Christ Dying and Drawing Sinners to Himself, Part 3 (5 of 7)

Christ Dying and Drawing Sinners to Himself · Part 3 (5 of 7)

p. 483It is a sweet contemplation that Angels and Men sing the same song and Psalme of free grace in heaven, to the Lamb, to him that sitteth on the Throne; and a question it is, if a more ingaging and obliging way to free grace could be devised, then that as many as are in the glorified Troops and triumphing armies in heaven clothed in white, should bee also the sworne subjects, and the eternall debtors of the freest grace of him, who is the high Lord Redeemer, and head of Angels and Men.

p. 484But in the engagement it selfe of the winde of the Spirit, for the tryall of the Saints there is great ground of admiration, as 1. the blowing of the soft and pleasant breathings of the South-winde of free-grace lying under the only work of soveraignty, when, and where, and in the measure, the Lord pleaseth▪ is a high and deep expression of the freedome of grace, for in one and the same prayer (the like by proportion may bee said of the acts of faith, love, patience, hope) we often begin to pray, with sad and fleshly complaints of unbeliefe, as is evident in many Psalms and Prayers of the Saints in Scripture, Jeremy, Lament. 3. of Iob, of David; yet going on, the breathings of th… holy Ghost will fill the sailes, and he returneth: therefore this, is a ground, yea, a demonstration to me; then when I finde no motion of the holy Ghost,Wee are to pray and … our s…lv…s to supernaturall du…i…s when we are …ndisposed. no spirituall disposition, but meere deadnesse, I am not to abstaine from praying, because I finde the Spirit not acting nor stirring in me, as Antinomians say; but 1. I am to act and doe, though the principle of motion be naturall; as if the first stroak on flint make not fire, we are to strike againe and againe: and if the fire blowing of the bellows kindle not the sticks let us be doing, and the Lord will be with us. A kindling and a flame may come from heaven; say that the Lord were wanting to me in a dead and low ebbe; he will not once roll about the sight of his eye, nor let out one blast or stirring of aire and winde of the Spirit toward me; yet my deadnesse is my sin, and freeth not me from an obligation to pray and to seek to God; the doore is fast bolted, shall I not therefore knock? accesse is denyed, and the Lord in ang…r shuteth out my prayer, Lam. 3.8. May not I look and sigh and groane toward his holy Temple? deadnesse is not the Lords revealed will forbidding me to pray, because I am dead and indisposed.

2. Deadnesse and indisposition is a sinne, then must we confesse to God, and tell the Lord when we are indisposed to pray, that we cannot pray; and let the dead and the blind but bow his knee and lay a dead Spirit, and naked wretched soul, a paire of blinde eyes before God: for we are commanded to confesse this to God,We are oblieg…d to pray, when under …ndisposition …. as may be gathered from, Revel, 3.17. 1 Joh. 1.9. Prov. 28.13. Psal. 32.5.

3. We are expresly commanded in the day of trouble and of our temptation to pray, and seek help from God under our p. 485temptations, Psal. 50.15. Matth. 6.13. 1 Thess. 5.17. As the Saints have done, Psal. 18.6. Psal. 34.6. Psal. 61.2. 2 Cor. 12 ver. 7.8.9. If then wee judge the no breathing of the holy Ghost a temptation, and a cause of humiliation, as it is, and the Saints doe judge it, then are we to pray though most indisposed; why doth David complain that he was as a bottle in the smoak, and pray so often that God would quicken him, if under a dead disposition we were not to pray?

4. If often the Saints beginning to pray, doe speak words of unbeliefe and from a principle of nature, and if words flowing from the deadnesse and misgivings and rovings of the fl…sh interwoven in with the spirituall and heavenly ravishments of the Spirit of grace and supplication in one and the same complaint and prayer to God, as Psal. 38. Psal. 102. Psal. 77. Psal. 88. Lament. 3. Ier. 20.Fl…sh and spirit in their severall ups and downes in one and the same prayer. Job 8. ch. 16. ch. 19. and in many other passages, where the Spirit and the flesh have Dialogues and Speeches by turnes, and by course, then may and ought the Saints to pray under deadnesse, and do as much as thei… present indisposition can permit them, and the Spirit is seene to come and blow, not by obligation of Covenant or promise, on Gods part, as Iesuites and Arminians with Pelagians have taught, but in his ordinary free practises of grace as Philip was commanded to come and preach Christ to the Eunuch while he was reading the Book of the Prophet Esay, not because he was reading Scripture, or because such a promise is made to these who read Scripture, as the Angels revealed the glad tydings of the birth of Christ, while the shepheards were attending their flocks in the field, not because they were so doing, as if a promise of the Gospel b…longed to men b…cause they wait one their calling; and Annanias is sent to preach Christ to Saul and open his eyes, while he was praying, not because he was praying, but of meer free-grace, which moveth in this ord…nary current and sphere of free love cong…uously to the Lords freely intended end to save his people; even as the Lord joyneth his influence and blessing to give bread and a Harvest to the sower, Esay 55. yet not that he hath tyed himself by promise to give a good Harvest to every industrious husbandman; yet this ordinary practise of Grace with the Commandement of God is enough to set us on work to pray, to believe, to acts of love to Christ, in the saddest and deadest times.

p. 4865. It should be no sinfull omission in us, not to pray when the Spirit stirreth us not, if our deadnesse should free us from all sin, because we cannot run, when the Bridegroome doth n…t draw. Christs drawing goeth along with the secret decree of Election, but is not to us a signification of the Lords revealed will, that we should not follow Christ, when he suspendeth the influence of his drawing power.

6. Now as in nature, men may so dare the Almighty in his face,Assert. 1. that God in ju…tice may deny his influence to naturall 5causes: as when malice opposeth the Spirit of God in the Prophet of God,In what cas…s God useth to … are his influence. that the Lord refuseth to concurre with the oyle in Iereboams whithered a…m, that he cannot pull it in againe to him. 2. When the Lord is put to a contest with false god's to work a miracle, as in his refusing to concurre with the fire in burning the three children; for in all causes naturall, or morall, or whatever they be, God has a negative voyce and more. 3. When the axe or the saw boasteth it selfe against him that lifted it; the Lord may use his liberty. So (to come to the second consideration) when Peter proudly trusteth in himselfe: I will dye with thee ere I deny thee; the Lord to punish his pride, must deny his assisting grace, when Peter is tempred, that he may know that natu…e is a s…rry undertaker; that the man rideth to heaven on a whithered reed, who aymeth to climbe that up-hill-city one his own fles…y and clay, strength; and God to show a black spot on a faire face in heaven, will have it said, there standeth David before the Throne, who once committed adult…ry and to cover the shame of it from men, killed most treacherously an innocent godly man: God here out of the ashes of our sin will have a rose of free grace, that filleth the foure corners of heaven with its smell, to grow green up in the higher Paradise, for a summer of eternity; and will have no Tenants in heaven but the free-holders of grace; it is a question w…ith…r there be more grace or more glory in heaven; for the crown of glory is a crown of grace▪ We are to stirr up grace in ourselves and …low the m….that va…ie sea of the redemption of grace issued from under our s…nfull falls.

7. Yea, upon this reasonlesse and fleshly ground, if we may omit pray…ng, and so believing, loving, repenting, mortifying our lusts, when the Spirit stirres us not to these acts, and say, if God will suffer me to sinne, let him see to it, then upon the same p. 487ground all the justified Saints (I should think them Devils, not Saints) might sin, mu…ther, blaspheme, whore, oppresse, commit Sodomy, Incest as Lot, deny J…sus Chr…st, as Peter did, and say as w… are not to pray, nor obliged to a constant course in prayer, when Christ draweth not, and when the Spirit moveth us not (as Antimonians say (with Mr Crispe and others) error, 49. pag. 9.10. Rise, Reign) so neither are we to abstaine from murther, denying of Christ, blasphemy, Sodomy, when the spirit of Christ draweth us not, and moveth & stirreth not our soule to abstinency and a holy feare and circumspection that we commit not such abominations, and Peter might say, I am not obliged to a constant course of confessing Christ before men, unlesse the Spirit stirre me thereunto, and David or any Saint might say, If the Lord will suffer me to murther the innocent, let him see to it; for the Lords drawing and the Spirits st…ing is as necessary in a holy eschewing of sinnes …f commission, as in sins of omission; and by as great, and an every way equall necessity, if the Lord withdraw himself and the Spirit stirre not, we must f…ll…n such abominations, when tempted by Sathan and the fl…sh, as in the sins of sinfull omitting of praying, praysing, believing, when the Spirit stirres us not thereunto; but the truth is, this necessity can neith…r lay the blame on the holy & spotlesse dispensation of God, nor free us from guiltinesse, because between Gods withdrawing influence, and the sin, there doth interveen an obliging Law that forbids sin, and our free-w…ll and reason acting the sin freely. But we are commanded, 2 Tim. 1.6. To stirre up the grace of God in us, foreign its on allusion to the Priests, who were to keep in the fire that came from heaven; grace is resembled to fire under ashes, which with blowing of bellowes is made to revive and burn again; it is the Prophets complaint. Esa. 64.…. There is none that calleth upon thy name, or stirres up himselfe to lay hold on thee; the habit of grace may be warmed, …lown upon, and kindled, that as fire makes fire, so grace may put forth it self, in acts of grace; and the seed of God, in the Saints, 1 Joh. 2.9. may bring forth births like it selfe; motion here produceth heat.

Object. But the actuall predetermination of grace is not in your hand; and without this, acts of praying and believing, are unpossible to me.

p. 488Answ. If this were a sufficient reason, then all works of nature, whatever the creature doth were unpossible; for the plow-man should not goe to till, sow, and reape, because, without the blessing of the common and naturall influence of the first cause he could do none of these things.

2. Because the Saints know not the counsell and minde of God in his decree of joyning of his supernaturall influence, or his suspending of the same, to this or this act of praying, beleeving, hoping, loving of Christ, &c. Therefore upon all occasions, the Saints, what ever be their present deadnesse and indisposition, are to pray, beleeve, and to stirre up themselves to lay hold on God. 1. Because as in naturall and morall actions, men are not to neglect plowing, earing, journeying, eating, drinking, sleeping, buying, and selling, upon this ground because they are ignorant, whether in the work, the Lord shall be pleased to joyne his influence, as the first cause without whom all inferiour causes can doe nothing: So are not the Saints to neglect to pray, because they are dead and indisposed, upon the ground of their doubting and not knowing whether the Lord of grace will be pleased to adde his actuall assistance of grace, to worke in them to will, and to doe; for the Lord may be pleased to adde his supernaturall influence in a moment, his winde bloweth when it listeth, his grace moveth swiftly, when, and where he pleaseth: our good disposition is neither rule, condition, worke, nor hire to move him to work.

2. It is all one, as if we willfully neglected to pray, and resisted the predeterminating grace of God, when wee know not whether the Lord shall deny his influence or no; Yet we disobey the Lord commanding and so obliging us to pray; for as if wee had his influence at our elbow, attending us, so wee are to pray, and set to work: yea, our voluntarie refusing to pray,How o…r …ot praying, and sinfull omissions are w…llfull sinnes, even though we be indisposed and not Masters of the Lords predeterminating grace. wee onelyonly conjecturing evil of God, and of his free grace, without ground, must come from sinnefull wickednesse, not from impotency and weaknesse; for who told you that Christ would bee wanting in his influence? You knew it not from any word of God; and shall you fancie a jealousy against Christs love, without any warrant? even as a servant commanded to lift a burthen, upon a sluggishnesse should say, It came thither in a Cart and two horses when hee would never move an arme to take a tryall what he could doe, though the p. 489burthen were above his strength, when he will not doe as much as he can, his disobedience is wilfull: Therefore wee may say, if wee speake of a voluntary, willfull and groundlesse forsaking of God, in order of time, we first fors…ke God ere hee desert us; but in order of nature, God first forsaketh us, that is,How we leave God …re hee leave us, and God leaves us first also. he withdraweth his heavenly influence from us, but so as before and after the act of withdrawing, wee are willing that God should withdraw, and be gone; for we love in all the acts of sinning to hav… a world of our own.

3. Wee are to beleeve in the generall, we being within the covenant, the Lord will keep his promise, Deut. …0.6.How we are to beleeve the Lord will joyn his influence of actuall grace for our perseve…ance. And the Lord thy God will circumcise thine hea…t and the heart of thy seed, to love the Lord thy God, with all thy heart, and with all thy soule that thou mayest live, Ezech. 11.19. And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new Spirit within you, — 20. that they may walke in my Statutes, Ezech. 36.27. then are we so to set to these duties of wa…king in the Lords way, as wee are to beleeve he will nor deny actuall grace, necessary for our perseverance, because it is his expresse promise, Ier. 31.33.34.35.36. Ier. 32.39.…0. Esai. 59.19 20 21. Esai. 54 10.11. Ezech. 36.26.27. 1 Ioh, 2.1.2. Matth. 16.18. Luk. 2….3….32. though in acts not fundamentall, and simply n…cessary for our being in the state of grace, the Lord hath reserved a latitude of independent Sov…raigntie to act the soule in these and these particular a…ts, as seemeth good to him, that every new breathing of the Spirit of …esus, may bee a new debt, and obligation of free grace▪ to Christ.

We are absolutely to p…ay for the breathings of Christs Spirit, to goe a…ong wi…h us, in all the particular acts of a gracious and spirituall walking▪ but we know the Lords absolute good pleasure is his rule hee walks by: so here our desires may bee absolute in seeking, where the Lord gives upon condition of …is owne good will; nor are our desi…es in prayer to bee conformable to Gods decree, or free pleasure, but to his revealed will.

Grace is the culours of the inhabitants and citiz…ns of the house of the lower and higher roomes of the new Ierusalem; all the way, and all the home the Sain…s walk in this white; Christ keeps not his Spouse in a close chamber, it is not one great act of free grace onelyonly, when all were in one day redeemed on the crosse, but dayly Christ weareth his Church as a bracelet p. 488duplicate page p. 489duplicate page p. 490about his neck, as a seal on his heart, as his Royall diadem,Christ cannot be weary of b…ing gracious and a crowne of glory on his …ead, as his love-ring on his hand; this day grace, to morrow new and fresh supply of grace: the next houre grace; hee has strowed all the way to heaven with new grace▪ every day new wine, new Spiknard new pe…fume, new ointments.

When will Christ grow old, and gray-haired? Never: Will his heart ev…r grow cold of love? No: Will hee tyre of love? will he weare out of delight in the Spouse that lyeth for eternity betweene his breasts? No, no: The love of …hrist is alwaies green…, as young-like, as fair, and white today, as from eternity;Grace a… immo…tal sparkle and ray of God. this rose is not altered a whit. Who knowes how grace and love in Christs breast solaced themselves in these infinite revolutions of ages, before the creation: how Christs heart was cheering it selfe, and rejoycing to have the first day of the creation dawning, that he might enjoy the love of the sonnes of men, not then created, Proverb. 8.3….31. as if grace and love had thought long to finde a channell with wide banks to flow in; as if Christ having infinite love within him, in that long, long age (to borrow that expression) should say, when shall time begin? and sinfull men and my mysticall body, and desired spouse my Church, have being in the world, that I may out that gr…ce on her? I have love within me, and lying beside me; I rejoyce to have a lover: as if grace in Chri…t, h…d been in too na…row banks, in the in…nite acts of the infinite minde of God and the heart of Christ, and longed to have Men and Angels to give a vent to his love.

And that long avum, the ages that were before the world was, brought it green to us, that long, long endlesse and vast duration, when time shall bee no more, cannot make Christs love change the colour, or grow lesse, or root one Saint out of his heart; When God leaveth off to bee God, …r…ce will leave off to bee Grace: Make Christ repent of Grace, if you can; as Christ has washen his Spouse, and in regard of the guilt of sin, has made her all fair and spotlesse; so doth he dayly lick and purge, and cleanse her, in regard of the inherent b…ot, while shee bee faire as the Sunne, and all a new heaven.

Asser. 7. In the third consideration, from this suspension of divine influence cometh our sinne, as a necessary consequent p. 491and result; yet so as the Lords suspension, and our transgression fall both in the bosome of divine providence: The Lord knoweth why be withdraweth his grace, that we m…ght know how weighty a thi…g gr…at heaven is laid upon our poor shoulders, and that we would make foule wo…k out of all wee have received, and the flock the second Adam has given is, if we had not Christ to stirre the ship, to lead the minors to heaven, to keepe the inheritance to the little heirs of Christ, should evanish to nothing.

Po…tion 9. If wee consider the Lords denyall of Christ, from wicked men; they c…nnot turne to God,Wicked mens impot…ncy to com… to Ch…st essentially wilfull. but that impotency lay in the womb of will; it is not weaknesse onelyonly, but also wilfulnesse, Matth. 23. verse 37. I would have gathered you, (saith Christ) yee would not, Ioh. 5.6. Christ saith to the sick man, wilt thou bee made whole? Then there was a stop in his will, as well as in his weaknesse, er. 44.16. As for the word that thou hast spoken to us, in the Name of the Lord, we will not hea…ken to thee.

2. Love and delight to do ill, is from the strength and marrow of the will, not from weaknes only; the seruant that would not leave his master, because he loved him; is a slave for ever, through love to slavery, rather then through impotency to bee free? In those that d…light to doe e…il, Will hath a strong influence in the evil they doe: every sinner esteemes his prison of hell, a heaven; hi… fetters of sinne on his legs, as a gold chain about his neck.

3. It is a journey of a hundreth miles to Christ, it is unpossible to the naturall man to compasse it,Naturall men do not obtaine Christ, as they can doe. yet he may walk two of these hundreth miles, though not as a part of the way; he will not so much as cast a sad look after Christ, the will not bestow one sigh after Christ, nor know his own weaknesse, nor d…spair of his own hability, nor lie at the water-side, and c…y, Lord Iesus come carry me over; he positively hates Christ; were it possible that the unrenewed man had the two eyes of a renewed man, to see the beauty and high excellen…y of Iesus, though he had still his own lame legs, he would weep out his eyes for a Chariot to carry him to Christ,If natural men sho…ld see, they w…uld be much affect…d with Christ. hee would send sad love-challenges, after Christ; could these that' are scortched in hell-fire and hear the howling of their fellow prisoners, and see the ugly Devils, the bloody Scorpions p. 492with which Satan lasheth miserable soules, and the huge, deep, broad furnace of eternall vengence, have but a window opened to see heaven, the …horne, the tree of life, the glory of the Troops clothed in white, and hear the musick of these that prayse him that sitteth on the the Throne, or say but one of the apples of the tree of life were sent down to Hell, and that the damned had senses to taste and smell a graine weight of the glory that is in it, what thoughts would they have of Christ and heaven? It is like they would hate themselves, and send up sad wishes at least, for the continuance of that sight. O could but naturall men see Christ with his own light, it may be they would make out for him: but when all is said of this subject, the grace of God is a desirable thing, better have Chris…'s heart and love and soule toward you, then what else your thoughts could imagine above or below heaven.

If I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men to mee.

Articl. 5. I come now to the fifth Article, the condition of Christs drawing, foreign; If I be lifted up from the Earth;The condition of Chr…sts drawing. this particle foreign (if) is not as in other places, a note of doubting or of a thing of a contingent and uncertaine event; Yea, it signifieth here that Christ was not on any deliberation; Shall I die, or sh…ll I not die, for loste man? Christ is not wavering, dubious and uncertaine in his love; love in Christ is more f…xed and resolved upon, then the Covenant of night and day, and the standing of mountaines and hills, Ier. 31.35. Esai. 54.10. in other places of Scripture, it is not a matter of debate; as …oh. 14.3. If I goe away foreign. Christ made no qu…stion whither he would goe to his father, 1 Ioh. 2.…. foreign, if any man sinne, we have an Advocate; there is no doubt but the Saints sinne, and if we say we have no sinne, we deceive our selves, and the truth is not in us, 1 Ioh. 1.8.

To be lifted up from the earth, is expounded to be crucified, v. 33. this is Christs Metaphrase of the kinde of death which he suffered.

Crucifying was a cursed shamefull and base death, Deut. 21▪ 23. yet Christ exp…esseth it by a word of exaltation, Phil. 2.9. lifting up from the earth: Christs death is life, his shame p. 493glory; there be pearls and sa…hirs of heaven in Christs hell; and …hrist keepeth warm b…eath of life and hot blood in the cold grave; when he is in an agony, which materially was hell, a glorious Angell of Heaven is in that hell with him to comfo…t him; when h… i… born a poore man on earth, and lies in a horses manger, there …s a new bon fire in Heaven for joy that a great Prince is born, a new starre appeares; the weaknesse of Christ is stronger then men. The blacknesse of Christs marred visage is fa…re; in Christs poverty, when hee has not to pay Tribute to the Emperour Caesar, the Sea payes Tribute to the King and Prince of Kings, Iesus; a … yeelds him a piece of moeny; the lowest and basest rep…o…ches of Christ, his Crosse and suffering… drops the honey▪ the sweet smell of heaven; Christs thorne is a rose, his sadnesse joy; O what most immediate rayes of glory that comes from his face be? the very second …able of Heaven must be exceeding fatnesse, the back pa…ts of the glorious King that sitteth on the Throne must be desirable; the fragments and the broken meat of the Lords higher Table must be incompa…ably dainty: all the earth to these are husks; the reproaches of Christ must be not so sower as they are reported of. 2. He maketh it the cause of Christs drawing all m…n to him. 1. The Holy Ghost will expresse the cursed and shamefull death of Christ, by a word of glory to be lifted up.

1. The dying of Christ is a leaving of the earth.

2. It is a ma…ter of exaltation that Christ was thus abased; Of these two only in this place in the New Testament, and Ioh. 3.15. is Christs dying so expressed; It is considerable that in this manner of death, Christ will hold forth to us, that the dying of Christ i… in a specia…l manner a leaving of the earth; so Ezechiah, Es…i. 37.11.Christs dying, a leaving o… the earth. I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world, that is, I must leave the earth, and see the Sunne no more; and Christ, Ioh. 13.1. Iesus knew that his houre was come, and that he should depart out of this world into the Father; Hence his own word to the repenting …heife, Luk. 23.43. To day thou shalt be with me in Paradise, Ioh. 8.21. I goe my way, and yee shall seek me, and shall die in your …nnes: whither I goe yee cannot come.

Doct. Christ choosed a kinde of death which was a visible leaving of the earth, and a going to …eaven ere he came down p. 494again off the Crosse; for that day his soule was in Paradise; as the Serpent was lifted up in the wildernesse, Ioh. 3.15. Christs motion in death is from the earth; Christ was tired of the earth, and had his fill of it, he desired no more of it. It is not a place much to be loved by you, Saints for your deare Saviour had but few and sadde dayes on the earth, he was served as a stranger here, and has now left the earth, and gone to the Father; consider but a few reasons to move you to leave the earth: 1. The earth was Christs prison, he could not escape out of it, till he payed his sweet life for it; only two that we read of, Enoch and Elias left the earth, and went to heaven and saw not death; these that shall be changed and shall not die, at Christs comming have this priviledge; but otherwise all have a bruise in the heel, ere they goe out of earth. 2. When Christ was on his journey, he was not so much in love with the earth, as to repent and turn back again; as Christs head and face was toward heaven,Grounds of leaving of the earth. so his heart and soule followed, hee went from the Crosse straight way to Paradise. 3. What doth Christ leave? the earth. It is thy fellow-creature of God.

But 1. the foot-stoole for the soles of Christs feet, Esa. 66.1. Math. 5.35.

2. A foot-stoole of clay farre from the the throne of glory, the office house of sin, Esay 24.5. The earth also is defiled under the Inhabitants thereof, chap. 26.21. For the Lord commeth out of his place, to punish the Inhabitants of the earth for their inity; It is Satans walk, Iob 2.2. And the Lord said unto Satan from whence commeth thou? and Satan answered the Lord and said from going too and from the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

3. Its the poore heritage of the Sonnes of men, a clay patrimony, Psal. 115.16. The heav…n even the heavens are Lords; but the earth hath he given to the children of men; and oppressors are the Land-lords of it. Psal. 10. God ariseth to judge, ver. 18. that the man of the earth may no more oppresse, Io…. 9.24. The earth is given to the hand of the wicked.

4. Yea, it is not only the slaughter-house and shamble… where Christ was slaine,The earth the slaughter hous of the Saints. but all the Martyrs and witnesses of Iesus were butchered here; for its said of Babylon, Rev. 18.2…. And in her was found the blood of Prophets and of the Saints, and p. 495of all that were slain on the earth; then the earth is the scaffold of the Lambs of Christ where the… throats have been cut.

5. Its a common Inne where bed and board is free to men, Devils, Sonnes, Bastards, Elect and Reprobate; yea,The earth the Saints Pilgrimes-Innes. to beasts called from their Country, Gen. 1.25. beasts of the earth; an earthly minded man, is a fellow-citizen with beasts; it is a home to all but the Saints, its their Pilgrime-Innes; it is a strange land and the house of their Pilgrimage; Psal. 119.19. I am a stranger in the earth; so David; so Abraham and his; though they had the heritage of a pleasant spot of the earth by prom…se, even the Land of Canaan; yet they sojourned in it as a strange Countrey; and Heb. 11.13. Confessed they were strangers and Pilgrimes on Earth, 2 Cor, 5.6. While we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord.

6. The first doomes-day fell upon the earth, for mans sinne, Genes. 3.17. Cu…sed shall the earth bee for thy sake, The earths Dooms, day.in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all thy dayes. Its a cursed table to man: And the other doomes-day is ripening for it, Revel. 14.15.16. Antichrists seat the Earth of the false Church, is a ripe harvest for the Lords sickle of destruction. The last doomes-day is approaching when this clay-stage shall be removed, 2 Pet. 3.10. The earth and the works therein, the house and all the plenishing shall be burnt with fire: Its no long time that we are here, if wee beleeve, Iob chap. 7.1. Is there not an appointed time to man upon Earth? are not his dayes like the dayes of an hireling? The earth is a sho…t induring stage.Iob 14.2. Hee cometh forth as a flower, and is cut down, he fleeth also as a shaddow, and continu…th not. Many generations of hirelings have ended their dayes taske, and have now their wages, many sh…ddowe… are gone downe, many Acters have closed their gam…, as it may be, and some have fulfilled their course with joy, and are now within the curtine, since the creation.

7. It is a poore narrow …oom…; Some, Esai. 5.8. make house to touch house, and lay field to field, till there bee want of place, The earth a poore narrow piece.that they onelyonly may be placed alone on the earth: if they report right of the earth, who make it one and twenty thousand miles in circuit, if new found Lands adde to this some poore …kers, and the Westerne Beast have much of this, Revel. 13.8. and the other Beast of the East, the Turke, the enemy of Iesus Christ, have eight thousand miles of the Land, and other eight thousand miles of Sea, making sixteene thousand p. 496miles of the two little Globes, (I leave others to examine their Geographie) then it must be a base plea, and a poore lodging to contend for; it were a good use for us to argue, Was the earth my Saviours refuse, and his Inne, not his home, and if Christ left the earth long agoe,We should will…ngly leave the earth and follow Christ. and was tired of it, then let us (Heb. 13.13.) goe forth therefore unto him, without the camp, bearing his reproach: for here have we no continuing citie, but we seeke one to come: We cannot lodge, far lesse can we dwell in a house that shall be burnt with fire; Nor is there roome for us here; there is a more excellent countrey above, where men have no winter, no night, no sighing, no sicknesse, no death, but they live for evermore: wee are thronged here for want of roome, and its a narrow tent; O what a large land is that above, in which we shall not strive for Akers, Land, Kingdomes?Ioh. 14.2.John 14:2 In my Fathers house (saith Christ) there are foreign many dwelling places, houses, great and fair, and numerous; all these are holden forth to us; the earth is a creature neere of kin and blood to the half of us, and our body. When a Sonne of Adam dieth,Psal. 146.4.Ps 146:4 hee returneth foreign to his owne earth; had he no free heritage on the world, though hee were no landed man, yet when hee goeth to his grave, hee returneth to his owne free heritage, to his owne earth, 32. If I be lifted up from the earth. I will draw &c.

Here is a s…eciall condition of drawing sinners to Christ; the manner of Christ… death, his being lifted up from the earth, holdeth forth a drawing of sinners up after him from the earth to heaven; hence Christs death is a speciall m…anes of heavenly-mindnesse and mortification.Christs dying a special ground of mortification. So 1 Pet. 2.24. Who his own selfe bare our sinnes in his own body on the tree, that we being dead to sins, should live unto righteousnesse, Col. 3.2. Set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth. 3. For you are dead▪ and your life is hid with Christ in God, &c. 5. Mortifie therefore your members, that are on earth, fornication, uncleannesse, &c.

Beza, Piscator, and others think it probable that Christ uttered this prayer to his father, in the Syriack tongue, because the Evangelist useth th… word foreign, to bee lifted up from the earth, and the word foreign signifieth both to cut off, as foreign doth, as Daniel 8.11. by him the daily sacrifice foreign was taken away; and to exalt and lift on high, 1 Sam. 2.1. my horne is p. 497exalted, Psal. 99.2. the Lord is high, foreign above all the people, Psal. 18.47. Let the Lord be exalted Numb. 24.7. Psal. 46.11. Esai. 49.11. Gen. 14.22. so …e holdeth forth such an exalting of Christ, as is to cut off, and to slay; this doth come home to drawing of man from sinne, and the earth, by that Spirit purchased to us by Christs death: Now Christs dying, thus being a taking of him away from the earth, and from sinners, and that in a shamefull manner, hee being lifted up on the crosse, and hee in this posture drawing us after him, its a clear working in us the death of sinne, and our deadnesse to the pleasures and glory of the world. 1. Christ dyed pulling his brethren out of hell and sinne, hee dyed, and his Spouse in his armes; and this showeth how desirous Christ is to have an union with us; its a posture of love and grace, his head bowed downe to kisse sinner▪ his armes stretched out to imbrace them, his bosome open to receive them▪ his sides pierced that the doves may fly into the holes of the rock, and lodge there; Christ on the crosse, broached and pierced, as a full vessell,Th… manner of Christs dying speaketh the love we ow to him. out of whom issueth blood and water, justification and redemption from the guilt of sinne, and sanctification, is a drawing lover. 2 Here is fulnesse of power, to reconcile to himselfe all things, whether they bee things in heaven, or things on earth, by the blood of his crosse; here wee are made Chrrsts friends, to doe whatsoever hee commands us, Col. 1.20 Ioh. 15.15.

3. Nor is there a stronger band or cord to draw men from sinne, then the faith of Christs death, Gal. 2.20. I am crucified with Christ, neverthelesse I live, yet not I, but Christ liv…th in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh,To be crucified to the world what it is. I live by the faith of the Sonne of God, who loved me, and gave himselfe for me, Gal. 6.14. But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Iesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified to mee, and I unto the world; here is reciprocation of death's: Paul is crucified to the world, as a dead man, not in the world, nor one of the worlds number▪ A mortified Saint drawne up to heaven from the earth, is an odd person, not under tale, hee may bee spared well enough; the world and the Towne he lives in may be well without him; as Ioseph was the odde ladde▪ separated foom his brethren, and David none of the seven, miscounted in the telling among the Ewes at the sheepfolds, and forgotten as a bastard, or as a dead man out of thought: And againe the world p. 498is crucified to Paul, for it looks like a hanged man, it smells like a dead corps to a Saints sences. Now thus they have not eyes more affected with the world, nor eares more taken with their musick,How base the world is to a Saint. nor a heart more overcome with the lusts of the world, nor a dead man set to a rich table is affected with all the dainties there, or with the harping of the sweetest musician; the man has escaped the foreign the pollutions …f the wo…ld, to him the world has sooty fingers, and dirty and picky hands, it defiles washen soules but to the unmortified man the world smelleth like the garden of God: Lust casteth in, and well cometh to eye and heart and fancy, Granadoes and fire-bals of uncleannesse; sinfull pleasure has a rosie face, profit has golden fingers, Court and honour has a sweete breath, the world is not to him an ill smelled stinking corps, fit for nothing but for a hole under the earth; Nay but god-Mammon looks like heaven; the world a poore thing, yea the world of it self is but a bagge of empty winde, a fancy: (1.) It has no weight, as touching the part of it wee count most of, the earth, but so many pounds of clay, the dreggs, the earthie bottome of the creation: (2.) the stage that peeces of brittle clay comes upon▪ and weeps, and laughs, and lives, speaks and dies: (3.) The flowers of it, that we are most in love withall, the lusts of the eye, the lust of the flesh, the pride of life, are not of God, 1 Ioh. 3.16. (4) It is a house of glasse, or of Ice that stands for the fourth part of the yeere, for winter, but is removed in the Spring, and is never to be seene againe, for it passeth away like a figure written on the Sea-shoar, when the sea floweth, 1 Cor. 7.31. (5.) the frenizes, or passements of it pleasure profit, honour, are all sick of vanity and change, to the Saints that are crucified, and buried with Christ, in whom lust is nailed to the crosse of Christ, the world is a dead bagge of despised dust, and though a toe or a finger of a crucified Saint will make a motion and a sti…re, and breake a wedge of the Crosse, because of the indwelling of a body of death, yet hear his arguing. O vaine clay-god, dirty Earth, I ow thee no love, because my Lord was lifted up from the earth, and has drawne me after him. I care not for this bubble of a vaine life, this transient shaddow, seeing Christ could not brook it: What is the fancie of a plaistered and fairded worldly glory to mee, if Iesus his face was spitted on? what is this painted globe of an p. 499empty perishing, and death-condemned world to my happines, seeing my Saviour was a borrowed body, a stranger and slaughtered in the world, and had all against him, and alwayes the winde on his face?

Now let us consider what Antinomians say of mortification;Denne his doctrine of Iohn Baptist, pag. 48. What is mortification (saith (a) Mr Den) but the apprehension of sin slain by the body of Christ? What is vivification but our new life? The just shall live by faith, I may know (saith the Antinomian) (b)(b)Rise Reigne unsavory speeches, cr. 7. pag. 10. Antinomians fleshly doctrin of mortification.I am Christs, not because I do crucifie the lu…s of the flesh but because I do not crucifie them, but beleeve in Christ that crucified my lusts for me: Much of this lawlesse and carnall mortification is to be found in Saltmarsh his unexperienced treatise of free Grace, in which he labours to make Protestant Divines Anti-christian Legalists in the doctrine of mortification; for his way is (c)(c)Free Grace chap. pag. 84.85.that we are to beleeve our Repentance true in Christ, who hath repented for us; our mortifying sinne true in him through whom wee are more then conquerers; our new obedience true in him who hath obeyed the Law for us, and is the end of the Law to every one that beleeveth, our change of the whole man is true in him, who is righteousnesse and true holinesse; and thus without faith it is possible to please God, for there is (saith hee) (d)(d)Free Grace chap. 3. observ. 5. pag. 60.great deceitfulnesse in mortification of sin, as it is commonly taken, (hee must point at Calvin, and other Protestant Divines, for as Papists and Arminians commonly speake and teach, wee are justified by works of pennance and mortification) for the not acting of sinne, or conceivings of lust is not pure mortification; for then (e)(e)pag. 66.children, and civilly morall men were mortified persons, &c. It is not in the meere absence of the body of sinne, for then dead or sick men were mortified persons.

Eatons Honey comb of justification, chap. 8. pag. 164.165. Wee mortifie our selves onelyonly declaratively, to the sight of men— whereby the holy Ghost seeth not us properly mortifying our sinnes out of the sight of God; for then he should see us robbing Christ of that glory which his blood hath freely done before wee begin; nay but when the wedding garment hath freely curified us in the sight of God then the Spirit enters in us to dwell, which otherwise hee would not do, and enableth us to walk holtly and righteously, to avoid and purifie out of our owne sight, sence, and feeling, and out of the sight of other men that sin which the wedding garment hath purified and abolished before out of the sight of God.

p. 500But this in name, and thing, is the doctrin of the old Libertines in Calvines time,Chap. 18. pag. 450 Si Dei samus, veterem hominem i… nobis crucifigi oport re, veterum Adamum interire. as …e may read, Calvin opuscul. instructio adversus Libertinos chap. 18. pag. 450.451. The Libertines (saith Calvine) seeme to bee of the same minde with us, and extoll Mortification and Regeneration, and say we cannot be the sons of God, except we be borne againe, and if we belong to God, the old man must in us bee crucified, the old Adam must perish, and our flesh must be mortified; but they destroy all holinesse, and tansforme themselves into beasts, when they explaine to us their regeneration and Mortification; they say, regeneration is the restitution of man, Antinomian Mortification is the brood of the fleshly senslesnes of the old Libertines pag. 541.to that innocency in the which Adam was created.

And they expound it thus; This state of innocency was to know nothing, neither good nor ill, black nor white, not to know or feel sinne; because this was Adams sinne to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evill; so by the minde of Libertines, to crucifie old Adam is no other thing then to discerne nothing, not to feel sinne in our selves, Quia hoe Ade peccatum suit comedere de fractuscienti…e boni & mali, Sic, ex Libertinorum sententia veterem Ada mum mortifica renihil a…rud est quam n…d dis cernere, quasi ma icognitione sublata: ac puero, um more naturalem sensum etque inclinationem sequi; hu…c Orationi Locos Scripturae accommodant, quibus puertis simplicitas commendatur. 451. Calvi. ibid.as Mr Eaton saith, but all knowledge of sinne being removed, it is, according to the custome of children, to follow sense and naturall inclination; hence they drew into their mortification all the places of Scripture in which the simplicity of children is commended; Eaton just so, Honey-Comb, p. 165. unto naturall reason (or sense) objecting, if we be perfectly holy in the sight of God, then we may live freely, as we list in sinne; Paul Answers, Nay, that is unpossible; for (saith he) how can we that are dead unto sinne live y…t therein? that is as if a man be by justification restored to the case of the first Adam or perfectly freed from all sin in the sight of God, as hee is freed from the troffick and businesse of this life that is dead, which must needs be, if we be made perfectly holy in the sight of God from all spot of sinne? Nay, he cannot chuse but shew and declare the same by holy and righteous living, to the sight of men, and mortifie them to himself and to his own feeling and sense, as he is by justification dead to them in the sight of God. Consider if Antinomians and Libertines doe not both joyn in this; that though sinne in our conversation and before men, as to walk after our lusts, we being once justified, is truly contrary to the Law of God, yet to mortifie sin to our sense is to attain to a sense and feeling that it is no sinne to us and before men, as it is no sin in the sight of God, and in the Court of Iustice, p. 501because its freely pardoned; this is the currant Doctrine of Antinomians.

Parallel. 2.

When Libertines saw any man troubled in conscience with sinne, they said to him, O Adam, knowest thou somewhat yet? Pag 451. Calvin. Ibid. Si quem vident mali consci…ntia move…i: O Adam, inq…iu nt, adh…n… a…iquid cernis? vetus homo nondum in te c…ucifixus est? Si quem videant …mo…e iudicii divini percelli, adhuc, inqu unt pomi gustum Labes? cave ne buccella ista te strangulet; si quis peccata sua considerans sibi displce…, ac marore af…siatur: seccatum ad…uc in ipso regnare aiunt: & sensu carnis s…ae captivum te…e…i.Is not the old man yet crucified in thee? If they saw any stricken with the fear of the judgement of God; hast thou yet (said they) a taste of the apple? beware that that morsell strangle thee not; sinne yet raignes in thee. So Mr Town the Antinomian said, pag. 103. David confessed his sinne, not according to the truth and confession of faith, but from want and weaknes of faith and effectuall apprehension of forgivenesse, pag. 97. I can look on my self my actions, yea, into my conscience, and my sins remaine (this is the sense of the old Adam, the unmortified flesh) but look into the records of Heaven, and Gods justice, and since the bloodshed of Christ (why were no the fathers pardoned before Christ shed his blood?) I can finde there nothing against me, but the band by my surety is satisfied▪ and cancelled, and even these present sinnes, which so fearefully stare in my face, are there bl…tted out, and become a nullity with the Lord; I need not cite Mr Denne, Eaton, Crispe, Saltmarsh; for Town and all the Antinomian race teach that it is unbeliefe, a work of the flesh of the old Adam, and our weak sense, and want of mortification, that the justified person feels sinne; sorroweth for sinne, complaines of the body of sinne, as Paul doth, Rom. 7. For in that Chapter (saith Crispe) he doth not act the person of a regenerate person, but of a scrupulous and doubting unbeliever: But for the justified person, its more then he ought to doe, if he confesse sinne, crave pardon, mourn, fast, wal… in sack cloth, he has peace (saith Towne, pag. 34) Security, consolation, joy, contentment and hap…inesse, except his flesh rob him of these: Its legall and bewrayeth the man to be under a Covenant of works, if upon the committing of Incest, or the greatest sinnes, he doubt whether God be his deare Father, Rise, …aign, error. 20. And after the revelation of the Spirit, neither the Devill nor sin can make the soule to doubt. Error 32.

Parallel. 3.

Libertines said, sinne, the world, the flesh, the old man was nothing but an opinion or an imagination, and these were new creatures, p. 502that were free of that opinion that sin was any thing, Calvin. opuse. advers. Libert. cap. 13. p 451. Vtautem (inqu…t) sacilius Libe…tinorum turpitudo innotescat, No…andu est peccatum, mundum, carnem, Veterem hominem nihil aliud esse apud ipsos, quam id quol o…inatio…em vocant. Sic, modo ne amplius opi…emur, ex emum sententia non peccamus; sub ha… autem opinat one comprehendunt omnem synteresin▪ scrupulum▪ d…in que omnem sensum judicii — qui null…m habent ration…m peccati, ipsum pro nihilo ducentes, novas creaturas vocant; quod ab opinatione vacni s…nt. sicque nul…um in se peccatum habeant. En, in quo censtituunt beneficium redemptionis per Christum facte: nempe quod opin…tion…m illam …estruxit, quae Adam culpa in mundum ingressa, cum haec opinatio abolita est, nul…us, ex eorum sententia, supe…st aut mundus aut diabolus; nullum enim alum, à quo insestentur, inimicum habent.or such as believed sin to be nothing, and the benefit of Christs death they place in taking away that opinion, by which the first sinne of Adam entered into the world, and under this opinion they comprehended all scruple of conscience, sense of judgement or remorse or sorrow for sinne; and when this opinion is taken away then there is no more sinne, nor the world, nor the Devill, nor the flesh.

Antinomians come well-neere fully up to Libertines in this, for in their writings they tell us, that what sinnes justified persons fall in, being once justified, are sinnes (sath H. Denne) of our conversation, and before men, not sinnes in the conscience and in the Court of Divine justice, or as Eaton saith, Honey-Combe, pag. 165.166. Before God they are no sinnes, and in his sight they are perfectly abolished; yea, and become nullities, saith Mr Town Assert. of grace, pag. 97. But to our carnall sense and feeling saith Eaton, they are sinnes, till our sense be mortified, and when we look on our selves, our own actions, yea on our own conscience. Now the adulteries, murthers, denying of the Lord Iesus; that David and Peter and other Saints fall in after their justification, cannot be sins in themselves; but only in the opinion and sense and feeling of such as commit these sins, and in such a sense as is contrary to faith and the light of faith that believeth … jus…ification in Christs death,The sinnes of the justified to Antinomians are not sins in themselves, and in the sight of God, but only sins to their crooked sense and erroneous opinion. and must be abolished and removed by perfect mortification, then all the justified are to believe what …ver sins they commit in their conversation, and before men, are no sins in themseves, or the court of Divine Iustice, or in relation to a Divine Law; but they are sinnes in their sense or er…oneous opinion. If Ioseph be only dead in the opinion and in his Fathers mistaking judgement, then hee is not really dead, but lives. 2. VnderUnder this head Libertines said mortification was not in p. 503abstaining from fleshly lusts that warre against the soule; but in removing the opinion and sense of apprehending sinne to bee sinne; and so Saltmarsh forbiddeth: 1. Any man to doubt whither his faith be true faith or no, and it is true faith, and willeth all within the visible Church to believe God loved them with an everlasting love, and its true they are all chosen to salvation and that Christ died for all, and that opinion makes it true, that Christ died for them all, and they are all justified in Christ blood; there is here strong power in opinions. 3. Saltmarsh, Den, Town, s…y mortification is not in personall abstinence from worldly lusts, but in faith apprehending that Christ dying on the Crosse satisfied for the body of sinne; then if they abstaine from adultery, murther, perj…ry, being once justified, its of meer curtesie, and of no obligation to either Law or Gospel command, and if they commit such fleshly sinnes, they are only sinnes to their weak flesh and opinion, not in themselves; and if they lay aside that opinion and carnall sense, by the which they believe these to be sinnes, and believe that Christ has abolished them, then these sinnes are no sinnes, but perfectly mortified and abolished; that I doe them no wronge, I repeat Mr Eaton's words; Honey-Combe, chap. 8. pag. 165. The Holy Ghost seeth us not properly mortifying, cleansing and purifying our sinnes out of the sight of God our selves, for then he should see us robbing Christ of that glory which his blood hath freely done, before we begin; but when the wedding garment wrought by his blood, hath freely purified them out of Gods sight, then the spirit (we being thus first clean in his sight) enters into us to dwell in us, which otherwise he would not doe; but being entered and dwelling in us, he inableth us by walking holily and righteously to avoyd and purifie out of our own sight, and out of the sight of other men, that sin which the wedding garment hath purified and abolished before out of the sight of God and so we meerly declare before the Spirit,What sense and feel…ng o… sinne is to Antinomians. that he himself and Christs righteousnesse have originally and properly cleansed and purified away and utterly abolished them out of Gods sight freely. But this holy walking, they talk of is not opposed to sinning or walking after the flesh, it is but a removing of the sinfull sense and feeling or knowledge of unbeliefe, by which we apprehended sin pardoned to be sinne, when it was no such thing; but our erroneous sense or opinion p. 504as the taste of the forbidden apple remaining, could not rightly judge of these sinnes, because our life of justification is hid with Christ in God, and we apprehended our selves to be under a Law, and our lying, adulteries, swearing, &c. to bee sinnes before God and contrary to his holy Law, when they were no such thing; for we being justified, are under no Law, and so as clean from sinne as Christ himselfe, but our dreaming sense judged so, but erroneously and falsly; for abolished sinnes are no sinnes.

Parallel. 4.

Calvin. p. 452. Fiogua… regeneration in …star Angelici esse status, in q…o …omo de…i quere aut labi non possit.—cum reprehend… tur de m…lesiciis dic int—se ill… minimè admisisse, sed Asinum suum.Libertines taught that regeneration was a cleane Angelicke state in which they were voyde of sinne, and when they were rebuked for sinne, they answered, non ego sum qui pecco, sed asinus meus, Its not I, but my asse or sinne dwelling in me doth the sinne; and they cited the same Text, that Antinomians doe now, 1 Ioh. 3. He that is borne of God, sinneth not. So Antinomians. Mr Eaton frequently, especially Honey Combe, chap. 6. ch…p. 7. saith, being justified we are made perfectly holy and righteous from all spot of sinne in the sight ▪of God. Saltmarsh flowings, par. 2. chap. 29. pag. 140. The Spirit of Christ sets a believer as free from hell, the Law and bondage here on earth, as if he were in heaven, nor wants he any thing to make him so, but to make him believe he is so; Not to feele sin is mortification to both Antinom…ans now and to L…bertines of old.for Sathan sinfull flesh, and the Law are all so neare, and about him in this life, that he cannot so walk by sight or in the clear apprehension of it, but the just doe live by faith. So Sal. abets nothings of what Libertines say, he will not have sinne dwelling in the Saints, but will have the justified as clean from sinne, both the guilt and obligation to eternall wrath (which we yeeld) and from the bondage and in-dwelling of sinne, of which Paul complaineth so sadly, Rom. 7. as the glorified in heaven. 2. If the …justified sinne only, he doth not really sinne, but only in the dreamings and lying imaginations of his sinfull flesh; because, Sin, Sathan and the Law, are near him; so that it is the Devill… and the living flesh, the asse; not Paul that makes him Rom. 7. complaine he was sold und…r sinne; Crisp saith, Paul lyed when he saith so; If Peter walk by faith, then Peter shall see his denyall of Christ, and David his adultery and murther to be no sinnes, for they want nothing to make them as free from sinne, death, as these that are now in heaven…, but believe it is so, believe p. 505adultery and murther in these justified persons to be no sin…, and they are no sinners; this looketh as l…ke the Devilish mortifi…tion of David Georgius, and Libertines, and the casting off of their sense of discerning good and ill,M To…n asser. … free …, pag. 7. Calv…n. Instructi. adver. …be…i. cap. 1…. pag 455. and the banishing common honesty, and the principels of a naturall conscience, as milke is like milke. Yea, Mr Town contendeth for a compleat perfection, not only of persons justified in Christ, but also of performances, so that (saith he… pag 73, I believe there is no sinne▪ no male …ction, no death in the Church of God, for they that believe in Christ are no sinners; and hee will have a perfection not of parts, but also of degrees, pag. 77. This he p…oveth from Luthers words perverted.

Parall. 5.

Libertines, (saith Cal…ine…) because the Scripture saith we are freed from the curse of the Law, and made free in Christ, P…mum cum Scrip…u…ae …stenda…t…s a l…gis m…ld…ione exemp os esse, si… que in libertat…m vind catos, &c.—sub…ai… omni distinctione …ol…m legem abolere volunt, inquiente▪ nullam amplius eju… a…on…m bah…da…, Calvin. 16 I…e…nque …ulla extat … remittit …o side…es, tanquam ad ben… vi…e…d regalam, ad quant … conforma…i… de…et.without all distinction, will have the whole Law abolished, and that we are to have no regard of …he Law a… all.

Now I need not cite Mr Town and others Antinomians, who will have believers freed not only from the curse & rigor of the Law, but from the Law as a rule of righteousnes, its obvious to all that read their writings. to which Calvine Answers well, There is not (saith he) any Epistle of Paul, in which he doth not send believers to the Law, as to a rule of holy living, to the which they all must co…form their life: Yet Antinomians are not ashamed to pretend Calvins name and authority for their opini…n▪ w…en Calvine in a learned Treatis… refuting the Libertines of his time, doth clearly condemn the Antinomians of our time; and proveth from the necessity of sanctification, that we are not f…eed from the Law.

Some a little legally biassed (saith Saltmarsh (f(fPag. 68.) are caried to mortifie sinne by vowes, promises, shunning occasions, removing temptations, strictnesse and severity in duties ▪ (what aileth him at w…lking foreign, strictly, Ephes. 5.15. Psal. 16.4. Iud· v. 23?) feare of hell and judgement, —watchfuln…sse, scarce rising so h…gh for thier mortification as Christ — but pure, spirituall, (g)(g)Pag. 66.67.mysticall mortification is being planted together in Christs death, in our union with Christ. So as a believer is to consider himselfe dead to sinne only in the fellowship of Christs death mystically, and to consider himself only dying to sinne in his own nature spi…itually, so as in Christ he is only compleat; and in p. 506himselfe imperfect at the best. I finde (saith Saltmarsh) (h)(h)Pag. 70.71·no promise made against the never committing such a particular act or sinne which a man lived in, in his unregenerated condition; there are differences made, but it puzzles both D…vines and the godliest to finde a difference between sinnes committed before, and after regeneration; for take a man in the strength of naturall or common light, l…ving under a powerfull word or preacher, by which his candle is better lighted then it was, such a man shall sinne against as seeming strong conviction, as the other, if not more; This to me is that which the Libe…tines of New-England (i(iRise, Reign, o…or, 16. p 4.say, That there is no differencs between the graces of hypocrites and believers in their kind; And kkError, 12. pag. 3.now in the Covenant of works, a legalist may attaine the same righteousnesse for truth which Adam had in innocency, before the fall; And (l)(l)Vnsavory speeches, error 6. pag. 19.a living faith, that hath living fruits may grow from the living law. I see not but all these must follow, if a regenerate David ▪ or Peter may commit the same act of relapse and falling in the same sinne of adultery and murther after conversion,How a Convert cannot fall in the same sinne after conversion that he committed before conversion. which he committed before conversion: then he must commit the same sin with the like intension & hight of bensill of wil after as before conversion, & he mu…t now after he is converted, fall again in the same act of murther, denyall of Christ, being now converted, which he committed before conversion, that is as the unconverted man with the rankest and highest strength of lust, & unrenewed will in its fervor of strength and rebellion did murther & d…ny Christ, without any reluctancy and pr…testation on the contrary from the renewed will or the Spirit, he may, being converted, fall in the same sinne; yea, with a higher hand, and without any reluctancy from the regenerate part; this to me must inferre necessarily the Apostacy of the Saints, as that believers may fall againe in these same sinnes with as high and up-lifted hand against God, with as strong, full and high bended acts of the will after, as b…fore conversion, so as the battell of the Spirit against the …lesh in this wicked relapse does utterly cease: for Perkins who denyeth a man can fall in the same sinne, of which he once sync…rly repented, and whom Saltmarsh judgeth a Legalist and Anti-Christian in this point, denyeth that a Convert may fall in the same sinne that he committed in his unregenerated state, or that a Convert can fall in the same sinne, p. 507every way the same with the like strength of corruption that this Convert before acted in his unregenerated condition, yea, or regenerate, he having a further growth of habituall renovation in the second fall, and so a higher habituall reluctancy of the renewed part, then when he formerly fell in th… same sinne, and so it cannot be the same sinne but a lesser, otherwise he never sincerly repented of the former sinne, if this bee more grievous and committed with a higher hand: Now Saltmarsh his ground is different f…om all Pro…estant Divines, to wit, (m)(m)Saltmarshs free-grace, p. 70.That the wound, pricking or sorrow for sinne in an enlightned soule leaveth no such habituall impression of remorse as the man dare never adventure to commit the like again; for (saith he) th… gales and breathings of the Spirit of sorrow for sinne are like the winde that makes a thing move or tremble while the power of the aire is upon it, but as that slackens or breaths, so doth it.

But this is to say right down that the Spirit of Grace,Sorrow for sin is habituall in the Saints. that causeth sorrow according to God, and repentance which is never to be repented of, is but an evanishing and transient act like the blowing of the wind on a tree; the Scripture maketh the spirit that produceth mourning and remorse for sin, when the sinner sees him whom he has pierced, an habituall in-dwelling Spirit, and calls him, Zach. 12.10. The Spirit of grace and supplication; if then the Spirit of Adoption be no transient, but an habituall and inbiding grace, as is evident, Rom. 8.23, 24, 25, 26. It is a received spirit, abiding in us helping our infirmities, teaching us what to pray; it is Esa. 44.…, 4, 5, 6. Water poured on the thirsty, making us confesse and subscribe the Covenant, & if it be, as it is the New heart, Ezech. 36.26, 27. The Law in the inner parts, Ier. 31.33 the seed of God, 1 Ioh. 3.9. the annointing abiding in us, 1 Ioh. 3.27. A well of water of an everlasting spring within us, Ioh. 4.14. I se… not how a Spirit groaning in us, when we pray, Rom. 8.26. sighing, sorrowing for the in-dwelling body of sin, Rom 7.14, 23, 27. can be but a passing away motion like a blast of ayre; but this is the mystery of Libertines that the…e is no inheren… grace in-biding in the Saints, no spring of sanctification; all grace is in Christ and his imputed righteousnesse, and so they destroy sanctification: 2. The ayme of Sal. is here, that if we sorrow once, and scarce that, at the beginning of conversion, wee are never more to confesse or p. 508sorrow for sinne, when that transient motion, like a fire-flaught in the ayre is gone. But for mortification against all contrary blasphemies we say.

Asser. 1. Mortification is not as Mr Denne saith, An apprehension of sin sl…in by the body of Christ: Denne Doctrin of I. Baptist, p. 48. Mortification is not formally an apprehension of the mi…d, nor an act of faith, as Antinomians say.1. Because this apprehension is an act of faith, in the understanding faculty, believing that Christ has mortified sin for me, and so Mr Denne saith, vivification is to live by faith, that is to believe that I am justified and have life and righteousnes freely in Christ. Now mortification is not formally any such apprehension, it doth flow from faith as the effect from the cause; but mortification denominates the man mortified not in his apprehending and knowing that Christ wa… mortified and dyed for him; but in that he really himself is dead, when it is said, …ol. 3.3. for you are dead, Gal. 6.14. by Christ I am crucified to the world and the world crucified to me: by this fancy, the world and the sinfull pleasures crucified must be the faith and apprehension that is in the fleshly pleasures and lawlesse-lusts by which these lusts apprehend and know that Christ dyed for them; for Paul saith, as well that the world is crucified to him, as he unto the world.

2. Mortification is a deadnesse in will and affections, and the abaiting,Mortification is a deadnesse of the powers of the soule to the pleasures of the creature. halfe death, the languor and dying of the power of our lusts to sinne; as a believer is dead to vaine-glory, when contentedly he can be despised, have his name trampled on, be called a Deceiver, a Samaritan, and when the Apostles went out from the Councell Act. 5.41. Rejoycing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame; and the Saints are pers…cuted, reviled, and men speak all manner of evill against them falsly, for the name of Christ, Matth. 5.11, 12. and yet are so farre from the boyling and rising of sinfull lusts in them▪ that as if choir lusts were dead, they rejoyce under the hope of glory, then are they mortified to these lusts and the like, I say, of fleshly pleasures, of unlawfull gaine. 2. Mortification is when the heart runnes not out wantonly and whoorishly upon the pleasures of the creature, we are too ready to take the creature in our bosome; but mortification is when the heart stands at a distance from creatures; as Iob saith of himselfe, Chap. 31.24. If I have made gold my hope, or said to the fine gold, thou art my confidence, ver. 25. if I rejoyced because my p. 509wealth was great. 3. Its to be from under the power or bondage to the creature or the world, the believer is above the creature, and the world is under his feet as a drudge or servant; they have no Dominion over the heart; he has a wife as if he had no wife; the man buys and possesseth not; because when he has bought houses, gardens, lands, they are no more in the center & heart of his love, then if they were the houses & lands of an other man; mortification is a Lord over the creature. But there is nothing more contrary to the Gospel and the grace of Christ, then that the Apostles rejoycing, when they we…e scourged & shamed for Christ, had nothing of realty of scourging of shame, nor of reall joy & deadnesse to the world in their persons; only they believed and apprehended that Christ was scourged, shamed, crucified for their sinnes; this is but opinative, not reall mortification; The Scripture knoweth nothing of imputed mortification, as contra-distinguished from reall personall and inherent mortification.

3. When Paul saith, Col. 3.5. Mortifie therefore your members▪ which are upon earth, fornication, uncleannesse, inord…nate affection, evill concupiscence—for which things the wrath of God commeth on the children of disobedience; h…s sense must be,The Scripture holds forth a reall and physicall and personall mortification inherent in us, and saith nothing or the putative or apprehensive mor…ification in Christ. believe and appreh…nd that fornication, uncleannesse, are mortified to your hand, and that Christ has slaine the body of sin on the crosse, and the…e is an end; now this is to annihilate sanctification, and to make justification all; whereas justification, it alone is no justification being separated from sanctification, as Libertines doe, and the Popish sanctification, or the morall acquiring of a new habit of holinesse, and the infusion of supernaturall habits is not justification at all, yea, nor true sanctification, for they separate it from the free imputation of Christs righteousnesse, to a believing sinner: The Libertine takes away sanctification and makes justification all; the Papist takes away justification by faith and the free grace of God, and in the place thereof substitutes a supposed morall, or civill sanctification; which to him is all in all; further if this (Mortifie your members and the body of sinne) be nothing but believe that Christ has mortified the body of sin already, then as we are justified from eternity, as some Libertines say, or as all say, before we believe remission of sins in Christs blood: so to be mortified to our lusts, p. 510must he to believe we are mortified to our lusts long before we believe. Paul thinks not so of the Colossians, set he saith, v. 7. chap. 3. In which also yee walked some time, when yee lived in them, v. 8. But now also put off all these, wrath, malice, &c. Then before they were converted, and did believe, they we…e not mortified nor freed from uncleannesse, fornication, because then they walked in these; except Libertines say that they were mortified and did not walk in uncleannesse, before they believed, but were delivered in themselves from walking in these lusts, only they were not in their own sense delivered, but in their own sense, though not really, they did walk in fornication and uncleannesse; this is not sober divinity; for they say, before we believe wee are justified, though not to, or in our own sense and feeling till we believe; and why are we not also sanctified and effectually called before we believe? for whom he called and predestinated, them also be justified, Rom. 8.3…. And the Scripture never shewes us of a man in time justified, before hee bee sanctified, and mortified in some measure.

4. When Paul saith Col. 2.6. As yee have therefore received Christ, so walk in him, hee meanes so mortifie your lusts; then he must intend this; walk in Christ, that is believe that Christ walked in Christ for you; and put on love and brotherly-kindnesse, and pray continually, in all things give thanks, abstaine from worldly lusts, love one another, keep your selves from Idols, seeke the thinks that are above, &c. must have no other meaning but believe that Christ has put on love for you, that he abstaines from fornication for you, gives thanks, abstains from wordly lusts for you, keeps himselfe from Idols, seeks the things that are above, mortifies his members that are on earth, fornication, uncleannesse, inordinate affection, for you; all which are blasphemies; or they can have this sense at the best, love one another; that is, believe that Christ hath satisfied for your hating one another, and then yee love one another; and keep your selves from Idods, that is, apprehend and believe that Christ hath died for your Idolatry. Now this is a mocking of sanctification, not a commanding of it.

Then to doe all these and abstaine from fornication, must be commanded and forbidden in sou… other Gospel, otherwise we performe will-worship, and will-obedience to God, without p. 511warrant of his word, and the grace of God in the Gospel doth not teach us to deny ungodlinesse and worldly lusts, in our owne person, but onelyonly to beleeve that Iesus Christ has a…d doth deny …ngodlinesse and worldly lusts, and performe active and personall obedience for us, and to our hand; for Libertines cannot expound one Gospel charge one way, and another Gospel command another way, and that wee are obliged to personall active obedience in one precept,If one Gospel p…ecept for …cts o… sanct…fica…ion l…y no o…lig…t…on or personall or inherent obedi…ce on us, then nei…her ca… any of them a… al… o…lige us. and to imputed active or fidei jussory, or mediatory obedience in Christ, in another; yea when we are in the Gospel to beleeve with a promise of …ife and righteousnesse, and that damnation is threatned, if we believe not, so are wee commanded to mortifie our lusts, and seek the things that are above with promises, and forbidden to walk after our lusts, because for these things the wrath of God comes on the children of disobedience, then I may with equall strength of reason say that the sense of these passages, Beleeve in I…sus Christ who justifies the ungodly, and beleeve the immediate testimonie of the holy Ghost witnessing to your hearts that ye are the sonnes of God, must bee not to beleeve in your owne persons, but beleeve that …esus Christ beleeveth for you, on Christ that justifieth sinners and beleeve that the Spirit…: witnesseth to Christs Spirit, that yee are the sonnes of God: Now if the …ommands of the Gospel urge us not to personall obedience, but to beleeve that Christ (as S. saith) has obeyed for us, and that in the Gospel way, they cannot oblige us in a law-way, as they teach, so by law and Gospel wee shall bee freed from all personall obedience and morti…cation, Saltmarsh and Libertines bid us bee merry, and beleeve that Christ has done all these for us.

5. A fle…ly presumer walking after his lusts may beleeve that Christ mortified sin for him, obeyed the Law, & repented for him: so if a hypocrite as an h…pocrite, a presumer vainly puffed up, void of all down-casting and conscience of sin, beleeve that Christ has repented and mortified sinne, and beleeved for him, though he live as the devil beleeving and trembling, hee is not to doubt his faith.

If they say, that men beleeving savingly and sincerely, cannot goe on in a constant walking after their lusts, never humbled for sinne, never dispairing in themselves, never out of love constraining them to please God and strive to walk in p. 512Christ, as they have learned him; for if they be such, their faith is but wilde oats, and empty presumption: then they say, 1. Men know their faith to be found, by holy walking: 2. Men may call in question their faith, if their works b…lie their faith: 3. They deny that a fleshly man, as such, and never humbled, can beleeve, (this is our doctrine.)

Asser. 2 Never any of our Divines said that pure mortification is the not acting of sinne, or the not conceiving of lusts; nor that it is the meere absence of the body of sinne; this is a foule slander; which if willfull, Antinomians, though in their owne eyes perfectly holy, in the sight of God must answer to God for: nor is that any argument of weight to prove that mortification is not the absence of the body of sin, because then (saith hee) dead and sick men were mortified persons, except w…e admit such new vaine divinitie that a bodily ague or sicknesse does extirpate the body of sinne out of the soule, which mad or frantick men would not say; and if it bee truth that the body of sinne dwelleth in us, in this life, this body of sinne is either sinne, or no sinne; if it bee no sinne, l…t Libertines speak plaine truth, wee deceive our selves, if wee have no sinne; If it bee sinne; Then let Libertines resolve us, how Crispe and Eaton and Denne say we are all as holy and cleane from sinne, being once justified, as our surety Christ is, and as spotlesse on earth as the Angels and glorified that are in heaven that stand before the throne; now certaine, neither in Christ, nor in Angels, is there any spot of sinne, or any indwelling body of lust:Crisp Serm. 4. volu…. 2. pag. 1.…. and Crispe gives this reason why sinne dwelling in the Saints, is no sinne; It cannot sink (saith he) into the head of any reasonable person, that sin should be taken away (by the Lambe of God, Ioh. 1.29) and yet be left behind; it is … flat contradiction; if a man be to receive money at such a place, Antin…m…ans deny any sin to be in the …ust… fi…d, and so that they can si…, or that the body of sinne can be sinne.and he doth take this money away with him, is the money left in that place, when he hath taken it away? Mr …enne has a fine … for this; hee saith, there is sin in the conscience, and sinne in the conversation: Christ hath taken away sin out of the conscience of his called people, 1 Pet. 3.21. Heb. 10.22. The whi…e rayment wherewith the Saints are cloathed …gnifieth not only cleannesse before God, but also purity and cleannesse of conscience confi…ing in the apprehension of that glorious estate and …ondition in Christs death; Denne Serm. The man of sin discovered, pag. 9.10.11, 12, 13.so there is no sin at all in the Saints, 1 Ioh. 1.8. and the blood of Iesus p. 513Christ shall purge you from all sin: in the conscience does joy and gladnesse dwell, and there is no more place for sorrow and sighing; and there is sin in the conversation or hands: now a man may be strict in conversation, and yet not pure and cleane in Conscience: So its possible a man hath beene an exceeding sinner, and yet is not wholy cleansed from all wickednesse in conversation; if this seeme a mystery to you that sinne in the flesh (in the body, outward man or conversation) should stand wi…h puritie of conscience take these reasons, if purity of conscience could not be found, but where there is purity in the flesh, a pure conscience could not at all be found on earth, for there is none that doth good, no not one, Rom. 3.12. (2.) Puritie of conscience ariseth not from puritie of conversation; but the original of purity of conversation is from the consciences apprehension that all our impurities and sins were laid on Christ; and in regard of sin in the conversation, if we say we have no sin we deceive our selves, 1 Ioh. 1. and 1 Ioh. 3.9. He that is born of God doth not commit sinne.

Answ. 1. Sinne in the conversation,Mr. Dennes …le…hly distin…tion of sin in the con…cience … in the conversation re…uted. and outward man is essentially sin; to …ill my neighbour with my hands, to speak with an unbridled tongue, to the Apostle Iames, argueth a vain religion, and must be pardoned, else such sins condemn; for he that offends in one, is guilty of the breach of the whole law. Ergo, sinne in the conversation must be sinne in the conscience, and the distinction must be vaine; for the one member is essentially affirmed of the other.

Now when John saith, if wee say wee have no sinne, wee deceive our selves; hee must mean of sinne in the conscience, and of sinne before God, and not in the flesh and conversation only, because if sinne in the conversation bee no sinne, then when wee commit sinne in the conversation, we faile against no Law of God, and doe nothing that can bring us under eternall condemnation, and if in committing sinne in the conversation, we do nothing contrary to Gods Law, wee may well say wee sin not, and yet not lye in saying so.

2. Iohn must understand sinne in the conscience, and in the sight of God, when he saith, if wee say wee have no sin, wee lye, because that of that same sinne of conversation of which Mr. Den supposeth Iohn to speake, hee addeth in the next words, 1 Ioh. 2.1. If wee sin, wee have an advocate; but the sinne which has need of an advocate, has need also of a pardon, and p. 514is a sinne against the Law, and in the sight of God, and in the conscience.

3. By this wee may bee pardoned, pure in conscience, justified in Christs blood ▪ and yet before men, in the flesh, outwa…d man,No sin in the j…st…fied accordi…g to the Antinomians. and conversation under sinne, and yet not bee guilty before God; so drunkennesse, murther, Sodomy, incest, den…ing of the Lord Iesus Christ before men, shall bee no sinnes before God; for that which is p…rdoned is no more sinne then if it never had been committed, as Libertines say, and is no more sin then any thing that ever our Saviour Christ did, or the elect Angels; now the sinnes which they call sins of conversation, and the Apostle Peters denyall of Ch…ist, and all the sinnes of the Iust…fied Saints, their Murthers, Adulteries, Parricids, &c. are pardoned, before they have the being or ess…nce of sinne, ere they bee committed; ergo, when they are committed they are no mor… sins before God, and in the Court of Conscience, and no more capable of pardon,Sin in the conversati…n is …n in the conscience, and before God. then they were before they had any being, and were not as yet committed at all: the murther that David is to commit some twenty yeers before ever he bee King of Israel, and shall commit, it is no more his sinne to bee charged on him in the sight of God, then originall sinne can be charged on David before David or his father lesse bee borne; what may be charged as a sinne on David, in regard hee is not yet borne, is no more his guiltinesse, as yet▪ then the guiltines of any other man: Now Davids murthe…, Peters denyall, they being justified from these sinnes, and pardoned ere the sinnes have any being in the world, cannot bee sinnes at all, nor such as are charged on Mankinde, Rom. 3. Psal. 14. There is none that doth good, no not one; for this sinne stops the mouth of all the world, makes them silent, guiltie and under condemnation before God, v. 19.20. and how Mr, Den can cite this to prove that there bee some sinnes of conversation distin…t from sinnes in the conscience, let the Reader judge; Yea, to my best understanding by these reasons while I bee resolved, Otherwise Libertines must hold neither the elect before or after justification can sinne any at all.

4. It is most false that a man strict and upright in conversation, can have a foule and polluted conscience, if you speake of true sincere strictnesse and u…rightnesse of conversation, as the scripture speaketh, Psal. 50.23. To him that ordereth his p. 515conversation aright, I will shew the salvation of God, Psal. 37.14. The wicked drawes his bow to slay such as bee of upright conversation; the principle of a soun… conversation is the grace of G…d, 2 Cor. 1.12. the sound conversation is heavenly mindednesse, Phil. 3.20. and is in heaven, and must be, as becometh the Gospel of Christ, Phil. 1.27. a good conversation, Iam. 3.13. wee are to be holy in all manner of conversation, 1 Pet. 1.15. and so even before men; God beholdes the sins that we doe to men, no lesse then our secret sinnes wee commit again…t God, and the scripture requires in our conversation that it bee holy, 1 Pet. 1.15. honest, 1 Pet. 2.12. chas…e, 1 Pet. 3.2. without coveteousnesse, Heb. 1….5. not vain, 1 Pet. 3.16. not as in times past in the lusts of the flesh Ephes. 2.3. But the putting off of the old man, Ephes. 4.22. In charitie, in Spirit, in Faith, in puritie, 1 Tim. 4.12. Now every conversation contrary to this, argueth an unjustified and unpardoned man▪, and must …e an unpardoned and sinfull conversation, so as there is neither strictnesse nor uprightnesse, nor any thing but sinne and an unpardoned estate, where this conversation is not, what ever Antinomians say on the contrary, beeing in this, as in other points, declared enemies to the grace of sanctification. But if we speak of a strict and upright conversation, in an hypocriticall outside, Its true, many are as Paul was, strict Pharisee…, precise Civilians, painted tombes without, but within full of rottennesse and dead mens bon…s: But this way Sathan onelyonly saith Iob is a strict walker, and serveth God for hire, and the enemies of Christ joyn with Antinomians in this, to say, that the justified in Christ, have but sinne in their conversation, but wide consciences, because they study strictnesse of walking with God; but puritie of conversation, (as the places cited prove) must bee unseparably conjoyned with puritie of conscience; separate them who will, Christ hath joyned them.

Mr. Eaton and Mr. Town call the sinnes of justified persons sinnes according to their sence or the flesh, but in regard of faith they are cleane of all sin, and without spot in the sight of God. So Eaton Hony combe, chap. 5. page 87. God freeth us not of sins to our sence and feeling, till death, for the exercise of our faith. yet in his owne sight he hath perfectly healed us. chap. 5. pag. 95. So Saltmarsh Free grace, page 57. chap. 3. article 3. calls it the p. 516lust of sinne, the just (saith he) shall live by faith, which is not a life of sence and sanctification meerly, but by beleeving of life in another.

I should gladly know, if sinne in the justified be sinne really and indeed, or against any Law? I beleeve not. 1. Eaton saith, …in hath lost its being in the justified: Saltmarsh part. 2. chap. 32. If a beleever live onelyonly by sense, reason, ex…erience of himselfe as he lives to men, he lives both under the power and fe…ling o… sin and the Law: Now hee should not live so; this is the use of unbeleefe; ergo, He ought to beleeve that h… hath no sinne; and so hee hath no sinne, nor doth he sinne, onelyonly the blinde flesh falsely thinketh that is sinne which is no sinne:

But faith is not to beleeve a lie; then a beleever may say, he has no sin; Iohn saith, that is a lie.

Assert. 3. Mortification essentiall is in abstaining from w…rldly lusts,Mortification is in abstaining from si… and in the remissenes and faintnes of the powers of the soul to act sinne. and in remisse and slacked acts of sinning, and in begun walking with God, and acts of holy living, yet so as all these do flow from faith in Christ; another mysticall or Gospel-mortification is unknown to the Gospel, Rom. 6.…. Therefore we are buried with him by Baptism unto death, that like as Christ was raised up from the dead, by the glory of the Father, so we also (consider the formall acts of mortification) should walk in newnesse of life, ver. 5. For if we have been planted together in the likness… of his death: we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection, ver. 6. …nowing this that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sinne might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin; Then as it is one thing to sinne, and another thing to serve sinne; so acts of mortification must be in abstaining from greedy sinne, as hired servants make it their life and work to sin; and in remisse and weakned acts of sinne, as a dying mans operation are lesse intended and hightned then of a strong man in vigor▪ and health; as for the plenary mortification, expiring, and death of the body of sin, we think i… cannot be, so long as we are in the body, Col. 3.3. Yee are dead, ver. 5. mortifie therefore your members that are upon earth, fornication, uncleannesse, &c. To mortifie fornication, must be the none-acting of fo…n…cation: 1. Because it is an abominable sense to imagine that we mortifie fornication, when we believe that Christ abstained from fornication for us▪ 2. On to believe that Christ dyed for our fornication p. 517and uncleannesse; for both these may hold forth mortification of fornication and committing of fornication. 2. Because for not mortifying of fornication, the wrath of God comes on the children of disobedience, ver. 6 Now wrath com…s not on wicked men because they believe not that Christ abstained from fornication for them; many walk in uncleannesse, covetousnesse, who are therefore under wrath, who are not obliged to believe that, because they never …eard the Gospel. 3. Such an abstinence from fornication is here commanded, as the Colossians and other Gentiles walked in, ver. 7. and which they had now put off with the old man, ver. 8. But the Colossians, while they were Gentiles, and heard not of the Gospel, did not walk in this as in a sin, that they believed not that Christ abstained from fornication for them and satisfied divine justice for their fornication; but their sin was, that in person, they committed these sinnes, 1 Pet. 2.11. Dearely beloved▪ I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fl…s…ly lusts that warre against the soule, ver. 24. Who his own self bare our sinnes in his own body on the tree, that we being dead to sinnes should live to righteousnesse Rom. 8.11. And if the Spirit of him that raised Iesus from the dead, dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead, shall als… quicken your mortall bodies, ver. 12. Therefore brethren, we are debters not to th… flesh, to live after the fl…sh, vers. 13. for if yee live after the fl…sh yee shall die: But if yee, through the Spirit, do mortifie the deeds of the body ye shall live, ver. 10. If Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin, Gal. 5.24. They that are Christs, have crucified the flesh, with the affections & lusts, Gal. 2.1…. For I, through the Law, am d…ad to the Law, that I might live unto God; all Gospel-commands to subdue the lusts of flesh, not to serve the flesh as debters paying rent thereun…o: to mortifie the deeds of the body, not to live to our selves &c. were meer precepts for justification, not for sanctification and mortification of lusts, and should …urn the Saints into meere Solifidians, Gnosticks, empty Professors and fruitlesse trees, if ou… mortification were not in the weakning of lusts, …bstinence from sin???service, and living to him who is our ransomner. There is nothing more false then that ever our Divines taught to mortifie sinnes by vowes, promises strictnesse and severity o… duties, watchfulnesse scarce rising so high for mortification as Christ: For its Christ and faith in his death p. 518that is the spring and fountaine of mortification; yet is mortification formally in holy walking, and not formally in bel…eving, for then should we be justified by mortification, for sure we are justified by faith: 2. Faith is a duty of the first Table respecting God in Christ as its object: mortification to uncleannesse, vaine-glory or the like, is a duty of the second Table respecting men.

Asser. 4. The living of the just by faith, is as well the life of sanctification,To live be … sanctification a… the …. as of justification; its true the life of justification is the cause, more compleat and perfect, and the other the effect and unperfect; but our spirituall condition is not only in sanctification, but also in justification. And only enemies of free-grace, separate the one from the other; and highten the one to feed men on the East wind, and lessen the other, as if sanctification were an accident, and some indifferent Ceremony, that men walk after the fl…sh and believe, that Christ for them walked after the Spirit, and that is enough: nor doe wee teach men to weigh their state of Grace in the scales of mortification or simple not acting of sin, as mortification commeth from morall and naturall principles, but as it floweth from faith apprehending Christ crucified, and from the Spirit of the Father and the Son drawing the sinner to Christ, and our blessednesse is no lesse in that corruption is subdued, and the dominion removed, then in that the curse is taken away.A sinner as a sinner not humbled i… no… to believe …pplic…orily. Saltmarsh when he willeth the sinner as a sinner, a Parricide, a Man-slayer, a slave to his lusts, to be…ieve and apply Christ as his Redeemer without any sense of sin or humiliation at all, and then saith the mans blessednesse is more to have the curse of sin, then the corruption of sinne removed, clearly concludeth that a man that walks after his lusts in actuall lusting against the Lord Iesus and the Gospel; proud, vaine, selfe-righteous, is as such a man to believe, and so blessed and may promise to himselfe peace, though he walk after the imaginations of his own heart.

Nor is arguing against the tentation with spirituall reason fr…m the word as Ioseph did Gen. 39.8.9. and Job ch. 2.9.10. and David, 2 Sam. 16.7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14. our own power or contrary to the fighting by the shield of faith, the Word of God; as Saltmarsh imagineth.

Assert. 5. It is to be reputed as a most blasphemous assertion, p. 519that we know we are Christs, not because we crucifie the lusts of the flesh, but because we do not c…ucifie them; Pet 1. Crucifying of our lusts is a mark of our being in …hris… Gal. ….24 Rom. 8.13. This maketh walking af…er the Spirit, and a parting from iniquity and being pure in Spirit and dying to an … of no interest in Christ, contrary to Rom. 8.1, 2. 2 Tim. 2.19. Math. 5.8. 1 Pet. 24. Gal. 1.4. 1 Pet. 1.18. and contrary to the whole Gospel: which was that blasphemy of David George who taught mortification was to act all uncleannesse without shame or sense of sinne; The mortificati…n of David George.…nd the more men are v…yd of the common passion that follows sin, the more mortified and spirituall they are; and this is very like …e Libertines way, who teach (a)(a)Ris…, R…ign error. 57 p. 11.That to take delight in the holy service of God is to goe a whooring from God; and that they are (b)(b)Saltmarsh free grace, ch. 5. pag. 58.legally biassed, that would mortifie the fl…sh by watchfulnesse and strictnesse of walking; whereas to put our duties on the Throne with Christ, and to put Christs crown on our mortification, as if we were thereby justified is the Idolatry; But the delighting in the Law of the Lord, and taking of the Lords testimonines for our heritage, a serving the Lord with chearefulnesse and fervor of Spirit, Psal. 1.2. Psal. 119.111.262. Isai. 58.13. Psal. 112.1. Rom. 7.22. Rom. 12.8. 2 Cor. 9.7. Phil. 4.4. Act. 20.24. Iaem. 1.2. are marks of a blessed condition. If any teach that wee mortifie the flesh by watchfulnesse and strictnesse of walking, as if these did merit mortification, we judge it cursed doctrine; but if Libertines deny, as they doe, that acts of mortification doe formally consist in watchfull, strict and accurate walking with God, in being not taken, nor madly drunken with the lusts of sin, but dead to pleasures, as these acts flow from the Spirit of Christ, we curse their fleshly doctrine also.

Its no consequent to say, because (c)(c)Saltmarsh free-grace, c. 5. pag. 71.72.Regeneration is not a work of nature, but of the Spirit of God, and the way of the Spirit is not so grosse and carnall as the Divinity of former times, it being hard to trace and find the impressions of the Spirit, therefore we are not to take experience so low, and carnally, by the feelings of flesh and blood, and signs not infallible, as to write of Regeneration as Philosophers do of morall vertues.

Answ. 1. Regeneration is above nature every way, but in this its most sutable to nature. That as a man come to age doth not at all times, even when he is sick, in a swon, in a deep p. 520sleep know that he liveth; yet ordinarily life hath reflect acts on it self, so as a living man may know that he lives by many signes of life; so a regenerate man, except hee be deserted may know that he lives the life of God.

Antinomians …2 If Antinomians find out new Divinity lesse cernall, more spirituall, then in former times, how is it that Christians are to live from under all rule of life? and not to pray, forgive us our sinnes, when they pray for daily bread? and that none justified are to confesse their sins and to sorrow for them: that new obedience, mortification, repentance, is to believe that Christ has done these for us; that we are not to pray continually but only when the Spirit stirreth us? an hundreth of these false wayes may be shown; is this more spirituall Divinity then in former ages? is it not the most carnall divinity that we read of? for when D. Taylor objecteth to Antinomians, as a limbe of their fleshly divinity, No action of the Believer after justification is sinne, Mr Town answereth nothing at all but of the way, Mr Tow…e Asser. o… grace, pag. 71.72.73.no action is sin, the disorder and ataxie of the action is the sin. But D. Taylor meaned that there is no disorder in the actions of a justified man by their way; to this Mr Town replyeth not one word, but saith unto faith there is no sin, because there is not one spot in a justified person; and he citeth Rev. 1.5. Eph. 5.26. Cant. 4.7. and 6.9. 1 Cor. 6.11. because Christ hath washed Rev. 1.5. purged, Heb. 1.3. abolished, Heb. ….26. all our sinnes, and hath made us holy and unblamable and unrebukable in the sight of God; we are like Christ voyd of sin; which is not the removall of sinne, but of the guilt, that is, of the obligation to eternall wrath and the curse of the Law; for if we say we (even though justified as Iohn the Apostle was) have no sin, we are lyars; can this be any but a divinity of the flesh that Antinomians teach?