <HI>all</HI> Sin for the time to come, and to imbrace and practi&s;e mo&s;t impartially, <HI>all</HI> Rules of <HI>Godline&s;s, Righ|teou&s;ne&s;s</HI> and <HI>Sobriety,</HI> at what rate &s;oever he purcha&s;e the performance of them; facili|tating his way thereto, by a frequent and prudent exerci&s;e of &s;uch helps of Mortifica|tion, as his Lord and Ma&s;ter Chri&s;t, and the Church his Mother, have recommended by example, or enjoyned by Precept.</P>
<P>Neither is there any cau&s;e to complain, that the&s;e <HI>Severe Cour&s;es</HI> are not reconcilea|ble to a cheerful manner of living in this World, &s;o far as not to ca&s;t any torpid Lan|gui&s;hments on our frail Bodies, or to render our &s;elves complyable with &s;ober and hone&s;t Conver&s;ation: for they who have, and daily do make Tryal of the&s;e <HI>Rules</HI> and <HI>Canons</HI> for a Chri&s;tian mans life, do not finde &s;o much trouble in <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1+ letters">e practice of them, as in the <HI>&s;ad Reflections</HI> on their former Unregenerate State; which yet they may now contemplate with Glory to God, and Comfort to them|&s;elves, who through the Grace of our <HI>Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> hath given them the Victory over &s;o Unwearied, &s;o Politick, and &s;o Powerful Enemies to their &s;alvation: if Rea|&s;on can per&s;wade you, that it is matter of Sadne&s;s for a man to pa&s;s through rough and dirty wayes, that he may in &s;hort time go and be po&s;&s;e&s;t of a Kingdom; or if you can
<PB N="28" REF="18">imagine, that that man hath rea&s;onable cau&s;e of Complaint, who is &s;ure to e&s;cape the Bloody Hands of <HI>A&s;&s;a&s;&s;ines,</HI> if he will but take the pains to <HI>Winde</HI> him&s;elf after a &s;ure <HI>Guide,</HI> through a <HI>narrow Path,</HI> be&s;et here and there with Briars and Thorns; then, and not el&s;e, hath that man cau&s;e to complain of the unchearfulne&s;s of an Holy Life, who hath engaged to follow <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> his Leader, in the Duties and Contingencies of &s;o Noble a Profe&s;&s;ion.</P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="7" TYPE="objection">
<HEAD>OBJECTION VII.</HEAD>
<P>But I &s;till fear the <HI>I&s;&s;ue</HI> of all my Travails; not thinking any thing too Dear to be bought, or too Heavy to be borne, &s;o I might be a&s;&s;u|red to <HI>fini&s;h my Cour&s;e with joy:</HI> I am told by my Saviour him&s;elf, <HI>that many &s;hall &s;eek to enter in at the &s;traight gate, and &s;hall not be able to enter.</HI> If my former Sins be not pardoned, all I do will be to no purpo&s;e; the not accepting of my Per&s;on will render all the good I do contemptible, and puni&s;hable by God, as being &s;o many <HI>guilded Sins,</HI> as &s;uch moral Works are wont to be called.</P>
<DIV3 TYPE="solution">
<PB N="29" REF="18">
<HEAD>SOLUTION.</HEAD>
<P N="12">12. IF nothing but your Pardon in your hand will &s;atisfie you, and &s;hake off the Scruples and Perplexities of your mind; you mu&s;t know that this Pardon and Ju&s;tifica|tion of ours, is rather under <HI>Promi&s;e</HI> now, and by <HI>Title</HI> of Law, then <HI>Actually</HI> pas'd upon our Souls in this Life: yet are not we the le&s;s &s;e|cure of it, for the Word of God is unchange|able; but no man hath rea&s;on to expect, with <HI>&V;nconditionate</HI> and <HI>Ab&s;olute</HI> A&s;&s;urance, what mu&s;t depend upon our own <HI>Co-operation</HI> with the Grace of God. And though God hath a&s;&s;ured us, that <HI>He will not for&s;ake us, till we for&s;ake Him,</HI> no nor pre&s;ently then neither; yet what a&s;&s;urance we &s;hall have of our own endeavours, mu&s;t be &s;ought for in the promi&s;es of God made &amp; perform'd to his gra|cious Servants, and al&s;o in our own <HI>free Wills,</HI> and the pre&s;everance of them in Grace dayly and minutely begged of Him in Prayer.<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Luke</HI> 19.26. 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 15. <HI>ult.</HI> 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 2.9. <HI>Phil.</HI> 1.6.</NOTE> God fir&s;t gives us grace to ask, then commands us to ask, then helps our Infirmities in asking, and promi&s;es he will give if we ask as he hath bid us; if then our wants be not &s;upplyed, where will the fault lye but in our &s;elves? Grace is cheaply enough obtained, if it may be had for the <HI>asking,</HI> and increas'd for the <HI>u&s;ing.</HI></P>
<PB N="30" REF="19">
<P>But being you &s;peak of <HI>Gods not accepting your Per&s;on,</HI> as if that had &s;o nece&s;&s;ary and immediate an influence upon all your <HI>practice,</HI> that not only nothing were accepted without it, but every thing <HI>for</HI> it and <HI>from</HI> it; we will a little con&s;ider that expre&s;sion, as it is u&s;ed in Scripture, with reflection upon the <HI>erro|neous</HI> doctrine wherein you &s;eem to me to be (I believe unwittingly) involved.</P>
<P><HI>To accept any ones per&s;on</HI> hath in Scripture a two-fold &s;en&s;e: &s;ometimes it is taken in a good &s;en&s;e, but not often, &s;o in 1 <HI>Sam.</HI> 25.35. where <HI>David</HI> being interceeded with by the eloquence, wi&s;edom, and pre&s;ence of <HI>Abigail,</HI> changeth his determination of de&s;troying her Husband <HI>Nabal</HI> and his Family, and this is there called <HI>an accepting of her Per&s;on.</HI> In a bad &s;en&s;e it is more u&s;ually found, &s;o God for|bids the <HI>Mini&s;ters of Ju&s;tice to accept Mens Per|&s;ons:</HI> Lev. 16.15. and in this &s;en&s;e it is, that God will not <HI>accept the Per&s;ons of Men,</HI> 2 Sam. 14.14. Mat. 22.16. Gal. 2.6. yea in this &s;en&s;e the <HI>Per&s;on of God Him&s;elf</HI> may be, but mu&s;t not be <HI>accepted,</HI> as in <HI>Job.</HI> 13.7, 8. <HI>Will ye &s;peak wickedly for God, and talk deceitfully for him? will ye accept His per&s;on?</HI> wherein <HI>Job</HI> admoni&s;heth his Friends that they &s;hould not argue for God (with opinion thereby to vindicate his Ju&s;tice) from <HI>fal&s;e Allegati|ons</HI> of <HI>Jobs Hypocri&s;y.</HI> So do tho&s;e men, who <HI>equivocate,</HI> or <HI>lye, &s;teal, rob,</HI> commit <HI>Sacriledge</HI> and <HI>murder for Gods glory, &amp;c. accept the per|&s;on of God.</HI></P>
<PB N="31" REF="19">
<P>When therefore the Phra&s;e of <HI>[accepting of mens per&s;ons]</HI> is u&s;ed in a good &s;en&s;e, it &s;ig|nifies thus much, that the per&s;on of &s;uch a man in <HI>conjunction with his good qualifications,</HI> or de&s;erts, is accepted &amp; rewarded: but when it &s;ignifies to a bad &s;en&s;e, then it imports thus much; that &s;uch a Man is accepted, favour'd, or rewarded, without any <HI>intuition</HI> of his <HI>Qualifications</HI> be they good or evil; this is Partiality and Inju&s;tice, and we may not u&s;e it even for God him&s;elf.</P>
<P>Now by your Objection, I conceive, you believe that he is an Accepter of Per&s;ons in this la&s;t &s;en&s;e, viz. an <HI>ab&s;olute Elector,</HI> who out of the <HI>ma&s;s</HI> of Mankind corrupted, did by vertue of his <HI>Soveraign power,</HI> and <HI>Omnipotent will, irre&s;pectively</HI> choo&s;e &s;ome few mens <HI>Per|&s;ons,</HI> and reprobate Myriades of others, with|out any <HI>previ&s;ional regard</HI> to their Works, expre&s;ly contrary to that of Saint <HI>Paul, Gal.</HI> 2.6. where the Apo&s;tle &s;ayes, <HI>that God re|&s;pects no Mans per&s;on,</HI> (the Gentiles being as e|ligible in Gods eye, as <HI>the lineal &s;eed of Abra|ham,</HI> of which the <HI>Jews</HI> could not ea&s;ily be per&s;waded;) neither <HI>Iames</HI> nor <HI>Peter</HI> who &s;eemed to be <HI>Pillars,</HI> being preferred and re|&s;pected before Saint <HI>Paul, (a late abortive Convert,)</HI> by <HI>Him who &s;eeth not as Man &s;eeth.</HI> And therefore if God hath not elected &s;ome, and reprobated others, without <HI>previ&s;ion</HI> and <HI>Intuition</HI> of their Qualifications; as fore|&s;eeing what good, or what bad, or what no|u&s;e
<PB N="32" REF="20">men would make of <HI>Grace given,</HI> and con&s;equently, thereby <HI>a&s;&s;ure</HI> or <HI>dive&s;t</HI> them|&s;elves of the Advantages and Priviledges of <HI>Gods common Love to Mankinde;</HI> your fear of not being accepted, becau&s;e God hath from all Eternity &s;ome <HI>Quarrel</HI> or <HI>No Love</HI> to your Per&s;on, is not only frivolous, but dangerous, and in it &s;elf <HI>de&s;tructive</HI> of all your Labours and Endeavours for eternal Life; <HI>keeping</HI> them under the <HI>di&s;mal,</HI> and fal&s;e Apprehen|&s;ion of <HI>Tyranny</HI> in the Divine Maje&s;ty, which the Heathens them&s;elves rejected, under the <HI>Notion</HI> of <HI>Super&s;tition.</HI></P>
<P>To be &s;hort, I &s;hall only confront the An|&s;wer of God to <HI>Cain, Gen.</HI> 4.7. (whom I be|lieve the <HI>A&s;&s;ertors</HI> of that Doctrine have ever held to be a Reprobate) again&s;t the &s;trong|e&s;t Argument that may be u&s;ed for inducing and confirming the belief of this <HI>pro&s;opolepti|cal</HI> way of electing and reprobating men, without any intuition of their good or evil deeds: <HI>[If thou do well, &s;hall thou not be accep|ted?]</HI> from whence are inferred the&s;e two things; Fir&s;t, that <HI>Cain</HI> him&s;elf might have offered an acceptable Sacrifice to God as well as <HI>Abel;</HI> and <HI>Secondly,</HI> if he had done &s;o, he had been accepted by God, as well as was his brother. So that it was not any Quar|rel and Hatred that God had to the <HI>Per&s;on</HI> of <HI>Cain irre&s;pectively</HI> con&s;idered; but either to the evil that he had <HI>formerly done</HI> (for we cannot pre&s;ume <HI>Cain</HI> to have lived without
<PB N="33" REF="20">&s;in, till the time of the offering that Sacri|fice, nor doth the Text a&s;&s;ert, <HI>that</HI> to be the <HI>fir&s;t</HI> Sacrifice, that either he, or <HI>Abel</HI> offered) or that which he had now committed in of|fering a <HI>Sacrifice</HI> not worthy Gods accep|tance at his hands.</P>
<P>What rea&s;on therefore you &s;hould have to fear the &s;ucce&s;s of your Labours in the Lord, upon <HI>Mi&s;pri&s;ion</HI> of <HI>Per&s;onal Acceptance</HI> with God, you &s;ee by what hath been &s;aid; as al&s;o of your <HI>groundle&s;s</HI> fears of not being <HI>able to enter in at the &s;traight Gate;</HI> our Saviour ha|ving (if you mark it) threatned, not them who <HI>&s;trive</HI> (becau&s;e he hath commanded that <HI>active, indu&s;trious</HI> way of attempting) but them who only <HI>&s;eek,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Luk.</HI> 13.24. <GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> (a way of getting Heaven very different from the former) importing very little more (though no more to the purpo&s;e) than <HI>Ba|laams</HI> Wi&s;h, that he <HI>might dye the death of the righteous. Numb.</HI> 23.10.</P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="8" TYPE="objection">
<HEAD>OBJECTION VIII.</HEAD>
<P>But though it will follow from hence that <HI>Per&s;o|nal</HI> A&s;&s;urance of Remi&s;&s;ion and Pardon of Sin, be not alwayes a nece&s;&s;ary effect of Gods pardoning of us, or our being in a <HI>way</HI> to be pardoned: yet &s;urely it is &s;omewhat un|likely
<PB N="34" REF="21">(&s;ay you) that the clean contrary, <HI>viz.</HI> a per&s;wa&s;ion that I &s;hall not be pardoned, &s;hould flow from &s;o happy a condition, as you would make me believe I am In.</P>
<DIV3 TYPE="solution">
<HEAD>SOLUTION.</HEAD>
<P N="13">13. IF you &s;hould throughly examine your &s;elf; that you do thus per|&s;wade your &s;elf, will undoubtedly appear to be fal&s;e. For to what purpo&s;e do you then <HI>pray, fa&s;t,</HI> and <HI>give alms,</HI> lead a <HI>&s;trict</HI> and <HI>&s;e|vere</HI> life, &amp;c. if you were indeed per&s;waded that you &s;hall not be &s;aved? would any one but a mad man keep on his pace, in rough, and almo&s;t impa&s;&s;able wayes, if he were cer|tainly a&s;&s;ured, that he &s;hould never come to his journeys end? his feet mu&s;t needs be thought to confute his tongue, if he &s;hould do thus.</P>
<P>Be&s;ides how prepo&s;terous a thing were it, if you &s;hould take &s;uch <HI>&s;harp</HI> and <HI>&s;evere</HI> cour|&s;es, as you do, to enlarge your &s;core, &s;up|po&s;ing all the&s;e Actions of yours &s;hould be charged by God upon your account, as &s;o many <HI>guilded</HI> &s;ins, as you lately termed them? But this, I think, you will have little rea&s;on to be afraid of, &s;eeing our Saviour hath told you, that the Alms-deeds and Prayers of the Phari&s;ees them&s;elves were &s;o rewarded, as they de&s;ired they &s;hould be, (<HI>viz.</HI> with the <HI>Prai&s;es</HI> and <HI>Commendation</HI> of men, <HI>Math.</HI> 6.16)
<PB N="35" REF="21">and are not by him either &s;til'd &s;ins, or threatned with any puni&s;hment, more then with the no-ground of expecting a Reward from God.</P>
<P>But as concerning the pardon of our &s;in, it will be very u&s;eful to ob&s;erve the&s;e four things. 1. That the point of Faith, concerning <HI>Remi&s;&s;ion of Sin,</HI> is, That by <HI>Chri&s;t, Remi&s;&s;ion of Sins</HI> is given to Mankinde through Faith in his Blood. 2. That this <HI>Remi&s;&s;ion</HI> is not <HI>ab|&s;olutely,</HI> though <HI>freely</HI> given; but doth depend upon certain <HI>Conditions</HI> or Qualifications, whereby men are made fit and capable of re|ceiving it. 3. That the Rules as well for the means of conveying this <HI>Donation</HI> to us, as for our aptitude and capacity to receive the benefit thereof, are to be &s;ought out and ta|ken from the Scriptures. 4. That becau&s;e many things of Importance, concerning this doctrine, are to be deduced from the Scri|ptures, by the <HI>Mediation</HI> of humane under|&s;tanding, it is a mark both of Piety, Wi&s;dom, and Humility, to take the <HI>Catholique Church</HI> for our Guide, and relyance therein. Fal&s;e Interpretations of Scripture, prove either full of Perplexity, or Danger, or both, to our &s;elves and others; but mo&s;t e&s;pecially in &s;uch Doctrines, &s;o nearly importing our Salvati|on, as this of <HI>Remi&s;&s;ion of Sin</HI> doth. There|fore it is not to be regarded, by what <HI>Med|ums,</HI> or from what <HI>Principles</HI> your conclu&s;i|ons are drawn, if they be only your <HI>own:</HI> if
<PB N="36" REF="22">you mean to &s;ayl &s;ecurely amid&s;t the Tem|pe&s;ts rai&s;ed in the World by &s;uch diver&s;ity of Judgements and Imaginations, embarque your &s;elf in the <HI>&V;niver&s;al Con&s;entient,</HI> and <HI>Ancient Interpretations</HI> and <HI>Doctrines</HI> of the <HI>Church;</HI> and do not adventure &s;o pretious a Fraught, as is your &s;oul, redeemed with the bloud of <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> in the <HI>tottering Boat</HI> of your own, or other mens <HI>private Interpretations</HI> of Scripture. The <HI>Church</HI> teacheth you this do|ctrine, <HI>viz.</HI> 1. That you are pardonable upon your Faith and Repentance. 2. That God hath promi&s;ed (who cannot lye, <HI>Heb.</HI> 6.18.) that he will pardon you, if you believe and and repent. 3. That the <HI>Manife&s;tation</HI> of Gods pardoning your &s;ins, is at pre&s;ent but imperfectly, and inchoately wrought in your Heart by the <HI>Holy Gho&s;t,</HI> and the u&s;e of Sacra|ments; but the full Evidence thereof is to be expected from <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> the Judge, and to be patiently, and chearfully waited for by Faith in the promi&s;es. 4. That the <HI>Te&s;timony</HI> of your own <HI>Spirit,</HI> ari&s;ing from your &s;incere conver&s;ation in the doctrines of the Go&s;pel, is the mo&s;t <HI>certain Evidence,</HI> that you or any man can <HI>ordinarily</HI> expect in this life: and all this from pregnant Te&s;timony of Scripture.</P>
<P>For you, who hold a lawful and uninter|rupted Succe&s;&s;ion of <HI>Mini&s;ters</HI> in the <HI>Church</HI> of Chri&s;th, you cannot but believe, that in the hands of the Church lyes much of your Peace, as well as of your &s;afety: con&s;ider|ing
<PB N="37" REF="22">the <HI>Power</HI> they have <HI>over</HI> you, <HI>Heb.</HI> 13.17. and the <HI>Power</HI> they have <HI>for</HI> you, <HI>John</HI> 20.21.22.23. and <HI>both</HI> the&s;e derived down to this pre&s;ent Age, and &s;hall &s;o continue where&s;oever the Church &s;hall be, (though there be no nece&s;&s;ity that they &s;hould be con|tinued where&s;oever Chri&s;tians are) by ver|of our Saviours promi&s;e, even to the end of the World. And the&s;e <HI>powers</HI> to be pleaded for <HI>by them,</HI> and &s;ubmitted unto <HI>by you,</HI> as be|ing of <HI>Divine right;</HI> framed and appointed by the <HI>Holy Gho&s;t,</HI> (the principal <HI>Admini|&s;trator</HI> of <HI>Church-Government</HI>) for the Ad|vantage and Edification of the <HI>Bodie of Chri&s;t.</HI></P>
<P>I doubt there be &s;ome, and tho&s;e no in|con&s;iderable ones, that believe this doctrine not <HI>&s;ufficiently</HI> a&s;&s;erted by the <HI>Church of En|gland,</HI> there being in the Frame and Contex|ture of her <HI>Church-Government,</HI> too much of the <HI>Lay,</HI> and too little of the <HI>Clergy-man.</HI> And though my Judgement tells me, that there is not any <HI>Civil Magi&s;trate</HI> on earth, be he <HI>Emperour, King</HI> or <HI>Prince,</HI> that hath &s;o <HI>Evident,</HI> and <HI>Immediate</HI> a <HI>Commi&s;&s;ion</HI> for his <HI>Power,</HI> and the <HI>Exerci&s;e</HI> thereof, as hath the <HI>Church:</HI> yet who &s;ees not, that both the Ad|mini&s;tration, and the Admini&s;trators of this Government are <HI>de&s;pi&s;ed,</HI> &s;ave in &s;uch a <HI>&s;ub|ordinate way</HI> of di&s;pen&s;ing this <HI>power,</HI> that mu&s;t needs render it <HI>precarious</HI> in the eyes of ignorant men, and the <HI>Church Officers</HI> them|&s;elves,
<PB N="38" REF="23">no other things, but &s;uch <HI>borrowed Hands,</HI> as by <HI>pulling,</HI> now this <HI>way,</HI> now that <HI>way,</HI> help to keep the <HI>carriage</HI> of the <HI>Civil State</HI> from <HI>overturning</HI> in <HI>rough</HI> and <HI>dangerous De&s;cents</HI></P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="9" TYPE="objection">
<HEAD>OBJECTION IX.</HEAD>
<P>But you &s;ay, that could you have believed the point of <HI>Sacerdotal Ab&s;olution,</HI> and the Obligation (<HI>that</HI> &s;eems to inferre) to <HI>pri|vate Confe&s;&s;ion;</HI> you had long &s;ince en|joyed your Peace, at lea&s;t you had not felt &s;o great a trouble as now you do.</P>
<DIV3 TYPE="solution">
<HEAD>SOLUTION.</HEAD>
<P N="14">14. OUr Judgements no whit differ in this, for I clearly believe, that on earth, as there is no &s;urer way to prevent mens falling into &s;in (e&s;pecially many <HI>clo&s;e</HI> Enormities) then the <HI>di&s;creet</HI> and <HI>con&s;ciona|ble practi&s;e</HI> of the Duty of <HI>Confe&s;&s;ion:</HI> &s;o is there not a more proper and undoubted way, for allaying the Troubles of minde, flowing from the guilt of Sin; then a <HI>grave</HI> and <HI>con|&s;iderate Execution,</HI> of the <HI>Power</HI> of <HI>Ab&s;olving Sinners.</HI></P>
<P>I &s;ay the <HI>power of ab&s;olving Sinners;</HI> for if this Clau&s;e in his <HI>Commi&s;&s;ion</HI> &s;tand not good
<PB N="39" REF="23">by <HI>Divine Right;</HI> I know nothing a <HI>Prie&s;t</HI> can do more then other men; and am well a&s;&s;ured, that in &s;ome part of their Office, they can do (many of them) much le&s;s. Not to &s;ignifie any thing of the grief I have, for your not believing &s;o evident Texts of Scri|pture, as this Doctrine is built upon; I &s;hall en|deavour to cut up your Infidelity in this point by the Roots, by a very brief Exami|nation of the&s;e few particulars. 1. What the <HI>power</HI> of <HI>Ab&s;olving</HI> is. 2 Whether it be <HI>con|veyed</HI> down to the <HI>pre&s;ent Pa&s;tors</HI> of the <HI>Church,</HI> in the ordinary way of commi&s;&s;ioning them to that Function, by the <HI>Impo&s;ition</HI> of the hands of <HI>Bi&s;hops</HI> and <HI>Pre&s;byters.</HI> 3. Of what <HI>concernment</HI> this Power is, in the Execution thereof, upon Penitent Sinners.</P>
<P N="1">1. The <HI>power</HI> of <HI>Ab&s;olving</HI> Sinners, is com|prehended in one branch of the <HI>power of the Keyes, viz.</HI> remitting &s;in: expre&s;sly mention|ed in Chri&s;ts Commi&s;&s;ion given to the Apo|&s;tles and their Succe&s;&s;ors, <HI>Matth.</HI> 16.19. and <HI>Joh.</HI> 20.23. which in the point in hand, as it much differs from <HI>re-admitting</HI> into the Church, (that part of the <HI>power of the Keyes</HI> which &s;eems, and doth but &s;eem to be the &s;ame with this) &s;o is it in a <HI>Prie&s;t</HI> or <HI>Presbyter</HI> (to my Judgment) no <HI>judicial,</HI> but rather an <HI>Annuntiative</HI> act, the Prie&s;t being none of that order to whom the promi&s;e of our Sa|viour is made, <HI>Matth.</HI> 19.28. <HI>of &s;itting on twelve thrones, and judging the twelve Tribes of I&s;rael.</HI> My rea&s;on for my opinion is, be|cau&s;e
<PB N="40" REF="24">a <HI>Prie&s;t</HI> cannot be thought to <HI>Ab&s;olve</HI> otherwi&s;e, then he can <HI>Retein</HI> (el&s;e there will be <HI>more</HI> in one, then in the other of the <HI>cor|relatives,</HI>) Now a <HI>Prie&s;t</HI> doth not <HI>retein</HI> &s;in <HI>judicially</HI> (for that is the office of the Bi&s;hop, and is onely done by the &s;entence of <HI>Excom|munication</HI>) but <HI>declaratively</HI> only, &s;hewing the Impenitents (whether collectively, or per&s;onally) that by rea&s;on of &s;uch or &s;uch Impediments, their &s;ins are not forgiven; but not <HI>binding</HI> their &s;ins upon them <HI>judicially,</HI> &s;o that the Offender &s;hall not only be obliged to repent, but al&s;o (as under the &s;entence of <HI>Excommunication</HI>) to <HI>&s;ue</HI> for the removal of the Cen&s;ure. Like as in the <HI>Law,</HI> one who is &s;ued to an <HI>Outlawry</HI> for Debt, mu&s;t as well procure the <HI>Writ</HI> of <HI>Outlawry</HI> again&s;t him to be <HI>rever&s;t,</HI> as take care to pay the Debt.</P>
<P>Neither do I by this, make the <HI>pronouncing</HI> of a &s;inner ab&s;olved, by a <HI>Prie&s;t,</HI> to be of no more efficacy then if a <HI>Layman</HI> had done it: for a power to <HI>pronounce</HI> or <HI>proclaim</HI> a Pardon in the name of a Prince, by vertue of a Com|mi&s;&s;ion i&s;&s;ued out to one for that purpo&s;e, or by one to who&s;e <HI>office</HI> it belongs &s;o to do; is quite another thing, then the &s;ame Pardon <HI>re|ported</HI> by one, who hath no power and autho|rity to proclaim the Princes pardon.</P>
<P>But if I am thought by this to infringe the power and priviledge of the <HI>Sacerdotal</HI> Fun|ction, and any way to le&s;&s;en the Authority of that <HI>Order;</HI> I mu&s;t &s;peak my minde freely,
<PB N="41" REF="24">I do not conceive that the &s;ame words in the <HI>Ordination</HI> of a Prie&s;t, do in the <HI>Intention</HI> of the <HI>Church</HI> &s;ignify to the &s;ame latitude, as they did in the <HI>In&s;titution</HI> of <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> and there|fore I believe a <HI>Presbyter</HI> or <HI>Prie&s;t,</HI> doth no (more, but yet as much) in this point, as the <HI>Church</HI> hath inve&s;ted him with in her Ordina|tion of him to that Function; which is the exerci&s;e of an Authority <HI>limited,</HI> as I have already &s;aid.</P>
<P>However this is enough for the Penitent, for if the Prie&s;t hath Judgment (which in Reverence to the <HI>Church</HI> which hath had In|&s;pection of his abilities we ought to believe) to di&s;cern when the Penitent is pardonable, you cannot deny but he hath authority com|mitted unto him, in Gods Name, and from his Word, to let the Penitent know, not only that he is pardonable, but that God will un|doubtedly pardon him, and all &s;uch as he is; in ca&s;e of their Per&s;everance in their Re|pentance.</P>
<P N="2">2. As for the &s;econd thing propo&s;ed, <HI>viz.</HI> whether this <HI>power</HI> be &s;o <HI>conveyed</HI> down, &amp;c. it is &s;trange, me thinks, it &s;hould be any mat|ter of &s;cruple to you. For if you had not &s;ome prejudice to every thing that <HI>relates</HI> to pardon of Sin, I would ask you (and do ve|rily &s;uppo&s;e &s;hould go away without an an|&s;wer) whether you believe a <HI>Presbyter</HI> hath power to <HI>con&s;ecrate</HI> the Elements in the ble&s;|&s;ed Sacrament, by vertue of this Ordination?
<PB N="42" REF="25">and whether a <HI>Lay-man</HI> can do as much therein, if he &s;hould take the <HI>Common prayer Book,</HI> and read over the <HI>Bread</HI> and <HI>Wine,</HI> the <HI>Form</HI> of the <HI>Con&s;ecration?</HI> I know you be|lieve the later as much as you believe the former. What hinders then, that this <HI>branch</HI> of power &s;hould not be conferred upon him in his <HI>Ordination?</HI> The Authority conferred upon the <HI>Church</HI> by <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> is the &s;ame in both, and both are by the Church (with due Limi|tation) inve&s;ted on the Presbyter in his Or|dination. And good rea&s;on it &s;hould be &s;o, for I doubt not that the Sacrament ought <HI>(re|gularly)</HI> to be admini&s;tred to none but <HI>ab&s;ol|ved</HI> per&s;ons; as none were to eat the Pa&s;s|over, but tho&s;e who were clean from all <HI>Legal</HI> pollutions. We &s;ee that the Presbyterians, and all other Sectaries among&s;t us, are &s;o ten|der of this point, that they are &s;o far from le&s;&s;ening the Authority of their Church-offi|cers in this particular, (or at lea&s;t of the whole Church as they plea&s;e to terme it) that they are much more rigid and &s;evere, in execu|ting a Power like this, <HI>of their own making,</HI> then ever the Bi&s;hops were, in putting the <HI>power Chri&s;t undoubtedly gave them,</HI> in execu|tion. But I need not &s;ay much of this &s;econd <HI>branch</HI> to one of your <HI>per&s;wa&s;ion.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3. La&s;tly, if you de&s;ire to know what <HI>ad|vantage,</HI> this is to a Penitent? I an&s;wer, that if a Penitent do but believe, as much of the Prie&s;ts authority (though I &s;hall be
<PB N="43" REF="25">thought no very great friend to the inlarge|ment of it) as I have a&s;&s;erted; viz. an <HI>Annnncia|tive power</HI> from God not only to <HI>declare</HI> men <HI>Pardonable</HI> (as he doth in preaching the Go&s;pel) but to <HI>pronounce</HI> them <HI>pardoned,</HI> upon in&s;pection of their faith and repent|ance, as he doth in giving them <HI>ab&s;olution;</HI> he &s;hall not only recieve comfort, by the Prei&s;ts a&s;&s;uring him of the &s;afety of his condi|tion, and of his <HI>redintegration</HI> into grace and favour with God; but &s;hall enjoy the benefit of <HI>his</HI> prayers, whom God hath ap|pointed to that Duty mo&s;t e&s;pecially, and whom he hath promi&s;ed to accept: toge|ther with the <HI>Ble&s;&s;ing</HI> of the Prie&s;t (<HI>Ble&s;&s;ing</HI> him in Gods &s;tead as well as in Gods name) a favour which nothing but &s;ome lend <HI>Hoph|ni's,</HI> and <HI>Phinees</HI>'s among&s;t the <HI>Clergie. Numb.</HI> 6.23.27. but multitudes of prophane <HI>E&s;au's</HI> among&s;t the <HI>Layety,</HI> could have had the skill or luck to have rendered &s;o contemptible as we &s;ee it is, the puni&s;hment whereof (as likewi&s;e of <HI>De&s;pi&s;ing</HI> the Per&s;ons and Offices of &s;uch whom God hath appointed to &s;erve at the <HI>Altar of Ble&s;&s;ing,</HI> in many other particulars) both this pre&s;ent and many future unre|formed Ages &s;hall (as well as have &s;ome pa&s;s't times) undoubtedly bear, even to the <HI>removall</HI> of the <HI>Golden Candel&s;tick</HI> from among them.</P>
<P>That thus a Prie&s;t is inabled to do, is cleare from the <HI>Form of Ab&s;olution,</HI> appointed in the
<PB N="44" REF="26"><HI>Liturgie</HI> of our <HI>Church</HI> to be u&s;ed in the <HI>Vi|&s;itation of the &s;ick,</HI> wherein as the Authority of the Church in that point, as al&s;o of the Prie&s;t, are plainly a&s;&s;erted, &s;o is it matter of wonder, that &s;o many <HI>Legall</HI> Prote&s;tants have &s;uch a &s;lender re&s;pect for an important and nece&s;&s;arie duty, it is not to be believed that either that <HI>Power</HI> of the Prie&s;t that <HI>form of ab&s;olution,</HI> and the <HI>Duty of Confe&s;&s;ion</HI> are re&s;erved to be huddled up in &s;o trouble&s;ome an hour, and all the time of health pa&s;t over without any inquiry into our <HI>Accounts:</HI> the Church injoyns it to be u&s;ed then, but doth not forbid the u&s;e of it at other times. My advice to you is that if you de&s;ire the reco|verie of your own Peace of con&s;cience; you put this Duty in practi&s;e more frequently, and &s;ee that your Gho&s;tly Father, do his Duty in this and no other <HI>forme of Ab&s;olution,</HI> (I mean any of his own making) lea&s;t by &s;ome <HI>error</HI> he may <HI>&s;eem</HI> to do more then his power will permit him, or not do as much as the Church hath enjoyned.</P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="10" TYPE="objection">
<HEAD>OBJECTION X.</HEAD>
<P>You will &s;ay perhaps what &s;ettlement of Con&s;ci|ence by a <HI>Sacerdotal Ab&s;olution?</HI> &s;eeing the Prie&s;t can but &s;ee, with the eyes of a Man, and hath no Knowledge of my heart;
<PB N="45" REF="26">which is &s;o <HI>Deceitful,</HI> that it is a very great difficulty, for any man to finde it out, though it lodg in his own brea&s;t, and if he had knowledge thereof, yet is the Act but <HI>Mini&s;te|rial,</HI> not <HI>Di&s;poticall,</HI> and who knows whe|ther God will <HI>confirme</HI> it or no.</P>
<DIV3 TYPE="solution">
<HEAD>SOLUTION.</HEAD>
<P N="15">15. THe Prie&s;t <HI>&s;eeth but as man &s;eeth,</HI> but he may &s;ee what you &s;ee not, and judge better of what he &s;ees then every common per&s;on, &s;eeing <HI>the lips of the Prie&s;t do pre&s;erve knowledge.</HI> If therefore he have under&s;tanding to di&s;cerne and judge aright of what he &s;ees, (as you mu&s;t &s;uppo&s;e he hath, el&s;e you will (at lea&s;t) condemn your &s;elf of an unrea&s;onable choyce) it is your bui&s;ine&s;s, to lay your Soul before him; and to acquaint him throughly, and truly, with your Condition: if you fail in this (and con&s;equently the <HI>Act</HI> be done under an error) the blame hereof will light on none but your &s;elf. And as for the know|ledg of your wayes, there is no doubt but if St. <HI>Pauls</HI> Rule be true, though nothing el&s;e without us but God doth, yet the <HI>Spirit of a man doth know the things of a man,</HI> 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 2.11. and the heart may be <HI>Emptied</HI> to the very bottom, by &s;uch rules as a judicious prudent and pious <HI>Confe&s;&s;or</HI> &s;hall pre&s;cribe.</P>
<PB N="46" REF="27">
<P>But in the later part of your Objection, I am &s;orry to hear any que&s;tion made of Gods <HI>confirmation</HI> of that due and nece&s;&s;arie <HI>Act</HI> of <HI>Ab&s;olution</HI> made in His name, and by vertue of a Commi&s;&s;ion derived from him. Any thing of this nature among&s;t men, would &s;ound too infamous, e&s;pecially if fixt upon &s;uch Per&s;ons who have the Power and Ho|nour of <HI>Giving commi&s;&s;ions</HI> to other men. To que&s;tion Gods faithfulne&s;s, is a &s;in of infideli|ty, and he that hath promi&s;ed under the &s;e|cond covenant, <HI>he will remember our Sins and Iniquities no more,</HI> Heb. 8.12. <HI>i. e.</HI> of &s;uch as embrace the Go&s;pel preach'd unto them.</P>
<P N="14">14. To conclude my An&s;wer fully to the&s;e <HI>two</HI> la&s;t Objections, I &s;uppo&s;e, that becau&s;e we have no <HI>vi&s;ible bloody Sacrifice,</HI> nor a <HI>Mo&s;t|holy</HI> (on Earth) into which the <HI>High-Prie&s;t</HI> may enter with <HI>blood</HI> for his <HI>own</HI> and <HI>our</HI> Sins, it is therefore a matter of difficulty in your judgement to be a&s;certained of the <HI>way</HI> of ob|taining pardon for Sinners under the Go&s;|pel; the means of doing it being &s;o &s;ecret and invi&s;ible, and the Threatnings (in ca&s;e it be not done) &s;o open and terrible.</P>
<P>The Apo&s;tle tells us plainly, That <HI>Ie&s;us Chri&s;t is the &s;ame ye&s;terday, and to day, and for ever: Heb.</HI> 13.8. which imports not only the <HI>im|mutability</HI> of Gods accepting <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> as the <HI>meritorious</HI> cau&s;e of Remi&s;&s;ion of Sins, but al&s;o the <HI>unchangeablene&s;s</HI> of that <HI>method,</HI> whereby this Kingdom of <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> under the Go&s;per is
<PB N="47" REF="27">admini&s;tred. For this later, which mo&s;t con|cerns your ca&s;e, the Apo&s;tle tells you, <HI>that Chri&s;t ever liv<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">th to make interce&s;&s;ion for us,</HI> Heb. 7.25. this being the mo&s;t con&s;idera|ble part of his Office in the admini&s;tration of his <HI>mediatory</HI> Kingdom. This <HI>Iaterce&s;&s;ion</HI> for us, <HI>i. e.</HI> the Church in general, and each one in particular, being his own <HI>immediate Act</HI> in Heaven, (and prefigured unto us by the High-prie&s;ts going into the <HI>Mo&s;t-holy,</HI> once only in every year, <HI>Heb.</HI> 9.8.) doth con&s;i&s;t of <HI>two</HI> branches, becau&s;e it &s;uppo&s;eth that we have need of <HI>two</HI> things, <HI>Ju&s;tification</HI> and <HI>Sanctification,</HI> therefore doth our <HI>High-Prie&s;t</HI> intercede with his Father for <HI>two</HI> things; for 1. <HI>pardon of Sin,</HI> for 2. <HI>grace of Obedience,</HI> or holy living; and the&s;e not <HI>intermitted,</HI> but <HI>continued</HI> Acts of interce&s;&s;ion for <HI>us,</HI> to the end of our lives, and for <HI>all</HI> unto the end of the world.</P>
<P>And this <HI>Act</HI> of <HI>Chri&s;ts Interce&s;&s;ion</HI> for par|don is two fold; Fir&s;t a <HI>preventive act</HI> of In|terce&s;&s;ion, (or rather the <HI>beginning</HI> of an <HI>Act</HI> continued to <HI>higher degrees</HI>) whereby Chri&s;t doth <HI>intercede</HI> with God for us, that the <HI>Le|gal forfeiture</HI> of our lives by &s;in, may not be taken immediately after the Fact; and al&s;o that <HI>Grace of Repentance</HI> may be given us: of this nature I conceive that <HI>Interce&s;&s;ional</HI> prayer of our Saviour, <HI>Luk.</HI> 23.34. <HI>Father forgive them, they know not what they do.</HI> Where though the giving to &s;uch men Repentance
<PB N="48" REF="28">be not expre&s;t, yet is it (que&s;tionle&s;s) imply|ed, becau&s;e without Repentance they cannot be pardoned. The <HI>&s;econd branch</HI> of this <HI>Act</HI> is a <HI>&s;ub&s;equent mediatorie act</HI> of prayer, or <HI>[Plea]</HI> with God (for &s;o much the word <HI>Ad|vocate</HI> will bear, <HI>(if any man &s;in, we have an Advocate, &amp;c.)</HI> on the behalf of the &s;inner repenting; whereby Pardon is procured for him, upon Gods <HI>Fore&s;ight,</HI> that his Contri|tion and Repentance will be &s;incerely con|tinued, by the vertue and efficacy of the grace of per&s;everance, which is interceded for by Chri&s;t, and obteined, upon the Peni|tents <HI>u&s;ing</HI> the <HI>former</HI> mea&s;ure of <HI>a&s;&s;i&s;ting</HI> grace; and this, as a ble&s;&s;ing upon, and a re|ward of his &s;incere endeavours of obedi|ence.</P>
<P>This later <HI>branch</HI> of <HI>Chri&s;ts interce&s;&s;ion</HI> for pardon, is that, whereby Chri&s;t the Media|tor doth receive into his protection, the <HI>humi|liating acts</HI> of a penitent &s;oul, <HI>perfuming</HI> the Tears and prayers of &s;uch a one, with <HI>clouds</HI> of his own mo&s;t precious <HI>Incen&s;e;</HI> and toge|ther with his <HI>own,</HI> offering them to Allmigh|ty God, as the fruits of his <HI>former Mediation,</HI> and an earne&s;t of that enlargement of his Church, which, as it is the <HI>travail of his &s;oul, Iai.</HI> 53.11. which he delights to &s;ee, &s;o will it be the <HI>joy of the holy Angels in the pre&s;ence of God.</HI></P>
<P N="16">16. Upon this <HI>Interce&s;&s;ion</HI> of Chri&s;t, de|pends our pardon of Sin, and renovation by
<PB N="49" REF="28">Grace: from <HI>hence</HI> it is, that all but <HI>Apo&s;tates,</HI> and &s;uch as cea&s;e not to <HI>do de&s;pight to the Spi|rit of God,</HI> by a continued pre&s;umptuous and malitious cour&s;e of Sinning, receive a bene|fit apportionate to their &s;everal <HI>Stations</HI> and <HI>Degrees.</HI> And that you have no rea&s;on to think your &s;elf <HI>rejected,</HI> into the <HI>fatal portion</HI> of them, (being indeed the purcha&s;e of the &s;inner him&s;elf, thus cruel to his own &s;oul) who have no advantage, (nay not the great|e&s;t of all) by this <HI>Interce&s;&s;ion</HI> of <HI>Chri&s;t:</HI> your Eyes fill'd with your Tears, and your Ears deafned with your own Sighs, your Hands &s;o bu&s;y in di&s;tributing Alms, your Feet &s;o Active in vi&s;iting the Sick, and your Knees made <HI>callous</HI> (like the Primitive Saints) with frequent <HI>Prayings,</HI> are a &s;ufficient witne&s;s to your &s;elf, and to all the world be&s;ide.</P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="13" TYPE="objection">
<HEAD>OBJECT. XIII.</HEAD>
<P>But you Reply. Did not <HI>E&s;au &s;eek the Ble&s;&s;ing with Tears,</HI> and yet mi&s;s'd of it.</P>
<DIV3 TYPE="solution">
<HEAD>SOLUTION.</HEAD>
<P N="17">17. BUt I pre&s;ume you think St. <HI>Paul</HI> hath put this Objection into your mouth; but if you plea&s;e to &s;urvey the place in <HI>Hebr.</HI> 12.16, 17. you &s;hall finde that this
<PB N="50" REF="29">doth not reach you, unle&s;s you have at any time <HI>&s;old</HI> the <HI>ble&s;&s;ing</HI> for a <HI>me&s;s of pottage,</HI> i. e. <HI>renounc't</HI> your intere&s;t in the land of Promi&s;e, (the pretious promi&s;es of the Go&s;pel,) for the enjoyment of that Plenty, Honour, peace, &amp;c. <HI>the Pomps and vanities of this wicked World;</HI> I &s;ay <HI>renounc't</HI> your part and intere&s;t in the Merits and Mediation of Chri&s;t; and that not <HI>indirectly</HI> and <HI>remotely</HI> (as all who are guilty of <HI>wilful &s;ins</HI> in &s;ome mea&s;ure do) but <HI>orally, &s;candalou&s;ly</HI> and <HI>treache|rou&s;ly;</HI> which (I pre&s;ume) you will not forge, and charge upon your &s;elf; though your fancy hath a large <HI>Shop,</HI> and many <HI>Tools</HI> to work with.</P>
<P>Seeing then, that by vertue of that <HI>preven|tional act</HI> of <HI>interce&s;&s;ion,</HI> (lately mentioned) you have not been cut off in your &s;ins; but have <HI>your life given unto you for a prey;</HI> and withal, Grace for Repentance unto life, which like good <HI>Phy&s;ick,</HI> by rea&s;on of a <HI>ma&s;s</HI> of <HI>crude</HI> humors in the Stomack) doth thus work &s;omewhat violently in your &s;oul; why &s;hould you doubt that other <HI>&s;ub&s;equent Act</HI> of <HI>Chri&s;ts Interce&s;&s;ion,</HI> whereby your pardon will be ob|tained? hath <HI>God plea&s;ure in the death of him that dyeth?</HI> doth not he &s;wear he hath not? <HI>Ezek.</HI> 33.11. and hath the <HI>Divine Maje&s;ty</HI> &s;o far lo&s;t his credit with you, as not to be be|iveled upon his oath? can he which is <HI>Love</HI> it <HI>&s;elf,</HI> not only &s;corn, but hate the Pro&s;trati|ons of a Sinner? that Sinner, who&s;e eyes
<PB N="51" REF="29">would be content to pour out Rivers of bloud before the throne of Grace, to obtain a Re|conciliation with the offended Maje&s;tie of Heaven? even that Reconciliation which Him&s;elf <HI>prayes from us men,</HI> by the <HI>Amba&s;&s;adors</HI> of his Holy Go&s;pel, as St. <HI>Paul</HI> hath told us, 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 5.20. O do not thus &s;truggle to de|prive your &s;elf of your intere&s;t, and &s;hare in tho&s;e merciful imbraces, which ha&s;ten to <HI>meet,</HI> and not fly from <HI>Repenting</HI> Sinners!</P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="14" TYPE="objection">
<HEAD>OBJECT. XIV.</HEAD>
<P>But yet &s;till, me thinketh, my Sins are &s;uch, as God cannot in Ju&s;tice pa&s;s by; his promi&s;es are too pretious to belong to me; more <HI>tem|perate</HI> Sinners, and &s;uch who have not &s;o violenced the Law of God, and provok't his Long-fuffering, may (doubtle&s;s) have the benefit of them: but as for me, why &s;hould not my Lot be with them, who but <HI>for ten times provoking</HI> were for ever &s;ecluded the Land of Promi&s;e.</P>
<DIV3 TYPE="solution">
<HEAD>SOLUTION.</HEAD>
<P N="18">18. YOur Charity is very commenda|ble, that can make you believe &s;o much for others, and &s;o little for your &s;elf: but you &s;hould do well to remember, that the
<PB N="52" REF="30"><HI>Attributes of the Divine Maje&s;ty,</HI> may not be li|mitted by us; not that I think any one &s;o fooli&s;h, as to attempt it in re&s;pect of their <HI>nature,</HI> which is impo&s;&s;ible; but in re&s;pect of their <HI>effects</HI> which to do is &s;infull, they are infinite in their own nature, and mu&s;t be &s;o in our e&s;teem: to &s;ay God cannot forgive your &s;ins, is a &s;in again&s;t his power and ju&s;tice; to &s;ay he will not (where he hath promi&s;ed) is a &s;in again&s;t his truth and goodne&s;&s;e. His goodne&s;s hath made him promi&s;e that he will do it; and that he might make this pro|mi&s;e good, he hath provided a full <HI>&s;atisfaction</HI> to his <HI>ju&s;tice,</HI> and all this as much <HI>before</HI> us, as <HI>without</HI> us, and this limited as fully and as largely to you, as to any other Chri&s;tian in the world.</P>
<P>This you cannot but &s;ee, in that mo&s;t comfortable and full affirmation of the Apo|&s;tle. Heb. 2.9. When he tells you plainly that it was the de&s;ign of Gods Grace. <HI>That Chri&s;t &s;hould ta&s;t death for every man:</HI> and <HI>God &s;o loved the World</HI> (&s;aith St. <HI>John. cap.</HI> 3.16.) <HI>That he gave his only begotten &s;on, that who&s;oever believeth in him, &s;hould not peri&s;h but have everla&s;ting life.</HI></P>
<P>As for that example of Gods wrath upon the <HI>Provoakers,</HI> (which you think doth &s;o <HI>neerly</HI> concerne you, becau&s;e you have &s;in|ned willfully more then ten times;) you mu&s;t give me leave to tell you, that you are very unfortunate in your application of
<PB N="53" REF="30">Scripture; this example not <HI>reaching home</HI> to your ca&s;e, indeed <HI>over-reaching</HI> it more then <HI>Jonathans</HI> third arrow did the Lad that fetcht the other two. 1 <HI>Sam.</HI> 20. For the <HI>Caution</HI> given by the Apo&s;tle to the Hebrews, in that place is, that they take care of <HI>falling a|way</HI> from the Go&s;pell, upon temptations or per&s;ecutions; and &s;o after the example of many already fallen from the faith of <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> &s;hould become Apo&s;tates; whereby they might be &s;ure that the promi&s;es of the Go&s;|pel, &s;hould be no matter of advantage to them, becau&s;e they &s;hould be as certain <HI>ne|ver</HI> to enter in Gods re&s;t; as were tho&s;e pro|voakers in the Wilderne&s;&s;e, who for temp|ting God &s;o often, were <HI>finally</HI> by Gods <HI>Oath</HI> excluded, from all hopes of entring into the Land of <HI>Canaan;</HI> their Carke&s;&s;es falling in the Wilderne&s;&s;e, as the <HI>trophees</HI> of Gods ven|geance upon them, for their infidelity of his power, and goodne&s;&s;e, and promi&s;e.</P>
<P>This (I doubt not) doth clearly appear unto you (unle&s;&s;e you have engaged never to <HI>repudiate</HI> your <HI>pregnant</HI> fancy, how <HI>Spurious</HI> &s;oever her conceptions are) to be of no con|cernment to your ca&s;e: who carry in your brea&s;t, &s;o many <HI>witne&s;&s;es</HI> of your belief of the Go&s;pell, e&s;pecially the <HI>threatning</HI> part of it, that (as your po&s;ture is for the pre|&s;ent) to fear your Apo&s;tacy from the faith of <HI>Chri&s;t;</HI> were an apprehen&s;ion <HI>too remote</HI> from all excu&s;es allowable even to per&s;ons of your <HI>temper.</HI></P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="15" TYPE="objection">
<PB N="54" REF="31">
<HEAD>OBJECTION</HEAD>
<P>Yet who knows but I may <HI>fall away?</HI> I am not yet per&s;waded that I &s;hall be &s;aved.</P>
<DIV3 TYPE="solution">
<HEAD>SOLUTION.</HEAD>
<P N="19">19. THough my prayer to God for you is that you may not be &s;o per&s;waded <HI>totally,</HI> and <HI>finally,</HI> yet if any one &s;hould be &s;o, it doth not therefore follow, that &s;uch a one is <HI>fallen</HI> from the faith of the Go&s;pel: for the belief of this is &s;o far from being a disbe|lief of the Go&s;pel of <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> that it is not &s;o much a <HI>direct disbleif</HI> of any part of the word of God; becau&s;e God hath no where declared by <HI>&s;peciall affirmation,</HI> that &s;uch a man &s;hall be &s;aved. But be it that you were per&s;waded that you &s;hould be &s;aved, neither of the&s;e <HI>two</HI> things would follow thereupon, either <HI>fir&s;t,</HI> therefore I &s;hall infallibly be &s;aved, or 2. I am a&s;&s;ured that I &s;hall never be an <HI>Apo&s;tate,</HI> becau&s;e I <HI>thus</HI> believe, for what text of Scrip|ture doth affirme this propo&s;ition, viz. he that is firmly per&s;waded that he &s;hall be &s;aved, &s;hall <HI>never</HI> become an <HI>Apo&s;tate?</HI> or this, he that believeth he &s;hall be &s;aved, &s;hall <HI>infalli|bly</HI> be &s;aved?</P>
<P>In a word, had you an <HI>A&s;&s;urance</HI> of your &s;alvation <HI>ab&s;olutely,</HI> and <HI>unconditionately</HI> gi|ven unto you, by all the <HI>Divines</HI> in the world; yet was this but an <HI>humane a&s;&s;urance,</HI> and
<PB N="55" REF="31">could amount to no more, but a te&s;timony from men, the &s;tability whereof would be as demon&s;trable as their own mortality, be|ing the <HI>evidence</HI> of this Propo&s;ition [you &s;hall infallibly be &s;aved] is taken from the <HI>will of Gods purpo&s;e</HI> concerning that man, to which <HI>&s;ecret will,</HI> of the <HI>Divine Maje&s;tie,</HI> mat|ters that concern <HI>Gods pre&s;cience</HI> do belong, though indeed the <HI>conditionall a&s;&s;ur ance</HI> of a|ny mans &s;alvation, doth relate to his <HI>reveal|ed will.</HI></P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="14" TYPE="objection">
<HEAD>OBJECTION. XIV.</HEAD>
<P>But doth not <HI>St.</HI> Paul. tell us Rom. <HI>8.16. That the Spirit it &s;elf beareth witne&s;s with our Spirit that we are the Children of God?</HI> I want <HI>both</HI> the&s;e te&s;timonies of my Adoption, that of the <HI>Spirit</HI> of adoption and that of mine owne <HI>Spirit</HI> witne&s;&s;ing that I am a Child of God: &s;urely then my condition is not &s;uch as it ought to be, and as I de&s;ire it &s;hould be.</P>
<DIV3 TYPE="solution">
<HEAD>SOLUTION.</HEAD>
<P N="20">20. THat this Epi&s;tle of S. <HI>Paul</HI> (and e&s;peci|ally the 7^t^h. 8^t^h. and 9^t^h. Chapters) hath in it &s;ome things that <HI>are hard to be un|derstood,</HI> tho&s;e <HI>E&s;au,</HI> and <HI>Jacob-like</HI> conte&s;ts in the <HI>Bowels</HI> of the <HI>Church</HI> about the mean|ing
<PB N="56" REF="32">thereof, do &s;ufficiently witne&s;&s;e: I pray God that we may all of us, in the heat and animo&s;ity of our di&s;putes, have an eye to that example of <HI>admonition St. Peter</HI> menti|ons of tho&s;e in his times who being <HI>unlearned</HI> and <HI>un&s;table, did wre&s;t tho&s;e and other Scriptures to their own de&s;truction.</HI> 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 3.16.</P>
<P>But <HI>I am per&s;asaded better things of you, and &s;uch as accompany &s;alvation.</HI> And therefore to give you a full and <HI>tender</HI> account of your objection, I conceive it con&s;i&s;ts of 3. branches. 1. You &s;uppo&s;e that every Child of God hath <HI>te&s;timony</HI> that he is &s;uch. 2. that the Scrip|ture a&s;&s;erts the <HI>te&s;timony</HI> to be <HI>twofold</HI> one the <HI>te&s;timony</HI> of the <HI>Spirit of adoption,</HI> the other the <HI>te&s;timony of his own Spirit.</HI> and 3. that you <HI>want</HI> both the&s;e and therefore <HI>ha&s;tily</HI> con|clude that you are not the child of God. To the&s;e I &s;hall an&s;wer di&s;tinctly thus.</P>
<P N="1">1. I do affirm with your &s;uppo&s;ition that every child of God, hath <HI>te&s;timony,</HI> or <HI>wit|ne&s;&s;e,</HI> that he is &s;uch. I &s;hall give you but one place for all, 1 <HI>Joh.</HI> 3.9. <HI>Who&s;oeuer is born of God doth not commit &s;in i. e. he is &s;uch a one as keeps a &s;incere Eye upon him&s;elf in re&s;pect of all, e&s;pecially of deliberate &s;ins.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. In the 2^d. I am likewi&s;e of your judge|ment, that this <HI>te&s;timony</HI> is the <HI>te&s;timony</HI> of the <HI>Spirit of adoption,</HI> and of his own <HI>Spirit;</HI> but whether it be nece&s;&s;ary that a child of God have <HI>both</HI> the&s;e <HI>te&s;timonies,</HI> giving the like full and <HI>joynt evidence</HI> for his &s;on&s;hip; and
<PB N="57" REF="32">therefore till &s;uch <HI>full</HI> and <HI>joynt-evidence</HI> be given to him, he <HI>really</HI> is not (and therefore ought not to repute him&s;elf) a child of God is more then matter of doubt with you hav|ing (it &s;eems) indi&s;&s;olvably e&s;pou&s;ed the ne|gative part. But <HI>I</HI> doubt you do not rightly apprehend what the Apo&s;tle doth mean by <HI>[the &s;elf &s;ame, or the Spirit it &s;elf bearing wit|ne&s;s]</HI> with our Spirrit, to me he &s;eems to mean one or rather all of the&s;e 3. things, ei|ther 1. The Witne&s;s of Scripture (which in the <HI>te&s;timonie</HI> of the Spirit of God) that &s;uch as believe in <HI>Chri&s;t Je&s;us, i. e.</HI> receive him as their Prie&s;t Prophet and King, are in|fallibly adopted into God <HI>paternall Relation to Christ Je&s;us,</HI> the <HI>adoption by Grace, as</HI> truely intere&s;&s;ing tho&s;e believers in Gods Paternity, as doth the <HI>Divine Nature</HI> Chri&s;t him&s;elf ac|cording to that of St. <HI>John. cap.</HI> 1.12. <HI>As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the &s;ons of God, even to them that be|lieve on his name.</HI> and this <HI>te&s;timony</HI> have all the &s;ons of God, or all true believers. Se|condly it may &s;ignifie the <HI>aeconomy</HI> of the Go&s;|pell in oppo&s;ition to that of the <HI>Jewes,</HI> who&s;e &s;tate or condition, was that of Servitude; as ours under the Go&s;pel is a &s;tate of Freedom they Servants, we Sons: they full of the <HI>Spirit</HI> of bondage, engendered from <HI>Sinai,</HI> we filled with the <HI>Spirit</HI> of adoption, flow|ing from <HI>Sion:</HI> Gal. 4.25. a &s;ufficient evi|dence whereof is the divers <HI>Methods</HI> that God
<PB N="58" REF="33">hath made u&s;e of, in delivering the <HI>Sy&s;tem,</HI> or Rules of either di&s;pen&s;ation unto both People. A 3^d &s;ence may be this; the Apo|&s;tle may intend by the <HI>Te&s;timonie</HI> of the <HI>Spi|rit</HI> in Gods Children, that <HI>Inclination</HI> and <HI>duct</HI> of <HI>Obedience</HI> which Gods Children do, (though not all of them in the <HI>&s;ame</HI> mea&s;ure) feel in their hearts, &s;weetning their natures, and bringing them gently to a complyable|ne&s;s with the Precepts of the Go&s;pel, and a putting their necks mo&s;t willingly <HI>into the yoke of Chri&s;t, his Commandments being no whit grievous to them,</HI> 1 <HI>Jo.</HI> 5.3. like as yokes are very trouble&s;ome to Bea&s;ts not accu&s;tomed thereto, (as the Prophet &s;peaks of the Jews, <HI>Jer.</HI> 31.18. <HI>I was cha&s;ti&s;ed as a Bullock unac|cu&s;tomed to the yoke;</HI>) but to &s;uch who&s;e necks have been u&s;ed to draw in them, yokes are no way dreadful, or trouble&s;ome. In the fir&s;t of the&s;e &s;en&s;es, the word <HI>Spirit</HI> mu&s;t be taken <HI>per&s;onally,</HI> for the third Per&s;on in the ever Ble&s;&s;ed and Glorious <HI>Trinity:</HI> in the 2^d it mu&s;t be taken <HI>tropically,</HI> the word not &s;igni|fying in the natural and proper &s;en&s;e thereof, but yet not without example, <HI>Rom.</HI> 8.2. 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 3.6. <HI>Gal.</HI> 4.29. in the 3^d &s;en&s;e it mu&s;t &s;igni|fy <HI>metonymically,</HI> the effect of the Spirit be|ing called by the name of him that works that ble&s;&s;ed effect in the Souls of Gods Chil|dren.</P>
<P>In the fir&s;t and &s;econd of the&s;e &s;en&s;es, the <HI>Te&s;timony</HI> of the <HI>Spirit</HI> is communicated to
<PB N="59" REF="33">all true Chri&s;tians; but in the third I know lyes the ground of your exception: but be|cau&s;e I &s;hall have occa&s;ion to &s;peak &s;omewhat afterward directly to this point, be plea&s;ed for the pre&s;ent to remember, that I have told you, that this inclination to obedience, the duct of the Go&s;pel is not alike efficacious up|on all the children of God, this Spirit being not given in the &s;ame mea&s;ure to all the Sons of God.</P>
<P>As to the third branch of your Objection, (rather but one part of it) <HI>viz.</HI> the want of the <HI>Te&s;timony</HI> of your <HI>own</HI> Spirit, that might <HI>witne&s;s</HI> (together with the <HI>other</HI>) that you are <HI>the Childe of God;</HI> to give full &s;atisfaction therein, we mu&s;t inquire into 1. the meaning of the word [Spirit] in this place. 2. What the <HI>Testimony</HI> thereof is. And of 3. what <HI>Au|thority</HI> in a bu&s;ine&s;s of this Importance the <HI>Te&s;timony</HI> of a mans <HI>own</HI> Spirit is.</P>
<P>For the fir&s;t; the word [Spirit] in this place mu&s;t &s;ignify (I conceive) one of the&s;e two things: either fir&s;t, &s;ome <HI>noble</HI> and <HI>&s;ub|lime</HI> E&s;&s;ence, pre&s;iding in a Chri&s;tian, either as a <HI>Di&s;tinct &s;ub&s;i&s;tence</HI> from that, which is one of the <HI>e&s;&s;ential con&s;titutive principles</HI> of every man; or el&s;e as the <HI>Cele&s;tial</HI> and more <HI>Sera|phical</HI> part of the Soul, <HI>informing, ordering,</HI> and <HI>governing</HI> the rational faculties in all <HI>Spiritual</HI> and <HI>Divine</HI> things. And in this &s;en&s;e it mu&s;t be conceived to have &s;ome Re|&s;emblance with the office of the <HI>Imaginative</HI>
<PB N="60" REF="34">faculty; which being &s;eated betwixt the <HI>out|ward</HI> &s;en&s;es and the <HI>&V;nder&s;tanding,</HI> conveyes the <HI>Species</HI> of all <HI>&s;en&s;ible</HI> objects to the <HI>Intel|lectual</HI> facultie, being it &s;elf of a middle na|ture, betwixt <HI>rational</HI> and <HI>&s;en&s;ible.</HI> To one of the&s;e <HI>&s;en&s;es</HI> (I judge) tho&s;e <HI>Divines</HI> referre their opinions, who a&s;&s;ert man to con&s;i&s;t of 1. <HI>Spirit,</HI> 2. <HI>Soul,</HI> and 3. <HI>Bodie:</HI> unle&s;s by [Soul] in this <HI>tripartite</HI> divi&s;ion, they under|&s;tand an <HI>E&s;&s;ence</HI> capable of no other offices in Man, but the performance of <HI>&s;en&s;itive</HI> and <HI>vegitative</HI> operations. Or 2^l^y the word <HI>[Spi|rit]</HI> in this place may &s;ignify (and me thinks not at all incongruou&s;ly) &s;ome <HI>excellent gift</HI> of the Holy Gho&s;t, <HI>infu&s;ed</HI> from above in our Bapti&s;m, into the Souls of Chri&s;tians, where|by they are not only made capable of <HI>recei|ving divine Revelations,</HI> and things <HI>above</HI> Rea&s;on, but likewi&s;e inclined, and encoura|in the performance of all tho&s;e things which God requires at their hands, to render them capable of obtaining the further ine&s;timable degrees of his Love and Favour to Mankinde. And therefore 2^l^y the <HI>Testimony</HI> of any mans <HI>Spirit,</HI> is that <HI>Evidence</HI> which it gives con|cerning the whole <HI>Series</HI> of his conver&s;ation, in reference to tho&s;e principles of Faith and Obedience which God hath given him, in his <HI>revealed Will,</HI> as the Grounds and Rules of his Practice. The 3^d <HI>Authentickne&s;s</HI> of which <HI>Te&s;timony</HI> doth manife&s;t it &s;elf to every man, <HI>partly</HI> by the <HI>known truth</HI> of the things at|te&s;ted,
<PB N="61" REF="34">which are not concealed from him, but repre&s;ented as the things of <HI>him&s;elf;</HI> and <HI>partly</HI> from that power which God hath over it, not only in rectifying any Errors thereof, but likewi&s;e in &s;hewing him&s;elf merciful to|ward us, in &s;uch things, wherein &s;uch a <HI>Te|stimony</HI> is not <HI>for,</HI> but <HI>again&s;t</HI> us. This <HI>Te&s;ti|mony</HI> you (&s;ay you) want, becau&s;e you finde not any <HI>Witne&s;s</HI> in your &s;elf that you are a Childe of God.</P>
<P>I conceive it is not impo&s;&s;ible for your <HI>Spi|rit</HI> to give this <HI>Te&s;timony,</HI> though you have <HI>deafned</HI> your ear to it, and take it for &s;ome deception of fle&s;h and blood, or a delu&s;ion of Satan, u&s;ing all the <HI>Devices</HI> he can, to in&s;nare you in carnal &s;ecurity: but whether it be thus or no, I &s;hall advi&s;e you to endeavour to <HI>elicite</HI> and call up this Te&s;timony by that which is the <HI>Te&s;t</HI> of it: <HI>Do you continue in any wilful cour&s;e of deliberate &s;in? what know you by your &s;elf? are you &s;till guilty of any of tho&s;e &s;ins which in the judgment of the Apostle render a man uncapable of any inheritance with the Children of God?</HI> if you are; then look not for this <HI>Testimony</HI> till you have repented, and amended your life; nor <HI>then</HI> neither for it <HI>pre&s;ently,</HI> until &s;uch time as you have good <HI>experience</HI> of your Re&s;olutions, how they have held out in the time of tryal and Tem|ptation, and that the greate&s;t and &s;harpe&s;t that in all likelyhood may happen unto you. But if you are not thus guilty (as for my
<PB N="62" REF="35">part I believe you a re not) of any <HI>mortal</HI> &s;in reigning in your bodie; go to the <HI>Rule</HI> with this argument in your mouth: The <HI>Ho|ly Spirit of God</HI> &s;aith, <HI>Who&s;oever is born of God doth not &s;in</HI> [willfully and deliberately] <HI>Joh.</HI> 3.9. But upon a &s;trict &s;urvey of my &s;elf, I finde that I do not commit any &s;uch &s;in. Therefore I am <HI>borne</HI> of God.</P>
<P>Upon the Truth of the <HI>middle</HI> Propo&s;ition depends the validity of this <HI>Testimony</HI> of your <HI>Spirit;</HI> for the <HI>major</HI> is infallible, and the <HI>Conclu&s;ion</HI> is undoubtedly true, upon &s;uppo|&s;ition that there be no &s;uch &s;in, either of o|mi&s;&s;ion or commi&s;&s;ion, in your conver&s;ation, which may exclude you from your Son&s;hip: But yet for as much as the Apo&s;tle doth tell us, that <HI>though he knew nothing by him&s;elf, yet was he not thereby justified;</HI> we ought in rea&s;on to lay no more weight on this di&s;qui&s;ition and &s;earch of our &s;elves, then it will bear: for our <HI>Knowledge</HI> being <HI>imperfect,</HI> this &s;earch and inquiry into our own wayes cannot be ab&s;olutely perfect: and con&s;equently we &s;ub|ject to errors therein: yet is it mo&s;t certain, that if we do it in &s;incerity of heart, with|out partiality to our &s;elves; not only, not allowing in our practi&s;e any the &s;malle&s;t &s;in, but by deeds of Mortification, earne&s;tly, and faithfully endeavouring to &s;ubvert the power of it; we have the <HI>Faith</HI> of the <HI>Divine Ma|jestie</HI> to rely on, in the Tenor of the Go|&s;pel, not exacting <HI>un&s;inning</HI> obedience under
<PB N="63" REF="35">pains of eternal death, from tho&s;e who &s;hall be reputed, and rewarded as the Children of God.</P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="15" TYPE="objection">
<HEAD>OBJECT. XV.</HEAD>
<P>But if I were a Childe of. God, I cannot but in rea&s;on expect a more <HI>compliable</HI> temper with the <HI>Laws</HI> of <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> then I finde in my &s;elf: even to tho&s;e things, from which I actually do ab&s;tain, I perceive in my &s;elf mo&s;t violent, and &s;trong inclinations; &s;o that I have no Comfort from the <HI>Vi|ctory</HI> over my Lu&s;ts; &s;uch <HI>murmurings</HI> and <HI>regrets</HI> I have in my &s;elf, for not letting loo&s;e the <HI>Rains</HI> of my corrupt Na|ture.</P>
<DIV3 TYPE="solution">
<HEAD>SOLUTION.</HEAD>
<P N="21">21. MY an&s;wer to this Objection will likewi&s;e di&s;charge your expe|ctation of what I promi&s;ed more fully to &s;peak, in reference to that (&s;uppo&s;ed) exce|ption you would have again&s;t your &s;elf, from the third &s;en&s;e I &s;ugge&s;ted unto you, which the Apo&s;tle might intend, by the <HI>Testimony</HI> of the <HI>Spirit,</HI> in that of the <HI>Romans</HI> lately men|tioned.</P>
<P>It is not to be denyed by any the <HI>Greatest
<PB N="64" REF="36">Saint</HI> upon earth, but that he feels in him|&s;elf the <HI>Contests</HI> of <HI>two</HI> contrary Principles, <HI>Fle&s;h</HI> and <HI>Spirit,</HI> the <HI>old</HI> and <HI>new man:</HI> and evident I pre&s;ume it is, that from hence ari&s;es very much of their trouble who have tender and good natures, but weak and di&s;ordered Judgments. For <HI>first,</HI> many of tho&s;e Chri&s;ti|ans do conclude, that all, even the <HI>first moti|ons</HI> to &s;in, which they feel in them&s;elves, how <HI>&s;uddenly,</HI> and <HI>impetuou&s;ly</HI> &s;oever rejected by their Spirits, do yet leave &s;ome <HI>dangerous guilt</HI> &s;ticking upon their Con&s;ciences. And 2^l^y that the &s;tate of a Chri&s;tian lyable to &s;uch <HI>motions</HI> again&s;t the Law of God, &s;pringing from <HI>cor|rupt</HI> nature in him is wholly deplorable and forlorn; the&s;e being mo&s;t &s;ure marks of his unregeneracy.</P>
<P>Concerning the <HI>fir&s;t</HI> of the&s;e; though there be many very judicious and pious <HI>Divines,</HI> that are of a contrary judgment acknow|ledging no more in the&s;e <HI>motions</HI> to &s;in, then an <HI>jnfelicity</HI> accompanying the nature of the holye&s;t men in this life; affording indeed matter of humility, to all the Children of God, but not a&s;per&s;ing them with any guilt: yet if your judgment run along with tho&s;e of the <HI>other per&s;wa&s;ion,</HI> I &s;hall not Endeavor to alter your opinion; it being long &s;ince imbi|bed (I believe) and therefore not only diffi|cultly changed, but allmo&s;t impo&s;&s;ible to be cleerly eradicated out of your mind; and con&s;equently; may be a means not of le&s;|&s;ening,
<PB N="65" REF="36">but enlarging your Troubles: yet would I de&s;ire you to retein your own Per|&s;wa&s;ion, with this <HI>grain</HI> of <HI>Salt,</HI> viz. that tho&s;e <HI>Motions</HI> are but &s;ins of <HI>Infirmity</HI> and <HI>Venial,</HI> which have pardon of cour&s;e un|der the Go&s;pel to all the Children of God; it not being po&s;&s;ible that they can live in the Fle&s;h, without &s;uch <HI>Motions</HI> to &s;in, unle&s;s you will &s;uppo&s;e them capable of living in a &s;tate of <HI>Impeccability,</HI> a <HI>not-&s;innable</HI> condition in this World; for that &s;uch <HI>Motions</HI> mu&s;t in rea&s;on be &s;uppo&s;ed to be in all per&s;ons <HI>lap&s;ible</HI> (as was <HI>Adam</HI> and all his Sons,) being that <HI>indelibe|rate</HI> &s;ins, as well as &s;ins of a <HI>&s;lower fermentation</HI> in mens Souls, mu&s;t be preceded by &s;uch <HI>Motions</HI> of their Appetites, as <HI>naturally</HI> and as <HI>nece&s;&s;arily,</HI> as the <HI>colli&s;ion</HI> of Flints mu&s;t be before the <HI>emi&s;&s;ion</HI> of fire.</P>
<P>As for the &s;econd, &s;uch <HI>Motions</HI> as the&s;e how vile and irregular &s;oever they are, (<HI>Bla&s;|phemies</HI> having the &s;ame <HI>mint</HI> with <HI>Fornication, Adulteries, Murders,</HI> as our Saviour telleth us, <HI>Mat.</HI> 15.19.) yet being (as we have &s;aid) <HI>immediately,</HI> and with <HI>Indignation</HI> rejected by us, are no marks of an unregenerate Man, but rather the contrary: For do not we Chri&s;ti|ans engage in a <HI>warfaring</HI> life again&s;t the <HI>Fle&s;h,</HI> the <HI>World,</HI> and the <HI>Devil?</HI> is not the <HI>Holy man,</HI> he that leads a vertuous and religi|life, a <HI>Conqueror?</HI> and is there a <HI>Conqueror</HI> where there is no <HI>Enemy;</HI> have we <HI>weapons,</HI> &s;piritual ones, put into our hands, to <HI>beat the
<PB N="66" REF="37">Air withall?</HI> are not the&s;e <HI>Motions</HI> the <HI>enmity of the Fle&s;h,</HI> which we are engaged to oppo&s;e and de&s;troy, that <HI>Amalek,</HI> with which we <HI>mu&s;t have war for ever?</HI> I mean whil&s;t we live in this World. And mu&s;t it pa&s;s for a <HI>Cha|racter of Trea&s;on</HI> or <HI>Cowardice,</HI> (and not ra|ther a note of <HI>Infelicity</HI>) to be dayly &s;ur|rounded with multitudes of the&s;e <HI>Phili&s;tims,</HI> which yet (like <HI>David</HI>) a valiant Chri&s;tian de&s;troys by <HI>ten thou&s;ands</HI> at a time? if this be that <HI>Shibboleth,</HI> and <HI>Te&s;t</HI> of di&s;cerning and di|&s;tingui&s;hing the good from the bad, Heaven will be filled with none but Angels, and tho&s;e innocent Creatures, who&s;e good hap it was to dye whil&s;t their ignorance of Good and E|vil (like the Children of the <HI>Ninivites</HI>) might give them undeniable preten&s;ions to the crown of Glory.</P>
<P>Should you therefore condemn your &s;elf, for that &s;uch <HI>Duels</HI> and <HI>Battles</HI> as the&s;e are dayly <HI>fought</HI> in your Brea&s;t, for that <HI>Plots</HI> and <HI>Con&s;piracies</HI> again&s;t the Kingly Govern|ment of your Appetites, are dayly detected and prevented; the <HI>Plotters</HI> and <HI>Con&s;pirators</HI> &s;ubdued, cha&s;ti&s;ed, and kept under by an high hand; &s;hould you, I &s;ay, condemn your &s;elf for this, you would in that &s;entence condemn <HI>the Generation of Gods Children;</HI> the main dif|ference betwixt <HI>&s;piritual</HI> and <HI>carnal</HI> Men and Women lying in this, (not that one &s;ort <HI>feels</HI> no conte&s;t with <HI>Motions</HI> to &s;in, the other have Souls dayly <HI>clouded</HI> and <HI>pe&s;tred</HI> with
<PB N="67" REF="37">&s;uch <HI>Locu&s;ts</HI>) <HI>Gal.</HI> 5.16. but one of them, <HI>viz. &s;piritual</HI> Men do conquer and &s;ubdue, but <HI>car|nal</HI> Men and Women do yield to, and are van|qui&s;h'd by the&s;e Lu&s;ts.</P>
<P>Honour and commendation are not only <HI>due</HI> to Fortitude, but do foment and cheri&s;h that Virtue: take you heed therefore that that be not applyable to you, which the va|liant and wi&s;e <HI>General</HI> of King <HI>Davids</HI> Army foretold him upon his <HI>&s;our</HI> entertainment of his Souldiers, after their Victory over <HI>Ab&s;o|lom</HI> (the Kings <HI>Darling</HI> as much as <HI>Enemy,</HI>) 2 <HI>Sam.</HI> 19.7. You ought to encourage your &s;elf in God, and ble&s;s and prai&s;e him by who&s;e Grace it is that you are thus <HI>victorious,</HI> and that <HI>for the prai&s;e of his Glory,</HI> as the A|po&s;tle doth more than <HI>once</HI> intimate in <HI>Eph.</HI> 1.12, 14.</P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="16" TYPE="objection">
<HEAD>OBJECTION. XVI.</HEAD>
<P>But how then is my Nature <HI>changed,</HI> where is that <HI>new Creature, created after God in Righteou&s;ne&s;s and true Holine&s;s?</HI> What <HI>Renovation</HI> by the <HI>Spirit,</HI> if &s;uch <HI>Motions</HI> to Sin as the&s;e, croud in upon the Soul of a re|generate Chri&s;tian? I cannot but be per&s;wa|ded it was much otherwi&s;e with the Apo&s;tle, and is &s;o &s;till with Holy men, though not with me.</P>
<DIV3 TYPE="solution">
<PB N="68" REF="38">
<HEAD>SOLUTION.</HEAD>
<P N="22">22. THe <HI>Anatomy</HI> of every, or any &s;ingle Chri&s;tians Soul, with the true &s;tate and po&s;ture of his Mind you cannot <HI>certainly</HI> know, unle&s;s the per&s;on may be pre&s;umed, not only to &s;peak truth, but throughly to un|der&s;tand his own condition in this point, e|ven as St. <HI>Paul</HI> did. But certain enough it is, that Holy men extraordinarily in&s;pired by God, have grievou&s;ly complained of the guilt of Sin, and of their exceeding great troubles for it, even to di&s;traction, <HI>P&s;.</HI> 88.15. neither of which could po&s;sibly happen unto them, (the later being the fruit and effect of the former) with the&s;e <HI>precedaneous motions to</HI> fin.</P>
<P>Be&s;ides, let the Thoughts, Words, and Deeds of the holye&s;t per&s;on which you would in&s;tance in, be <HI>&s;ifted</HI> to the bottom, and &s;ome <HI>bran</HI> will be found in them, &s;ome <HI>chaff</HI> will be winowed out of the <HI>heap</HI> of his conver&s;ation; even &s;ince that time, that he hath had &s;ome comfortable a&s;&s;urance of his good E&s;tate: but all this is not only tryable by experience, but by Rules and Grounds of Divinity, which have proportion with the <HI>Analagy</HI> of Faith.</P>
<P N="23">23. The <HI>new Creature,</HI> or the <HI>Regenerate</HI> man who doth &s;incerely endeavour <HI>to perfect Holyne&s;s in the fear of God,</HI> doth not pa&s;s into
<PB N="96" REF="38">this e&s;tate, by any <HI>phy&s;ical</HI> and <HI>natural,</HI> but by a <HI>&s;piritual</HI> and <HI>moral change;</HI> the principles of Motion and Operation in him, continuing not only the &s;ame, but &s;till lyable to the &s;ame Errors in working as before; otherwi&s;e (as we have already &s;aid) his &s;tate mu&s;t be a &s;tate of <HI>Impeccability,</HI> which was never in our earthly Tabernacle but once, when <HI>Chri&s;t Je|&s;us</HI> took our nature upon him: in whom, though the humane nature was <HI>lap&s;ible,</HI> be|cau&s;e otherwi&s;e he had not been <HI>made in all things like unto us, Sin only excepted,</HI> Heb. 2.17. (which <HI>lap&s;ability</HI> is not,) yet by rea&s;on of the <HI>hypo&s;talical</HI> union of the Humane and Divine nature in his <HI>Per&s;on;</HI> he could not only not fall but feel no Motion to the lea&s;t &s;in, <HI>neither was Guile found in his mouth.</HI></P>
<P>So then, by rea&s;on the faculties in the Soul remain the <HI>&s;ame,</HI> after, as before conver&s;ion, (as that man doth <HI>will</HI> Vertue with the &s;ame <HI>Individual will,</HI> wherewith before he did <HI>will</HI> Vice: he doth <HI>love</HI> God with the &s;ame natu|ral power of <HI>affecting,</HI> wherewith before he lo|ved the World.) It mu&s;t follow, that the Soul and her Appetites, as well <HI>concupi&s;cible</HI> as <HI>ira&s;cible,</HI> being &s;till phy&s;ically the &s;ame; the change is only in the&s;e 3 things e&s;pecially, the 1. <HI>cau&s;e,</HI> 2. <HI>manner,</HI> and 3. <HI>end of their operation.</HI> The <HI>Moral</HI> cau&s;e, (if I may &s;o term it) by the efficiency whereof the Will and her Appetites are in a Regenerate man moved to <HI>act,</HI> upon the propo&s;al of any object, is that <HI>Tincture</HI>
<PB N="70" REF="39">of Grace, which is ca&s;t into the Soul by the ble&s;&s;ed <HI>Spirit</HI> of God: which is a kind of <HI>Principium motus &amp; quietis</HI> in Moral, as <HI>Nature</HI> is in things Natural, mingling it &s;elf into e|very faculty of the Soul, apprehending in the <HI>Intellectual,</HI> willing or nilling in the <HI>Elective</HI> power, governing and guiding the Affections in all their Operations, both of aver&s;ation and de&s;ire, being &s;o perfectly <HI>a&s;similated</HI> to the nature of the Soul, that (as is the Soul in which it dwells) Grace is better appre|hended by her operation in Regenerate men, than defined in its e&s;&s;ence: &s;omething there is that moves them to Act, not only &s;o <HI>contra|ry</HI> to others, but even to them&s;elves whil&s;t un|regenerate, <HI>Rom.</HI> 6.21. (as the contrary effects of <HI>Glory</HI> and <HI>Shame</HI> in the &s;ame <HI>Per&s;ons,</HI> flow|ing from the <HI>&s;ame</HI> Acts, though under a dif|ferent &s;tate doth evidence) but to define what this is, whether a <HI>&s;ub&s;tance</HI> or a <HI>quality,</HI> whe|ther an <HI>Act,</HI> or any <HI>A&s;si&s;tant form,</HI> may (po&s;|&s;ibly) appear a difficulty &s;o much the greater, by how much the more &s;olidly it is inquired into.</P>
<P>As for the <HI>manner</HI> of a Regenerate mans working by Grace, it is <HI>regular,</HI> according to that order which God him&s;elf hath fixt in our Nature, <HI>Rea&s;on</HI> being the Judge of all our Actions, uncorrupted by any prepo&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion, pa&s;&s;ion, or intere&s;t, which are the cau&s;es of all <HI>di&s;orderly</HI> Actions of the Soul, invading by force or &s;tratagemme, the more <HI>noble</HI> and
<PB N="71" REF="39"><HI>rational faculties,</HI> whereby Unregenerate men are carried <HI>(vertiginou&s;ly)</HI> about with divers Lu&s;ts, as well as with every <HI>wind of Doctrine, Eph.</HI> 4.14. which is a lu&s;t in the Under&s;tand|ing, and &s;o the more dangerous, as are Di&s;ea|&s;es that fix them&s;elves in the <HI>vital</HI> parts, and in <HI>circular</HI> motion, we know that each part of the Orbe hath a vici&s;&s;itude of Superi|ority: but in the Soul of man Rea&s;on ought to be fixt in the highe&s;t &s;eat, the deepe&s;t <HI>my&s;te|ries</HI> of Faith no way depo&s;ing this <HI>Queen Re|gent</HI> from her Dignity, but only exacting from her that <HI>Homage</HI> and <HI>Fealty</HI> which is due to <HI>Divine Revelations,</HI> and the <HI>A&s;si&s;tances</HI> of the <HI>Spirit</HI> acting herein &s;piritual and heaven|ly things.</P>
<P>And la&s;tly, for the change that is wrought in the <HI>end</HI> of a Regenerate mans Actions, that which he now <HI>ultimately</HI> and chiefly aims at, is the manife&s;tation of Gods Glory: and the <HI>&s;ubordinate</HI> end of all his Endeavours, is his own, and the &s;alvation of other mens Souls: but with men of unchang'd Natures, as <HI>Na|ture</HI> in a &s;tate of Corruption is the Principle from which they work, and their Manner wholy <HI>enormous;</HI> &s;o is their <HI>end</HI> ever their <HI>&s;elf,</HI> even in that wor&s;er &s;en&s;e, wherein an obedience; and captivity to all, or &s;ome kinds of carnal Lu&s;ts, for &s;atisfaction of the un|rea&s;onable and bruti&s;h part in them is &s;ignifi|ed, in oppo&s;ition to that <HI>manual</HI> of Go&s;pel-Duties, (as I may call it) abridged into
<PB N="72" REF="40">that mo&s;t comprehen&s;ive <HI>Notion</HI> of Self-de|nyal.</P>
<P>Briefly then, if you will but ob&s;erve the Principal <HI>efficient</HI> of your moral Actions, the <HI>manner</HI> and <HI>end</HI> of doing them, I tru&s;t you will be able to &s;ee &s;o great a contrariety be|twixt tho&s;e of the Unregerate, and Regene|rate life, that you will without any ju&s;t cau&s;e of doubt as freely a&s;&s;ert the &s;piritual Life you lead, from the vigour and <HI>energy</HI> of that <HI>New Nature</HI> in you; as you do the Natural life you live, by the power of the <HI>Old Nature,</HI> in a <HI>phy&s;ical</HI> &s;en&s;e.</P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="17" TYPE="objection">
<HEAD>OBJECTION. XVII.</HEAD>
<P>But me thinketh [&s;ay you] I may and ought to be a much better Chri&s;tian than I am.</P>
<DIV3 TYPE="solution">
<HEAD>SOLUTION.</HEAD>
<P N="24">24. NO moral duty (like <HI>Mathemati|cal proportions</HI>) doth con&s;i&s;t in an <HI>indivi&s;ible</HI> point. That which we judge to be the wor&s;t may yet be wor&s;er, and that which we take to be the be&s;t may yet be better, if done by any Creature not impeccable. <HI>E&s;|chue Evil, and do Good</HI> is the rule of <HI>holy living,</HI> P&s;. 34.13. which he that &s;incerely doth, need|eth not be <HI>&s;crupulous</HI> and critically inqui&s;itive into every &s;ingle Action of his Life, though he may not be remi&s;s and &s;upine in do|ing
<PB N="73" REF="40">any the mo&s;t incon&s;iderable, <HI>whil&s;t it is in doing.</HI></P>
<P N="25">25. There is no <HI>Divine,</HI> that will a&s;&s;ert the ne|ce&s;&s;ity of perfect and un&s;inning obedience un|der the Go&s;pel: his own experience without the Authority of Saint <HI>John,</HI> will confute &s;uch <HI>Magi&s;terial Theologie,</HI> e're it run from a pen, held by a hand of fle&s;h and blood. All humane Actions mu&s;t needs carrie a proporti|on to the nature of the <HI>Agent</HI> by which they are effected: in all moral Actions, the <HI>inter|mediate Agent</HI> betwixt the <HI>Spirit of &s;anctifica|tion,</HI> and the <HI>material part</HI> of the Action is the <HI>Soul</HI> of Man, in which, and by which, as by a natural and voluntary In&s;trument, the <HI>ble&s;&s;ed Spirit</HI> doth work: &s;o that all <HI>moral productions</HI> mu&s;t needs receive &s;ome impre&s;sions from the next, and immediate cau&s;e of their being: an Artificer never &s;o skilfull, yet the defects and ineptitude of the In&s;trument by which he works, may &s;omewhat abate of the excellen|cy of the work, unle&s;s he can &s;uppo&s;e the Soul of Man in all her faculties to be not only <HI>regular,</HI> but <HI>inerrable;</HI> that tran&s;piercing Eye will &s;ind &s;ome <HI>flaw</HI> in the mo&s;t orient moral Action, which a &s;tate of Separation and Bli&s;s might have rendered that Action free from; our very Prayers and Pray&s;es are (undoubt|edly) not &s;o perfect in this, as in the other life: and this is one rea&s;on, why till the day of Judgement <HI>Christ</HI> doth not <HI>deliver up the Kingdom to the Father:</HI> his <HI>Melche&s;ide|kian
<PB N="74" REF="41">Prie&s;thood</HI> continuing in (my opinion) till that time, both for the Quick and Dead, that they may have their <HI>Perfect Con&s;umma|tion</HI> and bli&s;s in everla&s;ting glory: this the <HI>Church</HI> prayes for, and for what the <HI>Body</HI> prayes, the <HI>Head</HI> doth undoubtedly <HI>inter|cede.</HI></P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="18" TYPE="objection">
<HEAD>OBJECT. XVIII.</HEAD>
<P>But me thinketh (&s;ay you) I may do more good then I do.</P>
<DIV3 TYPE="solution">
<HEAD>SOLUTION.</HEAD>
<P N="26">26. COncerning the mea&s;ure of well|doing, if it were in Moral po&s;itive precepts of Gods revealed Will, there needs nothing more be &s;aid, but that of our Sa|viour, <HI>The&s;e ought to be done, Matth.</HI> 23.23. But becau&s;e &s;uch doubts or Scruples, that afflict your minde, are mo&s;t likely to ari&s;e from tho&s;e duties, which are pre&s;cribed only in gro&s;s; but the <HI>Quotum</HI> or mea&s;ure left to our own prudence to determine, as Fa&s;ting, Prayer, Alms, &amp;c. I &s;hall onely in&s;i&s;t upon the&s;e, there being no tollerable doubt or &s;cruple to be made concerning the other, which oblige <HI>ad &s;emper,</HI> at all times, and in their full mea&s;ure.</P>
<P>But you mu&s;t take notice, that it is not
<PB N="75" REF="41">po&s;&s;ible that part cular Rules and Directions can be given to all Chri&s;tians, concerning the&s;e Duties, whereby all objections may be prevented: &s;ome what may be &s;aid in gene|ral, which may &s;erve &s;o far to direct you, and all good Chri&s;tians, concerning the&s;e duties, that by ob&s;erving them you may be left &s;ecure from all <HI>damnable omi&s;&s;ions</HI> of any of the&s;e duties, and from any <HI>dangerous er|rors</HI> in performing them. <HI>Fa&s;ting</HI> is a duty when enjoyned by publike lawful Authori|ty, and for Chri&s;tian ends, and to be per|formed in a charitable manner, is an indi|&s;pen&s;able duty upon all, &s;ave &s;uch, with whom that Authority doth <HI>actually</HI> di&s;pen&s;e, or may <HI>duly</HI> be &s;uppo&s;ed to be di&s;pen&s;able by &s;uch an Authority. But for <HI>private Fa&s;ts,</HI> how frequently they are to be ob&s;erved by every one, cannot be defined without &s;ome regard had to our con&s;titution of Bodie, our calling, the u&s;ual Contingencies of nece&s;&s;ary af|fairs, &amp;c. which may hinder the performance, or make it impertinent to our end. <HI>Publick Fa&s;ts</HI> are le&s;s lyable to errors in the perfor|mance, than <HI>private</HI> are: one rea&s;on among&s;t others is, becau&s;e the management of every one for that time, is for the greate&s;t part left under <HI>publick</HI> circum&s;tances of <HI>Time, Per&s;ons, Place,</HI> &amp;c. which render the Duty more free from error and &s;cruple in the Performance: <HI>Private a&s;ts</HI> are &s;eldom free from private faults and inconveniencies. Now becau&s;e the
<PB N="76" REF="42">circum&s;tances of Complexion, Age, Sex, Contingencies, &amp;c. are &s;o variable; my judg|ment is, that few Chri&s;tians oblige them|&s;elves by Vow, (but under a pecuniary mulct to the poor they may) to the ob&s;ervation of weekly, voluntary fa&s;ts, making tho&s;e the choice&s;t opportunities, when they are mo&s;t fit for tho&s;e duties. The be&s;t conjuncture is <HI>Prayer, Fa&s;ting</HI> and <HI>Alms</HI> together, (or in tho&s;e who have no <HI>corporal Alms,</HI> &s;ome <HI>&s;piri|tual Large&s;s</HI> to the Souls of others, which all may give) the&s;e &s;et a price upon the Service of God, and keep our Religion from being <HI>cheap</HI> and <HI>refu&s;e,</HI> and &s;uch as <HI>co&s;ts us nothing,</HI> but the expence of a little time and breath.</P>
<P>But by this I de&s;ire not to be thought to di&s;charge the <HI>weekly dayes</HI> of <HI>ab&s;tinence</HI> ap|pointed by the <HI>Church,</HI> or to <HI>commute</HI> for them, by the ob&s;ervation of a day of your own; for I look upon the Authority of the <HI>Church</HI> you were baptized in, as <HI>uncancell'd</HI> in point of obliging you, and all others, who call your &s;elves the <HI>Sons</HI> and <HI>Daughters</HI> of the <HI>Church of England.</HI></P>
<P>The&s;e Cautions I &s;hall recommend unto you, and others, in reference to the matter in hand. 1. The duties of our hone&s;t and nece&s;&s;ary calling, (wherein men do undoubt|edly &s;erve God, when orderly and Chri&s;ti|anly performed) may, though not wholly &s;uper&s;ede, either out of our family, or pri|vate practi&s;e, any of the&s;e duties, yet mo|derate
<PB N="77" REF="42">us in the practice of them. So much time &s;pent in prayer, cannot in rea&s;on be ex|pected, from one that &s;ub&s;i&s;ts by his <HI>hone&s;t Call|ing,</HI> as from him that lives of a <HI>plentiful Reve|nue.</HI> 2. Diver&s;ions and recreations ought not to govern us in of re&s;pect the&s;e duties: but if they be &s;uch as require much of our time to the exerci&s;e of them (which I believe is not agree|able to Chri&s;tian principles) the &s;ea&s;ons mu&s;t not be rob'd away from the&s;e duties, but from &s;omething el&s;e, wherein we have a power to di&s;pen&s;e. I do not believe that an Hunting-Match, a Cittie-Vi&s;it, or a Pack of Cards, &amp;c. ought to exchange and alter the fitte&s;t, and u&s;ual times, and hours for prayer, (though nece&s;&s;ary employments, deeds of Mercy and Charity may) much le&s;s abbreviate or wholly di&s;pen&s;e with the duty. 3. If it hap|pen that there be an opportunity of doing &s;ome dutie of Piety, (as publick Prayer or Sermon, &amp;c.) in that place where you are enjoyn'd to be an Auditor &amp; Member of the Congregation on the <HI>Lords day</HI> (or in any other place where you are, in ca&s;e there be no <HI>Schi&s;m</HI> in the <HI>National Church</HI>) you may not ab&s;ent your &s;elf <HI>only</HI> for &s;uch Diver&s;ions and Recreations; the rea&s;on is, not only for that a guilt of omi&s;&s;ion, and al&s;o a &s;candal will follow from thence, but you may lo&s;e an opportunity of doing, or receiving &s;ome good at that time, which you may not have tendred to you again. To lavi&s;h away ones
<PB N="78" REF="43">time is a very great imprudence (be&s;ides a &s;in) in any Chri&s;tian; but to lo&s;e <HI>&s;ea&s;ons</HI> and <HI>opportunities</HI> is a very great piece of guilt, as well as folly. 4. In ca&s;e you have bound your &s;elf to any of the&s;e, in re&s;pect of the mea&s;ure and frequency, either by Vow, or promi&s;e, or firm Re&s;olution (e&s;pecially if by way of <HI>Revenge</HI> for former faults, 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 7. 11.) by all means, be as projectual as you may in the ob&s;ervation there of: a&s;&s;uring your &s;elf, that as you &s;hall meet with the more and greater oppo&s;itions after &s;uch Vow, Promi&s;e or Re&s;olution, &s;o you will finde much more trouble upon the not performance of the duty &s;o vowed, promi|&s;ed, or re&s;olved on; becau&s;e the duty there|by becomes in its circum&s;tances to the <HI>hic</HI> and <HI>nunc</HI> of it, of the nature of Gods un|changeable precepts, and the &s;in of unfaith|fulne&s;s is added to the omi&s;&s;ion of that duty by you. 5. You need not &s;cruple the <HI>Condi|tion</HI> or <HI>per&s;wa&s;ion</HI> of the Per&s;on to whom you give in be&s;towing of your <HI>Alms;</HI> if you per|ceive the Receiver thereof be &s;uch, as by ho|ne&s;t endeavours cannot provide for him&s;elf, and his Family in a way proportionable to the Dignity of mans Nature, you have a good aim to hit the mark of Charity; if nothing be probably &s;ugge&s;ted to the contrary, you may &s;afely &s;uppo&s;e any one that asketh, capable of your charitable Benevolence. 6. in giving ever have regard to that your Eye informs
<PB N="79" REF="43">you, the poor Wretch &s;tands mo&s;t in need of, and which others are not &s;o likely, or &s;o well able to &s;upply, as your &s;elf. I need not mention to you any caution again&s;t <HI>vain glo|ry,</HI> the <HI>forfeiture</HI> of your Reward in Heaven, upon our Saviours own caution again&s;t it, will be your daily Remembrancer thereof. 7. To con&s;tant Prayers and other holie Duties in your Familie, though there be no Po&s;itive command in Scripture for it, I believe you hold your &s;elf obliged. Yet would I not have you &s;o wedded to any <HI>form,</HI> as not being able to plea&s;e your &s;elf therein, you &s;hould whol|ly di&s;charge the Dutie it &s;elf, that which be&s;t opens your Wants as a Chri&s;tian, and co|meth home to the <HI>concernments</HI> of your own Family, is the mo&s;t proper, and in all like|lyhood may be&s;t &s;uit with the <HI>temper</HI> and <HI>per&s;wa&s;ion</HI> of everie Per&s;on in your Hou&s;e; which in this Age we live in, may not be &s;o unanimous, as you de&s;ire. 8. In the perfor|mance of any of the&s;e (as of all other Du|ties) labour to &s;hew your &s;elf of an <HI>alacrious Spirit.</HI> For being they are Free will Offer|ings, (at lea&s;t manie Acts of them may be &s;o) it is true in all the re&s;t, which the Apo&s;tle &s;peaks of <HI>one</HI> of them, <HI>God loveth a chearfull Giver.</HI> 2 Cor. 9.7. 9. I &s;hall conclude with this caution (which I de&s;ire you to make u&s;e of as a <HI>cordial,</HI> and not as a <HI>con&s;erve</HI> to make other things <HI>glib</HI> and <HI>palatable</HI> in &s;wallowing) remember that there is great difference be|twixt
<PB N="80" REF="44">the certain puni&s;hment annext to the breach of Law, and a le&s;&s;er degree of Glory in the life to come, he that <HI>&s;oweth</HI> plentifully, &s;hall <HI>reap</HI> plentifully; 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 9.6, 7. though where there is no &s;owing at all, no <HI>Harve&s;t</HI> (in Ju&s;tice) can be expected, yet where there is this &s;piritual <HI>&s;owing</HI> the <HI>crop</HI> &s;hall be <HI>an&s;werable</HI> to what is &s;own. Though it &s;hould be every mans de&s;igne, to aim at the <HI>highe&s;t degree</HI> of Glory, and yet believe that he de&s;erves not the lea&s;t: yet I would have &s;uch as are of your <HI>&s;ad temper</HI> to con&s;ider; that there is no dan|ger incurred, by being only capable of re|ceiving a le&s;s reward then other men.</P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="19" TYPE="objection">
<HEAD>OBJECTION XIX.</HEAD>
<P>But I think my &s;elf bound in Con&s;cience to do the mo&s;t and be&s;t I may, and therefore I con|demn my &s;elf of &s;in, as o&s;t as I fail of doing that which is <HI>be&s;t.</HI></P>
<DIV3 TYPE="solution">
<HEAD>SOLUTION.</HEAD>
<P N="27">27. YOur condition may be &s;uch, as that you may be utterly uncapa|ble of doing that which is <HI>be&s;t;</HI> and con&s;e|quently you ought not in rea&s;on to think your &s;elf bound to all that is <HI>be&s;t.</HI> A &s;ingle life is <HI>be&s;t,</HI> in compari&s;on of Wedlock, (&s;up|po&s;ing
<PB N="81" REF="44">the Per&s;on qualified for Coelibate:) yet if you are entred into the &s;tate of Marriage, (though you found your &s;elf capable of li|ving without Lu&s;t of <HI>burning</HI>) yet you mu&s;t now content your &s;elf with that &s;tate of life, and <HI>therein abide with God,</HI> 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 7.24. do|ing the Duties agreeable, and proper to that <HI>kinde</HI> of life. But you mean (perhaps) of &s;uch things as are yet in your choice; as to Pray in <HI>Canonical</HI> hours, as do the <HI>Regulars</HI> or <HI>Religious</HI> of the <HI>Roman Per&s;wa&s;ion;</HI> or to give &s;o much Alms, as may <HI>quadrupliate</HI> the proportion you have hitherto given, being able <HI>&s;o</HI> to do. I confe&s;s I do not take it to be a fault, but a piece of <HI>Heroical</HI> Charity, if any one doth by this means, &s;o le&s;&s;en him|&s;elf, in re&s;pect of his former quality, that the <HI>Place</HI> and <HI>Dignity</HI> he formerly enjoyed as his <HI>Civil Right,</HI> (provided he be no <HI>publick Magi&s;trate,</HI> which (perhaps) may alter the Ca&s;e) the <HI>Port</HI> and <HI>Equipage</HI> of his living is thereby depre&s;t, and made <HI>inglorious</HI> in the eyes of <HI>worldly</HI> men. But as I take this to be no fault, but much otherwi&s;e; &s;o I mu&s;t take leave to &s;cruple your &s;cruple you rai&s;e from your <HI>private</HI> belief in this point; <HI>viz.</HI> that you are <HI>obliged</HI> thus do; becau&s;e your Con&s;cience tells you, you are capable of do|ing it. Your Argument &s;tands thus; <HI>Such an Heroical piece of Religion</HI> I <HI>am capable of per|forming, therefore my Con&s;cience tells me I am bound to perform it.</HI></P>
<PB N="82" REF="45">
<P><HI>Two</HI> things mu&s;t here be enquired into. 1. <HI>Whether my capacity of doing that which I am not apparantly commanded to do, be a &s;uf|ficient ground to inferre my obligation thereto?</HI> in ca&s;e this be not &s;o, whether 2. <HI>my belief that it is &s;o, hath a power of obliging me thereto?</HI> as in matters of <HI>Indifferency.</HI></P>
<P>That the <HI>fir&s;t</HI> Propo&s;ition cannot be held for an <HI>univer&s;al Affirmative,</HI> may be clear to any one, from the&s;e two In&s;tances. 1. There be divers per&s;ons in the world, that are ca|pable of performing the <HI>Mini&s;terial Function,</HI> in point of <HI>Parts</HI> and <HI>Moral Behaviour;</HI> which yet never did conceive them&s;elves, nor any body el&s;e believe, that they were <HI>indi&s;pen&s;a|bly</HI> bound, by this <HI>aptitude</HI> of theirs to enter into <HI>Holy Orders.</HI> I mu&s;t confe&s;s that in the fir&s;t Plantation of the Go&s;pel, or in an intol|erable &s;carcity of Mini&s;ters, the ca&s;e may (po&s;&s;ibly) be otherwi&s;e; e&s;pecially if &s;uch per&s;ons perceive in them&s;elves an <HI>unu&s;ual ac|qui&s;ition,</HI> and <HI>improvement</HI> of their abilities, under common means; and a greater <HI>violence</HI> and <HI>&s;tirring of Spirit</HI> in them toward that Profe&s;sion, (e&s;pecially if under per&s;ecution, or very &s;lender encouragements to imbrace it) together with the remarkable de&s;ires of others, that they would engage therein, (the <HI>Concurrence</HI> of which are very neer to an <HI>ex|traordinary Calling.</HI>) But generally I conceive the ca&s;e to be as is afore determined. Again 2^l^y tis clear from 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 7. That a &s;ingle Life
<PB N="83" REF="45">is better, in many re&s;pects, then Marriage: now if a Virgin living in her Fathers hou&s;e, &s;hould finde in her &s;elf <HI>no nece&s;&s;ity</HI> to marry, but rather &s;trong inclinations (and for the be&s;t rea&s;on of all, <HI>that &s;he might &s;erve the Lord without di&s;traction</HI> by worldly bu&s;ine&s;s) to continue a Virgin, &s;uppo&s;ing &s;he were <HI>actually</HI> obliged &s;o to do, upon finding in her &s;elf this capacity of living unmarried; I de&s;ire to know, whether her Father (if he &s;ees it <HI>ne|ce&s;&s;ary</HI> for him&s;elf, e&s;tate or Family that &s;he &s;hould marrie) may <HI>compell</HI> by his <HI>Fatherly Authority,</HI> &s;uch a one to accept of a fit Hus|band, tendered to her by her Father? on the one &s;ide here is the Command of a Fa|ther; on the other (on that &s;uppo&s;ition) the Command of God; this to ab&s;tain, that to marrie; into what a &s;ad perplexitie will &s;uch a one be ca&s;t, if that &s;uppo&s;ition were true?</P>
<P>But I de&s;ire him that holds the fir&s;t opini|on <HI>[that his capacity of doing that which he is not apparantly commanded to do, is a &s;ufficient ground to inferre his obligation thereto]</HI> to con|&s;ider this rea&s;on to the contrary: the capaci|tie of doing any thing, whether <HI>precedaneous, concomitant</HI> or <HI>&s;ub&s;equent</HI> to the command, is no more then a <HI>Qualification,</HI> or <HI>obediential power</HI> and <HI>pa&s;&s;ivity</HI> in the object, by which the Law becomes <HI>&s;uitable</HI> to the Creature, to whom it is given, and without which the Command can neither be <HI>rea&s;onable,</HI> nor <HI>ju&s;t</HI>
<PB N="84" REF="46">it being as di&s;agreable to <HI>original ju&s;tice,</HI> that a Law or Command be given to any Crea|ture <HI>Superiour</HI> to his abilities of keeping it; as it is contrary to <HI>ordinate ju&s;tice</HI> to puni&s;h that Creature, for the not performance of a Command &s;o given. Not the <HI>Obligency</HI> there|fore, but the <HI>equity,</HI> or <HI>rea&s;onablene&s;s</HI> of the Law, is founded in the <HI>Capacity</HI> of the Crea|ture to obey it (that being indeed founded in the <HI>Soveraignty</HI> of the Law-maker) other|wi&s;e there would be tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion, where there is no Law, contrary to the &s;aying of St. <HI>Paul, Rom.</HI> 4.15.</P>
<P>The main doubt behinde is, <HI>whether a be|lief grounded upon &s;uch an aptitude, doth oblige that per&s;on in whom it is, to the performance of &s;uch things, for which there is no particular precept given him by God?</HI> and &s;o may be under&s;tood to be of the &s;ame nature with that, which <HI>Di|vines</HI> call a <HI>Per&s;onal precept,</HI> as was that of our Saviour to the young man, requiring him to &s;ell all, and give to the Poor, <HI>Luke</HI> 18.22. a Precept which <HI>Divines</HI> have hitherto held to be of the nature of tho&s;e <HI>Con&s;titutions</HI> in the <HI>Civil Law,</HI> called <HI>Con&s;titutiones per&s;onales,</HI> In&s;t. lib. 1. Tit. 2. n. 6. none of which <HI>tran&s;|greditur per&s;onam,</HI> goes further than the per|&s;on to which it is given, and therefore be|become not Pre&s;idents or Examples for o|thers, though they have <HI>Legis vigorem</HI> the force of Law, in re&s;pect of them to whom they are given.</P>
<PB N="85" REF="46">
<P>Therefore I an&s;wer, That a Per&s;on that thus believes, is <HI>bound</HI> by his <HI>erroneous</HI> Con|&s;cience, or Judgement to the thing which he conceives him&s;elf thus capable of doing, but yet not irrever&s;ibly <HI>bound,</HI> as that man that receives a <HI>per&s;onal</HI> Precept from the Law|giver is, till the Law-giver him&s;elf be plea&s;ed to rever&s;e it. He then that is thus <HI>bound</HI> by the <HI>error</HI> of his Judgement, in the fir&s;t of tho&s;e things controverted betwixt us, under this objection, is freed from all Obligation to performance, as &s;oon as his Judgement (or Con&s;cience) is rectified; which is done a&s;|&s;oon as he is per&s;waded of the truth of this propo&s;ition, viz. <HI>That the capacity of doing what is be&s;t, doth not render the Per&s;on capable obliged to do what is be&s;t.</HI> Wherein (I think) the rea&s;on foregoing will give &s;atisfaction to any <HI>unprejudicate</HI> Per&s;on.</P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="20" TYPE="objection">
<HEAD>OBJECTION. XX.</HEAD>
<P>But doth not our Saviour di&s;charge the force of your rea&s;on in Mat. <HI>19.12. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it;</HI> &mdash;But I am able to receive it,&mdash;therefore I am bound to receive it.</P>
<DIV3 TYPE="solution">
<PB N="86" REF="47">
<HEAD>SOLUTION.</HEAD>
<P N="26">26. YOu mu&s;t prove, that our Saviour <HI>injoyns</HI> that as a <HI>Precept,</HI> and not propo&s;eth it as his <HI>Advice</HI> or <HI>Coun&s;ell;</HI> otherwi&s;e it cannot be thought to contain in it the <HI>force</HI> of a Command; and con&s;e|quently hath not in it the <HI>obligatory</HI> of a Law, but the per&s;wa&s;ory <HI>efficacie</HI> of an Ad|vice.</P>
<P>Now that tho&s;e words do not contain the force of a <HI>Precept</HI> in them, will (I believe) be evident, if you con&s;ider the pa&s;&s;age to which they are immediately related; and that is the &s;aying of the <HI>Di&s;ciples v.</HI> 10. conclu|ding Mariage to be (in point of <HI>Prudence</HI>) much wor&s;e than a &s;ingle life, in ca&s;e there ought to be no divorce of Man and Wife, &s;ave for Adultery only. <HI>It is not (&s;ay they) good to marry, if the ca&s;e be thus;</HI> which clearly im|plies thus much, that it is be&s;t in point of <HI>prudence,</HI> (this being in every mans <HI>choyce</HI>) not to marry; to which our Saviours An&s;wer is to this purpo&s;e, that they are in the right, if it were alike with all men in re&s;pect of ab|&s;taining from Marriage; but being it is not &s;o, they that cannot contein ought to marrie, but if a Man can contein, their Judgement is good, and is confirmed with our Saviours own Re&s;olution therein, it is be&s;t for him not to marry. I believe Saint <HI>Baul</HI> will give full &s;a|tisfaction
<PB N="87" REF="47">to this &s;cruple, if you read his 7th. chapter, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI></P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="21" TYPE="objection">
<HEAD>OBJECTION XXI.</HEAD>
<P>But is not every Chri&s;tian <HI>bound</HI> in <HI>Con&s;ci|ence</HI> to u&s;e the things that God gives him, to the <HI>be&s;t</HI> advantage of his Ma&s;ter?</P>
<DIV3 TYPE="solution">
<HEAD>SOLUTION.</HEAD>
<P N="27">27. BE is <HI>bound</HI> &s;o to do in point of <HI>pru|dence:</HI> but not by any expre&s;s <HI>Law</HI> given by God. Now the Obligation which <HI>prudence</HI> layes upon anie man, is not in re&s;pect of &s;uch things as are <HI>Good</HI> or <HI>Evil;</HI> for therein there is no <HI>libertie</HI> of Election, that which is <HI>Evil</HI> being by no means <HI>eligible:</HI> but onlie concerning &s;uch things as may be <HI>well</HI> or <HI>better</HI> done, either way of doing them being <HI>choo&s;able</HI> without guilt, becau&s;e there intervenes no Law, which may <HI>deter|mine</HI> my will, but I am left to govern my &s;elf by <HI>prudential</HI> rea&s;ons only, which amount to no more, but the <HI>modification</HI> of my <HI>Act of choo&s;ing,</HI> whereby it is re&s;olved to be more or le&s;s <HI>prudent,</HI> not to be <HI>lawfull</HI> or <HI>unlaw|full.</HI></P>
<P>Now if I choo&s;e that which is <HI>lea&s;t</HI> to my own advantage, I do no more then what
<PB N="88" REF="48">may be done, where the <HI>election</HI> of my will is not <HI>predetermined:</HI> and if that be <HI>lea&s;t</HI> for the profit of my Ma&s;ter, yet he having given me no other Command, than to u&s;e tho&s;e things <HI>well</HI> which he hath given me, I have obeyed his Commands who enjoined me to do <HI>&s;o</HI> much.</P>
<P>If a Merchant &s;hould deliver a large &s;tock of Goods or Monie to his Factour, and &s;hould &s;ay unto him, imploy this to my be&s;t advantage, in all in&s;tances and at every op|portunitie your <HI>prudence</HI> &s;hall judge to be fit: in this ca&s;e the Factor is <HI>preobliged,</HI> and mu&s;t do onlie what is be&s;t, el&s;e he breaks the Com|mand of his Ma&s;ter. But if his Ma&s;ter &s;ay thus unto him, imploy this &s;tock to my <HI>ad|vantage,</HI> and your reward for &s;o doing &s;hall be <HI>proportionable</HI> to the advantages I receive by your Endeavours: in this ca&s;e the Factor is not obliged by his Ma&s;ters Command, to do anic more than imploy his Ma&s;ters goods to his profit; which if he do, be it <HI>much</HI> or <HI>little,</HI> he obeys the Command of his Ma|&s;ter; but <HI>prudence</HI> binds him to do the <HI>be&s;t</HI> he can, for the advancing and improving his Ma&s;ters Goods, becau&s;e his own Reward will carry its <HI>proportion</HI> to that &s;ucce&s;s, whe|ther it be for the <HI>better</HI> or <HI>no,</HI> the ca&s;e cor|re&s;ponds to the latter part of this illu&s;tra|tion.</P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="22" TYPE="objection">
<PB N="89" REF="48">
<HEAD>OBJECTION XXII.</HEAD>
<P>But how can this &s;tand with mine, (and the ob|ligation of all Chri&s;tians) to love the Lord, <HI>with all my Soul, with all my mind, and with all my &s;trength.</HI></P>
<DIV3 TYPE="solution">
<HEAD>SOLUTION.</HEAD>
<P N="28">28. I Do not conceive this <HI>Paramount Law inevitably</HI> infringed, by not doing <HI>every</HI> thing that we have ability of do|ing, but are not thereto expre&s;ly required by <HI>precept.</HI> Indeed it binds the whole man to all Duties, exacted from him by Gods <HI>reveal|ed will,</HI> and to &s;ubmit to, or not withdraw my obedience therefrom, for any <HI>Competitor</HI> whatever, that may pretend claim to my <HI>&s;ub|jection,</HI> becau&s;e for that time, &amp; in that thing, (if I were never &s;o good a Chri&s;tian) my Di&s;obedience of Gods Law, would unque&s;ti|onablie condemn me of not <HI>loving</HI> Him, <HI>with all</HI> my mind, <HI>with all</HI> my &s;oul, and <HI>with all</HI> my &s;trength; the demon&s;tration of which <HI>Love</HI> (as our Saviour him&s;elf re&s;olves) is the keeping <HI>of Gods Commandements,</HI> Jo. 14.15. if you mark it, the keeping his Commandements is the <HI>Te&s;t</HI> of every mans <HI>love,</HI> &s;o that he that doth that; that ob&s;erves what ever doth ap|pear
<PB N="90" REF="49">to be Gods Commandement, is &s;aid truly to <HI>love</HI> God, and that <HI>with al his Heart.</HI> So that con&s;equently there is left unto men a Lati|tude of expre&s;sing their <HI>Love</HI> to God, in &s;ome Acts of <HI>Heroical</HI> Vertue, proportio|nable to the <HI>free-will offerings</HI> among&s;t the Jews; whereby God may have occa&s;ion gi|ven him, of <HI>remunerating</HI> &s;uch men ac|cording to his <HI>Bounty;</HI> like as the Du|ties performed agreeable to his Law, are <HI>rewardable</HI> by his <HI>Iu&s;tice.</HI> You may take this Re&s;olution of your &s;cruple in this for|mal way of rea&s;oning. The Love that Chri&s;t requires from his Di&s;ciples is the Love of Him with all their Heart, with all their Mind, &amp;c. But &s;uch a Love as this is expre&s;t by keep|ing his Commandement. <HI>Ergo,</HI> The keeping of Gods Commandments is &s;uch a Love as God requires from his Children.</P>
<P>We may adde hereto, that when a man doth &s;incerely propo&s;e the glory of God, as the <HI>&s;cope</HI> and <HI>center</HI> of all his <HI>Actions,</HI> every &s;ingle <HI>Act</HI> of his Life, whether <HI>civil</HI> or religi|ous, may be interpreted as a <HI>line</HI> tending thereto; drawn from the <HI>Circle</HI> of his <HI>fir&s;t</HI> Re&s;olution, and cannot be truely &s;aid to be a breach of <HI>Duty,</HI> for that it tends <HI>le&s;s</HI> to perfection than doth <HI>every</HI> other Action of his Life; <HI>gradual</HI> Differences in <HI>moral</HI> Acti|ons, (as <HI>good, better,</HI> and <HI>be&s;t</HI>) making no <HI>e&s;&s;ential</HI> difference in the Subjects in which they are: whereas the objects of Reward and
<PB N="91" REF="49">Puni&s;hment, mu&s;t be oppo&s;ed by <HI>contrariety</HI> as are <HI>Vertue</HI> and <HI>&V;ice,</HI> which diver&s;ity of Degrees in the &s;ame &s;ubject are not, as well in moral, as in natural Things.</P>
<P>So that without forfercing your Rea&s;on you may believe, that you do not love the Divine Maje&s;tic <HI>with all your heart, with all your mind, and with all your &s;trength,</HI> becau&s;e you do not every thing, which &s;ome <HI>eminent</HI> Chri&s;tians have done before you, as <HI>giving all to the poor;</HI> &amp;c. &s;uch <HI>high</HI> Attempts require <HI>long &s;itting down,</HI> and <HI>con&s;idering</HI> with your &s;elf, e're you ing age in them; le&s;t not only that happen unto you, which befel the man in the Go&s;pel, who beginning a <HI>building</HI> too great for his Pur&s;e, <HI>Luke</HI> 14.30. and de&s;i&s;ting, was deri|ded therefore by his Enemies, but a much wor&s;e thing, I mean the <HI>irremoveable</HI> anxiety of future life, with all the <HI>vexatious &s;cruples</HI> that Satan, or a <HI>volatile fancy</HI> may ca&s;t upon your Soul.</P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="23" TYPE="objection">
<HEAD>OBJECTI. XXIII.</HEAD>
<P>But I need not conte&s;t &s;o hotly about the mea&s;ure of holy and vertuous Actions. The Apo&s;tle tells me, that without <HI>Charity</HI> all is nothing worth: I cannot deny, but that I do heartily endeavour to do all the good that I may, to any one who &s;tands in need thereof; but I have no a&s;&s;urance that I do it in <HI>Charity,</HI>
<PB N="92" REF="50">and &s;o all my <HI>Hay, Wood,</HI> and <HI>Stubble</HI> may peri&s;h, when it comes to the <HI>Te&s;t.</HI></P>
<DIV3 TYPE="solution">
<HEAD>SOLUTION.</HEAD>
<P><HI>29. IT is no &s;mall difficultie to define what that</HI> Charitie <HI>is, which you &s;u&s;pect you want.</HI> You accu&s;e not your &s;elf of the neglect of any good Dutie, that concerns the bodies or &s;ouls of men, and that as your Brethren and Partners with you in the common benefit of Redemption. You &s;incerely endeavour to practi&s;e forbearance, are patient and not revengefull of Injuries; kind, tender and compa&s;&s;ionate; as &s;en&s;ible and zealous of other mens good as of your own,; far from envying; well-plea&s;ed at other mens happi|ne&s;&s;es; hating all fooli&s;h elation of mind; as al|&s;o all pride and in&s;olence, in over-valuing your &s;elf and de&s;pi&s;ing others; you keep your &s;elf from u&s;ing others un&s;eemlie; either in Words or Ge|&s;ture; inclinable to take care of others Good and Safetie, and not only of your own; you fall not upon any provocation, into violent and immo|derate di&s;tempers of Anger; keep account of all the Good that hath been done by any, but none of the Evil; you rejoyce not at the Errors and Sins of other men, but are pa&s;&s;ionately grieved for them, and contrarily made glad, by the good and holy conver&s;ation of your fellow Chri&s;tians; inclinable to conceal all the Evil that you know of another, &s;o far as is for his Good, and not con|trary to the greater Good of others; you blelieve
<PB N="93" REF="50">without prejudice all the Good you hear of others? or have Ground in Charity to believe of them? you hope that you believe not, and never &s;o far de&s;pair of their Repentance, as to give over u&s;ing all probable means which may reclaim your wan|dring Brethren; enduring much pain, trouble and lo&s;s, without Regret, for the recovering of &s;uch as are indangered by any unchri&s;tian practi&s;es. <HI>Now that this is that</HI> Charitie <HI>the Apo&s;tle &s;o magnifies, you have not only the evi|dence of the thing it &s;elf, but the credit of a mo&s;t</HI> learned, pious, <HI>and</HI> judicious Paraphra&s;t <HI>on that Chapter; who&s;e very words I have tran&s;cribed (at lea&s;t the full importance of them) for your &s;atisfaction in this &s;cruple: pre&s;uming that the authoritie of &s;o reverend a Per&s;on, will fix your judgement beyond the</HI> a&s;&s;aults <HI>of anie ordinarie</HI> Temptations.</P>
<P><HI>I cannot therefore be &s;o</HI> uncharitable <HI>to you as to joyn with you in a</HI> Verdict <HI>again&s;t your &s;elf, for want of</HI> Charitie. <HI>I doubt not, but you have in your heart this</HI> Water &s;pringing up to eternal life; <HI>though like</HI> Hagar <HI>almo&s;t</HI> dead <HI>by</HI> thir&s;t, <HI>you want an</HI> Angel <HI>to &s;hew you this</HI> Fountain, <HI>Gen. 21. When &s;uch fumes as the&s;e darken your Soul, do not &s;eek for</HI> light from &s;parks of your own kindling; <HI>but from the</HI> Sun of Righteou&s;ne&s;s; <HI>that</HI> Light that light|neth everie one that cometh into the world. <HI>Jo. 1.9.</HI></P>
<P><HI>In a word therefore, you mu&s;t know, that when the Apo&s;tle thus magnifies</HI> Charity, <HI>it is
<PB N="94" REF="51">the &s;ame thing as to comprize and exalt the</HI> whole dutio <HI>of man toward our Neighbour, in that one word; and to prefer that before the</HI> guifts <HI>of</HI> edification, <HI>whether Tongues, Heal|ing, Miracles, &amp;c. the excellencie and reputa|tion whereof, or of any</HI> heroical <HI>Action, as</HI> giving ones Goods to the Poor, <HI>or</HI> ones Bodie to &s;uffer Martyrdome, <HI>is not comparable to that practical Vertue, in the full</HI> latitude <HI>thereof. And this cannot but be evident unto you, if you con&s;ider the compari&s;on the Apo&s;tle makes betwixt Charitie and &s;uch Gifts, in the 12,</HI> &amp; <HI>13</HI> Chap.</P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="24" TYPE="objection">
<HEAD>OBJECTION XXIV.</HEAD>
<P>But in all my Actions I endeavour to <HI>skrien</HI> my &s;elf from the <HI>wrath</HI> of God, and to prevent his <HI>Ju&s;tice</HI> upon my per&s;on for Sin already committed, perfectly indeed <HI>abhorring</HI> it as the cau&s;e of all my Troubles, but not truly <HI>enamoured</HI> of Vertue (me thinks) becau&s;e it yields me no &s;uch. <HI>Harve&s;t</HI> of Content, and felicity as the <HI>Heathens</HI> them&s;elves could boast of.</P>
<DIV3 TYPE="solution">
<PB N="95" REF="51">
<HEAD>SOLUTION.</HEAD>
<P N="30">30. THat your <HI>&s;elf</HI> &s;hould be your <HI>end,</HI> a&s;well as God, is not contrary to Piety; but your &s;elf mu&s;t be put in a <HI>&s;econd</HI> and <HI>&s;ubordinate</HI> place, and God in the <HI>fir&s;t</HI> and <HI>chiefe&s;t:</HI> becau&s;e God, being the <HI>chiefe&s;t good,</HI> and our Salvation <HI>&s;ubordinate</HI> to his Glory, as he is in this the <HI>prime mover</HI> of our Wills, (both <HI>objectively,</HI> and <HI>efficiently</HI>) &s;o con&s;equently mu&s;t he be the <HI>ultimate end</HI> of our Actions.</P>
<P>But in this ca&s;e we mu&s;t di&s;tingui&s;h betwixt <HI>what</HI> God <HI>is,</HI> and <HI>what</HI> we apprehend him to <HI>be:</HI> a Sinner is not pre&s;ently brought to lay a&s;ide the fear of Gods revengefull hand, and to imbrace, and depend upon him, for the mercie that is offered to him. <HI>Ordinarily</HI> (I conceive God doth manife&s;t his love, good|ne&s;s, and mercy to penitent Sinners, <HI>gradu|ally;</HI> and with proportion to future experi|ence, of the truth and &s;incerity of their Re|pentance. I mean &s;uch a manife&s;tation of him&s;elf, in the&s;e <HI>Attributes</HI> of <HI>complacency</HI> and <HI>benignity</HI> to Mankind; which one may term the <HI>over&s;hadowing</HI> of the Spirit of Love upon the Soul, inlightning, refre&s;hing, and comforting her, again&s;t the terrors of the Di|vine Ju&s;tice due to Sin without a <HI>Propitiation</HI> by Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>Let me therefore advi&s;e you, to wait with
<PB N="96" REF="52">patience till the <HI>day break, and the &s;hadows flee away;</HI> Cant. 1.17. <HI>till this Sun of Righteou&s;|ne&s;s ari&s;e upon your Soul with healing in his wings,</HI> Mal. 4.2. and to endeavour to be per|&s;waded (as of other mens &s;o) of your own <HI>filiation,</HI> and that you may the better be|lieve it, to ble&s;s God mo&s;t frequently for the ine&s;timable gift of his Son Je&s;us Chri&s;t, by whom alone a Reconciliation was wrought betwixt. God and mankind; by the Faith whereof holy Men and Women look for the inheritance of Sons and Daughters, and do not &s;tand in fear of &s;tripes as va&s;&s;als, and Bond-&s;laves: being emancipated from the Spirit of Bondage, through the freedom they have by the Spirit of Adoption, whereby they cry <HI>Abba</HI> Father: <HI>Rom.</HI> 8 15. meditating upon the greatne&s;s, and excellency of that love, the <HI>ever-ble&s;&s;ed</HI> and <HI>glorious Trinitie,</HI> hath expre&s;t unto our Souls, engraven before our eyes in <HI>eternal Characters</HI> of <HI>Blood;</HI> even the <HI>Blood</HI> of the <HI>only Son</HI> of God largely de&s;cri|bed by all four Evangeli&s;ts in their Hi&s;to|ries of the Go&s;pel; though &s;undry, yea innu|merable other pa&s;&s;ages of our Saviours life are omitted S. <HI>Jo.</HI> 21 (yea even the birth of <HI>Christ</HI> by two of them) intimating unto us, not only the <HI>certain truth</HI> of his Pa&s;&s;ion (which had been unque&s;tionable if but recorded by <HI>one</HI> of them) and the <HI>great concernment</HI> of it to all mankinde, as well in the example as nece&s;&s;ity thereof; but likewi&s;e recommend|ing
<PB N="97" REF="52">by that variety of de&s;cribing the <HI>la&s;t tragical Act</HI> of his Ble&s;&s;ed Life, the <HI>frequent peru&s;al</HI> of it in all times, and kindes of Trial, and Temptations.</P>
<P>What therefore you want of felicity (at pre&s;ent) and content in your <HI>New life,</HI> do not de&s;pair of, but expect; a&s;&s;uring your &s;elf, that you &s;hall one day know, and feel, that <HI>the Kingdom of God is Righteou&s;ne&s;s, Peace, and Joy in the Holy Gho&s;t,</HI> Rom. 14.17. God alone knowes how much of Heaven 'tis be&s;t to give you in this Life: that <HI>Angelical state</HI> which you aim at, might be much more dangerous for you then you imagine. When St. <HI>Paul</HI> had been rapt up into the <HI>third</HI> Hea|ven, and heard things <HI>impo&s;&s;ible to be uttered,</HI> becau&s;e he &s;hould not be <HI>elated</HI> by <HI>the abun|dance of Revelations,</HI> there was given unto him a <HI>thorn in the fle&s;h,</HI> the <HI>me&s;&s;enger of Satan,</HI> 2 Cor. 12.7. &s;ome <HI>humiliating</HI> Temptation, that might make him know, that as yet he was <HI>lock't up</HI> in an earthly Tabernacle, as lyable to the A&s;&s;aults and Inva&s;ions of <HI>Satan,</HI> and his Complices, as to a final di&s;&s;olution by death.</P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="25" TYPE="objection">
<HEAD>OBJECT. XXV.</HEAD>
<P>But &s;till, me thinketh, if God had &s;uch a Love to my Soul, he &s;hould vouch&s;afe me &s;ome ma|nife&s;tations
<PB N="98" REF="53">thereof. St. <HI>Paul</HI> rejoyced in his Infirmities, <HI>de&s;iring to be di&s;&s;olved, and to be with Chri&s;t:</HI> but nothing is &s;o terri|ble to me as <HI>Death;</HI> as if I had either no <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> to go unto, or no &s;uch <HI>Chri&s;t as</HI> Saint <HI>Paul</HI> had.</P>
<DIV3 TYPE="solution">
<HEAD>SOLUTION.</HEAD>
<P N="31">31. THe Con&s;ideration of the <HI>World to come,</HI> and expectation of the <HI>Re|velation of the Righteous Judgement of God,</HI> di&s;pen&s;ed by <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> according to the <HI>things</HI> that men have done in their bodies, whether it be good or evil, (2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 5.10.11.) is que&s;tionle&s;s a very terrible thing, even to &s;uch Chri&s;tians, as &s;hall never have their &s;hare <HI>in the Lake that burneth with fire and brim&s;tone for evermore.</HI> But is it not the <HI>&s;ame Word</HI> of God which promi&s;eth a <HI>Pardon</HI> to the Penitent, and threatneth damnation to the impenitent Sinner? Why do you not believe him when he promi&s;eth Mercy, as well as when he threatneth Vengeance? He that believes not the <HI>Divine Maje&s;ty</HI> in any <HI>one</HI> branch of Faith, revealed plainly in his Word, doth not believe him in the <HI>re&s;t;</HI> becau&s;e the <HI>ground</HI> of Faith, <HI>viz.</HI> the <HI>Veracity of God</HI> is the &s;ame in all: the <HI>&s;ame Truth</HI> in Promi&s;es of Mercy, as in Threatnings of Puni&s;hment; the <HI>&s;ame Fidelity</HI> in perform|ance
<PB N="99" REF="53">of <HI>Good</HI> things, as in the Execution of <HI>Evil.</HI></P>
<P>As for your in&s;tance in St. <HI>Paul;</HI> (I think) I have already intimated unto you, that he be|ing a Saint of mo&s;t eminent and exemplary piety, of a Charity and Love to Chri&s;t and his Church even unto <HI>Exta&s;ie</HI> and <HI>Frenzy</HI> in the eyes of the World; you ought not to expect the <HI>extraordinary</HI> favours vouch&s;af't him by Heaven. A la&s;s why &s;hould you or I look for &s;o much of Heaven to be delivered to us <HI>before hand?</HI> or el&s;e mu&s;t judge our &s;elves wholly un|concern'd in the di&s;tribution of tho&s;e <HI>heaven|ly Man&s;ions?</HI> I am confident either of us would be well content, for &s;uch an a&s;&s;urance as had St. <HI>Paul,</HI> to lye mouldring in our graves a <HI>million</HI> of years, after the <HI>re&s;t</HI> of our Brethren are crown'd with Glory; yea (perhaps) as long in the <HI>Refining Flames</HI> of the <HI>Romi&s;h Purgatory.</HI> But I mention not this as the <HI>faint</HI> Ejaculations of men that <HI>live without Hope;</HI> but as expre&s;&s;ions, &s;uitable to a <HI>&s;ad Reflection</HI> upon our own Demerits.</P>
<P>Remember therefore, that if God think fit to give you no <HI>A&s;&s;urance,</HI> yet he hath vouch&s;af't unto you (with the re&s;t of Be|lievers) <HI>Promi&s;es of Glorification,</HI> much fit|ter to be look't after, and relyed upon, then any <HI>&s;en&s;ible</HI> and <HI>experimental Con&s;olation:</HI> for what is tendred to us in the Holy Scriptures, is <HI>immutable</HI> and <HI>permanent:</HI> but &s;uch con|clu&s;ions as are drawn only from <HI>experimental</HI>
<PB N="100" REF="54">knowledge of our own obedience, are very <HI>tran&s;jent</HI> and incertain; never (as is the <HI>Word</HI> of God) <HI>infallible</HI> and <HI>eternal.</HI></P>
<P>As for your <HI>Fear of Death;</HI> which you are &s;o far from meeting with <HI>St. Pauls alacrity</HI> of Spirit, that you dare not encounter the thought of it in your brea&s;t: the &s;ound of a <HI>pa&s;&s;ing Bell,</HI> or the <HI>Sight</HI> of a Friend &s;trugling with the pains of Death, being (next to your remembrance of your own la&s;t end) the for|midable&s;t thing imaginable; no que&s;tion the <HI>moral</HI> cau&s;es thereof ought to be heeded, and the <HI>effects</HI> prevented. I &s;ay <HI>[moral cau&s;es]</HI> be|cau&s;e I pre&s;ume there is in all creatures (men not excepted) a <HI>natural</HI> cau&s;e of fear of death: which may be as <HI>innocent</HI> in men, as the <HI>af|fections</HI> of <HI>Joy, Delight, Grief, Anger,</HI> &amp;c. and this can no more be <HI>alike</HI> in all men in the world; then it can be imagined, there &s;hould be the <HI>&s;ame</HI> degrees of other <HI>Affections,</HI> in all con&s;titutions and complexions of men. Death without que&s;tion is the mo&s;t formidable of all things in the world; being that &s;trong bridle which the hand of Providence hold|eth in the <HI>Jaws</HI> of wicked men, who el&s;e would (mo&s;t of them) break out into the greate&s;t exce&s;&s;es of in&s;olency and outragi|ous mi&s;chief; this <HI>Great King of Terrors</HI> over|awing the mo&s;t daring, and violent Spirits of men in the world. And of this <HI>natural</HI> cau&s;e of fear of death, you cannot but be thought to have you &s;hare; for that neither
<PB N="101" REF="54">your <HI>Sex,</HI> nor your <HI>Complexion,</HI> can be &s;up|po&s;ed to &s;ea&s;on you again&s;t the but <HI>ordinary</HI> impre&s;&s;ions of that <HI>Afflictive</HI> Pa&s;&s;ion.</P>
<P>That which I have term'd a <HI>moral</HI> cau&s;e of this fear, I believe you already apprehend to be that (or &s;ome <HI>remainders</HI> of that) <HI>Spirit of Bondage,</HI> mentioned by S. <HI>Paul, Rom.</HI> 8.15. which (as it &s;eems by that Apo&s;tle) doth in nothing more fully di&s;cover it &s;elf, then in the bitter apprehen&s;ions of death, <HI>Heb.</HI> 2.15. this cannot be excu&s;ed (much le&s;s incoura|ged in you, or in any other; but will &s;tand in need of much good coun&s;el, and your own mo&s;t <HI>&s;innewed</HI> endeavours to remove or le&s;|&s;en it.</P>
<P>But what is it that you fear in death? the <HI>pains</HI> thereof you cannot in rea&s;on fear, be|cau&s;e you know not of what, or whether of any di&s;ea&s;e you may dye: whether you may have <HI>pains</HI> or no, or <HI>&s;en&s;e</HI> to feel them, if you have any: though even again&s;t the&s;e you are not without a Promi&s;e (to which I am a&s;&s;ured you have as good a claim as any one) <HI>viz.</HI> that <HI>God will make the merciful or Charitable mans bed in his &s;ickne&s;s,</HI> P&s;al. 41.3. though when God undertakes to make the &s;ick mans bed, his Soul (indeed) &s;hall lye much ea&s;ier then his bodie. But that you in|deed fear is after death: that <HI>Thunder-clap</HI> which &s;et <HI>Foelix</HI> a trembling, when it <HI>&s;ounded</HI> from the mouth of St. <HI>Paul;</HI> I mean, <HI>Judg|ment to come, Acts</HI> 24.25. which for a good
<PB N="102" REF="55">man to fear <HI>too much</HI> is a &s;igne of <HI>Pu&s;illanimi|ite;</HI> not to fear <HI>at all</HI> is no &s;igne of <HI>Piety:</HI> our God is a <HI>Con&s;uming Fire,</HI> and in the be&s;t of us there is that <HI>dro&s;s,</HI> which dreads the fury of <HI>Everla&s;ting Burnings.</HI> In a word; a|bove all other <HI>Remedies</HI> again&s;t the fear of death, there is none more <HI>powerful,</HI> yea &s;o <HI>powerful,</HI> as the contemplation of the death of <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> which gave the fatal blow to the <HI>Chain</HI> of <HI>Adamant,</HI> wherein all mankinde till then, were held captive; being indeed the <HI>death of death, Ho&s;.</HI> 13.14. The <HI>Repre&s;enta|tions</HI> whereof may be (que&s;tionle&s;s) very <HI>u&s;efulty,</HI> as well as <HI>innocently</HI> beheld by you, or any other Chri&s;tians; but not under any barren and <HI>melancholick</HI> fixation of your eye or car on the &s;tory of our Saviours Pa&s;sion: but by a wi&s;e &s;electing out the fruits thereof, and feeding upon them by di&s;creet contem|plation, for the &s;trengthening of our inward man, again&s;t &s;uch <HI>intimidating</HI> thoughts of Mortality.</P>
<P>Neither can I advi&s;e you to avoid any thing that may <HI>&s;tirre</HI> up this pa&s;sion of fear in your heart; but rather the contrary; I mean to be forward in imbracing any &s;ea&s;on|able opportunity of making the&s;e objects of &s;adne&s;s <HI>familiar</HI> to you. For be&s;ides that it is a duty of Religion to <HI>weep with them that weep,</HI> Rom. 12.15. <HI>to vi&s;it the &s;ick;</HI> Matth. 25.36. <HI>to attend at the burial of our</HI> (not friends only, but) <HI>brethren,</HI> Tob. 2.2. yea to <HI>burie</HI>
<PB N="103" REF="55">them with our own hands, or to do any <HI>pre|paratory</HI> office about their Corp&s;es, if need be: you will finde thereby this double ad|vantage, <HI>viz.</HI> that you will mo&s;t earne&s;tly fly &s;in, (the cau&s;e and &s;ting of death) and in &s;hort time gain a great victory over this Pa&s;|&s;ion.</P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="26" TYPE="objection">
<HEAD>OBJECTION. XXVI.</HEAD>
<P>But though my <HI>fear</HI> of death be removeable, yet is not my fear of <HI>falling away</HI> from Grace to be removed.</P>
<DIV3 TYPE="solution">
<HEAD>SOLUTION.</HEAD>
<P N="32">32. ANd why do you not as well fear, that the earth will <HI>open,</HI> and <HI>&s;wal|low</HI> you up <HI>quick?</HI> you have &s;ome dependance upon the Goodne&s;s and Providence of All|mighty God, that he will not thus deal with you; if you had not, your fear of the <HI>later</HI> would be as ju&s;t, and as irremoveable as of the <HI>former.</HI> For what a&s;&s;urance have you again&s;t the <HI>one,</HI> that you have not again&s;t the <HI>other?</HI> are not the <HI>Souls</HI> of men as pretious in the Eyes of their <HI>Creatour</HI> and <HI>Redeemer,</HI> as are their bodies? can there be &s;o great and pro|digious a judgement happpen to the <HI>Bodie</HI> of any man, as is Gods <HI>total</HI> and <HI>final</HI> withdraw|ing of Grace from his <HI>Soul?</HI> and have you
<PB N="104" REF="56">not the &s;ame <HI>Good Word</HI> of God to depend upon in your fears of the <HI>one,</HI> as well as of the <HI>other? Doth God take care for oxen?</HI> doth he give and perform promi&s;es of <HI>Food</HI> and <HI>Rayment,</HI> and <HI>Health</HI> and <HI>Peace,</HI> &amp;c. unto the <HI>Bodie,</HI> but is he a <HI>dry</HI> and a <HI>barren Wilderne&s;s</HI> (as the Prophet expre&s;&s;eth it, <HI>Jer.</HI> 2.31.) unto the <HI>Souls</HI> of his People? I &s;hall leave you to ruminate on that Argument of Saint <HI>Paul,</HI> Rom. 8.32. <HI>He that &s;pared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all; how &s;hall he not with him al&s;o freely give us all things?</HI></P>
<P>Remember, I pray, that God <HI>takes</HI> his Grace from no man, who doth not <HI>abu&s;e</HI> it. The <HI>Talents</HI> were <HI>taken</HI> from none, but him who <HI>wrapt one up in a Napkin:</HI> from him it was taken away indeed, and that ju&s;tly, be|cau&s;e he made no u&s;e of that, which was not only intended for <HI>u&s;e,</HI> but would have been increa&s;ed by <HI>u&s;ing.</HI> He could not help indeed the <HI>taking</HI> it from him, when God for his <HI>Sluggi&s;hne&s;s</HI> thought this the mo&s;t proper puni&s;hment for the <HI>one,</HI> and reward for the <HI>other,</HI> upon their Reckoning for the <HI>Talents;</HI> but by <HI>Indu&s;try</HI> he might have prevented it, as did the other <HI>two</HI> Servants.</P>
<P>And to render you &s;atisfyed with an evi|dent and full pa&s;&s;age of Scripture, be plea&s;ed to peru&s;e that of St. <HI>Paul</HI> to the Hebrews, <HI>Chap.</HI> 6.15. where after he had &s;poken of <HI>falling away,</HI> and the dreadful and irrecover|able e&s;tate of <HI>Apo&s;tacy,</HI> he addes, that <HI>he is
<PB N="105" REF="56">per&s;waded better things of them, and &s;uch as are &s;een only in good Chri&s;tians;</HI> and his ground of that no fear is, for that God would re|ward their former labour of Love with the grace of per&s;everance, the <HI>due</HI> reward of &s;uch (as like you) do make <HI>u&s;e</HI> of Grace giv|en, as our Saviour witne&s;&s;eth, <HI>Mat.</HI> 25.29.</P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="27" TYPE="objection">
<HEAD>OBJECT. XXVII.</HEAD>
<P>But &s;en&s;ible alteration in me, and the <HI>Promi|&s;ed</HI> effects of <HI>Conver&s;ion,</HI> I finde none.</P>
<DIV3 TYPE="solution">
<HEAD>SOLUTION.</HEAD>
<P N="33">33. <HI>COnver&s;ion</HI> &s;ounds not the &s;ame thing come as it did to the <HI>Jewes,</HI> &amp; <HI>Heathen,</HI> in the Apo&s;tles times, and after the <HI>fir&s;t</HI> Plan|tation of the Go&s;pell, who are not only to &s;uffer a <HI>Change</HI> in point of <HI>morall practi&s;e,</HI> but in <HI>point</HI> of <HI>belief.</HI> Neither are there any <HI>ex|traordinary</HI> gifts of tongues, and <HI>Miracles,</HI> or <HI>Healings, &amp;c.</HI> to be powred out upon <HI>new Converts,</HI> for confirmation of Faith, and in|crea&s;e of believers. When the <HI>Jewes</HI> were come into the promi&s;ed Land, <HI>Manna</HI> cea&s;ed, we are now in a way of ordinary di&s;pen&s;ati|on, and though the Holy Gho&s;t be the Au|thor of <HI>this,</HI> as well as of the <HI>other;</HI> and our
<PB N="106" REF="57">&s;ubmi&s;&s;ion to <HI>this,</HI> as deeply exacted, yet is the <HI>Method,</HI> and <HI>manner</HI> of the <HI>oeconomie,</HI> in &s;ome &s;ort <HI>changed,</HI> (at lea&s;t in the <HI>acciden|tall</HI> parts thereof;) experience of our Reli|gion, and the Faith of former ages, being argument enough to convince any rationall Souls, of the truth of it.</P>
<P>Such <HI>extraordinary</HI> gifts, I &s;uppo&s;e you will not look for; but if for an <HI>extraordinary</HI> change, in your minde (though this may be thought &s;uperfluous) yet do but &s;et <HI>Repen|tance</HI> from &s;in, again&s;t <HI>Continuance</HI> in &s;in, <HI>O|bedience,</HI> again&s;t <HI>Rebellion, Righteousne&s;s</HI> a|gain&s;t <HI>Sin,</HI> a <HI>Child of God</HI> again&s;t a <HI>Child of Wrath, Heaven</HI> again&s;t <HI>Hell,</HI> the <HI>Fellow&s;hip of God and his Holy Angells,</HI> again&s;t the <HI>Companie</HI> of Divels and Wicked men, <HI>Eternall joyes</HI> a|gain&s;t <HI>Eternall torments,</HI> and the alteration is vi&s;ible enough. But if the <HI>Way</HI> bringing of you into this, mu&s;t have been by <HI>miracle,</HI> as was the conver&s;ion of St. <HI>Paul.</HI> or with an <HI>audi|ble voice,</HI> as was Gods Revelation of him&s;elf to <HI>Samuel:</HI> the weakne&s;&s;e of this expectation betrayes it &s;elf, by the <HI>&s;ingularity</HI> of it, car|rying with it a &s;ecret condemnation of the Stupidity, of other Chri&s;tians, who go hood|wink't they know not whether, never think|ing on any &s;uch &s;en&s;ible <HI>Epiphanie,</HI> and <HI>ma|nife&s;tation</HI> of <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> to their Souls.</P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="13" TYPE="objection">
<PB N="107" REF="57">
<HEAD>OBJECT. XIII.</HEAD>
<P>But the <HI>root</HI> of <HI>Bitterne&s;s,</HI> from which mo&s;t of the&s;e Doubts, Scruples, and Feares do &s;pring is my <HI>Aptne&s;s</HI> to fall into &s;in; together with &s;uch horrible thoughts Startling up in my Heart that I could even teare that Body to peices, and rend out the Soul that harbours, and <HI>Evaporates,</HI> &s;uch black, and Stinking <HI>Eruptions.</HI></P>
<DIV3 TYPE="solution">
<HEAD>SOLUTION.</HEAD>
<P N="34">34. IF the &s;ins you have formerly bin guilty of, are <HI>&s;ins of wilfulne&s;s,</HI> and the Relap&s;e, you may be thought to intend in your objection, be into <HI>&s;uch</HI> &s;ins; then is your ca&s;e &s;o much the more dangerous, by how much the more certain it is, that &s;uch <HI>&s;ins of Wilfulne&s;s</HI> are not reconcilable to a State of regeneracy. The determination whereof, I mu&s;t referr to the Judgment of him, with whom you &s;hall think fit to intru&s;t the <HI>Anatomie</HI> of your &s;oul. But if they are but &s;ins of <HI>Humane,</HI> and <HI>Per&s;onall</HI> infirmity; then &s;hall I offer to your con&s;ideration, the&s;e two things: Fir&s;t, that it being &s;uppo&s;ed that the &s;ins you mention, are only <HI>&s;ins of in|&s;irmity;</HI>
<PB N="108" REF="58">that Relap&s;es into <HI>&s;uch</HI> &s;ins, are no <HI>new</HI> thing to <HI>every</HI> Child of God. as being <HI>Spotts</HI> &s;o in&s;eparable from a State of mortali|ty, that the Spirit of God hath Styled them by the mouth of <HI>Mo&s;es, the Spots of Gods Chil|dren.</HI> Deut. 32.5. aly. that it is not to be expected, that there &s;hould be an <HI>Equality,</HI> of the Number or <HI>Kindes</HI> of the&s;e &s;ins, in all the Children of God; &s;ome being guilty of more, &s;ome of fewer; &s;ome of more of one kinde, of <HI>&s;ins of infirmity;</HI> &s;ome of another; and <HI>much</HI> of this not only depending upon the diver&s;ity of the mea&s;ure of grace given; but likewi&s;e upon the <HI>different</HI> complexions, and <HI>former</HI> habits of tho&s;e Chri&s;tians, before their Penitence and Reformation.</P>
<P>But if the ca&s;e be of <HI>other</HI> Sins, viz. of <HI>Sins of Wilfulne&s;s,</HI> then ob&s;erve, that there is a very con&s;iderable difference (at lea&s;t in your apprehen&s;ion perhaps) betwixt the <HI>aptne&s;s,</HI> or <HI>facility,</HI> of falling into Sin, and <HI>actuall</HI> relap&s;ing thereinto. You finde (per|chance) the temptations are frequent and &s;trong upon you, and your enemie very in|defatigable and re&s;tle&s;s; and you fear that the <HI>battery</HI> in the end, will be too forcible for the <HI>fortification</HI> to hold out again&s;t it is that the&s;e <HI>a&s;&s;aults</HI> of <HI>Fle&s;h</HI> and <HI>bloud,</HI> will not only <HI>Storm,</HI> but <HI>take,</HI> or el&s;e <HI>&s;urpri&s;e</HI> your Re&s;olution: but all this while, this is but anxiety: and if tho&s;e temptations do get ground of you; draw your will to &s;ome
<PB N="109" REF="58">&s;hort <HI>parly</HI> with them, and thereby increa&s;e your fear of <HI>Yealding</HI> to this enemy; yet is there no relap&s;e: and if there were, yet ought you to have conifort, again&s;t tempta|tions to di&s;pair of <HI>finall</HI> victorie: becau&s;e the&s;e <HI>utmo&s;t</HI> endeavors of yours together with your grief conceived for but inclining to the&s;e temptations, will render your conditi|on commi&s;erable in the eyes of your tender, and compa&s;&s;ionate Father: who will in the end, make his <HI>strength</HI> to be &s;een in your <HI>weakne&s;s;</HI> giving you good rea&s;on to a&s;cribe, the cau&s;e as well as the honor of the victo|rie, to him alone, by whom <HI>you &s;hall be able to do all things. Phil.</HI> 4.13.</P>
<P>But to prevent your danger by temptation you &s;hall do well, to open your condition <HI>freely</HI> to &s;ome <HI>Grave, Pious, Di&s;creet,</HI> and <HI>Learned Divine;</HI> one well &s;een in the <HI>Studie</HI> of mens <HI>Con&s;ciences,</HI> (a great <HI>rarity</HI> I mu&s;t tell you among&s;t Prote&s;tants,) to have <HI>often</HI> conference with him, to confe&s;&s;e freely to him, to receive <HI>directions</HI> from him, for pre|venting your guilt and trouble, to <HI>communi|cate</HI> frequently: the <HI>ble&s;&s;ed Sacrament</HI> hav|ing a <HI>&s;peciall de&s;ignation,</HI> for tho&s;e in your condition, refre&s;hing of wearied Souls be|ing the great intendment of that Commemo|ration of <HI>Chri&s;ts</HI> death: All <HI>temptations</HI> under &s;uch <HI>hard</HI> u&s;age as is now pre&s;cribed, will wither away, and dye in their prime; which by our private endeavours of <HI>eradication,</HI> do
<PB N="110" REF="59">mo&s;t times exceed our fears, as well as our expectations, in the growth of them.</P>
<P>As for the other part of your objection, wherein you complain of the depravity and corruption of your nature, belcht out many times in <HI>Prodigious</HI> thoughts of your heart, (it may be again&s;t the <HI>goodne&s;s,</HI> or <HI>ju&s;tice,</HI> or perhaps again&s;t the very <HI>e&s;&s;ence</HI> of the <HI>Divine Majestie,</HI>) the more holy you de&s;ire to be, the more grievous will &s;uch thoughts (as you call them) be unto you. Therefore be plea&s;ed to con&s;ider, 1. that in my judgment, many of the&s;e are not your <HI>own thoughts,</HI> or <HI>mo|tions</HI> of corrupt nature in you, as you con|ceive; but really <HI>injections</HI> of Satan, &s;trong|ly &s;avouring of malice again&s;t God, and the merciful work of our Redemption. This Itake to be it, which is called the Divells <HI>putting</HI> of &s;omewhat into mens hearts, as he did the <HI>trea&s;on</HI> of Judas, the prevarication of <HI>Anani|as</HI> and <HI>Sapphira, Davids</HI> numbring the People, and St. <HI>Peters effeminate &s;ugge&s;tions</HI> to our Sa|viour, &amp;c. The&s;e &s;ometimes are puni&s;h|ments for &s;in either in our &s;elves or others, &s;ometimes only trialls from God, for the manife&s;tation of the power of his Grace, in mens &s;ouls: and I &s;uppo&s;e they are not duly &s;tyld our thoughts, till they are admitted, and treated by us, they then become our finfull thoughts, a&s;&s;oon as we incline to en|tertain and in<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters">r ace them. And 2ly. I doubt not, but &s;uch as the&s;e may be injected into
<PB N="111" REF="59">holy men, as in the ca&s;e of <HI>David,</HI> and <HI>Pe|ter,</HI> as we have in&s;tanced before. Yea and not &s;o only but they may be hardned to, and imbraced, and con&s;equently, their &s;tate in|dangered till renewed again by faith and Repentance.</P>
<P>Wherefore if you reject, and not own them; grieving for them as puni&s;hments for &s;in, praying again&s;t them, and perfectly hating them, with what e're is the Author of them, having an holy jealou&s;ie over your own na|ture, labouring to &s;hut the Den of your heart again&s;t &s;uch intruders, and to give the po&s;&s;e&s;|&s;ion of the <HI>con&s;iderable fort</HI> to better <HI>friends</HI> to <HI>your</HI> &s;alvation; <HI>you</HI> are not hereby endan|gered by pre&s;ent guilt, or engaged under ju&s;t fear of <HI>Apostacy;</HI> your &s;tate in this (as in all other things) being not without example in the deare&s;t Children of God.</P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="29" TYPE="objection">
<HEAD>OBJECTION. XXIX.</HEAD>
<P>But God hath manife&s;ted his Di&s;plea&s;ure again&s;t me in many <HI>accidents</HI> of life.</P>
<DIV3 TYPE="solution">
<HEAD>SOLUTION.</HEAD>
<P N="35">35. IT may be Gods <HI>not giving you Chil|dren</HI> is principally intended by you in this objection: the Key of the wombe be|ing
<PB N="112" REF="60">(as the Hebrewes were wont to &s;ay) in the Hands of God, there being indeed a more <HI>immediate</HI> coucurrence of the <HI>Divine Maje&s;tie</HI> required to the fruit thereof then to the <HI>production</HI> of other things in the or|dinary cour&s;e of Providence. I have known this prevaile very farr with &s;ome of your &s;ex, <HI>heightning</HI> their perplexityes from that of St. <HI>Paul</HI> to <HI>Timothy,</HI> 1. <HI>Ep.</HI> 2.15. from whence they conclude, that if a Woman continue <HI>barren</HI> in a &s;tate of Marriage, there is no hopes of her &s;alvation; that depending <HI>&s;o nece&s;&s;a|rily</HI> upon the former condition of <HI>Child-bear|ing,</HI> to this we an&s;wer by the&s;e degrees.</P>
<P N="1">1. It is no <HI>mark</HI> of Gods <HI>irrever&s;ible</HI> anger again&s;t us that many <HI>Cro&s;&s;e</HI> accidents befall us in this life; &s;eeing they are generally ac|knowledged, to be not only matter of ad|vantage to our Souls, bettering us by &s;uch cha&s;tments? but they ought to be apprehend|ed as <HI>Signatures,</HI> or <HI>Marks</HI> of our adoption; St. <HI>Paul</HI> having <HI>illegitimated</HI> all &s;uch as are not own'd by God for &s;ons by the&s;e fatherly Corrections of them <HI>Heb.</HI> 12.8. very farr are they too from being <HI>di&s;tinctive progno&s;ticks,</HI> of tho&s;e everla&s;ting di&s;tributions, at the day of judgment, in the opinion of King <HI>Solomon;</HI> who tells you that, <HI>no man knoweth either Love or Hatred by all that is before them. Ec|cle.</HI> 9.1.</P>
<P N="2">2. Where God hath <HI>given Children,</HI> and by &s;ome evill accidents taken them away,
<PB N="113" REF="60">there may more ju&s;tly be &s;uppo&s;ed a mani|fe&s;tation of Gods heavy di&s;plea&s;ure, then where he <HI>gives no Children at all:</HI> yet that hath been the ca&s;e of many (holy Men and Women, as appears in the example of <HI>Job.</HI> and <HI>David,</HI> who&s;e Hi&s;tories are furni&s;ht with mo&s;t remarkable pa&s;&s;ages to this purpo&s;e, their lives being <HI>chequered</HI> (as one may &s;ay) with various contingencies of good and evill.</P>
<P N="3">3. Be it granted that <HI>barrenne&s;s,</HI> among&s;t the <HI>Jewes</HI> was reputed a <HI>cur&s;e,</HI> and that God threatneth it as a judgment upon them to have <HI>mi&s;carrying wombs,</HI> and <HI>dry brea&s;ts.</HI> yet ought it not to have that Character with us Chri&s;tians, who are not engaged to obedi|ence by promi&s;es of <HI>temporall,</HI> but of <HI>Spiri|tuall</HI> and <HI>eternall</HI> ble&s;&s;ings: things of that con|cernment even in tho&s;e dayes, (clouded with &s;hadowing and carnall ordinances,) that God him&s;elf propo&s;es them to the obedient <HI>Eunuches,</HI> as a full (indeed &s;uperabundant) &s;atisfaction for their <HI>Sterility, I&s;.</HI> 56.5. the truth is, there ought not to be (neither is there without our own fault) any <HI>barrenne&s;s</HI> in Chri&s;tians of either &s;ex, the forming of <HI>Christ</HI> in their Souls (intimated by the A|po&s;tle, Gal. 4.19.) being a <HI>mi&s;ticall birth</HI> in all the Sons and Daughters of God; and not without &s;ome reflection on this, did the <HI>Church</HI> appoint the <HI>Magnificat,</HI> of that ble&s;|ed Virgin, to be publikely &s;ung in her <HI>Li|turgie;</HI> it being hoped that every member
<PB N="114" REF="61">thereof, would con&s;ider, that they were bound <HI>to bring forth this fruit unto God.</HI></P>
<P N="4">4. La&s;tly, for that of the Apo&s;tle to <HI>Timo|thy,</HI> the &s;en&s;e is &s;o obvious, and that fal&s;e in|terpretation &s;o remote from the wi&s;dome, goodne&s;s, and truth of God; that it is &s;trange the <HI>Fancies</HI> even of women (who 'tis confe&s;t are very forcible) &s;hould be able by any <HI>chimi&s;try</HI> of imagination, to extract &s;uch a di&s;proportionall meaning from that text. For St. <HI>Paul.</HI> having fixt that &s;ex, in their due place of &s;ubordination in the Church; that he might give them &s;ome rea|&s;ons to be content with that portion, men|tions the <HI>order</HI> of their Creation, the wo|man being not only formed <HI>after Adam,</HI> as that &s;ignifies <HI>order</HI> of time, but of Nature al&s;o, (the Man being as one may &s;peak the <HI>fir&s;t running</HI> of the <HI>metall</HI>) and her being <HI>fir&s;t</HI> in the tran&s;gr&s;&s;ion, (a token of weak|ne&s;&s;e and frailty) as the Grounds upon which he builds a <HI>conclu&s;ion,</HI> or <HI>canon</HI> for the <HI>order;</HI> not &s;o likely to &s;tand fa&s;t, upon the bare authority even of the Apo&s;tle him&s;elf without being <HI>cemented</HI> and <HI>crankt</HI> with very good and undeniable rea&s;ons. but yet, not to leave them under the di&s;honour of being <HI>fir&s;t</HI> in that fatall Crime, (Ringleaders in Rebellion &s;eldome ta&s;ting, of that mercy which is &s;hewed to their followers) and like|wi&s;e to keep them from being chru&s;t out of that place, by the anger and in&s;olence of
<PB N="115" REF="61">the other &s;ex, the Apo&s;tle tells them that by the fruit of their Womb they made amends for the mi&s;eries and mi&s;chiefs of their fault; the <HI>Remedy</HI> comming by them (namely the <HI>incarnation</HI> of <HI>Christ</HI>) as well as the <HI>di&s;ea&s;e,</HI> of the efficacy whereof they were likewi&s;e to have their part if they &s;hould <HI>continue</HI> to per|for me the conditions of that mercifull Co|venant; the Apo&s;tle very &s;ea&s;onably mind|ing them, of <HI>con&s;tancy</HI> in their profe&s;&s;ions, and Practi&s;e: of which the <HI>fir&s;t</HI> of that &s;ex, &s;hewed no good example, in her hearkning to the &s;ugge&s;tions of the Serpent in Paradi&s;e.</P>
<P>More (perhaps) might be &s;ayd to this purpo&s;e, but the apprehen&s;ions I have of your abilities and <HI>art</HI> of di&s;cerning, beyond the common capacity of your &s;ex, having already check't me, for falling into this &s;o|lemne, and fore&s;een <HI>Digre&s;&s;ion.</HI></P>
<P>Thus, <HI>Madam,</HI> have I given you my thoughts, in the&s;e generall, and conjecturall applications hopeing that they may po&s;&s;ibly light on the whole, or &s;ome part of the <HI>cau&s;e</HI> of your trouble. I have offered them to you, not &s;o much in acknowledgment of tho&s;e favours, I have heretofore received from your &s;elf, and your dear Husband (&s;ince with God) (though my obligation, there|by could not be di&s;charged, by a farr great|er attempt to recompence them) as for the tender re&s;pect I have to your afflicted &s;tate. That this &s;hould do a perfect cure (though I
<PB N="116" REF="62">know God doth (manie times) <HI>great</HI> things by <HI>&s;mall</HI> meanes,) I have no <HI>grounded</HI> hopes to believe: not only becau&s;e of the <HI>defects,</HI> and <HI>impotence</HI> of my endeavours, but for that <HI>difea&s;es</HI> of this kinde, are <HI>influenced</HI> up|on by the di&s;tempers, or complexion of the <HI>Patient,</HI> and have a <HI>&s;ecret</HI> and <HI>maligne a&s;pect</HI> upon them from many circum&s;tances, not gue&s;&s;able (I pre&s;ume) by per&s;ons more A|cute, then I can de&s;erve to be thought.</P>
<P>I know <HI>Divines</HI> &s;hould not undertake to cure, like <HI>Empericks,</HI> by <HI>Gue&s;&s;es,</HI> and at <HI>ran|dome;</HI> and therefore, <HI>madam I</HI> have not ob|&s;curely intimated, my de&s;ire unto you in this Paper to make a very &s;ea&s;onable and home addre&s;s to &s;ome <HI>one of a Thou&s;and,</HI> Job. 33.23. A skilfull <HI>Phi&s;ician</HI> of Souls; that you may not be thought, to <HI>&s;ubordinate</HI> the care of your better, and eternall part, to that <HI>Cabinet</HI> of <HI>beautifull earth,</HI> wherein God hath lock't up that <HI>rich Jewell</HI> for &s;ome few years: <HI>I</HI> am confident <HI>Madam,</HI> it is not on|ly the be&s;t, but the only Coun&s;ell you can follow, with a&s;&s;urance (by Gods ble&s;&s;ing) of <HI>cureing</HI> the&s;e <HI>wonnds</HI> in your Spirit: no if I have but <HI>clean&s;ed</HI> and <HI>Wip't,</HI> or done the lea&s;t other good office, of <HI>helping</HI> forward their <HI>cure;</HI> as <HI>I</HI> ought (and you) to give all the Pray&s;e thereof to God, &s;o &s;hall it be e|&s;teemed a plentifull Reward, for this little <HI>Labour</HI> of <HI>Madam,</HI></P>
</DIV3>
<CLOSER><SIGNED><HI>Your affectionate Servant in</HI> Chri&s;t Je&s;us.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV2>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="prayer">
<PB REF="62">
<HEAD>A PRAYER.</HEAD>
<P>_OAllmighty God, the Creator and Pre&s;erver of Humane Spirits, the &s;earcher of all Hearts, who know|e&s;t, and trye&s;t all our wayes, and under&s;tande&s;t our thoughts afarr off: from thy love and bounty it is, and not from our de&s;ert, that we have any mea&s;ure of grace, whereby we may know, and obey thy Will, any impre&s;&s;ion of Godly &s;orrow, when we have broaken thy lawes, any de&s;ire to re&s;olution and performance of what is plea&s;ing in thy &s;ight, after we have erred and &s;trayed from the pathes of thy commandments: mercifully I be&s;eech thee to behold all &s;uch as are grieved, oppre&s;t, and per|plexed in Spirit, through the guilt of &s;in, weak|ne&s;&s;e of Grace, frailty of Nature, or the devi|ces of our grand enemie, and accu&s;er. E&s;pe|cially be mindfull of thy Servant B. B. who hath ae&s;ired the prayers of me thy mo&s;t unworthy Ser|vant, and grievous finner. O Lord, to thee
<PB REF="63">are known all the cau&s;es, and acca&s;ions of her trouble and confu&s;ion of Spirit; the di&s;tractions and terrors of her &s;oul, are not hid from thine Eyes: O thou that ha&s;t the Balm of Gilead, the Soul-healing Oyle of mercy, and pardon of &s;in, pour the &s;ame I mo&s;t humbly be&s;eech into her wounded Spirit, bind up this brui&s;ed Reed, kindle this Smoaking Flax, pre&s;erve her from the Snares of Satan, free her from the delu&s;ions and errors of a deceitfull imagination, and vouch cha&s;e to her &s;uch a mea&s;ure of Spirituall Con&s;olution, that her &s;oul may be comforted and &s;trengthned thereby; to the fini&s;hing of her cour&s;e with joy, through a finall Victorie over all her Enemies, by the goodne&s;s and power of Je&s;us Chri&s;t our Saviour, Amen.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
<BACK>
<DIV1 TYPE="publisher's advertisement">
<PB REF="63">
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<PB REF="64">
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