Christ Dying and Drawing Sinners to Himself, Part 3 (4 of 7)

Christ Dying and Drawing Sinners to Himself · Part 3 (4 of 7)

p. 445Answ. You are neither to lay such a supposition down, th… either you are excluded from the number of those that Christ died for, or included in that number: neither of the two are revea…ed to you, and secret things belong to the Lord. It is enough to you,How all are to beleeve, though salvation be not purchased for all. that (1.) you are not excluded, for any thing that is revealed to you. 2. That thou hast need of Christ, and art a guilty sinner. 3. That thou art commanded to beleeve: As for Christs not shedding of his blood for thee; say it were so: its no more absurd that you are obliged to beleeve on Christ, as an al sufficient Redeemer for remission of sinnes, (though remission be not purchased to you in Christs blood) then that you are obliged to beleeve that God will infallibly save you, when as God has peremptorily reprobated you, upon foreseen finall impenitencie; and has decreed not to work in you to beleeve, and has not purchased by his blood, the grace of beleeving; without the which, hee seeth beleeving is unpossible. Let Arminians answer the one doubt, and we can answer the other; onelyonly, their way maketh God to say, he willeth the salvation of reprobats; which in very truth, hee willeth not; for its protestatio facto contraria: a will contrary to his dispensation toward them▪ and so no will; whereas wee acknowledge God in his promises, commands, charges to be most sincere, and that the promises belong onelyonly to the children of the promise, not to the rebrobate.

Ob 10. But its unpossible I can be fitted with sorrow for sinne or repentance, before I beleeve in Christ. Answ. We teach not that you must first repent,Neither is faith before all Repentance, nor eevry Repentance before all faith. then beleeve; or first beleeve, then repent; but that some legal acts of sorrow, and bruisings of Spirit, and self dispair go before faith, then acts of beleeving, and then evangelick repentance, in seeing by faith, him whom ye have pie…ced with your sinnes, and the mourning for piercing of him. Zach. 12.10. But your neede, beggarlinesse, sinfulnesse may well be a spur to chase you to Christ: seeing Christ p. 447heighteneth his fair grace by occasion of your black sins, Rom. 3.5.20.2. Rom. 3.24.25.

If Christ have such a good will to draw all men; ah! shall he draw all men▪ and such a fair number of all ranks, and not draw me? Lord Iesu…, what a…ls thee at me?If Christ draw all, we should be drawn. when offices of estate are distributed, and livings and pensions given to men, there be some male-contents; this man is preferred, no… I: It were good there were spirituall male-contentednesse, with se…f-discontent, at our own rebellion▪ and no envying of others: O that Christ who drawes all men, would draw me, and hee that has love for so many, would out of his love cause me say, Whether is thy beloved gone, O thou fairest among women? whither is thy bel…ved turned aside, that we may seek him with thee? say there were a free gold myne in India, that loadeth with gold all ships, and enriches multitudes that goe thither, and it has never drawn thee to make a journey thither, blame thy self, if thou be poor, when many are enriched. 1. Hath not Christ knocked at the doore of thy soule, with a rainie head, and frozen lo…ks, and thou hadst rather he should fall into a swoone, in the streets, as open to him, and lodge him; and hast had open back doores for harlot lovers: O bee ashamed of sleighting free love. 2 Dispised love turneth into a flame of Go…pel-vengeance: a Gospel-hell is a hotter furnance, then a law-hell.

No man spinn hell to himself, out of the wool of unbeleeving dispair;Christ can dra… as g…ilty as thou art. If Christ be so willing to redeeme and draw his own all, and can goe as neer hell as seven devils: Have noble and broad thoughts of the sufficiency of Iesus to save. 1. Consider and say with feeling and warmnesse of bowels to Christ, all the redeemed familie that are standing up before the throne, now in white, and are fair and clean and without spot, were once as Black mores on earth, as I am now: some of them were stables of uncleannesse to Sathan; now they a…e cha…t virgins, who defiled n…t themselves with women, before the Lamb; the mou…hs …hat sometimes blasphemed, are now singing the new song of the Lamb, of Moses the servant of the Lord. 2 What love is that, that there is a hole in the rock, for ravens of hell to fly into as doves of heaven; and a chalmer of love in the heart of Christ, for pieces of sinfull clay? 3. Fair Iesus Christ can love the black daughter of Pharoah; he has found in his p. 448heart to melt in love and tender compassion, toward a forlorne Amorite, a poluted Hittite; it breaks his heart to see the naked foundling cast out into the open fields, dying in goared blood: Christ can love, where all do loath; Its much hee can love a sinner, thou art but a sinner; hee has not blotted thy name out of the New Testament; imagine thou heard him say, sinner come to me: Lost man, suffer me to love thee, and to cast my skirt of love over thee: Do… but give him an hearty (…ay Lord) cons…nt, and take him at his word; Never rest, till thou be at such a nick of the way to heaven,Vse 6. as no backslider can attaine to: We are too soon satisfied with our own Godlinesse, and goe not one steppe beyond these that has cast out of thems…lves, one Devil, and the next day take in seven new f…esh devils, and the end of these men is worse then their beginning; they are redemned, and bought and washen in profession, and righteous in themselves; those that have no more, must fall away: a Sheep in the eyes of men, and a Sow at the heart, must to the mire again, sit not down, till ye come (1.) to bee willing to sell all,Be not satisfied till you come to such a n…ck of Christian walking, as is attainable by no hypocrite. and buy the pearle: 2. Till ye attain to some reall and personall mortification; that is a subduing of lusts, a bringing under the body of sinne, a heart-deadnesse to the world, (from this) because your Lord died for you, and has crucified the old man; I mean not a morall mortification of Antinomians, to beleeve Christ has crucified your lusts for you, as if you were obliged by command of the letter of Law and Gospel, to no personall mortification, that ye may be saved: never think ye are redeemed, till yee bee redeemed from the walking in the wayes of the present evil world▪ from all iniquitie, from your vain conversation: draw not breath, rest not, till ye come to this, as ye would not turne back sliders in heart.

Redemption beleeved, maketh men crown Christ as their King;Vse 7. and such to whom Christ is made redemption, must assert and confesse Christ a perfect Red…emer, the King of his Church: Those that are unpatient of his yoak of Government, would set another king over Christ, a Magistrate who by office ruleth, not by the wo…d, but by civil Laws, testifie they are unwilling to have Chri…t their Lord, in their life, who will not have him thei… Lord in the Church, and his ordinances: the great controversie that God has with England, is sleighting of Religion, the not building the Temple, the increase of blasphemies p. 449and heresies; fear that Christ reigne over them, 33. If I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men unto me.

The fourth considerable article in the drawing▪ is the terminus ad qu…m, the person to whom all m…n are drawn. It is (saith Christ) foreign, to me: This is not a word which might have been spared, as there is no redundancie,Christ canno… be spared as not nec…ssary in the work of redemption. nothing more then enough in the Gospel, so Christ is no person who may bee spared; but who ever bee one, Christ must be the first pe…son; take away Christ out of the Gospel, and there remaineth nothing but words, and remove him from the work of redemption, …t is but an empty shadow; Yea, remove Christ out of heaven, I should not seek to be there; this is a noble and divine (to me) I will draw all men to mee. Doct. It is a matter of gre…t conce…ment …hat sin…st come to Chri…t, and to Christ only.1. It concern…th us much what we… leave. If wee leave the earth, it is but a clay foot-stool, and a mortall p…rishing stage, and the house of sorrow▪ and my dying fellow-creature: if we leave sinne we leave hell, the worm that never dieth; v…ngeance and eternall vengeance is in the womb o… s…nne; to leave father and mother, and all the idols of a fancied happinesse is nothing; But to whom we go; to Christ, or not, to such an one as God, the substantiall and eternall delight of God, O that is of h…gh concernment.

2. This (to me) coming out of the mouth of Iesus Christ, is all and all its heaven, its glory, its salvation, its new paradise,Gr…unds of the excellency of being drawn to Christ only. its the new city, i…s the new life, its the new precious elect stone laid on Zion, the new glory, the new kingdome: There is a greater emphasis, an edge and marrow of words and things, in this (to me) then in all the sc…ipture, in all earth and heaven and all possible and imaginable heavens. 1. Why is Israel loosed? hear the cause, Psal. 81.11. Israel would none of mee. Why drink they …otten waters, and Ci…terns of hell? Oh here is the cause, Ier, 2… 1…. Be astonished O heavens, why? for my people have committed two evils: (Ah, these two are hundreds, and million…) they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters. Is not Christ crying in all the Gospel, who will have me? who will receive me? is not this the Gospel-quarrell, Iohn 5.40? Ye will not come to me, that yee might have life; its no sport to die in sinne▪ its a sad fall to fall into hell, Ioh. 8.21. Then said Iesus again unto them I go my way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sinnes▪ whither I goe ye cannot come.

p. 4503. If ye look to any other, it cannot save you, but one look on him would make you eternally happy, and you have i…, Esa. 45.22. Look unto me, and be saved, all the ends of the Earth, for I am God, and there is none else; come and have heaven for one look, for one turning of your eye; and when destruction commeth, that the Church shall be like two or three olive berries lef…, and all the rest destroyed; what shall save the remnant? Esa. 17.7. At that day shall a man look to his maker, and when Ierusalem is saved, and the Spirit of grace and supplication is poured on the house of David, Zach. 12.10. And they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only Son.

4. You are poore and naked; then saith Christ, leane and hungry, and ye that want bread, and ye that sweat, and give out money, Esa. 55.3. Hear… …n diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soule delight it self in fatnesse, ver. 3. Incline your care to me, and hear, and your soule shall live, and I will make an everlasting Cov…nant with you even the sure merries of David; Then a soule dies a soules death, he is leane, hee eateth dirt, hee has no bread, while he comes to Christ, Revel. 3.18. I counsell thee to buy of me. O this noble me! this brave, celebrious, this glorious me; I counsell thee to buy of me (and not of others who are but cousening hucksters) gold tryed in the fire; gold buyeth all things, and is not bought; but this is not a common Merchant; and buy of me white rayment that thou mayest be cloathed. But thou may…t have a burthen on thee heavier then …hy back or bones canst stand under; then hear him, Ma…th. 11.28. Come unto me, all yee that labour and are laden, and I will give you rest: and because all are thirsty for some happinesse, the desires are gaping for some heaven, Christ crye…h at Ie…usalem with a loud voyce, with a good will …o save, Ioh. 7.37. If any man thirst let him come to me, and drink, Ioh. 11.26. He that liveth and b…lieveth in me, shall never die.

5. What greater reason then to heare this, Cant. 5.2. O…en to me, my sister, my dove, my love, my undefiled; and wisdomes voyce is swee…, Prov. 7.14. Hearken unto me therefore, O yee children, and attend to the words of my mouth, Esa. 49.1. Listen O Isle… to me, so he speaketh to his redeemed, Esa. 48.16. Come yee neare to me: and

6. There is nothing more fitting then that his oath stand, p. 451that the knee that will not bow to him shall break. Esa. 45.23 I h…ve sworn by my self, Rom. 14.11. For it is written, as I live (saith the Lord) every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confesse to God.

7. What greater honour can be then such alliance? then that Christ speak so to his bride, Hos. 3.3. And I said unto her, thou shalt abide for me many dayes, thou shalt not play the harlot, and thou shalt not be for another man, so will I be for thee: and Hos 2.19. And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea I will betr…th thee unto me, ver. 20. I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulnesse.

8. To him is that which may be ground of faith and confidence, Luk. 10.22. All things are delivered to me of my Father, Math. 28.19. All power is given to me in Heaven and in earth; there is a great trust put upon …hrist, Ioh. 17.…. Thine they were, and thou gavest them me, Heb. ….13. Behold I and the child…en that God hath given me. Luk. 22.29. The father has appointed a Kingdome to me.

This, to me ▪ hath yet a greater edge and fulnesse of Christs soul-taking and drawing expressions: 1. To Christ, we are drawn as to a friend; approaching to Christ is expressed by comming to him; 1. We come to him as to our home,Christ an… home and a house of rest and of love. the man that commeth to Christ is in a friends house; Christ will not cast him out, Ioh. 6.39. The man may throw down his loads and burthens, and cast him selfe and his burthen on him, and finde rest for his soule; he doth not stand, nor runne any mo…e, but sit down under the shadow of the tree of life, Cant. 2.3. I sate down under his shaddow with great delight; Heb. I lusted or desired him, and sate down and his fruit was sweet in my mouth. And how did Christ take with the soul? O most kindly! v. 4. He led me into a house of wine. What do you think of a house of joy? every stone, every rafter, every piece of covering, wall, and floore is the cheering consolation of the holy Ghost, and what futher? his banner over me is love, the collours and ensigne of this Chieftaine, is the love of Christ. 6. And what love-rest is here? his left hand is under my head, and his right hand doth embrace me. What a bed of love must that be, to lye in a corner, in a circle infolded in the two everlasting armes? the left arme is neare the heart, such a soule must lie with heart and head upon the p. 452breast and heart of Iesus Christ; and above, and underneath for pillow, for covering, for curtaines, arms of everlasting love: an house all made, within and without, of eternall joy and consolations, is incomparable: such a chamber of a King, such cullou…s and hangings as love, such a bed as the embracings of Christ, you never heard of.

2. Life is the sweete… floure of any being, its a taking thing now,A noble life in Ch…st which cannot be brought. 1 Joh. 5.12. He that hath the Son hath life; all out of Christ are dead men; so we come to Christ as our life, 1 …er. ….4. To whom comming as to a living stone, disallowed indeed of men; but thats no ma…ter; chosen of God, and pretious: who cr…d we, but here, o… a stone with life, and so noble a life as an intellectuall life, and then the life of God? O death come to thy life, that is hid with Christ in God, Col. 3.3. Here a breathing living stone, and then a chosen one, of great p…ice; should all the crowned Kings, since Adam to the dissolving of this world sell themselves, their Globe of the earth, and all their pretious stones, they should not buy a dayes glory in heaven; but say that they should sell the earth and the heavens, and oppignorate or lay in pledge Sun and Moone and Starres, if they were their moveable inheritance, and sell them all millions of times, they should be farre from any comparable buying of the elect pretious stone that is digged out of Mount Sion, Iob 28.13. Man knoweth not the price of wisedome, of this wisdome, v. 18. no mention shall be made of coralls, or of pearls: for the price of wisdome is above Rubies, ver. 19. The To…az of Ethiopia shall not equall it, neither shall it be valued with pure Gold; ther's no talking, no bidding in this market so pretious is the s…one, but its the stone living, and breathing out heaven, and God, infinitely more ex…ell…nt then heaven.

3. To me (saith Christ) because no excellency can be comparable to him,What excellency is Christ. who only can give God to the sinner, Joh. 14.6. No man commeth to the Father but by me; it must be an incomparable priviledge to come by Iesus Christ, to God; God, God is a…l in all. I can…o… savi…gly be drawn to any but to him, who can reveale God to me. Christ is the bosome, the heart, the only new and living way and door to God▪ all creatures, Angels, Men, Saints are strangers to God. The substantiall, the essentiall, the l…ving intellectuall Image, and being God must reveale God; Christ saith to Philip, Ioh. 14.9. He p. 453that hath seen me, hath seen the Father: open Christ and you open God; enjoy Christ, and you enjoy God; come into Christ and you come to a new world, to a new all, to an new infinite Ocean, and you fall in the bosome of a Godhead.

4. To me] as to all perfection and compleatnesse of fulnesse; they are but all streames and shaddows, and emptinesse while you come to Christ,Three parts of Christs compleatness…, 1. … or fuln…sse, 2. primacy, 3. excellency. poore nothing is an empty bottome to a sinner, Ioh 1.16. Out of his fulnesse have all we received even grace for grace; this is fountain fulnesse, Gods fulnesse, Col. 2.9. For in Christ is fulnesse it selfe: 2. Not fulnesse going and comming; there a fulnesse in the Sea, but it is ebbing and flowing; a fulnesse in the Moon, but decreasing and growing; an fulnesse in the creature, but going and comming up and and down; but in Christ there dwelleth a fulnesse; it is with Christ new Moon and full Moon, and dawning and noon-day all at once: 3. All fulnesse dwelleth in Christ,What fulnesse is in Christ. there is fulnesse of beauty in Absolom, but not of truth and sincerity; fulnesse of wisdome in Salomon, but not fulnesse of constancy; he gave his heart to pleasure and folly; fulnesse of policy in Achitophel, but not fulnesse of holinesse and faithfulnesse to his Prince; yea, it was fulnesse of folly to hang himself; fulnesse of strength in Sampson, but not fulnesse of faith & soundnesse & courage of minde, he was strong in body, but soft and impotent in minde and was overcome by an woman; there is an hiatus, a hole, and some emptinesse in every creature: an Angels fulnesse sitteth neighbour to pure nothing, the Angel may be turned …nto nothing, and is by nature capable of folly: But in Christ there is all fulnesse; 4 But as every fulnesse is not all fulnesse, so every fulnesse is not the fulnesse of the God-head; the…, to me its as much as the Elect are drawn to Chri… as the choycest, the rarest amongst all.

2. So amongst all choise things and all relat…ons,C…ist the first and principa…l of all things. he is the first and most eminent and glo…ious among Kings, Revel. 1.5. The Prince of the kings of the earth, Revel. 10.16. The King of kings, the Lord of lords; Among Prophets, the P…ophet, raised out of the inw…rd part of the Breth…en, Deut. 18.18. among Priests, the highest and great, the eternall Priest, after the order of Melchizedech: Heb. ….1. Heb. 7.17. among gods, he stands, he's alone the onelyonly wise God; 1 Tim. 1.17. Among Angels, the Angel p. 454of the Lords substanciall presence, the Arch-angel, the head of Angels: Esai. 63.9. 1. Thes. 4.16. Col. 2.10. Among beautifull things, the flowre of Jesse, the rose of Sharon, the lil…y of the valleys, fai…er then the children of men; Isai. 11.1…. Cant. 2.1. Psal. 45.2. there is such grace created in no lips, yea uncreated grace is in no face, but in his only: among shepherds, the chief shepherd, 1 Pet. 5.4. among Armies the standard-bearer, and Chief amongst ten thousand, Cant. 5.10. amongst Creatures, the first-borne of every creature, Col. 1.15. among H…irs, the Heir of all things, Heb. 1.2. among those that were dead, and is alive againe, and the fruit that groweth out of death; Christ is the fi…st-born from the dead, Col. 1.18. and the first fruits of them that sleep, 1 Cor. 15.20. among sonnes he is Gods first begotten sonne, Heb. 1.6. his only begotten sonne, 1 …ohn 4.9. among Saviours none to bee named a Savio… under heaven but he only, Acts 4, 12. neither is there salvation in any other: the first among brethren, Rom. 8.29. the first born among many brethren. In a word, hee i… the choise and the first of the flock, the flower, the first glory, the standerd-bearer of heaven, the heart, the rose, the prime delight of heaven, the choisest of heaven and earth, the none-such, the chiefe of all b…loveds. Some have one single excellency, some another; Abraham was excellent in faith, Moses in his cho…se of Christ above all the treasures of Egypt; David in his sincerity, having a heart like Gods heart. But Christ hath all eminency of grace in one. Some are Gods that shal die as men. Christ the Prince of life was dead, but can die no more. Some are wise, but he is w…sdome it selfe; some are faire, but Christ is the beauty and brightnesse of the Fathers glory. Wee are apt to have low and creeping thoughts of Iesus Christ, and to undervalue Christ.

3. There's need of an Angel-engine framed in heaven, of a tongue immediate…y created by God,The singular excellency of Christ. and by the infinite Art of omnipotency, above other tongues to speak of the praises of …hrist; and that Pen must be moulded of God, and the Ink made of the river of the water of life,None c…n write or speak of Christ as he is. and the Paper fairer then the body of the Sunne, and the heart as pure, as innocent and sinlesse Angels, who should write a Book of the vertue and supereminent excellency of Iesus Christ: All words even uttered by Prophets and Apostles, come short of Christ. p. 455Imagine that Angels and Men, and millions of created heavens of more then now are should build a Temple and a high Seat or Throne of Glory, raysed from the earth to the highest circumference of the heaven of heavens, and millions of miles above that highest of heavens, and let the timber not be Cedar or Almugge trees, nor the inside Gold of Ophir seven times refined, but such trees as should grow out of the banks of the pure River of water of Life, that runneth through the street of the New Ierusalem, and overlayd with a new sort of Gold that was found above the Sunne and Starres, many degrees above the Gold of Ophir; and let the stones not bee Marble, nor Saphires, nor Rubies, nor digged out of the excellentest earth imaginable, but more re…ined then elementary nature can furnish; let every stone be a starre, or a peece of the body of the Sunne, and let the whole fabrick of the House exceed the glory of Solomons Temple as farre as all precious stones exceed the mire in the streets, and let Iesus Christ sit above in the highest Seat of Glory in this Temple, as hee dwelt in Solomons Temple, the chair should bee but a created shadow, too low and to base for him. This is not yet like the Lords expression by the Apostle, shewing how eminent and high Christ is, Phil. 2.9. Wherefore God also hath more then exalted him; hee saith not foreign. God hath highted or exalted Christ; but God hath foreign over-highted and super-exalted him, and hath gifted to him foreign, a name above all names that is reall honour, above all expression, above all thoughts; if such a temple and seat of Majesty m…ght be named, it should not be above every name, nor a glory above every glory that can be named either in this world, or in the world to come.

To me] Conversion is the drawing of a sinner to Christ, its a supernaturall journey, its not a common way; to come to this eternall wisdome of God, as saith Iob 28.7. A path which no fowle knoweth and the vultures eye hath not seen; where is the place of understanding, ver. 21. seeing it is hid from all living, and kept close from the fowls of the aire, v. 22. destruction and death say we… ▪ have heard the fame thereof with our …ares, ver. 23. where is it then? Natures dark candle cannot show it, ver. 23. God und…rstandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof, Prov. 15.24. The way of life is on p. 456high; the way of the life of all excellent lives is an high and an exalted way, every man knows it not.

2. Christ saith, by way of exclusion, that hee getteth not one soule to him, but by strong hand and violence; never man comes to Christ on his owne clay-leggs,To be d…a…en to Christ, i… a …igh wo…k. and with the strength of his owne good-will, Ioh. 6.44. No man can come to me, except the Father, which hath sent me, draw him.

3. There be other acts of God, of an high reach, in these that come to Christ, as there must be resigning over, a making over of the Father to the Sonne, v. 39. All that the Fathe… giveth me, The Father gives us to the Son…e, not by ali…nation.shall come; The Fathers making over of any soule, or his giving one to Christ, is not by way of alienation, as if the man belonged no more to the Father, or were no more under the tutorie, and guidance of the Father, but under the sonne. Familists teach us (a)(a)Story of the …ise, reign and …uine, of the Antinomians error. 41.8 p. Libert…nes tea…h that we are several seasons under t…e working …f every person of the Trinity.That there be distinct seasons of the working of the severall persons of the Trinitie, so as the soule may bee said to be so long under the fathers, and not the Sonnes, and so long under the Sonnes work, and not the Spirits.

Wee know no such destinct posts to heaven, nor such shifting from hand to hand; the Saints have many bouts, in their way to glory, but all the three joyntly at the same season help at the lifting of the dead out of the graves, Ioh. 6.39.44.45. Ioh. 5 24.25. All the three in one dead list, openeth blinde eyes, and converteth lost sinners, Matth. 11.25.26.27. Eph. 1.17.18. Mat. 16.17. Ioh. 12.32. 2 Cor. 3.14.15.16.17. Ioh. 14.23. Ioh. 16.7, 8.9.10. Ioh. 14.16. Eph. 2.1.2.3.4. 1 I…. 2.27. 1 Ioh. 5.6.7. Grace mercy and peace, cometh that the same season, to the seven Chu…ches ▪ from all the three: From him which is, and which was, and which is to come, and from the seven Spirits that is before the throne, and from Ie…us Christ, who is the faithfull witnesse, &c. 2 Cor. 13.14. Revel. 1.45. Then the Father so giveth the elect to the sonne, as I should not desi…e to be out from under the care and tutory of the Father; the Father maketh them over, and keepeth them in his own bowels, and in the truth, Ioh. 17.2.10.11. So there is the Fathers teaching, and the hearing and learning from the Father, Ioh. 6.15. It is written in the Prophets, and they shall all be taugh… of God, Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh to mee.

In the uses of the doctrine, I have three things to speak of; p. 4571. What a sinne they bee under, who resist the right arm of the Father. 2. What free-will and morall honestie can do, or how nothing they are to work a communion with God. 3. These are to be refuted, who think we are nei…her to p…ay, nor to doe, nor to work out our salvation in fear and trembling, but when the Lord by saving Grace acteth in us, and draweth irresistibly. Now to the end that this common Gospel-sinne may be the better seene in all its spots, consider, 1. What is in Christ the drawer. 2. What is in Grace, by which sinners are drawn.

1. In Christ the drawer:What a sin it is to resist Christs▪ drawing. There bee many drawers suiting us: the world is the taile of the great red Dragon, and his taile drew the third part of the starres of heaven and did cast them downe to the earth, Revel. 12.4. Glorious professours like glistering starres up in heaven, are drawn away, after the dirty world: should there bee more power in Sathans taile to draw down stars from heaven,None so good at drawing of sinners as Chri…. then there is beauty and sweetnesse in Christs face to ravish hearts? and Deut. 30.17. Some turn away their hearts, and are drawn away▪ and worship other gods, and serve them; yet they are but bastard gods: Christ has a true, reall God-head in himselfe. Why will you not be drawne after the smell of his precious ointments? and Act. 5.37. Iudas of Galilee arose, and drew away much people after him, and they were destroyed, and Iam. 1.14. every tempted man (and who is not tempted?) is drawn away of his own lust; and this is a mother with child of death and hell: supposed goodnesse is an angle, a vast net, that drawes millions of souls to eternall perdition; every man has a soule-drawer about him, divels, and false teachers are pulling at, and hailing soules. O bee drawn by Christ; he is the rose without a thorne, the Sunne without a cloud, the beauty of the Godh…ad without a spot; hee drawes his Fathers heart to love him, and delight in him: Christs love and the art of free grace, are good at drawing of soules; there is not a soule-drawer comparable to him: Ah our hearts are as heavy as hell; suppose that hell were of the bignesse of ten worlds, all of Sand, yron, or the heaviest stones in the world, nay, all fancies that pretend lovelinesse are but lyes, and Christ true: every peece of fair clay is hell, and Christ heaven; every beauty blacknesse, and he all loves, Cant. 5.16.

2. For alluring souls in a morall way, nothing like p. 458Christ in the Gospel; David is called by the holy Ghost, the sweet singer of Israel;N…thing like Christ to allure soules. when Christ speaketh to hearts, he sings like heaven, and like the glory of a new unseen world, Deut. 3….16. Ioseph was blessed of the Lord, for the good will of him that dwelt in the bush; Its most alluring in Christ that he is the bird in the bush, the bird of Paradise, the Turtle in our Land, Can. 2.12. that singeth the sweet Gospel-hymnes,Christ the sweet singer of Israel. and Psalms of good tidings from Sion, peace, peace from heaven to the broken-hearted mourners in Sion; all the Gospel is a love-song of Christ dying for love to enjoy sinners of clay, and to have them with him in heaven; are not these love-songs of the bird whose nest was in the bush? If any man thirst (saith Christ) let him come to me and drink; and whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely; if this cannot draw to Christ: the law, curses, rewards, cannot draw; Christ pipeth a spring of joyfull newes, but few dance, Matth. 11.16.

3. The lower that high love discendeth, the sweeter and the more drawing, and the greatest guiltinesse not to be drawn. Christ came down from a Godhead,The lower Christ is in his love, he is the more drawing. and emptied himself for us to be a worme, and no man, Psal. 22.6. The last of men, Esa. 53.3. a doubt it was, if he were in the number of men, so the word importeth; and he dwelt in the bush; he made not his nest amongst Cedars, but in the bush foreign a bush, whence commeth Sinah, or a desert and wildernesse, such as was in Arabia; Christ taketh it hard, and weepeth for it, Matth. 23.37. Luk 19.42. that he came down as a hen in the bush; (O but Christ has broad wings, farre above the Eagle) and would have made sinners in Ierusalem his young ones, to nourish them with heat, from his own bosome and heart; but they would not be drawn: And when he appeareth in a time of captivity, Zach. 1. to save his people out of captivity, many would not be saved; he is seene, ver. 8. amongst the myrtle trees in the bottome. It is true, the myrtle tree is far…e above the bry…r and the thorn, Esai. 55.13. yet its as much, a… Christ dwels amongst the bushes, and came down to the lowest plants, for the Myrtle is a bush rather then a tree, and growes in Vallies, Deserts, in the Sea-shoar: Christ is a young low Pla…, and a root out of a dry ground; its a matter of challenge that none believed his report, and few were drawn p. 459by the Lord Iesus, who is Gods arm, all the strength of God and the drawing power of grace being in Christ, and in Christ who came down so low in his love to us; low-stooping love refused is a great deal of guiltinesse; salvation it selfe cannot save, when love submitting it selfe to hell, to death, to shame, to the grave, cannot save: you think little to let a love song of the Gospel foure times a week passe by you; but you know not what a guiltinesse it is.

4. The greater the happinesse you are drawn to, the higher is the sinne, should Christ d…aw you to the Mount burning with fire, to the Law-curses, to the terrible sight of the fiery indignation of God, men would say it were lesse sinne to refuse him; but he drawes you, Heb. 12.22. To Mount Sion, to the City of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of Angels, to the generall assembly and Church of the first born which are written in Heaven, and to God the Iugde of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect; And to Iesus the Mediator of the new Covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling; and he addeth, dispise not this; he is a Speaker from heaven: Its but ene house, one family, which is in earth and heaven;Heaven and the Church on earth but ene house. they differ but as elder and younger brethren. Paul, Rom. 16.7. putteth a note of respect on Andronicus and Junia, Who saith he) also were in Christ before me. There is mor… honour put on them that are in glory before us, then on us, as the first born of na…ure and grace;It is an honour to d…e in the Lord young. so the first born of glory are honoured before us (we should not weep for our friends crown and honour, when they die) yet they be all one house; then to be drawn to Christ is to be drawn to heaven; he should deservedly weep for ever, and gnash his te…h in hell, who in right down termes refuseth to be drawn to heaven.

There is another ground of shewing what a high provocation it is, to resist the Gosp…l-drawings of Christs arme, and it is the way of resisting the operation of grace Interpreters▪ say on the Text that Christ's drawing, when he is lifted upon the crosse,Christ dying and drawing sinne…s in his deat… …d c…m…nds his love to us. is a clear allusion to the manner of Christs crucifying, for he with his two armes stretched out, holdeth out his breast, openeth his bosome and heart, & cryeth who will come and lodge in Ch…st's heart; And againe, favours profered by a great friend in his death, ought not to be refused; and the p. 460sour… tree of the Crosse was Christs dead bed; here he made his last will, and which no dying friend doth, Christ dying left his heart, and bowels of tender love to his dear friends, he dyed drawing and pulling in sinners to his heart; What a sinne must it be to meet his love with hatred and disdaine? 2. Grace moveth in a circle of life, the spring and fountaine is the heart of Christ, and it reflecteth back to Chri…ts heart; he resteth not with stretched out-armes, to pull, while he have his friends and Church in at his heart. 3. The motion of free-grace is a subduing, and a conquering thing, and strong to captivate our love; when yee see Christ dying and leaping for joy to die for you, and when yee see him set to his head a cup of thick wrath, of death and hell, and see him smile and sing, and sigh and drink hell and death for you, it layeth bands of love on the heart. What yron bowels must he have who would break the cup on his face, and despise his love? Grace applyed to the heart maketh it ingenuous, free, thankfull; how can the sinner with-hold his love without the greatest guiltinesse, that ever Devils committed? for they cannot resist Christs drawing love: O what sweetnesse of strongest and captivating love to see Christ and the tear in his eye, and his face foule with weeping, and his visage more marred then any of the sonnes of men, Esai. 52.14. and a flood of blood on his body, Luk. 22.44. and yet good-will, and joy, and delight to doe and suffer Gods will for us, sitting on his browes, Psal. 40.6.7, 8. Heb. 10.5, 6, 7. Now when Christ is burnt up with love, and sick of tender kindnesse; to cast water on this love by resisting it, is the highest Gospel-sinne that can be, except despiting of the holy Ghost; and a third ground of aggravating to the full, this sinne of resisting Christs drawing,Resisting of Christs drawing of sinners, near to the sin agai…st the holy Gho…t. I take from the judgement and the plague and Gospel-vengeance on such as Christ draweth, and they will not be drawn, and is the sinne of the times; I referre these to two heads.

1. This Gospel despising of Christ now reigning in the Age and Kingdoms that we live in, commeth neare to the borders of the sin against the holy Ghost, for the more men be convinced and enlightned, if they be not drawn to Christ, they are the nearer to this sinne, Heb. 6.4.5. chap. 10.26.27. now may we not think hardly of these who are convinced of p. 461many Gospel-truths, and yet oppose them? doth not Christs love come neare them, and they flye from i…? now but to neighbour or border on the coasts of a sinne, like to the sin against the holy Ghost, may cost men as deare as the loss… of their soule and the next furnace for torment and paine, to these that sinne against the holy G…o…t.

2. The …mporall p…ague tha… comm…th nearest to eternall, is the judgement o… God on the Iewes that refused and resisted Christ; see what exp…ssion is put on the last judgement, that same is on the judgem…nt of Ierusalems destruction for resisting Christ: For 1. Its hell-like, when mothers shall wish their children had never been born; and when they shall as damned in the day of judgement, pray, Mountaines fall on us, and Hils cover us, Luk. 23.29.30.

Vse 2. If Christ draw all men to him, then they are farre wide who think that free-will and morall honesty can bring men to heaven; there be no Moralists in heaven who were pure Moralists on Earth, and had nothing of the Gospel-drawing and of supernaturall work in them; civill Saints can never be glorified Saints; thousands are deceived with this; they think their lamp can shew them light to know the Bride-grooms chamber-doore; but ta…e these for marks of deluded men.

1. Such men will shoot and cry at adultery, as he that took Abrahams Wife from him;Ma…ks of mee… Moralists never drawn to Ch…ist. and a Cain may be madded with murthering his brother; but was Cain touched for Gospel sins? is Judas wakened in conscience for that which is the speciall condemning gospel-sinne, the cause of condemnation and dying in sin, Ioh. 3.36. Ioh. 16.9. chap. 8.24. No, but for murthering his Master; its the light of the Spirit that seeth spirituall sins spiritually.

2. Profession looketh like Paradise and the raine-Bow;Naked pro…ession a vaine thing. its big in its own eyes, and the fairest for variety of coulors; but its a self-plague and doth carry millions of souls to hell without din and noise of feet, its Christ acting judicially on the hypocrite within pistoll shot of a besieged soule, making fire-works under the earth; and when all within are sleeping, Christ springeth a powder-Mine, and burneth up all forward: Gospel-fire-works maketh more then ordinary fury in the soule; open, open to Christ; multiplyed fastings, and p. 462taking Christs crown from him are dreadfull.

3. They had never a sick-night for the want of Christ; Gospel profession is a light to let men see to sinne, a candle to let men see to goe to hell, and lye down in sorrow with art. Ah what comfort is it that I goe to hell, no man seeing me, and by stealth, and my back to the Pit? What a poore comfort to goe to eternall perdition, fasting and praying monthly, multiplying dayes of thanksgiving, and withall plundering Christ of his Royall Crown, following the sinnes of Prelates whom God cast out before us, exercising rapine, and unjustice, giving new lawes to Christ, and planting plants, which God will root out? The manner of perishing is a poor acc…d…nt of death. O but heart-boyling of love, a faint pulse, a pale and a lean sinner dying for the absence of Christ, no man but the Spirit and Physitian knowing what ails h…m, are sweet diseases; let the love of Christ abs…nt be in the mans soule a deep river: how sweet were it to be drowned in …hat river, and to die an hundreth deaths in one day, because he whom the soule loves, is gone away? O watchmen know you not where he is? O daughters of Ierusalem, can you tel him that I am sick of love? O shepheards, where is Christs Tent? where dwels he? what is profession to this? a shadow, a straw, nothing, vanity.

4 What a decitfull thing is it make free-will the great Idoll, and to hire an house in heaven, for the income and rent of merit? can it be imagined that the love of Christ can be hired? so much as it should have of hire, so much it should want of free-love; how can the heart of God be taken with the merit of man? grace is the floure, and the freenesse of grace like the beautifull bloome of the floure; and this freenesse is so taking that it layes bands and chaines on the heart; were there a good deserving in the man to buy grace, the cord should be as a single and untwisted thred.Errors of Libe…tins touching free-w…ll.

Vse 3. Christ so drawes all men to him, that drawn mans will is not forced, as we have seene; and therefore Libertines erre fouly, who make the drawn partie, blocks, and stones, and meere patients; hence these positions of Familists and Libertines.

(a)(a)A s…ort Story of the rise, reign and ruine of the Antinomians, &c. error. 1. pag. 1.1. In the saving and gracious conversion of a sinner th… faculties of the soule and working thereof, in things pertaining p. 463to God, are destroyed, and made to cease.

(b)(b)Rise, reign, error. 2. p. ….2. And instead of these the holy Ghost doth come and take place, and doth all the works of these naturall faculties, as t…e faculties of the humane nature of Christ doe.

3. The (c)(c)R…se, reign, error. 7. p. ….new creature, or the new man mentioned in scripture, is not meant of grace, but of Christ.

4. Christ (d)(d)Rise, reign, error, 14. p. 3.worketh in the regenerate, as in those that are dead▪ and not as in those that are alive; or, the regenerate after conversion, are altogether dead to spirituall acts.

5. There (e)(e)Rise, reign, error, 15. p. ….is no inherent righteousn…sse in the Saints, or grace▪ or graces are not in the soules of beleevers, but grace is Christ himselfe working in us; who are meere patients in all supernaturall works.

6. Faith, repentance (f)(f)R…: Town assertion of Grace, p. 11. 12new obedience, are gifts, not graces —all the elect are saved, and receive the Kingdome as little children doe their fathers inheritance passively. Mr Towne saith in Sanctification as well as in justification, we are meere patients, and can doe nothing at all. Assertion of grace, p. 11.68.

7. The Spirit (g)(g)Rise, reign &c. error 18. p. 4.doth not work in Hypocrites by gifts and graces, but in Gods children immediatly.

8. We may not (h)(h)Rise, reign, error, 23. p. ….pray for gifts and graces, but onelyonly for Christ.

9. The efficacy (i)(i)R…se, error, 35 p. 7.of Chirsts death is to kill all activity of Graces in his members, that he might act all in all.

10. All the activity of a (k)(k)Rise, reign, &c. …rror. 36. p. 7.beleever▪ is to act sinne.

11. We are not bound (l)(l)Rise, reign, error, 49. p 9.to keep a constant course of prayer in our families, or privately, unlesse the Spirit stirre us thereunto.

12. If Christ will (m)(m)Rise and reign, uns…ory spech, 4. p. 19.let me sinne, let him look to it, upon his honour be it.

13. The new heart and the walking in (n)(n)D. Crisps Christ alone exalted, ser. 6. of the N. Covenant, pag. 163.164. The life and light of man, ch. 1. pag. 4. The will minde and end of the internall operative Spirit and life is to be a liv…ng active Lord God, in a dead passive creature; as, I live, yet not I but Christ liveth in m….Gods commandements are no conditions of the Covenant of Grace; where is there one word, that God saith to man thou sh…ll doe this? if God had put man upon these things, then they were conditions indeed: but when God takes all upon himselfe, where are then the conditions on mans part? —If there be a condition, he that vndertaketh all things in the covenant must needs be in the fault; if the Lord work not in us a cleane heart, and cause us not walk in his commandements, its then the Lords fault (abs…t blasphemia) if we sinne against the covenant.

p. 46414. The (o)(o)Ro. Towne assertion of Grace, against D. Taylor pag. 47 48, 49.blessednesse of a man, is onelyonly passive, not active in his holy, and unblameable walking.

To the end that these errors may the more fully bee discovered, we are to enquire in these Assertions, what activitie wee have in works of grace.

Asser. 1. In the first moment of our conversion, called actus primus conversionis, What activity we have in our conversion.we are meer patients.

1. Because the infusion of the new heart, Ezech. 36.26. the pouring of the Spirit of Grace and supplication on the familie of David, In our first conversion we are meer patients.Zach. 12.10. and of the Spirit on the thirsty ground, Esai. 44.3. is a work of creation, Ephes. 2.10. Psal. 51.10. a quickning of the dead, Ephes. 2.1.2.3.4. Ioh. 5.25. 2 Cor. 4.6. and the wildernesse is not here a coagent for the causing roses to blossome out of the earth.

2. The effect is not wholly denyed of the collaterall cause, and ascribed wholly to another. If Peter and Iohn draw a ship between them, with joynt strength, you cannot say, the one drew the ship, not the other: But Christ said flesh and blood maketh no revelations of Christ, but his father only, Mat. 16.17. Mat. 11.25.26.27. Iam. 1.18. Ioh. 1.18. Then neither blood, nor the will of man contribute any active in…uence to the first framing of the new birth; nor can clay divide the glory of regeneration, with the God of grace, who maketh all things new.

The naturall powers in our conversion are not destroyed.Asser. 2. The soule or its faculties are not destroyed in conversion: Peters will which he had when he was young, was the same when converted, but renewed, Ioh. 21.18. the Saints that Peter writeth to, are not to …unne to the same excesse of ryot as of old they wrought the will of the Gentiles 1 Pet. 4.3.4. Paul and Titus were the same men, when d…sobedient and ser…ing divers lusts, and when converted, and now washen, regenerat…d, and justified heirs, Tit. 3.1.2.3.4. Paul the same man, a persecuter and an Apostle, but Grace made a change, 1 Cor. 15.9.10. the same minde and spirit remaineth in nature; but they are renewed in the spirit of the minde. Rom. 12.2. Eph. 4.23. It is the same heart, but turned to the Lo…d, 2 Cor. 3.15.16. Christ but removeth the scum, and the drosse, and the false metall,The Grace in us inherent is not the person of the holy Ghost, and frames the man a new vessell of mercy,

Asser. 3. The person of the holy Ghost is not united to the soul of a beleever, nor are there two persons here united or made one Spirit by union of person with person; but the person is said p. 465to come to the Saints, and to dwell with them, and to be in them, Ioh. 14.16.17. and God hath sent the Spirit of his son in our hearts, crying, Abba Father, not that the holy Ghost, in propper person, doth in us formally, and immediately beleeve, pray, love, repent, &c. We being meer patients in understanding, will, affections, memory, as Libertines ▪ teach. But the holy Ghost cometh to the Saints and dwelleth in them, in the spirituall gifts, and saving graces, and supernaturall qualities c…eated in us, by the holy spirit, and acted, excited, and moved, as supernaturall and heavenly habits, to act with the vitall influence of our understanding, will, and affe…ions.

I prove the former part:Henry Nicholas a German, a blasphemous Libertine, saith, c. 34 sent. 10. God hath raised up mee, H. N. the …ast among the the Holy ones of God, which lay altogether dead, and without breath, and life among the dead, from the death, and made me alive through Christ, as als… annointed me with his godly being manned himself with me, and Godded me with him, &c. The holy ghost in person immediately worketh not in the Saints. 1. Because such a union of the person of the holy Ghost in us, beleeving, loving, joying, praying, and immediately in us, were that blasphemous dei-fying and Goding of the Saints, so as beleeving, loving, praying, were not our works, but the immediate acts of the holy Ghost, and either the faint manner of beleeving, or the cold slacked loving, and praying of Saints, or their not beleeving, and sinfull omission of the acts of faith, love, praying rejoycing, could not be more imputed to Saints, as their sinfull defects, and transgressions, (but must be laid on the holy Ghosts score) then we can impute the splitting of a ship, to the ship it self and not to the negligent and willfull pilot who of purpose dashed the vessell on a rock; but we must not in reason blame the ship, but the Pilot; for the losse of the ship, is the onelyonly and proper fault of the man that stirred the ship, and the ship is innocent and harmlesse timber: Now what sinne can be in the Saints in these supernaturall acts, if the holy Ghost immediately in his owne person, stirre the helme, and only, without us, act these in us? we might with as good reason say, the shop that a man worketh in doth make the portrait, which is a great untruth, since the artificer in the shop doth it▪ as say that the Saints doe pray, beleeve, rejoyce, if the holy Ghost immediate…y doe all these in them, as in a shop

2. VponUpon the same ground the Lords coming down and filling Iohn Baptist from his mothers womb, and the Apostles and Steven full of the holy Ghost, should be the holy Ghosts personall filling of them, and his immediate acting in them, without any action of them, in preaching, praying, and their heavenly bold confessing of Christ before men; and there should p. 466be no difference betweene the Ark and Temple of Ierusalem, filled with the immediate presence of God, in the Lords manifestation of his glory there, and these Saints filled with God, in these works of free grace. I shall not beleeve that the person of God, can be said to be united to either Ark, Temple, Apostle, or Martyr; all the union is in the effects and manifestations of graces, or tokens of Divine presence, which are creatures rising and falling with time.

3. That excellent and living …rk, the most glo…ious and admirable thing that heaven hath, the Lord Iesus, is God and man, two nature… united in one person. But both the word of God making that He▪ that same Holy thing, borne of the virgin Mary, the Son of God, Luke 1.5. and that same He, and person who came of the Iewes, according to the fl…sh, to be God blessed for ever. Rom. 9.5. H…br. 7.3. Matth. 16.13.16, and the third generall Councell, called that of Ephesus, and after the counsell of Chalcedone, ver. 4. and 5. doe evidence to us that Christ cannot be two persons as Nestorius dreamed, and one person. Paul spread the Gospel from Jerusalem to Iliricum, about ten hundreth miles. I know not he, but the Grace of God that was with him, 1 Cor. 15.9.10. not hee, but the Lord: True, but the question now is whether Paul and the holy Ghost in all these works of grace, were two persons become one Spirit by union, as some dreamers affirme; because both did the work; I beleeve not: God and cloud… rained down Manna to Israel; O but Christs father, Ioh· 6. gave the Manna, but the question is if the person of God were united with the clouds or any second ca…ses producing Manna; so the Lord maketh rich and poore, killet…, and maketh alive, maketh snow, froast, fair weather, d…outh, and raine, the Sunne to rise, and go downe, and that in his owne person, Father, Sonne, and Spirit; He, he onelyonly made Heaven, Earth, Sea, and all creatures, and the world; foreign Acts 17.25. and foreign Psal. 33.9. doe prove him to be a person who doth all these. But we cannot say that the person of God must be united with Clouds, Ship, Sea, Sunne, Heavens, Men fighting, and Men Saving, and Killing; and that God personally filleth all creatures, only God in the immensitie of …is nature, is all these and every where, and is in them by his operation; so the holy Ghost is with the Saints, and dwelleth in …, not by union of his person to them or the immensitie of p. 467his essence, which is, as David saith, every where, Ps. 139.7. Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? but so he is in Heaven, in Hell, in the Sea. 2. But he dwelleth in the Saints, in regard of the works, operations, gifts, and graces of the holy Ghost.

1. Because the holy Spirit is in them, in that they have in them the fruits of the Spirit, Gal. 5.22. such as love, joy, peace,Reasons proving that the person of the Holy Ghost is not un…ted to our soules, but hee is in us in his operations and his effects of graces and gifts. long suffering, gentlenesse, goodnesse, faith; now these are not the holy Ghost, who is eternall, and God uncreated, but are created in time, out of meer nothing, not out of the potency of the subject, but ere God produce grace, so knotty and so rocky are we, and so contrary to grace, that he must fall upon a new and second creation, Ephes. 2.10. Col. 2.10. Psal. 51.10. the same word that is used for creating heaven and earth, Gen. 1.…. is here used; it is not like the repairing of a fallen house, where the same timber and stones may doe the work, or the repairing of decayed nature, when a healthy body recovereth out of a feaver, Grace is a rare and curious workmanship.

2. We are said to grow in grace, 2 Pet. 3.18. and by grace to increase to the edifying of the body in love, Ephes. 4.16. and to the measure of the stature of the fullnesse of Christ, 13. and to add grace to grace, 2 Pet. 1.5.6.7. and to goe on to perfection, Heb. 6.1. Phil. 3.12. But the person of the holy Ghost, is no… capable of growing, or addition, nor like the morning light, or the New Moone, that can grow and advance in perfection, being God blessed for ever.

3. If there be an union of the person of the Holy Ghost with the soule, and not an in-dwelling by graces, the beleever as a beleever, must live by the uncreated and eternall life of the Holy Ghost, or a created life. Creatum vel increatum dividunt omne ens immediatè, sicut finitum & infinitum: Not the former, neither any man, nor the man Christ can in any capacity be elevated so above it selfe, as to partake of the infinite life of God; how the manhood of Christ partaketh of the personall subsistence of the Godhead, is incomprehensible to me, except that it is not by such a union as my singular nature standeth under personality created, and is by assumption rather then union, how ever if there be an union of the person of the Holy Gho… to our soules, it cannot be conceived, nor doth Scripture speak of it; if the Saints live the life of God, it must be by created Graces, and this is that we conceive.

p. 4684 The person of the Holy Ghost immediatly acting in the Saints, without them or any active and vitall influence of the naturall faculties, cannot be guilty of sinne, because David and Christ are absolved of sinne in this. They l…yd to my charge things that I knew not, that is, things I never acted, crimes in which I had no action or hand: but we are blamed in the word, for all the omissions of holy duties; and the Holy Ghost cannot be blamed, for he bloweth when, and where he listeth, and is under no Law, in his motions of free grace; then he who cannot be blamed in not acting, cannot bee united as one spirit, person with person, with him who is justly to bee blamed in not acting.

Asser. 4 It must evidently follow that there is in the Saints a grace created that is neither Christ,Christ and the inherent grace of Christ i… us are two different things. nor the Holy Ghost in person; for what reason any hath to phancy an union of the person of Christ or the Holy Ghost in the Saints, the same reason have they to say that all the three are united to the person of the beleever in all supernaturall actions, for the Father is said to draw men to the Sonne, Iohn 6.44. and Christ to reveal the Father, and to draw men, Iohn 1.18. Iohn 12.32 and the Holy Ghost to reveal the deep things of God, 1 Cor. 2.10, 11. now all the three in person doe these, but all the three persons are not united to beleevers in person; this were a mystery greater then God manisted in the flesh, and unknown to Scripture.

2. If Christ be all the grace of beleevers, faith in Christ, and the love of Christ, should be Christ.

3. Then should a beleever having a new heart, and a new Spirit, be Christed, or Godded; and God should bee inca… nate in every beleever, and how many Christs should there be? and the new heart in one Saint, and the grace given to Paul, should be the new heart given to Peter, whereas God hath g…ven grace to every man, according to his measure, and there are diversity of gifts, but one Spirit, 2 Pet. 3.15. Phil. 1.9. Eph. 3.3.4.5. … Cor. 12.3, ….5.6. Eph. 4.16.

Grace and ou… free…will are said to act together in a foure-fold s…nse▪Asser. 5. The Grace of God and our free will in a four-fold sense may be said to concurre in the same works of Grace.

1. When free-will receiveth no more from Grace and the Lords drawing, but only literall instruction, and if by our industry an habite of the knowledge of the letter of the word p. 469be acquired, its necessary only to the easier believing, as Pelagius said, I may believe without Preaching the Gospel,Grace is simply necessary in all supernaturall actions. by Reading, but more easily by faire and powerfull preaching, and by grace helping and assisting preaching, but yet without grace, but with greater difficulty, as I may goe a journey on foot, but more easily on horse-back; then a horse is not simply necessary for the journey; and a ship may sail more easily and expeditely with sailes, yet also without sailes with the help of Oars though with more difficulty; thus Christ and his Grace may be spared, we may sail to heaven by natures sweating and free-wils industry, though the sails of grace could more expeditely promove our journey.Golden words and morall swasion cannot give l…fe. Now we think not that Christ draweth when men speak, but the bare letter of the Gospel; and softly requests the dead with only sound of words and syllabls to live, and Orators with golden words doe pray and perswade the blind to see, and the creeples to walk; but its long erre words fetch a soule to dry bones that they may live, or tye the broken eye-strings, or adde vitall power and life to eyes and ankle-bones.

2. Grace and free-will (as Bellarmaine and the rest of the Iesuites with Arminians teach) may be thought to be two joynt causes, the one not depending on the other, as two carrying one stone or burthen, neither he helpeth him, nor he him,Grace and free-will are not two collaterall, and independent causes in the same supernaturall act, as two men drawing a boat. but both joyn their independent strength to one common effect. Bellarmine and Grevinchovius with the like comparisons do prove that▪ we may storm heaven, by the strength of free-w…ll, without dependence on Christ; for three untruths are here taught: 1. That Grace determineth not free-will; a saying destructive to providence; if God determine not all second causes, he is not Master of all events, nor hath he a dominion of providence in all things that fall out, good and evill: 2. Grace doth not begin in all things that concerne salvation, nor doth the Lord work in us to will and to doe; if we will not doe without any prior dependence on the …nfluence of the grace of God, we as much work in our selves willing and doing, as the Lord doth, and the Lord in his grace shall follow, and not lead our will. 3. Grace doth not conferre any help on the will to …ctuate it, and to strengthen it in doing good, in believing, …epenting, loving God, hoping, (as Grevinchovius saith) but will and grace doe both joyntly p. 470meet in one and the same effect, in which 4 Free-will divideth the spoyl with Christ; and what need we say, worthy is the Lamb who has redeemed us, if free-will in the application of redemption share equally with the Grace of Christ?

Free-will in supernaturall a…tio…s not a meer patient, but an Agent.3. The third way is that free-will is said to believe, repent, love God, by a meer extrinsecall denomination…, because it carieth that grace… which formally and only doth perform all these supernaturall actions; so Grace doth all, and free-will is a meer patient that conferreth no vitall subordinate and active influence in these acts; as we say, the Apothecaries glasse healeth the wound, because the oyl in the glasse worketh the cure; when the glasse doth actively contribute nothing to the cure; or the Asse maketh rich, when it carieth the gold that enricheth only; this sense Antinomians hold forth, and make us meer patients, and blocks in the way to heaven, and this sense Jesuites, Martinez de Ripalda de ente su …. 1. d…sp. 29. sect. 1. n. 3.4. Concil. …. sess. 6. c. 5. c. 4.especially Martinez de Ripald… falsly chargeth upon Luther and Calvin; and the Councell of Trent, inspired with the same lying Spirit saith the same.

4. The fourth sense is that Grace and free-will doth work so as Grace is the principall, first inspiring and fountane cause: 1. It being a new supernaturall disposition and habite in the soule, Joh. 14.23. 1 Joh. 2.27. 1 Ioh. 3.9. Ioh. 4.14. Esai. 44.3.4. Ezech. 36.26.27. Deut. 30.6.Free-will an agent acting by the strength of grace in supernaturall actions, and n…t a patient Antinomians dreame. A good treasure or stock of grace, Matth. 12.35. Luk. 6.45. And also actually it determineth, sweetly enclineth and stirreth the will to these acts; yet so as free-will moveth actively, freely, and confe…reth a radicall, vitall, & subordinate influence & is not a meer patient in all these, as Antinomians dream, Psal. 119.32. I will run the way of thy Commandements, when thou shall enlarge my heart, Ioh. 14.12. he that believeth in me, the works that I doe, he shall doe, and greater then these, Matth. 12.50. He that doth the will of my heavenly Father, the same is my brother, &c. 1 Cor. 9.24. So runne, that ye may obtaine, Revel. 2.2. I know thy works and thy labour, 1 Thess. 1.3. Remembring without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of Hope: 1. We are not dead in supernaturall works, and meer blocks, Rom. 6.11. Wee are alive unto God in Iesus Christ, Ephes. 2.1. He hath quickned us, Revel. 2.3. For my names sake thou hast laboured, and had not fainted, 1 Cor. 15.58. Be ye steadfast, p. 471unmoveable, alwayes aboundant in the work of the Lord▪ there is activity in the Spirit to lust against the flesh, Gal. 5.17. Rom. 7.15. Nor is the blessednesse of the Saints only passive in receiving:The blessedn…sse of the Saints acti…e and not passive only as Antin…mians say. though to be just…fied and receive Christs righteousnesse, be the fountain blessednesse, Psal. 32.1. Rom. 4.6.7. Gal. 3.13. But the Scripture speaketh of a true and solide blessednesse in action, Psal. 119.1. Blessed are the undefiled in the way, Esai. 56.2. Blessed is the man that doth this, Iam. 1.12. Blessed is the man that endureth temptation, Psal. 119.2. Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, Psal. 106.3. Blessed are they that keep judgement, Revel. 22.14. Blessed are they that doe his Commandements, Math. 5. Blessed are they that mourn, that hunger and thirst; Then there must be a part of blessednesse in sanctification, as in justification; though the one be the cause, the other the effect.

Asser. 6. The Lords working in us the condition of the Covenant of Grace, such as faith is, by his efficacious grace, doth not free us from sinne, when we believe not, nor involve God in the fault, when he worketh not in us to believe, as Crispe imagineth;D. Crispe Serm. 6. pag. 160. Here let me by the way remove the arguments of Dr Crispe by the which he imagineth, that there is no condition at all in the covenant of grace.

Argum. 1. The Covenant should not be everlasting, if it depended on a condition of faith to be performed by us; for wee faile in our performances daily, and the Covenant is anulled and broken so soone as the condition is broken.

Ans. …. We speak not so, that the Covenant of grace depends on a condition in us; dependency includes a causality in that of which the thing has de…endency, we know nothing in us, either faith, or any other thing that is the cause of the covenant of grace, or of the fulfilling of it: a cause is one thing, a condition caused by grace is an other thing; for the pe…p…uity of the covenant there is not requi…ed a condition always in act. 1. If at the eleven…h or at the twelf houre, you come to Chri…t, the nature of this covenant promiseth you welc…me. 2. Particular failings and acts of unbeleif, doe well consist with the habite and stock of faith that remaineth in him that i… borne … God, … is the act so tyed to a time. But 3. There is, by …enuure of …he Covenant, a Priviledge twofold here. 1. If by the Law a man step a haire-breath wide off p. 472the way, the doore of Paradise is bolted on him, and in againe can he never enter, hee must seek another entery, the man has done with heaven that way, the law knoweth not such a thing as repentance;Comfortable differences between the Law and the Cov… nant of Grace. but the Covenant of grace being made with a sinner, a slip, an act of unbeliefe doth not forfeit the mercy of this covenant. But Christ saith, if you fall, there is place to rise againe; if you sin, there is an Advocate, there is a blood of an eternall covenant; the covenant stands still to make up roome for repeated grace, for a thred, and continued tract of free-grace and mercy all along that your foot never go out of the traces of renewed pardon, while you be in heaven: though the child of God ought not to sinne, yet can he not out-sin the eternity of the new covenant, nor can he sin an eternall priest out of heaven. 2. The Law requireth a stinted measure of obedience, even to the superlative, with all the soule, and the whole strength; any lesse is the forfeiting of salvation. But the covenant of grace stinteth no weak soule, Christ racketh not, nor doth he (as it were) play the extortioner, and say, either the strongest faith, or none at all; he maketh not Abrahams foot a measure to every poor sinner; many smoaking flaxes, and broken reeds on earth are now up before the throne; mighty Cedars, high, tall, green, planted on the banks of the river of life; if Adam bee the first in Heaven, what though I be the last that enter in, though I close the doore in the lowest roome, so I see the throne, and him that sits on it, it is enough to me.

2. Arg. All the tie of the covenant lyeth on God, not any on man, D… Crispe, 2. arg.as bond or obligation for the fulfilling of the covenant, or partaking of the benefits thereof, Heb. 8.10. Ezech. 36.25.26. Jer. 1. the Lord promiseth to doe all and the new heart is but a consequent of the covenant; where is thee in all this covenant, one Word that God sayes to man, Thou must do this? If God had put man on these conditions, then they were conditions indeed: But when God takes all upon himself, where are then the conditions on Mans part? Give me leave; suppose there should be a fault of performing in this covenant: whose were the fault? must not the fault or failing be in him who is tyed and bound to every thing in the covenant, and saith, he will do it? If there bee a condition, and there should be a failing in the condition, he that undertaketh all things in the covenant must needs be in the fault, — God saith p. 473not, make your selves cleane; get you the Law of God in your mind, get you power to walk in my Statutes, and when you doe this, then I will be your God, and enter in Covenant with you.

Answ. 1. We never teach that the making to our selves a new heart is an antecedent condition required before the Lord can make the New-Covenant with us, as this m…n would charge Protestant Divines, but that it is a condition required in the party covenanting; which is conditio federatorum, nonfederis, and such a condition without which its unpossible they can fulfill the other condition which is to believe and so lay hold on the Covenant: but it is clear, Antinomians think the new heart no inherent grace in us, but that Christ is grace working immediately in us as in stones, and the new heart is justification, without us in Christ only: let Crispe shew where the making of a new heart is commanded to us as a consequent and an effect of the Covenant; surely the new heart, the washing of us with cleane water, be it an antecedent, or be it a consequent of the Covenant of Grace, it is a promise that God doth freely and of meere grace undertake to perform in us, Ezech. 36.26. A new heart will I give you, so Ier. 32.39, 40. Ier. 31.33. E…ech. 11.19.20. Esa. 54.13. Ioh. 6.45. Ezech. 36.32. Not for your sakes, doe I this, saith the Lord God, be it known unto you; be ashamed and confounded for your own wayes, O house of Israel, ver. 22. I doe not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy names sake, which yee have prophaned amongst the heathen, whether ye went; and Crispe saith the Covenant in the old Testament had annexed to it divers conditions, of legall washing and sacrifices, whereas the New Covenant under the New Testament is every way of free grace: He is farre wide; conditions wrought in us by grace, such as we assert, take not one jot or title of the freedome of Grace away, and though there be major gratia a larger measure of grace under the New Testament, yet there is not magis gratia, Grace in the old and New Testament the same grace in nature and essence, but different in degrees.there is no more of the essence of free-grace in the one, then in the other; for all was free grace to them, as to us; why did the Lord enter in Covenant w…th the Iewes more then with other Nations? Deut. 7.7. The Lord loved you because he loved you. Was Ierusalem, Ezech. 16. holier then the Ephesians, Eph. 2. No, their nativity was of the land of Canaan, their Father an Amorite, their Mother an Hitti…e, Ezech. 16.5. Thou wast p. 474cast out in the open field, to the loathing of thy person, in the day that thou wast borne, ver. 6. And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said to thee in thy blood, live ▪ And to cause grace have a deeper impression and sinking down into the hearts bottome, he repeateth it againe, I said unto thee in thy blood, live; And will Crispe say, that this i… not a history of free grace, as farre from bribe or hire of merit… as in the world? or, will he say, it was Gods meaning, First, wash you with holy water, and sacrifice to me, and performe all these legall conditions to me while you are Amorites and Hittites by kinde, and that being done, He enter in Covenant with you, when yee have done your work, He pay your wages, and be your God.

2. This Argument militateth strongly against every Gospel duty, and the whole course of Sanctification. God must so be the cause & only cause of all our sinfull omissions, & sins under the Covenant of grace, in that he promiseth to work in us to will and to do, & to give us grace to abstain frō sin, but does not stand to his word as Antinomians teach, which is an Argument unanswerable to me, that its the minde of Antinomians that no justified person can sinne, but that they omit good, or commit ill, God is in the fault, not they; and that the justified are meer blocks in all the course of their sanctification; in all the sins they doe, they are patients; God should more carefully see to his own honour, and not suffer them to sinne; so they and the old Libertines goe on together. For say, that the new heart, that to will and to doe, to persevere stedfastly in the Grace of God, were no conditions of the Covenant (sure believing in the Lord Iesus is clearly a condition of the righteousnesse of faith, as doing is of the righteousnesse which is of the Law, Rom. 10.3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Gal. 4.22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28) say that to repent, pray, love God, and serve him, were not from God through the tye of the New-Covenant, yet Gods promise, his single word when he saith he will doe such and such things, is as strong a tye as his Covenant and oath, when he knoweth its unpossible these things that he saith he will doe, can be done, except he, of his meer grace, work, them in us. Now the Lord clearely promiseth, that he will give repentance, Act. 5.31. Sorrow for sinne, the Spirit of grace and supplication, Zach. 12.10. a circumcised heart to love and serve the Lord, Deut. 30.6. Ezech. 36.26. perseverance in Grace, Ier. p. 47532.40, 41. Esai. 54.10. chap. 59.20.21. Psal. 1.3. Joh. 4.14. chap. 10.28. Phil. 1.6. Ephes. 5.26.27. 1 Ioh. 2.1.The justified cannot sinne, according to the doctrine of Libertines. Then let D. Crispe or any Libertine say, when the Saints sinne, in not praying, in not sorrowing for sin, in not willing, and doing, in their sinnes and falls in their Christian race to heaven, let me speak in the words of Crisp, whos fault is it, or failing not to perform the word, or promise of God? God undertaketh by promise, yea by his simple word, to fulfill what he promiseth, and saith he will work all these in us, yea to will and to doe; Ergo, if it be not done, the fault cannot be mans, but it must be, (which I abhorre to writ or speak) the Lords.

3. God takes all upon himselfe, in genere causae gratiosae, Liberrimae, independentis, primae, non obligatae ad agendum ex ullae lege; in the kind of a cause that worketh by meer grace, freely, Indepdenently, without any Law above him to obliege him to doe otherwise with his own, then he freely willeth, decreeth, promiseth; for men carnally divide Gods decree, which is most free, from his promise which is as free as his decree… but it followeth in no sort, as Arminians and Jesuites object to us; therefore men who doe not believe, pray, walk holily, are not in the fault, being under a Law to obey; for sinnefull inability to obey can ransome no man from the obligation of obedience; and most blasphemous it is, that because, God undertaketh in the Covenant, that we shall walk in his commandements, as he doth promise, Ezech. 36.27. and that we shall feare him, Ier. 32.39.40. That God should therefore be in the fault, and we free of all fault, when in many particulars we offend all. Iam. 3.2. and we fear not God, in this or this sinne; as is possible and may be gathered from Iosephs speech to his brethren; who sayes he would not wrong them, for he feared God; and Iobs word,God never promised in his Covenant, to keep the Saints from these particular sins they fall in, nor are these such sins as break, farre lesse anull the Covenant of grace. that he durst not dispise the cause of his servant, because he was affraid of God. Yet God promiseth, that he will keep Ioseph, Iob and all the elect in the way of Gods Commandements, that they shall not fully fall away from him: God never by promise, covenant, oath, or word, undertaketh o keep his elect from this or this particular breach and act of unbeliefe, against the Covenant of grace.

4. The fault against the Gospel or any sin in a believer must justly be imputed to him, because he is tyed by the Evangelick Law not to sinne in any thing, the Gospel granteth pardons, p. 476but not dispensations in any sins; and it can in no sort bee imputed to God, because if any believer fall in a particula… sin or act of unbeliefe against the covenant of grace, the Lord neither decreed, nor did ever undertake by Covenant or promise to keep him, by his effectuall grace from falling in that sinne; for the Lord would then certainly have keeped him, as he did Peter, and doth all the Elect that are effectually called, that in mighty temptations their faith faile them no…. Nor is the act of believ…ng, that is wanting in that particular fall, such a condition of the Covenant as Christ either promised to work,Faith is a condition of the Covenant, but not this …r that particular act of faith which wee ought to perform, when we misbel…ve God. or the necessary condition of the Covenant of Grace, or such a condition the want whereof doth annull and make voyde the eternall Covenant of grace.

5. I here smell in Antinomians, that God must bee in fault, as the author of our unbelief, our stony hearts, our walking in our fleshly wayes, because God hath promised to give us faith, and a heart of flesh, to walk in his wayes, as the old Libertines said God was the principall and chief cause of sin, and that God did all things, both good and ill, the Creatures did nothing. So Calvine in ins…itut. adversus Libertines, chap. 14. in opus. pag. 446. Mr. Archer down right saith, God is the authour of sin. what end is there of er…ing, if God leave us? It is true, the tie, and all the tie of giving a new heart, and the Spirit of grace and supplication lieth on the Lord who promised so to do, Deut. 30.6. Ezech. 11.19.20. chap. …6.26.27. Ier. 31.33. 34.35.36. But yet so that we are under the obligation of divine precepts to doe our part, Ezech. 18.31. make you a new heart and a new Spirit for why will ye die, O house of Israel? Ier. 4.4. Circumcise your selves to the Lord, and take away the fore-skinne of your heart, Ephes. 4.23. be renewed in the Spirit of your mind, Rom. 12.2. Rom. 13.14. and 1 Thessal. 5.17. pray without ceasing, Psal. 50.15. Call upon mee. Matth. 26.41. Watch and pray: Therefore all the tie and obligation of what ever k…nd cannot so free us from sinfull omissions, nor can the tye ly on God; evangelick commandments are accompanied with grace to obey & grace layeth a tie on us also to yeeld obedience.The Covenant of grace is …ot formally the love of God but flowes from the love of God.

6. Its a foule and ignorant mistake in Crispe to make the Covenant nothing but that love of God to man, which hee cast on man before the Children had done good or evill, Rom. 9.1. That love is eternall and hath no respect to faith as to a condition, but p. 477its not the covenant it selfe, because it is the cause of the covenant. 2. To the love of election, there is no love, no work, no act of beleeving required on our part; Yea, no mediator, no shedding of blood; wee are loved with an everlasting love, before all these; but the covenant though as decreed of God, it be everlasting, (as all the works of creation and divine providence which fall out in time,The love of God is prior to our faith, to redemption, to a M…di… or, o… shedding of blood. and have beginning and end are so everlasting, for God decreed from eternity that they should be) yet it is not in being formally while it bee preached to Adam after his fall, and there is required faith on all the Saints part, to lay hold on the Covenant, Esai. 56.4. and to make it a covenant of peace to the Saints in particular. 2. Faith is the condition of the covenant. 3. Christ the mediator of it. 4. Christs blood the seal of it. 5. The Spirit must write it in our heart: But the love of election is a compleat free, full love, before our faith, or shedding of blood, or a mediator be at all.

Object. We are not saved, nor justified, nor taken in Covenant by faith, as a work, (saith Crispe for then we should not bee saved by grace; and grace should not be grace; but wee are justified by faith, that is, by that Christ which faith knoweth, according to that, by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justifie many; therefore faith is no condition of this covenant.

Answ. The contrary rather followeth: 1. Seeing Crisp: doth say, none under heaven can bee saved till they have believed; We are not taken in covenant by faith; neither wee nor scripture speak so; taking us in covenant is before wee can beleeve, but we lay hold on Christ, and righteousnes by faith, not as a work, but a necessary condition required of us. 2. I leave it to the consideration of the Godly; if beleeving in him who just…fieth the ungodl… be no condition; (a work justifying, I do not think it) but onelyonly I beleeve and know that Christ justified me before I beleeved, from eternity, as some say; when I was conceived in the womb, …s Crispe sai…h; and that the threatning, he that believeth not, i… condemned already, To beleeve is not to … was justif…ed, e…e …ver I beleeved.carries this sence, he that believeth not that he is not condem…d, hee is already condemned: Who can believe such toyes?

2. Beleeving is a receiving of Christ, Ioh. … Christs dwelling in the heart Ephes. 3.17. Then to …, must bee to know that Christ was in mee, before I beleeved, and tha… I p. 478received him from eternity, or from my conception.

3. To beleeve maketh mee a sonne borne, not of flesh and blood, Ioh. 1.12.13. and Gal. 3.26. and by faith wee receive the Spirit: This then must be nothing else but I know by the light of faith, I was a sonne before, and had received the Spirit, before I beleeved: What more absurd?

4. And by faith I live not, Christ liveth in mee, and I am crucified and mortified; that is, by faith I know that I did live the life of God, and was crucified to the world; whereas I was dead in sinnes, before I beleeved.

5. And because beleeving is somewhat more then a naked act of the mind, it being a fiduciall adherence unto, and an affiance, acquiescence, & heart-relyance, & staying on Christ, or a rolling of our selves on God for salvation, as is clear in the originall holy languages of scripture, Psal. 18.18. Esai. 26.3. Psal. 112.8. Esai. 10.21. Mich. 3.11. Psal. 22, 8. Psal. 55.22. 1 Pet. 5.7. Cant. 8.5. Ioh. 1.12. Its too hungry a notion of faith, to make it nothing but a knowing of that which really was before; for heart-adherence is not an act of the mind, and so not an act of knowledge, but of the will and affection, in which there is no act of knowledge formally, though it presuppose an act of knowledge.

6. Then wicked men must be in their sinnes, not justified in his blood, because they will not know that Christ dyed for them in particular, and that Christ bore their sinnes on the crosse, and justified and pardoned them long agoe, all which to beleeve is to hold a lye in the right hand. But to returne.

Asser. 7. How the Lord worketh in us to will and to do, the power and the act, and yet we are guilty in our omissions of good, or in our sinfull and remisse manner of working with the grace of God, is a point more mysterious, then I dare undertake to explaine, if these may give light, I offer them to the Reader.

Grace changeth both the principles, the action and the State.Posit. 1. Grace, free-grace, is the great and Master-wheele, that carrieth about heart, senses, foot, and hand, & not that only, but seede and tree and fruit, the flower, the principle dependeth necessarily on free grace; and for a third, the state and condition is higher then either principle or seed, or fruit; to bee an heir of glory, is more then a supernaturall principle of gift, and p. 479more then one single action above nature: Grace must make the principle gratious, and grace must inact and quicken the principle to bring forth, and graces policie makes naturall men, citizens of heaven, sonnes of God, heirs of life, Ioh. 1.12.13. Gal. 4.4.5.

Positi. 2. This must stand as a ground, that there is not any gracious act performed by the members,The head of grace acteth in all the members, & moves their naturall faculties. but the head Christ, is so interessed in it, that as even the finger and toe, in the naturall body, cannot stirre without the motion takes its beginning from life, and head, so neither can the mysticall body or any joynt or member of it, act or move in its supernaturall or be of grace, but every individuall act of grace must pay the rent of glory, to the mysticall head, whose predeterminating influence does act and stirre the ship; for Christ is not only the compasse, and day-Starre, according to which spirituall motions are directed, and hand and finger, foot, and all see with the visive power seated in the head, (for they have no facultie of seeing in themselves) and the Saints in these actions stirre with the light, in the two eyes, or seven eyes and lamps that are in the head Christ, but also the real motions of grace in their physicall, as well as in their morall sphere are shapen and acted by Christ▪ It is not much, (though it be a wonder) that a huge great ship made up of so many peeces of dry and dead timber can move regularly through so many circles, compasses, turnings of many coasts, countreyes, change of windes, ten thousand miles, to a certain herbrie, when timber is acted and moved with the borrowed art and reason of a man stirring the helme; so there is a foreign, a reason, a wisdom in him, who is made our wisdome, to act the Saints in their heaven-ward motion, that are carried through so many sea-circles, turnings, contrary windes of temptations, afflictions, various soule-dispensations of sweet and sowre, absence, presence, going and coming again, of Christ, to such a determinate home as heaven, for the Father must thank the stires-man Christ, his sonne, that the broken bark and all his poore friends are landed, with the borrowed art of Christ, and no more thanks and praise to us,The actuall influence of g…ace, is most necessarie to every act above nature. then to dead timber. That we should be foreign to the praise of his glory, Ep. 1.12. as if our passive being (it is a borrowed expression, for we are coagents with, and under Christ, in the work) were destinated to the praise of the glory of his p. 480grace; but wee are so drawne as Christ is great Lord, moderator, and authour, and God in the second and new world of grace, as God creator is in all actions of nature, Ioh. 15.5. without mee, (as your vine tree, in whom you grow, and a stock in whom you bring forth fruit, every blossome of of life, every apple) yee can do nothing, Phil. 2.13. For it is God that worketh in you to will and to doe, according to his good pleasure, 2 Cor. 13.3. Since ye seek a proof of Christ speaking in me, which to you ward is not weak, but is mighty in you; then every word that Paul spoke, Christ in him spoke it not formally, as if Paul had been a m…er patient, but efficaciously, Rom. 15.18. for I will not dare to speak of any of these things which Christ hath not wroughtly me, to make the Gentiles obedient by word and deed, Esa. 27.3. I the Lord doe keep (the Church the garden of red wine) I will water it every moment, lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day; keeping and watering every moment, is grace actuall every moment to make his tender Vines grow, and preserving his own from succumbring under every temptation.

2. There were no ground for Adams thankfulnesse and praise, that he stood one moment, or that he gave names to every thing according to their nature, or ever heard with patience the command of God, thou shall not eat, if in every act of obedience, he had not need of the actuall predeterminating influence of God, nor were there ground for this prayer in faith, and in patient submission to God, as to one to whom we owe the prayses of the not failing of our faith, Lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil, nor were there 3 any glory due to Christs advocation and intercession, that we fall not fully▪ and finally off Christ and from Christ; and the state of Grace, when we are tempted, if free-will, not the actuall influence of predeterminating grace did keep the Saints, and stirre them to every act.

3. Who is the Author and finisher of our faith? Christ; and who perfecteth the good work once begun, but Christ? and who but he bringeth many children to glory? Not we, when 1the soule is distempered under desertion; the soule is so tender and excellent a piece,Christ only, not a creature, Man or Angel can calme a s…ule-feaver of desertion. love so curious and rare a work of Christ, that let all the Angels in heaven Seraphims, and Dominions, and Thrones set their shoulders and strength together, they cannot with Angell-tongues, (let them speak heaven, and Christ, p. 481and glory) calme a soul-feaver, and words of silk, and oyle dropped from the clouds, cannot command the love-sicknesse of a sad soule. Will ye look to heaven, while your sight faile, and weep out two eys while Christs time come, you cannot find ease for a broken spirit; when Christ breaketh, can Angels make whole? The conscience is a hell-feaver, the comforter is gone; can you wi…h a nodde bring the physitian back againe? can golden words charme and calme a feaver of hell? can you with all the love-waters on earth quench a coale of fire that came from heaven? Send up to heaven a Mandate against the decree and dispensation of God, if you can; if the gates of death can open to thee; or if thou hast se…ne the doores of the shaddow of death; or can doe such great works of creation, as to lay the corner-stone of the earth, or hang the world on nothing, which Iob could not doe, chap. 37. chap. 38. But who can command soule-furies? onelyonly onelyonly Christ.

The soule is downe amongst the dead, wandering from one grave to another. Can you make a dead Spirit, a Gospel-harp to play on of the springs of Zion, the songs of the holy Ghost? Christ can doe it. Can you cry, and finde obedience to your call, O North, O South winde blow upon the Garden? Christ hath his owne winde at command; hee is master of his owne mercies: Can you prophecie to the winde to come, and breathe on dead bones? Christ onelyonly can: Can you breathe life, soule, and five senses on a coffin? could you make way for breathing in the narrow and deep grave, when clods of clay closeth the passage of the nostrils? Christ can; Isai. 26.19. Thy dead men shall live, together with my body they shall arise▪ awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust, for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead. Can you draw the virgins after the strong and delitio…s smell of the ointments of Christ? but if he draw, the virgings …unne after his love, Cant. 1.3. Christ indictes warre, are you a creator to make peace? he cryes Hell, and wrath; can you speak joy, and consolation? are you an anti-creator, to undoe what Christ does? Christ commandeth fury against a people, or person; can men,The Lords deniall of grace falls under a threefold consideration. can angels, can heaven countermand?

Position. 3. The Lords suspending of his grace cometh under a twofold consideration. 1. As the Lord denyeth it to his p. 482own children. 2. As to wicked men also. As he witholdeth grace, especially actuall and predeterminating: It falleth under a threefold respect; 1. As it is a work of the free and good pleasure and Soveraignty of God.

2. As it is a punishment of former sinnes.

3. As from it resulteth our sinne, even as the night hath its being from the absence of the Sunne; Death from the removall of life.

4. The Lords denyall of Grace, is seene most eminently in two cases:Asser. 1. In the parting asunder of the two decrees of election and reprobation.

2. In Gods, with drawing of himselfe and his assistance, in the case of …ying the Saints.

In the former the Lord has put forth his soveraigntie in his two excellentest creatures: Angels and men; if wee make any cause in the free-will of Angels: I speak of a separating and discriminating cause,The freedome of grace evidenced highly in Ang…ls. wh… some Angels did stand, and never sinne, some fall, and become divels, wee must deny freedom of Gods grace in the predestination of Angels: now the Scripture calleth them Elect Angels; how then came it that they fell not? from fre-will? No; Angels are made of God, and for God, and to God; then by the Apostles reason, they could not give first to God, to ingage the Almighty to a recompence, they could not first set their free-will to work their owne standing in Court, before God did with his grace separate them from Angels that fell, Rom. 11.36. Esai. 40.13. 2. Make an election of Angels, as the Scripture doth, when some are called Elect Angels, and some not, then it must bee an Election of grace; an election of works it cannot be; because Angels must glory in the Lord ▪ that they stand, when others fell, Rom 4.2. as men do Proverb. 16.4. Ier. 9.23.24. 2 Cor. 10.17. Rom. 11.…6. for no creature, Angels or Men, can glory in his sight; for Angels are for him, and of him, as their last end, and first Authour, Rom. 11.36. then they gave not first to God, to ingage the Lord in their debt, vesr. 35. for if so, then glory should be to the Angels: but now upon this ground, that none can ingage the Lord in their debt, Paul, vesr. 36 saith to him be glory for ever; because none can give to him first, and all are for him, and of him; then so are Angels.

3. Angels are associated in the Element and orbe of free p. 483grace to move as men, with graces wings, to fly over the Lake prepared for the divel and his Angels, whereas others fell in; otherwise Christ the Lord Treasurer of free grace, cannot bee the head of Angels, Col. 2.9. as of men, Col. 1.8. Ephes. 1.20.21.22 23. for as art, not nature, can prevent a dangerous feaver, by drawing blood, or some other way, even as the same art can recover a sick man out of a feaver, whereas another sick of that same disease, yet wanting the helpe of art, dieth: So the same free grace in nature, speece, and kinde, not free will, hinde… the elected Angels to fall, where as by constitution of na…u…e and mutabilitie, being discended of that first common po…r … …ase house, the first spring of all the creation of God, meere and simple Nothing, the mother of change and of all defects naturall, and morall, in every the most excellent creature; th…y were as an humorous grosse body, in which the vessells are full and in a neerest propension to the same feaver that devils fell into, even to the ill of the second death, if the grace of God had not prevented them.

2. In men, God has declared the deep Soveraignty and dominion of free grace in calling effectually one man, Iaakob, not Esau, Peter, not Iudas, in having mercy, in time, on whom hee will, and hardening whom hee will; I humbly provoke all Arminians, all Libertines who dash themselves, the contrary way against the same stone, to show a reason why one obeyeth and actively joyneth with the draught and pull of the right arme of Iesus Christ, Ioh. 12.32. and his father,The freedome of grace is evidenced in the conversion of one man, not of another. Ioh. 6.44. and another refuseth, and actively and wilfully withdraweth from the call of God, if the omnipotency of never enough praised grace, bee not the cause, the adequate, highest, and principall cause; I deny not but corrupt and rebellious will is the inferiour, culpable, and onelyonly culpable and morall cause why Judas denyeth obedience to the holy call of Christ.