The Abuse of Gods Grace, Chapter 5 · Section 11 – Section 12
SECT. 11.
2. THe error of ſufficient attainments in Religion. This opinion 11 The error of ſufficient attainments in Religion cauſeth abaſe of Grace.is practically debauching. Thoſe that ſeemed to make haſt heaven-wards, and think they have travelled almoſt enough in the way everlaſting, that have dreamed either of their poſſible or actuall perfection in this life, need no better diſcovery of their nakedneſs than themſelves, they are their own ſufficient confutation. How far are the generation of Popiſh and Quaking Perfectiſts, from the prize they ſeem to run after? further off, were their eyes opened, than thoſe they un-ſaint from Goſpel-attainments. This ſottiſh, ſupercilious opinion of enoughs in the knowledge and practice of Religion hath begotten monſtrous libertines in the preſent age. Such as have been filled, with windy ſwelling conceits, not the real fruits of the Spirit; like ſome of the high-flown puffed up Corinthians, reigned as Kings, 1 Cor. 4. 8. bleſſed themſelves in their high attainments, viz. Knowledge, Faith, Love, Mortification, Communion with God, Joyes of the Spirit; and noy, as if rich enough, they had nothing elſe to doe but to contemplate their e…ate, and gaze upon their glory, their lazy contemplative life hath ſwallowed up the active; they lay by trading in heavenly commodities, religious attendances and exerciſes: Their name is up with their deluded fraternitie, yea in their own fooliſh brains; and now they may lay abed till noon, yea ſleep in carnall ſecuritie, in and before the light of their high-noon attainments. As ſome men that have gotten vaſt eſtates, look over their rich Lordſhips with much contentment, are knighted, trade no more, have goods layd up for many years, ſo many rich Laodiceans, that think they abound in ſpiritual goods, and want nothing, and have nothing, no more than an empty ſounding barrel, and are ſainted in Satans Kalender; theſe trade no more in heavenly negotiation, as if they could too much increaſe their Lords Talent, and give fearfull ſymptomes, that for all the puffs of their ſpirituall eſtates, they are but bankrupts. That generation is well known, who have already decried and voted down Gods ſtanding Ordinance, the Miniſtry of the Goſpel, as needleſſe, who load them with no better honours than the ſtile of Baals Prieſts, Deceivers of the people, the Locuſts of the bottomleſs pit, the fewel for the fierie furnace of Hell, and ſo bind up all Preachers in the ſame bundle of death; as well the moſt induſtrious, circumſpect, and conſcientious, as the moſt lazy, looſe, and unconſcionable. Hath not this wanton, daring Age brought forth ſuch proud, pittifull, poor (it is to be feared, but nominal) chriſtians, that have had the boldneſs to call mourning for ſin, a low attainment; dayly prayer, a poor ſapleſs buſineſſe; all private, ſolemn, as well as publick, vanities, carnall things, too low for their ſpiritual, ſeraphical ſpirits, as if they were not in the body, nor had no body of ſin, as if they were ſo Angelical in their high Revelations, and maintained ſo conſtant, blazing divine fire of love to God, as that it needed no further fewell, nor bellows of Ordinances, nor the Spirits hands to uſe them, for holy and heavenly heart inflammations. Now behold with fear and trembling the ſpirituall Judgement of ſpiritual Pride, ſpiritual Blindneſs, ſpiritual Wickedneſs, ſpiritual, yea viſible groſs Apoſtaſie. 'Tis juſt with God, that they which will not keep in the ſafe plain, the ſecure beaten valley, but they will be mounting up to the narrow tops of hills perilous pinacles, they ſhould fall, and that deadly. Some men and women have not contented themſelves (yea to their ſhame it muſt be ſpoken, ſome Miniſters) with the ſafe plain, the Ordinances of Grace, the Doctrines of Faith, Repentance, Mortification, and New obebedience, nor keep in the ſecure valley of walking humbly with God, but mounting up in their lofty minds, to the tops of Hils, Doctrines too high for them, injudicious unſcriptural Altitudes; the perillous Pinacles of conceited Perfection, a ſtupid, and ſenſleſs aſſertion of a kind of Adam-like Innocence before the Fall; That they that are born of God ſin not at all: I ſay ſome are the ſpiritual black marks of Gods vengeance, from theſe perillous heights: The viſible and fearfull falls of haughty adventurous wantons, are legible demonſtrations to the obſerving world, written in broad characters, that without infinite mercy they are very deadly. How have ſome in their ſcandalous falls from pretended ſpiritual eminencies, betrayed a double fearfull loſs, both of Chriſtianity and civility of Chriſtianity? either with Arrians denying the Deitie of Chriſt, or blaſphemouſly and ſacrilegiouſly getting into the Throne of his God-head, uſing theſe wicked Phraſes, they are Godded with God, Chriſted with Chriſt, yea that there is no difference of the God-head dwelling in the fleſh of Christ, and the fleſh of the Saints; as if their fleſh did as equally ſubſiſt in the Infinite perſon the Son of God, as the fleſh of Chriſt did; whence it would follow, that the fulneſſe of the God-head did dwell corporally in them, as it did in Chriſt, of conſequence ſpeak them ſinleſs, perfectly holy, and contradict the preheminence of Chriſts Mediatorly anointing, who was anointed with the oyl of gladneſs, the Holy Ghoſt, above his fellows, the higheſt meaſures and graces in Saints and Angels. How unchriſtianly doe ſome of thoſe fearfull children of errour, ſet up a Chriſt within them, in oppoſition, in aboliſhment of a Chriſt without them, who poring upon their ſpiritual tranſcendencies, have either quite put-out of their Creeds the imputed Righteouſneſs of Chriſt without them or elſe forgot it. As little honour, it is to be feared, hath Chriſt from ſome of theſe monuments of deluſion, as to the faith of the bodily reſurrection, whereof hee was the Firſt fruits; and as if his Ordinances were dead and buried, they have no more Communion with them than wee with the dead; and laſtly, as for his viſible Image, living Chriſtians, they are boldly ſtiled the Devils children. As ſad a fall is there from pretended perfection, even to the aboliſhment of civilitie, as if externall Morallities, contained and required in the Second Table, were no Ipſa eſt perfectio hominis, inveniſſe ſe non eſſe perfectum. Aug. Indefeſſum proficiendi ſtudium, & jugis conatus ad perfectionem perfectio repu…adar. Bernno part of of Gods will. How farre are they from growing to the full ſtature of Chriſtian practicall Religion, whoſe errors in opinions and practiſes, have made ſad breeches upon all civill and naturall callings and relations? It had been well if theſe ſad objects of pitty, praiers, and tears had learned of Auguſtine a truth, which would have kept them ſafe, humble, diligent, and zealous after true perfection; 'Tis mans perfection, to finde that he is not perfect: and of Bernard; The unwearied ſtudy of proficiency, and conſtant e…deavour after perfection is perfection; and of Paul, I count not my ſelf to allain, but I perſson to the mark; and of Peter, … que hic viaee imas, Taantum cunque h…c proficerimus nemo dicat, ſufficit mihi, &c. Auguſt. Inter profectum & defectum nihil medium. Nolle proficere non niſi deficere eſt. Bern.Grow in the grace and the knowledge of Jeſus Chriſt. It is a true ſaying of Auguſtine, Let no man ſay, though the longeſt liver, and higheſt proficient in Religion, I have enough, I am righteous ſufficiently: He that ſayes ſo, he ſtayes in the way, he ſhall never reach his journeys end. Happy had it been for theſe wondring falling Stars, had they conſidered, there is no middle ſtate between Proficiencie and Deficiencie, going forward, and going backward, if they had conſidered, it muſt be with Chriſtians, as it was with the Angels on Jacobs Ladder, as to perpetual motion. The Patriarch ſaw them aſcending and deſcending, but no ſtanding ſtill. The ſtands of religious ſufficiencie, have been, and are fatall to Imaginary Perfectiſts. O the rare artifice of Satan to ruin ſoules! where he doth it not as a Prince of darkneſs, he ſpeeds as an Angel of light. He puts the vaile of imaginary perfection of holineſs over almoſt perfection of ſin, votes a nothingneſs, an emptyneſs in Religion, a ſufficient attainment, tels real carnaliſts, they are high ſpiritualiſts, cheat them with dreams, they are the darlings of heaven, when they are like to prove firebrands in hell; while in the pleaſing folly of ſpiritual pride, vain ſelf-lovers, admire themſelves as the none ſuch of the world, and cannot judge in their coldneſs, yea death of Charity, that they are reall Saints, veſſels of mercy, it is to be feared without extraordinary repentance, theſe not fixed ſtars, but blazing comets, will goe out in darkneſs, vaniſh in a ſtink, and appear in the great day in the left hand as veſſels of wrath.
SECT. 12.
3. THe Frror, a very ſottiſh one, of Opinion, That what 12 A groſs error to the the abuſe of grac is this, that what pleaſeth the looſe ſinner pleaſeth God. Inſipientes credunt, does amare, quicquid it ſi concupiſcunt. Lact. l. 3. 0. 6.pleaſeth the looſe ſinner, pleaſeth God: Theſe things hast thou done, thou thoughteſt that I was altogether ſuch a one as thy ſelf, Pſal. 50. 21. an erroneous and impious parallel, and the cauſe of much looſeneſs. Theſe things haſt thou done; What? theſe ſins are charged on the wicked Libertine; an hypocritical owning of Gods Statutes and Covenant, ver. 16. His hating inſtruction, and casting Gods word behind him, v. 17. His conſent to the every, and partnerſhip with adultery, v. 18. His evil unbridled tongue, v. 19. His ſlander even of a natural brother, v. 20. All theſe are put down as the ſid fruits of this curſed error, and reall blaſphemy, God & the ſinner are alike, Thou thoughteſt I was ſuch a one as thy ſelf; I was as well pleaſed with thy baſeneſſe as thy ſelf. This is a tyring weariſom error to the pure God. Ye have wearied the Lord with your words, yet ye ſay, wherein? when ye ſay every one that doth evill is good in the ſight of the Lord, and be delighteth in him, or where is the God of judgement? Mal. 2. 17: There are not a few groſſe carnal Goſpellers, who when their unwaſht heart, impure and wicked lives, are covered over with a white and beautifull vaile of profeſſed Chriſtianity do as heartily write themſelves in their abſurd, flattering, injudicious minds the children of God, the dearly beloved of his ſoul, as if they were the exacteſt walkers: Certainly thoſe groſly intemperate, incontinent, covetous, malicious, unnaturall, prophane ones, that would rage at a Miniſter or private Chriſtian, that ſhould but ſo much as tel them, they fear and ſuſpect their perſons, hearts and lives, are abominable to God; doe not ſo much as ſcruple it, but they are the objects of divine loves and delights: What doth this amount to elſe, but this virtual and interpretative perſwaſion the holy God, and the vile ſinner are alike? O that ſuch wretches would conſider, as the holy Scriptures in multitudes of places, ſo Gods angry avenging Providences, are the vindicating Patrons, and infallible maintainers of Gods purity, and after death, the great day, and to all eternity, he will prove by ſadly convincing fierie arguments, the infinite diſtance between the holy bleſſed God, and the lewd curſed ſinner. Did either groſs, or cloſe hypocrites under Goſpel-profeſſion, ſeriouſly conſider, and deliberately reaſon, their own wickedneſs, and Gods holyneſs, what likes them, and what pleaſeth God, ſearch Scripture Records what the Lord hates, and what he is raviſhed with, & ſo ingeniouſly and faithfully conclude, theſe and theſe things according to the word of truth, are deteſted with a perfect abhorrence of the pure heavenly Majeſty, and we are guilty of them, and are as loathſome in his ſight as Toad, a Carrion, are in ours; it were impoſſible there ſhould be ſuch liberall and large allowances of carnal liberty, as there are too much under the favour of a divine approbation and delight. 'Tis too common an error that proſpering Providences are encouragers of wicked deſigns and practiſes. The Devil is a Devil ſtill, lying and unclean, though his temptations proſper.