A Communicant Instructed, Part 1 · Section 2
2. Knowledge of our selves.
Knowledge of our selves, is the next point of Knowledge necessary to a worthy Communicant. Christians eyes and apprehensions should be like the windowes of the Temple, widest inward, narrowest outward; far more dispo…ed to look home then abroad better acquainted with themselves then with others: And not like Plutarch's Lamiae, or Witches, that put on their eyes when they went abroad but put up their eyes in boxes when they came home.
The necessity of this Self-Knowledge, hath before been evidenced. The particulars of Self-Knowledge follow. We are principally to know our selves. 1. What we were in Adam before the fall. 2. What we are in Adam since the fall. 3. What we should and may be in Iesus Christ the second Adam.
I. What were we in Adam before the fall? Answ. Before the fall, Adam was the happiest creature under the Sun, enjoying many surpassing Priviledges. And all mankind being then in his loyns, enjoyed in him the same happinesse and Priviledges viz.
1. A reasonable and immortall soul personally joyned with a suitable body, both of them, pPs. 139.14, 15.fearfully and wonderfully made, yea qGen. 1.26. & Ps. 139.15.curiously wrought, according to divine Consultation of the blessed Trinity. Adams soul was so rationall, that he knew the nature of all the creatures which God brought before him, and rGen. 2.20, 23.named them accordingly. And so immortal, that it cannot die a natural death, as manysPs. 49.15 Eccles. 12.9. 1 King. 17.21. Mat. 10 28. Phil. 1.22, 23. 1 Pet. 3.19. 2 Cor. 5.1Scriptures intimate. But the souls of all other sublunary creatures, besides man, are irrationall: and die with their bodies.
2. A most pleasant Habitation. tGen. 2.8.9.God planted a Garden Eastward in Eden, and there he put the man. A garden is the glory of the fields: A garden of Gods planting, the glory of all gardens. Herein grew every tree pleasant to the sight, and good for food: And a Quadripartite, or four-streamed river to water the garden. Oh what a garden of delights! what an earthly Paradise! Here man was placed, uGen. 2.15to dresse this Garden. Man must not be idle, no not in Paradise.
3. Liberall Provision. Man was allowed, xGen. 1.29. & 2.16 17freely to eat of every herb, and of the fruit of every tree in the Garden, except only the tree of Knowledge of good and evil. His food therefore was most various and delicious.
4. Vniversal dominion over the creatures. yGen. 1.26Let them have dominion over the fish of the Sea, and over the fowle of the air, and over the cattell, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. This dominion was not supreme, but subordinate to Gods dominion. Adam was Monarch of the earth, God the sole Monarch of all the world.—zPs. 8.4, 6 7, 8. Lord what is man that thou art mindfull of him? & the Son of man that thou visitest him?—Thou hast made him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet. So that all sublunary creatures were to do homage unto Adam.
5 Conjugal society with his wife,aGen. 2.21 22, 23, 24, created out of Adams side, while he was asleep. She was thus taken out of man, that she might be a meet help for man, and become affectionately dear to man, as bone of h…s bone, and flesh of his flesh. Man is naturally a sociable creature, and loves society; And Marriage-society is the sweetest of all natural societies.
6. Innocency. bE…cles. 7.29.God made man upright. As man came at first out of Gods hands, he was spotlesse, undefiled, and wholly without sin. Hence that state is stiled, The state of innocency. Except Christ, never man on earth was perfectly without sin, as Adam was in his first Creation. The holiest Saints in this life have sinne in them; though sin reigne not over them. We were without sinne in the earthly Paradise, and shall becEph. 5.27 without sin in the heavenly Paradise. How happy is a sin-less state!
7. The image of God. dGen. 1.27.God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him. There was not only an utter absence of all sinfulnesse, but also a presence of all due righteousnesse in him: in which regard he was perfectly conformable to the will of God. This image of God in man, seems principally to consist eCompare Col. 3.10. with Eph. 4.24. and weigh them well.in, 1. Knowledge, 2. Rig… teousnesse. and 3. True holinesse; or, as the Greek phrase is, Holinesse of truth. This image of God in Adam made him ful of divine beauty, whereby he was all glorious within, surpassing all sublunary creatures.
8. A Covenant-state with God. In all times and states of the Church, God hath pleased to deal with his people by way of Covenant. Adam before the fall being perfect and without sin, had perfect ability given him to keep that Covenant with God, in which he was naturally enstated. The Covenant into which Adam was admitted with God, was the Covenant of Works, the substance whereof is the Morall Law, or Ten Commandements. The Morall Law was perfectly written in Adams heart for the substance of it, so that he was fully able to know and keep it: for even since the fall, the Gentiles which have not the written Law,fRom. 2.14.15, do by nature the things contained in the Law, — which shew the work of the Law written in their hearts. Much more was the Law written in Adams heart before the fall. This Covenant of Works, the substance whereof is contained in the Morall Law, required personal, perfect, and perpetual obedience under the severest penaltiesgGal, 3.1… Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the Book of the Law to do them. VntoUnto this Covenant of Works with Adam, seem to be annexed two Sacraments, viz. hGen. 2.9.16.17.The Tree of Life, assuring him of life upon his keeping Covenant and eating of that tree: And the Tree of Knowledge of good and evill, assuring him of death upon breach of Covenant, and tasting of that Tree.
9. Finally, Adam enjoyed sweet Peace and Communion with God, all the while he continued in this his pure primitive state. God iGen. ch. 1 & ch. 2.familiarly conversed with him, & he with God in the Garden of Eden, receiving from God no expressions but of love and favour. This Peace and Communion with God was the Eden of Eden, the Paradise of Adams Paradise.
Object. These were Adams Priviledges before the fall, and they were excellent. But what is all this to us? Asw. All this is very much to us. For, all Adams Priviledges were our Priviledges: Adam being a publick person, the generall Parent, Root and Stock of Mankinde; and we all at that time in his loyns. Therefore as kHeb. 7.9, 10.Levi is said to pay Tithes in Abram unto Melchizedech, because Levi was in his father Abram's loyns, when Melchizedech met him: So we may be truly said to enjoy all the Priviledges of the state of innocency in Adam, because at that time we all were in Adams loynes when he injoyed them, Oh therefore, How happy a man was Adam! and how happy were all we in Adam before the fall!
Thus we should know our selves and our primitive state, what once we were in Adam before the fall. Next we should know what we now are by nature since the fall.
II. What are we now in Adam by nature, since the fall? Answ. As the pillar of cloud between the Israelites and Egyptians had a light side, and a dark side; lEx. 14.19, ….Giving light by night to Israel, but being darknesse to the Egyptians: So our state before and after the fall, had a bright side, and a dark side. I have already shewed you the bright side of the cloud; Now I shall represent unto you the dark side. We were not once so happy before the fall; but we are now as miserable since the fall. And this chiefly two ways, 1. Through the Privation and Absence of all good which we had. 2. Through the Position or presence of all evil which we had not.
1. By the fall of Adam, we have lost all the good we had, all the happinesse we enjoyed in our first estate. (1.) Our reasonable and immortall soules, are become brutish in the things of God; and liable to die everlastingly. (2). We are mGen. 3.24,banished out of Paradise our pleasant Habitation. (3). We are deprived of Edens liberall Provision. In the sweat of our browes we must now get our bread; and though we toyle never so much, nVers. 18.Yet the earth yields not its strength, but brings forth thorns & thistles. (4) We have lost much of our dominion over the creatures, many of them rebeling against us. (5) The sweetness of Marriage-society is imbittered; oGen. 31.6The wives subjection to her husband becoming grievous; Her sorrows in Conception and bringing forth, being greatly multiplied, and both of them being exercised with cares and p1 Cor. 7.28, 32, 33.troubles in the flesh touching their children & one another. 6. Our innocency and spotlesnesse is swallowed up with nocency and qGen. 6.5.sinfulnesse. 7. We are disrobed of Gods beauteous image, rEccles. 7.29. Co…. 3 10. Eph. 4.24.Having sought out many inventions, till Christ the second Adam repair Gods image in us. 8. We have brok Covenant with God, by sGen. 3.6.22.24.eating the forbidden fruit: and so have debar'd our selves of all benefit of the Tree of Life. 9. And finally, we lost our sweet Peace and Communion with God; sin defiling our consciences with guilt,tGen. 3.7.8, 9, 10, &c clothing us with shame, and filling our hearts with fear and horrour at the presence of God; our …irst Parents, and we in them, endeavouring to hide our selves from Gods presence among the trees of the Garden. Thus by the fall we are quite stript of all our glory and happinesse▪ wherein we were created.
2. By the fall of Adam we are also implunged into all manner of evil, which we had not before, viz. 1. Evil of sin. 2. Evil of punishment.
(1). The evil of sin is most grievous upon us divers wayes. Principally in regard, 1. Of Adams sin, whereof we are guilty. 1. Of Original sin, wherein we are naturally drowned. 3. Of Actual sin, of all sorts and degrees, whereunto we are naturally disposed.
1. We are all guilty of Adams sin, of Adams fall. For we all being in the loyns of Adam the publick Root of mankind, we stood with him, and we fell with him. Hence it is said, uRom. 5.12.By one man sin entred into the World, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men for that all have sinned. And again,—xVers. 19 By one mans disobedience many were made sinners. So that Adams fall and first sin, together with all the sinfull ingredients, & aggravations thereof; As Vnbelief, Pride, Disobedience, Rebellion Vnthankfulnesse, Intemperance, Murder, Apostacy, Hypocrisie, &c. may all most justly be laid to our charge. And this is sin enough, were we guilty of no more, to sink us into everlasting death.
2. We are all drowned in Original corruption. For even Infants from Adam to Moses, that lived not so long as to sin Actually, as Adam in his Apostacy did, even they were brought under death for their guilt of Adams sin, and of Originall corruption of their natures: yRom. 5.14.Death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adams transgression. And David thus laments him…elf;zPsal. 5…5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. This, the common lot of all Adams posterity, & even of David among the rest. Yea Iob long before David, said, aJob. 14.4Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one. So then, Adam by the fall becoming unclean: all Adams children, naturally, and by ordinary propagation descending from him, are naturally unclean also. This sinful uncleannesse of nature, we call Original sin, or Original corrup…ion. That we may the better discern the venome and sinfulnesse of Original sinne, Let us a little consider. 1. The names. 2. The Nature. 3. Th… Aggravations of it.
Th… Names given to Original sin, in Scripture are divers, and very observeable. It is called, 1. Sin, by way of Emphasis; as being the sin of sins, the mother sin.—bP…. 51.5, In sin did my mother conceive me. 2. Sin-dwelling-in-us; Because it hath its continual abode in our natures while we continue in these Tabernacles, whether we wake or sleep, &c. As Ivy abides in an old wall, till the wall be pulled down. Hence Paul; cRom. 7 17.It is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 3. The easily-encompassing-sin,— dHeb. 12.1. foreign.Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin that doth so easily-beset us. By weight, *…z. Annot. in Heb. 12.1.Beza seems rightly to understand all burdensome worldly impediments, which hinder us in our Christian course: By Sin easily-encompassing, Original corruption of our natures, that like snares besets us before, behinde, and on every side; tangels our Mindes, Consciences, Wills, Affections, and all our members; is as fetters to our feet, manacles to our hands, &c. so that we cannot run the race set before us. 4. The fle…h; eGal. 5.17The flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the spirit lusteth against the flesh. It's called flesh to set forth the ba…enesse of sinne, the flesh being …he base part of man. 5. The old man; …o called, Partly because of the long continuance of it in us; it's an in…eterate di…ease, as old as our selves. Partly because of the corruptness and deceitfulness of it.— fEph. 4.22Put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitfull lusts. 6. The gRom. 7.23.law of sin in our members: becau…e it as it were commands, compels, and even necessitates us to sin: As a law rules them that are under it. 7. Finally, Original corruption is stiledhRom. 7.24. A body of death; because. As the naturall body hath many members, so Original sin hath m…ny lusts, as limbs thereof. And because this body of sin exposeth unto death. These and such like are the denominations of Original sin, by all which the vilenesse of it may in some measure appear.
The nature of Original sin seems especially to consist in the…e three particulars, v…z. 1. In a totall priva…ion of the Image of God, and of all that Original righteousnesse and integrity, wherein we were at first created, 2. In an utter inability to any true spiritual good, yea in an absolute enmity thereunto. —iRom. 5.6 For when we were yet without strength. —kVers. 10. When we were enem…es, we were reconciled to God.— lRom. ….7The carnal minde is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the Law of God, neither indeed can be. 3. In an universall and continual pronenesse to all evil; mGen. 6.… with Rom 3.10. to 20God saw that every imagination of the thoughts, of mens hear…s was onelyonly evill, continually—Their throat is an open Sepulchre, &c. And our Saviour tels us, nMat. 7.18 & …, 3….A corrupt tree cannot brings forth good fruit. This is the nature of Original corruption. Oh how deadly is the Poison of it to the Nature of man!
The Aggravations of Originall corruption, whereby it appears to be extreamly sinfull, are these; viz. 1. Original sin isoPsal. 51.5 with John ….6.Naturall and Hereditary. It's bred and born with us, it's propagated with our very natures, and rooted in our bones and inmost principles, and consequently more dangerous and desperate; As those corporal diseases, which are not accidental and occasional onelyonly, but Hereditary and natural, are most perilous and remedi…esse. 2. Original sin is univer…all. And the more universally extended, the more bitterly to be lamented: As epidemicall, univer…al diseases are the most terrible diseases▪ as o…e in Egypt, when pEx. 12.30There was not an house wherein there was not one dead. Now Original sin is universal; Partly in that All men men ordinarily descended of Adam, are defiled with it! Iewes, Gentiles, bond, free male, female, all are involved in it▪ qRom. 5.12.19. & 3.10. &c.All are sinners by it. Partly in that All of all men are tainted hereby, rRom. 3.13, 14, 15. Gen. 6.5, Rom. 7.1… Tit. 1.…5.soul, bodie, all the faculties and affections of the one, all the senses, parts, and members of the other: Minde, Conscience, Memory, Will, Love, Hatred, &c. mouth, hands, feet, &c. all are wholly depraved and unclean.— I know that in me, (that is in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing. 3. Original sin is reigning over all the sons of Adam, it reigns whilst they continue in the first Adam; And it reigns most cruelly and tyrannically. It enthrals men unto Sa…n at his Will: unto actual sEph. 2.2, 3. with 2 Tim. 2.26.fulfilling the lusts, and wills of the flesh: and unto death. tRom. 5.21. & 6.12 13, 14.That as sin hath reigned unto death, &c. The Turkish slavery, Spanish Inquisition, E…yptian cruelty, …abylonian captivity, are all …ort of this tyranny and dominion of sin. Thi… reign of sin is evidenced, Partly by our bein…, uRom. 6.20.Servants of sin. Partly by ourxRom. ….20. ob…ying … in the lusts thereof. Partly by ouryRom. ….13. yiel… ing … members as weapons of unrighteousness… …, to take sins part, to fight for it, defend it, justifie it, &c. against opposers. 4. Ori…nal sin, whilst we are in this body, is in some sort incurable. The reign of it cannot be …ured till Christ come to reign in thee, and pluck thee out of …hy carnal state: And thezRom. 7.18, &c. …-dwelling or in-being of Original sin cannot … fully cured, no not in a believer, whilst he … here on earth; As the Canaanit…s (though tributaries and slaves, yet) would dwell …mong the Israelites, or as Ivie will remain in an old wall, till it be utterly pull'd down to the ground.
…. We are all by nature wholly disposed: and pro…e to run headlong into all Actual sins for kind… and degree. Into all impiety against God, all unrighteousnesse against man, and intemperance again…t our selves: contrary to all the Commandments of the first and second Table: and this in thought, word, and work. Into open, and secret sins: Omissions of good, and Commissions of evil: Wilfulnesses and Weaknesses: &c. Against ligh… of mind, checks of con…cience, motions of Gods Spirit, means of grace, professions and promi…es of better wa…king, multitudes of mercies, terrib…enesse of judgements; &c. and this in youth and age, in …o…iety and …olitarinesse; yea, by Original corruption, we are fundamentally dispo…ed to that unp…rdonable sinne against the Holy Ghost. Oh aPs. 19.12who can understand h…s errours! who can comprehend his sinfulnesse! who can chuse but admire the patience and mercy of God to such masses of all corruption and abomin… … ▪
(2.) The evil of punishment, whereunto we … continually liab…e by reason of this evil o… … is manifold and un…peakable, both for this world and the world to come. In thi… world the soul is expo…ed to …tual judge…ents, vi…. bE…. 4.…8 2 Cor. 3.4. Rom 1.28. 2 Thes. 2.11.b…indnesse of …ind, g…d…iness, …, infatuation and strong … cMat. 27.3 5. 1 Tim. 4.2. Rom. 1.28.horrour, searednesse, and senslesnesse of Conscience. A reprobate sense, &c. dSee Deut. 28.15. …0 the endThe body, name and state, lies open to all external and temporal mi…eries and cur…es. In the world to come, both soul and body are liable toeMath▪ 25.46, 41. Mar. 9.43. to 48. Luk. 16.24, 26.endlesse, easelesse; and remedilesse torments in hell fire: wherein they shall be ever dying, and never dead: ever burning, and never consumed: ever tortured, but never eased or pittied. The fMat. 9.44, 46, 48.worme of conscience ever gnawing,g2 Peter 2.17. blacknesse of darknesse ever amazing, the infernall fiends ever torturing, the wrath of God ever devouring and swallowing up the whole man, &c. Oh the misery of a meer carnall man is extreamly miserable!
III. What should we, and what may we be in Iesus Christ the second Adam? For clearing of this, consider chiefly the…e three things; viz. 1. The necessity of Getting out o… our naturall state into a supernaturall cond…tion in Christ. 2. The Duties we are to performe when once we are brought into Christ▪ 3. The Priviledges which we shall enjoy in Christ.
1. The necessity of our getting out of our naturall, into a supernaturall state in Christ, is …o great, that we cannot otherwise possibly be saved. For,
1. The proper adequate hRom. 6.23wages of every sin is etern…ll death: Much more the state of sin must needs be most deadly and damnable.
2. Every man that remains in his ca…all condition in the first Adam, not having accepted Christ, lyes under the Covenant of works, requiringiGal. 3.10personal, perfect, and perpetual obedience, under pain of death and the curse. And since the Fall, no man can keep this Covenant by reason of the kRom. 8.…3.infirmity of the flesh; nor avoid the curse for not keeping it. For Christ alone, lGal. 3.13.redeems us from the curse, becoming a curse for us. Hence every carnal Christlesse man is a cursed man.
3. There's no possibility of escaping damnation, or obtaining salvation, but onelyonly by Jesus Christ and spiritual interest in him. mAct. 4.11.12.There is not salvation in any other. For there is no other name under heaven given, whereby we may be saved.—Hence it is …aid, nMat. 18.3Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye cannot enter into the Kingdome of God.—And, oJoh. 3.3.….except a man be born again of water and the holy Ghost, he cannot enter into th… Kingdome of God. — pMar. 16.…6.He that believes not shall be damned.—Yea, qJoh. 3.18He that believes not, is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
4. Our natural condition without Christ is most mi…erable: but our supernatural condition in Christ will be most happy. For,
By nature we are utterly rLuke 15. throughout.lost, and in the way of perishing for ever; but in Christ we that were lost, are found.
By nature we are s1 Cor. ….14. Eph. 4.17, 18. & 5.8.dark and blinde in spiritual…; but of Christ we tRevel. 3.18.buy eye-salve that we may see, and by him we are u1 Pet. 2.9called out of darkness into his marvellous light.
By nature we are xEph. 2.1. &c. Phil. 4 11, 12, 13.dead in sins and trespasses, and c…nnot acceptably act or move at all in spiritual courses: but when we come to Christ, we shall be quickned and inabled to do all things.
By nature we are yCol. 1.21. Rom. 8.7.enemies, yea enmity against God, and against all goodnesse: but in Christ we shall be reconciled to God, and made freinds by the blood of his Crosse.
By nature we are old and corrupt: but in Christ, z2 Cor. 5.17.Old things shall passe away, and we shall become new Creatures.
By nature we are unregenerate; but by Christ we shall be aJoh. 3.3.5, 6.born again.
By nature we are full of spots and deformities: but in Christ we shall b1 Cor. 6.11. Eph. 5.27.be washed and purified, at last, from every spot and wrinkle, through his blood, and by his grace become full of beauty.
Finally, by nature we c1 Pet. 2.9.are not a people, having not obtained mercy: but when we shall come to Christ, we shall become the People of the living God, and shall obtain in him the Mercy of mercies. Now therefore unlesse we resolve to die in this natural misery; and to despise all this supernatural felicity, it is most necessary that we hasten unto Jesus Christ, and the acceptance of him.
The Duties which we are to perform, being once brought unto Christ, are many, and of high importane. Generally, we are to dRom. 6.4, 5, 6, 7.walk in newnesse of life, this comprehends all. Particularly, we are to walk.
1, In e… b. 6. Luk. 13, 1, 2. Act. 17.30.31.repentance from all dead works, not onelyonly bewailing, but hating and forsaking them.
2. In Self-denyal. We must fLuk. 9.23deny our selves, In all our gTit. 2.11.Self-sinfulnesse, In all our hPhil. 3.7 8, 9.Self-righteousnesse, In all our i1 Cor. 3.1….Self-wisdom, In all our kMatth. 16 10.Self-will, In all our lMat. 10.37.Self-love. Our self-sinfulnesse is abominable, our self-righteousnesse is as filthy rags and rottennesse, our self-wisdome is but folly, our self-will is but a crooked Rule, our self-love is but self-hatred, and all the carnal worldly objects of self-love, but losse and dung in comparison of Jesus Christ.
3. In mHeb. 6.1fa…th towards God and Jesus Christ. This is a fundamental duty. And nRom. 1.17. Gal. 2.20▪ Hab. 2.4by faith we must live, drawing all vital supplies from Christ, depending upon Gods all-sufficiency, and his never-failing promi…es.
4. In all Christian obedience, and in all manner of good works. oTit. 3.8.They that believe in God should be carefull to maintain good works: and to be p1 Cor. 15.58,alwayes abounding in the work of the Lord. For they are qEph. 2.10His workmanship created in Iesus Christ unto good works, which God hath before ordained, that they should walk in them.
5. In all piety to God, righteousnesse towards men, and sobriety towards our selves. For the Gospel of rTitus 2.11, 1….Gods grace teacheth us, that denying all ungodlinesse and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godlily in this present world.
6. In all good conscience and inoffensivenesse towards both God and men. Thus the sAct. 2.3.1 & 24.16.Apostle Paul lived: and so should we.
7. In all Purity and Holinesse. tHeb. 12.14.Without holinesse no man shall see the Lord. u1 Pet. 1 15.As he therefore that hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation.
8. In all exactnesse, strictnesse, accuratenesse of conversation: xEph. 5.15Walk circumspectly; (Greec accurately, exactly) &c. We must walk closely with God, looking narrowly to our thoughts, words and works.
9. In a word, we must constantly walk on unto Perfection, labouring toy2 Peter 3.1…. grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Iesus Christ. As he that swims, if he presse not forward, the stream carries him backward: so in Christianity; if we presse not on to perfection, the stream of corruption and temptation will drive us back again. Therefore zPhil. 3.13, 14.Forgetting what is behind, let us reach forth to those things which are before, and presse towards the mark, for the price of the high calling of God in Christ Iesus.
These and many like duties we are to perform, if we be in Christ. 'Tis no small pittance of grace that will serve turn for such performances.
3. The Priviledges which we shall enjoy in Christ, are generally such as carnal a1 Cor. ….9Eye hath not seen, ear heard, nor the heart of carnal man hath conceived. More particularly these that follow especially, viz.
1. Adoption bEph. 1.5. John 1.12, 13.into the family of God, as his sons and daughters in Jesus Christ. So that now we are cEph. 2.19of Gods houshold, and partake of dRom. 8.15.the Spirit of Adoption whereby we cry Abba father. And we are eGal. 4.…. Rom. 8.17.not onelyonly sons, but heirs of God, coheirs with Christ. f1 Joh. ….1, ….Behold what manner of love the father hath manifested to us, that we should he called the sons of God. This is a grand fundamental Priviledge.
2. Sanctification of our natures by the Spirit of Christ, gEph. 4.23 24. with Col. 3.11.renewing our whole man after Gods image, with all kindes of Grace; and hRom. 8.2, 14.mortifying more and more all the reliques of sin in us:
3. Justification of our persons, iRom. 3.13, 24, …5.freely of Gods meer grace, through Christs kRom. 4.6, 7, 8, & 5.17, 18.19.obedience and death imputed to us by faith whereby all our sins are pardoned, and our persons accepted as righteous before God. O thrice blessed are they that are thus pardoned and justified!
4. Sweet Communion with God, lJoh. 1.3. 2 Cor. 13.14.Father Son, and Holy Ghost. This fellowship is the Saints heaven-on-earth. Such walk with God, converse with God, have their conversation in heaven. They m1 John 4.16.dwell in God, and God in them, nRev. 3.20.Sup with Christ, and Christ with them.
5. All the promises of this and the world to come. o2 Pet. 1.4The promises of God are most great and precious. p2 Cor. 1.20.All Yea and Amen in Christ: And all the q1 Tim. 4.8godly mans peculiar inheritance. That soul cannot be poor that hath faith to trade with God, in his promises.
6. rCompare. 1 Cor. 3.2…, 22, 23. wit… Psal. 34.9, 10.All things are ours, if we be Christs, whether the world, or life; or death, or things present, or things to come: All are ours, if not in actual possession, yet in Evangelical right unto them in Christ, and we shall actually enjoy all that shall be good for us.
7. Finally, Co-operation of all things for our good; crosses and comforts, losses and gains, pains and ease, sicknesse and health, &c. life and death. Every winde shall blow us profit. sRom. 8.28.We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them that are she called according to his purpose.
These and the like are their Priviledges that obtain Jesus Christ.
Hitherto of the second point of knowledge, viz. The Knowledge of our selves, requisite to prepare for worthy communicating.