A Short and Sure Way to Grace and Salvation, Section 21 – Section 23
Sect. XXI.
But alas, ſay what can be ſaid! carnall men (who love their ſins, better then their ſouls) will anſwer all, yea conſute whatever can be alleaged, with God is mercifull; Or in caſe that will not ſerve, yet they have another ſhift, or rather the enemy of mankind, will furniſh them with an …vaſion, telling them that they have a ſtrong faith, good hearts, and mean well: they repent of their ſins, have as good wiſhes and deſires as can bee, are elected, hope to go to heaven as well …s the beſt, &c. But to every of …heſe, I anſwer.
Firſt, true faith purifieth the heart, and worketh by love, conſumeth our …o …ptions, and ſanctifieth the whole man throughout, ſo that our faith to God, is ſeen in our faithfulneſs to men; our inviſible belief, by our viſi…le life.
… holineſs are as inſeparable, as life and motion, the Sun and light, …, ice, and coldneſs, the ſp…ing and greenneſs, the roſe and ſweetneſ…, … and …ardneſs, criſtall and cleerneſs, pitch and foulneſs, hony and ſweetneſs. Again, faith believeth the threats of the Word; together with the promiſes: Now thou who pretendeſt belief in the promiſes, ſhew my thy belief in the threatnings. For did'ſt thou believe the truth of thoſe menaces, which God hath denounced againſt unclean, coveteous, am…itious, unjuſt, envious, malicious perſons, and ſuch like ſinne…: how du…ſt thou then ſo wallow in theſe ſins, …hat if God inſtead of Hell, had promiſed Heaven as a reward unto them; thou couldeſt not do more then thou doſt. Why ſhouldeſt thou deceive thy ſelf with an opinion of faith? when indeed thou believeſt not ſo much as the Devill does; for hee believs [namely the threatnings of the Word] and …rem…les for horror, Jam. 2. but thou goeſt on in ſin, even mocking at the menaces; and in the infidelity of thy heart, giveſt them the …ve, ſaying; no ſuch thing ſhall befall thee. But Invadunt urbem, ſomno vino…u… ſepultam; when they ſhall ſay peace and ſafety, then cometh on them ſudden deſtruction, 1 Theſ. 5. 3.
Though theſe perſecutors of Chriſt, and murtherers of the Lord of life, were the Devills children; as they were plainly told by tru…h it ſelf, John 8. 44. yet they moſt confidently believed, and stiffly maintained, that God was their father, ver. 41. And to will the wo…ſt of men in theſe days, ſuch as do nothing but ſin, and make others ſin, ſuch as glory in, and maintain their ſins.
Again, as faith is wrought by Gods Spirit: ſo where it is wrought, it brings forth the fruits, of the Spirit, mentioned, Gal. 5. 22. 23. whereas preſumption, as it is of the fleſh; ſo it b…ings forth the fruits of the fleſh, ver. 19. 20. 21.
But it is very eaſie to believ, thinks the ſenſualiſt; yes, but why? Satan troubles not ſuch, for then hee who begot this preſumptious faith in him, ſhould be divided againſt himſelf. Nay Satan confirm… him in this his deceit. Beſides this is a ſure rule, that that perſwaſion only, which follows sound humiliation, is faith: that which goes before i… is preſumption. And as Ambroſe ſpeaks, no man can repent of ſin, but hee that believs the pardon of ſin: nor none can believe his ſins are pardoned, except hee hath repented. Beſides how eaſie a matter ſoever thou thinkeſt it is to believe: hee that goes about it, ſhall find it as hard a work to believ the Goſpell, as to keep the Law; and onelyonly God muſt inable to both, and yet ſo far as wee come ſhort of either, ſo far forth wee have juſt cauſe to bee humbled; if wee conſider how God at firſt made us, and how wofully wee have unmade our ſelves. But
Sect. 22.
Secondly, as for their good hearts and meanings, they may think what they will; but every wiſe …an knows; that the outward actions declare the inward intentions. A good converſion is proved by a good converſation.
The…e is no heart made of fleſh, which at ſome time or other …elents not; even … and marble, will in ſome weather ſtand or drops. Men may flatter God with their mouthes, and wit… t…ei… tongues diſſemble with him; when their hearts are not upright with him, Pſal. 78, 3…. 37. and indeed they whoſe words and dee…s are faulty and evill; and yet plead the goodneſs of their hearts towards God: are like malefactors, who being convinced of theſ…, or the like naughtineſs, by plain evidence to their faces, do appeal to the teſtimony of ſuch perſons for their purgation, as they know cannot bee found. And in caſe the hearts of ſuch men could bee ſeen of others, as their works and words are, their hearts would appear worſt of all, as they do to God, who ſeeth them. Nor is any evill in the mouth or hand, which was not in the heart firſt of all, as the ſtream in the fountain. And let a vici…us man boaſt never ſo much of his good heart; I will as ſoon believ him that ſaith he hath the Philoſophers ſtone… and yet lives like a beggar: which two hang together like a ſick mans dream.
Wee have good hearts, and mean well; alaſs poor ignorant ſouls! for every drop of wickedneſs that appears in the life, there is an ocean in the heart. The heart of man is deceitfull above all things: and while hee thinks there is no deceit in it, even in that hee is moſt of all deceived. S…nners are like that peremptory Sexton, that ſaid, howſoever the day goes, I am ſure the clock goes rig…t. So that the Spaniſh Proverb does every way pleaſe mee: defienda medios demio, God defend mee from my ſelf.
Carnall men, are apt to boaſt of the goodneſs of their hearts: but a mans heart is as arch a traitor, as any hee ſhall meet withall … truſt it too much, and know it too little, is it fared with Leah, Gen. 30 18. and Hazaell 2 Kings 8. 12. 13. and Peter, Mat. 26. 33 Luke 22. 32. Mark 14. 29. And thoſe Jews, Act. 2. 36. … all this they will acknowledge in the end; yea, prove by experience, that Heaven is full of good works; Hell of good wiſhes; and that the fetters whi…h ſin makes, it must wear.
Sect. XXIII.
Thirdly, touching their repentance, my anſwer is True repentance for ſin, is a turning from every ſin, to the contrary good. In all true repentance is a change, both in the judgment from error to tru…h, and in the will from evill to good, and in the affections from loving evill, and hating good; to love good and hate evill; in the whole man from darkneſs to light, and from the power of Satan unto God. Without which change, no repentance, no being ſaved: The two main and eſſentiall parts of repentance are contrition or humiliation, and converſion or reformation. It is not true repentance, except humiliation and reformation go both together: for either of theſe ſingle make but a half, or halting repentance. An unreformed ſorrow, is but deformed: and a ſorrow leſs reformation, is but a very ſorry one. Humitation without reformation, is a foundation without a building: and reformation without humiliation, is a building without a foundation. Judas was grieved for murthering Chriſt, yet no change followed: hee fell to murthering of himſelf. It is not poſſible a man ſhould truly grieve, and bee diſpleaſed for his ſins; and yet continue in them without page missing change.